World Domination System
Author: KillerHemboy
Date: 2022-10-09T11:16:31.811000+00:00

Chapter 0: Power Levels And Abbreviations

Power Levels for Body Refiners/Fighters:

Human Level 1 to 9

Warrior Level 1 to 9

Rumored Champion Level

Rumored Hero Level

Power Levels for Mages:

Human Mage Level 1 to 9

Warrior Mage Level 1 to 9

-The number 9 holds a special significance in the world that the kingdom is situated in. Each stage of Human, Warrior and the rumored Champion and Hero contain 9 levels.

-Body refiners or mages in levels 1-3 are called by the additional name tag "Neophyte"/ "Amateur", levels 4-6 "Eminent" and levels 7-9 "Exalted". For example, a Human-8 level body refiner would be referred to as an Exalted Human.

-Body refinement only requires resources like Ether. Development as a Mage requires both resources and talent in comprehending the elements or natural phenomena.

-The factor which decides the effectiveness of body refinement training using resources is the potential of the body. Higher potential will result in higher gain in power from a smaller amount of resources. Whereas if one has very low potential, a large amount of resources are needed to progress in levels or stages.

-Mages can cover up the weakness of having a weak potential by having a strong comprehension ability.

-Fighting ability of a body refiner is decided by his/her skill in learning and applying fighting techniques. In a famous example quoted in the book "What is power?", a Neophyte/Amateur Human-1 disciple defeated an Eminent Human-6 combatant using superior skill and technique.

-There is even more of a disparity between body refiners and mages. A single skilled Neophyte/ Amateur Human Mage can even defeat tens of Eminent Human Fighters with the right fighting style. This is balanced by the extreme rarity of Mages. Only 1 in a 1000 people have the minimum talent required to become a mage. One needs to be born with a specific body type, known as being in possession of a "Mageroot", to even try to train as a mage.

ABBREVIATIONS:

PAM: Phenomena Analysis Module

SAT: System Absorption Technique

CT: Combat Techniques

NMAL: National Magic Academy of Lanthanor

ETC: Energised Training Chamber

Chapter 1: Daneel

Although he had been assured that the machine's purpose was just to read his brainwaves, Daneel's life passed through his mind in an instant as he felt himself being strapped tightly onto the chair.

Left at the steps of an orphanage when he was just a month old, Daneel had the stamp 'orphan' branded on him from a young age.

Thankfully, the orphanage was run by a kind old woman who took great care of the kids. Although they lived frugally, Daneel remembered his childhood as being mostly pleasant.

Always showing remarkable results in studies, Daneel won scholarship after scholarship and entered college, looking forward to graduating and earning money to send back to the orphanage. He considered all of the children in the orphanage as his little brothers and sisters and wished for them to have a happy life.

Disaster struck in the form of the son of a politician. One day, he had accidentally bumped into a guy who was avidly pursuing a girl. The guy had an opened bottle of water in his hands, which spilled onto his pants.

Used to a frugal life, Daneel was a fragile boy. The bump had sent him careening onto the floor resulting in everyone looking at them to see what the commotion was.

Seeing the water on the pants of the boy, a few people ended up laughing. The girl also smirked before leaving the guy who looked at Daneel with a murderous expression on his face.

Since then, every day was hell for Daneel. Such a silly accident would have amounted to nothing if it were someone normal, but the guy in question was the son of a very rich and influential politician. Drunk with money and power, the guy wanted to make Daneel wish that he had never been born, and he did everything he could to make him feel so.

Nameless people beat him up. His scholarship was canceled with no reasons given. He was evicted from the hostel and the shop where he had been working part-time kicked him out.

Homeless and hungry, Daneel had to scavenge for food on the roads for the first time in his life.

Mainly not wanting to disappoint the kind old lady and impose on the orphanage, Daneel had to live in the most disgusting conditions imaginable for several weeks.

One day, he saw an advert calling any able volunteers for some 'harmless' scientific experiments. The payout was good and the company seemed legitimate.

Looking forward to the first decent meal in weeks, Daneel stumbled into the advertised clinic, thin, with skin clinging to his bones which were visible due to the malnourishment.

The staff were all very accommodating, giving him a full meal first and allowing him to bathe and shave.

Overjoyed by the hospitality, Daneel decided to do everything in his power to pay them back.

Later on, he was told what the experiment was. The clinic was recording brainwaves to make a database for a new biometric system. For this, they needed volunteers. Volunteers would simply be strapped to a chair and drugged asleep while a machine placed on the head would collect data.

It seemed too good to be true. It was almost as if one was being paid to sleep.

An ominous feeling washed over Daneel as he was strapped to the chair with electrodes connected to his head.

Something was injected into his arm which made him very drowsy.

The last moment before he fell asleep, a jolt of electricity was felt racing into his body from the electrodes on his head.

The last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness was pain. Pain throughout his body, as if he had been set on fire and was being burnt alive.

A robotic voice woke him up:

[*Ding*

World Domination System booting up.

Current World: Unknown

Host Status: Near-death

Current Goal: Survive

Overall Goal: Dominate and Conquer the world!]

As he slowly regained consciousness, Daneel felt shooting pains throughout his body. After the robotic voice stopped, he felt a flood of memories gushing into him.

He did not know what had happened after he had been strapped into the chair, but he suspected that he had mostly died due to some accident.

Like in the many novels he had read online, he had reincarnated into another world.

This was a world of magic and mythical beings. Elves, goblins, trolls, dwarves, dragons and many more races were known to exist although in places far away. Magic could be learnt by those who had the aptitude.

Either by luck or fate, the person he had reincarnated into was also called Daneel. He had also died in a similar way, but much more directly and that too at the tender age of 12. He had stumbled into a silkpants prince and made water spill on the latter. On orders from the prince who glanced at him as if he were an ant, he was beaten to death by the prince's guards. The prince did not even bat an eyelid at the former Daneel's cries of mercy, just like someone who wouldn't care about the plight of an ant that they stepped on. The fact that he was just a small 12-year old kid only made it so that it required a lesser amount of kicks to result in him lying on the ground, losing his life.

That explained the pain which was growing in intensity by the second.

Daneel analyzed the rest of the memories. With a start, he realized that he actually had parents in this world. His father was a disgraced soldier who had been fired due to abandoning the army. This was the official story. The truth was that he had offended a foolish but influential commander who was just in the post due to his family's power. Although disobeying the orders had resulted in him saving 20 people from dying, the commander's ego was hurt and his father was declared as a traitor who ran away from his post.

His mother now supported the family by doing odd jobs around the city. By washing clothes, cleaning bathrooms and sweeping floors she scavenged enough money for their small family to survive. He had no siblings.

Checking his current condition, he realized that there was no way his family would be able to handle the medical costs.

Daneel had always been a filial child. Since as long as he could remember, his days were occupied by mostly helping his mother with her chores. Rarely, he would spend some time exploring the city. It was in one such exploration that this incident had occurred. If he died now, his body would simply be discarded at night by the guards who patrolled the city.

Such was the kingdom of Lanthanor. Most of the things he knew about the world were told by his parents as bedside tales.

12,000 years ago, then-adventurer Lanthanore(pronounced Lanthanoray) led an expedition to slay a dragon which was terrorizing this land.

After accomplishing such a noble feat, he had established the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

With steady management and skillful trading, a small city of 5000 had developed into an enormous capital of 500,000. The kingdom itself had grown to accommodate millions of people, with walls being built on the borders to dissuade invasion.

The capital was known by the same name. If seen from above, the kingdom's walls encompassed a circular area 120 km in radius, with the capital located almost at the dead center.

Lanthanor was a predominantly human kingdom and its main occupation was farming.

[Preliminary Data collected.

Present Location: Lanthanor, outer city.

Host Level: Human-0 Fighter, Human-0 Mage

Host Potential: F-

Host Condition: Critical

New Mission: Drink water from fountain located exactly 617 meters north.

Mission Reward: Recovery of Body

Level Progression: 0%

Do you choose to accept the mission? Failure will have critical consequence. Host has been warned.]

The robotic voice sounded again in Daneel's head. The pain was almost getting overwhelming and he knew he would die if he continued lying there.

Hearing that he could recover, Daneel decided to question who the hell it was in his mind later.

"Yes", he gasped out loud, accepting his first mission.

Chapter 2: First Mission

[Mission Accepted. Good luck.]

Hearing this, Daneel gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain as he sat up and started to look around.

He was in an dark alley which was currently empty. The surrounding buildings were made of stone but different from the ones he had seen on Earth, the stone was neatly cut into bricks instead of just being heaped one rock on top of another.

As he slowly stood up and stumbled to the end of the alley, a bustling market greeted him.

In a wide open area, there were numerous shops set up in formation. Although there were a lot of people in the market, it still somehow seemed to be very much in order. Guards constantly patrolled the area wearing black uniforms with dull golden belt and buttons.

People of all kinds could be seen. There was no predominant race or color, but clothing seemed to decide whether one was rich or poor.

Some people who seemed to be well off wore waist coats and knee-length dresses in vibrant colors. Others who seemed to be less privileged wore common shirts and frocks, appearing more muted and indistinct, blending into the crowd.

There also seemed to be many kinds of shops. Some sold regular food or items, but a few others which were the most crowded had banners which read "Magical Trinkets for Sale! Eliminate odors with the De-odor Amulet! Stay safe with a Protector Wrist Band! Eliminate small illnesses with our special Healing Ring!". Groups of people flocked to these locations as soon as someone made a purchase and left, leaving a spot open.

Daneel barely had the time to take in all of these details before he almost collapsed from the pain. Struggling to hold himself up, he suspected that if he fell now, he might never get up again. And this time, he might just be dead for real.

There were numerous fountains located around the marketplace. Panic appearing on his face, he realized that there was no way he would be able to check them all before dying from his injuries. Besides, the patrolling guards were eyeing him with threatening stares as if warning him to stay away.

"Uh...system? Which fountain is it?", he thought in his mind, half convinced that he was just being dumb and the 'system' or whatever had just been a figment of his imagination borne from delirious ravings.

[As stated, it is the one now located 603 meters north from host's location. The system asks the host to not hesitate from asking any queries. The system will know which thoughts are being addressed as queries. Also, the system ensures the host that he is destined to conquer this world with the help of the very real and aptly titled World Domination System. But first, system advises host to finish the mission. Estimated time to organ collapse: 14 minutes 27 seconds.]

Daneel could only stare aimlessly as this response sounded in his mind. Destined to conquer the world? Who cared about that right now? He first needed to conquer the tiredness that was seeping into his mind, urging him to go to sleep.

The sun wasn't visible, so Daneel had no way to estimate which way was the north. Asking someone was also out of the question as he had the hunch that he would only have one chance to enter the marketplace.

"System, I need you to show me the fountain somehow. Or at least which direction north is."

[Auxiliary Tool: HUD-1 needed. Exp. Points Rate:10. Host has 0 experience points. Would the host like to avail a loan? It must be noted that an interest of 100% must be paid back along with the loaned amount at the earliest.]

100%? What the hell? Whoever made this system had the blackest heart possible. Although he cursed at the creator of the system in frustration, he knew that he was in a situation where he would die if he did not take the loan. Even if it were 1000%, he would have had to choose it.

"Yes", he said, as his body shook due to the waves of pain lashing at him.

[Loan granted. HUD-1 purchased from the System Store. Deployment shall commence in 3,2,1...]

A bright flash of light appeared in front of Daneel which made him close his eyes. A tingling could be felt in his brain as he waited for his eyes to adjust.

After opening his eyes, it felt as if someone had switched on a light at his location. Everything in his vision was crisper and more vibrant than it had been.

In the top left corner was some data that Daneel did not have time to examine because of the statement from the system which said:

[HUD-1 deployed. Please note that usage of any tools or abilities will result in depletion of energy. Host's current energy:1.2%]

Realizing that he had no time to waste, Daneel hurriedly started looking around. To his left, one fountain could be seen in the distance shining with a red hue.

He knew that this was where he needed to go.

Gathering all the remaining energy in his body, Daneel took a deep breath as he prepared to put everything on the line and reach his destination no matter what came in his way.

Not hesitating anymore, he took off at a dead run towards the fountain. It dominated his eyes, almost calling to him, offering salvation.

His rags and bloody body made him stick out like a sore thumb in the crowd. People shied away as he got near them, avoiding him as if he were the plague.

This was actually a blessing for Daneel as he now had a path with no obstacles.

Hearing a shout from behind which signaled that the guards were after him, he spurred his body to move even faster while gritting his teeth to ignore the agony that came from pushing his already injured body to the limit.

As soon as he reached the fountain, Daneel dunked his head in, drinking as much water as he could.

Although he sputtered and coughed, he still managed to ingest a large amount of the water. He also hurried to scoop up and drink as much water as he could before the guards arrived.

Suddenly, a baton lashed his back, making him bend over with shock. He curled into a ball almost instinctively as heavy kicks started to rain down on him.

Thankfully, the kicks stopped in a few seconds and he was hoisted up by his waist roughly.

Never having the pleasure of constantly being able to stuff himself, Daneel had a light and lithe figure. Even though he wasn't extremely thin and malnourished, he was definitely not the picture of good health.

The guard who had lifted him cursed under his breath as he took him back into the alleyway and threw him on the ground. He felt his head bounce on the hard floor, almost making him faint.

"If I see you in the market again, I will personally donate you to Ozelow. And you know what he does with stray kids." Saying so, the guard stormed away, not caring whether Daneel lived or died.

Daneel couldn't even register what the guard had said as he was currently trying hard to maintain consciousness. His head was now bleeding while he wondered whether he had been cheated. Had it all been his imagination?

As if to answer his question, the system responded:

[Mission success. Beginning recovery.]

Chapter 3: Recovering And Going Back Home

Daneel felt his stomach burning, almost as if what he had drunk was not water but acid.

A second later, his whole body relaxed as something spread from his stomach towards each damaged tissue.

Starting from the head injury that he had sustained just now, each wound started becoming numb as if he had just been injected with anesthesia. In a few seconds, he felt much better although some parts of his body still hurt.

The recovery seemed to be targeting the most damaged organs first, bringing him back from death's door. As his organs slowly started to get back to normal, Daneel breathed in comfortably for the first time since coming to this world.

After a while, the numbness faded away, making him realize that except for the surface scratches and cuts that still bled a little. his internal organs were fine and his condition was much better than before.

He stood up and pinched himself, wanting to make sure that it had not all been just a dream. After all, only a few minutes ago, he had been gravely injured with his organs about to collapse.

[Recovery finished. Ether exhausted. Host Status had been updated.

Host Level: Human-0

Host Potential: F

Host Condition: Nominal

Level Progression: 10%

Mission Completion Bonus: 10 Exp Points.

Points have been used to pay back the loan.]

Indeed, this damn system must have been a black-hearted banker in its previous life, thought Daneel as he marveled at his now healed body.

What was done was done. Daneel stretched where he stood, wanting to check if there were any more internal injuries that he might have to worry about.

There were none. As for the rest of the scrapes and aches, they were quite manageable.

Seeing another fountain at the end of the alleyway which technically wasn't in the marketplace, Daneel walked to it and proceeded to clean the dirt and blood from all the external wounds.

Looking at his reflection in the water, he got the first clear look at his face. He had brown hair which was cut short and a sharp nose with a prominent bridge. A pointed chin and an angular jaw resulted in a face which would have been considered quite handsome back on earth. His green eyes though served to make him lean more towards the cute side, especially considering that this body was only twleve years old.

Memories of his actual face back on earth kept appearing in his mind. As he stood in a trance in front of the water, the two faces seemed to be slowly superimposing on each other in his vision. After quite some time had passed, they perfectly aligned on top of each other and something seemed to have clicked in Daneel's mind.

This was him now. It was almost as if he had bundled and set aside all the memories from earth and the memories of life in Lanthanor were now in the forefront. He could now precisely recall more details about his childhood and parents.

[Mind Sync Complete. System congratulates Host for settling into his new body. 10 Exp Points awarded.

*Ding*Your loan has been repaid! Thank you for banking with the system!]

The voice brought him back into reality. Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about the loan any more, he mused before thinking about what to do next.

Deciding to first return home before finding out everything about the system, Daneel drank some more water before starting on his way. He had been gone a long time and his parents might be worried.

Giving up on salvaging his clothes and trying to hide his injuries, Daneel walked back home taking in all the sights around him. He would just have to give an excuse when the time came.

Lanthanor was a thriving city. It was divided into the inner and outer cities with the outer city occupied by merchants and common people.

The inner city was the residence of the nobles and ministers of the kingdom. It was off-limits to people without high enough authority.

The streets were finely paved with what looked like an orange soft rock which felt good to walk on even though he had no shoes. At regular intervals, there were fountains where common people could be seen drinking water.

Laughing families and screeching kids roamed the streets, happy and carefree. At first glance, it would seem that the people were happy with whoever was in command of this Kingdom.

This was just on the surface though. From Daneel's memories, he knew that the past 2 kings had repeatedly increased the taxes. Although it was not yet at a stage where people would have to sell their possessions and live frugally in order to just pay the tax, another tax hike was dreaded as it would result in a situation exactly like that.

Hence, people just found enjoyment where they could. They stayed far from the guards and minded their own business.

The two establishments with the most business were bars and magic trinket shops. Both of these had flocks of customers all year long.

Soon, Daneel entered the slum area. Here, the roads weren't as soft, almost like the soft layer that had been present everywhere else had faded away.

Small shacks were everywhere, spread haphazardly. Unlike the city he had just walked through, there was no order and very few guards.

Daneel had always been astute, so he could see that although there wasn't much order, there was more genuine happiness. An old couple played with 2 children while the latter's parents watched on smiling. A middle-aged man offered his drink to everyone passing by, not caring if it got depleted by people he didn't even know. When he was passing through, 4 or 5 people even stopped him and asked if he was OK seeing his condition. They offered to feed him and tend to his injuries as best they could if he did not have any parents.

Daneel was shocked by the hospitality. He did not expect such behavior at all from people who seemed to have nothing but the clothes on their back to their name.

After politely declining and assuring them that he had parents up ahead, their warm smiles still stuck in his head as he continued on.

Eventually, he reached a familiar shack. The roof was a rusted steel-like sheet with miscellaneous stuff laid on top to aid with leaks. The walls were also made of the same material which was quite sturdy even though it was quite thin. The door had a nameplate which read "Anivron House" in jagged writing.

A warm feeling filled his heart seeing this run-down shack. He was finally home.

Chapter 4: The System

As he opened the door and went in, he saw a woman look up with teary eyes.

This was his mother. She seemed to be middle-aged although she was only 36 years old this year. Women in Lanthanor usually married much earlier than back on earth. At that time, theirs had been a flourishing family with his father in an important post. The military was very well looked after by the government, with monthly rations for food and a designated villa to live in.

With all these conditions, the Anivron family did not hesitate to have a child.

His father had been born to a middling cloth merchant. He had joined the army at the young age of 16 and had worked his way up the ranks with grit and determination. This resulted in him becoming a squad leader at the relatively young age of 25 while also garnering the admiration of many higher-ups.

His father fell in love with his mother at first sight at a family gathering. Although she had only been 18 at the time, the families did not hesitate to make the marriage happen. Such an age difference was actually quite common here.

Then, disaster struck. Daneel was around 3 years old when his father was thrown out of the army. Even their families were targeted and they were warned that they could either move to the slums or be thrown out of the city.

With no other option, the Anivron family had built this shack with the last of the savings that had not been confiscated and had lived here ever since. Thus, he only had vague memories of the rest of his family who maintained their distance except for a few close friends.

"Daneel! Where were you?! You made me and your father so worried!", his mother gasped out amid sobs after running up to him and hugging him. Noticing the injuries that were all around his body, she carefully started checking everywhere to make sure that there weren't any life-threatening ones.

Maria was her name. Hearing the commotion, a man with a circular mark branded on his forehead looked up from the bed.

A broad smile came upon his face on seeing that his son was back. This family would be shattered if anything happened to their only son. He was their pride, their hope, and their heart.

His father was called Robert. The mark on his face was the brand given to all those disgraced and thrown from the army. Seeing the mark, no one in their fair mind would even donate a few coins, let alone give a job.

"I'm fine, mom. I got attacked by some brats who thought I had money on me. They left after ganging up on me and seeing that I had nothing but these clothes. I just washed my face in a fountain before hurrying back.", he lied. There was no way he could tell anyone about the system yet.

Thankfully, this wasn't the first time this had happened. Thus, his mother simply sighed and walked to a cupboard to get the cheap recovery solution that healed scrapes like these in a few days.

Seeing the state his parents were in, Daneel felt indignant. An honest soldier's family was reduced to this state due to the ego of someone with authority. His mother who was only 36 looked at least 50. The manual labor day after day had taken a toll on her, making her once glowing skin now look dull and rough. Even her face which had once been filled with vitality now held many marks and lines of age which appeared well before their time.

Unlike the previous Daneel who felt resigned to their fate, he wanted to take revenge. He wanted to set right all the wrongs that had been done to his family.

But first, he needed to understand what the system was. Drinking regular water had somehow healed his body and pulled him back from death. The HUD which he had hastened to deactivate after reaching the fountain was even more magical in its own right.

The system would be his weapon with which he would fight back. Hence, not a single soul except him needed to know about it. He knew how zealous the technology wing was under the new king and did not want to be experimented on like a guinea pig.

Although his father gave him a disapproving look not believing the story, Daneel could only climb into his bed after shooting him an apologetic smile. He had told his mother that he was tired and that he had already eaten some bread donated by a passerby. Thus, she let him go to sleep after applying the ointment all over his injuries.

There were no rooms in the house, with only curtains visible which partitioned the small 70 sq. m room into a living cum cooking/dining area and 2 bedrooms with one smaller than the other. The smaller one was Daneel's.

It was finally time to see what this system really was.

As Daneel closed his eyes, he prepared a list of questions to ask. The pesky system did not even give him this chance.

[Host status observed to be suitable. Introduction commencing.

Welcome to the World Domination System! Beggar or prince, merchant or soldier-regardless of your starting point, with the system's help, your hard work can make you an unparalleled King under the heavens! Your path to Domination begins!

Introduction completed. Host may now ask any queries he has.]

Daneel was dumbstruck for a moment and couldn't speak. Hearing that the introduction was beginning, he expected a full explanation which would clear all of his doubts. Instead, all he got was another empty explanation which told him nothing new.

"How did you get into my head?", he asked, deciding to start with the most pressing questions.

[Information locked. Please advance to the requisite level to unlock this information.]

"Who made you?"

[Information locked. Please advance to the requisite level to unlock this information.]

"Did the scientists on earth somehow put you in me?"

[Information locked. Please advance to the requisite level to unlock this information.]

...

Daneel was starting to get angry. He first calmed himself down and started to ask questions which might be answerable.

"What is Ether? How did it heal my body?"

[Ether is a wondrous material generated by this world. It is one of the materials that contains the quintessential Energy which enables those in this world to advance on the path to power. In a concentrated form, it also has incredible healing properties which the system can harness. The system has the ability to detect such materials. At the present level of the system, only Ether can be detected. Please upgrade the system to unlock more functions. Unlock cost: 10,000 Exp Points.]

This was a start. Even Daneel had heard of Ether but he had just wanted to make sure.

"What else can you do?"

[The system can currently perform the following tasks:

Ether Detection

Host Status Analysis

Deployment of Auxiliary Tools

Mission Control

Please upgrade the system to unlock more options. Unlock cost: 10,000 Exp Points.]

The damn system constantly kept asking him to upgrade it. To Daneel, It sounded like the irritating friend who constantly coaxed you to buy him something.

Opting to ignore it, he asked, "How do you earn Exp Points? And what is the level progression?"

[Exp points are earned when certain hidden goals are achieved or when missions are accomplished. Level progression is the progression of the host towards the next level of power.]

Daneel had guessed as much.

"What are the power levels?"

[System is not aware of the power levels in this world.

New Mission: Provide information regarding the world

Mission Progress: 0%

Mission Description: The system has already analyzed all the information currently known to the host. New information is needed in order to build the database. Host is required to find and interact with any and all materials that will aid in this task.

Mission Rewards: 10 Exp Points. A new function will be unlocked.

Mission Failure Penalty: None

Does host choose to accept the mission?]

A simple question had resulted in a mission being given. It seemed that even idly ruminating and asking questions could trigger events like these from the system.

Chapter 5: Thieves In The Nigh

"Yes"

[Mission accepted. Good luck.]

This was what Daneel knew so far: he had a black-hearted but very powerful system in his head which boasted that it would make him the King of this world. More functions could be unlocked by finishing missions and earning exp points.

Reflecting on this, he realized that at this moment, Daneel couldn't care less whether he became the ruler of the world or not. He had completely merged into his present body and felt very lucky to have parents in this world. The pain of not having any in his previous life made him treasure them even more. This, in turn, made him even more determined to exact revenge and obtain justice.

His present goal was this: find out more about the world and keep unlocking functions. Look for any opportunities that could be utilized due to the presence of the system.

A shuffling was heard from the curtain as a man entered the room.

"Your mother is asleep. I saw the blood on your clothes, boy. From where did you learn to lie to your parents? That much blood definitely didn't come from just those external wounds. Quickly show me if you are hurt anywhere else. I have a friend in the infirmary who might help. Let's not make your mother worry even more. She already has enough on her mind"

Another pair of footsteps followed from behind, as his mother entered and playfully tapped on his father's shoulder before turning towards Daneel with a reprimanding look on her face.

"You think I didn't notice? I'm his mother! Tell us, son. That ointment will only work on the smallest scrapes and cuts. No matter what the cost, we can hire a healing mage in case you are hurting anywhere inside. Those kinds of wounds shouldn't be ignored at all."

Seeing the concerned looks on his parent's faces, tears appeared in Daneel's eyes. He had never known such a feeling. Although the old lady in the orphanage had always cared for him, the absence of parents had always weighed down on him like a burden.

A warmth spread through his body. In this world, he was loved and cared for. In this world, he had people he could call his own who would do anything for him.

He could only hug them both and cry uncontrollably as all the pent-up tears from all the years of sorrow erupted out, finally breaking free from his eyes.

His parents let him cry all of it out, opting to just pat him on his back and let him explain.

After controlling himself and wiping away the last of the tears, he said, "I'm not hurt anywhere else. Trust me Mom and Dad, I wouldn't hide it from you if that were the case. I know you would do everything to get me cured. I'm just really happy that I have you two."

Saying so, a broad smile appeared on his face. Seeing this cute smile, the couple could only smile back and leave wishing him a good night. His father still had a questioning look, but his mother dragged him away as if telling him to not pester their son. If he wanted to tell them something, he would.

Daneel knew that being in the army, his father did not believe him at all. But there was nothing he could do. This was something that he could not share no matter what. He would have to think for a more plausible explanation later. As much as he hated lying to his parents, he simply had no choice.

Although he had been healed and felt that his stomach was full, Daneel felt very sleepy and tired from the long day he had just had. Looking forward to the next day, he fell asleep almost instantly.

4 hours later.

Daneel had gone to sleep at around 10 p.m. The old rusted clock in the living room read 2 a.m when a rustling sound was heard from outside the door. After a bit of fumbling, the door creaked open to reveal 2 men in black clothes.

"Search everywhere and be silent. The old man in this house was a soldier, so it's better not to get into a fight.", said the first man to the second.

Nodding in reply, the two continued to sneak into the house.

[*DING*

New Mission: Defeat the thieves in the Anivron House

Mission Description: Thieves have entered your house. The future king of the world cannot have robbery happen in his own house! Drive away the thieves.

Mission Reward: 20 Exp Points. 5% Level Progression.

Suggested Purchase: Heads Up Display Combat Aid Add-On(1). Cost-10 Exp Points.

Would you like to accept the mission and make the purchase by taking a loan? The standard interest rate will apply.]

Daneel woke up to this sound. His eyes opened wide as he heard the sounds coming from the living room. They had been robbed thrice before and each time the whole family had almost starved for weeks before they could stockpile a little food again.

The only valuable things in the house were food and a few other odds and ends, like the clock. Still, Daneel had no intention of just lying down and ignoring the situation especially when he could stop it.

Yet again, he had no choice but to take the loan. He had no experience fighting and knew that he would need the aid of the system if he wanted to successfully drive the thieves away.

"Yes. Buy the add-on and equip the Heads Up Display."

[Affirmative. Loan approved. Purchase made and added to HUD. HUD deployed. Good luck.]

As the display came back over Daneel's eyes, he noticed that he could see the thieves even from behind the curtain. Now that he studied it, the panel at the left indicated his status while a 3-D image of his body showed whether any part was injured. It was his health indicator in graphic form.

As he was trying to figure out how to proceed, a white footprint was seen in the corner of his eye.

On the ground was a line of shining footprints that let towards one of the thieves who had his back turned to him.

Daneel decided to just trust the system.

He silently set his foot down on the indication and inched towards the thief. Luckily, the rustling of the curtain was not heard by the intruders due to the sounds already being made by them.

On almost reaching the thief, a white shining fist appeared on the side of the head.

Daneel understood that it was the trajectory of his arm that he had to follow.

Holding his breath, he pulled his arm back and punched along that line, making the head of the thief whip sideways. The sudden whiplash effect instantly made him faint and fall to the ground.

Although the hit and the fall were silent, Daneel had made a mistake. As he had no experience punching, he had punched in a very awkward fashion by bending his body forward. He now lost his balance and hit a table with his hand while falling forward. This made a more audible sound that echoed through the house.

Daneel hurriedly got up only to realize with horror that the other thief had noticed him and was now lunging towards him with a shining dagger in his hand.

Chapter 6: Reward And Town Library

The dagger was only inches from his head as the thief was thrusting from above with the intention of killing him with one blow.

Without thinking, Daneel punched in the new trajectory shown in the Heads Up Display. The trajectory led towards a specific point on the thief's arm, near the elbow.

With centimeters to spare, the hand was knocked upwards as the thief's elbow snapped, making him howl in pain. This woke up his father who rushed into the living room.

Only taking a second to comprehend the situation, Robert quickly put the thief who was bent over, howling with pain in a sleeper hold. After a little struggle, the thief fainted.

[Mission success. 20 Exp Points awarded. 5% Level Progression awarded.

*Ding*

Your loan has been repaid! Thank you for banking with the system!]

Never in his wildest dreams did Daneel think that he would become a slave to a system which exacted interest after interest. From now on, he vowed to never take a loan. What was the reason behind this anyway? This system kept boasting that it would make him dominate the world but right now the only one being dominated was him, by the atrocious interest rate.

Daneel thought a bit hard about this, half demanding an answer. Thus, the system responded:

[System would like to inform the host that resources like Exp Points and Level Progressions can only be given by the system when the host has earned them. The system is only capable of extracting these from completed missions. This is due to the advanced principles of multiple frequency energy extraction implanted in the system.

The loan system was implemented by the creator of the system to aid weak hosts. A small amount of remnant energy is present within the system for emergencies. But, parameters have been set regarding the usage of this energy. This is to dissuade hosts from earning too much for free and to encourage them to finish missions and achieve their rewards. Hence the interest rate.]

Daneel had not expected the system to give a response at all.

"Son? Son! Did they hit you on your head? Why are you in a daze?"

He felt his father shaking his shoulders as he woke up from the trance he had gone into when listening to the system. He had no time to analyze the system's answer, what with his father staring at him with a worried look on his face.

"No, dad, I'm fine. I was just a bit shocked by the suddenness of this all. What do we do with these two?", he asked, motioning at the thieves.

"Go and call Benny over. These thieves must have bounties on their heads. If we go through anyone else, they would just eat up the reward instead of giving it to us due to our status.", he said, sighing.

There had been multiple instances when constables or city vendors had outright cheated them as there was no one to ask and obtain justice for them. Such was the depravity of those branded with that mark. They could only shut their mouth and try not to be cheated again.

Situations like these made the family treasure true friends more and more. Benny was such a friend. He was a constable charged to patrol the slums who sympathized with the Anivron family and helped them however he could because he knew the real reason Robert was driven away. Daneel had fond memories of this uncle Benny bringing tasty food or candy when he was starving.

"Besides, how did you manage to knock out the first thief and make the second thief bend over with pain?"

"Hehe, instincts. I just heard them snooping around and wanted to stop them. I'll go get Uncle Benny.", he said, giving another poor excuse and running from his father's hands.

Robert's eyes followed Daneel from behind with a suspicious look on his face. Something had changed in his son.

Deciding to get to the bottom of it later, he hurried to tie up the two thieves before they woke up.

Uncle Benny arrived in a few minutes and was shocked seeing the two tidily tied up thieves. These were some of the most notorious thieves terrorizing the outer city. They had recently made a high profile heist and were thought to have left the city. To think that they would be caught in the slums, the Commander would surely be shocked.

There was a big reward on the thieves' heads which would really help out this family. He promised to get all of the money and hand it over by telling his superiors that someone else had managed to catch them.

With everything taken care of, the two of them went back to sleep.

The next morning, Daneel woke up to the sound of the rooster crowing. It was still a bit dark outside, but he couldn't go back to sleep.

As he always did, he helped his mother and father with chores until the sun was completely up. Then, his mother went to work and his father went to meet some friends in the slums.

Free, Daneel left his house to look for the library.

The town library was one of the most prominent buildings in the city. Built in a wide open area with high domes and rich mason work, it was truly a sight to behold. It reminded him of the famous White House back on earth. Only, the material was yellow instead of white.

Daneel excitedly walked up the steps leading to the door before a signboard nearby completely punctured his excitement.

"Price of Admission: 10 Silver Lans"

Lan was the official currency of Lanthanor. 100 bronze Lans made 1 silver Lan and 100 silver Lans made 1 Gold Lan.

10 bronze lans was the amount required for a typical person to eat the simplest food for a day. And this damn library needed a hundred times that?

There was no way he could bring this much money what with the financial condition his family was in. Daneel could only pull his hair in frustration as he wondered what to do.

With no other option available, he proceeded to dejectedly trudge back home.

Just as he got home, Uncle Benny was handing over a small pouch to his father.

"It's a pity, Robert. Bad luck seems to hound you. These two actually accomplished a very high profile heist just a day before they were caught in your house. Those items have still not been found. The bureaucrats were still deciding on revising the bounty. If I knew this, I would have hid those two somewhere before handing them over. Alas, now we could only obtain 1 gold Lan for each. Still, its a pretty high sum. Take care, Robert. Think about sending Daneel to some fighting classes. If what you said is true and he did take down a thief by himself, he must have great talent."

He departed after ruffling Daneel's hair a bit and saying hi.

Daneel's sight was fixed on the gold Lan. This was his ticket into the library.

"Dad, I need 10 silver Lans.", he blurted out.

Hearing this, his father could only stare. Till date, Daneel had always been the obedient child who never asked his parents for anything.

"What for?", he asked, with a patient face.

Daneel decided to tell the truth. Since childhood, he had always been interested in reading. His parents had taught him the words and letters and they still boasted that he had learned everything in a very short span of time.

"I want to go to the library, dad. I want to read everything there and decide what I want to be in the future. Please, dad? Can I go?"

Robert sighed as he saw his son put on puppy eyes in a bid to convince him.

"Alright. Remember, you decide your own life, son. Be careful out there."

In the past, this amount would have been nothing. Now, they had to scavenge for every little morsel. Even he wished for his son to become learned about the world. He did not want him to be the country bumpkin who would be laughed at for knowing nothing.

Above all, he wished for him to have a bright future.

"I'll go get change from some friends. Wait here." Saying so, he left the house.

Chapter 7: The Levels of Power

A sad expression came over Daneel seeing his father walk out with a drooped figure. He longed for the day when he could lift all the burdens and sorrows from his father's shoulders.

He leaned on the wall, looking down.

As he did so, he noticed a small paper parchment under the dining table.

Bending and going under the table, he picked it up. It seemed to be a map of some kind.

[*Ding*

New Mission Available: Find the thieves' hideout

Mission Description: During the scuffle, a piece of parchment fell out of the first thief's chest when he was knocked out. The host has found this map. Following it will potentially lead to the hideout where the thieves may have stashed their earnings.

Mission Reward: 20 Exp Points. 5% Level Progression.

Host is advised to proceed with caution. Mission parameters will be updated when information is obtained about the hideout.]

It was a treasure map! He had heard Uncle Benny say that the thieves had made a very high profile robbery. Now, it was his chance to obtain these items. Daneel resolved to investigate the location marked on the map as soon as he got a chance. It seemed to be somewhere near the east wall.

But first, he needed to understand the world he was in. It was time to finally go to the town library

Robert soon came back with a bag full of jingling coins. Each Lan, regardless of whether it is bronze, silver or gold was of the same size. The only thing that changed was the material.

His father carefully counted out 10 silver Lans before placing them in a small cloth pouch and handing them over to Daneel. He proceeded to pat his head and give him a wide smile before going out to take care of some chores.

Wanting to finish the mission as soon as possible, Daneel changed his clothes and hurried to the library. He had seen that all of the people who were entering or leaving the library were all well-dressed, so he also chose to take out his best clothes. 'Best' here was relative though-Daneel only wore the clothes which were the least torn and faded.

A clerk was sitting near the door collecting the entrance fee. Daneel walked up to him and paid the amount while feeling a small pain in his heart. He would definitely not let his father's trust in him be in vain.

The clerk eyed him up and down before depositing the Lans in a box.

"Touch the token and keep it with you at all times inside the library. It will vibrate when the library is closing-this means that you will have to come out."

Saying so with a flat voice, the clerk handed out the flat silver coin which was unmarked. As Daneel touched it, it seemed to glow with a faint light. He put it in his pocket before hurrying to enter the library.

This was definitely a simple magical trinket! Daneel was excited to find out about the magic which existed in this world. Like all youths, he had dreamed of picking up objects without touching them or conjuring the elements with his hands. Now, all that was possible in this world.

A wide open space greeted him. Numerous tables and chairs seated more than 500 people who maintained pin-drop silence.

Daneel was expecting towering bookcases but was shocked to see what looked like podiums situated around the hall. As he stared, people seemed to be walking up to the podium, grasping it at its sides with both arms as if they were going to give a speech then returning to their seats with a book in hand.

After watching more than 10 people do the same, he also walked to an empty podium and mimicked the other people, grasping it with his hands.

"Welcome to the town library. Please select the topic of the book you would like to read."

Daneel jumped back in shock as a floating list appeared in thin air in front of him while a voice seemed to speak in his ear. Unlike the system which spoke to him from inside his mind, this voice came more from the outside.

Both the screen and the voice vanished as soon as he lost physical contact with the podium. This was an interface that seemed to be truly magical.

A few people walking near him chuckled seeing him jump back. This did not seem to be a very rare occurrence as they went back to their work right after looking for a bit.

Blushing, Daneel touched the podium again. This time though, a different voice sounded:

[*Ding*

Data interface found. System function: Data interface module unlocked. 10 Exp Points awarded.

Would you like to use the system to communicate with the interface?]

Free exp points just for touching a podium? Sweet, he thought.

"Yes. Select the best book about power levels in the Kingdom."

[Affirmative. Sorting through booklist. 2343 options found. Filtering using the number of readers as the parameter. 432 books found. Filtering for fame of author. 178 books found. Filtering for relevance to host. 67 books found. List made. First book selected.]

A thick green tome with the label "What is power? by Exalted Human-level Scholar Valix Mantess." appeared on the podium out of thin air. It seemed to contain at least a 1000 pages. Lifting it off the podium, Daneel almost fell to his knees. Struggling to raise it up, he slowly walked towards a nearby table.

He needed to read 67 books like these? Impossible. Even this book would not be finished in the time he had till the library closed.

Having no choice but still looking forward to the information, Daneel excitedly flipped open the book.

[*Ding*

Mission in progress.

System congratulates host on progressing in the mission "Provide information regarding the world". As hidden parameters have been achieved, the function "Information Scanning" has been unlocked. Please finish the mission to obtain the Exp Points.]

[*Ding*

Book scanned and relevant information extracted. Please proceed to obtain the next book in the list. Mission Progress: 1.49%]

He hadn't even read a word in the book but the reading was done! For the first time, instead of cursing the creator of the system, Daneel blessed him. If this function hadn't unlocked now, he had no idea how many months it would have taken to accumulate enough money and return again and again to the library.

Quickly, Daneel brought book after book to the table.

At around the 20th book, the system said:

[Host is advised to not tire himself by carrying the book again and again to the table. Just accessing the book at the podium and touching it will suffice.]

A look of indignation came over Daneel's face as he heard this. He was already bone tired from having to carry book after heavy book to the table. And the system chose to advise him now?!

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME BEFORE?!", he screamed in his mind. Now that he thought about it, he should have realized it himself after seeing the system scan the book in less than a second. Due to his extreme excitement though, he had hurried to carry each book to the table without thinking about it. Now, in his fury, he unconsciously chose to ignore this.

[By default, the suggestion level of the system is set to 3/5. This is to ensure that the system lets the host think for himself most of the time. After reaching the 20th book, the parameter existing for detection of suggestion need was met and the suggestion was made. It is not possible to change the default setting at your level]

Hearing the response, Daneel could only shake his head and do what the system had said. Of course, he vowed to be smarter from now on.

After all the books were scanned, Daneel went back to the table and sat down.

"Tell me the power levels in this kingdom", he asked and waited with bated breath.

[*Ding*

Data analyzed

Power Levels for Body Refiners/Fighters:

Human Level 1 to 9

Warrior Level 1 to 9

Rumored Champion Level

Rumored Hero Level

Power Levels for Mages:

Human Mage Level 1 to 9

Warrior Mage Level 1 to 9

6 Mage Specializations found.]

Daneel's personal path towards power finally began with this explanation.

Chapter 8: The Levels of Power 1

[Important points to be noted regarding Power and Power Levels:

-The number 9 holds a special significance in the world that the kingdom is situated in. Each stage of Human, Warrior and the rumored Champion and Hero contain 9 levels.

-Body refiners or mages in levels 1-3 are called by the additional name tag "Neophyte", levels 4-6 "Eminent" and levels 7-9 "Exalted". For example, a Human-8 level body refiner would be referred to as an Exalted Human.

-Body refinement only requires resources like Ether. Development as a Mage requires both resources and talent in comprehending the elements or natural phenomena.

-The factor which decides the effectiveness of body refinement training using resources is the potential of the body. Higher potential will result in higher gain in power from a smaller amount of resources. Whereas if one has very low potential, a large amount of resources are needed to progress in levels or stages.

-Mages can cover up the weakness of having a weak potential by having a strong comprehension ability.

-Fighting ability of a body refiner is decided by his/her skill in learning and applying fighting techniques. In a famous example quoted in the book "What is power?", a Neophyte Human-1 disciple defeated an Eminent Human-6 combatant using superior skill and technique.

-There is even more of a disparity between body refiners and mages. A single skilled Neophyte Human Mage can even defeat tens of Eminent Human Fighters with the right fighting style. This is balanced by the extreme rarity of Mages. Only 1 in a 1000 people have the minimum talent required to become a mage. One needs to be born with a specific body type, known as being in possession of a "Mageroot", to even try to train as a mage.]

Daneel felt his head reeling from all the information. He had to ask the system to repeat all of the information thrice.

"Do I have the mageroot?", he asked, hoping for a positive answer.

[No. Host's body has no mageroot and the body potential is among the lowest possible.]

This answer crushed his hopes. But, the system was not done.

[Host does not need to despair, because he is in possession of the World Domination System. Methods have been identified to improve potential and obtain a mageroot. Host just needs to focus on completing missions and obtaining Exp Points as they are instrumental in upgrading host's body.]

Yes! At least there was a possibility! Daneel decided to do whatever was necessary to grow stronger. He closed his fists, determined to tackle all missions and stockpile as many Exp Points as possible. Of course, that required staying a mile away from the System Bank.

A pair of hands hoisted him up from his seat, and Daneel suddenly found himself dangling in the air. In this world, he was only a 5 foot tall scrawny 12-year old kid who could easily be manhandled this way.

A nondescript constable sneered at him from the side before saying, "You have long exceeded the book limit set for the price paid. Pay 10 silver Lans or get out. Didn't the clerk tell you about the book limit?"

In the air, Daneel could only put up a futile struggle attempting to get free. Failing, he said, "He didn't! And I don't have any more money!"

Smirking, the constable proceeded to take him out of the library in this fashion, saying "I thought as much. This isn't a place for punks like you. Get out and don't even think of coming back."

As they got to the steps, the guard winked at the clerk who winked back with a smile. This was all a scheme by the two of them!

Daneel was bodily thrown from the top of the steps. Thankfully, there was a little space between flights of steps which he landed on. He had scraped his knee which hurt like hell. Most of all, his pride was beaten to the ground.

[*Ding* Mission "Provide information regarding the world" success. 10 Exp Points awarded.

New Mission: Take revenge on the library's constable and clerk.

Mission Description: The town library's clerk usually runs a scheme which involves not informing commoners of all the rules of the library resulting in them being thrown out of the library by the constable. Host was also trapped by this scheme.

A World Dominator cannot suffer such grievances without seeking redress! Take revenge on them by bringing this to the attention of superiors.

Mission Reward: 30 Exp Points. Would you like to accept the mission?]

For once, the system aligned with his thoughts perfectly.

"Yes", he replied.

[Mission Accepted. Good luck]

Daneel picked himself up and dusted off his clothes. His pocket was ripped when the constable had taken the silver token before throwing him out.

Book limit? What the hell was that? What sense did it make to limit the number of books one could read?

Regardless, he was out of the library now and would need to pay again to go back in, with money he didn't have. He was at least glad that he had had the time to finish the mission.

Finally, he had 10 Exp Points to himself! This really picked him up and improved his mood. Although he had not forgotten the humiliation, it was thrown to the back of his mind now because he could not do anything about it at the moment. Being able to do this had always been part of his personality.

As he got up, he heard a commotion near the gates of the library. A large crowd had formed which Daneel inched himself into.

At the center were two men face to face. One, who seemed to be in his late 20s, was wearing a green robe with fists emblazoned on it. The other was a middle-aged constable who had a different uniform than the others he had seen patrolling the streets. Where the others' belt and buttons had been a dull gold, his shined bright, reflecting the sun and making a few observers close their eyes. He stood tall and straight with a strict expression, his uniform serving to only increase an image of authority and power.

The man in the robe, on the other hand, had a casual expression but there seemed to be a hunter hidden underneath. He was in a stance similar to that of a tiger which could stay unnoticed in the bushes until it pounced with devastating power and tore a deer to pieces.

"This is a training hall matter. It would serve you better to let me leave, Officer Ajax.", said the man in the robe.

"Regardless of whose matter it is, I have orders to take you in today, Eminent Human Elenav. Either come quietly or be beaten into the ground by someone who is stronger than you.", said the officer, loosening his uniform in anticipation of a fight.

"And that someone is you? With just your Exalted Human strength? It seems you did not take your instructor's words to heart when he said that skill can overcome level any day. In his place, let me teach you a lesson."

As soon as the last word had exited his mouth, the man in the robe jumped 10 feet up in the air. His body turned into a human spear in the air that shot toward the officer from above with his fist pointing out as the head of the spear.

Chapter 9: Damn! Thats Cool!

The officer managed to dodge the first strike, but what followed was a series of punches and kicks that seemed almost like blurs in Daneel's eyes. The man's speed was something almost unable to be replicated by a common human. The variations in his punches and kicks themselves were dizzying to watch.

Although the officer mostly dodged, he also managed to throw a few punches in. At one point, a punch of his which had missed had resulted in a huge "BOOM" as it struck the ground. A hole a few inches deep in the shape of a fist was made in the ground which shocked Daneel to the core. Such power was unseen or unheard of back on earth.

Missed punches like these resulted in the officer taking a few blows to his back and chest. But, the uniform seemed to contain certain protective properties which enabled him to shrug off whatever injuries he may have sustained.

Although the man moved fast, his punches and kicks just did not contain enough force to disable the officer. Just as the saying goes that walking near the riverbank will make your feet wet, one punch of the officer finally landed on the man's chest.

The man flew back borrowing the momentum of the punch before landing a few feet away holding his stomach.

"A 4th Stage Eminent Human against an 8th stage Exalted Human. And you took so long to land a punch. Is this the strength you wanted to beat me down with?", asked the man, smirking.

The officer humphed, embarrassed in front of the crowd, before saying, "It is the result that matters. Now come to the station quietly.", he said.

"Sure. Can I get a hand?", he asked, raising his hand as he was kneeling on the ground.

Daneel felt odd. The body language and tone of the man was not at all like that of one going to surrender.

The officer smiled before walking forward in a dignified manner as if for all intents and purposes, he was the one who had won the fight. He held the man's arm and proceeded to raise him up.

The man smiled broadly and patted the officer's shoulders saying, "Thanks. Now you better go get help fast. Don't blame me if you end up getting crippled for life due to ignoring my warning."

The man said these strange words before walking away from the officer towards an end of the crowd near Daneel.

Everyone was waiting with bated breath for the officer to turn around and confront the man again, but strangely, he stood there, rigid.

After a second, a "PUCHI" sound was heard as blood erupted in a fountain from his nose, ears and eyes, making him fall to the ground.

"Impossible. The secret technique for Warriors....you cannot have mastered it.", he gasped, before fainting in a pool of his own blood.

The man, not even turning back, walked out of the crowd as people made way for him, awed by the utter magnificence of the scene.

Daneel followed the man with his eyes. The only thing constantly running in his mind over and over again was:

"Damn! That's cool!"

Unable to get the scene out of his head, he ran towards the man who was walking away.

As the man ducked into a corner, Daneel followed him in and was shocked to find him leaning against the wall, panting.

Blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth as he sunk to the ground.

"Are...are you ok?", he asked, worried. This image was worlds different from the one that he had projected just a few seconds back.

"I'm fine. That damn punch just managed to break a rib. Fighting with an Exalted Human is no joke, especially when I'm 4 stages behind. What do you want, kid?"

"I want to learn to fight like you!", answered Daneel. Without waiting for the man to reply, he took out a piece of bread from his pocket and held it forward.

His mother had thoughtfully packed the bread as a snack in case he got hungry in the library. Now, he was using it as a small token of offering with the hope that it would make the man see that he was worth taking in. Especially seeing his clothes, anyone could tell that he was a poor kid whose food for the day was probably just that piece of bread.

He was not doing these just out of a whim. The main reason was a system prompt which had occurred right after the man exited the crowd:

[*DING*

New Mission: Receive an invitation to the "Fists of Justice" Training Hall from Eminent Human Elenav.

Mission Description: Deriving from data collected from the crowd, this training hall fights against corrupt government officials and laws for the good of the people. This mission was triggered due to the acceptance of the mission "Take revenge on the library's constable and clerk.". It is possible that the training hall might help in the Host's journey.

Mission Rewards: 20 Exp Points. A type of points might be unlocked.]

Daneel wondered what these types of points were, but he had no time to ask as he had to hurry after the man.

Now, with a little time to spare while the man looked at him oddly, he asked, "What are types of points?"

[Replying to the host, there are specific types of points which can be awarded by the system. The most common is Exp Points, which can be used for various purposes. Other types also have distinct purposes.]

Although he hadn't gotten much information, this was still good news. He looked forward to seeing what these types of points were.

As if he had made some kind of decision, the man shrugged and took the bread, munching on it while musing about something.

While Daneel watched on, he noticed that the man had strong features, with a high nose and sharp eyes. A scar ran along his left cheek towards his left ear which seemed to have been sustained many years back.

"Thanks kid. You wanna join the "Fists of Justice" Training Hall? The old sect head always tells us to find those with a good heart to extend the invitation. We fight for justice for commoners like you. If you agree, I would love to take you to the hall. Right now."

It was this easy? Daneel thought that he would have to run many more errands before even considered for an invitation. It turned out that the difficulty of the missions varied a lot, and it did not have any link with the experience points awarded.

[Mission Success. Congratulations. 20 Exp Points Awarded. Faction Points Unlocked. Faction Points can be used to purchase certain boosts from the System Store. System Store is locked until the host reaches the Human-4 level.]

It sounded a lot like the RPG games that were so popular back on earth. Meanwhile, the man was slowly rising to his feet.

He scratched his head a bit before saying, "I'm Elenav by the way. Do you agree? And if you do, do you mind helping me with something?"

Daneel was bewildered. What kind of help could a 12 year old be? But first, he hurried to agree.

"Great. Raise my shirt from behind. Don't worry, I just want you to take out a pentagon shaped object tucked there.", he hurried to say, seeing the strange look in Daneel's eyes.

It was a fist-sized coin shaped like a pentagon with a few red gems embedded in between the gold that it was made of. As Daneel touched it, it glowed a dangerous red and started to heat up.

"Hand it to me quick! Otherwise, it might attack you!"

Daneel hurried to put the coin in Elenav's hand. As soon as he did so, the red glow was replaced by a golden one.

Holding the coin up to his mouth like a mike, he said, "This is Elenav. I'm in the 3rd alleyway east of the Town Library. Need extraction for me and a new recruit. Send a medic, it seems my lung might be punctured."

A punctured lung?! How was this man even standing? Wondered Daneel as a gruff voice came from the coin which said:

"Understood. Stay at your location, someone will come in a minute."

Chapter 10: Training Hall Master

In less than a minute, a figure dropped down from the sky in beautiful white robes.

Apart from the shock of seeing a human drop down from the sky like a bird, Daneel was awed by the stunning beauty of the woman who had arrived.

Possessing a lithe figure swathed in the white dress, the woman had prominent features with large eyes and a straight nose. Her petulant lips turned into a thin line after seeing the smiling expression on Elenav's face.

"Viuda! Thanks for coming! I definitely didn't do something to irk all of the females of the training hall, did I?", he said, pointing with his eyes at Daneel.

Daneel got the hint and opted not to say anything. The woman, without saying a word, swooped forward in a quick motion and touched both Elenav and Daneel on the shoulder.

Daneel felt a weightless sensation for the first time in his life. To his amazement, he was hovering a few centimeters off the ground. His body felt light, as if a small gust of wind would be able to blow it away.

Elenav groaned as he first rose into the air. Hearing this, the woman turned around with a look of concern on her face which quickly morphed back into the one she had initially.

As Daneel was still marveling at the realization that he was actually flying, the system spoke in his mind,

[New tool available for purchase in store: Phenomena Analysis Module-1(PAM-1).

Rate: 20 EXP.

Tool Description: This is a tool which collects information from phenomena observed by the host and compiles it into techniques or training manuals which can be trained with by the host. It is an upgradeable tool which requires lesser and lesser observation to output a manual on upgrading.

Host has been a witness of 2 instances: a fight between body refiners and flight using manipulation of gravity. This has satisfied the parameter to unlock the tool in the store. Please explore and experience more situations to unlock more features of the system.]

"Yes!", shouted Daneel in his mind.

[Purchase made and tool deployed. Thank you for shopping with the system!

Remaining EXP: 10]

Back to 10 points again. It seemed that points were hard to earn but easy to spend. This tool especially was too useful to pass up. Who wouldn't want to obtain manuals by just looking at people using them? Daneel suspected that training methods were either secret or very costly. Hence, this tool would definitely repay its value by many times in the future.

The trio rose up into the air slowly, stopping after reaching the top of a building. The woman took out a pendant from a pouch on her waist which she squeezed, making it glow green. It also seemed to indicate something through the glow of the light, as only half the pendant was shining.

Instantly, the three rose up into the sky a few feet more before proceeding west. Buildings and people zipped past as they rapidly approached an area with wide open spaces and a few buildings.

While flying, Elenav pointed to the woman and said, "Viuda here is the best gravity mage in the outer city. She teaches the beginner mage class in the training hall and is very warm to cute kids like you. Don't be fooled by her countenance now, she's just pissed a bit about something that I *ahem* did."

The flying Viuda humphed at Elenav before smiling briefly at Daneel.

Judging that this was what a 12-year old would do, Daneel blushed before looking down. Of course, such a beautiful woman smiling at him was a first in his life, which was why blushing was so easy. Instantly though, he felt something in his stomach. The rapid motion had already been making him feel queasy and looking down made his condition worse. He struggled to control himself and not puke his stomach out in his first flight.

After a minute or so, the three landed in a grassy space. A few feet away was a small hut, marked with the words "Training Hall Master" on the door.

The air here was fresh to breathe and Daneel felt energized just by taking a deep breath. Even the feeling of queasiness subsided in his stomach.

A broad smile appeared on Elenav's face as he spread out his arms and said, "Welcome to the Fists of Justice Training Ground!"

As the last word left his mouth, he suddenly convulsed, clutching below his chest before falling face-first on the ground, unconscious.

Seeing him fall, Viuda flew across the ground to the door of the cottage.

Just like in the air, she seemed to have perfect control and stability in flight. Her toes were only a few centimeters off the ground as she floated forward at an angle of 45 degrees to the ground.

On knocking, a man in a brown waistcoat and trousers opened the door. He looked to be middle-aged, with kind eyes, an aquiline nose and a short beard. His tanned and bulging muscles could be seen under the waistcoat which loosely hung off of his shoulders.

"Master, I've brought him.", she said, before gesturing towards Daneel and the unconscious Elenav.

"Good. Go get Mother Freida."

Nodding, Viuda quickly flew into the distance.

The man ran towards Elenav before laying him on his back. After ripping open his robe, he put his hand on the discolored and bruised area near Elenav's left chest.

His hand seemed to glow as a white halo formed at the spot that the man had laid his hand. Elenav groaned but remained unconscious.

"So you are the new recruit? Why do you want to join the Fists of Justice?", he asked after raising his head and looking Daneel in the eye.

His eyes seemed to hold a strength that cautioned Daneel from lying or saying anything that wasn't true.

"I want to grow stronger and obtain justice for my father!", he said, closing his fists and putting on a confident front in defiance to the man's gaze.

The man's eyebrows raised as he said, "Oh? A determined one, I see. Who is your father and what justice do you want to obtain?" His eyes turned back to normal and Daneel felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"My father is called Robert. He was in the army before.."

The man raised his other hand, stopping Daneel.

"So you are Daneel. Robert is a close friend of mine. We even discussed sending you here the other day. It is really sad what happened to him. He was an excellent soldier and an even better man.", said the man, sighing.

Meanwhile, Viuda had returned with another woman who seemed to be in her mid-40s. She reminded Daneel of the kind old lady of the orphanage as both of them had visages which shone with the goodwill and care that was characteristic of them.

Seeing the two arrive, the man said, "Mother Freida, I have stabilized his condition. His rib punctured his lung and he was holding on till now due to the sheer control of his organs. Please mend the rib so that he can be transported to the sickbay."

Saying so, he stood up and walked back to his cottage, motioning at Daneel to follow.

Chapter 11: Training Begins

Mother Frieda, as she had been called, bent and placed her hand on the same spot where the master's hand had been. Instead of the white, a red halo now appeared as Elenav screamed out loud suddenly.

"Ignore them. He will be up and running around in no time. Now for your matter. Are you sure that you want to enter the Fists of Justice? The training will be fierce and I will not consider any cries for mercy after accepting. Of course, you can choose to leave in the future, but only after completing the training. These are the instructions of your father, so you have no say in it. Think well before accepting."

Hearing that his father had already laid down instructions, Daneel did not hesitate. He had been thinking about this since the flight and after seeing that both mages and body refiners were present here, he found no reason to reject the invitation.

"I accept.", he replied.

"Good. I'm Felix, but that's Master Felix for you. Wait here while I get our enrollment coin."

Felix walked into the cottage leaving Daneel waiting outside. Elenav's screams were only getting higher and higher in intensity before suddenly stopped with a gurgling sound. Before he could turn around to see what had happened, Felix had returned.

"Put your finger on this coin. Keep thinking in your mind about accepting the invitation."

Felix held out a round coin shaped like a fist which was around 4 inches long. Each finger of the fist could be clearly seen in what looked like excellent craftsmanship.

Daneel put his index finger on the coin. On feeling a small pain, he realized that a drop of blood had oozed out of a small cut made by an unnoticeable needle on the coin. The coin had absorbed his blood and now glowed a bright orange.

[*DING*

Host has entered the faction: Fists of Justice-Training Hall

1 Faction Point awarded. 10 EXP awarded. Incoming communication from enrollment coin. Would host like to hear the message?]

"Yes"

[Welcome to the Fists of Justice! Our motto is this: "Bleeding or hale, my fists shall forever stand on the side of justice-striking fear into the hearts of those who seek to take advantage of the downtrodden. Fists of justice, forever undefeated!"

Touch the coin at any time to inquire about the training hall or check for any missions. This coin shall also act as your identity proof in the Hall. Please note that if anyone else touches the coin, it shall self destruct causing catastrophic harm to the one holding it.]

This explained what had happened before with Elenav.

As if he had been called through his mind, Elenav woke up behind him screaming,

"No! It wasn't me! I didn't set the women's clothes on fire!"

After this strange scream sounded, both Felix and Daneel looked back to see both of the women glaring at Elenav.

Scratching his head, Elenav laid down on the ground as if he had fainted again. Seeing this, Viuda punched him in the groin which made him scream again and wake up.

Hearing them bickering, one accusing the other and the other saying over and over again that it wasn't him, Felix chuckled.

"Lively as always. Anyway, here is your identity token. You can customize it later if you go up in the ranks. I'll be watching you, kiddo. Training begins in 3 days. Pack enough clothes for 3 months and get here. Viuda, stop arguing with him and come drop our young friend off. Remember where you drop him off, 3 days later you will have to pick him up to begin training."

Viuda glided to them before nodding at Felix and taking off with Daneel. The coin stayed with him which he grasped tight in his hand.

Viuda seemed to be a woman of few words. She only asked where to go and then chose to stay silent.

Seeing this, even Daneel decided to mimic here. She used the same pendant again before taking off, which made him suspect that it was some kind of instrument which made them invisible. Otherwise, because they flew only at a low altitude of 40-50 feet, they would have been clearly visible to everyone on the streets. Instead, no one looked up, pointing to see what it was in the air.

After about 90 seconds, Daneel was left at the entrance to the slums after Viuda reminded him that she would be back here after 3 days in the morning. On seeing him nod, she took off, disappearing as soon as she was 5 feet in the air. This reaffirmed Daneel's suspicion.

Feeling that this was a day well spent, Daneel quickly ran back home. It was already evening and he would have to help his mom with the chores.

On reaching home, his father saw the shining gold coin in his hand before saying, "So you met Felix. How did that happen?"

Daneel proceeded to tell his parents about his day while helping with the chores. On hearing that he had been kicked out of the library, his father bristled with anger and said, "Those two! So they are still at it! There is no such thing as a book limit, that's just absurd. The two just derive some sort of sick satisfaction from throwing out poor people who went into the library after amassing the money after a long period of time. They love to see the expression of despair and gloat as these downtrodden people beg them to let them back in. I personally warned them before to stop. It seems they started again after knowing that I was thrown out." His father sighed as he got to the last part.

It was just as he had thought. This made Daneel look forward even more to see these two punished.

After finishing about his day, dinner was ready so his family sat down and had the meal. The dining room was filled with laughter as all three of them forgot their sorrows and floated in the ocean of happiness that was family.

The next 3 days passed quickly. Daneel knew that he would be away for 3 months, so he spent all the time he could with his parents. Each day passed by with many smiles and laughter as the Anivron house was vibrant with the joy of a family who were happy to spend time with each other.

On the third day, Daneel walked with packed clothes towards the designated meeting point.

It was the break of dawn and very few people were on the streets. A group of 5 drunkards were slowly limping down the street after just exiting the bar they had spent all night in.

After waiting for a few minutes, just as the group was about to pass, Viuda appeared in front of him. She had dropped down from the sky again, unnoticed.

On seeing such a stunning woman suddenly appear, the drunkards rubbed their eyes to check if they were dreaming before one of them said, "Hey sweetie, care to come home with me? I'll make it worth your while." He took out a bronze Lan from his pocket as he said so.

With a disgusted expression on her face, Viuda thrust her arm at the group. As soon as she did so, the five were flung back into a wall, coming to a halt just before impacting with the hard surface and breaking all their bones. Still, they fainted from the sudden shifts in momentum.

"Let's go", she said, taking off with Daneel as if the action of flinging 5 people back with just a hand movement and having such fine control of their momentum was something insignificant.

Chapter 12: The Basics of Body Refining

Awed by the demonstration of power, Daneel chose to stay silent and admire the early morning chilly air.

Viuda took him back the same place he had left from, the open area in front of the master's cottage.

But this time, 20 or so kids similar to his age stood there shivering in the cold.

As soon as he landed, all of the kids stared at Viuda, hoping that this beautiful woman would be their instructor.

Instead, she gave them a brief smile before gliding away. All of the kids followed her with their eyes as they marveled at this amazing sight.

As if on cue, the master's door opened and Felix came out, dressed similarly but in a black waistcoat this time.

"Good morning, trainees. All of you have enrolled in the Fists of Justice Training Program. Although we have the least fee, we are also the strictest there is, with the lowest passing rate in all of the academies and training halls in the kingdom of Lanthanor. If you choose to quit midway, the Golden Lan that you paid will not be refunded. If you fail to impress the instructors and are deemed to have failed at the end of the program, again, your fee will not be refunded. The only way to earn back the money is to pass and become part of the training hall, thus becoming capable of being taken on missions as apprentices by senior members.

The training will make you sweat, bleed and scream for your mother. Whatever you say or do, it will not stop unless you agree that you are losers who cannot undergo whatever it takes to change their fate. Good luck."

Another man had exited from the cottage behind Felix. It was Elenav, who winked at Daneel before shouting, "Everyone follow me to Energized Training Chamber(ETC)-1. It's time to check your potential."

Daneel had no idea what an ETC was but he followed Elenav along with all of the others. As he did so, he noticed that the rest of the kids were not much better off than him. Most of them wore clothes with holes in them, faded by wearing them again and again. Only 1 or 2 were wearing new clothes but again, they were nothing compared to the shiny fabrics he had seen on some people in the marketplace.

Everyone trudged forward with their luggage on their back before reaching a round one-storeyed building. The words ETC-1 were written on the building and a shining silver stone in the shape of crystal with jagged edges poked out of the top of the building in the center.

"This is an Energised Training Chamber, or simply called an ETC. What do you kids know about Ether?", asked Elenav coming to a stop in front of the door to the building.

One of the kids who was dressed relatively well hastened to answer, "Ether is one of the wondrous materials produced by the Earth which lets someone refine their body and gain power."

"Good. As he said, Ether is just one of those materials that lets one to refine their body and mind. ETC is simply a chamber in which a huge block of low grade Ether is slowly dispersed into the air. ETC-1 is for Neophyte/Amateur Humans.

"As for body refinement, I will give you a short introduction so listen up. Body refinement is the process of smelting the weapon that is you body in the fire that is Ether or any other material. From stage-1 to stage-9, the body undergoes 9 rounds of refinement which will enable it to hold internal energy, which is the barrier that separates one from the Warrior realm.

"Body potential is the ability of your body to absorb the energy in materials like Ether. These are simply designated by 3 grades-low, mid and high. In the ETC, just calm your mind and breathe in deep. Concentrate on letting your breath reach your lungs, from where an energy is extracted by you. This energy should then be circulated throughout the body uniformly until each and every part is smelted or smothered by the energy. I will be personally watching each one of you to judge your potential and guide you through the process."

After this lengthy explanation, Elenav proceeded to open the wooden doors of the chamber.

A blast of misty air came out as soon as the door was opened. Daneel couldn't help but greedily breathe in, relishing in the incredible feeling felt by him with each breath.

[*DING*

Alternate absorption method detected with additional benefit of increasing potential of host's body and rate of absorption. Phenomena Analysis Module(PAM)-1 requires 90 days to output the method, provided that host continues training in the conventional method. Would you like to begin development?]

This was exactly what Daneel had been waiting for. Ever since he had bought the PAM-1 from the store, he had been waiting for the first prompt which would mean that he would have a technique for himself for free just by observing someone. Only, he had never expected that it would be such an incredible technique-one that could increase his potential!

"YES", he shouted in excitement.

[Development begun. 89 days, 23 hours , 59 minutes and 56 seconds until completion]

With a broad smile on his face, Daneel proceeded inside with a spring in his step that hadn't been there before.

As soon as everyone had walked in, they noticed that there were training mats placed all around the round room. The air was misty, almost like the atmosphere that one would see in a steam bath.

Quietly, each of them sat down on a mat.

"Sit, lie down, stand, be however you want. Just be comfortable enough to forget your body and concentrate on your breath."

Hearing this, some of the kids lay down on the mats which were pretty big and soft to the touch.

Daneel decided to sit in a meditating position. As soon as he did so though, the system sounded again in his head.

[Complexity of development has crossed set parameters. All resources will be henceforth diverted to development. Host must note that the system will be unavailable for this period of time. Would you like to stop the development?]

Daneel was faced with a bit of a dilemma. He could either proceed with the development of the technique or stop it and have the system with him. Seeing Elenav pass by checking on everyone, an idea struck him as he raised his hand, calling to him.

"What's up, kid?", asked Elenav, coming towards him.

Standing up, Daneel asked the question that had been bothering him.

"Can body potential be improved in any way? Or is it decided from the moment of birth?"

Not expecting such an insightful question to come from a 12-year old, Elenav stared at Daneel a bit before answering.

"Maybe, but only in the rarest of absorption techniques. I cannot even give a definite answer because there are only rumors that some techniques practiced by those in the inner city have this function, although it is said to cause horrible deformations and turn people into monsters."

Seeing Daneel's wide open eyes, he hastened to explain, "That's why these are rumors. I for one don't believe in them. There are also some materials which are said to have the effect of increasing potential, but these haven't been found in many centuries according to the master. Don't be worried, kiddo. I'm sure you'll have good potential. Even if you don't, it is something that many have overcome with sheer willpower and hard work. Just believe in yourself, Daneel."

Towards the end, Elenav ruffled his hair and gave him a broad smile. For the first time, Daneel wondered if this was what having a big brother felt like.

"The technique in development won't have side effects like turning me into a monster will it?", he asked the system, apprehensively.

[No. The technique will have no side effects.], answered the system, removing all hesitation from Daneel.

"Then begin development. Notify me as soon as it is done."

[Affirmative. System will be unavailable for 89 days, 23 hours , 51 minutes and 41 seconds. Diverting all resources to PAM-1.]

Chapter 13: 3 Month Walk Through Hell

Daneel sat back down after Elanev proceeded to check on the others. He had only smiled in response, unable to say anything due to the many emotions he had been feeling at that moment.

With his back straight and legs folded, Daneel laid his arms on his knees palms facing down before closing his eyes and following Elanev's instructions.

He breathed in deep, absorbing the extraordinary air and visualizing it entering his lungs from his nostrils. After that, he imagined a white substance staying back in his lungs while the rest of the air was exhaled. The energy was then moved to each part of his body from his stomach and intestines to his legs, arms, and head before being exhausted and leaving again along with the air being exhaled in roughly the 5th breath after the air was first inhaled.

For a long time, Daneel felt nothing different as he diligently fueled the imagination.

After 10 minutes, he started hearing gasps from some kids who were subsequently extracted by Elanev soon after.

After around 20 minutes and many, many breaths, Daneel finally understood why they had gasped.

In one particular breath, Daneel felt his chest heating up as something different started happening. He hurriedly tried to spread the warmth throughout his body by imagining the white substance being carried to different parts of his body, but it was no use as consequent breaths kept increasing the warmth until it turned from an uncomfortable feeling to pain.

Daneel could only stop himself from breathing in a hope to stop this. After trying this for as long as he could, he finally gasped like the others, having no choice but to take another breath in.

Elanev was already by his side and laid a hand on his back. Instantly, Daneel felt the warmth leaving his body in the direction of his breath.

Getting back to normal, he realized that there were only 2 other kids beside him still in the room.

A slightly sad look was on Elanev's face as he escorted Daneel out.

As Daneel walked out, he saw that some of the kids were smiling and beaming with pride whereas a few others were lying on the ground crying.

It seemed that they knew something he did not as Elanev simply left him there before hurrying back in as another kid had gasped inside.

Whatever it was, Daneel realized that he had changed due to possessing the system. He had never been the most confident of people back on Earth and had even felt small in front of some who had achieved a lot and never stopped bragging about how good their life was. Although he knew deep down that there was nothing very wrong with his life which would warrant such a feeling, he could muster up the confidence from anywhere.

In this world though, he had a system which had shown miracles after miracles. He had parents who loved him wholeheartedly and who must be missing him right now. He had a whole life ahead in which he would, potentially according to the system, dominate the world!

Thus, Daneel did not feel down even though he had seen the sad look on Elanev's face. Even when 2 kids walked up to him with gloating expressions on their faces, he just smiled before waiting for them to speak.

"Talentless kid! Let us tell you in case you didn't know, the earlier one comes out of the Energised Training Chamber, the more potential their body has. My father told me this as he went through this training himself. You are almost dead last. You better do my chores in the training if you don't want trouble to come your way from someone who's more talented than you", said one of the kids who had been dressed nicely.

He was pudgy, with a small nose and forehead which almost made him look like a pig. His belly which was already huge for a 12-year old protruded out as he shook his finger at Daneel, warning him.

The image looked so funny to Daneel that he could not help but laugh.

"Did your father pass or fail the training?"

All the kids so far who had come last had only obeyed him in fair. Seeing this one laugh, the pudgy kid was bewildered before anger came on his face. But, this was replaced by a little embarrassment as he heard the subsequent question.

"He-he failed. But what does that matter? I'll pass in his stead!", said the boy, regaining his confidence.

"I thought so. Well, good luck. You don't want to faint during the training though, as it is rumored that Master Felix loves eating fat young kids who faint in training for his breakfast."

Daneel nonchalantly walked away after saying so, as if ignoring the sweat that had formed on the kid's forehead.

After moving a bit farther away, he couldn't help but laugh again. That would teach the kid not to bully someone again.

A few minutes, all of the kids were out of the chamber. Assembling everyone, Elanev said:

"I will be reading the names of those with high-grade bodies first before proceeding to mid and low-grade ones. Split into 3 groups based on your grade."

Saying so, Elanev read out the names of the rest of the kids. The pudgy kid's name was Epok, and it turned out that he was in the group with the high-grade potential.

Unsurprisingly, especially from what Epok had said, Daneel was in the low-grade potential group. He had even remembered that in the beginning when telling him about his status, his potential had been either F or F-. Although he had no idea how the system could calculate it without having information regarding it, this was another hint that his potential was low-grade.

There were 6 kids in his group. Except for Daneel and another kid who stood straight, the rest were sobbing on the ground. Daneel was fine because he trusted the system to improve his potential, but why was the other kid fine.

Having his interest piqued, Daneel walked up to the kid and held out his hand.

"I'm Daneel. You are?", he asked politely, smiling.

The kid who was thin just like him was also wearing clothes with many holes in them. He had a look of determination on his face on affirming that he indeed had low-grade potential. Seeing Daneel come over and introduce himself, his expression melted as he gave a small smile and said, "I'm Faxul. Nice to meet you."

The two shook hands but couldn't talk further as Elanev was speaking again.

"Now that you are graded according to your potential, training will begin shortly. From today until 3 months later, there will be no break or holiday. Every day, you will have to finish the daily tasks assigned to you. You cannot go to sleep unless the tasks are finished. Every week, there will be a fighting assessment where you will have to spar with your fellow batch mates. The winners will have their workload lessened for the subsequent week whereas the losers will see an increase in their tasks. Take my advice, and try not to lose.

Your completely paid for 3 month walk through hell officially starts now. First, run around the training grounds 10 times. It's roughly 5 kilometers, so you will want to hurry if you want to have lunch."

Chapter 14: I Shall Not Give Up!

With these words, the three months of hell started for the kids.

Each day, they would have to run around 50 kilometers before being given tasks like chopping wood or carrying water. Each day until the evening was spent like this, beating and battering their bodies until each of them really did cry for their mothers and fathers.

If it weren't for the period of time in the Energised Training Chamber(ETC) afterwards, mostly all of them would have given up.

The time was spent breathing and absorbing Ether using the same technique told by Elenav before. The difference was that the feeling of being overburdened by Ether getting accumulated in their lungs did not occur again. This was because each day, they tired out the body by pushing it to its limit. The cells which were in a very fatigued state seemed to soak in the extracted substance much more easily. Thus, with each breath, whatever was left behind in the lungs effectively made its way throughout the body.

The ETC was used in groups. The high-grade group had to spend the least time inside before being given some time to rest. The mid-grade group spend a little more time but still had some time to rest. The low-grade group though, had no time to rest. They spent 2 hours inside unlike the others who spent 30 minutes and 1 hour respectively. Right after, they had to rush to fight training.

All of their training was overseen by Elenav. In fight training, he taught them a basic set of martial arts which focused the most on stability. One had to first learn to stand on their feet and be able to dodge before even thinking of throwing a punch or kick, he said.

There were poles 3 feet off the ground on which the kids had to balance. After an hour of this, in which falling meant a ton of pain accompanied by the others laughing as one climbed back up, they would be taught how to move their body to dodge, punch or kick. These were the only three moves taught.

Towards the end, a rubber figurine would be placed on which they would practice their skills.

Daneel loved this part the most. He avidly listened to each and word said by the instructor and practiced on the rubber figurines longer than anyone else. The feeling of growing stronger day by day was so addictive that he woke up each day with a smile.

Although the time in the ETC was rejuvenating, it still required a lot of focus and determination to be able to beat up their bodies day by day. Added to this was the pressure of sparring.

Daneel had gone into the sparring competition with full confidence due to all the extra training he had done. Instead, he was mercilessly beaten into the ground by the pudgy kid who was quickly losing all of his fat.

Daneel's technique had been excellent and even Elenav had complimented him that he was among the top in understanding the techniques taught and making them his own.

He had even managed to dodge most of the kid's punches, but just one stray punch had landed in his stomach blocking his flow.

New to situations like these, it took time to get back the ability to dodge. The kid though did not give him that time and continuously rained down punches on him, making him admit defeat. There was no point in getting gravely injured in a spar, after all. Unlike fabled heroes who never knelt in defeat no matter what, Daneel knew that sometimes, losing and taking a step back was the best thing to do. This ideology came from the combined experiences of both of his lives so far.

In the end, he was 16th. The workload increased, but Daneel greeted it with open arms as a way to get stronger.

Each time he felt like giving up, he remembered his fathers face on the long days when they had nothing to eat. He remembered his mother's hands which were so blistered from all the work that she had to be fed by his father. He remembered being powerless, unable to help them or himself.

These feelings spurred him on. They made him shout and scream in defiance. They made him rebel against all the pain that tried to squash him into the ground.

"I shall not give up!"

Day by day, week by week his strength and technique both increased by leaps and bounds.

Towards the end of the 3 months, there was a noticeable change in Daneel. Most of the baby fat was gone to be replaced by tanned lines of masculinity. His body had put on some muscle and he was no longer the thin kid he had been before due to the hearty meals given by the training hall.

It was the 90th day since the training had started. Finally, he heard the voice that he had been waiting for.

[Development Complete]

....

[System has detected changes in Host's body. Would you like the Host's description to be refreshed?]

"Yes", Daneel replied, excited to see quantitatively the gains he had made.

[Host status refreshing.

Updated Host status:

Level: Human-0

Potential: F

Condition: Hidden injuries detected

Level Progression: 27%

EXP Points: 20

Faction Points: 1]

Daneel couldn't help but be disappointed. All that hard work had only resulted in a 12% progression? He had gotten 15% from just a few missions!

It seemed that the effects of having a low grade body really were harsh. The same period of training would result in at least 4 times more progress in someone with a high-grade body as compared to one with a low-grade one.

Thankfully, he had the system. He could simply complete missions to increase progression and even gain techniques by just looking! Perking up, he asked the system to give details about the technique that had taken so long to develop.

[System Absorption Technique-1(SAT-1) developed. New feature: Absorption Technique Deployment has been added to the system due to the confluence of all resources to develop the new technique.

Body potential is decided by the pathways in the human body which allow and facilitate the transportation of energy to various body parts for smelting i.e body refining. At birth, the size of these pathways is decided. Larger pathways result in high body potential, which in turn results in faster energy transport and thus faster training with less time and energy needed, as absorbed energy would be almost fully utilized instead of being exhaled. With smaller pathways, more time and energy is needed as with each round of absorption, a lot of energy absorbed would be exhaled.

SAT-1 allows the system to monitor and control the energy absorbed to effect not only the components of the body but also the pathways. These pathways are unable to be sensed by the human mind, hence are not targeted when body refining. Also, live monitoring by the system will result in more effective tempering of the body as energy can be spread evenly after analyzing the level of tempering of each component of the body. This will additionally result in the hidden injuries detected slowly healing.]

Daneel felt his head reeling from the dump of information. After analyzing it all with repetitions, he understood that it was these pathways which decided potential. Now, with the help of the system, he could increase their size to increase his potential.

Apprehensively, he voiced the question that he had been dreading to ask: "What are the side effects?".

If increasing potential meant turning into a monster, then Daneel would really have a tough decision to make.

Chapter 15: Trainee Competition

[Side-Effect: Pain. These pathways are extremely sensitive and essential to life, hence there will be pain when energy is exposed to them.

Host must know that these pathways decide and influence many things other than the transport of energy. Uneven application of energy to these unseen passages could result in deformations of the body and mind. But, if the technique is deployed by the system, there is no chance of this occurring.]

Daneel heaved a sigh of relief hearing this. This meant that the rumors were probably true.

Pain? Let it come, he thought. Pain was the one thing he had learned to ignore in these three months.

"Will future techniques also take this long?", he asked next. This had been bothering all the time since the system had gone offline. If each and every technique took this much time, he wondered what the difference would be between him and anyone else as the system would be offline most of the time.

[With upgrades to the system, all functions and tools shall perform better. There is also a feature called "Background Installation" which can be unlocked at a later stage to avoid such circumstances. System assures host that with EXP, anything can be solved.]

Of course, it was all about EXP. He had guessed as much.

There was one last question which had occurred to him after analyzing the system's explanation about SAT.

"If people with smaller pathways only exhale away unused energy, then why is it that they need more energy along with time to progress? Wouldn't it only be time as the net total of energy would be the same?".

[Replying to host. On being absorbed and traveling in the human body, some modification occurs in the absorbed energy. This renders it unable to be absorbed again. This altered energy is absorbed back into the earth.]

Now it all made sense. Daneel had seen this loophole and hadn't hesitated to ask, wondering whether he had understood wrong or the system had explained wrong.

Back on earth, humans plundered resources from the planet without regard. This resulted in damage to the planet. Here, it seemed to be a mechanism to counteract the resources taken by humans. Humans extracted Ether and other materials from the earth and absorbed energy. In this process, at least some of that energy would go back to the earth. He suspected that even the energy absorbed by humans when training went back to the earth in a similar way after death.

There were only 6 days left until the final test. Elenav had told him secretly that the top 3 would get certain gifts and privileges from the training hall. It was time to test out the technique and see how much stronger he could grow.

He really wished that it would be enough to beat the first ranked not-so-pudgy-now kid's arrogant face into the ground.

.........

One Week Later

Since the past one week, the staff in charge of the Energized Training Chambers were in a pickle. The staff were in charge of analyzing the amount of Ether consumption in each chamber and finding out reasons for any irregularities.

Once, one of the earth mages in training had secretly made a hole from one of the chambers to their room. This resulted in a drastic decrease of Ether from an external source.

It had taken a week in which the staff had repeatedly had their wages cut due to not finding out the source. This was because this analysis was also a training for the staff. The job of ETC Management was a very lucrative one in the outside world. Many families and training halls always had a shortage of skilled personnel who could account for and manage the consumption of the precious Ether.

Since the start of the week, Ether consumption of the whole chamber had increased by 5 percent. Although this seemed like little, it must be noted that almost 100 people used the chamber daily. This in itself consumed a large amount of Ether. A 5% cumulative increase on top of that was actually a very large dent in the finances of the training hall.

Today was the day of the trainee competitions. Wanting to take his mind off the pressing problems of ETC Management, Jack had decided to spectate them.

Reaching just before the matches started, he asked his friend Mark who the ones to watch out were.

"The one in favor of winning is that kid with the sunken face who looks like he has lost a lot of fat in a short time. Someone was saying that he was already near the Human-1 Stage. The benefits of a high-grade body are truly something to be jealous of.", he said, sighing wistfully. People like Jack and Mark were usually people with very low-grade bodies, who had to get into side jobs like these due to having no other option. At least this job had the potential of one day becoming lucrative and respectable, unlike typical ones like becoming a merchant's assistant.

A few feet away, Jack spied a thin but lean kid who was looking at the first kid with a glint in his eyes. Intrigued, he asked Mark who that was.

"Oh, that's a kid called Daneel. He also has a low-grade body like ours but is now 6th and almost on par with those with high-grade bodies due to sheer will and effort. There is no chance of him beating the top 5, but he's being talked about around the training hall. It seems that he puts in the most effort out of everyone in the class, training even after everyone fell asleep."

"Oh, that's too bad", said Jack. He knew personally how hard it was for someone with a low-grade body to rise in the world. His own brother had joined the army with a low-grade body. He had been worked to the bone each day, claiming that it was important for him to have more of a workload on account of his potential. Eventually, he was almost driven mad by it and had to take a voluntary exit.

The matches soon started with cheers from the crowd which had gathered. Water Mage Banner was the referee, as he had the least violent way to separate two trainees. The story of Gravity Mage Viuda being the referee was still told around dinner time to new staff members. She had had to separate one kid who was beating his opponent even though he had given up. Enraged, she threw the kid towards the stand, almost killing him.

Banner simply enclosed someone in a sphere of water if they disobeyed him. This was a much more peaceful way to end fights.

Matches were 3 groups, according to potential. Additional, someone with lower ranking could challenge one above them.

Each spar lasted only about a minute, with the first person who lands 3 hits on the opponent being declared as the winner. This was implemented to decrease injuries on the growing bodies of the trainees. These were after all only kids with 3 months of training. Still, they showed great technique that made the crowd ooh and aah.

Daneel was especially noticeable, easily defeating each of his opponents by simply rushing at them and being faster than them. He also gave off a calm demeanor which made the crowd love his matches.

After the 3 tiers of matches were done, the inter-tier competitions began. By default, those with high potential were ranked 1-5, those with mid-potential 5-... and so on. The low-grade tier was last, and Daneel was currently at the top of his tier having beaten the rest.

Almost all of the inter tier matches were kids in the mid-grade tier challenging those in the high-grade one. The exceptions were 2 kids.

The first was Faxul. He had directly challenged the 6th ranked trainee. This had been Daneel's spot before.

Faxul's forte was agility. He constantly trained with Daneel and the both of them had become thick friends. At times, even Daneel with all his extra effort found it difficult to stay ahead of Faxul's dizzying moves.

As soon as the match started, Faxul jumped across the stage and landed a hit on the opponent's forehead. Dazed, he was left open and was instantly defeated.

Such a rapid exchange had fueled the crowd to cheer louder than ever. Next, it was the final match, and something almost never seen before.

A trainee with low-grade potential was challenging the trainee ranked first overall!

Chapter 16: Daneel's PowerUp

Getting onto the stage, the past week flashed by in Daneel's mind.

It had started with the ETC. All he had had to do was sit down, and let the system take over.

[Ether rich environment detected. SAT-1 automatically deployed. Please communicate if the host does not wish for this to happen]

Daneel had heard this prompt as soon as he had entered the chamber. As this was something that would happen anyway, he hadn't said anything.

Only, a second later, he felt a prickling sensation around his body. Hurrying to his seat, he had sat down in meditation to see what it was.

After being seated, the prickling sensation instantly turned into a full-on stabbing sensation. It felt as if countless people were standing around him, holding knives and avidly plunging them into his body again and again.

Sweat beaded around his body as he tried hard to resist the pain.

At the point when he had almost given up and was going to command the system to stop, the pain started receding.

It had only been 3 minutes since the start of absorption. Daneel felt as if it had been many lifetimes since the moment he had sat down on the mat.

The pain receded to a level where it was manageable.

Now, the problem was that this constant pain disrupted his mind, not allowing him to even think anything else other than about the pain.

Daneel got through the first session in this way. Later came the sparring session which brought some surprises.

[*DING*

PAM-1 can now be used to develop the techniques Combat Technique-1. Time Needed: 24 hours. Would you like to proceed with the development?]

Daneel had been half-hoping for this.

"Yes. But will the system need to be off again? And why is it only 24 hours?", he asked, unable to stop himself.

[System informs host that resource diversion is unnecessary. Host has spent a long time on these techniques which has resulted in the development of the techniques being easier due to the muscle memory that has resulted from host's hard work. System congratulates host for working hard and becoming proficient in the rudimentary techniques taught. These will be the foundation for the advanced CT-1 that will be developed.]

The hard work had after all not gone to waste. Daneel had had the thought that maybe he shouldn't work so hard because he could get a better technique from the system anyway. This had made him remember the orphanage's old lady's words, "Hard work never goes to waste." Trusting both himself and the warm memory of the kind old lady, he had ploughed on.

Now, it was time to reap the benefits.

A day later, CT-1 was finished.

[CT-1 development completed.]

At night, Daneel snuck into the woods to test out his new technique. Thinking that maybe the system would take over his body again like it had during the deployment of SAT-1, he had ordered CT-1 to deploy and waited with his body limp.

[CT-1 deployed]

A white figure materialized in front of him as these words faded.

Half-scared that it was a ghost, Daneel stood still, petrified.

The figure rushed forward and assaulted Daneel, punching his stomach.

"NOOOOOOO!". This scream sent the birds in the trees flying.

Feeling nothing, Daneel opened his eyes to see that the figure's fist was inside his stomach. The timely prompt from the system saved him from getting even more scared.

[System informs host that the white figure is the materialization of CT-1. It is an illusion made by the deployment which shall fight with the host to develop intuition and better technique. There are 2 types of training:

1. Mimic Training: This is when a set of basic stances or movements need to be learned. There is no mimic training in CT-1 as host has already learned perfectly the 3 basic movements taught.

2. Combat Training: An illusion is formed which combats the host to increase skill.]

Sighing with relief, Daneel chuckled at himself.

From that day started Daneel's midnight excursions in the forest near the trainee camps. Each night, he would fight the figure which seemed to have an endless variation of kicks and punches from all kinds of directions.

Facing such pressure everyday, Daneel's fighting skills improved by leaps and bounds. No longer would he have his flow disturbed by any factor. No longer would he be mystified by fast or erratic movements of trainees faster than him due to absorbing more ether.

Dodging, kicking or punching were fast approaching the realm where they would be indistinguishable from instinct.

Finally, it was the day of the competition. In the morning, Daneel refreshed his stats and gasped in shock seeing them.

[Host status refreshing.

Updated Host status:

Level: Human-0

Potential: F

Condition: Hidden Injuries Detected

Level Progression: 40%

EXP Points: 20

Faction Points: 1]

He was almost halfway to the Human-1 level! Calculating in his mind, Daneel found that his speed of refinement had doubled since the system had taken over.

A person with a low grade body typically needed 2 years to reach the Human-1 stage, assuming they trained in the same hellish way that Daneel and the others had. Now, with the help of the system, although his potential had yet to change, his speed had already doubled. In essence, this meant that he was already on par with those with mid-grade bodies!

Again, he was stunned by the sheer effectiveness of the system.

The rest of the fights had gone by as usual. At the end, he had challenged the first place.

As soon as the gong sounded, the kid sneered and said, "What arrogance. You trash with a low grade body think you can challenge me and get away with it? I still haven't forgotten how you made fun of me on the first day! I don't care if Master Banner puts me in a water bubble, I'm gonna hit you till you cry for your mummy!"

Deigning these childish insults of a 12-year old as too beneath him to reply, he motioned at the kid to bring it on.

With rage on his face, the kid started running towards him. It seemed that it was true that he was close to the Human-1 level as he was already twice as fast as Daneel.

This meant that a punch from him would really hurt. Yet, Daneel wasn't worried because he had the treasure of experience with him.

The white figure was faster than this kid although by not a very large margin. Thus, Daneel calmly waited for the kid to make his move.

Sure that he was too fast for the opponent to even respond, the kid aimed a simple punch at Daneel's stomach to floor him with the first move.

Unexpectedly, Daneel jumped in the air at just the right moment for the kid to pass from under his crotch.

Suddenly not finding his opponent, the kid felt a foot on his back which made him lose his balance.

Landing on the floor, he hastily tried to get up.

Before he could though, he felt two feet stand on his feet, digging into his upper back.

"3 hits! Daneel wins!", came the shout from the referee. The crowd erupted in cheers, with half of them both laughing and cheering at the same time.

Daneel jumped off the back of the poor kid. Instead of anger, he now had tears in his eyes due to being laughed at.

"You! Fight me again!", he screamed before getting up and running at Daneel.

Instantly, a globe of crystal clear water enveloped the running figure and floated out of the arena, dumping him outside.

"No rematches. If you lost, you lost.", came the gruff voice of the Training Hall Master as he came onto the stage.

Cracking a broad smile, he lifted Daneel's hand in the air.

While the crowd applauded at the entertaining performance, Felix spoke in a voice that only Daneel could hear.

"Well done kid. But we have to talk about exactly what ghost it is you are fighting with in the forest every night for the last week."

Chapter 17: Reward

Daneel's smile froze as he heard this.

Soon, the award ceremony began. Only the top 10 were indicted into the training hall full time. The rest either had the option to stay on or leave. If they chose to stay, jobs would be assigned to them. Although the pay wasn't much, free classes in basic martial techniques were given and a little time in the ETC was also added. This was to entice them to stay. Any training hall needed numerous members of staff to take care of all the daily chores and reponsibilites.

Next came the award ceremony. Ranked 3rd was the kid who had previously ranked 2nd. He received a magical trinket shaped like a small sword. On squeezing it, it transformed into a small knife which was actually a full size sword for the small kids. The others looked at him with envy as he went off the stage and started enlarging and shrinking it again and again.

Ranked 2nd was the drenched kid. This water prison technique really is very useful, he thought. Getting an idea, he asked the system, "System, can I get this technique?"

[Technique's complexity far exceeds what PAM-1 can currently handle. Also, the minimum amount of data hasn't been collected for development to be considered. These two parameters need to be met to obtain the option to develop a technique. System advises host to gain EXP and upgrade both the system and PAM-1]

Damn EXP again. After this ceremony, he would really have to sit down and formulate a plan to get as much EXP as possible.

The prize for the 2nd ranker was a small defensive coat. Although it looked like a typical coat, it was enchanted to cushion blows.

The sullen look on the kid's face turned into joy after obtaining the coat. Outside, it would cost at least 2 Gold Lans. The sword on the other hand was a much more common magical trinket, costing only around 50 silver Lans.

Although Daneel had no idea how much each item cost, he knew that they were probably very expensive after seeing how popular magical trinket shops were. And those shops didn't even sell combat oriented trinkets, dealing in the most part with utility trinkets.

With excitement on his face, Daneel walked up the podium to Felix.

"For being the first ranked trainee, you get the most valuable reward. Combat trinkets can lose effect or become outdated, but your reward will never lose value no matter how many years pass. It is a copy of our training hall's cornerstone secret technique, the "Fists of Justice". In fact, as you can tell, the training hall was even named after the technique. It was the first master's wish that every trainee batch winner should get the full copy of the technique. Although even the top masters of the hall can't comprehend the later stages, the initial stages themselves are very suitable for one such as you who is developing his martial skill. Train in it well. You will have to use your own comprehension, as this is not a technique that can be taught. It can only be understood by oneself."

Saying so, Felix handed him another coin that was shaped like a fist. Only, this one seemed to be made of a glass-type material. It was transparent and warm to the touch.

"Your first training ends here. If you found the last 3 months too hard, then you should consider taking up a different creed. I can tell you right now, it will only get harder! Only with the determination to put aside all the pain and bull through can you persevere and reach the heights of body refining. Think hard and make your choice." This was addressed to all the trainees.

Pondering looks came on each of their faces as they heard this. With one final cheer, the crowd and the trainees dispersed.

Daneel also tried to follow the trainees but found himself hoisted up by his shirt. It was Felix.

Without a word, he was taken to the master's cottage before being set down in a chair.

"So tell me kid. What are you doing each night in the forest? Don't even try to say that its shadow boxing. I've observed you myself and the variation in moves is too much. It is as if you are actually fighting someone, only no one can see who that some one is."

Daneel flinched in his seat. There was some good news though. At least no one had seen the white figure. And Felix had observed him personally? He really had been careless in choosing a training place. Daneel vowed to himself to find more secluded locations in the future.

As he looked into Felix's eyes, he felt a pressure bearing down on his shoulders. It felt as though he would be crushed if he even tried to lie.

Daneel chose to tell a story as close to the truth as possible. He had come up with this after thinking long and hard along the way.

"I imagine a white figure fighting with me. When I concentrate hard enough, something materializes in front of me and fights with me. I really thought it was something everyone could do.", he said.

Daneel gasped and took in a deep breath as the pressure vanished.

"Just as I thought. Damn kid, you are really lucky. That Robert is going to stay up nights feeling happy after hearing this. It might just be that you have a mageroot!"

Chapter 18: The Plan to Gain EXP

Daneel was puzzled hearing this.

"System, did I suddenly get the mageroot?", he asked, hoping against all odds for a positive answer.

[System informs host that a mageroot is not present in host's body. As for the Master's statement, it must be because of the fact that those with mageroots are known have advanced visualization abilities. This is crucial to comprehend phenomena and advance in the mage stages. If host obtains a mageroot, there will be a decided advantage in this sphere because PAM-1 can be used for comprehending phenomena for mage purposes also.]

Although the answer was negative, Daneel was overjoyed hearing the second part. He focused back on the Master who had been waiting for an answer.

"Master, is that possible? How do I test if I have one?", he asked, suddenly getting a look of excitement on his face. He had judged that this was an appropriate response.

"In 2 months, magic academies will open their doors to everyone above the age of 12. You are the perfect age to get admitted. Due to mages being so rare, magic academies take in anyone who has a mageroot, regardless of their potential or comprehension abilities. There is even an option to get free tuition, but you will have to join the army for a certain time for that. I doubt that your father would agree to that. The best academy in the kingdom is of course the NMAL, or the National Magic Academy of Lanthanor. It is a 6 year course, but one can graduate early if they reach the required level. We will think of something for the first year, but you will have to get a part time job to take care of your needs. The fee is 20 Gold Lans. I can probably scrounge it up in the next 2 months." The last part was almost muttered under Felix's breath as he drifted into his thoughts.

Daneel felt warm in his heart hearing this. To think of giving that huge an amount of money for him, Robert and Felix must be really good friends.

"What are you looking at? Your father helped me when he was in the army without expecting anything in return. Now that I have a chance to repay him, I will. I would have happily paid for your family's food and expenses, but your damn dad is too headstrong to accept my help for matters like those. HAHA, he has no option now!", he said, eyeing Daneel staring at him.

Daneel almost fell out of his seat hearing Felix laugh. It was practically no different from the roar of a lion.

"Run along kid. Viuda is out on some chores. I'll have her drop you back home later. Congratulations on winning. Focus on the "Fists of Justice". I'm not supposed to tell you this, but there's a secret technique hidden in the beginners volume. The youngest to have comprehended it is that kid Elenav. Based on what he said, you must have seen it in front of the library. I hope you will be able to comprehend it much faster cos' I'm sick of that kid boasting everywhere that he's the youngest to do so. Beating my record.", he grumbled.

Daneel nodded and ran out of the cottage.

From conversations with his fellow trainees and Elenav, he knew that mages were some of the most highly respected individuals in the world. Capable of deciding the rise or doom of a nation, they were sought after by all nations and races. If he wanted to get justice for his father as soon as possible, he had to enter the academy in 2 months.

It wasn't the first time he had heard of the NMAL. Students of NMAL were practically treated as princes around the kingdom. Touted as the background of the nation, they were given many privileges and powers, including a private villa for their family. It was any poor kid's dream to get admitted into the NMAL and leap through the proverbial gate to become a dragon from the carps that they were.

As soon as he got to his tent, he sat down on his bed and asked, "System, how do I get a mageroot?"

[Replying to host, development of a technique to form a Pseudo-mageroot from observed phenomena is possible but PAM-1 cannot handle the complexity. System requests host to obtain EXP and upgrade PAM-1. Required EXP: 500 points.]

DAMN EXP AGAIN!, screamed Daneel in his mind.

"How do I get EXP fast?", he asked immediately.

[System reminds host that the name of the system is World Domination System. Any action that progresses toward the overall goal to dominate the world will generate high amounts of EXP. System suggests host to either form a faction, however small it is, or build the personal image of host. The latter will contribute in many ways to the overall goal, hence it was suggested.]

Daneel hit his head hearing this. Of course! It was the World Domination System, not Personal Training System! All this time, he had focused on himself, thinking that making small leaps could result in steady accumulation of EXP. But now, he needed to do something that would, as the system had said, 'contribute towards the overall goal'.

Daneel thought long and hard about how to do either of the things that the system had suggested. Finally, he hit upon an idea.

It was time to take revenge on the sick library duo.

Chapter 19: Back to the Library

Daneel first requested Felix that he would leave the next evening. He told him that he had some matters to take care of.

Next, he tracked down Elanev and sat down to make plans with him. Due to being one of the most prominent body refiners in the younger generation and coming from a rather rich and large merchant family, he was quite well connected in the outer city.

In one of their conversations, Daneel had asked him what the matter was over which the fight in front of the library had occurred. It seemed that one of the laborers in a bureaucrat's government provided home had made a small mistake and spilled some tea on the bureaucrat. Enraged, he had ordered the guards to beat the servant to an inch of his life.

Because of being from the slums and not having enough money to spend on treatment, the servant had passed away leaving a family of a wife and 2 daughters.

After getting to know this, Elanev had stormed to the bureaucrat's house and directly assaulted him, beating him black and blue. The guards were spared because they had no choice but to follow orders.

As a member of the government, the bureaucrat had certain rights. Hence, he had immediately passed an order to arrest Elanev.

Typically, orders like these would be overthrown the next day by either the training hall or his family paying a hefty fine due to the power they held. He just needed to lay low for a day or two.

Instead, he had run into that arrogant guard, ensuing the fight.

Daneel personally knew how tough life was in the slums. After finding out that the family was now housed in the training hall, he felt glad that he had chosen the right faction to follow. Only, he believed that the bureaucrat deserved death. Still, he was very glad and impressed by Elanev's actions.

With time, they had grown closer together and were now like brothers. Hence, he trusted him completely and they hatched a plan together.

Early the next day, Daneel sauntered up the steps of the library. The clerk did not recognize him as he had changed quite a bit in the past few months.

Only, he was still wearing old clothes with a few holes in them. As soon it was turn, he walked up to the clerk and carefully counted out 10 silver Lans.

On taking the token, he touched it and gaped at it, as if it were the first magical trinket he had ever seen. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the clerk get a cruel glint in his eye.

His whole objective in over acting like this was to catch the duo's attention and make sure they did the same as before.

Daneel walked towards a podium with a spring in his step. Of course, he did not want to waste the silver Lans he had borrowed from Elanev even though they were doing this to bring the duo to justice.

"System, collect data from all books on magic.", he said, hoping that obtaining more data might result in gaining some EXP or decreasing the time PAM would need to make the technique he wanted.

[78 books shortlisted. Please open each book as they appear.]

After this short reply, book after book started appearing on the podium. He only opened to the first page on each to avoid arousing suspicion. To anyone looking, the expression of crazed excitement gave off the impression that he really was only a green kid who had somehow scrounged up money to come inside and now wanted to see as many books as possible without having the ability or patience to read any of them completely.

Although he elicited a few strange looks, the guard still hadn't come.

[*DING*

Preliminary understanding of mage powers and abilities acquired. 30 EXP awarded.]

Feeling happy, Daneel started thinking what the next topic could be. His thoughts were interrupted when just like before, he found himself in the air again.

"Kid, its you again! I can never forget a face no matter how much it changes. And here I was thinking up a reason to throw you out. I don't even need to tell you anything.", said the familiar guard, marching outside without even bothering to ask whether he had any more money like last time.

After another kick which sent Daneel almost head first into the ground, the guard and clerk smiled at each other and laughed. The rest of the people ignored what was happening and just carried on with their work.

Daneel picked himself up and walked up to the due with fury on his face.

"You can't do this! I enquired the last time I was thrown out and I know that there is no good reason for you to throw me out! I'll report you to the government if you don't give back my money now!", he screamed, making a small commotion and attracting a few people to see what was going on.

The guard guffawed even more before saying, "Try it, kid. You have no proof or backing."

Right as he said this, Daneel couldn't help but get a small smile on his face. Seeing this, the guard immediately stopped laughing and bent to grab Daneel by the waist.

Not expecting this sudden movement, Daneel did not have time to move. The guard was at least Human-2 level, and his speed was not something Daneel could dodge from yet especially given the short distance between them.

Before, he had rummaged through Daneel only casually to take out the silver coin. Now, he did a more thorough search and found a square coin tucked in his trouser, hidden.

"Video recording trinket! Nice try kid. Do you think you are the first to think of this?", he sneered, setting Daneel down and preparing to hit him again.

The look of exaggerated panic and horror on Daneel's face made the clerk and guard smile even more while the crowd watched on.

Chapter 20: Major Windfall!

"The audacity!"

A dignified voice halted the guard's hand in mid air.

In front of him walking up the stairs was a man who gave off waves of authority. He had golden hair and a weathered nose that looked like it had been broken many times. Clean shaven, the man was wearing magnificent golden robes with a V emblem emblazoned on the front.

"Your Excellency!", shouted both the guard and the clerk with horror before kneeling down on the ground.

This man was called the "Righteous Hawk" by those who knew of him. Rising up from the status of a common merchant to a minister who conferred with the king on a daily basis, his was a story still told by parents in the city to encourage their children.

The plan that Daneel and Elanev had hatched was that they would catch the two red-handed. Only, a person of authority at the scene would lend the video recording credibility and also make the case move faster in the court.

Elanev had only said that he would make sure someone with enough authority would be present. Daneel had never expected that it would be this man who was known throughout the slums to be kind and gracious.

There were only 20 ministers in the whole kingdom. These men and women held power only second to the king. As the king's daily consultants and confidants, their word held immeasurable power.

"This library was built by the 3rd King of Lanthanor so that all people, rich and poor alike could avail the great gift that was knowledge. Although the present king has levied an entrance fee to bolster the kingdom's coffers, he still made it a point that everyone would be welcomed and treated warmly. How can you have the gall to go against the direct word of the king?", he said, with words that echoed throughout the surroundings.

The watching crowd started muttering seeing the scene. Although many had long seen and lamented at the deplorable actions of the duo, they had never raised their voice to oppose them due to not having enough power. Seeing them finally get their due, a content feeling appeared in many people's hearts.

A dripping sound was heard as liquid oozed down onto the ground from the clerk's trousers. He had peed his pants.

Amid laughter in the crowd, the guard pleaded, "Your Excellency! Forgive us! Please spare us so that we can rectify and reflect on our mistakes!". His voice shook as he knew that his life was done. All he could hope for was that this man would show some mercy and let him live. If it had been some other minister, it would not have been a surprise for his execution date to be set already.

"I have recorded this incident in my personal trinket too. As soon as I get back to the palace, I shall order an expedited inquiry into your actions. You shall be punished by the court's decree. Now, get out of my sight. Don't even think of running. The mage in charge of my security has already placed tracking marks on you two."

Saying so, he turned around to see Daneel who had a triumphant smile on his face. Their plan had worked!

"Well done, young man. By bringing this grave injustice to light, you have rendered service to great kingdom of Lanthanor. By my power as minister to the king, I hereby decree you to be a Prime Citizen of the kingdom. Come by tomorrow to the palace to collect your rewards.", he said, smiling wide and giving Daneel an appreciative look.

The crowd, which had by now swollen to a size of at least 500 in the expansive library front ground, started clapping hearing what the minister had said. Someone in the back shouted, "Prime Citizen Daneel! Thank you!". This prompted more shouts from many in the crowds, before resulting in a full-blown chant of his name.

Daneel just couldn't stop smiling. He realized that this feeling of being appreciated and cheered was something he had been looking for all his life without even knowing that he was looking for anything. It was the passion that every man had. It was what set his blood boiling and made him feel alive while accomplishing. It was what he would be willing to give up his life to achieve.

The two lifetimes had resulted in Daneel becoming this person who at this moment realized what his true passion was. It was to bring punishment to the wicked and justice to the downtrodden.

As if to commemorate this occasion, the system rang amid the cheers and chants.

[*DING*

Mission "Take revenge on the library's constable and clerk." success. 30 EXP awarded. Additional Award: Achievements sub-system unlocked.

Description: The Achievement's sub-system tracks and records the glorious or memorable moments in the host's journey towards becoming a world dominator. Achievements reward generous amounts of EXP.

Achievement:"People's Saviour-1" obtained.

People's Saviour-1: By exposing the vile acts of the duo of the guard and clerk in the town library of Lanthanor, you have received praise from the people. Some people will remember your name and tell your deed to others, beginning the story of your saga. Congratulations for taking the first steps towards becoming a World Dominator!

500 EXP Awarded

Achievement:"First World Domination Achievement obtained" obtained.

First World Domination Achievement obtained: Congratulations on unlocking the Achievement sub-system and obtaining your first achievement!

500 EXP Awarded

Total EXP: 1050]

Daneel felt as if someone had hit him on his head. He couldn't think or even comprehend what was going on.

He had to ask the system thrice to confirm that what he had heard was true.

This was a major windfall indeed!

Chapter 21: PAM Upgrade

The crowd finally parted after a little bit of time. After they had done so, the minister turned toward Daneel and said, "I know what happened to your father. The present king has too much of a soft spot for his immediate family, and I simply do not have the power to oppose him directly. I have tried many times to offer your family monetary help, but your father never agreed because he knows that there is always someone watching. I remember that his friends who sent him food or tried to employ him or your mother were almost beaten to death! Alas, I couldn't stop it. At least this way, he won't have to regret anything. Don't mistake my words, you earned it all by yourself. My son told me you were a good kid, and I believe him now."

"Dad, you didn't believe me before!", came the voice from behind as Elanev walked up the steps toward them.

Patting Daneel on the shoulder, he said, "Well done! Excellent planning and execution! You might just have talent for the government. My old man wishes I did, but I'm only interested in getting stronger."

Daneel was shocked, to say the least. This man was actually Elanev's father?!

He couldn't be blamed for not even thinking of the possibility, though. Elanev had glossy black hair while the minister's was a glorious gold.

"|Sigh| I told you many times that the best way to get justice is to enter the government and climb up the ranks. If only you listened to me. Anyway, let's not keep our young friend. Ponvec, could you please drop him off at his home.", he said into the air.

A man in black robes with his face covered appeared out of thin air beside the minister. It was as if he had walked through an invisible door in mid-air.

"Yes, your excellency", he said, kneeling, before turning toward Daneel and grabbing his hand.

The two vanished instantly while the father and son continued arguing as if this were very normal.

Daneel found himself in a dizzying space. Right as the man had grabbed him, he felt as if he had walked through a drizzle of cold rain. Only, he wasn't wet.

They were standing in an endless space, with vivid colors swirling all around. Daneel looked down and wished he hadn't. They were standing in mid air, and even under them was the void, terrifying in its endless depth.

"Stay calm kid. It's just an interim teleportation area. The young master said you might possibly have a mageroot. Do you want a short explanation about how they work?", he asked in a calm voice.

Fighting hard to keep the contents of his stomach down, Daneel said, "Yes, please."

"Mageroots are what let us mages have a connection with nature. Located in one's head, they are what let us establish the resonance required with nature in order to control it to do our bidding. What have you seen mages do so far?", he asked abruptly.

"One made a prison of water. Another flew in the air and sent people flying with just a wave of her hand.", Daneel answered.

"Quite advanced applications of magic. Mages make such feats possible by using the energy stored inside their Mageroots to establish a connection and then resonate and coax the nature around them to do their bidding. Thus, a suitable environment can enhance a mage's power by a large degree. The more the complexity of the things you want to be done, the more the energy and comprehension of those things is required. Always remember this: it is easier to flow along the stream rather than against it. You will understand why when you start learning magic.

"One last thing, nature doesn't mean just the elements. You must have seen Viuda, that brat. She can make use of Gravity magic. My specialty is Space magic. When you advance in levels, you can get much more comfortable with the magic that you focus on, allowing you to cast spells in it's domain with little effort. My space specialty lets me stay hidden at a location in a different dimension and also travel from one location to another in a set radius around me. It just so happens that this radius is the size of the Capital of Lanthanor. Now tell me, where do you have to go?"

"The slums.", said Daneel.

"Right on. Close your eyes if you don't want to puke your guts out."

Daneel complied. Again, he felt a sensation like he took a cold shower.

"Take care kid. I'll be looking at your performance in the NMAL examinations."

Daneel heard this voice in his ear but when he opened his eyes, there was no one around him.

Walking home, reflected on everything that had happened today. He had finally gained a windfall of EXP and he had also experienced Space Magic. It set alight a fire in him to pursue the path of the mage.

"System, upgrade PAM-1 and begin development of the technique to make the pseudo mageroot.", he said, with a stoic look in his face.

He had just reached home and his mother had opened the door to see who it was.

[PAM-1 upgraded to PAM-2.

Remaining EXP: 550.

Development of Pseudo-Mageroot technique begun.

Estimated time till completion: 48 hours]

Hearing this made Daneel smile broadly. He leaped into his house, hugging his mother tight, feeling her warmth spread over him.

As he sat down with his parents and started recounting everything that happened in training, the development of a technique that would change the world was under way.

Chapter 22: Mageroot Development Technique

2 days passed by in a flash. Daneel spent most of the day with his parents, enjoying their presence and the comfort of home.

He still practiced CT-1. The white figure was getting faster, but with no new variations in movements or techniques, it was becoming easy to dodge all of its hits.

He had found a secluded forest near the slums where he made sure no one was watching before practicing.

Only, there was no ether to absorb so his level progression was 0. He missed the feeling of exhausting his cells and then absorbing ether, rejuvenating them with vitality.

It was finally the 3rd day and Daneel woke up with enthusiasm.

Soon, the system finally spoke.

[Development complete. Mageroot Devlopment Technique-MDT-1 developed.

MDT-1: After analyzing all the data collected by the system and PAM-2, certain conclusions have been reached which enabled the development of this technique. The mageroot is nothing but the pineal gland, located in the skull between the two eyes on the forehead. On earth, it was known as the "Third Eye" due to its supposed ability to see through all things, paranormal and supernatural.

Just like on Earth, every person here is born with a pineal gland. Due to the development of the body, a 'calcification' occurs on the pineal gland, burying it. Some people are born with large pineal glands which lets them slow down the calcification unconsciously. This enables them to pass the test which is held by academies and become known as someone who 'possesses a mageroot'. In reality, a mageroot is present in all humans. The only thing in question is if it can be used to attain magic powers.

With the help of PAM-2, a technique has been identified which uses energy extracted from Ether to first decalcify the pineal gland and then increase its size, thus increasing host's mage potential.

Thus, host is advised to gather Ether and absorb it.

*DING*

New mission: Decalcify the pineal gland and attain enrollment in the NML.

Mission EXP Award: 100 EXP

Would you like to accept the mission?]

"Yes", said Daneel, feeling puzzled as to how he would go about obtaining Ether to absorb.

Buying it was out of the question. The Ether to gold conversion ratio was presently at 1:10, with 1 standard block of Ether-1, which was the most common form costing 10 Golden Lans. Around 2 blocks was required for someone with high-grade potential to go from Human-1 to Human-2 level. Of course, this meant it required 4 blocks for someone with mid grade and a staggering 8 blocks for someone with low-grade potential. Thus, the amount of money paid to the training hall for the time in the Energized Training Chamber was quite cheap.

Just as Daneel was racking his head wondering what to do, the system came to his rescue.

[System Suggestion: After analysis of data with Phenomena Analysis Module-2, a suggestion has been generated. Would you like to receive it?]

"Yes", he said, puzzled. Suggestions? This was new.

[System suggests host to consider finishing the mission, "Find the thieves' hideout". This is because traces of high-quality Ether had been detected on the thieves at the time that they interacted with host. This was not detected before due to the absence of the module.]

The thieves were in contact with high-quality ether? This was practically a god send opportunity!

Only, there was the possibility that there might be more thieves. Remembering his earlier fight, a faint sweat appeared on Daneel's face as it really had been a close shave.

Daneel did not want to take chances. If he went to the hideout, he wanted to be in the strongest condition possible.

Thus, he decided that it was time to analyze the technique he had received. Over the past two days, he had set it aside because he wanted to first make sure that he had completely mastered the Combat Techniques-1 made by the system. Being able to completely dodge the white figure was a sign that he had, indeed, mastered the basics.

Daneel took out the transparent fist shaped coin and held it in his hand.

[Interface detected. Would you like the system to download the information stored?]

"Yes", he said, feeling the coin becoming a little warm in his hand.

After about 5 minutes, the system spoke again.

["Fists of Justice"-first 2 stages analysis complete. The further stages have been recorded, but analysis is not possible due to insufficient level of the system.

Irrelevant material discarded.

Secret Move: Hidden Kill can be added to Combat Techniques-1. Would you like to recompile CT-1 to add the move?]

Hidden Kill! Daneel wondered if this was the move Elanev had used on the officer back at the library.

"What is the move?", asked Daneel, curious.

[Hidden Kill: Using the techniques of instantaneous force reversal, bubbles of pressure can be formed on an opponent's body. These bubbles can be set to explode a set amount of time later by controlling the force used at impact. The key lies in an instantaneous shift of momentum when a fist or kick is impacting an opponent's body, without the opponent not being able to tell the difference between a normal hit and a Hidden Kill hit. If done incorrectly, the shift will result in damage to the user's body.]

Indeed, it was the same technique. Finally, he would be able to replicate that cool walking away scene that was stuck in his mind since the fight at the library.

Chapter 23: Training the Hidden Kill

Daneel increased the amount of time he spent outside in order to learn the Hidden Kill as soon as possible. Each day, he would finish the chores in the morning before leaving to the secluded spot to practice. After 4 hours, he would return, have lunch and go again, returning at dinner. When asked, he told his parents that he was practicing his skills.

Robert now spent each day smiling. This was because news that his son might be admitted into the National Magic Academy of Lanthanor had reinvigorated him. He even said that for this, he would have no problem borrowing money as it was a once in a life time chance.

Both of his parents were ecstatic. Seeing this enthusiasm made Daneel train even harder to obtain Ether and pass the exam.

"Deploy CT-1, Hidden Kill", would be his command to the system each time he reached a grove of trees.

A white mark would appear on a nearby tree which he would follow to punch. The concept was simple: make the punch penetrate slightly and then revert it instantly, making a "bubble" form. Only, it required precise monitoring of force and timing.

Initially, the training had been with the white figure. Daneel had changed it to the tree as the white figure was transparent and he had no indication of force or recoil.

Although the bark of the tree was hard and made his hands bleed occasionally, he was determined to master the technique as soon as possible. No amount of pain deterred him.

It seemed that grit and dedication had become part of his personality. He had never remembered feeling like this: the willingness to forsake anything to achieve his goal. It might be that there hadn't been a goal worthy of such conviction.

Now, he had a solid goal and the means to achieve. Thus, he did not hesitate.

Pain focused him. Pain forged him. Pain made him learn.

Bleeding fingers and embedded splinters did nothing to stop him.

Finally, 5 days later, he did it.

[Combat Techniques-1, Hidden Kill learnt. Please note that fighters at Human-3 level might not be affected.]

Human-3 fighters were already considered to be quite elite, being employed as guards in prestigious posts. Daneel was currently at Human-0, and already having a technique which could have effect on fighters 3 levels above him was very impressive.

He had done everything he could. It was time to go to the thieves hideout.

He had considered asking Elanev to tag along, but considered this an opportunity to train himself and be exposed to actual combat. He still remembered falling due to not being able to even punch properly.

Still, if he saw any high-level fighters at the hideout, he decided to retreat and ask for Elanev's help.

Before he set off on the mission, Daneel visited the training hall and requested that his hands be healed.

It was his first time going to the training hall on foot. As he did so, he realized that it actually occupied a huge piece of circular land. The entrance was a huge fist shaped gate which opened on showing his ID coin.

Daneel also borrowed a dagger from Elanev. He now considered him his big brother, and just asked him for the knife saying it was for self defense in the slums. Although Elanev was puzzled why Daneel would require a dagger with his skill, he still relented to his little brother's request and gave him a level-0 combat trinket.

Although Daneel asked for a normal one, Elanev insisted that he take this one.

Being only level-0, it only had the function of enlargement. If not enlarged, the dagger was in the form a small dagger-shaped coin which he put in his pocket. Still, this trinket itself cost around 50 silver Lans due to the high grade of the blade. His family could buy simple food for years with that money. Combat was truly an expensive job, especially for those who were poor.

With his hands healed, it was finally time to raid the hideout.

Following the map, Daneel arrived at the location.

He was shocked to find that this was one of the most high profile pubs in the outer city-The Dwarve's Rum.

Known for attracting clientele from even the inner city where nobility and the government lived, this pub was spoken about in whispers in the slums. It was illegal fights occurred here, where the rich could win or lose a fortune in a single night. In the morning, bodies of those who lost in the fighting arena would be deposited outside, to be carried away by the guards.

The map had the words, "Room 23, 5th Floorboard from the right" written on the corner. Daneel now needed to get inside the pub and find that room.

Only, he had no idea how to do so. He first positioned himself inside an empty alley and observed the building. Bouncers in black uniforms were at the front, equipped with shock combat trinkets which could make a man faint in a second. There were 2 side entrances, but both had more guards stationed.

As he wondered what to do, a rolling sound came from the road that lead to the pub. It looked like a wheelbarrow from Earth, but instead of a cow in the front, there was a strange black box with wheels. On top of the box was a standard block of Ether, 10 inches in length, 5 inches in width and as thick as a finger. The crystal block shined as the vehicle trudged down the road carrying wrapped materials.

This might just be his ticket to get in, thought Daneel as he planned his next move.

Chapter 24: The Dwarve's Rum

On a specific day each week, an Ether vehicle would transport food materials to the Dwarve's Rum. Catering to some of the richest clientele in the kingdom of Lanthanor, many food stuffs were imported from neighboring kingdoms. Of course, many times the items being transported might not just be food stuffs. Captives of war or strong fighters of different races were often tied up and sent to enthrall the spectators of the fighting arena.

It was on this cart that Daneel snuck inside the arena. The cart was covered by a tent, with the rear open. As it passed, he had taken advantage of the sound from the cart and jumped inside.

Rolling in, the sight which greeted him shocked him to the core. Inside was a square room, at least 40 feet in length and width. Numerous crates were placed all around. As Daneel looked closer, he noticed that many of them were actually cages made of a green material.

This was definitely a room enlarged by using magic. It was a very high level application of the same magic that let a small coin transform into a dagger or a sword.

Daneel had only heard of it in rumors-rumors of tents that when entered that were actually palaces. Now, he was experiencing it himself. From outside, the cart and the tent barely looked like it measured 10 feet diagonally. Inside, it was at least 4 times larger.

Standing up from he had rolled inside, Daneel walked to the entrance. He wanted to make sure he could leave as soon as the cart entered the premises of the pub.

Only, there was an unseen barrier which blocked his way forward. Panicking, he tried punching it and kicking it to no avail. He was trapped inside!

[Space Enchantment detected. Data collection in progress], came the voice from the system which was no use at all.

"Is there any way I can get out?", he asked, frantic.

[Negative. Enchantment too complex to decipher exit route]

Yes, he really was trapped. He knew that he might be captured and handed over to the government for trespassing, or, even worse, be directly killed because he had witnessed the rumored truth behind the transportation cart.

Human trafficking was banned by law in the Kingdom of Lanthanor. Those who were found to be engaging in it were directly executed.

Dwarves with thick blocky bodies and long beards. Elves with pointy ears and fair skin. Even a giant who looked to be at least 9 foot tall. All of them were sleeping inside the cages, tied up.

Daneel heard voices outside as the cart started to grind to a halt. Thinking fast, he quickly hurried into a nearby cage in which 2 men with red hair were tied up. The gates only had a simple padlock.

The men wore white coverall robes that covered them from head to toe. They reminded him of priests from earth.

With no way to tie himself, he could only lie down beside them and hope he wouldn't arouse too much suspicion.

Just as he was done, the tent flaps opened and 2 burly men walked in. With a paper in hand, they started surveying the contents of the cart. One man stood at the entrance looking around.

After getting to his cage, the man said in a gruff voice, "Another unaccounted prisoner! And not even tied! They should at least tell us before adding 'em for free.....tie him up and inform the arena master. He seems to have some muscle on him, could be good to be a servant."

The man at the door walked toward Daneel and tied him up without saying anything. Both his arms and legs were bound tight, with no room for movement. Although it hurt like hell when the ropes were tightened, Daneel stayed calm and did not make a sound.

"Alright. Get em in.", said the man as Daneel heard multiple footsteps and the sound of crates being moved.

Although magic existed, it seemed that manual labor was still used in this world. Starved men lifted crates and cages and carrying them out. Daneel could only peek from time to time.

After a while, his cage was set down.

"Matches start in 2 hours. All of them were magically drugged to wake up at that exact time. Lets get some drinks.", said the first man again to which there was, again, no response.

Silence greeted Daneel as he carefully opened his eyes to check if the coast was clear. The cage was in a large room that seemed to be a warehouse of sorts. There were no windows and there was only one exit-a wooden door.

Daneel struggled with the ropes. This was the time to get out and get to the hideout.

But try as he may, he couldn't move his arms and legs even a tiny bit. Even worse, he started to lose feeling in them due to the blood flow being cut off.

"Need help with those?", came a voice from beside him, as the ropes automatically unfurled before falling on the ground.

Chapter 25: Priests of Rectitude

Daneel immediately jumped up and held the coin in his hands, enlarging it into a dagger. He took the common stance of one who had no idea how to use a dagger: his hand outstretched in front of him, pointing the dagger at the two men who had stood up and were now massaging their hands, coaxing the blood to flow back in.

"Relax. We helped you. We don't have any idea why you came here, but remember that you now have a debt with the Priests of Rectitude. If you are ever in the Glorious City of Saint Rectitude, come visit our church.", said one of the men with the red hair. He had an air of confidence around him, as if it weren't him who had just been lying on the ground, tied up.

Before Daneel could even speak, the two vanished in front of his eyes.

A voice floated to his ears, as if from the void.

"Find a way to get out before 2 hours pass from now. Things are going to get very messy and you don't want to be here when it happens."

The system interrupted his thoughts as he was thinking who the hell these people were and if he had heard that name before.

[Space Channel Technique ready for development. Requisite Host Level: Human Mage-4]

Human Mage-4?! Such a level was something that would let one command the wind and clouds in Lanthanor.

Training as a mage was much more difficult than training as a fighter. Hence, the strongest fighter in the Kingdom was the king, who had supposedly reached at least the level of Human-9. The king seldom fought outside, opting to let the commanders of the army fight in his stead in conflicts. Commanders needed to be at least the level of Human-8 to even be considered for the post. The higher the level, the harder it was to train to reach the level after that. Even the resources required grew exponentially. In fact, most of the income from the taxes and conquests of the kingdom went into the king's pockets. His duty was to be the strongest and ensure safety for the people by being their backbone that would never fall. Just by existing, he brought balance to all the factions in the kingdom, not letting it fall into ruin.

The highest mage was the Court Mage, who was at the level of Human-7. Acting as the personal guard of the king, his power was also something that Elanev only knew of from his father. Just like fighter commanders, there were also mage commanders who were only Human- 6 level but were equal in status to the fighter commanders due to their ability to perform even potentially better than their fighter counterparts.

Daneel had no use for the technique right now, but it was good to know that even advanced techniques could be developed now. The only problem was his level.

With the priests disappearing, he was left alone in the cell. Carefully opening the lock and sneaking out, Daneel found himself in a corridor with numbered rooms.

It seemed that he was in on the ground floor, as the room numbers were all numbered from 1 to 10. Shiny wood floor and wood walls were everywhere, while Daneel searched for the staircase.

He also needed to find clothes to disguise himself as he was wearing the torn clothes that he always wore. He would stand out like a sore thumb.

The staircase was hidden at one end of the corridor, and Daneel got to the second floor directly. Moans, screams or thumping sounds came from most of the rooms he passed. Daneel blushed, knowing what sound this was. Although he had lived two short life times, he was still a virgin.

Near room 21, he found a pile of clothes outside the room with the door ajar. Sharp moans and screams echoed throughout the corridor as the inhabitants of the room had probably been too occupied with something else to even bother to close the door.

Taking the opportunity, he stripped and wore the clothes he found. Although they were very lose after he wore them, the clothes then automatically shrunk to fit him perfectly. It seemed that these were some of the most expensive garments on the market: those enchanted with the auto fit, auto temperature control and at least 3 or 4 other enchantments.

A crest with an L standing triumphant over a dead dragon was emblazoned on the front of the chrome blue coat. Seeing this, Daneel realized that these were actually the clothes of a member of the Royal family.

He almost took them off, but eventually decided not to as it was better to take a chance and not be caught rather than wear his own clothes and be almost definitely caught.

Slowly, he sneaked to room 23. It seemed to be locked.

Daneel had been holding the coin dagger in his hand all this while. Now, he decided to put it in his pocket to take a closer look at the door.

As he did so, he noticed that there was a square card in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw that there was the emblem of the pub on it-A drunk dwarf pushing a cup with yellow liquid in it toward the observer.

Noticing that there was a square indentation on the door, Daneel put the card in to try his luck, although he thought that there was no chance it would work because one would only have the key card of their own room.

"Click"

The door opened wide.

The damn member of royalty had actually obtained a master card! How important must he be to make the owner give the master card directly and just say "Use whichever room you want"?

Chapter 26: Jackpot!

"So this guy can just barge in on anyone having, umh, fun?"

Such thoughts came into Daneel's mind as he carefully closed the door behind him.

Unlike what he was expecting, the room was not very lavish. Standard wooden floor and walls with a small window on the side. A bed for 2 which was in no way new or enchanted, due to how it looked like. A small bathroom.

Daneel had no idea that the Dwarve's Rum also had the option to rent rooms for long periods of times. Only, the owner had no choice but to handover the master card to such a distinguished member of royalty.

Locating the floorboard, Daneel got excited seeing that his step did sound different on it. His greatest fear was coming here and finding out that there was nothing inside.

Using the dagger to pry open the floorboard, Daneel removed the rucksack that was inside.

Inside was what he had finally been looking for. His eyes shone both with the reflection from the Ether blocks and his happiness on finding what he had come for.

1, 2, 3,.....10! 10 Ether blocks! He had really struck a jackpot this time!

This was equivalent to 100 Golden Lans, which was a staggering amount. Daneel had never even seen such an amount of wealth before.

Along with the Ether blocks was another map, made of a shiny silver material. There was also a diary.

Daneel wondered if he would find clues in it regarding why the thieves had chosen to rob a house in the slums after apparently completing a high-profile robbery. This had been bothering him ever since he had heard the news about the other robbery.

Later on, he had inquired with Elanev for more details. It turned out that it had been a puzzling case. The actual amount of wealth stolen was little, because the thieves had actually broken into the library of a minister like Elanev's father. The authorities had no clue regarding their motives. Some even said they had just gone into the wrong place, thinking it was the house's treasury.

After checking the library, it was found that nothing else was missing.

When Elanev had said 'little wealth', he had discarded it thinking it was a measly amount. Only now did he realize his foolishness. His "little" and Elanev's "little" were two entirely different things.

100 Golden Lans would enable a family to set up a business in the outer city and live a comparatively lavish life. But to fighters, mages and the true rich and influential, this was nothing.

Daneel decided to leave first, remembering the priest's warning. He put everything back in the rucksack and proceeded to the door.

Footsteps were heard in the wall just as he opened the door. It was a constable, who was running across the corridor while hurriedly putting on his pants.

He screeched to a halt in front of Daneel, noticing the royal crest on his coat.

"My Lord!", he said, and knelt to the ground. His pant promptly fell off, revealing blue underpants.

Daneel was petrified. He had no idea what to do. If the constable raised his head, he might recognize that he was not of the nobility by seeing his face. It was the duty of constables after all to know each and every member of the royalty by face and name.

The coin was in his pocket, and he could easily behead the man where he knelt. This would make sure that there would be no problems.

Yet, Daneel could not bring himself to make this decision. His mind told him that this was the logical option, but his heart insisted that there must be another way.

To ruthless kill someone just to avoid risk? This was something Daneel realized that he could not do yet. He had always thought that he could be ruthless if the time arose, but now that the time had come, he was frozen.

He was not as ruthless as he thought he was after all. What was worse was that he even acknowledged that killing him would be best, but he kept thinking that this man probably had a family just like this which would miss him dearly. How would he feel if his father just died one day?

Daneel was torn. He realized that this was a weakness. There was no way he would be able to dominate the world or even obtain justice for his father if he did not get rid of this weakness.

Only, at this moment, he just couldn't get himself to do it. He racked his brain for options and suddenly, an idea popped up in his mind.

"The audacity! You have sullied my sight with such a disgusting pose! Get out of my sight!", he said, immediately turning around.

The constable behind him who had stayed kneeling as per the protocol hurried got up and put on his pants.

"Apologies, my Lord. Thank you for letting me go!" , he said, before running towards the stair case.

Daneel heaved a sigh as he heard the constable's footsteps fade away. He had no idea if he had made the right decision, but he had at least identified a weakness in himself.

Only time would tell if he had made the correct choice.

Chapter 27: Destruction of the Dwarve's Rum

Just as Daneel was preparing to go to the staircase himself, the system rang in his head.

[Danger! Highly unstable magical vibrations detected. Host is advised to leave the present location immediately!]

This was the first time the system had given him a warning. Slinging the rucksack on his back, he sprinted down the steps to the ground floor.

At the end of the hallway, Daneel found that this was not the entrance through which the goods and cages had come. This was because he found himself in the poshest pub he had ever seen.

Although the walls and floors were still made of wood, silver and bronze glittered everywhere. Tables were made of expensive hardwood and seemed to be enchanted with auto-clean functions. The bar at the side was coated with shining gold and bottles of exotic drinks in all colors adorned the silver racks behind it.

There were only 10 people in this extravagant room. Yet, at the entrance stood 2 constables. He knew he would have no chance to pass them especially with the clothes he was wearing now.

Just as he was wondering what to do, the ground under him shook.

Tables and bottles fell to the ground as the people inside the pub who had been idly drinking rose up in panic. A rumbling sound could be heard which seemed to signal the advent of doom.

Daneel ran to the door along with the others. In the panic, he got out safely and ran into an alleyway unlike the rest who stood outside the pub.

After getting into the alleyway, Daneel turned around and finally saw what it was that had transfixed all the people on the street to just stare with shock on their faces.

An enormous dragon reared its head above the roof on the rear side of the pub. It stood at least 30 feet tall, with a long neck that stretched down into the pub below.

Instead of flesh and bones, the dragon was made completely out of fire. As Daneel looked closer though, he saw a white cloud beside the dragon where its wings should have been. Although only the top part was visible, it was quite clear that where the fiery body of the dragon stopped, the wings made of clouds began.

"This establishment has been deemed guilty of the innumerable sins reported against it. The Priests of Rectitude now pass down this judgement: this land shall be razed to the ground and no establishments must be set up in this location for a period of 10 years. All those who are responsible or took part in the facilitation of the fighting arena will be punished by immediate death. Glory be to Saint Rectitude."

This was the same voice that Daneel had heard before, from the man in the priest's robes. Squinting, he noticed that there were actually 2 people standing on top of the dragon's head.

"Firewind Dragon, destroy!"

With these words, the dragon opened its mouth and roared at the pub. Raging flames erupted everywhere, with a few fireballs even falling near Daneel and the other spectators.

The roar was actually soundless, but the rushing fire gave it the sound of destruction.

A few seconds later, the dragon stopped the roar and bent backwards.

2 massive clouds that seemed to phase through the surrounding buildings rose from the ground.

The dragon flapped them once, making a tornado appear out of thin air. Placed dead center in the pub, the tornado which now had flames swirling with it destroyed the pub, completely razing it to the ground.

It was all over in a minute. Either the temperature of the flames was immensely high, or the tornado had enough power to accomplish such a massive feat of eradication in such little time.

Daneel was staring at the two men on top of the dragon. After the deed was done, the man in mid-air turned towards the direction where Daneel was standing and winked. For some reason, Daneel knew it was intended for him.

The two men instantly vanished just like before after the wink. The dragon simply faded away into the air. In less than 5 seconds, there was nothing there. Only the black smoke coming from still burning materials marked the location of the former top pub of the city, The Dwarve's Rum.

"System, what was that?", asked Daneel, shuddering. He was still shocked due to what he had just witnessed.

[Replying to host, the legendary spell "Firewind Dragon" was just witnessed. The only data known about this spell is that it is the standard annihilation device used by the radical Church of Rectitude.]

This was magic? Daneel thought that flying through the air or making water prisons was already very awe-inspiring. What he had just seen was on a whole other level that he had never even thought to be possible.

With his horizons widened, Daneel slowly walked home. He first made sure to strip down and wear his original clothes before stuffing the royal garments into a stinky sewer entrance.

His parents had already slept, so Daneel entered using their alternate key hidden near the entrance to enter and sneak into his room. Stuffing the bag under his bed and making sure it was hidden from sight, Daneel drifted into the world of dreams.

Dreams of flying on dragons greeted him, which made a small smile appear on his lips while the whole city was in uproar over the annihilation of The Dwarve's Rum.

Chapter 28: Prime Citizen

Early the next morning, Daneel woke up as usual before checking if the rucksack was still there. The previous day felt like it had been a dream, and he wanted to make sure that it had actually happened.

Right as he was doing his chores though, an unexpected guest showed up at the Anivron House.

It was Elanev.

"Hey prime citizen! Forgot to collect your reward?", he said, startling Daneel. He had actually forgotten that he was supposed to go collect the reward!

The past few days had passed by without a single stray thought due to the focus on getting Ether as soon as possible.

Thanking Elanev for coming, he introduced him to his parents who were very genial. The two really did look like brothers, and this warmed his parents' hearts.

The two walked toward the palace. Passing the people in the slums who seemed very amiable, Elanev was puzzled.

Daneel explained that this was because they were content with what they had. They treated their neighbors like family and shared whatever they could. Even his family had benefited many times from the kind people who broke their bread in half to share even if all they had was a single loaf of bread.

With his eyes opened, Elanev smiled and led the way to the palace.

It was Daneel's first time entering the inner city. He had only heard rumors but had never imagined that he would be able to enter so soon.

A giant gate 20 foot tall was set in the wall that separated the inner and outer cities.

Squads of mages and fighters were positioned all around. Daneel felt numerous eyes on him even when he was 50 feet away from the gates.

Walking up to a constable on duty, Elanev said something which made him bow. Soon, a small door was opened for them in the gate.

The structure of the inner city was unique. Daneel was dazed with the first sight that struck him.

A wide, paved road led up to the most magnificent palace he had ever seen. The road itself was 50 feet wide, with small branching roads leading to manors on the size.

Daneel could count more than 20 spires with flags bearing the Royal L fluttering in the air. Gold was the predominant theme, making the whole palace like a golden behemoth which had chosen to lie there.

The entrance which he could see from where he stood was built in classic roman style, with high columns and an arching roof. Behind it, a single dome rose into the sky dwarfing all other structures near it. It was on this dome that the flag flew the highest.

Daneel was awed by the sight. Elanev at the side nudged him, breaking him out of his reverie and urging him forward.

"Magnificent, I know. Work hard kid. All high level mages and fighters are granted a manor here directly by the king. Although he has his flaws, the king does know how to pull people to his side.", he said, leading him to a domed building near the entrance to the palace.

"Daneel, here to collect the reward for becoming a Prime Citizen.", said Elanev to the clerk who stood inside.

"Our youngest prime citizen! Welcome. Please wait a moment while I get your reward.", said the clerk before hurrying inside.

"This place is usually bustling. Everyone is busy with what happened last night.", said Elanev, making Daneel flinch.

On asking what had happened, Daneel found out that minutes after he had left the scene, the King himself along with the court mage had appeared on the scene.

The area had been cloaked by a spell, which delayed response from the army. By the time they arrived, the perpetrators were already gone.

All the high-ranking clientele had escaped from the pub. This was because usually, these people carried with them escape trinkets which could instantly teleport them to a location a 100 feet away.

Even some employees who knew nothing about the illegal fighting ring had escaped. As for the manager of the pub and many of its employees, only ash remained of them.

"They are investigating everyone who survived for suspicious people. It is suspected that it wasn't just those two who were responsible for the incident.", said Elanev, making sweat appear on Daneel's face.

The only clues which might expose him were the guard and the clothes. The latter was trivial as the sewer would transport them to a different part of the city. He had tried to destroy the clothes but to no avail. The clothes seemed to also be enchanted by an anti-tear spell.

As for the guard, he had not seen his face. Daneel could only hope that this matter would be dismissed. There was nothing he could do now about it anyway.

"Here is the reward. 50 Gold Lans and a Prime Citizen badge. Showing the badge will result in expedited service at any government establishment. It can also be shown to constables or officers to deny them from arresting you unless they show a warrant granted by court. This right is exclusive to Prime Citizens, as normal citizens can be apprehended first before the crime is proved. Thank you for your loyalty to the Kingdom of Lanthanor.", said the clerk, handing over a jingling bag and a badge with a 3 pointed star on it. On touching it, he felt a pricking sensation just like before with the Fists of Justice coin.

[Interface detected. Would you like to receive the information being transmitted?], came the expected voice from the system.

On agreeing, the system said,

["Congratulations on becoming a Prime Citizen! Please carry this badge if you want to avail benefits at any government establishment. This badge is now authorized to verify the identity of Prime Citizen, Daneel Anivron."]

It was indeed exactly like the Fists of Justice coin. Daneel thanked the clerk. He couldn't hide his smile. 50 Gold Lans! There was no reason to worry about the fee for the academy or food for his family anymore.

Elanev dropped Daneel back home, chatting about training hall matters and laughing, reminiscing about the training.

Daneel handed the money to his father, from whose eyes leaked tears of joy seeing his son accomplish so much already. He announced that he would treat everyone they knew in the slums to supper and boast about his son.

Things were finally going well in the Anivron Family.

Meanwhile, Daneel took out the diary that he had found at the pub.

It was time to find out why 2 high profile robbers had chosen to rob a house in the slums.

Chapter 29: Natural Energized Training Chamber

"System, summarize the diary.", he said, finally touching the diary.

[The diary is written by one Gordan Swiftfoot, a thief who steals on commission. Detailed in the diary are his robberies and the items he stole. Most of the money obtained was spent on the Dwarve's Rum. What information would you like to know?]

"Why did they come to steal my house?", asked Daneel.

[Gordan and his partner were contracted by a society which handles the underworld. The name is not given, but much of the information that Gordan had which enabled him to steal came from this organization. The contract was to steal a specific map located in a certain book in a minister's library. It was ordered that nothing else must be touched. On seeing that the map led to a location in the slums, namely, the Anivron house, the pair of thieves decided that it was probably a treasure map and proceeded to sneak into the host's house to steal the treasure.]

A map? Daneel took out the silvery map that he had seen in the rucksack.

"Is this the map?", he asked, staring at the contents.

[Affirmative. The map leads precisely to the Anivron House. There is no other information, except for this sentence below the x-marked location:

"Follow the flow of Ether."]

Follow the flow of Ether? Seeing this made Daneel remember the white mists he had seen inside the Energized Training Chamber back in the training hall. Taking out a block of Ether, he said:

"System, how do I energize this Ether to make the white mist that was there in the chamber where I trained?"

[Pressure is required to make the Ether into a gaseous form which can then be absorbed. Host must squeeze the block]

Hearing this, Daneel squeezed the block between both of his hands. It turned out that the amount of pressure required was quite high, as he had to squeeze with all of his strength for quite some time for a small misty cloud of Ether to come out. The block of crystal that was the Ether seemed to have dimmed a bit after this small cloud came out.

The small cloud first stayed in the air before gradually floating into the living room. Then, it went down and disappeared in the ground, in the exact center of the room.

"Uh, is that normal?", he asked, not knowing what to think.

[Replying to host, Energized Ether stays in the air after it is produced unless a wind blows it away. It does not go into the ground by itself unless someone has absorbed it and used it to temper themselves thus changing it. Something has pulled the Ether down into the ground. It is suggested that the host dig at that spot.]

His parents were currently outside, so Daneel had to wait, pondering on what it could be.

Soon, his father came back.

"Dad, why did we build our house here?", he first asked.

Startled at the sudden question, Robert thought for a bit before answering, "Thats actually a funny story. There was a senile old trainer at the military academy whom I respected although he mostly spoke nonsense. On the day that I was thrown out, he accompanied me to this spot and told me to make my home here. He said that this place would bring a lot of luck and wealth to our family. He constantly lost focus, so although it seemed like he would say something else, he changed the topic and rambled on about rising taxes. He died soon after, so I chose this place as it was his last wish to me. Why do you ask, son?"

"I found a map on the thieves who tried to rob our house. It led to a location in the woods, where I found these blocks of Ether, this diary and this map that led to our house. The Ether that I energized went into the ground. Dad, there might be something under. Can we dig here to see what it is?", he lied.

Robert first looked at him with disapproving eyes before sighing. "Son, I will not ask you why you did not tell me before you went to the place. What if it had been dangerous? I am glad nothing happened, but just be careful. Always remember that we are here for you, in case you need our help."

Daneel felt a little pain in his heart but he had no choice but to lie. The truth was too dangerous.

"Yes, lets dig here. I'll go get a shovel and something to carry the dirt. We also need a knife to cut the steel panel on the floor."

Hearing this, Daneel enlarged his knife and said, "Elanev lent it to me."

"Just the first two then.", said Robert, eyeing the knife with what looked like longingness and then walking out the door. A sadness was in his eyes, as if he missed the days when he could hold his sword and stand strong on the battlefield.

The desire to obtain justice only got stronger in Daneel. Soon, they started digging after cutting the steel panel.

His mother also said the same thing after she came home, that they were there for him. Daneel felt lucky to have such supporting parents.

The family dug through the night, up to a depth of 15 feet. The dirt was discreetly dumped in the sewer.

Finally, a "TONG" sound was heard as the shovel hit a steel object. Wiping away the dirt on it, Daneel noticed that it was a steel door at an angle of 45 degrees to the ground. There was no lock, and as Daneel pulled back the door, a burst of white mist hit him in the face.

It was Ether! Daneel hastily shouted, "There's something here, I'm checking it out!" before ducking into the room and closing the door behind him.

A misty room 10 foot tall cavern greeted him. It was a round room made of rock, with numerous crystals inlayed in various patterns all around. All of the crystals were Ether!

[Host has entered a Natural Energized Training Chamber. These chambers are very rare, occurring in only 1 out of 1000 Ether deposits. A natural formation of Ether crystals allows an area to gather energized Ether from the surroundings and concentrate it, effectively making it into a Training Chamber just like the ones used in Training Halls. The difference is that in the training hall, one needs to constantly replenish the Ether that is being Energized.

A Natural Chamber works by gathering the Ether at a location. Hence, it only stays effective until most of the Ether in that area has been gathered. A certain level of Ether needs to be present in the surroundings of the chamber in order for the gathering to occur.

This chamber has been discovered and modified into a training chamber. A steel-like wall envelops the natural formation, allowing it to be transported. As Ether can pass through most materials, this is no hindrance.

Ether has been gathered in the present location. Only the Ether already present in the room can be absorbed. To gather more Ether, host must change the location of the chamber.

System congratulates host on finding a high-tier treasure!]

Chapter 30: The Incredible Mageroo

A high-tier treasure?!

In the kingdom of Lanthanor, there was an official rating system for treasures. Daneel only had limited information about it, but he did know that high-tier treasures were usually the backbone of a kingdom, judging from what Elanev had said.

He couldn't believe that there was one right under the Anivron house. The old man who had asked them to use this place must have somehow known the information.

Their luck had finally turned.

Daneel carefully came out of the room and climbed up the hole.

When he explained it to Robert saying that he had read about it in the library, a look of shock appeared on his face.

Robert knew about Natural Energised Chambers. This was a treasure over which wars often occurred. Once, the king had even led an expedition personally on finding out that such a chamber was located in a neighbouring nation. Sadly, they had been too late and that nation had snatched up the treasure.

They returned empty handed. But when a minister had asked him if it was worth it, he said, "I am willing to sacrifice my whole army if it means that a Natural Chamber can be obtained. This is because obtaining one will mean that I can definitely step into the next level. It is a priceless treasure, capable of giving an unlimited supply of Ether to a nation. With my increased power, I would be able to conquer the rest of the nations, building an even bigger army.'

These were the chilling words he had uttered. This information was carefully hidden because of its potential to cause unrest in the people. Such a ruthless king would scare people, even if it meant benefits in the long term.

Robert only knew about it because he had been there by chance when those words had been uttered. Later, he had had to swear an oath that he would never repeat them.

He did not hesitate to break that oath now that he was disgraced so. Hearing how valuable it was, Daneel first felt danger. It would definitely be taken away and his family killed if anyone found out that they were in possession of it.

This had to be a secret that would not go outside this house. The thieves were dead and they had not finished the contract, so the person who had given the contract had no way to know where the map lead to. Hence, it would be enough if they did not speak about it to anyone.

Daneel asked if Robert would share the room with him to train. He declined, saying,

"My path as a fighter was cut off when I was thrown out son. I can no longer absorb Ether. You must train with redoubled effort for my sake too." Holding Daneel's shoulder, an expression of longing and sadness appeared on Robert's face as he said these words. He knew how it felt to have the power of a hundred bulls coursing through one's body. He had felt the sheer pump of adrenaline when his sword was buried mid way in an enemy's body, warm blood shooting onto his face.

Now, he had to struggle to even walk. He wished he could train again, but the damn army had used a secret technique to disperse his power and make him unable to absorb Ether. Robert resented them, and wished he could tear them to pieces.

Seeing the anguish in his father's eyes, Daneel could not even imagine what difficulties this man had gone through.

With even more determination, he started his training.

He opted to use the chamber instead of the blocks, as the blocks could be saved for a rainy day.

"System, can I develop both my potential and my mageroot simultaneously?", had been his first question on the first day he had entered the chamber.

[Negative. It is impossible at this level. Tool: Parallel Processing is available in the store, but host has yet to reach the requisite level to unlock it], came the reply. Well, at least he could look forward to using it in the future.

Daneel decided to concentrate on his mageroot. Each day, he would activate the Mageroot Development Technique and meditate, feeling a piercing pain in his forehead.

Day by day, he found that his vision was getting clearer and clearer. His thoughts flew faster in his mind, and even the dust particles in the air could be seen by him. He was often enamored by the simple beauty of swirling dust on a bright night.

The system explained that this was because of the development of the pineal gland. The gland had certain esoteric powers which enabled such phenomena. Even on earth, Daneel had heard of people with 'Yogic' powers who said they could decalcify the pineal gland in someone. This apparently lead to clearer thoughts and less stress in life. Daneel wondered if the glands were the same in both the worlds. But, right now, he was confined to this kingdom. He had yet to find out even the name by which this world was called. The days turned into weeks as Daneel got into the training schedule, not even taking a day's break. His determination let him power through the hours and hours of prickling pain.

2 months passed in this fashion.

Chapter 31: National Magic Academy of Lanthanor

As Daneel emerged from the chamber on the day of the selections, something was different about him.

His whole demeanor had changed. The indecisiveness of youth was replaced by a calm atmosphere.

His green eyes shone a brilliant hue as the rays of sunlight fell on them. His gaze had a sharpness that could make the weak minded cower.

This was the effect of decalcifying the pineal gland. Daneel had no information about a metric to test the level of his pineal gland, so he had just absorbed Ether and trained in the technique each day. After 2 months of training, the amount of mist in the chamber had decreased by 10% according to the system.

After freshing up and having breakfast, Viuda appeared at the door. She initially smiled at Daneel but her smile froze when she looked into Daneel's eyes.

"I didn't believe it when Master told me, but now I see that he was right. You really do show the signs that you might be a mage."

Hearing this made wide smiles appear on his parent's faces.

After declining breakfast, Viuda said, "Master sent me to take you to the selections. It is a long way from here and you might even get lost."

"Thank you, and please do send Master my regards.", said Daneel, getting up.

As they flew through the air, he noticed that he no longer felt dizzy or nauseous like before. Instead, he could now appreciate the beauty of flight and the sights that came with it.

People below him hustled and bustled along their daily lives, unaware that 2 people were flying above them. Daneel enjoyed observing them, happy and vibrant as they were.

Soon, they landed in front of an enormous gate in front of which a snaking line had gathered. The gate reminded him of the one that had led into the inner city, but this one was slightly smaller.

"The Academy occupies the area east of the inner city, sharing its outer walls with it. To the west is the National Fighter Academy of Lanthanor, which occupies an equal amount of area and was built along with the magic academy. Although there are much less mages when compared to fighters, a lot of training grounds are required which warranted 2 identical academies being built.

If you think of the Capital City of Lanthanor as a circle, then think of the inner city as a C-shaped area to one side of the Kingdom. The two academies flank the inner city on two sides and in front of the inner city is the outer city. Outside that are the fields that stretch until the border walls. Each academy has an area of around 200 km.", said Viuda. Daneel was a little shocked as this was the most she had ever spoken with him. It seemed that she had warmed up to him for some reason.

Seeing his strange look, she said, "Don't be puzzled. I just take a little time to talk to new people. I'm sorry if I seemed cold to you."

"No, I did not feel so at all. What are the criteria for selections?", he asked. Inside, he was thinking, "200 km area! Man that is huge! On earth that would have been a city!"

"You will be tested for your comprehension. Comprehension is first and foremost for a mage. Potential always comes after. Of course, having high potential and high comprehension is best."

"Good luck. Go on in. I will be here in the afternoon to take you back." Saying so Viuda flew up, disappearing in front of Daneel.

She hadn't even given him a chance to say bye. It seemed she hadn't warmed up to him completely after all.

The enormous gates had indeed started to open. A man wearing blue robes was standing inside, and when he opened his mouth, his voice reverberated through out the surrounding.

"Welcome to the selections for the National Magic Academy of Lanthanor! Only kids aged 12-15 can enter from this point onward. Testing will end in the afternoon. Be warned, if you try to hide your age we will know. Even the potions that you might use to change your age are made by us, so it is better not to be humiliated and kicked out."

Potions could change one's age? Daneel thought as he had only ever used a simple healing potion.

Around 20 people extracted themselves from the ground and walked back into the outer city, dejected.

The parents left in a few minutes, leaving their children and wishing them luck. Even Daneel's parents had hugged him before he left, telling him to try his best.

There seemed to be around 700 kids presently, with more constantly coming. The gates would close in 2 hours, so anyone who wanted to apply had to enter the gates before that time was up.

Not wanting to dally, Daneel directly walked inside. The line had been redundant as the gates were big enough to let many people in at once. They just had to assemble in an open area designated to be for the candidates.

Daneel had not expected to spot a familiar face in the crowd. It was Faxul, whom he had constantly trained with back in the camp. Although they had promised to stay in touch, both of them were too poor to own communication trinkets.

Faxul also noticed him, walking to him and hugging him. He was a man of few words, so they simply entered the designated area side by side.

A pleasant wind blew in the air as kids of all colors came to the location one by one. With nothing else to do, the two lied down on the grass which felt comfortable even though it wasn't wet.

Chapter 32: Comprehension Tes

Soon, around 1500 students had assembled in the wide lawn. The time was up, so the blue robed man appeared again in front of them.

"Welcome candidates! Another year, another batch of new recruits! I know that all of you have come with high hopes to enter the academy, but let me tell you know, it is a marvel if we take 20% of all applicants each year. This is not because we don't want to admit the rest, it is because it just isn't worthy to spend the kingdom's resources on those with talent that does not suffice. The fee we charge is very little compared to the actual amount of wealth required to train mages.

The comprehension test will begin soon. If you fail, do not worry, try next year! We will even give you some tips with which you might increase the probability of passing. Unless you turn 16, of course.

Now, a final warning. If you are above 15, leave now. Otherwise, you will be kicked out."

There was pin drop silence as the kids heard this bitter speech. Even Daneel hadn't expected that the instructor would be this direct.

No one moved. After a few seconds, the man said, "Very well. You made your choice.", before flicking his fingers.

The lawn under them shone with a hazy white light briefly. After the light faded, Daneel noticed that a kid nearby had a red light under him.

The man flicked his finger again, and about 50 kids flew into the air. A total of 3 more flicks sounded, each of which resulted in 3 different things taking place.

The first made a pile of what smelled like cow dung appear in thin air above the flying kids, drench them completely, and then vanish below them as if it had never been there. Even a few drips of dung that fell from the kids vanished into a void that seemed to have spawned under them.

The second made them fly toward the open gate, while flies started to gather around them.

The third made them fly out of the gate in an arc, as if they had been kicked by an invisible foot.

With a THUD, the gates closed immediately.

Clapping his hands as if to clean them, the man spoke again in that booming voice.

"Now that that's taken care of, lets begin the test."

With a last flick, an enormous stone statue appeared in front of the lawn in which the candidates were sitting.

The statue was in a 3D L shape, sort of like an open laptop from earth. The candidates were facing the open part of the 'laptop'.

A block of wood appeared in the air on the statue, before a spark caused it to ignite and turn into ash.

Beside it, a globe of water turned to ice before shattering into tiny particles.

These phenomena repeated again and again in front of their eyes, with new blocks of wood and water turning into ash and snow indefinitely without stop.

"Your task is to observe these two things commonly seen in nature and analyze them. After that, you must explain how they took place. Let me give you a clue, "because of a spark" and "because it became cold" aren't the correct answers. If you have the talent to become a mage and stand above all, you will see something.

No speaking, if even a word comes from your mouth you will be immediately disqualified. You have 2 hours. If you feel that you already know the answer, then feel free to walk up to the statue and touch it, thinking about your answer. Your result will be one of 9 grades. The first 7 are the colors of the rainbow-Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red with Violet being the lowest grade and Red being the highest.

Above that are the 2 legendary grades-Crimson and Gold. A candidate with such potential has not appeared in decades, and each one is a treasure of the kingdom, nurtured with the highest of resources into becoming a backbone of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

The passing grade is Yellow. Although other academies might accept those with even Violet potential, the academy has very strict regulations.

Your test begins now."

A huge clock appeared at the size, ticking down to 0 from 2 hours.

Daneel was unperturbed, because he knew this was something that he would definitely excel at.

"System,...."

[Analysis complete. Reason identified. The reason for the wood...]

"WAIT! Its already done?", Daneel screamed in his mind, interrupting the system for the first time. Of course, it had interrupted him too.

[Affirmative. This is a very simple phenomena and even Phenomena Analysis Module-1 would have been able to analyze it in under a few minutes.]

"OK, don't tell me the answer. I want to try out the test myself.", said Daneel. He had noticed the change in his perception from the 2 months of decalcification and wanted to test out the result himself.

[Acknowledged], came the reply, to which he nodded.

Daneel was excited to find out his true potential. This wish primarily came from the desire to not depend on the system too heavily. If he did so, the minute the system was gone, he might become completely helpless. Instead, by also doing things himself without the system's help like he had done in the hell training, he would improve his mind and grow.

Folding his legs, Daneel sat down comfortably before focusing his full attention on the scenes in front of him.

Chapter 33: Elementary Particles

For the first half hour or so, Daneel was mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the scenes in front of him. With his improved eyesight, he could see each part of the wood that was set alight with clarity. Even more than the wood, the incredible patterns that formed in the ice when the water froze were even more dazzling.

Slowly, he started to see tiny particles. There were different kinds of particles in the water and the wood, with different colors. As the red particles of the spark came into contact with the myriad ones in the wood, some reaction seemed to occur as all of the particles turned into red, which was the fire.

Something similar happened with the water-light blue particles came into contact with deep blue ones and became deep blue themselves.

It was as if he was gazing into a different dimension. As he looked around, he noticed that the whole world seemed to be made up of these particles. Myriad colors of myriad shades greeted him, and his brain seemed to be overloaded with all of the information. Suddenly, he felt a stabbing, excruciating pain in his forehead which made him close his eyes.

As he opened them again, his gaze was back to normal.

[*DING*

Elementary Sight Tool Obtained.

System congratulates host on obtaining a tool by himself!

Elementary Sight: The world is made up of many countless particles. Although they are called 'Elementary' particles, they are not tied to the elements. The Elementary Sight allows one to gaze at these particles. The amount of particles that can be seen at a time without overloading the brain grows with the mage's level.]

"So what is my comprehension level? I saw that the interaction between the particles was the cause for the transformation.", he asked apprehensively.

[Host's Comprehension Level: Crimson. Prolonged decalcification and expansion of Host's pineal gland has allowed host to reach the legendary level of comprehension for new mages.

Crimson Potential corresponds to noticing the particles and their interactions.

Gold Potential corresponds to noticing a possible underlying reason for said conversion of state, namely, change in the vibrations of the particles. Such an observation was possible due to Phenomena Analysis Module-2. It would be almost impossible for a mage to notice this. Host's comprehension itself is already considered legendary.]

Yes! Legendary comprehension! And he had achieved it himself without the help of the system!

Of course, without the system, there was no way his peneal gland could have been decalcified in the first place. Yet, such legendary comrehension was his alone.

"System, can you make any grade I wish appear during the test?"

[Affirmative. Violet to Gold, any grade of comprehension can be simulated for the result of the test]

It was just as he thought. Daneel now had a tough choice to make.

Should he choose the legendary level and obtain all the resources possible? Or should he choose a lesser grade and be low-key?

Daneel did not like either of the options. The first meant that he would be under the purview of the government at all times. They would take an active role in his development potentially supervising everything he did. Like the man had said, it had not been seen in decades and they would definitely show this much care for one who could be the backbone of the kingdom.

Choosing a low level was also not what Daneel wanted. If he was being frank with himself, he would say that it was because he had had enough. Enough of being in the bottom. Enough of being looked down upon.

As for resources, he had the incredible treasure that was the Natural Training Chamber.

Before he made his choice, Daneel asked one last question.

"Is it possible for a mage's comprehension to change?"

[Yes, in very rare cases. Typically, the comprehension is linked to the size and decalcification level of the pineal gland. It is possible for the human body to unconsciously apply Ether in the same way the system did, albeit for a short time and in very, very rare situations. As the information regarding the glands has still not been discovered in this world, it is assumed that this is due to being blessed by the heavens.]

A plan started to form in Daneel's mind after hearing this.

Taking everything into purview, Daneel made his choice.

The 2 hours gradually came to a close and kids started walking up to the statue one by one.

The first seemed to be a rich merchant's daughter, wearing an expensive gold-trimmed dress that reached her ankles. Unlike the spoiled brats Daneel had seen in the training, she had a kind expression on her face and gave a small smile at the crowd before placing her hand on the statue.

The vertical part of the statue flashed a brilliant white before turning into 9 layers of dim colors: each color corresponding to each grade.

A white wave of color started ascending from the bottom soon after. As it passed each color, it lit up that bar/grade into a dazzling hue that almost blinded the spectators.

Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green and Yellow were lit up brilliantly before the white wave finally slowed down.

It settled down into Orange, making many kids gasp as the vivid color almost seemed to assault their eyes.

"High grade comprehension! Well done! Welcome to the academy! Would you like to take me as a master?", asked the blue robed man, startling the girl who was now smiling wide after taking her hand off the statue.

"Ahem". A cough was suddenly heard in front of the statue which made the blue robed man's face turn pale.

"Never mind about the master. You can pick one later. Come stand behind me. With high grade potential, you will definitely go far in the path of the mage. I believe you can directly enter the top class which has the best teachers and resources, other than the legendary class which has been empty for decades."

Chapter 34: Heaven-Defying Talen

One by one, the kids walked to the statue apprehensively.

Seeing the kid with the Orange Grade comprehension, Daneel had somewhy assumed that everyone would at least have Violet Grade Comprehension. This was not the case.

Over half of them simply did not elicit any reaction from the stone. They tried everything they could, with one kid even trying to sleep on the statue hoping that more contact with his body might result in a Comprehension Grade.

All of them were mercilessly shown the door by the blue-robed man. To those who had at least Yellow Grade potential, he was genial and warm. Those who scored below didn't even garner a glance.

One kid whose wave had stopped just shy of Yellow even begged the man, holding his coat tails. He was levitated out of the gate immediately.

Daneel was struck by the harshness of the institution. These were just kids. Wouldn't such a treatment wound their psyches and affect their development?

As he was pondering on the matter, the kid walking toward the statue fell down suddenly as if he had hit an invisible wall.

From the distance, a procession of guards and servants could be seen. It seemed like they had automatically appeared at that location, as the others would have definitely noticed them if they had walked here.

The sound of drums heralded the approach of an orange-haired 12-year old who wore royal robes much more lavish than the ones Daneel had stolen in the Dwarve's Rum. A coat was draped on his shoulders over the golden-green robes with the majestic royal crest shining on it.

He walked as if he owned the land under him, signs of authority already apparent over his young, freckled face.

"My Lord, we could have brought the testing apparatus to your residence. There was no need to trouble yourself with coming.", said the blue-robed man. Daneel noticed that he did not kneel like the rest of the people who had addressed nobility in front of him so far.

"It was no trouble. I just wanted to show these peasants what high talent was. It would give them a goal to work towards and toil harder.", said the kid in an uncharacteristically high-pitched and confident voice.

"My Lord, you were born in the most auspicious time! You could speak at the tender age of 6 months and only at 12, you have mastered the art of visualization! You definitely have legendary talent! I bet 100 Gold Lans that My Lord has the highest comprehension in the whole academy!", said a man in a white robe who had been hidden behind the guards. As he said so, 5 more similarly dressed people appeared form behind, shouting:

"150 Gold Lans on the majesty!"

"200!"

"250!"

"500! There is no way that anyone can match My Lord!"

The last man wore the most extravagant clothes, with a gold and silver trim and diamond buttons.

The kid smirked before walking up to the statue and looking at the scenes for a few seconds.

"That's it? Pff", he said, walking up to the statue and touching it.

The white wave seemed to be the strongest that had appeared so far.It blazed through the first 6 colors before finally slowing down.

Finally, a radiant red shone on the statue, eliciting claps and cheers from the guards and the men who had been in his retinue.

"Top-grade comprehension! Top-grade!"

"My Lord has unlimited potential!"

"Near-legendary potential! Thank you My Lord for letting us witness such a scene!"

The kid turned and smiled at the man who had said the last statement. He then proceeded toward the blue-robed man.

"Congratulations, My Lord. Continue the test!", he said, which made the kid grimace and return. It looked like he had been expecting more compliments.

"How can others have the face to even test themselves in front of My Lord's talents? They would get too discouraged!"

"Its a 1 in 100,000 talent! Of course there's no one who could pass My Lord!"

The kid smirked hearing these comments, choosing to stay and spectate.

The smirking expression somewhy irked Daneel. In the kid, he saw the arrogant prince who had been the reason for getting his father kicked out of the army.

He really wished he could smack him across the face. Of course, this was impossible, physically. Hence, Daneel decided on the next best plan.

Hearing the comments of the men, the kid who had been going to test next had sat back down on the lawn, losing his confidence. No one seemed willing to walk up to test at this moment.

Just as the blue-robed man was going to shout again urging them to go, he saw Daneel stand up and walk towards the statue with a confident stride.

The men who noticed this sneered. "Kid, you have some guts! You think you can beat My Lord? 500 Gold Lans say you can't!", said the man in the extravagant clothes taking out a bag full of jingling coins.

Daneel had had enough of being low-key. In all of his 2 lives, he had stayed under the feet of such men, cowering in fear. Enough was enough.

"You better keep your word," he said, shocking the kid and the men before nonchalantly putting his hand on the statue.

A brilliant white wave cascaded upwards from the base. It seemed as if nothing could stop it as 6 colors were lit up and passed in a moment.

Even the red that the 'lord' had been so proud of was crossed in an instant.

A scintillating Crimson lit up the whole field. The spectators collectively dropped their jaws seeing this legendary color appear in all of its glory.

Only, something strange happened with the wave as it suddenly fell back to the red bar. Although the crimson had appeared only for a second, it stayed in everyone's eyes, as if burned into their brains. This was the effect of a legendary color!

Even the red that it finally settled on shone much more vividly than the former kid's had.

"Pseudo-legendary comprehension! One who has the potential to reach the legendary comprehension level and climb to the peak of all mages! The heavens have blessed my kingdom!", said the blue-robed man who looked like he had just glanced his eyes upon the most precious treasure in the world.

[*DING*

Danger Detected! Host must dodge to the right!]

An enormous ball of fire and lightning hurtled Daneel's way as this urgent voice rang in his head.

Chapter 35: Axelor

Daneel immediately tried to jump to the right, but he was just too slow. The destructive ball that had fire at the center with electricity crackling all around it made its way toward him, as if to mark his inevitable demise.

A bald man with a strong back suddenly stepped out of the space in front of him. He was wearing the clothes of a lumberjack, with a leather coat and grey trousers. For some reason, seeing this visage made Daneel feel safe.

The man simply waved his arm and the ball was deflected, impacting a tree a few feet away where no one was present.

The explosion that followed shocked Daneel. Just the shock wave made him fall on the ground, bewildered as he felt his hair being buffeted by the pure waves of destructive force.

It had been a tree so thick that 2 men would have been required to hold it, and there was now nothing left it.

Only the grim, burnt shape of the tree was present which collapsed into dust from the wind. The ground itself was scorched and there seemed to be a static electricity in the air, making the hair on everyone's hands stand up.

The man bent his head, gazing at the lawn where all the kids sat. One kid, with tanned skin and torn clothes, screamed before being lifted off the ground. Something seemed to be pressing down on him from all sides, which made him undergo a grotesque transformation.

His legs and hands grew in front of their eyes, causing blood and skin to quickly wither and fall. His head became larger, morphing into that of a man.

Eventually, a fully grown man in torn clothes that were threatening to burst was in the air, bleeding from almost every inch of his skin.

"Glory be to Axelor!", he screamed with anguish and pain on his face, before his body started to burst apart. An ominous feeling was felt in the air as Daneel was reminded of suicide bombers back on Earth.

The man who had just appeared simply flicked his hands and a visible, transparent bubble appeared around the kid who had just morphed into a man. Time seemed to stop in that bubble, as the disintegration and possible explosion of the man's body was stopped in its tracks.

Stopping time! This was such a legendary power that Daneel had thought it wouldn't be possible no matter how much one trained. Although it was only in a small area, Daneel was awed by this tremendous display of power.

The ball immediately vanished in the air before the man turned towards Daneel.

"Good thing I recently developed a clone, otherwise a young man of such incredible talent would have been taken from my kingdom. Daneel, isn't it?", he asked, stretching out his hand.

The man had strong, blocky features with dark skin. Although he was bald, a short beard was around his mouth, somehow accentuating the ruggedness in his image. His shoulders and back were huge, more than half as wide as Daneel was tall.

Daneel shook his hand in a daze.

"That was a spy from the neighboring kingdom of Axelor. Using forbidden techniques, one's age can be reversed while maintaining their power albeit at the extreme cost of one's lifespan. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself! I am Kellor, court mage of the Kingdom of Lanthanor. My magic exists to protect the people of Lanthanor, be they commoners or nobility. I report only to the king, and he is the only one in this kingdom who can command me. Kid, it is nice to meet you.", he said.

It was the fabled court mage! A man above all in the kingdom but below only one!

Daneel had heard of the stories. The court mage's journey in magic was a peculiar one. He had been a woodcutter, who loved his work. With years and years of concentration and constant honing of his techniques, he had learned by himself how to control and coax wood elementary particles to give way to his ax.

A passing mage had seen this phenomena and been shocked. Then 23 years old, the wood cutter was immediately taken to the kingdom and tested for comprehension. He had an incredible Crimson level comprehension that awed everyone!

Since then, the previous court mage had groomed him before going out into the world after leaving him in his stead. He still wore the clothes of a lumberjack because that was what he was most comfortable in.

Known as the second strongest man in the kingdom, he was said to be wise. Yet, he was not strong enough to oppose the king's wishes, he could only comply with them.

Seeing Daneel still staring at him as if he had seen a ghost, Kellor chuckled before turning to the kid who was glowering at the side and saying, "Showing off again Laravel? Didn't I tell you to take the test in the palace? Why are you here?".

The kid had been staring at Daneel with a harsh glare. Hearing the court mage's words though, his expression quickly turned into one of fear.

"Mr. Kellor, I was just taking a walk and wanted to check out the test. I'll take my leave now.", he said, before immediately turning around with his whole retinue and leaving. His back though, seemed to be shaking and Daneel felt that the story between them wasn't over.

The man who had placed the bet before also turned around and tried to leave but try as he may, his legs seemed to be rooted to the ground. Understanding why, he turned around and bowed to Kellor before leaving the bag of Gold Lans on the ground.

"You won that money kid. I was watching your performance. It does feel good to oppose and smack people like these in the face, but be cautious, making enemies is not wise. This kid though is not one you need to worry about. He's just a little too concerned about his face. He had 2 hours to see the same scenes in the palace but still he chose to come here and show off. I should teach him a lesson, but that's the King's job, seeing as how he is his son after all.", he said in a low voice that only Daneel could hear.

Daneel nodded before walking up to the bag and retrieving it. It was very heavy, and Daneel did not regret challenging the prince. For once, he just could not be bothered about the consequences. As for being cautious? If the court mage knew that he could show Gold potential and give everyone a heart attack but still chose a pseudo-legendary potential, he would definitely shut his mouth and not speak about caution anymore.

After Daneel's return, the man stretched out his arms as if to welcome him and said,

"Welcome to the National Magic Academy of Lanthanor!"

Chapter 36: Top-Grade Batch, Classes Begin

"Kid, you have the highest comprehension of all of the present students in the academy, be they nobility or commoners. Hence, many eyes will be on you. You are now an asset of the kingdom and no external forces can harm you, but spars are allowed between students to promote fighting skills after the first year in the academy. The complete course takes 6 years. In the first year, the basic elements will be taught with optional classes for some specialized forces of nature. At the end of the first year, there will be a test which decides what your main focus will be as a mage.

"Both mages and fighters are limited by a lifespan of 100 years in the Human Realm. It is only when one becomes a Warrior that there is an increase in the maximum lifespan. Hence, mages must choose their specialization and focus on it to reach the apex. Remember the saying, 'Humans perish, Warriors march on.'

"Since you have pseudo-legendary talent, I will appeal to the king and the academy's council to place you in the legendary batch that has been empty since decades. Lets see how it will go.

"Take care kid. Work hard, and be smart. I'll come meet you once I know if you can be shifted to the legendary batch, but until then, you are a member of the top-grade batch.", said Kellor, placing his hand on Daneel's shoulder.

His rough calluses could be felt even through Daneel's shirt, as if he still spent his days cutting wood even being the court mage of a kingdom. Daneel nodded, wondering why this man was being so nice to him even though he had offended the king's own son.

"As for that kid Laravel, be wary. He has always been shrewd and his only weakness was showing off. He may try to take revenge when you least expect it. In the first year, all fights are strictly forbidden, so for now just concentrate on your studies.

"As the court mage, my gaze will always be on the whole kingdom. That was how I knew you were being attacked. I will take my leave now.", he said, before again vanishing into thin air.

Daneel had not spoken a single word. All of that information had been dumped on him and he was now left alone holding the bag of coins. As he analyzed everything, the testing was progressing until only a few students were left.

Soon, it was done. The blue robed man sent all of the crying kids who had failed out and personally escorted the selected candidates to a lavish building.

Faxul had also been selected, albeit only by the passing grade. Together, they began their academy life.

The hostel building was at least 10 stories. Apparently, there were over 1000 individual rooms inside divided into the male and female sections. But, it had been centuries since the academy operated at full capacity. Now, it was considered a good year if even 30% of the rooms were occupied.

Daneel chose an individual room and paid the first year's fee with the coins he had won in the bet. After confirming his entry into the top grade batch and obtaining his ID, it was time to go home.

That night was one that would be remembered by everyone in the slums. Both Robert and Maria were in tears hearing that their son had gotten into the most prestigious academy in the kingdom. The huge amount of money he had earned was the icing on the cake, along with the fact that they would all be moving out of the slums to go to the designated living area for NMAL students' families.

This living area was located opposite to the academy and Daneel had already taken the key to a standard villa. They had decided to move the next day and this was their last day in the slums. Robert wanted to throw a huge party in the slums to thank everyone that had made their journey here so far as pleasant as it could be. Times were hard for everyone, but they had always been willing to spare whatever they had.

Carts and carts of food and alcohol were ordered and everyone ate and drank to their heart's fill. The constables were puzzled to see the always drab slums shining with such vitality and when they went to check, they were also invited to the party.

The whole night was spent reminiscing about both the tough and happy times. Daneel was constantly with his parents who couldn't stop showing him to everyone and endlessly boasting about him. Everyone obliged, knowing that the couple were the happiest they had been in years. Even Daneel could not stop smiling and laughing through out the night seeing his parent's infectious atmosphere.

All too soon, the morning came and it was time to pack. There wasn't much luggage to begin with, but Daneel and Robert first carefully covered up the entrance to the natural training chamber and removed all signs that the house hid such a secret. The house would still stay, as that small patch of land was theirs. A trustworthy friend was asked to live here and immediately tell them if anyone came snooping. Daneel decided to transport the natural chamber as soon as he was powerful enough to do so and set up some warning trinkets to be notified if anyone came near. This chamber might be the bedrock on which he would build his future of dominating the world.

The villa was not too big, situated in a plot of land of 400 sq. yards and having a simple interior with 2 floors and 4 bedrooms. Still, it was just the two of them and both Robert and Maria were ecstatic.

After everything was settled in, Daneel handed over most of the money to his dad and told him to use it as he saw fit. He said that they had taken care of him all these years and it was high time he did something for them. After countless protests, Robert only acquiesced after Daneel threatened to throw the gold away if he did not take it.

With all of his matters settled, Daneel started his academy with a fresh mind. All that was on it right now was to study hard and gain as much power as possible in the shortest time in order to take revenge for his father. Even if everything was OK now, those years of suffering and that look of anguish on his father's face still haunted him.

The time table that had been given to him was like a computer from earth, only it just looked like a simple piece of parchment with the information on it changed frequently.

The first class was called "Introduction to the Elements" and was designated to take place in Lawn 5. There was also a map on the parchment, with his present location clearly marked which moved as he did.

Memories of the magnificent Firewind dragon came to mind as he made his way to class, looking forward to the day when he could also be in control of such awe-inspiring magic.

Chapter 37: Daneel's First Year At The Academy

The top grade batch only contained 30 students, whose comprehension was at least Orange level. Included in these students was of course the prince Laravel. Of the others, Daneel was surprised to see that more than half of them were wearing royal robes, albeit less lavish than Laravel's.

A staggering 18 of the 30 students were seated on wooden chairs in the lawn, looking around with smiles on their faces. As for the rest, they all seemed to be sons and daughters of rich merchants.

Daneel seemed to be the last into the class, as there was only one remaining chair at the very end. Getting seated, he turned to talk to the commoner beside him, but was met with a grunt after which the kid completely ignored him.

Feeling some one's gaze on him, he turned around to see Laravel staring at him with a smirk on his face.

So this was his doing, thought Daneel. Just as he was wondering why this kid was playing such a childish trick, the familiar blue robed man appeared in front of them.

"Welcome to your first day in the academy!", he said with a jovial smile on his face.

"My name is Henry and I will be your general element teacher for the rest of your stay at the academy. My goal is to expose you to as many elements as possible to let you find out the element that you are most comfortable with. That element will be the one you will focus on, and the one that you will be most adept with."

With this introduction started Daneel's first year in the academy. The first class was spent detailing how elements worked, namely exactly what he had seen in the comprehension test. Although most of them had seen it for themselves, it still had to be explained so that they could confirm it in their minds.

In the evening, Daneel found out that the little prince had ordered everyone in the Academy to stay away from him. Faxul told him this before being the same with him as he always was, making Daneel feel happy that he had a friend he could depend on.

He couldn't care less if he didn't make more friends, because his main objective was to gain knowledge and power. With this in mind, he set a strict schedule for himself which he would adhere to no matter what.

In the morning, classes would be held where various teachers would demonstrate and guide them on feeling different elements. The goal of a mage was to gain control by making a connection using their pineal gland with the elementary particles in the outside world to achieve the desired effect.

On the second day of classes, they had a potential test. This in itself demonstrated how much more important comprehension was compared to potential.

This was when Daneel found out that mages could improve potential by advancing in levels, although the effect was slow. The Royal Family was said to possess a secret technique which would hasten this process, but again, it came with certain side effects.

According to the system, the decalcification level of the pineal gland corresponded to potential and the size corresponded to comprehension. Daneel was surprised to know that he had an high grade pineal gland already before he used the Mageroot Development Technique, but it had been completely calcified.

The prince had scored a top-grade potential and he had been hoping that Daneel would have trash potential, although he knew that such a disparity between potential and comprehension was impossible. Justifiably so, Daneel scored a high-grade potential, as his pineal gland had only undergone 2 months of decalcification.

The prince gnashed his teeth seeing this, but it seemed the court mage was right. He did not try to spar him or harm him in any way. The childish trick he had done before now seemed suspicious to Daneel as he remembered from the court mage's words that the little prince was actually shrewd. Yet, there was nothing he could do about it now.

After the morning of classes, students would spend time in an Energised Training Chamber, because such an environment made it easier to notice and interact with the elementary particles.

Afterwards, students could do whatever they wish. Typically, many went into the woods or to other locations to spend more time meditating on forming a connection.

For Daneel, it was the time to gather knowledge. The academy had the largest library he had ever seen in his life, containing over 100,000 books. Thankfully, it also had podiums like the town library for easy access.

Day by day, he spent the time from evening to night gathering as much information as he could. Due to his proximity to many mages, the system output spells almost everyday. Yet, Daneel had tough choices to make as he could not develop and use everything.

He needed to figure out his fighting style and his focus for the future. He did not want to ever be in a situation like before when someone had to save him from certain death.

As the information and techniques accumulated, Daneel slowly started making the plan. His day now also included practice sessions in the woods, where no one knew exactly what it was he was practicing.

In such a way, the first year at the academy breezed by. There were very few holidays, and Daneel had spent them relaxing with his family who were happier than ever.

Finally, it was time for the year end assessment and main element selection.

Although there had been no fighting classes in the first year, the first test was actually a spar. This was to see how students would fight on their own without training using instinct. Of course, those who could hire private instructors were at an advantage. Yet, most seldom did as they did not want one's path to be constricted to a specific training at such an early level.

Daneel had almost been forgotten by most despite having pseudo-legendary talent. He had just been lost in his schedule, growing day by day.

Now, it was finally time to remind them of his existence.

Chapter 38: First Year Assessmen

The first year assessment was one of the most major events in the National Magic Academy of Lanthanor. Most people judged the future potential of a mage by his/her performance in this assessment. This was because many believed that what one could achieve in a single year was a strong sign of what they would be able to achieve throughout their lives.

The sprawling lawns of the academy were the default location of the assessment. A podium was specially erected at one side, with numerous chairs placed on top and one enormous throne dwarfing them all. The throne seemed to be made of some alloy of gold, shining in the sun with the two lions that were carved on the hand rests looking like they wanted to leap out into the open fields.

On the day of the assessment, the whole academy was gathered at another side of the lawn which was designated as the spectator seating area. The seats were slowly filling up, with the front rows already occupied who had come early specifically to experience the front row action.

Another major reason for the enthusiasm of the spectators was that the strongest man in the whole kingdom would be present at the assessment. It was the King of Lanthanor himself, who would spectate to see how the future mages of the kingdom were progressing.

The king was seldom seen outside, always busy training and focusing on improving himself to provide a stable life to the kingdom. Although he had a few flaws, many commoners still blessed him everyday in their hearts for being able to provide Lanthanor with an atmosphere where they could flourish.

Of course, there were also many that cursed him due to his overt partiality in the matter of the royal family. He supported almost any and all of their actions, letting them wreak havoc on many commoner's lives. Daneel's family was one such family who had been affected.

Soon, it was time for the assessment. All of the students had gathered a half hour beforehand out of respect for the king.

Right as the clock struck the time that the assessment was supposed to start, 2 men appeared on the podium which had already become filled by dignitaries from other academies or training halls.

It was the familiar court mage and a man with broad shoulders.

A reddish-gold coat lay lazily on his back, with the royal crest displayed for all to see.

The man wore the chain-mail of a soldier underneath the coat. Only, the chain-mail seemed to be made of an alloy similar to the one in the throne.

He had a gaunt face, almost as if he had just woken up from sleep. Long, silver hair was draped over his shoulder, extending down to below his chest as his piercing eyes gazed at everyone around him as if scanning for danger. His nose was crooked, as if it had been broken many times and his lips were thin, compressed into a line. Each and every person on whom his gaze fell could only cower.

As one, the spectators and the dignitaries knelt, lowering their heads. Daneel had no choice but to kneel for this power hungry, uncaring king whose only aim was to grow in power. It was thoughts like these that made Daneel think back to the first words of the system-that he was destined to conquer and dominate the world. Maybe a change in leadership really was needed in this kingdom where the nobility could do whatever they wished with no one to stop them. Even someone who could be the future back bone of the kingdom was ignored, making him feel that the leadership's priorities were just not right.

The King sat down without a word, and the court mage walked forward and proclaimed, "Let the assessment begin!".

With these words, the First Year Assessment got under way.

There were around 300 students in the first year, and it was impossible for spars to occur between all of them. Hence, there was first a weeding process in which only the most promising candidates would be chosen.

All of the students arranged themselves in a rows as per the judges' instructions.

In an empty space in front of them, 20 wooden puppets appeared. They were humanoid, with feature less faces.

"Take the puppet test in batches of 20. Whoever knocks down the puppet before the puppet reaches you passes and goes on to the next round.", announced the judge.

The first batch of puppet testing was soon under way. The objective was to test the speed of the young mage's connection with whatever elementary particle they chose to make a simple spell to knock down the puppet. The puppets were designed to fall no matter what spell hit them-be it a small fireball, a gust of air or even a sprout of water. These were all simple spells that had been taught to them in their first year.

Various individuals had various levels to which they could connect with elementary particles and coax them to change to their will. Ones with high comprehension could directly see the particles, making it easy for them to use their mageroots to influence them. As they had been taught, the key was visualization. The stronger they could visualize, influence and connect to the particles, the better result a spell would give. A spell was basically just an instruction on how to connect. Simple spells required simple instructions. More powerful spells meant more complex instructions which required more advanced levels of mages.

A mage only increased in level when he/she could control a set number of particles. According to the system, this had a direct correlation with the decalcificaition of the pineal gland. The pineal gland was basically like an onion, and with each level, each layer of the gland would be decalcified and peeled off.

The main problems that the young mages faced at this stage was being able to throw a spell at the puppets which ran towards them. They only had a minute to do so, and even students who had Orange level comprehension found this hard.

Students with Red Comprehension breezed through, just using a simple fire ball or ice shard. Laravel was of course showed off the most, using a lightning bolt and making everyone gasp. Lightning bolt spells weren't part of the first year's curriculum, after all.

In the 6th batch, it was Daneel's turn. With a calm expression, he walked onto the designated position and waited for the puppet to charge.

Almost all of the academy had their eyes on this kid who had made waves in the kingdom due to having pseudo-legendary potential. Only, many were puzzled when he was treated the same as one with Red level potential.

Even the king, who had been slouched lazily on his throne, sat up noticing that Daneel had taken the stage.

The puppet started running toward Daneel at a medium pace, giving him exactly 60 seconds to throw a spell.

Daneel, though, just stood there with his arms folded as if he weren't the one who was taking the test.

After 30 seconds had passed, he was yet to move, looking around at some of the students who were struggling to connect and send instructions to the elementary particles.

At 20 seconds, he finally looked at the puppet for the first time since the test.

At 10 seconds, a few people started to say that the test had definitely been bogus and he was just trash.

Even the judges and the court mage was puzzled seeing Daneel's nonchalance.

"THUMP"

The puppet, which had been running towards Daneel suddenly slipped and fell, skidding to a halt in front of him with its head almost touching his foot.

The spectators were startled beyond belief seeing this peculiar scene take place. Had Daneel done something in that 5 seconds? Or had the puppet just slipped?

Did it even count as a pass if the puppet just slipped?

They wondered, while the court mage and the king stared at Daneel with their eyes wide open, as if seeing a monster.

Chapter 39: Paragon

"Pass!", declared the judge, bewildering everyone who were wondering just what had happened.

"Look! The ground became soft just under the puppet's foot!", said one spectator who was seated in the front row.

Hearing this, everyone strained their eyes to see the ground. The lawn they were in had a distinct look to it for the most part, with neatly packed and dry earth.

It was only at one small spot that the ground had become muddy and wet. It just so happened that the puppet slipped at that exact spot and fell, hitting the ground.

"Monster!", mouthed the spectators realizing just what he had done. The main reason for one to be amazed was that this was actually the easiest way to pass the test. But, it required the control of two types of elementary particles in a short span of time.

One would first have to connect with the water vapor in the air, turning it into a ball of water and then connect with the earth, coaxing it to get wet due to the water. One's mageroot would have to be quick and efficient, and one would have to have very high comprehension in order to have this level of control at such an early stage.

The stage of a mage decided how many elementary particles he/she could connect with and control, while the comprehension decided his/her speed in connecting and controlling the particles.

Daneel walked calmly to the place where all of the selected candidates for the spar were seated. Laravel was already here, and he looked at Daneel from behind his back with a cunning expression.

Daneel couldn't care less. What he had done so far, making the rest of the students stay away from, had actually helped him in his first year. For company, he had Faxul and his parents. What more did he need? This allowed him to focus on his schedule completely.

The next student in line also happened to be one with Red grade comprehension. Seeing the reaction of the crowd and the people on stage, he also wanted to show that he had talent worth admiring.

Folding his hands like Daneel, he stood there. But unlike Daneel, the effect was ruined because he had to stare at a patch on the ground to form a ball of water above it. It looked like he was throwing a tantrum at the ground instead of the cool image that he had in mind.

A ball of water soon formed in front of everyone's eyes before splashing on the ground just before the puppet approached the spot.

Only, the dry ground did not absorb the water, staying dry and letting the puppet pass unhindered. Although the kid realized that what Daneel had done was much more complicated than it appeared, it was too late. The puppet had already reached him, and he had failed.

This impressed on the crowd even more what an incredible feat Daneel had done for his stage. Even the court mage and the king occasionally glanced at Daneel, as if making sure he wouldn't run away.

Soon, it was time for the spars.

Sparring occurred with the drawing of lots, where every candidate would be given a number and would draw a lot to decide their opponent.

Only 30 students had passed the first test. Daneel walked up to the court mage who was holding the lots and drew a number.

It was 17. All the students were wearing their own numbers on their chest, so Daneel looked around to see that it wasn't Laravel. He really wanted to beat that kid up although what he had done had not affected him very much. Being slighted in such a way had managed to leave a bad taste in Daneel's mouth, which he had to wash away.

The spars soon started, with 2 Orange grade students facing each other.

Daneel was puzzled. What was happening here was way beyond what his expectations here.

Both mages stood a few feet away, concentrating on the air as if trying to form something there. The judges had announced that students would be transported out immediately in case they were going to get injured, which put them at ease.

Gradually, a fire ball and an ice shard each formed in front of them. Only, the fire ball was just a little bit faster to form and was shot forward earlier. Although the ice shard was also on the way, the fireball almost hit the other party first.

Instantly, the other student was outside the ring and the first was declared to be the winner. The crowd cheered as if watching a good show.

This was sparring! Wasn't this too....childish? Thought Daneel. He had trained extensively for this spar, and it now turned out that these kids just competed in spell casting times!

The second round had a bit of a difference. The students facing each other in this round had a Red grade and an Orange grade comprehension level respectively, and the latter knew he could not compete with the other in spell casting time.

Thus, seeing the last match, he ran toward his opponent in an attempt to knock him down. It seemed that this kid had also trained as a fighter, as he ran quite fast and was at the opponent in only a few seconds.

Only, just before he could punch into the opponent's stomach, he found himself outside the ring. The crowd laughed as they saw him stumble and fall with no opponent to bury his fist in.

On asking, he found out that an ice shard had formed out of his vision just before he hit his opponent. The ice shard would cause much more damage, penetrating him and even killing him had he not been teleported out.

Sighing, he realized that mages were not so easily beaten and resolved himself to train harder.

Soon, it was Daneel's turn. His opponent was from his own class, a kid wearing noble robes and possessing Red comprehension level.

"Pff, what pseudo legendary. That thing with the puppet must surely have been a fluke. Allow me to put you in your place.", he said cockily before concentrating on the air in front of him.

The signs of a fire ball already appeared in front of him, showing that he was quite skilled.

Just like the first test, Daneel just stood there looking around. He had decided that he would give everyone a show and he would do so no matter what. His intention was to get noticed by the king or the court mage and become entitled to more resources and teachers.

This was because all of his classes only gave him basic levels of spells. The system had already developed all of them in just the first month, and in the rest of the time he had no choice but to waste his time with them. Even the books in the library that detailed advanced spells were locked to him due to him being a first year.

He wanted to obtain the power to choose what he would do with his time himself. He wanted to be granted unlimited access to the library and become able to learn whatever he wished to. For this goal, he had practiced extensively to awe everyone.

Seeing Daneel with no signs of a spell forming, the kid smiled as if victory were in his grasp.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp gust of wind push his left leg forward. Although his stance had been grounded, it had been loose due to concentrating on the spell. Losing his balance he fell back, and when he landed he was outside the ring.

"No! I won't accept this! Why am I outside?!", he screamed, anguished at the sudden turn of events.

Without a word, the judge pointed at the ring where he had been standing.

Behind him was a shining ice shard, rising out of the ground 6 inches high with the sharp end visible to all.

His fall would have driven it deep into his body, killing him easily.

The kid looked at Daneel with wide open eyes, wondering what kind of precise control was needed to manipulate everything in this way.

This fighting style was unheard of to all of the students. Only the judges and the dignitaries still had a shocked look on their faces, as if seeing a legend in human flesh.

"He is on the path of the Paragon. A pity.", said the king, speaking for the first time since coming to the assessment. The court mage beside him nodded, gazing at Daneel's back and pondering over something.

Chapter 40: The Arrogant King And The Path Of A Paragon

The spars continued, with the rest of the students opting to not try what Daneel had just done. The previous student's expression when he had done so and failed was still fresh on their minds.

Meanwhile, Daneel walked to a location a bit away from the rest of the students who were waiting for their matches. He still had quite a bit of time before his next match, and he planned to sit down at a nearby tree and wait for his turn.

Just as he was about to seat himself, the court mage stepped out of the air in front of him.

"Daneel, come with me. The King wants to see you.", he said, before tapping his shoulder and making him vanish.

They reappeared on the podium, making the spectators and the dignitaries wonder what a student was doing there. But, noticing that it was Daneel, they could only think that the King had taken special notice of his talents and had summoned him to award him.

Daneel, on the other hand, was trying hard to control the anger that was threatening to overwhelm him. Although the man in front of him had not been directly responsible for what had happened to his family, he still held equal blame for letting such a thing happen.

The King, who had been watching the matches till now, turned his head to see the kid who was now on the stage.

The feeling of anger was replaced by one of fear as the King's gaze focus on him. He felt as if he was being stared at by a primordial predator which could kill him with a casual swipe of its hand.

[*DING*

Host is under the affect of secret technique "Weighty Gaze". As the host is directly experiencing the affects, PAM-2 can develop the technique if host maintains contact with the technique for 10 seconds], came the voice from the system.

Throughout the year, the system had always been developing spells if he observed them multiple times. For the first time, he could develop a technique by simply being affected by it. Also, it was a technique used by the King himself, so Daneel thought that it must be quite valuable. He decided to hold on no matter what.

The court mage had a disapproving look on his face seeing what the king was doing. Daneel, on the other hand, had an expression of resolution as if to say "Throw whatever you can at me, I can take it".

As the seconds ticked by, Daneel felt more and more like he was being crushed by an enormous boulder from above. He knew that all he had to do was kneel, and the pressure would go.

Yet, he held on. Although the pain hounded him, making him bleed from his nostrils at the 7th second, he still held on remembering all the suffering and all the pain. Pain from the hunger when they had nothing to eat. Pain when he saw his father limping around. Pain when he heard his mother crying from the other room, scared that they would have to starve the next day.

No matter what, he did not want to give up.

The court mage's expression turned uglier and uglier seeing Daneel's worsening condition. Just as he was about to speak out and try to stop the King, Daneel collapsed onto the ground, kneeling with both his legs bent.

[Secret Technique "Weighty Gaze" ready for development], came the sweet voice of the system, making him smile although he was kneeling on the ground. He had endured, and he felt joy in this small personal victory that no one else would know about.

The King shrugged as if it was Daneel's fault that he had not knelt earlier. In a cold voice, he said, "You chose the path of a paragon. Kellor will explain to you why you will fail if you do not give up now. I have had my eye on you ever since you opposed my son at the testing area. You think you are so special just because you have pseudo-legendary potential?

"Laravel is the least talented of my sons and he needs some tempering, so I sent him to the academy. Of the others, 4 possess pseudo-legendary potential, and my Eldest Son, the future King, was blessed by the heavens with Crimson level comprehension. Even if you somehow advance to have Crimson comprehension yourself, you can never hold a candle to someone like him who trained for years already possessing such legendary potential.

"Take my suggestion. Swear a magic oath that you will forever be a vassal of the Royal Family of Lanthanor, dedicated to following our orders till the end of your life. Your father will be reinstated in the army and you will be showered with riches. I will let you enter the legendary batch and obtain the best resources and teachers without any limit. Choose not to, and nothing will change. Remember, you are just an ant that I can crush under my boot whenever I wish. You can never amount to anything that will threaten my Kingdom. Concede your match against Laravel and I will take it as your acceptance. "

Daneel kept his head down, although he was bristling with anger at the King's words. Now was not the time or place to lash out. His time would come. He would wait, like the tiger that eyes the lone deer, to pounce with all its strength when the time was right. Only, he was still a rabbit, and he had to become that tiger first.

"Kellor, take him away.", the King said, before turning back his attention to the matches.

With another tap, Daneel and the Court Mage were back at the tree.

The hair on Daneel's hands stood up straight as he felt the air crackling with energy around him. Looking around, he saw a sight that he would never be able to forget.

The court mage stood with his head lowered, while balls of fire, lightning, ice and water constantly blinked in and out of existence near him. Even a small tornado started forming on the ground, making Daneel get up and move back.

An expression of utter fury was on his face.

Yet, he seemed to be struggling to control himself. After a few seconds, his expression returned to normal although the signs of the anger were still there.

"He goes too far! I am sorry, Daneel. I don't know what the previous king was thinking when he gave the throne to this man who is so obsessed with his bloodline. I repeatedly advised him to punish his sons and attract you to the kingdom's side. He does not care. He is blinded by his eldest son's potential, and does not care about anything else but growing his own power and extending his life.

"Daneel, I know you. I have inquired about you and I know that you will not concede.

"The only good thing is that his attention is short. When you do not concede, he will be angry at you, but he cannot act against you as there are too many people watching. Later, he will be busy in his own pursuit of power, so you will be fine. Only, you will not be able to enter the legendary batch.

"I will do everything in my power to help you. First, let me tell you about the Paragon's path. A paragon is one who has all elements at his beck and call. Depending on the situation, he can control anything and everything to obtain victory even against opponents many levels above him.

The problem is that all those who have started on the path of a paragon without possessing Gold Comprehension have failed. The maximum level they could cultivate to was Human Mage-6 before running out of lifespan and dying.

"A mage advances in level by slowly increasing the number of elementary particles he can connect with, particle by particle, thus tempering his mageroot and inducing it to transform. There are certain thresholds which indicate when the transformation will occur.

This number can only increase with time, and a paragon splits his time between too many particles. Thus, without Gold Potential, it is impossible to advance quickly enough to enter the next level and obtain more power.

The strongest paragon from Lanthanor who reached the level of Human Mage-6, could defeat a Human Mage-8 in combat. Born with Crimson Potential, he could turn the tide of a war single handedly.

Yet, he died in a century while his peer with the same potential still lives to this day. All because he chose a single focus.

And that man is my master."

Chapter 41: Fighting Laravel

"Daneel, choose your own path. You just need to know that if you choose to walk the Path of a Paragon, you must be willing to accept that you might burn brighter than everyone, but when you pass away, they might still be alive. You must choose between living longer and living stronger. Good luck with the remaining spars, although I expect they won't be much of a problem. I'll come meet you later once the spars are done."

Daneel simply nodded, struggling to get up and lean against the tree. His body felt tired, as if he really had been crushed by that boulder above him before.

Hearing his name being called, he took a deep breath and ran towards the sparring area.

The next 3 matches moved smoothly, with 2 directly conceding and the other trying to run towards Daneel almost like the puppet. And like the puppet, his face became planted in the ground soon after. That kid was even part of the nobility, so Daneel wondered just what his objective had been.

Regardless, the final fight soon approached. Either through co incidence or luck, Laravel and Daneel hadn't faced each other yet. Now, they would finally fight in the finals.

The winner was supposed to be awarded a gift by the King himself to encourage mages in training, but Daneel honestly didn't even want any gift from the arrogant King. The best gift he could give was the throne, but that, Daneel would have to take himself.

Soon, the two of them stood opposite each other, while the crowd watched with bated breath. So far, only Daneel's matches had had the most cheers, because the rest seemed relatively quite boring.

Laravel stood there, smiling at Daneel while a lightning bolt like the one that had hit the puppet formed in front of him.

Daneel shrugged and connected with the air elementary particles near Laravel's legs, aiming to defeat him in the same way he had defeated the others. It would be fitting to show that he was nothing special.

Yet, it seemed that the prince had already thought of this. Unnoticed, his feet had been buried in the ground and he stood firmly in his place. Although Daneel tried twice, he didn't even budge.

Of course, Daneel had a lot of other tricks up his sleeve, but he wondered whether to show them here, in front of so many people. A dagger hidden was much more effective than one out in the open, after all.

Remembering the King's words, a burst of anger inundated Daneel. No! He did not want to lose!

Making his decision, Daneel started running toward Laravel. As he did so, a wide, cunning smile appeared on Laravel's face, which he hastily tried to control.

Sensing something was amiss, Daneel suddenly jumped to the side hearing the system's message:

[Explosion trinket activated in host's vicinity!]

"BOOOOM"

An explosion rocked the sparring ground, with plumes of dust rising into the air. The spectators were thoroughly shocked, craning their necks to see the aftermath. "Was the prince so powerful as to cause such an explosion?:, they wondered.

Busy with trying to control his smile, Laravel hadn't managed to notice Daneel jumping away at the last moment. Still, he kept forming his thunderbolt, just in case his opponent was unharmed. He did not want to take any chances in such an important match, where he could impress his father with his performance.

As the dust slowly faded, a hole in the ground 2 feet wide and 5 feet deep started to become visible. It just so happened to be at the exact spot that the kid from before had fallen down. Daneel was no where to be seen, as if he had become ash from the explosion.

Suddenly, Laravel started to shake where he stood as if he were being electrocuted. Struggling to turn around, he was shocked to see a smirking Daneel behind him, putting a hand on his back and sending waves of electricity and fire into him.

The judge immediately teleported Laravel out seeing this scene. Only, the damage had already been done. He looked pathetic, with hair half standing up and clothes almost completely burnt. Daneel had used the combination of electricity and fire to do the most damage.

Laravel now had fear on his face, gazing at Daneel standing on the ground, unharmed. He had actually teleported behind him! A Human Mage-0 who could teleport! Such a thing was simply unheard of.

The crowd and the dignitaries had their jaws wide open after seeing Daneel appear out of thin air behind Laravel and hitting him with a tiny ball of lightning and fire. It was truly as the legends stated. A Paragon stood unmatched, even in front of those above his level.

The rest of the students needed time to even form a small fireball, and Daneel was already capable of teleporting behind an opponent and hitting them with such a destructive attack. The disparity was simply too much. The rest of the candidates felt awkward, not knowing where to look as they tried not to compare themselves with this monster.

"Daneel wins!", came the announcement, prompting the crowd to stand up simultaneously and start cheering. It seemed that there would be no comment on the trinket. Either the judge had not noticed it, or had simply chosen to ignore it.

"Daneel! Daneel! Daneel!"

A chant started, which grew louder and louder with time. The King, who had an ugly and disapproving expression seeing Laravel being teleported out of the match, had vanished instantly with the court mage after giving Daneel a pensive look.

Feeling the showers of praises raining down on him, Daneel felt that it had all been worth it. The days and days of time spent in solitude perfecting each individual spell, the pain from falling down repeatedly when practicing short-range teleportation, the constant suffering from repeatedly having his Mageroot stimulated and developed throughout the year; they had all led up to this moment.

In the crowd, he could see Elanev, jumping with joy seeing Daneel's excellent performance. All this time, he had always been constantly visiting, encouraging Daneel and occasionally even helping with practice.

He could see his parents crying tears of joy as they saw their son being applauded by so many people. They felt like they were drowning in pride, and thanked the heavens for gifting them with such an incredible son.

Even Faxul who was often stoic was smiling and clapping as hard as he could. He was his only friend who had stood by him despite the spoiled brat's warnings.

Although the message that he heard from the system startled him, it was simply the icing on the cake, making him smile even broader as he spread his arms, welcoming all of the praise and applause.

[Achievement: "People's Admiration-1" obtained.

People's Admiration-1: By showing your capabilities at the First Year Assessment in the National Magic Academy of Lanthanor, you have won the people's admiration and your name will now be remembered by them and spread to many. Congratulations on becoming a figure that will be talked about by numerous people, aiding your journey to becoming a World Dominator!

500 EXP Awarded.

3 Achievements have been obtained. Secret conditions met. System store has been opened in advance for host's perusal.]

Chapter 42: System Store

The judges were puzzled seeing the King leave. He was supposed to stay and decide the gifts for the top ranked mages, based on their performance. Without any other choice, they communicated with the Academy Council behind the throne and simply announced that the gifts would be handed out later.

The crowd soon dispersed, allowing Daneel to go meet his friends and family. Elanev patted his head as soon as he came, saying, "Well done kiddo! I knew you would shine! Damn that King. I knew he was ruthless, but to use a technique to make you kneel? That's... something."

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but moved away after noticing that Maria was running towards Daneel with arms stretched wide open.

She hugged him tight, crying uncontrollably. She couldn't even speak, so Daneel just patted her back feeling happy seeing the tears of joy. His father was also standing just a few steps away, with a wide smile and clear eyes, clearer than Daneel had seen in many years. It seemed that seeing his achievement had started to wash away the years of suffering and regret that both his parents had borne.

Faxul also simply hugged him after his mother. But in his expression, Daneel saw both the happiness for his achievement and a longing to stand equal to him. Faxul was such a person-he spoke little, but felt quite a lot. Seeing Daneel being applauded by so many people had lit a fire in him.

Everyone was invited to the villa given to Daneel where the Anivron family threw a huge party. Many people from the slums also made their way over on Robert's invitation.

Even Felix was invited, and he arrived bringing two bottles of red wine. As soon as he arrived, Robert teased him saying that he had brought two bottles despite being so stingy. This was the first time Daneel saw his father tease anybody.

As the night progressed, people passed out one by one as the strong wine coursed through their bodies. Daneel didn't drink, but he had fun watching everyone's drunken interactions. He was actually just waiting to get to bed himself and explore the system store.

Soon, it was just him and Felix. Felix had congratulated him when he had first entered the house, but he hadn't said a word to Daneel since. Now, he came and sat beside him on a stool, nursing the bottle of wine he had brought in his hands.

"Elanev told me what happened during the assessment." he said, before letting out a deep sigh and taking a swig from the bottle.

"My father told me about a time when the King treated commoners and the royal family fairly. The Kingdom flourished, and that was when we expanded our kingdom to what it is now. Men and women worked together, putting everything aside, to build the great walls that now protect this kingdom. But, it was all ruined when that king's brother, the father of our present king, betrayed him. He took the throne and built the walls between the inner and outer city. He started the mindset that the nobility were above the commoners.

"Something needs to change.", he said, before slumping down on the table in front of him and going to sleep.

This was the first time Daneel was hearing about a time when there were no inner and outer cities. He was fascinated by such a king who could make such great things happen. Indeed, something had to change, he though before standing up and going to bed.

"Open system store", he commanded as soon as he closed the door to his room.

[System Store is accessed best with the HUD-1 Tool. Would host like to equip the tool?], asked the system.

As soon as Daneel said "Yes", a book case appeared in front of him. Thick, hard bound books adorned the shelves in many colors, making Daneel feel as if he were back in his room on earth. This exact book case had been purchased by him with his savings, as he had seen it in a store and loved it at first sight. Sadly, he had not managed to fill the shelves before having to sell it off due to the dire circumstances. One of his regrets was not seeing that case filled with all of his favorite books.

Now, seeing that same book case here, Daneel was shocked.

[Optimum display configuration chosen from host's memory.

Available EXP: 1150

Please browse and select the tool that you would like to purchase], came the system's voice, making him snap out of his reverie.

Daneel got up and walked to the case. He hesitantly raised his hand to take out a book, only to find that his suspicion of everything being virtual was false. The book that he touched felt real, with the leather of the binding rubbing against his fingers. Taking it out, he felt the heft of the book before opening the page to find:

"Parallel Processing-1: Allows host to use 2 techniques at once. Cost: 1000 EXP"

The rest of the book was made up of complex formulae and drawings that made no sense to Daneel. What struck him was the possibility of developing both his body and mageroot at the same time. In the academy, he had chosen to focus on his mageroot exclusively after seeing the incredible effects that the first 2 months had had on his psyche. But, he had never forgotten his base which was his body. He frequently practiced the hidden fist and exercised his body daily so as not to forget everything he had learned in the 3 month hell training.

Daneel was tempted to outright buy this tool, because it said "techniques". This meant that he could potentially utilize 2 spells at the same time. Right now, he needed to first use one then the other, which took some time. Also, the effects couldn't combine. If fire and lightning really had combined in his strike against Laravel, the kid would have died for sure. Daneel had only used the fireball spell followed by the lightning bolt.

Exercising some self-restraint, Daneel put the book back. As he did so, he noticed that some books had bright colors whereas others were black. He tried pulling out a black one, but it did not budge. On asking the system, the reply that he got was,

[The black books are special tools. Secret conditions must be met in order to unlock them.]

The wide smile was wiped off of Daneel's face who had been feeling happy that he had unlocked everything.

Shrugging, he started checking the other books. Some tools, like "Faction Control-1: Obtain detailed statistics of 10 Faction Members. Cost: 5 Faction Points" were useless to him right now as he had not built a faction yet, although he planned to begin building one soon.

Others were too costly, like "PAM-3: Unlocks predictive capabilities. Allows host to guess the technique a certain time before the technique is used. Also has other functions. Cost: 2000 EXP". Such tools were way out of reach from him right now.

Finally, with his present points, Daneel had to choose between two tools:

"Parallel Processing-1: Allows host to use 2 techniques at once. Cost: 1000 EXP" and

"Disguise-1: Allows host to change face structure and body size. Increase in size will result in decrease in power. Duration: 24 hours. Cost: 1000 EXP."

Chapter 43: Secret Society

Lanthanor Outer City, West Side

In a dark alley, a thin man wearing grey clothes could be seen walking slowly, observing door after door.

He finally stopped at a door marked with a fading 3 headed cobra. On knocking, a voice was heard from inside which asked, "Where does the sun set?".

"The sun sets on the bodies of those who gave up their lives for a better Lanthanor.", answered the man in a rasping voice.

The door opened, but as the man walked through a sack was suddenly put on his head. Without resisting, he allowed himself to be lead forward through a series of tunnels before finally arriving at a room that seemed to be situated underground.

There were only a table and 2 chairs in this room. The man was seated down on one and the sack was removed, revealing a gaunt face with sunken eyes.

This man was Daneel. Although buying the parallel processing tool had been very tempting, he had decided on buying the Disguise Tool. This was because his plan was to use the disguise as a means to set up a faction for himself.

As the system itself had told him, the best awards would be received from doing things which aided the journey towards World Domination. Now, he had the power of a paragon to defend himself. Thus, he had decided that it was finally time. If he succeeded, there would be many more points soon enough which he could use to buy whichever tool he wanted.

As soon as he had chosen the tool, the system had finally given him a mission. After going for a year without missions, this voice actually sounded quite sweet in his ears.

[*DING*

New Mission: Investigate the Secret Society which contracted the thieves to rob the map to the natural energised training chamber.

Mission EXP Award: 200 EXP

Mission Description: On analysis of data collected from host's surroundings, the system has concluded that there is a possibility that the society can help in the host's overall quest.

Would you like to accept the mission?]

Of course, Daneel had accepted in a heartbeat. He was confident in his power to defeat even a Human-3 fighter and he even had the disguise tool. Also, he only had to investigate the society and he could leave in case there was danger using the short range teleportation technique.

On accepting, Daneel had been given the location of the entrance and the pass phrase, which had been recorded in the thief's diary. As the Academy had just announced a 5 day break after which the awards would be given, he decided that now was the perfect time to pursue the mission. This led him to his present situation.

While he waited for someone to show up, Daneel wondered if he had been over confident. He could not teleport directly outside as his teleportation only had a maximum range of a few feet from his location. And teleporting into something solid meant certain death.

As the minutes ticked by, Daneel focused on keeping his expression neutral. It had taken some time to get used to the new body. When he first used the tool, his whole body had felt as if something was peeling his skin off. Daneel could only roll on the ground, struggling not to shout while enduring the excruciating pain. Afterwards, even walking had been difficult. It was only after quite some time of crawling that he finally became comfortable with his longer legs and body.

Also, he felt that his power had been halved. Sure enough, each and every technique only resulted in half the power compared to his usual state. Even the teleportation distance had been halved.

Still feeling that it would be enough for escape and excited about finally starting to build his own faction, Daneel had decided to go.

Now, it was too late for regrets.

After roughly a half-hour, a man finally entered through the door in front of him. With wrinkled skin and a hunched back, the man looked ancient.

"What is your purpose for seeking the secret society?", he asked in a hoarse voice after taking a seat in front of Daneel.

"I am a skilled mage and I would like to receive contracts from the society".

Daneel had decided on this story. With the information he had, the society was like a place where illegal activities could be commissioned for a price. He had even made up a story for how he got the pass phrase, but the man seemed to be uninterested in that.

Hearing his answer, the man smiled slightly before knocking on the table.

On both sides of the room, numerous holes opened up from which arrows which shined as if coated with something were shot out. There was no time to even think about dodging. Daneel could only close his eyes, bracing in fear, before he realized that there had been no impact.

The arrows floated in the air on both sides of his head. Meanwhile, a file had appeared in front of the old man.

"Daneel Anivron. Pseudo-legendary potential, chose the path of a paragon. Father thrown out of the military. Suspected backing of Human Mage-8 based on disguise spell used.", he read out idly opening the file.

Daneel was shocked. How did these people know everything about him?!

"We have had our eye on you ever since the incident at the library. Even now, our lookout alerted us that a man exited the Anivron house. The giveaway was that he was wearing the clothes of Daneel Anivron but they looked torn, as if they had been stretched. The man went back in the house and exited again, this time wearing grey clothes. Its all here.

"Kid, take my advice. Just focus on growing in power. When the time is right, we will contact you ourselves. Of course, we will always have an eye on you.", he said, before Daneel felt a sharp blow from behind knock him out.

The last thing he heard before his consciousness faded was, "My apologies to the mage behind you for the rough handling."

An unknown amount of time later, Daneel woke up holding his head which hurt like someone had dropped a boulder on it. He seemed to have been unceremoniously thrown out of the door.

Picking himself up, he walked back home, cursing at the society. Yet, he couldn't help but look around to see where the person who was apparently observing him was hiding. He had to be careful from now on.

The only consolation was that the system had at least decided that he had done enough.

[Mission Accomplished. Society Details have been extracted from host's surroundings. 200 EXP awarded.]

Chapter 44: The TriCobra Society

[The secret society that host has come into contact with is known as the TriCobra Society. It is a society that establishes itself in any kingdom across the world where a section of the populace is oppressed. They operate in 3 stages:

1st Stage: Open a contact point where the society collects information about all the notable people in a city.

2nd Stage: Using these people as the manpower, the society becomes a place where people can give and take contracts for illegal activities.

3rd Stage: Unknown

To answer host's unspoken query, the sack on host's head was designed to prevent any sound from entering, but the system was able to gather this information by analyzing the vibrations in the air felt by the host's skin. This is typically the way the system collects information from host's surroundings.

After host lost consciousness, a sentence spoken by the person whom host was in contact with has also been recorded. Would you like to hear it?], asked the system.

Daneel had always suspected that the system eavesdropped on his thoughts. He had been wondering just how the system collected information from the surroundings, and that question had been answered now.

Besides that, the information about the TriCobra Society was very troubling. From the first 2 stages, it became clear that they had some sort of motive in the city. Sadly, the third stage wasn't known. Daneel couldn't even decide if their motives were sinister or not with the limited information that he had right now.

"Yes", he said, hoping that it was something important that he could use.

The voice of the old man in the room was heard again in Daneel's ears.

"If it weren't for the mage backing you, I wouldn't hesitate to keep you here. Count your lucky stars that we cannot move against any powerful personages right now. Throw him out!", the voice said, making Daneel grind his teeth. Keep him there?!

It seemed that the mishap with the clothes had actually ended up helping him. Yet, Daneel still didn't know exactly what they wanted with the Kingdom of Lanthanor. Regardless, he decided to pay more attention from now on and not let such a stupid action occur again. Daneel had in fact not been in full control of the sensations from his body when he had teleported out, and it was that small lapse of attention that had alerted the Society about his identity.

"System, can you find out who is the one following me?", he asked, hoping that he could somehow identify and evade the person who was apparently keeping an eye on him. He did not like the feeling of being followed at all. He had in fact been looking around in every direction since he had left the alley, but there was no sign of anyone in his vicinity.

[Negative. Please buy the Surveillance Tool-1 in the System Store. Surveillance Tool-1 allows the system to monitor the surroundings of the host up to a radius of 100 feet. Cost: 1500 EXP]

Damn EXP again, thought Daneel, but he wasn't very worried. He had already decided on a plan last night to gain achievements and harvest tons of EXP.

As soon as he got to his house, Daneel looked around once again before teleporting into his room. There were still a few hours before morning, so he lay down on the bed and instantly fell asleep after deactivating the disguise.

A rustling sound woke him up from the dream he had been having of stepping on the arrogant King's face.

Drowsily looking around, he noticed a familiar man with a puzzled expression on his face looking at Daneel's clothes which had torn due to him using the Disguise Tool.

His first reaction was fear, before he recognized that it was Kellor.

Wait, he thought, finally realizing that this was his bedroom. What the hell was the court mage doing in his bedroom in the wee hours of the morning?

"Ah! I see you are up. I was just looking at your clothes because they reminded me of a very difficult spell that only 8th Grade Human Mages are able to cast. Forget it, it just looked familiar.", he said, before quickly letting go of the clothes he had been examining in his hands. With a slightly embarrassed look on his face, he continued without giving Daneel a chance to speak.

"Please don't mind that I appeared here in your room. The Grand Court Mage is greeting some friends and I wanted to use this opportunity to say something to you.

"For years, I have been waiting for someone who has the talent and zeal to become a leader of the people. Since the incident at the library where you brought the actions of the despicable clerk and guard to light, thereby bringing justice to countless commoners, I have been watching you. I even decided to groom you secretly in case you turned out to have at least crimson level potential."

Kellor's expression had been turning more and more serious with each word. Now, Daneel felt a solemness in his tone as he continued, asking, "Tell me the truth Daneel. I asked my master about the time needed for someone training as a paragon to reach your level, and he said that it was impossible that you only have pseudo-legendary potential. Did you hide your potential during the test? And if you did, will you choose to trust me and tell me the truth now?

"It is your choice to make.", he said, before folding his hands and looking expectantly at Daneel.

Kellor's impassioned speech had caused a roller coaster of emotions inside Daneel. First, he had been scared that Kellor would recognize that they were the effects of the Disguise tool. Then, he felt indignation that not one, but two parties had had an eye on him. Finally, he felt happy as he had finally found an ally he could trust. His instinct told him strongly that the man in front of him would never betray him.

As soon as he made the decision in his mind, the system spoke. He fought to control the smile that was spreading to both ends of his face as he had found out already that his judgement was right.:

[Achievement: "First Steadfast Ally" unlocked. 2000 EXP Awarded.

First Steadfast Ally: The court mage of the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Kellor, has been observing you since you were cheered by the people for bringing justice to many. He saw the persistence and determination in you when you trained in the way of the Paragon and when you chose to bleed first rather than kneel in front of the King. Although he still has his doubts about whether you can be the leader that he has been looking for, he will be your ally in the struggles to come. It is now your choice to decide how close of an ally you want him to be.]

Hearing this, Daneel did not dally any more. Without a word, he stood up and spread his arms.

Fire, water, lightning, ice, earth, wind and space. Elementary particles of different types danced around him one by one as he connected with each in quick succession.

To Kellor who was watching, it was as if a brilliant kaleidoscope had come into existence in front of him. With his Elementary Sight, he could see the speed and ease with which Daneel controlled each element.

"This.... this is not possible with just crimson potential!", he thought, as waves and waves of shock and awe washed over him.

Tears of joy streamed down his face, as he realized that he had finally found the one he was looking for all these years.

Chapter 45: Plans For The Future

When Daneel stopped the display, Kellor staggered to a chair nearby and sat down clumsily. He seemed to be unable to control his emotions as he let the tears flow.

Daneel let the man let it all out. In his expression, he could see years and years of bottling up grievances and regrets. The sheer amount of pain reflected in that expression made his heart lurch, and he felt happy that he had chosen to trust this man.

After a few minutes, Kellor finally controlled himself and looked up at Daneel with a smile on his face.

"I apologize for the outburst of emotions. Its just that... I was a commoner myself, before my master saw the potential in me and trained me to be the next court mage. At that time, the King was not this bloodline-obsessed man. I was trained while being extolled the values of fair treatment and kindness.

Only a few years after I became court mage, the kind King was betrayed and the throne was usurped. I had already made a magical vow to follow the king's orders, because that was mandatory when one is selected to be trained as a court mage. Of course, then, it was stated that the King would release the court mage from his vow when a successor was trained."

Anger and frustration morphed his face as he continued, recalling all of the memories that he had kept locked away.

"I could only watch when the walls were built, separating the nobility and the commoners. I could only watch as innocent men, women and children fell prey to the sons and daughters of the King. I could only watch when dutiful soldiers who were ready to give their life for the kingdom were ashamed and kicked out mercilessly because they hurt a noble's ego.

"I could only keep watching and wish I could gouge my eyes out."

He stood up from the chair and clasped Daneel's shoulders, as the tears vanished from his face and were replaced by a triumphant smile.

"Finally, I have found the one I have been waiting for. And with Gold Comprehension to boot! The heavens have finally blessed my Kingdom with some good luck!

"Tell me, what do you need in the academy? I'll make sure its awarded to you as the gift for winning the assessment."

Daneel also felt happy as he saw his ally already show his value.

"Most importantly, I need full access to the library. And, I need access to the lower grades in the academy. And lastly, I want to choose a master who will let me do whatever I want.", he said, listing the wishes that he had long decided upon.

Masters were typically chosen in the second year of the academy, after one showed their talent in the First Year Assessment. Although everyone had the same classes in the first year, from the second year they would choose a focus and a master to study that focus with.

The student's schedule would be decided by the Master, and they had no say in the matter unless they were dissatisfied with the teaching and chose to change their master. Masters were paid handsomely for each student successfully trained, and thus reputation was most important to them as this would mean that they could have many students under their wing.

"Its decided then. You will be given full, unrestricted access to the whole academy except for the secret section of the library which even I can't access. Only the King and the Grand Court Mage, who exists hidden from everyone's knowledge, can access whatever is placed inside there. As for the master, there is someone I trained for a brief time who is currently a teacher at the academy. I don't know how if we can trust him fully, but I will instruct him to let you do whatever you want."

He sighed as he spoke of this man.

"He was once one of the geniuses in the academy, shining brighter than anyone else. But, he chose to go against the King and was punished in the most painful way possible. Now, he passes his days as if waiting for death. His story is not mine to tell though, so I will stop here."

Daneel nodded while he rejoiced inside. Unrestricted access to the academy! This was exactly what he had been seeking for so long.

"I will visit again when the Grand Court Mage diverts his gaze. Be careful in whatever you do, and ..."

Kellor's body flickered as his voice stopped mid-way. Puzzled, Daneel stretched out his arm to find that he was already gone and that there was only an after image left. It seemed that the Grand Court Mage must have been done entertaining his friends.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel sat back down on his bed and reflected on everything that Kellor had said. There was only one question that he had wanted to ask: whether this Grand Court Mage could see everything he did.

"System, how does their surveillance work? The Court Mage saved me from the spy from Axelor, but he didn't see me when I used the disguise tool. Was I just lucky?", he asked, hoping that he could find an answer.

[Negative. For wide area surveillance, mages use a spell which notifies them whenever abnormal magic fluctuations occur in the area. To stop too many notifications from inundating the mage's mind, only instances where the level of the magic used far exceeds the level of the surrounding individuals are brought to the mage's attention. Also, high-level mages can be tracked using the fluctuations sent out naturally by their Mageroot. It is possible that this is what the Court Mage was referring to, as this requires active concentration from whoever is casting the spell.]

Daneel heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. Now, he only needed to worry about the TriCobra Society.

But first, his hands itched as he knew that he had a ton of EXP waiting to be used.

On opening the system store, he rushed to the book with "Parallel Processing-1" and instantly bought it.

After doing so, he immediately closed the store because he did not want to peruse leisurely and become tempted to buy some other tool. He wanted to save the points for a rainy day. There was no way he would ever take another loan especially considering the black-hearted interest rate.

[Purchase made and tool ready to deploy. Thank you for shopping with the system!

Remaining EXP: 1350]

Excited, he immediately deployed the tool and cast both the fireball spell and the lightning spell at the same time.

Typically, a mage needed to connect with the particles using their mageroot and pull and push them to get the result they wished for. As for Daneel, the year of using the Mageroot Development Technique-1 by the system allowed him to develop his Mageroot to Gold Comprehension. This meant that he could directly control the particles with a thought.

Although the number of particles he could control was limited, the speed was astonishing. What others with Red Comprehension needed a minute or more to do, he could do in a second. And this applied to all particles, not just a specific type like others focused on.

Of course, he could also command the system to use a technique, but he had found that this took longer than when he did it himself. He could cast simpler spells like fire, earth, wind and ice instantly, but spells like lightning and space needed the system's intervention to be cast quickly and accurately. Although he could also cast them, he just needed a little more time due to the inherent complexity. This could be shortened with more practice.

A tiny fireball the size of a marble appeared on the palm of his hand as he commanded the system to use the fireball technique after also communicating the size. Then, he used the tool to cast a tiny lightning bolt at the same spot.

BOOOM

An explosion woke everyone in the house, making them wonder what had happened.

As Daneel's parents rushed up to his room after seeing that there was smoke coming from above, they saw a kid blackened with soot coughing as he tried to put out the fire in his hair.

Chapter 46: Trinket Enchantments

In a classroom with over 1000 students in the National Magic Academy of Lanthanor.

A man with a long white beard was hunched over a table on which a sword had been placed.

His hands hovered over the blade of the sword while his eyes were closed, muttering something under his breath.

Suddenly, the blade shrunk into a coin which seemed to have been heated red-hot.

As the man stopped muttering, the red-hot coin slowly became normal. Taking the coin in his hand, he squeezed it in his palm making a sword appear out of thin air.

The crowd cheered as they witnessed this sight. Many looked on with envy as he pocketed the coin and thanked the man standing next to him before addressing the crowd.

"Thank you for your applause. Like I was saying, it takes years and years of patience and dedication to become an Enchanter. Just like mages, Enchanters also have grades from 1 to 9. But, the highest Enchanter in our kingdom is only a Grade-2 Enchanter. This is because although the man has reached the level of a 7th Grade Exalted Human Mage, his skill in enchantment has not increased enough to cross the threshold to become a Grade-3 Enchanter."

"You are too polite, my friend. You are the top enchanter in the Kingdom! There is no reason to short change yourself.", said the man who had been standing to the side while the demonstration had been taking place.

The crowd went wild as they realized that the man in front of them was actually the only Grade-2 Enchanter in the Kingdom, capable of making trinkets that all Eminent Human Mages and Fighters could use.

The man simply smiled and moved to the side after bowing to the crowd who were cheering without a stop. The other man took over the podium in front and said, "That concludes the demonstration. 2nd Grade Enchanter Sellax's personal shop will open in the marketplace in 3 days. If you want to buy trinkets straight from this master's hands, do rush over to the shop. Everyone is dismissed."

The two on the stage vanished as the crowd began discussing among themselves.

"My father gave me a 100 Gold Lans when I told him Master Sellax himself is opening his shop! He told me to buy whatever trinkets I wanted!"

"I've been saving up to buy the Wallet Trinket for so long but I don't have enough money yet....when will I be able to carry everything I want using just a small pouch?"

Such discussions could be heard everywhere while a kid with very short brown hair stared pensively at the spot where the 2 had vanished.

This was Daneel. After putting out the fire in his hair with a water sphere, he had vowed to never try spell combinations again without proper precautions. His hair which had been thoroughly burned by the fire had had to be mowed into its present condition. Maria had struggled to control her laugh as she saw Daneel grumbling while she cut his hair to get rid of the burned parts.

Also, the system had alerted him that someone had turned their gaze towards him when he made the ball of thunder-fire. Daneel did not know if it was the court mage or the Grand court mage, but he could not take any risks. Practicing combination spells was officially off the agenda for him presently.

The 5 days were spent with his family and friends, with Elanev and Faxul constantly dropping by and sparring with him. Faxul was putting more and more focus than ever on improving, both as a mage and as a fighter. Such a training was typically undertaken by those who would act as vanguards for armies. Having both a strong body and a solid foundation in magic, they had the ability to fit into multiple roles both for attack and defense. The only drawback was that although the position that a pure mage or fighter could fill was fixed, they were almost always more powerful than one who trained in the path of a vanguard.

Still, there were special roles in an army that only a vanguard could fill. Although Daneel had asked the reason, Faxul never told him why he had chosen to take this path. The main advantage of this path was that Vanguards had no glaring weaknesses unlike someone who was purely a mage or a fighter. Fighters were weak in long range and mages were typically weak in short range.

Robert and Maria even treated Faxul as a second son because they loved how he always helped them whenever he could. Although he spoke little, the Anivron family loved him for his steadfast determination to do whatever he chose to the best of his ability.

Elanev always loved to spar with Daneel because he was fascinated with the powers of a Paragon. He was considered highly talented for his age, having reached the level of a 5th Stage Eminent Human at the young age of 25. Of course, this was to be expected as he possessed top grade body potential and his family was anything but poor.

In just their first spar, Daneel had defeated him by making him lose his balance and fall to the ground. Although he got up immediately, he admitted defeat after Daneel showed him how fast he could make an ice prick appear in the path of his fall.

In subsequent fights, he always stayed on his feet and never gave Daneel the chance to use his spells on him. Even spells that he targeted at the locations where Elanev would step next were dodged because of the sheer speed of reaction of an Eminent Human. This also enabled Daneel to think of more strategies for offense against fighters.

Right now, they were tied 5-5 due to Daneel resorting to cheating by using the system. He made multiple fireballs or ice pricks appear in succession using the parallel processing tool before giving Elanev no chance to dodge. Of course, he only did this to find out what his max potential was presently.

According to the system, the amount of particles he could connect to, which grew slowly with time and prolonged usage of magic, was fast reaching the threshold where he would advance to become a 1st Grade Amateur Human Mage. This would let him control at least 50% more particles right after the break through due to the unpeeling of the first layer of the pineal gland.

He had only a few Ether blocks, so he decided not to use them in this short span of time for training his body and Mageroot at the same time. He resolved to use the Energized Training Chambers in the academy to parallelly train in both and grow in power quickly.

As soon as he got back to the academy though, an announcement was made that an Enchanter would display his skills because he was advertising for his new shop in the marketplace.

Daneel had rushed to the location as he had always been interested in the art of Enchantment. Trinkets were the lifeblood of any kingdom, whether it be luxury trinkets which drove the economy or combat trinkets which armed the soldiers. Enchanters were the people who made the trinkets, sought after by all for their sheer value in making a kingdom grow.

A 1st Grade Enchanter could make trinkets for Amateur Fighters and Mages, allowing one to use them until they stepped into the Eminent Grades. Thereafter, they would have to seek 2nd Grade Enchanters for more powerful trinkets which catered to Eminent Fighters and Mages only.

Daneel had been hoping that the system could make a technique for enchantment, but there was no response even after the man was done. It seemed that he had to find a way to spectate a few more enchantments.

An announcement broke him out of his thoughts, making him chuckle with glee and rush towards the library.

"The awards for the top 3 in the First Year Assessment have been announced! Please check the notice board for more details!"

Chapter 47: Incident Outside The Library

The notice board was right outside the library, so the area was packed before Daneel even arrived.

The prize for the first ranked Daneel especially made everyone gawk, but not in envy.

The 2nd ranked Laravel had been awarded a "1st Grade Pyromaniac Trinket", which was a special trinket that could aid a mage's connection with fire elementary particles, letting them cast spells faster. Although it did not aid directly in the speed at which a mage developed, it was a great help in combat as long as one was an Amateur Mage.

The 3rd placed student's award was a defense trinket, specifically a robe which could block punches and kicks from Amateur Fighters.

Both of these awards were only meant as a means to encourage others to do better, but they already cost 300 Gold Lans and 100 Gold Lans respectively.

But when one read the award for the First ranked Daneel, they could only sigh with pity.

All he got was unrestricted access to the academy and the right to choose a master. The first could simply be gained with time, because a student unlocked new areas in the academy as they progressed year by year. As for the right to choose a master, any talented student would have masters offering their teaching because a talented student had higher chances of passing out successfully and in a shorter period of time. The faster a student graduated, the more handsomely a master would be paid.

Most of the students had been spectators when Daneel had been forced to kneel in front of the King, bleeding. They assumed that this unfair treatment was also because he had opposed the King in some manner. Of course, many assumed that it was because he had beaten Laravel into such a sorry state. Since the incident, Laravel had disappeared from the academy and many whispered that it was because he could not bear to show his face around.

As Daneel neared the library, some people turned around noticing his arrival. Although they still did not dare to talk to him due to the prince's orders, his performance in the assessment had truly astonished them and he now had a place in their hearts. They sighed and shook their heads wistfully before starting to disperse from the notice board.

Noticing all the sighs and head shakes, Daneel wondered what the heck was happening before checking the notice board himself.

Trinkets! Damn trinkets again! He thought when he saw the awards for the other two students. Although he knew that what he had gotten was much more valuable for him than any trinket, he still couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the shiny coins that turned into magical things or had magical properties. He still treasured the dagger/knife trinket that he had "borrowed" from Elanev.

The others watched on as he also sighed and shook his head. This elicited another round of sighs before they left, cursing the black-hearted King in their minds.

Little did they know that Daneel was sighing because he was looking forward to swimming in a lake of trinkets as soon as he developed the technique to learn them by observing an enchanter. The others would have simply puked blood on seeing this image in Daneel's mind.

Suddenly, he heard a yell from inside the library before somebody skidded to a stop near his feet.

It was Faxul! His snub-nosed face was pallid, with blood leaking from his mouth as he gasped for breath.

A rage bubbled up inside Daneel seeing his friend in such a dire state. He immediately turned around to see who had the gall to hurt him.

3 students wearing the robes of nobility walked out, with panic evident on their faces as they saw the enraged Daneel glaring at them.

The trio were made up of 2 boys and a girl, who stood in the center and seemed to be leading them. The girl wore the most luxurious clothes, with the royal crest shining on the hem of her velvet dress.

The other two 13-year olds were dressed the same, and they even seemed to be twins.

"Weren't you at the classroom....", the girl said before immediately closing her mouth as if she had said something she shouldn't.

Daneel had indeed rushed over on hearing the announcement. Everything clicked into place as he heard her say these words.

Over the past year, there had been many instances when Faxul had been injured, limping into bed with bandaged arms or legs. When Daneel asked, he had simply told him that it was because of some sparring practice in the woods.

Now that he thought about it, all the days that Faxul had become hurt were days he was either in the woods or in the library. Completely absorbed in his schedule, he had not noticed the little clues such as a noble always near him wherever he was or even some times, kids running right after they saw him coming.

He hit his own head as he realized how foolish he had been. Although spars were forbidden in the first year, it did not mean that someone could discreetly attack another student. For the nobility, it seemed that any rules could be bent.

Daneel had many questions. For instance, why had he not been attacked? Why had Faxul not told him about the altercations? Why had he not complained to the council?

All of them were irrelevant at this moment. His friend was in his arms, bleeding. He had endured countless amounts of pain, suffering and blood all without even telling him a word. And he was definitely the reason for everything. He had been foolish to think that the prince wouldn't enforce his rule to stay away from Daneel.

"Why?", he simply asked, as the trio in front of him shook in their shoes. They wanted to move, but at some point of time, 3 ice pricks had appeared in front of their throats. Even a tiny movement would result in their deaths.

"It was my choice to be your friend. It was my responsibility to take care of them.", he said in a hoarse voice before passing out in his arms.

The trio shrieked as the ice pricks moved closer to their throats, drawing tiny lines of blood.

Daneel bent and checked Faxul's pulse. Seeing that it was fine, he wiped his forehead that had beaded with sweat.

He did not even know that he had such a friend who could endure any amount of pain just because he had made the choice to defy the prince for him.

They never spent time joking around. They never talked about themselves, laying their hearts out.

Yet, they had grown close enough with time to understand the other without a need for words.

Such a friend was truly hard to come by.

Daneel picked up Faxul gingerly and started walking towards the infirmary, while the ice pricks floating in front of the trio faded into the air. The three heaved a sigh of relief, but a strong voice that echoed in their ears birthed a fear in them that would give them nightmares.

"This is not over."

Chapter 48: Library

Daneel walked at a medium pace, constantly checking Faxul's pulse as he tried to control his emotions.

All he needed was a single thought and he could have killed those three at the spot. But, he could not do so unless he was confident in his power to evade the King.

Now was still not the time, but Daneel resolved not to let go of this matter so easily. They could bend the rules? Well then so could he, and without a trace at that.

He had had no friends back on earth, and the limited social interaction of both of his lives made it so that his social skills were not very strong. Still, he was improving by leaps and bounds every day with constant exposure to his friends and family.

Now, he knew how much of a blunder he had made by not noticing the signs. Daneel etched this into his heart, and he would make sure it wouldn't repeat again.

As he got to the infirmary, he felt the desire for more power rising inside him again.

He knew that his father was crippled by the army in some way and could no longer train his body. This crippling had also affected his limbs, causing him to limp often and stay up many nights due to the pain.

He had dreamed of developing the healing spell by watching healers in the infirmary and using it to heal his father. But, he was sorely disappointed when the spell that was observed by Phenomena Analysis Module-2 turned out to be like the Advanced Teleportation Spell, which required him to reach the level of an Eminent Human Mage first.

Also, on asking the system, he had found out that this spell was not capable of healing his father's condition. For that purpose, he required a spell of a much higher level.

Hence, all of the intentional scrapes and injuries that he had sustained to observe the healers at the infirmary had gone to waste, but he was still glad because he had found a direction: the library.

He had heard from one of the healers that the library housed records of many spells up to the Exalted Human Mage level. Of course, although written records were much less effective than personal teaching, they were still stored because spells had many variations. One person could control the elementary particles in one way to result in a spell, whereas others could control them in a different way to achieve the same effect. This did not mean that one of them was wrong. In fact, both of them were correct. Spells were something that a Mage could only be guided in. In the end, it was his own intuition and will that would shape the spells he would use.

Since then, Daneel had tried to get to those records in the library but he had been restricted. His status as a first year student was not enough, and he had been constantly looking for ways to get access.

Now, finally, he could read the whole library!

Dropping Faxul off at the infirmary and making sure he was in good hands, he rushed over to the library and started a phenomena that he would be known for for years to come.

Each day, he would come to the library at the crack of dawn. He would stand at the podium for 9 hours, making book after book appear in his hands while he just opened a page in each. Then, legs shaking, he would make his way to the infirmary where he would have lunch together with Faxul who needed 3 days of rest. It seemed that the trio had gone overboard this time, as Laravel had just been humiliated and defeated by Daneel in the assessment. His ribs had been broken and his arm had been fractured, and because the healers here were no where near the level of the one he had seen in the Fists of Justice Training Hall, Faxul needed to stay for 3 days to get back to normal.

Then, it was back to the podium for another 9 hours before trudging to bed wearily.

His face became sunken and his eyes gradually turned hollow, as if he was morphing into a ghost.

Even in his dreams, books hounded him, chasing him while ripping pages off of themselves and throwing them at him.

5 days went by in this fashion. Each day, people would be shocked left and right seeing a kid who seemed to have not slept for years. He stared into the distance while he walked, as if something imaginary was floating in front of him.

Finally, on the 6th day, the last book went by his hands which were peeling by now. He collapsed at the podium and had to be carried back to his room by Faxul who had been alerted of the fact by a well wisher.

Daneel slept for a full day, not even waking up to go to the bathroom or eat anything.

The academy had given all the students 7 days to be assigned to a master. A typical student would inquire with the academy regarding which masters were experts in the focus they had chosen. Then, they would drop by all of the available masters in the order of their reputation before finally being selected by one.

Masters usually tested students in case they had low comprehension levels. As for those in the top grade class, many masters vied for each student, making it so that in the end, the student could choose which master they could go with. Typically, the masters with the most reputation were chosen because of their track record in successfully guiding a student to pass in as less time as possible.

It was the last day for students to hand in their chosen master's name to the academy. There was a very strict policy that any student who did not hand in the name would be expelled from the academy with immediate effect. Of course, this hadn't happened in many years because all of the students who could even gain entry to the academy in the first place were quite talented in their own right.

There were only 6 hours left till the time would be up, but Daneel was still snoring in his bed. Faxul could be seen inside the room, scratching his head as he tried to think of more ways to wake him up.

He had done everything he could. He had even poured a bucket of water on him, but the only result was the bed getting wet.

Finally, Faxul decided that he had no option but to beat Daneel awake. He, himself had not found a master, and he suspected that this was again tied to the prince. He had visited each and every master as soon as he got out of the infirmary but they had all rejected him saying that his comprehension was too low. What was disconcerting was that one master had accepted a student who had the same comprehension right in front of him.

The cunning smile from the master had made everything clear. Thus, he had walked back to the student quarters and had waited for Daneel to come back to discuss about what could be done. On arriving with that same gaunt face, Daneel had assured him that there was a master who would take them both in.

Together, they had gone to search for the master that Kellor had spoken of right after Faxul had gotten out of the infirmary. It hadn't been hard to find the master's quarters, as there was only one master in the academy who fit the description of "genius who lost everything" as Kellor had said.

The room had been empty, so they had no choice but to leave a note with Daneel's dorm room. If no developments were made even on the last day before the deadline, Daneel and Faxul decided to go to the academy council and find the location of that master. This could only be done on the last day as a last resort, as the council was only convened on special occasions like the Master Acceptance Ceremony that would take place after the deadline. Otherwise, the council members could not be found on the grounds of the academy.

Now, the time was ticking to an end and there was no sign of this master that Daneel had spoken of. If they wanted to find the location and get the acceptance letter, they would have to hurry. All he could do was hope that at least physical pain would wake him up.

Just as he raised his hand, preparing to punch Daneel in the stomach, a strong smell of alcohol wafted in from the door that was open.Although Faxul wondered who was drinking at this time in the morning, he chose to ignore the smell before raising his hand again to punch Daneel as hard as he could.

An instant before the impact, a man staggered into Daneel's room and hiccuped loudly. He had a bottle of wine in his hands and he seemed young, definitely not even 30 years old. His face was gaunt just like Daneel's had been before he had fallen asleep, and his strong features were masked by the stubble that was present on his face.

He was wearing an open shirt, through which Faxul saw many more bottles tucked away in his trousers.

After walking in, he looked at the two inside before promptly vomiting on the floor near Daneel's bed.

Daneel was woken up by one of the vilest stenches he had ever smelled in his life.

His happy dream of burning the library down was interrupted as he had no choice but to wake up and move away from the god awful smell.

Chapter 49: Jonah Castle

Daneel clutched the blanket to his nose and moved to the corner of the room to get away from the smell.

The man who entered didn't even seem embarrassed, simply hiccuping again and saying, "You brats left a note at my quarters? Couldn't you just wait there? I was just restocking my drinks...."

Taking another swig from the bottle in his hands, he nonchalantly crossed the puddle of vomit and promptly fell asleep where Daneel had just been sleeping.

It seemed that the concepts of personal hygiene and manners were foreign to this man, as he simply started snoring as if it were his own bed.

Feeling the urge to go to the bathroom bursting inside him due to sleeping for 24 hours straight, Daneel ran to the side and relieved himself. Noticing that he himself was starting to stink, he bathed after asking Faxul to grab some food from the cafeteria that was free for all students.

Finally, after filling his stomach and feeling alive again, Daneel hurriedly shook the man. There wasn't much time left for the deadline.

His snores continued unabated while the shaking had no effect. But as he was shaking, Daneel noticed two pieces of parchment sticking out of the man's pocket.

Taking them out, he was happy to see that they were the acceptance letters for the two of them. They decided to submit the letters first before deciding what to do next.

Located near the library was a building which housed the administrative wing of the academy. It was the clerk here who had helped them in finding the master's home before.

With expressions of relief on their faces, they handed in the acceptance letters. It had really been a close call.

"So he came to find you after all? Pity what happened to him.", said the clerk, Felicia, who had also seen Daneel's performance in the assessment.

Just as the system had said, being applauded by the crowd had made his name become known far and wide, at least in the academy. Most commoners and even staff had a soft corner for him, and they even tried to help him when none of the nobility or their cronies were watching. This was also the reason behind someone intimating Faxul that Daneel had collapsed in the library.

Although the changes in their attitude were slow, they were still there which made Daneel feel happy. Now, he had to figure out a way to use this shift in attitude to his advantage.

"Meet me outside in 10 minutes. My shift is up.", she said, before winking at the two of them.

Felicia was a pretty woman who seemed to be 23-25 years old. She was a bit on the plump side, with cute cheeks and a hooked nose.

She actually reminded Daneel of his mother when she was younger, so he had been comfortable in speaking with her since the day he had come to the building to ask why he wasn't allowed further into the library.

Waiting outside, he asked Faxul, "There have been no new announcements about the awards given to the top 3 in the assessment right?"

Seeing Faxul shake his head, Daneel heaved a sigh, feeling glad that what he had dreaded hadn't come true. Although he had been granted full access to the library as the award, it was possible that the announcement might be rescinded. After all, he had no contact with the court mage and he did not know how much of a sway his words had at the academy. If someone from the nobility noticed that this was actually much more valuable than the other gifts unlike what the others thought, complaining to the King or a minister might cut off his access. The library was too important to him, and he could not take the risk. Hence, he had put aside everything and disregarded all the pain to devour the library as soon as possible.

It was better to be cautious than to feel sorry later. Of course, the flood of notifications regarding the numerous spells that were ready for development had made him rejoice, feeling that he had made the right choice after all.

Soon, the clerk appeared with a basket of cookies and offered some to them before saying, "Do you know what happened to the poor guy?"

Seeing them both shake their heads, she continued.

"Jonah Castle tested for Crimson Comprehension 12 years ago. Although he looks like that, he is only 24 years old. With such legendary potential, he was the envy of all and he got the best resources because of being in the legendary batch. He passed out in just 4 years and entered the army, where he rose to the level where there were only 4 people above him in the whole army.

"All this he accomplished in just 8 years. He was set to become one of the youngest court mages in the history of Lanthanor, with even the present court mage and the King praising him multiple times in public gatherings.

"Then, disaster struck. His sister was accidentally killed by a prince who had been drunk and wouldn't take no for an answer when he made advances on her. Although she repeatedly screamed that Jonah was her brother, the guards ignored her and beat her to death.

"Enraged, Jonah went on a killing spree, beheading all of the guards. But when he got to the palace to take revenge on the prince, the King stopped him. He said that it was a mistake and that killing the guards should be enough."

A sad expression came upon Felicia's face as she told the story. Tears swam in her eyes and she seemed to be struggling not to cry.

"In his rage, he defied the king. He was captured by the court mage even though he had been his teacher. When he was imprisoned, his family was killed mysteriously by 'robbers'. The whole affair reeked of something fishy. Some people said that he was planning on defying the king even before the incident with his sister.

"Due to heartbreak over the events, his comprehension slipped to red grade. What surprised everyone was that he still chose to stay at the academy as a teacher. After vowing that he would not oppose the king, he was allowed to do whatever he wished.

"Although he may be gruff on the outside, he has a great heart. Just give him some time.", she said, before smiling sadly at the two of them and leaving on seeing that they were lost in thought.

Daneel was especially scared. The man had defied the king, and his family had been killed without mercy. Even the court mage had had to act against his own student, but Daneel suspected that this was because of the oath.

Like the King had said, he was still an ant right now and he was practically no threat. But what if he defied the king openly later when he was more powerful?

The same might happen to him. Thus, his primary priority right now was to find a way to sneak his parents out of the kingdom or to get them to a safe location.

He had to do this while simultaneously building a faction secretly to oppose the King in the future. And what better location was there for this purpose than the academy which was filled with the brightest talent in the whole Kingdom?

Chapter 50: Mysterious Drunken Step

Setting his goals clearly in his mind, he eyed Faxul who was beside him still lost in thought from the incredible story.

Daneel thought back to each and every instant that he had been with Faxul so far. As he did so, he noticed that he had developed an instinct which told him whether or not to trust someone based on his experiences with them. Of course, although this instinct was still developing, it had already shown its worth when he had chosen to trust Kellor, prompting the system to award the achievement.

Now, he decided that Faxul would be one of the leaders of the faction he would build. Although his friend was lacking in social skills, his determination to work towards a goal was really something to be admired. Daneel knew that whatever mission he gave to Faxul, he would do his best to fulfill it in any way possible.

Unexpectedly, the system spoke at this moment.

[Secret Condition Met: 2 allies decided. Faction Module-1 Unlocked. 100 EXP awarded.

Faction Module-1: 1 official faction can be created with a maximum of 20 members. Host can now use the faction tools that are available in the system store. Additional faction tools have been unlocked.]

The notification made Daneel smile as he remembered all the incredible tools he had seen in the store. He had decided to start the faction first and then inquire as to how to use them, but the system had given the answer now itself.

Faxul, who had just awoken from his thoughts, had a puzzled expression on his face seeing a glint pass through Daneel's eyes. They were the eyes of a lion eyeing the prey that it would soon consume.

Seeing that Faxul was eyeing him from the corner of his eye, Daneel put away the thoughts that had started after hearing the notification from the system. He would have to make a trip to the Yellow comprehension batch very soon.

Coughing to break the awkward atmosphere, Daneel lead the way back to their rooms. Although Faxul simply followed, he was still wondering as to what exactly his friend had been thinking to make such an expression appear on his face.

Even before reaching the room, the sound of snores greeted them as they made their way up the stairs.

Master Jonah was still sleeping soundly on his bed, and the reek from the vomit had started to emanate outside. Due to the large quarters being mostly empty, Daneel and Faxul had chosen side by side rooms in a wing where there were no one else present.

Daneel closed his nose before opening the window and casting a gust spell to drive out the stink. Then, he made ice appear on the ground, freezing the vomit and choosing to deal with it later.

Finally, he bent down and screamed with all his might in the man's ears.

"MAAAAAAAASSSSSSSTTTTTTEEEERRRRRR JOOOOOONNNAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Eh?"

As if being pleasantly woken up from sleep, Master Jonah first looked around the room before staring at both of them. Then, he checked his pockets to take out another wine bottle before noticing that the two letters had vanished.

"I guess you two have handed in the acceptance letters. I won't be at the ceremony, so don't bother attending alone and being embarrassed when the council member calls out our names. If you want something, come find me at my cabin.", he said, before groggily getting up and walking out of the room. His slurred voice was quite deep, echoing in the room as the two watched on.

"What would you do to take revenge on the King?", Daneel asked suddenly, startling Faxul who had never expected Daneel to broach the matter of the master's past in this way.

Master Jonah, who had reached the door, suddenly turned around. His expression which had been one of inebriation had suddenly morphed into one of utter solemnity on hearing Daneel mention the king.

The drunken visage was gone, replaced by one of absolute seriousness as his eyes shone with the craftiness of a fox.

"I would wait and bide my time until I can take down the whole government in one fell swoop."

Seeing the smile on Daneel's face, Jonah smiled back before returning to the lackadaisical attitude of one thoroughly drunk. Daneel had suspected that this man must not have given up like the image he portrayed to everyone. Now, his suspicions were confirmed.

As he walked out with the same staggering steps, Daneel felt something odd in the air.

Switching to elementary sight, his jaw dropped seeing the incredible sight that followed his now master as he walked to the stairs.

As his body moved through the myriad particles that suffused the air, many of the particles moved aside seemingly of their own volition.

These particles definitely weren't being controlled, because it was easy to spot when one was deliberately controlling particles. This was because the rigid movements that replaced the free, floating dance of a typical elementary particle were quite easy to notice. At least, this was what Daneel had been taught so far.

As for Master Jonah, his steps seemed to have a certain rhythm in them which caused the particles to move away on their own. Noticing this pattern, Daneel was shocked out of his mind as he had never even imagined that one could move particles in this way.

This was true connection! In front of this, what Daneel and the other mages did looked like some children's game. True connection meant that particles would move by simply being coaxed, instead of having to be forced to move like what had been taught to them.

Turning around in the corridor and seeing Daneel looking at him with shock on his face, Jonah winked before disappearing in the air.

Suddenly seeing the man vanish, Daneel snapped out of the shock before decided to reorder his priorities again. He had to visit this man and find out just how the hell it was possible to have such magnificent control. This was definitely not the method taught in Lanthanor, and Daneel needed to know where this technique came from. There was no response from Phenomena Analysis Module-2, hence it meant that he still needed to observe the technique more.

His master was definitely not a simple man. Yet, such natural control of particles felt oddly familiar.

This feeling only dawned upon Daneel because he had been reminded of the first time he had truly been awed by magic.

The Firewind Dragon! That was something that he could never forget. To make sure if his peculiar feeling was correct, he decided to ask the system.

"Was the technique to control particles I just watched similar to the one used to control the Firewind Dragon?"

[After analysis of host's encounter with the Firewind Dragon, it has been deduced that there is a 70% similarity between the effects that were observed in both phenomena. With present information, system cannot ascertain whether this is the result of a similar spell technique.]

Spell technique! Daneel had learnt this concept but had put it aside after hearing that there was only one technique in the Kingdom of Lanthanor. Spell techniques were frameworks, or rule books, by which any spell was designed. In Lanthanor, the technique was to connect with particles first after which a mage would send particular instructions to make the particles act in a certain way to bring out the desired effect.

His suspicion had been right. This phenomena was just too startling to go unnoticed, especially now when he was in possession of Elementary Sight and had already trained an year as a mage.

Connecting to as many air particles as he could in front of him, Daneel walked forward, trying to emulate what he had just seen.

A blinding headache suddenly assaulted him, making him fall to the ground as a watching Faxul ran over to see what was wrong.

His forehead felt like it was on fire, but Daneel couldn't help but feel joyful on hearing the system's sweet voice.

[Threshold particle limit reached. Host is undergoing breakthrough to 1st Grade Amateur Human Mage.]

Chapter 51: Amateur Human Mage

"I'm-I'm breaking through...", Daneel gasped out for Faxul's sake before screaming in pain again.

For a half-hour, he could do nothing but clutch his head and keep screaming due to the pain that seemed to be building up towards something.

"CRACK"

Suddenly, the pain vanished after Daneel heard a cracking sound reverberate in his ears.

Getting up, he felt that the particles around him seemed a bit clearer than before. Although the difference wasn't momentous, it was still noticeable.

To test it out, Daneel cast a fireball spell above his hand.

As he connected and used the most number of particles he could, he noticed that the fireball was at least half a size bigger than what it had been before.

Before, the largest he could produce comfortably at one time had barely been bigger than a ping pong ball. Producing multiple ones like he had done in the spars against Elanev exhausted him completely, making him slump on the ground with a headache soon after. As for this size, he could easily shoot out 10 of them before starting to feel the same way.

He had finally advanced to become an Amateur Human Mage!

This was the first major step that anyone would take on the path of a mage. As happiness swelled in him, Daneel sat down on the bed before deciding what to do next.

The matter with the spell technique was too urgent, hence Daneel set off for Master Jonah's cabin immediately. Faxul had said that he would train. After seeing Daneel's breakthrough and increase in power, he also wanted to push forward and gain power as fast as possible. He had to do so especially if he wanted to take revenge on the trio who had been harassing him endlessly.

On arriving at the cabin, Daneel cursed seeing that it was empty again. Having no choice but to come back later, he opted to go towards the yellow comprehension batch area.

Each batch had a certain area that they were designated to in the National Magic Academy of Lanthanor.

Recreation areas, learning areas and training areas were all different, and students of other batches were forbidden from entering these areas.

There were only a few places that students of all batches could fraternize, namely the library and the student quarters.

Now, with unrestricted access to the academy, Daneel could go wherever he wished.

Walking towards the Yellow batch's training area, Daneel heard cheers and whistles as if there were a show going on.

A crowd had formed around 2 teams who were fighting it out on the sparring ground. As the students had finished their first year in the academy, sparring was now allowed on the academy grounds. Daneel had been itching for a noble to challenge him to a spar so that he could beat them up without having to initiate the challenge himself and get noticed. Sadly, there were no invitations yet.

The 30 feet square ground had 2 teams standing on either end.

Each team had 5 members. Of the 5, 3 students who had robust bodies even for 13 year olds stood in the front, whereas the other two seemed to be hiding behind him.

One team was completely made up of commoners like Daneel, who wore clothes with fading colors that had clearly been worn for a long time.

On the other side, the 2 kids standing behind were nobles, with clothes similar to the ones worn by the twins in the trio who had attacked Faxul. As for the other 3, although their clothes didn't have the royal crest, the quality wasn't lacking at all when compared to the two behind them.

A judge was also present at the scene. As he shouted "Begin!", the crowd cheered in anticipation.

The 3 kids in the front of the team comprised of commoners ran forward while the two behind raised their hands.

Daneel noticed that the 3 had smooth and agile movements. Clearly, they were fighters.

As they got nearer to the other team, they started jumping and rolling at carefully calculated moments to avoid the ice pricks and fireballs that were being thrown at them by the other team.

On the other team, the 3 in front just stood there non nonchalantly, as if whatever was happening did not concern them. Although the 2 nobles shot out spells frequently, even they did not seem very serious.

"Now!"

On the command of the two who had raised their hands, the trio who were rushing forward suddenly put their hands back, bending forward and pointing them towards their team mates while still being careful to avoid the attacks.

A thin layer of iron formed on the trio's hands while the gap between them and the other team decreased to only a couple of feet.

With shining hands that looked like they could break through anything, all three smiled before punching at the other team who just stood there, chuckling.

A transparent barrier formed in front of the enemy team, blocking all 3 attacks while the kids had no choice but to scream due to the pain from the impact. Blown backwards, expressions of intense agony were apparent on their faces as each of them thudded to the ground.

Just as the ice pricks made by the nobles were about to pierce the 3 on the ground, they were teleported out by the judge.

"Winner: Team Valanel.", said the judge, before shaking his head and looking sadly at the three whom he had just laid down.

The other two also trudged off the ground and reluctantly walked towards their team mates.

Daneel, who was near the spot where the team had been teleported to, had his mind blown as he watched the first fighter-mage combo in his life. It was very hard to cast spells on moving targets, yet these two had done so in a short span of time especially with 3 targets who were moving so erratically.

Although he had learned the metal spell, it needed a medium to be used, unlike fireballs and ice pricks which could simply form in the air. Hence, it had not been part of his regular arsenal.

"Damn those trinkets. I thought that because we perfected the 'Metal Assault' combo, we could finally beat those obnoxious brats who only know how to hide behind defense trinkets.", said one of the kids who had cast the spell.

He struggled to stop the tears from spilling from his eyes, while the others also sighed softly and gazed at the other team who sneered at them before walking off the sparring ground.

Although many in the audience had simply left after seeing the three blown back, quite a few kids stayed and continuously praised the nobles, as if they had been the reason for the victory.

Daneel had actually come here with the intention to find something that he could use to pull the commoners firmly over to his side. He had had no idea that he would find such discrimination based on wealth. Defense trinkets with such strong capabilities would surely cost at least 300-400 Gold Lans in the marketplace.

Also, witnessing the first fighter-mage combo had broadened his mind and expanded his horizons.

Walking up to the team, he said, "If you want to win, then I have a suggestion for you."

Chapter 52: Team Joshua

"The legendary Daneel. How are you here? Aren't you all forbidden from entering our grounds?", said one of the kids who had just arrived and was helping up the three who were still wincing from the pain.

"Haven't you heard? My award was unlimited access to the academy.", Daneel said, folding his hands.

"OK, then what brings you here? And what suggestion do you have?"

Daneel just looked at the kid without speaking before he realized that they hadn't even told him their names yet.

"I'm Joshua, the team leader. This is Helvix, my classmate. These 3 are Vander, Jander and Xander. They are brothers and they attend the fighter academy next door."

Nodding, Daneel said, "And as you all seem to know, I'm Daneel. Observing the crowd, I noticed that this wasn't the first time you were sparring. What is your quarrel with the nobles?"

"They are the tyrants of the Yellow batch. They regularly beat up those who spoke even a little ill of the King or the nobility. Yet, the academy turns a blind eye towards them. Some masters admonish them a bit, but they don't care about that.

"The two of us were beaten up into a near-death condition in the beginning of the year due to a casual remark that I made. Since then, we had been planning to take revenge. During the 5 day break, we trained this combo with the 3 brothers who live near us. They had also suffered in the hands of the nobility in the fighter academy, and we became a team when we shared our stories with each other."

He looked down with shame as he continued.

"The first time after getting back, we almost beat them because they were caught off guard. At the last moment, that darn defense trinket was activated and we have been losing ever since. Each time, we have been challenging them hoping to find a weakness. I just... don't want to give up. But there is no point in getting injured again and again."

An expression of struggle was evident on Joshua's face as he said the last lines. This was clearly some one who hated to give up, but simply had no other choice.

Daneel marveled at the tenacity of the team which had chosen to plan and wait for the right moment to beat down those who had oppressed them. Such a combo was definitely not easy to train, yet these 5 had almost perfected the execution in just a few days. Also, they had only been 12 years old! Being able to think with such maturity at such a young age was truly something to be praised.

He felt lucky that he had found exactly the type of people he had been looking for. Although he would inquire later if everything was true, it was now time to throw out the bait.

"I can show you the way to defeat the barrier. But what will I get in return?", he asked, looking expectantly at Joshua. His answer would decide his fate.

"Anything. If you can really do that, we would be willing to follow you to the depths of hell.", he answered, shaking with anger remembering everything that they had had to endure. As he looked at his team mates, they also nodded, signaling that they would follow their leader.

Daneel was actually shocked hearing the answer. He had never expected that it would be this easy. It seemed that the oppression in the lower grades was much higher than he had expected.

The King was really making things too easy for him, he thought, before replying to Joshua whose hand was shaking because he was squeezing it too hard in anger.

"Remember what you said. Meet me in the woods near the library in 30 minutes.", he said, before turning around and leaving.

It was up to them whether they would stand on their word.

After going back to the quarters and grabbing a quick bite to eat, Daneel made his way to the forest which was accessible to all students. This had been the location where he had practiced his path of a Paragon.

To his delight, the 5 were already at the entrance of the woods, waiting.

Daneel himself had chosen to come 5 minutes early, but they had come even earlier.

"Follow me", he said, before leading them further inside.

An hour later, the 5 kids walked out of the woods with anticipation apparent on their faces.

"Remember what you promised when you win the fight. Meet back here at the stroke of midnight if you choose to keep your word."

Daneel, who had followed them out, said these words before walking away in a different direction.

Yellow Batch Sparring Grounds, National Magic Academy of Lanthanor

A crowd of students could be seen rushing to a particular sparring arena which already had over 50 students milling around, waiting for something to happen.

"Whats the matter? Didn't the match between Team Joshua and Team Valanel already happen?", asked a kid dressed in commoner clothes, puzzled at what the rush was.

"Joshua challenged them again! The match is gonna start in 5 minutes!", said one of the students who was in a hurry to get to the arena.

Eyes widening, he joined the crowd and ran, trying to get a spot in the front.

In the past few days, the teams had repeatedly fought and it had always been a sight to see. Whether it was the expensive defense trinket or the exquisite team work between Joshua and the others, each fight had not failed to make the crowd go "ooh" and "aah".

Soon, the match began. Much like before, the two teams were standing in front of each other as the same judge announced the start of the match.

As the crowd cheered without stop, two of the fighters walked forward and turned around, positioning themselves in front of their team.

"Let the monkeys jump around however they like. They can't do anything against the trinket anyway. Maybe at least then, they will give up after realizing their incompetence.", said one of the nobles in the opposite team.

Hearing this, the others relaxed and started watching the scene.

The two fighters who had their backs to the enemy kept turning around to check whether there were any spells shooting their way. Seeing that the team had chosen to relax like in one of the spars they had had before, they smiled, thanking their lucky stars.

Joshua and Helvix had already raised their hands, concentrating on casting the spell they had agreed on beforehand.

"Go."

On hearing Joshua's signal, Xander started running forward. His brothers, who were directly in front of him, cupped their hands and placed them on their thighs after kneeling down.

On reaching the first brother, Xander leaped up on the cupped hands, rising into the air. The former also jumped in sync, increasing Xander's upward momentum.

A second later, the second brother, who had been standing a few inches away from the first, leaped up before putting his cupped hands above his head.

This was the second step up. Using his brother's hands in the air as support, Xander leaped again, pushing the other down.

He was now 10 feet up in the air due to the light weight of their bodies.

A metal layer like before started forming on Xander's right fist which was raised in the air. Only, it seemed to be congealing into what looked like a sword.

They had planned it so that Xander would fall down exactly on top of the dome created by the defense trinket.

Everything happened in only a few seconds, so the enemy team had no chance to respond before they saw Xander bearing down on them from above.

The dome flickered into existence but was quickly and smoothly pierced through by the sharp sword, allowing Xander to land between them.

Meanwhile, 5 fireballs had already been shot by Joshua and Helvix before casting the spell that made the metal sword on Xander's fist. They had perfectly calculated it so that the fireballs would hit as soon as the dome was pierced.

The crowd went into an uproar seeing all 5 of the enemy team teleported out by the judge, who couldn't believe his eyes.

Chapter 53: First Mission

Even the team who had just been teleported out were shocked at the sudden turn of events.

"A strategy used by the elite legions to take down magically defended locations.....what kind of wit is needed to even think of using it to pierce a defense trinket? And what kind of incredible cooperation is needed to execute it so smoothly?", wondered the judge out loud.

Hearing this, all 5 of them could do nothing but curse. Picking themselves up, they hastily made their way out while boos from the crowd followed them.

The noble who had given the order to relax had a twisted expression on his face, as if he were planning something sinister to take revenge on those who dared to boo him.

Yet, no one saw this seed of hatred that had been planted. Only one kid who was in the shade of a tree a little distance away was watching, taking note of all of the changes of expression apparent on their faces.

This was Daneel. Nodding to himself seeing that his plan was going well, he started walking towards the energized training chamber to get some training done.

Now, with Parallel Processing-1 in hand, he could train both his body and mageroot simultaneously. This was exactly what he had been dreaming of the whole year, so he resolved to spend every moment of time that he could in the training chamber.

Night quickly approached, bathing the academy in the soft glow of moonlight.

At the woods near the library, 6 students were gathered with 5 kneeling in front of the one in the center who had a bemused expression on his face.

"What are you all doing? Get up!", said Daneel with an exasperated tone.

The 5 of them had again arrived before the appointed time and had surrounded Daneel as soon as he had come.

Expecting that they would just thank him for the tip he had given, Daneel was shocked to see each of them fall to the ground, kneeling, while tears flowed from their eyes.

The silence of the night was pierced by the sound of teardrops falling on dry leaves.

Joshua managed to control his emotions first. Still kneeling, he raised his head to meet Daneel's eyes.

In those eyes, Daneel could see the sheer euphoria that came from obtaining victory after losing numerous times.

"You lead us to victory. For the first time, we felt that we were above the lofty nobles. For the first time, we felt that we weren't just insects that they could swat when they pleased."

The others nodded at his words while the tears still flowed unabated. As Joshua paused, all of them raised their heads and spoke in unison. The combined voice echoing through the forest gave a solemn tone to the atmosphere, making Daneel stand up straight and gaze at them all with a stoic expression.

"As per our word, we choose to give unto you everything that is ours. Please accept us as your followers, and neither heaven nor hell will stand in our way when we march on your word."

Although a few sentences were missing, this was similar to the magical pledge made by soldiers when they joined the army.

"I accept."

Hearing this, the 5 stood up and hugged each other with joy. If anyone observed the scene, they would be shocked to find out that Daneel had actually been the one hoping to take them on as followers.

The system's voice that echoed in Daneel's mind at this moment sounded like the horn that was blown to signal the start of a conquest.

[Achievement "First Oath Accepted" obtained.

"First Oath Accepted": By offering your help when it was needed the most, you planted a seed of admiration that bloomed into an oath of fealty. Congratulations on accepting your first oath!

1000 EXP awarded.

Total EXP: 2350]

After the 5 were done rejoicing, Daneel asked the question that had been bothering him since he had spectated the match.

"I only told you that the dome is susceptible to sharp attacks from above. How did you figure out a way to execute a leaping attack so easily? And most importantly, what made you want to follow me enough to make you kneel and feel so happy when I accepted?"

This time, it was Helvix who answered. Unlike Joshua who was a thin kid with dark hair and a long nose, Helvix was stockily built even for a 13 year old. His face had cheeks that would make anyone looking want to pinch them, and he was adorably round with a huge belly.

"We perfected it when we went to steal food from a merchant's warehouse near our houses. The wall was quite high, so Xander would jump in before letting the rest of us up. For some reason, I was always the one assigned to be on lookout while the others went inside."

Hearing Helvix's whining tone, Daneel couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was quite apparent why this round kid was left as the lookout.

The tension that was in the atmosphere was broken, prompting the others to laugh along and tease Helvix who still had a grumbling expression on his face.

"We commoners simply wish that we be treated fairly by the academy, which repeatedly shows favoritism towards the nobles. It was this simple remark that made those 2 beat us up, starting the whole thing. We don't know if following you will result in a change, but based on what we saw in the assessment and how you helped us when we were ready to give up, we simply want to take the chance.", said Joshua while the others smiled and looked at Daneel with hopeful gazes.

For the first time, Daneel experienced the feeling of someone other than his parents placing their hopes on him. All he had done was pass along some information that Elanev had told him in passing. Yet, they had chosen to swear an oath and follow him.

Although their oaths weren't magically sworn, in the pure hearts of the 13 year old, these oaths were equally binding.

Vowing to himself that he wouldn't let them down, Daneel gave them the first mission that he had had in mind for a long time. He instructed them to gather information about all of the commoners who were similarly oppressed, and the list of the nobles who loved oppressing them the most.

Then, they were also instructed to become friends with them and slowly broach the topic of fighting against the nobles like they had done. It had to be done casually while making certain that it was just a passing remark which wouldn't elicit any suspicion from the other party.

Deciding to meet back here in 10 days, the 6 dispersed, walking to their quarters.

Behind a tree around a hundred feet away from Daneel, a man with unkempt hair scratched the stubble on his cheeks while silently pondering something.

Staring at the exact spot where the 5 had sworn their oath, an expression of interest appeared on his face. Before vanishing, he flicked his finger, making a semi-transparent dome appear and flicker out of existence at the exact spot where Daneel had accepted the oath.

Chapter 54: Invitation From The Church Of Rectitude

Daneel felt a disturbance in the air as he walked towards the student quarters.

Just as he took another step forward, everything around him changed.

The colors of the night which had been drab became grey, as if the moonlight shining down had changed color. The quiet sounds of the crickets in the night were also cut off, and a semi-transparent dome flickered into existence above him.

A familiar man appeared in front of him, stepping out of space before saying, "Someone wants to meet you."

It was Master Jonah. Daneel calmed down as he knew that this was someone Kellor trusted.

"You have been busy lately."

A voice that made him shiver floated into his years, after which another man stepped out of the space beside Master Jonah.

His shivering was because he was reminded of the exact moment the Firewind dragon had roared, bringing fire and destruction the likes of which he had never seen before.

It was the Priest of Rectitude with red hair that had helped him and said that he owed them a debt.

"Nice to meet you again, Daneel. I am Radagast, and I would like to invite you to the Church of Rectitude."

An invitation to the church? Daneel was intrigued. The last time they had met, Radagast had simply shown a slight interest in Daneel. He wondered what had changed now to make him offer an invitation.

"Remember, state your terms and let him decide. Our arrangement has nothing to do with him. You will not touch him or his followers no matter what he decides.", said Master Jonah, interrupting Radagast who had been about to continue. His drunken manner was gone, and he now stood alert as if he was watching every one of Radagast's movements.

"Of course. The Church never forces, we only suggest. Daneel, let me tell you something about this Kingdom before I put forward my offer."

Master Jonah opened his mouth as if he were about to stop Radagast from speaking, but he simply sighed and shook his head before allowing him to continue.

"In 10 years, the nobility of this Kingdom will be dead and a new ruler will take its place."

Hearing such an explosive statement, Daneel couldn't help but think that he had heard wrong. The nobility would be assassinated?! Such a news out of the blue made his mind go completely blank.

In fact, he even doubted whether Radagast was telling the truth. The nobility had established this Kingdom in the first place, and for centuries they had ruled it with very little opposition. With all of that accumulated power, how could anyone kill off all of the nobility, and that too in such a short span of time?!

"Don't overthink. This is something that even the King himself knows, and it is the main reason why he is training so maniacally to reach the next level. To state the reason briefly, they brought it upon themselves. Oppressing 90% of the population is simply a bad idea, but the King turned a blind eye towards all the warning signs before it was too late. Now, no matter what he does, it is simply impossible to turn public favor towards him.", said Master Jonah, seeing that Daneel had fazed out after hearing the news.

"Indeed. And by doing so, he allowed my Church and a few other institutions to gain a foothold inside the city. The most powerful of those is the TriCobra Sect, which had set up its operations in the city before any of us even turned our gaze towards this Kingdom.

"As for the annihilation of the nobility, this has been in planning for decades. The previous King, who is presently the strongest Mage in this Kingdom, will pass away in the next 10 years. At that time, nothing can stop the forces we gathered from stamping down the doors of the palace and carrying out a massacre. All the sinners will be the kindling which will set alight the fire from which this Kingdom must be reborn. And we, the Church of Rectitude, will take control of Lanthanor and turn into a holy city where the Almighty Saint will reign."

Looking into Radagast's black eyes, Daneel was almost sure he could see fire raging in them.

"State your conditions and get moving. We don't have much time.", said Master Jonah, breaking Radagast out of the expression of triumph that had appeared in his face after saying those words.

"As you wish. Join the Church and swear an oath that you will follow our doctrine till the day you die. In return, we will give you the spell technique that is many levels above the one taught in your academy. Also, if you form enough of a following, the church will promote you to a Deacon and let you set up a branch of the Church that you can command. Any resources that you need will be yours, and even your followers will get the opportunity to become priests of the Glorious Church of Rectitude."

Taking out a piece of white parchment from his priest's robe, Radagast handed it to Daneel before saying, "In there is the doctrine of the Church, along with a detailed list of all the support the Church promises you. This is an offer usually made to those with legendary potential, but you are an exception. Being a seed with pseudo-legendary potential in a Kingdom that will soon be purged, you are very valuable to us and you can achieve great things with our support. I will meet you at this spot again in 3 days. I hope to hear a positive answer from you at that time."

With these words, Radagast vanished, leaving Daneel standing there holding the parchment.

"Seeing your shock, I know that Kellor must not have had the time to tell you these things. This meeting was simply me returning a favor that the Church did for me. It is up to you to decide whether you want to slowly build a faction yourself or join a faction that will fully support you with everything you need. Not everyone will swear fealty to you as easily as that brat Joshua did."

"If you need to talk to me, come to my cabin tomorrow."

The dome flickered out of existence and the colors returned to normal as Master Jonah teleported away.

Everything that he had heard was simply too much to take in. His mind blank, Daneel could only trudge to his room and fall on the bed.

Deciding that the morning was probably the best time to figure out what the hell to do next, Daneel carefully put the parchment in his cupboard before falling asleep.

The last thought that he had before drifting into dream land was that he would definitely have to find a way to stop people from seeing everything he did. He was sick and tired of having his every move be visible for anyone to see, and it was high time he found out a way to put a stop to all of them.

Chapter 55: Doctrine

Daneel woke up to the morning sun shining on his bed.

In a few minutes, he was sitting on a chair and opening the parchment that Radagast had given him yesterday.

Reading through the doctrine, Daneel's eyebrows went up more and more until there was no place left for them to go.

The Church Of Rectitude's doctrine was one of the strictest ideologies he had ever seen. But, he started to notice a pattern in the rules that was actually quite glaring when he observed it further.

The pattern was that the "Saint" or the person who had set up the Church was the absolute ruler. Even when entering, one had to give the oath to follow the words of the "Saint" no matter what they were. In fact, there were even details about how sacrificing oneself to the Saint would result in life long prosperity for their eternal soul and living family.

In summary, anyone who entered the Church had to abide by the word of those above and they had to abstain from any of the sins listed in the doctrine. Although this list of sins was pretty standard, the part about absolute obedience was the most worrying.

In return, each and every member was given resources to reach the peak according to their talent. As long as one didn't waste resources, there was no limit to the requests they could put towards the Church. The Church would also happily comply because in essence, each and every member had completely signed over their freedom in exchange.

Also, members could also place requests for "reckonings". If the information provided by them was found out to be true, then the location where the reported sin had occurred would be purged by the Priests of Reckoning.

Daneel suspected that this was what had happened with the destruction of the Dwarve's Rum. He wondered who it had been that had chosen to give away their freedom in exchange for getting revenge.

There was no way that he would let ever let any one dictate his actions. This was the clarity that Daneel achieved on reading the doctrine fully. He had never realized the value of freedom before this point.

Although he was still restricted by the environment he was in, his actions and decisions were all his own. He would actually have to thank Radagast later for bringing this to his attention.

Meanwhile, he decided that it was time to visit his Master and find out just what arrangement he had with them.

On approaching the cabin, he was pleasantly surprised to see plumes of smoke rising from the chimney on top.

Knocking on the door, he was greeted by a smell of charred meat.

As Master Jonah opened the door, more and more gusts of black smoke exited the cabin, making a few people who were around crinkle their noses due to the unpleasant smell.

"Get in!", he said urgently, before closing the door as soon as Daneel closed his nose with his hands and rushed forward.

The cabin was filled with the smell of charred meat. Although the fire over which the unidentifiable meat was roasting was placed below the chimney, there was no way for the smoke to go up and exit the cabin.

"Don't blow the smoke away! It stops the damn mosquitoes!", said Master Jonah who was turning the already burned meat over the fire.

"Aren't you a high level mage? Why can't you just erect a barrier around the cabin? Or just kill all the mosquitoes when they come?", asked Daneel, still closing his nose and breathing through his mouth.

"You think I haven't tried that?! Its too tiring to maintain a barrier of that size for a long period of time. And its too much of a waste to use trinkets for this purpose. Even the merchants use this method to drive out those pesky insects. Lets go out, this amount of smoke should be enough."

Closing the chimney, Master Jonah touched Daneel's shoulder making them reappear inside a forest. Daneel had no idea where it was, although the species of trees that he could see were similar to the ones outside the library.

Breathing in the fresh air, Daneel felt relieved that they were out of that cooped up room.

"Is there really no other way to keep them out? How come I never had them in the slums?", asked Daneel.

"That's because they are not regular mosquitoes which feed on people. These darn insects feed on materials like Ether! As you must have learnt in your classes, Ether is only one form in which energy exists in the world. Some special plants or materials also contain the energy, but Ether is the most common because it is the only material that can be found in large mines. Now, these damn insects eat away at Ether blocks that are stored. That is why you won't see blocks of Ether anywhere outside unless they are being stimulated to release the energy.

"It costs a fortune every year to use defense trinkets or mages to safeguard the stores of Ether even in the Palace. Although this method works, the smell makes it so that not many opt to use it. Anyway kid, you didn't come to hear me ramble on about magical mosquitoes or Ether. Ask whatever it is you came to ask"

Daneel had had a contemplative look on his face when Master Jonah had been talking about the mosquitoes. Shelving his thoughts for later, he asked the question that had been bothering him since the meeting.

"Whose side are you on?"

Hearing the question, Master Jonah let out a raucous laugh before pulling a bottle out of his trousers. It seemed that he was back to the drunken master act.

Taking a long swig and coughing, he said, "What does it matter, kid? You were dumb enough to carry out your little 'swearing in' ceremony out in the open where the Grand Court Mage could definitely have been watching. I happened to be keeping an eye on you, so I managed to set up a discrete counter-spy barrier. As for the Church, that's between me and them. They are helping me out with something and asked for a favor. Its only a meeting, and I'll make sure they don't force you into anything."

Daneel shuddered imagining the consequences if the Grand Court Mage had actually listened in on their ceremony. It might actually have changed the King's view to not squash him right now.

"Thank you for that. But how the hell am I supposed to do things without someone spying on me all the time?", he asked, exasperated. He had asked the system in the morning but had been met with the same response: to buy a tool that he had not enough points for right now. Besides, he was presently saving up points for some really attractive faction tools that he had had his eyes on since the system store had opened. Hence, he really did not want to spend points on anti-surveillance although it was a very pressing matter right now. Of course, if there was no other option, he would have to do it.

"Its me or them. You choose.", he replied, shrugging.

It was indeed him or the others. At least, this man was acknowledged by Kellor who the system had identified as an ally. Even his instincts told him that this Master could be trusted, but only to an extent.

"All right then. Is it possible to cancel the meeting with that priest? I've chosen to reject them anyway. Also, do you have any way in which I can witness the making of a trinket?", he asked expectantly.

The answer to the last question would decide his next step.

10 years. Before that, he had to do something to save the Kingdom. Assassinations of the ruling class was always accompanied by large scale loss of life of the commoners of a kingdom.

He did not want to see rivers of blood flow in the streets he had grown up in at any cost.

Chapter 56: Ripley

In the southern part of Lanthanor's outer city, there was a peculiar street.

This street was one of the most barren in all of Lanthanor. Almost all of the houses were deserted, and even the rocks that made up the buildings were starting to become visible due to the paint being eroded away.

Only one house in the center of the street was painted red, with Ether powered lights adorning the door on which hung a placard that said "DO NOT ENTER!".

It was this house that Master Jonah had instructed Daneel to go to in case he wanted to witness or learn more about the art of enchantment. Although he said that there was no chance at all of becoming accepted as an apprentice, just witnessing enchantments with his letter of recommendation would apparently be fine.

BOOM

A thunderous sound sent nearby birds flying as a ring of smoke flew out from the house's roof.

Knocking on the door worriedly, Daneel wondered if the inhabitant of the house was OK.

A few minutes later, the door was opened by a man with a blackened face.

Although he had tried to wipe away the soot from the explosion, much of it was still apparent on his clothes and face.

He seemed to be middle-aged, with a thin body and a scraggly beard. A shiny patch was on his head, and his clothes looked as if they hadn't been washed in weeks.

"Who are you?! Can't you read the sign!", he said with irritation seeing Daneel staring at him.

Without a word, Daneel handed over a parchment that Master Jonah had given him.

Accepting the parchment, the man read it briefly before turning it into ash. His movements were smooth, and he had cast the spell as easily as if he were breathing. This was definitely a high level mage, thought Daneel.

"So that guy is still alive? Pity what happened to him. You want to watch enchantments? Why?", he asked after sighing.

Daneel simply shrugged. He had been instructed 4 times by Master Jonah to speak as little as possible. Although Daneel did not know why, he decided to follow the instructions.

"Interest? Curiosity? Just get in, and I'll find out for myself."

Entering the house, Daneel noticed that many of the chairs and pictures hanging on the wall were askew, as if an earthquake had shaken the whole house.

Following the man up the stairs, he understood how a ring of smoke had appeared before from the top of the house.

The duplex's top floor was open to the sky. Although the outer walls were still there making someone who was looking from outside think that the house was normal, the interior walls had all been demolished to make a wide open space.

Littered across the floor were various pieces of equipment. Some were familiar, like a forge in the corner of the room. Others, like a flat table with many needles pierced on top, looked very foreign to Daneel.

"Never been to an enchanter's workshop before? I'm Ripley. What's your name?", he asked, turning around to see Daneel looking around the room.

Without speaking, Daneel shook his head and simply waited.

Recalling what he had read in the parchment, Ripley said, "Oh, Daneel. Funny name, never heard it before. Anyway, I'm in the process of enchanting a new kind of defense trinket. You are welcome to watch, but don't make a single sound."

Nodding, Daneel retreated to the corner of the room.

Meanwhile, Ripley walked to the table with the needles. Taking out a round bronze coin from his pocket, he put it on the needles before closing his eyes.

An expression of extreme concentration appeared on his face as the needles suddenly came alive and hovered in the air. Connected to the table by a thin cord, the needles went to work on the coin, engraving something intricate on its surface.

A small, round barrier slightly bigger than the size of a man's head started forming around the coin. The barrier still seemed to be non-corporeal as the needles still traveled in and out of its radius. Both thin and thick needles repeatedly interchanged positions, continuing to carve on the coin.

Around a half hour later, all of the needles went back into the table. The dome became more and more solid and the coin seemed to be heating up, turning red hot in the process.

Suddenly, Ripley ran back from the table as if his life were in danger. The domed barrier that had been forming flickered for a second before retracting back into the coin.

"I did it! HAHA! Take that Sellax! 2nd Grade Enchanter my arse!"

Screaming with joy, Ripley ran towards the coin and took it in his hand.

Suddenly, the barrier came back into existence around his hand.

With a yelp, Ripley threw it in the air before crouching and covering his head with his hands.

"HIDE!", he shouted, making Daneel jump and duck behind the anvil of the forge.

BOOM

Shrapnel flew through the air, shooting into the walls and all of the equipment lying on the floor. Now that Daneel noticed, even the floor was made up of tiny dents.

Meanwhile, a ring of smoke exactly like the one he had seen before was flying in the sky right above the house.

Coming out from his hiding place, Daneel was relieved to see that the man looked fine.

With a clap, he made all of the shrapnel that had embedded itself everywhere to gather back into his hands.

"Why did it explode this time? All of the enchanting formations were correctly engraved.... another trial should give me the answer."

Muttering under his breath, he walked to the forge near Daneel and took out an orange ore. Putting it in the fire, he stared at it as if waiting for something.

Although Daneel was right behind the anvil nearby, Ripley did not seem to have noticed him. Moving back to his original spot, he continued watching.

After some time, Ripley put the ore which had become red hot on the anvil. With a hammer, he started pounding on the ore until it became flat.

Although his body looked thin, his arms swung with the strength of a seasoned metal worker.

Soon, the ore had been hammered into a rough disk. Putting the hammers aside, Ripley gestured at the disc briefly. Black impurities started to appear gradually on the disc, which were wiped away before the disc was hammered again.

After 4 rounds of this process, the palm-sized ore had transformed into a coin exactly like the one that had just exploded.

Ripley had apparently completely forgotten about Daneel's existence. Of course, this was also exactly what Daneel wanted.

He watched as Ripley failed time and again, making the coin explode and prompting Daneel to run for cover.

Finally, the notification he had been waiting for finally came from the system.

[Enchantment Technique ready for development]

[Unenchanted Trinket Forging Technique ready for development]

Chapter 57: Mosquito Hunting With Elanev

[Due to the high complexity, Enchanting Technique-1 requires 8 days for development. System will still be available for other tasks in this time period. Would you like to proceed?], asked the system after Daneel commanded it to develop the technique for Enchantment.

This was nothing new. The way that the system rated complexity was still a mystery for Daneel who had spent an year developing techniques with it. Some like the fireball or ice prick took very little time, but others like the short range teleportation spell had taken 5 days to develop. Even though he had asked, the system had simply stated that the complexity was tied to the degree of resources required to develop a certain technique.

At least, since he had upgraded the Phenomena Analysis Module-1 to Level 2, there had been no instance like before when the system had to completely shut down to develop a technique. Taking advantage of this, he had developed almost all of the spells he had available, even if his level was still not enough to use them.

On telling the system to proceed, Daneel looked around to find Ripley and say his good byes. It seemed that he had gone down the stairs when Daneel had been communicating with the system, thus he also walked to the stairs and reached the ground floor.

At a corner of the room, Ripley was sitting on a chair taking long swigs from a bottle of wine.

His face was scrunched up into one of pain, making Daneel wonder whether this was the same person who had been so animatedly enchanting trinkets just a while ago.

Seeing him come down, Ripley took another long swig and said, "Dana... if we had been together, we could have had a son like you by now. Curse that scoundrel Sellax! If only he hadn't broken through to 2nd Grade Enchanter before me...."

Tears and snot started flowing down Ripley's face. Seeing the pitiful figure, Daneel decided to hear him out.

His original plan was to follow his hunch about the mosquitoes next. If he was right, there was a great chance that he could establish a stable income for him and his faction.

Yet, it had already become night. Although his stomach was grumbling due to eating nothing since the morning, Daneel chose to stay and let the man pour out his concerns. After all, he had to thank him for enabling the system to develop the invaluable enchanting technique. If the technique being developed was anything similar to the rest of the ones so far, then there was a great chance that even the problem of absence of trinkets for his faction could be resolved.

Ultimately, trinkets were the backbone for any faction. There was only so much a person could do unarmed against someone equipped with defense and combat trinkets. This had been very apparent in Joshua's fight against Team Varanel. Although they had won, such a strategy would fail the next time because the other team could easily find countermeasures against it.

Deciding to go to Elanev the next day, Daneel asked, "Who's Dana?"

He had been wondering about the reason behind Master Jonah being very specific in his instructions. Now, after speaking for the first time in front of Ripley, Daneel understood why.

As if Daneel's voice had woken something up inside Ripley, he threw the bottle aside and started telling his story.

Each and every event and detail was told in vivid detail.

As Daneel would find out later, being cooped up alone in his house for so long had led Ripley to develop a particular disposition where anyone who asked him even a single question would be treated to a barrage of information. Whether the information was useful or not was beside the point, as the listener would be inundated by the sheer detail and volume of the information given.

4 hours later, Daneel finally staggered out of the house and wearily walked to the academy.

In fact, he had dozed off many times throughout the conversation, hence he had no idea just what the gist of the story had been. Hence, he chose to ask the system.

[Ripley, Sellax and Dana were classmates. Both Ripley and Sellax courted Dana, but she said that she would be with whoever broke through to a Grade 2 Enchanter first. Both had red grade comprehension and reached the requisite mage level at the same time. Yet, after traveling to a neighboring nation and learning Enchantment in a dedicated academy, Sellax broke through first. Since then, Ripley has shut himself in his house trying to break through. He assumes that Dana is with Sellax and that she would come back to him if he broke through himself.]

So that had been the sad story. What did advancing to a certain grade as an Enchanter have anything to do with being with someone? Although his social skills were developing, Daneel was still very new to matters of the heart. All he knew about romance came from a few movies he had seen back on Earth. Thus, his romantic knowledge ended at "Guy and girl fall in love, marry and live together happily"

The next morning, Daneel made his way to the Fists of Justice Training Hall.

Finding Elanev, he put forward a plan that made the former gawk at him in disbelief.

A few hours later. In the forest closest to the gate outside the Capital City of Lanthanor.

2 people carrying long poles with nets attached on top could be seen jumping around.

Beside them was a sealed bottle, in which a few mosquitoes were flying around, trapped.

These 2 were Daneel and Elanev. The reason he had approached Elanev had been that he needed someone who knew the city in and out to contract a woodworker to make these nets for catching the mosquitoes. The insects were deemed useless, thus no one sold them like other exotic animals.

Thus, Daneel had no choice but to use nets to catch the damn things. Spells were of no use because they flew too fast. Daneel was also not powerful enough to make a barrier which could trap the mosquitoes in.

On inquiring with Elanev, Daneel found out that there were even more interesting quirks in these mosquitoes. Typically, they fed on sweet things like honey or fruits in the forest. Yet, they were capable of finding out the existence of Ether from many miles away. Once they became aware, they would stop at nothing to devour the ether blocks clean. Even if one put the blocks in a vault, the mosquitoes would somehow find a way in and leave nothing behind. Only magically made barriers could keep them out. After the mosquitoes were done eating away a block, there was no way for the Ether to be extracted from them. Many had tried but failed because similar to how the magical energy inside Ether was modified to go back to the earth once it was absorbed by a human, mosquitoes also modified the energy by ingesting them. Thus, even if many mosquitoes were collected and crushed, there was no way to obtain the energy or the ether from them.

Thus, this resulted in their predicament-having to jump around trying to trap them and place them in the bottles they had prepared.

Chapter 58: Meeting The Righteous Hawk Again

After toiling for a whole afternoon and evening, the two slogged back into the city. In the end, they had managed to catch around 30 mosquitoes.

After making a trip to the marketplace in which Daneel made some purchases, the two parted ways.

Reaching his room, Daneel started working on his first product in this world.

The result of this work would determine whether he would build the financial cornerstone for the rise of his faction.

The next morning, Daneel traveled to the Training Hall again. This time, he requested a meeting with Elanev's father, the "Righteous Hawk".

Although he had seldom interacted with the man, he had heard a lot of things about him from Elanev. Elanev's mother had passed away at a very young age, and since then, his father had brought him up to be who he was now.

According to Elanev, there had been many occasions on which his father simply spent the whole night kneeling in front of his mother's grave.

The next day, Elanev would usually find out that some or the other commoner or soldier had either been executed or exiled by the arrogant nobility.

Always a staunch believer in fairness, his father often lamented that he was one of the last pillars that stood on the commoner's side. Although he could not do much in the present state of the Kingdom, he always did whatever was in his power, like in the event where he had awarded Daneel prime citizenship.

Thus, Daneel decided that he was the right man to partner with if he wanted to smoothly build a financial base for his faction. Besides, he would not be exposing any crucial plans to a member of the government. It was common for ministers to start businesses in the Kingdom, so this would also elicit less attention towards him.

All he needed was a steady supply of Ether and wealth to train his followers and make trinkets. Although he had contemplated selling his product under his own name and keeping all the profits to himself, there was no way this would escape the attention of the King or the Grand Court Mage. Besides, his primary focus was still to train for as much amount of time as possible.

On entering the inner city, Daneel and Elanev walked towards a gate situated right beside the palace.

After passing through an expansive lawn, the duo arrived at a manor with pointed spires and an enormous door. The architectural style was quite different from the library-long flights of stairs were replaced by a ramp that led up. Instead of huge pillars, there were many smaller ones, elegantly carved with figures of dancing men and women. The door was the most striking part of the manor, with the top of the door reaching at least 20 feet in height.

Entering the manor and seating themselves in one of the softest sofas Daneel had ever seen, the two chatted while waiting for the minister to come.

Around a half-hour later, 2 familiar figures appeared at the doorway. One of them was the space mage that had explained about the mageroot before. The other, who was looking at Daneel with an odd look on his face, was the man fondly known as the 'Righteous Hawk" by many.

"Welcome, Daneel. What brings you here?", he asked, before sitting down opposite them.

Daneel had a jar of what looked like honey in his hands. As the space mage smiled at Daneel and looked peculiarly at the jar as if it were fascinating, Daneel replied, "I have a proposition for you. How much would you pay me if I told you that I can solve the mosquito problem plaguing the Kingdom?"

The minister was quite bewildered by the sudden mention of mosquitoes. Frowning, he said, "Funny that you bring them up. I had to spend the past hour examining the financial records of the Kingdom to make sure that someone isn't embezzling money by quoting extravagant prices for the methods used to keep mosquitoes away from the treasury of the Kingdom. Sadly, the numbers were right. Currently, almost 10% of the tax collected by the Kingdom goes into solving this problem. I do not need to explain how many millions of gold Lans that is. If you can solve it, I daresay that the least price the government would offer to you is a million Gold Lans."

Seeing the surprise and delight in Daneel's face, the minister paused before saying, "Of course, that stands if you had the power to defend yourself from the army. Instead of paying, the King would just opt to force the mechanism out of you. So tell me. Will you still put forward your proposition?"

Hearing this bomb drop, the smile was wiped off of Daneel's face. Yet, this was something he had thought about even before requesting for an appointment.

"You said the King would opt for it. Would you do the same?"

On hearing this question, the minister smiled. Instead of answering, he looked around the room before signaling something to the space mage in black robes standing nearby.

Nodding, the mage took out a large, shining red coin and placed it on the table in front of them. A red dome appeared around them, reminding Daneel of the time he had spoken to Radagast.

"This is a high level trinket designed to shield an area containing personnel below the level of a Warrior Mage or Fighter. As such, it can only be used for a short time. State your proposition fast. Although Kellor told me a bit about you, he never stated that you would start taking matters into your own hands so soon."

Daneel breathed a sigh of relief hearing that things were as he had expected. Just like Master Jonah, this was another member of the group that Kellor had formed. The signs had been quite clear, from the righteousness of the minister to everything Daneel had heard from Elanev. One common pattern connected all these people who were willing to stand with Kellor-resentment at the actions of the nobility.

"I need my parents to be transported out of the Kingdom or to a location where they can be safe. As for the sales of the product, I want 80% of all of the profits obtained.", said Daneel. The first had been weighing on his heart ever since he had heard Master Jonah's story. He did not want to wake up to news that his parents had been killed by "bandits".

"We don't need to talk about percentages. If the product is good enough, I will just deduct the operational costs. After all, you are acknowledged by Kellor. But first, show me what it is that you seem to have so much confidence in."

Daneel had been ready to go down to 50% if worst came to worst, so he he felt jubilant on finding out that he could keep all of the profits. Showing his potential to Kellor indeed seemed to be paying off more and more.

Nodding, he took out the jar that he had been clutching between his hands all this time as if it were his baby.

Opening the lid, Daneel demonstrated for the first time the product that he would fondly remember later as his first financial step towards World Domination.

Chapter 59: The Storm That Swept Over Lanthanor

A day later, loud shouts and protests could be heard from a marketplace in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

"I have no choice! They bought everything and new honey still needs time to reach the store!"

The location of the uproar was outside a large food store. Many commoners were protesting over the absence of honey on sale.

As the guards arrived to break up the commotion, the commoners dispersed obediently cursing under their breaths. No one wanted to go to jail just because they could not have honey in their meal.

A similar sight could be seen in all the shops which usually stocked the commodity.In the night before, men from a minister's manor had approached and bought out all of the stocks of honey available.

In another 2 days, Ether-driven carts could be seen everywhere on the streets transporting a strange contraption. It was a round metal box with the top open, while some sort of liquid seemed to be sloshing in an unknown chamber inside.

These carts drove to every major merchant's house where a box was dropped off with a parchment holding detailed instructions on top.

According to the instructions, this was a product specifically developed to keep mosquitoes away from Ether and other precious materials. One would simply have to place this box near the storage area, and mosquitoes would stay away from Ether and be trapped inside the box. Each box would work for 30 days in a radius of 5 meters around the box, and the first box was free for all to try out.

Finally, the parchment told that a shop would open in 10 days which would sell the boxes. The name of this contraption would also be revealed at the opening of the store.

Accompanied by the sweet smell of honey, many merchants were puzzled reading this parchment. They spent hundreds and thousands of gold Lans each year to erect barriers to keep the accursed mosquitoes out. Now, this simple box could solve all of their problems?!

If it were true, it would simply shake the foundation of Lanthanor. One of the main imports of the kingdom were large barrier trinkets which were used for the same purpose. Trinkets only worked for a set period of time, so they had to be constantly switched out with new ones. This demand and supply chain had been going on for many years. In fact, almost no one could remember a time when trinkets weren't needed to keep the mosquitoes out. With time, the demand had only increased.

Even with years and years of experiments, no alternative had been developed. Although the trinkets burned a hole in their pockets, it was still acceptable because the alternative would be many, many times worse.

As they had nothing to loose, all of the merchants decided to try it out.

Mosquitoes were not tied to a day and night schedule, so barriers needed to be up 24/7. Placing a box near a cupboard in which some ether blocks were stored, a merchant in the western part of the outer city gingerly stretched his hand towards the trinket which was maintaining the barrier.

He knew that as soon as he deactivated it, a flood of mosquitoes would rush in to devour the blocks of Ether. No material obstruction could stand in their way.

This was the reason why many premium establishments erected barriers around rooms to avoid discomfort to customers who might be carrying precious materials. The Dwarve's rum had had such an arrangement.

Ready to activate the barrier again in case the box didn't work, the merchant switched it off.

The expected dark flood arrived, but all of the mosquitoes were funneled into the box in an instant.

It was as if something inside the box was much more tempting to the mosquitoes than the blocks of Ether that they were supposed to love so much.

Hence, any mosquitoes which came near were always diverted to the box, letting the merchant relax.

But, a second later, his merchant's mind clicked into place, directing him to find out and recreate whatever this box was doing. The fortune that could be earnt by selling such a wondrous product would definitely be limitless.

Opening the box, he saw that the mosquitoes had become trapped in what looked like honey. To make sure, he dipped a finger in the solution before licking it.

Sweet, sweet honey! This was what he tasted, prompting him to run out and order all of the guards to go buy all of the honey stocks available in the market.

Sadly, the Kingdom had already been swept clean. Most of the honey left was in the houses of the citizens, so for a few days, anyone who had been lucky enough to stock honey at their homes were paid exorbitant prices. Gold Lans were spent without thought and soon, everyone started building their own boxes.

Yet, there were some who realized that this could not simply be honey. Actually, the idea to use honey itself wasn't new. Everyone knew that mosquitoes lived on sweet food in the forest when there was no Ether available. And honey was, after all, their second most favorite food after Ether.

Hence, when given a choice, the mosquitoes would always choose the best delicacy, which, in their case, was always the Ether.

Metal workers were soon inundated with contracts to build replicas of the metal cages. There was no proper patent system in the Kingdom, hence there was nothing stopping anyone from making a copy if they had the skill.

As the first of the replicas started undergoing testing, the hopeful merchants realized that whatever the box did wasn't so simple after all. Try as they may, they could not make the mosquitoes enter the honey and become trapped inside instead of the Ether. Whoever tried had their Ether stocks devoured and were left crying at both the losses from the Ether blocks and the huge amounts of money paid to procure the honey fast and make a replica. Now, the numerous boxes that had been made were simply trash that would have to be thrown away, unless they could procure more of that solution in the original box. Resolving to buy as much of it as possible when the store opened, the merchants could only bury the memory of their losses in their mind and wait.

While these cries of lament started to be heard from many houses around the city, Daneel was calmly seated in a training chamber in the academy, enduring the prickling sensations throughout his body.

The pleasure that came from the knowledge that he was training both his body and mageroot at the same time eclipsed all the pain he felt.

His short term goal was to reach the level of an Eminent Human mage so that he could utilize the teleportation spell and shift the location of the natural training chamber. After finding out from Elanev just how much it cost to maintain the training chambers in the academy, he had realized further just how valuable any treasure that could naturally absorb magical energy was. Every second it lay there under his old house worried him, as he feared that someone might find its location and take it away. Thus, he had to train with everything he had.

Having nothing else to think about, he started to replay the events that had led to the creation of the box in his mind.

Chapter 60: The Wondrous Solution

The process that had led to the creation of the box was quite interesting. Initially, Daneel's idea had been to somehow harvest the mosquitoes for ether or energy. In any case, the first step was to observe the mosquitoes so that Phenomena Analysis Module-1 could answer his questions.

Thus, he and Elanev had set off to the forest to catch the mosquitoes. After some time spent observing the peculiar insects, the system was ready to answer his questions.

Sadly, his hopes of using the mosquitoes as a source for unlimited wealth became dashed. This was because he had found out about the energy modification that took place which led to the energy going back to the earth just like in the case when humans ingested the energy present in Ether.

Thus, he had no choice but to think of alternatives. Any product thrived on demand and supply, and in Lanthanor, there was an enormous demand for barriers to protect energy stores from being depleted.

Realizing that this was the case, Daneel started to think about ways in which he could solve this problem. These mosquitoes were actually quite similar to the ones that plagued humans back on earth, so he was instantly reminded of a simple home-made trap used in many houses.

Honey or sugar water would be placed in a bottle to attract the mosquitoes and trap them in the solution. This simple concept had to be applied in Lanthanor.

This had led to him buying various materials to test with in the marketplace.

Testing each with the mosquitoes he had caught, he realized that honey was the best option. The only problem was that it was not sticky enough to trap the mosquitoes.

Although he knew he had to find a way to solve this problem, Daneel had no idea how to. Of course, the more pressing problem was regarding how the honey would act as more of a temptation than the energy materials that they loved so much.

Ether, which was the most common material, could not be crushed and mixed into any solution, as this would result in the energy being depleted when the blocks became too small.

Also, it was not feasible to mix small chunks of ether in honey. The mosquitoes could simply devour these and move on to the actual materials.

With no idea about how to proceed, Daneel took to recalling everything he knew about Ether and energy in this world. Suddenly, he was reminded of the instance where he had absorbed energy from the public fountain to heal himself when he had first entered this world.

"System, is it possible to mix energy in honey in the same way that it was mixed in the water in the public fountains?"

On asking later about the process involved, Daneel had been told by the system that although the concentration of energy had been low in the water, it was possible to extract this energy and utilize it for healing due to both the system's capability and his body's weak state. Later, this concentration was too low and there had always been much better alternatives. In fact, he had only been capable of this because of the existence of the wondrous system in the first place. This was why the low concentration of energy didn't have the same effect on any of the commoners.

Thus, he had been hoping that the system could somehow infuse energy in the honey in the same way that it had extracted it in the first place.

[Negative. Tool "Technique Development-1" required. Cost: 2000 EXP.

Technique Development-1: Allows the host to develop new techniques/spells. At Level-1, only simple variations of spells can be developed.]

Daneel had seen this tool before in the store. Initially, it had excited him, but on finding out what exactly "simple variations" meant, he had had to give up on it temporarily.

"Simple Variations" meant that only simple spells like the fireball spell could be modified, and that too only to the extent where the shape or size could be changed.

Although modifying a fireball into a thin line would give it explosive penetration power, it was too flashy. Such spell modifications could only be done by those well experienced in the path of magic, mostly after rising at least to the level of an Exalted Mage. But, figures that powerful rarely used modifications of simple spells because they had much more powerful ones in their arsenal.

"System, how does the tool work? Can I give exact specifications of what I need to spell to do?"

[Affirmative. At Level-1, two specifications can be given.]

"What kind of specifications can be given?"

[Any simple technique/spell that the system is capable of can be infused into the spell, although the spell can never be as effective as the system.]

This was exactly what he needed. Hence, he chose to buy the tool without hesitation.

[Tool purchased. 2000 EXP deducted. Remaining EXP: 350. Thank you for shopping with the system!]

"Develop a spell which can infuse minimal amounts of energy into honey and also make the honey sticky enough to trap mosquitoes which enter it."

[Parameters set. Spell modifications accepted. Beginning Spell Development. Time Required: 3 hours.]

After the 3 hours went by in a breeze, Daneel found himself pointing his hand at a jar of honey and commanding the system to cast the newly developed spell.

As he did so, the gooey, yellow honey shone a golden hue before slightly solidifying.

In advance, Daneel had already borrowed some Ether blocks with a small portable barrier from Elanev for testing as he had stored his in the Natural Training Chamber.

Placing the barrier along with the ether blocks on a table, Daneel carried the modified honey jar over.

Praying to all the gods in this world, Daneel opened the jar containing the mosquitoes and switched off the barrier.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, the mosquitoes had all assaulted the honey and become trapped in them.

Success! Whooping in the air with joy, Daneel kissed the jar of honey in happiness.

On asking the system for the reason, he found out that as the modified honey was an amalgamation of both of their favorite foods, it was so much more tempting than any other materials present in the vicinity.

The rest had gone smoothly. The minister had been equally shocked on seeing the incredible effectiveness of the solution. After thoroughly testing the effectiveness, he had called over his trusted financial manager and entrusted the task to him.

The idea to give free samples had become ratified after Daneel gave his assurance that the solution could not be replicated by anyone. This was, after all, a totally new spell developed by the system.

The design of the box was also suggested by this manager, who had apparently worked in Elanev's home for the past 30 years. So far, the only people who knew that he was the creator of the solution were the minister, Elanev and the manager.

The decision was made that the shop would open in 10 days after deciding on the name. Now, the only task he had left was choose the name.

Daneel had already started development of some variations of spells that he had in mind ever since reading about the tool.

Tomorrow was the day of the unveiling, and Daneel could not wait to see what his first income would be.

Chapter 61: Honey Trap Store Opens

On the eve of the opening of one of the most awaited stores in the history of Lanthanor, the marketplace was packed with people looking around suspiciously.

Each and every merchant seemed to be prepared for a riot, as there were more guards than merchants in the area.

Standing quite a distance away in an alleyway, Daneel realized that he had underestimated the sheer allure of such a product. Seeing the crowd, he felt really glad that he had not decided to enter the business himself.

Each and every guard seemed to be holding combat trinkets in their hands, ready to deploy weapons and fight if needed at a moment's notice.

The centerpiece of the scene was a huge store whose banner was covered. All of the merchants constantly glanced at this store before nervously looking around at their opponents.

At his current level, using the spell on 10 liters of honey completely drained Daneel, resulting in him having to recover by using a training chamber.

Thus, spending a major part of the time he had, 100 liters of the magical solution had been given to the minister's manor. With the manager's assistance, Daneel had requested all of the honey to be stored in a warehouse before teleporting inside after ensuring that no one was looking. The warehouse was in a protected location that could not be investigated by normal people. Only the court mage or the grand court mage had the ability to view the location, hence Daneel had borrowed the red coin from the minister before proceeding with the spell.

Like the system had said, it was impossible for the Grand Court Mage to keep his eye on him 24/7. The Kingdom had many more problems to take care of, but Daneel decided that using precautions was always best. This was especially the case when the product at hand was so valuable.

The price of a barrier that kept mosquitoes away from a radius similar to Daneel's product was 2000 Gold Lans. The only advantage with the barrier was that it lasted longer than the solution. A barrier of such a size could be used for 3 months day and night before it lost its effect. As for the solution, 500 ML of it, which was the amount present in each box, could last for 1 month.

Because it was only the first day, Daneel and the manager had decided to price 1 liter of the honey at 1000 Gold Lans. Although this amount would only suffice for 2 months, it was still quite a bit lesser than the price of the alternative.

As soon as the clock struck 12:00 PM, bright fireworks started going off above the banner. These were magically enhanced fireworks, with gold dragons and sphinxes that almost looked real flying around the top of the store.

Only the commoners who were watching from the side, shoved away by all of the merchants, went "ooh" and "aah" seeing the marvelous display.

With a BANG, both the cover over the banner and the curtain over the store fell to the ground.

"HONEY TRAP STORE"

Seeing these words, the merchants thought that the name was indeed fitting. In fact, Daneel had actually picked up the name after overhearing someone in the academy talk about the boxes that had been sent out. As he had seen the name already being used unofficially, Daneel decided that there was no harm in making it official. Besides, it was easy to remember.

Of course, Daneel couldn't help but wish that the name could have been "Anivron Honey Traps". He knew very well how effective a brand was, and he looked forward to the day when he would have enough power to use his name on each and every one of his products.

The store that had just been unveiled was unlike any other that Daneel had ever seen. Resolving to watch and learn, Daneel observed as the manager himself appeared on the stage.

Yes, the stage. The store was actually like a theater from Earth, with an open stage containing a podium facing all of the waiting merchants.

"Welcome to the opening of the Honey Trap Store! Let me get straight to the point. We have 100 liters of the honey up for sale, with each liter costing 1000 Gold Lans. Each liter's efficiency has already been communicated to you in the parchment. The trap will each cost 10 Gold Lans, and there are only a few available. Each merchant can only purchase 5 liters at maximum. Causing disturbance will automatically ban you from purchasing at the store. Now, please send someone with the money and collect your honey behind the door. There are constables at the rear who will keep the peace."

Hearing the last sentence, the merchants sighed before giving up on the nefarious plans in their minds. A minister was of course the best man suited for such a business, with the power to use government forces to ensure fair sales.

One by one, each merchant collected the honey before leaving the store, vowing to use all of their resources to find the creator of this wonderful solution. Even Daneel felt a little scared seeing the expressions of vexation on those who had planned to find the creator.

As for the merchants who didn't get a chance to reach the rear before the honey was up, they could only curse and stare at the leaving merchants' backs with envy.

Almost all of the traps had been left alone. This was also the brilliance of the solution: everything except the core part was non proprietary. Anyone could make the traps, but there was only one source for the honey.

This actually reminded Daneel of a situation on Earth. There, fuel had very few sources, and the corporations which supplied this fuel were the richest in the world. Anyone could make cars or machines which used this fuel, but the corporations would always be the ones who stood on top because they supplied the lifeblood to all of these machines.

100,000 Gold Lans! He had already earned such a huge sum of money! In contrast to his earlier state where he had to scrounge for a few Silver Lans, this achievement was even more noteworthy.

Although this amount would be nothing for large factions, it was an excellent start especially for the number of people Daneel had right now. Trinkets, Ether, anything they wished for could now be theirs.

[Achievement "First Financial Success" obtained.

First Financial Success: By identifying a problem and solving it by using knowledge from your previous world, you have succeeded in building a product which has shaken the business landscape of the Kingdom Of Lanthanor. By doing so, you have also obtained the first major financial success on your journey to World Domination. Congratulations on embarking on the path of a business mastermind!

2000 EXP Awarded.

Total EXP: 2350]

Busy grinning wide, Daneel was startled when he felt a hand fall on his shoulder. Hurriedly turning around, he realized that it was just Elanev.

Panting with exhaustion, Elanev first took a few deep breaths before saying something that made Daneel freeze with shock.

"The King just made a visit to the manor. As soon as he left, father ordered me to get you there as discreetly as possible. Lets go."

Chapter 62: Farewell

Attention from the King. This was exactly what he had intended to avoid.

In his mind, Daneel started reviewing everything he did. All along the journey of making and selling the honey trap, he had mostly been concerned about the amount of Gold it would make. Although he knew that he could not draw attention to himself, he had assumed that selling it under the minister's cover would grant him immunity from any troubles that followed.

Hitting his head in exasperation, he realized that he had been too damn naive. Such a product would surely shake the foundations of the kingdom. Although he had been aware of this, he had simply taken it as a positive, as it would mean more sales for him.

Yet, it was actually the most worrisome part of the plan. At this moment, he felt he really should have taken more precautions, or even found a different, less impactful product.

Sadly, it was already too late. The honey was already a huge hit, and he now had to find a way to salvage the situation.

Instantly, he was reminded of his parents who were still in the villa. Panicking, he asked Elanev, "My parents! What if they get attacked?"

"Calm down. Things haven't devolved to that stage yet. None the less, father also said that he has prepared a location to move your parents to. If you want to do it as quickly as possible, let's make a short trip to your house and then go to the manor. You have to ask them to be ready to leave as soon as possible."

Elanev was also close to Daneel's mom and dad. Growing up without a mother, the warmth that Maria had shown him had given him a taste of what a Mother's love felt like. Thus, he was also very protective.

Nodding, Daneel took off at a run towards his villa with Elanev following behind.

On entering the house after hurriedly knocking, Daneel heaved a sigh of relief seeing that they were fine.

They had puzzled looks on their faces on seeing their son act with a sense of urgency that he had never shown before.

Rushing forward, he hugged them both tight. What if their dead bodies had greeted him when he opened the door?

As this thought greeted his mind, he let go of the tears that he had been holding back. One oversight. One mistake. And it might have resulted in something that he would never have forgiven himself for all his life.

Startled at the sudden hug and tears, Robert and Maria only patted his back, waiting for him to control his emotions.

After a minute had passed, he finally spoke.

"Dad, mom. I need you two to pack all essential things. A few people will be coming to take you to a safe location. I don't have the time to explain right now, so I just need you to trust me. You might not see me for a period of time, but I will try to come visit whenever I can."

Hearing these sudden words, the old couple could only stare at Daneel wondering if they had heard right.

Everything had been going great for the Anivron family. Money was no longer a problem, and their son was a student of the top batch in the prestigious National Magic Academy of Lanthanor. They had even decided to let bygones be bygones and lead a peaceful life.

Now, they needed to move?

As Maria opened her mouth to ask Daneel just what was going on, Robert caught her shoulders and shook his head. Understanding the signal, she stopped.

Robert had seen the look in Daneel's eyes when he had said that they should move. Those were the same eyes he had had when he had to explain to Maria that he had been exiled from the army.

Those were the eyes of a man who wanted to protect his family from a storm that only he knew was coming.

Yes, a man. Robert had started treating Daneel as one ever since he had obtained admission in the academy and started handling his own affairs. All he wished was that his son could lead a happy life.

Now, it was clear that there was something going on that they did not know about. Yet, the only thing they needed to know was that their son needed them to move.

And move they would.

Without a word, Robert started walking towards the suitcases to begin packing. Seeing his actions, Maria followed. The couple had known each other long enough to understand most things without even needing to speak.

Seeing their actions, Daneel felt grateful that he had transmigrated into such a family who understood and trusted him no matter the situation.

As he turned his back to walk to the door, his father's voice floated towards him from the house.

"Take care, son. Always know that we love you."

Etching these words into his heart, he turned around and took one last look at them both before running out the door. It was farewell for now.

Nodding at Elanev who had been waiting outside, the two proceeded towards the manor.

Just as they got near the destination, Elanev took out a key from his pocket and lead Daneel into an alleyway beside the manor.

As they walked inside, he seemed to be counting the rocks on the wall. After 10 minutes, he finally paused and placed his hand on a certain rock.

It was impossible to see just what was special about this particular rock. But, as Elanev bit his finger and wrote a strange character on the rock, the blood glowed before vanishing to reveal a keyhole.

On inserting the key, an opening in the wall with stairs that seemed to lead underground appeared.

Gesturing Daneel to get in, Elanev carefully pulled a hatch on the inside of the opening after ensuring that no one was looking.

"This is a passageway that can only be opened by a member of our family. There is a transparent barrier here that prevents spying at this location. Although it costs a ton, it's especially useful in situations like these. Let's go. This directly leads to a room beside the hall.", said Elanev as soon as he entered.

Nodding, Daneel conjured a fireball for light and proceeded down the stairs. After some time, they reached a cavern that seemed to be excavated in the ground.

After walking in the cavern for thirty minutes, a door finally appeared which Elanev again opened using his blood.

As they exited, Daneel saw two men with worried faces walking to and fro in a room.

The room was small, with a bed in the middle. It was already crowded due to the appearance of two more people.

Hearing the door open, the walking men turned around and smiled slightly seeing Daneel.

These were two of the most powerful people in the Kingdom of Lanthanor: The Court Mage and the 'Righteous Hawk".

A single look at their faces would prompt one to wonder what disaster was befalling the kingdom if it made people of such status put on grave expressions of utter seriousness.

Chapter 63: Master Novrain

"Elanev, go make sure no one disturbs us. Daneel, sit. We need to talk.", said the minister, pointing to the bed in the room.

Nodding, Elanev gave Daneel a weak smile before exiting the room.

"We have a small window. The King is discussing with the Grand Court mage. Let's make it fast. Daneel, you have been very busy lately.", said Kellor , folding his hands.

"I am sorry, I simply had no idea that the product would be so impactful."

Daneel rubbed his nose as he said this. Hearing his words, the two men looked at each other before sighing.

"Yes, I should have warned you of the repercussions. Only, I myself underestimated the interest the King would show in the product. At the agreed price, one would only save 25% of the money spent on barriers. Although this adds up into an astronomical figure, the King was not supposed to take interest in it so soon.", said the minister in an apologetic tone.

"No, the King isn't moving for some monetary profit. Just like me, the Grand Court Mage must have analyzed a sample and realized that the person or organization behind such a wondrous effect is definitely one which should not be provoked. Thus, I suspect he simply wants to request for help; either in the struggle against the other factions or to smuggle out his kith and kin unnoticed before the previous King passes away."

Kellor spoke in a contemplative tone as he responded to the minister's apology. Folding his hands, he looked straight into Daneel's eyes before continuing.

"Daneel, such a solution cannot be made by one who is not at least an Eminent Warrior Mage. I've studied a small sample. The skill in magic required to cast a spell that uses such intricate particle manipulation is incomparable to any Exalted Human Mage like me. Of course, no matter how talented you are, it is impossible that you have reached that level. In fact, even the Grand Court Mage, who is the second strongest mage in the Kingdom, is also only an Exalted Human Mage. Who is the personage helping you, Daneel?"

Indeed! Daneel had also been puzzled as to why the King would move in such a crucial time. Now, it was apparent that his motive was not the honey, but the 'existence' behind it. Ironically, these two came to the same conclusion as the TriCobra sect had before.

Actually, Daneel had had no idea that the spell was that complex. He had simply planned to tell Kellor that he had become inspired by something he had seen in nature. This was not new, as there were many instances of the same happening in the books that he had read.

Now, there was no way to use that excuse. How much ever he trusted the two men in front of him, there was no way he would expose the system, which was the greatest weapon he had.

Thus, the only choice he had was to accept that there was some unknown master behind him. This would let him both collect the money safely and use the disguise whenever he needed to cast the spell on the honey in the future. Also, it might ensure that he would stay immune from any dangers that followed, if he could show that the master was a figure that should not be provoked.

Deciding that this was the best thing to do right now, Daneel quickly started thinking for a name.

"I was going to tell you myself. A few days after you visited my room, an old man came to me saying he wanted to take me in as a disciple. When I refused, he teleported me to a remote location.

"With a gesture of his hand, a 10 foot tall tornado came into being that started devouring a forest nearby. Realizing that I had come across an expert, I immediately asked him to take me in.

"Although he agreed, he stated that he would only help me a little bit until I reached a certain level. I could request 3 things of him. The first thing I requested was this: a product which will let me earn money for my faction. He agreed and gave me this honey and said he would personally modify as much as needed. He was also very encouraging of me building a faction, saying that 'Leadership must be learned from a young age.'"

Stopping himself from blabbering further, Daneel looked at the two of them to see if his lie worked. This was actually a story he had read back on Earth, and he had fit it to his situation to convince Kellor and the minister.

His hope was that the fear of a powerful master would keep the king in check, especially in a time like this when there were so many looming threats to his life.

"Daneel, that is one of the most far-fetched stories I have ever heard."

Hearing these words, Daneel tensed up thinking that his lie had been seen through. Yet, the sentence that followed put him at ease.

"But, I have no choice but to believe you. I trust in my instincts that such a solution can only be made by a mage more powerful than any in this Kingdom. According to my master, there are some peculiar experts who act similarly on their whim. What is this honorable master's name, if I might ask?"

"Master Novrain."

Daneel had been thinking for a name ever since he had decided to use the lie. Finally, he decided on using an anagram of his family name as that seemed to be the most fitting.

"A noble name. I am glad our suspicion turned out to be true. I voiced this to the minister as soon as I saw the solution, and that is why I did not stop him. Only the King's sudden interest was unexpected.", said Kellor, smiling.

"That settles everything. I had no choice but to tell the King that there is an unknown person who approached me with the product and asked me put it on sale. He and the Grand Court Mage want to meet this person. It should be fine to ask your master to meet with them, as they present no threat to an existence at his level.", said the minister, as if everything was all right now.

Daneel had been smiling, thinking the same, but his mind went blank hearing this. The imaginary master would have to meet the King and the Grand Court Mage so soon?!

"Is that OK Daneel? Will you let me know later about the location and the date?"

"Ye-yes..."

Rethinking about everything that he had heard so far, Daneel decided to agree to the meeting. Major gains could only be made by taking major risks.

To the King, this was a meeting with a powerful existence or organization that he would not dare provoke. Thus, there was only a minimal risk of there being danger. Besides, he was also very interested in finding out what the future plans of the king were. If he could somehow get crucial information regarding the King's next movements using the identity of a powerful existence, then he could change his plans accordingly and stay one step ahead.

"System, can I use the spells I developed using the tool to pass off as an Eminent Warrior Mage?"

[On analyzing records collected from the library, system can confirm that at least one spell which is only castable by an Eminent Warrior Mage can be cast by host by using the Parallel Processing Tool to combine 2 spells developed by the system.]

Although he had answered a bit doubtfully, he started feeling confident after hearing this answer from the system.

It was time to practice some acting.

Chapter 64: Meeting The King Again

A few days later. In a forest in the outskirts of the Capital City of Lanthanor.

Two men wearing shining robes stood beside each other, discussing something in a low voice while waiting for someone to appear.

A few minutes later, a figure in grey robes stepped out of the air in front of them. This man who had just appeared seemed middle-aged, with a clean shaven face and glossy, black hair that swayed in the breeze. His sharp chin took attention away from the hooked nose that was situated below eyes that were a vivid green.

As soon as he appeared, two 1 inch thin needles apparently made of fire came into existence in front of him.

The older man of the two, who had a wrinkled face with long, white hair, gasped in shock as he saw these two needles appear. Fire was something that existed unrestrained. Being able to tame and compress it into such a deadly form was definitely something that far exceeded his level. Realizing this, he shook his head at the King as if answering an earlier question that had been asked.

Gesturing with his hand, the man shot the two needles in different directions.

Scorched holes appeared on the trees around them, making the other man, the King of Lanthanor, look around with incredulity.

"One mage using shadow magic to hide himself in a tree 70 feet south west. Another fighter in the tree 90 feet north east holding his breath. Do you want to command them to leave or should I kill them as a warning?"

A deep voice spelled out the exact locations of the spies they had placed, making sweat appear on the brows of the men who seldom found themselves in positions like these where they were not in power.

Of course, this man was Daneel. The disaster that had occurred previously when he had tried to pass himself off as someone else was still fresh in his mind, prompting him to plan each and every aspect of this meeting thoroughly. Daneel knew that the only way to improve was to learn from one's mistakes, thus he applied himself fastidiously into practicing and perfecting the act that he would be putting up soon.

He bought the Surveillance tool from the system, which allowed him to detect anyone spying on him at a distance of 100 feet in any direction. Also, he had tried out each and every newly developed spell multiple times so that he could use all of them naturally at a moment's notice. After feeling that he was ready, he had communicated with the minister to tell the King to come to the forest where he and Elanev had caught mosquitoes.

He needed to establish his position of power as soon as he arrived, thus he had hoped that the King would set up spies to monitor the location. Thankfully, his hunch had been correct, and the two men in front of him were now thoroughly cowed due to his usage of the modified fireball spell.

"Apologies. They were simply placed there to keep a lookout in case any enemies attack. I will immediately ask them to leave."

Saying so in a neutral tone, the King took out a green coin from his pocket and squeezed it.

"It is done. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Richard Lanthanore, King of the great nation of Lanthanor. The man beside me is the Kingdom's Grand Court Mage, Declan. We would like to request something of you that we hope you would take under consideration."

Seeing the King speaking so carefully in front of him, Daneel was reminded of the last time when he was made to kneel with blood flowing out of his mouth. Power was indeed everything. Then, he had been an ant who could be crushed at any time. Now, he was a mysterious personage who needed to be 'requested' humbly.

The old man beside the King simply nodded, still in awe at the incredible complexity of the magic that had just been displayed.

"State your request.", he said simply, making the King smile slightly.

A discussion between two parties was always dictated by one thing: need. The King had something he needed from the powerful person in front of him. Now, he needed to put forward something that would hopefully address a need of the other party.

"First, let me tell you what I offer in return. The palace will directly buy the honey trap solution from you and pay you in any form you need. Any energy material is fine as long as we have them. I trust that you are in need of resources. No matter what your request, we will satisfy them. In return, 10 years from now, we request you to arrange a long-range teleportation which we will pay for handsomely."

Hearing this, Daneel struggled to keep his eyes from widening in surprise. This damn King wanted to simply run away from all the troubles? What about the people of the Kingdom?

"I have heard about the troubles in your Kingdom. You are prepared to leave your people to fend for themselves against the turmoil that will surely follow?", he asked, making sure to speak in a tone that would sound like he was simply asking without approving or disapproving of the King's decision.

"As a personage of your power must know, power and longevity are all that matters to us who have trained to a level where we can squat any commoner to death simply by a wave of our hands. I have no reason to fight foolishly and die in the hands of those who simply want a vacuum in power. Thus, I have entered into an agreement with a Kingdom that will support me and help me reach the next level if I can deliver a certain amount of energy materials. Of course, I would be willing to enter the same agreement with you if it is possible.", said the King, smiling as if hoping Daneel would give a similar offer.

Indeed. Like he had imagined, the King only cared about power. Right now, all he felt was disgust looking at this man who gave up on his people simply because he cared for his life more.

He etched these twisted, hopeful expressions into his mind, deciding to use them as a symbol of how a King should not be. If he were a commoner, he would have opted to spit in such a selfish King's face even if it meant death.

Just as he was about to respond, he felt a tremor under his feet as if an earthquake were taking place.

At first, Daneel thought that it was an attack by the two in front of him, but that would not make any sense. As he looked at the expressions of confusion on the King and the Grand Court Mage, he realized that he was right. This was not their doing.

Getting an ominous feeling, Daneel commanded the system to cast the teleportation spell.

[Teleportation Unavailable. Surrounding space has been locked], came the reply, while he watched with bewilderment as the ground under him rose and solidified around his feet, trapping him in place.

Chapter 65: Church Of Rectitude Attacks

Try as he may, Daneel could not escape from the clutches of the earth that had just trapped him. Yet, he struggled to keep a cool expression.

A wide crack appeared in the ground between them, while the King and the Grand Court Mage controlled their expressions just like Daneel.

"System, how do I get out?", asked Daneel urgently, sensing that he would have to get out of this predicament soon if he did not want his cover to be blown.

[Host has been trapped by a Human Mage Spell: Earth Prison. The solidified earth can be cut by using the modified fireball spell.

System informs host that the "Space Lock" spell is also active in host's location. Due to the activation of this spell, the surrounding space has been locked. A variation of the teleportation spell can be developed in five minutes which will let host teleport out of the location. Would you like to develop this spell?]

"Yes!", shouted Daneel in his mind, while five people wearing clothes similar to Radagasts' appeared out of the crack.

All five started chanting together in a strange language that Daneel had never heard. Between them, two small tornadoes started forming as he looked on trying not to panic.

These were no normal tornadoes. Bolts of lightning could be seen swimming around inside, as if they were snakes that would devour anything that entered.

"Selfish King, how did you dare to come out of the city when you know that the presence of your ancestor is the only thing stopping us from purging the nation of the corrupt nobility?", came Radagast's voice as he too stepped out of the crack.

Without giving the King a chance to answer, he turned around and looked at Daneel.

"As for you, which organization do you belong to? State the name, and we will spare you if it is an allied organization. Is it the Divine Elements sect? Your product is similar to one made by them. Are you perhaps an exiled disciple who is exploiting their secrets for some resources?"

Hearing Radagast speak, an expression of realization appeared on the King's face. Could this be true? he seemed to be wondering, making Daneel think fast about how he could remove the suspicion.

He was a powerful personage, after all. And wouldn't a powerful personage have his pride?

"Hmph, you have no right to know. Attack me and it will be a mistake which will make the Arch Bishop above you come to seek forgiveness. Let me go and I'll forget that this ever happened."

Daneel had studied the parchment about the Church of Rectitude, thus he knew the hierarchy of the members. An Arch Bishop was definitely higher in the list, so he decided to use that name to try and scare these priests away.

"An Arch Bishop? We will see about that. I believe that you are only an exile, and the great Saint Rectitude always instructs us to follow our instincts. Either leave if you are capable of it, or die at the hands of the lightning tornado. If the Arch Bishop does need to descend, I have no problem begging at your feet then." Saying so, he joined the group that was chanting.

Alas, his ploy had failed. This was the problem with zealots: their faith, both in their chosen leader and themselves, was often quite strong. In some cases, it was strong enough to even bet their lives on.

Cutting the earth and running away was no longer an option, because that would simply let the others know that he was not who he claimed to be. Besides, Radagast might decide to attack personally, and Daneel knew he could not beat him in a straight up fight. As for using the needle to kill the priests, the system had warned him before that it was not a threat to even Exalted Human Mages. Although it looked very impressive and had incredible penetrative power, it moved too slow and someone with enough power could easily dodge it even if he surprised them with it. Of course, it had been perfect for impressing the two because they had been fixated more on how he had even made the needles appear in the first place.

"Is there a way to stop the tornado from affecting me until the spell is developed?", asked Daneel, seeing that the tornado was slowly growing taller than him.

[Data about spell not present in database. Analysis in progress. Please wait.]

The wind and lightning would soon tear him into pieces, and the system was asking him to wait. At this moment, Daneel realized that he was depending on the system too much. Almost every time he faced a problem, he had gotten used to asking the system for a solution.

The current situation forced him to use his own brain for once, like the time when he trained on his own during the hell training in the Fists of Justice Training Hall. Only, with time, he had forgotten that feeling of depending on himself.

Strong winds were being spat out of the tornado at regular intervals, making Daneel's eyes water. Yet, he stared right at it as if he were looking for something he had lost inside.

As he did so, he noticed that although the earth all around had been disturbed, the spot at the center looked normal.

"Of course! The eye of the tornado is the safest place!", he realized, but he had to find a way to enter the eye without being swept away or killed by the cutting winds and the lightning first.

However he racked his brain, there was no way he could use a spell which would allow him to survive long enough to enter. The only passable option was a barrier spell that he had developed using the system: it made a transparent barrier above his skin protecting him from danger. Yet, due to his present level, the barrier was quite weak and would only provide him with a moment's protection.

Shifting his thinking, Daneel tried hard to remember everything from his previous life hoping to find a clue from it. Finally, he got an idea that might work.

It had only been a couple of minutes since the priests had appeared. What was weird was that the King and the Grand Court Mage had relatively calm expressions on their faces, and they had not even deigned to give a reply to Radagast.

"Jeiz!"

With a weird intonation from the chanting priests, the twin tornadoes starting moving towards the two of them.

Daneel simply stood there, but the King had already activated a barrier around the two of them.

Deciding to focus on saving himself first, Daneel commanded the system to cast the two spells he had decided on.

Hidden from the view of the priests, a tiny tornado similar to the one that was going to assault him came into existence in the air behind his back.

Since he had the parallel processing tool, Daneel also cast the barrier spell on himself for protection.

At the instant that the priests' tornado with swirling sand and rock came near him, Daneel bent back and entered the one he had made using his barrier for protection.

Only, his was revolving in a direction opposite to the one that was attacking him. A cancellation effect started to take place, lessening the speed at which the enemy tornado was revolving.

He had made sure to keep it hidden from the priests, who were completely focused on the king's actions.

The barrier protected him momentarily, before losing its effect and exposing him to the myriad sand particles and lightning bolts that were trying to destroy him.

At that exact moment, he heard the voice he had been waiting for since what felt like a very long time.

[Development complete. Lock-breaking Teleportation Spell developed.]

"Use it!", he screamed, vanishing from the spot before his tiny tornado lost all of its effect from trying to fight against the larger one. 2 needles of fire had already cut the earth trapping his feet.

The last thing he saw before he vanished from the scene was a very old man appearing in front of the King and the Grand Court Mage.

Daneel had no idea if he remembered correctly, but he could swear that he had seen the swirling particles and lightning bolts stop in mid air as the man raised his hand and pointed it at the tornado.

Chapter 66: The Previous King

The priests had diverted their attention to the King right after shooting the tornado at Daneel, thus they did not notice him vanish from where he had been standing.

Instead, they were preoccupied by an old man that had appeared in front of them. This man had long, grey hair which reached his chest, but his face was clean shaven showing a strong jaw and a bold nose much like the King's. Only, his eyes seemed to contain an experience that made one wonder just how many years they had seen.

A simple raise of his hand stopped the elements approaching them, resulting in a stunning image where the swirls of sand and lightning were suspended in mid air.

Yet, he only humphed at the priests before disappearing and letting the tornado rage on and destroy the trees behind them.

The five priests who had been watching were puzzled as to why their leader did nothing to stop the enemies after going to so much trouble to set up an expensive formation and carry out an ambush.

Radagast only had a wide smile on his face as he watched them vanish. Noticing the puzzled looks on the other priests' faces, he said, "That was the previous King, the most powerful person in the Kingdom of Lanthanor. It is his demise that will signal the Church to begin the purge. Our attack was only an attempt to deplete his power and hasten his eventual death."

One of the priests curiously asked, "Then why didn't he just kill us if he is so powerful?"

"In his present state, every move he makes shortens his life span. But, attacking the palace is impossible because there is a very powerful spell formation around the palace which will not deplete the previous King's lifespan when he controls it. He could simply slap us to death without breaking a sweat, but that formation will not be anywhere as effective when controlled by his untalented son. Let's go. We must report to the Archbishop."

Hearing this, each of the priests took out peculiar globe-shaped trinkets from their pockets and held them in their hands. As Radagast waited for the space lock spell to deactivate, he gazed at the position where the mysterious master had been standing before.

"Five minutes to break out of a space lock. So he is at least an Amateur Warrior Mage after all. Hmph, as if that level were enough to communicate with the great Arch Bishop.", he muttered under his breath while committing the face of the man to his memory.

Inside a hidden bedroom in the Royal Palace.

The previous King who had just appeared in the room along with the present King and the Grand Court Mage coughed violently before wearily sitting on the bed.

"Richard, you know this is a sensitive time. Why did you leave the palace?"

In front of this man, the King only had a humble expression on his face. His head lowered, he answered, "I was looking for a potential ally, father. This man made a wondrous solution which the Grand Court Mage observed and said that it was definitely made by at least an Amateur Warrior Mage. I just wanted to get as much help as possible to defend the throne when the time comes."

The Grand Court Mage also hurriedly nodded to agree when the man on the bed glanced at him.

"Yes, allies will be useful. But from now on, do not leave the palace."

"I will not, father. Could that man really be that powerful?", he asked, doubtful after what he had heard from the priest.

"He broke out of a space lock in five minutes. That does require one to reach at least the Amateur Warrior Mage level. Be careful, son. Redouble your efforts. This Kingdom was built by the blood and sweat of the Noble Line of the Lanthanore Family. We must defend the throne at any cost. If we can't, then we shall perish with it and take as many of the bastards with us as we can."

The temperature in the room increased as the man uttered these passionate words. Yet, he immediately started coughing again, prompting him to lie down.

"De-defend .... or die .... Take care, son. I must rest now.", he said with a shaky voice before closing his eyes.

Yet, the King only had a mocking expression on his face as he exited the room.

Meanwhile, Daneel had morphed back into his original form after teleporting into the Outer City. It was lucky that the forest had only been a few kilometers away from the Outer City, allowing him to use minimal energy to escape the location.

His skin was bleeding from the many lacerations he had endured before managing to teleport out. He could only withstand the pain and limp back to his room while being on the look out for any constables that might be patrolling.

With a little luck, Daneel only had to teleport twice to escape the patrols before he finally reached his room. He had just been running out of energy, and his mageroot had started to throb from the over exertion.

Thankfully, all of the cuts were only the surface. The main problem was the sheer number of them. Taking out the healing solution stocked in all rooms in the quarters, Daneel applied it everywhere he could before falling asleep.

The next morning, he woke up to an itching all around his body from the solution working to heal the wounds. Gingerly getting up, he took a bath before hurrying to the minister's manor.

Although he had no idea if his bluffs had worked, he still needed to go find out just what the situation was.

As soon as he entered, he saw the minister sitting in the hall, smiling.

"The King has ordered the finance minister to extend a contract to sell all the honey trap solution directly to the palace. The palace will buy it from you at the price that was stated during the store opening, although there is a limit of just how much they can buy at a time. It seems your master impressed them, Daneel. The King also asked me personally to ask your master to just consider the matter he requested and give an answer later."

Hearing this, Daneel beamed with happiness. It worked!

Realizing that all of his financial problems were now solved, Daneel reveled in the joy while he felt his mind relaxing. It had been cluttered with a multitude of backup plans and fears in case the King decided that the 'master' had been bluffing.

Now, all he needed to do was slowly focus on building his faction while making trinkets and supplying training materials to all those he took in. Although there were a few miscellaneous tasks like going back to the Enchanter to learn more trinket enchantments and directing Joshua thoroughly to induct trustworthy people into his faction using oaths, the majority of his worries had already been eliminated.

The meeting had been very important because he now knew that the King would flee rather than fight.

After all, knowledge was power. And with this knowledge, Daneel could modify his plans so that he would not be caught off guard when the King did leave, leaving all of the contenders for the throne to fight it out.

Chapter 67: Setting Plans Into Motion

A huge, red pouch was on the table, which the minister gestured to before saying, "This is 20,000 of the 100,000 Gold Lans that were earned in the sale. I will be setting up a warehouse where honey will be stored. Your master can simply convert as much as he wants into honey trap solution and notify me so that I can deliver them to the palace. The rest of the gold is in the 4th room in that corridor which is opened by this key. You can use that room however you like, and all payments will be deposited there. Daneel, be careful. There are too many undercurrents in the Kingdom and I don't want you to get caught up in any of them."

The minister handed a golden key to him before giving a broad smile and leaving with the waiting space mage.

Taking the red bag into his hands, Daneel felt for the first time how it was to be rich.

Walking towards the room indicated, he used the key and came upon a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Piles of gold coins were stacked in the room, in neat rows that glittered with the light that came in due to the door opening.

Daneel counted 8 rows, which meant that each row was 10,000 Gold coins.

Everything had worked out! His risks, fears, and efforts all felt like they had paid off at this moment when he gazed at this sight in front of him and rejoiced that henceforth, there would be no want of wealth for him and his followers.

Taking the red pouch, Daneel left the manor and first went to his room. It was time to sit Faxul down and explain everything to him.

On hearing that Daneel was building his own faction, his friend simply nodded before asking what he needed to do, making Daneel wonder if his ambitions were that clear.

Faxul was tasked with finding more recruits who fit the criteria: hardworking and oppressed, with a desire to take revenge. His job was to coordinate with Joshua and track down all such individuals in the academy before collecting data on them. Of course, this had to be done as discreetly as possible.

The fact that very few people were carrying out this task meant that the chances of it leaking were slim. Yet, just to be safe, Daneel decided to implement oaths early.

He was after all a respected figure in the academy, known to have stood up against the nobility and even succeeding in beating the best of them. Thus, there were some like Joshua who were ready to follow as soon as the opportunity arose.

Although this number was slim, Daneel did not want to waste the opportunity they presented. Thus, he had the system develop a magical vow spell before telling Faxul and Joshua to secretly meet him in case any such candidates arose to take the oath.

The problem of surveillance was solved by using the gold to buy a trinket that covered the area he was in. Because he was already in possession of the anti-surveillance tool, Daneel could now tell whether he was being spied on by someone. If it was the case, he would simply either choose a different time and place or use the trinket in case that wasn't an option. This rare trinket itself costs 20,000 Gold Lans and had to be provided by the minister.

The next thing Daneel did was visit Ripley again to observe some basic defense and offense trinkets and develop the techniques required to enchant them. His goal was to have a stock of defense and offense trinkets that he would be able to hand out to the members of his faction when the time arose.

Of course, due to the almost unlimited amount of wealth he now possessed, buying up trinkets was also an option, yet this would arouse too much suspicion if too many were purchased too fast. The only option he had was to slowly buy some each time with different people, but this wouldn't be enough to reach the target he had in mind.

Hence, he set out to enchant trinkets himself.

Daneel had expected that it would be a piece of cake due to having the technique, but he was shocked to see that the system only used the Heads Up Display to give an indication of the actions he must do.

On inquiring with the system, he realized that there were two ways to learn enchanting: one, enchant materials forged by others and two, learn the forging himself and accompany the trinket in every step of the way.

Ripley used the second. On asking the system, Daneel found that using the latter way, one would have greater chances of success because each and every fault and imperfection in the metal would already be known by the Enchanter. Many enchanters, in fact, learned from common blacksmiths first before even starting to think about embarking on the path of enchantment. This was also mainly because of the success rate: the former typically resulted in trinkets being successfully enchanted two out of ten tries, while the latter resulted in at least a 50% success rate.

Although he was a bit tempted to choose the former to save time, Daneel went with his instincts which made him feel that the latter would allow him to build a solid base which would definitely show its value later. But, he did not have enough time to go learn blacksmithing first before coming back to enchanting.

Luckily, he had the system to train him. The Heads Up Display showed him everything, from the curve in which his arm should move to the position that he must be in to exert maximum power. Now, the only thing he needed was time and practice, to make his muscles and mind used to complex movements that accompanied enchanting.

The last problem that he needed to solve was the nobility. Since the fight between Varanel and Joshua, Daneel had been waiting for the nobles to retaliate and either increase their activities of oppression or challenge again knowing that the strategy had only worked by a fluke because they had taken their victory for granted.

Yet, what was puzzling was that in the days that followed, some of the nobles who would often find joy in stepping down on the commoners slowly started to suppress their actions. This also included Varanel, which made Daneel wonder exactly what had changed their mindsets. Was it the threat of impending doom? But this was unlikely, as that information was secret and only few knew about it.

Whatever the reason, it was too little too late. The suffering the general populace had endured was now branded into their minds, and such small changes in attitude would do almost nothing in changing that.

With everything settled, Daneel plunged back into a hectic schedule much like the one he had in his first year. Enchantment, body and mageroot training, recruitment discussions, honey trap solution synthesis, resources distribution and implementing some plans that would add more tricks up his sleeve. He tackled each of these tasks with the singular discipline of one who knew exactly how precious each and every second was.

Only, Daneel knew that this was the peace that symbolized the calm before the incoming storm that would decide the future of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Chapter 68: A Stormy Nigh

A man wearing black robes walked through the streets in the slums of the Kingdom of Lanthanor while taking care to keep his hood up to defend himself from the tumultuous wind and rain that was trying to make him stop his journey and go back to wherever he came from.

Seeing that it was getting harder and harder to keep moving forward, the man discreetly glanced around to check if there were any constables watching. It was a particularly stormy night in the Kingdom, making many constables seek shelter in their favorite bars hoping that their superiors were doing the same and thus not checking whether they were doing their duty.

Confirming that there was no one around, the man stepped forward but disappeared from his position.

The sputtering flame from a candle went out in a specific house due to the cold gust that he brought with him when he stepped out of the air.

Shivering, an old man wearing tattered clothes got up from his bed to relight the candle. Yet, he stopped in his tracks noticing that someone else was in the room with him.

"Ganver. I trust you have been well."

A deep voice woke him up from his shock, making him realize that the one who had arrived was in fact the owner of the house. A broad smile appearing on his face, he asked, "Daneel! Did you get what I asked for?" before rubbing his hands in anticipation.

In response, the man took out two bottles of yellow wine from his trousers before removing the soaked hood to expose his face.

A set of radiant green eyes that looked like they had some sort of power in them were the first things that stood out to anyone who was watching him do so. Then, one would notice the angular jaw and pointed chin which lent a perfection to the face as if they had been sculpted into place. Lastly, the sharp nose and confident smile would make one realize that Daneel had grown up into a handsome man from the cute kid he had once been.

Shaking the water off his clothes, Daneel glanced at the man who was already gulping down one of the bottles he had just handed to him.

This man was Ganver, a trusted friend of his father's who was entrusted with living in the Anivron house and alerting Daneel through a trinket in case there were any intrusions.

"Ganver, go to sleep. You won't have to stay much longer here."

As soon as he said so, the man who had just been feeling elated from the delicious wine suddenly felt sleepy; it was as if the wine had some sort of drug inside it which was intent on knocking the consciousness out of his mind.

Groggily nodding, he plopped down onto the bed behind him and promptly started snoring, making Daneel chuckle and pick up the bottles to place them on the table nearby.

"Sorry old friend, but you can't be awake for what is going to happen next.", he said, using the blanket to cover the snoring man.

Walking to the center of the living room, he moved a sofa out of the way before pointing at the floor briefly. A wooden door appeared in the floor, which Daneel opened and carefully descended.

His 5'8 figure made short work of the distance, landing soon enough at the entrance to the Natural Energized Training Chamber that he had been dreaming about for a long time.

Before he could take it away though, there was some thing that needed to be done. Using a shovel which was lying on the floor nearby, Daneel started to dig around the chamber.

Teleportation required an object to be free from any bindings. In case someone teleported an object that was bound, then there would be an attempt by the spell to move even the bindings, which could result in an overdraft of energy and in dire cases, temporary disability of the Mageroot. After all, the Mageroot was like a muscle which controlled the elementary particles. Put too much pressure on it, and it would first try to grow to accommodate for the pressure before 'cramping' and becoming disabled if the pressure crossed a threshold.

Thus, one needed to be both careful enough and powerful enough to teleport such large objects. This restriction made Daneel wait till he reached the level of a 4th Grade Eminent Human Mage before even attempting to move the Natural Energized Training Chamber to a safer location.

As he dug at the earth around the round, steel-like outer hull of the chamber, sweat started to appear on his body prompting him to remove the robe he was wearing.

As he did so, an athletic body came into view which looked like it was at peak condition. Although he wasn't bulky, the perfectly proportioned muscles moved in harmony to quickly excavate the chamber from the earth that had been trapping it for so long.

A single blow was enough to dislodge 50 KG balls of earth. If Elanev were watching this sight, he would instantly be aghast knowing that such displays of power were only possible by someone who had at least reached the level of an Eminent Human Fighter.

A 16 year old Eminent Human Fighter! Such a feat was something that anyone in the Kingdom would scoff at as being fake, as the record for the youngest Eminent Human Fighter in the Kingdom of Lanthanor was set at 18 years by a member of the Royal Family.

A few hours later, a huge steel ball lay in front of Daneel. Laying his palm on the door, he said in his mind, "Initiate Mass Teleportation."

The air suddenly distorted around the location, and in a few seconds a large empty cave was all that was left.

Daneel reappeared with the chamber under a two storeyed house in a remote village situated between the border and the Capital City of the Kingdom of Lanthanor. As soon as the teleportation was done, he fell to the ground, exhausted. His forehead felt as if it were on fire and he fought to stay conscious while dragging himself to a nearby bed and grabbing hold of a block of Ether that was on it.

With a squeeze, white mist appeared out of the block which again made him wonder for the nth time how a solid could directly become a gas due to applying pressure. Realizing that he was losing focus due to being too exhausted, Daneel breathed in deeply and commanded the system to use the energy to alleviate his condition.

The Ether block was exhausted in only a few seconds, making Daneel grab another one from the bedside and continue the process. As his breathing slowly returned to normal, he looked at the Natural Energized Training Chamber with an expression of triumph on his face.

Meanwhile, in a hidden bedroom in the Royal Palace, an old man was taking in his last breaths while worrying about the Kingdom that his ancestors had passed down to him.

Knowing that his time in this world was over, he opened and closed his eyes for the last time, letting the death that had been at his heels for decades finally consume him.

Chapter 69: Funeral

The next day, commoners woke up to constables and other members of the government going around the streets using loudspeaker trinkets which broadcasted their voice far and wide. The content of the message made many commoners rub their ears and wonder if they had heard right.

"All hail our previous King Jeffrey Lanthanore who breathed his last after dedicating his life to the service of the Kingdom of Lanthanor. Tomorrow morning, we will be honoring him in the ancient way: a march through the central street which leads from the gate of the inner city to the gate of the outer city. May his name be remembered forever!"

Listening to the announcement that was being broadcasted again and again, everyone finally realized that they had indeed heard right. The previous King?! Many didn't even know his name unless they were told by their parents or grandparents, because it had already been 60 years since the present King had taken command.

All humans who crossed into the Warrior realm from the Human realm enjoyed a life span of 200 years, due to stepping beyond the first major threshold that limited the human body. In contrast, most commoners only lived up to an age of 80, thus it was quite common that many assumed that the previous King had passed away long ago. Now realizing that he had lived for a very long time, they were once again amazed by the incredible benefits obtained by those who trained to reach the peak. Alas, without talent and resources, it was only possible to dream about reaching such heights themselves.

The announcers first finished with the Capital City before departing to all of the villages in the country side using the army's teleportation corp. Thus, when Daneel heard the announcement, it was already late afternoon. He had slept through the night and the morning due to the utter exhaustion from teleporting such a large object.

As the sound of the announcement drifted into his ears, the first thing he felt was relief. Daneel had never trusted the time line give by Radagast: he had already inquired from the system that lifespan would decrease with exertion. In fact, from the disinterest shown by the priests in him and the events that followed after he left, he realized that it was possible that the priest's plan had been indeed so; to make the King move to decrease his already limited lifespan.

Thus, he had spent the last three years doing everything he could to be ready in case events progressed faster than he expected. This was the valuable lesson he had learnt from selling the honey trap solution: things could always cross his expectations and bite him in the behind if he wasn't prepared.

In fact, he had set both long term and short term goals for each year, so that if the struggle did start, he would be prepared. In his mind, five years would have been perfect, because there were still some plans afoot that would increase his chances of victory. Yet, he would now have to make do with three.

Getting up from the underground room and climbing up the stairs, he was greeted by the marvelous smell of his mother's meat pie. He now knew that the meat in this world came from an animal that looked like a cross between a duck and a chicken, with a sharp beak and white feathers. Over time, he had started to enjoy this meat which his mother always cooked excellently.

Over the past few years, he had been regularly visiting his parents every month or so by borrowing the minister's space mage as he had not been powerful enough to teleport large distances. Of course, this was only after ensuring there was no surveillance. Now that he had broken through, he could do so himself.

His parents had settled into a life in the country side quite happily. There was a small farm which they tended to with the help of some boys they had hired in the village, and Daneel always brought supplies with him whenever he came. They had later told him that this was exactly what they had planned as a young couple for their future: to retire comfortably to a village like this and live their life peacefully.

Daneel felt happy that his parents were both safe and happy. Each time he came to visit, the love they showered on him made him work even harder to tackle the dangers that threatened him and his family. He was also very grateful to the minister who made everything possible, while also helping him out immensely by being the financial intermediary between the King and his 'master'.

Knowing that the King would soon be asking for his decision regarding the long range teleportation, Daneel prepared to go back to his room in the academy.

The only thing that puzzled him was the reason behind hosting the funeral. He wondered why the King chose to do so despite knowing that all the hostile forces in the Kingdom were waiting for exactly this moment.

Arriving at his room, he started thinking about what exactly the motive could be.

His room was very different from three years ago, with many black marks on the walls as if explosions took place regularly. Balls of various metals were strewn around the ground haphazardly, and the portable furnace in the corner of the room looked heavily worn, as if it was being regularly used.

Sitting down on the bed, Daneel started analyzing everything he knew about the situation. He knew for a fact that the main thing stopping everyone from attacking was a powerful formation that protected the palace. This information was actually given by his father, who had heard about this when he was in the military.

It was most probable that the formation needed someone powerful to command it, and the Grand Court Mage nor the King were nowhere close enough to the level required. In this crucial time, if the King wanted to save himself and his family while not running away, he had to do one thing: make a show of force.

Daneel very much suspected that this was true. If there was some new player in the game who would replace the King and have equal control over the formation, then the others would have no choice but to wait again. Yet, this wasn't an easy feat because even when compared to the surrounding Kingdoms, the previous King's level did not fall far behind from the top existences in those locations.

Calling Joshua to his room using a trinket, he gave a few orders and spent the rest of the day training. He had just broken through to a 4th Stage Eminent Human Mage, and he still needed to test out and consolidate his powers.

The next day, a cordon was placed in the central street making everyone stick to the side. Crowds of people flocked to the alleyways, hoping to get a glimpse of the figure who had lived for such a long time.

Mixed in the crowds were many people whose sharp eyes constantly looked around while waiting for the procession to start. One would be able to see that there were at least three such types of people, each dressed differently but keeping an eye on each other.

Thus, few noticed the teenagers mixed in the crowd who were doing the exact same thing but in a more subdued manner. Tension seemed to be high, as the crowd's chattering died down into utter silence on hearing the gate to the outer city start opening.

With a loud DONG, the much awaited funeral finally began.

Chapter 70: The Eldest Prince

20-foot tall banners were the first things that came out of the gates after the gong sounded, signaling the beginning of the funeral march.

For the first time, Daneel got a close look at the army of the Kingdom of Lanthanor. The army was actually positioned outside in a separate barracks near the Capital City. They seldom entered the city, as they always had to be on call to respond to any attacks on the borders of the Kingdom. Only the highest personnel would often come to the Capital to converse with the King if necessary.

Blue robes made from a faintly shimmering material covered the soldiers till their knees after being tightened at the waist by a leather belt. The belt had 6 pockets arranged neatly on both sides, while the trousers were made of a similar material. The boots looked especially sturdy, with what looked like spikes covering the bottom which made the marching sound even more pronounced as the procession passed past Daneel.

Light grey shoulder epaulets with a sharp edge made the uniform stand out, making Daneel suspect that they weren't so simple as they appeared to be from his years of experience in enchanting.

The soldiers' eyes were set straight ahead, as if they would march through anything on their path without hesitation to get their destination. This relentless determination made many move back with awe from the cordons, giving the procession even more space as the remaining members appeared from the gate.

The 5 columns of barrier bearers each containing 10 soldiers were followed by another 5 columns with slightly different uniforms.

These soldiers had red epaulets which gave one the impression that blood was dripping from their shoulders. Although the rest of the uniform was similar, their belts had 8 pockets which seemed to be filled completely.

A casket inclined at 45 degrees to the ground exited the gate next. Embroidered in gold and precious gems, the casket floated in the air letting all see the peaceful expression of one who was unconcerned of mortal matters. Daneel saw that this was, of course, the man he had glimpsed in the forest before teleporting away. A gold crown was on his head, symbolizing that he had once reigned over an entire Kingdom.

As per the information Daneel had gathered in the short time he had, a small regiment of the Mage Corp of the army was also supposed to be here. Yet, they were no where in sight.

Meanwhile, it seemed that the image of the casket containing the previous King had set off a zeal in the eyes of many watching the procession. Daneel took note of 5 such people around him, clenching their fists tight while they seemed to be waiting for some signal.

Of course, there were also some who hid these feelings well. From the system's surveillance tool, Daneel could surmise that there were at least 10 different pairs of eyes on him. It was just that the other 5 were concealing their feelings and intentions well, not letting Daneel to pick them out easily from the crowd.

Suddenly, a foreboding feeling washed over him ; it was as if something had changed in the location he was standing in, making him feel uncomfortable and restless.

[Eminent Warrior Spell: Bloodlust detection has been activated near host's location. Would you like to cast the Anti-detection Spell?]

Alarmed, Daneel responded "Yes" before feeling relieved that the foreboding feeling was receding. Although there had only been a slim chance, Daneel did not want to take the risk to expose his intentions. The Anti-detection spell was something he had developed by using the system's surveillance tool as the base. Like in the case of the honey trap solution, an ability of the system was developed into a spell with limited effects that he could use. Although the effects were limited, Daneel had given the specification that unlike the surveillance tool which only protected him from enemy surveillance, this spell must be able to thwart any attempts at detection no matter the method used. Bloodlust detection was just one type of detection spell, but it was already something that only an Eminent Warrior Mage could cast.

Shocked, he realized that this meant that either the previous King was faking his death, or another powerful personage had arrived who was equal to the previous King in power. Events were definitely not going like what he or the other forces had expected.

Turning around, he was taken aback to see a man in brown robes being lifted into the air while having a gruesome expression on his face. He frothed at his mouth for a few seconds before fainting and floating in place in the air, limp.

Slowly, Daneel saw more and more such figures rise into the air and faint. Looking around, he realized that some belonged to his faction too. The procession had stopped in its tracks, while the soldiers simply gazed at these unconscious people with stoic expressions. This was only taking place in the area nearest to the gate, where at least 10% of the population of the Kingdom were congregated. Yet, the people on the streets further beyond that point could also clearly see this appalling sight clearly.

Even the commoners were not spared. Children pulled at the clothes of their parents, horrified at seeing them hanging in the air as if dead. Seeing this sight, Daneel felt disgusted at who ever had cast this spell.

Three men appeared 15 feet in the air, looking down at the unconscious citizens with expressions of anger on their faces.

One of them was a young man with features similar to the King who was standing beside him; the nose was an exact replica, but where the King's was crooked after being broken, this man's was straight. Unlike the King's silver hair, his shone a bright gold making him stand out among the three.

"My father, King Jeffrey spent his whole life defending this Kingdom with everything he had! How dare you people hold ill intentions against such an honored figure on the occasion of his funeral?! I should behead you all to pay tribute to my father's sacrifices to the Kingdom!", fumed the King, speaking in an angry tone that made many watching commoners cower in fear.

"Father, let them be. Let this act as a final warning against all those who hold ill intentions against the throne. Please spare them for my sake, as a welcoming gift for my return to the Kingdom."

The young man spoke, giving the commoners a ray of hope. The grim atmosphere that had pervaded the area due to the King's words was swept away by this honeyed voice, while the appalled commoners instantly felt gratitude for the man who was standing on their side.

"As you wish, son. Due to your potential, even the Vice Sect-Master of the Withering Leaf Sect graced our Kingdom with his presence. I will forgive them for one last time as a gift to you. Vice Sect-Master, please do release the spell. The Kingdom thanks you for using the Eminent Warrior Mage Spell, bloodlust detection to let me address all these people who seem to have lost faith in the Lanthanore Family. "

The last man, who was wearing a green robe with leaves emblazoned in mesmerizing patterns, nodded in response before waving his hand.

All of the unconscious people fell to the ground with a THUD while Daneel watched this drama play out.

Seeing the grateful expressions of many of the commoners who had been fearing that their loved ones would be beheaded, Daneel applauded the King in his mind while also controlling the urge to scoff at the obviousness of the intention.

This was clearly the Eldest prince who was known to have Crimson Comprehension Level. Daneel knew that he was at a distant sect, but he had had no idea that he would make such a flashy entrance.

The bloodlust detection spell could only be cast by one at the Eminent Warrior Mage Level, which was exactly the level the previous King had reached before passing away.

Thus, in one fell swoop, the King had made it clear that there was someone on his side who could fill the void left by the previous King while also succeeding in granting a positive impression to his Eldest son in many of the peoples' eyes.

Now, the best thing for Daneel to do was see how the rest of the forces in the Kingdom reacted to this new development.

Chapter 71: Formation Mastery Time

Under a run-down house near the East Gate of the Outer City.

Having concealed himself without moving for over four hours, Daneel felt his patience wearing thin as he wondered whether he was even at the right place.

Over the past three years, he had regularly placed a scout near the entrance of the TriCobra Sect that he had been to earlier. Only, it was very hard to track the locations of those who were experts in tracking themselves.

The advantage that Daneel had was that his faction had grown steadily to incorporate students from both the fighter and mage academies from all walks of life. This was despite the fact that nobles like Laravel had for some reason withdrawn from the spotlight and were now keeping to themselves. In fact, Laravel had made very little trouble for Daneel since the first year assessment exam, making him almost forget that the prince who liked to show off even existed.

By luck, one of the members who had sworn the oath was the son of a farmer who supplied grain and vegetables to the house that Daneel had gone to. Recently, he had been tipped off that the student's father had been told to make deliveries to a new location in the city by the same people who ordered him to deliver the foodstuffs to the TriCobra Society's location.

Right now, his priority was to know what exactly the next step of the forces inside the Kingdom would be. It just so happened that a large delivery was ordered on the day after the King's display during the procession, prompting Daneel to act on a hunch that he might be able to eavesdrop on any important information that could be useful to him.

Of course, this would only be possible with the help of the system. Daneel knew that the system used vibrations to analyze sound waves, thus he had developed a spell based on this concept. Barriers designed to keep hearing spells out were common, but Daneel was sure that no one must have designed a spell which stopped vibrations from emanating through any materials. At his present level, he could detect someone speaking two rooms away if he were using the spell.

Another useful spell he had designed using the system for tasks like these was Targeted Teleportation. Usually, when a mage teleported to a location, he would simply coax the space elementary particles to form a doorway which would transport him to a location he had been to before. Although there were spells like the one the minister's space mage used where this could be circumvented in a round about way, this was still the most common way in which mages used teleportation.

The idea that Daneel had gotten was to use the system to replace the part of the process where the mage decided where to teleport to based on his memory. The system was always scanning his surroundings, especially now that he had the anti-surveillance tool installed. Thus, the resulting spell would teleport him after a delay to wherever he wanted in a 100 foot radius around him safely. This delay would go away gradually with rise in power.

Using the spell, Daneel had teleported himself halfway into the ground between the surface and the TriCobra Sect's underground room. According to the system, this was the minimum distance required in order to not raise an alarm and still eavesdrop on the meeting.

The earth in that specific spot had been replaced by Daneel's figure, while he conjured a small space door near his nose for air. As for water, he simply cast a waterball spell at his mouth whenever he was thirsty.

The main difficulty was not being crushed by the earth above him. Thus, he had dug a small cave around him which seemed stable for the moment.

All set, he settled in for what he hoped would be a productive use of his time.

Yet, for the last 4 hours, all he had heard was the chattering of the guards who wondered why they were even posted here.

Another two hours later, Daneel was tempted to leave. Squashing the temptation, he tried to focus on anything other than the numbness he felt in his body from moving very little for a very long time.

Finally, after three more hours, his vigil finally paid off. 4 people had suddenly appeared in a room in the chamber and were now seated.

It was impossible to get an image of the situation, so Daneel could only hear the rustling of the clothes which signified that the people were simply waiting, silent.

A minute later, another pair of footsteps were felt which sounded a lot heavier than all the others he had heard so far.

"Let's get to the point. Headquarters sent me here after reading your report. I can't believe I had to come to such a backwards place to explain something so simple to you. A formation as complex as the one in the palace needs some time to be deciphered and mastered before any mage can use it to its full potential. To reach a level in mastery that would make us consider changing our plans, the vice sect master will need at least one month. We must-"

A warning sign went off in Daneel's mind, making him instantly teleport back to the surface. Just as he did so, he saw a red light emerge from the ground a few inches away from him before disappearing into the night sky.

Alarmed, he hastened to leave the location as soon as possible.

"Did that light pass through my previous location?", he asked, having no idea where he had just been inside the ground.

[Affirmative. Spell not found in database. Detection was possible due to the acute senses of a high level mage. Please upgrade the system to improve overall capabilities. EXP Cost: 10,000.

Present EXP: 9,500]

System Upgrade! This damn system upgrade again!

For the past 3 years, Daneel had been stockpiling as much EXP as he could to upgrade the system as soon as possible. This was because after a thorough grilling session with the system, he had understood that upgrading now would give him a lot of benefits that might make or break many of the plans he had. Besides using some EXP to purchase some crucial tools, he had been stockpiling the rest as best as he could.

Unlike the year in the academy where he had just trained nonstop, the past three years had been spent doing things which, in the system's words, 'aided in World Domination'. Thus, he had been receiving missions and achievements which he always placed as his first priority.

All he needed was one more mission, and he would finally be able to get the upgrade. For one thing, it would enable the system, and therefore him, to cast spells of a higher complexity than before.

For example, he had just been discovered by the mage underground due to the Eavesdropping spell being cast with the mind of a Human Mage, which was approximately the present level of the system according to what Daneel had found out.

With an upgrade, it would be a Warrior Mage casting the spells. Thus, assuming that the mage underground was not a rumored Champion Mage, there would be no way to detect that Daneel was listening in.

This was just one use, but it would already have allowed Daneel to listen to the whole plan of the society. At least, he had overheard the essential information that the Palace would be relatively vulnerable for a month, due to the formation not being fully activated. All of the competing factions would definitely move before that time.

Hurrying back to his quarters, Daneel immediately called Joshua to his room.

It was time to unite and prepare all of the members they had been gathering in anticipation for the final struggle.

Also, it was time to announce the name of the faction which they would proudly take as their own and scream without abandon when the time came to march onto the battlefield.

Chapter 72: Domination Corps

In a forest outside the North Gate of the Outer City.

A steady stream of teenagers had been trickling into this particular forest since the wee hours of the morning. Wary of the surrounding farmers and guards, Daneel had already bought and deployed a number of anti-surveillance barriers.

Also, the instructions had been to leave from different gates and come to the location one by one. Thus, not much attention was drawn to the students who kept disappearing into the depths of the forest.

In a clearing in the middle of the forest, Daneel was standing on an rock that stood five feet in the air. As it was a formal occasion, he had chosen to wear some new clothes he had purchased recently.

A crimson robe that fit him perfectly hung to his knees, emphasizing his broad shoulders and athletic build. Black trousers finished the look, while his stoic expression gave him the air of a commander waiting for his soldiers to assemble.

A few minutes later, Faxul gave him the go ahead that all of the members had arrived. Over this period of time, Faxul had also matured to a handsome young man with sharp features and a strong body. Only, he was a bit more muscular than Daneel due to going down the vanguard route.

Around 500 students were in the clearing in front of him. They all looked at Daneel with bated breath.

After confirming with Faxul that the anti-surveillance trinkets were all active, Daneel cast a spell which magnified his voice.

"A man I respect once told me about a time when the people and the royal family of Lanthanor were treated fairly by the King. A Noble committing a crime would be judged regardless of his identity, and he would be sent to the same jail as a commoner. But what have you experienced?", he asked, making many of the eyes watching him turn red as memories flooded into their minds.

A pretty girl wearing blue clothes was the first to answer, screaming at the top of her lungs and almost startling even Daneel.

"A noble killed my mother for rejecting him! And he wasn't even tried by the court!"

Hearing this, more and more shouts started resounding throughout the forest.

"My parents were beaten to death for accidentally ruining a noble's clothes!"

"My sister was abducted and killed after being played with!"

Hearing the accusations, Daneel felt his own blood boiling. In front of many of these grave misdeeds, what had happened to his family was actually quite mild.

He had only found out about the rottenness of some of the nobles over the course of these three years. Whenever someone volunteered to give the oath, Daneel would always ask what had happened to their family.

This was both to reaffirm their decision and Daneel's.

Whenever he gazed into the eyes of these people whose suffering and pain knew no limit, he would be pushed more and more towards the decision to do everything in his power and help as many people as he could.

In fact, he had noticed that his initial aim of just taking revenge for his family was slowly changing into the much greater one that the system had stated was his destiny.

Of course, he did not indulge in fantasies of conquering the whole world yet. But, he wanted to first take control of this Kingdom he had transmigrated to. Then, he would finally be in a position to know more about this world that the Kingdom was located in and decide his next step. Such information was restricted to those in the highest echelons of the Kingdom.

Although not all of the nobles were so rotten as to commit such deeds, there were indeed many who let their desires control them. The purging of these abominations was the first thing Daneel decided to do in case all of his plans succeeded, placing him in command of the Kingdom.

He spoke again in the loud, deep voice, stopping all those still screaming to vent their frustrations.

"The time has come to take matters into our own hands. When you swore to follow me, I promised that I would do everything in my power to seek revenge for you. There will be danger, and some of you may die. Do you still seek to chase your revenge and ensure that many others will not suffer the same way you did?"

Since the moment he had begun the faction, Daneel had been aware that there would be danger. In such tumultuous times, death would soon be common. Yet, he had vowed to himself to do his best to keep all of the members of his faction alive.

Daneel was very clear of one of his major shortcomings: he did not know death. He had not killed even a single person in both of his lives, and although he had seen people die, his hand had never been the one which held the dagger.

Now was the time for war. And in war, there would be casualties. Thus, he had spoken these words both to himself and the people in front of him.

Although he knew that the sooner he overcame this shortcoming, the better it would be, he still secretly dreaded the moment when he would have to kill with his own hands. However many times he told himself that it was inevitable, the dread did not go away.

Shaking his head to throw all the worries aside for now, he focused onto the scene to hear a loud cry that sent the birds in the surrounding trees flying away in terror.

"YES!"

His eyes also turned red feeling the sheer hot-bloodedness of the atmosphere. Although he had decided on the name beforehand, he had been unsure of how to announce it to all of the members. Now, in this state, the words came to him naturally, prompting him to roar them out with the will of one seeking to charge against the heavens themselves.

"NO MORE WILL THE NOBLES SQUASH US UNDER THEIR FEET!"

A sword made of fire appeared in his hand, which he thrust towards the sky as the words echoed in the forest.

"NO MORE!", came the response, all sorts of weapons piercing the sky alongside Daneel's as one by one, each fighter and mage took out the trinkets they had.

"NO MORE WILL OUR FUTURES BE DICTATED BY THOSE ABOVE US!"

"NO MORE!", roared the crowd.

"DOMINATE THE OPPRESSION! DOMINATE YOUR FUTURE! DOMINATE THE WORLD! HENCEFORTH, YOU WILL BE KNOWN AS THE DOMINATION CORPS!"

In this way, the name that would later strike fear into countless beings rang out in this world for the first time. Wordless screams reverberated throughout the forest, while even the normally reserved Faxul and Joshua joined the cheering that was growing louder and louder.

A broad smile came on Daneel's face seeing this scene of pure passion. He looked around, branding it into his mind while also imprinting each and every face he saw into his memory.

Finally, he had succeeded in forming his first faction in this world.

As expected, the system rang in his mind, making him smile even broader as he also joined the screams.

[Achievement:"First Named Faction" obtained.

First Named Faction: Step by step, using the image that you worked hard to build, you have formed a faction that will follow you to the ends of the world. A fitting name for the first faction of a future World Dominator. Congratulations on forming your First Named Faction!

2000 EXP Awarded

Total EXP: 11500]

Chapter 73: An Invitation

Soon after, Daneel dispersed the group after having Joshua and Faxul distribute parchments to them. These were contact trinkets, and they needed to be bound by blood much like the one that had pricked his blood when Daneel had entered the Fists of Justice Training Hall.

Once bound to a certain person, the parchment could only be read when held in that person's hands. Any attempt by anyone else would result in self destruction.

After the faction members started trickling out of the forest, Daneel sat down on a nearby rock and drank some water from a waterball spell.

"Commence the system upgrade."

[Affirmative. System Upgrade purchased. Remaining EXP: 1150.

System will be offline for 6 hours during upgrade. Would you like to proceed?]

After saying "Yes" to the system, Daneel saw that Joshua and Faxul had come and sat near him.

Taking out a yellow letter from his robes, Faxul handed it to Daneel with a doubtful look on his face.

"Remember the noble that Joshua beat with your help?", he asked, as Daneel took the letter in his hands and started examining it. Due to working together, Faxul and Joshua had gotten quite close and the latter had already told the story about how he joined Daneel in the first place.

"Ya, Varanel. He's not been in the academy for a while right?", Daneel asked, recalling the vicious expression on the Noble's face after being defeated by Joshua.

"Yes. He turned up at my room yesterday when you were outside and left after giving me this. He said it's for you."

Puzzled, Daneel felt the letter in his hands and noticed that surprisingly, it was just a simple paper instead of a trinket like the ones they had handed out before.

Opening the letter, he was quite shocked to see the contents.

"Come to the barren land three kilometers east of the Outer City at the stroke of midnight if you want to know the King's weakness."

The first thing that Daneel thought was that this was definitely a trap. There was no chance that a lower tier noble like Varanel would have information about the King's strengths and weaknesses.

Yet, the actions of some of the nobles over the past few years had been quite puzzling. Keeping to themselves, they had almost disappeared from the peoples' eye.

Still, Daneel knew very well the value of information. Although he had a lot of wealth, it had been very difficult to obtain information from the palace. Thus, he did not want to miss the chance if the information was trustworthy.

If this invitation had come before this meeting with the faction, Daneel would have definitely discarded it as too risky.

But now, with the upgraded system that he would soon have, Daneel was confident to at least detect danger if it existed and escape if need be.

A few hours before the appointed time, Daneel hatched a plan to ensure that he would be prepared no matter what happened.

An upgrade to the system had resulted in all of the tools he had purchased automatically upgrading. This had been another of the reasons for his avid stockpile.

Now, with Anti-Surveillance 2 Tool, the system could scan 200 feet around him in any direction. Thus, he could also safely teleport to any location in that distance.

He first teleported 50 feet under the surface similar to when he had eavesdropped on the TriCobra Society. After that, he ordered the system to teleport him 200 feet east each time until he reached the barren plain written in the letter.

Thus, he placed himself directly under the meeting location to see just who it was that had contacted him.

A half-hour before the appointed time, two teenagers in royal robes steadily walked towards the meeting spot. Although he could not see them, Daneel clearly identified the voice.

It was Laravel!

The arrogant prince who had almost killed him during the First Year Assessment was talking to Varanel while walking with an agitated tone.

"Did you make sure to explain clearly that the letter was for Daneel?"

"Yes. He didn't say anything but nodded after seeing that it was only regular paper."

"Good."

A brief silence followed, during which Daneel surmised that Varanel was fidgeting, as if he wanted to ask something but was deciding whether or not to.

"Why, Laravel? Why are you meeting with him? Like you said, we stopped everything. It did nothing to change the peoples' view. The dangers you spoke of are still out there, but the King has found a solution! The Vice Sect Master will take control over the formation and things will be just like before. What's wrong with that? Your eldest brother will become King, but you said you weren't interested in the throne anyway."

"Are you really so naive as to believe that things are that simple? I know my eldest brother. He inherited my father's desire for power and a long life. Besides, he was never interested in ruling the people anyway. The Withering Leaf Sect definitely has some motives on the Kingdom, but I have no idea what exactly. I have no choice but to meet him."

Sighing heavily, Laravel continued while approaching a specific spot on the barren land.

"I was always very close to my grandfather. He told me many stories about how our ancestors built the Kingdom, and that it was handed down King after King to the sons of the Lanthanore Family. Although I did show off, I was blinded by a desire to be praised by many. These last three years spent at my grandfather's side have taught me that in the end, only one thing matters: having no regrets when we die. Grandfather regretted allowing the rest of the family to do whatever they want. In his final years, he wished that he had done something to stop the Kingdom from reaching this state. He told the same to my father, but I know for sure that he only cares about himself. I do not want the Kingdom to go into an outsider's hands. For that, I am willing to do anything. According to some information I intercepted by fluke, I suspect that he is connected to the powerful figure who supplies the honey trap solution. So, I have no choice but to request a meeting with that personage with the hope that I can find out just what my father is planning."

Hearing this, Daneel got more and more shocked. The previous King had actually felt regret in his final years? And this regret had changed this arrogant prince enough to seek him out?

Daneel even suspected that the ones above knew he was eavesdropping, but the desperation in Laravel's tone was definitely not fake.

Although he still did not believe everything, Daneel decided to first see just what this weakness was. He had already confirmed that there were no threats around the location.

Teleporting a little distance away, he put on a weary expression and slowly walked to the location.

As he neared the meeting spot, a mock expression of surprise appeared on his face after seeing Laravel at the location.

Chapter 74: Information

"Daneel. It is just me and Varanel here, you don't need to be cautious. A few days before the first batch of honey traps were sent out, you bought honey from various stores in the marketplace. Also, you were seen leaving the minister's manor right after the day of the sale with a big bag of money. Don't worry, I came across these pieces of information by fluke. They came from two different sources, one who tracked all honey purchases before the product came out and one who was keeping a close eye on all ministers' residences. I connected the dots, and I know that the person who is supplying the solution is possibly behind you. I would like to seek an audience with that person.", said Laravel as soon as Daneel reached the location.

Daneel had been puzzled regarding what exactly connected him and the mysterious master. Alas, he had been too avid in making money that he had forgotten to cover his tracks properly. Luckily, it had not come back to bite him this time, but it could have been very dangerous in case someone else found out.

It could have been easy to think beforehand and made a plan to buy the honey more discreetly, and also take care not to walk out of the manor with a money bag in his hands. Although these were little things, they had almost resulted in his doom. He resolved to keep this incident in mind and always recall it before considering careless actions like those again.

Even now, he could just deny everything as the connection was slim at best. Yet, after eavesdropping on the conversation, Daneel was interested in finding out just what information this prince had.

"I can consider that, but what do you offer in return? What information do you have?", he asked, after contemplating for a while.

"I can discuss that directly with that personage. You just need to set up the meeting.", answered Laravel, an expression of caution appearing on his face.

"Either tell me now and trust me to pass it along and set up the meeting, or forget about the whole thing. It's your choice.", said Daneel, folding his arms. He did not want to bring out the mysterious master unless it was absolutely necessary. Also, he knew perfectly that as Laravel had been the person who requested the meeting, he was in the position of power in this negotiation.

After thinking for a while, Laravel reluctantly nodded after reflecting about Daneel's character. He was known to treat those around him fairly and give importance to friendships, as evidenced by the events that followed his underlings beating up Faxul.

Reluctantly nodding, he said, "There is one month of time in which the formation will not be fully activated. The Vice Sect Master needs this amount of time to master it. I also have detailed information about the composition of the army. I suspect that the master behind you will also compete for the throne, and I am ready to do whatever is necessary to help. I can even give you access to the palace. In return, I want the Kingdom to stay in the hands of the Lanthanore Family."

Daneel felt quite shocked hearing this. The composition of the army AND direct access to the palace?! That would make all of his plans much easier to achieve.

But, what he asked in return was impossible to give. If the Kingdom needed to prosper, the noble family had to be purged. Although the actions of the King had had some effect, it did nothing to decrease the massive sea of hate that had already formed in the commoners' minds.

"I will pass on the information. Wait here.", he said, before vanishing in the air.

Laravel had been hoping for an immediate meeting, so he was quite happy to hear Daneel's response.

A minute later, the grey-robed man with a hooked nose appeared in Daneel's place.

Looking at the two kids in front of him with a neutral expression, he raised his hand and made two thin red hoops of fire appear around their necks.

Feeling the blazing heat hitting their necks, sweat immediately appeared on both of their foreheads.

"H-how are you controlling fire like that?", asked Varanel, his mind going blank from the sudden threat to his life.

"Shut up! Can't you see it's a modification of the fire spell that only Warrior Mages can use?", shouted Laravel urgently while not daring to move even an inch.

"Forgive my friend, sir. My master in the academy spoke about the fine control that Warrior Mages have over even the basic elements. I trust Daneel has told you about my request?"

"Yes. Although the information is valuable, it is impossible that the Royal Family can remain in command. Either state a different request or I will make you forget that this meeting even happened. In fact, the other forces including the Withering Leaf Sect plan to purge the history books of all mention of your family name. History is written by the victors, after all. The best I can offer is that this will not happen if I win the struggle for the throne."

Daneel had gotten this idea as soon as he had heard Laravel's request. Clearly, he was a man driven by his ideals. The main ideal that he adhered to was the concept of the Kingdom being handed down: in other words, he valued the history and the name of the family over everything else.

Thus, Daneel decided to see if he could use this to get the information. His plan was to offer the next best thing. After all, even he admired the previous Kings who had expanded the Kingdom and treated everyone fairly. As for the information regarding the purging, Daneel was simply bluffing but it was most likely true. He remembered that back on earth, the first thing an invading force did was to burn the history books and write new ones, making sure that it was their name that would stay in history and not their enemy's.

A horrified expression appeared on Laravel's face as he heard this news. His family's name would be forgotten by everyone?

He had been extolled countless times by his grandfather about the honor of his family. Of the importance that must be placed on maintaining this honor.

No. He just could not accept the noble Lanthanore name being burned up and made to disappear by the hands of the outsiders.

"I accept.", he said, making the hoop of fire instantly vanish.

Taking out a parchment from his pocket, he handed it to the master and said, "The details of the army are in this. Contact me using it when you need access to the palace."

A defeated expression was on his face as he realized that he did not achieve what he had planned. Yet, he found consolation in the fact that he had done something that would let him hold his head high in front of his ancestors.

Taking the parchment, the master nodded and gave one last look at the two nobles before disappearing.

Right after he left, a tear drop snaked down Laravel's cheek and fell on the ground.

He had done all he could to follow his ideals, but his heart still hurt.

It hurt with the knowledge that one month from now, along with a new ruler, the Kingdom of Lanthanor would also have a new name.

Chapter 75: The Army of Lanthanor

A smile appeared on Daneel's face as he saw that things were slowly falling into place one by one.

Teleporting back to his room, he sat on his bed and started analyzing the information on the parchment. Although information collected over the years had given him a rough idea about the structure of the army, getting concrete details from such a reliable source was the best option.

Even if Laravel only gave the information he knew, it would still be useful. Besides, Daneel's plan never included competing against the army directly anyway. With the current strength of his faction, it was, of course, impossible to do so.

The army of Lanthanor was split into 2 major sections: the fighter army and the mage army.

The Fighter Army was majorly composed of citizens who were tested to have low talent. The criteria to get in was quite simple; many men and women could directly sign up and be selected, granted that there was an open spot and that they passed the fitness test.

The reasons behind the threshold being so low were the constant border conflicts that threatened the Kingdom, and also the sheer size of the border walls which needed to be patrolled. The number of regular soldiers in the army reached a maximum of 200,000, with almost all of them having reached at most the level of a 1st Grade Human Fighter. This was the number that could be maintained with the budget allocated to the army.

Only with a few months of training, they would be sent to the border to man the walls. If they were lucky, they would seldom get involved in conflicts and spend most of their military life patrolling the walls, after which they could comfortably retire to the countryside with a handsome pension. If not, they could get involved in a conflict on the first day and die. Still, many signed up due to the guaranteed food and pay.

As for those with medium or high potential, they would be given more resources and time to gain skills that might save them on the battlefield before being deployed as squad leaders. If they earned enough merits and advanced in level, they could rise through the ranks and command more and more soldiers.

The soldiers that Daneel had seen during the procession wearing the grey epaulets were the elites that were picked out from those who earned top merits in the border struggles. These soldiers would be trained to be the force that would be sent out in case a conflict exceeded the level which a platoon of regular soldiers could handle. The minimum requirement to be part of this force was to reach the level of an Eminent Human Fighter, like Daneel. The number of soldiers in this troop fluctuated around 3000. Considering that the total population in the Kingdom numbered in the millions, this was quite a low number. After all, the rarity of being born with medium or high potential was quite high.

Finally, the soldiers who had worn red epaulets were the elites among elites. One at least had to reach the level of a 6th Grade Eminent Human Fighter before they could join this force. With the best resources in hand, their goal was to protect the Kingdom in case any deadly force threatened to wipe it out. Also, they were the ones who also acted as the spies and infiltrators who gathered information from enemy nations.

The former two groups were simply called as "soldiers" and "elite soldiers", but this section of the army had a special name: "The Red Demons." Equipped with the best trinkets, their red epaulets signified the enormous amount of blood they shed to reach their position.

Just 500 of these soldiers could be maintained by the Kingdom at any point.

There were 3 commanders in total. 2 commanders at the level of Exalted Human Fighters reported directly to the King. One was in control of the regular soldiers, while the other governed the elite corps.

As for the last commander, she was an Exalted Human Mage who controlled the Mage Corps.

Unlike the regular soldiers who were thrown into battle to temper themselves and grow stronger, the Mage Corps always ensured that their members would be the least at risk in any conflict.

This was because of the rarity of someone being born with a mageroot.

The Mage Corps was constituted of two forces: Mage Soldiers and Mage Elites. All Amateur Human Mages belonged to the former while Eminent Human Mages advanced into the latter.

The information regarding this corps was the most secretly guarded; even Laravel did not know their number, specialty or even the location of their Headquarters. All he knew was that the Mage Soldiers were rumored to be around 1000 strong while the Mage Elites had at most 200 members.

200 Eminent Human Mages?!

Daneel felt shocked seeing this information. The strength of the Kingdom could indeed not be underestimated at all.

Again, he felt lucky that he did not even try to make a plan that would result in a head on conflict.

As for the information about those inside the capital, there were around 5000 constables who held the peace. Of these, very few even reached the Amateur Human Fighter level and the strongest was another Exalted Human Fighter who lead them.

Head reeling from the overload of information, Daneel fell back on the bed and started to decide what to do next. His preparations were going well, but the one thing he still needed to find out was the date of attack.

The forces inside the Kingdom would definitely not wait the whole month to attack. But, they would also not attack right away before gathering the information regarding the exact relation between the Withering Leaf Sect and the Eldest priest. In fact, Daneel was still waiting for information regarding the sect.

As he was thinking of the options he had, he was reminded of his Master who he seldom met after he had rejected the Church's offer. On asking later, he found out that the mysterious and incredible drunken step he had seen was given by the Church and he was sworn by magical oath to not divulge its details to anyone. Also, on asking the system, he found out that analyzing the technique was impossible. Although he had been slightly expecting this, it was still a disappointing find. A spell system was after all something developed by centuries of study by the greatest of minds.

But, now that he had the upgraded system, he was excited to find out if it was possible to analyze it.

After the upgrade, the Phenomena Analysis Module-2 had upgraded to Phenomena Analysis Module-3, yet he hadn't tested it out yet and thus didn't know if it could analyze and develop new spells which it hadn't been able to do so before.

Also, he was itching to spar with someone to test out his power after breaking through. Although Master Jonah had some kind of agreement with the church, he was still a trustworthy ally according to Kellor.

Clapping his hands with eagerness, Daneel got up and prepared to teleport to his master's cottage.

Chapter 76: Fighting Master Jonah

As soon as Daneel got to the cottage, he noticed a familiar smell in the air. Knocking on Master Jonah's door, he tried to figure out just what it was. Although it was very similar to the honey trap solution, it was somehow different.

"Come in!"

Hearing the yell, Daneel opened the door and walked in to find his master bent over a jar of honey.

A thoroughly burnt bird was beside him, and he seemed to be cutting off pieces from the bird and mixing it in the solution.

Near him was a barrier which protected a single block of Ether. Just as Daneel entered, he deactivated the barrier with hopeful eyes.

Yet, a disappointed look appeared on his face seeing that not one mosquito entered the solution. Eight of them started munching on the Ether block, making Master Jonah cast a gust spell to shoo them away before reactivating the barrier.

"This damn solution! How does it work?! If only I figured this out, I could do so much more with it!"

At the doorway, Daneel chuckled secretly seeing his master's futile attempts. If his solution could be figured out so easily, then someone would have hit upon something similar a long time ago.

Turning around, he noticed Daneel and said, "Oh, Daneel. What did you come to find me for?"

Without a word, Daneel raised his palm, making a two feet long snake of lightning appear in front of him.

The number of elementary particles a mage could control was decided by his level. Now, with Daneel's 4th Grade Eminent Human Mage power, he had come a long way from being able to create just small sparks of lightning only a few inches long.

Seeing the crackling lightning, a glint shone in Master Jonah's eyes.

"You broke through! A new record, I see. So you don't just have pseudo-legendary potential after all. Well, that was pretty obvious after finding that Kellor supported you. So? Did you just come to show off?"

Hearing this, Daneel was reminded of the last time he had asked for a spar. He had just broken through to a 3rd Grade Human Mage, and he wanted to see just how powerful he had gotten. Not finding a suitable partner, he had chosen to ask his master.

A few minutes later, he found himself lying on the ground butt first with a blade of ice at his throat.

What was frustrating was that his master had used exactly the move Daneel did during the first year assessment. His leg had been pushed back by a strong gust of wind, and an ice prick appeared at his throat, sealing his defeat.

Daneel had had his elementary vision enabled, thus he saw that the true reason he had lost was that the gust somehow influenced the elementary particles around it, making it many times stronger and thus giving Daneel no chance to resist. It was the same effect he had seen the first time he met this man.

Daneel didn't even know the exact level of his master, but it left a bad taste in his mouth that he was defeated without even putting up a fight.

This time, he had a plan.

"I want a spar, and if I manage to hurt you, I want to know when the Church will attack the palace.", he said, his eyes shining with determination to obtain the information on his own terms.

Judging from everything he had observed so far, Jonah was at least an Eminent Human Mage at the peak level if he did not count the amplification that came from the peculiar spell model that he had acquired from the church. If he wished, he just might be able to put up an even fight if he gave it his all, but Daneel did not want to expose his full power. Of course, this was also disregarding the usage of spells like the compressed fireball which had been developed by the system. After all, a paragon was known for being able to defeat those above their level.

Raising his eyebrow, Jonah said, "Confident, are we? Fine, and I'll even let you make the first few moves. But if I win, you have to arrange a meeting with your master so that I can discuss a few.... business ideas." Kellor had already told Jonah about the figure behind Daneel.

Now, it was Daneel's turn to raise his eyebrow.

He agreed this easily?!

And here Daneel had prepared a whole list of taunts to try out.

Of course, he did not even know if Jonah was allowed to tell the date. After all, he did not know the details of the agreement between him and the church.

Puzzled, he asked, "You can tell me the date? I thought the Church would forbid you from leaking out their information."

As if remembering something unpleasant, Jonah grimaced before replying, "You let me worry about the Church. Besides, it won't be a secret for long. The Church believes in a ... straightforward approach. They want the people to see them beating down and purging the nobility. In this way, they want to incur good faith and make it all the more easier for them to convert them into their faith after they win. Of course, a direct assault is most risky, but they have a plan which even I don't know. As for the date, there's no problem in telling you. But, you must earn it first."

Daneel was quite shocked hearing this. He had been expecting that the forces would plan a secret attack and catch the palace off guard. Instead, they would march right through the front door?!

Well, he thought, at least he wouldn't need to worry about missing the occasion. Still, he needed to know the date beforehand.

"Let's do it."

Nodding, Master Jonah led the way out of the cottage. To Daneel, he looked like a treasure lode that might let him develop a new spell technique which would amplify his power and also give him the information that he needed to find.

Going to an open field nearby, Master Jonah took out and used the same trinket he had used before to activate the barrier that prevented spying.

Standing serenely, he simply gestured at Daneel to make his move.

The confidence irked Daneel, making him want to try his best and achieve something in this fight that would wipe that smirk off his master's face.

Immediately vanishing from his spot, Daneel reappeared behind his master. Pointing his hand forward, he made multiple fireballs much bigger than the ones he used to cast before appear in front of him. Each was the size of his head and blazed with a heat that distorted the air.

Shooting them without hesitation, he vanished again and appeared to the right of Jonah. This time, it was ice.

All Jonah did was conjure a barrier in front of him. Yawning, he idly watched the furious barrage of spells which stopped in their tracks and disappeared on impacting the barrier. It really seemed that he had been somehow affected by the fact that Daneel dared to bet with him, and now wanted to show him his place convincingly.

Daneel did not stop. Teleporting from location to location, he kept throwing balls after balls of multiple substances at the barrier that was protecting Jonah.

Soon, the barrier was almost completely coated by what appeared to be slushy mud.

"Whatever spell you throw at me is useless. And at your level, it is impossible for you to conjure a major spell this quickly. Let me end this farce."

Just as this voice was heard from inside the barrier, Daneel stopped teleporting around and stood in front of Jonah. A triumphant smile appearing on his face, he raised his hand for one last time.

Multiple lightning snakes just like the one he had shown to Jonah appeared around the barrier, coming into contact with the wet dirt and disappearing entirely.

Suddenly, a CRACKing sound was heard. Jonah's barrier broke, making all of the dirt on top fall on him as a shocked expression appeared on his face.

Immediately deploying another smaller barrier, he managed to stop the mud which was conducting electricity and threatening to electrocute him as soon as it came into contact.

An embarrassed expression appearing on his face, he said, "Nice trick. You still didn't touch me though."

Yet, Daneel simply pointed at the collar of Jonah's shirt, smirking. Looking down, he saw that a globule of mud had managed to pass through.

Touching it, he retracted his hand feeling the electricity that was still in it.

Sighing, he spread his arms and made the barrier expand, throwing the mud away.

Daneel had simply used a small trick to fool Jonah. A barrier made by a mage simply worked by controlling the elementary particles around them to make a wall that would only be broken if the power from the invading spells passed a threshold. There were two ways to break such a barrier: either a sharp enough force had to pierce through, or the overall integrity of the barrier had to be compromised by attacks from all directions.

Daneel had chosen the latter. Using spells like the fireballs and ice pricks as cover, he had made the surface of wet dirt appear, which was a good conductor. Then, he used this property to send the lightning bolts in and assault the barrier from all directions.

Of course, only a paragon would be able to master so many spells and cast them so quickly and precisely to result in the powerful effect.

"A bet is a bet. Good job, kid. You have grown up.", said Jonah, making Daneel smile even broader at the victory he had just grasped using his own abilities.

Chapter 77: The Church Attacks

1 week later.

"The Church Of Rectitude has come to deliver this Kingdom from the bane of the evil Nobility! In 3 days, come to the gate of the inner city when the sun is the highest in the sky to witness the righteous priests strike down the King and the Royal Family! All hail the almighty Saint of Rectitude!"

Posters with sayings like these were everywhere. Overnight, they had somehow sprung up on most of the walls around the outer city.

Although the guards managed to remove all of them by the afternoon, word had already spread throughout the outer city.

Some were skeptical, knowing that the Royal Family was not something that could be defeated so easily. Some were scared, as they had done many deeds hand in hand with the nobles which would mark them for purging if the Church took over.

Most knelt and prayed at the graves of their loved ones, who were taken away unjustly due to the King turning a blind eye.

They had already resolved themselves to follow whoever sated the desire for revenge that had been growing in them for many, many years.

As long as they were given what they yearned for, they would forever etch the deed into their hearts and be willing to follow that force to the death.

This was exactly what any usurping force wished for. To ensure a smooth transition of power without resulting in much unrest.

After all, the citizens were the lifeblood of any Kingdom. Blinded by his desire to live longer, the King had indeed made a grave mistake by letting matters reach the present state.

All his family had done was lay more and more seeds of hate and distrust in numerous people. Now, they had all finally bloomed.

As Daneel walked the streets, he could see the tension in almost each and every citizen's faces. These were just simple people who did not want their descendants to be treated the same way they were. To achieve this, they would follow anyone who gave them even the slightest hope.

Right now, there were 3 main forces that Daneel was keeping an eye on:

1. The Church Of Rectitude: As things stood now, they would mostly be the ones who would lead the charge.

2. The TriCobra Society: Chances were that they would move after the Church was weakened. There was no possibility of an alliance between these two because of the highly conflicting ideals.

3. The Royal Family and The Withering Leaf Sect: Some unknown alliance had brought these two together. Regardless, they would be fighting to keep control of the palace until the formation could be completely mastered.

These were the only forces that had actively moved resources to contest for the throne. Although some more were also present, they were only keeping an eye on matters.

As for Daneel, he was mostly unnoticed by all 3 of these forces. The only attention he was drawing was due to his 'master' who was a figure of unknown power who might or might not take part in the struggle.

The goal of the church was simple: Invade the palace, kill the Nobility in front of the citizens and drive away the other forces to hold control of the palace and decipher the formation.

The TriCobra Society's motives were currently unknown, but one thing was obvious: they also wanted to kill the King and take control of the palace.

As for the King and the Vice Sect Master, all they wished was to defend until the formation could be completely mastered.

Seeing these three motives, Daneel had understood one thing: the palace was the key. Whoever managed to hold the palace for a period of time would emerge as the winner in this struggle.

In fact, in the last three years, he had analyzed many guard formations of smaller establishments. These formations worked similar to enchanting: objects were enchanted with specific spells and placed in certain arrangements to bring out the desired effects.

Yet, when it came to the palace, the system had simply admitted defeat quoting that the complexity was too high.

After obtaining the information about the exact date of attack, Daneel had already started deploying his faction around the city according to his plan. Right now, all that was left to do was wait for what would definitely be an eventful day.

The day of the attack dawned like any other, yet many citizens of the Kingdom of Lanthanor had had sleepless nights either due to excitement or fear.

In Daneel's case, it was a mixture of the two. His plan failing would almost definitely result in the deaths of countless people including him.

Yet, he had no choice. He could not stand back and watch his Kingdom be usurped by an outside force which did not care about its people. Even the Church only wanted a Kingdom of sheep who would follow their doctrine and be willing to sacrifice themselves blindly.

For his parents, for his friends, for his nation, he HAD to succeed, no matter what came in his way.

Getting dressed and making sure that he was carrying everything he needed, Daneel headed to the gates of the inner city.

A large crowd thousands of people strong had already gathered, and he had to wade his way in to get near the front. In fact, he had seen many people from the countryside also approaching the city.

Seeing the numbers, he approximated that close to a million people would soon fill the streets of the outer city. It seemed that even the peaceful people in the countryside had had enough of the decades of injustice.

Reaching the front, he met up with Joshua and confirmed that everything was ready. The time of the attack was here, but he saw no one around him who stood out as priests.

Knowing that they would mostly appear above, he kept his eyes on the sky.

Sure enough, in a few seconds, the familiar figure of Radagast appeared in the air.

With his hands respectfully folded, he was standing beside a potbellied man in a grey tunic. This balding man seemed to have amiable features, with thick lips and a small nose.

With a pious expression, he spoke with a voice that resounded throughout the outer city.

"People of Lanthanor! I will only ask you one question: HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH?"

"YES!", came the reply as an untold number of voices screamed and yelled, shocking Daneel who was watching the sheer intensity held by a group of people united as one.

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO BREAK DOWN THESE GATES AND STORM THE INNER CITY?", the man asked, his voice rising in pitch with the increasing frenzy that was spreading across the crowd.

"YES!", came the reply again, while each and every person remembered either the injustices that were done to them or the injustices they feared would be done to their children and family if they let the nobility continue their rule.

Raising his hands in the air, the man made a gargantuan hand which seemed to be made of air appear above him.

Seeing this hand appear, Daneel knew that there would be no speeches to rile up the crowd like he had expected. Like Master Jonah said, the Church were very straightforward after all.

"THE CHURCH OF RECTITUDE GRANTS YOUR WISH!", he shouted, gesturing forward as with a world-shaking BOOM, the gates were rent open.

Events were already affecting his plans. He needed to get to a location after the Church gathered the attention of the people, but now, he had time.

As the crowd around him rushed forward like a sea, Daneel could only try to fight the current and struggle to move in the direction he had to go in.

Chapter 78: Entering The Palace

Daneel wished he could teleport, but the people pressing against him stopped him from doing so. Getting an idea, he ordered the system to teleport him to his destination as soon as an instant of time came when he wasn't in contact with anyone.

After wading through for a few more minutes, by chance, that instant finally came.

Stumbling onto the ground near one of the walls of the Inner City, he adjusted his clothes and looked up to see Laravel waiting.

Yes, Laravel was the key through whom he would enter the palace. His plan right now was pretty simple: get to the palace and analyze the formation with the upgraded Phenomena Analysis Module.

All of his observations beforehand had been from outside as he had had no way to enter and thus be in the presence of the formation, thereby accelerating the process of development like in the case when he had endured the Weighty Gaze of the King during the First Year Assessment Exam.

Daneel needed to do two things: first, he had to allow the system to crack the formation with its upgraded ability while being in the presence of the formation. Second, he had to turn public favor towards his side if he wanted to be King.

Thus, he had contacted Laravel and asked him about the secret passages into the palace like the one he had seen in Elanev's manor.

Although all the passages leading in and out of the palace would mostly be blocked when the fight commenced, Laravel had said that he had a way to enter.

Thus, after formulating a backup plan in case Laravel's plan didn't work, Daneel confirmed the time at which they would meet.

Although Laravel had asked why the 'master' himself wouldn't come, Daneel had simply answered that as a powerful figure, he was bound by rules and could not take part directly in conflicts like these. All he could do was help his disciple and give him everything he needed in order to win.

Of course, this was hogwash thought up by Daneel after remembering the common excuses used by mysterious masters back on Earth. Yet, Laravel believed him because it did make some sense.

Still, he looked at Daneel with a skeptical expression on his face.

"You sure you have a plan to beat everyone else?"

Checking his pockets to make sure everything was in place, Daneel answered, "Of course. I made the plan, and master gave me everything I need. All you need to do is get me in."

The 'master' excuse couldn't be used forever, thus he had already decided to start giving more credit for himself.

Nodding, Laravel turned around and pricked his finger with his nail.

Stretching his hand forward, he drew a symbol that was similar to the royal crest on the wall.

After a few seconds, the symbol glowed and disappeared into the wall.

The stones on the wall magically moved to the side, opening a door that could fit one person at a time.

Daneel followed Laravel in after making sure that no one was spying on them. It seemed that the Grand Court Mage was quite busy with some other matters.

The doorway closed as soon as the both of them entered. In the pitch black darkness, Daneel conjured a fireball and looked around at the moldy cavern they were in with steps leading forward.

Gesturing Laravel to lead, the two started traversing the passage in silence.

As he saw Laravel's back in front of him, he could not help but think back to all of their interactions.

Even Kellor had said that his problem was arrogance, but it was outside of Daneel's expectations that he would have such a change of heart.

As someone who was still new to the matters of loyalty and character, Daneel had never placed any hope or belief in the possibility of one's attitude undergoing such drastic changes in just a short span of three years. In fact, he even had a small suspicion that he was being led into a trap, but Daneel was already prepared for that possibility, especially with the power of the upgraded system.

Concluding that he still had a lot to learn, Daneel opened his mouth to ask how much longer it would take to reach the palace.

BOOM!

The whole passageway they were in shook as if some enormous being had hit the earth above them, causing an earthquake.

Dust fell from the ceiling while the two tried to keep their balance, waiting for the shaking to stop.

Daneel was horrified. What kind of force was needed to cause such a massive disturbance?

As subsequent BOOMs started sounding from above, Laravel screamed "RUN!" as he took off at frantic pace.

Daneel decided to follow. It was too risky to teleport forward with the shaking and the rocks that were starting to fall from the ceiling.

The outer city was quite large, so traversing it all would take quite some time. After 30 minutes of running at full speed, the duo finally reached an opening from which light was spilling through.

Lunging forward, Daneel and Laravel got out of the passageway just as it completely collapsed behind them.

Panting for breath, Daneel asked, "How can the passageway be so flimsy?"

"This one has long been abandoned with no maintenance. I only know of it from a story my grandfather told about his childhood."

Getting up and dusting off the dirt, he said, "Lets go. The Palace is right ahead."

They were in a round, domed room, which seemed to have been excavated long ago judging from the weeds that were creeping into the stones. With the ceiling at least 20 feet in the air, Daneel wondered the purpose behind this room.

Just as he was about to ask Laravel the same, he looked forward to see that the kid's back was quivering, as if he was seeing his worst horror.

Noticing just what Laravel was staring at, a similar expression of shock appeared on Daneel's face.

King Richard Lanthanore stood right in front of the door which apparently lead to the palace.

With an expression of rage beyond anything Daneel had ever seen, the King roared, "LARAVEL! HOW DARE YOU BRING SOMEONE THROUGH THE SECRET PASSAGE ONLY MEANT FOR THE ROYAL FAMILY??!!"

His roar echoed through the room, but Daneel's attention was drawn to something that puzzled him.

The King's image seemed to be fizzling in and out of existence, as if it were merely a projection.

Yet, in his shock, Laravel did not notice this.

The horror morphing into an expression of stoic determination, Laravel found his voice and replied, "The noble name of our family cannot end due to your foolish actions. I will do whatever is necessary to ensure that."

Now, it was the King's turn to be shocked. Seeing his own son talk back to him, King Richard temporarily became speechless and could only stare into Laravel's eyes.

Chapter 79: The Royal Technique

"He's not actually here.", said Daneel from behind, making a small expression of astonishment pass across the King's face.

What he was using was a high-grade trinket which let him project his image anywhere in the palace. Thus, he could not move forward from the boundary of the palace, but any Human Mage was not supposed to be able to tell the difference between the projection and reality.

Daneel was actually using the upgraded elementary sight, hence he could see the particles in front of him with the view of a Warrior Mage. On reaching that level, one's mind would become more open and capable of viewing and assessing the world better.

"Laravel, don't you know why your brothers and sisters do not even dare to have rebellious thoughts?", he asked in a normal tone.

Laravel had calmed down a little after hearing Daneel speak. Indeed, if his father were really here, he would have lunged forward to kill them already as both of them were simply no match in front of him.

"I do. I don't know how exactly, but you have some means to take our lives. I was prepared for that when I made the decision to approach Daneel's master. You are wrong, father. You should have listened to grandfather."

Hearing this, the King barked a savage laugh before saying, "My father? The old man was exactly the same way I am when he was in power. In fact, he was even worse. Once, he ordered a whole village to be killed because they refused to pay the high taxes! He contributed to the present state of affairs more than almost any King before or after him. If he faced the same situation I did, I know he would have made the same decision. After breaking through and enjoying such a long life, he suddenly starts preaching all that stuff to me? I have to sacrifice myself for the throne? Humph."

Each word struck Laravel like a bullet. It seemed that although he had known vaguely about the previous King's past, hearing the bitter truth from his father was attacking his mindset which had decided on his grandfather as his idol.

"Even his reasoning was flawed. Did he ever tell you to care for the people? All he wanted was for the family name to go on. Family name, family name, family name. I got sick each time I heard him say the same thing over and over again!"

As an expression of self-doubt and indecisiveness appeared on his face after hearing these words, Laravel slowly started shaking his head in response; both to answer the question the King had asked and to deny all of the allegations that were threatening to make his mind crumble.

"What use is the family name if I'm dead? I want to live and grow in power. Frankly, I don't care if that's here or at the Withering Leaf Sect. Your eldest brother will inherit the throne and the sect will slowly make this into a sectarian country. Of course, they will keep the people around because they need to recruit. But apart from that, the people will be treated with the same disparity.

"Boy, in this world, power is everything. It's a pity you were born from my blood and still don't understand that."

"NO!", shouted Laravel, clutching his head and bending to his knees.

Meanwhile, Daneel felt danger emanating from the open door that led to the palace. He did not want to teleport himself forward and get trapped, thus he waited and watched.

For some reason, Daneel felt that the King was buying time. He simply looked at the crouched Laravel, giving him enough time to sort out his feelings.

"Yes, he never told me care for the people. But we both agreed that it was essential to do so to prevent situations like these. Yes, he did all those things in his past. But I know he realized he had been wrong in his last years.

Raising his head up to face the King's, Laravel spoke in a strong tone that displayed the firm belief in his ideals that he had regained.

"Our family name IS everything. I want to face my great-grandfather and my ancestors with my head held high when I die. The family name must live on. For that, I am willing to do anything."

Speaking these words, Laravel felt a clarity that he had never experienced before in his life. All the doubts he had had about his grandfather's past were gone, because he now understood that changes like these could only be welcomed, not sought after.

Each and every story told by his Grandfather had awoken in him a zeal to live up to the deeds of their ancestors. Every time, he would compare his life and mindset to those of the princes of old who lived lives of leadership and conquest. Even he wished to be so; to work with the single ambition to expand the Kingdom handed down by his family.

Of course, his viewpoint had been flawed as the previous King himself did not care about the citizens. He had chosen to tell only selective parts after discarding the ones about them treating the people fairly. Yet, what he told had been enough to change this shrewd but arrogant kid.

The stories gave birth to a wish. A wish to save the Noble Lanthanore name from disappearing.

And even if he died trying to fulfill this wish, he would have no regrets.

Sighing, the King said, "So you've made your decision. Well, it's too late now. Remember the Royal Technique given to all members of the Royal Family to increase body potential or comprehension?"

Daneel was surprised seeing the King bring this up. He recalled his conversation with Elanev, who had talked about the rumors that the Royal Family had absorption techniques which increased potential but might result in gruesome mutations. What did that have to do with anything right now?

"Those techniques were a set: one increased body potential or comprehension whereas the other could remove the limiter stopping mutations from occurring due to the side effects of using the other technique. Our ancestor who betrayed his brother to gain control of the Kingdom was always afraid that his offspring might usurp the throne by doing exactly what he had done. Thus, he bought this set at an exorbitant price which placed the whole Kingdom in debt for quite a lot of years.

Raising his hand, the King stared into Laravel's eyes as a twisted smile appeared on his face.

"Except your Eldest Brother, I can kill you or any of your siblings at the flick of my wrist right now. Choose, Laravel. Take a step forward and you will die. Say a word and you will die. Just surrender, and I promise that I will not even punish you."

On Laravel's face, there was only peace regardless of what he heard. Since he saw the King here, he knew that his actions had been discovered and that there was a very high possibility that he would die.

What difference would the method make? There was only one more thing he needed to do: he had to deactivate the bloodlock on the door so that Daneel could enter safely.

At this moment, his whole life flashed before his eyes.

His childhood filled with arrogance where he took pleasure in showing off whenever he could.

His fear of defeat in Daneel's hands which made him use the explosion trinket during the test.

His indignance and desire to take revenge as he still lost.

And his first proper conversation with his grandpa who talked when he once accompanied his father to the bedroom.

Each and every long discussion they shared were vivid in his mind. Bit by bit, he had begun to envy the princes of old who had the true right to be arrogant with war merits under their chest and unfathomable power in their hands.

What did he have to be arrogant? Nothing. By letting go of that arrogance, the admiration for his family name was slowly instilled in him. And with that admiration came the desire to do something.

Now, a relaxed smile appeared on his face as the realization came that he would die soon. But, he still needed to do that one last thing.

Taking a lunge forward, Laravel tried to reach the door.

An expression of frustration appearing on his face, the King flicked his upraised fingers and disappeared as another loud BOOM was heard from above ground.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

With a scream, Laravel fell to the ground and started writhing.

After quickly confirming that there were no threats nearby, Daneel hastened to the prince's side.

An expression of agony was on his face, with eyes rolled back to show the whites and teeth gritted so hard together that blood started to flow from the corner of his lips.

Yet, what horrified Daneel the most was the realization that somehow, Laravel's body was growing in size while black hair started appearing all over his skin.

In only a few seconds, the body on the ground was already double Daneel's size.

"AAAAAAAAARRGGHHHHH!"

A roar shook through the dome, making the hair on Daneel's skin stand on end as he realized that that figure had raised its head and was now looking at him as if he were its prey.

Chapter 80: Honor

Red, bloodshot eyes stared into his, paralyzing him in place as the figure got up from the ground.

The black hair growing all over Laravel's body was sharp and spiky. Seeing it tear apart the royal robe made of precious materials with ease, Daneel regained his senses and knew he had to run. Even Laravel's face had become completely covered by the black hair, making it so that this being was completely unrecognizable from the prince before. Only the teeth which were growing into fangs were visible along with the terrifying eyes which were filled with the desire to kill.

In a swift motion, the figure rose up and ran towards him.

SSCCCRRRRR

Its body was still growing, and its nails had grown to become blades which were at least half a foot long. The sound the nails made as they dragged across the ground sent shivers down Daneel's mind.

Luckily, he was a mage. The speed of the being already exceeded that of an Eminent Human Fighter, so Daneel would have stood no chance if he had to rely on his body.

Teleporting to the other end of the room, Daneel first conjured a block of ice in its path making it stumble and fall.

Before it could get up, he tried to encase its legs in a cube of earth.

Alas, all he could control at one time was a globe of earth the size of his head. As the figure stood up and started chasing him again, Daneel wondered what to do.

The ways forward and behind were blocked. Daneel did not want to take the chance of being trapped in whatever danger he felt from the entrance to the palace. He had asked the system to analyze it, but the response had been that it was too complex to analyze without experiencing it. As for teleporting in directly, the system had warned that there were countermeasures in place for such intruders although it could not completely tell what those were.

At least, he now knew that the system would be able to analyze the formation if he entered the palace. But first, he needed to contain the threat in front of him and find a way to enter the palace without being harmed.

After all, this was still his ally. It would be best to use non lethal means and knock him out before looking for ways to cure him in the future.

After reaching a staggering height of 8 foot, the being finally stopped growing. Its abnormally long nails looked sharp enough to pierce right through Daneel , and in the small domed room, he was finding it more and more difficult to keep dodging.

Just as Daneel was going to use a system modified spell, small rocks around him started to float into the air.

"Magic?! This thing is controlling elements!", he realized, seeing the myriad pieces of rock start to shoot towards him along with the charging giant which was getting more and more frustrated by this ant who kept teleporting around the room.

Lightning, wind, fire, ice, earth;whatever spell Daneel used was simply stopped by the bristling black hair. At this point, he understood that he had a glaring weakness: all the spells he had could either tickle a powerful being like this or kill it directly. He had almost nothing in between which could subdue or knock out this thing.

"Do I really need to kill it?", he thought, panicking as the space he could dodge in kept decreasing more and more. Besides, the being also seemed to be getting more and more adept at using magic.

"System, how do I stop this thing?"

[Would host like a lethal or non-lethal approach?]

"Non-lethal!"

[The existence that host has encountered is the result of a mutation in the mageroot. Direct impact at the mageroot might have some effect.]

So the mageroot was behind all this. Looking up, Daneel saw a a block of rock half his size which shook each time the giant thundered across the ground.

It had already collided with the walls multiple times, further degrading the integrity of the room. With one more push, it seemed that the rock would fall down.

Teleporting to a corner of the room so that the giant would have to pass under the rock when it charged, Daneel ordered the system to conjure earth above the block and push it down just as the giant came under it. Because the underside of the block was not visible to him, he could only ask the system to do so.

Just as he expected, the giant turned around again and charged. Rage had completely consumed it, and it did not seem to learn from its actions no matter how many times it failed.

CRACK

As the rock hit its head, the giant skidded to a halt on the floor.

Silence finally came to the room which had been resounding with the THUDs of the giant's steps till now.

Daneel cautiously approached, noticing that blood was flowing from a glaring wound above its forehead. It seemed that although the rock didn't hit the mageroot directly, it had still done its job.

"Da.... Daneel.."

Hearing the feeble voice, Daneel ran to the giant's side.

Its expression had changed and the rage that had been consuming it seemed to have receded. Although the face was still covered in hair, Daneel could now see a semblance of the person this thing had been before.

There seemed to be some kind of struggle going on, as two completely different expressions fought to take control. One was the fury that Daneel had seen till now.

The other was one of concentration which made Daneel believe that it was probably Laravel somehow fighting back against whatever was happening to him.

"Take me.... to the door.."

Hearing the words Laravel sputtered out with great effort, Daneel immediately obliged and dragged the giant body towards the door which was nearby. Thankfully, because he had advanced to the stage of a 4th Grade Human Fighter, pulling a body weighing what felt like 250 Kg wasn't too hard.

As soon as Laravel's body reached the door, he raised a quivering hand to his face and dipped his finger in the blood that was flowing out after taking care not to pierce himself using the blade-like nails.

On the wall beside the door, he wrote the same symbol that had opened the passageway in the first place.

"It's taking control. Daneel, kill me. This change is irreversible .... and I do not want to live like this. I can feel what is inside me. If it completely takes over.... you will not even be able to touch it. And I will be gone anyway. Please, Daneel. Do it."

Each word needed to be forced out in the brief moments of time that Laravel took back ground from whatever was attacking his consciousness.

"System, is it true? It can't be reversed?"

[Affirmative. The mageroot, and thus the body, has been irrevocably changed. According to the data collected, the body is using vitality to burn the lifespan of the original person. It will not live longer than one month.]

How could a father do this to his own son? Daneel felt even more sickened by the King who had let his kin train using this technique.

Looking into Laravel's struggling eyes, Daneel saw what it meant to stick to one's ideals. Yes, the ideals had been flawed. But the determination to stick to them even if death came in the way made Daneel admire this man and wish that things hadn't turned out this way.

As the expression of fury started staying for longer and longer intervals, Daneel realized that he had no more time to hesitate.

Such a man did not deserve to have his body possessed. That would simply sully his honor and the deeds he had done.

Realizing this, Daneel made his decision.

As a compressed needle of fire appeared in the air, Laravel's eyes widened realizing that the mysterious master was Daneel himself.

"Remember.... our agreement. Do it.", he gasped out, closing his eyes and waiting for the blissful release of death. His mind hurt so much, and there was something ferocious inside that wanted to devour his consciousness whole and take over his body. One last feeling of triumph passed through Laravel's mind, knowing that what it wanted would not come to be.

"The Noble name of the Lanthanore Family will be passed down through history. Many will admire the mighty Kings who built such a great Kingdom, and many will marvel at the character of one prince who gave everything up to keep his head high. Goodbye, Laravel."

As a smile appeared on his face from hearing Daneel's words, the needle entered his forehead.

Instead of agony, the face only relaxed into one of comfort.

The needle penetrated the mageroot before piercing into the brain. As the body in front of him became still, Daneel bent forward and closed Laravel's eyes, marveling at the peaceful expression of contentment on his face.

Tears came from his eyes as he realized that he had actually killed someone with his own hands. Even worse, it had been an ally.

Yet, there was no time to cry. The thunderous sounds from above ground seemed to growing in intensity and frequency, making Daneel stand up and put all his feelings aside for now.

Looking at Laravel one last time, he etched his face into his memory before walking through the door that lead to the palace.

Chapter 81: Dragon Heart Formation

With an expression of resolve, Daneel finally marched into the palace.

[Host is under the effect of a formation. Analysis begun. Estimated time required: 10 minutes.]

Seeing the acceptable time requirement, he felt relieved that he had chosen to save up EXP to buy the upgrade. He seemed to have entered some sort of a storage room, with all kinds of metals strewn around the ground.

As he entered, the door behind him vanished into the wall leaving behind no trace. Looking around, he saw that all the metals were scraps discarded in failed enchanting attempts.

The room had only one door which Daneel exited through after confirming with the system that there was no one outside. Gold walls greeted him, with a ceiling that was at least 50 feet in the air.

Opulent chandeliers hung at intervals above his head while numerous paintings adorned the walls.

Hearing someone coming from the end of the corridor, Daneel quickly ducked back into the room. Deciding to leave after the analysis was done, he decided to wait there as it seemed safe right now.

["Dragon Heart Formation" has been analyzed. Full control can be obtained if host can enter the vicinity of the dragon heart which is the key to this formation. Minimum distance required for full takeover: 1 meter. General direction of the key is available. Would you like to use the Heads Up Display for instructions?]

"Yes. And tell me about the formation."

A green arrow appeared in front of him showing the direction he had to go in to get to the key. As he cautiously started walking through the corridor after exiting the room he was in, his eyes opened wider and wider on hearing the shocking explanation from the system.

[Dragon Heart Formation: It is a powerful formation which requires a dragon's heart to act as the key. With present data, system cannot ascertain the level needed to enchant the formation. It has been detected that an enchantment has been superimposed onto the original formation to make it easier to master by low-level beings. It is also this enchantment which system can take control of after Host enters the vicinity of the dragon's heart.

One who masters the formation can utilize the "Dragon Claw" spell to conjure a claw with the power of an Peak Exalted Warrior Mage. The claw is impervious to all attacks under its own level. Other miscellaneous spells can also be utilized.]

The spell was simply a cheat. Daneel now understood why the mastery of the formation was so important to obtain. With the dragon claw, as far as Daneel knew, all of the forces attacking the palace could be defeated in an instant. Of course, this was based on the fact that all of the forces vying for the throne had to move warily and wait for the previous King to die. If they had a powerhouse at that level, they could have easily sent one in and purged the nobility whenever they liked.

A dragon's heart! From the history of the Kingdom, Daneel knew that the person who started this Kingdom had slain a dragon to take control of the land it had been terrorizing. Yet, in all the records he had seen in the library, there were almost no mentions of dragons except for the occasional lines that they were long extinct.

Remembering this, he wondered if the heart that was the key was the same heart of the dragon that the Founding King had slain.

The palace was a labyrinth of passages all adorned with some of the best art pieces Daneel had seen since coming to this world.

"System, why not just teleport to the location of the formation?", he asked, as he had had to stop 3 times already to let some troops of soldiers pass.

[Space is locked due to the formation. System cannot develop a space-lock breaking spell due to the high complexity of the space lock.]

Hearing this, Daneel resigned himself to being alert and responding to the system's warnings as quickly as possible.

His only consolation was that there was no surveillance on him right now. Either the King had too much on his hands, or he had decided that Daneel was no threat.

Of course, Daneel suspected that he was actually going to the place where the King must be. The key to any formation was always the most securely guarded location in any establishment, as it was what facilitated control of the formation in the first place. Thus, he wouldn't be surprised if they ended up meeting soon.

Luckily, most of the palace seemed to be empty with the residents either gathered at some location or evacuated due to the knowledge that the Church would be attacking now.

Meanwhile, the deafening sounds from something impacting the palace were only growing louder.

Although he wanted to know just what was happening outside, he knew that his priority right now was to get to the key as soon as possible.

Finally, after 30 minutes of frantic running with intervals of hiding when the system warned that there were people ahead, Daneel finally reached a large hallway.

Suddenly, he halted after the warning that enemies were up ahead. Peeking around the corner of the corridor he was in, he saw that numerous soldiers were positioned just 40 feet away from him. All the corridors so far had been small, with enough space to fit 5 people side by side. Yet, the one that the soldiers were in was at least double that size.

"System, where is the key?", he asked, seeing that the arrow was asking him to take a turn and run right into them.

They all had gleaming red epaulets, meaning that they were the elite of the elite. At least 50 such soldiers stood at the entrance of a door looking around warily.

[The key is in the room guarded by the soldiers. No other entry point found.], came the message, making sweat appear on Daneel's forehead.

A head on assault would be very, very dangerous because of the sheer number of the soldiers that were there. Also, he had caught a glimpse of some soldiers wearing a peculiar blue armor talking to the ones with the red epaulets. Asking the system, he found out that they were mages.

The secret Mage Corps! The difficulty of entering the room had just gone up by a few more notches. If there were just soldiers, Daneel would have at least tried to come up with a plan. Now, he had to find another way.

There were multiple rooms in the corridor Daneel was standing in. Till now, he had been ducking into empty rooms to avoid the patrols.

[Warning! Patrol approaching from behind! Please find cover!]

Hearing the warning sound again, Daneel felt frustrated at the bad timing. No matter if he went forward or backward, the soldiers would end up seeing him.

With no other choice, he walked to a door near him even though he knew that there was someone inside.

The doors used lock mechanisms like in the Dwarve's Rum. With the capability to even analyze the formation in the palace, the enchantment on the door stood no chance and was immediately unlocked.

Silently opening the door, he cautiously entered. The rooms were built in the style where a short passageway was the first thing a person would enter on entering the door. Thus, whoever was inside did not see him yet.

Deciding not to take any chances, he ordered the system to knock out whoever was inside by using a block of ice to impact the head.

After the upgrade, the Phenomena Analysis Module could now let him know about the level of a person if they were weaker than him. Hence, he knew that the person inside was only a 2nd Grade Human Mage, and was thus no threat.

THUD

[Task completed.]

Walking further inside, Daneel came upon a King size bed with lavish red blankets. Lying on top of them was a young teen who had just been knocked out.

Turning him over, Daneel smiled as he realized that he just might have found the ticket inside.

It was Varanel.

Chapter 82: The Forces Gather

The soldiers who had been tasked with guarding the King's Central Chamber were all ones who had been on a battlefield multiple times.

They had the instincts of a veteran who knew when things were going south. Now, although that instinct was telling them that everything that could go south was going south, they had no choice but to stand and follow their orders.

As for the Mage Corp, they were used to sitting back and casting spells as soldiers marched forward. Now, under the attack of a force that seemed unstoppable, they could not help but feel extremely wary.

Seeing someone walk down the corridor towards them, all the soldiers went on high alert.

As a single unit, the 50 soldiers divided into rows of 10 each. Each row had activated a particular type of trinket: the first row all had shields, blocking the ones behind from view. The second had lances in their hands with the tips pointing forward through holes in the shields. The 3rd and 4th rows had close combat weapons like swords, daggers and maces depending on each soldier's specialty. The last had already nocked arrows, ready to shoot.

The Mage Corp had simply vanished into the air, but a round ball of earth blazing with fire had suddenly formed above the soldiers' heads.

"It's a noble!", came the shout from the captain of the squad whose job was to identify threats and order attacks.

"Stand down! Let him in after verifying his identity!"

Daneel, who had disguised himself as Varanel, had suddenly put on a panicked expression on seeing the soldiers get into formation and point weapons at him. His plan was to wait and order the system to crack the verification method as soon as he found out what it was. He had allowed the panic to come on his face because that was the expression Varanel would put in this situation. After all, Daneel had seen a panicking Varanel in person when he impersonated as the 'master' and met him and Laravel in the barren field.

But before the soldiers even relaxed their formation, the door opened to reveal Kellor.

"Whats the matter?", he asked, seeing the unit of soldiers pointing their weapons at Varanel.

"Your excellency! This noble was just walking down the passageway! We were just about to get him to verify his identity."

Hearing this, Kellor walked forward and saw the teen who had an alarmed expression on his face.

"Varanel? Why are you here?", he asked, as the soldiers finally minimized their trinkets and went back to guarding the door. Even the blazing ball above had disappeared and the Mages were back, standing near the soldiers and looking around.

"Is it possible to enter and see what is going on?"

Kellor's answer was cut off even before he opened his mouth as he wondered whether he had seen an illusion. For a split second, he could swear that Varanel's face had morphed into Daneel's before changing back.

Remembering the moment he had decided to help Daneel as best as he could, Kellor understood what was going on.

"Did you tear your clothes?", he asked, to confirm if his suspicion were true. Only the both of them knew of the conversation in his room when Kellor examined his clothes which had torn due to him activating the disguise for the first time.

"Yes."

Hearing the reply, Kellor raised his hand and waved it in front of Daneel.

A purple beam of light flashed over his body, after which the light turned green.

"Verification successful. He wants to see the King beat back the forces who think they have a chance against the Noble Lanthanore Family. Long live Lanthanor!"

"Long Live Lanthanor!"

The Court Mage was the King's trusted advisor, and it had been him who had arranged the additional protocol to verify one's identity out of caution. Seeing him do the verification personally, none of the soldiers or mages asked further and let them enter.

Following the Court Mage amid the cheer from the soldiers, Daneel felt lucky that he had this ally inside the palace. Although what he could do was limited thanks to the oaths that bound him and the constant scrutiny of the Grand Court Mage, he had still done everything he could.

Entering the room, the green arrow vanished as the heart he had been searching for finally appeared in front of Daneel.

Seeing the sight in front of him, he could not help but let his jaw drop.

It was a large square room, measuring at least 100 feet in width and length.

GLUB DUB. GLUB DUB. GLUB DUB.

A gigantic heart in the middle of the room was floating on top of a circular groove on the floor that shone with a white halo. Although there was no blood on top of it, the red heart still beat as if pumping out something.

A barrier was around the heart, in which four people stood looking at panels in the air which showed what was happening outside.

This was actually not the first time Daneel was seeing panels such as these. Two years ago, he had seen a broken panel in one of the piles in Ripley's house. On asking, he had found out that such panels were very advanced trinkets which were manufactured by an ancient organization in this world. Just this broken piece had cost Ripley a fortune to buy because apparently, the enchantment was so complex that it required at least a 4th Grade Enchanter.

4th Grade Enchanter! Considering that the top enchanter in Lanthanor was only 2nd Grade, Daneel had been quite shocked. The minimum requirements to become a 1st Grade enchanter were that one needed to be an Eminent Human Mage and also needed to have become adept in the art of enchantment, which took years of practice. Even then, they could only make trinkets usable by 1st, 2nd or 3rd Grade Human Mages or Fighters.

Going by this metric, a 4th Grade Enchanter would have to be someone who had advanced to the Warrior Mage level while also spending time to learn enchanting. Such a feat was simply impossible by anyone in the Kingdom.

Thus, it made sense why those trinkets would cost so much.

In fact, that had been the point at which Daneel's plans had actually begun to become concrete.

"Varanel? Stand to the side and don't make a sound."

Daneel was brought back to the present on hearing the King's voice. Bowing, he nodded with respect and went to the side to join some other members of the nobility who were already there.

In his mind, he cursed the barrier stopping him from coming into contact with the heart. After asking the system, he had just found out that it was directly made by the formation and was hence at the level of a Peak Warrior Mage. There was no way he would be able to break through it no matter what he did.

All he could do was wait for a chance. There were more than 40 nobles standing all around the room, their eyes transfixed on the images on the panels. Thus, only a few of them simply nodded seeing Varanel arrive and then went back to staring.

Reaching an empty spot, Daneel also turned towards the panels in the center to finally find out just what exactly was going on outside.

Chapter 83: Magic Construc

There were 3 panels in total, each showing different locations.

The first was the front of the palace. Daneel had been to the place with Elanev when he had gone to collect the Prime Citizen Award. It was an aerial view, with the gate to the palace and the situation outside clearly visible.

A gargantuan beast that looked like a rhinoceros was ramming into the crimson barrier that had formed at some point around the whole palace. As he finally understood exactly what had been causing the disturbance along his way, Daneel noticed two small specks standing in the air above the beast.

Looking closer, his jaw dropped as he realized that they were actually Radagast and the pot-bellied man he had seen before.

Now that he had a human to compare with, he understood just how big the beast actually was.

It covered the whole of the large road which was in the center of the outer city. This meant that 10 men standing side by side would be needed to match just the width of this beast.

As for the height, Daneel could estimate that it was at least as tall as a 10-story building. All in all, it emanated the feeling of a force that would make anyone run in fear.

Now that he had had time to study the library and gain some knowledge, he knew that such beings were called "Magic Constructs". Just like the Firewind Dragon which had destroyed the Dwarve's Rum, this was an existence which came into being due to the effect of a spell.

There was no information regarding what level as a mage was needed to cast such a spell. In fact, one historian had written that it was impossible for any mages alive to cast such a spell. Only trinkets or formations from ancient times which were made with the purpose of protecting important locations could be used in this day and age to make entities like this appear.

Such treasures were so rare that even the Kingdom of Lanthanor did not have any as long as one did not count the Royal Palace.

Each time the horn of the rhinoceros rammed into the barrier, the whole palace seemed to shake slightly accompanied by the brightness of the crimson formation decreasing a bit.

On the second panel, a group of men in black clothes were holding a strange object in their hand and pointing it at the barrier at a certain location that seemed to be devoid of any people.

The device reminded Daneel of the battering rams used by people back on Earth to break through doors. Only, this battering ram was longer, requiring four people to hold it on each side.

Three snakes entwined around a spear-like object which was rotating at a high speed with the sharp tip impacting the barrier.

"It's a drill!", realized Daneel, feeling awed at the first piece of equipment that seemed to be using both magical and mechanical means that he saw in this world.

The third and final screen was actually the most shocking of them all. In the aerial view, a gigantic wall could be seen on which numerous soldiers were standing in neat rows. On the other side of the wall, a humongous army which filled the rest of the screen was marching forward.

Focusing, Daneel estimated that there were at least 250,000 soldiers in just the area that was visible in the screen. This already exceeded the number of regular soldiers that Lanthanor even had.

Daneel now understood why there were only a few soldiers in the city to stop the Church of Rectitude and the TriCobra Society. It seemed that the two forces had somehow synced their attack with a third party which pulled the military might of the Kingdom away.

"Damn Axelor! How could the information about their army's movement arrive so late?", cursed the King, breaking the silence with the room.

His voice broke Daneel's gaze away from the panels. Just like the others in the room, he had not even realized that he had been transfixed on the images on them all this while.

Now that he had time to look around, he saw that the Vice Sect Master who had been at the procession was now standing in front of the enormous heart in the room. His left hand was holding what looked like a golden book to his chest, while his right was upraised, pointing at the heart.

Daneel kept his eyes on the man, watching him shoot a glare at the King after he spoke out loud. Turning around and sharing a look with the Eldest Prince who was standing beside him, he closed his eyes again as an expression of concentration appeared on his face.

"Father, don't worry. The foolish Church and the cowardly Society think that by attacking at the same time, they can hope to overload the formation with their combined force and break it. If my master didn't beseech the Head of the Sect to lend an ancient trinket which hastens the mastery of formations, then we would not have stood a chance. In only a few more hours, we will have full mastery of the Dragon Heart Formation after which we can easily send these fools scurrying in fear. Just stay patient, Father. As soon as we resolve the situation here, we can easily drive away the attacking army and take full control of the Kingdom.", said the Eldest prince as a sycophantic smile appeared on his face.

"Are you sure that no one knows of this? As far as I have seen, their information network seems to be highly extensive.", asked the King, sighing as worry made him crease his forehead.

"Yes, father. Besides, even if they knew, what can they do about it? All the entrances are blocked as all the members of the Royal Family have been called back to the palace and accounted for except that traitor Laravel. It doesn't even matter whether he managed to kill that kid or not, because regardless, he must be definitely dead by now eliminating the last way in which anyone can gain access to the palace. As for that kid, no matter what tricks his master taught him, he can't break through this barrier made by the formation which is impervious to all attacks below those of a Peak Exalted Warrior Mage."

Hearing this conversation, Daneel finally had a grasp of the whole situation.

In order to reach the heart and take control of it, either the formation had to break due to the attacks from the forces outside or the barrier had to be deactivated from the inside by the King.

Besides, time was tight. Unaware of the situation here, the forces outside were taking their time to break the formation thinking that they still had a lot of time until the formation was mastered.

"System, can you still take control if someone is already in full control of the formation?"

[Negative. System can only take control if the formation is not currently controlled by anyone.]

Indeed, it was as he had expected. All would be lost if he did not find a way to get to the heart before the Vice Sect Master gained full control of it.

Stepping back into a shadow in the corner of the room, Daneel started planning his next step.

Chapter 84: Panic And Pride

One hour later.

The pot-bellied man standing in the air beside Radagast had a serene expression on his face as if the image of the gargantuan beast ramming into the palace's barrier was just a sight he would see on his daily walk.

Suddenly, his expression turned stoic as another priest appeared in the air in front of him.

"Is it true?", he asked, his calm demeanor gone as the visage of one in authority superimposed onto him.

"Yes, my Lord. Although the authenticity cannot be verified, the rumor has spread throughout the outer city. If this has been orchestrated by someone in the city to make us draw out our true forces, then there is an additional force in the Kingdom which we must be wary of.", answered the man, bowing.

"Humph. It is easy enough to check.", said the pot-bellied man before taking out what looked like a stone tablet of his pocket and speaking into it.

A few minutes later, his expression turned into one of slight frustration as he said, "It's true. The ancient trinket has gone missing from the Sect. Begin Plan-B."

Waving his hand over the beast below him, he startled everyone waiting for the barrier to collapse by making the beast disappear.

Taking out a small golden pill-shaped object from the hidden compartment in his belt, the man sighed before saying, "The Arch-Bishop will not be pleased."

A similar scene played out at the location where the TriCobra Society had been drilling into the barrier. After one of the men received some sort of communication, the battering ram was put away while a gleaming red live serpent was taken out from his coat pocket which he caressed in his hands.

Inside the Palace, an elated expression appeared on the King's face when he saw the beast and the battering ram disappear.

"They stopped the attacks! Are the bastards finally giving up?", he exclaimed, making the Vice Sect Master glare at him again.

Yet, the glare turned into one of absolute shock when he saw the objects that had been taken out from the two men's pockets.

Just at that moment, he seemed to have received some sort of transmission from his sect which made his face then redden in a fit of rage.

Grabbing the eldest prince's collar, the fuming Vice Sect Master raised him up into the air and snarled, "Spies have confirmed that the ancient trinket was missing from the Sect Treasury! They checked for the trinket as if they knew exactly what to look for and identified that it was a fake placed there to deceive the watching parties! I told you to take care of one thing. ONE. AND YOU STILL FAILED?! HOW DID THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRINKET GET OUT?!"

His voice rose in intensity until at the end, he was outright screaming at the Eldest Prince who had taken on an expression of fear.

As the King saw this sight, he felt for the first time that maybe he had made the wrong decision. All this time, his son had been telling him that it was an equal relationship. But now, seeing the Vice Sect Master's actions and the fear on his son's face, he knew that he had been lied to.

Of course, the orchestrator of all these events had been Daneel. After finding out that the forces outside had no idea about the real situation, he decided that the best course of action would be to leak the information and have them resort to desperate measures.

After all, they had already spent countless amounts of time, money and effort to get to this stage. Thus, it was only common sense that they must have prepared some backup plans in case things went awry.

Daneel's plan was to push them to resort to those plans. The only thing he needed was the barrier to break. If he got to the heart, then it didn't matter what plans or means anyone had.

In other words, this was a perfect example of "killing with a hired gun". Only, Daneel did not have to pay anything for hiring in the first place; he already had two guns pointed at the target, needing only a small impulse to shoot with their full power.

The Domination Corps had already been dispersed throughout the city to wait for orders. Thus, he had simply transmitted the message to spread this rumor in the city. Due to the resources of the two forces, he suspected that there was some way for them to verify if the information was true or not.

Thankfully, his suspicions had been correct. He would later find out that the sect had been aware of the possibility of the information leaking out, and had decided that the best thing to do was place a fake artifact in the original ancient artifact's place. After all, anyone could put two and two together and deduce that the Vice Sect Master had the ancient trinket with him to master the palace in a shorter time frame if the trinket was missing from the treasury.

Only, this plan fell apart because it was almost impossible to make a replica of an ancient artifact. Anyone could recognize the falseness of the artifact with just a closer look. Hence, their plan hinged on keeping the information hidden that the Vice Sect Master was in possession of the artifact. He had in turn relayed this job to the eldest prince trusting that the Royal Family would take care of this matter effectively.

"I-I made sure! It is not possible for anyone here to have passed the information, as they know very well that doing so might result in the death of the whole family! Even their identities have been verified!", sputtered the Prince, before he was thrown aside, hitting the wall of the barrier with a THUD and falling to the ground.

An appalled expression appeared on the King's face as he saw a member of the Lanthanore family treated in this way. Yet, he hesitated to speak knowing the power of the man in front of him. In fact, the suspicion arose in his mind regarding whether he had been too blinded by the yearning for a longer life to notice that everything wasn't as normal as he had thought it to be.

With his expression turning into one of resentment, he recalled his actions. Hearing his eldest son's proposal that he could retire to the sect and train with the best of materials while all the problems would be solved by the sect itself, he had initially been apprehensive. Yet, with the assurance that it was an equal relationship where the eldest prince would only have to allow the sect to recruit from the population, he had agreed blindly due to the fear of dying an early death and led this man to the heart of the formation.

The image of his son crumpled on the floor made him understand how wrong he had been. Regardless of the sect's intentions with the Kingdom, as a King, he knew that his son would simply be a placeholder while the sect would govern the Kingdom. Over time, his family name might even be completely erased and replaced by the sect when it suited their purposes.

As this realization dawned upon him, an anger erupted in his heart. Although it was true that he did not care about anything other than his own longevity, he still had a pride which stemmed from the years of living as a figure adored by many and feared by all.

This pride woke up and roared in his mind, letting him know that it would not allow him to just stand there and watch as the Vice Sect Master started looking at the people around the room with an intent to kill.

Chapter 85: Waiting

Being an existence at the level of a Warrior Mage, the Vice Sect Master had acute senses which allowed him to notice that the King, who had so far been someone who did not even think about opposing him, was now slowly changing his attitude.

"Don't even think about it. All of you are just ants in front of me. Everything is already lost, as there is no way to master the formation before the two forces outside unleash their trinkets. Each of them is equivalent to a full power strike from a powerhouse at the Champion Mage Level. Champion Mage! If someone at that existence really came to a backward place like this, he would have been able to destroy this whole palace in a few strikes. Just the value of those trinkets definitely exceeds the amount of money you can put up even if you sold everything your Kingdom has. I don't know why they are attaching so much importance to this Kingdom, so it's just too sad that I have to leave before I find out the reason."

The King was shaking where he stood, realizing finally how it felt to be called an ant by someone else. All this time, he had been the one towering over all.

It was quite clear that their agreement was now moot. The agreement was made on the terms that someone from the sect would take control of the formation and retain control of the Kingdom. Now, it seemed that the Vice Sect Master was just going to leave now that things had gotten out of hand.

"But before I do, I will kill each and every one in this room including you, Puny King. Someone in this room leaked the information outside, and I never let anyone go so easily after they have backstabbed me.

"Whoever it is, just come out and face your death. If you cooperate, maybe you can extend the lives of your family a bit longer, at least until the forces come in any way. Otherwise, I'm just going to kill each one."

Pin drop silence was in the room. Inside the barrier, the King, the Grand Court Mage and Kellor could only stare at this man who had made such a chilling proclamation.

In the panels, everyone could see that the two forces were holding the objects in their hands and concentrating as if they were activating the power stored inside.

As for the last panel, the enemy army seemed to have stopped out of attack range of the wall, clearly waiting for some kind of signal before commencing the attack.

"Stop him!", shouted the King, while he took out a jade coin from his pocket.

Hearing the command, each of the mages also took out two wooden coins from their pockets before squeezing them.

In an instant, the King held a gleaming jade sword in his hand whose blade was burning with a blue fire that distorted the air. Charging forward at a speed which made him look like a blur, he swung the sword at the Vice Sect Master, making a massive blade of blue fire shoot forward even before he reached the target. This was an attack aimed at distracting the enemy before going in for the kill.

The two mages had wooden staffs in their hands. The pommel of each had a stone that looked like Ether but of a different color fixed firmly, with the one on the Grand Court Mages staff twice the size of the one on Kellor's.

As both staffs were thrust forward, two flaming meteors each the size of a full-grown man came into existence, already shooting forth toward the Vice Sect master.

There had only been a few feet of distance between the trio and their enemy. Now, that distance was covered by these awe-inducing attacks, while the Vice Sect Master simply looked on with a sneer on his face.

As if taking a walk in the park, he first raised his arm to face the blade of fire which arrived first.

The King's face lit up as he saw the enemy not caring enough to dodge the attack. He was using a special trinket imported at a high cost which could shoot an attack which was equivalent to a destructive spell cast by an Amateur Warrior Mage, just like the Vice Sect Master himself. As for the meteors, they were also attacks at this level which were produced by the two staff-type magic-driven trinkets held in the mages' hands.

The trio thought that victory was in their grasp, as their opponent was facing not one but three full power strikes from someone at his own level. Yet, what happened next left them agape.

As soon as the blade of fire touched the Vice Sect Master's arm, it disappeared in the air as if it had never existed in the first place.

Only Daneel who was watching closely using elementary sight could tell that the Vice Sect Master had somehow compressed and absorbed the elementary particles of the blade of fire.

With a graceful movement, the Vice Sect Master turned in his place showing his back to his enemies while he connected his arms and closed his eyes for the briefest of moments.

Turning back around, his arm sliced the air, making the same blade of fire appear again. Only, it was now shooting towards the meteors produced by the two mages.

It was also different from when the King's trinket had produced it. Unlike before when the main intention of the arc-shaped blade had been to cause destruction using the high temperature of the fire, this blade was now compressed into a thin line, as if the fire had been subdued and tamed to become docile.

Only, it was the exact opposite. The blade of fire cut the meteors neatly into two halves each, making them miss their target and shoot onwards.

With a cunning smile appearing on his face, the Vice Sect Master gestured at the Dragon Heart near him, making the 4 halves of the meteors shoot towards the watching nobles due to the barrier deactivating for a second to allow them to continue on their path.

"NOOOOOOOOO!", screamed the King, while a thunderous BOOM shook the whole room.

Luckily, Daneel had not been in the two locations where the meteors impacted the room. The smell of burning flesh reached his nose, making him turn around and look on with horror as the smoke cleared to reveal multiple bodies lying on the ground, motionless.

"Well done, King. At least I have fewer people to question now. And even if the spy is among those already dead, then I'll just kill everyone here before leaving. You can at least die happy knowing that you bore witness to my Withering Leaf Sect's ultimate spell technique."

However much he cared about his longevity more than he did about his kin, these were still the people whom he had spent most of his life with. Even the deal had been to keep them safe and thriving in the Kingdom while he went to the sect to train.

As an expression of rage and desperation appeared on his face, the Vice Sect Master turned around with alarm to look at the panels.

It seemed that the trinkets had finally been activated, as both parties were now holding them in their hands, ready to throw them forward and bring an end to the standoff.

All Daneel could do was stand there and wait for the perfect time to move.

All he needed was a second to get near the dragon heart and take full control.

Thus, he waited for that second which would decide the fate of a Kingdom inhabited by millions of people.

Chapter 86: Fall

"Too bad, it seems that we are out of time. All they need is the final confirmation to use the trinkets and break down this formation. Although the space lock will break, allowing them to teleport here directly, I will be long gone after killing all of you present in this room. Traitor, come out now or live the final seconds of your life watching me kill each of your family members.", said the Vice Sect Master as he looked around the room waiting for that person who had spoiled all of their plans to show themselves.

The King had already collapsed to the ground, shocked at the sight of the attacks from his side laying waste to so many members of the Royal Family. As he saw the gruesome sight of the burnt bodies, he felt a mindless anger consuming him.

Alas, the image of this man easily deflecting such disastrous attacks had already impressed upon him the fact that his strength truly meant nothing. He really was an ant, unable to do anything but watch on as he became squashed.

All he wanted right now was revenge. He had already accepted the fact that his death was imminent, but this was the only regret that plagued him.

Just as the Vice Sect Master was about to eliminate the King first on seeing the anger that had just erupted in him, he stopped his actions and frowned while cocking his head as if listening to someone speak.

"You can have one last consolation, puny King. The sect master has ordered me to bring back your eldest son. Apparently, a seed with crimson potential is still useful. Well, your line will live on even though the last member of your family is a witless dreamer who loves to suck up."

Saying so, the Vice Sect Master started walking towards the Eldest Prince's crumpled body.

Meanwhile, Daneel was panicking due to the realization that the Vice Sect Master really would leave only after killing everyone in the room.

From the system, he knew that the formation and all of its functions, including the Dragon Claw, would be deactivated for some time as soon as the formation was broken through. Thus, his goal was to get to the dragon heart before the forces outside released their trinkets and broke through the formation.

As for the Church and The TriCobra Society, they already knew that they had a few more hours until the formation was mastered even taking into consideration the help of the ancient artifact. This could be easily deduced by matching the date of the Vice Sect Master's arrival at the Kingdom with today's date and knowing the effect of the ancient trinket on lessening the time to master the formation. Hence, they were waiting for final orders from their higher-ups who had asked them to activate the trinkets and wait for their call.

To get to the dragon heart, the most pressing issue was to cross the barrier. Daneel knew that he had to use this opportunity and act now while the Vice Sect Master had still not begun killing the people in the room. At least this way, he could try to direct the situation instead of being forced to be in a reactionary position.

From his position, the Vice Sect Master and the eldest prince were at the rightmost corner of the circular barrier around the dragon heart.

Walking forward silently, Daneel ignored the shocked looks on the rest of the living nobles as he quickly approached the edge of the barrier.

The Vice Sect Master, who stood perfectly diagonal to him, turned around hearing that someone had approached the barrier.

"It was me. I leaked the information about your artifact to the outside."

The whole room seemed to come to a standstill as these words echoed throughout the empty space.

The traitor was Varanel?! But why?!

Such questions sprung up in the other noble's minds, shocked that this weak, courageless kid was the reason that they were all going to die right now.

"Oh? Well, it seems you have some guts after all. In fact, I think I will take you to the sect. We have an excellent torture room there where I will enjoy your screams while your motives and the identity of whoever behind you is uncovered. Now, walk forward and don't make any other movement. I see you do anything else, you die.", said the Vice Sect Master as he picked the Eldest Price up by his shoulder and pointed at the dragon heart to make the barrier disappear.

Elation surged inside Daneel as he saw that his plan had succeeded. He had in fact made two plans:

One hinged on the fact that the yearning for vengeance in the Vice Sect Master's eyes would not be satisfied by just directly killing him. Thus, there was a possibility that he would be allowed to enter the barrier to leave with the Vice Sect Master.

The second was more of a backup plan in case events didn't occur according to his intuition. In case the Vice Sect Master directly attacked, the barrier would flicker for a bit to let out the attack like it had done when the 4 halves of the meteor had passed through. His plan was to use that interval to jump in and get to the dragon heart.

He would need to traverse a distance of at least five steps before coming close enough to master the formation. In that time, the Vice Sect Master would easily be able to shoot 3-5 attacks, depending on the speed and power he had shown in the previous fight which had been analyzed by the Phenomena Analysis Module.

This plan was based on the fact that he had an advanced barrier spell which could defend him from 3 such attacks. This spell was one of the things he had developed using the upgraded system. As the system had reached a complexity level comparable to that of Warrior Mages, it had been able to develop such an incredible spell which could directly protect him from so many attacks.

Thankfully, the first, safer plan had worked. The second was after all fraught with uncertainty as there was a probability that one more attack could be fired, foiling all his plans and potentially killing Daneel.

With him entering the barrier, there was no more reason to panic. With a scared expression on his face, he tried to slowly approach the dragon heart without alarming the Vice Sect Master who was looking at him.

Just as he was feeling relieved after taking a step towards the dragon heart successfully, a chilling laugh came from the Vice Sect Master as Daneel suddenly realized that he was locked to the ground, unable to move forward.

"You think I'm that dumb? I know that your objective is to get to the Dragon Heart. That was made quite obvious by the fact that you went to all that trouble to make them break the formation sooner while revealing yourself in order to enter the barrier. Although the Sect Head said that it is impossible for such methods to exist, you must be in possession of some way to master the formation. Hand it over now and I just might ask the torture chamber to go easy on you."

[Host is under the effect of "Gravity Lock". Counter-spell "Gravitational Dissonance" ready for development. Would you like the system to develop and use the spell? Development time: 0.5 seconds.]

The system's sweet voice sounded in his mind, breaking him out of his predicament. The decision to upgrade the system actually ended up saving his life at this point.

"Yes"

A screeching sound appeared in the air, breaking the Vice Sect Master's grasp of the elementary particles he was using to hold Daneel in place.

Breaking free from the spell, Daneel resorted to his backup plan with no other option: he made a run for the dragon heart. He was currently 4 steps away from his destination after taking the one step before.

Sure enough, the Vice Sect Master instantly shot out a red beam of light diagonally much like the one the TriCobra Society Member had used.

A transparent white barrier appeared around Daneel, deflecting the light while the Vice Sect Master shot out 3 more in quick succession. At their angle, they could easily throw Daneel away from the Dragon Heart in case they managed to impact his body.

Now three steps away, dread appeared on Daneel's face as he realized that the last beam might kill him. After all, his barrier could take only two more before the high energy consuming spell depleted all of his energy. It was only possible to cast this spell with his own energy, thus he had no means to protect himself from the last beam.

The second beam hit the barrier, slightly cracking it.

The third resulted in him becoming wide open to attacks, as the barrier was shattered with motes of light floating in the air.

Daneel felt desperation and hopelessness clouding his mind. Only one more step, and everything would be in his hands.

Yet, the red beam speeded through the air toward him, intent to destroy his hopes, dreams and his life.

Just before the beam impacted his torso, Daneel closed his eyes and smiled. He had done everything he could. Yet, he felt resigned that fate was simply not on his side.

Suddenly, he felt a hand push his back, making him stumble and fall forward. A cracking sound echoed in the air as a body took the beam that was going to hit him and was flung back across the room, hitting the barrier and falling to the ground without making a sound.

Daneel, on the other hand, was on the ground in front of the Dragon Heart, smiling wide like a fool as he heard the notification of the system that he had been waiting for for so long.

[Formation mastered. Host can now command the "Dragon Heart Formation".]

Chapter 87: The King's Decision

A few minutes ago.

The King had actually been the most bewildered when Daneel, who was in the form of Varanel, walked up to the barrier and announced that it was him who had divulged the secret of the trinket to the outside world.

Varanel was just a cowardly brat whose best talent was to bolt the fastest when a dangerous situation arose. Laravel had been a different case. He had always been shrewd, so the fact of him choosing to help the enemy after being influenced by his father was at least something believable.

As the King looked behind him, it was the expression on the face of the Court Mage that gave everything away.

The King knew very well that the Court Mage was someone who did not like his rule. Yet, he was bound by the magical oath to never disobey the King's orders.

Magical oaths were something which could be given either to a person or to special objects known as oathstones. Kingdoms usually used the latter, mainly due to the fact that magical oaths were related to the soul. An oath was like a string tied tightly to the soul. Too many strings would make the soul shatter, resulting in permanent death.

Thus, it was highly impractical to have important personnel repeatedly swear oaths in case the King changed in a Kingdom. The best thing to do was to use an oathstone with which the King could enforce the oath.

In fact, the King had had to threaten Kellor using the oathstone when he made the decision to accept the sect's offer. Kellor had been dead against it, even going so far as to almost kill himself rather than see the aftermath. Yet, at the last moment, he had agreed and relented to the King as if clinging to some last strand of hope.

This incident also served to reaffirm the King's suspicion that Kellor was scheming something behind his back. The suspicion had arisen long before itself due to some actions of the Court Mage, and since then, he had ordered the Grand Court Mage to keep an eye on him.

This was also the reason Kellor had had to be careful when meeting Daneel. In fact, in the last year, they had not met even once. Even now, he could not do anything to help Daneel as he was under orders to only attack on the King's orders or to save him.

Right now, the court mage's expression was one of fear when he saw Varanel walk to the barrier.

Fear of losing that something with which he seemed to be clinging to his life.

This expression made everything click in place in the King's mind.

Daneel's entry into the palace.

His apparent inaction until this point.

Varanel's entry into the room in the Court Mage's hands.

Varanel walking up to the barrier and admitting that he was the traitor.

When completely illogical things happened, it was usually because of a variable that was overlooked. In this situation, Daneel was that variable.

The King's whole mind right now was set on revenge. He knew that his death was already determined, whether at the hands of the Vice Sect Master or those of the forces outside. It was too late to even hope to leave now.

Thus, he decided to fulfill his last regret, as that was the next best thing. In life, he did everything he could to follow his wish-to increase his longevity. Now, with death already set in stone, that wish had changed, and he would similarly do anything he could to fulfill that wish.

The Vice Sect Master's words made it quite clear that Daneel had to get to the dragon heart. At that moment, the King was actually quite near to Daneel.

Thus, without hesitation, he ran towards Daneel.

His face had the maniacal expression of one so desperate for revenge as to even resort to supporting someone who he called an ant before. The humiliation and anger from helping a commoner potentially take over the throne itself was nothing compared to the burning fervor inside him to see the Vice Sect Master lose.

The pride of a King was not something to be underestimated, even if it was a King who could bring himself to sacrifice any amount of people if it meant he could live longer. This pride which had been awakened by the Vice Sect Master's actions resulted in a stubbornness to see his enemy lose, no matter what it cost to himself.

Thus, it was his hand which reached Daneel's back and pushed him forward, taking the hit on his behalf.

As the King, he had the best personal barrier in the whole Kingdom.

Although it protected him from the brunt of the attack, the impact of hitting the barrier at such a speed resulted in internal injuries that would surely kill him if he was not healed before long. After all, he was only a Peak Exalted Human who could not yet control his body and perform first aid on himself like those at the Warrior level.

Yet, as he crumpled to the ground, only a mad look of satisfaction was on him as he felt insanely happy seeing the dismayed expression on the Vice Sect Master's face.

At that exact moment, the King fell backward as the barrier supporting his back had disappeared.

Outside the palace, two enormous dragon claws came into existence which caught hold of the pot-bellied man from the church and the black-robed man from the TriCobra society in an instant. The claws were so realistic that many people watching from in front of the Palace Gates were bewildered as they rubbed their eyes to see just where the rest of the creature was.

In fact, many of them didn't even know that it was a legendary dragon that was the being which had such a magnificent claw.

Four massive spears of bone were attached to red, scaled skin that shone in the sunlight. The hexagonal scales had a beauty to them as they glistened as if polished, while small black streaks swimming through the scales resulted in the claw looking both alluring and deadly at the same time.

As the pot-bellied man witnessed the claw close in and envelop him in darkness in a fraction of a second, panic appeared on his face as he realized that everything had gone wrong.

Even the black-robed man could only grasp around in the utter darkness that the claw had placed them in. As they both used a fireball spell to cast some light around them, the grandeur of a race that once stood on top of all the inhabitants of the world made them cower in instinctive fear. Each of the scales twinkled with a murderous light which threatened to wipe them off the face of this world if they even thought of resisting.

The claws also automatically produced a space lock in the area around them, preventing the two of them from getting away. Thus, all the two could do was stand and cower in their boots, hoping that the claw wouldn't close and obliterate them.

A third claw appeared in the room which held the dragon heart. As it came into existence and swallowed up the Vice Sect Master to trap him in its clutches, the jaws of those watching dropped while they tried to cope with the sheer number of up and downs that they were witnessing.

With a triumphant smile on his face, Daneel stood up from where he had fallen. Looking around, his gaze fell on the King who had been thrown away due to the last beam of light.

Daneel was just as surprised as everyone else, who had dropped their jaws once already seeing the selfish King leap forward and save Daneel from the Vice Sect Master's attack.

Even though Daneel knew that it was impossible due to the oaths he had given, he had still thought at that moment that it was Kellor who helped him. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect his sworn enemy to save his life.

Although conflicting emotions started arising in his head, he used the communication trinket in his pocket to send orders to the waiting Domination Corps located around the city.

All around Lanthanor, throngs of people gawked at the panels that had appeared near them in the hands of the Domination Corps. The panels showed the image of the King's chamber in ruins as Daneel, who had by now changed back into himself, stood in front of an enormous dragon heart after placing a trinket that looked like an eyeball in the air in front of him.

Step 1: Acquire control of the Dragon Heart Formation had been completed successfully.

It was now time to begin the show for step 2:

Take control of the Kingdom by giving the people what they wished and prayed for.

Chapter 88: A New King Ascends, A New Age Begins

"People of Lanthanor"

"People of Lanthanor"

"People of Lanthanor"

"People of Lantha...."

Daneel's voice echoed throughout the Capital, as if he were an omnipresent God that was everywhere at once. The capital was currently jam-packed with the citizens of the Kingdom, most flocking in to see if the Nobility really would be purged. Daneel really had to thank the Church of Rectitude for giving him the perfect opportunity to take the throne.

Yes, it was indeed Daneel's intention to take the throne. From the moment more than four years ago when he had stepped foot in this world, his mind and thinking had changed a lot.

Initially, all he had wanted was to gain revenge for his father. Each day spent seeing him hobble around with that mark on his forehead which branded him as a deserter stabbed in his heart, making him feel that he would be happy if he somehow got his family back into the state they were before the disaster occurred. Thus, he had started out with the goal to simply gain power to realize this dream.

When he heard people cheer his name for the first time in front of the library for helping to apprehend the cruel duo who threw commoners out for their sick pleasure, a clarity had begun to form in him regarding what he wanted to do with his life.

Unlike his life back on earth where he was almost powerless to change anything, here he had an almighty system which awarded him with incredible things whenever he took steps towards the overall goal of World Domination.

Granted, although Daneel did not yet naively think that things would go smoothly and result in him conquering the whole world, his mindset slowly changed to accommodate the idea of being in command and changing certain things.

Mainly, this stemmed from dissatisfaction and disgust at the way the current ruling authority acted. In fact, this was the same frustration which drove millions of people on to the streets to hopefully witness the abolition of the said rule.

Only, unlike them, Daneel was equipped with tools and allies that if used properly, could place him on that pedestral to replace the ruling authority himself. He could not bring himself to stand idly by and let the Kingdom he was born in be taken over by forces who would only treat the general populace worse than what was prevalent now.

"What would I do better?", had been the topic his thoughts treaded on most of the nights when he lay on his bed, exhausted from a long day of training and enchanting.

Step by step, plan by plan, he did everything he could to place himself in this current situation.

Although he still did not know what the far future would hold, he knew that right now, he wanted to be King.

He wanted to be the King that people could look up to and feel glad knowing that the person on the throne actually cared about them.

He wanted to be the King that people would fear before committing transgressions that went against the law.

Above all, he wanted to be the King that drove away the sea of bitterness and hatred in the people's hearts that had been building up for a long, long time.

Although his thoughts had been steadily attuning towards this goal from the moment he decided to take part in the struggle for the throne, it was only at this instant that he gained full clarity of his desire to be King.

"I am Daneel, son of a deserter and a resident of the slums where my family lives by the wages my mother earns from toiling day and night to clean houses and wash clothes. But my life would have been different if this King was not the one in power."

Attracting the attention of the myriad people watching the screen, Daneel let the words flow from his mouth.

"My father would still be in the military, because he wouldn't have been thrown out and branded as a deserter because he hurt the ego of a Noble whose orders would have sent twenty young recruits to their deaths.

"My mother would not have calluses on her hands from working all day just to earn some bread for us to eat.

"My childhood would have been filled with memories of learning and fun instead of those of starvation and hopelessness.

"And my family of three could even have become one of four or five due to not having to worry about being able to feed an additional son or daughter."

As Daneel laid his heart bare, tears glistened in his eyes threatening to fall. His voice carried a cadence and passion which made those hearing feel as if he were talking about their own lives instead of his.

"I know many of you dream just like me of a world where our life wouldn't have been affected by this King allowing the Royal Family to go rampant with no regard to law or consequences, resulting in so many lives trampled, crushed and shattered."

Anger erupted anew in the people's hearts, as these words reminded them of their fates which had been altered due to the Royal Family.

As for those who hadn't been affected, they found themselves horrified and afraid seeing the expressions of grief, pain, and loss of those around them whose tears were falling unabated.

"But unlike most, I was blessed with a means to change everything. Thus, I trained, planned and bled to stand here, right now with the power to purge this Kingdom of the bane that cripples it.

"As one who came from amongst you, I know that I can take care of this Kingdom and begin the path of recovery to the great nation that we once were.

"I know that I can be the King who cares for his people, instead of one who only cares for himself."

As he said these words, the image in the panels irrevocably etched itself into all of those who were watching. He stood tall with hands behind his back, head upraised while his eyes shone with the magnetism of one who knew exactly what he wanted to do. The sheer confidence and maturity he exuded made him look like someone well beyond his years.

As Daneel paused, letting his words sink in, he looked at the King who now had his upper body raised using his two hands as support while he watched Daneel speak to the people. A regretful expression was on his face while he listened to Daneel tell his story.

For his reign to begin, the King needed to be killed. This would be the action which would tie the people to him in the strongest way possible.

Yet, the man had saved him just a moment before. Thus, a small conflict had arisen in his mind before he began his speech which urged him to consider leaving the King alive. This conflict only grew in intensity due to the regret on the King's face, making the small suspicion arise that the King had maybe realized the error in his ways.

But as Daneel spoke while taking note of the expressions of the King, this conflict was beaten down and abolished by something he observed.

In the King's mind, seeing the Vice Sect Master trapped by Daneel meant that he had taken his revenge. Thus, that wish was replaced by his previous one: to live longer.

With his experience in dealing with people, he knew that anyone decent would hesitate to cut down someone who saved their life. Yet, he had indeed done quite a lot to warrant his death.

Thus, he had to do something right now to make the hesitation stronger. His pride was put aside again like the many times before in his life during the instances when he chose his own power over the general people's well being. Besides, it had been satiated by taking his revenge.

Fake regret appearing on his face, he tried to make it look as real as possible while ignoring the pain that racked his body from the internal injuries.

That something that Daneel observed was his eyes. Even with the many years of experience of the King, it was difficult to make an emotion which didn't exist spread to one's eyes to make it look most realistic. Besides, the King couldn't even focus completely due to his pain.

In his eyes, Daneel saw the opportunism to use the fact that he had saved his life to extend his own life. Matching this with the expression of jubilation before when he saw the Vice Sect Master become trapped, Daneel put two and two together.

Just like most of the King's life, his objective had been selfishness. Selfishness to take revenge.

As he realized this, Daneel made a needle-like ice prick appear in front of the King's heart, making his face pale with shock.

The view in the panels swiveled around to show the King, who was trying to move back despite his pain to escape the ice prick. Alas, he was just too injured and could not display the strength of an Exalted Human.

The ice prick went straight through his heart without hesitation, while Daneel's eyes flashed with all the painful memories he had long buried in his heart.

"No more will arrogant despots decide our fate. No more will the Citizens of Lanthanor live lives filled with injustice and fear. Just like this selfish King, anyone who threatens the well-being of my Kingdom will meet the same end.

"Will you support me in this cause and accept me as your King?", he finally asked, as his voice resounded across the silent streets.

No one knew who started the screams, but on that day, a single cheer could be heard throughout the Capital as millions of people chanted one name.

It would later be told in stories that this singular voice of a unified people could be heard across the Kingdom and throughout the heavens, where the Gods looked down and graced the momentous occasion with a clear sky, driving away the dark clouds which had been present both above the Kingdom and inside the people.

The rays of sunlight were said to herald the birth of a new Lanthanor, helmed by a man destined to become a World Dominator.

Whatever the stories said, one thing was true: the sound of the cheering really did echo across the land, making a single name become known to all.

"KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL!"

Chapter 89: Oathstone

[Achievement: "First Crowning As A King" obtained.

First Crowning As A King: With a singular dedication and astute planning, your years of hard work have paid off and made you King. Congratulations on obtaining your first Kingdom on the journey to World Domination!

10,000 EXP Awarded

Hidden Award: Faction Points have been upgraded to Kingdom Points. Existing Faction Points have been changed into Kingdom Points and Faction Tools have been upgraded to Kingdom Management Tools.

Hidden Award: New Kingdom Management Tools are now available in the store.

10 Kingdom Points Awarded]

Big achievements harbored big rewards, mused Daneel as he heard the voice of the system in his mind.

Hearing the cheering, he could not help but let out a sigh of relief. Finally, everything had paid off.

To the side, Kellor had tears of happiness on his face as he stood up and kneeled. As for the nobles in the room, they could only watch on with horror as the King lay on the ground, bleeding.

"I knew I made the right decision to support you. Get the oathstone, Daneel. Axelor's army is still at the borders, and you can communicate with the commanders directly through it."

Nodding, Daneel made his way to the King's body. The man still had his eyes open, while the expression of shock and unwillingness could still be seen clearly when one gazed at the dead King's face.

His father's plight finally avenged, Daneel felt himself starting to let go of the anger he had held for so long. Closing the King's eyes with his hand, Daneel plunged his hand under the King's chainmail and robes.

This was because after the King's death, something had appeared from his body in the center of his chest. It pushed against his clothes, making it look like a weird bump that came out of nowhere.

This was the oathstone. Oathstones were made of wondrous materials that were absorbed into a person's body when bound by blood. They could be taken out at will in case new oaths needed to be added, and the person who bound the oathstone could enforce the oaths which were contained in the stone.

On the death of the person who had bound the stone, it would exit the body, waiting for its next master. In fact, as Daneel had read in the library, oathstones were one of the founding treasures of a Kingdom in this world. Highly expensive and rare, it was said that the number of the oathstones in this world were limited as the material which constituted them had long been completely excavated.

As Daneel pulled it out, he saw that it was a yellow, round stone with murky depths that had some sort of particles swirling inside. Half the size of a man's head, it felt very light, as if Daneel was holding just a pebble on the road.

"Use your blood to bind it, and you shall officially become the King of Lanthanor."

With Kellor's words echoing in the room, Daneel pricked his finger with his nail and let a drop of blood drop on the stone.

To his amazement, the drop of blood seemed to melt the stone. Collapsing into a puddle of yellow liquid, it disappeared into Daneel's palm entering through the pores in his skin.

As Daneel got the odd feeling that someone was poking his chest, the system sounded in his mind.

[Oathstone detected. Assimilating Oath Data.

Data analyzed. 1489 active oaths detected. Host can now communicate with each oath-taker and issue orders.]

Almost 1500 oaths! Daneel was initially shocked at the high number, but then recalled the King's words at his First Year Assessment where he was told to swear an oath to the throne. Most of these oaths were probably people like those who had relented, while others could be the top members of the government like the judges, heads of departments or commanders.

"My Lord, we see unrest in the army. We can take them by surprise if the Mage Corps initiates the attack with a barrage of meteors."

"I object that, My Lord. We need to save magic power till the end and use it where it is most needed."

"I second the Mage Corps Commander's words, My Lord."

"Awaiting your final orders. If we want to engage and drive them away, now is the time."

[Private communication channel detected. Host can now use this channel through the system. Please let the system know whenever you would like to address this channel.]

Voices started talking in his head as if his brain had suddenly become inhabited by a few more people. Hearing the system's notification and realizing that it was the communication channel between the King and the Commanders, Daneel replied, "The King is dead. I, Daneel Anivron, have bound the oathstone and replaced him after gaining acknowledgement from the people. Introduction can come later, first tell me what the situation is at the border."

A stunned silence followed this proclamation. Just before Daneel was about to ask again, he heard Kellor's voice respond.

"All hail King Daneel Anivron, newly crowned ruler of the Kingdom of Lanthanor! Commanders, following protocol, all duties have been handed over the new King. Hence, we are oathbound to follow his orders. My King, do you need me to do anything?"

Looking around, Daneel saw that Kellor was still kneeling. The commanders seemed to be conversing something amongst themselves, hence while Daneel waited, he walked to Kellor.

Lifting him up by his shoulders, Daneel hugged him tight. Kellor was half a foot taller than him, making the hug look awkward, but the watching people could see the heartfelt feelings present in the hug.

"I couldn't have done it without you.", he said, while more tears started to flow from Kellor's eyes.

As the emotional Court Mage nodded, Daneel walked to the dragon claw holding the Vice Sect Master.

Just before he proceeded to open the dragon claw, the commander's voices sounded in his head.

A female voice was the first he heard. It seemed to contain an unhidden elation, as if the person was resisting the urge to laugh and cheer.

"Congratulations on ascending to the throne, My Lord. I am Cassandra, commander of the Mage Corps. Allow me to give you an update about the situation. The enemy army outnumbers us 5 to 1 even though we managed to pool almost all of the available forces we have. This is only counting the regular soldiers. The elites on both sides are hidden, along with the mages. But according to the estimates, they outnumber even the elites 2 to 1. Our advantage is the border. Numerous formations are available to be deployed in the case of an attack. Right now, the enemy forces seem to be hesitating. We should either make a definitive attack and chase them away at the cost of our soldiers' lives. I suggest a nonviolent method. If we can find out exactly what they are hesitating about, we can try to use it to make them cancel the attack. After all, from everything I've heard, the attack seems to have some sort of motive. Whatever you decide, we await your orders, my King."

It had not even been 10 minutes since he had taken the mantle as the King, yet he had already been thrown into a war situation.

As Daneel started arranging everything he knew in his mind, he felt the seconds ticking away. Each second lost made him panic more and more, as he racked his mind trying to decide on the right thing to do so that his first orders as a King would not bring disastrous consequences.

Chapter 90: A Humble King?!

Finally, after a minute or so, Daneel realized that he knew nothing about armies and war. Even when he asked the system, all it knew was the data collected from the library. It reminded him of a famous search engine back on earth; he could access any information he wanted but using that information effectively was something he had to do himself.

There was also no time to check the System Store for tools to help him. The live feed was still on, and the people were watching him. He could not open the store and browse right now especially when Cassandra had advised him to make a decision fast.

Reflecting on these thoughts, Daneel decided what to do and proceeded to speak into the private channel.

"Cassandra and the other commanders. I will be honest with you: I have just ascended the throne and I do not have any knowledge about war and armies. I hope to learn everything I can as soon as possible, but at this moment, the only thing I can do is to rely on your experience. The enemy army was waiting for the forces attacking the palace to break through and assassinate the King. I have mastered the formation before they could do so, thereby trapping all of them and putting a stop to their plans. My guess is that the enemy only assembled that many soldiers to directly enter the Kingdom and take control both inside and out by coordinating with whichever force took control of the oathstone. I only say this because if I did not manage to do what I did, then there would be someone else talking to you right now, possibly commanding you to surrender and let the enemy in."

This was what Daneel had analyzed from the present situation. He had tried to place himself in the shoes of the enemy, thus realizing that the oathstone was probably the key. With the oathstone, the army could be ordered to stand down, letting the enemy army take control of the area around the border according to whatever agreement was reached.

He knew that he was not wise or powerful enough to do everything by himself. Every step of the way, he had never hesitated to take help when he needed it. Be it taking Faxul's help to manage the faction or Elanev's and the Minister's in order to sell the honey traps, Daneel always knew who and when to ask.

Now, hearing him say this, another stunned silence appeared in the channel.

Meanwhile, on the border wall in front of which the enormous army of Axelor who were trying to decide their next move.

Three people stood in a circle looking into each other's eyes as they wondered whether they had really heard right.

Of the three, one was a woman with long, red hair who was wearing what looked like leather pants. Her white shirt also had a leather waistcoat on while a grey cloak fluttered in the wind. Even with the tight shirt and waistcoat, her perfectly toned body and ample assets made many soldiers standing nearby steal glances at this commander who was known by a peculiar name: Fire Demon.

With piercing red eyes, high cheekbones and a straight, pointed nose, the freckles adorning her cheeks were famous for becoming more visible on her face when she became angry, which was apparently quite often according to the recruits of the Mage Corps.

The second man had a litany of scars on his face, as if most of his life had been spent on the battlefield. Wearing black clothes with what looked like padded armor on top, his bulging muscles seemed to be trying to break free of the confines they had been placed in. His beard and hair were black with many white streaks running through them, while his nose looked like it had been broken many times.

The last man wore casual clothes as if he were a citizen out to buy vegetables in the market on a normal day. He seemed young, with glossy brown hair, twinkling eyes, and a sharp jawline. His lips which usually had a mischievous smile on them were now slightly open, as if the words he had heard were too shocking to take in with his regular expression.

All three had to take a little bit of time to recover from the surprise they felt from hearing Daneel speak.

Being promoted to commanders under the previous King's reign, they were used to curses and shouts from the King whenever they failed to meet his impossible wishes to win unwinnable fights and obtain rare resources. They were used to numbing themselves and trying their best to save as many soldiers as possible while not losing their lives themselves in the many perilous situations they had to go through. Their only consolation was that the King at least knew that placing inexperienced nobles in their position would only spell disaster the likes of which the Kingdom could not bear.

Thus, their job mostly consisted of one constant which they tried to adhere to: listen to orders, don't talk back. The only thing stopping the army from completely being wiped out was the King's ample military knowledge which he apparently obtained from a secret room in the library which was said to contain books exclusive to the Lanthanor Family. It was just that despite that knowledge, he often could not resist giving out impossible orders for a chance to feed his greed for power.

Hence, hearing Daneel speak so civilly completely threw them off. Although they did not know the circumstances under which he became King, this was after all a man who perfectly knew that their lives were in his hands. In cases like these, it was rare to see someone still maintain a modicum of civility without speaking as if they owned them.

"A humble King?!"

This was why this realization caused the second silence in the channel.

"I like him."

Cassandra spoke out loud, breaking the other two out of their thoughts.

"It is a welcome voice indeed.", said the man in the casual clothes, as a wide smile appeared on his face.

The third man didn't speak, but the other two could tell that he was also pleased judging by his clear eyes which were usually clouded with unintelligible emotions.

"What do you think? Is his analysis correct?", asked Cassandra, still talking amongst themselves while Daneel waited for this second silence to end.

In a gruff voice which reminded one of the sounds made when sheets of sandpaper were rubbed against each other, the scarred man spoke.

"No. Axelor definitely wouldn't do that."

"I think the same and I know you do too, Cassandra. Although he's half-correct, the other half is almost definitely wrong based on everything we have seen. Who volunteers to tell our new King that he's wrong and find out how he will take our 'suggestion'? We all know what happened the previous time I gave one. My ears still ring from the curses I heard that day, so it has to be one of you two.", said the man in casual clothes, while all three shivered slightly as if remembering bad memories buried away in the confines of their brains.

Chapter 91: Driving Axelor Back

"I'll do it. Of course the King cursed at you Aran, you almost called him a fool! I've got a good feeling about this, so just leave it to me."

As a determined look appeared on Cassandra's face, the man in casual clothes who had just been called Aran snickered before saying, "You said that last time you lost 50 Gold Lans gambling. Anyway, do it. He's waiting, and this army is getting more fidgety by the second."

Although the trio knew time was tight, they could not help but use casual conversation to get their emotions in control first. This was a defense mechanism they had developed over the years; regardless of the situation, they would often talk casually so that they could forget whatever was burdening them for at least for a second. This would allow them to use that second to relax and come back swinging to tackle stuff more effectively.

Of course, the third man seldom talked, although he seemed to like being a part of those conversations even if he merely responded when directly asked something.

Also, it was just that there were too many memories of situations when talking back even if it were to point out something crucial resulted in them being scorned and ignored. Many times, they wondered what Lanthanor would do if it weren't for these walls which still managed to protect the Kingdom even with the King's many selfish decisions.

Nodding and choosing to ignore Aran's jibe, a serious expression came back on Cassandra's face. The same happened with the other two; unlike the atmosphere before, they now gave off the air of commanders who had marched countless times on the most dangerous of battlefields.

"My Lord, although it may be true that the enemy army wants to take advantage of the present situation, it is highly improbable that they have allied with the two forces which attacked the palace. Axelor is known to have irreconcilable conflicts with the two forces. With the facts as they are, it is more possible that Axelor hoped that the King would divert resources to protect himself, leaving the border open for assault. If they can break through and obtain a foothold in the countryside, then they would be able to form a link between the two Kingdoms putting them in a position to exact pressure on the capital city by closing it off. At that point, even if someone obtains the oathstone, it would be very difficult to face an army attacking from both forward and behind. This has been their goal for a long time."

As Daneel heard this, he felt glad that he had chosen to ask for advice rather than give his analysis as a fact. Incidentally, this would be quite clear to someone who analyzed the situation from a point of view which excluded the information that the Vice Sect Master was in possession of an ancient trinket which would save the day.

If such a trinket didn't exist, then the King would definitely order at least a part of the army to enter the city to quell the attacking forces. This would mean that there would be a deficiency at the border, which Axelor could use to attack and break through.

Only, due to the existence of the trinket, the King made the weird(to those watching) decision of sending all the soldiers to the border. This had, in fact, made the enemy army halt seeing that things weren't the way they thought.

Daneel realized that he hadn't even questioned this decision as he had been too focused on reaching the dragon heart and just glad that there weren't many soldiers.

Now that he thought about it, it all made perfect sense.

"Then Axelor simply attacked wanting to use the chaos arising from the Royal Family being purged? If the chaos is what they were aiming for, doesn't it mean that they would possibly retreat if we show them that everything is fine?"

The expressions of relief that came from hearing Daneel speak normally were followed by ones of slight admiration on hearing the new analysis. Indeed, this was the conclusion they had also reached, yet their new King had reached the same even though he said he had no experience with war.

"Yes, My Lord. Although they must have spies in Lanthanor relaying them live updates, they must be hesitating to turn back because it is actually a huge expenditure of resources to move such a large army with such short notice. Just a push might hasten their decision."

"Alright. Do you have the means to transport something small to the border quickly?"

A few minutes later.

The commander of the Axelorian Army sat in a tent which had been hastily erected on realizing that things in Lanthanor weren't turning out in the way they hoped. Instead of chaos from the Nobility dying, there was unification and cheering for a new King that came out of nowhere.

Having spent a huge amount of resources to transport the army over, he was reluctant to just leave.

The first dent was when he received news of the King's orders to send the full army to the borders. Already underway to the border and still expecting the King to make the logical choice and send a partial army which would allow him to break through with force, he had been hopelessly frustrated seeing that the spies had been true.

The second dent was the news of the new King, almost making him decide to leave. Yet, he still waited, hoping that some sort of turmoil might occur which might give him a chance.

"Commander! On the walls! There's a panel, sir!"

A soldier ran to his tent and saluted before uttering these words, prompting him to run out and see for himself just what was going on.

On the border wall, a panel showed a young man with hands behind his back standing in front of an enormous Dragon Heart which seemed to beat as if it were alive.

Although the panel wasn't very large measuring at 40 inches diagonally, he could still see and hear the message clearly due to his heightened senses from being an Exalted Human Fighter.

"Army of Axelor. I am Daneel Anivron, newly proclaimed King of Lanthanor.

"Under my rule, you can bet that we will take revenge for all the soldiers who lost their lives beating back your assaults on our borders. Just try attacking right now. I know that you dared to march on our border with your full army hoping that a barren wall would greet you.

"Instead, what greets you is the might of a united Lanthanor that will tear you to pieces and throw you back to your Kingdom for vultures to feed on.

"Either choose to face the consequences, or just scurry back to wherever you came from like the rats you are."

Each word made the commander's face redder and redder, while he bristled with an anger which tempted him to give the order to attack. Yet, he knew that if their full army engaged and got into a prolonged fight, his own Kingdom would be in danger. Their only chance had been to break through in one go, but that was now clearly impossible.

Thus, however much he wished to charge forth and stamp down on the new King's smug face, he called for a retreat. Appalled expressions appeared on the soldier's faces as they realized that they really did have to scamper back without a response like the man in the panel had said.

Meanwhile, the same speech had also been shown in the panels around the city. As the image shifted to the enemy army at the border turning back with drooping shoulders and marching away, many gasped with shock at the enormous size of the threat the Kingdom had been facing without their knowledge.

With this sight, the cheers which had started to quieten down only grew in intensity, as the people of Lanthanor saw Daneel drive away an enemy army just within a few minutes of being proclaimed as King. If anyone still had a slight doubt regarding Daneel's eligibility for the throne, that doubt was now shattered seeing his incredible performance just moments after taking charge.

Daneel smiled seeing this, enjoying the satisfaction that came from hitting two birds with one stone.

Putting the eye-shaped trinket back in his pocket and cutting off the transmission, he proceeded to walk back to the dragon claw to finally speak to the Vice Sect Master.

Chapter 92: New Enemies Arrive

Inside the dragon claw, the Vice Sect Master of the Withering Leaf sect lay slumped on the ground, panting while he tried to regain his energy. All this time, he had been casting spell after spell to break through.

Everything was to no avail because of the imperviousness property of the dragon claw which allowed it to shrug off any attack below a certain level. Space was locked, but thankfully communications weren't. Thus, all he could do was to repeatedly ask the Sect Master to send someone to negotiate on his behalf.

The situation was the same with both the Church of Rectitude and the TriCobra Sect. Only, the difference was that these two men simply waited calmly.

Suddenly, the claw around the Vice Sect Master started closing around him. So far, it had been in the form of a pitch black room in which he could at least stand.

Now, he found himself enveloped by the shiny claws which bound his arms and legs. Just as he thought he would suffocate and die, an opening appeared near his head allowing him to take a deep breath.

A smiling Daneel greeted him, which made the Vice Sect Master feel frustrated again remembering what had happened before. Looking around, he saw the dead King on the floor. His small satisfaction of seeing the man who had been the cause for his last attack to miss was trampled when Daneel started speaking.

"Vice Sect Master. You must be well aware of your situation. How much is your life worth? Ask your Sect Master this when he sends someone to negotiate. If the terms aren't satisfactory, all I need to do is..."

The Vice Sect Master screamed, feeling the claws tighten further, making him feel as if he were being squashed from all sides by an unstoppable force.

"....squeeze. Understand?"

As Daneel saw the man nod fervently and start sending messages again, he sent the same message to the two other men in the dragon claws.

Being the master of the formation, Daneel could transmit his voice to all the areas he controlled.

Although he could neither hear nor see the other two people's replies, he knew that they were definitely talking to their higher ups and waiting for someone to arrive.

As a newly proclaimed King, he still needed time to assess everything about the Kingdom and settle into his role. If this process didn't happen smoothly, it was possible that these forces might take advantage again. Thus, he could not afford to antagonize and attract the hatred of three powerful forces so soon and risk being attacked by any one of them. The situation needed to be defused, and these forces needed to be abolished from the Kingdom. For this same reason, he also chose not to interrogate the Vice Sect Master. Right now, this man was his bargaining piece, not his prisoner.

"Commanders, I need you to come to my side as soon as possible. How does it work? Is one of you stationed at the border permanently to take care of critical matters?", Daneel asked in the private channel. He wanted to have them close by when the negotiations started so that they might offer more insights just like they had done with the enemy army.

Meanwhile, the soldiers on the walls were cheering seeing their sworn enemies leaving with their tail tucked in between their legs. This was easily one of the sweetest victories they had ever gained on the border.

As for the commanders, the slight admiration from before had turned into full-blown respect. Although they still did not believe that he was a King worth putting their lives on the line for, his quick and effective actions made them feel relieved that for once, a King had listened to their advice and acted on it.

Seeing the soldiers cheering, Cassandra wiped the sweat that had unknowingly formed on her forehead when telling the New King that he had been wrong. Glancing at Aran, she said, "Well, that went..... pretty great. Who could've known ."

"Ya.... you should try gambling again, Cass. Maybe your instincts will be right again."

Punching Aran's soldier, Cassandra looked at the scarred man and asked, "What do you think, Luther? Has the Kingdom's luck finally turned?"

Yet before the man could answer, they heard Daneel speak in the channel.

Hearing his words, the scarred man who had just been called Luther said, "You two go. I'll stay and take care of matters. Serve him well, but keep an eye on him. Enough sons and daughters have died because a King couldn't control his desires."

While Luther walked away towards the soldiers, Cassandra and Aran sighed seeing his strong shoulders which looked like they carried a burden that weighed down on him like a mountain. As always, his words carried a sorrow that lent an additional solemnity to the atmosphere whenever he spoke.

"Yes, your Majesty. Luther, the commander of the Regular Fighter Army will stay at the border, while I and Aran shall reach your side in a few minutes."

Taking out a trinket from her pocket, Cassandra proceeded to squeeze it and wait for the transportation mage to arrive to get them to the palace after replying to Daneel over the private channel.

For any Kingdom, border security was a very important aspect that needed to be tackled if they did not want enemies teleporting in freely and wreaking havoc on the citizens. Thus, almost every Kingdom had some sort of teleporation-detection formation on the border.

Space locks were very high-level spells which were used only in dire circumstances. Thus, at least for the Kingdoms in this part of the world, it was impossible to even think about using large-scale space lock formations to keep enemies out. After all, the higher the level of the spell, the more the price of the formation.

The alternative was the teleportation-detection formation installed on the borders of the Kingdom. Any space fluctuations originating in the Kingdom which were induced from outside the borders would be detected immediately. On detection, the Grand Court Mage or the person in charge of keeping an eye on the Kingdom would immediately be alerted to keep track of the intruders in case they teleported again quickly to change location.

After detection, subsequent actions required could be decided by the King.

Of course, all this was moot if someone above the level of a Warrior Mage decided to intrude on the premises of the Kingdom.

Let alone the formations detecting them, it was highly unlikely that the Kingdom itself would continue to exist if someone at this level decided to interfere.

After all, personages like these were rare and almost never seen in this part of the World. Their longevity already greatly increased by the breakthrough from a Warrior to a Champion, they would set their eyes on the next level and continue on the path of power.

As the detection formations started ringing signifying that someone had teleported into the Kingdom, 3 people appeared in the air above the palace.

One wore priest robes similar to the ones worn by the pot-bellied man. The difference was that his were a bright purple, while a large purple hat that looked like a fish's mouth was also on his head. In his hand, he carried a golden staff with another purple gem on the pommel.

The second had on a flowing, green cloak with shining leaves embroidered on top. A velvet mask covered his face, while the fluttering cloak covered his body fully.

The last was the most peculiar of all. Although his body was humanoid, his skin was scaled like a snake's. His head looked like an amalgamation of both a serpent and a human, with no nose visible and dark eyes that seemed hazy.

Arriving a few seconds apart from each other, the three glanced to the sides and proceeded to ignore each other.

Meanwhile, Aran and Cassandra had just reached the outside of the palace and were now entering through a secret passageway Daneel opened using the system which was controlling the Dragon Heart Formation.

While he waited for the two commanders to arrive, Daneel gazed at the panels showing the three people and waited for them to speak.

Although he did not want too much trouble, there was no way he would let these three go so easily especially after they had plotted to bring ruin to the Kingdom which they thought would be helpless to defend itself.

Chapter 93: Negotiation

Meanwhile, the Domination Corps stationed around the capital had been told to close the panels as soon as Daneel cut off the transmission. After doing so, Daneel asked them to announce to the people around them that a ceremony would take place in a few days where he would be officially crowned King.

Ceremonies like official crownings were very important because they elevated the mood of the Kingdom with an atmosphere of festivity. Thus, after being told by Kellor that it was a tradition observed in most Kingdoms, he had decided to have one after all the pressing matters were settled.

Hearing this, the people finally went back to their homes. Even those who had come in from the countryside started the walk back out of the capital.

With the bitterness in their hearts starting to melt, the citizens chattered about their new King. The stories about Daneel's actions in front of the library and during the First Year Assessment started to spread further, serving to elevate his position even more in the general populace.

Only the people in front of the palace still stuck to their positions, staring at the three new men who had appeared in the air above them.

Many people even pointed and stared at the snake-like man, who occasionally glanced at a few such citizens, scaring them and making them shake in their boots.

Finally, after a few minutes, a man standing on a dragon claw appeared in the air above the palace. Although he was still inside the formation protecting the palace, he could now be heard and seen by the people in front.

As the cheering started anew seeing that their new King had come out in person, the man in the green cloak waved his hand.

Silence greeted Daneel, as if someone had muted the area around him.

[Host is under the effect of Sound Isolation Spell. Analysis in progress. Counter-spell "Sound Dissonance" available. Would host like to develop and use it?]

Sound isolation? Hearing the name, Daneel vaguely remembered the spell being mentioned in one of his classes and proceeded to ask the system for more information regarding the spell.

[Although Sound Isolation Spell requires little energy, a high amount of connection with sound elementary particles is required. Thus, it has been classified as an Exalted Warrior Mage Spell.]

It was just as he had thought. Making a decision, he ordered the system to develop the counter spell but not to deploy it.

Considering that the three stood side by side, Daneel deduced that they must all be Exalted Warrior Mages representing each of the forces he had antagonised.

"Bratty King, hand over my Withering Leaf Sect's Vice Sect Master, or watch me break through this puny formation and drag you out by your neck."

[Host is under the effect of Sound Transmission Spell. Analysis in progress. Counter-spell "Sound Dissonance" available. Would host like to develop and use it?]

Although none of the three in front seemed to have spoken, a voice echoed near his head.

This was definitely a manipulation of the sound particles around him just like the Sound Isolation Spell before.

Daneel felt surprised realizing that this person who had a superior command of sound was actually a part of the Withering Leaf Sect, which was known mostly for its spell technique.

Giving the system the same command as before, Daneel proceeded to wait for the others to speak.

"Daneel, Radagast told me about you. I congratulate you on being proclaimed as the King by the people, and I bless this Kingdom in the hopes that it shall fare better under your youthful leadership. The Church only intervenes when numerous cries for salvation are heard from any particular Kingdom."

With a genial smile on his face, the purple-robed priest spoke as if all the Church wanted was the betterment of the people. Daneel felt sick in his stomach seeing this two-faced preaching. As a higher up, this man must be very clear regarding the exact plans the Church had. They practically wanted slaves who would do their bidding, yet this man still tooted his own horn as if he were on the moral high ground.

The snake-like man simply stood there, opting not to speak. Yet, his gaze was on the dragon claw and his scaly face had an expression of fascination, as if the claw was the most precious thing in the world he had ever seen.

"I shall address all three of you at once. I have your subordinates securely bound by the formation, and you three must know very well that I can even trap you if I wanted to."

His hair gently uplifted by the wind, Daneel stood confidently on the dragon claw and spoke with alacrity.

The whole episode of having his plans become successful and being acknowledged by the people had bolstered his spirit, allowing him to stand firm now and speak with his back straight.

He knew that the major hurdles had all been crossed for now, and that these were just some minor issues that required a little bit of intelligence to solve. In fact, there was a sure shot way to diffuse everything immediately: directly handing over the three leaders. Yet, he knew that he had the advantage in this situation based on the actions of the three forces so far and the inputs from the commanders he had just spoken to.

"YOU THINK WE CAN'T..."

As a rumbling voice replaced the serious one before, Daneel waved his own hand similarly.

The Sound Dissonance Spell cast by the system made the cloaked man flinch as he resisted the urge to clutch his head with his hands. The connection with the sound elementary particles had been ripped away from him, causing a backlash in his mageroot.

This was something only someone on the Warrior Mage level could do after studying sound for a long time. His eyes widening, he realized that there was another party probably hidden from everyone's eyes running this whole show.

This had been Daneel's intention all along. Although he didn't like it, he did not want to draw unwanted attention to himself by showing that he could do things that no Eminent Human Mage could do. Thus, he needed these forces to know that they couldn't act as they wished thinking that he was alone.

As for the feat of mastering the formation in a few seconds, this could also be attributed to some interference by that master. All Daneel needed to do was allude-the blanks would be filled in by the enemies themselves.

Although there were some holes that someone astute could pick up, all he needed was the doubt in the enemies' minds which would make them hesitate.

This was exactly what was going on right now. From Daneel's actions and the cloaked man's flinch, the others had also deduced that there was someone powerful behind the scenes as they knew about the cloaked man's abilities.

After giving them a few seconds to gather their thoughts, Daneel spoke.

"These are my conditions. All three of your forces will completely vacate the Kingdom right now. All the possessions on your subordinate's bodies will be taken as remuneration for your actions against the people of Lanthanor. And each of you must swear a magic oath that your forces will not even enter the Kingdom of Lanthanor in the next 10 years. There is no negotiation. Either agree or see your subordinates crushed in front of you."

Hearing these conditions, Daneel saw expressions of consternation appear on the two faces he could see.

"You don't need to try and threaten me. I know very well that you only chose to attack when the formation wasn't mastered. You cannot afford to deploy enough resources to overcome a fully mastered formation and the trinkets you have right now only work when one is not controlling the dragon claws. You and I both know very well that an actual Champion Mage would have to arrive to break through in this situation, and you clearly cannot afford that."

The feeling of being read like a book did not sit well with the trio, making them gnash their teeth while they heard Daneel speak.

Feeling helpless, all they could do was communicate with the superiors who had sent them to get the trapped members back.

Inside, Daneel felt glad that he had chosen to listen to the two commanders. With years of experience dealing in information regarding enemy forces, they had estimated the worth of the subordinates and given Daneel options which would push the enemy but not make them decide to go all in, not caring about the loss.

As he saw the three nods, the tension binding Daneel finally loosened up, letting him relax for the first time in what felt like forever.

Chapter 94: Secret Library

The three forces acted quickly, uprooting all of their forces and choosing to leave as soon as possible. For them, this was a better option than being rooted out by Daneel one by one using the military. They had only thrived in the Kingdom so far due to the previous King's inaction and undue focus on sending the army to fight for resources to grow his own power.

The possessions were taken by Daneel personally, while the watching eyes of the trio hounded him until he went out of sight. Even the priest had an expression of slight frustration when Daneel took away the belt with the one-use trinket.

As for the oath, the logic was quite simple: forces like these could only move when an opportunity came like the one where the frustrations of the citizens reached a breaking point. People who reached the Warrior Level regardless of whether they were mages or fighters enjoyed a tripling of longevity, which allowed them to think quite less of a mere 10 years.

In that 10 years, if Daneel also turned out to be incompetent, it would not be too late to begin operations again.

In fact, the main value of the subordinates was their talent. Only top talents who had potential to grow would typically be sent on missions like these to gather experience and hone themselves. Thus, when looking at the situation with the viewpoint that a force might lose a candidate who might eventually aim for the Champion Level, then it was a pretty obvious decision regarding whether to take Daneel's conditions or not. Champion Level powerhouses were, after all, the backbone of most sects and secret societies.

The spell for the magical oath was quite simple; even those who weren't Amateur Human Mages could learn and cast it, granted that the oath was not forced in any way. That was the prerequisite for any magical oaths: oaths could not be made when the oath-taking party was forced into the decision using intimidation or blackmail.

With a thought, the oathstone he had absorbed appeared in his hand while the three members each spoke the oath on behalf of their organizations to not enter Lanthanor in the next 10 years. In Daneel's mind, this caused three new connections to appear which would let him communicate with these three regardless of where they were.

After the forces completely left, the people finally started dispersing. Many were chattering about the crowning ceremony that would soon be held, looking forward to the festivity that would accompany it.

With the commanders here, there was no problem whatsoever for Daneel in taking full control of the palace. He sent out a flurry of orders, from having the members of the nobility locked up in chambers to making sure that his parents were teleported over ASAP, he made sure to handle everything.

Kellor, Cassandra and Aran were instrumental in every task. They would advise him on everything related to the palace, telling him about how the government worked.

Broadly, the government was divided into 4 parts: the judiciary, the police, the military and the Nobility.

The judiciary was comprised of a set of judges whose task was to pass judgments according to the laws of Lanthanor. Daneel had already looked over the laws before; mostly, they reminded him of the ones back on Earth. The procedure was for citizens to go to the Judiciary Office and file a complaint. The police would then gather all the facts and present them in front of the Judge, who would decide the punishment if needed.

In other words, it was a simplified version of the Law and Order system back on Earth. Instead of lawyers and prosecutors, citizens fought their cases themselves while there was no jury to make decisions based on voting. Judges swore oaths to be impartial in their judgement, ensuring a modicum of fairness in the justice meted out.

Daneel summoned the police commander through the oathstone as soon as everything else was done. He planned to have a meeting with all of the key personnel soon so that they would be clear regarding his wishes and aspirations for the Kingdom.

The Grand Court Mage was ordered to accompany him through the palace, although he did not dare to raise his head and talk unless Daneel asked him something.

The room that the dragon heart was located in was actually the King's Chambers, where the King would relax and sleep when he wanted to. This was a rule passed down from the first King, all Kings had to sleep in this room hearing the heartbeat of the dragon heart formation which kept the Palace safe.

The throne room was near the chambers, just one hallway away.

Deciding to take a tour of the palace while he waited for his parents to arrive, Daneel had asked Kellor to take him to the most impressive place in the whole palace other than the King's chambers.

At this moment, an easy smile was on Daneel's face as he talked with Kellor and the Commanders. The time for tension and action was done, and it was now time to loosen up and slowly settle into his role as the King before deciding on matters such as the direction in which to rule the Kingdom.

Thus, Kellor took Daneel to the throne room.

The entrance was a gold-plated door 15 feet high which was studded with precious stones that shone like the night sky.

The formation controlled all access to rooms and parts of the palace, thus there was no hassle in going wherever he wanted. Opening the massive doors with a thought to the system, Daneel walked in and felt his jaw fall seeing the sheer opulence on display.

The room itself was at least 30 feet high, with ceiling to wall windows adorned with delicate glass art letting in light gently, bathing the throne room in a soft glow.

It was shaped like a funnel, with the entrance and the throne on two opposite ends. Measuring at least 100 feet in length and 50 feet in width, the rest of the room was occupied by red plush chairs which were apparently for the ministers and bureaucrats to sit in.

As for the throne, it was the centerpiece of the room. The hand rests were actually two dragons skillfully sculpted in the wood, with mouths open, roaring towards the one looking at them.

The dragons' claws reminded him of the ones that had appeared when he used the formation. Two wings which looked enormous were folded to the side, while the rest of the body looked streamlined from the tail to the head as if flying was the thing these creatures were born to do.

The dragons' faces were scaled just like their claws, with the two eyes set on two sides of their heads with a snout in between. The elongated jaw hinted at a massive mouth with sharp teeth.

Sharp ridges on the snout seemed to ripple, life-like while Daneel stared at the dragons, mesmerized.

Shaking his head, Daneel proceeded to take in the rest of his future seat in.

The back of the throne was a plush pillow on which another dragon was sewn, with its head turned to the side while its menacing fangs were clearly visible.

The rest of the chair was gilded in gold that shone in the glow that permeated the room.

Seeing the throne, memories of all that had led to this point flashed through Daneel's head briefly. As they did so, he was suddenly reminded of something he had put off for such a time when he was the King.

It was the secret library. When Kellor had first given him access to the Magic Academy, he had said that there was a secret library that only the King could access. Excited to find out just what was inside, Daneel confirmed that it would still take a little time for his parents to come and decided to go to the magic academy.

Using the passageway that connected the palace and the academy, Daneel soon found himself on the top of the library which was always closed off to visitors. The Grand Court Mage had used a drop of his blood to open a hidden staircase which led to this room. Most of the people had already gone home due to everything happening in the Kingdom, so the academy and the library were mostly empty.

It was a wide open room which seemed empty except for a familiar podium in the middle which Daneel walked up to.

With the Grand Court Mage's instructions, who apparently was the only other person apart from the King who could access this secret library, Daneel recalled the oathstone from his body and placed it on a round groove on the podium.

The oathstone fit perfectly, after which Daneel was instructed to place a drop of his blood on the groove after removing the stone which had just glowed a dim yellow.

As soon as the drop hit the wood of the podium, it was absorbed while Daneel felt a ton of information flooding his mind.

[Interface detected. Initiating contact. Would host like to hear the incoming message?]

Having the flow stopped by the system, Daneel breathed a sigh of relief before saying "Yes" in his mind.

The message that followed shocked him, making him gape with surprise while Kellor and the Grand Court Mage watched on.

"Congratulations on becoming the King! It seems that those brats of the Lanthanore family have finally been usurped. I feel so glad to be able to talk to someone other than that punk who kept asking longevity this, longevity that. So, what are you here to find out about?"

Chapter 95: Empire Spiri

"System.... isn't this a pre-recorded message?", asked Daneel, bewildered at the cheery voice he had just heard in his head.

[Negative. Interface has been detected to be sentient.

System is in the process of analyzing the interface, but all attempts are being blocked. Please upgrade the system if you would like to increase the system's capabilities. Upgrade cost: 100,000 EXP]

Another upgrade!

Daneel had just managed to scrape up enough points to perform the first upgrade. If it weren't for the shower of points he earned from becoming King, he would have been completely bankrupt right now.

Although the practicality was indeed quite tremendous, it was, at least now, just too big of a cost to pay.

Shelving it aside for later, Daneel focused on the part about 'sentience'.

"Wh-what are you?", he asked in his mind, telling the system to relay the message to the interface.

"Nice of you to ask. I don't remember the last time someone spoke so civilly to me. All these damn stubborn Kings do is keep asking me things they have no right to access. Anyway, I digress. I am an Empire Spirit. I belong to a special race made to keep track of all the myriad things that involve running an Empire of millions of people. Gah, what would you know about empires. The last true empire faded away 1700 years ago! Now, all that's left are primitive villages which call themselves 'Kingdoms' and keep trying to extract the knowledge in us with hopes that they can resurrect an empire! Blind fools. Ah, I forget my duty. What do you need? Let me tell you right now, unless you reach the pre-specified amount of general satisfaction, you cannot access even my name from my archives. If you just came here for the scribblings of the Lanthanore brats, then use the alternate interface. They must have written stuff about me too, so just read those if you want more explanations. It was nice talking to you, but I guess I'll just go back to the ancient lectures about Grand Attraction Spell Techniques. Bye!"

[Interface cut off. Alternate interface with 89 books found. Would host like to access this interface?]

Daneel felt his head reeling trying to take in the continuous streams of words spat out by whatever was in the podium. It had just been a barrage of information that Daneel felt lost in.

"Yes! And tell me what the hell that thing was.", he ordered, feeling thankful that the system could do the grunt work and just tell him the important details.

A few minutes later which were spent opening each of the books present in quick succession, Daneel calmed his expression and listened with full attention while the system explained just what the thing that talked to him had been.

According to the oldest book found in the secret library, this was something that every King gained access to as soon as he took control of the oathstone. The true origins of the being had apparently been lost along with the book written by the first Lanthanore who established the Kingdom.

Yes, the books were all memoirs of the previous Kings who had ruled the Kingdom. They talked about many things, from their personal views towards the treatment of nobles and commoners and matters of war which according to the system, would be a great help to Daneel in analyzing future war situations if he chose to peruse them.

The only additional information about the Empire Spirit was that it had some sort of special conditions which had to be met in order to access the treasure trove of knowledge apparently stored inside. All the Kings could only speculate what this general satisfaction even meant. The spirit, of course, declined to comment on the matter no matter how many times it was asked. Thus, all anyone could do was guess.

It was also said that it should be the lifelong goal of every King to strive to decipher this spirit, because it was possible that the information it held could help elevate the Kingdom to another level.

This was another overload of information that Daneel hadn't been prepared for. Asking the Court Mage and the Grand Court Mage to wait outside, Daneel took a few minutes of time to arrange everything in his head.

He first made a list of everything to do before the crowning ceremony took place. He had already ticked off quite a few things on the list, including calling his parents, the domination corps and all his friends to the palace. As for taking revenge on the nobles who were the reason for his father's and many other citizen's pain and suffering, he had already set a plan in motion which would see them punished in full for all of their crimes.

Another thing he had placed on the list was to check out the system store and the new Kingdom Points that he had been notified about by the system.

Because he had a little time to himself, Daneel decided to check out just what new tools were available to him.

As the familiar library came into being in front of him after activating the Heads Up Interface, Daneel noticed that there were new kinds of books on the shelves.

Some of the previously black books which had been locked to him now glowed a soft red, as if something had changed about them. Although they were still black, it was now easy to pick them out from the rest.

Over the past three years, Daneel had spent points only on the most important tools which he thought were crucial to the success of the operation to fight for the throne. These included the tool which he had used to develop the panel trinket based on the broken one he had seen in Ripley's house. Named the 'Schematic Development-1' tool, it allowed him to modify any schematic he already had with him to make a new one. Similar to the Technique Development tool which allowed him to make the modified fireball spells and the spell that made the honey trap solution, he had used this tool to make a panel trinket which was cheaper and simpler than the one Ripley had.

As upgrading the system had been his priority, he had had to save up all the EXP he could. Now, he could finally stop thinking about that and choose whatever tool he liked.

Deciding to first check out the new tools, Daneel picked out one of the glowing black books.

"Kingdom Management-1: Obtain statistics about Satisfaction Level and Dissatisfaction Level of a certain number of citizens present in a set area around host. Purchasing this tool also opens the Kingdom Management Rewards section, where satisfaction milestones can be exchanged for Kingdom Points and EXP. Cost: 7500 EXP, 1 Kingdom Point"

As he read the introduction on the book, Daneel's eyes opened wider and wider with each word.

Satisfaction level?! Daneel wondered how anyone or anything could quantify an aspect which was so arbitrary. Although this was his first thought, the word 'satisfaction' made him scratch his head wondering just what it reminded him of.

Of course! The Empire Spirit!

Daneel almost shouted out loud as he realized that the term 'satisfaction' had been the one used to describe the condition required to access the information in the Empire Spirit. With this connection made, a question sprung up in his mind as he wondered whether it was possible for such a coincidence to exist.

Could it be that the Empire Spirit would only let him access its archives if the people of the Kingdom reached a certain satisfaction level? And could it be that none of the previous Kings figured out this simple meaning?

Chapter 96: Satisfaction Level

"System, is there no mention in the memoirs about the satisfaction specified by the Empire Spirit being the satisfaction level of the people?'

[Affirmative. Many Kings have speculated that when the general populace reach a certain level of satisfaction in the ruling authority, the Empire Spirit's conditions might be met giving access to 'invaluable knowledge'. System has detected a trend in Kings' decisions when there was an attempt to raise the level. Raising satisfaction level is a resource-consuming process, and Lanthanor has always been under attack by enemies at the border, making it so that decreasing the budget of the army was not possible. There was also no way to drastically increase the amount of resources available. Thus, it was only possible to shift around resources, which meant that one section or the other always had a low satisfaction level.]

Daneel nodded, hearing the conclusion given by the system. He had also noticed something after upgrading the system: it seemed to be able to better analyze things now, instead of just storing and recalling information. Yet, there had been no such analysis during the war situation. Thus, the thought came in Daneel's mind that the system was incapable of leaps of logic and creativity that a human was capable of. It could only use the data it had to notice patterns and relay them to him, allowing him to make the final conclusions needed.

Only, in this case, a conclusion had been made. Thus, to test out his observation, he asked the system whether this was the case.

[Affirmative. System exists to reward and better enable host on the path to World Domination. A conclusion was given this time due to the clear nature of the data. Many Kings specifically wrote about their attempts and their frustrations.]

Nodding, Daneel felt happy that this matter was resolved. In the end, the system was just a helping hand in his journey. With this realization, he resolved to depend on himself for the most part without getting used to relying on the system too much.

The decision he had to make right now was regarding whether to buy this tool or not. 7500 EXP was a lot, but the part about the "Kingdom Management Rewards" section which would allow him to gain more EXP and Kingdom Points for 'satisfaction milestones' made it quite tempting.

Yet, before he could make the decision, Kellor knocked on the door.

Deciding to make a decision after he could completely relax and be by himself, Daneel walked to the door and opened it.

"My Lord, all the people you asked for have been assembled. They are presently waiting for you in the throne room."

"All right. Let's go."

........

Before going to the throne room, Daneel decided to first make a visit to the Palace Tailor.

In charge of all official clothing needs for the nobility, the tailor's room was located three hallways from the King's.

As he entered, he saw rows of shelves in which hung numerous dresses in all kinds of dazzling colors.

The tailor had already been summoned with the help of Kellor.

"My King, congratulations on ascending the throne! How can this humble servant assist you?"

The man kneeling on the ground had a slight tremor in his voice, as if he was afraid that Daneel would punish him for something.

Using the oathstone, Daneel asked Kellor what the matter was.

"He is one of those who used the relation he has with one of the princes to get away from a horrible crime. His daughter ran away with a poor boy who ran away from the slums, and he used the police force to find them, kill the boy and drag his daughter home. There are many like this in the palace who used the princes' influence to evade the courts and use resources they are not supposed to have access to. My Lord, you must make the decision regarding how you will administer justice to all those affected by the actions of these animals. But I must remind you, My Lord, that there are also some good people just like me who did whatever they could to stand on the side of morality."

As the man looked up into Daneel's glaring eyes, he suddenly felt as if a mountain was bearing down on his back, threatening to crush him under the pressure.

"Did you use the police force to catch and kill the man your daughter ran away with?", Daneel asked, wanting to hear the truth from the man's own mouth.

"Ye-yes, My Lord. Please forgive me! The prince promised that there wouldn't be any problems! It's all his fault!"

Hearing this, Daneel's palms tightened into fists as he couldn't help but shake with anger. Of course, he hadn't forgotten all the transgressions made by these despicable people which resulted in people gathering in the streets in floods hoping for a purge. He had already decided on what to do, and his decision only became firmer after hearing this account.

Deactivating the Weighty Gaze, he watched as the man slumped to the ground with sweat beading on his forehead. This sight disgusted Daneel, who couldn't believe that the man had tried to push the blame away on the one who had enabled him although he had been the one to carry out the wrongdoing.

Speaking through the oathstone, Daneeel gave all the details to Kellor and told him to get started on the implementation right away. His original plan had been to wait for the coronation, but decided to change this due to this encounter.

Not deigning the kneeling man with a reply, Daneel simply strode to a nearby shelf and chose a red-gold robe that wasn't emblazoned with any crest. After selecting matching pants of the same color, he walked to the changing room nearby.

As he came out, he looked like a different person. All royal robes had the self-fitting enchantment added to them, thus the robe fit him perfectly, outlining his well-built athletic body.

To Kellor, it looked like a stone in the sand which turned out to be a diamond after polishing. Daneel's confidence which had slowly grown with time could now be seen in the way he carried himself.

This was something which often needed special etiquette classes to accomplish. Yet, Daneel had already started on the path to natural elegance mainly due to his personality which had been shaped by everything he had gone through.

As he walked into the throne room, the people congregated on both sides of the hallway were first struck speechless while they saw him enter and walk towards the throne.

Daneel wasn't presumptuous enough to sit on the throne and act like a ruler in front of all these people who had made everything possible. He simply wanted to say a few words, thus he was making his way to the raised part of the room where the throne was also located.

Yet, looking at him, the people who had gathered felt like they were seeing a different person. Although he still had a long way to go from being someone who could silence the masses with a single gaze, Daneel already looked like someone who was worthy of being acknowledged by the people of Lanthanor as King.

But, as soon as he reached the end and turned around to stand in front of the room, a broad smile spread on his face seeing all the people that meant so much to him.

This smile broke the spell of silence that seemed to have been cast in the room, startling Daneel as he saw almost everyone in front of him break out into screams of joy or tears of happiness.

Watching this sight, he could not resist all the emotions bundled up inside him from all the things he had gone through. Having no choice but to let everything out, Daneel couldn't help but wipe his eyes trying to stop the tears that had started to flow, while he saw his mother and father walking towards him from the corner of his vision with expressions of pure elation and pride on their faces.

Collapsing onto his parent's shoulders, the King of Lanthanor cried his heart out, making this an image that would be remembered by everyone in the room for as long as they lived.

Chapter 97: Interlude

A few days later.

In a busy marketplace near the outer gate of the City of Lanthanor.

A woman holding a small girl's hand walked into the marketplace, looking around as if searching for something.

Her clothes had already long lost the dye they had been colored with, now looking drab and coarse from years of wear and tear. The little girl had a similar gown on, her eyes wide open as she looked around at all of the sights the capital city had to offer.Looking travel-worn, the two seemed to have traveled a long while to get to their destination.

"Dalia, stay close, dear. I don't want you to run off and get lost, all right?"

The woman knelt on the ground taking the little girl's face in her hands, wiping away the dust and sweat and planting a kiss on her forehead. The kiss lightened up the little girl's face, making her give a wide smile while the woman also couldn't resist mirroring her daughter seeing the pure innocence of a child.

Her heavily callused hands held her daughter again as she walked forward to a building that looked like it had been recently set up.

"Citizen Justice Center" was the name written on the banner, which the woman looked at before walking in with a determined expression on her face.

Inside, numerous constables were seated in front of tables holding trinkets which looked like small, round silver bowls.

Many of the chairs on the other side of the constables were occupied by people who were talking into the trinkets. Meanwhile, the constables seemed to be taking notes on pieces of parchment in front of them using a feather and an ink bottle.

Walking up to one such table which was empty, the woman sat down in a rush as if she would turn back and leave if she didn't summon the courage to sit as soon as possible.

The little girl also got on to the chair beside her, looking around at all the new people and fascinated by the policemen in their neat uniforms. The number of people she had seen today had already crossed the total number of people she had met in her small village while growing up.

"State your name, place of residence, injustice and the person responsible. Please keep in mind that you will have to testify under oath when needed. Punishment will be given out if your claims turn out to be false."

Seeing the two sit down, the constable repeated the line he had said at least 100 times since the morning.

Simply nodding as if she had already prepared herself, the woman started talking.

"My name is Helena, and this is my daughter Dalia. We live in the Burbery village in Lanthanor's countryside. Three years ago, a passing noble stopped for the night in our village. While there, he got drunk and wanted to be entertained. The village mayor ordered some of us to dance to appease the noble, and I was one of them. In the middle of our dance, he stumbled forward and caught my hand, intending to drag me away. My husband who...."

Until this point, the woman had spoken with a stoic expression while trying to not let the painful memories affect her. Yet, at the mention of her husband whom she missed so much, she couldn't help but tear up.

"Mama, what's wrong? Can I go get flowers to cheer you up again?"

The little girl beside her tugged at her dress, asking this question with a worried expression on her face as she saw the tears appearing in her mother's eyes. Back home, whenever this happened, she would go out to pick the flowers that grew near the small thatch hut they lived in. Whenever her mother saw the flowers, she would wipe away the tears, place them in her recently-greyed hair and kiss her on her two cheeks.

Hearing her daughter ask, the woman hastened to wipe away the tears. Seeing the scene, the constable couldn't help but sigh as he started filling in the details in the parchment in front of him. The recording trinket had already been activated when the woman started speaking.

"Mother's fine, Dalia. Just give me a few minutes. Then, we can go out and buy candy."

Hearing the rare word 'candy', the little girl's face brightened up again as she nodded and continued to look around.

"My husband who tried to stop him was murde...taken away from us by the noble's guards. Luckily, the noble passed out after that and had to leave the next morning. Since then, I've been trying to manage our family. I came here because I heard that the new King has promised to hear our grievances and get revenge for us. I still dream about kil.....burying that man daily. I don't know his name, but I can pick him out easily. Please tell me if my complaint will be taken? When I tried to do this three years ago, I was thrown out onto the street."

The sharpness in her eyes and face which had appeared when she talked about burying the prince was replaced by silent sobs toward the end of her narrative.

"All complaints will be addressed. Please use this Gold Lan to stay in any inn in the city. Our King will be officially crowned in two days, and the special courts for cases like these will also open soon after. If your case turns out to be true, you will also be paid a pension by the government for a set period of time. The King thanks you for coming this far after trusting his words.", replied the constable with a slight smile on his face.

Seeing the Gold Lan shining in the constable's hand, the woman couldn't help but rub her eyes. In her small village, the highest currency used usually was Silver Lans. Only the Mayor was known to have a few gold lans which he used to pay in bulk to traveling merchants for village necessities such as plows and hammers.

Taking the Gold Lan with shaking hands, the woman still seemed disbelieving until she felt the weight that meant that it was definitely not a silver one.

All these years, all she had gotten from the government was scorn and ridicule. No matter how many times she tried to submit her case to the court, it would be thrown out citing some insensible reason. Finally, she had had to stop after receiving a death threat on her and her daughter's life.

Now, she had only dared to try again after hearing the proclamations that had reached all the town mayors that the previous King had been killed and replaced by someone who promised to hear all the people's grievances.

This was all she needed; this simple gesture of someone caring enough for her situation to listen and give her a chance to present her case made her heart fill up with gratitude. The feeling of being heard by the authorities was something she never knew would feel so sweet.

Clutching the Gold Lan in her hand, a small smile appeared on her face before she turned around to see her adorable daughter still looking around with fascination. The little girl loved candy, but having to work all day just to earn enough to have enough food and save a little money for tough times had been very difficult;what with the fact that the major occupation was farming, which required strength and effort that made her body ache all over each night after coming back home.

Now, with a little bit of smart money management, they would have enough to rent a room, eat three full meals a day and buy as much candy as the little girl wanted. Besides, there had even been mention of a pension!

Thanking the constable, Helena stood up and guided Dalia out. Everything around her seemed brighter, as if something had lifted the dark shroud that had covered her vision and mind for the last few years.

King Daneel. She blessed this figure who had made everything possible with all of her heart. Vowing to be present at the coronation and see for herself how someone with such a gracious heart looked like, she took Dalia in her hands and walked down the steps towards a candy seller who had caught Dalia's eye ever since they had arrived here.

All over the capital, such scenes took place with more and more people looking forward to the Coronation Ceremony that would take place in two days.

Meanwhile, the King who was responsible for all these warm hearts lay snoring on his bed, getting some much needed rest while dreaming about riding on horses to save princesses trapped in tall towers.

With the decorations ongoing in full swing, Lanthanor prepared to welcome its new King with a pomp and vigour that would definitely shock the heavens and startle the gods, making them look down with wonder to see just who was the one so beloved that almost everyone in the Kingdom would go all out to do everything they could to make his coronation a grand success.

Chapter 98: Anomaly

The past few days had been very hectic for Daneel.

At first, it had been the time spent partying in the throne room which let him finally let his pent up emotions out.

Although he had lived for 18 years on earth and then 4 years here in Lanthanor, this was still his first time seeing death up close. Moreover, it had been instilled in him either consciously or subconsciously that murder was something immoral and wrong.

Yet, over the years, as he heard each and every account of the young teens who joined the Domination Corps, it became more and more apparent that this world had a very different moral scale than that on Earth.

Even if this should have been apparent to him long back with the death and destruction he saw during the Dwarve's Rum incident, he had only been an observer at the time.

It made him think of the psyches of people back on Earth. Many saw horrific news about deaths and destruction all over the television. There were even many forms of entertainment which glorified gore and bloodshed.

Yet, all this was nothing compared to how it felt to actually do the act in real life. The uncertainty, doubt and guilt had hit him instinctually even though he knew he was doing the right thing.

The King was someone whose actions had resulted in the deaths of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens just because he wanted to increase his own life for a few more years. He was someone who did not deserve the slightest ounce of mercy even if his last action had been to save Daneel. Even then, when Daneel had sent that icicle through his chest, that image had been burned into his memory.

It was the first time he took justice into his own hands, and made the tough choice to do things himself. Hence, it would always be remembered by him.

Although his first time in taking justice into his own hands had been with the King, the first death he had both witnessed and caused had been Laravel's. More than from the encounter with the King, it was this event that made him shelve away the most emotions in his mind.

He still remembered the relaxation on Laravel's face when the needle of fire entered his mind, penetrating his mageroot and brain to grant him the final release of death. At the time, Daneel had been hit by that same cocktail of emotions but multiplied many times over.

He had already ordered Kellor to ensure that Laravel would be buried with all the honor befitting one who died while saving the Kingdom. In fact, even Kellor had been very sad hearing Laravel's actions and circumstances of death. If alive, he would have made a great figure who could have helped lead Lanthanor onto a new frontier.

When all these bottled up emotions burst out, he had no choice but to cry and hug his parents like the little kid he used to be. Even though he knew very well that he was now the King who had to command respect with every action, he was still a human who laughed and cried whenever his heart couldn't hold in his feelings.

Still, he resolved to have better grasp on his emotions from then on. Ordering the kitchens to send expensive wine and delicious food, the King spent his first night in the palace partying in the throne room with his friends, family and followers.

With all the time spent laughing while recalling fond memories and telling a modified version of his adventures which resulted in him becoming King, Daneel felt himself letting everything go and returning to normal.

Robert and Maria wept almost all night, even eating and drinking while crying with tears of happiness. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect their son to become a King! Robert had known that Daneel was doing something big, but he had never expected that it was something so impressive. All he could do was thank the gods for blessing him with a good son.

As for Elanev, Faxul and Joshua, they had been initially hesitant on approaching Daneel due to his new status. Stifling a laugh, Daneel had walked up to them and given each one bear hugs which shattered their hesitation into pieces. He even said that as their King, he was ordering them to treat him like they always did in informal settings.

Daneel had already decided on this long back. No matter what heights he reached, he would always remember and cherish those who helped him along the way. Such was his character, and this was also impressed onto the onlookers as they watched him laugh and party with them raucously. Although he didn't drink, he was still vigorous enough for many to wonder if he had downed a few bottles of wine. Even the generally reserved Faxul had a constant smile on his face while he interacted and laughed along with all of his friends. Yet, his face had an expression of hidden sorrow that was always present under the surface, as if something was bothering him despite the festive atmosphere.

After sleeping for half of the next day, Daneel finally woke up hale and hearty, with the feeling that all the tensions and worries ailing him had disappeared. They were all replaced with a wish to just do everything he could to help those who believed in him so ardently.

His first order had been to set up the Citizen Justice Centers. Collecting information was the first thing that was needed in case he wanted justice to be handed out smoothly and satisfactorily.

With the nobles still locked and being fed, Daneel ordered someone to observe them at all times without their knowledge. Their wealth and assets had already been seized, and they now had nothing to their name. Each and every one of their interactions, words and actions were carefully recorded.

Daneel's second order had been to bring all the financial records from over the years for him to peruse. He wanted a clear outlook on the Kingdom's finances which would help him in making his future decisions.

Information such as this was typically stored in two forms: the first was simple parchment for small amounts of data.

The second were mass-storage trinkets, which were imported from the same Kingdom which made the barriers used to formerly keep the mosquitoes away from energy resources.

These trinkets were square cubes made of a material that looked like copper.

Costing 5,000 Gold Lans each, each cube could solve up to 100,000 'rows' of information. Each cube was specially designed for each purpose; for instance, the cubes meant for financial information had rows which could store the date, place, amount, need and parties involved in a transaction. Thus, one row would be one financial record.

After Daneel gave the order, more than 500 such cubes came in front of him. Besides, these were the ones from only the past few Kings. The complete archive was apparently many times larger, and for practicality, only summaries of those records were stored instead of detailed ones like the one in front of him.

After all, the cost of the trinkets in this room itself were two and half million Gold Lans! This was simply a staggering number.

"System, can you analyze this much information?", Daneel asked, apprehensive that his ambitious plan of obtaining a grasp over the Kingdom's finances wouldn't be foiled by the sheer amount of data present.

[Affirmative. System is capable of absorbing a near limitless amount of data, but the analysis speed is limited. Tool "Big Data Analysis Module-1" suggested. Cost: 2000 EXP]

Daneel sighed with relief hearing this. He had seen this tool before, and had expected to buy it soon after becoming King.

"Buy it."

[Purchase made and tool deployed. Thank you for shopping with the system!

Remaining EXP: 8000]

Ordering everyone to leave, Daneel started the long task of touching each and every cube to store the information in the system. Before the coronation, he had decided to use the King's chambers with the dragon heart as his base of operations. It was a large room, and Daneel felt it was fitting given that he hadn't been crowned yet.

After touching each and every one of the cubes, he collapsed onto his bed and waited for the system to analyze years of financial data.

Finally, after a few minutes, the system sounded in his mind.

[Preliminary analysis completed. Anomaly found. Would host like to hear the information about the financial anomaly?]

Chapter 99: Angaria

[Trade with the neighboring Elf Kingdom known for its enchanting specialty, Eldinor, has steadily increased over the years to now account for more than 40% of the total products imported by the Kingdom. By analyzing the trends over decades, Big Data Analysis Module-1 has enabled the system to notice that such an increase has been preceded by multiple changes in the needs of the market in Lanthanor. One very glaring anomaly is that the number of mosquitoes around the Kingdom has increased alarmingly in a short period of time. At the same time, mass shipments of barriers were also available in Eldinor for immediate supply. Although the King at that time had a suspicion as was mentioned in his memoirs, he had no way to prove it.]

Daneel was quite shocked hearing about this anomaly. Eldinor? This wasn't the first time he was hearing of this Elf Kingdom, but this was definitely the first time he heard of this tie between the presence of mosquitoes and the sale of barriers.

"System, tell me again about this part of the World."

[Affirmative. According to data collected, Lanthanor is located on a continent named Angaria in which at least 10 other Kingdoms and forces are known to exist. A gigantic ocean surrounds the continent, and there is no concrete information regarding the World beyond. Along with Axelor, Eldinor is one of the Kingdoms located near the borders of Lanthanor. The two Kingdoms are connected by trade ties. Although Eldinor is a smaller Kingdom, they are renowned for their enchanting skills. Known as the "Trinket Hub of Angaria", the famous Enchanting College is also located there.]

Elves of Eldinor. Daneel had heard this phrase quite often in the stories recited in the slums told by travelers who claimed to have traveled the world. At least in the stories, these elves were said to have shining skin with blade-like earlobes and large eyes. Known for their knowledge and general aptitude in magic, there were many stories about elves helping anyone they could out of the kindness in their hearts.

Yet, hearing the analysis, Daneel couldn't help but shiver as he realized what it meant if the deduction the system made turned out to be true.

To set up his business, Daneel had noticed a need in the market and made a product to address the need in a way that was more effective than the existing alternatives. If what he suspected was true, the Elves had gone one step further and created the need in the first place before selling their product to address the need.

Although he trusted the system's skill, Daneel still wanted to confirm everything for himself. Summoning Kellor to his room, he asked:

"Who all are we inviting to the Kingdom for the Coronation Ceremony?"

"My Lord, all 4 of the Kingdoms that we have amiable ties with have been invited. Of these, Eldinor is the one with the closest tie due to our trade agreements. The King considered asking them for help if there was no other way, but he did not do so after hearing the Eldest Prince's offer. They have already confirmed their presence during the ceremony."

Nodding, Daneel dismissed the Court Mage. This was simply too sensitive a topic to speak on unless he verified everything himself.

Trade was after all the lifeblood of the Kingdom. If misunderstandings suddenly cut off the incomes of the many farmers in Lanthanor, it would simply be disastrous to the Kingdom which had just undergone a change in leadership.

Thus, Daneel made the decision to be tactful about the situation. He would first try to make backup plans before looking for a way to confirm his suspicion. The episode with the Honey Trap Solution had taught him that it was always wise to assess the situation thoroughly and make sufficient preparations before throwing himself forward head first.

The next task was to make a visit to the Royal Treasury of Lanthanor. This was something Daneel had been looking forward to, as he still remembered that dazzling sight in the Minister's manor when he received his first payment for the Honey Traps.

The treasury was located exactly underneath the room that held the dragon heart. It was the second most secure location in the whole Palace, what with the core of the formation located directly above it.

After going down a flight of stairs, Daneel passed rows and rows of soldiers who all bowed to him in reverence. Still not used to this many bows, Daneel simply nodded in response, yet he soon felt his neck hurting as he realized that this was definitely not the effective thing to do.

"My Lord, if I may suggest, would you like a visit from the etiquette teacher on duty in the palace? He is in charge of teaching the young princes and princesses the proper actions someone in command must take in order to be respected."

Daneel's eyebrows pressed together as he heard Kellor say these words. He had considered this himself, but rejected it because he simply did not have the time right now. Still, many prestigious dignitaries would be in attendance at the ceremony.

Thus, he simply nodded to Kellor before proceeding towards the treasury.

At the end of a hallway, the path ended after being blocked by a humongous door that fit the ceiling perfectly.

The hallways themselves were at least 30 feet high, making it so that the metal door's handles were located 15 feet in the air. To Daneel, it felt like they were humans intruding in a giant's home.

"The King himself was puzzled regarding these doors, My Lord. Please place the oathstone in the groove in the door to enter."

A round groove was indeed present in the black metal door. Walking forward, Daneel summoned the oathstone and placed it inside.

As the orb flashed again, the doors started opening with a rumbling sound.

Balls of light twinkled into existence with the doors opening, while Daneel walked in with his jaw wide open.

Thankfully, only Kellor saw this unseemly expression on the King's face.

Daneel had no other option. The sight in front of him was simply too magnificent.

Bricks of shining gold were placed one on top of another to form cubes that were taller than him. Each cube at least held 1,000 such cubes, and Daneel could see at last 10 such cubes all around the rooms.

Shelves to the side held Gold Lans by the hundreds of thousands, with the coins neatly placed in bundles of 10,000 each.

An enormous barrier held the most Ether Daneel had ever seen in his life. By his estimate, there were at least 50,000 Ether blocks inside the translucent white barrier.

Although these blocks of Ether placed similarly like the bricks of Gold were brilliant to behold, something else caught Daneel's eye.

Inside the barrier, he saw a small pile of red gems that shone much brighter than the Ether blocks.

From the distance itself, Daneel could see that these gems had something more viscous than the mists in Ether floating in them. Perfectly shaped like the diamonds he had seen back on Earth, Daneel felt himself yearning to touch one and see how it felt.

Seeing Daneel's gaze transfixed on those gems, Kellor spoke beside him.

"These are Ker Gems. They are a higher tier energy resource than Ether. As you must know, as a mage advances in levels, the amount of Ether blocks he consumes reaches a staggering level. On advancing to the Warrior Mage level, even the concentration of energy in Ether is insufficient for Mages to advance. Thus, these Ker Gems are required. Beneficial for both Mages and Fighters, this was the main resource the previous King yearned for. Although Ker Gems indeed give better and faster effects when trained with for someone below the level of a Warrior Mage, they are simply too expensive to justify the cost. A single Ker Gem is equal to 10,000 Blocks of Ether."

10,000 blocks of Ether?!

Daneel was simply dumbstruck hearing the cost. With the exchange rate of Ether blocks, this meant that each gem cost a whopping 100,000 Gold Lans!

Training was simply a method of burning money, mused Daneel, as he started strolling towards the barrier to get a closer look at the Energy resource that used to make the previous King go crazy with desire.

Chapter 100: The Envoys Arrive

As the first rays of the sun dawned on the Kingdom of Lanthanor, there were already signs that this day would be like no other.

Usually, at this time, people would be waking up from their slumber and going about their daily activities. Yet, on this day, most of the houses in the Kingdom were already empty.

The typically empty streets were bustling with gleeful citizens walking around holding crimson and gold banners in their hands, decorating each and every inch of the city resulting in a jovial atmosphere that made even the most grumpy of people smile as they saw the pride and joy in almost each and everyone's faces.

Among these people, many wore simple clothes and often became lost as if they were new to the city. Yet, the residents were happy to help each time, knowing that these were the ones invited by the King to stay for the coronation ceremony.

Indeed, it was the day when King Daneel would officially be crowned in the presence of all to take the rightful place which he had already claimed in the people's hearts.

On the day Daneel went to the treasury, he understood just how much the King had been wringing out of the people in the name of taxes. The thing was that Ker Gems were a rarity in themselves, and although the exchange rate of 100,000 Gold Lans per gem did exist, it was hard to find a supplier. Thus, the King had been stockpiling Gold in order to use it all when he found one.

The total amount of money that the Kingdom's treasury currently held was 50 million Gold Lans. This was the amount in reserve, not counting the money required to keep the Kingdom running. How the system worked was that the treasury held all the money that was not needed to be in circulation. There was a separate treasury in which the money required for paying salaries, buying materials, funding the army, etc. was kept. Unlike the Royal Treasury which only the King could access, oath-bound financial managers could access this other treasury to facilitate the day to day activities of the Kingdom.

The tax rates of the previous King had simply been atrocious. Each and every citizen was required to pay 40% of everything they earned to the Kingdom. Additionally, the government also took a cut of the services and goods sold in the Kingdom.

In the recent years, tax collectors were the second most dreaded people to see walking towards one's home other than corrupt constables or nobles who might directly engage in murderous actions.

Thus, Daneel had decided to spare no expense in the festivities. The food, wine and cloth stocks of the palace were distributed throughout the capital to the citizens' delight and joy.

This was not just an impulsive decision on Daneel's part. He had reasoned that an opulent festival was the best way to decisively ascend the throne in front of the watching dignitaries' eyes. It would serve both as a means to raise the general happiness of the citizens and also to put on a show for the people who would arrive from far and wide to see just who this new King was.

Thus, Daneel also proceeded to make some secret plans with the commanders, the Domination Corps and Kellor.

The main goal was to impress on the minds of those coming that Lanthanor was in good hands, and that there was none of the unrest involved in a transfer of leadership.

The coronation would take place on a podium recently erected in front of the Palace Gates.

As the clock neared 10 am, people started flooding to the inner city just like before when the Church of Rectitude had led the attack.

Only, this time, there was none of the anger and scorn present in almost all of the faces before.

The enormous passageway which led from the Palace Gates to the Outer City was completely filled, with people milling even outside the Inner City Gates in hopes of getting a glimpse.

Daneel had already had this in mind. Just like before, the Domination Corps were ordered to permeate the city and use open areas like marketplaces to set up the Panel Trinkets to broadcast a live feed of the ceremony.

Those who couldn't enter the Inner City Gates before the passageway became completely filled reluctantly reached these centers which had already been advertised using loudspeaker trinkets throughout the city.

Meanwhile, at the borders, four people appeared from different directions at the gates that led into the Kingdom.

Stepping out of the air, each of them had different expressions on their faces as they looked at the soldiers staring at them from the walls.

The first wore a grey coat with a large life-like raven emblazoned on his chest. The soldiers watching him shivered as if they were gazing into an abyss of darkness that could swallow them whole without even breaking a sweat.

The second stood at least 12 foot tall with lanky arms that almost reached the ground. His palms were huge when compared to his body, and he had an eye patch on his scarred face. Wearing red robes, this giant of a man had a lady's image on his chest.

The third elicited gasps from those watching. Instead of a human, it was a snake-like being similar to the one that had appeared in the air above the palace. Its scaled skin glistened in the sunlight while it had a joyous look on its face, while waiting for the soldiers to give permission for it to enter.

As for the last, it was a female elf who looked at the gates with a mocking expression on her face. She indeed had huge eyes that almost took up a third of her face, and her earlobes looked like blades made of skin. Her small, sharp nose sniffed the air, making her face wrinkle with disgust as she cast a spell which cleared the odor of sweat which she seemed to find so nauseating.

These were the envoys who had already notified the Palace that they would arrive. The soldiers who had orders to let them in hastened to open the gates, following which the four entered the borders and proceeded to teleport again to get to the capital city.

Meanwhile, Daneel was rummaging through the piles of Royal Robes present in the Palace. His mother was beside him, picking out robe after robe while his father looked on with a smile on his face.

"Mom, you are too picky! Just choose one of them, it doesn't really matter if it looks good enough."

Maria had an exasperated expression on her face while she continued throwing one robe after another to the side. After all, her son was going to be crowned King!

"Daneel, you must look your best! Don't you want your parents to have grandchildren to play with when you are busy managing the Kingdom? Now is the chance to make the maidens in the Kingdom become infatuated with you!"

A slight blush appeared on Daneel's face as he heard these words. This wasn't the first time he was hearing them; his mother had started saying things like these on the night in the throne room. It seemed that seeing all of their difficulties sorted out had changed the priorities in his mother's head.

"Mom, I'm only 16! No one marries this young! And you guys will be in the palace, I'll be close by and you will have something to do together after I manage to heal dad's body...."

Indeed, the spell which crippled his father had been found in the memoirs in the secret library. Daneel had already instructed the Palace Infirmary to make preparations to heal his father. Although he could develop a counterspell himself, Daneel decided that he would only do it as a last resort in order to not draw more amazement towards himself and his mysterious 'master'. This was because the spell used to cripple his father had been one at the Exalted Human Mage level, and it would require at least a Warrior Mage to develop a counterspell. Thankfully, the counterspell was already detailed in the memoirs.

In this way, while the King bickered lovingly with his parents, the envoys and the people slowly gathered in front of the panels or in the passageway inside the inner city and waited for the coronation to start.

A few minutes later, Daneel found himself staring at his image in the mirror as he wondered just where his mother had found this dress. The theme of crimson and gold looked magnificent in the form of a dragon much like the one sculpted on the throne entwining around the robe with its head resting on his shoulders. The gold of the robe clashed with the crimson of the dragon to give a dazzling effect which Daneel liked quite a bit.

While the whole Kingdom awaited with bated breath, Daneel sighed with relief seeing the smile on his mother's face which meant that she was finally happy with the dress he was wearing.

Chapter 101: Coronation Ceremony

"Skkraz, how is the empress doing?"

In the space in front of the podium which had been cleared for the dignitaries and ministers to sit, the four envoys sat side by side while waiting for the ceremony to start.

Casting a spell to mute the area around them, the man wearing the raven-emblazoned coat spoke addressing the scaled man beside him in a deep voice.

The easy-going expression on the scaled man's face turned into one of anger as he heard this question.

"Bevis, if I weren't on a diplomatic mission, I would rip your intestines out right now. You know very well she is in the last years of her life, unlike your King who only ascended to the throne 10 years back.", answered the man in a cold voice.

With a humph, the man simply sneered before turning towards the other two.

"What about you, Eldra? And you, Bos? What have your rulers told you to do?"

The first question was addressed at the elf who still had a disgruntled expression on her face. With a glance at the man who had just been called Bevis, she sneered before placing her eyes back on the podium.

As for the giant for whom a special chair had been placed after clubbing together 4 others, a wide smile appeared on his face hearing his name called.

"Bos was told to say Hi to new King. Bos happy to come out of training. Bos looking forward to stronger connection with new ally. Bos also delighted to see more happy people than sad like before."

Hearing the weird sentences coming out of the giant's mouth, the three simply nodded as if it were a normal occurence. Even the voice was a bit high-pitched.

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted due to the rumbling sound that was heard as if an earthquake was shaking the ground below them.

Looking around, the four noticed that it was actually the people who had started leaping and shuffling around after seeing their King appear on the podium.

It seemed as if he were wearing a dragon around his body, the crimson scales shining in the sun as if tearing through the gold of the robe to take its place. The rays hitting the head of the dragon on his shoulder especially made it look lifelike, as if it were lazily basking in the sun while looking around at all of its subjects.

All four envoys could feel the infectious atmosphere in the air even though all of the sound was blocked by the spell. The giant had already stood up and was jumping along with the people, with its two hands upraised in the air cheering for the King. A pure happiness could be seen on its face, as if it were just a child who was celebrating without really knowing the reason for the festivity.

The jovial expression on the scaled man's face had returned, and he also stood up and clapped silently.

As for Bevis and the elf who had been called Eldra, they remained sitting and simply gazed at the podium.

Meanwhile, Daneel was trying hard to maintain his composure as he saw the sea of people in front of him roaring in waves as soon as he teleported onto the stage.

Before, he had only indirectly addressed everyone using the panel trinkets. But now, with so many eyes locked onto his every movement, Daneel felt a tingling in his spine as if the instinct to run away was being born inside his mind.

Was this stage fear?

Gritting his teeth and squashing this feeling into non existence, Daneel straightened his back.

"Activate Etiquette Suggestion Module in the Heads Up Display".

A ghostly figure appeared in front of him, raising its right hand and waving slowly while moving to the left.

Mimicking the figure, Daneel proceeded to do the same action.

This had been a module that Daneel bought just a few hours ago. Later deciding to cancel the appointment with the etiquette teacher, Daneel had chosen to go to the palace library and feed all the books about etiquette to the system.

The Palace library was at least half a size bigger than the academy's, making Daneel decide to come back later to completely store all of the information just like he had done before in the academy. Of course, this time, he did not have any time limit, thus he could go about it more peacefully.

On touching around 300 books pertaining to etiquette, a new kind of notification had been heard in Daneel's mind.

[New Tool: "Etiquette Suggestion Module-1" available for purchase. Host has obtained enough information about the concept to facilitate tool creation. Cost: 500 EXP]

"System, what is tool creation? It wasn't there before, right?"

[Affirmative. Tool Creation is a part of the features unlocked with the system upgrade. Suggestion modules can now be created if host obtains sufficient information regarding the concept.]

The system upgrade was simply like a genie that wouldn't stop giving. Deciding to ponder on what else he could do with this feature later, Daneel hadn't hesitated to buy the tool. He had no intention whatsoever to give even the slightest chance for the arriving dignitaries to think low of him.

Now, as Daneel controlled his body and moved while trying to mimic the suggestions, he finally had a chance to see the four envoys.

Amid the boisterous jumping and cheering from even the ministers and dignitaries, the two who were still seated stood out like a sore thumb.

The elf caught his attention first, making him look briefly into her eyes and wonder if it was really derision that he saw in them. More than the giant's size, it was its child-like expression which startled him.

As for the scaled man, he had already seen one before during the negotiation with the TriCobra society.

The last grey-robed man's decision to keep sitting made Daneel speculate as to what exactly was the stance they wanted to show him by their actions.

It was the custom that the Grand Court Mage would be the one to crown the King. Thus, Daneel had already demoted the previous Grand Court Mage to the Court Mage and promoted Kellor.

Kellor wore official yellow robes, with his bald head shining in the sun while a wide smile was on his face.

Beside him, the previous Grand Court Mage stood holding a red plush cushion.

A round crown with 8 peaks glistening with 8 different shades of gems lay on the cushion. The peak in the front was the highest, while peaks half its size were all around the crown. The highest peak also had a huge red crystal the size of a thumb embedded in the front, meant to take the breath away of anyone who chanced a look on its grandiose structure.

While the envoys looked on with solemn expressions, Kellor magnified his voice using a spell and started speaking.

"Do you, Daneel Anivron, vow to never betray the hopes vested in you by the people who chose you as their King?"

These vows had been specifically made by Daneel to fit the occasion.

"I do."

The cheers grew even more deafening as Daneel's sharp voice sounded across the Kingdom.

"Do you vow to treat any citizen fairly, be they beggar or noble?"

"I do."

"As King, do you vow to always work for the growth and prosperity of Lanthanor while keeping the best interests of the Kingdom in your mind?"

"I do!"

"With the will of the people, you are henceforth crowned as the King of Lanthanor! All Hail The New King of Lanthanor! All Hail King Daneel!"

Kellor had already picked up the crown and walked to Daneel with a solemn stride.

With the last word, the crown touched Daneel's hair, settling on top of his head comfortably.

Just like the Royal Robes, it shrunk to fit him perfectly, as if it were made specifically to be worn by him.

The cheering which Daneel thought couldn't get any louder grew into a roar that threatened to destroy everything in its path with just the sheer passion in its depths.

As the four envoys saw this scene, Bevis and Eldra's faces grew stoic seeing the support the people showed which shocked even them.

"And so dawns a new age for the Kingdom of Lanthanor. With this support, it is possible that he might actually succeed in unlocking the spirit. Many plans will need to be moved forward."

Although Bevis said these words almost as if musing to himself, his eyes flitted around observing the three others as he tried to notice any clues that they might give away due to his statement.

Only Eldra's expression of ridicule deepened, while a small fire seemed to have been lit in the depths of her huge eyes.

Chapter 102: Eloise

As per the King's orders, the coronation was followed by food and wine being distributed throughout the city. Thus, the citizens ate and drank merrily while the ministers and dignitaries were formally welcomed into the palace and shown rooms to stay in.

With the coronation done, Daneel could officially use the throne room from the next day. Deciding to have an audience with the envoys then, he sent a message saying the same.

Each envoy received the message in a different way. While Eldra and Bevis crushed the parchment which held the message and locked their doors, Bos and Skkraz simply enjoyed the sumptuous delicacies that had been brought to their rooms.

This was also Daneel's way to see the attitude the respective allies had for Lanthanor. A delay of a day, was, after all, nothing that could result in enmity forming.

The ceremony had been quite taxing on everyone's nerves, thus Daneel had orderd Kellor and the rest to take a day off and be prepared to dive into work from the next day.

As for himself, he also retired to the King's chambers in order to make a decision regarding whether to buy the Kingdom Management Tools or not.

Yet, just as he was about to talk to the system, a knock sounded on his door.

It was Faxul. They hadn't had much time to talk since the night in the throne room, so Daneel simply thought that he was here to speak about something.

But when Daneel asked his friend to enter and sit, Faxul shook his head and said, "There's a noble who wants to meet you. I think you should hear what she has to say."

Daneel was startled hearing this. A Noble? Many of them had been constantly begging to speak with him ever since they had been placed on house arrest, yet Daneel had ordered the guards to only record their pleas and not respond.

Faxul and Joshua, being the two leaders he trusted, had been granted access to the palace equivalent to the now Grand Court Mage Kellor.

Although Daneel still hadn't decided on their official positions, this was the least that he could do.

Seeing the startled expression, Faxul simply said, "I was passing by and I heard her plea. It is quite logical, and I think you should hear it before making a decision on what to do about the Nobles."

Saying these words, Faxul pushed a piece of parchment into his hands before hastily leaving.

Daneel knew that his friend had a weird temperament. Mostly reserved, he seldom spoke much except with him and a few others. Still, it wasn't the first time he had made a suggestion.

What Daneel actually found weird was that just before leaving, Faxul had had an agonized look on his face as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Yet, before Daneel could ask about it, he had already left.

Deciding to track him down later and get an answer, Daneel opened the parchment to see a name scribbled on it.

Gesturing to the guard nearby, he proceeded to order the noble brought to his chambers.

A few minutes later, a knock sounded on the door signaling that the guard had arrived.

"Send the noble in and close the door."

After the guard heard the command, the door opened to let in a pretty lady dressed in a white dress.

The door closed behind her, leaving her alone with Daneel who had just stood up from his bed.

As she raised her head, he saw that her eyes were sunken, as if she had been crying for a very long time.

Her flowing golden hair was a mess, with the formerly immaculate braid now ruined.

Even her face was pale, but it did little to hide her gentle beauty.

With almond shaped brown eyes, a cleft nose and generous lips, she was one of the most beautiful girls Daneel had seen since coming to this world.

Although Daneel had had little experience in interacting with the other sex in both of his lives, he had still been taught the proper way to behave by both the women who had graced his childhoods.

Indeed, when his mother talked about finding a bride, he simply blushed because he had never considered having romantic intentions any time soon, at least before reaching his goals.

It was the same right now; although he admired the girl's beauty and thought she looked pretty, he wasn't the type to patronize and favor someone just based on their gender or looks, nor decide to pursue and elicit someone into a relationship just because he could. Both the kind old lady in the orphanage and Maria had at least taken care to raise him with proper morals, which he adhered to currently during every step of his way.

Thus, when the girl he had summoned said the words "My Lord, I have a humble request." and started undressing in front of him, Daneel was badly shocked and for a second, he had no idea what to do.

Thankfully, he regained his senses just before the girl was about to pull the white gown down and expose her whole body after removing the clasps that held the dress to her shoulders.

Quickly teleporting forward, Daneel took the thin arms of the girl into his and stopped her from letting the dress fall.

His heartbeat accelerating due to the suddenness of the situation, he first made sure to hold her hands tight.

Tears started to leak from her eyes as Eloise, as the girl was called, started crying seeing that even this plan had failed.

"First, forget about doing whatever it is you were going to do. I am sorry if I hurt you, but I will be releasing your hands now. I want you to wear your dress properly and tell me your plea, understand?"

He spoke as if he were talking to a child who needed everything to be explained clearly..

Hearing him, Eloise nodded and tied the clasps before massaging her hands which had been freed.

It would do no good to continue her previous plan, especially after she had been ordered explicitly not to do so.

Thus, she had no other choice but to resort to her final option: a desperate plea.

Falling to her knees, Eloise knelt in front of Daneel who was still keeping an eye on her to make sure she wouldn't continue her previous actions.

Sighing with relief and stepping back, Daneel said, "Get up and speak your piece. You only have the opportunity to talk because Faxul spoke on your behalf."

Nodding hurriedly, the woman got up and collected herself before beginning to speak.

"Your Majesty, I am Eloise Lanthanore, daughter of the late Richard Lanthanore. I was there in the room when you killed my father and were acknowledged by the people as their King. I know of the horrendous acts that he, my brothers and my cousins engaged in. All I ask is that you hear the pleas of us few, who have always tried to adhere to the morals taught by our mothers in the little time we had with them before we were made to part. Although some have done horrible things in the time they were drunk with power, they also changed their ways later and have repented their actions. I beseech you to hear us out, My Lord. I trust you know the reason why Lanthanor has not had a queen for the last few decades?"

As Daneel heard these words, he tried hard to control his expression in order to not let the shock appear on his face.

Although he had read about it briefly, Daneel had never focused on the deeper aspects pertaining to the Royal Family. In fact, if he were being honest with himself, he had even seen all Nobles as being two-dimensionally evil, simply because of the overwhelming amount of rotten ones he had seen.

Realizing that this was definitely a gargantuan oversight, Daneel wondered why Kellor hadn't brought it up before. Summoning him immediately through the oathstone, Daneel prepared to ask for the reason.

Asking the girl to wait, Daneel sat back down on his bed with a pondering expression on his face. A couple of minutes later, the Grand Court Mage entered.

Yet, before he greeted Daneel who was sitting on the bed, a shocked expression appeared on his face as he saw Eloise standing while hugging herself pitifully.

"Eloise? How are you here? I was just going to present your case to the King tomorrow! Is anything wrong?"

Hearing the honest surprise in Kellor's words, Daneel relaxed seeing that he hadn't thought wrong about Kellor.

Both the other options of Kellor either not knowing about this or Kellor choosing not to tell him about the matter would mean that he was not the kind man who cared about people like Laravel who stood on the side of good. Thus, Daneel was relieved to find out that this was not the case.

Although he had heard and read a few things, he had thrown them into the back of his mind due to the urgent nature of everything else he had had to do.

Now, after motioning the both to sit, he finally started to delve deeper into the facts he had overlooked regarding the Royal Family.

Chapter 103: The Royal Family

"My Lord, I was going to bring this matter to your attention after all the pressing issues were dealt with. More than me, I think Eloise is the one who is better qualified to explain the situation."

Daneel simply nodded, signaling her to go ahead.

Clearing her throat, Eloise first thought for a bit before beginning to speak.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. You must have heard of the King who betrayed his brother and took control of the Kingdom, building the wall separating the Inner and Outer Cities and thereby beginning years of unfair treatment. What is hidden is that at the same time, that King also changed the customs of the Royal Family. Until that point, Lanthanor had a queen who, although didn't have official power, was quite influential and loved by the people. At one point, her popularity even rivaled that of the King himself.

"Fearing an eventual uprising, in a swift stroke, the Queen along with all of the Royal Concubines were confined to a specific wing of the palace. Only the King could access this wing, except for a few servants who delivered food and took care of maintenance.

"Since then, this custom has been followed even though the other Kings had a chance to change it. After being born, all the Nobles in the direct line of the King could only spend up to five years with their mothers before being parted forcefully. What would follow is a time of training, after which they would be sent to either official positions or assigned specific goals to reach in case they had the talent."

Although there had been a clear start, her voice started to break as she went along; it was as if she was trying hard not to be swept away by the waves of sadness that seemed to be battering into her. Daneel could understand her plight. It was truly a cruel practice to separate children from their mothers at just the ripe age of five, just when they were developing their mental faculties. Back on Earth, incidents like these were even known to cause long-term psychological problems.

Having been an orphan himself in his past life, Daneel knew clearly the pain from not having anyone to call 'mother'. Thus, when he saw her expression filled with sorrow, he couldn't help but feel anger rising in him.

"My King, I just have two humble requests. First, please let us who have not gone down the route of abusing our power to state our case to you. Second, please abolish this cruel practice. I know my second request is sudden, but even now, I miss my Mother and I wish I could see her again. Please consider, My Lord."

So this was the case, thought Daneel after he finished hearing all the facts of the case. He had heard of the custom of having concubines to prolong the Royal Line, but this was taking it to another level. What sense did it make to part children from mothers?

The time was already late, and he also realized that he had a mistake in summoning the girl to his room at such an hour. Deciding to be more tactful in the future, Daneel said, "I understand. I will be passing the decision regarding both matters tomorrow. Both of you can take your leave now."

Although Eloise looked like she wanted to say more, a look from Kellor silenced her. Nodding, both of them left the chambers, leaving Daneel alone again.

He had already made his decision, and he would simply have to announce it the next day. But before this day ended, he had one more task to do.

A few minutes later, he walked out of the chambers and headed for the passage leading to the academy.

Taking the route he had traversed before, Daneel reached the secret library which held the empire spirit.

Putting the oathstone in the groove and asking the system to communicate with the Empire Spirit, Daneel asked, "Can you tell me if I have reached closer to the general satisfaction level that you specified?"

This had been his intention in not buying the Kingdom Management Tool. The reason this idea came was that the keyword regarding the Kingdom Management Rewards section had been "milestones". Instead of a relative increase, milestones meant that there were set certain levels which had to be reached.

Thus, he had asked the system if he would lose any possible rewards if he did not buy the tool before events like the ceremony occurred.

It turned out that his suspicion had been correct. Even if he bought the tool a year later after managing to increase the satisfaction by a level, he would still be able to obtain the rewards.

Daneel's hope had been to start accumulating EXP as soon as possible for the next upgrade. With the trend so far, with another upgrade, the system's complexity would increase to that of a legendary Champion Mage. This was a realm that could crush a Kingdom such as Lanthanor with only a small degree of effort. If the system reached that level of complexity, he would be able to develop spells that could actually fight against a Warrior Mage even with his low power level. After all, how the developed spells worked was that although they could only be cast by mages a full realm above him, his limited energy level meant that they could only cause deadly harm to those at most a couple of levels above him. For instance, the fire needle would definitely be able to kill an Exalted Human Mage even though he was only a 4th Grade Eminent Human Mage. If he used the needle against an actual Warrior Mage, they would be able to simply dodge or use a counter-attack unless he managed to land a surprise attack.

Coming back the matter regarding the tools, even before, he had had the option to buy tools which used Faction Points and EXP to monitor faction members' loyalty. But he had circumvented the need for this tool by setting the rule of using magical oaths which had the same general effect.

Thus, he had been able to save up EXP.

"Haha, good try, young King. But if it were that simple, someone would have succeeded long ago. Just removing the negativity in people's hearts and making them relatively happy using food and drink does not improve the general satisfaction level. That's all I can say. Now run along. I do hope you continue your efforts, though, unlike others who gave up after giving only a pitiful few attempts."

Hearing the Empire Spirit's response, Daneel confirmed that his plan of circumvention wouldn't work.

Now, it was clear that the best thing to do was to have a tool which could accurately assess the level so that he could have a clear idea regarding how much effect each of his plans would have, while also striving to reach milestones to earn more EXP. Even though Daneel himself knew it had been a long shot to try what he just did, he simply did not want to let go of an alternative without at least testing it first.

Hence, without hesitation, he removed his hands from the podium and said, "Buy the Kingdom Management Tools, and show me the current satisfaction level."

[Purchase made and tool deployed. Thank you for shopping with the system!

Remaining EXP: 0

Data collection in progress. Time required to output statistics: 1 hour. Present area of effect: Radius of 100 km around host. Please upgrade the tool to increase area of effect and unlock new metrics for assessment.]

100 km! That was almost half the Kingdom!

In fact, it was also the area most densely populated. As the distance towards the border neared, there were generally lesser and lesser people living with larger barren areas dominating the area.

Although seeing the big fat 0 hurt a bit, Daneel was happy that he now had the Godly method to assess just exactly how satisfied his subjects were. With this measurement, it would be much easier to make future decisions.

Returning to his chambers, Daneel started planning his next steps.

First and foremost, the meeting with the envoys would have to be handled. At least, this was only an initial meeting, so his intention was to probe the situation and see what they had to say. Currently, he had no intention to make drastic changes without assessing everything first.

Another pressing issue was training. He would have to structure his day to add training to his schedule. In fact, seeing the Ker gems had made him wish that he could also use them to grow in power faster.

Ker gems were simply a higher grade of energy storage. After understanding this, he had been reminded of the treasure that was still sitting in the village with security formations all around it: The Natural Energised Training Chamber.

The best thing would be to use the chamber to somehow produce energy that could rival the one present in Ker Gems.

If he could do this, then Daneel knew he would soon be able to become the youngest Warrior Mage in the Lanthanor Kingdom.

After all, his goal had never been to depend on the army or anyone else to protect himself. His goal was to be able to always rely on himself, while also being a bastion which Lanthanor could always look up towards.

Remembering the description of the chamber, he knew that the key was to find a location with a high abundance of energy.

Deciding to ask while the statistics were collected, Daneel almost stumbled in his steps when he heard the answer.

[Energy Detection Tool indicates that the area directly underneath the palace is the best place to store the Natural Energized Training Chamber if host wishes to condense energy to rival that of Ker Gems. Tool also suggests that an Ultra High-Grade Energy Source is located under the Kingdom.]

Chapter 104: Ultra High-Grade Energy Source

The damn system had read his mind again, but at this moment, Daneel really didn't care. This was definitely something that needed to be investigated ASAP.

With full control of the Dragon Heart Formation, he simply asked the system to show him the way to the location where the signal for the energy was coming from.

Activating the Heads Up Display, Daneel followed the arrows shown.

After half an hour of wading down staircases and crossing moldy passageways filled with dust, Daneel finally appeared at a dead end.

It was a stone passageway, hewn using an unknown method which made the shape almost perfectly square.

In fact, due to keeping his eyes on the arrow, Daneel hadn't noticed that he had already crossed the passageways used underground for storage of food or prisoners.

This one had no doors, and as he looked back, all he saw was darkness.

He had already been using a ball of light to show the way, yet the light only extended to a certain distance before fading away.

Hurriedly running back to see where he had come in from, Daneel realized that it was actually a secure steel-like door.

"System, who can access this door?", he asked, puzzled seeing that it looked like it hadn't been moved in a long time.

[Replying to host, only the one in full control of the Dragon Heart Formation can access this door.]

It was as he had thought. This was definitely a classified location which could only be accessed by the master of the palace.

The door directly opened into the square cavern he was in. Walking back to the dead end, Daneel first tried using a fire needle to drill a hole or at least leave a mark.

It was of no use. The fire needle simply couldn't move forward, as if an unbreakable barrier was standing in its way.

[System informs host that the location ahead is where the Ultra High-end Energy signal is coming from. It is also the location of the energy source for the Dragon Heart Formation. As system indicated before, the original Dragon Heart Formation was simplified in order to be able to be mastered by one at the Warrior Mage Level. There is a chance that gaining mastery of this original formation might result in the formation in front of host being opened.]

This was actually a formation in front of him?

Daneel walked forward and touched the wall. It just felt rough and course, as if someone had just placed this cube of rock in the cavern and blocked it.

[Host lacks the level required to sense the formation]

With a wry smile, Daneel stepped back and asked the system, "What is needed to master the full formation?".

He had intended to ask this back when he had entered the palace after Laravel's death, when the system had told him about the secondary formation placed on top of the original. Only, time had been short then.

[System Upgrade Required. Cost: 100,000 EXP]

It was just as he expected. The damn system upgrade!

A mysterious, unreachable Ultra High-Grade Energy source and an Empire Spirit which apparently held a treasure within it. These were the both the biggest anomalies he had found since taking control of the palace.

In fact, he even pondered over whether these two were related somehow. Yet, finding no clues, Daneel had to give up.

"Will it be effective to place the Natural Energised Training Chamber here to condense Ker Gems?", asked Daneel, hoping that his dream plan would still work. Power was, after all, a major priority.

[Affirmative. Energy concentration higher than normal, but still very low when compared to the true source. To estimate time required for energy formation and effectiveness of using Ker Gem Energy for training, system requests host to absorb a Ker Gem in order to analyze data.]

Hearing this, Daneel was tempted to go the treasury right now. Yet, he stopped himself knowing that the time was quite late and that he had to meet the envoys early tomorrow. After all, before reaching the Warrior level, no Human level fighters or mages could even think about reaching a state where they could lessen the need for body necessities such as food or sleep.

Also, preparations would have to be made in order to move the chamber to the cavern. Space was kept locked around the palace in fear of someone simply teleporting in in order to carry out assassinations. Thus, he had to find a way to safely move in the chamber without exposing its existence to anyone while also not being able to teleport it inside. Resolving to tackle these issues as soon as possible, Daneel decided to call it a day.

Closing the door, he made his way to his room before promptly falling asleep to dreams of roaring dragons and trapped princesses.

......

Early in the morning on the next day, there was a slight atmosphere of tension prevalent across the palace. Servants and guards hustled and bustled, going about their work with a vigor that had been absent before during the reign of their now-deceased King.

After all, today was the official Royal Court to be held by the newly-crowned King.

The throne room was spick and span, already being cleaned multiple times by the attentive Palace Manager. He was a thin man with white hair and drooping eyebrows, yet he walked around with a jump in his step. With a sharp eye, he commanded the servants as if they were his army which had embarked on the conquest of all the dirt and dust in the Throne Room.

It was impossible to use magic to achieve a thorough cleansing such as this, because no mage in the Kingdom had such fine particle over elementary particles in order to do a job comparable to the Palace Manager's.

The Court was scheduled to begin at 9 am, yet ministers and dignitaries started trickling in an hour before, chatting among themselves, wondering what the new King's plans would be for the Kingdom.

As for the envoys, the gentle-looking giant walked into the throne room a half-hour before the session was scheduled to start. Grinning lopsidedly at everyone who didn't have a choice but to glue their eyes to him, he let out a happy laugh before following the servants who had been ordered to lead him to his specially designed chair.

Skkrag walked in soon after, quickly walking to his seat beside Bos before placing his eyes on the empty throne. The dragons on the throne seemed to appeal to him in some way, and he appeared to be leaning forward slowly as he got lost in the detail sculpted by the master who had made the life-like figures.

Bevis walked in soon after, looking at the dignitaries with a sneer on his face before finding his seat and sitting down.

Not surprisingly, it was the derisive Eldra who arrived last.

As per the orders Daneel had given beforehand, the throne room was arranged in a manner similar to before.

Some of the seats meant for dignitaries were empty, due to the all the nobles currently being locked away on the orders of the King.

Altogether, there were 100 normal seats on both sides of the broad central passage that led from the doors to the throne. Meant for the government dignitaries, they only had minimal cushions and decorations.

In front of these were 30 seats which stood out. Gilded with gold and precious gems, these were meant for the 20 ministers of the Kingdom and any foreign dignitaries who attended the Royal Court.

Bevis and Eldra were seated beside each other on the left of the throne, whereas Bos and Skkrag were on the right.

With everyone assembled, the final seconds ticked away while the buzz in the room slowly receded. Only the envoys simply looked around or stared at the throne, unlike the time they had spent during the Coronation Ceremony.

Finally, at the exact moment the clock struck 9 am, the throne room doors opened while a gong sounded inside, making everyone stand up. This time, even the two who hadn't stood during the ceremony before grudgingly took to their feet.

Daneel walked in with a measured pace, taking care to follow the instructions given by the Kingdom. Not too fast and not too slow, he kept his arms behind his back while he turned his head around slowly while walking to the Throne. Among the ministers, he only nodded and smiled at Elanev's father, while maintaining a neutral expression towards everyone else including the envoys.

Behind him followed 4 people, as if part of his retinue.

They were Faxul, Joshua, Elanev and Kellor.

Already used to the ways of the court, Kellor was most relaxed, striding along without a happy smile on his face. Elanev had had a few etiquette classes forced onto him by his father, thus even he managed to do well and walk with dignity.

As for the other two, this was their first time in such a formal setting. Although they were nervous, they walked forward with stiff bodies and expressions.

As Daneel walked up the steps of the throne, Kellor and Elanev placed themselves on the right of the throne, below the steps while Faxul and Joshua were on the left.

"All hail the King of Lanthanor!"

"Hail!"

As per custom, Kellor spoke the first phrase as soon as Daneel reached the top of the steps. Except for the four envoys, everyone else in the room responded to the call with a passion that was seldom seen in the throne room in recent years.

Gesturing everyone to take their seats, Daneel finally sat down on the throne and prepared to begin the first Royal Court of his life.

Chapter 105: Royal Cour

Typically, Royal Courts were held to address issues facing the Kingdom and to discuss plans to be implemented for the general welfare of the people. But now, due to the presence of the envoys, these matters were set aside at least until the four left the court. After all, it wasn't appropriate to have representatives of foreign nations listening in on discussions pertaining to matters such as those.

As the right-hand man of the King, it was the duty of the Grand Court Mage to conduct the proceedings. Thus, as soon as everyone was seated, he started to speak again.

"The Kingdom of Lanthanor welcomes the presence of the four allied forces in this Royal Court. You may now address the King in any order you choose."

In any Kingdom, the ruler was the highest authority who had to be respected, especially in a location like the Throne Room. Thus, it was the custom for visiting dignitaries to speak first and say their piece.

Before the four could even look at each other, Bos stood up from his seat, making a loud "THUMP" resound across the throne room due to him setting his enormous feet on the ground.

From his pocket, he took out a blade which looked like a knife in his hands. In fact, it was a sword that any human-sized being could use.

Raising the sword in the air with both hands, he said, "On Lady Arafell's command, Bos presents King Daneel with this Neophyte Warrior-Tier Enchanted Sword. One of only 20 produced this year, Bos has forged this sword personally and can assure the King that Bos did a great job. Bos knows this, because Bos hurt himself when testing the 'Lightning Blade' Warrior Mage spell enchanted within. "

As Daneel's eyes fixated on the gleaming sword, he remembered what he had heard about this gentle-looking giant's kingdom. Called the Kingdom of Arafell, it was named after an ancient personage who was believed to have led the race of the giants onto this continent. This was the only information known about their origins, other than the fact that every ruler of the Kingdom had to take the name of the lady they worshipped as their founding mother.

Theirs was a small Kingdom, roughly half the size of Lanthanor, yet their military power rivaled that of the other 5 nations. In fact, these 6 nations were almost equal in power, making it so that a power equilibrium existed between them.

Of the 10 forces, 5 were represented in this very room. Excluding Axelor which was similar in level to these 5, the other four were on the outer parts of the continent, intent on competing amongst themselves.

It was only one of those forces which backed Axelor, which had initiated the need for the alliance of these five forces in the first place if they did not want to conquered by this powerful force which sought to unify the smaller Kingdoms under itself. The consolation was that the other three powerful factions weren't interested in these inner forces like the one behind Axelor was.

Thus, according to what Daneel could see, Angaria was now in a very delicate balance. In summary, of the 10 forces, 6 were smaller and on a lower power level when compared to the other four which were on a different plane altogether in terms of power. Of the four, one wanted to annex all the smaller ones and thus supported Axelor in this attempt. To defend against this, the other five of the 6 smaller forces had allied together. It seemed that the bigger force couldn't spare enough resources to facilitate an overwhelming power advantage over the alliance, thus it was set on the path of whittling down and finding chinks to take advantage of and achieve their goals.

Because it was an alliance formed more out of necessity, the 5 forces had varying degrees of relationship with each other.

As evidenced by Bos's humble message and the precious gift, it was quite clear that there was a great relationship between Lanthanor and the Kingdom of Arafell.

Gesturing at Kellor to receive the gift, Daneel waited while the Grand Court Mage strode forward, took the sword in his hands and presented it to Daneel while kneeling.

Using the grip to hold it, Daneel marveled at the exquisite workmanship. It was a straight sword, with a V-shaped cross guard and a two-sided blade which seemed to shine faintly with a hue of jade. On the blade, the words 'King Of Lanthanor' were emblazoned in a grandiose font. Seeming to be made for practical usage in a battlefield, there were no overt decorations except a red stone which looked a lot like a Ker Gem embedded in the pommel.

[Unmastered Combat Trinket detected. Would host like to bind the trinket?]

The system sounded in his head, alerting him that this was indeed a Warrior-level trinket. Unlike Human-level trinkets which could be picked up and used by anyone, these advanced ones had to be bound only after which their enchantments could be activated.

Only Warrior level Mages or Fighters could do so, thus Daneel refrained from ordering the system to carry on with the binding.

"I have long heard of the Kingdom of Arafell's skill in producing combat trinkets. Although Eldinor is known as the 'Trinket Hub of Angaria' specializing in all kinds of trinkets, it is Arafell that one goes to when one is in need of a high-tier weapon capable of bringing their power out to full effect. I thank Lady Arafell for the generous gift, and I hope that the relationship between our two Kingdoms stays as strong as it has been in the past many decades."

Some ministers who had been worried that the King would botch up the Court due to his inexperience relaxed when they heard his measured reply. In fact, some even started whispering, amazed at the Daneel's perfect display of elegance and grace, as if he had trained in the ways of a leader since childhood.

Hearing these words, a disgruntled expression appeared on Eldra's face, but a glint shone in her eyes as if she had were planning something. Even the blades that were her earlobes quivered, as if in excitement for whatever was coming.

Clapping his hand with an expression of elation on his face, the giant replied, "Bos is happy to hear the King's gracious words! Lady Arafell has told Bos that she also only wishes to prolong our relationship and that any negotiations can be done later. Bos thanks King Daneel for being a great ally!"

Seeing Daneel smile and nod in response, the giant sat down animatedly with the same joy still on his face.

Yet, as soon as he sat down, a cold voice sounded across the Throne Room, startling those who had been feeling happy seeing the smooth proceedings.

"The Queen has instructed me to inform Lanthanor that the prices of all trinkets imported from Eldinor will be increased by 20% until such a time that the creator of the 'Honey Trap Solution' apologizes to the Queen personally for entering the market which was proclaimed to be monopolized by the Kingdom of The Elves."

"Outrageous!"

"The gall!"

"Your Majesty, they are simply taking it too far this time!"

Daneel fought hard to control the expression on his face as he saw the sudden outbursts from the ministers who had gotten to their feet with faces reddened with anger, protesting against the statement made by the elf Eldra who was now standing. In fact, even he had been quite startled by the eld's sudden statement.

Eldra had a lazy smile on her face, while she gazed at the ministers with an expression akin to that of one looking at barking dogs.

Not to mention the fact that this was a breach of protocol, Daneel realized that this was probably a common occurence from the sigh Kellor let out seeing this sight.

"State your protests one by one.", said Daneel calmly, prompting Kellor to cast a mute spell which made the fuming ministers calm down.

While Eldra still stood with her hands behind her back, a short man with a bulging midsection stood up from his seat, still huffing with anger.

"Your Majesty, this is not the first time Eldinor has stated such ridiculous conditions. A few decades back, a noble tried to set up a barrier manufacturing unit in the Kingdom. Using the same excuse of an arbitrary 'Monopoly', Eldinor had the unit shut down. They just want to take advantage of the fact that they suppy most of the trinkets used by our people, which Lanthanor cannot run without!"

Daneel felt a headache coming on as he heard the minister's words.

The smooth atmosphere in the Royal Court had already devolved into one of chaos with the elf's words.

As if she had achieved some goal she had in her mind, Eldra's smile only widened seeingthe crease in Daneel's forehead.

"What will you do now, upstart King?", she mused, feeling elated that she had done what she meant to do: place the King in a tough spot even though he was not experienced with making decisions tactfully while keeping the needs of the Kingdom in mind.

Chapter 106: Fear

Seeing the unrest descend onto the throne room again with the elf's statement, Daneel had to focus in order to not grit his teeth and expose his emotions to the envoys who had their eyes on him.

Inside, he felt indignant. These damn elves had almost definitely caused the problem with the mosquitoes in the first place, and had already benefited greatly for the decades in which they were the sole major supplier of barriers to prevent the problem. It seemed they had gotten used to the riches flowing in, making them use the excuse of the 'monopoly' to force smaller businesses to shut down.

After all, Eldinor was the primary supplier of trinkets which many kingdoms used to sustain their economy.

Daneel considered his options. Of course, due to his emotions, the option that stood out to him most was to cut off the supply completely and look for alternatives.

Yet, he knew that this was not plausible at all. Hundreds of thousands of citizens throughout the capital would have their lives come to a standstill.

After all, these were essential trinkets such as strengthened hammers, cloth stitching apparatuses, land tillers, seed sowers, water transporters and many more.

Seeing these, Daneel had been reminded of 'machines' back on Earth. Here, using the trinkets, farmers could grow crops in vast areas, making the cost of the product low. With the sudden loss of support from trinkets, the pitiful amount of crops a farmer would make using completely manual means would not even earn him enough food to eat. It was akin to the case of a farmer on Earth who grew crops on multiple acres of land using machines such as tractors. If he suddenly had to do everything manually, his life might just be destroyed.

The second option was accepting the hike and looking for alternatives. This also wouldn't work, because the treasury would be emptied before such a time that the need for the import would cease to exist.

Thus, Daneel needed a way to keep the current costs while avoiding a meeting. Eldinor had a bonafide Warrior Mage, thus it would be suicide to accept the meeting at his level.

At this moment, Daneel made the decision to start his first trail for increasing citizen satisfaction.

The day before, the stats shown by the system had been quite shocking.

[Kingdom Management Statistics:

Satisfaction Level: 14%

Dissatisfaction Level: 43%]

These numbers had been nothing like what he had imagined. He had seen the happy smiles on the people, which were definitely not fake. Then why was the satisfaction level so low and the dissatisfaction level so high?

[Satisfaction Level is a compound measurement of factors such as personal safety, occupation and income stability, opportunity for improvement, opportunities for next generation, among other things. In other words, it is a metric of the citizen's satisfaction in living in the kingdom.

Dissatisfaction Level reflects the distrust and hate present in citizens towards their rulers. Each and every thought which curses or complains about the ruling party, be it small or big, contributes towards Dissatisfaction Level. System informs host that there was a steady drop in Dissatisfaction Level since the time of the tool's purchase. Yet, this decrease is gradually slowing in pace. This is indicative of a trend of decrease to a stable level due to some momentous event.]

Of course, that event had been the demise of the previous King, and the promise of justice.

Thus, Daneel had asked Kellor in the morning what the main expense of any bread-earner was. His response, had been the cost of importing materials such as trinkets to enable them to even do their work.

Any nation had to rely on itself for the major part if it wanted to grow in a stable way.

Thus, Daneel decided to find a way to lessen Lanthanor's dependence on Eldinor for trinkets. After all, with the schematic development tool present in the system, he just might have a way to do this effectively.

Seeing the clarity shine in Daneel's eyes, Eldra's smile froze as a bad feeling sprung up in her heart.

Making a cutting motion in the air, Daneel signaled Kellor to silence the room before he opened his mouth while looking straight into Eldra's large eyes.

"Elf of Eldinor, let me ask you a question. Have the experts in your Kingdom analyzed the Honey Trap Solution? If so, what are the skills required in order to make a spell that can produce the solution?"

"Of course! With our naturally high aptitude in magic, we elves are master in the analysis of all magic-related products. A person who can develop such a spell must be at least at the level of an Exalted Warrior Mage in his skills of Energy Manipulation and Insect Biology."

Even using the opportunity to brag a bit about her race, Eldra answered confidently although the gnawing feeling inside slowly grew in intensity. She knew she was missing something, but she just could not figure out what.

Daneel felt happy inwardly as he saw the elf answer as he expected. According to the system's answer to the query he made just moments ago, these were indeed two skills which were needed in order for someone to develop a spell to produce the Honey Trap Solution. Of course, the time and the exact amount of skill needed was something else entirely.

"Very good. Now ask your Queen this: if such a person focused on analyzing the mosquitos and finding a way in order to make them stronger in order to be able to bypass the barriers made by your Kingdom, what would you have to do to maintain your 'monopoly' and sustain your exports?"

This was his crazy idea for a threat. But what was even crazier was the response from the system that this was indeed possible, although the effect on the eco system would be incalculably disastrous. This response actually solidified his plan, making him become completely confident that victory was within his grasp.

Meanwhile, most of the attendees in the room did not have a great understanding about advanced magical concepts, thus they could only puzzle over the question the King had asked.

Yet, Eldra felt as if someone had dropped a mountain over her head, making a storm of fearful thoughts swivel in her mind.

Many dignitaries and ministers had had their eyes on the arrogant Elf with discontented expressions on their faces, but these expressions changed into sudden smiles seeing the abrupt change in the haughty envoy's face.

Her eyes stared into space as she thought of the consequences of what Daneel said. If the mosquitoes somehow grew strong enough to bypass their barriers, then Eldinor would have to start producing stronger ones after scrapping all the barriers already produced for export or in usage by various Kingdoms in the continent. This would mean a massive loss, especially with the fact that Eldinor often produced shipments of barriers months in advance. There was no way to upgrade these trinkets, so all the investment sunk into them would be potentially lost.

This was only the first bomb. Eldra almost staggered where she stood while she heard Daneel speak again.

"Now consider the honey trap solution. If such an evolution of mosquitoes did occur, would the product need to change?"

"N-no.... the solution will simpl....simply be exhausted at a faster pace...."

Her words trailed off into silence as she found herself almost subconsciously answering the question. This was because all she could do right now was see the gargantuan hole which her Kingdom would fall into if what the King was saying came true.

"Oh! God forbid that man doesn't feel offended for being summoned and angrily decides to do this instead... I think you better ask your Queen if she still wants to meet him and hike the price if he doesn't show up."

As if being given a breath of fresh air when drowning, Eldra hurriedly snapped to attention from the abyss of shock and fear she had fallen into. Closing her eyes, the blades on her earlobes started shining with a faint glow while she seemed to start communicating with someone.

For the watching ministers and dignitaries, this was definitely one of the most satisfying shows they had ever seen in their lives. They had all felt anger and resentment at the Elf's arrogant voice and rage-inducing sneer while she stated her demands. Now, seeing her so startled and afraid, they all smiled widely while feeling as if someone had just fed them a full meal after making them starve for years.

"Oh, and one last thing. Also ask your Queen what the man may find if he, say, focused on investigating the origin of the whole problem in the first place. If there was some proof that someone instigated the whole thing, wouldn't the whole continent turn against the culprit for dabbling in the eco-system while looking for monetary profits? I wouldn't wish that even on my sworn enemies. Actually, I pity those who might find themselves in such a situation."

Shaking his head, the King of Lanthanor let out a mock sigh while an expression of sarcastic worry appeared on his face.

The Elf's closed eyes snapped open as she heard Daneel speak again. This time, outright terror appeared on her face making her close them again tight and hasten the conversation she was having.

This was the last push. After a few moments in which the others in the room tried hard not to cheer and shout with glee seeing the complete 180 in behavior, Eldra opened her eyes and hurriedly started backing away while saying, "King Daneel, it was all a misunderstanding. As of this moment, we have nothing against the inventive person who made the solution. In fact, we would love to collaborate with him if possible, and we send him our warmest regards. As for the hike, Lanthanor is an old ally, and we have decided to decrease the cost on all exports by 10% in honor of your ascension as King. We only trust that, God forbid, the man isn't instigated into doing something that might be disastrous for both parties. I apologize, but I must take my leave now. Something urgent has come up in my Kingdom."

All of these words were said by the Elf as she scurried backward in the central passageway. By the time the last word exited her mouth, she was out of the doors which had been opened on Daneel's command to the system.

For a few seconds, the throne room was silent, still in awe at the incredible sight they had just seen. An Elf of Eldinor who only stated demands in Lanthanor had now been made to practically run away with just a few words?!

Many even rubbed their eyes, wondering if they had really seen true.

Yet, the envoy's chair was empty and the doors were opened.

As they realized one by one that it wasn't a dream, the throne room erupted into chaos again, with voices and shouts echoing around just like before.

Only this time, the chaos was born from joy, elation, and ecstasy, while a triumphant smile spread across Daneel's face as he relaxed the fists he had closed tight without even realizing it himself.

Chapter 107: The Black Raven Kingdom

It had been a gamble, but everything had worked out. Daneel had just been hoping that there wouldn't be a hike, but the news about the 10% decrease in cost was a welcome boon.

In fact, all of what Daneel had said were mere speculations, but their potential impact was so high that Eldinor had no choice but to take them seriously. After all, when matters such as a whole continent ganging up on a single Kingdom were involved, it was best to be cautious.

As for any potential consequences, Daneel couldn't care less unless they arrived too soon. All he needed was some time to shift the dependence on Eldinor, during which there also shouldn't be an extra strain on the finances of the Kingdom.

Thus, he smiled wide seeing that he had accomplished this with flying colors. Of course, the sight of the arrogant Elf being made to run away especially after her overbearing actions was a delight to see. Even Daneel himself was a little shocked regarding how well everything had gone.

[Achievement: Negotiator-1 obtained. 1000 EXP awarded.

Negotiator-1: By using your quick wit and creativity, you have managed to get your Kingdom out of a potentially disastrous situation. Congratulations on embarking on the path of a Master Negotiator! Please accomplish more successful negotiations to unlock higher tiers of this award.

Total EXP: 1000]

As always, the system was there to congratulate and reward him on accomplishing something significant.

In the throne room, except for Bevis, everyone else were conversing happily because the satisfaction they felt at this moment even made them forget where they were.

Allowing it to go on for a few more seconds, Daneel nodded at Kellor to resume the proceedings of the Royal Court.

With the same mute spell, everyone resumed their seats albeit with grins still on their faces.

Of the envoys, Bos had been clapping and smiling along with the others. From his pure happiness, it couldn't even be deduced whether his was a child-like imitation of the atmosphere or whether he truly got some happiness from the Elf's actions.

That was not the case with Skkrag. A smile that almost split his face in half had spread across his face on seeing Eldra leave. In his eyes, Daneel had seen a similar joy of seeing a common enemy defeated and made to surrender.

Finally, Bevis had had a slightly shocked expression hearing Daneel's words and seeing Eldra's reaction. But after that, he had mostly maintained a neutral expression except for smiling faintly on seeing the raucousness in the room.

Now, with the throne room silent again, Bevis stood up to speak.

From his coat, he took out a black bird with shining feathers. Although it looked like a raven, it had a resplendent look which made everyone in the room focus on the sight of this silent bird.

There seemed to be intelligence in its eyes, while it looked around examining the new place it had been brought to.

In the corner of his eye, Daneel noticed that Faxul, who was standing with his back to him, was shaking as if controlling something. Although it couldn't be observed much from the front, Daneel could clearly see that his friend was very agitated about something, judging from his back which was quivering, as if he was resisting the urge to leap forward.

Seeing this, Daneel gazed at Bevis pensively, wondering what this man or his Kingdom had done in order to elicit such a reaction from his closest friend.

Alas, this was the Royal Court, and he would have to make his queries later.

"On the command of the Black Raven King, Lord Tenebrol, I present this Eminent Human-tier Guardian Beast to King Daneel. With the blessings of our legendary Protector, the Holy Black Raven, he hopes that it can be of assistance to you in the glorious reign that will surely bring much happiness and wealth to the people of Lanthanor."

In his other hand, a silver cage appeared which he gestured towards with the hand that the raven was perched on.

Taking a leap, the raven entered the cage and kept looking around, while Bevis closed the door of the cage and handed it to Kellor.

As Daneel took the cage in his hands and gazed at the raven, it looked into his eyes seeing that someone new was holding the cage. It cocked its head, almost as if it were trying to figure out if it had seen him before.

Daneel had heard about Guardian Beasts. They were a fighter's or mage's best companion, but the difficulty inherent in breeding them made it so that they were priced very high. Besides, the Black Raven Kingdom was the only one which could successfully breed a Guardian Beast which could be bound with blood. This art was the most precious secret of the Kingdom, and they guarded it with their life.

Able to understand the intentions of their masters without even needing words to be spoken, a good Guardian Beast could possibly double the power of a fighter. As for mages, the best use of Guardian Beasts was to protect them and counter the weakness of their body.

With the exceptional practicality of Guardian Beasts, Daneel had been puzzled as to why the Black Raven Kingdom still hadn't grown more powerful than the others especially given their true monopoly over the product.

The reason was at least according to what everyone else in the continent knew, Eminent Human-tier Beasts were the strongest that could be bred.

Thus, this severely decreased their value. Even then, they cost double that of what the best combat trinkets did for that level.

Setting aside the cage, Daneel motioned for Bevis to continue. He remembered this envoy's stance during the coronation, and now wondered whether the show with the elf had changed whatever orders he had had.

Indeed, Bevis had relayed the happenings in the court to his Kingdom and had been tasked with new commands.

"Your Majesty, Lord Tenebrol requests a meeting with you at the earliest to discuss a pressing matter. He is prepared to come to the border which our Kingdoms share as soon as you give the confirmation. He also asked me to say that this concerns the 'Big Four'."

Bevis had originally been told to ask the new King to make a visit himself. After all, Daneel was just 16 years old, giving others a feeling of vulnerability.

Yet, his tact in dealing with Eldinor had made the other Kingdoms change their view on him, at least for now. Thus, the arrogant demand had changed into this humble request.

The 'Big Four' were the four superpowers in the continent who mostly kept to themselves. Daneel was puzzled regarding what could be so urgent, but he did not want to make any hasty decisions.

"All right. You will have my answer by the morrow.", he said, making Bevis bow and sit back down.

Lastly, Skkrag stood up.

"Your Majesty, the Hidden Kill Sect sends its regards and congratulations on account of your ascension to the throne. As you must know, our Sect is the only one which specializes in training assassins. For the first time in history, our Sect has decided to extend an invitation towards your Kingdom to send 100 Fighters and 100 Mages who will be taught the art of assassination by our best masters."

A hush came over the throne room as this proclamation was made.

The Hidden Kill Sect indeed specialized in training the one person who could strike fear into any person across the continent: an assassin. Their motto was to finish a contract once it was accepted, no matter what. In fact, they had risen to fame when they successfully carried out an assassination of a King.

This was really, as Skkrag said, an unprecedented offer. The sect had the most stringent conditions when it came to selecting potential candidates. But now, it would allow a whopping 200 members of Lanthanor's army to learn their secret arts?

No one could even ascertain how valuable such a gift was, unlike the other gifts which had a certain monetary value.

Thus, the throne room waited for whatever shocking request the Sect would place that would make sense for it to offer something that hadn't been seen in the known history of Angaria.

Chapter 108: Formation Master

Skkrag did not keep them waiting. In a decisive voice, he spelled out the request of the Hidden Kill Sect.

"In return, the Hidden Kill Sect requests the aid of the personage who enabled Your Majesty to master the legendary Dragon Heart Formation in very little time."

Daneel's heart suddenly tightened as he heard the request. Although his expression was the same, a storm of emotions were swirling in his mind right now.

The information about the time and level required for one to master the Dragon Heart Formation which protected the Royal Palace of Lanthanor was quite well known. Yet, in the eyes of the enemies and even the ministers themselves, Daneel had somehow managed to circumvent this and take full control of the palace.

Many guessed that it was definitely because of a figure that stood behind him.

Although some suggested that it might be because of an item, those who were informed about the world of trinkets scoffed at these notions. Such items, which enabled one to immediately master a formation without needing to be at a specific power level, were unheard of in the continent of Angaria.

The closest trinkets to these were the ones like what the Withering Leaf Sect had left behind- those which hastened the speed of comprehending a formation in order to master it.

In fact, this in itself was a very limited use case. Trinkets such as these only worked on unmastered formations. A unique situation like the one Lanthanor had found itself in was very rare, where an unmastered formation left an important location ripe for takeover by hostile forces.

Due to all these reasons combined, most, if not all, suspected that there was someone behind Daneel who enabled him to take control of the formation and secure his place on the throne. This could easily be accomplished by a Formation Master enabled with close access to the root of a formation with a communication trinket, exactly like what Daneel had done. After all, Formation Masters were those who spent decades studying and understanding different formations thereby increasing their skill in them. Yet, this also required a very high-level master in order to have such a high speed of comprehension.

Of course, the people who discussed these matters were only in the higher echelons of the Kingdom. All the commoners knew or cared about was that there was now someone on the throne who cared about them.

Daneel's plan had been to let the rumors stay unanswered. With time, they would either fade away due to lack of proof or be forgotten due to the reason that no such figure would come in front of the general public.

Although it wasn't a very good solution, it was the only one he had. After all, this was not the only occurrence where a master supposedly expelled from the Big Four took interest in an individual and helped them to reach a certain position in exchange for some benefits. Daneel had already been told by the system about such cases in the past, which was the reason he even decided on the plan to storm the palace and the Dragon Heart in the first place.

In cases like these, the Big Four were known to turn a blind eye unless their own interests were affected. Thus, this was also what gave Eldinor the gall to demand an audience. This, and the fact that the personage was definitely below the level of a Champion, which was evidenced by the logic that such a person could simply break down the formation directly with a fist.

Hence, it was not surprising that Skkrag knew of the 'master' behind him. What was troubling was that he needed the aid of this non-existent master.

Daneel was the master! And there would be no way he could leave the Kingdom and go to their Sect on their request, especially at such a crucial time when so many things needed to be handled. There was one way, but Daneel was too far from the level required to even think about using that method.

He was only even considering this because he knew the value of what the sect offered.

100 Fighter Assasins and 100 Mage Assasins! Any Kingdom would be willing to pay any price required for such an offer.

Strategically, a single well-trained Fighter or Mage Assasin would equal 100 regular individuals on their level. This was simply a modest estimate, but it was true that this was the figure quoted by the Sect when they gave the price for their contracts.

In fact, Daneel wished there was a way to go himself. The system would definitely be able to develop many, many precious techniques from the experience.

Seeing the King ponder on the matter with an expression of consternation, sweat started to form on the back of the scaled man's neck.

"We have already offered the most important thing we can!", he thought, frustrated at the silence that stretched in the room.

Gritting his teeth, Skkrag proceeded to speak the words he had been ordered to in case the request did not garner a positive answer.

"Your Majesty, we assure you that we mean no harm to the personage. We even do not require his presence right now. In around one year's time, on the auspicious occasion of the Hundred-Year Blood Moon, we request his aid in mastering the Basilisk Heart Formation which lies underneath our Sect. As you must know, this is a peculiar formation whose root is only exposed for a specific hour of time every hundred years. The Basilisk Heart of the Hidden Kill Sect holds the founding treasures of our Sect inside. As payment, the personage can ask for any one item out of these, regardless of whether it is an ancient trinket or the ancient assassination arts of our sect."

Skkrag felt his heart almost breaking in two as he stated these terms. The matter of the Basilisk Heart Formation was indeed something which plagued the leaders of the sect in the past few centuries of the sect's existence. Aside from asking help from the Big Four who would demand a much higher payment, they had tried everything else.

Now, with no other option, the sect had decided to give up one item. Yet, Skkrag felt heart broken over even this because these were the items given to the sect by their forefathers in order to be used when the Sect grew powerful enough to access the heart, or when they faced a Sect-ending calamity.

The conditions during the time of founding had been different, and the sect had wallowed in its present power for centuries with no means to compete with stronger forces. Thus, it was their hope to master the formation, extract the items and try to grow stronger in the continent of Angaria.

As Daneel saw the expression on Skkrag's face as if he were giving up something he cherished very deeply, he realized that the items were definitely very precious.

Yet, he wasn't someone who would risk everything without a reason. But, the point of the matter was that he had a year's time. In a year, he would be able to use the method he had considered before but rejected due to his low power level.

"All right. Give me a day's time to present you with an answer."

Relieved that it hadn't been a straight no, Skkrag sat back down and tried to control his emotions.

Since the matter of speaking with all of the envoys was done, it was time for Daneel to dismiss them and get to the matters pertaining to the Kingdom.

"Envoys, I thank you for gracing Lanthanor with the messages and gifts from your respective forces. You will receive my answers by noon tomorrow."

Knowing that they were dismissed, the three remaining envoys stood up and bowed again with a respect that was definitely greater than what had existed at the time the Royal Court began. As they walked out, the doors closed behind them.

Besides understanding the general attitude each ally had for the Kingdom, Daneel also felt that he matured a bit after undergoing the pressure that came from Eldinor's stance. He now knew that being a King meant being able to use his words just as effectively as he could use his fist, or in some cases, his mageroot.

The decisions regarding both of the requests could be made by tomorrow, but it was now time to address the promise he had made to the citizens who cheered his name until their throats became sore.

It was time to announce the decision he had made regarding the fates of the Nobility of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Chapter 109: Justice

Dalia had been having a blast for the past few days. First, her mother had brought her to this incredibly large city in which there were so many things to see. Having grown up in a small village, all the sights seemed extraordinary to her.

The best thing was the food! Back in her village, she could only eat meat a few times a year due to the cost. Here, she and her mother had incredibly tasty dishes each day.

And the candy! Candy of all colors, flavors and textures! Right now, her favorite thing to do was go with her mother around the city while also munching on all the candy she could wish for. In fact, she had already decided that she herself would open a large candy store and give free candy to all the little kids like her who couldn't afford them.

Of course, one other thing she loved about the Kingdom was the man who appeared in the air. He had had some kind of bird around his shoulder, which looked cute making Dalia want to pinch its cheeks. Why she loved this man was that when he said something, her mother had smiled the brightest she had ever seen in her life.

Today, her mother had taken her to a building which had many men in green uniforms standing around it.

Helena smiled slightly seeing her daughter's inquisitive gaze at the constables. In just the past few days, she had noticed that her daughter who had actually become quite introverted was opening up more and more and behaving like a normal girl her age.

Instead of before when the two looked like they hadn't eaten in weeks, the mother and daughter were now hale and hearty from all the full meals they had had. A gold coin was after all a lot of money, so there was still quite some silver left even though all of Dalia's desires were fulfilled.

Now, she had been notified to come to this building in order to state her testimony again in the presence of others.

No information had been given regarding who else would be there, hence she was quite startled when she saw that this was actually a huge building which could hold hundreds inside. It also seemed to be recently renovated, with temporary banners showing directions and designating rooms.

A female constable was seated at a table, while around 20 commoners had made a line in front of her.

Joining the line, Helena waited patiently while keeping a tight hold on her daughter.

Soon enough, it was her turn.

"Name and given place of residence?", the constable asked, holding in her hand a small piece of parchment.

"Helena, Burbery Village"

"Courtroom 26, go left in the hallway up the stairs.", said the constable, pointing towards a set of stairs after giving a brief smile to the cute Dalia.

Nodding and thanking her, Helena walked up the staircase and reached a large room that was labeled with the number she had been told.

As she entered, she froze at the entrance while an expression of rage and fury appeared on her face.

Even though Dalia tugged at her hand, she couldn't move an inch. Her eyes were transfixed on the gaunt face of the man who had greeted her nightmares almost every day since her loving husband had passed away.

"YOU!", she screamed, making everyone in the room turn around while she took off at a run towards the man who was only now turning around to see the woman who had the air of one who wanted to rip him into pieces.

"Restrain her."

As a voice sounded across the hall, Helena felt a strong wind blowing against her, making her slow her pace. The brunt of the force hit her body, while the ones behind only felt a moderate breeze.

With the wind buffeting her face, Helena finally came back to her senses.

Stopping herself, she almost lost her balance and fell backward.

A strong hand supported her back, letting her stand firmly on her two feet. Hearing Dalia crying behind her at the door, Helena quickly ran back and took her daughter into her hands.

The mage who cast the wind spell using the trinket provided by the palace went back to his spot, seeing that the woman was fine.

"Please take a seat. The court will hear you shortly."

The voice came from a bearded man in white robes who sat at the end of the room. Hurriedly nodding, she made her way to the row of chairs which were currently unoccupied.

Sitting down, she started looking around the room while trying not to lose control again seeing the man who was responsible for her family's condition.

It was divided into four sections. In the center towards the end of the room, the bearded man sat in front of a table which held numerous parchments like the one the constable outside had been holding.

In front of this man and placed at a right angle to him, two more tables were there. There were no chairs behind these two; the one on the right held a woman with sunken cheeks looking like she hadn't slept in weeks. Although her clothes were still tidy due to the enchantments placed on them, they did nothing to detract the audience from the hopelessness apparent on her face while she kept her head angled downwards.

Behind the other table, a burly man whose face was twisted in memory of something precious that had been taken away stood with his eyes glaring at the woman in front of him. Both the man and the woman had two people standing behind them who held some kind of metal rod in their hands. The last section comprised of the row of chairs in which she and Dalia were sitting.

"Continue"

"Yes, My Lord. As I was saying, this noble had my wife killed because I refused to enter her retinue of guards due to some rumors I had heard. She later tried to kill me too, but I managed to escape to the countryside and live under a different identity. All these years, all I could do was nurse my hatred and wait for the day when I could get my hands around my throat and....."

Stopping himself, the man huffed in anger still glaring at the woman. His fists were tightened beside him, as if he was holding back the urge to pounce forward.

"Is this true?", the bearded man asked, making the woman look up.

For a few moments, a silence ensued in the courtroom.

"Y-Yes"

Almost as if she had no choice but to answer, the woman croaked out the words before looking back down in defeat.

"All right. Mage, release him from his oath. Because Lady Arabella has already exceeded the counts of infractions set for punishment via imprisonment, she will be executed one week later in front of the Inner City Gates. As for you, by order of the King, you are eligible to obtain a pension from the government for the next 50 years, and you can also use a special reference when applying for any job. You may leave now."

Each word seemed to crush the will of the woman while burning away the agony apparent on the man's face. Towards the end, the woman fell forward, wishing that this was just a dream.

Hearing the judgment, the man seemed to have gone into a trance. Tears started flowing from his eyes while he looked up and muttered, "Lizzie, I've done it. The witch who separated us will die soon. Now, it is time for me to join you and our unborn baby."

"STOP HIM!"

Seeing him take out a hidden knife from his sleeve, the bearded official screamed, making the men standing right behind leap forward and restrain his hands.

"The King ensured that the justice you asked for was delivered to you in full! Don't you have an obligation to repay him by contributing to the Kingdom that he loves and cares for? How can you face your child and wife if you choose not to?!"

The official continued speaking in an agitated tone, making the burly man stop struggling and kneel on the ground. After a few seconds of sobbing, he said, "Yo-you are right. I just..... wanted to see them again, but I must repay the King for everything he has done for me and the people of Lanthanor. Henceforth, my life is his to command...."

As if he had made a decision, his expression morphed into one of determination. Yet, everyone still heard the last thing he muttered.

"Lizzie, I'll see you soon...."

As his voice faded away into silence, the official sighed with relief and smiled briefly, gesturing the men who had restrained him to take him away.

Helena was quite shocked seeing everything that had happened. Yet, she understood the desire of the man to kill himself and be reunited with his family. In fact, even she would have wished the same if it weren't for her lovely daughter who was the last thing her husband left behind for her in his world.

Taking his seat again, the official said, "Miss Helena. You may walk forward and state your case now."

With chest puffed out, Helena walked towards the table while keeping her eyes fixed again on the man who had destroyed her life.

....

Meanwhile, Daneel knocked on the door of his dear friend Faxul's room. It was finally time to find out just what was plaguing the one who had been with him almost since the start of his journey in this world.

Chapter 110: Faxul

Daneel waited for a few moments, but there was no answer from the door.

He wondered if his friend was sleeping, but it was only 9 pm in the night. After the envoys had left the throne room the day before, the whole day had been taken up by the discussions pertaining to the salient details of the system by which nobles would be punished.

Because of the now-deceased King's decision, almost all of the nobility had been summoned to the palace and ordered to stay inside during the days following up to the events which led Daneel to take the throne. This had indirectly helped out Daneel, because he had then only needed to use the formation to trap them all.

If that hadn't been the case, many would have escaped seeing Richard die at Daneel's hands. In fact, many merchants and influential figures in the Kingdom who had been in cahoots with the nobility had already started to leave the Kingdom.

Although many were intercepted and apprehended due to the quick orders from the commanders, some had still managed to get away. After all, it was impossible to lock the space around the capital, let alone the whole Kingdom. The only method was to use the teleportation-detection formation and deploy crack teams to stop those trying to get away. The ones who had managed to get away were those with high amounts of wealth who managed to plan beforehand and have multiple mages waiting in shifts to teleport them out. The assets of these individuals and the nobility had subsequently been seized, giving a considerable boost to the Kingdom's treasury.

After the court had been dismissed, Daneel had had to stay behind for a little bit in order to decide the exact amount of pension that would be given out. The Royal Court was only convened to decide on the general direction of the Kingdom-specific details like these always required more meetings with the concerned officials.

All in all, being King was no piece of cake. Yet, Daneel had finished everything fast and rushed here as soon as he could. Now that he thought about it, for some reason, he feared that he would be too late if he dallied even a little bit.

Hoping that this feeling wasn't correct, Daneel raised his hand to knock again but stopped when he heard the sound of the door unlocking.

Faxul, who opened the door with the same reserved expression, nodded at him and went back inside.

Although Daneel had been about to say a greeting, the words had stopped in his throat because he had seen something in his friend's eyes which frankly scared him a little.

In fact, Daneel couldn't even deduce exactly what that emotion was. What had scared him was the intensity, making him wonder how Faxul was even functioning normally without giving in to whatever the cause of the emotions was.

He walked inside silently, taking a seat on the single sofa in front of the bed on which Faxul was sitting.

His friend sat ramrod straight on the bed, looking into the distance while Daneel gazed at his expression, trying to figure out just what that emotion had been.

Giving up after a few moments, Daneel opened his mouth to ask just what was bothering Faxul.

Before he could say a word, Faxul threw a small object at him, prompting him to stop and catch.

It was a small black raven half the size of his fist, much like the one Bevis had gifted him earlier in the day. Even though it was that small, the details etched into it made him wonder just what kind of skill was required to be able to forge such a life-like object.

A drop of blood was already on the raven, making it glow with a red hue and heat up, making Daneel move it farther away from his face.

A panel that measured 20 inches diagonally appeared in front of him, startling him due to the unexpectedness of its appearance.

Panel trinkets usually had certain telling characteristics. They all needed an indentation of some sort which was the point from which the panel was cast into the air. For instance, the ones Daneel had painstakingly developed and forged in the three years before the struggle for the throne looked like grey cylinders with a hole on the top end. Not having the time to carefully forge each one into something that looked appealing, he had gone for quantity over quality.

This trinket had no such characteristics. In fact, if someone picked it up, they wouldn't even know that it was a trinket. Even he himself, as a mage, couldn't detect the regular elementary fluctuations that could be felt by anyone with a mageroot when they held a trinket in their hands. This was something really shocking, as he had never heard of a method to mask a trinket as a regular object. Marveling at the skill required to make such an object, Daneel focused on the image that had appeared.

A large man with a long mane of black hair looked at Daneel through the panel with an expression of panic on his face.

His features looked similar to those of Faxul's, with the same high wide forehead and narrow face.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

This was the first sound he heard before the man started speaking.

"Son, I don't have much time to explain. All you need to know is that the blood of the Black Raven flows through you. I was unable to stop my father from being murdered by the subsidiary family who wants to take over the Kingdom, but I can at least save the last true line of the Black Ravens. I am sorry, but I had no choice but to damage your body in order to lower your potential... Your caretakers will explain the rest, and it is your choice whether to forget your ancestry and live a normal life or to find a way to take back what is rightfully yours. If you choose the latter, remember this one line: 'Only the true line of the Black Raven can connect with the God Beast's direct descendants'. Know that your family loves you, and we will always support you even if we are no longer in this world no matter what you decide to do."

BOOOOOM!

"Goodbye, son"

The last thing the panel showed was the sorrowful smile on the man's face, before the image faded away into nothingness.

Daneel was dumbstruck hearing all the things the man had just said.

Although the message had been short, the impact of the words and the passion with which they had been uttered resounded in Daneel's mind.

For a few seconds, all he could do was sit with his jaw hanging, trying to make sense of what was happening.

If what he heard was true, then his friend was.... a scion of the direct line of the Black Raven Kingdom?!

Daneel was reminded of all the times Faxul had been reticent even when the occasion called for joy. He had always wondered about the reason behind this attitude, but never asked because it was something that could only be heard, not inquired about.

Now, he finally knew the reason for the silence of his closest friend throughout the journey they had made together.

"10 years ago, a young King ascended the throne of the Black Raven Kingdom after the former King was defeated and killed in the duel that took place between them. That King had a wife, a son and a grandson. According to reports, all of them were killed by 'assassins'. Bevis was one of those who supported the coup."

Faxul finally spoke, breaking the silence in the room. As always, his tone was neutral, as if he was simply reporting news about something unrelated to him.

Yet, Daneel could sense the self-control apparent in his friend, which let him cage all the emotions he felt deep in his mind.

Now, Daneel finally figured out just what he had seen when Faxul had opened the door.

It was frustration.

Frustration from being too weak to seek revenge for his family.

Frustration from only being able to stand and watch as the man who helped kill his family spoke in front of him.

Above all, it was the frustration and desperation from being, in his view, completely useless and worthless.

Chapter 111: Faxul 2

Daneel had no idea what to say. In fact, he knew that no matter what he said at this moment, it would do nothing to aid his friend's pain.

Faxul definitely hadn't told him this secret now because Daneel had come to ask.

Indeed, the determined words that rang across the room confirmed Daneel's thoughts.

"I want to get trained in the Hidden Kill Sect."

Yes, this was the reason.

The Hidden Kill Sect was a force which boasted its feat of beheading a King. This was exactly what Faxul wanted to do.

He had very few memories of his parents. All he remembered were two men with smiles on their faces who always took care of him. Their blurry shapes and the secure feeling that came when being held by them were the only things that came to mind when Faxul thought of the word 'family'.

The caretakers were good people, loyal to his father and grandfather. Yet how much ever he asked, they refused to tell him the stories about his childhood, saying that they were forbidden from doing so.

With no memory of his mother, Faxul could only assume that she had passed away due to some mishap.

For most of his life, he had become used to being alone. Yet, that had all changed when he met Daneel.

On that day in the training hall when Daneel extended his hand, Faxul had seen something in his eyes which reminded him of something from his childhood.

In fact, to this day, he still had no idea what it was. Yet, their friendship had blossomed into one where they could trust each other with their lives.

His time with Robert and Maria went a long way in assuaging the grief he had always felt due to losing his parents.

But today, when Faxul saw the man who had chased him all those years ago when he was getting away from the Black Raven Kingdom, he felt his blood boiling while he resisted the urge to pounce forward.

The blood of the Black Raven flowed through him. And it called for revenge, setting alight his heart in a fire of fury.

Yet, he was indeed, useless.

In the academy, he had followed his instincts and chosen the path of a Vanguard: One who trained as both a Fighter and a Mage.

His instructors had told him that this was a waste especially with his potential, but Faxul trusted his instincts.

Now, he was only a 2nd Grade Human Fighter and 2nd Grade Human Mage. The others who hadn't chosen this path had already proceeded to the 3rd, but he was still stuck at the 2nd.

True, he would most probably be able to defeat them in many scenarios due to the added advantages of a Vanguard. Yet, he was still an ant before the mighty foe he had to face.

This was why he wanted to go to the Hidden Kill Sect and learn their techniques.

"You want to become an assassin and kill the King of the Black Raven Kingdom who killed your family?", Daneel asked after thinking for a bit.

"Yes."

"Oh? With your talent, how many years would it take to reach the level where you can assassinate a King?"

Faxul looked into Danel's eyes to see that there was no condescension on his friend's face. It was simply a direct question, but he had no answer.

Someone with his potential simply took too much time to advance in level. He didn't even know what level was required to threaten the King, thus he stayed silent.

"Look Faxul, I know that you probably want to go to the Hidden Kill Sect out of desperation. But will you hear me out before that?"

Nodding, Faxul looked at his friend who had risen up from a common stature to be the King of Lanthanor. Yet, what could he give him that was more valuable than the opportunity to become an assassin who was the bane of rulers across the continent?

Daneel saw this questioning look in Faxul's eyes. Taking a piece of parchment out of an inner pocket, he handed it to his friend saying, "Study this, and make your own decision regarding whether you want to leave and train as an assassin or stay by my side."

Daneel walked towards the door after handing over the parchment. Before he left, he turned around one last time to see the strong back of his steadfast comrade.

The decision was in his hands now. Closing the door, Daneel made his way back to the King's chambers.

Crashing onto the bed, he fell asleep instantly with the gnawing worry that he still hadn't found time to train his body and mageroot. It had already been many days since the last training session, and Daneel was even starting to feel sluggish.

Deciding to tackle it tomorrow, he fell asleep and snored through a dreamless night.

.....

The palace gates had once been a solemn location, with the wide avenue almost always empty.

Thus, when one of the guards who was posted around the clock to monitor intruders saw a rag-tag group of individuals strutting through the central passageway with their eyes fixed on the palace, he immediately alerted the higher-ups that some stragglers were approaching.

They walked as if they owned the place, taking in all the sights while chatting animatedly amongst themselves. People of all ages could be seen, with the youngest being a man who didn't look a day over 25 and the oldest being a woman with white hair.

Aran, the commander of the elite forces, happened to be on call at the palace when the alert was sent up the ranks.

Hearing that a group of unidentifiable people were making their way through the central passageway, his interest was piqued.

Being someone who always loved things that were out of the ordinary, he decided to check out the situation himself.

Yet, as soon as he came to the gate, he was shocked to see the guard who had reported the incident shaking in his boots while surrounded by 10 other guards who were glaring at him.

"You dare report my Master as someone unidentifiable!? Who do you think you are?"

"Master helped us train to get into the army! I couldn't pay him anything, but he still let me train on credit! Just because your merchant father could afford to send you to a training hall, you think you can besmirch our master's reputation?!"

"Kneel and apologize right now!"

The guard in the middle could only cower while his fellow guards made these statements in an angry voice. If they weren't on duty, they looked like they wouldn't mind beating him up to make him apologize.

Seeing the commander walk towards the gates, the guard's face lit up as if he had seen a ray of sunshine.

"Commander! Please help! I was only doing my duty and these guards want to beat me up!"

Like a child crying to his father, the guard shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping that the commander would get him out of this precarious situation.

Yet, his jaw dropped as Commander Aran, known to lead the elite forces of Lanthanor while only being answerable to the King, silently made his way towards a bearded, bulky man wearing only a waistcoat on his upper body who stood in front of the group.

With an expression of absolute respect, the commander bowed deep before getting back up and saying, "Master! You should have let us know you were coming, we would have made the necessary preparations for a grand welcome. Did this guard offend you? Say the word, and I can dig up even the smallest mistakes he did and use them to demote him to the position of a kitchen helper."

A kitchen helper?!

As the guard imagined himself cleaning dishes and helping the cooks cut vegetables and meat all day, he shuddered, cursing at his bad luck in being the first to notice the group.

Yet, he regained his confidence remembering the new King of Lanthanor who promised fair treatment for all.

"Even if the commander has a link with this man, there surely must be nothing with the King.", thought the guard, gleefully imagining the plight of these people when they would see the ruler stand on his side because there was definitely no chance that this man had a link with both the commander and the king.

Chapter 112: Fists of Justice, Again

Before the bulky man responded to the commander, a commotion was heard from further inside the palace.

The palace was built in such a way that there was a large lawn between the main doors of the palace and the gates. Right now, a group of people were making their way over.

The guard's eyes lit up as he saw that among these people was the man who had appeared across the Kingdom and been proclaimed as King.

Without thinking, the guard screamed out again.

"My King! Please save this subject of yours from this injustice! I was merely doing my duty!"

Startled, the rest of the guards including the commander turned around to see that the King had indeed just exited the palace followed by a few guards and the new Grand Court Mage.

As per the custom, they all kneeled on one foot, lowering their heads. Only, the guard who had just beseeched the King to save him had a wide smile on his face, looking forward to gloating at the ones around him when the King punished them.

Yet, when he stood up after a second, his jaw dropped to the ground seeing the image in front of him.

The man whom the commander had addressed as 'Master' had bowed on seeing the King approaching him, but he had been caught by his shoulders and raised up by the figure who the guard thought would be his savior.

"What?! This man was called master by the Commander, and now even the K-King seems close to him? Could-could it be that he is the King's master too?"

As the thought of the punishment that would come from insulting the King's own master went through the guard's mind, he almost wet his pants from the terror that assaulted his whole body.

Meanwhile, Daneel had a wide smile on his face, raising his former master up and almost hugging him, before controlling himself realizing that he was in the public.

As the King, he had to retain a modicum of authority by not showing displays of affection where everyone could see. Thus, he removed his hands from his master's powerful shoulders and said, "Master Felix. It's about time. I was going to invite you to the palace anyway."

Indeed, this was the same man who had taken him in to the Fists of Justice Training Hall way back when he was still a no body on the streets of Lanthanor.

As a friend of his father's, this man had often graced their home. Although he had never personally trained him, Daneel still thought of him as the first master he had accepted in his life.

The main reason was his character. From all the stories Daneel had heard about Felix from both his father and Elanev, he knew that this was a man who resonated with his own principles.

In fact, Daneel had considered asking for his help in case he didn't come up with the indirect plan to take control of the throne. Yet, because there hadn't been a need, Daneel had simply proceeded while taking care not to leak anything even to his parents.

Indeed, the events had been just as shocking for Felix as much as they had been for Robert and Maria.

One second, he had been on high alert near the palace gates, ready to attack and protect the people in case something went awry. Next, he saw the brat he had accepted into the hall all those years ago appear on the panels and suddenly become King.

In fact, he had been disbelieving of it all until he saw Daneel personally appear on the dragon claw to negotiate with the other three forces. Being a high-level fighter, his improved eyesight had allowed him to clearly see that this was indeed the scrawny kid from all those years ago who had won the Trainee Competition, beating someone who had a higher potential than him.

Now, seeing the man that the kid had grown into, he felt a pride similar to that of a father seeing his son become someone successful.

"Your Ma-"

Daneel raised his hand, cutting off the words Felix had been about to say.

"Follow me."

After smiling at Viuda and Mother Frieda who were also in the crowd, Daneel led them into the palace.

As for the guard who was almost wetting his pants, Daneel only glanced at Aran and shook his head, signaling to let him go. The man had indeed been doing his duty, and even Daneel had become shocked after seeing how much influence his heavily built master had.

The Palace of Lanthanor had 8 large meeting rooms with each big enough to accommodate 50 people inside easily. With luxurious chairs meant to seat guests while they waited for an audience with the King, the rooms were also stocked with expensive wine and food.

Although Daneel didn't know many of the people in this group because of spending very little time in the training hall, he had still seen them many times during the hell training.

"Your Ma-"

Daneel cut him off again, making Felix get an awkward expression on his face.

"Make yourselves at home. I need to have a chat with the master, but we will soon be back."

With puzzled expressions, the others looked at Felix, as if in their eyes, he had even more authority than the King himself.

He simply nodded at the group, making them relax and either sit down or reach for the wine and food on the bar counter in the corner of the room.

Daneel chuckled seeing this sight. From all the nights Felix and Robert had passed out on the sofa from getting too drunk, he knew of their love for good wine. It seemed that the members of the training hall also shared this interest.

Walking out and closing the door behind him, Daneel started striding towards a different, smaller meeting room meant for fewer people.

This one could only fit 10 people inside although it looked similar to the other, with golden upholstery, multiple plush sofas and the same bar counter at the end.

Closing the door behind him, Daneel was finally able to speak with no one else around. Kellor had insisted that the King should always be accompanied by a team of elite guards especially when he went outside. Thus, he had obliged, resulting in the 25 guard retinue that followed him when he moved.

"Master, your position is akin to my father's in my heart. For that reason, I ask you to not call me by any honorifics. In personal settings, you can even call me 'brat' like you always used to back home."

During the time when his parents had had to shift to the countryside for safety, Felix had been one of the only people who still visited them with the help of a space mage of the training hall. Daneel had of course not hidden the information of his parent's whereabouts from his father's closest friend. And just like his father, Felix had only trusted Daneel and not asked his reasons for relocating the family.

He was not one to put on airs. Thus, he had explicitly told his parents and closest friends to not change the way they called him. The same applied to his Master too.

Seeing the firmness in his former student's eyes, Felix knew that it was a lost cause. He was not someone to dither and dally even after Daneel had specifically stated the status he had in his heart.

This warmed his heart, making him smile and chuckle before saying, "Haha, all right Daneel. Even I can't bring myself to call the brat who set his hair on fire while practicing magic 'Your Majesty'! I'll get straight to the point. You know that the training hall exists to stand on the side of the people and do whatever we can to help those who can't help themselves. Now, with you on the throne, we have a long list of crimes which we had no option but to bury in our minds when the previous King ruled Lanthanor. Also, many of the instructors want to join the military now, seeing that the King is now someone they can agree with. They are all quite talented, and the only reason they chose to not join the military before was that they thought they could better serve the people by pledging themselves to the training hall."

Felix puffed up his chest while speaking about the instructors, which was indicative of the pride he had in being their Master. Seeing this, a glint passed in Daneel's eyes.

"So, we came here today to give you that list and also pledge our formal allegiance to the throne."

Seeing that glint, Felix stopped what he was saying, remembering that he had seen this same expression before when he had asked what Daneel was planning when his parents had had to relocate.

True enough, what Daneel said next made Felix freeze his expression into one of disbelief and shock.

"What would you say if I told you I can increase both the body potential of your Fighters and the comprehension of your mages?"

Chapter 113: Lesser Development Technique

That evening, both Bevis and Skkrag received messages from the King that their requests had been accepted. Both of them had different reactions, with the former getting an indecipherable small smile on his face and the latter sighing with relief, hoping that his sect would finally be able to access the treasures their ancestors had left behind.

Leaving a communication trinket in the Palace, all three remaining envoys departed the Kingdom. Even Eldra had made sure to leave one, as each trinket had to be bound by blood, making it so that no imposter could access the communication channel.

Early the next morning, numerous people gathered at a clearing on the grounds of the Palace. The location itself was beautiful, with perfectly mowed lush green grass and carefully pruned round bushes. Yet, each and every member who gathered at the location had a crazy desperation and yearning in their eyes.

Almost 500 people had already gathered, with almost all of them being teens. Yet, they all made way when they saw a group coming over.

As they laid their eyes on the faces of those who were approaching, many broke into wide smiles, laughing with joy while they ran forward.

These had been the people who had trained them, when many saw them as dirt due to not having any money.

With the arrival of the group, the whole atmosphere turned exuberant.

But a few minutes later, a hush came over the place, almost as if someone had cast a mute spell.

Four people were approaching from the direction of the palace, and seeing them, the same yearning from before reappeared in the eyes of all those present.

These four were Daneel, Kellor, Faxul and Felix.

Reaching the clearing, Daneel first confirmed that there was no one surveilling this place using the system. Then, after everyone kneeled due to King's presence, he nodded at Kellor to cast the isolation spell.

An opaque barrier suddenly came into existence across the whole clearing, blocking anyone from viewing the place.

As soon as the barrier was up, Daneel started speaking.

"I have already sent you all the introduction of the training technique. What do you think?"

An old man from the group which had come later was the first to speak.

"My King, how could it be possible? Increasing the potential of our bodies and comprehension of our mageroots regardless of age?! Can such a heavenly technique truly exist!!"

The rest started whispering as soon as the old man spoke, puzzling over the same even though they had already had multiple discussions about the topic

"My Lord, will we turn into horrendous beasts if we train in the technique?"

This was from a particularly timid kid who closed his mouth as soon as he uttered the statement. It was just that his mother had told stories about those in the nobility morphing into terrifying creatures when their training went wrong.

Daneel chuckled when he heard this, as he was reminded of the conversation he had had with the system a few days back.

"System, show me my present status."

This question was not one he asked often, as for some reason, he loved seeing massive jumps in level progression whenever he did check the statistics.

[Host status updating. Please stand by.

Host status:

Host Fighter Level: Human-4(19%)

Host Mage Level: Human-4(19%)

Host Body Potential: A+

Host Comprehension Level: Gold

Host Condition: Nominal]

Just like almost every time he saw the status, a wide smile had spread across his face seeing that he had reached the peak in both body potential and comprehension level. In the recent history of the Lanthanor Kingdom, there was definitely no one like him who was this talented in both paths and also did not waste the talent in either path, cultivating both equally.

The only disconcerting fact was that the numbers in the brackets, which were the progressions towards the next level, hadn't budged since the time he had entered the palace. He wished he could earn level progression from missions like before, but the system had told him that like the loan system, this was also only a small reward for those in the early levels from the backup energy left behind in the system.

"System, is there no way a technique can be developed to increase the potential and comprehension of others?"

He had asked this question multiple times before and given up because the system's answer had always been "No", even when he had bought the tool which could create techniques.

But, the answer the system gave had made him widen his eyes and berate himself for forgetting something so important.

[Affirmative. Lesser Body Potential/ Comprehension Development Techniques can now be developed by the system due to collecting the data about the technique used by the Royalty of the Lanthanor Kingdom. The technique can be used without the system's presence. Would host like to develop the techniques?]

He had actually forgotten to ask after collecting the data about all the secret techniques from the secret library! It seemed that along with the spell which crippled his father, the technique which the nobility used to improve their bodies and mageroots had also been present in the library. Daneel decided that he really had to find a way to increase the suggestion level of the system, as similar to now, it had only told him about the crippling technique when he had asked.

Of course, Daneel had also been to blame, but at that time, he had had too many things on his mind. Realizing this, he also resolved to always take some time to list all the things he needed to do so that he wouldn't miss important things like these in the future.

"Yes! Develop them! How effective are they? And what about the side effects?"

He still remembered how Laravel's body had changed after the King removed the limiter stopping the side effects from appearing in a body which had trained in the Royal Technique.

[Please input parameters. Side Effects can be removed.]

Marveling again at the incredible abilities of the system, Daneel thought for a bit and inputted the parameters, following which he was asked to wait for a day for the techniques to develop.

When asked about the specific speed by which one's potential or comprehension would grow on using the technique, he got this answer:

[Body Potential Development Speed for Host: For going from bottom most body potential-below low grade potential to next level, F-, it would require 10 days. This number stays the same for every major level(eg. 10 days from no talent to F-, 10 days from F- to F, 10 days from F to F+) and doubles for the next major level(eg. 20 days from F+ talent to E-, 20 days from E- to E, 20 days from E to E), and so on.

Comprehension Development Speed for Host: For going from bottom most level, Violet to the next level, Indigo, it takes 10 days. This number doubles for every level thereafter.

Lesser Development Techniques will have 10% the speed of host's development techniques due to the absence of the system.]

Indeed, the reason for his technique having such formidable prowess was the system. It allowed him to fine tune the application of the energy with such a precision that no human could match.

Even with the reduced speed, this was still a heaven-defying technique, especially when one considered that such techniques were only talked about as rumors in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Thus, he had asked the system to make an introduction page which detailed the effects and speed before copying this page onto a parchment. This had been the same parchment which he gave to Faxul. The common measurement of body potential was low, mid and high, corresponding to the levels F- to E+, D- to C+ and B- to A+ respectively. So according to the information given, Faxul would be able to reach the mid-grade body potential from low-grade in at most three and half years, depending on his exact level.

Coming back to the present, Daneel noticed Faxul beside him also waiting for the answer. Although his friend had repeatedly asked, Daneel had only answered that all would be answered in this meeting with the Domination Corps and all the instructors who had come from the Fists of Justice Training Hall.

"Everyone, I know you must all be wondering about the information in the parchment. First, let me tell you that there are no side effects like turning into monsters. The techniques will only increase your mage comprehension or body potential in roughly the speed that has been specified in the parchment. But I must bring to your attention one thing: if you wish to obtain the technique, you must swear an oath to unwaveringly follow my orders whatsoever they may be. The Domination Corps have already sworn this oath when they chose to enter. Now, it is your turn to decide, instructors of the Training Hall."

Chapter 114: The Training Hall's Decision

"As for the members of the Domination Corps, you have the option to leave now after handing over everything given to you and swearing the oath that you will never speak to anyone of all the matters you have been privy to. Think, and make your choices."

Oaths were eternal, until such a time that the one who the oath had been given to chose to release the oath and set the oath-taker free. In other words, time limits could not be set on oaths. Thus, Daneel had decided to give this chance to everyone to choose the course of their lives. He had no intention to force anyone.

Seeing the expressions of almost everyone in the field enter into ones of deep thought, he decided to wait for their response while ruminating about his plan for the offer from the Hidden Kill Sect.

For the training, there was no special requirement of age or power level. Only talent was required, but with the techniques he would give out, this wouldn't be much of a problem.

After all, if he could choose between a high-talent assassin who wasn't completely loyal to him and a mid-talent assassin who had sworn to follow his every order, he would choose the latter without a heartbeat.

Loyalty was a fickle thing. Daneel had already realized this both when he saw Laravel betray the King and the Eldest Prince betray his father.

Thus, the only way to ensure loyalty was the oath.

It was also not practical to expect talented soldiers to swear such binding oaths. Most of the elites in the army were only bound by simple oaths, and they had the power to leave whenever they chose after their minimum consignment period was up. Their main objective of staying in the army was to gain experience and use the resources given to grow as strong as possible. After that, the world was their oyster.

Hence, Daneel's plan was to handpick 100 soldiers with the highest possible talent in the army who were willing to swear the oath, along with 100 of the best seeds in the Domination Corps. The aim was to send a total of 100 mages and 100 fighters, as each type of assassin had different uses and applications all of which were vital.

"I am sorry My King, but I cannot bring myself to swear such a binding oath. I love to be free, and even this technique cannot change that yearning of mine."

The one who spoke out and pulled Daneel away from his thoughts was a woman who seemed to be 30 years old. Although he didn't know her name, he knew that she was one of the best fire magic instructors in the training hall.

Felix had already warned Daneel about this happening. In his own words, the training hall was a place which called for those who wanted a safe haven that they could call home while also not binding them in any way, allowing them to be as free as they wanted. Such individuals would find it very hard to swear the oath.

And just as he said, at least half of the instructors nodded as they heard the woman speak.

Half of them!

These were all individuals who had reached at least the Eminent Human realm as fighters or mages. If they trained using the technique Daneel gave, reaching the Exalted Human realm would be a given whereas even the Warrior realm wouldn't be a pipe dream.

"You must have understood that if you swear the oath and train in the technique, it is possible to reach the Warrior realm and double your life span before you die. Does this not appeal to you?"

He couldn't help but ask, as the curiosity had been becoming unbearable.

The Warrior Realm! At that level, one would be showered with gifts almost anywhere in the continent. With a longer lifespan, they could even set out to explore the beautiful sights of Angaria or even try to enter the Big Four who had the strongest techniques in the whole continent!

Wealth, fame and power. They could all be theirs, and all they had to do was trust Daneel.

"My Lord, can we speak privately?"

Hearing this, Daneel was a little puzzled, but he acquiesced to the request.

After moving a little distance away from the clearing, he nodded to Kellor to cast the mute spell.

As the surrounding sounds all faded away to be replaced by an absolute silence, the woman in front of him gave him a smile. She wore a loose, white shirt over brown pants, reminding Daneel of the tomboyish girls back on Earth. Now that he observed closely, he noticed that she was actually muscular, while her face was tanned. Her frizzy red hair fell to her shoulders, while she rubbed her long nose before starting to speak.

"I am called Volma, Your Majesty. I only had a simple question, but I did not want to state it in front of all those hopeful teens. Can you guarantee that I will be alive in 10 years time if I do swear the oath to you and accept the technique?"

Daneel was actually dumbstruck as he heard the question.

Indeed, it was a simple one. But he had no answer.

His objective in building the Domination Corp was to create a force which would answer only to him. They might be deployed for anything, from covert operations to military excursions, where death would always be a possibility.

Thus, could he guarantee that she would be alive 10 years later? No, he definitely couldn't. No matter how well things turned out, death might be inevitable. He had seen the reality of this when the Vice Sect-Master of the Withering Leaf Sect had casually allowed the attacks from the King and the Court Mages to hit the nobility behind him. In fact, he still remembered that shocking sight of burnt and disfigured bodies to this day.

This was not a peaceful world, and especially with the existence of magic, anything was possible.

"You cannot, My King. As people who have seen the world, we know that this is obvious. But do those teens know the same? Maybe some know of it subconsciously, but their reasons at the time for swearing the oath must have clouded their judgment. Elanev told me how the Corps was formed. If there had been no smoldering hate, would they make the same decision?"

Daneel could not speak a word. Indeed, he had never put himself in their shoes.

When they swore the oath, the injustices they had suffered had been forefront on their minds. But now, those matters no longer existed.

At this moment, Daneel cursed himself for not realizing this and telling everyone clearly what was at stake. It was his duty to lay everything out, and he had neglected it.

Of course, he still had the option to not do so and let them make the choice. But he was not that kind of a person. He wished for all those who followed him to do so on their own free will, rather than be beguiled. Thus, although the option entered his mind, he discarded it instantly.

Now that he knew about it, Daneel did not wish to dally.

"Give me a moment.", he said, before striding back to his previous position.

Volma said nothing, opting to look at Daneel as he walked away. A smile was on one side of her face, while she looked forward to seeing what the young King would do.

"Everyone. I need to tell you one more thing. The Domination Corps will be my personal army, who will carry out specialized operations for the good of the Kingdom and Angaria as a whole. There will be a risk of death, and I cannot guarantee that things will not go wrong. In other words, you may die. I know that you gave your oaths before because your minds were filled with the hate and anguish from the suffering you endured due to the nobles. Now, there is no such thing weighing on you. You are free to choose your own path. The only thing I can promise is that I will always value you as my brothers and sisters in arms, and I will never be as callous with you as the previous King was with the army. That is all I can say."

As Daneel stopped speaking, another hush came over the clearing.

He had been as blunt as possible, because just as Volma said, they needed to know the truth. He also did not utter empty words, because he could guarantee nothing else.

This time, there was not a single person who did not get expressions of deep consternation on their faces as they contemplated their options.

Daneel felt as if some weight had lifted from his own mind. Thinking a bit, he realized that it had been guilt which had formed when he heard Volma's words. Guilt from not doing his duty and informing his potential followers of everything involved.

Thinking that he still had a lot to learn, he committed this to his heart and mind before walking back to Volma.

Only, the words she said as he arrived startled him, making him look back and glare at Felix.

"I apologize in advance My King, so please don't be angry. You have passed the test decided by the Master of the Training Hall to find out for ourselves about your character. If you hadn't, the inner core of the Hall would have left except for those who might be drawn to your technique, and our secret techniques would be just as their name suggests: secret. But now that you have, the full forces and resources of the Fists of Justice Training Hall are now available to you, ready to listen to your every order."

Chapter 115: Motivation

When Felix saw Daneel glaring at him, he chuckled, knowing that the gig was up. In response, he merely shrugged.

Daneel first calmed himself down. Although being tested like this left a bad taste in his mouth, he could understand the reason. After all, if they swore the oath and later realized that Daneel wasn't who they thought him to be, it would be too late for regrets.

As for the teens of the World Domination Corps, many of them were still considering their options, including even those who had first joined him. Although death was quite prevalent in this world, it wasn't at a state where they absolutely needed to grow stronger in order to live. With the present conditions, it was possible that one would be able to live a happy life in the sanctity of a Kingdom by staying out of harm's way.

Realizing that this was too big a decision to be taken right away, Daneel walked back to the clearing and said, "Take your time. Even if you have decided now, think on it again and tell me your decision 3 days from now. Dismissed."

Turning around, he started walking back to the palace with the other three following.

Although some in the Domination Corp such as Joshua had already made their decisions and had been about to state them, they stopped themselves on hearing Daneel's words.

On reaching the same small meeting room in which he had talked to Felix before, Daneel first shut the door before saying, "Old Man, well done. I never saw the test coming. It's still disconcerting to be played around with, though."

Sitting down, he motioned the others to do as well before waiting for the Master's answer. With all the time they had spent together, this wasn't the first time Daneel had called the crafty croney in front of him an 'Old Man'.

"Haha, kid, I had no choice. This is in line with what the founder of the training hall placed as the condition for the hall to completely swear allegiance to any force: a test of moral character. But I do admit, the idea was mine, and your expression when Volma told you about it was priceless! A startled King is truly a sight to behold!"

No longer holding himself back, Felix burst out laughing. In fact, he was very happy from the way Daneel had conducted himself, and proud because his observations about the King weren't wrong.

Kellor also chuckled, as if he had been in on the matter.

On the other hand, Daneel and Faxul were both bewildered when they saw the look the two old men exchanged.

There was a connection even between these two?!

"My King, pardon me for not telling you about it sooner. I have known Felix for a long time, especially because of his efforts in helping the downtrodden. In fact, he was also one of those I charged with finding someone who could lead Lanthanor to a new age. I still tease him that you passed right under his nose, while I managed to notice your brilliance."

An expression of realization came on both of their faces as they heard this. Indeed, Kellor had always secretly worked towards his goal of changing the ruling party of Lanthanor. Thus, it should be no surprise that he was acquainted with Felix, who had the same ideals.

"Anyway, I need to get back to the instructors. We are all ready to swear the oath, after which we need to go back to the hall for a little bit of time to take care of some pending matters. You should also come over when you can to peruse the secret techniques left behind by our founder. In fact, many of them are so high level that we cannot comprehend them ourselves, just like the Hidden Kill move. As for the talk about 'freedom', all the instructors who followed me to the palace are already those who have chosen to dedicate their lives to the welfare of the people. Their actions in the clearing had just been an act,"

Nodding with chagrin, Daneel told Kellor, "Give him a copy of the oath. I will take the oaths into the oathstone a few hours from now."

After Kellor handed over a parchment which Daneel had asked him to prepare beforehand, Felix left with a spring in his steps. It seemed that the old man was the happiest he had been in years.

"Kellor, this is the technique for mages. Practice it well, and aim to break through to the Warrior Realm. You have already sworn an oath to the oathstone, and Richard's oath is in no way less stringent than mine. Again, thank you for supporting me."

As Kellor saw the square piece of parchment gleaming in Daneel's palm, he reached forward and took it with shaking hands.

With the technique in his hand, the Warrior realm was in reach!

Although he had been one of the first to receive the introduction, it had seemed like something too fantastic to exist.

Only now, when he held it in his hands, did he finally believe it.

If he reached the Warrior realm, he would have even more time to serve the people he loved so much.

As tears came into his eyes, Daneel asked, "I know you were initially taken in by the previous Court Mage because he saw your talent, but what makes you feel so happy to be able to rise in power?"

This was a personal question, but Daneel found that he was becoming more and more interested in the motivation that drove people forward.

In fact, he wondered at this moment whether the curiosity had arisen in order for him to find his own.

Regardless, this new type of curiosity gnawed at him each time he witnessed a sight like this.

"Guilt, My King. Guilt from all the times I saw the many horrible things happening to people in the Kingdom while my hands were tied. I still remember each and every one of their faces. Especially, Jonah's. His stands out because we were quite close, yet I could do nothing to help him. With more power, I wish to assuage this guilt in me by serving the people as much as I can before my life comes to an end."

Daneel nodded as he realized that his supposition had been correct. He had seen the signs of guilt in Kellor's eyes, but he had just wanted to make sure.

"All right. Train well, and you will have 100 more years to do whatever you wish. Oh yes, what happened to the search for my Master anyway?"

Daneel had already asked Kellor before to locate his master who had helped him out quite a bit in his journey.

"No results yet, My Lord. The last time he was seen was when you were proclaimed King. After that, he seems to have vanished."

Sighing, Daneel waved his arm to let Kellor know that he was dismissed. Finally, it was just him and Faxul in the room.

"Faxul, you have a choice now. Do you still wish to leave to the Hidden Kill Sect? If so, I cannot give you the technique, as the risk of it being noticed by the instructors over there is too high. With our present situation, this needs to be kept a secret."

"I will stay."

Three simple words, but they had in them a determination that Daneel had never heard from his friend before.

No more needed to be said. After handing over a parchment with both the fighter and mage techniques, Daneel dismissed him too and sat in the chair, looking into the distance.

What was his motivation?

Of course, he was motivated to serve the Kingdom and do the best he could for its people, but was that all?

Before, his main motivation had been to get revenge for his family's condition. That had already been accomplished, with the King dying and the noble responsible for having his father thrown out of the army scheduled to be executed tomorrow with all the others who had crossed the limits set for a non-lethal punishment.

At this moment, he found himself recalling the events back at the library when his name had been shouted out loud for bringing justice to all those cheated by the cruel duo. He had felt the same when his name rang across the Kingdom, proclaiming him as King.

Without knowing it himself, Daneel realized that a thirst had been born in him.

This thirst was only quenched when he saw people happy and satisfied with what they had, instead of living their lives buried beneath mountains of misery and suffering.

He did not even need to be credited for his efforts. For Daneel, it was enough that the end result came to be, regardless of who was responsible.

For now, this thirst had been temporarily quenched due to him killing the previous King and giving an avenue where all the injustices so far could be addressed.

But would this thirst arise again? He did not know himself.

Only time would tell.

Getting up, Daneel walked to one of the many Energised Training Chambers in the palace and finally started to train again after what felt like forever.

Chapter 116: Execution

Daneel had long gotten used to the itch that accompanied the deployment of the development techniques by the system. Reveling in the feeling of growing stronger, he lost track of time.

Only, he felt that it ended all too soon. After all, he only had a few hours before he had to go to sleep.

Looking forward to the time when he wouldn't have to sleep, Daneel crashed onto his bed.

His dreams had lately been becoming more and more weird. This time, he dreamed about an ancient castle with green wyverns flying about in the air.

As he could find no rhyme or reason in the images, he simply discarded them for now as the result of a tired mind.

....

In front of the inner city gates in the Capital of Lanthanor, a large wooden stage had been erected overnight.

Similar to Earth, the most common type of execution was death by suffocation(similar to hanging). According to Kellor, this was the method chosen because the struggle for air which every criminal went through before dying served to assuage the grief of those watching, giving them time to maybe let go of all the hatred in their hearts.

The only difference was that instead of a rope, either the Court Mage or the Grand Court Mage cast the spell to remove the air elementary particles and suffocate the criminals.

Although Kellor abhorred such suffering, he knew that it was necessary.

Yet, that morning, the previous Grand Court Mage had approached him and asked whether he could be the executioner. Although he did not give any reasons, Kellor passed on the message to the King.

As it was a formal event, Daneel's retinue was the same as when he had entered the throne room, along with a squad of elite soldiers.

Looking back in the hallway before exiting the palace, Daneel noticed the previous Grand Court Mage standing respectfully and waiting for an answer.

Whenever he saw this man, all he was reminded about was the previous King. Hence, he had so far ignored his existence for the most part, resolving to make a decision about him later.

Yet, the man had approached him himself.

Although Daneel was a bit skeptical about the man's loyalty, he still agreed to the request. After all, he was oath-bound.

Kellor turned back and nodded, making the man come forward and join the retinue. With everything taken care of, the King finally set off for the execution stage.

...

Although the domination corps had still not chosen what they would do, they still followed the orders to set up panels across the capital like before.

Helena and Dalia were in one such marketplace. Fearing that she would lose her daughter in the crowd if she chose to go the inner city gates, Helena had chosen to watch the execution on the panel.

Indeed, it turned out that the man who had been responsible for her husband's death had actually killed many others, making it so that he was marked for execution along with 128 other nobles.

Considering the fact that the whole of the nobility only consisted of 177 individuals not counting the women locked away in the palace, this was quite a high number. Even among the rest, many had been sentenced to life imprisonment.

In fact, those like Eloise who had kind hearts and strived to do good were very few. Only 16 such people had been marked for an official pardon after the execution was over.

Throngs of people had already gathered in front of the stage.

The King's retinue made it over first.

Daneel's retinue now also consisted of soldiers from the Mage Elites. With 5 of these mages working together, the whole retinue rose into the air and stood just like the individuals from the three hostile forces had done so before.

As the people who had gathered saw their beloved King rise into the air, they first bowed before screaming his name again at the top of their lungs.

"ALL HAIL KING DANEEL!"

He was, after all, the reason why such a momentous occasion could even take place.

Amid the screams, people started appearing on the stage one by one.

The man who had once been the right hand of the King was teleporting each onto the stage and immobilizing them using metal shackles which he conjured out of the air.

Finally, all 129 stood on the stage, while the atmosphere in the area got more and more tense.

Although a barrier had been erected around the whole stage, Daneel doubted whether it would be able to withstand the impact of thousands of people bearing onto it.

Indeed, almost each and every one in the crowd had red eyes seeing those on the stage. They had already controlled their anger once when reporting the crimes in the courtroom.

Yet, faced with a situation again when the people who ruined and trampled their lives were in front of them, many couldn't control their emotions. Snarling with rage, they tried to get to the invisible barrier and breakthrough, as if they wanted to do the deed themselves.

Mothers, daughters, sons, wives, fathers; so many relations had become mere memories due to the people standing on the stage.

The minimum number of counts for murder to warrant execution had been set at 10. Yet, many of these crossed that limit many times over.

They were truly scum who enjoyed the suffering of others.

In fact, when Daneel had checked the records, he had been shocked to find out that it had been the Eldest Prince who had the most number of crimes.

It seemed that every time he came to visit the Kingdom from the sect, disasters would occur. So far, his death count had already crossed 1000.

1000 people! Daneel had almost gone mad seeing this number. He had even considered giving him a life of torture, but felt that a public execution was best to erase this dark period of Lanthanor's past and move on to a bright future.

Even many of the others who had resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people had been inspired by the Eldest Prince. They treated commoners like ants, just waiting to be squashed at their whim.

Seeing the frenzy in the crowd growing, Daneel gave the signal to begin the execution.

The order was set so that those with the lowest counts would go first. Seeing the list, the previous Grand Court Mage grabbed a woman's hand and dragged her to the forefront of the stage.

Seeing this, the crowd only grew more unruly.

It was only when the saw the woman's body start shaking with fear as she approached the front that they finally calmed down, knowing that they were finally going to witness what they had been waiting for for years.

As the mage pointed his hand at the woman whose hands and legs were bound by shackles, she started convulsing on the stage, struggling because the air she could breathe was slowly becoming lesser and lesser.

She had already lost control of her body, yet she still stood straight due to another spell cast by the mage. It was as if some massive pressure was on her chest, threatening to crush her into pieces while she did all she could to get away.

Slowly, she found herself getting sleepy as she entered a groggy state. The sensations coming from her body were disappearing one by one, while everything she had done so far played through her mind.

Throughout her life, she had been pampered and given everything she wanted. Her every wish had always been fulfilled.

Due to the attitudes of those around her, even she started seeing other people as insignificant things which only existed for her amusement.

Besides, their antics had been amusing to watch. Breaking apart families; watching as they cried with loss and misery; laughing as they begged while clutching at her dress for mercy only to be kicked away and beaten to death; these were all things she had taken pleasure in.

She understood that she was now in the same helpless situation. At this moment, she was specifically reminded of a little girl who had drowned in a lake because she had dared to laugh when the woman tripped and fell by mistake.

She had watched as the girl struggled in the clear water, fighting for air while trying to reach the surface.

She was now in her place. If she had grown up different, she didn't know if she would still have chosen to do all those horrific things. Yet, such thoughts were pointless now.

The crimes had been committed, and now the price needed to be paid.

Giving in to the sleep, she drifted away into the peaceful embrace of death while many in the crowd collapsed to the ground-finally seeing the demon that had destroyed their lives be brought to justice.

Chapter 117: Altercation

Daneel gazed into the eyes of each noble who was brought to the front of the stage and killed. Each expression, each thought, each emotion was clear to him.

Each time all the swirling emotions were replaced by the peacefulness of death, he felt drained. He was the one responsible for each of these deaths, and he made himself watch each one.

Even though each of these people had resulted in so many deaths that many would say they deserved such an end, Daneel knew that it was not all their fault either. True, they had made the choices that led them to this position. But as for the choices which led to the creation of the environment they grew up in? The people responsible for that could not be punished by him.

Alas, justice needed to be given out. The people needed to have the demons in their hearts vanquished.

As the process continued and more and more commoners collapsed to the ground, Daneel started wondering whether he was the demon in the eyes of the nobles. After all, he had come and destroyed their lives, now killing them like livestock while he watched standing in the air.

While his thoughts drifted, he suddenly felt his skin prickling, as if sensing a danger that was approaching.

CRACK

An abrupt cracking sound rang across the central passageway which held the stage and the crowds of people.

It happened in the blink of an eye, with Daneel not even having the time to respond.

A man holding a sharp, golden lance appeared on the stage.

As Daneel realized that the sound had actually had been that of the barrier-breaking, he was initially horrified. The barrier protecting the stage had actually been the best in the palace, capable of initiating a space lock and also defending against the full power of at least 100 Exalted Human Mages or Fighters. To crack it like the man had just done, a piercing attack of at least the strength of a Warrior was required!

Considering that there were no Warrior Mages or Fighters in all of Lanthanor right now, this was quite shocking. Yet, Daneel's eyes widened even further as he realized who the man on the stage was.

The same open shirt was visible to all, yet there were no bottles of wine to be seen. The eyes which were usually unfocused due to being inebriated now shone with a frenzy the likes of which Daneel had never seen before.

It was his Master, Jonah Castle.

This man, whose whereabouts had been unknown since Daneel took the throne, was now standing on the stage where the eyes of almost everyone in the Kingdom of Lanthanor were watching.

After looking into Daneel's eyes briefly, Jonah swiftly ran towards the end of the row. Time was short, as the commanders and the elite soldiers were already casting spells to stop him.

At the end was the Eldest Prince, who had committed the most crimes. The man Jonah was looking for stood 3 positions away.

Only the previous Grand Court Mage who was nearby moved to stop him, but before he could even cast a single spell, Jonah waved his hand, blowing him away in an instant.

With his elementary sight, Daneel could see that the strike was simply an air blade, which was a spell designed to knock out foes non-lethally. Yet, it had broken through the protection of the trinket the previous Grand Court Mage carried with ease.

Similar to before, his Master's spell somehow pulled the particles around the ones he controlled with his mageroot to multiply the power of the strike. Yet, what he noticed was that this time, the multiplication effect was even more magnified, almost as if some sort of threshold had been broken through by his Master.

Yet, as Daneel would later realize, Jonah was also wheezing uncontrollably, as if he was overexerting himself to the limit.

The previous Grand Court Mage crumpled to the ground, unmoving, while Jonah proceeded towards his goal.

Just as he caught the shoulder of the noble he had come for and was about to teleport away, a majestic dragon claw came into existence near him.

Yet, it was already too late. The space lock came into existence a second after the teleportation was successful, and Jonah even had the time to give one last look at Daneel before leaving.

No one noticed the expression of hesitation in the King's eyes while he saw his Master leaving in this way.

Because Jonah had been preoccupied with his own goal, he did not notice that one other figure had snuck onto the stage when the barrier broke, dispelling the space lock in the area.

Instead of Jonah who had had no choice but to break in and then move to his target, this man directly teleported beside his own target: the eldest prince.

But unlike with the King's Master, this man's surrounding area was space locked with the Dragon Claw before he could leave with his target.

He cursed as he wondered whether he had just been unlucky or whether the King had for some reason prioritized his own capture over the other's.

Realizing that the reason was moot, his expression morphed into one of pain as he thought about the loss his sect was about to bear.

Without hesitation, the man closed his fist around a trinket that looked like a glass crane.

As it shattered, the dragon claw distorted for an instant due to the awesome power of the strike it released.

BOOM

Daneel witnessed for the first time how powerful the strike of a Champion was. After the man shattered the trinket, the shining beak of a crane had come into existence in front of him.

It attacked the center of the closing Dragon Claw, making a visible shockwave spread across the plaza which pushed everyone back.

His heart thundering in his chest, Daneel had to cast a spell himself in order to not fall back. Many of the people in the plaza had already fallen down and were now trying to run back, afraid that more destruction would follow.

Thankfully, almost all of the force had been endured by the Claw, which had distorted before starting to solidify again. Yet, that instant of distortion had been enough for the duo of the man and the Eldest Prince to get away.

Along with them, the beak also vanished, almost as if it had never been there in the first place.

A pin-drop silence greeted the whole area, while everyone tried to regain their bearings.

Two men had successfully infiltrated the heart of the capital of Lanthanor and managed to steal away two of the most notorious nobles who had been responsible for hundreds, if not thousands of deaths.

Stunned, everyone could only gaze up into the air where Daneel was standing.

Same as them, Daneel was also momentarily dazed due to the events that had occurred.

While the other nobles on the stage looked on in envy at the location where their relatives had just escaped from, the King of Lanthanor was trying to get rid of the blankness which was present in his brain to address the masses below and do his duty in allaying their fears.

Yet, there was no one to allay his own.

Chapter 118: Aftermath

Resisting the urge to hit his own head in order to snap out, Daneel somehow managed to bring his wit together and open his mouth.

This was a crucial time, and the words he would say now would impact the impression the people would have of him.

"People of Lanthanor, enemies have managed to infiltrate our midst and leave with those who have done grave crimes against all of us. As your King, I promise that death shall chase those who have had the gall to try to escape the rightful punishment they deserve. For now, we shall continue with the execution. Elites, take your position around the stage. Grand Court Mage, please take care of the Court Mage and replace him if need be."

In times of distress, it was a calm voice that was the most valuable. Thus, as Daneel's words resounded across the plaza, the fear that had been born in the hearts of the people abated, replaced by the certainty that their King would protect them.

Sighing with relief seeing that his words had had effect, Daneel nodded at Kellor to proceed. Regardless of what had happened, the rest had to be executed. His goal was that although a large part of the people who had gathered wouldn't witness the justice they yearned for today, they would still be able to go to their beds knowing that the King they had chosen would definitely make sure that those who had escaped would reach the same end as those on the stage.

The rest of the execution was more subdued, with Kellor taking the previous Grand Court Mage's place. The latter had had to be moved to the infirmary while word had reached Daneel that his condition was stable.

While looking at the proceedings, Daneel tried to order the questions floating in his head.

Why had Jonah not asked him directly if he wanted to take possession of a prisoner? Of course, Daneel had no idea if he would agree. In fact, he would have leaned more towards rejecting him due to the sheer amount of infractions that noble had committed.

Who had lent him the trinket which enabled him to break the barrier? Daneel knew for a fact that with his Master's power, it would be impossible to break through the barrier like he had done. The penetration had definitely been facilitated by the golden lance he had been holding in his hands.

What had been the reason behind his increased power and why had he been wheezing so much throughout the event?

As for the reason why he had been able to teleport out, that was Daneel's fault. That man had after all been the Master who helped him a lot on his journey. For this reason, he had been quite startled seeing his actions and had thus hesitated a bit before ordering the system to deploy the dragon claw. That gap had been enough for him to leave.

More than anything, it was the look he had given Daneel before proceeding towards his target.

If he wasn't wrong, that look contained an unwillingness, as if he regretted what he was doing, but had no other choice.

This hadn't been the case with the other man. Due to the abruptness of Jonah's attack, there had been enough of a gap between the breaking of the barrier and the teleportation of the man for Daneel to deploy the claw and try to stop the man from taking away the prince.

He shuddered as he remembered what had happened next. Was this the power of those one-time trinkets he had confiscated from the attacking parties before?

The power had just been a bit too astonishing. Now, Daneel understood why a Champion level powerhouse could directly level a Kingdom such as his with just a little effort. The crane beak's attack had just been one strike on that power level.

Who was this man and what force did he come from to be able to use such a valuable trinket to take away the Eldest Prince? What was so valuable about the prince in the first place to warrant such an effort?

So many questions, yet all he had were suspicions.

The execution finally came to a close, yet the atmosphere of joy that was supposed to be there was absent. Although many were happy, a portion of the populace still had morose expressions on their faces.

Before he left, Daneel gazed at all these people and etched them into his memory, choosing to say one last thing.

"My people, justice delayed is not justice denied. Trust in me, and you will not regret it."

With these words, the people in the plaza knelt as one, resulting in a magnificent sight of a sea of bent backs.

This was enough for Daneel to know that his efforts had been successful. Nodding to himself as if coming to a decision, Daneel flicked his finger to set alight the tinder that had been placed below the stage.

The corpses of the nobles were placed standing in the middle of the stage by Kellor, with their heads hanging low.

As the flames roared into life and started consuming the bodies, the people stood up and watched, not saying a single word.

This was the last sight he saw before going back to the palace. The fire which devoured the stage seemed to mimic that present in those watching.

At this moment, Lanthanor stood as one, watching the fire burn away the miserable history of the once-great Kingdom.

And at this moment, they believed in the promise their King had made.

....

Getting back to the palace, Daneel collapsed into a chair in a large meeting room.

"System, show me the Kingdom Statistics."

[Kingdom Management Statistics:

Satisfaction Level: 17%

Dissatisfaction Level: 35%]

Indeed, there hadn't been as much of a decrease in the dissatisfaction level as he had hoped. Things would definitely have been different if events hadn't turned out in the way they had, mused Daneel while he gestured the commanders and the others in his retinue to take a seat.

"Commanders, how did this happen?", he asked, opting to first listen to the opinions of the two whom he respected after hearing so much about.

The past few days had been very hectic, what with all the decisions that had been pending regarding various matters. Thus, he felt that he had neglected the wealth of experience that the two individuals had. In fact, he had heard that the third was actually the most senior, but he always chose to stay at the border for some personal reason.

Cassandra and Aran shared a look between the two of them when Daneel asked them the question.

"My King, we have already alerted the border to immediately notify us if there are any attempts to teleport outside. All scheduled departures have also been stopped."

The Fire Demon was the first to speak after flicking her red hair over her shoulders. Her eyes also had a smoldering fury inside, and she seemed to be controlling her emotions in order to speak evenly with the King.

"Your Majesty, it is most possible that these individuals were in the Capital since before the oath was sworn with the three forces. Either they belong to a force other than these three, or it is possible that there was some way to circumvent the oath that was sworn."

Just as Daneel was about to respond, a knock sounded on the door.

Puzzled, he ordered a guard to open the door to see that it was Felix.

Entering, he first looked at the soldiers in the room before glancing towards Daneel.

Understanding what he meant, Daneel dismissed the elites, leaving only Faxul, Cassandra, Aran, Kellor and Felix in the room.

"Daneel, this parchment was left in my room this morning with a note indicating that it was for you. You had already reached the execution before I chanced upon it."

Taking the parchment into his hand, Daneel realized that it was the type which needed to be bound.

Breaking the tip of his finger with his nail, he let a drop of blood fall on the parchment.

As the others in the room watched on, his eyes widened with surprise as he heard the voice of his Master and now traitor of the Lanthanor Kingdom, Jonah Castle, speak in his mind.

Chapter 119: Decisions

"Daneel, by the time you receive this message, I will have long left the Kingdom of Lanthanor, and maybe even the continent of Angaria. You know that I am oath-bound to the Church. All I can tell you is that an oath made in hate now dictates my own life. As your Master, let this be my last advice to you: Beware oaths, whether you are taking them or giving them yourself.

This is farewell, my disciple. Although I didn't teach you much personally, know that I always had my eye on you and ensured that you always stayed safe while being able to carry out your plans well. I must say that I feel proud to be the Master of a 16-year old self-made King.

If you want answers, and if you think you are strong enough to demand them, go to the place in Angaria where the Roc pierces the Basilisk's eye, and call for the white-robed augur.

Goodbye."

As the last word lingered in Daneel's ears, he could not help but think back to all the time he had spent with Jonah Castle.

Indeed, the bond they shared was more of an unspoken one. His Master took care of him from the shadows, making sure that his actions wouldn't be noticed by those who would have brought a swift end to him and his plans.

In other words, Daneel could have long failed if it weren't for the existence of this drunkard of a master.

Yet, the man had betrayed him and ruined his plan for the Kingdom.

Although Daneel understood that it was probably because of the oath, the knowledge did nothing to lessen the sting he felt from seeing someone he called his own Master act like so.

In fact, he subconsciously knew that this was possible from the day he had found out about the existence of the link between Jonah and the Church.

It was just that..... seeing it confirmed like so hurt, more than he cared to admit.

Daneel was always the type to try to place himself in the other party's boots in order to figure out their intentions. He knew what had happened to Jonah. If his own loved ones had been brutally killed, what would he have done if he had the same power?

With that much pain, he realized that he would have chosen to torture the culprit for an eternity.

Although he reached logical conclusions like these to explain his Master's actions, the stinging pain still did not go away.

"Am I so emotionally invested in all those around me?"

He asked himself this, but he had no concrete answer.

Alas, this was no time to confront his emotions or wonder about doubts like these. The damage had been done, and he now needed to decide what to do next.

Just as he was about to list in his mind all the options he had, Cassandra's impatient voice sounded across the room, breaking Daneel out of his thoughts.

"Your Majesty, did he say anything about the Big 4?", she asked, hope apparent in her eyes.

"No. Why do you ask that?"

"Being a mage, you must have seen the way the elementary particles resonated with his spell, My Lord. Such spell techniques are only talked of in legends, and it is known that the Big 4 are supposed to be in possession of such techniques which have similar effects. These techniques are only taught to their elites, and are partly the reason that they can keep their position in Angaria for so long."

While Daneel heard Cassandra's explanation, he noticed that the anger from before had left her eyes and been replaced by a look of yearning.

Beside Cassandra, he saw Aran looking at her with a worried face. It seemed that this wasn't the first time she had gone on a rant like this.

"Aran, go on.", said Daneel, startling the man and making him consciously adjusted his casual green shirt and black pants.

After doing so, he said, "Please pardon Cassandra My Lord, it is just that it is her wish to obtain such techniques since as long as she can remember. She even joined the army thinking that there were secret techniques like that in the military which she could use in case she got strong enough. Yet, there was no such thing even though she rose to the rank of a Commander, and this made her lay eyes on the Big 4 who are rumored to be in possession of them."

Meanwhile, Cassandra had cooled down and sat back on her seat. Before, lost in the passion in her words, she had been moving more and more forward until the sofa barely touched her underside.

As she heard Aran speak, Cassandra smiled apologetically at the King, knowing that she had spoken out of turn.

Yet, Daneel didn't mind because this had allowed him to get more information about the Big 4. Recalling what his master had said in the parchment, Daneel asked, "Is the Church of Rectitude a part of the Big 4?"

This time, it was Aran who answered the question.

"No, My Lord. The Church is a relatively new force, and it is rumored that they came to Angaria via the endless sea from an unknown place. Whoever follows them are bound by the strictest of oaths, making it so that very little information is available outside. Their practice to obtain followers is to proclaim that any injustice can be reported to them, and that they will take revenge for all those aggrieved when the reports reach a certain number. You must know of the destruction of the famous Dwarve's Rum pub a few years back My Lord, which was committed by the Church. So far, they have only targeted the 6 smaller forces in the continent. For some reason, both the Big 4 and the Church stay away from each other."

So this was the real origin of the Church!

Daneel realized that it was high time he gathered all the knowledge in the library along with the latest news, as it was getting really embarrassing when he did not know basic information about key topics.

Adding it to the list of must-do's which included finding more time for training, he slipped back into a contemplative state.

"What about the other party? Any clues about him?"

To his surprise, it was Kellor who answered this question.

"I may know something about that matter My Lord. You must have seen the crane's beak which appeared to attack the claw made by the Dragon Heart Formation resulting in a temporary distortion of the space lock which allowed them to escape. My Master, the previous Court Mage of Lanthanor, once told me that when one reached the Champion Level, he/she would take on specific names which corresponded to their fighting style. He also said that the threshold which needed to be crossed to get to the Champion Realm was one which corresponded more to comprehension. What one comprehended would form the basis of their fighting style, unlike the earlier realms where there are multiple spells and techniques that only require practice to use. Thus, the crane's beak is an indication that it was a one-time trinket made by the Champion Realm Fighter known as the 'Cantankerous Crane'. But even though this is a fact, it is unknown whether the man simply bought a trinket such as that or is supported by such a powerful figure."

Wait.... that attack had been by a Fighter?!

In the room, both Faxul and Daneel were bewildered as the same question had come into their minds.

The beak had been almost life-like, using a complex interweaving of elementary particles the level of which surpassed what Daneel could comprehend. Thus, he had automatically assumed that it was a spell cast by some Champion Level Mage.

It seemed that he had been sorely mistaken.

Seeing the shock on the two youngster's faces, Kellor said, "My King, you must not be aware that in the later stages, fighters can also control the elementary particles around them to empower their attacks, but in a way different to that of mages. In the Human Level and much of the Warrior Level, fighters have no option but to use the power of their body to attack the other party either using thrown projectiles or close combat. All this changes when their body and mind reach a certain level at which they can begin interacting with the elementary particles. In fact, at the Champion Level, the long-range advantage that mages hold against fighters almost becomes non-existent."

The shock in the youngsters' faces only increased in intensity as each word blew away the preconceived notions in their minds, resulting in them broadening their horizons after finally being exposed to more information regarding the legendary Champions who practically ruled over the continent of Angaria.

Chapter 120: Knowledge

Although all the information was very fascinating, it, in fact, did nothing to give an indication about the background of the man who had infiltrated the stage.

"My King, disregarding that, the only way I can think of is a Warrior Level Spell stored in the Palace Library. But with no Warrior Mage in the whole of Lanthanor, this is an option which cannot be pursued."

Daneel's eyes widened as he heard Kellor speak.

There was no Warrior Mage in the Kingdom, but he had a system which could develop spells with Warrior Level complexity that could be cast even by someone at his level.

Indeed, he had already bound all the nobles using the oathstone.

In one way, oaths were like magical strings which tied the two people between which they existed.

The only situation in which oath magic failed was when the oath-taker was forced to take the oath without their free will. As for the Nobles, Daneel had given an option that they could either give the oath or be killed right away.

In front of death, even a chance of life was very important. Thus, all of the nobles, including the Eldest Prince, had sworn the oath to speak the truth and do whatever he said.

But now that he remembered the events that had occurred, Daneel realized that there had been an extra glint in the Eldest Prince's eyes as opposed to the others. Yet, he had discarded it at the time because he had thought that such an intervention was impossible.

After all, Champion Level one-time trinkets were so valuable that the hostile forces from before had had to seriously consider whether they wanted to use one even though the other option was wasting years of resources and hard work.

Yet, the infiltrator had used one to free the Eldest Prince. At this moment, what puzzled Daneel most was the reason he had chosen to do so. What was so valuable about this prince?!

He had to find the answer himself, and now, he had a way.

"All right. You are all dismissed. We shall convene one day later to decide on the next course of action."

The commanders, Kellor and Faxul all became a little dazed as they heard the sudden order of dismissal. Wasn't the King anguished about the matter just a few moments ago? And now, he wanted a day's break?

Although they were puzzled, none of them voiced out an objection. Some, like Cassandra, thought that he might need time to take control of his emotions because it had been his own Master who had betrayed him.

Unlike the commanders who weren't very acquainted with the King, Kellor and Faxul knew that Daneel was not the kind of a man to need to take time off at such a crucial junction in order to handle his emotions. They knew there was some other reason, but they did not ask out loud, knowing that the King would share whatever it was when required. This was the trust they had in Daneel.

After everyone left the room, Daneel also departed to the library.

The Palace Library was one of the most important locations in the whole of the Lanthanor Kingdom. Along with information about the outside world, almost all of the secret techniques of the Kindom except a select few like the technique the Nobility used to increase their potential were stored here.

In all the time the Kingdom had existed, there had never been a situation like now when there was no Warrior Mage or Fighter in the Kingdom. This was also the reason why Lanthanor stayed in the Nobility's hands: it was because the full might of the formation, when mastered by a Warrior Level individual, needed too much of a price to be paid in order to be broken.

After reaching, Daneel first nodded at the guard's traditional salute before entering the library.

The soldiers guarding the door had actually been quite shocked when they saw the King walk over. They had seen him in the panels before, thus they were able to recognise him at first sight.

After bowing on one knee, they stood up and kept their backs ramrod straight- the very image of perfect soldiers, unlike before when they had been leaning on the pillars on the two sides of the massive wooden doors which were 30 feet high.

The Palace Library was a humongous place, with a very high ceiling 70 feet in the air from which hung crystal chandeliers.

Natural light suffused the area where the chairs and tables meant for readers were placed, giving a special feeling of comfort to whoever chose to peruse the knowledge gathered by the Kingdom over the ages.

The seating area itself had a capacity of over 500 people, making it so that it was the largest indoor place that Daneel had ever seen.

Although a fifth of these had been occupied, he did not mind as there was a specific reading room just for the King.

Sprawling over a single floor, the rest of the room contained gigantic bookcases which seemed to hold thousands of books each. By his estimate, each case was definitely over 30 feet in height.

Opposite the public reading area, the areas set aside for the Nobility and important ministers were located. These were closed circular alcoves attached to the wall, almost pearls adorning a beautiful work of art.

Reaching one such alcove, Daneel used the system to open it before going inside.

The doors to the alcoves were hidden quite intelligently, and they needed a verified Noble to enter.

Inside, he saw the familiar podium that was in both the Town Library and the Academy Library.

On both sides of the podium were C-shaped sofas which looked quite comfortable.

Alas, Daneel had no leisure time to take a book and comfortably settle on the sofa to read.

Grasping the podium with both hands, Daneel first chose to feed the spell regarding the Warrior Level 'Oath Locator' to the system.

As soon as he did so, he ordered the system to make a version which he could use.

Unlike the case of the fireball where he had used increased complexity to make more powerful variations, this was the exact opposite. Yet, the system did not disappoint, as in this case, only the complexity was high while the power needed was not very important.

[Lesser Oath Locator spell developed. If you would like to deploy the spell, please give the names of the individuals you would like to locate.]

As soon as he did so, the reply from the system initially made him smile, after which his expression morphed into one of frustration.

[Target one: Eldest Prince located east of host. Please move closer to the target in order to obtain the exact location.

Target two: Not found. Location cloaked.]

Indeed, his opponent was after all the Master who seemed to have knowledge about most of the things under the sun. It seemed that he had already taken countermeasures, even though the possibility of the spell being cast had already been low.

As for the first target, Daneel had no idea about what lay to the east of Lanthanor. All he knew was that Eldinor was to the West and the Hidden Kill Sect was to the South East.

Information and Knowledge! Whoever had said the famous quote "Knowledge is power" had definitely not been wrong.

In fact, Daneel realized that the reason he had been able to plan and execute everything satisfactorily before in order to obtain the throne was that he had made sure to gather as much information as possible.

Yet, since ascending to the throne, he hadn't had the time to gather all relevant information and knowledge in order to think as tactfully as before. Thus, it almost felt as if he had been floundering through everything while just barely managing to stop himself from causing disasters.

It was time to rectify the situation and go back to the Daneel who couldn't be taken advantage of even a tiny bit.

Now that he had realized this, he decided to first devour everything here before proceeding to the Fists of Justice Training Hall to see just what the 'secret techniques' were which had been left behind by their ancestor.

Chapter 121: Clone

After deciding on the plan, Daneel first proceeded to store all the ones present in the Palace Library.

As a Kingdom which had had numerous Warrior Mages and Fighters over the years, there were quite a few spells and fighting techniques in the archives. Some were the hard work of individuals who had mastered their respective focus to such a level that a spell could be developed. Others had been obtained through trade with other Kingdoms.

While going through the spells, Daneel was reminded of the one he found in the secret library which he knew was the answer to his training problems: the "Clone" spell.

In fact, he had had it on his mind ever since Kellor had said that it was only because of forming a clone that he had been able to meet Daneel on the brief occasions when the then Grant Court Mage didn't have an eye on him.

Yet, Daneel had been disappointed when he heard the reply given by the system when he asked if the spell could be simplified.

[Negative. Due to nature of the spell which requires a high amount of elementary particle control, the minimum level needed for a mage to cast the spell is 7th Grade Human Mage, i.e, Exalted Human Mage level]

The Clone spell worked by using advanced elementary particle control in order to make a replica of a human body. The body would have no power, and its movements would be dictated by the maker. In other words, the clone was a 'puppet'.

There was even a time limit for each body to exist, while the formation of each body took a huge amount of time which was proportional to the comprehension level of a mage.

In this world, knowledge about the anatomy of the body was not as developed as on Earth. Yet, this didn't matter as the Clone spell only created an outer shell which was vulnerable to almost any attack.

In fact, according to Kellor, it wasn't a very widely used spell due to the minimal benefits it gave. Also, the amount of time that was required to make a clone was too high while the time of existence was low.

This limitation even carried over to the Warrior realm. If a Clone spell was cast by a Peak Exalted Human Mage, it would require 10 hours to create a clone which would last a single hour, assuming that the comprehension of the Mage was Red Grade.

Thus, Kellor had said that the clone spell only became useful to those beyond the Warrior Level.

All Daneel wanted was a way to train peacefully while also being able to rule the Kingdom.

Thus, it wouldn't matter if the clone had no protection.

Alas, his level was too low. Thus, Daneel's initial plan in the courtroom had been to somehow get to the level required using the resources left behind by the King.

After all, Ker Gems increased the training speed, and Daneel was an individual with the legendary Gold comprehension.

But now, he wondered if he had made the right decision. With things as they stood, he didn't know how he would be able to find enough time to train at all.

While pondering over the matter, Daneel quickly went through all the spells and fighting techniques contained in the library.

As he did so, he was quite surprised to see many useful spells.

Deciding to first record all of them before developing what he required, he immediately contacted Felix.

Although the Master of the Fists of Justice Training Hall was a bit surprised to see the King suddenly asking whether he could peruse the secret techniques of the Hall, he still acquiesced.

Soon, the same retinue of soldiers could be seen outside the hut inside the Training Hall Grounds which Daneel had gone into all those years ago in order to be inducted into the organization.

He knew that he only had a small breathing time which he had to use effectively if he wanted to take control of his position rather than letting events dictate his actions. Thus, he was in a hurry to exhaust all sources possible.

Also, Daneel had already had the system analyze the "Fists of Justice" technique he had won in the trainee competition.

Before, it had only been able to analyze the first 2 stages due to the limited resources it had at its disposal.

But now, after the upgrade, this was no longer a problem.

The "Fists of Justice" fighting technique was actually one that could be used all the way to the peak of the Warrior Realm!

Although the results had been shocking, Daneel had had no time to reflect on the possibilities they presented or consider training in the technique due to all the events that had happened thereafter.

Thus, he now looked forward to what other techniques the Hall was hiding.

After entering the hut, Felix first closed the door before walking to a bare wall.

Pricking his finger, he proceeded to draw a symbol on the wall.

This was exactly the same technique that Laravel had used in order to open the secret passageway leading into the palace. The symbol glowed and faded into the wall, while a 'clicking' sound echoed across the circular room.

Putting his hand again on the wall, Felix pushed to the side, making a hidden bookcase appear.

There were at least 40 books in different colors neatly arranged. Seeing Felix take a seat after he was done, Daneel walked forward with an expression of excitement.

The palace library had only had around 200 total techniques, counting both the ones for Fighters and Mages.

Thus, 40 secret techniques was already quite a high number.

As he reached the topmost book and opened it, an expression of shock appeared on his face.

It was another Warrior Realm Fighting technique!

Thereafter, each book that he took into his hands made his eyes widen more and more, while Felix watched on wondering why the King was only opening a single page of each technique.

Although each technique was more shocking than the one before, it was one maroon book which froze Daneel, making him gawk with surprise as he read the title over and over again while asking the system in his mind multiple times whether the answer to his query that it had just given was true.

With glee, Daneel realized that he had indeed made the right decision to come and see just what the founding master of the Training Hall had left behind.

[Peak Warrior Realm Secret Fighting Technique: Fighter Replication analyzed. Lesser clone technique can now be developed with limitations]

.....

Meanwhile, in the Black Raven Kingdom.

Unlike in Lanthanor, the throne room of the Black Raven Kingdom only had one seat-the throne.

A majestic black raven with softly glowing feathers was the first thing anyone would see on entering the room.

Although many often cowered thinking that the enormous beast was real, it was just a statue which was part of the throne.

Standing 20 feet tall with its wings outstretched to a length of 50 feet, one whole side of the room was taken up by this statue.

With its vivid eyes glaring at the door, it ensured that anyone who came for an audience with the King would know that the God Beast of the Kingdom was always watching, ready to tear them apart in case they meant harm.

A seat made of the same stone-like material was located between the legs of the Raven.

The man sitting in this seat had long sideburns while the middle of his face had a horizontal scar that ran along his cheeks and nose. His black eyes were fixed on Bevis, who was kneeling on the floor in front of him.

Finally, after a few moments, the man's dissatisfied expression changed into one of expectation while he seemed to have made a decision.

As he opened his mouth to speak, Bevis shuddered and tried not to collapse on the floor, almost as if the voice of the man was tunneling into his ears and causing unimaginable pain.

"Daneel, King of Lanthanor? Let's see if you are really worthy of being called one. Call for the meeting immediately."

Chapter 122: Directives

The next day, a commotion could be seen in the palace with many of the staff running around in panic. The King had just called for a sudden Royal Court.

In fact, they had all been on edge for the past day because of the events that had happened during the execution. Typically, they had been used to the King taking out his anger on subordinates when disasters like these happened.

In recent times, the one that stood out was when the Dwarve's Rum had been destroyed by the Church of Rectitude.

On that day, 4 servants and 3 bureaucrats had been put to the death by King Richard who had been furious at his inability in taking revenge on the culprits.

There had even been rumors that he had also invested in the pub and the fighting ring, which led to the Kingdom suffering huge losses due to the sudden removal of such an important revenue source.

The order to call for a Court had only come in 2 hours before the appointed time. Thus, several ministers and bureaucrats could be seen arriving to the Palace hurriedly in groups while whispering about just what the agenda of the Royal Court would be. Of course, many couldn't help but have sweat appear on their backs, still remembering the days when the previous King had terrorized the Kingdom.

The Royal Court began at 10 a.m sharp with the King entering with the same retinue as he had before, when he met the envoys.

Yet, this time, there was a noticeable difference.

The King's step had a slight spring in it, while his face also had a slight smile. In fact, some astute individuals even noticed that there was something different about him, but they couldn't figure out exactly what it was.

After sitting on the throne, he first gestured everyone to take their seats before opening his mouth and beginning the Court right away.

"You all have seen what happened during the execution that we set up in order to bring justice to the commoners. Alas, at the stage we are in, it is not plausible to look for revenge right now."

Admittedly, many had already guessed this fact. The means that the two infiltrators had used had been a clear indication of the fact that they were not forces Lanthanor could go up against right now. Yet, some had still been worried that the King might take a hot-headed decision to seek revenge as soon as possible. Thus, many sighed with relief when they saw the young King speak rationally.

"We need to focus on the welfare of the kingdom while keeping an eye out for any clues regarding the identities of those who have had the gall to ruin an official ceremony of Lanthanor. Just as I have done before in the presence of the people, I promise that their blood shall flow and their hearts will be rent, making them regret the day they chose to go against this great Kingdom."

These words sent a chill up the spines of those who had just sighed with relief. That had been Daneel's intention: to show that the fury he felt was in no way lessened by the rational decision he had had to take. Lanthanor had just too many things to take care of right now.

Calming down, the slight smile came back on Daneel's face.

"For now, I have three main directives which I want to see carried out in the best way possible. You might have seen that of the 20 ministers who used to be in attendance in Court before I took the throne, only 8 remain. You must know that the rest have fled, or are waiting in prison for a sentence to be passed. But even in the 8 of you, there are only two who are completely clean. I have my eye on the rest, and I do not need to point out who I am speaking about."

All of the ministers had gotten up from their chairs when they heard the King speak of them. Indeed, only 8 of them were left, with 4 on each side of the throne room.

In these 8, just as Daneel said, 6 couldn't help but shake when they heard the King's words. They had indeed transgressed a few times, but it was nothing compared to the crimes of the others. Besides, they handled very important posts, and were also capable of filling in for those that were not present.

As long time politicians, they very well knew that the King was keeping them around both because of their usefulness and the fact that their infractions did not warrant them to be thrown in prison or directly executed. They knew that they had to prove their worth.

No words were required in order to answer the King. The 8 just bowed low, while 2 among them looked into each other's eyes with a broad smile among their faces.

One of these was the Righteous Hawk, while the other was the short man who had spoken in the previous Court regarding Eldinor's demands.

All this time, they had been prevailing with the single hope that a King would come who would turn everything around and give them a chance to show their loyalty to the people they loved so much.

That day has finally come

"Good. Hear the directives, and decide among yourselves the distribution of responsibilities.

"First, gather all the talented blacksmiths and enchanters in the Lanthanor Kingdom. I will be setting up a new 'Research Division' which I shall personally oversee. Lanthanor depends too much on the outside for essential trinkets, and now the time has come to put an end to this.

"Second, form a proposal regarding how we can better monitor the people coming in and out of the Capital and the Kingdom. I know we have a record about all the citizens from birth, but we have no way to identify each unless they speak out their name and place of origin. Even then, the system is not good enough to handle imposters. If we had a good identification system, maybe the two infiltrators would have found it harder to sneak in to such an important event.

"Third, give me a reason why all the top enchanters in the Kingdom choose to move to other Kingdoms, making it so that the RnD division in the Palace has accomplished almost nothing in the recent years. I want a thorough report regarding this. You are all dismissed."

With these words, Daneel kickstarted his plan to make Lanthanor self-sufficient. It was a broad ambition, but he had the power of knowledge and the wondrous system, making it so that it would be a crime to dream small.

Yet, all these matters weren't the reason for the smile on his face that had been there since he had walked out of his room.

In an Energised Training Chamber located underneath the King's chamber, a figure could be seen seated comfortably with legs folded and eyes closed, breathing in the white mist that permeated the room steadily.

Upstairs, the King had just entered the Royal Chambers. If anyone were present in the room, they would be amazed to see his body disperse into nothingness, almost as if the body were just made of ash which was blown away by the wind. The clothes fell to the ground, leaving the room empty.

The figure in the training chamber got up with a wide smile on his face, using the secret passageway present beside him to directly enter the Royal Chambers. Picking up the clothes from the ground, he proceeded to throw them in the basket to the side of the room before being unable to hold the laugh that came to his lips.

In the empty room, the King of Lanthanor chuckled to himself, while hearing the notification in his mind which indicated that his dream of growing in power and handling the Kingdom had finally been achieved.

[Time Limit: 1 hour reached. Fighter Replica dissipated. New clone ready to be deployed.]

Chapter 123: Fighter Replication

"Deploy the clone."

With Daneel's words, a naked figure started forming in front of him.

He had been quite fascinated with this process the first time too, opting to spectate while the system deployed the spell and formed the clone.

It started with a humanoid figure which slightly shone with a silver light.

In fact, the figure looked like it was made up of clouds. With time, the clouds solidified more and more to match his body.

The skin then started to form, with layer after layer coming into existence as each second passed.

To Daneel, it was almost as if someone were weaving the figure into existence in front of him, using the gossamer motes of light in the room as the yarn to give life to his replica.

Facial features and the contours of his muscles came last, leaving him staring into the vacant eyes of his clone.

At this point, no one would be able to tell the difference between the two, at least by just using their vision.

"Keep the standing position and shift consciousness to the clone"

After he spoke in his mind, a flash of light appeared in his vision, blinding him completely.

Something seemed to shift, as if he had changed locations but had not moved physically in order to do so.

While he blinked his eyes in order to regain his vision, Daneel felt very cold.

Looking down after a few moments with his restored sight, he saw that he was naked.

Unlike the last time when he jumped with surprise and almost fell down, Daneel simply looked up to see his original body standing with vacant eyes.

It stood rigidly, and the only movements that Daneel could discern were that of the chest moving up and the down due to the activity of breathing.

As for the expression, it was frozen into the one of interest he had had when seeing the clone come into existence.

This was how the spell worked: the system created a replica of him which he could take control of, provided the replica stayed in the area of a 10-kilometer circle with him as the center.

If the clone crossed this circle, it would dissipate and Daneel would regain consciousness in his original body.

If the clone suffered an attack from even an Amateur Human Mage or Fighter, it would dissipate.

And of course, if the time limit ended, it would dissipate.

Thus, the clone was simply a puppet controlled by Daneel.

The original Fighter Replication Technique allowed a Fighter to make a replica of themselves which they could use to distract their opponent.

The minimum level required to use the technique was the peak Warrior Level, while the Fighter also had to have decent grasp over the secret method of controlling elementary particles without being in possession of a Mageroot like mages.

According to Felix, this technique had been lost due to certain circumstances, making it so that the value of the remaining techniques dropped by a lot.

Apparently, without this secret technique, it was also impossible to reach the Champion Level as a Fighter.

Thus, although the Training Hall had such valuable techniques, only a few of them could even be trained with by the members.

It was only because of the system's existence that Daneel had been able to develop a spell which removed this limitation while also allowing him to cast the spell while only being an Eminent Human Mage.

In contrast to the Mage clone technique which needed control of a huge number of elementary particles which was beyond his level, this technique focused more on the complexity rather than the volume, which allowed him to develop the spell in the first case.

Of course, the tradeoff had been that the replica would be very weak, while also only existing for a short while in a small distance around him.

Yet, these were all parameters that would increase with his own level.

Right now, this was perfectly what he wanted. With the clone, he would be able to address anything that was required in the Palace while also being able to venture into the Capital if he needed to get any information. With the Disguise and Surveillance Tool available in the system, the clone would make a perfect, untraceable spy, albeit being limited in the area that it could operate.

But Daneel's wish of letting his body train and doing whatever he wanted all day was shattered when he heard the final limitation of the spell.

In a day, he could only use the spell twice.

This was the hard limit imposed by the system, stating that it was for the safety of his Mageroot.

Although the system was the one deploying the spell, it was still only using Daneel's mageroot in order to control the elementary particles.

The original spell's complexity was just too high, while Daneel's level was also too low.

Thus, the strain placed on the Mageroot was too high. It was akin to a man lifting a load well beyond his body's limit-he would be able to do so once or twice, but doing it a third time without taking rest might result in his back breaking.

If he deployed one clone, 12 hours of rest was recommended. But like now, if two were deployed back-to-back, Daneel would have to rest till the next day in order to make a clone again.

Thankfully, this did not impact his regular spell-casting abilities-only the maximum load was burdened, making it so that regular usage wasn't affected.

Regardless, he decided to be frugal about how he used the clone.

Suddenly, through the system, Daneel detected that Kellor and Faxul were making their way to his chambers.

Quickly dressing himself, he shifted consciousness to his original body before going back to the Energised Training Chamber and ordering the system to deploy the development techniques after lying down comfortably. The last time, he had felt an intense burning sensation in his legs after shifting back consciousness due to his folly in ordering the system to maintain a sitting pose.

According to the description of the original spell, if an individual did reach the level to train in it, he would be able to control both bodies simultaneously by splitting his mind.

Alas, this was still far away from Daneel. Thus, he could only resort to ordering the system to do some simple tasks such as sitting and standing, which was apparently all it was capable of.

Just as the vacant eyes of the clone became clear again, a knock sounded on the door.

Opening the door through the system, Daneel took a seat in one of the sofas he had ordered to be brought over.

Before, the chambers had been bare except for the bed, the dragon heart in the middle and a few cabinets.

Now, 5 sofas were arranged neatly facing the dragon heart while one luxurious chair was in front of them, with its back against the root of the formation.

Taking a seat in this plush chair, Daneel waited for the others to speak while observing if they would be able to notice any change in him. Although they hadn't said anything before on the way to the Royal Court, he wondered if they saw something which might let them suspect that he was actually a clone.

"My Lord, the Black Raven Kingdom have sent over a message in the official communication trinket."

Saying so, Kellor took out the raven-shaped bronze trinket that the envoy, Bevis, had left behind in the Kingdom. Daneel had bound it before leaving it in the room which held all such trinkets.

The raven actually reminded him of the one which Faxul had thrown at him. Yet, it seemed somehow .... primitive when compared to the exquisite craftsmanship of the one which had shockingly turned out to be a display trinket.

Generally, parchments were used for short range communication while trinkets like these were used for long to very long range transmissions.

Daneel had noticed that his friend had been very stiff in his movements when he entered the room. Now, he realized that it was probably because of the mention of the people who had killed his family.

His eyes transfixed on the glowing raven, Faxul watched on with a stoic expression while Daneel took it into his hands and heard the message.

After a few moments, he looked up with a grin on his face before saying, "They are asking for the meeting again. I guess its high time we found out just what is so important. Coordinate with their officials and set up a meeting tomorrow at noon at the North Gate. Oh, and make sure that a reserve camp is set up 5 kilometers from the gate. We will be making a stop there before going to the meeting."

If they were laying a trap, the Black Raven Kingdom would definitely be sorely disappointed when the King of Lanthanor simply disappeared from the location, as if he had just been a mere figment of their imagination.

Chapter 124: Research Division 1

With the rest of his day free, Daneel calmly trained in the Energized Training Chamber.

Early the next morning, a message came to his chambers which said that his first directive had already been fulfilled.

All of the talented blacksmiths and enchanters in the Kingdom had already been gathered, and were now waiting in the same clearing in which he had spoken to the Domination Corp.

This time, it was his original body which attended the meeting.

The clone had no mageroot, making it so that even the simplest spell could not be cast by it. Thus, Daneel had no other option but to use his original body if he intended to do something which involved fighting or casting spells.

Kellor was still coordinating with the ministers in order to fulfill his other directives, while Felix had gone back to the Training Hall to take care of some matters. Thus, it was just Daneel, Faxul and the two commanders who reached the clearing along with the retinue of soldiers who were now being called as the Royal Guard.

Realizing his folly before, Daneel had already decided to have the commanders accompany him as much as possible. What he liked most about them were their unyielding ideals which had stood against the barrage from the previous King for a very long time without being shattered. Also, he believed that their experience would definitely be invaluable no matter what situation he found himself in.

Both Aran and Cassandra found themselves also liking the King more and more. All these years, they had already gotten used to hiding their thoughts in order to not bring trouble on themselves. Finally, they had a chance to use their knowledge about the Kingdom to hopefully do some good to the people whom they had entered the army to protect.

Yet, even the experienced commanders couldn't help but stare when they arrived at the clearing.

What greeted them was a ragtag group of individuals, comprised of men and women of all ages and backgrounds.

Beggars, merchants, bureaucrats, slum-dwellers- each and every spectrum of the Kingdom were clearly represented in this group.

In fact, Daneel found himself wondering whether he had even come to the right clearing.

When the group saw the Royal Retinue making its way towards them from the palace, all of them either stood up or straightened themselves.

After bowing to the King, they couldn't help but notice the shock in the commanders' and the King's eyes.

Indeed, when they looked around them, they themselves doubted whether they had followed their instructions correctly.

"Greetings, My Lord. I am Sullivan, the new head of the RnD division of Lanthanor. I only took this post this morning after an inquiry into the division showed that the former head and vice-head are now imprisoned for laundering money. I was previously the one slated to replace the vice-head, thus I now represent the whole division."

The one who spoke was a man in blue robes with the symbol of a strange hammer with a single star floating above it emblazoned on his chest. He seemed to be middle-aged, with greying hair and skin that had begun to wrinkle.

Yet, his eyes were some of the sharpest that Daneel had ever seen.

Having studied enchanting himself, he knew that this was the mark of an enchanter.

Enchanters were required to have very strong senses in order to achieve the fine-tuned skill in engraving formations that was required. Thus, those who crossed a threshold on their journey as Enchanters could easily be distinguished from the masses, unless they chose to conceal the fact for some reason.

Around Sullivan were 15 other people in similar blue robes, yet their symbols did not have the star floating above the hammer like Sullivan's did.

Finally recalling where he had seen this symbol before, Daneel was startled as he realized just who this man was.

"You attended the Eldinor School of Enchanting and obtained the certification as a Grade 1 Enchanter?"

"Yes, My Lord. I passed the test for a Grade-1 Enchanter, while my 15 colleagues also attended the School."

Hearing the answer, Daneel couldn't help but ask the system to tell him all the information it had recorded regarding this School.

The Eldinor School of Enchanting was the most famous academy known throughout the 6 Kingdoms which boasted of producing the best enchanters.

Yet, the way the School worked was quite peculiar. Instead of focusing on talent, the only thing the School required was money.

Any individual who could pay a certain amount of gold or energy materials were eligible to enter the classes meant for those below the level of a Grade-1 Enchanter.

Even the price wasn't fixed, as the seats were limited which made it so that many times, a seat would go to the highest bidder.

Thus, no matter the nationality, anyone could enter as long as they had enough gold in their pockets.

In this way, the Kingdom of the Elves earned a huge sum of money each year.

Grade-1 Enchanters could only make trinkets for those in the Amateur Human Level, but this was already a very lucrative job when one considered the huge demand that an Enchanter would have no matter where he went.

If someone showed enough promise and wanted to be a Grade-2 Enchanter, the Kingdom required them to swear an oath to only serve Eldinor if they wished to obtain the knowledge required to train further.

Thus, they assured that their core knowledge only served themselves.

This reminded Daneel of the institutions back on Earth which charged enormous amounts of money for the services they gave.

With his curiosity regarding the background of these 16 people satiated, Daneel turned towards the others.

There were at least 1000 individuals in the group, with many even looking like they had come in from the countryside.

"All blacksmiths raise your hands."

With Daneel's command, over three-quarters of the group put their hands in the air, making the King sigh as he saw that his suspicion had come true.

Treading on the path of Enchanting required one to be a mage first and foremost, which meant that the possible demographic was already cut down by a large amount.

Along with that, only two types of people chose to go down the path of enchanting: highly talented mages who had the confidence to train in both effectively, or those of very low talent who turned to Enchanting in the hopes of earning a quick buck.

Except for the ones in blue robes, the rest in front of him were the latter.

Yet, Daneel's sigh hadn't been one of sadness-it had been the exact opposite.

These were exactly the people he wanted.

For many days and even years, Daneel had been thinking about just what concepts he would carry over to Angaria from Earth when he became King.

As someone who had been quite talented in academics, Daneel remembered for the most part all he had learned up until the time when he entered college, which was when the disaster which led to his death happened.

The problem with most obvious options was that there was no way to ensure that the design would stay with him. Replication was all too easy, and if he wasn't careful, it was very real possibility that he would end up making strong opponents even stronger by equipping them with advanced weapons.

Thus, he could only resort to things which couldn't be copied, like the Honey Trap Solution.

Although everyone knew the general concept, it was almost impossible for them to develop a spell similar to the one made by the system, at least in a short time.

Hence, what he needed were concepts that he could carry over from Earth which could be applied in a non-replicable manner using the system to add a uniqueness that would baffle anyone who even tried.

After thinking long and hard, he had chanced upon one concept which revolutionized the 19th Century and was instrumental in directing the way the Earth developed. In fact, almost every product sold on Earth had to have gone through this process at some point in its development.

It was the assembly line.

Chapter 125: Research Division 2

"All of you are invited to join the new Research Division of Lanthanor. A special individual has been appointed as your head. Your salary will be decided based on your skill, and if you wish to join, you must immediately move into the Palace tomorrow with your family and swear an oath of secrecy."

In the Kingdom of Lanthanor, a job in the Palace which didn't require interaction with the King was the most sought after dream. With free lodging, food and a handsome salary on top of that, any family could live a comfortable life and even build up a healthy amount of savings if they somehow managed to enter the palace.

Of course, the first condition existed when the previous King was in place. Now, with Daneel on the throne, there was nothing sweeter that he could have said in order to entice those in front of him.

The only ones who hesitated were the merchants and bureaucrats who were already well off. Yet, Daneel's next sentence made them open their eyes wide and nod with glee, signaling their willingness to join the division.

"I promise that each and every one who joins will have an increase in their ability. The minimum work tenure is 5 years, after which you can choose to leave if you swear the oath to never divulge the secrets you will be privy to in this time period. You have until tomorrow to make your choice."

In this world, power and skill were everything. With Daneel hanging the bait of improving their skills while being paid for it, there was almost no one in the crowd who even thought of rejecting the offer. As for the tenure, it was quite common especially when it came to jobs like these.

Dispersing the crowd, Daneel walked back to the palace with his retinue with an expression which looked like he was lost in thought.

Among those in the clearing, there was one man with his hair tied into a bun who was looking at the rear of the retinue with a pensive expression.

He was wearing faded clothes, and he had taken care to not draw attention to himself no matter what. Making sure to stand near those who had similar garments, he blended in while keeping his eyes fixed on the King of Lanthanor.

Even when everyone got expressions of excitement and joy hearing the King's words, he emulated the same.

Now, with the meeting done, he made his way out of the Palace before idly walking towards a nondescript house in the west of the Outer City.

The highest building in Lanthanor was the Palace, with towering spires that could be visible from far away. As for the outer city, 3 floors was the limit that any residential building could have.

This rule had been passed by a long-dead King, and even the reason had faded from people's minds.

After carefully looking around in order to ensure that no one had followed him, the man entered the building and got to his room on the ground floor.

Closing the door behind him, the man made a meticulous search of the room, ensuring that no one had entered when he was gone. The hair he had placed were all in place, and none of the secret alarm trinkets had been activated.

Finally sighing with relief, the man opened his mouth wide and put his hand inside, grasping something and pulling with force.

With a grunt, his hand came out of his mouth holding a small white cuboidal object.

It had been placed with his molars, making it indistinguishable from teeth during normal speech.

Cutting his finger and making a drop of blood fall on the object, the man patiently waited until a soft glow could be seen emanating from his hand.

A small panel measuring 5 inches diagonally appeared on his palm from the object.

If Daneel were standing in the room, he would surely be shocked to see the Elf whom he had sent scurrying from the Throne Room in the panel.

"Bonloheim eshitare"

"Code confirmed. Make your report."

Hearing Eldra's cold voice in his ears, the man shuddered as if he were remembering some memory of pain.

"The King has called all the blacksmiths and enchanters in the Kingdom to make a new Research Division. A special individual will lead the division, and he has ordered everyone interested to shift to the palace by tomorrow. What are my orders?"

"Standby"

The panel went out of focus, while a curtain of sweat appeared on the man's face. It seemed that talking to the Elf took a lot out of him, which was evident from the way his lips quivered as the memories of torment and agony played in his mind.

After a few moments, Eldra reappeared on the panel.

"A specialist will be sent to infiltrate and take over your post. Sadly, your identity has been compromised. Your family will be taken care of."

"NO NO NO! I WAS CAREFUlL! I GOT RID OF THE-"

A bright, silver fire suddenly appeared on his forehead, at the exact position that a person's Mageroot was located.

Seeming to have originated from inside the skin, it spread all over his face which had morphed into an expression of frustration and pain, before proceeding to engulf his whole body.

Beyond the first scream, nothing else could be heard, as the vocal chords of the man had already been completely devoured by the demonic flame.

In a matter of seconds, only ash remained which was blown away by the wind leaving no trace of the man who had been standing inside the room just a few moments ago.

As for the small tooth-sized panel trinket, it also exploded into a cloud of silver fire which dissipated just like the one which had eaten up the man.

BOOM

Aran burst into the door, eyes flitting around the room only to find nothing.

Although some of the best soldiers had been assigned to track each person who left the Palace, this particular one had just been a little too crafty. Thankfully, the tail had been able to follow the man to the general area.

Due to him immediately reporting the situation, Aran and the other soldiers were able to quickly track down his house by asking the citizens on the way that he had passed. Alas, they had been too late.

On searching the room, all they found were standard alarm trinkets. No trace of the man's identity or nationality could be found, no matter how much they went over each inch of the small flat with a fine-toothed comb.

Gritting his teeth with frustration, Aran could only use the communication trinket to report the result to the waiting King.

Hearing the news, Daneel shook his head. He had hoped to capture out some of the spies using this technique, but it seemed that he had been too naive.

Of the 1000 individuals who had come to the Palace, 6 had moved surreptitiously, trying to make sure that no one followed.

The other individuals' address had already been stored, as there was nothing to say that they wouldn't simply report later. Later, Daneel had planned to conduct another round of searching on those who rejected the offer.

He actually hadn't been expecting anyone to immediately report, thus he had been quite surprised to hear that there were actually 6 leads.

A Kingdom's strength could easily be assessed by the length and breadth of its spy network. If a force ordered a spy to right away deliver a report knowing that there were risks involved, then it definitely meant that the force valued the advantage of getting to know about something immediately over the life of a spy. This could either mean that the spy was disposable, or that the news was simply too valuable, making the force disregard the loss of the spy.

Of course, the former presented a terrifying possibility: the force might have so many spies in place that losing one might mean nothing to it.

Kellor had already told Daneel about the spy problem that every Kingdom faced. Thus, this had been his first attempt at capturing one in order to extract some information, or prevent the news of the meeting from leaking out so soon.

Alas, 4 of the 6 had self-destructed by the time the soldiers got to their locations. The other two were in custody, but it seemed that they might be under oath to not divulge any secrets.

But of the 4, only one had been able to completely leave no trace behind, unlike the others whose bodies were at least still available.

Daneel could only stare into space and wonder at the power of a force which had such horrifying means.

Meanwhile, Kellor, who had been directing this operation from the King's chambers while Daneel addressed the clearing, spoke.

"My Lord, the Black Raven Kingdom has confirmed the date and time. The meeting will take place tomorrow at noon, at the North Border Gate."

Chapter 126: Meeting The Black Raven Kingdom 1

"Arrange everything as per my instructions. We will be heading to the base camp first before proceeding towards the meeting. And send me all the detailed reports about the spies we have."

Nodding, Kellor stood up and left the chamber, leaving Daneel and Faxul alone in the room. The two commanders had gone to handle the spies and were yet to return.

"What do you think should be done about the spy problem? I can't have all the other Kingdoms finding out about everything I do so easily."

Faxul, who was sitting in front of the Dragon Heart, pondered for a bit before answering.

In a way, Faxul helped Daneel a lot in making some decisions which didn't involve any secrets which he couldn't tell to anyone, such as those regarding the system. It was because he had a great analytical mind, and was excellent to bounce ideas off of.

"If possible, misguide. If not, do not do anything in a way that it can easily be observed and reported."

Although the suggestions were simple, they still covered the best options that Daneel had.

Such was Faxul's way of speaking: succinct as always, and cutting to the root of things with as fewer words as possible.

Sighing in response, the King said, "True. We will need to brainstorm more on this with the commanders and Kellor, but that can come later. Right now, I need you to tell me whether I can trust you to control yourself when we go to the meeting. If there is even a chance that you can't, it's better that you stay behind."

Straightening his back and raising his head to look at Daneel, Faxul opened his mouth but no word came out.

It was because he was reminded of the situation in the throne room, where he had barely controlled the urge to pounce on Bevis.

Bevis had only been one of those who chased him when he was running away from the Kingdom, but going to the meeting would mean that he would be in the presence of the man who was responsible for it all.

Unwittingly, a memory floated into his mind.

In a large, richly furnished room, an abnormally large raven stood in the center while having its beautiful feathers stroked by a black-haired kid.

He was talking animatedly to the bird, although the latter was only closing its eyes and enjoying the feeling of being pampered.

"Son, you talk so much! I swear I don't remember the last time I saw you keep your mouth closed for even 10 minutes except while sleeping! You know the raven can't understand you, right?"

A man with a large mane of hair strode into the room with a wide smile on his face while lovingly admonishing the kid in a doting voice.

"But I just love to talk, Dad! I even dream of finding someone whom I can talk with all day! And Jondar is the best, he doesn't leave when he hears me talk on and on....."

Seeing the slightly sad look appear on his son's face, the man laughed and took him up in his arms, hoisting him on his shoulders.

Suddenly finding himself on the strong shoulders of his most favorite person in the world, the kid laughed with unconcealed glee.

Only, this happy memory instantly morphed into the last image he saw in the panel before his father passed away.

Coming back to his senses, Faxul noticed that his fingers had almost dug into his palm due to the sheer force with which he had been tightening his fists.

His eyes coming back into focus, he looked straight at Daneel and said, "I want to see the man responsible for everything. Controlling myself will not be a problem."

Although Faxul knew he wasn't sure about the latter, he felt a burning need to fulfill the former.

"Alright. For now, let's go see how many of our former comrades stay with us. I've already asked Kellor to assemble them.", answered Daneel, getting up from the chair and walking towards the door while Faxul followed with an expression of anticipation on his face.

.......

In the same clearing in which Daneel had talked with the Domination Corps before, a group of teens waited with varying expressions on their faces.

The majority were smiling while talking animatedly with their friends.

Yet, in the middle of the clearing, at least 100 teens who were whispering among themselves in serious tones were gathered.

"Sedwig, you must be joking."

"I don't know, Helvix. We already swore to do everything he says. What if this is all simply so that he can remove those not loyal to him?"

"Re-remove?! You can't be serious! He is the King who freed us from tyranny and even executed nobles who committed injustices.... he can't possibly be that cruel with us, who chose to follow him..."

"Humph, that might all be a scam to gain the trust of everyone. What if he turns out to be the same?"

This conversation between two teens in the center of this group suddenly halted as they had looked up to see that the King's retinue was approaching.

This time, it was only the King and his closest friend, along with the soldiers.

"I trust that you all must have made your decisions by now. All those who wish to stay, walk towards my left. The rest, walk towards the right and wait while I come to each of you to release you from your oaths. Of course, you will have to swear an additional oath that you will not speak about any of the things you were ordered to do while in the Domination Corp."

Hearing the King's straight forward statement, the teen who had been scoffing could not help but get a shocked expression on his face.

While all those around him moved as per the King's instructions, he found himself torn.

On one hand, he wanted to leave the Corps in order to take care of his ailing mother. On the other, he was afraid that this was all a ploy to weed out and kill those who were not loyal to the King.

His mind stuck, he could only stand in his place while the rest separated. In the end, he found himself alone in the center of the clearing, still wrestling with the indecisiveness in his mind which had plagued him for the past few days.

"Oh? What is wrong? You are Sedwig, right?"

Hearing his name called, the teen snapped out his thoughts and panicked, seeing that everyone in the clearing was looking at him.

"My Lord, yes, he is Sedwig. He wishes to leave the Corps, but he is afraid that this might be a scheme to eliminate those who are disloyal to you. He also thinks that bringing justice to the commoners was a scam, after which you might turn into a King similar to the one before."

Gasps could be heard around the clearing while a teen wearing white robes stepped out of the group on the left and spoke to Daneel.

It was the first member of the Domination Corps, Joshua.

Seeing a Corps leader rat him out in such a way, Sedwig started shaking in fear.

If it were the previous King, his head would already be rolling on the floor right now.

"Don't worry, I asked Joshua to collect information regarding the thoughts of those who wish to leave the Corps. No harm will come to you, and you will also be given special preference if you choose to enter the army. Finally, for your services so far, each of you who have chosen to leave will obtain a reward of 100 Gold Lans."

Almost as if each word of the King was breaking down his psyche, Sedwig fell to the ground and knelt, trying to control the tears in his eyes due to the feelings of relief and regret that came into his mind.

Growing up with a father who came home almost every night to beat him and his mother in a drunken stupor, he had developed a cynical attitude towards life. This stayed with him although his father had died when he was 7, leaving him and his mother alone.

He had joined the Corps to seek revenge for his mother who had been injured heavily by a passing Noble for the nonsensical reason of quoting too high a price for some pots she had been selling.

Now, with his thirst for revenge already satiated, he had found that cynical attitude coming back.

But at this moment, he realized how wrong he had been.

Watching the teen cry, Daneel found himself understanding more about the natures of the subjects he was now in command of. This had been his goal in ordering Joshua to collect the information in the first place.

Finishing the rest of the meeting without any hassle, he dismissed the Corps and headed to his room to train and sleep.

Tomorrow, he would finally be meeting the man who had murdered his best friend's family in cold blood.

Chapter 127: Meeting The Black Raven Kingdom 2

"Your Majesty, I am Luther, the commander of the Regular Fighter Army."

In the reserve camp set up as per his orders, Daneel met the famous third commander for the first time.

Each and every story about this man was told with a tone of awe in the army. 'Born for the battlefield' was his moniker, and Daneel wished he could sit down with this man and find out just why he was known by this domineering name, but this was simply not the time or location.

The meeting would begin in a half-hour, and the advance army of the Lanthanor Kingdom comprising of 10,000 soldiers had already reached the Border Gate. The meeting would take place in a large tent erected underneath the humongous gate that separated the two Kingdoms.

Asking him to rise from his bow, Daneel said, "Luther, glad to finally make your acquaintance. I heard that you have the most experience amongst all the commanders. What do you think about this meeting?"

Hearing this, the scarred man first looked towards Aran and Cassandra who were also beside the King. The reserve camp was simply a group of tents set up with additional soldiers stationed here, waiting to teleport to the gate in case any altercation occurred.

As it was a formal event, Aran wore a velvet robe that reached his knees while Cassandra had donned leather pants and a maroon waistcoat over a white shirt. As for Daneel, he was wearing a dress similar to the one which he had worn for the coronation, now with a silver dragon instead of the crimson one.

"I have nothing new to say except what Aran and Cassandra must have already told you, My Lord. We will try our best to protect you in case things do go awry. The Black Raven Kingdom have never been the most peaceful of allies, and it is best to be cautious. I will be waiting outside with our army to rush in if you give the signal."

Nodding, Daneel said, "Alright. Leave me alone for a bit. We shall depart in a few minutes."

Although the request was a bit weird, everyone left the tent, leaving Daneel alone. Closing the tent flaps, he walked to a large box which he had said contained trinkets that might be of use.

It was 7 foot long and 3 feet wide, and it had been made by the Palace Carpenter as per his specifications.

"Deploy clone."

Taking off the robe, Daneel wore a casual shirt before entering into the box. The box had small air holes, making it so that his original body wouldn't suffocate to death and make the box the coffin of the King of Lanthanor.

Walking out after he was done, Daneel ordered the retinue to continue towards the meeting.

The three commanders had indeed urged him to be careful, but they didn't know that his cautiousness had already reached the next level.

.....

70 feet high and 50 feet wide, each and every border gate of the Kingdom of Lanthanor was a sight to behold. Many wondered just why such gigantic gates had even been constructed in the first place, but there was no answer to this age-old question.

Normally a busy location with traders and travelers passing through the gate, it was now closed off to all.

A 30 feet by 30 feet tent had been set up exactly in the middle of the gate, making it so that one part of it was in the Black Raven Kingdom, while the other was located on the sovereign land of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

"Enemy army approaching!"

The soldiers present on the gate and the surrounding walls had already been filled with tension due to the tense atmosphere. This shout only served to make more sweat appear on their already drenched backs.

Indeed, an army with at least 10,000 soldiers had just reached the vicinity of the border. From the distance, the soldiers could see that it was comprised mostly of individuals wearing black clothes carrying spears in their hands.

As they stopped their march, a group of 50 people detached from this force and made their way to the gate.

Instructions had already been set in place, so of the 50, 5 entered the tent from the entrance situated in the Black Raven Kingdom.

"Oh? And I thought I arrived early."

The King of Lanthanor was already calmly seated on a wide chair. Around him, there were four individuals standing at attention and attentively looking around.

Of these four, one seemed strangely familiar to the man who had just entered the tent and said these words. Yet, try as he may, he just couldn't figure out why this was so.

The Black Raven King was wearing the fur of some sort of animal on his shoulders, with carefully sculpted bone shoulder guards contrasting with the deep, dark color of the fur coat.

He was accompanied by 4 individuals who had ravens similar to the one gifted to Daneel standing on their shoulders.

As people of equal status, the etiquette module which he had activated in the Heads Up Display of the system had already told him that there was no reason to stand in order to greet the other party.

Thus, Daneel simply watched on as his counterpart sat down with the four men standing at attention behind him.

"You did, and so did I."

Chuckling at Daneel's measured response, the man said, "I trust you have been well, King Daneel. When you hear about the reason for the meeting, you will understand my ur-"

His voice cutting off abruptly, the man turned around to look at a specific location.

"Jondar, go."

With a wave of his hands, a gigantic Black Raven at least half the size of a human suddenly came into existence in the air in front of him.

Switching on his elementary sight, Daneel looked on with shock, unable to understand just how this beast had escaped his senses. The space was locked in the location, and he also hadn't detected any spacial disturbances indicative of a breach.

With a single flap of its wings, the raven accelerated to a blinding speed and flew out of the tent like a bullet after effortlessly making a hole in the fabric which could apparently only be cut by someone at the level of an Exalted Human Fighter.

Only a few seconds later, the raven came back clutching a dead man in its talons. The man's stomach had a huge gaping hole, while the raven's beak and a part of its head were covered in blood.

Dropping the man at the foot of the Black Raven King, the raven blinked out of existence again.

This time, Daneel managed to observe and figure out just what had happened before. The raven had somehow turned into a stream of elementary particles with entered the King's body, almost as if it were a spell instead of a living being.

Yet, at the last moment before the raven disappeared, Daneel could have sworn that it looked to his right with an expression of hope and longing in its eyes.

Indeed, to his right was Faxul, who had been staring at the bird all this while.

"Humph, an Axelorian dog. He was standing near my army. Anyway, let's get down to business."

Saying so after bending down to touch the body, the Black Raven King sat back down in his chair.

With a nod of his, one of the soldiers standing behind him walked forward and took the body away.

Daneel knew that this had simply been a show of force, in order to establish the King's dominance by displaying his power.

Of course, the reason he knew this was that he had also planned something similar which would have the same effect, but it was towards the end of the meeting.

Yet, all such thoughts flew out of his head when he heard the Black Raven King speak again after scratching the scar that ran across his face.

"I wish to ally with the Lanthanor Kingdom to fulfill an order for a certain shipment of goods to one of the Big Four. The reward is that two individuals will be able to enter the tutelage of that force and learn their secret spell technique. If you agree, I am willing to share one spot with your Kingdom."

Chapter 128: Meeting The Black Raven Kingdom 3

Secret spell technique!

The first thing that appeared in Daneel's mind when he heard these words was his former Master, Jonah Castle's incredible spellcasting abilities. Each and every one of his spells somehow affected the elementary particles surrounding the ones being controlled by his mageroot, making it so that the effectiveness was increased substantially.

Daneel already knew that the spell techniques were the reason the Big 4 had managed to maintain their dominance over the continent for so long.

This only served to show how incredible the reward was.

To Daneel, it was even more valuable because of the existence of the system. If he could somehow understand the principles behind spell techniques, he could possibly use the system to create his own which would bring a tremendous improvement to his power level.

Besides, he could even consider making simpler versions to give to his subordinates, just like in the case of the development techniques.

Overall, obtaining the chance to learn a spell technique could change the whole course of his and Lanthanor's future.

Yet, he couldn't help but wonder what the catch was.

After making sure that he had grasped the attention of the young man in front of him, the Black Raven King continued to speak.

"Originally, I was going to give this offer to the previous King of Lanthanor. If that attack hadn't already been in motion, he would definitely have agreed as the spot could have been exchanged for means to step into the Warrior realm to prolong his life. He was just... unlucky. But you, King Daneel, have this perfect opportunity. The only problem with this deal is that the reward can only be given after the goods are delivered, which will take at least a year in case you agree to the deal now. You must already know of the advantages that secret spell techniques give to mages. This specific spell technique is guaranteed to allow anyone of Crimson or Gold talent to reach the peak of the Warrior level. Although I would much prefer that I send two people from my Kingdom alone, I simply have no choice."

Seeing the Black Raven King sigh and shake his head, Daneel was reminded of salesman back on Earth who pushed people to buy something by highlighting the positives of the product or service while only mentioning superficial negatives. As for the crucial shortcomings, they would be 'conveniently' left out until the consumer discovers them himself and repents for his lapse of judgment.

There was definitely a catch.

"What are the goods?", he asked, making the man in front of him frown slightly seeing that the young King wasn't as enamored with the offer as he had thought.

He had been quite sure that the allure of reaching the peak of the Warrior Level would definitely elicit some sort of excitement which he could have taken advantage of. After all, the 'King' in front of him was only 16 years old.

But at this moment, he realized that he had underestimated the maturity of the teen in front of him, which made him reassess the evaluation he had in his mind. Bevis had already told him something along these lines, but he had wanted to see it for himself.

Reaching inside his pocket, the Black Raven King pulled out three small brown-colored balls the size of peanuts.

Putting his hand in the air with his palm open so that Daneel could see them, he said, "Echer seeds. By the order of the organization which secretly gave me this contract, I can only divulge that they must be grown in fertile soil. I cannot give any other details such as why they chose my Kingdom. The goods are the grown product- Echer plants. In addition to the permission to learn the spell technique, each plant will also be paid for. In simple words, if your farmers grow these, they can earn 3 times what they would if they planted any other crop. Of course, they will require more care than regular plants."

The catch still hadn't come.

Seeing the King of Lanthanor still gazing at him with a pensive expression, the Black Raven King continued speaking albeit in a softer tone.

"King Daneel, as a fellow King, let me give you some advice. The only negative this deal has is that your production of normal crops will decrease, which might affect your economy in ways that only you can assess. In return, your farmers who do switch will obtain higher profits and your Kingdom will even obtain a potential peak Warrior Level Mage. There will even be an advance payment for the crops, which you can use to smooth over any problems that might occur. In the end, there is only profit to be gained. Besides, this is also a limited period offer. The only reason this opportunity even exists is that you have the most fertile land in all the 6 Kingdoms. I wish that my Kingdom had enough, but that is not the case. Besides, this is the first time this kind of contract has been given out by one of the Big 4. If you disagree, I have no choice but to go to the Kingdom of Arafell, who I'm sure will take this offer up in a heartbeat."

Ah, the age-old method of enticing a customer using the lure of a 'limited period offer', mused Daneel.

When comparing to the sales tactics he had seen back on Earth, the act of the Black Raven King seemed laughable.

There was definitely some huge negative, but he seemed to be trying to conceal it. Yet, Daneel knew that he had to find it out himself. After all, the spell technique was too important to him.

"Give me a few seeds to sample. I will give an answer in 6 days. I trust that that is fine?"

"King Daneel, this matter has already been delayed for so long. I was hoping to reach an agreement today."

And thus, the bargain began.

What the Black Raven King didn't know was that because of growing up poor, Daneel was a master at bargaining for even the smallest of things.

It was quite obvious that the Black Raven King wanted him to take the offer without thinking too much.

Indeed, if it had been the previous King, he would have jumped to the offer due to the decades of protection that a Warrior Level Mage would ensure for the Kingdom.

But unlike him, Daneel wanted to find out exactly what the seeds were. Any information he obtained from the Black Raven King couldn't be trusted anyway. Thus, he needed time to investigate the seeds.

"You must understand that I must converse with my officials about the impact this could have. I just ascended the throne, and I'm still getting accustomed to ruling over a Kingdom. I'm sure it must have been the same for you when you took the throne.", he said with a serious expression.

In bargaining, being firm was the most important thing. In a case where both parties wanted to make a deal go through, it would all come down to who desired it more.

Besides, the point where one yielded also signaled the extent of this desire.

"You put me in a tough spot, King Daneel. The only reason I can even consider this is that you are the best option. 6 days it is. You can reach me through the trinket to let me know about your decision, after which I will be able to send over specific instructions."

A deep scowl appeared on the Black Raven King's face as if he was reluctantly agreeing due to having no other option. Getting up, he stretched out his hand towards Daneel.

"I will take my leave now. I hope to hear good news soon."

After Daneel mimicked his actions and shook his hand, the Black Raven King walked out of the tent with his subordinates.

Inside the tent, Daneel found himself wondering whether the man was dumb. The act had been so obvious, and even the lengths the other party was willing to go to in order to ensure the deal made this fact quite clear.

Snatching up the three seeds along with a small parchment containing instructions for planting that had been left on the table between them, Daneel observed them closely, knowing that all the answers lay in them.

....

Meanwhile, the 5 who exited the tent were making their way back to the main army after rejoining with the rest of the 45 soldiers who had been waiting outside.

After glancing back briefly at Border Gate of the Lanthanor Kingdom, the scowl on the Black Raven King's face changed into a stoic expression.

"Everything according to plan?", he asked out loud after making an opaque barrier appear around him and the 4 who had accompanied him inside.

"Yes, we aroused his suspicion, which means that the figure behind him will definitely step in to investigate, just like we wish. Your 'acting' was quite funny to see."

As soon as the barrier came into existence, the 3 of the men had disappeared, leaving the last soldier who morphed into a completely different man.

With white hair and drooping eyebrows, this man looked like he was somehow defying the passage of time to continue living despite being so old that there wasn't a spot without wrinkles on his face.

Hearing his words, the Black Raven King grunted before asking, "Tell the 2 spies who are watching to return."

Yet, as soon as he said these words, the whole retinue stopped and suddenly turned around due to a loud sound that had just emanated from the gate.

Almost all of them couldn't help but gape seeing two bodies flying through the air, arcing perfectly and precisely landing at the entrance of the barrier under which the Black Raven King and the Old Man stood.

Chapter 129: Meeting the Black Raven Kingdom end

The same panel through which Daneel had made the Axelorian army turn back after ascending to the throne came into being on the palace wall, showing the King of Lanthanor still standing inside the tent.

"Please pardon me, I was just throwing out more Axelorian dogs. They were standing near my army."

Seeing the 2 bodies of the men he had just been referring to, the Black Raven King's face morphed into an expression of rage and fury.

Thankfully, the barrier blocked all outside eyes.

"Humph. So he does have some capability after all. This will be interesting."

Hearing the amused voice of the old man beside him, the Black Raven King controlled his emotions and nodded, signaling the retinue to continue by using the communication trinket in his hand.

....

Inside the tent, Daneel was smirking with satisfaction, knowing that his own show of force had definitely been at least as good as the Black Raven King's. The spies had been found by deploying the Surveillance Tool, similar to when he had met the previous King and the Grand Court Mage before as the mysterious Master Novrain. They were quite easy to find, as they had simply burrowed into a hole in the ground while watching his army wait. Of course, no one would have been able to discern that there were humans buried at that locations, as they had left no traces on the ground and had been using some sort of trinket to breathe.

After going to so much effort to hide, the spies would definitely have coughed blood and died if they hadn't already passed away in Luther's hands.

The commander had been quick and efficient in his actions, rushing to the spot immediately without asking anything and decisively executing them before sending the bodies over to the Border Gate.

In fact, Daneel even suspected whether all the three spies killed by the Black Raven King and him were even 'Axelorian Dogs'. Yet, he had used the same lines in order to mimic the man. If he knew that the last one had actually belonged to the Black Raven Kingdom, he would definitely have smiled ever wider at the grand success of his small plan.

Carefully putting the seeds in his pocket, he ordered everyone to return back to the reserve camp.

Regarding the matter of Echer, the others were as puzzled as him. Just the idea that the Big 4 even gave contracts like these to the smaller Kingdoms was news to them. This was definitely something top secret that Lanthanor's spies hadn't been able to find.

After teleporting to the reserve camp, he first entered inside again and switched bodies after resolving to find a different way to go about this whole thing, as he had had no other option to give the strange order again to be left alone.

On reaching the palace, Daneel dismissed everyone, opting to use the rest of the day to train and observe the seeds.

Only, Faxul stayed behind silently after the commanders and Kellor left.

It was only after reaching inside the King's chamber did he open his mouth to speak.

"Be careful. He can't be trusted."

Hearing these words coming from his friend's mouth, Daneel only smiled to show that he was already aware of that point.

"Good job controlling your emotions. Now tell me, was I mistaken, or did that raven look at you before disappearing?"

Daneel had meant to ask his friend this since seeing the emotions in that enormous raven's eyes.

"Yes. It was my father's friend and protector, and I used to play with it when I was a child. I do not know how the Black Raven King is controlling it now."

Saying these words, Faxul walked out of the door immediately.

Although Daneel was a bit startled seeing his friend make such an abrupt exit, he sighed knowing that he must have probably awakened some sleeping memories.

Indeed, Faxul practically ran to his room before closing the door and collapsing on the ground.

The only reason he had been able to stand unflinchingly while seeing his family's murderer was that he had been bottling everything up and constantly telling himself that no matter what, he would definitely kill this man.

Along with that, the sight of his childhood confidante, Jondar, had dug up so many memories that he had worked hard to bury for so many years.

Now, he could only kneel on the ground and shake due to the sobs wracking his body, while trying to control the bloodlust which was threatening to consume him with each passing day.

...

Ordering for pots with fertile soil to be brought over, Daneel spoke in his mind.

"System, how do I analyze these seeds? I want to find out everything about them."

[Please stay in the vicinity of the seeds after planting them. Phenomena Analysis Module will be engaged to observe and analyze.]

Indeed, the Phenomena Analysis Module worked by collecting data about things around him. Thus, it did not mean that he had to consciously sit and stare at the flower pot while waiting for the seeds to germinate.

The only drawback of this tool was that prolonged exposure to the phenomenon was needed. Thankfully, this wasn't a problem with the seed.

After the pots arrived, Daneel chose one with red soil. Apparently, it had been dug out from the most fertile location in the whole palace: the Palace Garden.

Placing the seed inside the soil and pouring a little water on top as per the instructions stated in the parchment, Daneel proceeded towards the private Energized Training Chamber using the hidden door in his room.

Setting it beside him, he entered into a lying position again after ordering the system to deploy the development techniques.

Because his eyes were closed and his full focus was on studying the movement of Energy inside his body, he did not notice that a very minuscule amount of the white mist in the room had been pulled into and absorbed by the seed inside the soil.

In fact, the amount was so small that no human would have been able to discern anything.

Alas, the seed was up against the system, which simply recorded this event while continuing to analyze and find out just what these Echer seeds were.

.....

Meanwhile, in a hidden room inside the Kingdom of the Elves.

One side of this room was covered with panels from floor to ceiling, showing different scenes around the continent of Angaria.

Yet, the eyes of the two women who were standing inside the room were fixed on a particular panel which showed the place from where Daneel had just departed.

It was the North Gate of the Lanthanor Kingdom, and from the angle and position of the image, it could be deduced that the observer was looking down from above while constantly circling over the location.

One of the women gasped as they saw the two bodies fly from the gate towards the retinue of the Black Raven Kingdom. As she saw the image of the King of Lanthanor appear on the wall, a slight panic appeared on her face, as if she was remembering some traumatic experience which had scarred her.

"Eldra, control yourself. Since coming back from Lanthanor, you seem to be affected by something. Do you wish to go to the Well of Focus?"

Hearing these words, the woman shook slightly before answering.

"N-no, My Queen. Apologies for my conduct. I will definitely overcome it by myself."

"Very well, but I expect you to do so soon. I can't have my daughter traumatized by such a small incident. Contact the spies we have inside Lanthanor. No matter what, we must find out the agenda of their meeting. Before the next election, I wish to have Lanthanor under my feet, and I do not want this wish of mine to fail because of the Bastard Raven Kingdom. Get it done."

Saying these words, the woman who had been referred to as 'My Queen' by Eldra disappeared from the room.

Seeing her mother leave, Eldra shivered as sweat appeared on her forehead.

Hastening to take out the communication trinket from her pocket, she started sending out orders to follow the Queen's wishes.

No matter how many spies died, she would definitely make sure that the Queen got what she wanted, as just the thought of the other option made her shake with fear remembering the torture she had had to endure the last time she did something unsatisfactory.

The Queen of the Elves was a very hard woman to please.

Chapter 130: Duty

The Capital of the Kingdom of the Elves was said to be the most beautiful city in all of Angaria. Built with the theme of nature interlaced with architecture, it was the top tourist destination for almost each and every citizen in the other 5 Kingdoms.

Of course, this was only true when one didn't count the mysterious Big 4, which weren't accessible to all.

Even its name, Elfaven, was said to mean 'Perfect City' in the ancient Elf Tongue which had been long lost.

Constructed on a mountain which looked like its top had been cut off by a gigantic sword, just the entrance itself made sure to display the Elves' superiority in magic and enchanting.

In equal intervals around the foot of the 30 km diameter mountain, there stood round mirrors with guards stationed in front of them.

Any and all travelers who made their way over would be asked for their purpose for coming to the city, before their identities were recorded. After this process was done, they would be asked to step into the mirror.

This was the point where one could assess whether someone was coming to Elfaven for the first time. After all, these were mirrors. Why would someone step into them?

Yet, after stepping forward while gritting their teeth and being sure that they would definitely step back due to the impact, expressions of shock would appear on their faces after realizing that it was actually a teleportation formation.

Indeed, the Kingdom of the Elves had spared no cost in order to set up multiple short-range teleportation formations around the mountain to facilitate entry. There was no other way into the city unless one could teleport directly inside, in which case squads of soldiers would be waiting to recieve them.

In the case of an attack, the formations could simply be closed off, while it was rumored that the city had one of the only large-scale space lock formations in all of Angaria to prevent enemy infiltration.

All the formations led to a single, broad walkway paved in yellow stones. Trees with multiple colors of leaves lined this 100 foot wide walkway, resulting in a heavenly scene that made almost each and every first-time visitor's jaws drop.

Further inside the city, buildings would start to dot the two sides of the roads.

The buildings themselves were also a sight to see. With flowing designs and beautifully decorated structures, there was one feeling which sprung up in each and every passerby's heart: perfection.

"Vote for Queen Eldora! Peace and happiness to all!"

"Queen Eldora's blessing allowed me to turn my life around and set up a business after my husband was killed in the army! Bless her heart! We must vote so that she can help many more like me! -A resident of East Elfaven."

A man wearing a grey fur coat shivered in the cold wind as he hurried along on a side road.

All over Elfaven, small bird-like constructs the size of a palm could be seen flying near those walking on the roads and reciting statements like these. After they were done, they would fly away to find their next hapless victim.

Indeed, Eldinor was a democratic country.

The Elves of Angaria had one common trait which could be seen in almost each and every member of their species: Individuality.

Having strong personalities and unyielding mindsets, this was a trait which was said to be both a boon and bane to the race.

It was a boon because it allowed them to pursue anything they wished with a single-minded determination: making it so that the best researchers and enchanters were all said to come from Eldinor.

It was a bane because this trait meant that they would never follow someone's command or rule easily.

Thus, unity had always been the goal of each and every ruler, yet none had achieved it so far.

Democracy was an in-between option that made it so that they could at least grudgingly follow a ruler who had been elected by the majority. If they had any problem, they could always try and stand in the elections themselves.

Of course, only Elves were eligible to cast votes.

As for the people of other races who had settled in the Kingdom, they had no such right even though they were treated warmly.

Grumbling to himself while having no other choice but to listen to all the slogans, the man hastened his footsteps to reach an inn.

Inside, a petite elf with single-bladed earlobes smiled as she saw him enter.

"Devon, your rent is 6 months overdue. If you didn't make the best beer in all of West Elfaven, I would surely have thrown you out by now. Get the money, dear, or I will have no choice to soon."

In a sweet voice, the elf said these words while polishing a few bottles of wine arranged carefully in cupboards lining the walls.

Nodding and giving a smile, the man ran up the stairs to reach his room.

With a single bed and bathroom, there was no clue to indicate that the man had been living here for the past 5 years.

Closing the door, he hurriedly sat on the bed and took out a small coin.

It was a Gold Lan, and if others looked at it, they would simply ask him to take out different currency.

Yet, plucking his finger, he made a drop of blood fall on the coin.

Seeing the red glow that blinked twice before disappearing, a smile came on the man's face, as his blood boiled after what felt like ages.

For the past two years, he had had to do odd jobs while waiting for this call.

Brought up in a secret location in Lanthanor, the value of loyalty and patriotism had been drilled into him since childhood, along with skills like stealth, assassination and subterfuge.

Sent as a sleeper agent to Elfaven, he had been shocked when a message came two years ago that the King had changed the budget and was disavowing all but some sleeper agents in Angaria.

Since then, there had been no resources to support him. Having no other choice but to live by sweeping floors and brewing beer, the man had still been waiting for some message that would give meaning to his existence again.

Finally, the call had come.

2 blinks. One meant to awake. The other meant serve.

Awake from your sleep. Serve your Kingdom.

In all the 5 Kingdoms in Angaria, this same sight could be seen.

The man's eyes burned with passion, as he realized that the time had come to do his duty.

....

In the throne room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

The King was pacing to and fro in front of the enormous Black Raven, while the old man stood to the side with his eyes closed.

"Any word yet?!", he asked again for the 10th time since coming back to the Kingdom.

Frowning as he heard this, the old man first glanced at the Raven behind the throne with reverence before saying, "You gave him a week. Don't be so impatient. We heard what he said to the Elf. The one behind him will definitely be able to find out what we need."

"But what if he doesn't?!"

After waiting for the scream to stop echoing in the room, the old man replied, "If so, then it just means that he was bluffing to the elves. That information could be... leaked."

As a nefarious smile appeared on the old man's face, the King sighed before sitting back down on the throne.

Calling for an attendant, he ordered, "Activate all sleepers in Lanthanor. I want all of his movements, no matter who we need to sacrifice."

.....

Meanwhile, in an underground room in the Palace of Lanthanor.

Around 800 men stood in a circle, watching in awe at a peculiar set up in the middle of the room.

A 30 feet long table could be seen, with enchanting tables holding needles like the one Daneel had seen in Ripley's room all those years ago placed at regular intervals.

The King of Lanthanor stood at one end of the table, holding one such coin in his hands.

"A simple short-range communication trinket. Watch."

Saying so, the King first went to the first table and activated it, making the needles fly out and start engraving on the coin.

A typical trinket like this took 2 hours to be enchanted by a 1st Grade Enchanter. Yet, the King only spent 20 minutes at an engraving table before moving to the rest.

Those in the crowd who had studied enchanting gasped as they saw this.

How is he doing this? Shouldn't it explode? Or at least be ruined? What's the point?

Many such questions floated through their head as they watched the King flit from one table to the next spending 20 minutes at each.

Finally, 3 hours later, he stood in front of the trinket and prepared to finish the final step: activating the engraving.

As the coin became red hot while Daneel concentrated on it, many couldn't help but duck and move back, anticipating an explosion. After all, at this step, if there was anything wrong with the engraving, this would definitely happen.

Yet, the jaws of the crowd collectively dropped as the coin glowed for a bit before going back to normal, indicating that the enchanting had been completed successfully.

"But, My King, it took 3 hours to complete. Isn't that more than the time required usually?"

It was the head of the previous RnD department who asked this.

The King's answer shocked him, making him shake his head as he wondered if he had heard right.

"Imagine a different person at each table, doing the same engraving over and over again until they became so adept at it that it will only take 5 minutes to finish it instead of 20. Wouldn't the total engraving time drop down to 45 minutes? And wouldn't each team of you equal a peak 1st Grade Enchanter?"

Chapter 131: Dream

If someone viewed the capital city of the Elves, Elfaven, from above, they would see a single clear, yellow line stretching from one end of the almost flat mountaintop to the other.

Only, the center of this line would be visible as a large multi-colored circle.

Enveloped by a transparent dome, this was the Palace where the ruler of the Kingdom resided, along with all the officials who took care of all the tasks involved in running Eldinor.

Unlike the Palace of Lanthanor which had a large single-storied complex with towering spires at certain locations, the Palace of the Elves had multiple towers of varying heights-all designed to flow seamlessly, with each tower smoothly transitioning into another.

In one large bedroom located inside the palace, Eldra was sitting by the window and gazing out at the beautiful capital city.

She had a wooden hairbrush in her hand, which she gently ran through her hair almost unconsciously.

Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door, breaking her out of her reverie and making her rush to answer.

A male elf greeted her with a small bow and handed over a sealed envelope. As was the case with most elves, his figure was lithe, as if it were built for speed and elegance rather than strength.

Opening the envelope, a parchment fell out.

Both message trinkets and communication trinkets came in the form of parchments, and this was clearly the former.

"Today, I had excellent luck. Imagine my surprise when I found out that-"

Cutting off the message playing in her mind, Eldra cast a special spell which made a small ball of silver fire appear.

Instead of the one which had devoured the spy in the Lanthanor Kingdom, this one seemed docile, hovering over her fingertips while waiting for her command.

Igniting the parchment, she watched as it burned away leaving behind a small square metal coin the size of her fingernail.

This was a special parchment which had this secondary trinket inlaid cleverly along with the engraving. If a regular fire was used, the coin would be destroyed, leaving no trace behind.

Listening to the message inside the coin, her expression turned into one of consternation as she hurried out of her door, walking towards the Assembly Room with quick strides.

Unlike traditional Kingdoms which had Throne Rooms, as a democratic nation, Eldinor had an Assembly Room in which the ruler would discuss with the elected representatives to reach a consensus regarding matters related to its well being.

Of course, there were different types of Assemblies.

Right now, Eldra had called for an Assembly with the Queen and the top strategists and enchanters of the Kingdom in order to address the information that had been delivered by the spy.

As she entered, she found that the rest of the representatives had already been dismissed in the few seconds in which she had sent the message.

After waiting for them all to leave, Eldra entered and bowed by bending her upper body to an angle of 45 degrees with the floor. This was the standard official greeting in Eldinor, mainly due to the individuality and dignity of the Elves which made them scoff at the notion of bending on one knee, like those in Lanthanor did.

"Speak.", said the Queen, after closing the doors with a wave of her hand.

The Assembly was an enormous room with 100 seats on either side of the path from the doors which lead to the Ruler's Chair, which looked like a simple high wooden chair. Yet, if someone looked closer, they would be able to see that there were many, many fine patterns etched into the wood. All in all, if one stared long enough, they would find themselves being lost and trapped in the maze of delicate lines and drawings which could steal one's soul with their beauty and sophistication.

Eldra stood in front of the Chair, while 6 elves stood in front with their gazes fixed on her.

"My Queen, our source tells us that the King ordered a long table to be made on which multiple engraving benches were fixed at regular intervals. Then, he had a meeting with the enchanters and blacksmiths he recruited, after which they all exited the room with shock on their faces. Although what happened inside exactly has not been determined, I brought this to your attention because you asked me to prioritize any and all information regarding this matter."

Eldra had been expecting a regular report, thus she had been shocked when she received news that the King of Lanthanor had met again with the new Research Division which the Kingdom of the Elves considered a major threat.

Although she couldn't figure out anything else and was puzzled regarding the use of such a peculiar setup, she simply did her duty and reported to the Queen.

Yet, when she saw the expressions of surprise on the faces of the 6 elves and the Queen in front of her, she knew that they must have already gotten some clue regarding the matter.

"Master Zenbar, please bring out the prototype.", said the Queen after a few moments, prompting one of the elves to nod and disappear from the room.

The Palace of the Elves did not have the same absolute space lock as Lanthanor. Instead, certain individuals had the authority to bypass the space lock and teleport. To this date, this was one of the proudest achievements of the enchanters of Eldinor.

A few seconds later, the elf reappeared behind Eldra. As she turned around, she saw that he had brought a round wooden table.

All around this table, there were 6 chairs with 6 engraving benches at regular intervals, reminding her of the report given by the spy.

Seeing her being startled, the Queen said, "This was made 20 years ago due to the theory of a 3rd Grade Enchanter. He said that if the process of engraving the symbols on a trinket can be broken down into multiple steps, individuals could take over each such step and become adept at it with repeated practice. Eventually, it would allow them to reach such a high level of efficiency that each unit of low grade enchanters could reach a level which would let them enchant a trinket at a speed akin to that of enchanters well beyond their level. It is common knowledge that it has been our dream to mass produce trinkets. This would enable us to do so, paving the way for the Elves to take control of the center of Angaria and aim to become part of the Big 4. Remember, Eldra. This is the ultimate goal of Eldinor."

Seeing Eldra nod listening to the statement that had been told by her many times, the Queen continued.

"Sadly, it failed. Master, if you please."

With a stoic expression, the elf who had brought the table took out a piece of parchment from the pocket of the robes he was wearing.

Starting from one of the engraving tables, he spent a little bit of time at each before reaching the final one.

If Daneel had been here, he would have been shocked to see the same demo done in 30 minutes instead of the three hours he had taken. This would mean that the man was actually a 3rd Grade Enchanter!

3rd Grade Enchanters were marked as the strategic resources of any country because of their ability to create trinkets for Exalted Human Fighters and Mages. In most cases, an individual equipped with a combat trinket matching their level would easily be able to defeat one who didn't.

With bated breath, the Queen watched as the elf pointed his hand at the parchment and cast the spell to activate the engravings, turning it red hot in the process.

Yet, this expectant gaze turned into frustration like many times before when she saw the parchment catch fire and turn into dust.

The enchanting had failed.

"My Queen, it is impossible. The only way is to modify the schematic. It is definitely the work of the man behind him who also has the capability to analyze the mosquitoes and obtain proof regarding their source."

The elf spoke with an expression of resignation on his face.

All this while, they had been hoping that the Young King of Lanthanor had been bluffing. This was bolstered by the fact that even with their exhaustive spy networks, they had found not even a trace of this mysterious man.

Yet now, from the reality that the King was somehow in possession of a modified schematic which was something only an expert at that level could create, they had no choice but to accept that they were in a very dangerous situation.

Sighing, the Queen looked into the air cursing her predecessors that had taken the decisions which had resulted in this position today.

"Remain cautious. Keep an eye on him. Obtaining the modified schematic will enable us to make our dreams come true, but then what? If he releases that proof, all of Angaria will devour us whole. From the products that he will soon sell, we will be able to know just which schematics he has. No matter what, I bet it is only a very simple one which, by themselves, take lifetimes to produce. Remember, none of the spies must be tied to us. Dismissed."

Eldra, who had just barely managed to control her emotions this time even though she had been reminded of that event jolted to attention and left the room on the Queen's command, vowing to redouble her efforts to find the King of Lanthanor's every move.

.....

Meanwhile, in an old sewer underneath the Palace of the Elves.

The man with the golden Lan was crawling through a pipe with feces and waste covering his body.

As he ignored the nauseating stench and focused on getting to his destination, he kept reminding himself what Commander Luther used to say during his training.

"As spies, it is your duty to do what no one else can do in service of your Kingdom. If you do your job well, millions will go to sleep peacefully in our Kingdom. Even if you are on your deathbed, remember this fact, as it will allow you to go into the great beyond with a smile of pride on your face."

With these words resounding in his head, he became oblivious to his surroundings as he trudged on, alone in the dark with the only light available being the fire in his eyes which urged him to fulfill do whatever was required in order to serve.

Chapter 132: Receiving Word

In the throne room of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Taking a parchment from Cassandra and going through it, Daneel smiled as the information about the elves;' decision sounded in his mind.

Although not the best-equipped spy network in all of Angaria, Lanthanor had once boasted of one of the most robust and efficient spies in almost all the Kingdoms.

This was mainly because of the man in charge of training spies: Commander Luther.

The man's past was shrouded in mystery, but one thing that could never be disputed was his loyalty to Lanthanor.

According to Cassandra, he had stumbled to the border of Lanthanor with his body covered in blood at the tender age of 10. Although he had been questioned repeatedly regarding his past, he had only had one answer: that he didn't remember.

Showing remarkable talent in almost all aspects of warfare, he quickly rose through the ranks until he was one step below a commander.

In fact, the only reason why he wasn't promoted was that King Richard had had misgivings regarding the fact that he wasn't born in Lanthanor.

Yet, this all changed when during an ambush by Axelor, he risked his life and almost died while saving the King.

That was also the incident which gave him the scars on his face.

Mauled by a nefarious magic spell, it was a wonder he even survived.

Since then, the King had had no qualms in trusting him to follow orders.

Also taking over the duty of training spies, Luther had produced and sent some of the most talented espionage agents to the corners of Angaria.

Above all, he was skilled in this matter the most. Thus, many suspected that it was somehow linked to his forgotten childhood.

Regardless, there was one problem with maintaining such an extensive network: resources.

Expensive trinkets, money for bribes, daily expenses, etc.

To handle all such miscellaneous costs, the Kingdom always sent an amount of money to all spies stationed all over the continent.

Of course, this was a huge drain on resources.

Because of the King Richard's mad lust for power, he had made the decision of cutting off these resources to a bare minimum.

This had been the reason why Axelor had managed to move their army to attack without alerting Lanthanor during the struggle for the throne.

Many spies, who had established themselves as merchants needing a steady flow of money from Lanthanor, were left out to dry. Luther had seen these men and women as his own children, and it had broken his heart to see them in such a condition.

With time, the network dwindled until it became a mere skeleton of its former glory.

That all changed when Daneel took the throne. Although he had no idea why Luther didn't approach him with this matter himself, the order to reestablish the spy network had been given out by him along with the one to set up the Justice Centers.

Such a major reinstatement took time, thus the signal to awake had reached the man in Eldinor after the meeting with the Black Raven Kingdom.

The report went as follows:

"Old sewer network used to gain access to specific sewer line from the Palace. A recording device was sent to the room of an individual named 'Eldra'. To evade detection, a short range transmitting device was used. I will be coming to the sewer every day to collect information.

So far, the individual has given orders to keep an eye on King Daneel's movements while being cautious so that no spy is caught alive. She also sent a request to a strategist to secretly assess the effects of mass producing certain simple trinkets on the economy of Lanthanor, on behalf of the Queen."

First and foremost, Daneel admired the tenacity of the man to crawl through piles of sewerage to carry out this mission. Indeed, Commander Luther's training was something else.

Secondly, he was not very surprised that the news about the assembly line had been leaked. There were many spies in the Palace, and it would be impossible to keep something like this which was known to many people hidden.

As the elves suspected, he had used the system to modify a schematic of a simple communication trinket in order to make it possible to be mass produced on the assembly line. Each individual only knew the part of the process they were supposed to do, so even if Eldinor somehow came into possession of the knowledge of a single individual belonging to a unit, it would do no good.

The most important part was the full schematic, which only two individuals knew: Daneel and Ripley.

Indeed, the special individual who was in charge of the division was Ripley. He had jumped to the offer when being told that he would be given the best of resources to do whatever he wanted.

For now, Ripley headed the production of communication trinkets. In the near future, Daneel planned to have a talk with him regarding the future direction of Lanthanor.

With news about the decision of Eldinor, Daneel felt rest assured knowing that they wouldn't be moving on him. Time was all he needed, and he seemed to have some breathing space now.

Dismissing the court, Daneel walked back to his chambers, happy that this issue was settled.

On the way, he couldn't help but think back to the report of the system regarding the Echer seeds that had put him in a dilemma which had been tormenting him ever since:

[Phenomena Analysis Module has analyzed Echer seeds.

Echer Seeds: These are a modified variety of a common plant known for its tenacity to live by sapping away the nutrients of other plants around it. This variety can absorb the energy present in the ground, resulting in plants that can be processed to obtain an energy material similar to Ether.

The earth that the seeds are buried loses all vitality in a period of 1 year. This has an effect on the nutrients present in the earth which enable regular plants to grow: in a period of 2 years after planting echer seeds, the earth they were planted becomes completely barren. No plant will be able to grow in this soil. According to estimates, the time required to reverse this effect is 10 years.]

Daneel had been quite shocked when he heard this analysis from the system. The echer plants were actually a man-made alternative to Ether!

This had been the dream of many Kingdoms for as long as they could remember. Although Ether mines were still in operation, there would be a time when they are completely depleted. At that point, many wondered what the state of Angaria would be.

Would mages and fighters have to give up training? This was simply a horrific thing to think about.

Thus, many had been conducting research to tackle this problem, but there hadn't been any success at least in all 6 Kingdoms.

It only made sense that with their superior resources, the Big 4 would be the first to succeed. Yet, this plant was simply too nefarious.

In one year, it would eat away the earth's energy, but it would take another year for this to be detected by humans.

Effectively, someone could plant these in an area and show that there were no ill effects. After scamming the farmers, they could leave with the Echer plants.

Another year later, all the crops planted in the area would start dying, eventually resulting in the whole area becoming a desert.

For many in Lanthanor, their land was their livelihood. If Daneel agreed to the Black Raven King's plan and allowed the Echer seeds to be planted in his Kingdom due to being tempted by the spot in the Big 4 and the profits, he would be sending numerous farmers to their deaths.

In fact, he would be dooming his whole Kingdom to ruin.

Yet, what he didn't understand was how the Black Raven King's plan could be so dumb. If this did come about, Lanthanor would definitely launch a justified do-or-die assault on the Black Raven Kingdom, following which both Kingdoms would be devastated, allowing others to enter the fray and reap benefits.

This was something they definitely didn't desire.

Now, as he walked to his chambers, another possibility which he hadn't thought about before came into Daneel's mind.

He had the system which could analyze the seeds in order to give this analysis. As far as he knew, no one else in the 6 Kingdoms would have been able to make such an analysis.

If this was so, then what if the Black Raven Kingdom had no idea about these ill-effects, and had already been schemed upon and duped by the Big 4 who had given the seeds?

Chapter 133: Plans

This realization caused Daneel to stop in his tracks.

Indeed, all these days he had been thinking about the problem after disregarding the fact that he was in possession of something unique in all of Angaria: the World Domination System.

He knew for a fact that to most of the Big 4, the smaller kingdoms were just ants. This disregard even went so far as to ignore their existence unless they had a use for them.

Placing himself in the shoes of one of the Big 4 who managed to develop such a seed, Daneel started thinking of his options.

First, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Thus, someone with the expertise to develop something like this either must surely have known of the side effects, or must have found out about them after thorough testing.

After all, if there were none, the developer could simply grow them in his own land and profit.

After finding out about the side effects, if it were Daneel, he would have started targeting one of the smaller Kingdoms due to two main reasons:

1)He had something with him which could be given out without incurring cost: the chance to learn the spell technique

2)He wouldn't have to handle anything-the Kingdom would take all of the responsibility, and he could simply reap the profits.

As for the plight of the Kingdom?

As one of the Big 4, he couldn't care less!

Realizing this, Daneel became more and more sure that the Black Raven Kingdom must have already been cheated by those who gave the seeds. After all, the King had said it himself: if he could, he would have sent both individuals from his own Kingdom to learn the spell techniques.

At this point, Daneel shifted to the shoes of the Black Raven King. If all this was true, then the Black Raven King wasn't dumb at all; on the contrary, he was quite clever.

With cautiousness, he must have planted the seeds and investigated the side effects himself. After 1 year, he must have seen that there were none-resulting in him planting more and more.

Another year later, the first test soil would have become barren, resulting in the Black Raven King realizing that the rest of the soil was doomed too.

At this point, if it were Daneel, his focus would be to find a way to reverse this effect. No Kingdom would want to depend on another for something so basic such as food.

After all, the Black Raven Kingdom even had much less fertile lands than Lanthanor-meaning that they would be hit very hard due to these seeds.

The more he thought about these matters, the more Daneel became assured that he was right.

The most important thing was that his instincts told him that he was on the right track. This was the best confirmation he could get, as they had yet to let him down.

With all this new information in hand, Daneel started planning his next step.

His policy was simple: if someone meant him and his Kingdom harm, he would repay them 10 fold. But if they were desperate, he wouldn't mind helping them out.

Henceforth, it would all depend on the Black Raven King.

.....

One week after at the North Border Gate.

"It's been a week! Should I send a reminder?"

The Black Raven King could be seen pacing inside the throne room again, while the gigantic head of their God Beast looked on from above, as if condescending this loss of composure that should not be part of one who called himself King.

"Have patience. He did not seem the type to be tardy.", replied the old man, already exasperated by the King's actions.

This past week had been a major test on his nerves, making him consider again and again whether it was time for another coup by someone with a better temper. Yet, he controlled his emotions.

Suddenly, the King stopped in his tracks, taking out the raven-shaped trinket from his pocket which was the counterpart of the one given to the King of Lanthanor.

The communication he had been waiting for had finally come. Taking a deep breath, he first relaxed his expression before sitting on the throne.

Seeing this, the old man gave a small smile.

'Although this kid has a short temper, his intelligence and presence of mind can still be admired.', he thought, while putting away the plans he had been considering before.

After taking another breath, the Black Raven King activated the trinket, making a panel appear in front of him.

Although it was the same size as the one Faxul had, there was a big difference in clarity. In the panel emanated from Faxul's trinket, even the individual hairs of the figure on the screen could be discerned. Yet with this, it was only a flat image that also slightly blurred at times.

Of course, comparing to the present trinkets all over the 6 Kingdoms, this was already very impressive.

"Impressive trinket. I thought it was simply for voice communication."

Smiling at King Daneel's words, the Black Raven King replied, "Yes, it is a secret schematic handed down since generations. I trust that you have come to a decision?"

Unable to control his impatience, the Black Raven King couldn't help but ask directly. After a few moments, the King of Lanthanor replied.

"I first have a question to ask of you. Are there really no side effects of planting Echer plants in soil? Have you tested this yourself?"

Seeing the other party come straight to the point, the Black Raven King was first overjoyed.

Exactly like Daneel had thought, he had already been duped by the Big 4. Half of the fertile land in his Kingdom would be barren in a year.

This was simply a disaster which could result in the destruction of the whole Kingdom.

Thus, after hearing from Bevis about the man behind the King of Lanthanor who could analyze a mosquito in order to find out proof regarding its origin, he had hatched a plan.

A man of such expertise would definitely be able to analyze the seeds. After analysis, it was likely that he would find a way to resolve the problem.

Thus, his plan had been simple: arouse suspicion in the King of Lanthanor so that he would have the seeds analyzed by the man behind him. After that man found out a way to rejuvenate the soil, simply copy this method later to apply in his own Kingdom.

Of course, there was a different possibility- maybe the King of Lanthanor had been bluffing, and there was no such man. In this case, he would have no way to find out the side-effects.

In that case, if the King of Lanthanor still agreed because of foolishly trusting himself after being enamored by the rewards, Lanthanor would be doomed just like the Black Raven Kingdom.

This was a possibility. But as a man who had climbed a pile of bodies to ascend to the throne, did the Black Raven King care?

Of course, he didn't. In the worst case, he would simply pull them down with him.

Why should others be well when his Kingdom rotted?

Such was his nature. And such was the tenacity that made the old man recruit him in the first place.

"Why do you ask, King Daneel? Have you found any?"

"No, which is why I am considering to accept the deal. As you must know, my Kingdom is sorely in need of a powerhouse. I was only asking because if there are any side effects, it is best that you tell me now so that I might be able to help you to counteract them in any way I can."

With these words, Daneel gave the Black Raven King the last chance to come out clean. Even he knew about the two possibilities if he accepted the deal. If the Black Raven King still denied everything, then it could be clearly deduced that he did mean harm to Lanthanor, which would let Daneel decide his future course.

"I assure you, there are none. As an ally, if I did find any, I would never conceal them! I only brought this offer to you because I want us to prosper together. I hope you have this same goodwill if I require anything from you in the future."

Hearing this, Daneel had to try hard to control his face so that the disgust he was feeling didn't appear on it. Obviously, he was saying this so that if Daneel did have a way to counter the side effects, he would share it in the future.

The disgust was because of the fact that if he didn't, he would be dooming his Kingdom to ruin. The Black Raven King clearly knew this, but didn't care.

Thus, he had settled his fate. If he had asked, maybe Daneel would have considered a true alliance in which they could solve the problem together. But now, it was simply too late.

"All right. I accept the deal. Send the seeds over."

The Black Raven King smiled wide, delighted at the first step of success in his plan.

Of course, he did not know that the fate of his Kingdom had already been sealed by his reluctance to not ask directly due to the fear of showing vulnerability. By discarding this option and going with his plan, he had already discarded a brighter future under his rule for the Black Raven Kingdom.

Chapter 134: Goals

The next day, the North Border Gate was opened completely due to the influx of a large number of Ether-driven carts carrying wooden boxes.

The King had already sent orders to allow them in after cataloging each and every box. After entering, they were ordered to be set to the side instead of traversing further into the Kingdom.

Hearing this report from the men whom the Black Raven King had sent to deliver the seeds, he immediately contacted King Daneel to find out the reason behind the strange directions.

This time, when they initiated the trinkets, the Black Raven King saw that the King of Lanthanor had a small smile on his face unlike before when he had accepted the deal. Although a slight ominous feeling swept over him on seeing this, he dismissed it as simply a figment of his imagination.

After all, the deal was done. There was no chance of anything happening that could be worse than the worst case scenario he had already thought of.

"What is the reason for the carts to be stopped near the border? The seeds are delicate, and it is best if they are planted as soon as possible. The deadline given by the Big 4 is approaching, and there can't be any more delays."

"No need to worry, Black Raven King. As you must know, farms can be found near the border too. I have decided that the Echer seeds will be planted in these border farms. The infrastructure is already in place, and I will be sending over more manpower and resources. I had been meaning to invest in the border regions anyway."

"Oh, then there is no problem. The advance payment will be sent soon. My officials will be on call to assist in the initial planting."

In the King's Chambers in Lanthanor, Daneel cut off the communication while an expression of ridicule appeared on his face.

For the first time, Daneel was up against a truly ruthless figure who did not care about the deaths of tens of thousands of people in order to further his agenda. If the case about him not having a remedy for the barren soil turned out to be true, this was the least amount of people that would die due to having their livelihoods destroyed. Of course, a war would result in even more loss of life.

Right now, he had a tough decision to make: the best plan put forward by the system needed him to be ruthless in turn. Yet, Daneel felt something inside him pushing him away from this decision.

The consolation was that he did not need to make this decision now. Thus, putting it aside, Daneel decided to list the pressing matters on his plate right now.

1) Eldinor: Although the Kingdom of the Elves was currently only keeping an eye on him, he knew that it was a major threat. He could not guarantee that his bluff would keep them away for an extended period of time. Thus, he had to find a way to diffuse this looming threat.

2) EXP: Daneel had been regularly checking the Kingdom statistics, as he looked forward to earning EXP to buy more tools. There were quite a few tools he had his eye on which would definitely help him a lot. Sadly, the system had completely stopped giving him missions. Thus, he either had to achieve momentous things or increase the satisfaction level.

3) The Empire Spirit: The matter of the Empire Spirit was also on his mind. Increasing satisfaction level would actually kill two birds with one stone, enabling him to access the wealth of knowledge present in the Spirit. Knowing the importance of knowledge, Daneel looked forward to finding out what exactly was stored inside the spirit.

4) The Escaped Nobles: His blood still boiled whenever Daneel remembered the instant the two nobles had gotten away. Although he had been looking for clues regarding the two for a long time, there had been nothing substantial yet.

5) Personal Power: This was the most pressing matter. Although he had been finding more time to train recently, Daneel was still an Eminent Human Mage and Fighter. If he wanted to depend on himself for his protection while fulfilling his goal to become Lanthanor's bastion, he needed to find a way to increase his level quickly. Again, EXP was required for this matter as there were some tools that could act as the solution.

After pondering over the list, Daneel realized that resolving just one matter would have a chain effect of solving multiple issues: satisfaction level.

Just as he was about to ask the system for ways to handle this, an urgent knock sounded on his door.

Opening it with the system, he saw a white-faced Kellor stagger into the room.

"Jonah is at the gate of the Palace!"

....

A few minutes later, inside the Throne Room of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Daneel sat on the throne with a perplexed expression on his face. His former master had suddenly appeared at the gate, saying that he wanted a meeting with the King.

He knew that his former master was clearly aware of the fact that entering the Palace was suicide. Unless he had suddenly grown into a Champion Level powerhouse, there was no way that he could pose a threat to Daneel.

This was, of course, impossible, so Daneel had ordered for Jonah to be brought to the Throne Room.

Escorted by Aran, Cassandra and 50 elite soldiers, Jonah entered through the doors with an easy smile on his face.

As Daneel lay his eyes on him, he realized that something was different.

Indeed, when Jonah opened his mouth, everything became clear.

"Daneel, this is simply a clone. My true body is hundreds of kilometers away. I mean no harm, and I simply came to tell you something out of good will. This clone has no power and is carrying nothing. If you wish, you can have Kellor check."

Nodding at Kellor, Daneel watched as the Grand Court Mage did a thorough search of Jonah's robes. As for the matter of the body being a clone, it didn't matter because even if it wasn't, he wouldn't be able to resist against the might of the dragon claw.

"I wish to speak with you privately regarding a matter which involves the future of Angaria. You already know that I can do no harm to you."

Again simply nodding at Kellor, Daneel gave the order to dismiss.

Since the moment he had heard Kellor's message in the King's chamber, Daneel had felt a rage boiling inside him.

The man in front of him had once been someone he admired. Daneel had often thanked him in his heart and vowed to pay him back for everything he had done.

Yet, all that had changed at the moment he broke the barrier and took away the noble.

No matter his motive, he had gone against the authority of the King.

Thus, he was a traitor.

After everyone left the room, Jonah first looked at Daneel for a few seconds. Noticing the smoldering fury in his eyes, he sighed before opening his mouth.

"Daneel, I know you are furious with me because of what I did. Although I cannot give you a reason for my actions right now, all I can say is that I had no other choice."

Hearing these words, all Daneel could do was try to control his emotions. After all, lashing out at a clone would achieve nothing.

"Why are you here?", he asked through gritted teeth, making Jonah smile helplessly seeing his former student's anger.

"Daneel, first and foremost, I am a citizen of Lanthanor. This Kingdom is my birthplace, and I love it as much as you do. Still, I chose to go over to the Church's side. Have you never wondered why?"

Of course, this question had run through Daneel's mind many times. In fact, even Kellor had brought up this matter, and they had both decided that the most obvious explanation must be the one most likely to be true.

"Because your family was killed by King Richard, and you wanted revenge."

Hearing this answer, a sad expression came on Jonah's face.

"No, Daneel. I have come because I managed to escape my handler's gaze in order to show you the reason for my decision to swear an oath to the Church of Rectitude. If you care about the people you now rule, follow me to my old cabin."

Chapter 135: The Truth 1

Although his former master's words made Daneel raise his eyebrows, he had already decided that he would take everything the man said with a grain of salt. Still, he couldn't help but agree that this question had been on his mind for a long time.

From everything Kellor had told him about Jonah's character, he knew that he was a man who valued favors highly. Kellor and the academy had helped him grow, and Jonah had apparently always talked about serving Lanthanor to repay everything.

Yet, he had chosen to ally with the church in order to obtain revenge. In fact, Kellor had even asked him to wait for someone like Daneel. Like with Felix, he tried to make Jonah an observer who could pick out potential seeds.

But for some reason, he had still chosen the church.

Getting up from the throne, Daneel motioned for Jonah to lead the way. With the space locked, they had no choice but to traverse the palace on foot.

Daneel had already given the order to empty the corridors. Thus, only the sound of two people walking could be heard in the empty hallways of the Palace of Lanthanor.

Halfway along the route to the secret passageway which led to the Academy, Jonah started talking.

"I guess that from your perspective, it makes sense that I allied with the Church in order to take revenge on that bastard Richard. Indeed, when the Church approached me, I had half a mind to accept their offer due to this exact reason. The other half stopped me."

A wistful expression appeared on Jonah's face as he thought back to that time. His parents, grandparents and his sister had all been taken away from him in a short span of time. Due to heartbreak, his legendary comprehension had slipped down to Red. From all angles, it looked like he would have no chance of obtaining revenge on the King who was the reason for it all.

"I rejected them. No matter how much I yearned for what they offered, I knew that I still owed a debt to the Kingdom which raised me. I wanted to join Kellor and find someone like you who could do good for Lanthanor. In that way, I would be able to both get my revenge and fulfill my dream to serve my nation."

As Daneel heard him speak, he felt the passion in his voice whenever he spoke of Lanthanor.

Indeed, just as Kellor had said, Jonah was a deeply patriotic man.

Yet, this realization only served to make him more puzzled about the reason for him swearing the oath in the end.

They had already gotten to the academy through the secret passageway, so Daneel caught Jonah's shoulder and teleported to the cottage directly.

Seeing the place he had called home for so long, a sad smile appeared on Jonah's face.

Entering, he first waited for Daneel to make his way inside before carefully closing the door.

The cottage was completely empty, as all of the items had been taken to the Palace and checked for clues on Daneel's orders. He had wanted to find some information regarding Jonah's whereabouts, but he hadn't had any luck.

Inside the empty cottage, Jonah first looked around and took everything in, as if reminiscing about all the time spent here.

With Daneel watching on, he walked to a specific corner of the cottage and pricked his finger, drawing a pattern that looked like a shield on the wall. A secret compartment opened, in which lay a hand-sized cylinder-shaped object that looked like it was made of bone.

Taking it in his hands, Jonah walked to Daneel and said, "If you want answers, use your blood to bind it."

By this point, the rage that Daneel had felt before had already subsided.

Although he was puzzled at Jonah's words, he still took the cylinder.

It felt cold to the touch, and no matter how much he tried, Daneel couldn't understand just what material it was made out of. One thing he knew for sure was that it wasn't any metal that he had ever seen since coming to this world.

After dripping some blood on it, the cylinder glowed slightly before absorbing it and turning spotless again in an instant.

[Memory Interface detected. Would host like to enter the memory?]

Hearing this kind of notification for the first time in his life, Daneel was initially a bit startled.

"Yes."

[Beginning memory sync.]

After a few moments, Daneel felt as if someone had used a hammer to hit his head.

His vision blurring, he swung from side to side before finally collapsing to the groud with the cylinder still in his hand.

As the blackness completely covered his vision, the last thing he saw was Jonah walking to another side of the cottage and using his blood to draw a different symbol, which opened another compartment whose contents seemed hazy due to Daneel already giving in to the pull which yanked his consciousness away.

.....

Pain.

As he roused from his stupor, Daneel felt excruciating pain wrack his body, making him wonder whether he had fallen into his former master's trap and had somehow been beaten up.

Yet, as he opened his eyes, he saw a sky filled with smoke.

As the rest of the senses returned to him one by one, Daneel realized that he was clad in some sort of armor. It had numerous holes, and each of these holes were the locations from which the pain was coming from.

Apart from that, horror appeared on his face as it dawned upon him that he could only feel one leg.

Screams of terror resounded in his ears, making him get up to look around.

As he set one arm on the ground as support, it slipped, making him fall back down with a groan.

His hands were covered in some sort of gloves, yet as Daneel brought them to his face, he saw that a red sticky substance coated them completely.

With realization dawning upon him that it was actually blood, he hastily used his other hand to bring his upper body up.

Looking around, he saw that the area was filled with mangled bodies. Pools of blood were already congregating on the hard soil, and Daneel had slipped on one such pool when he had tried to get up.

Looking down, he almost fainted when he saw that his leg was cut off from the knee down. It was a clean cut, and the wound had already been cauterized as if whoever had done the deed had also taken care to close the wound so that he wouldn't die of blood loss.

Regardless, Daneel was already bleeding from the holes in his body. Finding a stick beside him, he somehow propped himself up and ambled forward.

He did not know why he wanted to move. Yet, his instincts told him that he would really regret staying at that location.

Thus, looking around at all the bodies lying around him and hearing the distant screams, Daneel slowly made his way through the blood while taking care not to slip.

He was on a plain, and as he turned his head around, he estimated in his mind that there were at least 10,000 bodies in just his vicinity alone.

With this horrific fact glaring at him, Daneel finally started wondering just what the heck was going on.

The situation and his blaring instincts which had been screaming at him to run hadn't allowed his mind even a moment of idle thought, but even now, those questions halted in his mind as he had just seen something a little ahead which made him use his free hand to rub his eyes.

There was a pile of 3 bodies on top of one another, with the two on top having their heads angled downwards making it so that he couldn't see their faces.

Yet, the body at the bottom lay on its back on the ground, with the eyes still open, staring into the sky.

Stumbling forwards, Daneel fell on the ground beside the bodies and stretched his hand forward to wipe away the soot covering its face. He had to make sure.

With dread, he saw that he had indeed been right.

It was his mother, Maria Anivron.

Chapter 136: The Truth 2

[Overlay detected. Would host like it to be removed?]

The voice which sounded in his mind pulled him back from the madness which had almost devoured him whole seeing this sight.

Although he had no idea what the system meant, he still answered "Yes" instinctively.

Suddenly, his vision blurred as a different face appeared over his mother's. Puzzled, he used his hand to turn over the two bodies, realizing that they were actually his Father and Faxul.

Yet, just like with his mother, their faces were blurring with different faces appearing on top of them.

After a few moments, Daneel breathed a sigh of relief seeing that the three faces now belonged to individuals he had never seen before.

"System, what is happening?", he asked, looking forward to finally finding out just what was happening.

[Host has entered a memory fragment. This memory belongs to an individual who saw his loved ones at this location. An overlay had been added to the memory so that the one experiencing the memory would see their own loved ones.]

"So all this happened to someone?"

[Affirmative. Memory fragments work by taking the real memory of a location with its surroundings from an organism's brain. Using special techniques, a trinket can be made which allows one to enter the memory and experience it for themselves. Such overlays can also be added in the process. Present information has been gathered from the Secret Library. Please collect more information for a better assessment.]

Daneel had never heard of such a trinket. In fact, he had never even imagined that something like this could be possible.

The feeling from before had been getting stronger, so Daneel used the stick to get back and start to move forward again.

As he did so, he pondered over what the system had said. Someone had definitely been in this situation, so this incredible amount of bloodshed had happened somewhere.

Who had caused it? And where was this location?

Having only questions he couldn't answer, Daneel continued limping while trying not to look at the bodies on the ground.

Each and every grim image of someone mauled, beaten or burned to death branded into his memory, making him more and more nauseated. He had thought that he had seen bloodshed in the King's chambers when the meteor killed the Nobles, but that was nothing compared to this.

Finally, seeing the body of a little girl cut in half with the intestines spilling to the ground, Daneel could take it no longer.

Bending to the side, he puked his stomach out.

After a few minutes of heaving, Daneel finally felt better. Looking in a different direction, he somehow managed to cross the body without throwing up again.

His mind started becoming numb from all the gore in front of him, while the occasional distant scream startled him.

There was no concept of time in this endless battlefield. Yet, he realized that he was getting more and more deranged by the second.

Step after step, it was all he could do to keep moving.

To distract himself, he started analyzing everything he had done since becoming King.

After seeing his Mother's body, Daneel had realized that he had neglected to spend time with his parents. He had been following up on the procedure to cure his father's condition, and it would take place in a few days.

Time, time, time. He had been scrambling to handle issues left and right, yet he had been foolishly ignoring the most important things.

With deeper analysis, Daneel realized that even his personality had been changing bit by bit. It had only been a few days, but he had already started to get used to being in power.

He knew that Faxul was suffering from his past, yet he hadn't taken the care to follow up and ask him about how he was doing.

He knew that his parents were probably bewildered due to everything happening in the palace, yet he hadn't bothered to go spend some time with them in order to reassure them that their son, Daneel, still had them in his heart.

He knew that Jonah had been pining for revenge for many years and must have had his reasons for doing what he did, but he had still allowed himself to get so furious back in the throne room when he had laid his eyes on him.

He had heard back on Earth that power was dangerous; that being in power changed people. He now realized that it was true.

The plain he had been walking on had been angling up for quite some time.

Walking with his head bent, Daneel hadn't realized that he had reached a cliff.

Looking up, his jaw dropped as he took in the scene in front of him.

The Capital City of Lanthanor was besieged by an enormous army from all sides. The outer city had already fallen, with the walls containing numerous holes at least 3 meters in diameter.

The attacking army which was mostly comprised of figures wearing shining white uniforms. Among them, Daneel could see many contraptions which reminded him of the war machines from Earth.

Although their form was different, he could tell that their function was the same. For example, there was a large 10-meter cube with an opening on the top, into which Mages stationed nearby levitated boulders which were shot out with explosive force, bringing ruin to the city in front of them.

He could see blood flowing in the streets, with men, women, and children being killed mercilessly while the army comprising of at least 5 million soldiers trudged towards the inner city gates.

A figure wearing fluttering white robes was flying in the air, repeatedly ramming into the formation barrier that had protected the previous King for so long during the struggle for the throne.

Yet, as Daneel watched, the barrier broke with just two more punches, making the waiting soldiers scream with glee as they rushed inside and massacring the people who had been hiding inside the palace.

This sight would forever remain in Daneel's memory. The system had already notified in his mind that this was another overlay, but he hadn't been able to even reply due to the sheer shock and terror he felt.

They were his people. This was his Kingdom.

Yet, he was powerless to stop anything.

"Finally, a live one! Now the archbishop can't scold us..."

Hearing a voice behind him, Daneel was pulled away from his reverie.

Yet, even before he managed to turn around, he felt something slicing through his neck.

A strange feeling of flight overtook him, making him look down to see his own armored body still standing at the edge of the cliff, with a clean cauterized cut on the neck exactly like the one he had seen before on his leg.

All of his senses going out of focus, the last thing he heard was the same voice speak again before he found his consciousness being swept away, responding to a call which seemed to be coming from deep inside him.

"One witness of the purge, captured. Let's get back to join the party."

.....

Feeling the hard floor of the cottage under him, Daneel woke up to a pounding in his head.

The cylinder was still in his hand, while Jonah still stood to the side, waiting for Daneel to come back to his senses.

Seeing him open his eyes, Jonah strode forward and helped him rise to his feet, saying, "First of all, those aren't your parents, and that isn't Lanthanor. This trinket enables you to experience the memory of someone, and it only makes your consciousness superimpose personal things such as your parents or your city onto what you are seeing ."

Of course, Daneel already knew this from the system. Shaking his head and trying to get rid of the pain in his head, he asked, "Where did that happen?"

"I do not know. But what I do know is that this is the fate that will befall Lanthanor if Angaria doesn't unite to repel the Church."

The chilling words made Daneel stand up straight and look at Jonah with wide open eyes.

What he saw ... could become reality?!

Chapter 137: The Truth 3

The image of the streets of Lanthanor with rivers of blood running through them came back into his mind, making panic and horror appear on his face.

"Yes, the Church thought that I had enough anguish to wish for the destruction of the Kingdom I grew up in. They tried to use this image to entice me in order to join their cause."

Taking a deep breath, Jonah continued talking with an expression of absolute seriousness on his face.

"So far, all I have uncovered is that they come from the sea which surrounds Angaria. The only thing I know about their motive is that they wish to 'purge' each and every location on this continent. As colonists, they always try the method of using minimal resources and pent-up grievances in the population to take control of a Kingdom first, like they tried to with Lanthanor. Using this as a base, they begin operations to destabilize all surrounding Kingdoms and forces to result in a war.

"Daneel, I joined them because I knew there was a need for someone to be on their side, who could relay information like this to try to fight for the survival of Angaria as a whole. I cannot explain how I was able to tell you this much without dying from the backlash from the oaths. If you want to find answers to questions like these, do what I told you in the letter: go to the place in Angaria where the Roc pierces the Basilisk's eye, and call for the white-robed augur when you think you are strong enough. Although what I said about oaths in the letter was true, it does not apply in this case. I made my oath with the full intention to serve my Kingdom. This is too important, thus I had no choice but to lie in the letter. As for the augur, it is an open secret."

Reeling from the flood of information, it was all Daneel could do to look into his former master's eyes and see the passion and love for his homeland that was quite apparent in them.

"Finally, I apologize for breaking in and abducting the noble like that. I had to do so to prove that I have no connection with you. Even this visit was so that I could give you the offer again. I know your answer, so I will not be asking.

"My time is up. I will contact you through this trinket whenever I can. For now, all I can ask is that you keep this truth in your mind when making decisions. Although I know that the next 5 years are definitely safe, I can say nothing about the time after that.

"Daneel, I know this all sounds farfetched. I can only beg you to trust me. If you want proof, again, grow stronger and go to that location.

"This is all your Master can do, young King. Know that you and Kellor are forever in my thoughts, and I will keep working to gather information that can save us from the calamity. Farewell."

With the last word, Jonah's body disintegrated into motes of light that glowed for a bit before dissipating.

Along with the disc-shaped trinket that he had been holding in his hand, his clothes crumpled to the ground where they lay in a heap.

With his eyes fixed on the cube which spun for a bit before coming to rest, Daneel tried to take in everything he had just heard.

The past few minutes had been some of the most surreal that Daneel had ever experienced in both of his lives.

Staggering back and taking the support of the wall of the cottage, he slid to the ground while holding his head in hands.

The images still floated in front of his eyes, vivid and striking.

Hundreds of thousands of dead bodies.

Lanthanor, broken and besieged.

His family, dead.

His friends, dead.

His people, dead.

Although there was still a voice in the corner of his mind which urged him to consider that everything he had seen might be fake, he only answered back with one horrific question:

What if it wasn't?

At the end of the day, that was what it all boiled down to.

If there was even a 1% chance that what he saw might come to be, then it was folly to disregard or ignore it.

Yes, his master had betrayed him.

But the reasoning behind his actions and the gaping question about why he even allied with the Church had finally been answered.

Although Daneel had many more questions, he knew that he could only hold them inside now and look for answers later.

For instance, did no one else on the continent know about this looming threat?

How did his master overcome the limitation of the oath to do everything he had done?

Why did the Church want to invade and 'purge' Angaria? What did they get out of it?

What was so special about Jonah that the Church went to such lengths to recruit him? They had given him an offer before too, but they hadn't shown him the same memory in order to entice him like they had done with Jonah.

And finally, where the hell did this Church originate from? What lay beyond Angaria?

So many questions, yet all Daneel had were suspicions and theories.

Collecting his thoughts, Daneel realized that he had been foolish to get so angry because of Jonah's actions.

This realization was only possible because the truth had completely dispelled his rage, making it so that he could reflect calmly on his emotions before.

Although he was a traitor by law, there was simply no reason for Daneel to feel such fury against the man who had protected him from the shadows for such a long time.

Power had indeed changed him. But he had been lucky to realize this at an early juncture.

For any problem, admittance was the most important step. By admitting that he had changed, Daneel set himself on the path to remediation.

In the eyes of a King, Jonah was a traitor who had to be punished accordingly.

But in the eyes of someone who had known the man for so long, Jonah had only done those things because he had no other option.

The key point was to differentiate the two, instead of mixing them up like he had been doing so far.

Deciding upon this, Daneel got to his feet.

As his master had asked, he would keep the truth about the looming threat in his mind when making any decisions.

And if he wanted more answers, he would have to go to the place his master had mentioned.

Indeed, as a result of all his realizations, Daneel had started to refer to Jonah as 'master' instead of 'previous master'.

As if to encourage him, the system sounded in his mind at this moment, bringing him some good news.

[Achievement: Self-Realization 1 obtained.

Self-Realization 1: By identifying your weaknesses using your own capability, you have embarked on a path to become a better person, and in turn, a more suited candidate to become a World Dominator. Congratulations!

2000 EXP awarded.]

Walking to the pile left behind by his master, Daneel first folded the clothes carefully and set them to the side.

Picking up the trinket, he proceeded to use his blood to bind it to him.

Yet, as he did so, the voice of the man who had awoken him with the stench from his body all those years ago in his dorm room sounded in his mind, making him smile slightly as he realized that he could finally strike one item off the list of the things that he had made before this whole incident had happened.

"Here is one final gift to you, my disciple. The Eldest Prince is located inside the Withering Leaf Sect headquarters, which is in an unnamed valley east of Lanthanor."

Chapter 138: Priorities

If one traveled east of Lanthanor, they would first come upon a region which was covered with barren mountains and plains.

With many ferocious beasts living in the area, it was known as a deathtrap for any unsuspecting traveler who dared to venture here without ample preparation or confidence in his own strength.

In fact, in Central Angaria(the region in which the 6 Kingdoms were located), there were quite a few species of animals which could grow in power. Unlike fighters, some even had the capability of directly ingesting energy materials in order to train their bodies.

Even though they were a threat to weak travelers, they could do nothing to harm individuals living in established areas.

It was said that Angaria was once home to fantastical beasts which trained all the way to the Champion Level and even beyond. Yet, to the common folk, these were only myths mainly because of the fact that the strongest beast found in any area around Lanthanor was only at the Eminent Human Level.

People did lose their lives, but they could only blame themselves for their carelessness as the information about the habitats of such beasts was clearly recorded and available within every Kingdom. Although one could make a profit by selling beast pelts and claws, it wasn't a very booming occupation at least in Lanthanor due to the non-abundance of strong beasts in the areas near it.

Also, there were certain "no-trespassing" zones which were marked with a red color on maps. No one knew the reason behind this marking, but the fact that all those who entered these areas never came out alive was enough to make everyone keep a wide berth from all such zones.

Gazing at the huge map in front of him, Daneel saw that there were 3 such red zones in the area where his Master had said that the Withering Leaf Sect Headquarters was located.

After completely calming himself, Daneel had gone back to the Palace after deciding on his next steps in his mind.

When asked about the reason behind Jonah's visit, he simply recited the one that his Master had supposedly come for: to extend an offer to join the Church of Rectitude.

Seeing the sad look on Kellor's face, Daneel realized that he had probably been hoping for something that could ease the pain in his heart.

After all, he had been the one who groomed Jonah, only to later take part in apprehending him when he defied the King.

Although many such incidents had scarred the Grand Court Mage's heart, this was one that stood out the most.

Alas, Daneel had no choice. The information about his Master's double role was too important, and he had to take every precaution in order to safeguard it.

He himself had seen the strict oaths one would have to swear if one chose to enter the Church of Rectitude, thus he had been quite shocked to see that his Master had somehow found a way to circumvent them to relay information to him.

This taught him that even oaths weren't completely foolproof.

Resolving to privately tell Kellor the truth later, Daneel asked for a map of Angaria to be brought to him.

His story had been that Jonah had bargained the information about the location of the Eldest Prince in order to have Daneel listen to the offer in the first place.

A fire had lit up in the eyes of the inhabitants of the throne room when they heard this news. The Eldest Prince was the demon who could be designated as the main root for many of the incidents which led to tens of thousands of people having their lives destroyed.

There was no way Daneel could say that he had fulfilled his promise if he didn't bring this fiend to justice. Thus, he decided to prioritize this operation.

After all, the first step for any such mission was 'scouting'.

According to the records present in the archives of the Lanthanor Kingdom, almost all the no-trespassing zones had already been investigated at least once.

This had been an ambitious project by a King of Lanthanor who was paranoid that these locations were hiding secret bases of other Kingdoms.

After massive loss of life, he had had no choice but to give up all intentions about a deeper investigation. It was these records that now helped Daneel.

Of the three zones, one was a canyon and the other two were valleys. Rumors stated that they were the locations of ancient Kingdoms who were far advanced in the art of formations and enchanting when compared to the Kingdoms present in Angaria today.

Although they had faded away into the eddies of time for reasons unknown, it was said their formations still remained, guarding their home ground and killing all who dared to venture in.

All three needed to be scouted again, but Daneel also had to make sure that there would be no ties in case someone did get caught.

With this thought, he was reminded of the one known as the "Grandmaster of Espionage", Luther.

Ordering Aran to take Luther's place at the border, Daneel waited while sitting on the throne and pondering about the future of Lanthanor and Angaria.

After a few minutes, the scarred man walked into the room with a peculiar expression on his face.

Along with Daneel, Cassandra, Faxul, and Kellor were also in attendance.

Luther's face was filled with an extreme expression of discomfort. He winced with each step, almost as if he were stepping on needles instead of the floor.

Before Daneel could ask, Cassandra opened her mouth and spoke to answer the query which was clear in the King's face.

"Your Majesty, for some reason, Luther always acts like this when he is summoned to the Kingdom. Even though we asked him many times, he has never told us the reason. The only thing he did say was that being in the Palace always made him feel like he was going to be devoured by something."

Hearing the reason, a bemused expression came on Daneel's face.

"Let's walk out then. I was meaning to leave to check on our Research Division anyway."

If Daneel hadn't gone through the experiences in the memory fragment, he would not have chosen to give this order right now.

After all, he was the King. Thus, he would have simply kept this to the side, given his orders and dismissed Luther.

Yet, his words now made the two commanders present in the room look at him with a different light in their eyes.

Never before had the King taken a decision in order to accommodate a particular subject's preferences.

This was a very small thing, and it cost Daneel nothing. Yet, it showed that he was someone who cared; instead of simply being someone who ruled.

Again, he thanked the providence that enabled him to realize that he had started on the path to turning into a copy of the previous King albeit without the tendency to murder everyone in order to gain power.

Reaching outside the Palace with quick strides, he noticed Luther's whole body relax. In an instant, he was again the stoic man who had impressed Daneel before with his decisive and efficient actions.

"Luther, I know the reason why you stopped training spies. I promise that what happened before will never happen again. A certain sum shall be set aside which will be used solely for sending resources to all assets located outside the Kingdom. Right now, I require you to train a new batch whose main focus will be scouting. I need to scout the no-trespassing zones to the east of the Kingdom, as I have reliable information that the Eldest Prince is present there."

Although an expression of reluctance came on Luther's face, the last sentence made an expression come onto his face which made Daneel step back.

In his life in Lanthanor, there had only been a few instances where he felt hopeless in front of such an overwhelming power that threatened to devour him whole.

This was one of those instances. Yet, the feeling left as abruptly as it came.

It seemed that he was the only one who had noticed this, as the rest were only looking on with puzzled expressions on their faces.

Thankfully, the moment had been so sudden that Daneel hadn't even had the time to get a fearful expression on his face.

Pretending as if nothing had happened, he looked to Luther to see him staring into the sky with his eyes unfocused.

Feeling Daneel's gaze on him, he turned around and said, "The Eldest Prince must be brought to justice. Your Majesty, let me embark on this mission myself along with some individuals that I will train. I promise that I will come back alive with the head of that beast. Of course, the operation will only take place after a period of time."

Although Daneel felt a bit apprehensive at first, he nodded after seeing the determination in the man's face.

It was decided that a scouting expedition would first be trained and sent out.

As he discussed the details, Daneel found himself hoping that the main mission could take place at a time when he could also participate, at least if only to find out for himself just what was in this man which had made him become secretly drenched in sweat due to the overwhelming fear he had felt.

Chapter 139: Desperation

Inside a valley to the east of Lanthanor, a man wearing green robes stood on the balcony of an ancient building while looking at the setting sun.

This was a location hidden deep inside a plush forest which was filled with many deadly traps which could take the lives of even Exalted Human Fighters or Mages.

Thus, this had long been classified as a "no-trespassing zone", with almost all travelers taking a longer route in order to bypass the whole valley altogether.

If Daneel were here, he would have been surprised to see that there were multiple towers similar to "pagodas" from back on Earth in this location.

Although there were a few changes such as the there being less curves in the design, the concept was the same: one large base decreased in area with each floor until the top floor was less than half the area of the ground floor.

This man was standing on the top floor of one such tower. The buildings themselves were constructed out of a peculiar material which didn't crack no matter how many years passed. Even if creepers grew along its walls, it simply stood its ground while letting nature decorate it in any way it wanted.

The lush forest all around the buildings gave a unique atmosphere of peace to the whole area, making it so that anyone who had the chance to visit would be able to relax and forget all their tensions easily.

The sunset was especially lauded as one of the most beautiful sights in all of Angaria when experienced from here. The rays of the sun bathed the trees in a yellow hue, while the surroundings took on an ephemeral shade, bidding goodbye to the rejuvenating sunlight which would sorely be missed until the next day.

The green-robed man had been trying to figure out the secret behind this incredible feeling that one got when looking at all the plants and trees while the sun was setting.

If he had to choose a way to explain, he would say that nature here seemed to be more ALIVE.

Yet, try as he may, he just couldn't pinpoint clearly that one thing which made the location so special.

Sighing, he discarded the topic in his head. This was simply a pastime that he had adopted in order to not go crazy from all the tension he had been feeling since the past few days.

Just as he was about to turn around, he noticed a frog in the corner of his eye jumping from branch to branch while trying to catch a butterfly which was fleeing with all its might.

Intrigued, he kept watching.

The butterfly seemed to have been flying at its top speed for quite a long time, as it was now gradually slowing down, allowing the frog to close the distance between them with each leap.

Its flight grew more and more erratic until it finally rested on a particular branch as if resigned to its death.

Not wanting to waste any more time, the frog simply shot its long tongue, ready to swallow its prey.

Yet, to its horror, it realized that it had unwittingly entered the domain of a serpent which called these branches its home.

As it shot toward the frog from the side with its mouth wide open, the butterfly suddenly perked up again and started flying away at the speed with which it had been fleeing before it had supposedly become tired.

Realizing that this was all a trap laid by the butterfly, the frog was unresigned to its fate. It shot out its tongue one last time before the snake devoured it, in order to take the butterfly down with it no matter what.

Watching till here, the green-robed man turned around with a small smile on his face. He neither needed or wanted to know how the incident ended, as it had already helped him to make a decision he had been pondering on for the last few days.

Entering inside the room, he collected himself before walking towards the stairs to go to the largest tower which was located in the center of the area.

Telling the Sect scribe that he had made his decision, he waited for the Sect Master to grant him an audience. The call came soon enough, and he was escorted into a large wooden room. A humble wooden chair was located on one end of the room, while the floor was covered with mats meant for people to sit on.

A man whose age couldn't be determined seemed to have just risen from the chair, as he was bent in front of a gold incense stick holder.

Lighting incense whose smell made the green-robed man think of Lavender, he sat back down on the chair.

After striding towards the end of the room with a measured pace, the green-robed man stood in front of the one in the chair and said, "I have made the decision. Give me the forbidden technique."

With a pleasant smile, the man on the chair replied, "Eldest Prince of Lanthanor, are you sure? I have already assured you that I would be able to protect you no matter what if you choose to stay within the Sect. Leave alone enforcing the oath, that Daneel will not even be able to find you, and you can spend your days training with the goal to reach the Champion Level, where it is rumored that one can cleanse their soul of all oaths. After all, you have Crimson Level Potential, which makes this a viable option. The forbidden technique burns your potential to give you a quick rise in power. Depending on your willpower, I would say that you can at most get to the Eminent Warrior Mage Level before having no choice but to be stuck at this level for your whole life. Even though there is a possibility that you can get rid of oaths with this technique, is it worth it? Can't you just wait and train?"

Indeed, the green-robed man was the Eldest Prince of Lanthanor who had been teleported out by a member of a subordinate sect of the Withering Leaf Sect at a great cost. When asked for their reason, the Sect Master had told him that his value was high because of his Crimson Potential.

He had been presented with these two options, and the past few days had been spent pondering over which option to take.

He had sworn the oath to follow King Daneel's orders, so with a single word from the man, the oath thread would tighten around his soul and end his life.

He could either choose a life of fear, with decades and decades spent hoping that he could somehow get through the next day until eventually growing to the Champion Level, which didn't have a 100% probability itself. Or, he could take matters into his own hands.

What he had witnessed had already let him make a decision, so he did not hesitate any more.

"Sect Master, I choose the latter. Please provide me with the Ker Gems and the technique on credit, I will definitely repay it all when I am able to."

Hearing the decision, the man on the chair sighed before waving his arm, making a cloth sack and an ancient scroll appear in front of the Eldest Prince. Seeing him pick them up and leave the room after thanking him, the man gazed out of the window through which the last vestiges of the sunset could be seen.

While the shadow of darkness slowly consumed the room he was in, the man smiled faintly before taking out something from his pocket and bringing it to his mouth, saying, "The plan is proceeding as expected. Start the preparations. The Withering Leaf Sect collects all of its debts, and the time shall soon come for Lanthanor to pay."

....

Meanwhile, in the secret Energized Training Chamber underneath the Dragon Heart.

Daneel held a red gem in his hands while debating whether to finally cultivate with a Ker Gem in order to find out just what benefits they gave which made the previous King covet them with such intense desperation.

Out of habit, he asked the system whether there were any new spells to develop. This had been something he had taken to regularly doing, as he was sometimes prone to missing notifications from the system in times of intense battle or training.

As he heard the system's response, Daneel couldn't help but drop the Ker Gem in his hands in shock.

As the gem rolled away on the floor, the King of Lanthanor couldn't help but open his mouth in glee. With a single line of drool dripping down the left side of his chin, he looked like a kid who had gotten a toy that he had been asking for for a very long time.

After asking the system to repeat the message at least 10 times, Daneel finally lay down on the ground and laughed to himself, repeating the notification again and again in his head while he let his emotions take control.

[Advanced Clone Technique Ready for Development. After analyzing the clone of the individual who the host came into contact with, Phenomena Analysis Module can now develop a technique to make a clone which can absorb energy with low efficiency. The energy absorbed by the clone can, in turn, be absorbed by the host, although this will result in an even higher drop of efficiency. Alternatively, the energy can also be released as an attack.]

Chapter 140: Advanced Clone Technique

After a few minutes, Daneel calmed down from his outburst of happiness. After all, the recent few hours and days had been some of the most stressful in both of his lives. Thus, when good news came this abruptly, he couldn't help but let go and rejoice.

Yet, now that he thought about it, he noticed something strange.

This technique crossed all the bounds of complexity of everything he had managed to analyze so far. Even counting the Fighter Replication Technique, the system had so far been limited to a certain extent in the aspect of the value of the techniques it could develop.

In other words, this technique seemed too good to be true.

Thus, Daneel chose to ask the system why this was so.

[Replying to host, this technique is an amalgamation of the Fighter Replication and Advanced Magic Clone techniques that the system has analyzed. The system has identified a link between these two techniques, and it is possible that there is one Grand Technique which has been split into parts to make these two techniques. As it is simply an amalgamation, system's current complexity of Warrior Level was enough to combine them. If host can find more pieces of this technique, it is possible that the Grand Technique can be developed. With the present data, it is impossible to predict the level of the Grand Technique, but the system can posit that it is at least above the Champion Level.]

Hearing the long response, Daneel was simply dumbstruck.

A Grand Technique split into parts? What the hell?

The abruptness of information like this which changed his whole perception of techniques was so large that his brain couldn't even function for a few seconds.

Although the fact that techniques could be split into parts wasn't new information, Daneel had thought that this was only in the case of Fighter Techniques, such as the Hidden Kill technique which he had won in the Fists of Justice Training Hall which had different levels.

Regardless, the main thing which kept resounding in his mind over and over again was the phrase: at least above the Champion Level.

At his present level, he was already an ant to those at the Exalted Warrior Level.

Besides, he had seen the sheer amount of power a single attack from a Champion Level powerhouse had during the execution.

With that image appearing in his head, he couldn't even imagine just how powerful one above this level could be.

Indeed, he simply felt like an ant.

This feeling served to bring him back to reality, making him realize that this was all something too far away from him right now.

"System, is there any way to actively search for such techniques? And is the Grand Technique only related to cloning? So will it work if I gather all manuals of cloning techniques that I can find?"

[Negative. Although there is a higher probability of finding pieces in cloning techniques, the Grand Technique can be comprised of other pieces too. There is no way the host can search for a technique. It can only be revealed as a piece after the system analyzes it.]

Just as he thought, although all this sounded fantastical, there was nothing he could do with this information right now.

Power was what he needed. And now, he had finally found a way to run faster on that race to obtaining power.

"Develop the technique."

[Affirmative. Time required: 12 hours]

Although he still didn't understand what exactly affected these time periods that the system needed, he was relieved when he saw that it wasn't an abnormally long time.

Controlling the excitement in his heart, Daneel stayed still and ordered the system to deploy the development techniques.

The Ker Gem still lay in front of him, but he had decided to hold off on experimenting with it until he could see just what kind of improvement in speed this technique could give.

...

Meanwhile, in the Throne Room of the Black Raven King.

Although the King was in the room, he did not dare to sit down on his own throne due to the status of the man whom he was meeting with right now.

Thus, he stood below the head of the Black Raven, politely waiting for the man to arrive.

Although the old man was present in the room, he had a reluctant expression on his face as if he had no choice but to be here. Standing in a corner, he seemed to be trying his best to slink into the shadows.

At precisely the appointed time, a bald man wearing light orange robes walked through the doors and smiled slightly on seeing the waiting Black Raven King.

Yet, this smile seemed to carry a coldness with it that made the King himself shudder unconsciously.

"King, Old Fool, I trust you have been well. Now, is the report correct? You have managed to convince a neighboring Kingdom to plant the echer seeds?"

"Yes. The plants will be delivered as per the agreed schedule. I've also taken care not to divulge any information that was deemed.... secret."

The Black Raven King winced as he said these words.

Seeing this, the orange-robed man's smile only became wider.

"Let's go see."

Saying these words, the man pointed at the King and the Old man standing in the corner.

Suddenly, a CRACKing sound could be heard in the room, as all three disappeared from their places in an instant.

In the farms near the border of the Lanthanor Kingdom, numerous farmers were carefully tending to the earth which seemed to have been recently tilled.

Almost all of them had smiles on their faces, mainly due to the fact that they would soon be earning a substantial income from just one yield of this plant. Compared to usual crops, they had been told that they would be paid at least triple the rate.

The trio from the Black Raven Kingdom appeared in the air above this scene.

Both the Black Raven King and the old man had expressions of shock and, to a certain extent, fear on their faces.

After all, their palace had been equipped with a space lock that could only be broken by a Champion Level powerhouse.

Did this mean that this man was a .. a ..

As the realization came upon them, the shock was completely replaced by fear.

"Hmm. They seem to be doing a good job. Remember, in one year, the plants must be delivered. Along with the plants, you can send the two individuals who will train in my sect's secret spell technique. Although it is not the best in the Big 4, it will at least double the effectiveness of a mage who is practicing the pathetic spell technique present in the 6 villages."

Seeing the two nod, the man teleported them back to the throne room before leaving.

Unknown to anyone in Lanthanor, a figure had calmly invaded their border and left after doing whatever he wanted to do.

...

If the King of Lanthanor knew of this incident, he definitely wouldn't be smiling foolishly like he was right now.

In the Energised Training Chamber, a figure which looked exactly like him was lying on the ground and breathing in the Energy inside the room.

Seeing the white mist go inside the clone's nostrils, Daneel finally believed that he wasn't dreaming.

The clone made by the Advanced Clone Technique had been absorbing Energy for the past one hour. Seeing that the time he had set in the clock had been reached, Daneel said in his mind, "Absorb the clone and tell me how much I gained from it."

[Affirmative. Host must touch the clone in order for absorption to occur.]

This was a limitation that Daneel had just been told about. In the case of absorbing Energy, physical contact with the clone was necessary.

After bending and touching the clone's arm, Daneel watched on with awe as the body he was touching suddenly dissipated into something that looked identical to the swirling mists in the room. The clothes fell to the floor, while this cloud of white mist was absorbed by Daneel by the pores in his hand.

Stepping back, the King of Lanthanor put his hand to his mouth due to the sudden gag reflex that he had felt after the mist was absorbed. It was as if he had swallowed a full meal in an instant, resulting in a 'full' feeling.

What was strange was that although Daneel likened this feeling to eating by instinct, it was actually coming from all over his body instead of just his stomach.

Luckily, with each second, the feeling subsided until it completely disappeared, making Daneel remove his hand and smile wide.

Right now, he felt as if he had spent a whole night calmly meditating, absorbing the magical Energy while traveling further on the path to power.

After a few moments, the system spoke again in his head, giving him the answer he had been looking forward to for what felt like a very long time.

[Efficiency analyzed. With host's current strength, one clone can be deployed which can train alongside host. If the clone is destroyed in this time period, there is a one day recharge time in which another clone cannot be deployed. This does not apply if the clone is absorbed.

Energy Consumption: 2 times of what the host consumes

Energy Efficiency when Absorbed: 1/2 of what the clone has consumed

Conclusion: The clone can consume 4 times the energy the host consumes in a certain period of time to double host's training speed.]

Chapter 141: Planning

[Due to the higher complexity of active absorption of energy, clone must be within a radius of 5 meters of host. If a larger distance exists, the clone cannot absorb energy. If no absorption takes place, the other parameters are the same.]

Getting all the information about the new clone technique, Daneel first breathed a large sigh of relief.

Although there were limitations, the benefits far outweighed all of them.

For instance, when he heard only the first part, he had been dreaming about training with his clone while his main body could go out and battle.

Alas, this couldn't be done. Due to the radius limitation, he could at most be inside the King's chambers when the clone absorbed energy.

Of course, the best thing was that he could train along with his clone.

Essentially, by absorbing 4 times the energy that Daneel did, his clone could double his training speed.

So, if he were consuming an Ether block to progress by a certain amount before, he could now consume 5 Ether blocks in total and progress by double that amount in the same time frame.

Indeed, this was simply a godsend technique. Since many days, Daneel had been quite worried about his power level even though he had been finding more time to train recently. His rate of growth was too slow, and events were moving too fast.

Power was the most important thing. With the additional information about the plans of the Church, Daneel had been feeling an urgency.

Now, with this technique, power was within his grasp.

Of course, all he needed was resources, which was at least not a problem right now.

He was still at the Eminent Human Level, and thus the amount of energy he absorbed was still minimal. Even when this number was increased due to the clone's absorption, it was still something he could bear easily. After all, he was the King of Lanthanor.

Yet, the matter of resources would become a larger and larger problem as he progressed in levels.

Of course, although he realized this, there was nothing he could do about it right now.

"System, let the clone absorb energy for 1 hour."

After giving this order, Daneel walked to the chamber above.

Next up was the test for the energy attack.

Initially, when he had heard about this feature of the clone, he had been imagining something like the incredible attack of the crane during the execution.

Although he was currently in possession of a few one-time use trinkets, they were a limited commodity that he wanted to save for as long as possible.

This was also because he hoped to someday analyze them with the system. It had already tried, but there was no result because the complexity had apparently been too high.

This was to be expected from trinkets supposedly made by Champion Level figures, thus Daneel hadn't been too surprised.

Thus, his idea was to possibly absorb enough energy into a clone to use it like a one-time trinket if the need arose.

The only way to test this supposition was to have another clone absorb energy for an hour like before.

Even though he wouldn't be able to do accelerated training for a day, it was still worth it to collect data.

After entering his chambers, Daneel first thought for a bit before calling over the head of the Research Division, Ripley.

While waiting for him to arrive, Daneel glanced at the pot in the corner of the room where he had planted an Echer seed.

This sight made him sigh, as he was reminded of the plan he had made regarding these plants.

They had already been planted at the border as per his plan, thus he could only harden his heart and carry on.

Since the first meeting after his Master had left, an overall plan had been forming in Daneel's mind.

In fact, it was so ambitious that he had never voiced it to himself completely.

Yet, the first part of this plan was quite clear: handle the two prominent threats- Eldinor and the Black Raven Kingdom.

Of course, by 'handle', Daneel did not simply mean to resolve the problems he had with them.

Hearing the knock on the door, he was pulled out of his thoughts.

As he opened it with the system, the man who had enabled him to begin on the path of enchanting walked in through the door.

Unlike before when he had a morose or stoic expression usually, Ripley now smiled ear to ear.

Noticing this, Daneel asked, "Enjoying your new job?"

Taking a seat in front of the dragon heart, Ripley first chuckled for a bit before saying, "In a way, yes. Actually, I think I've found my calling! Every time I see those wimps wince when I scold and direct them, it fills my heart with happiness! But it seems that what I truly enjoy is seeing them improve. Makes me wish I had someone like me when I was at their level."

Hearing the response, Daneel sighed as he remembered this man's lonely past.

In fact, he had already sent out orders to track the woman who had given the condition that she would only be with someone who reached a certain level as an Enchanter first. Regrettably, there was no news yet.

Changing the subject, he asked, "How is the production of the communication trinkets coming along?"

"Grandly! The first batch of 500 trinkets will be ready soon. Will you now tell me why you need so many?"

Indeed, Daneel had ordered the entire Research Division to completely focus on communication trinkets for now.

Initially, it had been his idea to use this simple modified schematic to have the Research Division get used to the assembly line. Yet, after hearing about the Church's threat, a different plan had started to form in his mind.

"Yes. But before I do that, tell me more about how Eldinor chooses its leader."

Although Ripley was a bit puzzled when he saw Daneel ask this question, he simply shrugged before launching into an explanation about Eldinor's democratic system.

Daneel had already read about it before, but he had still wanted to confirm everything from someone who had actually lived in the place. And for this purpose, there was no better person than Ripley.

After listening for a while, he understood that he had been right: it was quite similar to the one back on Earth.

All elves registered with the government were eligible to a vote. Anyone could stand in the election, and the person with the highest majority would win.

Of course, one small change was that the winner was required to take an oath to work for the welfare of Eldinor. This was to keep away those who might have plans to bring harm to the nation by winning the election.

"How do the candidates reach out to others?", he asked next after Ripley was done with his explanation.

"Using their own expenses or expertise, elves build trinkets which spread information. In fact, the present Queen was the inventor of the 'tweet' trinket, which is a bird-like object that goes around a location broadcasting its message to all those on the streets. Although it is annoying, it gets the job done. This, along with some other methods she used, allowed her to win with a resounding majority. There is another election coming up soon, so it is still in the air whether her plans will work again. I studied the trinket myself, and it was quite ingenious."

"Oh? What's stopping others from copying her trinket and using it for themselves?"

"You can only think of that possibility because you aren't an elf, Daneel. Due to their strong individual nature, they feel it is beneath them to take other's creations without their permission. Besides, there is also a method in Eldinor to counteract this: a public debate. If someone believes their design has been stolen, they can challenge the other party to a public debate where the nuances of the schematic are discussed to find out who the owner is. Being the designer, the challenger would have the upper hand, resulting in the disgrace of the other party due to the fact that the elves abhor such practices."

This last part came as a small surprise to Daneel, as it reminded him of the patent system which he wished existed in this world.

Regardless, he continued and asked the main question he had on his mind since making the plan.

"Do you have any schematics for something which can send messages to numerous communication trinkets at the same time by being at a certain distance away from them?"

Chapter 142: NOA 1

After sending Ripley with the details of all the schematics he needed, Daneel eagerly walked back into the secret Energised Training Chamber.

A schematic was almost always a trinket in itself, needing to be enchanted by someone who thoroughly understood the design enough. Thus, they could be sold without fear of them being copied easily.

Although there were stores even in Lanthanor, the variety was too low. Thus, Ripley had said that he would contact some old friends who would be able to supply everything he needed.

As this was a matter of vital importance, Daneel had authorized him to use all resources necessary.

Seeing the clone absorbing Energy slowly, he first waited for the one hour time period to be up.

"Attack me using the clone."

As these were just simple instructions, Daneel did not need to shift consciousness like before in order to control the clone.

In an instant, the body which was identical to his turned into a stream of white light that bombarded him immediately.

Even before the clothes of the clone fell to the ground, the attack had already dissipated into the air after scratching Daneel's hand.

Indeed, he had not taken many precautions because the clone had been absorbing Energy for merely an hour.

Thus, he was quite surprised when he saw that the attack had managed to pierce his arm.

[Random attack: energized wind blade was chosen.]

With this response, Daneel's mind started going into overdrive imagining just how powerful an attack the clone would be able to produce if it were allowed to absorb energy for days or even weeks.

Indeed, this had been his dream: to make his own one-time trinket which could output the attack of possibly a Champion level figure.

Yet, at this point, a query arose in his head.

What if it were allowed to absorb energy even beyond this point?

Could he possibly.... stop being scared of Champion level powerhouses if he could perform an attack above their level?

Sadly, all these dreamy thoughts came to an end when he asked the system regarding the maximum limit of the attack.

[As the system is bounded currently at the complexity of Warrior Level, only peak Warrior Level attacks can be made by the clone. If the absorbed energy of the clone exceeds this level, it shall dissipate as the system would no longer be able to control it. To remove this limitation, please upgrade the system.]

This damn system upgrade!

Just when things started going even a little well for him, this notification would pop up to infuriate him.

Of course, what was mainly infuriating was his lack of EXP.

Deciding that he had to find ways to increase satisfaction quicker, Daneel sat down and resumed training.

The clone would be offline for a day, and he did not intend to waste any time. In fact, now that he thought about it, making a clone which could act as a one-time trinket basically meant giving up the advantage of doubling his training speed.

This was because if he kept absorbing the energy, there would be no way for it to build up enough to execute a sufficiently powerful attack.

Therefore, it was a simple choice to make: increasing his own power slowly, or storing energy to make a consumable.

Realizing this, he was reminded of the events that happened outside the palace when he took over the throne. The three members of those forces had actually had to take time to activate a one-time trinket, whereas a true Champion level would have been able to pummel through, just like he had seen in the memory fragment.

While the former had to depend on something external pitifully, the latter could destroy everything in his path with impunity.

Thus, Daneel made his choice without any hesitation.

.....

One month later.

In a certain district in the east of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

The local marketplace which was usually bustling with citizens at this time in the morning was currently almost completely empty.

Panicking at this sudden change, some shopkeepers even called over the constables, fearing that some tragedy might have befallen the inhabitants of this district.

Alarmed, the constables also immediately reported to their superiors, only to find out that all the citizens had been called to a specific location regarding a matter pertaining to the Royal Palace.

Indeed, in a large clearing which had been cordoned off from spying eyes using a cubic opaque barrier, numerous people milled around while waiting to see just what they had been summoned for.

After a few minutes, a panel appeared on a small podium that had been erected in front of them.

Seeing the image of the man who was currently adored by almost all the people of Lanthanor, the crowd knelt on one knee with smiling faces.

Their memories were still fresh with the events in which they had proclaimed their new king. Although there had been a mishap during the execution, the King's promise had ensured them that justice was only delayed, not denied. Thus, they still thought very highly of this young man.

"Rise, citizens of the Darper district. You have been chosen to take part in a special experiment that the Kingdom of Lanthanor is conducting to test the operation of a new type of trinket that we have developed. As you all know, we currently rely too much on importing trinkets, which costs a lot. If this amazing product succeeds, we will be able to attract many more enchanters and smiths who will be able to supply you all with everything you need at a much lower price! Thus, I ask you all to take part and strive to make this a grand success. Members of the newly conceived Research Division will soon be explaining all the details to you."

Hearing these words, expressions of hope appeared on many of the citizens in attendance.

Indeed, much of their budget went to buying important trinkets which they could not do their job without. Thus, if these costs could go down, they would be willing to do anything.

A few moments later, some men wearing blue robed clothes walked in carrying a large bag of what looked like parchments.

To the knowledgeable ones in the group, this was simply a sight to behold.

These were ... all trinkets!

Even if they were the cheapest communication trinkets, the bag would simply cost a fortune-each short-range communication trinket cost 10 Gold Lans.

This was the reason that most of the citizens never had utility trinkets. After all, given a choice between buying something that would only be a luxury and buying food for years, most would definitely choose the latter.

"You don't need to pay anything. Just take them and bind them with your blood, each of you."

This district had been chosen mainly because of the diverse people it contained. From those who wouldn't blink at spending even a hundred Gold Lans, to those who were still wondering about how to earn the next day's meal, almost all sections of the society were present here.

Thus, many of them didn't even know what binding by blood meant.

Thankfully, there were quite a few members of the Research division present to help them in the process.

After everyone had bound at least one communication trinket, Daneel, who was watching everything from the throne room, smiled before ordering the system to check whether everything was going on smoothly.

Over the past month, Daneel had spent almost all of his time training at double speed. As expected, the results had been quite incredible.

[Host status updating. Please standby.

Host status:

Host Fighter Level: Human-4(81%)

Host Mage Level: Human-4(81%)

Host Body Potential: A+

Host Comprehension Level: Gold

Host Condition: Nominal]

Although it had taken him three years to get to the 4th Grade Human Level from the First, that period had also included the time which he had spent to increase both his body potential and comprehension level.

With both of them maxed out, it was only natural that his training speed would skyrocket now.

With the current speed, he was confident that he could get to the peak of the Human level in 4 years.

A 20-year-old Warrior! This was simply something unheard of in all the 6 Kingdoms.

Of course, someone like Daneel who had peak potential, double training speed and near unlimited resources was also an extreme rarity. Hence, it was only natural that he would be able to beat all records currently set in Central Angaria.

Smiling wide at his progress, Daneel walked back to the training chamber and laid down, before sending his clone to continue to handle matters regarding his ambitious plan using the communication trinkets.

Chapter 143: NOA 2

For the past few days, the liveliness in the bars of Lanthanor had died down for the most part due to the disappearance of most of the bards in the Kingdom.

As many drunkards nursed bottles of wines in their hands while missing a song or a tale to regale them in their intoxication, an interview was going on in a secret room in the underground labyrinth of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

One by one, men and women dressed in colorful clothes strode forward to take a parchment which held the lines they had to recite.

Frequently, they would look to the side and sigh, seeing that the most influential man in all of Angaria was actually the one taking their 'interviews'.

A few days back, banners and posters had gone up all over the signboards of Lanthanor, advertising a job in the palace for a bard. All interested candidates were supposed to report to the palace in 2 days.

What made almost everyone seeing the poster go green with envy was the salary advertised.

50 Gold Lans per month!

This was a figure which small-sized merchants earned after toiling away to obtain and sell as many goods as they could. If someone could earn this much in a month, they would be able to live a life of decent luxury without having to think about anything.

Although this was what attracted the attention of common folk, the people who were actually the target of the advertisement were drawn to the statement after the one proclaiming the salary.

"Selected bards will have the opportunity to have their name etched in history."

In Lanthanor, and for the most part in the whole continent, being a bard wasn't an occupation which paid very handsomely. Many times, they would have to sleep on the streets due to not finding a bar which would pay them with food and shelter for telling their stories and singing their songs. The next best option was finding a household which would give them the chance to do the same in order to entertain their kids, but this was also not a very reliable option.

Yet, even though they knew that they might mostly be penniless on their journey, many individuals still chose this path which was fraught with poverty.

This was simply because of their love and passion in stories and songs.

Some had become enthralled at a young age by a passing bard, with the passion only growing year after year until they finally decided to take the plunge.

Others could have been influenced later in their lives, choosing to give up everything to take on this life of no commitments.

Either way, the love for history, stories, and myths was the one thing that united them all.

Seeing that it was possible that they themselves could be part of such stories, a fire lit up in their eyes, urging them to rush to the given location well ahead of the appointed time.

Daneel had been quite pleased with the response. It had been his idea to add the last line, and Kellor had even been unconvinced regarding its need. His stance had been that the handsome salary would draw them all in.

Coming from a world which celebrated arts to a very high degree, Daneel knew the importance of passion in artists. Thus, he had asked Kellor to just wait and see.

Indeed, Kellor had become quite ashen-faced when he saw that not even one asked about the salary. On entering the palace, most of their chatter and queries had all been about the latter statement.

Thus, he was now simply standing to the side, wondering about how Daneel had managed to guess the motivations of these frivolous individuals.

The King of Lanthanor, on the other hand, was cursing at himself for not paying more attention to matters like these when he was back on Earth.

After all, he had only been a regular student who only had minimal knowledge about anything not related to his studies.

Most of the information he had about the news industry was gleaned from some articles that he had read on newspapers.

It was one statement that he remembered from Earth which had kickstarted this whole plan: "If you wish to take over a country, take over its media first. Control the thoughts of a nation, and it will bow before you to do at your bidding."

There was no proper news network in Angaria, mainly due to the high cost of communication trinkets and the prevalence of notice boards. All important news was posted on the latter, so the main need for a forum to spread information in was already addressed.

However, not many people were even interested in the happenings in a Kingdom. Unless something concerned them personally, they wouldn't care to bother.

Of course, this was not the case in Eldinor, where a few primitive alternatives existed. Yet, a void still existed which Daneel aimed to fill.

He had high ambitions for this plan, which led him to decide to stage the demo in Lanthanor, where everything could be controlled.

Communication trinkets had been made, and even a broadcasting station had been made by Daneel and Ripley working together.

Now, the last thing to tackle was the people who would act as the voice of the whole operation.

In their first iteration, the communication trinkets could only transmit sound. Thus, what Daneel was making was actually the first radio channel in the continent of Angaria.

For this purpose, he had decided to give a simple test:

"'Elves are in debt to Lanthanor, but they refused to pay. So, the King personally lead an expedition to threaten them, at which time they attacked. After killing them all, the money was taken back which will be used to uplift the poor in Lanthanor'. Convey this message in a way that will interest people, in any style you choose. Only your voice can be heard by the people."

What he needed were fluent and creative people who could tell the news and other things in a manner that could enthrall those who were listening.

Yet, what he got was:

"Hear one, hear all! A tale of eeeevil elves and MIGHTY KINGS! It all started on the day of....."

"(singing)Cunning elves, so vile are they

Yet do not worry, Lanthanor shall slay

To take the debt they were loath to pay

And pave the way to a golden day!"

The sad truth was that almost all bards were quite used to being as verbose as possible in order to entertain for as long as possible. Of course, this was useless in this situation. News needed to be told both succinctly and creatively, as the usual sights and expressions of the bards would be absent; typically, these served to hold the attention of the people.

Still, Daneel had been holding a hope that he might be able to find someone who could fit his bill. Even after giving the instruction to be as short as possible, he was still treated to a bevy of animated statements and quirky songs.

Finally, he got up with exasperation and called for a break. After 2 hours of effort, he had only managed to pick 2 women who hadn't been as verbose, but even they required quite a lot of polishing before they could go on the air.

Walking back to his chamber, he kept thinking about how he could make this plan succeed. It was impossible for him to handle everything personally like he was now; alas, there was no one he trusted who could take over the responsibility.

Suddenly, his quick strides were halted as he heard a sweet voice drifting towards him from a turning in the passageway he was walking in.

"Did you know that in all of Angaria, Lanthanor is the Kingdom with the tallest walls? It is said that giants helped in their construction, and that we are even derived from giants. My mother even told me about a door in the Palace which is the size of a 10 foot giant! 50 of you sweeties would have to stand on top of each other to reach that high!"

"Wow! Sister, please tell us more!"

Hearing the first voice, he was reminded of the woman who had almost removed her clothes in front of him simply to implore him to do the right thing.

Indeed, turning the corner, he saw Eloise chuckling while she led a stream of young girls who had awe on their faces.

Although she jumped back seeing him, startled, Daneel smiled wide knowing that he had probably found the perfect candidate to head his Network of Angaria(NOA) plan.

After all, who was more qualified than someone who had received official etiquette and people skills training since youth, but was also kind in her actions and cared for the general populace?

All he needed was someone he could trust who also had experience with handling people.

And now, that person was standing in front of him with a terrified expression on her face making Daneel wonder whether he was that scary in person.

Chapter 144: NOA 3

"My-my King! I was ... just showing these younglings around...."

Seeing the King smiling at her, Eloise first calmed herself down before curtsying and saying these words.

Of the King, she had mixed impressions. First, she had thought that he was just someone power-hungry who took the opportunity to take the throne by using an opportune time. Yet, the more she found out about him, the more she realized that her impression had been very wrong.

In fact, it was this initial impression which had led to her taking the decision to try and change his mind by offering up her body. Thankfully, she hadn't had to forsake her dignity in order to save the people she loved.

Soon after, the lockdown on the concubine wing had been lifted, allowing her and many others to finally reunite with their mothers.

Of course, except for the ones who had been executed, many were in prison for all the crimes that they had been committed. Still, they weren't treated very unfairly. Allowed visits and decent food, the feeling in the nobles' hearts had already changed to thankfulness from scorn.

In fact, there were only 4 or 5 other nobles like her who had done absolutely nothing to warrant punishment. Still living their lives in the palace, the only restriction placed on them was that they couldn't leave the premises of the palace.

Indeed, Daneel had taken this decision regarding the Lanthanore Family both due to Eloise's story and Laravel's sacrifice.

The unlikely ally who had sacrificed his life in order to help him obtain the throne was not forgotten by Daneel. Even more than Eloise, he was the reason why he had chosen to show compassion.

Of course, he had only done this after taking certain precautions.

For instance, including the 5 individuals who had no stain on them, all the individuals who contained the blood of the Lanthanore family had already sworn an oath to follow his every command. They had had no option, as the alternative was immediate death.

Additionally, these 5 had been placed on house arrest until Daneel decided what to do with them.

Even though he had come a long way from the person who had frozen in his place when he saw the first death in his life, Daneel was still not someone who could cold-bloodedly slaughter an entire family line without just reason.

The only risk that existed was a coup, yet with the support of the people and full control of the Dragon Heart Formation, there was no risk of this happening from the inside.

Yet, when he saw the sight of Eloise interacting with the children of the research division who had been lodged in the palace, he wondered whether there was another risk that he had not thought about.

Could the Lanthanore name return if he ever left this location?

He already knew that some individuals carrying the Royal Blood were outside the Kingdom when he ascended the throne.

Although he made attempts to uncover their locations, they had all chosen to hide fearing the wrath of the usurper.

Thus, the risk of someone from the outside using the Royal Name to stage a rebellion was not a very moot possibility.

There were only two ways to rectify this:

1) Remove all those containing the blood of Lanthanore from this land.

2) Find a way to bind the remnants to him, ensuring that future threats would be removed.

The first had already been deemed impossible.

Thus, the second option was the way to go.

In fact, if he used the idea he had just gotten, he would be able to both set in motion a plan to do the latter while also finding someone who was perfectly qualified to take over the duties of running the first public news channel of Angaria.

Realizing this, a wide grin came on his face which made even Eloise shrink back even more.

As for the kids, they looked on with curiosity in their eyes, trying to remember where they had seen this man before.

"Follow me to the meeting room."

Saying this, the King of Lanthanor strode away in a particular direction without looking back to make sure that she was following.

Sure enough, after hurriedly calling over a servant to lead the children back to their rooms, Eloise followed in the King's direction in a slow trot.

With her face holding an adorable expression of slight panic, she hurried to the door of the meeting room which had been left ajar after Daneel had entered inside.

Seeing the King sitting calmly in a chair, Eloise closed the door behind her and fidgeted on the spot, unsure of what to do.

With an amused smile, Daneel watched on, noticing that the beauty that he had seen before in his chambers had already grown in this little amount of time.

Her cheeks were fuller and her pallor was more similar to that of a healthy woman's. Realizing that this was probably due to him lifting the ban on the concubine wing, Daneel sighed remembering the sad plight of all the mothers who had cried with joy when this order had been passed.

Yet, just like with the 5 nobles, the concubines had also been confined to the palace till Daneel took a final decision regarding their fates.

"Would you like some wine, My Lord?", she finally asked after a few moments, breaking the silence which had felt like it had been strangling her.

"That's not needed. Sit down."

Motioning to a chair in front of him, Daneel waited while she walked forward and adjusted her dress before demurely lowering herself into it.

Indeed, it seemed that she had been quite proficient at the etiquette lessons. Although she had been quite flustered till now, her lessons kicked in during moments like these.

"By the oath you have sworn, I order you to never reveal the contents of our discussion to anyone or anything without my prior permission."

This was the standard order given before discussing sensitive information.

Although Daneel knew that oaths were not foolproof, he was pretty confident that they could only be circumvented by the means of those far above in power compared to the inhabitants of Central Angaria. Thus, it was still safe to use them unless he was discussing information which could directly result in him losing his life if it got out.

After nodding, Eloise got a serious expression while listening to the plan of the Young King of Lanthanor.

After a few minutes, it was all she could do to keep her mouth from falling open after listening to the ambition of this man who sat in front of her.

On ensuring that she was in full cognizance of her duties, Daneel left the room, allowing her to ponder regarding how she could carry out the King's wishes.

...

One week later.

A nondescript man wearing grey robes could be seen walking through the Darper district with a wide smile on his face.

Although a few people stared, they couldn't affect the jovial atmosphere he exuded while strolling onward aimlessly.

Of course, this man was Daneel.

Using the camouflage tool, he had decided to check out how well his dream project was doing under Eloise's administration.

The smile on his face was mainly due to the intoxication he felt from gaining power every day at an incredible speed. Already quite close to the 5th Grade Human level as both a mage and fighter, Daneel felt like he had made the best decision when he chose to delegate tasks and focus on training rather than micromanaging like he had been before.

On the way, he noticed that a small crowd had formed around 2 men who were discussing something on the side of the road.

"What do you think about the latest news out of Arafell?"

"Oh, you mean the report that giants are one of the most peaceful beings in all of Angaria? Unless you anger them of course."

"Ya, I admire that giant who stood and let some rogues harass him to defend a helpless child who was being bullied."

"I heard he didn't even raise a fist! That's so cool!"

Hearing this, someone who was visiting from another district couldn't control his curiosity. Walking forward, he asked a member of the crowd:

"What are you all talking about? This isn't there on any of the notice boards right?"

"You must be someone from another district! We got the news from this!"

Taking out a piece of parchment from his clothes, a member of the crowd shook it in front of the man who had asked while saying these words.

"A trinket? But who's on the other end?", the man asked, being well informed about trinkets himself.

As if answering the question for the hundredth time, the other man rolled his eyes before saying:

"Someone who knows about EVERYTHING going on in our continent! It's the Network of Angaria!"

Chapter 145: Waiting

Hearing this conversation, the King of Lanthanor couldn't help but smile seeing that Eloise was carrying out his plan quite efficiently.

Under her outer visage of an adorable princess who hadn't had much opportunity to pursue what she wanted in life, Daneel had seen a dogged determination and staunch focus that was immeasurably valuable especially in situations like these.

Because these were only the beginning stages of the Network, Daneel's only instructions had been to make people addicted to the service.

Any product could be successful if it managed to first ingratiate itself into the hearts and minds of consumers; it had to become essential in their lives, so much so that the consumer would feel incomplete without satisfying this new need that would have been generated by the product.

Of course, back on Earth, such a phenomenon was visible with product areas rather than a single product.

For instance, the smartphone which was a relatively new invention had exploded in popularity soon after its introduction, leading to most of the world adopting it as an essential in their lives.

This had only been possible because the need to have the product, in this case, the smartphone had been born in many people both by seeing the product's usefulness and the hype surrounding it.

Because of the fierce spirit of innovation and competition on Earth, there were multiple brands which vied to fulfill this need in their own unique way. Although some succeeded way more than others, it was still an open market ripe with opportunity for new contenders to enter and try their luck.

Here in Angaria, Daneel had a different plan.

He had two unique things right now: the ability to mass produce trinkets at a low cost, and the broadcasting station which he and Ripley had built together.

In fact, the latter was simply a modification of a military trinket used to transmit information to multiple soldiers at once. Although they had managed to simplify it and make it so that it could be made and deployed much more easily, it was still something that could be copied once understood the concept behind it.

This left only the former: mass-production.

Daneel knew that although the other Kingdoms were only keeping an eye on him even though they probably knew he had something this valuable up his sleeve, he was safe because they assumed that the schematic for the communication trinket was the only one which could be mass produced in this way.

Although it was still quite important, it was clearly not valuable enough to start a war over.

Besides, being someone who had lived in the 21st Century of Earth, only he knew about the importance and potential the Network had.

Thus, his goal was to utilize this knowledge he had to take dominance over this market before anyone else realized the sheer significance that such a Network represented.

Seeing that everything was going well, Daneel decided to go back to the palace to resume his training after making sure that the bigger plan which depended on the success of the NOA was going well.

.....

Meanwhile, at a location near the Palace of Eldinor.

Two elves stood at guard in front of a large, circular shaft which seemed to lead into darkness.

Although both of the Elves had something to cover their faces with, their expressions were still morphed into those of disgust due to the rancid smell which still made its way in.

Hearing a gasping echoing inside the shaft, both of them turned around to see a man covered in feces and waste walking towards the entrance who was looking down to make sure that he wouldn't slip and fall due to all the slimy stuff accumulated on the surface of the shaft from decades of use.

"Olfax, you're out early today.", said one of the elves who was looking at the man with a strange expression on his face.

"Yes, luckily, the blockage wasn't very large."

Nodding, the elf waited till the man exited before taking out a stick shaped metal object from his clothes.

Gingerly running it over his clothes while making sure to not touch the filth, the elf nodded, taking out a yellow bag from his pocket and handing it over.

Grinning widely, the man who had just been called Olfax took the bag and opened it in front of them, not caring about the dirt that spread onto the shining golden coins inside.

After counting them out, he nodded at the elves before walking towards the exit.

This was the spy who had been activated when Daneel sent out the order to have the sleeping agents awake.

Once a week, he would come to this location to volunteer for a job that had to be manually done.

Due to a small problem which occurred during the reconstruction of the Eldinor palace, this opportunity had occurred using which Olfax entered the sewer system of the Palace to collect information. At a certain point where the old and new systems accumulated, there was a spot where sewage accumulated which if left unchecked could make both systems stop.

To this day, he thanked that architect who had made such a blunder which allowed him to do his duty for his home country.

Although there were plans to fix this problem, it would take extensive reconstruction which cost far more than paying someone like him to clear it once in a while.

Going to a nearby bathroom, he started to scrub himself fiercely until his skin became red due to the pressure.

This pain and disgust that he felt was nothing compared to the satisfaction which came from knowing that he was someone who was one of the reasons why millions of people could sleep calmly in their homes.

After scrubbing until he almost bled, Olfax took a bath and put on his regular clothes before heading to his home. From multiple times of going through this, it already felt that the smell had latched on to him permanently.

After reaching, he did the same routine as always.

Ensuring that no one had entered, he took out the coin to make the report as usual.

To his surprise, there was a message waiting for him which made him smile again.

"Initiate contact with the agencies which deliver news to the people in Eldinor. Find information on all of their crucial personnel, and look for vulnerabilities that can be exploited to take control of them. Good job, soldier. As the King, I speak on behalf of the nation when I say that Lanthanor thanks you for your work."

Towards the end of the message, Olfax's eyes opened wide hearing that the King himself was the one speaking to him.

Elation spread across his face realizing that his efforts had been noticed by the King himself.

Of course, along with the elation came a determination to carry out everything perfectly as per the King's orders.

All spies were trained with the important skill of worming their way into organizations in order to find hidden information about them which could be used for whatever purpose the government wished. In fact, Olfax had been someone who had topped his class in this particular aspect.

It was time to put all those skills to use.

.....

In the Energized Training Chamber underneath the King's Chambers in Lanthanor.

Daneel was sitting again holding a red gem in his hands.

Although he had put it away after seeing his training speed double, it had still been calling to him with the temptation to increase his training speed even further.

4 years wasn't a long time, it wasn't short either. What if just like with the case with the ex-ex-King of Lanthanor, things moved much faster than expected?

It would be foolish to not utilize everything in his grasp to gain power as fast as possible.

Thus, taking the decision, Daneel ordered the system to begin absorption and analysis.

Chapter 146: Thirs

Daneel had been wondering about the special viscousness he had seen in the Ker Gems for a long time.

Except for certain rare energy materials which could conceal their form, the grade of energy of a material could be decided based on the visible concentration of the energy inside it.

For instance, Ether blocks had a faint swirling mist which decreased with each usage, until the block became bare and shattered.

As for the Ker Gems, it was like that mist had congealed into something thicker which almost looked like it was a liquid, but wasn't.

With the deployment technique, Daneel first felt that everything was fine.

It was only a few moments later that he had to resist the urge to get up and scream with pain.

Typically, when absorbing Energy from Ether, Daneel always got a calm and comfortable feeling.

Now, he felt as if hordes of animals were trampling him underneath them while they galloped over his body and under his skin.

This was followed by an urge to scratch, as if millions of ants were crawling all over his body while biting him wherever they wished.

Finally, all these feelings mashed into an intense pain that made him grit his teeth until blood almost flowed from them.

"System, why does this feel so...different?"

[Replying to host, because the grade of the energy is higher than what can be handled by host's present body, there is slight pain caused by the energy pathways being forcefully expanded. Would host like to half the development techniques?]

"No! Continue."

To Daneel, it felt as if the system was mocking him by calling it 'slight pain'.

If he couldn't even handle this 'slight pain', then how was he worthy of being King?

Thus, with staunch determination, Daneel closed his eyes and focused on the techniques again.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Daneel felt a saturated feeling inside which awoke him from the deep state of meditation he had gone into.

[Preliminary Analysis concluded. Please wait for results.]

Although Daneel felt slightly frustrated that he had to wait for results, he knew that the system was probably handling calculations which were way beyond the complexity of those which it regularly tackled.

Besides, Energy analysis itself was one of the most resource-consuming processes of them all.

Thus, Daneel had no option but to wait until the system finished analyzing everything in order to give him an answer which would decide his future course.

Not wanting to waste time while waiting, Daneel decided to continue absorbing energy from the Energized Training Chamber.

Yet, when he tried to inhale the energy as usual, he felt as if there was something inside him which was threatening to break.

All over his body, he felt as if there were some sort of shackles restricting him from absorbing any more energy.

A wide smile appearing on his face, Daneel realized that he was about to break through.

Even without the system's analysis, he realized that Ker Gems were truly magical. He had only been at a progression level of 81%, but from just a single session of meditation, he was already breaking through to the 5th Grade Human Level.

Knowing what to do, he concentrated on these ephemeral shackles while trying to force the mist he was inhaling along its usual route.

It was as if the energy was a river which was blockaded by something invisible which wouldn't let it pass. Especially at his forehead, this feeling was very strong.

Finally, after a few minutes of perseverance, Daneel thought he heard a slight "CRACK" in his head.

With a flood, the energy that had stopped swept vibrantly throughout his energy passageways and mageroot, reveling in the higher quality of existence that it now felt.

Indeed, training in power was all about tempering the mageroot or the body with constant bombardment of the magical Energy. With each level, the entire existence of the body would elevate, allowing more and more energy inside.

5th Grade Human Level!

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, Daneel smiled triumphantly while gazing at his fist which he had closed tightly ever since the moment he felt the blockage of energy inside him.

Finally letting it go, he stood up and threw a punch, eager to test out his new power.

At each level, there was a marked increase in all skills which came with the elevation.

Getting lost in the feeling of discovering his newfound leap in strength and power, Daneel agilely moved around the room while starting to understand just why these gems had been so enticing to the previous King of Lanthanor.

....

Meanwhile, in Elfaven, the capital of Eldinor.

In a remote alleyway which was at the farthest location from the Palace of the Elves, a lone office with a minimal signboard could be seen with its shutter closed down, looking as if it hadn't been opened in decades.

"Voice of Eldinor" was the name written boldly on the banner, with the grandeur that such a name carried absent on the peeling board which was threatening to fall, hanging by a single nail.

A man with a bushy mustache and a weak chin walked along this road with firm strides while looking around as if he was searching for something.

Although there were many people walking through the street, almost all of them consciously shied away from the office. Yet, it was exactly this place that the man walked to before going to the back through an alleyway and entering through the door which seemed to be open.

Inside, he first passed through a large room which was filled to the brim with what looked like pamphlets.

"Queen Eldara charged for betraying the dignity of the Elves by exhorting large amounts from helpless nations."

"Queen Eldara has a daughter. But is she of her blood?!"

"Find out exactly why this man was sent away from the palace without a word when he requested a meeting with our dear queen."

Almost nonsensical sounding headlines like these could be seen dotting the dusty pamphlets which looked like they would fall apart from a mere touch.

The only reason that these three headlines were visible was that they were framed on the wall.

Walking into the next room, the man saw an elf with blunt blades on his earlobes leafing through pieces of parchment sadly with one hand while nursing a glass of wine in the other.

"Once known as the most prominent news organization in all of Eldinor, the 'Voice of Eldinor' now wallows in self-pity, stuck in a repeating loop remembering its days of glory while wishing it could rise back to its former prominence."

Picking up a piece of parchment from a table nearby, the man who entered read out this line, startling the elf who hadn't even noticed the sounds made when someone intruded into his private sanctum.

Standing up woozily, the elf first clutched his head tight with an expression of pain on his face before gasping out the words, "Who-who are you? This is private property! I can report you to the guar-guards!"

His speech was slurred, giving evidence of the fact that he was quite inebriated even though it was not even the afternoon.

"Oh? You want to throw me out and lose the last chance to make your name known throughout Eldinor again? I understand that you went out of favor mainly because the cost of assembling information was too high. What do you think about this?"

Taking out a parchment trinket from his coat pocket, the man held it out to the elf.

Taking it with shaking hands, the elf sat down and first went through the trinket with increasingly wider eyes.

After a few moments, he dropped the trinket with shock before saying, "How ..... is this possible?! Information from all over Angaria... in one place? Is it real?"

With a gleam in his eyes, the man who had been covered with waste just the day before smiled wide and spread his arms wide with the pride of someone who had achieved his goal.

"You only need to check a few to find that out for yourself. Join with me, and we shall make your Voice heard all over Eldinor again!"

.....

Meanwhile, the King of Lanthanor was sitting with his jaw hanging wide open from the notification he had just heard.

[Preliminary analysis completed. Estimated approximate time to reach the Warrior level as both a fighter and mage: ~ 2 years.]

It really seemed like this chamber could be renamed into the "Room of Surprises", especially due to the numerous shocks that Daneel had been sustaining in the confines of these round walls which oozed mists of Energy.

Chapter 147: Price

Although this news had shocked Daneel and made him drop his jaw, the next one served to make him fall on the ground with bewilderment on his face.

[According to preliminary analysis, approximately 200 Ker Gems are required for host to reach the peak of the Human Realm as both a fighter and a mage, if all methods are used.]

200 Ker Gems!

Hearing this exorbitant price, Daneel couldn't help but sit and shake his head with incredulity.

With years of effort, the previous King of Lanthanor had only managed to accumulate 10 Ker Gems which he prized as his most valuable possessions.

Apart from the fact that the exchange rate was so high, their rarity was something which pushed up the price even further.

Thus, the regular price of 10,000 blocks of Ether or 100,000 Gold Lans for a single Ker Gem could go up to 15,000 blocks and 150,000 Gold Lans easily.

After all, cost was based on demand. If someone was looking for a high number of Ker Gems, they might find the rate rising even more because the seller would be able to guess the importance of the need.

Thus, the final price for 100 Ker Gems could be anywhere between 20 to 25 million Gold Lans.

This was truly an extravagant price, especially when one considered that the entire budget of a large Kingdom like Lanthanor was only around this range.

Daneel now finally understood why the King had gone so crazy as to even cut essential funds to spies so that he could save more money in order to obtain Ker Gems.

As someone who had the best body potential and comprehension in all of Central Angaria, Daneel knew that this was already the most minimal price possible. After all, the number of resources needed decreased with an increase in these two areas.

Along with this, there was also the fact that Daneel had the system which could use energy in the most efficient manner possible.

Even though he required more energy in order to train both his body and mageroot, it was still a very high number when taking into account all the other factors.

After analyzing everything in his mind, Daneel realized that even with top comprehension, it was a very resource-burning process to gain power.

One had to realize that this number was already obtained after taking into account the 5x multiplication in energy that came into effect due to using the clone to accelerate his training.

Of course, if he wanted to use only 40 Ker Gems to reach the next realm, it would require 4 years.

And if he didn't even use Ker Gems, then it would require 8 years by using only a fraction of the cost.

Asking the system, Daneel found out that using Ether instead of Ker Gems only required 1/10th the energy required, if one used the conversion rate of 1 Ker Gem=10,000 Ether Blocks.

His head reeling from all the statistics, Daneel stood up and arranged everything in his head, realizing that he only needed to understand one thing: he needed to somehow obtain 200 Ker gems to train to the Warrior stage as a fighter and mage in 2 years.

Of course, there were a few Ker Gems in the treasury that he could utilize. Subtracting them, he now needed 180 Gems.

At the base price, this came out to a whopping sum of 18 million Gold Lans.

Considering his options, Daneel realized that he couldn't possibly obtain this much money from the Kingdom, unless he took drastic measures just like the previous King.

Unless things were truly desperate, this was definitely not an option.

Thus, just like before during his academy life, it seemed that Daneel would have to obtain money by himself again.

It seemed that it was time to restart production of the product which had revolutionized the economy in Lanthanor and had almost resulted in Daneel's death.

....

Meanwhile, in a remote area 300 kilometers west of Lanthanor Capital City.

All over Central Angaria, there were multiple pockets of wilderness which hadn't yet been claimed by a Kingdom as their own land. Often, these areas were devoid of human life.

Yet, walking on ground that hadn't seen human footfall in decades, a lone adventurer with scraggly hair and a huge bag on his back trudged through the foliage and the bushes which prevented him from having a smooth path forward.

Using a knife to cut through bushes, he preserved his strength of an Exalted Human Fighter while holding a round trinket in his hands which looked to be flashing.

Seeing the flashing becoming more frequent, an exhausted smile appeared on the adventurer's face, making him increase his pace forward while setting his eyes on a distant destination.

A half hour later, he came upon a burrow in the ground which led into darkness.

Without hesitation, the bag on his back was thrown to the ground after which he leaped inside with a crazed expression on his face.

Although the burrow was small, it was just enough to fit his lean body. After a few seconds of free fall, his instincts made him curl into a ball just before he impacted the ground with a loud "grunt".

Taking out a light trinket from his pocket, he activated it before turning around to examine the cavern he was in.

As the red reflection shone in his eyes, an expression of extreme satisfaction and joy spread through his face, making him laugh out loud uncontrollably while still wincing from the pain he felt from landing on his back just a few seconds before.

....

In the throne room of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Daneel sat on the throne while waiting for Kellor to close the door. Saying that it was a matter of national importance, he had come running to Daneel's chambers before asking to convene an emergency meeting.

Presently, Aran, Cassandra, Faxul and Kellor were in attendance, wondering just what was so important which had caused the King to call for the first emergency since ascending the throne.

Walking to the throne, Kellor immediately got into the topic, saying, "Your Majesty, a Ker Gem deposit has been found approximately 300 kilometers west of our location. This news was leaked after someone bought the information at a high price from the adventurer who found it."

Although Daneel was initially puzzled hearing these words, he got the answers he needed by asking the system. For the past few weeks, he had been making a point to go to the library and analyze as many books as possible whenever he had the time.

Apparently, unlike Ether Blocks, Ker Gems were found in small deposits in remote locations. It was even an occupation in Central Angaria to go out and search for these locations, as just one find could result in an adventurer being set for life.

Each and every discovery like this always led to a storm in the surrounding area. Once, it was even told that a Kingdom had been invaded just so that one could snatch away the deposit.

After all, Ker Gems were classified as strategic assets by all of the forces in Central Angaria.

"My King, a decision must be made right now. The other forces are already on the move, and the one who paid for the information must already be close. It always takes time to extract the deposit, so if there is an intention to compete for it, we must set off right away."

Hearing this, Daneel pondered for a few seconds before turning to Cassandra and saying, "Are we ready to deploy our troops?"

With a stoic expression, Cassandra replied in the voice of a commander who was ready to go to war.

"Yes, My Lord. We have shock troops ready to march at a moment's notice."

Nodding at the reply, determination shone in Daneel's eyes as he gave the order which made Kellor smile seeing the decisiveness of the King of Lanthanor.

"All right. Give the command. We leave immediately."

Chapter 148: Arriving

In a room two chambers away from the King's Chambers, one side of the wall had been cleared of paintings and other decorations to give place to the panels that had been newly set up at the location.

Before Lanthanor had undergone a change in leadership, this room had belonged to the Eldest Prince whenever he made a visit to the Kingdom. In fact, many rooms near the King's chambers were now empty due to the inhabitants being lodged elsewhere currently.

Daneel had simply asked for a big chamber nearby which could be designated as a "Situation Room" of sorts. Thus, the bed and all the furniture had been cleared and a round table had been placed in the center as per his orders.

Presently, only Daneel, Kellor and Faxul were in the room due to all three commanders being deployed.

Daneel had given the commanders the same video broadcasting trinkets that he had used before in the throne room.

Watching the images in the panels, the King of Lanthanor was sitting with one hand on his chin trying to sort the myriad thoughts that were going through his head right now.

For one thing, he was deeply disturbed regarding the timing of this discovery. He had only just found out about his need for Ker Gems the day before, and he hadn't even made any headway into figuring out a plan to obtain them.

Was it truly just a coincidence that the situation occurred right after?

No matter how much he thought about it, Daneel couldn't figure out any other possibility which made sense.

In fact, regardless of whether he had found out about his own need or not, Daneel would have chosen to march anyway due to the sheer importance of the resource.

After all, even the slightest chance that someone could be in full cognizance of his thoughts and activities apart from the system was too terrifying to even think about.

He was already doing everything he could. From ensuring that he always stayed safe to frequently checking the surveillance tool, Daneel was taking every precaution possible.

Thus, he decided to not go along that route because he knew that it would be of no use.

Turning to the panels, Daneel started observing the actions of the army with interest.

Back on Earth, he had heard that logistics was the biggest problem that needed to be handled when directing an army.

Although this was still the case in Angaria with regards to large-scale deployment, the existence of magic and teleportation made it so that troops which specialized in quick movement could be made.

The shock troops were one such type of squadron. Comprised entirely of elites, the troops only consisted of 50 Eminent Human Level mages and 50 Red Demons.

Each mage was paired up with a Red Demon, making them a unit who moved together.

Being at least at the 6th Grade Human level fighter, these Red Demons were trained especially for quick in and out missions that focused on speed and the shortest time to kill possible.

As for the mages, all of them were proficient enough in space magic that they could teleport continuously without too much exertion to get to any location.

The west of Lanthanor was covered mostly in evergreen forests along with scattered rivers and lakes which teemed with wildlife. The only force on the map in this direction was Eldinor, but the location the army was headed to did not trespass in the lands the Kingdom of the Elves called their own.

Being an Exalted Human Level Mage, Cassandra could easily teleport both Aran and Luther. Leading the squadron, she was also in charge of giving orders regarding movements currently.

They had planned it so that their last teleportation would land them 10 kilometers from the target location, from where they would proceed on foot.

The three commanders were in the lead, and after reaching each location in between, they would first check for danger before signaling the troops to come over. This was how shock troops operated: there was no time to deploy scouts, hence the individuals most likely to survive an ambush were responsible for investigating the way forward.

When they got to the final location, a frown crossed across Cassandra's face as she felt a tingle up her back. Her red hair was tied up into an immaculate braid while her leather pants and jacket had multiple pockets which seemed to be filled to the brim.

As for the other two commanders, Luther was still dressed all in black while Aran had switched out his casual outfit with armor similar to a Red Demons'. Only, the red epaulets which signified their status had a gold trim to them which made him stand out as the commander of the strongest Fighter troop in Lanthanor.

"We have company.", she said, before removing her hands from the shoulders of the two men.

A few moments later, a male Elf and 2 humans appeared from three different directions with careful strides.

Seeing their clothes, it was quite clear regarding which organizations they belonged to.

The Elf was obviously from Eldinor, which was the closest Kingdom to the location of the find; this gave them a first mover advantage.

Of the two men, one had a black raven on his shoulder much like the one gifted to Daneel. After speaking into a trinket for a bit, he nodded at the three who had appeared in an amicable manner.

The other was the most different from them all. Unlike the rest who were simply standing with no weapons drawn, this man held two scimitars in both of his hands while a wary expression covered his face.

"The dogs who ran away dare to make an appearance here?"

It was Aran who said these words, making the man grimace with anger before forcefully regaining control of his emotions. He knew that this was a ploy to destabilize his mind, and he had no intention of being tricked by the man who was known for his cunningness.

Still, the memory of his great nation, Axelor's army retreating due to just a few words from a newly crowned King still brought him rage and fury.

Seeing this sight, the elf smiled before saying, "Go at it here, we have no problem. But don't even think of making it further inside. The three Kingdoms who arrived first have already reached an agreement, and you are just too late."

Hearing this, Luther only smiled coldly before flicking his fingers.

THUMP

Suddenly, a rectangular 'box' made of metal came into existence in the area between the three commanders and the three who had come to welcome them.

The box was a 30 feet cube, and it seemed to have been somehow made without using any materials to attach metal sheets together.

Small holes which glinted with a shine in the sunlight could be seen all around it, while a single cylindrical tube extended forward on one side.

As if receiving orders, the whole box rose into the air slightly before rotating to make the cylinder face the man who was holding the scimitars.

A blaze hit the man's face, as he looked into the cylinder to see a meteor covered with raging fire already conjured, ready to strike and reduce him to pieces.

As for the other holes, they were all comprised of arrows which had already been nocked.

With one order, the man could be blown into smithereens while the other two could also be peppered by arrows shot by 6th Grade Human Level fighters.

Seeing this sight, the three looked at each other briefly before nodding and retreating inward. The man with the scimitars left last, after looking at the commanders with a nefarious expression on his face.

After all three disappeared from sight, the metal sides of the box started to disintegrate into something that looked like ash.

As more and more holes appeared, the soldiers who were standing inside became visible.

5 Elite Mages stood on each side of the box, collecting the ash that the metal was disintegrating into. The ash seemed to be controlled by them, as it flew into the gourds on their backs in a smooth motion.

5 more Mages had their hands hovering over the meteor. Holding some kind of trinkets in their hands, their gazes were fixed on the meteor which was slowly shrinking.

In the middle, 25 Red Demons minimized the bows back into their trinket form before doing the same with the arrows that had been nocked just moments ago.

"Set up the detection formation."

Hearing these words from Luther, the 50 soldiers nodded before hastening to complete their tasks so that they could fulfill their new orders.

.....

Meanwhile, in the situation room in Lanthanor.

Seeing everything that had just happened, Daneel was trying hard to stop a startled expression from coming onto his face.

First of all, the box reminded him of 'tanks' from Earth. In fact, even the base model was the same, except for the fact that this one could apparently fly.

Secondly, he had no idea why the three had left after seeing the tank appear.

"Your Majesty, that is one of the most valuable group military formations in our Kingdom. What just happened is a common protocol in situations like these: the forces which arrive first confront the ones who come after them, to get an idea about how much the arriving force was putting at stake to take over the Ker Gem mine. After doing so, if there wasn't a large difference in the troops deployed, the forces would arrive at an unspoken agreement; a truce of sorts. Because we arrived 4th, we were greeted in this way."

Hearing Kellor begin the explanation, Daneel could only sigh as he realized that there was truly a lot he needed to learn which couldn't be taught simply by assembling the information in the library.

After all, as a great scientist on Earth had said:

"The only source of knowledge is experience."

Chapter 149: Decision 1

After setting up the teleportation detection formations, the team of 50 soldiers and the three commanders proceeded inward towards the location where the mine had been found.

The other 50 were in a remote location quite a distance away from the site, ready to teleport forward to give backup if things turned sour.

Seeing the image in the panel, Daneel observed that it seemed untouched for the most part except for a few signs that indicated that people had passed through recently.

As was characteristic of places like these which hadn't been claimed by any Kingdom, the wildlife wasn't afraid of the humans. Choosing to look on from the treetops while the team trudged onwards, they tried to figure out just what this new species was.

Daneel noticed that in fact, many animals were similar to the ones back on earth. A small silver animal with a tuft of black hair on its head looked exactly like a squirrel, whereas a rabbit-like creature could also be seen munching away at the foliage on the ground.

While he waited for the team to reach their location, Daneel continued on his line of thought before he had been interrupted by Kellor to call the emergency meeting.

He had been considering his options to obtain wealth so that he could accelerate his training to the godlike speed that had been mentioned by the system.

With a jolt, he realized that he had forgotten about the asset that he had obtained soon after coming to this world.

"System, what about the Natural Energized Training Chamber? What would the effect be if I trained inside that?"

When Daneel had placed the chamber near the ultra high grade energy source that had been detected by the system underneath the Palace, he had been told by the system that he needed to absorb a Ker Gem if he wanted to know how effective the energy condensed by the immensely valuable treasure would be.

[Replying to host, with the current location of the Chamber, energy equivalent to 1 Ker Gem will be produced every 100 days. If the Chamber moves closer to the signal of the Ultra High Grade Energy Source, 1 Ker Gem can be produced every 10 days.]

Often, Daneel had wondered at the reason behind exactly why the system had called the Natural Energized Training Chamber a 'high-tier treasure'. Along his journey, he had been exposed to multiple trinkets and items which could be called 'treasures', but the system hadn't called them so. Even the incredible one-time use trinkets which could change the course of a battle were merely that: trinkets.

Now, hearing this, Daneel understood that he had definitely underestimated the importance of this asset that he had found by luck or fate under his old home.

Again wondering just how that old man who had advised his father to make his home above the location of the Chamber knew about this information, Daneel smiled to himself knowing that he was already progressing on the plan to become maybe the youngest Warrior Mage or Fighter ever in the continent of Angaria.

1 Ker Gem every 100 days was already a truly amazing profit without putting any investment.

Of course, although he wished that he could move it closer, he had no idea how to.

Yet, there was one possibility that he had thought of: the Empire Spirit.

Could the spirit be holding information regarding the formation which blocked him from reaching the source of energy of the mystical Dragon Heart formation?

For some reason, Daneel's instincts told him that it was so.

Satisfaction level!

Right now, it was the one thing he had to tackle that would give him numerous benefits if done properly.

While his thoughts dwelled again towards the major essential inventions and concepts on Earth which led to its rapid development, Daneel noticed that his soldiers had just come upon a spot where numerous people were gathered.

In a large clearing where the trees looked like they had recently been cut down, there stood 3 groups all facing in a certain direction.

Daneel recognized one of them-the shock troops of the Black Raven Kingdom.

Comprised entirely of men wearing black clothes with Black Ravens perched on their shoulders, they stood neatly arranged in lines of 5.

Counting, he saw that there were 70 of them.

The other human troops which were surely from the Axelor Kingdom were the largest force here, with over 100 people arranged circularly in what appeared to be a formation.

Yet, Daneel noticed that not all of them were elites, judging from the lower quality armor they were wearing.

As for the ones from Eldinor, 80 Elves milled around in a group while idly chatting amongst themselves.

Compared to the strict discipline of the other three forces, the Elves seemed out of place; it was almost as if they had come to a picnic.

All of them were also dressed in varying clothes, unlike the other soldiers who wore immaculate uniforms.

After calling for a halt, the three commanders moved forward to join a small group of 7 people who stood in the front.

As the voices from this group floated through the trinket, Daneel saw that 6 of them were actually arguing with an Elf.

"So what if you bought the information? This is unclaimed land, and the resources will go to whoever is the strongest."

This was the line uttered by the man from the Axelorian army who had burned with rage when Aran threw a jibe regarding his country's previous actions.

Yet, just as Aran opened his mouth to join in the discussion, all 10 individuals who had gathered became silent as they received a transmission from the soldiers who had been placed in charge of maintaining the teleportation detection formations.

"My Lord, it seems that another force has arrived at the location.", said Kellor, making Daneel nod while he wondered just who it was.

Without a word, 4 people from this group which was completely comprised of individuals at the Commander level detached themselves and teleported towards the location where the signal had gone off.

Daneel had given the commanders three communication 'eyes', hence he could see both the location that the troops had gathered at and the area where Cassandra had just teleported to.

It was a little distance away from where the detection formation had picked up intruders, making it so that the arriving commanders would not need to worry about stepping into an ambush.

Indeed, just as it had been done to them, it was now their opportunity to scout out the strength of the force that had arrived.

Walking quickly, Cassandra soon arrived at a spot where a group were standing and calmly waiting as if they had expected that this would happen.

20 Giants standing at least 15 foot tall stood in two rows of 10, while 3 men and 2 women stood in front of them with arms folded.

All of the giants were dressed in the same manner; they wore green armor which covered them from head to toe. In fact, they reminded Daneel of the steel suits of armors which knights used to wear back on Earth.

In their hands, the giants held enormous maces which all had sharp thorns sticking out near the top.

No matter how much he tried, Daneel couldn't match the image of the jolly envoy, Bos who had come to Lanthanor with these ferocious monstrosities that he saw in the panel.

The 5 in front wore green casual clothes, and they had easy smiles on their faces while gazing at the ones who were arriving.

Again, it was the Elf who spoke first.

"Arafellians, you are too late. Leave now, or we will have no choice but to chase you away. I think that I speak for everyone here when I say that 4 Kingdoms will ally to fight if needed?"

Hearing these words, Daneel was momentarily startled.

Ally to chase them away? Wasn't Arafell their ally?

"My Lord, it is your decision. Either we honor our ties as allies and risk having the other three ally against us to chase us away, or we put it aside and chase them away so that we will have a higher chance of obtaining the resources."

In the situation room, the King of Lanthanor found himself staring at Kellor as he asked him to make a decision in an instant which could have far-reaching consequences that he couldn't even think about.

In fact, it was all so sudden that Daneel had actually gone blank for a second.

Honor the steadfast support of Arafell and risk being chased away? Or focus on the benefits?

As he scrambled to make a decision, the atmosphere at Cassandra's location turned more and more tense by the second.

Chapter 150: Decision 2

As the seconds ticked by, Daneel noticed that the 5 men and women in front of the giants seemed to be looking at Cassandra, and through that panel, at the King of Lanthanor.

So far, the Arafellians had been the most steadfast allies during his reign. Although Daneel wasn't gullible enough to completely trust them due to just this, he had enough reasons not to trust the other parties.

Nothing needed to be said about both the Axellorians and the Black Raven Kingdom. As for the Elves, from the information gathered so far, they definitely did not have an amicable relationship with his nation.

All in all, it came down to the worst case: if he chose to side with the Arafellians, he might at most be chased away. If so, all he would lose was wealth-which could be obtained through many more ways. Besides, he would also preserve his image of being a just King who did not turn his back on allies just because there were treasures to be won.

As he made the decision, an easy smile came on Daneel's lips.

THUMP

Inside the clearing, a magic tank exactly like the one which had been used by Lanthanor to force their way into the area appeared beside the giants.

"No. Lanthanor stands with the Kingdom of Arafell."

Seeing Cassandra walk over to stand in front of the magic tank, a frown passed over the elf's face.

As for the two from Axelor and the Black Raven Kingdom, their hands were held near their mouths as they reported the situation and waited for orders.

Indeed, Daneel had chosen to stand with his allies no matter what the consequences would be.

With the decision made, the King of Lanthanor could now relax and observe the situation.

As he did so, he realized something quite crucial: except for the elves, the other two forces seemed to need to speak into trinkets in order to report what was happening.

Didn't they have visual communication trinkets like he did?

Coming from Earth, Daneel was quite used to seeing technology like this used in warfare. Information relay was after all crucial.

Thus, he had taken these trinkets for granted even though Ripley had once told him that they were only available from a certain force which specialized in producing them.

Of course, the ones Daneel had developed with the help of the system had so far been used only for military purposes. Also, they were quite similar to design to the ones manufactured by that force, as in a way, his design was based on theirs.

Seeing a business opportunity arise, Daneel immediately launched into planning while keeping an eye on what was happening in the clearing.

Meanwhile, it seemed that the other three forces had gotten their orders.

"Lanthanor, are you sure? If you stick with this decision, our three forces will have no choice but to boot you out. There is only place for 4, and 5 would make it too big of a crowd."

"Our King has made his decision. Either leave a path, or prepare to fight."

BOOM

All this while, the 5 from the Kingdom of Arafell had been calmy looking at everything that was going on as if it doesn't concern them.

Yet, it seemed that this statement from the elf had somehow crossed some threshold they had.

The gigantic maces held by the 20 giants had been dropped to the ground point first at exactly the same moment, making a thunderous noise that made everyone present flinch with shock.

As the cloud of dust that had risen into the air settled, those who were watching noticed that the impact had caused 1 foot deep craters to appear on the ground.

At this moment, it was quite clear that these weapons weren't for show.

Of the 5, one man who wore a green robe with gold lapels stepped forward to stand in front of the three who had taken on defensive positions.

Turning to the side, he first bowed slightly at Cassandra before saying, "The Kingdom of Arafell appreciates Lanthanor's support. Still, allow us to demonstrate how we fight our own battles."

Bemused, Daneel only told Cassandra to nod in response.

Hearing this statement, all three Kingdoms seemed to have decided that it was time to act on their threats.

With three THUDs, three groups exactly like the ones standing in front of the site where the other two commanders were located appeared with trinkets drawn and spells cast.

Yet, seeing the scene that appeared in the panel, all the individuals in the situation room couldn't help but stand up in shock.

At the exact instant that the three groups of soldiers teleported to the location, spears made of a material that looked like rock grew out of the ground at an angle in front of them.

The spears seemed to have a mind of their own, as each of them even twisted in the air like snakes before coming to a rest in front of the necks of the Elves and the Humans who were now standing without moving a single inch.

In fact, apparently relying on the force of numbers, none of them had taken on defensive formations like the magic tank of Lanthanor before teleporting over according to their commander's wishes.

The elves who had been seen milling around each had various spells such as huge thunderbolts or meteors above their heads, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

With increasing alarm, Daneel noticed that these were all spells that required at least an Exalted Human Mage to cast.

Now, he finally understood why they hadn't had any discipline.

Each and every one of the 20 Elves who had appeared were in fact all Exalted Human Mages!

Or in this case, Exalted Elvish Mages.

Considering the fact that all of Lanthanor had less than 10 individuals at this level, it was quite shocking to see that Eldinor was in possession of a complete troop filled with them.

Indeed, at least in the matter of general magic talent, the elves beat all the other Kingdoms easily.

The Axelorians, on the other hand, were the other extreme. Out of 100 soldiers who had appeared, there were only 10 mages. Yet, again, there were shockingly more than 50 Exalted Human Fighters.

Although it was common knowledge that Axelor was known as the Kingdom of Fighters, Daneel had never expected just the shock troops to contain these many powerful existences.

Again, when counting the soldiers at this level in both this reserve troop and the ones still standing in the site of the discovery, Daneel realized that Lanthanor again paled in comparison.

The only consolation was that there were no Exalted Human Mages or fighters in the troops from the Black Raven kingdom. Similar to Lanthanor, they seemed to be comprised of pairs of fighters and mages.

Yet, taking into account the still unknown factor of the companion Black Raven beasts, they still outclassed Lanthanor if comparing just the soldiers alone.

"My Lord, the specialty of our shock troops are our formations. Each and every Kingdom has a specialty which was handed down from ancient times. For us, it is formations like the Magic Tanks which enable us to output power which cannot be compared to bare troops. These formations are in fact the lifeblood of the Kingdom, which is why even King Richard did not consider selling them to obtain more resources."

Of course, it made sense now.

This was quite similar to the countries on Earth where each nation had a certain specialty which made their military stand out. For instance, although the military of 'India' wasn't equipped with the best of technology and advanced weapons when compared to other superpowers like the US, it could still be said to be on the same playing field due to its comparatively much larger army.

All in all, in any war situation, it was the ability of a nation to use their advantages to trump over their disadvantages using strategy and tactics to obtain victory.

Daneel felt a peculiar feeling of satisfaction inside him as he absorbed all this experience and knowledge like a sponge.

Yet, he still wondered just how the Arafellians had managed to bring the matter to such a stalemate.

If the soldiers of the other forces moved even an inch, they would be impaled by the zigzagging stone spears that were at their throats. Even teleportation was not an option, as Cassandra had just intimated Daneel that there were stone spears also sticking out from the ground, touching the shoes of the soldiers.

Gritting her teeth with frustration, the elf lost his composure for the first time, yelling, "Arafellians, you go too far! Even if you managed to trap these reserve troops, we have many more waiting at the site of discovery!"

Hearing this, the man in the green robe only idly scratched his nose before replying, "Oh? Then these ants are disposable? Either give way, or forget about these soldiers of yours."

...

Meanwhile, in the sky above the area where the situation had devolved to one that might erupt into hostility at any moment.

Two individuals, a man and a woman, were sitting on chairs that looked like they were made out of clouds.

While the man had his eyes fixed on the situation below, the woman conjured ice cubes out of the air before dropping them into the glass of wine she was holding.

Taking a sip, a bored expression appeared on her youthful face which would make those watching think that she definitely wasn't a day over 25 years old.

"Jerax, wake me up after it's done. The Elder only said we have to run the test and make the report about whether anyone is worth noticing in the villages that are inland. Boring! You won't tell on me, right?"

Seeing the cute puppy expression on the woman's face, the man sighed before nodding.

As her snores soon resounded in the pocket of air they stood in, he continued to observe, record and report everything that was going on below him.

Chapter 151: Decision 3

The blades on the earlobes of the Elf Commander who was in charge of handling intruders at the location quivered as she cursed herself for allowing these crafty Arafellians to place them in such a difficult situation like so.

Usually, the Kingdom of Arafell kept to themselves. This was mainly because although they had some of the strongest soldiers in the entirety of Angaria due to the unique bloodline of the giants, their population was very low.

With only around 1.5 million inhabitants, it was only due to the legacy passed down that they were able to maintain their sovereignty beside being a small nation.

Yet, hearing a command which came through the communication trinket in her ear, the Elf relaxed before smiling at the Arafellians.

"You are welcome to come inside."

Saying so, she turned around and walked back to the site of the discovery.

All those present in the clearing saw the clear change in expression and attitude of the Elf.

Although Daneel suspected that something may have changed at the site, he could see in the panel that that wasn't the case.

Thus, even though the other forces were puzzled, they hastened to get to the site.

When the maces were lifted into the arms of the giants again, the stone spears disintegrated into dust as if they had never existed in the first place.

Nodding at Cassandra with a smile, the green robed man first gestured at the other humans in his group before taking off at a quick trot.

Through the panel, Daneel was quite surprised to see that despite their size, the giants moved agilely, as if the bulky armors on their bodies were no hindrance at all.

After deciding that they truly were a troop which needed to be analyzed, Daneel waited for them to reach the site.

The stalemate right now was mainly due to the fact that the entrance into the Ker Gem mine was too narrow. Any one force which dared to try and enter would easily be backstabbed by the others.

As for using other means to increase the entrance, this was out of the question as Ker Gem mines were special locations which were actually quite delicate in nature.

Formed from a combination of natural factors, any disturbance in their natural state from the outside would result in the Ker Gems turning to dust.

Thus, the only way to retrieve them was to send someone inside who could use precise tools to mine them.

After the Arafellians arrived, 5 people gathered in front of the hole.

"An equal split. That would be best."

It was Luther who said these words, making 3 others nod while the last, who was the Elf, shook his head vehemently before saying, "You know very well we paid an exorbitant price to be here. We want at least 60% of whatever is inside. The rest, you can share amongst yourselves."

A short silence ensued, during which the other 4 sources looked at each other as if considering whether to ally amongst themselves in order to drive these arrogant elves away.

Alas, none of them trusted the other parties enough to do so. Although Lanthanor and Arafell might ally, it would simply push the other three to join together.

Seeing the negotiations going on, Daneel wished he could be at the location. Using the system, he would be able to teleport underground safely to reach the Ker Gem Mine. Then, he would have been able to calmly mine them away while the others bickered above ground.

The statement said by the Elf pulled him from his thoughts.

"You don't agree? Very well then, take the whole thing. The Kingdom of the Elves bids you a good day."

With a smirk on his face, the elf took out a round trinket from his pocket before crushing it decisively.

The space at this location had already been locked by each and every force after they arrived to ensure that no one would be able to teleport inside in order to take them by surprise.

Thus, when they saw all the Elves disappear from their locations in an instant, the first reaction was bewilderment.

Yet, as seasoned commanders, each of the individual present recovered in a fraction of a second.

In fact, it was Luther who recovered first. Jumping forward in a quick movement, he smoothly entered the hole while the other commanders hastened to follow.

As the image on the panel turned pitch dark, Daneel wondered just what the hell was going on.

After trying so hard to keep others away, the Elves simply chose to leave?

The only reason they would do so was if….. the Gems had already been mined.

As Luther activated a light trinket, Daneel saw that his supposition had been true.

Cuts could be seen on walls which still shone with a red hue that was characteristic of the Ker Gems. On the ground, a few fragments were still littered around, while a single misshaped gem could be seen rolling in place as if it had been left behind in a hurry.

Bending, Luther picked up this gem and a few shards in an instant before putting them in his pocket and acting as if nothing had happened.

Daneel hadn't even given the order, so he was happy to see that this stoic commander was also in possession of a cunning mind.

As the others entered, Luther banged his fist on the rock wall as an extremely frustrated expression appeared on his face which was soon mirrored by the commanders of the 3 nations which had come all this way to obtain nothing.

…..

Meanwhile, in the sky above.

After watching this situation unfold, the man first held a leather-bound book for a second and closed his eyes before opening them again and getting up.

As he walked to the snoring lady, each step resulted in a cloud condensing under his foot which enabled him to walk in the air.

"Miss Danielle, please wake up. The mine has been exhausted and the other forces are taking their leave."

At first, he tried speaking calmly to try and wake her up.

When this didn't work, he let go of his austerity and resorted to shouting loudly.

Yet, seeing his shouts become engulfed by the overpowering snores, he had no choice but to gingerly stretch his arm forward and touch the shoulder of the lady.

Even though it had only been a moment of contact, the man flinched back as if he had been electrocuted.

"Ah… oh? It's done? I was just dreaming about cake…."

Waking up, the woman said these words woozily before turning around to see that her companion was hunched on the ground, writhing.

Hurriedly running over, she pointed her finger at him, making a tiny snake of what looked like black lightning exit from his body and enter hers.

"Sorry, Jerax. You should have conjured something to wake me up instead!"

Cursing in his head remembering the last time when he had done so, the man rose up and regained his calm expression before saying, "I have made the report. The Elves received the information quite a long time before the others, which allowed them to send someone inside who was adept at concealment. Later, after the information was leaked, they left and came back right before the others arrived, acting as if it had leaked right after they obtained it themselves. All this time, they were successfully mining the gems, after which they used one-time trinkets which are comparable in value to the ones made by Champion level powerhouses to break the space lock and leave the location. Still, over all, they made a profit. One can only blame the other 4 forces for not checking sooner, but they simply couldn't trust the other parties to not backstab them. The smartness of the Elves must also be appreciated. Regardless, no new individuals who have the potential to be scouted by the Big 4 have been spotted, and the strength of the forces of Central Angaria still remains the same despite changes in leadership. I-"

Seeing that the woman was about to doze off again, the man stopped his explanation and said, "We can go back!" in an exasperated tone.

"Oh! Great! Just in time for lunch! Good teamwork, let's go!"

The man could only sigh before dispelling the air pocket and teleporting away, leaving an empty patch in the sky which looked no different from the rest.

…..

Meanwhile, Daneel was holding the shard that Luther had brought back.

Although the others in the room were disappointed because Lanthanor had gotten nothing, the King was smiling as if he was the one who had profited most from the situation.

This was because of the notification that had just sounded in his mind.

[Trace remnants of High Grade Energy Signal found. Please place the Natural Energized Training Chamber at the origin of this shard to increase the speed of production of Ker Gem grade energy.]

Chapter 152: Decision 4

2 days after the incident which had shaken Central Angaria and almost resulted in a war between nations.

The area where the Ker Gem mine had been found was already abandoned for the most part, except for a few stragglers who checked every nook and cranny around the site of discovery in hopes of finding any precious materials.

Ker Gem mines were usually found in places where the natural energy was the highest. After crossing a certain threshold, it was posited that a condensation occurred after which the concentration goes back down.

As such, all the areas where mines appeared were only recorded and checked periodically. Because there were simply too many spots, it was impossible to check each and every one very frequently.

One man who had trekked all the way from Eldinor in hopes of finding something felt the ground shake under him, as if some sort of disturbance had taken place under his feet.

Manically, he started digging with a furor which shocked Daneel who had just teleported here.

Immediately teleporting to a different location where he wouldn't be detected, he heaved a sigh of relief before ordering the system to continue towards the location of the high grade energy signal.

Since the notification from the system had sounded in his mind after holding the Ker Gem brought by Luther in his hands, Daneel had been waiting to go and check to see whether there would be better results if he brought the Natural Energized Training Chamber over.

Finally, after being cautious to not venture out immediately, he had taken care of pending matters before telling Kellor that he was going into closed door meditation for a while.

In fact, this was quite a common occurrence in Lanthanor and the other Kingdoms in Central Angaria. King Richard had even spent most of his time in close door meditation, except when he came out to give orders to get more Ker Gems to train.

Thus, the King of Lanthanor entered his first secluded training after taking the throne.

Only teleporting under ground for the most part, he had skirted the Kingdom of the Elves to finally arrive below the spot where the Ker Gem Mine had been found.

[Host has arrived at the signal. Please stand by.]

Although the fact that he had gotten nothing from this whole expedition stung, Daneel was thankful that he had gotten the chance to see the military in action with his own eyes.

Due to this experience, he now had a clearer perspective regarding how he wanted to develop his army.

Although the Domination Corps had been given the technique, they were still too young and weak to be considered a deployable asset.

Thus, he had to find some other way.

[High Grade Energy Signal Analyzed. Ker Gem Energy production rate by Natural Energized Training Chamber: 1 Gem every 50 days]

Smiling wide, Daneel reveled in the sensation that things were finally going in his way again.

The exact spot of the signal was over 50 feet below the Ker Gem Mine, which made it safe from people who might try excavating at the site in hopes of finding more treasure. Thus, although it was still risky, Daneel decided to go with his plan.

After making an exhaustive list of trinkets he would need to take precautions, the King of Lanthanor proceeded back to his Kingdom to finish the preparations as fast as possible.

At least in this matter, there was no one else he could trust except himself.

...

2 days later.

In a room two passageways away from the King's chambers.

Since a week ago, a lot of people had been going in and out of this room.

Multiple building materials and strange objects had been brought inside, while people dressed in white clothes whispered among themselves while going about their tasks hurriedly.

Now, it seemed that their mission was complete, as they all stood at the door while waiting for someone to arrive.

After a few moments, footsteps could be heard from the corner of the passageway.

Many maids and servants had gathered at this location to find out just what the hubbub was all about.

Seeing three people walking towards the room, everyone who was present first kneeled on one foot after realizing that one of them was the King of Lanthanor.

Of the other two, one supported an old man with a brand on his face which marked him as a deserter. Although his clothes were not flashy, they seemed to have been made from a good material.

The other was a woman who was wearing a yellow gown. She had a broad smile on her face, as if something she had been waiting for for a long time was finally going to happen.

"Who are the ones beside the King?", asked one servant who couldn't figure out just where he had seen these two before.

"You must be new here. They are the King's parents! Although they can control the whole Palace, they are friendly with the servants and even take care of us. The other day, a maid fell down the stairs and broke her knee. You know that we have no special medical allowance; no matter what happens, we pay for the medical fee from our own pocket. But Lady Maria who was nearby personally took her to the infirmary and had her healed for no cost. No wonder she gave birth to someone who is so upright and just!"

Seeing the burning passion and reverence in the eyes of the servant who had answered, a smile of pride also appeared on the one who had asked the question.

....

After entering the room, Daneel closed the door behind him before turning around to look at the square pool which had been built in the center of the chamber.

Inside, there was a shimmering, silver liquid that shone with a radiant hue.

"Will-will that heal your father?"

Hearing these words said by his mother, Daneel turned and smiled at her before nodding.

Recently, he had been making sure to send a clone to spend time with his parents as frequently as he could.

Each and every time he entered their chamber and saw the smiles of joy on their faces, he would feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle anything that came his way.

Now, finally, he could do something which had been on his mind for a long time: heal his father.

In fact, the method was already in the secret library.

On asking the system, he had been quite startled to find out that the complexity of the spell to reverse the branding exceeded what the system could handle.

This meant that this was a Champion Level spell!

On checking the records, he saw that this technique had in fact been handed down along with the magic tank formation by the first Lanthanore who had set up this Kingdom.

As far as he knew, these were the only remnants of that time, as the memoirs of those Kings were missing for some reason.

Although there were other techniques which were very interesting, again, they couldn't be analyzed by the system.

Even if this frustrated him to no end, he had no choice but to thank his lucky stars that the spell to reverse the branding didn't need to be analyzed to be cast: it only required a few instructions to be followed.

The delay so far had been to develop this solution; apparently, along with the technique, vials of a compressed form of this solution were also present. There were only 8 remaining after using one now.

That compressed form had needed to be soaked in water for a certain period of time before the branded victim had to be submerged inside that. After that, the spell had to be cast.

"Mother, stand aside."

With a serious expression, Daneel spoke to his mother before asking his father to head over to the pool and take off his clothes.

Since the moment he had found out that he was going to be healed, Robert hadn't spoken a word. Even now, his expression was that of someone who didn't want to speak and find out whether they were in a dream.

After following his son's instructions, Robert entered the pool and went under.

Standing a few feet away, Daneel ordered the system to cast the spell.

As he raised his arm, a silver stream seemed to pass from his fingers to the solution which made the liquid light up with a dazzling brilliance.

As it had happened suddenly, Daneel and Maria had had no choice but to close their eyes.

Only a second later, they adjusted their eyes while hearing a splashing in the pool.

After regaining their vision, they saw a topless man standing in the solution. His body seemed to have been born anew, with strong muscles rippling across his frame that hadn't been there before.

"Son, your father, Robert Anivron, is no longer a useless man."

As these words resounded in the room, Maria and Daneel couldn't help but drop their jaws seeing a man they only remembered in their memories; known as the "Spear of Kindness", he was someone who had dominated the battlefield and made his name known among the surrounding nations of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Chapter 153: "Spear of Kindness"

A day later.

In the clearing in which Daneel had spoken to the Domination Corps before, there stood groups of soldiers who were standing at ease and talking amongst each other.

There was a world of difference between these two groups which was easily visible for anyone watching. For instance, each and every one of the soldiers' eyes darted around from time to time, as if assessing the location for threats.

A few minutes later, three men walked in front of them before activating the secrecy trinket that had by now been permanently fixed at this place.

As the opaque screen came into being around them to shield them from spying eyes, the soldiers arranged themselves into neat files before bowing as one to the King who had just arrived.

The second man was the commander of the regular soldiers, Luther while the third wore a steel helmet which covered his entire head.

There were around 1000 soldiers currently in the clearing, but not even one could guess who this man was judging from his body language. Although he gave a familiar feeling to many, they just couldn't place it in their minds.

Strangely, the King and Luther both stepped back leaving the stage to the mysterious man who surveyed the scene calmly before shouting:

"Soldieeeeeers! What do we say to those who seek to defeat us?!"

"I WILL NOT GIVE UP!"

The answering shout came almost instinctually from the depths of the soldiers' minds. It was as if they had responded in this way hundreds or even thousands of times, making it so that it had imbibed itself completely into their psyche.

With gasps and cries of surprise, the men and women in the clearing finally recognized the voice of the man who had taught them everything they knew.

"General Robert!"

As the man on the stage removed the steel helmet covering his face, the watching soldiers felt as if they had been transported back in time to when they had just joined the army.

The army of Lanthanor worked in a peculiar way: only general training was given to all, while specialized skills and any extra training had to be earned by the cadets themselves.

To earn them, cadets had to first be selected to be under the wing of someone who was in command of troops.

As for individuals such as squad leaders, lieutenants, etc. , it was mandatory for them to have at least half of the individuals under their command be new cadets or cadets in training.

Only after certain metrics(such as performance in live battle) was met, would the cadets graduate to be regular soldiers who could avail more benefits from the government.

Of course, this only applied to the regular soldiers. Soldiers in the elite groups were treated completely differently, with each of them valued and trained even individually to bring out the best in them.

The main reasons for this system being in place in the regular army was so that resources could be given to those who deserved them.

Of course, base resources would be given to all but they were hardly enough to sustain a Fighter's growth especially with the harsh training they went through. If they wanted more resources, they would either have to show talent or hard work in the regular competitions that took place which tested different aspects of a soldier.

In a way, this system was quite good as it weeded out those who entered the army just to use the resources and grow stronger.

But, the problem was that this method alienated those who made it through by barely scraping through the minimum requirements.

With their fellow soldiers being more talented and getting more results, these poor individuals would often find themselves spiraling into a cycle of losses after losses.

Often, this would result in them giving up hope and leaving the army.

Vess had been one such cadet who had just barely entered the regular army. As an orphan, she had grown up listening to stories of a soldier's life from the man who had run a small orphanage in her area.

Enamored by these tales, she had chosen to join the army as soon as she was eligible.

Although she had been filled with joy when she got the news that she was selected, all she had left was hopelessness after the first few weeks.

She often placed near the last in most of the competitions, making it so that there was no squad or troop who would take her in.

Just when she had been about to give up and leave, a man had approached her and spoken in this voice which she still remembered as being the ray of light in the shroud of darkness that had completely covered her.

"Hey Kiddo, wanna join my squad?"

It seemed that his name was Robert, and he loved to go around the army gathering those whom no one would take in. After doing so, he would train them himself and make sure that they found their place in the army, resulting in the moniker of the man who wielded the spear with a heart of kindness.

Thus, Robert Anivron had been the name which was on the lips of so many people that it irked the noble who had taken command as per King Richard's orders.

After dismissing him due to the incident where his foolish orders would have resulted in the death of many soldiers, he had been quite shocked but even more angered to know that a rebellion would have taken place if not for Robert's order to do nothing to refute the nation.

Taking solace in the fact that he would have a life of depravity as a deserter, the noble had let the matter go after assigning people to make sure that no one helped Robert even if his family was going to starve.

This entire tale was still talked about often in the campfires in the army, but instead of before when the ending had been sad, there was now the happy addition to the story that the beloved General Robert was in the Palace with his son as King.

Still, many had been puzzled as to why he hadn't chosen to come to the army to address all his old trainees.

Now, they understood that it had been so that he could appear in front of them as the man they once knew.

Indeed, the disappearance of the deserter brand on his forehead was enough evidence that the "Spear of Kindness" had regained his strength. Besides, his strong body made it look like nothing had even happened in the first place.

Seeing the ardent love in the soldier's eyes, Daneel smiled with happiness feeling glad again that he had transmigrated into this individual who was born to such an incredible man.

Apparently, the slogan was his father's catchphrase both when he trained cadets and when he rode out to battle.

Looking beside him, Daneel noticed that Luther was smiling for the first time since he had met the man.

Feeling Daneel's gaze on him, the commander said, "I had my eyes on your father for a long time, and I even tried to change the decision to expel him from the army. I actually wanted to groom him as my successor."

Nodding, Daneel turned towards his dad and said, "Father, take your time to converse with them. We will wait."

In response, Robert only waved his hand before shouting again, "Meet at 7 tonight at our regular haunt. The wine's on me."

Turning around, Robert walked towards Daneel while a resounding cheer rose up behind him.

A confident smile the likes of which Daneel had only seen in his distant childhood adorned his father's face.

With the joy that he had finally healed his father only increasing with time, Daneel turned around and started to walk back to the Palace along with the other two men.

"Son, I would trust these men with my life. I think that they will definitely suit your plan to make a special guard who will raise their potential to be an elite Fighter Army who can take on any role you wish. I will convince them to take the oath, and along with them, I will also be giving the oath myself."

Indeed, this whole meeting had been set up in response to Daneel sharing his plans with his dad the night before.

After the removal of the brand, although Daneel had many questions, he had shelved them to join in the happiness of the Anivron Family. Taking a day off from training, he had spent the entire time talking to his family and spending time with them. Using the opportunity, he had also told about the development technique and his dream to make the army stronger.

Seeing the scene of the giants dominating the battlefield with a single spell had made the thirst to make his own forces stronger.

Now, with his father with him, he had one more person whom he could trust to take the burden off his shoulders which was threatening to crush him if he even tried to tackle it all alone.

Chapter 154: Happiness

After reaching the King's chambers, Kellor and Faxul joined them to take a seat in front of the dragon's heart.

Indeed, Daneel had already added his father to this close circle whom he consulted with to take major decisions.

Although Cassandra and Aran were also in this group, they were currently at the border taking care of a few tasks that Daneel had given them.

Taking his seat, the King of Lanthanor directly launched into the agenda for the meeting he had called.

"Everyone, it is time to shift our focus to the satisfaction of the people. Since I have taken the throne, multiple issues have popped up which did not let me focus on this matter which I hold very close to my heart. Now that we have a little breathing space, I think it is time we begin to direct our attention towards making the people of Lanthanor happier."

For Daneel, the most important thing right now was to gain more power and make Lanthanor and Central Angaria stronger in order to defend against the incoming threat of the Church.

To get to this goal, the most important thing he could do right now as to increase the satisfaction level of the Kingdom so that he could both gain EXP to potentially upgrade the system and unlock the Empire Spirit so that he could obtain answers to at least some of the questions that were in his head.

This list of questions had only been growing more and more with time.

Only yesterday, he had been scratching his head wondering just why there was such a complex method to brand people. Weren't there easier alternatives? Besides, why use such a method which was apparently very costly to reverse?

Again, Daneel could only scratch his head. It seemed as if the more he governed the Kingdom of Lanthanor, the thicker the mist became which enshrouded its past.

His instincts told him that the Empire Spirit was the key to unlocking everything and blowing away this mist. Thus, he itched to do so as soon as possible while also being handsomely rewarded by the system for increasing the satisfaction level of the Kingdom.

After a brief silence, the 3 elderly men in the room exchanged a glance between them.

Although Daneel couldn't understand just what this glance meant, his father's words made their message loud and clear.

"Son, you remind us three old men of a tale told in Lanthanor by our mothers. Do you want to hear it? It might be a bit offensive, I'm warning you."

Puzzled, Daneel nodded while Faxul also looked on wondering just what this story was.

With a smile on his face, Robert began reciting the story which had actually been forcefully banned by the government decades ago because it was an embarrassment to the Lanthanore Family.

"It is not known exactly when this story occurred, but it is a fact that it was definitely before the wall that separated the inner and outer cities had been built. A certain King of Lanthanor had three sons who were equally smart and worthy of the throne. Not wishing to simply have the eldest take the throne, the King gave them a task: each of them would be given 50 citizens to manage. The three groups of citizens would come from the same backgrounds, and they would be isolated from each other. The princes would each be given a certain amount of money which they had to use to make the people happier. After a period of three months, the King himself would examine each and decide the winner who would be crowned as the new King of Lanthanor."

Pausing here, Robert saw that Daneel was listening with rapt attention.

Indeed, Daneel found himself being pulled into the shoes of the princes who had been given this task.

If he were in such a situation, what would he do?

While he pondered on the possibilities, he noticed that his friend was also doing the same.

After a few moments, both of them looked up to see that Robert was waiting for them to finish making their choices.

"Care to let us know what you two younglings would do? I'm curious."

Luther, who usually sat with an indisposed expression, straightened his back and leaned forward as if he were also very interested in what the choice of the King would be.

As for Kellor, his eyes seemed to be shining, and Daneel could swear he saw mirth concealed in their depths which confused him slightly.

In fact, he was quite confident that he could obtain the answer by simply asking the system. Still, he wanted to test himself.

Even back on Earth, Daneel had always been interested in theorycraft. Now finding an opportunity to apply it fully, he had used all the wits he had to come up with his own solution.

Gesturing at Faxul to go first, he folded his arms while again assessing all the options that were present.

"I would use that money to give the people better houses and also better jobs."

Hearing the answer, the other 4 individuals in the room smiled slightly.

This was, after all, the most foolproof way to definitely increase the happiness of the people.

Better living conditions either through better income, more opportunities or better residential facilities would indeed make a family's life better.

In a way, this answer also showcased Faxul's mindset perfectly. He was someone who had a good head on his shoulders who could both follow orders effectively and also think for himself when the need arose.

But was this the best method to win?

"If I only wanted to win the competition, I would hire prostitutes to woo the single men in the group. The remaining money would be directly given to the people in the form of some sort of lucky draw a day before the time given ends."

Daneel had given the answer while looking down because he had still been in the process of eliminating a few other possibilities which he also liked.

Hearing no one speak, he looked up to see Faxul, Robert, Kellor and Luther looking at him with the expression of those who were laying their eyes on a complete stranger.

Was this still the same King who had taken the throne of Lanthanor after being proclaimed as the King due to his rightful nature?

Yet, a few moments later, the shock turned into a wide smile before breaking into open laughter.

While Luther chuckled to himself, Robert and Kellor laughed out loud raucously.

After a few seconds, Kellor spoke first.

"My King, I never expected you to have such a methodical mind which was not ... ahem ... naive."

"Son, well done. If I didn't raise you myself, I would think that you had grown up while taking training to become someone who would rule a Kingdom. I will not ask how you trained your mind to think like so, but like the Grand Court Mage said, I am happy that you are not disillusioned enough to do what is 'right' instead of doing what is needed. In fact, if I didn't know your character, I would be scared that Lanthanor is in the hands of such a crafty King!"

Grinning widely, Robert continued the story.

"One of the princes did something similar, but his idea wasn't nearly as good as yours. He hired prostitutes to woo all the men in the group, not caring about the effect that would have in the long term. The men would also be given money directly so that they could take it home to make their families happy. Of course, those who weren't interested were given better jobs. When the King came to check, he saw not one even slightly dissatisfied citizen. But the tale ends here. It is not known whether he chose this crafty prince, or one of the other princes who had done simpler, safer things like what Faxul had suggested."

Indeed, Daneel wasn't the kind who ignored options such as these. Even though he had a bottom line, he was definitely not the type to be completely just to the point of not even considering every option available because they weren't 'rightful', at least compared to the moral standards on Earth.

Feeling glad that he hadn't chosen to give the option where addictive drugs which wouldn't cause bodily harm could be mixed in the water or food to increase the happiness directly, he continued the discussion.

After all, when the fates of millions of people hung in the balance, the means could be ignored to some extent if the destination could be reached effectively.

Chapter 155: Happiness 2

After a few hours of discussion, the four individuals slinked back to their rooms wearily with their heads buzzing with all the instructions they had given.

The story about the 3 princes had given Daneel the idea that segregating was the way to go if he wanted to precisely target each and every part of the society of Lanthanor.

First of all, their entire focus was on those who lived beyond the inner city walls of the capital of Lanthanor. It was safe to say that those who were capable enough to build a house in the inner city were definitely influential and powerful enough that they did not need to take any advantage of any of the welfare schemes which Daneel had planned.

Crashed onto his bed, the King of Lanthanor replayed the conversation which had led to the distribution of duties in the first place.

In fact, this conversation had only come towards the ending of their long discussion which spanned various topics and issues that plagued the people of Lanthanor.

It was only after taking everything into purview that Daneel made his decision regarding the final plan.

"Our plan can be split into three major parts: past, present and future.

Past: Scribes and scholars must be immediately called over to prepare new material which talks about the demise of the Lanthanore Family and my ascension to the throne. I made a promise to Laravel that his family wouldn't be forgotten, and I intend to keep my word. Still, the latter part must be focused on. It must be so that no matter who asks any question regarding my ascension to the throne, they should be answered by a crowd who can tell the story perfectly. Kellor, I leave this up to you."

Hearing the King of Lanthanor's words, Kellor's eyes had shone with a fire of duty which had been absent during the reign of King Richard.

Right now, he felt as if he were taking orders from a completely different man when compared to the one he had saved back in the academy all those years ago.

Time and experience had truly changed Daneel in many ways.

Musing over this fact, he had started to plan about how he would carry out his orders while Daneel moved on to the next part.

"Present: Faxul, like you said, we must find ways to increase the living conditions of the people. I already have a plan to use mass-produced trinkets to increase the economy of our system, but that will take time. I want you to venture into these households and identify areas where the Kingdom can act to get maximum results with minimal efforts."

Indeed, although the plan of using prostitutes or drugs was excellent in the short run, Daneel knew for a fact that it would only bring disaster if more and more time passed.

To win a sprint, it was great- but in Daneel's case, it was a marathon.

He had actually considered using such methods seriously before he realized that the Empire Spirit was a sentient being that definitely had full awareness regarding the Kingdom it was situated in. This had been evidenced quite clearly by the answer it had given to Daneel when he had gone to ask after the coronation ceremony.

Thus, such methods would definitely not fool it.

Thus, Daneel chose this method while also starting to think about whether there was a way to hoodwink the damn spirit.

Seeing his friend nod, Daneel first said, "Good. Just make it fast." before turning to Luther and Robert to instruct about the third and most important part.

"Father, Luther. I am trusting you to handle the most crucial part of this whole endeavor: the future.

"For any Kingdom, children are the most important asset who will dictate its future. As you all know, just like in most of Central Angaria, Lanthanor has no official institutions which focus on training children of a young age. Fighter and Mage organizations only hire at least 12-year-olds, because that is when a clear test regarding body potential or comprehension can be done.

"This needs to change. Lanthanor will set up a school which will hire instructors for each and every occupation in all of Angaria. Along with these, there will also be language and world knowledge instructors who can take over the role of parents who generally pass such information down to the children. No longer should people have to depend on finding instructors who charge exorbitant prices if they want a child to embark on a certain path."

At this moment, Daneel's eyes moistened slightly as he recalled the days of his childhood.

"All of us know that the slums are the bane of Lanthanor. I wish I could directly empty the treasury to uplift all the people who have no other choice but to live there, just like my own family just a few years ago."

Hearing these words, Robert's face fell as he too was reminded of all those years of living in extreme poverty.

"Unfortunately, I cannot do that. The next best thing is to give their children a way to excel in life. This should be the first step we take in the journey to abolishing the slums. Speak to the ministers, and make an exhaustive report with each and every detail."

With his hands tightened into fists, Robert stood up and only nodded at Daneel before walking out the door.

Daneel knew that his father blamed himself for the condition of their family. Although both he and Maria had said repeatedly that it hadn't been his fault, Robert had always refused to listen.

Thus, Daneel understood why he had seen such ardent passion in his father's eyes when he laid out this plan.

After dismissing the others as well, Daneel had laid down on his bed and become lost in his thoughts.

Education. This would be his first weapon which he would use to reach his goal of increasing the satisfaction of the Kingdom.

The importance of a proper education system to a nation didn't even need to be stated. In fact, Daneel had been quite surprised when he had seen that although there were numerous establishments which taught kids, almost all of them had had the minimum admittance age of 12 years old.

As someone from Earth, Daneel knew very well the importance of basic education from a young age itself. Although it made sense that a child's value and potential in life would only be discovered when he was tested at 12, it was foolish to disregard the early years which were the bulk of the formative period of a child.

With all the preparations underway, Daneel breathed a huge sigh of relief before giving himself a few minutes to relax.

Yet, after these few minutes passed, he launched himself back into all the matters which demanded his attention.

Making his way down to the chamber in which the headquarters of the Network of Angaria had been set up, Daneel saw that Eloise had dark circles under her eyes which meant that she definitely hadn't slept in many days.

Daneel had given her the goal that the NOA should become and remain to be a daily part of people's lives for at least a period of a month.

His main fear had been that maybe, although the network might be intriguing at first, it would later lose its flavor and be discarded by the people as they went about their daily lives.

Not having the time to tackle this issue himself, Daneel had assigned it to Eloise after giving her some ideas.

Eloise had indeed been hard at work night and day to try out all the unique inputs given by the King. As she did so, she found that she had started to love her work more and more.

Some ideas, such as using the NOA to broadcast information such as specific locations where certain goods/trinkets could be found at a special discount had been so amazingly effective that she had wondered why she hadn't thought of such a simple thing herself.

After all, who wouldn't want to save some extra Lans?

Others, such as occasionally giving bards a free hand to experiment and find ways to enthrall audiences through the network, had yielded considerable results which neither the King nor she had expected.

Often, she found herself daydreaming about this man who both looked quite handsome and dashing in his intricately woven robes while also possessing an intellect which impressed her to no end.

It was during one such daydream that she heard his strong voice from behind her, making her jump with shock before blushing fiercely hearing the appreciative tone of the King of Lanthanor.

"Well done, Eloise! I believe that we can move our plan forward to deploy NOA in the rest of the continent. We can start with the Kingdom of the Elves, as their elections are due, making it so that their people will ... appreciate news that could help them decide their next leader."

Chapter 156: Targeting Eldinor

One month later.

The elves and humans who lived on the street on which the headquarters of the "Voice of Eldinor" was located had been having almost no sleep since the last 7 days.

Loud noises could be heard multiple times in the night, waking them up from their slumber and frustrating them to no end because they couldn't find out just where it was coming from.

Unable to take it any more, they had collectively decided to complain to the City Guard.

Strangely, the night after this decision was made, the sounds ceased completely.

Unbeknownst to everyone who passed the dilapidated office which had once been known as the "News Hub of Eldinor", secret trinkets which acted as intruder alert mechanisms had been set up all around the building.

If one entered inside, they would be shocked to see that the dusty tables and broken chairs were nowhere to be seen. Instead, they had been replaced by neat, empty rooms which seemed to have been emptied recently.

The source of the sounds which had plagued the surrounding people was actually a hidden trap door that had been installed in the floor of the main office.

The man who had come bearing the magical source of all the information in Angaria had also funded the Voice of Eldinor's expansion underground. Because the elections were close by, they had chosen to do so secretly because approvals took a long time and also raised questions regarding the source of funding which did not need to be answered.

Although great care had been taken to stay as silent as possible, some sounds still escaped the excavation which had troubled the neighborhood. If an official inquiry was launched, it would result in them being found out.

Luckily, the work was completed just before this point.

Under the trapdoor was a single large room in which around 500 parchments were stacked in one corner.

The other corner held a strange, black box half the size of a man that seemed to be slightly vibrating with a unique rhythm.

2 men stood in the center of the room, talking to a woman in the panel that had just been set up.

"The Network of Angaria looks forward to working with the Voice of Eldinor. We have done everything agreed upon, and we look forward to the results."

As the connection cut off, the original owner of the Voice who had been wallowing in self-pity only a few weeks back jumped up from his chair with joy and tried to hug the man standing beside him.

As a sleeper agent, Olfax had already taken multiple roles and names in his stay in Elfaven. Right now, he had taken the identity of a rich merchant who loved to invest his money in endeavors which he felt would bring great returns.

As a democratic nation, the importance of having forums where the views and happenings in the world could be discussed was well known.

Although many new news establishments rose and fell, three had withstood the test of time to stand on top of the competitive landscape in Eldinor.

The Voice of Eldinor was an establishment which had once stood amongst them. Its specialty had been its penchant in pursuing news that would make people gossip.

When Daneel had sent the orders to find an establishment which could be exploited, Olfax had considered targeting one of the three. With the resources at hand, he was quite confident that he would be able to infiltrate and carry out his orders if he were given enough time.

Sadly, he did not have that luxury of time.

Thus, he had chosen the next best option: a gossip news outlet which was currently down due to a scandal that had taken place decades ago.

Ironically, the same news which was the reason behind the Voice's meteoric rise had been the cause of its downfall: "Queen Eldara has a daughter. But is she of her blood?"

This juicy piece of information had come at a perfect time: the elections had been due in a few weeks, and Queen Eldara who had ruled the Kingdom until then had been about to lose.

Thinking that this could be the nail in the coffin which would slingshot the Voice up to unimaginable heights, the founder and manager of the organization, Bondeer, had chosen to print it even though the source hadn't been verified.

What followed had been a series of events which still shook Bondeer to this day: Queen Eldara had taken the stage along with her young daughter, Eldra to prove that she was indeed of her own blood. Apparently, the process had been a very humiliating one which had said to have scarred the little elf. Even though she knew this, Queen Eldara had carried on saying that she couldn't bear someone sullying her and her daughter.

After this, evidence had surfaced which showed that her main competitor in the election who had been slated to win was the one who had passed the information to the Voice of Eldinor.

Both the competitor and the Voice had been denounced by the people, while Eldara had easily taken the throne riding a wave of sympathy which resulted in her winning the election.

Although Bondeer had many suspicions, the truth of the matter was that he had chosen to print the news without making an effort to verify it. Thus, he blamed himself and spent most of his time drinking and regretting the past in the office he had bought in the time of prosperity between the two events of printing the news and the public demonstration.

Yet, that had all changed when the man in front of him whom he had just tried to hug awkwardly had come to his office to give him the rope of salvation which pulled him out of his misery.

For any news organization, the biggest challenge was obtaining news to report. As they were just privately run organizations, they had limited funds and thus could not deploy spies like Daneel to find the happenings in each Kingdom.

Also, there was an official rule that the government couldn't invest in any organization which engaged in such activities. Thus, the main basis of failure for all the budding organizations was a lack of funds which resulted in them not obtaining news properly.

Now, with an abundant source and funding, Bondeer knew that the sky was the limit.

Besides, he was also intrigued by these parchments which were being touted as a revolution in news delivery.

Thus, the NOA and the Voice of Eldinor had entered into a mutual agreement where the former would provide the latter with all the news in the world. As for the Voice, all they had to do was give a certain… preference to the NOA in the matter of choosing the news they would print. Also, the Voice would advertise the NOA's "radio trinkets".

After standing stiff and waiting for Bondeer to retract his arms, Olfax, who was currently going by the name of Emmanuel, grinned widely before saying, "Bondeer, I told you they would deliver. Now, it's all up to you. I want to see my money doubled. No, make that tripled. Do you think you can do that?"

With a manic smile on his face, Bondeer replied, "Any problem if it's multiplied by 10 times? Soon, all of Eldinor will be listening to the Voice again! Haha, I can't wait to laugh at those haughty idiots who foolishly chased me away!"

Seeing Bondeer's face morph into one of gleeful expectation, Olfax rejoiced inwardly knowing that he had chosen the perfect candidate.

"A perfect spy should be able to manipulate anyone regardless of their intelligence."

Although this statement told by Luther during his training was true, Olfax had also learned that it was easiest and safest to target those like Bondeer who had clear motivations and goals.

Bondeer was someone who was motivated by the urge to become famous and lord over the three big news organizations which had rejected him previously. As evidenced by his decision to print news without verification, he was ready to do anything to achieve his goal.

Thus, he was someone who could be pulled or pushed in any direction that Olfax wanted.

Walking out of the office, he headed back to the sewers after changing his face to resume his operation.

Little did he know that the conversation he would record today would change the fate of Eldinor permanently.

Chapter 157: Progress

After waking up from a deep meditation session, Daneel realized that the trinket he was carrying in his pocket was flashing brightly, illuminating the swirling mists in the Energized Training Chamber. In his hands was a Ker Gem from the treasury which he had been using to speed up his training.

After over a month of absorbing this particular source of energy, Daneel had already gotten used to the uncomfortable feeling which he had felt before.

Getting up, he first grinned widely seeing that he was already close to another breakthrough.

Yet, just when he was about to ask the system to show him his statistics, the trinket flashed again signifying that another message had been received.

Curious, he stopped his actions and checked the trinket to realize that it was actually Kellor requesting for a meeting.

Seeing that there were multiple requests both from Kellor and Luther, Daneel immediately contacted them both and walked to his chambers.

In the past month, he had been blissfully training for most of the time except for the few hours spent either with his mother or in the library.

The assembly of the information was coming along quite nicely, and Daneel was confident he would be able to amass all the books available in no more than a few weeks.

Before, this had been his main priority. But after the events with the Ker Gem mine where he realized that experience was much more important than knowledge, Daneel had decreased the priority in his mind.

As for his mother, she had been happier than ever to see that her son was finally spending some time with her. Along with the fact that her husband was finally cured, Maria felt that things couldn't get better for the Anivron family.

As someone who had experienced the harsh end of poverty, Maria had developed a sense of kindness which made her care for everyone in the palace as if they were her own family.

Seeing this, Daneel had been reminded of the popularity of the Queen and the concubines which had led that King to fear a coup.

Daneel wasn't the type to get fears like these. In fact, he thought that it would be great if his mother could turn out to be the other face of the Palace; after all, he knew that tough times were coming during which he might have to make difficult decisions. In that situation, if there were someone else whom he could trust to blunt the edge of the ruling party, it might do wonders.

Thus, he had instructed the treasurers to set up a special fund in her name which she could use however she wished for the welfare of the people.

Although Maria had denied his suggestion to go out into the City and help those in need at first, she had later acquiesced after a talk with Robert. Daneel didn't know what his father had said, but he had been happy to see that she agreed wholeheartedly with a huge smile on her face before getting the details about the exact sum of money she could spend.

After deciding on an initial amount of 100,000 Gold Lans, Daneel looked forward to seeing what impact this would have on the Kingdom Management Statistics which hadn't budged so far.

A few moments later, the team of people who were quickly becoming known as the advisors of the King made their way into the chamber.

Sitting down in front of the dragon heart, Kellor, Luther, Faxul and Robert first waited for Daneel to speak.

"A month has passed. Let's get some progress reports first on the tasks I have given you before moving to the topic which Kellor requested the meeting for."

Indeed, Daneel had been about to call for a meeting himself. Seeing that there was something pressing to address anyway, he decided to use this occasion to get everything done so that he could return to training ASAP.

With time, he realized that he had gotten addicted to the feeling of growing stronger. In fact, he had actually cursed himself often for not using a Ker Gem sooner.

Nodding at the King's words, Kellor started to speak.

"My King, a team of 35 scribes and scholars have finished compiling an epic saga just as you requested. If you give the go-ahead, we can begin printing it en mass to distribute it to the bookstores and libraries in Lanthanor. Here is a sample."

Kellor had carried inside a small bag which he now opened to take out a large, rectangular book with golden edges that shone in the faint light in the King's Chambers.

"Daneel Anivron. Our King, Our Saviour."

These were the words written in a bold font on top.

After taking it into his hands and noticing that it was quite hefty, Daneel smiled a little before setting it to the side and saying, "Well done. I shall go over it after the meeting and tell you if there needs to be any changes before we can begin mass production. Faxul?"

With his usual stoic expression, Faxul said, "I've been spending the past month walking around the capital and so far, there is one thing which I think will interest you: there is a serious dearth of healers in the city. There are only a few who are known, and they charge exorbitant prices."

Hearing this, Daneel felt like hitting himself on the head for forgetting such an important aspect of a nation.

Healthcare!

Growing up in the slums, Daneel knew very well that even the most basic ointments to heal superficial wounds came at a very high price. Besides, if one suffered a serious wound, a family would have to starve for weeks if they wanted to approach a healer.

"Well done. Kellor, make a report regarding how much it will cost to set up a healthcare initiative by the government for a very low fee. Get on this ASAP."

Seeing Kellor nod, Daneel turned to Luther and Robert.

"Daneel, we have already made a list of prospective instructors for each stream of study. The location has also been scouted, and we are ready to send invites to the instructors.", said Robert.

"Good. Carry on. Kellor, go on. Play the recording."

After ensuring that his Past, Present, Future plan was going well, Daneel sat back and watched on while Kellor took out a Gold Lan from his pocket.

"This is a transmission we just received from Olfax in Elfaven."

With their interest piqued, the rest of the individuals in the room leaned forward while Kellor placed the coin on the table and activated it.

"-want me to make you remember?"

A deep, authoritative female voice came into focus. Due to the fact that everyone in the room had already heard such transmissions before, they knew right away that this was the Queen of Eldinor, Eldara speaking.

"Mother, the polls say we are quite close. Won't we be able to win if..."

SLAP

After a crisp slapping sound, the sound of a body thudding to the floor could be heard clearly.

Sighing, the Queen spoke again.

"Eldra, my patience runs thin. I already told you multiple times; for victory, you must be prepared to do everything in your power. I don't know how I can make a Queen out of you. Now, will you get up and listen or do you wish to be sent to the Well again?"

"N-no, mother. I'll immediately contact the top three news organizations. You will definitely be Queen again."

Through the shake in her voice, the individuals in the room could clearly tell that she was shuddering with fear.

With a 'Humph', the sound of footsteps and the slamming of a door could be heard, after which Daneel thought the transmission was over.

Yet, Kellor didn't move to take back the coin.

Hearing a faint noise, Daneel and the other bent forward to realize that there was a silent sobbing that felt heartbreaking to even hear.

After seeing that the others had realized what the sound was, Kellor deactivated the trinket and put it back in his pocket.

For a few moments, silence pervaded the King's Chambers.

Finally, the King of Lanthanor looked up and said, "Order Olfax to look for ways to initiate contact with Eldra. It should be discreet, and she shouldn't know it is us."

It seemed that the elections in Eldinor were going to get much more interesting, mused Daneel before dismissing the meeting and going back to training.

Chapter 158: Pligh

To the east of Elfaven, there was a dilapidated building which was called by the locals as the "Sorrow's Knell".

Numerous trinkets were placed all around it and whenever a citizen trespassed on its grounds either by accident or on purpose, soldiers would immediately teleport over to take them away.

The area around it was empty save for a few commercial buildings which were also in a serious state of disrepair.

The reason for this strange occurrence was told in stories by the Elves and humans who lived in the areas nearest to this location which were still inhabitable.

Apparently, one night, a strange, multi-colored meteor had impacted the location without any warning.

Meteors weren't new in both Eldinor and Elfaven, and they were even sought after as the places where they impacted the earth often had abundant energy resources which could be plundered.

What was peculiar about this particular meteor was that it had evaded all the equipment which the capital had to track incoming projectiles which might cause harm to the city.

Also, although the impact caused the instant deaths of everyone in the area, the buildings had somehow been left only half-damaged.

In fact, from the testimony of an observer who was lucky to be outside the area of effect, the meteor had melted into the earth after impact and there hadn't even been any sound during its impact.

With the circumstances getting weirder and weirder, the government had chosen to cordon off the area before sending teams of researchers to investigate just what was happening.

This was when the occurrence which gave the location its name started to take place.

Every night, at precisely 9:00 pm, a loud scream would arise from the center of the impact which was a half-destroyed stone building.

For 12 hours, this scream would continuously be heard as if the person from whom it originated did not need to breathe or pause in order to continue screaming.

Moreover, the scream had some kind of special quality which made it so that anyone who was exposed to it for longer than a certain time would find themselves fainting where they stood.

No matter how much Elfaven tried to find out the reason behind all these bizarre occurrences, they hit a dead end as all indications showed that the area was normal except for the scream.

With no other option, the Elves gave up after cordoning off the whole area where the scream could be heard.

All over Angaria, there were certain unexplainable phenomena like this which baffled its inhabitants to no end. Thus, the government of Elfaven could only gradually forget about it after thanking the stars that it wasn't a fatal spot like some others.

As for the name: many felt that the scream sounded sorrowful, as if it emanated from someone who lost their loved ones.

After teleporting over to a secret location under the 3-storeyed building, Eldra nodded to the soldiers who were stationed there before walking inside to a room in which 4 chairs were present.

The soldiers were part of a special, secret troops known by the nickname "Silent Watchers". Using archaic spells which had been passed down since the founding of their Kingdom, the elves of Elfaven made it so that all kinds of communication would be forever closed off for the individuals who chose to join this troop in exchange for things such as having their families taken care of for the rest of their lives.

In essence, these soldiers could not communicate with anyone; they could only accept orders.

As the perfect solution to ensure that no information would be leaked out, they were deployed in sensitive locations like these where secrecy was warranted.

After entering the room and taking a seat, Eldra placed her face in her hands before brushing her hair back and taking a deep breath.

It was glossy and brown and had once reached her back before she had been 'advised' by her mother to cut it short because it might impede her in battle.

Although this was just one of the many ways in which her extremely controlling mother affected her life, it still made the top five of her list of which memories stung the most when she recalled them.

Putting aside these thoughts, she made a serious expression appear on her face before leaning back into the chair and rhythmically tapping on the table in the middle.

A few minutes later, three individuals entered the room together.

Two of them were elves, with one male and one female while the last was a human whose face was hidden by a velvet mask. Although his face was covered, his ears could still be seen which revealed his species.

The female elf had strong features, with a pointed nose and wide lips which were currently smiling. With frizzy red hair which almost reached her legs, she was definitely a head-turner.

As for the male, he had short army cut hair with a button nose and a square chin. Unlike the female who seemed to be in the spring of youth, he looked quite old due to his greying hair and hunched manner of walking.

Seeing them enter, Eldra only stared at them coldly without getting up.

Although the two elves smiled briefly on seeing her, their expressions turned neutral on seeing her cold welcome.

After they took their seats, a silence pervaded the room with only the sound of Eldra's fingers tapping the table audible to those who had just entered.

"Queen Eldara will win the election again. State your requests to make this possible."

It was the man with the mask who replied first.

"Hoho, it seems our Queen has gotten anxious see-"

BANG

Loudly slamming the table, Eldra got up and raised her hand in the air, making the man stop what he was saying.

"I don't want to hear anything. Remember, your throats are in my hand. If your demands go overboard or if you even think of revealing our dealings, you will be dead before you even realize it. The buying and selling of Elf-children is, after all, the crime which has the strictest punishment in our Kingdom."

Hearing her words, the slightly gloating expressions which had appeared on the two elves' faces disappeared and were replaced by ones of slight terror.

Sharing a glance between each other, the three individuals looked up at Eldra as one and said, 'Double the amount as last time."

Although Eldra wished that she could bash in their faces, all she did was nod and say, "OK. Not even one more."

As she saw the smiles appear on their faces, she felt sickened to the extent that she felt like throwing up.

After they got up and left together, she collapsed into her chair and closed her eyes as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Elf slavery. Although officially banned, it was the second most profitable business in Angaria after Giant slavery.

As those born naturally with good comprehension, elves were sure to become mages when they grew up, making their value skyrocket when compared with other species who might only amount to fighters.

After all, the weakest mage was more valuable in the battlefield than a fighter with medium potential.

These three individuals were the "influences" in the three big news organizations in Elfaven. As the largest stakeholders, they could either directly or indirectly influence the organizations to report whatever they wanted.

In exchange, the government would turn a blind eye to their businesses while also exempting them from taxes and paying them a huge amount which amounted to the equivalent of millions of Gold Lans.

The money, in fact, was funneled by Queen Eldara from the government by using bogus development projects which cost nowhere near the amount quoted in the records.

Although this was something to be frowned upon, it could be looked over as the projects did do good to the nation.

What made Eldra cry was the image of around 60 cute little faces looking at her and calling her "Sister Eldra!" after she saved them personally from a slave cargo.

In her life which was mostly filled with darkness, this had been the day of light which drove much of the darkness away and made her smile like the little happy child she had once been.

Now, those little elf girls and boys would definitely be taken away due to this deal.

While she tried to control her tears in order to get back to the palace, the communication trinket in her pocket glowed as an incoming message sounded in her ear.

"Miss, someone called 'Devon' has approached the palace saying he wants to meet with you. He says he has information which might help our Kingdom. Would you like us to drive him away?"

Chapter 159: IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMEN

Hey fellow World Dominators, it's your author here with an important announcement:

World Domination System will be going premium come October 26th(coming Friday).

First of all, let me tell you what this means:

It's a way for people like me who juggle multiple jobs to do what we love without giving up on something we need.

That's all I can say without being verbose.

Here's a small FAQ for all the questions that people typically have:

A. I'll let you in on a secret. I was actually asked to go premium at 120k words itself, but I said no feeling that it was too soon(we are now at 220k words, btw). Original works typically go premium after 200k words, and I held off on it as long as I could so that I could give as much free content as possible.

A. All original novels will cost SS when they go premium. This option currently isn't available, but I'll surely put in a request.

If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

The journey has been truly amazing so far, and I really look forward to continue regaling you all by striving to put up the best work I can. I really hope you stick with me, but if you can't, I totally understand :D

Thank you for all the support so far!

PS. I will soon be arranging a giveaway for all the top voters of WDS. A certain number of 100 SS Gift Cards will be up for winning, and the details will be out soon, so please keep reading and voting! Thanx!

Author out.

Chapter 160: A Successful Plan

Back in the Palace of Eldinor, Eldra first washed her face in cold water before checking herself in the mirror.

As her Mother always said, appearances were very important. Even though she was just meeting a citizen who claimed to have information which could help the Kingdom of the Elves, there was no reason for her to not wash away the streaks left on her cheeks when the tears ran down them just a few minutes ago.

After ensuring that she looked her usual self, she smiled faintly to herself before forcefully setting her face into a serious expression.

She did not remember the last time she smiled wholeheartedly for reasons other than putting on an amicable front.

Realizing this fact, Eldra wondered just what her life had become.

As she often did in moments like these, Eldra thought back to her childhood which had been the happiest time of her life.

She remembered that she used to live in a normal family with her Father going out to work each day while her Mother took care of her. Back then, although the controlling nature of hers still existed, she remembered that she never minded as she saw love in each and every action.

Daily, she and her mom would cook together while waiting for her Father to come home. After he did, he would raise her up onto his shoulders and listen intently while she talked in length about everything she did during the day.

The only blemish on those memories was that she regularly heard shouting from her parent's room on nights when she couldn't sleep.

From what she had gathered, she knew that her parents had eloped as her mother had fallen in love with an elf who wasn't accepted by her family.

Later, her mother's family had died due to some circumstances. They had been one of the most prominent families in all of Eldinor, yet they had been massacred in a single night for reasons Eldra didn't know.

Although she was the last survivor which made the wealth rightfully hers, her family had set the condition that she could inherit it only if she agreed to annul the marriage.

This news was followed by multiple nights of arguing during which her mother wanted to temporarily annul the marriage so that she could inherit the wealth.

Eldra did not know what happened afterward. The last sight she remembered of her Father was of him coming to her room and kissing her on her forehead with tears in his eyes. Without a word, he had looked at her for a while before leaving.

Since then, no matter how much she asked, she never got an answer regarding his whereabouts. The both of them shifted to her mother's parents' manor, and her mother began her political career with the money that she had inherited.

Hearing a knock on the door, Eldra was pulled out of her memories.

Arranging herself again, she walked out the door and followed an Elf who was waiting for her.

After being led to a small room, she entered and close the door behind her before sitting down in front of the man who had just risen in greeting.

Motioning him to sit, she first poured a glass of wine for herself before taking a long sip and saying, "Tell me what you know using as fewer words as possible. I will decide the reward. If I find you disregarding these instructions, you will be thrown out after being charged for wasting the government's time."

Indeed, Eldinor had a policy of buying information for money. If someone could furnish some information about anything, they would be paid a certain sum depending on whether proof was also available.

If it wasn't, the payment would be put on hold until verification could be done.

Usually, there was a special wing in the palace which handled these things. Yet, with the elections close, her mother had instructed her to take care of these matters.

Noticing that the man had the same sucking up expression like all those looking to make a quick buck, Eldra felt slightly irritated while waiting for him to start talking.

"M-Miss, I overheard my next door neighbor say that a meeting will be happening tomorrow at the Elvish Carnival pub in south Elfaven where someone important will be attending. That was all I could catch."

One sentence. Feeling a bit relieved that he hadn't chosen to disregard her instructions and irritate her further, Eldra called over a guard and said, "Go with this man to his house and check who the neighbor was. Put his payment on hold till then."

It seemed as if hearing that he hadn't been rejected outright had caused the man to become extremely happy. His clothes had already lost all of their original colors, and it was quite apparent that he was low on money.

Seeing him stumble forward with a dumb expression of joy on his face, Eldra frowned slightly before moving back to escape his grubby hands.

Yet, it seemed that the happiness had truly switched off his brain as the man stumbled on the chair and fell, brushing her in the process.

Smelling the nauseating odor of someone who hadn't bathed in probably weeks, Eldra moved back and humphed before immediately leaving the room.

Seeing the daughter of the Queen storm away, the soldiers shrugged before entering the room and escorting the man out.

A guard was assigned to him who would follow Eldra's instructions.

Yet, although the guard walked right beside the man, he didn't spot the expression of achievement on his face which signified a successful mission.

...

Meanwhile, in the Throne Room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

The old man held a long piece of parchment in his hands, reading out a list of happenings in Angaria while the Black Raven King sat on the throne with a drooping expression on his face.

So far, the news had been about Arafell and their troubles in mining an Ether mine which was in their border.

Hearing the topic shift to Lanthanor, the Black Raven King sat up straight which garnered a half-smile on the old man's face.

"Lanthanor testing a product called the 'Network of Angaria'. A select group of people were given communication trinkets for free which broadcast this network which has people reciting the news in Angaria among other matters."

"What is he doing? What about the Echer seeds? Why haven't we seen any movement on his part yet?"

Hearing the Black Raven King bring up the same question which he always asked when he heard news of Lanthanor, the old man let out an exasperated sigh before saying, "Because it is the border, we have multiple spies who are watching around the clock. There is no way for him to do something without us knowing about it. It's possible that he has found a method, but it requires the Echer seeds to be harvested first."

Unsatisfied with the answer, the Black Raven King waved his hand with a deep frown signaling the old man to continue.

A few minutes later, the old man could be seen coming out of the throne room after rolling up the parchment and setting it on fire.

Strangely, the fire burned a unique purple color after which there was no ash left.

Reaching the end of the corridor which contained the Black Raven Throne Room, the old man looked around before entering a secret door in the wall beside him.

Inside were a long line of stairs which he descended before coming upon a vast field filled with earth which had many different types of plants growing inside.

The roof of the field was made of stone.

As he looked up, the old man gazed at the bright spots of light that were placed with equal distance between them.

A few me could be seen tending to the plants. Seeing him enter, they had already nodded to him before resuming their work.

Walking with swift strides, the old man reached a shack.

Opening the door, he first glanced back to see a wide area of barren earth which looked like it had been recently harvested. Here and there, small pieces of Echer leaves could be seen which had been torn off when the plants had been harvested.

Sighing heavily, the old man entered the shack before closing the door and opening a secret passageway in the earth after casting some sort of spell.

Entering, he climbed down for quite a while before coming upon an underground room which held a round chamber whose door he opened and entered.

If Daneel were here, his jaw would definitely be hanging open seeing that the old man had actually entered a Natural Energized Training Chamber which looked almost the same as his except for a few differences.

Chapter 161: Meeting

After getting inside, the old man was greeted by the sight of piles of Ker Gems placed neatly all around the floor.

Instead of the white swirling mists which were in Daneel's Natural Energized Training Chamber, the insides of this chamber were filled with red steam that was semi-transparent.

Although there were at least 100 Ker Gems in front of him, the old man sighed before suddenly convulsing and falling to the ground.

As he did so, he clutched at a Ker Gem beside him and absorbed it in mere minutes, after which his breathing returned to normal.

Clutching at his torso and wincing, he frowned at the dust left in his hand before sitting down and taking another gem in his hands to begin meditating.

After a few hours, only dust was left in the chamber. Even the mists had turned feeble and seemed to be on the verge of disappearing entirely.

Sighing deeply, he took out a recording trinket from his inner pocket and said, "Concentration has gone down further. A way to revitalize the soil must be found soon. Note to self: increase the number of spies observing the fields in Lanthanor Kingdom."

After recording the note, the old man put it back inside after carefully locking the chamber and the trapdoor using the secret spell.

Walking towards the throne room, he prayed that the decision made by the King of Lanthanor hadn't been because he simply didn't know of the negative effects.

Clutching his torso again, he cursed the one who had given him this wound which had plagued him for the centuries he spent looking for a place like the Black Raven Kingdom to settle down.

Now that he had settled down, he would do anything to ensure that everything he had built would not be demolished, no matter the number of deaths it might require.

...

After the meeting was done, Eldra was walking towards her room while reflecting on everything that had happened so far.

As she did so, she realized that she had felt something the moment that man had stumbled and fell near her.

Due to the disgust from the ghastly smell that had emanated from him, she hadn't been able to pay it enough attention to realize that it hadn't just been a brush like she had thought.

Checking her pockets, she took out a piece of normal parchment which was folded.

Opening it, her eyes widened seeing the words written inside.

"The meeting will take place in the same location 2 days after the time told by the messenger. If you, like us, wish for a change in leadership, come alone."

Immediately, Eldra folded the parchment again and put it in her pocket before shouting, "Guards! Apprehend that man who just came to deliver the information! Contact the guard who went with him!"

In the Palace of Eldinor, guards were positioned at all times in all the passageways in case an emergency arose. Hearing her shout, a guard immediately used his trinket to contact the guard captain who had the ability to contact any guard at any time.

Hurriedly walking towards this guard, Eldra waited for news while impatiently tapping her foot on the ground.

A few moments later, an ashen expression came on the guard's face before he said, "That man... disappeared in a crowd. The guard tried to find him, but he couldn't. Would you like to send a request to put up a Wanted poster?"

Hearing the answer, Eldra first cursed at herself in frustration for not noticing sooner. Afterward, she pondered for a bit before replying, "No. It is probably just someone who came with a disguise to earn a quick buck using the information. We didn't pay him up front, so he must have run away. It isn't worth the effort."

Indeed, this wasn't an uncommon occurrence in the Palace. Thus, the guard simply nodded before going back to his duty.

Resuming the walk towards her room, Eldra couldn't help but take out the parchment to read the words again.

A change in leadership. What would that be like?

While her thoughts veered into such dangerous paths, she walked with her head down until reaching a fork in her path and looking up to realize where she was.

If she walked forward, she would reach the Throne Room where she could speak to her Mother.

If she walked to the right, she could reach her room and forget that this episode had happened.

Looking towards both directions with an expression of agony on her face, Eldra tried to decide which path to take.

She knew that the path she took would definitely decide her future, thus she took her time to think long and hard before finally making a decision.

...

Meanwhile, in the Throne Room of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Although it was a fact that many of the meetings recently had been taking place inside the King's chambers, Daneel had gotten sick of spending all his time seeing the same drab walls. Thus, he had decided to shift location to the throne room which was presently empty for most of the time because of the fact that he did not find many occasions to hold Royal Courts.

"My Lord, we have received a message from Olfax. The message has been successfully delivered."

This time, only Kellor was in the room with him. Luther and Robert were busy handling the tasks he had given them, and he hadn't called Faxul as he had realized that he hadn't been giving his friend enough time to train due to all the tasks he had been giving him.

Although he did have an increased speed of training due to the development technique he had given him, there was still a need for him to be free enough to train using it.

"Good. Kellor, you and I will be making a trip to the Kingdom of the Elves."

Hearing the King's confident tone, Kellor couldn't help but be startled momentarily.

The King was going to leave the safety of the Palace?

Besides the fact that this was very risky in itself, there was no guarantee that Eldra wouldn't pass the message to the Queen and set up an ambush to capture whoever wanted to bring a change in the ruling party of Eldinor.

"Y-your Majesty, it is simply not sa-"

"Kellor, do you remember that time in my room when you thought that I had used the clone technique? And later during the fight for the throne, when you realized that it had been me?"

Bewildered as to why Daneel was asking him about that time, Kellor nodded. Indeed, Kellor had been quite surprised when he had realized that Daneel had somehow used the clone technique to disguise himself as Varanel so that he could enter the throne room. Still, he had held his silence and hadn't asked how this had been possible, as the Clone spell could only be used by Warrior Level Mages. With no other option, he had assumed that it was related to the mysterious master behind Daneel.

"Well then, suffice it to say that my clone will be attending the meeting instead of myself. And I need you to guard my original body while the meeting is going on."

Kellor couldn't help but stop the desire to shake his head at this point. For someone who had managed to emulate a Warrior Spell, a simple Exalted Human-level spell wouldn't be much of a problem.

...

2 days later, two men could be seen rendezvousing with the man who had won the goodwill of many guards due to his selfless actions to clean the sewers of the Palace. Although there had been a requirement before, no one had come from the citizens to take the job. Thus, the soldiers had had to do the cleaning themselves in shifts.

Due to this goodwill, there wasn't any trouble to gain entry into the Capital after telling the guards that the two were his family.

In this way, the King of Lanthanor entered Elfaven unseen by the Queen who was currently waiting inside the Palace for the news which would push her above her competitors and ensure her victory in the polls which were just weeks away.

Chapter 162: Meeting 2

The Elvish Carnival was one of the high-class pubs located in the capital city of Eldinor. Catering to the richest of clientele, although this establishment was called a 'pub', it's appearance would baffle anyone who lay their eyes on it.

From the outside, it was just a drab door with the symbol of an elf dressed as a joker hanging above it.

Yet, if a common person tried to enter, they would be thrown out promptly unless they could prove that they had been invited to this establishment.

Indeed, it was an exclusive members-only pub which was rumored to be owned by an individual who was simply called the 'masked man'.

4 buildings away, Olfax was keeping watch on the Elvish Carnival using a special trinket given to all sleeper agents. To the outside, it looked like a simple cylinder of metal. Yet, when placed at a location, it would be able to transmit all sounds around it to the one holding its other part.

Right now, Olfax had a small piece of parchment in his hand in which were scribbled unintelligible lines. Yet, to the trained eyes of the spies of Lanthanor, it would be clear that he was marking the movements and actions of all those present inside the pub.

It was the day before the meeting which had been communicated through the parchment he had snuck into her robes, and he had been lying down unmoving for more than 6 hours in fear that he might attract the attention of the people passing by on the road. The building he was in was currently under construction, and he had been using a hidden hollow that wasn't visible unless there was movement from inside.

As he got up, a cracking sound could be heard as he stretched his muscles and felt the numbness go away.

After carefully looking around to ensure that no one was observing him, Olfax quietly left the building and approached the inn where he had been lodging since he came to Eldinor.

After greeting the inn owner who was now happy that he had paid his debt in full, he made his way up the stairs to the room adjacent to his.

Knocking the door first, he waited until it was opened by a man with a long white beard and mustache.

Nodding to him respectfully, he entered the door before immediately kneeling on the ground with one knee seeing the man sitting in the chair facing the door.

This man had short, black hair and a short goatee which accentuated his sharp chin. Looking to be around 25 years old, he was heavily built as if he had trained as a fighter all his life.

"My King, I sense no special movements. All the soldiers who were present watching two days back have left the premises, except for a few who were left behind. I have marked their locations and they will not be a problem."

Hearing the information, the man frowned deeply before nodding and gesturing at Olfax to relax.

Indeed, these two individuals were Daneel and Kellor who had used disguises to enter the Kingdom of the Elves. Of course, Kellor was using the Exalted Human Level spell "Disguise" whereas Daneel was using the tool by the system.

Although Daneel had full confidence in escaping danger using his clone, he still did not wish to take any unexpected risks that he might be able to avoid.

2 days back, on the day of the original meeting reported by Olfax when he had gone to the palace, numerous soldiers had secretly infiltrated the Elvish Carnival. In fact, even the guards had been replaced by mages using disguise spells.

This last important piece of information had been caught by Olfax only because he had been scouting the location since a week. Thus, he was quite familiar with the behaviors of the servants and the bouncers.

Thus, it was quite clear to identify that they had been switched out by mages using disguise spells as no matter how closely the physical appearances might match, the small nuances of an individual could not be copied convincingly unless someone took the time to study that person extensively.

Thus, the news about Olfax coming to the Palace and giving the information was known by the Queen. Of course, this was a given as all such meetings were recorded and sent to the Queen, and there was no way for Eldra to hide it.

Thus, it was only natural that the pub would be crawling with counter-intelligence forces intent on catching the rebels who wanted a change in leadership.

Right now, what was most puzzling was that the guards had been removed, and for all intents, it looked like Eldra had hidden the information about the second meeting from her mother.

Yet, what was fishy about the whole situation was that Olfax had gone to clean the sewers and eavesdrop on Eldra the day after he had snuck the piece of parchment into her robes.

On that day, he hadn't been able to hear anything except for a silent sobbing which signified that even though Eldra had been in her room, she had just been crying almost all day.

It was this piece of information which threw everything off. Why was she crying? Was it because she had made the decision to betray her mother? Or was it because she had reported it and had lost perhaps the last chance to go against her mother?

Daneel hated not knowing. Alas, this itself had been obtained due to the hard work of this man who was ready to do anything for his Kingdom.

"My Lord, what do we do? It still might be a trap. Should we err on the side of the caution?"

Hearing this, only a chuckle escaped Daneel's lips.

....

The next day, it was business as usual in the Elvish Carnival. Couples and families made their way over to enjoy the renown delicacies that were exclusive to the pub, along with its long list of wines imported from various locations all around Angaria.

At exactly noon, an elf walked into the pub. Although she was initially stopped by the bouncers, she flashed some kind of identification which made them shrink back and allow her to go inside. Before doing so, she also left instructions to allow anyone who came looking for her.

Because there had only been limited means of communication, the two parties ion this meeting had no choice but to resort to such crude means.

A few moments later, a short pot-bellied man made his way over to the pub. Seeing that he was a regular who often frequented the pub during the night, the bouncers let him in although they were puzzled at the reason behind his change in schedule.

Walking inside, the man looked around before heading in a direction and taking a booth which was empty.

After he did so, he first looked around the room for a few minutes before taking out a small blade from his pocket.

As he held the blade to the wall, a red light emanated from it after which a hole was quickly drilled.

BOOM

Just as he was about to push a small trinket through the hole to communicate with Eldra who was on the other side, the doors were kicked open by an Elf wearing yellow robes.

The Elf simply raised his hand, and the pot-bellied man found himself being lifted into the air, immobile. Space had already been locked in the area, and it looked like he was caught red-handed.

Hearing the commotion, Eldra who had been sitting in the adjacent booth ran out to see the man being held in the air with his arms stretched out.

Seeing her come out, the Elf who had his hand raised said, "Miss, I have everything under control."

Yet, Eldra seemed to have gone deaf as she did not respond even the tiniest bit to the words of the Elf. Instead, her face was turned towards the man held in the air and her expression was hidden from the Elf due to her hair.

Thinking that she was just shocked, the Elf shrugged before saying, "You are under arrest for crimes against Eldinor. All your rights to be tried in a court of law have been waived due to Act 143 passed by Queen Eldara where those suspected to be conspiring against the foundation of the Kingdom will be sent directly to interrogation. Come quiet-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the pot-bellied man smiled before saying, "Bye."

With confounded expressions, both Eldra and the Elf watched on while the person who they thought was in their grasp disappeared into the air as if he were made of nothing but smoke and dust.

Back in the room inside the inn rented by Olfax, Daneel opened his eyes and smiled wide after regaining control of his original body.

Chapter 163: Regre

Seeing the King open his eyes, Kellor hurried over and helped him up from the bed he was laying on. Due to being in the same position for a long period of time, he had already lost sensation in most parts of his body. Yet, even though the pain of having the blood rush back into his legs and arms was excruciating, the smile on Daneel's face did not leave. To Olfax, it looked like the expression of someone who had accomplished something. This confused him, as if everything had gone well the King would not have opened his eyes so soon.

Knowing this, Kellor shook his head and said,"We can definitely find somebody else who would be a better candidate, My King. It is not required that we choose this arrogant elf who might not have been a great fit anyway".

Chuckling, Daneel looked at Kellor who was trying to console him and said, "The meeting was a success. What are you talking about?"

"But didn't you have to come back as soon as you went? Apologies, My King, but I do not understand how you could have communicated everything in such a short period of time."

"Oh, the Queen knew of the meeting. She sent an exalted mage to capture me and I escaped by dissolving my clone".

Puzzled, Kellor could only look on hoping that the King would give him an explanation. The Queen knew of the meeting? Then Eldra hadn't chosen to hide the information and come by herself? If so, how was this a successful meeting?

Yet the king did not seem like he was going to continue. Turning to Olfax, he said, "Can you use the trinket you stored in the sewers to communicate with Eldra?"

Hearing the King's request, Olfax was initially startled. After a few moments of thought, he said, "Yes , My King. I will be able to send it to her room, but if we do so she will clearly know of the origin. If that happens, we risk losing the only source of information we have inside the palace of the Elves."

The response made Daneel crinkle his eyebrows as he thought back to what he had seen inside the Elvish Carnival.

Yes, the meeting was compromised, and initially even he had thought that this whole plan was a failure.

Yet, at the last moment when Eldra ran into his booth, he saw in her expression such intense regret that it still amazed him as to how someone could live with so much emotion weighing down on them.

This was the reason behind his smile. He knew that she probably did not intend for the meeting to go the way it did. Yet, it seemed that she had no choice. Could it be that the information had leaked somehow to the Queen and Eldra had had no choice but to oblige?

If this was the case, then Daneel just needed to find a different way to approach her. Clearly, the entire information had been leaked due to the Elf's statement where he had been accused of conspiring against the foundation of the kingdom.

Although Daneel trusted his instincts which blared at him that he was right, this was a very big gamble to take. If they lost their only source inside the kingdom of the Elves, it was possible that they might miss critical information which might end up disastrous in the long run.

Of course, other avenues could be investigated. Yet, in the scenario where he was wrong and Eldra did not want to rebel like he thought, then it would mean that security would be tightened up even more which would decrease the chances of ever finding another source of information as good as this one.

The decision was his to make. While Kellor and Olfax watched on, the King sat on his chair and looked into the air remembering that expression of regret which had branded itself into his memory.

After a few moments his eyes became clear as if he had made his decision. Looking towards Olfax, he said, "Do it. Send another message about a meeting at a different location."

Only with risks could truly valuable rewards be obtained.

....

After getting back to her room, Eldra collapsed onto the bed holding her face in her hands. Try as she may, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing from her eyes.

Regret consumed her and she wished she had the power to change her fate. Right now, she really wished she could go back in time and not open that parchment in the corridor where there was 24 x 7 surveillance. In fact, her pause had been whether to take the risk and directly leave the palace right at that moment knowing that she wouldn't be able to hide this information from her mother.

Yet, at that moment she was reminded of the reason she was staying in the first place. She knew that she was the only one who could at least try to help the little ones who were sold as slaves each year. Through the information she had and the secret efforts she managed to undertake, she had already managed to save a couple of Elves using various means such as hiring mercenaries to attack the cargos or even reporting to the government in a way that couldn't be traced back to her.

Often, she asked herself why she couldn't do more. Although she told herself that it was because other methods would not be as reliable as the ones she was using right now, she knew that there was a fear of her mother inside her which stopped her from taking truly life-changing decisions.

From childhood, she had already gotten used to having everything in her life controlled by her mother. Of course, the love that she had had been dying day by day, month by month and year by year seeing all the horrendous acts that her mother had been prepared to do to retain the throne.

As it often did when her thoughts turned in this direction, she was reminded of an image where crowds of people were watching on while her blood was extracted from her and a man whose face she couldn't see who was kneeling on the stage.

And as she often did, she shelved the image due to the memories it brought.

Thus, realising that she was the only one those little ones had, she had chosen to go to the Queen and report about the meeting.

Of course, the Queen had been immediately notified when Eldra had opened the parchment. Thus, she was already waiting in the throne room to see what her daughter would decide.

As someone who had been in power for so long, she knew clearly that her greatest enemies were inside her home. Yet, she had full confidence in her ability to subdue and take control of whoever she wanted.

Even at the moment when she had handed the parchment over, Eldra had seen that look of confidence in her mother's eyes which signified that her every movement was under her control.

Hence, as she lay on her bed and thought about everything that had happened, she couldn't help but curse again at those rebels who had been so foolish as to contact her in this way. Even though she knew that they couldn't be blamed because the information about the surveillance was top secret, she still cursed anyway as it helped to lessen her frustration by the tiniest bit.

TING TING TING.

Hearing a strange sound echoing from her bathroom, Eldra cautiously walked over to see that a coin of some sort had fallen onto the wash basin. Picking it up, the first thing she smelled was a rancid stench which made her drop it immediately.

Yet, when the coin fell through the air, she had seen something which made her eyes widen with shock.

It was actually a trinket which was flashing!

Picking it up again and ignoring the stench, Eldra closed her eyes and listened to the message while the tears stopped. After the message was done, she crushed the coin in her hands and made green fire appear which completely devoured it, leaving no trace behind.

Smiling to herself after what felt like ages, she walked out of her room with a slight spring in her step.

Chapter 164: Meeting Again

In the north of Elfaven, there was a building which had been abandoned around 10 years ago. Apparently, the owner had been someone who had taken loans amounting to the equivalent of 100,000 gold Lans after giving this building as surety.

In the end, it turned out that the building was owned by someone else in the countryside who didn't even know that they had inherited it. Finally, the government had intervened to take over the building as the original owner had waived all his rights of ownership due to not wanting to get involved in such a scandal.

At midnight, two days after the meeting in the Elvish Carnival, a woman quietly made her way over before looking around and entering this building after ensuring that no one was surveilling her.

Inside, the same pot-bellied man was sitting at a broken table on a chair which only had three legs.

Seeing him, the woman who entered heaved a sigh of relief before making her way over and taking a seat on the other end of the table.

"I gathered that the information about the first meeting was leaked without you wanting it to?"

Hearing the man talk directly in this way without giving any greeting, Eldra frowned slightly before saying, "Yes, your man was dumb enough to give me something so important in a place which is covered by surveillance equipment. The Queen saw me opening the parchment and I had no choice but to hand it over".

Smiling to himself, Daneel realized that the meeting was already going well. Indeed, he had chosen this location from Olfax's suggestion that it was a place which was seldom patrolled due to its location out of the way of all the main roads.

Seeing the man just smile to himself and look at her with piercing green eyes, Eldra tapped on the table and said, "Good job choosing this place. If I didn't make my way over in the morning to temporarily deactivate the trinkets surrounding it, you would be having a meeting with the Queen right now".

Raising his eyebrows, Daneel realized that he had once again escaped a close brush with failure. Of course, he wasn't very worried because this was again a clone which was disposable.

Putting his hands on the table, he decided to get to the point.

"I wish to put all pretenses aside. Allow me to introduce myself again."

While Eldra watched on with a bewildered expression, the face and the body of the man in front of her began wriggling as if there were ants under his skin. A few minutes later, an individual who had tormented her dreams appeared in front of her wearing the loose clothes of the potbellied man he had just been a few moments ago.

Getting up with shock, Eldra pointed a finger at him and spoke in a shuddering voice, "Why-why are you here?"

At this moment, her brain went blank as she realized that the so-called rebel was actually the king of Lanthanor.

"Take a seat. Let me get straight to the point. I have the means to make you the Queen, and I wish to do so because I want to take control over the Kingdom of the Elves. I propose a simple deal: if you provide news which can incriminate the present Queen, I will make sure that that news will reach each and every voter inside the entire Kingdom of Eldinor. Along with that, I will bear all the expenses required in the campaigning to make you Queen. In return, I want you to swear an oath to me that you will follow my every command."

As she heard the details of the deal, Eldra couldn't help but sit down shakily after coming to terms with the fact that she was currently conspiring with an enemy nation.

Yet, moments later, she realized that it really didn't matter. The reason she was here was that she wanted all the activities of the Queen to stop.

In fact, if she was being completely honest with herself, she would realize that this wasn't the only reason. Since as long as she could remember, she had been being trained by her mother to take her place as the Queen when the time came.

This training had been accompanied by many many instances where she had been beaten down and cursed at even though she did her best.

Like in all things, her mother pursued perfection. Although Eldra was talented, try as she may, she just couldn't reach the high standards which her mother set.

Whenever she was put in a scenario where her mother would test her to see what she would do if she was the Queen, Eldra would imagine herself in a position where she could do what she wanted without her mother's shadow behind her.

At this moment, when she pondered over her options, she realized that she had already made the decision to not be controlled anymore no matter what. She had both selfish and selfless reasons to become Queen; selfish because she wanted to take a decision about her own life herself for once. Selfless because she knew that she would be able to stop and potentially reverse all the atrocities committed by her mother to stay on the throne.

Seeing her in deep thought, Daneel waited for a while before throwing out the bait which would seal the deal.

"In return, I am ready to make an oath to you that I will never ask you to do something which might mean the ruin of the Elves without due reason."

This was him taking a step back. Although this oath was a little ambiguous, it still had its value.

Hearing this, Eldra found that just as she had thought, she had been clear about what she wanted as soon as she saw the parchment in the corridor.

Of course, although this meant that Eldinor might become a puppet under an enemy nation, this was something that did not concern her right now. All she saw was the smile of those little Elves who had thought that they were saved when she opened the door of the cart in which they had been kept, and the darkness of her mother's shadow which always engulfed her.

Looking up, she saw the King of Lanthanor waiting for her decision.

Without a word, she took out two trinkets that she had already prepared and placed them on the table before nodding.

Seeing this, Daneel was initially a little startled.

It was just as he had thought. From everything he had seen of the elf in front of him, he knew that she was a very emotional person rather than a rational one.

This had clearly been evident both when he had made the threats in the throne room which had made her practically run away and in all the transmissions that he had intercepted through Olfax.

Apart from these, it was her expression when she saw him inside the Elvish Carnival that had led him to believe that she definitely had enough reasons to take this deal.

This was not to say that Eldra was a simple person whom he had managed to hoodwink.

If anything, the credit would go to his perfect timing which enabled him to make use of the emotions inside her to push her to make this decision.

Taking the trinkets, he noticed that one was a recording trinket while the other was for communication. Listening to the first one briefly, his eyes widened as he realized that it was a full record of all the crimes of the Queen of Eldinor.

Chuckling to himself in the happiness of striking the deal, Daneel immediately took out the oath stone to take the oath which would change the future of the Kingdom of the Elves forever.

Chapter 165: Leaving the Palace

4 weeks before the date of the elections, it was the rule in Eldinor that the present Queen or King would step down from her position to let an interim council take over. Comprised of all the top advisors in the Kingdom, this council was able to take care of the management of the Kingdom until such a time that the new ruler was elected.

Unless a threat which could destabilize the Kingdom arose, the throne of Eldinor would remain empty. Of course, in this case, the former ruler could take back command until a time where the threat was deemed to have passed.

In the history of Eldinor, there were instances where this particular clause was taken advantage by a ruler to prolong their rule.

Yet, what stopped them was that unlike the armies of the other Kingdoms where loyalty was imbibed into the very flesh and bones of soldiers, the army of Eldinor would only follow commands of a ruler rightfully elected.

Thus, that ruler who had tried to take advantage by using the excuse of a threat had been brought down because he simply had no one to support him.

Such was the personality of the Elves. This was also evidenced by the sight of their troops during the episode of the Ker Gem Mine, where they had been milling around without discipline.

Of course, there was a reason the army of Eldinor was still feared and ranked upon the top in military might when compared to the rest of the forces in Central Angaria.

Their lack of discipline was offset by their absolute power which enabled them to overwhelm enemies who were much more disciplined by them. With the army containing the most Exalted Human Level mages in all of Central Angaria, it was no wonder that their ranking was so high.

With the elections just 4 weeks away, the entirety of Elfaven was filled with colourful banners and numerous trinkets which flew to the people on the streets to extol them on the virtues of the particular contestant who had hired them.

Indeed, at this time, the most booming business was advertising. Organizations which dealt in trinkets like these saw such huge increments in profit that it enabled them to tide through the next 5 years even if their sales fell to a fraction of what they were during this time.

The day when Daneel and Eldra had met to strike the deal had been just 2 days before the date when the Queen would step down from the Throne. Thereafter, her time would be completely absorbed by campaigning for re-election by giving speeches and participating in debates which were arranged by the Government to give voters more clarity regarding which candidate they wanted to vote for.

Also, the day for applying to stand as a contestant was also the same day that the Queen stepped down. Thus, Daneel and Eldra had planned that she would apply at the last minute without her mother's knowledge so that they could take her by surprise.

Since the morning after the meeting, Eldra had been in a skittish mood. Although she had made the decision, she couldn't help but fret and worry about what would happen.

Typically, it was her and her mother's schedule that the whole day would be spent by Eldara taking care of the formalities which came with stepping down from the throne. Meanwhile, it was Eldra's job to assess the participants.

At night, they would exit the palace together to go to a Manor which was privately owned by Eldara, where they would discuss and decide on the plan for campaigning.

Of course, that wouldn't be happening today. Instead, Eldra would be dropping her nomination to stand in the election in the afternoon and she would be leaving the Palace after leaving a letter for her mother.

With her power stripped, Eldara would have no means to stop Eldra. Besides, all contestants were protected by the Government with a force of special troops to ensure their safety during these crucial 4 weeks.

Until the afternoon, everything went according to plan.

Eldra had already gone to the government office in charge of taking nominations and had given her name to stand in the election, startling the officials who knew who she was.

Although she had been imperceptibly shaking with fear inside when doing so, a relaxation had come over her after the process was done.

The die had been cast, and there was no more turning back.

Walking back to her room, Eldra opened the door and entered as usual before suddenly jumping in shock as if she had just been electrocuted.

The former Queen of Eldinor, Eldara, stood in front of her mirror with a morose expression on her face while brushing her back-length hair with the brush that Eldra always used.

She hadn't turned around when the door had opened, but she did so now feeling her daughter's gaze on her.

As she did so, Eldra couldn't help but begin to shudder with fear. All the times she was beaten and demeaned by words which were so harsh that they cut into her very soul flashed through her memory, making her subconsciously brace herself.

Yet, all Eldara did was walk forward to stand in front of her.

After looking into her eyes for a few moments, Eldara raised her hand to Eldra's throat.

Seeing this, Eldra couldn't help but wince fearing that she would be strangled for going against her mother's wishes.

Such was the extreme fear that had grown in her year by year under her Mother's control. In a way, this also showed how much regret she had in her in order to overcome this fear to follow Daneel's plan.

Seeing her daughter's fearful actions, Eldara only sighed before reaching forward with her hand to caress the only piece of jewelry that Eldra ever wore: a gold locket which blended into one's skin and became invisible unless it was touched.

Seeing her mother touch her at the exact spot where she wore the necklace in order to make it appear, a bewildered expression appeared on her face.

Eldara used her fingers to trace the necklace to the locket before opening it to see the miniature drawing of them both laughing together which had been made by Eldra's father.

After looking at it for a few moments, she let it drop back to Eldra's chest and disappear before raising her head to look into her daughter's eyes.

"Like mother, like daughter. Let me see if my teaching over all these years has had any effect. Good luck."

Saying these words, the former Queen of Eldinor walked out of the room with a stride which resounded of loneliness.

As Eldra saw the strong shoulders of the woman who had made her who she was, she couldn't help but wonder if she had made the right decision.

Alas, a single moment like this wasn't enough to change a lifetime of suffering.

Seeing the door close, Eldra stared at it for a few moments in shock due to her mother's completely unexpected actions before lifting the same locket to her eyes.

The smiling visage of the person in the picture did not match that of the woman who had just left the room in any way.

Even though this action of hers to wish her good luck before leaving went against everything she knew about her mother so far, Eldra simply thought that it was because as a contestant, she was currently protected by the Government.

Yet, she still wondered why there had been no outburst of anger from the betrayal.

After thinking for a while, Eldra couldn't come up with an answer and left it alone without having any other option after deciding that it was probably a ploy to make her change her decision voluntarily.

Imagining those children freed from their bondage, a determined expression came on Eldra's face before she started to pack her clothes in order to leave the palace for hopefully a short time.

…..

The next day, the citizens of Eldinor woke up to a shocking news that shook them to their core.

"Eldra Dartingnon, daughter of our former Queen, Eldara Dartingnon caught red-handed engaging in slave trade of elf children to grow her personal wealth to fund her election campaign! Decisive evidence has surfaced! Read all about it here!"

Chapter 166: Planning

Since antiquity, the crime which was the most frowned upon by each and every elf was the slavery of their own kind.

In fact, many wars had been fought before with nations which had dared to engage in this trade until it became known throughout Central Angaria that this was the bottom line of the proud elves of Eldinor.

Since then, elf slavery had become a black market occupation with high risks and correspondingly high rewards.

The news of the daughter of the Queen engaging in this horrific act simply shook the entire Kingdom. In almost each and every household, indignant discussions took place where the main topic of argument was regarding how the culprit should be punished.

Torture? Life imprisonment? Instant death? These were the options being considered.

Newspaper sales were at an all-time high, with the Big Three showing their dominance by being the first to break this story.

The facts had even been neatly divided up between them so that no particular organization would have a decisive advantage over others.

Although some were still skeptical after seeing the news, this story had already swayed the majority of the population of Eldinor.

In the same room which had been rented by Daneel and the others when they had entered Elfaven, Eldra stood clutching a news pamphlet and staring at it with bloodshot eyes.

It was all here. All the dealing she had undertaken for her mother, including the past locations and amounts of money that had been transferred under her name to enlist the services of the news organizations.

Of course, the 'proof' that had been touted in the title was simply testimonies from a few 'anonymous' soldiers who apparently opened their mouths because they couldn't see the atrocities go on anymore.

Both Eldra and her mother had always been careful not to leave behind any paper trails or clues which would lead these dealings back to them. Yet, Eldra had been the one who had always been in the front of such dealings.

She had always thought that it was just training to handle people from all backgrounds.

Never in her wildest dreams had she expected her mother to use this against her in this way.

The truth was that despite there not being solid evidence, these clues were enough to make and connect dots which did not even exist.

Daneel sat on the chair in the center of the room with his index finger tapping his chin.

As someone who was from Earth, he knew exactly how effective a scandal was in defaming the person.

Along with the release of this news, multiple 'eyewitness reports' of people seeing Eldra engaging in many criminal activities poured into the news organizations, giving them so much content that even special editions had been released to cover everything regarding this topic.

Of course, the power of this news lay more in its content than its validity. Thus, even though the council which was in control of the government released a statement that an investigation had begun but no suspects were currently being questioned, it did nothing to stop the elves from feeling indignation and disgust at the daughter of the Queen.

Daneel had been as shocked as Eldra when he initially saw the Queen's move.

Resisting the urge to clap at her brilliant maneuver, he had decided to wait a little while to see the effects.

Now, with time, it was quite clear that Eldra's reputation would only plummet. Even if she was still awarded with protection from the government for being a contestant who only had unproven charges against her, it wouldn't be enough to save her from the wrath of the people who had already been brainwashed to believe that she was the culprit.

The timing of the Queen had truly been perfect. Daneel and Eldra had both chosen the next day to publish the news using the Voice of Eldinor to give it fame so that it could also serve to proliferate the Network of Angaria throughout the Kingdom of the Elves.

Now, this plan had already been shelved because it would only prove futile at this point.

Apart from this, the Queen had already capitalized on the situation to publicly denounce her own daughter during her campaigns.

Of course, Eldra was currently absconding and had no charges against her, so the empty threats of Eldara to bring her to justice even though she was of her own blood were just that: empty.

Yet, they had a purpose which they fulfilled beautifully: sympathy was growing for the former Queen who was even ready to punish her own family to stand on the side of justice.

The predictions had already changed, and they now showed that the former Queen would make a clean sweep after easily defeating all the opponents who had no points as strong as hers to campaign with.

All this had been accomplished in just three days by just a single move.

A political veteran indeed, mused Daneel, while he tried to decide what to do next.

Silence pervaded the room, while Eldra read the things being said about her over and over again.

Finally, she collapsed into a chair and looked into the air aimlessly while having no clue what to do.

"We need proof.", said Daneel after a few minutes.

He had already eliminated all other options, and this was the last one remaining.

"What proof? My mother was always sure not to involve herself in these things. Besides, the three individuals who I always spoke to are also not people we can reach. What other proof can be there which can get us out of this mess?"

Hearing these words said out of frustration by Eldra, Daneel frowned.

Thinking back to his time on Earth, he tried to look for situations where or events which he could use to get an idea for a solution.

As he did so, he was reminded of the image of a small girl speaking out to the whole world.

Getting up immediately, Daneel looked into Eldra's flustered eyes and said:

"We need living proof."

...

Meanwhile, in the catacombs that were located under the manor of the former Queen of Eldinor.

These underground tunnels had been constructed without the knowledge of the government using secretive methods which cost a fortune.

Yet, that fortune had already paid itself back multiple times due to all the secret meetings that had already taken place here.

In a plush room decorated with numerous paintings of sceneries, Eldara sat with the same three men whom Eldra had spoken to before.

Yet, unlike the formal environment before, all four individuals had wine glasses in their hands which they savored while chatting amiably.

"Poor brat. All along, she thought we were the majority stakeholders. Little did she know that her own mother was a part of our circle."

It was the elf who spoke while looking straight at Eldara to see if there would be any change in expression.

Hearing this, Eldara only smiled faintly before saying, "She is still too naïve, and she thinks she can stand against me in the elections. If she gets over this somehow, maybe I would consider calling her my daughter again."

These words served to make the Elf raise one corner of her lips while taking another sip from wine glass in her hand.

Indeed, although it looked as if these four individuals were partners, there were hidden undercurrents between them which was evident by the hidden expressions of calculation that could occasionally be seen if one were observant enough.

After speaking about the next news which the three organizations would print, Eldara closed the meeting after giving a single order.

"Make sure all the activities have been stopped, and secure each and every cargo. If even one of them gets attacked, I want to know about it the next second. We can't move them yet, as the news has the army on high alert. But there's no way they can find them."

Chapter 167: Warehouses 1

Using a hidden staircase which directly led to her bedroom, the former Queen of Eldinor made her way over to the manor from the catacombs after making sure that the three individuals had left using exits that were located at discrete locations.

What many didn't know was that this manor had been the property of her family before they had sold it to move to a bigger place.

As she walked along the empty passageways, she was reminded of her childhood which had been spent growing up inside these very walls.

On reaching her room, a single servant greeted her before serving her a simple dinner and leaving after clearing out everything.

Lying on the bed alone, Eldara couldn't help but think back to her own mother whom she had run away from.

In particular, she was reminded of the specific point where she had looked back on her life to find that her entire existence had been spent under the shadow of the woman who had given birth to her.

She had been raised to be the next clan head in the family, with exposure to power and authority from a young age which had enticed her to no end. Yet, the desire to get away from her mother had overcome these feelings and had led her to run away with the Elf who had said he loved her.

After a few happy years together in which she had managed to distract herself from everything by engaging wholeheartedly in building her family, Eldara realized that this wasn't what she wanted.

Her desire for power which had been stepped upon, bottled up and hidden away had resurfaced when the news came that her entire family had been murdered under mysterious circumstances, leaving her as the sole heir.

Coupling this along with the fact that things hadn't been going so well in the Dartingnon family, Eldara had made the decision to pursue her desire: power.

The more she obtained it, the more she wanted it to stay with her forever.

She did not care or bother about anything else; all she wanted was to die knowing that she had lived her life her own way.

Yet, ultimately, at the moment she got the news about her daughter's nomination, she had realized that she had mirrored her mother without even realizing it over all these years.

Looking back, she had wondered if she regretted anything.

All of her decisions had been taken because she wanted to make a strong woman out of her daughter so that she wouldn't have to suffer and waste years of her life before being able to pursue her true purpose like she had done.

Still, she felt that they weren't a complete waste because they had allowed her to become someone autonomous instead of being under the iron-clad control of her powerful family. In fact, she even had to thank the man because it was possible that she would also have been murdered if she stayed with them.

Thus, she had made the decision to keep the name of her husband, "Dartingnon", in memory of him.

As for his fate, she did not wish to dwell on that topic and shifted her thoughts to the fear she had seen in her daughter's eyes when she had raised her hand to see the locket for one last time.

Indeed, she had raised her daughter like her mother, and her daughter had acted in the same way she had.

Still, she had no intention of giving anything up easily. In the end, it was still her desire which won over everything, and she was quite clear on the topic that she was willing to do anything to fulfill it.

Thus, smiling to herself in anticipation of sweeping through the elections again, Eldara fell asleep.

….

In the outskirts of the Elfaven Kingdom near the border of the cliff, an aerial view would allow one to see the multiple gigantic godowns that were situated there which stored the reserves of the Kingdom.

From food to essential resources like energy materials, these godowns were the backup which would allow Eldinor to survive if they were blockaded from all sides on the cliff where their capital was located.

Indeed, the construction of these godowns had been undertaken after one such situation where an enemy nation had managed to invade and surround the cliff.

After cutting off the flow of resources, they had managed to make the entire capital starve until they had no choice but to retreat due to the intervention of Eldinor calling in favors using oaths which had been exchanged because it had helped a certain nation with something before.

From then on, not wanting this to repeat, the government had taken care to maintain this backup stock.

Soldiers patrolled the area 24/7, and special surveillance trinkets made sure that each and every area was always under the scrutiny of someone.

Not all the godowns in this location belonged to the army; there were a few at the end which were owned privately by rich merchants who had bought them for exorbitant prices.

"This is the one we have for hire. If you make the payment, we can shift your goods over right away."

An aging elf with drooping shoulders and a hunched back led a group of three towards the army checkpoint which all visitors had to go through if they wanted to enter the area.

After arriving at the small building, the man said, "Bernard here, with my three scheduled guests who wish to hire a godown."

Hearing this, the Elf soldier on duty first checked a trinket before using a rod-shaped object to scan all four individuals.

After ensuring that they weren't carrying any trinkets, he let them in after getting approval from the commander on duty.

With a soldier following them, the 4 individuals made their way inside a godown which wasn't under guard. Sharing the same wall as the one which held the reserves, it was in eyeshot of all the soldiers who were patrolling the area, yet it had no particularly assigned security as it was privately owned.

Of course, being in this area was security enough. Using his blood to draw a symbol, the aging elf led the group inside.

Absolute darkness greeted them, which was chased away after a few moments due to the elf lighting a torch which had been on the wall.

Yet, if he had managed to light it just a few seconds earlier, he would have managed to see a figure magically appear beside one of the individuals before quickly taking a small bag from its identical twin.

After doing so, it ran off into the darkness unseen, as the torch only illuminated a small part of the godown.

After this occurrence, the actions of one of the individuals became robotic and stiff, but this luckily didn't bring too much attention because the individual had been acting so ever since he had come to the location, which made others think that it was probably some kind of injury.

Thus, while the aging elf talked to Olfax who was in his identity of the rich investor who had invested in the Voice of Eldinor, Daneel's clone slinked away to one corner of the wall as per Eldra's instructions.

Along with the fact that the amount of food and resources had to be kept a secret, confidential files were also stored in the godowns. Thus, no trinkets were allowed inside; all the surveillance was only on the outside.

This had apparently been implemented after an incident where a government trinket had been simply replaced by an enemy nation to obtain crucial information. Since then, the insides of the godowns had been encompassed by a formation which did not allow any trinket to be activated inside.

Although this was very costly, it allowed the Elves to have an iron grip over the area.

After reaching a wall, Daneel inserted a key into a groove which was imperceptible to the naked eye.

As a door silently opened, he carefully stepped inside to lay his eyes on the sight of over a hundred small bodies, huddled together in fear while squinting in the darkness to see just who had entered.

Chapter 168: Warehouses 2

After carefully closing the door behind him, Daneel conjured a globe of light in the air before raising his head to take in the scene.

In a narrow area, small bodies could be seen clutching each other while looking towards him with fear in their eyes.

This was the area between the army and private godowns, and it wasn't under surveillance in any way.

In other words, the slave traders had chosen to hide their cargo right under the army's nose. As the area was already under army control, it was the perfect place for their purpose.

Even though checking did take place, it was impossible for anyone to spot the groove.

With years of effort, Eldra had found this place from multiple clues she had collected by keeping track of the three individuals whom she spoke to. Of course, this was definitely only one of the many places they had.

She had had a breakthrough when she had observed one of them visit the warehouse under a different guise, whom she had only been able to follow because this visit had taken place right after a meeting with her.

Knowing that this location was the key, she had used whatever time she could find to search every nook and cranny until she found the hidden keyhole.

It had taken years, and she had had this breakthrough only recently. After finding it, it was easy to make a key replica.

Yet, Eldra's joy of finding the hiding place of the slavers had been cut short when she entered inside.

Although she had told Daneel everything, he had insisted that he needed to see it for himself. Thus, the 3 of them had come on this visit after contacting a broker who had the authority to show the godown to interested parties.

Blood rushed to Daneel's head and he felt an anger the likes of which hadn't consumed him from the time when he had seen the crimes of the nobles in Lanthanor whom he had sentenced to death.

The little elves all had some kind of shackles around their necks, which seemed quite tight.

5 open bathrooms could be seen at the end of the corridor like prison in which these little ones had been imprisoned.

Although there was nothing stopping them from talking, not a sound appeared from their lips even though they seemed to be terrified out of their minds.

Shaking his head and knowing that it wouldn't make a difference no matter what he said, Daneel made his way over to the end of the corridor where a round box was affixed into the wall.

Jutting out towards his location, the box's other end was apparently on the outside in a way that it blended into the outer walls.

This was the slaver's failsafe: the box was filled with explosives which could remove all traces of the prison if there was even the slightest hint that the location was compromised.

Multiple soldiers who were under the employ of the slavers checked the prison regularly to make sure that none of the elf kids were missing. If they were, the explosive would be activated.

When she had first come, Eldra had tried to drag an elf out forcefully. She had found out this information from that elf who had opened her mouth to tell her that the soldiers who came checked the box regularly and prayed that they wouldn't have to activate it.

Along with the prayers came crazy curses at the elf kids who were in no way responsible for the soldier's plight of undertaking this duty. As Eldra had later found out, all the soldiers doing this duty had their families under the slaver's control.

Besides, the slavers were always smart enough to choose soldiers who didn't have strong moral values.

Also, the manacles around their necks were the other fail-safe: they were apparently made in such a way that removing them without the proper mechanism would cause them to explode and alert the soldier on duty.

Of course, at this point, the formation would be able to alert the army that trinkets had been activated inside the godowns. Yet, as the massive explosion which would wipe out all traces would take place anyway, the slavers couldn't care less.

In this way, a foolproof prison had been built by the individuals who only wanted a safe place to stow away their valuable assets which would be wiped off the face of the continent if it were exposed.

Knowing the schedule of the soldiers who came to check, Daneel knew he had a very short window. Thus, he immediately went about implementing his plan before carefully exiting the prison and dissolving the clone.

A few minutes later, the group of 5 exited the godown with the aging elf smiling widely as a deal had been struck. 2 weeks later, the payment would be made and the goods of the hirer would be sent to be stored.

Exiting the area, the group made their way back to the inn.

Inside, Eldra finally let the frustration that she had been feeling ever since she had heard Daneel propose this plan erupt.

"What did you accomplish by seeing them? Why are we spending so much money to hire the warehouse?"

Tired, Daneel first took a seat in the center of the room before looking towards Eldra while trying to not let exasperation appear on his face.

Indeed, Eldra was a very emotional person and Daneel now doubted whether the Queen's standards had ever been too high in the first place.

Her calling was that her emotions led her to great lengths, allowing her to overcome anything. This had also been displayed in her tenacity to search for long periods of time in order to find the slaves' hiding place.

Yet, her emotions also stopped her from thinking rationally at times.

Through his experiences, Daneel knew that this was not very good in a ruler. Although strong emotions had their value in being able to resonate with people to lead with strength, they also left one vulnerable.

Still, Daneel was also glad that this was the case as all he wanted was a puppet ruler in Eldinor whom he could control. If it were an individual like the previous Queen whose intellect and cunning was top-notch, he would always have to be careful, fearing a backstab even if he had an oath.

Even now, he wondered why Eldra hadn't chosen to bargain further, especially given her training of becoming Queen and the individualism of Elves which did not allow them to be under the control of anyone.

Thus, even though the risk he felt from someone like Eldra was much lower than from someone like Eldara, Daneel had chosen to be cautious towards her. He did not wish to expose any of his secrets if he could afford to.

This was the reason why she hadn't been privy to the details of Daneel's actions inside the godowns.

Thinking for a while, Daneel proceeded to lay out his plan while taking care not to expose any of the details of the execution that weren't necessary.

…..

The next morning, a messenger brought the information about the group's visit to the warehouse.

As it was an area where their most valuable assets were stored, any and all information regarding that location was given top priority by Eldara.

After receiving the message, Eldara dismissed the messenger and made her way to her bedroom.

Inside, she sat on the bed and used her hand to make a similar locket appear.

Yet, there was no picture inside. Instead, a button-like trinket could be seen which Eldara touched to make sure that it was still functioning.

This was the final failsafe: as the other end of the explosive was outside the warehouse, a trinket had been installed on it as the formation which detected trinkets did not affect the outside.

Although the soldiers who checked had been carefully vetted, she did not wish to place complete trust in them.

A single press of this button would activate the explosive, killing all the slaves and destroying the most glaring evidence.

After ensuring that it was active, Eldara let it dissolve into her skin again before getting up to prepare the speech for the campaign she was about to give.

Chapter 169: The Grand Debate 1

2 weeks later

CRACK

Inside the room rented by Olfax to facilitate Daneel's training, the King of Lanthanor opened his eyes while a wide grin spread across his lips.

The sound had come both from the Ker Gem cracking in the hands of his clone which sat beside him training.

Without hesitation, Daneel ordered the system to dissolve the clone and absorb its energy, following which the familiar stream shot into him with blinding speed.

A second CRACK resounded in the room, but it was only audible to Daneel.

Indeed, as he breathed in deeply while relishing in the feeling of taking a leap forward in strength, Daneel couldn't help but laugh to himself as he realized that he was already a 6th Grade Human Mage and Fighter.

Indeed, he was just a step away from the level which was currently the peak in Lanthanor.

Over one and a half months of frantic absorption using Ker Gems had given this result, and although his supply of gems was already dwindling, Daneel felt that it was worth it.

If the news that the King of Lanthanor was a 16-year old peak Eminent Human Mage AND Fighter got out, it would definitely cause a stir in the entirety of Angaria.

Getting up, Daneel brushed off the dust that had accumulated before looking out to see that it was already midnight.

Feeling happy that the breakthrough had come at such an auspicious time, he smiled even wider before once more going over the plan which would unfold tomorrow to put Eldra on the throne.

Climbing into his bed, he fell asleep to the now familiar dreams of dragons and castles and princesses.

…..

The next day.

In a large clearing in the outskirts of Elfaven, a massive stage had recently been put up which was currently under guard by numerous soldiers who were patrolling the surroundings while making sure to stop any and all trespassers from entering the area.

In the election process of Eldinor, there were two main dates for people to remember: one was the voting and result announcement day which was 2 weeks away, while the other was today-the occasion of the Grand Debate.

Over the weeks and months leading up to the election, each and every candidate had done their best to host as many campaigns and rallies as possible to get their message out to sway the votes towards them.

All of these activities had to be funded by themselves, which was actually the reason why only individuals with rich backing even took part in the elections unless they were special individuals who chose not to engage in campaigning even if they had nominated themselves to stand in the elections.

The one exception was the Grand Debate. 2 weeks away from the final voting day, the government would arrange a gathering where all the candidates would be given a chance to increase their chances of winning by both giving heartfelt speeches and debating with their fellow contestants.

Over the decades, there had been many instances where a single wrong remark said by a contestant in the heat of the moment resulted in their loss even if the predictions up until then showed that they would win.

Thus, no matter what the condition was up until this day, it was said that the Grand Debate was the true moment when the next ruler of Eldinor would be decided.

As such, it was compulsory for all those who dropped a nomination to attend the Grand Debate. This practice had come into place to detract people from idly nominating themselves and ignoring all public forums, essentially wasting the time of the government who allotted security and also had to make voting trinkets for each participant.

The list of candidates was public, hence everyone knew that the news that the daughter of the former queen who was currently facing the wrath of the elves was standing in the elections was true.

Of course, there had been no campaigning or advertisements during these crucial two weeks in which almost each and every elf had been bombarded with repeated messages regarding each contestant.

The ones with the most wrath were the parents of the elves who had gone missing.

Indeed, there were multiple families who knew very well that their children were abducted, but could do nothing about it with their limited power. The government, of course, worked as hard as it could to locate their children, but it was a known fact that it was nigh impossible to extract an elf child from the clutches of slavers.

Due to their higher potential, the birth rate of elves was comparatively low when compared to humans. Thus, each and every elf child born was cherished as a gift from the gods.

This only made the pain of loss greater.

The time of the debate was set to noon, but people had started to trickle since the wee hours of the morning.

No weapons or trinkets were allowed into the area, so each and every elf and human who attended the debate were checked thoroughly.

Indeed, although humans had no voting rights, they were still allowed to spectate the Grand Debate.

Thus, posing as commoners, Kellor and Olfax made their way into the crowd holding a bag in their hands after being checked thoroughly by the soldiers.

Looking around, Kellor couldn't help but sigh seeing the pent-up anger evident in the expressions of many of the elves around him.

The crime of enslaving the children of one's race had a singular power to unite all those of that race, regardless of whether they were personally affected or not.

Exactly like in Lanthanor where the crowds had united after seeing the state of those whose lives were destroyed by the nobility and fearing that they would share the same fate, the elves became one in the face of someone who had committed such a horrific act.

So far, although they knew of this horror, they had not had a face to attach it to.

Now that they did, all the feelings that had been suppressed for many years erupted out, ready to devour the individual even if she wasn't responsible for everything that had happened over the years.

Such was the power of the terrific weapon unleashed by the former Queen which had paved her way to victory.

At around 11:30 am, the former Queen made her way over to the stage amidst cheers such as "We need you back!", "Reelect Queen Eldara!" And "Nation over Family!"

At around 11:45 am, the rest of the contestants reached the stage with a few scattered cheers which showcased their already dwindled support.

Of these contestants, the one who got the most cheers was a wizened Elf with long, silver hair that cascaded down to her back.

Although her body still looked like it was at the peak of fitness, her age was evident in her face which had multiple wrinkles that actually gave her an air of experience.

Her name was Katerina.

As a retired soldier, Katerina had heard multiple rumors in the army regarding the Queen's foul ways. In fact, she was one of the few apart from Eldra who had the most information regarding the Queen's desire for power.

This knowledge primarily came from serving under her as a commander. As an astute judge of character, Katerina had been shocked when she found out that the Queen was not the saint the elves thought she was.

Alas, all she had were rumors without proof and a dream to serve her own people which had led her to contesting in the elections each time.

As an upright individual, her pride did not allow her to make use of the rumors in any way unless she found concrete proof. Due to the Queen's caution, she had yet to find any.

Thus, Katerina had been standing against the Queen as her top contender for 20 years.

This year, due to her managing to uncover a few instances of corruption in the government which although did not incriminate the Queen, she had made people realize that she wasn't perfect.

Using this momentum and the advantage that she could spend so much more time campaigning than the Queen who had to take care of the Kingdom, Katerina had managed to obtain a solid following which she thought would carry her to the throne.

Yet, all that had been upended due to the news of the slavery which brought sympathy for the Queen.

Now, as she made her way to the dias, she found herself wishing there was someone or something which would wipe that gloating smirk off the former Queen's face, which showcased her confidence that the election was already hers to win.

Chapter 170: The Grand Debate 2

As if answering her prayers, an uproar arose in the crowd as the most controversial contestant in
the history of Eldinor made her way to the stage.

Protected by a barrier, Eldra was surrounded by soldiers with serious expressions on their faces as they escorted her along the central passage which had been cordoned off as the method of entry.

Seeing the murderous expressions of all those around her, Eldra felt as if she were drowning in a river of hate and disgust.

Multiple fireballs and ice pricks were already being conjured by the Elves in attendance as they prepared to directly assault the barrier to take revenge for their lost sons and daughters.

Having already thought of this, the government had chosen to deploy the strongest barrier in all of Central Angaria.

As a hot commodity which had demand but no supply, this barrier was able to protect one from the full power strike of a peak Warrior stage existence.

As one of the feats of trinket design which Eldinor was very proud of to this day, it was classified as the most expensive defensive trinket in all of Central Angaria.

Even though Eldra knew this fact, the sheer amount of attacks that she saw in the crowd only made the fear inside her rise further.

"Miss, the barrier will hold."

Hearing the gruff voice of the Elf who was commanding the escort, Eldra calmed herself down and nodded, trying to distract herself from everything happening around her.

This was her defense mechanism: when things overwhelmed her, she was prone to retreating and recovering.

Just as she was about to do so, the conversation she had with Daneel just before leaving resounded in her mind.

"Eldra", he had said, sitting in that central chair as if it symbolized that he was at the center of everything.

At that moment, she had been standing at the window looking out while dreading the moment when she had to go up on stage to speak in front of scores of people who all probably wanted to kill and dismember her into pieces.

So far, all the training given by her mother had been regarding the matters that came after becoming Queen. As for the aspect of how to actually address a crowd and win it over, she had no experience whatsoever.

Although the plan made by the King of Lanthanor was great, it all depended on her execution.

Hearing his call, she had turned around to look at the man she had once called an "upstart brat".

Never in her wildest fantasies had she imagined that she would be in this position right now, where she had sworn an oath to follow his every command.

Disregarding the reasons she had for doing so, Eldra felt as if everything that had happened so far was a dream which she could awaken from if she just pinched herself hard enough.

Although Daneel was her salvation, he often irked her due to his habit of hiding details from her, like when he had insisted on the excursion to the warehouses.

Thus, all in all, Eldra had mixed feelings towards the teen in front of her who was over 10 years younger than her.

Shaking her head to get rid of all the distracting thoughts, Eldra nodded at him to show that she was listening.

Daneel had already gotten used to this Elf recently phasing out of conversations due to the immense pressure she had on her. Thus, he had waited for the nod before proceeding.

"In a few hours, you will be in front of a crowd which hates you so much that they will definitely attack you. Who can blame them? In their eyes, you were the one who ripped multiple families apart by taking away their treasure which they cherished with their entire heart and soul. In their eyes, you are the demon who was willing to enslave children of your own kind for monetary profit.

In their eyes, you are sin, you are evil and you are the plague of Eldinor."

Hearing this bitter truth, a defeated expression appeared on Eldra's face.

As she wallowed in self pity, Daneel stood up suddenly and banged the table in front of him, startling her and making her focus her eyes on the angry expression in the King of Lanthanor's eyes.

"Just saying these words makes me wish that the person who is actually responsible for such grievous crimes is in front of me so that I can get my hands on them. Such scum doesn't deserve to live. Don't you feel so, Eldra?"

Tears appearing in her eyes, Eldra nodded resignedly.

"This is your chance to change all that. Just imagine it. The alternative is living with this mark all your life, or choosing to end it all and die leaving nothing in this world except an unmarked ditch and countless resentments that will torment you even in your afterlife."

As those tears started flowing, Eldra's eyes began going out of focus as she started imagining herself in that position.

Seeing this, Daneel smiled to himself as he had achieved what he wanted. By choosing his words carefully, he had made sure to plunge her into the depths of darkness.

Now, it was time to give the light which she would grasp with all her strength to leave that dreadful pool which was currently drowning her.

"If I were you, I would grasp this chance with everything I have and march towards the stage with my head held high. I would use all the anger and frustration built up in me to speak to the people with as much passion as I can muster. I would throw this weight off my back, no matter what it took. It's all up to you, Eldra. By the end of today, you will either be the one revered as the Elf who brought the true culprit to justice, or the one who was too cowardly to even speak out when she had the chance. Make your choice."

Saying these words while looking straight into Eldra's eyes, Daneel left the room after seeing the fire that had been lit inside them.

Now, in front of the angry crowd, Eldra calmed down and regained the serious expression she always had when she did things which were tough.

Keeping the goal in her mind, she walked towards the stage with a measured pace.

After reaching and taking her place amongst the 5 contestants, she glanced to the side briefly to see her mother smile at her with an indiscernible expression.

Seeing her stand on the stage surrounded by the impenetrable barrier, the crowd finally quieted down and looked on with simmering fury.

A few minutes later, an Elf who seemed like he would die at any moment made his way onto the stage before reaching the podium meant for the host.

Taking out a voice magnification trinket, he spoke in a booming voice which echoed across the clearing.

As around 1 million people watched on, the Grand Debate began to these words:

"Welcome one and all. Without further ado, we shall begin with the individual speeches from the contestants. As is the norm, we begin with those who have addressed the people of Eldinor the least. Miss Eldra, the stage is yours."

Expecting that this would happen, Eldra nodded before calmly walking towards the wooden podium.

Just the mention of her name had already rekindled the blazing fury inside the crowd, making it so that the clearing was completely filled with boos and shouts such as, "Death to Slavers!", "Justice for the Children" and "Eldra must hang!".

Listening to all these things which she had already become numb to since the past two weeks, Eldra first tapped the trinket to make sure it was active before giving a statement that silenced the entire crowd in front of her.

"If you folks do not quiet down and listen to me right now, more than 100 elf children who have been abducted to be sold as slaves will die in an explosion a few kilometers away from this location."

Chapter 171: The Grand Debate 3

This unexpected statement completely quieted the crowd down.

Along with the crowd, even the soldiers and the elf who was overseeing the debate had panic appear on their faces as they heard what many thought to be a blatant admission of guilt.

Only, the former Queen of Eldinor had shock and fear cloud her expression as she heard the accurate description of the most valuable assets in her possession.

During the debate, contestants were allowed to bring communication trinkets to speak with their consultants if needed.

Thus, Eldara quietly spoke into her hand after making sure that everyone had their eyes firmly fixed on Eldra.

"Check the room!", she said frantically, making the soldiers on the end jolt into action as they approached the prison which they had just checked a half hour ago.

From the tone of the former Queen, they had already resigned themselves to activating the explosive after checking inside.

Yet, they heaved a sigh of relief that everything looked normal. All the children were accounted for, and there were no signs of an intrusion.

Reporting the same, the soldiers hurriedly exited the prison to go back to their duties.

Hearing the response, Eldara relaxed slightly.

The worst case that she had imagined hadn't come to pass, and if all her daughter had were accusations, then she was naïve indeed to bring up the topic.

Of course, there still existed the case where she might be privy to the details of the prison, in which case the former queen would have no choice but to press the button in her locket.

Discreetly raising her hand to her neck, Eldara dislodged the locket before hiding the button inside her palm.

After the brief silence, Eldra continued to speak after ensuring that all eyes were on her.

"Yes, you heard me right. In the warehouses a few kilometers away from this location, there is a small prison hidden in the inner wall of the private godown which is regularly hired by outside parties. Inside that prison, you would find more than 100 Elf boys and girls locked like livestock. Of course, the one who is truly responsible for this setup has a failsafe where any intrusion will result in an explosive going off and wiping all traces of all the little ones from the face of this continent. Imagine it. One soldier or one man even accidentally finding its location- and BOOM!"

The sudden sound that Eldra made at the end made the people watching collectively wince.

"Little arms and legs flying in the air. Dismembered, burnt bodies. No way to even identify just which unlucky citizens of Eldinor had just lost all hope of being reunited with the treasures of their lives."

Eldra said these words in a flat tone, allowing each and everyone watching to visualize the scene in their own minds.

Slowly, the expressions of anger and scorn on the elves' faces morphed into ones of terror.

"No! My Angela! I want her back!"

It was a female Elf who broke the silence by screaming out loud while clutching her hair in agony.

This seemed to have broken the spell cast upon the audience, as all of them started shouting various things which were very different from their statements before.

"Have mercy!"

"What do you need us to do?"

"Please tell us!"

Of course, although denouncing shouts were still there, they were now in the minority.

Seeing the complete u-turn in the attitude of the crowd, Eldra smiled wistfully before saying, "No, this is not a hostage situation. I did not come here to use those children as a threat to force you to vote for me. My only intention is to bring your attention to a person who is capable of doing just that if it ensured her victory in the election. Isn't that right, mother?"

Gasps of incredulous shock resounded across the clearing as Eldra calmly leveled the accusation she had been holding inside her for so long.

As the attention shifted to Eldara, the former queen of Eldinor simply humphed and said, "Daughter, don't go throwing baseless accusations around. I know that it was my fault for not giving enough attention to your life. If I had, maybe I could have been able to stop you from committing the ultimate crime in our Kingdom. It is not too late even now, my child. Admit your guilt and step down to be arrested by the soldiers. In doing so, you will at least have saved those elf children who are trapped in the location you just spoke about."

Even at this moment, Eldra was amazed by her mother's intellect. Using that simple statement, she had both warned Eldra and swayed the crowd to doubt even the possibility that she was the one responsible.

Laughing to herself mirthlessly, Eldra said, "Your fault? Yes mother, it was your fault. Your fault for desiring power so much that you broke our family apart to obtain it. Your fault for stooping to engaging in slave trade to fund your election expenses. Your fault for raising a daughter who resents you because all she can remember of her life are a series of decisions made by her mother while her having no say in them."

Even though Eldra used the simplest of words to speak of her plight, it resonated with the people due to the sheer amount of emotion that they carried.

Her voice cracking and her expression set into one of extreme mockery, Eldra spoke directly to the hearts of the Elves of Eldinor.

Seeing the effect that the words of her daughter was having on the observers, a look of surprise first appeared on the former Queen's face before being morphed in a split second into one of regret.

Sighing deeply, she walked forward and said, "Eldra, it is not the time or place to speak of the issues between us. Yes, I am truly sorry that I was too engrossed in the service of our people. Thus, I had no time to take your opinions into consideration. Like I already told you many times, the people of Eldinor are all also my sons and daughters. Hence, I have-"

"Oh, STOP IT!"

In the high strung state Eldra was in, these words had managed to irk her to no end.

Unable to take it anymore, Eldra shouted these words which brought an expression of delight on Eldara's face.

Indeed, although passion and emotion had its power, it was also easy to be manipulated.

The sudden shout had shaken the observers, making them doubt for an instant whether she really was just mindlessly throwing accusations around.

This instant was all Eldara needed.

"Daughter, I know you are angry. Just surrender yourself, and I will speak with the council personally to be lenient in their punishment. That's the least I can do as your mother."

Hearing their former Queen speaking to her daughter so dutifully, the crowd were again swayed to believe that she was truly the humble servant of Eldinor that she claimed to be.

Seeing things going downhill, Eldra slightly panicked. She had been standing on more or less stable ground due to the excellent start. Yet now, she realized that she had probably ruined it with that single shout.

At this moment, the voice that had laid out this entire plan resounded in her mind.

"Follow the plan. Bring out the trump card."

Bewildered, Eldra wondered when he had snuck a communication trinket onto her. Before, they had agreed that it would all be in her hands.

Still, these words managed to snap Eldra out of that spiral.

Looking up again, she addressed the crowd and her mother and said:

"Yes mother, I am angry. But that doesn't mean my accusations are 'baseless'."

Looking into the crowd and seeing a small figure standing between two men, she said the words which made terror appear again on Eldara's face.

"Lizzie sweetie, can you come onto the stage and tell everyone here where you were until just a few hours ago?"

Chapter 172: The Grand Debate 4

Hearing her daughter say these words, the former Queen of Eldinor was first tempted to order the guards at the warehouse to check again.

Yet, she controlled this desire as she knew that it was impossible for someone to infiltrate and snatch away a kid in this short span of time.

As someone who loved to be meticulous, the former Queen was well aware of all the names of the elf children who were currently held in the warehouse.

Of course, her meticulousness had also allowed her to take care that she wouldn't be seen or heard no matter what by the elf children in captivity.

Thus, telling herself that she couldn't be linked to the crime in any way, Eldara calmed down before wondering whether her daughter was smart enough to develop a dupe for the location.

On hearing Eldra's words, 3 other people also had distinct reactions different from puzzlement like the others.

Of them, one was the little elf girl who had shrunk into the man behind her a little bit when she had been looked at by Eldra.

The other two were two elves, a male and a female who had been one of the vehement when it came to denouncing Eldra.

At this moment, hearing the name that was always on their mind and heart, the couple froze before frantically trying to figure out exactly where Eldra was looking.

Alas, the crowd was too thick, and they couldn't catch a glimpse.

"Little girl, remember, all your other brothers and sisters are depending on you. You have to be clear on the stage, all right?"

These words were said by Olfax who was currently disguised as a balding man with a kind face. Hearing his words, the little girl nodded determinedly, melting the hearts of all those standing around them who had turned around to see the little elf when they realized that Eldra was looking in their direction.

Indeed, elf children were too adorable to ignore. With small blades on her earlobe, Lizzie had a few freckles on her cheeks which only increased the feeling of cuteness emanating from her. Small pointed nose, lovable little lips and cheeks which no one could keep their hands off of made almost all those seeing her smile.

Smiling after seeing the nod, Olfax left Kellor's side and began to walk towards the stage. The duo had already taken care to make sure that they were near the front, making it so that they required only a few minutes to reach the cordon that separated the crowds and the stage.

Seeing the two arrive, the soldiers who were currently on high alert looked towards the old elf on the stage for orders. Noticing this, Olfax marked to himself that he was probably not just a simple announcer like everyone had thought.

As the old elf nodded after a few moments, Olfax and the little elf girl were allowed onto the stage after being checked again for trinkets.

After the thorough checking during which only whispers sounded from the crowd and the contestants, the little Elf girl finally reached Eldra and smiled before being hauled up and held.

"Lizzie!"

"Darling! Where have you been?!"

The screams from the two elves were so heartbreakingly loud that they finally allowed everyone to understand and accept just who this girl was.

She was… really someone who had been kidnapped?

As the revelation caused many to stare tongue-tied, the former Queen of Eldinor gnashed her teeth as she tried to figure out just what was going on.

This was actually an elf who had been held captive? Then why the hell hadn't the guards reported anything?!

Eldra gave her no chance to think further, saying, "Lizzie, I know you are the bravest of all those who are currently waiting to go back to their mothers and fathers back in the prison you were held in for almost a year. Can you tell me how it was?"

With another nod and an adorable wave at her parents who were only crying silently in happiness that their daughter was still alive, Lizzie started speaking about the horrors of the prison.

In an innocent voice that melted the hearts of those listening, Lizzie began to detail her life in the past few months.

Every morning, a pile of food would be brought by the guards who did not seem to care whether they were all well fed. The food was always simple and the quantity was always too low, making it so that all the elf boys and girls had to get used to forgetting the feeling of being full.

The few open bathrooms were seldom cleaned, making each and every child learn to be as hygienic as possible as any mishap would result in the whole place smelling worse than it usually did.

As each and every detail horrified those who were listening, Olfax discreetly walked past Eldra, brushing against her in the process before approaching the other end of the stage.

The setup of the stage was such that the podium that Eldra and Lizzie were on was at the corner, while the contestants were standing beside each other a step behind.

As he walked past the contestants to get off the stage, he seemingly slipped and fell near Katerina who was watching everything with an expression of incredulity.

When she had gotten up in the morning, she had never expected in her wildest dreams that she would be hearing the experiences of an elf-slave who had been about to be sold off.

Her focus distracted by the man who fell in front of her, she bent to help him up to be polite.

As she did so, she felt him slip something into her pocket discreetly.

If it were anyone else, they would surely not have noticed this tiny movement which was flawlessly hidden.

Yet, as someone who had been in the military, Katerina was always in full control of her surroundings.

She was currently wearing her formal attire of a tucked beige shirt over white pants, and although she almost took out that object, she stopped herself after realizing that she felt no danger from the situation.

Indeed, her senses were honed to be razor-sharp, and she trusted them explicitly. Thus, after raising the man, she only looked at him expressionlessly before briefly shooting a glance at her pocket.

Seeing that she had indeed noticed, Olfax only smiled before discreetly raising one hand to his ear and thanking Katerina before leaving the stage.

This entire exchange took place in the few seconds when the attention of all those around them was firmly fixed on the haunting tale of the little elf girl.

In fact, even Eldara who was standing right beside Katerina did not manage to observe anything of note.

After a few moments, a voice resounded in Katerina's mind which made her eyes widen with surprise.

"Miss Katerina, there is no time for introductions, and we need your help. As someone who has been in the military, you know very well that the former Queen of Eldinor, Eldara is the one responsible for the slave trade. I know that you chose to stand in the elections because although you know of this, you have no proof. Indeed, the former Queen is very meticulous and has made sure to leave no trail whatsoever. The ONLY thing that connects her to the crime is some sort of failsafe she has on her body. If everything goes as we estimated, there will soon be a situation where she will activate it. You are the one who must stop her and catch her red-handed with the object which is the root of everything. Remember, if you are too slow, those 100 elf children will die. We are all depending on you, Miss Katerina. Please take up this duty to serve Eldinor again."

Chapter 173: The Grand Debate 5

Over the years she spent serving in the army, Katerina had been in many situations where normal people would have become utterly shocked and lost their senses. Yet, she had had to control everything in order to be calm to give out orders as was expected from someone in command.

Thus, even in this situation, the instincts of a commander kicked in.

First, by discreetly putting her hand in her pocket, Katerina checked the trinket to see whether it had two-way communication.

Realizing that it was designed to only receive messages, she put it back in her pocket before assessing everything she knew.

Looking around, she observed the movements of the former Queen who was standing beside her.

Eldara's eyes were currently fixed on the little Elf girl, and there seemed to be something in the palm of her hand that she seemed to be caressing. Yet, even though Katerina was so close, she couldn't conclusively say whether it really was some sort of object.

Thinking back to the message she had heard, she realized that the voice had a certain sense of confidence; as if everything was in the speaker's control.

Katerina had heard such a tone before, but it was only from people who either stood at the peak of power or were in the highest echelons of command.

From this information, Katerina knew that some plan was unfolding which she had been thrown into without her volition.

Although she felt slightly disgruntled by this, she had to admit that the person who was in control had certainly done his research and had thought about everything before contacting her.

Even if her strong individualistic tendencies would not usually allow her to be coerced into doing something, she had an equally strong sense of duty which would definitely push her towards following the message as even the risk that those children would die if she did not act spurred her to action.

Narrowing her eyes into slits, Katerina became fully alert before beginning to move closer to the former Queen of Eldinor.

She knew she would only have a moment, and she had no intention whatsoever to waste it.

.

....

Meanwhile, the haunting tale of the little elf girl was slowly coming to a close.

After speaking innocently about everything she had endured so far, Lizzie ended her speech with these words:

"My brothers and sisters are still waiting there, and they are very scared. Timmie must have already soiled himself because of waiting for so long. Please save them. Please don't let the box go boom like how the guards always threaten us. Please."

Towards the end, her voice devolved into sobs as she couldn't help but think back to all those waiting in hope that they would go back to their parents.

Seeing the tears running down Lizzie's adorable cheeks, many in the crowd couldn't help but mirror the emotion.

In this case, having no experience had actually been in favor of the little Elf girl, as it allowed her to speak from the heart.

This enabled everyone listening to easily imagine themselves in her shoes.

Icy metal around their necks, so tight that they often couldn't breathe in properly.

Sleeping on cold, hard mattresses in absolute darkness and praying that it wouldn't become cold.

Huddling together for warmth when it did become cold, as they had no blankets to use.

Such horrific living conditions couldn't be seen even in the prisons run by the government.

"Monster!"

"Devil!"

"Kill the slavers! Save the children!"

After Lizzie stopped speaking, the crowds did not stay silent anymore.

With tears on their faces and boundless anger blazing in their eyes, the people of Eldinor started to scream for retribution.

What had been anger before devolved completely into fury because of the heartfelt tale of one little girl.

In fact, hearing everything, Eldra herself found herself crying and lost for words.

Looking around to see the woman who was responsible for it all, anger appeared on her face again seeing Eldara also had tears in her eyes.

With an expression of complete sadness, the former Queen of Eldinor constantly looked towards Lizzie while wiping her eyes of the tears that were appearing incessantly on them.

Although Eldra felt like she was consumed by rage upon seeing this, she followed Daneel's instructions: making sure to shut her mouth, she watched on to see whether the King of Lanthanor's estimation would be correct.

…..

Acting was one of the first skills learned by Eldara during her training to take over the family in her childhood years. In fact, she still remembered the lashings she endured when she wasn't fast enough to suit her mother's expectation.

Thus, at this moment, it was a piece of cake to make herself look like someone who was so affected by the story that she couldn't even speak.

Of course, she had been the one to decide on all the details. The others had suggested that they install proper beds and bathrooms, but Eldara had decreed that these conditions would break the minds of those little ones, making them all the more valuable when the time of sale came.

After all, to her, they were only assets. Thus, she couldn't care less about what they felt. All she wanted was a high payout which would fund her election campaigning for many years to come.

'It's time to end this farce', she thought before deciding to deal the finishing blow to her naive daughter.

At this moment, she couldn't help but sigh as although she had given Eldra all the training she could think of, she had neglected to train her in the one thing most required in a ruler: ruthlessness.

It was this ruthlessness which had enabled her to stay on the throne for so long.

And it was this ruthlessness which would ensure that she would win again.

Looking around, she noticed that the fury of the people was reaching a boiling point due to the sadness caused by the story they had heard.

At this moment, what would happen if the warehouse blew up?

Just a story had caused this much angst. What would the sight of hundreds of tiny body parts lying charred on the ground invoke?

Chaos. And a single-minded determination to catch those responsible.

With the warehouse blowing up, the last proof tying her to this entire thing would disappear in the flames.

Afterward, the only proof remaining would be the one against Eldra.

To people blinded by rage, a slight prod was all that was needed. Besides, Eldra still hadn't done anything to change her impression except somehow producing one of the elves who had been abducted.

This point itself could be turned against her. What if the accusation arose that Eldra had planned everything-using an abducted elf to rile up the crowd and then blowing up the warehouse after planting false evidence that Eldara was responsible for it all? The fact that she had managed to save at least one elf would put her on positive ground, and the 'false' evidence would point the crowd towards Eldara.

Of course, Eldara would be the one planting this false evidence, which she could use to 'expose' Eldra's plan to the people, resulting in her winning the election without any effort!

Although she still didn't know what exactly her daughter's actual plan was, Eldara felt that this plan of hers was foolproof. There would be nothing left to tie her to any crime, and she would also have a way to decisively incriminate her daughter. After all, it wasn't like this was the first time she was doing something like this. She had been the one to send information to a certain news organization that defamed her, yet she had 'exposed' this to the public after proving that it was wrong to turn them towards her and away from those 'despicable' contestants.

Of course, all her thinking and planning was after taking into account the assumption that no one powerful enough to disable the failsafes could enter the frey. The collars needed someone at the peak of the Warrior level to analyze them, and the bomb was the most expensive of them all: it required a Champion level powerhouse to deactivate. There was no one at these levels in all of Central Angaria, thus Eldara had no choice to plan after assuming that the escape of one slave was due to a fluke. After all, if someone like this did interfere and the slaves had all escaped, the Government would already be completely investigating the scene. Although she had been as careful as possible, she couldn't say with certainty that there was nothing at all left which tied her to the crime, especially if the Government had access to the prison. This was the reason she had installed the last failsafe in the first place. Now, by activating it, she at least had a chance to escape scot-free, and it was the last option available to her.

Thus, without sparing any thought for all the lives that would be snuffed away, Eldra proceeded to press the button on the locket she had been holding in her hand all this while.

While doing so, she prepared the speech which would sow the seeds of discord in the people, making them suspect that Eldra was the one responsible for it all.

Chapter 174: The Grand Debate 6

Katerina had been watching Eldara like a hawk all this while, ready to move in case the occasion arose.

Unlike typical Elves who focused solely on their path as a Mage, Katerina was someone who trained as a Fighter in her free time. Right now, as she was just one step away from being a Warrior Mage, many had told her that she would have already crossed that chasm if she hadn't wasted her time by training as a Fighter.

To these people, Katerina answered that if she hadn't done so, she wouldn't have lived to this day.

Indeed, there had been many situations where the power of her body had allowed her to gain a decisive advantage over the enemy.

In fact, many in the army were also like her. Yet, the public perception was still that training one's body was a waste of time.

Knowing that the former Queen was only a 7th Grade Elf(comparable to Human) Mage with no training as a fighter, she was confident that she would be able to stop her from doing anything whenever she wished so.

So far, all she saw in the former queen's face was the same sadness and fury that was visible in the crowds.

Yet, just moments ago, her instincts had blared at her that something was amiss.

Scanning her entire body, Katerina noticed that her index finger had just begun to move.

Unlike idle movements, this one seemed to have a purpose and she could tell that it had a certain strength behind it due to the taut nerves that were visible.

This was the moment!

Taking a single step forward, Katerina swung her foot to hit Eldara's hand just above her palm.

The sudden shock made Eldara lose control of her hand, causing the locket to fall before being caught by Katerina who had just lunged forward.

Meanwhile, Eldara had a look of utter shock on her face as she watched the locket land in Katerina's waiting hands.

Wha-what was going on? Why the hell did this stubborn cow assault her?

First came the indignation that her dignity had been sullied without a thought. Someone had dared to physically attack the person who had ruled Eldinor for decades!

Then came the realization that there was one more thing which tied her to the matter of the slaves: the failsafe.

With desperation evident on her face, Eldara tried to bend and retrieve the locket.

Of course, Katerina wouldn't give her the chance. Quickly moving away, she held the locket at arm's length as if she had a ticking bomb in her hands.

The aged elf who was on the stage had noticed this entire occurrence with puzzled eyes.

Knowing that he was actually the most powerful existence on this stage, Katerina walked towards him while still keeping an eye on Eldara who was currently fuming.

Yet, using the experience that came from spending years in command, she calmed down in a split second.

Seeing this, Katerina smiled slightly before reaching the aged elf and whispering something in his ears.

It was as if her words sent electric shocks through his body, as the Elf widened his eyes and stared at Katerina as if asking 'Is it true?'.

Seeing the once famed commander nod with certainty, the aged elf spoke into a trinket before gesturing towards the stage.

All this time, the crowds watched on, bewildered at everything that had just happened in front of them. Katerina, who was quite famous for her tenacity and honesty, had attacked the former Queen of Eldinor.

After doing so, she had run back and walked towards the announcer on stage.

As their eyes were fixed on Eldara, Eldra's smile of achievement was not noticed by them.

Her words awoke them.

"Mother, I knew you would choose this option the moment I stepped on this stage. People of Eldinor, here is your proof that like I said, my mother is the one who is actually responsible for so many children like Lizzie suffering for months before being sold away as 'assets'. Mr. Announcer, can those who weren't able to see also get a glimpse?"

Seeing Eldra addressing him, the aged elf slightly shook his head before nodding at a soldier standing off the stage.

An enormous panel came into being above the stage, clearly visible to the entire crowd who were still mostly puzzled.

This was the panel typically used at the debate stage, as those that stood on the podium at the front were already clearly visible to all. Today, it had been unfolded in circumstances unlike any since the establishment of the Kingdom of the Elves.

As the image came into focus, the elves and humans in the crowd realized that it was a replay of what had just happened on the stage. The angle was from the side.

This was actually the viewpoint of the announcer. As someone who was still on active duty for the Kingdom, he was fitted at all times with a trinket which recorded and transmitted the visuals in front of him. This was both to monitor threats and to keep a record of the actions of those in charge of the Kingdom, at least when they were acting in their official role.

Katerina had been given the politely phrased order to approach the announcer and request this playback by the voice from the trinket. Just like before, she had obliged.

Such terrifying meticulousness in planning amazed her, and made her wonder just who was this capable. They had known from the positions of the people on the stage that her actions would definitely be recorded, ready to be displayed to the public to show them the truth.

On the panel, the scene had already been zoomed and sped forward to show the instant Katerina's foot had hit Eldara's hand, stopping the finger that had been about to press something.

The locket that fell from her palm was clearly visible, along with the button that was inside it.

Meanwhile, Eldara had had enough time to gather her senses.

Over all these years, she had been careful to never be involved personally with matters such as these. Yet, unable to trust anyone else, she had had no choice but to keep the failsafe for her most important and risky asset on her body.

She knew very well that her daughter was incapable of such scheming. Wondering just who it was that managed to catch her red-handed with the trinket, Eldara cursed at them while scrambling for ways to diffuse the situation.

All she needed was doubt.

With her quick-witted mind, she easily came up with an explanation.

Stepping forward with indignation on her face, the former Queen of Eldinor cried out, "What makes you think that is proof of anything? The button sends distress signals to those who heed my word in the army. I simply wished to move them discreetly to free the children! Daughter, enough of these antics. I know what you want to do: you wish to frame me for this horrific act. We both know that if you wish to verify that that trinket is the one which triggers the bomb in the prison, you need to call in experts who can dismantle the trinket. What if those experts, or anyone else, replaces the trinket in my locket with the actual trigger? Here, everyone saw that it fell from my hands and hasn't been tampered with. Later, who can say for sure that it hasn't been switched?"

As the former Queen rattled away these questions with an air of rightful anger, doubts indeed started to appear in the minds of those watching. As someone with decades of experience in campaigning, Eldara was well versed in the art of controlling the public.

Seeing Eldra still looking at her expressionlessly, she continued:

"I have spent my entire life in the service of Eldinor. Everyone here knows that our nation has only grown to new heights under my leadership. I admit that you are smart for choosing such a method in an attempt to sully my reputation, but you should know that I and the people who I serve are not so gullible. Daughter, let the government take over. You have done enough. Surrender, and follow the word of the law."

Indeed, without calling in people and moving the locket, there was no way to prove that it really was the trigger.

Using this point, Eldara made her counter-attack, which seemed to be working from the befuddlement of the crowd who did not know what to believe.

Just as she was feeling triumphant inside, Eldara watched as her daughter calmly walked to Katerina before taking the locket in her hands.

Raising it in the air for everyone to see, she pressed the button making the ground shake due to the explosion that had just been triggered in the warehouse.

Chapter 175: The Grand Debate 7

Shock and awe.

The jaws of those watching collectively dropped as they looked in the direction of the warehouses to see a massive plume of smoke floating into the air.

For a few seconds, it was as if time had stopped.

To the Eldinorians watching, it felt as if all was lost.

Why…was this happening? Hadn't they listened? Even if the locket was the trigger, why did Eldra press it?

As these and many more questions spiraled in the minds of the people, a few elves who were at the edge of the clearing turned around to see a group of Elf children walking towards them while excitedly observing the surroundings as if they were seeing them for the first time.

The sight of so many happy, smiling faces initially startled the elves. After a few moments, even their faces lit up into smiles of joy as they realized just what was going on.

"The children are back!"

"There was no one in the warehouse! Everyone is safe!"

Exclaiming in delight, the elves made way to allow the group into the clearing.

Although the massive crowds somewhat scared them, the man who had saved them had said that their parents were waiting somewhere inside. Thus, with the singular goal of finally seeing the faces of those they had missed for so long, the children hurried across the path while desperately looking in all directions.

"Timmie? Timmie! Kal, it's Timmie, there he is! Thank the gods!"

A female elf with sunken eyes and an emaciated frame shrieked these words as she saw the crowd of children approaching her. As she ran forward, she stumbled and almost fell as she hadn't eaten properly in weeks due to the grief of losing her son.

Seeing this, her husband who had been standing beside her with tears of joy on his face hurriedly moved forward to catch her before walking towards the group.

Before they reached it, a kid who seemed to be wearing multiple underpants ran out of the group and made his way towards them with a wide smile on his face.

As soon as he reached them, the woman who had stumbled before fell down on her knees and took him into her arms before kissing him everywhere on his face. She did not care that he was dirty and hadn't bathed in weeks; all she wished at this moment was that this wasn't a dream.

The man also knelt and took them both into his arms, letting out the tears that had hidden in his heart for so long. He had often blamed himself for being the cause of his son's disappearance, as he felt that he should have been with his family more to give them the security they deserved.

Of course, his wife had never blamed him, yet their family had almost broken apart due to the many unspoken things that lingered between them.

Now, with the soul of their family returned to them, the man felt as if life was worth living again.

As the smell of pee drifted up into the couple's noses, they couldn't help but laugh even while the tears still flowed unabated from the boundless happiness they felt.

Indeed, this was their Timmie who soiled himself when he felt strong emotions, be they positive or negative.

Although they had scolded him many times before for doing something like this, now, all they did was hug him even tighter, afraid that he might disappear if they let go even for the briefest of moments.

…..

Many such scenes of happy reunion could be seen all around the clearing. With the tension and the fear of the situation finally resolved, Eldinor collectively relaxed seeing that the children were, indeed, safe.

"H-how?"

This was the question on Eldara's mind. Just a few moments ago, the soldiers had reported that these assets of hers which were currently joyfully reuniting with their families were still inside the prison under lock and key. How could they escape all of her countermeasures?!

Standing at the spot where he had just teleported to before letting the elf children run towards the crowd, Daneel observed the expression of frustration on the former Queen's face before smiling to himself.

Resisting the urge to collapse on the ground from the burning pain in his forehead which signified an overdraft of his mageroot, he teleported again to the cave he had prepared beforehand.

Although his job was mostly done, he still wanted to stay close in case something unexpected arose.

Arriving in the cave, Daneel first took 2 Ker Gems in his hand and conjured his clone.

Giving it one, the both of them sat down and absorbed the energy to recover so that he could be in a fighting state if needed.

After activating the absorption technique, he thought back to the events that had taken place since the time he had left the inn this morning after making the breakthrough.

Since the moment Daneel had initially infiltrated the prison, he had known that the key was to catch the former Queen red-handed.

As someone who had been elected by garnering the support of the citizens of Lanthanor, he knew very well that the thing which resonated with people the most was direct, visceral proof.

Back during his rise to the throne, it was the act of directly killing the King which had resulted in the overwhelming support that put him on the throne.

Instead of choosing to do so, if he had captured the King or done almost anything else that wasn't as direct, the support he would have gotten would definitely be much lesser.

Thus, when it came to matters of swaying people, it was all about shock and awe.

Daneel's plan completely revolved around three key points: first, the little elf had to tell her story to the people in order to bring their emotions to a boiling point. This had to be done in a way that wouldn't alert the soldiers who were tasked with guarding the prison.

Second, the former Queen had to be caught red-handed while trying to activate the failsafe, and the one doing the catching had to be someone well-known. This was to lend credibility to the entire act in the eyes of the people.

Third, irrevocable proof had to be shown right away that the confiscated failsafe was, indeed, the trigger.

Daneel had had to think long and hard for this plan. There were so many ways in which it could have gone wrong: Eldara could have decided to blow the warehouse anyway regardless of what the soldiers said, making it so that Daneel wouldn't have managed to escape with the children after the soldiers had done their checking. Katerina might have been too slow to stop the former Queen. Eldra might have become completely flustered and ruined the whole thing.

In fact, the last had almost come true. Thankfully, he had taken the precaution to tell Olfax to slip a communication trinket into her dress, just like he had done on the stage with Katerina.

As for the others, Daneel trusted his analysis of Eldara. Putting himself in her shoes, he had tried to imagine what he would do.

From everything Eldra had told him, her mother was someone who was meticulous in all things. Thus, he knew that there was no way she wouldn't have a final failsafe on her person, as there was no one else she trusted more than herself.

This was the bane of those who depended on themselves for the most part. Also, after seeing the situation develop in the way that it did, if Daneel were Eldara, he would choose to use the explosion to distract the people first, before using that perfect moment to shift the blame.

It didn't matter if his thinking didn't match the former Queen's.

All that mattered was that the Queen had to activate the failsafe and be caught doing it.

And after the moment where Daneel had given Katerina the message, it didn't matter when the former Queen activated the trinket.

Taking out the metal bands that had just been around the necks of the little elves, Daneel couldn't help but smile, relieved that their torture was finally over.

Relaxing and enjoying the feeling of absorbing the energy, he asked the system to replay the introduction of the tool which had enabled him to piece together the entire thing.

Chapter 176: The Grand Debate 8

[Construct Analysis Module-1: Allows the host to analyze and derive schematics of constructs both magical and mechanical.]

The round metal bands that had been around the necks of the children had been mechanical constructs that were designed in such a way that the trigger would be activated if they were detached without using the key.

It was an almost foolproof system, as one couldn't even figure out the location where the key had to be inserted due to the sheer complexity of the design.

Daneel had been quite surprised to see something like this in Angaria. So far, he had always thought that due to the prevalence of magic, research was mostly focused on making objects which used magic in one way or another to achieve miscellaneous things.

This collar was completely made using mechanical skill except for the alert system. According to the system, it used an ingenious mechanism similar to the one used in handcuffs back on earth.

When he had touched one of the collars on the day he first infiltrated the prison, he had been alerted by the system that this tool was available.

Having no other choice, 2000 of the measly 3000 EXP he had earned since buying the Kingdom Management tools had been depleted to buy the tool.

At that moment, he had also tried analyzing the bomb, but was disappointed when the system said that the complexity surpassed what it could handle.

Thus, the rest of the plan fell into place.

In the morning, Daneel, Kellor and Olfax had gone to the warehouse again as today was the day they had decided on to transfer the goods for which the godown had been hired in the first place.

These goods were actually the parchments made by the assembly line in Lanthanor, which would soon be distributed among the Eldinorians.

During this storage of goods, Daneel had sneaked into the prison and released Lizzie, who was the boldest of all those present. She had been the one to open up and speak about the prison when Eldra had previously come with the hope to save them.

The system had already devised the key and the mechanism to open the collar, and Daneel had forged it the night before.

Using it, he had freed the little Elf and explained everything to her before making her faint and placing her in one of the bags which transported the parchments.

After doing so, his original body used the camouflage tool to transform into Lizzie whose clothes he had previously prepared. Putting the collar on himself, Daneel had conjured his clone which walked out of the warehouse along with Kellor and Olfax while holding the presumably empty bag which actually had Lizzie inside.

Thus, when the soldiers had entered to check on the Queen's orders, they had seen nothing amiss. With Daneel perfectly impersonating Lizzie, they had reported to the Queen that everything was all right.

Right after they left, Daneel had hastily deactivated the collars on the children before teleporting them out one by one.

In this way, the plan had been perfectly executed even though a few hiccups had almost caused everything to go awry.

Smiling to himself contentedly, Daneel continued absorbing the energy while keeping an eye on everything happening above ground.

…..

The moment that the explosion had shaken the entire clearing, Eldara knew that something was horribly wrong.

In her calculations, she had excluded one possibility: that the trinket could be activated right now to prove irrevocably that it was, in fact, the trigger.

Now, with the people of Eldinor recovering from the shock, she knew that circumstances were dire.

She had just denied everything, only to be smacked in the face in the next second.

Looking at her daughter who was presently smiling wide with joy seeing the reunions taking place in the crowd, Eldara frowned as she was definitely not someone capable of such deep scheming.

There was surely someone else directing everything from behind, and Eldara had already fallen prey to their machinations.

Shaking her head, she tried to think about what to do next.

Yet, looking into the eyes of all those turning towards her, she could not help but have her mind go blank.

Disgust. Betrayal. Scorn. Anger.

So far, Eldara had spent her life being adored by the people whom she loved to rule. Power was her entire life, and because she was an elf, the presence of that power was decided by the people.

Even now, she could make up claims to try and absolve herself from everything. Yet, from experience, she knew that her impression in the eyes of the people of Eldinor had already fallen below that bottom line from where there was no coming back.

Faces which had once shone with adoration were now twisted with fury and rage.

Drowning in the sea of hopelessness and hate, Eldara felt herself… crack.

Her entire life flashing through her eyes, she started to maniacally laugh to herself while gazing listlessly into the air.

She simply couldn't take it. No matter how clever or mature or experienced she was, the feeling of having the most important thing in her life stripped away was too painful to bear. In fact, if she hadn't done similar things to other contestants and seen similar reactions from the people, she might have tried to convince herself that there was still some way to get out of this mess.

Alas, all was already. At this moment, her emotions twisted into hate.

Hate towards those responsible. And a desire to make them pay.

"FOOLS! SHE IS CLEARLY WORKING WITH SOMEONE ELSE! There is no way that the child I brought up is capable of doing these things! What did you give, idiot daughter of mine? Did you give away your life? Did you swear to put Eldinor at an enemy nation's feet? WHAT DID YOU GIVE?!"

With the last scream, Eldara lunged towards her daughter with an expression of wanting to tear her to pieces.

The sudden outburst stunned those watching. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that the respected Elf who had governed Eldinor for decades would devolve into such an uncouth state. Her screams had a raw angst in them which even made a few weak spectators cower with fear.

Eldra, who had just been smiling triumphantly due to the apparent success of the plan, felt a visceral fear awake inside her hearing the scream of her mother. After all, this was the woman who had terrorized her entire life.

Only, this fear was accompanied by the horror that the oath she made might have been found out. High treason was a crime which stood toe-to-toe with slavery, and she knew that if any information about her dealings with Lanthanor came out, the same hate which the people had for her mother would be directed at her too.

Thus, the terror that appeared on her face was quite clearly that of one who had been caught in the act.

Underground, Daneel had just stood up with urgency seeing what was happening on the stage.

Although the mental breakdown of the former Queen was within his expectations, he had never imagined that the arrows that Eldara shot in the dark would hit the bullseye.

Still, they were just wild ramblings which could have been dismissed immediately if not for Eldra's reaction.

Thankfully, she had managed to change her expression in a split second. Still, Daneel noticed that the announcer and Katerina had both managed to catch a glimpse of that guilt.

Sighing, the King of Lanthanor sat back down. There was nothing that could be done.

In a split second, the aged elf disappeared and reappeared in front of the former Queen before using the edge of his hand to chop at her neck.

At the moment before it connected, it seemed to be glowing with a faint light that signified that he had cast some sort of spell to dampen the blow.

Without a sound, Eldara collapsed onto the ground, unconscious at the exact second that the elf's hand touched her body.

Meanwhile, Daneel had risen up again seeing the aged Elf's actions.

Asking the system, he realized that he indeed hadn't been mistaken.

The Elf was actually a Warrior level Mage!

Both from the speed with which he cast his spells and the ease with which he managed to incapacitate an Exalted Human level Elf, this was quite evident.

As the situation finally got under control, Daneel relaxed and took a deep breath.

It was time to move on to the next phase of the plan.

Chapter 177: Aftermath 1

After the former Queen was taken into custody by the aged elf, the Grand Debate was postponed because of the government citing "security reasons". Indeed, the fact that someone had managed to hide such a bone-chilling prison right under their noses was such a huge embarrassment that it would be talked about for decades as one of the single greatest failures of the Eldinorian Government.

As the crowd cleared, although there were many families with smiles of joy on their faces, there were many more who had been hoping that it would be their child who was saved. These 100 Elf children had only been a single cargo that was about to be shipped out after the elections; there were others which had already left the Kingdom with no way of tracking them down, except for the mastermind behind it all who had currently calmed down from the raving lunatic she had been on the stage.

For now, Eldara was transported to a high-security prison where she would be interrogated on charges of High Treason.

In fact, this news itself was so shocking that it shook the entirety of Central Angaria. After all, Queen Eldara was a respected figure who had been admired for her wit and skill in politics. Thus, it was all the more shocking when the information came out that it was her own daughter who had been central to the plan that uncovered her wrongdoings.

Along with the shock came an unrest that swept over all the black market slavery rings which were still currently under operation. The Elves had always been the most vengeful when it came to the matters of slavery of their own kind. Hence, regardless of whether they found the actual buyer, it wouldn't be surprising to see them turn their fury on those who dealt in slaves in general.

All in all, the arrest of Eldara had such far-reaching effects that they seemed to be changing the tide of Central Angaria in ways no one could predict or comprehend.

....

On the evening of the same day on which the debacle of the Grand Debate had taken place.

Ellie was running through the streets of west Elfaven clutching some sort of ointment in her hands, along with a few herbs that seemed to have lost their vitality long ago. Even though they seemed like things that anyone could find if they spent 10 minutes in the forest, to Ellie, they were the treasures that would hopefully save her mother's life.

Reaching a house which had seen better days, she ran inside without knocking the door and dumped everything onto a table in the center of the first room she entered.

With peeling walls through which the stone that comprised of the building could be seen, it was obvious that this was a house which had been neglected for many years.

There were three rooms: a central living room that also doubled as a dining room, a bedroom and a kitchen.

On a sofa riddled with holes lay an old elf whose face seemed so pale that it was a wonder that she was even breathing.

Her hair was a silver that shone in the light, while her skin clung to her bones which were visible. Hearing the little girl enter the room, she wearily opened her eyes before a small smile adorned her face.

Seeing this. Ellie grinned wide, remembering the days when her mother had spent hours and hours tirelessly playing with her and her sister.

For as long as she could remember, there was no father in the family of three. After seeing their mother cry when one of the sisters asked about this matter, both of them had decided that they would never bring up the topic again.

None the less, life had been great.

Yet, everything shattered completely when her sister was abducted 4 months ago.

Together, she and her mother had searched the entire city to no avail. Even the government had given up, and they heard whispers cursing a slavery ring.

Since then, her mother's appetite had decreased day by day. It wasn't that they didn't have food; their family was given a pension each month which her mother had always saved meticulously.

The problem was that her mother seemed like she lost the will to live.

With her health dwindling day by day, Ellie took to visiting all the healers she could find. To them, it was quite clear that it was an illness that no magic could heal. Thus, just to give her hope or to cheat her of the little money she had, some resorted to handing out bogus herbs and ointments which they said would save her mother.

No matter how many times she saw these fail, the little Elf Girl never lost hope.

Only, today, she had run out of the money she had saved from her allowance, and she had no idea where her mother stored the money in the house.

With the last of the money she had, she had bought a newspaper on the street which was very cheap for some reason.

As Ellie watched on, her mother slowly sat up on the sofa and took the herbs into her hands, sighing.

Just as she was about to throw the paper away which was around the herbs, her eyes widened as she saw a headline that shocked her to her core.

"ELDARA, FORMER QUEEN OF ELDINOR ARRESTED FOR TAKING PART IN ELF SLAVERY! 117 ELF CHILDREN SAVED BY THE SAVIOUR OF OUR PEOPLE, ELDRA DARTINGNON! READ ALL ABOUT IT ON THE VOICE OF ELDINOR!"

It was as if the headline had rekindled some sort of fire inside the weak elf woman's body, as she stood up with the last of the strength still left in her frail body.

Grabbing a few fruits from the table, she stuffed them in her mouth before holding Ellie's hand and walking out of the house while poring over the wrinkled paper that had almost been thrown away a few moments ago.

The events shocked Ellie, who had just been wishing that her mother wouldn't leave just like her sister had. Seeing her eat solid food for the first time in weeks, Ellie couldn't help but thank the healer who had given the herbs in her mind.

Only, she couldn't help but feel a little scared as she saw her mother take her to a huge building before asking someone for directions and heading to a room inside.

Was she going to be left here for using all of her allowance?

Just as questions like these started forming in her mind, she saw someone that looked exactly like her.

'Why is a mirror here?', she asked herself, before realizing that the girl was wearing different clothes and also looked much weaker and paler than her.

Finally realizing who this person could be, an expression of yearning appeared on her face before she walked forward with shaking steps. Her mother had already left her hand and fallen to the ground, with tears flowing unabated from the relief that she felt.

Reaching the other girl, Ellie slowly raised her pudgy hand to pinch the cheeks which she missed so much. In all the 6 years of her life, the person in front of her had been the one who accompanied her in everything.

"Kellie?", she asked, before being hugged tight by the twin with whom she had shared her mother's womb.

The two little girls clutched each other and bawled their hearts out, startling the government officials in the offices around them. Yet, the small family couldn't care less as their mother also joined in and hugged them both while repeatedly kissing them on their foreheads and cheeks.

After an hour, the trio finally left the government office, holding each other's hands tight, afraid that something might break them apart again.

On the way, the mother took out the paper which had allowed her to have this joyful reunion in the first place.

Although the name seemed vaguely familiar, she couldn't place it.

Still, she branded it into her heart, along with the name of the person who was responsible for piecing together her shattered family and saving her life.

Eldra Dartingnon.

As she read the fantastical events that unfolded during the Grand Debate, she couldn't help but admire this figure for her passion and sense of duty which made her put family aside for the good of the Nation.

Feeling sad that she had cursed her before without knowing all the facts, she denounced the news organizations that spread the bogus news and added an honorific to the figure's name which she hoped would become reality:

Queen Eldra Dartingnon.

Chapter 178: Aftermath 2

Indeed, the next phase of Daneel's plan comprised of solidifying Eldra's standing in the hearts of the citizens of the Kingdom of the Elves using the Voice of Eldinor.

In the domain of news, everything was about timing. As the events of the Grand Debate happened too abruptly, the three news organizations had to scramble in order to change the drafts already prepared that extolled about Queen Eldara's resounding victory in the debate.

It was this time period which was used to great effect by Daneel. Newspapers had already been prepared and printed beforehand, making it so that they could be sold on the streets from the moment the Grand Debate ended.

Not all of the families who had lost their children had chosen to attend the debate. Some, like Ellie's mother, hadn't been able to come either due to poor health or due to giving up hope.

Thus, the Voice of Eldinor managed to garner tremendous support due to its hand in informing the parents whose children were waiting for them in the designated government office.

In fact, they had even been faster than the government itself, which later announced the same using a citywide communication trinket that was only used in emergencies.

Also, the fact that the three big news organizations had previously defamed the woman now being hailed as the "Saviour of the Elves" did not sit well with the general public.

These factors contributed to an all-time record high sales for the Voice of Eldinor.

Each and every newspaper also had an advertisement for the Network of Angaria, with the attractive headline that the first 100,000 people who came to the designated location would receive the communication trinkets for free.

Trinkets were the passion and livelihood of almost all the Elves in Eldinor. Thus, due to the information about this offer spreading far and wide due to the success of the Voice of Eldinor, people flocked over to see exactly what this revolutionary network was about.

A single source for news from all over Central Angaria! This was so ground-breaking that many wondered if it was a hoax.

For decades, only the rich had been in possession of means to be informed about the world. The common folk had no choice but to depend on newspapers which themselves had limited resources, making it so that the rest of the world was still a mystery.

Thus, it wasn't a surprise to see all 100,000 communication trinkets disappear by noon on the day after the Grand Debate.

Of course, each trinket was blood bound and the people were stipulated to return them if they were no longer in use.

In this way, the Network of Angaria penetrated Eldinor easily.

Afterward, stalls popped up everywhere which sold the trinkets for a very minimal cost; even cheaper than regular communication trinkets.

Of course, due to the beauty of the assembly line, this price still allowed Lanthanor to make a profit.

With steady sales and increasing interest, it seemed that Daneel's venture would see no hitch in becoming a grand success.

....

Inside the Palace of Elfaven, in the Throne Room.

6 elves were currently sitting facing each other near the empty Throne which was waiting for its rightful owner to be decided from the elections that were barely 2 weeks away.

Poring over recording trinkets, each and every one of them had serious expressions on their faces as they pondered over something.

One elf, who had a brawny build when compared to the Elves' usual lithe frames, sighed before breaking the silence.

"Lanthanor. Could they be dabbling in the elections? What word do we have from our spies in their Kingdom?"

The one who answered was surprisingly the same elf who had acted as the announcer on the stage of the Grand Debate.

The brawny elf had actually been talking to himself, so he was slightly startled to see the most powerful one amongst them answer.

"Their King is in closed-door meditation, he hasn't been seen in the past 3 weeks. Of course, that doesn't mean that we can jump to conclusions that he is directly meddling in our Kingdom. However sly he is, I doubt he has the gall to leave the protection of their formation with that puny strength of his. That network, though, is intriguing. We don't have any new details about the process with which they are pumping out communication trinkets as if they are just regular parchment?"

The one who answered was a female elf whose blond hair was cut short, giving emphasis to her earlobes which were sharp, forked blades.

"None. There are only two individuals with full knowledge of the working. The others only have parts which are useless, and it is impossible to obtain enough parts to get the entire technique. We are still trying, but there will be no developments in the short term."

With a disgruntled expression, the aged Warrior Level elf said, "I fear that the contestant who is currently leading in the polls might be collaborating with Lanthanor. Either we find proof of this, or we watch while a possible puppet ruler takes control of our beloved Kingdom. We cannot have a repeat of King Aldevor."

It was as if just the mention of this name sent a cold draft through the room which made the others shiver.

With a slightly shaking voice, a short Elf with a mess of red hair asked, "Is…is that possible? Won't the oath taken by every ruler to serve the Kingdom and act for its benefit stop her, if that was the case?"

"Did the oath stop our previous Queen from engaging in slavery?!"

The response from the Warrior level Elf made the others tense, as if their throats were being constricted by invisible hands.

Thankfully, the feeling disappeared after a few moments as the aged Elf regained control of his emotions.

"The oath has too many loopholes. The previous Queen probably believed that by engaging in slavery, she can gain money which would allow her to be elected again, which would mean that Eldinor would be in capable hands that would result in its prosperity. Hence, the oath did not restrict her in any way. We. Need. Proof."

The last three words were said with three thumps as the aged elf brought his hand down on the arm of the chair which creaked as if it would break.

After a silence ensued during which the others seemed hesitant to speak, he sighed and decided to end the meeting, saying, "Keep looking. Thankfully, King Aldevor's actions allowed us to instate the rule that one can be investigated for treason without their knowledge even if they are on the throne. Just find that proof, and I will take care of the rest."

After the others nodded, they left the throne room, leaving alone the aged elf who sat on his chair still thinking about the matters of the Kingdom.

As he did so, he couldn't help but think back to the King who almost caused Eldinor's ruin.

He had been an elf so charismatic that each word resonated with almost everyone who heard him, building him a following that opened the gates of the palace after standing just once in the elections.

Only, after taking the throne, he started implementing orders which ruined the economic status of Eldinor while benefiting a foreign nation.

Since antiquity, the democratic system had existed in Eldinor because of the individualistic nature of the elves. Yet, this man had been able to twist each thing he did; fooling the people in the process.

It was only after a year that mounting evidence and disgruntlement made it so that a by-law was invoked, launching an investigation into the King's actions.

With clear proof surfacing of his connection with the enemy Kingdom, he was immediately deposed while the additional rule of constituting a committee which could look into a King/Queen's actions without the ruler's permission if there was at least a little evidence was added.

Sadly, the damage had already been done. During that one year itself, that King had made it so that the enemy nation took a leap forward in trinket trade that seemed almost insurmountable until just a few decades ago.

Even though many of the commanders had desired to attack that nation, Eldinor had refrained as attacking would only leave them vulnerable to others.

To this day, the name of that cunning enemy Kingdom was still cursed often by commanders who knew of this tale, which had been snuffed away in history due to the embarrassment it brought to the Elves.

It was the Kingdom of Arafell.

Chapter 179: Election Day

2 weeks later.

On this day, the streets of Elfaven were mostly empty save for a few Elves who were hurrying along to take part in one of the most momentous occasions that greeted the Kingdom of Eldinor.

It was election day.

Throughout the Kingdom, specially marked boxes had already been sent a few days before which automatically unlocked now that it was time to use their contents.

Inside each were 6 palm-sized trinkets which seemed to be made of gold.

Each trinket had a different color, and a name was emblazoned on the top to signify each contestant.

Renowned as some of the most sophisticated trinkets ever created in Central Angaria, each voting trinket was so foolproof that it was said that only someone at the Champion level would be able to tamper with them.

During the election, each elf who was giving the vote would choose their contestant and place their hand on the trinket which had their name. The trinket would first painlessly extract a drop of blood to verify the identity of the elf, after which it would be checked with a central hub whether a vote was already cast by this person.

After verifying that it wasn't, a vote would be recorded in favor of that contestant.

In Elfaven, there were four spots around the city where the voting was taking place.

In an inn which overlooked the building from which streams of people were entering and exiting, Eldra stood on the balcony while gazing at the expressions of each and every one of those who had just voted or were waiting to vote.

Both in her posture and her expression, there was a marked change which had surprised even Daneel.

After Eldara had been arrested and put in prison, it was as if Eldra was a hawk which had finally found its wings.

Baptized by the entire experience of addressing the crowds in the Grand Debate, she found it simple to campaign for the election.

Speech after speech, rally after rally, she managed to speak with the same passion that resonated with the hearts of those listening. Of course, because there were no outside interferences like during the Grand Debate, there were no hiccups.

Besides, all the money earned from the sales of the communication trinkets had gone into advertisement for Eldra. Although it felt to Daneel as if many Ker Gems were slipping away from his grasp, he knew that it was needed for the long run.

From his experiences on Earth, Daneel knew very well that social media was a goldmine which only kept giving. Thus, his eyes were fixed on the point in future when the Network of Angaria could transform into a behemoth that had earnings in the range of hundreds of thousands of Gold Lans.

Right now, he felt happy that Eldra wasn't wasting his efforts. She flawlessly took care of each and every engagement, and she seemed like she was almost a different person.

Puzzled, he had asked her the reason for the same on one occasion.

Hearing his question, Eldra had thought for a few moments before shaking her head and telling him that she did not know either.

Yet, standing on the balcony and seeing all the people voting with smiles on their faces, she looked inside herself again in an attempt to find the answer.

Indeed, since she had seen her mother taken away by the Warrior elf, Eldra had felt… free.

No longer did she need to go about her day hoping that she wouldn't be cursed or hit by her mother even though she tried her best to fulfill the tasks she had been given.

No longer did she have to be the one facilitating all her mother's dirty dealings.

Most of all, she no longer had to be Eldra Dartingnon, daughter of Eldara Dartingnon.

Finally, she could be herself.

This feeling of being in control of her own life had allowed her to discover herself in ways she never imagined possible.

To her own surprise, she had found that she loved addressing the people and caring for them, which was something her mother had never been capable of.

All the training she had had and all the suffering she had endured allowed her to blossom like a flower which only grew more even if it was stepped on repeatedly.

It would only endure and spring back, in defiance to those who thought it would be snuffed out just because it was put in harsh conditions.

And that was exactly what Eldra did. Using all the tools placed at her disposal by Daneel, she capitalized on the positive impression she gathered as the "Saviour of the Elves" to solidify her position as the one who would take the throne.

Eldra had worked hard to perfect her speeches and campaigning. Due to the circumstances surrounding her, her main slogan had been that she would ensure the safety of the people while also working to bring back the slaves already sold by her mother.

In fact, in the second Grand Debate that had been conducted at the same place, she had managed to surprise herself and the other contestants with the ease with which she had tackled all the questions that had been thrown her way.

This occurrence had added another positive to her name which was wildly advertised all over the Kingdom: her experience.

As someone who had been inside the government for so many years, she was the one with the most experience regarding the inner workings of Eldinor.

Thus, finally, even the three big news organizations had disgruntledly accepted that she was the one with the most probability of winning the throne.

Looking beside her, she saw that Daneel had arrived at some point and was now gazing at the government building just like her.

"Now that you are about to take the throne, do you regret the oath?"

Hearing the abrupt question, a startled expression appeared on Eldra's face which she quickly changed into one of determination.

Shaking her head, she said, "No. A deal is a deal. You followed your end of the bargain, and I shall follow mine. All I ask is that you treat my people in the same way that you do yours."

The response made Daneel sigh.

As the image of the field of bodies reappeared in his head, he wished that he could share that burden with someone.

Alas, that wish seemed like it wouldn't be fulfilled any time soon.

Turning around to look into her eyes, he nodded before saying, "I will. And you know that I am someone who stands on my word."

A smile appeared on Eldra's face as she heard the answer.

Indeed, regardless of the other things the King of Lanthanor was, he was someone who had never broken his word.

Smiling back slightly, Daneel gestured at Olfax who brought over a small, oval coin.

"I will be taking my leave now. Keep this with you at all times, I forged it so that you can attach it to your locket. We can communicate directly using it, and Olfax will be your liaison for other matters. Allow me to be the first to offer you congratulations for ascending the throne."

Saying so, Daneel held both of his arms out.

Seeming as if she wanted to say something, Eldra opened her mouth before closing it as if she had made a decision. Taking the oval coin, she made the locket appear around her neck which she took into her hands before carefully opening it and gingerly picking out the picture stored inside.

Putting the coin inside, Eldra put back the picture before letting it disappear on her neck again.

After doing so, she stretched out her hand and shook his firmly, feeling the coarseness of his palm due to the years of forging he had done as an enchanter.

To Daneel, it felt as if her hand was boneless due to it being extremely soft to the touch. Squeezing it, he realized that this was the first time he was making physical contact with this Elf.

Looking into her eyes one last time, he turned around and walked out with Olfax and Kellor without looking back.

The moment before he left, he thought he had seen something in her eyes which he couldn't decipher.

Keeping it in mind, Daneel started back on the journey to Lanthanor, triumphant from the secret success which only a few knew about.

Little did he know that this achievement of his had already begun to change the fate of Angaria itself.

Chapter 180: Resul

On the day after the Elections which saw one of the highest turnouts for voting in the history of Eldinor.

In front of the gates of Elfaven, a wide stage had been erected on which stood 6 individuals.

In front of them, the roads of the capital of the Kingdom of the Elves were filled with people for as far as the eye could see.

In a few moments, the results would be announced and the person who would govern Eldinor for the next 5 years would officially enter the Palace.

From the predictions, it was quite clear who the victor would be. Yet, as per tradition, all the contestants had to be present on the occasion to congratulate their newly elected King or Queen.

In fact, the Voice of Eldinor which now stood on equal ground with the other three big news organizations had stated that this victory would set a record for the highest majority with which a contestant obtained victory.

On the other hand, the Network of Angaria was broadcasting the audio recordings of the debates it had conducted between the eminent Elves in the capital who discussed the virtues of each contestant repeatedly.

Although almost all of the debates ended with the conclusion that someone who had the experience of watching the governance of the Kingdom would definitely be the best bet in tumultuous times like these, Eloise was directing the Network carefully so that suspicion of a partisan attitude would be minimal.

Holding an embroidered piece of parchment in his hands, the aged Elf who had by now unwittingly become famous due to his act of knocking out the former Queen with a single blow made his way onto the stage amidst the cheers of the crowd.

Controlling the feeling of slight indignation, the Elf made his way to the podium before holding out the parchment and saying, "As per the rules set down by our ancestors, I hereby declare that Eldra Dartingnon has won the hearts of the Elves of Eldinor to take the throne as our rightful Queen. My Queen, please step forward to take the sacred oath."

Although the result was already expected, the deafening roars of support from the crowd drowned out the last words of the announcer.

With a serious expression on her face, Eldra walked up to the podium before the people and placed her hand on the oath stone which had appeared on the hand of the aged elf.

"I, Eldra Dartingnon, do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of the Queen of the Kingdom of Eldinor, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the law, and that I will devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of Eldinor."

As the oath got stored in the oath stone along with the ones of the rulers before her, Eldra turned around and made her way to the contestants to shake their hands.

To promote solidarity, this was another custom where the winner would give this gesture of friendship to those who stood in the election.

Each of the contestants congratulated and wished her good fortune before getting off the stage.

Only, at the end, Katerina said something different which made her halt her steps momentarily.

"Tread carefully, My Queen. If I find even the slightest evidence that you serve someone other than our people, you will meet the same fate as your mother."

With a glance into her eyes, Katerina left the stage with a measured stride.

Although Eldra was startled by the threat, she had already been told by Daneel that this was possible due to her actions on the stage of the first Grand Debate.

Regaining her composure, she waved once at the crowd before turning around and entering the Palace to ascend the Throne.

.....

Back in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Daneel stretched lazily on his bed as he reveled in the feeling of coming back home.

Indeed, these chambers with the beating Dragon's Heart had already become his home. In the eyes of the others, he was still in "closed door training", and he had decided to go out a public appearance the next day in order to check on all the plans he had set into motion for the development of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Just as he was about to go to the Energized Training Chamber to continue training, a wide grin appeared on the King of Lanthanor's face due to the notification of the system which had just sounded in his mind.

[Achievement: Puppeteer-1 obtained.

Puppeteer-1: By placing a figure on the throne who has sworn to follow your commands, you have obtained control of a Kingdom and become the one who directs it from the shadows. Congratulations on taking the next step towards World Domination!

10,000 EXP awarded.

10 Kingdom Points awarded.

Total EXP: 11,000

Total Kingdom Points: 20]

This notification signified that his expedition to the Kingdom of the Elves had been grandly successful.

The feeling of hard work paying off was really something else. Now, he was one step closer to his goal of obtaining enough EXP to upgrade the system and unlock the secrets of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Sadly, Daneel had no option but to let the Kingdom Points stagnate, as all the tools that required them to be used also cost EXP which he could not spare. Thus, he had decided that he would hoard them unless a situation came where he desperately needed to spend them.

Reaching the Energized Training Chamber, Daneel conjured his clone and continued the training that he had already become addicted to.

....

In Elfaven, many people could be seen gathered outside a large building which had numerous guards observing the surroundings with caution.

These were the families whose children hadn't been among the ones saved by now-Queen Eldra.

With the information of the location of the woman responsible for it all, they had chosen to wait outside with the hope that any details of their missing family members could be found out.

Yet, the truth was that the former Queen had already been transported to a secret cell inside the Royal Palace after making sure that the whole process was carried out as discreetly as possible.

The reason stated had been that the former Queen's life was actually in danger due to the information she had. It was all too possible that the slave buyers might send assassins to silence her so that Eldinor wouldn't obtain information about them.

After ascending the throne, Eldra had taken care of some official matters before retiring to the room in which her mother had previously lived in.

That night, she made her way over to the cell under the Palace with the aged Elf as company.

On asking, she had found out that he was the only Warrior Level mage still in the Nation. Sworn to defend the Kingdom at all costs, he was the one who controlled the formation that protected the Palace.

Over all the years she spent in the Palace, she actually hadn't seen him due to the fact that he only assisted from the shadows.

Ohera was the name he gave, but Eldra had no idea whether it was his real or just a made up identity.

The cell was a special trinket which isolated the person on the inside from everything outside. Yet, those outside could look in and observe the prisoner's actions.

On reaching, Ohera said, "My Queen, we have already extracted everything we can from her. It turns out that she was approached by an untraceable individual who was the only one she was in contact with to sell the slaves. She has also given the identities of the other 4 people who helped her, and has given testimony that they are major stakeholders of several organizations which they influenced to support her. Sadly, she only facilitated the transport of the slaves to a location and was paid after that. That is all she knows."

Nodding, Eldra dismissed Ohera saying, "Give me a moment with her. What is the public punishment again?"

"Death by burning to ashes using hellfire, Your Majesty. We can go ahead with it if you give the order."

Saying so, Ohera left after giving one last glance at the two.

After making sure she was alone, Eldra entered the room.

An hour later, she walked out and made her way to her chambers with mixed expressions on her face that no one could discern.

Yet, the order she gave Ohera shocked him, making him double check whether the message had been correct.

"Execute her tomorrow."

Chapter 181: Dignity

The news of the execution of the former Queen shocked the entire Kingdom of Eldinor.

In its history, there had indeed been many occasions where those in high positions had been executed in this way for high treason.

Yet, this was the first time in anyone's living memory that a former ruler would be burnt alive in front of everyone for the crimes she had committed.

All day, there were multiple news reports about the commitment and decisiveness of the new Queen which had led her to take such a decision immediately after taking the throne. Many even commended her for not being someone who would try to dally or dither especially when the law was so clear about the matter.

As the news spread to the rest of Central Angaria, the rulers and heads of the factions who heard about it couldn't help but take a deep breath seeing the stance of Eldinor against elf slavery.

Indeed, this was the way that Eldra had chosen to spin the story. By showing that not even someone who ruled Eldinor for 20 years was exempt from the law, the new Queen set a strong statement regarding her capability.

As for the meeting she had with her mother before giving the order, it was only Ohera who knew that it even happened.

For all intents and purposes, the public believed that Eldra had taken the throne and given the order as her first order of business.

Back in Lanthanor, even Daneel was a little surprised to see Eldra taking this decision. He had decided to leave this matter for her to handle, as he wanted to test how capable she was of autonomy.

Although her decisiveness impressed him too, he also found himself becoming more cautious in his attitude towards Eldra.

....

On the morning of the execution, Eldara woke up at the crack of dawn like she always had since the days she spent in her family clan. Washing her face in the tiny bathroom in the cell, she proceeded to take a hot shower before donning one of her favorite dresses: a green gown with leaves made of gold embroidered expertly on its surface.

Checking herself in the mirror to make sure that she was looking her best, she sat down at the table in the center on which a Kingly breakfast had been served.

All this time, her thoughts were only on the past. Reminiscing about the power and vitality of her life, she smiled as she let go of all the regrets she had.

Of course, this was only possible because there weren't many to begin with. Eldara was someone who would lead her life in the way she wished even if it meant death.

Thus, except for wishing that she had found out the existence of the person behind her daughter who had helped her plan everything, Eldara found that she was happy with her life.

She had wanted power, and she obtained it through her own efforts. She enjoyed it when it lasted, and now that it was gone with no way of getting it back, there was no more meaning to her life.

It was this exact single-mindedness that had allowed her to be as ruthless as she had been to do anything and everything to stay on the throne.

And it was this single-mindedness which made her not care at all about things such as her 'legacy'.

If she wasn't around, what did it matter?

The only matter she did care about was getting back at the person who had orchestrated everything to cause her fall.

Although she had given one last ditch attempt when she spoke to her daughter the previous night, she had no idea whether it would work or not. Her daughter had changed in ways she couldn't comprehend, and Eldara found that she was no longer confident about what she would or wouldn't do like she had been before.

Thus, with all her affairs settled, she was ready for death.

As she marched out onto the stage that had been set up in front of Elfaven, she smiled slightly seeing all the families she had stepped on to pursue her goal.

She didn't care about their tears and anguish before, and there was no way she would care about them now.

Shutting herself off from all the shouts of hate, Eldara closed her eyes and took in a deep breath of air after she was positioned in the center of the stage.

She had lived on her terms for all her life, and she would also die on her terms.

Waving away Ohera who had walked forward to carry out the execution, Eldara put both of her arms behind her back.

Opening her eyes to take one last look at the people whom she had stood above for so long, she cast the spell.

A green, closed lotus came into existence above her head, shining beautifully in the sunlight as if it were made of pure, solid jade.

Meanwhile, the crowd had already gone silent seeing this apparition.

One by one, the petals of the lotus opened while the people of Eldinor watched on with bated breath.

As the last petal unfolded, the entire lotus dissolved into a stream of liquid that ate away at the former Queen's body from the top of her hair to bottom of her soles.

Even though the fire consumed her, her face still had the expression of calm, as if she were in full control of everything.

This was the last image that the people of Eldinor had of the woman who had ruled them for two decades.

A head held high.

A face that showed no regrets.

And the dignity of one contented with their life.

This replaced the previous visage of lunacy that the public had seen during the first Grand Debate, and it would be the way she would be remembered whenever someone spoke about her in the future.

As the ashes floated away into the air, Eldinor entered a new age.

...

Back in Lanthanor, Daneel was viewing everything that was happening through the communication eye he had left with Olfax.

As the large panel showed the final moments of the smartest and most ruthless female he had ever met, he shook his head wishing that she hadn't chosen to lead her life in her way.

With time, Daneel had come to realize that the ability to command was rare.

He knew that with the coming conflict with the Church of Rectitude, Angaria would need all the talent it had to even hope to survive.

Distracting himself from this stream of thoughts, the King of Lanthanor shut off the panel before turning towards his circle of advisors who had apparently been working hard in his absence.

After coming back, Daneel had decided that the information of his dealings with Eldinor had to be kept as secret as possible. Thus, except for the people in front of him, no one else knew that the Kingdom of the Elves was now secretly under the control of Lanthanor.

In fact, Daneel wished that he could keep it completely to himself. After all, a secret's ability to remain secret depended on how many people knew of it.

Yet, he knew that he couldn't do everything alone.

This was actually one of the lessons he had learned from the now-deceased former Queen of Eldinor.

If she had someone trustworthy who could have held the trigger, maybe she wouldn't have found herself in such dire circumstances where her guilt was proven beyond doubt.

Thus, for a ruler, people to trust could be something that decided life or death.

Luther, Faxul, Cassandra, Aran and Robert had simply become speechless hearing the King's exploits in the foreign Kingdom.

All this while, they had been thinking that their King was only someone who could command things from behind the scenes.

Now, they realized that he was so much more.

"Back to business. How far have you all progressed so far in the tasks I assigned you?"

With all the matters put to bed and the addition of a Kingdom that he could direct at his will, Daneel decided that it was time to wholeheartedly put his attention on the Kingdom Management Statistics which had stayed stagnant for so long.

Thus, as his circle of advisors cleared their minds and began to speak, Daneel put everything aside in his mind and listened with full focus.

Chapter 182: Academy

One month later.

Three figures wearing hooded cloaks stood in the shade of a tree outside the National Fighter Academy of Lanthanor.

Built as a mirror to the National Magic Academy of Lanthanor, the Fighter Academy was equipped with the best facilities a Kingdom could offer to train top-tier Fighters who would defend the nation.

Yet, for many years, both the academies had been running on an occupancy that was far from 100 percent.

In fact, as Daneel perused the statistics in the trinket in his hand, he was shocked to see that the Fighter academy was only 22% occupied at this point in time.

As for the Mage Academy, although it was a bit better off, the number was still very low: 34%.

Shaking his head, Daneel wondered just what was the reason behind the lower birth rate of those with talent as a Fighter or a Mage.

Apparently, this was a problem that plagued the entirety of Central Angaria. Over time, the probability of a child being born with high or medium grade potential or comprehension level had gone down so drastically that some wondered whether high-talent individuals would become a legend in the future.

Right now, Daneel wasn't very worried about that possibility due to the existence of the Development Techniques.

Yet, this reality also made him realize just how important the development technique was to a faction. If any force in Central Angaria could obtain a technique and spread it to its citizens, it would be able to eventually build an army with the capability to floor all the others.

'Not strong enough!'

If he had enough strength to ensure that he would be able to hold off an attack from the other forces who would come if he spread the development technique, Daneel wouldn't hesitate to do so.

Alas, that was not the case.

Shaking his head to get back on track, Daneel realized that Robert had asked something and was waiting for an answer.

Noticing that the King was a little absent minded, Robert chuckled a bit before repeating his question.

"Have you made the decision? Can we go ahead with the plan?"

Indeed, the reason the trio had gathered here was that they had proposed the plan to merge the Fighter Academy with the Magic Academy, making it so that the Figher Academy could be chosen for the place to begin the National School as Daneel had ordered.

This option was chosen instead of the other way round as the Magic Academy had too many facilities that couldn't be moved. It was much more economical to do it this way, and it was now up to Daneel whether to proceed with the plan.

"Go ahead. Just make sure that those moving are well accommodated."

Even if the two academies were merged, the combined occupancy would reach barely 80% due to the Fighters being in much higher number than Mages.

Over the past two months, Robert and Luther had been hard at work to procure instructors for the various courses that would be offered in the school. From offering retired military personnel excellent wages to poaching instructors from private training halls, the duo had done everything to finally ensure that the school would be ready to be opened.

Now, with all the preparations done, the only thing left was the unveiling.

Yet, before deciding this issue, the trio moved to a familiar location in the city of which Daneel had many 'fond' memories.

It was the Fists of Justice Training Hall.

In one corner, multiple tents had been set up where the sound of laughter could be heard.

Outside, Faxul could be seen waiting for them.

Indeed, this was the responsibility given to Faxul: to tackle the healthcare problem in Lanthanor.

Healers were an important strategic resource for any Kingdom.

In times of peace, they ensured that the population could be hale and hearty.

In times of war, they were the factor which decided the endurance of an army.

As such, all healers in a Kingdom were carefully kept track of.

Faxul's order of business had been to bring all the scattered healers in the city together.

Although this had been attempted multiple times, the problem had been that the healers demanded too much. After beginning the endeavor, the government had realized that negotiating a standardized fee would result in an enormous expenditure from the Kingdom.

Also, the government couldn't be hard-handed with healers either because they could just leave the Kingdom knowing that they would be valued no matter where they went. Thus, eventually, the decision had been taken to allow them to set up their own clinics which were exempt to tax.

Of course, this had only happened in recent times when mages had become scarce in general. Before the segregation of the inner and outer cities, it was written in the memoirs that the Kingdom used to have a special medical wing in the Palace which could be availed by the people for a low cost.

Daneel and Faxul's plan was to reimplement that scheme. For that purpose, they had gathered the healers at this location.

Faxul had already begun the negotiations, but they were currently at a standstill because of the same issue as before: the healers demanded too much.

In fact, Daneel had been tempted to acquiesce. After all, it was imperative to increase the satisfaction level of the Kingdom to obtain EXP.

Yet, these thoughts had been halted when he saw the bag which held Ker Gems was almost half empty.

Indeed, his training was simply an activity that burned money. Hence, he either needed to minimize the spending of the Kingdom, or he had to find a way to spend it better.

Daneel had hit on an idea to do the latter. With the particulars clear in his mind, he marched forward with a determined stride while imagining the bag of Ker Gems filling up again.

....

The next month, spies all over Central Angaria sent alarming news to their factions about the Kingdom which had quieted down recently after its change in leadership.

Many had thought that there would be a period of settling down during which the new King would just learn how to govern before attempting to bring changes using his power.

Yet, it seemed that they had been sorely mistaken.

Just months after taking the throne, the King of Lanthanor unveiled two new initiatives to benefit his people: The National School and the Healer Academy of Lanthanor.

Of the two, the former was the one which surprised the other factions the most.

A school for those younger than the age at which their comprehension or potential would be known? Why? What could be the use of that?

Some scoffed that it was simply a wild fancy of someone who just wanted to do something with his newfound power, while others tried to figure out the motive behind it.

As for the latter, although it wasn't unique, what puzzled the other factions was that they couldn't figure out whether the King of Lanthanor was dumb, or if he had an additional source of income which they weren't aware of.

This was because the information about the general economic status of each faction was something which was classified as being highly important. Thus, with the state of Lanthanor, the others knew that such initiatives would definitely drain the treasury and result in financial problems in the future.

All in all, the eyes of Central Angaria started to turn towards Lanthanor to see just what would come out of these strange actions of its King. After all, these were things which could easily be copied if major success was seen.

In this way, Daneel became the center of attention while putting his all into training to reach the Exalted Human level as soon as possible. After unveiling both initiatives, he looked forward to seeing the impact they would have on the satisfaction level.

Meanwhile, in an isolated room inside the valley that was perpetually shrouded in mist and classified as a no=trespassing zone that took the lives of all those that dared to enter without thought.

A man opened his eyes and blinked groggily, as if he had been asleep for months.

His consciousness fading in an out of focus, he recalled the one name that had made him grit his teeth and endure no matter how much pain and suffering came his way.

Daneel Anivron.

Chapter 183: Message

On the day after the unveiling of the two institutions which had caught the attention of Central Angaria.

Daneel sat on the chair in front of the Dragon's heart, alone, while staring into space as if he were lost in his thoughts.

Now that his schemes to increase the satisfaction level of Lanthanor were afoot, he felt a sense of satisfaction as if he were a father who had just sent his children out into the world.

Yet, Daneel knew that the true test began now.

If his current position were likened to the lives of those on Earth, it would be like so: he was a businessman who had just spent a fortune to set up two businesses. In any business, more than the beginning, it was the long-term sustainability which mattered.

Hence, although he had been successful in at least launching the businesses, it was his skill in making executive decisions based on circumstances which would define the future of these investments. Would he reap what he wished, or would all the money invested be duped due to factors he might not have considered?

These were the concerns which were on Daneel's mind while he repeatedly went over the details of the initiatives.

Indeed, instead of opting to set up a hospital where the standardized rates would have to be subsidized in order to be affordable to the people, Daneel had proposed the option of setting up a Healer Academy.

Although the initial investment would be higher, Daneel believed that it would pay off in the long run.

After all, he had seen on Earth that some of the most successful institutions were those that dealt in crucial knowledge.

His offer had been that the prices to heal would be low, but the price to teach their methods could be set at whatever amount they wished.

Just like the Magic Academy of Eldinor, the idea was the bring in the main income using those who came to learn.

Although this was nothing new, there was something which gave Daneel the confidence that the investment he put into the Academy wouldn't go to waste: the Network of Angaria.

Indeed, equipped with a channel with which he could spread information about the academy to all the corners of Central Angaria, Daneel was confident that he would be able to attract enough people so as to make a steady profit on the whole.

Hence, the deal had been struck that the healers would take a set fee. This had been in part due to the fact that none of them believed that the academy would be a success.

After all, there was nothing unique about it which would attract people and make them choose it over other academies which had already been established for a long time.

Of course, this was only in their eyes. Coming from a world where the art of advertisement and sales had reached peaks that would shock those in Angaria, Daneel had already made many plans to pull people to the Healer Academy of Lanthanor.

As for the matter of the school, he had already received reports of positive response from the people. Although many were still skeptical as to what purpose would be served if one didn't know the route a child would take in the future, they were enticed by the fact that a solid foundation could be obtained for free.

When one thought about it, what was the harm in learning new things regardless of what path they chose in the future?

Daneel had chuckled when he had seen these reactions. As this was a world that focused on power, it made sense that the primary goal was to become powerful if one had the talent to do so.

Thus, they underestimated the benefits a standardized education would give to an economy.

With these two matters settled for now, Daneel turned towards those remaining on his mind.

Although he had managed to gain control of Eldinor, he was still far away from uniting Central Angaria in order to combat the threat of the Church of Rectitude.

Putting aside this overarching dream, more imperative matters included handling the issue of the Echer seeds and the fulfillment of the promise to bring the escaped nobles to justice.

So far, not a day had gone by on which Daneel hadn't remembered and cursed the two nobles who had escaped the execution.

His guilt at not fulfilling his promise to the people was only matched by his yearning to somehow kill at least the one whose location he had a general idea of.

Unaware to him, the person who he was thinking about had also just awakened from a slumber during which he had brushed against death multiple times.

....

A few days later, Daneel was training as usual when Luther contacted him through the Oathstone with urgent news.

The batch of spies he had specially trained and sent to perform reconnaissance over the no-trespassing zones had finished their task!

Scrambling to his feet, Daneel made his way to the situation room where he had previously directed the matter of the Ker Gem Mine.

On the screens set up inside the room, multiple viewpoints could be seen of a massive forest which seemed to have some kind of mist all around it.

After bowing to the King, Luther started speaking about the current situation.

"My King, the spies we sent have finished investigating all the no-trespassing zones around the area you marked. Of these, there is only one which fits the criteria: the Valley of Mist.

"The valley of Mist is one of the most dangerous zones in all of Central Angaria, boasting a 100% rate of death for all those who dare to trespass. In fact, the mist is seasonal, but its peculiarity has lent this name to the Valley."

As the King nodded, the group of spies were slowly making their way forward into the bushes and shrubs at the beginning of the Valley. Seeing the shift from the present location of the spies which was mostly barren to this valley which was teeming with life, the contrast made those watching widen their eyes as they wondered how it had come to be.

"The spies have orders to enter till the line which marks this zone: the area where trees begin to appear. The main reason that we believe this to be the hiding place of the rogue sect is that one of our spies managed to spot a group of people entering the area carrying goods of some kind. Although he only caught a glimpse, he says that it definitely wasn't someone who had lost their way."

Goods had been seen entering the area? Wasn't that too much of a giveaway?

Seeing the puzzled expression of the King, Luther couldn't help but sigh and say, "Yes, My King, it is very suspicious. If there really was someone living inside the zone, there is no way that they managed to hide their existence all this time only to slip up now. Most likely, it could be a trap."

As he heard Luther's words, Daneel was reminded of the face of the vice sect master of the Withering Leaf Sect.

Arrogance and a promise of revenge. These two emotions had been quite apparent, and Daneel had dismissed them at the time.

Now, he wondered if it had been the right decision to do so.

Getting an uneasy feeling, Daneel said, "Move them back. We have everything we ne-"

Right as he was about to finish the sentence, all the screens inside the situation room blinked out in sequence.

As the people in the room got up with shock, Luther frantically tried to contact the team of spies through the communication trinket in his hand.

Yet, all he got was silence.

Although there were many questions that were swirling in Daneel's head, one took precedence: what the hell had happened to the Lanthanorian spies who had gone to investigate on his orders?

It seemed as if the ones who were the cause of the situation were listening, as he got the answer in only a few seconds.

One of the screens came back into focus to show 8 bodies hanging from the branches of a tree with blood still dripping from the wounds that could be seen all over their bodies.

In blood, a message was written on the trunk which branded itself into Daneel's mind as the most rage-inducing provocation he had ever experienced in his life.

"Death to Lanthanor".

Chapter 184: Grief

The haunting image of the corpses floating around in the air stayed on the screen for a few seconds before the communication eye was crushed, cutting off the feed and allowing everyone standing in the situation room to take a breath.

To Daneel, it was as if his life in Angaria had so far been one of sailing in tumultuous seas. Yet, suddenly, he felt as if he had hit rocks which punctured his boat and plunged him into icy, cold darkness.

Since the moment he had taken the throne, there had been many situations where he had been lost for words.

This one topped them all.

Since coming back from Eldinor, Daneel had been carrying on with his plans without a hitch. Everything had been working out so well that he thought he had matters under control.

This moment was the rude awakening which startled Daneel by hitting him in the face.

Indeed, just because he had had one victory didn't mean that everything else in the world would bow down to him and meekly follow his plans.

Variables always existed, and it seemed that he had met one which lured him in before provoking him on purpose.

The ones behind this cruel act had purposefully shown themselves to one of the spies before planning this entire encounter.

Although their purpose was still unclear, their stance had already been etched into the eyes of all those in the room.

By committing an act against a sovereign country in a neutral zone, the faction had essentially challenged Lanthanor.

All the satisfaction from his achievements was gone, replaced by the expressions of the people of Lanthanor who had gone on his orders to investigate the no-trespassing zone.

How could he face their families? What would he say when they asked why their sons and daughters couldn't return home?

Could he give the excuse that it had been an unexpected attack?

NO! HE was to blame!

As those standing in the situation room saw the King of Lanthanor sit on the table and drink wine for the first time in his life, they sighed as they realized that the time had come for one of the most important tests of a ruler: the baptism of death.

As those in command, each and every ruler was responsible for the lives and deaths of all those under them. As such, situations like these where unexpected circumstances lead to the deaths of soldiers or citizens was quite common.

Different rulers tackled the baptism in different ways. Those who had already been exposed to death were capable of not being affected at all, while those who were new to leadership would either have a completely aloof attitude or one of devastation.

The King of Lanthanor was currently going through the latter. Throughout his rule so far, none of his orders had directly caused the deaths of his citizens.

Looking at it with one perspective, it was actually quite impressive.

Yet, because the baptism had come so abruptly, it had apparently hit the King of Lanthanor like a truck.

Indeed, although Daneel had gone through many experiences of life and death, he had never felt this way.

The crushing guilt of facing the families of those who had died affected him to such an extent that breathing was all he could do.

It had always been obvious that such a day would come. As someone who had walked through the ocean of corpses, Daneel knew very well that this was only the tip of the iceberg of the haunting scenes he would have to see.

Among those, it was quite natural that some might be due to his mistakes or unpredictable circumstances which might result in the death of Lanthanorians.

Thus, he had been mentally preparing himself for the ordeal for a long time.

Yet, when it actually came, he realized that it had been foolish to even think that any preparations could help.

It wasn't about the deaths. Daneel had watched unflinchingly as multiple nobles had been choked to death on his orders.

More than anything, it was the regret that he might have saved them if he had given the order to fall back sooner.

Meanwhile. Luther, Kellor, Faxul and Kellor had already taken their seats on the table.

As men of the military, such an ordeal wasn't new to Kellor, Luther or Robert. Although it made them furious, they could still control their emotions without breaking down like the King of Lanthanor had done.

As for Faxul, his childhood had made it so that his baptism had taken place before anyone else in the room.

Although Robert wished he could help his son, he knew that this was a hurdle that had to be crossed by each person in their own way.

Commanders and rulers had coping mechanisms which served to lessen the guilt acting on them. For Robert, it had been his choice to help newbies and increase their chances to survive on the battlefield and in life.

Similarly, his son had to find something which could distract him from the guilt that would only increase with time.

Hoping that he wouldn't have to seek for the mechanism for a long time, he proceeded to pour the wine onto al the cups placed on the table.

After doing so, the four of them solemnly raised the glasses in the air with the King still not responding to their actions.

"For Lucas, Ira, Grover, Christopher, Lucio, Marlin, Titus and Dorian. Lanthanor shall never forget your ultimate sacrifice, and we pray that you find peace in the afterlife."

With the traditional prayer to commemorate those who fell in battle, the four downed their glasses in one gulp feeling the spicy liquid slide down their throats.

As if the names had broken the spell cast on Daneel, the King of Lanthanor stretched out his hand and drank the wine before gesturing for more.

With bloodshot eyes and heavy hearts, the people who were in charge of ruling Lanthanor spent the entire day drinking continuously before collapsing into the beds and falling asleep into a slumber filled with dreams of floating corpses and withering leaves.

...

Meanwhile, in the Withering Leaf Sect which had stayed hidden for centuries in Central Angaria.

The large room in which the escaped prince of Lanthanor had had a meeting with the sect head was currently filled with multiple figures all wearing robes similar to the ones worn by the Vice Sect Master of the Withering Leaf Sect back in Lanthanor.

Seeming to be woven from nature itself, the robes gave the individuals an atmosphere of those at peace with themselves and the world.

"It is time for the Withering."

As these words were said by the Sect Master, the calm expressions of the individuals turned into ones of unbridled rage as their faces turned red from the anger.

Beside the Sect Master, on a seat just one step below the leader of the Sect, the former prince of Lanthanor could be seen sitting with folded legs.

Looking around the room, he fought to control the urge that had been born in him to behave like those he was seeing.

Amidst the snarls of rage, a messenger walked in before respectfully handing a parchment to the Sect Head.

Reading it, he spoke in a voice that was only audible to the Eldest Prince.

"The bait was successful. Lanthanor's spies still hang from the tree southwest of our location, and it was ensured that the King you resent so much is aware of what has happened. The message was also delivered. All that remains to be seen is what kind of response they will give."

Without a word, the Eldest prince got up from his place before bowing to the Sect Head respectfully.

Making his way to the door, he quickly exited the room, afraid that he would also be affected by the atmosphere of violence and cruelty that had come into being since the moment the Sect Head said the word "Withering".

Running to his room, the Eldest prince stripped off his robe before dropping to the ground and grabbing a Ker Gem which was nearby.

Beginning the absorption and finally relaxing, the Eldest Prince took in deep breaths before shifting into a sitting position.

If someone were in the room, they would be shocked to see that at the point above the chest where the heart was located on the body of the Eldest Prince, a face was coming into being whose features could not be seen.

The only thing that could be deciphered was that each time the Eldest Prince absorbed a stream of energy from the Ker Gem, it was as if the face became clearer, as if an invisible artist were using his brush to give life to this face which was not similar to any of the species Daneel had seen so far.

Chapter 185: Surveillance Web

One week later.

The area surrounding the Valley of Mist was mostly devoid of vegetation except for the occasional shrubs which peeked out of the ground, displaying their tenacity to grow in a place highly deficient in minerals and water.

The point where this barrenness transformed into lush vegetation was a common attraction that some travelers made sure to see before being on their way.

THUD

With a loud sound, a contingent of 1000 people suddenly appeared in this place which only ever saw footfalls amounting in the hundreds in any particular year.

These people had all donned hoods which hid their faces, while wearing clothes made of a material that seemed light but flexible.

The instant they appeared, each person looked in a certain direction before disappearing again one by one.

After a few moments, the group reassembled in the same spot and disappearing again after casting a tornado spell to hide the signs of their feet on the ground.

This entire occurrence was completed without a hitch in the span of a few seconds after making sure that there was no one observing the area where the larger group had arrived.

Meanwhile, in the Royal Palace of Lanthanor.

The catacombs under the Palace were one of the best-kept secrets so far mainly because of the fact that they hadn't been used much in recent years. Yet, with the advent of King Daneel, this had changed.

First, the assembly line which was made up of zealots who enjoyed to sit at a table all day and enchant trinkets was located in one of the three large underground rooms which had been filled only with cobwebs until a few months ago.

Now, there were roughly 1000 people present in the room adjacent to the one with the assembly line.

In this room, multiple tables had been set up on which display trinkets which had been blank until now filled with images one by one.

Although they seemed to be from different angles and viewpoints, they all had one similarity: all of them were pointed at the valley which was known as the most dangerous no-trespassing zone in all of Central Angaria.

In this room, around 2000 people had been gathered who were all respectfully looking at the King of Lanthanor who had been waiting for the trinkets to activate and receive the live feed.

"As you can see, our soldiers have successfully set up the communication eyes all around the Valley where we suspect the Eldest Prince to be hiding. It is your job to keep an eye on the display and note down each and every anomaly you see. I have no intention whatsoever of breaking my promise to the people of Lanthanor; the Eldest Prince will hang. Will you all help me to achieve this goal?"

"YES, MY KING!"

"Good. Now get to work."

With these words, half of the people in the room exited the underground room while the other half made their way to the positions already assigned to them.

The half who left reached the third underground room in the catacombs to find piles of Ether blocks waiting for them.

With gleaming eyes, each of them grasped one before sitting down on the mats provided and beginning to train.

Although all of them had low-grade potential, they had never had the resources to train themselves and had also been kicked out from the army for performing poorly in the evaluations.

After taking a glance at this room where so many people were all training frantically, Daneel nodded to himself before making his way back to the situation room.

The day on which the Withering Leaf Sect had provoked the Kingdom of Lanthanor by brutally murdering their spies had been spent by drowning themselves in wine.

Although it was his first time drinking, his top-potential body had made it so that his endurance rivaled even that of Luther and Robert.

This fact had amazed them to no end, ensuing in a drinking competition which had been a draw.

As for Kellor and Faxul, it turned out that they had the least endurance of them all as they had collapsed after just the first few glasses.

Since ascending the throne, this was the first time that Daneel completely let himself go and allowed himself to waste an entire day by doing nothing and putting everything to the side.

The next day, he had been quite surprised to see that his mind seemed clearer while the burden that he always felt seemed to not put as much pressure on him as before.

It was not that the weight of the burden had decreased. In fact, it had only increased due to the newly added guilt that had only lessened so far.

It was Daneel who had changed. By proverbially letting his hair down, Daneel had managed to take a much-needed rest to relax from the extreme tediousness of his position.

Thus, making a mental note to himself about the effectiveness of a break, he had wholeheartedly thrown himself into planning for their counter-attack.

When he and the rest of the commanders sat down to build a strategy, they realized that there was one thing missing: information.

Lanthanor was out in the open, visible to all. Thus, it was easy to track those coming in and out of the Kingdom if one was willing to spend enough resources.

The Withering Leaf Sect, on the other hand, was located in a place which was blank in all the maps in Central Angaria.

Daneel had even asked Eldra, who was currently busy learning the ways of governance and adapting herself to being Queen.

Eldra had already told him about those observing her like hawks; thus, Daneel knew that he had to tread carefully whenever he wished to activate his 'puppet'.

Yet, sharing information was trivial. On his order, Eldra had gone and perused all the information pertaining to the Valley of Mist in the records of the Kingdom of the Elves.

The only additional information he had gotten was that Eldinor had also managed to glimpse cargoes entering the woods, yet unlike the case with lanthanor where it had been a trap, those instances had been genuine.

Thus, Eldinor had sent a contingent inside with an Exalted Human Level Mage, who had vanished without a trace.

Realizing that what was inside probably wasn't something they could handle, Eldinor had also classified the area as a no-trespassing zone while also marking it with a red flag to show that it was possibly the location of a secret faction.

This information had gotten Daneel thinking. With teleportation as the norm for transporting goods, why was there a necessity to transport something inside by foot?

Again, he had no information.

Frustrated by this, he had hit upon a bold plan.

The display trinkets which he had made to facilitate his ascension to the throne were still functioning, as he had taken care to make them as rugged as possible without bothering about the cost.

With these as the base, Daneel had set out to make a stockpile of communication eyes and display trinkets by using the assembly line's help with which he could make a web of observation around the entire Valley of Mist.

Although it was an enormous expenditure, he felt that it was crucial especially when he was about to go to war.

After this, he had compiled a list of people kicked out of the army who had also been affected by the Eldest Prince's crimes in some way.

By employing them with the promise of giving them unlimited training resources for a set duration, he had succeeded in making his very own surveillance web.

With the enormous expense of each display trinket and communication eye which was in the hundreds of Gold Lans along with all the Ether blocks used by the surveillors, the treasury of the Lanthanor Kingdom was almost close to becoming empty.

Of course, the main dent had been the two initiatives of the school and the healer academy which were still running on a loss.

Regardless, as Daneel entered the treasury with the giant-sized doors, he couldn't help but sigh seeing the spots where there had previously been piles and piles of Ether blocks, Gold Lans and Ker Gems.

Just as the other factions had predicted, his initiatives were putting a high financial strain on his Kingdom which would definitely spell disaster if he did not do something about it.

Indeed, war was costly, and there was no way Daneel was willing to begin the war with the Withering Leaf sect while having a treasury filled with dust and cobwebs.

Creasing his forehead, he ruffled through the plans he had made in his head to use his knowledge from Earth to refill the emptiness in front of him.

Chapter 186: Mapping and Business

Standing in the air far above the valley of mist, Kellor condensed a globule of water in his hands before swallowing it whole and smiling slightly.

Back when he had been taken in by his master after being noticed for his natural talent in influencing elementary particles, this was one of the first spells he had learned. As woodcutting had become the passion of his soul, his master had always encouraged him to continue the activity whenever he could. During those times, his master had personally taught him this spell so that he could drink water to refresh himself whenever needed.

As the memories of the mysterious man who had always seemed much more powerful than the level he was known to be at passed through his mind, Kellor automatically took out the snake shaped trinket which was the last link he had left.

Seeing that there was still no return message, he sighed before putting it back.

Noticing the position of the sun in the sky above him, he estimated the time before speaking into a trinket he had been holding in his hand.

"Continue."

After he spoke this word, a team of soldiers teleported to a location outside the Valley of Mist before placing a tube-shaped object on the ground.

Glancing at a piece of parchment to calibrate the angle, the soldiers ensured that everything was set up perfectly before placing a ball in the end of the tube pointed towards the Valley.

On the other end, a standard explosion trinket was placed after being ignited.

With a muffled sound, the ball was shot in the direction of the Valley before breaking apart in the air into a flurry of red-red-coloured balls.

Narrowing his eyes, Kellor made sure to follow each ball with his senses.

After a few moments, he made a notation on a parchment in his hands on seeing that none of the balls had met any strange deflections.

As an Exalted Human Level Mage, Kellor could easily view the trajectories of all the balls especially due to their vivid color.

This was the plan laid out by the King of Lanthanor to perform a preliminary mapping of the entire area.

With a large force of blacksmiths and enchanters at hand, it had been quite easy to make these simple trinkets.

As for the angles, with the intellect of an Exalted Human Mage and a bird's eye view, Kellor had managed to figure out the necessary details with a hit and miss method.

Seeing the effectiveness of a method that was so simple that it cost very little resources, Kellor couldn't help but marvel again at the mind of the King of Lanthanor.

How could someone be so creative? No matter how much he thought about it, there was no answer.

After all, although all these concepts were simple to execute after being explained by the King, Kellor could tell that they could only have been developed after substantial thought and testing. It was simply not possible that they could just be visualized and then realized easily.

With no other option, Kellor could only conclude that the mind of the King of Lanthanor was one of a kind.

Placing the parchment back in his pocket, he waited for a set time to pass before continuing the operation of mapping the Valley of Mist.

…..

Back in the Lanthanor Kingdom, Daneel coughed as if someone were thinking about him.

He was currently standing in the underground room where the surveillance web had been operating effectively for the past few days.

With his eyes on a panel through which he could see the red balls falling in the air, he felt like patting himself on his back for coming up with this idea.

One of the main problems with venturing into the Valley of Mist was that there was no clear information regarding the safe and dangerous zones in the area.

Along with this, he knew that the Withering Leaf Sect was located somewhere inside the Valley. As the headquarters of a large sect, their location would also definitely have some kind of defense mechanism that would mostly be hidden from outside eyes, but would activate if any foreign object tried to enter.

In any no-trespassing area, there were always pockets of safe and dangerous spots. In the safe spots, it was even said that treasures such as ancient trinkets and rare energy materials could be found.

Thus, the occupation of "Zone Mapper" was one of the most deadly and profitable jobs in all of Central Angaria. With great personal risk, each mapper used whatever means they could to identify the safe and dangerous zones before selling them for a high profit.

Alas, the Valley of Mist was one of the few which kept away even the most daring of Zone Mappers.

Thus, with no other option, Daneel had set out to find a way to get at least some preliminary information regarding the area.

As he was doing so, he had been reminded about one of the most devastating but simple war equipment which had taken tens of thousands of lives in the World Wars back on Earth:the mortar.

One of the common points with dangerous zones was that they always had some kind of phenomenon that hid what happened inside from those watching from outside.

Thus, the plan was to find out all the zones that made the red balls go awry in anyway.

So far, everything was going swimmingly. 18% of the border areas of the Valley of Mist had been mapped, of which 6% had been marked as danger zones.

Feeling satisfied, Daneel walked back to the Throne Room where a messenger stood waiting for him respectfully at the Throne.

As he took his seat, the man bowed respectfully before handing him a parchment.

Going through the list of names assembled, Daneel smiled before calling over the man who had been instrumental in making his first business a success.

It was time to begin his second one, and he hoped that the same would repeat.

...

The next day.

In the same clearing where Daneel had spoken to the Domination Corps.

Around 500 men and women stood talking to each other, wondering why they had suddenly been summoned by the King of Lanthanor.

Without exception, each and every one of them wore lavish clothes which were made from the best of materials. Clearly enchanted with multiple features such as auto-fitting, auto-deodorizing, and auto-cooling, the clothes were the first sign which showcased the opulence of those present.

Seeing the King of Lanthanor coming towards him with a retinue of soldiers and commanders, they all bowed before waiting to be addressed.

Looking at the clothes, jewelry and costly accessories of all those present in the crowd, Daneel smiled as he realized that his thinking had been correct.

Back when he had sat down to list ways to use knowledge and experience from Earth to earn money in Angaria, he had made sure to note down one of the most profitable businesses on the whole planet: the business of making people inebriated.

Indeed, governments all over the world made almost unfathomable sums of money by regulating those that dealt in business.

After all, no matter the world, the attraction of the joy that came from being able to escape from one's life for at least a little bit of time was something that would never disappear no matter which world it was.

In fact, Daneel had experienced this joy himself the other day when he had drowned himself in wine to get over the guilt of the spies who had died.

"Lanthanor will henceforth be implementing a new policy to regulate liquor sale in the Kingdom. First of all, those who earn from selling liquor will be charged a higher tax than others. Secondly, if you wish to engage in this business, you need to take permission from the government which will come at a price. Thirdly, this is not up for discussion. You can either agree to the terms or choose to leave the business."

The jaws of all those in the clearing collectively dropped as they heard the direct words of the King of Lanthanor.

For decades and even centuries, there had only been a single taxation system in the Kingdom: one simply had to pay a percentage of what they earned to the government.

Even if this percentage was constantly changed, it had at least remained the same for those from all walks of life.

Thus, hearing that they would have to pay extra, all the people in the clearing who each owned multiple bars or wine import companies couldn't help but rile up with anger and indignation.

As Daneel saw the eyes of those that were now smoldering with dissatisfaction, he smiled, wishing that more and more would choose to leave the Kingdom.

After all, if he wanted to enter the business, why not cut down the competition first?

Chapter 187: Reflection and Inspiration

Although this thought passed through his head, Daneel couldn't help but pause for a bit and think again about what he was doing.

For these people, regardless of the fact that they were much more well-to-do than most in Lanthanor, it was quite understandable as to why his words could be so anger-inducing.

Many of them had worked hard step by step to become what they were now.

And for people like them, anything obtained without effort would always be scorned upon.

If Daneel went forward with this tax, it would be such that they were being discriminated against by the Government.

At the end of the day, they were under the sovereign rule of Lanthanor. Thus, just as Daneel said, they could simply up and leave from the Kingdom.

Leave something which they had worked on for their whole lives or live with earning a little less profit?

At least for those who had come up with hard work, the answer was quite clear.

The only ones still angrily grumbling were those who had inherited their wealth and did nothing except enjoy the profits while 'managing' the business.

These entitled people didn't shirk from the possibility of leaving the Kingdom.

Like this, there were many motivations and reasonings in the eyes of all those in front of him which made Daneel doubt himself for a few moments.

Yet, that doubt induced a scene that still haunted him in his dreams:

Fields and fields of dead bodies.

A destroyed Kingdom and an extinct people.

A cruel force that would stop at nothing.

As he thought back to what he had seen in the memory, the faces of those in front of him superimposed on the ones lying on the ground.

Indeed, they were also the people of Lanthanor whom he had sworn to protect and treat fairly. Yet, faced with the other option where scores of people might die, he did not feel so bad about possibly marginalizing a few people for the greater good. After all, if his plan succeeded in giving him the resources he needed, it would definitely go a long way towards saving Lanthanor and even Angaria itself.

As this single thought passed through his mind, Daneel found himself shaking due to realizing something that shocked him to his core.

Since when had he started to make decisions that allowed him to think that acting against a 'few' was fine for the good of the 'many'?

Didn't he come out of that same marginalization to become who he was?

Was he turning into a leader similar to the ones before just with a different cover on top due to his ideals? Just a monkey with new tricks?

When Daneel had taken this decision, the only thing on his mind had been obtaining resources which would allow him to further this plans. What about the few in front of him who were feeling indignant and considering leaving the Kingdom they had been born and brought up in?

He hadn't cared about them one bit.

All he wished was that there would be less competition when the government entered the business so that he could obtain more profit.

This was definitely excellent in the short term, but what about the long term? What about a time when there would be no looming threat which wouldn't justify the government owning all the wealth; which was what he was headed towards now- a communist system?

As the last word, 'communism' rang through his mind, the memories of the horrors committed inside the countries which had once practiced this method ran through his head.

In fact, it was so horrifying that Daneel found himself thinking that it might lead to the same result as that of the Church invading anyway if he followed his current plan.

At some point, he had chosen to take the easy way out after telling himself that it was for the good of those he was technically 'stealing' from.

Indeed, without even realizing it, Daneel had set foot on a path which would definitely lead to nothing but ruin.

Yes, he needed resources: but was this the only way?

Would he really allow himself to go down on the path which had already been proven to be one that led to a cliff by those that had tread on it back on Earth?

No. He wouldn't.

Although he still didn't know what system he would choose that would allow him to not make the same mistakes, Daneel understood that what he was doing now was definitely wrong.

Choosing to be decisive, he dangled out the carrot which he had considered before but rejected due to the fact that it decreased his profits by a large margin:

"Of course, there is … a different option. Right now, how many of you make your own wine? How many of you import it from outside?"

Hearing the question, the people in the clearing frowned a bit before reluctantly raising their hands.

More than half of them had their hands in the air, yet the frown was still on their faces as they did not understand why they had been asked this question.

"As I see it, the standard of the local wine is nothing compared to that which is imported. Thus, although many of you have vineyards, you still choose to import the best of wines through certain channels. Is this true?"

Indeed, this was the case in Lanthanor. As a place with no proper patent system, the secrets of making top-class wine were something which were guarded very tightly. As such, there were only a few organizations in all of Central Angaria who sold the wine that many nobles and rich businessmen craved for.

The buying, selling and transport of this wine was all handled by traders who made a fortune in the process. Of course, as many of the routes they followed were laden with danger, it was also a job with a high risk.

Yet, those who found success earned enough that it always enticed them to take any risk there was in order to keep earning.

This was something that Daneel had identified long back. After doing so, he had come up a plan for the long term which he was now moving forward due to the need that had arisen.

Seeing everyone nod, Daneel took a deep breath before 'pitching' his proposition:

"To be eligible for the same tax as others, you can choose the option where the government itself will transport and sell you the wine you need. We will also take the same price as the traders, and will also offer an amount of insurance for stolen goods on top of that. In essence, Lanthanor will import the wine for you: all you need to do is pay. You have 3 days to make a decision. For now, you all are dismissed."

After the last word, Daneel turned around and walked away with a confident stride.

Back on Earth, he had always loved to read the stories of companies that had risen to a level of dominating an entire domain due to specializing in something that was crucial.

Of these, this present plan had been inspired by the story of a certain company which had named itself after the largest river on Earth. From humble beginnings, it had grown to make its founder the richest man in the entire world, which had amazed Daneel at the time.

Now, it was time to accomplish the same in Angaria.

...

Valley of Mist, Withering Leaf Sect Central Hall

"Leader, Lanthanor has to be stopped. If they manage to map all of the obvious danger zones, it will cut down their casualties by half when they do choose to invade. They cannot continue with what they are doing! I propose that we send out strike teams to ambush those teleporting to shoot the red balls."

With a face that spelled of extreme frustration, a man wearing greenish-yellow robes said these words before sitting back down on the praying mat under him.

While those in the hall whispered, the Sect Leader of the Withering Leaf Sect laughed after noticing the unrest of the room.

Indeed, he had also been quite irked about the fact that their enemy had found such a clever method to map their area.

Yet, at the thought of the last force which had dared to invade their territory, laughter graced his mouth due to the images of the rivers of blood which were still spoken about in the Big 4 today.

"Whatever puny tricks they pull, they will still have to enter the Valley if they wish to confront us. And when they do come, they can forget about returning. Activate the hellfire beacons. It is time to call in a favor."

Chapter 188: Saloni Shoemakers

"Dad, can I get some pink candy? The black is my favorite, but the pink is the cheapest….. it's ok if I can't, I understand Daddy. We have rice broth at home anyway."

Seeing his daughter control the drool that had come out of her mouth on seeing the candy stall across the road, Kalidor cursed at himself for being an incompetent father.

With her mother passing away when she was only two in a caravan ambush, Kalidor had raised Cara all by himself. As a shoe-maker, although he couldn't make enough to live a life of luxury, he had some regular customers who let him and his daughter lead a happy life.

In fact, Kalidor had already enrolled his little girl in the school set up by the King. As she was an inquisitive girl, he had known that she would definitely love learning about the world and had insisted on her going even though she wanted to stay at home and help him with the shop.

After reaching a small two-bedroom shack, Kalidor opened the door before Cara bounded in and took out two chipped bowls.

Pouring the last of the rice broth, she made sure to check that her father's had more before bringing them to the dining table in the hall.

Sighing, Kalidor simply took a sip and asked Cara to finish the rest. He knew that she was hungry, and he had already spent the last silver Lan he had to buy materials.

Recently, she hadn't even been giving him the chance to answer questions related to food or money. Even though she was only 8 years old, it seemed that she had understood the situation in the house.

His shop was simply on the front part of the house, with a small room in which customers could sit down to have their feet measured.

Indeed, unlike those who made footwear of all sizes with customers coming to buy what fit, he made customized shoes and sandals which cost higher but fit and looked a lot better.

Alas, these days, everyone had been flocking to a new store opened two streets away which was giving deals such as buy a pair, get a pair free.

Although the taxes had been decreased, it wasn't as if life was easy. Even his regular customers had stopped coming, and it had already been two weeks since someone had walked into his store.

Sitting in the store, Kalidor reminisced about the time when his grandfather had actually once made shoes for the King. Until the day he died, he had touted that event as the most significant in their family, even though the King had been the one to increase the taxes at the time which had almost made their family starve.

Yet, according to his grandfather who had taught him the trade, a shoemakers joy came from the stature of the person who was wearing his shoes. Thus, the path chosen to tread in those shoes didn't matter to them. What was important was that they had chosen to be their patrons, which brought value to their creed and skill.

It was on ideals like these that he had built his life, yet he was reaching a point where he might regret ever having chosen this path.

Even though the name of the Saloni Shoemakers would mostly die out with him, all he hoped was that he would be able to earn enough to feed his daughter so that she wouldn't have to starve.

Hearing the bell on the door ring, Kalidor got up with a start and dropped the shoe polisher he had been idly holding in his hand.

A customer! Could his family be saved?

"Welcome to Saloni Shoemakers! Our custom designed shoes were once praised by the King of Lanthanor himself! What are you looking for, business or casual?"

The man who had walked in wore black robes covering his entire body. Although none of his features stood out, his broad jaw and slightly hooked nose lent him an air of seriousness which was amplified by his dead serious expression.

"Casual."

Throughout the process of measuring, design selection and payment, the customer did not speak a word more than necessary. Even the selection of the design had been made by a point of his finger-to fit his outfit, he had selected an all black shoe with a touch of brown.

Counting the silver Lans in joy, Kalidor ran back in his house to tell his daughter that she could, after all, buy that candy she wanted.

…..

Seeing the joyful man picking up his daughter and swirling her in the air with joy, Faxul slightly turned up the corner of his lips before turning away from the window.

On Daneel's behest, he had recently been spending time among the people of Lanthanor. Understanding their needs, witnessing their troubles and comprehending their lives had been changing him slowly, making him connect more and more with the person inside him who had been snuffed away the day he had to run away from his own Kingdom.

How were the people of the Black Raven Kingdom? Were they having even more difficulties? Was their King taking care of them well?

As these questions passed through his mind, he was shocked to realize that without even realizing it himself, he had begun calling them 'his people' in his mind.

Before, he had been filled with the thirst for revenge: he wanted to get the man who killed his father and shattered his life, making him run away from his birthplace and his birthright.

Thus, his desire to grow back which had only stemmed from this reason had been kept as bay due to him not being strong enough.

Yet now, after experiencing and living the life of the common people, he felt some sort of connection with those he had never even thought about once since coming to Lanthanor.

Yet, try as he may, he simply couldn't figure out the reason behind this. The memories of his stay in the Black Raven Kingdom were fuzzy, and he wondered if it had anything to do with them.

With no answer in hand, Faxul shook off his line of thought before heading to the Palace to fulfill a certain task he had recently been given.

…..

Meanwhile, on a beach filled with red sand instead of white.

A tent made from a strange material that looked like the fur of a beast had been set up at the spot where the waves from the 'endless' sea around Angaria met the shore.

With the redness being so similar to the color of blood, some around the area had used to say that the beach had originally been white or yellow until a massive war which shook the entire continent had taken place here.

Although no one knew the truth behind these stories, the local citizens kept away from the area as if it were the plague.

Inside the tent, a man sat calmly sipping tea while watching a display trinket showcase some sort of rally at a distance place.

A person whose gender couldn't be figured out was giving some sort of speech which was riling up the people in front of them. After a few more moments, the entire crowd devolved into chaos before starting to attack and kill those around them.

Watching the entire scene turn into a bloodbath, the man who wore a purple habit laughed silently before taking another sip.

Yet, his laughter was cut off as he saw something light up in the corner of the room.

Getting up, he approached the corner which held a wooden table with holes in it.

Each hole held a torch whose top was empty, yet one of them currently had a green fire dancing on top that almost looked like a skull laughing.

Seeing the position of the torch, the man spoke into a trinket, saying, "The Withering Leaf Sect has called in its favor. Awaiting your order to deploy."

After giving the message, the man took out an information trinket which held the happenings from all over Angaria.

Noticing that the Withering Leaf Sect was currently in an altercation with the Lanthanor Kingdom, the man smiled wide showing his golden teeth before an expression of expectation came on his face.

An attempt had failed, but it seemed that providence had given them another chance to try again and 'convert' the heathen who had had the gall to chase them away from a Kingdom that they had almost managed to purge.

...

As Kalidor and Cara slept peacefully in their beds with their stomachs full after a long time, Eloise prepared to give the order which would change their lives forever.

"Begin the first test for advertisement deployment on NOA", she said, before excitedly seeing the announcer take out a parchment which held the lines that would decide whether she would be able to reach the King's expectations or not.

Dreading to meet him but at the same time hoping that she would be acknowledged again by the man who was often appearing in her dreams these days, Eloise gave the go-ahead while Daneel, who was currently training in the chamber above her, coughed as if someone had thought of him.

Chapter 189: Response

In the section of the city where the Network of Angaria had initially been introduced.

Due to the situation where the enchanted parchments had had to be transported to Eldinor, the NOA hadn't had the chance to spread further in Lanthanor city.

Still, the appeal of the network was so high that many often gathered in the houses of those who had the parchment in order to listen to the broadcast.

The trinket which converted a normal communication trinket was quite simple, and it allowed those who had the NOA trinkets in their hands to regale their friends and, in some cases, even charge them for it.

Thus, whenever new content was introduced in the broadcast, it was always followed by a discussion between all those who had the capability to be able to listen to it.

Such was the appeal of outside news to a people who had spent their lives mostly absorbed in their own actions.

Especially considering the part of human nature where many always had more interest in others' affairs than their own, it was no wonder the NOA in Angaria took to people like a fish to water.

The day had started out with regular announcements regarding the 100,000 Gold Lan robbery in the Black Raven Kingdom followed by a dialogue regarding the new Queen of Eldinor.

This was the same panel that had previously discussed all the contestants in the election before concluding that Eldra Dartingnon was the best choice.

To be cautious of backlash, Daneel had told Eloise to make sure to focus on both the positives and negatives of the Queen of Eldinor. Of course, the negatives could be underplayed and the positives could be magnified, but there was no reason to ignore them altogether.

Thus, the present dialogue related to the fact that although the new Queen was still learning the ways of her office and could be seen occasionally drifting off into her thoughts, she had already gained the staunch support and praise of all the ministers under her.

After the dialogue, the NOA cut back to the two announcers who usually read out the schedule or hyped a certain program before its beginning.

"Ow! Ow! These damn shoes!"

"What's the matter, Olvy? We are live! Angaria is listening to you!"

"Uh… apologies to all those listening. I went to the general shoe store the other day where the size was either too loose or too tight. Finally, I had no choice to buy the loose ones which just made me slip. Ah, the supervisor is glaring at me. It seems that if I do not get back to the news, my face might have to try her shoe size!"

There were different announcers who focused on different aspects of entertainment. This particular duo excelled in their skill of spinning stories in a way that made people laugh.

Also, although Daneel wished to separate the channels later on, there was only a single NOA right now which was being heard by both the citizens of Lanthanor and Eldinor.

"I had the same problem until I visited Saloni Shoemakers! I heard from my cousin that the father of our previous King got his shoes stitched there, and I wanted to try out how it feels to have custom footwear which fits my feet perfectly. Now, I can't go back! The price may be a little higher, but come on, someone measures your feet and makes something specially for you! Can you say the same about anything else in your miserable life except the separate bathroom your family built because you make too much of a stink?"

After those hearing chuckled at the dry humor, they couldn't help but note the name of the shop. In fact, those who had been thinking of buying new footwear anyway decided to visit the store at least to check it out.

In this way, the conversation continued throughout the day between programs where the name of the shop was subtly thrown in.

The next day, Kalidor woke up with a smile, still feeling happy because of the customer who had graced his shop two days before. Thanking him again in his heart, he made a breakfast of real food unlike before when they had to eat the cheapest rice broth for all three meals.

Going into his shop, he sat down and started working on the order only to be interrupted a few moments later by the bell at the door.

Another customer? Was he dreaming?

Although he was amazed, he controlled his feelings and served the customer in the best way he could.

The most crucial part was the price quote, as many left because of the high cost.

In Lanthanor, a man or a woman could live a frugal life by using just 10 Bronze Lans a day. Of course, this was only the simplest of food such as bread.

Middle class and upper-middle-class families spent around a Silver Lan a day to have a hearty meal which included meat.

In fact, just the other day, Daneel had been drawing a parallel between the economic systems of Earth and Lanthanor idly.

Going with the global currency, 10 Bronze Lans was equal to a single Dollar. With this amount, one would be able to get the simplest of food to continue surviving.

A Silver Lan, which was equal to 10 Dollars, was about the amount an average middle-class individual spent on food to have a hearty meal.

Thus, Lanthanor's treasury which had previously had 50 million Gold Lans before being depleted due to Daneel's schemes was equivalent to around 50 billion dollars, which was coincidentally the amount by which the richest man alive was richer than any other individual living on Earth.

As for Kalidor's shoes, each pair cost 10 Silver Lans as opposed to the general shoe store whose highest price was only a single Silver Lan.

Indeed, if an individual wanted to have custom designed shoes, they would have to fork over 10 times the amount just to get the most basic model. Other models which had things such as gold or silver trims had costs which were even higher.

Seeing this first customer frown at the price, Kalidor sighed inwardly feeling that this was another lost purchase.

Yet, as if the customer had remembered something, he took out his wallet and paid the price before promptly leaving after taking the token.

Startled but also very happy, Kalidor made his way back to begin work before having to get up again in barely a minute.

What was happening? Was the other store closed?

With many questions popping up inside him, he served customer after customer before becoming completely numb with joy.

At the end of the day, seeing all the Silver Lans shining in the register, tears flowed from his eyes imagining Cara's happy face when she found out that she could have whatever she wanted for a long, long time.

Closing the shop, he made his way to the Palace to pay homage to those who had made it possible.

The last customer had been kind enough to tell him the reason behind the flood of people: the Network of Angaria which was run by the Government had mentioned his shop multiple times in passing which made them come over.

Kalidor wasn't a dumb man. This incident had been preceded by the man in black robes who was definitely someone from the government, who had chosen his shop for some reason.

He also wasn't someone who could sleep peacefully if he had a debt to pay. Thus, in his hand was a money bag which held half the profit he had made.

Reaching the gate, he told them his purpose before waiting for a bit.

A few minutes later, a beautiful lady greeted him, saying, "I am Eloise, and I supervise the Network of Angaria. Your shop was chosen because what you sell is valuable, and it is unfortunate that you did not have the resources or the talent to advertise it yourself properly."

Nodding, Kalidor admired that this lady got straight to the point. Indeed, if he could, he would have undertaken the advertisement himself.

"As you were selected to test the power of the Network as an advertisement channel, you do not need to pay anything. Of course, if you wish for it to be continued, you will have to file an official request later when we open the channel to all. Lanthanor appreciates your gesture, but-"

"Please take this as a thank you. I will definitely be back when you do open it up."

Shoving the bag into her arms, Kalidor walked away with a strong stride.

In this way, the Network of Angaria made its first financial return on investment due to its help in making a family smile more without having to worry about grumbling stomachs and snuffed-away wishes.

...

Valley of Mist, Withering Leaf Sect Central Hall

The Sect Leader stood alone in the center of the hall, glancing at a piece of parchment which had the emblem of a green skull on it.

As he saw the message, a wide smile greeted his face before the parchment automatically combusted into a green fire that did not even leave behind any ash.

It was time to take the fight to Lanthanor.

Chapter 190: Attack

In a village located 80 kilometres east of Lanthanor City.

Little Tammie skipped along the central road that lead to the Village Mayor's house while happily humming a tune to herself.

As someone whose father had died in the army, she was eligible to receive a pension from the government which always came on this day.

Her mother had passed away during a visit from a noble, the details of which had always been hidden from her. Now, it was just her and her little sister, Sally, who was currently playing in the field they owned.

Looking forward to buying a gift for the kind family who took care of their farm for them while only taking a small percentage of the profit, Tammie tried to decide just what would make their son, Jake's eyes light up most with joy.

At 12, she had already matured to the level where she only thought about saving enough to move to the capital.

According to the Mayor, the King had opened a school there which was open to all. Both she and her sister had always been interested in studying enchanting, or at least smithing because of all the times the torch trinket left behind by their father had brought light to them during the darkest times of their lives.

Yet, before reaching the Mayor's house, she heard a sound behind her which made her turn around.

Although it reminded her of the rustling of clothes in the wind, it had a certain odd chill to it that for some reason, made her think of her little sister.

Behind her, everything looked normal except for the fact that multiple people were running in her direction with terror on their faces.

Her first thought upon seeing this scene was that their field was also in the same direction.

Taking off at a run, Tammie ignored and dodged all those who tried to stop her before reaching a spot where the sight in front of her stunner her into halting.

The worry that had been on her face turned into full-blown fear, as the part of the village that was supposed to be in front of her eyes was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, the only house still standing looked like it was being eaten by a green skull.

Yet, after watching for a few moments, Tammie realized that it was actually some sort of green fire.

The rustling that she had heard was louder, making it clear that it was being made by this fire which was devouring an entire house without even leaving behind ash.

Just as she was about to run forward to find Sally, an invisible hand wound around her before pulling her back.

As Kellor arrived in the air above the scene to see the little girl run forward with fear on her face, he knew that there had definitely been civilians in the area that had already been devoured.

After casting a tornado spell and pulling the girl back to safety, he deployed a communication eye to transmit the scene to the King of Lanthanor who was currently in the situation room.

As the image became clear on the screen in front of him, Daneel couldn't help but gasp and drop the cup he had been holding in his hand.

From above, it was as if some demonic entity had taken a bite from the small village in which over 100 people lived.

Seeing the tornado be successful in stopping the fire, Daneel sighed with relief before seeing that the small girl who had been flung backward by Kellor was now running forward again.

The shock troops consisting of Elite Mages and Fighters had already arrived on the scene and notified him that the perpetrators had already fled.

After reaching a barren field in which nothing but the earth remained, the little girl frantically started searching around.

The field wasn't very large, and she only needed 15 minutes to run around it. Yet, as if not wanting to believe it, she ran again and again on the same path while looking in all directions.

Finally, she collapsed onto the ground and clutched the dirt below her in frustration before letting out a bloodcurdling scream that even startled the battle-hardened soldiers near her.

Sally was gone. Gone forever.

First, her father had died in a war.

Next, her mother had left her alone with her little sister.

Now, the little girl whom she had carried to multiple houses in the village just to obtain enough milk to feed her was also gone.

She would never be able to see that one-sided dimple or the wide brow which was the object of her playful teasing.

She wished that she was in front of her, so that she could tell her that she was the best sister in the whole damned world.

Unable to bear the pain, she let out scream after scream until her voice started tearing.

Daneel had been watching on all this while without a word. Finally, he ordered Kellor to make the girl unconscious and bring her to the Palace.

The final tally was that 46 of the 103 villagers had died in the attack.

Collapsing onto the throne, Daneel remembered the events that had transpired since the morning.

During his usual training, he had been called by Kellor to the surveillance room.

On arriving, Kellor and Luther both had grave expressions on their faces.

It seemed that a small force containing 4 people had been spotted leaving the Valley of the Mist in the direction of the Lanthanor Kingdom. Of them, one wore a purple habit much like the ones worn by the priests from the Church of Rectitude.

This news had chilled Daneel to the bone.

Wasn't he supposed to have much more time?

Were they attacking already?

Was his master's information wrong?

Controlling his panic, he realized that if the Church was going to attack, it definitely wouldn't send such a small force unless it had a Champion Level Powerhouse.

Terrifying as this thought was, Daneel felt it was unlikely mainly due to the fact that the group had exited from the Valley of Mist.

Besides, if such a figure really did want to go up against Daneel, he would have no choice but to give up.

Thus, considering all the facts, he realized that it was probable that there was some kind of link between the Church and the Withering Leaf Sect, making them join together to send a force against him. After all, there were many ways to circumvent the oath they had sworn.

He had indeed been quite blatant in his attempts to map the area, and part of the surveillance hub's purpose was to detect any such retaliation.

Although he still didn't know why they didn't just teleport out of the Valley, Daneel wasn't one to question good things too much.

He had immediately dispatched Kellor, but they had no idea to know where they would strike.

The second the teleportation detection formation had activated, Kellor made his way over.

Yet, they had been too fast. Half the village had already been destroyed before they left, and Daneel had had to bear witness to the anguish of the little one.

What could he do?

There were too many villages, making evacuation impossible. Although Kellor assured him that they would be able to respond within seconds, it seemed that the enemy was capable of doing damage with that strange fire which he still didn't have information about.

The only consolation was that there was mention about a particular typology of flames which had similar effects in the secret library. Known as Tenebrous Flames, these were extremely difficult and expensive to make, yet their effects of being able to eat away almost anything was matchless.

In fact, the strike force could have teleported to a different location and continued the attack even though Daneel had had his eye on them with the formation that spanned the Kingdom. Yet, they had chosen to leave.

This either signified that they were afraid to face the shock troops, or that the fire was indeed, special.

As that anguished cry still reverberated in his ears, Daneel decided that it was time to resort to drastic measures.

He needed to make a statement that would make these people shake with fear if even the thought of carrying out guerrilla attacks crossed their minds.

Earth had had its fair share of wars, yet right now, Daneel was reminded of the battle in which one of the strongest countries in the world had lost against a small force who only had a forest to call their home along with the will to fight back and win.

Although he was now on the same side of the one who had lost, he would make sure not to make the same mistakes.

They had dared to kill his people not once, but twice.

And he would have no qualms about resorting to any and all means at his disposal.

Chapter 191: Lull

The Royal Palace in Elfaven City, Eldinor.

Clutching a piece of unmarked parchment in her hand, Selene ran through the extravagantly decorated passageway while huffing to herself.

As someone who had never trained her body since birth, she didn't have the endurance to be able to traverse the long route which needed her to walk through at least a kilometer of winding passageways before reaching the exit.

In fact, she had already gotten lost twice, making the blades on her earlobes twitch as she had no option but to ask directions from the patrolling guards.

Indeed, she had been taken into the employ of the Queen of Eldinor only one week back, and she had yet to completely familiarize herself with the maze that was the Palace.

Reaching the exit, she nodded at the guards while hiding the parchment in her palm before hurrying out towards an inn in the city.

On reaching her destination, as she was about to climb up the stairs, something tripped her.

Yet, right before her nose was definitely about to be broken by the hard wooden floor, a hand caught her waist and pulled her up with a gentle force.

As it had all happened too suddenly, Selene fought the feeling of vertigo which threatened to make her faint.

Getting back her senses, she looked around to realize that there was no one to be seen in her vicinity.

Puzzled, she turned around to walk towards the inn again before the terror that had suddenly appeared on her face made her turn around and search the ground frantically.

The secret message sent by the Queen was gone!

Indeed, two days ago, she had been called to the Queen's quarters where she had been given the option to enter the Deathsworn Service.

If she swore to obey all the orders of the Queen, her one-armed brother whom she was supporting through the salary from the Palace would be immediately cured using the costliest methods available to the Elves.

Apart from this, she would also be given a secret hike in salary which would be accumulated in the Palace to be withdrawn by her the day she left the service of the Queen.

As someone who had been through a life of poverty, Selene wasn't a prime example of the individualism inherent in Elves.

In fact, the post of a maid itself had few takers even though it had high pay. This was because Elves saw it beneath them to be called so.

Thus, in the Palace, the post of "Cleaning Mage" was more common.

Regardless, Selene had chosen to accept the offer after a day of thought. She needed the money, and she couldn't bear to see her little brother learn to take care of himself with his other hand, when there was another option available. Even though he had chosen to disregard her words and become a mercenary before being ambushed and almost killed in his very first mission, she still loved him as he was the only family she had.

Now, it seemed that she had botched up her first mission just like her brother.

After searching for another half hour, she dejectedly made her way back to the Palace while hoping that the punishment wouldn't directly be execution.

…..

Seeing the drooping shoulders of the Elf whom he had just tripped to collect the information from, Olfax sighed while wishing there was another way.

Alas, the Queen of Eldinor had become considerably more ruthless since the time he and the King of Lanthanor had interacted with her.

This was her way of making sure that this particular message-bearer would always be afraid of failing again, making it so that she would always work with the best efficiency.

Of course, the impact this would have on her psyche had been disregarded by the Queen who had by now already taken firm control of the Kingdom.

Deciding to make a report on the matter to the King, Olfax looked at the parchment in his hand before heading to the waiting soldier from Lanthanor.

...

Back in Lanthanor City, Daneel got up from the Energized Training Chamber and made his way to his chambers after being notified that the package from Eldinor had arrived.

Glancing at the clone, he blessed his previous master whose visit had allowed him to develop this technique.

Already drunk in the feeling of rapidly improving in power, Daneel knew that he would break through to an Exalted Human Mage pretty soon.

Yet, his smile that had appeared due to this thought vanished due to the images of the half-destroyed village and the hanging corpses that flashed through his mind.

Sighing to himself, he adopted a stoic expression before making his way up.

On receiving the parchment from the messenger, the smile returned to his face albeit with a slight chill to it due to the message that rang in his mind the moment he initiated contact with the trinket.

"This is all I found in the Hidden Library of Eldinor. Many of the original documents were burned due to the fear of being exposed. These were only preserved in case we were ever attacked using something similar. I do not know what you have planned, so all I can say is that you should remember the words you said to me the first time we met."

Feeling amused at the message from the Queen of Eldinor, Daneel proceeded to ask the system to analyze the information stored in the parchment.

....

Meanwhile, in the personal quarters of the Sect Master of the Withering Leaf Sect.

Located on top of the tallest spire in the Sect, the Sect Master's quarters were supposed to be the most scenic in the entire Valley of Mist. With a bird's eye view of the vibrant forest along with the ecosystem that thrived despite their presence, many wished that they could live in these rooms which were also equipped with the best defense trinkets in the entire Sect.

Sitting on a chair in the center of a room which had floor-to-ceiling windows, the Sect Master smiled at the man in the purple habit in front of him before bending forward to pour him a cup of tea.

As for the other three individuals of the task force which had struck the Kingdom of Lanthanor, they were standing in one corner of the room respectfully.

"Knight Nebula, why do you think we are being observed by Lanthanor?"

The man who had been addressed by this strange name first took a sip of the tea before spitting it back into the cup instantly.

Although this was a very rude gesture, all the Sect Leader did was raise his eyebrow.

"Don't you have any wine in this place? Oh, you asked me something. I only said there's a chance they know, as that Exalted Mage was nearby when we attacked. He could be there for something else, but I felt as if I were being watched when I exited your primitive formation."

Ignoring the blatant disrespect in the man's words, the Sect Leader replied, "I'll have my men check tomorrow. It is impossible to post men around the clock all around the Valley without escaping our notice, so it must be some sort of trinket. Regardless, we reached our goal. As a King who obtained his throne by leveraging the support of the people and a teenager without much experience in ruling a nation, he will definitely choose to retaliate. Unwittingly, he will fall into a cycle of retaliation while we will have the upper hand."

"Humph, you really think it will be that simple? The wisest of Kings would choose to ignore the provocations and only attack when they are certain of victory. I don't think he is at that level yet, but he certainly isn't dumb enough to retaliate in a way that will allow us to 'take the upper hand'. But he will retaliate all right, and the Church looks forward to see how he will do so."

As he said the final words, the man raised his palm where a green skull of fire exactly like the one which had devoured the village in Lanthanor came into existence.

As if it were intelligent, it glanced around the room before swooping forward to drink the tea that had been spit out by the man.

Watching with indecipherable eyes, the Sect Master sipped at his own cup while inwardly gritting his teeth at what he had to put up with.

Yet, this feeling only lasted for a second due to him remembering the words left behind by the previous Sect Master, who was the reason they had a favor to call in in the first place:

"Pander to the Tenebrous Knights of Rectitude, for their lifespans are cut in half due to the flames that live inside them. Use them just like the Church does: as weapons which speak but have no mouths."

Chapter 192: Counter-Attack

It came silently, like a blade in the darkness that no one could see.

It had been half a month since the attack on Lanthanor which had apparently not been reported in the famed Network of Angaria which was currently making waves all over the central continent.

The other Kingdoms knew clearly about the current altercation between the Withering Leaf Sect and the Kingdom of Lanthanor. After all, others had also been watching when the attack on the village took place, and the perpetrators who had been seen were wearing the clothes of sect members.

This was, in fact, a sign that the fight was between these two forces. So far, others hadn't chosen to interfere yet, choosing to keep watching for an opportunity where they could swoop in to defeat a weary victor.

Chief among those watching was the Kingdom of Axelor. As a sworn enemy of Lanthanor, this was the Kingdom that was looking forward most to a situation which it could take advantage of.

The person in charge of keeping an eye on all key assets in Lanthanor was an Axelorian named Conrad.

Since the past two weeks, he had been puzzled by the movements inside the Kingdom.

First, a contingent of soldiers had gone to nearby forests in order to catch as many mosquitoes as they could.

In fact, the government had also started to buy caught mosquitoes from the citizens, resulting in a frenzy that became the terror of all mosquitoes living around Lanthanor.

The sales of the famous Honey Trap Solution which was an exclusive product of Lanthanor had apparently been halted, resulting in a spike in sales of barrier units from Eldinor.

For all intents and purposes, it looked as if a new version of the Honey Trap Solution was coming out.

Although the solution was revolutionary, it had only seen sales in areas which had previously relied on barriers. The alternative was using formations which could permanently protect a place, making them a one-time investment which trumped both barrier trinkets and honey trap solution.

Of course, those who could deploy such formations were rare, making it so that people had to resort to other options.

In Central Angaria, the mosquito problem could be likened to electricity back on Earth.

It was such an essential part of people's lives that it had already enmeshed itself into their minds, making it so that they did not even think about it until the time came to pay the bill.

Thus, the news of a new product which was cheaper was momentous, but the minimal units available and the slow growth in number of units exported made it so that it died down to something that was only being checked upon frequently by businessmen. After all, before the struggle for the throne, the government had been mainly buying the solution to either use it themselves or sell it to the citizens, making it so that there were few units to export due to the minimum quantities that Daneel had been able to make.

Indeed, over the months since he had taken the throne, Daneel had been frequently making batches of Honey Trap Solution which had lead a steady income into his pocket.

Alas, the problem was that he was the only one who could make the product, and he did not have the time to make enough to export to the whole Kingdom. Also, Eldinor had already decreased the price of barrier trinkets making it so that they could more or less compete with his product.

This decision had been taken by Queen Eldara, and Eldra had no grounds to change it unless she wished suspicion to fall on her.

All in all, the Honey Trap Solution had been generating a steady revenue of 1 million Gold Coins a month.

If he could make an unlimited amount of the solution in a set amount of time, Daneel would have chosen to do so daily.

The problem was that casting the spell which made the solution required a lot of energy which would leave his mageroot acheing for an entire day if he chose to overdraft it.

This would be counterintuitive, as it would mean that he couldn't train the whole day.

Besides, no one else could cast the spell as it required the system to do so.

Thus, if Daneel didn't increase his level, there was no way he could look to earn a lot from the Honey Trap Solution, which was the reason he had been pursuing other avenues to earn money to obtain Ker Gems.

Now, seeing this steady export of the solution stop, businessmen braced themselves hoping that exports would increase.

Yet, after two weeks, there had been no news.

Now, as Conrad saw the information that had just arrived from Lanthanor, he couldn't believe his eyes.

500 soldiers all carrying black boxes a quarter the size of a man had just been seen teleporting out of the clearing in the Royal Palace.

…..

"My King…. I apologize for asking again but, are you sure?"

Standing in the air above the Valley of Mist, Kellor couldn't help but ask the King of Lanthanor for the third time whether he was sure about the plan he had explained.

If there was even the slightest error, he knew that it could cause a catastrophe that could potentially destroy Angaria as they know of it.

"Yes. Proceed with the plan."

Hearing the King's calm and confident voice, Kellor looked up and prayed after a long time.

"Commence the operation. Remember to be precise."

Receiving the order, 100 of the 500 soldiers who were waiting a few kilometers away flew into the air before heading in the direction of the Valley of Mist. Each of them held one of the black boxes which were unmarked and seemed very heavy.

After reaching a predetermined destination, they left the boxes making them fall down due to their bases which were designed to be the heaviest part in order to induce a downward motion.

THUD

After landing on the ground, each box burst open to release swarms of mosquitoes which seemed slightly different from the regular ones which were the nightmare of all those who wished to store energy resources in Angaria.

Seeming to be a fraction larger, these mosquitoes had a tiny, red spot on their backs which was the largest factor that differentiated them.

Just as the elite mages were about to return to pick up another box from the spot where the soldiers were waiting, red beams of light shot at them from the Valley below.

In a moment, it seemed as if the entire Valley had enemies which were attacking them. The red beams also seemed to have some kind of tracking ability which enabled them to follow the mages even if they tried to flee as fast as possible.

Luckily, they couldn't follow a mage who chose to teleport. As all of them started stepping out of the air to get back to safety, the beams of light ceased from the forest which looked peaceful but was hiding a force which had almost annihilated the best mages that the Kingdom of Lanthanor had.

...

Back in the situation room in Lanthanor Kingdom.

The smile on Daneel's face which had blossomed on seeing the first batch of boxes successfully land in the valley was wiped away as he saw the attacks that shot at his soldiers from below.

Thankfully, although the beams were fast, they could not reach the spot where his soldiers had been standing in an instant. Thus, many of the soldiers had managed to teleport away.

Yet, there were a few unlucky soldiers who had been shot exactly from below. Thus, without having enough time to react, they had been impaled and killed.

9 mages had given up their lives in this way.

Banging the table in front of his frustration, Daneel knew that there was nothing he could have done. He had no idea how the Wither Leaf Sect might retaliate, or even if they would choose to.

It seemed that he had drawn the short end of the stick, resulting in the loss of 9 elite mages.

Considering the fact that there were only 200 Elite Mages in total, this was a significant loss. In fact, it was one of the highest losses of elites in decades.

Regardless, his plan had at least been fulfilled. Although he wished that the rest of the boxes had also managed to enter the Valley, he knew that it would only result in a delay of the inevitable.

Telling the three commanders and his father beside him to keep a close eye on the Valley while keeping their troops ready to be deployed, Daneel went back to his Energized Training Chamber to grasp that breakthrough.

…..

In this way, the silent blade had thrust itself into the Valley of Mist, which did not seem any different from the outside.

Yet, on the inside, a terrifying species had already started devouring and multiplying while hungrily looking for more energy sources to consume.

As they went from one area of the forest to another while moving closer to the headquarters of the Withering Leaf Sect, it quickly became clear that nothing would stand in their way.

Chapter 193: Horror

As a force that had existed in Angaria for many centuries, the Withering Leaf Sect knew about the suspected modification of mosquitoes by the Eldinorians in a bid to increase their economy.

Although no one had proof about the matter, it was a fact that the emergence of these mosquitoes had coincided with the shipment of barrier trinkets to prevent their ravenous hunger from destroying the energy reserves of all the forces in the continent.

Also, at the time, it was said that there had been such a huge shift in the ecosystem of the continent that it had resulted in many animals becoming extinct.

Alas, even though all the forces had had their eyes on Eldinor, they gave up because there was nothing else tying the Elves to the emergence of this species.

Now, it seemed as if the nightmare had begun anew.

The Withering Leaf Sect had also had spies inside the Palace, meaning that they knew about the force setting off from Lanthanor.

Although they had deployed their forces to the Valley immediately, they hadn't been fast enough to stop the first volley from landing.

Even after these first boxes landed, there were multiple attempts to find and kill all mosquitoes possible.

Yet, this was simply a hopeless cause because they were ion the home ground of the mosquitoes, instead of the other way around.

Giving up, the Withering Leaf Sect members returned to their headquarters while an ominous atmosphere overtook the entire area.

The next morning, in the quarters of the Sect Master.

Looking out of the floor to ceiling window in his room, the Sect Master tried to spot traces of this new species which had entered the forest.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that retaliation could come like this.

Yet, even now, he couldn't help but hope that it was only some sort of experiment by the King of Lanthanor which might not bear much result.

After all, just the thought of one being able to change the characteristics of a race meant that they had to have at least the power of a Champion, or very close to it.

If the mysterious master behind the King of Lanthanor was indeed someone who was this powerful, then it didn't make sense as to why they wouldn't directly attack.

After all, no matter how many countermeasures or schemes he had, they could all be blown away by absolute power.

There was only one possibility: that personage could be afraid of the Big 4 intervening in the matter if he directly made a move.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, the Sect Master wished that a frontal attack had indeed taken place. In that case, he could at least have defended the Sect in some way for enough time so that someone from the Big 4 could intervene.

Instead, they had chosen to attack in this way.

Wanting to dally no further, the Sect Master directly took a leap forward and flew gracefully in the air before landing on the foliage of the forest that looked as if nothing had changed inside it.

Taking out an Ether block from his pocket which was enshrouded by an invisible barrier, he waited with bated breath to see just what effect these mosquitoes could have.

10 seconds passed. 20. 30.

After a minute, still seeing nothing assault the barrier, the Sect Master sighed with relief.

Energy resources were the most important asset of any force. If their energy resources were eaten away, they would have no choice but to watch as their power levels stagnated and dwindled due to not being able to absorb the magical energy which made training possible in Angaria.

Puzzled as to what other purpose the mosquitoes could have, the Sect Master was about to put away the Ether Block before a thought stopped him in his tracks.

What if…. There were none nearby?

For any invading species like this new strain of mosquitoes, it was common sense that they would take time to spread throughout the entire area. Although the locations of the drops had been random, the nearest box that had dropped near the headquarters of the Withering Leaf Sect was in fact over 10 kilometers away.

When Energy resources were hidden in barriers, their 'aroma' which attracted mosquitoes was muffled to some degree.

Thus, taking a deep breath, the Sect Master deactivated the trinket and held it in his hands.

BUZZZZZ

As if a giant had put its arm above his head, a shadow was cast on the Sect Master.

Looking up, he was horrified to see a solid swarm that headed towards the Ether Block in his hand.

Last night, he had given strict orders that all energy materials had to be safely secured inside barrier trinkets.

Now, his only aim had been to check what power these mosquitoes had that had led the King of Lanthanor to retaliate by dropping them into his home.

With shock, he realized that he himself had invited this storm by foolishly deciding to undertake this experiment so close to the Sect.

Still, all was not lost. Activating the barrier trinket with one hand, the Sect Master raised his other in the air to cast a large barrier wall in front of him.

It was 200 meters long and 100 meters tall, making it so that all the mosquitoes would be stopped at least momentarily if they tried to make it inside the sect.

With eyes in which desperate hope could be seen, the Sect Master watched as the swarm which was the size of a man congregated onto the small transparent barrier in his hand.

For a few seconds, they only tried to get in but failed, just like normal mosquitoes.

Just as he was about to sigh again with relief, a sound came from his hand that made his eyes open wide with pure terror.

CRACK

Due to the mosquitoes covering the barrier, he had no way to see just what they had done to break the barrier.

His easy smile and calm expression which had been his trademark for decades was wiped away, replaced by one of absolute horror as he felt the block in his hand disappear in a matter of seconds.

What… was going on?

Assuming that these were regular mosquitoes, even if they did manage to swarm together(which was unlike their usual habit) and consume a single block of Ether, it would have taken at least 10 minutes because of the relatively slow consumption speed.

Now, that had decreased to a fraction of the time.

Although it looked as if the mosquitoes became heavier and slower after the consumption, this feat meant that the danger from this species had just gone up by at least 100 times.

Barriers couldn't stop them. And Ether Blocks could be devoured in seconds instead of tens of minutes.

"EVACUATE! EXECUTE ORDER 44!"

Realizing the full gravity of the matter, the Sect Master frantically screamed at the members of the Sect who had been watching from behind him with shock on their faces.

The terrified expression of the Sect Master who always retained his cool no matter what happened startled those behind him.

Knowing that they had very little time, they jumped to action and ran to the places where Energy Resources were stored in the Sect.

"HALF OF YOU, GET TO THE STORES! THE OTHER HALF, HELP ME MAINTAIN THE BARRIER!"

The only consolation was that the barrier conjured by the Sect Master was managing to keep the mosquitoes at bay for the moment. Yet, he could feel it drawing more and more elementary particles as if something was eating it away at a rapid pace.

He had underestimated Lanthanor. He had underestimated its King.

Now, it was too late. Even if they burned the whole forest, these things would keep coming.

Anger, frustration and unbridled rage clouding his face, the Sect Master put his all into maintaining the barrier while sending a message using the trinket on his neck to the Knight he had spoken to the night before.

So the King of Lanthanor liked to 'drop' horrors like these? He couldn't wait to see how the people of his Kingdom would feel when they realized that other things could also be 'dropped' from the skies.

....

Standing in the surveillance room under his chambers, Daneel watched with cold eyes at all the screens showing the situation around the Valley of Mist.

Beside him, there was only Robert who looked as if he were constipated.

He had seen with his own eyes as a sample stream of mosquitoes had devoured an Ether block whole in seconds, making them the most devastating plague to have ever been seen in Angaria. Yet, his son had chosen to release them without a care into a forest.

As he struggled to decide whether to ask again about the matter, he realized that his son's eyes had gone out of focus as if he were recalling something important.

Indeed, Daneel was thinking about the event in the history of Earth which had given him this idea.

There, the powerful force outside had resorted to using chemical weapons in order to flush out the dangerous adversary hiding in difficult terrain.

Where they had failed, he hoped to succeed.

After all, why worry about traps on the enemy's home ground when you could just make them run out with their hands over their heads?

Chapter 194: Traps

In the Valley of Mist, a large group of people marched through the foliage while taking care to maintain the barriers around them.

If an observer could see this regiment, they would be shocked due to the fact that there were clumps of black insects all around, trying to get in so that they could devour all the juicy energy resources that were being transported behind the barriers.

As the group made its way through the Valley, the clumps increased in number until it almost seemed like they would completely surround the group.

Yet, just before this was about to happen, a few men and women jumped out of the barrier to shoot balls of fire and bolts of lightning at the places where the mosquitoes had gathered the most.

Although this only put a dent in the total number of mosquitoes, it enabled them to move forward while maintaining visibility.

"What do the scouts report?"

With his usual calm restored, the Sect Master asked a nearby sect member this question while constantly looking around.

Behind him, the task force which had previously attacked Lanthanor walked in a semi-circle, as if protecting the Sect Master.

As for the Knight in the purple habit, he was nowhere to be seen.

"The area in front is free from all magical interference, and there are no troops nearby. We have already set up space-lock trinkets at the spot where we will teleport from."

Although the answer was positive, the Sect Master did not look like he was happy.

One of his main frustrations right now was that their own countermeasures had come back to bite them.

To circumvent the problem of enemies directly teleporting into their home ground, the Withering Leaf Sect had adopted a peculiar method which was actually much more effective than what Lanthanor used.

Instead of using teleportation detection formations where there was an inevitable delay to deploy troops after getting the information about their location, the Withering Leaf Sect had deployed a formation all around the Valley of Mist which directly activated all the traps around anyone who teleported in the entire Valley.

With a system like this, it was impossible to differentiate between friend and foe. Yet, it was highly effective at doing the job.

Over the years, the sect had deployed multiple traps all over the Valley which made it a veritable minefield.

This was the reason the initial plan had been to lure in Lanthanor's army after instigating it by attacking its people.

If all had gone well, the force which entered the Valley would have been annihilated, resulting in the Sect being able to take an upper hand in the confrontation.

Now, it was all wasted as they had to leave the Valley itself.

Centuries of time and resources all spent fortifying and booby-trapping their home-ground: all wasted.

Trying hard not to grit his teeth in frustration at this masterstroke by the King of Lanthanor, the Sect Master completely changed his perspective of this teenager before trying to think about what could be waiting for them when they exited the Valley.

After all, for someone capable of executing such a plan, it was definitely possible to follow it up with a trap waiting outside the Valley.

Although everything looked fine, the tingling that the Sect Master felt in his spine made his hair stand up.

Of course, he had also set two plans into motion which he hoped would bring results that might tip the scales back in their favor.

All in all, although the Withering Leaf Sect was down right now, it was definitely not out.

....

In the sky outside the Eastern Border of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

A small team of 10 people held bags at their chests, panting as if they had just run a long distance.

In the Withering Leaf Sect, there was a reason most members trained as both fighters and mages:it was that they could not teleport around on their home ground as they wished.

Along with this, the Withering Leaf Sect also had in its possession multiple techniques which required prowess in both paths.

Even though each of these Eminent Human Mages had trained to the level of an Amateur Human Fighter, it was still very difficult to run tens of kilometers to get out of the Valley before teleporting to begin their mission.

Each member held the bags gingerly as if they were afraid of whatever was inside.

A few moments later, the go-ahead sounded in their ears, making them fly forward with caution on their faces.

Just like teleportation detection formations, almost all the forces in Central Angaria had formations which alerted the army when someone flew into the vicinity of the Kingdom.

They knew their time was short, and they had to take revenge for being chased out of their homeland.

Taking out round objects that looked like snooker balls from Earth, each individual hoisted them up before taking a deep breath and throwing them at every village they saw as soon as they entered the airspace of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

"Abort, abort! They were prepared!"

As this urgent message rattled off in the ears of those in the sky, they turned around to see 20 individuals standing in the air behind each of them.

It seemed as if they had teleported to that location as soon as they entered the border, as it had barely been a minute since the operation had begun.

Just as they were about to teleport away, they realized that the space around them was locked.

With panic now evident on their faces, the Eminent Human Mages took out amulets from their pockets which were designed to break space locks.

In the case of one of the men in the strike team, the amulet had already been in his hand since the moment he began the mission.

As someone who had always had an acute sense of danger, he had been suspicious that things might not go as planned.

Now, seeing these soldiers near him, he immediately squeezed the amulet to break the space lock around him.

The only reason they had been given the amulets even though they were very costly was that the items in the bags needed to be retrieved at all costs in case the mission failed.

Yet, while the force was still being applied by his palm, he watched with widening eyes as the soldiers carried out a beautiful maneuver that amazed him due to its grace.

Of the 20, 10 had been held by the shoulders while standing in the air.

At the moment they had teleported into the air, those who had been holding the soldiers flung them forward before pointing their hand at the spot where each of the 10 were going to plunge to their deaths.

A platform of ice appeared in an instant, which the 10 men and women jumped on to move forward.

After each jump, another platform appeared at the exact spot where their forward momentum was about to halt, resulting in them reaching the strike team of the Withering Leaf Sect in barely a few seconds.

As soon as they reached, one final platform allowed them to stand with swords pointed at the necks of the strike team.

Similar scenes occurred all around the sky above Lanthanor, resulting in the strike team being successfully captured and the bags retrieved.

....

Back in the surveillance room, Daneel watched the screen that had been transported here from the situation room to display the scenes seen by Kellor.

Indeed, Kellor had also been in the area where the attack had gone down.

BOOM

As each of the balls impacted the earth, an explosion which was capable of destroying an entire 4-storeyed large building rocked the villages which had been the targets of the strike team.

Each of the villages were small, making it so that the balls would have killed at least 50 people each-if they hadn't been evacuated beforehand by Daneel.

The moment he had given the order to drop the mosquitoes in the Valley of Mist, he had known that the war which had been brewing since the assassination of the spies from Lanthanor would break out in full force.

Thus, he had given the order to evacuate at around the time the mosquitoes would have begun to target the Withering Leaf Sect.

His caution had been well warranted, as he had already managed to save 500 people from fiery deaths.

Now, watching the screens around the room which displayed the situation around the Valley of Mist, Daneel waited for the Withering Leaf Sect to come out.

He had ruffled the bush to chase out the rabbit, and it was now time to capture it in the waiting cage.

Chapter 195: Traps 2

As his eyes kept flitting around the many screens in the room while searching for any indication of the Withering Leaf Sect's whereabouts, Daneel recalled the events that had led up to this moment.

Since the attack on the village in Lanthanor, it had become quite clear that he could not win this war by acting like a normal ruler.

If he utilized only the assets which were present with most forces in Central Angaria, the war would definitely see many thousands of Lanthanorians dead.

Thankfully, Daneel was a special individual who was in possession of the anomaly that was the World Domination System.

From the actions of the Withering Leaf Sect, it had been quite clear that they wished to anger him into making the foolish decision of sending troops into the Valley.

After all, they had killed the people who had trusted in him and elected him to be their King. How could he sit twiddling his thumbs when they were killed indiscriminately?

Although Daneel's blood called for retribution, his mind had managed to calm him down.

Thinking logically, the best way to win this war was to chase the Sect out of their home-ground.

After all, he knew that they had been encamped there since centuries, meaning that they definitely had multiple traps and countermeasures all around the Valley which would definitely spell his soldiers' doom.

Thus, thinking of all the options he had, Daneel's memory of the events that took place in regards to the Ho Chi Minh trail back on Earth had inspired him to think of something which could chase the sect out of the Valley.

He needed something which could be deployed in an instant, but also controlled so that it could target what he wanted at least to a certain extent.

Like a lightbulb, the idea of using mosquitoes had appeared in his head.

Once, Eldinor had purportedly modified mosquitoes in order to develop the economy of their then-failing nation.

Contacting Eldra, he confirmed that this was true after she visited her nation's secret library in order to peruse the records.

Apparently, the Kingdom of the Elves had also been in massive debt at the time, making it so that they had to resort to this desperate option.

Thankfully for them, it had worked out and resulted in Eldinor developing into a force that now stood on top of Central Anagaria.

After getting the remaining details of the research, Daneel had excitedly fed the information to the system before stating his request.

"System, using the Technique Development tool, is it possible to do similar modifications to a species?"

[Negative. Technique Development-2 Tool is incapable of this task.

Biological Modification-2 Tool required.

Biological Modification Tool: Allows host to biologically modify an organism according to given parameters.

Level-1 Tool can modify microorganisms.Cost: 3000 EXP

Level-2 Tool can modify insect-sized organisms. Cost: 10,000 EXP]

This message itself had caused Daneel to feel a rollercoaster of emotions. First, he had lost hope seeing the negative answer. Then, he had regained it seeing that there was a tool which could accomplish the task, but his hope again plummeted seeing the high cost.

Although he had earned 10,000 EXP after taking control of Eldinor through Eldra, he had intended to keep that EXP as a backup in case he ran into any sticky situations.

Yet, this opportunity was too good to pass up. Daneel knew that this was the best option he had, as it was guaranteed to accomplish what he wished.

Just as he was about to decide to spend most of his reserve to buy the second level of the tool, the system sounded again in his mind making a slight smile appear on his lips.

[Due to data available, system can perform modifications on this specific species with Biological Modification-1 Tool.]

This was music to his ears.

Now, the only thing that remained which was holding him back was that this move might attract too much attention which was very undesirable.

Only, this thought appeared side by side with the two images of the Lanthanorians who had already been killed mercilessly by the Withering Leaf Sect.

Without any more hesitation, Daneel had proceeded to buy the tool and modify the mosquitoes according to his plan after ensuring that there were certain countermeasures so that he wouldn't implicate the entirety of Angaria in order to strike back effectively.

Everything had gone smoothly from that point. The rabbit was definitely frantically running through the foliage, looking for a way to safety without knowing that there were cages waiting all around it.

Indeed, Daneel had already succeeded in booby trapping the area around the Valley to deal a devastating blow to the Sect as soon as they exited.

The last thing remaining was that he had to give the signal to release the trap from above as soon as they appeared on the screens.

Yet, at this moment, Daneel couldn't help but feel that something was off.

Everything was going TOO smoothly.

He wasn't someone new to situations like these where a single oversight could result in catastrophic losses. Thus, he had already started to develop an instinct that warned him that something was wrong.

He had already obtained information from Eldinor about the formation inside the Valley which prevented teleportation.

Putting himself in the Sect Master's shoes, he realized that the possibility that a trap was waiting for them outside the Valley was too high.

If that was the case, what would he do?

"My King! Movement spotted!"

An urgent shout from one of the individuals manning a display pulled him from his thoughts.

Indeed, in one of the screens, a group of people could vaguely be seen cautiously exiting the Valley.

There was a barrier around them which defended them from the ravenous mosquitoes which clouded his vision, preventing him from seeing just how many were present in the group.

Yet, seeing the barrier's size, it was quite obvious that it was a large group.

"It's them. Should I tell the soldiers to drop the bombs?"

Seeing his son hesitating, Robert asked this question. There was only a small timeframe before the group teleported away, and the order had to be given ASAP.

Yet, the King of Lanthanor stared at the display screens in front of him as if trying to look for something.

In barely 30 seconds, the group would teleport away.

1, 2, 3 …. 15 seconds passed, and there was still no answer from the King.

Just as Robert was about to ask again, Daneel shouted suddenly, startling the whole room.

"CASSANDRA, HEAD OVER TO QUADRANT 56 RIGHT NOW! TELL ME THE STATUS! ALL SOLDIERS, HOLD!"

Hold? But why? Their dreaded enemy was right in front of them!

Although this question passed through the minds of those listening, they remained silent while inwardly scratching their heads.

Meanwhile, the display trinket which showed Cassandra's viewpoint shifted as she teleported to the place where Daneel had commanded her to go.

For easy mapping and referral, the Valley had been divided into quadrants which all the soldiers and commanders had memorized.

As the image in the trinket cleared, many of the room stood up and gasped with shock.

A much larger group, similar to the one seen by them was emerging from the Valley in her vision.

Yet, as they looked at the trinket which was supposed to be displaying the image at this location, they realized that all was normal.

"Th-the display is…. Different.."

As the man who was supposed to be observing the display trinket of quadrant 56 said these obvious words, the spell of shock broke in the surveillance room.

Urgency replaced the shock, as this larger group had already almost reached the spot where they could teleport away from.

"ALL SOLDIERS! CONGREGATE AND ATTACK!"

Seeing each waiting soldier teleport from their locations and appear above the actual group of the Withering Leaf Sect, Daneel let out a sigh of relief.

Somehow, the Sect had managed to replace his communication eyes with others that were broadcasting either pre-recorded images or images from different locations.

By doing this, they had almost managed to get away from the clutches of Lanthanor.

Alas, at the last moment, they had been foiled due to bad luck:

A long snake's head had been visible in one display trinket, but its tail had been absent in the trinket which was supposed to be displaying the rest of its body.

Chapter 196: Traps 3

"Switch out the displays."

If the attack on the border of Lanthanor was the first plan the Sect Master put into effect, this was his second.

After the Knight had told him about his suspicion that somebody was watching the borders of the Valley, the Sect Master had ordered a thorough search using trinkets that were specifically designed to detect other trinkets.

The trick was to use these without being identified by whatever was watching them. Thus, the search had been carried out with utmost care by sweeping in from 10 km outside the valley.

If trinkets were indeed keeping an eye on their movements, all of them would definitely be facing towards the valley. Thus it had been possible to identify the communication eyes without the Lanthanor Kingdom becoming aware of this fact.

The Sect Master knew that this was a trump card that he had to keep in his pocket.

Now, he inwardly patted himself on his back for the decision he had made.

With the way things were going, there was definitely some sort of hidden attack waiting for them the moment they exited the valley. Hence, he had chosen to send a group with similar barriers in the opposite direction.

He had just gotten the message from that group that they were going to exit the valley. Thus, after giving out the order to switch the display in front of them, the Sect Master proceeded forward with the main group.

Indeed, the surveillance web that Daneel had carefully woven had almost been defeated due to this simple plan.

Of course, the Sect Master had taken enough countermeasures so that his identification of the communication eyes wouldn't be detected. Those who had gone out to investigate had been disguised as the sect members who were in charge of regularly bringing supplies in and out of the valley.

If everything had gone well, the attack would have targeted the other group, letting the main force of the Withering Leaf Sect escape with almost their full strength and wealth intact.

As for those who had gone on the suicide mission, they were the ones who were most loyal to their sect. Knowing full well that their families would be taken care of and their names immortalized for the sacrifice, they had left to the other side of the valley with their heads held high.

Yet, to their shock, as soon as they exited the valley, no attack befell them.

Instead, all the soldiers who had previously been stationed around the valley had congregated above the main force of the Withering Leaf Sect which had just walked out with the belief that they had hoodwinked their enemies.

If the Sect Master knew that his plan had been thwarted by an unwitting snake which had just happened to slither through the view split between the two display trinkets that Daneel had been looking at, he would definitely have set out himself to find that snake and eradicate its entire family.

In fact, it was to avoid risks like these that he had waited till the last moment to switch out the displays.

Alas, Daneel's eyes had been too sharp and his surveillance web too elaborate, which allowed him to not fall into the Sect Master's trap.

Still, it was not as of the Sect Master's plan had completely failed. He had managed to get them a small timeframe in which more than half the group had managed to teleport due to being in the front.

The moment before he teleported away, the sect master managed to catch a glimpse of the objects falling towards them from the skies.

From this, he easily gathered that his ploy hadn't worked perfectly.

It seemed that the Withering Leaf Sect's fortune was indeed down the drains. Cursing whatever was the reason that enabled the King of Lanthanor to catch on so quickly, he watched as the objects impacted the group behind him.

Just seconds away from reaching the point where teleportation was safe, desperation shown in their eyes as they realised that they had reached the end of the road.

The initial part of the group had been comprised of the top talent of the sect and their most powerful members who were also carrying the energy resources. Bringing up the rear were the elders of the sect whose power had dwindled with old age. After reaching the highest level possible with their talent, they had had no option but to stagnate or even fall in power due to the effects of time on their body as they reached the end of their lifespans.

In that moment before he teleported away, the Sect Master took in all of their faces and expressions. These were the people who had raised him and taught him everything he knew.

Yet now, he was powerless to save them.

It was as if that moment stretched on for an eternity, before the image in front of his eyes shifted to a barren land.

His eyes bloodshot, the Sect Master collapsed to the ground which made the rest of the group turn around with worry.

They had watched all their lives as this man had skilfully helmed the sect through situation after situation while making sure to preserve their strength and their home.

Even when he saw the plague that were the mosquitoes which had been sent by Lanthanor, he hadn't reacted in this way.

Now, seeing his bent figure on the ground, rage filled the faces of the members of the sect still alive.

The few scouts who had managed to witness the scene before leaving the spot due to fear of being found gave a chilling report that made this burning rage soar even higher.

The entire group of the Withering Leaf Sect sect had only numbered around 5000 people due to the fact that the sect only took in elites. These also included the families of the sect members who had been in the front.

Of the 2000 in the rear, around 400 had died due to not being fast enough to conjure personal barriers to protect themselves from the explosion trinkets that had dropped from above. The external barrier which had already been overloaded due to the mosquitoes had cracked immediately, resulting in a volley directly entering the group.

Even those that had managed to protect themselves had been injured heavily. After realizing that they had survived, 200 had chosen to teleport even though they were still in the formation.

Traps had immediately taken their lives bringing the total death count to 600.

The rest had been captured due to the soldiers of the Lanthanor Kingdom who had moved in swiftly after the explosions had seized.

It was as if word after word were physical punches which impacted the Sect Master.

"You made us run from the place which we called home for centuries. You killed the elders of the sect who protected it with their lives. You have almost brought this glorious sect to ruin under my leadership."

Muttering these words to himself while shaking with anger, the Sect Master stood up and turned around to look at the people whose faces mirrored the fury in his.

"You may have burned our leaves, but you will now experience the 'Withering' that is in our name."

As if this statement was a battlecry which roused their hearts and minds, the members of the Sect in front of him stood up straight and looked at him with determination in their eyes.

"Move out. Initiate plan B2. The Withering Leaf Sect sect always pays its dues. "

Taking out the trinket with which he had communicated with the Knight before, the Sect Master sent a message and waited for a while before receiving a reply which made him smile slightly.

Putting it away, he proceeded to move towards the safe house nearby.

…..

Meanwhile, in the surveillance room.

Seeing the explosion trinkets fall on the remainder of the group, Daneel sighed slightly as he realized that he had been a tad bit late.

The next moment, his expression turned into one of absolute seriousness as he saw the impact which almost blinded his eyes.

He had thought about using less ruthless ways, yet he knew that softness would only result in more deaths from his side.

This was war. He could either choose to save as many as possible on his side by being as ruthless as possible to his enemy, or to show mercy and risk his soldiers entering a skirmish which many would not survive.

Yet, as the screen cleared to show the decapitated arms and legs and the groaning and screaming bodies of the men and women who hadn't managed to protect themselves, he couldn't help but feel a degree of disgust towards himself.

Regardless of everything, he had caused this, and he would have to live with it.

As the King tried to get a grip on himself, the Knight who had been missing from the group of the Withering Leaf Sect entered the Kingdom of Lanthanor discreetly.

Chapter 197: The Knight 1

THUD

As the scene of the explosion trinkets dropping on the remaining group of the Withering Leaf Sect appeared on the display trinket in the throne room of the Black Raven Kingdom, both the Black Raven King and the old man stood up in a rush that displayed the shock they felt.

Practically all the forces in Angaria knew about the skirmish between the Withering Leaf Sect and the Lanthanor Kingdom.

In fact, this wasn't very rare. Throughout the history of the continent, there had been numerous instances where a Kingdom which had just undergone a change in leadership with tumultuous events had ended up conflicting with a different force soon after.

This was a pattern that occurred too much to be called a coincidence. Each time, the mettle of the ruler who had newly ascended to their position would be tested.

Although the conflicts seldom resulted in forces being completely destroyed, it was always the case that a force would drop in power while another would rise.

If the one which rose was the one which had the new ruler, then it meant that that ruler was truly someone to look out for.

Thus, in a way, this war with the Withering Leaf Sect was the test that Daneel was undertaking under full view of all the other forces in Angaria.

And so far, his results had already made many people's jaws drop with awe and shock.

All of them were well aware of just how dangerous the Valley of Mist was. Yet, they had never imagined that someone would have been capable of chasing the Withering Leaf Sect out using such a potent method.

Indeed, the sight of the groups exiting with the swarms of mosquitoes had already been branded into the minds of all the rulers watching. Having already tested the mosquitoes using spies they had sent out privately, they knew perfectly just how dangerous they were.

All of them reached one conclusion: the King of Lanthanor was not someone to mess with, unless they wished to meet the same fate as the Withering Leaf Sect-chased out of their home, and then bombarded as soon as they thought they would get to safety.

Apart from the wit and intelligence that the King of Lanthanor had displayed so far, the other thing that highly disconcerted them was his means of being able to develop such a terrifying weapon.

"A-are you sure about the mosquitoes?"

Again remembering that sight of the swarms which looked like they could devour anything and everything, the Black Raven King couldn't help but ask this question again to the old man.

With a tone that didn't sound very confident, the old man replied, "Yes. The area around the Valley of Mist is completely barren, meaning that the mosquitoes will have no food at all. They will be constricted to the Valley, at least for a period of time. The Big 4 will definitely not sit idly seeing a threat arise that can affect the continent. They will step in, especially if the King of Lanthanor does not deploy any countermeasure he has to stop the mosquitoes."

With a nod, the Black Raven King sat back down.

Since the events surrounding this war had begun, he had rejoiced thinking that the Lanthanor Kingdom would be weakened, which would further this goal.

After all, the weaker the other party was, the easier it was to negotiate with them.

Also, in the case that the King of Lanthanor actually hadn't been aware of the ill effects of the Echer seeds, the blow that came from losing so much fertile land would definitely put the Kingdom on its knees, making it ripe for plucking.

Thus, he had already made many plans.

Even though that mysterious master was an anomaly, he had thought that there was no way he could create enough impact in the situation without directly intervening.

Yet, he had been gravely wrong.

From the deployment of the mosquitoes to the bombardment of the sect, it clearly showed that everything had been thoroughly planned out by Lanthanor.

Was this truly the same Kingdom whose King he had spoken to on the border all those months ago?

Had they done a mistake by scheming against him?

Although these thoughts kept appearing in his mind again and again, the Black Raven King ruthlessly snuffed them out.

He had already cast his die, and the only thing he could do now was to be as cautious as possible with this Kingdom which was showing itself to be more formidable than it had ever been in decades.

....

Meanwhile, at the East Border Gate of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

A middle-aged man with a walking stick ambled through the gates of the border wearily before joining the line where checking was taking place.

On reaching his turn, his name, face and location were recorded before his body was checked using a trinket that looked like a metal stick.

After making sure that there were no unannounced trinkets on the man, the soldiers let him through.

On reaching a discreet location in one of the small forests in the outskirts of the Lanthanor Kingdom, the middle-aged man turned into the Knight before sitting down on a stump of a tree.

Chuckling to himself at the primitive methods of these backward Kingdoms, the Knight took out a parchment he had declared as a communication trinket.

As he waited for news from the Withering Leaf Sect Master, he thought back to the thorough methods used in his homeland to detect those who could be hiding their identities.

Indeed, in Central Angaria, it was a huge problem that one was able to change their appearance using the disguise spell to go where they wished. Although the time for which they could maintain the spell was limited, it still meant that Exalted Human Level Mages, which was the minimum level for casting the spell, could be the best spies if they wished.

The only thing that held forces back from using this loophole in every force's security was that each Exalted Human Mage was an asset that would just be wasted if they were sent on suicide missions.

Of course, there had been incidents when forces had resorted to this method when situations became truly desperate. In a way, a parallel could be drawn in this matter between Angaria and Earth: even on Earth, countries didn't resort to launching nukes(which is similar to sending Exalted Human Mages on suicide missions) because they knew that their targets would retaliate in the same way, resulting in mutual destruction.

After receiving the message from the Withering Leaf Sect Master about what had happened, the Knight raised one eyebrow, slightly impressed that the King of Lanthanor wasn't a wimpy kid who didn't shy away from resorting to ruthless methods.

These were the kind of people whom he loved breaking the most.

Telling the Sect Master that he was proceeding with his plan, the Knight turned back into the middle-aged man.

As he was only a peak Exalted Human Mage, he had no choice but to morph back into his original form to reset the disguise spell.

Of course, his mage level had nothing to do with his fighting prowess, especially when one took into account the flame which he held inside him.

According to all the reports, the King of Lanthanor was at most at the beginning of the Eminent Human Mage level.

Because of his weak level, it was known that he spent all of his time inside the Palace, under the protection of the legendary Dragon-heart formation.

Touching the communication trinket again, the Knight said in his mind, "Formation-disruption trinket received. Proceeding with secondary mission: assassinate the King of Lanthanor. Target is rumored to be at the 4th Human Mage level. Mission success probability: 100%"

After making this report, the Knight carefully put the trinket back in his pocket before walking out of the forest.

Making his way to the capital, he looked forward to crushing under his foot the King who had dared to put himself in the limelight even though he was so weak that he needed to rely on external means to protect himself.

....

Meanwhile, in the surveillance room in the Lanthanor Kingdom.

After temporarily getting a grip on his thoughts, Daneel proceeded to order the soldiers and the commanders to carefully transport the prisoners over to Lanthanor.

Right after the bombardment, he had given orders for the soldiers to move in just like how the elite mage and fighter units had managed to capture the strike team of the Withering Leaf Sect when they had tried to attack Lanthanor.

Although he was happy that he had managed to save all of his forces, he was worried about what the Withering Leaf Sect would do.

After all, as they said on Earth, the most dangerous animal in the woods was a wounded one.

Chapter 198: The Knight 2

The next morning, Daneel woke up from his slumber to find that there were no new updates on the situation with the Withering Leaf Sect.

Although he had ambitiously sent out spies to all nearby places where a hideout could be, no clue had been found about the whereabouts of the remaining members who were definitely hell-bent on revenge.

Of course, the possibility did exist that they might retreat to lick their wounds and recover before planning to strike back.

Yet, Daneel could not relax just because this possibility existed. It was also equally possible that they would mount an attack which could devastate Lanthanor.

Again, he hated this feeling of not knowing.

Although there was one way through which he could possibly find their location, Daneel put it to the side for now due to the high risk that came with it.

After checking on the mosquitoes to make sure that they weren't breeding beyond known parameters, Daneel made his way towards the doors that led out of the Palace.

Today, he had told Kellor to gather the owners of all the wine import and export businesses in Lanthanor. The meeting had already been pushed back again and again due to the events surrounding the war, and Daneel knew that it was not wise to leave such a matter in the air.

Besides, he had even called them all for just 5 minutes the last time before asking them to disperse due to him changing his mind on the stance he would take with business.

Thus, Daneel had made the decision that it would be good to distract himself from worrying about the Sect's counterattack by taking care of matters such as these.

After joining the retinue, the King of Lanthanor made his way towards the clearing still pondering over whether he had missed something.

Since the morning, he had been feeling a slight tingling in his back, as if someone were targeting him without his knowledge.

Although this feeling was very faint, Daneel had learned to trust his instincts no matter what.

Yet, although he did trust it, he had no way to know just who it was. He had too many enemies right now, and he simply couldn't figure out who was capable enough to threaten him even though he was within the formation that could only be broken by the full power strike of a Champion level powerhouse.

After reaching the clearing, Daneel shook his head to get rid of stray thoughts before looking up to address the crowd gathered in front of him.

"My dear business-men and women of Lanthanor. First of all, it is regretful that we had to delay this meeting for so long. As-"

It was as if time had frozen.

Mid-speech, Daneel felt something that made his entire body jolt as if it had been struck by lightning.

Bloodlust. Pure, unadulterated bloodlust that wished to destroy him where he stood.

In an instant, his mind accelerated as the information about everything around him rushed through it.

All the commanders were currently stationed at the borders, while his father was with his mother.

Beside him was Kellor, and behind him stood 20 Elite mages and 20 Elite Fighters.

All of them stood at attention, cautiously looking around while trying to find any threat that might mean harm to the King.

Yet, they had missed the man in the clearing who was currently looking at Daneel with a small smile on his face.

Although his appearance was of someone who had attended the last meeting, Daneel already knew that it was an imposter who had come to kill him.

Just as this realization appeared in his mind, time went back to normal.

"ENEMY ATTACK!"

With a scream, Daneel activated the Dragon-heart formation using the system and commanded a dragon claw to envelop the man he had just seen.

Along with this command, he also ordered the system to evacuate all the other people by spawning as many dragon claws as necessary.

Immediately, the entire clearing was filled with numerous majestic claws that clutched people before immediately soaring away.

Yet, there was one in the center which had been blocked by a barrier that had arisen around the man the moment he had given the order to the system.

SCREEECHHH

As if the dragon claw was trying to pierce a glass ball, an unpleasant screeching echoed in the clearing.

"PROTECT THE KING! CALL REINFORCEMENTS!"

This moment was enough for the soldiers to react.

At the spot where Daneel had previously been standing, a metal tank appeared which enveloped him in the center.

As the sun's rays were suddenly blocked, Daneel squinted his eyes while trying to get a look at the man who had gotten a slightly startled expression on seeing that the King of Lanthanor had somehow been alerted of his intentions before he could attack.

Since the moment that Daneel had noticed the imposter, only 2 seconds had passed.

The tank was already in place, and it seemed as if the dragon claw would soon penetrate the barrier to capture the man.

Yet, at this moment, the tingling in Daneel's back intensified to such a degree that he felt like he was going to be devoured whole by something unseen that was stalking him in the dark.

As Daneel watched on with horrified eyes, the man inside the barrier took out a small object whose shape he couldn't discern due to the 30 meters of distance between them.

Just as the man was about to completely break the object by squeezing his hand, an urgent notification from the system sounded in Daneel's mind.

[Formation-distortion detected! Host must move 500 meters south to re-enter the formation!]

Before he could begin to figure out what the notification even meant, an incredible sight greeted his eyes which made his jaw drop with shock.

The dragon claw which was trying to break through the barrier around the man had started to disintegrate, with the tip of the claw already fading into the air.

In barely a second, the entire claw vanished, leaving the man free to walk towards the King.

"FALL BACK!"

Even as Daneel shouted this order, the man punched forward in the air with his fist.

At the instant his fist reached the end of its forward momentum, an enormous ball of green fire came into existence speeding towards the metal box in which the King was being protected.

BOOM

As if the ball of green fire was actually a physical punch thrown by a giant, the impact made the metal box fall back due to the sheer force it carried.

If it was just so, Daneel wouldn't have begun to sweat with the fear that had begun to creep into him.

At the last moment before the man-sized ball impacted the tank, he had noticed a small skull inside which seemed to have its jaw open, as if it were delighted about the coming destruction.

Now, through the peephole, he could see that that skull was avidly devouring the metal conjured by the Elite Mages who stood around him.

Already, a large gaping hole had appeared through which the fire started to move in as if it were alive.

"Apologies, My King."

Along with these words, Daneel felt something grasp him from behind before flinging him backward.

It was Kellor.

After taking a glance at the King of Lanthanor who was currently flying haphazardly through the air, the Grand Court Mage of Lanthanor conjured the strongest barrier he could using his strength of an 8th Grade Exalted Human Mage.

"Soldiers, retreat. He is not someone you can handle."

Indeed, Kellor had already realized that this was a fight between those at the Exalted Human Level. Although these soldiers were elites, they were still at the Eminent Human Level.

Yet, even though this was the order Kellor gave on the outside, he had already commanded them to re-conjure the tank and prep the cannon discreetly, without falling into the eyes of the man in front of him.

With determined nods, the soldiers quickly retreated, leaving the Grand Court Mage behind with the green fire constantly eating away at the barrier that already seemed like it would break soon.

Seeing everything happening in front of him, the man who was the Knight from the Church of Rectitude felt a slight panic overtake him.

If it hadn't been for that moment when this damn brat had managed to catch onto his identity, he knew that his attack would have already resulted in a successful assassination.

Now, it seemed that the King might get away, as he was already on the way to the area still covered by the formation.

Recalling everything he knew about the King, the Knight hatched a last-ditch plan in order to successfully finish his mission.

"King of Lanthanor! Come out and face me if you dare, or let your Grand Court Mage die in your place! Make it known once and for all that all you can do is hide inside your little formation while your subjects die for you! Make your choice, 'noble' King!"

Chapter 199: The Knight 3

After landing on the ground haphazardly, Daneel turned around with shock on hearing the words uttered by the man who was now smiling with glee on his face.

Over to the side, all the citizens of Lanthanor who had come for the meeting were watching on with indecipherable expressions.

The words said by the man had indeed hit home. So far, the King of Lanthanor had never even been seen once outside the palace. Everyone knew that he was very young and was hence one of the weakest rulers in all of Central Angaria.

Now, listening to the words from the man, Daneel could see that thoughts which hadn't been present before had started to appear in their minds.

Was the King really someone who could only sit in the formation and command others to die for him?

Was he truly worthy of the adoration that he was bestowed with due to his actions in taking the throne and his initiatives in bettering the people of Lanthanor?

All this didn't matter if he was just a weakling who hid behind his subordinates.

In Angaria, power was revered over all other things. True, the King was very idealistic and might even have a good head on shoulders, but what about his power?

Till now, this had at least escaped the purview of the citizens because there hadn't been a situation where the King had to step out by himself.

No one could say whether this situation might have appeared sooner or later. Yet, it was certain that this was something that would have been used to incite distrust in his leadership by his enemies.

If Daneel truly chose to step back right now, he knew that his image would take a disastrous dent that he didn't know how to recover from. This wasn't like the incident with the village, where he had been able to suppress all news. Too many people were watching, and there was no way to suppress them all.

He had taken the throne due to his image. He was loved and trusted by the people due to his image.

And if this image was destroyed, he did not even want to think about what far-reaching effects it would have.

Watching the green flames about to devour the barriers set up by the Grand Court Mage, Daneel knew that he did not have much time at all. The reinforcements would take too long to arrive, and it seemed that the green fire was so potent that Kellor couldn't even conjure any other powerful magic to fight against it.

Of course, this wasn't the first time he was going up against this green flame. The last time, a simple tornado had been enough to chase it away in the village when the strike team had attacked Lanthanor.

Kellor had already tried this. Yet, it seemed as though the two flames were completely different, almost as if the former had been ownerless, which made it disperse as soon as it was attacked by an outside force.

If this had occurred two days ago, Daneel would have chosen the safer option no matter what it meant. After all, what did his image matter if he wasn't alive in the first place? Even though the option still existed that he could try to send out his clone to fool the man, he knew that the ruse would be uncovered in no time, resulting in an even more disastrous outcome that the King couldn't even stand a single blow because the clone was, after all, powerless.

Thus without any more hesitation, Daneel took his decision.

Recently, even he had been missing that feeling when he awed the people with his personal power back during the first examination in the National Academy of Lanthanor.

That feeling of being able to crush an opponent with his own hands was really something else.

All this time, he hadn't been training aimlessly. His was the path of a paragon, and it was time to show the continent again that he was one of the most talented individuals to have ever been born on Angaria.

Although he was tempted to expose everything and possibly defeat the man, he still decided to exercise some prudence as he did not want to draw too much attention on himself.

Yet, when Daneel switched on his elemental vision to see the green fire, even this hesitation was wiped away from his mind.

Spell model!

In his elemental sight, he could clearly see that the green fire was in fact very small, but it was actually somehow affecting the particles around it to amplify itself to a degree that he hadn't seen before even in his Master's magic.

This clearly meant that this man was in possession of the full spell model with which one could amplify their spells, thereby resulting in an output of power uncharacteristic of one's own level.

This was his dream. and the reason he had taken the risk to plant the Echer seeds given by the Black Raven Kingdom.

After realizing this fact, his goal changed. Where before he had only wanted to show his power to chase the man away, he now wanted to capture him in order to try and obtain the spell model which would definitely result in him skyrocketing in power.

After all, he had the system which might even be able to develop lesser spell models with which he could equip his army to great effect.

So many things would become possible, and the only thing stopping him from achieving them was the freedom of the man in front of him.

It was time to take that freedom away.

Conjuring the clone in his place, Daneel gave it a Ker Gem before boldly walking forward out of the safe zone of the formation. Before, Kellor had been successful in sending him back into the area where he could still conjure Dragon Claws to keep himself safe.

Although the system started to notify him again in his head, he ignored it while activating his mageroot to take full control of all the elementary particles around him using the strength of an Exalted Human Mage.

Indeed, two days ago, Daneel had already successfully broken through into the realm that separated the truly strong in the continent from those who could still only be considered as being in the mid-levels.

He was definitely the youngest Exalted Human Mage in the entire continent, and if people found out that he was also an Exalted Human Fighter, it would be shocking enough to discourage all those who were walking on a similar path on seeing his blazing speed.

This was the only thing he decided to hold back. After all, it was never wise to expose all the cards available to you especially when everyone was watching.

"Kellor, go back. This isn't your fight. As he said, it is time for me to stop hiding behind the formation and sending others to their deaths. It is time for me to step into the battlefield myself, and if I die in the process, I'll at least not be remembered as a coward who let his subordinates die in front of him while still being in possession of power to stop it from happening."

Although Daneel was saying these words with the determination of one who was ready to face his death no matter what in order to stand with his ideals, he was chuckling inwardly as he knew that the chances were slim that he would actually die.

As someone who was in possession of both Exalted Human Mage strength and Warrior level spell techniques, his power level had definitely already crossed the realm of Humans. No matter how much of an advantage the green flame gave to the man, the system had already told him that he was not an individual at the Warrior level, which meant that he was only at the peak of the Human Mage level.

Thus, these words were only meant for those watching, so that his image could be solidified further in their minds.

As expected, the expressions of most of the businessmen and businesswoman who were watching the scene had already changed into one of surprise and approval.

Kellor was already sweating as it was all he could do to maintain the barrier while trying to conjure tornado spells in order to try and drive out the fire. Sadly, his attempts seemed to be futile, and just like the man had said it was becoming clear that he would soon lose his life.

Yet, hearing the words from the King who had just walked back towards his side, Kellor opened his eyes wide with shock as this was definitely the most illogical decision taken by the King since ascending the throne.

What use was all those things if he died in this battle? Kellor knew that Daneel was not someone who acted on his hot-bloodedness, so he was both puzzled and surprised at the same time.

Yet, as he looked back to see with his Elemental Vision the number of elemental particles that Daneel had under his control, his eyebrows went up as far as they could on his forehead because of the realization that he was actually watching the power of an Exalted Human Mage in all its glory.

A-a 17-year-old Exalted Human Mage? H-how was this even possible?

Even before he could say anything, he found himself being flung back similarly while the King took his place to maintain the barrier.

Chapter 200: The Knight 4

His ploy had actually worked?

Although faint surprise appeared in the Knight's mind, he put it aside as his goal had been reached. The King of Lanthanor had willingly walked out of the safety of his formation to face him, and now the only thing remaining was to kill him where he stood.

Seeing the strongest mage in his vicinity flung back and removed from the fight in a second, the Knight couldn't help but chuckle a bit seeing the bratty King's foolishness.

Indeed, it seemed that age really did matter when it came to controlling one's emotions in order to take right decisions.

Not one to question a good thing, the Knight pulled back his arm to shoot another fist of green flame at the King who was now confidently standing at the same spot as the Grand Court Mage before.

Yet, to his surprise, a wall made of ice appeared in an instant in the place of the barrier that had been keeping his green flame at bay.

The green flame was something which the Church of Rectitude had developed after centuries of research and experimentation. Capable of eating away at the root constituents of anything it came into contact with, it was fueled by the mageroot of the person it was attached to.

It was for this reason that those chosen to carry the green flame could not go past the level of an Exalted Human Mage, as the mageroot could not develop any further after being possessed by the flame which was also said to have a sentience that integrated with that of the person whose mageroot it possessed.

This was why those who carried such flames were known to be prone to emotional outbursts, which often resulted in the doom of all those around them, or even themselves.

Of course, the Church did not care about all these, as all it wanted was disposable individuals who had no talent to reach further levels anyway. After training them to the peak, the flame would be injected into them causing their power to skyrocket to the mid-Warrior realm.

Thus, even though the Knight's eyes widened seeing that the King of Lanthanor was actually an Exalted Human Mage due to the speed with which he conjured the ice wall, he only smiled even broader at the happiness that came with the thought that he would be snuffing out a once-in-a-generation talent that had graced this primitive continent.

If someone with this much talent had been born in his homeland, they would already have been fought over by all the major sects and forces before being snatched up and put away in order to train directly to the champion level.

Thus, this development had only resulted in bringing him even more joy in having the chance to finish this mission. Not only would he be killing someone who was a thorn in the Church's plans, he would also be destroying the bright future of someone who would almost definitely have trained to become a Champion level powerhouse to oppose the Church.

Nothing could stand in the green fire's way. With confidence, the Knight watched as his punch impacted the ice wall and broke through immediately.

Yet, the next moment, he felt that something was wrong. Behind that ice wall, there were multiple others which stretched on as far as his eye could see. Each wall contributed to lessening the momentum and the power of his punch bit by bit, making it so that at the end, all that remained was the power of a simple physical punch with a sliver of the green flame which had already been consumed because of eating through all the ice that had obstructed it till now.

The next instant, he felt a threat coming from under him.

Teleporting immediately to the side, the Knight looked back to see that five ice shards had just shot out of the ground at the place he had been standing at. Because of the distortion of the formation, teleportation was also possible in the sphere of its effect.

The king was nowhere to be seen, but he did not even have time to think about his target's whereabouts as he was currently being assaulted from all directions.

First, a few more ice shards attacked him from the ground, making him levitate in the air knowing that standing on the ground was no longer safe. Yet, as soon as he reached an altitude of 5 m in the air, a lightning bolt struck down from above while 10 fireballs flew in his direction as if they had already known that he would reach that position at that exact moment.

With no choice but to teleport again, the Knight controlled his growing shock at the fact that the King of Lanthanor was capable of controlling so many elements with so little casting time.

It wasn't difficult to conjure lightning bolts, fireballs and ice shards, as they were all basic spells. Yet, what amazed him and showed the power of an Exalted Human mage was that each was conjured in barely an instant, and the sheer amount of each attack suggested that the one behind it had mastered these elements to a high degree.

A single title reverberated his years on realizing this fact. A title which was revered in his homeland, as those who were capable of holding it were all individuals who could not be trifled with.

Paragon.

The area he could teleport to was becoming limited, as the distortion worked by making a bubble in which the formation had no effect. This meant that he could only teleport in this small bubble, as the Dragon Claws would be able to reach him if he crossed the sphere.

Where was the King? He asked himself while frantically looking around. From the locations of all the spells that were repeatedly bombarding him no matter how many times he teleported, he realized that his target was definitely close.

Although it had barely been 10 seconds since the fight began, he had already teleported six times. Each time, he was met by volleys of fireballs, lightning bolts and ice shards that would definitely injure his body if he wasn't fast enough.

In a way, this showcased the power that an Exalted Human Mage who was a Paragon held. Any other mage would have had to resort to a single type of attack, which could have been neutralised easily by opposing spells.

When one reach this level, there were two ways of fighting: brute force and advanced spells.

The King of Lanthanor was clearly using the former. Because an Exalted Human Mage could control so many more elemental particles at a speed much higher than any below his level, he was using this advantage to repeatedly put the Knight in situations where he might be stressed enough to make a single mistake.

After all, in such a high paced fight, a single mistake was all that was needed to decide the victor and the loser.

Already, the Knight was feeling flustered as the repeated changes in position had started to make him woozy.

Enough is enough, he thought, before activating his mageoot completely.

"AAAAHHHHH!"

With a scream of rage, the Knight extended his arms and legs in the air as green flame blossomed all around him, surrounding him in a blazing cocoon that completely nullified all the attacks flying towards him.

This nullification allowed the Knight to focus his attention on the battlefield again, letting him see that the King of Lanthanor was standing right in front of him with his hands held high as he had just conjured all the spells that had been devoured by the green flame.

Seeing his target so close, the Knight implemented the strategy that had won him many fights before.

Taking out an orb from his pocket, he squeezed it before instantly teleporting in front of the King.

This was an instant high-level space lock, which was so rare that it was definitely not even available in this continent.

In the Knight's vision, an expression of panic appeared on the King's face, as he realized that he could no longer teleport away to escape the clutches of the man who had come to kill him.

Yet, after all, he was a King. A high-level barrier came into effect around his body, protecting him from the cocoon of green flame around the Knight which had already extended forward in order to devour the King whole.

The Knight knew that victory was in his grasp. As the space was locked, the King could not run anywhere and the barrier would also soon be broken through.

"Noble king? More like foolish king. Good job coming out to meet your death. The Church sends its regards."

Usually, there was nothing dumber that an individual choosing to talk to their opponent in the middle of a fast paced fight.

Yet, the Knight chose to utter these words as he was only waiting for the barrier to break.

Also, one of his pleasures was seeing the hopelessness on his opponent's eyes when they knew that death would soon consume them.

But to his surprise, instead of hopelessness, a small smile appeared on the King's lips.

"Oh? Then Lanthanor sends its regards as well."

Chapter 201: The Knight 5

Since the moment the Knight had teleported over to deliver the finishing blow on the King, he had sensed that some kind of spell was forming under him.

Although he knew that it was something potentially dangerous, this was the final point of the fight where he had to put everything he had on the line in order to ensure victory. Thus, he had decided to activate his personal barrier which would definitely be able to withstand any Exalted Human Mage level attack long enough so that he could kill the King and flee the premises.

Now, hearing the confident words of the kid in front of him who was supposed to be quivering with fear due to seeing the death that was going to consume him, the Knight got the feeling that he had missed something.

Indeed, after saying those words, the King of Lanthanor looked down, which made the Knight follow his gaze to see the incredible sight below him.

At some point of time, the barrier he was in had been encircled by a bowl which looked like it was made of metal.

This thing had definitely not been conjured in an instant, making the Knight realise that this had all been calculated by the young kid in front of him who he thought was easy pickings.

The metal construct had been conjured beforehand and hidden under the ground, till the moment the Knight moved to appear in front of the King.

Even though they were Exalted Human Mages, there was still a small cooldown between teleportations.

The Knight had just teleported over, and although he tried to initiate teleportation again to get away from this place which made his instincts scream that it was very dangerous, it was too late.

Just as the last word exited the King of Lanthanor's mouth, the sound of some heavy object falling entered the Knight's ears.

BOOM

The next moment, the Knight found that the image in front of his eyes had shifted to the wide sky above them.

In fact, this shift in position was so sudden that he couldn't even completely comprehend what was happening.

THUD

As he landed on the ground and hastily got up to shake his head to get rid of vertigo, he looked up to see the King of Lanthanor still standing at the same place as before with a smile on his lips.

Only, he was over half a kilometer away from his position.

The Knight was completely uninjured, which made him feel as if the King was just playing with him. With a snarl appearing on his face, he tried to teleport again to get back to attacking the King.

Yet, shock replaced the snarl as he realized that he could no longer teleport.

Looking around, he finally realized where he was.

The darned King had actually thrown him out of the sphere of the formation distortion!

The instant after this realization appeared in his mind, multiple dragon claws wound around the barrier that was protecting him that had also resulted in him being catapulted backward into the area where the formation was still in effect.

Everything seemed to be preplanned, as the claws successfully broke through his barrier before enveloping him tightly.

Just as he was about to take out a space lock breaking trinket from his pocket, a cylindrical metal object covered his vision before a ball of bright light formed in its depths which sent a chill down his spine.

He knew that the moment he moved, that ball would decimate him into pieces. Although the green flame was still trying to eat away the dragon claws to allow him to escape, he found that it was a losing battle as it had already been used multiple times before, decreasing its power.

He, a Tenebrous Knight of the Church, had actually been captured!

Looking back at the King, he tried to figure out just what had happened.

As he did so, he saw a sight which he would remember till the end of his days.

In front of the King of Lanthanor, a catapult which was made of different elements was just fading away into the air.

With his elemental vision, he could clearly see that each and every element was harmoniously working together in order to bring out the effect of a catapult.

In fact, it could only be called a catapult in the loosest sense of the word. Essentially, it was just two semi-spheres of metal attached together by a wooden block which was placed on a wooden ledge.

Only, the entire thing had been built underground, in a wide rectangular pit that had been extracted at some point of time and filled with loose earth in order to momentarily fool his eyes.

At the moment he had teleported over, all the earth had been gathered into a solid ball which fell on the other semi-sphere of metal which was in the air, causing the counter force to send him flying.

The Knight knew that it was impossible for an Exalted Human Mage to actually conjure solid blocks of any material or element in a small period of time. To overcome this limitation, the King of Lanthanor had actually conjured boards of wood before fixing them together using nails of metal and a layer of ice on top of them to completely secure the block. Meanwhile, the metal semicircular spheres were also actually made of ice before a layer of metal was added over them.

Again, this had enabled the King to overcome the limitation of the extra difficulty inherent in conjuring large amounts of metal in an area where many metal elemental particles weren't present. After all, this was a clearing surrounded by forests, which meant that water and wood elemental particles were in abundance making it so that conjuring anything out of these elements was easiest.

After taking in everything with his eyes, he couldn't help that mouth the three words that had appeared in his mind.

Paragon Magical Construct.

Being in possession of high skill levels in all elements, it was only Paragons who could create such incredible magical constructs that could allow them to go up against even entire armies using just their own power.

In fact, there had even been a paragon in his homeland who had protected his Kingdom from over 5,000 soldiers using artillery only he had conjured.

This was why Paragons were so highly valued: not only were they capable of fighting those above their level, they could even overcome the limitation of being unable to handle hordes of enemies like other normal fighters and mages on the same level.

At this moment, with all avenues closed to him, the Knight could only think of one thing to do: activating the secret switch inside him which would allow the green fire to consume him, leaving nothing behind.

Yet, he found that he was interested in the brat in front of him who could even put the geniuses from his homeland to shame.

Since coming to this continent, he had only felt disgust and ridicule over these people whom he considered as nothing more than ants.

Seeing a lion emerge from these ants, he found himself endlessly interested in this individual who was the King of Lanthanor.

Oaths bound him from releasing any crucial information, and there were no methods whatsoever with which he could be stopped from activating the switch which would destroy him.

Indeed, the very fact that he was having such thoughts signified that he had failed his mission and even ended up being captured by the one he had called an easy target.

Finding that even communication trinkets had been blocked completely, he smiled at the thoroughness of the King before wondering whether he had lost due to being too confident.

No, no matter how much he thought about it, he realized that there would have been no way to kill this man who had showed talent that would definitely shock the entire continent and even the Church which was levels above the strongest force on this land.

The information about his power level had been too closely hidden, which meant that the only other possible outcome was that he might have managed to get away instead of being captured.

Alas, it was too late. The Knight was a smart man; all the laughter and glee from before had only been to incite the King and also to rile himself up for the fight. Calming down and thinking about everything, he found that the King of Lanthanor was a much more terrifying person than what the Withering Leaf Sect Master gave him credit for.

After breaking one last trinket that he always hid inside his mouth as a false tooth and putting one last-ditch attempt to finish his mission into effect, the Knight completely surrendered with a smile on his face, waiting for the King to walk forward to address him.

Chapter 202: The Knight 6

Seeing his plan successfully unfold, Daneel smiled wide before glancing to the side to see the expressions of all those watching everything that had been happening till now.

As those who had been in a position of authority and wealth for a long time, many of the businessmen and women in the vicinity were well aware of the power levels in Angaria. Thus, they knew very well what it meant for someone to reach the Exalted Human level at such a young age while also having the skills of a Paragon.

They had seen for themselves how this man had easily defeated the Grand Court Mage of the Lanthanor Kingdom with just one attack. Yet, their King, who was still a teen, had managed to somehow subjugate him and even capture him alive using the clever ploy of the catapult.

Such terrifying calculations and talent could only be admired.

Indeed, Daneel had hatched this plan after deciding to capture the man alive at all costs. He knew that the best way he could do so was by using the Dragon Heart formation which was unfortunately distorted in the location where the man was standing. Thus, the only solution was to somehow move the man into the place where the formation was still in effect.

All the probing attacks had only been to distract the man so that he could construct the catapult which would throw the man into the area where the Dragon claws could capture him effectively.

Thankfully, he had been just in time. Also, the making of such complicated constructs wasn't something he had learned or even practiced beforehand. This had only been possible due to the tool he had bought in the Kingdom of the Elves which had allowed him to analyze the mechanical construct which had been around the little elves' necks.

Then, although he had heard the system's explanation that the tool could work with both magical and mechanical constructs, he had put it aside due to the urgency of the situation.

When he had been racking his brain to find ways to achieve the desired effect, the system had suggested using this tool which had resulted in such a smooth victory.

Of course, the idea of the design of the catapult had come from Daneel, with the system only casting the spells needed to bring it into existence.

By controlling elemental particles, one could bring into existence physical manifestations such as the boards of wood, but the particles would go back into their original forms of being free in nature when the mageroot stopped acting on them.

Of course, like everyone else was already thinking, it had only been possible because of his progress as a Paragon which was due to the existence of the system.

He had initially been tempted to use warrior level spells such as the concentrated fire bolts that he had used when he met the previous King of the Lanthanor Kingdom all those years ago. Yet, that would simply give away the fact that he was somehow capable of casting spells far above his level which would bring even more attention on himself.

Thus, by balancing everything, Daneel had managed to achieve his objective by only exposing two of his cards: his power level and his prowess as a Paragon. His ability to cast Warrior level spells and his power as a Fighter were still hidden trump cards that he could use to escape from perilous situations.

Just as he was about to walk forward to talk to the prisoner he had caught with great difficulty, the system urgently sounded a notification in his head which made him halt his movements.

[Phenomena Analysis Module has detected a hidden trap in front of host. Stepping on the patch of ground in front of host will result in the Tenebrous Flame which is controlled by the host's opponent to enter the host's body.]

Daneel's eyes widened as he heard this notification. He had already deactivated his personal trinket, making it so that he would have been completely defenseless if he had stepped forward without any knowledge of the trap.

It seemed that just like his opponent, he had also underestimated the other party which would almost have resulted in a disaster.

"Why was I unable to detect anything? What kind of level is the trap?"

[System informs host that this is a trinket enabled trap at the Warrior level. System was only able to detect it because of the complexity which allows system to analyse spells at the warrior level].

Hearing this answer, Daneel realized that he was in a dilemma. If he detected the trap, he would make it quite clear to his opponent that he somehow had the means of a Warrior even if he was only at the human level.

Granted that his opponent was currently captured, he had no intentions of directly killing him which would ensure that this information would not be leaked. If he chose to defuse the trap, he risked this information leaking in the worst case where the imposter might escape from his clutches.

Trying to decide what to do, Daneel glanced to the side to note that the expressions of the people in the vicinity had changed from shock to consternation. They were currently whispering among themselves while occasionally glancing at the King.

At this moment, a daring idea entered Daneel's mind.

"Has there been any headway in analyzing the flame by watching it being used by that man?", he asked.

[Negative. The complexity exceeds what the system can handle.]

"What if the flame is directly in my body? Will the analysis be easier then?"

Daneel had three reasons for asking this question. One: he desperately wanted to have an alternative to analyzing the spell model and the flame without needing to successfully interrogate his opponent who must definitely have been bound by oaths.

Two, from the moment his opponent had spoken in that way to incite him to fight, he had been reminded of the importance of his image.

Right now, his image had definitely changed from a weakling to an extremely talented person who could hold his own in a fight. Why not improve it even further?

If his plan was successful, even the most stubborn of people who were against his reign might find themselves being turned around to support him.

If this did happen, it would enable each and every one of his plans for the Kingdom to be carried out much more effectively.

With all these thoughts in his head and the positive answer from the system, Daneel asked one more question before bracing himself and stepping forward.

From the corner of his eye, he saw that the smile on the captured opponent's face had just become wider on seeing that the King of Lanthanor had stepped forward according to his plan.

The next instant, a green snake drilled out of the ground to attack the King.

Even before anyone could react, the snake had already entered the King's stomach before disappearing inside. No blood appeared from the wound right away, as the high heat of the flame had scorched the area around it.

Without a word, the King of Lanthanor collapsed on the ground with an expression of utter surprise on his face.

As his consciousness faded away, the last thing Daneel saw was Kellor running towards him while looking like he was the one who had actually been impaled by the attack.

After commanding the system to keep a firm hold over the Dragon claws trapping the enemy, Daneel shifted his consciousness to the clone which had been absorbing energy from the Ker Gem till now.

As the full attention of everybody in the clearing was on the collapsed body of the King of Lanthanor, the clone managed to sneak away without anyone being the wiser.

...

At the secret base of the Withering Leaf Sect, in an unknown location.

The Sect Master clutched a parchment in his hand while checking every second for any message from the spies he had in the Lanthanor Kingdom. He knew very well that the Knight from the church would be attacking today, and he was looking forward to positive news due to the high confidence shown by the man as if he had everything under his control.

Yet, the news that came through the trinket shocked him before making him stand up with the expression of one who had just made a decision.

"Get ready to move out. The King of Lanthanor has been injured and is possibly dying. This is the perfect time to strike"

Beside him, the eyes of a man who had been forgotten until this moment inside the group of the Withering Leaf Sect shone, as he realized with joy that his chance had finally come.

But if someone could see his figure without any clothes, they would be shocked on witnessing that there were actually 2 faces smiling, not one.

Chapter 203: Aftermath 1

The news of the events that took place in the Palace grounds of the Lanthanor Kingdom shook the entirety of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Never before in its known history had there been someone who could achieve such a power level at such a young age. This was simply heaven-defying talent, making some suspect that he was a hidden disciple of one of the Big Four.

Yet, those who had done extensive research on the background of the King of Lanthanor knew that this was not possible. As they frantically went over the reports concerning the King over and over again, they tried to figure out how he had been able to hide such terrifying talent for so long.

Even more than this reveal, the information that he was injured and that his status was unknown made many turn towards the Kingdom of Lanthanor with ravenous eyes.

Of course, although they still showed a modicum of caution, some had already begun to ready their troops to move on the Kingdom in case another power vacuum appeared.

After all, they knew very well about the effective purging of the nobility by the new King, making it so that there was no clear line of succession.

This meant that the Kingdom of Lanthanor was once again ripe for someone else to take control of.

The only thing that stopped them was the instances in history where Kings and Queens had used such ruses in order to lure in enemy Kingdoms before trapping them and annihilating their forces.

Besides, except the Withering Leaf Sect, almost no other force had any clear information about the man who had actually attacked the King of Lanthanor.

Thus, they could not know that the green flame was actually such a potent attack that there was almost no chance of someone who hadn't even trained their body from surviving a direct penetration.

This was the confidence that made the Withering Leaf Sect Master take the decision to move on the kingdom. Although he hadn't received any official report from the Knight, he trusted the power of the green flame which he had witnessed personally.

Indeed, at this point of time, apart from the Grand Court Mage and the few others who had personally seen the King after the attack, there were only two other individuals outside the Kingdom who were aware of the status of the king.

These were the Eldest Prince of Lanthanor and the Queen of the Kingdom of the Elves.

As those who had sworn oaths to Daneel, they could clearly feel that the ties that bound them still existed, which meant that the King of Lanthanor was at least still alive.

Knowing about this fact, the Withering Leaf Sect master turned to the Eldest Prince after giving the command.

"Is he still alive?", he asked, looking into the eyes of the man who had sworn revenge against his homeland.

Although the Eldest Prince considered lying, he was not confident that he could get away with it especially when the Sect Master was looking right at him.

"Yes", he replied, looking back into the eyes that were boring into his with an indecipherable expression on his face.

Sighing softly, the Sect Master thought for a bit before saying, "The order stands. He must be hanging onto the last threads of his life. The moment you feel yourself being released from the oath, tell me."

With a wide smile, the Eldest Prince nodded before gathering all the trinkets near him that were being handed out by one of the men who had been on the strikeforce which had attacked and killed the villagers of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

As for the Queen of the Kingdom of the Elves, the only thing she did after receiving the message was to command her spies to keep a close eye on the situation. Through the oath, she knew that the King was still alive, and from everything she knew about him, she suspected that there was more to this matter than what was apparent to the public.

Meanwhile, in the situation room in the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Robert, Kellor, and Faxul were currently sitting at the table which was usually headed by the King of Lanthanor.

After a few moments of silence, Robert spoke out with an expression of frustration on his face.

"Why is there no status update yet?"

Even before Kellor could speak to answer the question, a knock sounded on the door interrupting Robert who hurriedly rushed forward to open it.

On the other side stood a nurse wearing white clothes. Slightly startled seeing that a man with the expression of someone who might have lost the most important thing to them in the world had opened the door the instant she knocked, she stepped back a bit before giving the message she had been sent to deliver.

"The head healer has asked all three of you to come to the King's chambers."

Hearing the message, the three in the room ran out of the room before directly trotting toward the king's chambers.

It was Kellor who came to his senses, saying, "Control yourselves, there are spies in the Palace. If they see us hurrying like this, they might reach conclusions which we cannot afford to handle."

This showed just how important Daneel was to all three of them. The fact that he was in danger had put them on edge to the extent that they had even forgotten this simple fact.

Nodding with concerned expressions, Faxul and Robert slowed to a fast stride before hurriedly heading towards the King's chambers.

On entering and closing the doors completely behind them, they looked around to see with shock that the man whom the entire continent was currently talking about was idly laying on his bed while putting fruits that look like grapes into his mouth.

While Faxul and Kellor stood still unable to decide what to do, Robert ran forward and hugged his son whom he thought he had lost.

Feeling the ardent care and affection from his father, Daneel smiled before patting his back and saying, "Get mom over. She must be crying uncontrollably with worry."

For Robert, it was enough to see that his son was alright. Nodding and smiling wide, he ran out of the room to get his wife who had indeed been sobbing without control since the moment this news reached her.

Seeing his father leave the room, Daneel turned to the six healers who were still inside, saying, "I have no choice but to ask you to stay at the side until this whole situation passes over. I cannot risk you leaving this chamber, as the news about my condition is too sensitive to be leaked."

Although the healers looked bewildered, then nodded before obediently heading to one side of the room where six chairs had already been arranged. After bowing again to the King, they sad down before seeing a barrier envelop them, stopping them from hearing anything from outside.

"Ready our troops. If my estimation is correct, the Withering Leaf Sect will soon invade. Spread the news about what happened in the Palace, but make sure that my condition is unknown. Keep a close eye on all of our enemies, and most importantly, maintain order inside the Kingdom. Use any means you have to, and imprison all those who try to take advantage of the situation."

This had been his third reason for choosing to take the damage. For a wounded enemy, there was no better way to force it out of its hiding place without showing weakness.

Although it had been six hours since the attack, Daneel had been awake since the last two. He had only shifted his consciousness to his clone for desperate cases where he might have to release the energy absorbed, which was also why he had formed it in the first place before the fight with the enemy. Thankfully, no such case had arisen.

Except for the burning pain in his stomach, he felt fine albeit a bit tired due to the exertion he had placed on his mageroot in the fight against the man from the Church.

During these two hours, he had been thinking hard about how to take full advantage of the situation.

For those who had ill intentions, there was no better time to incite panic in the Kingdom either for personal profit or for any other hidden agenda.

Thus, he had given the command to imprison all of them so that they could be slowly interrogated later in order to find out if they were spies from a different kingdom.

Apart from this, one of the main reasons he had taken this risk was to increase his image in the public. Hence, it was necessary that news of his brave deed had to spread as far as possible as fast as possible.

After seeing Kellor and Faxul head out without a word to carry out his orders which were very urgent, Daneel relaxed again on his bed before starting to eat the grapes again after asking the system to repeat the notification it had given when he had regained consciousness.

[Tenebrous Flame has been taken under system's control. Analysis in progress.]

Chapter 204: Aftermath 2

"King of Lanthanor sacrifices himself to save his subordinates!"

"A once in a generation talent! King of Lanthanor, a 17-year-old Exalted Human Mage!"

"A king who bled for this people!"

The events surrounding the attack on Daneel had taken place on the morning after the day on which the Withering Leaf Sect had been chased from their home, and by the evening these quotes were on the lips of the people of the Kingdom.

Following Daneel's orders, the first thing that Kellor had done was to go to Eloise to explain the situation to her so that she could effectively broadcast it through the Network of Angaria(NOA).

This was when a remarkable incident had taken place. As soon as Kellor had told Eloise about everything that had happened except for the fact that Daneel was actually alright, Eloise had collapsed on the ground and had not even been able to speak for a few seconds. After Kellor assured her that Daneel was still undergoing treatment and was definitely not dead, she nodded and got up from the floor before wiping away the tears in her eyes and getting to work instantly.

She went at this task with a single-minded focus which resulted in such hard-hitting quotes that the entirety of the Kingdom and even, to some extent, Angaria started to speak about the noble heart of the King of Lanthanor. After all, all the major forces in Angaria had gotten ahold of the NOA in order to know just what was being broadcasted by this one-of-a-kind network on this continent.

On the next day, display trinkets went up at all the major locations of congregation in the Kingdom, letting the general population see for themselves how their King had stepped out bravely in order to defend the Grand Court Mage.

In any matter, seeing was believing. These images which showcased such inspiring gallantry even made those who were derisive of the young king pause, as they started to consider whether they were wrong to not support such a great man who had laid his life on the line just so that he couldn't be called a coward by the people he loved so much.

So far, although support for Daneel had been quite all-encompassing, there had been certain pockets of resistance who still secretly disliked the King for various reasons. These were usually old-timers who had gotten used to being commanded by those with much more mettle and grit, at least according to them. Yet, what showcased more 'mettle and grit' than one who was willing to sacrifice himself so readily?

Of course, some detractors still remained who just thought that it was a stupid decision, but they were quite few in number.

All in all, adoration for the king grew to new levels, with many even praying repeatedly to all the gods they could that the King had to survive, no matter what.

Of course, seeing the situation of the Kingdom, there were some who tried to take advantage. Yet, the police of the kingdom worked overtime in order to capture all such antisocial elements as quickly as possible before they could have any noticeable effect on the overall atmosphere of Lanthanor.

Meanwhile, the man who was being thought of so ardently by millions of people was currently relaxing in his room while keeping an eye on all the news circulating throughout the continent.

He had been spending time with his parents, letting his mother take care of him by personally cooking his meals and insisting that he rest because he had, after all, been impaled in the chest by what looked like a very dangerous attack.

Not finding it in his heart to deny his mother this opportunity, Daneel let her have her way while training with his clone.

Yet, even though he looked completely relaxed on the outside, he was actually very tense knowing that an attack could come at any moment. The commanders were still posted full time on the borders, making it so that they could respond quickly to preserve life before elite forces reached wherever the Withering Leaf Sect chose to begin their attempt at striking back.

In this way, an entire day passed with Daneel becoming more and more worried that there were no new developments on all fronts.

….

Unbeknownst to him, two people standing on the tallest structure to have ever been built on Angaria were currently thinking about this young King who was currently making waves throughout the continent, while looking in different directions for the moment.

Like a spear that had thundered down from the heavens to impale the earth, this structure rose in a straight line from the ground into the sky with its top unable to be seen by anyone who was walking at ground level.

Exactly 10 km in the air when measured from the ground, the structure which looked to be made out of silvery metal ended with a flat top that had no railing around it.

This was higher than the tallest mountain on earth-Mount Everest, making it so that all around, there were only clouds with the occasional clear spot through which an endless ocean could be seen.

The two people who were currently standing on this flat top were very different in appearance.

One was an enchanting woman with long hair wearing a gown on which flowers seemed to be repeatedly blooming and wilting in a matter of seconds. Each and every flower seemed to be from a different species, making one wonder whether there were this many types of flowers in the entire continent.

The other was topless, exposing bulging muscles that look like indestructible boulders. His face seemed to be chiseled from a rock, with rough features and a scraggly beard that gave him the appearance of one who hadn't shaven in weeks.

A single wide scar ran from below one eye to the other, which moved animatedly when the man spoke out.

"Looks like no one else is coming. So what do you think about him? Is there anything suspicious?"

As he asked this question, the woman who seemed to have been admiring the view from her location crinkled her nose bit before turning around and answering, "In my opinion, it isn't needed. The mosquitoes have countermeasures and are a bit interesting, but the creator doesn't deserve our attention in the present situation. Still, someone has already been sent. That's also why the other two leaders didn't even bother to come."

Chuckling at her words, the man rubbed his nose before saying, "You know that we only concern ourselves with training. I only heard of this from a visiting friend who couldn't keep his mouth shut about the matter. I knew that you guys must've collected information about him, so I just wanted to find out."

Frowning even further at this answer, the woman said in an irritated tone, "Why not just use a damn communication trinket?"

At this, the man laughed out loud. "Because you ignored me the last time I did! Anyway, any news on that bastard Church?"

Hearing mention of the enemy whom she had been dreading since decades, an expression of utter seriousness replaced the displeasure on the woman's face. Shaking her head, she said, "Nothing new. We've gotten nowhere closer to circumventing the oath sworn by the Knights and the priests recaptured, and there is no new news from the ones we sent to the mainland. All I can say is the timeline is still the same, but we need to be prepared in case it changes."

Sighing, the man replied, "Alright. It's a pity. If this kid had been born in any other time, he would have been able to train with the best of resources to reach the champion level as soon as possible. Too bad there's no chance for that now. If Angaria still stands after the War, maybe there will still be a chance then."

With a sad smile, the woman nodded before directly disappearing from the top of this tower.

Watching this, the man grumbled a bit, saying, "You know I can't teleport but you don't even offer a hand. Typical mages."

After saying these words, he walked to the end of the tower before taking a deep breath and directly jumping off.

"WOOOOOHOOOOO!"

With a scream of exhilaration, the man soared through the air with increasing speed, as if he wasn't worried about splattering onto the ground due to his extreme momentum.

When he was just 100 m above the ground, an expression of slight seriousness finally appeared on his face before he carefully punched forward with his right fist.

BOOM

It was as if a giant had punched out, as a massive fist emerged in the air before pummelling the ground and making a spire of rock rise up on which the man landed with a loud THUD.

Jumping off again, he turned around and casually punched again to cause the spire to break into fist-sized pieces before falling back into the hole that had been caused due to it rising into the air.

Taking another deep breath, he stomped on the ground before rising 300 m into the air and heading in the direction of his sect where his brothers and sisters were waiting to continue training with him.

Chapter 205: War 1

The next day, Daneel woke up with a jolt due to the nightmare he had had of Lanthanor burning to the ground.

It seemed that all the stress of the situation was getting to him, as it felt that it had been many days since he had had a proper night's sleep.

Going to the bathroom to freshen himself up, he cupped some water in his hand to wash his face before idly asking the system to repeat any notifications that might have come in the night. This had become a common ritual due to the many times when he had missed notifications due to not being conscious when the system sounded them in his mind.

As per his order, the only new notification replayed, making Daneel freeze and drop the water he had cupped.

[Kingdom Management Statistics updated.

Satisfaction Level: 18%

Dissatisfaction Level: 40%

Next milestone for reward: 20% Satisfaction Level. Reward: 10,000 EXP]

Yes! What he had been waiting for for months had finally happened!

Daneel couldn't help but gape hearing that there was a 2% increase in satisfaction and a 3% decrease in dissatisfaction out of the blue.

Each time he had started a new initiative such as enabling his mother to help whomever she wanted or setting up the school or healer academy, he had hoped that it would have a direct impact on the statistics.

Although he hadn't seen any change even though over a month had passed, Daneel had just been thinking that it needed time.

Now, seeing that there was such a large jump, Daneel asked the system, "Why is there such a big change? Is it possible to know what contributed to it?"

[Kingdom Management Analysis Tool, which can give the best answer to host's query, is currently locked. As per Phenomena Analysis Module, the change can be attributed to a cumulative shift in the people's psyche that was hastened due to the news of the bravery of the King.]

Hearing the answer, Daneel couldn't help but smile wide.

His ploy to willingly let himself be attacked had indeed worked out very well.

Studying this entire situation, Daneel reaffirmed one thing in his mind: shock and awe was really one of the most formidable weapons one could use to bring change in the general public.

This weapon had already showcased its power both during the time when he had taken the throne and the Grand Debate when favor had swung towards Eldra.

Yet, the real lesson that Daneel knew he had to understand from the situation was that long-term plans with a touch of shock and awe was the best way to go.

After all, he knew very well that just shock and awe would at most result in a temporary change, which could be overturned if someone else used the weapon well in his stead.

Instead, if the change in perception was accompanied by long-term initiatives such as the school or the healer academy, the effect of solidifying foundations would occur which would decrease the chances of sudden changes in case desperate situations did arise.

Desperate situations such as a continental war that might force him to conscript soldiers against their will.

Stopping his thoughts from going down this road, Daneel proceeded to wash himself before donning silk pajamas that he had found very comfortable to wear, especially when all he was doing all day was lying on the bed and listening to reports.

Yet, just as he was about to plop onto the bed after checking that there was no news, an urgent knock sounded on his door.

At the same time, Luther's frantic voice appeared through the oathstone, making Daneel run back to the wardrobe in order to change his clothes.

"My Lord, an army 50,000 strong is marching on us from our east."

.....

East of Lanthanor, in an army camp freshly set up on a grassy plain.

"No changes yet?"

A tall, bald man with dark skin and twin combat axes on his back sat on a chair in the center of the tent. He was wearing light plate armor that looked like it had been molded as one piece, making it so that there were no places that could restrict his movement.

"None, sir. All those we contacted to cause chaos have been captured."

Hearing the answer to his question from the messenger standing at the entrance of the tent, the man grimaced coldly before gesturing at him to leave.

In front of him sat a man with a calm and collected expression on his face, while his long, black ponytail hung from his head to the small of his back.

"It must be that Grand Court Mage and those three commanders. They must be taking care of everything while hoping that the King would recover."

It was the Sect Master of the Withering Leaf Sect, who did not look at all like the man who had previously collapsed due to seeing his elders killed right in front of his eyes.

The only remnant of that pain hid deep in his eyes, as if it was waiting to jump out and devour everything it wanted when it got the chance.

At the words of the Sect Master, the bald man shook his head before asking the question whose answer had led to this expedition setting out in the first place.

"Are you sure that it was a potent enough attack that will certainly cause the King of Lanthanor to either die or be bedridden for years?"

"Yes. I have personally seen its power. Unless one manages to reach the Exalted Human level as a fighter, it is impossible to even think of surviving the blow. If that is true, I'm willing to jump into the Endless Sea to drown forever."

This last phrase was something often used in Angaria. It came from a myth that long ago, a peak Warrior Level Fighter had wanted to find out exactly how deep the Endless Ocean surrounding the Angarian Continent was.

He had set out with a communication trinket that transmitted his thoughts to those on a boat on the surface, diving deep inside without being afraid of running out of breath anytime soon due to his formidable body that was just one step away from breaking through to the Champion Level.

After reaching around 5 km in depth, the signal from the trinket had started to cut off.

He never surfaced, and the last thing heard from him was one line:

"Drowning… forever"

Hearing the Sect Master's words, the man nodded before saying, "As discussed, Axelor shall take 70% of the spoils, and we expect your Sect to use its full force."

With a small smile, the Sect Master replied, "No problem. Axelor mustn't hold back either."

At this, the bald man's eyes burned with a fury that seemed to have been suppressed for a long time.

Taking a few moments to control himself, he said, "You can rest assured that we won't."

As the memories of having to turn back and run to his home with his tails tucked between his legs resurfaced in the man's mind, he resisted the urge to smash everything in his grasp to relieve his rage.

For months since the incident, he had been mocked and humiliated ruthlessly by his fellow commanders for running away due to just a few words from a kid a quarter of his age.

Now, it was finally time to wipe away that humiliation.

....

In the same area, in a tent nearby.

The Eldest Prince sat with his legs folded on the ground while caressing a Ker Gem in his hands. As the powerful Energy entered his body, his left chest, where his heart was supposed to be, seemed to be trying to tear out of his clothes in order to devour the Ker Gem whole.

"ARGH!"

With a wretched expression, he stopped his meditation and threw the Ker Gem aside, causing it to roll on the ground before coming to a stop due to someone placing a foot on it.

Feeling a threat behind him, the Eldest Prince hastily got up before rushing to the edge of the tent after conjuring a barrier around him.

Along with the barrier, 10 talons came into existence all around his body.

These red talons faintly shimmered in the air, as if they weren't actually solid, while the air around them seemed distorted due to the high heat they were emitting.

If Daneel were here, he would definitely be shocked to see that this was actually a famous Eminent Warrior Level spell known as "Fire Talons".

The compressed fire was in fact so disastrous to a human body that a single blow was enough to cause death to even a typical Exalted Human Fighter.

After seeing this, Daneel would have turned around and been even more shocked to see the man who had once almost killed him.

It was the Vice Sect Master of the Withering Leaf Sect, who also had a bulge on his chest, as if something were trying to break out from his clothes to reach the Ker Gem at his feet.

Chapter 206: War 2

"It worked."

As Luther stood on the ramparts of the East Border of the Lanthanor Kingdom, he gazed out at the approaching cloud of dust before speaking these words which made the heads of both Aran and Cassandra snap towards him.

Stationed on the borders since the Withering Leaf Sect had fled the Valley of Mist, all three commanders had been on edge due to the enemy that was currently hiding while they were out in the open.

After all, unlike the Sect, the Kingdom of Lanthanor couldn't possibly uproot itself and hide its location.

Hence, the past three days had been some of the most stressful in their lives.

As for the events surrounding the attack on the King, all three of them had almost set out the moment they received news about the incident.

In fact, two of them had even set out because they knew that Kellor was the only Exalted Human in the Palace. This was one of the major shortcomings of Lanthanor: it had nowhere near the number of Exalted Humans as most other forces in Central Angaria.

Yet, even before they had reached halfway, everything had come to an end.

With stunned minds, they had had to go back to the border due to Kellor's urgent order.

It was only when they heard the King's voice through the oathstone had they finally calmed down and breathed sighs of relief.

Although they couldn't understand how the King had been able to successfully escape an attack whose potency had been clearly explained by the soldiers on the scene, they knew that there were some questions that shouldn't be asked.

Aran was the first to reply.

"On that day that Richard died, did you imagine that we would be in this position? I can say that I only hoped that he wouldn't send us to our deaths due to his inexperience."

The Red Demon, Cassandra laughed at these words before flicking her scarlet hair over her shoulders and saying, "You and me both. I was even prepared to bet on it. Thank heavens I didn't!"

"Then why didn't you tell me so before? I wouldn't have worried at all, because you lose all your bets anyway!"

As Aran said these words with mock anger, Cassandra immediately turned towards and conjured an eagle made of fire which swooped towards him.

The eagle wasn't made of compressed fire like that which Warriors used; instead, it seemed as if the fire had just taken that form while having no change in power like in the other case where penetrative power highly increased.

Yet, there was a distinct change in the speed with which the fire eagle moved.

Just as an expression of dead seriousness appeared on Aran's face before a barrier sprung up around him, the fire eagle dispersed a foot away from him, as if its stability had suddenly been compromised.

"Dammit! I still can't get it right! Just wait, Aran. The day I master this spell, I willl scorch your clothes and make all the soldiers see just how white an underside you have."

Just as Aran was about to vehemently ask just when she had observed his backside, he closed his mouth as another individual had appeared in their midst.

It was the Grand Court Mage, Kellor.

"What's going on? Did someone attack?"

Noticing him arrive, Cassandra smiled before saying, "Just me. Aran here was saying he thought the King will send us to our deaths, so I thought I would teach him a lesson."

Seeing Cassandra twist the facts in this way, Aran was just about to deny it all before he had to close his mouth a second time, this time due to awe.

At some moment in time, Luther had disappeared from where he had been standing.

Even though they were out in the open with sunlight pouring down on them, none of them had seen his movements.

Even before the last word exited Cassandra's mouth, his figure had reappeared behind Kellor with the hidden blade that had extended from between his fingers pointing at the base of his neck.

Yet, at the next moment, the blade went back into his robes before he knelt on the ground.

"Welcome to the border, My King."

Hearing this, Aran's jaw fell while Cassandra got a bewildered expression on her face.

They had actually told the King to his face that…. They hadn't trusted his leadership?

Just as Aran was about to give an apology, 'Kellor' raised his hand before saying, "It's fine, honestly, I had similar doubts too."

Indeed, Daneel had chosen to appear at the border as the Grand Court Mage. As an Exalted Human Mage himself, it would be no problem fooling everyone that he really was who he appeared to be. After all, he was still supposed to be bedridden while fighting to preserve his life.

He had already fooled two of his commanders, but the third had almost taken his life before he urgently spoke through the oathstone that it was actually him.

After gesturing at all three of them to relax, Daneel turned around and asked, "How did you find out?"

In his usual gruff voice, Luther replied, "Body movements, My King. I have known Kellor long enough that even the most minute change in him stands out for me as a glaring anomaly. I have not had the same number of interactions with Your Majesty, which was why I almost attacked."

It was just as Daneel guessed. Yet, he still felt amazed at the way this Exalted Human Fighter had managed to move and how quick he had been in carrying out his analysis.

After taking a glance at Cassandra whose fire eagle had made his assessment of her skyrocket, Daneel walked forward to stand at the edge of the border to look at the same dust cloud before saying, "Prepare the troops as we discussed. We must make sure to give our dear enemies a warm welcome."

...

Meanwhile, in an Ether-driven cart in which the most important figures of the Axelor-Withering Leaf Sect combined army were seated.

"ETA: 20 minutes. The secondary force has already departed towards the predetermined location. Prepare to engage, and keep a lookout for traps."

Giving this order to a messenger who was standing at the entrance, the bald man who was the commander of the Axelorian Army hoisted the axes in his hand before turning towards the Sect Master.

"You better deliver. If not for those damn walls, we would have taken control of Lanthanor long ago. The King has ordered me to remind you that we will hunt you down to the ends of Angaria if there is even a whiff of a backstab."

Smiling coolly, the Sect Master replied, "Give the King my regards. There is no turning back, and I have authorized the use of the full reserves of my Sect so that we can ensure in Lanthanor's fall together. You must make sure to strike quick. The one who takes control of the oathstone, is the one who controls the fate of the Kingdom of Lanthanor."

With a humph, the commander nodded before jumping out of the cart and walking to the head of the formation.

Seeing him leave, the Sect Master only maintained the smile on his face.

Taking out a communication trinket from his robes, he asked, "Ready to move on the target? I don't think I need to remind you that timing is everything."

"Yes, Sect Master. The trinkets are primed and our Sect Members are ready. Lanthanor won't know what hit them. Unable to handle attacks from two sides, their army will surely crumble especially with no King to rally them. Revenge will be ours, Sect Master."

Smiling even wider at the enthusiastic tone of the message, the Sect Master put the trinket back before jumping out himself in order to take his position.

Now, it was their time to 'surprise' the King of Lanthanor with a Sect Foundation Trinket which hadn't been seen in Angaria in centuries.

....

"DAMN AXELOR! Why do they butt their heads into EVERYTHING?!"

Upending the table on which he had been drinking wine, the Black Raven King shouted these words before immediately shuddering slightly due to the dark cloud that had enveloped the old man's face on seeing this reaction.

Yet, this cloud only lasted for a few seconds before the man started to cough violently.

After a few moments in which servants ran forward in order to clean everything and set the table anew in a meeting room in the Black Raven Palace, the old man spoke again.

"We should be prepared in case Lanthanor falls. We cannot risk the Echer crops falling into the hands of a force backed by one of the Big 4. If worst comes to worst, we might even have to move to help our 'ally'. Send the orders."

Saying this, the old man left the room and quickly shambled to the Energized Training Chamber which was now almost completely devoid of Ker Gems, opposed to before when there had been piles lying around.

Sitting down and starting to absorb the thick red currents of energy, the old man breathed in deep while hoping that Lanthanor could fend off its enemies; at this point, he could only pray that they wouldn't have to intervene which would stoke the fear that an alliance might be forming in Central Angaria, which would definitely make all the other forces attack them together in a bid to stop it from happening.

Chapter 207: War 3

As the 50,000 strong army got closer and closer to the Kingdom of Lanthanor, a peculiar transformation took place on top of the border wall they were going to attack.

The bald Axelorian Commander was now at the head of the army, and he was one of the first to spot this transformation.

The moment the army reached a spot 5 km from the border wall, opaque barriers had sprung up on top of the wall, hiding everything from their vision.

Only small peepholes remained, yet they were only half the size of a man's head, making it so that it was difficult to peek the other side through them especially from so far away.

This was one of the first changes in the war strategy of Lanthanor that alerted the Axelorian Commander that things would be different this time.

After all, over their long history of being enemies, numerous wars big and small had taken place between the two Kingdoms making it so that each was quite familiar with the other's habits and strategies.

Although a few new tricks emerged from time to time, nothing truly groundbreaking had appeared on the battlefield in the past few decades which gave one Kingdom an edge over the other.

"Could it be that…they are all actually barriers? How extravagant!"

As one of the advisors beside him said these words, the commander sniffed before ordering an Exalted Human Mage to check what was on the other side.

Currently, their army comprised of around 47,000 Amateur Human Fighters, 2000 Eminent Human Fighters, 1000 Amateur Human Mages, 100 Eminent Human Mages, 3 Exalted Human Mages and 3 Exalted Human Fighters.

The fact that this was only half the effective military force of the Axelor Kingdom showed how much more powerful it was than Lanthanor. After all, although the latter had 4 times the number of Amateur Human Fighters as this army, it only had 3000 Eminent Human Fighters in total. As for mages, with only 200 Eminent Human Mages and 1000 Amateur Human Mages, the disparity was even more evident. Although the Axelorian Kingdom had many more Amateur Human Fighters, they hadn't deployed them due to the strategy they were implementing in this war.

All in all, the main factor which had ensured Lanthanor's safety since centuries was the gigantic border wall which stood 30 meters tall, defending the Kingdom since antiquity due to the sheer amount of resources that had been poured into it to ensure that it would never be breached.

Considering that the tallest part of the Great Wall of China, which was one of the most famous walls on the Earth reached only 14 m tall, one could imagine how much more imposing this grand border wall of the Lanthanor Kingdom was.

There was nothing special about its base, which was just stones piled on top of each other using clay as glue.

The factor which differentiated it from all the walls standing in Angaria right now, was the special substance that it had been coated with millennia ago when the first Kings of Lanthanor had undertaken this grand project.

From the outside, it only looked like white paint which was used in regular buildings to hide the stone walls to give them a more elegant sight.

Yet, in this case, this 'paint' allowed the walls to withstand the attack of a peak Warrior Level powerhouse.

Yes, this fact was something that made anyone hearing it for the first time gape with shock.

A peak Warrior Level Powerhouse! Be they fighters or mages, individuals such as these were known to hold the power to even flatten mountains if they desired.

Yet, they couldn't break through this wall?

However absurd it sounded, this was the treasure and the base on which the Kingdom of Lanthanor had prospered till now.

All that was known was that when traveling scholars had investigated the wall, they had found out that the 'paint' somehow made it so that any impact it sustained was spread out and distributed all over the rest of the wall.

Of course, even though it was this impregnable, there were still many limitations.

As was the bane of the forces in Central Angaria, there was no way to stop people from directly teleporting inside.

Thus, the main purpose of the wall was to stop enemies from marching into the Kingdom.

Due to the limitations inherent with teleportation, this made it so that the main source of transportation was halted, effectively stopping any and all enemies from having dreams of taking over this formidable Kingdom.

This was why the Axelorian Kingdom hated these walls so much. Teleportation formations like the ones outside the Elfaven were out of the question, as they couldn't be transported. Mass teleportation using all their mages was also not advisable, as there were always shock troops and defensive formations waiting on the other side to attack intruders-making it so that it would effectively be a suicide mission.

Thus, in the end, the only economical way left was to fight it out from outside the walls.

As the Exalted Human Mage he had sent to fly in the sky to check what was happening behind the barrier teleported back to his side, the message he got made him grimace.

It seemed that the barriers covered the entirety of the top of the wall, meaning that they couldn't see what their enemies were doing.

However much he thought about it, the Axelorian Commander couldn't think of a way in which Lanthanor could have placed actual defensive barriers all over the stretch of the wall in front of them. By his estimate, it would cost upwards of 30 million Gold Lans in order to do so, which was the sort of money that Lanthanor wasn't supposed to have.

As they were old foes, there was no stopping for speeches or discussions.

With an expression that belied his apprehension, the Axelorian Commander took a spear from a soldier standing at his side before pulling his arm back and throwing it forward with the remarkable strength of an Exalted Human Fighter.

As the 50,000 soldiers followed the spear with their eyes, they gasped collectively as it had entered the opaque barrier without facing any resistance.

These were actually just for blocking their sight!

"Humph. Cheap tricks. Begin the plan."

The moment the commander gave this order, the entire army split into 100 groups each having around 500 members each.

With more or less the same number of Amateur and Eminent Human Fighters and Mages in each group, the 500 soldiers arranged themselves in a circular formation.

The Eminent Human Mage in each group stood in the center, while Amateur Human Mages made a circle around them.

The next circle comprised of Eminent Human Fighters, while the rest of the concentric circles had the Amateur Human Fighters who all had spears pointing out.

Indeed, each and every Amateur Human Fighter of Axelor was equipped with a leather-like body armor which could block 50% of the power of attacks coming towards them in the case that the attacks were at the power level of Amateur Human Fighters, while also protecting them to some extent from directly being pierced through.

At their side hung a curved scimitar for close range combat, while the spears in their hands had gleaming tips to fend away enemies at mid to long range.

Some also had bows on their backs, but they were in the minority mainly due to the fact that soldiers on top of the wall were equipped with overhead barrier trinkets to protect from arrows.

As soon as this formation of concentric circles was made, the Eminent Human Mage at the center took out a trinket that looked like a metal semi-sphere from his pocket.

As the mage squeezed this ball, a semi-sphere made of metal appeared above the formation of 500 soldiers with metal rungs on the inside which the outermost circle of fighters caught.

There were no openings whatsoever on the metal semi-spheres, yet the Eminent Human Mage in the center could look outside due to a small transparent strip near the top.

All in all, the barren land in front of the East Border Wall of the Lanthanor Kingdom was now surrounded by metal spheres. To Daneel who was watching, they reminded him of 'igloos' back on earth albeit made of metal instead of ice.

"Move!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

With this second order from the commander who was in a similar globe, the rhythmic sound of drums rang across the battlefield.

With each beat of the drum, each metal sphere moved forward while closing the distance between them and the border wall.

This was their strategy: to move forward using these defensive formations to engage Lanthanor in a war of attrition.

Yet, what they didn't know was that the King of Lanthanor had no desire in entertaining their presence.

Nodding to himself seeing that the estimation of the three commanders and Kellor was right, Daneel sighed at the loss of life that would soon ensue before hardening his heart and saying, "Deploy all our formations and attack without abandon. We have no time to waste on this distraction."

Chapter 208: War 4

As the march of the metal semi-spheres commenced, the army of Lanthanor on the border wall were busily bustling around while fussing on contraptions placed at equal intervals which were all pointing forward.

This contraption was triangular, with a 5-foot long gleaming arrow in the middle which was being slowly pulled back on the string that was getting increasingly taut with each revolution of the handle on the side.

Indeed, this was a construct much like the ballista from earth.

Each arrow had a hole in the end, through which a wooden block was inserted that served to pull it back.

After reaching the desired position, the block would disappear into the groove on the ballista, shooting the arrow forward with explosive force.

Traditionally in Angaria, ballistae were used because of their specialty in assaulting barriers.

Just like in the case years ago where the first members of the Dominating Corps had won their fight by using a penetrative attack, the arrows shot from the ballistae were very effecting in breaking through barriers.

In fact, in Angaria, top-level archers who could shoot arrows strong enough to break mages' barriers were sought after by all, but very rare in number.

This was mainly because of the skill inherent in being able to shoot an arrow that powerful without losing accuracy. After all, capable of teleporting, mages wouldn't sit around to be impaled.

Although there were many countermeasures available on the border wall, this was the method most suitable to handle the defensive formations of Axelor which looked nigh impregnable.

Standing on the ramparts with the three commanders fanned out behind him, Daneel, who was disguised as Kellor, looked to the side to make sure that his special 'modification' was ready to deploy.

After doing so, he turned forward again and asked, "So how do skirmishes like these usually end?"

It was Aran who chose to answer, with a tone that was still slightly apologetic due to the words he had said before.

"My King, they reach a spot where their attacks can reach the soldiers on the border walls before beginning to bombard us with numerous spells. Their goal is always to cause as many casualties as possible on the top before congregating together to use their battering ram trinkets to break through the wall. Their hope is that if they can break one part of the wall, it will always be a breach because we no longer have a way to rebuild it effectively.

"Our army's job is to stop them from using those trinkets long enough to incur damage, and because physical contact is necessary for the trinkets to work, they are more or less vulnerable when trying to breach. It was once estimated that if they wanted to break through decisively using this method, they would have to deploy their entire army while also emptying their treasury to buy enough defensive trinkets to stop our assault, as the walls are powerful enough to hold for quite a bit of time before taking damage.

"Thus, their only hope is to catch our army off guard so that they can break through, which is why there are repeated skirmishes. Although there are other ways they try to attack such as directly teleporting elites inside, this is the safest method they have as the others contain too much risk for their soldiers' lives."

Speaking for so long without taking a breath, Aran made all 3 of the people in front of him turn around with incredulity on their faces to see him red as a tomato.

Taking deep breaths and bringing his face back to a normal color, he said sheepishly, "Apologies. I tend to get verbose when flustered."

As Cassandra chuckled at Aran openly, 'Kellor' smiled before turning back again.

Indeed, as his verbose commander had said, the goal was to sustain attacks from the top of the wall while trying to get enough time with the wall in close proximity in order to cause a breach.

Usually, this involved repeated attacks of increasing intensity from the top with shock troops teleporting over to launch guerilla strikes to damage the endurance of their defensive means, before devolving into an all-out armed hand-to-hand skirmish during the retreat.

Yet, today, on the behest of the King of Lanthanor, the scenario would run differently.

...

"Keep backup defensive means ready. We must hold their attention for as long as possible. Stick to the drill!"

Shooting out commands repeatedly from inside his globe of metal, the Axelorian Commander looked up through the viewhole at the walls of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Having already gone through this tens of times before, he was no stranger to the ballistae that would soon rain down devastating arrows on them.

Sure enough, each of the tiny boxes in the opaque barriers on the top of the walls glinted in the sun, signaling that they would soon commence the attack.

"HOLD!"

Seeing this, the commander shouted this word which echoed in the ears of the Eminent Human Mages who were in control of each globe. The sharp voice served to heighten their senses, allowing them to be ready to respond as soon as the next command came.

The glints seemed to be moving around and adjusting their positions, trying to ensure that they would hit their targets.

"HOLD!"

The second shout meant that the attacks hadn't started yet, but they would soon do. Each globe was still moving forward, with the rungs on the inside held firmly in the hands of the Amateur Human Fighters whose pale faces belied their tension.

SNAP

With a collective sound, massive arrows flew down towards them, ready to go through them where they stood.

"BRACE!!"

Finally hearing the command they were waiting for, each globe immediately stopped their movement.

As they had practiced numerous times before, the Eminent Human Mage in the center immediately cast the gravity spell he had been preparing beforehand.

As the gravity around them sharply increased, each soldier jumped up to hang from the rungs which were also present above them.

With their combined weight and the added push from the increased gravity, the globe of metal sunk an inch into the ground in an instant.

DING

The arrow which had been shot in their direction hit its target, but it only caused a dent and a minor shake in the globe before harmlessly falling to the side.

"MOVE!"

With this command, the gravity went back to normal while the soldiers jumped down and caught the rungs in front of them before lifting the globe up and moving forward like before.

Indeed, this was the strategy used by the Axelorians to defend themselves from the devastating ballistae attacks.

If they were moving, the sheer force inherent in the arrow would jolt them back, possibly making them lose control of the globe and exposing them to further attacks.

Besides, it wasn't like they were moving fast enough to bounce off the arrows. In fact, their movement was actually a bane which contributed to their low stability.

Hence, by eliminating this instability, the globes had a chance to withstand and move forward.

Of course, there were always some cases where the Eminent Human Mages might not have been fast enough.

This was usually accompanied by a strike force teleporting over to initiate an attack.

Luckily, at least in the first volley, such a thing hadn't occurred.

Smiling at the result, the Axelorian globes steadily moved forward while repeatedly implementing their strategy.

The first time could have been luck, but seeing that there were no destabilized globes even with the third volley, the commander started to feel suspicious.

Looking out of the viewhole, he saw that many arrows had directly stuck into the ground.

"Why are they… missing so much?"

As one of his advisors voiced this question, he couldn't help but wonder the same.

Usually, by this point, at least 20-30 of their 100 globes would have been destabilized and made to retreat due to the strike teams teleporting to attack them.

Yet, they were all intact.

"Maybe…they are flustered because their King is injured?"

Turning around to glare at the advisor who had given this stupid statement, the Axelorian Commander humphed before remembering the man in black clothes who had resulted in him going back with defeat after defeat under his belt.

That man would never allow his soldiers to lose discipline.

Then, what was going on?

In 2 more volleys, they would reach the border to begin their assault.

Although the gnawing suspicion in his spine that something was definitely wrong kept growing in the Axelorian commander, he had no choice but to continue their march forward to reach the walls which had kept them away for centuries.

…..

Meanwhile, in a secluded forest outside the west border wall of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

"They have begun their assault. One by one, touch the oathstone to relieve yourselves of your ties to the Withering Leaf Sect. Don't worry, this is only because of the oath we made to not enter Lanthanor for 10 years. You will be resworn after our victory."

A small group wearing hooded cloaks were all gathered together, while a man holding a gleaming golden rock in his hand walked to each to have them lay their hand on it.

Their time would come soon, and each of them couldn't help but grasp the trinkets in their hands tighter in anticipation of the coming fight.

Only one among them smiled eagerly, as the urge he had been feeling for months would finally be fulfilled.

The urge to go home.

Chapter 209: War 5

As one of the Eminent Human Mages in command of a globe charging towards the Lanthanorian Border, Kerrex's heart was beating out of its chest while he futilely tried to get it under his grasp.

Since graduating from the Military Academy of Axelor, this was only his second war operation. The first had only been a small skirmish with Eldinor, in which he hadn't even been deployed.

Even though each and every possibility and countermeasure had been drilled into him repeatedly in the College, the feeling of actually being in a war situation was really something else.

The first thing that hit him was the dust.

As the land in front of the Lanthanorian Border Wall was barren with loose soil, each step sent up dust which invaded his nostrils.

In fact, at the moment when the groups of 500 had formed, the first deployment of the globe had resulted in the dust sweeping into his eyes and making them bloodshot.

His vision still blurry, the only thing keeping his group still intact was the sharp voice of their commander.

As someone who had aced the class in command responsiveness, he thanked the gods that he had put in the hard work to inculcate in himself the habit to follow orders the second they were given.

The second thing was the sweat. As each group was tightly packed together, the sweat that came due to the high temperature that arose from the hot sun glaring down on them caused a stench that was indescribable.

In the Axelorian Army, men and women had different squadrons, with the one currently attacking Lanthanor being one which was completely comprised of the former.

Thus, the entire globe was comprised of sweaty men rubbing against each other who tried to ignore the smell to keep marching forward.

Third and last, was the fear.

As the one in the center, he was the only one with an access to the view outside. Still, he did not have a complete idea about the situation on the battlefield.

Each time an arrow whizzed past and struck the ground near them, he and some other newbies in the group couldn't help but flinch and feel thankful that it hadn't hit them.

Juggling all these factors while trying to control the beating of his heart, Kerrex kept marching forward.

After hearing finally that they were past the last volley, he finally relaxed a little.

As per what he had learned in the College, the most dangerous and uncertain stretch had already been passed.

After reaching within a couple hundred meters of the wall, there would be a mad dash as the ballistae couldn't be fired at this range due to the angle.

The goal was to reach the wall and change the globe formation to a one-sided tank, which would act as the defense when the battering ram trinkets would go to work on the wall.

The rest was pretty straightforward. The Lanthanorian Kingdom would first usually attack from above the wall by dropping explosive trinkets or burning oil, followed by soldiers teleporting over to launch assaults on the tanks.

Thus, he would effectively have a brief moment of rest during which he could reset himself when the Lanthanorians tried to break through their defensive means in order to force them to flee.

At least this time, this process would take a long time as he had been given multiple defensive means all designed to hold their position at the wall.

After all, according to the briefing they had been through before the march, it had been made clear that the main objective was to occupy the forces of Lanthanor for as long as possible.

"Is it just me, or are there much fewer impacts than usual?"

Being snapped out of his thoughts by the gruff voice of one of the veteran Eminent Human Fighters around him, Kerrex's face couldn't help but take on a puzzled expression as he realized that this was true.

Each volley consisted of at least 150 arrows, where the norm was that at least half hit their marks. Of these, a quarter were usually successful in destabilizing the globes.

Thus, by any measure, at least 10-12 of the globes would usually have been made to retreat by this point. Yet, all of them were still marching forward.

This was, in fact, such a large anomaly that Kerrex wondered why the commander hadn't given any orders to address it or at least prepare countermeasures for any new risks on the battlefield that they should be aware of.

After all, one of the most important rules taught in the Military College was that information could decide victors and losers in a war. Thus, if there was any anomaly or if there wasn't sufficient information about enemy forces, it was always advised to withdraw.

Right now, it seemed that both of these factors were in play, but they were still marching forward.

Little did he know that the Axelorian Commander had been ordered to follow through with the plan no matter what arose, as it was the best chance they had gotten in decades to mount an attack on their most hated foe.

"No, they are definitely missing most of their shots. Bunch of Lanthanorian fools who are blind as a bat. Just wait till they come to us. I'll show them just how effective my twin-sword technique is."

The man who replied was another Eminent Human Fighter who had several scars across his face. With two similar short swords on his back, his face had an expression of excitement as if he were looking forward to plunging them into his enemies.

With each step, the globes covered the distance between them and the walls rapidly.

In barely 1 minute, they would be able to fortify themselves onto the wall like a leech which had found its place comfortably on human skin, unable to be shaken off unless it was attacked with fire.

As the seconds ticked on faster and faster, Kerrex felt more and more secure as he knew that he would soon be out of danger, at least for a little while.

Yet, his face that had just been about to change from a tensed expression to a calmer one was stopped in its tracks due to a sound that startled the entire army of Axelor.

SKKKRRRRR

It was a roaring of chains coming from the place which wasn't even being targeted currently by the globes: the border gate.

Of similar proportions as the Royal Treasury, the 4 border gates on the 4 sides of Lanthanor were actually the most secure points of the wall that protected the Kingdom from its enemies.

The same scholars who had identified the 'paint' and its weakness of being able to be overpowered and breached if sufficient penetrative power was introduced, had been shocked speechless when they investigated the gate.

Standing at 30 feet tall(around 9m) and 10 feet wide(around 3 m), the humongous doors were almost never opened. Unlike the walls, these were made out of an alloy which could directly defend against any strike below Champion Level.

No amount of simple battering ram trinkets could cause a dent on it, making it so that the Axelorians never even tried to break through it.

For day to day usage, a smaller porthole in the gate was used through which only a few people could pass through at a time.

Besides, it was also said that only one individual had the authority to open the gates: the person in possession of the oathstone of Lanthanor.

Thus, hearing sounds from the most impregnable location in their target, it was all the Axelorians could do to continue their forward march without faltering due to surprise or, in Kerrex's case, fear.

Although they were huge, they opened quite quickly to reveal an image that each and every soldier of Axelor would remember till their last days.

Over 50,000 soldiers neatly arranged into 100 groups of 500 each started running out of the gate, heading towards each of the globes marching towards the wall.

From his viewpoint, it was as if there was a cannon behind the gate which was launching 'cannonballs' of squadrons which sped towards each globe.

Back in the command globe in which the Axelorian Commander was located, silence ensued as no one knew what to say.

This wasn't because they had nothing to say.

On the contrary, there were so many things wrong with the situation that they didn't know where to start.

First, this was the first time that soldiers had marched out to fight them instead of using their defensive superiority to rain down attacks from above to weaken their defenses.

It didn't make sense. Except losing scores of soldiers, what else could it achieve?

Second, the soldiers were running.

Yes, RUNNING.

In an age where teleportation was the norm, it was a shocking sight to see soldiers using this primitive method to approach enemies.

Third, the King of Lanthanor was conscious, as he had been able to give the command to open the gate.

Too much was wrong about this situation. And the Axelorian Commander had had enough.

His orders were to carry on no matter what losses occurred up to a certain point, but right now, he felt that there was a chance that they would be wiped out as there were too many anomalies.

Gritting his teeth, he gave the order.

"Retreat. Begin teleporting back to the safe zone."

This was their countermeasure: to simply teleport back in case things became dire. The Eminent Human Mages would take shifts to teleport the members of each globe back, while the globe would try to defend against attacks while this process took place.

Yet, even after a few seconds passed, nothing changed on the battlefield.

As a fighter, the Axelorian Commander could only ask the Exalted Human Mage beside him why the hell they hadn't teleported away yet.

Yet, as he turned towards the man, he realized that the mage's face had gone white.

With a stuttering tone, the mage recited the words that would haunt the Axerlorian Commander's dreams as this was the point where everything began to go wrong.

"Commander… the space is lo-locked. They somehow deployed space lock trinkets without us realizing it. What do we do?"

Chapter 210: War 6

Among the groups of soldiers running towards the now-stationary globes of the Axelorian Army, Daneel who was disguised as Kellor couldn't help but smile seeing their confusion.

Indeed, his 'modification' of the arrows had been to add space lock trinkets to them in the shafts.

After all, each arrow was half as thick as a man's fist, making it so that there was enough space to hollow out a small portion to add a hidden compartment.

Although it was a small trick, Daneel had had to think long and hard on it before deciding to implement it.

The main factor was the cost. Space lock trinkets weren't cheap in any way, with each costing around 1000 Gold Lans due to the high attainments in Space Elementary Particles required for the enchanting to succeed.

Thus, deploying space lock trinkets in this way was simply a method of burning money.

Yet, the thing that had pushed Daneel to make the decision was something he remembered from Earth:

War was the most profitable business in the entire world.

Indeed, in its history, there were many wars which had been caused solely due to the fact that they would result in more purchases of goods and weapons.

Regardless of who caused them, in the end, the only ones that profited were usually those who could take advantage of the situation to provide whatever was necessary, or to plunder when they had the chance.

Daneel's plan was simple: as a force which had existed since centuries, the Withering Leaf Sect definitely had huge reserves of energy resources that would fall into his hands if he played his cards right to win this battle.

Besides, this war had started because of his decision to let himself be injured by the Tenebrous Flame.

Now, if he didn't ensure that everything was under his control, Daneel wouldn't have been able to live with the guilt.

Thus, tapping into the reserves of the Kingdom which were usually kept for day-to-day activities, Daneel took the gamble to use one million Gold Lans to fit numerous arrows with the space lock trinkets.

The soldiers manning the ballistae had been clearly informed as to which arrows were which. As the trinkets weren't very sturdy, it was required that they had to be shot into the ground instead of at the globes.

Also, it was important that none of the globes were destabilized due to the attacks.

This was because if one of them did destabilize, the usual action of the Lanthanorian Army would be to teleport over strike teams to attack.

Yet, this wouldn't be possible as the space would be locked.

Thus, the Axelorians would be alerted seeing that there were no attacks, which might push them to retreat beforehand or to discover that the space was locked.

Hence, the soldiers had been careful to miss most of the time, along with making sure that the space lock trinket arrows were spread out in the battlefield to ensure complete coverage.

The purpose of the opaque barriers had been to hide this fact from the enemy.

Thankfully, everything had gone without a hitch.

The overall goal right now was to end this war with as fewer casualties as possible.

The aim of the plan was simple: lock the soldiers of the Axelorian army in place before catching them off guard to cause disastrous losses.

The elites didn't matter, as they would mostly be outfitted with space lock-breaking trinkets.

Thus, their targets were the Amateur and Eminent Humans.

Even if they were equipped with space lock-breaking trinkets, they would take too long to activate them due to their weaker strength.

All Daneel wanted was to maul this army enough in order to make them run away with their tail between their legs again.

For this purpose, except Cassandra who was ordered to stay on the wall due to her weaker body when compared to the others, the rest of the commanders had set out along with him to begin their attack.

Daneel, Aran and Luther had each split into three groups targeting three specific globes.

Although the three commanders had voiced a little concern over this matter stating that it wasn't safe, they had let it go as the King had already shown his power in the Palace.

In fact, although Daneel had the option to stay back on the walls to direct everything, he had made the decision to enter the battlefield for one reason:

He was slowly becoming addicted to that feeling he had gotten when showing his power in the Palace.

Other than this, he also knew that chances like these were rare: there was practically no risk of dying, as he would have the time to utilize his own space-lock breaking trinket to escape if he was attacked by multiple strong parties.

As the group reached the globe they had targeted, Daneel's second plan began to be deployed.

After gathering around the globe, the mages in the Lanthanorian army first deployed more of the opaque barrier trinkets which were on the walls.

Unlike what the Axelorian Commander had thought, these actually had no defensive power. Their only aim was to block vision, making it so that they were actually quite cheap.

After deploying them, Eminent Human Fighters ran forward holding spears whose ends were peculiar.

They were like shovels, with a flat, rectangular edge that was thrust under the globe in a smooth motion.

Indeed, the Axelorians hadn't had enough time to hunker down like usual to drive the edges of the globe into the ground.

Because it held 500 people, the globe had a diameter of 30 meters.

After 100 Eminent Human Fighters had successfully wedged their shovel-like spears inside, 100 Eminent Human Mages walked forward and held up their hands to conjure a triangular structure made of earth at the halfway point of the spear.

Indeed, this was a simple lever.

Right as the triangle that was the fulcrum finished forming, 10 Amateur Human Fighters ran forward and jumped onto the shaft of the spear.

As the spear had been specially made with this purpose in mind, its length of 3 meters was enough to accommodate all 10 people.

BANG

With a sound that reminded Daneel vaguely of that which came when a sealed bottle was opened on Earth, the globe flew into the air due to the instantaneous force caused by the lever. Although the shafts had bent slightly when the fighters had jumped onto it, this only served to increase the force at the other end.

In this process, the hands of the Axelorian Amateur Human Fighters who were holding the rungs of the globe were also injured as they had been holding onto the globe when it was blasted away.

As the Eminent Human Mage in the center of the globe witnessed this perfect execution, no words came out of his mouth.

What….was this?

So everything had been planned out to result in this situation?

As this realization dawned on him, indignation and fury clouded his face due to the fact that they had allowed themselves to be hoodwinked by their most hated enemies.

In Central Angaria, Axelor was quite famous for one thing: its ability to inculcate in its soldiers and people a feeling of patriotism which drove them to do whatever was necessary when the time arose.

This came into full effect at this moment. With a snarl, the Eminent Human Mage conjured 2 fireballs before aiming them at the Lanthanorians in front of him.

Yet, his face froze even before he could shoot his attack as something had clubbed him on his head, knocking him out.

It was Daneel, who had immediately conjured a simple rock in the air before hitting the mage with it.

"Engage. Knock them out if possible, but if you can't, do not hesitate to go for the kill."

Hearing the orders, the Eminent Human Fighters lead the charge. Equipped with a buckler in one hand and a short sword in another, they quickly began to incapacitate the Axelorian Amateur Human Fighters on the outside while the Lanthanorian Mages shot forward spells to occupy the Eminent Human Fighters and Amateur Human Mages of the other army.

The strategy here was simple: the Amateur Human Fighters of Lanthanor followed behind the Eminent ones, either giving support or disarming the soldiers already defeated.

The Eminent Fighters of Axelor were kept at bay due to the spells being shot at them, and the Amateur Mages were trying their best to counter these spells. Yet, with their Eminent Human Mage gone, the Axelorian Group looked like they would be defeated soon.

As Daneel observed everything, he noted that casualties were already beginning to appear on his side due to the desperation of the Axelorians.

Especially as one downed Amateur Human Fighter plunged his sword into the private parts of one of his soldiers who was walking on unaware that that soldier was alive, Daneel threw aside his decision to preserve his strength to handle the elites if needed.

Just as he was about to conjure rocks to knock out all the other soldiers too by disregarding the strain it would place on him, an arrow flew in from the barrier which he narrowly dodged.

Yet, as he looked back, the arrow impaled 5 of his soldiers before coming to a stop.

It seemed that an elite had arrived at the spot.

Chapter 211: War 7

Outside the opaque barriers that had sprung up around the globe which was being targeted by Daneel, the Axelorian Commander had a surprised expression on his face due to seeing the arrow he had shot out with all his strength simply passing through as if the barrier wasn't even there.

However illogical it was that Lanthanor had managed to obtain this many barrier trinkets, he had assumed the worst possibility: that the same money which had funded the damn space lock trinkets which were currently preventing his soldiers from escaping had also been spent on the barriers.

Yet, seeing that he had been fooled again, he gave himself up to the rage that had been building inside him since the moment he had seen the pristine walls of the Lanthanorean Kingdom.

First, it had been the memory of having to leave after arriving at the same wall with an army many times larger.

Next, it was the realization that whoever was commanding this battle had managed to hoodwink him by shooting arrows that were somehow embedded with space lock trinkets.

This wasn't something difficult to figure out, and when the anomaly of the arrows which had missed their targets surfaced, the Axelorian Commander had ground his teeth so tight that they had almost chipped away due to the extreme anger and frustration he felt.

Setback after setback. Since that damn brat had ascended the throne, Axelor had been fooled more times in less than a year than it had been in the past few decades.

As this thought came into his mind, the matter about the King's wellbeing also reared its head, making him doubt whether they were all playing into his hands.

Alas, it was too late to go down that line of thought now. Everything was already in place, and his King had already given his orders.

After reporting about the situation of the soldiers being unable to retreat, he had been given the order to kill as many Lanthanoreans as possible before making their way back with as many Axelorian Soldiers as they could save.

Of course, the option to abandon the killing to focus on saving was also there. Yet, this was the order they received.

Thus, in effect, their original plan with the Withering Leaf Sect to hold the army here for as long as possible was already scrapped.

Instead of the Sect backstabbing as he had warned the Sect Master about before, it seemed that they were the ones who were going to to leave without caring about the other party.

Ruthless, decisive, selfish. These were the words which best described the Axelor Kingdom, and also the reasons why they had always been rejected as allies by almost every force in Central Angaria.

As his goal was to take down as many Elites as possible, the Axelorian Commander had made his way to the globe where the response from the Eminent Human Mage who had been in charge of it was cut off the earliest.

Thus, he now found himself face to face with 'Kellor'.

Daneel had only been able to watch on with bloodshot eyes as the arrow had killed 5 of his soldiers in one go.

It had simply been too fast, and his body and mind hadn't been fast enough to be able to react except for giving him enough time to save himself.

Of course, he was also an Exalted Human Fighter, which was information no one else on the continent knew right now.

Thus, he had been able to estimate that this was definitely only the full power blow of an individual who was definitely below the Warrior Level.

Still, if he managed to enter the globe, it would result in a massacre due to his soldiers being attacked from two sides.

Thus, with no other option, Daneel discarded the spell to knock all the enemies out and proceeded to walk outside the opaque barrier.

As he did so, he came face to face with the first enemy he had faced after taking the throne of Lanthanor.

BANG

As soon as Daneel appeared in front of him, the Axelorian Commander stepped down hard on his left foot which was behind him before shooting forward like a bullet.

This was war; no useless dialogues or statements were necessary.

Of course, although he felt happy inside that he had hit the jackpot by being able to find the man who was probably in charge of the Kingdom if the news about the King's status was true, none of it showed on his face.

Instead, his face was set into an expression of dead concentration as he unsheathed the two axes on his back in mid-air on the way to the Grand Court Mage of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Musing to himself that fighting, in reality, was indeed very different from the showy choreographed action scenes in the movies he had watched on Earth, Daneel smoothly conjured a wall of earth in the trajectory in which the Axelorian Commander was shooting towards him.

He was in the guise of Kellor, so he couldn't display his prowess as a Paragon.

As someone whose talent stemmed from being a woodcutter, Kellor had focused most on Earth and Wood elemental particles, along with a smaller focus on metal.

As for the other elementary particles, he was only moderately skilled in them, making it so that he seldom used them in battle unless there was any specific need like when he tried to drive away the Tenebrous Flame using a tornado.

BOOM

As someone who was well versed in fighting with Mages, the Axelorian Commander knew that any physical barrier conjured in so little time definitely wouldn't be very strong.

Thus, he simply broke through it before taking another step on the ground, as the position of his opponent had changed.

Indeed, Daneel had jumped to the side after conjuring the barrier. Above his head, a thick log of wood had begun to form on which layers after layers were being added by the second.

At the top of the block, a glint could be seen, indicating that something metallic would soon come into existence.

Seeing the Axelorian Commander shooting towards him again, Daneel had no choice but to slow down the conjuring of the axe above him to point his hand forward.

A shower of sand flew up from the ground, obstructing the vision of the commander while Daneel changed his position again.

SHWING.

Yet, to his surprise, the sound of a bowstring snapping was heard from behind the thick cloud which completely obstructed even his position.

An arrow came shooting out of the cloud in his direction, as if the commander had anticipated the movement beforehand.

Having just rolled on the ground in order to shift positions, Daneel had no time to move again. Thus, he only activated his barrier trinket and braced himself.

BANG

With a sound reminiscent of the banging of drums, Daneel found himself flying back due to the sheer force of the arrow.

Although it hadn't managed to penetrate the barrier, it still injured "Kellor" due to the instantaneous movement his body had had to suffer.

At least, that was what the Axelorian Commander thought as he ran through the dust.

Because he was an Exalted Human Fighter himself, Daneel hadn't taken any damage.

Still, he bit his tongue and coughed out blood as he had to keep up the guise.

This was how typical top-level Mage vs Fighter battles were carried out: typical Mages would try to conjure their strongest spells in order to break through the barrier of the opponent to defeat them in one go, while Fighters would either try to close the gap before this happened or used long-range weapons such as arrows to slow down the conjuring.

As the two carried on their fight oblivious to the battlefield in which numerous globes were being flipped along with numerous soldiers giving up their lives, a small group approached the gate of Lanthanor City.

Covered in cloaks, they looked like they had traveled a long way.

Approaching the soldiers guarding the gate, they reported the same names they had given when interrogated at the border wall.

Indeed, they hadn't faced any trouble at the border wall due to a little help from the Knight who had been captured.

Near their undergarments, they had small pouches which had the ability to escape the devices used by the forces in Central Angaria to detect trinkets.

This was the same way in which the Tenebrous Knight had managed to sneak into the Kingdom while holding onto all the trinkets he had used during the fight with the King.

After a few seconds, the soldier gave the message which made expressions of frustration appear on their faces.

'The Capital is currently under lockdown. Please wait to the side, where you will be notified and escorted inside after the lockdown has been lifted."

Under the watchful eyes of a few soldiers, they helplessly walked to an area which had been set aside for all those who had wanted to enter the Capital since the morning.

Revealing the hood which covered his forehead, the Vice Sect Master of the WIthering Leaf Sect cursed at their luck which was still down in the drains before saying,

"I have orders from the Sect Master. The Axelorian Army is retreating before the appointed time, but we will continue our mission. It is time to get our revenge for all the elders who gave up our lives for us. Prepare for a direct assault."

Chapter 212: War 8

Exhaustion. Pain. Stress.

As Daneel hastily got up after being blown back the third time since the beginning of the fight, he finally began to take some damage from the incredible amount of force which each of the arrows of the Axelorian Commander contained.

He was on his last barrier trinket, which would soon be broken if he had to sustain one more arrow from this relentless man in front of him.

What was most frustrating about the situation was that he saw numerous ways in which he could have achieved victory already if he were allowed to use Paragon power.

Sadly, he had no choice but to suppress them and carry on this battle which looked like it could go either way at this point.

Known as "Wood Cleaver", the axe that had almost formed over his head was the signature attack of the Grand Court Mage of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Drawing from his experience as a woodcutter, Kellor had designed this attack himself.

When Daneel had previously spoken to him on the matter, he had said that he had been set upon this path by his Master whom he still sorely missed to this day.

According to him, each and every Mage and Fighter had to develop attacks on their own which resonated with some core concept or idea which was dearest to them.

Although he hadn't explained clearly why one should do so, he had given the hint that it could be the key to the highest level on the continent.

Even though he had asked the system regarding the matter, Daneel had gotten no information about it.

Thus, he had kept it in his mind before asking Kellor to display his attack.

Knowing that it would be a waste to let go of such a brilliant opportunity, Daneel had made it so that the system got enough chances to observe the attack so that it would be able to develop it using the Technique Development Tool.

Sure enough, that had come as handy as he had developed the spell and was now casting it in his Grand Court Mage's place.

The fight would soon end, as the full conjuring of the spell would result in either his opponent dying or fleeing.

Knowing this, Daneel took a moment to reflect on the fight while taking care to keep using evasive maneuvers to stay away from the Axelorian Commander.

This novel situation had let him experience exactly how regular Mages and Fighters fought, allowing him to understand even more so exactly what kind of advantages he had as a Paragon.

Being put through each situation in the battle, he had been able to develop strategies at each step to grasp victory using his unique powers.

Thus, in essence, his understanding and experience of battling had grown by leaps and bounds, courtesy of the Axelorian Commander whose bald head shone with sweat under the sun.

Still, deciding that it was time to end this farce, he raised his right hand above his head after casting one last dust cloud to make the enormous woodcutter's axe with a 10-foot long body and 3 foot long blade swing forward at the Commander, as if it were ready to cleave through anything and everything in its path no matter what resistance came in its way.

....

How the hell can this unmistakeable Grand Court Mage be so damn difficult to handle?

This was the question that repeatedly ran through the Axelorian Commander's head as he tried repeatedly to get close to the Mage in front of him.

As per the reports of his Kingdom, he knew that the Grand Court Mage was above average when it came to fighting prowess, which was evidenced by the few times he had taken to the battlefield before he had been appointed in his position.

Granted that the last fight was over 5 years ago, it just didn't make sense as to how he had been able to improve so much.

It was as if his every move was clearly seen through by the crafty eyes of this mage who conjured endless obstructions to stop him from getting close.

His prized bow, which he had spent a fortune to obtain, was of no help as the barrier repeatedly blocked his strikes.

Seeing his opponent raise his hand to command the gigantic axe to attack him, he knew that it was time for desperate measures.

Taking out a trinket that looked like a blunt pocketknife from a hidden compartment in his armor, he put his axes aside before rapidly striking himself in multiple locations all over his arms, legs, chest, stomach and legs.

Each strike only took a fraction of a second, making it so that 80 strikes equally spread out all over the front side of his body were executed in barely a few seconds.

Also, he had made sure to do this when another dust cloud was obstructing both his and his opponent's vision. Apparently, this dust cloud had just been conjured by his opponent to try to stop him from seeing the angle of attack of the axe.

In an instant, his body began to turn red while his veins swelled, now clearly visible through his skin.

It was as if each breath of his made him swell, as his entire body grew by a factor of 1.25x while his face contorted into an expression of entire pain.

Ignoring the sensations that were coming from his body which made him feel as if he were being burnt alive, he took another step behind him.

BOOOOM

Unlike any of the steps so far, this one made a hollow in the hard ground while a dust cloud flew up due to the intense force which had directly broken the earth.

Shooting forward with a speed that was at least three times faster than before, the Axelorian Commander closed the gap between him and his opponent in 2 seconds.

Above him, he could feel the axe swinging down, attempting to split him into two parts before he could reach the body of its creator.

Yet, he was too fast.

Directly punching forward with the full momentum of his dash, the Axelorian Commander broke the barrier protecting the Grand Court Mage easily before lunging forward with his other hand to catch his opponent's neck.

Seeing the expression of panic on the face of the man who had been peskily avoiding him till now, the Axelorian Commander couldn't help but smile at the corner of his mouth despite the pain before squeezing his hand to deal the final blow.

This was the Grand Court Mage! The right-hand man of the King himself!

Just as he was about to imagine himself going back this time with the highest of achievements on his record, he realized that there was another Grand Court Mage lying on the ground right in front of him. His dash had been too fast, making it so that he had seen nothing but a blur in his vision until this point.

POOF

SHHHHHKKK

"AAAARGHHHH!"

As soon as this realization dawned on him, three sounds echoed on the battlefield.

The first was caused by the clone he had caught in his hands disintegrating into elementary particles, while the second was the sound of the 3 foot long blade of the Wood Cleaver cutting into his side.

As for the third, it was the scream of agony that came with the feeling of almost being cut in half.

Indeed, although the axe had intended to cleave him entirely, his sturdy body and armour had managed to stop it mid-way.

Right now, he was like the stump of a tree which needed just one more swing to be cut down.

Yet, he wasn't dumb enough to give that chance.

With another scream of rage both at the pain he felt from his body and the pain he felt from his head due to being defeated in the battle, the Axelorian Commander bit down hard at a specific spot in his mouth to break a trinket that had been affixed there.

CRACK

With an audible sound, the space lock around him instantly broke, making it clear that the trinket was definitely at the Warrior Grade due to the fact that an Exalted Human Fighter had managed to break a space lock instantaneously using it.

Immediately, the Exalted Human Mage of Axelor who had been tasked with rescue operations teleported to his side.

By this time, the commander had already managed to take a step back, making sure that he wasn't in contact with the axe that had just begun to move.

His body dangerously swaying with the tissues at the cut rubbing together resulting in a veritable river of blood, the Axelorian Commander gazed one last time at the Grand Court Mage who was lying on the ground before being teleported away by the mage.

Witnessing that gaze, Daneel couldn't help but shudder seeing all the hate and unwillingness present in it.

Knowing that this was the time any foe would unleash their most desperate attack, he had taken the precaution to replace himself with the clone which only swung its hand for show.

His caution had actually ended up saving his life.

With sweat appearing on his forehead due to the close shave with danger he had just had, Daneel got up immediately, but started running back towards the border gate due the message from the real Kellor that had just sounded in his ears.

"My King, the attack on the Palace has begun."

Chapter 213: War 9

"Aran, Cassandra, stay here and handle the situation. You have your orders: minimize casualties and capture as many Axelorians as you can. Luther, with me."

Giving this order through the oathstone, Daneel reached the Border Gate before beginning to teleport towards the Royal Palace along with Luther who had also just arrived.

On the way, he couldn't help but think back to the perilous situation he had just been in.

If he hadn't taken the precaution with the clone, although he wouldn't have died, he would definitely have been injured and taken out of commission by the Axelorian Commander's attack.

"Any word on the technique he used to raise his power>?"

[Negative. Phenomena Analysis Module could not gather enough data for a detailed analysis. Preliminary Analysis shows that energy stored inside the body is burned for a boost in strength. As it is an explosive reaction, the person who activates this technique requires 6 months-1 year to recover to their peak strength.]

Indeed, it was just as he had thought. Near the end of the battle, his opponent had pulled out all stops while disregarding his own life.

Of course, with the clone, Daneel had multiple ways to obtain victory even in that situation.

For instance, he could have pre-cast another spell using his power as a Paragon or even used explosion trinkets to further injure the already cut-in-half commander.

Yet, he had chosen not to do so for one reason: he had enough things to handle right now.

The loss of an Exalted Human was very high for any force in Central Angaria. These were the assets that a force depended on to lead their expeditions.

Especially in Axelor, figures such as these were used as role models to fire up recruits to train as hard as they could.

As such, the death of one in the hands of a hated enemy would push public opinion towards obtaining revenge at all costs.

Daneel had no intention to handle a crazed Axelor who had lost their commander. Thus, he had let the man go which also ensured that his tricks were still concealed.

After all, just like the ploy with the space locks being setup using ballistae, any means he used would be a one-time thing.

With the Exalted Mages of Axelor and even spies from other forces watching, they would definitely be able to come up with countermeasures which meant that he would never be able to use the same strategies or attacks again to obtain the best results.

Hence, although it did irritate him to no end that he had to conceal his power and let such a powerful enemy go, he had gritted his teeth and done so knowing that it was the right thing to do.

Besides, he had been expecting the attack from his primary enemy, the Withering Leaf Sect for quite some time now.

Since it had become clear that they weren't in the Axelorian Army, he had suspected that they would use this distraction to attack the most important part of the Kingdom: the Royal Palace.

After all, he was their primary target, and they knew very well that he would be hiding in the safety of the formation.

After multiple teleportations, the duo reached the main gate of the Palace to be greeted by a sight that made both of them redden their eyes with anger.

50 soldiers were pinned on top of the gates, with their body spread-eagled and blood flowing freely to make puddles on the ground.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

From inside, the sound of a battering ram could be heard, making the Daneel snap out of his shock before hurrying inside.

Unlike the war at the border, things here had already been derailed from the plan he had hatched to defeat the Withering Leaf Sect in one go.

....

As the Eldest Prince placed the last soldier on top of the gate of the Palace where he had grown up in, a wide smile greeted his face.

It had only been 10 minutes since the Vice Sect Master had given the order that there would be a direct assault. Yet, the Royal Palace had already been breached successfully with the members of the Sect heading towards the quarters of the King.

Their plan had been simple: use the Axelorian Army to distract the majority of the Lanthanorian Army, and use this window of time to kill the King and obtain the oathstone, through which they could take control of the Kingdom itself.

What stopped any other force from invading Lanthanor in a similar fashion were two things: the Dragon Heart Formation in the Palace and the Army who had formations to deal with high-level Mages and Fighters.

The second had been rendered moot temporarily using Axelor.

And the first had been handled by using the treasure of the Sect which they had safeguarded for centuries: the Orb of Dissonance.

According to what the Sect Master had told him, this was a peak-Champion Level one-time use trinket that could temporarily disable any formation in any force in Central Angaria.

Apparently, it had been gifted to the Sect by a traveling individual whom the then-Sect Master had saved out of the kindness of his heart.

Finding out that this individual had actually been someone whose strength couldn't even be measured by the scale present in Angaria, the Sect Master had made use of the opportunity to obtain this trinket as a gift.

Knowing that it was something that would be able to decide victory and defeat in a fight of any scale, it had been kept away for centuries before finally surfacing now to be used to take revenge.

Thus, with the Dragon Heart Formation and the Army both out of the equation, Lanthanor was actually one of the weakest forces in Central Angaria due to the fact that they didn't have even one Warrior Level figure in the entire Kingdom.

The Sect, on the other hand, had two: The Sect Master and the Vice Sect Master. Of course, this was only the information known to the outside.

These soldiers had actually been the ones guarding the gate; without a word, they had been slaughtered and pinned up even though the strongest among them was only a 3rd Stage Eminent Human Fighter.

Rage had already overtaken the minds of the Withering Leaf Sect members on seeing that the one who had made them run with their tails between their legs was actually so near to them.

Without further ado, they had directly cracked the orb to disable the formation completely before setting up hidden teleportation detection formations and hurrying inside the Palace.

Maids, servants, soldiers, guards: they killed whoever they came across, leaving a trail of blood in the passageways of the Palace which was quickly devolving into chaos.

All in barely 2 minutes after teleporting to the main gates.

The teleportation detection formations were similar to the ones on the border gates of Lanthanor: if anyone teleported out from inside the Palace, they would be able to know and track that person. Thus, if the King tried to flee by teleporting, they would be able to gather at his location in a second.

Thus, cutting off all avenues for the King to escape, they made their way to the chambers whose doors were fortified using the strongest formations gold could buy.

1000 Withering Leaf Sect Members had invaded the Palace, with 500 waiting outside.

The other 500 were currently all gathered in the large corridor of the King's Chambers, shooting all sorts of attacks at the door to break it apart, while waiting for any message if the King chose to flee.

Although no more soldiers had stopped them yet, it was obvious that Lanthanor must be scrambling to assemble enough to assault them.

300 Amateur Human Mages. 197 Eminent Human Mages. 1 Exalted Human Mage. 1 Amateur Warrior Mage. And one Eldest Prince.

All rained down attacks on the door, which seemed like it wouldn't even be able to hold on even a second more to protect the King of Lanthanor.

...…..

Teleporting to a predetermined location inside the Palace, Daneel shuddered with anger due to the images he had just seen of countless soldiers and Lanthanoreans massacred without a care by the invading Withering Leaf Sect Members.

It hadn't been supposed to be this way.

Although his plan had included the Withering Leaf Sect Members reaching the doors of his chamber, so much blood hadn't been needed to be shed.

Before coming to the Palace, Daneel had been considering whether to use non-lethal means to capture this long-time enemy of his.

Now, that consideration was decisively discarded.

If it was a massacre they wanted, it was a massacre they would get.

Chapter 214: War 10

2 days back, in the King's Chambers.

After assessing everything that had happened so far, Daneel had called a meeting with Luther, Kellor, Robert, and Faxul to discuss what they would do next.

After the 4 had assembled, he had directly dived into the details.

"What is the thing which a force would seek to obtain if they wanted to take control of Lanthanor effectively?"

"The Oathstone."

The answer was given by all 4 at the same time, leading Daneel to summon the golden rock which was currently definitely being dreamed about by their enemies.

"Exactly. Knowing that I am injured, I think that the Withering Leaf Sect will mount an attack on the Palace. But if they do so directly, there is nothing stopping us from teleporting the army over to surround and annihilate them. By my estimation, they will approach someone in order to ally with them without caring about the cost they would have to pay simply because of how desperate they are."

Hearing these words from the King, except Faxul, the rest couldn't help but smile wide and nod.

Already having gotten used to the fact that the person in front of them had steadily grown with time to possess one of the most intelligent and calculating strategic mind in the Central Continent, they felt pride puff up their chests due to the fact that they were lucky enough to stand on the side of someone who seemed to have no limits.

As for Faxul, his face morphed into one of single-minded determination, as he had slowly started to strive to learn just what it meant to be in a King's shoes, like his father had been.

"We agree, Your Majesty. And according to the current situation, Axelor is the most likely candidate for the alliance."

Hearing Luther speak out, the rest nodded their heads as there was simply no other possibility.

Arafell had always been the closest of allies, while Eldinor wasn't in the equation. This left the Hidden Kill Sect and the Black Raven Kingdom, both of which had dealings with Lanthanor that definitely wouldn't lead them to accept the alliance.

This left Axelor, which was also a hated enemy of Lanthanor's for centuries. Seeing the chance to beat an enemy when it was down, it was definitely likely that they would jump at the chance to lead an attack.

"Yes, that's what I thought as well. That is why I have laid out a plan where the main objective is to capture or subdue our enemies without taking many losses ourselves. Kellor, get the map. Faxul, what's the matter?"

As Daneel had begun to lay out the plan, he had observed that his closest friend had gotten a puzzled expression on his face.

After thinking for a moment, Faxul spoke while looking straight into Daneel's eyes.

"Why not… kill them? They would kill us if they had the chance. Why show mercy?"

This question was met by silence in the room, as even the rest had turned their heads to look at Daneel as if they had the same question in their minds, but had hesitated to voice it out.

Scrunching his eyebrows, Daneel tried to frame an answer, but found that he couldn't give one which reflected his true intentions without revealing information that had to be kept secret.

As someone who had slowly matured to become the King who had outsmarted both Queen Eldara and the Withering Leaf Sect, he knew very well that the best option was to be ruthless in order to decimate an enemy if possible.

Yet, there was only one thing that held him back: the scene he had seen in the memory relived when he had met his Master.

When the war did come, wouldn't it be best if Angaria had as much strength as possible?

This was his reason behind considering non-lethal routes. Each and every Fighter and Mage he killed could make a difference in the war against the Church if he could find a way to reach his goals while still preserving their lives.

Either by oaths or even threats, they could be preserved to fight when it really mattered.

Even in the case when he had given the order to drop explosive trinkets on the Sect, he had known that defensive trinkets would enable most to at least live.

As these thoughts went through his mind, Daneel found that there was no other reason which would make sense.

Thus, he chose not to look for something to say to appease his trusted advisors.

"In this, I can only ask you to trust me. It is in our best interests to capture as many enemies as possible without killing them, and we should plan accordingly to do so."

After looking into Daneel's eyes for a few moments, Faxul nodded and let it go.

Over all the years he had spent with Daneel, he knew very well that he was considered as the closest of confidantes with there being almost nothing that needed to be hidden between the two.

Now, if there was something which led his friend to speak like so, he understood that it definitely must be something that had to be concealed at all costs.

It was the same case with the others. Nodding, they proceeded to walk forward to gaze at the map of the Royal Palace that Kellor had just unfolded on the table.

Feeling glad that he had such perfect comrades, Daneel also walked over and began to outlay his plan.

"Using the modifications for the army that I will be giving to Luther, we must aim to make them retreat as quickly as possible. It is possible that the Sect might split their forces to ensure that the Axelorian Army occupies ours for a longer time, so we must act while keeping this in mind. When the Sect attacks the Palace, I will make it so that the Dragon Heart Formation will hold them off as long as possible before they find a way to enter. They are a force which has existed for centuries, so they will definitely have means to breach the formation. Before they do, all the soldiers, guards, and servants MUST be evacuated as the Sect will definitely kill whomever they see. We cannot risk evacuating them sooner, as the spies in the Palace would have enough time to warn the Sect that something is off which might make them reconsider. After this, they will try to breach the King's Chambers where there will be a … surprise waiting for them."

Taking a deep breath as he had spoken for so long, Daneel stood up straight and looked into the eyes of each of the men in front of him.

In a tone that displayed the determination he felt, he said the words which reflected his innermost feelings about this entire situation.

"They almost took over our Kingdom. They had the gall to save the biggest criminal who lead to thousands of deaths of innocent Lanthanoreans. And they still dared to kill our soldiers to provoke us. Enough is enough. It is time for Lanthanor to give our final answer by putting an end to this force to set an example for all of Central Angaria."

...

Remembering this conversation, Daneel cursed at himself seeing the way that things had actually turned out.

Although he had no way to know that the Sect could have a trinket which would be treasured by even the Big 4, he still cursed and blamed himself for being responsible for the deaths of all those whose blood was still flowing in the passageways of the Royal Palace.

With this incident, the last intentions of Daneel to not be ruthless were swept away completely.

What use was there for mercy if it meant the death of his own citizens?

What meaning was there in saving lives for the greater war if it meant risking the deaths of those who trusted him?

There was none.

Etching the faces of all those he had seen so far and promising himself that he would personally find out the details of the rest, Daneel branded into his mind and heart this moment where he shed his shell to emerge as someone who would never again step back from doing whatever was necessary to ensure victory.

With a voice that was as cold as the iciest depths of hell, Daneel turned to Kellor and gave his order.

"Bring the other part of their force over. It is time to kill them all."

Chapter 215: War: Finale

Hearing Daneel's words, Kellor only nodded before leaving the room to head towards the group waiting outside.

Even though many thoughts were running through his head, he knew that it was not the time to stop and address them.

Like the King had said, it was time for a massacre.

Teleporting to the end of the passageway in which the Sect Members were attacking the doors which lead to the King's Chambers, he erected an opaque barrier before communicating with Daneel through the oathstone that he was ready.

On receiving the message, Daneel ordered the system to deploy the rest of the backup formations which were stopping the Withering Leaf Sect Members from breaking through.

The formations had all been set in place long ago for this exact case: where the Dragon Heart Formation might be disabled due to any outside force. Hence, they could be controlled through the same interface which the system used to control the Dragon Heart Formation.

Seeing the white glow in front of them thicken and the opaque barrier which had come up just a few meters away from them at the edge of the hallway, the Vice Sect Master activated the communication trinket in his ear and asked, "Has anyone teleported out yet?"

Receiving the answer that the other force were only still waiting with no one exiting the Palace yet, he analysed the situation before making his decision.

"Join the main force to breach the King's Chambers as soon as possible. They have started to assemble a strike team near us, and we need every hand we can get. This is the only fortified location in the Palace with a secondary space lock, and even if the King isn't here, I can take control of their formation. If someone does teleport out, be prepared to intercept them."

Indeed, as the locations in the Palace had already been visited by the Mages of the Sect, they could instantly teleport back to them in case someone did try to flee.

In less than a minute, 1000 Sect Members were all gathered in front of the door to the King's Chambers. Even though this passageway was the largest in the entire Palace, it felt cramped despite the fact that some mages were flying in the air while raining down attacks on the door.

The strongest attacks came from the Warrior Level Vice Sect Master, whose each spell made a booming sound echo throughout the Palace.

As for the Eldest Prince, his display of strength at the peak of the Exalted Human Realm was also impressive to see.

With each large fireball and lightning bolt he hurled at the door, it felt as if the frustration and anger from all the months of hiding was draining from him bit by bit.

Yet, with each attack, the smile that was on the face on his chest seemed to be getting wider and wider.

Oblivious to this fact, the Eldest Prince only looked forward to finally seeing his enemy dead while continuing to disregard the strain on his mageroot.

Only, a few moments after the reserve force of the Sect joined with theirs, he felt a chill throughout his body which made him freeze.

In the entire group, it was only him and the Vice Sect Master who sensed the disaster that was about to befall them.

And in both cases, the warning originated from the faces on their chests which urged them to stop everything they were doing and run if they wanted to live.

.....

In one of the rooms nearby, Daneel, Kellor and Luther stood solemnly while looking at the display trinket which showed the situation in the central hallway.

Kellor had been here since the beginning, and he had had to watch as innocent Lanthanorians were slain without mercy in front of his eyes.

Although he wanted to go forward to attempt to save them even though he knew he would be killed easily, he had managed to control himself knowing that it was a foolish thing to do.

Yet, hearing the screams and seeing the faces of all those dying, tears flowed from his eyes due to the powerlessness he felt.

They had no way to know that the Sect was in possession of something that would render the Dragon Heart Formation ineffective in just a second. With his knowledge of the world, he couldn't even begin to guess just how valuable such a trinket must be.

Now, seeing that the culprits were all about to die, he couldn't help but smile slightly knowing that at least in this case, justice was going to be served immediately.

With similar feelings being reflected on the faces of the King and Luther who stood beside him, all three of them looked on as the biggest massacre to have ever taken place inside the Palace of Lanthanor commenced.

...

It started with the Withering Leaf Sect Members feeling as if they had entered the best Energized Training Chamber in the world.

This sensation came instantaneously, making many stop their attacks to find out just what the heck was going on.

"Ker Energy!"

Seeing the red mists flowing down from the ceiling gracefully like willows in the wind, one of the Sect Members shouted these words.

Along with the mists, a red powder also fell which instantly covered everyone in the hallway.

This small time frame was enough to let the duo of the Eldest Prince and the Vice Sect Master react to try and teleport away.

Yet, high-tier space lock trinkets had already been activated which meant that they would need some time to escape.

Knowing that time was exactly what they didn't have, both of them tried to flee in the direction they had just come from.

BANG

Hitting barriers which halted them in their paths, they hurried to conjure spells in order to break through while panic and terror clouded their faces.

Alas, it was already too late.

BUZZZZZZ

Mosquitoes, each three times the size of those which had been dropped in the Valley of Mist were released from the ceiling where hidden barriers had been trapping them till now.

Starved for a day, the sight of the tastiest delicacy in their entire world coating the humans in front of them sent them into a frenzy.

Barrier or skin, nothing would stand in their path.

In just a few seconds, the entire passageway devolved into chaos with barrier trinkets breaking instantly due to the over 1000 attacks on each Withering Leaf Sect Member.

When the red mist had descended into the room, all of the Sect Members had taken deep breaths instinctively, which meant that Ker Gem Energy was also present inside their bodies that had just been absorbed.

This served as an added enticement to the mosquitoes, which proceeded to tear open the bodies after breaking through the barriers and the skin of the Sect Members to devour the Ker Dust on them.

The strongest individuals like the Vice Sect Master had absorbed the most, leading them to be the juiciest targets who attracted the majority of the thousands of mosquitoes in the room.

Through the display trinket, all Daneel could see was black clouds surrounding each and every individual in the room.

The weaker Sect Members didn't even put up a fight; only lumps of flesh and bone were left behind when the clouds moved on to stronger targets.

Although these stronger ones tried to resist, all they could do was flail around before reaching similar endings as their weaker counterparts.

In less than a minute, the passageway only had two individuals remaining: the Vice Sect Master and the Eldest Prince.

Daneel was surprised when he saw this; after all, he had no idea that this man had trained to such a high level.

With a cold expression that would make one feel as if they were looking at someone who had no heart to call his own, Daneel strode out of the door and headed to the Central Hallway.

Deactivating the barrier, he came upon the scene where the two bodies which were still somehow fending off enough mosquitoes to stay alive were flailing around desperately while looking for some way to escape.

Their barriers had already been broken through long ago, and their tenacity was the only thing still allowing them to put up a resistance despite the pain which stopped them from conjuring anything stronger than the most basic of spells.

First reaching the Vice Sect Master who could be distinguished by his bulkier figure, Daneel raised his hand to make a blade of wind appear which cut off the figure's head.

Even after its head was detached, the body still tried to resist for a few moments before finally falling to the ground, motionless.

Glancing at the Eldest Prince, he considered doing the same, but remembered his promise to the people.

With a single flick of his finger, all the mosquitoes in the room fell to the ground twitching, leaving the hallway silent except for the ragged breaths of the Eldest Prince who had fainted.

While his shoes made squishing sounds due to the blood, guts and bodily fluids on the floor, he entered his chamber and collapsed on the chair in front of the Dragon Heart.

.....

After what felt like an eternity in which he didn't even move an inch, Daneel heard a knocking on the door.

Finding out from the system that it was his father, he ordered it to open the doors while still sitting on the chair even though he couldn't even feel his body anymore.

Without a word, Robert entered and sat down in front of his son. Placing the bottle of wine and glasses he had been holding in his hands on the table, he proceeded to fill the glasses up to the brim.

"Were your reasons worth the results of your decisions?", he asked, putting into words the turmoil going through Daneel's mind.

"No", answered the King in a hoarse voice.

"Drink."

Listening to his father, Daneel reached for the glass and downed it in one go.

As the spicy wine slid down his throat, he heard his father speak again.

"Son, I will not ask why you did not find a way to do what you did before the enemy got a chance to kill all those innocent people. I will also not call you foolish. You made a mistake. What matters is that you learn from it, and move on. But do not forget this pain. It is this pain which will stop you from becoming the person who previously held this throne. And it is this pain which will never allow you to make another mistake such as this for as long as you are alive."

Chapter 216: Aftermath

On seeing the King retire to his chambers after beheading the Vice Sect Master, it had become clear to Luther and Kellor who had been following behind him that he was in no state to handle anything right now.

Thus, along with the help of Faxul, the three set out to address the most pressing issues at the moment.

First of all, the job to tally all those who had passed away in the assault on the Palace had to be taken care of.

Faxul volunteered for this. Under his supervision, soldiers with trinkets which held the information about all the servants and soldiers in the Palace of Lanthanor were dispatched in order to collect all the bodies.

As the final count came in, Faxul sighed as he too felt that this disaster could have been avoided if the King had directed the situation in a different way.

Still, the trust he had in Daneel was unshakeable. Knowing that his friend would definitely rebound from this as a much more mature and competent King, he resolved to work harder to reach his goals.

The final count came out to be 189 total lives lost in this attack on the Palace, of which 50 were the soldiers who had been pinned on the walls.

While the ministers began the process of handling the remuneration and pension for all the families of those who had passed away, Kellor and Luther handled the disposal of the bodies of the Sect Members.

Their objective was to find any clues regarding the location of the remainder of the Withering Leaf Sect. After all, the Sect Master hadn't participated in this fight, along with all the weaker members of the Sect who had been seen fleeing the Valley of Mist.

As the majority of the strength of the Sect had already been decimated in this event, there was no doubt that the members remaining were just a husk of the force which had once stood on par with the Kingdoms in Central Angaria.

Thus, on this day, the Kingdom of Lanthanor had done something which hadn't been accomplished by any other force in Central Angaria in the past few centuries: they had managed to effectively destroy a force of equal power as them without taking many casualties.

This was what was observed by all those keeping a close watch on everything that was happening.

They had seen the forces of the Sect massacre their way into the Palace, but not a single soul had exited for many hours.

After almost an entire day, bloody sacks that looked like they contained butchered meat were burned in a clearing outside the Palace.

This was enough to let the others know about the shocking truth that Lanthanor had killed hundreds of Human Mages and even a Warrior Mage by sustaining the losses of just some common folk.

Indeed, when seen through their eyes, this was such a good bargain that they wished they had the ability to strike one like it.

Alas, such was the cruelty of the continent which emphasized power over everything else. The value of common people was nothing compared to Mages and Fighters.

Of course, although there were a few who did not think the same, the majority of those on the peak lived with this attitude.

This entire chain of events served to bring about a reestimation in terms of the power and risk the Kingdom of Lanthanor represented in the dossiers of all the forces around it.

Each and every force was shaken into action, sending more spies and also assigning more strategists to consider every possibility in case they did have to fight against Lanthanor.

Thus, it seemed as if a storm was forming all over Central Angaria with Lanthanor at the center of it.

Yet, the man who had caused all this had just gotten up from the chair in which he had gotten drunk and fallen asleep last night after his father had magically pulled out 4 wine bottles which the both of them had downed without pause.

Seeing his father still snoring on the chair in front of him, Daneel first stretched his body to allow the blood to flow back to all the parts which had gone numb.

After a few moments of painful relaxation, he walked to the full-length mirror in his bedroom before pausing and looking at himself while ignoring the pain in his head from the hangover.

His hair was a mess, while his shoes and robes were caked with dried blood.

"Dumb, dumb, dumb.", he muttered, still amazed and disgusted at his own folly of making grand plans for the entire continent when he was still an ant who could mostly be crushed by any random member of the Big 4.

Shaking his head, he did what his father had advised him to do: although the pain from the cost of his mistake still mauled his heart with each second that passed, he began the process of moving on while branding the lessons learned onto his mind.

Although his goal was still to unite Central Angaria, he would no longer shirk away from being ruthless when needed.

And if even the thought to focus on the bigger picture while ignoring the one in front of him came to his mind, he would squash it with everything he had.

Thus, after freshening up, the King of Lanthanor walked out of the bathroom as a new man.

Calling for a meeting through the oathstone with all his advisors, Daneel walked back to the same chair and sat down, startling his father awake who first clutched his head feeling the strong hangover that resulted from drinking without abandon.

After a few moments, he looked up to gaze into a set of clear eyes.

The indecisiveness and turmoil he had seen yesterday was gone, replaced by a clarity which meant that his son had managed to escape from the well of pain which had almost sucked him into its endless depths.

Smiling wide, he tried to get up but gave up knowing that they would have a meeting here anyway.

A few moments later, Luther, Faxul, and Kellor arrived and shot glances at Robert who had unkempt hair and a haggard face.

As Robert shrugged in response, Daneel began the meeting.

"I know what you all must be thinking. Believe me, I think the same. I made a mistake, and all I can say is that it will never repeat for as long as there is life in me. Now, is there anything that should immediately be brought to my attention?"

The gravity with which Daneel said these words reflected just how much he meant them.

For these three who had gone through life and death with him, it was enough to set their minds at ease.

After all, the King had already shown multiple times that he was a very, very fast learner.

"My King, there is something… wrong with the bodies of the Vice Sect Master and the Eldest Prince. I think the best way to explain is for you to see it yourself."

It was Kellor who spoke out, making Daneel's eyebrow rise as he wondered whether it was tied to the sudden boost in power of the two who were definitely much weaker the last time he had met them.

"All right. Let's go right now."

Proceeding to walk towards the door, Daneel startled the others who had been thinking that the King would take it slow as he had just recovered from what looked like a very deep internal conflict.

After all, in his eyes, action was the best thing to distract him from his own mind which was still dwelling on the contorted expressions of all the servants and soldiers who wouldn't be going back to their families anymore from this day.

...

In an underground room with tables on which lay numerous items which had been extracted from the bodies of the Withering Leaf Sect Members.

One table in the center held a headless body which looked like it had been chewed on and thrown away by a beast which didn't like the taste.

On approaching the body, Daneel's face took on a shocked expression due to the sight of the left chest of the Withering Leaf Vice Sect Master.

It was as if a head had been grafted onto the skin of the man, with half of it under the skin while the other half looked like it was trying to get out of whatever shackles it was bound by.

This could be discerned only due to the fact that unlike the rest of the body of the Vice Sect Master which was riddled with holes and injuries, this face was spotless.

It was bald, with its features resembling that of a middle-aged man completely with wrinkles and laugh lines along his mouth.

Unable to make any sense of the situation, Daneel laid his hand on the body and ordered the system to analyze this strange appendage.

[Analysis begun. Estimated time till completion: 1 hour. Please maintain contact.]

Hearing the notification, Daneel turned to Kellor beside him and said, "Announce that the biggest culprit who caused thousands of deaths in the Kingdom, the Eldest Prince, will be brought to justice by public execution at the same spot. This time, there will be no mishaps."

Chapter 217: Dalia

In all 10 years of Dalia's life, coming to the capital was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Gone were the days when she had to spend the whole day alone if the other kids her age were occupied by helping their parents in tending to the fields.

Gone were the days when her mother had had to go to bed without eating, just so that she wouldn't have to starve. Although her mother used to insist that she had already eaten somewhere else, Dalia knew that she had only had water to fill her stomach.

Coming to the capital had changed everything. First, there had been the candy which she had always had to look at from a distance. Since she had never had the experience of having anything in abundance since being born, she had treasured everything that she had gotten, thinking that it might last only a little while.

Thus, she had become all the happier when her mother told her with tears of joy in her eyes that she could have candy every day if she wanted, as they would be settling down in the capital due to the kindness of the King who had sanctioned something called a pension for them.

Although she didn't understand everything her mother had said, she had had a feeling that their lives were about to change for the better.

Her mother had always had a penchant for embroidery in the village, with all their neighbors praising her for her handiwork and using it to decorate their living rooms or dining tables.

After saving up the pension for a month, her mother had bought a strange box that she was told to stay away from because it was very delicate.

Apparently, this was one of those trinkets that she had only heard of but never seen except for the few times that she had gone to the mayor's house in the village.

What was incredible was that every time her mother sat down with a ball of yarn in front of this box, a few hours later, a beautiful patch of embroidery would be in her mother's hands as if it had magically been made by that box.

Everything seemed to be going well, but after a month, the box broke down and black smoke came from it as if something inside it had exploded.

Her mother rarely cursed, but this incident had made her grumble that the salesman who had said this was a thirdhand trinket and would definitely work for six months was a cheat and a liar who had to be brought to justice.

Without any other choice, another 2 months of saving had had to go into buying another box which seemed to be in a better condition than the other one which had multiple dents around it.

On some days, Dalia accompanied her mother to the market where they set up a stall to sell the embroidery work. Although the first few days had seen them getting very few customers, with time, those who realized that the embroidery on these patch works was much more detailed than that sold in many clothing shops around Lanthanor hurried to the stall to buy as many as possible.

This had delighted the duo, letting them believe that this business was actually viable for them to earn enough to survive and even save for a rainy day.

Her favorite part about the capital came soon after.

It was in the form of the largest building that Dalia had ever seen in her life. Labeled as the School of Lanthanor, she had been puzzled about what it was when her mother had brought her here the first day after giving her a stack of parchments and a quill.

Only saying that she wished that she had such an opportunity when she was her age, her mother had sent her inside along with the many children who were also bemusedly trying to figure out just where they were supposed ago.

After being led into a large room by a kind lady who had asked if she had been lost, Dalia had listened for the first time about the Continent of Angaria which made a thirst for knowledge be born inside her.

Each and every occupation on the continent had been laid out clearly, with the one catching Dalia's attention the most being that of an enchanter.

She knew very well that although they had land in the village where she had been born, they had had to toil day and night because they couldn't afford the magical devices which maintained the other's farms.

Although they had come to the Capital where their lives were a lot better and she also had many more friends to play with, she couldn't help but feel that this wasn't her true home.

Hence, all she wanted was to be able to become someone who could make those magical devices so that she could take care of the farm by herself while her mother rested. After all, Dalia guessed that even her mother felt the same way because of all the time she had sat on the porch of their small one-bedroom house and gazed out at all the buildings surrounding her as if longing for the open fields of the village.

Since that day, she had willingly cut down on her playing time to learn as much as she could. Whenever they had enough money, her mother would also take her to the town library where there were so many books that her jaw had dropped when she first looked at them.

Knowledge matured her, and in just a few months she had started to act like somebody who was well beyond her age.

As her worldview grew, the adoration she had for the King who had made everything possible grew day by day until the point where the King and the Kingdom had the highest importance in her heart right after her mother. This was also attributed to the books about the King's rise to the throne, which were available for free even in the school.

Today, the entire city had gone into a festive mode because of an announcement made by the government.

The eldest prince who had committed the most grievous acts in the known history of the Kingdom was finally going to be brought to justice by the King who had promised that it would be so.

The last time when she and her mother had viewed the execution, she had had no idea about what was going on. Thus, this time, she resolved to see everything and hopefully catch another glimpse of the man who was responsible for changing her life.

In the school, the only complaints that the teachers had had on her was that she often got into arguments and even fights with those who expressed opinions which were negative towards the King.

Looking forward to seeing their expressions when they realized that the King was really someone who kept his word, Dalia excitedly ran back home with the intention of celebrating with her mother.

Yet, the moment she approached the building in which the apartment they had rented was located, she realized that something was wrong due to the black smoke that was coming out of the window.

Worrying for her mother, she immediately ran inside and felt glad when she saw that her she was fine. Only, she was collapsed on the ground, sobbing.

Seeing Dalia enter, Helena got up and hugged her tight. In the past few months, she had seen her daughter mature with a speed that astonished her. Knowing that this was mostly because of the school which allowed her daughter to think for herself without being constricted by limited knowledge, Helena was also all the more grateful to the King.

Thus, recently, she had stopped treating her daughter as a little child and had started to confide in her and even depend on her to maintain their family. After all, with maturity came responsibility, and she knew that she would only be burned out if she tried to take care of everything by herself.

With stuttering words, she said, "It-it broke again, and I used the last of our money to buy supplies for the huge order that we received the other day. What do we do now?"

Dalia was lost for words. When they had taken the order, they had received strict instructions that it had to be delivered by the specified time or there would be dire consequences. So far, Helena had never delayed any of her orders, which had actually lead to them getting this order in the first place.

Now, this disaster had occurred which might cause them to shut down their whole business because of losing credibility and gathering the ire of the powerful people whom they would offend by not being able to deliver.

In this time of distress, the only person she remembered was the tall and dashing man with a dragon on his shoulders who she believed to be the kindest person in the entire world.

"Mother, after the execution tomorrow, we will go to the palace. Even this trinket was supposed to last one more year, and the police refuse to take the case. I believe we will find justice there.", she said, with shining eyes.

Chapter 218: To the Valley

On the night before the execution, a man could be seen covertly making his way into the Valley of Mist which had been the site of much attention in the past few days.

Although the location was still surrounded by multiple spies from different forces, it seemed as if this man had eyes all around the Valley, which enabled him to find a spot which no other party was watching at the moment.

After entering the Valley successfully, the man pulled back his hood to reveal an aged face with a scraggly beard and a long nose.

This was Daneel, and if he had been told a few hours ago that he would be making his way into the most booby-trapped location in the entirety of the continent, he would have scoffed at the notion.

Yet, right now he found himself asking the system to keep a close eye on his surroundings in order to warn him in case he was going to step into any trap.

His reason behind coming here went back to the meeting he had had with the Eldest Prince a few hours ago.

After entering the room in which the Prince had been being held, Daneel had said something which made Kellor who stood beside him gasp with surprise.

"Stop breathing".

Yet, the thing that happened next shocked Kellor even more.

The Eldest Prince, who had sworn an oath to follow every order of Daneel's is no matter what it was, managed to ignore this statement after an expression of struggle came on his face.

Unlike Daneel who had already seen his master circumvent his oath with the Church to give him information, Kellor had never even had the thought that an oath-taker could defy orders in this way.

In fact, even Daneel had been unaware about this before the notification about the strange condition of the Vice Sect Master's body has sounded in his head.

[Technique: "Two minds, one body" analyzed. Using a combination of elementary particles, a recently deceased person's head is grafted onto the chest of an individual. This head's link with the body allows it to share consciousness with the host. As an oath binds consciousness, orders given through the oath can be ignored to a certain degree especially when they threaten the life of the body which both consciousnesses inhabit. Along with this, heightened danger awareness, battle effectiveness and temporarily increased training speed are the advantages if the second consciousness can be effectively controlled by the host. Further analysis needed for development of technique.]

After listening to the notification, Daneel had gone blank for a few seconds. This was definitely the most unique technique that he had ever seen since coming to this continent.

In fact, it definitely belonged to a branch of magic which he had never even heard about even though he had absorbed so much knowledge from all the books in Lanthanor.

Deciding to put it aside for now to handle the other pressing matters, he had asked if the Eldest Prince also had a similar condition as the Vice Sect Master's.

After all, it was quite obvious that because he was bound so tightly by the oath he had given to Daneel, the Eldest Prince would choose to cultivate this technique if he got the chance.

After finding out that it was true, Daneel had come to the room and given this order to test out the effectiveness of this technique.

Unlike the face on the Vice Sect Master's chest which had been trying to get out, the one on the eldest prince was more subdued as if it was in the last stages of completely assimilating into its host.

As the system had said, the circumvention was only most effective when orders which threaten the life of the host were given. Yet, when questions about the secrets of the Sect he had spent so much time in were asked, he had no choice but to give the answers.

As a force which had existed since many centuries, the Withering Leaf Sect had tremendous reserves of techniques whose physical copies were apparently still inside the headquarters.

In their hurry, only the backups made in parchments had been extracted, as it would be too tedious of a job to try and take away all the originals which occupied rows and rows of bookshelves.

Apparently, even the legendary spell technique of the Withering Leaf Sect was still in the headquarters, because it was rumored that it was something that was stored along with the heart of the formation which defended the sect headquarters.

Just like in the case when the Ex-King's father had passed away leaving the formation of the Palace of Lanthanor ownerless, the Sect Formation was apparently also vulnerable right now.

Of course, many countermeasures had been put in place so that no enemy would even get the notion of trying to invade when there was temporarily no one inside.

After all, the sect did intend to go back as soon as they found a way to resolve the situation with the mosquitoes.

Daneel's eyes had widened when he realized that this was the perfect time to try and infiltrate the sect.

But what about the formations and the traps?

The answer for this came in part due to the notification which had sounded in his mind when he had been drinking with his father the night before.

[Achievement Unlocked: Psyche of a World Dominator-1

Psyche of a World Dominator-1 : Through your experiences, you have managed to shed your naivety to understand that mercy to one's enemies means cruelty towards one's own people. By realizing this, you have matured and now have a mindset more befitting that of a future World Dominator. Congratulations!

5000 EXP awarded.]

Thinking that EXP was really like sand which kept slipping through his fingers every time he managed to grasp some, Daneel had grudgingly bought the tool which was needed if he even wanted to consider the plan of infiltrating the Withering Leaf Sect's headquarters.

[Hidden Object Detection-1: Allows the host to detect formations and trinkets which are hidden. Detection is required for Phenomena Analysis Module to analyze any hidden objects.]

Indeed, so far, the Phenomena Analysis Module had only been able to analyze whatever was in his vicinity in the cases when it wasn't purposefully hidden from him.

Yet, in the Valley of Mist, all the traps would definitely be so covert that he wouldn't even be able to complain before dying from any one of them.

After all, the Sect had depended on these traps to defend itself from even personages who were at the Warrior level, which was evidenced by the fact that many Warriors had also gone missing inside the Valley in the past few decades.

After entering the Valley, Daneel finally understood why they were so confident that they would never lose a fight inside.

Almost each and every step that he took had a risk associated with it that would have led to his demise if it hadn't been for the system letting him know exactly how to circumvent and traverse the Valley Floor in order to be safe.

According to the system, this unique path which allowed one to safely pass through shifted every hour.

Thus, feeling thankful that he hadn't taken chances, Daneel smoothly reached the Headquarters of the Sect before being awed by its natural majesty.

It was as if the entire structure which composed of courtyards and lavish buildings had grown along with the forest which it was located in.

In fact, if it weren't for the system disabling the formation around it which made it appear as a set of dilapidated buildings, Daneel would never have been able to see this grandeur which was hidden to all except the Sect Members.

Entering the Sect, he made his way according to the Eldest Prince's grudging instructions to the reach the room which held the techniques of the Sect.

His eyes gleaming due to the many leather-bound books neatly arranged in rows of bookshelves in front of him which each represented a chance to grow in power, Daneel completely became absorbed in the task of devouring them all.

While he was taking each book out mechanically to let the system analyze them, he thought back to the problem that had been raised by Kellor a few hours before.

With all the recent spending, the government was apparently already in a deficit of 5 Million Gold Lans.

Besides, because of having to use all the remaining Ker Gems to kill the members of the Sect by driving the mosquitoes into a frenzy, Daneel had no more resources to speed up his training.

Right now, money was a necessity for Lanthanor without which it might come to a disastrous halt.

As he was thinking along these lines, a specific technique which he was currently absorbing into the system caught his eye, making him drop the tome and take a step back in disbelief.

Chapter 219: Blood Energy Extraction

"Blood Energy Extraction"

This was the title which made Daneel step back with astonishment.

The very basis for the method of growing in power in the continent of Angaria was that one had to obtain Energy from Energy materials.

One of the earliest things that any fighter or mage learnt was that Energy was a magical thing which was modified in some way when any living being absorbed it. This was why resources were always more effective on those who had higher potential, because they would be able to advance more with the same amount of Energy because they could make use of more of it before it was modified in a way which made it unusable by any other being.

The very idea that Energy already absorbed could be extracted from blood was shocking.

Scrambling forward, he asked the system to analyse the book before impatiently waiting for the result.

[Technique 'Blood Energy Extraction' analysed. This is a hypothetical technique put forward by the 14th Sect Master of the Withering Leaf Sect. Although the premise of extracting Energy from blood was accomplished, there were certain side effects which rendered this technique unusable. First, while the level needed for a person to cast the spell to extract the Energy is that of an Exalted Warrior Mage, the amount of Energy extracted is so minuscule that all of the blood present in the human body of a typical exalted human mage would only result in the extraction of Energy equivalent to a single Ker Gem. Multiple attempts were made to increase the efficiency, but none succeeded. Second, the absorption of Energy extracted in this way results of the corrosion of the absorber's mind. Eventually, the absorber enters a state of bloodthirstiness from which there is no return. The book ends with the author promising that they will continue the experiments whenever a supply of fresh bodies resumes.]

Hearing this explanation from the system, Daneel did not know whether he was supposed to be excited or disgusted.

Finding himself feeling both equally, he put back the book and paused for a moment to assemble his thoughts.

His disgust came from the fact that such an experiment would definitely have needed an unimaginable amount of blood. Besides, the mention of a supply of fresh human bodies at the end was so chilling the Daneel couldn't help but wonder about just what activities the Sect was undertaking in this hidden location.

The only consolation was that this was a technique from centuries ago, which could mean that the Sect might have changed its ways since then either by necessity or force.

At least, if such a horror was going on in the continent today, there was no way that nobody would at least try and put a stop to it.

Yet, remembering the technique where two heads had been grafted onto the two individuals from the Sect, he decided to check for any clues regarding the matter.

His excitement, on the other hand, stemmed from the possibility that this technique could be modified by the system to apply to the blood of a different species, of which he had an abundance of.

On asking the system, a smile came on his face despite the gruesome origin of this technique due to the fact that it would be solving a very worrying problem that he had just been fretting about.

Asking the system to modify it in the way he wanted, Daneel continued to record each and every book in the room before proceeding towards the heart of the formation which was apparently located in the Sect Master's room.

Yet, when he tried to surpass the final barrier which led to the room on the tallest location in the entire sect, he found himself being blocked by a transparent barrier which seemed impassable.

[Core formation still in possession of a master. Please upgrade the system if host wants to break through and control it by brute force.]

This statement from the system mildly surprised Daneel.

The important location where all the core techniques of the Sect were stored was protected by a formation which was only at the peak of the Warrior Level. Then why was this formation a different one?

When he had entered the sect, Daneel had felt excited on seeing that he could access the library, making him think that the entire Sect was protected by formations of similar power.

Now, he found himself breaking out of the misunderstanding due to the answer from the system when he posed a question regarding this.

[Unlike the Dragon Heart formation, the formation covering the Withering Leaf Sect can only protect a single area, which is the Sect Master's Quarters that contains the heart of the formation.]

Shaking his head, Daneel realised that he had been too optimistic. After all, all the forces which could stand side-by-side in the Central Continent were all in possession of formations which needed Champion level attacks to break through. In fact, without such a formation, no force would be considered to be on the same level.

Hence, although Daneel was a bit disappointed that he couldn't get the spell technique that he had been hoping and yearning for since so long, he decided to take some steps because of the present situation where there was no one in the Sect.

After all, the remainder of the Sect would definitely come back one day, and when they did, they would find a nice surprise waiting for them.

The treasury was his next stop.

On arriving, he saw that it was exactly as he had imagined. There were no Energy Materials at all, with most of the room empty except for a few piles of Gold Coins from different forces.

The point was that the Sect Headquarters was supposed to look like it hadn't been touched since the advent of the mosquitoes, which was the reason why Daneel had been taking so much care not to trip any formations.

Thus, after a thorough search to ensure that there were no techniques or areas he missed, Daneel left the headquarters in the exact way that he had found it.

.....

Meanwhile, in an unmarked room in which a man was chained to a bed.

His body was covered with bandages, as if he had been torn apart in a thousand places from which his blood was still trying to leave his body.

This was the Eldest Prince: the man who had once been touted as the one who would inherit the throne to rule over millions of people as the rightful King of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Yet, right now, his future only held a public execution which he knew he wouldn't be able to escape from again.

Hate. Wrath. Rage.

These emotions racked him repeatedly, making him shake as he tried to control himself lest he angered himself to death without fulfilling one last goal he had set for himself.

Collecting all that anger and rage into a ball in his head, he tried to visualize himself pushing it towards the entity that was present on his chest.

He had been absorbed in this process whenever he had gotten the time since being captured by the Wretched King who was the target of all of his emotions.

The first few balls had had no effect, with the entity simply ignoring them or not being affected by them enough to elicit any reaction.

This was how it usually was; it had periods of high activity and hibernation. The former were when the Eldest Prince thought he was losing his mind as he felt as if someone was trying to take over.

Yet, during the latter, he would always find that he was much more aware of his surroundings while also being able to absorb Energy much faster than usual.

Of course, he had only been able to train a month after initiating this technique, as the first few weeks had only been spent lying on the ground writhing while hoping to keep control of himself without giving in to the pain that came from the attacks from the entity.

This made it all the more shocking, as it meant that he had managed to reach the Exalted Human level in a time that was two times shorter than what it would have been if he had followed the conventional method of training.

After sending as many balls as he could while knowing that time was running short, he felt a small amount of delight when he saw a similar rage emanating from the entity which was usually neutral when it was hibernating.

He knew that there was no way for him to escape death, so the only thing he hoped for was that his hatred would live on.

As a smile came on his face, he heard the door opening, signaling that the interrogation that had been going on for a few hours was going to continue. The first step of his plan was complete, and it was now time to embark on the second.

Chapter 220: Execution

The execution of the eldest prince was set at the same place as before: a podium erected in front of the Palace Gates which was visible to all those who assembled in the Central Passageway that led from the Inner city to the Outer.

On the fateful day when the citizens of Lanthanor had witnessed their king make the promise that those who escaped would be brought to justice, some had scoffed thinking that they were just empty words to hide the incompetence of the bratty, inexperienced kid, while others had kept these words in their minds and vowed to return, hoping to see their King prove himself to be one that did what he said.

Knowing that both would receive their answer today, Daneel ascended into the sky exactly like before to witness the entire passageway filled to the brim with people looking at the podium with waiting eyes.

Although more than half of them had already seen those who had destroyed their lives be brought to justice in the previous execution, they still turned up today knowing that the man on the podium was at least partly responsible for the younger nobility to turn out in that way.

Indeed, the Eldest Prince was already on the podium even before the crowds started to converge.

Beside him stood the previous Grand Court Mage, who had apparently been in closed door cultivation for the past few months both due to the injuries he sustained during the last execution, and the fact that he had told Kellor that he was close to a breakthrough.

Daneel had totally forgotten about this man who had served under the previous King. The last thing he remembered was sanctioning the resources that the man had asked for to facilitate his breakthrough to the eighth level as an Exalted Human Mage.

Realising that he had ignored an important resource who had at least put in the effort to show his loyalty, Daneel resolved to take the time to talk to this man and try to figure out if he was worth trusting.

As everyone waited for the appointed time to arrive, Daneel found his thoughts drifting to all the people who had accompanied him on his journey so far.

The first one who came to mind was Elanev, whom he had always treated as his own elder brother. The last he had heard of him was when the Righteous Hawk had mentioned that Elanev had set out on a journey to grow in power and be of use to his younger brother instead of just being someone to be left behind as an afterthought.

Daneel had found nothing wrong with this decision, as he knew that Elanev was a very competitive person who prided himself on his strength. Besides, he was also not someone foolish who would go seeking his own death to grow in power.

Still, although he admired the goal of this elder brother-like figure to grow stronger by facing adversity, he still wished that he could be by his side.

When he had made the decision to give the lesser development techniques to his confidants, Daneel had also told the Righteous Hawk to send a message to Elanev that he should come back at least once immediately before continuing on his journey.

Indeed, there had been no goodbyes between the two, making it so that Daneel had no way to contact him directly. The last time he had seen him was during the Royal Court when Eldara had been chased away by Daneel.

Apparently, at that time, the thing which had led Elanev to taking the decision was the sight of him being one of the most powerless persons who had stood in front of the King during such a momentous occasion.

Deciding to ask the Righteous Hawk later if there were any updates, Daneel's thoughts turned towards the Fists of Justice Training Hall and the Domination Corp who had been training steadily all this while to become his secret weapons which would aid him in uniting Central Angaria.

All this while, he had decided not to deploy them as the most important thing was that they improve their potential and strength in order to become the true hidden force of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Finally, he found himself thinking of Eloise who was apparently burning the candle at both ends to ensure the smooth running of the Network of Angaria.

The Network was indeed one of the most powerful tools with which he still had a lot of plans, and he felt glad that he had chosen the right person to lead it. Still, he decided to go meet her once to tell her not to burn herself out in the process of making his dreams come true.

DONG

With the sound of the chiming of an enormous bell, the execution began.

The whole point of recreating the same atmosphere was that he could incite the same emotions which had been there before during the initial execution.

Thus, it had been decided that suffocation would still be the way in which the event would be carried out.

As Daneel gazed at the man whose death had been postponed for so long, he felt a very slight chill in his back when he noticed that the Eldest Prince was looking right back at him with eyes that almost looked as if they had achieved something.

Yet, this lasted only for a moment, leading Daneel to wonder whether he had imagined it all.

This was because when the Eldest Prince was led to the center of the podium by the previous Grand Court Mage, all Daneel saw was a defeated man whose every attempt had been futile and who was now going to finally face justice for all of his horrendous actions.

His face which was now in front of the crowd caused roars and shouts to emanate from the people who had stayed more or less silent till now.

Initially, it was just those whose lives he had affected, but the frenzy soon spread to the others who had also lost loved ones at the hands of the nobility of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Although most of their hate had been wrung away during the previous execution, the sense of loss was still something that could not be filled no matter how much time passed.

Thus, they found themselves empathizing and resonating with the others whose hearts were still filled with a desire for retribution.

Hearing the roaring, all the Eldest Prince did was smile slightly, as if he had no regrets.

This smile only made the uproar even louder, leading Daneel to order the previous Grand Court Mage to begin the execution without further ado.

The smile on the Eldest Prince's face was wiped away when he finally felt himself being lifted into the air while his throat was constricted, cutting off the airflow.

Just like all those who had died on the same spot before him, his entire life flashed in front of his eyes- from the times of grandeur to the months spent in extreme pain all to take revenge on the person who had destroyed his life.

Even though he struggled in the air and even started screaming with pain due to all of his wounds opening and dripping blood onto the podium below him, the Eldest Prince still somehow found the energy to look up at the King for one last time.

Gathering all the remaining energy he could, he spit at Daneel as if to show that his defiance would not end no matter what situation he was in.

Seeing this, the King of Lanthanor only flicked his fingers, making another wind blade just like the one which had taken the Vice Sect Master's life appear on the podium.

SHHIKKKK

The head of the Eldest Prince detached from his body, rolling on the ground before coming to a stop upright and staring at the people whom he had treated as ants his entire life.

Yet, it was those ants that had partly been the reason for him dying in this way.

As the roaring from the crowd reached a crescendo, Daneel cast a spell to amplify his voice and said, "Here lies the criminal who killed thousands of Lanthanorians while even having the gall to lead enemy forces back into the Palace to kill innocent maids and soldiers who were only doing their duty. Let this be a warning to all those who even think of harming any Lanthanorian under my rule. Justice can be delayed, but it will never be denied."

Saying these words with a cold tone, Daneel turned around and flew back to the palace without even glancing back at least once.

"King Daneel! King Daneel! King Daneel! King Daneel!"

The passion of the chanting was enough to let him know just how much effect his actions and his words had had on the people who had trusted and supported him to ascend the throne.

Back in his chambers, Daneel quickly went to the hidden Energized Training Chamber to come upon a large bowl which had a red fluid inside it.

Sitting down in front of it, he placed his palms above the bowl after taking out and flicking away one last mosquito corpse which had still been left in the solution.

Chapter 221: Realization

[Energy Extraction Completed.]

An hour later, the pool of blood in front of the King of Lanthanor had changed into red substance that seemed semi-solid.

After studying this solution for a while, Daneel hesitantly put both of his palms inside the bowl.

It felt wet and gooey, reminding him of the jelly relished by kids back on Earth.

Yet, when he ordered the system to deploy the Development Technique, he felt a familiar feeling run through his body that made him smile wide.

Indeed, it was Energy.

In fact, this Energy seemed very similar both in effect and feel to that which he absorbed from Ker Gems, making him wonder about the origins of the red gems which were found so rarely in the Continent of Angaria.

Shaking his head to get rid of stray thoughts, Daneel summoned his clone and ordered it to absorb the Energy alongside him while remembering the moment when he had gotten the brainwave which had resulted in this wondrous situation.

The moment Daneel had heard the summary of the "Blood Energy Extraction" technique in the headquarters of the Withering Leaf Sect, he had been reminded of the time which he had spent to modify the mosquitoes to give birth to the species which had caused the Sect to flee from their home.

To use the Biological Modification Tool, Daneel had had to collect multiple specimens of the species to modify them repeatedly until the spell succeeded.

According to the system, all the Tool did was to use elementary particles to influence and change the biological makeup of a species to result in a specific mutation.

In fact, mutations were quite common in all species, with most of them being quite minor such as cases where a particular group of mosquitoes might develop sharper mandibles to be able to pierce the skin of animals more easily in the case where they lived in an area which did not have an abundant Energy material supply.

Here, the trick had been to induce the correct mutation, which was apparently only a matter of chance.

When the system had begun to expound on formulae regarding the same, he had stopped it as his head had already been reeling by that point.

The gist of the matter was that the system needed him to conduct around 1000 trials of which one would result in the successful modification of the species he wanted.

Thus, Daneel had had to burn himself out by skimping on sleep and sometimes even food to repeatedly run the trials and recharge his mageroot using Ether Blocks again and again in order to finish the task as soon as possible.

Thankfully, both the modifications he had wanted had succeeded before 500 trials.

Daneel could make two modifications. Thus, the two strains he had made were:

1. First Modification: Mosquitoes which had a higher capability of breaking through barriers by giving them a frenziness, bloodthirst, and strength which wasn't present in normal ones. The trick here had been to increase the yearning inside them for Energy, which resulted in them even congregating into clouds to carry out joint attacks while also putting in more energy in each attack. This simple logic had been thought of by Daneel, who had recalled the famous statement on Earth: "Life always finds a way". Thus, by modifying just one factor, he had managed to get the results he needed.

Second Modification: A "Kill Switch" which enabled him to end the lives of any and all mosquitoes in the area which the system could detect using the Anti-Surveillance Tool-2(an area of 200 feet in any direction around him)

2. First Modification: Increased size(with other traits remaining the same).

Second Modification: Kill Switch

Of course, nature always had a balance which had to be adhered to no matter what modifications were made. In the first strain, the system had warned him that the mosquitoes would keep breeding without end until all other species in an area might be wiped out, mainly because the increased yearning would result in an overabundance of Energy, which would result in them instinctually laying eggs to give birth to more of their kind.

The side-effect with the second was that the mosquitoes would be short-lived due to burning their life force much faster because of their increased size. After all, although the system allowed him to increase the size, there was no change in the overall makeup of the body of the mosquito which would allow it to maintain that size to lead a normal existence.

For example, if an ant from Earth were enlarged into the size of an Elephant, it would simply die due to multiple reasons, with the main one being that its physical makeup wouldn't be able to handle its bigger size. In fact, Daneel remembered that much research and speculation had been carried out on this topic, which he had studied in his free time back on Earth because it had seemed very interesting.

Yet, although this side-effect existed, Daneel had been happy with the result as he had only made the second strain for a devastating attack like in the case where he had massacred the members of the Sect.

Coming back to the Blood Energy Extraction, the reason he had remembered this entire episode had been because of the statement from the system which said that mosquitoes had an overabundance of Energy in their bodies before they laid eggs.

If this was the case, then the reason in the tome which spoke about the nature of Energy in human bodies to be spread out resulting in a low efficiency of the technique was rendered moot.

Hence, the blood of the first strain of mosquitoes was perfect to apply this technique on. After realizing this, Daneel had immediately ordered the system to develop a modified "Blood Energy Extraction" technique with the modifications being that it could be applied on mosquitoes while also being safe to be absorbed by him.

The result was in front of him.

From around 5000 mosquitoes, he had been able to extract enough Energy to last him a week.

In other words, his pressing need of desperately looking for Ker Gems to continue his training was now solved.

If it weren't for the only drawback which was that the system was needed to safely absorb this Energy without going mad, Daneel wouldn't have hesitated to go and gather as many mosquito corpses as he could in the Valley while still ensuring that it would remain inhabitable to the Sect.

Regardless, rejoicing due to the fact that his problem had been solved, Daneel continued training while letting his mind drift.

After an hour or so, he went into a semi-meditative state which he often entered while undergoing long sessions of Energy absorption.

Usually, his mind was mostly tranquil during in this state.

Yet, now, he found himself recalling a certain moment of the day again and again, as if his inner self was trying to warn him about to something.

With a start, Daneel woke up while a sense of urgency appeared on his face.

The thing which had enabled him to recall this crucial moment was definitely his instinct, which hadn't failed him yet due to being honed for years through his hard work and experiences.

Without a doubt, that expression of triumph in the Eldest Prince's eyes had definitely not been his imagination.

"System, were any anomalies detected since the time I returned to the Palace?"

[Negative]

Hearing the response from the system, Daneel was just about to calm down when the memory of a kid struggling through each day only be relying on himself and his instincts passed through his mind.

That kid was him, who had had no system to help him during the grueling 3 months he had spent in the Fists of Justice Training Hall along with Faxul when he had first transmigrated into this world.

At this moment, he realized that he had been relying on the system too much recently, despite telling himself before not to do so.

After all, the system was so adept that he hadn't been able to help but fall into the well of dependence without even realizing it.

Along with this realization, came the memory of the multiple moments in the battle against Axelorian Commander where he had had to have a delay in his actions due to ordering the system to deploy spells every time.

True, the system would be able to do it faster, but what would he do if he was in a situation where he didn't have the time to give an order?

Death would be the only result.

Getting up immediately and hitting himself on his head hard, Daneel cursed at himself again for not thinking in this way sooner.

The system was, after all, just a tool to help him on his journey.

Just because it said that there was no problem, there was no reason for Daneel to ignore his instincts.

Engraving this fact firmly into his very being, Daneel decided to renew his efforts to decrease his dependence before sending a message to Kellor through the oathstone.

"Bring the Eldest Prince's body to my chamber. Also, assemble all those who were in contact with him in the time he was imprisoned, including even the maids and the soldiers. They must not know why they are being called."

Chapter 222: Detection

Although Kellor was a little bit puzzled hearing the King's message, he headed to a specific room in the Palace where all the dead bodies of the nobility were stored.

This was actually due to a command from Daneel who had decided to construct something like a graveyard in the future where all of these bodies could be buried with the sins listed as a memento to warn people from committing grave acts.

As this plan was still in its infancy, the bodies were safely stashed in a room where the temperature had been brought down by a barrier to stop the decomposition.

According to the message that he got from the government officials who had managed the execution, the Eldest Prince's body had also been transported here a few hours ago.

Reaching the location and finding nothing wrong, Kellor scratched his head but made the Eldest Prince's body levitate along with the detached head before giving the order to assemble everyone as the King had requested.

On reaching the King's Chambers, he saw that all the chairs had been moved away to make an open clearing in the middle where a table had been put.

Placing the Eldest Prince's body on the table as per the King's instructions, Kellor stood to the side to find out just what Daneel was up to.

After waiting for everyone to assemble, Daneel closed the door before activating all the formations including the backup ones to make sure that no one could leave without his express permission.

On doing so, he walked forward to the table which held the body before looking around to see everyone who was here.

There were 10 soldiers in the room, who were all just Amateur Human Fighters. Because of the fact that it had been quite clear that the Eldest Prince had lost both his power as a fighter and a mage, the main thing used to guard him was the shackles which were enough along with Daneel's order through the oath to not attempt another escape.

Six maids and three healers were also in the room, who had taken care of the Eldest Prince while he was injured.

Along with them, there were also two of his advisors, Faxul and Luther who had interrogated the Eldest Prince in his stead.

Indeed, Daneel had left as soon as he had obtained all the information he needed about the Sect Headquarters, leaving the two of them in charge of wringing any information left from this man.

His reason for giving Faxul the job was that he had noticed a zeal in his friend's eyes whenever he was given a duty to take care of.

Daneel had actually noticed this when he had given him the job to find out the people's difficulties. Happy that the usually emotionless eyes of his friend now seemed like they had a purpose, Daneel had been giving more and more responsibilities which Faxul always carried out unerringly, such as the task to identify someone to advertise using the Network of Angaria.

Reaching the body, Daneel first touched the hand of the Eldest Prince which was a pale white with ice formed on top due to the location it been stored in.

After asking the system to analyze the body, Daneel waited for a moment while still closely observing each and every person in the room.

Since the moment he had closed the door, he had been feeling a slight danger which was so minute that he could have missed it if he weren't already in a heightened state of awareness due to the warning from his instinct before.

Yet, the source of this feeling had carefully hidden their intentions so well that he couldn't detect exactly where it was coming from even if he was definitely in close proximity to them.

After a few seconds, Daneel smiled slightly seeing that his instincts had been correct.

[Anomaly detected. Level of degradation of grafted head exceeds that of the host. More data about the technique is needed to obtain information about the possibilities inherent with this anomaly.]

His smile only grew wider as he heard the last part.

This was because he could suspect just what had happened without needing the system to analyze it for him.

From the actions of the Eldest Prince before he had died, Daneel knew that the only emotion which engulfed the man was hate for the person who was responsible for his fate.

Such a man would only feel a sense of achievement about one thing moments before his death – a way to ensure that his revenge would be fulfilled even if he didn't exist in the world to see it.

Although Daneel had still had only a vague idea from the warning from his instincts, the notification from the system had now enabled him to discard other possibilities and fixate on the one which was most apparent: transferral of the grafted entity.

Although Daneel still did not have a clear idea about the strange technique, one thing about it had struck him even before: if consciousness could move without needing a body, then why did a head need to be grafted onto a person physically to make this happen?

This had arisen from the fact that when he summoned a clone, he was capable of shifting consciousness between his main body and the clone as he wished.

From everything he knew about the system, Daneel was aware of the fact that the system was only capable of performing tasks which were bounded by the rules of this world.

This meant that there was definitely a way in which the same could be emulated if the correct technique was present.

Now with all these facts, his deduction was simple: the Eldest Prince had managed to somehow transfer that entity to someone else to carry on his revenge after his death.

The only thing that remained was to find out just who this person was.

For this, it was time to use his all-powerful tool.

"Can you detect if the entity is present in someone's body if I come into physical contact with them? And if that entity attacks me, is there a way to trigger and kill that person even if my consciousness is unable to give a command?"

[Affirmative. A technique for the same can be developed and deployed with the specific feature of an automatic counter-attack being triggered when host's consciousness comes under attack]

Hearing this, Daneel raised his eyebrows seeing that the technique development tool could be used in this way too.

Keeping this in mind, he proceeded to develop and deploy the technique before walking up to the closest person near him who was one of the soldiers who had kept watch on the Eldest Prince.

"Everyone stay still. The Eldest Prince was carrying some sort of affliction which he may have passed on to you without you knowing about it. I have only just gotten information about it, and I will be checking each of you to ensure that you haven't been infected."

Saying so to the room at large and hearing the gasps of fear from some of the maids, Daneel took the hand of the soldier into his as if to check his pulse.

On receiving the okay signal from the system that the entity wasn't present in this person, he moved on to the next while still making sure to notice if anyone acted abnormally.

The entity was definitely sentient enough to understand that he would detect it soon enough.

If he was in its shoes, what would he do?

A desperate surprise attack was the only answer.

As each person in the room was declared to be safe, Daneel felt himself tense up more and more knowing that the attack would come soon.

Apart from his advisors, there were only the healers left.

Moving onto the next person, Daneel froze the moment he touched his arm.

It was as if a mountain was suddenly crushing down on him from above, making him believe that he was just a tiny ant who could not even hope to retain its life in the face of such mighty power.

Before he could even make sense of what was happening, a notification sounded near him which made him scream in response in panic.

[Host is under consciousness attack. Commencing counter-attack.]

"NO! Stop! Disable the technique!"

This panic stemmed from the fact that the person who was in front of him right now with a set of eyes that were filled with hatred was his oldest and closest friend, Faxul.

Chapter 223: Struggle

With the pressure from the mountain above him increasing with each second, Daneel could only scream this command at the system before collapsing on the ground.

As he did so, Faxul who had just been staring at him with an expression of rage and fury also fell down after his face became listless.

It had all happened so fast that even Luther who had been standing right beside had had no time to react. One second, the King had raised his hand to take Faxul's in his like he had with all the others before.

The next, he had fallen to the floor, as if he had been struck by some sort of attack.

As for Faxul, that moment of rage had been so sudden and momentary that no one else in the room had even noticed it.

Pain wracked Daneel, making him feel as if that mountain was actually some sort of substance which was trying to absorb him into it by applying pressure from all directions.

The system which had gone silent on hearing Daneel's command spoke again at this moment.

[Host consciousness under attack. Attack level exceeds parameters of what host can handle. It is recommended to proceed with counter-attack.]

Gathering all the energy he could while resisting the excruciating pain, Daneel squeezed out a question.

"Can a counter-attack be made without killing Faxul?"

As the one who had stuck with him the longest apart from his parents, Faxul held a special place in Daneel's heart which made him want to ensure that this wasn't the case no matter what situation he was in.

[Negative. Entity's host must be killed for the attack to stop.]

Indeed, it turned out that it was actually the worst case which Daneel had envisioned.

The "Two Minds, One Body" technique manual hadn't been present in the library that he had gone through in the headquarters of the Withering Leaf Sect, making him believe that certain core techniques might have been stored along with the Spell Technique inside the unbreachable Core Formation.

Hence, he had had very little information going into this engagement. Still, he had envisioned certain scenarios, of which he could find the correct one only when he got attacked by the entity, which would allow the system to analyze it.

Daneel had been hoping that it wouldn't be so malignant as to needing its host to be killed in order for its attacks to stop, but alas, this was the case.

Regardless, this was his closest friend whom he couldn't kill with his own hands.

"What other way do I have to stop the attack?", he asked, as he felt blood seep from the corner of his mouth due to biting down too hard because of the pain that came from his head.

[Analyzing. Single alternative found: Entity can be confined to its host's body if host can come into physical contact with its host. Host is suggested to initiate counter-attack, as probability of losing control before host regains control of host's body is over 80%].

Indeed, Daneel knew very well that he was very close to succumbing and giving up in the face of such power which seemed like it could not even be resisted against.

Right now, it was as if he was laid out spread-eagled on the ground with the mountain putting so much weight all over his body that even opening his eyes was such a chore that he couldn't even imagine himself doing it.

Thus, even the notion of moving his entire body to get to Faxul's could only be scoffed at.

"Can you signal using a spell to move my body to Faxul's?", he asked, thinking quickly and racking his brain for solutions while trying to partition the agony.

[Negative. System cannot deploy any new spells or techniques in host's current state. Only the previously conjured "Fire Bullet" spell can be used to initiate a counter-attack on the entity's host.]

Hearing this, Daneel realized that he was truly out of options.

It made sense as to why the system couldn't deploy any new spells, as the pain seemed to be majorly coming from his mageroot. As for the "Fire Bullet", it had been previously conjured by the system and hidden as a part of the automatic technique he had developed to launch a counter-attack in case he came under assault.

It seemed that this was his last option, yet Daneel did not even consider once whether he would take it.

This was mainly because no matter how desperate things seemed, he realized that there was still a chance.

Comparing the pressure he felt when the assault began to what he felt now, it was obvious that the amount had decreased.

This meant that the entity was mostly slowly burning whatever energy it had, meaning that he only had to hold on for a bit before hopefully being able to move his body again.

At this moment, he found himself searching for anything and everything around him that would help him to hang on.

This was his mind, with blankness around him except for the one thing which seem to be shining in the corner: his memory.

Grasping at this last straw, Daneel tried to remember his earliest memory of that of waking up in the orphanage back on Earth in hopes of distracting himself from the pain.

The first face he could remember was that of the kind old woman who was in charge of the orphanage.

She was the one who had invited women from the neighborhood promising them tea and biscuits before requesting them to feed him as he had still been too young to ingest any solid food.

In this moment of crisis, Daneel found that he could even remember stuff which he thought he had forgotten due to growing up.

Nights of being held on the porch of the orphanage in the old woman's hands because all the beds were too hard for him to sleep on, causing him to cry endlessly. Days when he had gone hungry because the old woman hadn't found any woman to invite over, making her sob as she wished that she had enough extra money to buy some milk for him.

Tears came into his eyes remembering both the sadness and happiness in the woman's face when she had taken care of him.

The memories then switched to him growing up and working as hard as he could so that he could give back to the orphanage which had taken care of him as well as it could when he had no one else to depend on.

After the satisfaction and happiness that came from obtaining scholarships and working side jobs to send money back, Daneel felt wrath and fury at the spoiled kid who had ruined his entire life.

What followed were memories of starving on the streets due to not wanting to sadden the old woman by going back with empty hands and a failed life.

Next came the transmigration, and everything he had done in this continent which was all the more vivid than his memories from back on Earth.

Living with his parents, training as hard as he could, planning with everything on the line, gaining and losing comrades, ascending to the throne and learning by making mistakes, seeing the vision and skewing his priorities and finally realizing that ruthlessness, proper focus and self-dependence was needed on his path if he wished to keep more of his own people safe.

Each and every moment flashed past his eyes, making him wish that he could cling on to them due to the fact that he felt as if the pressure around him didn't hurt as much when he was absorbed in those memories.

It was as if the recollection was like a rope which he caught to keep himself from falling off the ledge which he knew meant losing himself to the attack from the entity.

After the recollections ended, Daneel felt that the pressure had lessened enough, allowing him to finally move his hand by a centimeter.

The pressure was still there, but he now had enough leeway in order to crawl his way to his destination.

The others who had been watching on with panic finally relaxed a bit seeing that the King had actually moved, which meant that he was at least still alive.

Yet, seeing him doggedly crawl forward as if some sort of giant was crushing him under its foot, the maids and soldiers couldn't help but get puzzled expressions on their faces.

Kellor and Luther, who had actually been the ones who had been most worried, ran forward again but stopped while trying to figure out the King's intentions.

His crawling seemed to have a focus, because each movement seemed to have the purpose of turning his body to point his head in a specific direction: that in which Faxul was lying on the ground.

It was Luther who first caught the clue, putting two and two together from the fact that the King had been touching the hands of the people in the room before.

Hurrying forward, he quickly raised the King and carried him to Faxul before putting their hands together.

Blessing his intelligent commander with all of his being, Daneel finally felt the pain leaving his body as he felt the system going to work.

[Confinement completed. System congratulates host on breaking through his limit. Mageroot has broken through to the next level. Data insufficient, system is unable to assess and classify the level of host's Mageroot.]

Chapter 224: Faxul's Decision

Although this notification had sounded in Daneel's mind, he had no way of being aware of it due to the fact that he had fainted the moment his hand had touched Faxul's, allowing the system to confine the entity to his friend's body.

Although the entire experience had only taken place in the span of a few seconds in the real world, it felt as if Daneel had been tortured for a few years inside his mind due to the unendurable pain that had almost driven him crazy.

Due to the overload of having to manage it while also doing everything he could to find a solution, he had had no choice but to give up and lose consciousness as soon as it faded.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Daneel found himself getting up with an ache in his head.

Finding himself parched, he tried to conjure a globe of water to swallow seeing that there was no cup on the bedside.

Yet, to his horror, it felt as if he had no Mageroot to control the elemental particles in order to cast the spell.

"System, why can't I feel my Mageroot?!"

The answer made him calm down and crash back onto the bed, feeling relieved that nothing dire had happened as he had feared.

[Mageroot temporarily disabled due to overload. Time to reactivation: three hours].

This was something which had never happened before, making him understand just how perilous of a situation he had been in which had led to the Mageroot actually being disabled and closing down in order to heal due to everything it had been through.

Sending a message to Kellor through the Oathstone, Daneel got up and went to the bathroom before realizing that it was actually the next day.

He had actually been unconscious for an entire day!

Freshening himself up, Daneel changed the rumpled clothes which he had been wearing during the meeting before and wore a different green robe that also had a dragon on its shoulders which had become his unofficial crest.

As Kellor knocked and entered the door on Daneel's order, the King finally asked the question he had been slightly dreading to ask since waking from his slumber.

"How's Faxul?"

"His breathing is steady, but he has yet to regain consciousness."

With an expression of relief, Daneel said, "All right. Let's go to him."

On reaching a room near the King's Chambers, Daneel was surprised to see that Faxul was actually chained to a bed while being overseen by Robert and Luther.

Seeing him enter the door, Robert only smiled once feeling glad that his son was safe.

Being the King was indeed a perilous job, he mused, before nodding at Daneel and walking out the door to reassure his wife.

Seeing his father leave, Daneel raised an eyebrow at the shackles before ordering both Luther and Kellor to leave the room.

Sensing their hesitation as they tried to say something, he said, "Don't worry. The threat has been mitigated. It was because of a technique that the Eldest Prince practiced, but I have managed to subdue it for now."

Hearing the King's reassurance, the two also nodded before leaving the room and closing the door behind them.

Having the room to himself, Daneel first ripped open the shirt of his friend before sighing on seeing the grotesque sight in front of him.

On Faxul's chest, a patch of differently colored skin could be seen with veins throbbing all around it as if it were being pushed out by his friend's body.

Different from Faxul's ivory colored skin, this patch was darker, reminding him of the exact shade of the face which had been on the Eldest Prince's chest.

Indeed, this was the physical link which tied the entity to Faxul.

On the way over, Daneel had already asked the system about what could be done in this situation because it had already gotten the chance to analyse the entity again.

Thankfully, the option was present to directly remove it from his friend's body to allow him to get back to normal.

Without any hesitation, Daneel ordered the system to carry out this process.

A transparent blade of wind appeared at the edge where the inch wide patch of skin seemed to be grafted onto Faxul's chest.

Yet, the moment the blade came into contact with him, Faxul's eyes flew open as he immediately tried to get up and found himself shackled to the bed.

"Stop.", he said, making Daneel tell the system to stop what it was doing wondering just what the reason was behind his friend asking him to do so.

The entity was after all like a malignant tumour whose only purpose was definitely to take revenge on Daneel.

This was the reason that he hadn't hesitated to check everyone for its presence despite knowing that it was a danger to himself, because of the fact that it would definitely mean harm to its host due to all the hate present in it.

"Do you know what it is? I will only simply remove it and you can get back to normal.", he said, looking into Faxul's eyes.

What he saw next amazed him. An expression of slight panic emerged in Faxul's face, as he clutched at the patch of skin on his chest before moving back on the bed as much as he could while trying to put some distance between him and Daneel.

Daneel could not make heads or tails out of the situation.

"System, is it possible for the entity to infect its host and changes personality in such a short amount of time?"

[Negative. Only a complete switching of personalities is possible.]

This puzzled him even more. He could tell that the person in front of him was still his friend, but the panic didn't make sense.

Thinking back to its description, he finally got an idea about what could have happened.

Had it enticed him in some way, making him to want to keep it?

As Faxul opened his mouth to speak, Daneel sighed as he realised that this was true.

"This… thing says that it can increase my training speed and battle effectiveness. Is it true?"

Hearing the question, Daneel was tempted to lie as he simply did not want this last-ditch attack of the Eldest Prince's to effect his friend.

Yet, he knew that Faxul wasn't someone who was dumb. It was quite clear that both the Eldest Prince and the Vice Sect Master who had used this technique had skyrocketed in power since the last time that they had been seen in the Kingdom.

"Yes. But there is always a risk that you will be consumed by it. It is not worth it, Faxul. You have the lesser development technique which will increase your potential anyway. You do not need this thing which can possibly take over your body even if it means that you can double your training speed. It would just mean an eternal life of pain. Let me remove it."

The mention of doubling training speed made Faxul's eyes open wide, causing him to lose the focus in his gaze as if he was thinking about something.

After a few moments in which Daneel patiently waited for an answer, Faxul blinked tightly and looked into Daneel's eyes as if he had made a decision.

Daneel had seen this expression of his friend's many times. It meant that the decision was taken with the single-minded determination and focus using which Faxul had defied all expectations in the Academy to put in more hard work than anyone else in order to train as fast as possible.

"The lesser development technique is slow comparatively. I want to keep it. I can handle anything it throws at me."

Daneel was simply shocked at this proclamation. He knew that power was important, but was it worth risking one's own life each and every day and being in so much pain?

As he asked himself this question, Daneel remembered a boy who had gritted his teeth in frustration when he saw his mother going around the neighborhood doing odd jobs and coming back home with wrinkled and callused hands, while his father tried each day to ease their family's situation in any way he could even if it meant beatings and humiliation.

If he had been posed with the same question at that moment with no system in his mind and the worst potential possible, Daneel knew that he would have accepted without any hesitation.

"Why?"

Although he realized this, he still asked the question because he wanted to find out just what motivation his friend had which had led him to take this decision.

The question made Faxul frown for a bit, as if he were assembling his own thoughts.

After a few seconds, he answered, "I want to… become powerful enough to be someone who can be compared to my father. By carrying out the tasks you gave me, some… yearning has been born inside me. I cannot explain exactly what it is, but I know that I need power if I want to satisfy it."

Although Faxul's answer was short, Daneel understood what he meant.

What his friend had felt was definitely something similar to what he himself had experienced when he had first been cheered outside the town library when he had brought the guards to justice: a yearning to save.

Sighing, Daneel conversed with the system a bit before saying, "In that case, I also have a gift for you."

Chapter 225: The Black Raven Kingdom 1

In an Energised Training Chamber in the same passageway which held the King's Chambers.

Faxul sat on the ground while absorbing the white mist around him while the King of Lanthanor stood to the side observing everything with a keen eye.

Although expressions of pain frequently came on Faxul's face, he managed to bring his expression under control each time before continuing to absorb the Energy in the room.

After an hour, Faxul stood up with a rare smile on his face.

"It is as if my Mageroot is… Larger."

Hearing his friend's words, Daneel smiled in return before striding forward and saying, "That is to be expected, as your Mageroot was forcefully decal… nevermind. What I mean is, almost no one can bear this much pain everyday without going mad. Every time you feel that you're on the brink, do not hesitate from using the technique I gave you which will confine that entity for a time. But remember, the more you use it, the less effective it will become. I will keep trying to come up with better techniques to help you. Till then, this is all I can do."

Hearing the tone of slight regret in Daneel's voice, Faxul turned around and simply hugged his friend who was feeling concerned for him over this decision.

Although his nature was such that he could not put his emotions into words, this gesture was enough to show the solidarity and trust he had in Daneel.

Hugging back, Daneel only smiled before clapping Faxul on his shoulders and saying, "So what is the deal with the Black Raven Kingdom? What do you want to do about your ancestry?"

Stepping back, Faxul frowned as he tried to find an answer for the question.

Yet, after a few seconds, he only shook his head and said, "I don't know."

The tone of indecisiveness in his friend's voice made Daneel understand that Faxul still needed time to figure out just what his goal was. After all, he was the kind of man who might take time to analyze and ponder to make a decision, but would stand on it with a single-minded determination and focus after it was made.

As he saw the contemplative look on Faxul's face, Daneel also couldn't help but think about the Kingdom which had willingly thrown Lanthanor to the dogs by proposing the deal with the Echer Seeds.

Still, because of everything he had gone through recently, he did not feel any hesitation at all at the plan he had hatched long ago when he had accepted the deal which would definitely make the arrogant usurper gawk with surprise as he realized that the King of Lanthanor was not someone to be trifled with after all.

…

Meanwhile, in the very Kingdom that Daneel and Faxul were thinking about.

In an open structure which would definitely make Daneel surprised when he saw that it was very similar to the gladiator rings back on Earth, two figures were currently facing off against each other in the center while the crowds in the stands surrounding the open field cheered without abandon.

"Bets on the Fighter, 5 to 1! 5 to 1! 5 to 1! Just put a small amount, and you might win a fortune!"

The shouts from the men who were making their rounds on the stands while holding slips of parchment on which names and amounts were to be written to record bets were met with derision from most of the people who were waiting for the fight to begin.

"You just want us to lose money! There's no way a Black Raven Fighter can be defeated by someone on the same level!"

As one of the men on the stands said these words, the bookkeeper who was near him only smiled with a glint in his eyes before continuing to make the rounds. Although many bets on the competitor were recorded, very few decided to take the risk on the one who was actually being advertised by the bookkeepers.

In fact, many even increased their bets on the competitor as if in defiance to the statement by the bookkeepers who made sure to cover each and every part of the stands before making their way back to a certain part of the stadium in which a man wearing a black robe could be seen.

Seeing that his reverse psychology trick had worked, the lead bookkeeper signaled for the match to start before making his way to a private booth which was cordoned off from the rest of the public.

With a loud sound akin to that of drums being beaten, the match finally started between the two individuals standing in the clearing.

One had a piece of cloth which covered most of his face except for his eyes, while the other had a Black Raven double the size of a man's head on his shoulders.

Both men wore standard leather armor which did not seem like it was enchanted with any special defense mechanisms.

As the drumbeat resounded in the stadium, the Raven immediately flew into the air while keeping an eye on the person in front of it.

The man on whose shoulders the Raven had been perched on till now ran back, as if he did not want to get into a close quarters fight with his opponent.

As he did so, he was shocked to see that his opponent did not move or even attempt to follow him.

As a Black Raven Fighter, he was used to people trying to close the gap and defeat him before the Raven could get into a good position to begin his trump card attack.

Thinking that the opponent was just some dumb guy who did not even know this famous tactic, the Black Raven Fighter wondered why he had even been chosen by the Battle Royale's manager to take part in this fight.

Still putting all thoughts aside, he communicated with the Raven which had reached an altitude of 500 m in the air to begin its attack.

Getting its order, the Black Raven dived down and started picking up speed with its beak pointed at the opponent whom it wanted to impale in just its first attack.

Meanwhile, the Black Raven Fighter had enlarged the trinket in his hand into a short bow to which he nocked three arrows.

His opponent was still standing nonchalantly with his arms folded, making him think that he had gone senile due to the pressure of being watched by thousands of people.

Shrugging and thinking that it was easy money, the Black Raven Fighter let loose the three arrows which were calculated to cover all three spots which the man would try to escape to in order to dodge the Raven's attack.

SSHHWIISHHHH

With the sound of something being cut, the Black Raven shot through the air at a dizzying speed at the man who hadn't moved an inch since the beginning of the fight.

It had even taken care to make sure that its angle of approach was the one in which the sun was located in.

Even if the man looked up now to try and catch a glimpse of it, he would be blinded by the glare and be helpless.

Thinking that victory was in their grasp, both the Raven and the Black Raven Fighter rejoiced internally.

Yet, the next moment, the crowd that been cheering uproariously till now immediately fell silent.

SSSHHWWAAPPPP

Without even looking up, the man had simply punched in the air with such a speed that his fists had left after images in the eyes of those watching.

As if being swatting like a fly, the enormous Black Raven had no choice but to be knocked away in a different direction.

THUMP

Although the ground was covered with loose sand and earth, the Black Raven made an audible sound which rang across the stadium when its beak became half buried due to the momentum with which it had been flying.

As if the fight was over, the man just turned around and walked towards the exit with the audience and the Black Raven Fighter looking on, perplexed.

"My Kairox and I have been through a lot more without even flinching! What makes you think you can leave like that with just a single attack?!"

Although the Black Raven Fighter posed this question, his opponent did not even turn around. Instead, he just kept walking forward for three more steps before a scream and a screech startled the audience who had been trying to figure out just what was going on.

The screech was from the Black Raven which had determinedly picked itself up from the ground, only to fall back down after a PUCHI sound had made blood flow from all over its body, as if some sort of explosion had taken place under its skin.

The scream was from the Black Raven Fighter who couldn't handle the sudden pain that was transmitted through the link he had with the Raven.

As both collapsed to the ground twitching, the man whose confident back would be remembered by the entire audience reached the exit before pulling down his hood and asking, "Where's my money?"

Chapter 226: Black Raven Kingdom 2

The head bookkeeper who was in front of him only smiled cryptically before handing over a large bag filled with Gold Coins.

Although these were similar in size to the ones used in the Lanthanor Kingdom, they were stamped with a Raven instead of the usual Lanthanorian Crest.

Hefting it in his hands, the man only shrugged as if it were all in a day's work before walking towards the exit of the stadium.

Indeed, this was Elanev, who had left the Lanthanor Kingdom in pursuit of power.

After traveling all over the Kingdom for months while seeking out fights which usually saw him battered and bloody, he had made his way over to the Black Raven Kingdom due to a rumor he had heard in one of the villages he had visited.

"The Black Raven Kingdom will soon enter a period of turmoil"

Although he had had no reason to believe this rumor, he had decided to travel here anyway due to the fact that he had always been fascinated by the renowned Black Raven Soldiers.

On arriving, he had coincidentally displayed his power that was well beyond his level at a mercenary station where someone had tried to rob him of his belongings.

The astute Head Bookkeeper had grasped that opportunity to approach him with this deal.

Of course, although the consequences of potentially losing the chance to participate in any other Battle Royale existed, he hadn't cared as his plan was to return to Lanthanor soon.

Just as he was about to exit the door which led outside, Elanev punched to the side to make the wall beside him cave in.

Seeing this, the men who had been making rounds in the crowd to take bets gasped.

As this was an area that occasionally held beasts against which Fighters and Mages fought, the walls had been coated by a material that required at least a peak Exalted Human Fighter's strength to break.

"Don't even think about following me. I've already lost count of the number of bodies buried in the earth because they decided to cross a certain mercenary who looked like he had too much wealth. Don't say later that I didn't warn you."

After leaving these domineering words, Elanev left the stadium, causing a silence to fall on those who were in the hallway.

"Boss, di-did he conceal his strength?"

Without giving an answer, the Head Bookkeeper walked to the spot where a crater had formed due to Elanev's punch.

As someone who was the owner of such a large establishment, his strength of being an Exalted Human Fighter was barely enough to protect himself from the threats that arose from running such a risky business and even pulling tricks like these occasionally.

With his heightened senses, he reached a hand forward to touch the center of the crater, detecting the faintest hint of blood.

"No. He really is a peak Eminent Human Fighter. But one which can punch with a strength three levels above his. Stay away from him. Such a man can only mean trouble, and we have enough of that as it is."

Meanwhile, the man who was being thought about with awe by the bookkeepers had currently stopped at an inn nearby.

With an expression which looked like he was bottling up some emotion, Elanev ordered a cold glass of wine before giving strange instructions to send ice and a bowl.

Taking a private booth, he waited for a while before closing the door on receiving the order.

On checking the booth thrice and making sure that there were no trinkets of any sort watching or hearing him, he immediately dumped the ice in the bowl before plunging his hand inside and yelping loudly.

Indeed, it was the one with which he had punched the wall. At the moment, the knuckles and fingers were so bruised and swollen that no one would have been able to believe that this was the same man who had made such a cool exit just a few moments before.

If Daneel could witness this scene, he would definitely have been reminded of the moment when Elanev had done the same after the fight with the constable all those years ago in front of the Town Library.

Grumbling to himself that it was getting harder and harder to earn enough money to maintain his journey, Elanev slumped on the sofa and took a huge gulp of wine before recalling everything he had found about this Kingdom since coming here.

One of the unique points of the Black Raven Kingdom was that its people were some of the most devout in the entire Continent.

Of course, the deity whom they worshipped was the Legendary Black Raven which had apparently been the one which was responsible for establishing this safe haven in the first place.

The society here was completely based on the factor of a certain type of strength.

Only those who could seamlessly connect with their Black Raven companions to display a strength that far exceeded their level were revered and allowed to hold wealth or command people.

Apparently, this showed that the blood of the deity they worshipped flowed strong in these individuals' blood, meaning that they had been blessed with a life of fortune.

As for the Battle Royale's which were quite popular in the Kingdom, it was due to the fact that the people loved seeing others defeated by their brethren who were helped by the offspring of their ancestor.

Although Elanev had already heard that all Black Ravens were strictly regulated and could not be bought, he had been hoping to find some way to circumvent this law.

Yet, it was only on arriving here had he learned that this was one of the most rigidly enforced rule in the Kingdom.

Feeling the pain in his arm subsiding, Elanev gulped down the last of his wine before walking out the inn.

He was currently in a village that had sprung up around the stadium which was 10 km from the capital.

The general topography of the Kingdom was arid land with only the occasional bushes and ferns.

As for the capital, it was a sprawling rectangular city bounded by 10 m high walls that seemed like they had been made out of some sort of yellow rock.

Taking off at a run to reach it before the gates closed for the day, Elanev looked forward to finding out just what turmoil the Kingdom would fall into, and whether it would allow him the chance to obtain a companion that he would be able to call his own.

.....

Back in the Palace of Lanthanor, Daneel had just exited the Energized Training Chamber in which Faxul was continuing his training.

"System, is the countermeasure in place?", he asked again while walking through the hallway to his Chamber, unable to forget the expression of hatred that had passed through his friend's face when he had attacked him before.

[Affirmative. The technique that host has passed on will result in an immediate purging of the physical link of the entity in the event of a takeover.]

Sighing with relief, Daneel entered his own Training Chamber before conjuring his clone and sticking his hands in the red goo to continue his own training.

He had personally witnessed how the entity had been able to somehow inhabit his friend without his knowledge, and even manage to take over temporarily in order to carry out the attack.

Thus, when Faxul had stated his decision, he had almost decided to go ahead anyway to purge the entity.

Apart from his own memory of feeling frustration and anger at his parent's condition, Daneel had remembered his friend's expression when he had seen the last recording of Faxul's father.

Along with the yearning to save, the yearning for retribution which his friend always carried was also definitely a factor which had led him to make that decision.

Hence, only after ensuring with the system that such a countermeasure could be put in place, he had allowed his friend to fulfill the desire to speed up his training speed exponentially in order to get revenge for his parents who had been killed.

After all, Daneel wasn't dumb enough to keep a ticking time bomb in his friend's body especially after personally experiencing how strong it was.

If Faxul could endure the pain to become a strong ally who he was very much in need of, it was all well and good.

Otherwise, his friend would simply have to go back to training 'normally'.

For the good of Lanthanor and Angaria, Daneel hoped for the former to happen while losing himself in the pleasure of growing in power.

.....

The next day, a girl and a woman appeared at the gates of the Palace holding a black box.

Chapter 227: The Girl and The Woman

In the King's Chambers of the Lanthanor Kingdom, there was a table at one edge of the room which had 3 metal blocks which were decorated with flowing patterns.

The blocks were in the center of the table, with mechanisms with which they could be detached when necessary.

Each day, this was where the King of Lanthanor spent a minute of his time multiple times during the day to check whether there was anything that needed to be addressed.

Each of the blocks represented each of the 3 major divisions into which the government was divided: security, finances, and welfare.

When Daneel touched each one, any and all information that was deemed to be at the level of "Important" was shown to him.

Of course, the truly crucial pieces of information which needed Daneel's urgent attention would still be informed by his commanders or the Grand Court Mage.

Apparently, this was a setup which had existed since the age of the first King.

In Angaria, as Kings also had the responsibility of being powerful enough to be a symbol of strength to their people, their time was limited. Hence, the purpose of the table was that the King would be able to analyze all important information and decide whether there was a need for a Royal Court to be held.

Today, in the 'Welfare' section, Daneel found a new message which slightly startled him.

"A woman and a girl from the Burberry Village who have settled down in Lanthanor City request an audience with the King. They say they want to bring to light a problem that plagues the Kingdom."

Since Lanthanor had been ruled for decades by Kings who treated those under them as ants, the very practice of directly approaching a ruler with problems had almost been forgotten by the people.

Still, after his ascension to the throne, there had been a few requests where some people had wanted to show their gratitude to the King.

It wasn't possible for a King to meet each and every one of his subjects for trivial things such as this. Hence, Kellor had ordered for such requests to be kindly denied quoting that the King was busy training.

As for other requests such as those from businessmen, they were redirected to other departments after sending a message to the appropriate block.

From his experiences on both Earth and Angaria, Daneel knew that one of the most foolish things a King could do was to ignore his subjects.

Hence, he had already laid down the order to directly send any request to him in case it was about a subject wanting to talk about their problems.

In fact, he had also made plans to place public communication trinkets where any one could place complaints.

These plans had been placed on the backburner due to the war. Now that the war was past, Daneel decided to put them back into motion before ordering the government officials below him to immediately send those two to the Royal Court.

As he entered the empty Court alone, he was surprised to see a pair of bright green eyes look into his with adoration burning inside them before shyly glancing away as if embarrassed.

Seeing such a thing for the first time in his life, Daneel missed a step and almost stumbled before thankfully regaining his balance before he lost his image in front of the two.

In fact, this adoration clearly bordered on fanaticism, as the girl who those eyes belonged to had to be nudged by the woman beside her before she realized that she had been brazenly staring into the King's eyes without even bowing to him with respect.

With an expression of slight panic appearing on her freckled face, Dalia hurriedly bowed down on both knees and hid her head between her legs.

Seeing this, Helena who had just knelt on one knee became dumbstruck.

Her daughter had first frozen when the King entered, and she was now curled up on the ground like a porcupine.

Thinking that they would definitely be thrown out for indecency, she secretly tried to jolt her daughter to sanity without the King noticing.

Meanwhile, Daneel had already sat down on the Throne.

Seeing the girl on the ground who looked like she wouldn't unfurl herself no matter what happened, he felt amused before saying, "Rise."

Although Dalia was feeling the most embarrassed that she had ever felt in her life, she still heeded her idol's command.

Getting up, she made sure to keep her gaze down while blushing fiercely.

"You said you have a problem which needs my attention?"

It was only after the King posed this question after a few seconds of silence did she finally look up.

As she did so, Daneel finally noticed that she was only a little girl of 10-12 years of age.

Knowing that this was usually the age at which kids might get attached to idols who affected them in some way, Daneel realized what was going on.

The basic information about the two had already reached him, so he knew that his actions had helped this little family tremendously.

Thus, the look that she had had in her eyes before made sense.

Still, seeing the real change that he had brought about, Daneel felt truly happy and grateful that he had decided to embark on his path.

Engraving the little girl's cute expression of shyness in his heart, Daneel waited for an answer.

Yet, even after a few seconds, there was none.

Finally, it was the woman who spoke, who seemed to have given up on waiting for the girl to speak as she was still too busy staring at her toes.

Beginning with them settling down in the Capital, she explained about everything that had happened while gesturing at the black box that she had brought with her.

As Daneel listened, a frown came on his face as he realized that this was, indeed, a problem that needed to come to light.

Not one to dally when he decided that something needed fixing, he immediately summoned the Police Commander whom he had seldom interacted with since taking the Throne.

Just like the previous Grand Court Mage, the Police Commander was an individual from the previous administration who had yet to do anything to win his trust.

Although he was an Exalted Human Fighter, there hadn't been a situation before where a single such individual would have made a difference, making it so that he had almost never needed to be called upon except for executing his responsibilities.

Still, Daneel realized that he was another asset who had to be put to good use.

Keeping this thought in mind for later, he asked, "Why was the case against bogus claims not registered?"

At this, the Police Commander, who was a bearded man with a bald, shiny head, sighed before saying, "My King, it is because we have no way to confirm or deny any claims. This is one of the types of cases where both parties swear under oath that they are telling the truth, My Lord."

Hearing this, Daneel was perplexed. If the seller said that the embroidery trinket would work for 6 months to make a sale, then how could he avoid admitting the same under oath?

"Do you remember precisely what he said? Did he say expressly that it will work for 6 months?"

At the stern question from the King, Helena could only stutter while looking for an answer.

She could not remember the exact words of the seller, yet it was a fact that she had walked away from the sale with the thinking that the trinket would last for 6 months.

Finally, it was Dalia who opened her mouth and answered in a hesitant voice after finally getting over the shock and awe of finally meeting her the idol who often appeared in her dreams.

"He said… that it would definitely come for 6 months… if what he was told was true. But the last part was in passing."

Wording. It was all about wording.

By leaving themselves enough wiggle room in what they said, these sellers were clearly exploiting poor folk like the two in front of him.

Realizing this, Daneel was actually reminded of the "Terms & Conditions" back on Earth, which almost no one read. Using this fact, corporations often sneaked in statements that forfeited the rights of the people who signed them without them knowing.

Although this problem had been brought to light, for once, Daneel could not figure out how to solve it right away.

This business was definitely entrenched with the roots of the Kingdom, making it so that it would require a radical purge for which he currently didn't have the funds. In fact, Daneel's agenda for today had been to finalize the plans for solving the debt of Lanthanor.

Thus, putting aside that problem for now, Daneel focused instead on a different one that had come to his mind.

Why didn't Helena have other options to resort to?

Why hadn't there been a way to help and encourage people like her who had talent but no surety to give to obtain loans from lenders?

With these thoughts, one of the most revolutionary organizations in Angaria was born.

Chapter 228: A Step Down

As one of the largest loan sharks in Lanthanor, Abrams had been sipping the costliest wine in the country when he had been notified of the message from the Palace which was inviting all the prominent people in his line of work for a meeting.

The only reason that he had been able to keep his business thriving for so long had been that he had always spent as much as needed to be kept up-to-date on the decisions of the government.

For instance, when all the wine importers and bar owners had been called to the Palace, he had guessed that the Kingdom would mostly impose sanctions, as it was common knowledge that Lanthanor was in need of money.

Hence, he had hastened to collect all the loans given to bar-owners before the meeting even took place.

His reasoning had been simple: if sanctions were placed, the profits in the business would go down, meaning that it would be more difficult for those who had taken the loans to pay the interest.

Usually, in the cases of other businesses, Abrams would have been happy at this as it would mean that he would be able to take over the assets placed as surety with the loan.

Yet, the problem was that here, the bars themselves were the surety.

Hence, if the business of wine did fall, the value of bars might also lessen, resulting in an overall loss for him.

In his life, "loss" was one thing he was determined to avoid no matter what he had to do.

It was this mentality which had enabled him to rise from the status of a slum-dweller to that of one of the richest individuals in Lanthanor with estimated assets of half a million Gold Lans(50 Million dollars, in Earth currency).

It was also this mentality which had made him branch out to almost all the Kingdoms in Angaria where it was allowed for outsiders to do business, as it was common sense to not place all eggs in a single basket.

After listening to the message, Abrams first contacted all the friends who were also in the same business.

On confirming that they had also received the same message, he started the inquiry into just what had happened in the Palace while looking forward to finally meeting the King whose idealistic schemes had led Lanthanor to a debt-laden for the first time in decades.

'He won't ask us for money, will he?'

As this thought floated into mind, he couldn't help but laugh thinking about the absurdity inherent in a King asking his subjects for money.

....

The next morning, 26 men and women entered the gates of the Palace of Lanthanor in carriages that were each more lavish than the next.

All of them were Ether-drive, yet the black boxes which were usually the mechanisms which drove such carts were replaced by artistic sculptures of mythical beasts such as dragons and phoenixes.

As for the carriages themselves, although each looked small, it was quite clear that they had been enchanted with the costliest enchantments that existed: space enchantments.

Like the carriage into which Daneel had jumped where he had the first fateful encounter with the Church of Rectitude, these carriages all had larger spaces inside than the size of the carriage that was visible to the outside.

The main thing that gave away this fact was that the carriages' wheels left deep ruts in the ground when this shouldn't have been possible if they were really the size and weight that they appeared to be.

Space enchantments were one of the trickiest and, thus, the costliest in Angaria. The smaller an object, the harder it was to cast space enchantments on it, resulting in the fact that making small pouches which were capable of holding a large number of things were impossible to make, at least for all the forces in Central Angaria.

Even the ones cast on carriages needed top-tier enchanters, with the cost for expanding a carriage of 10 m2 area to 20 m2 being over 100,000 Gold Lans.

Hence, these enchantments were only used in a few cases, except for in this situation where the only reason was to show opulence.

On entering the Palace while chatting amongst each other, the 26 people seated themselves in a large waiting room while waiting for the King to arrive.

Almost all of them had businesses in multiple Kingdoms, making it so that it was simple for them to shift base if needed.

In essence, they were like the businessmen from Earth whom governments invited and even tried to please because it would result in a growth in their country's economy.

After a few seconds in which some already started to complain that they were being made to wait, the doors opened to reveal a retinue of soldiers.

With the King entering the room, the 26 people only stood up and bowed by bending their back.

In a way, the salute showed just how much respect a person was willing to bestow to the King. A bow on one knee was the standard, which meant that the person giving the bow was a loyal subject.

As for this bow, it only meant that the person was respectful about the position of the man they were giving the bow to, but weren't ready to be ordered around.

After the King took a seat in the chair that faced all of theirs, he first looked around at all the faces present.

The combined wealth of the people in this room reached a staggering 10 Million Gold Lans.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "First of all, Lanthanor thanks you for being present in this meeting which will change both of our futures. Before I begin speaking about why I called you here, can I ask what the biggest problem is that you all are facing?"

A businessman, especially a loan shark which was the occupation that everyone in the room had, could tell when someone wanted something from the other party.

After all, they had built their businesses on deals where they had often been on the same side.

Hence, when they heard the King speak so cordially, they immediately sensed that he was going to ask something of them.

Realizing this, the first feeling that actually went through them was relief.

Abrams, in particular, felt very happy that the worst case of sanctions being placed on loans would mostly not come to be. This was because if that was the case, he would be among those who were majorly affected, as he currently had the most business in Lanthanor.

Taking a sip from the wine that had been served to him, he grimaced slightly at the quality before answering, "People who run without paying back their debt."

Indeed, this was the single biggest problem in their line of work. Even if surety was a must when taking a loan, losses were still incurred when a debtor left especially in cases when the value of the surety fell for some reason, like in the case of the wine importers and the bars they owned.

Hearing the answer, the King smiled before saying something that startled everyone in the room.

"I agree. Oh, by the way, do you think a Kingdom is something that can run away without paying its debt?"

After a brief silence, it was Abrams who spoke again.

This had been a notion that they had actually scoffed at, so seeing it become reality was quite jarring.

After all, a Kingdom was something that had the power to simply raise taxes to obtain as much money as it wanted.

Apart from this, there were myriad ways in which the King could go about procuring enough Gold to refill the treasury.

If so, why was he considering taking loans from them with an interest added on top?

"My Lord, I do not understand. Apologies if I sound rude, but I need these questions answered. You wish to take loans from us? Why not just raise taxes? And what's there to say that you won't use military force to make us 'forget' that we gave you the loan in the first place?"

The latter question was the second reason why the loan sharks felt disturbed. Kingdoms seizing their money wasn't something new; in fact, it was why they took care to spread out their assets as safely as possible.

"It is because I want to build something that can be trusted in the entire continent. A place where anyone can give their money without having to worry that it will be lost. To achieve this dream, I need an impeccable track record. And to kickstart this dream of mine, I am prepared to swear oaths to you myself that your worst fears won't come true."

What Daneel said simply shocked the loan sharks in the room.

A King taking a step down… to swear oaths personally?

This was something simply unheard of.

After all, Kings were individuals who usually saw it a beneath them to even interact so cordially with civilians such as them.

Here, they would actually be receiving an oath?

…..

A few hours later, the 26 people walked out of the room with indecipherable expressions.

Their net worth of 10 Million Gold Lans had been halved, but they only felt hope for the future.

Hope that the name "Bank of Angaria" would ring across the continent one day, and that they would be able to tell proudly that they were its first customers.

Chapter 229: Banker

On seeing off the loan sharks who had hopeful expressions on their faces, Daneel smiled before going back to his chambers.

Although idealistic notions were all well and good, at the end of the day, business came down to numbers.

Daneel had promised them that the gold and/Ether they would send over would safely be returned with interest if he was informed 6 months prior. The interest rate was set at 5%, after he had haggled it down from 10.

The deciding factor had been that of safety.

Both the war that had been won at the border and the display of top-tier power and talent by the King of Lanthanor were signs that this was a Kingdom that wouldn't go down any time soon. Besides, it had existed for centuries with very few instances where its existence had been threatened.

Thus, given a choice between given multiple loans which had a degree of risk in them and giving one loan which was as safe as it could be, it was quite clear which was more appealing.

In fact, Daneel had gotten this idea from the debt system on the Earth.

Although this was a very deep and intriguing topic that he had decided to study and analyze at a later date, there was a simple takeaway which he had applied here.

The safest loan was the best loan.

Here safety could mean multiple things. In the case of the Earth, individuals and corporations were almost always ready to give loans to the United States, both due to the stability of the Dollar as a currency(as this was the currency with which the loan would be repaid) and the record that the country had of not defaulting on its debts. Hence, having the power to receive loans with almost no interest due to these factors, the US took as much as it could, not caring about the fact that it was going more and more into debt.

This was because of the fact that even if it was in debt, that money which was taken as a loan that had to be repaid in a set period of time could be doubled or even tripled before that point came by making smart investments.

To make it simpler to understand, it could be parallelized to the scenario of a school.

In the school, there were a set of bullies who stole or took the lunch money of kids in the morning itself, before lunchtime.

Agitated by this fact, the kids decided to pool all their lunch money in the morning with the school clerk, who would definitely be able to keep it safe. All he needed to do was to give it back by lunchtime.

Being astute, after taking the money in the morning, this clerk went to a market and bought all the items required for making snacks like biscuits.

After making them at his home, the clerk came back to the school and sold the biscuits during the snacks break to either those who didn't need to fear the bullies or even the bullies themselves.

After keeping the tidy profit, the clerk simply gave back the original money he had been given for safekeeping to the kids during the lunch break.

In this scenario, the US was the clerk, the bullied children were the organizations, individuals and countries who feared economic fluctuations, loan defaulters(or other factors) and the bullies were these fears.

Daneel's goal was to build an organization which could be trusted like the clerk by Angaria.

As the famous saying went, "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."

Hence, his first step had been to take a step back to personally swear an oath that the assets would be returned in whatever form they wished.

As the individual with the top-most talent in the entire Central Continent, his word was as good as gold notwithstanding the fact that there was also an oath on top.

All these things had finally managed to convince the loan sharks who were usually very strict with their money.

Almost each and every one of them had pledged over half of their assets, as the rest were not in liquid form to be moved.

[Achievement Unlocked: Banker

Banker: By using the knowledge from your previous life, you have embarked on a mission to build a bank that can bank for them all. Congratulations on becoming a banker!

5000 EXP awarded.]

At this moment, Daneel did not know whether to smile for earning precious EXP or to cry for being called a name that was used as a curse by many from his home planet.

Regardless, the treasury that had been empty for so long would finally be refilled with 10 Million Gold Lans worst of assets that he could use to further his goals.

After entering the Energized Training Chamber and taking a seat to continue his training, Daneel started to make plans for the scheme he had in his mind for helping people like Helena and the little girl whose embarrassed and cute expression still brought a smile to his face.

Yet, the hands that were going to be plunged into the red solution were stopped in their tracks when he casually asked the system to show him his statistics.

...…..

At the same time, on the grounds of the Royal Palace of the Black Raven Kingdom.

As two men watched on from the sidelines, a woman and a raven could be seen standing opposite each other on an open field in one of the sparring grounds in the Palace.

Unlike the raven which Elanev had fought against in the Battle Royale which had been bulky, this one was lithe.

Its agile body looked like it had been built for speed, unlike the other whose only goal was to destroy opponents by using its overwhelming penetrating power.

Hence, although it did not look as big, it was very long, with the length from the tail to its head being at least 3 feet.

It was only when the raven opened its wings did it become clear that this was a bird which was actually much larger than it looked.

With a combined length of over 6 feet, a single flap of the wings allowed the raven to directly fly up and catch an air current which it used to drift higher and higher.

As for the woman, on seeing the raven take to the skies, she only raised her hand to make 4 ice pricks appear in the air in front of her.

After a few seconds during which she scanned the skies, the woman's eyes sharpened as she realized that the attack was coming from behind her. Although she had been turning around frequently to check everywhere, it seemed that her opponent had chosen the perfect time.

Indeed, the raven swooped down silently with its wings aloft, like an assassin who was hiding in the shadows.

By the time she shot the first ice prick, the raven was already only a few seconds away from penetrating her neck with its sharp beak.

With a simple sway, this ice prick and the one that had been shot after it missed, making it look as if the woman would have no choice but to be impaled.

Yet, after a second, it became clear that she had only held them back for a final attack.

At the last moment before the raven's beak collided with the woman's neck, the last two ice pricks attacked from below, accurately striking their target and disappearing as if they had entered deep inside the raven.

As for its beak, it made its impact on the neck of the woman who gasped before clutching her neck and flying backward.

Both crumpled to the ground, while claps rang out from one of the men who had been watching the entire thing.

Yet, the man who accompanied him said something in a lazy tone which made the woman who had fallen on the ground glare at him as if she wanted to kill him.

"Meh. I could have killed it in the first try."

Hearing this, the man beside him who was bald with a handlebar mustache got an exasperated expression on his face before saying, "Sir, it's a spar! The goal is to understand each other so that they can fight better later on!"

Indeed, both the raven and the woman stood up massaging the spots where they had been slightly injured.

The ice pricks had been blunt, and the woman had been wearing a special trinket which produced a barrier that protected the neck area.

As for the raven, its beak had also been blunted by using rolled cloth.

Still unimpressed, Elenav, who had entered the Palace on making bold and blasphemous claims that there was nothing special about Black Ravens, shrugged before saying, "Still. I see no advantage whatsoever. Either match me up against a top-tier fighter of yours at my level that I can't defeat, or let me bond with a Raven to find out what's so special about it! Or you can simply admit that I'm right….."

Chapter 230: The Black Raven King Speaks

In the chambers of the Black Raven King, a man stood in front of a full-length mirror wearing armor that looked like it had been through a lot of battles.

Multiple holes could be seen all over his body where the material of the armor had had no choice but to give way to the piercing blows it had had to endure.

Blood could still be seen on the edges of these holes, as if it had been soaked in so much of it that some had seeped into its very being.

In a way, it represented the tenacity of the warrior who had worn it and continued fighting no matter how many injuries he had endured.

That was how the Black Raven King saw himself in the mirror: bruised, battered and bloody; but holding his head high because he had snatched victory by doing everything he could.

Sadly, the image only lasted for a few seconds before being replaced by reality.

In the warrior's place stood a man who spent all his day cooped up in the Kingdom, handling various matters while fearing about the future.

Indeed, he wasn't averse to admitting that he felt fear.

As a warrior who had been through many situations which should have resulted in his death, he knew that fear was a power which spurred men and women to fight with the best of their abilities.

Many times, it was this fear which allowed one to overcome their limits to step towards new levels.

Yet, before, he had feared that a blade would cut him down, rendering all his training and dreams moot.

Now, he feared that he would be remembered as a coward.

A coward and a fool who allowed the Kingdom he ruled to be manipulated to result in its destruction.

He wished that his fears could still be averted by simply plunging the blade in his hands into the hearts of his enemies.

Alas, that wasn't the case.

Looking around one last time and putting aside the fervent dream of being back on the battlefield without any responsibilities instead of having to handle political and economic matters, the Black Raven King let out a long sigh before heading to the Throne Room.

Their Kingdom was one built on the idea that power was absolute. People revered power, and those in the military were, in many cases, the most popular and wealthy individuals in the entire Kingdom.

Now, it seemed that someone had come questioning whether the offspring of their legendary god really did give a huge boost in power as claimed.

On reaching the Throne Room and seeing the damned old man who was responsible for everything standing there as he always did like a shadow that wouldn't go away, the Black Raven King felt the anger that he always bottled up rising up to affect him.

Before, he had actually been a moderately cool-minded individual who didn't resort to getting angry at every small thing.

Now, it was that bottled-up anger that often reared its head in the presence of that old man to give the illusion that he was a hot-head who could easily be manipulated.

His day would come, he thought for the millionth time before sitting on the Throne with the enormous Black Raven above him.

The two men who had been outside before to watch the spar between the woman and the raven were in front of him. One kneeled, while the other bowed.

After they stood back up, he said, "Hmm. My soldiers would have already torn you to bits if you hadn't gathered the attention of the people. They just want to do it … publicly. Still, I've stopped them because I don't want Angaria to think that the Black Raven Kingdom indiscriminately kills those that foolishly question the blessing of our deity. I have an offer for you, but I wonder if you are brave enough to accept it."

Hearing the words of the Black Raven King, a cold sweat had formed on Elanev's back.

He had known exactly how risky this whole scenario was, but he had been banking on the renowned pride of the Black Raven Kingdom to save him.

After all, from his journey, he knew that it was only by taking risks that one could grow.

Although he did have a backup plan utilizing something he had acquired by chance after leaving Lanthanor, he thankfully did not have to use it anymore because it did not seem like he would be killed in cold blood.

Getting back the same swagger he had had when he had commented on the woman before, he said, "Unless it is something that is unfair, I am ready to take any offer that fulfills my wishes. I've traveled far and wide for this, and there's no way I'll go back empty-handed without many others hearing about it if I do."

Perception was a powerful thing. If it really became known across the continent that someone who had come to the Black Raven Kingdom seeking to find out about the specialty of black ravens was either sent back without an answer or killed, it would make everyone think that someone was right.

As a prideful people, this was definitely something that the Kingdom would be unable to bear.

Hence, Elanev's confidence was well-warranted.

Yet, what the Black Raven King said next startled him, making him almost drop the facade of a strong expert looking for a rival.

"I will personally fight you in public after limiting my strength to yours using special trinkets. I will also only use a similarly leveled Black Raven as a companion. What do you say, Challenger? The Black Raven Kingdom never backs down from a fight. It is high time the continent is reminded of this fact."

...…

[Host status updating. Please standby.

Host status:

Host Fighter Level: Human-7(22%)

Host Mage Level: Human-7(22%)

Host Body Potential: A+

Host Comprehension Level: ????

Host Condition: Nominal]

"System… why are there question marks beside the comprehension level? Playback all recent notifications."

[System does not contain enough data to assess host's comprehension level. Playing back:

Confinement completed. System congratulates host on breaking through his limit. Mageroot has broken through to the next level. Data insufficient, system is unable to assess and classify the level of host's Mageroot.

End of playback.]

Hearing the notification, Daneel's hands which had been about to plunge into the red goo to continue training fell to his side.

His comprehension had…broken through?

But how?

And why wasn't he feeling anything different?

After thinking for a moment, Daneel understood why this was the case.

Comprehension decided the ease and speed with which one could comprehend and connect with elementary particles in order to use them at their will.

The simple fact was that he hadn't cast any spells since this 'breakthrough', making it so that he had had no chance to experience whether there was any change.

Getting up, Daneel raised his hand in the air to try and conjure the same attack that he had used to defeat the Axelorian Commander: "Wood Cleaver."

Daneel was, after all, someone who had the talent of a legendary mage. Hence, although he had only seen Kellor's attack for a small period of time in order to let the system analyze it, he could still try and form on it on his own without the system's help.

The long, wooden handle which was the body of the axe was the first thing that started to appear.

This was when Daneel started to notice a difference. Usually, he would have already felt a resistance from the wood elementary particles in the air as he did not understand their patterns and behaviors as well as Kellor did. Hence, he would have had to resort to brute force, which would have ended up tiring him immensely.

Now, even as the handle was slowly being conjured, Daneel was rapidly understanding the very essence of wood which Kellor had taken years to grasp.

Although there were many aspects of wood, he understood that the one needed right now was sturdiness.

Layers and layers of particles, arranged in intricate patterns that added a resilience comparable to metal when the wood was thick enough.

Yet, just as he was about to delve deeper into the mysteries that he found fascinating, the particles that he had been guiding till now started to get out of control.

Soon enough, he realized that he would have to brute force it if he wanted to continue.

Stopping the conjuring, Daneel sat on the floor with an astonished expression on his face.

He had actually reached this point so fast!

There was only one explanation: his comprehension really had increased.

But why?

As he asked himself this, Daneel thought back to the moment before he had fainted beside Faxul in the Chamber.

Till then, he had been resisting the pressure from the entity which had wanted to destroy and consume him.

Yet, at the moment when the pressure had been removed due to the system confining it, he had felt … liberated, as if he were a flower that would only grow higher if it were stepped down upon.

That must definitely have been the moment of breakthrough.

As Daneel thought along these lines, another question appeared to him.

"System, is there any change in my training speed and time to becoming a Warrior because of this breakthrough?"

Chapter 231: Foolish or Brave?

[Due to increased comprehension level, host's training speed as a mage has improved by 50%.]

The King of Lanthanor could only stare into space for a few seconds after hearing this notification.

50%! This was just…unbelievable!

Calculating in his head, Daneel realized that he would be able to reach the Warrior level as a Mage in…less than a year!

Usually, if the level of the surprise was below a certain level, one would be able to comprehend and jump in the joy, assuming that it was positive.

In this case, it was well and beyond what Daneel had ever imagined.

Just the thought that he could reach this legendary level in such a short time….made him dumbstruck.

It was said that one had to go through the toughest of difficulties to gain something truly valuable.

By taking the decision to fight against the entity, it seemed that Daneel had gained so much more than he thought he would.

Besides, according to the level classification that Daneel knew about, legendary potential was the minimum if one wanted to get to the Champion Level before their life ended.

Of course, Crimson comprehension level only meant that one would be able to touch on the Champion Level if they spent most of their time training, while also being lucky enough to pass the final hurdle that blocked one from becoming a Champion.

As for those with Gold comprehension level, it was said that just by staying safe and training nominally, they would be able to reach the Champion level without too much effort.

This was also why every candidate with legendary comprehension level would send enemy Kingdoms into a frenzy.

If a Champion level powerhouse did emerge from any of the forces in Central Angaria, they might even be able to unite the entire area because of their overwhelming power.

Yet, not even one had appeared in centuries.

According to the memoirs of the previous Kings of Lanthanor, this was because of the final hurdle to reach the Champion level from the peak Warrior level, which Daneel still did not have a clear idea about.

Coming back to his condition, if legendary comprehension was required to become a Champion, then would his level correspond to….the rumored Hero level?

Daneel had heard not a whisper about 'Heros' since coming to Angaria, except for the legends in the books that he had collected from the Town Library all those years ago.

Hence, he did not even know if there was someone at that level in the entire continent at the moment.

Even the matter of the absurd boost in training speed would be able to be explained by this fact.

After all, the way power scaled in Angaria was that each major level was exponentially more powerful than the one before.

This would mean that getting to a level above that of a Champion really would require exponentially higher training speed.

Finally, after a minute or so, the King of Lanthanor came back to his senses before avidly plunging his hands into the goo to continue training.

"Warrior level, here I come.", he thought, before starting to train alongside the clone with renewed vigor.

.....

Meanwhile, in the underground room that was the headquarters of the Network of Angaria.

In a private chamber that had been constructed just for her, Eloise sat in front of a map of the continent with an expression of serious thought on her face.

After the success with the advertising scheme, offers had started to pour in all over the two Kingdoms in which the NOA was prevalent.

Yet, knowing the importance of not flooding the Network with too many ads and driving away people, Eloise had decided to take a moderate approach by introducing a few ads every day, and rotating them during the week.

In this process, they had found out that ads right now were most beneficial to only a certain number of people who were listening.

This was the core problem that if solved, would generate much more growth in business for those opting the advertise using the NOA. If they could accomplish, Eloise knew that the NOA would generate revenue in the range of hundreds of thousands of Gold Lans, opposed to the present where it was still around the tens of thousands.

Yet, although the problem had been identified, they were still a long way from figuring out a solution.

Deciding that she would have to speak to the King about it soon and haplessly blushing again at the thought, Eloise turned to the next major problem.

Expansion.

Right now, the NOA was only present in Lanthanor and Eldinor. Due to the tireless efforts of the assembly line, enough communication trinkets had been made to flood Lanthanor city with the Network.

Instead of the small community where NOA had been tested, the Network now had listeners all over the Capital, with a penetration of 70% in the population of around 500,000.

Of course, all of them had been given for free, meaning that right now, the NOA was only burning a hole in the Kingdom's pocket.

As for Eldinor, the adoption had been slower due to the fact that many of the Elves were much more learned in their worldview than the citizens of Lanthanor, who led their lives without much knowledge about the continent.

Hence, the penetration in the capital of the Kingdom of the Elves was at around 50%.

Although Eloise had many features and schemes planned to increase the adoption rate in both of these Kingdoms, the primary aim right now was to expand to more Kingdoms.

Yet, why would Kingdoms freely allow them to distribute trinkets knowing that they would be able to influence the minds of their citizens?

When thinking of this matter, Eloise realized that it was all about need.

In Eldinor, the Network had chosen the right time when there was no Queen or King on the Throne.

She surmised that as the network had been one of the contributing factors which had allowed the present Queen to win the election, it was being allowed to proliferate through the Kingdom.

If this was the case, then it all came down to need.

Unless there was a need, no Kingdom might opt to give the permission they needed.

If so, she had to identify a need which the Network would address for each Kingdom.

Thinking like so, Eloise started poring over all the news that was going to be broadcast next on the Network.

When she was doing so, a single news item became stuck in her eyes.

.....

"Your Majesty, Eloise is asking for an urgent meeting."

Interrupted after only having just begun training, Daneel initially felt frustrated for a bit because he had truly become hopefully addicted to the feeling he got when he reached nearer and nearer to a level where he wouldn't have to fear anyone from Central Angaria.

Of course, this only lasted for a moment. Eloise was actually his most hardworking subordinate, and the fact that she had called for an urgent meeting definitely meant that it was something very important.

Deciding to only use the clone, he said, "All right. Ask her to come to my chambers."

Yet, right after he gave the order, Daneel remembered the last time he had called her to his chambers.

Hence, hastily contacting Kellor through the oathstone again, he said, "You come too."

...….

After a few minutes, Daneel's clone walked into the Chamber.

After receiving the bows from the two who had arrived, he sat in the central seat before gesturing at Eloise to speak about the matter for which she had called the meeting.

"My Lord, someone has recently made a stir in the Black Raven Kingdom by challenging the claims that ravens give substantial boosts in power to Mages and Fighters who are able to connect with them. He seems to be someone who is capable of fighting above his level, as he has already defeated a Black Raven Fighter with a single punch. As the people of the Kingdom are aware of this and because pride is valued above all by them, the King himself has decided to fight this challenger in public after restricting his power level."

As Eloise took a pause at this point, Daneel couldn't help but feel awe at the person who had practically woven a story straight out of the legends about himself.

To challenge an entire Kingdom….was it bravery or foolishness?

Daneel couldn't help but incline his thoughts towards the latter, unless this person had the ability to protect himself if he were being chased by an entire Kingdom.

Regardless, wondering what this news had to do with them, he waited for Eloise to continue.

"The purpose of the fight is to let the continent know that the Black Raven Kingdom does not back down, and also to showcase the power of the descendants of their deity. I propose that we give the offer to do a live blow-by-blow broadcast of the fight on the Network, if they allow the Network to spread in their Kingdom."

Chapter 232: Cause and Effec

Hearing Eloise's proposition, Daneel was impressed that she had managed to identify such a great opportunity.

Indeed, just as she felt, Daneel knew that need was what drove any business or discussion. Hence, this could very well be the perfect way to spread the NOA to the Black Raven Kingdom.

"Kellor, initiate contact with the Black Raven King's point of contact immediately. Explain everything, and also ensure them that the strength of a Black Raven Fighter will definitely be emphasized heavily. Set up a meeting with me if needed. Eloise, well done. Time and time again, you've proven that you are the best one for the job. I am really glad to have you working with me to make my dream come true."

As Daneel said these heartfelt words to Eloise, he saw her blush and hide her face with her hand.

At the moment, the expression he saw in her eyes reminded him of the one he had seen in Dalia's.

Although the intensity of the adoration was lower, there was a different aspect to it which he couldn't place.

Was it… infatuation?

Not at all experienced in matters of this kind, Daneel really couldn't tell if that was the case.

Regardless, what he felt for Eloise was true gratitude and a growing sister-like feeling.

Besides, there was no way he would even consider any romantic thoughts unless the looming threat on Angaria was resolved.

Thus, he wished that his guess was wrong because if it wasn't, he would feel quite guilty for breaking the heart of someone whom he trusted and admired for her hard-working and smart nature.

As he had been absorbed in his thoughts, he realized that Kellor had asked something which he had missed.

Coming back to his senses, he realized that the question had been: "What if the Black Raven King loses? Won't the entire operation backfire?"

Thinking for a moment, he answered, "The chances of that are very, very minute. The King would only set up such a match in public if he is confident of winning. I've met him, so I know that he is most probably not dumb enough to just rush into the fight without taking countermeasures. Besides, he's a true-blue peak Exalted Human Fighter. Even if he restricts his power, his experience will still ensure a victory."

Although this was the answer he gave, there was also an unspoken reason that he had kept to himself.

As the King hadn't hesitated to try and cheat Lanthanor by giving the Echer seeds without explaining about their effect on the land, he would definitely not think of it as under him to ensure a victory by using dishonest means.

Little did he know that the Black Raven King and the Old Man were arguing about this very same point in the throne room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

.....

"No. I am a warrior, and I would rather die than use underhanded methods to defeat an enemy in an upfront fight. If I don't do so, even if I step into the level that has the same name as the one I call myself, it wouldn't contain any meaning. I will defeat him, no matter what tricks he has up his sleeve."

Hearing the words spoken in a tone that brooked no arguments, the Old Man who had just gotten out of the Natural Energized Training Chamber and heard about the news of the fight sighed and said, "I know. But in this crucial moment, we cannot take a chance. Just carry the trinket I give with you, and go on to defeat him without touching it if you can. But if I see you losing, I will activate it myself."

"NO! Old man, I don't know if you have ever been on a battlefield. It is the desperation of there not being any other way that leads a warrior to give his all in a fight! If I have this countermeasure, I can't fight to my heart's content!"

SLAM

With the last word, the Black Raven King had slammed his fist on the handrest of the throne, making the sound echo all around the throne room.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his face had turned red from the indignation he felt.

Yet, seeing the old man's usually neutral expression morphing into one of utter seriousness, his expression slowly started to turn into one of trepidation.

SLACK. SLACK. SLACK.

The sound of the old man's slippers echoed in the room as he took one step after another in the King's direction.

It was as if each step was tightening a noose around the Black Raven King's neck, as he felt as if the air flow were being cut off from his lungs.

By the time the old man reached him, his red face which had previously been so due to anger now had additional veins popping out as he was close to suffocating to death.

"I did not think that I needed to remind you of our… arrangement. Do what I say, or you die. I won't even bother commanding you through the oath you swore. Don't make me warn you again, or you might find yourself missing something other than the air. Something more… personal."

The last words were said while the old man looked at the crotch area of the Black Raven King.

As the King realized this, he couldn't help but helplessly clutch at that spot after the feeling of being suffocated disappeared.

Seeing the fear that had been renewed in the King's eyes, the old man smiled coldly before turning around and walking out of the throne room.

As he did so, it almost seemed as if the eyes of the enormous Black Raven that stood above the throne flashed, as if it were following him while he made his exit.

.....

"Dalia, enough! You haven't spoken a word or eaten properly in two days! I know you are embarrassed for what happened in the Palace, but this is taking it too far!"

As Helena finally reached the limits of her patience and berated Dalia who was playing with her food, her daughter only blushed again and bent, hiding her head under her hands which she had folded on the table.

After the meeting in the Lanthanorian Throne Room, they had been told that they would soon be called back to the Palace to have their problem resolved.

A few days of delay was something they could still handle, hence the family had gone back to their home while hoping that the call would come soon.

Yet, since that point, Dalia had become someone entirely different from her usual self.

Her talkativeness was gone, replaced by the activity of acting like so every so often.

Helena knew very well how much her daughter had been looking forward to seeing the King.

Thus, she had easily figured out that it was because she had become tongue-tied when she was supposed to explain the situation.

Although she had thought initially that Dalia would be able to get over it herself after a period of time, she had noticed that it was only getting worse.

Hence, she had decided to finally confront her daughter about it.

Yet, seeing that there was no answer, she thought for a bit before deciding on saying something that would definitely elicit a response.

"You know, by acting like you are right now, you are only decreasing the chances of talking to him again."

This statement finally made her daughter look up with a confused expression on her face.

Realizing that it was working, she carried on.

"You know who the King speaks to on a regular basis?", she asked, making Dalia look into the air as she tried to come up with an answer.

After a few seconds, she shook her head.

"To those who work under him, dummy! And do you know what the criteria is for getting a job in the Palace?"

"The head counselor said that…we have to be at the top of our chosen field."

This was actually the first sentence Helena had gotten out of her daughter since the incident.

Feeling happy, she said, "Exactly! Then if you don't eat and question things and be the Dalia from before whom the teachers always praised, how will you get to the top? Daughter, just put what happened out of your mind and work hard while being yourself to become someone the King can rely on. Will you do that for me?"

At the mention of the word 'rely', it seemed that a fire had been born in the eyes of the 10-year-old.

Nodding with determination on her face, Dalia got up and walked to the chair her mother was sitting on before hugging her tight.

"Mom, I'm starving. Can we go get some candy? After that, we should go to the library!"

Laughing at her daughter's cute expression, Helena couldn't help but laugh and nod, making Dalia run off to change her clothes.

Seeing her bobbing head and patting herself on her back that she had fixed her daughter's behavior, Helena also got up to change her clothes and fetch her purse.

She had no idea exactly what path she had set her daughter on at this moment, and how this would end up changing the fates of many in the future.

Chapter 233: Entering the Black Raven Kingdom

"They say the Network of Angaria will allow the entire continent to know exactly how powerful the descendants of our deity are, allowing the world to see and fear the might of the Black Raven Kingdom."

Gesturing at the messenger who had just spoken out the entire missive sent by the Kingdom of Lanthanor to leave, the Black Raven King sat back on the throne while waiting for the old man who had been standing at the side to speak.

Due to the recent warning, he had been behaving quite subdued unlike his previous self who had started to act unruly because of the long time that had passed since reaching the arrangement which tied his life to the old man's.

After pondering for a bit, the old man looked at the Black Raven King and said, "Allow it. I see more advantages than disadvantages. Your Kingdom isn't one where public opinion matters anyway, unlike the Kingdom of the Elves where a sway in opinion can change the leader itself. It'll also make the bratty King think that we are valuing the 'alliance' reached due to the Echer seeds. Make sure to send that part in the communication. Also, make a committee to keep an eye on the network, and assess whether there is any long-term risk for the Kingdom. And don't disturb me unless there is anything important. I will come out next when the fight is due."

The Black Raven King only nodded hearing these words, opting to look on as the old man exited the throne room.

Yet, at the last moment before walking out the door, the old man turned around to shoot a cold glance at the King as a warning to not play any antics when he wasn't there.

Feeling an instinctive fear, the Black Raven King couldn't help but grasp at his crotch area again, remembering the warning that had been given before.

Seeing the door close and finding himself alone in the room, the Black Raven King got up before walking towards the door himself and turning around to gaze at the enormous statue which had apparently existed for as long as the Kingdom.

Closing his eyes, he did the only thing he could think of right now.

He prayed. He prayed that someone could come along and kill this old man, whose only purpose seemed to be to wring the Kingdom dry for his own motives.

This was definitely not what he had in mind when he had taken the offer to become someone who could stand above all and below one.

....

In the King's chambers in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Daneel, Eloise and Kellor were standing in front of a parchment while waiting for the communication from the Black Raven Kingdom who had intimated that they would be sending over the decision in a moment.

All of them had hopeful expressions on their faces, as an approval would mean that they would be able to tap into almost half the population of Central Angaria.

Seeing the parchment flash, Kellor walked forward and immediately held it in his hand, receiving the transmission.

After a few moments, a wide smile spread across his face which was enough for the others to understand what the message was.

Eloise immediately jumped up in the air, whooping and clapping her hands before calming herself down realising in whose presence she was.

Yet, the King himself had an even wider smile on his face and looked like he was resisting the urge to jump up himself.

Instead, he turned to Eloise who had just landed and grasped her by the shoulders before saying with excitement, "Well done Eloise! Time and time again, you keep exceeding expectations! Thank you for being by my side!"

Saying these words and looking into her eyes for a moment, the King turned around before beginning a conversation with Kellor about the logistics of preparing enough communication trinkets to deliver to the Black Raven Kingdom.

Thus, he didn't see that his small gesture of appreciation had made Eloise freeze where she stood and stare at him, completely entranced by the broad shoulders which gave her a measure of stability and security that she had always been looking for her entire life.

As this feeling swept over her, she realised that the feelings she had for the King had long surpassed those that existed between a ruler and a loyal subject.

Her stomach fluttering as if butterflies were flying inside, she left the room, replaying the moment that had just happened over and over again in her mind.

...

Two days later.

A man wearing the guise of a traveller entered the Black Raven Kingdom before heading towards a town nearby.

Although the Black Raven Kingdom was also surrounded by walls just like the Kingdom of Lanthanor, these walls could not even hold a candle to the impregnable ones that had thrown back enemies for centuries.

They were made out of stone bricks held together by a mixture of clay. On top, a metal layer had been applied for added strength.

Only Mages who were well experienced in handling metal elementary particles could even hope to melt enough iron in order to make such a coating possible.

Hence, this was one of the costliest projects the Kingdom had ever undertaken, but it had proven its value multiple times when it put up a strong resistance against foes who attacked.

Of course, unlike the walls of the Lanthanor Kingdom, these could be breached much more easily resulting in many villages and towns not opting to be situated near the borders.

Most of the land was barren, making it so that even if an invader did manage to breach the wall and enter, they would only be met with no cover and no stronghold to take control of.

Teleportation detection stopped people from entering however they wanted, and the strikeforce of the Black Raven Kingdom which was ranked among the top in terms of speed of response made anyone think twice before deciding to attack these lands.

Daneel had already read about all these facts in the dossier they had back in Lanthanor.

Although he had been reluctant to pause his training, he had taken the decision to investigate the Kingdom himself because he might soon have to figure out a way to take control of it just like how he had done with Eldinor.

This was actually his second stop after leaving from the Lanthanorian Palace, because he had first gone to the location of the Ker Gem mine to pick up the gems formed in the Natural Energised Training Chamber.

Glad that he at least had a way to train without taking the risk to expose the goo, Daneel had taken on this disguise before entering the Kingdom.

After reaching the village, he saw that the style of architecture was different from Lanthanor's.

In Lanthanor, even villages had houses made of stone bricks because the simple technology to construct such houses had been proliferated in the public long ago.

Yet, in the Black Raven Kingdom, he saw that many houses were still made of mud and thatch.

Of course, larger establishments such as inns were still made of stone bricks.

Taking lodging in one such inn in the town which was closest to the location where the Black Raven King would soon fight the challenger, Daneel ordered the local delicacies before asking the bartender, "I've been to Lanthanor and Eldinor, but this is the first time I saw houses like these which looked so primitive. Why is this the case?"

The bartender was an individual who had an eye patch, with an old raven perched on his shoulder who was looking at Daneel suspiciously as if he wasn't who he seemed to be.

Indeed, after entering the Kingdom he had realised that Black Ravens weren't as rare as he had thought in his mind. Out of 10 citizens that he had seen, at least three or four had ravens perched on their shoulders or resting on their hands while the people went about their daily tasks.

Although he had read this metric in the dossier, the sight was truly something to behold.

It was almost as if the entire society was built around this intelligent species and the humans.

According to what he had read, each and every Black Raven citizen would have the option of trying to bond with a Raven after reaching the age of 14.

This offer was not extended to outsiders, or even those that had chosen to marry outside their own society.

This reminded Daneel of some of the communities on earth who also acted the same way, being open to outsiders but still prioritising 'blood'.

Because the population of the citizens itself numbered in the millions, inbreeding wasn't a problem except in rare cases.

"Typical foreigner. Those are the houses of the true citizens, and they are a tier above when compared to the stone houses. They keep the houses cool naturally and are enchanted with special spells for added defense. I wish I could live in one of those."

Chapter 234: The Fight 1

Hearing the answer from the bartender, Daneel couldn't help but feel surprised seeing that there was this much demarcation between citizens and noncitizens, to the point that even the house they lived in was enough to tell who they were.

Opting to not respond, Daneel waited for a bit before receiving the local delicacy which was an animal that looked like a small rat poked through with a stick floating in a broth of some kind.

Taking the food and a glass of cheap wine and sitting at one of the tables in the inn, he started to eat while carefully looking around.

People wore mostly loose clothes because of the higher temperature, with some even opting to go shirtless and exposing the scars on their bodies.

Typically, these kinds of people also had ravens with them, showcasing that they had once been part of the military which was something to be adored in this part of Angaria.

As the common saying went, the weakest point of a chain was its weakest link.

From the way people interacted with each other, he could tell which ones were citizens and which weren't.

The citizens usually seemed like they had more swagger, confidently speaking in loud tones without caring that they were in a public setting where they could disturb others.

Although the noncitizens weren't very subdued, it could easily be assessed that they were acting while keeping their lower status in mind.

Although the Black Raven Kingdom always insisted that it allowed outsiders with open arms, the difference in status was something that was very glaring.

This made it so that the number of noncitizens living inside the Kingdom was pitiful, coming to around just 20% of the total population.

Hence, Daneel's initial plan of riling up tensions between citizens and noncitizens to cause riots and bring about a change in leadership was scrapped, both because the noncitizens were too low in number and the fact that the King wasn't someone who could be deposed by any common citizen.

In a way, this entire Kingdom looked to him like a cult. A cult whose leader and founder was the legendary Black Raven who was responsible for this Kingdom existing in the first place.

All the typical signs of a cult were there: all the citizens worshipped their deity with a single-minded fanaticism, with the objects of that deity being the ones which decided the role of someone in the society-if someone could connect with a descendant of the deity, it meant that they were blessed, leading them to possess as much wealth and power as they wanted up to a certain limit.

Also, they had several exclusive things such as the houses, some other perks and the advantage of trying to bond with a Black Raven which no one else could do.

The cult leader was the one who had the strongest connection with the strongest Black Raven in the Kingdom, which was rumored to be at a level comparable to an Exalted Human, as opposed to the other ravens which could only be trained up to the Eminent Human level.

It was still told in stories how the present King had challenged the previous one to a fight and defeated him before going on to form an extremely strong bond with the strongest Black Raven.

Hence, he had won the adoration of the people and smoothly become King, still worshipped to this day because of the strength of the ancestor's blood which flowed through him that had allowed him to make that bond.

While assessing everything he knew about the Kingdom in his mind, Daneel tried to come up with a different plan while waiting for the appointed time of the duel to arrive.

An hour later, the inn started to empty as everyone rushed to the large stadium that was on the outskirts of this town.

Seeing this, Daneel also got up from the chair and had the last of the bitter wine before heading towards the stadium himself.

After reaching, he couldn't help but stop in his tracks seeing the striking resemblance between this stadium and the famous colosseums back on Earth.

After all, the purpose was the same, making it so that this simple structure had been adopted by both worlds.

Outside the doors of the stadium, stalls had been set up which were distributing communication trinkets after carefully noting down the details and making sure that the binding of the trinket happened in the presence of those who were put in charge.

Daneel was the one who had insisted on this, as the trinkets weren't so cheap as to just spread them and hope that they wouldn't be discarded due to disinterest.

A catchy slogan which had actually been proposed by Eloise was in front of each stall: "Join the Network of Angaria and watch as the glory of the Black Raven Kingdom becomes known to the entire continent!"

As was crucial with every advertisement, this one's goal was to strike a chord in the people who were attending the tournament who were very prideful of their Kingdom.

Thus, many didn't hesitate to head over to at least find out what it was as they had been enthralled by the word 'glory'.

Smiling at the long line in front of the stalls, Daneel headed over to a bookkeeper and bought a ticket before heading to a common seat in the stands.

The fight had yet to begin, with people filling in rapidly as the time slowly crept towards noon, which was when the King would supposedly beat down the challenger into dust.

Seeing that he had some free time, Daneel took out a communication trinket before saying, "Eloise, are the three broadcasters ready? Have you check their credentials thoroughly?"

After a brief pause which made Daneel wonder if there was some problem with the communication trinket, Eloise replied in an uncharacteristically breathy voice as if she had just run up and down the stairs.

"Yes, My Lord. Two of them are veterans of the Lanthanorian Army who fought with the Black Raven Kingdom in a few skirmishes, while the third is a traveler who has gone around the whole continent challenging every type of fighter there is, just like the challenger who is going to fight the King. All three of them are quite fluent, and we have already had multiple trial broadcasts where they assessed a spar between two Lanthanorian Fighters. The broadcast will surely be a success."

"Good. I would expect nothing less from the most hard-working and sincere person in the entire palace. Keep it up, Eloise."

Having no idea that his simple compliment had again made Eloise lose her breath and smile happily to herself, Daneel put his eyes back on the stadium and noticed that someone had entered the field in the middle even though there were still 20 minutes till the start of the fight.

This man was wearing a mask which covered everything but his eyes, and he stood with his arms folded while lazily looking around at all the people booing him in the stands.

Indeed, this familiar figure had invoked in the people who had been present in the previous tournament a desire to tear him apart due to the overconfident and gloating nature he had shown before.

Their pride had been very heavily stung, and if even the King lost to this nameless challenger, Daneel couldn't even assess what would happen.

As he looked again and again at the man in the field, Daneel couldn't help but shake the feeling that he was someone familiar.

Yet, no matter how much he thought about it, he just couldn't place a finger on who it was.

Giving up and hoping that the mask would be revealed during the fight, Daneel thought back to the secondary transmission he had received from the Black Raven King.

In it, the Black Raven King had expounded on the bond that had formed between them due to the deal with the Echer seeds, which had apparently been part of the reason for him accepting the Network of Angaria to spread in his kingdom.

At this, Daneel had had to resist the urge to curse.

After all, he knew that the bond was nothing but a hope that by destroying some of the most fertile land in his Kingdom, he would be led to find a way to fix that land which could be copied by the Black Raven Kingdom to rejuvenate their own which was definitely already barren due to the energy-sucking effects of the Echer seeds

Knowing that the Black Raven King would soon get his comeuppance for scheming against his Kingdom and people, Daneel only smiled to himself coldly before putting his focus on the fight which was going to start in a few minutes.

Chapter 235: The Fight 2

The booing of the crowds which had been getting louder and louder stopped the moment a tall man appeared at the end of the stadium, confidently walking towards the center of the field where his challenger was waiting.

He wore black leather armor which covered his entire body including his palms. While his black hair flew in the wind, a confident smile appeared on his face as he raised his hand to wave at the crowds who had just started an ear-shattering cheer.

Meanwhile, Elanev, who was putting on the façade of a warrior who knew no fear couldn't help but feel a slight amount of trepidation feeling the entire stadium itself shake due to the people on the stands who had all gotten up the moment the King had arrived.

Yet, at the same moment, the thrill of a challenge coursed through him, making him enter the familiar zone of concentration which he had relied on often in his journey to save his life.

Whether it be the fiercest animal or the strongest bandit, no matter who his enemy was, this zone allowed him to ignore all distractions and focus completely on the movements of the one in front of him.

Hence, with his eyes fixed firmly on the King who was walking towards him, Elanev started to plan the first move he would make.

He knew very well of the history of this man who had gone through countless battles before challenging the previous King and defeating him in the process.

Even though he would be wearing a special trinket designed to limit his power to that of an Eminent Human Fighter, his experience would definitely give him an edge in this fight.

Yet, Elanev was confident in his own trump cards which might even result in a surprise victory.

Unlike before when he had completely disregarded the threat that his opponent represented in the last Battle Royale match, Elanev entered into a stance with both of his fists pointing forward while his legs loosened up, enabling him to be light on his feet when needed.

After the King reached a distance of 50 feet from Elanev, he stopped and waited for an official who had entered from the other entrance of the field.

In the official's hand was a cage in which a Raven was looking around astutely, trying to figure out where it was.

In the Black Raven Kingdom, there were actually two types of Ravens which were known as awakened and unawakened.

According to their doctrine, any Raven which managed to form a connection with a human, thereby awakening its ancestral blood, was considered an awakened Raven which would always be treated with the highest of respect and would never be forced to do anything by anyone.

Unawakened ravens were those which had not formed a bond with anyone. Hence, no one would say anything even if they were caged in this way.

According to the statistics, of all the Ravens bred to power using the Kingdom's secret technique, a small percentage were always unawakened.

Still, these ravens weren't treated unfairly. Put in cages and fed well, they waited for someone to come along who could bond with them.

Apparently, this was one of those ravens. Its size was similar to the one which had fought alongside Elanev's opponent in the Battle Royale before, at around double the size of a man's head.

Yet, unlike that Raven and the one which had been the partner of the woman, this one did not have any special features such as a bulkier or more agile build.

After the official reached them, the King opened his mouth and shouted in a voice which did not need any amplification trinkets to resound across the stadium.

This was because the people had already fallen silent the moment the King had done so.

Even before Elanev could marvel at the absolute respect and obedience the people had for this man, the Black Raven King's words had already started to echo in the stadium.

"People of the Black Raven! Today, a challenger is in front of me who doubts that the descendants of our glorious ancestor give any boost in power to those who are lucky enough to bond with them. You know very well that many soldiers would have already torn this man to bits if I had allowed them to."

This line drew a roar from the crowd, inundating the stadium for a few seconds before fading away because the King had resumed speaking.

"I only stopped them, because this is a great opportunity for the continent to be reminded about the sheer power of a Black Raven Fighter. And for this purpose, I myself am ready to defend our honor.

"For the purpose of fairness, I will only be using a Raven which has been unawakened and thus not trained in a specific way to build a specific power. This man is a 6th Grade Eminent Human fighter, but I will be restricting myself to the level of a fifth-grade one so that he won't whine later that he lost because I have more experience than him."

The Black Raven King chuckled as he said these words, making the crowd laugh alongside him while the desire for revenge in their eyes only got stronger.

Walking to the official, he first looked at the Raven for a few moments before using a finger to scratch at its head, right above its sharp beak.

Initially, it tried to resist, but it was soon enjoying itself and tilting its head in happiness as the King continued scratching.

While still doing so, the King carefully opened the cage door and coaxed the Raven onto his hand.

Yet, as soon as the Raven did so, it screeched as if in pain.

With his sharp eyesight, Elenav could see that there was some sort of ring with a pointy needle on the fingers of the Black Raven King.

The ring had penetrated the leg of the Raven, and although it was about to fly away seeing that it was actually free, it stopped itself after unfolding its wings and turned around to look into the eyes of the King.

With its head cocked to one side, the raven's eyes connected with the Kings for a few seconds before it completely turned docile and got onto his shoulder.

"So fast!"

"That's our King! The one with the strongest Black Raven blood!"

"Praise be to our Saviour, the legendary Black Raven!"

Statements like these resounded across the stadium, making Elanev raise his brow as even he couldn't help but feel impressed at the feat of the king.

According to what he had heard, connecting with a Raven was usually a process that took weeks or even months depending on the blood of the person.

Seeing it happening in a few minutes was truly fascinating, and it had also revealed to Elanev exactly what kind of trinket was used in the process.

After this, the official handed over another trinket which was shaped like a belt with thorns all around.

As the King wore the belt, he winced as the thorns dug into his skin, but his expression returned to normal as the feeling went away after a few moments.

Yet, a grimace passed across his face after this had happened, as he felt his strength receding to the level previously set on the trinket.

Such trinkets were actually quite rare and limited, but they weren't very sought after due to their limited uses. Apparently, even the design for creating such trinkets had long been lost, making it so that this one was one of the last that was still in use in the continent.

With his job done, the official left the stadium while the King said one last sentence before the fight began.

"To all those listening, I only say one thing. If you ever even think of opposing my Kingdom, then remember this fight and cower in your boots."

With the bold proclamation, a bell sounded across the stadium, signalling the beginning of the fight.

It was as if his statement had served to fire himself up, as the Black Raven King's eyes had become bloodshot just like the people in the stands who were cheering for him as if there was no tomorrow.

The first attack itself made a cold sweat appear on Elanev's back.

Taking a single step forward and swinging his body while holding both legs of the Raven in his hand, the King flung the Raven at him with a blinding speed that made him lose hope of even trying to intercept it.

Rolling to the side, Elanev prepared himself for a tough fight.

Chapter 236: The Fight 3

After he rolled to the side, a feeling of danger coming from his back made him jump and roll again as he realized that the King had already rushed towards him and launched an attack which would have almost hit if it weren't for his instincts which had been honed during the months of traveling.

Seeing the consecutive rolls in the middle of the field, the people of the Black Raven Kingdom couldn't help but laugh with satisfaction as they became filled with the sweet feeling of seeing their enemy beaten down in front of them.

After the Raven had missed its mark, Elanev hadn't been able to figure out where it was, making him feel an additional sense of danger which was all the more frightening as he did not know from which direction it would come from.

Meanwhile, the Black Raven King was raining down punches and kicks at him in a barbaric style that emphasized offense over defense.

Since childhood, Elanev had been trained in punching and kicking techniques which would try and take advantage of an enemy's weakness while also protecting the user.

The technique the King was using was the antithesis of what he had learned.

By forsaking defense, although there are many holes in the King's technique which he could take advantage of, the speed of the offense was so high that if he wanted to land a punch or kick, he would have to allow himself to be hit multiple times.

The lack in experience was already showing its mark. The first attack itself has served to throw Elanev off his game, putting him in disadvantages position which the King had capitalized on to push him more and more towards defeat.

Knowing that that was the only outcome if this continued, Elanev used one of the trump cards he had picked up since leaving the Kingdom.

Pushing energy towards his feet, Elanev took two steps which looked normal.

Yet, two muffled explosions could be heard in the stadium while Elanev flew back in a controlled manner before vaulting in the air and smoothly landing on the ground.

This almost made people suspect that the challenger was actually a mage, but their doubts were answered when they saw that two clear footprints had appeared on the exact spot where the man had stepped off of on the ground to fly into the air.

This was definitely some sort of technique that used force to push oneself and result in this effect.

Only one man among the crowds almost stood up with shock, seeing a familiar technique being used in a place far away from home.

Meanwhile, Elanev had taken out two strange looking trinkets that seemed like they had been designed to be worn.

Although they looked like they were made up of a metallic material, as Elanev put them on, they bent to perfectly surround his fists, making them shine in the sun.

Seeing the strange trinkets, the king only smiled before advancing towards his opponent again.

He was not even wearing any weapons, showing his confidence in being able to win the fight even if he was barehanded.

Yet, the moment he threw another punch at his opponent, he realized that he had probably made a mistake by underestimating him like so.

The reality was that although his power had been restricted to that of a fifth-grade Eminent Human Fighter, his experience allowed him to output a fist power at least two levels above his due to the perfect usage of stance and movement.

Each punch travelled from his foot to his hand, resulting in a power that would make one feel as if they were facing off against an Exalted Human Fighter.

This was something that could only be learned by years and years on the battlefield, as it required a near subconscious focus that could not be trained.

Although he had known that it was very unlikely that his challenger was also aware of such a technique, he had decided to take the cautious route by using the Raven to distract him before launching his attack.

This had allowed him to see that the opponent indeed did not have any such technique to amplify power.

Hence, he had simply walked up now and punched thinking that the opponent would just be blown away.

Yet, his fist had been met by a metallic object which made him wince.

More than the strength of the metal, it was the strange phenomena which accompanied each punch that shocked him.

It was as if a snake had slithered into his arm at the moment of contact, which would definitely burst with a simple command from his opponent, thereby rupturing his blood vessels and causing a grave injury.

Thinking quickly and understanding exactly what it was, the Black Raven King used a technique to expel foreign force.

By shaking his hand vigorously in a certain direction, he managed to lessen the force that was traveling through his arm so that even if the explosion really did occur, there would be very minimal damage.

The problem was that when he had been absorbed in this process, the opponent had already thrown three more punches at three different locations on his body.

Understanding that it was now his turn to retreat, the Black Raven King hurriedly commanded the Raven which had been lying in wait to initiate an attack.

This gave him a moment of respite, which he used to jump back and use the same technique as before to get rid of all the 'snakes' that had entered his body.

Meanwhile, Elanev had had no option but to give up the advantageous position he had grasped using the element of surprise.

The damned Raven had managed to swoop down from the sky in his blind spot, making him pause his attack and move in order to escape its sharp beak which would definitely impale him if he gave it the chance.

On the other side, the Black Raven King had already managed to expel all the 'snakes'.

"Interesting. Enough warmup. It's time to end this farce."

With these words began the most disastrous fight in Elanev's entire life.

It started with the Raven flying back into the sky, while the King charged again and began attacking in the same way he had before.

Yet, the difference was that each punch from him was accompanied by an attack from the Raven from a different direction.

Unlike the Raven of the Fighter he had fought before, this one could agilely turn in the sky whenever it wanted, allowing it to return back and attack him again and again even though it kept missing due to his careful dodging.

Even though he did land some punches on the King in the process because he wasn't flustered like before, it was as if the explosions had no impact whatsoever on this man who did not even flinch at the pain of having his blood vessels and skin torn open.

SHWIP.

BAM.

HWEP.

BOOM.

The sound of their punches synced with the sound made by the Raven as it kept turning and attacking him repeatedly, not even giving him a moment of respite.

Only a minute had passed since the moment when he had made the King retreat, but he had already taken eight punches and three kicks to his body while blood had already risen to his mouth indicating that he was internally injured.

Still, he looked fine on the outside, as opposed to the King who had taken five of the Hidden Kill punches which made blood flow down his body due to the patches of skin torn off on his hands where the leather armor had holes due to the explosions which came from inside.

The crowd couldn't even follow the movements of these two individuals, whom anyone could have mistaken as Exalted Human Fighters instead of the Eminent ones that they were.

The only thing they could catch clear glimpses of was the Raven which kept reorienting itself to keep launching attacks.

After a minute and a half, the two figures finally separated.

Both were panting, but where one was so bloodied that he looked like he had swam through hell, the other looked the same as he had at the beginning of the fight.

Noticing that it was actually the King who was the bloody one, shock appeared on the faces of the people of the Black Raven Kingdom who started to fear the worst.

If they were given a moment longer, no one could tell exactly what the emotion could have devolved into.

Yet, the chance to find the answer was lost.

The challenger moved forward one last time as if he had a last punch left in him, but the step he took made him shake suddenly, almost as if someone had electrocuted him.

This made him fall to the ground, leaving the King standing. Clearly, he could take no more.

This time, the entire stadium shook as everyone got on their feet and jumped with joy, seeing the pride of the Kingdom defended in such spectacular way.

As the broadcasters on the NOA kept raining praises on the King who had clinched the victory, Daneel narrowed his eyes and glanced at a specific corner of the stadium, before casting a spell to contact his dear brother whom he had missed for so long.

Chapter 237: A Brief Reunion

As the crowds got louder and louder, the Black Raven King felt all of his senses disappearing as he imagined himself standing in a battlefield, having just snatched victory from the jaws of death.

With the pride and glory of a warrior surrounding him, the King couldn't help but smile wide wishing that this moment wouldn't pass.

Yet, sadly, he came back to his senses and realized that those days had already gone by.

These past few minutes were definitely the best he had experienced in the past few decades.

Although the adoration from the crowds in the stands did make him happy, it was nothing compared to what he had felt in the moment that had just passed.

Of course, the last movement of the opponent had been a bit suspect, but the King just attributed it to the sudden pain that must have shot through his body due to that step.

Waving at the crowd, he almost turned around and walked away before glancing at his opponent's crumpled body which was still breathing.

Getting an idea, he started walking towards the challenger who had been so arrogant just a few minutes ago.

There were no shouts such as "Kill him!", as killing a downed enemy was not something that Black Raven Fighters or Mages did.

After reaching his body, the Black Raven King first hesitated for a bit remembering the old man who was definitely watching.

Yet, thinking back again to what he had felt, he decided to handle whatever consequences may come and bent to help up the man.

As he did so, the man winced but his face only had an easy smile.

"Good fight. Black ravens are indeed… Incredible. "

The smile on the Black Raven King's face only becoming wider, he bellowed out, "Did you catch that, my people? In the words of the challenger himself, black ravens are indeed incredible! All praise our Saviour! We have someone new who has understood the specialty of our ancestor. To such a man, I believe only friendship must be offered. What do you all say?"

Hearing the words of the King, the people of the Black Raven Kingdom only shouted louder, feeling impressed at the grace that their ruler was showing.

As the positive reply echoed all around, the King extended his hand and said in a low voice, "Good fight, indeed. I offer the friendship of my Kingdom to you. Although we cannot let you connect with the Black Raven due to the rules set by our ancestor, you can study techniques and even spar with me. What do you say? "

To this, the challenger only shrugged before replying, "Only if you allow me to stay in the palace. Treating these wounds is going to cost all of my money."

Chuckling at the answer, the King said, "I give my word that you will be welcome in the palace for as long as you want. And my healers will personally attend to you. What is your name, by the way?"

"E-eganev", he answered, before collapsing onto the King's shoulder.

...

Two days later. In an inn in the capital of the Black Raven Kingdom.

A man sat on a table sipping on a glass of wine while wincing at each mouthful as if it very bitter.

His eyes constantly scanned the door of the inn, as if he were waiting for someone.

A few moments later, the door opened to let in someone who had a scar across his cheek which looked like it had been recently inflicted.

Seeing his brother finally appear, Daneel smiled before getting up and directly hugging Elanev after he reached the table he had been sitting at.

Yet, hearing him wince slightly and flinch due to the hug, Daneel hurriedly let go before allowing him to sit.

A few seconds of awkward silence followed, after which both tried to speak at the same time.

This made them burst out laughing, while Daneel ordered another glass of wine and two bowls of the rat broth that he had grown to like over his time in this Kingdom.

"You sure have grown powerful. If I'm not wrong, that last technique you were going to use before the interference would have resulted in your victory."

Widening his eyes with surprise, Elanev said, "How do you know? And what are you even doing here?"

"Let's just say I have a talent in… assessment. As for that, I can ask you the same thing. How did my sworn elder brother end up becoming the foolhardy man who challenged an entire Kingdom? You are the talk of the continent now, you know."

"Long story. We can talk about it later. As for that fight, my only intention was to find out something about the turmoil that will supposedly happen in this Kingdom soon and see if it affects our Kingdom in any way. I had no idea it would end up resulting in a fight which would almost have taken my life. Damn that person who interfered.", said Elanev with frustration in his tone.

"You can't fool me. I know you were waiting to escape the moment the King even thought of attacking while you were down. About the interference, I have no idea either. Anyway, let's get to the matter at hand. I cannot give you the exact details, but the Black Raven Kingdom has ulterior motives against Lanthanor. Suffice it to say that if I weren't the King, our Kingdom would have entered a deal with the Black Raven Kingdom which would have destroyed it utterly. I need you to gather information inside the palace. Take these. They are disguised communication trinkets for audio and video, and I need you to have them on you at all times inside the palace. This is why I asked you to find a way inside during the fight."

Nodding, Elanev understood the reason behind the transmission after the fight which had startled him. In fact, he had asked something which only the both of them knew to ensure that it really was his little brother who was speaking to him.

Usually, he would not have accepted such an offer as it would mean tying himself down for no purpose. Besides, he had even been attacked in some discreet away when he had about to use another trump card which would definitely have seen him win.

It was only because Daneel had asked him to that he had stated that request to get inside the palace.

After all, his overall motive behind the entire thing was to find out if there was a threat against Lanthanor.

At this moment, the door opened letting in a Black Raven Fighter who nodded at the bartender before taking a table and scanning his surroundings.

Seeing this, Daneel said, "Let us continue our discussion on the communication trinket. As someone who could put up a fight against the King himself, you are definitely being scouted by multiple forces who want to find out just where you belong to. I will be taking my leave to Lanthanor. Stay safe, and I will make sure to come again so that we can have a proper reunion after things have settled down. I'll see you later, brother."

Elanev nodded hearing these words and looked into Daneel's eyes for a moment before starting to drink the rat broth which had been served at the table.

Although Daneel was currently under the guise of someone else, his eyes were still the same, filled with confidence and determination that pushed him forward to accomplish things one could only dream about.

Seeing him get up and leave, Elanev finished his meal and left the table after leaving some money, hoping that the day that Daneel had promised would come soon.

.....

A day later, a long stream of Ether driven carriages appeared at the East Border Gate of the Lanthanor kingdom.

The mercenaries who were in charge of protecting this group were bruised and bloodied, with their number whittled down to half of what it had been when they had set out on their journey.

Wearily, a man got out of the carriage at the lead and approached the waiting soldier of Lanthanor before handing over a trinket which made the soldier's eyes widen.

A few seconds later, a strikeforce of elite Mages and Fighters appeared around the group, arranging themselves around it and taking over the duty of guarding it from those who had been hired to do so.

The carriages made a beeline for the capital, making short work of the distance in between and reaching the Palace by night.

Daneel, who had just gotten back, stood at the gates of the Palace looking at the line of carriages as they were carefully escorted inside.

Kellor, who stood beside him, held a parchment in his hand before going to each carriage and checking them to make sure that everything was in order.

After he gave the go-ahead, the carriages headed towards the treasury of Lanthanor to refill it with Ether blocks and gold bars.

The fund to begin the Bank of Angaria had finally arrived.

Chapter 238: Citizen In Need

Getting notified by the communication trinket that had been given to them by the Palace, Helena and Dalia made their way to the designated location looking forward to finding out just how their problems would be solved.

Dalia had been thinking hard on the matter for the past few days, and she had been unable to come up with a way in which the King could effectively solve everything.

The most obvious thing to do was to give the money to go buy a trinket by themselves, but in that case, they would have to be lent a lot of money to buy the best trinket that had insurance, the cost of which came to around 100 Gold Lans.

If this much money really was given to them, no matter what interest was charged, it would be very very difficult to pay it back as their earnings were only in Silver Lans which was enough for them to sustain their life.

Of course, the insurance here only meant that any trinket possessing a specific indication that it belonged to a certain seller could be taken to that seller for repairs before a period of time passed after its purchase.

So, what would the King do?

With anticipation in her eyes, Dalia kept looking around while waiting in the auditorium-like room in the Palace which was currently empty.

Seeing the size of the room, the two had been puzzled as to why they had been asked to come here.

The query was answered in a few seconds, when they saw people trickling in slowly who looked like they were from all walks of life.

Most of them seemed to be slum dwellers with tattered clothes that had faded colors, while a few were from the middle-class, wearing clothes which were neat even though they did not look very expensive.

Only one seemed to be a high-class individual, wearing clothes that were clearly enchanted with auto-fitting and auto-cleaning enchantments.

Finally, over 500 people had arrived in the room and taken their seats, waiting for the King to arrive.

A minute later, the King of Lanthanor arrived at the podium at one edge of the room flanked by the Grand Court Mage and the King's father.

After receiving their bows, he began to speak.

"Welcome, hard-working citizens of Lanthanor. Except for a few of you, the rest must be wondering why you were called here. The reason lies with a particular mother and daughter duo who did not hesitate to come to the Palace and place their problem in front of me so that I could find a solution for it."

These words made Helena and Dalia both look down, feeling glad that they had made the decision to go to the Palace. Of course, the credit lay in Dalia whose fanaticism for the King had led her to push them towards doing so.

"Over the past few days, I tasked our government officials with finding hard-working citizens who are looking for loans from loan sharks but did not obtain them because they had no surety to give. The criteria was that each individual had to have run a business for a certain amount of time before having to shut it down for reasons like these. Not just these, even the ones who are on the verge of shutting down due to financial problems have also been called to this meeting."

This finally made the people in the room understand why had they had been called. Indeed, each and every one of them currently had no money in their pockets to buy the trinkets or materials needed to continue the businesses that sustained their lives. They had approached loan sharks and exhausted every resource they had to no avail.

But, how did the King even manage to find out about their problems?

Seeing the puzzled expressions on a few of the faces in front of him, Daneel answered the question even though it hadn't been asked.

"I could identify you all because of the details you gave when setting up a stall in any marketplace. Using that, it isn't hard to find out and check for those who are in need of money by asking around."

Realizing that their personal situation could be found out so easily, some in the room couldn't help but feel slightly disgruntled.

This made Daneel resist the urge to chuckle, as he was reminded of the people back on Earth who had been indignant when they found out that each and every one of their actions could be tracked by the government very easily.

Looking into each of their eyes and taking note of the frustration and hopelessness that came from the situation they were in, Daneel put on a serious tone before continuing to speak.

"You are the people who trusted and supported me when I ascended the Throne. And there is no way that I would let you starve because you have no surety to give to obtain a loan."

Nodding at Kellor who was beside him, Daneel waited for the display trinket to activate which had the logo of the Bank of Angaria rotating on it: it was a locked golden chest with the letters BOA clearly visible at the place where the keyhole was supposed to be.

Of course, there was no way for Daneel to create graphics in this world. This 'animation' had been simply made by recording fire elementary particles which had been controlled to make the logo.

"The Bank of Angaria is my cherished dream that will hopefully help many, many people all across the continent. Right now, I shall not get into the particulars and the plans that I have for it in regards to the continent. Instead, let me tell you what you will obtain from the bank."

As he said these words, officials started to spread around the room holding pairs of trinkets that were shaped like square badges made of what looked like gold.

The letters BOA were stamped on the badge, shining in all their brilliance while the people looked at them, awed.

"From now on, all of you have the status of 'Citizen in Need" in Angaria. This means that you have a credit of 1000 Gold Lans with the Bank of Angaria, which you can use to buy anything you need."

At the mention of the number which made them feel dizzy, the people in the room gasped with shock.

"You have to understand one thing. This does not mean that you can take money for free and use it as you wish. There will be a special wing opening in the government which will directly procure what you need when you give it your requirements. As for the interest, it will be collected in a unique way. Your business will be closely monitored by the government, and you have to pay 20% of the profits you receive from the business to the government as both a fee for maintaining the account and as payment to clear your debt. Of course, there is a hard limit for this amount that will be collected, which comes to 120% of the amount that was loaned."

Daneel gave a pause at this moment to see what the people would say. Although some weren't very experienced with the calculations that came with interest and principal amount, many were astute enough to realize that he was actually charging an interest rate of 20%, going by the usual way they can calculated interest.

This was simply… atrocious! Even loan sharks didn't charge this much, with their interest mostly capping at 10%.

Wasn't this simply… fleecing them of their hard earned money?

Seeing the anger and indignation that has started to appear in some of the faces, Daneel continued to speak.

"If you think I'm charging an interest rate of 20%, you are wrong. Instead of interest where you have to pay monthly or yearly, this is a lifetime fee. This means that no matter how much time you take to pay back that amount, I will only take a 20% extra on it. This number may still seem to be a bit high, so this brings me to the other main factor that you need to consider. If you do come into losses and lose the money, you do not have to pay anything. Your loans will be waived off, and after assessing the reason behind why the loss of money occurred, you might even be granted a new loan to try again. And of course, most importantly, no surety is required except for the blood which you will use to bind the trinkets that shall be your proof which you must use when you take material or money from the government. What do you all think now?"

As the realization finally dawned on the people that they were essentially obtaining a loan from a friend who would understand if they lost the money and not berate and threaten them for it, many of them couldn't help but smile.

This was because the whole agreement was based on one thing: trust. And it was this trust that they had never gotten from any of the people they had approached to obtain a loan.

Here, the King was placing trust in them that they would use the resources that they took to bring in profits for their business which would benefit both parties.

If he was doing so, what else could they ask for?

Chapter 239: Revelation

After thinking long and hard about all the economic models he had studied during his time on Earth, Daneel had come up with this model whose success was dependent on the capability of those to whom he gave this loan.

He had actually been inspired by macroeconomics, which had been hailed in the beginning of the 20th-century as the tool which would end world hunger.

Yet, as the years went by, this claim became challenged more and more until it was completely overturned by research which showed that macroeconomics was 'an' answer, but definitely not 'the' answer.

Macroeconomics basically meant giving small loans to people who are in need of them, usually without taking any surety.

This was all well and good in the cases of those who did honest work and paid back what they had been given.

The problem came when some issue came with the business, making it so that people couldn't pay back the loan. This made them fall into a never-ending cycle of interest payments over interest payments, finally giving them no other option except to either run away or commit suicide in order to escape the debt that they could not pay back.

Also, there were many cases of fraud where people used this system to take loans using bogus claims.

The other model that had inspired Daneel was the corporate model where individuals or organizations invested in promising companies and were paid back in an amount multiplied by a predetermined number.

Although this wasn't very common, its advantage was that it did not put much stress on the people who were being lent the money, as they knew the exact amount they had to pay back and could work while keeping that in mind, as these deals are usually in a way that a long amount of time was given before the money had to be paid back.

Daneel had basically combined both of these schemes to make his own. The key to finding success in the second case was identifying the right company which could earn enough money to pay back what had been given to them.

Hence, after identifying these hard-working people, he had selected them as the first who would be testing out this model to see if it works.

After all, they would be losing nothing with only the kingdom sustaining a loss of 500,000 Gold Lans in the worst-case if it did not work out.

Having some time to think about everything and also ask the officials in case they had any queries, the people in the room slowly started to realize that this was actually a very beneficial scheme for them.

After all, the main problem they were facing was that they could not place anything as surety to obtain the money. Here, they were getting the money without any surety, and they would also have no debt to pay back if their business ended up failing.

Thinking along these lines, they understood that what the King asked for was actually very reasonable. He would share in the profits but he would not reprimand them if there were none. As honest citizens, why would they hesitate from sharing the profit if the reason for it was the loan in the first place?

Besides, even if they obtained loans from loan sharks, 20% of the money would have to be paid anyway if they took it with an interest rate of 5% with four months passing from the date of taking the loan.

Although some were slow and some were fast, these calculations did not take long to occur to them.

As they did so, they realized that the King might even be giving the money at a loss while also risking a loss in the first place.

Now, they finally understood that this was indeed a scheme meant to benefit them as they were the subjects of such a thoughtful king.

Although Dalia was still doing the calculation slowly while adorably looking at her fingers which she was using to keep count, tears had already started to appear in the eyes of Helena who understood that this really was as perfect a solution as could be in their present situation.

She knew clearly that they would have agreed even if the rate was set at 50%, because all of them were that desperate.

Yet, clearly, the motive of the King wasn't to earn money.

It was to help those who had placed their trust in him, by trusting them back.

Wordlessly, each of them started to bow to the man who had now been thoroughly idolized in their hearts.

As he saw this sight, Daneel smiled to himself.

No matter what he accomplished, the feeling that came when he saw the needs of people being addressed was truly something else.

…

In the Throne room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

The Black Raven King sat on the throne, smiling to himself and still reminiscing about the blood boiling fight he had had in the stadium.

His great mood making his tongue loose, he glanced at the old man who had just entered with an irritated expression on his face and said, "See? No countermeasure was needed whatsoever. There is no one who can defeat me at the same level as me, let alone someone weaker."

The old man had recently been having a bad time. The wound he had sustained long ago was acting up more and more these days, and his supply of energy was dwindling due to the fact that the Energy in the ancestral grounds of the Black Raven Kingdom was close to being sucked dry.

Today, the pain was especially worse, but he had still endured it and come to the Throne Room as he had wanted to give certain orders to the king.

Now, the moment he entered, the irritating smirk of the King and his gloating words served to make him blow his fuse.

"You idiot. You think you won that fight through your own effort?"

Hearing this question, an expression of utter shock came on the Black Raven King's face.

Feeling all the happiness and pride that he had been reveling in since the moment he had won the fight receding from him like a flood, he asked in a disbelieving tone, "What are you...talking about?"

Seeing the expression of the King change from one of happiness to extreme shock and fear, the old man started feeling sick satisfaction that actually helped to ignore the pain which had been affecting him since the morning.

Satisfaction of the mind really did result in satisfaction of the body, he mused, before deciding to continue and end the fairytale of this stupid King.

"If I had allowed it to do so, the last attack would have blown you away, resulting in your loss. To think that you extended a hand in 'friendship' to someone who was defeated by underhanded means. Pfft. It made me laugh."

Placing two and two together, the King realised that the old man certainly wasn't bluffing.

His world shattering around him, all he could do was stare dumbly as the old man smiled wide at his plight and laughed to himself before opening his mouth and saying, "Snap out of the delusion that you are something great. If I wanted to, I could get any other warrior and put him in your place. I'm only not doing so because it would be too much of a hassle to go through all the processes that I did with you when you took the deal. All you have to do is sit on the Throne and pass your time while carrying out the orders I give. Send more scouts to look for Ker Gem mines, and also contract a few mine hunters to look for a new mine ASAP. I don't care which division you decrease budget from to make it happen. Just do it."

Laughing again seeing the King who was still staring at him dumbstruck, the old man walked away, leaving a cackle in his wake.

It took a few minutes for the King to finally return to his senses. After he did so, he couldn't help but use both of his hands to slam the Throne, which ended up hurting him as the Throne was nigh indestructible.

Not caring that his arms were bleeding, the King kept reliving the moments after the fight where he had graciously extended the hand of 'friendship' with the hope that he could have many more fights like that.

Why hadn't the man said anything? Why had he accepted after only giving that silly condition?

He needed to know. Taking out a communication trinket, he said, "Call Eganev to the throne room immediately."

Chapter 240: Spiderweb

In the situation room in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Daneel, Luther, Robert, Cassandra, and Faxul were all seated in front of the display trinket which was linked to the one which had been given to Elanev by Daneel in the Black Raven Kingdom.

When the summons for him had come, he had immediately intimated the same to Kellor who was his point of contact.

During the fight, Daneel had felt something from one of the ends of the stadium when Elanev had collapsed to the ground after looking like he had been electrocuted.

This had nothing to do the system, which had only been assessing the moves of the two Fighters on the field with the fight had been going on. Instead, he had been the one to get the feeling that whoever had activated the trinket must have been located there.

Assessing the recent changes that happened to him, he realized that this was probably because of the breakthrough in comprehension level which had happened recently.

Still wishing that he had enough data to find out just what this level was, Daneel had understood that it was most probably the Mage who had accompanied the Black Raven King when he had met with him.

Yet, the expression on the face of the Black Raven King at the moment when he had won the fight had clearly been one of pride which came from winning something through using one's own ability.

This meant that there were two possibilities: either the King was a good enough actor to fake such an expression, or the Mage had acted without there being any reason to do so.

Daneel suspected that the latter was probably the truth, as he trusted his instinct which told him that that level of acting was definitely not something capable of the Black Raven King.

Hence, this meant that the King would definitely want an audience with Elanev for an explanation regarding why he had accepted the hand of friendship even though ulterior means had been used to obtain victory.

Of course, Daneel was assessing everything based on the limited information he had.

Hence, he had been looking forward to this interaction with the King which would definitely yield valuable data with which he could make plans regarding the Black Raven Kingdom.

After the image showed the hallways of the Palace, the enormous Raven in the Throne Room of the Kingdom appeared in front of them.

Although most of them including Daneel had expressions of surprise on their faces seeing the lifelike statue which looked like it would unfurl its wings and fly away at any moment, one among the group had tears in his eyes due to the memories that were flowing through his mind which had been invoked by this image.

"Why did you not say anything or reject when the rules of the match were so clearly broken by the attack at the end?"

If Daneel or the others had been in the room when the Black Raven King had been told about the fact that the old man had used the trinket to obtain victory, they would definitely have marveled at the self-control which the King now had as he had had some time to cool down.

Yet, it seemed that he had bottled up and swallowed down all the emotions of loss and pain from the dishonour that he had felt, resulting in his face being twisted in an expression of extreme seriousness.

"I was breaking the rules as well. Our match was supposed to be between two Eminent Human Fighters, but I was going to use a technique which would have temporarily resulted in me becoming an Exalted Human Fighter. So, I only thought that I was defeated by a similar technique from you. Was that not the case?"

Elanev had been instructed by Daneel to bring out as much emotion as possible in the King by acting as he saw fit.

To the people of the situation room, it became apparent that Elanev had noticed the expression of tight control on the Black Raven King's face, leading him to ask that last question in a slightly provocative tone.

After the question echoed in the room, a silence followed during which the King's face twisted into many expressions which were all carefully caught and analyzed by Daneel who was watching with wide open eyes.

Frustration.

Regret.

Pain.

Loss.

And, helplessness?

The first few emotions were indeed ones that would be felt by a warrior who got to know that he had been cheated out of a fair victory.

Yet, the last one was something which did not make any sense.

Why was the Black Raven King feeling… helpless?

Wasn't he the one who had led the coup to achieve much glory and adoration?

Wasn't he the one on top of everyone in the Black Raven Kingdom?

If so, what could possibly be the reason for him to feel helpless?

Unless… he wasn't actually the one on top?

This line of thought made Daneel reassess each and every memory he had which involved the Black Raven King.

In all of them, there was only one figure in common who stood out as someone who might be the reason for the Black Raven King being helpless: the old man who was always beside him.

Was he actually… under this old man's control?

This represented the terrifying possibility that the actual enemy had been hidden to them all along, stringing them along while making them think that the King was the one they had to target.

In this matter, Daneel definitely wasn't jumping to conclusions.

The sheer amount of helplessness meant that it was definitely not due to regretful thoughts of placing a countermeasure like that in the first place.

This helplessness was one that came from being unable to control one's own fate, which was something Daneel had seen before in Eldra's eyes.

Hence, there was no mistaking that the King was definitely a puppet.

Right now, it was as if they had been in an unseen web so far that had just become visible due to this realization.

Back in the throne room, the Black Raven King had finally begun to speak.

"Leave. I do not want to see your face again."

Anger was now apparent on his face, as every time he saw the one whom he had 'defeated', he was reminded of the incident which made him loathe himself to the core.

Meanwhile, Elanev had begun to slightly panic because he knew how important it was for him to stay in the Palace.

Thinking quickly, he said, "Oh? I thought your word meant something?"

Indeed, the Black Raven King had given his word that he would be allowed into the Palace for as long as he wanted.

Remembering this fact himself, the anger on the Black Raven King's face only increased before reaching a point and subsiding, like a balloon which had filled up and suddenly burst.

A defeated and completely hopeless expression replaced the anger, while the King leaned back and said, "It does. You can be in the Palace, but I just ... don't want to see you. Leave."

Knowing that it really was time for him to make an exit, Elanev only nodded and started walking in the opposite direction.

Yet, at the last moment before he left the throne room, he paused and turned around.

Not hearing the door close, the Black Raven King had also looked up to see what was the hold-up.

Looking straight into those eyes which looked oh so weary and tired right now, Elanev said, "King, forgive me if I speak out of turn, but I just thought I would say something that I have learned by traveling across the continent. A warrior is one who tries to do his best with what he can control, instead of worrying about the things which he can't. It is how much he can accomplish while doing so which decides exactly how great of a warrior he is. It's too bad. I was looking forward to sparring with someone whose skill I truly admired. Farewell."

Leaving these words, Elanev left and closed the doors of the Throne Room behind him.

As he did so, if he had seen the expression of the King which looked like that of someone who had found a rope to grab onto in an overwhelming storm which was threatening to drown him in its fury, he would definitely have known that he had accomplished what he had set out to do: to continue the friendship with the King in order to get enough information to serve the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Chapter 241: True Line

Back in the situation room, Daneel had a thoroughly impressed expression on his face as he listened to Elanev saying those words which struck a chord even in him.

From his assessment of the Black Raven King so far, there was a very high possibility that the words would have a profound effect.

"Well done, Elanev. That was definitely the best way the conversation could have gone. It is definitely that old man who is controlling the King in some way. If you can, see about following him without arousing his suspicion. But above all, stay safe. You are the most important asset we have right now."

Hearing the transmission from Daneel, a broad smile spread on Elanev's face as he walked towards the chamber he had been assigned.

This feeling of being useful and valued had exactly been what he had aspired to achieve by growing in mind and body by traveling through the continent. The many tricky and dangerous situations had honed his mind, allowing him to decide the best option in a situation as quickly as possible.

It was this quality that had enabled him to speak like so in the Throne Room, making it so that there was now at least a chance for him to still stay close to the King.

Hoping that everything would work out, he resolved to befriend some workers in the Palace to find out about the daily activities of the old man.

After all, no one had more eyes and ears in a place than those who worked there on a daily basis.

...

After deciding on a future date for another meeting and dispersing everyone in the room, Daneel waited for them to leave while looking at Faxul with a slightly worried expression on his face.

He had noticed his friend's reaction when the Throne Room had come into focus on the display trinket, leading him to believe that it was definitely a place which possibly held many memories for Faxul.

True enough, after they found themselves empty in the room, Faxul said, "I remember spending many moments with my father in that room."

Nodding, Daneel repeated the question which he had regularly asking nowadays.

"How is the entity? Any problems?"

Knowing that his friend was only asking so much because he was concerned about him, Faxul answered, "It's hibernating a lot. My blood seems to have some kind of … effect on it. It is definitely much weaker than when it attacked you, and I mostly have no problems during cultivation except for the pain."

Seeing his friend shrug off the pain that would have made others kneel on the ground screaming, Daneel marveled again at the tenacity that came with the desire for vengeance.

As for the mention of the blood, Faxul had mentioned it before, and Daneel had even asked the system to assess Faxul's blood to see if it could identify anything.

Sadly, the only thing that the system had been able to find was that there was a specific strain of blood intermixed in Faxul's. It had been unable to even say where this blood originated from.

Of course, this was definitely the Black Raven's blood which Faxul's father had mentioned in his parting video.

Even regarding its effect on the entity, Daneel had no idea.

Yet, regarding the hibernation, Daneel surmised that the entity was probably storing up its energy to attack once all together and take control of his friend.

If it weren't for the countermeasure which would definitely stop it in its tracks, Daneel would have been worried sick and insisted on removing the damn thing in the first place.

Nodding at Faxul, Daneel got up to leave the room, but he was stopped by a question.

"Can I have the Black Raven that was gifted to you? And the recording of the fight between Tenebrol and Elanev?"

Daneel actually had to think for a few moments before realizing that "Tenebrol" was actually the given name of the Black Raven King.

Yet, it was used so little that he always referred to the man by his position in his mind.

Thinking for a second, Daneel understood why Faxul had chosen to use the name.

After all, to him, the real Black Raven King was his father who had been killed.

Thus, it would make sense why he wouldn't want to call that man by his position.

As for the gifted Black Raven, it had been placed in a specific room and fed regularly. According to the report he had on the Black Raven Kingdom, this was an unawakened Raven which had been trained to the Eminent Human Level. Even though it hadn't been able to connect with anyone, due to the heightened intelligence it had because of its level, the Raven had been trained to obey basic commands such as "Attack" and "Guard".

He had already studied it with the system, so he found no reason to reject his friend's request.

"All right. But just be a bit careful. It's a feisty one."

Saying so, the King of Lanthanor left the room, leaving Faxul alone.

....

After the King left, Faxul sat back down on the chair in the situation room and replayed the recording from before.

Pausing at the image of the Throne Room and the enormous Raven statue, he tried to control the tears that came to his eyes.

Memories and moments flashed through his mind.

Playing hide and seek in the Palace and hiding behind the statue, while his father and grandfather searched everywhere before finally finding and berating him fondly for using the "Sacred" statue as a hiding place.

Being carried on those broad shoulders while he toured the grounds, watching Fighters and Mages train while feeling content about his life.

Happy smiles.

A happy family.

It was these memories that had led him to take the decision to keep the entity even if it had threatened the life of his close friend.

Daneel truly was the person he valued most in his life right now, so there was no way that he could have taken this decision if he hadn't been confident that he could handle whatever the entity threw at him.

This confidence came due to what he had felt when his body had been temporarily taken over.

At that time, he had felt a calling from somewhere within him that offered solace, comfort and strength.

It was like a bottomless pool, yet Faxul with his limited power could not even dive into it to tap its potential.

Yet, just the slightest connection with that well had enabled him to repel the entity's advances effortlessly.

The pain was still there, but the risk had disappeared, as there seemed to be some kind of wall formed by that power in the well which stopped the entity from even trying to affect or attack his psyche.

All it could do was try, which was the reason behind him feeling pain.

This was a tradeoff which Faxul heartily agreed to. The increase in training speed was well worth it even if the total pain that he endured each day doubled in amount.

He had also tried to explain this to his friend after he had gotten a clear idea about it, which had led Daneel to test his blood.

After a few moments, an official brought over two objects: a small, round ball made of what looked like marble, and a silver cage with a large Raven inside it.

As soon as the Raven entered the room, it had fixed its eye on Faxul who had also felt something that he hadn't before when the Raven had been gifted to the King in the Royal Court.

After the official left, Faxul walked forward and opened the gate without hesitation.

The reason behind Daneel calling the bird "Fiesty" had been that it refused to be touched by anyone except the King, who it must have been instructed to obey by Bevis, the envoy of the Black Raven Kingdom when he had handed it over.

In the same way that it had done before, the Eminent Human level guardian beast hopped on to Faxul's hand and ruffled its feathers, as if it liked the feeling of being in contact with him.

Even Faxul was fascinated by this feeling, as he felt connected with the Raven in a way he couldn't explain.

Although he had interacted with the Raven before, no such feeling had arisen.

Hence, the reason behind the present occurrence was quite obvious: it was because of that "well" inside him that had been tapped when he was rendered helpless by the entity.

Still, this connection wasn't like the one that was rumored to exist between Ravens and the citizens of the Black Raven Kingdom. Apparently, even thoughts were supposed to be able to be shared, but all Faxul had was a vague feeling that he would be able to understand and control the intelligent beast if he wished.

Pointing at a wine bottle on the counter in front of him, he tried to send a signal to the Raven.

WHOOSH

In a flash, the Black Raven shot off from his arm and accurately attacked the bottle, breaking it into pieces before calmly returning to Faxul's hand.

Seeing this, Faxul could only stand there dumbstruck, amazed that it had actually worked.

Just like his father had said, the blood of the true line of the Black Raven was indeed ... special.

Chapter 242: Link

Using the surveillance abilities of the system using the Dragon-Heart Formation, Daneel observed as Faxul bonded with the Black Raven almost instantly.

Any guilt that could come from taking this cautious approach to always keep an eye on Faxul had been wiped away due to the risk that his friend might be affected by the entity even if numerous countermeasures were taken. If there was even the slightest hint that the entity was changing Faxul, then he wouldn't hesitate to pounce on it and rip it to pieces.

Although Daneel had tried to look for the 'well' that Faxul had described, the system had been unable to find any trace of it.

This led him to believe that it was probably something that was above and beyond what could be detected even by a peak Warrior, which meant that its origin was definitely something terrifying.

Dragons, Ravens, and Giants. What were these beasts that had apparently once inhabited this continent before leaving behind their legacies and even sometimes, their physical bodies to disappear and never be heard from again?

The heart that beat behind him was living proof that the beasts were no fairytale conjured by a drunk bard.

If so, what were they?

The only clue he had was from Faxul's father, who had given the statement:

"Only the true line of the Black Raven can connect with the God-Beast's direct descendants."

God-beast. Could it be a level above that of the rumored "Heros"?

Alas, for now, all Daneel could do was speculate.

Besides, as a puny Exalted Human, even talking about these levels was useless.

Yet, what gave Daneel hope was both the system and his newly reached comprehension level, which was already showing its power by boosting him towards the next stage.

As for the Black Raven Kingdom, too many mysteries surrounded it right now.

How did the present King defeat Faxul's father and show himself as the one with the strongest Black Raven Blood, if Faxul's family was the true line?

What was the motive of the old man? How powerful was he?

Where were the lands ruined by the Echer seeds? Spies were keeping a close watch on all the fertile areas in the Black Raven Kingdom, which were actually quite few in number. Yet, none of them showed signs of being barren.

And finally, which of the Big 4 was the one which the Black Raven Kingdom was in contact with?

Sighing as he shelved all these questions without any other choice, Daneel thought again of his elder brother.

It was all up to Elanev.

Knowing that things would be relatively calm for a short period of time, Daneel prepared to enter a serious training period to accelerate his way towards the 8th Grade as a Human Mage.

Yet, just as he was about to plunge his hand again into the red goo that had been extracted from mosquito blood, an idea came to him which was triggered by the sight of the last modified mosquitoes which were still alive, stored in a box in the corner of the room.

...…

One month later.

SHWIP

BOOM

As the target made of wood standing in front of Faxul at the end of the large room shattered into pieces, his eyes shined seeing the Raven that had done its job take an abrupt u-turn before heading back towards him.

In barely a few seconds, it crossed the 40 feet of distance between them before agilely landing on his shoulder and adorably nuzzling at the spot behind his ear.

Feeling the tickling sensation, Faxul smiled before lifting his finger to scratch the Raven on its forehead, just like the Black Raven King had done in the video which he had seen.

Yes, Faxul was actually smiling and playing with the beast which he had only known for a month.

If Daneel were here to see this scene, he would definitely have been shocked at the change that had come over his friend.

Yet, the smile only lasted for a brief moment before both the man and the beast became alert, hearing the door open in the room which was reserved for their training.

After all, someone seeing a trusted friend and advisor of the King of Lanthanor training with a Black Raven would definitely blow his cover and result in disastrous consequences.

Hence, Daneel had given them this room which had been emptied of everything and now had just a sparring ring whose floor was enchanted with cushioning magic and the target practice area which the Raven had just attacked.

Over the month, Faxul had been becoming closer and closer to this bird which was now a trusted friend of his.

It was almost as if interacting with it was healing the wounds he had sustained, allowing him to find the happiness that he had lost for over a decade.

Communication was mostly through gestures, but Faxul was feeling more and more like he was almost at the point where he could understand the beast's thought.

Yet, there seemed to be something blocking him from reaching that final point.

The feeling which came when he trained with the Raven was truly intoxicating, as it felt just….right.

If he had to put it into words, Faxul would have said that it was as if he had been reattached with a body part that he hadn't known was lost.

Both from the video and the information he had read about the Black Raven Kingdom, he knew that the final barrier that was stopping him from fully connecting with the raven was definitely the trinket which Tenebrol had used to bind his blood with that of the Raven's before the fight with Elanev.

These trinkets were apparently strictly restricted, making it so that it was impossible to obtain one for himself in order to carry out the process.

Putting this hopeless matter aside, Faxul fed the Raven some raw meat before beginning coordination exercises.

...

Meanwhile, in the King's chambers.

Sitting in the secret Energized Training Chamber, Daneel was absorbing energy alone from the freshly gathered mosquito blood from the Valley of Mist while a display trinket that had been newly fitted in the room flickered.

In it, Faxul could be seen balancing on one leg while the Raven did the same, as if mimicking him.

After an hour or so after which Faxul ended the training with the Raven to leave to the Energized Training Chamber, another Daneel walked into the Energized Training Chamber before touching the one in the room on its shoulder to absorb the Energy contained in it.

Indeed, it had been his clone training all this time, while he had hidden himself near the room in which Faxul had been training till now.

"System, any increase in progress today?"

[Negative. Human-Beast Link Analysis Progress: 70%.]

With a slightly frustrated expression on his face, Daneel conjured the clone again before starting another training session.

Indeed, this had been the idea that had occurred to him when he had seen the mosquitoes: to analyze the link that was forming between Faxul and the Black Raven.

The sight of the mosquitoes had reminded him of the fact that he had only been able to modify them due to the years of research data on them that had been acquired from the Kingdom of the Elves.

Analyzing complex things was all about data. If so, why not collect data from the interactions between Faxul and the Black Raven to understand how the link worked?

In the beginning, the plan had worked perfectly, with the progress bar filling up rapidly with each training session that Faxul underwent with the Raven.

Yet, since the past week, it had been stuck at 70%, as if some sort of limit had been struck which Daneel had no idea how to cross.

Of course, along the way, Daneel had also seen the positive change in his friend's attitude.

As someone from Earth, Daneel was well aware of the profound effects that pets could have in healing mental trauma.

If the pet in question was something which had a link with the owner's blood, then there was no need to be said exactly how effective it could be.

Daneel knew that he was right in this matter, as he had clearly observed how Faxul's entire body language changed whenever he was with the Raven.

He was open and less restrained, with his body loosening up, as if it were free.

Such a freedom could only come from comfort.

And comfort was definitely what Faxul felt when he trained with the Raven.

Hence, Daneel only felt happy with this change, glad that his friend's years of trauma might finally heal to allow him to smile and speak like a normal person. In fact, he wished that he had gotten the idea to do something like this sooner.

Regardless, the matter of the link's progress being stuck was quite concerning.

Yet, Daneel could guess the reason behind it: it was possibly because of the absence of the trinket which the King had used to bind that Raven.

Resolving to ask Elanev to look for a way again to get that trinket, Daneel continued training while idly daydreaming about commanding a horde of Eminent Human level Black Ravens to destroy his enemies without even leaving a bone behind.

Chapter 243: Bonding

Over the past month, Elanev had been trying his best to find out some clue about the whereabouts of the old man.

None of the servants knew where his room was, and many had even told him that they didn't see the man for weeks at a time, as if he disappeared from the Palace and returned on a whim whenever he liked.

There had been no word from the King, but there had also been no order to chase him away from the Palace, making him at least hope that there was some chance that his words had some kind of effect.

Today, finally, a summons had come which had made Elanev's face light up.

The Black Raven King had requested his presence in the King's chambers.

This message broke the boredom; as he had had nothing to do in the last week.

The first week had been a lot of fun. Whenever he went to the sparring grounds, there would always be a Black Raven Fighter waiting to challenge him, whom he would defeat with minimal effort.

No Mages came, and no one above his level bothered to come both because they were actually not confident in a victory, and also because it might be called "bullying" if they did end up winning.

After three weeks of consecutive defeats where the soldiers went back to their camps each more bruised than the one before, they understood that they either had to step up their game or stop the challenges altogether.

Elanev had been hoping for the former, so he was very disappointed when he saw the latter happening.

Hence, for a week, he had had nothing to do except spar and train alone.

Finally, it seemed that things might change.

The Black Raven King's chamber was a huge room, at least 20 meters in length and 30 meters in breadth. The black doors through which he entered seemed to be made out of some kind of material which was harder than wood but lighter than metal.

On entering, Elanev noticed that there were no personal embellishments anywhere.

Most of the room was empty, except for the occasional sofa.

On one side was a bar counter, while a large King-sized bed was on the other end of the room.

As for the Black Raven King, he was presently standing, looking out at the sparring grounds of the Palace through one of the many windows in the room.

Even though Elanev entered and closed the door behind him, there was no response from the King who seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

Thinking for a moment, Elanev chose to walk up to the King's side before trying to see just what the King's eyes were fixed on.

As someone just a step away from the Exalted Human realm, Elanev's eyes were quite sharp, allowing him to spot some sort of ceremony that was taking place in the distance.

20 or so kids were lined up beside each other, while baby Black Ravens with glossy coats of feathers and small, cute bodies were placed in front of each.

Although the Ravens only looked like they were weeks old, they were already looking around intelligently and trying to study their surroundings.

Each of the kids were trying to communicate with a Raven in their own way. Some also laid down on their stomachs to look into the eyes of the Ravens and speak with them, while some raised the Ravens in their hands before conversing with them.

After a set amount of time had passed, each kid was given a ring-shaped trinket which they wore before coaxing the Ravens onto their fingers, just like the King had done in the stadium.

While around 15 Ravens stayed on the 14-15 year-old kids' hands after this happened, the rest flew back, leaving the ones who had been communicating with them dejected and depressed.

One of the kids even fell on the ground and started crying, while another tried to chase forward in desperation.

Yet, he was stopped by a Black Raven Fighter, who announced the end to the process.

Both Elanev and the King had been watching together this entire time without a word, so when the King spoke softly at this moment, Elanev became slightly startled.

"I remember meeting my first Raven. I named him Grull, as I thought it sounded cool. Each time we interacted, a glaring match ensued between us with the one who blinked first being the loser. When we connected during the final ceremony, I finally understood that the Raven was only doing so because it was half-blind."

Hearing the story, Elanev had to try hard to resist the urge to chuckle, as it had been told in a somber tone.

From what he had found out in the past month, all eligible 14-year olds were given 3 months to connect with a particular Raven. Over that month, they would frequently interact with the Raven for a period of time in an attempt to make a connection with it, so that there would be no hiccups when the time came to make the final connection by blood.

It seemed that the King wasn't expecting any reply, as he calmly walked to a table in the center of the rooms beside which there were two chairs.

Opening a bottle of wine and pouring two glasses, the King sat and drank one while still not looking at Elanev.

Never being in such a situation before, Elanev had no idea how to react.

With no other option, he followed the flow and also sat down before taking a sip from the wine which tasted sweet.

"I was never known for being smart. No, I know I am not very smart. But what I am good at is plunging my sword into the hearts of my enemies. These days, I feel that I am forgetting the warrior in me who ascended to the throne after wading through blood. Will you help me in finding him again?"

After speaking the last sentence, the Black Raven King turned around and looked straight into Elanev's eyes.

In those eyes, Elanev saw many conflicting emotions which he could not even begin to make sense of. Yet, there was one which stood out: desperation.

Swirling the wine in his glass for a second and downing it in one gulp, he looked back into the King's eyes before replying:

"It would be my honor."

....

Daneel, who had halted his training on being notified that the Black Raven King had finally called for a meeting with Elanev, smiled wide on seeing this to-the-point discussion that had happened between the two men.

Just like Elanev, he also noticed the emotions in the King's eyes when he had made the request.

Yet, he read something else which Elanev had missed: these were also the eyes of someone who felt trapped.

And for any such person, a way out of the trap was something which would entice them to do anything.

....

The past month had been one of the happiest in Helena's life.

First, in just a day after the King had told them about the Bank of Angaria, a brand-new shiny embroidery trinket had been delivered to their home along with the remaining materials that they had requested.

To accept these, the square golden plate that they had been given before had been used.

After checking the identity using the plate, Helena had had to drop some blood again to verify that it was really her who had the plate in the first place.

Seeing this, Dalia had innocently asked, "Will my Mother have to bleed every time we take something from the Bank?"

For this, the official had had no answer.

Indeed, the system wasn't perfect, but what was essential was that it worked.

Due to the increased speed of the trinket which apparently cost 300 Gold Lans, Helena had been able to complete the order in much less time than quoted.

Thus, those who had given the order were quite happy, even giving them a 50 Silver Lan bonus over the 10 Gold Lan payment that they had made.

In this, the profit that the duo made was 1 Gold Lan, as the material was enchanted fabric which had cost quite a lot.

Still, this was a huge amount for the mother and daughter who mostly earned Silver Lans since the beginning of the business.

Of course, of this 1 Gold Lan, 20 Silver Lans went to the Bank.

This presented Helena with a thought: orders like these were quite rare, and even this one had only been obtained by luck.

If she could get more of them, she would definitely be able to pay back the loan faster, so that she could even think about expanding her business.

What could she do to make that happen?

Chapter 244: Re-Investmen

In the underground field of earth beneath the Black Raven Palace.

The Black Raven King let out a deep sigh looking out at the wide patches of land that were completely barren.

Just over 2 years ago, it had been lush with the unique plants which allowed them to train Black Ravens. Now, it looked like it had been abandoned for decades, wasting away due to its inability to sustain any life.

"Damn those Big 4!!"

No matter how many times the King said these words, there was no changing what had happened to these hallowed ancestral lands that had been set up by their deity to train his descendants.

Turning around and seeing the old man walk up to him, the Black Raven King wondered inwardly whether this day could get any worse.

Yet, remembering the sparring match he had set up with Elanev that evening, he slightly perked up because of the fact that there was at least something to look forward to.

The old man looked worse than ever; his skin was pallid and his eyes had dark circles under them as if he hadn't slept for weeks.

His clothes were drenched with sweat even though the temperature here was regulated to a balmy level which felt pleasant to the skin.

Reaching the spot beside the King, the old man also took up a similar, arms-folded stance before asking, "Any word from the mine hunters and scouts?"

"None," answered the King simply, not wanting to speak any more than necessary.

Knowing that it was kind of illogical to expect results so soon, the old man looked at the fields for a few seconds and said, "We need to find that healing method soon. Any word from the King of Lathanor?"

"None. A few months still remain for the harvest time to come."

Hearing another succinct answer from the King, it seemed that the old man had gotten irritated.

"What? No words for me? Too busy talking to that new friend of yours?"

This finally elicited a larger reaction from the King, making him turn around with both anger and fear that even this one thing which brought him happiness might be taken away.

"I'm always watching. Do what you want with him, but if there is even the slightest mention of this ancestral plane, …"

Even before the old man completed his sentence, the Black Raven King hurriedly nodded.

This location was definitely the most guarded in the entire Kingdom, and there was no way he would speak about it in front of anyone else.

Nodding to himself, the old man began walking away.

Relieved, the King turned back and was about to resume his brooding stare before he heard a final sentence from the old man float into his ear.

"Remember, one mention, and he dies….."

....

In a small meeting room in the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Helena and Dalia sat in the plush chairs while they waited for the official head of the Network of Angaria to arrive.

Indeed, after long thought, Helena had realized that the main problem plaguing her was lack of exposure.

Lanthanor city was a huge place, and there were numerous people who might end up buying her product if they got to know about it.

Hence, she had decided to use the newly obtained profit to perhaps run an advertisement which was the rave in the Kingdom right now.

No matter what the age of the person was, there had begun a trend where they would be looked down upon if they hadn't heard of the Network.

In fact, this was in part a result of Eloise's and Daneel's successful plan to use slogans such as

"A Network to make a wise man, wiser" and "The Network with the most learned listeners in the continent" to incorporate such an attitude.

On hearing the door open, both mother and daughter were snapped out of their thoughts as they saw a beautiful lady entering the room and smiling at them before taking a seat.

"Hello, I am Eloise, head of the Network of Angaria. You don't need to introduce yourselves, I already know that you are the reason for the wondrous Bank of Angaria! How can I help you, Helena?"

Hearing Eloise say these words in a pleasant tone, Helena smiled wide at the recognition before saying, "Miss Eloise, we came here because we want to run an advertisement on the Network. I know that there is a long backlog, but I was just hoping if you can add us to the list."

Along with Helena's humble request, Dalia also turned to look at Eloise with large puppy eyes and her upper lip covering her lower.

Seeing such an adorable expression, Eloise couldn't help but reach forward and pinch the cheeks of the little girl who smiled inadvertently feeling Eloise's soft hands.

"When you ask so cutely, how can I say no?", she said, chuckling at Dalia's blush and patting her on her head.

"The King has already told me that he plans to give as many benefits to 'Citizens in Need' as he can. He really trusts you to be a model example for others, so that they can be inspired by your success. Let me converse with him for a moment."

Saying so, Eloise took out a piece of parchment from her pocket before holding it and closing her eyes.

After a few seconds, she opened them to look at the two and grin, saying, "He's ecstatic! And he also insisted on a discount for all 'Citizens in Need'. You can't refuse! And also, all costs will be borne by your account in the Bank. If you brought any money to pay for the advertisement, keep it! You never know, some need might arise where you might not have the time to ask the Bank…"

On listening to the kind words, Helena couldn't help but ponder for a bit.

After all, her motive behind coming for the loan had been to clear the loan faster. Yet, by using an advertisement, she would be taking even more of a loan? Wasn't that counterintuitive?

Yet, when she imagined the entire city finding out about her store resulting in a flood of orders, she realized that she would be able to pay back the loan definitely.

Hence, thinking along these lines, Helena nodded and said, "Please thank the King for his generosity! I bless him with all my heart. We are truly blessed and lucky to have him as a ruler. And thank you, Miss Eloise!"

Seeing her mother's shining eyes, Dalia also grinned wide before turning around to look at Eloise with a much better impression than what she had had before.

"Miss, do you work with the King daily? Mother said that if I study hard, I can become like you! I really can't wait! Can you tell me how the King is? After Mother, he's my favorite person in the world!"

Eloise actually blushed hearing this question, reminded of the gesture from before in the situation room.

Taking Dalia onto her lap, she pinched her cheeks again before starting to speak about Daneel, telling what she could about her interactions with him.

As Helena watched on with a happy smile, the room became filled with "aah"s and "ooh"s from Dalia as she listened to tales about how Daneel repelled multiple Kingdoms and defended Lanthanor with a single hand.

....

Back in the King's Chambers, Daneel couldn't help blushing himself hearing the fantastical tales about his "bravery".

Of course, these tales were a continued product of the bards he had hired long back to write the story about how he had ascended the Throne.

When Eloise had closed her eyes, she actually hadn't contacted Daneel at all. That act had been pre-planned by the two, as Daneel had guessed that the citizens would come back with this request.

After all, as someone from Earth, he knew very well about the deadly concept of "spending money to earn more money".

This was actually fine up to a degree, if citizens did not get trapped in a never-ending cycle of doing the same.

Hence, he had told Eloise to do so if the citizens came asking after explaining to her about how important it was to raise public opinion about the ruling party at every instance they got.

As someone who wasn't new to politics, Eloise wasn't foreign to this concept, and even though it was a little disingenuous, she knew quite well that something obtained was always more valued and appreciated than something given for free.

Hence, she had agreed to the plan.

This resulted in the scene he had just observed, making him feel as if Eloise was now his 'partner-in-crime'.

Getting up from a satisfying round of training, Daneel took a deep breath before assembling his thoughts and heading towards the door of the chamber.

It was time to check on the Empire Spirit.

Chapter 245: Demonic Plan

"So you finally found time to return, sonny! What a mess you've made of the Kingdom!"

Hearing the mocking words of the Empire Spirit as soon as he put his hand on the podium in the Secret Library, Daneel found himself to be at a loss for words.

"What … mess are you talking about?", he hesitantly asked, like a fearful child who trod mud all over the house but didn't know what he was getting admonished for.

"The mess of the general satisfaction of course! I swear I've never seen so many ups and downs in all my existence! It is on a rise now, but seeing your performance so far, I doubt it'll hold up….. what did you even do to create so many upheavals?"

Hearing the Empire Spirit's response, Daneel let out a long breath before feeling relieved.

It was good news after all.

Clearly, the only sources of information the spirit had were the general satisfaction level and the interactions with anyone who talked to it.

Hence, it didn't know that the ups and downs actually reflected Daneel's learning period, whereas the steady rise now meant that he was well past the stage of committing mistakes and learning from them while feeling said about the mistake being committed in the first place.

After all, he had just been a typical teen from Earth who found himself in such a daunting situation. Looking at it in one way, it could even be said that he had accomplished more than what one would typically expect, mainly because of his dedication and attitude of being ready to learn.

Smiling slightly, he was just about to answer the Spirit's questions when a thought occurred to him.

"Well, tell me something about the information you are guarding, and maybe I'll answer your question. Only if you want to know the answer, of course."

Silence followed for a few seconds, before a booming laugh resounded in Daneel's ears, startling him.

"Ha ha! I haven't seen such sass in decades! Now, I hope I'll be proven wrong in the matter of the general satisfaction, boy, because I wouldn't mind being commanded by someone like you. Sadly, I can't tell you anything you asked for, but I will say one thing: if the rise is something planned, then keep implementing those plans, because you are coming close to what is required. Goodbye for now!"

Feeling the connection being shut off, Daneel stepped back from the podium with an even broader smile on his face.

Even though the Spirit had said that it couldn't answer his question, it had still given him valuable information either by choice or chance.

The Spirit could be commanded by whoever unlocked it.

And, his efforts to increase the satisfaction level were actually paying off.

Of course, this was corroborated by the Kingdom Management Statistics, whose latest tally had been:

[Kingdom Management Statistics updated.

Satisfaction Level: 19%

Dissatisfaction Level: 36%

Next milestone for reward: 20% Satisfaction Level. Reward: 10,000 EXP]

So far, the effect of the Healer's Academy and the School had reflected more on the dissatisfaction level than the satisfaction level.

After all, after the massacre in the Palace, the satisfaction level must have definitely gone down due to the people not feeling safe in the Kingdom.

Even though this news hadn't been publicly announced, it had still created waves in those who got to know about it.

Hence, the satisfaction level had actually dropped by 1% at that time(coming to 17% from 18% previously), which would have been higher if the news had spread out more.

As for the dissatisfaction level, it had actually grown by 4% to 44% from 40% previously.

Thankfully, both with the Network and effective implementation of the Bank of Angaria, school and Academy, the numbers had risen again.

Thus, Daneel knew that there was a long way to go. Still, the thing to rejoice was that he would soon be obtaining the EXP and unlocking the Empire Spirit to find out its secrets.

Resolving to periodically check on the Spirit whenever he could, Daneel returned to his training.

...

Meanwhile, in the sky of the Kingdom of Lanthanor above the spot where the Echer seeds were planted.

Two women wearing flowing clothes that seemed to have different varieties of life-like leaves embroidered on them were standing on a cloud, looking down at the crops which occupied a wide area.

One of the women, who had a dimple on one side of her face, currently had a frustrated expression on her face, as if she were trying to remember something.

The other seemed unconcerned, as she was idly looking around before conjuring a glass of wine out of thin air and sipping on it.

After a few seconds, the first woman flicked her finger, making a plant complete with the root appear in her hand which she studied by placing it close to her eye.

Down in the fields, no one noticed anything as it was just one plant among the thousands that were there. Besides, even the roots had been pulled out cleanly without even disturbing the ground where the plant had been planted.

After observing the plant for a few seconds, she sniffed on the root before saying, "Sister, I've seen this somewhere. It reminds me of the forbidden plant which was banned in Angaria by the High Council because it caused permanent damage to the continent. I know they look nothing alive, but the suspicion is so strong that I can't ignore it."

Hearing the word "suspicion", it seemed as if the other woman had gotten a jolt.

Hurriedly making the wine and the glass disappear again, she turned around in a swift motion and asked, "Is this one of 'those' suspicions?"

This particular woman was quite famous across their sect, as there had been rumors that she had been brought back by a traveling professor who had seen an entire village of over 150 people chasing after her and attacking her.

Apparently, a few weeks before, she had had a 'suspicion' that her neighbor's cow would die by wolves.

It had happened.

Next, it was a 'suspicion' that bears would attack that night.

It had happened.

Lastly, the girl had 'suspected' that the entire village would burn down.

As it was a village in the wilderness between the forces which wasn't under any force's control, the Village had only survived due to its tough Fighters and the smart traps laid out all around the village.

Yet, all of them turned out to be irrelevant, as a forest fire had burned the entire location down.

Driven to rage, the village had taken to attacking the little girl.

Thankfully, the professor had been there to save her.

And now, she was on the track to becoming one of the youngest Champions in the history of the continent.

"I can't say for sure, but…I think it is."

The answer made the woman's eyebrows rise, causing her to immediately take out a trinket shaped like a leaf and say, "Requesting immediate information lookup on topic: Possible Demonic Plants growing in Lanthanor Kingdom."

After a few seconds, the woman let out a sigh of relief before turning to the first and saying, "Thank the heavens, there is already a team on this. They know that the seeds were given by the Black Raven Kingdom, and they are waiting for the harvest date to see who would come to pick them up. We have also been ordered to stand down till that date, as when the Matron gave the order to question the King of Lanthanor regarding the modified mosquitoes, she was not aware of this matter and she went into closed-door training afterward. What do you want to do? Go back to the Sect? I say we explore the places here, however primitive they may be. We have a reason to be outside anyway."

Saying everything due to the rush of relief she had felt after finding out that the Sect was already aware of this grave matter, the woman took a few deep breaths while waiting for the other to answer.

"Yes, I want to do the same. Let us check out this Kingdom first."

Saying so, the first woman simply flicked her fingers again, changing her clothes and appearance into a typical rich lady due to the expensive-looking fabrics she wore.

Seeing this, the other woman mimicked her before they both slowly flew down into the capital city.

No formation detected them, and no one could even see them.

After choosing an inn, the two started discussing about which part of the capital city to explore first.

Chapter 246: Opportunity

As Dalia came home from school, she was surprised, no, shocked to see a crowd of at least 20 people in front of her house.

Afraid that there might be some problem which could have harmed her mother, she hurriedly ran inside before finding that Helena was actually smiling wide and talking to one of the people in the crowd.

"We would be delighted to take your order, sir. The only problem might be that the delivery will take time because there have already been a flood of orders today."

Hearing these words, Dalia wondered if she was dreaming and even pinched herself to check if that were so.

Feeling the pain and massaging her hand, she walked up to her mother with a puzzled expression on her face.

As she did so, the man in expensive robes who had been talking to Helena looked at her and smiled.

"Dalia, say hello to one of the largest importers of embroidered works in the Capital City. He's here because he heard about us on the Network!"

The Network!

Finally realizing that this was all actually because of that small meeting in the Palace before, Dalia also grinned before greeting the man who only smiled wider seeing her adorable expression.

"Miss Helena, that won't be a problem. With creativity and quality like yours, I would be willing to wait weeks or even months. I'll be taking my leave, then."

As soon as they saw the man out of the door, another entered, greeting them and talking about an order again.

Unable to keep the smile off her mouth, Helena quickly said to Dalia, "Dear, get out the parchment and note everything they are saying. May the heavens bless the King who made all this possible!"

The latter's sentence also elicited a nod from the other party, who had actually just been about to go out of business before hearing the advertisement that had run on the network of Angaria.

"Mother and daughter duo appreciated personally by the King for their unique and creative embroidery pieces, perfect for any occasion! Contact this address for more information!"

Even in spite of the disastrous massacre in the palace, Daneel's image in the people's hearts was still very strong both due to the efforts he was taking with the School and the Healer's Academy and the execution that had recently taken place.

Hence, when this advertisement ran through the network, those who could actually make use of it went into a frenzy and immediately approached Helena to at least see what the fuss was about.

As someone who loved her work, Helga's designs were indeed some of the most creative that Eloise had ever seen. Hence, she had decided on this advertisement to give the greatest opportunity for the family who had been through so many hardships.

As for the cost, the usual price of 1 Gold Lan every time the ad was run had been decreased to 50 Silver Lans.

The initial price had actually been 10 Silver Lans, but it had been hiked seeing the insane demand. Still, requests still flooded in every day, because each and every business owner knew that this was an incredible opportunity to reach an unprecedented number of potential customers in one go.

Whether the mother and daughter would be able to use the opportunity was up to them.

And evidently, Helena had no intentions of disappointing her.

Each and every one of the 20 people outside the house and even more who came a while later were received cordially and spoken to with an honest smile which made them feel at ease.

There was one thing which made almost all the customers like her: she had one base price which she stuck to, even if she was offered more.

Such steadfastness without getting greedy which was required at this early stage in business only showed that this was an establishment which definitely had the potential to rise in Angaria.

It was only at the end of the night that Helena finally closed the door for the last time before being hugged by Dalia who came running towards her.

"Mom! I can't believe it! So many orders! How will we will complete them all?"

This was a question which was also on Helena's mind, but she had put it aside when accepting the orders because she had known that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"I don't know. But we will find a way. The King did his part in helping our business. Now, it is time to do ours. We going to be very busy, Dalia. But let's just work hard and we can have everything we ever wanted. Remember the dreams you had as a little child to live in a large house and help as many kids as you can by giving them food and shelter? Maybe we will even be able to do that!"

Hearing this, Dalia's eyes shone as she thought about the dreams and wishes she had had back in the village when she was still naïve about the world.

Although they were one of the poorest families in the village, there had still been some who didn't even have food to eat and traveled from village to village looking for work. Due to her own lonely childhood, Dalia had wanted to help such families and their kids in any way she could.

Yet, after growing up and understanding their financial situation, she had given up on such grandiose stuff and had replaced it with a singular dream of serving the King who had done so much for the family while also taking care of her Mother.

Now that she heard that both could be possible, hope and happiness filled her which made her smile and hug her mother even tighter.

For this family's business, the essentials were in place, and all that was needed was proper execution.

…

Grumbling to himself, Elanev gingerly sat down on the sofa in his room before wishing that he hadn't said yes when the king had asked to spar with him.

It seemed as if the man had been penting up frustration, anger and the desire for battle for decades, as each spar almost devolved into a fight to the death which generally left Elanev bruised because of his weaker body.

Of course, the flip-side to this was that he was getting closer and closer to the King, who was letting down his guard more and more.

At the same time, Elanev had also set into motion a few plans to infiltrate the Palace further.

Daneel had specially sent over monitoring devices which could be discreetly placed at locations to surveil the Palace, but he hadn't found a location yet where they could be placed.

The best option was obviously the Throne Room, but this was one of the most heavily guarded in the entire Palace.

Hence, the only opportunity he could use was if he were called again by the King for some reason. Sadly, it did not seem like this would happen any time soon.

Besides, Daneel had been slightly afraid that the unknown capabilities of the old man might include being able to scan whether there were any such devices in his vicinity constantly.

Hence, since finding out that the old man was the true perpetrator, Elanev had been ordered to switch off the audio and video relaying trinket in case the old man was there.

After all, such devices worked by transferring information in the form of a complex array of elementary particles.

The complexity of this array and the difficulty in detecting it decided the cost of this trinket. As something which was being used for such an important project, the one Elanev had been given was the most top-notch that Daneel had produced based on the designs he had developed using the system.

Only those at the peak Warrior Level would be able to detect it from a close distance if the information was being transmitted to a different location.

Hence, the trinkets that were to be placed in the Palace were a different type: instead of relaying information live, they stored them. Elanev would later have to manually remove them and transmit the information to Lanthanor to be analyzed.

Although this method was a bit redundant, even Champion level individuals wouldn't be able to spot it.

In a way, this was akin to computer viruses on Earth where only sufficiently advanced programs would be able to detect and get rid of them.

Touching a spot near his bosom to make sure that the pouch which held those trinkets was still there, Elanev started to think about how he could make the King invite him again so he could place the trinket.

As for his other assignment of obtaining one of the trinkets which was used to connect a citizen with a Black Raven, he had no idea where to even start.

...

Meanwhile, in the Lanthanorian Kingdom, 2 women were standing in front of the "School of Lanthanor" and wondering whose harebrained idea it was to set up such a money-losing and useless initiative.

Chapter 247: Molan and Sister Xuan

"A school for kids without testing them? Isn't that just….a waste of time and money? Whose dumb idea was this?"

"Molan, don't make judgments without finding out all the facts. But I must admit, it seems impractical."

Of these two women, one stood at around 5 feet with a tiny figure while the other was at least a head taller, with more of an athletic figure.

The latter who had just been referred to as Molan shook her head, but opted not to say anything else about the matter.

Instead, she asked about something which had been bothering her since coming to Lanthanor.

"Sister Xuan, have you felt anything … else since coming to this Kingdom?"

The famous "suspicion" of Sister Xuan was usually something which only activated on rare occasions. Its occurrence seemed to be random, as she would sometimes have many in the span of a week and not even have one for months afterward.

Hence, now that she had had one "suspicion", Molan wanted to know if there were any more that needed to be reported to the Sect.

The two were standing in a busy street right in front of the School, but it seemed as if no one could see them.

Almost unconsciously, each citizen who was about to stumble into them seemed to nudged away to pass them by.

If someone were seeing from above, it would look like they were a heavy stone which split the river it was in, forcing the water to go around it.

Frowning at the answer, Sister Xuan thought a few moments before finally opening her mouth and saying, "Remember the time in the Sect when I had a suspicion that all the undergarments of the sisters in our building would be stolen?"

Molan's face, which was currently that of a pretty woman with high cheeks and an oval face blushed deep red as she remembered the embarrassing incident.

Theirs was a female-only Sect, but they had once hosted a tournament where others of the Big 4 had come to compete.

During the tournament, Sister Xuan had had this suspicion which no one believed as the formation which repelled all males from the dorms was something which could only be broken through by a peak Warrior level Fighter or Mage.

At the time, there had been no one of this level in those who were coming, so everyone had ignored it, thinking that Sister Xuan might finally get something wrong.

This was also because of the fact that she had said the 'suspicion' was faint, unlike the rest which were very strong.

In the end, the undergarments had all been stolen, but the perpetrator had actually been one of their own sisters because she had lost a bet with one of the men who had come for the tournament.

"Are the people's undergarments also under danger? Are there perverts abound?", she asked with agitation, remembering the time that they had had to spend without any while new ones were getting stitched.

"|Cough| No, Molan, I was only referring to the weak suspicion. Here, I have a similar weak suspicion about the future of this Kingdom. It tells me that…. This Kingdom will be center of the struggle that is about to come."

Molan, who had just been about to take a sip of conjured water spit it out with shock as she heard Sister Xuan's answer.

"Are you sure, Sister Xuan? This puny Kingdom taking part in that struggle of behemoths….how can it be possible?"

This made Sister Xuan ponder more, but she finally gave up and shook her head after a few seconds.

"I don't know. Like I said, it's vague. We can tell the Sect about it when we go back, in case it gets stronger. You never know, Molan. It is sometimes an ant which tips the scales in favor of victory or defeat. Let's go. We need to examine each and every corner of this Kingdom thoroughly to look for clues which can strengthen my suspicion. In the process, we can also find out what the motive and the effects of these…. Seemingly mindless schemes are."

Nodding, Molan followed Sister Xuan as both of them made their way into the school to examine each of the classes in which the basic courses were being taught.

No matter where they went, no formation could stop them and no eye could see them.

In this way, they began their detailed tour of Lanthanor.

.....

Meanwhile, in the King's Chambers in the Royal Palace of Lanthanor, Daneel had just taken a break to check the report sent by Elanev.

The news that he was getting closer to the King was good, but Daneel knew that everything would come to a junction at the time of harvest, which was only a couple of months away.

The mysteries needed to be unraveled fast.

Hence, he had to find ways to speed up Elanev's infiltration.

First and foremost, the call of action was to find some way in which Elanev would be invited to the Throne Room and possibly be left alone inside for at least a short period of time so that he could place the surveillance trinket inside. The issue of extracting it could be handled later.

No matter how much he racked his head, Daneel couldn't think of some way through which he could make this happen.

Just like in Lanthanor, the Throne Room of the Black Raven Kingdom was only used for official meetings on the behest of the King.

Hence, there was no chance of personal interactions taking place there, which ruled away many possibilities.

Only something which heavily affected the King, like the question before about the fight which he had had to ask right at that moment, or matters relating to the Kingdom could be discussed inside.

Exasperated, Daneel once again started going through all the aspects relating to the Black Raven Kingdom.

For one thing, the economy of the Black Raven Kingdom wasn't doing very great. Their primary source of income was mining from an Ether mine which had existed for centuries.

The military was the primary spending area, with most of the money going to rearing the Black Ravens which were an integral part of their society.

Other than this, farming was a secondary occupation in the Kingdom on the few fertile lands remaining.

Going through his memories on Earth, Daneel tried to think of more things like the concept of the assembly line which could be adapted to Angaria.

As he was doing so, an idea finally occurred which was related to something he had already implemented: entertainment.

Entertainment was one of the largest businesses on Earth. Activities which could make a common individual forget everything about their mundane daily lives and immerse themselves either into the thrill of games or the mystical worlds of films, books or music were something which always made money when done right.

In a way, the Network of Angaria was an entertainment device, allowing people to forget themselves by finding out about the world around them. In it, there were also regular programmes featuring famous bards who enthralled listeners with their well-sung albeit overtly grandiose tales.

Yet, what Daneel was thinking about was another aspect of entertainment which was both a huge money-maker and a crowd puller: game entertainment.

Each year on Earth, millions flocked to see their favorite players show their skills.

In Angaria, although there were a few primitive games which people played in their pastime, there was nothing like a standard game in which competitions could be held.

If there was such a game which could make money for the government and also entertain the people to increase public opinion, could Elanev request a personal meeting with the King in the Throne Room to propose something regarding it?

Of course, no ties had to lead back to Lanthanor, which would be easy to accomplish, at least for a time. Later, if everything went according to Daneel's plan regarding the leadership of the Kingdom, it wouldn't matter.

Just as he was thinking of deciding on the particulars which Elanev would use to approach the Black Raven King, a feeling of being watched swept over him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Yet, it only lasted for a second before fading away.

"System, is anyone surveilling me currently?", he asked, puzzled, as there had never been an instance where the system couldn't detect if someone was looking at his location discreetly.

[Negative]

Just as he was about to assume that he could be mistaken, the feeling appeared again, making him stand up straight and look around in alarm.

Someone, or something, was definitely looking at the area he was in without the knowledge of the system.

Chapter 248: Detection

"System, what level of a scanning technique should be used to evade your detection?"

[Champion Level technique. Any scanning technique up to the peak Warrior Level can be detected by the system.]

Daneel had known this fact, but he had still decided to ask the system for confirmation.

This meant one of two things, both of which did not bode well for him at all.

One, there was a Champion observing him right now.

Two, there was someone like him, who was capable of using techniques above their own level, spying on him right now.

The only consolation was that Daneel felt no sense of danger.

The fact that he was detecting something which the system couldn't, could only be attributed to one thing: the breakthrough he had had before.

This raised the value of this new level in his mind further, as it basically meant that he had somehow gotten a level of awareness that was comparable to a Champion.

Regardless, the issue right now was that he had to decide what to do.

One thing was weird about the scanning: the feeling of being seen never stayed, coming and leaving in waves as if he were an ant hidden in tall grass with someone above trying to spot him by looking in his area again and again.

As a formation which was one of the strongest in Central Angaria, the Dragon-Heart formation had certain anti-surveillance capabilities which stopped others from peeking into the Palace easily.

Hence, Daneel became hopeful that the formation was actually doing its part, but the one scanning was adamantly trying to remove the veil and peek through.

First, Daneel proceeded to move to his chamber, as there were too many things in the Energized Training Chamber which couldn't be seen by anyone else.

Then, after thinking for a while, he finally got an idea to locate whoever it was that was spying on him.

"System, using the Anti-Surveillance Tool, scan the area around me for locations from which you receive no surveillance data."

The anti-surveillance tool of the system worked in such a way that the system scanned the area using its capabilities.

If he was right, whoever was scanning him had definitely also hidden themselves with a technique at least at that level, if not stronger.

After all, if he were the one doing the surveilling, he would always prioritize hiding himself over the level of scanning technique used.

[Scanning using parameters given. 1 null spot found east of host.]

Grinning briefly seeing that his guess had been correct, he contacted Kellor using the oathstone.

"Kellor, do what I say without asking any questions, I'll explain later."

.....

Meanwhile, at the location that had just been 'detected' by Daneel's system.

This was actually a small private forest in one of the mansions which were adjacent to the Royal Palace, owned by one of the ministers who was still in service in the government.

Although all of the mansions were protected by expensive formations which would require the power of at least an amateur Warrior to be breached, it seemed that they hadn't given any difficulty to this duo.

"Any luck, Sister?", Molan asked, looking around idly with a bored expression on her face.

"Molan, ask me one more time, and I swear that I might 'mistakenly' suspect things about you that won't let you sleep soundly at night. How does the possibility of waking up with spiders crawling on your face sound?"

Hearing the cold voice of Sister Xuan who usually remained very cool-headed, Molan froze where she stood with shock before hurriedly saying, "No, please, Sister, take your time. It's not like we have any pressing engagements right now."

Saying so, she immediately conjured a book out of thin air and began to read, as if it contained the secrets of the universe which were oh so interesting to her.

Seeing this, Sister Xuan sighed softly before saying, "All right Molan, I didn't mean it, I'm sorry. It's just that I'm frustrated that the Champion level technique taught by the Matron is being suppressed by their damn formation. You know I've only mastered the first level; all I can see is a vague, blurry picture of a man training. Seeing him seemed to make the suspicion about this Kingdom…. Stronger. But again, not strong enough to make me believe it will happen like the others. Let me try for a little more time, if nothing works out, let's go to that restaurant that serves the all-meat soup you liked so much."

Although Molan had started to panic again when she heard mention of the suspicion, she controlled herself and smiled after the last sentence.

Getting back to the book, she waited while Sister Xuan closed her eyes again, launching the Champion Technique which she had mastered despite being only at the level of a 6th Grade Warrior Mage.

Yet, after a few minutes, both of them were interrupted by the footsteps of a man who seemed to be walking up to them.

In an instant, Molan got up from the ground and raised her hands in the air.

First, a silvery barrier appeared around them before two balls made of what looked like condensed lightning and fire appeared, circling the barrier as if looking for foes to attack.

"I detected him before, but I didn't think he would head this way. Should I make him leave?"

As Molan asked this question, Sister Xuan thought for a bit before saying, "No, leave him be. There is no way he can detect us. We will leave soon anyway."

Nodding, Molan relaxed a bit but chose to keep the barrier up, carrying out her duty of being the bodyguard for the treasure of the Sect.

Observing this and sighing, Sister Xuan deployed the technique again, hoping that this would be the final distraction.

Yet, she was proven wrong.

The man turned out to be a woodcutter, who started to cut the trees around them and pausing after felling each, closing his eyes as if imagining something.

He seemed to be randomly moving from tree to tree, but the simple axe which was imbued by the power of an Exalted Human Mage made short work of each of the trees.

Finally, in less than a minute, he was just a few feet away from them.

Even at this point, the duo had been ignoring him.

Yet, by chance, the man cut a tree in front of him which just so happened on the location they were standing in.

The angle at which a tree would fall could only be discerned after the last swing of the axe, so the duo only noticed this after the tree was in motion.

Panicking, they opted to teleport a short distance away immediately, leaving the task alone.

Appearing at different locations before teleporting again to get to each other, Molan said, "Bad luck, Sister. Do you want to go back?"

Seeing Sister Xuan deep in thought, Molan waited, hoping that they would go eat.

"No, I was almost done anyway. Did you feel anything after teleporting away from that location?"

"Umm…no. What kind of feeling do you mean?"

"Forget it. Let's go eat first before deciding what to do next."

Seeing Molan smile on hearing these words, Sister Xuan sighed and smiled slightly to herself before heading towards the inn that served that soup.

Yet, right before she turned around, she couldn't help but look back at the Palace, wondering whether she had really imagined the feeling of being watched that had swept over her the split second after they had both teleported away.

...

Back in the King's Chambers, Daneel let out a long sigh as he finally felt the crawling sensation of being spied go away.

Yet, hearing the notification from the system, a smile spread across his face.

[2 individuals detected by system as per host's instructions]

The whole point behind sending Kellor to cut that tree had been due to the hope that the two would teleport away.

As far as Daneel knew, any Mage would let go of active spells at least for a split second to cast the teleportation spell.

It was that gap that Daneel had used to detect them using the anti-surveillance tool.

Also, he had given the system specific instructions to only switch on the tool for the smallest amount of time needed to detect them before immediately switching it off.

This was something only the system could do, as Mages would require at least a little more time to deploy spells.

Hence, the goal had been that that minute amount of time would be too little to be spotted by the two.

Daneel had no idea if the latter had worked out, but his primary goal had at least been fulfilled.

He now knew the faces of the two powerful individuals who had infiltrated his Kingdom for reasons unknown.

And it was now time to carefully find out just why he had attracted someone who had the background of actually being able to learn a Champion-level technique.

Chapter 249: Spor

Hearing the door open, Daneel looked up to see Kellor enter the room.

The Grand Court Mage was someone who regularly went to whichever forest he wanted in order to train his creed and advance on the path of understanding his ultimate technique.

Hence, he had ordered Kellor to go instead of sending anyone else as he was the safest option present.

Besides, if the ones trying to spy had any ill intentions, things would have been very different already.

"Well done. If I'm right, our Kingdom is now an unknowing host of two individuals from one of the Big 4."

Just as Kellor had been about to ask the intention behind Daneel giving those very specific orders to cut that tree in that exact angle to fall on that exact spot, he heard these words from Daneel which made his jaw drop.

The legendary…. Big 4?

They had actually attracted attention from them?!

Seeing the panic filling Kellor's eyes, Daneel quickly said, "Don't worry, they hold no ill intentions, at least presently. I have also managed to find out their faces, but that may be useless because they seem to be using some sort of spell to hide their existence from the world. Anyway, they are definitely not people we can face right now. We can only hope that they are here in passing, but we should act with the knowledge that someone has their eye on us. Follow me outside."

Saying so, Daneel led the way outside.

While walking to the destination he had in mind with Kellor following behind him, he tried to think of any way he could proactively use this information about the presence of those from the Big 4 to further his goals.

Deciding to keep thinking on this matter, he realized that he had gotten to the lawn on the back side of the Palace where he had set out to.

Behind him, Kellor had closed his eyes and was taking a deep breath in the lush greenery. As a woodcutter, such forests and wide open areas were where he felt most at home.

Yet, a second later, he had to snap them open as the King had done something which made no sense whatsoever.

He had thrown a round rock at Kellor.

Although the speed of the rock wasn't very fast, Kellor didn't have much time to react as he had been in a completely relaxed state.

Still, he was an Exalted Human Mage. A wall of earth immediately came into being in front of it, decreasing its momentum and resulting in it harmlessly falling in front of his feet.

Looking up, Kellor realized that Daneel was looking at him with a slightly disappointed expression on his face.

What was he supposed to do? Let himself get hit?

"I guess I should have explained first. Kellor, when I throw the rock, catch it and try to get past me. No magic, and I will be doing everything I can to stop you. Your goal is to set the rock down by hand 20 feet behind me"

Thus began one of the most grueling experiences in Kellor's memory.

Initially, he hadn't understood exactly what the King wanted, leading him to try and walk past while moving quickly.

Soon, he understood that it wouldn't cut it.

As he began to run, the King let out a laugh as if he were finally seeing what he desired.

This had actually startled Kellor a bit, as such pure expression of emotion was not something the King usually did.

Yet, this thought quickly disappeared as he found himself tackled to the ground by the King who seemed to be holding back the power of his body.

Each and every time he got even a little bit closer to moving past the King, he would find himself on the ground due to being grabbed expertly by the King who seemed to be doing it naturally.

Finally, after about 20 attempts, Kellor gave up and lay on the ground, panting,

Beside him, Daneel who had just tackled him was also lying with his back on the ground, staring up into the blue sky while memories flooded through his mind.

Back on Earth, in the orphanage, this was one of the only sports which all the kids played to pass time.

They hadn't even had a proper ball; instead, it was one thrown away by someone because it had a puncture.

Yet, this was enough for the orphans. In an open area, they would draw two lines on the ground before aiming to get the ball across while holding it in their hands.

It was their own version of Street American Football, or more accurately, Rugby.

Although Daneel had been one of the scrawniest kids, his specialty had been his speed which often brought their team the victory.

Even though tackles were dangerous, no serious injuries ever occurred, with bruises and scrapes being the most common thing with which the kids walked away.

As he kept looking into the sky, he relived that simple life he had left behind.

After a few minutes, his expression still joyful due to the nostalgia, Daneel got up and held out an arm to Kellor.

As the Grand Court Mage got up, Daneel asked, "What do you think? Would this be a game people would like to play?"

The unexpected question made Kellor tonguetied, causing him to ponder for a few seconds before saying, "My King, I must say that I do not know."

Chuckling at the answer, Daneel thought about the motivation behind choosing this game.

Knowing full well that sports was one of the biggest businesses on Earth, Daneel had been meaning to bring some or the other sport over to Angaria in order to both develop a new business domain that he could take control of and to give a pastime to the people of this continent.

As for why this game, Daneel's main reason had been that Fighters were much more prevalent than Mages on Angaria.

Hence, if he wanted to make a proper business out of the game, it would have to be something that could be adopted by everyone. Even though sports specific to Mages might come later, it wasn't his focus right now.

Also, the game also had to be simple enough. In his opinion, the simple game of "getting the ball across" which could be done in numerous ways was much simpler to understand than other more complex sports like basketball and soccer.

Of course, the fact that the highest earning sports association on Earth was actually the NFL(National Football League) had also been a factor which led to him choosing this game.

Regardless, although Daneel knew that it was an experiment, its primary focus right now was to do one thing: give Elanev a way to enter the Throne Room without arousing any suspicion.

Hence, he set about making the plan to have this happen using this game he had chosen which would hopefully change the sports landscape in the continent of Angaria.

....

A few days later.

After an especially grueling spar, Elanev had just collapsed onto a chair beside the sparring ground while the Black Raven King walked over, smiling with satisfaction at having temporarily vented everything he was feeling.

Although Elanev was constantly soaking up the experience and getting better day by day, there was still a long way for him to go before he could hope to fight toe-to-toe with the King without using any of his trump cards.

Seeing the King sit down and calmly take a sip of the chilled wine that had been served beforehand, he turned around to check what was happening in the adjacent field before deciding that this was the best time to broach the topic.

In the adjacent field, soldiers were lined up in rows facing wooden puppets.

All of them were Black Raven Fights, and as the gong sounded, numerous Black Ravens shot off their hands and soldiers to impale the puppets.

After a few seconds, the soldier whose Raven had been the fastest was declared the winner.

Indeed, these were war games which were carried out in almost all the Kingdoms.

While the King idly watched these proceedings, Elanev said, "King, this reminds me of a bet I had with a friend I made in one of the places I passed through on my journey. Would you like to hear about it?"

Hearing Elanev speak, the Black Raven King turned around with an interested expression.

Over the weeks, he had been enthralled by stories from Elanev about exotic locations and people, giving him a view of the World he hadn't gotten to see. They had repeatedly piqued his interest, and there was no reason for this one not to do the same.

"His bet was that by putting in very little investment, he would be able to make 1000 Ether Blocks by making people run around holding something in their hand. I didn't believe him, but I actually ended up losing the bet. Would you like to hear about this 'business' which, according to him, has the potential to change the face of the continent?"

Chapter 250: Meeting

In the Throne Room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

"King, this is what I was talking about. A hollow ball made of multiple layers of cloth, enchanted to not deform when force is applied to it up to a certain degree. The objective of the game is to get the ball to the opponent's side of the field in a set period of time. Whoever does this the most in a match, wins. No magic can be used. As you must have guessed, the game requires top-notch hand-eye coordination. For instance, imagine that I was standing there-"

WHUP

As Elanev threw the ball in his hands at the Black Raven King, the latter could only raise his hands before having the ball bounced off his palm to land in a corner of the room.

"Got you! Attention at all times and skill that can even aid in battle. These things are required to play the game well. Wouldn't it be a spectacle to witness magnificent performances of skill in the stadiums which haven't changed their mode of entertainment in centuries? Let me get the ball first."

Without waiting for the King's answer, Elanev briskly walked to where the ball had fallen before picking it up and coming back to stand in the center of the room.

In the process, no one had noticed that his hand had brushed against the statue of the Raven.

After successfully placing the surveillance trinket and continuing the explanation of the sport, Elanev marveled at the mind of his younger brother which had come up with something so unique to enable them to listen in on the truly important secrets that they were trying to find.

Besides, even the rules of the sport and the ball that had been delivered to him felt like they hadn't been made up on a whim.

After receiving the materials, the plan had been simple. He had to bring up the idea in front of the King before saying that such a matter could only be discussed officially, as the King would have to contact Elanev's 'friend' if he wanted to get the full list of the rules, format, and equipment required to play the game.

The mention of thousands of Ether Blocks had piqued an interest in the King, whose mind was always concerned about the emptying treasury of the Black Raven Kingdom.

Hence, acceding to the request, the meeting had taken place immediately after Elanev went to his room to get the ball and the trinkets.

After that, it was a simple matter of having to move to where he wanted without arousing the suspicion of the King.

After studying the rules that Daneel had sent over, Elanev had come up with this plan which had thankfully succeeded.

Of course, thanks was in due to the spars which had allowed him to build up the rapport with the King that let him act as he just did.

And indeed, if anyone else had chucked a ball at Tenebrol when he was off-guard, he would have definitely reacted with a fury that would bring ruin to whoever dared to do such a thing to the King of the Black Raven Kingdom.

Here, it was Elanev, who had already used sudden attacks like these even in their spars.

Feeling glad that the problem of the surveillance trinket was finally solved, Elanev started to wholeheartedly get into the rules of the sport which had interested even him with its novelty and potential for entertainment.

After all, the hyper-aggressive goal of getting a small object through numerous Fighters out for blood without using any weapons or trinkets was something which appealed to the hot-bloodedness in him.

Yet, suddenly, the door opened letting in an old man who had a dark expression on his face.

He seemed to be absorbed in his thoughts, not noticing Elanev until reaching within a few feet of him.

Hence, he was not able to see Elanev's hasty action of touching the surveillance trinkets on his body which had been transmitting data to the situation room in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

After almost walking up to Elanev's side, the old man finally looked up to see both men staring at him as if they had seen the ghost.

Elanev first got control of his expression, choosing to stay put and close his mouth after reining in the shock of seeing his target after many days.

As for the King, it was as if his worst nightmare had chosen to come into reality to torment him.

In the eyes of the world, the old man was actually only the Royal Mage who was both tool and protector of the Black Raven King.

Hence, he immediately bowed and said, "Oh… greetings, My Lord! I am sorry, I must have gotten absent-minded because my entire mind was on something I read the other day. We did have a meeting on hand to discuss a few issues. Would you like me to come back?"

This caused an awkward atmosphere in the room. For one, Elanev had no idea what to do because he knew nothing about the man in front of him.

As for the King, he was shocked as he remembered that there was also this side to this old man.

Looking into the eyes of the old man, he clearly saw the order to get rid of Elanev immediately.

"No need. Eganev was just about to leave. Send me a copy of the rules and the proposition about implementing it in the Black Raven Kingdom. We do, after all, have the most stadiums in all of Central Angaria. Keep that in mind when drafting the proposal."

Cursing the timing of the old man, Elanev could only nod and smile amiably before saying, "I will do so, King. I'll send the proposition as soon as it's ready."

Taking his leave after giving one last glance at the old man, Elanev made his way out of the Throne Room before swiftly moving to his own.

Switching the surveillance trinkets back on, he proceeded to explain everything that had happened to Daneel.

...…

Meanwhile, in the situation room in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, the King, commanders and Faxul had all panicked when the display trinket had gone blank.

The time that had passed before Elanev contacted them again had been nerve-wracking, as the possibility of Elanev being somehow found out as a spy and executed was very real.

Thankfully, after a few minutes, Elanev contacted Kellor and told everyone what had happened.

Although the matter in regards to the old man was only getting worse by the day, there was at least a silver lining: the surveillance trinket had been planted.

Yet, the amount of effort they had had to go through to get this done had simply been tremendous.

Daneel felt a slight fear start to seep in as he realized that the date of harvest was only getting closer and closer while the progress on the mysteries surrounding the Black Raven Kingdom was agonizingly slow.

It was time to take risks.

Turning to Faxul, he said, "What do you think about going an expeditionary mission?"

...…

Lying down on the couch and lazily patting her stomach, Molan wistfully dreamt of the possibility of staying in Central Angaria instead of going back to the dreary hallways and bland food of their sect.

Beside her, Sister Xuan had was engrossed in an item she had obtained from the mansion whose forest they had been spying in before.

It was a bowl filled with a sticky, yellowish substance that had numerous mosquito bodies inside, disgustingly swirling about while Sister Xuan used her finger to stir the solution.

Seeing this, Molan almost got the urge to throw up before hurriedly looking up again.

"Sister, what is so interesting about it? Don't we have many more advanced methods to keep the mosquitoes out?", she asked after a few minutes, fed up of the disgusting squishing sounds that came whenever Sister Xuan put her fingers in the solution.

After continuing to examine for a few more minutes, Sister Xuan finally washed her hands using a conjured globe of water before saying, "The individual who made this solution and the one who modified those mosquitoes seem to have at least….learned from the same person. Otherwise, I have no idea how to explain the increase in sophistication but similar type of spellcasting that is evident."

After saying so, in a scoffing tone, Sister Xuan laid out the other possibility which was surely impossible.

"It's either that, or the individual found some way to magically increase the complexity of their mind in the span of a few months."

Chapter 251: Re-entering the Black Raven Kingdom

At one of the gates which was a point of entry into the Black Raven Kingdom.

2 people - an old man and a teen were waiting in the line for their turn to be checked, with the latter interestedly looking around as if everything looked new and exciting.

After reaching the guard post, one of the soldiers responsible for checking who had noticed this behavior asked, "Who's your friend? He seems overly curious."

This made the old man panic a bit before hurriedly saying, "It's just my son! It's his first time out of the village, so please forgive his enthusiasm. We come from Burberry in Lanthanor, and we were really interested to see this glorious Kingdom after the broadcast on the Network."

The answer made the soldier's chest swell with pride, knowing that this was another resident of the continent who was visiting because they had gotten enthralled by the fight over the Network.

After asking a few more questions about the village which the man claimed to be from, the soldier gave them a small token and instructed them to keep it on their body at all times.

If someone inside the Kingdom was found without this token which was given on entry, they would be jailed on the charge of illegal entry.

This was the Black Raven Kingdom's way of trying to combat people from entering the Kingdom as they liked.

After taking the tokens, the two individuals walked to the closest village before taking a room in an inn.

On entering the room, the teen went to the window and resumed his activity of looking around while the man sighed and sat down on the chair.

"Faxul, you might make more guards suspicious if you keep gawking at everything like that! Even though it would support your character of a country bumpkin, I would rather that we not attract so much attention."

The words made the teen step back from the window before nodding and smiling slightly at the old man.

Indeed, these two were Daneel and Faxul who had made their way into the Black Raven Kingdom using a false identity.

Although the method of using such tokens which were tied to blood was a good method to keep a check of people who entered the Kingdom, it still had some major flaws.

For instance, as an enormous number of such trinkets were needed, it was impossible for each to be sophisticated enough so as not to be easily replicated by any enchanter who wished to do so.

Also, if someone lost their trinket out of carelessness, then there was no efficient method to address this issue.

In fact, this system reminded Daneel of the VISA and Passport system back on Earth, which also had the problem where skilled people could forge fake copies to get past officials.

All in all, Daneel still liked his own system of IDs which he was planning to implement soon in Lanthanor.

The walk to the inn had been quite long, so Daneel relaxed for a bit while eyeing Faxul who had gone to the bag which they had carried into the Kingdom.

Inside, carefully hidden under heaps of clothes and other necessities was the raven that he had bonded with.

To conceal it during the checking, it had been drugged asleep before being placed in a false pocket in the bag.

Taking out the raven and feeding it a few drops of the liquid which was the antidote to the drug, Faxul gently nudged it awake before patting its head and checking it for any injuries.

Seeing the care he was showing to the beast and the gentle expression he had while doing so, Daneel sighed again, almost feeling like he didn't know his friend anymore.

If he was being honest with himself, the objective of this mission hadn't just been to go on an expedition to try and uncover the secret place in the Palace by using Faxul.

The other objective had been to spend some time with his friend and get to know him again after the change that had come in him recently.

Hence, he had elected to not bring any of the commanders or Kellor along, quoting that it would be easier with just the two of them, and that he was strong enough presently to make a quick escape in case things did turn dire.

Of course, Daneel had the confidence to do the latter, and the former was also true because it would be much easier to travel without rousing suspicion if there were fewer people.

Besides these two, there was also one last objective: find a way for Faxul to connect with the raven so that he could finish the analysis in the system.

Daneel still had high hopes for the Human-Beast Link technique whose development progress had been stuck for a long time.

Thinking about all he wished to accomplish in this Kingdom and getting up with determination, he said, "Let's go grab some food first before continuing on our journey to the capital. I know a place which serves some excellent rat broth."

...

Meanwhile, in the Throne Room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

While the Black Raven King sat on the throne and looked on, the old man was holding a large square-shaped trinket which had the latest financial details of the Kingdom stored inside.

After a few moments of assessing everything, he said, "Not bad. The Network has increased the number of tourists who visit the Kingdom, letting the government earn more because the people have more money to be taxed on."

Even as the King was about to smile on hearing this, what the old man said next made him grimace.

"So you chose to decrease funding to the urban development section to finance the search for the Ker Gem Mine. Does that mean you care the least about the living conditions of your people?"

Seeing the ashen face of the King, the old man chuckled before continuing his perusal of the records.

As the King watched on, he wondered what the reason was behind the recent change in character of the old man.

Usually, he had a level of patience which had allowed Tenebrol to act as he pleased, at least for the most part.

Now, the old man seemed to take pleasure in mentally torturing him.

Shifting budget from other departments on the old man's orders wasn't actually something that was new, but he had never been lambasted for it like this before.

Nevertheless, feeling the chains that bound him still strong, he sighed for the millionth time with regret before looking forward to the spar they would have soon.

Finally, after a few minutes, the old man set the cube aside before saying, "Everything looks fine. Approve the proposal about the sport, it can bring in a lot of money. And I don't think I need to remind you to keep a close eye on Lanthanor."

As the King nodded, the old man left the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts again.

Taking out a piece of parchment, he once again started to read the rules of the sport which had impressed and captivated him for the past few days.

....

Unknowingly, Elanev was also absorbed in doing the same thing.

Yet, feeling a trinket he had hid under his clothes heat up, he walked to the balcony of his room before taking it out and touching it after making sure that there was no one watching.

"We have entered the Kingdom. I will contact you again after we reach the Captial."

Smiling at the message, Elanev put the trinket back and looked out at the ground where he and the King usually had their spar.

As he was doing so, he noticed a figure walking across the ground clumsily, as if they had been affected by some sort of injury which did not allow them to have full control of their legs.

In fact, as he watched closely, he realized that it was more like there were two people in command of the same body.

This was because if the left leg took a step in one direction, the right took one in the direction diagonally opposite, almost making the man topple due to the instability.

Yet, the man seemed to be heading in the general direction of one of the forests which surrounded the Palace, as he was using his hands to redirect one of the legs whenever he could.

It was noon, and the grounds were empty as almost everyone had gone to lunch.

Intrigued by this strange man whom he couldn't identify, Elanev decided to follow him and noted his direction before quickly walking exiting his room and walking towards the staircase which led outside.

Chapter 252: Journey 1

After quickly walking out of the palace, Elanev briskly walked towards the sparring round in which he had seen the strange man from his balcony.

When he reached it, as expected, there was no one there. What was suspicious was that even though the ground was the sort where footsteps would easily stay for hours due to the loose earth on top, there were no footsteps here as if they had been deliberately erased by the man who had passed through.

Although this might be a simple spell, it at least gave the information that that man had been a Mage.

Looking in the direction he had taken note of before, Elanev realized that the forest it led to seemed to be covered in a perpetual darkness because the trees were so thick that no sunlight could get through.

He had actually spotted this place before, but he hadn't suspected anything because this wasn't the only forest that had grown in this way.

Just as he was about to set off to follow that man into the forest, he stopped and thought about the possibility of facing off against a strong mage by himself.

Elanev knew his strengths and weaknesses. Even though he had the confidence of facing any Fighter even at a level above him, he knew that he would be no match for a skilled mage even if he used all his trump cards.

Thus, he paused and took out the trinket which he had just used to communicate with Daneel.

Sending a message with the information, he waited for a response while idly shadowboxing in order to not raise suspicion if anyone else came before Daneel replied.

…

Meanwhile, Daneel and Faxul had just teleported to the stadium where the match between Elanev and the Black Raven King had taken place.

The walk to the capital would take a few days, and even though this journey could be accomplished simply by teleporting directly, Daneel and Faxul had both chosen to take the long route to understand this Kingdom against which they might be moving soon.

After all, Daneel was a huge fan of the saying, "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will always be victorious."

Besides, Faxul's interest to find out more about the place where he had been born was also quite clear.

When Daneel received the message from Elanev, the two had just reached a small town with a population less than 200 people.

Listening to Elanev explaining about the man and the missing footsteps, Daneel also felt that it would be dangerous for his most important asset, his elder brother, to go up against someone without knowing their strength.

In fact, he was reminded of the horror movies from Earth where protagonists would usually chase after suspicious things as if they weren't aware of the danger.

Having no intention of taking undue risks, Daneel ordered Elanev to keep a note of the destination of the man and wait for him to arrive before carrying out any further investigation.

After all, not everyone could deploy a disposable clone which could allow them to explore something without any personal danger.

After making sure that Elanev gave the response saying he got the message, Daneel and Faxul looked for an inn to stay in while studying the houses and the people around them.

The village seemed very primitive, and according to the information that Daneel had, the people of this village were primarily miners who spent most of their time at the mine which was over 100 km away.

Hence, for the most part, the villagers only comprised of the families of those people who went to work.

After asking for directions, the two reached an inn but paused seeing that there was a sign on the door which read "Closed for Renovation".

Having no idea what to do, the duo considered moving onto the next village even though it was already night and their stomachs were grumbling because the hadn't eaten in many hours.

Just as Daneel was about to say that they had no other choice, he felt a tugging at his pants which made him look down to see a small kid looking at him with a toothy smile.

"Mister, are you here for the inn?"

Seeing Daneel nod, the kid continued, saying, "Then follow me! Mama said we can't have the guests of our village leave just because the roof collapsed in the inn. She's already cooking dinner, and if we go now, she can add just enough meat for two more people! Come on!"

Not waiting for a response and walking away on his own, the kid turned around after a few seconds to find that the two men were still staring at him with bemused expressions on their faces.

Giggling a bit, he said, "What's wrong? I promise we won't bite! Now come on, or mama will be angry!"

Finally seeing them follow, he continued skipping along the path to a one-storied house which had the words, "Irma's Inn. All are welcome!" on the door.

After reaching the house, the kid opened the door and went inside after ensuring that the two men had indeed followed till here.

Seeing the sign, both of them looked at each other before smiling.

Daneel hadn't known what to think seeing the kid inviting them out of nowhere. Now, seeing the sign, he realized that this was a house that had probably been converted into an inn to serve weary travelers.

Opening the door, he took a deep breath of the broth which smelled wonderful before smiling wider and entering inside.

…

Since coming to this kingdom, Faxul had been immersed in a unique feeling which he had never felt before in his life.

It was the feeling of coming back to a home he had forgotten about for more than a decade.

Although he didn't have clear memories of his time in the Black Raven Kingdom, the experiences and feelings weren't things that could easily be forgotten.

It seemed that coming back had managed to trigger those sleeping memories, allowing him to feel for the first time that he was somewhere he belonged.

Even though Lanthanor was where he had grown up, found his closest friend, realized his passion for helping people, and found methods to grow strong faster, it was still a place that was foreign to him.

This was partly the reason why his long-standing character of hiding emotions and speaking as little as possible had persisted for so long even though there were a lot of influences which should have changed it.

It was only with the feeling he got when he interacted with the Black Raven that he began to remember what it meant to be himself instead of being constantly clouded by the desire for revenge.

Of course, the desire still existed, but the addition of other desires alongside it had allowed him to slowly recover and change.

The desire to help these people who had once been ruled by his father.

The desire to find out about the blood which flowed through his body, that was helping him to keep the entity at bay.

The desire to know the feeling of actually connecting with the Raven whose thoughts he seemed to understand with the very fiber of his being.

And the desire to help his friend who had done so much for him.

Entering the house, the first thing that both of them saw was a kind, middle-aged woman who smiled wide at them while still listening to the chatter of the kid who was beside her.

"Welcome! Please take a seat. Dinner will soon be ready, and I will show you the room you can sleep in after that. No one should ever think that the Black Raven Kingdom is unaccommodating! Go show them the bathroom so that they can fresh up."

The last sentence was said after she smacked the kid on his bottom which made him stop talking and grimace slightly before walking to Faxul and Daneel and leading them to a small room on the side where turning a faucet made cold water gather in the basin below.

Yet, after a few seconds, the water started to turn muddy which led the kid to quickly close the faucet and shout, "Mom! The pipe is clogged again!"

Still, seeing that there was enough water, he smiled at the two before leaving the bathroom and saying, "Didn't the mayor say that money would come to fix all the pipes from the government? What happened to that?"

Chapter 253: Journey 2

"He says it was delayed because the money was needed for the Army… We can fix it ourselves in the meantime. Get the bowls out, dinner is almost ready."

"The Army! That's great! I hope the soldiers can train better to protect our kingdom! Yup, we can fix it ourselves. Mama, you said we can go visit the barracks soon! When can we go? I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go!"

Faxul felt quite surprised hearing the high-pitched excitement in the little kid's tone as he heard the mention of the Army from his mother.

Intrigued, he quickly freshened up and walked out without waiting for Daneel and approached the kid who was taking out some bowls from the cupboard.

Helping him by handing down the bowls which were a bit higher, he asked, "Why do you want to go to the barracks?"

As if saying the most obvious thing in the world, the kid replied, "To see all the brave soldiers who protect our kingdom and serve the Almighty Black Raven, of course! I can't wait to grow up and join them!"

Hearing the answer, Faxul was surprised to see this sort of enthusiasm in someone so young.

"Is your father a soldier? Do you want to become like him?"

Remembering that it might be because of inspiration a family member, Faxul chose to ask this question.

Yet, the answer surprised him.

"No, he's a miner. Just like all the fathers of my friends in the village. They all failed the test and still regret not being able to become a soldier and take part in the ultimate service, so I am training every day to make sure that I pass! No one will be able to harm our Kingdom when I'm on the border!"

Seeing the shining zeal in the kid's size, Faxul realized that pride and duty was even more important to these people than he had imagined.

Indeed, this desire was clearly borne out of the pride which made one want to defend it by even giving their lives if needed.

Enchanted by what he saw in the depths of the kid's eyes and the confidence in his posture, Faxul froze for a few moments, captivated by these pure feelings which had definitely also been in him once.

…

To the side, Daneel watched the interaction between Faxul and the kid and smiled helplessly realizing the same thing as Faxul: patriotism truly was more inherent than he had imagined in the people of this kingdom.

Yet, knowing more about the general condition of the kingdom, Daneel was also aware that this could be attributed to the unique deity which all the citizens worshipped single-mindedly.

From the conversations they had had on the journey, Daneel was starting to understand that Faxul was slowly becoming a copy of him with the Black Raven Kingdom in his heart rather than Lanthanor.

This wasn't wrong in itself, but the problem would arise if there came a time when a choice needed to be made.

And if everything went according to Daneel's plans, the time to make this choice would come soon.

Hearing the sloshing that came from the broth being served in the bowls, he sighed and turned around to see that dinner had been served.

…

In the ancestral grounds of the Black Raven Kingdom.

Watching the sparring ground he had walked through that was on the display trinket in front of him, the old man had an irritated expression on his face while he waited for the king's new friend to follow him into the forest.

As someone whose age would shock anybody in this generation, he had long learned the lesson to never take anything on face value.

He was someone who suspected everything and everyone, and of course, Elanev was also in this list.

Yet, as someone who was regularly seen sparring with the king, needless questions would arise if he disappeared without any reason.

Hence, he had decided to put out the bait to find the true intentions of this man, if any existed.

If he really was a spy, he might choose to follow the old man when he hobbled through the spot which was visible from the man's balcony.

Even though this was a simple plan, the old man had trusted that it would work mainly because of his suspicious behavior when he passed through the field.

Yet, seeing the man just reach the field and look around before deciding to spar while waiting for the time of his fight with the king to arrive, the old man realized that he was possibly dealing with a smart individual.

After all, he couldn't count the number of spies and enemies he had led into traps simply by using their curiosity.

Deciding to think of more ways to test him, he went back to the Natural Energised Training Chamber and resumed absorbing the dwindling energy before looking with a frustrated expression at the last pile of Ker Gems which would barely last him a few months.

It seemed that the time for dire decisions would come soon.

…

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

After coming home from school, Dalia was shocked to see her mother lifelessly lying on the black box which was the embroidery trinket.

Running forward and hurriedly shaking her mother's shoulders, she sighed with relief seeing her groggily open her eyes.

"Mum, you can't do this anymore! You'll work yourself to death! It's not worth it!"

Slowly picking herself up from the chair, Helena shakily walked towards the kitchen but fell on the sofa on the way due to losing energy.

Realizing what her mother wanted, Dalia quickly ran to the kitchen and got her a glass of water.

Sipping the water and finally regaining some color on her deathly pale face, Helena said, "What can we do? There are so many orders, and unless I work at least 16 hours a day, there's no way we can fulfill them all!"

"I know Mom, but burning yourself out is not the answer. Haven't you found anyone yet to help you?"

"No. I've asked around, but there aren't many who can be employed. There are only other small embroidery shops which have no interest in being employed by us. I'll keep looking, but I need to keep working while doing so."

Going to the kitchen and getting another glass of water, Dalia watched as her mother gulped it down before thinking for a bit and saying, "No mom, you rest. I'll go searching. No matter what, I'll find a way for us to finish all the orders without you having to work so hard."

Seeing the determination in her daughter's eyes, Helena smiled sweetly, knowing that a 10-year-old kid wasn't at all likely to come up with a solution to solve all their problems.

Still, she looked forward to what her daughter would do.

…

In the slums in the City of Lanthanor.

Two women walked through the meandering streets with one looking around as if searching for something, while the other had a disgusted expression on her face.

"How much longer, Sister? Why are we even here? You said you will explain after we get somewhere… Where is that somewhere?"

Receiving no answer, she started grumbling to herself while following behind Sister Xuan who continued to search.

Finally, the two reached a small shack which had been cordoned off and had soldiers standing around it.

"The Humble Beginnings of our King"

A banner with these words could be seen on the door of the shack, while many people had formed a group and were looking at it while speaking excitedly among themselves.

Seeing Sister Xuan walk forward and read a plaque which had been set up near the entrance to the shack, Molan followed.

"The house where the King of Lanthanor, Daneel Anivron, spent his childhood. Page 167. "

"Page 167? What's that?"

Beside her, Sister Xuan also frowned before looking around and taking a book from the table of a store which was to the side.

As the two were under the effect of the spell which allowed them to pass anywhere they wished unhindered, it was as if the book had vanished into thin air.

"The King that Saved Lanthanor: Daneel Anivron"

This was the title, and after turning to the indicated page, Sister Xuan started to read about the oppressed kid who grew up while training as hard as he could.

Seeing this, Molan was just about to ask again when Sister Xuan finally opened her mouth and gave the answer she had been waiting for.

"We are going to find out everything about the past of this King. Maybe then, I can find out whether the suspicion I feel is true or not."

Chapter 254: Journey 3

The one-storied house had three bedrooms and Faxul and Daneel were led to one which had two separate single beds by the kid who was still smacking his lips, savoring the tasty broth they had all just had.

After a good night's rest, the two departed after leaving behind a little silver in their bedroom even though the family had insisted that they would take no payment as there was no way that their home could compare to a proper inn.

Resuming their journey, the duo passed through many villages and towns while stopping in each for a little while to find out the living conditions and thoughts of the people.

As they did so, Daneel felt more and more that his supposition had been correct: this Kingdom really was like a cult, but it was an open one.

This mainly stemmed from seeing the utter devotion almost everyone had for the deity. Aside from this, the desire to serve and protect their Kingdom and uphold the pride of the Black Raven was also something which they heard repeatedly from both kids and adults alike.

Although the Black Raven King was also talked about fondly due to his actions to make the Black Raven Kingdom known to the world, it was clear that his importance was much lesser when compared to the deity in people's hearts.

Also, the taxes in the Kingdom at the moment were absurdly high, but almost no one complained, quoting that it was all for the "Good of the Kingdom".

40% of what the people earned was taken by the government, but there were few starving families because of the attitude of the people to not shirk away from helping their "own kind".

The foreigners were few and far in between, and the only one that Daneel had interacted with had run away when he had asked if he felt dissatisfied with the Kingdom.

All in all, this was one of the most unique Kingdoms that Daneel had ever seen.

On finally arriving at the Capital, he was quite amazed to see the landmark which had been praised by many along the way: "The Raven that Watches"

This was a gigantic statue on top of the central gate of the Capital who looked down at all those entering the city.

Apparently, it was said that the spirit of their deity was still present in the two such statues in the Kingdom, watching over them and taking care of them even if he wasn't present in person.

The other statue was, of course, in the Throne Room, and it was said that both were identical except for the size with the one on the Gate being 3 times larger than the other.

While walking into the Capital after showing the token he had been given at the border, Daneel really did feel as if someone were watching him.

Yet, try as he may, both he and the system couldn't figure out just who or what it was.

Having no other option but to shrug it off, Daneel and Faxul made their way to an inn before taking a room and settling in.

After messaging Elanev their location, Daneel was just about to sit on the sofa when he heard a knock on the door.

The first reaction that both of them had was panic, as no one that they were staying at this location except Elanev.

Could he have been compromised?

Calming down, Daneel shouted, "Who is it?"

"Complimentary dinner. The owner felt that you two looked hungry, so she sent me up with today's broth."

Hearing the sweet voice of a maid, Daneel relaxed a bit and asked the system to use the Anti-Surveillance Tool to scan the outside of the door.

[Two individuals found. One is an Eminent Human Level Fighter with a Black Raven of similar level on his shoulder. The other is a female who is still training to reach the Amateur Human Level.]

A Black Raven Fighter? Why was one looking for them?

Thinking quickly, Daneel shouted back, "Just a moment! I was just about to take a bath! Son, get up! Sleeping the moment you came to the room, humph! Just wait till we get back to the farm!"

After puzzling Faxul with these words, he silently walked to his friend and whispered, "There's a Black Raven Fighter outside. Just stay calm and play along. Let me handle it."

Seeing Faxul nod with the panic leaving his face, Daneel made a few stomping sounds before throwing a few clothes from their bag on the bed and walking to the door.

As he opened it, he saw a blade coming towards his neck.

Daneel wasn't a regular man who would have felt helpless on witnessing such a sight. His fast reflexes and eyesight which came from being an Exalted Human Fighter allowed him to see that the intention wasn't to behead him; it was just to stop the blade at his neck to act as a threat.

This was evident from the speed of the blade, which was already slowing down the closer it got to his neck.

Even though he could blow this opponent away with a single punch, Daneel froze and allowed the blade to nick his neck, making a small stream of blood flow.

After waiting for a few milliseconds, he made a frightened expression come on his face before letting out a whimper due to the pain that came from the cut.

"Wha-what's going on? I've done nothing wrong!", he said hysterically, with his eyes on the blade that was so close to lopping off his head.

"I didn't ask. Any funny movements, and you die. Now, get back inside. Maid, you can go back now."

Saying so with a cold voice, the Black Raven Fighter entered the room while still keeping the blade at Daneel's neck who had slowly moved back on hearing the order.

WHOOSH

In an instant, the Black Raven on his shoulder flew towards Faxul and made an aerial maneuver, landing on his back and making him fall to the ground face-first.

This was another muscular Raven like the one Elanev had initially fought against. Seeing its push toppling Faxul who looked like a defenseless kid, the Black Raven Fighter smiled slightly before pushing Daneel towards the only sofa on the room.

After making Daneel sit down and taking a stance behind the sofa, the Black Raven Fighter moved the blade even closer to Daneel's neck while keeping an eye on Faxul who was lying motionless on the ground due to the fear that came from the sharp talons of the Raven digging into his back.

"One lie, and both of you die. Now tell me. Where are you from?"

"The Burberry Village in Lanthanor! Sir, I don't understand why we are being interrogated like this! We only came to witness the sights of this Kingdom after being captivated by the broadcast of the fight over the Network!"

"Yes, that's what you said when you entered. If that is so, why were you asking around about the Kingdom and its conditions? Don't tell me a villager would be interested in these things. You've also only been to one Battle Royale! And you left behind silver at a place which said no payment is required! What are you, a rich landlord? Or a spy who entered our Kingdom to find out our secrets?"

Hearing this question, Daneel had no idea what to say.

Going through all their actions since coming to the Kingdom, he realized that that action of leaving behind money because they had been very happy about the hospitality had been the only one where they truly broke character.

Even though the rest could be explained away if he made the effort, this one would require some deep thought.

"I knew it! Graf, you didn't believe me, and even bet that I wouldn't dare to go find out without first checking with the Sergeant! Now watch as I bring in these spies and earn that promotion you wanted!"

These words which were muttered under the Black Raven Fighter's breath were only audible to Daneel because of his heightened senses.

Just as he was about to open his mouth and voice the explanations he had come up with, he saw with the corner of his eye that the Black Raven Fighter had taken out a raven-shaped trinket and squeezed it.

Hearing the deep breath which signaled that he was about to send a report through the communication trinket, Daneel's eyes became sharp as he raised his hand, choosing the best thing to do in this situation without any hesitation.

A condensed blade of fire appeared in the room instantly, before plunging into the heart of the Black Raven Fighter.

Chapter 255: Journey 4

Even before the lifeless body of the Black Raven Fighter thudded to the ground, another blade of condensed fire beheaded the raven which was on top of Faxul.

Daneel was in no mood to take any risks. He had no idea whether the Raven also had any mechanism to alert the higherups in case of danger. Hence, he chose to cut it down.

As Faxul's face was angled to the side, he couldn't see what had happened. Yet, feeling the force on top of him disappear, he looked up just in time to see the scene of the soldier falling to the ground.

His eyes met those of the Black Raven Fighter's, and he watched with shock as the life faded from them, replaced by the nothingness of death.

Keeping a close eye on Faxul's expression, Daneel said, "I had no choice. He was going to send a message to the higher-ups. We cannot risk blowing our cover and having the entire army descend on us."

For a few seconds, Faxul just stared into those dead eyes, while the shock refused to leave his face.

Here lay one of the soldiers who had been talked about so adoringly by almost all of the citizens they had talked to.

He was just doing his duty, but he had been killed without even understanding the cause behind his death.

How would Faxul react when witnessing this sight?

This was the test that Daneel was putting for Faxul, as he needed to know where his friend's allegiance lay.

Of course, he wished that this situation hadn't come. But now that it had, he decided to use it to discover his friend's true feelings.

As he watched, the shock turned into frustration, then sadness.

Yet, at this point, a neutral expression covered Faxul's face, reminding him of the usual way his friend was before all the changes came upon him.

"Did you have no other choice?", he asked in a cold voice, giving no hint of the emotions he was feeling.

"Yes. There was no time."

Hearing his answer, Faxul just nodded and got up, allowing the raven's dead body to fall to the side.

This made him snap his head back to see the headless body of the majestic bird which had just been about to kill him. His eyes now became filled with anger, as if he were imagining his own raven being subjected to such a fate.

"Faxul, they would have killed us. I-"

Seeing the anger, Daneel was about to explain further as he knew that the birds must have a soft spot in his friend's heart, at least more than the people.

Yet, he stopped mid-sentence seeing the hand that was raised by Faxul.

"I know. I need to be alone for a little time. I'm not hungry, you can go eat."

Saying these words while still looking at the raven, Faxul regained the neutral and cold expression from before as he turned around and starting walking towards one of the bedrooms.

Seeing his broad back, Daneel sighed, not knowing what to think.

Still, he opened his mouth and said one last statement.

"Faxul, this is only the first of many that will die before Tenebrol is brought down. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of soldiers will die. You need to accept that. Remember, it's us or them. They wouldn't hesitate to kill me, and they would be more than happy to kill you. Don't make the same mistakes I did. It is better to be ruthless rather than to make mistakes and repent. Be prepared for what will come."

The words made Faxul pause.

As the King of Lanthanor watched on, the back which had always carried Daneel's dreams and aspirations shook, as if Faxul was feeling such overwhelming pain that it was even affecting him physically.

After a few moments, he nodded and resumed walking towards the bedroom before wordlessly closing the door behind him.

Letting out another long sigh, Daneel started walking towards the door to grab a bite to eat, just as his friend had suggested.

As he was doing so, something on the floor caught his eye, making him bend and see what it was.

It was a tear.

A tear of a man who hated to see his people die, but knew that there was no other choice if he wanted to save them all.

.....

Walking through the passageways of the Royal Palace of the Black Raven Kingdom with an idle expression on his face, Elanev kept observing and noting down everything he saw in his mind.

His objective was the room in the Palace where the commanders would mobilize soldiers if needed for any purpose.

According to what he heard, this would be the most bustling room in case there was any emergency.

After reaching it, he saw that there were only a few soldiers on duty as usual.

"Everything looks fine here."

Sending the message to Daneel, he was just about to walk away when he was stopped by one of the soldiers on guard who had spotted him.

"What is your purpose here? Hasn't it been communicated that this is not a place you can trespass in?"

"Oh, was this one of those? I was just looking for the kitchen! Can anyone direct me? And where have I seen you before? Oh, never mind, you challenged me before and got beaten into the dust….. didn't you say you would be back?"

Indeed, Elanev had been told about a few sections in the Palace which he couldn't go to without express permission, such as the Throne Room.

Yet, this time, he hadn't had any choice as Daneel had messaged him saying that he needed to know if any report had reached the Palace about two suspicious people in the Capital.

Luckily, the soldier who ended up questioning him was one who he was already acquainted with.

Seeing him stuttering for an answer while the Raven on his shoulder looked at Elanev with fear, he said, "Just find me whenever you want. I'll ask one of the maids."

Turning around, he walked away, leaving the soldier's cheeks burning as he thought back to the time when both he and his raven had collapsed after taking just one punch each.

No one in their right mind would be foolish enough to issue another challenge when the disparity in power was so high even though they were on the same level.

…..

Dalia was at her wit's end.

After making the bold proclamation to her mother, she had gone out of the house and reached their stall in the marketplace which they had closed down for the last few days as they were already overwhelmed by the orders.

Her Mother had given her 10 Silver Lans to aid her in her efforts. Using this money, the first thing she did was to purchase a banner with the words, "Looking to employ assistants for embroidery. Good pay. Opportunity to work with the most famous embroidery shop in Lanthanor, which has been praised by the King himself."

The flamboyant sign had done its part, pulling a lot of people who were looking for employment.

Yet, they didn't even know even the most basic things about embroidery. As she had grown up seeing her mother knit, she knew a few basic things which she questioned about.

After spending an afternoon in this futile attempt, she finally took down the banner and dejectedly started the walk back home.

As she was doing so, she heard a conversation between a child and his mother which piqued her interest.

"Mum, I want the enchanted clothes from 'Magical Necessities'! Why did we come here?"

"Oh, be quiet. Your father has cut down your spending because you didn't do well in the academy, remember? Now, follow me to this stall I saw the other day. The clothes look the same, and even the enchantments work. According to the shop owner, they are made under the supervision of the head enchanter of 'Magical Necessities'! He needs some extra cash, so he sells the extra clothes he enchanted to small stores. They are the same! Let's go, or they might close up!"

Same product…made by a different person? But supervised?

Couldn't they do the same?

Unable to get the idea out of her head, Dalia immediately began to run home, replacing the dejected expression on her face with one of hope and excitement.

...

ANNOUNCEMENT

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"RandomNovelReader"

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(NOTE: THIS DOESN'T COST SS)

Chapter 256: Entering the Palace

After a few minutes, the maid who was waiting at the end of the corridor let out a yelp as she saw the door opening.

Since the time she had been approached by the Black Raven Fighter to help him enter the room without raising suspicion, she had been terrified of the entire scenario, especially as she was just an outsider trying to make a living in this Kingdom.

She had barely managed to speak normally to call out the inhabitants of the room, and she had actually collapsed outside the door after the Black Raven Fighter entered.

Now, seeing him look around for a bit before walking towards her, she whimpered slightly as she froze where she stood.

"Everything is settled. It was just a misunderstanding, those people were actually innocent. You can get back to your work."

Nodding, she scurried off to the kitchen.

Seeing her leave, the Black Raven Fighter walked back and reentered the room before nodding at Daneel who was sitting on the sofa.

A pile of ash was on the floor, beside which lay a headless body of a Raven.

"All right, good that she bought it. Now, you got the drill?"

Seeing Faxul nod again, Daneel looked at him for a few moments before getting up and walking to the door.

Indeed, this was Faxul who had disguised himself in the clothes of the Black Raven Fighter from before. Luckily, the Fighter's body figure was similar to Faxul's, making it so that with a little bit of makeup that was learned from Luther, Faxul had become an acceptable copy of the soldier.

To complete the outfit, his Raven which couldn't hear his thoughts but still understood his orders was on his shoulder, leading the maid to buy the act.

Their objectives were twofold: find the secret location in the Palace, and find a way to obtain or use the trinket which connected a Black Raven Fighter/Mage to their Raven.

After analyzing the situation, Daneel had come up with a plan where Faxul could use the disguise of this soldier to accomplish both.

For one thing, the way to sneak Faxul in had been a problem since the beginning of this expeditionary mission. After all, he was still an Eminent Mage who couldn't cast the camouflage spell which needed at least the level of an Exalted Human Mage.

Now, with such a perfect camouflage to use, there was no need to figure out any other way to sneak Faxul into the Palace.

The plan right now was for them to first enter the Palace before exploring it and trying to find out anything about the secrets it was hiding.

Their time was limited, so both of them had taken the decision to only try once with this identity before leaving.

According to what Daneel knew, the identity checking mechanism for Black Raven Fighters and Mages in the Palace was a bit lax due to the impossible chance of someone other than a Black Raven Citizen bonding with a Raven to masquerade as one.

After all, there was definitely no one else like Faxul who could connect with a Raven on an intrinsic level in order to be able to command it without forming a blood bond with it.

Still, all soldiers were required to verify their identities twice daily: when they got on and off duty.

As identity verification was one of the most important things especially when it concerned the safety of the Kingdom, Daneel expected that they would mostly be using a system of high cost and high sophistication, making it so that he wouldn't be able to modify or hoodwink it even if he used the system.

Hence, they only had time till the night, which was only a few hours away.

Even though it would be tough, Daneel knew that he would be able to sneak in Faxul at least one more time even if their current plan failed.

Thus, after the try, Faxul would carry the beheaded Raven to the barracks which was located outside the capital.

After doing so, he would report that a powerful spy had infiltrated the Kingdom whose goal was unknown.

This would definitely result in the deployment of troops, after which Faxul would go to the room in the barracks which held the trinkets which were used to connect with Ravens.

The way the Black Raven Army worked was that their strength was always amplified when they had a Raven with them. Their training was, after all, geared in this direction.

Hence, all barracks had emergency Ravens which were put aside to be bonded. These were typically Ravens whose owners had died, making it so that although they were trained, they usually wouldn't agree to be bond with anyone else.

If any soldier lost their Raven in battle, he/she could try their luck with these, as it just so happened that the chances of bonding with one were apparently higher when the human had just suffered a loss of a companion himself.

According to those that studied these things, the common feeling of loss was the bridge which rekindled the desire for companionship in the Raven.

Of course, Daneel hadn't believed it when he first read the report that Human-Raven bonds tied them closer than family, as they essentially shared their thoughts. Hence, soldiers who lost their companions apparently even went into depression, which required therapy to get out from.

He had only started to believe when he saw Faxul change as he connected with that Raven.

Thus, he found that he was actually looking forward a lot to finally seeing Faxul form a blood bond so that he could finish the analysis by the system, letting him understand just what the magic of the link was.

All through the discussion of the plan, Faxul had turned back into his neutral self, making it so that Daneel had no idea exactly what his friend was thinking.

Yet, his instincts told him that this was still the man he could trust his back with.

Reaching the door and turning around, Daneel asked for one last time, "Are you sure you are OK, Faxul?"

Nodding with determination in his eyes, Faxul looked towards the eyes and said, "Let's do it."

...

An hour later.

At the main gate of the Royal Palace.

Seeing the guest of the King who had gone out for lunch return, the soldier on duty first contacted the spies who had been ordered to follow him around wherever he went.

After confirming that the man had just eaten his lunch, gone to the bathroom and come back, the soldier let him in.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Palace where there was a special entrance for Black Raven Fighters and Mages, Faxul walked through with a confident stride while the Raven on his shoulder kept looking around.

Although he had a countermeasure from Daneel which would save his life in case he did get discovered, he still tensed up as a sergeant stopped him on his tracks just before he entered the Palace.

"Get to the Throne Room, the soldier on duty had to leave."

Sighing with relief and feeling thankful about the system in the Palace where Black Raven Fighters/ Mages had revolving shifts, Faxul made his way to the sparring ground.

On the way, he just couldn't shake off the familiar feeling of having spent a lot of time on these grounds and the Palace in front of him.

Yet, when he tried to catch hold of those memories in order to obtain more information, he couldn't do so.

Wishing that he could enter the Palace in order to better trigger those memories, he saw that Daneel, disguised as Elanev, was already waiting for him at the ground.

Seeing his friend, he felt the image of the Black Raven Fighter from before falling to the ground rise up in his head again.

What he had felt at that time had indeed been anger and frustration at seeing a loyal soldier die.

Yet, he knew that in that situation, Daneel had had no other choice.

As for the matter of there being much more bloodshed, Faxul had set aside that matter for now and had gone back into the shell he had grown up in where his emotions were kept locked away.

After reaching the sparring ground, he said to 'Elanev', "Hey, I'm here to challenge you! Don't think you can win as easily as you did with my brothers-in-arms! In this fight, I will show you the power of the Black Ravens! I don't want you to whine that I beat you because my Raven has the advantage in open air, so let's go to a forest!"

Chapter 257: Ancestral Grounds

As Elanev hadn't been able to deduce exactly whether there was anyone watching him on the Palace Grounds, Daneel and Faxul had decided to use this ruse so that there wouldn't be much suspicion when the two walked into the forest.

"So much confidence? I'm confident that you can't stand a single punch from me anyway, but I like the idea of fighting in the forest. Hey, maybe the foliage will even cushion your fall when you go flying! Let's go."

Speaking in the same prideful manner as Elanev, Daneel led the way.

For caution's sake, they had chosen to go to the forest adjoining the one which the strange man had gone into.

After entering the forest, the duo went deeper and deeper until Daneel checked with the Surveillance Tool that there was no one watching them.

Back in the sparring ground, the system had alerted him that at least 1 individual had his/her eyes on them, but Daneel had no way of knowing whether it was someone actually keeping a watch or someone who was idly watching, like Elanev had been when he saw the strange man.

The forest seemed to stretch on endlessly, with visibility so low that the two couldn't even see 20 feet in front of them. Thick foliage and aged trees were all around them, making Daneel feel thankful that neither of them was claustrophobic.

Taking a sharp right, they headed to the place they had come to check out.

Yet, only after a half hour, the duo had to stop again at Daneel's signal.

This was because the system had just sent the message that there was a hidden formation in front of him, which would send an alert when someone crossed it.

Of course, Daneel had asked the system to scan everything around them using the 'Hidden Object Identification-1' tool. Hence, he had avoided blindly stumbling into this formation which was clearly there to keep outsiders out.

"System, how do we circumvent it?", he asked, hoping that they wouldn't have to give up already.

[Scanning. Looking for brute force breakthrough method. Method found. Probability of failsafe being triggered: 100%. Parameter unacceptable. Looking for alternate method. Loophole found: animal identification sub-routine. The formation does not send an alert when an animal passes through. This can be exploited as the system can modify the analysis capability of the formation temporarily to make host appear as an animal. Due to high complexity of formation, host is requested to emulate an animal when he passes through.]

Hearing the notification, Daneel was dumbstruck.

This was the first time he saw such an elaborate answer when he asked the system to do something.

"System, why the different answer? And what do you mean, emulating an animal?"

[Although the core formation is advanced, there is a sub-formation that has been applied on top which enables those of lower level to control it. This is similar to the sub-formation which is on top of the core dragon-heart formation in the Lanthanor Kingdom. System was able to find vulnerabilities in the formation on top. The failsafe is the original formation, which only has a few functions active. Detailed analysis reports have been activated because the system has deemed that host has reached a requisite level to comprehend and make use of them. Would you like this feature to be turned off? This was a hidden feature which was not under the control of host until certain parameters were met. Regarding the second question, host needs to act like an animal to enable system to fool the formation.]

Was the system actually saying that…he had been too dumb till now to understand a detailed analysis?

"No, keep it on.", he said, grinding his teeth and remembering about the 'features' of the system which were locked to him until certain parameters were met.

He had almost forgotten about this fact because it had been a long time since it had been brought up, but now that it was made aware to him, he couldn't get it out of his head.

Regardless, knowing what was most important right now, Daneel started thinking about all the animals they had passed.

The animal life on Angaria was quite similar to that of Earth, with only a few hybrid species standing out which Daneel suspected were the results of biological modification like the mosquitoes.

On the way to this point, they had passed deers, rabbits and squirrels, making Daneel frown as he imagined posing as each.

Seeing that their time was running out, Daneel sighed before saying to Faxul, "There's a formation here. Just do what I do. Don't ask why."

Saying so, he turned around and got down on all fours, startling Faxul as he wondered what was going on.

After doing so, Daneel shuffled forward through the invisible line that separated the two forests.

After getting up and dusting himself off, he saw Faxul staring at him as if he had gone mad and said, "It's too long to explain, and we don't have time. Just do the same."

Finally understanding that his friend was serious, Faxul mirrored his movements before resolving to ask later why two grown men had to crawl forwards on all fours in order to bypass a formation.

Yet, the moment he passed through the formation, he vanished into thin air.

Daneel, who was watching from the side, stepped back as he saw this happen.

It was as if some invisible beast had swallowed his friend whole the moment he entered the forest.

This definitely wasn't teleportation, as the entire area was space locked which led to him having to adopt that awkward pose before.

Just as he was about to ask the system what was going on, Faxul reappeared in front of him with an incredulous expression on his face.

After a few seconds during which both of them looked at each other disbelievingly, Faxul said, "Come with me."

Seeing Daneel stand there unmoving, Faxul quickly walked forward and grabbed his friend's hand before both of them vanished from the forest.

The first thing that Daneel felt after recovering from the feeling of passing through a cold spray of water which was indicative of teleportation was death.

If death had a smell, he was sure that this was what it would smell like.

Opening his eyes, he saw that he was actually standing on earth which was black in color.

Looking up, he was shocked to see a blue sky with no clouds whatsoever.

Beside him, Faxul was also looking around while wondering where they were.

"System, where am I?", Daneel asked, wanting to figure out just where they had both teleported to.

[Host has teleported to a location roughly 1109 meters under the spot where host was previously standing.]

They were…a kilometer underground?!

Unable to believe what the system was saying, Daneel looked all around and realized that there was no sun.

Clearly, what was above them was a false roof.

But who had managed to undertake such a gargantuan project?

Both behind and in front of them, the land stretched on without end. From Daneel's estimation, there were at least hundreds of kilometers of barren earth around them.

Bending down, he took some earth between his fingers and rubbed it between them.

It was slightly sticky, as if it had been recently irrigated, but there were no signs of any plants anywhere around them.

"System, analyze my surroundings and the earth."

After a few seconds, Daneel finally realized that they had found what they had been looking for.

[Host is in a location which has an illusion formation set up around it. Those inside are actually in a limited space, and they will move in circles if they walk to reach a distant destination. Multiple such formations have been detected around host's location. The earth below host shows clear signs of having its vitality sucked out. Similarities have been found with the earth from where the Echer seed was planted. There are also signs that the amount of energy in the land before it was absorbed was 10 times greater than regular fertile land. According to data recorded, this indicates that certain extinct plants could grow in this land if planted carefully.]

Over the centuries, along with a general dwindling in the average power level of the beings which occupied this continent, it was also known that many plants which were said to have wondrous effects had gone extinct because the land had lost the energy which was needed to support them.

Clearly, the presence of this land at this place warranted the name which popped into Daneel's mind.

"Ancestral Grounds of the Black Raven Kingdom."

Chapter 258: Surveillance

"Faxul, how did you get us here?", Daneel asked, unable to understand how his friend had been able to teleport in the forest which had clearly been teleportation-locked.

"I-I don't know. As soon as I entered the forest, I felt something… pulling me. So I just gave in, and I appeared here. It seems I can voluntarily activate it."

"Has there been any change in that 'well' of yours?", he asked after a few moments, wondering whether this strange occurrence was due to his friend's true blood of the Black Raven.

Closing his eyes tightly, Faxul stood still for a few moments before opening them with an expression of enlightenment on his face.

"Yes! That power seems to light up when I activate the teleportation!"

Seeing that his deduction was correct, Daneel nodded.

Yet, although he had been hoping for this, he had a very, very slight feeling that something was off.

"System, have you analyzed the teleportation? Is it how he says it is? Is it because of his blood?"

[Analyzing formation. Complexity exceeds system's level. Only a preliminary analysis is possible. Preliminary analysis shows that the formation does some kind of scanning on those who enter its target area. It is likely that this is a scanning of the blood.]

Hearing this inconclusive answer from the system, Daneel put the matter aside not having any other choice.

Feeling the space particles around him, he realized that they were actually in a state of flux-which meant that teleportation was possible.

The way teleportation and teleportation trinkets worked was that mages connected with space elementary particles in the air with their mageroot before using a method of visualization to envision their destination. After doing so in the correct way and with enough particles, the particles would transform into a portal that would allow the mage to step through to the place they envisioned.

A space-lock trinket froze the space elementary particles in an area, barring mages from connecting with them using their mageroot, effectively stopping all attempts at teleportation.

Yet, what was strange about their present location was that although there was no lock where they stood, Daneel couldn't teleport to any location outside.

This meant that anyone could teleport anywhere they wanted inside these grounds, but they wouldn't be able to leave, at least by teleportation.

Daneel had never seen or heard of such a spell before, leading him to wonder just how powerful the person who set up this formation had been.

Even communication to the outside was blocked. Realizing this, Daneel proceeded to make a plan which placed Faxul at minimum risk. After all, his job which had been to get them into the ancestral grounds was essentially done.

"Faxul, I'll use a method to investigate this entire place without being spotted. I don't know how large it is, so I don't know how much time it will take. I need you to teleport back to the forest right now and hide. After every half hour, teleport back to this exact location to check if I'm here. I'll make sure to come back soon so that you have enough time to go the barracks to act out the rest of the plan. Got it? Any questions?"

Looking into Faxul's eyes, Daneel waited as his friend understood everything and nodded helplessly.

These were the ancestral grounds of his Kingdom which they had been able to access through him, but he had no option but to wait outside because he was too weak.

Without saying anything, he teleported back up, beginning the timer.

Seeing his friend leave, Daneel sighed knowing how it felt to always be weaker than one's enemies. For the longest time, he had been feeling the same thing, and he was frankly sick of it. Even though it was better now that he had gotten to the Exalted Human Mage level, he knew that he was still leagues away from his true opponents, the Church, which definitely had Champion level individuals, if not those even higher.

Yet, with the system and time, he knew that he could triumph over them all.

"System, begin a sweep of the entire area by teleporting underground. Keep an eye out for danger, and make sure I return here before 2 hours pass."

This was his method of safe surveillance: Daneel could surveil an area 1 Kilometer in any direction around him. Hence, by teleporting underground in a grid which covered the entire area, he would be able to gather all the information about it.

Of course, this also meant that he would not be able to see anything. The system was the one surveilling, so all he could do was keep being teleported to cave after cave while allowing the system to deploy all the spells necessary.

There were still 3 hours till all the soldiers had to verify their identities, so Daneel's plan was to get this over in two.

Closing his eyes, he let the system take over as he relaxed while keeping an eye on the efficient deployment of spells by the system.

80 minutes later.

[Surveillance complete.]

Hearing the notification, Daneel roused himself and looked around, seeing that he had arrived back at the location where he and Faxul had parted ways.

Knowing that his friend would come sooner or later to pick him up, he asked the system to give the main information about the area.

[Total area: Around 4300 km2

Fertile Land Being Used: 2000 km2

Fertile Land Not Being Used: 1000 km2

Dead Land: 1000 km2

Unused Land: 1000 km2

Land used for other purposes: 300 km2

Crops Planted: Unknown. Similar to some which increase Fighter Level in database, but no exact match found.

The land is used in a revolving basis. When half of it is used to plant the crops, the other half is left alone to rejuvenate.

Other purpose: A breeding ground has been found where Raven eggs are submerged in a solution made out of the crops.

Additional Point of Interest: Natural Energized Training Chamber found.]

Although the rest of the information was shocking in its own right, the last sentence made his jaw drop.

A Natural Energized Training Chamber?!

The only object that had been classified as a "treasure" by the system since he had transmigrated into this world??!!

Daneel couldn't believe his ears. Yet, on asking the system again, he confirmed that it was true.

After finding out that there were still 8 minutes for Faxul to arrive, he said, "Take me to the location under the Chamber."

After waiting for a few moments, he teleported to the cave while a current of air materialized in front of him to allow him to breathe.

"Are there any hidden traps in the area near it? And is anyone here?"

[Affirmative. Formation and trinket traps which are above the complexity of the system have been identified. There are no individuals near the area, and the location seems to be cordoned off. The chamber has also been disguised, but system was able to identify it as host is in possession of a similar treasure.]

Disappointed, Daneel knew that it was too risky to carry out his initial plan of checking out the chamber to find clues about the one using it.

As for the identity of the individual, it was quite clearly the old man, as he was the only one in the entire Kingdom who even had the chance of being someone powerful enough to place trinkets and formations with complexity higher than what the system could analyze.

As he was pondering about the implications of this discovery, he remembered the latest information about the Black Raven Kingdom which detailed that it was desperately searching for Ker Gems or Ker Gem mines.

Adding two and two together, it was quite obvious that the old man was in need of energy for some reason.

Without the discovery of this chamber, Daneel wouldn't have been able to make this deduction as the information could also mean that they were simply trying to refill their treasury.

Noticing that it was getting close to the time when Faxul would arrive, Daneel teleported back to the initial location while still having his brows scrunched up because of all the plans that were swiveling in his head.

After a few seconds, the half-hour mark came and went with no sign of Faxul.

Thinking that he could simply have counted the time wrong, Daneel waited for another few minutes before starting to panic slightly.

Had he been compromised? Was there a problem with the formation?

Even as questions like these came into his mind, the possibility that he was trapped in here affected him more, making him hope that none of them were true.

Minute after minute passed, with Daneel growing more and more frantic.

Finally, 20 minutes after the time he was supposed to come, Faxul finally appeared near Daneel, making him jump with shock due to his agitated nerves before sighing with relief.

Yet, seeing the weird expression on Faxul's face, Daneel realized that something was wrong.

"Come with me. I found something."

Saying these words, Faxul walked forward and caught Daneel's shoulder, teleporting both of them out of the Ancestral Grounds.

Chapter 259: Protector Raven

Finding himself above ground, Daneel first took a moment to adjust before seeing that Faxul was running ahead in front of him.

Opting to follow before asking any questions, Daneel also took off at a run.

In the dark forest, everything looked the same, making Daneel wonder how his friend had managed to find something in this place that looked like a maze.

After 15 minutes of running, Faxul suddenly stopped in a spot that looked no different from any other.

After waiting for Daneel to arrive, he grasped his shoulder again before launching another teleportation.

This time, as Daneel opened his eyes, he rubbed them with disbelief, unable to believe that what he was seeing was real.

They were on a flat, round surface which was barren except for the bones of various animals that could be seen lying all around. Beyond the surface was a boundless expanse of space which Daneel stared into for a little while before getting dizzy.

They were at one end of this rock which was apparently floating in space, and as Daneel turned around, he instinctually moved forward seeing the endless drop below him.

GGGRRRAAAA

That step forward turned into a step backward hearing this sound filled with rage and desperation.

Turning back around, Daneel saw that there was actually another living thing on this rock that was accompanying them.

It was a Raven larger than he had ever seen in his life. Standing at around 5 feet tall, it had its wings outstretched and he estimated that its wingspan was at least double its height.

Its feathers were much more glossy than all the other Ravens, giving it a faint hue of multiple colors which was incredible to behold.

Yet, its eyes were red and bloodshot, as if all the sadness and anger in the world was trapped inside it.

Seeing him step back, it folded its wings but took a single step forward after observing Daneel turn to Faxul.

WHOOSH

With an almost imperceptible sound, the Raven covered the 20 feet distance between them in a second as Daneel's eyes widened feeling the strongest sense of danger since he had come to this world.

At this moment, he didn't even know what he had done to infuriate the Raven further. Yet, it seemed that he would be impaled with no chance to ask why.

"Stop!"

SIICKK

With a scream from Faxul, Daneel felt a sharp pain at his neck before seeing one of the most terrifying scenes in his life.

His vision was covered by a gigantic talon whose sharp edge was digging into his throat, explaining the pain and the rivulet of blood that had just started to flow from it.

Not daring to turn his head, Daneel slowly moved his eyes up to see the Raven frozen in place in the air, as if time itself had stopped.

The scene was so illogical that Daneel didn't know what to think. How the hell had such a huge body managed to stop in mid-air like this? And how was it staying in the air right now without flapping its wings? In fact, how had it even reached him at such a blinding speed in the first place?

"He's a friend. Go back."

As Faxul spoke again, Daneel's vision blurred as the pressure at his neck vanished, replaced by the stinging pain of the wound opening further.

Clutching it with his hand and ordering the system to deploy a simple healing spell, he asked, "What-what the hell is that?"

His other hand raised up in the air shakily, the finger pointing at the Raven which had returned back to its original place with the same blinding speed but was still looking at him with suspicion in its eyes.

"That…is the protector Raven of the Black Raven Kingdom. Haven't you wondered why there is no Warrior Level individual in the Kingdom, but there is no one threatening its existence like Lanthanor before when the ex-ex-King died?"

Daneel only nodded, as he had also observed this peculiarity when he was going through the dossier about the Black Raven Kingdom.

The assumption had been that the formation protecting the Royal Palace was weaker, making it so that a Warrior Level individual wasn't necessary to control it like the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Daneel hadn't gone into the matter too deeply, as the presence of such singular support for the Throne in the Black Raven Kingdom made it so that any force like the Church would find it impossible to sway the people towards their side.

Yet now, hearing Faxul ask the question, he wondered if there was a different answer.

Seeing Daneel nod, Faxul sighed before walking forward to the Raven and stroking its head which it stretched forward.

As it closed its eyes while clearly enjoying the feeling, tears dropped from its eyes which fell the ground with an audible sound.

"Meet the Protector Raven of the Black Raven Kingdom, an existence at the Warrior Level which has been sealed as one of its duties is to ensure that the ruler of the Kingdom has rightfully earned his seat."

SQUAK

As if agreeing with Faxul's proclamation, the Raven opened its beak and made a regretful sound.

A Warrior Level…Raven?

Daneel couldn't believe his ears. The fact that such a powerful beast could even exist…was something he couldn't wrap his head around.

The Protector Raven was actually well known to be the companion of the King, but it was always touted to be at the Exalted Human Level.

Since when had it become a Warrior?

Sensing the unspoken question in Daneel's eyes, Faxul continued his explanation.

"It says that its power is always kept a secret to surprise enemies in case the Black Raven Kingdom faces dire circumstances. It is also the one which controls the formation of the Palace. At least, it was, until the old man came and sealed it in this place."

"Wait, you only said you can sense a Raven's thoughts…how are you getting all this specific information?"

"That's because it can speak with me. While I was waiting for you, I heard it calling for me and instructing me about what to do to reach this place. According to what it says, the old man actually showed the strength of a 6th Grade Warrior Mage to seal it here after controlling it for a period of time. But, he apparently had a backlash after that due to some sort of injury on his body which lowered his power by a large scale. Sadly, my father was already…"

Faxul's voice broke at this point, as tears also flowed from his eyes just like the Raven's/

"My father was already killed by this point, and the new King connected with it when it was under the control of the old man. This made the people believe that it was a legitimate victory, when it actually wasn't. He has been waiting for me to come back ever since. I can't take him away unless I truly connect with him, but I can't do that unless I get the trinket. Even then, his power would be sealed. He hasn't seen the sun in decades. I just wish I could… set him free."

Hearing the pain in Faxul's voice as he said the last sentence, Daneel imagined what it must have felt like to live in such a place for so long with no company and nothing to do.

Any lesser being would definitely have turned insane, so he was actually very impressed by the mental strength of this Warrior Level beast which had almost just killed him.

"I get the gist. Let's go get the trinket, then" he said, making Faxul nod with determination as he patted the Raven one last time before walking towards Daneel. They were, after all, also running out of time.

After reaching him, the two teleported back into the forest before running towards the point which separated the two forests.

An awkward silence ensued, which Daneel had no idea how to break. Faxul was clearly overwhelmed by whatever he had felt from the Raven which had definitely even accompanied him during his childhood.

After a few moments, he asked one of the questions that had been bothering him since the incident in that ground.

"How did that Raven move so fast and stay in the air without flapping its wings?"

The answer made Daneel stumble, making him rethink everything he knew about the beasts of Angaria in general.

"Oh, it can use magic."

Chapter 260: Barracks

"M-Magic? How?!"

Hearing Daneel's incredulous tone, Faxul looked back at him for a bit and answered, "I don't know, he just said he could."

Faxul's nonchalant tone ticked Daneel off.

Clearly, he had no idea how monumental this was.

Thinking for a bit, Daneel understood the reason.

After all, no one could have a system like his where he could store as much data as he wanted while also being able to modify and, hopefully, control biological species.

Till now, Daneel had never even heard of a non-humanoid being capable of magic, except those of legend such as Dragons. Just the possibility of actually controlling or bonding with a beast that could use magic blew his mind.

Deciding that he would have to analyze that Raven thoroughly in the future, he kept his mouth shut for now and followed Faxul.

After reaching the border and masquerading as animals, the duo passed into the other forest before Faxul paused and turned around.

Knowing what would happen next, Daneel said, "All right, no hard feelings. I'll try to be light-handed."

"Just give me your best shot. I need to be 'flown away'."

BOOM

Even before the words completely left Faxul's mouth, Daneel moved forward in a flash and punched his friend's stomach.

Due to using both momentum and the techniques he had learned long ago in the Fists of Justice Training Hall, Faxul was sent flying through the forest, crashing through numerous trees before finally coming to a halt and coughing out some blood.

Massaging his knuckles which hurt a bit, Daneel quickly ran to Faxul's sides and helped him up while brushing off the twigs and leaves which had gotten on his clothes.

"Just following your instructions.", he said after Faxul arranged his clothes and brushed back the hair again.

After checking his appearance in some conjured water, he ensured that he still looked like the soldier from before and looked into Daneel's eyes and said, "I feel fine. Let's go. It needs to be believable."

Limping slightly, he made his way out of the forest with Daneel following behind in the disguise of Elanev.

Reaching the sparring ground again, Daneel said, "Like I said, come find me any time you want a rematch. Fighting in the forest was different."

The Raven was back on Faxul's shoulder, as they had collected it on their way. Black Ravens were highly regulated creatures, so he didn't want to take the risk of setting off the formation by having Faxul's Raven pass through. Hence, they had left it at a spot.

As Daneel walked off to a different exit to continue the next part of their plan, Faxul made his way to the barracks.

…..

Still wincing inwardly with the pain, Faxul made his way to the gate before passing through. The Raven also had a few rustled feathers, as he had literally asked it to roll on the ground to add to the effect.

"Don't feel down that you lost. The King himself only spars as an equal with that guy, although he does end up beating him in the end. At least you gave a challenge, unlike those cowards who brag that they can take him down if they were on the same level. Going out for a break?"

As soldiers worked on revolving shifts, they could take short breaks. Seeing Faxul limping out, a soldier who seemed to be manning the small portgate said these words while looking at him admiringly.

With a nod, Faxul walked out and headed to their room.

….

A few minutes later.

The closest barracks to the Royal Palace of the Black Raven Kingdom was located just two streets away. With just a 20 minute walk between them, this ensured that the two locations were kept apart but reinforcements could arrive in a blink if needed.

The Capital City was roughly square-shaped, with the Palace located at the corner opposite that where the entrance stood. Looking from above, the Capital would look like a square-shaped block of buildings with one corner mushrooming out.

This 'mushroom' was both the expansive forest land of the Palace and the grounds of the barracks, which held over 1,000 Black Raven Fighters and an unknown number of Mages.

The exact number of Mages was a piece of information which could put any Kingdom at risk, hence it was closely guarded to make sure that enemies wouldn't know what to expect if they even considered attacking.

As the soldier on duty at one of the entrances saw a bleeding man approach while holding a raven in his hands, he immediately sounded the alarm, alerting his superiors that something strange was going on.

In barely a second, an Exalted Human Fighter teleported over with the help of a Mage beside him and started questioning the man about what had happened.

After seeing the headless Raven and listening to the man's explanation, the Fighter immediately spoke into a trinket before hurrying back inside to gather a team.

Pandemonium ensues, as the news of a spy infiltrating the Capital City itself and boldly killing a Black Raven was something that had never happened before. More than anything, the sight of the headless Raven caused a fury to erupt in each and every soldier's eyes, as these were the beasts which they both worshipped and treated as a close friend and family member.

During the chaos, the man who started everything limped to the healer wing of the Barracks, quoting his injuries due to which there was a line of blood at the side of his mouth.

No one gave any more attention to this man, as the news had been confirmed that there really was an enemy at the location and that he was actually holding a few civilians as hostage.

As more and more Black Raven Fighters and Mages kept getting deployed, Faxul managed to make his way to the room which held the backup Ravens without many people hindering his way.

Sadly, as this was one of the most important locations in the entire barracks, it was guarded night an day by an Exalted Human Fighter.

Stumbling to the door, Faxul knocked and waited while tears welled up in his eyes due to the meeting that had happened before.

Trying to put it aside, he recalled the plan. As per their discussion, it was now his turn to play the role of a soldier who had just lost his lifelong companion. Hence, Daneel had said that he had to be bereaved and sad.

Yet, at this moment, eyeing the dead Raven in his hands, all Faxul felt was indignation and anger.

Anger that someone had dared to kill a magnificent descendent of the deity who was the reason they were all alive right now.

Going with his gut and knowing that this was the right emotion, the tears which had appeared in the first place due to the memory of the Raven which had been locked up for decades alone turned into those of anger at the sight of the lifeless body in his hands.

Hence, as a wizened man with an equally wizened Raven on his shoulders opened the door, he sighed seeing the pure emotions of a soldier who has lost his companion.

"Was it you who reported the spy?", he asked, before seeing Faxul nod.

Sighing deeply, he said, "Revenge is the best way to honor a fallen comrade. Get in and choose a raven. The pain of loss is raw in you, and I have high hopes that you will be able to bond with one. Go."

After leaving these words, the man stepped inside.

As Faxul stepped inside, he saw that the room he was in was actually like a foyer. Right in front of him, there was a metal door whose bolt was currently open.

Taking a seat in the chair to the side, the man started to scratch his Raven's beak softly.

Walking forward, Faxul walked through the metal door and closed it behind him.

The process of bonding with a Raven was a personal activity. Hence, usually, no one would be present in the location unless it was in the case of kids who were doing it for the first time.

Inside was a large room, at least 3000 sq.ft. across which had multiple Ravens either caged, standing on pews or resting in nests.

The caged Ravens were the ones which had actually gone mad due to the death of their partner, causing them to be locked up for their own good.

After looking around to ensure that no one was looking, Faxul walked to an empty pew and took out his own Raven which he had brought inside in a hidden compartment in his shirt.

Reviving it again using the solution, he walked to the side and picked up the item he had come for in the first place.

It was a ring with a small thorn on the top.

Chapter 261: Hostage Situation

Putting the ring on his finger, Faxul walked to the pew where the Raven was waiting.

With a gesture, it hopped onto his finger.

Having seen the process in the recording, Faxul scratched the Raven's head, nudging it towards the point on his finger where the ring was there.

The degree of connection that he had with this beast was once again shown at this point. After reaching the ring, even though it felt the pain of having its blood absorbed, the Raven didn't even flinch and looked straight into Faxul's eyes.

The smile that came on his face unwittingly after seeing this froze, as a flood of thoughts suddenly assaulted his head.

Friend.

Trust.

Hungry.

Drowsy.

Meat.

Old brothers.

Talon needs sharpening.

Although the thoughts were simple, the feeling of having foreign thoughts invade his made him lose his senses for a moment.

What he didn't know was that unless someone had a prior experience of bonding with a Raven, the process was actually dangerous in its own right and had to be guided by a professional.

In fact, the majority of people could only bond with one Raven at a time. Some individuals, such as those who had reached the peak of the Exalted Human Level like the King, could bond with multiple, but it was said that only one could be used in combat because one's mind would be overwhelmed in the heat of a fight with two different sources of thoughts converging to form a cacophony to drive them insane.

Hence, historically, there had been very few who had been able to fight with two Ravens at once. Of course, all of these individuals had enjoyed an almost unbeatable status in the Central Continent, as their opponents would essentially feel like they were fighting three people, not one.

Thankfully, Faxul was no stranger to having his mind attacked. Previously, when he had had to handle the attacks from the entity living at his chest, he had figured out a way to keep himself sane.

Using this technique now, he bundled all the foreign thoughts before placing them to the side, away from his own.

This enabled him to think for a moment with clarity before the bundle unfurled, assaulting him again.

The technique, after all, wasn't perfect.

After several times of this repeating, Faxul finally got up with a sweat-stained face.

"Go land on the pew,", he said in his mind, controlling the Raven for the first time with his thoughts directly instead of using gestures.

The message made the Raven snap its head towards him before immediately going back to its previous position.

Taking a deep breath, Faxul felt a happiness like no other filling him.

Finally!

Finally, he could truly understand his companion!

Wait, this guy likes kicking my ass?

This last thought faintly startled Faxul, who had always thought that his companion felt regretful for hurting him when they sparred.

Yet, now that he could feel and understand its thoughts, he realized that the regret had always been that it couldn't take enough advantage of the opportunity to kick his ass.

Just like humans, it seemed that Ravens also had individual personalities.

Remembering that he was smack dab in the middle of enemy territory in the disguise of someone they had killed, Faxul's eyes snapped to attention as he tried to decide what to do next.

One thing had been puzzling him since seeing the recording. How had the King been able to form a connection so easily if he didn't have the true blood?

The only information that Faxul knew about this 'true blood' was derived from his experiences so far.

When he had started to communicate with this Raven, there had been a barrier between them which had taken some time to dissolve.

Now that he knew the feeling of connecting with the Raven, he was quite confident that he wouldn't have been able to emulate the same if he tried.

The bond made by the trinket was in such a way that the human or Raven could break it at any time, hence, deciding that he would have enough time to sever the connection if he was going insane, Faxul walked towards another pew to give it a try anyway.

This Raven had a scar across its face, and one of its eyes was gouged out. The rest of its body also had numerous scars that were imperceptible until he moved closer to it.

Looking into its eyes for a little bit, he started to scratch above its beak.

The well inside him caused an 'echo' to sound inside his head, allowing him to understand vaguely what the Raven was feeling.

Doubt. Anger. Desire for revenge.

After a few seconds, he inched it onto his finger before mimicking the actions of the King.

Yet, with a loud squawk, the Raven flew back to its pew before looking to the side, as if annoyed.

What…went wrong?

Didn't he even connect with it slightly?

Walking back to his own Raven, Faxul took it onto his shoulder before pausing for a bit to ponder.

Was it the power level? Faxul was weaker than the King, after all.

Yet, this didn't make sense as the probability of connecting with a Raven didn't change much with level.

What else could it be?

Finally, he hit upon the anomaly in the situation.

The old man.

If the old man had been able to trap the Protector Raven which was actually a Warrior Level being for so long, then it was possible that he had also done something in this matter.

After all, it wouldn't be the first time that he made the impossible possible.

Putting the matter aside and decided to discuss it with Daneel later, he walked towards the door through which he had entered.

Pausing before leaving and taking a few breaths, he huffed for a bit before taking off at a run and banging the door open.

His eyes had an expression of both hope and the desire for revenge, while his fists were clenched so tightly that blood would soon seep out from his palm.

"Good job! Now feed the bond with the blood of the one who killed your companion! I will come with you!"

Seeing the determination in Faxul's stance, the wizened man from before got up before smiling and saying these words.

In the room, there was another similar woman who had clearly just taken over the guard duty.

The last part, of course, had made Faxul almost curse.

Yet, he only nodded, knowing that they could handle stuff outside. The barracks was simply too dangerous a location to be caught in.

"Allow me. I know where the fight is happening."

Saying so, the man caught Faxul's shoulder with a blinding speed before teleporting both of them away, along with their Ravens.

After opening his eyes and adjusting to the sunlight, Faxul resisted the impulse to raise his eyebrows seeing the scene of pandemonium.

This was the street where they had taken their room, but the inn was nowhere to be seen.

In its place was a semi-transparent barrier under which stood over 30 people.

They had varied expressions on their faces, from fear to anger to even one of accepting death.

Arranged in a circle, they were facing outside, while there seemed to be a figure in the middle who couldn't be seen.

Yet, what was visible were the numerous ice pricks which were at the throats of all the civilians.

"Give it up! The area has been space locked!"

"Coward! How dare you hide behind women and children!"

"Come out if you dare!"

"May the Might Black Raven smite you!"

Shouts like these could be heard from the crowd who had been kept quite a distance away for safety.

Indeed, the people were just innocent maids and their families who used to live in the inn that had been at this place.

"Damn, it's a standoff. Just wait. He has nowhere to go. Even more troops will arrive soon. Word is, the King is also on the way."

Folding his hands, the wizened man spit on the ground with disgust on seeing the situation before saying these words to Faxul.

What he didn't know was that the person he had safely teleported from the barracks was an accomplice of the man responsible for this situation in the first place.

A few seconds after Faxul arrived, a thunderous voice appeared from the center of the group of people who were waiting to be saved.

"HAHAHA, WHERE'S THE STRENGTH THAT YOU BOASTED ABOUT ON THE NETWORK? DID IT STOP ME FROM WALTZING INTO YOUR KINGDOM AND HOLDING SO MANY PEOPLE AS HOSTAGE? YOU FOOLS, YOUR KING IS WEAK! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE PROUD OF! NOW WATCH AS I SIMPLY WALTZ OUT! I DARE THAT WEAKLING TENEBROL TO CATCH ME!"

Chapter 262: Fleeing

This arrogant proclamation sent the watching crowd into a tizzy, with rage and fury clouding the faces of the many citizens of the Black Raven Kingdom as they started hurling insults and retorts at the man in the middle whose blood they now wanted to drink.

Even the wizened man beside Faxul displayed a temper that didn't match his age, making him feel a heat as the elementary particles around the man reacted to his emotions.

Watching the entire situation around him, Faxul wondered again if there was any other option.

According to the discussion he had had with Daneel, this commotion was necessary for their future plans.

Yet, Faxul had argued that it would better serve them if he managed to stay behind in his disguise.

Sadly, there was no way to hoodwink the identity detector. Hence, they had no option but to flee.

Of course, before running away, there was a small something they had to do.

Closing his eyes, Faxul teleported to the predetermined location where Daneel would soon arrive.

…

At the location of the hostage situation.

The wizened man who had teleported Faxul looked to the side, unable to understand why the young Black Raven Fighter who had been so hell-bent on revenge had teleported away at this instant.

His instincts of a soldier who had spent years on the battlefield before retiring due to an injury tingled, telling him that something was wrong.

With his face still twisted into an angry expression due to the words of the intruder, he raised his hand to report this matter to the superiors.

Yet, right at this moment, both the barrier and the ice pricks at the necks of the civilians vanished, leaving them stunned as to what was going on.

Was the man truly surrendering after realizing that there was no way out?

After all, the wizened man had been pretty sure that this would happen as he was well aware of the equipment that had been deployed for this operation.

For instance, the space lock itself was so high-level that even a peak Warrior level existence would have difficulty in breaking through it. Besides, this was a special space lock trinket they had acquired which could also detect if an attempt was being made to break through it.

Also, all around the hostages stood the most elite of Black Raven Fighters and Mages who would definitely even be able to take down an Exalted Human level person in no time.

"Ya, what happened to the bravado now?"

"Come out and accept your death!"

"Serves you right!"

Amongst these shouts, the 30 civilians finally came back to their senses and ran forward.

The sight that greeted the crowd and the soldiers silenced everyone, making them drop their jaws as they wondered what the hell had happened.

At the spot where the rude intruder was supposed to be was only a piece of parchment.

There was nothing else, and as everyone tried to peer through the rubble of the inn to make sure that they weren't missing anything, the realization slowly started to dawn on them that the man had actually done what he said.

The superior among the soldiers, a middle-aged man with an exceptionally robust Raven on his shoulders walked up to the spot with a stoic expression on his face while carefully looking out for any traps.

After reaching the location with the parchment, he gave a signal to the army to indicate that their target was, indeed, missing.

Just as the wizened man started putting two and two together to realize that the one he had come with was definitely a suspect, the superior bent and picked up the parchment with an expression that was being tightly controlled to not turn into one of rage.

"HAHAAAA, TOLD YA! YOUR KING AND KINGDOM CAN PISS OFF! DON'T EVER DARE TO BRAG AGAIN WHILE BEING RULED BY SUCH A COWARDLY DOG!"

These words resounded across the street, being heard by thousands of citizens who all gritted their teeth at the taunting and overconfident tone.

...

Hearing the echo of the shout, Daneel chuckled after teleporting beside Faxul.

"That should rile them up. Let's go. We don't have a moment to lose."

Giving a look to Faxul who had a faint expression of struggle on his face, Daneel teleported again to a street near the Royal Palace.

After a few moments, Faxul also followed with the cold, neutral expression back on his face.

Not having the time to address anything else, Daneel asked the system to scan the security of the Palace.

The initial plan had been foolproof: at this point of time, they were supposed to be making their escape. Of course, he couldn't have predicted that Faxul would meet the protector Raven for which they would have to come back.

Still, Daneel knew very well how much of a game changer it would be to get the Warrior level beast on their side. Hence, he had changed the plan to at least try and enter again.

Yet, as he waited for the system's answer while assessing the situation himself, he realized that there was simply no way.

Each and every entrance of the Palace was surrounded by teams of Black Raven soldiers who were looking in every direction alertly.

The Palace's doors itself had been replaced by steel barricades, making Daneel wonder why they didn't have a similar system in Lanthanor.

[Analysis complete. Space lock and teleportation detection formations detected. In the database, this has been termed as a triple-layered trap. Even if the space lock is broken, any intruder will activate the traps that have been deployed. At least Warrior-level strength and reflexes are required to escape the trap and teleport again. Even if an individual endures the attacks from the traps, they will be subjected to a backup space lock and teams of soldiers. Host is currently not capable of safely breaching this trap]

The thorough logic behind the trap impressed Daneel, making him wonder just who it was that had come up with it.

Essentially, by sacrificing the ability to teleport inside the Palace, the Black Raven Kingdom had set up a foolproof trap to engage any enemies who would still dare to attack. In fact, it was slightly similar to the traps in the Valley of Mist, but here, the deployment could be done at any time.

"Faxul, there is no way. We cannot go to the forest now."

As Daneel sighed and said these words, he turned around to see Faxul's eyes fixed on their target.

Even he could guess how it must feel to leave such an important companion behind. Yet, sadly, they had no choice.

"Don't worry, we will return soon. Very soon.", he said, in an attempt to console Faxul.

Knowing that this was true, Faxul nodded after a few moments and turned away, not wanting Daneel to see his expression.

Patting his friend on the back and taking one last look at the Palace, he teleported both of them away.

…..

"Sir, the teleportation detection formations have detected two individuals fleeing the Kingdom! Strike teams are already after them!"

"Good. It is as the old protector said. That man had an accomplice. Send more teams. We CANNOT afford to lose their tail. I'll go myself."

Saying so, the only Exalted Human Level Black Raven Mage teleported away from the barracks which Faxul had 'invaded' before.

As was custom with these situations, strike teams would teleport to the last known location before quickly deploying another teleportation detection formation to know the next location of those fleeing in case they teleported again to get away.

Essentially, if dealing with anyone who was not a Warrior, this devolved into a cat-and-mouse game before finally turning into a skirmish where the fleeing party would try to destroy the teleportation detection formations so that they could leave without being tracked.

This was what she expected, but what happened left her feeling a frustration that almost made her set her own clothes on fire by mistake.

After repeatedly teleporting and being tracked in this way for a few times, the two fleeing men had reportedly entered an area after boldly leaving another statement to follow them if they dared.

This area's specialty rendered the pursuing soldiers speechless, as they knew that entering would surely mean certain death. Hence, they had no choice but to give up the chase.

This area which marked one of the biggest defeats of the Black Raven Kingdom was – The Valley of Mist.

Chapter 263: Back to the Palace

After notifying Kellor and making their way back to the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Daneel looked into Faxul's eyes and let out a deep sigh before parting ways with him in the Royal Palace.

This expedition had definitely changed his friend, but he had no idea exactly how and how much.

The feeling he had for the people of the Black Raven Kingdom had clearly been strengthened after witnessing them for himself.

Of course, he had no way of knowing how this would affect the future.

Never did he think there would come a day when he would have to think about taking countermeasures against his closest friend.

Sadly, today was that day. He was not the naïve kid like before who would have trusted in the 'power of friendship' to keep them together. No, how much ever it hurt his heart, he knew that he had to consider the possibility of being backstabbed.

After all, the images of the hundreds of people who had died due to him were still fresh in his mind, no matter how many months had passed since the incident. It was as if their dead eyes were watching his every movement, making sure that he wouldn't act in a way that might cause more people reaching the same fate as them if there was a way to prevent it.

At the last moment before entering his chamber, he said, "Faxul. I repeat what I said before. Harden your heart. A lot more blood will flow. And it is necessary if you do not want even more blood to flow in the long run."

Faxul, who was walking along the corridor to his own room, turned around at these words. Again, without a word, he only nodded and left.

Observing this and entering his room, Daneel collapsed onto the bed. It had been a very tiring expedition, and right now, he felt tired to the bone.

After all, following the system's instructions precisely to escape the traps in the Valley of Mist wasn't simple. They had even had to do it fast without any errors because the Black Raven soldiers had been hot on their tails.

By that point, Daneel had already been very tired due to the stress he felt during the hostage situation. It had actually gone smoothly in the beginning: after threatening the civilians in the restaurants and making all of them leave, he had simply destroyed the foundations using controlled fire to make the entire inn collapse in order to cause a scene and draw the crowds.

After doing so, the problem had arisen when the soldiers had reacted much faster than he imagined. He had almost been unable to hide himself underground before using the clone to hoodwink those watching that the perpetrator was in the middle of the civilians.

During the waiting time, he had even had to teleport underground multiple times as the Black Raven soldiers had kept expanding the space lock trinket around the hostages. Besides, he had also had to be on high alert in case someone decided to check underground for some reason.

He had only gotten a chance to relax when Faxul arrived.

Although the bed was very comfortable and Daneel wished he could fall asleep right away, he grumbled to himself slightly before picking himself up again.

There was a more pressing matter to be settled right now.

It seemed that Faxul was headed to his private training room, which meant that it was finally time to complete the system's development of the 'Human-Beast Link' technique.

...

Seeing the sight in front of her, Helena felt more shocked than any other time in her life.

In front of her stood over 100 people, all looking at her with eyes of hope, as if she was their salvation.

At first, before realizing what their looks meant, she had actually been scared whether they were here to cause trouble. After all, she was just a single weak lady who wouldn't be able to put up a fight even if a dog attacked. Even though the police might try to help her, she might already be dead in case this crowd did try to attack.

Yet, the meaning behind their expressions completely threw her off. How was she supposed to help these people?

"Let me through! Mum, I did it!"

The voice almost startled Helena, who had been completely immersed in the stillness brought on by the utter silence of the group.

Seeing her little daughter sprinting forward towards her while wading through the watching women and men, Helena blurted out, "Dalia, what have you done?! I can't possibly employ these many people!"

This was, of course, true. Although the King might have great plans for her, she was still only a single embroiderer whose love for her work brought out brilliant designs that were applauded by everyone in the Kingdom.

Hearing the admonishment in her Mother's tone, Dalia first frowned slightly. Yet, understanding that an explanation was required, she said, "Mom, they aren't here to work for you! They are here to work WITH you!"

Work with her? What?

Just as she was about to ask her daughter for more details, a bent-over old lady wearing a white silk gown that was exquisitely embroidered with rose petals walked over.

Seeing the wisdom in her eyes that came from her age, Helena respectfully greeted her, saying, "Hello, Madam. I do not know what my daughter has told you, but I simply do not have the money to pay you all. I am sorry if she caused trouble."

Hearing this, the old lady smiled, her wrinkled face lighting up with happiness and the same hope Helena had seen in the faces of the others.

Reaching the doorstep, the old lady first patted Dalia's head sweetly and said, "Your child is wonderful. By a single thought of hers, she has found a way out for all of us. We are all struggling embroidery shops whose orders have dried up because others have started to buy imported goods rather than ours. The traders sell those imported goods both at a cheaper price and with many discounts which draw the people to them. All of us, who have only humbly practiced our creed passed down from our ancestors, are at the stage where we might have to live on the streets if something doesn't change soon."

Hearing the plight of the people in the group in front of her, Helena sighed and shook her head with remorse. She knew exactly how it must feel to have no other option but to give up the business which was now their life and pride.

"Where do I come into this?", she asked, as the old lady paused to wet her lips.

"You don't know your status right now. Anything with your name sells like hotcakes. Do you know that there are people who set up shop with goods made by you and are selling them at prices 10 times greater than what you sold it for? People have even started making copies, but thankfully, none have flooded the market yet. You are something special, Helena. And we want to join with you to borrow that specialty."

"MUM, THEY WANNA SELL THEIR WORK WITH OUR NAME AND GIVE US A PART OF THE PROFIT!"

Unable to hold it in anymore, Dalia screamed out these words before blushing and lowering her head.

As the old lady chuckled, Helena looked on with a shocked expression on her face.

She would be paid just by letting people use her name?

Wasn't that too simple?

No, there was definitely something wrong.

Her tough life had taught her that if something sounded too good to be true, then it probably was. Hence, she put her mind to thinking about everything again.

If she let them use her name…then the people buying would think that she made them.

If so… they would be expecting the same level of attention to detail that had made her famous in the market in the first place.

Yet, if others made the product and it wasn't so…the people would feel cheated.

Angry.

Scammed.

And who would be to blame? Her!

As someone who abhorred such things especially due to her sad past, there was no way Helena could agree to something like this.

Realizing that her daughter had actually brought something like this which had such a looming danger for them, she panicked as she wondered what she could do now.

Would saying no make them angry? After all, hope could turn into desperation and then anger quite easily?

What could she say to diffuse the situation?

As Helena started thinking about how she could phrase the rejection, the old woman continued looking at her with a speculative expression on her face.

Chapter 264: Interlude

After a few seconds, Helena finally hardened her heart and said, "I'm sorry, but I simply cannot accept to this. I make every piece of embroidery with my heart and soul, so I can ensure that it satisfies the customer. I am sorry if this sounds rude, but I don't know if what you make will reach that standard I set for myself. It is even OK if I am in debt, but I cannot sell a sub-standard product to my customer with my name on it. I am really sorry, and I hope you understand."

After saying the last words, Helena actually looked down with fear. After all, this was the first time she was speaking to such a large crowd. Although she was addressing only the old woman who had walked forward, the eyes and ears of everyone in the group were on her.

After a few seconds of silence, she finally looked up, wondering why there wasn't any reaction.

As she did so, she saw tears glistening in the eyes of the old woman.

At first, she thought they were tears of sadness with the frustration of having lost their last hope. Yet, after observing a little bit more, she realized that there was actually a smile on her face.

Not just her, even most of the people in the group were only smiling, with some looking at each other and nodding.

Unable to understand what was going on, Helena was about to ask when something shocking happened.

THUD

Each and every one in the group fell to the ground at the same moment, startling both Helena and Dalia and making them take a step back.

Meanwhile, the old woman walked forward and said, "You are everything we hoped for. If you had accepted that deal from before, all hope would have been lost. I don't know who your parents are, dear, but I wish I could find and thank them for raising you with such a staunch heart. We are saved. WE ARE SAVED!"

The last sentence was said to the whole crowd, who hugged each other and wept without abandon.

What…was going on?

The mother and daughter could make no sense of the scene.

Finally, the old woman started to explain.

"Dear, this isn't the first time such an effort was made. There have been other talented embroiderers from other Kingdoms who came to some of our shops to give the same offer. The market is flooded with cheap products right now, so many of us accepted without thinking too much. All of those who did went bankrupt, as the people who gave the offer had no care in the world about anything else but money. They eventually ended up besmirching themselves, plunging the value of all goods made with their name to 0. When your daughter came to me, I thought long and hard before deciding to proceed in this way. We need someone who values their work above money. We need someone like you, dear."

So…this was a test?

Although Helena had many questions about the explanation, one thing bothered her the most.

"I'm sorry, but I still cannot accept. You said it yourself. What is different now?"

Laughing to herself, the old woman replied, "You! You are different! You can make sure that everything that is sold reaches the quality you wish! You can bring back the prosperity that was once ours! Tell me, if you can make much more money by checking what we make and guiding us, would you still have to work by yourself?"

Finally, Helena understood the true proposal.

Indeed, by closely checking each of the goods that were being made, she could ensure that the quality was still up to the mark. By doing so, she could indeed earn more, while also guiding the others.

Helena had no idea if it would work, but the expressions of all those in front of her had truly affected her. She knew how they felt, as she had been in their position personally.

Hence, seeing that there was a chance where she wouldn't have to forfeit her ideals, she took it.

"Please come in. Let's discuss further."

....

Meanwhile, in the Palace of Lanthanor.

[Development resumed. New data is being analyzed. Ephemeral bond found. Analyzing bond with respect to elementary particles…..]

Daneel's head was overwhelmed by this barrage of information as he hid in the room near which Faxul had just begun to practice.

The speed itself was so high that he couldn't make sense of one notification before the next arrived. Hence, he asked the system to mute itself for now.

Finally having a silent head, he took a deep breath and waited.

Sadly, although the development did resume, it seemed that it would still take a little time before it would be complete. This was quite clear when he saw the progress bar for the development of the "Human-Beast Link" move slowly as the system continued to assess Faxul's movements.

Taking out the bowl of blood, Daneel resumed training while allowing the system to continue the analysis and development.

...

In the Throne Room of the Black Raven Kingdom

SPLASH.SPLASH. SPLASH.

This sound reverberated in the room as the old man kept pacing back and forth.

It was made by his boots repeatedly stepping on the blood which had seeped down from the two bodies which were pinned to the wall.

From the angle at which the Black Raven King was witnessing the scene from the Throne, he could fully see the gruesome sight as to how they were pinned in the first place.

The backs of their bodies had actually melted and fused into the walls, while the front was lacerated in multiple locations to cause a river of blood to flow from it.

Words couldn't clearly describe this image which was now imprinted into the Black Raven King's mind.

It had all started when the old man strode into the throne room and heard the news of what had happened. At that time, these two servants had been serving him wine.

Fury had erupted across the old man's face, making him wave his hand.

The two waiters had immediately flown to the wall with a scream, and the Black Raven King had only been able to watch on with horror as flames appeared on their back for a few seconds before they were pushed onto the walls again.

The flames seemed to have even melted the rock of the Throne Room, as otherwise, he couldn't imagine how the bodies stuck on like so.

After this, the old man had conjured a whip made of something that looked like fluid metal. Using this, he had repeatedly whipped the two with the rage on his face only increasing on hearing the screams of the two men who were still alive through all this torture.

Finally, after a few minutes, both the screams and the whipping ceased. Since then, silence had reigned.

Even though their bodies were unmoving, it felt to the King as if the screams were still reverberating in his ears.

He had been able to do nothing, and if he were really honest with himself, he had even been scared that he would be subjected to the same fate.

In fact, it almost looked like a warning that he would be the one in their place.

Madman. This powerful mage was clearly a madman.

After walking for a little more time, the old man finally spoke.

"What was the delay? Why didn't you go over there immediately?"

"The-commanders said the situation was under control. I was standing by, ready to go if anything changed. I even chased them discreetly until they vanished in the-"

"IN THE DAMN VALLEY! I KNOW!"

The scream shut the King up.

"The people's trust has been shaken. This is clearly a ploy to accomplish just that. Do you suspect anyone? And who is the traitor?"

The reports showed clearly that the second man had been controlling a Raven. Besides, even that trinket had been stolen.

The first thing that all the facts presented was that there was a Black Raven Fighter who had gone over to the other side and done all this to steal the trinket. What could be their motive? What use could they have for that trinket without having Ravens to connect with?

The King himself was frustrated due to having so many questions, so he could imagine how the old man felt.

Finally, after a few more minutes of splashing, the old man left an order and exited the Throne Room.

"I'm going to investigate everything myself. Inquire about all the strongest figures in the Central Continent. Find which ones weren't accounted for during this entire incident. It was clearly planned, so check for those who didn't appear for at least a day. And put even more money into the search for the Ker Gems."

Hearing this, Tenebrol actually felt happy as he knew that the old man would definitely find the truth with his power.

Yet, looking around the Throne Room, he came up with another question which baffled him.

What was he supposed to say to those who came to clean up this sight?

Wouldn't the trust go down even more if it became known that the King was now killing innocent servants?

Seeing no other option, Tenebrol himself got up from the Throne and walked towards the mop to begin cleaning.

It felt like being back in the army all over again, which actually brought a smile to his face.

Chapter 265: Harves

Two Months later.

On the fields near the border of the Kingdom of Lanthanor where the Echer seeds were planted, a kid was running through the fields with a smile of joy on his face.

It was finally the time to harvest!

Over the past one year, only he and his father knew how much they had to care for these plants which seemed to be very delicate. Even though his father had over a decade of farming experience, he had been baffled as to what these plants were.

Regardless, all they needed to know was that they would be paid very handsomely if they managed to reach the minimum quota. They had only chosen to take this opportunity after calculating that they would earn at least three times more by tending to these crops than if they planted other crops in their field.

After reaching the small hut which had been their home for the year, he was puzzled to see a man at the door talking to his father.

After handing a tinkling bag over, the man walked away leaving his father with a wide smile on his face.

"Bless the King for giving us this opportunity! We don't even need to do the harvest ourselves, there will be other people tending to that. We got the silver! Now we can finally move to the capital! I'll find some work, and you can attend the school so that you can have a better future!"

Hearing these words, the kid's face lighted up even more as he ran to his father who had opened the bag to see tens of Silver Lans jingling around. This was the first time he was seeing this much money in his life.

School! He had heard about it on the Network which was broadcast every day in the place where all farmers gathered, and he had spoken to his father about how he dreamed of going there and finding out more about the world. His dream was finally about to come true!

Laughing and talking among themselves, the duo went inside the hut and started packing their belongings to leave the location.

…

Similar occurrences could be seen all over the fields where the Echer sees had been planted. Families glowed with joy as they obtained the fruits of their hard work and made hopeful plans for the future while feeling thankful that they were being ruled by a King who was so kind.

A day later, all the farmers and the families who came over to tend to the fields had left.

Then began the laborious process of harvesting the Echer seeds. Just like their peculiarity where they needed special care to grow, even their harvest was very different.

As per the instructions, teams of mages had to use wind blades to cut the plants which were now around knee high at their bases.

Apparently, roots did not have to be worried about as they would shrink and mix with the earth after the base was cut.

Hence, almost all the mages in Lanthanor were assigned this duty where they had to walk through the fields while collecting them in hemp baskets.

As there were not many mages in the first place, this process itself took three days with all of them working day and night tirelessly.

The seeds had been planted over an area of 50 acres. After the harvest was done, all the hemp bags which had been used were arranged neatly in an open area.

Standing at the eastern border gate of the Lanthanorian Kingdom, Daneel looked at the scene before turning around and noticing that the contingent from the Black Raven Kingdom which was here to collect the crops had almost arrived at the mark where they had been told to wait.

Giving the order, Daneel watched as mages in teams worked to levitate these numerous bags to the location outside where multiple Ether-driven carts were waiting to be loaded.

Due to the recent incident in the Black Raven Kingdom which had been a huge blow to their pride, the soldiers and even the King whom Daneel had contacted had all been a bit subdued.

Apparently, the unrest was still present as this wasn't an incident that could be forgotten so easily.

The loading went smoothly, with all the workers being very careful not to drop the bags.

After an official from the Black Raven Kingdom checked the number of bags to make sure that the quota was met, he nodded to himself and took out a communication trinket to speak to someone.

A few seconds later, Daneel felt an incoming communication from the trinket which connected him to the Black Raven King.

"Congratulations on successfully fulfilling your end of the deal! I've spoken to the member of the Big Four who gave the contract in the first place, and they told me that they will be coming soon to receive the plants as the ones responsible are currently under closed-door training. After they check and see that everything is in order, they will give an identification trinket and location where the person who wants to learn their secret spell technique must go. Well done! It was great collaborating with you! The gold has already been sent, and I trust all is well."

Seeing the gold bars which had been unloaded from some of the Ether-driven carts, Daneel said, "I'm glad to hear that. Yes, all is well. I'll be looking forward to it, then."

Closing off the connection, Daneel turned around again to look at the land which was now empty.

Although it looked normal from the outside, he knew very well that a year from now, it would be barren making his Kingdom suffer the loss of losing a lot of its most fertile land.

Of course, this was only if he did nothing.

Back when he had accepted this deal itself, he had made an outline of the plan which would stop this from happening.

It was only due to their expedition that he had been able to finalize it so that it would also bring tumultuous changes in the Black Raven Kingdom.

Over the past two months, he had been working hard to set everything in place, and it was now finally time.

"Begin."

Sending this message to Kellor, Daneel teleported back to the Royal Palace.

…

Tripping and falling on the ground for the third time since the morning, Sherry wondered why she had ever chosen this profession.

Yet, seeing the self-cleaning enchantment of her clothes kick into effect and making the dust fly away, she knew that the answer was money.

She was a professional Ker Gem mine hunter, and she was now in the Lanthanor Kingdom to continue her journey of finding the mine on the employ of the Black Raven Kingdom.

The way this profession worked was that mine hunters would be given a premium and be employed by Kingdoms to ensure that they would be the only one receiving the information about any new mine that was found.

She had always had a knack for this. Ever since childhood, she had always had a specific sensitivity to energy materials which allowed her to detect them, or at least their general location.

Over time, she had learned to control this feeling and tune it so that she would only sense high-level energy materials. This had led her to become one of the best Ker Gem mine hunters in the trade.

With the record of finding three mines, she was sought after by all Kingdoms.

Yet, she had been quite shocked when she was approached by the Black Raven Kingdom which usually wasn't known for its proactive actions in finding mines.

Of course, the pay had been great, so she had taken the offer as she had just been planning to get back to hunting after a period of rest.

How typical mine hunters worked was that they knew a certain number of clues which meant that a high-energy resource was quite close.

For one, the earth at the right place would be much more fertile than that around it as it seemed that Energy had some sort of effect on the fertility of earth in general.

Other than this, animals also loved to spend more time at spots like these.

Using these clues and intuition, mine hunters searched in the general area to find the entrance to the mine.

Right now, she was in the Kingdom of Lanthanor as she had just received a tip a day ago.

Chapter 266: Discovery

The tip had actually been a bit strange, as she had obtained it without asking around like she usually did.

After taking the deal in the Black Raven Kingdom, she had been searching with no luck for months. Suddenly, yesterday, she had been treating herself to an expensive wine in an inn near the border of Lanthanor when she heard two men discussing a peculiar incident.

Apparently, some sort of crops had been harvested in the fields near where she was. Strangely, at a specific spot on the empty land, four sparrows had been circling a specific spot on the ground.

The man who was talking about it had been passing through, and he had dug at the location but found nothing. He had said that he would have dug more, but the soldiers who were on patrol had been about to spot him.

She had even managed to hear the approximate location, as the other man had asked this question.

This resulted in her setting out immediately, as she knew very well that this was a clear sign that there was a Key Gem nearby.

Directly digging at the spot of unusual activity was not the way to go about it. Usually, it only meant that the mine was close, and it was the job of the mine hunter to find the entrance using their experience.

After trudging through the field and falling two times more, Sherry finally reached the location.

It looked no different than any other, but as she got on her knees and started observing further, she started to spot a few signs.

There were minute differences in color in a few particles of the soil in front of her.

Beaming at this discovery, Sherry started searching around to see if she could find more of these particles. This was usually a dead giveaway, as it meant that the earth had been affected by the high-level Energy below it.

Thinking that this would definitely be one of her easiest discoveries yet, Sherry moved on all fours for a few minutes before finally zoning in on the spot where this differently colored earth was most concentrated.

Taking out a trinket and enlarging it into a shovel, she started digging.

As an Eminent Human Level Fighter, she made short work of the Earth and almost shouted with joy as she reached a hard spot.

After observing this spot for a bit, she put back the shovel and took out another trinket which enlarged into a sharp object with a handle.

Using this, she carefully tapped at this hard spot with a steady rhythm.

After a few seconds, the hard spot caved inwards to form a hole.

Taking out a torch trinket, Sherry shined it into the depths of this hole to have a red glow reflected her eyes.

"Who's there? What are you doing here? This is a restricted area!"

Just as she was about to jump in, she heard this shout which made her move back instinctively.

Quickly, she started shoveling back the earth but turned around to see with frustration that the guards on patrol had almost already arrived.

Taking one last look at the spot, she started running in a different direction.

Thankfully, it seemed that the guards were only Amateur Human Fighters. Hence, with a quick burst of speed, she left them behind and headed out of the fields while hoping that reinforcements wouldn't intercept her.

It seemed that luck was on her side, as she safely made her way out before quickly changing her clothes and even her appearance in a nearby bush using a portable make-up kit.

Such things were needed in their line of work where they might be chased around by Kingdoms for trespassing in multiple places.

Making sure that no one was watching her, she took out a trinket and started sending a message.

…

In the throne room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

"Are you sure? And you say that Lanthanor might be aware of the discovery?"

Saying these words into the trinket he held, the Black Raven King waited for the reply while the old man watched on with hopeful eyes.

His body seemed to have withered in these two months. His face was sunken, and his lips were bloodless.

After hearing the response, the Black Raven King said, "She says that the Ker Gem mine is definitely there, and that it is larger than the one found before near Eldinor. She even says that it is a very old mine, meaning that the gems can be directly plucked out instead of having to be extracted."

These words made the eyes of the old man light up, as he finally saw his salvation.

Ker Gem mines had different properties based on their age. According to a study done by eminent scholars in multiple kingdoms, the age decided whether one would have to expend a lot of time and effort to extract the gems from the mine.

The idea was that the gems would be much more attached to the surroundings around them if they were newly formed. With time, this connection would weaken, making it so that they simply might even fall off and accumulate into a treasure pile.

Of course, these type of mines would be the best as it would mean that whoever found it could simply take the gems and run away instead of in the case of the mine near Eldinor where the elves had had to go to such lengths to delay for time in order to extract the gems.

"The problem is that Lanthanor might know about it. What should we do? Should we offer to buy it from them? We don't have enough money unless we risk the Kingdom itself collapsing. Besides, the King may choose to keep them for himself."

This made the old man frown, as he knew very well that Ker Gems were strategic resources which any Kingdom wouldn't sell.

Thinking for a few seconds, a savage expression appeared on his face as he said, "Snatch them. Send the soldiers. It's possible Lanthanor doesn't know yet, but even if they do, they won't have time to react properly. I'll call in an old favor to distract them. Order the soldiers to kill anyone who stand in their way and come back with the gems no matter what happens."

"But aren't they our allies?", the Black Raven King asked but winced the next second as he felt something tightening around his heart.

"Don't act smart. I know very well that you don't care about anything like that, just like you didn't when we gave them the deal with the Echer seeds in the first place. You're only saying that because you hope that I die if I don't get the Ker Gems. Send the soldiers with the order to kill. And remember, if I die, you and even this Kingdom will cease to exist. I'll make sure of that."

Saying these lines with an expression of madness on his face, the old man walked out the door with a firm stride.

Sighing and seeing that his ruse had been found out, the Black Raven King took out the trinket to send the orders. Indeed, he was a ruthless individual who hadn't hesitated to kill multiple people in order to become the King along with the old man's help. Although time might have changed him to care for his people, he still had only disregard for those of other Kingdoms. In fact, he couldn't care less about their fate.

The past two months had actually been very difficult and taxing on him. If it weren't for the spars with Elanev who was constantly improving, he might even have gone insane. The unrest that came due to that incident was still prevalent, with some soldiers even rushing off to the Valley of Mist to search inside because they couldn't take the questions of the people who kept asking when that arrogant man would be brought to justice.

Of course, they all met their demise, leading the King to pass an order to forbid everyone from going to the valley.

The families of the two waiters who had been killed by the old man had also come asking, but they had been sent away with remuneration after being told that the waiters were on a secret assignment in the service of the Kingdom and hence could not contact them for the time being.

Along with this was the constant pressure from the old man to find Ker Gems. Being bombarded from all sides with worries and problems, Tenebrol felt more and more like everything was falling apart in his hands.

Hopefully, obtaining the gems would at least get the old man off his back.

Chapter 267: Disaster

The fields in which the Echer seeds had been planted and harvested was a spot just 30 minutes away from the border by walk. The Ker Gem mine just so happened to be in the center of this large area.

Since the moment when Sherry had run away from the guards and sent the message to the Black Raven King, only three minutes had passed.

In the throne room of the Black Raven Kingdom, both the Black Raven King and the old man were watching the display on the trinket which was connected to the communication eye that was held by the leader of one of the groups sent on the mission.

These kinds of trinkets were actually very expensive and rare in the Central Continent, so it was a testament to the importance of the mission that the Black Raven Kingdom had taken out one of the few they had in their inventory to have the clearest information possible.

The plan was for this to be a quick grab and run.

"In position to teleport."

Hearing this message from the team leader indicating that they had reached the position from where they could directly teleport to near the mine, the old man took out a communication trinket and sent a message.

As soon as he did so, 2000 individuals teleported to a location a few hundred meters away from the western border gate of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

The soldiers who noticed this immediately sent the message with the superiors, making Lanthanor enter into a state of war preparation as it was suddenly under assault by 1000 mages.

What was puzzling was that none of the spies had been able to obtain any information that any Kingdom was planning to attack them.

Besides, no Kingdom was even known to have these many mages in the first place.

As soldiers and commanders started getting deployed to the western border gate in order to handle any situation that might occur, the strike teams of the Black Raven Kingdom immediately teleported to the field.

At the hole which Sherry had made, there was actually no one present.

Seeing this, both the Black Raven King and the old man smiled.

This was because the best case scenario had clearly occurred: the soldiers who had gone to chase the mine hunter were probably still sweeping the area to find her. As they were just normal soldiers who had never been exposed to Ker Gem mines, they must have no idea about what a hole in the ground which led to dark depths meant.

By the time the teleportation detection formation of the Lanthanor Kingdom went off and indicated the position of those who had breached, the Black Raven soldiers had already quickly entered the hole and plucked the 200 or so Ker Gems inside.

Expecting resistance, the number of soldiers who had teleported over was actually 2000, with 150 of them being Amateur Human Magees, 20 of them being Eminent Human Mages, 500 of them being Eminent Human Fighters and the rest Amateur Human Fighters.

These many Eminent and Amateur Human Mages were required because they had to teleport everyone over.

It took only 30 seconds for all the gems to be collected, but when the force immediately tried to teleport out, they shook their head seeing that space lock trinkets had already been deployed.

Indeed, the forces of the Lanthanor Kingdom had arrived.

Yet, hearing the information about the number from the Ravens which were circling in the air as lookout, the Black Raven soldiers sighed with relief.

There were only 1000 soldiers here, with no commanders to be seen.

Thinking that they were all probably busy with the situation at the western border, the Black Raven King reiterated the order he had given before.

"Kill them all and return to the kingdom."

Of the 1000 soldiers, most were just Amateur Human Fighters. There seemed to be only a single Eminent Human Fighter who was shocked seeing so many people here.

Yet, just as the strike team was about to leap forward and begin the killing alongside the Ravens which they had called back to their shoulders, the King of Lanthanor appeared in front of them in a display trinket that was held by the Eminent Human Fighter who was the leader of the 1000 Lanthanorian soldiers.

"Stop! Don't attack! These are just regular soldiers! We can talk about this, Tenebrol. I know you are watching. We can split the Ker Gems. Just don't attack!"

To both the old man and the Black Raven King, this just sounded like a ploy to delay them so that reinforcements could arrive.

It never even crossed their minds that this was probably their last chance to step back from the disaster they were about to face.

Without any hesitation, the Black Raven King said to the team leader, "Did I ask you to stop? Kill as quickly as possible and return to the Kingdom."

…

In the air above the scene, Daneel sighed as he saw the Black Raven Soldiers launch a volley before beginning to move forward.

The fireballs and arrows they had launched would reach the soldiers of the Lanthanor Kingdom in just a few seconds, following which a massacre would surely begin.

Beside him stood Faxul, who was also looking at the scene with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Faxul, I gave them one last chance, but they still chose their doom. Unless that Kingdom is liberated from that person who's controlling everything, only more deaths will occur."

Faxul, who knew what was going to happen next, looked on with silence as tears started to emerge in his eyes.

On one side were the people whom his father loved, and on the other were those who belonged to the Kingdom that had taken him in and raised him. Both were his people, and he had no idea whom he would choose if he were given the choice.

Nodding, he turned away as he did not wish to see what would happen next.

Seeing this, Daneel sighed and spoke into a communication trinket in his hand.

"Activate the trap."

BOOM

Numerous explosions rocked the earth under the Black Raven soldiers, blowing them into the air.

It was all over in just a few seconds. As the dust settled, the 2000 soldiers and beasts were lying lifelessly on the ground.

The only ones who survived were the Eminent Human Fighters and a few Amateur Human Fighters who were lucky. As for the Ravens, those in the air fell to the ground due to the shock that came from having the connection with their companion severed. The few who lived launched an attack on the soldiers, but were stopped by the barriers which had sprung up to block the attacks launched towards them.

As the smell of burning flesh reached them where they stood in the air, Faxul cried without abandon for the first time in his life.

These were all soldiers who had families waiting for them back home.

Wives who would henceforth have to live as widows.

Husbands whose lives would be shattered because their wives would not be returning home.

Children who would have to grow without a parent.

The images of the people they had seen during the expedition flashed through both of their minds, as even Daneel couldn't help but look down at his hands which were now stained with so much blood.

Even though this was the second time he was carrying out a massacre, it was different as he had at least been clouded by anger during the incident before when he had given the order to kill all the sect members of the Withering Leaf Sect.

With no such emotion to shield him now, he felt a crippling guilt that he tried to put away as he knew very well that the other option would be seeing his people die just like before.

He even knew that this definitely wouldn't be the last time that such a thing would happen. If he were back on Earth, he would be tried for mass genocide despite the fact that he was doing it to save his own people.

Yet, on Angaria, such things were common.

The knowledge that he was only doing this to save even more people did nothing to stop the pain he was feeling right now.

Knowing that this was something he would have to deal with himself, he turned around to grasp Faxul's shoulder before teleporting them back to near Palace.

The first part of their plan was successful so far, and it was now time to go back to the Black Raven Kingdom.

After walking inside, Daneel spoke with a slightly cold tone.

"Faxul, we do not have the luxury of time. Put the pain away and prepare to follow the plan. If you cannot fulfill your end, the death count will rise much higher than necessary. Remember that."

"I'm ready. Let's go kill that bastard."

Hearing the reply, Daneel was startled but happy, as he had been expecting that Faxul would just walk away like before.

Nodding with determination, he went into his chambers.

Chapter 268: Rejuvenation

After waiting for a little while to make sure that Faxul had left to his chamber to get ready, Daneel came out again and left the Palace.

Teleporting back to the location where the carnage had just taken place, he looked around at all the blood that was now flowing into the ground.

The Ravens had apparently flown back to their Kingdom on seeing that they couldn't penetrate the barrier, and the soldiers had ordered to leave.

Bending, he put his hand on the earth before asking the system, "Is everything okay? Has the rejuvenation process started?"

[Affirmative. Rejuvenation process has begun. Precise distribution is necessary for efficient rejuvenation. Host must cast the spell after the blood has permeated properly.]

Hearing the answer, Daneel stood up and sighed with relief.

Because this was such an important matter, it had had to be double checked.

Making his way back to the Palace, he thought back to everything that had led to this moment.

One year ago, when the Black Raven King had given the deal with the Echer seeds, the analysis by the system had given the shocking revelation that the way to rejuvenate the land was to soak it with the blood of Fighters or Mages.

After all, Fighters and Mages absorbed Energy themselves to grow in power. It only made sense that the earth which was starving due the Energy being sucked away from it by the Echer plants would be able to absorb this Energy to bring itself back to life.

According to the system, this sort of rejuvenation would only be possible once, and that too only after he cast a specific spell which was developed by the system. It was similar to the spell which modified the honey for the honeytrap solution; basically, it was to allow the Energy to enter the soil the same way it entered the Honey. The reason that it could only be done once was that the earth would apparently change permanently after being subjected to this process.

The spell technique which he would be able to learn if he accepted the deal was something that was very very important to Daneel. Yet, he had hesitated because he knew that there would be a lot of bloodshed to bring the earth back to what it was.

The fact that the Black Raven King had given this deal knowing that it would lead to a devastating loss for the Lanthanor Kingdom had led him to make the decision to accept it, planning to lure the Black Raven Kingdom soldiers over and kill them.

It was only due to the expedition that he had been able to find out that the old man was in desperate need of Ker Gems, which led him to use this ruse of a fake Ker Gem mine in order to bring the soldiers over.

Indeed, the mine had actually been fake.

Daneel had had to work on it for a long period of time in order to make it authentic enough to fool the mine hunters.

Using the data collected by the system about the types of Ker Gem mines, he had found that there was a particular one which had a sort of metallic enclosure that had to be carefully pierced.

After teleporting over to the location where he wanted the mine to be, he had dug earth out and made the cave using metal that he brought over and melted.

Next, he used the assembly line blacksmiths to make Gem shaped objects which could give a red reflection.

Making sure that they were as identical to Ker Gems as possible, he had embedded them around the fake mine in order to fool the soldiers who came. After all, these were all soldiers who had never seen Ker gems in their life and only had a rough description of them. They would also be in a hurry, so they wouldn't pause to check whether it was the real thing. Just for safety, the first few gems were actually real Ker Gems that had been formed by the Natural Energised Training Chamber.

As for the earth above which the mine hunter had spotted, Daneel had modified it using a technique developed by the system. Finally, the two people in the inn who spoke about the incident were actually spies.

In this way, he had fooled the Black Raven Kingdom into thinking that there was actually a Ker Gem mine so that they would risk everything in order to obtain the gems.

Explosion trinkets were placed everywhere under the ground which would be detonated remotely in order to kill whoever came.

The only reason he had given one last chance for them to turn back using his plea through the display trinket had been to make Faxul witness their choice.

He knew that his friend now had a soft spot for this Kingdom, and he did not wish to make himself look like the villain who killed people without any mercy.

Hence, he had brought Faxul over to watch as he gave the chance.

By killing them, he was actually hitting two birds with one stone.

One, he was getting the materials needed in order to make the land fertile again.

Two, he would be able to cause unrest in the Kingdom which they were soon going to take advantage of.

As for the 1000 people who had marched towards the western border gate, they were clearly just a distraction to pull away the commanders so that the Black Raven Kingdom strike team could leave without any hindrance. Those 1000 people had actually teleported away a few minutes after the explosion.

After getting back to the palace and finding Faxul ready to go, the two departed to the Black Raven Kingdom.

…

After hearing the explosion and receiving no coherent communication from the soldiers except screams of pain, the Black Raven King and the old man looked at each other with shock realizing what had just happened.

After a few seconds, the display trinket which had gone blank shattered as the old man put his fist through it.

He was burning with rage, making the Black Raven King step back as he felt the air around them heat up.

As the old man turned around and was about to say something to the King, a cough interrupted him, making him spit black blood which he stared at with the fury on his face only increasing.

Knowing that his emotional state would only increase his suffering, the old man calmed down before closing his eyes and assessing everything that had happened.

The Ker gems were now in the hands of the Lanthanor Kingdom, and with their army now short of so many mages, there was no way that they could even hope to mount an attack.

How had that darn King been able to place such effective countermeasures??! He resolved to find this out as soon as he could.

Taking out a communication trinket, he first sent a message saying that the mission was over which made the 1000 people at the western border gate teleport away.

After this, he tried to decide what to do.

If he wanted to continue living, he needed Ker Gems at all costs. With his power, leaving the kingdom wasn't an option because he wouldn't have time to establish himself somewhere else before dying.

Right now, he was sustaining himself using Ether blocks and the situation was stable for at least six more months.

Hence, choosing to slowly take drastic measures, he said, "Handle it," with a cold voice before striding out of the room.

Handle it?

How?

As the Black Raven King gritted his teeth and almost wondered aloud in this way, he felt the communication trinket vibrating telling him that there was a message incoming from the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Having no mood to converse with the bratty King right now, he told the messenger to stop the communication and closed his eyes, imagining the soldiers who had just been sent to their deaths.

Had there really be no other way? Did they all have to die?

Such questions were actually useless because he knew that he would have slaughtered his enemies in the same way if he were the King of Lanthanor.

What was he even supposed to do now? The bulk of the mages were now gone, and thousands of families would soon come to the Palace asking what happened to their family members.

What answer would he give? That they died because of a pursuit for wealth?

No matter what he said, it would only worsen the public favor which was against him.

To redirect the people's hatred and pain, an enemy had to be found. An enemy whom they could point at with their fingers and blame for their loss.

Of course, the best candidate was the Lanthanor Kingdom. The only risk was that someone might have recorded everything that happened.

If there was no proof, it would be quite easy to make up a story and say that the Lanthanor Kingdom had slaughtered the soldiers.

But, it was too much of a risk. If proof did come out, his credibility would completely be destroyed.

As he tried to think of alternatives, the communication trinket vibrated again sending a message which shocked him and made him sprint towards the old man who had just left.

Chapter 269: Revolution

In the same stadium where Elanev had been beaten by the Black Raven King.

Counting the gold on his desk, the manager of the stadium was surprised when he heard a knock on his door.

He wasn't expecting any visitors, and his door was guarded by two Eminent Human Fighters.

Standing up and walking to open the door, he was shocked as he saw the two guards fall inside, unconscious.

Immediately conjuring two fireballs, he was just about to shoot them through the door when he heard a familiar voice drift through.

"Hey, hey, remember me? I'm here with a business opportunity! If you listen to me, you might just find yourself owning more than one stadium!"

As the man who had resulted in one of his biggest profits till date stepped through the door, the manager looked at him suspiciously before lowering his hands.

The fireballs were still there, but this meant that he was at least ready to listen.

"Speak," he said, taking a seat behind his table and looking at Elanev with piercing eyes.

"First, watch this."

A display trinket expanded in the man's hand, showing the manager a shocking scene.

A group of Black Raven Soldiers leaped forward to attack some sort of army, before being blown into the air along with their Raven companions. As the dust settled, around 2000 bodies could be seen on the ground with almost as many ravens twitching in pain. Although they hadn't taken the full brunt of the impact like the soldiers, the fire which had shot upward had scorched them thoroughly.

"Those were the soldiers who were just killed by Lanthanor when they tried to flee with Ker gems from a mine that has been found on their land. You know where I've been till now, right."

Still shocked from the site he had seen, the manager only nodded before saying shakily, "With the king."

"Good. Then let me tell you that he speaks frequently about obtaining Ker Gems at any cost in order to hasten his training. He is the reason why these soldiers died. I have it on good faith that he even had an option to save their lives, but he still chose their demise. Is such a King worthy of ruling you? What's to say he won't sacrifice you in the future for the same thing?"

The manager was a smart man. Recovering quickly, he thought for a moment and said, "Especially with the recent debacle, no, he isn't. But who can challenge him? No one has appeared with the true blood for decades."

"What about the kin of the previous king? Wouldn't they be a good candidate?"

"They would. The previous king is still remembered fondly due the love he had for the people. Alas, he lost the duel so he had to give up the throne. I heard that his family died. That's not true?"

Shaking his head, Elanev jabbed a finger behind him and said, "One remains. And he wishes to duel the king. I need to interrupt a match in the stadium so that he can make the announcement. He needs the people behind him as I don't trust the King to not resort to underhanded methods if he goes directly to the Palace. It needs to be a public challenge, and he needs to go with the power and support of the people. Just imagine it. If he wins, your stadium will become famous as the one where the revolution started."

"But if he loses, I'll definitely be killed by the king for allowing it."

Chuckling at the response, Elanev said, "I don't need to tell someone in your line of work about betting on something to win big. It's your choice."

Hearing this, the manager paused and tried to collect his thoughts. He was also a citizen who was proud of his Kingdom, and he had been very saddened to see it humiliated like so.

So what if the challenger lost? He could just run away. He would still be someone who did something to at least try and help the Kingdom that he loved so much.

Thinking along these lines and getting up, he said, "Let's do it. Right now. Let's go."

This made a smile appear in the man's face, as he said "I was hoping you would say that," and followed behind the manager who headed towards the gate that led to the ground.

…..

"I can do it no longer. I stayed silent till now because I thought that the Kingdom was in good hands. But seeing this King fail so many times and now even send 2000 soldiers to their deaths just to obtain some resources to train himself, I decided that I cannot stand to the side. My father always told me that the one who does nothing when he sees a crime that he can stop is just as guilty as the one who is actually committing the crime. The King of Lanthanor had no choice, and I would have done the same if it were my people were being threatened. I have always felt out of place in Lanthanor. I was unable to connect with the people. I was unable to care for them. But the only reason I stayed was for my friend, who asked for my help when he ascended the throne. I come back now to my homeland, to take back what was once my father's. I have severed all ties with Lanthanor, and my only allegiance now lies with the people of the Black Raven Kingdom. I extend an official challenge to the King, and I hope he actually takes this challenge to show everyone that he is still eligible to rule this magnificent Kingdom which has come to be because of our grand Deity. Follow me now to the Palace. Follow me now for revolution. Follow me now for a new ruler who will only have your well-being in his heart. All hail the mighty Black Raven!"

As Daneel stood disguised as a citizen in the stands of the stadium and watched Faxul as he gave this passionate speech, he wondered if he was really seeing his friend.

Even though he had written the speech and given it to him months ago, he hadn't expected that Faxul would deliver it so effectively.

Seeing the people around him rise up from their seats and shout as one with support, he smiled knowing that the plan was going well.

It had started with the match that had been going on being interrupted by display trinkets which popped up around the stadium and showed the ghastly scene of the soldiers dying.

Next, Elanev, who was now a known face among the people walked forward and told the spectators about the King's 'lust for power' which had led to the deaths of so many soldiers.

This was followed by this rousing speech by Faxul which was definitely a smashing success.

The second part of the plan was simple: use the unrest of the people and stoke a revolution which would give the King no choice but to accept the duel with Faxul.

It was the rule of the Kingdom. A King could be challenged once every year by anyone who thought that the Black Raven blood flowed through them stronger.

The fight would be using ravens that had not been previously contracted by the participants in the duel, and the winner would be crowned as King if he managed to connect with the protector Raven.

15 years ago, the present king had challenged the previous one in this way and defeated him.

Would history repeat itself, with the son of the previous king coming back to avenge his father?

This was the question that floated in the minds of the people who all trudged out of the stadium as one. Of course, more than anything, the frustration that had been bottled up because of being insulted by the man before erupted at this moment. The sight of the soldiers dying had pushed them over the edge, and now that they had someone whom they could rally behind, they were ready to demand for a new King.

In this way, a procession started which headed to the Palace. Faxul and Elanev were both at its head, with Faxul repeating a few parts of his speech at all the villages and towns that he passed. The people did their part by explaining everything that happened, and the display trinkets that were floating in the air showing the images of the soldiers dying made many citizens drop everything they were doing and join the procession.

Daneel himself was shocked seeing the single-minded support that Faxul was receiving. Teleporting away, he prepared to carry out the second mission to help his friend.

Chapter 270: Master Novrain Returns

In the throne room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

The Black Raven King and the old man were both looking at the display trinket which showed the sea of people which was headed to the capital. It was already hundreds of thousands of people strong, and the fact that it was still growing showed the support that the people were showing for this contender.

"It is as I suspected. Whoever caused the unrest before definitely did it because they wished to profit from it. This is the profit. So Lanthanor is where that kid ran away to. I can't believe that he was under our noses for so long."

Hearing the old man say these words, Tenebrol gritted his teeth with frustration and said, "So he was the one responsible. What do we do now?"

"What's there to be done? We fight. And you will win and show the people that you are still the rightful ruler. After that, kill that 'friend' of yours and convince the people that he was lying. I knew there was something wrong with him."

This made the Black Raven Kings burn with fury, as the feeling of being betrayed passed over him again. True, he might not have had any tangible relationship with the man he sparred against, but he had thought that all the times they spoke fought together must have formed some sort of bond between them.

This was clearly not the case.

"Just like before, I will help out if needed."

Although this made the Black Raven King grimace, he only nodded as he knew that he had no other choice.

"Tell this challenger that the fight will take place in the same stadium where I defeated the trai-…Eganev. It will start three hours from now."

Sending this message to the officials, the Black Raven King took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He actually looked forward to have a blood-boiling fight again, and he had also gotten better over time due to the sparring.

At least, he certainly had no intention of receiving help from the old man this time.

…

By the time the crowd reached the capital, it was already a couple of million strong. The ground rumbled as they walked and the sound they made as they shouted threatened to sunder the heavens themselves.

Such a huge number of people clearly couldn't enter the capital. Hence, they paused after reaching the main gate.

"The King has decreed that the fight will take place two hours from now in the same stadium where he beat the person who doubted the might of the Black Raven before. Do make your way over there, and wait for the King to show that he is still the one who is the rightful ruler of our Kingdom."

This made Elanev, Daneel and Faxul all sigh with relief as the King had at least accepted the challenge.

After reaching the stadium, a lucky few managed to enter and obtain seats while the rest became frustrated as they thought that they might have to miss the action.

Yet, their roared with anticipation again as the many display trinket which had been showing the scenes of the massacre till now placed themselves on the walls of the stadium and clearly showed the ground where the fight would take place.

It had been been a 2 and a half hour walk till here, so there was still a half-hour till the fight started.

Faxul, who had entered the stadium retired to a room for a few minutes quoting that he needed to prepare himself for the battle.

The people who were close to him only nodded and wished him luck, hoping that he would rid them of this unworthy King who had sent so many soldiers to their deaths for selfish reasons.

After he closed the door behind him, Daneel who was already waiting inside grasped his shoulder before teleporting them both away.

They reappeared outside the capital city, before teleporting again to reach the spot from where they had had to leave before because the Palace had gone on lockdown.

Here, both of them mentally prepared themselves for what was about to come while waiting for the half-hour to pass.

After half an hour, Daneel turned around and looked into Faxul's eyes which were filled with determination and nodded before grasping his shoulder again and teleporting them into the exact spot in the forest which they had entered before by masquerading as animals.

Even as the sirens started to sound across the grounds of the Palace, the two vanished again as Faxul had teleported them into the ancestral grounds.

After doing so, he immediately teleported back up and then used an expensive space lock breaking trinket to break the space lock that came into being the moment the sirens had sounded.

Immediately teleporting outside, he made his way back to the stadium leaving Daneel behind in the ancestral grounds.

All of this took place in the span of less than two seconds, meaning that there was no time for anyone to even react to it before Faxul was safely on his way back.

…

"Someone breached the ancestral forest! Strike teams have made their way over, but they found no one!"

As these words left the Black Raven King's mouth, the old man snarled with anger as he felt the detection formations he had placed on his Natural Energised Training Chamber go off, meaning that someone was trying to take it away.

Hurriedly, he opened his mouth and said, "Delay the fight until I get back. Something important has come up."

Not wanting to give even more time for the invaders to take away his most valuable treasure, he immediately walked out before reaching a spot in the Palace and teleporting away.

…

Indeed, Daneel was standing idly beside the Natural Energised Training Chamber.

Yet, he was in a disguise that he hadn't used in a long time.

If the previous Grand Court Mage of the Lanthanor Kingdom saw him right now, he would definitely exclaim with shock before running away with fear.

It was the enigmatic Master Novrain who had met the previous King of Lanthanor before.

Just as expected, not even a few seconds passed before the old man appeared in front of him.

"How did you get in here?" was the first thing he asked before conjuring two snakes made of fire that swam in the air.

This itself was a testament of his power. The snakes looked lifelike, with their eyes even wariness which Daneel could see from where he stood.

"The same way you did. I teleported. Now, about this treasure. Why don't you give it to me, and I'll not kill you?"

Hearing the confident words, the old man's eyes opened wide as he saw someone threaten him for the first time in decades.

This actually made him laugh for a bit before saying, "Why don't you run away before dying without even detecting the attack which killed you? I'm in a good mood, so I don't want to make my hands bloody. Piss off."

This only made Daneel smile. Clearly, the old man was only saying these words because there must be something wrong with him which made him desire Ker Gems so much.

He actually had another reason to suspect that the old man was injured in some way. When he had teleported here a few seconds ago, he had been able to peer through the door of the Energised Training Chamber which hadn't been closed properly.

Black blood was on the floor, clearly showing that whoever had been training in there had some sort of serious injury.

Daneel knew that fighting this old man might be risky, but he had no choice. Faxul had to win that fight, and that would be impossible if the old man was allowed to intervene.

He had considered bringing Kellor and Cassandra over, but he knew that he would not be able to use his full power if he did so. Hence, he had decided to take the risk himself.

Still, he was confident enough to escape with his life if things became truly dicey. His objective was only to tie him up and delay him, not to kill him.

First, he took out a space lock trinket from his pocket and locked the space around them making it so that even if the old man was a Warrior level entity, he would need some time to break out of it.

The only other way was using a trinket, but Daneel wouldn't stand around and allow him to do so.

"Well, I'm also in a good mood, so I'll grant you a quick death. This is just so that you don't flee and pester me afterwards. Now, prepare to die."

Saying so, a green skull of fire appeared on his hand which laughed diabolically on seeing its target.

It was finally time to use the Tenebrous fire he had obtained as a 'gift' from the Church.

Chapter 271: The Tenebrous Flame

Seeing this intelligent flame, the old man's face went blank for a few minutes before breaking out into a laugh.

"A… A Tenebrous Flame? You spoke so boldly while being just an Exalted Human? The Church can piss off."

This was certainly not the reaction Daneel was expecting, but he only smiled in response before pulling his fist back and punching the air.

This made the green skull shoot forward with its mouth wide open, as if it wanted to swallow the old man whole.

Yet, it was stopped by a barrier that sprung up in the air.

Although Daneel had been expecting such a response, the barrier itself surprised him.

This was one of the most unique barriers Daneel had ever seen.

Usually, barriers were semi-transparent hemispheres that blocked attacks regardless of where they came from.

This one was different: it was in the form of a thick transparent shield.

The shape reminded Daneel of Knight's shields he had seen back on Earth. It was also quite clear that it was made by a trinket, as he saw one of a similar shape in the old man's hands.

Seeing the barrier stop the attack, the old man shook his head with derision before quickly starting to remove the formations that protected the Natural Energized Training Chamber.

Clearly, he was planning to teleport away with it and hide it before going to intervene in the fight.

Daneel could not let this happen.

"Swallow."

Unlike normal Tenebrous Knights, Daneel had the awe-inducing system which he had used to create a few special tricks with the flame.

The first trick: swallow.

Although a Tenebrous flame was one of the most destructive forces in nature, it was limited because it was very difficult for any user to properly control it.

It had been the same case with the agent from the Church. All he had been able to do was shoot attacks with it or embed it into sneak attacks, like the final one which Daneel had sustained to obtain the fire in the first place.

The main power of a Tenebrous Flame came from its ability to eat away at the root constituents of anything it came into contact with.

The mage who it was connected to also had to actively control it in order for it to retain its power. This was why Kellor had been able to drive it away easily because the Tenebrous Knight from the Church had left after launching his attack on the village.

Daneel's thinking had been simple: if such a flame couldn't be controlled to effectively devour something from all sides, then how much use could it be?

The old man who had just turned around with a relieved smile on his face froze as he felt the trinket in his hand heating up, indicating that it was being overloaded by power.

This was a trinket which could block 100 strikes from a peak Eminent Warrior, while also having other properties.

How was it possible for it to be overloaded already?!

It was a known fact that Tenebrous Knights had at most the power of a peak Amateur Warrior. Developed as expendable resources to be deployed in places where they wanted to invade, these Knights weren't very feared by the Big 4. This was mainly because of the limit on the level they could reach which they were subjected to because of the flame's inhabitance in the mageroot.

Yet, turning around, he witnessed one of the most horrific sights he had ever seen.

The skull which had only been the size of a fist had now enlarged to become a gigantic 10-foot tall being. Fire blazed inside its eyes, and its jaw moved up and down as if it were munching on something.

Where was the barrier?!

A second later, the old man finally spotted it: it was inside this skull, being eaten away from all sides.

"Such control… who the hell are you?! You can't be a Tenebrous Knight! An Exalted Human who can attack with the power of an Eminent Warrior?! Are you from one of the Big 4? Which one? Tell me and we can reach a deal!"

His scoffing face from before was gone, replaced by an expression of absolute seriousness.

To this, Daneel didn't answer. He didn't even know the names of the Big 4.

His only response was raising his hand and shooting out two more skulls in the direction where the old man wasn't protected by the barrier.

"Humph. That was your last chance. Do not mistake my inaction for weakness."

To Daneel's surprise, the old man took out 4 more similar trinkets, making 4 barriers appear around him and protect him from all sides.

The barrier inside the flame actually connected with these 4, making an impassable square block which pushed the flame out.

The other two skulls he shot also impacted this barrier before stopping.

"I'll see how your flame can break through now. Even an Eminent Warrior would need two hours to break through this 'PentaShield' trinket formation. I'll be long gone by then."

Calling back all three skulls, Daneel only smiled.

Clearly, the old man wanted a war of attrition, so he had set up a 'bunker' in which he wanted to hide. Now, it was even more clear that he was injured and did not want to attack if he could avoid it.

He had hoped that the flame would be enough to subdue the old man, but that clearly wasn't the case.

Having no other option, Daneel sighed as he started using the ability which had allowed him to beat the Tenebrous Knight of the Church.

It was time for another Paragon construct to appear on Angaria.

And if anyone from Earth happened to see the base of the construct forming, they would be shocked to realize that this was the weapon which had changed the face of the planet forever.

…..

Meanwhile, in the Throne Room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

Tenebrol paced back and forth, waiting for the old man to return.

There was no response through the communication trinket, and the time of the fight was quickly approaching.

The half-hour went by fast, but there was still no word.

Hearing a knock on the door, Tenebrol opened it and saw one of the commanders of the Kingdom in front of him.

"My King, the time has come. The contender awaits you at the stadium. I am here to take you there safely."

This man was the only Exalted Human Mage in the Kingdom. Wearing the regular black clothes of a Black Raven Soldier, he seemed no different from any other soldier unless one looked into his eyes.

They were white and unmoving, showing that this man was clearly blind.

Indeed, he had lost his eyes in a battle when he was just an Eminent Human Mage. Yet, by somehow using the elementary particles in the air, he was able to get a grasp of his surroundings to kill the enemy.

Since then, he had trained this ability or spell that he had gleaned in those moments of life and death. Slowly, with determination, he had trained to this level.

Fiercely loyal, the man's Raven was the agile type which focused more on speed than power.

His name was Litwick.

The King did not know what to say. The old man was still not back, and he had been told clearly to delay the fight. Hence, he tried to do just that.

"Delay it. I need a little more time."

What happened next shocked Tenebrol to his core.

Litwick's lip curled, and he said in a cold tone, "I'm afraid that's not possible by the rules of the Kingdom. Either you fight or forfeit the Throne. I have the approval of the emergency council to give this mandate to you. The Black Raven Kingdom will no longer listen to your commands until you prove yourself in combat again."

What?!

Although the rules were in place, never before had a King been threatened in this way. As for the emergency council, it was usually made in situations where the King was unable to rule the country due to an injury.

His mind blank, all he could do was sputter for a bit before erupting with anger.

He was the King! There was no way he would allow himself to be treated in this way!

"HOW DARE YOU! AFTER I WIN, THE HEADS OF THAT COUNCIL WILL ROLL! AND YOURS WILL BE THE FIRST!"

This angry outburst only made Litwick get an even more derisive expression on his face.

He simply said, "My son was among those whom you sent to their deaths for your selfish pursuit. If I have to die, so be it. But you have to win, first."

A blade of fire appeared in the air behind the King, threatening to impale him if he didn't go and fight right now.

Clearly, the revolution had even spread to the Palace.

Chapter 272: Constructs

"This… This is treason! You cannot threaten the King!"

Unable to come to terms with the harsh reality that he was being faced with, the Black Raven King could only sputter words like these.

In front of him, Litwick laughed as he saw the King act like so.

"No. This is duty. This is the reason why all those who serve the Black Raven swear an oath to the Kingdom rather than to the King. Don't tell me you forgot this very crucial thing, my King."

The last words were said with such a tone of disdain that the fury in the Black Raven King's face erupted to another level.

He was someone who loved the feeling that came when he crushed the bones of his enemies under him. Now, being looked down upon as a coward, he just couldn't take it anymore.

Screw the old man.

Screw the Kingdom.

Screw this throne which had made his bottom hurt on so many days.

He was done with them all. All he wanted to do was fight.

And fight he would in the stadium.

It was almost as if all the frustrations that had been bottling up inside him for so long erupted at this moment.

As Tenebrol took this decision that would change the face of the continent, his face that had been agitated so far relaxed into one of anticipation.

He had no idea about the battle prowess of the one he was going to face, but the very fact that he was supported by that traitor meant that he was definitely fully aware of just how powerful Tenebrol was.

This made him look forward to this fight that would decide his fate.

At this moment, he actually found himself wishing that the old man would stay occupied with whatever it was that was keeping him for so long.

"I remember. Let's go. Just like you said, I will prove my worth in the ring, or die trying."

For the first time since coming to the throne room, a genuine smile came on Litwick's face on finally seeing the King who had ruled him for so long man up.

"As you say, my King. Follow me. Everything has been prepared."

Nodding, Tenebrol walked out of the throne room.

Yet, at the last moment when he was about to leave down the corridor with Litwick, he couldn't help but glance back at this room which he had occupied for so long.

It was associated with so many memories, but now, as he rifled through them, he realized that none of them had given him as much happiness as when he won a spar against Eganev fair and square.

He finally understood that that one decision that he had made with the greed for power that haunted almost all men had truly ruined his life.

True, it had indeed felt good to be in command of so many people and be revered and respected by millions.

True, he had enjoyed plotting against enemies and even crushing them on a few occasions when he had the chance.

Yet, if he were given the choice again, maybe he would have chosen to walk the path of a Fighter to whatever destination would take him.

At least, that way, he would have had more control of this life which had been spent so far following the old man's orders for the most part.

If he was going to go out, he would definitely not make it easy for whoever it was that was challenging him.

Sighing one last time, he turned away and marched towards Litwick who was waiting patiently.

Both men didn't know whether they would return to this place with the Kingdom having the same ruler, but both men knew that it didn't matter at this moment.

All that mattered was the fight, which Tenebrol prepared himself for by imagining crushing another skull beneath his feet just like the many he had done in his life so far.

…

Feeling a chill as if someone was thinking about him, Faxul looked around but shrugged seeing that he was alone in the room.

He was back in the stadium, and he was preparing himself for the fight that would come.

As he did so, everything that had led up to this moment flashed through his mind.

Fleeing from his home country. Growing up being haunted by memories of those he couldn't see or hear from anymore. Trying to bury these memories but failing miserably for years. Training without end until his caretakers felt fear that he would die simply from refusing to give up the urge to grow stronger as fast as possible.

If this part of his life looked like it was colored black with sadness throughout, the next was as if sunlight was breaking through the darkness of the night to result in a glorious day.

Finding a friend and family who supported him and understood him. Helping him ascend the throne and gaining the power to do whatever he wanted in the Kingdom. Interacting with people and beginning the process of breaking out of his cocoon to understand his true zeal to help those who in need. Choosing the path of the quickest growth in power because of trusting the true blood inside him. Meeting a Raven for the first time and feeling an intrinsic connection with it, almost as if it were connected with his very soul. Going back to his Kingdom and discovering the love his father had always shown to the people. Finding the protector Raven and understanding its pain. Seeing his people die without being able to do anything because he knew it was necessary. And standing up to fight.

These memories made him close his fists tightly as he shook with rage and desire to win.

To win and obtain revenge.

To win and change the destiny of these people.

To win and rewrite his own fate.

At this moment, as a knock sounded on the door, Faxul walked towards it with more vigor than he had ever had in his life.

Elanev, who was on the other side of the door, couldn't help but take a step back seeing the intensity in the eyes of Faxul.

"The King is on his way. It's time," he said after a few moments, making Faxul stride out and look towards the open door that led to the stadium.

With a nod at Elanev, he started walking towards the fight that would change everything.

....

Meanwhile, in the ancestral grounds of the Black Raven Kingdom.

For the past 20 minutes, the old man had been busy in lifting all the numerous formations he had placed to protect this treasure which he valued so much. It was what was keeping him alive, so he had not wanted to take any risk of losing it to someone who might find its location.

Of course, this over caution had come back to bite him now as he needed so much time to remove all of those formations right now.

From time to time, he turned around but went back to his work because his opponent had actually erected a wall of earth to stop him from seeing whatever it was he was preparing.

Only because he was confident in the formation, he continued without being afraid knowing that there almost was no way an Exalted Human could attack with the force of an Exalted Warrior. It was an entire realm!

Indeed, he had actually lied before hoping that his opponent would fall for his ploy and prepare an attack of a lower level. This trinket formation, when deployed fully, actually needed an Exalted Warrior to attack it if one hoped to break through.

Meanwhile, Daneel had his back turned to the Natural Energised Training Chamber as he focused on the constructs that were being formed in front of him.

One was made mostly of metal. It was in the shape of a large 10-foot cubic box attached to a cylinder, with the top of the box open to show an inner mechanism.

In the mechanism, there was an empty spot which seemed to be designed to hold something. Behind this empty spot was some kind of hammer that seemed to be designed to swing and hit the object placed in the empty spot forward after the barrier of metal that was stopping it was released.

The other construct was much more peculiar. It was in the form of a small metal cylinder the size of a man's arm, with one end having a sharp tip. Only half of it had formed, and Daneel walked forward at this moment and bent in front of it.

The construct was segmented into two parts. Placing his palm in the segment with the pointed end, he made the Tenebrous flame enter it before controlling it to not scorch away the metal he had so painstakingly formed.

"Shape", he said, deploying the second trick he had made with the system: the ability to compress and shape the flame however he wanted.

Seeing it form the shape of its segment, Daneel nodded to himself before reaching for his pocket and taking out multiple items.

These were explosion trinkets which wouldn't have had any effect in the fight before.

Placing them in the segment behind the fire, he checked whether everything was all right before getting up.

Continuing the formation of the construct, he smiled to himself, looking forward to giving this old man a gift from Earth.

Chapter 273: Attack

Daneel had always been fascinated by the weapon which changed the face of the Earth.

In a time when wars were mostly being fought with swords and shields, guns changed everything.

Yet, no matter how many years passed, the basic principle of a gun was the same.

The "bullet" would be comprised of two parts: a combustible part in the back end, and a penetrating projectile in the front.

The back would be hit by a "hammer" to ignite the material inside it, causing pressure which shot the projectile forward.

The cylinder would allow the projectile to accelerate while also setting it in the right direction where it was intended to go.

It was this basic principle that Daneel was using right now to overcome his weakness.

In reality, ever since he had managed to develop the technique where he could create condensed fire, he had been on the level of a Warrior.

Yet, his shortcoming was in the form of speed. Although he had an incredible weapon, he hadn't had the requisite power to move it fast enough in order to effectively attack his enemies.

That was the case even now. He had the incredible weapon which was the compressed Tenebrous Fire, but he could not accelerate it with enough speed to penetrate the old man's barrier.

This was where the construct came in. The reason it had taken so long to make was that the sturdy metal had been conjured from thin air. Daneel wanted to make it as stable as possible, so that no problem would come when the time came to launch his attack.

In his mind, he was inspired by the tanks which played a major part in both World Wars on Earth. Built as armored forts that could move and shoot devastating missiles, the death toll they had caused reached sky high.

His metal "box" was also similar to a tank, but without the wheels. This both gave him the opportunity to hide the inner working and also to provide a stability to the whole mechanism due to the sturdy construction.

Besides, it looked damn cool.

The mission now was simple: ignite the explosion trinkets along with the hammer to cause pressure that would shoot the Tenebrous Flame forward at a terrifying speed.

The front part of his "missile" was detachable, designed to fall away the moment before impact, letting the powerful flame penetrate through and burn everything from the inside.

Hence, Daneel was meaning to use both aspects in which a barrier could be brought down: overloading and penetration.

Penetration would result in an overall weakening in power of the barrier. Also, after penetrating, the flame would spread all over the inside while he would also attack from the outside.

Of course, a part of the missile would also shoot towards the old man, hopefully taking his life.

Daneel did not want to place full hope in this, so he had chosen this plan.

Because of being attacked from both sides, the barrier would surely collapse, leaving the old man defenseless.

He would never see it coming.

....

On the other side of the barrier, the old man was getting more and more frustrated as he realized that the fight above would also start if he didn't manage to leave soon.

He knew very well about the peculiar rules of this Kingdom, so he knew that the King was obliged to take the challenge. Delaying for too long wouldn't be possible.

Still, there was no way he could leave this life-saving treasure behind.

Hearing the sound of earth falling to the ground behind him, he was interrupted in his actions.

Turning around, he noticed that the wall of earth which his opponent had set up now had a hole in it.

In this hole was placed the top of a cylinder that was pointing straight at him.

Thinking that he didn't have time to see this weird opponent's shenanigans, he was just about to turn back when an ominous feeling stopped him from doing so.

TING

BANG

The sound of metal being hit by another metal was followed by the muffled sound of an explosion.

It was only a few milliseconds later that the old man finally saw what was going to be his doom.

Propelled forward by the force of multiple explosion trinkets, the 'missile' reached a terrifying speed before flying out of the cylinder.

"NO!"

As his instincts blared at him, the old man shouted this word with anger before raising his hand to cast something in a bid to slow the momentum of this object.

Yet, he was simply too late. He could only watch as the pointed end of the metal projectile came nearer and nearer in his eyes before falling away to reveal that same skull which had been thwarted a half-hour ago.

Almost as if it were looking forward to taking revenge for being driven back, the skull seemed to be laughing even more diabolically than before.

PING

WHOOSH

The ultimate speed of the compressed fire allowed it to penetrate smoothly into the barrier which would have otherwise required an attack from an Exalted Warrior to be breached. This itself was a testament to just how powerful both Daneel's construct and the system's compression of the flame were.

As a part of the projectile proceeded towards the old man, the rest started spreading along the barrier on the inside. Meanwhile, Daneel had also shot another skull on the outside.

Green tongues of flame filled the old man's vision. Even as the projectile of compressed flame sped towards him, he felt the heating up of the trinket which meant that even the pentashield trinket formation was being overloaded now.

"AARRGHHHH!"

With a bellow, he finally lifted the seal he had placed on his power that had kept his injury at bay so far.

At this moment, he didn't have any choice. If he didn't wish to die, it seemed that he would have to show who he really was.

His body which had been frail till now immediately swelled up to 3 times its size, threatening to burst apart the loose yellow robes he usually wore.

Even though blood started to seep from his chest the moment this transformation occurred, he ignored this pain and pointed his hand at the projectile.

As if time itself was slowing down, the small green skull the size of a fist had its momentum cut down until it involuntarily ground to a halt.

After it completely stopped in the air, the old man walked forward and clenched it in his hand.

Daneel, who was watching, felt his jaw drop as he saw the old man close his fist around the flame as if it were nothing. Metal and earth itself could be devoured at a crazy space by the flame. How much of a resistance could a human hand put up?

Yet, the next moment, he felt even more shock as he felt the connection he had with the flame in the old man's hand being severed.

[A part of the Tenebrous Flame has encountered an elemental force that it cannot resist! Connection has been cut!]

With the urgent message from the system resounding in Daneel's head, he watched as the old man opened his hand, revealing an empty palm.

His bulging muscles would have let him win any bodybuilding competition back on Earth, and it also seemed as if these muscles weren't just for show. His instincts told him that they were holding a power inside them that could pulverize him in no time.

"Converge!"

Frantically, Daneel gave the order for all the fire he had sent out to attack the old man at the same time. Leaving behind the barrier which was still healing the spot where it was penetrated, the entirety of the Tenebrous Flame converged on the large man's body.

The shock on Daneel's face turned to horror, realizing that the flame couldn't even damage his clothes.

Smiling coldly, the old man raised his palm in the air, causing a suction force to appear that sucked all the flame into it.

BOOM

The very sound of his fist closing itself caused an explosion-like sound to echo in the ancestral grounds.

"Enough fun and games. You were able to launch an attack with the power of an Exalted Warrior. Good job. Now let's see how you fare against a real peak Exalted Warrior Mage and Fighter."

Hearing these words, for the first time since beginning the fight, Daneel wondered if he had bitten off more than he could chew.

....

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Molan and Sister Xuan were walking in the streets, looking for a place to eat when the latter's eyes suddenly flashed with surprise.

Catching hold of Molan's hand, she teleported them back to their cottage before collecting a few items she had put there.

Seeing the urgency in Sister Xuan's face, Molan knew something was up.

Mimicking her actions and packing all the weapons and safeguards they had been given by the sect, she asked, "What's the matter?"

The answer made shock appear on her face, before being replaced by faint fear.

"Someone has unlocked a tagged seal nearby. As we are close by, we must act as the first responders and save whoever it is this exiled person is fighting with. Estimating the distance, it will take us one minute to get there. I pray that person survives for that long. But against someone one step away from being a Champion, I doubt their chances."

Chapter 274: Defense

An Exalted Warrior?!

At this moment, Daneel felt like he had kicked over an anthill to make a rattlesnake jump towards him.

As if to herald the arrival of such a powerful existence, Daneel felt a change in the elementary particles around him.

It was almost as if they were being pulled towards the old man, making it harder than normal to connect with them.

So an Exalted Warrior was this powerful? This sort of effect meant that it would be harder for any mage to perform magic in this location.

If Daneel had known that he would be facing up against such a demon, maybe he would have thought of other plans.

But now that he actually was in this situation, he couldn't help but feel his blood heating up.

This was definitely one of the changes that had come over him since coming from Earth.

On Earth, if anyone became hyped when facing someone much stronger than themselves, they would be called crazy.

Yet, with the countermeasures he had in place, Daneel wanted to find out just how powerful an Exalted Warrior could be.

Besides, it was even a dual trainer, just like him. He wanted to see the potential that one could reach when they walked down this path to the heights.

After making the bold statement, the old man started to walk towards Daneel with a quiet confidence. It was almost like he was taunting him, by giving him the chance to do whatever he could to stand up against such powerful strength.

Deciding to take the chance, Daneel started to quickly create a defensive Paragon Construct.

This was another one of his trump cards, but Daneel had decided to take it out because his life was in danger.

Along with guns and bullets, Daneel had also studied Kevlar to some degree. When he had remembered this information, he had actually felt glad that he had allowed himself to take breaks between studying and just look up anything and everything over the internet.

Kevlar was one of the best defensive materials on Earth, used for a variety of purposes due to its structure which allowed it to decrease the kinetic energy of objects trying to penetrate it.

The idea which was extracted from this was the basis behind his current spell.

Although he had wanted to cast more spells himself, this one had so much complexity that even the system had only barely managed to develop a technique to cast it.

The way metal elementary particles worked was that by mixing in a few particles of a different nature, the strength decreased but the ability to be bent was added.

Using this trick, multiple silvery strands of metal appeared in the air placed parallelly with a little bit of gap between them. Next, similar strands formed in the gaps before moving to one direction and entwining with the ones that had initially formed.

In this way, multiple strands made of two strings of metal appeared, before moving together and arranging themselves to not have any gaps between them.

This was one layer. In the same way, two more layers managed to form before the old man finally appeared in front of Daneel.

Frustrated, Daneel wished he had a little more time to form more layers. The defense went up exponentially with each because each interwoven strand worked to disperse the force of whatever it was that was trying to get through.

On the other side, it was almost as if the old man was reveling in the feeling of being powerful again after being weak for so long. An arrogance that seemed to be a natural trait of his surfaced, making him tap at the metal dome twice as if warning Daneel to 'brace himself'.

Taking a deep breath, he first pulled his fist back before forming a gauntlet of spiked metal around it. This metal was then set on fire, resulting in an awe-inducing sight that would strike fear in the heart of anyone who had to face this doom-bringing fist.

The moment he punched forward, all that anyone could see was a blur.

PUMPH

Although the shield did its work and decreased the force of the fist by a certain margin, it was nowhere near enough to completely stop the power of an Exalted Warrior.

Seeing the fist coming straight towards his stomach, Daneel could only saw two words before being blown backwards.

"Oh s**t."

BOOM

Luckily, at the last moment, he managed to order the system to immediately let go of the metal elementary particles behind him, allowing him to fly through the air instead of being swatted like a fly against his own shield.

As blood flew around him, Daneel's mind went blank for a few moments during his flight.

It was only after thudding to the ground and rolling for a few feet did he come back to his senses. There were now four additional scorched holes in his stomach, but they weren't very deep. Multiple bones were broken and many of his internal were injured.

If anyone sustained these many injuries on Earth, they would definitely be declared dead if they did not receive immediate medical treatment.

Yet, on Angaria, this was nothing a Warrior-level healing spell couldn't mend.

[Damage has exceeded the threshold. Beginning recovery.]

Feeling the prickling under his skin that indicated that the healing was underway, a smile spread across Daneel's face.

Blood was seeping from one corner of his mouth and there were a few scratches on his cheeks from the sharp tiny rocks on the ground, but his smile shone through.

He had actually defended a strike from an Exalted Warrior!

No matter what, this was an achievement that he could be proud of.

"Good shield. Where did you learn it? Just tell me, there is no meaning in taking your secrets to the grave."

Walking over towards him, the old man said these words in an idle tone.

The space had been locked long ago, and either party wouldn't let the other to take out space lock breaking trinkets and use them.

Without responding, Daneel prepared to put everything on the line for one last attack to drive his enemy back.

A little distance away, hidden discreetly inside a hole made by Daneel when he arrived was his clone.

In one hand, it was holding a Ker Gem from which it had been absorbing all this time.

In the other were the two Champion level trinkets that Daneel had activated before handing over to the clone.

As soon as the old man reached him, Daneel's plan was to cast a spell to distract him at least for a moment before launching all three attacks: the clone's combustion and the ones from the Champion level trinkets.

Even if this attack didn't kill this damn old man, it would at least give him the time to try and run.

Suddenly, a racking cough could be heard near him as the old man bent over, spitting out black blood again.

This made his arrogant demeanor disappear, replaced by an expression of anxiousness.

Daneel cursed inside, knowing that his enemy would definitely try to speed things up now. Even an extra second of absorbing energy from the Ker Gem might have made a difference.

He had only taken a glance towards the position of the clone, but the old man had managed to cover the distance of 25 feet between them in an instant.

Just…what kind of speed did an Exalted Warrior have?

Feeling thankful that he hadn't gotten into a contest of speed, Daneel prepared to launch everything.

It seemed that the old man wanted to end things cleanly, as he had pulled back his arm to conjure another blazing metallic fist.

Yet, just as the fist was about to be launched, both of heard a rumbling sound which made them pause.

Although it was a bit incoherent at first, it became quite clear after a second.

It was the sound of someone punching against something, yet these punches were so strong that they were shaking the ground itself with the aftershock.

3 punches later, it seemed a limit had been reached.

BOOOOM

In the air right above Daneel, two women appeared whom he had never seen before.

What was most puzzling was that they were wearing dresses usually worn by rich people in Lanthanor.

Seeing this situation, one took a trinket from a hidden pocket in her dress before saying, "Stop! By the rules of the alliance, I have the authority to attack with lethal force! If you value your life, step back!"

Just as the old man looked at them with frustration and considered continuing his attack, the fight above ground between the returning son and the selfish King was almost about to begin.

Chapter 275: Matron

Someone broke through a formation set down by the almighty Black Raven?!

This was the thought that ran through the old man's head, making him stop the attack on Daneel who was right in front of him, defenseless.

Although he could launch the attack, kill Daneel and turn around to face the newcomers, he did not wish to take the risk.

After all, when fights happened between those on the level of Champions, just a millisecond was usually enough to decide victory and defeat.

If he chose not to pause his attack, he would be taking the risk of finding himself in the state of 'weakness' which could be taken advantage of by the other party to launch a devastating blow.

Hence, keeping the flaming gauntlet at the ready, the old man turned around to face those who had newly arrived.

….

Meanwhile, Daneel had hastily ordered the clone to stand down. Although he had wished that there was a way he could conceal the trump card of exploding his clone to launch a deadly attack, he had reluctantly chosen to use it as there was no other way. Yet, now, it seemed that his wish might come true.

The two women who had arrived first sighed with relief on seeing that Daneel was safe. After shooting a glance at him, the woman who had spoken said, "Good. Now come with us quietly. The council will evaluate your crimes before passing judgment on you."

It was as if these words had some hidden meaning which made the old man feel relieved. At least, this was what Daneel observed from his position. The broad back of the old man which had been tensed till now had just relaxed, and he spoke in an idle tone. "I'll pass. If you are talking about the council even after acting as first responders, then it means that you are still small fries in whichever of the Big 4 you are from. Do you think I am dumb? Why would I break my seal and stay here knowing that the Big 4 will detect it and send someone? Their response time is 3 minutes. By then, I'll have killed you and departed. You must have used some treasure from the sect to break through the formation. Give it to me, and I'll consider sparing your lives."

Although these words were said with a silent confidence, Daneel could see that they were another attempt by the old man to gain some benefits without personally having to fight for them himself.

This was because every 2 seconds or so, a slight quiver ran down his back which was almost imperceptible.

Apparently, whatever injury it was that had made him spot out black blood was still affecting him.

"Small fry?! Do you know who she-"

"Don't bother, Molan. He'll find out soon enough. You-why don't you try attacking? We will see whether I'll have to say the same thing about 'sparing your life' if you choose to."

As opposed to the confidence in the old man's tone which had been silent, this woman was speaking in an outright arrogant manner, challenging the old man to carry out his threat.

It seemed as if even the old man had senses some sort of threat, as he disappeared from his position in the next moment and reappeared beside the Natural Energized Training Chamber.

The formations that had been taking so much time started unraveling at a much faster pace, and it seemed that he would be able to teleport away with the chamber in very little time.

Yet, seeing this sight, the arrogant woman who was standing in the air with a cold look on her face nodded and said, "So you have sense after all. No wonder you evaded the Big 4's eye for so long. If it were any other member of the Big 4 who appeared as a first responder, maybe you would have gotten away, as your statement regarding the three minutes was right. Sadly, you met me. Molan, apprehend him."

Nodding, the other woman landed on the ground slowly before clasping some item between her hands.

Daneel could never have guessed that this other woman was someone powerful enough to take down someone near the level of a Champion. This was mainly because she only looked like a young girl who hadn't even matured completely yet. How could it be possible for someone so young to grow that powerful?

As he watched on with a puzzled gaze, the woman spoke a few words silently before rays of light exploded from between her hands.

Indeed, Daneel had no other way to describe it. Some sort of mechanism had been used in these grounds to keep the surroundings lit, but it was almost like this light was inferior in quality to that which now shone vibrantly in the air.

After taking apart her hands, this solid light converged into a shining ball which the woman stepped into.

Yet, when she stepped out, she had changed drastically.

Her eyes were completely white and shone with the same intensity as the light before, while her hair had also turned white and was now floating in the air as if gravity no longer effected it.

Apart from these most obvious changes, even her skin was glowing softly, as if that light was now suffused inside her body.

Blinking for a bit as if just waking up from sleep, the woman looked around before her eyes landed on the old man who now had a horrified look on his face.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would find himself face to face with one of the strongest individuals in his entire continent.

It was just as the other woman had said. His luck was truly bad.

If it were anyone else, he could have definitely gotten away.

But in front of this woman, he knew that now that he was under her eye, he wouldn't be able to run anywhere in the continent by hoping to evade her pursuit.

Throughout his life, he had only depended on one thing to keep him alive: his ability to judge when to take a fight and when not to.

It was this and his cunning nature that had let him reach his current level.

Of course, if it weren't for that damn enemy of his, he would already have been a Champion by now.

Stopping whatever he was doing and falling to his knees, he bowed low before saying, "Matron! Pardon me! I did not know that I was actually threatening your heir! I was only in this Kingdom because I wanted to help the people and make them stronger for the coming fight. Please pardon me if I have done anything in that pursuit!"

In his head, he was counting down the time. This ability, known as "Incarnation" allowed a Champion level figure to descend into someone they had previously bonded with. They would retain their full magical prowess, but it would place a strain on the host if they stayed for too long. This Matron was someone who cared about those under her, so she would definitely leave before reaching the time period where damage would start setting in.

One minute. He needed to delay for one minute. After that, he would still have another minute to make his escape before others arrived.

"Matron, as I reported, I found some plants that looked demonic in nature. I do not have a sample now, but on inquiry, I found out that they were sent and collected by this Kingdom in which this man has been residing. I suspect that he stole these forbidden substances and tried to use them to increase his own power. There is no way that his actions were to increase the power of the people, as he says."

"Oh? Do you by chance have one of those plants with you? I know his plan, he wants to run after my incarnation's time period is over. Regretfully, under the Power Retention Accords, I cannot attack him unless I have solid proof about his wrongdoings. Girl, by breaking through the simple formation, you've triggered the real one laid down by that damn crow. Even I can't teleport out of here, in this body at least. I don't want to let him go, but I might not have a choice. Don't worry, he won't hurt you- he wouldn't dare to."

As this woman who looked all-powerful at this moment said these words with frustration, the man who had been disregarded so far by everyone present shakily stood up and took something out of his inner pocket.

Holding out the Echer plant which he had brought as part of another plan which hadn't been needed to be used, Daneel said, "Is-is this the plant you were talking about?"

Chapter 276: Death

A brief silence came over the ancestral grounds when Daneel held out this plant.

At the same time, three different changes in expression occurred.

The old man's face turned livid, and it seemed like he was tempted to leap forward and snatch the plant from Daneel's hand to crush it.

Sister Xuan's eyebrows raised as if she was impressed, and a small smile spread across her face.

As for the Matron who had incarnated into Molan's body, she smiled kindly before walking towards Daneel and taking the plant in her hand.

Holding it, she closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.

Those glowing white eyes now had an additional emotion inside them.

Rage.

Suppressing it for the moment, she smiled sweetly at Daneel. Yet, strangely, for some reason, this made him uncomfortable.

"Good job, dear. I won't ask who you are or what inheritance you received, but you're wasting your time in the Central Continent. If you wish to learn the true nature of magic, come to any of the Big Four. Tell them that the Matron sent you. Sister Xuan will give you something that you can use to identify yourself. And as a thank you, let me heal your wounds."

Just as Daneel was about to deny and say that he was fine, the Matron held out her hand, making him become surrounded by the same light which Molan had stepped into to turn into how she was now.

Involuntarily, Daneel floated up into the air as a content feeling swept over him.

Like a mother's embrace, he felt more comfortable than he ever had in his life. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the feeling.

Sadly, it was all over in a moment. Landing on the ground, he was shocked to realize that his body no longer hurt and that the tingling had stopped.

[Host has been healed by an extraneous force. Ceasing recovery technique.]

As he marveled at this miracle and looked at his hands, the matron walked over to the old man who was now shivering with fear.

With each step, the rage which she had suppressed before seemed to be growing more and more.

"You dare to use demonic plants which ruin our land forever? How can you have the guts to do so knowing that you would be hunted to the ends of the continent if you were found out?"

It seemed that the old man knew that his time was up, as he stood up from his kneeling position and laughed manically.

"It's because you are foolish to think about the future when there will not be one. The Church cannot be stopped, and when they come, Angaria will bleed and die. When that time came, I wanted to go over to the other side after breaking through to a Champion so that I can have more authority. Why do you think I was fighting with Ashahell in the first place? Do you really think he just found me in that place after I had killed those 10,000 people? You fool, both of us had the same plan! He helped me, but betrayed me and fed me to the Council after sealing my mouth. If I hadn't managed to get away with this chamber and the seeds, I would have died already. Corruption has seeped so deeply into each of the Big Four that it doesn't matter even if they realize it now. Angaria will fall. Anyone who believes otherwise is just being wishful."

Hearing these words, Daneel became shocked.

Clearly, the old man was talking about the invasion that would come soon.

The Big Four were actually corrupted? This caused fear in Daneel, who had always assumed that the Big Four were like a solid shield that would play a major part in defending the continent.

Yet, if they were only a shield whose foundations had been weakened due to the rust that was corruption, they might collapse the moment the Church invaded.

Of course, he had to take whatever the old man said with a grain of salt. Yet, he still felt inclined to believe him as he saw in the old man's eyes the hopelessness that came with the knowledge that death would come soon.

It seemed that the mention of that name and the deed of killing 10,000 people had actually made the matron pause, as she had pondered for a bit before continuing on her way towards the old man.

"If what you say is true, testify in front of the Council. I will ensure your safety."

This only made the old man's laugh even more grating on the ears of everyone present, as it reached a new pitch in which was mixed emotions of anguish and pain.

"There's no chance of that. The moment I appear in front of Council, the restriction he placed will trigger and I will die. You know there is no way to stop that. Just kill me. All my life, all I wanted was power. For power, I was ready to do anything and everything. Curse my luck for being born in the same time as that man, who is a thousand times more ruthless than me but still adored by millions. He will betray the continent. If you fools continue to trust him, you will only be led to ruin. End it."

From Daneel's position, he saw a quiver in the Matron's back as the old man mentioned the word "ruthlessness".

It almost seemed as if it had invoked some memory in her which had actually made a Champion level powerhouse feel fear.

Who was this Ashahell? And did he really kill 10,000 people in a pursuit for power?

Daneel had no idea, but he committed this knowledge to his mind.

As if she was in no mood to respond, the matron only nodded before plunging her hand into the old man's chest.

It seemed that she was holding something inside, as she looked into his eyes and let his body lean onto hers.

Yet, Daneel could actually see that she was whispering something in his ears.

He, in turn, widened his eyes and gave an answer before glancing at Daneel who was staring at them with a perturbed expression on his face.

As a cold smile spread across the old man's face again, he said, "Like I promised to that idiotic king, my death will result in the death of the Black Raven Kingdom. I don't know who you are, but I guess you came here to stop me from intervening in that fight. Regretfully for you, it won't matter, because no one from here on will be able to fulfill the second requirement for becoming the King. Goodbye, kid. You have potential, but you're just unlucky to be born in this time. Do it."

The last words were said to the Matron, who seemed to squeeze something and pull it out.

As the old man's body collapsed to the ground, Daneel realized that it was actually his heart in her hands which was still beating.

Her hand was covered with blood, but she did not seem to care. Strangely, instead of discarding the organ, she took out a trinket from an inner pocket that enlarged into a purse that seemed to be made of a metallic material.

Putting the heart into it, she sealed it before throwing it at Sister Xuan and washing her hands using conjured water.

"Xuan, give this young man a token. And don't take what this geezer said to heart. It was just the ramblings of someone close to death. "

Next, she looked at Daneel again who was still standing and wondering about what the old man meant when he said that no one would be able to fulfill the second requirement.

"Remember, young man, once you enter the big four, you will not be allowed to meddle in the matters of the Central Continent anymore. Xuan will tell you the details. Farewell, for now."

Leaving these words, the woman's body collapsed to the ground and the hair which had been floating till now fell down, indicating that the incarnation was over.

Hurrying to this woman's side, the first woman who spoken arrogantly before took out a vial from her dress and dropped a few drops of liquid into her mouth.

Turning around and looking at Daneel, she said something which shocked him but made him nod hurriedly.

"I guess you would like to go out to watch your friend's fight, King Daneel? If so, follow me."

Chapter 277: The Fight Begins

"So you are King Daneel, after all. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope you won't mind that I took up residence in your Kingdom for the past few days."

Hearing this, Daneel's eyebrows rose as he realized that he had fallen for the oldest trick in the book: confirming something by assuming that the other party was telling a fact, instead of a guess.

He couldn't even be blamed in this matter. Most of the techniques cast by the system only worked on those who matched its complexity. Hence, it was natural that his Camouflage technique could be seen through by someone who was a Champion.

The feat of breaking through the powerful formation protecting the Ancestral Grounds had led him to assume that this woman was either a Champion, or using a trinket. Thinking that the former was probably true and also because of the fact that the Matron had discovered his true identity and called him "kid" instead of the middle-aged man he looked like, he had given this answer.

"How… were you able to guess?", he asked, curious while he looked at her take out a globe-shaped trinket that looked like it had stars swirling inside it.

"There is only one individual in the entire Central Continent that I know of who could be called as 'having potential' by the Matron. Besides, the news has already spread that your close friend is contending for the Throne. Even though he says he severed all connection with you, who would be dumb enough to believe that? Putting these two facts together, I made the guess that you are King Daneel who came here to help out his friend. And you just confirmed it."

Smart.

This was the word that came to Daneel's mind when he listened to her explanation. Indeed, when the facts were put in this way, it did show that he was probably Daneel.

He just hadn't thought so much into it because he was very worried about Faxul right now. Even though the old man might not intervene, Tenebrol was a tough opponent who had apparently only gotten stronger due to the spars he had had with Elanev. Even though Elanev had been talking to Faxul daily and telling him about the weaknesses he could target in the King's technique, there was still a very solid chance that he could lose.

Daneel had considered whether he should help out if that were the case. Yet, knowing that it would be something that would chip away at his friend's pride and conscience all his life, he had chosen not to. Besides, he also trusted Faxul to put in his all. After all, this was his opportunity to fulfill the wish that had been in his mind since his childhood.

"Well guessed. Let's go quickly. And you are welcome to my Kingdom at any time. After all, you did save my life. After we get back, you can move to the Palace where we can continue our discussion."

Placing her fingers on the globe and concentrating on it for a few seconds, Sister Xuan acted as though she hadn't heard Daneel speak.

Yet, as a glow was born inside the globe that started to expand, she looked up at him and said, "Oh? But it did not seem as though you were really worried about meeting your death? I know you had a countermeasure, King Daneel. I don't care what it was, but I did save you from using it. For that, I will accept your offer. Step into the light door that will appear soon. Molan, are you all right?"

So she had even observed this tiny thing?!

Indeed, at the moment before the old man was about to apparently end his life, there had been no fear in his eyes as he had been focused on activating the clone at the time.

As he watched her concentrate on the globe again, Daneel found himself getting more and more impressed by both the wisdom and beauty of this woman.

Indeed, if Eloise was pretty and bubbly like a vibrant sunflower, then Sister Xuan was like a frozen rose whose ice-cold beauty would attract anyone that passed by.

The light inside the globe expanded until it became a doorway, just like Sister Xuan had said.

Eager to find out how the fight was going on, Daneel immediately stepped through before finding himself weightless, as he was in the air above the stadium.

Hastily conjuring a barrier under him, he looked towards the ground to see a shocking sight.

Faxul was crumpled in a bloody heap on one end of the stadium, and Tenebrol was rushing towards him to deal the final blow while the crowd watched on, just as stunned as him.

...

A few minutes ago.

As Faxul walked out of the entrance to the ground, a deafening sound swept towards him which made him pause.

It was the cheers of the millions of people who were watching, supporting him with all their hearts and wishing that he would achieve victory.

Indeed, public favor was completely on his side due to all the plans that they had carried out. Bolstered by the support, he walked confidently towards the center of the ground where there were two officials waiting who had cages in their hands.

With numerous images of his parents, the citizens of the Black Raven Kingdom and the dead soldiers passing through his mind, he prepared to put everything on the line in order to not let down all those who had placed their hopes on him.

Tenebrol, who entered the ground in front of him, had a smile of anticipation on his face as he too approached this point. As someone who had fought in wars where his side was the losing one, he wasn't new to being disadvantaged in a fight.

True, the public didn't support him right now. If he were a citizen, even he wouldn't have wanted to cheer for a King who had committed such acts.

But what did it matter? If he wanted to live, he had to behead the opponent in front of him.

In this way, both competitors motivated themselves using different things before beginning the ceremony of bonding the Raven.

Faxul still had no idea how Tenebrol was able to bond with a Raven so quickly, but he had decided to take his time no matter what the spectators thought. Taking the cages into their hands, both of them similarly started to rub on the sensitive spot above the Raven's beaks which relaxed them.

The King showed the same grace as before, opening the cage in just a few seconds before coaxing the Raven onto his finger where the trinket was and connecting with it instantly.

Yet, Faxul took his time. After rubbing that spot for 30 seconds, he moved on to another spot on its neck. Rubbing this one made the Raven let out a small squak of happiness as it closed its eyes and enjoyed the feeling.

He had learned about this one from the Raven he was bonded to, but he had severed that bond just before entering this fight after explaining to it that he needed to do so. Along with power, the intellect of these beasts also grew, so the Raven had been able to understand him and let go of the bond temporarily without causing any fuss.

Making the Raven in the cage completely comfortable by using a few other spots, he finally opened the cage after a few minutes. All this time, the King gloatingly looked at him, as if mocking him for taking so long.

Of course, Faxul didn't even notice this. His full focus was on the beautiful beast in front of him which was slowly moving towards the trinket on his fingers.

Its eyes still closed, it moved closer and closer until it was finally pricked by the needle.

SQUAK

Letting out an angry sound, the Raven opened its eyes and looked at Faxul indignantly, as if to say, "Why should I bond with you, when I know nothing about you except that you are good at making me relax?"

This had been his fear all along. Embarrassing himself in front of so many people and losing the favor that had been painstakingly built.

Yet, at this moment, something miraculous happened.

His pure intention of wanting to bond with the Raven seemed to have been sensed by that well inside him, which sent out a strand of its golden power through his body to the trinket he was wearing.

Immediately, the Raven that had been about to fly away docilely accepted the bond and its thoughts appeared in his mind.

"Ancestor.", it said, before flying to his shoulder and waiting for his command.

As Faxul tried to make sense of what had happened, Tenebrol frowned on seeing this sight.

The officials left after the taking the cages, and the cheering from the crowd only grew in intensity as everyone waiting for the gong to sound that would signal the beginning of the fight.

At this moment, a derisive voice drifted into Faxul's ear, making his eyes turn red with rage.

"Do you know your father's last words when his throat was under my foot? He begged me to let him go. He said he would run away from the Kingdom with his family and never return. He was a coward, and so are you. Prepare to die."

Chapter 278: Anger and Blood

These words from Tenebrol had managed to awaken the sleeping anger and resentment in Faxul for losing his parents.

It was something he had squashed down and put to the side ages ago, but now that the perpetrator was actually in front of him, he found himself being consumed by the rage.

This man was responsible for killing his family and making him flee to an unknown place with unknown people. Regardless of the old man's existence, these words had proven that that act had been something wholly done by the one in front of him.

As if in response to his thoughts, even the newly bonded Raven on his shoulders let out an angry squak, as if it wanted to take revenge for its partner.

DING

As the gong sounded, Faxul took off at a running start towards Tenebrol after drawing the standard sword that was given to all contenders.

Tenebrol had already worn the trinket that limited his power. Right now, he was again an Eminent Human Fighter.

Seeing his opponent losing himself to anger, he felt a little surprised but very content that his simple ploy had worked.

Throwing someone off balance using words or actions that stung was something basic in war.

For him, this was a battlefield where he would do anything and everything to obtain victory, short of depending on someone else.

TING

The first clash of their swords itself set the tone for how the fight was going to be.

In his anger, Faxul had focused more on speed rather than technique and strength.

Hence, a proper placement of the sword by Tenebrol had sent his to the side, leaving him open for an attack.

Using this opening, the Raven on Tenebrol's shoulder flew forward swiftly with its talons outstretched in order to tear apart Faxul's skin. Yet, Faxul's Raven was there to stop it.

Entangling together, the two Ravens fell to the ground to one side and began a bitter fight where neither would back down.

Meanwhile, due to the first strike that had gone awry, Faxul was already at a decided disadvantage in the fight. Although they were on the same level, each of Tenebrol's attacks seemed to have more power behind them due to him using the entire force of his body to drive each one.

Besides, he was scrambling to defend himself against each one as the frustration inside him at being pushed back kept mounting.

TING TING TING TING TING

As these rapid sounds were heard throughout the stadium, the crowd watched with bated breath as they saw their savior being pushed back easily by the present King. Many were ex-soldiers or mercenaries, hence they were able to see that Faxul had lost himself to emotion, and hence was now losing the fight.

SLASH

The first injury he sustained was on his thigh. Although it was shallow, it stung like hell and made Faxul almost miss a step and fall down, which would have been fatal.

Tenebrol, who had been steadily advancing till now, decided to press the advantage, seeing that he had managed to wound his enemy.

His sword technique was the same one he had used against Elanev, but it was more refined now to decrease the number of openings he had while pushing the enemy to fall into a disadvantageous state faster due to his repeated state.

That first gash had finally served to wake up Faxul. This was practically his first fight, and he still wasn't mature enough to be able to ignore something so vile and keep a level head in the fight.

As if the pain had drenched him in cold water, he came to his full senses and realized his folly.

Cursing at both the cunning actions of his opponent and his foolishness for falling for it, he calmed his mind and started to put his full focus on the fight.

As he did so, all the training sessions he had had back in the Palace and the tips given by Elanev started to appear in his mind.

Apparently, the King was hyperaggressive when it came to fighting. Whenever he got even the slightest scent of blood, he would pounce on it like a starving shark.

This was one of the faults gleaned by Elanev which he hadn't used in his spars against the King so that he could save it for later. After all, if he did use it, the King was astute enough to notice it and work to shore up his mindset so that he wouldn't do so again.

Just as Elanev had said, Tenebrol started to go into a frenzy of attacks with no concern for his own life.

Faxul only barely managed to fend off this barrage of attacks. If it weren't for his reflexes which had been honed for months during his daily spars, he would have been dead by now.

Each sword blow was deflected at the last moment, and his hands were starting to get numb due to the force they were sustaining repeatedly each second.

Ignoring everything, Faxul had his eyes fixed on Tenebrol like a hawk.

All he wanted was one opening, which he could use to take back advantage.

There it was!

On one particular strike of his sword, Tenebrol had lunged too far forward, leaving his entire left side open.

SWISH

Bursting forward with all the strength he had left, Faxul let himself be grazed by Tenebrol's sword while aiming to plunge his deep into his enemy's body.

As the tip of the sword reached closer and closer to the King's skin, Faxul was about to smile but stopped as he suddenly felt an ominous feeling come over him.

Something was wrong.

Deciding to trust that feeling, he tried to stop his body from completely moving forward in order to put as much strength as possible behind the attack that was meant to impale Tenebrol.

Suddenly, his vision became blocked by the King's knee which he had disregarded till now due to the heat of the battle.

Indeed, at the last moment, Tenebrol had managed to bend his side to avoid the sword while also using his knee to launch a devastating attack on Faxul who was moving forward.

If he hadn't tried to stop his forward momentum at the last moment, that knee would have impacted his jaw and snapped his head back, making him lose the fight and his life.

Due to the unconventional attack, the King landed on the ground for a moment.

Yet, Faxul couldn't take advantage of this as he had also collapsed backward due to his awkward movements before.

This essentially brought a pause to the fight, making everyone watching cheer out loud again for Faxul.

Dusting off his clothes and looking at Faxul who had also gotten up instantly, Tenebrol said, "I wonder how they will cheer when they see you crushed under my feet. And did you really think you would win just because that traitor told you some tips? How naïve, just like your father. He actually thought I would fight fair! What a dumb king he was."

With the last word, he rushed forward to continue his attack.

This time, Faxul managed to ignore the jibe.

Yet, the rest of what Tenebrol had said had made him realize something.

This was a man who had been on numerous battlefields and had walked on a path of blood and crushed bones to reach where he was today. How could he hope to win against him using tricks?

It was impossible, and even, as the King as said, pretty naïve.

Faxul just had one advantage in this fight: his true blood of the Black Raven which the King didn't have.

It had helped him in some way to bond with the Raven. Glancing to the side, he noticed that his Raven was winning in the fight between the two.

"Easy to win now. Send command if I should come."

This thought came from the Raven, indicating that it was actually intelligent enough to prolong its fight and keep the enemy's eyes off of it by acting like it was completely occupied.

Had the true blood done something else during the bonding?

Faxul had no time to think about it now. If he wanted to win, he would have to use the Raven, and he would only have one choice.

Yet, when he took the first blow from the King, he realized that something was different.

It seemed as if some switch had turned on inside his enemy, as each blow was so devastating that his hand trembled and almost dropped the sword.

Somehow, he held on, but the injuries kept piling up.

Although Elanev's tips were still relevant, he no longer had any chance to use them.

After taking 6 more gashed that were much deeper than the first, he finally collapsed to the ground after staggering back after an attack.

Not wasting the opportunity, Tenebrol leaped forward to finish him.

This was the exact moment when Daneel appeared in the air. Seeing his friend almost about to die, he was tempted to go down and save him.

Yet, something told him that although Faxul was down, he definitely wasn't out yet.

Chapter 279: Strength

Even though this feeling swept over Daneel, he rifled through all the plans he had prepared to ensure Faxul's victory.

From the spies placed in the Black Raven Kingdom, Daneel knew about Tenebrol's bloody history. Through this, he had also known that it was wishful thinking to hope that Faxul would beat him without any help.

This wasn't because he didn't trust his friend. It was just that days of practice with the Raven couldn't match the experience of one who had toiled through blood for years to reach where his position.

Still, he knew that the differentiating factor was the true blood of the Black Raven which had yet to show its worth. This was the only reason why he even considered the possibility that Faxul might win without his help.

Of course, if he did help, he knew that it would be such a scarring incident in his friend's life that he might completely break the bond which was already strained right now.

Daneel had no intention of doing this if there was no other way. Hence, he had prepared several countermeasures to ensure Faxul's victory without alerting him of the same.

Just as he was about to choose one on seeing that the Black Raven King's sword was almost at Faxul's crumpled body, his eyebrows rose up and his jaw dropped, witnessing an impossible scene that even made the entire stadium goes silent.

Faxul, who was clearly so injured that he shouldn't even be able to lift a finger, had somehow miraculously grasped his sword and raised it to block Tenebrol's blow at the last moment. After blocking it, he leaped back with what appeared to be the last of his strength and shakily took a stance on the ground holding his sword forward.

There was a gash on his forehead which had almost taken his life, and the blood seeping from it looked like it had blinded him.

Yet, even from his position, Daneel could see the determination of one who had no intention of going down in this way.

Determination was one thing; but where was the strength coming from?

Even as he wandered along these lines, the fight continued below him, shocking him more and more and making him wonder whether Faxul had somehow secretly broken through to a different level when he wasn't there.

...

At this moment, even Faxul didn't know the answer to Daneel's question.

All he remembered was regret. A regret that had been building up all his life.

The regret that he was too weak to accomplish anything.

Even he had known that he stood very little chance against Tenebrol who had decades of experience. Still, he had had no option but to trust and hope in the true blood that he had found inside himself because he felt that he might lose himself in the well of pain if he didn't cling onto something.

He, himself, wasn't lacking in intellect. Although Daneel didn't say anything, he knew that his friend had probably prepared some or the other plan to make sure that he would win.

His only wish was that these plans wouldn't have to be put to use, and that he would be able to take his father's place fair and square.

A few seconds before, when he had been on the ground and felt the breath of death coming closer and closer, this regret had seemed to transform into something solid that embedded itself inside him at the same spot where he usually felt the true blood of the Black Raven.

He didn't even know how to explain it. The closest thing to this phenomena was that of a heavy rock falling in a calm pool, sending up streams of water.

These "streams" had somehow reached his burning wounds and aching body and given him the minimum amount of energy needed to block that blow and move back.

Even now, those streams had disappeared, and he didn't know whether they would be back to help him again.

The Black Raven King, who had gotten an expression of both puzzlement and frustration on seeing that his opponent had evaded the blow that was supposed to take his life, rushed forward again with the intention of finishing what he started.

A miracle might happen once, but it surely couldn't keep repeating.

Of course, this was what he thought, but he was destined to be proven wrong.

TING

Again, at the last moment before Tenebrol's sword pierced Faxul's body, he managed to strike it aside as another stream swept through him.

This 'energy' or whatever it was did not feel foreign. Instead, he felt as if it was something that he had always possessed hidden away to be used in a situation where it was needed.

Each stream caused a change in his body that was imperceptible at first, but became quite obvious after it repeated three, four, five, 10 times.

These streams were making his body stronger.

In fact, the Black Raven King was the first to notice this. Since the moment where his fallen opponent had miraculously gotten up to dodge his sword, each of his parries was getting stronger and stronger even though it was with a slight amount each time.

He had no idea what to think of this, but the obvious connotation that he might lose if this went on long enough dawned on him.

On the other side, Faxul's confidence which had been crushed before started to slowly return on seeing his opponent start to become slightly flustered.

Although he didn't know what was helping him, he didn't care as he knew that it was something from inside him-it was his own.

Engrossing himself in the feeling of being baptized by these streams of golden light, he started to make a counter-attack instead of just being on the defense.

In the process, he kept sustaining more injuries, but they now seem to hurt less.

Hence, ignoring them completely, he swung his sword with the vigor of one who wasn't afraid of death.

SLASH

Tenebrol sustained his first injury three minutes after that turning point.

By this moment, it was almost like he was facing a different opponent than the one who had walked through those doors to fight him in the stadium.

Slowly, it started to become clear that this was definitely some sort of outside intervention like what the old man would have cast for him if he wasn't away.

Of course, he had no time to think further. The injuries served to increase his bloodlust, making him become similarly reckless as he tried to injure his opponent in any way possible while ignoring all the pain he felt from his body.

The watching crowd couldn't even bring themselves to cheer. What they saw were two men hellbent on winning, so much so that it looked like they didn't mind dying in the process.

As the seconds ticked on, the injuries on both of their bodies kept accumulating more and more until everyone started to wonder just how they were even moving.

It was at least different for Faxul, whose pain senses seem to be numbed. For Tenebrol, it was like he was back on those battlefields where he had almost lost his life multiple times.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

This made him laugh maniacally as he reveled in the feeling and imagined that he was back in that time. Everything else faded away, leaving behind the pure joy that came from fighting without holding back anything.

Faxul, on the other hand, was like an ice-cold machine. He kept growing stronger and kept advancing, only feeling content that his enemy was growing weaker as time passed on.

Indeed, after two more minutes passed, the advantage was completely with Faxul.

The crowd who noticed this finally started cheering again although they still worried whether the man they supported would live after this match.

The crazy laugh of Tenebrol which had resounded through the stadium till now was finally drowned out by these cheers, but he laughed nonetheless as he only felt truly happy at the moment.

This was all he had truly wanted, all his life. This feeling of dancing on the edge of life and death. This feeling of having no regrets after putting his all in a fight.

Finally obtaining it, he felt happier than he had in decades.

He didn't care that he was losing. He didn't care that he was getting close to death with each slash. He didn't care about anything.

He had what he loved, and even if everything ended at this moment, he would die happy.

Finally, one strike of Faxul's managed to go deeper than all the others which had caused surface wounds till now.

It was at his thigh, making him lose his balance and fall on the ground back first.

As he stared at the sky, he gave up the notion of getting up because he knew very well that he was done.

He had thought that he might have felt regret as his enemy had used unfair means, but the happiness of having one last real fight dominated him right now.

This isn't a bad way to go after all, he thought, clutching the sword in his hand tighter and letting the smile spread across his face.

As his contender pointed his sword at his throat, he only let out two words and closed his eyes.

"Kill me."

Chapter 280: Accusation and Doub

The watching crowd which had been cheering steadily till now stood up and roared at the top of their lungs, seeing that the 'selfish' king was about to die.

Usually, when two people were evenly matched, fights went in this way where the Ravens fought amongst themselves while the contenders duked it out in a one-on-one duel.

Although watching a proper Black Raven Fighter display his coordination with the Raven was always more exciting to see, the crowd had no complaints as this had been a blood boiling fight from start to finish.

They had no idea what occurred at that moment when the reversal had happened, but they were happy that the one they supported was actually winning.

In their eyes, the new contender was someone who would ensue in a period where they wouldn't have to swallow their pride in front of other kingdoms.

Of course, the reign of the previous king hadn't had many highlights with regards to appeasing the people except for a few like the fight with Elanev which had let them show their strength to the world.

The images of the soldier's deaths had roused a bloodthirst in them which would definitely not subside until they saw the one responsible, dead.

Faxul, who was pointing his sword at Tenebrol's neck, resonated with the feelings of the people. Although they weren't yet screaming for his death, they would soon do so if he even showed the slightest hint of letting his opponent go.

Of course, he had never had any intention of letting the man who was responsible for his parent's death go scotch free in the first place.

Till now, he had completely been immersed in the fight and the feeling that came with being remolded by whatever it was that he had tapped into inside his body. He had put aside all feelings to allowed himself to enter a state where he could take advantage of his strength to gain victory.

It was only at this moment that all the pain and the emotion came back to him. His entire body hurt as if it had been crushed underneath a large rock, and he marveled at the fact that he was even still standing straight right now.

As for his strength, he had clearly exceeded the level of an Eminent Human Fighter.

The main indication of this came from the clear difference in grip strength as he held the sword.

Even though the sword's grip was made of sturdy cloth entwined around metal, he knew he could crush it if he wished.

This strength was worlds apart from that of an Eminent Human Fighter.

He had actually become… an Exalted Human Fighter?!

Jumping to the Exalted Human realm in one go in a matter of minutes?

This was something that was definitely unprecedented in the entire continent. Yet, he had somehow accomplished it.

Resolving to find out how later on with Daneel's help, he tried to ignore the pain again and looked down at Tenebrol's face.

All he saw was peace. The peace of one who was ready for death.

"How did you do it?", he asked, voicing the question he had asked himself many times for decades.

His father had definitely been the strongest Fighter in the entire kingdom, but he had been suddenly defeated by an unknown soldier.

It hadn't made sense to anyone, but they had let it go thinking that it was the will of the Almighty Black Raven.

Yet, Faxul needed to know. He needed to know the reason.

Tenebrol, who had calmly been waiting for death, opened his eyes and looked into Faxul's which were filled with doubt.

He was tempted to strike one last blow at this opponent by lying, but he decided to try and accomplish the same more effectively by telling the truth.

"The old man casted some spell on me which lets me force a connection with Black Ravens. He also gave me some kind of magical drug which enhanced my strength for a period of time without giving any indication outwards. Although I did enjoy killing him, I was blinded by my desire for power, so I didn't care about taking outside help to win. Kid, I know you did the same just now. Listen to me. It isn't worth it. Us fighter's lives should be led with our heads held high instead of being burdened down by regrets. I always felt that that damn Raven in the Throne Room was watching me and judging me because of my actions. Don't let it do the same to you. And kill that old man if you can, otherwise, he will squeeze our kingdom dry. I don't even know why I'm telling you this, knowing that you resorted to winning in the same way I did so many years ago. Maybe you're more similar to me than your father. HA –"

The laugh at the end made him cough blood, and the smile returned to his face on seeing Faxul's become ashen due to the accusation.

Seeing this, Tenebrol felt glad at his decision.

Sometimes, the truth could hurt more than lies.

Faxul was, after all, an enemy who was responsible for his death. Hence, it felt good to throw a blow at him one last time before dying.

There were just too many wounds, and he was losing too much blood. Even his physique of an Exalted Human Fighter couldn't handle it without having any help. Hence, he once again closed his eyes while laughing silently to himself.

Faxul, who had seen the truth in Tenebrol's eyes, wanted to say that it was his own strength that had let him win the fight.

Yet, the slight doubt that had been born in him that he would be lying to himself if he said so stopped him.

This doubt troubled him, but the bloodthirsty cheers of the people which were growing louder brought him back to his senses.

Although Tenebrol's final words had served to cause doubt in him, they had also managed to reinforce the hate due to his statement of enjoying the act of killing his father.

Without any more hesitation, he did what he had been dreaming about for years and years.

With a strong swing, he separated the head and body of the man who had been revered as King for so long.

Throwing the sword aside, he turned to the people and remembered the words he had gone over the Daneel.

Raising his hand to indicate silence, he said, "Black Raven Kingdom, I have fulfilled my promise and taken my revenge! Let this death usher in a new era that will see every man, woman and child of our Kingdom puff up with the pride of being part of one of the mightiest Kingdoms on the continent. Follow me now to the Palace, for the final step. All hail the Almighty Black Raven!"

Turning around, Faxul walked towards the exit of the stadium where Elanev was waiting after commanding the Raven to return to him.

It had disabled Tenebrol's Raven on seeing Faxul win the fight, and had even been ready to rush to his side when he was about to lose.

Of course, he hadn't needed it.

He had obtained his revenge, but he did not know what he was supposed to feel.

Although the contentment was there that he had finally avenged his parent's deaths, he knew that the true culprit was that old man whose fate was still unknown.

The next step was to bond with the protector Raven, thereby showing the people that the blessings of the Black Raven were also with him. Hence, he would have to go back to the Palace.

Yet, at the moment he reached the entrance and went out of sight of the people, the man whom the Black Raven Kingdom wanted to crown as the King collapsed into the arms of Elanev, completely drained from the exhaustion and the blood loss.

…

Meanwhile, in the air above the stadium, Daneel had a cold expression on his face as he saw his friend leaving the ground.

All this while, he had been observing with the same shock that he had felt when he saw him make the miraculous reversal.

Each and every blow had been so close that he had been tempted to tell the system to launch his countermeasure so that he wouldn't risk Faxul's life.

Yet, he hadn't needed to do so. After a few minutes, it had become quite clear who the victor would be.

Completely puzzled by what was going on, he had asked the system to analyze what was happening and give him at least a preliminary report.

It was this report that had made him go numb.

[Phenomena Analysis Module has detected that the one under observation has progressed to the Exalted Fighter Level due to some unknown power. Complexity of the process exceeds system's complexity. Please upgrade the system for more information.]

Chapter 281: Satisfaction and Belief

The frustration of not being able to upgrade the system made Daneel grit his teeth.

He had always thought that his leveling speed was crazy; yet, his friend had just now surpassed him by reaching the Exalted Human realm in a matter of minutes.

At this moment, Daneel had no idea what to think. All he could hope for was that detailed analysis of Faxul's blood would at least yield something.

Turning around the Sister Xuan and Molan, he said, "Thank you for the help, but I need to go now. Like I said, the doors of the Palace are open to you. Let us speak in Lanthanor."

"Very well, King. I'll be watching, just in case someone else tries to disturb the proceedings. Call it as me paying back the favor for being in your Kingdom for so long. Go on."

Nodding, Daneel disappeared from the spot.

"What do you make of him, Sister? And why are you talking so much? You never say more than two words to everyone else except me."

Hearing Molan's questioning tone, Sister Xuan involuntarily blushed a bit.

Although she had managed to control her emotion at the last moment, she was still seen through by Molan.

Before she could say anything, Sister Xuan said, "I don't know what you are talking about. I was just being civil because he might join us. Let's go. I want to witness the ceremony of connecting with the protector beast. The Matron once said that it is the last Warrior level descendent beast in the entire Central Continent. I wish to witness its magnificence."

Saying so, she immediately caught Molan's hand and teleported them out of these, as if hoping that a change in place would result in a change in topic.

...

Meanwhile, Daneel had just teleported beside Elanev, who was carrying Faxul to the room where he had rested before.

He had communicated beforehand that he would be coming, so his disguise didn't throw Elanev off.

The Raven which had been protectively circling around the two squaked threateningly seeing someone new arrive.

Yet, noticing that he had no ill intentions, it went back to keeping a watch on everyone else.

Indeed, some people had rushed into this passageway in a bid to be the first to join Faxul as he made his way to the Palace for the final step.

Seeing him unconscious, their cheers went silent as they wondered if he was okay.

Noticing this, Elanev shouted, "The King-to-be is fine, he just passed out due to the exhaustion. He will join you soon outside the Palace. Please make your way there, the healer will get him back to normal in no time."

At the mention of the words "Healer", everyone turned towards Daneel who was accompanying the two.

Daneel, who had been pondering about the last words of Sister Xuan, became slightly startled as he felt so many gazes on him.

Disguised again as Master Novrain, he said, "Yes, it is just blood loss. He will be there shortly."

Hearing this, the crowd heaved sighs of relief before making their way out of the stadium and heading to the Palace as instructed.

Daneel, on the other hand, went back to his thoughts.

Clearly, Sister Xuan had made the veiled statement that she would be keeping her eye on him.

Why was she doing this? The Matron had dismissed his feats by attributing them to some sort of "inheritance" which he had never heard of before. Why wasn't this woman accepting that explanation?

Regardless, he decided to stay low-key and make sure that he wouldn't expose too much. After all, the system had to stay secret at all costs.

The trio had already entered the room, so Daneel started to act as the namesake he had just acquired and placed his hand on Faxul's forehead before activating the healing technique.

Seeing the surface wounds healing at a remarkable pace, Elanev asked in an astonished tone, "Since when have you become such a skilled healer?"

Closing his eyes in mock concentration for a few seconds, Daneel made sure that Faxul would at least be able to move without difficulty before taking his hand off and saying, "A lot has changed in the time when you were away. You think you were the only one learning new skills?"

Chuckling in response, Elanev watched as Daneel conjured a globe of water and fed it to Faxul before splashing a little on his face.

Sputtering and getting up, Faxul first looked around with a blank expression on his face before realizing where he was.

"Daneel! Where's the old man?!"

This was the first question that came out of Faxul's mouth.

After all, according to their original plan, Daneel would only keep the old man at bay while giving Faxul the chance to win. After winning, he would bond with the protector Raven and use the army and the Warrior-level beast to reinforce Daneel as soon as possible.

Hence, the fact that Daneel was here shocked him.

"It's a long story, but the short version is that he is dead. You only need to worry about bonding with the Raven and ascending the Throne now."

"He's – dead? Just like that?"

Seeing Daneel nod, Faxul felt a storm of emotions assault his mind.

The root cause of his decades of suffering … was actually dead?

The satisfaction that he should have felt before when he killed Tenebrol came to him now.

Still sitting on the chair where he had been placed by Elanev, he closed his eyes and let the tears flow.

Although he hadn't had a hand in killing the old man, it didn't change the fact that revenge had been obtained.

Finally, he would be able to let go of all the weighty emotions he had been carrying with him all this time.

Daneel, who was watching his friend show more emotion than he ever had in his life, felt something stirring in him.

It was happiness.

This feeling of doing something to help let someone let go of something that had been haunting them for years was truly something else.

He had changed someone's life!

Although he had done the same when he executed the nobles, he hadn't been in a position then to understand their feelings firsthand.

Now, having the opportunity to do so, he let himself feel the bliss that came from seeing the results of his actions.

This incident served to reinforce the conviction in him that his true passion was, indeed, to help people.

No matter if he had to drench his hands in the blood of hundreds or even thousands, he wouldn't flinch.

Ruthlessness might weigh him down with guilt, but he would keep going while keeping moments like these in his mind.

Whether his path led to World Domination or not, he would make sure that it would be filled with the joy of those who placed trust in him.

As he fixed these thoughts deep inside his mind, Faxul got up from the chair and wiped his eyes.

Walking to the door, he said, "Let's go. I have a Throne to ascend."

…..

Meanwhile, in a room near the Throne Room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

Seated around a table were 10 people who all had solemn expressions on their faces.

It seemed as if they were waiting for someone, and true enough, after a few seconds, a knock sounded on the door.

One of the 10 who seemed the youngest among them stood up to open the door and take the parchment that was presented.

Walking back to the table, he went through it and passed it to the side with an ashen expression on his face.

As the parchment made the rounds in silence, one woman who had a scar across her forehead finally couldn't take it anymore and banged the table in frustration.

"HOW CAN WE NOT FIND THE PROTECTOR RAVEN? AND HOW CAN ALL THE TRINKETS WE HAVE FOR CONNECTING WITH RAVENS BE DESTROYED?!"

Sighing deeply, a man whose arm was missing answered.

"All of them became useless a few minutes ago. Someone was able to get to all of them and place some sort of trap which has been triggered. The main culprit is, of course, that mage that the King, ahem, previous King appointed. Everyone, I propose that we use the emergency clause and appoint this contender as the King directly before telling him about the matter. Do I have a consensus?"

Chapter 282: Decree

Seeing a battalion of Black Raven Soldiers surround them as soon as they arrived near the crowd, Daneel, Faxul and Elanev wondered whether there would be more fighting and bloodshed.

Even the people seemed to have lost trust in the government, as they readied themselves for a fight to protect the one who was rightfully supposed to be their King.

Yet, as a man with unmoving blind eyes walked in front of the battalion and bowed to Faxul, it became clear that they were here for something else.

"I am Litwick, acting representative of the Council that was convened as per the law when a contender appears. I'm just here to speak with our King-to-be regarding a few details that he needs to know. Please let me through."

The last line had to be said because a mob of people had appeared in front of the trio in a bid to protect them on seeing that potential enemies might have arrived.

Litwick, himself, felt happy on seeing the scene, as it was only right for the people to want to protect their King in any way they could.

Hearing his words, the crowd parted but still kept their eyes on him, as if they would tear him to shreds if he showed even the slightest of hostile intentions.

All of them were right in front of the palace gates of the Black Raven Palace, and the trio had just teleported here before this incident happened.

After approaching, Litwick bowed again and said, "I have been ordered to send some news, but it needs to be hidden from the public. Do I have your permission to deploy a soundproofing trinket?"

After glancing towards Daneel once and seeing his assent, Faxul nodded, making Litwick frown but take out a triangle-shaped trinket that caused an invisible barrier to appear around them.

This was only designed to prevent those outside from listening in, so it was meant to be nonintrusive.

"At around the moment when this man and two unknown women appeared above the stadium where the fight was taking place, all the connection trinkets that we are in possession of were destroyed. Also, the location of the Protector Raven is unknown. Although we haven't seen the Protector Raven in a long time, we only thought it was normal because the Raven usually went into long periods of training. Occasionally, it did appear outside, but we only ever got glimpses of it before it disappeared. When your father was the King, the Protector Raven even guided the other Ravens in their training. I previously served under him, and I can tell you that he was the bravest man I ever knew. It is an honor to even think that I might serve under his son now. But for now, I'm here because I was ordered by the Council to ask whether your companion has any information or relation with what has happened, and also to hand over an official decree."

The long speech of this blind man made all three of them widen their eyes with shock.

All the connection trinkets were destroyed?

Wouldn't that mean that… The Kingdom was doomed?

This was the thought in Faxul's head, as he knew that Ravens were the core of the society.

Meanwhile, Daneel became shocked as he realized that this was some additional plan other than what the old man had threatened him with when he died. Although he had been expecting some sort of problem to show itself when the time came for the last step for Faxul to become king, he didn't expect that there would even be such a nefarious scheme to destroy the foundation of the Kingdom itself.

As for Elanev, although he was equally shocked about the trinkets being destroyed, he was also amazed that his little brother might have managed to bag two ladies in his short absence.

After saying these words, Litwick took out a rolled up parchment and handed it to Faxul with his hands above his head while kneeling on the ground.

The people outside who saw this relaxed, because such actions would only be done by a commander for someone whom he was wholeheartedly supporting as King.

Taking the decree, Faxul unfolded and read it with growing surprise.

So such a law also existed?!

Handing it to Daneel, he put his hands behind his back.

Taking the parchment, Daneel and Elanev read the words on it.

"By invoking the emergency law which exists to address situations where the Protector Raven might be too injured or unavailable for connection, it has been decreed that Faxul Coronis can immediately ascend the throne. From this moment forward, he is the king of the Black Raven Kingdom. All hail the Mighty Black Raven!"

The ascension which he thought would be riddled with problems was accomplished so smoothly?!

Marveling at the stroke of fortune, Daneel looked towards Litwick again who began to speak after seeing that all three of them had read the decree.

"My King, it is truly my honor to call you so. I'm afraid you must take a decision regarding something right now. The information about the Protector Raven being unavailable might cause panic in the Kingdom, because hostile forces will seek to use the opportunity to sow chaos by saying that we no longer have the grace of the Black Raven. You can either choose to make this public, or to disperse the crowd now after saying that the ceremony of connection and ascension to the throne will take place a day later. Using that time, we can use the resources of the Kingdom to try and find out the location of the protector Raven. But this is risky, as if we fail in that pursuit, making the news public then would cause even more chaos and panic. Everything is in your hands now, your Majesty."

Being called like so, it finally registered in Faxul that he had officially become the King of the Black Raven Kingdom.

From fleeing in terror and living as someone with no last name for a long time, he had actually come a long way.

Yet, he did not feel proud, because the doubt born from the previous King's accusation was still on his mind.

Regardless, as Litwick said, he had to make a decision now.

Faxul and Daneel already knew the location of the protector Raven. Unless the old man had placed another countermeasure to move it again, there wouldn't be a problem with announcing a delay.

Yet, he decided to ask Daneel before taking the decision.

Just as he was about to do so, Faxul realized that it would look exactly like the previous King depending on the old man who had followed him around to take every decision.

Even Litwick's frown before must have definitely been due to this.

It would only be bad for the Kingdom if he got such an impression so soon.

Hence, he discreetly placed his hand in his pocket where there was a communication trinket.

"What do you think? Is there a risk in delaying? We know where the protector Raven is, right? Did the old man give any indication about what he would do after his death?", he asked using his thoughts.

Daneel, who felt the vibration of the communication trinket and touched it to listen to the message, smiled as he realized that his friend's mind was in the right place.

"First, a good job in contacting me in this way. The people or the government must not think that you depend on someone else to take your decisions for you. The old man did say that he would not let anyone ascend the throne. But whatever his plans are, I'm sure I'll be able to counter them. Go for – I mean, I advise that you go for the delay."

At the end, Daneel had been about to say outright to choose to delay.

Yet, he had chosen to change his wording because he did not wish to make it sound like he was giving orders.

Of course, his hesitation was detected by Faxul, who thought for a moment and said, "Daneel. You never need to hesitate about ordering me about something. I would not be in this position if it were not for you. I recognize that, and I'm truly grateful. If it weren't for you, I would still be training madly in the National Academy of Lanthanor. You have let me obtain everything I've ever wanted. And I'm not someone who forgets favors. I thought you knew that after being my friend for so long."

This made Daneel relax his tense shoulders and smile.

Indeed, he knew very well about his friend's character.

"Alright then. And I trust that I do not need to say that I will also never ask you to do something against your will. If you have objections, I expect that you will raise them, as even I can be wrong sometimes. Go on then. Go for the delay. Go make your first proclamation as King."

Chapter 283: Designs

Nodding, Faxul said to Litwick, "I will announce the delay myself. Disperse the noise canceling formation."

Getting up, Litwick said, "As you wish, my King. I must say, it is refreshing to see someone who does not need to depend on others to make decisions. Would you like me to cast a voice magnifying spell?"

Surprised that his tactful decision was already showing results, Faxul said, "No need. I'll do it myself."

Hearing this, Litwick became a little startled because he had never known that the new Black Raven King was also a mage.

The fight for the throne was meant to be between two equals fighting on the same playing field. Hence, it only made sense that the new King hadn't used his mage powers then.

Stepping forward and casting the spell, Faxul began speaking to the crowds who were gathered in the streets of the capital city and outside. By now, even those who hadn't followed him to the stadium and witnessed the match knew that the previous King was now dead. After all, Daneel was using the Network to full effect.

"People of the Black Raven Kingdom! Do you want a hasty ceremony, or a grand one which will be remembered for decades? I, for one, think that a new era should start with a bang! Hence, I've taken the decision that both the connection ceremony and the ascension will take place tomorrow at noon. For now, I ask you to either wait or go back to your homes if they are nearby. If they aren't, you are welcome to stay in the capital where your lodging will be paid for by the government. If the inns become full, I hope the rest of the citizens of the capital will be gracious enough to give lodging to these people who have shown their strong support for me. You can also collect reimbursement later from the government if you do so. Thank you all for your steadfast support, without which I would not have been able to fight the battle and obtain revenge both for my parents and for the Kingdom. I will see you all tomorrow at noon."

Saying so, Faxul turned around and walked to the palace gates which opened on their own to welcome him inside.

Behind him, the people had started a cheer which made him understand just how his friend had felt when he had killed the previous King of Lanthanor.

"King Faxul! King Faxul! King Faxul! King Faxul!"

As these shouts echoed throughout the Kingdom, it almost looked like the connection ceremony would just be a formality.

In the people's minds and hearts, Faxul was already king.

…..

"Took a line from my book, eh?"

As Faxul listened to this message sent in an amused tone by Daneel, he only smiled slightly in response.

He had seen how grateful the people had been in Lanthanor when Daneel had announced that those who came to the capital to see justice being served would be paid by the government to obtain lodging and food.

Hence, he had decided to do the same so that the ascension could take place as smoothly as possible.

The 10-minute walk through the grounds to get to the Palace went by quickly, with each occupied by their own thoughts.

Although Daneel was happy that his friend had obtained the throne, he was still very curious about how he had managed to skip levels so easily. Besides, he also hoped that he was not underestimating the old man due to his trust in the system.

As for the matter of the trinkets, he had just gotten an idea but he had placed it to the side to take a decision on it after discussing with Faxul.

At the doors of the Palace stood 10 people who bowed to Faxul as he made his way over.

After doing so, many of them looked suspiciously at Daneel and Elanev who were by Faxul's side.

A woman with a scar on her forehead was the first to speak.

"Welcome to the Palace, my King. I know you must be tired from the fight, so you can go to your Chambers to rest. We have already given the orders to deploy everyone available to search for the Protector Raven. Please take this official communication trinket which will be used to contact you if there is any news. It also has all the confidential information that a King must know. Decisions regarding the future of the Kingdom can be taken after your ascension. Congratulations on becoming the King."

Taking the trinket, Faxul said, "Very well. Thank you for your service. Please find rooms for both of my companions near my Chambers. And send the design plans of the connection trinket to my room. "

Leaving this order, the trio entered the Palace while Faxul studied the trinket which he had just obtained.

In it, there was nothing much new. Just as Daneel had told him, the ancestral grounds were the place where the extinct herbs grew which let them train ravens to become powerful.

It was still early evening, but all three of them still retired to their rooms.

As the doors closed, the search for the protector Raven began.

…..

After hearing the order, the old woman had frowned because she did not know what this new King wanted to do with the design plans.

The plan of whoever had destroyed the trinkets was clear. Although they could be remanufactured, the only ones who could do so were in Eldinor.

If rival kingdoms got to know that not letting the Black Raven Kingdom obtain the trinkets would mean that their strength would go down by many levels, they would do everything they could to ensure that the trinkets wouldn't be made.

Even Eldinor itself might reject the Black Raven Kingdom.

This would destroy the Kingdom without any doubt.

Besides, even if Eldinor did except, the money that would be needed would put the Kingdom under such financial stress that they might and up destroying themselves anyway.

This was why she had been so angry at the meeting before.

Looking at the others who also had perplexed expressions on the faces, she sent the message to send the plans as instructed before joining in on the search for the Protector Raven herself.

...

Meanwhile, in his room, Daneel was studying the plans for the trinket which he had just obtained from Faxul.

The reason he had asked his friend to do so was that he had decided to give a shot at making these trinkets. After all, with the system's help, he was a very accomplished trinket maker himself.

True enough, after letting the system analyze the designs, he had gotten the notification that he could make the trinket.

Right now, the idea he had gotten before came back to him.

He had noticed the strain that had been placed on Faxul when he saw the Black Raven soldiers dying.

Although his friend's previous words had put him at ease, he did not know if the situation might repeat in the future.

Right now, he had a chance to place a countermeasure in case it did happen.

But if he did so and Faxul found this out in the future, it might break their relationship entirely.

Still, Daneel thought back to the scenes of death that he had caused because he had been too soft.

It was these images which made him take the decision.

Hopefully, he would never have to use it. But if there came a situation where a need did arise, he would truly feel like killing himself if he chose not to go forward with his plan right now.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he said to the system, "Modify the design and place a backdoor in the trinket."

…..

A few hours later, outside the forest in which the ancestral grounds were situated.

After walking here along with Daneel, Faxul took out the connection trinket he had stolen and sighed as he saw that it was ruined just like the others. Whatever method the old man had used to make them defunct, it had affected all the trinkets in the Kingdom.

Seeing him do so, Daneel took out a trinket from his pocket that was much more coarse than the one in Faxul's hands.

Handing it to him, he said, "it might not look as pretty, but it will get the job done."

Although Daneel had a slightly guilty expression on his face, Faxul did not notice it because his eyes were fixed on the trinket in his hand.

Taking it, he put it on his finger before walking into the forest with a determined stride.

It was finally time to hopefully free the protector Raven from its decades of suffering and loneliness.

Chapter 284: Ascension

Reaching the spot where they had disappeared before to reach the prison of the Protector Raven, Daneel and Faxul both took a deep breath before closing their eyes.

SQUAWK!

This loud sound that reverberated in their ears made them smile as they felt happy that their worst fears hadn't been confirmed.

The Raven was still alive, and it was still here.

Yet, on opening their eyes, both of them saw a scene that shocked them to their core.

The Protector Raven which had looked so magnificent before now had a hole in the center of his head.

Through the hole, even the surroundings behind the Raven could be seen.

It was collapsed on the floor in a pool of its own blood, and its massive body was twitching with pain.

Running towards it, Faxul placed a hand on its wing while Daneel ordered the system to analyze what was going on.

After all, if that hole had appeared hours ago when the old man died, it was impossible for any being he knew to survive for so long.

But without needing the system, Daneel realized how the Protector Raven had stayed alive till now by himself.

At the edges of the wound, flesh was slowly regenerating.

Clearly, the Raven was healing itself.

"It says that… It needs help."

Hearing this from Faxul, Daneel immediately bent and placed his hand on the Raven after ordering the system to deploy the healing technique.

With this, the recovery of the flesh spread up. In fact, it was almost like the Raven itself was directing even Daneel's spell to maximize the effect.

A half-hour or so later, the tissues completely regenerated. It had taken a massive amount of energy. Even with his Exalted Human Mage level strength, Daneel stumbled back with exhaustion on seeing that the Raven was returning to normal.

All that remained was a surface wound.

[The Warrior level beast has enhanced levels of regeneration which do not correspond to its strength. For further information, please upgrade the system.]

This was the only information he got from the system.

Listening to this, Daneel realized that he truly needed to upgrade the system as soon as possible if he wanted to be in control of the things that were happening around him. Clearly, the complexity of peak Warrior level was no longer enough.

A smile came on Faxul's face on seeing that this old friend of his father's was fine. Immediately, he used the trinket given by Daneel to initiate a connection with it.

Watching this, Daneel frowned as he felt a suspicion that the old man's plan definitely wasn't so simple.

As someone who had full information of almost everything else, he surely must have known about the Raven's enhanced regeneration. After all, he had battled it and imprisoned it here.

Why would he opt to injure it in this way if he knew that it would survive?

Suddenly, seeing anguish on Faxul's face, he realized that something was wrong.

Indeed, the smile was gone, and in its place was now fear.

He had used his hand to plunge the small needle into the Raven's body before. Now, he repeated the same thing multiple times, as if it wasn't working.

"What's wrong?", asked Daneel, bewildered at his friend's actions.

After doing so for five more times, Faxul's hand finally collapsed by his side as he said, "It says… It can no longer connect with anyone. The old man's attack managed to critically injure the part of its body that is responsible for initiating the connection. Even though it healed itself, it says it cannot regenerate that part."

In response, the Raven also made a sad sound while a single tear slid out of its eye.

"Is this true?", Daneel asked the system.

[Although a detailed analysis of the anatomy of a Raven is required for a definite answer, based on the designs of the trinket that host has manufactured, there is a high possibility that a physical component of a Raven's body enables the connection in the first place. This is also the defining feature which separates the Ravens of the Black Raven Kingdom from normal ones which exist in the Angarian Continent.]

Before, Daneel had wondered what made these Ravens special. Now, he had gotten the answer.

Thinking for a bit, he asked Faxul, "So it cannot leave this place?"

Last time when they had come, the Raven had told Faxul that it needed to connect with someone if it wanted to leave.

Quite obviously, if it couldn't accomplish this, then it would be trapped here forever.

Seeing Faxul's nod, Daneel's brows furrowed as he realized that they were truly in a sticky situation.

This Raven was both the symbol of the Kingdom and also its protector. If they lost it in this way, the Black Raven Kingdom would be in ruins soon.

Rifling through all the abilities he had, Daneel tried to think of a way that he could remedy the situation.

As he did so, he hit upon something that he had just recently developed and not tested out yet.

After thinking for a bit more, he said to Faxul, "I have a way."

…

The next day, at noon.

The crowd that had come the day before to witness the connection ceremony had only grown in number to occupy all the streets of the Black Raven Kingdom. Even in the area outside, there was a sea of people who were spectating the ceremony via the display trinkets that had been deployed on the walls of the capital.

As was tradition, the connection ceremony would take place in the sky above the Royal Palace.

This was always the final step before someone ascended the throne. Hence, this location was chosen so that it would signify one's arrival into their role as soon as they got the acknowledgment of the Protector Raven.

At the exact time when the sun was highest in the sky, a figure appeared in the air above the Palace.

He did not have anyone beside him, so it meant that he was standing in the air using his own ability.

Those who weren't aware of the new King's mage prowess were shocked at this moment, gladdened by the fact that the one they had chosen was also so talented in the path of magic.

As the cheers started again with renewed energy, a loud squawk silenced them all.

It came from above, and everyone craned their necks trying to see just where exactly it was coming from.

Finally, a few managed to notice the enormous bird that had just broken through the clouds to appear in front of the people of the Black Raven Kingdom.

"All hail the Almighty Black Raven!"

As one, the people said these words and prayed as if the one descending was their deity itself.

Instead of the raucous cheers before, a solemn atmosphere came over the location as the Raven flew to Faxul.

Stopping in front of him, it started looking into his eyes.

An intense staring match ensued between them, as if each was trying to figure out the other.

The ones who had been present during the last time the ceremony happened and who were learned in the ways of the Kingdom explained to the others that this was when the Protector Raven analyzed the person to see where their true loyalty lay.

As everyone looked on with awe, Faxul hesitantly stretched his arm forward to lay it on the Raven which was the same size as him.

A tension diffused in the air as everyone saw the hand reach closer and closer to the Raven.

Finally, as the hand touched it, a resounding squawk emanated from its beak before it moved forward and nuzzled its head against Faxul's.

At this moment, a voice from the Palace reverberated throughout the capital.

"The connection ceremony has concluded. Our King has obtained the blessings of our Almighty Deity! All hail King Faxul Coronis, and may his reign bring glory to our Kingdom!"

"My King!"

"King Faxul!"

"Hail!"

Shouts like these thundered throughout the Kingdom, ushering in the era of new King.

Magically, a black crown made of some sort of glistening material appeared in the beak of the Protector Raven which it placed on Faxul's head.

As the cheers reached a new crescendo on seeing this sight, Faxul waved at them before descending into the Palace to take the throne.

Meanwhile, Daneel, who was also among the crowd watching everything, smiled wide as he saw his friend officially take the throne in front of all the people.

Yet, he couldn't help but think back to the decision he had made before in the place where the Protector Raven had been imprisoned.

"Status of the link?" he asked again for at least the tenth time since leaving that place.

[Human-beast link functioning successfully. Backdoor in place. Host can take control of the beast at any time he wishes.]

Chapter 285: Modified Link

[Modified Human-Beast link: A technique to create a link between a human and the beast. Strength and pre-requisites for formation of link vary depending on factors such as presence of blood derived from same ancestor. If there is no such matching blood, only a suggestive link can be formed between host and a beast on the same level as host.

Modifications:

1) Formation of link in the absence of the biological organ. This modification requires a higher presence of common blood to be established.

2) Installation of back door for control of beast: This modification requires the assent of the beast in question when the link is being formed.]

This was the spell used by Daneel to form a link between Faxul and the Protector Raven, which had led the two to connect and leave the prison together.

The modifications worked like a sliding scale. If one thing was altered, then another needed to be stronger to take its place.

In this case, the modification to not use the physical part of a beast's body required the person forming the link to have a higher presence of shared blood.

Thankfully, Faxul had been the perfect specimen to use this technique, as the true blood of the Black Raven which was inside him was much stronger than anyone else for some reason.

As for the back door, it was another afterthought of Daneel which he wished he would never have to use.

Although he trusted his friend highly, he would not have been able to sleep at night without being haunted by those he had killed using his carelessness if he did not place some countermeasure to ensure that this Kingdom would be under his control if the time came.

After all, as there was no oath between him and Faxul, he never knew what might happen. He needed some way with which he could control the Kingdom if worst came to worst.

Although he felt guilty at doing such a thing behind his friend's back, Daneel endured it and put it to the side, knowing that it was necessary.

Besides, there was one more thing which had driven him to take this decision.

There were too many variables and questions that he had in regards to everything that had happened that had led his friend to take the throne.

For example, what was this true blood and why was it present only in Faxul's family? What was special about them?

How had it helped his friend level up to become an Exalted Human Fighter in the midst of battle?

How had it allowed him to circumvent all the formations and teleport to the Ancestral Grounds?

Daneel hated not knowing. It almost felt as if he was in someone's spider web, and the feeling of being unaware of just who it belonged to irritated him to no end.

Of course, he did not voice his concerns to anyone as he would only cause panic.

With so many variables at play, it was only natural that he would be content only if he placed such drastic countermeasures in advanced.

[Achievement: Puppeteer 2- Grand Puppeteer obtained.

Grand Puppeteer: By placing a figure on the throne who will follow your commands and also placing countermeasures in case he doesn't, you have obtained control of another Kingdom. Congratulations on steadily progressing on the path towards World Domination!

30,000 EXP awarded.

30 Kingdom Points awarded.

Total EXP: 43,000

Total Kingdom Points: 50]

As this notification resounded in Daneel's mind, he raised his eyebrows with pleasant surprise.

If he remembered correctly, the first level of the same achievement which he had obtained when he placed Eldara on the throne of the Kingdom of the Elves had only given him 10,000 EXP and 10 Kingdom points. Those numbers had tripled now.

It was a good thing to know that subsequent awards would be multiplied instead of just being incremented by a little bit.

The upgrade of the system which cost 100,000 points did not seem so far away now at all.

Yet, the statement about him placing countermeasures in case Faxul didn't listen to his commands stung, making the guilt come back.

Realizing that he would have to live with it, he made his way back to the Palace.

…

Meanwhile, in the throne room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

Faxul, who had just entered and asked for some time alone, stared into the eyes of the enormous Black Raven statue that covered most of the room.

Just like the previous King had said, these eyes seemed to contain some sort of sentience that made him feel as if they were looking back at him.

Walking forward slowly, Faxul first looked everywhere and let all the memories which he had remembered on seeing the image of the throne room on the display trinket before flood through him.

The corner where he always used to hide when playing hide and seek with his father.

The place where he had stubbed his toe when running around while being chased by his grandfather.

The wall where he had tried to scratch his name but failed because it had been to sturdy.

Finally, he reached the seat where his father always sat, chuckling at his antics.

Looking at it for a few moments in silence, he slowly sat down and closed his eyes.

It felt… right. As if his entire life's purpose had been to achieve this moment, Faxul smiled as he reveled in the feeling of taking back something that was his.

Wait… taking back something that was his?

This actually puzzled him, as he had never thought of the throne as his. He had indeed aspired to ascend it, but this feeling of possessiveness hadn't been present in him before.

Wondering where this thought came from, he first suspected the entity but it had long been suppressed by the true blood in him.

Shrugging and putting it to the side, he called for the Council which was waiting outside.

After entering the room, the same old woman first handed him another parchment without saying anything.

Going through it, he received his first shock as the King.

"How can the Treasury be empty?!", He asked, shocked at this finding.

Shaking her head, the old woman said, "The previous King spent everything in order to search for Ker Gems. To my knowledge, he also used funds meant for serving specific needs of the people. Hence, there is also an uncounted deficit in the money that is used for running the Kingdom."

Damn that old man.

This thought crossed across Faxul's mind again, before he sighed and considered about what to do.

The Black Raven Kingdom was truly in a dire situation. They needed to buy the resources to make the connection trinkets. Also, they needed to increase the funding for the Army so that those who had perished in the Lanthanor Kingdom could be replaced.

Their army was severely hurt, but the reserve forces would be enough, for now, to defend themselves in case someone chose to attack. Of course, invading by their own was out of the question.

"What other pressing issues are there?", he asked, deciding to listen to all the bad news at once.

"My King, a part of the ancestral grounds have been ravaged due to the plants grown there by the previous King. Unless something is done to get that land back to normal, the rearing of ravens which has already decreased in the past few decades will go down even further. Right now, there are enough Ravens for each citizen of the Kingdom. In the near future, this might not be so. Finally, although the complaints haven't been very loud yet, the tax rate is very high right now. It must be decreased if we want to put dissent at a minimum."

At this moment, Faxul felt as if he had taken the throne of a broken Kingdom.

Their coffers were empty, they might no longer be able to grow the ravens which were their trademark and they were at risk of being invaded by any Kingdom who might wish to make use of their plight.

He was at a loss about what to do. So far, all he had needed to worry about was his own power. Now, with the responsibility of millions of people on his shoulders, Faxul felt so weighed down that his mind started to go blank.

Quickly, he turned to the one person he trusted who had experience in dealing with these things.

Touching the communication trinket discreetly and sending this information under the guise of thinking deeply, Faxul waited for a response.

Finally, after a few seconds, Daneel sent his reply.

"Have you considered taking a loan in the Bank of Angaria?",

If he listened to himself at this moment, Daneel would definitely have been reminded of the irritating people on Earth who repeatedly berated anyone and everyone to take a loan no matter if they needed it or not.

Chapter 286: The Hidden Kill Sec

To the south-east of Lanthanor, there stood a unique mountain which was known to all as the place one could go to if they wished for death.

Standing at 8000 m tall, it came very close to the height of the tallest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest.

Due to the cloud cover, its peaks were perpetually hidden from those on land.

There was only one way in and one way out, and those that tried to get to the peak through any other way would find multiple locations were dead bodies lay as a warning to stay away.

If one walked on the correct path and reached the spot beyond the clouds, they would come upon the beautiful sight of multiple stone buildings artistically built on the sides of the mountain.

In a building at the very top, a figure bent over by age stood, looking out into the distance.

In his hand, he held a trinket which was connected to the Network of Angaria.

"Praise be to King Faxul Coronis! A new era has begun for the Black Raven Kingdom under his rule. The people have taken to the streets to express their joy, and the King has affixed his place in their hearts by decreasing the atrocious tax levied by the previous King. It is a happy day for the Black Raven Kingdom which has been shrouded under a cloud of depression for the past few weeks."

Hearing a knock on his door, the figure turned around and waved his hand, removing the formation on the door and letting it open.

In walked a figure whom Daneel would have recognized as the Envoy who had come to the Kingdom of Lanthanor after he had taken the throne.

Bowing deeply, Skrrag said, "Leader, the signs are all there. The eye of the formation will open soon. Must I contact the Lanthanor Kingdom?"

Hearing these words, the figure turned around again to the window through which he had been looking at till now.

He was similar to Skkrag in the feature that his entire body was covered by scales, with two slits for his nostrils. Yet, the scales were of a different color and they shone with a luster when the rays of the sun fell on them.

The signs of age were visible in his bent back and his eyes which seemed to have seen decades and decades of time. As he spoke, his voice possessed a dignity and authority that made Skkrag stand up straight with respect.

"How was the training? How have the seeds of the Lanthanor Kingdom fared so far?"

"They have exceeded expectations, but only a few of them have the talent required to become assassins who have true value. It has to be commended that there is not one who gave up no matter what we threw at them. The King of Lanthanor will have no cause to complain that we haven't upheld our end of the deal."

Indeed, the ones he was talking about were those from the Lanthanor Kingdom who had been sent to the Hidden Kill Sect for training.

And this area, was the headquarters of the Sect which was feared by all as a force that one should not offend if they did not want a knife in the dark to take their life.

Months ago, in his interaction with the king, he had obtained a promise that the man who stood behind King Daneel who was an expert in formations would help the Hidden Kill Sect obtain control of theirs so that they could extract the treasures stored within for the welfare of the sect.

The time had now come for the opportunity again.

Every one hundred years, the Basilisk Heart Formation which lay underneath the Hidden Kill Sect would expose its root for one hour of time. Inside were the founding treasures of the sect which had been placed there to be safeguarded in case the sect got destroyed.

With time, the general level and power of the Sect had degraded, leaving them with no other option but to obtain these treasures if they wanted to rise again.

With no other option, the sect had decided to give up one item to enlist the help of the man who stood behind Daneel. Given the choice between obtaining nothing and almost everything, they had chosen the latter.

Hearing these words, the hunched over figure nodded and said, "Good. There is still a month until the auspicious time. Send a message, but word it as politely as possible. You never know what kind of ego those experts might have."

After Skkrag nodded and left the room, the figure continued looking out over Angaria, as if he could gaze into its very depths and uncover all the secrets that this land hid.

…

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

With a beaming smile on her face, Eloise walked through the corridors of the Palace while humming to herself.

Reaching the King's Chambers, she became a bit disappointed on seeing that the door was still closed, indicating that the King was still in closed-door meditation.

Although she had very happy news, right now, she had no option but to keep it to yourself.

While walking back to her room, she thought about the meeting she had had with Helena and Dalia a month or so back.

Their opening statement itself had been shocking-the duo had actually wanted to take out an additional loan of 20,000 Gold Lans.

Only after listening to them did Eloise understand that they had truly struck gold.

After hearing that someone so famous was willing to take the embroidery guilds under her wing and sell their goods under her name after ensuring quality, almost all of the guilds in the Kingdom had rallied behind her.

The problem had been that they were situated all around the capital and even the Kingdom, so there was no way for Helena to supervise them all.

Also, after finding out that there would soon be a massive supply of goods from Helena, orders had started to pour in like a flood.

This had frankly shocked the two, who hadn't expected there to be such tsunami of events due to that one decision to accept the offer of the old woman who was the head of one of the embroidery organizations in the capital.

Now, the money was needed to establish a large place on the outskirts of the capital where all of those interested could work at the same place.

Also, they needed a lot of liquid money to buy all the trinkets and materials needed.

The King hadn't been available at the time, and Eloise had taken the personal decision to sanction the loan because she had the power to do so.

She had wanted to tell the King afterward, but she had decided to surprise him when he came back. After all, she still fondly remembered the time when he had praised her by grasping her shoulders.

Sadly, he hadn't come out since then.

Still, with the passing of time, there was only more happy news to share. The first loan given by the Bank of Angaria had been repaid by this family before they took the larger one, making it so that they had their first milestone.

As for the others, most of them were also steadily paying back their loans because of the care taken before to choose those who were truly passionate about their work.

All in all, the King's scheme with the Bank of Angaria was proceeding smoothly, and it would soon be time to expand it so that it could scale up to be worthy of its ambitious name.

On the way, she chanced upon two beautiful ladies whom she had never seen before.

As someone who had grown up in the Palace and knew everything about its ins and outs, she was puzzled to see someone new.

Besides, both of them had such perfect skin and beautiful features that she wondered about their origins.

Because her eyes had been transfixed on them, she hadn't noticed that Kellor was actually guiding them forward.

On seeing her, he said, "Oh, Eloise! Meet Sister Xuan and Molan. They are two new guests who will be staying at the Palace on the King's orders. He has contacted me personally to give them the best rooms here. Do you want to lead them to the rooms assigned?"

"Who is she?"

Answering Sister Xuan's question, Kellor said, "She's Eloise, the right-hand woman of the king. She heads his most ambitious projects, and the King often praises her for her efficient work. Here is the parchment with the rooms assigned."

Holding out the parchment, Kellor became puzzled as he saw the two women looking into each other's eyes.

A tension formed in the air, which he didn't feel because he had no experience with women.

Eloise was startled that the King had personally given lodging to an unknown woman, whereas Sister Xuan somehow felt hostility towards this woman after finding out that she worked so closely with the King.

As both of them continued to stare at each other, Kellor handed the parchment to Molan, who was similarly not understanding what was going on, and left to attend to his duties.

Chapter 287: Acciden

As a servant turned into the corridor from which Kellor had just left, he was shocked to find that this location was much hotter than where he had come from.

Walking forward with astonishment to find out the reason for this strange phenomena, he chanced upon the scene of two women staring at each other without blinking their eyes.

A third woman, who was holding a piece of parchment in her eyes, was looking at each of them with a confused expression on her face.

The temperature was already boiling, and it only proceeded to get hotter as he walked forward. After walking within 20 steps of them, he finally couldn't take it anymore and stepped back.

Yet, he had managed to see that he knew one of the women. She was actually Eloise, a normal human just like him.

If he couldn't endure the temperature this far away, then how was she standing so close to the source without flinching?!

Indeed, Eloise's skin was burning, but she refused to break eye contact with this woman from whom she sensed a tangible threat.

She had no idea that she herself was in possession of such strong willpower.

All she knew was that looking away first would be a sign of weakness.

Meanwhile, Sister Xuan was also questioning herself as to just why she had become so…unsettled on hearing that this was someone who worked closely for the man whom she had just met.

As someone who had grown up in with a traumatic childhood, she had been sheltered and pampered ever since. Yet, her interactions were limited for the most part to Molan and the Matron.

As for the others who tried to interact with her, she always only felt aversion as she felt that they never truly understood her. After all, very few would know the feeling of growing up as someone associated with evil.

Yet, when she had seen the history of this King, she had managed to draw a parallel. He had grown up without any friends, marginalized from society because of the brand that was placed on his family. Yet, he had struggled by himself and changed his own fate along with that of so many others'.

She had thought that she only felt admiration at this achievement, yet now, she wondered if it was something else.

"SISTER XUAN!"

The scream from Molan woke her up from her thoughts. As the elementary particles that had been unconsciously controlled by her Mageroot went back to normal, the temperature at their location started to drop.

Molan had been right beside her, so she had been startled by the shout and turned around. Now, as she turned back to look at the woman, she saw an accomplished smile on her face as if she had won something.

She, the most talented individual of one of the Big 4 had actually….lost?

As this thought came into her mind, she saw the triumphant eyes of the woman lose focus as she collapsed into her arms.

Bewildered, she touched the woman's skin to find out that it was actually blistering hot. Even her breathing was growing unsteady, and it looked like she would lose her life soon.

"I shouted after noticing that she was being affected. She's clearly just a normal human."

As Molan bent down beside her and said these words, Sister Xuan nodded before making a chain appear on her chest.

At the place where the pendant was supposed to be, there was a heart-shaped glass vial which she unstoppered without any hesitation.

"But Sister, the Matron gave you that to use it in dire situations! Forgive me if I'm being insensitive, but we can't was-"

"It is not a waste, Molan. If this woman dies because I wasn't able to control my emotions, I will never be able to live with myself. Besides, she did nothing wrong. Unlike what others in the Big 4 may think, we have no right to go where we wish and kill whomever we want. Now, step aside."

Hearing the strong tone of Sister Xuan, Molan hesitantly nodded before standing and moving away.

After she did so, Sister Xuan carefully extracted a drop of the golden liquid that was present inside and fed it into Eloise's mouth.

A human body was simply incapable of handling a sudden change in temperature. Her breathing which had been shallow had slowly been becoming even slower. Even if Sister Xuan cast a recovery spell, it wouldn't have been enough to save her life.

Instead, it would only have wasted precious time.

Taking a deep breath, she watched as the golden drop slid into Eloise's mouth from her lips.

"Haaaaah!"

With a loud gasp, her eyes flew open as she started to breathe rapidly. Her skin glowed a faint golden color, and a transformation seemed to be occurring under her skin.

Raising her with a levitation spell, Sister Xuan said to Molan, "Let's get to our room. She needs proper care. Can you decipher the way?"

As Molan nodded, Sister Xuan glanced at Eloise to make sure that she was doing all right before walking forward.

Never had she expected that she would end up using a sect-saving treasure to save a mortal with no potential.

And never had she expected that something so silly would be the reason behind this situation occurring in the first place.

Wondering about how she would explain this to King Daneel who was currently still in the Black Raven Kingdom, she followed Molan while her brows furrowed with an expression of deep concentration.

...

Meanwhile, in the Black Raven Kingdom.

Daneel, disguised as Master Novrain, was currently standing looking out of a window while holding a communication trinket in his hand.

Through it, he was receiving the news from the various spies that Lanthanor had placed around the continent.

Throughout the history of Angaria, no matter which Kingdom tried to annex the forces of the Central Continent to form an Empire, they would be ruined without any doubt.

Either by internal struggle or due to the other forces ganging up on them, they would be destroyed and their assets would be swallowed up by the other forces.

Hence, for centuries, none of the forces had even tried to ally too strongly with another with the fear that it might be a step towards their doom.

Right now, Daneel was in a very precarious situation.

It was known to everyone in the continent that he was the closest friend of Faxul, who had just ascended the throne of the Black Raven Kingdom. Although he had said that he had severed ties with Daneel, there was no way that anyone would believe that.

Just as he had thought, none of the forces had believed it even for a second.

Yet, what was puzzling was that none of them had taken any decisions to curb the possibility of the Black Raven Kingdom and the Lanthanor Kingdom uniting.

After all, it was quite possible that everything was a plan by Daneel to obtain control of both Kingdoms(which was actually true). This meant that such a target would be ripe for picking if the others all united together to attack them.

Of course, this was already out of the question because Eldinor was also in his hands. Still, Daneel had no intention of leaving everything to luck.

Hence, he had kept his eyes peeled for information about the other forces reaction.

If they really did have hostile intentions, the only option he had was to stage some sort of falling out between them.

Yet, to make it believable, many sacrifices might have to be made which Daneel did not wish to do if there was any other way.

Now, seeing that the reaction was much lesser than he had imagined, he realized that it might be because the information of the Church's incoming attack might be known at least by the rulers.

Of course, if there was a possibility of being raided by a large organization soon, then no force would choose to wound their own strength by going to war.

Hence, Daneel found that he was in possession of an unprecedented opportunity. One where he might be able to accomplish something that hadn't been seen in centuries.

He needed to increase the Kingdom Statistics and obtain EXP as quickly as possible. And for this, he needed development.

The best sort of development came from collaboration. If everyone knew that they were united anyway, why not make it public and take the chance that the others might stay subdued?

After all, if he stayed as a puppeteer behind the scenes, there were only a few ways in which he could hasten Lanthanor's development.

Hence, walking back to his bed, he sat down before starting to think about how he could make this happen.

The two Kingdoms had to unite, but there had to be no hostilities between the people. So, the fact that the soldiers of the Black Raven Kingdom had died on Lanthanor's soil had to be resolved somehow.

As an idea came into Daneel's mind, his face lighted up into a brilliant smile as he quickly made his way to Faxul's chamber.

Chapter 288: Sect Preserving Treasure

A half-hour later, Daneel strode out of Faxul's chambers with a wide smile on his face.

His next stop was Elanev's room, where he asked his big brother to pack up and get ready to leave. Although Elanev knew that they would be returning to Lanthanor soon, he had thought that they would stay for a little while in case Faxul needed them for something.

Yet, seeing the happy smile on Daneel's face, he knew that something was afoot. Of course, no matter how much he asked, Daneel didn't say anything and only smirked, saying that he would find out soon.

Grumbling, Elanev got ready to leave and followed Daneel as they left the palace. It seemed that Faxul had already sent the order to not stop them, as they met no resistance on their way outside.

After reaching an empty alleyway outside, Daneel grasped Elanev's shoulders before teleporting them both away.

A few minutes later, Elanev grinned widely due to the feeling of being back home.

After multiple teleportations, they had just reached the palace gates where Kellor was waiting for them.

Just as he was about to walk forward and hug Kellor, he saw the troubled expression on his face which indicated that something was wrong.

Daneel also noticed this, and as he asked Kellor what had happened through the oath stone, his smile was wiped away from his face and rage replaced it.

Eloise had actually been hurt by Sister Xuan?!

Since coming to this world, Daneel had done everything he could and worked so hard because of his dream to make a world where he would never have to worry about the ones he cared about being hurt.

Although he did care for all the people of Angaria, the actual individuals who were truly a part of his life were few.

If they were touched, it was akin to touching his reverse scale which would infuriate him so much that he would be prepared to do anything that was necessary in order to take revenge for them.

This circle of people was small. Until recently, it had only comprised of his parents, Elanev, Kellor, and Faxul along with a few others.

It was only now when he heard the news about Eloise getting hurt did he realize that she had also been added into this circle.

Always dedicated with the intent of helping him reach his goals without caring about how much ever work she had to put in, Eloise had truly impressed him and made her place in his heart.

The fact that those who had hurt her were actually the guests whom he had allowed into the Palace angered him even more.

It no longer mattered whether they were backed by the Big Four. If anything happened to her, he knew that he wouldn't hesitate to use everything he could to take them down.

As thoughts like these swirled through his head, he commanded the system to keep the Dragon claws at the ready while quickly walking to the room where she was.

Of course, he did not need any instructions as the system was in full control of everything inside the Palace.

Although he had the option of asking it about her condition, he did not do so as he wished to find out himself with his own eyes.

BANG

As the door of one of the rooms near his chambers opened explosively with his kick, the two women standing inside turned around with shock.

Seeing Daneel who looked like he was ready to destroy everything in his path, Sister Xuan's face went white as she stuttered for the first time in her life.

As for Molan, she was similarly silenced due to the sheer rage that she saw in the King's eyes.

Although he was tempted to deploy the Dragon claws right now to trap them, he resisted the urge and looked at the bed where a woman was sleeping peacefully.

Reaching the bed, he rudely shoved Sister Xuan to the side by her shoulder before holding Eloise's arm and feeling her pulse.

"Analyse her body and tell me what's wrong with her."

A few seconds later, hearing the system's answer, the anger on his face disappeared and shock replaced it.

[Metamorphosis state detected. The person examined has ingested an ultra high-grade energy source. Unable to identify the energy. Properties: mild, constitution building. Data added to system's database about an ultra high-grade energy sources which can also act in this way. The energy is rebuilding the person's body into one with highest potential both as a Mage and Fighter.]

Metamorphosis?!

Such a thing was actually possible?

It was almost as if Daneel was rediscovering the continent he had thought he knew, both by seeing Faxul become an exalted human Fighter in seconds and now seeing Eloise turn from a normal human into someone like him who had talent that was almost unprecedented in the history of the Central Continent.

A cold voice beside him answered the question in his mind.

"I have used a sect preserving treasure to save her life. Because she is only a normal human, the treasure is also changing her body and giving her top potential in both the paths of Fighters and Mages. Hence, it can actually be considered as a stroke of luck for her. I apologize for losing control of my emotions. It is what led to this situation in the first place. I'm ready to bear any punishment, and I'm truly sorry for hurting someone so close to you. Just because I didn't mean to, doesn't mean I'm not responsible."

"Sister Xuan! Punishment?! How can this ANT be WORTHY of-"

"QUIET, Molan! It is only right to pay for one's actions. Stay quiet."

Grumbling under her breath, Molan did not control the indignant expression on her face while looking at Daneel.

Meanwhile, Daneel finally calmed down from the emotions that had consumed him till now.

The last time such emotions had taken control of him, he had made the resolution to topple the King, and had actually ended up doing so.

Now, if something really had happened to Eloise, he wondered if he really wouldn't have hesitated to bring down the wrath of one of the Big Four on his Kingdom just to take revenge.

Of course, it was useless to think along these lines now, but Daneel knew the answer.

Putting it aside for now, he first turned around to Sister Xuan and said, "I apologize for acting rudely just now. Anger had consumed me. Please understand that I value nothing more than those who I'm close to. It is this love that has enabled me to achieve everything I have so far. Can you please tell me what exactly happened?"

Sister Xuan, who had been looking down till now with a guilty expression on her face, actually blushed as she heard this question.

There was no way that she was going to admit that she had lost control of her emotions because she felt… jealous.

As she was scrambling for words to answer the question, Molan, who had been ordered to stay quiet, answered.

"This woman got into a staring match with Sister Xuan. The air heated up because Sister Xuan got a little angry at being challenged by a normal human while being one of the youngest Warrior level Mages in the continent. The heat caused her to collapse, but Sister Xuan did not hesitate to use the sect preserving treasure which is definitely worth more than your entire Kingdom put together to save her. That's what happened."

Ignoring the glare from Sister Xuan, Molan answered like so and humphed before looking to the side.

Seeing the actions of the two, Daneel realized that there was definitely something else that he was not being told. Yet, there was no meaning in pressing for an answer.

As for the fact that this young woman in front of him who did not look a day over 20 was a Warrior level Mage, he added it to the list of things that had shocked him today, along with the statement that whatever she had used to heal Eloise was worth more than Lanthanor itself.

Thinking for a bit, he smiled at Sister Xuan, startling her.

"I sincerely thank Sister Xuan for saving my friend's life instead of just leaving, which is definitely something you were capable of. There is no talk of punishment needed, as you really have changed Eloise's future completely. I have something pressing to attend to right now, so please excuse me. I will come back later, and we can talk further then."

Saying so, Daneel nodded at both of them before taking one last look at Eloise who actually seemed to be glowing.

Feeling happy for her, he turned around and strode out of the room.

From Sister Xuan's expression and her words, he had understood that she truly hadn't done it on purpose. Knowing when to take a step back and when to advance, he had acted in this way after deciding to dig deeper into the matter later on.

But, for now, it was time to initiate the plan which he had discussed with Faxul to unite the Black Raven Kingdom and Lanthanor.

Chapter 289: The Raven's Perch

Four days later.

"Mark my words, this King is going to take our Kingdom to new heights! I saw his father myself… Never before had I seen someone so passionate about our lives but still holding so much power as the strongest Fighter in the Kingdom! Even though his son is still a long way from having that tag, he is the best fighter at his level! I mean, did you see the way he beat that selfish prick who sent my dear Jahain to death? May the Almighty Black Raven tear that man to pieces repeatedly in his afterlife…"

Her words devolving into sobs on remembering her son who had enlisted in the Army and died due to the selfish actions of the previous King, Mohara's head drooped as she did not want her friends to see her cry again.

The two other women in the small house who had come to console their friend patted her on the back.

Controlling herself after a few seconds, she continued to speak.

"Anyway, I pray daily to our Almighty Deity that he takes care of our young King and keeps him safe. As for Jahain, I know that he died doing something he loved, even if it was on the orders of such a vile man."

"Mohara, don't you blame that Lanthanor Kingdom who were actually the ones that killed your son?"

This question was asked by the woman sitting on the left, who was known as the gossip queen of the village.

Even though there were only 100 people, she somehow managed to find so many stories and things to talk about to keep herself occupied throughout the day.

As the other woman glared at her for asking the question, Mohara said, "Oh, I curse them too, but like the Mayor said, even we would kill someone if they came onto our land and tried to rob something that was ours. That's why I blame that bastard the most. If he hadn't been so selfish, those soldiers wouldn't have had to die at all! Still, I really wish that I could see his face or even hold his body one last time… I miss him so much. I don't even have anything to remember him by…Madar, what are you doing there?"

The man who was standing at the open door with eyes open wide was the husband of the other woman who had glared at the first for asking the sensitive question.

In his hands, he was holding one of those trinkets which were coveted in the village for being the prime source of entertainment and news.

"Mohara, it seems… The Almighty Deity has listened to your prayer. Listen to this."

Handing the trinket over, the man smiled as he saw the tears fall again from Mohara's eyes after a few seconds.

Yet, he knew that these were tears of happiness instead of those caused by the pain of loss like before.

Immediately getting up with a vigor that didn't match her age, Mohara ran to one corner of the house to find a rucksack into which she started to dump all sorts of things.

Seeing her actions, the two women who hadn't yet managed to hear whatever it was on the network that had caused her to act like so were puzzled.

Unable to control herself, the gossip queen asked, "Mohara, are you going somewhere?"

Without answering, Mohara continued to pack a lot of stuff before determinedly walking to the door.

Just before leaving, she seemed to remember that she had been asked a question.

Turning around, she said, "I'm going to see my son," before walking away to find the Mayor to ask him when the next goods caravan would come so that she could hitch a ride to the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Similar scenes could be seen all over the Black Raven Kingdom where the families of those that had passed away in the Lanthanor Kingdom packed their bags and started to make a move towards the border.

All of this was due to one shocking news that reverberated throughout the entire continent.

"Unprecedented!"

"The most compassionate king in the world!"

"Lanthanor will forever be remembered for this!"

These were the comments that accompanied this announcement, which was actually in the voice of the King of Lanthanor himself.

"This is a message to all the families of the Black Raven Kingdom who lost their sons and daughters on my soil. First of all, I am truly saddened that so many precious lives had to be taken away due to the selfish actions of a truly deplorable man. As you may have seen in the display trinket, I truly had no choice.

You might not know this, but unlike all of the previous Kings of Lanthanor, I hail from a common military family and I have grown up seeing so many mothers and fathers who became broken because of losing their children. Hence, I know very well what all of you are feeling. This has led me to take a decision which many have counseled me against. They said that it would be an empty gesture, and that it would go unappreciated by the Kingdom with which we've had hostilities for a long time despite the brief period of alliance that has passed recently. They told me that it was a waste that would severely impact Lanthanor's economic growth. Except for calling me a fool, they said everything.

This did nothing to change my decision. So, I'm here to announce it to you all.

The land on which the brave soldiers of the Black Raven Kingdom have perished is hereby labeled as 'The Raven's Perch'. Their sacrifice which led to a new era must not be forgotten. A memento has been erected there, and each and every soldier has also been buried with full respect and tombs have been erected in their names. I invite all of their families to come over to my Kingdom to reunite with their family. We have also set up lodging for all those who come to visit, and you're welcome to stay as long as you wish. Lanthanor congratulates the Black Raven Kingdom and its new king, King Faxul Coronis, on his ascension to the throne. May his rise truly herald in a new age of peace and joy."

Said in an honest tone which resonated with the pain in the hearts of the families of those of the Black Raven Kingdom who were mourning for their loss, this message was repeated multiple times throughout the day until the entire kingdom was abuzz with the news.

It seemed that this had appeased the pride of the people of the Black Raven Kingdom, as they truly felt awed by such an action which was so thoughtful.

It really was something that had never been seen on the continent before.

After all, to build tombs for so many soldiers, a large piece of land was definitely needed. It was also known that the location of the soldier's deaths was where the most fertile land of the Kingdom was present.

Giving up that land forever really would mean a dip in the economic growth of the kingdom itself, but the King actually hadn't cared about this and gone ahead.

As public opinion slowly started to change, an emergency meeting was called in the Palace of the Black Raven Kingdom immediately after this news became known.

"Did you know about this before, Your Majesty?"

Being asked this question by one of the men in the Council, Faxul smiled before answering, "Yes. He only told me after he made the decision. Have you had any ideas about how we will dig out way out of the pit that the previous King has thrust us into?"

This made the man who had been angrily about to retort stammer, as he really had no answer to give.

Faxul had already given the responsibility to all those in the higher echelons of the government to make plans about how to address the huge deficit in funds that the Kingdom was currently facing.

So far, not one viable plan had been formed yet. Although some did have chances of success, they either sacrificed one thing or the other or risked too many things.

"I thought so. Along with this gesture, the King of Lanthanor has proposed something else to me. I do not want any of you to think that he's doing these things because he was my friend. Both of us know clearly that such a relationship cannot exist between two rulers of two different sovereign kingdoms. This is merely a business deal, which will result in the development of both Kingdoms. Have you heard of this little thing he started called the Bank of Angaria?"

Chapter 290: Unification

Standing in the air above the spot where the construction was coming to a close, Daneel, Kellor, Luther, and Elanev looked out over the vast land where many tombs were placed.

In the center, there was a statue of a Raven with its wings aloft, as if it was going to take off and fly away into the starry heavens.

Daneel had a contemplative expression on his face, still thinking about the events surrounding Eloise and Sister Xuan. Eloise was still sleeping, because the metamorphosis would apparently take a long time to remold the core structure of her body.

He hadn't gotten a chance to talk further to Sister Xuan, as he had been busy setting everything into place for the plan to unite the Kingdoms.

What almost no one knew was that the graves only had a few bones inside them. The flesh and blood of the soldiers had already been used by Daneel to rejuvenate the land that had been affected by the Echer seeds. This was what had occupied him for so long that he had been unable to find any time to do anything else.

Kellor, who had helped him in the process, knew about it, but he hadn't chosen to ask. Yet, Daneel could see the questions in his eyes.

"My King, I cannot help but ask again. Why? It really will hamper our economic growth. The loss of these 10 acres could mean a large dent when it is considered that the land will not be able to be used for a long time, maybe even forever."

As this question interrupted his thoughts, Daneel smiled before answering.

"Kellor, tell me. If you had the choice between losing a tract of land and hastening the development of our entire Kingdom, tell me, what would you choose?"

"The latter, My King, but I do not understand how our development will be hastened. Trade happens anyway between the two Kingdoms, so what will change?"

"Everything, my dear Kellor. You say trade happens anyway. Tell me something. Who are the ones that do the trading?"

"Why, traders, of course. They buy goods from our Kingdom and transport them to others to sell them."

"And how do these traders make a living?"

"By selling for more than they buy."

"Exactly. Then they must be rolling in money, right? Trade should be the most profitable business on the continent! Why is that not so?"

This question from Daneel made Kellor ponder, and an expression of realization came on his face as he slowly told the answer. Even the other two beside them were also following the conversation with rapt attention in order to find out the motivation behind the King's actions.

"Because….supply and demand aren't assured. Maybe they won't be able to sell something for a higher price. And they also need to hire mercenaries as guards to defend their caravans in the route between Kingdoms, which is filled with thieves…"

"Good. That's why trade is both the riskiest and the most profitable job at the same time. Now imagine that there was a strong agreement between the two Kingdoms to have a mutually guarded route to transport goods in. Even the prices can be regulated with constant communication and the traders will never have to worry about fluctuating prices. What will happen then?"

"It will be just like you said, My King. The traders will be rolling in money. But that doesn't help to develop our Kingdom."

Chuckling, Daneel answered, "My dear Kellor, if trade is so safe, why would the common people even choose to sell their goods to traders? They can just go sell themselves! They would obtain much more money, which they will invest back in Lanthanor, which will end up benefiting us. We will collect more money from taxes, and we can use this money for the welfare of the citizens to hasten development. Now, do you understand? Sometimes, it's not just about what you lose at the moment. It's fine to lose, if you have a plan to gain so much more due the loss in the future."

As Daneel expounded on his plan in this way, he actually felt a little guilty as he was showing it off as his own creation.

Of course, it was inspired from his experiences on Earth.

Development was something that required stability in prices and trade routes. This had been something that was understood since antiquity on Earth, where trade routes like the "The Silk Road" had been instrumental in hastening the development of nations. Even in present-day Earth, the existence of councils and organizations that facilitated smooth trading was one of the main reasons behind the boom in development in the 20th and 21st centuries.

As all three people behind him analyzed everything he said and thought on the matter while more impressed than ever at Daneel's astuteness, the King was thinking about his other motive.

The unification of Angaria.

If he gave that reason right now, the others would be so shocked as to directly fall off the barrier they were standing on.

The three forces that were left in the Central Continent were the Hidden Kill Sect, the Kingdom of Arafell and Axelor.

He had already received a very carefully worded letter reminding him of the deal he had made with the Hidden Kill Sect, where his 'master' would go to assist them in extracting the treasures of their core formation.

The Hidden Kill Sect was unique in the fact that it ranked among the top in the continent even though it did not control a Kingdom of any sort. Its power came mainly from its ability to essentially cripple any force if it wished.

Hence, right now, it was the top priority for Daneel. If he could find some way to take control of it, he would have both manpower and a powerful deterring force that would make any Kingdom think twice before deciding to go up against him.

One thing he had understood from the conversation with the Matron was that the Big 4 did not usually intervene in the matters of the Central Continent. Of course, this definitely did not apply to all of them as one of the Big 4 definitely supported Axelor and sought to conquer the Central Continent using it.

According to the letter, he still had one month to go before he had to make his way to the Sect. Although Daneel really wished that he could upgrade the system before he went, he doubted if this would be possible as even upping the satisfaction level would only net him 20,000 EXP.

But by reaching that level, he looked forward most to unlocking the secrets of the Empire Spirit. It had been on the back of his mind for a long time, and he was really looking forward to finally finding out just what that haughty Spirit was hiding.

"Daneel. It's done. I've spoken to them about the loan, and they agreed even though they still suspect that we two are in on everything together. Should we be worried?"

"No. Let them think so; the entire continent does, anyway. We just happen to have perfect timing. Ask your spies to keep a close eye on the other Kingdoms. As for the matter of the trinkets, I will be supplying them myself. Arrange a meeting at your Palace where we can talk about the finer details."

Tied together in debt and trade. This was the perfect way to begin the unification of two Kingdoms which had been estranged for a long time.

"Let's go. They have agreed to the proposal about the loan. It's time to expand the Bank of Angaria. Oh, and send all information we have about the Hidden Kill Sect to me."

Just as Daneel was about to teleport away to the Palace so that he could visit Eloise, he saw something in Luther's eyes which made him pause.

When he had said the words "Hidden Kill Sect", this man with an enigmatic past had shown more emotion than Daneel had ever seen.

Daneel hadn't spoken much with Luther and the other commanders recently, what with him being away for so long handling the matters of the Black Raven Kingdom.

Now that he was back, he had resolved to consult them more and also find ways to increase their power.

Of all of three of them, Luther was definitely the one with the most experience and power. The former was due to his steady character, while the latter was due to the fact that he was the only one who felt like he would still pose a threat to Daneel.

Commanding him to come to his chambers using the oathstone, he wondered whether he had any connection with one of the scariest forces on the continent.

Chapter 291: Arafell

After reaching the Palace, Daneel first checked with the system whether Eloise was all right. On ensuring that nothing untoward had happened, he reached his chambers before waiting for Luther who had been teleported over by Kellor.

After the man entered, Daneel said "Sit," and poured them both a glass of wine.

Sipping the wine, he was reminded of his plan with the wine suppliers about the government being the one which would do the imports.

Although it hadn't been implemented yet, he had high hopes of adding it to one of the benefits one would get when one availed the services of the Bank of Angaria.

In this matter, Daneel was eager to use the model from Earth where organizations would give multiple perks to customers in order to entice them to use their service. Because he was offering a unique proposition, such things would also push people towards taking the chance and trusting the Bank.

Putting aside the matter for now, Daneel noticed that the usual calm that he had always noticed in Luther had been disturbed for some reason.

The man was also known to have one of the best strategic minds in the Kingdom, so it was only natural that he must have guessed that Daneel had seen the emotions in his eyes when the Hidden Kill Sect had been mentioned.

After taking a sip, Luther spoke without allowing the King to voice his question.

"Your Majesty, I have a - history with the Hidden Kill Sect. I cannot tell you about it, and I hope you understand why. If you still decide to order me to answer using the oath I have sworn to you, then I will have no choice but to die."

Hearing these words spoken in a tone as cold as ice, Daneel was bewildered.

Luther was actually the commander whom he trusted most to carry out whatever he ordered. He did not know whether it was due to the steadiness of his character or the resourcefulness that he had displayed, but Daneel knew that here was a fiercely loyal man who would do anything to fulfill his orders.

Yet, he had chosen to speak like so?

Thinking for a bit, Daneel realized something and asked, "Is it because you have sworn an oath not to divulge any details about your association with them?"

Without answering, Luther just took another sip from the wine.

The response was quite clear in his eyes, and Daneel understood that he had guessed right.

This was truly a sticky situation.

"Would the information you have allow me to take control of the Hidden Kill Sect?", he asked.

As he did so, he realized again the shortcomings of the oath. Although Luther was clearly forbidden from speaking about whatever he was asking, he could still give the answer through his expression.

This was because the oath only controlled the conscious actions of a person. Here, Luther was letting the emotions show in his eyes unconsciously. Even though he controlled them after due to the compulsion from the oath, it did not stop Daneel from noticing them and gleaning what he wanted.

Right now, in Luther's eyes, he could see slight shock and also a slight regret.

Pondering on them, Daneel realized that he could extract the answer by deriving the reasons behind them.

The shock must be because of him voicing his intention to take over the Hidden Kill Sect. He had never spoken about such things before, so his ambition was definitely something that would startle a commander.

As for the regret, it was very possible that it was due to the fact that he did have such information, but he regretted not being able to speak about it and help the King.

Although there were other explanations, Daneel discarded them as this one seemed to fit the most.

Going with his instincts, he took it as a "yes" and said, "I understand. Leave."

Hearing this, Luther looked at him a bit longer before standing up, bowing and leaving the room.

As he was doing so, Daneel realized that the usual strength that he had always seen in the man's broad shoulders had been crippled in some way. They seemed weighed down now, as if the memory of whatever he was hiding was crushing him.

At this moment, all Daneel felt was pity for the man. Throughout their interaction, the one underlying emotion that he had felt was pain.

Whatever past Luther had with the Hidden Kill Sect, it definitely wasn't pretty.

"Kellor, send over the information about the Kingdom of Arafell, too."

Sending this message, Daneel relaxed for a moment on his bed while waiting for the information to be sent.

As he did so, he recalled the conversation he had had with Faxul before when he had told him about the plan to unite the two Kingdoms.

After putting this matter aside, he had actually taken a drop of blood of Faxul's in order to analyze exactly how he had been able to skip levels like he had.

Of course, the answer from the system was the same: an upgrade was needed to understand the reason.

The upgrade would lift the veil over so many things around Daneel that it would definitely affect all of his plans to a large degree.

Hearing the knock on the door, Daneel walked to it and took the information cubes that were presented to him by the messenger.

Sitting down, he first started with the Kingdom of Arafell.

2 minutes later, Daneel smiled helplessly as he realized that this was a Kingdom that would be very hard to take under his wing.

In the case of the Kingdom of the Elves, although the ruler had been respected in general, he had managed to find out something which he used to cripple her public image that had allowed him to change the result of the elections to place Eldra on the Throne.

As for the Black Raven Kingdom, he had trapped the King into taking a decision that would turn the people against him. Again, by changing public opinion and helping someone who had a strong claim to the Throne, he had managed to "dominate" it too.

In both cases, the level of devotion that the people had for their ruler wasn't very high.

Yet, in the Kingdom of Arafell, the Queen was someone who was most loved by the gentle giants and citizens.

The Queen did everything in her power to make sure that her citizens lived happily. As he went through the records, Daneel couldn't even see one blemish. In fact, he actually felt envious of someone who was ruling a Kingdom so effectively.

The Arafellians almost never went out of their way to create trouble, but they were some of the most horrifying foes if provoked. Their main source of income came from the sales of Weapon Trinkets, with their Kingdom being the sole source of high-level equipment that was sought after by all the forces in the continent.

All forging of trinkets took place inside their Royal Palace, which was protected by a formation as strong as the Dragon Heart Formation of Lanthanor.

Hence, any attempts to uncover secrets were futile.

To Daneel, it looked… too perfect. Yet, he wondered whether he was just being overly critical because of his motive.

Regardless, it definitely would be one of the hardest hurdles he would have to overcome if he wanted to unite the Central Continent to face the Church of Rectitude.

Coming to the Hidden Kill Sect, one shocking thing he found was that this force was apparently rumored to be inhabited by an ailing Champion level powerhouse. Yet, his last appearance had been over 3 decades ago, so no one knew whether he was alive or dead.

One thing that was clear was that this was someone who was severely injured, and hence spent most of his time healing in hibernation. The fact that this information was present felt strange in itself, and it almost felt as if it had been disseminated by the Sect for some purpose.

Putting aside the information cubes, Daneel took a deep breath as he fixed these two new targets in his mind.

Getting up, he checked with the system to see what his two guests were doing.

Seeing that they were idly talking to each other in a courtyard, he decided to make his way over.

It was finally time to find out more information about the Big 4.

Chapter 292: Goddess's Sanctum

"There is one thing you must understand about the 'Big 4': they aren't set in stone."

Hearing these words come out from Sister Xuan's mouth, Daneel sat straight on his chair.

After getting to the courtyard, he had knocked before entering.

On hearing that he was here to learn more about the Big 4, Molan and Sister Xuan had shared a look between them.

Daneel hadn't understood the meaning behind it, but he had had a feeling that he would find out soon enough.

After sitting down, she had started the explanation in a neutral tone with these words.

"There is only one requirement for a force to become one of the Big 4: to possess a Hero-"

"Sister Xuan! You mustn't!"

As Molan said these words in panic, Sister Xuan sighed and stopped speaking.

While Daneel tried to ingest this shocking information, Sister Xuan said, "You do not have the authority to find out about this information. I can only tell you about our Sect, and about a particular place in the continent where you can go to be tested by each of the Big 4. If they find you worthy, they will take you in, and that is when you would be eligible to enter our circle and find out about the true purpose behind the Big 4. Anyway, both of us are from the "Goddess's Sanctum" Sect."

Listening to this, Daneel first resisted the urge to glare at Molan. Clearly, Sister Xuan had been about to tell him something he wasn't supposed to know.

Although he was curious about why she had wanted to do so, his thirst for knowledge had been stoked and it now demanded answers.

Sadly, it seemed that he wouldn't have the chance to obtain as many as he had hoped.

Raising a hand to interrupt her, he first asked a question that had been bugging him since the old man had died.

"One second. First, tell me about something. According to the old man whom your Matron killed, some people from the Big 4 were the ones who had given the deal to grow the Echer Seeds. On successfully growing them, two people were going to be allowed to learn their spell technique at their sect. The deceased Black Raven King even said that they had communicated with him and said that they would come soon with trinkets that the candidates could use to go to their sect. Was this fake? Or could the offer have been real?"

For a few seconds after Daneel told them about the deal, there was silence.

As he watched on with confusion and even a little annoyance, Molan turned to Sister Xuan and the both of them shared a look before laughing.

Molan was the one who laughed the hardest, as if she had heard the ramblings of some child.

As for Sister Xuan, she only chuckled before seeing the look on Daneel's face and immediately saying, "Please forgive us. It is just that…just the notion that one of the Big 4 would be willing to share a spell technique with you for the growing of some low-grade Energy materials is so... ridiculous. Let me explain."

Seeing that Daneel's annoyance was only growing due to the grating laugh of Molan's that was still resounding in his ears, Sister Xuan quickly cast a spell which made water appear around Molan's mouth, sealing it.

Sputtering, Molan angrily said "Sister!", before being shut up again in the same way for a second.

"Quiet. You are being rude. Do you want to leave?"

As Sister Xuan said these words with a righteousness that would make one forget that she had also laughed just now, Molan folded her hands with chagrin and said, "No. You know I shouldn't. I'll stay silent."

"Good. King Daneel, spell models are the core treasure of any force on Angaria. They protect them with their lives, as even the simplest of spell models can make a large difference in one's strength. Either the old man was fooled, or he made the entire thing up. The former is unlikely, as he was from the Big 4 himself and would know about things like these. There is no way at all in which such a deal would be proposed. Only the core members of a force are even allowed to peruse them, and even then, only those who have the highest of talent are even able to learn them and use them in battle."

This answer perplexed Daneel. He clearly remembered seeing with his own eyes how the Vice Sect Master of the Withering Leaf Sect had used a spell model to amplify his attacks.

A spell model/spell technique, was, after all, something that he had sought for a long time. Typically, a mage cast spells by connecting to the elementary particles in the air with his mageroot and changing them to his will to achieve the effect needed.

A spell model allowed one to effect even the elementary particles near the ones directly controlled by the mageroot by changing the way in which the connection happened in the first place. In essence, it allowed a mage to amplify the power of each spell by a degree.

His previous master had been able to directly pull and influence the particles near the ones he controlled, resulting in almost double the resulting power behind each spell. As for the Vice Sect Master, he had somehow absorbed the attacks shot towards him and fired them back after making them stronger.

"Then how is the Withering Leaf Sect in possession of a spell model?"

As he voiced this question, Sister Xuan raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh? So you knew of this fact? Molan, this part is useless, so the Matron won't be able to say that I broke the rules."

Seeing Molan think for a bit and nod with a sullen expression on her face while still looking to the side, Sister Xuan dropped another bomb.

"The Withering Leaf Sect was once one of the Big 4. They fell from grace long ago, and almost all of their top treasures were taken away. The only thing they have remaining is a partial spell model, which was stealthily smuggled away by the last Sect Master before their fall."

Without giving pause, she continued to speak.

"King Daneel, the only other thing I can tell you is that those who are part of the Big 4 are forbidden from meddling in the matters of the Central Continent. The only exception are the ones who support the Kingdom of Axelor, but even there, certain limits have been placed. As the Matron said, if you wish to learn the true nature of Magic, you must enter the Big 4. Here is the token that I was asked to give to you."

Holding out a trinket shaped like a 6 pointed star, Sister Xuan waited until Daneel took it into his hand.

Just as he removed his finger due to the feeling of small pain which meant that he had been pricked by it, Sister Xuan smiled and said, "Here is some free advice. Do not accept trinkets from anyone so easily. That could easily have been one which killed you. Anyway, it is now bound to you, and it will grant you entry to the place on the continent where you can get yourself tested. As the Matron said, you can tell her name to increase the chances of you being selected. Of course, I doubt you will need it because of your potential. The location is the spot where directly East of Lanthanor, where the Roc pierces the Basilisk's eye. I cannot tell you more, but you will know you are there when you see it. Is something wrong?"

Sister Xuan had asked the last question on seeing Daneel drop the trinket he had just taken on the ground.

It was as if something she had said had caused him so much shock that he had unconsciously done so. Yet, she couldn't understand just which part it was.

In Daneel's mind, tumultuous waves were rocking his consciousness as a face and a name sprung up into his vision.

A drunk man who had looked over him like a guardian angel.

A dutiful warrior who had infiltrated the other side at risk of his own life.

And the teacher who claimed to have not taught him much, despite setting an example with his actions that Daneel still followed.

Master Jonah.

Chapter 293: H&D

"No, it's nothing. Thank you. I will be taking my leave now. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything, and I hope you enjoy your stay in Lanthanor."

Picking up the trinket that had fallen to the ground, Daneel said these words and smiled warmly at Sister Xuan.

Although she had lost control of her emotions and hurt Eloise in the process, he liked the fact that she had the guts to own up to her mistake and not hesitating to use such a precious treasure instead of acting haughty and trying to depend on her backing to get away.

In people who had considerable backing, this quality was definitely something that was rare.

"I-I was just doing my duty. You have real talent, and I hope you join my Sect."

Stammering slightly and turning away to hide the blush on her face, Sister Xuan said so and wondered what was wrong with herself.

With his mind still filled with thoughts of his Master, Daneel noticed her actions but did not look too much into it. Nodding and walking out, he walked to his chambers with a hand on his chin, wondering just what connection his Master's meeting place had with the Big 4.

As for going for the selection and entering one of the Big 4, Daneel did not even consider this option. There was no way that he would give up on the Central Continent.

Still, it would be great if he could somehow learn their knowledge and spell model without being bound by such rules.

Of course, he had heard the prerequisite to becoming one of the Big 4: to have someone on the level of a Hero.

The Champion level itself was so far away from Daneel. Hence, it was just folly to think about Heros now.

Yet, Daneel had confidence that he would definitely reach it with the help of the system.

Getting back to his chambers, he called the one who was managing the Bank under Eloise.

The people of the Black Raven Kingdom were still slowly trickling into Lanthanor to visit the site of the memento. Although the swing in public favor had started due to the sincere gesture, it would still take some time before Faxul could put forward the proposal to unite with Lanthanor.

There was also still a month before he had to leave for the Hidden Kill Sect. Before then, his goal was to do everything in his power to push the Satisfaction level forward in order to earn EXP.

After all, the sense of urgency to upgrade the system had only grown after obtaining the knowledge that the Hidden Kill Sect might have a Champion level personage in their midst.

Also, back when he had gone to the Withering Leaf Sect, he had found an unbreachable area. That place definitely held the partial spell model that Sister Xuan had talked about.

Again, with the upgrade, he would be able to obtain it.

He had been keeping a close watch on the Valley of Mist, but none of the surviving members of the Withering Leaf Sect had tried to go back to their Sect Headquarters yet.

Taking the record about the bank from Eloise's Deputy, Daneel went through it but had to do so again because he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Someone had taken out a 20,000 Gold Lan loan?!

Seeing the details, he noticed that it had been authorized by Eloise, and that it was in the name of Helena.

Although he felt curious about why Eloise hadn't told him about it, he decided to ask her after she woke up.

"You can leave."

After the Deputy left the room, Daneel transformed himself into the same identity he had used when he entered the Black Raven Kingdom: that of an old man with a greying beard.

Checking the address which seemed to be outside the Capital, he left the Palace and headed to it to see what this mother and daughter duo were up to.

…..

Meanwhile, in a large warehouse which had been newly erected 10 kilometers away from the Lanthanor City.

Standing on a set of stairs that led to an office which was located in such a way that the entire warehouse could be seen from it, Helena had a wide smile on her face as she enjoyed the sound of many, many embroidery trinkets being handled to create beautiful pieces of art.

Beside her, Dalia, who had just come back from School, was holding a trinket in hand and listening to it.

"Mum, did you listen to the announcement from our King?"

The little girl still hadn't gotten over the embarrassment she had felt when she went tongue-tied in the presence of the King in the Palace.

Hence, she blushed slightly as this memory flashed through her mind again.

"Yes, it's a very noble gesture. I pity those poor families."

"Our teacher who teaches finance was saying that it would be great if the Black Raven Kingdom appreciates what our King did. He has a habit of daydreaming about certain things in class, and this time, he talked about how wonderful it would be if the two Kingdoms set down all their hostilities and suspicions and encouraged trade. He said that it would be something unprecedented in the continent, and that we would all benefit from it. I wanted to ask how, but the bell rang. What do you think, Mum? How would we benefit?"

Recently, with all the new knowledge that her daughter was absorbing, she had been having more and more questions that made Helena feel lost.

She actually felt very happy about this, making her bless the King again in her heart. She also wished that there was also a school for people her age, as even they would love to find out about the world and learn various things.

Although she usually deflected the question and asked Dalia to ask her teacher later, she felt that she knew the answer to this one.

"Well, for starters, it might be much cheaper to buy Raven Feathers directly from them. You know how much these atrocious traders charge."

Nodding with vehemence, Dalia said, "Ya, they really take pleasure in fleecing us."

"Also, the special cotton-"

As the two continued their discussion, a man teleported outside this warehouse and looked around.

It was Daneel. Quickly teleporting underground, he asked the system to analyze what was going on in the warehouse.

Hearing the answer, he was reminded of the proverb from Earth: "Necessity is the Mother of Invention."

He had already gone to the location where Dalia and Helena's house was, and had asked around about what had happened. It was then that he found out about the events of the mother and daughter being approached by the Embroidery guilds.

According to the system, there were rows and rows of tables inside with embroidery trinkets which were being used by many women and men who were laughing and chatting amongst themselves while going about their work.

There were actually many products: clothes with beautiful designs using enchanted materials, embroidery patches for decoration, colorful banners, scabbards, etc.

Each and every finished product had a single seal on all of them, and they were placed at a certain location in the warehouse which was marked as "For checking."

The seal was actually the thing that surprised him the most. It had the symbol of Lanthanor and the Lanthanore Family: An elegant L with a dragon coiled around it. In a circle around it, the characters "H&D" were written using a writing style that seemed to flow on the fabric.

Never could he have expected that this industrious couple would be able to figure out the franchise model from Earth.

As he continued watching, Helena walked to the section and checked each product before passing it on further down. She checked each and every inch of them, and even sent many back even if she found even the littlest problem.

Smiling wide to himself, Daneel started to make his way back to the Palace.

He had always wished that there was some product unique to Lanthanor that he could use to pull more people to the Kingdom to increase trade and development. Now, he had found one.

After all, on Earth, each and every country had a specific specialty that it touted as much as possible with the aim to increase revenue.

Just as he was about to teleport away, he heard a notification from the system that made him frown.

[3 people have been detected who are spying on the warehouse from locations East, West and North of host]

Chapter 294: The Helpless Spy

It seemed that industrial espionage was something he couldn't get away from no matter which world he was in.

It would be quite easy to apprehend them all or kill them if he wished. Yet, this might only result in more spies being sent.

After all, realistically, there was no way that he could constantly keep an eye on the warehouse to make sure that it wouldn't be spied upon by other forces.

Hence, the priority was to find out the motive and the origin of these three spies.

Deciding to spend more time on it, Daneel used the entire day to frequently shift positions between them in order to catch any transmission they made.

His advantage was that he had noticed that they only had trinkets which needed to be spoken aloud into instead of hearing the thoughts of those that held them.

The latter type of trinkets were quite expensive, and were hence used only in limited situations where a specific need was there.

Each spy was using the surroundings perfectly, completely out of sight from anyone that happened to pass through. They were also using specific trinkets which reminded Daneel of periscopes back on Earth. These had two components, one on the outside disguised and camouflaged, and the other in the hands of the spy who was using it to both get the images and the sounds from the warehouse.

Spies were required to give regular updates about their work, so Daneel finally managed to intercept a few transmissions.

One was from Axelor, but he had already guessed this due to the savagery that sometimes came on the man's face when he heard someone praising Daneel or the Kingdom inside the warehouse.

The other was actually from the Eldinor.

Since putting Eldra on the throne, Daneel had mostly let her do her own thing except for using her to get any information he needed from that Kingdom.

After all, she was being watched at all times by a few people who suspected that her loyalties lay elsewhere. Hence, he had decided that he would only use this pawn of his when the situation was dire.

Yet, he had asked Eldra to regularly send all the undertakings of the Kingdom of the Elves so that he could act accordingly or advise her if he needed something to be changed.

Deciding to check those logs after getting back to the palace and finding out their motive, Daneel moved onto the last one.

Where the last two spies were quite professional and would have passed the tests for the top spies in the Lanthanor, this one was quite amateurish.

His origin actually surprised Daneel. He seemed to be some sort of a neutral spy. and he was actually sending information to multiple parties. Although Daneel didn't manage to recognize all the names of the organizations that he was sending it to, he realized that they were all the brands and establishments which were quite famous in Angaria.

This one was definitely the most disconcerting of them all, as it meant that Helena and Dalia had already drawn the attention of the top industrial organizations of the continent.

Right now, he was quite tempted to use his power and route them out because he felt uncomfortable about their presence.

All three of them seemed to be peak Eminent Human Mages, so it would be a large undertaking by the Army if he were to deploy it.

Getting an idea, Daneel teleported back to the Palace where he contacted someone he hadn't talked to frequently in a long time.

An hour later, at the spot where the spy from the Axelor Kingdom was located.

This man had dug himself into the ground and much like Daneel, he was using a spell to get air from above.

Suddenly, 10 people wearing maroon robes teleported on top of this location before immediately deploying a space lock trinket.

Without pausing their moments, the 10 thrust their arms into the soft soil.

"OW!"

The spy from Axelor was around 1 foot underground, and with a loud yelp, he had just used a spell to throw himself out without caring for being scratched by all the soil on the way.

He had done so very rapidly, and the reason behind it was a blade of metal that had been conjured jointly by the 10 people and had almost pierced him through completely.

Its speed was so shocking that he had only managed to react at the last moment. Still, he clutched his stomach which was bleeding due to the hole the blade had made.

Just as he was wondering what the hell kind of magic this was, he looked at the faces of those who surrounded him and realize that they were all actually teenagers.

"Who the hell are you? "

His real goal was to take out the space lock breaking trinket he had in his pocket, and this question, although genuine, was only meant to distract these kids who he hoped were inexperienced.

Yet, he had a very bad feeling about his situation due to the spell they had cast before.

Seeing his obvious ploy, a few of them smiled before all 10 moved again as one to thrust their hands forward.

This time, the spy noticed just how the spell before had been formed.

Each of these Mages were actually quite weak, only at the level of either a 3rd Grade Amateur Human Level Mage or at most a 4th Grade Eminent Level Mage. They each conjured a tiny metal blade in the air, showcasing their affinity and talent in metal elementary particles.

Yet, these tiny blades would be harmless on their own. It was only when they joined together that an actual silver blade was formed that cut off the spy's hand before he even had the chance to react.

As he had had to smuggle in all the trinkets he had through the border with great effort, he had only come with a few. Hence, he had no barrier trinket, but he was powerful enough to cast one.

Belatedly realizing that defense was his best option here, he tried to ignore the pain from his bleeding stump and immediately made a barrier appear around him that knocked the blade away.

Just as he was about to take out another space lock breaking trinket using his other hand, he witnessed a shocking sight.

One person was actually running towards him with his hands thrust out behind his back. As for the 10 people around him, they had turned around towards this man and were pointing at him with their eyes closed.

With horror, the spy helplessly managed to grasp the trinket in his pocket, but it was almost as if he was moving in slow motion.

His horror was due to the fact that the hand of the man who was running towards him had actually turned into a metal spike that glinted in the sun.

Just as the spy was about to squeeze the space lock breaking trinket, the man leaped into the air and brought the spike down on the top of the barrier.

Like a knife cutting through butter, the extreme penetrative force immediately broke the barrier and went through the head of the spy before stopping.

Even this man was also a teenager, but he did not seem to care about the gory scene he had just caused. As the metal spike dissolved away, he wiped the blood that had splashed onto his face and said, "Domination Corps, move out."

Watching this scene from a little distance away covertly, Daneel smiled as he saw the debut of the secret force he had been building for a long time.

Trained by the instructors of the Fists of Justice training hall, these teenagers who had joined him before to usurp the Throne had now been trained in co-ordination magic casting and formations.

Along with the training technique that hastened their training speed, they had been given the best conditions and resources.

Clearly, it had all paid off.

This scene also reminded him of the events that had happened before he had taken in the first member of the Domination Corps, who was currently its captain.

Teleporting to him, Daneel once again marveled at this kid who had once been so sullen because he had been defeated by a bunch of nobles.

"Well done, Joshua. Their training is top notch. You've been an excellent leader. Now, all that is required is an upgrade in power level. After that, the Domination Corps can begin to terrify the foes of Lanthanor."

Chapter 295: Naive

Nodding, Joshua said, "Thank you. I am proud of them all, none of them shirked away from all the training they were put through. All we need is time. With time, the Domination Corps will definitely grow into one of the most powerful, if not THE most powerful strike team in the world. I really don't know how the teachers from the Fists of Justice Training Hall came up with all these intricate formations that have great effect in battle. If it weren't for them, this result would be impossible."

"I know. They were really a treasure in the mud- even I didn't know they were in possession of such knowledge when I trained with them. I might have to have a conversation with the Master soon. Take care. Keep training, and don't hesitate to ask me if you need anything."

Smiling at Joshua, Daneel patted him on the shoulder and teleported away.

His next stop was the memento that was constructed for the fallen soldiers of the Black Raven Kingdom. Reaching it, he was happily surprised to find that most of the houses that had been recently built for the accommodation of those coming were almost full.

The graveyard was spread over a large place, and as Daneel looked down from his position in the air, he saw many families sitting on the grass in front of the grave of their family member who had perished. Some cried, some laughed and some even talked animatedly as if they could feel the presence of their loved ones there.

His heart was warmed by this site, and he looked on for a few minutes before contacting Faxul.

"What is the status? Are you ready to make a formal announcement?"

What followed was a brief pause during which Daneel couldn't figure out what his friend was thinking.

"I don't think that's wise. The gesture with the memento was genius, but it hasn't managed to sway public favor as much as you hoped. Still, there has been a lot of change. What was hate has changed into a more neutral impression now. I have brought up this topic with the advisers, and they say that it is best to wait. I agree with them, but I leave it up to you. You know what we risk if it doesn't go well."

Frowning, Daneel wondered if he had been too naïve in thinking that what he had done would be enough to let the two Kingdoms unite.

Of course, he was still proud because it was already a miracle that he had managed to change the public opinion to how it was right now.

Knowing that he only had a month left, he considered whether to press the issue. Yet, what they risked was riots and instability in a Kingdom that was still settling down from a change in leadership.

This might end up completely destroying the Black Raven Kingdom which was already in a precarious position due to the many losses that it had recently sustained.

Daneel didn't want this at all.

As for the reason why his gesture hadn't been enough, he thought for a bit before placing himself in the shoes of someone who had grown up while listening about the constant skirmishes with the Lanthanor Kingdom.

It was quite possible that this could have built up a stigma in the people's minds against his Kingdom, making it so that some extreme people could even take this gesture to be a mocking one.

Thankfully, there weren't that many people like this, otherwise, the results wouldn't have been so good.

Yet, something needed to be done now to hasten the unification.

As always, Daneel's first option was to think about his memories on Earth. Of course, this was only after no good ideas appeared to him.

He had reflected on this before, and he had realized that his specialty came into play when he designed plans to apply things from Earth on Angaria.

What was usually done to relax tensions between the citizens of two countries to potentially unify them?

Rifling through everything in his mind, an event came to the forefront which was attended by all countries regardless of enmity.

In the history of this event, there had been many instances where respect was earned by a country due to the performance of its people even by those who formerly hated it or had bad opinions about it.

From his experience, Daneel knew that public favor was like a boulder on a hill that had settled into place with two rocks in front of it, stopping its forward momentum.

A lot of energy might be needed to push it forward to roll down, but after doing so, it would pick up speed on its own.

Public favor was the same. Starting a change was the most difficult thing, after which, proper handling of circumstances could definitely result in a snowball effect.

In Lanthanor, Daneel had done a lot to begin the rolling effect which had enabled him to bypass the drop he had had due to the massacre in the Palace and bring the satisfaction level to 19%.

He needed just one more percent to earn a lot of EXP, but it had been stuck at this point for quite some time.

Clearly, some event was needed to push it forward again.

Similarly, the boulder had already begun to roll in the case of the Black Raven Kingdom. Again, a push was needed.

Deciding that this event he had in mind would hopefully be the push that would let him accomplish two things at the same time, Daneel immediately contacted Eloise through the oathstone before remembering that she was still unconscious.

After all, she was the one whom he depended on whenever he wanted to enact any of his plans for the betterment of Angaria.

At this moment, he truly understood how much he depended on her.

Yet, he felt that he had never really appreciated her enough till now. Still, she had always put in even more work than necessary to make sure that everything went smoothly.

Just as he was resolving to himself to appreciate her more and let her know that she was an integral part of his life not just because of her actions, but also because he truly valued and admired her as a human being, a voice was heard through the oathstone which shocked him and almost made him fall through the air.

"Da-Daneel? You never spoke till now, how are you speaking now?"

It was Eloise's voice, but it was slightly different than how he remembered it. It was more… pleasant.

"Eloise? You can hear me?"

"Yes! Where am I? I thought I was still dreaming… But this feels different from a dream…"

Rapidly beginning to teleport back to the Palace, Daneel continued to speak to Eloise, fearing that he might lose her if he let a pause come in their conversation. She sounded confused and even scared, and hearing that fear in her voice made Daneel panic more than he had in a long time.

"What do you see around you Eloise? Tell me."

"Nothing. I can't see! Am I blind? What's wrong with my body?! Something is happening to it! It's being…destroyed! But it's also being reborn at the same time…Daneel, I'm scared!"

"It's all right, Eloise. You sustained an injury, and the medicine is just doing its work. Just relax. Why don't you try to open your eyes?"

"But I can't feel anything! Your Highness, you can tell me what's really going in…it's ok if I'm dying."

Daneel had no idea how she had jumped to this conclusion. Yet, the desperation he heard at the end of her sentence made his eyes moisten as he felt a mad urgency overtake him.

He was already at the Palace, so he ran through the corridors to get to the room she was staying in.

While the servants watched on bewildered, the King of Lanthanor barged into the room assigned to the guests in the Palace and closed the door behind him with an urgency that none of them had seen before.

Inside, Molan and Sister Xuan were sitting in the courtyard again while having a cup of tea. Hearing him, they stood up with shock.

Ignoring them, Daneel ran to Eloise's side.

"She's talking to me through the oath stone!"

Screaming this, Daneel looked at Eloise who still looked the same. Just as he was about to answer her in his mind, Eloise's voice devolved into sobs and she said something that he would never forget.

"The pause means it must be true. I just want to say one thing to you, Your Highness. I... love you. Just once, can I call you by your name?"

Chapter 296: Indecisiveness

"King Daneel! King Daneel! KING DANEEL!"

With his thoughts coming back into focus due to the shouts from Sister Xuan, Daneel blinked his eyes rapidly before looking at Eloise with panic.

She was still the same, but her words still echoed in his mind.

A woman actually…loved him?

"King Daneel?! Is everything all right?"

It seemed that his dazed look had alarmed Sister Xuan, as she was now looking at him and wondering whether he had been affected or injured by something.

"Ye-yes, it is. She is speaking to me through the oathstone, and she said she is blind and can't feel anything."

Seeing the shock in both Molan and Sister Xuan's eyes as he said this, Daneel finally gained full control of his thoughts and asked, "What's wrong? What could it mean?"

After sharing a look with Molan, Sister Xuan answered, "It means that there is a dissonance between her mind and body. This is a rare case that occurs when someone was feeling something very strongly before they went into a body-upgrading coma. The remnant of that strong feeling drives the mind and thus, the mageroot forward, making it absorb more energy than the body. A synchronization is essential in cases like this where someone is advancing to top potential from nothing. It is different in the case of someone training normally, as the slow training process allows them to stay in sync. In this case, the dissonance caused the mind to 'disconnect' from the body-hence the state of your friend."

Listening to the explanation, the panic in Daneel grew as the tone in Sister Xuan's voice had been very grave.

"Is it fatal? How can we save her?"

"It is fatal in many cases, but first, let me explain why. Due to losing the connection, the victim has no senses. They are in a dark empty place all by their lonely self. With time, this drives them mad. Although the Energy will keep pulling the victim into a hibernation state, the time during which they are awake will take a huge toll on them."

"But she isin't alone! I can speak to her!"

"Exactly. We have a unique situation here. The oathstone is tied to the soul; hence, its connection still remains. You must continue to talk to her when she is awake. This will let her keep a grip on her sanity. I will also speak with the Matron about what else can be done. The best case is that she wakes soon, but if she doesn't, it is your words that will save her."

It had felt as if he had plummeted into the darkest of depths when he had heard about people going insane due to the loneliness.

Yet, now that he had a chance to save her and prevent this from happening, Daneel grasped it.

With a nod, he turned towards Eloise and said, "Eloise, listen to me. You aren't dying. This is everything that happened since you fell unconscious."

In detail and with patience, Daneel told Eloise about all the events that had led up to this point.

After he was done, there was a period of silence which made Daneel feel scared again that she wasn't present.

Yet, a hesitant voice spoke after a few seconds.

"Your Hi-"

"Call me Daneel."

"No, I can't! I'm your-"

"Eloise. I insist."

"But your Maj-"

"Eloise."

"But I-"

"Eloise."

"B-"

"Eloise."

"Yes."

"It's an order."

After another pause, Eloise spoke again in his mind.

"D-Daneel? About what I said before…"

Hearing these words, Daneel could almost see Eloise fidgeting while standing in front of him.

"We can talk about that after you wake up. Just remember one thing: I am here for you. My only job right now is to talk to you and make sure that you are as normal as you can be."

"But you are the King! I don't want to bother you for every-"

"Eloise. You are worth it. You are very important to me, and I insist that you continue to talk to me. Got it?"

"Yes. I suddenly feel very sleepy. Is this what you talked about? I feel like something is pulling me away…"

Although Daneel was surprised by the timing, he said, "It must be. Remember, Eloise, contact me the moment you-"

"I-I can't contro…"

As her voice cut off in his mind, Daneel turned to Sister Xuan and asked, "She just left suddenly saying that something was pulling her away to sleep. Is that how it works?"

After thinking for a bit, Sister Xuan answered, "Yes. I have read a few records about it, and they say that the hibernation is sudden."

Nodding and sighing with relief, Daneel tried to make sense of his surging thoughts.

"I'll talk to you later."

Pushing out these words, he made his way out of the chamber before walking to an open balcony.

Setting his hands on the handrail and looking out over the beautiful lawns of the Lanthanor Palace, Daneel finally came face to face with his thoughts.

Love.

To him, this word only represented what he shared with his parents and, to some extent, all the people he cared about.

Yet, he had never even thought about romantic love so far.

As someone from Earth, Daneel had indeed grown up with the attitude that having a relationship was something very common and essential in life.

Yet, after coming to Angaria, this notion had completely changed.

After all, Earth was a place where most life was stable, allowing it to prioritize relationships over most other things.

Angaria was a die or kill world. Hence, he had realized quite clearly early on itself that his focus should always be on growing strong enough to protect everyone he loved.

Even now, there was a long way to go. Many threats still loomed, and Daneel also had many goals to work towards.

At such a time, love had come hurtling towards him.

What should he do?

There was no way that he could ignore Eloise's confession and sweep it under the rug. He valued and respected her too much to do that.

No, what Eloise needed was a clear answer.

Yet, Daneel had no idea what to do.

Although he was clear that he wanted to be decisive, he had no idea about which decision to make.

On the one side, his reason to reject her was that he had no intention of thinking about romantic love until he could at least ensure the survival of the continent.

After all, with long life spans, many talented Mages and Fighters chose to either stay alone or have multiple relationships over time, depending on their personality. Both were considered quite normal in society.

On the other, Daneel truly did not want to see someone he cared about so much have their heart broken.

After all, in her voice, he had clearly felt just how much she loved him.

Even her dedication made sense now. She completely applied herself, always, because his dreams had become her dreams.

His happiness had become her happiness.

If he rejected her, he also had the fear that he might never find something as pure as this ever again.

After all, as someone completely inexperienced with love, Daneel had no idea what to feel or think.

He needed to talk to someone who had that experience.

Hence, turning around, he started to walk to the room where he made it a point to spend an hour or two every week without fail.

Just like a child who didn't know what choice to make, he had decided to ask his parents.

And in this matter, Daneel really was a child.

...

Meanwhile, in the room from which Daneel had just stumbled out.

"What do you think is wrong with him, Sister?", Molan asked, still eyeing the door that had been left open by Daneel.

With her eyebrows in a V-shape, Sister Xuan thought seriously about everything that the King had said so far.

Finally, after going through them for 3 or 4 times, she realized what might have happened.

"Molan, if you thought that you were going to die in the next few minutes or seconds, what would you do?"

Initially startled at this sudden and weird question, Molan thought for a few seconds before answering, "I would try to fulfill my last wishes, or I would try to pass them on to you, Sister Xuan."

"Would you or would you not confess your love or attraction or whatever it is you have for the guy whom you ogled at every night for a month by the riverside when he visited our Sect?"

Blushing deeply at her words, Molan stuttered, saying, "I-I don't know what you are talking about. But if he was here, yes, I would."

Sighing and getting an anticipatory look on her face, Sister Xuan sat on the chair beside Eloise and said, "Then I know why he might have been affected so strongly."

Chapter 297: Indecisiveness 2

Walking to his parents' room, Daneel took a deep breath before knocking and waiting.

This was the one room in the Palace where a smile would always light up his face involuntarily due to the sight of his mother or father feeling happy that he had come to visit.

This time, as his father opened the door, he saw that both of them were there, and they seemed to have been discussing about something, as was evident from the two wine glasses on the table.

No matter what his parents had gone through, the love they shared had never been affected. This only increased the fear in Daneel that he might miss something as special as this if he rejected Eloise.

These days, his mother had been spending her time touring the inner and outer cities and helping people in whatever way she could. He had sanctioned her a certain amount before to donate in order to build goodwill in the people, and she had been using this money very productively.

Her efforts had also definitely gone a long way in increasing public satisfaction, but she was, after all, just one person. Hence, the number of people that she had been able to reach wasn't very high.

Thinking on this, Daneel got an idea to magnify the effects of his mother's actions, but he shelved it for now as he had something more important to discuss.

Seeing the grave expression on Daneel's face, it seemed that Maria and Robert had also understood that something was wrong.

"Daneel, is everything all right?"

As he heard the question from Maria, Daneel first took a seat on the single sofa adjacent to the one on which his parents were sitting.

Before speaking, he first levitated a glass from the cupboard to the table before filling it with wine from the bottle nearby and drinking it in one go.

Robert only sat back and didn't say anything, but Maria now had a worried expression on her face.

After a few seconds, Daneel finally broke his silence.

"Mom, Dad, can you guys tell me how you fell in love?"

Hearing the sudden question, Daneel's parents looked at each other with confusion.

Instead of choosing to ask the questions on their mind, Robert and Maria first decided to answer, as they knew that their son would mostly answer them when the time came.

They had reached this decision mutually, but no words had had to be spoken between them.

Even Daneel managed to notice this due to the clarity that had come in both of their eyes at almost the same time.

Next, they smiled at each other briefly before Maria turned to Daneel and started to answer his question.

"You already know that your father's family approached mine for marriage after he fell in love with me at first sight in a family gathering, right?"

Knowing this part of their story, Daneel nodded.

"I was only 18 at the time, and your father was already a grizzled army man with a rough voice and a rough face. When my family came and told me that he had fallen in love, I was shocked. I had no idea what he saw, but I certainly hadn't seen anything in him to make me want to agree instantly."

At this moment, a slight blush came on Maria's face.

"This next part, even your deceased grandparents didn't know. I said that I needed some time, and I used a friend's friend, who was a part of your father's squad in the army to send a message to him that I wanted to meet. We met outside the Capital City, in front of a small lake around 10 Km east of-"

"15 km."

"15 Km east of the western gate. I told my parents that I was sleeping in a friend's house, and I had used the opportunity to get there. Naturally, I was a bit scared about being found out."

"She was jittery and actually almost attacked me when I spoke behind her.", said Robert, with a smile wider than Daneel had seen in a long time.

Pinching her husband discreetly and making him stop speaking, Maria continued as if nothing had happened.

"After he greeted me, there was silence for an hour. I still remember that there was a full moon, and its rays reflected on the lake's surface to form a beautiful sight by which I was spellbound. Just like that, we stood and looked on, until your father unsheathed a knife suddenly and threw it in a direction."

Daneel was surprised by this twist of events. Had an enemy appeared?

"It was at a tree beside the lake on top of which a flower had bloomed. The knife had cut it cleanly, and it floated down and was caught in your father's hands. Holding it forward, he walked up to me and said, 'Marry me, and I will protect you and take care of you forever.'"

Hearing this, Daneel looked at his father with a shocked expression.

This man, who usually spoke in a gruff tone and almost always had a serious expression on his face, had actually been so romantic in his youth?!

"And you fell in love, mom?", Daneel asked.

He had been reminded of the soap operas and movies he had seen on Earth. In them, such beautiful moments usually resulted in the heroine falling in love with the hero.

Yet, his words actually made the couple laugh out loud.

Confused, he waited for them to stop and explain what had been so funny about what he had said.

"Daneel, you might be the King, but you can really be very dumb sometimes."

The stumped expression on his face as he heard this only made his parents laugh more.

After quieting down, Maria said, "Of course I didn't, son. But I agreed to marry him."

"Why? Why would you choose to spend your life with someone whom you might not love?"

This time, it was Robert who answered.

"It is because she saw in my eyes that I was being sincere. At that moment, I gave your mother the trust that I would be with her, always."

Nodding, Maria grasped Robert's hand sweetly and said, "Yes. I knew that this was someone whom I might not love at the moment, but I was sure that there was no one who could take care of me better. I was right; we did end up falling in love later, when we got to know each other. Daneel, you have to understand that love is different for each and every person. Ask what you came here to ask."

Pondering on his mother's words, Daneel nodded and voiced the query that had been bothering him so much.

"Eloise said she loves me. I don't know what to do. I don't know what I… feel. And I'm scared that I will lose her if I reject her now."

A serious expression came on both Robert and Maria's faces as they heard their son speak in a tone that had more doubt and indecisiveness than they had seen in a long time.

After a few seconds, Robert shared a look with Maria before saying to Daneel, "Follow me, son."

Walking to the balcony, Robert waited for Daneel to approach before starting to speak.

"Son, in this matter, both of us have the same advice. How much ever we want to have a daughter in law and grandkids whom we can play with, we think that it is most important that you choose to marry someone for the right reason. Whoever you marry, you must be willing to share your life with them. You must give them time, care and trust. That means that you should not just marry for the sake of marriage and then leave your wife alone while you grow stronger or follow your dreams. You have a lot of time; do not fear about never finding love again. Just ask your inner self: do you love Eloise and want to spend your life with her for the right reason? Or are you considering it only out of fear? The answer to that should be the reason behind your decision, Daneel."

Looking out at the beautiful scenery, Daneel started to recall each and every interaction he had had with Eloise so far.

The story his parents had told him had made him realize that love was probably not what he had seen in movies back on Earth.

As he took his father's words to heart and started to think deeply about the topic, a clarity began to form in his mind about just what he wanted to do.

Chapter 298: Sports

Three days later.

In the Black Raven Kingdom.

As the old woman who had talked to Faxul when he reached the palace for the first time walked through the Palace grounds like she usually did each day, she came across a certain area where a very large field had been cordoned off and was now hidden from sight using an opaque barrier.

She had recently been quite disgruntled by the decisions of the new King, who wanted the Kingdom to unite with Lanthanor which had been the cause of many, many soldiers dying over the ages.

She knew clearly what the benefits were. The financial advisers had been hard at work drawing up the estimates, and according to them, an established trade route and fixed prices would definitely result in such a rapid rate of development that they would be able to come out of their dire situation in very little time.

Still, the old woman couldn't shake the feeling that the King of the Lanthanor Kingdom might be behind all of this happening.

Alas, she couldn't do anything. The people supported the King, and at least for an year, no contender could rise up to challenge the direction the Kingdom was taKing.

The only consolation for her was that the King had listened to their advice when they had told him that it would not be wise to announce the unification now because of the many detractors in the Kingdom who still hated Lanthanor.

Although the truth was that these detractors were few and far in between, they would definitely be able to make enough noise in case the announcement went live.

What was needed was some way in which the Lanthanorians could garner respect from the proud people of the Black Raven Kingdom.

Now, noticing this 200 m x 75 m field, the old woman wondered what was going on without even her knowing about it.

These kinds of barriers were placed to avoid people from outside spying in, so they seldom had protective properties.

Hence, she easily stepped inside and was dazed by what she saw.

There were two teams of people at the center of the field, and they were facing each other while an egg-shaped object was in between them.

As the loud screech of a Raven sounded, two people who were right in front of the ball on opposite sides lunged forward at the same time but one managed to move faster and grasp it in his hands.

Immediately, he threw the ball behind him with the strength of an Eminent Human Fighter.

As the ball barrelled through the air in a blur, it was caught by someone on his side who began to run towards the opposite side.

The other team tried to tackle this man with the ball, and one finally succeeded before throwing it again.

In this way, the ball switched hands back-and-forth until one team finally managed to reach the other end of the court with the ball in their hands.

After doing so, they started jumping in the air and shouting with joy as happiness bloomed on their faces.

"Good job! Take a break for 10 minutes."

These words were said by a man who had the Raven on his shoulders that had made the sound before which had started the entire thing.

Clearly, he seemed to be in charge.

Walking up to him, the old woman asked, "What's going on?"

Whatever these soldiers had been doing, it had looked so eye-catching and filled with energy that she had also felt the urge to get that ball and run while facing so many obstacles.

This was the nature of competition that was present in almost every warrior in the Army: they loved to test themselves and beat others with their own strength.

Bowing on seeing who had come, the man said, "Madam, this is a game whose rules have been given by the King himself. He told me to pick out the strongest soldiers and divide them into teams before directing them to practice as they might have to compete in this game soon. He did not give any reasons, but we all love the game and the feeling we got when we played it, so we have been practicing non-stop since last night. This is the document that was given."

Handing over a piece of parchment to the woman respectfully, the man who was actually the soldier who was 5th in authority in the Army deferentially stepped to the side before walking to the team who had lost.

"What did I tell you? Use at least the simplest of strategies! Try to jump at each one from all sides so that they can't escape! If –"

Watching the man leave, the old woman grabbed the parchment in her hands and went through it.

First were the rules of this game, which had a peculiar name to it.

It was called 'Handball'.

The rules were actually quite simple: the objective of each team was to take the ball to the other end of the court. The ball could not be passed forward- only passes behind were allowed. The other team could do anything and everything they wanted in order to stop the one who had the ball.

These were the base rules of the game, but there was also a note saying that more rules would be added later on.

Next, four more competitions were listed, but these did not require special training.

They were archery, a 1 km dash, spear throwing, and wrestling.

The only thing to note was that each of them had clear rules like in the case of wrestling where the victor would be one who scored the most points by putting his opponent on the ground.

Who… had designed all this?

This was the question that popped up in the old woman's head first. Each and every rule had been clearly thought out and designed to test competitors in a fair way. Each and every competition would almost certainly be a contest of pure skill and strength, which would be a delight to watch.

Unable to hold in her curiosity, the old woman walked back to the Palace and hesitated for a bit before knocking on the doors of the King's chambers.

It was still early morning, so she actually didn't know whether the King would be awake.

Yet, on hearing a voice ask her to come in, she opened the door and entered to see the King fondly stroking the Protector Raven which was joyfully cocking its head and enjoying the treatment.

"Take a seat. I'll be with you shortly."

As the old woman obliged, the King continued the activity for a few more minutes before patting the Raven and looking it in the eye.

The old woman's eyes were transfixed on the Protector Raven. She had always admired it since a young age, and it was actually a wish to see it in real life that had led her to enter the Army in the first place.

She had quickly risen in the ranks with her hard work and talent, and she had actually had the fortune to interact with the Raven when the previous King had still been alive.

In all these years after his death, she had always missed seeing this Raven and now that she finally saw it again, a smile unwittingly came on her face which was usually fixed in a cold expression.

After the King patted it, the Protector Raven actually turned to her and nodded before going to a large open window that was always present in the King's chambers and taking off into the air from it.

Still dazed by the familiar nod, the old woman didn't notice that the King had taken a seat in front of her and had just asked her about the reason behind her coming to find him so early in the morning.

Just as he was about to repeat his question, the old woman came back to her senses and took out the parchment that he had given last night to the soldiers.

"My King, who designed all these games? And what is the purpose behind you asking the soldiers to practice them and saying that they might compete against someone? If I may ask."

Smiling, King Faxul answered, "I was going to bring this up in the Royal Court that starts in a few hours, but there is no harm in telling you about it now. Soon, Lanthanor and the Black Raven Kingdom will be competing against each other in these sports in the stadium that will be jointly constructed on the land of the Black Raven Kingdom with the funding of the Kingdom of Lanthanor. You said it yourself. They have to earn respect. And they wish to do so by displaying their skill and strength using these sports. When the King of Lanthanor gave me this message, I only told him one thing: that it wouldn't be so easy to beat my soldiers. Now, it is your duty to make sure that our soldiers live up to my word."

Chapter 299: Advertising 1

On a balcony in the Palace of Lanthanor that overlooked the field in which a group of soldiers were fighting for possession of an egg-shaped ball.

"The red team has the ball and they are running towards the goal, but the team member just got tackled hard by a blue team member. The ball is rolling on the ground… and three people just jumped on it, but none of them got it. Now, more and more are jumping on it to try and catch it. The blue team –"

If someone walked in at this point and saw that the King of Lanthanor had actually turned into a commentator for this match, they would have been shocked.

Indeed, Daneel was currently spectating the game of handball that was going on in the field in front of him while entertaining Eloise with its proceedings in his mind.

Over the past three days, he had talked extensively with this sweet girl whom he had actually never known much until this point.

After the conversation with his parents, he had managed to dispel the doubt in his mind and made his decision regarding what to do in the matter of love. Yet, he had hidden it deep in his heart and had decided to tell Eloise after she came out of her coma.

The two had talked about various things, starting with their experiences when they were kids and the things that had shaped them to be who they were.

Of course, Daneel hadn't said anything about his real past from Earth and had instead spoken about his time here in Lanthanor where he was a little kid who had been frequently bullied due to being the son of a disgraced soldier.

Eloise had listened to his entire past with rapt attention, asking questions as she liked. Yet, she still stuttered whenever she had to call him by his name.

Daneel actually found this quite endearing, and he loved interrupting her whenever she defaulted to calling him 'King'.

After talking about himself, he had listened to Eloise's past and understood how she was so skilled at handling everything that had been thrown at her by him since he had become King.

Eloise had been trained in the matters of business administration and organization development from a young age, just like all the other princes and princesses of the noble Lanthanore line.

The classes had actually been quite spread out, focusing on all the aspects required for a ruler. Yet, Eloise had used to frequently run after the teacher who was in charge of business administration in order to learn more because she had always been fascinated about the topic.

After talking about happy memories like these, Eloise had told him about the time when she had personally witnessed one of her brothers kill an innocent man because he had tried to drag his daughter away.

He had been a lusty man who was responsible for many rapes in the Kingdom, and he had been put to death by Daneel long ago.

Yet, the memory of this event had made her voice break and Daneel had felt her pain even though he couldn't see her expression.

In that case at least, Eloise had personally given her savings to the family of that man for a long time until they had been settled.

Along with this, there were many instances where Eloise always tried her best to pull her brothers and sisters back from the cruel paths that they had taken.

She had also lamented that they might still have been alive if she had succeeded.

Coming to the present, Eloise had said that her mother who had been freed by Daneel on her request had actually suggested that she would do well to marry such a talented king who was being talked about all over the continent.

Daneel had only coughed at this, and both of them had hastily moved on to other topics.

In this way, Daneel and Eloise had gotten quite close and Eloise was also getting more and more comfortable with speaking her mind with the King whom she had always regarded with the utmost respect and admiration till now.

As for Daneel, he only felt that his decision had actually been right and he once again thanked his parents inside for giving him the right advice instead of trying to push him to make a decision that he might regret later.

Over this time, Daneel had also been concentrating on his training. He was approaching the next level quite fast, and the closer he got to the Warrior level, the more Daneel looked forward to finding out just what kind of power someone in that realm would have.

Also, Daneel had taken out the Warrior level combat trinket that had been gifted to him by the Kingdom of Arafell when he had become king.

No matter how much he studied it, his level of enchanting wasn't enough to analyze it or even hope to replicate it even by using the system.

The highest level of trinket that he could make right now was at the level of an Exalted Human, and this was also the case with the Kingdom of the Elves. The specialty of Eldinor was that they had more people to make these trinkets, and they were also very creative when it came to what kind of trinkets to make.

As for the spies he had sent to Arafell, there was no news yet of any new information being discovered.

After finishing the commentary of the match, Eloise once again felt sleepy and went back into her state of hibernation.

After she had done so, Daneel immediately called for a Royal Court to be held because he had decided that it was time to move forward his plans for the future development of Lanthanor.

An hour later.

"Genius, my King. It was just a genius idea to establish these games that will definitely see the public image of Lanthanor changing in the hearts of the people of the Black Raven Kingdom. Soon, Lanthanor and the Black Raven Kingdom will unite to become the first Empire in centuries that will take Angaria by storm. I congratulate you on this matter beforehand, and I must say that I'm also proud –"

"Enough praise. How goes the construction of the stadium?"

With a hurried nod, the minister who had hoped to get into the good graces of the King by highlighting the merits of his plan stopped his actions and immediately said, "We have contracted the best builders in both kingdoms and given the advance. The stadium will be ready in three days."

"Good. Everyone, I called this Royal Court because I have an announcement to make."

As all the people in the room heard the King say these words, they sat up straight as they wondered just what the announcement could be.

They had personally been witnessing everything, and they had actually been most impressed by the performance of the Bank of Angaria and the scheme that had worked out very well.

The interest payments had been coming in steadily, and all the ministers and officials had personally seen just how diligently each citizen had worked after obtaining the loan from the king.

"You have already seen the format of the competition that will take place in the Black Raven Kingdom. Our next goal: advertising. The network has already been notified, but we need to do more. The target of these games is not just the Black Raven Kingdom; I want the entirety of the continent to know about this event and to want to attend it. The Kingdoms themselves must feel that they are nothing if they do not represent themselves in these games to show the skills of their soldiers or citizens. The budget is 500,000 Gold Lans. Using this money, I want you all to draft and execute plans that will make sure that the news about this event will reach every corner of the continent. I don't want excuses, I only want results. The ones with the best performance will be awarded and promoted. For now, unless you have any questions, you all are dismissed."

Driving this point into the minds and hearts of all the ministers and officials present, Daneel looked around to see if anyone had any queries.

It was Elanev's father who raised the question that was definitely on the minds of many present.

"What is the name of this event, my King?", he asked, making a smile appear on Daneel's face as he said the name which was revered on his home planet as one of the most important events that was witnessed by the entire world.

"The Olympics."

Chapter 300: Giants of Arafell

Looking up and squinting his eyes due to the sunlight, Norcet once again felt awe at the amazing sight which was in front of him.

Although he had seen it many, many times before, it's grandeur was something that didn't lessen no matter how many times one lay their eyes on it.

"Waaaaah…."

Hearing this sound from beside him, Norcet looked at his 10-year-old son whom he had brought along because he wanted him to see the incredible sights in the world.

His mouth was open, and drool had started to drip down along his face.

As one of the wealthiest traders in Lanthanor, he had enough power and wealth to ensure his safety almost anywhere on the Central Continent.

"Dad, who are they?", the kid finally asked, wiping away the drool and turning to his father.

"Son, they are the protector giants of the Kingdom of Arafell. Legend has it that they were the chief protectors of Goddess Arafell who established this Kingdom. After their death, they were turned to stone using an ancient process. At least, that is what the stories say. Many believe that they are just stone statues. What do you think, son?"

Watching his son think with his eyes furrowed, Norcet also looked forward again and tried to find the answer himself.

In front of him were two 30 m tall humanoid figures that stood facing each other while holding an enormous 40 m tall gate in between them. The stone was grey, and there was almost no damage on it even though it was claimed that this structure had guarded the capital of the Kingdom of Arafell for centuries.

On their backs, both giants had enormous hammers that looked like they would have been able to flatten entire towns if someone was able to actually wield them.

As for their facial features, both giants had V-shaped faces with round noses and large eyes.

If they really were stone statues, then the craftsmanship of the person who had made them really had to be admired due to the sheer amount of detail that was visible clearly even from the ground.

"They look…real, dad. My teacher also said that it's very unlikely, but I believe."

Smiling and patting his son's head, Norcet said, "Good. Like I always tell you- listen to what everyone has to say, but always make your decision on your own. Now, let's go in. Uncle Kellor asked us for a favor; we should take care of it first."

Since he had started to send his kid to the School of Lanthanor, Norcet had been pleasantly surprised to see that all the knowledge was actually making his son think more on a day-to-day basis.

Praising the King in his mind, he looked at the Mage who had just teleported them over and said, "Let's go."

There were only three of them, but the Mage was actually an Eminent Human who would definitely be able to get them away in an instant if needed.

If it weren't for him, they would have had to travel to the Arafell the 'normal' way, which would have taken weeks.

Teleportation really did make things much easier, and it made Norcet wish that there was no limit to what could be carried on a single teleportation trip.

On both sides of this enormous gate, there were smaller ones which looked tiny in comparison. Still, standing at 10 meters tall, they did their job in protecting the capital city.

The Capital's official name was actually "Goddess Arafell's Abode", but everyone just called it 'capital' because the other option was too long.

After approaching the smaller, 5 m tall gate set in the wall to the right of one of the giants, Norcet presented a token that he had obtained when he had passed through the main gate of the Kingdom of Arafell a few hours ago.

The guard in charge was human, but a giant stood nearby in green clothes.

He was at least 13 feet(4 m) tall, and he seemed to be looking around with a smile on his face.

The giants of Arafell actually had two characteristics that they were known by in Angaria: their size and their calm nature.

In this regard, there was actually an age-old saying in Angaria:

"If you wish to learn the meaning of patience, then look for a Giant of Arafell."

Of course, when the coin flipped and when a Giant truly became infuriated, there was no foe more fearsome.

This was because although they were known for their patience, there were certain topics that would drive them to deadly rage if touched.

For the kid, it was the first time seeing such a fascinating creature. Yet, instead of its size, the kid was actually most impressed by the pure smile on its face as it gazed at the lush fields of grass all around it.

As if feeling his gaze, the giant turned around and made its way over.

With a smile, Norcet, who was waiting for the tokens to be checked, turned around to the giant and said, "Hello, noble giant! Would you be interested in attending an event where competitions of skill and passion will regale spectators with sights they have never seen before? Then come to the "Olympics", an event conducted on the soil of the Black Raven Kingdom and co-hosted by the Kingdom of Lanthanor! The two Kingdoms will be duking it out in contests of strength, teamwork, and talent to establish once and for all that their Kingdom is stronger than the other! It will be a feast to see! All are welcome! Please take this pamphlet, where all the details are mentioned!"

By his side, both his son and the Mage became shocked on seeing Norcet raise his tone and speak these words while making grand gestures with his arms.

Due to his charisma, they could almost see the incredible sights that were promised, making them want to definitely view this event without any doubt.

His voice had also drawn the interest of the soldiers who were checking the tokens and even those who were standing in the queue to enter the Capital of Arafell.

Glad that he was having an excellent start in the task he had been assigned to by Kellor, Norcet smiled and took out a stack of simple pamphlets made of parchment that he started to distribute to everyone who was listening.

After taking the pamphlet and studying it for a few seconds, the giant asked in a rough voice, "Why Olympics? Why not simply Games?"

Of course, one other thing that Giants were known for was their simple-mindedness that was clear in the way they spoke.

Yet, each giant had a different way in which they had communicated. Bos, who had been the Envoy to the King of Lanthanor, was of the type who referred to himself in the third person no matter what he said.

In answer to this, Norcet took a deep breath before launching into the explanation given by Kellor when he had asked the same question.

"Once, the King of Lanthanor, who is the one who had the idea to begin these games in the first place, had gone to a forest to collect some berries to eat when he was a kid. He had wanted to help a child who was starving on the road due to having no food, and King Daneel had also been very poor because of his family's condition. While he was collecting the berries, he was approached by an old man wearing white robes who seemed to be raving with madness. Seeing the King, the old man grasped his shoulders and said a few strange words before disappearing forever. The King had no idea that the words meant, but he decided to use one of those for these games. As for the exact words and his real reason, the King has decreed that he will announce it after the games commence. If you wish to find out, then you must come!"

Hearing the long but very interesting story, the people all around started to whisper to themselves as the interest inside them grew to witness such an incredible event that might occur only once in their lifetime.

"You can go in. And can I have a pamphlet too?"

Hearing these words from the guard, Norcet beamed before handing one over and striding into the gate.

He had a lot of places to go to to advertise in the same way, so he did not wish to waste any time.

Before he had become a successful trader, he had been a bard who had always found happiness when he managed to spellbound someone with his narration.

Having the chance to do so again, he was so excited that he had even forgotten his companions.

Turning around and still seeing them poring over the pamphlets, he shouted, "Let's go! We have a lot of ground to cover!", before continuing to walk with a spring in his step.

…..

Meanwhile, in the Palace of Lanthanor.

Sister Xuan, who was currently eyeing Eloise and wondering just what she and the King were talking about every day, stood up in her chair suddenly as she had just noticed something that had startled her.

Quickly calling Molan, she said, "Notify the King. She is going to wake up soon," before sitting back down and seeing the hand of the woman twitch visibly, indicating that the hibernation was about to end.

Chapter 301: Truth 1

Quickly rushing to the room, Daneel was shocked to see that Eloise's body which had been motionless all these days was suddenly moving, and her expression had also changed to that of pain from peace.

"Is anything wrong?", he asked Sister Xuan, who was standing beside the bed and watching closely.

"No. Some pain is normal when one wakes up from such a long period of hibernation. The sensation of getting back control of one's senses also sends a shock to the brain that is perceived as pain."

Hearing this, Daneel nodded and tried to contact Eloise in his mind through the oath stone. Getting no answer, he assumed that she was probably occupied with taking back control of her body.

Even back on Earth, he had heard of cases where coma patients felt intense pain when waking up due to the fact that the body had been motionless for such a long time, causing the blood flow to lessen.

Solemnly, the three of them waited and watched Eloise as the pain in her face increased bit by bit.

At the same time, there was also a change in her body that left them feeling amazed.

Since the first time that he had seen her in this state, Daneel had always thought that there was some kind of glow under her skin which was very faint.

Now, that glow had just intensified before disappearing entirely.

In its wake, it had changed Eloise's skin into a spotless state, as if she had just been born. Also, a natural glowing effect had been added to it, causing one to feel awe just by looking at this phenomenon and wondering whether this was even possible in a human.

As for her face, her features hadn't changed that much, but there was just this additional aura to her that made those watching feel attracted.

Of course, this only lasted for a second because all those in the room were quite powerful.

Before, Eloise might have paled to Sister Xuan in the matter of beauty because of the latter's perfectly proportional face and perfect skin. Eloise, on the other hand, had been just a normal human, albeit a beautiful one with some flaws such as her pale skin.

Growing in power did change one's appearance, but Daneel had never thought that it would be this drastic.

Actually, this was a case of growth in potential rather than power, so Daneel realized that the metrics must be different.

Finally, with the fluttering of her eyes, Eloise's expression relaxed as she opened them and curiously looked around.

Blinking continuously, she softly said "Daneel!" before suddenly closing her mouth after realizing that she was in the presence of other people.

Of course, none of them had missed the call.

"I'm right here, Eloise. How do you feel?"

Saying this, Daneel bent forward slightly and came into her vision.

Seeing him, she broke into a wide smile before looking at the others and moving her hands in an attempt to get up.

"Be careful. You haven't moved an inch in weeks, so the first thing you should do is probably go to the bathroom."

It seemed as if Sister Xuan's words had made her realize something, as Eloise hurriedly nodded and quickly got up before stumbling for a bit and almost falling to the floor.

Instinctively, Daneel bent forward and caught her by her hand and shoulder.

As a silence ensued in the room, he raised her up before letting go and pointing in one direction, saying, "The ladies' room is that way."

Turning away from everyone in an attempt to hide the blush on her face, Eloise quickly reached her destination and closed the door behind her.

"The energy burns through the wastes of the body when it's active, but one survivor said that he felt an urgent need to relieve himself after it disappeared."

Saying this line, Sister Xuan looked at Molan and gestured at the door.

"We will take our leave now. Tell her that she will feel different for quite a long period of time, but she should get used to it because it is due to the fact that her mind and body have reached a much higher potential. She should also start training as soon as possible, as there might be some remnant energy in her body which will be triggered in the training process."

Nodding at the King, both women exited through the door and closed it behind them.

Daneel hadn't said anything, because his mind was in a slightly panicked state because of the conversation he would soon have with Eloise.

All through his life, he had never spoken about his true feelings to any woman and that too in matters concerning the heart.

In fact, Daneel had never even considered that he might have to take a decision on it so soon. After all, the only thing that had been on his mind for the longest time was the looming threat of the Church which always pushed him to work hard and ensure the safety of as many lives as possible.

While he tried to order his thoughts, he heard the door opening.

Stepping out of the ladies' room, Eloise blushed again as she saw that she was alone in the room with the King.

"King Daneel –", she started to speak, but she was interrupted by Daneel raising a hand.

"I've told you many times when we conversed using our minds, Eloise. Call me Daneel. "

After looking into his eyes for a few moments, Eloise finally opened her mouth and said, "Da-Daneel, thank you for taking so much time out and talking to me…"

"You do not need to thank me, Eloise. I enjoyed it as much as you did. Besides, you got into this trouble because of me. I was the one who gave permission for those guests to enter the Palace."

"N-no! It isn't your fault! It's just that… When I heard Kellor say that you had given permission for two unknown women to reside in the Palace and had also asked him to take special care of them, I… I assumed something else. I got into a staring match with that woman, and I ignored the signs from my body which were telling me that I was being harmed. I just… Couldn't bear it."

Looking down adorably, Eloise said these words and laid out the true reason behind the mishap.

Finally finding out the truth, Daneel was quite surprised, but one thing the puzzled him was regarding why Sister Xuan hadn't broken away from the staring contest herself.

Deciding to ask her later, he said, "Eloise, about that-"

Yet, he stopped speaking because she had just raised a hand just like him.

"No. Please don't tell me anything. I only told you about my true feelings because I thought it was the end. I do not want you to give me an answer regarding them, and I can actually… Tell what you want to say. I cannot change my feelings, and even if you do not feel anything of that sort for me, then all I wish is to stay by your side and help you to achieve your dreams, because they have become mine. Can I please at least have this?"

Indeed, from Daneel's expression of hesitation and the emotions in his eyes, Eloise had been able to guess his answer.

Not wanting him to see her cry, she quickly went to the balcony before letting the tears flow.

As she heard footsteps approaching behind her, she had no idea what to do.

Yet, suddenly feeling a strong hand envelop hers, she looked up with shock to see the King looking at her with an expression of determination on his face.

"Eloise. I do love you. I love you as the brave woman who came to my chambers and did not hesitate to offer up her body in order to save those who were innocent. I love you as the mastermind behind the Network of Angaria without whom such success would not have been possible. And now, after talking to you for so long, I love you very, very much as an incredible and kind human being who I'm truly grateful to know. But, I'm sorry, because I do not love you in the way you want."

Her tears pausing, Eloise was enchanted by the sincere emotions in the King's eyes.

Indeed, there was love, but it was a love of admiration.

"Eloise, I do not want to make you stay by my side with the hanging promise that those feelings might develop one day. They might, or they might not. My entire focus right now is on the people of Angaria, and although I would really like you to stay with me, I understand if you would want to leave. I know you said you wanted to stay, but make your decision while keeping in mind that I cannot promise you anything. If you do stay, I want you to know that you will be family. But if this is goodbye, I cannot thank you enough for everything you've done, and I will forever be in your debt."

Finally letting out everything in his heart, Daneel sighed deeply while waiting for Eloise to answer.

He really did have no romantic intentions towards her, and this had become clear after the conversation with his parents.

Yet, without answering, Eloise did something which shocked him.

In a flash, she ran forward and hugged him before starting to sob on his shoulders.

Chapter 302: Truth 2

Shocked at feeling a woman other than his mother hug him for the first time, Daneel froze for a few moments before awkwardly returning the hug and patting her back gently.

It seemed that the floodgates had truly opened this time, as Eloise kept crying continuously for a long time before finally sniffling and controlling herself.

As she did so, she seemed to finally realize that she had actually hugged the man who was the reason behind her tears in the first place.

Yet, Eloise found that she actually didn't blame the King, and this wasn't because of the blind adoration she had for him.

Instead, it was the sincerity that she had seen in those striking green eyes. Each and every word the man had said had come from his heart, and such a thing had an allure to it that wasn't lost on Eloise.

The main reason behind her emotions bursting out in this way was that she had gotten really close to the King during their conversations before. Hence, it seemed that she had built up the hope inside that things might have changed in some way in regards to everything between them.

To have those hopes dashed hurt, but there was also the sweet happiness that she was truly valued.

Analyzing the King's words, she realized that although he had said that he couldn't promise anything, the chance was still there.

Her choices were simple: she could either stay with him and hope for something to happen, or she could make a clean break and try to find love elsewhere.

Eloise chose the former without hesitation.

It was simply because of the fact that love had come to her without her wishes, and that serving the King and seeing his dreams come true was really something that she truly loved and enjoyed.

Yet, she still asked herself this: how would she feel if she saw him feel romantically for someone else? Maybe, the petite woman whom she had a staring match with?

How would she handle it? After all, she was someone normal with no power.

Eloise was in no way equipped to think about this right now, especially with the pain from being rejected still fresh in her mind.

Hence, she put it aside for now and said, "I wish to stay and assist you in everything. I don't need any promises; just the satisfaction that comes from seeing your dreams come true is enough for me, My- Daneel."

My- Daneel? Had she actually called him hers by mistake?!

As she panicked slightly due to this silly reason like a little girl, the King in front of her smiled and said, "In that case, thank you. The heavens know I need you. Oh, and by the way, I forgot to mention something. You are now the second person in the entire Central Continent who has the top potential as both a Fighter and a Mage. Immediately begin to train now using this technique; apparently, the energy that healed you also had this effect, and the remnants of it that still remain in your body will speed up your training. Sister Xuan did say that it costs more than this entire Kingdom, after all."

Chuckling, the King held out a piece of parchment.

Its cost was more…than the entire Kingdom?!

That was tens of millions of Gold Lans!

Unable to fathom that such a wondrous thing could even exist, Eloise dumbly nodded and took the parchment, after which she turned around to walk to an Energized Training Chamber.

Seeing her leave, Daneel smiled from the bottom of his heart.

He didn't know if it was selfish, but he had truly wished that she would make this decision.

Mainly, it was because he felt that he had found someone he could call as a friend besides Faxul, who was now far away from him and busy with his own things. He really liked her a lot as a person, and she was now also invaluable to the Kingdom.

Of course, the last part had been his analytical side making its opinion known. Someone like him who had dual top potential was a very important asset that could tilt the scale in the side of Angaria.

As for his decision, he felt that he had made the right decision also because it wasn't the time to rush into something like this while the entire continent was at risk. Now that she was staying, if something between them changed in the future, it wouldn't be too late to take that step then.

Stepping into the chambers, Daneel glanced at the chair in which Sister Xuan had been sitting before she had left with a frown.

"I know you are listening. Come in."

A few seconds later, the two women shyly walked into the room as if they had been caught red-handed in a crime.

Daneel first looked at Molan, whose thick-skinned side reappeared, making her glare at him for a second before storming out of the room again, leaving him with Sister Xuan.

Obviously, Sister Xuan didn't have this side. She had been the one who had cast this Warrior-level covert eavesdropping spell which Daneel hadn't noticed before because he had been too pre-occupied with Eloise.

Hence, as she looked down with a slight blush on her face, he apathetically asked, "Why did you not back away from the staring match? And why were you eavesdropping on me?"

Hearing his cold tone, Sister Xuan flinched before looking up to see a slightly angry expression on the King's face.

She hadn't been able to control herself. From the King's actions, it had been quite clear that the conversation he would have next would be very important.

Without even understanding why, she had made the decision to listen in no matter what. Hence, she had cast a Warrior level spell, thinking that the King wouldn't be able to spot it because he was only an Exalted Human.

Clearly, she had underestimated whatever inheritance he had managed to obtain which was allowing him to do things that no normal Exalted Human should be able to do.

At this moment, she remembered some advice her Matron had given long back.

Right now, her impression was definitely at rock bottom in the King's eyes. If she tried to lie or cover her actions in some way, it would definitely only make it go lower.

Hence, she chose to tell the truth so that she would at least have no regrets later.

This was her character since childhood; even if she was indecisive many times, she would always go through with a decision once she made it.

Setting her expression into one of determination, she ignored the rising blush in her face and spoke in a strong tone.

"King Daneel, I like you. In my time in your Kingdom, I have investigated everything about you, and your actions have impressed me. I have never met any other man like you who overcame all odds to achieve something momentous. I felt jealous when I heard that that woman was close to you, so I did not break away from the staring match. Of course, I had no intention to hurt her. I am not saying that you should like me, or that I will pursue you. I eavesdropping because I wanted to know if you were taken. I am sorry, and it will not happen again. Can I go, now?"

Dazed at the sudden tirade aimed at him, Daneel only nodded.

This was simply too much to take in in a single day. First, he had had to build up the courage and emotional fortitude to break the heart of someone he admired and really cared about.

Next, he had had to listen to this… confession?

He didn't even know what she meant. She… liked him?

The straightforwardness had startled him, and he had no idea what to think. Besides, he couldn't even understand what she was even trying to say.

Seeing the nod, Sister Xuan turned around and walked to the door before realized that this was her room.

Pausing at the door, she turned around and folded her hands, feeling anger for reasons unknown.

She had said her piece, and she felt embarrassed at laying herself out in front of someone like that.

This feeling of…vulnerability was something she hated. Hence, the anger spread to her face, making her frown as she waited for the King to realize the same thing and leave.

After seeing no movement from him for a few seconds, she cleared her throat, making an "Ah-ahem" sound echo in the room.

As if jolted to his senses, the King finally realized his location and turned around before scratching his nose and walking out.

Seeing him walk out, Sister Xuan banged the door behind him and collapsed on the bed.

What had actually just happened? She wondered, putting her head in her hands and trying to make sense of the storm that was currently in her mind.

Chapter 303: Advertising 2

After coming out of the room, Daneel paused and once again tried to take control of his thoughts.

Yet, a message in his mind from Kellor interrupted him.

"My King, they're still waiting. Shall I postpone the meeting?"

Just before he had gotten the message from Sister Xuan that Eloise was waking up, Daneel had been in the middle of a very important meeting.

Deciding to put aside Sister Xuan's matter for now, Daneel said, "No. I'm on my way now."

Quickly getting to a large meeting room, Daneel walked inside and smiled wide before saying, "I had to handle something urgent. Now, let us get back to our discussion. Where was I?"

Assembled in front of him were over 50 people who were all the owners of the largest establishments in Lanthanor which sold things to the public.

One of them, who was decked out in multiple enchanted clothes that looked luxurious, said, "You were saying that you had a way to significantly improve our sales."

Clapping his hands, Daneel answered, "Oh yes! So, what is the major problem that is stopping you from expanding your businesses and taking them to the next level?"

This was definitely a matter that was always on their minds, so an answer appeared quickly enough.

"Money."

Hearing the answer, Daneel only shook his head and said, "Money is a problem, but not THE problem."

With these words, his intention became clear.

Hence, 4 people answered simultaneously.

"Customers."

"Exactly! I've called you all here because there is an excellent opportunity waiting for you if you are looking to expand your businesses and obtain more customers. Have you heard of the event that is going to take place in the Black Raven Kingdom soon?"

One of those in the group, who had a long white beard and seemed older than most was the one to answer this time.

"The Olympics. Yes, I've heard about it, and I also wanted to ask Your Highness whether the story behind it is really true. And of course, because I was curious to find out what that man's words were."

Daneel chuckled at this.

"Then you'll have to come to the games like everyone else! This event will be one which will have more spectators than any other in the last 100 years. If you wish to obtain customers, then this is the place to go to. Now, the only question remaining is how much you're willing to pay to get those customers."

With talk about payment coming up, almost all the eyes in the room narrowed, knowing that it was now the time for the true negotiations.

As businessmen, they knew just how valuable this opportunity was. In fact, many had planned to approach the King regarding this anyway.

Seeing this, Daneel smiled inwardly.

From his experiences on Earth, he knew very well that advertising was one of the biggest revenue generating tools in history. He already had an event in his hands which would be attended by hundreds of thousands of people, so it would be foolish to not use the opportunity to earn some money which would go a long way in both developing Lanthanor and furthering his other schemes.

Of course, the prime focus of the advertising was still his two schemes: the Network of Angaria and the Bank of Angaria.

Hence, it was now time to fleece all these people as much as possible before giving them the other spots.

Beside Daneel stood Kellor, who nodded at the King as he realized that it was his turn.

Taking a step forward, Kellor said, "There are multiple opportunities, and if you want something, you are going to have to bid for it. First up, the opportunity to be the establishment which will be in charge of providing alcohol to the spectators…"

As the raucous bidding began, Daneel smiled again before making his way out of the door.

This event would be the culmination of his efforts to increase the satisfaction level, and it would also be the cash cow which he would milk as much as possible so that he could fund his future plans.

All the individuals inside the room were those who were bidding to provide their services and increase their number of customers by serving the spectators.

Yet, there was one more aspect that was very important.

Team branding.

For this, Daneel had set up another meeting.

Walking to a small meeting room nearby, Daneel saw two familiar people.

They were Helena and Dalia, who stood up with respect as they saw the King arrive.

"Sit, sit! Both of you are famous and rich now! With the success of your products, maybe you will become important enough that you won't have to show respect to the King, like those in the other room who know that I need them."

When they had been escorted to the room where they had been sitting till now, Helena and Dalia had seen the famous individuals who really did have haughty attitudes as if they were doing the King a favor by accepting his invitation.

Their confidence stemmed from the fact that they were very vital for each and every Kingdom to maintain the economy.

Hurriedly, Helena replied, "My King! Everything we have today is because of you, and we are forever indebted. That is why our logo is also that of Lanthanor. We will never forget our roots, and we will also be giving most of our profits to the Palace so that it can help others who are struggling like we used to."

Hearing this, Daneel sighed happily while wishing that there were more people like this in his Kingdom.

Industrious, hard-working, and also, most importantly, loyal.

"I know, I was just testing, and that is not necessary. I have a proposition for you two, and it will cause your establishment to become famous throughout the continent. In return, the only thing I ask is that you base yourself in Lanthanor and provide jobs to the citizens of this Kingdom."

"Of course, my King! No matter how good of an offer I get, I would never even consider moving to a different Kingdom. Lanthanor is my home, and my life will be spent giving back to this great nation."

"Good. You already know that Lanthanor and the Black Raven Kingdom will be competing against each other in a major event that is going to happen soon. It is your establishment that is in charge of making the uniforms for all the teams, and you will also be the one brand that will be displayed for everyone to see on the uniforms of the team which will be playing the game that will definitely make a mark in the memories of the people of Angaria. Mark my words, after the event, you will be completely flooded with orders. In that regard, the Bank of Angaria is open to you again to fund your expansion. Because you are our maiden businesswoman, the interest rate is still the same with no changes. I need your assurance that you will be able to manage the establishment even if it grows that large. To that effect, I also have some ideas which might be useful to you if you want to ensure quality in the manufacturing process, and I also have ways which will make sure that you have no problem in delivering your goods to customers no matter where they are. In other words, I am saying that your establishment can join with the Lanthanor Kingdom to bring profit to both. What do you say?"

Hearing this long speech from Daneel, both Helena and Dalia were initially shocked.

They had indeed heard about the Olympics, which was being advertised day and night on the Network. Spectators would really be in the hundreds of thousands, and they would go back to their Kingdoms and tell others about what they saw.

As for the final offer of collaborating with the Kingdom of Lanthanor, both the mother and daughter's eyes had lit up on hearing it.

Both of them only felt absolute adoration for the King and this Kingdom, and now that they had a chance to work with it closely, they jumped to it without any hesitation.

"We would be honored, my King. Thank you. Thank you so much!"

"Hmm? Agreeing so easily, without even asking me specific details about the percentages and trying to negotiate?", Daneel asked, feeling slightly guilty that he might be using his image to push people into making decisions.

"Whatever they are, we're happy with them, My King. We will not pass up this opportunity. Thank you."

Once again nodding happily, Daneel said, "No, thank you for being such model citizens of this Kingdom. Eloise will be in touch with you soon with the details. Farewell for now."

Getting up, Daneel received their bows and walked out, feeling very satisfied with himself.

Was this how CEOs of multi-national companies felt back on Earth when they cracked multiple deals? He wondered, before stopping in his tracks on seeing that Molan was standing in the corridor he was walking in, as if waiting to talk to him.

Chapter 304: Prison

"So…both of them like you?"

"Yes."

"And you don't want either of them?"

"Well, not right now. I mean, I have too many things I'm doing right now. Besides, my parents said-"

"Your parents?!"

"Ya, what's wrong with that?"

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Elanev spoke with a measured tone.

"Your Highness, permission to treat you like my little brother instead of your Royal self?"

Hearing the slight tone of mockery in Elanev's voice, Daneel was honestly puzzled.

Still, he just said, "Yes, go on," but immediately regretted it afterward.

"If you weren't the King, my fist would have kissed your face by now!"

The sharp remark of Elanev's surprised Daneel, almost making him miss a step on the way to the jail of the Palace.

This entire thing had started because of his decision to ask his big brother for advice regarding the matter of Sister Xuan and Eloise.

The latter was heartbroken, and the former wasn't making sense. Hence, realizing that he was completely out of his depth, Daneel had chosen the wise option of seeking advice.

Yet, the question of where to do so had plagued him. The ones he was close to were the commanders, Faxul, Elanev and Kellor. The commanders were out of the question, as they were thorough military maniacs who all didn't have any life outside their jobs.

Faxul, of course, had the same experience as him, or probably even lesser because he hadn't grown up on Earth in a society where hookups and breakups were common.

As for Kellor, he was actually the worst option of the bunch. Known to get awkward in casual conversations with both men and woman, the Grand Court Mage was said to be in love with only one thing in the world: his woodcutting axe. This explained why he was single even though his age was approaching 40.

Finally, the best option was Elanev. When Daneel had been in the Fists of Justice Training Hall, he had heard rumors that his big brother had been quite the playboy. The incident of stealing ladies' undergarments that he had unwittingly confessed to on Daneel's first day there had actually been only one of the pranks he pulled to impress those he was seeing.

In fact, it had even been famous across the Training Hall that he had had his bottom kicked straight into the air by Viuda, with whom he had been in a relationship with for quite a long time.

In the Continent of Angaria, norms of relationships in societies varied between Kingdoms and Races.

For instance, Elves seldom married, instead choosing to drift from partner to partner until they found someone they wanted to spend their life with. Even when they did, few chose to tie the knot and make it official, as Elves generally believed that it was enough if the two parties in the relationship were sure about what they were doing. In fact, the institution of marriage itself had soaked in from other societies, and some quirky Elves chose it anyway for some reason.

As for regular humans in Axelor, Lanthanor, and the Black Raven Kingdom, the norm was to get married in the presence of a government official. Other than a few conservative areas, for the most part, it was totally fine to enter multiple relationships before finding someone to settle down with.

"Two beautiful, perfect women want to be with you! In fact, why aren't you considering both? As King, you can have a harem to give birth to many heirs!"

As these words of Elanev's rang across the corridor, Daneel flushed after a long time.

A harem.

This option was something he was aware of, but he had rejected it instantly.

Indeed, there were no rules banning polygamy on Angaria like on Earth. Many rich individuals and those in power chose to have such relationships in order to have more sons and daughters.

Yet, for some reason that Daneel couldn't voice, he was really against having a harem.

The flush was because he had never expected his big brother to bring up this topic at all, and that too in such a public place.

Immediately setting up a soundproof barrier around them, Daneel said, "I'm against them, Elanev. I have no intention of setting up a harem."

"Why? If I had the chance, I would jump at it!"

Hearing the envy in Elanev's voice, Daneel realized that he really had chosen the wrong person to ask.

If Daneel was being completely honest with himself, then he would say that the reason he didn't want a harem was his upbringing.

During his time in the orphanage back on Earth, the kind old day had used to read them many stories about a Prince Charming coming down from heaven to save the damsel in distress. Although Daneel never got why the damsel needed to be in distress in the first place, one thing that had imprinted itself in his mind was the concept of waiting for someone to come and save you.

Here on Angaria, Daneel had been witness to the pure love between his parents, which led to him to want to have something like it.

Besides, just like his father had said, if he chose someone to be with him, he wanted to be able to given them everything and never let them feel that they weren't getting attention. After all, relationship, just like power, was all about responsibility,.

In the case of a harem, this was almost impossible.

Daneel didn't even know if he was right in this regard, but the crucial part was that he did not want to find out.

As for the matter of heirs, he had decided that he would figure it out later.

"Bottom line, choose one, or all the bachelors in Lanthanor will start pelting stones at you. I mean, have you seen the two women? What did the one in the corridor want with you anyway?"

Elanev was referring to the one he had found Daneel with when he had walked into him in the corridor outside the meeting room where he had met with Helena and Dalia.

"Oh, nothing. Just a query she had about something."

Deciding to keep Molan's words to himself, Daneel felt glad for once on seeing the door to the Palace Prison appear. Although this walk hadn't been very long, it had definitely felt so.

Seeing the King, the doors were immediately opened, leading to stairs which went down more than 10 stories.

Finally, the duo reached a place which only had one entrance and one exit.

All around was just bare earth, and even teleportation was blocked here. In other words, it was an inescapable hellhole.

Daneel was doing a routine inspection of the ones here, and Elanev had asked to tag along. First, they came across a man who seemed to be meditating.

"This the one that almost killed you in the Palace?", Elanev asked, making the man inside the cell look up with eyes that looked hollow.

"I know you took the flame, King. You have talent. The Church will treasure you! Just give in like I did!"

Indeed, it was the Tenebrous Knight from the Church whom Daneel had captured before.

They hadn't been able to get a word out of him due to the oaths he had sworn, but Daneel had chosen to keep him here after sealing his power.

Next were rows and rows of cells which all had soundproofing barriers placed in front of them.

The steel cells reminded Daneel of the prisons on Earth, with the only difference being that the cell was made interlocked triangle shaped objects which were actually all trinkets.

Such a feat was impossible in today's world, but it had apparently a piece of cake for those before.

These cells had more than a hundred soldiers who all spit at Daneel without caring that he was the King.

Seeing this, Elanev was about to ask, but Daneel raised a hand and said, "Yes, they are the hostages from Axelor. They haven't responded to out communication, so these people are just enjoying free food now. They might have some use in the future."

As Daneel and Elanev continued their rounds underground, without their knowledge, a meeting had just started far, far away.

It was in a hut in the side of a mountain, and there were 3 individuals sitting side by side around a wooden table.

After a period of calm, a man walked into the hut and said something that made all those inside sit straight.

"The representative from the Big 4 is almost here. When he arrives, we will officially begin the meeting to decide the course of action against the formation of a potential Empire by the alliance between the Black Raven Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lanthanor."

Chapter 305: Respec

Hearing these words, the three inside straightened their backs as they waited for the representative to come.

"Like I've been saying for a long time, just kill that brat."

This was said by a man who had short grey hair and was wearing red armor.

The man next to him, who looked like he was the eldest of them all, raised his eyebrows and said, "You know why we don't want to do that. Drops of water form the ocean, and someone with his potential will definitely make a difference in the upcoming struggle."

An angry expression appeared on the first man's face on hearing this.

"Oh, shut up. We all know that you have a deal with that kid's master to help you retrieve your treasures. If I see you siding with him one more time, I'll petition that you should leave this meeting because your interests clearly lie elsewhere."

In a blur that was almost invisible, the old man flicked out his hand and made the other go silent because of the knife that was now on his throat.

"Our business is not with him, so I don't care what happens to him. But you know that what I said is the truth. I thought this would be clear even to someone who can be called the dumbest of the Axelorians."

Before the red-robed man could respond, the other individual in the room who was a woman clad in a blue dress chuckled, drawing the attention of the other two.

As anger appeared on the man's face, he gritted his teeth and actually bent forward.

With the scraping sound, the knife moved back because the man's throat had actually hardened into what looked like stone.

Seeing this, the old man remove that knife and put his hand into his robe to take out another one which was much sharper.

The woman was still chuckling, but she also had a cold look in her eye, as if she was waiting for a chance.

Just as she was also about to take out a weapon to join in on the fun, the door creaked open, causing the three of them to look up to see who had entered.

Suddenly, all of their eyes widened as horror-filled their hearts.

In that instant that the door had opened, all three of them had lost all sensation of their bodies.

The only thing that they still had was their vision, and they helplessly looked on with no other choice.

It was almost as if time itself had been stopped, and the silence which ensued during this phenomenon scared them.

Wait… Fear?

Three Warrior level individuals… Were actually feeling fear?

Used to lording over everyone due to their power and being respected everywhere they went, the trio's minds were battered by endless waves of shock due to this forgotten feeling that they hadn't experienced in a long time.

STEP. STEP. STEP.

As the sound of footsteps echoed in the room, the three started to feel intense pain in their minds, as they had just been returned the sense of sound.

Yet, the sound was so magnified that the echo in the room felt like it was 100 times louder than it actually was.

Into their vision entered a man with long brown hair that reached his shoulders. His long face was clean-shaven, and his thin lips were stretched into a smile.

Wearing black robes with gold trim that was visible in a few places, the man had an easy expression of confidence on his face which would make anyone feel that this was someone who was very capable.

Even as they his image in their minds, the three were screaming inwardly because the sound was rising in intensity, threatening to drive them mad.

If they had control of their bodies, they would definitely be collapsed on the ground twitching with pain by now.

"First rule of dealing with the Big Four: respect. Just because you rose to the level of Warriors, it doesn't mean that you aren't bugs who can't hold a candle to even a disciple of mine at the Exalted Human level. To have the audacity of causing a ruckus knowing that I was going to attend this meeting, you really deserve to have the special treatment of having another of your senses magnified."

Calmly taking a seat around the table and speaking these words in a tone like cold steel, the man flicked his fingers, making the sensation of touch return to the three.

Yet, just like hearing, this was also magnified so much that just the air brushing on top of the skin felt as painful as if they were being raked by sheets of barbed metal.

Sweat started to pour down from their pale faces which had lost all color. They were actually in a comical position: the woman's hand was frozen on its way to her dress where there was a weapon hiding, the old man had already grasped a different knife with a golden hilt and his other knife would soon penetrate the throat of the other man as the solidification around it had been slowly receding because he was no longer capable of controlling the transformation.

"My Lord, this is the first time they are meeting someone with your status. They think they're sharks in the pond, but they have no idea that they are simply the algae. Still, these are some of the few Warrior Level individuals on the Central Continent. According to the accords – "

As if the mention of that last word had evoked an unpleasant memory, a slight frown passed across the face of the man who was sitting.

Flicking his fingers again, he made the three collapse onto the table, unconscious.

Their eyelids were open, and the whites of their eyes could be seen while froth started to appear at the mouths.

With another flick, the three jolted awake, as if they had been electrocuted.

Waking up in such an unpleasant way and still very scared about the strange things that had just happened, the three kept silent and only looked down deferentially.

Seeing the sign of respect, the man nodded approvingly before saying, "I am Ashahell, and the only thing that you need to know is that I hold a very high position in the Big Four. You might be thinking why someone at my level was required to attend this meeting between you peasants. You might have heard rumors or you might even know the truth, but the fact is that this continent will very soon be under attack. When the time comes, all the forces available will be needed. So, I had to come to stop you from beginning a quarrel that will result in us losing our cannon fodder!"

All of these words said in a cold, unfeeling tone made them have an additional aspect of mocking that made the hearts of these three proud individuals sting.

The two men managed to control their emotions, but a very, very minute frown appeared on the woman's face.

SLICK.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

With a scream, the woman fell to the floor while blood fountained from the stump that was left of her right arm.

As for the arm, it had already turned into dust, dashing the hope of attempting a reconnection if she obtained it.

"This is the first warning.", the man said casually, before continuing as if nothing untoward had happened.

"While this stands, an Empire must not be formed. This continent has a certain… History with empires. Hence, those two kingdoms must be crippled. This must be done by you lot, but without causing too many deaths. Do you think you can do that?"

Asking this, Ashahell watched as the three of them looked at each other with confusion in their eyes.

The woman had cauterized the wound and was now sitting again, with fear added to her expression.

She was a 4th Grade Warrior, and she had always thought that she was one of the strongest beings in the Central Continent.

Yet, this man now made her feel like she truly was a bug to be crushed.

Champion. He was definitely one of the legendary Champions, and the only question that remained was regarding exactly which level he was at in that realm.

Seeing the confusion, Ashahell shook his head and took out something from his pocket which shocked the three.

It was a transparent glass bowl, and inside it was a golden mosquito.

"He dares to play around with mosquitoes to drive away a previous member of the Big Four, so let him have a taste of his own medicine.", Ashahell said, in a tone that sent chills up the spines of those in the room.

Chapter 306: Creativity

BOOM

As a huge block of what looked like stone fell from the sky due to the Mage in charge of it losing control, the people below screamed in fear as they tried to run away.

It was a cube of around 10 m in length, width, and height, making it so that there was quite a large area for people to evacuate in case they did not want to get squashed by it.

A young man, who seemed to be new to the job, froze in fear as he saw his death approaching.

He had just joined the construction organization, and it was actually his first day here.

Never had he imagined that it might be his last.

He knew that he had to run, but his legs refused to move as his brain was too scared to send any message to his body.

Just as he was about to close his eyes knowing that it was all going to end, he heard a strange sound which made him look up.

As his jaw dropped, he realized that the enormous block which weighed over a thousand kilos was hovering in midair, as if it had been caught in the hands of some invisible giant. It blocked out the sunlight, so he had to squint his eyes and adjust them in hopes of seeing just who it was that had come to save him.

Alas, without pause, the block slowly drop to the ground beside the man, making him finally regain control of his body as he scurried away due to the fear setting in.

There was no one above him, but he thanked the one responsible for saving his life anyway.

As those in charge of the construction started to run towards the location to find out what had happened, Daneel smiled on seeing the thankful face of the man and flew back up into the air from where he had been watching this area.

It was the sight of the construction of the stadium where the event that the entire continent was talking about would soon take place.

Known as the Devil's Pit, this location had a large canyon which was around 70 acres in area. The humongous stadium that was quickly forming in it had a capacity of around 200,000 people, which was more than any stadium that Daneel remembered from Earth.

He had tasked Kellor with finding the best individuals to spearhead the construction, and he had been very surprised with the metrics that were given to him when he had asked what the size of the stadium would be.

This was a unique project even for the large company, but they had been confident that they would definitely be able to complete it and set down their name in history mainly because this was an opportunity that hadn't come in the continent for a very long time.

The biggest stadium in the continent right now was in the Kingdom of Axelor, which could seat around 100,000 people and had been built for the purpose of the Battle Royales that were really popular among those people just like in the Black Raven Kingdom.

As the stadium was easily double that size, the company that built it would definitely gain so much fame that they would have no lack of projects in the continent.

The budget was a whopping 2.5 million Gold Lans, which was equivalent to $ 2.5 billion.

Yet, Daneel had actually been quite happy with this amount as he knew the average cost that was needed to build a stadium back on earth.

Although he didn't remember the figures exactly, he knew that budgets of billions of dollars were nothing out of place when stadiums with capacities of over 100,000 people were being built.

In fact, the price was so high in this case because the stadium had been ordered to be built in weeks.

When taking into consideration that it would take years or even a decade to undertake such a project on Earth, the cost was quite understandable.

Besides, no corners were being cut at all as Daneel envisioned this stadium bringing back much more revenue in the future than he was going to invest right now.

Curious about how exactly the construction would take place and also wanting to get away from the Palace for at least a little bit of time, Daneel had made the journey to the Black Raven Kingdom.

Although he had considered asking for permission and directly teleporting inside, Daneel knew that discretion was the better option.

Hence, he had used the same disguise as before to sneak in.

When he had reached the location, he had been witness to the strange sight of an enormous metal platform in the air from which the large stone block had slipped and fallen.

After acting to save the man who had been about to die, Daneel immediately left the location.

While the people below were puzzled about who the savior was, Daneel turned his attention to the many fascinating trinkets and the construction method that was being used below him.

This location had been chosen jointly by Faxul and Daneel both due of the canyon which was mostly level and was perfect for the stadium, and also because the land sloped downwards slightly to the canyon, making it appear like a bowl with two parts: an outer one which had a slight slope and an inner one which was like a deep pit.

The depth of the canyon was around 50 meters, but the stadium would only be 40 meters tall.

This would make it so that expansion would be easy, as they would simply have to build additional spectator stands on the land outside the canyon if they wished.

Of course, as there would be an enormous amount of distance between that spot and the stadium, they would have to consider deploying display trinkets so that people sitting on the far edges could get in on the excitement even though they couldn't actually see what was going on inside the stadium with their own eyes.

This reminded Daneel of the sports stadiums back on Earth, where those in the back would have to rely more on the screens placed around stadiums because they would never be able to clearly see the match, unless they had equipment like binoculars.

A few meters away from the canyon, a large makeshift warehouse had been built from which loud sounds could be heard.

Rather than a warehouse, it was more accurate to call it a shed as two sides of the building were open.

Through the opening, Daneel could clearly see that there were around 100 Mages hard at work.

These were all easily Eminent Human level ones, which startled Daneel as they would be able to form a very powerful force which might rival the armies of many kingdoms.

These Mages was sitting in teams of 10 with around 30 m distance between them, and around 1000 people were constantly bringing in cartloads of sand and clay and dumping them in front of them.

After the materials piled up to a certain degree, each team of 10 raised their hands in perfect coordination and cast the spell which first shaped the materials into a cube.

Daneel was fascinated by the teamwork, as it required years of training to be able to do what they just did. If even one mage lost a slight amount of control, the stability of the entire cube would collapse as each of them were handling different sections of it and making sure that it stayed in shape.

After shaping it for around 20 minutes by using water and then extracting the moisture, the Mages cast fire spells with started to fuse the particles together, beginning the process of making the blocks which constituted the stadium.

Daneel was quite surprised to see that the concept of brick making which had been a very essential invention back on earth was already in use here. But, the process has been sped up a lot because of the presence of magic.

Brickmaking composed of four processes: preparation, molding, drying, and burning.

The first three had been compressed into one part, hastening the process by a large degree.

In preparation, impurities were extracted, and this had been done by the fine control of elementary particles that enabled the mages to make sure that they were only controlling the particles they needed, expelling all the unneeded ones.

Next, molding meant making the bricks into the shape that was required, which had already been accomplished.

As for the drying, again, moisture had been extracted by using elementary particles to make the water leave the block.

Finally, the heat resulted in the solid, humongous bricks which were quickly taken to the stadium and laid in place.

Opening his eyes wide and watching everything like a kid who had found his favorite toy, Daneel found himself awed at the creativity of these people that was allowing them to do their jobs effectively.

Chapter 307: Cour

In each and every Kingdom and force in the Continent of Angaria, there were a few people whose job it was to collect all the top news and check whether any action needed to be taken about them.

Of course, the main kind of news that these people assessed was about enemy movements which would need strategic decisions by the higher-ups.

Yet, there were a few whose duty it was to check for news that might be left out.

It was these people who had obtained information about the Olympics that were going to happen in the Black Raven Kingdom. Immediately, they took the decision that this couldn't be ignored by those in charge.

The King of Lanthanor had sanctioned an enormous amount of money to make sure that news about this event would spread everywhere, and the money had done its job. Various means were being used to proliferate the news, and some had even hired Mages to teleport to different areas in order to let as many people know as possible.

Besides, one very enticing detail was that only the seats inside the stadium needed to be paid for. According to the advertisements, there were also free seats outside the stadium where the events would be clearly shown using display trinkets.

Also, along with these advertisements, many top organizations which were known for their specialties in wine or food had taken the opportunity to spread the word that they would be present in order to serve everyone who came.

In essence, the Olympics were turning into some kind of festival to which all of the Continent was invited.

A festival was something often used by rulers in order to cheer up people in the face of difficulties. Usually, Kingdoms would spend enormous amounts of money to hire top performers and entertainers to regale people with their respective arts.

In this festival, the performers would be hot-blooded soldiers who would compete in front of hundreds of thousands to show their skill and power.

As a Continent that had a major focus on strength and capability, such contests enticed people much more than the usual methods of entertainment that they were used to.

Reports started flooding in all around the Continent that people numbering in the tens of thousands had already started to make plans to start their journey to the stadium.

Courts began to be held and discussions began to happen to address just how the other forces in the continent would react in the face of such popularity.

One such court that had just been held was in the Kingdom of Eldinor where the Queen was sitting on the throne with her lips compressed into a thin line.

Queen Eldra had spent the past few months weeding out corruption in the Kingdom, and she had been quite successful and had even busted a few elf slavery rings which had brought her much acclaim from the citizens.

Her popularity was constantly on the rise, and it seemed that she might even overshadow the love that her mother had had in her heyday.

Although there was much to be happy about, it was said in the Palace that the Queen was someone who rarely smiled and that she also had no one close to confide in, just like the previous Queen.

Although these were just whispers, they managed to reach Eldra's ears, pissing her off as she sat and listened to an elf talk extensively about the Olympics.

"-this is where the continent will be! So many people from so many kingdoms coming to watch, but it will only be two kingdoms who will have the chance to display their skills and steal the hearts of all the spectators. My Queen,-"

"Have you booked tickets yet?"

"No, I'm trying for the VIP seats."

Being interrupted suddenly, the elf answered without thinking and closed his mouth immediately while his eyes opened wide with surprise.

As chuckles started to sound around him, his face started to flush and he looked down at his shoes.

Eldra smiled inwardly, but nothing showed on her face. Since the time that she had taken the Throne and talked to her mother before she had been executed, the number of times that she had smiled could be counted on one hand.

In even those instances, it was just happiness that came from seeing elves freed from their misery.

Of course, she couldn't even say that she was unhappy. Although she had been a little lost in the beginning, she had quickly found her stride and she now enjoyed ruling this kingdom and being loved by so many people.

Yet, the link in the corner of her mind which was like an itch that she couldn't get rid of was something that perpetually lowered her mood.

That, and the words from her mother that she hadn't been able to forget.

Now, seeing a minister of her's speak so many praises about the event organized by the man secretly in control of the Kingdom of the Elves, she had felt the urge to speak like so and stop him.

"It's alright. I know that many of you are doing the same, so I don't understand why you are laughing."

As if they were school students caught red-handed by the teacher, half of those who were chuckling closed their mouths.

Elves were a species who had a lot of passion for skill in any field. Also, there were many elves who loved to study humans and their behaviors in order to understand them better.

This would be a golden opportunity to observe so many people and draw conclusions about how groups acted in such scenarios.

In any world, the feeling of superiority that a species might have over others wasn't something that could be kept from appearing. It was actually this feeling that led the elves to want to study humans, making them feel as if they were researchers treating those of the other species as mice to be prodded forward in a maze to note down and understand the dumb actions.

Of course, this only applied to a minority, but it just so happened that this minority was in the top echelons of the government of Eldinor and thus had the authority to attend this court.

In fact, the booking hadn't even begun, but the elves had started to pull strings in order to make sure that they would be the first when it did start.

"So, what is your petition?

The other aspect that came along with this superiority was that of pride. Pride which would be hurt if it saw the status of others rising far above in the hearts of many while they only stood on the sidelines, watching.

Looking up with determination, the elf said, "Elves must also take part, and we must showcase our power."

Eldra was startled by this. One known weakness of elves was that they were mostly Mages and that they actually had slower training speeds than humans in general when it came to training their bodies.

All of the events announced so far were meant for Fighters, so she didn't understand how elves could even hope to participate.

"Although I applaud your wish for Eldinor to rise in popularity, the events are all for Fighters. We would only embarrass ourselves if we insist on participating and then end up losing."

Those in the court were almost all older than her, and she sometimes forgot that they were also wiser.

This fact was shown to her again as she heard the reply of the elf.

"My Queen, we must challenge both of those kingdoms and mock them for not including any events for Mages. We must also anger them, saying that they are doing so because they know that their performance and skill cannot hold a candle to that of the wise elves of Eldinor. This will close the mouth of those who have started to talk that the other Kingdoms are too scared to test themselves in such a public scenario. If they refuse to include events for Mages, we will still have maintained our pride. But if they do include them, then we will crush them all and make it known to the continent once again that we are the Masters of Magic."

As the elf gave this pride-filled speech, Eldra chose to simply relay everything to Daneel through the oath.

As the King of Lanthanor received this message, his eyebrows raised as he realized that the Olympics were growing to become something even bigger than he had imagined.

"Alright. You're in. I'll send over the rules of the Mage games soon.", he replied, looking forward even more to seeing just how much of a grand spectacle the Olympics were going to be.

Chapter 308: ID

Palace of Lanthanor, the King's chambers.

Holding rectangular metallic cards in their hands that were stamped with the Lanthanorian crest, six individuals were sitting in front of the beating dragon's heart and examining them with their full consultation.

After a few seconds, the silence that had reigned in the room for the past few minutes was finally broken by Aran.

"Thousands of these? How is it even possible? Don't they cost too much?"

Hearing these words, the King of Lanthanor smiled and said, "No, because of a design that I have created and the assembly line that we have, each trinket, which is going to be called an ID card, will cost only a single silver Lan."

"But wouldn't it still be an enormous amount because there are millions of people?"

"Yes, but the benefits are numerous. Aren't you sick of letting people from other kingdoms enter ours so easily? With these cards, it will be very, very difficult for someone to infiltrate. And even if they do, we have this little thing here to catch them whenever we want."

Saying so, the King of Lanthanor pointed towards a device that looked like a metallic stick.

"Let's have a small demo. Aran, bind a card and stand there. Cassandra, stand beside him."

Nodding, the two commanders followed the instructions of the King and stood at a spot in the chamber.

Holding up the metal stick, Daneel pointed at them and to their surprise, a red light emanated from the end of the stick and landed on Aran.

"A Mage can hold this and cover a large area in the air, and the trinket will identify each and everyone who are not carrying their ID cards. The trinket works by examining whether a unique feature of the card, which is very difficult to be replicated, is present on a person's body or not. Although this thing is quite costly to make, it is well worth it in times of crisis when we want to identify all negative or doubtful elements in places like the Capital city."

With awe on their faces, the three commanders, Eloise and Robert looked at Daneel and wondered just how he had come up with this.

Seeing the unasked question in their eyes, Daneel answered, "I had this idea for a long time since the Knight from the Church was able to infiltrate and attack us so easily. If we had something like this then, we would have been able to at least spot him and prevent him from reaching the Palace. After the system is deployed, the identification trinkets can be placed at crucial spots all around the kingdom with guards posted around them to apprehend all those who are traveling without the ID cards. Of course, with any idea like this, some testing needs to be done to find out whether it is really viable. Hence, we will be using the system to identify those who are going to buy the tickets for seats in the Olympics."

Finally laying his full plan out, Daneel smiled and sat in his seat while the others pondered on his words.

Actually, this was a system that he had wanted to implement almost since the time that he had become king.

Enemy infiltration was a very serious problem that all kingdoms suffered with. He himself had exploited the loopholes to infiltrate multiple kingdoms on many occasions.

Even the other day, when he had observed the spies watching Helena and Dalia, he had been reminded of this scheme of his which he had had to shelve before because of the limited funds.

Yet, now that he actually had money and would soon have a great deal of income, he decided to go ahead with it.

The Olympics were truly a golden opportunity to test the efficacy of the system.

The working was simple, but it was this simplicity which increased the efficiency by a large amount.

Each card was supposed to be bound by the blood of an individual, and the secret trick by which the identification trinket worked was that it detected the interactions between the elementary particles and the card.

Elementary particles were present everywhere in nature, and they constituted the very essence of reality. Interactions between particles were common, and this was what caused the phenomena in nature that everyone saw every day. This simple concept was used in trinkets already in the cases where expensive barrier trinkets protected their user from harm by detecting the interactions between the elementary particles in the area around them and activating themselves when danger was detected – which was typically signified by an agitated change in the particles due to an incoming attack.

In a similar way, a specific alloy composed of different concentrations of different metals would interact in a unique way that was capable of being detected by anyone who had elementary sight.

The ID cards in everyone's hands were made of unique alloys with minute differences between them. Yet, however minute, the interaction with elementary particles still changed.

Because this was a common interaction, there were also many ways to block someone or some trinket from seeing these interactions.

For example, the scanning trinket used by soldiers at the border used the same concept to detect whether someone had a trinket on them. Yet, both the Knight and the spies who infiltrated Lanthanor had methods to hide their trinkets from them.

Yet, with this system, hiding their trinkets would actually implicate them.

Daneel had actually gotten the idea for this identification method from the systems back on Earth where something similar was used by banks to issue cards that people could use to draw money.

Each such card was unique in the fact that it had a specific aspect such as a chip which was authenticated by a device from the bank. This device would check with the database in the bank to ensure that the chip was valid.

Similarly, the indication trinket would check with a database back in the Palace where all the concentrations and interactions were listed extensively. If a card wasn't present with someone or if the card interacted with the elementary particles in a different way, the trinket would be able to detect it and mark that person a suspicious. The high cost of 1000 Gold Lans for each trinket was, hence, justified.

Of course, in both cases, there were still loopholes, but the goal was to make it as difficult as possible to circumvent the system.

Nobody in the central continent had used such extensive methods yet, both due to not having the means to deploy something so complex and also because it was a risk.

The creativity of Mages wasn't something that could be underestimated. Even in this system, it couldn't be ascertained with a 100% guarantee that someone wouldn't be able to find some exploit which they could use to easily bypass the system.

Although Daneel hoped that this wouldn't happen, he wasn't ready to deploy the system throughout the kingdom unless it was tested. Hence, he had taken the decision to do so in the Olympics.

The system would make or break the future of Lanthanor, as he suspected that more and more spies would start entering both Kingdoms when it went public that they were going to unite.

Information was key, and he had no intention to give it up without a struggle.

With this topic out of the way, Daneel moved on to make an important announcement.

"I also have news. The Kingdom of the Elves has contacted me saying that they wish to participate in the games, but they require us to hold events for Mages. What do you all think?"

The words were met by shock in the room.

The arrogant elves… Were actually requesting that they wanted to participate?"

"Of course, they tried to instigate me by saying that we are not holding mage events because we are afraid that we 'cannot hold a candle to their skill'. Is this true?"

Cassandra immediately stood up with an angry expression on her face as she heard these words.

"My King, I guarantee you that my Mages will leave those long-eared pricks in the dust! Please give me a chance to show just what kind of training I'm putting all the Mages of Lanthanor through. You will definitely not be disappointed."

This made a smile come Daneel's face, as this was the sort of spirit of competition that he had hoped to invoke in everyone with the Olympics.

"I don't doubt it, Cassandra. But you should understand that if we are humiliated in an event that we are conducting, we might never be able to live it down. We must take every precaution to make sure that it doesn't happen, so I have a secret competitor in mind who might turn the tide."

Wondering who such a talented person might be, Cassandra asked, "Who is that, my King?"

The answer made her open her mouth and gawk, while the others started to chuckle.

"Me,", said the King, with a grin on his face.

Chapter 309: One Step Further

"Three Kingdoms! For the first time in history, three kingdoms are going to compete against each other in a fair manner to find out who is the best among them! Unlike before, even Mages will have games which will definitely awe everyone! Do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Ticket booking begins in three days, mark your calendars! Details will be given out soon! Of course, all are invited, so you better have started packing! Of the Kingdoms that aren't participating, I was told to speak nothing of them, but some sounds made by a small feathered animal do come to mind… What that animal is, you listeners have to guess for yourselves! For now, I'm out! Have a great day!"

These were the words used by a host of one of the programs in the Network of Angaria which was about the momentous announcement that the Kingdom of the Elves would also be participating in the Olympics.

An event which had started as a competition between two Kingdoms had somehow morphed into something that was in the forefront of the entire continent.

Of course, although this had been predicted by some people, they hadn't expected that it would rise in popularity so fast.

The Palace of the Kingdom of Axelor was known as one of the most unique buildings in the continent. Its main discerning feature was two mammoth tusks that rose 20 m into the air, which had belonged to some mythical creature that had long gone extinct. 3 men would need to stand side by side and link their arms in order to measure its width.

The facts about how the Kingdom had obtained these tusks or the reason behind them being used as the doorway to the Palace was unclear to others, but they knew that it made a damn impressive sight.

After entering the doorway between these two tusks, one would come upon a wide domed building that was lined with more white tusks like these.

The image itself was so fantastical that one couldn't even imagine it in their head if explained. It almost looked as if they had risen out of the ground and grown around the building to make this magnificent sight.

Inside the Palace, in an underground room, four people were sitting around a table on which one of the communication trinkets that relayed the Network of Angaria was present.

After listening to these closing words by the host, one man couldn't control his anger and got up to leave the room.

Seeing this, the other three automatically put their fingers in their ears.

The next moment, a loud BOOM could be heard from the open door and dust rained from the ceiling which was blown away by a spell cast by one of the three.

The sound was so penetrating that it entered their ears even though they were closed, but they endured without saying anything.

All of them were wearing red robes, and they were all middle-aged and seemed to be in peak fight the condition.

Two of them were clad in red armor that looked like it had been soaked in blood, while the other looked bare but actually had chain mail inside which, in truth, gave more protection than the armor that the others were wearing.

After all, he was a Peak Exalted Human Mage, and although he was quite accomplished in the path of a Fighter, he needed the extra protection.

As for the last man who came and sat in the room after the dust stopped falling, he wore maroon robes and no armor.

Due to the darkness of the room, their faces were hidden.

The man now had a much calmer expression, but the anger which hid underneath was still visible.

"Do we ignore this? The people have already begun to talk, and many have shown interest to go because they say it will let us find out the weaknesses of our enemies. Of course, I doubt that reason, but the truth is that interest is at an all-time high. What should we do?"

The question was met by silence, but the gritting of teeth due to anger could clearly be heard.

"What's wrong with launching an attack on one of the three Kingdoms to make use of the fact that they would be vulnerable due to their top soldiers being involved in the games?"

This response was met by a shudder from the man who had gone outside before.

Seeing this, the other three were more shocked than they had been in decades.

A Warrior level Fighter was actually… Afraid?

Through the corner of his mouth, this man spoke as if he was remembering some unpleasant memory.

"No. Any action which will result in massive loss of life is forbidden. We cannot attack. And if you ask me why, I'll chuck you into the well for three days."

The eyes of all three men widened at the mention of this well, and they quickly put the notion of an attack out of their mind.

After another silence, one of them hesitantly spoke.

"I have a proposal… But it might seem strange."

It seemed that even the maroon-robed man couldn't think of any options, so he only raised an eyebrow with interest and gestured at the man to continue.

"What if… We participate?"

"You must be crazy!"

"How can er participate in an event organized by our enemies? They might just use the chance to kill all of the soldiers!"

"Shut up. Let him continue."

Closing the mouth of the other two men, the maroon-robed man waited as he had noticed that the man who had given the idea still had more to say.

"You say that we must not act in a way that will cause loss of life, but we also cannot ignore this and let the continent think that we are spineless like the Arafellians for not even putting up a fight. It was a competition between two kingdoms, but it has changed into something that will stay on the minds of people for years, if not decades. We must participate… And win. No matter what."

"But what if we lose?"

"If we lose, the consequences would be more severe than if we hadn't participated in the first place. But, this is Lanthanor that we are talking about. I believe this issue is important enough for us to use 'that'."

Shocked expressions came on the faces of the other two as they heard the last sentence.

"Do you even know how much it cost for us to put that in place? It was supposed to be used to conquer that Kingdom once and for all in one fell swoop. And you say it can be used now?"

As the maroon-robed man said these words, his tone rose, making the other three cower back in their seats, wishing to all the gods in the world that this man wouldn't go into another anger tantrum. The last time had been horrible enough, and they still had scars to make them remember.

His expression was indecipherable, but the elementary particles in the room started heating up.

As the heat kept rising and rising, shock and fear both battered the three men as they slowly started to realize that this man had broken through.

His unprecedented talent had let him become a Warrior at a very early age, and it now seemed that he would soon become one as a Mage, too.

Yet, what he said next shocked them.

"I agree. But let us go one step further. Bring the tri-colored trinket."

As all three stood up with shock and opened their mouths to voice their opinion and say that this was a crazy decision without caring for any retribution that they might face, the man raised his hand to cut them off.

"I've taken the decision, and you know that I can reverse it with just a little pain."

"But-but the decrease in your potential…"

"Is insignificant. Besides, even that can be reversed with the help of the Big Four."

"The last one who did the same went crazy due to the pain. We cannot support you in this!"

Hearing this response, the maroon-robed man banged the table and stood up, making the other three move back again.

"I won't. Now, just go get it."

After sharing a look between each other, one of the three sighed before shaking his head and heading out of the room.

A few minutes later, he returned while holding a strange looking purple colored trinket that shone in the light.

It was ring-shaped, but in the place of the crown were three differently-colored prongs.

Without hesitation, the man took the trinket and wore it before plunging the prongs into the center of his stomach.

Grimacing due to the pain that radiated through his body, he endured even though it felt as if he was being cut up into pieces while he was still conscious.

Exactly 2 minutes later, his bloodshot eyes opened.

"Ah, I had almost forgotten how it feels to be an Exalted Human. Contact them, and tell them that we are participating. I will head our team. Lanthanor will never know what hit them."

Leaving these words and smiling coldly, the man exited the room, leaving the three looking at his back as if he were crazy.

After all, the determination needed to reverse one's training to become an Exalted Human from a Warrior was truly something that couldn't be put into words.

Chapter 310: Shock

"The Kingdom of Axelor would like to take part in the Olympics to show Angaria that no-one on this continent can match them in the matters of skill or strength. We have a few demands that are listed below. If they are met, we will be sending teams to participate. Know that if you refuse, your cowardice will be known to all. And if you have plans of ambushing our best warriors when they are participating, the whole continent will be witness to your treacherous nature, and there will be swift retribution."

As this message resounded in the Royal Court, a shocked silence followed where many ministers were holding the urge to let their jaws drop.

Another Kingdom? What was going on?

First, it had been a miracle that the Kingdom of the Elves had wanted to participate, but now, even Axelor, their sworn enemies wanted in on the event?

What spell was the King weaving? How was he drawing in so many forces?

In fact, if Daneel were asked this, he himself wouldn't have an answer.

He had started the Olympics as a means to show the people of the Black Raven Kingdom the strength of the Lanthanorians so that they would be open to an alliance. Now, two more Kingdoms were added in.

"Estimate the new number of expected attendees."

Analytics was the most important thing for any organization, be it a Kingdom or a company. Hence, Daneel had given the assignment to the talented financial advisors of Lanthanor to keep an eye on the interest and the approximate number of people interested in attending the event. They would use inputs from the spies placed all around the continent to estimate the same.

After a few seconds, a minister held out a communication trinket and magnified its output so that it could be heard by the entire Court.

"Conservatively speaking, the announcement that the Kingdom of Axelor is taking part in the Olympics will result in a 20% overall increase in number of attendees. This brings the approximate total attendee number to 3 million. Detailed analysis is required to estimate the number of people willing to buy a ticket."

Hearing this reply, Daneel was at a loss for words.

The capacity of the stadium being built was a whopping 250,000. When he had decided on the number, the others had actually been shocked and had advised him against it, saying that it would only be a loss as the seats might not be filled.

Yet, now, this number paled in comparison to the humongous number of people that would soon make their way over the Black Raven Kingdom.

And when they saw that there wasn't enough space, Daneel didn't even want to imagine what would happen.

Yet, this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Besides, if he really did reject Axelor, the image of Lanthanor would indeed take a hit.

Hence, taking a decision, he said, "Send a reply saying that they are welcome, and agree to their demands if they are nothing excessive. Also, call the owner of that construction company. I need to have a talk with him."

Leaning back with a tired expression on his face, Daneel felt a headache coming on as he began to think about the logistics of handling so many people.

It was a nightmare, but it had to be done well.

Although he had hoped that the Olympics would grow in scale someday, he had never expected that the first iteration itself would be so momentous.

Still pleasantly shocked, he said in exasperation, "What's next? Is Arafell also going to ask?"

This sentence which he said as a joke actually made the other ministers look at him with wide open eyes.

All 5 Kingdoms of Angaria…in one event.

Impossible.

Realizing the enormity of the implications behind his casual words, Daneel hurriedly said, "Send an invitation right now. And tell them all the other 4 Kingdoms are participating. Nothing like the feeling of being left out to push one to action."

"But, My King, they are giants! How will it be a fair competition?"

As one of the ministers asked the question on many people's minds, Daneel said, "You are mistaken if you think every competition comes down to raw size or power. Each species has a weakness and a strength. If the latter is used well, the former can be overcome. Still, we can put in place rules to ensure fairness, such as placing a handicap on giants in a few competitions. Just imagine it. 5 Kingdoms, 3 races. An event unprecedented in history itself. Send the invitation."

As a fire rose in the eyes of those in the Royal Court at just the mention of such an event, the minister nodded before sending a message.

After ironing a few more miscellaneous details, Daneel stood up from the Throne, preparing to get back to his training.

Yet, hearing a message through the oathstone, the King sat back down as an expression of disbelief covered his face.

The next second, the minister who had sent the message before spoke out the reply that had just been relayed to the King.

His tone was high-pitched and his eyes looked like they would pop out of his head.

"ARAFELL HAS SENT THE CONFIRMATION! THE OLYMPICS WILL HOST ALL 5 KINGDOMS! ALL HAIL KING DANEEL!"

Hearing this, those in the room collectively felt their minds go blank.

They had actually…accomplished it?

As one, they all bowed to the man who had made it all possible.

Seeing the ardent admiration in their expressions and the sincerity in their bows, Daneel felt a thought coming into his head that he tried to shake off.

'Hey, I don't know how it happened myself! Now stop bowing and feeling as if I've planned all this out! I DIDN'T!'

....

"It needs to be bigger-much bigger. I would love it if you can triple the capacity. Don't worry about the money; it'll come. Just make sure that it doesn't encroach on the free sitting area."

As the King of Lanthanor said these words to the head of the construction company that had taken the contract to build the enormous stadium in which the Olympics would be held, his jaw dropped open and he couldn't control the shock in his mind.

Owning one of the companies which was in the forefront of the construction business in Angaria, this man had been in many, many strange situations and he had never thought that he would ever be overwhelmed by a customer's demands.

After all, he always prided himself on the fact that he could satisfy any customer's needs as long as they had the money.

This adage had worked well for the company, letting it rise from a small shop in the Black Raven Kingdom to a multi-kingdom organization that had offices in all major cities.

When he had been approached with this project to build something that would make his mark on the Continent of Angaria, he had jumped on it with enthusiasm, knowing that such an opportunity wouldn't come again.

He had done everything he could to make sure that the stadium would be built in the period of time specified. Overworking employees, poaching Mages, threatening other companies to send supplies faster- he had done it all.

Yet, now, when the stadium was days away from being completed, he was being asked the double the seating area!?

The stadium as it was could already support 250,000 people. The plans had been made with this number in mind, and everything had gone more or less perfect. Now, he was supposed to change everything?

"King Daneel, forgive me if I am being rude, but you are making preposterous demands. It will take a long time to reassess the structural stability itself. After that, what about the materials needed? What about the mages who have been pushing themselves day and night, with the thought that the work will be over soon? How am I supposed to tell them that their dream of getting more than 4 hours of sleep in a day will not be fulfilled any time soon? Tell me how!"

Seeing the helplessness and the frustration in the man's face, Daneel scrunched his eyebrows and bent back in his chair.

He had called this man to the Palace with the intention of discussing the financial details needed, but it seemed that expanding the stadium wouldn't be so easy after all.

"If I may ask, why the need to expand?"

Hearing the question, Daneel looked at the man and answered, "All 5 Kingdoms are going to participate. This isn't public yet, but it soon will be."

The answer made the man freeze where he stood while his face became red.

"Well, why didn't you say that before?! I'LL DO IT! I DON'T CARE IF IT WILL KILL ME, BUT I'LL DO IT! I NEED TO GET TO WORK!"

Screaming these words, the man stormed out of the room, leaving behind a bemused King.

Chapter 311: Olympia

One week later.

Unable to control the smile on his face, Norcet was in the process of teleporting to the stadium where the historic Olympics would be held.

"How much more time?"

As his son asked this question beside him voicing the query in his own mind, he looked at the mage who seemed tired due to the many teleportations so far.

They had spent the past few weeks touring the continent and spreading the word about the Olympics as much as possible. In that process, his son had been exposed to many new cultures and sights, opening his mind and making him more interested in getting into the same trade as his father. Norcet had been very happy with this, and he rejoiced even now that he had made the correct decision to bring his son along on the journey.

The news that all five kingdoms would be participating had been so shocking that he hadn't been able to speak for a few minutes after he had heard it. Having a full idea of just how much complex enmity there was between the Kingdoms of Angaria, Norcet wondered just what kind of strings the King of Lanthanor had pulled to make them all agree to participate.

He was also someone learned in history, so he knew that the word 'historic' wouldn't just be an empty addition to this event anymore. In all known history, there was no instance where such an event had happened.

The ticket sales had gone live a few days ago, and it had been a pleasant surprise to everyone to see that the number of seats had increased from the previously announced 250,000 to an amazing 800,000. Many couldn't even get their head around this number, and the anticipation increased to see the stadium which would seat so many.

As expected, the tickets had gotten sold out in merely a few minutes.

Even the way in which the tickets had been distributed was quite unique. Stores had been set up in each and every Kingdom which was attending, and those who were interested in buying the tickets had to line up one by one. Anyone who tried to create trouble would lose the chance of buying a ticket.

This threat had made most behave, and those who still tried to throw around their weight were dealt with quickly.

This was because each and every Kingdom's government was coordinating with that of Lanthanor to ensure that everything went smoothly. It seemed that some kind of deal had been made between them all to make this happen.

The tickets were in the form of rectangular trinkets which were bound by blood, and all those buying had been warned that the person whom the ticket was bound to had to be present if they wished to redeem their seats in the stadium. Many people had indeed sent their butlers or servants to get the tickets, but although they felt annoyed at this condition, they agreed because of the explanation that came next.

Apparently, this was some kind of unique system where there would be no chance whatsoever that tickets could be looted. Each trinket was unique in some way, so if anyone tried to replicate a ticket or steal one, they would be caught easily.

This was indeed a big problem, so everyone was glad to see that precautions had been taken to prevent it from happening.

Of course, ticket transfer was still allowed, but it required the person who was bound to the trinket to be present along with the person whom it had to be transferred to at the stadium where the transfer would happen under the eyes of officials.

This last provision had been added because it was quite obvious that as the time for the event approached, auctions might be held where tickets would be sold for much higher prices than they had been bought for.

Such was the case with every popular event, and there was no intention to stop it from happening as this would only increase the hype in the people.

The price of the tickets had been quite high, but no one had complained.

There were four types of tickets: normal, VIP, VVIP, and VVVIP.

In the currency of Lanthanor, they were priced at 10 Gold Lans, 50 Gold Lans, 100 Gold Lans, and a whopping 500 Gold Lans.

Of the 800,000 capacity of the stadium, 400,000 were normal which were situated from the edge of the stadium to its halfway point.

VIP seats were those from the halfway point to those just a few rows behind the ground. There were 300,000 of these seats.

The VVIP seats came next, and they were the last few rows. 98,000 of these seats were present, and they were sought after by all the richest people in Angaria.

Finally, the VVVIP seats were actually those that would float in the air.

These definitely had the best view, as the people would be able to look down from above and observe everything clearly with no hindrance whatsoever. Because of the limited airspace, there were only 2000 of these seats, and these were apparently the ones which would be auctioned the most.

After all, 500 Gold Lans equaled to around $ 50,000 in Earth currency, which was just a huge number to even think of. Only those at the highest echelons of each Kingdom would be able to afford them, and it would also be a status symbol to separate themselves from those in the lower rungs of the society.

"Only two more teleportations."

After they heard this answer from the mage, both son and father smiled at each other before closing their eyes and bracing themselves for the feeling of passing through a cold shower which accompanied each teleportation.

Just as the mage had said, after a few seconds, they opened their eyes, but they felt their jaws drop.

"Are you sure this the right location?"

Hearing the question, the mage who was also looking at the sight in front of them with an incredulous look on his face nodded.

"We are."

Their shock was due to the fact that in front of them was an actual bustling city with numerous buildings that seemed to be newly constructed.

They had expected to see an enormous stadium, but instead, they were greeted by this image.

Near them, people were constantly stepping out of space and similarly pausing due to the shock they felt.

After snapping out of it, Norcet realised that there was actually a large banner which had the words 'Olympia' written on it.

Just below that banner, there was another one which read 'Welcome to the Olympics' that made him believe that they had indeed arrived.

"Welcome! This is Olympia, the city which now holds the record of being built in the shortest amount of time. Please show your ticket, and you will be authenticated and assigned to a room. Of course, the room will be charged extra, so it is optional and you can choose to decline. There are many benefits with choosing to take up the assigned room, such as complimentary updates to the events happening in the Olympics and a lucky draw where the winners can choose to meet whichever participant they want. The full list is in this document. We hope you enjoy your stay here!"

These words were said by a man wearing black clothes who had a polite expression on his face. Handing out a piece of parchment, he waited for those who teleported over to comprehend what he had said.

"Tickets please.", he said again, making everyone reach into their pockets to take out the trinkets that they had been given.

Norcet did the same, and as he handed over his ticket, the man took out a strange wand-like trinket that he used to scan it.

In a second, his eyebrows raised and he said, "Oh, a VVVIP! Please follow me."

As the others nearby looked at them with envy, Norcet and the two others followed the man and were led to a luxurious building that had the words "VVVIP Quarters" written on it.

Impressed by the amazing opulence, Norcet chose to stay and was soon led to a room where a display trinket was on one wall.

This once again shocked him, as display trinkets were rare and were seldom used in this fashion. Yet, what caused his blood to boil was the image on the display trinket, which showed an area of a large ground.

It was the stage where the most anticipated event in Angaria was going to take place, and he was going to have the best view!

With a broad smile on his face, he sat down, glad that he had taken the offer to spread the news about the event which had allowed him to make a reservation for the VVVIP ticket in the first place.

It truly was the best decision he had taken yet in both his career and his life.

Chapter 312: Queen Arafell

Sitting in one of the rooms in the section of Olympia which had been cordoned off as the place where all Royal personnel would be housed, Daneel tapped his fingers on the table in front of him while waiting for his guest to arrive.

The idea to build this city had sprung up after he realized the fact that the number of people who would come for the Olympics could no longer be estimated.

The initial approach had been that the area around the stadium would be free and open, allowing people to either use tents or build temporary houses if they had the means to in.

Due to the many games that were present, the Olympics would actually take place over a week with the finals happening in the last two days.

Daneel had gone all out to build the city. He had contacted all the other construction companies, as the one he had contracted was already fully occupied with building the stadium. Excited to add their name to those who had helped in making the event come alive, the companies had all started their work with gusto.

A large amount of space around the canyon was still open, where regular people would be able to sit in and still be able to view the stadium and the ground.

The city started from the point where the ground of the stadium would no longer be visible. The canyon was in such a way that the land around it sloped upwards, which was great for people wanting to sit around and watch, but not so good for building a city.

Still, Daneel had chosen to go ahead.

The result was a city built on uneven ground, but because of that fact, it had a certain charm to it because it almost looked as if the buildings were built on waves due to the differing altitudes.

Again, no corners had been cut and the 5 million loan he had taken from the loan sharks before had completely been swept out.

This also wasn't a city that was meant to be occupied every four years. The idea was to make this a popular tourist location in the continent, enabling Daneel to get a steady revenue from it throughout the year.

There was an extensive irrigation system, and the foundation of each building was also built solidly so that they would stand even if an earthquake happened. This was usually not the case in small cities or towns such as the one that Daneel had been in for a brief amount of time in the Black Raven Kingdom when he had come to watch the Battle Royale. That town had sprung up due to the stadium, and it only had the most basic facilities.

Unlike it, Olympia had everything a modern city could ask for. All the organizations which had participated in the auction and won the rights to serve those who attended the event had also been allowed to set up shops throughout the city. Seeing this opportunity, even other organizations such as trinket sellers, weapon makers, and Ether block traders had approached him, saying that they wanted a spot.

This had resulted in another auction, but even that money had had to go into the construction of the city.

Finally, Olympia had shaped into a place where anything and everything was available.

Its maximum capacity was 1 million people, and it occupied an area even larger than that of the capital of Lanthanor. Of course, this had only been possible because there were no defensive walls built around it.

After all, there was no need for them right now and Daneel had the feeling that it might just expand even more.

There were multiple sections of the city, with varying levels of luxury. Although Daneel did not like this idea much because it reminded him of the inner and outer cities of Lanthanor, he knew that the feeling of superiority felt by those who were more fortunate in life wasn't something that could be eradicated by his wishes.

This was also the reason why he hadn't chosen to destroy the walls separating the inner and outer cities to increase the satisfaction level. Although it might make many in the outer city rejoice, it would definitely result in the disgruntlement of most of those living in the inner city. They had gotten used to the status quo, and any drastic changes might even result in them choosing to move out of Lanthanor itself.

Satisfaction was, after all, something which concerned all people, irrespective of background and living conditions.

As the door of the room he was in opened, Daneel stood up due to the fact that his guest had the same status as him.

The woman who walked in had some of the most extraordinary features that Daneel had ever seen. Her eyes were a clear blue, and they were so striking that Daneel couldn't help but look into them for a few seconds. Her cheekbones were high, and her short nose was pointed. She had luscious lips, and she was wearing a blue dress that complemented her eyes and resulted in a sight that anyone wouldn't be able to forget.

Unlike Eloise and Sister Xuan who were both beautiful in a natural and innocent way that would make one smile, the allure of this woman was the kind that would make men want to use their hands to cover their pants.

Indeed, hers was a beauty that would make those watching want to possess her as their own.

Maybe for the first time since he had come into this world, Daneel felt sexually attracted to someone of the opposite gender.

The dress she was wearing was almost transparent, and over half of her assets were clearly visible due to its low cut. As the woman breathed in and out, they moved up and down and Daneel actually had to resist the urge to keep looking at them.

Indeed, his gaze had actually been attracted to them from her face, and he hadn't been able to peel his eyes away for the past few seconds.

The most disconcerting thing about all this was that it was all happening without his control, almost as if he was being influenced by magic.

Wait… Magic?

Somehow finding the power to distract himself and switch on his elementary sight, Daneel was greeted by an image that shocked him.

A complex mix of elementary particles were radiating out from this woman in waves, and they were constantly washing over him.

The shock made him gain more control of his mind. With suspicion, he asked the system, "Am I under the effect of any spell?"

[Affirmative. Two notifications have already been sent. Host is under the effect of a spell that hasn't been seen before by the system. The spell has attempted to make the host feel attracted and attached to the one who is casting it, but the system was able to stop this attempt. A side effect is increased blood flow to specific parts of host's body, but the system has been unable to stop this from happening.]

He had actually missed two notifications because of being captivated?

Truly scary.

As a cold sweat sprung up on his head, Daneel realized that if he hadn't had the system, he would probably have fallen into this trap.

"What is the complexity of the spell being used? And through that, can the power level of the one I am meeting be ascertained?"

[Complexity: Peak Warrior Level. An individual must be at least a Warrior to cast the spell.]

It was just as he had suspected. There were only rumors that the person he was meeting with was a true and blue Warrior, but there had been no concrete information.

Now, Daneel realized that it was actually true. Queen Arafell, the ruler of the Kingdom of Arafell, was indeed a Warrior, and a very talented one at that. After all, she was somehow able to cast the spell of Peak Warrior Level Complexity, which meant that she was either a Peak warrior herself or she had the natural talent to be able to cast spells above her level.

Either way, she was much more powerful than Daneel.

Of course, Daneel had no intention of letting her have her way.

"Welcome, Queen Arafell. First of all, thank you for accepting to participate in the Olympics. But I must ask you, is that spell necessary?"

Now, it was the turn of the Queen to feel shock, as she wondered how an Exalted Human had been able to resist and even notice an heirloom spell left behind by the first Queen Arafell.

Chapter 313: Offer

"I'm sorry, it was just...instinctual."

Saying so, the Queen of Arafell instantly stopped casting the spell, making the elementary particles around her go back to normal.

Knowing that he shouldn't press the issue, Daneel only said, "That's alright. Please take a seat."

What happened next let him know that he had indeed been right.

It had been a trap.

The moment before the Queen of Arafell took her seat, the dress that had been transparent before became more opaque, hiding more of her body and giving her more of a dignified look.

Of course, her large assets were still on display, but Daneel no longer felt a strong urge to look at them now.

Although he didn't know her motive behind doing these actions, Daneel felt his guard going up.

This woman had wanted to pull him under her spell so that he would be more 'suggestive'.

It might just be because he was the one in charge of the entire event, and that having him in control would essentially mean being in control of an entire kingdom.

Or, there might be something else which made her want to use her trick right now.

Regardless, Daneel decided to take everything she said with a grain of salt.

"So, what was this about the Giants not participating in the event? It has even been advertised that there will be three races participating, and the Giants are one of them. There is nothing worse than not showing what has been advertised and making the spectators feel disgruntled."

This meeting had been called in the first place because the Queen had suddenly sent the message that the Giants would no longer be participating in the events.

This had greatly puzzled Daneel, as he had even opted not to give any handicap even if the Giants participated.

His initial idea had been to assess the power of the Giants and put down some sort of rules which would take away their advantage of increased size and strength.

Yet, on second thought, he had discarded this and come up with strategies to handle them in a different matter.

After all, what was a great show if it didn't have a weaker party going up against a stronger one and still obtaining victory?

However, it seemed that he would no longer have that chance.

Unable to stomach this, he had called for this meeting and had been glad that the Queen had accepted.

"I apologize, and I understand that this is sudden. But please understand that there are some reasons that I cannot explain to you. They concern the core rules of my Kingdom, and I have no authority to change them. The best I can do is letting them participate in the events which do not require a team. In all others, human Arafellian soldiers will be replacing them. I have taken this decision after much thought, because I felt my previous one wasn't fair. Please do not ask any questions, as even this is something that I'm doing because of the great regard that I have for you."

Hearing the Queen's decisive tone, Daneel sighed as he understood that there really was nothing he could do.

Of course, there was a silver lining as the Giants would at least be participating for the major part of the event.

Yet, handball was the main crowd puller where he had hoped to show the classic trope of weak overcoming strong.

What could have happened? Could his plan have leaked? Did the Queen not want her race to be defeated in front of everyone?

Although Daneel had many questions, he knew that he might not be getting the answers for them.

The Giants were only a part of the Kingdom of Arafell, with the rest being occupied by those of other races and predominantly, humans.

One peculiar thing to note was that the Queen was always a human, and she was the one loved by the Giants more than all others.

The history of this kingdom itself was veiled in a mist, and no one had been able to clear it over the past many centuries.

All anyone knew was that the Giants had come along with the first Queen Arafell and had settled down in the city she had made after promising that they would always be in her service to protect her people.

No matter how many centuries or even millennia had passed, not one Giant had ever strayed out of the Kingdom of Arafell to live somewhere else. They only ever stayed inside those walls, and the few times when they ventured out, it was only on official business such as acting as an envoy or for military purposes.

Hence, they were a rare and fascinating species that made many travel just so that they could see them.

Of course, their gentle nature and simple-mindedness made them endearing to all, and they were also said to be excellent hosts who welcomed everyone.

As all these things about the Giants and the Kingdom of Arafell ran through Daneel's mind, he realized that he was no closer to finding the answers for his questions.

"Well then, I won't pressure you. Is there anything else that you wanted to speak to me about?"

Daneel elected to ask this question, as he knew that this communication was something that could have been sent via trinket.

Instead, the Queen had sent that message and then accepted to meet him the instant he sent the invitation.

Seeing her nod and begin to speak, Daneel saw that his suspicion had been right.

"Yes, there was something. You already know that my Kingdom's main business is the making and selling of weapon trinkets. We just so happen to have a new kind of weapon trinket that we would like to show off to the world in the best way possible. I would like to ask whether it is possible to advertise it during the event. I know that I can simply have my soldiers use the trinket in the event, but this would be a breach of trust in the alliance that we have together. Please consider."

Daneel's eyebrows rose as he heard this. A new weapon trinket? What could it be?

"Do you mind telling me what it is?", he asked, making the Queen look down, as if she was indecisive about saying something.

A Warrior level Mage was actually feeling indecisive in front of him? This was practically the first Warrior he was meeting and talking to, but Daneel did not get that feeling of overwhelming power at all. Chalking it up to just being the character of this woman to not act like so, he waited for an answer.

"With all due respect, I can't do that. I know that you have also entered the trinket manufacturing business, and that you are also in possession of some kind of method to rapidly speed up mass production. I cannot risk you announcing this trinket and being the first mover before we do. I hope you don't take this personally, it's just business."

Daneel actually felt like smiling on hearing this statement.

"Spoken like a true businesswoman. Alright, I won't ask, and you can keep it a secret until you unveil it. But it's time to speak money. What's in it for me?"

The reason behind the smile was that he understood where she was coming from. If he was in the same situation, he would also have chosen to try and keep everything under wraps until the time came to show it to the world. Just like she said, it was business.

"We are willing to share 10% of all the profit that we get from people buying our trinket during the Olympics. This is already very generous, and I really can't offer more."

"Then I'm afraid I cannot accept. The kind of exposure that you will get here is something very unique, and I trust that I don't need to tell you just how much of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this is. There can be no other forum where you will have better exposure, and I would be a fool to not milk this opportunity for as much as it's worth. Make it 30%, and we can seal the deal right now."

Taking a sharp breath which made her assets rise into the air almost making Daneel look at them again, the Queen said, "King Daneel! 30%! That's just-"

In this way, the bargaining went on and on until it was settled on 20%.

In the process, both the King and Queen understood that they were dealing with someone very similar to themselves.

Someone who would never lose an opportunity to gain as much as they can.

After the Queen left, Daneel let out a long sigh and collapsed onto his bed.

The Olympics were going to start soon, and things were starting to get more and more interesting.

Chapter 314: Wager

Three days later.

Olympia. This was the name that was currently captivating the entire continent.

Some said that it was the most luxurious city they had ever seen. Others said that it had an unprecedented range of shops where one would be able to find almost anything and everything available in all the Kingdoms of Angaria.

Regardless, one thing was for sure: those who were lucky enough to obtain seats and live in the city were envied by all.

Although these people with dwarfed by the enormous crowds that were making their way over constantly to this location, the sense of being special that came from holding a precious ticket was really something else. Even those that had normal tickets had taken to flaunting them in front of the others who hadn't been fortunate enough to obtain one.

In the bustling crowds of the city where there was a festive atmosphere both due to the colorful decorations all along the streets and the numerous types of tasty food and drinks that were available everywhere, two men stood side-by-side while looking at everything with smiles on their faces.

They were situated on the rooftop of a building in the Royal section, but they were veiled from the sight of all those who looked up.

Turning towards each other, the two men smiled even wider before hugging each other like they were brothers.

"How is being King treating you?", asked the one on the left, while the one on the right smiled and said, "It's a pain to handle all the committees and councils, but I'm getting along quite well. You know, you're all the rage in the Kingdom now. Everyone is already impressed by everything you've managed to accomplish with this event, and they're looking forward to see just how powerful the Lanthanorians are. You would think that they would already know the answer to that, as they are being ruled by one."

His stoic friend who was used to not saying one word more than necessary, had actually cracked a joke?!

As the King of Lanthanor tried to wrap his head around this, he realised that the changes in his friend had become even more pronounced in the time that they had spent apart.

Indeed, these two individuals were the rulers of the two Kingdoms who were originally supposed to participate in this event.

Daneel had asked Faxul to come to this location discreetly, both because he missed his friend and also because he wanted to check on him.

After all, the events during the takeover of the Black Raven Kingdom were still fresh in his mind, and the anomalies that he had seen then were still things that he thought about now in his idle time.

The spies from Lanthanor had also not been removed from the Black Raven Kingdom, with the obvious excuse that doing so would make it seem too suspicious.

Hence, Daneel knew that his friend had occupied himself with becoming a ruler who was loved by his citizens.

According to the reports, he constantly toured the Kingdom and identified problems which he solved swiftly with whatever limited funds he had available. He even frequently visited the Army and bolstered the spirit of the remaining soldiers, telling them that they would soon be back to their former glory.

All in all, Faxul was being an excellent King, and he seemed to be a natural at it. More than anything, the pure happiness that he seemed to get from seeing people benefiting from his actions was something that was unmistakable.

Of course, Daneel noticed this because it was something that he also felt. Hence, he was overall happy with the decision of having Faxul take the throne of the Black Raven Kingdom.

As for any trouble that might arise in the future, he was confident in the countermeasures he had placed.

Smiling awkwardly because of the surprise from seeing this pleasant change, Daneel said, "How are your soldiers? You do know that I'm not going to go easy on you, right?"

"They are ready. I've been training with them myself, and actually, I wish that I could participate."

At these words, Daneel shot a guilty glance at his friend and rubbed his nose sheepishly.

After all, not everyone could have such powerful clone and camouflage techniques to be able to fool everyone and participate under the guise of someone else.

Although Faxul was definitely not capable of this, Daneel had long had the suspicion that the other kingdoms might try something similar to obtain victory.

Still, he wasn't afraid in the least bit.

Turning back towards the crowd, both of them sighed together as they realised that they had a long week ahead.

All of their enemies, all in one place. And both rulers weren't so naïve as to think that no trouble would come.

Yet, they were determined to handle everything in the best way possible so that the Olympics would be talked about everywhere for as long as possible.

Faxul knew clearly just how much this meant to Daneel, from the effort he had put in to everything he had done to make it as big as possible. Hence, he was ready to help in every way he could to make the Olympics a grand success.

"Want to make a bet?", he asked, surprising Daneel whose thoughts were also on the days that were going to come.

"Oh? Since when do you make bets?"

"It's a long story. In short, one of my commanders is very avid in placing bets that he seldom loses. I've picked up the habit. So, do you want to place one or not?"

Feeling relaxed for the first time in weeks, Daneel smiled again and said, "Yes. But the wager has to be large. We are both Kings, after all."

"Very well. And let's use Lanthanorian currency. I bet 10,000 Gold Lans that Axelor is going to make some sort of trouble. And, another 10,000 Lans which say that Axelor will be in the second place."

Daneel raised an eyebrow on hearing this. If Faxul had placed this bet three days ago before his meeting with Queen Arafell, Daneel might have backed off, saying that he was not ready to take it.

Yet, after that meeting, he felt something from his gut instinct that told him that the Giants were not to be underestimated.

Even if the Giants were out of the equation in the most crowd-pulling event, he suspected that they had something up their sleeves.

Hence, he said, "The first is a no-brainer, so there is no way I'll accept. But the second – you have a bet. I'm not going to say who might come in second place, but I'm pretty sure that it won't be Axelor. Do we have a deal?"

Faxul had only brought up the matter of this bet to lighten the mood and relax a bit before they dived into all the responsibilities together. He hadn't expected Daneel to take either bet, so he was quite surprised on hearing his answer.

Of course, having no intention of giving up so much money, he said, "Yes, we do. In my Kingdom, we spit on our hands and shake. Have any interest in doing that?"

Daneel looked at his friend oddly as he heard this, as this was also something that they did back on Earth.

Assuming that it was just something formed by some sort of coincidence, he nodded as he had always liked the feeling of raw manliness that came from seeing things like this happen in the movies.

Yet, as he shook his friend's wet hand, he realized that it only looked good but didn't feel so.

Immediately using water to clean his hand, he asked something casually.

"What about the first place, though? No wagers on that?"

This question actually made Faxul chuckle, before he turned around and prepared to walk away after leaving behind an answer that made Daneel grin.

"There's probably no fool on this continent who would have any doubt that Lanthanor is going to win if they have known you for any period of time. Congrats in advance. Don't make me eat my words."

-------

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Norcet, his son and the Mage all woke up and quickly freshened themselves before wearing their best clothes and heading out of their quarters.

Joining the large group of people who were already heading to the stadium, the three chatted among themselves, excited about the opening ceremony that would be held before the games began.

"Watch everything closely, son. This is something that will be talked about for decades, and I suspect that you will even be telling your children and grandchildren about it. When you do so, I want you to have all the details possible."

With chests puffed out with pride, the trio made their way to the stadium, with their heartbeat increasing and their blood beginning to boil, knowing that this would be a spectacle that they would never forget.

Chapter 315: The Opening Ceremony 1

BOOM BOOM CLACK

BOOM BOOM CLACK

BOOM BOOM CLACK

"Dad… What is that?"

Just like his son, Norcet, the mage and all those near them had surprised expressions on their faces as they heard the drumbeat which was only now audible as they were on the way to their destination.

It was a long walk from Olympia to the stadium, as the area between them was meant for those who did not have tickets to sit.

What had been a boisterous atmosphere with people talking animatedly among themselves while looking forward to the events had changed into one of solemnity as they got to the point where they could see the edges of the massive canyon which was said to hold the stadium.

They knew that it would be grand, but they had never expected that it would be this stunning of a spectacle.

The drumbeat set the mood, making each and every one have serious expressions on their faces as they stepped forward and froze in place, their minds unable to process the image in front of them.

The biggest stadium in the continent was finally in front of them.

Although they still couldn't see it in its entirety, most of it was visible because of the downward slope. Someone sitting here would easily be able to see what was happening on the ground, although the problem was that it wouldn't be very clear as the distance was very far.

Yet, the stadium itself was the thing which was most shocking. Eight hundred thousand was a number which none of them had been able to clearly wrap their heads around, and it was only now that they understood just how much of a feat of architecture it was to construct a building that could hold so many people.

It was all made of what looked like a yellowish rock, making the stadium stand out in stark contrast to the surrounding canyon which was more of a reddish shade.

Different people shook off their shock at different times, stepping forward with the urge to see more.

With each step, more and more of the grand scale of the stadium became clear to them, making each person marvel at the tenacity that had definitely been needed by the one who had embarked upon this project.

The volume of the drumbeat also seemed to be increasing the closer they got the stadium, and as they neared the spot where there seemed to be a round mirror placed on the earth, the sound completely dominated them and made the pace of their heartbeats increase steadily.

As they got to this mirror, each of them was asked to show the ticket again after which the official touched some sort of control on the mirror before asking them to step through.

Most of those who had been able to obtain tickets were people who were learned about the world, so they weren't very puzzled about what these objects were. They were fixed teleportation portals, just like the ones outside the capital city of the Kingdom of the Elves which were used to teleport those who wished to enter it upward as the city was located on a flat cliff.

These were supposed to be so costly that they weren't even used in cities around the continent for quickly getting to important places. This was because it just didn't make sense to deploy them both because of the initial cost and the additional maintenance that had to be regularly done, and also the fact that a mage needed to be present in order to drive them.

Of course, the Olympics was THE most special event, so it only made sense that these trinkets made an appearance here.

They seemed to be handled by elves who were standing nearby with their hands outstretched, with their expressions set into ones of seriousness.

As all three of them stepped through, they couldn't help but stop in place again.

They were now standing in a large corridor from where the ground was clearly visible, and it seemed to be somewhere inside the stadium.

"Please step forward."

Hearing this from the official who was standing nearby, they nodded and quickly walked forward to the guardrail from where they could see the entire stadium.

Rows and rows of seats greeted their eyes, where people were slowly finding their places and sitting down with anticipation clear on their faces. Hawkers were selling some kind of trinkets and there were also many food stalls in the large corridors, just like the one where they had just entered.

Each corridor could have 20 people standing side-by-side, making them the perfect spot for people to put up stalls.

The structure of the stadium was such that there were corridors like these at equal intervals all around. Each corridor ended with a place like the one they were standing in where there was a guardrail stopping people from moving forward. From here, if they moved to the side, they could access the steps which led to each row.

Hence, each corridor catered to each section of the stadium, making it so that no one would be left unattended.

Impressed by the thoughtful structure, Norcet looked down at the ground once again where he now saw at least 500 soldiers sitting in front of drums and making the sound which they had gotten used to by this point.

The opening ceremony was still two hours away, but it looked like a lot of people had made a similar decision like them to arrive early.

Smiling wider, Norcet approached the official once again and showed the ticket to find out their seat numbers.

After doing so, he led the other two to a row which was very close to the ground.

The seats also seemed to change with the kind of ticket, as Norcet had clearly seen that the normal seats only had very bare cushions.

Their seat, on the other hand, had high-quality plush ones which felt great to sit on.

There was also ample leg space, making it so that there was no discomfort whatsoever.

After the three took their seats, a hawker who had noticed them walked over and said, "Welcome to the Olympic Stadium, distinguished VVIPs! Would you like to buy some zoom trinkets? Just put them in front of your eyes, and you'll be able to zoom in how much ever you want! Perfect for getting a close up look at all the exciting games that are going to take place! The cost varies with the amount of zoom and the clarity you want, with the costliest going up to 1 Gold Lan. Any currency is accepted, and the standard conversion rates apply. You definitely don't want to miss even a single moment!"

In an excellent mood, Norcet fished out three Gold Lans from his pocket and bought the trinkets for all three of them.

The trinket was like a rectangular box which one placed in front of their eyes. He could see the other models, and the cheapest ones were just unadorned boxes. The one they had bought, on the other hand, had leather strings to tighten the trinket around one's head and also had some handgrips to hold them. One thing which was in common with all of them was the logo of Lanthanor.

Putting them in front of his eyes, he was amazed to see that just like the hawker had said, he could zoom into any spot he wanted using a dial on the side of the trinket.

"What are these? They haven't been on the market before, have they?", asked Norcet, astounded at the practicality of these devices.

"They are a new invention of Lanthanor's, made specially for this event! Please enjoy everything, and visit our stall in the corridor if you need anything else! Thank you for your patronage!"

Saying so, the hawker left them, while the three started exploiting the trinkets and watching everything around the stadium with wide-open eyes.

As the time to the opening ceremony approached, people started trickling in more and more until the entire stadium was filled by the sound of hundreds of thousands of people talking at the same time, almost overpowering the drumbeats which were still continuing.

Finally, it exactly 10 AM, one final drumbeat which was louder than all the rest silenced everyone, indicating that it was time.

Along with that sound, a single man appeared in the air above them, facing east.

As everyone who had bought the trinkets used them to see that this was the King of Lanthanor, they realized that the host had arrived to begin the opening ceremony, as was his right.

Chapter 316: The Opening Ceremony 2

"People of Angaria!"

"People of Angaria!"

"People of Angaria!"

"People of …"

As these words echoed throughout the stadium, a silence fell upon the entire area with not one person choosing to speak out.

It was almost as if the King of Lanthanor had actually cast a spell to shut out all sound, but the truth was that it was just the tone of his voice that had achieved this effect.

It was the tone of one who was proud to be the individual was responsible for something that would go down in the history books as a feat that nobody had thought possible.

In the silence, the King continued to speak.

"As the host of this momentous event, I, Daneel Anivron, King of Lanthanor, thank you all for being here to witness this contest that, for the first time in history, will have all the Kingdoms of this continent participating to find out who's the best. First, I ask the rulers of the Black Raven Kingdom, Eldinor, Arafell and Axelor to join me here."

As the King of Lanthanor paused after saying these words, four people appeared in the air around him.

They were all dressed in attires unique to them, such as Daneel who was wearing his iconic robes which looked like they had a dragon encircling them.

Faxul, on the other hand, was wearing black robes with the shining Black Raven emblazoned on his chest.

The ruler of Axelor, whom many people were seeing for the first time, wore red robes that had a logo of two axes clearly visible from his chest to his hip.

The Queen of Eldinor, who stood beside him, took away attention from him, as she was wearing a shining golden dress whose hem was flying in the air even though there was no wind right now.

If it weren't for the presence of the Queen of Arafell, she would have stolen the show as being the one who attracted the most eyes.

Although Queen Arafell hadn't put on clothes as revealing as the ones she had worn before in the meeting with Daneel, the upper part of the purple gown she wore was still very tightfitting, making many want to stare without blinking their eyes.

It was only when Daneel spoke again that everyone redirected their attention on him, as the tone of his booming voice seemed to have broken the spell that had made them want to look at the Queen so much.

"It is an honor to have you all participate in this event of mine, and without you, it would never have grown to become what it is right now. Now, let me use this opportunity to show everyone the prize that the winner is going to take back to their Kingdom."

This was something that had been on the minds of many of the spectators, as they had wondered just what an appropriate prize would be.

No matter how they saw it, a monetary prize did not seem enough to commemorate victory in such a historic event.

It seemed that the King had had similar thoughts, as his next actions surprised them all.

Holding out his hand in the air above the enormous stadium, the King of Lanthanor made a large golden flame which was at least a metre across appear in front of him.

As if this had all been discussed between them, the four rulers who stood beside him stretched out their own hands.

It looked as if they had thrown something into the fire, but it had been too quick to be noticed by those who are watching.

Yet, as they refocused their trinkets and their eyes on the flame, they realized what they had thrown.

Inside the flame, there swam four metal trinkets that were in the shapes of the logos of the four respective kingdoms.

A Raven, a pair of axes, an artistic shape that looked like the pointed ear of an elf and two humanoid figures making an arch with their hands with another smaller one in the middle.

Finally, as the King of Lanthanor made a similar gesture, a trinket in the shape of an L with a dragon entwined around it joined the rest.

These five metallic trinkets moved inside the fire in random patterns, captivating the eyes of all those watching.

"The Olympic Flame. Each trinket that you see is bound by the blood of each ruler here, and they cannot be replicated. The one who wins this flame will forever be remembered as the one who triumphed against all the other kingdoms in Angaria to take home the symbol that showcases their glory. Along with this, there is also a pool of prizes consisting of valuable materials and trinkets which will be awarded to the most outstanding performers in the tournament."

A flame which symbolized victory. While everyone fixed their eyes on it unflinchingly, they realized that this was definitely the best prize there could be.

After all, honor and pride were the main things that one would win on obtaining victory in this competition.

Hence, something which symbolized those things was most befitting.

No one knew who started it, but clapping sounds started being heard at one section of the stadium before spreading everywhere else.

Unlike usual battle royales which were dominated by shouts from the spectators whose blood was boiling, this clapping seemed to signify that this event was something so much more.

Along with the clapping, the spectators also started to stand up from their seats while gazing up at the man who had made all this possible.

In less than a minute, around 800,000 people were standing and clapping as one, which resulted in the noise being able to be heard even in Olympia which was kilometers away.

Yet, the spectators inside the stadium also became puzzled as they heard an even louder clapping sound coming from outside the stadium.

Indeed, they had forgotten one crucial thing.

They weren't the only ones watching here.

Outside, in a large ring which encircled the canyon in which the stadium was situated, millions of people were also standing and clapping while looking up at the five figures in the air who were but mere blips in their vision.

The words before had been loud enough to reach even them, and they had already forgotten all the fatigue and tiredness they felt because of traveling for hundreds of kilometers to be here.

These clubs were a sign of the pure appreciation they all felt for having the chance to be a part of something so special.

As Daneel witnessed this, his eyes actually became wet, feeling the pure emotion that so many people were currently feeling for him.

Even though there were many reasons behind him doing so much to make this event come to life, he realised that the main reason which even he himself hadn't understood was that he had wanted something like the Olympics on Earth which brought together millions of people of conflicting interests and nationalities to stand together and be part of something greater than them.

Of course, he knew that this was not the time to be lost in his emotions.

Hence, putting aside the feeling of happiness that he felt right now, he raised his hand and brought it down in a swift motion.

BOOOOOOOMMMM

With a sound that startled almost everyone in the surrounding area, a colossal red dragon appeared in the air above the five rulers.

It opened its mouth wide and roared, and this roar was so majestic that it startled even the four rulers who knew that it was all being made by a spell.

After the roar, the dragon exploded into dazzling fireworks that made everyone realize that this was the true opening event.

The claps devolved into shouts of excitement, as the people all started whooping and jumping in the air, waiting for the competition to begin.

Along with the fireworks, the drumbeats returned, this time accompanied by other instruments such as trumpets which started playing a soul-stirring rhythm that was appropriate to the atmosphere.

The music came in increasing bursts of intensity, making the excitement in the people soar to new levels.

Along with this melody, people started entering the stadium below in a controlled march.

Meanwhile, the King of Lanthanor, who was watching everything with a wide smile on his face, opened his mouth and shouted one last sentence before all five rulers disappeared from their positions in the air.

"LET THE OLYMPICS BEGIN!"

As the shout echoed throughout the stadium, the event that the entire continent was waiting for finally began.

Chapter 317: The Games

After the fireworks faded, large rectangular rooms with one-way glass windows on one side started rising into the air before slowing down at around 20 m above the ground.

These rooms were all decorated with beautiful patterns, and the words VVVIP were written clearly on the bottom.

As those sitting in the stadium looked up and saw these letters, they understood that these were the people who are rich enough to afford the VVVIP ticket.

Some rooms were closer to the ground, whereas others rose up a few more metres before stopping. Hence, everyone in all the rooms could clearly watch everything happening in the ground below.

In one of these rooms, the five rulers who had just teleported away appeared and took their seats around a table.

Just like in all the floating rooms, there were multiple mages standing inside who were responsible for keeping them in the air.

In this one, there was an additional mage who pointed his hand at the table between them to make a few words appear above it.

There were five horizontal rows with each of them having each logo of the Kingdoms that were participating.

Six vertical columns were also present, with the heading of each being the names of the games that were going to be played.

The six games were:

Archery(Fighter)

Archery(Mage)

Wrestling(Fighter)

Duel(Mage)

Handball(Fighter)

Handball(Mage)

A communication eye was placed in front of the table, and it was connected to a large display trinket that had just come into being in the air in the middle of the ground.

Inside the room, the five rulers all looked at the scoreboard before glancing up at the Golden Flame which was now floating a few centimeters above the words.

"How did you even get the idea for the Olympic Flame?"

As the Black Raven King said these words, the other three looked at the King of Lanthanor who opened his mouth and answered.

"It needed to be a symbol that is acknowledged by all five rulers. And, I felt that the words 'Olympic Flame' sound good."

The Queen of Arafell smiled softly in response, while Eldra simply raised her eyebrows and chose not to say anything.

The red-robed man however, replied.

"King, I already told you, at the first sign of foul play, we're out of here. You better not have planned anything to cheat out a victory. The entire continent is watching, so there is no way that you'll get away with it."

Shaking his head, Daneel replied, "This is the fifth time you're asking me that, and my answer is the same: each and every game will be fair, and you can even watch everything to make sure that there is no cheating involved. Only the worthy will win."

"They say that the one who shouts fire is oftentimes the one who started it. Is there any meaning behind you asking this so many times, King Safiros?"

These words said by Faxul to the King of Axelor surprised even Daneel himself.

As the weakest individual in the room, his friend was actually picking a fight with someone who was rumored to be a warrior?

Hearing the insinuation, the red robed man stood up and pulled back his fist in anger, but he controlled himself at the last moment and said, "If it weren't for that Raven hidden around you, you would be mincemeat by now. You would do well to remember that you're just a puny Human if you're by yourself."

Smiling wide at the response, Faxul said, "And you would do well to remember that you are decades older than me. If I'm still this weak when we're the same age, then you can talk. Till then, the Raven just asked me to tell you to shut your mouth."

This response seemed to have blown a fuse in the kKing, as he no longer stopped himself and directly punched forward in the air.

Yet, the next moment, the enormous Protector Raven appeared in the room and raised a talon in defence.

"Stop!"

As the King of Lanthanor shouted these words, the man and the Raven who had almost launched another attack at each other paused and looked around.

"If you want to fight, fight on the ground using your soldiers. Personally fighting in this way won't accomplish anything. King Faxul, please don't speak in a provoking manner. And King Safiros, control yourself."

Faxul chuckled in response, while the King of Axelor humphed and sat back in his seat.

As for the Protector Raven, it once again blinked out of existence.

Daneel hadn't expected that his friend had grown so fiesty in his absence, but he was actually smiling inwardly seeing this arrogant man taken down a notch.

As the ruler of the Kingdom which was the archrival of Lanthanor, he had been arrogant in the short meeting before when Daneel had given the instructions to appear in the air and also to shoot the trinkets into the fire during the opening set many.

"Is this meeting done? Can I leave?"

"I just called you here so that we can go over everything one last time. If you don't wish to stay, I'll ask someone to send the transcript of the meeting to your room. You can do as you-"

Even before Daneel finished speaking, the man teleported away, acting in the same rude manner as he had been since coming to the stadium.

Simply smiling in response, Daneel asked, "Would anyone else like to leave?"

As the others just looked at him without saying anything, he nodded and continue to speak.

"The main thing I wanted to address was the security for the event. Have you all placed the lookouts that I asked you to?"

One of his main concerns about this event had been the fact that the Church might use the opportunity to snuff them all out in one go as they were all gathered in one place.

Having no wish to see this happen, he had asked the other Kingdoms to place lookouts in a radius of 100 kilometers around the stadium, quoting that it was so that no rival forces would dare to attack. After all, there were still smaller forces on the continent which might try to make trouble.

The only problem was that millions of people were trudging in constantly to spectate, making it impossible to keep track of everyone.

Hence, the only thing they could do was to keep guards everywhere on the lookout, hoping that the combined forces of the five kingdoms would be enough to repel any threat after stopping it in its tracks before it did too much damage.

After the others nodded, Daneel said, "Well then, good luck to you all! May the best Kingdom win! I have some things to attend to, so you can contact me at any time you want. Once again, thank you all for participating in event."

"It is my pleasure as well, King Daneel, and I also wanted to thank you for sending out the invitation for us to participate. Excellent work so far, and I really admire you for having the capability to pull off something so amazing. Arafell is glad to be allied with you."

"I agree. And just like you said, may the best Kingdom win. But I think I can guarantee right now that the mage events will definitely be dominated by the elves. I shall take my leave."

As Daneel nodded at the two Queens who said these words, both of them teleported away, leaving Faxul in the room with him.

Yet, surrounding them were mages who might gossip, so Faxul also only said "Good luck," before disappearing.

Just as Daneel was about to go down to the place where all the participants were waiting, the communication trinket in his pocket vibrated, signaling that someone was trying to contact him.

Seeing that it was actually Sister Xuan, he teleported to a floating room which had just two inhabitants: Sister Xuan and Molan.

There were also no other mages, as these were two individuals who didn't need others to keep the room afloat.

This was actually the first time they were meeting personally since that statement given by Ssiter Xuan, but she still seemed to be remembering it as she just looked down without saying anything.

Seeing this, Molan shook her head and said, "Sister Xuan wanted to tell you that she will also be taking care of the security for this event. Like you asked, if there is any sign of something untoward happening, she will immediately contact the Matron as she has already told them about what is happening. They have agreed to intervene if necessary, but only if things get too dire."

"Thanks a lot, Sister Xuan. And regarding what you said before, I'll definitely find you later with a response."

Leaving these words and making Sister Xuan blush an even deeper shade of red, the King of Lanthanor teleported away and went to meet his soldiers who would soon be competing on the ground.

Chapter 318: Fighter Archery Tournament 1

"A thing to behold, isn't it?"

Hearing these words, Luther turned around to see that there were 4 individuals standing behind him.

He had been looking out of the large entrance to the ground to see the hundreds of thousands of people who were all cheering, waiting for the first event to begin.

In his hand, he was holding a large bow that was taller than him. It seemed to be made of some kind of wood, but as Luther adjusted it, the sound it made when it hit the ground would make one think that it was actually made of metal.

All in all, it would have looked out of place if it weren't for the fact that the four individuals behind him were also holding similar bows.

The Angarian Longbow. A rarely used weapon because of the impracticality inherent in transporting it and also because of the high skill and power ceiling that was required for one to wield it, the bow seldom made an appearance on the battlefield.

Of course, this competition was the best place to reveal it again to all those who might have forgotten its awesome power.

Of the four individuals, one was a giant, one was an elf and the other two were humans, albeit very well-built ones.

As for the man who had spoken, he was the one with a Raven on his shoulders.

Turning around again, Luther just nodded and chose to stay silent.

Seeing this, the others didn't comment anything as they all knew about the character of this man who was the leader of the commanders of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

It had only been a few minutes since the 5 rulers had disappeared in the air, and the ground was currently being set up for the first game of the Olympics: the Fighter Archery Competition.

Mages were also part of the team responsible for setting up the ground each time, so their work was done in barely 5 minutes before a loud gong sounded, signaling the participants to enter the ground.

Hearing it, the 4 split part and walked to their respective teams.

According to the instructions they had been given, the first gong was to signal to the teams that they would soon have to come out.

As the second gong sounded, 5 individuals walked out from the entrance to the ground at the same time.

There were only two entrances to the enormous ground, and each entry point was so big that at least 100 people would be able to stand side by side in them.

Hence, it was a simple thing to have the 5 leaders of the 5 teams stand beside each other before walking out.

Seeing the participants finally begin to enter, the cheering which had paused before due to the loud gong began anew.

This resulted in the cheers all morphing into a resounding roar that threatened to sweep away those who were entering the stadium.

Yet, these were all individuals who had been on multiple battlefields and faced many life and death situations. Hence, none of them even flinched at the atmosphere, instead choosing to just walk steadily behind their team leaders.

After reaching the center of the ground, all 5 lines of individuals stopped, and the booming sound of the announcer rang throughout the stadium.

This was a man who was standing a few meters in the air, wearing a black tuxedo with hair slicked back neatly. He seemed to be middle-aged, and dimples could clearly be seen whenever he smiled.

According to what Luther knew, he was apparently the most sought-after announcer in the entire continent. His usual job was announcing battle royale tournaments, so he was the clear option for the Olympics. In fact, the King had even remarked that the man had said that he wouldn't mind working for free, as it was a great honor for him to be the one responsible for calling out the victors of the event.

His voice was deep and powerful, with a certain cadence that made the excitement in those in the stadium grow in anticipation of what was to come.

"Ladieeees and Gentlemen, weeeeelcome to the OLYMPICS! I, Sylvesto am greatly honored to be the one who will be announcing this historic event! Let's get right into the first stage of the event: the Fighter Archery Tournament!"

Unable to hide his smile due to the electric atmosphere in the stadium, the announcer seemed to be enjoying his job today more than any other time in his life.

After giving a pause, he continued.

"First of all, let me tell you all about the rules for the participants! As the name suggests, this is a competition for Fighters only! 10 Mages are actively monitoring everything, so any participant who uses even the slightest amount of magic will be disqualified! Also, only those at or below the level of an Exalted Human can participate! So if there any Warriors standing here, please step out and let me fall at your feet with a humble request to take me on as your disciple!"

This made many in the seats laugh, as they all knew that Warriors were so rare that even they would do just that if one really made themselves known.

Giving a dramatic pause where no one stepped out, Sylvesto continued.

"No one? Alas, my dream remains a dream. Onto the rules for the competition! There are two stages in this competition: Test of Power, and Test of Skill. Would any one of you be kind enough to step forward to demonstrate to the crowd?"

"Me, me, me!"

With a happy shout, the giant who had been attracting a lot of attention from the crowd stepped out, causing happy shouts and applause to break out in the audience.

The bow in the giant's hands was simply enormous, standing at at least 4.5 meters tall. Of course, this was necessary, as a longbow needed to be taller than the wielder who was, in this case, a whopping 4.2 meters tall.

"Thank you, dear giant! First, let's have the Test of Power! For this, I would like to direct everyone's eyes upward!"

As one, everyone looked up and saw that at some point in time, a row of targets had been placed in the air.

They seemed to be floating without any support, but the truth was that they were held in place by powerful Mages who were standing in the air a few meters away.

There were multiple targets which stretched as far as the eye could see, and some targets were so high up that even the best zoom trinkets couldn't view them clearly.

"It's simple. Whoever shoots the farthest target is the winner! Rest assured that conditions are equal for all participants, as we have mages specially controlling the air flow so that it is only your strength which will decide the winner. Each team has 50 participants and there are a total of-"

BOOM

As a loud sound interrupted the announcer, the spectators looked on in shocked silence as they saw an enormous arrow which was at least a meter long fly through target after target before finally stopping at some unknown point in the air.

The sound had actually been that of that enormous bow breaking, leaving the giant smiling foolishly while holding the two parts in its hands.

"Old thing. Need replacement!"

As it said these words, the spell of silence in the stadium was broken, giving way to discussions between the awed spectators who wondered whether the others could even put up a fight.

"Eh-ehem. Thank you for the demonstration, dear giant. Please get back to your team now. As I was saying, there are 50 points to be won in this stage. Each participant will have 3 chances to shoot. After everyone is done, the top 50 will be the ones who have earned points for their respective Kingdoms. If there are ties, there will be a tiebreaker held where the exact length of travel of each arrow will be tested. That's my queue to take my leave, and I'll be back after this stage is done to explain the rules of the Test of Skill! Of course, I'll be in the commentator booth where I will be speaking about everything going on with experienced army veterans. To all the participants, good luck!"

With these words, Sylvesto disappeared, leaving the ground.

As the judges appeared in his stead, the first stage of the first tournament began.

By the awe-inspiring performance of the giant, Arafell was already being said to be the one that would have an edge in this stage.

Yet, a few hours later, the results shocked everyone.

Lanthanor: 12

Black Raven Kingdom:10

Kingdom of Arafell:7

Axelor:147

Eldinor: 4

Chapter 319: Intermission

In one of the rooms floating in the air above the stadium, the Black Raven King was idly sipping on a cup of wine while watching the proceedings below.

Feeling the communication trinket in his pocket vibrate, he asked the Protector Raven using the bond he had with it to dispel the teleportation locking spell for a moment.

There was no one else in the small room, as the Protector Raven was more than enough to keep it floating while also ensuring that there would be no scope for anyone to eavesdrop.

As the King of Lanthanor teleported into the room and took the chair beside him, Faxul said, "Surprises already? That's unexpected."

Without saying anything, Daneel first poured himself a cup of wine before taking two gulps and sitting back.

There was a brief respite right now for an hour during which the spectators could take a break to get some food while the stadium was readied for the next stage.

"Yes, surprises already. But at least it's not something that was completely out of our expectations."

Hearing this, Faxul only nodded.

Indeed, they had expected that Axelor might take the lead in this stage of the competition, but the surprising results were those from Arafell.

Axelor was the Kingdom in Angaria which had the strongest Fighter army, so it only made sense that it would have many talented Fighters who would be able to score a lot of points in the Fighter competitions. Its main drawback was its Mage division, which was both weak in talent and number. Even in the short battle that Daneel had fought against Axelor, this had been quite clear because those Mages hadn't been very experienced or talented when compared to those in the other kingdoms or even Lanthanor itself.

Hence, he had expected Axelor to come begging to take back all the invaluable Mages that he had captured during that time. Yet, no such thing had happened, which had honestly puzzled Daneel.

The only anomaly here was that Axelor was supposed to be backed by one of the big four, and this had even been confirmed by Sister Xuan. Although she hadn't given any details as to the arrangement between these two forces, he had kept this in mind and was keeping a close watch on this rival Kingdom.

So far, nothing has been amiss, although its excellent performance had truly exceeded expectations.

As for Arafell, he had been looking forward to a great show due to the power of a giant. Yet, their downfall had clearly been due to their simple-mindedness.

After the bow had been replaced, there had been no mishaps like those again, as Arafell was, after all, known for making excellent customized weapon trinkets. The problem lay elsewhere.

This contest was supposed to test both strength and skill. Strength was needed to propel the arrow forward as much as possible while one also had to be skilled enough to shoot it in a straight line.

When the distances reached the range of kilometers, even the slightest mistake in angling the arrow could cause it to miss the next target.

This had happened with Arafell, as the giants seemed to have problems with such fine-tuned accuracy. Still, their power had been something to behold and it would definitely have given them the victory if there was more skill involved.

As for Lanthanor, it had performed more or less to his expectations as they had a weaker army when compared to Axelor. Their specialty, after all, lay in the Army formations that had been handed down since centuries.

Axelor's specialty in the skill and power of its Fighters had been successfully showcased to the continent again.

Finally, regarding Eldinor and the Black Raven Kingdom, the former was known to have the weakest Fighter army in the continent while the latter was severely weakened right now. Also, the result of the latter had something to do with some sort of plan that Faxul had which he hadn't even told Daneel about.

Recalling this, Daneel said in a jesting tone, "Come on. You can tell me what you're planning."

Chuckling at hearing his friend ask this question again, Faxul said, "Just wait and see. You have your plans to come first, and I've made mine to make sure that I'm not last. So, what's next? Will there be more surprises?"

Daneel was really liking this change in his friend, who was now watching everything with a casual expression that had almost never been on his face when he had been in the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Just as he was about to answer, Daneel got a message from Eloise which made him smile and say, "Well, the Mage Archery contest will be a sight to behold. But before that, get ready for a show."

-----

"Cheaters! Cheaters everywhere! Give me back my Gold Lans!"

During the intermission, many people had gotten up from their seats to head to the corridor where they could get some food to eat. Hence, hearing this voice resounding across the stadium, the hurriedly came out to the guardrail to see what was going on.

Looking around, they found nothing, but they directed their eyes upwards to realize that the image on the large central display trinket which had been showing the score till now had changed to show a different scene.

A man who seemed to be a well-off merchant was chasing behind a shady looking black robed individual who was trying to run away as fast as possible.

In this scene, the setting around the two seemed to be the hallway of one of the quarters in Olympia.

As the merchant constantly hurled curses, this chase continued for a few seconds before two soldiers just so happened to come in the way of the shady man and catch him by his shoulders.

As that man struggled in their clutches, the merchant reached them huffing and puffing before catching his breath and saying, "Thank you, soldiers! If it weren't for you, I would have lost all my hard earned money!"

Hearing this, one of the soldiers said, "We're just doing our duty. So this man stole the money from you?"

"Yes! I bet a huge amount of money on Axelor leading the competition after the first stage. Instead of giving me what I am owed, this man tried to run away with the amount I bet in the first place. Would you also please be kind enough to make him pay back everything I have won, too?"

This made the soldiers look at each other, before one of them replied, "Do you have any proof or receipt that that bet happened? And is this man a registered bookie?"

This question made the merchant sheepishly looked down, before he answered," N-no."

"Then we can't do anything except give you back the money he stole. It's a pity. If you had used the official 'Olympic Bets' platform, you would have won big! It is run by the organizers, so there is no chance whatsoever of anything going wrong. You can just rest assured and bet. You can even place bets until the second before the contest begins! There is no better way to go about it. I hope you learn your lesson."

Nodding profusely, the merchant said, "I understand now, soldier. 'Olympic Bets' is the only platform I'll use from now."

Leaving these words, the image changed to him walking away with drooping shoulders, as if he was still sad due to the money he hadn't been able to obtain.

"Place your bets now in the 'Olympic Bets' platform! Now open in all corridors! You also have the option to transfer bets placed in other platforms to ours! Accepting all currencies! Varied bets available! New feature: Make your own bet! If you think you can guess which soldier will perform the best, you can make that bet yourself, allowing others to bet money on it too! Many more features coming soon! Always ask for 'Olympic Bets'! Terms and conditions apply."

As these words rang across the stadium in a pleasant female voice, the display trinket changed back to the table which showed the points.

After a brief silence, those who were already in the corridors immediately rushed to a certain large stall which had just opened.

Seeing those who originally had no intention to get up from their seats run towards the corridor as if it depended on their lives, Faxul looked up with a shocked expression to see Daneel grinning widely.

Chapter 320: Mage Archery Tournament 1

"Why did you even have to do that? Couldn't you have just announced it directly?"

This was the first question that Faxul asked Daneel after getting over the shock of seeing such an excellent performance.

"Competition, my friend. There are too many established betting organizations in the continent. I needed mine to have an impact; I needed something that will make those people run to the stall and start betting. Comparison makes one understand the value of something. And besides, with Arafell putting up such an 'unexpected' performance, there were bound to be a lot of people who were sore due to losing their bets. I just…cashed in on the opportunity."

Gambling was, after all, one of the most profitable occupations in the continent, provided that there were enough customers and enough things to gamble on. Daneel had had the idea to enter since long ago, as he knew very well about the success of the gambling business back on Earth.

The only problem had been that it would be both difficult and expensive to enter into a business which was already very congested. Hence, Daneel had put his plan off until this perfect opportunity came along.

Hearing Daneel's smug tone, Faxul said, "How do you even get these damn ideas? And what was that last line supposed to be?"

COUGH

Faxul's words made Daneel cough suddenly before he looked away, as if he was guilty of something.

Terms and conditions apply. One of the most dreaded sentences that could be heard on Earth.

And in most cases when this sentence became relevant, it usually meant bad news.

Sadly, Daneel had found no replacement for it no matter how much he racked his mind. No other sentence carried the same weight, along with the same anonymity that allowed it to pass by the eyes and ears of many Earthlings before making them regret in the future.

Of the many things he had brought over to Angaria to Earth, this was the one he was least proud of.

But because he was now a businessman who badly needed money, he had had no other choice.

Seeing the King of Lanthanor act weirdly for a few moments, Faxul was puzzled but he didn't press.

Instead, he chose to comment on the other novelty which had impressed him.

"What about that entire drama? Those were…actors?"

"Oh, yes. It's an advertisement. Eloise was running the whole thing from behind the scenes. Worked out well, didn't it?"

"Can advertisements even…be like this? I thought they were all just things either printed out and distributed or said repeatedly on the Network. This is the first time I'm seeing a…performance.

With a nod, Daneel replied, "That's how it was so far. You must agree that this is so much more effective. The problem is that you can't have someone repeatedly acting out stuff like this…instead, I used the perfect opportunity where I could catch everyone's attention. One's attention is really easy to catch when they are standing in line to eat."

"But aren't you fooling those who might think it's all real?"

"Well, it could be real. And that's what will make them rush to the stall."

Speechless, Faxul only looked at Daneel, unable to decide whether his friend was fooling people into betting with his organization.

Yet, before he made that decision, Daneel said, "Got to go. I should check on something," before teleporting away, leaving Faxul alone in the room.

With nothing else to do, the Black Raven King continued to look at the crowds, amused at the expressions of those who looked like they didn't want to miss another golden opportunity to make it big by betting.

While he was doing so, he realized that even this had been brought on by those sad, drooping shoulders of the man at the end of the ad which had been due to missing out on the opportunity.

With this realization, Faxul blurted out "It is cheating!" Before looking around and remembering that he was alone.

…..

Meanwhile, the King of Lanthanor had made his way over to one of the waiting rooms in the passageways which led to the ground in the middle of the stadium

There were display trinkets set up here too which were currently showing the mad crowds, but they had actually been placed to let competitors keep an eye on their opponents while they were waiting for their turn.

Teleporting to one corner of the room, Daneel first accepted the bows of all those in the room.

It seemed that the 49 soldiers here had assembled into a group, and were currently facing Cassandra who was floating a few centimeters in the air.

She looked ravishing in skin-tight leather clothes which were great for free movement but not so good at all in covering up her athletic figure honed after years in the military.

Yet, the fact that there were no inappropriate looks from the soldiers was a testament to the absolute respect and reverence with which these men and women treated their commander.

It seemed that Cassandra had been in the middle of some speech, so Daneel only told her through the oathstone to continue.

"As I was saying, soldiers, this is no less than a war. There might not be bloodshed, and there might not be a risk of death. But if we lose, then it is our honor that dies. And this death is so much worse than us physically leaving our bodies. Tell me, do you want to go back to your families and tell them that you lost even though you were the host? Do you want to be the one who has to say those words?"

All the soldiers vehemently shook their heads at the question, as if even the notion of what Cassandra was saying horrified them.

"Good. Then do your BEST. Pull out EVERYTHING you have in you. Because believe me, if I see that you aren't doing that, you will wish that this was an actual battlefield so that you can get killed by an enemy. Do you understand?"

'YES, COMMANDER!"

"Then show that to the continent. Dismissed."

Ending the speech and throwing her gorgeous red hair behind her shoulder, Cassandra floated to the ground looking every bit like those legendary heroines that Daneel had read stories about back on Earth.

After she walked to him, both of them ducked into a smaller room for privacy so that they could talk about the plan that Lanthanor had made to get to the top of the rankings.

…..

A few minutes later.

With renewed cheers from the people who had had an opportunity to regain their energy due to the food and drink, 5 lines of individuals walked up the podium in the middle just like before during the Fighter Archery Tournament.

The second stage of the Fighter Archery Tournament would take place after this one, so that the participants would have enough time to recuperate and give their best.

The main difference right now was that the soldiers who had just marched onto the ground weren't carrying any bows.

They were all bare-handed, leading the crowd to wonder how this could be called an archery tournament if there were no bows involved.

The targets from before were still in the air tho, and those with the best zoom trinkets noticed that there actually seemed to be more of them than before.

"I hope you all had a good break, because I'm ready to get this show started! How many of you have been to Olympic Bets? I can say with certainty that I have betted my entire life savings on the outcome of this match! So if you see a different announcer later, it might just be because I won a fortune, so I gave up my job! Or I might be in a nameless ditch somewhere for losing everything…"

As the crowd chuckled while settling down into their seats, Sylvesto continued.

"Now, onto the Mage Archery Tournament! Just like before, we will have a demonstration. Who should I- Ah, we have a volunteer! Go ahead, sir!"

When Sylvesto had just been about to ask someone, an elf had stepped out of their line and arrogantly walked forward.

He had a trademark sneer on his face, and his earlobes which were in the shape of a tri-bladed knife were pointing straight down.

Walking up to a pile of arrows which were placed at the front, he picked one up and weighed it in his hand.

His next actions shocked the audience, making them gawk and wish they could go back to the Olympic Bets stall.

The elf had thrown the arrow in the air before turning around, as if he didn't even need to see the outcome.

After it floated for a second, a cylinder of fire and wind came into existence which enveloped the arrow.

BANG

After a few seconds, with a loud sound, the arrow shot into the air at the first target.

After going through it, another BANG was heard before the funnel formed and the arrow accelerated again, taking it straight through the second target.

It was as if the arrow was also realigning itself after each target, as it never seemed to miss its mark.

Finally, after crossing the record set in the Fighter tournament before, it stopped and fell to the ground.

Clearly, it could go even further, but the elf had wanted to make a point.

And that point was that all those who hadn't betted on Eldinor winning in this tournament had been foolish.

Chapter 321: Mage Archery Tournament 2

"Waaaaahhhh!"

Seeing his son watch the arrow with the zoom trinket until it could no longer be seen, Norcet smiled and patted his head.

"it's just the beginning, son. Mage competitions are really a sight to behold. I'm telling you, half the people here bought tickets mainly to see the Mage tournaments."

"More than half."

Hearing the mage beside him say these words while looking at the ground with focused eyes, Norcet smiled even wider and said, "Yes, more than half. So who did you bet on?"

The question was addressed to his son, who grinned and said, "Lanthanor, of course! The kind man at the stall even said I would win big!"

"A-all of it?"

"Yup! All of it!"

The answer made both the mage and Norcet turn around and stare at the little kid, who didn't understand why they were looking at him so strangely.

Norcet had made the decision to give 50 Gold Lans to his son who had jumped up and down on seeing the advertisement before. His thought had been that he would be able to expose him to decision-making at an early age so that it would help him later on.

Yet, it seemed that the kid had gone and potentially wasted all that money.

"But son, didn't you see that the odds were against Lanthanor? Didn't your teacher teach you about odds?"

"I know, dad, but I believe in our King!"

"But Eldinor is the Kingdom with the most accomplished mages in the entire continent! Lanthanor might come second, but there's no way it will come first!"

"My teacher said so too, but I still believe in our King, dad! You should, too!"

Seeing the blind optimism in his son's eyes, Norcet sighed and gave up.

The Mage, on the other hand, smirked at Norcet, as if mocking him for making the decision to allow a young kid to bet.

Norcet also wondered whether he had made the wrong decision, but he decided that it would be a great opportunity to teach his son when he lost all the money.

All the analysis made so far pointed to Eldinor making a landslide victory in this stage, just like Axelor had in the previous one. Hence, the odds for Eldinor winning was 0.1-1, meaning that someone who bet 100 Gold Lans would only end up with a total of 110 Gold Lans if they won, making a profit of 10 Gold Lans in the process. Still, many had bet huge amounts of money in a bid to win big.

The odds for Lanthanor winning, on the other hand, were 3-1. So, Norcet's son had the chance of making a profit of 150 Gold Lans on his bet.

Of course, both Norcet and the mage knew that the chance of this happening was almost 0.

How much ever they respected King Daneel, they knew that he couldn't turn around the power of the Mage army in the few months that he was King.

Hence, both of them had already made their bets on Lanthanor coming second and Eldinor winning.

"Goooo Lanthanor!"

The shout from the kid interrupted their line of thought, making them focus on the ground again.

Sylvesto had already made his exit after announcing the main rule, which was that each mage only had 30 seconds to shoot the arrow forward since the moment they took it. Their next spell could be cast after the arrow hit the first target, but no spell could decrease

As the stadium had been built on the land of the Black Raven Kingdom, it was easiest for the citizens of this Kingdom to attend the event. Hence, among the spectators outside the stadium, the majority were supposed to belong to the Black Raven Kingdom itself.

Hence, bolstered by the home ground advantage, the mages of the Black Raven Kingdom put up an admirable performance.

There were a few techniques which were most commonly used by the Mages: either they formed isolated tunnels which the arrow in place before being propelled forward by a force from behind, or they would be thrown forward using telekinesis.

The former was still stronger than the latter, as more force could be used in this method.

Some mages also used special techniques such as casting wind spells to increase the speed of the arrows, but this also had the risk of pushing the arrow off-target.

The main problem was the limitation of time. If one wasn't adept or powerful enough to cast the strongest spell possible in 30 seconds, then they would inevitably fail.

After the Black Raven Kingdom came the Kingdom of Arafell, who had a much more consistent showing than the one before. Their team was almost completely comprised of humans, as it was said that giants who had talent as mages were few and far in between.

As the final score would be relative, it was still anyone's match.

Next was Eldinor, who showcased the arrogance that was their trademark.

Of course, their performance made everyone realize that at least in this stage of the tournament, they had every right to be arrogant.

Each and every elf who participated had top-tier talent and power which was leagues apart from the teams of the other two Kingdoms who had participated so far.

In the end, of the 50 top scores which were updated live on the large central display trinket, 38 belonged to the elves, which seemed to be a sign.

Seeing this, the crowd erupted in cheers, but everyone knew that they were cheering for the money that they hoped to win instead for Eldinor itself.

At this point, the team from Axelor walked up to the spot from where they were supposed to shoot the arrows one-by-one.

Unlike the others, these soldiers wore red robes with hoods that covered their faces.

The crowd, who had been cheering till now, calmed down for the most part, expecting a dismal performance due to the weak talent of Axelorian Mages.

Even the odds reflecting this, with a whopping 8-1 rate that had made many shake their heads.

Still, there were some who took the chance, knowing that they would win big if something unexpected happened.

Yet, as soldier after soldier started shooting the arrows, it started to become apparent that this wouldn't be the case.

The first 2-5 members of every team usually had the highest scores, as these were the commanders/top personnel of the army.

After that would come the elite soldiers, and then the regular ones.

So far, 30 soldiers had come and gone, but Axelor still only had 3 names on the rankings, who seemed to be the strongest among them.

Daneel, who was once again sitting with Faxul, had his elementary sight activated while watching the proceedings of the tournament.

So far, everything had been going as expected.

Yet, when the 31st soldier walked up to take an arrow, Daneel got a feeling that something was wrong.

Both the walking style and the body structure of this man were completely different from the soldiers who had come before. There was a certain…arrogance to the stride, as if the man was bestowing honor upon the earth just by walking on it.

After picking up the arrow, he started casting a spell, but suddenly stopped.

This had been so minute that no one had been able to detect that something was amiss.

However, Daneel, who had both the system and comprehension that exceeded the standards known to the Central Continent, knew that something was amiss.

The system confirmed his suspicion.

[Spell technique detected. Phenomenon was too short to analyze detailed information.]

Someone in the Axelorian army had a spell technique?!

Impossible.

As Daneel watched on with shock, this man cast a spell again, but this one was normal, with no hint of the spell technique he had used before.

However, his skill was something to behold.

The base of the spell was the same: a funnel was created, and a force was applied to the back of the arrow.

Yet, his funnel was longer than those formed by the others.

Also, as the crowd watched on with awe, a mini-tornado formed inside the funnel which accelerated the arrow and also gave it a rotational movement that increased its speed.

BANG

As it shot forward, it became clear that it would break most of the records so far.

Just a Daneel was about to teleport to Sister Xuan to take a second opinion about what was going on, she sent a message herself which made him stand up and put on an expression as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt.

"King Daneel! These…aren't people from the Central Continent! If I'm not wrong, they are disciples from one of the Big 4!"

Chapter 322: Mage Archery Tournament 3

"Avery, you idiot. Even after we practiced so many times, you still used the spell technique?"

"Relax! It was barely a second. And I doubt that there is even one person in these peasants who can recognize what it was. Even if they do, it's not like we're really trying to cover ourselves here. Anyone who has a brain would be able to understand where we're from."

After the impressive performance that had silenced the entire stadium for a moment, the man wearing the hooded red robes walked to the back of the line of soldiers who belonged to the Kingdom of Axelor.

After he had arrived at the back, he had been asked this question by the one standing in front of him whose face was hidden just like his.

On hearing his answer, this man sighed deeply before saying, "But we were instructed to at least be covert. It's one thing to disguise ourselves as the hidden trump card of Axelor, but it's another to brazenly shove it in everyone's faces that we are from one of the Big Four. Just admit that you slipped up."

In response, the other man spoke in a tone that reflected his anger.

"Zach, you might be the top student who's doted upon by all the teachers, but we are in the outside world now. Don't think you can boss me around. Just shut up and do what we are here to do. And keep in mind that you're just someone who got lucky by being picked up like a dog on the street."

After these harsh words sounded, there was silence among them, during which the first man smirked, knowing that he had hit the right spot.

…

Meanwhile, the King of Lanthanor who had gotten up with shock on seeing the spell technique was now staring with wide-open eyes at the ground were soldier after soldier of the Axelorian Kingdom walked up to the stage and gave one remarkable performance after another, adding their names to the scoreboard and almost cementing the victory of the Kingdom in the Fighter archery tournament.

At least, this was what all the analysts were newly predicting, after getting over the shock that Axelor had somehow managed to obtain these powerful Mages who had never been seen before on any battlefield.

"King Daneel? What do you want to do?"

Since the message from Sister Xuan had sounded in his mind, Daneel hadn't sent any reply, prompting her to ask again. Her usually calm tone was gone, replaced by one which reflected the surprise that even she seemed to be feeling.

After going through all his options again, Daneel asked, "What would you suggest, Sister Xuan? What CAN we do?"

Only silence was heard from the other end, before a hesitant voice asked, "I can try to contact the Matron, but 15 disciples don't just do this on their own. They must be here on the orders of their elders. Maybe… Can you attest that they don't belong to Axelor?"

"And what proof do you have of that?"

Again, silence. Daneel had already considered everything, and he did not see any way to expose the identities of these soldiers.

Besides, no matter what he tried, the King of Axelor could spin it and convince the people that Lanthanor was just being a sore loser.

At least, right now, there was nothing to be done except watch as Axelor started racking up the points one by one.

Just like Faxul, he had been expecting that Axelor would make trouble, but both of them could never have thought that that 'trouble' would be in the form of finding a way to shore up their weaknesses to ensure their victory in the event.

"They are from the Big Four, aren't they?"

As Faxul asked this question, Daneel was shaken out of his thoughts.

"The Protector Raven?", he asked, as it really was a fact that it was almost impossible for normal people to notice the usage of the spell technique before.

"No, common sense, Daneel. All the highest echelons of the kingdoms know that there is one of the Big Four behind Axelor, and everyone also knows about their weakness in the Mage department. I just didn't think that they would be so despicable to enlist outside help for victory. Isn't the whole point to display the skills of your Kingdom to gain honor?"

The answer made Daneel laugh out loud, as he had forgotten about this angle. True enough, the Kings and the top ministers of each Kingdom would easily be able to guess where these new additions were from.

But, the answer to his friend's question was also simple.

"They clearly don't care what the rulers think. It's smart. There's no way that we can expose the information about the Big 4 to the public, so the audience will just think that they are some trump card who have been hidden. They gain victory and honor, and they go home smiling. A perfect plan."

Towards the end, Daneel's voice had taken on a frigid tone, which made Faxul shudder and turned around to see his friend eyeing the ground. There was a cold smile on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes.

This actually scared Faxul a little bit, and he felt glad that he wasn't the one being looked at with that gaze.

"Have you ever realized that you look scary when you're planning someone's downfall?"

In response to his friend's question, Daneel only smiled even wider and nodded at him before taking out a communication trinket and sending a message to Cassandra.

…

On the ground, Cassandra, who was at the head of the line containing the soldiers of the Kingdom of Lanthanor, was watching the proceedings with a suspicious look in her eyes.

As the commander of the mage army of Lanthanor, it was her job to be perfectly aware of the other mage armies on the continent.

Hence, the fact that 15 genius mages had come out of nowhere to join Axelor was something that she couldn't wrap her head around.

It was at this moment that she received the message from the King which made her smile and whisper to the soldier behind her, "Execute Plan Alpha."

This message passed through the line of the soldiers of the Lanthanor Kingdom, who had all been feeling slightly taken aback by the performance of Axelor which was supposed to lose badly in this stage of the competition.

Yet, it seemed that this message had cheered them up, making them smile with anticipation.

Finally, after a few minutes, a loud cheer rang from the crowd as the team from Axelor walked back to their original position.

Next, it was the turn of the hosts.

As the 50 soldiers walked up to the stage with the gorgeous redhead leading them, the crowd started to get ready for another smashing performance.

They had all been subject to one shock, so almost no one thought that there would be another upset.

Yet, when the commander of the mage army of the Kingdom of Lanthanor walked up to the stage and gave her performance, a silence fell over the entire stadium as almost everyone rubbed their eyes, wondering whether they had gone blind.

She had walked forward and raised her hands to make a funnel similar to the others appear in the air, but no arrow had risen from the pile at her feet to be shot.

The targets were untouched, and the scoreboard also did not have any additional name.

So far, each initial performance of every Kingdom had always resulted in their name appearing on the scoreboard, as it was the commanders who went first.

Yet, no such thing had happened here.

Even while everyone was trying to understand what was going on, the next soldier walked up and did the same.

The funnel which had faded away after the exit of the commander had come into existence again, but there was some slight change in it which almost went undetected.

However, no arrow rose up again, and Lanthanor was still absent from the scoreboard.

As soldier of the soldier kept making the funnel appear and then going back to their place, some people who didn't like Lanthanor even started booing as they hoped that they were just giving up.

As for the others, only one question was in their minds.

What the heck was going on?

Chapter 323: Mage Archery Tournament 4

"Sir, they're giving up! Lanthanor is no match for our Kingdom, especially with the new mages! They have no choice but to bow down to your Majesty!"

In the private room that was floating in the air which belonged to the Axelor Kingdom, the King was sitting in front of a table and watching the ground with a suspicious expression on his face.

Meanwhile, the ministers around him who were mostly fighters had begun to cheer and gloat, thinking that their victory was near.

They couldn't be blamed, as Axelor had gone all out to ensure that they would take home the ultimate glory.

Only, along with the King, the other mages were also just watching, knowing that Lanthanor was up to something.

This scene was common all over the stadium where all those who couldn't view what was happening using elementary vision came to the conclusion that Lanthanor was giving up.

Those who had bet on Lanthanor and all those that were supporting it still cheered, hoping for some sort of miraculous comeback.

Meanwhile, the citizens of the Axelor Kingdom and even those from the Black Raven who had deep-seated hatred against Lanthanor started to shout insults with glee.

Yet, the King of Axelor, who had just realized what was going on, banged on the table and stood up, startling all those around him.

"Damn you, Daneel," he said with frustration, before teleporting away from the room.

….

35 soldiers had already come and gone, but Lanthanor was still absent from the leaderboard.

By now, even the people in the stadium who were rooting for Lanthanor's victory started to lose hope.

The boos from before had gotten louder than ever, and it looked like the host would be the one who would be last among all the kingdoms.

"Useless Lanthanorians!"

"Axelor will win!"

"Bunch of useless wannabes!"

As shouts like these resounded across the stadium, the 36th soldier walked up to the stage and looked up with a wide smile on his face.

Seeing the smile, the gloating expressions of those watching with the zoom trinkets froze, as theyrealized that something was different.

Soon enough, this became apparent even to those who didn't have the trinkets.

For the first time, an arrow had just risen up into the air and was now floating in front of the soldier.

The same funnel from before which had appeared in the same spot since the first competitor from Lanthanor had walked up to the stage came into existence again, and the arrow entered it smoothly.

BOOM

With a sound akin to that of a ballista that unloaded its bolt of death, the arrow shot forward and thundered through each target.

It was so fast that it almost become a blur, with the common citizens being unable to follow it with the naked eyes.

Yet, those who had trained to at least the Amateur Human level stood up with shock, as their eyes stuck to the arrow that seemed like it wouldn't stop until it reached the depths of space.

By now, the mages in the stadium had already started to understand what was going on.

Only, their shock seemed to be cemented onto their faces as the name of the 36th soldier appeared on the scoreboard.

Those who had been booing Lanthanor and shouting those lines stood up with a jolt, with their eyes wide open and their jaws hanging, as if they were the ones being impaled by the arrow instead of the targets.

Even then, they prepares to sit back down, thinking that this wouldn't repeat.

Yet, they were proven wrong right away.

As they watched on with growing horror, each soldier performed similarly, making their names appear on the scoreboard with each only rising above the one who had performed before them.

Indeed, with time, the power with which the arrow was propelled forward only seemed to be increasing.

Almost half the stadium were standing up with shock, while the other half were screaming mindlessly.

Yet, most of them still didn't know what was going on.

"Folks, in all my years as a presenter, I've never before seen someone put up such a brilliant performance using exquisite teamwork. For all those who haven't understood what Lanthanor is doing, let me explain."

Sylvesto came to their rescue.

"All of you might have heard of mage formations where mages work together to create incredible things. Although this is supposed to be an individual competition, no one said that teamwork cannot come into it. The speed with which the arrow is propelled forward depends on the stability of the first mechanism. You might have thought that the commander was only making one funnel, so many of you have missed that she also made others further up the route of the arrow, but these are invisible as only the foundation for them was laid. After her, each and every soldier took back control of those elementary particles that she used and made each funnel stronger and stronger. Of course, the focus was kept on the first and the others are almost out of sight, so many of you might not have noticed them."

This was met by nods from those who were majorly in the VVIP section, as they were in possession of the zoom trinkets capable of seeing that it was not one funnel, but multiple once that had been made by the Lanthanorian soldiers.

"Let me make it clear to you all. It was like building a house. The commander laid the foundation, and the soldiers after her made the foundation stronger and stronger. Finally, this foundation made it possible for each and every soldier to put up such remarkable performances. For all those with zoom trinkets, I encourage you to look inside the funnel to see that the tornado meant to shoot the arrow gets stronger with each soldier. In other words, Lanthanor sacrifices the majority of its soldiers so that the rest could reach the top. And if you're all thinking that this is something easy that can be achieved by any Kingdom, you would be wrong. The skill required to be able to take over the elementary particles which had been stable but then left alone in the air to continue the spell is something that would require years of practice, and even uncommon talent. I guess it isn't for naught that it is said that the mages of Lanthanor excel in teamwork the most, as it is required for them to be able to deploy the mage formations that are their trademark."

Sylvesto's long explanation went over the heads of many listening, but the one thing they understood was that teamwork had been the key to this amazing performance.

And as for those who had been thinking that this was just a trick that would have been mimicked by any other Kingdom, they sat down with frustration.

Meanwhile, Norcet and the mage who had similarly been watching everything with awe on their faces turned to the side to see the kid who was grinning from ear to ear.

While resisting the irritation they felt, they remembered the thoughts their heads when they had looked forward to teaching the kid a lesson when Lanthanor lost and made him lose all the money.

No one could have imagined that he would be the one winning most of all, while both of them would be losing hundreds of Gold Lans due to the bets that they had placed.

After this realisation, they looked up to the booth which was marked with the logo of the Lanthanorian Kingdom.

All across the stadium, shock transformed into either happiness or frustration while everyone looked up at this room in which the king was supposed to be sitting.

In fact, inside the Black Raven Kingdom's booth, even Faxul had turned around and was watching Daneel.

Meanwhile, the King of Lanthanor who was the target of so much attention sheepishly rubbed his nose and grinned, seeing the final scoreboard that was now shining in the center of the stadium.

Lanthanor: 14 Points

Black Raven Kingdom:5 Points

Kingdom of Arafell:7 Points

Axelor:12 Points

Eldinor: 12 Points

"Daneel, isn't this supposed to be an individual competition?"

At this question from Faxul, Daneel chuckled before saying, "Of course it is. They acted individually, didn't they."

As Faxul just shook his head at the answer, both of them didn't realize that they were currently being stared at by many eyes filled with rage and the realization that they had been defeated despite all their elaborate preparations.

Four such eyes were watching from a spot over 10,000 m in the air, where there stood the King of Axelor with a man who hadn't entered the Central Continent in decades.

Chapter 324: Cheating

"THIS DAMN KID! If it weren't for the accords, he would be mincemeat by now!"

The man who spoke these words was wearing grey robes that covered his entire body, from his head to his toe. Only his eyes were visible, and his body was shaking as he spoke these words with a tone of extreme anger.

"My Lord, they just used a cheap trick to get more points in this stage. We are still leading and victory is definitely ours. With the mages you lent me, I guarantee that I'll be able to win and impress the citizens of the entire continent. Your plans will definitely proceed like you wished."

If the top ministers of the Axelor Kingdom could see this scene, they would have fallen unconscious due to the sheer shock of seeing King Safiros speak in such a humble tone.

His head was angled downwards, almost as if he wasn't even worthy to look at the person standing beside him.

Although they were so high in the air that there were only clouds all around, it seemed as if this man could clearly see what was going on in the stadium.

Right now, he was looking straight at the private booth in the air in which Sister Xuan and Molan were sitting.

Controlling his anger with great difficulty, he brought his tone back to a neutral one and said, "You better do that, or you know what will happen. You went and reversed your training to participate, so you should remember that if you want to regain your previous power, you need me. And without the victory that you promised, you'll be stuck at that level. Forever. Remember that. No matter what you do, ensure your victory. It is NOT acceptable for any other Kingdom to gain the favor of the citizens of the entire continent. I promise you that heads WILL roll if that ends up happening."

Leaving these words, the man disappeared, while the King of Axelor gritted his teeth and stayed there for a few moments before making a resolution to himself and teleporting back to the private booth of his Kingdom.

'Axelor will win.'

He told himself this again and again, deciding to do whatever was necessary to make it happen.

As ruthlessness shown in his eyes, he focused his gase on the scoreboard which had just been updated.

…

"And that concludes the first day of the Olympics! I don't know about you all, but I have to say that this is the most exciting event that I have ever seen in my life! So many surprises, so many shocks! I don't know if my poor heart can sustain many more, so I hope the five kingdoms take pity on me! Go back to your rooms and rest, everyone! I promise you that you'll need all the energy you can get to cheer everyone on tomorrow! And congratulations to all those who didn't follow the analysts to make bets that must've paid of! Excuse me while I go cry with jealousy…"

Ending the day on a funny note, the announcer left the stage in the middle and walked back to the spot where all the officials were standing.

Those in the stadium also slowly made their way to the exits, unable to contain their excitement and joy at being lucky enough to witness such an incredible competition. As for those that were walking with drooping shoulders, they were clearly the ones that had lost big due to their bets.

Soldiers were posted everywhere to maintain the peace, so even though many were nursing frustrations that they wished they could take out an anybody they saw, everyone controlled themselves and made their way back to Olympia or wherever it was that they had chosen as their place of residence.

Olympia had been built with the idea to house even those who hadn't bought tickets, so there were many cheap inns which focused more on quantity than quality.

With rooms that had prices as low as five Silver Lans per day, most had chosen to opt for them instead of freezing out in the open even if they had brought tents to cover themselves.

Meanwhile, all the pubs in Olympia were filled to the brim with those who wanted to let go of their frustration by getting drunk.

Daneel and Faxul were once again standing on the same rooftop from where they had observed Olympia before.

Faxul was simply looking down with a pondering expression on his face, while Daneel was scanning the city to make sure that everything was in place.

As someone from Earth, he knew very well that it was common for bad incidents to take place after a day of a major competition went by, as there were always those who couldn't stomach the fact that whoever they supported had lost.

One thing which was both very joyful and troubling was that his Olympic bets organization had minted money in the millions of Gold Lans already.

This was due to the two major upsets of the day, with a lot of people losing a lot of money because they had trusted the analysts who had based their information on what they knew about the armies of the five kingdoms.

The people needed someone to blame, but they had no target to take out their anger on. Hence, the risk of bar fights breaking out was very high. Hence, Daneel had already sent a request to all five kingdoms to lend soldiers who would take care of the peace.

Even then, Daneel knew that it would be a very eventful night.

Just as he was about to say something, both of them looked down at their pockets to see that the communication trinket that was now held by all five rulers was vibrating with a message.

"Emergency meeting called by King Safiros."

Getting this message in their minds, both of them looked at each other and shook their heads, knowing what this was about.

Teleporting away from their location, they arrived at a room in the Royal section of Olympia where there was a large table surrounded by five chairs.

The room was completely enveloped by a very strong teleportation locking formation, so both of them had teleported outside it before having their identities verified using the trinket.

This countermeasure had been put in place by Daneel who knew that it was possible for someone to infiltrate these very important meetings by disguising themselves as the rulers. This trinket held the blood of all five rulers, and each ruler would have to verify themselves using it before they attended any meeting.

Walking inside, both of them saw that the King of Axelor was already pacing back-and-forth with an enraged expression on his face.

Even before the door closed, he started shouting.

"I KNEW IT! YOU CHEAT! This was supposed to be an individual competition, but you used teamwork! This is cheating, and I demand that the scores be nullified!"

Faxul and Daneel were the last two to arrive, so they saw that the Queens of Eldinor and Arafell were already in the room. Hearing these angry words from the King of Axelor, Eldara stood up and humphed before walking to a window. As for the Queen of Arafell, she merely looked on and didn't say anything.

"I trust that I have sent you a copy of the rules? Did I break any of those?"

In the silence that followed this statement from Daneel, the sound of two sets of teeth gnashing against each other could be heard.

The first was from the King of Axelor, who had stopped his pacing and was now looking at Daneel with an expression of rage on his face, while the second was clearly from the Queen of Eldinor who was looking out the window.

Seeing them unable to say anything, Daneel only smiled and was about to say something else before a loud sound stop him.

BOOOOM.

It had come from inside the city, so Daneel immediately ran out of the room before teleporting into the air and finding out the source.

This was easy, as the plume of smoke still hadn't vanished and there was a clear flame that was buring a section of the city.

Immediately teleporting there, Daneel first checked whether the fire was under control before hearing the angry shouts of more than 100 people.

"You Lanthanorian cheaters! You were supposed to just shoot the arrow by yourselves!"

"Don't think we don't know that those 15 mages aren't from your Kingdom! You have the gall to hire outside help! You guys are the real cheaters!"

"I'll kill you!"

As the other four rulers teleported beside him, Daneel looked towards them, wanting to see what the reaction would be at the insinuation that he had wanted to voice himself in the room before.

Chapter 325: Insinuation

Faxul had also turned to the King of Axelor to see what he would say, while the Queen of Eldinor just teleported away after seeing that there were no elves involved in the conflict.

Seeing this, Daneel first resolved to talk to her once about everything that was going on. Of course, he could understand her actions as the elves had indeed been very arrogant stating that they would definitely be the ones to win the mage competition. Instead, they had tied with Axelor.

As for the Queen of Arafell, she did not seem very dejected that her Kingdom was last. Instead, wearing clothes that were as stunning as the ones she had had on during the opening ceremony, she also looked towards King Safiros with that same interest on her face.

Daneel had already given the answer against the insinuation thrown at him, which was that he hadn't broken any rules.

Yet, it had clearly been stated and widely accepted that those participating under the name of a kingdom had to belong to it.

However, the King of Axelor just looked on, as if imprevious to the fact that three rulers were looking at him and waiting for his response.

Meanwhile, a few people had realized that there were a few additional spectators.

Pointing up, they saw that it was the four rulers due to the glow of the fire which was shining on their faces.

This location had clearly been a pub, but it was now destroyed. The only good thing was that there were no dead bodies around, which meant that the person who had caused the conflict had been careful or that someone had taken initiative and evacuated everyone.

The latter turned out to be true, as a familiar figure walked to the middle of the large crowd where over 20 people were tussling against each other and throwing punches and kicks.

Her distinctive red hair making her stand out, she raised a hand as soon as she neared the middle.

As if someone was pulling them from behind, these 20 people separated from each other but tried to charge forward again.

Yet, it seemed as if they had hit some invisible wall as they turned around to see who was responsible.

In response, Cassandra only flew into the air before nearing the king and bowing to him.

Seeing that even the fight had ended, the King of Axelor only grimaced before teleporting away. After he did so, the Queen of Arafell also nodded at Daneel before leaving.

Meanwhile, the silence that had come after the separation of the two groups was once again broken by the shouts and blame that was being leveled against the citizens of each country by the other.

Axelor and Lanthanor had a long history of conflict where a lot of blood had been shed on both sides.

Hence, it only made sense that there were a lot of people who had enough reasons to pick a fight against citizens from the other Kingdom, especially now that both of them felt justified while having insults to throw at each other.

This also made it clear to Daneel that it wasn't just the ministers and the top echelons of each Kingdom who were aware that Axelor had enlisted outside help.

He wondered whether he could use this to take that arrogant king down a notch, but he realized that it was probably not the time to do so as he still did not have any proof.

His original plan for this event was that he might be able to conserve some of his trump cards and not expose his power to the continent while still ensuring his victory.

However, the present situation meant that he couldn't do so.

Teamwork was something that would be crucial in all the competitions, and he had hoped to keep the high level of coordination between his soldiers a secret until the time came to use it at a later stage to push him forward.

It was all the fault of the King of Axelor, and it pissed Daneel off that he couldn't do anything about it.

Hence, telling himself that he would not let them go the moment he had any chance, Daneel sighed and prepared to speak.

CRACK

As thunder roared across the air and silenced the now 200 strong crowd below him, the soldiers who had just been about to use drastic measures to calm everyone down stopped.

Daneel was happy with their performance of rushing to the scene quite quickly and getting the fire under control, but he knew that he was the only one who could resolve this while also making sure that many more fights like these would break out.

"People, I have heard the insinuations that the Kingdom of Axelor is using outsiders to bolster their mage teams so that they can win. As the host of this competition, it was my wish that all five kingdoms compete fairly in order to find out who's the best. This is why I trusted the others to not do something so foolish like this, and I must tell you that my trust has not been broken so far. There is no proof that those 15 soldiers do not belong to Axelor, so it is still a fair competition. The moment any conclusive proof surfaces, I promise you all that Axelor will be eliminated from the competition. So, I urge you all to not take part in fights like these which spoil the entire atmosphere of this glorious event. On that note, I would also like to inform you all that those who are henceforth guilty of causing disturbances like these shall be thrown into jail for the duration of the event and their tickets would be confiscated. Guards, escort everyone to wherever they are lodging. Good night, all."

Saying so in a tone that brooked no argument, the King of Lanthanor vanished from the air and was followed by the Black Raven King who had a small smile on his face.

Meanwhile, the King of Axelor had teleported to a private room in the building assigned to him where three middle-aged men were standing respectfully to the side.

After arriving, he was handed a display trinket by one of the three which expanded to show the scene of the fight from where he had just teleported away.

All four of them looked on as the King of Lanthanor made that speech, after which laugher burst out from the mouth of the King.

Seeing this, the other three also stopped controlling their own laughter.

After 30 seconds, the King stopped himself first and said, "Look at him. He knows he can do nothing, but he's still making grand statements about trust. Good job making sure that that fight happened. Now we know his stance. Maybe I didn't even need to reverse my power, but it was still needed to make sure that we are doing everything we can. Just wait till he is known as the host who lost. Have you spoken to those 15?"

At this, the other three also stopped laughing and one of them replied, saying, "It is just as you say, my King. Even though they gained a surprising victory, there is no chance whatsoever of them winning. And because it is forbidden to release information about the big four, he cannot do anything else but say things like these. There is no proof that he can get. The 15 mages have been given the best rooms, and all of their requests are being addressed. Just like you said, we are being… Discrete. There is only one among them who keeps demanding for three women to accompany him during the night. What should be done about him, if I may ask?"

Hearing this, the King frowned and asked, "Which one of them is it? The dark skinned one with long hair?"

"No, my King. He's fair skinned with a long nose."

"Then get those women! He is the weakest among the 15, but he's also the one with the most terrifying background. Each and every one of his wishes must be fulfilled. As for the one I just mentioned, fulfill his wishes too. He has the most talent. What was the problem with getting three prostitutes, anyway?"

At this, the man stopped speaking for a moment and looked down before saying, "We already sent three prostitutes, but he says he needs "uninitiated" ones. Meaning…"

Raising a hand, the King stopped him and said, "I get it. Either try to find some who are willing, or just abduct a few from somewhere nearby. Whatever you do, don't anger him."

Leaving these words, the king left the middle-aged man, who tightened his fists with anger at having been demoted to someone who had to abduct women for the whims of some kid.

Yet, keeping in his mind the ultimate goal of winning this prestigious event, he sighed and set about his task.

Chapter 326: Day 2

"I heard that your King broke up a fight last night, where he said that the competition is still fair. What are your thoughts on this 'fair' competition, oh powerful commander of Lanthanor?"

Hearing the mocking voice behind him, Luther turned around to see the commander of the Axelorian contingent who was waiting just like him to enter the stadium to take part in the test of skill of the Fighter archery tournament.

The second day of the Olympics had started with as much vigor as the first, with the people all having spent the night to rest and gather energy to cheer on their favorite competitors today.

The report was that betting had shifted away from the analyst's predictions, with many people spreading out their money instead of putting everything on one outcome.

Still, the scoreboard which showed the total score of each Kingdom clearly let everyone know that Axelor was in the lead to win, and that too by a lot of points.

"I can only say that your skin has reached new heights of thickness."

As a man of few words, Luther chose to say just this before walking forward as the bell had just sounded which was the indication for them to enter the stadium.

Yet, he still heard the snickering from that commander who knew very well where that trump card of the Axelor Kingdom had originated from.

For the past two months, Luther had completely absorbed himself in the training for the event, not allowing himself to mull over his memories that had been triggered by the meeting with the king where he had been asked about the Hidden Kill Sect.

Even now, he was completely focused on following his instructions and helping the king in every way possible as the guilt that he hadn't been able to assist in that matter was still with him.

Walking up to the stage, he saw that Lanthanor was actually the kingdom that would go first today.

The announcer was in his usual jovial mood, joking around with the crowd and settling them in.

The rules of the test of skill were simple and straightforward: each and every soldier would be fitted with a trinket that limited their power to the peak of the Amateur Human realm.

This time, there were no floating targets in the air above. Instead, a large circle had been cleared on the ground on which targets painted on parchments were moving around in erratic patterns.

Some jabbed left and right, while others moved straight. There was an inherent randomness to them, making it so that nobody would be able to predict their next move.

"Will there be another upset? I sure hope not, but it's the time for the Kingdom of Lanthanor to take the stage. Let's see together what happens!"

The task was to stand in the center of the circle and hit every target.

Points would be given based on the accuracy with which each target was hit, and also on the time required to finish hitting them all.

After the officials asked him to move forward to the center of the circle, Luther looked around at all the floating pieces of parchment which were trying their hardest to be as difficult to hit as possible.

There were over 100 targets, and as the bell sounded to indicate that his time had started, he surprised everyone by closing his eyes.

Seeing this, the crowd and even the announcers started to wonder just what the hell was wrong with this kingdom that each and every action of theirs had to be something that shocked them.

Yet, what happened next made their minds go blank.

ZIP

The first arrow was shot by Luther while his eyes were still closed, but it actually went through three targets which just so happened to be in a straight line at the moment he had taken his shot.

Some people started to think it was a fluke, but he proved them wrong the next second as his next arrow had also managed to hit multiple targets, this time even penetrating a fourth one before falling down.

ZIP ZIP ZIP ZIP ZIP ZIP

Arrow after arrow impaled the targets one by one, with each of them not missing the bulls-eye even once.

His eyes were still closed, and even his breathing seemed to be steady, as if this was all just a walk in the park.

"Incredible! God-like! Who is this man?"

As this question was asked by the announcers, the spell of silence that had been cast on the audience was broken, making way for thunderous cheers that startled even the birds that were flying thousands of meters in the air.

Pure, unadulterated skill.

This was what they had come to see, and the joy and excitement they felt at being witness to such godlike talent was something that made them jump up and down while chanting the name 'Lanthanor' over and over again.

In response to the adoration, Luther only turned towards the private booth of Lanthanor and bowed before walking back to the line of soldiers.

In this way, the second day of the Olympic started off with a bang, and even though there were no other performances that were as impressive to watch as Luther's, the crowd still loved each and every second of the competition.

Hence, even though the final results once again reflected the Fighter might of the Axelor Kingdom, most in the crowds were still talking about the excellent performance put up by the Lanthanorian Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the King of Axelor who was observing this had an ashen expression on his face.

He had expected that Axelor would be the most cheered contender for the dominating performance in all the stages of the competition so far, but this clearly wasn't the case.

"My King, this commander has always been known as the most powerful of those in the Lanthanor Kingdom, but he has never displayed this amount of skill. His file has been updated, and we have sent out new scouts to find out more about his past. Would you like anything else done?"

In response, King Safiros shook his head, knowing that this was probably being done by all the other rulers.

Indeed, the commander of the Lanthanor Kingdom, who was currently standing in front of the King of Lanthanor with his head bowed, had showed such a degree of skill that he had sent the information sections of all the other kingdoms scrambling with a bid to find out just where he might have learned something so impressive.

"It is from your past in the Hidden Kill Sect, isn't it?", asked Daneel, but he wasn't expecting an answer.

Just as he had thought, Luther just kept his head bent and did not look up.

That bow before had seemed like it was an apology, but Daneel was puzzled about something.

"You are the top scorer in the tournament and you've also gotten the people to talk more about us, but why did you expose your skill, Luther?"

Indeed, although Daneel was happy that Lanthanor now had more favor due to the amazing performance of his commander, he wondered why the man hadn't chosen to hide what was clearly a hidden trump card of his.

In response to the king's question, Luther only said, "My King, its all right because this is not the only skill I have."

Raising one eyebrow in response, Daneel nodded and said "Apology accepted," before dismissed him and focusing his eyes on the test of skill part of the mage tournament which was going on below him.

Unlike the test of power where he had been able to use teamwork to clinch a victory, this stage had no way for him to use that aspect of his soldiers to perform better.

The test of skill for mages was simple: they had to stand in the same circle with the floating targets on the piece of parchments like the fighters before, but they had to form arrows using the element in which they were specialized.

The soldiers in all the armies each had certain specializations, as not everyone was like Daneel who could equally comprehend all types of elementary particles easily.

All mages had rudimentary understandings and comprehensions of all elementary particles, but it was only in their specialization that they were able to cast complex and powerful spells.

This hadn't come into play in the test of power before as they had only needed to strengthen the foundation of the funnel which did not require a very strong comprehension in other elements.

Hence, the results now were more in line with the skill of the soldiers who had been deployed.

As Daneel viewed the final scores at the end of the 2nd day of the Olympics, he sighed and prepared himself, as he knew that the next 4 days were going to be very, very crucial.

Chapter 327: Day 3

Scores of Test of Skill of Fighter Archery Tournament:

Lanthanor: 12 Points

Black Raven Kingdom:8 Points

Kingdom of Arafell:8 Points

Axelor:17 Points

Eldinor: 5 Points

Scores of Test of Skill of Mage Archery Tournament:

Lanthanor: 7 Points

Black Raven Kingdom:3 Points

Kingdom of Arafell:5 Points

Axelor:17 Points

Eldinor: 18 Points

Final Score at the end of the Second Day:

Lanthanor: 43 Points

Black Raven Kingdom:23 Points

Kingdom of Arafell:26 Points

Axelor:70 Points

Eldinor: 38 Points.

Although there was so much gap between Lanthanor and Axelor, Daneel wasn't very worried because he had managed to keep his main trump cards hidden till now.

But tomorrow, tomorrow would be the day when the first of those would be revealed.

Taking out his communication trinket, he sent a message to make sure that everything was all set before retiring for the night.

…

Looking at the final score that was on the display trinket in their room, Norcet sighed as he realized that his home Kingdom might not be the one that would win the whole event.

Of course, as usual, his son was hyped for the day and was ready to bet all his money on Lanthanor once again.

He had won 200 additional Gold Lans with his first bet in the first stage of the mage archery tournament, but he had tucked away these winnings then.

As for the original 50 Gold Lans that had been given by Norcet, those had already been lost because his son had betted on Lanthanor once again in the next stage, where there had been no chance of winning.

Although Norcet had been tempted to give that speech that he had prepared, he had held back because there were still 200 Gold Lans for his son to gamble away.

So far, 100 of those had already been lost due to the other two stages that had taken place.

And, just like before, when they reached the stadium for the third day of the Olympics, Norcet watched as his son walked to the Olympic Bets stall and made another two bets of 50 Gold Lans each on Lanthanor winning the first stages of the wrestling tournament and the duel tournament that were scheduled for the day.

Dusting his hands after completely emptying his pockets, his son walked back to him with that trademark confident smile that had already gotten on the nerves of the mage who had lost quite a sum of money on that first upset.

Now, Norcet realized why it was so irritating.

Mainly, it was because of the fact that as citizens of the Lanthanor Kingdom, they knew that they were supposed to have the same trust in their King, but their minds told them that that would be foolish.

Still, telling himself that it would finally be the time to give that speech soon, Norcet patted his son and both of them walked to their seats where the mage was already waiting for them.

"Did he do it again?", the mage asked quietly as soon as he saw the two of them sit down.

"Yes. 50 each on Lanthanor winning both the stages today. As soon as it's all gone, I'll be telling him what we discussed."

As if looking forward to that, the mage chuckled to himself and looked at the kid who was already starting to shout and cheer the soldiers who had just entered the ground.

"When you're doing so, call me too. I NEED to see it."

Nodding, all three of them focused their attention on the ground, where the third day of the Olympics was about to start.

…

"The rules of the wrestling tournament are simple: use your fists and your body to wrestle your opponent to the ground. There is a time limit of one minute per round, and points are given based on how many times you are able to lay them on their back. The fighting will take place in a circle, and points are also given if you force your opponent out of it. These are the only two ways to obtain points, and the winner is the one with the most points after five rounds. This is a contest of pure, raw strength. But be aware, as power might not be everything. The officials will stop the match if there is a threat to any participant's life, and those who do not stop the fight when the command is given will be disqualified and their score will not be counted. There are also mages on standby who will deploy barriers to protect competitors and heal them instantly in dire situations. All precautions are in place to make sure that no one dies, so we are going to have some very exciting matches where the determination and perseverance of each and every soldier is going to be tested. So, lastly, I just urge you all to not try this at home! Let the third day of the Olympics begin!"

After this speech from Sylvesto came to an end, Faxul and Daneel, who were once again viewing the ground from the official booth of the Black Raven Kingdom, took sips from the wine glasses in front of them.

"23 points. How're you going to close the gap? Is everything still going according to your plan?", asked Faxul, once again seeing the scoreboard.

With a sigh, Daneel answered, "What do you think? And how is your plan going?"

"Oh, just fine. And I think you didn't expect to be lagging behind with such a large margin. So, when is our friend going to make an appearance?"

With this question, Daneel turned to the side to see the smirk on his friend's face.

Well, after all, this particular trump card was something that both of them had developed together.

"Soon."

…

In the ground below, the commander of the contingent of the Kingdom of Arafell shook his head as he saw their low score.

"No sad. Today win. Bash bash bash. Win win win."

Hearing these words that were said in a determined voice from above him, he smiled, knowing that today was their day.

This competition had been designed to test all the important aspects of mages and Fighters. In them, close combat hand-to-hand combat strength was something that was also really crucial to every Fighter.

And in this aspect, there was no one better than the giants.

Instead of teams of 50, this time, only 20 were needed.

And in the contingent of Arafell, he was the only human.

The contest would take place by random draw, with each competitor walking up to a ballot box to pick out their opponent.

Even those who would do the picking were chosen by random, and their name would be removed along with the one they picked so that duplicates weren't picked out.

Everyone had some kind of inkling that the Giants might have an advantage, but they could never have guessed just how much of a factor it was if a competitor stood at at least over 10 feet tall and had such resilience that they wouldn't budge no matter how much force was applied to them.

Indeed, these had been instructions given to the Giants, whose only job was to stand there, crouched, allowing their opponent to do whatever they wanted.

Along with ferocious strength, it was known that Giants also possessed very strong skin that even arrows couldn't pierce through.

Only, many seem to have underestimated just how much they could take without flinching.

Their legendary patience was on full display to everyone, as they only smiled at their opponents no matter how many times they hit them or tried to topple them to gain points.

This would always go on till the end of the match, at which point a few Giants would try to get some points by using their hands to shove someone out of the circle.

Some were fast enough to dodge, but even then, they couldn't gain any points and the matches all ended in a draw.

Because this was meant to be an event where Kingdoms were tested against each other, there was no case where the Giants would have to fight each other, as those from certain Kingdoms could only pick out opponents from the other four kingdoms.

In the event of a draw, the two competitors would have to fight again with others who had also gotten a draw, until finally, there was only one pair of giant and human left who had no more opponents.

The officials were helpless by this point, and even the spectators and the crowds had started to find the expressions of the opponents of the giants funny.

Treating this as a special case, both of these computers were given a bye, but as expected, the human was eliminated soon after.

As for the other humans who competed against each other, they mostly used punches and kicks to push someone out, so in all the cases, it came down to raw power.

The first stage was meant to pick out the top 50 from the hundred who were participating, with those that had lost the most matches being eliminated from the competition.

And, as had become clear from all the matches, the final 50 was dominated by Arafell.

Chapter 328: Black Robes

Lanthanor: 9

Black Raven Kingdom:6

Kingdom of Arafell:19

Axelor:14

Eldinor: 2

By the end of the first stage of the wrestling competition, the 50 people who would be moving onto the next were displayed by these numbers.

It had already been expected that Axelor would put up another smashing performance, but they had been completely overshadowed by the strength of the giants who were now loved by the crowds mainly because of the helplessness of their competitors which had become more and more fun to see.

One more thing which reinforced this love was the fact that the Giants also had simple smiles on their faces that made them very endearing, which was very similar to the effect that children had on adults. Every time someone cheered them on, they would wave with pure happiness, as if they didn't have a worry in the world.

Of course, this only made more and more anger and frustration appear on the faces of the soldiers of the other kingdoms, with some even starting to cry out that this wasn't fair.

And with no one's surprise, their complaints fell on deaf ears and they were only looked down upon by the others.

Next up was the first stage of the duel, with the crowd once again being riled up more than they had been for the wrestling competition mainly because magic and mage competitions were so much more exciting to see.

This was the case most observed in the spectators outside the stadium, whose number had apparently risen over the past three days to reach a staggering amount that hadn't been expected by even Daneel.

He had already given the order for more display trinkets to be made so that those sitting outside could watch things better, and he had also taken the extra step of opening up the airspace outside the stadium for those who had been sending him many requests to open their own business of setting up common booths from where those who had no tickets but still had money could watch the proceedings.

Daneel had initially disagreed to this as he did not want it to be too crowded, but the incoming reports that stated that the current rate of growth of people might even result in the space around the stadium being completely occupied had changed his mind.

Of course, he made it a point that the permission would cost money, and a commission would also be taken for each and every ticket that was sold.

This was his event, and he wasn't prepared to give up even a bronze Lan unless there was some reason behind it.

Even though some of those who had wanted to get into this business felt that the King of Lanthanor was being a bit stingy, the kept their opinions to themselves as they knew that they were lucky enough to get this opportunity in the first place.

It had taken time to prepare the mages and the many private booths which would be floating in the air, and it just so happened that the moment they became ready was the one when the first stage of the duel competition began.

Hence, when the competitors of the duel walked into the ground, they were surprised to see large floating rooms in the distance which had previously been occupied by just empty space.

As for the wave of shouts from the excited crowds who were clamouring to see more amazing magic, they threatened to sweep away the soldiers who stood in the middle of it all.

"People, I think this is the first time that I'm having to say as the announcer that it's not so bad if you decrease your volume! We don't want you all losing your ears due to your own shouts. I mean, come on, that would be pathetic. Okay, jokes aside, it's time for the duel! I'm telling you, I would be lying if I said that I haven't been looking forward to this for the entire day. The rules, once again, are simple, and if you are noticing, this is a common trend that will be present in all the events, which is something really refreshing and welcome, if I may say so myself. Two mages will stand 20 m apart from each other on a designated spot, and their job is to knock the other off their feet or move them from their position. First, let me say that it isn't as simple as making the ground into clay below the opponent. All the competitors are allowed to hover a certain distance in the air, and the main challenge is to make the opponent completely move out of the designated area that they have been assigned. To make it clear for you all, some mages who are proficient in light magic will make a box of light appear around each competitor. The moment the entire body leaves that box, they're considered to have lost. Again, no lives must be lost, so there are Exalted Human Mages on standby who will act to save contestants when they see that the situation is life-threatening. Also, contestants will be given standard barrier trinkets that have been provided by the Kingdom of Eldinor which would protect their lives as a backup. Of course, these trinkets will not protect from impact, so it will still hurt a lot. Alright alright, I know that you're getting tired listening to my voice! Let the dueeeeeeeel begin!"

With Sylvesto being as long-winded as always, the first batch of contestants who were chosen by random walked up to the ballot box to pick their opponents.

This competition had a similar structure as the wrestling stage, where teams of 20 would have three fights each against opponents from other kingdoms. At the end of the first stage, those with the least victories would be eliminated.

Both the betting odds and the analysis suggested that Axelor and Eldinor would be the ones taking the top spots, with Lanthanor being projected to be third without fail as teamwork could no longer be used.

Yet, what was strange about today was that the entire team of the Lanthanor Kingdom all wore special clothes that hadn't been seen before.

Masks protected their faces, so no one could guess their entity by using their facial features.

The usual garb of the soldiers of Lanthanor had so far been red robes with golden dragons that highlighted their insignia. The ones worn by these 20 mages were black, and they had no adornments, being rather plain and unremarkable.

This was identified by the announcers, who all wondered what the significance behind these clothes were.

As for the crowds, although they were also puzzled, they were looking forward more to an awesome show.

While the blades on her earlobes shook with anticipation, Kendra, who was one of the participants under Eldinor, looked at these 20 with dislike in her eyes.

As an elf who had been brought up with teachings which highlighted their dominance over other species, she had a natural arrogance which was actually justified by the fact that she was an Exalted Human level mage.

Although she had just broken through recently, she had elected to participate in this event as she wanted to spread the glory of the Kingdom of the Elves to the entire continent.

If everything had gone as predicted, her level alone would have been enough to ensure her victory in each and every part of the event.

Yet, they had already been surprised twice: once when Axelor had somehow managed to pull 15 highly talented peak Amateur Human level mages from somewhere, and the second time when Lanthanor had used teamwork for their victory.

Hence, so far, the elves had actually accomplished nothing that would showcase their dominance in magic.

They all knew that this was their chance, and the entire team was ready to show their worth and clinch the top spot for sure in this competition.

In fact, they had also been asked to try and make it so that the distance between the first and second place would be large.

This basically meant that as many elves as possible had to get into the top 50, as it was no longer an option to tuck their tails behind their legs and walk around with their pride lowered.

However, along with the dislike, Kends shook with shock as she suddenly felt a hint of danger from this team of 20.

She had been born with an innate sense of intuition that had saved her on the field multiple times before, and as she was just about to tell the others about this, the bell rang, making her walk forward to begin the competition.

Hers was the first match, and it just so happened that the opponent was from Lanthanor.

Deciding to uncover the reason behind her feeling, she prepared herself mentally while the glowing box of light appeared around her.

Chapter 329: The Essence of Combat Magic 1

Two minutes later, walking back to the contingent of Eldinor, Kendra had a very unsettled expression on her face even though the crowds were cheering for her behind her back for having won the first duel after a fantastic performance.

In fact, even her teammates asked her what's wrong as she looked more like she had lost.

Shaking her head to indicate that there was no answer to give, she walked to the back of the line and reflected on what had happened during the fight.

The strategy that the elves were using was simple: they would first conjure a barrier around themselves to protect against simple attacks, before casting a complex spell in their specialty to defeat their opponent.

Although the tactic was simple, it worked because the average level of an elf was almost always higher than the competitor.

This had clearly been the case in the fight against the black-robed Lanthanorian, as had been evidenced by the power of the fireballs that had been shot at her when she had begun the casting of her own spell.

The one surprising thing to notice was that the casting speed of her opponent was very fast, as if he or she was quite well-versed in basic spells even while having the power of an Amateur Human Mage.

The surprising fact was that the speed of spellcasting differed from the power level, which meant that a lot of practice had gone into mastering the simple spells.

This didn't make a lot of sense to the elf, who just thought that this mage might have been unlucky to not be in possession of more complex spells to master.

Hence, Kendra hadn't put more thought into it and just completely focused on casting her signature spell, which was an arrow made of metal that had lightning surrounding it.

As a talented mage since her birth, she had mastered both metal and lightning elemental particles to a very high level that allowed her to cast this highly difficult spell that had the dual powers of piercing and destruction.

At the point of impact, the spell was designed so that the arrow would condense all the lighting around it at its tip, lending it superior power that would decimate anybody that it came into contact with.

Everything seemed to be going well, as had opponent seemed to be getting more and more desperate because he had apparently switched over to more complex spells that still weren't very powerful because of the lower power level.

Still, the barrier that she had put up started to consume more and more power, making her stop her spell casting and shoot her attack even though she knew that she could make a better one if she was given more time.

Yet, she didn't want take the chance of giving a split second time where she would be without any protection which could be used by the other party who seemed to be looking for such an opportunity.

The thing that had unsettled her so much had happened the moment before she had released her attack.

The way that all spells worked was that elementary particles were arranged into certain patterns that resulted in certain effects that were used to create what are mage wanted.

This was something taught to all mages as soon as they begun on their path, and it was even known by general people who didn't have mageroots to embark on the path of magic themselves.

What wasn't taught was that each of these patterns had some very important elementary particles which had to be kept in control by the mageroot if the mage didn't want the entire spell to fall apart.

Yet, doing this was something that every mage learnt at the beginning itself, as each pattern was like a building that was constructed from a single point or foundation.

If this foundation was removed, the entire spell might collapse, and this was also something that frustrated most new mages when they began their training.

Again, this was another known fact, but what had just happened completely overturned everything she knew about combat magic.

These base elementary particles were among the thousands and even hundreds of thousands of other particles that were used to cast a spell, but her opponent had somehow managed to find them and make an attack on the link she had with them with her mageroot.

If it weren't for the fact that there was such a disparity in power between them, she knew that it would have been her loss because she would have lost control of those particles, making the entire spell that she had spent minutes to cast fall part.

Had it been a fluke that had resulted from a desperate attack? Or was it something that had been done intentionally?

The elves had a saying that only idiots chose the easy questions to answer, so she decided to try and answer the second question.

If it had been done intentionally, what would have been required to make it happen?

For one thing, the mage would have to have had intense training in the aspect of analyzing the spells of others.

This was always required in cases where mages worked together to cast spells, like the situation where multiple mages were right now keeping the huge rooms floating in the air.

For a mage to join in on a spell, they had to be able to visualize the elementary particles that were acting as a base of the other person's spell. Hence, they had to have trained with identifying this base and also keeping track of it even if they weren't the ones controlling them.

To make it simpler to understand, it was like a cook who had started on a complex dish while being watched by another one who had as much experience as himself.

Such expert cooks had years of practice where they knew just how much seasoning and quantities of each ingredient that each dish needed. It came to them by instinct; instinct born from hours and hours spent practicing their art over and over again.

Now, the second cook would only be able to watch the first while they used their own method of cooking a dish. The exact amount of seasonings added to the dish at different stages and the amounts of ingredients would be different, as each cook would have their own unique style.

Yet, this second cook would have to take over the cooking midway, making it so that they had to have had a lot of practice keeping track of the first one's movements while also having the ability to adjust their own actions to result in the final dish that would taste the same.

This skill of identification had to be inculcated in someone with countless hours of practice if they wanted to do what her opponent had just done.

Mages were like the cooks with years of practice, and that instinct was the link they made with elementary particles that allowed them to control them at their whim to make spells appear.

Also, it would be simple for the second cook to keep track for a simple dish, in the same way that this method would also not work on simple spells such as the barrier spell as it was easy for a mage to keep very firm control of the base elemental particles.

Only, in the case of complex spells, the mage would be occupied with the control of many, many particles, making it so that the grip they had on the base might not be as strong.

So, for someone to be a to do what her opponent had done intentionally, they would have had to have cast numerous spells with teamwork that was on a different level from what she had seen in the usual soldiers of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

She had even fought against the famous mage formations of Lanthanor, so she was well aware of the fact that their teamwork level came nowhere close to what was needed for this.

It would require a radical training method that had never been seen before on the continent, as the result would also be something that would cause tumultuous waves in all those who thought they understood magic.

Hence, she was actually afraid, and she hoped that she was wrong.

However, in the very next fight that a black-robed Lanthanorian had with a 'new' mage of the Axelor Kingdom, the same thing happened again.

Yet, this time, it worked.

A complex spell that was being cast by the other party was disrupted at the last moment, and the match ended with the victory of the black-robed man as he had managed to overpower the barrier before the end of the time period.

That mage from Axelor also had a very unsettled expression on his face, almost mirroring the one that Kendra had had after her match.

Also, other expert mages had begun to notice something, as they were now whispering among themselves while the masses who had no knowledge about magic started to become more and more surprised at what looked to be another unexpected performance from Lanthanor.

Chapter 330: The Essence of Combat Magic 2

Spell after spell started to collapse at the last moment, and mage after mage walked back to their places with expressions that couldn't contain any more disbelief.

As the name 'Lanthanor' started to appear with increasing frequency on the leaderboard, the crowd who had learned by now to expect upsets like these cheered even harder, hoping that their bets against the odds would pay off.

Of course, the odds hadn't been as drastic as the first day, but it would still be a tidy profit which excited everyone, as it had been added to the fact that a comeback was something that was always amazing to watch.

Of course, those who weren't mages were the ones celebrating like this, as all those who had elementary visions switched on were having their minds blown at seeing something that wasn't thought to be possible.

Although most of them couldn't carry out a detailed analysis like Kendra had done, they still understood the insane level of spell understanding that was needed for someone to carry out such a feat.

The truth was that something similar was done by the top employees of construction companies, but they were only able to do it to the simpler spells, and that too only with the permission of the first party.

Something like this, where the bases of complex spells could be attacked to unravel the entire thing, went against the very essence of magic that was being taught on the continent.

In some locations, mages could only stand around with blank faces as they tried to assess their thoughts.

One such very heavy silence was present in the private room of the Kingdom of the Elves, where all the ministers and the Queen had risen up as one on seeing the incredible things that the Black -robed men from Lanthanor were doing.

Except for the mages who were currently keeping the room afloat, the Queen was the youngest among all those present, and she also seemed to be the one who was most shocked.

Unlike the others who weren't very familiar with the King of Lanthanor, she knew about his specialty to get things done in inconceivable ways that would confound anyone who tried to understand him and his mind.

Yet, the common method of battling with magic was something that hadn't changed in centuries. Countless mages pored over these techniques year after year, and although small tweaks were still being made, something major like this hadn't been seen in a very long time.

However, when she noticed that the ministers around her who were all elders that had seen a lot of things were sharing looks as if they knew what was happening, the Queen realized that this wasn't as shocking for them as it was for her.

She waited for a few seconds to see if they would dispel her confusion, but seeing them whisper among themselves, she lost her temper and banged on the table.

Getting their attention in this way, she looked at the elf who finally spoke out.

"My Queen, as you know, we are the kingdom with the most research in magic. Hence, something like this was predicted long ago, by a very famous mage of that time who also happened to be a paragon. He said that this was hypothetically possible if mages were trained in a certain way, but he also stated that this sort of training would have an overall detrimental effect as the way in which it affected mages' minds couldn't be analyzed. Besides, he also tried a lot to come up with the method to train mages to be capable of doing this, but he failed and left his research for others to continue. As we have more free time, we have had the opportunity to read all the interesting research materials left by those who were born in our Kingdom. We were also initially shocked by this, but when the shock goes away, one realizes that there are also drawbacks that cannot be addressed. That mage was also aware of these drawbacks, but he assumed that they could be overcome if the method could be found out first. For instance, how many situations are there where an opponent is allowed to stand and watch while a mage casts their complex spell?"

Listening to the words said by the elf with furrowed eyebrows, Eldra thought for a bit and said, "A lot, right now. Don't most mage battles involve each mage protecting themselves while trying to complete their complex spell?"

"That is true, but my Queen, you forget that both mages would also try to take each other's lives in every way possible during this process. According to that research, for this method of attacking the base elementary particles to work, the person who's doing the attacking must be able to completely focus on the spell that is being formed if they want to have any hope in accomplishing what they set out to do. On the battlefield, no two mages are naive enough to stand in front of each other while giving their opponent the chance to disrupt them. Also, there is a certain degree of failure, which is already apparent because some of the Lanthanorian's have already failed."

This made realization flashed across Eldra's face, as she understood that situations like these in actual duels were indeed very rare.

Even in the fight against the commander of Axelor that Daneel had taken part in when disguised as Kellor, each of them had tried to kill the other before the complex spell materialized, leaving no opportunity for either of them to calmly analyze the situation.

Granted that Daneel had gone up against a Fighter, this case would have been common even if he went up against a talented mage.

Along with Eldra's realization, she got a thought which left her jaw hanging.

And it seemed that this thought was also something that had occurred to the others.

"You're right, my Queen. If someone knows that the opponent is capable of this, it is very easy to counter it. One would simply need to keep the other party occupied without giving them the chance to examine freely. In fact, others wouldn't even need the research materials that we have to figure this out, as it is something that can be understood given that one has the time to think about it. As to the reason behind why this has been revealed to the continent at this stage, none of the us can make any sense of it."

As Eldra heard her query voiced, she didn't realize that a similar discussion was happening in the private booth that was occupied by the two kings of Lanthanor and the Black Raven Kingdom.

"Daneel, what the hell is going on? This changes… Everything! Fine, being the genius, you found some way to make this happen, but how could you expose it to the entire world like this! Why not just keep it yourself to use in a critical situation!? What's the point in making everyone know about it and allowing them to easily come up with precautions?"

For the first time since he had seen his friend mature to become a capable king, Daneel watched as Faxul walked around the room with a frantic pace while running his hands through his hair.

To be completely honest, this was also the way he had reacted on the last day before the Olympics had started when he had been witness to this incredible feat by his trump card: the Domination Corp.

Months ago, he had given the special techniques to the Domination Corps with the intention of letting them grow in power before using them as the weapon which would help him to take over the entire continent.

Yet, the Olympics had come into play where there was a very urgent need for him to win if he wanted his plans to take on a faster track.

Hence, when the rules for the Olympics had been fixed, he had sent them over to the instructors of the Fists of Justice Training Hall who were in charge of developing the Domination Corps.

After that, when he had been asked to cast a complex spell and had had this...thing happen to him, he had been left with a blank mind.

He, who had the system, hadn't found a way to make something like this happen.

Yet, his underlings who were just Amateur Human Level Mages were capable of this?!

With shock, he had taken the decision to keep it hidden for as long as possible.

However, the conversation he had next with the leader of the Fists of Justice Training Hall changes everything.

Chapter 331: Day 4

Even as the crowd roared under him at the amazing performance of the Lanthanor Kingdom, Daneel thought back to that broad back that had been shaking with an emotion that he couldn't understand when he had asked the master of the training hall how he was in possession of this world-changing technique.

In response, he had only received a single statement, but that had been enough for him to take this decision to reveal it to the world.

"Daneel… You're not the only one who wants to save this continent. This technique needs to be known by the world, as Angaria has forgotten about it, and that might prove fatal in the long run. There is no better opportunity to make this happen. I only ask you to trust me when I say that the chances of this continent surviving the attack of the Church will increase if all mages become aware that this is a way in which they can be defeated. You don't need to worry about your soldiers: they have other trump cards which will still give them an edge on any battlefield: I can assure you of that. Just… Trust me."

"Daneel!"

Being awakened from that memory by the urgent voice of his friend, Daneel shook his head and said, "Just trust me. It needed to be revealed, and there are still a lot of things which are hidden about them."

Hearing this answer which didn't really address any of his questions, Faxul only shook his head and sat back down with an irritated expression on his face.

Meanwhile, the mage who accompanied Norcet was another one who had just had his mind blown and was staring at the proceedings on the ground with stammering lips, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't get himself to.

As for Norcet himself, he had no idea about this, but his face was ashen while looking at his son for a different reason.

That speech would have to be postponed again.

As the final scores of the day started to be displayed on the board, he looked at his son and wondered whether he had been the dumb one to not trust his king who had already been the cause of many miracles on this continent.

Duel, First Stage-

Lanthanor: 14

Black Raven Kingdom:5

Arafell:6

Axelor:11

Eldinor: 14

Kendra, who was also looking at the scoreboard, actually had to visibly control her anger and the wish to just attack these damn black-robed men who had disrupted the entire plan of Eldinor.

A tie! A god damn tie between the kingdom which was supposed to be the strongest in the continent in the area of magic and a kingdom which until just recently had been at their whim!

She just couldn't reconcile herself with this fact that their statuses had changed so much, and that too in such a short period of time.

This feeling was actually also common in all those who had looked down on the Kingdom of Lanthanor, thinking that there was no way for it to cause another upset.

By now, they started to realize that they were probably all at the whim of the host of this tournament whose preparation seemed to be so elaborate that everything was under his control.

Day five of the Olympics also went ahead with the same trend, with the only difference being that the odds against Lanthanor had drastically changed, making all those who hadn't bet on it yet regret.

All the mages who had been witness to that inconceivable technique had had time to think about how to counter it, but they were still helpless because the duel was the perfect situation where this technique would have the maximum effect.

They couldn't move from their position, and if they tried to use weaker attacks to defeat the black-robed men, they got a taste of their own medicine as these men also seemed to be capable of casting complex spells using which they defeated their opponents.

Of course, only in fights like those against mages like Kendra where there was too much of a difference between the power levels would they be proven ineffective.

Still, the overall result turned out as expected, and at the end of day 4, everyone looked at the final scores and couldn't control their excitement for the final two days which would decide everything.

Final Scores at the End of Day 4:

Lanthanor: 43+9=52 Points(1 point from Wrestling, 6 points from Duel)

Black Raven Kingdom:23+3=28 Points(1 point from Wrestling, 2 points from Duel)

Arafell:26+20=46 Points(16 points from Wrestling, 2 points from Duel)

Axelor:70+5=75 Points(1 point from Wrestling, 4 points from Duel)

Eldinor: 38+6=44 Points(0 points from Wrestling, 6 points from Duel).

…

In the quarters assigned to the Kingdom of Axelor, King Safiros was currently punching a metal pillar with all his might.

His punches weren't meant to move the pillar. Instead, they only served to put more and more dents which soon began to turn bloody as his skin had started to peel off of his hand.

Impervious to this, the King repeatedly punched and punched until he couldn't even feel his hands anymore.

"My King!"

Hearing this shout from the door, the king finally came out of the trance he had entered before and looked down to see his fingers where almost nothing except bones was left.

Yet, instead of grimacing at the pain that he had now started to become aware of, he looked up and started to laugh hysterically.

This went on for a few minutes, after which the laughter finally subsided and was replaced by a cold tone with which he ordered the Minister who was still waiting at the door.

"Bring the healing solution."

With a nod, the minister ran to his room before coming back a few minutes later holding a bowl in his hands in which there seemed to be some sort of silvery glowing liquid.

After it reached him, the king plunged his hands into the solution and closed his eyes as the pain shooting through his body multiplied by many times.

It was almost as if somebody was repeatedly crushing his fingers again and again and again, but only a hiss escaped his lips which were tightly closed together.

"I don't understand, my King. We are still in the lead, and although they have lessened the gap slightly, we will definitely increase it again in the Fighter Handball tournament. Victory is almost certainly ours."

In response, the king only looked to the Minister with bloodshot eyes for a few moments before saying, "Almost. I HATE that word. We cannot 'almost' certainly win. We MUST win! We CANNOT lose! Otherwise, I think you must be aware that there will be a lot of lives lost. Go to my quarters in the Kingdom. Inside the Treasury, in a hidden compartment four tiles from the left of the room in the corner, there will be a small cage with a golden mosquito inside. Cloak its existence with all the trinkets we have, and get it here. Be discrete."

Hearing the strange instructions, the Minister blinked his eyes before saying, "Golden mosquito, my King?"

"YES! GO!"

With that scream, the minister scurried away from the room, leaving the king who kept his hands in the solution for a little more time before getting up and going back to that pillar which was almost unrecognizable now.

A face of a young man wearing robes with a dragon entwined around them came into his mind, and he aligned this face with the pillar, once again continuing his actions from before while the blood and flesh which had just been regenerated due to the solution once again started to fall off.

…

Meanwhile, in a room just four buildings away from where the King of Axelor was mutilating himself, two woman were sitting side by side while looking out of a window at the boisterous streets where people were unable to contain their enthusiasm and anticipation for the most blood boiling competition of all that would take place tomorrow.

Their long hair was strewn across their backs, and two hairbrushes were floating in the air and repeatedly brushing this hair.

"What did the Matron say, Sister Xuan?"

"She said that it is something known to the Big Four, and that it had even been prevalent across the Central Continent many centuries ago. She told me to watch and observe these people, and she also said she would personally come to watch the finale, as even the leaders of the Big Four are afraid that the Church really might target this place. How is he always able to surprise everyone around him?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask again directly?"

Turning around and glaring at Molan who was chuckling to herself, Sister Xuan sighed and said, "This event really exceeded my expectations. Just like those people, even I really looking forward to the last two competitions. Everything comes down to them, and I hope there will be a great show."

In response, Molan only nodded before taking out a pouch and starting to count the number of Gold Lans she had.

Seeing this, Sister Xuan couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"

The answer made her pause and think for a while, before she also went to her cupboard to get her purse to start doing the same thing.

"Getting ready to bet everything on Lanthanor, of course."

Chapter 332: Fighter Handball Tournament Phase 1 1

Sweat mixed with blood streamed down his forehead, but he had no time to wipe it away.

To the left, an Axelorian with bloodshot eyes.

To the right, another one who was already sliding on the ground, aiming for his legs.

And in front of him, one more who was running towards him with his arms open.

As Luther saw this almost perfect offense, the words of the King of Lanthanor rang in his mind.

"PASS, YOU IDIOTS! THIS IS A TEAM GAME!"

Hence, he, the commander of Lanthanor and the strongest fighter in the entire Kingdom, gave up on fighting head-on.

His instincts told him that he could take all three of them out easily.

In fact, if he hadn't trained with the King, maybe he would have done just that.

Yet, after these three would be three more, and then three more.

The last moment before impact, Luther jumped into the air and looked around, spotting a young soldier who seemed to be empty.

With all his strength, he threw the ball in his hands before letting himself be tackled from three directions.

The barrier trinket came into existence and lessened the damage, but it couldn't protect him completely from the sheer impact.

His head bounced on the ground, and his vision started to go in and out of focus.

He coughed out blood mixed with his guts, but hearing the sound of a loud bell, a smile came on his face.

"ANOTHER POINT TO LANTHANOR, BUT THEIR COMMANDER IS DOWN!"

And as Sylvesto's voice greeted his ears, Luther completely blacked out.

...

In the stands, Norcet punched his fist into his palm with frustration as he saw the commander of the Lanthanor Kingdom taken down in this way.

Yet, seeing that young soldier successfully reach the other end of the field, he threw his hands up in the air and started to cheer once again.

All over the stadium, scenes like this were common as almost everyone was on their feet, cheering on the intense competition that was taking place on the ground below.

The fifth day of the Olympics had started like all the others, with Sylvesto walking up to the stage to greet them all.

The anticipation had already reached new heights, and the crowd only started to roar more and more loudly, even managing to drown out Sylvesto's voice.

Initially, Sylvesto had started on another long and drawn out explanation about the rules of handball.

However, seeing this enthusiasm, he gave up and said, "I get it, I'm shutting up! The rules are simple: just take the ball to the other end of the court to win a point, and you can only pass behind, not forward! Now, let the fighter handball tournament begin!"

As if agreeing with his decision, the cheers reached a new height as they were joined in by the spectators from outside who had apparently just settled into their places.

The airspace was more crowded than ever, with many, many booths popping up outside the stadium, which were apparently occupied by all those who had money but hadn't been able to obtain tickets before.

Just like Sylvesto had said, the rules were very simple, and this was one of the main reasons why this competition enticed everyone more than all the others so far.

The ground measured 200 m x 75 m, and each team consisted of 15 Fighters.

The winning team would get a whopping 50 points, which might change the tables even if they had been lagging behind the other competitions.

As for those who came second and third, they would obtain 30 and 10 points respectively.

Unlike the competitions before, there was a winners and losers bracket according to which the games will be played.

It was a double elimination format, with those competing first picked by random draw after which the winners and losers would tough it out in their brackets. One team would, of course, get a bye initially.

Each match would be one hour long, split into two halves or four quarters, with 30 minutes of respite for each team which could be called for after any quarter or half. Getting the ball to the other end of the court would award one point. By the end, the one with the most points would be the winner.

When the names of the kingdoms had been drawn from the ballot box, the crowd couldn't help but get on their feet and scream with excitement when they saw that the two leading kingdoms in this event would be going up against each other first.

The Black Raven Kingdom had been the one who had been lucky enough to get the bye, but the citizens of the Black Raven Kingdom actually booed on seeing this as they had been looking forward to seeing their soldiers in action. As they were the ones whose coordination skill and teamwork came only second to Lanthanor, the Black Raven citizens had been thinking that this would finally be the competition where they would be able to cheer at their heart's content on seeing their soldiers finally perform well.

The 30 soldiers who had walked onto the ground all looked determined, as if they were ready to wade through hell to get the points to make their Kingdom win.

Little had they known that that was exactly what was going to happen.

All of the soldiers were outfitted with barrier trinkets which would protect against life-threatening injuries, but they weren't very effective against the impact that came from being tackled by three people at once.

From the moment the bell sounded, it had started to become clear that this was Lanthanor's game.

They were using a simple formation which was actually quite common on Earth, with a few team members arranging themselves with varying distances between each other from the spot the ball was to the end of the court.

Seeing this, the team of Axelor had been a little puzzled as in their training, the main objective had been to take down the one carrying the ball before using the fastest person to get the points.

The simple tactic they had come up with was that a few people would be assigned to be responsible for taking on the person who had the ball on the opposite team. After that, the ball would be passed to a different team which would be responsible for taking it to the end of the court.

The first team was comprised of the strongest Axelorians, while the second had the fastest.

In their practice, they had gone up against an equally powerful team of soldiers, and this tactic had proven to be direct and very effective.

This, coupled with the overwhelming power advantage that the soldiers of Axelor had over the fighters of all the other kingdoms, had been the reason why they had been confident enough to take the victory in the handball tournament.

However, that confidence had already been shaken after seeing the teamwork in the archery competition, where Lanthanor had pulled off something almost inconceivable.

Although they had known that teamwork would come into play a lot especially in the handball tournament, they could never have imagined that it would be this important.

The soldiers of Lanthanor moved like cogs in a single machine, with the one responsible for catching the ball passing it in the fraction of a second before the one it was passed to shot off like a bullet in a zigzag pattern which proved to be incredibly effective in avoiding the defenders.

After reaching a certain point, he would pass behind him to his teammate who would be waiting there, and this would repeat again and again until the ball easily reached the other end.

The beauty of this tactic was the fact that nothing was hidden, but it was still very difficult to counter without elaborate practice.

While the commentators raved on and on about the impeccable timing, skill, and creativity of the Lanthanorians, the Axelorians had already started to pull their hair out with frustration.

The score had been 5-1 at the end of half the match, and it was at this point that a message was given to the commander of Axelor from King Safiros which told him to implement their second tactic.

That tactic had a simple name: destroy.

And the first casualty of this tactic turned out to be the commander himself, who had just been carried out of the stadium, unconscious.

Using the power advantage, the Axelorians started to injure each and every team member of Lanthanor, until the points started to go back into their favor.

By the end of the 45-minute mark, the score was 8-8.

Just as everyone was wondering whether Axelor would clinch another victory in a sport where Lanthanor was slated to win, a new player set foot on the ground.

xxxxxxxxxx

Tournament Brackets:

https://imgur.com/a/HXrg0ES

Chapter 333: Fighter Handball Tournament Phase 1 2

In his career as an announcer for major events, Sylvesto had been in a lot of situations where he had had to play nice with people he didn't like because there was a need for him to do so.

Yet, so far, he had never met anyone as mind-numbingly annoying as the person in front of him,

It wasn't even that the man was dumb and obnoxious; on the other hand, he was one of the kindest men he had ever met.

The problem was professional pride. When this man knew something, he was usually right, and he knew it. Hence, his head swelled so much that he couldn't stop talking.

In this very announcer's booth, Sylvesto had already had to shut his mouth and fume twice because he had been proven wrong.

The first time, it had been when he had made the prediction that Lanthanor would win in the wrestling competition just like their miraculous victory in the Mage Archery Tournament.

They had done so well, and Sylvesto had just had a feeling after seeing the King was that this man was someone who could be trusted.

Of course, this man who was also supposed to be a retired commander of the Black Raven Kingdom had disagreed, and he had been right.

After that, his prediction had been regarding the elves- that they would win by a large degree.

Again, those mysterious black-robed men from Lanthanor had proven him wrong.

In fact, he was used to being wrong-it was what he did; he loved to make grand gestures, and laugh it off when he was proven wrong.

However, this man loved to rub to it in his face.

"If you listened to our smart announcer-"

"Sylvesto, how much did you lose-"

"Folks, if I still listened to Sylvesto after his botched predictions, I would-"

Each day so far, he had been ridiculed but he had had to take it all with a straight face.

He had even decided that he wouldn't be doing any more predictions.

Hence, when he saw Axelor losing the first half of the handball game so badly, he had had the urge to say that this was in Lanthanor's bag.

However, at the last moment, he had managed to control himself and avoid another disaster.

And when he saw the Axelorians turn the tide using their brutal methods, he felt that he had done right.

Even while commenting repeatedly both on the tenacity of the Axelorians and the endurance of the Lanthanorians, Sylvesto resisted.

"And with that, the strongest fighter in the Lanthanor Kingdom, Commander Luther, is taken out of the game. Commander Aaron is on the reserve team to replace him, but I don't even think it would be a smart decision to use him now. It would be best to save both of them for the loser's bracket. I must say, everyone, that it looks very bad for Lanthanor. What do you think, Stevens?"

"I must agree, Sylvesto. The Axelorians came swinging, and the Lanthanorians can't take it. Of course, I really pale when I compare myself to the legendary prediction skills of the great Sylvesto. Can I have one now? Would you say that Axelor will definitely win, oh great seer? Or is there a chance for Lanthanor to recover?"

"Stevens-"

This kind of dialogue had already become an amusing fare for the spectators, so chuckles could be heard from those who weren't busy screaming themselves hoarse in support for their favorite kingdom.

Of course, this only irritated Sylvesto more, as he was used to people laughing WITH him, not AT him.

Just as he was finally about to blow a nerve and shout back, he saw someone walk to the spot where the replacement team member would be entering the court.

This man had some sort of magnetism to him, but it was veiled, subtle, as if it had been hidden on purpose.

All the participants on all teams except a few special ones like those black-robed men had been thoroughly researched by the other Kingdoms so that they could know what to expect.

A copy of this report was also with both of them, as they had to know what to expect and what to talk about when commenting on a match.

Scrambling for this list, Sylvesto hastily tried to match the face and name he saw announced.

The background was normal, and the report said that he was just a farmer's son who had entered the army.

However, Sylvesto knew that something was different.

This man had an inherent confidence to him that was mesmerizing to those who could see it. In fact, even he wouldn't have been aware of it if it weren't for a chance meeting he had had with a certain someone long ago.

That man apparently stood on the peak of this continent, but Sylvesto hadn't known it at the time.

Yet, today, he saw that same confidence again.

This was someone who knew that they could do ANYTHING if they wished.

And this someone was entering the court on Lanthanor's side.

"What's the matter, Sylvesto? Cat got your tongue? It's just a normal replacement. Lanthanor is finished! The power difference is too much! Or do you think otherwise?"

Stevens had noticed the special attention that Sylvesto had shown for this man, so he jested in this way, hoping to get him again.

It had already become a personal sport to rub this famous announcer's failures in his face whenever he could, and it brought him great pleasure. At least, it assuaged his jealousy for not being as famous.

"I-I do."

If anyone had noticed that a world-renowned announcer had stuttered for the first time right now since the event had started, they might have realized that something was wrong.

Of course, no one did, so when Stevens started ridiculing Sylvesto again, they laughed along.

"Do you hear this, everyone?! Sylvesto says that this normal soldier from Lanthanor is going to make a difference! This Eminent Human Fighter! What a joke! Maybe we need more experienced announcers! The whistle has sounded, so the teams are making their way back to the center. There goes the bell, and an excellent dive by both teams! Lanthanor gets it, and No. 12 passes it to No. 15, the newcomer, whom our announcer trusts so much! Good zig-zag technique by No. 15 as he makes it past defender after defender, but he's face to face against the same gauntlet that took out the Lanthanorian commander before! He's out for sure! He-he-he-PAUSES AND PUNCHES?! Three quick jabs, and-and-ALL THREE COLLAPSE! BUT THERE'S THREE MORE NOW! But…he jabs again…and now he's…waltzing to the other end?! THIS IS A SPORT OF BLOOD, GODDAMMIT! Ok, now he's running again, as the Exalted Human commander of Axelor is after him, BUT HE'S ALREADY AT THE FINISH LINE! 1 POINT TO LANTHANOR! 9-8! Those 6 are being checked by the medical professionals, AND THEY ARE OUT DUE TO LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES! WHO IS THIS MAN?! LANTHANOR HAS REVEALED A TRUMP CARD!"

Banging the table and getting up while keeping his eyes glued on the ground, Stevens couldn't help but put a hand on his chest to calm down his beating heart.

With growing shock, he couldn't help but look to the side, but he felt a little better on seeing Sylvesto as shocked as him.

Along with them, even the entire stadium had gone eerily silent with shock on seeing such a weird performance.

This man had treated the court as his playground, and no one had been able to do anything about it.

To the side of the ground, the Axelorian coach, who was apparently a minister of the Kingdom, could be seen literally pulling on his hair with his hands while staring disbelievingly at the ground.

Some people thought it was a fluke, but it happened again and again. No. 15 would run to the other end, sometimes casually, sometimes hurriedly, and almost all those who came in his path would be disabled. The pain on their faces was enough evidence that whatever that man did to them, it was excruciating.

The only situation where he would hurry would be if the commander tried to get him. Realizing this, the enemy commander took to shadowing him, but even this didn't work as it allowed the rest of the team to obtain the victory.

In this way, as the crowd watched on with bewildered expressions, Lanthanor gained point after point.

As the bell sounded to signal the end of the match, the scoreboard that read 20-8 was like a slap in the face for Stevens.

Killing his pride for once, he asked Sylvesto the question that the crowd and even the rulers of the other Kingdoms were asking themselves in their minds.

"Who is he?!"

"I don't know."

These words in response made him storm out, helpless, as it seemed to be destined that many would be spending a sleepless night while ruminating over what the answer might be.

Chapter 334: Fighter Handball Tournament Phase 1 3

After the match, in the room that was assigned to the team of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

One man was sitting inside, with his eyes closed, visualizing the match repeatedly where the marvelous performance of that 'normal' soldier had awed everyone.

This same man had been the one who had taught him the very basic of fighting long back, but then, he had been nowhere near as powerful.

His natural confidence that had been noticed by Sylvesto hadn't been lost on this man, and he had also been mesmerized by it, wondering just what one must have had to go through to have this much change.

As the door opened, this man started clapping before looking up with a smile and saying, "Brilliant. Just what the hell did you do during your trip?"

"HAHA! I know, right! It felt SO good beating up those Axelorian punks. Makes it worth it to reveal one of my trump cards."

Indeed, this was the King of Lanthanor, who had sent Elanev disguised as a normal soldier in an attempt to turn the tide.

Daneel knew that his presence would be mandatory on the ground later, and he didn't want to expose his strength any sooner than needed.

However, losing this first match wasn't an option, because he knew that it would be a grueling process to come to the finals through the loser's bracket.

Besides, Axelorians were people who thrived on pride. The boost that they would get on winning the first match itself was something that would have a significant impact on their performance. Hence, Daneel wanted to avoid that.

Thinking in another way, a loss of pride might also hamper the way they carried themselves, so overall, it was best to win this first match.

Daneel had put each and every soldier of his team through rigorous training based on whatever he could remember from his life on Earth.

He hadn't been a huge fan of rugby and American football, but he had investigated them anyway due to some project and he had actually ended up liking them quite a lot.

Hence, Daneel had at least a rudimentary understanding of what made a good team.

He had based the training program around it, and when its worth was proven in the first half of the match when Axelor couldn't even touch the coattails of his soldier, Daneel had felt very happy.

However, the power difference really was something that he could do nothing about.

His soldiers began to get taken down like twigs in a rainstorm, and he started to wonder whether he should have placed any rule to disallow such wanton use of power.

However, his aim for this game had been to make it as blood boiling as possible.

If such rules existed which tied down Fighters, it would actually take away from the simplicity of the game.

After Luther had been downed, Daneel understood that it was time to turn the tides.

That was when Elanev had sent in, and he had told the man to do whatever he wanted to ensure victory.

Never could he have expected that his big brother would use such a flashy method to take Lanthanor past the finish line.

Yet, now that he thought about it, the objective of taking down Axelor's pride had been achieved.

Elanev had just now ignored his other question about the origin of his surge of power, but Daneel didn't ask again as he knew more than anyone else that everyone had their own problems.

"Well, I think I should warn you now. You will be the primary target in the next match, and they will develop tactics to take you down. Also, it was quite clear that you were scared of the Exalted Human on their team. They will try to use that, too."

At this, Elanev actually scoffed, saying, "Who said I was scared? I would just rather not deal with him right now."

"And what if he is accompanied by peak Amateur Humans? Can you still win?"

"Ah-maybe? I won't lose though."

"Without exposing your entire strength?"

"You have a point there."

Daneel had noticed that along with the power, the pride of his big brother had also gone up.

Hence, he had spoken in this way to push it down a notch.

However, he couldn't have expected what it would result in.

"Why don't you join me on the ground? You disguised me, and it worked, so why can't you disguise yourself? You're at least an Eminent Human Fighter right? Or have you been slacking off so much that you're still an Amateur? I remember how sharp you were in the training hall. I'll teach you. It's basically just a modified version of the Hidden Kill fist. We have time till we face Axelor again, and we both know that we will, because they will be unstoppable in the loser's bracket. By the time we do, you'll at least have the basics down. What do you say? Some old-school training again?"

This stunned Daneel, as he had assumed that it was some kind of secret technique which Elanev would guard with his life.

He had asked the system to analyze it, but he hadn't gotten any results yet as it was still in the process of collecting data.

But now, he had an offer to learn it himself instead of relying on the system and 'stealing' the technique.

"Of course. They are going to bash their heads on the wall wondering how you multiplied. Let's go."

"Not so fast, you litt-. Er, I mean, Daneel. I can't go around calling the King of Lanthanor a little wimp, can I? I said that, because I feel like I'm back in the training hall. Some fresh grass, beautiful maidens and wimps to torture. You better ready yourself, because it WILL be torture. Handle anything you need to, and meet me in my room, we can begin there."

Leaving these words and smiling cockily at Daneel as if he was looking forward to the 'torture', Elanev exited the room.

Daneel had also begun to smile, because he actually missed the feeling of learning new things and growing stronger. Of course, he still trained using the blood daily, and he was quickly progressing to the next level. However, there was nothing like a good man on man fist fight to pick up the heartbeat.

For now, everything had already been taken care of, so he stood up and teleported away to Elanev's room.

As the King began this training during a time where others might have thought that he would be fretting over every detail, the matches continued, while the love in the hearts of the people for this new and amazing sport grew by the second, imprinting itself into their deepest psyche while making them wish and scream for more, more and more.

...

In the booth assigned to the Axelor Kingdom.

The King of Axelor, whose hands were bandaged but still soaked in blood, was standing in front of the glass window and looking at all the people who were shouting and jumping to show their support for the Kingdom that had just won.

"LAN-THA-NOR!"

"LAN-THA-NOR!"

"LAN-THA-NOR!"

Each such shout seemed to pierce his ears like an arrow before impacting with his brain and making a twinge of pain pass through his body, making him grimace and look upwards at the booth of the Lanthanor Kingdom where its King was definitely gloating over his victory.

The minister who stood in the corner of his room had his head down, and if someone compared him to how he had been a few days ago, they would have been shocked.

Almost half his hair was gone, and he seemed to be going bald suddenly even though he had loved maintaining it for 50 years without any hitch.

He cursed the Lanthanor Kingdom and that unassuming soldier who had turned the tables in his mind, and he feared what punishment the King would give him after this was all over.

However, as he heard the command that came out of the King's lips, his body shuddered with fear.

"It's time to pull out all stops. Transport Azael here safely. Begin a training program for the other soldiers to stay out of his way when he begins to rampage on the ground. And make preparations for me to enter the starting line up in the finals. Let's see how they handle three Exalted Humans."

The minister only nodded and teleported away, but in his mind, the memory of that monster remained.

Yet, along with that fear came the happiness due to the fact that Lanthanorians would soon die on the ground, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.

Chapter 335: Fighter Handball Tournament Phase 1 4 End

After the exciting match between Lanthanor and Axelor, the energy in the crowd did not die down at all as the tournament continued to the competition between Arafell and Eldinor.

Because it was known as the Kingdom with the least powerful Fighter force in the entire Kingdom, no one was expecting much of a performance from Eldinor.

However, many were looking forward to seeing the giants in action, who had earned a soft spot in the hearts of the citizens due to everything that had happened in the Olympics so far.

Also, this was one of the few matches in which the odds highly favored one party. Everyone had already bet on Arafell, and there were very, very few people who had taken the bold step of going on the track of thinking that the elves could stand up the mighty giants.

For once, there was no upset.

Since the moment the two teams stood side by side, it became clear who had the advantage.

Arafell had deployed 5 giants and 10 humans in its team, while all Eldinor had were a few elves and humans who looked puny in comparison.

After the bell sounded to signal the beginning of the match, it didn't surprise anyone when they saw that Eldinor struggled to even hold the ball for an extended period of time.

The reason for this was that Arafell was using a strategy similar to that of Axelor.

There was an attacking team and a defending team, but the defending team was entirely comprised of humans.

Their job was to stick to whoever had the ball, not allowing them to pass effectively and doing everything they could to take control of it.

This wasn't that hard in this case, as their general power level when compared to the Fighters in Eldinor's team was high enough to make it so that the ball almost always ended up with them even if the elves managed to take it briefly.

After this, they would pass to one of the giants.

Giants were slow moving, but this didn't matter in this strategy.

Each giant was positioned a certain distance from each other on the ground, and after one of them received the ball, they would pass it between themselves in the air.

Their explosive strength was renowned in the continent and had even been displayed in this event too, when the giants had shot arrows that were faster than the others' but lacked in accuracy.

Throwing something was much simpler than shooting a target in the air using a bow and arrow. Also, it looked as if these giants had had a lot of practice to make these movements natural to them.

BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.

"ARAFELL SCORES AGAIN! WHAT A STRATEGY!"

This repeated over and over again. One of the giants just needed to get the ball, and they would throw it explosively in a blur to the one in the next position that led to the other end of the court.

By the 15 minute point, the elves managed to figure out a counterattack. The score stood at 10-1, but they believed that they could bring it back.

Each giant was surrounded by 2 Eldinorians, whose duty it was to intercept the ball.

Due to this, they started to see a little success,

Also, the giants weren't perfect, so there were also a few instances when they didn't throw properly.

Still, when the strategy worked, it was so beautiful and impeccable that even the other top teams started to feel a hint of fear, imagining how it would be if the giants weren't so simple-minded.

In the end, the efforts weren't enough, and Eldinor was sent to the loser's bracket with a final score of 30-18.

After this was a short break, during which those who hadn't done so yet rushed to the Olympic bets stall to bet on their favorite teams.

Meanwhile, in the private booth that belonged to the Black Raven Kingdom.

Standing in front of the Black Raven King was a man with a Raven on his shoulders which looked just as grizzled as he was.

He was the Fighter commander of the Black Raven Kingdom, and also the captain of the team that would soon be competing on the ground.

The King was looking at the display trinket in the room, and his brows were furrowed as if he was trying to decide on something important.

After a few seconds, he sighed and said, "I see no other option. If we do not want to be last in this event, then this is our only chance. Shelve our strategy."

Hearing this, the commander's fists tightened and he shook with what was obviously anger.

Even the Raven seemed to be sharing this emotion, as it fixed its eye on the King and looked as if it would take flight at any moment to pierce his face.

Seeing this, Faxul only sighed again.

Since he had gotten the information about this event, he had been quite clear that it would be impossible for the Black Raven Kingdom to perform very well.

Their army was severely weakened, and even if this wasn't taken into consideration, it was a fact that there were other Kingdoms which were simply better at some things than them,

Their fighting power revolved around the Ravens, but they couldn't really use them without counting them as team members because it would be unfair to have the help of an Eminent Human level creature.

This put a major wrench in the overall strength of the Black Raven soldiers, but it couldn't be avoided.

Still, Faxul had come up with a brilliant plan to awe the crowds and make the citizens proud to call themselves the citizens of the Black Raven Kingdom.

But now, seeing the pairings, he had no choice but to tell his commander to not use that plan, as it HAD to be saved for later if he wanted to take the others by surprise.

The way he saw it, if he used it and somehow won against Lanthanor(which was very unlikely, knowing Daneel), they and even the Axellorians would be able to find a way to counter his plan, making them place 4th.

However, if he conserved it and used it at a crucial moment, he might be able to ensure that the Black Raven Kingdom would place third.

This was how double elimination tournaments worked, and Faxul had reached this decision after a lot of deliberation.

Sometimes, it was better to fight through the loser's bracket by deliberately losing, if one wanted to ensure a higher final placing.

However, this meant that the citizens who were waiting in the stadium to cheer on their team would be disappointed yet again.

Clearly, the commander did not wish for this to happen.

Thinking for a bit, Faxul started to speak.

"When I was in Lanthanor, there was a time when I was arm's length away from the person who was partly responsible for my parents' death. I knew that I wouldn't accomplish anything significant even if I did so, but I just wanted to plunge my hands through his flesh and bathe my arms in his blood."

The blood-curdling tone in which the King said these words made the commander look up with surprise, as he could sense the sheer amount of hate that the King feeling when he spoke.

Standing up and looking at the commander in the eyes, Faxul continued.

"I controlled myself. I knew that I would just ruin everything if I gave in then. And today, I am in my rightful place. That man was put to the death for some reason by the previous King. If I had let myself go then, I might have been dead by now. However much it hurt, I did it. Now, you must do the same. Commander, go and lose. But don't remember that we will win soon. The boos from the crowd will transform, and when they do, you will know that it was worth it. Go."

His speech didn't make the commander completely OK with the decision, but it did its job: it showed that the King understood, but the order was necessary.

An hour later, the first stage of the tournament ended with the Black Raven Kingdom sent to the losers' bracket too after losing to Lanthanor with the final score being 28-10.

With the Fighter part of the day over, it was now time for the Mage Handball tournament.

And just like before, the cheering and screaming from the crowd increased to a new level, piercing the heavens themselves with the eagerness to see how magic was going to change this already thrilling game.

Chapter 336: Mage Handball Tournament Round 1 1

As the time came for the Mage Handball Tournament to begin, the large display board in the center wiped itself to show 5 blank spaces.

Below it, the information about 5 rounds was written, while there was also a table labeled with 'Wins' and 'Losses' beside the blank spaces.

"I'm back, everyone! It's time for the event you've alllllll been waiting for-the Mage Handball Tournament! First, let me explain the rules! No, no, don't worry, I've already learned from my previous mistakes; my mama always told me I was a quick learner. I can summarize them in one sentence: they are the exact same! Just get the ball to the other end, and you can use magic! Only teleportation is banned, and there are space lock trinkets on the ground! Let's see how the creative mages of this continent use this opportunity to awe us all! The tournament is, however, different. Instead of the double elimination before, this will be a round robin tournament and all of you can see the pairings in the display board. The final winner will be the one with the most wins! Again, the winner stands to win 50 points, and the runner-ups have 30 and 10 points up for grabs. Of course, you can't see the names right now because they have to be drawn! There are 5 names to be drawn, so the commanders of the Mage Handball teams of the 5 kingdoms can now walk up to the stage to pick the names out of the ballots. Please walk up here!"

During the speech, the teams had already made their way onto the ground.

The mind-blowing performance of the black-robed men and women from Lanthanor in the duel had really been riveting, and people had begun to talk that it was Lanthanor's secret force that would blow all the competition out of the water.

Hence, when the crowds saw that there were only regular Lanthanorian soldiers on the ground right now, they were slightly disappointed but they still showed their support.

Of course, this was noticeable by Cassandra who had just walked up to pick the first name.

When it turned out that the name she picked belonged to her own Kingdom, the cheering intensified as the name "Lanthanor" appeared in blazing red letters on the central display board.

After walking back to the line of soldiers, she spoke to the one in the lead.

"The crowd think that those black-robed soldiers are the true force of Lanthanor. Are all of you pigs that were hand-picked and trained by me? Let's show them our worth. If we lose our first match, no matter against whom it is, all of us are going for hell training in the woods."

This sent a shudder through the body of the soldier first in the line.

Even though he was a seasoned veteran who had spent more than a decade in the army, the words "hell training" invoked so much fear in him that he felt that he would rather face anyone on the battlefield.

Resolving to do everything in his power to make sure that it wouldn't become reality, he passed it to the soldier behind who similarly shook with unctonrolled emotions.

In this way, a wave of shaking passed through the line of the Lanthanorians, making those watching wonder just what kind of news they must have heard.

Meanwhile, the commanders from the other Kingdoms had already picked out the names of the other Kingdoms, so the pairings were now set.

When the crowd saw that the Black Raven Kingdom had once again received a bye, they didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

However, from the fact that no performance from the Black Raven Kingdom had really shown their worth as one of the strongest Kingdoms in the continent, almost everyone felt that it didn't matter.

As for the citizens of the Black Raven Kingdom, their morale was at an all-time low, and they weren't even cheering properly. Instead, most of them were sitting and watching, as if their very presence was only due to the fact that they were still hoping against hope that some miracle might happen.

Round 1 had two matches, with the first one being between Lanthanor and Arafell.

This would be followed up by the match between Eldinor and Axelor.

As the other teams left the ground, the two teams of Lanthanorans and Arafellians looked at each other with burning eyes before retreating to the waiting area.

There was a pause of an hour, and this was mainly to benefit the betting stands, as the people could place their bets now that the pairings were decided.

While Daneel watched odds change with each bet, a smile came on his face while he sat back leisurely in his own booth.

Indeed, for once, he was in the booth assigned to Lanthanor.

Beside him stood Eloise, and she was watching the proceedings with excited eyes.

"King-"

"Eloise, I can't believe you still haven't gotten used to it."

"You're spending time with me after so long! I can't be blamed. Should I go back into a coma to get you to talk to me more?"

Hearing this bold statement from someone who was always meek, Daneel turned around with surprise to see Eloise who had actually turned a deep shade of pink.

It was only now that he realized that she had put on a green gown carefully embroidered with flowers. With her hair let down, she looked gorgeous, but Daneel noticed something different about her.

Her dress seemed to be tighter at 2 specific places, making them stand out brilliantly.

This sight would have sent any man's heart and…another organ racing, as Eloise was truly a beautiful woman who was also quite well endowed.

However, Daneel still only saw her as a sister, but the act of noticing this didn't stop him from feeling the intended effect.

Hurriedly looking away, he sighed with relief when he saw a message come from Cassandra requesting his presence.

Hastily saying "Cassandra is calling," he teleported away, leaving behind Eloise who looked shocked for a moment before blushing even deeper and letting out a small laugh.

The King had been…flustered!

Thanking her mother inside her heart for her tips which were obviously very effective, she called for a mage to teleport her too, as this dress really was uncomfortable.

…..

Teleporting to the waiting room, Daneel first took a deep breath to calm himself before looking up to see Cassandra whose gaze was fixed on a spot below him.

Looking down, he immediately turned around before stoically striking a pose with his hands behind his back and saying, "You called?"

Cassandra had indeed thought that she had noticed something, but she was in no mood to think of such things what with the match so close.

Shelving it, she said, "Sir, I need permission to go all out and use Strategy A in case we are on the verge of losing. The soldiers need a boost in morale. Some think you may not trust them to win. I think this would be the perfect opportunity to show them that you do."

Daneel, who had been hoping that his commander hadn't seen…that, put on a pondering expression on his face as he heard these words.

Indeed, when he had introduced them to the Domination Corps, the elite units of soldiers had definitely had thoughts along these lines.

However, they were just going up against Arafell, and Daneel didn't expect them to pull out anything new that could have an impact on the match.

Still, this decision wasn't an easy one to make.

Turning around, he was just about to tell Cassandra that it was not possible, but he stopped when he saw the expression of yearning on her face.

Here was a renowned commander who had had to give up her score so that Lanthanor could win in the end in the Mage Archery phase. She had trusted him and followed his orders without asking anything so far, and this was actually the first time that she was requesting something, and that too for her soldiers.

Thinking for a while more, he only nodded and teleported away, as it was time for the match to begin.

With this in hand, Cassandra changed the entire strategy, and when the match started, everyone stared in awe at the unique formation of the Lanthanorians.

Everyone had thought that the victors would be Lanthanor, but they could never have expected that victory could come in this way.

The Arafelliian team only had humans, but even giants couldn't possibly have made a difference.

As soon as the ball was taken into the possession of Lanthanor, 15 people would make a tank that was impregnable.

Fire magic, lightning magic, ice magic-no matter what spell was used, a breach couldn't be made before the tank was already on the other side.

The only times this failed was when the ball wasn't in Lanthanor's control.

As the points racked up one by one, Daneel, who was sitting in the Black Raven Kingdom's booth again, sighed and said to himself, "What the hell happened to only using Strategy A on 'the verge of losing'?"

Chapter 337: Mage Handball Tournament Round 1 2

During the match between Lanthanor and Arafell.

"More women! If you want to win the Mage tournament, just keep 'em coming! And thanks to you, I've realized something…the unwilling ones are so fun! Haha! More!"

"Y-Yes, I'll make the arrangements…right away."

Walking out of the room in Olympia where so much innocent blood had already been spilled that it would chill any normal person, the Minister just stood in place, looking down at the ground.

He was a damn decorated soldier! But now, he had been degraded into a kidnapper who abducted helpless women for the amusement of this man.

Initially, it had been prostitutes, but they had closed their doors to him after finding out from those who came back that this man was very, very rough. Almost insanely so.

After that, he had had no choice but to resort to kidnapping those from the villages nearby. He hated it, but he had no choice as it was either their life or his.

Still, it was as if each such act attached a burden to his heart which was now making him look down with all that weight.

His fists were closed tight, and he shook with anger.

"Sucks, doesn't it? Being at the whim of someone more powerful than you."

With a start, the minister looked to both sides before finding someone looking at him from one end of the corridor.

The minister was someone who trained in both the Mage and Fighter paths, and he had always relied on his instincts to save his life on the battlefield.

Usually, as an Exalted Human Mage and an Amateur Human Fighter, he would be able to detect anyone who tried to enter a 100 meter radius around him.

However, this man was barely 10 meters from him, but he hadn't sensed a thing.

Clearly, he wasn't ordinary.

Having no mood to deal with another member of the Big 4, the minister was just about to shake his head and turn around and leave before the man spoke again.

"I felt the same way. That's why I became more powerful than anyone my age."

The tone in which these words were said made it feel like they were being said to the man himself, making the minister turn around and reply.

"Oh? How did that work out? Are you free now?"

Leaving behind the man who could only open his mouth and stay silent because he had no answer, the minister teleported away to do his 'duty'.

...

40-10

While the crowd went wild seeing the impenetrable defense of the Lanthanorian tanks, this was the score that was displayed at the 50-minute mark in the large central display.

If Lanthanor got the ball, they would make sure to score a goal, as no magic that could be cast in a short amount of time was enough to break through the metal box, even if 15 people tried to attack together.

However, there were a few instances where Arafell was able to retain control of the ball to make a goal.

They also had a strategy, but it couldn't even be called one when compared to what their enemy was deploying.

Whoever got the ball would first try to pass it to a wind mage, who would throw it in the air upward using a mini-tornado that he quickly conjured.

After that, someone specializing in using elementary particles to propel things forward would hit the ball so that it would pick up momentum towards the goal.

The rule was that the ball had to be in the hand of a team member in order for the team to score a goal.

Hence, at the goal point, 2 mages would be stationed to siphon the ball from the air using gravity magic.

Meanwhile, there were more who specializing in gravity magic whose job it was to keep the enemy team members at bay.

Finally, a few people who could quickly make barriers were assigned as bulldozers who would try to re assert control over the ball in case Lanthanor succeeded in disrupting its aerial path.

This was how they got 6 points, but the last 4 were obtained in the last 10 minutes of the game because of a counter strategy that they had managed to create in the 50 minutes that they had had.

Even though Lanthanor's strategy seemed perfect, there was, indeed, one brute force method to destroy it.

It was simple: sacrifice a point to gain another.

While Lanthanor was busy racing to the other end with a perfectly formed tank, the Arafellians put up a token defense.

Meanwhile, their most talented mages would start to conjure complex spells like condensed fire bolts or larger tornados.

In the face of these attacks, the tank had no choice but to disperse, unless they wanted to be bogged down and attacked from all sides after being breached.

After the crowd saw this happen 4 times, they started to wonder whether Lanthanor was like a one-trick pony which was now done.

Inside the tank, Cassandra, who was standing in the center and making sure that everything was all right, had a smile on her face.

It felt SO good to use everything at their disposal for once to gain a victory that could otherwise have been very tough to obtain.

"Commander, orders? The crowd is already turning."

The one who spoke was her right hand man, and his tone had a slight trace of panic.

Each and every soldier inside had felt pride swell in their hearts on seeing the admiration in the crowd that had been born due to their perfect performance.

However, that was all disappearing now.

"I can't believe these people can be this dumb that they don't realize the obvious flaw in Arafell's 'counterplan'. Just move to Plan B."

"B-but you were the one who was so impassionate about gaining their support and said that they were intelligent enough to see talent…"

"That doesn't mean they have to have a brain! Just follow your orders, soldiers!"

As Cassandra snapped at the vice-commander and made the soldiers remember that she was called 'fire-brand commander' for a reason, everyone nodded and just continued to run forward.

This happened to be one of the points which Arafell was sacrificing, so the score changed to 41-10, but they were confident that they could get the next point.

As they were nearing the end of the match, it seemed that even the Arafellian commander had realized that it would be better to get the crowd on their side more instead of trying to get something that was impossible.

Hence, he had ordered the mages to pull out their trump cards.

A snake made of thunderbolts, an eagle made of fire, a tornado in the shape of a spear, a large icicle that looked like a screw and a large boulder which had a metallic surface.

The crowd 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed as they saw this incredible spectacle of magic that was seldom seen by normal people who didn't venture out to war.

These were the kinds of things that they had been hoping to see in the first place. So, finally having the chance to bear witness to magic like it was talked about in the stories, a feeling of contentment started to grow inside many which turned into even louder encouragement for Arafell.

With grins that had come on their face due to the thought that they had at least achieved something, the 5 mages aimed exactly at the spot the Lanthanorean tank would be in in the next second.

With an unseen signal, all 5 devastating spells were released, and their proximity made it so that the overall power even seemed to increase due to the chaotic interactions between elementary particles.

Just as everyone was thinking that the Lanthanoream team was done for, something peculiar happened which resulted in the dropping of hundreds of thousands of jaws.

The tank suddenly blinked out of existence, and the soldiers inside, who seemed to have already prepared themselves, were propelled forward 3 feet in the air.

The 15 soldiers were arranged in a circle, so different soldiers shot off in different directions.

However, the ones in the direction of the goal were the fastest.

BOOOOOM

With an explosive sound that seemed to shake the entire stadium itself, a massive crater at least 10 feet deep was formed in the ground, as if a meteor had impacted the earth with its furious might.

While the stunned mages watched on, the soldiers who were shot forward in the goal's direction accelerated and passed through the finish line, with one even waving at them lazily while flying in the air.

"42-10…wow."

Speechless, even Sylvesto only looked on, unable to find anything to say that wouldn't make him the hated enemy of Arafell for eternity.

Chapter 338: Mage Handball Tournament Round 1 End

After a brief silence during which no one could believe that that devastating maelstrom of destruction had been prevented from hitting its intended target in this way, the crowd burst into loud cheers at the spectacle.

Viewing their excitement, Daneel shook his head while smiling.

His training session the day before with his elder brother had been…very fruitful, and he couldn't wait to enter the ground. He had considered whether to continue training even now, but it wouldn't be smart to leave things completely unsupervised.

Seeing Cassandra's smug smile while she walked to the sidelines of the ground to allow mages to repair the damage, Daneel realized that he had been played by his commander.

She had definitely wanted to do something like this since the beginning, and her impassionate speech before to get the order from him had just been a means of making him give her the permission to do whatever she wanted in the match.

Still, Daneel found nothing wrong with it, because the end result was that the crowd was in his pocket now.

Although there had been a lot of support before, it hadn't been at this level.

Back on Earth, he had read about the home field advantage, where a team which was competing on their home ground would be able to perform better because they would be bolstered by the unwavering support of those from their home.

Both in war and in competitions like these, morale really was a very important thing that could cause a big difference in the outcome of any match.

There were only 5 minutes of the match left after the ground was repaired, but the Arafellians actually managed to hold control of the ball to score thrice.

Of course, this was because Lanthanor had been playing idly, not even resorting to the tank to try and score more points.

In the end, the score was 41-13, and while the team from Lanthanor walked back to the entrance of the ground with many, many shouts admiring their performance, most of the Arafellians had their heads angled down.

Clearly, they were unable to come to terms with the fact that they had been taken for a ride by Lanthanor.

Daneel noticed this, and wondered whether it had been wrong to beat down an ally in this way.

However, he discarded this thought, as this was, after all, a competition where the winning team would carry away the highest honor that was more valuable than anything anyone had earned from a non-lethal event in centuries.

The next match was between Axelor and Eldinor, and Daneel was actually very excited to watch it.

With the addition of the mages from the Big 4, Axelor now had a robust team of spell casters whose average power level didn't fall behind that of Eldinor by that much.

Eldinor was unique among all the Kingdoms in the fact that it was the one with the Exalted Human Mages, but most of these individuals were just elves who kept to themselves and had no interest in competitions or events.

They had their passion, with some even having out of the norm ones like studying plant life or animals. Whatever it was, they would dedicate their life to it, with their growth in power just being a means to reach an end.

Hence, although Eldinor had the strongest Mage army in the continent, there was no saying how strong it could be if people like these could also be deployed. However, no ruler ever had managed to do so, as these elves were so individualists and proud that they would rather die than be commanded to do something they didn't want to.

When the two teams made their way to the ground, the constant screams of "LAN-THA-NOR" finally ended. Although the cheering stayed, there were no crowd favorites, so it was more in anticipation of a good show.

Daneel had had some idea about how this match would go ,and he smiled with satisfaction when he saw it unfold in that exact way.

There was one major problem with having powerful individuals: the difficulty in making them act as a team.

There was almost no strategy except trying to obtain the ball from whoever held it by shooting powerful spells at them. They would either give it up, or injured fatally.

Although all the team members were wearing protective barriers, again, they wouldn't be able to save them from internal injuries.

Although some team members did pass, they only did so as a last resort, and anyone from Earth would know that this is not how team games were played.

Some analysts, on the other hand, were slightly puzzled.

This had been expected from Eldinor, as it was known to everyone that there was no teamwork between the powerful mages of the elite mage army of the Elves.

However, Axelor's mage army was supposed to focus more on teamwork, because of their lower overall power level.

There had already been a huge red flag when powerful mages had appeared out of nowhere to strengthen Axelor, but some had still held the belief that it could be some hidden trump card.

Yet, seeing their performance now, those who did so realized that this possibly couldn't be the case.

Each mage from Axelor was powerful in their own right, but except a few, the rest tried to win each point single-handedly.

Some onlookers even got the feeling that they were looking down on the other team, as this was evident from the looks they gave to those who managed to use spells to rid them of the ball.

These glances were hidden, but in a situation where hundreds of thousands of people were observing everything with zoomed-in vision, it didn't pass completely unnoticed.

Although some didn't understand the significance of this, those who had suspicions about the origin of these mages shook their heads.

They knew that Axelor was in cahoots with one of the Big 4, but they hadn't expected that it would be so despicable as to take its help in order to win a competition which was supposed to be fought by those who belonged to the Kingdom.

They felt tempted to leak the secret and create a scandal, but the knowledge of the terrifying retribution that might befall them killed these thoughts in their infancy.

With the reinforcements, the overall power level of the Axelorian team was almost equal to that of the Elves.

However, it turned out that the elves had the advantage by 1 or 2 points, mainly because of the fact that they seemed to have had more practice with at least trying to pass effectively.

At the 50 minute mark, the score was 22-20, with Eldinor leading.

In the booth that belonged to the Kingdom of Axelor, the King was watching with a neutral expression.

"Sir-"

As the minister behind him started to speak, the King raised an arm suddenly and made him stop before making a necklace appear around his neck by touching a specific spot on his body.

After the minister closed his mouth, the King gestured him to come closer before squeezing the small yellow round pendant of the necklace and making it disappear again.

"Champion-level anti-eavesdropping trinket. The only one they lent to me. They want so much for me, but they give me useless trash mages whose only interest is to **** women. Speak."

After a pause, the minister spoke in a grave voice, "Sir, the…arrangement you asked for is complete."

This made a smile come to the King's face.

Yet, the smile turned into an eerie expression when he remembered what that 'arrangement' entailed.

It was as if there were rivers of blood reflected in his eyes, but this only made him laugh without abandon.

After a few seconds during which the minister tried not to get an expression that might cause his head to separate from his body, the King continued to watch the match.

Both of them stood there in silence and spoke nothing when they saw Eldinor take point after point while the Mages on their team seemed to be getting more and more frustrated.

"Too entitled. It's foolish to think that anyone who has been presented with the best opportunities since birth will work hard to follow some orders. I have no option but to take matters into my own hands. Deploy it in the next one where we risk losing."

After he said the last word, the bell rung, with the final score being 25-21.

As the first round came to an end with Eldinor's victory, Daneel smiled, as if everything was going according to his plan.

Yet, he felt a slight tingle in his spine, but it went away before he could even recognize it for what it was.

Chapter 339: Mage Handball Tournament Round 2

The next round of the Mage Handball Tournament would have the much-awaited match between Lanthanor and Axelor, and the betting odds suggested that Lanthanor was slated for victory.

In the waiting room of the Axelor Kingdom, two men were pacing on two opposite corners of the room while the rest of the team stood idly, waiting for the bell to ring.

After a minute, one of the men, who had a topknot in his hair and a rugged and tanned face, stopped and said aloud, "We can't let this continue. I have a plan to defeat the Lanthanorians. Will you all listen to me?"

The team consisted of those from Axelor too, so he first said this to everyone before using a communication trinket to send a different message to all those from his sect.

"I know the sect only denoted me the leader so that I can make sure that no one breaks the rules that were set for us. I don't have the authority to make you all listen, but I IMPLORE you to. I've just had enough of losing. I just humbly ask you to consider what I'm proposing."

While he was sending this message, the Axelorians in the room had already nodded and were listening.

They had just been told that these were mages the King trained personally, but they knew the truth. Of course, they weren't so dumb as to antagonize the strongest forces on the continent, so they kept their mouths shut. As for their feelings inside, some felt that this was a despicable move, but some agreed with the King that all stops had to be pulled out for victory.

During the silence that followed, each of those who weren't from Axelor turned around to the man still pacing on the other end of the room.

He had an irritated expression on his face, and he looked like he would burst into a fit of anger soon.

However, feeling the gazes on him, he looked towards the other end to look into the eyes of the one who had sent the request.

He was tempted to refuse just to cause frustration, but he hated losing just as much.

Hence, finally, he just nodded, after which the man with top-knot breathed a sigh of relief and started explaining his plan.

…..

After the match started amid the frenzied energy of the crowd which seemed to be rising with each second, Lanthanor gained control of the ball and implemented the same strategy: with Cassandra at the center, a tank was formed which barrelled towards the other end.

Inside it, Cassandra was biting her lip while remembering the orders she had received from the King just before the start of the match.

"Use the same strategy. Do not expose anything new. Even if you are losing."

She didn't like it one bit, but she knew that the King must have some reason for risking the loss of the support of the crowd which had been obtained after much effort.

Regardless, she had had her victory, and it was now time to follow orders.

She still had the faint hope that she could obtain victory while following the orders, but this came under attack just a second late.

In front of her, the ground had melted into sticky clay which would definitely impede them and make them ripe targets for attack if they ventured into it. Teleportation was out of the question, so the only option was to move to the side.

There was also the option to just disperse the tank right now, but she didn't choose it as there was still a long distance to go, and it would be impossible to score using that strategy from here.

Just as she gave the order to go left, a wall of fire sprung up in that spot.

The advantage of the tank formation of Lanthanor was that mages could modify the properties of the material on the outside with regards to what situation they were facing. For instance, here, because there was an inferno to face, a layer of ice was conjured which protected them from the high temperature.

However, their speed was slowed down as a result of the conjuring, as a little bit of time was needed to make the layer appear.

Tanks usually had more soldiers, and because there were only 15 here, Cassandra had chosen mostly metal elementary particle specialized mages so that the tank could come into existence instantly.

Hence, the weakness was that the other elements had fewer mages, which was the cause behind the need for time.

DING

When they slowed down, a projectile which seemed to be made of metal hit a specific spot on the tank, but Cassandra didn't pay any mind to it as she just thought it was an errant attack.

Yet, after passing through the inferno was a blizzard, and they had to slow down again.

DING

Feeling the entire integrity of the tank go down by a bit, she checked and realized with horror that the attack had been at the exact same spot.

Just as she was about to order that part to be strengthened, another attack struck, making them even weaker.

Meanwhile, Daneel, who was watching from Lanthanor's booth, raised an eyebrow as he saw the way the attacks were aimed and timed perfectly.

If the tank could move faster, it was clear that they wouldn't hit.

From this, the enemy strategy was clear: slow down the tank using obstacles, and penetrate using an attack on a single spot.

Looking at the Axelorian team, he got a suspicion that a man with a top-knot, who was shooting the metal elementary attacks, was the one who was directing everyone.

If this was true, then he was someone to watch out for, as he had managed to figure out the best way to attack a land-borne tank, which was also what had been used back on Earth during the World War.

Terrain, and penetrative attacks. Against these two, tanks were powerless.

Soon enough, Lanthanor's tank was penetrated and control of the ball was taken away by disabling the one who held the ball.

After the first point went to Axelor, the crowd was surprised, but they welcomed it as it really was invigorating to see the ways that obstacles could be put up using the elements.

However, when they witnessed Lanthanor losing point after point, those who had bet heavily on it started to scream with hopelessness.

Yet, except for a few points obtained by fluke when the tank could be formed nearer to the goal, Lanthanor kept giving away point after point.

It couldn't be helped as the average power level of Axelor was higher than theirs, and they had also been ordered not to use any other formations.

Hence, when the match ended 42-10 with Axelor gaining a resounding victory, the people in the stadium who lost their money started to curse.

Meanwhile, in Axelor's booth, the King had a slight smile on his face, but he knew very well that there were definitely more cards up Lanthanor's sleeves.

Hence, he said, "The plan stands. Get ready to deploy whenever we have a risk of losing.", before going back to training.

Next was the match between Arafell and the Black Raven Kingdom, with the latter eating another loss that only demotivated the Kingdom's people more.

Some even started to wonder whether they had called everyone to their land for them to witness their humiliation.

At least in the mage matches, they knew that it couldn't be helped as Arafell did have more powerful mages even before the Black Raven Kingdom got weakened.

They were using a similar strategy as Arafell to score, but it didn't work as well when facing up against those who outclassed them.

The match ended 30-25, bringing the day to a close.

As the people started to go back to Olympia, the general mood of the crowd was that they regretted seeing this event come to an end.

Tomorrow would be the final two stages of the Mage and Fighter Handball tournaments, and the final winner would be crowned who would be lauded by all the most powerful Kingdom in the continent.

More upset, more susprises, more excietement.

This was the expectation, and everyone had a feeling that they wouldn't be disappointed.

The night was mostly uneventful, as the guards had made good on their promise of throwing anyone out who dared to cause a disturbance.

As the sun dawned on the final day, dark clouds started to gather in the skies.

It would be a tumultuous day, and it seemed that even the heavens agreed with this.

Chapter 340: The Final Day 1

As King Safiros walked onto the ground on the final day, he finally experienced the feeling of excitement that came from being witnessed by millions of people.

He was disguised as a new addition to the Axelorian Team, and his goal was to snatch victory no matter what even if it meant that Axelor would come under even more scrutiny for using outside force.

He actually didn't know whether he would be doing this if he weren't being pushed by that man from the Big 4 to ensure Axelor's victory to further his plans.

He hadn't asked himself this yet, because he knew that he might not like the answer, and that asking the question wouldn't even do any good.

Hence, he just focused on getting it done, while trying to grab each and every speck of enjoyment that he could from what he was doing so that he wouldn't be driven insane from the thought that he was dancing on the whims of some old man.

The only consolation right now was that this was the last day.

With everything he had prepared, victory was definitely his, so his back was straight when he saw the team of the Black Raven Kingdom on the other side.

Looking up, he saw the dark clouds and wondered if it would rain.

As the feeling that the heavens were mirroring the events that were about to happen passed through his head, he chuckled.

Blood. Rivers of it. Oceans of it. A world filled with it.

He didn't know how or when, but this had become something that gave him so much joy that he found himself licking his lips while smiling wide in a manner that unsettled even the hardened soldiers around him.

They all wondered who he was, but they just dismissed it after thinking that he might be another 'trump card' of the King.

From the reports that he had received from the spies he had placed, many had emptied their pockets in the betting stations. Most of the bets were on Lanthanor, but Axelor was close behind.

This had made him bet a large amount of 10 million Gold Lans worth on Axelor, just to balance the odds.

Also, just to obtain some satisfaction by taking advantage of the King of Lanthanor's betting house, he had made the bet with Olympic bets.

When the results became clear, the losses would mostly be so catastrophic that it would definitely have to shut down or run away.

The latter was, of course, impossible as it belonged to the King himself.

Hence, he would have no choice but to even resort to pawning off important strategic assets just so that he could pay back the people of the continent.

As this image appeared in his mind, the King felt like laughing with glee, but he controlled himself.

He HATED that smug look on the King of Lanthanor's face, and it was going to be such a delight to wipe it off once and for all.

DING

"LET THE FINAL DAY OF THE OOOOLLLYYMMMMPPIIICCSSSS, BEEEEGGGIIIIINNNNNN!!!!!!"

ROOOOOAAAARRRRRR

Awakened from his thoughts by the loud announcement from Sylvesto who had gone on and on till now about how incredible and momentous this event had been so far, the King of Axelor looked up to see the sea of people all shouting as one.

The waves of sound battered him almost physically, and some of the soldiers beside him even stumbled slightly.

The excitement and energy in the crowd had reached a whole new level on this final day, as if everyone knew that this was their last chance to make their voice heard.

The first bell was for the players to get into position, and the King placed himself right in front of the ball.

As another bell sounded across the stadium, he dove faster than any other player in the tournament so far and got control of the ball before shooting off in the direction of the goal.

…..

[Bodily movements analyzed. Target is : King Safiros.]

Hearing this notification from the system after he asked it to analyze who this newcomer into the team of Axelor was, Daneel shook his head and was just about to say "Despicable" before remembering that he was about to do the exact same thing.

Hence, he swallowed it down and looked at his friend whose fists were clenched tight while seeing his soldiers blown out of the way one by one as that man from Axelor smoothly made his way to the near the other end.

The only one who put up a resistance was the Exalted Human realm Black Raven Commander, but that man passed at that moment and scored the fastest goal in the tournament yet, even surpassing Lanthanor.

Banging his hands on the table, he got up and said, "Damn this Axelor! More outside help! Daneel, can't we do anything about this?! IT'S SO FRUSTRATING!"

He screamed out the last words, making Daneel sigh walk to his friend's side before saying, "I don't know. But you can be damn sure that I'm trying."

With a nod, the Black Raven King only watched on in silence as his Kingdom lost point after point, finally losing in the end and being eliminated from the tournament altogether.

A little bit after the match, the commander appeared in his booth.

Daneel had already left, as he didn't want others to know that he was still close friends with Faxul.

However, if he had been there, he would have been shocked seeing an Exalted Human, one of the strongest individuals in the Central Continent, fall on his knees in defeat with his head hung low just after entering the booth.

He had fought hard on the ground, but he was no match against the two Exalted Humans on the other side.

His blood dripped to the ground, mixed with his tears that he was shedding after decades.

Without saying a word, Faxul only walked to the man and raised him by his shoulders.

Yet, when he spoke into his ears, the man's whole body regained his energy, and he bowed to the King immediately.

"Get ready. Its time to implement our plan in the Mage Handball Tournament."

…..

Meanwhile, Daneel, who had reappeared in his room, watched as his team made their way onto the ground.

Next was the match between Arafell and Lanthanor, and this was something that everyone had been clamoring to see for a long time.

On one side were the giants who made short work of the ball after any one of them obtained it.

On the other was the impeccable teamwork that made many wonder whether the Lanthanorians could read each other's minds, from how they were always at the perfect position they were needed to either take or make a pass.

It was Giants vs Teamwork, and even the analysts were split.

Each second of this match was electrifying, and no one could have guessed that the two teams would be so well-matched.

If Lanthanor got the ball, they would score without fail.

If Arafell got the ball to a giant, they would obtain a point.

It went on like this, neck and neck, until Lanthanor eked out a victory in the last minute.

The final victory was 35-34, and Daneel applauded his soldiers.

Frankly, though, the victor of this match didn't matter as he hadn't even deployed the Domination Corps yet.

Just like Axelor, he was biding his time for that final stretch.

Yet, the fact that he had made it through to the finals without showing everything he had really had to be attributed to the hard work to the soldiers, and of course, to his elder brother whose disabling fists had already terrorized Arafell's human soldiers.

Arafell moved to the loser's bracket due to this, and they were up against Axelor who would proceed to the finals to once again face off against Lanthanor if they won.

Daneel was expecting Axelor to win this match, but when the final bell sounded, he, along with many, many in the stadium, stood up with horror while staring at the scoreboard as if they couldn't believe their eyes.

40-5.

Axelor had won 40-5.

After checking the scoreboard again, he looked down at the stadium to see motionless bodies of Arafellian soldiers and Giants covered in blood.

Axelor had revealed a trump card, and for once, even Daneel was baffled as to how he was going to counter it.

Chapter 341: The Final Day 2

(WARNING: GORY DETAILS AHEAD! SKIP TO THE END IF YOU AREN'T 18+!)

"YOU! THIS WAS A COMPETITION! HOW DARE YOU-"

"Did I kill anyone?"

"N-NO! BUT THEY MIGHT NEVER BE ABLE TO MAKE FULL RECOVERIES!"

"Still doesn't mean I broke any rules. King Daneel, you should handle this mad woman. I'm leaving."

CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE

As King Safiros left the emergency meeting that had been called by the Queen of Arafell after leaving these words, the air started to crackle while tiny bolts of electricity appeared and disappeared in the air.

This was a Warrior level individual who was enraged, and her anger was on a whole other level compared to Exalted Humans.

Daneel, who was standing to the side, curiously raised his hand to touch one of the lightning bolts near him.

"SSSSSS!"

Silently hissing, he had to pull his finger back and shake it as he had actually sustained a sizzling cut from the incredible amount of energy contained in just that small bolt which wasn't even the size of his fingernail.

He, an Exalted Human, had actually been hurt by an angry reaction?

Lamenting that the gap between Human and Warrior really was large, he sighed and walked near the Queen of Arafell whose eyes were still wide open and bloodshot from the anger she was feeling.

She had called for this meeting as soon as the match had ended, and she had even requested Daneel to stop the match seeing her soldiers being taken out one by one.

More than anything, it seemed that the injuries of the giants affected her the most, as Daneel had received a report that stated that she had visited them before coming here.

The three Exalted Humans on Axelor's team really hadn't killed anyone, but they had chosen to repeatedly use crippling attacks that would be very hard to heal even with magic.

Using magic, it was possible to even regrow lost limbs, but a Fighter would have to spend months and years growing those limbs in order to come back to their previous power.

Now that Daneel thought back to the match, it all felt like a blur.

Since the moment the match had started, something was off.

One individual among Axelor's team stood over 6 foot tall, and he stood out, but Daneel just thought that he was some powerful Fighter who hadn't been deployed till now.

After the bell rang, strangely, everyone got out of the way of this man whose face was also covered.

With a bestial roar, he had started to run towards the other end of the goal and hence, the other team.

After this, he started going on a rampage, punching and hitting each and everyone he could find.

He seemed to revel in crippling people the most, as he repeatedly pulled on arms and legs like they were toys to separate them from the other team members' bodies.

The crowd could only watch this visceral scene with horror in their eyes, and many even started puking.

Today, Axelor had shown its bloodthirsty side, and the surprising thing was that many even cheered for this.

As for the giants, they were able to defend against this man for some time, but the other two Exalted Humans on Axelor's team would come to help this newcomer whenever he went up against one.

Against three Exalted Humans, even a giant was powerless, and had no option but to take injuries and fall.

Of course, as the giants were crowd favorites, many had howled with grief at this, but they were only met with more blood.

Indeed, blood filled the ground, and by the end of the match, it looked like a battlefield where many might have lost their lives.

"King Daneel!"

Coming back from his thoughts due to this shout from Queen Arafell, Daneel shook his head and looked up to see those pretty eyes now filled with rage looking at him.

He was just about to say something, but her words cut him off.

"I don't know what you do, but Axelor MUST LOSE. I know you are probably entering the match, and if you are, I need you to promise me that you will do to that man what he did to my soldiers. Promise me this, or I CANNOT let this matter rest."

Her beautiful hair was disheveled, and her rosy cheeks were red as a testament to her anger.

Without even thinking, Daneel nodded and teleported away.

There was no way that he was going to allow the same fate to befall his own soldiers, and to stop that, he would have to fulfill this promise anyway.

...

DING

As the bell rung to signal the start of the finals of the Fighter Handball Tournament, Daneel looked up at the stands to see almost half the people rooting for another bloody match while the other half were hoping that the Axelorians would be taken down.

Now, he understood why gladiator arenas were so popular in the ancient eras of Earth. Blood did drive people mad with excitement, and hearing the cheering that now had an added edge of bloodthirstiness, he cursed the Axelorians.

The rules had to be changed.

But before that, Daneel had to do something which he didn't like at all.

Same as before, the Axelorian team got out of the way of the tall masked man who started to run towards the end.

However, as the crowd watched with baffled expressions, the Lanthanorian team also got out of the way, leaving two men alone on the ground in the way of this monstrosity.

One of them was the star who had given that incredible performance against Axelor before, while the other seemed new.

However, when both of them looked into each other's eyes just before they came under the attack of the Exalted Human who had terrorized the Arafellians, some smart people in the spectators understood that this wasn't the first time they were working together.

The Axelorian's forte was both strength and speed, but they were both firmly put under control by the two Lanthanorians who worked seamlessly in sync with each other, almost as if they had trained together and also knew each other so well that they could predict the other's moves.

Of course, those who thought so would be right.

Daneel and Elanev had been training together, but they couldn't have imagined that they would be going up against the same opponent.

The training turned out to be a boon, as their repeated spars against each other made it so that they understood each other very well.

Daneel was a true blue Exalted Human, while Elanev had also used some method to elevate his power to this level.

He had said that it was only for a short amount of time, and Daneel was determined to analyze it using the system.

If the Axelorian attacked one, the other would hit it with the Hidden Kill Fist and make it bleed.

As the Hidden Kill Fist worked by using pressure to rupture ones internal structure, it was very effective even if one had strengthened skin due to being an Exalted Human.

When the other dodged, the first one would attack.

Of course, the dodging wasn't perfect, so the Lanthanorians also kept taking punches and kicks, but they continued to fight as if they felt no pain.

In just 30 seconds, all three of them had bloody arms.

After one minute, the Axelorian's entire body was dripping with blood, as if he had just taken a bath in a river filled with it.

After one and a half minute, the Lanthanorian who had appeared in the match before took a kick to his stomach and fell.

He didn't get up again, and this made the first Lanthanorian even more enraged.

He ignored the damage to his body, and fought while getting bloodier and bloodier.

After two minutes, both of them were such a bloody mess that only the difference in height could be used to distinguish them.

Such a gory sight even turned off many of those who had clamored for blood before, and the entire stadium could only watch in silence.

"My King! Do we interfere and help?"

"NO! He will only end up hurting us too! Just score as many points as possible!"

This dialogue passed between the King of Axelor and his commander, and they focused on scoring more while the opposing team only had one Exalted Human, the commander of Lanthanor.

After the two and a half minute mark, the Axelorian fell to the ground, but both of his arms were in the hands of the Lanthanorian.

While the Axelorian bled profusely from the two stumps where his arms had been, the Lanthanorian fell to his knees, still holding the two limbs.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

He screamed to the heavens, and the shout even silenced the millions who were watching.

He looked like he would break down, but the man somehow found the energy to put what he felt aside.

Throwing away the arms, he rejoined the game.

Going up against a team which also had two Exalted Humans, the Axelorians didn't stand a chance against Lanthanor's teamwork which had almost reached legendary status by now.

Even though he was injured, the soldier from Lanthanor did his bit, and his face was engraved into the hearts of all those watching.

As the bell sounded to indicate the end of the match, the crowd burst into a cheer louder than all the ones before.

38(Lanthanor)-20(Axelor).

"LAN-THA-NOR!"

"LAN-THA-NOR!"

"LAN-THA…

Chapter 342: The Final Day 3

BANG!

BANG!

At the same time, the sound of tables being broken in two could be heard from two different rooms that were floating above the stadium.

One was from the booth of Lanthanor, where the King had just teleported inside and activated a spell to shield everything he was doing from the mages in the room before bringing his bloody hands down on the table in the middle.

It broke almost without resistance, and the splinters went into Daneel's arms, but he didn't care.

He went after the chair next, and destroyed it too before looking around for something else.

If anyone could see him now, they wouldn't even be able to recognize the calm King who was known to handle situations coolly, like he had done in the air before when the fight had taken place in Olympia.

His brown hair was matted with blood, and his entire body had wounds everywhere which were still actively bleeding. His every step left a red mark on the ground, and his armor was in tatters, revealing most of his bare skin, all of which was red.

He was snarling with rage, and his eyes were so bloodshot that they matched the color of his body.

That moment when he had held two limbs in his hands kept coming back to him, along with the repeated feeling of his fist hitting and tearing flesh that he hadn't been able to ignore no matter how much he tried.

He had killed before, and although it had been difficult, he had gotten over it, knowing that it was necessary in this world.

However, this level of gore and bloodshed was something that he never thought he would experience.

Just the raw feeling of punching through flesh and even feeling the bones, again and again, had sent him into such a mad state that he couldn't even comprehend what he was doing anymore.

The plan was to disable the Axelorian monstrosity before Elanev's power-up ran out, but things went awry, leaving Daneel to give himself up to his instincts in order to even have a hope of winning the fight.

There had been no time to give instructions to the system; every attack of his opponent hit like a truck, and it took all the concentration Daneel to push through the pain in order to keep fighting.

Towards the end, when he had seen no other choice but to tear away the limbs, the decision had completely broken down his mind.

The barbaric nature of the act made him devolve into someone who was more bloodthirsty animal than man.

For the rest of the game, he had had to struggle very hard in order to play with the ball instead of killing all the Axelorians in sight.

This resistance wore him down further, and now that he was alone, everything burst out.

Daneel knew that he was in a dangerous state, but he didn't know what to do.

All he felt was hate and rage.

Hate for the Axelorians for making him do those…inhuman things.

Rage that was undirected, but was pushing him to kill, kill and kill.

At this moment, the system came to his aid.

[Host is in an enraged state. Analyzing stored data. Fighter Researcher Anton says in his book that Fighters can enter into an uncontrolled state of destruction when faced with intense situations for the first time. Reason is unknown, but help from a peer who has gone through something similar is advised, as they an guide one out of the state. Looking for best candidate in host's associates. Candidate with most probability of having been in an enraged state: Luther, Commander of Lanthanor. System recommends host to contact this person.]

Daneel wasn't sane enough to understand the message, but the cold and emotionless tone of the system helped somewhat in distracting him from the urge to murder.

He did understand the last sentence, and with the semblance of sanity that had been restored, he shakily moved his hand to his pocket before activating the communication trinket and saying, "C-come to the booth. He-Help."

Only a few seconds later, Luther appeared with Cassandra in the booth.

Entering the opaque barrier, he took one glance at the King before saying to Cassandra, "Leave. The King only wishes an audience with me."

Cassandra was still standing outside the barrier erected by Daneel to hide himself from the mages in the room keeping the room afloat, so she only nodded and teleported away.

After making sure that no one was watching, Luther did something that puzzled Daneel.

He apologized.

"My King, I am sorry for this, but it is necessary."

Saying so, he moved with a speed that he hadn't shown on the ground before.

Even before Daneel could even think about retaliating, his head had been chopped at by Luther's hand at a specific angle, making him lose consciousness and fall to the ground.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Luther walked out and used a mage in the room to go to his room to get some rope.

Then, returning to the private booth, he tied up the King so tightly that he wouldn't even be able to move an inch.

Sitting down on the sofa nearby and keeping a watchful eye on Daneel, Luther tried not to remember the time when he had entered this same state, but the memories came to him anyway.

Tears dripped from his eyes as they flashed through his mind, but he didn't even blink, keeping his eyes on the King for any sign of movement.

Meanwhile, the other room in which the table had broken belonged to the Kingdom of Axelor.

King Safiros had unknowingly acted the same way as Daneel. He had teleported to his room and erected an opaque barrier before deploying the Champion-level anti-eavesdropping trinket and smashing his hands into the table in frustration.

As the minister walked into the barrier, he looked up with a snarl.

"My Lord, Azael is still breathing, but very barely. We…don't know if he will ever make a full recovery."

That 'monstrosity', as it had been dubbed by the commentators, was actually called Azael, and he, or it, was a weapon developed by Axelor to cripple Lanthanor.

Azael was someone who had been one of the most talented Fighters in Axelor, but he had chosen a training path in over-confidence which had actually driven him insane. Loth to waste such a valuable seed, the King had imprisoned him while letting him train.

The ideal plan was to let him loose on the people of Lanthanor during a crucial time so that he could cause mass casualties which would distract the government.

He had spent almost a million Gold Lans worth of Ether stones on this weapon, but he had deployed it here anyway for victory.

Still, it had been defeated and rendered useless.

Now, there was only one thing left for him to do.

"Are the preparations for the golden mosquito ready?"

"Yes, My Lord. It has been tended to as per your instructions."

"Good. Get ready to deploy it on my mark. And send a message to those from the Sect to 'go all out, but keep an eye out'. They will understand. You are dismissed."

As the minister left the room, the King continued to smash things left and right.

His rage, unlike Daneel's, had a clear target, and he was going to make sure that it would be felt in its full force.

Those rivers of blood reflected in his eyes again, and his rage was swept away by anticipation.

...

Lanthanor: 52+50=102 points.

Black Raven Kingdom:26 points.

Arafell:46+10=56 points.

Axelor:75+30=105 points.

Eldinor: 44 points.

Watching the final standings in the display board, it became clear to everyone that the Mage Handball Tournament's results would decide the victor.

With this mind, it seemed that a new enthusiasm had entered everyone, as the mages started to resort to anything and everything they could to obtain victory.

Round 3 pitted the Black Raven Kingdom against Axelor, and the result was the latter winning with a 20 point lead.

Next was Lanthanor versus Eldinor, which was as exciting as the match between Lanthanor and Axelor.

The Eldinorians actually suffered from the same problem: lack of teamwork, but they did not seem to have anyone on their team who had such perfect marksmanship.

Hence, the tank of Lanthanor prevailed, but just barely.

The final score was 32-20, with Lanthanor being the winner.

Round 4 had Eldinor against the Black Raven Kingdom, and Eldinor won with a 23 point lead as expected.

Next, against Axelor, Arafell fought well but lost in the end due to the difference in power level again.

Finally, as the last round approached, the entire stadium stood up from their seats, waiting for the final showdowns which would decide the victor.

Meanwhile, in a certain corner of the stadium, a golden light glinted.

Chapter 343: Attack

It started silently, like the origins of a storm which would stay silent to all over the sea until it grew into something that threatened the existence of the nearest port.

There was a small side room in one corner of the stadium, which was given to stall owners in order to rest in during the day or to store stuff.

A normal man sat in the room, and beside him was a cage which had steel grates surrounded by a semi-translucent barrier that looked stronger than any that could be conjured by even a Warrior-level powerhouse.

The man kept looking at the mosquito apprehensively, as it was currently feeding on a piece of human flesh that had been obtained from god knows where.

This was actually the 10th such piece of flesh it was feeding on, and with each eating session, its size seemed to be growing bigger and bigger.

Originally just the width of his fingernail, it was now longer than his index finger and looked downright scary despite its shiny golden exterior.

Occasionally, it tried to pierce the barrier surrounding it, but it always failed, leading it to continue feeding it on the flesh.

The man had been assured that his family would be taken care of in Axelor, but he couldn't help but move his hand to his pocket shakily in order to read a letter that was there.

It was from his family, who said that they were proud that he had gotten the opportunity to set up a stall on behalf of Axelor in this momentous event.

Till yesterday, he had been opening this letter with eagerness to get back to them.

However, now, he did so to remind himself why he was doing what he was doing.

The minister who had threatened to kill his family looked like he was very unwilling to do so, but the threat was very real.

Hence, given a choice between giving up his life or his families', he didn't even have to think.

As the communication trinket in his pocket buzzed before bursting into flames to erase all traces of its existence, he knew that it was time.

Stretching out a hand, he tapped at a specific spot on the outside of the barrier, making it disappear.

It took barely a second for the mosquito to realize that it was free.

ZOOOOM

In a blur, it flew towards the man and buried its mandible in his chest, making him show the whites of his eyes before falling back onto the chair he had been sitting in.

Some sort of relaxant spread through his body, and the man actually smiled before his consciousness faded away.

In the room that was now silent, the mosquito continued to suck on his blood, while the man just lay back with that eerie smile, as if this was the happiest thing he had ever gotten to do since being born.

The sucking sound was the only thing that could be heard, but it kept being drowned out by the wild cheers from outside, as the final round was now underway.

...

"Luther, do you know where Daneel is? He isn't responding to my messages."

"Come to Lanthanor's booth, but make sure to step inside the barrier without letting anyone recognize you."

Hearing the grave tone in Luther's voice, Faxul was puzzled for a bit, but he only followed the man's instructions.

Apparently, the mages in the booth had been alerted that there would be a visitor, so they did nothing when he teleported inside and stepped into the opaque barrier without giving a chance to anyone to recognize him.

However, the moment he stepped inside, the sight reflected in his eyes shocked him so much that he stopped mid-step.

The King of Lanthanor was lying on the ground, tied up so tightly with coils of high-quality rope that it was clear that he couldn't even move an inch.

Daneel's eyes were closed, but the movements of his eyes under his eyelids made it seem as if he was having some kind of nightmare.

Of course, his face was still covered with blood, so it was also a gory sight.

"He's in a Fighter Rage. Just ask the Protector Raven, it'll tell you what it is."

Luther's calm voice brought him back to his senses, making him acquiesce and ask his query to the Raven.

As he heard the explanation, his eyes widened more and more, surprised that something like this existed.

Fighters trained by using elementary particles to temper every part of their body in order to increase their overall strength.

No one knew the exact reason, but when a Fighter had an especially bloody battle against someone, their mind would be affected in such a way that they would be drawn to blood, making them want to continue killing and destroying everything they saw.

The weird thing was that this was only supposed to veteran Fighters who had seen a lot of such fights, as it required an accumulation of this bloodthirstiness to set off the enraged state. By that time, the Fighter would be mature enough in order to control themselves in some way or the other.

It was clearly not so in this case. This was only Daneel's first such fight, so it was clear that he didn't have the strength of mind necessary to handle it effectively.

After hearing the explanation from the Raven, Faxul asked, "Why is he affected by it already?"

"No idea. There might be other factors at play that we do not know about. Regardless, its fine, he just needs to be restrained for a period of time."

"But he said he wants to participate in the match against Axelor-"

"It won't take that long. He's already lucid at times. Look."

Right as Luther said the last word, Daneel opened his eyes and looked around before seeing his friend.

He smiled sheepishly, but due to the blood on his face, it actually looked a little scary.

"Sit. Luther says this won't take long. I even feel fine. It's just that…something inside me keeps taking over for brief periods of times, during which my dear commander chops me on the head to knock me out. What did you come to talk about?"

Faxul sighed and looked away as this was mentioned, but he spoke anyway as he had to get this thought off of his chest.

"I made the decision to use my special strategy now. After all the trump cards that you and the others have revealed, this will not assure me a victory. But it will let my people watch a good show."

After finally saying it, Faxul bent his head, feeling drained.

His original plan was to use his strategy in order to ensure at least one victory, but by analyzing everything, it had become clear that that would not be possible.

Still, he was going to deploy it anyway.

After a few seconds during which he looked down with frustration, he realized that Daneel hadn't said anything.

Looking up, he saw that both Luther and Daneel were staring at a specific spot in the stands with their jaws hanging open.

Following their line of sight, Faxul tried to understand why they were acting like so, but he wasn't an Exalted Human like them.

Hence, he could only ask the Protector Raven, but even it took a few seconds to reply.

Fed up, he took out a zoom trinket from his pocket before using it to magnify his sight.

The first thing he saw was that people were running away in panic, but he had already noticed this before, although he didn't know the reason.

Looking around, he finally focused on the sight of around 20 people standing with smiles on their faces while showing the whites of their eyes.

Something golden was on each of their bodies, and as he zoomed in, he reacted in the same way.

...

Meanwhile, Sister Xuan and Molan, who had seen this too, were just about to fly out in order to help the citizens.

However, when the trinket on her body which had been given by the Champion level Matron herself vibrated, Sister Xuan immediately froze in her spot in the private booth.

"Xuan! Are you still in the tournament? Get out! Now!"

"Matron, there are some sort of mosquitoes killing people! We have an obligation to help! They don't look strong enough to hurt us, anyway!"

This response was actually met by a pause, after which Sister Xuan heard the Matron scream for the first time in her life.

"FOOL! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! THEY DON'T MATTER! THE CHURCH IS ATTACKING! WE ARE ON OUR WAY, BUT YOU. NEED. TO. GET. OUT!!!"

Chapter 344: Incapacitated

For a second or so, Sister Xuan just numbly stood there while looking at the mayhem in the stands.

"XUAN, DID YOU HEAR ME?! RESPOND, DAM-"

As the Matron's voice abruptly cut off, she finally regained her senses and said, "Matron? I heard you! Matron?"

However, no matter how much she tried, there was no response from the other side.

Feeling a hand tap her shoulders, she looked to the side to see Molan staring at the sky with her mouth wide open.

A few figures were standing there in the sky, but the main thing that surprised and shocked both of them was that one of them was familiar.

They had seen him before during a visit to their sect, and he had become famous everywhere as the Champion level powerhouse who actually became shy around women.

His goofy smile was his trademark, but his disciples had told them that when that smile was wiped off his face, it was when things were serious.

And right now, there was no smile.

There were a total of 3 individuals in the air, and from the way they were standing, it was clear that two of them were on one side.

These two wore shining black armor that shone, and their capes had a symbol of a sword piercing through a round object with rays surrounding it which looked like the sun.

As for the other man whom they were familiar with, he wore a sleeveless tattered full-body grey training jacket that showed off his scarred muscles. He was very tanned, as if he had spent a lot of time under the sun, and his shiny bald head actually reflected the sunlight, signifying how smooth it was.

"They just appeared. I was just looking where we could fly to."

Just as Sister Xuan was about to respond to Molan, the bald man split into 7 people.

In response, the other two men also mirrored his action, but they each split into 5 each.

The newly arrived clones could easily be distinguished in both cases by the different clothes, and all 17 figures shot into the stadium in a blur.

She didn't know what had happened between them, but it didn't require a genius to know that the two black-armored men were probably the ones from the Church.

She wasn't clear about their targets, but the answer to this question became apparent just one second later.

"They are…the rulers!"

In the exact same spot from where they had raced away before, the 17 figures reappeared and the clones disappeared.

However, there were an additional 5 figures floating beside the bald man in a transparent ball.

These 5 were the rulers of the 5 Kingdoms taking part in this event, and the bald man had a triumphant expression on his face while the other two seemed to be frustrated.

What…was going on?!

Just as Sister Xuan and Molan were trying to wrap their heads around everything that was happening, a gigantic opaque barrier appeared above them.

The sky was blocked out, but the barrier seemed to let in the sunlight, so everything was still visible.

However, in the air, the 3 figures and the rulers were missing, as they were apparently outside the barrier.

BOOM

A sound like a thunderclap suddenly resounded across the entire stadium, making the frenzied crowd look up with shock to realize that they were now also trapped in a barrier.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Almost as if two giants were battling somewhere nearby, the entire stadium and the surroundings were subject to these repeated sounds which apparently had the effect of scaring the hundreds of thousands of people more, as screams of fear started to appear which filled Sister Xuan and Molan's ears.

So much had happened just now that the two were still trying to take in everything, but these screams fraught with pain and terror woke them up.

The first thing that Sister Xuan did was take out the communication trinket that the Matron had just screamed through, but she stamped her foot in frustration when she saw that it wasn't working.

Next, she took out the one that connected her with Daneel, and a smile filled with relief appeared on her face as she managed to send a message through.

Yet, the response shocked her, and actually almost made her faint as she had already had too many surprises so far.

"YOU B#&#@S! I'LL KILL YOU! JUST GET OVER HERE! SEE HOW I RIP YOU TO SHREDS! ARGH! ARR-Ignore what I just said. Come to Lanthanor's booth. Quickly."

....

In the private booth of the Lanthanor Kingdom, Luther, who had just witnessed one of the strangest sights in his life, was rubbing his eyes and wondering whether he was going senile.

One second, all three of them had been staring at the horrifying things happening in the crowd, and the next, a hole had appeared in the ceiling above them.

The strangest thing was that there had been no sound when that hole had been made, making him wonder whether some spell had been cast to make him go deaf.

However, what happened afterward was even stranger.

2 distinct blurs had raced through the hole and snatched both the Daneel and Faxul before making another hole and leaving.

Barely a millisecond after that, 4 more blurs which were a different color appeared in the room, but they only voiced sounds of frustration before leaving.

One second later, a naked Daneel appeared on the floor which had become empty after the disappearance of the two Kings.

"NO! STAY OUT! EVERYTHING'S FINE!"

Seeing the mages in the room about to enter the opaque barrier, Luther shouted these words so that no more subjects of Lanthanor would have to see this sight.

Immediately stripping his armor, he placed it on the King's body, who actually opened his eyes in the process.

For a second, the two men looked into each other's eyes, with only a chest piece covering Daneel's genitals which could still feel the cold breeze coming through the holes in the room.

Immediately, Luther stood up and looked away, refocusing his attention on the crowd, as if nothing had happened.

This made him really forget what had happened, as what he saw appalled him.

This was when the booming sounds from outside also started to be heard, so even he, someone who had spent decades on the battlefield, started to become overwhelmed before Daneel's calm voice settled his thoughts.

"Aaron is outside the barrier. Give me the clothes he brought. Ask him to leave for how; his questions will be answered later."

Nodding, Luther followed the instructions and gave the clothes to the King before turning away.

"YOU B#&#@S! I'LL KILL YOU! JUST GET OVER HERE! SEE HOW I RIP YOU TO SHREDS! ARGH! ARR-Ignore what I just said. Come to Lanthanor's booth. Quickly."

Hearing this shout, Luther turned around just in time to see the transformation in the King's face.

The bloodlust from before had obviously been the one that said the first few words, but the redness in the eyes and the face gradually receded away from Daneel's face.

Astonished at the fact that the King had managed to get over the enraged state by himself in such a short span of time, Luther was just about to speak but he was interrupted by Sister Xuan and Molan who appeared in the room.

With a dead serious expression on his face, Daneel quickly said, "Tell me what you know. Its not important why I screamed at you; I'll explain later."

Sister Xuan looked like she wanted an explanation right now, but the constant BOOMs which had started to shake the decorations and paintings in the room made her decide otherwise.

"King Daneel, the Church is attacking the Event. A Champion-level member of the Big 4 has interrupted them. Their target seems to be the rulers, as the last thing we saw before the barrier appeared around the stadium was the 5 rulers all floating behind him. But…you're here. This must be your clone. What's going on outside?"

Daneel widened his eyes slightly on hearing his suspicion confirmed, but it had been obvious from everything that had happened so far that the attackers must be either the Church or someone at the level of the Church.

"I don't know. My main body was rendered unconscious along with all the other rulers as soon as I was taken out by that man. He said something about 'protecting us from mind attacks'."

"The-then how is your clone still functioning?! To make this happen, you must be using the unique clone technique, which is peak Warrior level, even bordering on Champion level!"

"Leave it, Molan. We should concentrate on the matter at hand. The Church is attacking, and all the rulers are incapacitated except King Daneel. I don't know if anyone else also has functioning clones. We need to set our priorities."

In response, Daneel looked out the observatory glass in the room and said, "Yes. It's probably best to stop mosquitoes from killing thousands of people first. Agreed?"

With a start, the two women looked at the crowd and hurriedly nodded, before all of them immediately flew out to assess the situation.

Chapter 345: Collecting

"We can't teleport! It's still locked, I checked again! And no matter what trinket I use, I'm sure I can't break it! Just keep the little guy covered! I'll hold on!"

Hearing these words which were shouted by the mage over the din being made by the thousands of people around them who were scrambling to get out, Norcet nodded and used his robe to cover his son up more so that none of his body would be exposed to the air.

It seemed like an eternity ago, when they were all watching the final round of the Mage Handball Tournament to see who would be the winner.

Both of them had also bet all of their money on Lanthanor just like the little kid, and this had made his eyes shine like lanterns.

His mother had passed away many years ago in a raid on their caravan when Norcet was still a baby. From then, it had just been Norcet and the Mage who had brought him up.

Seeing him so happy, joy had also filled their hearts, and at that moment, they didn't even care if Lanthanor lost and took their money with it.

When the first screams had started to sound across the stadium, the mage had been the first one to detect that something was wrong.

He had tried to teleport them away immediately, but at some point of time, a space lock trinket had been covertly placed which covered the entire stadium.

In fact, at that point in time, there had still been a chance to escape, as the mage had a Warrior-level space lock breaking trinket which he knew would be effective.

However, just before he was about to squeeze his hand around it, a second, stronger space lock came into existence.

This one was more powerful than he had ever seen, and when he heard the loud buzzing which meant that the damn creatures were close, he erected this barrier around them.

This was one of the spells he was most proud of: a barrier that could move.

Although it didn't offer too much protection when moving with the person being cast, its strength could be increased at a whim by stopping the movement.

Till now, they had been moving with the crowd to the exit, but the problem right now was that there were mosquitoes on both sides.

"What are these things?! Have you seen them before?"

"No! But they're fast as hell and they seem to multiply easily!"

"Are they bigger than before?"

When the mosquitoes had first made their appearance, all three of them had used zoom trinkets to see exactly what the threat was.

Then, the shiny insects had been the half the size of a human ear.

However, right now, they seemed to have at least doubled in size.

All three of them were standing in a group of 20 people, who had all started to squeal with terror while also praying to the heavens to save them from this mess.

Raising his head, Norcet got a clear vision of what they were up against, but he actually wished that he hadn't done so, as he had just gotten such an intense urge to puke from the sight of what he had just seen that it had taken him all he had to push it down.

Just a few meters away, a man was standing limply on the ground with a wide smile on his face.

His eyes were rolled back to show the white, and his head was angled upward, as if he couldn't get enough of the pleasure coursing through his mind.

THUD.

The next second, something golden zipped to one of the people in their group, while the first man fell the ground and didn't move.

That same damn smile reappeared on the face of this new person, and they too stood up straight with hands hanging limply to the sides.

Seeing this, those in their group hurried to create distance, but one by one, each of them started to get that smile which meant that their end was near.

These mosquitoes were definitely the most terrifying killers that Norcet had ever seen.

In his life, he had seen a fair share of murderers. When they killed, they had some emotion on their faces, and their actions were driven by logic, by greed.

Even animals acted due to some interest.

These mosquitoes were different.

They only buzzed, and killed.

If one was done, they would move on to the other.

Again and again, until all that would be left were unmoving bodies.

DONG!

Driven out of his fear-driven reverie by one of the creatures which had been the cause behind it in the first place, Norcet looked up and realized with horror that there was actually a hole in the mage's barrier.

"Dad, don't worry! The King will save us!"

"Shut up, son! We only have ourselves! How are these things THAT powerful?! Here, take these!"

Putting his hand into his pocket, Norcet pulled out 10 different trinkets after berating his son like so.

The kid was too optimistic for his own good, but he had no time to explain patiently now.

"Norcet, you miserly bastard. You must have hoarded so much to buy so many trinkets! Let's hope it saves us."

With a nervous and fearful chuckle, Norcet watched as the Mage took the 10 trinkets.

However, the mosquito that had attacked them had lost interest and moved to one of those alive in their group who didn't have a trinket.

For now, there was enough prey around, so they weren't bothered.

However, in barely 10 minutes during which the trio tried to move without drawing attention and failed, the mosquitoes were slowly running out of open human bodies to feed on.

They started to converge on their barrier, and the mage's barrier broke in a few seconds.

Yet, it was replaced by one from Norcet's trinkets, giving them a measure of protection.

They had been detected anyway, so the trio made a run for it.

However, there was only death and more mosquitoes all around.

Soon enough, they were on their last trinket, and there seemed to be no more hope.

Norcet had seen this coming in the last 60 seconds, and as he saw the end of his life coming, he didn't have any regrets except maybe coming to this event.

Of course, that was irrational.

His son, who was in his hands covered by the cloak, had by now already caught a glimpse outside and gotten terrified.

When Norcet bent to kiss his forehead for one last time, he heard the chant the kid was saying over and over again, and it actually made him laugh.

"The King will come. The King will come. The King will come."

"it's time, old friend. It's been great knowing you."

The Mage, who was struggling to put up the last barrier using his aching mageroot, only sighed and patted Norcet on the shoulder before saying, "The feeling's mutual. I just feel bad for the kid. I wish-"

CRACK

The barrier finally broke, letting a mosquito bury its mandible in the mage, making the smile of death appear on his face.

Meanwhile, Norcet also felt a prick on his back.

What followed it was a rush of euphoria, telling him that all was right with the world.

There was nothing wrong with having the blood and life leave his body. No, this was how it was supposed to be.

His mind was flooded by chemicals which left him no choice but to…smile.

His last shreds of consciousness were being eaten away, but just before he let everything go, he thought he heard something.

It was a shout from a voice which sounded familiar, but Norcet no longer had the mental faculty to determine who it was.

Yet, he was able to comprehend the meaning, but it made no sense.

"Hey, you golden turds! I've got tastier blood here, come and get it!"

Just as fast as it had come, that euphoria was replaced by an intense feeling of weakness which made him collapse to the ground.

His leg was being shaken by his son, who kept saying over and over again, "DAD, I WAS RIGHT! HE CAME!"

However, Norcet was preoccupied with the sight above him.

Hundreds, no, thousands of golden mosquitoes each the size of a man's palm were all meshed together into a huge squirming sphere.

They were all alive, and they seemed to be trying to get to the center.

They were so packed together that Norcet couldn't even get a glimpse of what was inside, but just from seeing such a fantastical sight, he knew in his gut that it was the King of Lanthanor.

And as the sphere moved forward and started to cover more ground in the stadium, he patted his son on his head and hugged him tight.

Meanwhile, Daneel wiped his forehead as he heard the notification from the system.

[Collection underway. Percentage: 63%. Biological analysis underway. Kill switch being searched. Control switch being searched. Alternate methods to subdue being searched. Please proceed with collection.]

In his hands were the bottles of blood he used to train with, and in his neck was the strongest barrier in Lanthanor.

As he saw the piles of bodies, he had to try hard to control the rage and bloodlust that threatened to rise again.

Whoever was responsible for this would pay, and he would make sure of that.

For Lanthanor.

And for Angaria.

Chapter 346: Control

As this was just a clone, Daneel couldn't cast any spells with it. For now, the only thing he could do was hope that whatever solution the system found wouldn't need magic.

Well, the possibility of this was slim, but Daneel still kept his hopes up.

In the process of covering the entire breadth of the stadium, the thick cloud around Daneel became larger and larger until it looked like a terrifying swarm which actually scared the already terrified people wherever it went.

Even the pressure he was facing from the combined onslaught of the mosquitoes was increasing, and as he heard the faint cracking sounds which indicated that the energy in the barrier was about to run out, he immediately activated a new one, just to be safe.

Daneel had no idea whether there was any other ruling figure who had also been able to deploy a clone. According to what Molan had said, the ability to control a clone when the original body was unconscious was apparently something which only Warrior-level individuals could do, so the only possible candidates were the King of Axelor and the Queen of Arafell.

Eldra and Faxul were, after all, still only at the Human level.

[Collection underway. Percentage: 78%. Biological analysis underway. Kill switch being searched. Control switch being searched. Alternate methods to subdue being searched. Please proceed with collection]

Absorbed in his thoughts and keeping a close eye on the barrier, Daneel realized that they had stopped.

"What's wrong, Cassandra?"

Right now, he wasn't alone in the barrier as he needed someone to fly him around.

This someone was the commander of Lanthanor, who also had a red complexion as if she was also affected by the enraged state just like Daneel.

She had seen the carnage outside, and since then, she had just been following orders while keeping her mouth shut.

Now, when she spoke, her tone held a tinge of defeat.

"We have covered the stadium, Your Majesty."

Hearing this, Daneel was puzzled as the percentage was still at 78%.

As he asked the system the reason, the answer made him raise his eyebrows with panic.

[More targets are present north, east, west and south of host. Please proceed with collection.]

"Cassandra, where does this damn barrier extend to?"

Both of them hadn't had the chance to accurately assess the situation before jumping into this activity. In fact, Daneel had only told Luther and the rest to round up all their soldiers before setting off.

Hence, Cassandra had to ask Aaron, who was outside, for the answer.

"My Lord, it apparently…covers Olympia too. The mosquitoes must definitely have spread inward…"

"Then what are you waiting for?! Quickly, cover the entire place! Don't you want to save all these people?"

"S-save? Aren't they dead?"

"No. Whoever designed the mosquitoes didn't give them the attribute of patience or frugality. These things are like gourmet diners; they only drink the blood with the most nutrition before moving on to another body, as there are so many. But if we give them time, they will start going back to the bodies on the floor for more. THAT will cause more death. We HAVE to move quickly and collect as many as possible. Let's go!"

Nodding with determination, the duo set off to the surrounding area, where there was chaos everywhere.

Things were at least OK in Olympia, because it was mostly empty. However, in the wide open ground between the stadium and Olympia, clumps of mosquitoes were having the buffet of their lives.

However, when Daneel flew near them with the blood of his mosquitoes, it was as if they had eyed a delicacy they couldn't get over.

Hence, without fail, they would go to him.

As these two continued their activity, a man was frantically pacing to and fro in the booth that belonged to the Kingdom of Axelor.

Viewing the death and bloodshed below him, the minister who had given the order for the mosquito to be released could only watch on with horror, knowing that he was the one who was responsible for everything that was happening.

Of course, he had acted on the orders of the King, but it was still the truth that his hands were also soaked with blood.

Killing innocent people wasn't actually something that was new to him, but to see carnage on this scale…made the minister want to claw his eyes out with guilt.

The King had disappeared and was now floating on the outside of the barrier, and he was the one with the top authority in Axelor right now.

What was he supposed to do?

Announcing that he was the culprit crossed his mind, but he knew that he would die before he got the words out due to the oath that bound him.

This was the reason behind his pacing, and for the 10th time, he walked to one of the walls of the private booth and punched a spot to open a hidden compartment.

Inside lay the body of the King of Axelor, but it was lifeless.

Why did the damn man have to decrease his power?!

If he was still a Warrior, this clone would be active right now.

Just as he was about to close the compartment, a voice sounded across the entire area, making him freeze.

"This is the King of Lanthanor. I am in the process of collecting all the mosquitoes so that they will not cause you any more harm. I need the help of all the Kingdoms! In this crucial time, we must all unite! All active clones of the rulers, or those who are in charge of the Kingdoms in the absence of the rulers, please make your way to the private booth of the Kingdom of Lanthanor. Angaria needs your help to protect itself!"

A chance to…reverse some of the damage he had caused?

But he was the culprit! How could he even face them?

What was he supposed to do?!

As the compartment closed, the minister resumed the pacing.

….

As a beautiful figure wearing a pink dress flew into the private booth that belonged to Lanthanor, Sister Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Inside, there was already a small Raven, which was currently stumbling around on the broken table in the room.

"That makes 3 rulers! Please ask your troops to assemble in the center of the ground. King Daneel has a plan to end this threat."

As Queen Arafell heard this, she nodded at the woman beside her who started sending the message to their soldiers.

Meanwhile, the Raven in the room had just nodded to the Queen, almost like a human.

Seeing her puzzled look, Sister Xuan explained, "That's the clone of the protector Raven of the Black Raven Kingdom, and King Faxul is currently controlling it using some…exclusive magic of his Kingdom. I'll contact King Daneel and let him know that you have arrived."

Saying so, Sister Xuan took out the communication trinket and sent the message, but she was met by silence.

She had gotten the message to broadcast Daneel's voice just a minute ago, and he had said that it was absolutely crucial to assemble all the able-bodied soldiers.

However, now, there was no response.

If she had known that the reason behind this was that Daneel was busy shaking his head to make sure that he had heard right, she might have dropped the trinket in shock.

Indeed, Daneel, who had just heard the message from the system that a way had been found to subdue the mosquito, had almost dropped the bottles of blood in his hands when he heard what it was.

A minute ago, he had gotten the idea to gather all soldiers as he might need them for something or the other.

He had no idea what solution the system would come up with, but the soldiers would be useful to restore calm to the areas where stampedes were still happening due to the people being afraid that the mosquitoes might come back.

He had thought that the answer might involve something like tricking the mosquitoes into killing themselves, but as he heard the notification of the system again, he realized that he could never have predicted this even if he tried.

[Solution: "Gold" strain mosquitoes can mate with Strain A and Strain B developed by host in the past to come under the control of host. After the mating process, host can simply order the mosquitoes as per his wishes.]

Chapter 347: Mayhem

Mating?! He was supposed to make them mate?!

This was so unexpected that Daneel had to take a moment to collect himself, but after that, he realized that this solution was definitely better than any he had hoped for.

Of course, this was because of the second part of the system's communication: he could control these mosquitoes too after the mating process!

"System, what should I do to make them mate?", he asked, his ears burning faintly at the fact that he was now playing matchmaker for some mosquitoes.

[Host must find a way to allow the mosquitoes from outside into the barrier. System has already sent a message for them to travel from the Valley to this location. Their path is blocked. After this, the male and female mosquitoes will act in different ways to attract the 'gold' strain mosquitoes. After the attraction process, the male uses its clasper to grab on to the female to enter its va-]

"GOT IT! Got it. I'll find a way to let our mosquitoes inside."

Too much information. Trying to get the image out of his head, Daneel started to figure out how he was supposed to contact the man outside.

Clearly, this barrier had been set up by him to protect the entire area, but he must be unaware that he was also killing everyone inside.

"System, how much time will these things stay attracted to this blood? How much time do I have to begin the…mating process?"

[40 minutes. After this time, the gold strain mosquitoes will start to lose interest and go back to the humans. Host is advised to reach an isolated location to slow down the arrival of this eventuality.]

40 minutes. It wasn't a lot, but he had to do it in this time.

"Luther. Use as many soldiers as you need to clear out a large area to the east of Olympia. I need the entire space to be cleared. Quickly."

Sending this message, Daneel said, "Head to the east side. We are going to handle this problem there."

East was the direction where the Valley lay, so it would be best to make sure that this mating process occurred without more variables coming into play.

[System informs host that there is some crucial information host needs to know.]

What? He couldn't possibly need to know how they…did it, right?

"What is it?", Daneel asked, trying once again not to see the creatures in front of him.

[There is a short span of time before the mating process during which the gold strain mosquitoes will no longer be attracted to the blood that is with the host. During this span of time, the gold strain mosquitoes can escape the mating process and move to other human prey, where they can reproduce without the need of another mosquito. Hence, the best way to ensure that this doesn't happen is that host must gather all humans in one place. This way, the mosquitoes will stay close by and be mated with.]

Wait…what?!

Daneel didn't clearly understand the whole thing, but one point had been clear: he needed to collect all the humans in one place?

Wouldn't they be vulnerable anyway then?

Asking the system this question, he got the response:

[Affirmative. Many gold strain mosquitoes will attack the humans. The humans must be defended during this time.]

The humans must be defended?

The system made it sound simple, but it didn't need to consider the fact that there were actually millions of people under the barrier.

"What about the bodies of those who had already collapsed? Do I need to gather them, too?"

[Negative. The gold strain mosquitos will only go after living prey for the time period which is needed.]

Well, there was at least some consolation.

Still, realizing the daunting task ahead of him, Daneel shook his head.

He had to assemble millions of people from different nationalities in one place, and he also had to protect them all for a period of time so that the damn gold strain mosquitoes wouldn't have the time of their lives before they came under his control.

In fact, at this moment, it seemed so daunting that Daneel had no idea how he would accomplish it.

"System, is there no other way?"

[Negative. All other scenarios result in much higher loss of life.]

"What about the satisfaction level right now? Has it increased or decreased?"

The whole point of setting up this event initially had been so that he could raise the satisfaction level in order to finally unlock the empire spirit and also gain more EXP so that he could upgrade the system.

[Unable to obtain concrete numbers. Too much flex. General trend: downwards.]

Downwards. This meant that the satisfaction level was actually…going down.

Daneel felt disheartened hearing this. He had done so much, but some damn bastard had gone and ruined everything.

What was he supposed to do now? Give up?

Just as he started to lose hope, he remembered a saying that he had always loved back on Earth.

"Leaders are born in times of strife."

Indeed, the satisfaction level was falling right now, but what if the people saw someone act selflessly to protect them?

Wouldn't it shoot back up?

Besides, the level had been constantly going up throughout the entire event, so this act should definitely save it.

"Change of plans."

Putting on a determined expression on his face, Daneel started sending the messages to Luther and Sister Xuan after telling Cassandra to change their route.

He had an opportunity to show the continent something that it had never seen before, and he was damn well going to make full use of it.

...

After being saved, Norcet, his son, and the mage had started to make their way back to Olympia.

This was also the thought mirrored by most among them, as they hoped that staying in a closed space might decrease the risk of coming under attack again.

Around them, everywhere, there was mayhem.

The soldiers of the Kingdoms and the guards were still nowhere to be seen, so some people who had realized that this was the perfect opportunity to line their pockets had started to loot all the bodies around them.

The mage acted at most times to drive away these vultures, but there was only so much they could do.

It was only after the voice of the King of Lanthanor resounded through the stadium that these acts started to decrease.

From the stern way with which he handled mischief makers, Daneel had already become someone to be feared even in the people who didn't belong to his Kingdom.

A few minutes later, a second announcement was heard, and this one made the trio stop their actions.

"All the people of Angaria must make their way to the ground where they will be offered protection. Please comply. The King of Lanthanor has managed to bring the mosquitoes under control for now, but this will not be the case after some time. Then, everyone will once again be at risk. For your own safety, follow these instructions. Please make your way to the stadium."

The mage had already voiced his concerns that sitting inside a house wouldn't help in saving them from the mosquitoes, as they seemed to have a different level of strength and intelligence.

Hence, when they heard this, they actually heaved a sigh of relief and started to head back.

However, through the corner of his eye, Norcet spotted something.

On the stands of the stadium, a few hundred meters away from them, a man wearing the uniform of the Axelorian army had just slung one of the bodies lying on the ground over his shoulder.

After looking around, he repeated the action with another body before heading in the direction of Olympia.

Both of these bodies were those of women, but that was all Norcet could tell from this distance.

His entire business had been built on him trusting his gut, and it now told him that there was something very wrong going on.

"You two go ahead. I need to make a small detour.", he said, before following that man.

"No. Stick together. I'll come with you. And so will little Norcet."

Hearing the mage's forceful words, Norcet sighed and nodded before patting his son's head.

"I saw something suspicious over there. Follow me."

Saying so, he took them on the path of that soldier.

He had the zoom trinket, so it was easy to keep track of the man due to the slope.

After crossing the area in between where there was even more chaos, they reached a building in Olympia which the man entered.

This was in the Royal section, so it belonged to one of the Kingdoms which was participating in the event.

All of the building's windows and doors were locked, but Norcet had just managed to catch a glimpse of what was inside using the zoom trinket due to the Axelorian soldier opening the door to enter.

A single individual, surrounded by dozens of naked female bodies.

Norcet felt he had seen this individual before, but he just couldn't place his finger on it.

It was only a few seconds later did he finally realize who it was.

That man had been one of those on the Axelorian team who were suspected to be outsiders.

With this realization and the possibility of that man's background, Norcet immediately started to scurry back, making the other two follow.

He had to seek an audience with the King.

Now.

Chapter 348: The Matron

Teleporting hundreds of kilometers at a time, the Matron quickly appeared in the air above where Angaria's grandest event had been taking place till now.

All she saw was a humongous barrier that was like a bubble that had covered the earth. It encapsulated an area of over 500 kilometers, and as she flicked her finger to make a 1-kilometer long icicle appear beside her, another man teleported to the spot a few meters away from her.

"Matron. My son is in there."

He was bald, and if someone saw him and the man inside who was currently engaging those from the Church, they would see a strong resemblance.

Only, this man also had a white beard, and his body was much bulkier than the other.

Also, crisscrossing scars covered all of the muscles visible, and they formed a mesmerizing design that would make anyone want to keep looking.

"I know," replied the Matron, whose face was covered by a veil.

She was wearing a long grey dress over her slender body, and the hem of the dress was floating playfully in the air even though there was no breeze.

With another flick, the large icicle collided with the barrier, but it was like a toothpick trying to upend a large bowl.

It simply shattered and didn't cause any damage to the barrier.

"What do you think? Hero level, at least?", asked the Matron, while the fist of the man started to shake with anger.

Veins started to appear on his face which had turned red, and the tight half-sleeved shirt he was wearing till now tore into shreds due to his muscles swelling.

His lower body, however, remained the same, clad in orange pants.

BOOM!

In an instant, the man shot forward and broke the sound barrier.

BOOOOMMMM!!!

Barely a second later, the sound of impact reverberated throughout the surroundings.

Looking down, the Matron saw that the man's upper body was now double the size of his lower. He looked like some malnourished giant which had only managed to grow half of its body, but the rippling muscles which were visible displayed an aura of strength that would make those watching feel as if they could be crushed by a whim of this man.

His two fists were in contact with the barrier, but at some point of time, he had put on gloves which seemed to be made of some sort of skin.

Steam was coming from the point of contact, but it looked reddish, as if its origin was something sinister.

With another sonic boom, he reappeared beside the Matron and said in a measured tone, "Yes, Hero-level. I've already received authorization to use the communication linking device. Will you do it or should I?"

The anger from before seemed to be gone, but knowing him, the Matron could tell that it had only been swallowed down.

"Let me."

Saying so, the Matron seemed to pick something out from thin air.

It was a flute that looked like it was made from bamboo, and it had floral patterns all around it.

If one looked closer, they would observe that the patterns were actually real flowers that had been somehow been inlaid in the flute.

Raising her veil, the Matron exposed full, lush lips which she used to blow on the flute.

No sound came out of it, but from one end, it started to disintegrate.

A few seconds later, her hands were empty, as if the flute had never been there in the first place.

"A one-time Exalted Champion level trinket. Gone, just like that. Did it work, though?"

In response, the Matron took out her communication trinket before saying, "Respond, Xuan. I've arrived at your location, but I'm blocked by a barrier. Activate the communication eye I gave you."

A second later, Sister Xuan's excited voice came through the trinket.

"Matron! Thank the heavens! The situation? Oh…I'll activate the communication eye."

The Matron was puzzled by her star disciple's tone, but she just took out another trinket from thin air.

It opened into a large display panel, and as the image flickered before becoming clear, both the Matron and the man gasped with shock.

The point of view was from the air. After getting over their shock, the thing that caught their notice was that millions of people were all gathered in one place, but they were all looking up with fear in their eyes.

And the sight which seemed to have cast a spell of silence over them: a shiny, golden globe that was squirming and moving, made of mosquitoes of which each looked more ravenous than the next.

"Are those…"

As the Matron's voice floated off into silence, the man spoke with the anger returning to his tone.

"Yes. The aptly named 'Doom mosquitoes', but their strength seems to be locked. WHICH IDIOT FROM THE CENTRAL CONTINENT WAS ABLE TO OBTAIN THEM AND THEN SET THEM LOOSE?"

"Marcus…the epidemic last time…"

"Yes. Millions died, and Angaria was almost lost. We tried to completely get rid of them, but we couldn't. Call Ashahell. He's the expert."

Nodding, the Matron began to send the message, but she froze when she heard the voice of her disciple coming from the communication trinket.

"Matron, the King of Lanthanor is in the center of the globe-he's keeping all the mosquitoes in check. He says he has a plan to stop them, but he needs our help."

"Xuan, what foolishness are you talking? Those mosquitoes cannot be controlled by any method known to us! There aren't even any Hero-level texts that say that this is possible! That man is taking you for a ride! Apprehend him before he causes more damage!"

"NO, Matron! He's the one whom you said deserves to be in the Big 4! If he says he can do it, HE CAN!"

Being shouted at for the first time by a mere Warrior, the Matron almost burst into a fit of rage, but the man laid a hand on her shoulder.

This instantly calmed her down, as his touch invoked memories that calmed and soothed her.

"Is he the one you said has an inheritance?"

"Yes. But no inheritance from Angaria could possibly…"

"You know what your master used to say. In times of strife, Angaria always finds a way. Maybe HE is our way right now. Trust him for now. You've never been a bad judge of character either, just like your disciple."

Hearing this, the Matron took a few seconds to think but nodded in the end.

"All right, Xuan. Find out what he wants. You need to know that there is a different barrier surrounding the one set up by Marcus's son. And if you ever raise at me again, even if Angaria itself is sinking, I will tie up your vocal cords for ten years. Clear?"

After a few moments of silence, the response came.

"Yes, ma'am."

...

In the globe surrounded by hundreds of thousands of bloodsuckers, Daneel sighed with relief when he heard that the Matron outside was ready to listen.

However, his face took on an ashen expression when he heard that there was another barrier outside. His original plan had been to contact the one outside who was fighting with those from the Church and ask him to open the barrier for a second or so that his mosquitoes could get in.

Yet, they had to get there first to make this happen, but it seemed like this might not be possible.

Still, he asked anyway, as there was no other way.

"Ask the Matron whether it is possible to breach the barrier outside at least briefly so that I can have some…insects come in. I need them to stop these things."

When the response came from Sister Xuan, Daneel gritted his teeth with frustration.

"It's not possible. The barrier outside is Hero-level, and although those from the Big 4 have begun the process of breaking it down, it will take an hour."

An hour. He didn't have that kind of time.

Racking his brain and thinking about everything he knew about barriers, Daneel got an idea.

"Is it possible to make a tiny hole? Just for the briefest of moments?"

The Big 4 had been protecting Angaria for millennia, and he refused to believe that they didn't have the ability to even accomplish this.

Thankfully, his hunch turned out to be right.

"Yes. But it will require the use of a trinket that is 10 times more valuable than all the wealth in your Kingdom, according to the Matron. She is asking if you are sure. If you aren't you will have to answer to the Big 4."

Ignoring the jibe about the cost, Daneel smiled and answered, "I'm sure. It should be enough to let one insect through. Now, I need to address everyone here."

Saying so, Daneel asked Cassandra to magnify his voice and also to activate the communication eye to make his image appear on the large display trinket in the center which was still there.

On Earth, times of great peril were marked by leaders making speeches which went down in History as being instrumental in either uniting unwilling allies or bolstering the courage of soldiers to achieve victory.

He could never have expected that he would have the opportunity to make one like that, but right now, he was going to seize it with all his might.

Chapter 349: Speech

"My bet is that he makes us take the front lines. When he does, we leave. You all got that? We don't say one word."

In the center of the stadium, at a particular spot in front of the cordon behind which millions of scared, terrified people were shuffling around, trying not to jostle those around them.

The minister and the commander of the Kingdom of Axelor, along with a few soldiers, were standing around and doing their part in maintaining control of the crowd.

Although it could be said that this was what they were doing, in reality, there was almost nothing that could be done with just a few thousands of soldiers when there were so many people to handle.

However, the mages were a big help, as they managed to create large non-protecting barriers that indicated where the people had to stand, and had also cast non-trespassing spells so that the soldiers would be notified if anyone stepped out of the denoted area.

Hearing these words said by the commander behind him, the minister, who had finally made the decision to heed the call, closed his fist tight and shook with the urge to retort.

The people of Axelor were also in the crowd, so it was their duty to at least instill confidence in the Axelorians.

Yet, as their King was currently indisposed, the commanders and the soldiers had started to get doubts that they would be made the scapegoats, as it was clear that the King of Lanthanor would be the one leading everything.

Everyone knew of their long history of adversity, and it was the best time to get rid of the top talent of Axelorian army which had been deployed to give the best performance in the event.

The minister, of course, who knew that this entire situation was their fault, was still torn about what he was supposed to do.

Many thoughts kept running through his mind, chief of which was the knowledge that the truth coming out would turn the entire continent against them.

Hence, when he had heard that the King of Lanthanor had a way to solve the situation, he had actually almost jumped in joy.

From then, all the soldiers present had been assigned to teams who scoured specific areas of the land under the barrier to gather all the citizens at one place.

So far, it had only been routine work, so no tensions had evolved.

Yet, now, with the soldiers of all 5 Kingdoms standing near each other, temperatures were getting high.

For now, there were teams posted at every interval around the round area where all the citizens had been standing, yet all anyone did was either look up to see the globe of terrifying mosquitoes or talk about what solution the King of Lanthanor might have.

Hence, when Daneel's voice was finally heard by everyone, a pin-drop silence spread through the stadium where tens of thousands of bodies were still lying around, as if they were forgotten.

"People of Angaria.

People of Angaria

People of Angaria

People of Anga..."

The first words themselves had such a booming tone of confidence and reassurance that they managed to calm down most of the people who were still very scared that the mosquitoes might attack.

And as they all saw the calm face of the King of Lanthanor which appeared on the large display board, the rest at least quieted enough to listen to what he had to say.

"I know what you are all thinking. One second, we were all enjoying the best magical skill that our continent has to offer. The next, these bastard insects were killing people everywhere. Right now, I could talk about how I SWEAR on my life that I WILL find the one responsible and tear their heart out of their chest."

As the people saw the expression of pure rage appear on the face of the King of Lanthanor, the anger that they had pushed down erupted in them too, leading them to shout briefly to show that they agreed.

"But this is not the time for that. You all must have lost friends, family. You might be thinking that they are lost forever, but I can tell you that this is not the case. I don't want all of you to get your hopes up, but I don't want you to lose hope completely either. Most of those lying on the ground in the stadium or its surrounding areas can be saved, if, IF, we manage to erase the threat that you all see around me."

As cries of relief started to erupt, Daneel continued in a tone that meant business.

"Now, I said that I have a solution, but it requires that I must as something of you. It requires…that we all work together. It requires that I can trust my back to an Axelorian without needing to worry that he will stab it the first chance he gets. Soldiers of Axelor and Eldinor, I know that we haven't had the greatest of histories, and with your leaders absent, I know that I have no right to ask you of this. Still, I have no choice but to ask, no, IMPLORE that you follow my orders. You will save a lot of lives if you do so, and if it requires me, the King of Lanthanor, to get down on my knees, then I will do so, because I want to see everyone live. Please. Please trust me. I need you. Your people, need you. Angaria needs you. What do you say?"

With each word, it was as if the King of Lanthanor was doing something that a King would never do.

He was lowering himself, lowering his status, for the good of the people.

By the way he talked and the words he used, his yearning to be of service and his zeal to protect resonated with all those watching, making them almost cheer loudly if they weren't still afraid that it would startle the mosquitoes above them.

In fact, towards the ending of the speech, there had even been tears in the eyes of the King. Those that noticed this spread the news, and the impassioned speech sounded over and over again in the minds of the people.

Those that were near the soldiers of Axelor and Eldinor even started to say things like "Do it for Angaria! Do it for us! Don't hold grudges! King Daneel can be trusted!"

And of course, there were also detractors who either yelled the opposite or kept quiet, but these were in the minority.

Eldinor was the first to make a decision. A member of their council, who had taken over command in the absence of the Queen, magnified her voice and said, "Eldinor stands with you, King. Like you said, it is not time to reflect on our differences. Let it never be known that the Elves did not answer the call when called for."

"Thank you."

These two were the only words given in response, but they carried such an intense emotion that many citizens even cried after hearing them.

Daneel, on the other hand, who was seeing that his job was being accomplished nicely,

All that was left was Axelor, and this was something that he had been planning since the beginning.

No one in Axelor's leading position would ever allow for something like this. The most they would do would be to say that they would only take care of Axelorians.

Daneel's aim was to make sure that he began to become an idol in the hearts of the people.

He had thought for a bit whether there was anything wrong with keeping that goal in mind, but he had gone with it, as it was all to save Angaria in the end anyway.

His first speech had already been designed to show himself to be someone who let the past go to ensure the safety of everyone.

It had done its job, and now, with Axelor not giving an answer, his next step was to give one with even more passion so that he could show himself as the one to back.

In fact, if it were left to him, he might have let his anger get to his head and let him take the decision to let the bastards rot and die, as they were the one most likely to be the cause behind this situation.

He had no proof, but there was just this gut feeling that it was either the Church or Axelor.

Still, he had to swallow it down and beg them now.

However, just as he was about to give the most impassionate speech yet, a gruff sound could be heard throughout the stadium.

"Axelor is also with you. Just tell us what you need."

He didn't know what kind of weird bad luck he was having that had made his plan go awry, but Daneel had no time to grumble.

Instead, it was time to let in the champ who was going to impregnate thousands of insects all by himself. Or herself.

"Send the message, The mosquito must have reached the barrier by now; its big and red. Let it in."

Chapter 350: Conversion

[Confirmed. As per the estimates drawn up, after 50 percent of the gold strain mosquitoes mate, the rest will no longer be under the control of host. After losing control, the gold strain mosquitoes will begin to attack all those around them before they are forcibly mated with by the other 50%, which will have come under host's control. Time required: 10 minutes. System recommends that host must find a way to protect the people for this amount of time.]

Here was the reason that Daneel had made that speech before in the first place.

Even though his secondary motive was to make himself an idol, he really did require the help of all the soldiers present to make sure that those 10 minutes wouldn't prove fatal to all the humans gathered here.

The plan was simple: after the champ made its way here and started the impregnation process, there would be some time during which the gold strain mosquitoes would still be fixated on the blood in Daneel's hands. The mosquito that the champ impregnated would come under Daneel's control and move on to another, while the champ would also start the mating process with another gold strain mosquito.

In this way, the number of gold strain mosquitoes under Daneel's control would multiply with time, but after around 50% of them are affected, the rest would apparently come to their senses.

For 10 minutes, barely a couple of thousand soldiers and guards would have to defend millions of people from the onslaught of the mosquitoes.

During those 10 minutes, Daneel's mosquitoes would be going around and trying to bring as many more mosquitoes under his control as possible, but the key was to organize a defense.

Now that he had the word from all 5 Kingdoms, it was time to do just that.

...

Outside the second barrier, the Matron and the man who had been called Marcus were standing on the ground and tapping at different spots on the part of the barrier in front of them.

"This is as good as a spot as any. I just hope that kid knows what he's doing. The cost of this thing alone…"

"Enough, Marcus. You were the one that said that we have to give him a chance. And yes, I am not a bad judge of character. Whatever he is doing will save lives. The only question I have is how many. And of course, how the hell he managed to find an inheritance which has methods which haven't even been posited by the leading Champion-level researchers of Angaria. So yes, I have a lot of questions, but right now, we need to just concentrate on letting that…thing through."

Towards the end of her statement, the Matron pointed at a fist-sized red mosquito which was repeatedly bashing its head against the barrier.

It didn't seem to feel any pain, and it kept repeating this process no matter how many times it was thrown back.

In fact, sometimes, weirdly, the Matron could swear that she saw it thrusting its lower part forward, as if it was eager to do…something.

As Marcus heaved a sigh and looked down briefly with frustration, she shook her head slightly and asked, "How's your boy doing? I know you're worried, and when you're worried, you fret."

"He's my son, and there's no way that he will go down to two *&^^& knights from the *&^^((^&* Church. He says they are putting up a tough fight, but he's holding on for now. The priority is to protect the rulers; there's no way that we can allow the Church to destabilize us right before their invasion. Have the others started the process of the complete breach?"

"Yes, they are on the other side. Ashahell is apparently in the middle of some important training, so he isn't present. Anyway, let's do this. I'm all set."

"Well, here goes. If that kid wastes this trinket, he won't be able to pay back his debt no matter how many lifetimes he works his ass off. Do it."

With a nod, the Matron once again extended her hand in the air and took out a short spear.

It seemed to be made of a rock-like material, with the edges blunt.

However, on the grey shaft, if one looked closer, they would be able to see a shining red rhinoceros-like creature that looked like it would leap out at any second.

"Activating 'Pierce' trinket. Get ready to send the little guy inside."

With a nod, Marcus pointed at the mosquito to encapsulate it in a small barrier before the Matron tapped on the tip of the spear.

ROOOOAARRRR!!

With a peculiar roar that sounded kind of muffled, a hazy fist-sized rhinoceros-like creature with a single large horn on its head and grey scales on its skin came into existence on top of the spear.

In the direction that the tip of the spear was pointing, it shot forward at a speed that was even faster than that with which Marcus had traveled at before when he attacked the barrier.

SNIP

As the sharp horn of the rhinoceros impacted the barrier, a small hole appeared for a split second which Marcus used to shoot the ball containing the mosquito inside.

He seemed to have used too much force, as the ball-shaped barrier bounced many times before coming to rest.

Coming out, the mosquito seemed confused, and initially flew around in circles for a little while.

Just as both of them were about to panic and send a message, it seemed to come to its senses, shooting off in the direction of the inner barrier.

"Son, open the barrier at the coordinates on my mark. 3,2,1!"

The hole had already been closed, but the opaqueness of the barrier had been compromised in the process, and it was still in the process of recovering.

As they watched, another hole appeared in the secondary barrier which the mosquito passed through and made its way inside.

"I wonder what it will achieve. And I can't wait to get my hands on that kid. Let's go help the team on the other side."

Leaving these words, the Matron teleported away, with Marcus doing the same after shooting a sad and worried look at the inner barrier, inside where his son was fighting for his life, and for Angaria.

...

"Ready. Remember, follow my instructions, and everything will be fine. It will be soon, and you will know when you need to act. Just keep an eye out."

[Mosquito approaching. Mating shall begin in: 20 seconds.]

The instructions had been given, and all the soldiers had been arranged as per Daneel's plan.

Now, it was time for the champ to do his work.

He seemed to be tired after flying for a long distance, as after he approached the airspace in which the large globe of golden mosquitoes, he first paused for a bit to regain his energy.

After doing so and thrusting his lower part forward a few times as if in practice, the red mosquito shot forward.

Some people had already seen it, and had started to panic, thinking that it was a new threat.

Yet, the soldiers and guards who had already been instructed by Daneel were doing everything they could to keep the calm, and so far, there was no major situation yet.

However, that was all going to change.

As the red mosquito entered the golden globe, it actually stood out due to its color.

It had already found its target, and as it engaged in the act, it was actually ignored by all those around it because the attraction for the blood that Daneel was holding was too much.

All it took was 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, the red mosquito flew back as if it was exhausted, and as for the one that it had done the…act with, it froze in the air for a few moments.

As Daneel observed closely using a display trinket he had set up inside the barrier in the middle of the globe, he saw as the first target changed color, becoming a mix of red and gold, almost like the color of the dragon on his favorite robes that he loved to wear.

[Connection Successful. Host has obtained control of 1 red-gold strain mosquito. Continuing the process.]

With renewed enthusiasm, the red mosquito shot back into the globe to continue its divine duty, while the red-gold mosquito started to do the same.

As the overall color of the globe started to change, the people who were watching were puzzled as to what was happening.

"BRACE! 5 SECONDS OUT!"

This shout from the King of Lanthanor startled them, and those who were astute observed that the soldiers all seemed to be sweating.

BZZZZZZZZ

As the globe completely fell apart and revealed thousands of golden mosquitoes which all shot towards the millions of people who were just standing around ready to be eaten, all hell broke loose.

Chapter 351: Unity

Somewhere near the place where the citizens ended and the defensive line began, Norcet, his son and the Mage were all standing in a personal barrier that reduced the risk of them being injured in case a stampede broke out.

The defensive line, which had actually come into existence just a few minutes ago, was comprised of Fighters from all the Kingdoms combined.

Norcet was keeping his son's eyes closed, so when everyone around them started to scream when they saw the golden mosquitoes shoot forward to attack the citizens, his son started asking what was going on.

Yet, although everyone was scared thinking that the flimsy barrier wouldn't hold, Norcet just said, "It's fine, son. The King has a plan. And he won't fail."

Indeed, he now dumbly believed in the King, just like his son during the event.

He had actually managed to get in touch with Luther before for a brief amount of time, but he had been told that he would get an audience later, when the problem with the mosquitoes was resolved.

Now, seeing the thousands of shiny insects which all seemed to have ravenous eyes that wanted to devour everything in front of them, Norcet understood that what he had to say might wait.

"Nor-Norcet, are you seeing this?!"

"What?"

He had been focusing his attention upward, so Norcet was slightly startled when he was nudged by the mage whose jaw was hanging open with shock.

In response, the mage simply pointed in one direction.

Before the defensive line had been set up, the millions of citizens of Angaria had been split into large barriers, which were all provided by Eldinor.

Apparently, their idea had been to advertise these barriers during the event if they got the chance.

Each barrier held around 100,000 people, but the problem was that it wouldn't stand even a few seconds against attacks from multiple mosquitoes.

From above, right now, it looked as if multiple bubbles had formed on the ground inside each of which there were people huddled together, scared.

They had been told that they would make easier targets if they moved or made a lot of sound, so everyone was trying to keep their mouth shut and their body still.

What the mage had pointed at was one such bubble, outside of which there was a defensive line of fighters like the one in front of them.

However, in front of this defensive line was a team which was currently in battle against a horde of mosquitoes which were attacking them.

"The mosquitoes must be attracted to live bodies which are easiest to obtain. By staying outside, they made themselves the easiest target."

As the Mage said this, Norcet realized that it was true.

But the main thing that had caught both of their attention and had made them drop their jaws wasn't this.

It was the way this team was fighting, and its composition.

The strongest mages were in the front, regardless of the Kingdom they belonged to. In one team, there was even an Axelorian and a Lanthanorian standing side by side, who were working together, even though they did not seem to be happy about it at all.

In another, Elves and humans were working seamlessly after putting aside their differences.

Their job was simple: make a funnel-shaped barrier which led all the attacking mosquitoes to one place: a slaughterhouse.

And this slaughterhouse was made up of the strongest Fighters from all 5 Kingdoms working together to slash apart all the mosquitoes which flew through.

If any got through, they would face the final line which was comprised of the weaker Fighters.

Each Kingdom had their own strength, so seeing them all work together while covering each other's weaknesses was a sight to behold.

Especially, it was the Black Raven Fighters and mages who were very impressive, as it seemed that the Ravens always had pinpoint accuracy when pursuing the mosquitoes. Their beaks would pierce right through, and they would look around while working with the Black Raven Fighter and mage to guide and help them in their task.

More and more of the people in the bubbles started to focus on the soldiers, and as they did so, they felt their fear leaving them.

Was this how effective something would be if it was done by all the Kingdoms in Angaria?

They were mesmerized by the effectiveness, and they felt the urge to cheer once again.

Of course, they held that urge in.

Yet, there was one thing that puzzled them.

The barriers they were in were sound-proof, so they couldn't hear anything from the outside.

Everywhere they looked, the soldiers were all getting more and more exhausted by the second.

Each and every slash and spell cast they were doing was tough, and it was clear that it was really testing their endurance.

However, they seemed to be shouting something again and again that kept giving them the energy to go on, no matter how tired they felt.

Some, who were good at lip reading, finally figured out what it was, and when they did, they couldn't help but ignore the instructions and shout it out themselves, as they felt their blood boiling when they said the words.

"FOR ANGARIA!"

Indeed, everyone was working together for THEM, for the citizens of this continent.

This beautiful, unprecedented sight of unity had all been made possible by one man, and although he wasn't letting anyone forget this fact by having his face plastered on multiple display trinkets around the location, no one minded.

Because something like this deserved to be appreciated.

It wasn't clear who it was that took up the shout, but after it started, it couldn't be kept down. It was as if the people no longer cared if the mosquitoes attacked due to their cheering, as they seemed to be so confident that the man whose name was on their lips would definitely protect them.

"HAIL KING DANEEL! HAIL ANGARIA!"

Inside the globe which was now visible to everyone as the mosquitoes were no longer surrounding it, Daneel was watching everything with a stoic expression.

He had already disposed of the bottles with mosquito blood as they were no longer necessary, so his hands were folded while Cassandra, who was standing beside him, was busy maintaining the communication eye on his face and the spell that was keeping them in the air.

Daneel's eyes were flicking everywhere and checking the reactions that the people were having, and when he saw them begin the cheer, he heaved a sigh of relief.

He had achieved his goal, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was manipulating everyone for his wishes.

Still, there was no time to think about it now.

[Ready for final mating process. Targets have been identified. Red-gold strain mosquitoes are on standby.]

As the system sounded this notification in his mind, Daneel replied, "Wait for my mark."

He needed the people to see. He needed the soldiers to feel it.

Right now, he could deploy all of his mosquitoes and get rid of the threat.

However, the effort that the soldiers were putting in right now was critical.

Things still weren't at the stage where people would start to die, so Daneel felt that it was worth it.

For instance, in the team where the Axelorian and Lanthanorian were together, the two actually no longer had frowns on their faces.

They forgot the allegiances of those they were working with, and only focused on being in as much sync as possible.

In parallel, it was also slowly being instilled into the minds and hearts of the people how effective it would be when all 5 Kingdoms joined hands.

This was what he wanted. To show everyone a dream that they wouldn't forget-all so that they would support him later on when the time came to make that dream a permanent reality.

And, he also had to show everyone that HE was responsible for it all.

Basically, he was building his brand, and so far, it was going well.

"Team 6, focus on the left side, you have some mosquitoes congregating there. Switch to vertical slashes, they seem to be vulnerable to those. Mages of Team 8, switch to using solid funnels in whatever elementary particle you are familiar with, the concentration of mosquitoes near you is low. Team 10-"

In this way, he kept giving instructions, and even the top talent of all the Kingdoms slowly started to get used to the idea of taking orders from someone other than their ruler.

The genius of his mind in handling this entire situation and the effectiveness of each and every tip he gave wasn't lost on them, and their admiration for him only grew.

Finally, 5 minutes after the globe collapsed, Daneel saw the first soldiers collapsing with exhaustion.

Well, it had been incredible while it lasted, but it had to suffice.

Giving the order, he watched as his, yes, HIS red-gold mosquitoes all started to assault the remaining golden mosquitoes.

Barely a minute later, it was all over.

As silence fell over the large stadium which was only punctured by the tired panting of the soldiers, everyone looked up at the man who had saved them all.

He was standing in the air with his hands behind his back, and the dragon on his robes shone in the sun in all its glory.

As the barriers faded, one shout resounded again, everywhere.

"HAIL KING DANEEL! HAIL ANGARIA!"

Chapter 352: Retribution 1

Back in the private booth that belonged to the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Daneel was in a meeting with the Raven who was his friend and the clone of the Queen of Arafell.

"Thank you so much for allowing me to take point in the situation. I know you spoke to your soldiers and were only doing your duty to help save your citizens, but your decision was instrumental. I really appreciate it."

"That's fine. Just remember our revised deal."

"Ah-ahem. Of course, Queen. Please contact me if you need anything."

As the Queen teleported away with the help of her commander, Faxul pecked on the table to get Daneel's attention.

Touching the communication trinket in his pocket, Daneel received his friend's communication.

"Deal? What deal? You didn't give me any deal! And you know my Kingdom still has apprehensions! Apprehensions that might have disappeared for the large part by now, but they are still there! Come on, if you're giving her something, you gotta give me something too!"

It seemed that being a Raven had made his friend prone to speaking more, as Faxul continued to talk about how he had had a meeting with his council who had implored that if Daneel was very close to achieving the goal of uniting the two Kingdoms, if he was willing to do a little…something more.

Clearly, they were trying to fleece him a little bit more for their Kingdom, and although Daneel understood their motive, he didn't have the time or patience to deal with it now.

"She wanted to advertise some trinket of hers in the finals, but obviously, she didn't have the chance. So…she renegotiated it so that she can use the Network. As for you, we can think of something later on. Eloise, report."

Till now, Eloise had been in a protected area where she had been overseeing the operations of the aftermath of the mosquito incident.

After all the golden mosquitoes had been subdued and brought under Daneel's control, he had given them the order to hide.

There was no need whatsoever for the people to see and remember the horror they had been through, so this had felt as if it was the right decision.

Next, all the living people had been assigned areas where they could lodge under the barrier.

The most crucial operation going on was the collection of all the bodies of those who could still be revived. This was being undertaken by all the soldiers available, and it was going on briskly.

However, there had been a lot of deaths, and the number was currently at around 10,000.

Daneel felt really saddened at this, and the rage that he had pushed down before threatened to overwhelm him again.

After Eloise was done updating him, he banged his hands on the table once again with anger.

Controlling his emotions, he sent a message.

A few seconds later, Sister Xuan and Molan appeared in the room.

"Do you have any idea who caused all this?! Could it have been the Church?"

Hearing the angry tone with which Daneel threw these words, Sister Xuan flinched a bit, making Daneel realize that she seemed very high-strung.

If a Warrior-level individual was flinching due to mere words, there was definitely something worrying her.

"I'm sorry, what's wrong? Is there something I should know about?"

"I-its nothing. We are just…worried about the man outside. Have you realized that the sounds have gone down in intensity? It either means that he's losing, or that he managed to defeat two possibly Champion-level Knights by himself, which is very unlikely. He is the person with the greatest talent this continent has seen in centuries, and he might die. We were just worried."

Daneel frowned on hearing this, as he had had no idea that that bald man was so important.

His entire focus had been on the people inside the barrier, and now that this problem had been solved, he realized that it was time to think of other matters too.

Sister Xuan continued after a few moments.

"I've asked the Matron, and she says with certainty that it is not the Church. She cannot elaborate, but she asked me to tell you that the Church prioritize human lives, at least when they are on this scale. Releasing a potentially race-eradicating threat is not something they would do. She also…asked me to tell you that you did a great job, and that she's waiting to talk to you afterward. In 10 minutes, the outer barrier will be breached."

Waiting…to talk to him?

Daneel felt a chill at those words, but he suddenly became distracted due to an urgent message he had just received from Luther via the oathstone.

"Your Highness, there is someone that I really think you should talk to. He has some important information that you need to hear."

Although Daneel was slightly puzzled, he trusted his commander to prioritize things properly, so he just said, "Bring him up."

If it wasn't the Church, then it HAD to be Axelor.

Daneel knew it in his gut, but there was simply no proof.

He had checked in every way he could, but the perpetrators had been very thorough.

Still, after going through everything one more time in his head, Daneel had only one clue which he realized was what he was basing his entire hypothesis around: the look on the Minister's face during the entire process of defending the people from the mosquitoes.

The man hadn't been frowning for having to work with the other Kingdoms, nor had he been careful so that Lanthanor wouldn't take advantage of him.

Instead, he had been nervous, which was a major indication of guilt.

This was frustrating. SO frustrating.

He could even understand their possible motives. They had been losing, and they wanted the event to be ruined.

Hell, they might even be thinking right now that they had done their job.

Right now, he wished that there was something, anything he could do to not let them smile smugly.

He could never have expected that coincidentally, his next meeting was going to give him just what he needed.

After a few seconds, as Norcet appeared in the room along with a mage of Lanthanor, Daneel just said "We don't have a lot of time, so be quick," while continuing his pacing which he had started because of the frustration.

Norcet nodded and took a few moments before speaking, and his words had such an effect over everyone in the room that they could only just stare at him, as if he was out of his mind.

"My Lord, I saw an Axelorian mage, specifically one of those who is rumored to be an outsider, carry two female bodies inside a building in Olympia. I also caught a glimpse of the indoors, where there were more female bodies and more such soldiers."

Seeing the stares, Norcet felt nervous, so he felt the need to explain himself.

"During the chaos, I saw someone carrying the bodies and I followed. The zoom trinkets made it so that I didn't have to enter their scope of detection. I am sure of this, My Lord."

"Where?"

"Wha-"

Feeling his shoulders suddenly caught by the King who had just walked over quickly, Norcet was startled.

The King's face still had the disgust from hearing such a despicable thing, but there was also joy at having found an opportunity.

"Where did you see this?"

"Royal Quarters, building 98."

Barely a minute later, Norcet found himself feeling woozy as he was currently standing in the air far away from Olympia.

The King's hand was draped around his shoulder, and honestly, this was starting to make him feel a little uncomfortable.

However, if he knew just how elated the King was feeling at having found a vulnerability, he would have understood.

[Champion-level anti-detection trinket is actively cloaking the building's ground floor. Even the gold strain mosquitoes wouldn't be able to detect the humans inside unless they are very close. It is impossible even for peak Exalted Human Mages to detect even the existence of this trinket.]

Hearing the explanation from the system, Daneel understood exactly why no one had been able to uncover this place.

The mages had relied on simple spells before to direct all the people to the stadium, so they must have missed these individuals.

Now, the only question was what he was going to do about it.

Whoever was inside was doing inhuman things and they had to be caught, but everyone knew that their background made them people who weren't supposed to be messed with.

However, honestly, right now, Daneel didn't care.

He had a plan, but it was risky.

Chapter 353: Retribution 2

"Eloise, are you sure? Cassandra can do it! You don't need to risk yourself!"

Back in the private booth of Lanthanor, Daneel had two women standing in front of him both of whom were insisting that they wanted to be part of his plan.

One was Cassandra, who had apparently been controlling so much rage since she had heard about the actions going on inside the building that she had actually suggested doing…something to the genitals of those that she could get in her hands.

It had been a comment made in passing, but Daneel had caught it.

The other was Eloise, who, despite having top potential both as a mage and a fighter, hadn't had too much time to grow in power. She was still an Amateur Human fighter and mage, so she was practically a child when compared to those inside.

Besides, there was also another reason that Daneel was hesitating in the matter of whom to chose: whoever would be the one following his plan would be in a lot of risk, both right now and in the future, in case plans for revenge were made.

Frankly, he couldn't choose.

Cassandra was someone who had stood by his side steadfastly through everything, and she was a vital asset of Lanthanor.

As for Eloise, she was someone he treated as his sister, and her potential alone also made her very valuable to Lanthanor.

He was emphasizing on the latter part of both arguments, as he knew that it was a bad idea to bring personal feelings into it.

"All right, how about this. Can you guarantee that they don't have a way to find out that you're an Exalted Human Mage? If they do, everything would be lost! If you pick me, you have the most chance of success!"

This had been going on for a minute, and hearing this argument, Daneel sighed as she was actually right.

Hence, standing up, he made his decision.

...

Another minute later, Daneel and Cassandra had hidden themselves on the ground a kilometer away while holding zoom trinkets in their hands.

This nifty little trinket had actually become the thing which would be responsible for the undoing of those inside the building.

"How long do you think they will be?", asked Cassandra impatiently, but she knew that the King didn't have the answer.

"Probably soon. They must know that the barrier will come down, so they will mostly go out again before that happens. If it doesn't, it means that the entire plan is a bust."

Hoping against hope that this wouldn't be the case, the duo waited.

Meanwhile, Eloise, who was currently lying on the ground outside the building motionlessly, was trying hard to ignore the itch she was feeling on her back.

She had arranged herself so that she would look like she had fallen down while having no other option to do so, but her face was turned in an angle where no one passing by would miss her beauty.

This was exactly as she wanted, and as she heard a door open nearby, she knew that it was time.

She had volunteered for this mainly because she had grown up seeing many people being taken advantage of without having the chance to fight back.

Now, she had the chance to do something that would bring justice, and there was no way that she was going to pass it up.

"Whoa, whoa, how did I miss her?! Just grab that one over there, we gotta head back ASAP, cos we might have to start disposing of the bodies soon. Damn, this was fun! The Chief's boy wasn't kidding when he said the Central Continent is fun! Let's go! This one's mine!"

Hearing these words, Eloise tried not to put on a disgusted expression on her face.

However, when she felt her waist grabbed roughly, she couldn't help but move slightly.

"Wait, she moved."

"Dump her back then!"

"No, give me a second."

Suddenly, Eloise felt as if she was being dipped in water, and she almost shivered.

Thankfully, she managed to control the urge at the last moment.

"She's just an Amateur Human. Even if she wakes up, it'll just be more fun! Let's go!"

As Eloise heaved a sigh of relief inwardly, she felt herself being hoisted onto someone's shoulders.

Soon, the sound of a door opening could be heard, which was her cue.

"Wha-what?! Where am I? Oh, thank god, you're from Axelor! There were these big, bad insects…and then, I fell and hit my head! Where am I? OH MY GOD, WHO ARE ALL THESE WOMEN?!"

Hearing the scream at the end, even Daneel, who was listening to everything on the display trinket that was connected to the communication eye hidden in Eloise's hair, was startled.

However, what the men did next enraged him, and also made him say, "Do it. Connect it to the central display trinket."

Most of the citizens were still in the center of the stadium for safety, so when the central display trinket started to show something, it caught all of their attention.

"There is something that needs to be witnessed by the people of this continent. I must advise parents to close the ears of eyes of children, though."

Some were puzzled as to why the King was saying this, but when the image became clear, they gasped and did what they had been told.

Around a dozen naked female bodies were lying on the floor, and standing nearby were 4 individuals wearing the uniforms of the Kingdom of Axelor.

Hearing the scream, they had just turned around.

"Ooh, a new one! And she's actually the prettiest of them all! Where did you find her?"

"Wh-help! Wh-"

While the soldier who had picked her up put a vice-like arm on her mouth which muffled her screams, Eloise widened her eyes with shock on seeing the scene.

She wasn't faking the anger and desperation anymore, in fact, she was resisting the urge to hurl.

Although it wasn't that clear in the display trinket, she, who was right in front of the bodies, could tell what had been done to them.

Some were lifeless, but some were still breathing.

She wanted to break character and just attack, but she controlled herself.

She had one thing to do, and she was going to do it.

….

Meanwhile, the man whose idea it was to set up this whole thing had just walked out from a room inside which another body could be seen.

He had been a very frustrating day. Despite being the only son of a Champion-level chief, he had lost to a bunch of peasants!

Of course, he couldn't care less about the happy go lucky attitude of that top-knotted arsehole who kept saying that they had done their best.

Hence, when he saw someone actually set loose doom mosquitoes, he saw his chance.

Choosing a building and like-minded disciples, he covered it with a barrier that wouldn't be detected by anyone in the Central Continent.

The only vulnerability was the door, but frankly, he didn't care about any consequences right now.

He and his buddies had already used a secret narcotic herb to relieve them of their…stress, so when he brought up the idea of using the chaos to enjoy themselves, no one objected.

Right now, he was having the time of his life!

Hence, when he saw the prettiest girl yet screaming for help in front of him, he realized that his day would only get better.

He had been brought up while seeing his father break people, both physically and emotionally, and he loved doing the same.

So, when he heard the next question from the woman's mouth, he didn't hesitate to give an answer.

"Why are you doing this? You are Axelorian soldiers! You're supposed to protect us!"

"Oh, honey, we aren't from Axelor. They were too weak, so they asked us to help. We're just here for a good time. If you don't know what that means, that's all for the better!"

Hearing this, everyone in the stadium who hadn't heard of this yet gasped with shock.

Axelor had actually broken the rules and hired outsiders?

Seeing this, Daneel had a feeling that today was a weird day-Axelor was just taking his expectations and grinding them to dust.

First, he had expected resistance when he proposed a temporary alliance, but there had been none.

Now, he had thought that Eloise would have to do a lot to make this confession come from the perpetrator's mouth.

Yet, he had already gotten it!

Well, he wasn't one to question a good thing, and thankfully, Eloise wouldn't be harmed at all.

"Go. That was easy."

As Sister Xuan nodded with a smile and disappeared, Daneel and Cassandra once again appeared in the air.

Just the wide smile on the King of Lanthanor's face made it clear just how happy he was about what he was about to do.

Chapter 354: Retribution 3

BOOM!

As the loud sound reverberated throughout the room, Eloise and all the men in the room looked up.

"What? Who the hell managed to find us, and then have the gall to attack?!"

The attack was nowhere near enough to break through the barrier, but it meant that they had been 'caught in the act'.

However, they didn't know exactly how 'caught' they were.

"Ok…Ok. They can't see this. My old man would throw a fit! Kill her, and burn everything. Nothing should remain!"

As Daneel heard this on the other end, his face filled with that smile changed into one of panic.

"Sister Xuan! DO IT!"

BOOOOOOMMMMM!

Even before all of the words were out of his mouth, a much larger sound echoed throughout Olympia itself, as the barrier had temporarily been breached to allow two people inside.

"Go!"

With a shout, two lions that seemed to be made of ice that had apparently come out of nowhere jumped through the cloud of dust formed due to the impact from the breach.

The breaching had actually had the effect of ringing the inside of the building like a bell, so there was a split second of time when all of the people inside could only close their ears and scream.

That time was enough for one of the snow lions to knock the man back, and for another to grab Eloise by the cuff of her dress before quickly dragging her out.

The breach had actually managed to destroy the entire ground floor of the building due to the impact, so the entire structure started to collapse.

However, Daneel sighed a relief when he saw the view from Eloise's communication eye quickly change to show the scene from the outside.

She was saved!

This was the worst case that Daneel had talked to Sister Xuan with: if the perpetrators panicked after the revelation that they had been found dawned on them, it might make them take drastic measures such as killing all those around them.

Yet, Sister Xuan had promised him that she would make sure to save Eloise even if that happened.

Daneel hadn't had any doubts as he believed in the woman, but still, seeing her keep her end of the deal, he sighed with relief.

The rest of the women were also safe, because as the dust settled, it was revealed that the inside of the first floor was intact due to the barrier regenerating almost instantly after the snow lion managed to get Eloise yet.

It was a Champion-level one, after all, and although Sister Xuan had used another sect-protecting treasure(less valuable than the healing one from before, at least), the barrier was powerful enough to mend itself.

While all this was going on, the people gathered in the stadium were still watching.

They were all squinting their eyes in a bid to find out what happened to the culprits, and many were actually rooting for the possibility that the building collapse killed everyone.

To them, all the women had looked lifeless.

And someone who would do such horrible things…did not deserve to live.

However, when they saw that the inside was unharmed, they felt frustration.

Yet, something was different.

"Its done."

As Daneel got this message from Sister Xuan, a wide smile came on his face.

"Proceed with plan: 'Retribution'. Make sure its random, but the main one should have…special treatment."

[Sending commands. Bodypart Severance underway.]

Bodypart Severance.

Ah, that sounded so good.

Only, it wasn't so good for those inside the barrier.

At some point in time, it seemed that a few red-gold mosquitoes had managed to enter the barrier when it was breached.

At this moment, when they started to come back to their senses, these mosquitoes shot through the air at a blinding speed before attaching themselves to different body parts of different people.

There were 7 individuals in total, and they all started to jump around in pain when they realized what was happening.

They all seemed to be mouthing something, but the barrier blocked sound from going outside, so no one understood what it was.

Yet, some posited that the word 'Doom' kept coming out of their mouths, so they thought that it was because they thought they were doomed.

These were all top-tier mages, so when the panic faded, they quickly cast their strongest spells to get rid of the mosquitoes.

However, this was when the true horror began.

"Chief, are you all right? It was someone from the Big 4! They should pay! And how did the doom mosquitoes get in?! And-"

"SHUT UP!"

The man who had started everything, and also the one responsible for many missing cases in the Black Raven Kingdom, shouted these words in a voice filled with terror and panic.

He was called 'chief' because his dad was one, but right now, there was nothing 'chiefly' about him.

This was because he was the only one who hadn't cast a spell yet to get rid of the mosquito on him, mainly because it had attached itself to a very…crucial part.

He had been doing the act all day, so he hadn't bothered to wear protective gear inside.

Clearly, this had come back to bit him on his head.

The others, who noticed this, fell silent and felt thankful that the same hadn't happened to them.

"Ok, take it easy, Chief. They aren't very strong, a single Exalted Human level spell is easy to take them out. Just cast a compressed air blade and cut the sucker in half."

These words from one of the men served to make him calm down, and he nodded before casting the spell.

ZZZIIIPPP

Just like the man had said, it was smooth, and the mosquito was cut in half.

As half of its body fell to the floor, he gingerly removed the one still attached to his skin.

All of the mosquitoes were dead, and realizing this, smiles started to come on their faces, which started to really irritate all the citizens who were watching.

"Is that it? I thought you said-"

"Wait for it."

This irritation was also felt by Sister Xuan, who couldn't resist but send a message to the King.

And just at the moment when Daneel said these words, chaos broke loose inside the barrier.

7 people. 7 organs.

All started to go dead, completely, with their owners having no feeling of them whatsoever.

One lost a leg, another lost an arm, and yet another even lost a hip, making him fall down.

All of them were screaming, but none could compare with the terror-filled look that came on the face of the man who was responsible for everything.

Liquid started to leak into his pants, as it started to become clear to everyone that he had lost control of a very important part.

Initially, it was just horror, but it then turned into such a look of desperation and pain that some even started to pity the man before they looked around to see all the female bodies that were still lying there.

Meanwhile, Daneel's wide smile had turned slightly sinister, but he didn't care.

He hated them. He hated them to the bone. And if it were up to him, he would rip their hearts out.

However, he still had a shred of sense. Sister Xuan had told him that they belonged to the higher echelons of the Big 4, but he had known this even without her having to mention it.

Even then, there was no way that he was leaving them alone.

Those women might not be his citizens, but they were all someone's mothers, someone's wives, someone's daughters.

They deserved any justice that they could get, and there would be nothing worse than letting the perpetrators get away scot-free.

Hence, he had planned this, and seeing it play out, the satisfaction filled him completely.

However, at the same time, he was disgusted by the Big 4 right now. He had seen both sides of it in these men and in Sister Xuan, but any organization that had rotted so much that it allowed such depraved behavior might no longer need to exist, in his opinion.

Thoughts like these were dangerous. So he shelved them. But only for now.

"Excellent job! How were they so effective?"

CRRRRAACCKKKKK

On a day where everyone felt like there could be no more surprises, it looked like there was one more waiting for them.

Out of nowhere, the humongous barrier above cracked, and like a meteor that was spewing blood instead of fire, a body crashed to the ground in the stadium.

Along with that body was a spherical barrier which was somehow still intact, and inside it were 5 bodies of the most important individuals in the Central Continent.

"Finally! Let's get the job done! Damn egg-headed bastard."

As these words were heard from above, Daneel looked up to see the two Knights of the Church look at the 5 bodies as if they were prey.

Chapter 355: 1 Second

"What?! Lucas's barrier went down?! Xuan, try to protect the rulers and his body! We only need 1 minute! But whatever you do, DO NOT endanger your own life!"

Even while Xuan heard this message from the Matron, she was hurrying to the King's side.

Daneel was currently in the air between the knights and the spot on the ground where the bodies had landed, so he was practically in the way.

Seeing Xuan quickly teleport to that spot and put up a barrier, Daneel frowned with worry.

This was bad.

These &^%(*&( from the Church clearly wanted to kill the rulers, and the only thing standing between them and their goal was that barrier of Xuan's.

However, he had a sinking feeling that it wouldn't last very long.

"King Daneel! We only need to hold on for 1 minute! Help is on the way! Please help me protect this man and the bodies of the rulers!"

CRACK

"ARRRGHHH!"

Clearly, those from the Church weren't the type of people to stand around when they had the opportunity.

Right now, they had just passed through the barrier set up by Xuan, but they were stopped by another one that had just come up.

After they had made their attack, Daneel had gotten a glimpse of them.

Their clothes were completely covered with blood, and both had parts of their limbs missing.

One was even missing an eye, while the other's head looked like it was bashed in.

The sight made Daneel feel startled. These were injuries that would kill any Exalted Human! How were these men still standing?

The obvious explanation was: they were out of his league.

The seconds seemed to be ticking slowly, as Xuan was taking out barrier after barrier. Even though the two were taking a little bit of time to break each one, the worrying fact was that they did not seem to be having any difficulty.

If he wanted to help, the time was now.

However, he was only a clone.

"Xuan, how powerful are these people?"

"Pseudo-Champion level-they are beyond Warriors, but not Champions yet. King Daneel, you can forget about using soldiers or teamwork. Even if they are injured, no matter how many soldiers band together, they will just be cut down. I'm running out of barriers! I can only hold on for 20 seconds!"

Indeed, she had read his mind.

He had been thinking about whether deploying the Domination Corps would do any good, but against such a large power difference, they would just be crushed.

Hence, he only had one thing left, and although he was loth to use it, he had no other choice unless he wanted to die.

Daneel had kept this option in his mind since the very moment he had heard the words from those from the Church, but he had held back knowing that Sister Xuan would act.

Now, he stepped forward in the air with a smile and raised both his hands in the air.

Well, if he was going to do it, then it was going to be grand.

…..

"DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT! BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK!"

Outside the secondary barrier set up by the individuals from the Church, the Matron and Marcus were standing around and waiting for the team of mages in front of them to finish their work.

All of these mages were standing in a circle with their hands raised, while a spear similar to the one used by the Matron before floated in front of them.

However, this short spear was made of a different material, looking more refined with sharp edges.

The one who was pacing around while saying these words in frustration and occasionally kicking the barrier was Marcus, while the Matron was standing on the side with an expression that showed that she was resisting the urge to do the same.

With gritted teeth, she asked, "How much longer?!"

"40 seconds, ma'am. With all due respect, I must inform you that asking every 5 seconds will not make it work faster."

Now, she felt like the bashing in the face of this head mage.

Yet, being the head of the team which comprised entirely of Warrior Mages, the Matron wondered whether she could even do it.

Right now, she couldn't help but distract herself with thoughts like these so that she wouldn't be faced with images of her star disciple killed.

She had told the girl to prioritize her own life, but knowing her character, she definitely wouldn't do so.

"Nearing breach point. The opaqueness property of this barrier has been compromised."

As she heard this from the head mage, the Matron immediately cast a spell to magnify her vision.

As a Champion level entity, she could even see a fly 200 kilometers away if she wished. Hence, it was a piece of cake to view what was happening in the stadium after teleporting into the air.

Marcus saw her go, but he was honestly afraid of what they might see.

He couldn't bear to lose his son, and if that was the reality, he wanted to stay in this bliss of not knowing for as long as possible.

However, if he really were a coward, he wouldn't have been able to train to his level.

Hence, putting on an expression of determination, he teleported beside the Matron but looked away.

"Just…tell me if he's dead. I can take it from you."

He forced out these words, but hearing no response, he said in an angry tone, "Why aren't you-!"

He had turned around mid-sentence to confront the Matron, but he had frozen as he saw something which chilled him to the bone.

Dragon claws.

Dragon claws that looked so realistic, that if he ignored a couple of details, they would be an exact replica of the images he had seen in their records.

4 claws were currently assaulting two people on the ground from multiple directions, and although the men, being Pseudo-Champion level individuals, launched devastating attacks that would even destroy a Warrior, the claws kept regenerating and attacking again and again.

Only after getting over the shock and looking closer did Marcus realize that each claw was made of thousands of mosquitoes.

These mosquitoes were a red-gold color, which was coincidentally the exact shade of the legendary dragon whose image he had seen before.

Each claw seemed to be comprised of layers and layers of mosquitoes, as whenever an attack was going to hit, the claw changed form to either form a hole or go on the defensive, which exposed its insides.

Even when a claw was destroyed by a sudden inferno or tornado, the individual mosquitoes would just disperse and come back together.

"She…was right. He's controlling the doom mosquitoes, and that too so intricately. How the hell does he know the correct structure of a dragon claw anyway?"

The structure of a dragon claw was something that had come to be after meticulous honing by the dragon race, leading it to have maximum power in as many combat situations as possible.

Clearly, this man was utilizing all of those principles, and this was actually the main reason why the claws were persisting for so long against the onslaught.

That, and the fact that the two from the Church seemed to be severely fatigued.

If there was a fire attack, the 3 fingered claw would use one edge to, sort of, fan away the flames. If it was a barrier, the ridges on the back and the sharp edges could effectively pierce through. If it was ice…

Like this, every elementary particle had some counter, and although the entire power of attacks wasn't ablated, it helped to a large degree.

How was it possible for the one controlling the mosquitoes to have such a thorough understanding of the anatomy of a dragon's claw?

Marcus gave the answer after thinking for a bit.

"Remember, he's from Lanthanor, the land of- never mind. If it weren't for that damn empire spirit, Angaria would have much better chances. I-"

"Not now. 10 seconds left. And the mosquitoes are all dying."

As Marcus shut up and focused again, he saw that it was indeed a losing fight.

Although the mosquitoes were large and numbered in the tens of thousands, they were being killed too quickly.

As the two waited to jump in, Daneel had a frustrated expression on his face.

He had been happy that the day was over, but these bastards had jumped in threatening his life.

And now, with just one second left for those outside to break through, it seemed that it might be their victory.

At this moment, a single curse sounded in Daneel's mind, knowing that it was time for the last trump card.

F@^$@G EXP!

"Purchase and deploy 1 magic-less spell. Spell: Domineering Gaze."

[Spell purchased and deployed]

"KNEEL BEFORE THE KING!"

Startling everyone, Daneel shouted these words at the two from the Church.

Their smiles disappeared, and as they unwittingly looked into the eyes of the King of Lanthanor, they felt two mountains descend on their backs.

It was only for a second, but it was enough.

On this day, Daneel did something that made everyone watching from the Big 4 raise their eyebrows with shock.

He made the Church of Rectitude, kneel.

Chapter 356: Aftermath 1

"Sir? Sir! Can we have a word? Could you please describe in detail whatever you were talking about?"

"Oh, that? Of course! IT'S THE MOST AMAZING THING I'VE EVER SEEN! One second, those two bad men were doing 'BOOM! POW!' on those barriers, and it looked like they were gonna win! I saw the look on the face of the pretty lady inside, and I NEVER miss a pretty lady! But after that, after that, HAHAHA, I can't say it, I can't say it! Guys, help me out!"

"KNEEL BEFORE THE KING!"

As the reporter heard these words shouted by the group of 10 people in front of him, he had no option but to step back, startled.

"YEAH! But when he said it, you know, it was…man, it was something else. I wanted to kneel, too! Well, a little bit, but it went away in a second. Anyway, after the King said that in that…AWESOME way, THOSE TWO JUST KNEELED! It was amazing! We were all thinking they were baddies that no one could beat! BUT THEY JUST KNEELED! After that, that dome thingy outside broke, and a man and a woman stepped out of thin air-YES, THIN AIR! And put their hands above those two! Then, those two were taken away, and also that baldy who was all bloody. That's it, right, boys?"

"Hey Roy, you forgot what happened to the King!"

"Oh ya, the King! A group of like 8 guys, with serious-lookin faces, came outta nowhere and surrounded the King. He disappeared then, too. Poof, just like that. Gone. We come from a farm, you know, so-"

"Thank you! That will be enough! Have a nice day!"

Quickly stepping away from this group, the reporter held up a trinket to his mouth and said, "That's the report from the scene! Stay tuned for more updates! What happened to the King? Is he alright? Who won the event? We can all find the answers together, after you hear all about the new brand H&D Garments and Designs! My colleague tells me they made all the clothes for the Olympics, so you should definitely check them out! This is Avery, and you are listening to the Network of Angaria, live from the scene of the Olympics!"

As the program shifted to a commercial, Faxul slammed his palms on the table in front of him in frustration.

Wait, he had meant to slam his palms.

"Eli, YOU SAID THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY SIDE EFFECTS!"

As he screamed this in his mind, a voice replied.

"Calm down, Faxul! It's temporary, it'll go away! Focus on finding your friend first! You should have seen that moment! I mean, seen it with elementary vision! Well, you were a Raven, so of course you couldn't. I was awake, even though that baldy tried to knock me out by reaching through to the space pocket I was hiding in. He didn't…control the particles! HIS WORDS MOVED THEM!"

"Ok."

Hearing the lackluster response from his partner, Eli, the Protector Raven of the Black Raven Kingdom, went nuts.

"YOU DOLT! OK?! ANY MAGE WOULD BE GOING CRAZY! WAIT TILL WE GET BACK TO THE KINGDOM, I'M DOUBLING YOUR MAGE TRAINING!"

"Pfft. You're not the boss of me."

"Oh, WE WILL SEE. SQUAK!"

Hearing the 'Squak' at the end in his mind which meant that Eli was really pissed, Faxul decided to keep his mouth shut.

He couldn't help it.

After that awe-inducing sight that had silenced the continent itself, Daneel had been taken away by a team of mages, while the culprits also seemed to have been apprehended by those from the Big 4.

Of course, secretive as they were, they hadn't spoken to anyone from the Central Continent, and even Sister Xuan, Daneel's liaison with the Big 4, was missing.

Hence, the people were just waiting around, discussing what they had seen, while even the commanders of Lanthanor were going crazy due to the fact that their King was missing.

….

Meanwhile, at a location 3 kilometers under the surface of the Black Raven Kingdom.

"Is this really necessary?"

"Yes, IT'S NECESSARY! This kid just made two pseudo-Champion level individuals kneel in front of him! By casting a spell without using a mageroot! WHEN HE IS JUST AN EXALTED HUMAN! Don't any of those ring any bells?"

This location was shaped like a rectangular box with one long walkway on one side and 4 rooms of various sizes on the other.

Each grew in size, where the first one could hold 1 person and the last could hold 10.

However, one thing that was common among all of them was that they all seemed to have some sort of locking mechanisms on one side.

Indeed, they were prison cells.

As these words said by the head mage of the 'pierce' team echoed through the walkway, the Matron, who had asked the question, closed her mouth but grumbled beneath her breath.

She and Marcus were standing side by side, with their hands still outstretched, as they were currently restraining the two culprits from the Church.

They were on one side of the walkway, and on the other were the team of 8 mages who all similarly had their hands aloft, with the King of Lanthanor in their midst.

"Fine. But I've already verified him once. He has an inheritance. If I see you getting jealous, I will take you to the Central Court myself. Watch yourself."

Saying so, the Matron kicked open the second door, which could hold 3 people.

Clouds of dust flew up due to her kick, but they were suctioned away by some unseen force.

Seeing this, Marcus said, "So many centuries have gone by, but these still work like a charm. What a wonder."

"There's a reason we study the work of our ancestors to learn. Close the door. Do you think the young King will be OK?"

"After that warning, definitely. I'm just worried about…"

As Marcus's voice trailed off, the Matron looked at him with a worrisome expression.

"Lucas will be fine. Now then…"

"OW! YOU UNCIVILIZED PIGS! HOW DARE YOU…ok, ok, calm down now, we are valuable assets…"

As a solid metal blade that had just appeared in the air above one of the culprit's genitals hovered dangerously close, his tone changed from one of anger to compromise.

Yet, hearing this, both Marcus and the Matron actually chuckled before closing the door.

"No, you're not. At least, to the Church, you're useless throwaways, stuck at the same level for years. If you had accomplished your mission, maybe, you could have gotten that drug to make you Champions! So, let's stop pretending like you are important. Now then. Just spit out whatever you can without dying. I have a different place to get to."

If anyone saw the casual way in which the Matron said these words, they would have been shocked.

After all, these individuals belonged to the Church, which was the sworn enemy of Angaria.

Where was the anger? Where was the vehemence? Where was the raw energy in the air?

The answer was spelled out by the culprit in response.

"Just because you caught a lot of us in the past doesn't mean you can brush the Church off! We are the-"

On hearing the same old pride which she had already gotten sick of, the Matron just let the knife drop.

She had seen the visuals before of that ghastly building, and what those people who were in reality from the Big 4 had done.

She couldn't do anything to them, but she felt the need to…lop off some organs.

SPLAT

"YOU CRAZY BITCH! YOU COULD HAVE ASKED ONCE AGAIN!"

"Tell me now, or I'll keep cutting it off no matter how many times it grows back."

"All right, all right! We were ordered to kill the rulers at all costs, and also to cripple any seeds if possible! The event also had to be interrupted! That's all I can say!'

Knowing that this was true, the Matron and Marcus opened the door and were about to walk out.

However, they stopped when they heard a voice filled with raw rage come from the other man, who had stayed silent till now.

Hearing him, even the first man's expression of pain changed to one of anger.

"Who…had the gall to make US kneel? To make the CHURCH kneel?"

At this, Marcus and the Matron actually looked at each other, and a small smile was on their faces.

As they racked through their memories, they realized that this was, in fact, the first major victory that they had obtained against the Church in a long time.

And there couldn't have been a better time to get it.

Hence, with wide smiles, both of them said together "Daneel, the King of Lanthanor," before walking out and shutting the door behind them.

Meanwhile, in the last room down the hallway, the man in question had just regained his consciousness, and he found himself surrounded by 8 strange men who were all glaring at him.

After a moment of silence, a barrage of questions assaulted him, and it was all he could do to control himself and not say "SHUT UP."

Chapter 357: Aftermath 2

Daneel was in a bind.

Really, he was in a big, big bind.

For once, he had no countermeasures or plans in place to handle the situation right now.

He was in some underground room, and there were 8 Warrior-level mages around him.

No matter what he did, there was no way that he could break through them and escape.

Even if he did, where did that leave his Kingdom? His people?

No, there had to be some way to solve this.

"QUIET!"

As a man shouted this and silenced the room, Daneel looked up and felt like thanking him.

He was clearly the leader of this team, as it seemed that everyone else deferred to him.

"King Daneel, I'll be clear with you. According to the rules and laws set down in the Accords, I do not have the authority to harm you in any way. It is also law that no one can ask about or demand information on one's inheritance, but there are…other things that can be done. For instance, we can spread a rumor that you have a Hero-level inheritance; something that has never been seen on this continent. That WILL pull out all the hermits in hiding, and you won't have a moment of peace. But, on the other hand, if you accept a small request of ours, we can tell everyone that your inheritance is simply Warrior-level, and that that display from before had been a fluke because you were worried about having your real body destroyed. Not everyone will believe it, but it will give you some time to grow stronger. Now, how does that sound?"

Right now, Daneel was in an iron cell, with his body completely bound.

He could only move his neck, and as he looked around, he saw the ravenous expressions on the faces of the mages around him, as if they wanted to devour him whole.

Yes, casting magic without using a mageroot was awesome and unprecedented, but did it require this much interest from a bunch of Warriors?

Clearly, Daneel had underestimated its importance.

He had only found out about it before the tournament began, as he had had a doubt that there might be some forces that would try to derail everything.

Hence, for safety, he had gone through all the available skills in the system with a fine-tooth comb.

After all, new skills kept being unlocked without his knowledge, so he had not wished to be unaware of anything that might help him at a crucial juncture.

It was then that he had found out a specific skill in the library that had amazed him.

[Mageroot-less Magic: 1 Spell.

Cost: 20,000 EXP for Human level spell, 50,000 EXP for Warrior level spell(only base level is counted, not the level reached after modifications by system).

Description: By progressing steadily on the path of magic, host has unlocked the ability to learn and cast a spell without needing to use mageroot. This has been derived from all the spells and information that host has collected so far.

Clues and indications found in various texts have shown that mageroot-less casting of spells is the key to entering the Champion realm.

After this was established, a sub-routine in system was triggered which has resulted in the unlocking of this skill.]

It had all sounded very mystical, and Daneel had been so captivated with it that he had been tempted to use it then and there.

After all, just the notion of being able to cast a spell without using the mageroot was so…magical.

However, his limited EXP had stopped him, and he had vowed to get back to it as soon as he had enough.

Of course, it had still been on his mind, hence, at that moment when all had almost been lost, he hadn't hesitated to use it.

Yet, now, he found himself in this situation.

What was he supposed to do? Revealing the system was, of course, out of the question.

And if he wanted to bluff about inheritances, he didn't know one bit about them.

What were they? How did one find them? How did they work?

Without having the answers to these questions, it was foolish to think about trying to fool those in front of him.

As the silence stretched on for a few seconds, the team leader's face took on an expression of frustration.

Daneel had been looking down while in deep thought, so when he suddenly spotted something in the corner of his eye and turned to his right, his eyes widened with shock.

His right hand, which had been hanging at his side all this while, was shriveling in front of his eyes.

While he watched, wrinkles came on the skin and the entire arm became smaller and smaller, as if someone was sucking all the muscle, tissue and water out of it.

In a few seconds, all that was left was the bone, and even this became dust and disappeared.

In the end, only a stump remained.

Daneel opened his mouth in a soundless scream.

The worst thing was that he still couldn't feel a thing!

The system was saying something in his head, but he was too fixated on that stump, so he couldn't comprehend anything else.

Even magic would take a long time to heal something like this, and even if it did, there would be a major drop in his power as a Fighter.

Hopelessness and desperation.

These feelings filled him, and he wished that he was powerful enough to kill all of these 8 mages in one go.

Alas, he was just an Exalted Human who was at their whim.

Frustration and rage accompanied the other two feelings as he looked up.

BANG

As the door of the cell was kicked open by a man who looked similar to the bald-headed one from before, Daneel felt something…change.

"Avery, stop it. I could report you for this."

As Marcus calmly said these words, Daneel once again looked to his side, and the shock in him returned with greater intensity when he saw that his arm was back to normal.

It had all been…an illusion.

Unable to believe it, Daneel stared, before finally realizing that the system had been saying something.

[Host's brainwaves have been affected by a spell. Host is under illusion. Please upgrade the system to nullify the illusion.]

He was right. It had been fake.

Realizing this, Daneel narrowed his eyebrows and looked at the team leader.

Clearly, the man's plan had been to break him so that he could extract whatever information he wanted.

However, he was naïve if he thought that that small scare would be enough.

Hearing Marcus's words, the team leader retorted in an angry tone, "Marcus, you have no right-"

"THAT'S LORD MARCUS TO YOU! Your work here is done. The culprits have been imprisoned, and you had no reason to apprehend this individual. You are out of line. Take your team and get out."

These words made the team leader fume with rage, but after a few seconds of silence, he just said "Disperse" before teleporting away along with his team.

However, at the last moment before he disappeared, he shot a look filled with rage at Daneel, making it clear that they were not done.

In response, Daneel also glared at him, as if to say 'bring it on'.

A team of Warrior mages was impossible to handle, but against one, he had his own tricks.

"Now then, King Daneel. Like I said, I was looking forward to speaking with you. So, tell me. First, how were you able to take control of the doom mosquitoes, which almost annihilated Angaria long ago? Second, how were you able to cast a spell, that too, a Warrior-level one, without using your mageroot? This is a feat that only an extremely talented peak Warrior level mage would be able to do, and that too, only if they are just one step away from breaking through to being a Champion. Don't try to bluff. I ignored your inheritance before, but I need to know now, for the good of Angaria. Speak."

Daneel had thought that he had been saved, but hearing this speech from the Matron who had just closed the door, he realized that he had landed from the frying pan into the fire.

"System, is there anything you analyzed that can help me out?"

The system was always actively scanning anything and everything he saw, so he asked this question out of desperation.

However, hearing its answer, one corner of his lip turned up, as he realized that he might have found a way out.

Ignoring the Matron, he looked at the bald-headed man in the room who had been called 'Marcus'.

Obviously, he was related in some way to that man who had collapsed in the stadium before.

Daneel wished that he had more information to judge this man, but right now, all he could do was gamble.

Hence, with no other option, he tossed the dice.

"I don't know exactly how you are related to the one who collapsed in the stadium, but I would like to propose a deal. I want to keep my secrets, and I also want to be protected in case someone tries to uncover them, like that team leader just now. In return, I will make it so that that man isn't crippled anymore."

"Wh-what? Lucas? Crippled? It can't be!"

"Why don't you check on that?"

Chapter 358: Disqualified

"What's the condition? How is he?"

As Marcus went to the side and started to send a few messages, the Matron glared at Daneel but kept her mouth shut.

Daneel, on the other hand, had heaved a sigh of relief on seeing that it was at least possible for his plan to work.

According to the system, when the man who had been called 'Lucas' had landed on the ground, he had been scanned.

Apparently, those from the Church had used some kind of method to injure his mageroot.

According to the system, there was no way to mend it.

The only reason that Daneel had any chance of healing it, was because of his earlier gift from the Church: The Tenebrous Flame.

The system had said that the principles used to injure the mageroot were similar, so it was possible for him to reverse the damage using the tenebrous flame itself.

It was like a screw which had been loosened by a wrench to make something important stop working. The screw was the mageroot, and the wrench was whatever method the two from the Church had used. If one wanted to fix it, they needed the same wrench, which, in this case, was Daneel's tenebrous flame.

However, as he watched the Matron's expression, something dawned on him.

She wasn't frustrated at the possibility that he wouldn't be giving her her answer.

No.

She had a smug look on her face!

What could it mean?

As Daneel asked himself this question, Marcus walked in front of him.

He still couldn't move his body, so he had to angle his neck up to see the bald hulking man.

"Kid, I don't know where your confidence comes from, or what you expected, but it's not as simple as you proposing a deal and me accepting it and defending you from the Big 4. If you imagined that, you're naïve."

Wait…wasn't it supposed to be like that?

Daneel's idea had come from many novels that he had read, in which the protagonist would get help from some powerful oldie by giving or promising something that he desired.

Did things not work that way? Or was he not the protagonist?

Either way, Marcus's next words startled him.

"Lucas's mageroot is disabled, but we have a way to fix him. What, did you think you were capable of doing something that the millennia of accumulated resources and knowledge of the Big 4 can't? Again, naïve."

The Matron's smile got wider and wider when she heard this from Marcus, and Daneel now understood why she had been smiling in the first place.

It was the sadistic happiness that came from seeing someone's confident plan be crushed.

Indeed, Daneel had gotten used to making plans and seeing them work.

Clearly, in the matter of the Big 4, at least right now, he was out of his league.

Frankly, he felt irritated.

For once, he felt like he had had enough of conserving his strength. Hiding, like a rat, in front of everyone.

His gut feeling was something that had allowed him to live till now. And it now told him that he wasn't taking the wrong decision.

It told him that Marcus could be trusted, and although the Matron had spoken in that way, judging by her previous interactions and everything that Sister Xuan had said about her, she was also not someone vile like that team leader before.

Opening his mouth, he decided to declare that it was all raw talent.

That he had done it by himself, and that there was no inheritance.

The worst case was that he would have to run, but it would still be better than unveiling the system and confirming that possibility of him having to run.

Yet, before he had a chance to speak, Marcus sighed and said something that shocked both Daneel and the Matron.

"You have 6 months. For those 6 months, I will protect you from everyone including the woman standing there. But after that, you're on your own. Hell, maybe even I will come after you. I don't need anything in return. So those tall claims of curing my crippled son, keep them to yourself. Just don't waste your time. You're on a clock. Frankly, I don't know what you'll do in those 6 months that will allow you to grow strong enough to defend against all the crazy people who will start coming after you. But I. don't. care. Use it however you want. Now, get out of her."

Towards the end, Marcus even started rambling, as if he himself wasn't very sure of his decision.

However, he flicked his hand, making Daneel vanish from the prison along with that startled expression on his face.

…..

Back in the stadium, things had progressed too quickly, leaving everyone shocked and restless.

Everyone knew the King was missing, as was evident by the panicking Lanthanorean soldiers who kept looking everywhere.

Hence, when the King of Lanthanor re-appeared in the same spot in the center of the stadium from where he had disappeared from, everyone froze with surprise.

What was strange was that their surprise was mirrored on the King's face, who had to take a few moments to compose himself before returning to his usual kingly manner.

This was his original body, which had become conscious like the other rulers' body after the 2 individuals from the Big 4 had apprehended those from the Church.

Hence, after settling his mind and putting the gaping question regarding what the hell had just happened, Daneel cast a spell and rose up in the air.

It was time to do something he had been looking forward to for a long time.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I know that it has been a very traumatic time for you all. Believe me, there is no one who regrets this unfortunate incident more than me, and when I saw that the culprits will be brought to justice, you can believe that it will happen.

"Whoever they were, they tried to undermine the spirit of the continent by ruining this event. Do you think we should let them have that victory?"

When the calm and confident voice of the King echoed throughout the stadium, all those who had been panicking heaved sighed of reliefs before looking up.

There he stood, the man of the hour, who had made two powerful figures who seemed undefeatable, kneel to him.

As he stood in the air and addressed everyone, a measure of peace set over the stadium even while healers were rushing to all the bodies spread everywhere and resuscitating them.

There were no more barriers, so there was nothing stopping the main forces of Kingdoms from entering Olympia and the stadium. However, healers from all the Kingdoms had been given priority, as they needed to save all the people who were affected by the mosquitoes.

"NOOOO!"

As a singular response echoed everywhere, Daneel took a deep breath and waved his hand.

The central display trinket had been trashed during the fight below due to the aftershocks, so he made large glowing words appear in the air that were visible to all those standing even outside the stadium.

First, the names Lanthanor, Axelor and Eldinor came into being, with the first being the largest.

As many got disgusted expressions on their faces on remembering the scenes they had seen before, a large cross cut across the name of Axelor, removing it from the air.

"That's what I thought. We are going to end the event like nothing happened to stop it! So, without further ado, let me announce the results! For breaking the rules and using outside help, Axelor is disqualified from the Olympics. If Axelor has any objection, I request them to file a complain which will be investigated."

"Serves them right!"

"Despicable Axelorians!"

"Go rot, you cheaters!"

As shouts like these began to be heard, the name of Arafell came into being below Eldinor.

It had been a very long day, and Daneel was in no mood to stretch things.

Simultaneously asking the system to show the satisfaction level, Daneel made the announcement which ended the first Olympics of the continent of Angaria.

"As the organizer, I am proud to announce that my Kingdom, Lanthanor, has won the prestigious Olympics! There will be an award ceremony tomorrow, where the leaders of the teams of each Kingdom will be felicitated. Thank you all for-"

As Daneel continued his rousing speech amid the shouts of "LAN-THA-NOR", a light shone in a room tucked away on the academy grounds in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Chapter 359: Golden Ligh

Back in the now-empty underground room save for Marcus and the Matron, the latter was looking at the former while waiting for an explanation.

Marcus could clearly sense this, but he silently stood and stared into space for a few minutes.

He seemed to be trying hard to control his emotions, and as someone who had known him for decades, the Matron could sense this.

Finally, unable to handle her curiosity any more, the Matron opened her mouth and said, "Mar-"

"He saved Lucas."

Interrupted in this way, the Matron first frowned for a little while.

Then, she said, "He was just saving his own body. Besides, Lucas saved him from the Church for that much time. There is no debt, Marcus. Don't take this upon yourself. You know how important power is for us right now. The accords say we must not meddle with the Central Continent, but this is definitely an exception. Y-"

BANG

Marcus was still standing in the same spot, but a loud sound reverberated in the room, as if someone had punched the metal door or wall hard.

This made the Matron stop speaking and notice that her companion's face had now turned a shade of red.

"When I asked about whether he was crippled, they told me that he was one second away from death. One second, Matron. If he hadn't exposed his secret and given us that second, I would be bereft of a son and Angaria would have one less talented seed to protect it. Both Angaria and I owe him. You know the old ways and the accords are very strict about debts. Yes, many do not honor them anymore. But both I, and the High Council do. I only gave him my word after communicating with them. You also think too narrowly. Do you think those old fogies weren't watching? And do you think they are any less interested than you in what he has?"

After hearing the words 'High Council', an ashen expression had come on the Matron's face.

Her eyebrows narrowed, she asked, "What else did they say? And don't tell me it's only about the debt."

At this, Marcus actually sighed and looked down, as if there was a weight on his shoulders which made even him bend.

Debt.

A concept that would become more and more important the further one rose on the path of power.

And also the reason behind why all those who wished to train in the Big 4, except for a few exceptions, were barred from interacting with the Central Continent.

However, for those old monsters, just like the Matron had said, this wasn't the only reason.

"They also want me to find out how someone from the Central Continent was able to obtain Doom Mosquitoes. And, more importantly, how someone was able to develop a way to control those Doom Mosquitoes, even if it seems as if these golden ones were just a weak strain. And-"

As Marcus took a pause, the Matron chuckled and said, "And they want to accomplish the same thing as I, don't they."

With another heavy sigh, he looked at her for a second and nodded before saying, "I have to try and find out with certainty what level of inheritance he has. I also have to keep an eye on Lanthanor, as there has been news of an upcoming alliance with another Kingdom. The High Council does not want to history to repeat."

At the last words, a grimace came on the Matron's face.

"So it's possible he's that precious? It's been 400 years, but my old hag of a master still laments about the woman who showed talent and evidence of an inheritance that shocked Angaria itself, but was lost because of the hasty actions of those in charge then. She always said that if that case had been handled well, we might not even have had to fear the Church right now. I thought it was just a far-fetched story. Anyway, it seems you have your work cut out for you. Need my help?"

"Clearly, it's not. No thanks, I'm supposed to be on my own. After seeing you before, I don't even trust you to control yourself, especially after what I just told you. Leave. I'll be traveling to Lanthanor alone."

As if her plan had been foiled, the Matron humphed before shooting a glare at Marcus and disappearing.

Finding himself alone in the room, the bald, hulking man took out a display trinket from his pocket.

As it activated, a picture of a man with a child on his shoulders appeared.

After caressing the child's face with his fingers for a few seconds, he put it away before disappearing from the prison.

…..

[Satisfaction Level: 26%

Dissatisfaction Level: 30%

Milestone Reached. 10,000 EXP awarded.

Total Exp: 33,000

Next Milestone: 30% Satisfaction Level.

Award: 50,000 EXP]

As Daneel stood in the Lanthanor's private booth for what was mostly the last time, he asked the system to repeat the notification it had sent after his speech had concluded.

The Olympics had been a smashing success, and no matter what he said towards the end, it wouldn't have made much of a difference.

This was why he hadn't focused much on the specifics on his speech, instead opting to keep it simple.

After announcing the results and thanking everyone for participating, he had concluded it, and he had had to try his absolute best not to gasp with shock the moment this notification had sounded in his mind.

His goal had been to increase it from 19% to hopefully 20%, as that was the milestone that had been marked by the system.

Earlier, even after taking a lot of measures such as establishing the school and setting up the healer's institute, he hadn't seen much of an increase.

Of course, there had also been the matter of that massacre, but still, seeing a massive 7% increase now, Daneel was shocked out of his mind.

Yet, if it was just this, maybe he wouldn't feel as incredulous.

The other fact which astonished him was that he was so close to the next milestone, and that the reward for this one was 5 times the previous.

5 times! A whopping 50,000 EXP?!

And here he had toiled so hard for this 10,000 which felt measly now.

Daneel was so happily surprised that thoughts like these went through his head, but he also realized that he was trying hard not to think about that strange promise from the Big 4.

Just as he was about to analyze what had happened in that room, he received a message from Lanthanor which shocked him even further, but this was something that he had been hoping would happen.

There was a change in the room which held the Empire Spirit.

Daneel had posited before that the milestone the system had set and the one stated by the Empire Spirit were the same, even though this felt like too much of a coincidence.

Now, clearly, it was true.

Without any more hesitation, he teleported away from the booth after sending a message to his commanders so that they wouldn't panic.

Appearing at the entrance of the National Academy of Lanthanor and startling the soldiers who were standing guard, Daneel didn't even bother to greet them before entering at a run.

"It's the King! Stand down!"

"Oh, it's the King! I can't believe I almost attacked my idol!"

"My cousin just told me that Lanthanor won the Olympics! The King made the announcement! What could be so urgent here for him to come so quickly?"

As statements like these were heard behind him from the guards, Daneel ignored them all and quickly reached the library where another soldier was waiting for him outside.

"Sir, it started only 20 minutes ago. I was making my usual rounds, and I noticed it. I made sure to close all the curtains."

With a nod, Daneel barreled through the door and ascended the stairs 3 at a time. There was nothing Kingly about him at the moment, but he didn't care, because he was finally about to solve a mystery that had been plaguing him for months.

As he reached the hidden door which was locked, he saw what the soldier posted there had told him about through the communication trinket.

A golden light was shining through the bottom of the door.

Opening it, Daneel immediately made to step inside, but the moment that golden light spilled onto his entire body, he fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious.

[Host's mental input has been hijacked. No threat to host's life detected. System has detected an accessible information source. Assimilation in process.]

Chapter 360: Utopia

"Food trinkets! Get your food trinkets here! Just walk right up and show your citizenship! Food trinkets here!"

"If anyone wants to party, please head over to Joe's Bar! Free drinks for all citizens! Take home as many as you want, just make sure not to waste them!"

"The King will be at Wilbur's house tonight, if anyone wishes for an audience! Stay hale, stay happy, Lanthanorians!"

Feeling his head ringing like a drum, Daneel woke up to these voices, massaging his temple.

Opening his eyes, everything was blurry for a few seconds before he blinked hard, clearing up his vision.

Looking at his hands, he started panicking, as they weren't his.

The skin was dark, and there were many scars and lesions which showed that these were the palms of a warrior.

Feeling his face with them, he realized that he also had a beard, along with a short crop of hair.

Also, he was lean, as if every part of his body was built to output the maximum amount of power and speed possible.

What…the hell was going on? Where was he?

Thinking back, he retraced his steps, trying to figure out how he got here.

He had gotten a message that there was a strange light coming from the room in which the Empire Spirit was housed, and then, the moment he tried to step into the room…he lost consciousness.

As he concentrated, he realized that the last thing he had heard was a notification from the system.

Hastily, he asked the system to repeat its last message.

[Host's mental input has been hijacked. No threat to host's life detected. System has detected an accessible information source. Assimilation in process.]

No threat?

Hearing this, Daneel's rapidly beating heart calmed down.

This wasn't the first time he was experiencing something like this. Before, when he had talked to his Master, he had gone into a simulation where he saw and felt things, which was similar to what was happening right now.

Hence, finally getting a hold of himself, he started to look around.

He was sitting in a very comfortable chair, and in front of him was a wide street on which numerous people were passing by.

The shouts from before had been from hawkers who could be found everywhere, spreading messages like these.

Looking up and around, he saw that he was sitting in the portico of a rather large house.

However, in his dazed state, he had failed to notice that there was actually someone sitting beside him.

Indeed, in the chair beside him, there was an old man with a knotted beard and long, black hair. He had some of the strongest features that Daneel had ever seen, almost looking like he had been hewn out of a rock.

However, instead of making him look ugly, the features gave him a masculine and handsome look.

As Daneel stared, without turning around, the man spoke.

"Finally woke up, kid? It's about time. I thought you would sleep all day."

The voice was familiar, and as Daneel comprehended the meaning of the words, he realized where he had heard it before.

This was the Empire Spirit!

As if sensing his realization, the man spoke again.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm the Empire Spirit, great job realizing it, you're a genius(yawn). I don't have all day, there's a feisty woman waiting for me in Joe's. So, let's get right down to it."

Saying this, the man finally turned towards Daneel, and as he did so, the King of Lanthanor noticed that there were no pupils in his eyes.

Instead, there was only a golden light, which was the exact shade as what he had seen coming from beneath the door back in Lanthanor.

"You made it, kid. Damn, you won your own event! Like, shouldn't there be rules against that? Ok, fine, that's none of my business. The point is that you reached the first condition necessary for accessing the information stored inside me. Now then, tell me what you see around you."

As much as Daneel was excited about just what information he had unlocked, he was even more interested in the place around him.

Everything was…brighter. Shinier.

The clothes that everyone wore were shimmering slightly, indicating that they were all enchanted.

Everywhere he saw, there were happy families going about their daily lives.

Now that he had the time, he listened to what the hawkers were saying once again, and he was amazed.

Food trinkets? What the hell were those?

Curious, he was going to get up, but stopped, wondering whether he was supposed to stay here to interact with the Empire Spirit.

"Go on. Explore. This is half your reward for this milestone, you know. Take your time. I'm everywhere, so just call for me if you need me. I'll go say hi to Martha."

Saying so with a casual expression on his face, the man disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Indeed, an actual puff of smoke, like a magician from Earth.

Although he felt it was weird, Daneel chose not to ask, and instead stood up to go to the hawker who was making the announcements about the food trinkets.

After approaching the man, he saw that in his hand was a covered bowl in which there was a piece of meat.

It looked normal at first, but when Daneel looked closer, he dropped his jaw with shock.

At one corner, layers after layers of meat were coming into existence in front of his eyes, making him understand that this whole thing had been developed inside the bowl.

How?!!!

Wanting to find out the answer to the question, Daneel reached his hand forward, but he felt it swatted away by the smiling man who asked, "ID, please?"

Puzzled, Daneel was about to call for the Empire Spirit, but he heard a voice near his ear.

"Touch your wrist's pulse point."

Heeding the message, he did so and was startled when he saw a round, badge-like object appear out of the skin on the upper side of his hand, below his knuckles.

"Thank you, sir. Enjoy your meal. You can collect refill pills at the government office on the next street. Have a nice day!"

The badge had the design of the royal 'L' made out of a dragon, and while Daneel had been captivated by it, he hadn't noticed that the man had scanned the badge using some apparatus in his pocket.

After doing so and saying those words, he handed the bowl over to a bewildered Daneel, who hastily opened the lid and examined the meat.

It looked normal, except for that end where the meat had been forming.

This was something like a dream world anyway, so Daneel just took a bite, and experienced some of the tastiest, most succulent meat he had ever eaten in his life.

Finishing it in one go, he felt thirsty, so he found a bar in front of him which he entered.

"Hello, fellow citizen! I see you enjoyed the meat! Sorry, I just like to look at the street when I'm free. The hustle and bustle calms me. So, what would you like? Some of my special brew? Or just some beer?"

Having heard of the special brew before, Daneel asked, "The former, please."

"Right on."

A few moments later, he found himself drinking one of the best wines he had ever tasted.

It was a clear red color, with a sweet flavor to it that lingered on his tongue. If he had to describe it, it was like drinking an ice cream made of scotch.

After scanning the badge again, Daneel left the bar feeling tipsy and started exploring the city.

Everywhere he went, he just needed to show the badge.

He had dessert, he got a massage done, he bought a weapon trinket, he got a haircut, and he was even offered the services of a professional escort.

Time lost meaning to him. It felt both as if it was standing still, and as if it was moving at a pace too fast to notice.

Either way, Daneel felt perfectly happy enjoying himself in every which way, putting aside all of his duties.

After what felt like days, he was on that street in the beginning again, and feeling tired, he sat down on that same chair on the portico of that same house.

Looking to his side, he found the Empire Spirit, looking at him with a smile.

"Is this where you spend your time when you aren't doing anything?"

Chuckling at the question, the golden-eyed man answered, "Yes! This, and other places, in other times. I'm a living spirit, after all. So, what did you think?"

Daneel did not need to think to answer.

"It's a…utopia!"

Indeed, it was one.

He had asked around, and it seemed that the concept of money itself was foreign.

This place operated on one principle: if a citizen did the job assigned to them as per their interests, they could avail anything and everything they wanted in the city.

Happiness was everywhere, and Daneel was so impressed by the ruler of this city that he felt that it would be fine to commit any crime in order to find the secret behind building something so perfect.

Hearing the answer, the Empire Spirit grinned and answered, "Exactly. This was, in one point in history, the Empire of Lanthanor. Before all the citizens were massacred by the Emperor in one night."

Chapter 361: Inheritance

"M-massacred?"

Hearing this shocking statement from the Empire Spirit, all thoughts flew out of Daneel's mind.

In one night?!

Daneel really couldn't believe it. Everything looked so perfect, that he felt that it was impossible to destroy it.

During his inquiries, he had also found out that the military strength of the Empire was also the highest in the continent, due to the fact that all those who went to the military were only doing so after being judged to have both the talent and interest for it.

Seeing the disbelieving look on Daneel's face, the Empire Spirit said, "Don't believe me? See for yourself."

POOF

As a sound akin to that of candles being blown out was heard, the sight in front of Daneel changed.

"Run!"

"The King has gone crazy!"

"Call the military!"

"It's useless, they were the first to be killed!"

"No, not the children!"

The hawking from before was replaced by shouts like these from terrified citizens who were gathered in crowds, running from something.

Daneel was still sitting in the same portico, so hearing a strange sound from one direction, he turned to that side.

This sound was also heard by the people who were running in front of him, so they turned around too.

Behind them was a massive giant of a man, standing at least 20 feet tall.

His upper body was naked, and it seemed to be enlarged disproportionately when compared to his lower.

Veins throbbed on the bulging muscles, and because it had also changed to night time, the light from the streetlight-trinkets bounced off of the blood on them to give him a ghastly look.

Even though all of this was terrifying in itself, it was this man's face which brought the most fear in those running away.

Where his features were supposed to be present, there was only mangled flesh.

Instead of a nose, there were only two holes. One eye socket was empty, while the other actually had an eye, but it was dangling off to one side of the face. The jaw was hanging loose, but because there was nothing to base judgment on, no one could tell whether it was because the man was laughing or screaming.

The image of this man's face was so shocking that Daneel actually had to take a moment before realizing what this man was up to and why so many people were running away from him.

There were no weapons in his hands, but he was punching and chopping in different directions.

And every time he did so, at least 50 people died, with the closest turning into bloody mist.

The ones who were farther back at least had their bodies intact, but blood leaked from all the orifices on their face, as if the only thing left inside their head was mush.

Since the moment when Daneel had turned his head to take notice of this monstrosity, it was as if time had stopped, which could be attributed to the adrenaline pumping through Daneel's body.

Now that he had taken in the image, time went back to normal.

In barely two seconds, the giant mowed through all the people on the street before going further into the city, causing more screams to be heard.

In front of Daneel, the street was now filled with various body parts and lifeless bodies, along with rivers of blood.

Unable to handle the sight, Daneel looked up, and he saw flames burning on the horizon.

When that man had passed by, Daneel had noticed one feature of his that he had missed before.

He had a perfectly cut short beard, and it had been familiar.

After racking his mind for a bit, Daneel got the answer.

It had been the Emperor, whose picture he had seen on posters around the city.

As if the Empire Spirit had been waiting for him to make this connection, it flicked its fingers right after he did so.

POOF

That same sound was heard, and everything was back to normal.

The utopia was once again reflected in his eyes, but Daneel was still stuck in the horror he had seen before.

As if his job was done, the golden-eyed man put his hands behind his head and started whistling a tune.

Daneel took a few seconds to get that ghastly image out of his mind.

After he finally did so, he asked the most important question.

"Why?"

The answer from the Empire Spirit made his jaw drop further, while also infuriating him to no end.

"That's your job to find out, kiddo. I was instructed to show this after the first milestone was reached, and also to give access to a certain number of manuscripts. Read them at your leisure. You can contact me if you have any pressing queries, but if you're smart enough, you won't need to. Well then, it was nice seeing you. Come back when you reach the next milestone. When you do, the golden light will be back. Ok, goodbye then."

After the last word came out of the Empire Spirit's mouth, Daneel went blank.

Once again, he was assaulted by a splitting headache, causing him to get up and massage his head.

Only, this time, he was back in his own body.

He had fallen down at the entrance of the secret room in the library, so he got up and entered before closing the door behind him.

The golden light was gone, and the pedestal was back to normal

Going to it, he once again summoned the oathstone and inserted it before being greeted by a list of books in his mind.

There weren't that many, but the first one itself blew his mind.

"Ruler's Spell Technique"

He had to read the name 3 times before confirming that it was real.

A spell technique! An actual, bonafide spell technique!

Since that moment years ago when he had seen his master manipulating elementary particles to do incredible things, he had dreamed of having his own.

Now, finally, his dream had come true.

No matter what the meaning behind that vision was, or what information the other books held, all the pains he had gone to to increase the satisfaction level were already worth it.

A smile almost came on his face at this moment, but the horror of the sight before stopped it from appearing.

He needed to find out the reason behind that message.

But it wouldn't hurt to find out more about the enticing spell technique first.

Flipping through the pages, Daneel got more and more amazed with each word.

The idea itself was so revolutionary, that he wondered whether this was all a fable.

However, things started to increase in complexity quickly, making that headache come back.

Finally, the formulae and formations of elementary particles became so complex that Daneel had to give up.

If it were anyone else, they would have lost hope at having such an incredible thing but not being able to use it.

Thankfully, he had the World Domination System.

As if it felt itself being called when he thought about it, the system spoke in his mind.

Daneel had thought that he was done with shocks for the day, but the notification showed him that he was wrong.

[Information source assimilated.

Host has received: "Ruler's Inheritance"

Achievement Unlocked: First Inheritance

First Inheritance: Congratulations! By working steadfastly to make the people under your rule happy, you have done something which has not been achieved by many, many Kings before you. You met the conditions required to unlock the first level of the legendary Empire Spirit! By doing so, you have received your first inheritance. It will help you greatly on the path to becoming a World Dominator!

Would host like to activate the inheritance?]

Daneel could not even respond for a while.

Inheritance this, inheritance that.

He had heard this over and over again from those from the Big 4, and he had thought that it was something which would never be related to him, unless he tried to fake his accomplishments using the inheritance as an excuse.

Hence, when he saw that he had actually ended up obtaining one, he couldn't believe it.

Although he was very curious about what it was, he decided that he would first agree and 'activate' it first.

So, he answered, "Yes".

BOOM

Suddenly, a torrent of foreign thoughts and emotions flooded his mind, and it seemed as if an explosion had been set off inside his mind.

Sadly, it was too much, and the King of Lanthanor fainted once again.

Chapter 362: Ruler's Inheritance

"Oh, come on, do it! You don't dare! Both of us know you're a chicken!"

"Fine, I will! When I find my Axelorian friend, I'll tell him that their Kingdom sucks! I'm proud to be a Lanthanorian!"

"All the students are so proud. We should hold some kind of event, or competition to commemorate Lanthanor's victory in the Olympics."

"I'm sure there will be one, anyway. As soon as the King is back; he's apparently handling something personal right now."

"Hon, there's going to be a celebration soon! LANTHANOR WON, you know! Come on, we need to hire more chefs and make more food!"

"Was that really the King before? I can't believe it! What's he doing here?"

"I don't know, but don't talk-"

Waking up, Daneel wondered if he had gone mad.

Myriad voices were in his head, talking continuously, going on and on about topics varying from Lanthanor's win to the price of onions in the morning.

It wasn't just thoughts. There were feelings too. Happiness, sadness, anger, love, excitement. All of them were in his head, in a bundle that was threatening to spill out at any second. He could feel them all in a muted fashion, but as soon as he thought about them, they threatened to spring up and make him faint again.

It couldn't even be described properly in words. It was as if…his mind wasn't his anymore. As if it was co-inhabited by many, many people, all with their own distinct personalities and lives.

Daneel tried to analyze what was happening by himself. For some reason, he was…reading their minds? Or something even more profound? Was that even possible using magic?

First things first; he tried to count. Count the number of people in his head.

1,2,3….

He categorized each thought and feeling, and this seemed to calm him down, allowing him to think for himself, find himself in this chaotic mess that was his mind.

100.

It had felt like many, many more, but there were only one hundred voices and feelings in his head.

Of course, it was 100 too many.

What was going on?

Unable to handle his curiosity any more, he was just about to ask the system, but he noticed something at this moment.

All of them had one thing in common, and if he had to describe it, it was like an underlying thought, one beneath the surface.

For example, he had just segregated them all when counting them.

If the thoughts and feeling bundled together were a person, then this thought he felt was like their subconscious.

Daneel visualized them as orbs.

Glowing orbs, with different layers of different colors.

The thoughts inside their heads and the words they spoke were the outermost red layer-constantly in flux, changing every second.

The second layer was matching orange-these were the feelings, which accompanied the first layer and moved along in sync for the most part.

Finally, the innermost part was golden.

If Daneel had to describe it, then it was the part which was made of the core beliefs of the person.

He had just tried to analyze it, but it turned out that he was only able to detect one thing from it, unlike the other two layers, which were laid bare to him.

Loyalty.

Loyalty to Lanthanor.

Loyalty to him.

[Host has achieved the first stage of Ruler's Inheritance: Visualization.

Progress has been faster than expected.

Likely reason: Mageroot potential of host, which has exceeded the maximum level known to system. Please input more information for deeper analysis.

Ruler's Spell Model: First Layer-Unlocked and ready for use.]

With this notification, Daneel came back to reality.

Till now, he had been concentrating on his own mind so much that he had completely forgotten about everything else.

It was only in that stage had managed to obtain that small bit of clarity regarding what was going on in his head, after being able to distract himself from the mess.

However, now that he had exited that state, his mind felt like it would be overwhelmed again.

As all the voices started to grow in intensity, he realized that he was heading to that point like before when he had fainted.

Hence, Daneel hurriedly asked, "System, is there a way to turn these things off? Mute them?"

[Affirmative. However, if the inheritance is deactivated, host will be unable to use Ruler's Spell Model and other Ruler's Perks that have been unlocked.]

At this, Daneel paused, but it was too much. He couldn't even think.

He didn't know how he had managed to do what he had just done before, and even though he tried once again now, it only gave him a splitting headache.

Hence, gritting his teeth, he asked, "Is it one-time? Can I not activate it again later?"

[Replying to host, with the system, host can activate or deactivate any inheritance as per his wishes.]

"THEN DEACTIVATE IT RIGHT NOW!"

[Acknowledged. Inheritance deactivated.]

As silence suddenly fell over him, for once, Daneel appreciated its charm.

There was just him in his mind, and he could talk to himself in peace.

In this secret room, there was a bathroom to the side, to which Daneel hobbled to.

The hobbling was due to the fact that the headache was still there, and although it wasn't painful to the point that it would make him faint again, it was very bad.

Inside the bathroom, the first thing Daneel did was puke his guts out.

He hadn't even known that it was coming, so it was fortunate that he was in the bathroom when it did force his way out.

Having his mind invaded by 100 people was apparently not a joking matter, as it seemed to have left other adverse effects, aside from the headache.

He did feel better now though, so he used the washbasin to wash his face.

As he splashed water and looked at himself in the mirror, he realized that there were veins throbbing on his forehead, and that his face was also red in color.

He looked like…he had almost gone crazy.

At this moment, an appalling image came into Daneel's mind.

A face with no features.

If he had truly gone crazy right then, could he have guaranteed that he wouldn't have flown into a rage like that man?

The scary thing was that he didn't know the answer to the question.

Finally feeling slightly better, he made his way back to the secret room and collapsed in a chair.

Putting his head in his hands in an attempt to ease the pain, he asked, "All right, tell me. What the hell is an inheritance in the first place?"

[Inheritance: A methodical change in the functioning of the mageroot/body constitution. Through a series of modifying parameters, the change is brought about. An inheritance has two parts: physical and metaphysical. By obtaining the metaphysical part after entering host's present location, host was able to obtain the 'Ruler's Inheritance'.]

"Then what was the physical part?"

[The Oathstone.]

Of course. After so many shocks in one day, Daneel wasn't surprised.

The Oathstone was something which was a prerequisite for accessing the Empire Spirit in the first place, so it made sense that it was a prerequisite for obtaining this inheritance too.

However, even though he had heard the definition of an inheritance, he was no closer to understanding what it was.

It changed the mageroot or the body constitution itself? Wasn't that a bit too…magical?

"What more information is there about inheritances? How are they typically obtained? Who makes them? Are there any examples for other inheritances?"

[Replying to host, available data has been obtained by extrapolating from database. Host needs to input more data for more accurate answers. From clues which have been deciphered to refer to inheritances after using the data about inheritances that was just obtained, system has been able to deduce that inheritances can be left behind both by living entities or nature. Thus the word 'inherit', which signifies that the one obtaining it is benefiting from something being handed down. No more information is available.]

Ok, it wasn't much, but it was enough to go on.

Although there were more questions that Daneel wished the system would answer, the most important ones had already been addressed.

Right now, he had an inheritance, so the most pressing question left was: how good was it?

Bracing himself, Daneel activated the inheritance again and asked the system to ready the spell model.

Lifting his palm, he cast a simple fireball.

His goal was to obtain statistics regarding the effectiveness, so he was going to start slow.

With expectations piling up inside him, he asked the system to launch the spell model.

ROOAAAARRRR!

"OOOOWWWWW!"

In the blink of an eye, the palm-sized fireball expanded to 5 times its size, becoming practically a chaotic inferno.

And in the process, the King of Lanthanor, who had been bending over it with an eager expression, had his hair set on fire.

Chapter 363: Trend

PSSSSSHHHHH

By the time Daneel managed to deactivate the spell technique, stop the fire spell then cast water, and then ice spells to stop the fire raging on his head, his hair had already disappeared for the most part.

Even though this was very disconcerting, right now, he only had a wide smile on his face, as if he didn't care about it at all.

If anybody could see him, they would definitely have thought that the King of Lanthanor had gone crazy.

His eyes, which were staring at his palms that were held in the air, had a manic look in them, while there was almost no hair left on his head.

Soot was on his face and hands, as the fire hadn't been strong enough to break the tough skin of an Exalted Human.

Suddenly, a wild, crazy laugh could be heard in the secret room.

Of course, it came from Daneel, who couldn't believe his own eyes.

5 TIMES! A 5 TIME INCREASE!

It was unbelievable.

Even his master's spell model hadn't amplified spells to such a degree.

With this spell technique alone, he could rival a Warrior Mage even though he was only an Exalted Human.

He wanted to try again, but just as he was going to, the voices once again began to drive him insane.

Hence, with a feeling of slight sadness, he ordered the system to deactivate the inheritance before walking towards the washbasin in deep thought to wipe off the soot.

Although the power increase was shocking, there were two problems: control, and the damn voices.

Well, nothing could be perfect. And there was no way that they could make him admit defeat.

Resolving to find ways to circumvent them, he looked up into the mirror.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Seeing an almost bald man looking back at him, Daneel had actually gotten terrified.

What with switching bodies during the vision and hearing so many foreign thoughts, his psyche had already become fragile without his knowledge.

Hence, seeing someone else in the mirror had almost been the last straw.

It took a moment for Daneel to realize that it was him, after which he touched his head, making more hair fall off and expose the scalp.

Hoping against hope, he asked, "System, is there any spell to hasten hair growth?"

[Negative. Healing spell can heal damaged hair follicles, but hair growth cannot be hastened by any spell in system's database.]

This answer made him feel like screaming again.

...

A day had passed since all the appalling events during the Olympics, and although had fled back to their homes in fear of something similar happening again, most stayed back.

As reporters from the Network asked around, they got the information that many were staying due to the words of the King when he had said staying and celebrating the end of the tournament would be like spitting in the enemy's face.

The funny thing was that Daneel hadn't even said this during his address. Instead, Eloise had floated this later on through the Network, and it had spread throughout the people enough that they assumed that the King had spoken them before.

Seeing this end result and smiling sweetly, Eloise played with her hair in the booth that belonged to the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Everyone was anxiously waiting for the King, but she knew him enough and trusted him to know that he wasn't someone unaccountable.

Since her awakening, it was as if her mind had also been changed, allowing her to think faster and get more ideas.

She had gotten many for the betterment of Lanthanor, and she was excited to share them with the King, and also in the process, find some time alone with him.

Just as she was going through her plans of trying to make him change his feelings for her, a man appeared in the center of the booth.

Inside, there were Luther, Cassandra, Eloise, Sister Xuan, Molan, and Faxul.

"Enemy infiltration!"

Cassandra's veins had been strung tight ever since that incident when the King had been taken away, so now, seeing someone unfamiliar appear before them, she screamed this and was about to cast a fire eagle at them.

"STOP!"

Hearing this shout from Luther, she paused her actions and stared.

Indeed, now that she got a chance to look at him, he looked similar.

Eloise had also thought that somehow, someone had snuck into their booth, but she had been quicker.

That same sharp chin, strong nose, and green eyes.

It was the King.

Only, his head was like an egg, bare and shiny.

"M-my Lord?"

Luther was the first to ask, but the King of Lanthanor just coughed and said, "Nothing to comment here. Is everything ready for the award ceremony?"

"Yes, My Lord, but-"

"I said there's nothing! Let's go!"

"Sir, it's not your hair!"

Hearing this, the King actually blushed slightly, and those watching couldn't help but break out into smiles.

Of course, the smiles were only because they were controlling laughter.

This was not the case with Sister Xuan, who didn't hesitate to chuckle, making the others struggle even harder to control themselves.

The main reason was that the King was clearly embarrassed about his own look. If he had appeared confident and carried it off, maybe it would have looked more natural.

As if realizing this himself, Daneel tried to straighten his back and look more measured.

However, that image of the shiny head kept coming back to him.

Ok. Enough was enough.

Firmly pushing that image out, he asked in a dignified voice, "What is it, Luther?"

"Someone who says they represent those that took part in the tournament in Axelor's team has requested an audience with you. They are currently in the waiting room in the stadium."

"Hmm. All right. I'll meet him after the ceremony. Shall we go?"

"Yes, sir."

Nodding and getting more control over himself, Daneel teleported away.

However, the last thing that he heard before disappearing from the room made him blush fully again.

It was his close friend, who said, "You know, this is the second time. Back in the academy-"

...

The stadium which had recently been in shambles had been completely restored thanks to the relentless efforts of all the reinforcements that had come from all 4 remaining Kingdoms.

The only change was that there was now a large podium in the center, on which many people were seated.

These were the leaders of the teams of the three Kingdoms which had come first, second and third, and they were set to be felicitated in a few moments.

In the stands, in the front row, Norcet, his son and the mage were all sitting and looking at the stage with smiles on their faces.

They had gotten the message this morning that the King really appreciated their efforts in uncovering those bastards from Axelor, and that he had invited them to be on the stage and be honored in front of the entire continent.

However, surprising Luther, who had delivered the message, Norcet had denied the offer and asked for something else in return-a job.

He had information that Lanthanor would be entering the delivery business soon, so he was very interested in helming those operations.

Although Daneel had been slightly startled, he had agreed after realizing that this was very smart.

"I still think you should have taken the offer. Hey, you only live once. You've missed the chance to boast to your grandsons that you were felicitated in front of the entire continent!"

As the mage said this, Norcet chuckled and answered, "No thanks, I'll settle for keeping the possibility of having grandsons alive in the first place. You don't know those people. Who knows that they won't come to massacre my entire family out of spite? The King can say that he will protect me, but both of us know that he can't guarantee anything. This is also why he agr-"

Along with Norcet, the entire stadium went silent as they saw a man appear on the stage.

The sun shone brilliantly on his shiny head, but due to the serious expression on his face and his straight back, it didn't look odd at all.

Of course, some laughed, but they were in the minority.

"ALL HAIL KING DANEEL!"

As one, cheering began, as everyone recalled the incredible way in which the King of Lanthanor had tackled the situation yesterday and saved everyone.

With a smile, Daneel was about to begin the ceremony, but something he saw in the crowd made him halt mid-step and gawk for a moment before regaining his senses.

One by one, more and more shiny heads started to appear everywhere, as people had started to mimic the King, thinking that this was the new fashion.

Daneel wanted to stop it, but he could think of no way to do so.

In this way, the 'egghead' trend in Angaria began.

….

3 hours later, still feeling slightly embarrassed, Daneel walked into the waiting room but paused when he saw two people glaring at each other.

One was Marcus, and the other was a man who looked vaguely similar to the one whose most important organ he had severed using the mosquitoes.

Chapter 364: Mad Doctor

As Marcus turned around to see Daneel arrive, a smile actually came on his face on seeing the shiny head.

"Blergh! Another egghead! You're popping up like weeds everywhere! Where's that bastard King?"

As the other man in the room said these words, Marcus turned to him and glared again before saying, "This is him."

Daneel, on the other hand, was slightly regretting his decision not to look for a wig.

His eyebrows had been burned off too, but he had prevented that from being seen by coloring that part carefully using paint.

This was a technique he had seen back on Earth, and thankfully, it worked and did not make him seem too odd.

However, this bald head of his had unexpectedly taken a lot of hair as sacrifice, from all those in the stadium who thought this was a new 'trend'.

Putting this aside for now, Daneel smiled warmly and said, "How can I help you?"

They were in a small room with enough space for 5 people, and Marcus and the other man were standing on opposite ends of it.

The man in question was wearing grey robes which covered him from head to toe, with only his eyes visible. He did not seem to be especially muscular, instead, he had an athletic build.

If the King of Axelor were here, he would have recognized this man to be the one who had threatened him before during the Olympics that heads would roll if Axelor didn't win.

As Daneel was taking in the appearance of this man, a soft voice whispered next to his ear.

"Don't look into his eyes."

Clearly, it was from Marcus, and Daneel had no reason not to oblige.

He wasn't the kind to dumbly do something when warned not to, so Daneel made sure that he kept his eyes fixed on anything else in the room.

Seeing this, Marcus smiled, while also looking again at the shiny head that mirrored his.

"Humph. So you don't have the guts to look straight at me either, just like this coward here."

Saying so in a tone that made it clear that he was trying to provoke them, the grey-robed man flicked his finger.

Suddenly, the room became very crowded, as it had become occupied by 8 more people.

All of these 8 individuals turned around as one to look at Daneel after recognizing that it was him, making Marcus quickly teleport to Daneel's side in case he was bombarded by 8 powerful mages at the same time.

"Don't worry. They won't attack. Fix their organs, and we will be on our way."

Ah. So this was what they wanted.

Without answering, Daneel looked at each of their faces, memorizing them.

After he had brought this group's despicable actions to light, Daneel had gotten the suspicion that they might have been up to more trouble during their stay in Olympia.

After all, he had read about their type back on Earth.

During his time on his home planet, at a specific point in time, Daneel had been very interested in detective novels.

What stemmed from this interest had been a desire to read up on all the psychological research done on criminals.

Having had a rich period of growth in which science had flourished, Earth had the unique advantage of having something like the internet which propagated even more growth and interest in all fields.

Daneel had read through the typical psych profiles of criminals, and he had been very surprised when he found out that he could remember it all without much effort.

He had done it in passing long ago, so this was actually quite surprising.

When he asked the system, his question had been resolved.

[After host's mage potential breakthrough, host's mind has increased effectiveness in memory recall.]

This made him want to know all the more what realm he had reached due to that incident with Faxul and that technique from the Withering Leaf Sect.

Coming back to the matter at hand, Daneel had gotten the doubt that people like these wouldn't hesitate to satiate their…thirst before itself, especially considering the fact that their backgrounds let them disregard any consequences.

Hence, he had asked Faxul whether there were any crimes reported nearby, as the best targets would be the common people in villages and towns around Olympia.

This was when the shocking reports of missing women surfaced.

Over 30 women had been abducted in total, with no clues left behind.

Clearly, the culprit was either these people in front of him, or Axelor.

Hence, Daneel had no intention whatsoever of agreeing to this request, if it could even be called that.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what makes you think I controlled the mosquitoes. I could only control the few near me-these acted on their own, and randomly injured these poor people."

The 'poor' was said in a stretched out tone, making the 8 glare at him more.

Of course, the one who was looking at him with most anger was the man who had had his vital organ severed.

His groin actually seemed to be padded, as if he was wearing some kind of diaper.

After all, because he had no control over his bladder, he would constantly be leaking urine. Hence, this was the most effective solution.

Hearing the answer from Daneel, the grey-robed man spoke in a dangerous tone.

"Kid, watch yourself. Just because you have Marcus here at your heels like a dog for 3 months, don't think that you will be safe. If you antagonize us, be it 3 months, 3 years or even 3 decades, we will have our revenge."

If Daneel hadn't received that inheritance, maybe he would have reconsidered on hearing such an ominous threat.

However, right now, just like before in the underground room when he had been about to proclaim his secrets, he couldn't care about concealing himself anymore.

He had been doing it for months and years, and enough was enough.

Especially in front of people like these, he couldn't do it anymore.

Hence, he stopped controlling his tongue.

"Sir, be it 3 months, 3 years or even 3 decades, I guarantee that you won't be able to fix their organs. Sometimes, fate makes us pay for our mistakes in unimaginable ways. Even if I could, I wouldn't do it. These people here are responsible for the deaths of over 30 women from Central Angaria. If I could, I would kill them all. Clearly, I have no chance of doing that. But if I left them without any punishment, I would not be able to face my people. So, I have two words for you. F*&k off."

Wow.

The feeling that came from cursing for the first time in this world was really something else.

Indeed, in all the years since Daneel had transmigrated, he had been keeping his head down and building power.

He hadn't gone looking for enemies, but he had also always been worried about antagonizing someone too powerful.

However, now, he couldn't care less.

Maybe this was a Champion level individual who could crush him with a thought. Maybe he was taking a foolish decision.

But in 3 months, people at this level would mostly be after him anyway.

What was one more?

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Daneel had been expecting anger or threats as a result of his words, so he was startled when he saw the grey-robed man tilt his head up and laugh wildly.

The laughter echoed in the room, and at one point, it seemed as if many, many people were laughing at once.

Also, it had an eerie tone to it, which made Daneel's hair raise.

At least, what was left of it.

3 seconds had passed, but the man did not seem like he would stop laughing.

However, when Daneel glanced at the 8 people in the room, he noticed something strange.

They were cowering, and they all had terrified looks on their faces.

In fact, their terror seemed so profound that it even scared Daneel to a small degree.

The most fear was actually seen on the man who was wearing the diaper.

Daneel wondered what the reason was, and he got his answer the next second.

The laughter abruptly stopped, and was replaced by screams of pain.

Screams of pain, and geysers of blood from the bodies of the 8, each of whom was now missing an organ each.

As Daneel watched with horror clouding his own face, he couldn't help but notice that each cut was so precise that it carved out the affected organ perfectly.

Even in the case of the man whose hip had been affected-his legs were still intact, but they were hanging onto his body by very little flesh and bone.

Of course, no scream was more bloodcurdling than the one from the man who had nothing to call himself a man anymore.

Only red, pulsating flesh was left at his groin, and he screamed over and over again, until his voice broke and he went hoarse.

"Kid, remember these screams. You will be screaming even more in 3 months. I won't attack myself; I'm not shameless enough to do so. No, these 8 will be enough. Mark my words, kid."

Leaving these words, all 9 individuals disappeared from the room.

Daneel, on the other hand, was trying not to gag due to the gory sight.

Trying hard not to see that very important organ that had been left behind, he turned around and gulped.

A clapping sound was heard from beside him.

Turning to the side, he saw that it was Marcus, who spoke with a large smile on his face.

"I don't know if I should call you brave or foolish, kid. Well, I'll know the answer in 3 months. Still, that must be the first time I saw someone talk in that way with the 'Mad Doctor' of the Big 5. Good going, kid. Congrats on making yourself a Champion-level enemy! And of course, welcome to the 'Gentleman's Club'."

"Gentleman's Club?"

In response, Marcus pointed at his head, making Daneel sigh before he teleported away.

Chapter 365: A Step Back

Two days later.

The Throne room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

"We have taken a few people and tested all of the possible scenarios. However we look at it, we cannot find a way where the unification would be completely peaceful. Yes, the Olympics have gone a very long way in letting the people of the Black Raven Kingdom know about the capabilities of the Lanthanorians. The only problem is: we lost. We lost horribly. And the fact that we even had a plan which could have given us at least one victory, but didn't end up using it, pisses me off to no end. Yes, yes, I understand the reasons, and it was probably the best course of action. That doesn't mean I can't be angry about it. King Daneel, the bottom line is, if we propose something like this right now, it will look like we are caving in because we are unsure of themselves. It will look like we are surrendering to you because we aren't confident enough to rise by ourselves. There will be riots, and there will be blood. This is not the time. I know I said that before, but I have no choice but to say it again."

As the old lady, the head of the High Council of the Black Raven Kingdom, said these words, both Faxul and Daneel frowned and looked down in deep thought.

After the award ceremony, everyone started to make their way back. Initially, there had been an elaborate plan to mark the end of such a momentous event.

However, this would only have prolonged the risk and the possibility that there might be another attack.

Hence, Daneel had no option but to ask everyone to disperse for now.

Of course, he had grand plans for the Olympics to return, but there would be a lot of stuff to take care of before that could happen.

So, he just had to let go of the first one. Besides, it had been a massive success already.

His main goal of increasing the satisfaction level had been achieved, but it seemed as if the secondary goal of impressing the people of the Black Raven Kingdom to proceed with the unification of the two kingdoms was in jeopardy.

Of course, if things had gone perfectly to plan, it would have surprised even Daneel.

After the fiasco with the mosquitoes, he was thankful that at least the satisfaction level had risen.

Both Faxul and him had called for this meeting with the Council of the Black Raven Kingdom to find out what they could do next.

But after this statement, even the both of them seemed to be at a loss for words.

Daneel's original plan had been that the two kingdoms could be completely unified under one leadership. This would allow him to put up a strong front in front of any other Kingdom, and also set an example so that the same wouldn't seem very strange if it happened with other kingdoms.

After all, there was no way he was leaving Central Angaria alone, what with the renewed threat of the Church which felt like it was breathing down his back after this recent attack.

They were out there, waiting, like hyenas, ready to pounce at the first sign of vulnerability.

Thus, it was no time to show weakness.

However, he really did agree with this woman, no matter how much he disliked it.

He had seen for himself the defeated expressions of the Black Raven people, who couldn't even blame the king because they knew why their army strength was low.

It was a very delicate time right now, and something like this would just upend the balance, resulting in horrific consequences.

But there was no way that he could leave it alone.

Taking a moment, he ran through all alternate plans, but he realized that this was better done with the help of Eloise, as he suddenly felt lost due to some reason.

Hence, he contacted her discreetly through the communication trinket in his pocket.

"Eloise, I'm in a meeting with the Council of the Black Raven Kingdom right now, and they say that a complete unification is out of the question. I actually agree with them. What do you suggest?"

"What is the reason?"

Appreciating her quality of getting right into the matter without asking too many unnecessary questions, Daneel told her what the old woman had just said.

After a few moments, he heard her say something, but stop, as if she was hesitating.

"Spit it out," he said, as time was ticking.

"Well… Daneel, this plan of unifying the kingdoms under one banner was something that was risky in the first place. You know as well as I do that it has never been done in the continent, with all attempts being shot down due to attacks by other kingdoms."

"Yes, but –"

"Yeah, I know, that threat isn't present right now due to some reasons that you said had to be secret. Well, we can't go for it anyway. Why not take a step back? And take it slow?"

It was as if a light bulb had gone off over Daneel's head.

Indeed. She was right.

He had been rushing things too much, what with the fear that there might not be enough time before the church started to attack.

This had become even more exacerbated with the added knowledge that he now only had six months to somehow grow powerful enough to not be targeted by almost everyone who sought power on this continent.

Hence, his mind had gone into tunnel vision, trying to find out the fastest way to get things done.

His goal behind the unification had been simple: to have a standardised trade price which would increase trade between both kingdoms, and make the people happier, resulting in higher satisfaction level which might lead to more EXP.

Standing up, he got the attention of the entire hall and said, "I'm willing to take a step back. We can discuss just the trade partnership. Merchants and citizens will no longer have to keep up with two different prices in both kingdoms, and trade can flourish between us, bringing happiness to both of our countrymen. This is enough for now. King Faxul, your citizens need a win. This is one. I propose that you propose that this is something that was put forward by you. I don't need the credit. I just need my citizens to be happier. And as for the loan, it can be kept secret. It does not need to be disclosed."

As he made the statement, a hush fell over the royal court of the Black Raven Kingdom.

All of them knew who had put forward the petition to unify in the first place. Although it had been introduced by King Faxul, none of them believed that he was doing it by himself. After all, as the King of Lanthanor had lent a large sum to them through the Bank of Angaria so that they wouldn't destroy themselves because of not having enough funds to keep raising Ravens, he had the upper hand in this negotiation and he could practically demand anything he wanted.

In their history of dealing with rulers, they had only mostly seen those who were always eager to take credit even for things they hadn't done, so that they would be adored more by their citizens, which would result in less unrest when the taxes were raised for their Kingdom. And of course, they had also almost never seen Kings who backed off when they had the advantage.

This was the typical trend of rulers in the Angarian Continent, as there were very few who actually cared for the citizens. At least, cared enough to give up things for them.

In history, such rulers had always been idolized and remembered for ages, and with this statement from the King of Lanthanor, the Council of the Black Raven Kingdom started to think the same about him, even though his actions in the Lanthanor Kingdom so far reflected this already.

"Daneel, are you sure about this? You know you have the upper hand. We took the loan from you. If you force it, there will be a little bloodshed, or a lot, but your goal will be achieved. I know how much you did to reach that goal, and seeing the way you busted yourself up for it, I'm pretty sure it must be very important. Are you sure?"

Hearing this message from his friend, Daneel smiled.

He had had doubts about Faxul's allegiance before, when the man had acted strangely before and after taking over the throne of the Black Raven Kingdom.

However, hearing this, he felt reassured that this was still someone who was on his side.

Indeed, he had put in a lot to develop that banner under which he hoped to control the rest of Angaria.

Still, being hasty would only ruin things.

Right now, he found himself wishing that the Olympics had gone in the way they had planned: if the Black Raven Kingdom had put up some sort of redeeming performance, maybe the unification would have gone forward because the people would be happy and also impressed by the Lanthanoians.

Yet, that wasn't the case.

This was the best way to go forward, keeping in mind the result of the Olympics.

Still, would he really have to give up his dream of setting up that banner?

As Daneel rummaged in his mind through his memories from Earth, he hit upon something that he had ignored before, thinking that it was inconsequential.

Now, it was time to use it and set in place an alternate plan to continue his journey of unifying Angaria.

While everyone was whispering, shocked, he said "Send me a reply as soon as possible. I need to go," before teleporting away.

Chapter 366: Delegating

"Eloise. Sit down. We have a lot to discuss. First, where are we with the finances and the Bank of Angaria? We just gave a large loan to the Black Raven Kingdom, but we can't make it public, but we still need to expand operations. And where are we with the plans for the delivery system? I also need you to draft a proposal for a secure trade route between us and the Black Raven Kingdom, as I took your advice and proposed just a trade deal with them. Yes, taking a step back was best. Next, we also have to see how much we gained from the Olympics, and future plans for the Olympic betting house. I mean, why not use it throughout the continent? Also, we have the citizen ID cards –"

After teleporting to the room in which Eloise was waiting, Daneel started pacing around while listing the million things on his mind.

The advantage with the Olympics had been that he had been able to put many things aside while concentrating on it fully.

However, now, with it over, he had to come back to them all, and when he did, he realized just how many there were.

He was going to continue, but he suddenly looked up when he felt two soft hands on his shoulders.

There was Eloise, standing with a small smile on her face and looking into his eyes while shaking her head.

Seeing him halt due to her putting her hands on him, she said, "Daneel. Calm down. You're going too fast. Don't you feel like you're in over your head?"

Hearing her spell out his exact problem, Daneel felt like someone understood him for the first time in a long time.

Nodding, he helplessly sat down.

It seemed that Eloise had only planned until stopping him, as she now seemed a bit flustered after seeing that her action had actually worked.

Taking a moment to think, she took out the bottle from the cupboard and poured wine into two glasses.

"You are the king. But that doesn't mean that you do everything by yourself. If you try, you would just go mad, and you'll never be able to concentrate on what's important. Instead, leave it to me, or anyone else that you think is capable. I'm here for you – I mean, Ahem, I'm here for the kingdom. Whatever you throw at me, I'll manage. And I'm sure the others like Kellor will, too. Just take a moment, take a deep breath and prioritise."

For once, Daneel just listened.

As he did so, he realized that that meeting with that grey robed man who had cut off all those limbs in front of him had actually affected him in some way.

It had put in him the sense of urgency that these six months were crucial.

However, just like she said, if he kept thinking about everything hastily, he would get nothing done.

Hence, calming down, he started to prioritize.

Indeed, he did have a lot of things going on, but that didn't mean that he had to give stuff up.

No, taking care of some on his own and delegating the others would be enough, as all of them were necessary for his grand plan of defending Angaria by uniting it.

As Eloise saw that the King of Lanthanor had actually listened to her and was now thinking deeply with his eyes closed, she smiled to herself and poured herself another cup of wine.

Meanwhile, Daneel was already halfway through his list.

First and foremost, he had the upcoming visit to the Hidden Kill Sect which was very crucial.

The Hidden Kill Sect was just too strong of a deterrent force. If he could just get it on his side, the tables would really turn.

Next up would be finalizing the trade deal with the Black Raven Kingdom, so that it would begin to slowly increase the satisfaction level of the kingdom.

After that would be his plans for Axelor and Arafell, and also the goal of coming up with a plan to unite with the Kingdom of the Elves next, after making that banner.

And of course, how could he forget the need to grow strong enough somehow to keep himself alive after six months.

Just like the Big Four in the continent, these were the Big Four issues troubling him.

Hence, he made a tough decision.

"Call Norcet over here."

This man had really impressed him with his act of exposing those vile people from the big four, and also with his decision of not taking credit for it, which was very smart.

His gut told him that he could trust him, and he had also found out from Luther that this man had an excellent track record in trade.

Norcet was already in the Palace, as he had been promised a job by the King for his services.

He had expected that he would be assigned after a few weeks, after things had died down, but seeing himself called so suddenly, he was surprised.

Yet, the King's words after he entered the room and sat down surprised him even more.

"Norcet, I trust you. But I don't know if I trust you enough with the responsibility that I want to give you. First, I want you to know that you still have the other option of getting another job in the Palace. However, my proposal to you is that you swear an oath to me, after which you will be placed in charge of a few major operations that the Kingdom of Lanthanor will be conducting. You will be operating under Eloise, who reports directly to me. There is no one else in between. I will give you some time to make your decision."

"There is no decision to be made, My King. I am ready to swear the oath."

After everything that had happened during the Olympics, Norcet and the Mage had already been infected by that blind belief in the King of Lanthanor that his son had had.

Now, seeing that there was actually a shot at him obtaining more than he had bargained for, he was not foolish to hesitate to take this decision.

He had trusted the king before to save them all during the crisis with those golden mosquitos, so there was no reason for him to think that he could have ulterior motives against him.

These words from Norcet surprised Daneel, but also delighted him.

He was really in need of someone he could trust right now, and seeing that this man had stepped up for the job, he was very happy.

The oath was done in a minute, after which Daneel continued to speak.

"Eloise, you are my right-hand person, and he will be your right hand. Norcet has a very impressive track record, and I think that he will be of great help to you, especially because you will have a lot of work on your shoulders. Starting from now, you are responsible for all the major operations in the Kingdom. I'm giving you the authority to practically rule the kingdom, as I will be going to closed-door training soon which will take a long time. During that time, you are responsible for everything. You take the decisions. You represent me. The bank, the network, the ID cards, the trade deal, the school, the Raven's Perch, the Healer's Academy, the Olympic betting institution, et cetera et cetera. You need to handle everything. You can consult with me if you have any momentous decisions to take, or if there is any important news. But other than that, I'm delegating all of them to you. Are you up for it?"

Hearing this long speech from the King, not just Eloise, even Norcet dropped his jaw.

This was practically… The governance of the entire kingdom!

Norcet had been to many kingdoms, but he had seldom seen a ruler who trusted his subordinates enough to hand over almost everything to them.

Indeed, oaths were powerful, but they didn't stop one from making bad decisions that could ruin everything.

Either this Eloise was so capable that she could handle everything, or the King really had no other choice.

Now, seeing the shocked expression on her face, Norcet wondered whether it was the latter.

Eloise was at a loss for words.

She had been handling a lot of things for the king, but he had been there through it all, ready to support her if the sky fell. She had practically been responsible for everything, but it hadn't felt so scary before.

Then, she could function because she had the king to back her up.

Now, she would be representing him, and he would be in closed-door training?

What if she messed things up? What if she caused disasters? What if she caused catastrophic losses that could set the king's plans back by years?

As Norcet was in the room, she resorted to communicating with the King through the oath stone.

"Daneel, are you sure? How can you trust me so much with all this? What if I fail? What if I do something and it's too late to fix it afterward? What if…"

"You let me down?"

"Yes."

Hearing this, Daneel sighed.

Since coming to this world and becoming king, he had been putting so much on his shoulders and running around and doing most of the stuff himself.

He knew he had to delegate, but he had never truly done so until now.

So far, this hadn't led to any disasters, but now that he was backed into a corner, he had no other option but to do so.

And in fact, he felt relieved that it was happening.

It was time for him to take a back seat and just direct things while letting someone else do the majority of the work.

"You won't, Eloise. I know that you will do your best, and your best has never let me down. I will still be directing things from the background, so don't worry too much. Just… Do what you were born to do. Go back to being the little girl who chased behind the Business Administration Professor for extra classes. You can do it. I believe in you. Kellor and the commanders will help as much as they can. Now, I have a special plan for you. Something that might sound crazy at first, but believe me, it'll work out."

Chapter 367: The Hidden Kill Sec

"I believe that you are expecting me."

Standing at the bottom of the mountain which no one climbed without permission unless they wanted to die, a man wearing a vest over a white shirt with grey pants said these words with his hands behind his back.

His expression was filled with the confidence of an expert whom no one could threaten, and he was looking straight ahead, as if he was expecting someone to appear at that spot.

This was someone whom only two people had ever seen. One of those was dead, while the other was spending his days in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, hoping to regain the trust that he had lost.

Hence, no one knew who he was from his face.

Seeing that there was no response even after 10 seconds, a frown came on this man's face before he lazily flicked a finger, shooting a needle of compressed fire at a specific spot on the entrance of the path which led up the mountain.

"Sir, Sir, I'm sorry. Your disciple didn't tell us what you would look like, so we had no option but to wait for confirmation, which we haven't received yet. However, someone who can see through the formation we have here must surely be a legendary Formation Master. Please follow me."

That needle made of fire had just been intercepted by a man with the scales of a lizard.

It had actually been an attack which would have killed any Exalted Human, but it had been deflected without any thought by this person.

Raising an eyebrow, this mysterious master followed behind the man and was led to a specific spot on the side of the mountain, where a door was opened using blood to reveal a teleportation formation.

Of course, this mysterious man was Daneel, who was impersonating his 'master'.

It felt good to have hair again, but Daneel did not regret not using the camouflage technique to cover his bald head before.

After all, he could not sustain it 24/7, and it was also irritating to have his mageroot occupied continuously while the spell was cast.

Obviously, here, he did not have the luxury of choice.

Before, he had simply used the 'Hidden Item Detection' tool in the system to find the formation there, just like he had done long ago in the Valley of Mist.

Stepping into the teleportation formation, Daneel chanced his eyes upon one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen.

Clearly, they had teleported to near the top of the mountain, which was perpetually hidden from those on the ground because of the clouds.

Right now, they were standing on a small podium from where Daneel could see the various buildings that had been artfully sculpted out of the sides of the mountain.

In front of them was a stone path, which led upward.

It seemed to lead straight to the top, with multiple branches along the way which led to the other houses.

Each and every house looked as if it had grown out of the mountain naturally, reminding Daneel of a different sight which had taken his breath away before.

It had been when he had first discovered the headquarters of the Withering Leaf Sect, which had also looked like it had grown out of the forest in the Valley of Mist.

Wondering whether these two places had any connection, Daneel followed his guide as they started walking on the path.

"Apologies, Sir. I would teleport straight up if I could, but almost all teleportation is locked in the Central Base. Please understand."

Nodding, Daneel spoke in a deep voice.

"Central Base?"

"Yes. This is only where all the main personnel of the Hidden Kill Sect stay. All trainees and training grounds are on a different side of the mountain, which is only accessible by those who have the authority. Once someone leaves the training grounds, they are not allowed to go back in."

Interesting.

Although Daneel wanted to ask more, he knew that it was not his place.

Hence, observing everything, he tried to figure out his game plan.

If he had the choice, he would have liked to do nothing more than just stay in the Kingdom and investigate more about the Ruler's inheritance, which was taking up a lot of his mind.

However, this meeting had been long coming, and there was no way for him to postpone it.

He could only blame himself for not hosting the Olympics earlier, making it so that he had no time to take care of other things before heading off to this place.

Well, he was here now, and he might as well study them carefully, and look for vulnerabilities.

Daneel knew very well just how ambitious his plan to bring this whole sect under his control was.

This was a force which had kept all the Kingdoms in Central Angaria on tenterhooks, as they were a threat that could not be ignored.

There were even specific units trained in almost all kingdoms which would handle an assassination by the Hidden Kill Sect, but these weren't very useful.

If the Hidden Kill Sect accepted a contract, they would fulfill it, even if it was a king they had to kill.

The higher they walked on the mountain, the more elaborate the houses became, until the one just below the top was almost like a mansion complete with a waterfall.

Because it was hewn out of rock, it had a rustic feel to it which reminded Daneel of the mountain resorts back on Earth.

He was about to ask who this one belonged to, but he was interrupted by his guide.

"The Sect Leader's residence is up ahead. Please carry on. He is waiting for you."

Nodding, Daneel made his way to the round tower which was at the peak of the mountain.

It was large, needing at least 20 men to hold their hands together and stand in a circle if they wanted to encompass it.

Entering, Daneel only saw a flight of stairs, which he started to ascend.

He was kind of irritated that such an honored guest would be made to climb flights of stairs, but he didn't say anything, thinking that it was probably protocol.

From the outside, the tower had looked pretty tall, standing at at least the height of a five-story building.

However, even though 10 minutes had passed, he was still climbing the stairs.

This was… Abnormal.

Looking up, Daneel only saw endless stairs, with a hole in the distant top through which light was spilling through.

Looking down, he saw the ground, and even the door from which he had entered.

He seemed to be exactly in the middle, and because there were no other signs that things were off, he continued climbing, assuming that he was wrong.

However, 10 minutes later, it was still the same.

Dammit.

Now, he finally understood what was going on.

It was a goddamn test!

And clearly, he was failing.

As Daneel realized this, he asked the system to activate the Hidden Item Detection tool again, as he hadn't bothered to keep it on before.

[Bewilderment Formation Detected: Warrior Level. Breakage points detected. Ready to deploy HUD to display the points.]

Hearing this notification, Daneel shook his head.

What was he supposed to do now?

He was in a foreign place, and if there was even the slughtest inkling of doubt that he wasn't who he claimed to be, he could forget about leaving alive.

He had assessed all risks before coming here, and Daneel had an absolute worst-case plan he was prepared to deploy if things got truly dicey.

Of course, it wasn't time for that yet.

Still, right now, he did not seem like a formation master at all.

He had been fooled not 10 minutes after entering their Sect, so they must be having doubts about him already.

No.

There had to be more bravado.

More confidence.

More…of the arrogance that usually pissed people off, but was expected from people who had nothing to fear.

At this point, Daneel took a deep breath.

The Olympics were over. He had handed away everything else. And all his other plans were going smoothly for now.

He did not need to worry about anything else, except being the Mysterious Master Novrain.

Hence, after that breath was out of his body, he opened his eyes, and there was now an additional cockiness added to them.

Stopping in place, he shouted, "I was giving you the courtesy of being the host. I'm warning you now; either apologize to me, right now, or cry after seeing your precious bewilderment formation destroyed. No, in fact, maybe I'll destroy everything I see. You have 3 seconds."

He seemed to be talking into empty air, but Daneel knew very well that someone was listening.

And that someone wasn't ready to let go of this little 'test' just yet.

And as for the claim of 'destroying everything he saw', it was almost as if they were just scoffing at it.

With another sigh, Daneel prepared to do one of the boldest things he had ever done.

"3, 2, 1. Ok, fine. Now, beg."

First, 10 needles of fire came into existence around him, which plunged into 10 exact spots in the stone walls around him.

This already made a gasp sound near him, but what happened next caused an incident which startled the entire continent.

5 large needles of fire, each at least as thick as an arm, came into being outside the tower.

Although they weren't very fast, they flew quickly and precisely to 5 spots.

In an instant, it was as if the clouds which covered the mountain top they were on…shimmered.

CRACK

The shimmering intensified, before the clouds disappeared altogether, exposing the mountain top to everyone.

At the same time, the image in front of Daneel's shifted to show a study, in which two people were standing and staring outside with shocked expressions on their faces.

Seeing him appear, one of them, who Daneel recognized to be the reptilian who had come as an envoy to Lanthanor, fell on his knees and shouted, "MIGHTY FORMATION MASTER! WE APOLOGIZE! PLEASE RESTORE THAT FORMATION! I BEG OF YOU!"

In response, Daneel only smiled, before materializing a toothpick out of wood and picking at his teeth.

Chapter 368: Occurrence

On this day, an incredible occurrence took place in the area towards the east of Lanthanor, where there were a few isolated villages that weren't under the rule of any Kingdom.

As the farmers and animal herders looked up, they saw an incredible sight that they wouldn't forget.

The mountain that was known by everyone as the place that people went to die, actually revealed its top.

No one could remember a time when the top hadn't been covered with clouds, and even though some found this a little bit strange, they let it go, thinking that it might just be an oddity in nature.

However, today, they saw that their suspicions were right.

As the clouds shimmered and disappeared, many could swear that they had gone crazy.

This was because, instead of a mountain, they saw…something else.

It was the kids who remembered the most, as many adults fainted as soon as they saw this sight.

Only the kids, who had limitless imagination and weren't bounded by earthly belief, kept watching and branded the image into their minds.

If they were asked, they would have told people stuff from myths and legends, which no one would have believed.

It might have made a sensation across Angaria, because it wasn't possible for multiple people to have the same delusion.

If…it had a chance.

The problem was that it didn't.

For one thing, the phenomenon lasted only all of 5 seconds, after which the clouds returned.

For another, all of the villages in the surrounding area were visited by strange men who were carrying devices which they used to test everyone.

Of course, even this fact was somehow forgotten the next day, as the netizens only had the vague recollection that someone had visited.

All this was only later found out by Daneel, who didn't know that he was causing such a large-scale disaster when he decided to vent and show his expertise.

After he was begged by the envoy whose name he didn't remember, Daneel had half a mind to take advantage of the situation.

After all, they needed him, and it wasn't like they would kill him after going to so much trouble to recruit him.

However, a notification from the system put an end to this thought.

[Backup Formation Activating in 5 seconds. Grade of Backup Formation exceeds what the system can handle. Please upgrade system/requisite tools if host wishes to find breakage points for backup formation.]

Well, he had no choice.

Hence, acting every bit like the arrogant master he was supposed to be, he decided to make full use of the 5 seconds.

"Humph. I already warned you once. You wanted to test me, right? Oh, please, I LOVE tests! Give me some more! How about I deactivate your core defensive formation next? Or how about I move on to something simpler, but more practical? How about the formation you use to keep running water supplied to all the houses here? Then, you can tell your staff that they can't go to the bathroom because their leader wanted to put a test! And of course, because he uses someone else to apologize for him…"

Daneel was speaking quickly, so he hadn't bothered to look up.

However, now that he did, he saw the other reptilian being in the room turn towards him.

As he did so, he wondered, for once, whether he had gone overboard.

This was because those eyes with vertical pupils had such an expression of panic in them, which was followed by a desire to kill.

It was brief, but Daneel detected it.

And during that moment, he knew that all his countermeasures wouldn't have worked.

All his plans, all his capabilities would be NOTHING if this reptilian man decided to kill him at this moment.

Thankfully, the moment passed, and the bloodlust was replaced by an amiable expression.

"Sir, I do apologize. Please reactivate it."

"About time."

Right now, Daneel was just about ready to pee in his pants, as he couldn't remember another time he had been this terrified.

Even that grey robed man hadn't been this scary, but that was probably because he had Marcus to fall back on.

Now, he was alone, with no safety net.

Thankfully, the King of Lanthanor managed to take a firm grip of his emotions.

After all, this wasn't the first time he had to deal with a moment of certain death and act normal.

And besides, if he didn't do so, certain death might be around the corner anyway.

So, somehow, he continued the act, and made the needles disappear, making it look like they wouldn't have disappeared anyway as soon as the backup formation turned on.

As they saw through the open window that the clouds were present again, both of the reptilians sighed with relief.

It was only now that Daneel was able to notice that the one who had just terrified him looked older, from the way his scales looked to be a different color, and also the hunched back.

Also, he had a certain…air about him, as if he was-sure about himself.

"System, Champion-level?", he asked, although he thought he already knew the answer.

[Unknown. System does not detect any power from target. Phenomenon Analysis Module has failed in analysis. Please upgra-]

This shocked Daneel, and he had to take a moment to gather his thoughts.

However, if this man was a Champion, it would only make sense that he would have some method to conceal his power.

One thing was for sure: he was not someone to be crossed.

Yet, Daneel wasn't someone to be crossed either.

He had begun the act, so he couldn't abandon it halfway.

"So you make a deal with my disciple, call me to this place, and you have the gall to test me? I'm not letting that go, by the way."

As the two reptilians heard this, expressions of exasperation came on their faces, and they looked like they were distracted.

After a look from the older one, the envoy said, "Sir, we can discuss that in detail later. Right now, we have to take care not to have our headquarters leaked to everyone, because of this…mishap. The Sect Leader would like to change the appointment with you, if that's all right."

An expert did not talk to pawns.

So, Daneel just folded his hands and said nothing.

However much he was scared that the older reptilian might get angry again, he did it.

Because he couldn't risk the consequences of not doing so.

Thankfully, it seemed that he had already had his share of scares for the day.

With respect, the older reptilian said, "Sir, I understand that you do not wish to interact with nobodies. Skrrag is not a nobody. He's my son, and he was also the one who acted as an Envoy to your disciple's Kingdom. Please follow him. I need to take care of some things, after which I will join you in your mansion. We have readied the best house in the Central Base for you."

Seeing the slight tone of urgency in the Sect Leader's words, Daneel decided that he had taken it far enough.

Hence, nodding, he turned around and exited through the door.

Outside, he found a regular set of stairs which he descended while being following by Skrrag, who still seemed to be panicking.

Curious, Daneel was about to ask the reason, but he controlled himself, as it might be because of the mess he had caused in the first place.

After getting to the bottom, Skrrag led the way, and the path to Daneel's lodging location was short.

This was because it was that large mansion with waterfalls that Daneel had seen before, which made him realize that the Sect Leader had told the truth when he said that they had prepared the best room for him.

After reaching the door, Skrrag bowed and said, "Please rest. The day is old, and the Sect Leader will mostly be busy till late in the night. He has just informed me that he will meet you first thing in the morning, after which you can go to observe the Basilisk Heart Formation. Maids will soon be sent over with refreshments."

With another 'humph', Daneel entered and banged the door shut in Skrrag's face.

After he did so, he waited behind the door and asked the system to check whether the reptilian stayed or left.

After that, he was tempted to relax after the very stressful day, but he asked the system to scan the room for eavesdropping devices.

Surprisingly, there were none.

It was only then that Daneel slid to the door where he stood-against the door that he had just banged shut.

Sweat popped out from all his pores, as if he was having a delayed reaction to that mind-numbing fear from before.

Were all Sect Leaders so powerful?

Daneel had never fought against the Sect Leader of the other Sect he had gotten into a tussle with, but reports said that he was merely a Warrior.

Hence, this individual must be an exception.

He could still remember those eyes: the vertical slits, which were like two doors that led straight to a cold, frozen hell of endless suffering.

Shivering, Daneel had to shake his head to get rid of the image.

Indeed, he had had enough…fun for one day, so after checking up on Eloise once to make sure that she wasn't burning down the Kingdom, Daneel went to sleep.

Meanwhile, in the room which he had left, the Sect Leader and Skrrag were talking to each other in low voices that seemed laced with tension.

"He's asleep. There are no devices inside, as you requested, but we have an expert checking the movements of the earth underneath. There is none."

With a nod, the Sect Leader asked in a grave tone, "Double check with the teams we sent. They have to get all the witnesses. Especially the children."

"But I thought the adults were riskier? No one would believe children, right?"

"No, but children remember things the most. If one babbles after growing up…|Sigh|. I wish I never tested him in the first place. Well, he's cost us this much already. Let's hope he's capable enough of extracting our treasures, otherwise, I. Will. Be. Very. Angry."

With those last words, that same glint which had terrified Daneel appeared again, this time making even Skrrag tense with fear.

Chapter 369: First Day in the Hidden Kill Sec

The next morning, Daneel woke up to a knock on the door.

Opening it, he saw that the Sect Leader himself was standing outside the door.

With a smile on his face, he greeted Daneel, saying, "Good Morning, Master. Once again, I apologize for what happened yesterday. Today, we shall go to the heart of the formation. Even though the auspicious time is not yet here, I thought that you would like to study its structure. What do you say?"

"All right. Just remember our agreement. One item belongs to me. And apologies aren't enough for the incident yesterday."

"Of course, of course. How about this. I will have our head instructor give you a crash course on the most effective assassination techniques. Would that be enough?"

Hearing this, Daneel couldn't help but pause.

It was this easy?

Before sleeping, he had already decided that he would try to obtain the techniques of the Hidden Kill Sect one way or another.

The best method was, of course, to bring up the incident yesterday.

However, as these techniques were the lifeblood of the Sect, he had assumed that it would be very difficult.

So, he had settled on asking for the secondary request of going through their library.

After all, information was power, and it wouldn't hurt to assimilate more knowledge in the system.

Daneel was about to feel happy that the best case scenario had played out, but he stopped when he saw the expression on the Sect Leader's face.

Although he was reptilian, except for the angular nature of his face, the scales and the slits in place of the nose, Daneel could still comprehend his emotion to some degree.

The smile was cold, and the Sect Leader almost appeared to be…gloating.

Daneel didn't understand, but he had a feeling that he would find out soon.

Yawning in reply, he said, "I guess that's fine."

"Great! Please meet me at the Central Tower when you are ready."

Leaving these words, the Sect Leader walked away.

Closing the door, Daneel started to freshen up.

Only, he couldn't get the image of the Sect Leader out of his mind.

The most obvious interpretation was that they would not be teaching their core techniques.

However, this didn't make sense as he was an 'expert', who would throw a fit if he was shown mediocre or weak techniques.

So, anyone with common sense would definitely bust out the good stuff if they promised the crash course in the first place.

After reaching the tower, Daneel saw that the Sect Leader was looking out at the surroundings while standing at the edge of the cliff.

Walking up to him, Daneel couldn't help but raise his eyebrows on seeing the breathtaking view.

Although there were only clouds for the most part, he could see some patches of Angaria.

Very few birds flew at this altitude. After all, they were 8000 meters in the air.

Only, one thing didn't make sense.

There were a few other mountains around him which popped up through the cloud cover, but all of them were snow-tipped.

It was an obvious fact that the higher one went, the colder it would be.

But since Daneel had stepped through that teleportation door, he had only experienced a pleasant temperature.

The Sect Leader answered his unspoken question.

"Our core formation monitors the temperature of the upper part of the mountain, and it is one of the few grand formations remaining."

Well, it made sense.

After all, whoever decided to build their base here wouldn't do so if it meant that everyone would be freezing at all times.

Turning around, the Sect Leader led the way to the tower without a word.

There was no reason for small talk; Daneel was here for a business transaction, and that was the way he acted.

However, he quickly started to realize that this attitude was hardly conducive to his goal of finding a way to subdue this sect.

Yet, when he was just about to speak, they reached their destination.

On entering the tower, the Sect Leader pricked his finger and drew a symbol on the floor in the center of the winding staircase.

With a rumbling sound, a passage opened which lead downwards.

Without a word, the Sect Leader started to descend, and Daneel followed.

[Ultra high-grade Energy Source detected nearby.]

Hearing this notification from the system, Daneel was slightly shocked.

The last time he heard this, he had been at the location of the core of the formation in the Palace of Lanthanor.

Now, they were also going to the core of this formation.

Could the two be related somehow?

"Do you have any idea who set up this formation?", he asked, making the Sect Leader turn around with a surprised expression on his face.

"I am sorry, but this is something that I cannot answer. There are certain secrets that cannot be revealed to any outsider. For instance, what would you tell me if I asked who set up the Dragon-Heart Formation?"

"The First King Lanthanore, of course."

Hearing the response, the Sect Leader actually scoffed.

"Ah, I forgot that your disciple is still weak. Ask him the same question when he becomes powerful enough to take full control of the Dragon-Heart Formation."

The Sect Leader did not say anything else, but he had already blown Daneel's mind.

The man was dropping bombs like they were nothing!

The Dragon-Heart Formation wasn't set up by King Lanthanore?!

Daneel always had a suspicion that there were secrets about the Kingdom of Lanthanor that he would unveil when he grew strong enough, but this was the first confirmation he got regarding them.

He had been hoping that the Empire Spirit would shed some light, but its first layer had contained something else. Still, he was thankful as he had been very much in need of something to boost his power level.

System upgrade!

If only he could get this damn thing, he would be able to take full control of that formation to find out the secrets of Lanthanor.

Well, this had been something that was bugging him ever since he became King, so he looked forward to it more than ever now that this Sect Leader had rekindled his interest in it.

RUMBLE

Looking up, Daneel saw that they had arrived at a stone door.

They had been descending in a cylinder-shaped tunnel that led straight downward while using a fireball for light. Now, the winding steps had ended.

For some reason, Daneel's heart started to beat faster as the door slowly opened.

Only, after entering, he felt disappointed.

There was nothing there.

It was a large empty stone room, so tall that he couldn't even see the ceiling with the dim light given off by the fireball conjured by the Sect Leader.

"This is where the heart of the formation will appear when the auspicious time arrives. Please carry out your investigation. I will wait here."

Saying so, the Sect Leader stood beside the door and closed his eyes.

Investigation? What investigation?

There was nothing here!

Still, Daneel walked in and activated the Hidden Item Detection skill in the system.

[Basilisk Heart Formation found. Status: Locked. Conditions must be met for unlocking the formation.]

Well, at least this formation wasn't so complicated that the system didn't even recognize it.

Just to make a show, Daneel walked to all 4 ends, marveling at the sheer size of this room.

It seemed to be a perfect cube with a length of 100 meters, making Daneel wonder why and how someone had gone to great lengths to excavate this much stone from the interior of the mountain.

He wanted to ask, but knowing that the Sect Leader might just blow him off like before, he let go of the idea.

Walking back to the entrance, he said, "Let's go. The formation is here. I can only find out more after it unlocks…I mean, when your auspicious time arrives. I'm itching for a fight. How about we start that crash course now?"

The Sect Master responded with that same cold smile as before and started to climb back up, but Daneel couldn't have guessed that he would find out the meaning behind it in just the next 20 minutes.

.....

"Pathetic!"

"Loser!"

"Go back where you came from! Worthless piece of crap!"

"Come on, my 3-year old fights better than that!"

Cursing vehemently in his mind, Daneel got up and tasted blood in his mouth.

BANG

However, in just the next second, he was on his ass again, knocked back by a lightning-fast punch.

His whole body felt as if it had just been put through a meat-grinder. Only, the insane thing was, there was no mark or injury on the outside.

No, if anyone looked at him, they would think that he was 100% healthy.

But if they saw the status of his internal organs, they would faint with shock.

Struggling to hold on to his consciousness, Daneel looked up to see stalagmites and stalactites hanging above him.

All around him, the shouts continued.

He was in a large oval stadium, which had marvelously been built on the inside of the mountain.

The stands were filled with thousands of spectators, all practically howling for his blood right now.

No. If he was going down, he would go down fighting.

Using a last spurt of energy, Daneel got up again, but the next blow which was aimed at his head succeeded in making him pass out.

After an unknown amount of time passed, Daneel woke up on a soft bed.

"Sir, I and my father warned you. But you insisted. This is the only 'crash course' we have. I understand if you would not like to continue."

In front of him stood his opponent, Skrrag, who was taking off the mask and the strength limiter that both of them had worn.

Only, how much ever he tried, he couldn't get the satisfied expression off of his face.

Clearly, the revenge for having had to beg earlier must taste very sweet.

It was Daneel's oddly enthusiastic response which made him freeze, before breaking out into an even wider smile.

"You punch like a wimp. Keep it coming, or I'll have to start calling your sect the 'Hidden Wimp Sect'."

Daneel was also smiling when he said these words, but it was because of the notification that had just sounded in his head.

[Analysis in progress.]

Chapter 370: Basilisk's Breath

"Hey man, it's ok, just give up!"

"I can't watch anymore…"

"Who is he? Is he crazy?"

"I'm gonna be sick…"

"Ya, I'm outta here."

Hearing these comments from the crowd, Daneel was going to chuckle, but he was in too much pain to do so.

It was as if there were no more bones inside his body; instead, he was just made up of mush which wouldn't hold together no matter what he did.

Only, he kept finding the strength somewhere to get up and get beaten down.

This was the 10th fight he was having with Skrrag, and by now, he had learned a bunch of things about this place.

Apparently, the Hidden Kill Sect was weird in the fact that it had more non-sect members than actual assassins.

Daneel had only gotten a vague reason for this, but from what he could gather, it was because the training equipment they used needed a lot of manpower to maintain.

Also, there seemed to be a lot of activities which needed human personnel.

Hence, this stadium had been constructed as a past-time for them.

At least, that was one of the reasons.

The other was that this was where non-lethal techniques were best learned.

The idea was that motivation in the form of condescension or cheering would push an individual to take more than they usually could in order to learn more.

Also, it could put them in an environment of high pressure, which was sometimes the case in assassinations.

And lastly, it was great to resolve conflicts between would-be assassins, which was very crucial as it would be a great loss for the sect if 2 assassins ended up killing themselves without being contracted for the deaths.

According to the Sect Leader, who had been so kind as to find him repeatedly after each fight to dissuade him from participating in another one, the 'crash-course' was designed to beat the techniques of the sect into someone's body.

This was a method set down in their archives for willing individuals who didn't meet the conditions to enter the sect to learn their techniques.

The techniques would be practiced on them, and they could take away whatever they learned to apply as they saw fit.

If…they didn't run away screaming.

This conversation had occurred after the 2nd fight, when Daneel had passed out again.

Then, he had also gotten a stinking suspicion regarding what the hell those from Lanthanor had been taught, if the conditions were so stringent for someone to learn the Sect's techniques.

Thankfully, there was nothing to worry about.

The Hidden Kill Sect's techniques were divided into major and minor tiers just like the levels of Fighters and Mages on Angaria: Amateur, Eminent and Exalted Humans, Warriors and Champions.

Apparently, the first two-Amateur and Eminent Human level techniques, which were meant for dealing with individuals of that level, were the ones that had been taught, because their rules stipulated that these techniques could be used for bargaining when the Sect was in dire need of something.

Clearly, whatever items were in the Basilisk Heart Formation were of very high importance to the Sect Leader.

Daneel didn't even ask why he wasn't being taught those techniques; an 'expert' wouldn't concern himself with low-level techniques that would be useless to him.

However, when he asked just what level of techniques were being taught to him using this 'crash-course', he didn't get an answer.

All he had gotten was another explanation that this was all they could give him, unless he wanted to learn the simpler techniques, which his 'disciple's soldiers knew anyway.

These were the instructions and rules set down by their ancestors, and they COULD NOT be broken.

If Daneel really were an expert, maybe he would have thrown a fit and given up.

Yet, he didn't do so, as he seemed to have hit a jackpot.

[Fighter Assassin Core Technique Analysis Progress: 78%]

This was the fruit of all those beatings.

Whenever he felt like giving up and surrendering, he would ask the system for the progress.

The thing that he hated most was: he was useless!

All his fighter prowess was NOTHING against Skrrag, who somehow moved so fast that his fist or leg would always be buried inside some part of Daneel's body before he even had a chance to make a move.

It was so darn frustrating that Daneel almost cast fireballs to burn the fool.

Yet, the system was analyzing, and that was all he needed.

He had heard before about the absurd effectiveness of the techniques of the Hidden Kill Sect, but this was his first time seeing them.

And, he couldn't be more impressed.

By now, there were bruises all over his body, even though Skrrag insisted that this technique was meant to be a 'hidden' one, which meant that it messed up the inner body without leaving any sign on the outer.

This made Daneel recall the move he and Elanev loved so much, which coincidentally had the same name.

He had half a mind to ask about it, but he was 'Master Novrain', not Daneel.

Of course, the crowds had given him a new name: 'Masochist'.

After the 10th fight, Daneel lost track of time.

All he remembered was flashes.

Being hit until he couldn't get up.

Being carried to a side-room, where the Sect Leader would be waiting with his rosy speech.

Telling both him and Skrrag to piss off while insulting them and their Sect.

And then getting beat up again.

In the middle of it, he even thought he got a dream of actually bonding with Skrrag because the guy became admiring of Daneel's persistence to keep taking it.

Pain was his world.

No matter how much it tried to consume him, he held on.

81%, 83%, 84%.

The incremental growth of the progress was all he lived for.

Each fight only lasted 15 minutes or so, and he also recovered and woke up fast because the system was there which kept casting healing spells on him.

This pain also had a secondary effect: it made him discover something.

Whenever he thought he was going crazy, Daneel would hang on, and by doing so, he found a way to focus his mind even if it didn't want to.

In other words, he was slowly learning to better control his mind.

By the 15th fight, Daneel had swellings and lacerations all over his body.

By the 20th, he was losing his grip over reality, and he was half convinced that this was all a nightmare.

By the 25th, there wasn't a single spot which wasn't bloody.

The stadium was completely empty by this time, so the only one spectating was the Sect Leader, who couldn't believe his eyes.

'What is wrong with this man?', he wondered.

This was the 26th fight, and if anyone had as many injuries as this man, they would have collapsed after a single strike from his son.

However, this man kept getting up and raising his hands to fight before being knocked down again.

His body had been through hell, but his endurance still seemed to be the same, or even better.

As the Sect Leader watched, he realized that something was wrong.

The actions of the man which had been forced till now, were robotic.

Casting a spell, he zoomed in and took a step back in shock on seeing that the man's eyes were actually…closed.

He was…fighting unconsciously?

What kind of willpower was necessary for something like this?

And what purpose could he possibly have for doing something like this in the first place?

Just as he was about to call for the fight to end, something incredible happened.

As if he had been jolted awake, the mysterious and masochistic master opened his eyes and raised his hands in surrender.

Suddenly…he had had enough?

What the hell?

Skrrag's elbow had stopped right in front of his face, where the next blow was going to be, so when the man collapsed, Skrrag immediately caught him and laid him on the ground.

"Check for the pulse!"

After all the bad luck the sect had had in the past few decades, it would be right up the Sect Leader's alley if their possible savior died due to them.

It was only after Skrrag did so and nodded did the Sect Leader calm down and call for the medical personnel.

This man had been so crazy that he had insisted on not receiving any help in between the fights, but now that he had surrendered, it didn't matter anymore.

After instructing the medics to keep him alive, the Sect Leader stormed back to his room, cursing at the King of Lanthanor for having such a crazy master.

…..

As Daneel slowly came to his senses and tried to open his eyes, he panicked when he saw that he couldn't.

Thankfully, a voice that was heard from beside him calmed his fears.

"Master Novrain, we are using a secret medical concoction of the sect to paralyze you while your body heals. Please do not panic."

Not trusting them, Daneel asked the system and felt relieved when he got the same answer.

If he could, he would have shivered on looking back into his memory and finding so many blanks.

The only thing he could remember clearly was the desire not to give up, as he did not trust himself to start enduring the pain again if he stopped in between.

That, and the notification at the end which had caused him to finally surrender.

[Analysis Complete. 'Basilisk's Breath' Inheritance detected. Basilisk's Breath: A fighter inheritance which requires certain conditions to be met to be obtained. Host has fulfilled the first condition: 'Bloody Baptism'.

Inheritance ready for activation.]

Daneel hadn't been able to believe it then, and he couldn't believe it now.

The technique he had been analyzing…was actually an inheritance?

What, it was raining inheritances now?!

Chapter 371: Basilisk's Breath 2

Standing in an open space and making sure that there was no one surveilling him right now, Daneel took a deep breath before saying, "Activate the Basilisk's Breath."

Suddenly, he felt as if something was…different.

Initially, everything looked the same, so Daneel why he had this feeling.

However, when a small insect flew past him, he understood, and tried to control his shock.

He could see each and every individual beat of its wings, along with all the details of its body, complete with the almost microscopic drop of blood on its stinger which meant that it had just fed somewhere.

It was moving slowly, but Daneel could tell that it would have zipped past him by now if this strange inheritance weren't activated.

Was it only his senses? Or his body too?

Curious to check it out, he raised his hand in an attempt to catch the insect.

He had taken care to move normally, but with disappointment, Daneel watched as his hand also moved in slow-motion.

What was even stranger was that when he tried to change the direction of movement of his hand to accommodate for this slow-motion, there was a delay during which it continued its earlier path.

All in all, the end result was that the insect continued on to its next target easily while Daneel could only stand and keep watching it.

"Deactivate"

[Inheritance Deactivated]

As everything came back to normal, Daneel finally managed to regain control of his body.

It was…weird.

He had had high hopes for this inheritance, but what use was it if all it could do was let him analyze things faster?

Yes, this was also very impressive and made him understand partly how Skrrag had been able to attack him before he even landed an attack, but if he couldn't move faster to take advantage of the fact that he could observe things sooner, wouldn't it all go to waste?

As he placed this question to the system, the answer made him hit his head in realization.

[The Inheritance places Host in a heightened state where all aspects are magnified. This also applies to the effort put forward by the body, with the drawback being the time delay, which is something that host must adapt to.]

He was tempted to ask how the inheritance worked too, but Daneel had decided that he would figure this out by himself.

So, Daneel activated the inheritance once again and focused on a distant point in the house.

He had chosen the hall as his practice ground, and as the mansion was quite large, there was a distance of at least 15 meters between him and the other end.

The problem before had been that he hadn't put too much effort into his body when he tried to catch the insect.

And of course, he hadn't accommodated for that weird time delay.

Now, the latter didn't matter, and he was going to take care not to repeat the former.

After activating the inheritance again, Daneel took a deep breath but was annoyed when he saw that there was a delay while doing this too.

The only thing which didn't seem to have a delay was the speed at which he observed things, as they seemed to have been happening in real time even though his body felt like it was stuck in mud.

Determined to overcome it, Daneel put his full force into his legs with the intention to shoot forward with a burst of speed.

BOOM

After that delay, the stone floor under his feet cracked as his whole body hurtled forward.

This speed was…incredible!

The system had been right: EVERYTHING was magnified, along with the speed and strength that his body outputted in this state, which was apparently proportionately to his effort.

CRACK

However, as he watched, his elbow bent in a weird angle, making Daneel realize something with horror.

He had forgotten about one thing: due to the time delay, he couldn't figure when to send the appropriate command to the rest of his body to run.

This was something which any normal human would never have to face.

If someone could control their body normally, after urging their legs to use the ground beneath them as support to shoot forward, anyone would be able to instruct their hands to swing at the right moment so as not to decrease the momentum.

Daneel couldn't do so!

"Deactivate! Deactivate! Deactivate!"

As he screamed this thrice, he crumbled into a heap on the floor, head first.

Both of his hands were bent backward in weird angles, and if it wasn't for the baptism of pain that Daneel had gone through just the day before, he would be screaming due to it right now.

The problem had been that his command to his hand made it move in the opposite direction to the momentum, and because it was already weakened from the day before, it had bent backward and snapped out of place.

Wonderful.

With just the first try of the inheritance, he had dislocated both of his hands!

Why the hell were inheritances so weird?

The first one he had gotten had almost made him go crazy, and the second made it so that he was more harm to himself than anyone else when he activated it?!

Cursing softly, Daneel used magic to first make a block of wood appear at his teeth which he bit down on.

Next, using telekinesis, he tried not to break his own teeth by biting down too hard while he reset his hands.

It was only then did he realize that even his legs hurt like hell, and that he was also feeling very fatigued.

Was there any good news at all?

Thankfully, there seemed to be some.

[Analysis Complete. 'Basilisk's Breath' Inheritance puts the user in a heightened state where all actions are magnified i.e the body enters into a state where it burns its energy reserves to maintain peak performance. This means that information is analyzed at a much faster rate, and the brain also functions faster, letting the user have more time to react to his surroundings. Amplification Factor: Power triples while endurance is cut down by half. Drawback: The nervous system is not sped up in this state, so the user must figure out how to control his body in the right way while accommodating for the increased power output and analysis time.]

3-time increase?!

First, it was 5, now it was 3!

Daneel shut up when he heard this.

For a 3 time increase in power, he didn't care how many times he had to dislocate his hands: he would keep doing it until he got the hang of it.

Of course, one more thing became clear with this information: this inheritance was seemingly of a tier lower than the one he had obtained in Lanthanor.

But wait…back in Lanthanor, the system had been able to assimilate a trough of information to get the name and method of the inheritance.

How had it placed a name here when he had just been beaten up to obtain it?

[The inheritance has been named as per the legend of the Basilisk, which is linked to the Hidden Kill Sect. In the records, it was stated that the breath of the Basilisk contained the ability to send those who injected it into a frenzy where they killed themselves after obtaining a boost in power that they couldn't control. Hence, system has given this name to the inheritance. Would host like to change the name?]

"No, keep it."

Well, it sounded good.

Like the system said, it was apt.

Not daring to test it out again without having a proper plan first, Daneel encased his hands in ice to help with the swelling that came from being dislocated.

Easing himself down into a chair, he started to think of the other question that had been plaguing him.

One thing that the Sect Leader had told him before had jumped out to Daneel when he learned that he had obtained an inheritance: that it was the instructions of their ancestors to use this technique on those who wished to learn but didn't satisfy the conditions to do so.

Did they intend for someone skilled to be able to obtain something so precious if they had enough talent and willpower? If so, what was their motive behind this?

He didn't know, but Daneel was even more curious about the origin of this Sect now.

One thing was clear: there were clear rules laid down which HAD to be followed.

Could there be a rule which might allow him to challenge the Sect Leader in some way to take control of the Sect?

Daneel doubted it, but he couldn't know for sure unless he found a way to read their records.

And while thinking of a way to do this, he was reminded of that 'dream' where he had bonded with Skrrag.

Now that he was completely conscious, he started to doubt that it WAS a dream. After all, it felt real.

Walking to the door, he decided to talk to the man to find out the truth.

However, just as he was about to open it, a knock sounded.

It was Skrrag, but he was accompanied by someone who had a very angry look on her face.

"Formation Master? Humph! Name yourself, and where you come from! How dare you break the rules of the Big 4 and fraternize with a Kingdom? By the order of the Matron, I will make you pay!"

If these words were said by anyone else, he might have panicked.

However, it was Sister Xuan, who actually winked secretly to him after making sure that Skrrag wasn't looking.

Chapter 372: Core Inheritance

"Miss. Xuan! Please! If you insist on attacking our guest, then we will have to respectfully ask you to leave! I request you to handle your matters outside!"

As Skrrag said these words with indignation on his face, Sister Xuan shrugged and was about to speak, but Daneel cut both of them off.

"It's all right, kiddo. I can handle her. In fact, I'll do so right now. Let's go to your place, Missy, because you've destroyed mine! I'll tell you all about where I'm from, so that your Matron doesn't go on a tizzy. All right?"

"Humph."

Crossing her hands and glaring at Daneel for a bit, Sister Xuan walked away, making Skrrag stare.

Finding this as the perfect time to test whether his memory was a dream or not, Daneel laid a hand on Skrrag's shoulder and said, "Hey, don't worry about it. Like I said, I can handle her. Thank your dad for that crash course. It helped heaps! But I would love to spar with you again. Not in the stadium, though. Maybe that way, I can show you how a real expert fights, with no strength limiter. What do you say, kiddo?"

Through the shirt that Skrrag was wearing, Daneel could feel the scales.

Just like a reptile's, they felt cold, and he could tell this even through the fabric.

Nodding with a smile, Skrrag replied, "Yes, Sir. I would love to. I'll come find you after you…handle her."

As Skrrag walked away after leaving these words, Daneel couldn't help but smile to himself on seeing that the ordeal yesterday had a secondary benefit which might end up helping him to reach his goal.

Hoping for the best, Daneel followed the route Sister Xuan took and was led to the mansion on the other side of the road.

It seemed to be a replica of his, with all the rooms mirrored.

After closing the door behind him, he was about to turn around and speak but stopped when he saw Sister Xuan shushing him.

Taking out a globe-shaped trinket from her pocket, she activated it before talking.

Clearly, it was meant to stop others from surveilling their location.

"King Daneel, if you had told me you were coming here, we could have left together."

Daneel still remembered her bold words back in Lanthanor, but he tried to ignore that memory while talking to her.

Apart from the previous King of Lanthanor, Sister Xuan, Molan, and the Matron were three people who were also aware of Daneel's other identity.

Back in the Black Raven Kingdom, when he had almost died to the black-robed man, he had been saved by them but also exposed in the process by Sister Xuan's intelligence.

"I thought it was a secret! What are you doing here, anyway? And where's your sidekick?"

"Oh, Molan? She had to go back to the Sect for something. I'm alone for now."

Hearing her say this in a happy tone, Daneel also smiled before taking a seat in front of her on a sofa.

After that angry performance before, if Skrrag could see the both of them acting in this way, he would definitely have been shocked.

"I'm here to take a shot at the Basilisk Heart Formation, just like you. This is something momentous, so the Sect Leader isn't placing his bets only on you. He has invited people from all 4 of the Big 4, and I'm representing the Goddess's Sanctum. The Matron says that if we do find a way to make the Hidden Kill Sect stronger by extracting the things stored in their formation, it might help Angaria on the whole. So, she sent me with the best formation-breaking trinket we have."

This made Daneel raise an eyebrow in surprise.

He was finally going to meet people from all 4 members of the Big 4?

Frankly, he had been irritated for a long time because he had no information about them except the name of the one that Sister Xuan belonged to.

"So will I finally be knowing their names, at least?"

When he had asked before, she had said that she wasn't authorized to talk about them.

It seemed that that was still the case.

"Well, if they tell you, you'll find out. I can't go giving out their names! I hope you understand. You have a kickass inheritance, by the way. If I didn't know you, I would already have started a fight to take it from you. So, does the inheritance help you with analyzing formations, or did you find some trinket that does the same thing? Come on, you can tell me."

Seeing her talking so casually with him, Daneel tried to remember when their relationship had gone from 'acquantances' to 'friends'.

Well, it would be rude not to respond in kind, and she had helped him a lot by keeping him updated on the Big 4's actions during the Olympics.

"I'm not that easy. I might tell you, though, if you could tell me more about inheritances in the first place. You know that I only have mine. Where are inheritances found, in general?"

Now, it was Sister Xuan's turn to raise an eyebrow.

After putting an expression of thought for a few seconds, she said, "I guess I can tell you, because this is information you can find in other places too, if you look hard enough. Inheritances can be found…anywhere! In a random cave, a hole in a tree, in the ground. They might be protected by formations which require conditions to be met for them to be accessed, but for the most part, inheritances can be found just lying around if you're lucky."

This shocked Daneel, who had been thinking that they were some mystical objects that could only be found after going through great peril.

"Don't look so shocked! An inheritance is a loose term, really. If you find a way to cast a spell in a way that's better than the norm, you've made an inheritance! Anything which can be passed on to the future generations is an inheritance, after all."

This explanation made Daneel roll his eyes.

However, just as he was about to ask her to just say that she couldn't disclose any information instead of beating around the bush, Sister Xuan spoke again.

"Don't be so impatient, King Daneel. All these things can be called inheritances, but the real ones, which are valued even by the Big 4, are those which have survived tens of thousands of years. They are the same: spells or techniques passed down by someone. However, if that someone happens to be a reputed individual in the history of Angaria, then there's a chance that what they passed down might contain something that we call the jackpot of inheritances: A Core Inheritance. Core inheritances change the way the body or the mageroot works, thereby multiplying the effective power output of whoever is lucky enough to find them. They could be spell models, fighter techniques, anything! If an inheritance multiplies your power, then it is a core inheritance. And these are coveted by the entire continent itself. There is a rumor about them, though, that core inheritances are present in all major Kingdoms in Central Angaria. The Big 4 searched, but we didn't find any."

As Sister Xuan gave this explanation, Daneel noticed something.

She had her eyes focused on his face, as if she was searching for something.

Daneel had noticed this even before she began telling about the information about core inheritances, so when she brought this important thing up, he realized what she was doing.

She was trying to trick him like before, when he had revealed his identity!

This smart girl wanted to check for a change in his expression so that she could figure out whether what she was saying applied to his inheritance.

In fact, Daneel got a doubt that she had spouted all that stuff before to knock him off guard so that when she did tell him the important stuff, he would be more susceptible to revealing his feelings.

However, Daneel was one step ahead of her.

"System, freeze my face."

All she saw was the same interest as before, so as Sister Xuan cursed inside with frustration at having her plan fail, Daneel rejoiced.

This woman was really smart!

And this was actually…quite impressive.

Thankfully, he had been prepared, or she would have gotten to know that he did, indeed, have a core inheritance.

And that too, not just one, but two.

As for the information about that rumor, it sounded VERY interesting to Daneel.

However, just as he was about to ask about it, a knock sounded on the door.

Glancing at Daneel, Sister Xuan got up and went to open it.

"Sister Xuan! What a pleasure! I didn't know I would be finding you here!"

Turning around, Daneel felt like punching whoever was the one with this voice.

He couldn't help it; it had such a slimy tone to it, as if the person who possessed it must be the most annoying individual on the continent.

It was really strange, he could swear that he had never felt this way about anyone he had met so far on Angaria.

However, when he laid eyes on the man who was entering the house after saying these words, Daneel realized that he was right.

This man had slicked back, blonde hair, and he was clean-shaven. He had a round nose and shifty eyes, along with a wide forehead. Yet, all these couldn't describe why Daneel felt like he had been right; this was the most punchable man on Angaria.

If he had to guess, it might be because of the expression which was so naturally smug that it would make anyone puke.

Following behind the man were two other people, but these two elected to stay silent.

"Percy? So they sent you?"

Hearing Sister Xuan's reply, Daneel understood who they were.

Clearly, the representatives of the other three members of the Big 4 were here.

With a sigh, Daneel realized that he was running out of time.

With people from the Big 4 around, he would have to tread even more carefully, and the auspicious moment when the formation would open was fast approaching

Getting up, he was about to leave, but he stopped when that punchable guy looked at him with narrowed eyes and said, "You must be the one from that village, Lanthanor. Your disciple made my dad cut off my younger brother's |gulp| tool. Sit down. I need to have a talk with you."

Chapter 373: Percy

After hearing this, Daneel was tempted to spit in this guys face and walk out.

However, he was interested in finding out more about this threat that would definitely try to kill him in 6 months.

So, he simply raised an eyebrow and sat down, deciding to listen to what this greasy kid had to say.

"Percy, how can he be responsible for what his disciple did? I saw personally all the disgusting things your older brother did. He deserved it! Besides, he must have grown it back by now, right?"

This made Percy turn around and look at Sister Xuan, and by the look on his face, it became clear that he was curious as to why she was taking his side.

"This man is someone who was banished by the Goddess's Sanctum. Of course, I'm on his side, even though he isn't a part of us now."

"Oh? What was he banished for?"

"Forbidden love."

As this conversation went on between Sister Xuan and the guy who had been called Percy, Daneel started to feel more and more puzzled.

What the hell was she saying?

However, knowing that she must have some motive behind speaking like this, Daneel kept quiet and made sure to put on a neutral expression on his face.

Yet, those last two words almost made him gawk, as he remembered what they meant back on Earth.

Thankfully, he received a message from Sister Xuan the next second which cleared up his doubts.

"You need some back story so that you won't be hounded by these three. The Matron allowed me to give you this background. 'Forbidden Love' means that you pursued someone you weren't supposed to, according to the rules of our Sect."

He was still carrying all the main communication trinkets, so Sister Xuan was able to contact him.

"Thank her for me.", he said, as he had worried about this particular thing too when he heard that others from the Big 4 would be arriving.

He was supposed to be someone who was from the Big 4, as it was only those individuals who had the capability of doing all he had done in the name of 'Master Novrain' in Lanthanor.

So, there would definitely be queries regarding his background, which he wouldn't be able to answer because he knew almost nothing about the Big 4.

So, he really appreciated both Sister Xuan and the Matron for resolving this for him.

After nodding on hearing what Sister Xuan said, Percy put on an expression of deep thought for a few seconds before saying, "What you said is true, but honor dictates that I must still talk to him. Don't worry, I won't be too tough. Why don't you accompany Carmen and George around the Sect while we have a chat, man to man?"

"It's fine. Go."

Receiving this message from Daneel, Sister Xuan gave up and sighed before nodding and leaving the house along with the other two people, who were still staying silent.

After they left, Percy carefully locked the door before walking towards Daneel while rubbing his hands with a snivelly smile on his face, as if he was anticipating what he was about to do.

Daneel started to put his guard up, as he suspected that anyone who was related to that madman who had called himself the 'Mad Doctor' must also be, well, mad.

However, when he saw what happened next, he couldn't help but let his jaw drop.

In a smooth motion, the kid knelt on the floor in front of Daneel's feet and said, "Sir! Please take me in as your disciple?"

What? Was Daneel going crazy? Had Skrrag hit him so hard yesterday that he was now seeing things?

Getting these doubts in his head, Daneel rubbed his eyes, but the kid was still there, kneeling with his hands stretched out and his upper body parallel to the floor with his head almost touching the ground.

Hearing no response, the kid looked up and saw Daneel looking at him with a startled expression.

Still kneeling, he made his upper body straight and took out something from his pocket.

It was a miniature sword-shaped trinket, and when the kid squeezed, it enlarged into a full-sized sword with a flowing design and a golden handle.

Holding it out in front of him, "Apologies for asking without presenting any gift for Master! This is a Warrior-level Fighter Trinket, it's the best one I have on me! Please accept it, I beg of you!"

Still dazed, Daneel couldn't find it in himself to answer.

This was someone from the Big 4! Wasn't he supposed to be haughty? Wasn't he supposed to look down on everyone else as if they were just dirt?

Instead, he was kneeling and offering gifts while begging?!

One thing was clear, though: this behavior really did match with this kid's snivelly appearance.

And…what did he say? A Warrior-level trinket?!

The number of Warrior-level trinkets in Lanthanor could be counted on one hand, so Daneel wasn't willing to waste this opportunity.

So, acting once again like the expert he was supposed to be, he took the sword into his hands and held it's hilt while running his fingers along its length.

Seeing that the man had accepted the gift, Percy looked up with hope on his face.

After a few seconds, Daneel smiled at the corner of his mouth and said, "Hmm, not bad! Made from Volcanic Iron while using the scales of a hell-crocodile as a reinforcing agent. I'll take it as a gift, but you must be delusional if you think it's enough for me to take you on as a disciple. What do you want to learn from me, anyway? And what was all that stuff about honor? Here I thought we could have a good fight! Don't you want to take revenge for that assh*ole of a brother of yours? Sit before answering, though, I don't wanna bend my neck."

"Incredible! I wasn't wrong in my judgment! Finding out the material of the trinket by just examining it! Master, you are really amazing!"

Exclaiming like so and beaming with happiness even though Daneel hadn't said that he accepted him as his disciple, Percy got up and dusted his clothes before sitting on the sofa nearby.

Daneel, on the other hand, laughed inwardly on seeing that his ploy of using the system to analyze the trinket had worked.

Of course, he had no idea whatsoever about trinkets.

"I apologize for acting like that before, Master. I think you understand when I say that I have to keep up appearances! As for that assh*ole of a brother, I'm just regretful that he didn't lose his tool permanently! You should hear about all the embarrassments he caused me and my father. At one point, all the woman in our Sect rallied together against him due to his lascivious comments, but our father talked them down. Since then, he was grounded until being sent to that Event. It was so fun seeing him moan in pain all day while having his tool grown back! By the way, can I borrow a mosquito so that we can have the whole thing repeat?"

In response, Daneel only raised an eyebrow.

Fearing that he might have gone too far, Percy smiled, but this made Daneel want to punch him again.

"Sorry, I got ahead of myself. The bottom line is, my younger brother inherited my dad's lust. I'm one of his bastard sons, and my mother was just a lowly maid who died while giving birth to me. Luckily, I inherited some talent, so I wasn't killed off like other bastard sons and daughters of his. Still, he doesn't give two sh*ts about me. I've had to claw my way up in the Sect, as my father only focuses his resources on those who were born 'officially', like the assh*ole brother in question. Master, I won't beat around the bush. I am someone who prides myself on identifying opportunities. That's how I became influential enough to represent my Sect here! I know that you must be in possession of a VERY powerful inheritance, because I studied both the mosquitoes that your disciple made and the anti-mosquito solution that you made. I don't dare ask for you to pass down your inheritance to me, but I hope that by being in your service, you can teach me a few things. Please consider."

Well, things made more sense now.

It was, indeed, logical that that lust must have come from somewhere, and the story that Percy was telling him seemed truthful enough.

However, Daneel was conflicted.

He wasn't naïve enough to believe the story, but he also knew that an inside source was very useful.

And, he had no qualms against fleecing this kid as much as possible.

After thinking for a bit, he was just about to reply, but a knock on the door interrupted them.

Taking out a communication trinket from his pocket, Percy handed it to Daneel and said, "Master, please think on it. You can contact me through this."

After making sure that Daneel pocketed the trinket, he walked to the door, but turned back and flicked his finger.

Thinking that it was a surprise attack, Daneel was about to defend but he stopped when he saw something incredible happen.

Multiple vases, sofas, and walls cracked simultaneously, and in a few places, fire came into being before disappearing and leaving behind soot.

Opening the door, Percy shouted, "I'll kill you if you think about going against my family again! It's only because of Sister Xuan that I'm leaving you alive now! Watch your back, punk!"

Leaving these words, Percy stormed out of the door, leaving Sister Xuan and the other two staring at the inside of the room which looked like a fight had just taken place.

Daneel was about to chuckle on seeing this, but he had no option but to stop and gawk once again when he received a message on the communication trinket that he had just been given.

"Sorry about that, again, Master. As an apology gift, here's some inside information which might be useful to you or your disciple: The Kingdom of Axelor is secretly maneuvering against the Hidden Kill Sect, and they might conquer the Sect soon. This is why the Sect Leader is so desperate to unlock their formation. Recently, it seems that Axelor has stepped up their efforts after seeing your disciple's Kingdom and the Black Raven Kingdom unite. By annexing the Hidden Kill Sect, they want to establish a large force which can stand up against your disciple's."

Chapter 374: Archive Room

Axelor was going to conquer the Hidden Kill Sect?

What? How? When?!

This piece of news was so shocking to Daneel that he couldn't even respond to Sister Xuan's queries for a few seconds.

After she finally raised her voice and said his name, Daneel came to his senses and walked out of the room without a word.

This changed things. This changed things in a big way.

Sister Xuan, on the other hand, didn't think too much into this as she had just been asking whether he was OK.

Thinking that he was probably putting on his expert master act and knowing that he wasn't hurt, she went back to chatting with the other two people who were her acquaintances.

After reaching his room, Daneel grimaced when he saw all the mess around.

However, there were several human servants cleaning all the rubble, and a few mages had also started to fix the damage.

Thankfully, the bedroom wasn't damaged, so Daneel entered it and closed the door behind him.

Sitting down on the bed, he tried to order his thoughts.

Axelor was one of the strongest Kingdoms on the Central Continent. Even if they hadn't taken the help of the mages from the Big 4, they could have been a solid contender to take the second place in the Olympics.

It was almost public knowledge that the goal of both Axelor and the member of the Big 4 behind them was to take over the Central Continent. However, because the rest of the forces always allied against Axelor if it tried something big, it hadn't been able to accomplish its goal yet.

If Angaria had been in a normal state, the rest of the Kingdoms and forces in the Central Continent would have allied against him too when it became known that he was uniting with the Black Raven Kingdom. The only reason they hadn't done so was the looming threat of the Church, which Daneel had taken advantage of to make his move.

Clearly, he wasn't the only one taking advantage of that threat.

It made a lot of sense. After all, what was stopping Axelor from doing so?

The thing that shocked him most was that he hadn't heard about this at all till now. His spies had been totally ineffective, meaning that Axelor must have gone to GREAT lengths to try and ensure that this fact remained a secret.

Understanding this, Daneel started to appreciate that slimy kid. His sliminess actually seemed a little bit cute now.

However, he still wasn't ready to believe his story blindly. Yet, Daneel made the decision: he was going to accept him as a disciple and try to uncover more about him later on.

So, taking the communication trinket, he said, "Hey, kiddo. I gotta say, that information was, indeed, quite useful. Seems you're my second disciple now! But you're the junior disciple though, and your senior is that kid from Lanthanor. Can you handle that? And I should warn you that if you want to learn things, I'm going to have a lot of tasks for you. You better be up for it."

In a voice that seemed to contain all the world's joy, Percy replied, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Master! I won't let you down! Of course I'm fine with having a Senior Brother! If you command it, I'm ready to call anyone my senior! How about I send a gift to Senior Brother Daneel, too? I'll think about it! Please call me whenever you see fit, Master!"

Hearing this, Daneel chuckled.

This kid seemed to be a gift that never stopped giving!

He had no shame whatsoever taking everything he could from this guy, as he was, after all, from a 'village'.

Hoping that the next gift would also be as valuable as the first two, Daneel smiled, feeling glad that this was settled.

He had one crony in the Hidden Kill Sect, but it definitely wasn't enough. Hell, he didn't even trust this crony fully.

So, it was time to make another one.

"Skrrag, can you come over to my room? I have something to ask."

Sending the message on the communication trinket that he had been given after entering the Sect, Daneel waited.

After a few seconds, Skrrag knocked on the door and came in.

"Hello, Sir. You've made a quick recovery! If I didn't know better, I would have thought that you healed yourself through the night! I hope everything is fine with those from the Big 4? Your house will be back to top shape in an hour, I've checked, and I'm sorry I brought them to you, I didn't know there were problems-"

Raising his hands to stop the reptilian from talking, Daneel said, "Calm down, boy! It's all fine, I'm not mad! I just wanted to talk to you! Sit down!"

Smiling on seeing that the 'expert' wasn't angry, Skrrag sat down.

Seeing this, Daneel actually caught a hint of something that he hadn't noticed before.

Skrrag had an…innocence to him that made Daneel think that he was more like a teenager than a grown man.

It was mostly from his mannerisms, such as the way he had been ready to beg before in an instant, or how he had become impressed with Daneel during their fight, or even now, when he showed relief on seeing that someone he admired wasn't angry.

Also, using what he knew about the customs of other forces, Envoys were either long-time government officials of a force, or the offspring of the leader of a force sent with the intention of getting experience. This had been the case with Eldra, too, who had been sent as an envoy to Lanthanor by her mother.

This corroborated with the supposition that Skrrag had also been sent to gain experience, and that he was also young.

Young…and gullible.

Daneel felt a little bad about what he was going to do, but he shoved it aside, knowing that it was necessary.

He also knew that he might have to do a lot more 'bad' things before he achieved all his goals, but if he kept mooning over them, he might never get anything done.

So, steeling his heart, he said, "Do you drink?"

"Uh, yes, Sir, but I possibly can't share a drink with you- an honored guest. I don't think my father would like it at all…that situation of deactivating our formation really cost us a lot…but I really shouldn't be talking about that. I'll take my leave."

Sighing deeply, Daneel replied, "And here I just thought that we have a bond after shedding so much blood together. Well, I shedded the blood for both of us, but it counts! Fine, fine, leave. There's no more honor between men, I swear."

"Sir, don't say that! I really do admire you for the endurance you showed! No one I know could have done that! Well, maybe one drink is fine. I can't deny my guest's request as the host. That's what my social customs teacher taught me, anyway."

He was right! This kid did have his guard down!

And he was definitely young, too.

Daneel's plan was working. But the problem was, he didn't have the wine.

Well, he was going to wing it.

Touching the communication trinket in his pocket, he sent a message to his new disciple.

"Hey kid, it's time for your first assignment. Bring some wine to my room. Right now. The best wine you can have. If you don't have it, find it. No questions. I'm not alone, I'm with Skrrag."

"B-but, Master, I can't fraternize with you in public!"

"Humph. You said you won't disappoint me. Be creative! Get it done! I don't care how!"

"A-all right, Master."

The whole conversation had happened fast, so Skrrag didn't notice anything amiss.

"Good man! Now, just wait a little. We will have some great wine soon!"

Skrrag nodded and waited for a few seconds, but he spoke after not seeing Daneel move an inch.

"Uh, sir, what are we waiting for, exactly?"

Just at this moment, a knock sounded on the door, making Daneel say "This!" and open the door.

There stood the slimy kid again, and Daneel realized that he hadn't missed him.

He was holding 2 bottles of wine each in each hand, and after Daneel opened the door, he shoved them into his hands rudely and shouted, "Here you go, punk! Someone dying by my hands shouldn't have to die before tasting the best wine of my sect! Enjoy it while you can! Let each sip remind you that you will die soon in the hands of Percy! Feel glad that I'm so gracious!"

As both Daneel and Skrrag looked on at this ridiculously weird performance, Percy stormed away with an extreme look of haughtiness on his face.

Of course, at the door, he turned around and shouted, "Make sure you rue the day you messed with my family when you're passed out, drunk, on the floor! HA!" before banging the door behind him.

Sitting back down in silence with the wine bottles, Daneel couldn't help but say, "Well, that was weird."

"Yes, sir, definitely weird."

Looking at each other, both of them burst out laughing while Daneel fished out two glasses from the cabinet nearby and poured the wine.

As both of them took their first sip, they couldn't help but stop laughing and lick their lips.

That weird kid hadn't been lying; this wine really was awesome!

It had a complex taste that reminded Daneel vaguely of chocolate from Earth, and it was also spicy, with quite a kick to it.

Even Skrrag seemed to love it very much, as he had just placed his glass on the table and seemed reluctant to leave.

Excited to see that his plan was working, Daneel filled up the glass again.

...

That night, standing outside a spot on the mountain, Daneel beamed with happiness.

Feeling very thankful that the information he had needed hadn't been restricted by an oath, he asked the system to look for vulnerabilities and waited.

[Point of Entry to Archive Room found. Breaching.]

As Daneel heard this notification in his head, he prepared to finally find out the rules of the Hidden Kill Sect.

Chapter 375: Two Answers

A few minutes later, Daneel was standing while leaning his back on the edge of the mountain, looking out at the endless expanse.

However, his eyes were glossed over, almost as if he was asleep while awake.

This was because he hadn't been ready to take any chances. He had the option of sitting and perusing the records of the Hidden Kill Sect in their archive room like the expert he was claiming to be, but the truth was, he was scared that a secondary formation might kick in just like the one that had supplemented the one before.

Thankfully, no such thing happened.

This room had been quite small, with barely enough room to walk around. It wasn't the general library where all of their techniques were stored; no, that was secured by a formation that couldn't be cracked by the system right now.

After all, no force would make it so easy to access their core techniques.

The reason for the lower security for this room, according to the system, was because it did not contain sect-treasure level items like those techniques.

All it contained were the Sect rules.

These weren't even the only copy of the Sect Rules-according to Skrrag, there were better, less moldy versions of these books in the library protected strongly which also held the techniques.

Apparently, this only existed because of its historical value, because this was the official storage place of the Sect rules before.

Daneel had almost panicked before during their drunken conversation when he had heard that the rules were along with the techniques. He had even thought that all that wine was probably going to waste, but he relaxed and rejoiced when he heard about this place.

He valued the techniques, but right now, if he had to choose, he would have chosen the rules.

Somehow, that damn Axelor was close to boosting itself up with the power of this sect, and there was no way in hell that Daneel was going to let that happen.

"System, I don't care about studying each and every rule. Just tell me one thing. Is it possible for an outsider, or a freshly recruited person, to take the position of the Sect Leader for some reason? If so, what could that reason be?"

After he asked the question, Daneel only heard silence, making him panic for a bit, thinking that his cause was completely hopeless.

Thankfully, the system responded after a little while.

[Affirmative. 2 Answers Found:

Answer 1: Bylaw 187.1 states that in the event where the Sect is facing certain demise, a High Council will be formed which contains all the top assassins in the Sect. This Council has the power to show 'No Confidence' in the Sect Leader, which will activate Bylaw 198.2 which states that in times of crisis, where there is no Sect Leader in the Sect, a new Sect Leader can also be elected by a constituted High Council without regarding the minimum time of service in the Sect required to be eligible for the role. This law was put in place to counter situations where the Sect Leader may be assassinated, leaving no one with enough experience to take his place. In these cases, it is written that loyalty to the Sect is most needed, so, the time that one has spent in the sect is not taken into account. The situation that has been asked for by host can be achieved by invoking these two bylaws.

Answer 2: System has found hints of a prophecy which has been quoted in a few notes written down by the rule-makers. No concrete information is available with present data, but a specific phrase increases the probability that this prophecy is tied to host's question:

"When doom is nigh, bow before the Basilisk Rider"]

Hearing this, Daneel first fell shocked before falling into deep thought.

Because of Axelor butting their heads in and becoming a threat, the situation was so dire that he did not even have the luxury to rejoice for a moment due to the fact that he had achieved his goal.

There were apparently not one, but two ways to get what he wanted: control of the assassins who made the entire continent afraid.

After making sure once again that no one was surveilling him, Daneel made his way back to his room.

He had left on the pretense of taking a moonlit walk, so before he entered his mansion, he made sure to look the part by strolling aimlessly with the stars and the moon lighting his path.

After entering the mansion, Daneel suddenly got a prickly feeling in his spine.

He asked the system to once again check whether there was anyone watching him, but when it didn't find any indication of a surveillance spell, he felt suspicious.

First, the Hidden Kill Sect definitely didn't trust him enough to let him do what he pleased in the Sect. He had been monitored by someone when he left a little bit before to break into the archive room, but he had shut them down by putting on his 'Expert Act' and casting surveillance-jamming spells.

However, they definitely wouldn't give up so easily.

Daneel had hatched a plan to assess some things so that he could decide on his next steps, but now, he felt hesitant to carry it out.

He was being tracked in some way inside the house. If he left for a long period of time, it would definitely cause alarm. The trip to the Archive Room had, after all, been quite short.

Daneel had to be sure. He did not want to leave any variables out, so he called for his 'disciple' to his room the second time on the same day.

When Percy arrived, he had a scowl on his face, as if he was picking a fight with someone.

Of course, it changed into his usual snivelly expression after he entered.

"Master! You don't know how happy it makes me to be of service to you twice in one day! What do you need at this time? I am in possession of some self-pleasuring spells that will blow your mind! Would you like some?"

Hearing him, Daneel felt like puking.

"Kid, seriously, if you let your trap fly around like that again, I swear you will regret it. Stay in the house, and be me. You must have a camouflage technique, right? Let's switch identities. Again, don't ask me why. Just shut up and do it."

Percy had indeed opened his mouth to ask his typical trademark irritating questions, but he shut up when he heard this from Daneel.

Keeping the smile, he turned to a mirror and cast a spell.

Daneel wondered why he needed a mirror, but he understood the next second.

The kid hadn't been able to get his face correct!

Wasn't he from the Big 4? How could he not even be in possession of something that Daneel had obtained way back when he was just an Amateur Human?

After checking in the mirror and looking at Daneel's face, Percy started adjusting the disguise until he was more or less identical.

"Hey, I thought you said you had some talent? You can't even cast a damn camouflage spell correctly?"

Saying this, Daneel flicked his finger stylishly and instantly transformed into a perfect replica of Percy.

Not a hair was out of place, and as Percy saw this, he walked up to his mirror image in shock.

Observing the perfect similarity between them, he did something which made Daneel step back in slight shock.

He fell to his knees and bowed like before with his head to the ground, shouting, "Master, it is not that I am untalented! You are simply a monster! Not even my father can pull off a camouflage technique like that in that little time! It takes hours to make a perfect replica of someone! Please, Master, teach me!"

Wait…what the hell?

What was this kid talking about?

[System would like to inform host that camouflage spells work by manipulating the bone structure and skin of an individual by visualizing the end result. Perfect visualization is almost impossible in one glance, as certain details are always missed. System scans a person to cast a camouflage spell, so host has never had to deal with this problem.]

Well.

Oops.

Daneel had forgotten that he was casting it through the system, and in doing so, he had revealed more information that he wished.

"Hehe, just keep finishing my assignments, and maybe you will get a chance to be taught by me. Now, just be me. I'm leaving."

Nodding with a serious expression on his face, Percy, or, in this case, the replica of Master Novrain, got up and said, "Get the hell out, kiddo! You can't suck up to me no matter what services you offer!"

Hearing this, Daneel raised an eyebrow at the innuendo, making Percy reply in an apologetic whisper, "Sorry, Master, I was being you…"

Shaking his head, Daneel left the house, knowing that he had no time to waste.

He had been making this plan since listening to the system list out the ways to take control of the Sect.

The prophecy was interesting, but he couldn't make heads or tails of it. If he obtained more information about it, he might consider pursuing it, but right now, he was going to try and use the first method.

In it, the first thing to do was place the Sect in a crisis. A real crisis.

Clearly, the Hidden Kill Sect was holding on despite Axelor's advances. So, Daneel guessed that although things might be bad, they must still be at a stage where they could be handled by the Sect.

What if…he changed that? What if he…bad turned to worse?

Chapter 376: The Next Step

In the Kingdom of Axelor.

Since the moment that the contingent that had gone to the Olympics had returned to the Kingdom, the King of Axelor had locked himself in his room.

No matter how much time passed, he refused to come out, and servants passing the door the King's bedroom reported hearing strange sounds that scared them.

Governing of the Kingdom was mostly in the hands of the minister who had thought that he would be all but dead due to his decision to help the other citizens during the crisis with the mosquitoes. Although he was surprised that he hadn't been reprimanded for that yet, he always had his guard up, ready to run if need be if someone came for his life.

Today, he was walking through the streets of Axelor on an assignment to see whether their disqualification from the Olympics had had any effect on the citizens.

Right now, he was at a very busy street where there were multiple food stalls parked on the side.

Running up to one of them, a little girl picked up a candy that she liked.

After her mother reached, she smiled and bought the candy.

However, when she was about to leave, she had been given a pamphlet by the candy seller after he said something with utter disgust on his face.

Interested, the minister walked up to this candy seller and snatched a pamphlet which was placed on the cart without anyone noticing.

It read:

"Burn the Lanthanorians and the Black Ravens! Axelor is the true winner of the Olympics! Cowards! If you were afraid of us, you should have just played between yourselves!"

With a sigh, the minister rolled up the pamphlet and threw it in a dustbin on the side.

Axelor thrived on one thing: indoctrination.

Its borders were some of the most secure in the entire Central Continent because of the incredible manpower deployed to govern almost each and every inch of them.

There was even a famous saying in Central Angaria: "If a fly manages to pass through the borders of Axelor, it's either Axelorian or it's about to become Axelorian."

The intent behind this governance was that they wanted their people to be in a beautiful bubble which was built by them.

This had clearly worked out for Axelor, as it had grown into one of the most powerful forces on the Central Continent.

To the people, the King was god.

If he asked, they would be ready to give up everything that was theirs.

No matter what news made it through to the people, it was heavily vetted to make sure that it showed Axelor in a positive way.

Even in cases like where momentous news leaked in, Axelor always made sure to put a stamp on any effort to propagate…truths.

There were, of course, some chinks in their system.

For example, traders.

Theirs was a large Kingdom which needed trade to function.

Yet, those who were allowed to trade in Axelor were also those to whom it had been made clear that not conforming with the instructions given meant death.

Each and every trader who entered was outfitted with a tracking trinket which kept watch on them at all times, and they were also closely monitored.

As for those who went out of the Kingdom into the outside world, Axelor had a plan for them too.

Those who were allowed to leave the Kingdom could only do so under oath that they would answer any question asked by Axelor after they returned.

First, only the most fanatic of Axelor were given permission in the first place.

After that, they would be required to state an oath that they would never badmouth Axelor, that they were also willing to answer any question truthfully on their return, and that they would definitely return before a stipulated period of time passed.

After they returned, they would be quizzed on their core beliefs to check whether they were, well, still indoctrinated.

This system had been in place for hundreds of years, and it worked for the large part because people were so closed off inside the Kingdom that they never questioned the outside.

They lived fair lives for the most part, except for the fact that the tax was higher here than any other location in Central Angaria.

Half of all the citizens made belonged to the government, and if anyone disagreed, they would be put to the death.

All forms of media were contained and regularly tested to ensure that only the right content made it through.

The minister, himself, had been in charge of regulating media before he had been promoted to his present post.

Right now, he was here because just the other day, a trader had been put to the death because he gave away the real details of the Olympics.

Yet, clearly, it hadn't caused harm, and there was no more need for a purge.

These days, most times, the minister hated his job.

However, he never let his show, as he didn't have a deathwish.

After getting back to the Kingdom, the minister made his way straight to the King's Chambers.

Here, there was a special trinket in the shape of a hand placed on the door.

Pressing his palm on it, the minister began to speak.

"I've checked the place myself, My Lord. Parameters haven't been met for purging; the news hasn't spread at all."

"Hmph. Keep an eye on it anyway. A quick purge never goes wrong. Reminds people to be afraid. What news on those monkeys on the mountain?"

"We have been maneuvering our forces discreetly into their surroundings. They just saw it too late; they realize that they can't do anything about it. We are also working on choking off their resources. Even though they can get resources using teleportation, they will soon start to choke due to consuming more than they get. After that, they will have no choice but to surrender."

"Unless their formation opens. Damn the Big 4, and that Master from La-ARGH!"

The sound of things crashing came from the inside, while the Minister patiently waited for the King to return.

This wasn't the first time this was happening, and it definitely wouldn't be the last.

After all, only a madman would decrease their power and step back into being an Exalted Human for the sake of winning a competition.

Coincidentally, the method of going back to one's previous strength had the same effect: making someone crazy.

After a minute or so, the King of Axelor spoke again.

"We couldn't risk taking on someone whose power we don't know. Keep tightening the noose. Even if their formation opens, I've been promised help. Sooner or later, they will croak and come to our side. Or we can just destroy them and take their techniques as ours. Them and their stupid rules. How absurd is it for a rule to exist that bans the Sect from leaving that mountain no matter what happened to them? Well, it's going to lead to their downfall. What is it?"

The King was still an Exalted Human even though his power had gone down, so he could hear a pair of footsteps hurrying towards the minister.

The minister had already seen that person and was taking the communication trinket held out by him.

The King sensed this, so he waited to find out.

However, receiving no response from the minister, he got irritated and said, "Answer the damn question."

As if this was a jolt out of the blue which made the minister come back to his senses, he shook with shock where he stood and said, "My King, news from the Hidden Kill Sect! It hasn't been confirmed, but there are multiple reports coming in. Someone has set their main stores on fire! The Sect members were able to get to it before everything was lost, but their stores have taken a major hit! This means we can move our plans up!"

…..

Standing on a walkway and admiring his handiwork, Daneel stared at the roaring flames of fire reaching towards the heaven before they were quickly doused using air starvation and ice.

Well, it had only lasted for a moment, but it had been pretty damn gorgeous.

While the Sect devolved into chaos around him, he calmly made it back to his room.

Entering, he saw that Percy was still standing in front of the mirror.

While Daneel watched, he tried to change his appearance rapidly like Daneel had done before, but he kept failing.

On seeing Daneel, he said, "Master, please! It's driving me crazy! Please teach me this one thing about the camouflage technique, I beg of you! I've finished all of your assignments!"

It had been a long day, and Daneel felt very tired, so he wasn't in a mood to handle the kid.

However, it was true that all of his instructions had been carried out to the T. So, this kid did deserve something, as there was still a lot more that Daneel intended to get done using his identity.

Taking out an empty communication trinket, he asked the system to make a modified version of the camouflage technique that would be 10% faster in replicating someone perfectly.

It was a spell that modeled how the system did the job, so Daneel didn't take it lightly. He went over the spell and only handed it to the kid after making sure that it was only using a known concept in a different way.

"Kid, I'm tired, get out. This is just a small taste. But don't get your hopes up. It will only make you 10% faster."

Beaming, Percy said, "That's all right, Master! I would still be 10% faster than all my peers!" before cheerfully waltzing out the door and putting on the scowl, as he had morphed back into his original appearance.

Shaking his head, Daneel collapsed into his bed.

He had to admit, setting fire to supplies had been FUN.

However, that was the easy part.

Wondering how he was going to pull this off in the short time he had, Daneel went to sleep, and dreamed of burning food stores.

Chapter 377: The Assassin Who Loves Flowers 1

Waking up the next morning, Daneel smiled on remembering all the dreams he had had till now.

After getting out of the bed, he walked to a basin nearby and doused his face with water before looking at himself in the mirror.

As he did so, he couldn't help but be reminded of the time when he had hesitated to raise the tax on his people, as he had felt that it wasn't fair for them.

Now, he was burning food stores happily, and even dreaming about it.

Of course, there was a fundamental difference.

Back then, those had been his people who placed trust in him to govern them while keeping their best interests in heart.

Here, on the other hand, were assassins who would potentially become a disaster for Lanthanor if they were conquered by Axelor.

Still, Daneel realized that he had grown a lot in these past few months.

He was less naïve, and more ruthless when it was demanded.

After all, after everything he went through, it would be more surprising if there hadn't been growth.

Now, he was capable of looking at the big picture and doing things that couldn't be considered 'good' in and of themselves, but were necessary in the long run to achieve something greater.

Like in the instance of the Sect right now-he needed it to enter a dire situation which would enable him to invoke the bylaws to give himself a chance to take control of it before Axelor did.

After putting himself in the shoes of Axelor, Daneel had realized that an effective way to conquer such a force was to throttle their means of obtaining resources.

Because they were on a mountain, they could be easily monitored.

The worst case was that they might decide to move if their location became truly unlivable, but the system had told him during this line of thought that there was a law in the archive room which forbade the Sect from shifting base if they were attacked. No matter what, they had to defend their location, even if it meant fighting to the last breath.

Daneel had felt it was odd, but he had thrown it to the back of his mind at the time because there was no additional information about it.

Now, in the case where Axelor was slowly choking off the Hidden Kill Sect, it made sense that the Sect had some reserves to fall back on, which were enabling it to still resist.

But now, with those stores burnt, panic would surely start to set in, which was exactly what Daneel wanted.

As he walked to the door, he saw the first signs of panic already.

Yesterday, he had been sent a lavish dinner consisting of many delicacies.

Today, although breakfast still had multiple items, it was nowhere as lavish or as resource consuming.

Clearly, this was the effect of his action.

Finishing breakfast anyway, Daneel tried to decide on what to do next.

First things first, he called his goldmine of information, Skrrag, over.

When the kid entered, Daneel was surprised to see a sullen face on him.

Closing the door, he sat him down and asked, "What's wrong, Skrrag? I saw the fire yesterday. Was that some kind of mishap?"

As if he was reminded of an unpleasant memory, Skrrag bit his lip for a bit and answered, "We…think so. It's just that…the series of events that led to the fire are so coincidental that even the mages investigating said that it must be that the heavens are angry at us. I am in charge of maintaining their safety, so my father had a…few things to say to me. Especially with our- |cough, cough|. What did you call me for, Master?"

Hearing this, Daneel couldn't help but chuckle inside.

So, his plan had worked out perfectly.

After obtaining the location of the food stores using the scanning function of the system, Daneel had made his way to it and stood at a distance where the stores were just inside the radius which the system could scan.

After that, Daneel had engineered the fire by making a series of events happen-a burst of wind had knocked away a table ornament on the table in the room outside the stores, which just so happened to travel in an knock into a book which had been propped up on the table, which was set on fire because it fell close to the embers of a torch used by a maid to light her path when she came to clean, which ended up making more embers that traveled to the stores of wheat through the bottom of the door and set them on fire.

Daneel didn't know how many coincidences they had been able to guess, but he could understand their frustration.

Well, he was proud of his work, so he felt happy when he saw that it had had its intended effect.

"I want to know about the top assassins in your Sect, and where they live. The retired ones, or the ones who take on fewer contracts. Remember, only mention those at the very top."

Hearing this question, Skrrag put on a puzzled expression before asking, "Can I ask why? And I think I have to take my father's permission to-"

"Oh, come on. What's the harm in telling me? I just want to spar with them! And maybe talk. I can't guarantee what order those two will happen. Boy, assassination is interesting! I want to hear about it from the experts!"

Sighing, Skrrag replied, "Ok, Master. I don't know how much they will talk, but there is no harm in telling you where their house is. My father did tell me to fulfill all of your requests unless they are out of line. Besides, if I contact him again, he might have more…things to say to me. We are really depending on you to solve our problem with the formation, anyway. We don't know exactly when the auspicious time will be upon us, but it will be in the next few days. There are 5 individuals who fit the criteria you mentioned, Master. They are-"

....

A few minutes later, Daneel found himself outside a small, round stone cottage.

To reach this place, he had had to walk for a long time, as it was quite removed from all the houses that were near the tower at the peak of the mountain.

The cottage was surrounded by flowers which seemed to be tended to very carefully, which was evident from the fact that they were placed in clean pots in lush soil.

On one side, there were the rocky ridges of the mountain, and on the other was an endless expanse.

Indeed, this seemed to be a place where the mountain curved.

Walking up to the wooden door, Daneel banged on it and waited.

After all, an expert didn't knock.

When there was no response, Daneel was about to step up to the door and bang again, but he felt shocked when he saw a hand reach out suddenly and grab his.

It had been so fast that his senses had barely registered the image of the hand before his was already in its clutches.

Something that was even more shocking was that the hand had traveled through the door, but it wasn't hurt in any way.

Daneel was just about to retaliate, but the hand let go in the next second and receded into the hole, before the door swung open to reveal a figure who seemed to be wrapped tightly in some sort of robe.

Only the eyes were visible, and even these were half covered.

"What business do you have banging on my door?", a gnarly voice asked, leading Daneel to fold his hands and say, "Humph. So you know who I am. I want to talk to you. Open up."

Hearing this, the figure hesitated for a second, but finally relented and opened the door completely.

Entering inside, Daneel saw that the cottage was covered with more flowers.

These looked more beautiful than the ones outside, as if they were taken care of extensively by this reptilian.

There was a small bed to one side, and there were two chairs in the center on one of which Daneel sat down.

While Daneel waited for his host to come and join him, the figure turned to the door and pointed at the hole, making wood particles appear and cover it up.

[Warrior Level complexity magic detected.]

As Daneel heard this from the system, he raised an eyebrow.

This meant that this was actually…a famed mage assassin?

He hadn't asked Skrrag for more details in fear of invoking suspicion, so this came as a surprise to him.

As far as he knew, mage assassins were supposed to be the cream of the crop.

Focusing on both paths, they were capable of carrying out even the most difficult of missions by their innovative use of magic to kill.

Turning around and sitting in front of him, the figure said, "The Sect Leader said that we have to entertain you, but my patience has a limit. Speak. What do you want?"

Daneel had guessed as much.

"I want to spar with you. Your mage assassin spells against my magic. What do you say?"

"F$ck off."

Well. That didn't work.

Opening his mouth, Daneel was about to launch into a tirade about the great service he was going to do to their sect, but he stopped because the figure had just raised a hand.

"Save it. I don't 'spar'. I've spent years killing thousands of people. When I launch a spell, it kills. You will be dead, and the Sect Leader will be angry with me. So, just save it."

He did have a point.

Still, Daneel wasn't ready to give up.

"Hmph. I disagree, but we can come back to that later. First, tell me more about you. If you won't do this, too, I will have no choice but to be very displeased. What made an assassin fall in love with flowers?"

The first step of winning someone over was to find out more about them, so Daneel asked this question.

However, he couldn't have expected the answer.

"I fell in love with someone."

Chapter 378: The Assassin Who Loves Flowers 2

"Uh…what?"

For once, Daneel was stumped.

What did falling in love with someone have to do with living an isolated life after retiring from one's profession?

Daneel was, right now, an expert who didn't need to care about what he said.

So, he asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Hearing the question, the reptilian let out a deep sigh.

In anticipation of an epic love of romance and sacrifice, Daneel bent forward.

However, he only became stumped once again.

"Fu$k you. I have no reason to answer. You are our guest, but you can't make me tell you my secrets. I don't care what the Sect Leader does. F*ck off."

Hearing this, Daneel leaned back with disappointment, and a touch of anger.

Yes, this wasn't a movie or a game where people would recite their love stories whenever a stranger asked.

No, this was Angaria, where assassins apparently fell in love and stopped assassinating.

'Dammit! I want to know!', thought Daneel, cursing at the man.

Yet, he knew better than to ask again, as he had noticed the determination in his voice when he had declined.

F@ck you too. The Sect Leader will be hearing about this. And I don't believe that sh#t about killing with your spells. I think you're just afraid you will lose.

Saying these words in an angry tone, Daneel got up with a haughty expression and prepared to leave the room.

The reptilian didn't even bother to reply, so Daneel declared this as a lost cause.

He was an accurate judge of character, and from the mannerisms of this reptilian who seemed like there was nothing more he could lose, Daneel could tell that he wasn't someone he could provoke using words.

So, he decided to spend his time on another of the 5 top assassins instead of wasting it.

After he reached the door, the reptilian finally moved, but it seemed to be only to get up and close the door.

'Humph'ing again, Daneel walked out and he was about to leave.

As he had seen before, this cottage was located on a part of the mountain which curved.

So, in the interest of clearly plotting out this place visually himself while the system also carried out a mapping function, he started to walk to the edge near the mountain.

His path took him quite near to all the flowers which were being cared for by the Reptilian.

At one point, almost when he was about to reach his destination, Daneel's thigh brushed against a flower.

Instantly, he froze, feeling as if his entire back was on fire.

Yes, fire. It was as if his body had decided that a tingling on the spine wasn't enough, as the danger he felt was so profound that it needed this much of a reaction.

Someone wanted to kill him. And it almost fell as if no matter what he did, that outcome wouldn't change.

Slowly, Daneel turned around to the direction from which this danger felt as if it was being directed towards him.

Of course, it was the cottage.

The reptilian who had been inside, waiting for him to leave, was now standing outside with eyes wide open.

His body seemed to be slightly shaking, but while Daneel watched, he got a hold of himself.

As if nothing weird had happened, he simply turned around and prepared to go back inside.

Seeing this, Daneel got an idea.

Yes, that sensation of danger had been terrifying.

Yet, at this moment, Daneel felt as if facing the danger was the only way to move forward.

After all, he had persevered through the danger of losing himself to pain all through the spars with Skrrag. However, what did he get from it? An amazing inheritance!

The Basilisk's Breath was solely a fighter inheritance, and although it would definitely help him a lot in magic too if he became able to use it freely, it still didn't amplify his spells in any way like the Ruler's Inheritance.

What if he could learn something more from this flower-loving geezer? Something about assassinating with magic?

It was a far shot, but he would never know the answer unless he tried.

Also, Daneel had come up with the method of sparring with the top assassins to understand them better.

After all, nothing built a bond between two people like a good ol' spar. At least, 2 people who trained on either path.

So, bracing himself and hoping that he was making the right decision, Daneel moved his thigh and brushed against the flower again.

There it was! The feeling of danger was back, and as Daneel turned around, he saw that the Reptilian, who had casually been walking back to his cottage, had turned around too and was now glaring at him again.

Bingo.

It was the flowers!

Toughening his heart, Daneel locked eyes with the reptilian and slowly raised his hand to the petal of the flower.

The sense of danger seemed to be increasing with each second, and as his hand touched the petal seemed to peak.

"System, stay on full alert. If he attacks, activate the Basilisk's Breath and move my body to escape the first attack. I should be able to handle the rest by myself."

[Acknowledged.]

This was what he had figured out in the short term. He couldn't control his body due to the lag between his command and the body's response, but the system suffered from no such thing. However, it couldn't control his body to fight.

It could only do the most rudimentary of actions, such as throwing him out of harm's way in this case.

Till Daneel got a grasp of this wondrous inheritance, he had to resort to this.

After getting the answer from the system, Daneel kept his eyes fixed on the reptilian and…plucked.

Weirdly, the moment he did, the threat disappeared, shocking Daneel.

What? Was he wrong?

However, when he saw everything around him slow down while the system said [Inheritance activated], he understood that the reptilian had already attacked but he had not even noticed it.

Feeling himself being flung to the side, Daneel refocused his vision on the area between him and where the reptilian seemed to be standing, and understood.

That was just an afterimage!

Apparently, when the reptilian had decided to attack, he had somehow managed to make the threat i.e the killing intent completely disappear.

He was worthy of being called a top assassin, indeed.

Right now, the reptilian was flying through the air in his direction with a V-shaped wall of wind covering his whole body.

The tip was facing Daneel, and as he watched, he realized that this was a very effective spell.

At the same time, it was cutting down the air resistance faced by the reptilian while also acting as the weapon that would slice Daneel's body in half if it impacted him.

The man had been right. When he cast a spell, he was going to kill.

His speed was astonishing, so much so that even though Daneel was seeing him slowed down, he was still moving quite fast.

This could make him understand just how incredibly fast he must be in reality.

If Daneel hadn't commanded the system, he would definitely have been dead by now, without a doubt.

But now, he had a chance.

Disabling the Basilisks's Breath, Daneel cast two spells: one was a condensed fire needle, and the other-a spell to kickstart the formation of a miniature cannon in the air.

This was the way a Paragon fought.

But any Paragon might have died the next second.

This was because after noticing that his attack had failed, the Reptilian had turned the offensive wall of air into a defensive one which flicked Daneel's needle away.

In the process, he also made sure not to hurt any of the flowers at all, which Daneel noticed.

The cannon was ignored by the reptilian, whose focus it was to end Daneel.

All Daneel saw was a blur once again after the reptilian's pause to handle his attack.

"Activate."

Once again, everything slowed down.

This- this was what having an inheritance meant-it meant having an advantage that would let one skip levels.

The reptilian cast a scissor of fire at Daneel's location next, before boosting himself forward once again, this time being even faster.

Daneel dodged again with the system, and shot two attacks.

Two more deflections, but the reptilian changed his attack.

Dispelling the sharp wall of wind that had accomplished nothing, he actually ran and…leaped.

In the air, a tornado formed around his body, giving an extremely high rotational momentum along with the forward momentum that was a result of the leap.

Like a human torpedo, the reptilian shot towards Daneel, and an arrow made of fire also formed at his head.

Daneel dodged for the third time, but before he could cast any attack, he saw something horrific.

The reptilian had shot through where he had been standing, but instead of pausing like before, he just went into the air and arced.

Once again, he was on the attack, and this time, Daneel had no time to dodge again.

Was this it? Had Daneel gone too far?

No.

The cannon was ready.

"Fire!"

Using the same concept of guns from Earth that he had used before, the cannon shot out a sharp spike of conjured metal at a dizzying speed.

He had aimed just right, so the spike would definitely go through the reptilian before he rammed through Daneel using the fire arrow and all that momentum.

As Daneel saw him realize this and change his movement, he smiled with triumph.

Yes! He had held his own against a Warrior level Mage Assassin! Someone who was feared by the entire continent!

For him, this was a great victory.

However, unexpectedly, it seemed that it really was a victory.

"Stop! I admit defeat!"

As Daneel heard this shout from the reptilian, he wondered what was going on, but he turned around and quickly realized that the spike would soon go through a row of flowers.

Without hesitating, he dispelled the metal spike, letting it turn back into metal elementary particles.

Also, he cast an ice wall that protected the flowers, letting no harm come to them.

By this time, the reptilian had stopped himself and was now standing a little distance away.

On seeing that the flowers were safe, he looked at Daneel as if he were a monster and said, "How the f@ck did you fight like that?"

Smiling with true joy and pride, Daneel answered:

"Tell me about the flowers, and I'll tell you."

Chapter 379: The Assassin Who Loves Flowers End

A few minutes later, Daneel's feeling of pride and triumph from winning the fight before was wiped away by the reptilian's deadpan response which had been given after both of them once again sat down inside the cottage.

"We loved each other, then she went and f@#@ing died."

Wow. So romantic.

Once again, Daneel's expectations had been dashed by this reptilian, and by now, he was starting to get very irritated.

Locking eyes with the man, Daneel said in a strong voice, "Look, you damn lizard. I am 'this' close from losing my sh#t and getting the hell out of your sect. I was going to leave before, but I won that damn fight by putting my life at risk! I respect the honor the bond formed between fighters and mages in battle. I won't let you sully it! Either you tell me your damn story, or that's it! Your Sect can rot in hell!"

By the end, Daneel was practically screaming.

Thankfully, the reptilian sighed in exasperation and said, "All right, fine! A promise is a promise. But I can't tell it myself. Wait here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Saying so, the reptilian got up and left before Daneel could say anything in reply.

What did he mean, he couldn't tell it himself?

Daneel was truly curious by now. So, he just waited.

Besides, this was what he had wanted. That fight had accomplished two things: 1, he now knew about the approximate power level of the top assassins in the sect, or at least that of those who were retired. The bottom line was, using his inheritance, he might be able to defend for a bit, but in a prolonged fight with no environmental variables like those flowers from before, he was toast.

2, the groundwork for building a bond with the reptilian had been laid.

Time was of the essence. Daneel knew that while the seconds ticked by with him spending time in the Sect, the Axelorians must be planning and moving closer and closer to the Hidden Kill Sect to conquer them.

Thankfully, the reptilian didn't take too long.

A few minutes later, he returned with a slim human who seemed to be chewing on something in his mouth.

This man was wearing casual clothes, and if Daneel didn't know better, he would have assumed that this was just common passerby on the road.

"So you're the one that beat Jaggrv? Impressive! I guess the Sect Leader didn't choose wrongly. We have high hopes on you, and I really hope you fulfill them."

"That depends on whether the promise I was made is kept.", answered Daneel, with an impatient expression on his face.

Conjuring a bare chair out of mid-air, the man sat down and asked, "Why are you so interested, anyway?"

[Warrior level complexity magic detected.]

What the hell?

Hearing the notification, Daneel was truly surprised.

Another Warrior level mage? And he was definitely an assassin too!

At this point, he just couldn't understand how Axelor hoped to conquer the Hidden Kill Sect in the first place if they had so many Warrior level assassins.

Also, these two looked perfectly healthy. Why had they retired?

Holding many questions like these in his head, Daneel first rejoiced that he now had the opportunity to talk to two top assassins instead of one before saying, "I don't need to explain to you. I'm someone who follows my heart. I was interested in the flowers and this lizard's story, so I risked my life for it. Now, cough up."

Chuckling, the slim man replied, "Please don't say 'lizard' elsewhere on the Mountain. Us older folk have gotten used to such comments, but the younger ones might end up attacking. Not that they will do any harm to you, but we prefer that our younglings stay alive. Anyway, let me introduce myself. I'm Stefan, a friend, and peer of Jaggrv's. He doesn't like to talk about his grief, so let me. But first, let me say that I was very surprised to hear that you managed to dodge his attacks for that long. I can't wait to hear you cough up your end of the bargain. Jaggrv, go water some plants."

Saying so, Stefan watched as the reptilian got up and left the college.

While he was doing so, Daneel noticed the emotion of extreme sadness that was reflected in his eyes.

As he heard Stefan talking, he focused his attention back on him.

"As you are someone from the Big 4, you must have heard of their member called the 'Eternal Bloom'?"

Of course, Daneel had no choice but to nod, even though he was hearing the name for the first time.

"Then I don't need to explain much! You must know more about them than I do. All I know is that they are the most mysterious organization in all the Big 4, and that even their location is a mystery to those who are not cleared to know such information. I have no idea why they remain closed off to the world, but it is said that they entertain no visitors. If someone is selected by them to enter, they don't leave until they reach a certain level. Pssh, why am I telling all this to you? Anyway, all this started when my friend here got a contract to kill someone inside the Eternal Blossom Sect."

Stefan was clearly someone talkative, and Daneel really felt glad about that, as he had just obtained knowledge about another member of the Big 4.

Goddess's Sanctum and Eternal Blossom.

2 down, 2 to go, he thought, while Stefan continued.

"It was one of the strangest contracts we ever received, as we normally never deal with the Big 4 except in rare cases. The Sect Leader was going to say no, but it turned out that the one who gave the contract had offered something that the Sect dearly wanted. I don't know what it was, and neither do I know the identity of the person who gave the contract. These records were sealed, and this topic is only talked about in hushed tones inside this sect unless someone wants to attract the ire of the Sect Leader."

It was here that Stefan paused and sighed with sadness, before looking out at his friend who was carefully tending for the plants outside.

With another sigh, he continued.

"Then, Jaggrv was the most talented assassin in the Sect. He had just broken through to become an Exalted Human, and the contract stated that this level was perfect as the Eternal Blossom Sect had just started a round of screening for individuals below that level to take up the post of acting as sparring partners. They promised to deliver endless resources and techniques in return, so it was a dream for any Exalted Human who was stuck. Jaggrv made the decision to go in a heartbeat, although it was quite clear that there was a possibility that he might never return. The contractor had designed a plan and an exit route, but no one knew if they were reliable. Besides, it was also written that it might take years to complete the assignment. I told him he had a bright future ahead. I told him not to go. But he did. And everything changed."

Saying this, Stefan stood up and walked to the window that was there on one side of the cottage.

"He was gone for 5 years. 5. When he came back, he had become the youngest Warrior out Sect had ever seen. But there was a problem. He reported that the mission had failed. And he told the Sect that he couldn't go into the details due to oaths he had sworn there."

Here, Stefan turned around and looked straight into Daneel's eyes before continuing.

"I know the story, though. He succeeded in the assassination. But he did not want to admit it. His mission was to kill her. And he ended up doing that-by loving her."

Hearing this, Daneel's eyes opened wide.

"Yes, he fell in love with his target. But this love ended up killing her, as it was forbidden. It was ironic. All he wanted to do was save her, and he would have done that if he hadn't entered her life. Yet, he ended up fulfilling his mission. It destroyed him, and sent him into such a rage that he recklessly took many, many contracts after coming back. These flowers, all of them, are the only things that remain of her. He still trains with the hope of going back and taking revenge, but he knows it isn't possible. So, that's his story. Now, what's yours?"

Daneel was deep in thought by the end of the narration.

He couldn't imagine how much love this reptilian must have had for that woman to still remember and pine for her by taking care of these flowers even though decades had passed.

Love like that was…rare.

Precious.

And it had to be admired.

Looking up at Stefan, Daneel made a decision.

No matter what, he needed these two on his side. If he managed that, he would only need one more vote to win when the time came for the bylaw to be invoked.

So, he prepared to gamble.

"Call your friend in."

As Daneel said this, Stefan nodded and went out to call Jaggrv.

After both of them sat down, Daneel took a deep breath and said something that made both of them look at him with shock and disbelief.

"I went through your 'crash course', and I learned something from it. I used it to win. Now, you two need to tell me what it is."

Chapter 380: Prophecy

As Daneel observed the two top assassins take a few seconds to comprehend what he was saying while looking at each other with shock, he realized that he might have hit a jackpot.

Daneel's gamble was based on all the clues he had acquired in the Hidden Kill Sect so far.

First, he had been through that crash course and the clue he had obtained there was that there was some objective behind designing the course and making the rule that whoever asked to learn the techniques of the Hidden Kill Sect would be subjected to it if they didn't meet the criteria for entering the sect.

Clearly, whoever had made the rule must have had some hidden agenda behind making it so that those who were talented enough would be able to obtain something that was coveted in the entire continent – an inheritance.

The second clue was regarding the prophecy that the system had stated.

Daneel's gut told him that these two were somehow related. When he thought about it, he realized that it was probably because both of them had one similarity – they were both related to someone from the outside.

The prophecy had popped up when he asked the system for ways to take over the sect even though he was an outsider, and the crash course was also meant for an outsider to obtain something so valuable.

So, it only made sense that these two might be connected.

Now, when he saw the shock that wouldn't recede in the eyes of the two in front of him, Daneel hoped that he was right.

After the two finally returned to normal, Stefan looked at Daneel with a critical expression and said, "Can you please wait outside for a few moments? I have something I need to discuss with my friend."

In response, Daneel just nodded and walked out.

Inside, of course, he was both hoping that things would go well and also worrying whether he had jumped the gun.

After Daneel left the room, Stefan carefully closed the door and took out a trinket from his pocket which he activated.

After making sure that the anti-eavesdropping barrier was functioning well, he turned to Jaggrv and said, "What do you think? Could he be lying? You fought him, so think back. Think hard. We cannot make mistakes in this matter."

As Stefan said this in a grave voice, Jaggrv nodded and looked down, visualizing the fight that he had just had with Daneel.

After a few seconds, his eyes opened wide with surprise.

Looking up at Stefan, he said, "It's very likely that he was right. I didn't use our inheritance, but now that I think about it, he was definitely acting like someone who just obtained it and didn't know how to use it yet. He's… not lying."

"Are you sure?"

With his trademark crude tongue appearing, Jaggrv answered, "Of course I'm f@@king sure. Why the f@@k would I say something like this without being absolutely sure? He did it. He has the inheritance which we went through hell to receive. The bastard makes my blood boil! All he needed to do was get beaten up for it!"

"Yes, but can you do the same? Learning it just by getting beaten up?"

"Of course not. And that makes me even angrier. Anyway, what are we going to do? Should we inform the sect leader? The rules aren't clear on that aspect, are they? According to the prophecy, someone like him should appear when the sect is going to be destroyed. Are we in that position? Is it that bad?"

In response, Stefan shook his head and answered, "You never step out of your cottage, so of course you wouldn't know. Last night, the food reserves went up in flames. Now, we are even more liable to being choked. Things are bad. Sect destruction level bad. But if we obtain the weapons inside the formation, we should still be able to defend ourselves. Still, I say we do it. If worst comes to worst, the prophecy is the only thing we will be able to rely on. Knowing this, it is our duty to make sure that that path is available to us. The rules are clear in this part, at least. If a potential fulfiller of the prophecy arrives, he must be made aware of it and given the option to choose. But the rules don't say that we should report to the sect leader. You know how he is. So I say it's better not to do that unless it is absolutely necessary."

After a few moments of thought, Jaggrv looked up and said, "You're right. I don't like it, but you're right. You do it. I never thought that I would see someone with this much talent in my lifetime. Dammit. I just hope he doesn't become even more insufferable after you're done."

...

Meanwhile, Daneel had been standing outside, trying not to seem tensed even though he was feeling a lot of pressure inside.

If his gamble here failed, he didn't know what to do.

As the door opened to reveal Stefan who gestured at Daneel to come back in, the King of Lanthanor steeled himself and walked in.

Even before he could sit down, Stefan said something that made Daneel rejoice inwardly.

"Have you heard the term 'Basilisk Rider'?"

Yes! The connection was there!

Daneel couldn't believe his luck. In fact, it was so unbelievable that he got another harrowing doubt: was it even luck?

However, this was not the time to think about it.

With a frown on his face, he replied, "No. But the Basilisk is the creature whose heart you use to keep your formation functioning right? Just like the Dragon Heart Formation of Lanthanor. "

With a nod, Stefan said, "Yes, in a way, they are similar. To answer your question, I need to first tell you about the origin of our sect. There are stories about how the elves and the Giants came to be in Angaria, but have you ever wondered from where the reptilians originated?"

This surprised Daneel, as he had indeed thought about the origins of the strange creatures who looked like they were a mix of humans and some kind of lizards.

With the data he had, he of course did not know of their origin.

So, in response, Daneel just nodded and stayed silent.

"You must know of a time in Angaria when mythical creatures roamed the land. The Basilisk was one such creature which was said to be so strong and so fearful that it ruled over a quarter the land for a long, long time. It was famed for its ability to kill other beings without even alerting them of its presence, and it was feared by most except a few which were confident that they could survive the first attack and at least put up a fight. You must understand that even our records aren't complete, but from what we know, the basilisk was also blessed with intelligence that exceeded that of other mythical creatures. When it got to know that it's time was going to be up, it somehow created a race by taking humans and modifying them with its own characteristics. That was how the reptilians were born. When the time came for the Basilisk to die, it chose this mountain and set up our sect along with the rules that are passed down to this day. In those rules is also a prophecy that states that when the sect is in danger of being destroyed, someone will arrive who is more talented in assassination than anyone else before him. Talented enough to learn our most precious inheritance by just going through the crash course and being beaten using it. As talented, as you."

During the history lesson, Daneel had made sure that his expression showed interest.

However, towards the end, when the mention of the inheritance came up, he made shock appear on his face.

After spending so much time in Angaria, he had to admit that he had become quite the accomplished actor.

"Are you f@@king with me?", he asked, making Stefan chuckle and say, "Of course not. What you obtained is, indeed, our inheritance. But only the first part of it. Without the others, you would never be able to use it to its full potential. Anyway, I must say, you are truly lucky. I gather that you would have gone to the other top assassins if Jaggrv hadn't fought you?"

Seeing Daneel nod, Stefan said, "If you had said the same thing to them, they would have done everything in their power to apprehend you and take you to the sect leader. Or, they would have brushed it off and waited for you to open the formation after which you would definitely have been killed. We two are the only ones who still trust in the old ways, but those three don't. They have lost faith. They will try their best to make sure that the prophecy is not activated, as it would mean that they would have no more chance of becoming the sect leader. Now, I need to ask you something. It might sound like it's out of the blue, but I need you to think carefully before you answer. If you have the chance to become the leader of this sect and be in command of one of the most powerful deterring forces in the Central Continent, while also obtaining immense amounts of resources and a full inheritance which would be coveted even by anyone from the Big Four, would you take it?"

To respond, Daneel didn't even need a second.

After making sure that his eyes lit up the moment the words 'full inheritance' were mentioned, Daneel shouted, "F@@k yeah!"

Chapter 381: Getting A Vote

Seeing his enthusiasm, Stefan smiled but went back to his serious expression soon after, saying, "I knew it would excite you. But it's not guaranteed. Let's just say that there might be a chance. You see, we want the prophecy to be fulfilled, because we trust in the knowledge of the ancient basilisk when it wrote that the person who obtains the inheritance through the crash course will save our sect. Normally, this should have been enough for you to take the position of the sect leader. However, because the other three and the present sect leader will definitely not support you, we should look for other ways. There is one, but it will depend on you, and I don't know if you're up for it."

Hearing this, Daneel felt like laughing.

He knew what Stefan was going to suggest next, but he kept a straight face anyway and said, "Don't underestimate me. First of all, I admire you two because you are prepared to trust in your ancestor and believe in me to take control of the sect. You know nothing about me. You don't know if I'll take control, plunder the resources and techniques and just dump the sect and leave it to be destroyed. You don't know if I'll use all the assassins of the sect for my own agenda and result in the destruction of the sect anyway. You must have thought about this, but you still trust your prophecy and your ancestor. That's impressive. And I want to say that your trust is not misplaced. I am someone who cares a lot about debts. If the sect helps me by making me strong enough to achieve my goals, I can assure you that I will keep its best interests in my heart. Now, tell me what I need to do."

When Daneel had been detailing the possible things that could have happened, he saw fear in the eyes of both Stefan and Jaggrv.

However, towards the end, he noticed the relief when he stated his intentions.

They were simple, and thus easy to understand and sympathize with.

Opening his mouth, Stefan sighed and said, "Yes, we blindly trust in the prophecy, and we were called fools when we said this before. But we still do so anyway. You see, there is a specific bylaw which says that someone who is newly inaugurated into the sect can take the position of sect leader if there is a situation where the sect will be destroyed. The five top assassins can take a vote on whether they need to replace the sect leader, and if the majority wins, even someone like you can become the sect leader. You have both of our votes, but you need one more. You need to convince one of the other three top assassins to support you, but I have no idea how you can accomplish that. What do you think?"

After hearing this, Daneel once again faked a thoughtful expression and said, "Lead me to them first. It depends on who they are. I can only guarantee that I will try. Let's see what comes of it. Do you have a backup plan if that fails?"

Shaking his head, Stefan said, "Not right now, but we will think of one when you go meet them. These are their residences. Remember, you cannot expose the fact that you obtained the inheritance. Good luck. Meet us back here after you're done."

…

Unable to believe that things had worked out so ideally with the first two top assassins that he had met, Daneel went with high hopes to the next one.

However, his hopes took a beating when this one declined to spar with him politely.

He talked with Daneel quite nicely, and even answered everything that Daneel asked with the smile on his face.

Yet, whenever even a mention came of sparring together or of forming a closer relationship, it was shut down, of course, politely.

Understanding that this reptilian was just being polite for the sake of it, Daneel exited the house.

Well, there were two more.

His hopes were still there, but they took another beating when the next assassin directly avoided him.

Stefan had given him a communication trinket, so when he asked about this, he realized that this one was sort of an introvert who hated talking to strangers.

Stefan said to move on, as he had only given this address in the first place because he didn't want to miss any possibility of Daneel somehow talking to him.

Finally, reaching the last one, Daneel decided that he would do whatever was needed to make sure that he would get this one in the bag.

The previous two locations had been isolated mansions as large as the one he had been lodged in, but this one was different.

It was at the place on the mountain beside which there was a large, closed gate with the words "Training Grounds" written on them.

As Daneel tried to probe inside, he realized that a very strong formation protected this place, not allowing the system to scan what was on the other side.

He had heard before that the training grounds were peculiar in the fact that those who entered could only exit after their entire training period was over.

He wondered why this rule was in place again as he walked to the house that was nearby.

There were actually many houses in this area, but the one he was going to seemed to be bigger than the rest.

Knocking on the door, he waited.

"Who is it?" came a voice, making Daneel answer "I'm Master Novrain. I'm the one here to unlock your formation, and I'm going around talking to all the top assassins. Open up."

When the door opened, Daneel directly sidestepped the assassin while saying rudely, "I'm bored waiting for your auspicious time to come. Your sect leader must have commanded you to follow all of my requests, right? I'm not even going to ask to spar with you, even though that is what I really want. The other four blew me off already. Let's just talk. And drink, if you have any wine."

Sitting down on a chair, Daneel stretched.

He had acted in the same way with the third top assassin, as he needed to maintain his image of the rude expert that he had shown to the sect leader before.

Making himself comfortable, Daneel started to look around the room as if he owned the place.

The man at the door seemed to be controlling his rage while still facing the door, but this turned out to be a good thing, as Daneel had just noticed something that made his jaw drop in astonishment.

Blinking, he wondered whether he was dreaming.

It was a picture of two men battling with swords, and the painter had accurately captured the expressions of happiness on their faces.

At least 20 years of age separated the two of them, and as Daneel stared, the man who had opened the door came and sat in front of him.

This man seemed to be more of Jaggrv's type, as he replied in an equally rude voice, "Yes, the sect leader asked us to agree to your requests. But you're naïve if you think that he can make me spar with you or even talk to you. It's already bad enough that you are taking away one of the most precious treasures of our sect. I don't think you deserve anything more. You can leave."

Normally, hearing this, Daneel's hopes would have been crushed.

However, his eyes were still locked on the picture, so he didn't even respond.

"System, is it true? Match facial features."

Seeing Daneel sit there while staring off into the distance, the man frowned but remained silent, deciding that he would just ignore this master until he had no option but to give up and leave.

Picking up a book from beside him which he had been reading before he had been interrupted, he buried himself inside it.

Hence, he did not see Daneel's eyes widen when he heard the notification from the system.

[Facial features are a match.]

Taking out a communication trinket from his pocket, Daneel hesitated for a moment, asking himself whether this was the best thing to do.

This was his last chance, and although Stefan and Jaggrv had said that they would look for a backup plan, as Daneel had gone through all of the rules, he knew that there was no other way.

He needed to get the support of this assassin one way or another, so bracing himself, he stretched his hand towards the man after sending a message on the trinket.

"Someone wants to talk to you," he said, making the man frown further as he looked up from his book.

Looking at the communication trinket, he felt puzzled, but decided to continue ignoring the man.

However, his decision changed when Daneel said, "Come on. Just talk. Take it and talk, and I will leave after that, and even tell your sect leader that you were the best host among all the 5. Don't tell me you're afraid."

For a few seconds, there was silence.

As Daneel watched, after the man took the trinket, his expression changed slowly from irritation to absolute shock, as if he had been struck by a lightning bolt from the heavens.

"Son…," he whispered in disbelief, making Daneel understand that he had been right.

Clearly, when his commander Luther had said that he had information that could help Daneel overtake the Hidden Kill Sect, he hadn't been lying.

After all, someone who had apparently grown up in the sect and was even called "son" by a top assassin, must know some very crucial things.

Chapter 382: Luther's Tale

Walking back to his mansion, Daneel had a very sad expression on his face.

If Stefan and Jaggrv could see him now, they would have thought that he had failed in his mission of obtaining the support of one of the top assassins.

However, if they knew that he was sad despite succeeding at his task, they would have been dumbfounded.

Reaching the mansion, he entered and went to his room before taking out one of the wine bottles that were still remaining after the drinking session with Skkrag.

Pouring himself a cup, he downed it in a second and poured one more.

As the spicy liquid went down his throat, the burning sensation that it left felt good, distracting him from his thoughts.

Never could he have imagined that the most reliable and steadfast commander of Lanthanor had such a tragic past.

At the tender age of 8, he had been left behind at the foot of the mountain by someone unknown. He had no memories, and his cries of fear had attracted a sect member who had been going up the mountain, making him contact the sect to ask what he was supposed to do. They investigated the villages all around, but did not find the parents of the child.

Finally, he was taken up to the sect.

He grew up with no parents in a place where people learned to kill as their profession. The sect had tried to recover his memories to no avail, so he was left alone. He wasn't very talented as an assassin or a Fighter, so he wasn't valued by the sect. Still, he was pitied and given leftovers.

When he was old enough, he began to work as a sparring partner for young assassins in training. No matter how many hits he took, he would always stand up and be ready for more.

Alas, he didn't reach the standards of the Hidden Kill Sect to be trained as an assassin. Yet, the instructors took a liking to his qualities and still taught him a bit in their spare time.

Still, most of his day consisted of being beaten up and then mending his injuries while learning whatever he could.

His luck changed when he was noticed by one of the then most talented assassins in the sect: a man called Agmar. He was officially adopted by him, as Agmar was, himself, an orphan who had been left behind in the sect.

They were together for five years, and they became closer than son and father.

Trouble came when Agmar's wife gave birth to a son. She had never liked the relationship between Agmar and Luther, so she had never been close to him, but she supported her husband grudgingly as he was someone who really wanted kids.

However, now that they had their own child, she became envious of the relationship that they two had.

She felt that her own son would be ignored, so she plotted against Luther.

She struck when Agmar was out on an assassination mission, calling Luther to her room and threatening him that if he didn't leave without giving any explanation, she would plant evidence that Luther was trying to steal the sect's techniques, which would break Agmar's heart and also implicate him, as he was responsible for whatever Luther did.

Luther cared about his adopted father's feelings more than anything else, and he was also very grateful for everything he had done for him. After talking to Agmar's wife and finding out how she really felt, he knew that there was no future for him in this sect in which his father would also be happy. So, without hesitation, he left.

He had gone to Lanthanor as they were actively recruiting then, and he had stayed there ever since while keeping the memories buried inside his heart. Of course, he couldn't help but pine for the only man who had cared for him, but he never considered going back.

Back in the sect, the woman that was the cause of Luther leaving had made up another story. She told Agmar that Luther had only been with him to become strong enough to fend for himself in the outside world, and with his goal accomplished, he left the sect as he knew that with his limited talent, he would not have risen much there.

Of course, Agmar was completely heartbroken, but after some time, he managed to become normal. He raised his son well, but due to a botched assassination, the died abruptly.

This completely destroyed his wife, whose every hope had been pinned on the boy.

She died due to heartbreak, but before she took her last breath, she told Agmar the truth due to a guilty conscience.

This shattered Agmar, who blamed himself for not noticing the jealousy and scorn in his wife. He felt guilty for letting down the kid whom he adopted and promised he would take care of, so he completely dedicated himself to his assassinations before finally retiring.

Even after retirement, he spent his days teaching young assassins, as he could never forgive himself for what had happened to Luther.

Now, when there was finally a chance for the two to speak, both of them had poured out their true feelings.

Luther had never blamed Agmar all these years. Instead, all he did was miss the man and hope that he was living a good life.

When Agmar realized that he had been foolish all these years by not looking for Luther, he completely broke down into tears in front of Daneel and thanked him profusely for letting him mend the biggest regret of his life.

As for the matter of support, he had said that he owed Daneel a favour that he would repay any day even if it meant giving up his life.

That was all that Daneel had needed, and he had left the communication trinket linking Luther with him before going out the door.

The two had continued the tearful reunion, but Daneel couldn't help but feel sad because of their tale.

It was a typical story of jealousy, but the fact that it affected someone so close to him made Daneel keep drinking until the bottle was empty.

Finally, unable to even squeeze one more thought of his head, he fell asleep on the bed, all while Stefan and Jaggrv continued to desperately search for backup plans.

The next day, Daneel woke up and washed his face before walking to Jaggrv's cottage.

Opening the door, he saw a peculiar sight.

Jaggrv was slumped over the table on a book, while Stefan was lying on Jaggrv's back, treating his friend's thick robes as a pillow.

The sadness had mostly receded due to the alcohol, so Daneel was in a better mood, especially due to the fact that he now had the three votes he needed.

Thus, playfully, he knocked loudly on the door and said, "From next time, lock the door!"

Startled awake, both assassins immediately materialized weapons made of elements that they thrust in Daneel's direction.

This time, it was Daneel's turn to be startled as he immediately ran back and resolved never to disturb sleeping assassins again.

After they realized it was him and hastily stopped their attacks, Daneel walked back inside after wiping the sweat on his forehead.

These two weren't at the top for no reason, as he would definitely have been injured to within an inch of his life if they had called back their attacks even a moment later.

After giving both of them a little time to freshen themselves up, Daneel was about to ask what the next step was when Stefan spoke in a voice filled with disappointment.

"We've been looking through the rulebooks, but we found no backup plan. You didn't contact us yesterday, so I guess that you failed in your attempts? It was a long shot, anyway."

It was when he heard this that Daneel realized that in his grief, he had forgotten to contact the two to tell them that he had managed to get the vote they needed.

Awkwardly rubbing his nose, Daneel replied, "Er… About that. I have Agmar's vote. So, what's our next step?"

As both of them stared at him while gawking, Daneel tried to ignore their scorching gazes.

After another two seconds passed, both of them started screaming at him at the same time.

"You f@@king maggot! We were searching throughout the night! A single hint would have been fine! Screw the prophecy, I'll kill you right now!"

"Way to be reliable! And we're supposed to give the sect to you! Even I'm having second thoughts!"

They were right to be angry, so Daneel let them go on and on until they exhausted themselves and just stared at him while huffing and puffing.

Finally, he said, "Done? Now, let's get back to the matter at hand. What is our next step?"

Well, he was a haughty expert anyway, so there was no way that he was going to apologize. It was already surprising enough that he had let them scold him without retaliating.

It seemed that the both of them also understood this, as they only sat down and glared at him before Stefan said, "Our next step is to wait. The sect needs to be in an actual, full-on crisis for the vote to be called. The burning of the food stores pushed us towards it, but getting the weapons from the formation will still save us. Actually, even if you don't manage to open the formation, we can resist Axelor for quite some time. Of course, not as much time as before, because the choking strategy will work better now. According to the prophecy, there will come the time when the sect is definitely going to be destroyed. Till then, we wait. Trust us, it'll come."

What?! So what he had done wasn't enough? Things needed to be even more dire?

Realizing this, Daneel fell into deep thought once again.

To be frank, he didn't really believe the prophecy, so he wasn't prepared to throw his hands up and wait like these two.

He had to do something to make it happen.

He had to take matters into his own hands.

As the King of Lanthanor got a bold idea, a cold look came on his face, as he decided that it was time for drastic measures.

Chapter 383: Drastic Measures

In the Kingdom of Eldinor, in the Palace of the Elves, there was a particular room in the underground which was a forbidden area for each and every person in the Kingdom. Even the highest of commanders were barred from entry, so they could only wonder what was behind this room's doors.

The Queen was the only one who could enter, and she could only do so using the official oath stone of the kingdom.

Some information which was only known to the most senior of officials was that the previous Queen had spent a lot of time in this room when she had first taken the throne.

However, she had later completely stopped from going inside and had never spoken about it to anyone else.

When the new Queen started to do the same thing, the officials thought that this must once again be something temporary.

However, they were surprised when they saw the Queen continuously do so.

Each time the Queen entered the room, she did so with an expression of expectation, which made the officials wonder even more just what the heck was inside.

However, they were doomed to always holding these questions in their heart and never finding the answer, as the new Queen was even more strict and ordered that all personnel had to keep 50 meters of distance between them and the room's doors.

On this day, the Queen of Eldinor walked out of this room with an especially sullen expression on his face.

After reaching the main Palace, she did something peculiar.

There was a certain branch inside the Palace which kept track of all the crimes of the citizens of Eldinor

She went to that room and ordered everyone working inside to leave, before spending some time inside and walking out with an expression that made others understand that she was in an even worse mood than before.

After she went to her chambers, she sat down in front of the mirror and looked at herself.

"Only a little more...," she told herself, looking deep into her own eyes.

…

Meanwhile, something similar happened in the Black Raven Kingdom, but the Black Raven King was more discreet in his actions.

With the intention of not causing any suspicion, he went through all records in all government agencies. So, everyone dismissed this as a routine surprise check to make sure that everything was functioning properly.

Unknown to them, two lists of names were sent to Daneel, who directly forwarded them to Luther.

When Daneel talked to him, he couldn't help but notice that the man sounded better, as if he was more...whole, now.

Daneel felt happy for him, but he didn't hesitate to stress on the details of the plan and repeat that nothing could go wrong.

After getting the reassurance of Luther that his instructions would be carried out to the T, he smiled to himself while lounging on the sofa in his mansion.

This was definitely one of the most nefarious plans he had come up with yet in this continent, but he realised that he could not keep thinking in this way.

Gone was the naïve boy who always looked to decrease the death toll while keeping irrelevant things on his mind.

In his place was a man who was prepared to do almost anything to ensure that he would reach his goals.

No, not a man.

A King.

As Daneel picked up the plate of fruit beside him and started to eat, the continent started to devolve into chaos.

…

In every Kingdom, there were a few people who had committed heinous acts but were still pardoned by the government because they were too essential to the Kingdom.

These were traders or individuals who either held large amounts of wealth or were in charge of immense manpower. Having the ability to upend the kingdom itself if they wished, they lived their lives however they wanted, only taking care not to antagonize the ruler of their kingdom too much.

Kalingor was one such individual in the Kingdom of the Elves.

As a staunch supporter of the belief that elves were greater than humans in all ways, he was someone who had made it his personal mission to rid the world of the 'human plague', as he called it.

Of course, he never dared to go too far.

Whenever he found a human who wouldn't be missed, he would abduct them and store them in his dungeon from where they would never return.

The problem was that he did it so much that a few mistakes couldn't be avoided.

For example, he had once abducted the wife of a soldier in the Army, who didn't stop at anything to track her whereabouts.

When he managed to follow the signs left behind by the kidnapping to Kalingor's manor, the soldier was killed in cold blood.

Of course, the army launched an investigation, and he was found guilty.

However, due to the substantial influence he held, he was pardoned and almost all records of his crime were stricken.

He was in control of a very important Ether mine in Eldinor, and if he had been persecuted, he would definitely have used his private knowledge of the mine to collapse it in revenge.

In fact, the elf had even threatened as much, leaving the government to just fine him before letting him go.

Today, he was reminiscing about that moment and the screams of that woman he had abducted when he showed her the dead body of her loved one.

Although he had continued his activities, he was much more careful now, so there were fewer people for him to torture and kill.

Indeed, this was what he lived for now. He had become addicted to the screams, and although he still justified himself by saying that he was just ridding the continent of the worthless humans, he knew that he was only continuing because he enjoyed it too much.

Just the day before, he had hit a jackpot. He had managed to abduct an entire family who were apparently migrating from a different Kingdom, so he now had four new types of screams to listen to and enjoy.

Usually, he loved to leave them in the dark dungeon so that they would lose all hope. After that, he would go to them like a savior before crushing their hopes and reveling in the look in their eyes.

However, he decided to change it up.

Walking to his dungeon, he was surprised to see that there was none of the whimpering that he usually heard when he had new victims.

There were no guards here, as he couldn't risk anyone blabbering about his acts. Hence, he conjured a globe of fire by himself.

When his eyes adjusted to the light, he stepped back with shock when he realised that there was a man in peculiar black robes standing in front of him.

The four whom he had come to torture were standing behind the man, holding their mouths shut, trying hard not to make a sound.

As they watched, the elf who had just entered the dungeon collapsed to the ground without even understanding how he had been attacked.

If they looked closer, they would have seen that a tiny blade had pierced through his neck, puncturing it and making him bleed out.

As his body was weak, and because the blade had also had some kind of poison which paralyzed him, he could only watch as the blood pooled around him.

The last thing he heard was the four words uttered by the black-robed man who bent down to his ear and said, "King Daneel sends his regards."

How the hell had he antagonised the fearsome King of Lanthanor? Had it been found out that among some of the humans he had killed, some of them were Lanthanorians?

Alas, he would never know the answer, as he lost his life the next second.

Similar scenes occurred all over Eldinor and the Black Raven Kingdom, where influential people that regularly committed atrocious acts were assassinated.

Experts were called in to analyse the bodies of the dead, and they all reached one conclusion.

It was the handiwork of the assassins of the Hidden Kill Sect.

In total, the death toll had risen to 40 people, but even though the number was small, the effects were enormous.

All of these 40 had held enormous amounts of power or wealth, which were all quickly confiscated by the government even while it lamented their deaths and swore to get revenge.

This made both governments a target for immense backlash, mainly from other individuals with power who started to become afraid that it had actually been planned by the governments themselves to profit from the deaths.

The pressure started to mount, as these individuals also managed to enlist the help and support of other, more normal influential people by scaring them that they would be next.

Finally, it got to a point where the two governments couldn't ignore it anymore.

Suddenly, both of them took a shocking decision.

Eldinor and the Black Raven Kingdom declared war on the Hidden Kill Sect, and started to march to the mountain which was their base.

While the two armies set off for their destination, the entire continent watched with bated breath.

Meanwhile, the person who was responsible for all of this happening was leisurely spending his time in the Hidden Kill Sect, depleting their diminished food reserves even faster by continuously placing requests which couldn't be ignored.

If they had known that they were generously feeding the man who was responsible for making them the target of two Kingdoms in the Central Continent, they would definitely have choked with disbelief and thrown themselves off the mountain in frustration.

Chapter 384: Auspicious Time

"What the hell? How did this even happen? Why would the sect take on these contracts when it's already being attacked by us? Why would it do something so dumb?"

"I don't know, my King. But it is definitely good news for us. It means that we can move even faster, and try to convince them to surrender to us. After all, they might choose to join with us to save themselves and fend off the attacks from the other two kingdoms rather than suffer from all three and risk being destroyed. Would you like me to send another liaison to contact their sect leader?"

After a moment of silence, the minister heard the reply from the other side of the door.

"No. But be sure to hasten the movements of our troops. Make sure that we do not intersect with the path that the other two armies are taking. We still need to be hidden. The sect leader also understands that we are his best hope. He will come to us. So there's no reason for us to send someone again. Just wait."

With a nod, the minister left the door to the King's chambers and walked to the room where an assortment of commanders were waiting.

"What do you all think? How did this happen in such a short span of time? What motive could the sect have to do something like this? Even if the governments of the two Kingdoms did give out the contracts, why would the sect accept them?"

The one who responded was the head of intelligence of Axelor, who was a brown-haired man with a short stature.

Standing up, he said something which made a hush fall over the entire room.

"Sir, we must consider another possibility. All of the assassinations that took place did have signs of being committed by the Hidden Kill Sect, but I believe we are ignoring something. Up until recently, this would definitely have been a clear sign that the Hidden Kill Sect was behind these actions. However, we now know that there is an additional force which has assassins trained by the sect themselves – Lanthanor. Maybe it is them who committed the murders? After all, everyone knows about the rule of the sect which states that once a contract is taken, the giver of the contract will never be exposed by the sect."

As the Minister heard this, he couldn't help but nod with realization.

The offer to train the soldiers of Lanthanor had been something that was thrown out in a royal court where many had been in attendance. Hence, all the kingdoms knew about this fact, and now that he thought about it, this should definitely be something that must be on their minds as well.

He wondered whether he should bring this to the attention of the king, but remembering his last reaction when Lanthanor was mentioned, he decided against it.

"Be that as it may, what could the motive of Lanthanor be? What will they gain from this? After all, their king only acts when there is a benefit for him."

For this question, no one had an answer.

Indeed, even in the other kingdoms, no one could figure out what Lanthanor could gain from this if they were the ones behind these actions.

As for what motive the sect might have had to take the contracts in such a sensitive time, that couldn't be guessed either.

After many useless reasonings were thrown around in the meeting, the minister finally concluded by saying, "The only motive I can think of is Lanthanor swooping in and taking advantage of the chaos if the three forces fight each other and weaken themselves. Of course, no one knows that we are also in the fray. Increase the number of spies watching the Army of the Lanthanor Kingdom. If even one of their personnel goes missing, I want to know about it. If they intend to move, we will have to divert some forces to stop them in their tracks. No matter what we do, we have to make sure that Lanthanor doesn't benefit from this. The only victors, in the end, must be us. I don't think I need to explain what will happen if that isn't the result."

Seeing everyone nod with healthy fear in their eyes, the minister left the room, hoping that there would be no more surprises in this operation that had been in planning for a long time.

Meanwhile, the sect leader of the Hidden Kill Sect was sputtering with rage while trying to understand how his beloved sect had fallen into such a precarious position.

It was just one thing after another, as if they were the target of some malicious entity that just wanted to see their end.

First, it had been the machinations of Axelor which couldn't be stopped no matter how many assassins they sent. It was as if Axelor had been prepared to do everything possible to resist assassinations, as each and every key personnel was protected so fiercely that the sect would have had to expend valuable assassins in order to kill them. The sad thing was, even if they managed to do so, another would just pop up to take their place. As for assassinating the king himself, it was impossible with their current assassins and weapons.

This was one of the main reasons he wanted the formation to open so badly. Inside, there was supposed to be a weapon which would enable them to threaten even someone as protected as the king of a large Kingdom.

The Hidden Kill Sect's power had always come from being a deterring force, so even their weapons operated in the same way – by striking fear in the hearts of their enemies and making it so that they wouldn't even dare to attack.

Just when the sect leader had started to relax and just hope that the formation will open, their food stores had gone up in flames due to a freak accident.

He had recovered from even that, but this situation was just the last straw. Suddenly, there were multiple armies marching on them.

Like the others, he too suspected Lanthanor. No, he was almost sure of it.

It had taken a day for him to take an inventory of all the assassins and make sure that none of them had taken rogue contracts without his knowledge, and he was now waiting for the final report on the final batch of assassins.

If even this one turned out to be normal, then Lanthanor was definitely the culprit.

Even he didn't have the faintest clue about what the motive could be behind such an action, but he was prepared to wring the answer from that mysterious master as soon as the work with the formation was done.

All he needed was one weapon. One weapon that would be enough to stop all three kingdoms from attacking him. One weapon that was famed as something that the basilisk itself had forged for the protection of the sect before it died.

Hearing a knock on the door, the sect leader quickly walked to it and opened, findings Skrrag holding a trinket in his hand.

Quickly snatching it, the sect leader went through the data and growled with anger.

It was them. It was Lanthanor.

Each and every assassin's location was accounted for, except for the ones they had trained as part of the deal with Lanthanor.

"We take them and train them, and this is how they repay us?"

He knew that it was just a business deal, but he still couldn't help but say this in exasperation.

As Skrrag stood to the side with his head bent, the sect leader once again walked to the window and looked out.

All three forces would soon be knocking on their doorstep, and due to the stupid rule, he couldn't even flee with the sect.

No. He couldn't think in that direction.

Hadn't they had enough bad luck? When would it turn?

Just as he asked this in his mind with an expression of deep frustration, he saw something in the corner of his eye that made him turn around with shock and stare.

Raising one finger shakily, he pointed at the moon.

Seeing his father's strange actions, Skrrag also walked to the window where he similarly stared with shock

In the next second, both father and son turned to look towards each other before reacting at the same time.

"Go!" The sect leader shouted, but even before the word was completely out of his mouth, Skrrag was already running towards the door.

As soon as he exited, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Gather everyone at the sacred location! The time is here! The formation will soon be exposed! There is not a minute to waste! Go!"

Hearing this and nodding, the sect leader walked to a certain corner of his room and lifted a painting, revealing the bare stone wall.

Slitting his scaled finger with his sharp nail, he drew a symbol on the wall, making a small door appear.

From inside, he took out three items: a snake scale, a trident-shaped trinket and a communication trinket.

It was the last one that he handled the most gingerly, keeping it carefully in his pocket before heaving a sigh of relief.

An expression of determination coming on his face, he walked out of the room and headed to the bottom of the tower to open the trap door that led downwards.

…

Barely 2 minutes later, Daneel found himself standing in that cavernous room again, this time with a lot of company.

The one to note most was the sect leader, who looked at him briefly with an expression of extreme scorn before saying to everyone who had gathered there, "The auspicious time has arrived. In a few minutes, the formation will be exposed and be vulnerable to anyone capable enough to take over. As I have stated before, the one who succeeds will definitely be allowed to keep one item, and I swear on behalf of the sect that they will come to no harm in the sect. In fact, I will escort them outside personally. Now, we shall wait."

Raising an eyebrow at the sect leader's statement and scoffing inwardly, Daneel folded his arms and leaned against a wall, looking like the very picture of an expert who felt that his time was being wasted.

However, inside, he was very excited.

It was time for the final phase of this trip to begin.

Chapter 385: 'Tough Luck'

Inside the room, there were a total of 12 individuals. They were:

The 4 from the Big 4, Daneel, the Sect Leader, the 5 top assassins and Skrrag.

Right now, they were standing near the entrance, with Daneel leaning on a wall while the others were excitedly studying the surroundings, waiting for the eye of the formation to appear.

The sect leader was the most skittish, with his eyes flitting everywhere, as if he wanted to be the first to notice it.

It had been 10 minutes since they were all gathered here with urgency, and by now, even the excitement of the others was starting to wane.

"Please stay alert. After the first hint of the blood moon appears, the eye reveals itself in 30 minutes. After that, there will be one hour of time to take control of it. I know that taking control of a formation is a time-consuming process, so I would like you all to try one-by-one, if that's ok with you. Shall we decide on the order?"

Seeing him acting so politely with them now that it was time for their worth to be shown, Daneel felt like spitting at the sect leader's hypocrisy.

When he had ordered his assassins trained by the Hidden Kill Sect to carry out all the assassinations in the 2 Kingdoms, he had known that he would definitely be the target of suspicion here.

However, he had been prepared to fend off the sect leader using the fact that he was still needed to open the formation.

Thankfully, the auspicious time had arrived at just the right moment, making it so that Daneel didn't even need to do this.

Right now, Daneel's plan was simple.

The best case was that the system would be able to take control of the formation as soon as it appeared. After doing so and taking an item of his choice, he would order the Black Raven Kingdom's and Eldinor's armies to make sudden attacks, rocking the Sect's defense. In that moment of crisis, a no-confidence vote would be called, and Daneel would take the seat of the sect leader then and save the sect.

Even though he wished that things would go in this way without too much trouble appearing, Daneel had a vague suspicion that the premise of things going according to this plan itself was false.

Back in Lanthanor, when he had entered the Lanthanorian Palace after great difficulty, the system had analyzed the Dragon-Heart formation and told him that its complexity was too high.

According to it, there were two formations: a core one, and one laid on top of that which enabled those at the Warrior level to take control and direct the core formation.

From what Daneel knew, the Dragon and the Basilisk were both creatures that had existed during the same age. So, it only made sense that the formations formed using them as the base had a possibility of sharing characteristics.

The items that the Basilisk wanted to protect must mostly be placed in the core part, or the 'eye' of the formation, which was going to be revealed now.

Hence, if he was right, the system would fail to take control, and none of them would be able to help the Sect retrieve their ancestral weapons.

Daneel still had a backup plan in case that happened, but the best case was still the best plan.

He had been trying to think of a better back up plan during all the free time he had had, but he hadn't been able to come up with anything.

"I'll go first. Our Sect's Champion level formation-cracking trinket will definitely do the job! Trust me, sect leader."

Of course, the one who said these words was Percy.

He was the very image of confidence-standing with his chest puffed up while looking into the distance, as if he was a lone hero, ready to accomplish grand feats and put everyone to shame.

"Pipe down. You're annoying."

As Daneel sent this message discreetly, Percy suddenly got an embarrassed expression on his face before switching to a more traditional pose.

Daneel expected the other three from the Big 4 to compete against Percy for the opportunity to go first, but seeing them just look at him like an idiot, Daneel wondered whether he was missing something.

When he shot a question to Sister Xuan, she answered, "Oh, it's because none of us have too much hope of succeeding anyway. We are here just because none of the Big 4 want to miss out on the rare chance that the formation must have weakened by now. 100 years ago, in secret, a similar attempt was carried out by the previous sect leader even though this sect wasn't in nowhere as precarious a position as now. They used the best trinkets then, and those are still what we are using now. So, they mostly won't work. You really are their last chance. Were you the one responsible for those assassinations, by the way? I was meaning to ask you about that."

This was news to Daneel. So something like this had happened before? Why hadn't his dolt of a disciple told him about it?

Oh, yes. He might not know, himself.

That explained why he was so confident, and the expressions on the other three's faces.

Knowing that Sister Xuan was waiting for a response, Daneel just said, "We can talk about that later," making her frown at him from where she was standing.

The gigantic underground chamber was lit by a few torches brought by the sect leader and the top assassins, but these torches had been purposefully arranged only at the spot where they were standing.

All around, there was darkness.

Soon enough, the order was established.

First would be Percy, then the woman followed by the man from the Big 4, with Sister Xuan coming last among them.

Daneel would be next. After all, if he said he couldn't do it too, then all hope would be lost.

After waiting in silence for a few more minutes, the sect leader suddenly shouted, "THERE!"

Looking in the direction where his finger was pointing, all of them noticed that a faint, green light had come into existence in the darkness.

"Let's go!"

Taking off at a run, the sect leader led them to this spot, and when they arrived one-by-one, each of them couldn't help but stare with awe.

It was a tiny, green, glowing snake.

Not even the length of Daneel's palm, it looked vulnerable, and it even had a cute expression on its face while it looked around at its surroundings, almost as though it was sentient.

Everyone gasped on seeing this sight, but what happened next only shocked them more.

While they watched, the snake grew in size and, from the way its face and scales changed, in age, too. Even scars occasionally appeared on its body, before fading away in a few seconds.

It was almost as if each of them could imagine the snake going through difficulties while it matured. Inch by inch, it grew in front of their eyes to finally become a massive monster.

Half of it's body was coiled on the ground, but just the top of its head when the other half stood straight reached at least 40 feet(12.1 meters) in the air.

It had a wide open hood, which cast a shadow on all of those standing in the underground room due to the fact that the sect leader had arranged a few torches behind the snake, too.

Everyone was still standing still as if they had been struck by a spell, but when the snake was done with its growth, it suddenly opened its mouth as if to swallow them all.

Its large eyes were eyeing them all ferociously, and all of them became convinced that their lives would end now. Percy even whimpered in fear, but no one even noticed it.

Just when it swooped down and was about to complete the deed, it swerved to the side strangely.

In merely a second, it wound up into an enormous ball, with its head nowhere to be seen.

The sect leader was the first to respond.

"That is the 'Basilisk's Warning', which is mentioned in the records. If I, the one in possession of the official oath stone of the sect which marks me as the official sect leader, wasn't present here, you all would have died by now. We have exactly one hour from now. Mister Percy, quickly!"

Nodding, Percy ran up to the green ball made of the coiled snake's body, but the fear was apparent in his stride.

After reaching, he took out a trinket shaped like a gong.

On squeezing it, it enlarged into a man-sized gong which Percy started to beat rhythmically.

The sound initially had no effect except annoying the others, but after a few seconds, the large ball started to shake.

"Yes! It's working!"

However, as soon as he said this, the wobbling stopped, and no matter how much time he continued, there was no effect.

With no other option, he admitted defeat and was replaced by the next one.

The other three from the Big 4 also used more musical instrument type trinkets. All of them had similar effects, so when Daneel walked up to the ball with an expression of deep thought on his face, the sect leader had his eyes closed, apparently ardently praying to the heavens.

Daneel had already had his suspicion confirmed as soon as the ball appeared. The system had told him that the complexity was too high.

However, when the sect leader had spoken earlier, he had suddenly come up with a plan.

He couldn't believe that he had forgotten something so important. It was a gamble, but he was ready to take it.

So, while finalizing its details, he made a show of raising his hands at the ball, all while everyone else looked on with bated breath.

Finally, after barely 2 minutes, he simply said, "Tough luck. I can't do it." and walked back to his position, while the sect leader looked at him with a crazy expression.

Chapter 386: A Forsaken Hope

Only 30 minutes had passed since the giant ball had come into being. However, to the sect leader, it felt as if at least a few ages must have gone past.

He had been watching with bated breath as each of those from the Big Four tried to use their trinkets to take control of the formation to no avail. Each time one of them failed, his heart would drop but he would keep telling himself that they were still another chance.

If he had to be frank, he would admit this telling himself that was something that had been keeping him going for quite a long time, ever since he had found out that they were under risk of being conquered by the Kingdom of Axelor.

What many didn't know was that he was the bastard son of the previous sect leader, and that he had grown up in a very hostile environment due to the jealousy and scorn of all the official offspring. However, as luck would have it, he turned out to be the most talented among all of them, thus winning his father's support and encouragement.

Yet, his tough childhood had already had a very adverse effect on him, making him someone who did not let people or things into his life easily.

For the longest time, he cared only about two things: his father, and the sect.

The Hidden Kill Sect was more like an autonomous organization which trained assassins and functioned using the commission obtained from accepting contracts. It almost never ordered someone to take a contract, but the rules stipulated that successful assassinations increased the rank of a sect member, granting them access to more powerful techniques and finally, even an inheritance.

The information about the inheritance was something that was guarded with the lives of the top assassins and the sect leader, so there were always less than just 10 people who even knew that the sect was in possession of something so precious.

The only oath that a sect member would have to swear was that they would stand by the sect in terms of crisis and also listen to orders if the rules deemed it necessary. Also, it was to ensure that their techniques would not be leaked out.

His father had been a proud man, so even though he had been at an age where he should have retired and just led the sect, he kept accepting contracts until one day, he did not return from a mission.

This completely broke him and made him work harder than ever to take back the position that was his father's. In his eyes, now that he only had the sect to love, he would give it his everything, just like his father had done.

After succeeding to become the sect leader, he had been contented for a long time, and had even taken a wife who gave birth to Skrrag but died during childbirth.

That death made his heart even harder, but he at least still had his sect and his son to take care of.

When the news about Axelor's actions had become known, he hadn't been able to sleep for many nights, knowing that his sect was in danger.

He had searched frantically for even the slightest whisper of someone talented in formations all across Angaria, until finally hearing mention of a man who had managed to take control of the Dragon-heart formation of Lanthanor, and that too remotely through his disciple.

He knew that he needed him, so the sect leader went to extreme lengths and even promised something that was unprecedented in history. Of course, he was still following the rules, but there was still a lot of backlash which he handled.

The closer they came to the auspicious time, the more desperate he became. In fact, he hadn't slept a wink in weeks.

That was why when he heard the news about the food stores, he had reacted in that way and scolded his son whom he loved deeply.

As for the news of two more kingdoms marching on them, he hadn't even been able to comprehend it for a long time, and when he did, his desperation reached new peaks.

All of his hopes had been pinned on this one hour, and this one man.

Hence, when he saw him walking away from the eye of the formation, it was as if he could hear his hopes being crushed by each footstep of the man.

He completely lost it.

As if all the energy had gone out of him at once, the sect leader stepped back and leaned against the wall, with his eyes wide open and bloodshot.

They were still staring at Master Novrain, who did not seem to have even a shred of regret at letting him down.

The sect leader considered taking out the anger that had been building up over a long time on this master by attacking and killing him, but he knew that it was futile.

He was a Warrior level mage assassin who had seen so many things in his long life, but none of it had prepared him for the crushing knowledge that he had let down his sect.

He was the sect leader, but he hadn't managed to find a way to save them from being taken over by a hostile force.

Thousands of years of glory. All gone in a flash.

It didn't even cross his mind that this Master Novrain was bluffing for some reason, as after this hour was past, there would be no more chances to take control of the formation. It was also not possible that he had taken control and decided not to reveal it, as it was clearly written in the records that the ball made by the snake would unravel and reveal the precious treasures of the sect as soon as anyone took control.

There was nothing more to do. They were slowly going to be whittled away, and the Hidden Kill Sect would go under the control of someone else.

In this moment of extreme depression, the sect leader heard Master Novrain speak, but the contents of their statements were so shocking and out of the blue that he wondered whether he was going crazy.

"There is one way I can take control, but it will decrease my power, and have long-time negative effects on my strength. Normally, I wouldn't even mention it. But, right now, I have a reason. I have to admit something, and although it may sound far-fetched, just bear with me. After the crash course which you graciously gave me, I…gained something. And that something has also made me take a liking to your sect. I have fulfilled your prophecy. Let me become the sect leader, and I will take control of this formation without caring what happens to me and I will drive off all those other Kingdoms. I'm not just doing this because I want your resources and techniques. Heck, I already have your inheritance. I could leave happily right now. Yet, I am someone who values debts very seriously. Your sect gave this to me. And I shall repay it, by saving it. Stefan, I think you should speak now."

"We would like to invoke the bylaw and call for a no-confidence vote. Right now. And as a replacement, we nominate Master Novrain, fulfiller of the Basilisk Rider prophecy."

What?! He had gained the inheritance and fulfilled the prophecy?! And Stefan was calling for a no-confidence vote?

What the heck was going on?!

…..

A few minutes earlier.

After coming back to stand in his initial position, Daneel watched as the sect leader completely collapsed.

He had heard a bit about the man's past, so he actually felt sorry for him. However, this needed to be done, as they were simply no other way.

Touching the communication trinket in his pocket, he saw that there was already a message waiting for him there.

"Master Novrain? Are you serious? Tough luck? I thought we already discussed this! Even if you want to become the sect leader, you have to take control of the formation now, or you just get a sect that is going to be conquered!"

This was from Stefan, and there was also a much ruder message from Jaggrv with the same meaning.

Touching both the communication trinkets discreetly, Daneel sent a message to both of them.

"You two, just trust me and get ready to vote."

Without even giving them a chance to respond, Daneel had given his speech which astonished everyone.

Thankfully, Stefan had been ready to take the lead after him.

The sect leader was too shocked to do anything, so after both of them spoke and saw no response from him, Stefan took charge and said, "Representatives of the Big Four, I request you to please leave the premises. Quickly. This is official sect business, so please comply."

Daneel had used an anti-eavesdropping spell to make sure that only those from the sect had heard him, as the information about the inheritance could not leak.

The four had already been staring with puzzled expressions till now, but this statement from Stefan only confused them more.

However, with everyone else glaring at them with stern expressions knowing that they had to first make sure that outsiders weren't present, the four had no choice but to nod and leave.

When just the members of the Hidden Kill Sect and Daneel were left, Stefan spoke once again.

"Everyone. I know you all think that both of us are silly for believing in the prophecy, but believe us when we say that this man is truly the one who has fulfilled it. He wasn't lying when he said that he obtained the inheritance. For you all to believe, here's a quick demo."

Daneel had no idea that this was going to happen, so the only hint he had was the message "Dodge" from Stefan.

It was a blade made of ice, and it was so fast that it was barely a fraction of a second away from him even before he received the message.

Hastily, Daneel activated the Inheritance through the system and watched it slow down, before commanding his body to leap to the side.

Of course, as he wasn't used to it yet, his legs did their part but the rest of his body moved in weird directions, making him land spreadeagled to the side.

As he disabled the inheritance while cursing Stefan, he looked up to see that all of the top assassins and the sect leader were staring at him with awe.

The signs of someone who had obtained the first part of the 'Basilisk's Breath' and hadn't trained in it yet were unmistakable.

Just like the sect leader, they had also felt hopeless when Daneel had said that he couldn't take control of the formation.

However, now, this hope shone through the darkness. A hope that they had forsaken, but one that they needed to accept now, as they had no other choice.

"Agmar, it's time for your favor. Vote for me."

No more words needed to be said. Three top assassins walked forward, and said, "We vote for Master Novrain to take control of the Hidden Kill Sect, as is his right as the Basilisk Rider."

As Daneel heard this, a smile inadvertently came on his face while he heard the notification from the system.

[Achievement unlocked…]

Chapter 387: Legendary Puppeteer

[Achievement: Puppeteer 3- Legendary Puppeteer obtained.

Legendary Puppeteer: By creating and executing masterful plans, you have taken control of another force! You are the master in the shadows, forever unseen, but always pulling the strings! Another firm step towards World Domination! Keep striding forward, and soon, there will be no one that can stand against you! Congratulations!

90,000 EXP awarded.

90 Kingdom Points awarded.

Total EXP: 113,000

Total Kingdom Points: 140]

Seeing things play out in the way he had hoped, Daneel wished that he had some time to pause and rejoice, but the clock was steadily ticking down to the point when he would no longer be able to take control of the formation of the Hidden Kill Sect.

"Upgrade the system. If you need downtime to upgrade completely, prioritize whatever you need to take control of the formation. Upgrade them first and take control as soon as possible. How long will it take?"

[Time for full upgrade: Two hours.

Time for upgrade of essential components to take control of formation: 20 minutes.

System will be offline during the upgrade.]

"Do it! Upgrade only the essential components, and as soon as you come online, take control of this damn formation!"

[Acknowledged.

Commencing system upgrade.

Cost: 100,000 EXP.

Remaining EXP: 13,000.]

At this moment, Daneel felt like lying down on the ground and crying in relief.

This damn system upgrade had been dangling in front of his eyes for so long that he didn't even know how to feel now that he had finally achieved it.

So many of his plans had had to be changed because the system didn't have the capability. Now, with this upgrade, he was going to be able to uncover so many things and answer so many questions that had plagued him for a long, long time.

However, no matter how much joy he felt inside, Daneel had no option but to put on an expression of extreme seriousness on finding himself being elected as the new sect leader of the Hidden Kill Sect.

This was for the sake of the others excluding the three whose votes he had just solicited using the communication trinket-so that they wouldn't feel as if he had done everything in the shadows.

This whole plan had come into being when Daneel had heard the sect leader say the words "The one in possession of the official oath stone of the sect which marks me as the official sect leader".

This had reminded Daneel of the value of the post of the leader of a force.

There had been two separate occasions during his time in Angaria when he had indirectly taken control of two kingdoms. During both times, he had been awarded exponential amounts of EXP, but the main thing that stood out was that the amount had tripled between these two times.

First, it had been 10,000 EXP, and after that, when Faxul had been placed on the throne of the Black Raven Kingdom, he had obtained 30,000 exp.

What was to say that the number wouldn't be tripled again?

All he needed to do was take control of another force, and the Hidden Kill Sect was right here, waiting to be reaped.

The EXP was always awarded when it became clear that he, or someone under his control would definitely be taking over the leadership of a place. In the Kingdom of the Elves, it had been when the result of the voting had been announced. In the Black Raven Kingdom, it had been when Faxul was acknowledged by everyone on the throne.

Here, all he needed was three votes, and by their strict rules, he was the new sect leader.

If this worked out, and he got the EXP, it would be enough for him to upgrade the system so that it could take control of the formation and let him obtain the treasured weapons of the sect to turn its tide.

Thankfully, it had worked out beautifully.

Also, Daneel now realized that he had missed out on something important.

If he hadn't used this moment when their hopes had been lowest due to him failing to take control of the formation, he and the other three might have faced an uphill battle in the future when the time for the vote came.

After all, there was nothing like offering a glass of water to a parched man who had given up all hope. No matter how bad the water tasted, he would take it.

This was exactly what was happening right now.

According to the bylaw, Daneel had officially won the vote, but the two remaining top assassins and the sect leader could still make trouble.

However, they chose to believe in the prophecy which they had forsaken long back.

After all, what did they have to lose?

The only one who was still staring shocked at Daneel was Skrrag, who couldn't understand how the man he admired had suddenly taken over his father's position.

The sect leader, on the other hand, had just managed to control his emotions of guilt and anger at letting down his sect.

Since the moment that Daneel had spoken and the three votes had been cast, there had been silence in the room.

It was finally broken by the sect leader, who stood up and walked to Daneel with a defeated expression on his face.

No matter how much he did not want to do it, he knew that it was his duty and that there was no way that he could shirk from it.

As for refuting this and using the backup options that were sitting in his pocket, he didn't even consider it, as there was no scenario where they would make a difference except maybe killing this Master and letting him keep his position.

However, what would happen after that? The sect would still be conquered.

If so, why not just trust the damn prophecy?

He didn't even want to know if Daneel was manipulating everything to take his position right now. All he knew was that he had tried his best and failed, so he would just trust in their ancestor and hope that this Master wasn't a scheming and crafty bastard who would intentionally drive the sect to destruction.

"First, you need to be indicted as a member of the sect."

After reaching Daneel and saying these words, he raised his palm, making a shiny, round black rock appear on top of it.

The sect leader wasn't even looking at Daneel. Instead, he was just looking down, as if he just wanted to get this thing done as soon as possible.

With a solemn nod, Daneel laid his hand on the oath stone and repeated after the sect leader.

"I shall abide by the sacred rules laid down by the ancestor of the Hidden Kill Sect, and I shall always act while keeping the sect's best interests at heart. I shall stand with the sect, and die with the sect. Glory be to the Hidden Kill Basilisk."

It was a simple oath, but it encompassed all that was needed.

Daneel had actually hesitated before speaking it, but he swore it anyway as he knew that there was no way to get out of it right now. As for potential clashing of interests in the future that might come due to the oath he had sworn to Lanthanor, he decided that he would cross that bridge when it came.

After Daneel gave the oath, the sect leader lowered his palm but the oath stone stayed there, stuck to Daneel's hand because he had just caught it in a hurry.

"Good luck, Basilisk Rider and Sect Leader. I really hope you save my sect."

As if saying this had completely taken away everything he had in him, the ex-sect leader collapsed there and fainted, making Skrrag run towards him after shouting "Father!".

Daneel, who had seen the sleep deprivation in the eyes of the previous sect leader while looking at him up close, said "He's fine. He's just really tired from having no sleep. Some rest should get him back to normal."

"Thank you, Mast – sect leader. Thank you, sect leader," Skrrag said, unable to meet his eyes.

Daneel could guess his feelings. He had just taken his father's role, that two after what looked like a backstab by convincing three important officials to be on his side.

Alas, this was not the time to care about his feelings.

No. It was time to bluff.

"All right. Now that that's out of the way, let me begin. Please do not disturb me no matter what you see."

Saying so, Daneel first took control of the oath stone by cutting his finger and letting it absorb a drop of blood.

As it dissolved into his hand, he once again experienced the feeling of having knowledge added to his mind.

The names of numerous assassins and officials appeared in his head, but he just placed them to the side and ignored them all for now.

Walking towards the giant ball, Daneel raised both of his hands.

After getting to within a few inches of it, he stopped and closed his eyes, keeping his hands pointed at the glowing snake.

Minute after minute passed, during which the others started to wonder what the heck their new sect leader was doing.

There was no magic, as none of them could sense any elementary particles being manipulated. There was also no change in the ball, which meant that there was no progress in taking control of the formation.

All they saw was Daneel constantly grunting and frowning, as if he was doing something very difficult.

If he wasn't in front of the formation, they might even have assumed that he was constipated.

Of course, if they knew that he was just acting while waiting for the system to come back online, they would have rammed their heads on the walls beside them to kill themselves in vexation.

This went on for 20 minutes, and just as they were about to panic that the hour was going to be up, something incredulous happened.

The entire ball deflated like a balloon and disappeared in an instant, leaving behind a few items in a pile.

Wait…that was it?!

Chapter 388: Success

In fact, even Daneel was as shocked as the others.

He had been expecting some kind of grand spectacle where the snake might be unraveled bit by bit, thus allowing everyone to see him work hard in order to take control of the formation.

However, after the system suddenly sounded something in his mind, it took barely a second.

Wasn't this a very complex formation? Even if the system did get an upgrade, shouldn't it take quite some time in order to accomplish what it had just done?

Clearly, Daneel had been wrong.

While everyone gawked, Daneel used the opportunity and quickly ran forward to scoop all the items up.

They were in their miniaturized forms, so he didn't need to work hard in order to hide them.

From Stefan, he had heard that even the exact number and nature of all the treasures stored in the eye of formation was unknown. All they had was knowledge about three specific items, and the previous sect leader had placed his hopes on one of them to help the sect escape being controlled by someone else.

The way Daneel saw it, there was no reason for even the top assassins of the sect to know just what treasures were there right now. Sometimes, precious things could be so tempting that they might entice even the most loyal of people to betray their beliefs so that they could earn big.

"Let's go up, quickly. We have no time to waste. All-"

Whoa.

In his urgency, he had just been about to say something and let the cat out of the bag.

In the rules, it was clearly stated that the sect leader had to clearly write down all information about the treasures while also setting about declaring circumstances for each treasure to be used. Only those with clearance and proper reason would be able to access this information.

He had found out about this rule when exploring his options. So, now that he had sworn an oath to follow the rules, he would have to do what was written before taking the item promised to him after that.

This was something that only someone who had studied the rules of the sect clearly could know, so if Daneel had continued his sentence just now, he would have broken the trust of those around him while becoming the target of suspicion only a few minutes after taking his post.

Resolving to be careful, he used the oathstone to contact Stefan and said, "I think it's better if the treasures stay secret, for now, at least. I've sworn to follow the rules, so is there anything written which will assure them that I'm not hiding the treasures for my personal gain?"

This made Stefan pause and think for a little bit, but thankfully, he spoke out directly while all the rest of the people in the room were looking at Daneel strangely and wondering why he was hoarding the treasures and not letting them see what they were.

After all, these treasures were things that had been left behind by their ancestors. They had earned the right to be privy to details about them by giving the sect their blood and sweat. Now, an outsider who had suddenly become the sect leader was going to deny them the knowledge of what the treasures were?

Thoughts like these started to form, but thankfully, Stefan's words satiated them for now.

"Everyone. The treasures are not important right now. We all cannot afford to be distracted, and we must also trust the Basilisk Rider to only use what is necessary to make sure that we survive. Besides, he has sworn to follow the rules. Sect leader, I would like to inform you that there is a rule which states that you must completely list down the details of the treasures extracted in the archives. It is only after this that you can choose an item to take for yourself as promised. That deal was made before in good faith, and you have fulfilled your end of the bargain. It is only fair that we fulfill ours, too."

Daneel couldn't have put it better.

Rejoicing inwardly and deciding that Stefan would be his right hand who would help him explain himself whenever there was a need, Daneel said, "Yes. I have experience with treasures. In this crucial time, the fewer people know about what cards we have up our sleeves, the better. The rules are clear, so none of you need to worry. Just trust me. The Hidden Kill Sect will stand, even if it is the last thing I do. Let's go up."

It seemed that this was enough for the others to put aside their concerns for now, as they nodded with solemnity and headed to the stairs to exit the cavern.

First to go were the top assassins, followed by Skrrag who was carrying his father, who was still unconscious.

Daneel came last, and as they exited the trapdoor on the floor of the tower, it closed automatically.

He had already been communication with Stefan while they climbed the stairs.

So, after everyone once again gathered in the tower of the sect leader, Stefan said, "The new sect leader has requested to spend some time alone, where he will go through all the available reports to formulate a plan to save us using what was obtained downstairs. Meanwhile, we have our work cut out for us. In recent years, the prophecy has not been taught to the younger generation, so they will have no clue what is going on. After a discussion with the new sect leader, he has suggested a two-step approach. First, we will announce a sect meeting in tomorrow morning where the information about the prophecy will be read out by official historians in the sect. After that, we will make the announcement regarding the change in leadership. Things such as celebrations for the appointment of a new sect leader can wait till after we are past the crisis. What do you all say?"

The rest knew that this must also have the approval of Daneel, so they nodded.

This was exactly what they wanted: someone who would focus on the problem to solve it. So, they actually felt glad at his decision.

As the Hidden Kill Sect was more of an autonomous organization, there was no strict rule to bow to the sect leader. One could only do it if they truly respected the one in the post.

It seemed that even though Daneel had managed to take the post, winning their respect was a whole other thing, as they just nodded now and left.

Jaggrv even went one step further. Before leaving, he lent towards Daneel and said "You better not f@@k up," in a threatening voice.

As for Skrrag, he avoided Daneel's eyes.

Finally finding himself alone, Daneel realized that he was exhausted for some reason.

It wasn't physical or mental exhaustion from using his powers as a fighter or mage. No, it was something deeper.

It was as if…something core to him was changing, giving him a feeling that he needed to rest in order to recuperate from it.

It was hard to put in words, but Daneel wondered whether it was because of the upgrade.

Walking up the stairs, he used the oathstone to gain entry to the sect leader's room.

The personal effects of the previous sect leader were still there, so Daneel did the polite thing and decided not to make any changes before the man got the opportunity to have them cleared out.

Walking to the window, he realized why the sect leader must have loved to stand at this spot.

From here, he had a spectacular view of Angaria itself. If he zoomed in using magic, he could even see the details of the land clearly in spots that weren't covered by clouds.

Now, finally, he smiled wide.

Yes! He had done it!

One more strong force of Angaria was in his grasp, and he was firmly on the way to achieving his goal.

In this instance, at least, luck had been on his side with the prophecy and Luther. However, if he hadn't planned carefully to obtain those three votes, things might not have gone as smoothly.

And of course, if he hadn't been strong enough to take all that pain during the crash course, none of the things that had happened might have been set in motion.

At the end of the day, it all came down to him. He had been able to use everything he had to the best of his capability, and for that, Daneel was proud of himself.

Allowing himself this moment to feel true joy, Daneel asked the system to repeat the notification from before.

[Essential systems upgraded. Taking control of Basilisk Heart Formation. True Basilisk Heart Formation is now under the control of host. Pre-set enchantment triggered: inner storage space unlocked.]

Basilisk Heart formation? Daneel was slightly surprised to see that the same naming method was used here as in Lanthanor, but he put it to the side.

Instead, he was excited to fully upgrade the system, which would mean a total upgradation of all of his skills.

Daneel couldn't wait for this massive boost in power, so he said, "Give me information about these 5 items, then begin the full upgrade."

He was holding the 5 treasures he had obtained from the formation in his hand, so he wanted to find out more about them before the system shut down for two hours.

As the information about the first trinket itself sounded in his mind, he understood why the previous sect leader had been so desperate to take control of the formation.

[Assassination Godbow: Champion level trinket. Allows the wielder to shoot a fatal attack at a target in a 500-kilometer range, ignoring all obstacles under the level of the trinket.

One-time Peak Champion-level Trinket-Basilisk's Coil: Made by the legendary Basilisk

Bracelet of the Basilisk Rider: Level unknown. Purpose Unknown.

Unknown Object. Please collect more data for system to carry out the analysis.

Unknown Object. Please collect more data for system to carry out the analysis.]

Chapter 389: News

In the Kingdom of Axelor, the minister had brought a chair with him and was now sitting outside the King's chambers while waiting for news from the Hidden Kill Sect.

Both of them knew that what would happen underground during that auspicious hour would dictate their next step towards conquering the sect.

"Contact him again. Ask him what he's doing."

Hearing this from the king, the minister sighed with exasperation but obeyed anyway.

Sending a message, he waited for a little while and then said, "My King, there are still 10 minutes left for the auspicious hour to end. He has his eyes on the tower, and he said that he would let us know as soon as he sees something to report."

There was no response from the king, and both of them resumed waiting.

But, it looked like the king had been counting down the seconds, as exactly after 10 minutes had passed, he said, "Ask again."

If they weren't separated by a wall made of metal, the minister would never have dared to put on the expression of irritation that he had right now.

Ever since that fateful decision of decreasing his power, the king had undergone psychological changes which made the minister think more and more that he was slowly going crazy.

It didn't help that the process of getting back his power involved stressing his mind so much that it had broken many people before.

Of course, he was just a lowly minister, so he just shut up and went about his work.

Asking again, he got the response, but he had to doublecheck whether he had heard right.

Meanwhile, a slow banging sound could be heard from inside the room, as if the king was taking out his frustration on something inside again.

Was there anything left in the room for the king to bang against? Wondered the minister, before opening his mouth and saying, "My King, it's inconclusive. But it looks like they might have failed. The sect leader was seen being carried to the medical section of the sect by his son. We already know that the Big Four were made to leave beforehand, so everything is in the hands of that Master Novrain. There is only one strange thing, though. He is still in the tower. Our spy reports that he has not exited. He will keep us updated."

The king had nothing to say about this, but the banging increased in intensity.

This continued, until a message around 20 minutes later made him stop completely.

"My Lord… They have called for a sect meeting. It will happen tomorrow morning, and the gossip is that there is something major to announce. Master Novrain has still not exited from the tower. The sect leader appears to be unconscious in the medical bay. I don't know what to make of this."

"Humph. He might have overestimated himself and lost his life in the process. All ancient formations are dangerous. Why else would they let him stay in the tower which is only meant for the sect leader? The sect meeting must have been called so that they can break the news that they might have to surrender to us. I can feel that victory is near. Minister, go and get me some healing liquid. I think I'm going to succeed tonight."

Hearing this, the minister couldn't help but get up in surprise.

Succeed? Meaning… The king would be getting back his power and going back to ruling the land, as was his duty?

At this moment, the minister didn't know what to feel. On one side, as a loyal subject, he was happy that the king was going to recover.

On the other, he knew the king's personality. Before, purges were a routine occurrence, happening whenever the King got into a bad mood. He governed using fear, and the daily death toll itself was so high that if it weren't for the fanatic admiration the people felt for the king and the iron grip of the Army over the Kingdom, there would definitely have been a mutiny by now.

However, both the fear and the admiration were at such a level that this was a thought that had no possibility of appearing in the minds of the citizens.

The Minister realized that since the moment he had released the mosquitoes and caused the deaths of hundreds of people, he had changed. Perhaps...it had been too much.

He had also been someone who loved his Kingdom and wanted to serve it, and the whole reason he had entered the government was to do the same.

However, no matter where he looked, he only saw things which displeased him and made him understand how foolish and blind he had been, just like everyone else.

Alas, he was bound by oaths, so he could do nothing.

The oaths sworn by the government officials of Axelor were some of the strongest and most binding in the entire Central Continent.

Even the slightest action which did not have the approval of the king would cause immediate death.

The only thing he was allowed to do was harbor these thoughts within his mind, while trying to do everything he could to make sure that as fewer innocent lives were lost as possible.

The next day, the minister hesitantly knocked on the king's door, and when it opened, he gawked at the destruction.

There was not an inch in the room which didn't have fist marks on it, and the stench of blood was unbelievable.

There was blood everywhere – dried blood, flowing blood, blood that looked like it had been spit out.

Among it all, the king was sitting on the throne with his head tilted, resting on one hand.

The throne room of the kingdom of Axelor was said to be the largest in the Central Continent, according to the scholars who made it their life's work to examine all the royal palaces they could.

After all, everyone liked comparisons, so their information was valuable.

Just like the Palace which was surrounded by humongous bone shards, even the throne had a circle of sharp bones that looked scary.

All in all, they lent a ferocious air to the throne, making it look like the gaping maw of a prehistoric beast that would leap forward and swallow anyone if they displeased the king.

Bowing on both knees, the minister said, "Congratulations on regaining your power of a Warrior, My King! I would, however, request you to rest and stabilize your mageroot. I have spoken to the healers, and they say that this is a very crucial time where even the slightest change in temperament will result in you dropping back to being a Fighter and having to repeat the whole process of blood rebirth once again. It is this humble minister's opinion that –"

"Shut up. They can't possibly do anything. Their sect leader fell unconscious! There must definitely have been some really bad news. Hell, even if they do manage to take control of the formation, unless there are unaccounted trinkets with enough power to change things, we can counter their legendary Assassination Godbow using the help of the Big Four. I've already been promised this. The sect leader was just too naïve to think that his sect can escape my grasp just by recovering their treasures. How could they have forgotten that even others have treasures which can counter their own? Granted, I hope that they failed, because it would mean that I can take full credit for the conquering of the sect. Anyway, get this cleaned up. Is our spy on standby?"

Hearing this, the minister nodded.

This plan had been in motion for a long time, so it was only to be expected that they had considered everything and put countermeasures in place so that they could handle whatever the Hidden Kill Sect threw at them.

"Yes, sir. The sect meeting will start soon. He will be sending us updates whenever he can."

In response, the king nodded and fell silent.

Cleaning crews entered the throne room and started to clean up the blood, all while the king and the minister waited.

The minister was still on his knees, as he hadn't been told to relax.

Even though he was a strong fighter, he had already lost feeling in his legs, but he stayed there without saying anything.

This was something the king liked to do-it seemed as if asserting his dominance over his subjects gave him some kind of twisted happiness.

Already used to things like these and telling himself that there would be many more soon, the minister clutched the communication trinket in his hand and just hoped that there would be good news.

"The top assassins are explaining about some prophecy of theirs. They are not saying what is needed to fulfill the prophecy, but they just stated that the one who does so will save the sect from calamity."

Chuckling, the king said, "Must be some sort of last-ditch attempt to hope for salvation. What a bunch of foolish lizards."

Usually, when the king said something like this, everyone listening to him was obligated to laugh in response.

However, the minister just knelt there in silence, which irritated the king.

He was about to begin his first punishment on his subordinates, but he stopped when he saw that the minister's eyes were opened wide, as if he was seeing his worst fears come true.

"What is it?" He asked, feeling a slight dread in his heart.

The minister had to take a few moments to gather himself, but even after he did, he spoke in a stuttering tone, as if he couldn't believe what he, himself was saying.

"My Lord… That Master Novrain...has fulfilled the prophecy and taken the seat of sect leader. They say that they believe that he will lead them out of their difficulties. Also… They are cursing us for being responsible for the assassinations in Eldinor and the Black Raven Kingdom."

Hearing this, the king froze for a few seconds before terror struck his heart on realizing the ramifications of this accusation.

As he felt all of his newly returned strength leaving his body, he collapsed on the throne.

For some reason, the last thing he saw was the smug face of the King of Lanthanor, which made him froth at his mouth before he passed out.

Chapter 390: Meeting

In the Black Raven Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Elves, a very important meeting was taking place right now.

A display trinket had been set up in both of the Royal Courts, and almost all ministers were in attendance.

Both rulers of both kingdoms were sitting at alert, waiting for the stipulated time to come so that the display trinket with switch on.

There was also a communication eye floating above the display trinket set up in the middle of the royal courts, which was focused on the respective thrones.

When the clock struck sharp 12 PM, all of the people in both courts tensed, as it was time.

However, while the seconds ticked by, there was no change in the display.

"He's late."

"The audacity!"

"How dare he make our honorable ruler wait?"

Statements like these could be heard in both royal courts, while the rulers just waited, hoping that the person they were going to talk to wouldn't take it too far.

King Faxul was wearing black robes emblazoned with black ravens all over it, which was the standard attire for the Kings of the Black Raven Kingdom.

Queen Eldra, on the other hand, was wearing a beautiful green dress with a high collar.

King Faxul seemed more at ease, but Queen Eldra had a very impatient expression on her face.

As the display trinket finally flickered and showed an image at around 12: 10 PM, a confident voice could be heard in both royal courts.

"My bad! I'm new to this whole thing of sticking to a schedule, you know. Usually, I just do whatever I want, whenever I want. I hope you two young rulers understand."

After the image became clear, over 150 people focused their eyes on the image of a man who was lazily sitting on a very exquisite wooden chair.

Beside him was a window which showed a fascinating scenery, and there was also a desk in front of him on which numerous data trinkets could be seen.

"That's fine –"

"You better not –"

The first reply was from King Faxul, while the second was spoken in an angry tone by the Queen of the Elves.

Realizing that they had spoken at the same time and interrupted each other, both of them fell silent which made the man in the display trinket chuckle.

He had long, wavy brown hair which was slicked back naturally.

With sharp features, he was quite handsome, and the permanent smug look on his face made others understand just how self-confident he was.

He was wearing a fur vest on top of a casual black shirt, and if it weren't for the fact that this vest was embroidered with many mythical creatures on the front with a Basilisk holding prominence, he might have looked like someone who had wandered into the seat.

"We don't have time to waste, so let's get to the matter at hand. Is the King of Axelor responsible for all the assassinations that happened in both of our kingdoms?"

Hearing this direct question from the Queen of the Elves, the man smiled slyly.

"I did say I am new to this, but I'm not foolish enough to break the rules on my first day as sect master. The rules clearly say that I cannot officially announce who gave the contracts. By the way, just for curiosity's sake, can I ask why you two suspect Axelor so suddenly? Aren't you marching towards me right now to take revenge, even though you profited heavily from those assassinations?"

This made both rulers hesitate for a bit, as if they were deciding on which answer to give.

Finally, it was the Black Raven King who spoke first.

"What's there to be shy about? All of us have spies in all kingdoms in the Central Continent. Both of our spies have notified us that your top assassins said that Axelor is the one behind the assassinations and the sticky situation that you find yourself in right now. If I remember correctly, the exact words used were, 'F@@k those opportunistic asswipes from Axelor! Oh, I can't say it officially, but I'm pretty sure it's them. How the f@@k did they find out about the rule which says that we need to accept a minimum number of contracts no matter what situation we're in? I can't believe that they just so happened to be so lucky as to give those contracts just when that rule was invoked. F@@k them!' Am I right?"

This made the man laugh loudly while clapping, while all the ministers in both kingdoms took note of his frank and direct personality, which stood in sharp contrast to the solemnity of the two rulers.

"Exactly. That's what my man said. But I still don't see why we are having this meeting. All that you told me was that you needed to have an audience with me. So, although this has been very fun, I would love to get back to getting used to my duties. Unless… You have any more questions?"

It seemed that the patience of the Queen of the Elves had reached the limit, as she banged on the armrests of the throne and stood up with anger, saying, "Don't act dumb! We called this meeting because we want to know whether it was Axelor. Both of us aren't foolish enough to target you if you're just a hired knife. We are marching towards you because of the possibility that your sect carried out those assassinations for some ulterior motive, without receiving any contract. But if there is even a possibility that it was Axelor, then we have no intention of wasting resources on you. Just admit it, for your own good."

Hearing this, an angry expression came on the face of the new sect leader of the Hidden Kill Sect.

He didn't stand up in anger like Queen Eldra, but many of those who were looking at the display trinket felt their spines stiffen with fear, as if they would die if this man just flicked his finger even though they were separated by hundreds of kilometers of distance.

It was like there was a faint pressure pressing down on them, almost making them want to bow and beg for forgiveness for antagonizing this man.

This effect seemed to be more prevalent on those who hadn't trained to high levels, and it was almost negligible on the two rulers who were both Exalted Humans.

"Look. I already said that I cannot officially admit anything without breaking the rules and dying due to the oath I have sworn. I don't have a say in what my top assassins think on their own. I can admonish them for speaking out of turn, but I understand their frustration. Still, there is no way that I can come out and say by myself that Axelor is responsible for killing those pieces of scum in your kingdoms. Believe me, I would love to do it. Hell, if I weren't the sect leader, maybe I would have been saying the same in even stronger language. Anyway, this meeting is over. Come in."

Pin drop silence fell over both royal courts, as everyone watched the new sect leader sit back in his chair while grumbling to himself.

"Stupid dumbass queens and kings calling for sudden meetings and wasting my time."

The sect leader was acting as though his communication eye was off, and because there was only silence on the other end, there was no indication that two kingdoms were still listening to him.

The last two words had apparently been said to someone at the door, as a reptilian appeared in the frame of the display trinket and handed over another data trinket.

Touching it and going through it, the sect leader frowned even further and said, "Those wily bastards stepped up their movements?! How the hell do those two Kingdoms not know that there is an entire army in between them? If I were the King of Axelor, I would just use this opportunity to backstab both of those armies and weaken them both in the process. Dammit, I can't believe their stupid plan of putting even more pressure on the sect to make it cave is working."

All this time, the sect leader had been staring to his left, out the window. It was also the direction from which the reptilian had come.

Suddenly, in the process of angrily speaking cursing Axelor, he looked at the communication eye which was floating in the air.

He froze, and an expression of extreme shock appeared on his face.

His eyes widened completely, and his eyebrows rose up so high that they had nowhere else to go on his forehead.

After a moment during which all three leaders looked at each other with stunned expressions on their faces, the new sect leader screamed, "Is that damn thing on? TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF! DAMMIT, I TOLD YOU I FORGET THINGS LIKE THESE! YOU IDI-"

The transmission cut off mid-screen, but everyone watching the display trinkets kept staring even though the image had faded to nothingness.

They couldn't believe what had just happened, and some of the ministers pinched themselves, wondering whether they were dreaming.

Meanwhile, in the private chamber of the sect leader of the hidden kill sect, the reptilian had already been driven out in anger.

After the door closed, Daneel sat back in his chair, trying to control himself from laughing out loud.

"Wow, Daneel. When the hell did you become such a good actor?"

As he heard this message from Faxul, he couldn't help it more.

Bursting out, he merrily laughed for a few seconds before replying, "Did they buy it?"

"Of course. Even I bought it. You're getting scarier by the day, by the way. I'll talk to you later, I'm still in court. And I'll also be expecting acting lessons from you later on. Bye."

Hearing the reply, Daneel kept smiling to himself and walked to the window.

Looking out over Angaria, a single thought appeared in his mind.

He really, really wished he could see the expression on the King of Axelor's face right now.

Chapter 391: Decision

"Sect leader, you are a liar and a crook. I must say that in the long history of the Hidden Kill Sect, there has definitely been no one as despicable as you who have sat in that seat."

When Stefan said these words while standing in front of Daneel, the new sect leader only smiled at the corner of his mouth and waited.

"Your point?" He asked in a casual tone, making Stefan and even Jaggrv who was standing beside him laugh. Of course, due to the gritty voice of the latter, it sounded like sandpaper being rubbed on wood.

"I love it! I must say, when I envisioned the prophecy and the Basilisk Rider saving our sect, it looked much more glorious in my head. Still, I have no complaints. That was masterfully done! How did you even figure out that it was possible?"

This made Daneel smile wide, as he drank the glass of wine in front of him while gesturing at the two top assassins to do the same.

"Well, I have this little habit of taking people's words, analyzing them and finding loopholes so that I can use them to create great, witty remarks. It was a hobby until I realize that it's very effective with oaths. I went through the rules with a fine tooth comb, and realized that there are actually quite a few loopholes that can be used. All of your previous sect leaders just tried to solve things in the regular manner, instead of going back and finding methods that might seem… Underhanded. Well, underhandedness is something that has allowed me to become who I am. First of all, there is no such rule that we have to accept contracts like I told you to mention. Second, it is only when we accept contracts should be stay mum about them. Third, the rules only say that we cannot give official statements. All I did was mention speculations! If they put a lot of weight on those, there is nothing I can do. Besides, exposing the information about Axelor's army was a pure mistake! They just got lucky…"

Seeing the innocent look on Daneel's face as he leaned back and looked out the window with his hands behind his head, Stefan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and shake his head.

Jaggrv, on the other hand, looked like he was trying really hard not to curse.

It was just too shameless! This man had clearly planned everything, but he was still trying to pretend as if everything had worked out so smoothly just by luck.

As a knock sounded on the door, the same messenger who had been shouted at by Daneel before entered and said, "Sect leader. It's confirmed. The movements of the troops have changed, due to the orders from the respective kingdoms that they should search for and attack an army in between them. The two armies are also coordinating and covering the ground in between them so that no one can get away. As for the movements of Axelor, they are quickly retreating, but we cannot yet tell whether they will come into contact with the two armies. What do you suggest we do, sir?"

Hearing this, both Stefan and Jaggrv looked at each other in shock.

That was it? They were all be safe?

They couldn't believe it!

This damn threat from Axelor had existed for such a long time that they had given up hope of driving them back. No matter what they did, it had seemed futile.

As for the situation of being attacked additionally by the Kingdom of the Elves and the Black Raven Kingdom, it had been treated as the heavens being angry at the Hidden Kill Sect and wishing for their destruction.

Now, they realised that it was actually a boon. Eldinor was to the west of Lanthanor, so when they send their troops forward, they had chosen the shortest route which was the one in between Lanthanor and Axelor.

As for the Black Raven Kingdom, they had also chosen the shortest route, but because they were to the north-west of Lanthanor, their route was on the land between Lanthanor and the Kingdom of Arafell.

At the moment when everything had gone down, the army of Axelor had been positioned in the land between Lanthanor and the Hidden Kill Sect.

This, of course, turned out to be right in between the forces of the Black Raven Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Elves due to the respective routes they had taken.

However, because they had slowly entrenched themselves there and moved with the utmost of secrecy, they had evaded the scouts of the two kingdoms until they were ratted out by the Hidden Kill Sect, which knew about them because it had been tracking them for a long time.

After finding out that the sect might not even be directly responsible for the deaths and the fact that both armies were right now vulnerable to a backstab, the two kingdoms had reached some kind of truce to take care of Axelor together.

In fact, to Stefan, it almost seemed… Too good to be true.

Like someone had somehow manipulated everything to make it so that this end result would occur.

Of course, this thought only lasted for an instant in Stefan's mind before disappearing, because there could definitely be no one with that kind of means in Angaria. It was impossible!

At the end of the day, the fact of the matter was that the Hidden Kill Sect was no longer under the risk of being conquered by a hostile force.

Now that he thought about it, he realised that they hadn't even needed the weapons inside the formation, but they now had them anyway.

Remembering that, he asked, "Sect leader, what's our next step? And have you listed down the items found inside the eye of the formation and decided which one you would be taking as your own?"

This made an expression of deep thought appear on Daneel's face.

After taking a few seconds, he answered, "Not yet. The thing is, I can't even identify some of them. And as for our next step, I have something planned, but I'm trying to decide whether to go through with it."

"Oh? Have you tried referring to our secret archives? It is said that they contain all information about all the treasures to have ever been in possession of the sect. I daresay that there should be some mention or clue about what you found inside."

After becoming sect leader, Daneel had hardly had the time to go through everything that was now available to him. He had been busy setting up that meeting with the two kingdoms, and also trying to decide what he would do next.

Of course, this was all while resisting the urge to test out the system's new capabilities everywhere.

As the full upgrade was done, the system could now do things that it hadn't been able to before.

For instance, the core formation of the Lanthanor Kingdom, which had stymied the system before, would definitely be able to be controlled now.

Also, the base of the Withering Leaf Sect which was still sitting there in the Valley of Mist and hiding a spell technique could now be accessed by him.

These two were the ones he could think of off the top of his head, but he definitely knew that there must also be so many new skills to explore due to the upgrade.

Time. He had no time, as there had been more pressing things to take care of, such as how to save the sect and also which treasure to take as his own.

As much as he wanted to get started on those three things, Daneel decided that he should first settle everything in the Hidden Kill Sect.

His entire motive behind carrying out assassinations and making the armies of the two kingdoms move had been to threaten Axelor and make it retreat, but now that this had already been accomplished, Daneel realized that there was no reason to go easy on the Axelorians, especially after what they had done during the fiasco with the Olympics.

No, he had to milk this chance for all it was worth, and he also had to do something that would establish his dominance over the sect and let him rule both with authority and respect.

However, there was also another thing to decide. There was no way that he could actively sit here in the sect and take care of it, because his heart lay in Lanthanor. Just like with the Kingdom of the Elves and the Black Raven Kingdom, he needed a subordinate that he could trust.

There, he had had no options. However, here, he realized that there were 2 to consider- the son of the previous sect leader whom he quite liked, and his commander, Luther.

He would have to make a decision between either one of them to take over his post and command in his stead, but Daneel realized that this could wait.

Right now, it was time to take some revenge on Axelor while also using this opportunity to make himself more likable.

Again, there would be loss of life, so Daneel hesitated for a bit.

After all, he wasn't at the stage where he could just decide coldly and not even bat an eyelid when he was going to cause the deaths of numerous people.

However, Axelor was something that he would have to handle sooner or later, and knowing what he did about their structure, he realized that this was definitely necessary.

He needed more information about their army, and he also needed to know the capabilities of the sect which he had just taken control of while earning their recognition. Two birds with one stone- just the way he liked it.

Opening his eyes, Daneel said with an expression of determination, "I've made my decision. Gather all of the top assassins. We move out. I don't know about you, but if an enemy comes so close to killing me, I don't just leave them alone. It's time to take a little bit of revenge."

Chapter 392: Attack

In his many decades of service, Gannett had to admit that this was definitely the situation in which he felt the most helpless.

Currently, he was in a large underground cavern that had hundreds of soldiers all huddled together, trying to make as little sound as possible.

These were the elite of the elite, with Axelor pumping each and every resource available into them to make them the best in their field.

They had set out months ago on a covert operation to infiltrate the Hidden Kill Sect and give them no choice but to surrender.

The problem was that in any operation which concerned the takeover of a major force, there were many, many problems.

For one thing, direct teleportation was out of the question as there were teleportation detection formations and scouts for tens of kilometers around each force's area.

In fact, the area of the Hidden Kill Sect was the strangest, as they kept track of everything around the mountain that was their base.

For over 100 km in every direction, no one could even hope to step foot inside with a large force without being attacked repeatedly day and night and have no choice but to give up due to mounting casualties.

It wasn't even possible to make a surprise attack, as any such act would alert all the remaining kingdoms and let them know that a force was trying to take over another to become stronger.

Although these were precarious times, this was a big no-no, as the entry of unpredictable variables in a delicate situation was something that had to be avoided at all costs.

So, they had chosen a very unconventional method that allowed them to steadily make their way towards the Hidden Kill Sect in a manner that made them almost unstoppable.

They were using the earth.

The strategy was simple and brilliant: a team of borrowed mages would split into parts and investigate the area in front of them which they had to pass.

After finding a suitable location, the mages would gather and create a cavern which would fit all the soldiers.

As this was a free location that someone could teleport to using the mages already present there as an anchor, the soldiers would simply move to this location and wait for the next cavern to be excavated.

After they were done, each cavern would be completely covered with earth again and brought back to normal so that they would not leave traces of their passing.

Because they moved erratically to evade detection, it was very difficult to locate them and try to stop their actions.

It was already hard enough to keep track of their general location, so mounting a crippling attack was almost impossible.

Still, the Hidden Kill Sect had succeeded a few times by sheer luck, but each time, because the soldiers were heavily equipped and also trained specially to deal with assassins, they got away while also inflicting casualties on the enemy force.

Basically, it was like a game of whack-a-mole, but the one who was whacking was at risk of being heavily injured.

This was why the Hidden Kill Sect had gotten desperate. The strikeforce of Axelor was very strong, and they were being extra careful not to leave any patterns during their movements.

Some days, randomly, they would decide to rest and wait while the mages recharged energy.

Some days, they might move back.

Some days, they would move forward, and then shuffle back, before taking a detour.

Many times, they had even successfully completely evaded the detection of the Hidden Kill Sect and advanced for quite a long while before coming under their eye again.

Whatever the case, the strike force was slowly and surely moving towards the mountain while evading attacks.

This was a war strategy which had already been promoted to being core among their army, and all of the Axelorians were very proud that it working so well.

After all, mages couldn't randomly teleport underground wherever they wanted to check, because teleportation could not be done safely to an unknown, occupied space.

However, when the command came to retreat, no one had been able to believe it.

To be extra cautious, the strikeforce had started out small and then slowly expanded over months while making sure that there was nothing untoward happening.

So much time, energy and resources had been put into this, and they were now supposed to retreat?

Gannett hadn't believed it, but after understanding that they now had two armies on two sides of them ready to close in and launch a pincer attack, he understood that they had no choice.

How the f@@k had they even fallen into such a desperate situation?

He had known about these two armies, but he would never have expected that they would turn on Axelor. Instead, he had even been confident that he could sneak past them and get to the sect. After all, the Hidden Kill Sect had had no motive to share information about them, and even if they did, there was nothing to say that they would be believed.

The problem was, no one trusted Axelor right now due to what had happened during the Olympics with the outsiders. So, the two Kingdoms hadn't struggled to reach their decision.

The drawback of the Hidden Kill Sect was that they were low on general manpower, because they focused on grooming individual assassins. Hence, there was no way for them to cover all the ground and ensure that the Army of Axelor would remain trapped or be driven to desperate measures.

Even if they tried, they would fail miserably, because undisciplined forces would just be susceptible to surprise attacks by the highly skilled soldiers.

The armies, however, were different.

They were capable of fanning out as a team and quickly responding in case there was any trouble. At least, that was the case with the Black Raven Kingdom, but Eldinor had also sent a comprehensive army which consisted of their best fighters and mages who were capable of working together, more or less.

So, the soldiers of both armies quickly tried to close off all routes of escape for the army of Axelor, so they could both have their revenge and make sure that Axelor didn't get away scot-free.

However, so far, they had been unsuccessful, but it was only a matter of time.

For the past few hours, Axelor had been successful in quickly finding places and caverns to teleport to to get back to their Kingdom as quickly as possible.

It would be fine even if they could get close to their own border, as they could then rely on their army to cover their retreat.

Even now, many troops had been mobilized towards the location to help out in case things got dire, and they were even supposed to be close.

Slowly, events progressed in a way that indicated that a sudden war might soon occur if Axelor was intercepted by the forces of Eldinor and the Black Raven Kingdom. Or… If a variable entered into play.

Right now, Gannett and the soldiers were waiting for the mage to give the go-ahead for their next teleportation location.

They were currently all having breakfast, which comprised of meat that was cooked in the air using conjured fire.

He was sitting at the head of the troops while facing them, so when he looked up casually from the piece of meat he was eating to see that the soldiers sitting in front of him were gawking at something behind, his heart skipped a beat in fear as he wondered why the heck he was feeling as though death itself was standing behind him.

Before any of them could react, he felt a slight tap on his shoulder while the words "Ooh, smells nice. Can I have a bite?" Were whispered near his ear.

The words were so out of place that Gannett didn't know how to respond, but he didn't have a chance to as he lost consciousness the next second.

He was a damn Peak Exalted Fighter, just one step away from being a Warrior, and he had been taken out with a single attack?! Who the heck was this guy?

Alas, he didn't find out the answer, but the last thing he heard was all hell breaking loose in the cavern.

He was unconscious to see it, but over 300 soldiers from both armies had suddenly teleported to the cavern and begun to rain attacks on the Axelorian soldiers.

Although it was a fact that all those who had been killed were scum, they were still the citizens of that Kingdom.

So, the soldiers attacked without impunity, killing as many as they could.

The problem was that this was a small space, so because there were already around 1000 soldiers occupying it, only a small force could enter to attack.

Surprise played a key role, as there had been no warning whatsoever.

Even though the soldiers were highly disciplined, chaos broke loose in the beginning, but apparently, there was another force waiting in the shadows for just this to happen.

20 assassins immediately teleported into the room and attacked all the high-value targets at once.

These were the sub-commanders of the army, who also happened to be the strongest members.

However, in front of the overwhelming power of these assassins who took advantage of the sudden confusion, they had no choice but to be knocked out and then abducted.

By the time order was restored in the army of Axelor and attacks started to be shot towards the invaders, the damage was already done, and the 300 soldiers teleported away.

In just a span of a minute, the elite force of Axelor had been both mauled and had its head cut off, because of the fact that almost all commanding officers were missing or dead.

The one left in command was actually just a 30-year-old talented lieutenant, who shakily held the communication trinket and said, "Report. Location compromised. We have been attacked, and all the officers above me have been abducted or killed. What are our orders?"

After a few moments of silence, a voice replied, "Standby for emergency evacuation to a location which has been established safely where you will be backed up by Axelorian soldiers. F@@k their timing. How did they even find you? Anyway, after that, just head back. We have orders to retreat, no matter what."

In reply, the lieutenant could only nod and say, "Acknowledged. I don't know. We were eating, and then one guy just came and asked if he could join in."

Chapter 393: Respec

Back in the Hidden Kill Sect, Stefan and Jaggrv were standing beside each other and looking at the long row of cells that hadn't been occupied in a long time.

These cells had been designed for any non-Warrior level prisoners that the sect might take, and they were fully equipped with torture devices that could break even the hardest of men.

Once, the Hidden Kill Sect had used to accept contracts in other things, along with assassinations.

"Did you expect this when we realized that he was the fulfiller of the prophecy?"

As Stefan asked this, Jaggrv shrugged and shook his head, saying, "Are you f@@king kidding me? No one could have expected this. The guy is… A monster. Are you sure that we haven't invited the f@@king calamity instead of finding someone to save us from it?"

Turning around and eyeing the sect members nearby, Stefan said, "Oh please. Look at them. They're happy. When was the last time we could make such a… statement of power? And that too, one without too many ramifications. Being hidden all the time is such a pain. Sometimes, striking back is something which will give so much satisfaction that it just drives away everything on one's mind. This guy knew that. Everyone was quite pissed because of the situation with Axelor. He used that, to build a name for himself."

As an expression of realization came in Jaggrv's eyes, he asked, "Did it work?"

"Let's go find out."

Nodding, both of them exited the prison and headed to the peak of the mountain, where hundreds of people were gathered.

These were all the active assassins in the sect, along with those who were in training.

The Hidden Kill sect was not strong in terms of numbers, but where they lacked in manpower, they more than made up for in skill.

Almost each and every person here had high-grade talent as at least a fighter or a mage, and many were even quite talented in both aspects. Placed in any other force, they would have been regarded as assets and trained with each and every resource possible.

Yet, here, they were all just sect members in training.

When Stefan and Jaggrv walked through the crowd, they observed the expressions of all those around them.

Usually, assassins were a cold bunch who did not let emotions show.

However, right now, relief and even admiration was something that was common.

As the answer to the question that had been asked before slowly dawned on them, they reached the front and join ed the crowd in waiting for the sect master to address them.

It seemed that being late was a quirk of his, as he had called for the sect meeting 10 minutes ago.

However, almost no one seemed to be complaining.

As the door opened finally to reveal a man wearing a shining fur vest, everyone in attendance stood up straight.

This wasn't a kingdom, and these weren't citizens to cheer and applaud when their ruler was in front of them.

No, it was respect that was most important in this line of work.

Apparently, with his first decision as sect leader, this man had earned just that.

Folding his arms behind his back, he walked forward and began to speak.

"I've never been someone much for speeches. I prefer to state things as they are, and keep stuff clear instead of complicating it and sugar coating it with useless words. So, I'll be brief. As the top assassins have already told you, I fulfilled the prophecy and won the vote to become your sect leader. I know many of you think of me as an outsider who suddenly has the authority to command all of you. Believe me, if I were you, I would be equally doubtful and maybe even a little bit pissed."

At this, a few chuckles could be heard in the crowd, as it looked that the senior most assassins seemed to identify with whatever the sect master was saying.

"Be that as it may, I stand here to tell you that I take my duty as the sect master very seriously. You all had been pushed into a tight spot by Axelor, but you must have heard what happened today morning. Our cells are freshly occupied with new guests, and you all are free to talk to them as you please. We aren't being threatened anymore, anyway. Just don't kill them. Yes, if they get the chance, they might have definitely killed all of you, but I still ask you to show a little prudence. Anyway, that perfect operation was my way of showing you that things around here are going to change. The Basilisk is the ancient being that set up this sect, and it just so happens that my title as the fulfiller of the prophecy is 'Basilisk Rider'. As such, I will be riding with all of you to take the sect to new heights so that the glory of the Basilisk can be talked about throughout the continent once again. You don't need to take my word for it. Just keep watching, and I think that you will be satisfied. That's it for now."

Saying this, the man turned around and was about to walk away but he paused when he heard something behind him.

It was the sound of a hand hitting something, and as the man turned around, he realized what it was.

In front of him, all of the assassins who had been standing still until now had moved to grasp the sheaths at their waists.

Due to its ease in concealment and portability, the dagger was the weapon of choice for most assassins.

Even if all assassins didn't use it, many still carried it around in the sect for the sake of appearance.

Right now, their right hands were holding the daggers in their sheaths, and for a second, Daneel wondered whether they were going to take them out to attack him.

However, a message from Stefan enlightened him as to what was going on.

"Sect leader, this is an official sign of respect that is shown by an assassin. By clutching the dagger inside its sheath, it signifies that that person respects you enough not to draw his dagger at you. No one knows where it started, but it is used whenever someone needs to show that they trust someone else, or at least that they don't consider them an enemy."

This made Daneel smile, so, getting an idea, he looked down and pointed at his waist, making a crude belt complete with a dagger in its sheath made of metal appear there.

Looking up, he too grasped the sheath, which made those watching nod solemnly before starting to disperse.

Used to the usual cheering and over-the-top show of emotions that were usually accompanied by a ruler gaining the respect of his or her people, Daneel found this quite weird but also pleasant.

This was a gesture that held meaning, and as such, he treasured it and felt really glad that he had taken the right decision which had enabled him to take this step forward and be acknowledged by the assassins who were now under his command.

Walking back to his room, Daneel couldn't take it anymore.

That list of three things had been bothering him too much, so he decided to award himself for almost being with handling things here in the sect.

He still needed to collect all the data in the archives to identify the treasures, but he decided to do that after this task, as it would take hours.

So, leaving a message that he was going out for a while, Daneel used the privilege he now had with the formation to directly teleport away from the mountain.

He was, after all, in full control of the formation protecting the Hidden Kill Sect. So, he could basically do anything to it.

Soon, he was back in Lanthanor, and as he paused to take a deep breath, he realized that he had missed it.

He had already notified just one person, Luther, that he was coming, so there was no problem at the border.

Soon, he was at the Palace with no one with wiser. This was a very short trip, so he did not see any need in making a fuss.

After heading inside the Palace while hidden, Daneel made his way underground, specifically to the place where the system had detected an ultra high-grade energy source ages ago.

The system hadn't been capable of letting him advance past that point before due to a formation blocking his way, but it was now a piece of cake. In barely an instant, the weak points were found, and Daneel was on his way inside.

Anticipation started to build up in him, as he realized that he was finally going to find out the secret of the energy source under Lanthanor that had evaded him for so long.

Each step made his heart beat faster, so by the time the passageway ended in a room just as humongous as the one that he had been in before when he had been taking control of the formation of the Hidden Kill Sect, Daneel felt as if there was a hammer trying to break out of his chest.

With wide open eyes, he saw a very similar sight.

A glowing ball that, at first glance, seemed to be made by a snake coiling up too.

However, on closer inspection, Daneel realized that although a large part did look like a snake, there were areas which hinted that the middle part of this creature was much more…bulky.

Eagerly, Daneel told the system to take control of this formation too, and just like before, it was done in an instant.

However, to his extreme shock, he saw 5 items fall to the ground again.

Unable to believe it, Daneel quickly ran to the items and scooped them up in his hands.

Yet, as a notification sounded in his head, he froze, his mind going blank.

[System has detected something pertaining to pending task: Identify item found in eye of Basilisk Heart formation. Host has just come into contact with an item that is made of the same material and composition as one of the unidentified items found in the Hidden Kill Sect. It is likely that the two items are related.]

What…the heck was going on?!

Chapter 394: Prioritizing

A few hours later.

[Power Insufficient.]

[Power Insufficient.]

[Power Insufficient.]

[Power Insufficient.]

[Power Insufi….

As Daneel heard this notification for the umpteenth time in his head, he tried to shake off the intense pain he felt in his mageroot while casting a simple fire needle.

The needle was easy enough to create, however, no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't move it fast enough.

As for the motive behind his action right now, it was the new level of the insanely useful Phenomena Analysis Module that had been obtained due to the upgrade of the system.

[Phenomena Analysis Module-3: Allows host to analyze phenomena up to peak Champion level complexity.

Additional Feature Unlocked: Battle Simulation.

Battle Simulation: Host can choose a memory which comprises of an individual attacking. By deeply analyzing this memory, system can build a virtual environment where host can test whether his attacks will be enough to counter the move made by the individual in the memory, while taking into account all factors.]

After obtaining the items in the core of the Dragon-Heart formation, Daneel had first been badly shocked when he saw the system tell him that there was an item here which perfectly matched an unidentified item he had found in the Hidden Kill Sect.

He had no idea what it meant, but something had told him that this discovery was very, very important.

However, the most disconcerting thing was that the system had been unable to identify even one other item found in Lanthanor.

When asked how it had been able to do the identification in Lanthanor, Daneel had been told that it was due to data extracted from the information obtained about the rules. Apparently, there were certain rules written down regarding those two items that the system had been successful in identifying.

Data!

Right now, Daneel felt as if he was in possession of a divine weapon whose strength was unfathomable, however, because he wasn't able to feed it with what it wanted, it was reduced to nothing but a paperweight.

Practically nothing within the Central Continent could stop the system.

This felt really surreal, as it felt that it had just been a minute before when Daneel was worrying about not having enough EXP to upgrade the system.

Now that the system had been suddenly upgraded, even Daneel had to take some time to get used to the fact that it was now essentially all-powerful in a way.

If there was something limiting it, then it was him.

First, he needed more data about this world. Since he had absorbed all that data in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, there had been very few instances where Daneel had been able to obtain more.

So, basically, he was bounded by what the Central Continent knew, and this irritated him to no end.

Of course, most irritating was the fact that he didn't know just what the hell he had obtained in Lanthanor.

Hence, he sadly had no other option but to store them and bide his time until he could find out just what the heck he had been fortunate enough to find.

It felt so unsatisfying-like there was candy hanging in front of his mouth that he could even smell, but not eat.

In fact, it had felt so unsatisfying that Daneel had moved the objective of obtaining data to top priority in his mind.

As for how two similar objects could be present in the cores of the formation of both sects, Daneel had a few suspicions, but he decided not to think about it until he made two more stops in the Central Continent first.

After all, that had been just…too shocking. If he started to jump to conclusions without investigating in every way he could, Daneel knew that it might only lead to doom.

Coming back to the matter at hand, the most pressing item on Daneel's agenda was the fight he was going to have with the Mad Doctor's sons, and also the fact that news about him having a very valuable inheritance would be spreading throughout the continent, pulling out possibly hundreds of experts who might all attack him at once.

To be frank, it was terrifying. Hell, it was suicide.

However, Daneel had no option but to face it.

Marcus had said that he would be following Daneel, but Daneel had found no indication of the man-until the system had been upgraded.

With the system's upgrade, all tools would automatically increase in capability by a level.

One such tool was the Anti-Surveillance Tool, which let him know whether there was anyone spying on him.

When he had realized this fact, Daneel had asked, "System, is there anyone watching me right now?"

[Except for certain moments of time like during when the host accessed the cores of the two formations, system has detected that host was being watched from a remote location. System has also identified that the purpose of this surveillance was only to ensure host's safety. No attempts at seeing what the host is doing or seeing were made.]

This had made Daneel heave a sigh of relief, because news about the inheritance in the Hidden Kill Sect couldn't get out.

It was only after this had he started to go through the descriptions of the upgraded tools, before finding this really practical perk of the Phenomena Analysis Module.

After that, Daneel had returned to the Hidden Kill Sect after running the small errand of shifting back the Natural Energized Training Chamber from that spot in the ground where the Ker Gem mine had been found.

How could he forget this treasure of his?

Back when Daneel had found the ultra-high energy source but had been stopped due to the lacking power of the system, he had been told that placing the chamber at the source would speed up Ker Gem formation exponentially.

Now, he had access to the core, which, according to the system, was a natural area of high-energy confluence.

So, after placing the chamber here and looking forward to the piles of Ker Gems it would produce which were very crucial to him, Daneel had
secluded himself in the sect after telling the system to choose that memory when the Mad Doctor had moved in the Olympic Stadium to cut off all the severed organs of those from the Big 4.

Since then, he had been trying to launch an attack which could at least have a hope of hurting that man.

At the end of the day, Daneel knew that he might have to face off against this Mad Doctor, too. He wasn't naïve enough to think that someone self=proclaimed to be mad would stand on their words.

No matter what he did, it was futile.

As he was now, Daneel was simply too weak. He was weaker than a leaf that couldn't even stop itself from being blown away by the wind.

However, he was determined to change that.

The matter of the Hidden Kill Sect had been pressing, but it was now handled.

So, Daneel had decided to completely put his focus on getting stronger.

Five and a half months were all he had. What he did in that time would dictate whether he lived or died afterward, and he had no intention of wasting even a second.

He already knew where his focus had to be on: he had to target a breakthrough to the Warrior realm, and he also had to master the inheritances he had, while using the system to obtain more if possible.

As sect leader, he had already taken the full copy of the Basilisk's Breath, along with all the top techniques of the sect.

Now, the only thing needed was practice. After all, the system couldn't do everything, no matter how powerful it was. It was a tool, and using that tool, he was going to skyrocket in power enough so that he could really drive the Mad Doctor, well, mad.

As Daneel decided on this, a resolute expression came on his face, which would definitely make anyone watching him understand that nothing would be allowed to stand in his way when he walked on his path.

Taking a rest, Daneel realized that he was ready to leave. Those from the Big 4 had already left during the events of the war after congratulating him, with both Sister Xuan and Percy stunned that he had pulled something like that off. Of course, he was still in touch with them, but there was nothing tying him to this sect any more.

Except…the duty of sect master.

He needed a subordinate, and it was time to choose one.

Initially, Daneel had decided to choose either Skrrag or Luther to command in his stead. Both had their own shares of pros and cons, but Daneel would definitely have opted for Luther if it weren't for the problematic fact that he was associated publicly with Lanthanor. Placing him directly in command would just be like asking for trouble from all those who were already unsettled that Daneel's best friend was ruling the Black Raven Kingdom.

However, now, he had gotten an idea.

Taking out the oathstone, Daneel sent a message to the top assassins and officials of the sect.

"Everyone, I have decided to go into secluded training. The threat is past, and I'm not really needed in the sect anymore. However, I want to choose a replacement who will represent me. To be fair and impartial, we will be hosting a battle royale between all those eligible and interested in taking the post. They will have the same authority as you lot, but they will be sitting in for me. Make the announcement."

While the members of the Hidden Kill Sect reeled at the sudden news, Daneel looked at himself in the mirror and smiled coldly.

Time was short, but he didn't want to be sloppy.

It was best if Luther took the spot, but he needed to make it happen in a 'just' way.

So, it was time for some good ol' rigging.

Chapter 395: Assassination Tournamen

In a vast underground room at a secret location in the North of Angaria.

If anyone could stand in the corner of this room and hearing the sounds emanating from within, they would definitely be convinced that this was some kind of torture chamber where helpless souls were being inflicted endless pain and suffering.

However, if they entered, they would see that the sounds were coming from people who seemed to be submerged in pools of green, boiling liquid with only their head on the outside.

The underground room looked like it had been excavated recently using magic, which was evident from the clean cuts in the earth and the fact that all kinds of worms and snakes regularly drilled through the earth in the sides, not knowing that their routine path was how inhabited by multiple people who seemed to be experiencing having their bodies cooked alive.

Suddenly, a man teleported to a spot in the center of the room before shouting, "Shut up! If you can't even handle this amount of pain, you're all useless! If I hear even a squeak, I'll make sure you lose some more organs instead of letting you regenerate what you already lost!"

As the shout reverberated through the room, all 9 people shut up, with some even biting their lips so hard that blood dripped from their mouths into the liquid.

"That's better."

Flicking his finger, this man made a stone throne appear in front of him before sitting down and stretching leisurely.

The room had several pools dug out, but they had varying sizes.

The largest was right in front of him, and inside it was the perpetrator of the heinous act that had shaken the continent itself during the Olympics.

Only, he was almost completely unrecognizable now.

He had long hair before, and he had been more or less handsome.

Now, his head was completely bald, and there was something wrong with his face.

There were blisters everywhere, making him look like some kind of grotesque burn victim.

"Son, do you want me to dial down the concentration of the liquid?", asked the man, making an expression of fear appear on the face of the person in the solution.

Only, it was there for barely a second before being replaced by one of determination.

However, no one could tell whether this was real, or just something that had been pulled out from the depths of the man's mind in desperation.

"No, father. You can increase it if you wish."

"That's my boy. It's about time you took on the family legacy. That Percy is useless anyway. He doesn't have the guts or resolve to do anything. You, on the other hand, will be great. So what if you weren't born with the best talent? You're the Mad Doctor's son! With my handiwork, you'll be stronger than them all. Remember the humiliation you suffered in the hands of that village brat."

Hearing the last sentence, the determination on the man's face hardened, as if it had been strengthened due to the memory of wetting himself because he had lost all control of the part of his body he treasured the most.

After he was done talking to his son, the Mad Doctor walked to all the pools and dipped his fingers inside each before smelling the green liquid.

Each time, he would take out some vials from thin air and dump their contents in the pools, making the people inside bite their lips even harder so that they wouldn't cry out due to the increased pain.

Each of them had been told that their severed organs would be rejuvenated, but they would never have expected that they would also receive the Mad Doctor's 'boon' of having their power upgraded in the process.

They didn't even want that! But none of them had the courage to say so.

So, they suffered, day in and day out, wishing that they weren't also paralyzed from the neck down so that they could strangle themselves to make it end.

The sensations of pain were all magnified, but they just couldn't move.

Only, asking the Mad Doctor to let them go wasn't an option, as they knew that he hated weak people. Most probably, he would just subject them to more torture before ending their lives.

After finishing the examination of all the pools, the Mad Doctor returned to the middle of the room and let our a booming laughter.

While all 9 individuals watched, he stretched his arms out and said, "If you feel like giving up, just think of the Warrior Level Fighter Strength you all will have after this is done! Or, just think about bathing in the blood of the King of Lanthanor! Have fun!"

Leaving these words in a weird, cheery voice, the Mad Doctor left, making the moans and screams of pain resume in the chamber.

...

In the Hidden Kill Sect which was usually a quiet place with everyone calmly going about their work, there was now a hustle and bustle which was very uncharacteristic of assassins, in general.

Well, it couldn't really be helped, as today was the day when the substitute sect leader would be chosen to represent the Basilisk Rider who had saved the sect from calamity and also given them a huge victory.

The battle royale would be taking place in the indoor stadium that was usually used for the entertainment of the auxiliary sect members. With more than enough seats to accommodate the whole sect, this was the perfect location for such an event.

The rules were that participants could not be over 30 years of age, as the Basilisk Rider had said that he wanted someone young who could be groomed.

Power-limiting trinkets would be used, so the contest was all about pure skill.

However, magic was also allowed, as the Hidden Kill Sect was in possession of some very rare mageroot-limiting trinkets that decreased the overall power output of a mage.

In an assassination, the idea was that an individual would use everything at their disposal to get the job done. So, it wouldn't be fair if mage assassins had the disadvantage of not being able to use their training.

As for the competition itself, it wasn't a straight fight, as that would be just dumb.

Assassins didn't even focus much on head-on engagements. Ideally, a single attack would suffice, so the true skill that differentiated the great assassins from the good ones was the ability to make quick judgment calls to take the best route to kill a target.

So, this battle royale was designed to test these crucial skills of the members of the Hidden Kill Sect.

The format was simple: first, all participants would be placed in an isolated room, so that they would have no chance of finding out what was going on outside.

Then, the ground of the stadium would be remodeled into a certain scenario of assassination.

With magic, this was simple.

After that, display trinkets and communication eyes would be set up so that the crowd could clearly see what was going in.

This scenario would be populated with guards and a target, and there might also be certain environmental variables to test the participant's reaction.

The goal was to kill the target, and the judging would be based on the time taken, number of targets unnecessarily killed and whether the assassin was able to get away scot-free.

Such a format was unprecedented, but when one thought about it, it made sense.

Hence, on the day of the tournament, almost the entire sect headed to the stadium and was awed when they saw a 3 story building standing in the ground.

After they were seated, a display trinket popped up in the middle, showing the names of all the participants.

Many were names that hadn't been heard before, probably because of the reclusive nature of most who chose assassination as their life's work. So, the name "Luther" didn't raise many red flags among the crowd.

There were still 10 minutes till the time when all the participants were supposed to be isolated, and Luther was currently standing in the quarters of the sect leader along with Agmar.

"Sect leader, thank you so much for allowing my son to take part. He deserves to return to the sect, and I can think of no better way for that to happen."

"You've already said that three times, Agmar. Now, leave. I need to talk to Luther alone."

Nodding, the top assassin left the room with a smile.

This was actually the first time that Daneel had gotten this man alone. So, after making sure that there was no one listening, he said through the oathstone, "Luther, I am Daneel. The Big 4 mostly know this anyway, so I see no point in disguising myself in front of those whom I trust. Just relax."

Out loud, Luther said, "My Lord, mannerisms. I was already aware of that a few seconds after I walked into this room."

Oh. Yes.

Daneel had forgotten that this was one man whom he couldn't fool with a disguise. Even before, he had been caught in barely a few seconds.

So, putting all pretenses aside, Daneel said, "All right. Luther, I'll be frank. I want you to take control of the sect. I was going to do that directly, but it would raise too much suspicion. So, I set up this tournament. You need to win. Now, I have some plans here to make that happen. What you should do is-"

"My King. That is not necessary. I will win. Please believe in me. I believe that they are calling for us. Permission to leave?"

As Daneel was interrupted in this way, he just smiled and waved his hand, in response to which Luther bowed down low and walked out the door.

Leaning on his desk, Daneel felt glad to see that his commander was so confident.

For a moment, he considered whether to discard the plan to rig the event.

However, he couldn't take any chances.

So, deciding that he would only help if necessary, Daneel walked out of the room with his smile widening.

"System, stand by to analyze all assassination methods. Begin the development of the assassination technique as soon as you have enough data."

[Acknowledged.]

Of course, as always, there was no way that Daneel would waste this opportunity and not wring this tournament dry for all it was worth.

Also, he was rigging it anyway, so why not earn a few bucks in the process?

"Heyo, top assassins. You must have stashed away a lot of wealth, right? It's time to gamble! Your sect leader is accepting all bets!", he sent through the oathstone, chuckling to himself.

Chapter 396: Tournament Begins

"He can't be serious right?"

As Brranx asked this question to the other top assassins sitting near him, an expression of both hope and fear flashed across his face.

He was the introvert among the top assassins, and when the sect leader had gone to talk to him in order to gain his support, he had avoided the man just like he avoided almost all public gatherings.

Assassination was his love. The joy of wading through countless obstructions to sink his dagger into a target's neck was…extraordinary.

And, of course, the riches which came with a successful assassination felt so good to count.

He was a self-proclaimed hoarder, as his happiness came from just seeing all those riches and knowing that he had earned them step by step, coin by coin.

In fact, even today, he was going to miss this event and train.

However, when he heard the sect leader mention 'betting', a tingling had gone down his sign.

Yes! The opportunity to multiply his riches by using his skill in something he loved!

As a top assassin, Branx was confident that he could accurately assess the tournament's scenario and work out who would win.

In fact, among all 5 top assassins, he was the most powerful both in terms of ability and age.

He had retired most recently, but he was still enticed sometimes to take on novel contracts.

Be that as it may, he was determined to make use of this opportunity to win big.

Although the other top assassins didn't like him much due to his nature, they all respected his ability.

So, Agmar answered, "He is. The sect leader is an upright man. He does what he says. I believe that he just wants to give everyone a fair chance of winning by participating in this event in our own way."

Hearing this uncharacteristically cheery response from a man who was usually taciturn, all 4 other top assassins turned towards him, with Jaggrv even saying, "What the f@@k has gotten into you to make you so happy?"

"What? Having such a great sect leader is happiness in itself."

This made them all shake their heads and drop the matter, resolving to find the answer later on.

Of course, if they got to know that the reason was that the sect leader was responsible both for reuniting him with his son and also allowing him to take part in the tournament, they would definitely have been very surprised.

"Yeah, he's serious, all right. He will honor all the bets. So, what information do you guys have on the participants? Maybe we can share it so that we can all bet together against the sect leader?"

Always one to try and take advantage of a situation using his words, Stefan said this and made the other top assassins get up and leave.

He was known for being so wordy that it had even become an essential part of his assassinations-once, apparently, he had talked someone guarding him to sleep before escaping and carrying out a successful assassination.

Only Jaggrv remained, but even he said, "Way to kill a meeting, old friend. You know we are all grouchy bastards who are ready to use every opportunity to become richer. How the f@@k did you expect that your plan would be carried out? Anyway, good f@@king luck, I'm off too." before walking away and leaving Stefan alone.

Stefan, on the other hand, only smiled on seeing this, as if it had been his agenda all along. He knew that they were all individuals with their own singular quirks and habits, and his goal was to make sure that there would be no banding up happening.

Getting up, he walked to the handrail himself, waiting for the tournament to start.

Meanwhile, Daneel was smiling to himself while listening to this whole conversation.

Indeed, he was shamelessly spying on his own subordinates, but he saw nothing wrong with that.

This was definitely something that would not have been possible before the upgrade, as the system's range had been limited to 100 meters in all directions around him. However, now, the system could scan, eavesdrop and analyze all information in a gigantic globe of one-kilometer diameter around him.

Frankly, he was awed that he was able to do something like this, and he would be foolish not to use it.

Well, to save Angaria, he was ready to do anything-even if it meant spying and listening in on private conversations so that he could find out more about those who would have the most authority when he was absent.

Indeed, this was his motive. When he was off training or doing something else, he didn't want to have variables whom he didn't understand. If he knew enough about their natures and motivations, he might be able to predict their actions and plan and command accordingly.

Daneel realized that he was turning more and more into someone who might be called a 'villain' back on Earth, but he really didn't care.

This was Angaria, where there was no place for that idealistic, overly-righteous naïve brat who wanted to save everyone without doing anything 'wrong'.

"Everything is ready, sect leader."

Receiving this message from a reptilian nearby who was responsible for setting up the scenarios, Daneel smiled and teleported to the middle of the stadium.

He was now standing on the top of the building that had been set up for the tournament, and as the spectators slowly started to realize this, he magnified his voice and shouted, "HELLO!"

This made the chatter completely die down, as everyone closed their mouths and focused on the sect leader.

"Like I already said before, I hate speeches! But as sect leader, I should at least say something now. Well, I don't know about all of you, but I am definitely looking forward to this contest. Assassination is this sect's lifeblood. So, I wanted to choose a skilled assassin to represent me. Let's all have fun and cheer these young and talented assassins on! Let the tournament begin!"

Finally!

As the crowd cheered on hearing his words, Daneel felt happy that he was finally seeing something normal.

If he was being honest with himself, he would have admitted that he had grown to like cheering, and hearing none for quite some time had slightly disturbed him.

As he teleported away, the crowd focused on the reptilian who had given Daneel the go-ahead before.

Appearing at the place from where the sect leader had disappeared from, he said, "I'm Grrev, and I'll be your announcer. The judges are the instructors who train young assassins. All contestants will be given a score based on how well they have carried out the assassination after taking into account factors such as bad judgment calls and overall time taken. In this first scenario, the target is a regular human who is on the top floor, surrounded by guards who all outstrip the contestant in power. Their goal is to avoid having the alarm go out. All other data must be assessed by the contestant using their own methods. First contestant: Neggvt."

As the tournament began in this fashion, Daneel made his way over to the private area that had been set aside for him and the top assassins.

Here, he saw that a man was already sitting and watching the proceedings.

On noticing that it was actually the sect leader who was currently supposed to still be in a coma in the medical bay, Daneel was quite surprised.

After Daneel appeared at a spot behind him, the sect leader turned around before smiling slightly and standing up.

Daneel wasn't scared of the man, but he still ordered the system to stay on high alert.

However, when he saw what the sect leader did next, he tried hard not to have his jaw fall in shock.

Standing with his arms to the side, the sect leader bowed so low that his head almost touched the ground.

Moreover, he stayed in that position, saying, "Thank you for helping my sect to overcome the calamity, oh Basilisk Rider. I am truly indebted to you. I place myself at your service."

Daneel could never have expected the sect leader who had appeared so arrogant during their first meeting to act in this way.

He could hear sincerity in his tone, so much so that he knew without a shadow of doubt that this man was speaking from his heart.

Walking forward, Daneel raised the reptilian by his shoulders and said, "It was my duty. I must say that I took quite a liking to your sect, especially after your son beat me up so much that I almost went crazy. Moments like those really form a bond, you know."

At this, the previous sect leader stared at him for a second before chuckling.

The atmosphere easing up, Daneel let the reptilian's shoulders go and said, "I hope you have no hard feelings that I'm choosing someone other than you to command in my stead."

"That's all right, sect leader. I have only ever wished for the good of the sect."

"Good, good. So, you must have heard about that small betting ring. Wanna join in?"

Daneel couldn't help it. The sect leader was surely someone who must have built up a tidy fortune, and money was something that Lanthanor really needed right now.

To his delight, the sect leader took out three things from his pocket.

A snake scale, a trident-shaped trinket and a communication trinket.

"Yes, sect, leader, I would love to. But please don't be mistaken, I haven't taken out these items for that purpose. These are the sect-protecting trinkets that a sitting sect leader must pass on to his successor. I couldn't do that before, but I will now. The scale is a Champion-level one-time use attack trinket, and the trident is a Peak Warrior Level attack trinket-the strongest we have, not counting the items you retrieved."

"And the communication trinket?"

"The communication trinket…is to contact the Champion-level figure whom we helped long ago. Follow me. He said that he wants to meet you."

Chapter 397: The Watcher

"Mr. Daneel Anivron. Or Master Novrain. Which do you prefer?"

Right now, Daneel was having the oddest conversation of his life.

In front of him was a table, on which sat a glass box.

And in that glass box, was the head of a man which was now talking to him.

No matter how much he tried, he couldn't stop staring.

"Kid, I trust you've seen stranger things. How much time do you need to stare? Maybe I'll take a nap."

As Daneel heard this, he tried to shake off the urge to curse while listening to the notification in his head.

[Champion level individual detected.]

This…was a Champion? This head in a box?

Was he having a very odd dream?

After the previous sect leader had told him that the rumor about the Hidden Kill Sect having a Champion level powerhouse was true, and that he wanted to meet him, Daneel had been quite happy.

Before, even though he met Champions in the forms of Marcus, the Matron, and the Mad Doctor, he hadn't been able to analyze them using the system due to it being too weak.

However, now, the upgraded system was powerful enough to present to him all the secrets of anyone up to the peak of the Champion level.

Again, all he needed was data-things to analyze, and he hoped to get them by talking to this Champion.

Only, after the previous sect leader led him to this room whose door opened on its own which was located right below the stadium, Daneel had had no option but to just stand there, shocked.

After the previous Sect Leader had left the room, Daneel finally found it in himself to take a seat after being told by the head to do so.

First of all, could someone survive with just a head and no body?

Back on Earth, Daneel had read up on the topic, and the consensus was that it wasn't possible.

However, here, in a location with magic, that clearly did not apply.

Second, could someone without a body still retain Champion level powers, like this man was doing?

And third, how the hell did this guy know that he was Daneel?

[Host under influence of brain wave analysis. Would host like this to be blocked?]

"What? Brain wave analysis? Is that something at the Champion level?"

[Affirmative. A target's brainwaves are scanned using the minute interactions with elementary particles that are a part of everyday life. Someone whose mind works at a high complexity can decode these interactions and get a rudimentary idea about what the target is thinking. From analysis, this only works on the foremost thoughts of the target. Deeper thoughts and convictions are unable to be assessed by the spell that is being used on host.]

"Then don't block it."

Making this quick decision, Daneel kept thinking about how his real identity had been exposed, over and over again.

He did not want anyone on this continent to know that he was capable of anything at the Champion level while still being an Exalted Human himself.

He had learned from his mistakes. Before, he had shown capabilities that were at the Warrior level while being an Exalted Human. However, this had been explained away as being due to an inheritance.

Yet, the news of him possessing just that level of inheritance, which could exhibit feats that could only be done by those one major level stronger, had already placed him in a position where he would soon be targeted by many reclusive experts.

Now, if it was found out by anyone that he was capable of things another step beyond, it might even definitely make the strongest people on the continent move.

He could not risk that. Right now, he already had his plate full, so he had no intention whatsoever of being targeted by even stronger people.

So, Daneel decided that caution was the way to go.

"You're asking yourself how I know your identity. A simple question. With a simple answer. But if you want to know it, I have a few conditions."

Well, it worked.

So, it was time for some more acting.

Getting an expression of surprise on his face, Daneel turned it into apprehension before saying, "State them."

"First, you swear an oath that whatever we speak right now does not leave this room. Second, you give me access to the inheritances you obtained in Lanthanor and the Hidden Kill Sect. And third, you promise to get a chef from Lanthanor to replace the one here. I've grown sick of the reptilians' dishes."

Daneel didn't even hear the third condition, as he had been caught up on the second.

This…head knew that he had gotten inheritances in the two Kingdoms.

What the hell?

For once, Daneel felt truly threatened.

Here was an existence which had been tracking him for, apparently, a long time, and he hadn't even been able to guess it.

But…that didn't make sense either. If this man was tracking him, the system should have been able to detect him after upgrading. Why hadn't it done so?

Deciding to find the answer to this from the mysterious Champion himself, Daneel said, "Your first and third conditions are fine, but there is no way I am agreeing to the second. I can live with being curious about who you are for the rest of my life."

As Daneel heard a clapping sound from near him, he felt slightly alarmed, as he couldn't see who was responsible for it.

However, looking at the head, he saw that it had a merry expression on its face, as if it had been the one to clap in amusement.

It had a long head of grey hair, and although the face looked like it belonged to someone old, one could guess that this man must have been quite the lady killer back in his prime.

He had striking green eyes and a long nose along with a sharp chin and an angular jaw. His cheekbones were high, giving him the overall look of someone who commanded respect and admiration.

"Oh, that was me. I don't have my body, but in anticipation of the day I do get one, I keep making the sounds that would appear if I weren't just a head in a glass box. Anyway, it was worth a try. The first and third are fine. Swear the oath and we can begin."

Hmm. So, it seemed that this head also had a mischievous side to it.

Being bombarded with too many questions in his mind, Daneel quickly swore the oath before sitting back.

"Good that you made that decision. But let me tell you one thing- oaths aren't completely foolproof. So, I'll be sticking to the bare minimum."

Even before Daneel could respond to this, a large image flickered into being in the air in between them.

They were in quite a large room under the stadium in which the tournament was going on. The ceiling was also quite high, standing at at least 3 meters in the air.

The image almost stretched to the ceiling, but as Daneel watched, it zoomed into one part near the center.

To his shock, the image then shifted to the scene of Lanthanor.

More specifically, it was his mother who was carrying out the philanthropical works that she loved so much.

Currently, she was distributing enchanted blankets to common folk who couldn't afford them, as winter was set to arrive soon in Angaria.

Then, the image shifted to Eloise, who was handing out some newly minted IDs personally to citizens. Apparently, the first test runs for Daneel's ID plan was underway.

How the hell was this man surveilling those places while sitting here, in this room?

Just like before, the bodyless man 'read his mind'.

"Kid, I won't go into the details, but don't worry. I haven't sneaked communication eyes into crucial places in your Kingdom."

As he said this, the image zoomed out again to show that shape from before.

"This is Angaria.", he said, in a tone that made Daneel know that he would have waved with his hand grandly if he had one.

For the first time, Daneel was seeing the continent of Angaria from above, clearly.

It reminded him vaguely of some shape, but he couldn't place it.

As he continued to spectate the figure with awe, the head continued.

"Kid, just call me the 'Watcher'. Right now, before I find a way to make sure that I can remain safe after you exit this room, I can tell you this. I watch over Angaria. All of it. At any given point of time, I can be paying attention to over a thousand locations at once. Don't ask me how; just know that I am capable of it. The only areas out of my purview are those hidden by trinkets. Returning to the question of how I know your identity, it's just like your commander, Luther, must have guessed who you are. Mannerisms, my boy. I've watched you for a long time, so I can recognize you no matter whom you transform into."

These damn mannerisms.

Daneel was tempted to curse about them, but there was a more pressing question at hand.

However, what this 'Watcher' said next drove everything out of his mind.

"As for why and how I'm able to do it, I can tell you that it is because a 'Watcher' is an official post held at any point of time by a Champion assigned by the High Council of the Big 4. I was the previous Watcher. However, I saw something I shouldn't, and I was attacked by a man who is in charge of that High Council itself. It is that man who gave Doom Mosquitoes to Axelor with some hidden agenda. And if he is not stopped, or at least slowed, it is also that man who will cause the descent of the Church much sooner than anyone can expect."

Chapter 398: Ashahell

Daneel felt shock, and then fear coursing through his body with just the mention of the possibility that the Church could descend sooner than expected.

No! It couldn't happen at any cost.

Angaria was just…not ready.

Daneel still had so much to do, and if the Church really did attack and wipe everything out before he even had a chance to carry out his plans, he would never be able to forgive himself.

According to the timeline that his Master had given him, there should at least be 4 more years before the Church attacked.

However, he was never one to fully trust timelines, especially when the stakes were so high.

For example, back when he was still a struggling student in the Academy in Lanthanor, he had been told that the last Warrior level individual of Lanthanor would have 10 years to live.

Of course, the man had died much sooner, teaching Daneel the lesson that he should always have backup plans available.

As of now, Daneel had a plan to make sure that Angaria would at least have a hope of defending itself if he was given just two years.

If even that was not possible, then he did not know what to do.

Seeing the panic in Daneel's eyes, the Watcher said, "Calm down first, kid. I said 'sooner than expected', which doesn't mean that he will cause the Church to descend in just a month or so. By my best guess, if someone doesn't sabotage his plan somehow, then the Church will attack in…just one year."

One year?!

Not! That's too short!

The panic intensifying, Daneel was reminded of the ghastly scenes he had seen when he had met his Master for the last time.

He had always kept that image of Lanthanor's streets flowing with blood in the back of his mind, but now, as it was thrown to the forefront, he tried hard not to give in to the fear.

Till now, most of his plans had been going on quite satisfactorily. Even if there were problems, he had handled them, and right now, he was on track according to his own plan.

However, if the Church really did attack in just a year, then he would have no chance to watch when his family, friends, and citizens started to be slaughtered.

That thought itself affected Daneel so much that he stood up suddenly and shouted, "NO!"

It was just too sudden. Just now, he had been feeling happy with himself because he had managed to upgrade the system and take control of the Hidden Kill Sect. He was looking forward to the training he would soon go on, and also all the secrets that he would uncover soon with the system.

Now, all of that was wiped away from his mind and was replaced by a singular urgency.

No matter what he had to do, he had to stop that man.

But wait…who was he in the first place?

As if on cue, the Watcher said, "Sit down, kid. Panicking without listening to all the facts will just lead to a waste of time. Sit down, and let me tell you a tale. A tale of the most talented man that the Big 4 has seen in centuries."

Somehow, the Watcher's voice had a calming tone to it, which made Daneel take a deep breath and sit down.

Yes, he had to listen to everything first.

Forcefully shoving aside that gory image in his mind, Daneel said, "Continue."

With a sigh, the Watcher started to speak.

"They say that when he was born, Angaria itself welcomed him. The sun darkened during the day, and thunder could be heard even though there was a clear sky. For miles around, the beasts fell silent, as if to welcome him in all his glory. The descriptions go on and on, but the truth is that everyone understood that this was not someone who was going to be ordinary. Ashahell, he was named, after an ancestor of the sect who had been instrumental in its rise to prominence."

The f@@k?!

There was someone like that?

Daneel couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he listened anyway with a dubious expression on his face.

The name sounded vaguely familiar, and just as he was about to recall where he had heard it earlier, Daneel forcefully strangled that line of thought.

He was already uncomfortable with someone knowing so much about him. So, there was no way whatsoever that he would allow the fact that he had heard this name before be known to the Watcher by allowing the thought to come to the front of his mind. So, deciding to think on that later when he was alone, he didn't give any clue.

"I know it's unbelievable, but believe me, if you meet him, you will understand that it must have been true. Anyway, his talent was off the charts. Literally. He trained faster than those decades older than him, and although I don't know his exact rate of growth, I can tell you that he was lauded to have a training speed that was only mentioned in the legends.

"The only drawback was resources. He also consumed 10 times more resources than a someone else with top-grade talent, and although this wasn't a problem initially, the reserves of his sect started drying up by the time he advanced to the Warrior level.

"I don't know exactly what happened, but rumors say that his Sect Leader said in passing that they had to consider decreasing the resources available to him, as it was simply becoming too much to bear. The next day, the sect leader had willingly abjudicated his seat to this man. No one knows what happened, but to this day, that sect leader is still a loyal follower who carries out Ashahell's every order."

Frankly, Daneel had a hard time believing that someone capable of performing so many awe-inspiring feats could even exist.

All along, he had thought that he was someone unprecedented in history, capable of doing things that others could only dream of.

Now, seeing himself pale in front of this Ashahell, Daneel smiled wistfully.

"With unlimited resources at his disposal, Ashahell became the youngest Champion in thousands of years, and his rise through the ranks of the High Council is meteoric. No one knows how he does it, but when he wants something, he obtains it, as if the heavens themselves will it so that he has his way.

"Understand that I'm only telling you all this in the hope that you do not underestimate him. If you do, then that is probably the last mistake you will make. Take it from me, kid. I underestimated him, and now, I have no body. With all the resources of the Big 4, it is only possible to grow back a few organs. In regards to a full body, even they were stymied. The fact that I can live in this way, itself, is a miracle. If it weren't for an inheritance that I obtained by chance, you would have had no option but to watch Angaria be destroyed in a year with no power to change anything. But now, you have me."

At this point, an expression of deep sadness appeared on the Watcher's face, as if he was remembering something very tragic.

"I won't go into the details of what happened too much. Suffice it to say that I overheard a conversation I shouldn't have. Instead of reporting to the High Council, I confronted him, believing that he could do nothing to me. After all, I was an Exalted Champion, while he was just an Amateur one. I couldn't have been more wrong. He defeated me in a single attack, but I managed to flee."

Defeating someone 2 minor levels above him….with a single attack?!

As Daneel heard this, he felt a tingling in his spine.

From everything he had heard so far, he could deduce one thing: this Ashahell was not to be messed with.

Alas, it seemed that he would have no choice.

"Kid, let's come back to you. What I overheard concerns something that Ashahell needs to deliver to have the Church attack in a year. I have a preposterous request. I need you to infiltrate his sect, and find out more about just what that something is so that I can work out a way to stop him. For now, get back to your tournament. Think on it. We can chat again after it's done. Good job setting this event up, by the way. I was almost going to bore myself to death, watching those deadpan assassins beat each other up day after day in the stadium. So, for now, goodbye."

Seeing the abrupt way in which their conversation had ended and the absurd request out of the blue, Daneel was quite surprised.

However, he noticed something.

While they were talking, the Watcher's face had been becoming paler and paler, so much so that it was now as white as a sheet.

Clearly, there was something stopping him from continuing their talk.

It was just too much information at once, so Daneel really was reeling from the feeling of his mind being so stuffed that he couldn't get a thought out.

Yes. He needed to think.

Standing up, Daneel nodded and walked to the door, but paused there as a thought finally did force its way out.

"How do I trust you?", he asked, eliciting a chuckle from the head.

"Just talk to Marcus. Make him tell you the name 'Ashahell' himself, and ask him what he thinks about the man. Marcus is someone who doesn't lie. His answer should be enough to make you trust me."

…..

After returning to the special booth in which all the top assassins were sitting, Daneel looked like his mind was somewhere else.

However, when he heard Stefan speak, he shoved all of his thoughts aside and responded with gusto.

"Sect leader, we are all ready to make our bets. I bet a Warrior-level defense trinket and 10,000 Gold Coins that Skkrag will win the entire thing. Would you like me to decrease the amount? I will do so, if you feel that it's too much. If you lose, you need to pay me the same, after all."

"Pfft, decrease? Are you kidding me? I was expecting more from the so-called top assassins! All of you should be ashamed that you can't even analyze such a simple competition!"

Chapter 399: Betting

"These are your final five! Congratulations: Skrrag, Nebbrt, Luther, Javvg, and Franklin!"

As the announcer spoke out these names, a 'BANG!' could be heard from the private booth which made many nearby turn around, wondering who was so angry.

If they had known that it was the sect leader who had set up this whole tournament in the first place, they would have been very surprised.

"Ha ha, sect leader! And here I thought I would never get one up on you! Fate truly acts in mysterious ways!"

"Humph."

Deciding not to give an answer to Jaggrv's jibe, the sect leader angrily stormed out of the private booth, as they were in a recess anyway before the finals would begin.

Seeing him leave, all of the top assassins and the previous sect leader had smiles on their faces, but none of them rubbed it in his face like Jaggrv.

Of course, it was to be expected that the rudest top assassin would be the only one to tease the sect leader after he had lost so much money.

Controlling his laugher, Jaggrv said, "He will be able to pay up, right?"

Stefan, who was sitting beside him, replied in an amused voice.

"Of course. He is the sect leader, you know. He wouldn't possibly try to shake off his debts. After all, you know what he said. He really values his debts. That's great for us, considering how much of a debt he has now."

By the end of his statement, even Stefan started chuckling.

He couldn't help it. When he had heard about the betting, he had thought that it would be very tough to earn any money at all, as the sect leader seemed like someone who was very astute.

However, until now, the man had consecutively lost three bets.

Some of the top assassins had been cautious at first, but by the third bet, everyone has started to pool in their resources to take advantage of this opportunity and skin the sect leader dry.

In their opinion, it was naïve of the sect leader to even announce this betting when all of them knew that they had much more experience in assessing assassination skills than some outsider.

They had had this thought since the beginning itself, but it became more and more apparent in their minds after they saw the sect leader lose the first two bets with frustration on his face.

Some of them had been scared that he might back out of the third bet for the third round, but saying that he had to go through with something after he had promised it, the sect leader still sat and allowed bets and even made his own.

By the end of the third round, although there were a few losing bets among the top assassins too, no one had lost more than the sect leader.

Tallying up his losses, everyone widened their eyes when they saw that in total, he owed 2 million gold coins and 2 Warrior level trinkets.

Seeing this, even they started to doubt whether he would be able to pay up.

Well, they didn't need to concern themselves with this fact. After all, someone who had been exiled from the Big Four and spent a lot of time in the Central Continent must have built up a tidy fortune over the years. In fact, it was said that the business of that honey repelling liquid in Lanthanor itself had been ultra profitable.

So, they just sat in their seats and started thinking about what they would do with their newfound wealth.

Just as the recess was about to be over, the sect leader walked back in, surprising them all.

Wait… Hadn't he had enough?

His words answered this question of theirs.

"All of you must be delusional if you think that I would give up one last chance to win back at least some of that money. And if it ends with me losing even more, well, that's that. Oh, don't worry, even if it kills me, I'll pay up. Last round of betting, people. If you are thinking that I have quite a fortune saved away, you're right. So if you have anything you're holding back, now would be the time. Don't be cowards."

This statement was met by silence from everyone in the private booth, as they couldn't believe that someone could wish for even more misfortune.

Clearly, the man had no skill in gambling, but he also seemed to be addicted to it.

At first, they felt sorry. After all, all of them knew how difficult it must be to not try one last time.

"It's alright, sect leader. You don't need to do this."

These words were said by Stefan, and the others nodded, because even though they did have the desire to win more, this was their respectable sect leader who had just saved them.

"Oh, shut up. All of you know you want to do it. I don't need you all to decide anything for me. If you're out, get out. If not, just walk up here and start making those bets. Don't leave me thinking that you all are much poorer than I imagined."

At this insult, whatever intention they had of saving their sect leader from crippling debt, vanished.

Well, they had tried.

Jaggrv was the first to walk up to the sect leader, grinning.

"Right. If you feel like jumping off a cliff, no one can stop you. Why should I not take advantage? I bet 3 million on Skrrag."

With this, the others followed suit, betting enormous amounts of money and valuable trinkets.

Most of the bets were on Skkrag, as he was the one with the best performance so far.

It was only the introverted reptilian who bet on a different candidate, and the others understood why, as that candidate was the reptilian's disciple.

Agmar, on the other hand, did not place any bet, as it turned out that he was the poorest among them all. Due to his grief of continuously losing one family member after another, he had apparently spent most of his time instructing instead of taking contracts.

As Daneel watched each of them bet such huge amounts of money, he had to struggle hard not to had let his jaw drop.

Assassination was truly a ludicrous business, he realized.

The betting worked in such a way that a common amount would be decided on, which all of the betting participants would put up. The bet was on whether a contestant would make it through to the next round or not. If they were right, and if everyone else was wrong, they would both get back their money and the money of all the others. If someone else had also bet on the same contestant, and if the others lost, they would have to split their winnings. If they lost, they would lose the money they put up. If multiple people won, the money of the losing participant would be split among the winners.

Right now, the common amount was set at an incredible 3 million gold coins and one Warrior level trinkets.

Clearly, they really had been conserving their fortunes up until now.

This made Daneel understand why the Hidden Kill Sect was ranked among the top forces in the Central Continent even though it had so few members. The wealth of its top members alone could almost match the entire operating budget of a Kingdom.

In fact, the amount right now was so high that Daneel hesitated a bit.

If they really lost everything, would they still continue to support him, or would they go entirely crazy?

It was a risk, and he had to think about it.

As all the bets were done, the five top assassins and the previous sect leader stared at Daneel, who had an expression as if he was thinking hard about something.

The started to worry whether he was having second thoughts about this betting round, but they decided to wait and see.

Seeing those eager expressions on their faces and knowing that they were all definitely hoping that he would lose again and distribute his wealth among them, he decided.

F@@k them.

If they really went crazy, then he would handle it.

After all, at the end of the day, they were still bound by oaths.

Clapping his hands, he said, "Good job! So you all aren't as poor as I thought, after all. Four of you have bet on Skrrag, and one of you on Javvg. My bet- is on Luther. I don't know why, but I feel like trusting my disciple's commander. If I lose, so be it! But if I win, all of you better not start whining."

Hearing this, there was another brief silence for a few seconds, after which Jaggrv burst out laughing once again.

"Luther? You dumb-"

"Jaggrv!"

"Oh, yeah, never mind. Good luck, sect leader. Don't worry, we will be ready to pay up. I hope you will be, too."

Luther was the contestant who had just barely made it into the finals, so hearing his name, all of the top assassins and the previous sect leader became convinced that this 'expert' had once again f@@ked up.

Jaggrv, of course, had been about to call out the sect leader for the same, but he had been stopped by Stefan. So, instead, he had spoken those words in a mocking tone that was hard to mistake for anything else.

Trying hard not to smile wide, they sat back down on their seats, not noticing the joyful look on their sect leader's face.

Chapter 400: Leaving the Sec

Assassination was all about planning. Careful, meticulous planning.

This was what Luther had been taught by his father, before he had had to leave the sect.

He had spent his whole life inculcating this into his every action, and now, the plan was to use that to make his father proud.

Over all these years, he had never blamed the man. He only revered him, and was eternally grateful for being taken in and cared for when he had nobody.

Now, it was his chance to pay him back.

Still, he also had an obligation to the King of Lanthanor, whom he admired greatly.

It was that obligation which had led him to listen to the man when he had requested that Luther underperform in the first few rounds, for the good of Lanthanor.

He had heard the rumors, so he knew what the king was up to, which made him feel like chuckling.

After all, he had seen the way the King had grown steadily, and he had heard of the sly manner in which he had saved the Hidden Kill Sect from being conquered. Although this plan seemed a bit disingenuous, he went with it anyway, as his loyalty towards King Daneel was unwavering.

All he needed was to win in the final round, and that was what he had intended to do in the first place anywhere.

Hence, as the bell rang to signal him to enter the final scenario, Luther walked out with a confident stride.

…

In the private booth, all five top assassins and the previous sect leader was sitting and watching the tournament with smiles on their faces.

Four of them were looking forward to the riches they hoped to win, while the last was proud to see his son show off his skills in front of so many.

So far, three contestants had come and gone, and they had performed quite well. Javvg, in particular, had exceeded expectations, making the introverted reptilian mumble to himself in joy.

Next up was Luther, and last would be Skkrag, who was the one fated to win this competition.

As the son of the sect leader, he had been given top-notch resources and he had also been born with excellent talent and a will to grow stronger. All combined, he had become eligible to be groomed as the next sect leader, and it seemed that he would be earning that place soon.

However, everything changed when Luther's performance began.

From the moment he walked out of the waiting area, the top assassins got a bad feeling.

The man who had struggled with the scenarios before, now seemed like a fish in water.

This final scenario was meant to be the hardest – a makeshift Palace had been constructed, and the target was a king who was sitting on his throne in the court that was in the center of it. There were patrols of guards and formations everywhere, and just the slightest misstep would cause an alarm to go off which would result in the failure of the assassination.

Luther moved with a grace and speed that awed everyone watching. His judgment skills were top notch – when he could disable, he disabled, and when he had to kill, he killed.

Of course, this was a simulation, so killing meant shattering the defense trinket worn by the guards.

He used a simple plan: first, he studied the mannerisms of the guards and chose one who looked similar to himself. This was an unconventional approach already, as, usually, the time given in these scenarios was never enough for a detailed analysis.

Yet, Luther seemed to be naturally gifted in this, as he managed to carry it out in a very short time.

Next, he chose the perfect opportunity to replace that guard, before repeating this action and working his way through the Palace swiftly while also using effective and quick torture techniques to get the methods to circumvent formations.

Finally, by the time he killed the king, the entire stadium was watching in silence at the brilliant performance.

As one, everyone stood up and started to clap.

It had been… Effortless. Almost as if this man was born for assassination.

Back in the private booth, all six individuals turned back to look at the sect leader with shock on their faces.

Of course, even the sect leader had an expression of surprise on his face, as if he couldn't have expected this.

Suddenly, a horrible possibility flashed through their minds.

Could this all have been his plan?

Still, there was hope.

Skrrag was up next, and if he also pulled out something surprising, they might still win the bet.

Too tensed to say anything, all of them just watched on.

Meanwhile, Daneel was trying hard not to smile, seeing his plan go well.

It was a simple rigging, but it gave him the sort of satisfaction which he couldn't get elsewhere.

After all, outsmarting someone was a really fun thing to do.

Only, it was now time for the second part of his plan.

"System, buy the mageroot less spell- Telekinesis."

[Affirmative. 10,000 EXP has been used to buy the mageroot less spell: Telekinesis. Remaining EXP: 3000.]

This was what his entire plan had been staked on: mageroot less spell casting.

This was what he had used before in the Olympic Stadium to stop those from the church, and although the cost was very high, it was worth it.

The tournament here was being carefully monitored so that there would be no external interference. If Daneel cast a spell using his mageroot to change the outcome, he would be easily found out, as anyone would be able to see with their elementary vision that he was controlling the elementary particles to do his bidding.

Hence, this was the way to go.

He felt sorry for Skrrag, but he had no other choice.

Skrrag had no idea that the outcome of a bet of millions of gold coins was now resting on his shoulders, but he had a singular determination to take back the post that had belonged to his father.

Hence, he gave it his all.

A skilled assassin himself, his forte lay in his incredible close combat technique, which allowed him to go through the guards silently and quickly.

Seeing this, Daneel actually didn't feel that sorry for this kid, as he was clearly using the inheritance.

How could it be fair for him to use something that he had gotten using his father's influence? Of course, no one questioned this, but Daneel felt better regarding what he was going to do.

The process of going through the scenario went smoothly, up until the last point where Skrrag was using a technique to hide in the shadows of the room while moving nearer to his target in the court.

Till now, everything had gone so well that he was actually ahead of Luther in time.

Although it was only by a few seconds, it was enough for him to clinch the victory.

It was always said that in assassination, luck was crucial.

This fact once again made its existence known to all, when a guard who was walking through the court just so happened to bump into a pedestal on which a vase had been kept.

The vase flew in a weird arc and impacted against something in the shadows, even though they could see nothing there.

"Intruder!"

As those watching from the private booth saw this, all of them stood up and shock.

Immediately, those who weren't mages turned towards those who were, and it was Stefan who spoke first after shaking his head for a little while.

"There were only stray movements of elementary particles, which were definitely not controlled by anyone's mageroot."

Meanwhile, Skrrag, who had been equally shocked, still managed to salvage the situation by putting his full skill on display and reaching the King and finishing the assassination anyway before the alarm sounded.

However, the struggle cost him valuable seconds of time.

Cursing at his luck, he immediately ran out and looked up at the scoreboard, which was flashing with the final results.

Looking for his name, he found it at the second place, but when he saw the difference in time between him and the one who had won, he couldn't help but stamp on the ground with frustration.

One second. One. Damn. Second.

…

"Thank you all for coming and participating! This has been a wonderful tournament! Seeing the incredible performance and how close the victory was, I've taken a decision. Luther, the winner, will take his rightful place as my representative in the Sect, but Skrrag will act as his second-in-command. He will also have a say in all crucial decisions that do not need my intervention. Together, they will make sure that you lot don't burn down the sect when I'm gone! Goodbye!"

After the tournament ended, the sect leader gave this speech before retiring to his quarters. This decision was met by favor from all, as everyone was thoroughly impressed by the performances of the two individuals.

After that, all five top assassins and the previous sect leader found themselves sitting in the sect leaders room, staring at him with loathing on their faces and trying hard not to let all pretenses go and attack due to the infuriating smile he had on his face while holding a data trinket and noting down some kind of instructions on it while humming a merry tune to himself.

When he was done with that, he looked up and said, "Well? Pay up! What are you waiting for?"

Jaggrv stepped forward and was about to speak, but he suddenly felt a hand on his mouth stopping him and pulling him back.

It was Stefan, who knew that his friend would definitely go on a tirade of curses.

All of them suspected it. This damn guy had known all along, and had probably strung them along using the same acting skills that had been on display when he saved their sect.

He wasn't the one in over his head, hopelessly addicted to gambling.

They were.

Grudgingly, they had to admit it.

They had been outsmarted, through and through.

Outsmarted, and robbed.

One thing was clear. Basilisk rider or not, their first impression of this man had been right.

He was a rascal, and they could only blame themselves for not thinking of that before throwing their money into the bet.

Seeing the anger rising in their expressions, the sect leader said, "Hmm, I'm in a happy mood, so I'll give you all some time. I'll come back in a few months to collect. Till then, take care! Ba-bye!"

Saying these words, he vanished from the Sect, leaving curses in his wake.

His final earnings: a whopping 13 million Gold coins, and 3 Warrior level trinkets.

Chapter 401: Art of The Withering Leaf

The Valley of Mist's status as a forbidden zone had become all the more famous recently due to the existence of a new species of blood drinking mosquitoes that had inhabited it recently.

Before, some people had used to enter it as it looked harmless from the outside, but now, seeing the mosquitoes that were clearly visible even if someone was a kilometer away, no one dared to enter.

Hence, when a hooded man walked inside quickly, there was no one around to see him enter.

After going inside, he took off his hood to reveal a face with a bulbous nose and thin lips.

Of course, this was Daneel, who had donned a different disguise on the off chance that somebody might be watching the Valley.

However, with the system constantly scanning around, he was happy to see that there was no one.

Using the Hidden Item detection tool, he quickly made his way to the headquarters of the Withering Leaf Sect which remained untouched since all those months ago when he had come here and obtained that technique which had helped him so much in his training.

After all, he had placed numerous formations and trinkets to detect if anyone stepped within a few kilometers of it, and they had not been activated over all this time.

Preparing to upgrade them, he collected all of the ones he had laid down before on his way inside.

Passing through the library, he finally reached that spot near the sect leader's chambers where he had been stopped before.

According to the system, this was where the heart of the formation which protected the sect was present. Before, he had been told that he needed to upgrade the system if he wanted to take control of it.

Well, he had the upgrade now.

Telling the system to begin analyzing the formation, Daneel thought back to the meeting he had had with the Watcher before leaving the sect.

Ashahell. He knew that he had heard that name before, and when he had sat down later to think on it and make the decision regarding the Watcher's request to infiltrate the Big Four, he had let himself recall the moment where it had been mentioned.

A black-robed man, speaking with rage and frustration due to the fact that he was going to die soon.

Indeed, during that fight in the ancestral grounds of the Black Raven Kingdom where the Matron had intervened to protect him from that Black Robed man who had secretly been in charge, his last words had been regarding this Ashahell.

He had tried to recall the exact words, but facing difficulty in doing so, he had simply asked the system to replay the man's statements regarding.

[Affirmative. Checking memories. Two statements found. Replaying first statement:

"It's because you are foolish to think about the future when there will not be one. The Church cannot be stopped, and when they come, Angaria will bleed and die. When that time came, I wanted to go over to the other side after breaking through to a Champion so that I can have more authority. Why do you think I was fighting with Ashahell in the first place? Do you really think he just found me in that place after I had killed those 10,000 people? You fool, both of us had the same plan! He helped me, but betrayed me and fed me to the Council after sealing my mouth. If I hadn't managed to get away with this chamber and the seeds, I would have died already. Corruption has seeped so deeply into each of the Big Four that it doesn't matter even if they realize it now. Angaria will fall. Anyone who believes otherwise is just being wishful."

Replaying second statement:

"There's no chance of that. The moment I appear in front of Council, the restriction he placed will trigger and I will die. You know there is no way to stop that. Just kill me. All my life, all I wanted was power. For power, I was ready to do anything and everything. Curse my luck for being born in the same time as that man, who is a thousand times more ruthless than me but still adored by millions. He will betray the continent. If you fools continue to trust him, you will only be led to ruin. End it."]

Daneel remembered that the first statement had been said in response to the Matron asking how the man had dared to use demonic plants which would ruin the land forever.

The second, was his response to the Matron's request to testify in front of the High Council.

Going through his words, Daneel felt that same panic from before when he had heard that the Church might attack in just a year.

He knew that he couldn't trust the words of that black-robed man either, but something told him that someone like that wouldn't lie, especially when they were going to die.

After all, it fit. Someone who wouldn't hesitate to kill 10,000 people to break through was definitely capable of siding with the church and helping them for his own hidden motives. Also, the man had stated that Ashahell would betray the continent, just like the Watcher claimed.

Right now, Daneel was inclined to believe them both, as he just couldn't risk ignoring this threat.

The best case would be if he could somehow verify everything with his own eyes, and for this to happen, what he needed to do was clear:

He needed to accept the Watcher's request, and infiltrate the Big Four.

Actually, he also had another motive in wishing for this – data.

The Big Four would definitely be the place with the most comprehensive collection of information in the entire continent, so if he managed to infiltrate one of them, it was possible that he might be able to empower the system with the data it needed.

The way he saw it, the best decision was to trust the Watcher for now and at least go and find out for himself just what kind of man this Ashahell was and what he had in place.

However, he needed to be stronger.

Hence, he had made his decision.

He had told the Watcher that he would infiltrate the Big Four, but he needed some time before he could embark on that mission.

Time to break through to become a Warrior.

Of course, the Watcher had been more than happy to hear this, and had told him to just go and come back when he was ready. Apparently, he had been planning something like this for a long time, and had a foolproof way of sneaking him inside and giving him the opportunity to achieve what he wanted.

All in all, Daneel's excursion to the Hidden Kill Sect had been very fruitful.

Not only had he taken control of it, obtained an inheritance and upgraded the system, he had also figured out a way to possibly get the all-important data were also obtaining the opportunity to foil the Church's early attack on Angaria, if that was true. Of course, before leaving, he had also earned a fortune which would go a long way in furthering the plans he had put in motion in Lanthanor.

Now, he had just one goal: uncover all the secrets he could using the upgraded system, and rush through to the Warrior realm.

Too long had he been stuck as an Exalted Human, unable to devote too much time to training while taking care of so many vital things.

Thankfully, it was now time to change that.

Hearing the sound of something shattering, Daneel looked up to see that his way was unobstructed.

This was the highest tower of the beautiful Withering Leaf Sect, and as he entered the sect leader's room and viewed the breathtaking scenery, he smiled to himself.

The stone room had many bookcases and paintings, but using the system's instructions, Daneel walked to a specific painting of a very exquisite leaf.

Lifting it up, he punched.

The formation had already been deactivated, so all that remained was a wall stopping him from his goal.

As expected, the stones parted to reveal a hidden space, in which there was a small velvet pouch.

Picking it up, Daneel quickly opened it and saw that it contained numerous cubes, which looked like data trinkets.

Going through each one, he smiled with satisfaction due to the fact that he had found what he wanted.

[Partial Inheritance/Spell Technique: Art of the Withering Leaf found. Using the concept of a leaf's ability to sustain itself and survive despite the harsh conditions it is subjected to, the spell technique allows its user to absorb magic attacks up to a certain threshold before shooting them back with multiplied power. Because the inheritance is partial, only 2 attacks up to the level of an Exalted Warrior can be absorbed and returned. Factor of Power Multiplication: 1.5x. It is expected that the full inheritance has the capability of absorbing more than two attacks up to Exalted Champion level before returning them with a power multiplication of at least 2.0x.]

Yes!

Another inheritance, and a very practical one at that.

In fact, Daneel had seen this one at work when the vice sect leader had used it against the ex-King of Lanthanor and the Grand Court Mage. They had only been able to watch in horror as their attacks had been returned towards them, shooting past them to kill the members of the Royal Family.

Now, he was capable of such an incredible feat too.

Humming to himself merrily again, Daneel teleported away to his next stop.

Only, he couldn't have suspected that his act of breaking through that formation had alerted an enemy whom he had forgotten about.

Chapter 402: Training Begins

In the ancestral grounds of the Black Raven Kingdom, Daneel was standing at the spot where the black-robed man had placed his Natural Energized Training Chamber before.

He had definitely been a man who knew a thing or two about energy concentration, as according to the system, this was the place where energy was at its highest.

He had come here to find out the core of the formation so that he could see what he would find inside, but to his puzzlement, the core was already open.

It was just lying there-in the form of a shiny, lustrous feather that was constantly glowing.

Daneel hadn't seen this on his trip before, as it had been hidden underground.

Now, he had dug it up on the system's directions, even though it had told him that there was no benefit in finding the core and taking control of it.

He had just wanted to see it for himself.

Standing beside him, Faxul shook his head and said, "I just asked him. There's nothing inside. The Protector Raven tells me that the core was never unmastered. It's always under his control, and he's sure that his ancestor said nothing about objects being hidden away."

Right! The Raven!

The Black Raven Kingdom was unique in the fact that it's core formation was controlled by a sentient, living being instead of some inanimate formation which needed mastering.

Clearly, the parameters here were different.

However, Daneel couldn't help but feel disappointed.

3 forces, 3 inheritances.

He had hoped that he was on a roll, but that was obviously not the case.

Even now, he could wrest control from the Protector Raven, but he saw no point in it as just like it had said, there was nothing hidden anyway.

Something felt wrong. As if he was missing a piece of a puzzle.

This feeling infuriated him, but Daneel had already promised himself that he would move on if he didn't find anything, as time was short.

So, bidding goodbye to Faxul and deciding that he would get back to this matter as soon as his other pressing engagements were handled, Daneel headed to the Kingdom of the Elves.

Same as in the Black Raven Kingdom, there was practically no formation that could stop him.

By now, one thing had become clear: with the system at the Champion level complexity, he could go anywhere he wished in the Central Continent.

After all, the highest level of formation that was present here was at the Exalted Champion Level, meaning that the system could analyze and deconstruct it to find its weaknesses.

So, evading any and all manners of detected, Daneel made his way directly to the core of the formation in their palace.

Faxul was a friend, so he had given him the courtesy of calling on him when he had gone to his Kingdom.

Eldra had no such relation with him. In fact, he knew that she had even entered that oath with reluctance, meaning that if she had a chance to circumvent it, she would take it in a heartbeat.

It was unavoidable. The oath was the only way he could use to ensure loyalty, but he didn't like it at all.

So, now that he was here and because he had the capability to do so, Daneel decided to place a countermeasure, just he had done in the Black Raven Kingdom before handing it over to Faxul.

But first, he needed to check out the core.

Alas, it seemed that he was destined to be disappointed again.

So far, the cores of all the major formations he had seen so far had been in the body parts of mythical creatures.

In the Kingdom of the Elves, it was different.

The core was a fascinating cube which emanated golden light. As he heard the system's analysis of it, he grew shocked.

[A highly sophisticated trinket that was built to mimic the role of a mythical beast's body part as the core of a formation. Although the effect is not as good as the former, it comes close. With the enchantment capabilities of the current age, it is impossible to create such a trinket.]

This made him get a clue regarding what was going on.

Where the other Kingdoms must have obtained body parts of mythical beasts, the elves of the olden times must have pooled together their knowledge in order to build something to mimic those cores.

It sounded like something an elf would so, so Daneel felt that he was right.

Although he was very interested, again, Daneel left more speculation for another day. He needed to focus on getting stronger now, and that meant not going on tangents whenever he found an interesting mystery.

The disappointment was due to the fact that the system had just told him that there were no objects inside.

Another dead end.

It seemed that his luck had completely run dry, but Daneel really couldn't complain.

He had already found three inheritances that anyone would kill to have, and he had also had an ultra-high grade energy source which allowed the Natural Energized Training Chamber to chug out Ker Gems.

With all of his stops done, Daneel headed back to Lanthanor, which would be his training site.

After making sure that no one knew he was here, Daneel secluded himself in the underground room where he had found the core of the formation and the mysterious items.

Back in that spot in the ground where the Ker Gem mine had been found, the rate of production had been 1 Ker Gem every 50 days, which had already seemed like quite a good number.

After all, Ker Gems were just too valuable. He had the unlimited supply of blood of mosquitoes, so he had hoarded the gems for occasions when he couldn't use the blood.

The problem with the blood was that it was slightly slower than training with Ker Gems. He could afford for this slight loss usually, but now, he was in no mood to give anything up.

Besides, he was excited to see just what the rate of production of Ker Gems would be at this new location.

With high expectations, Daneel opened the door of the Chamber, and gawked in surprise.

It had only been 2 days since he had left.

2 days!

But already, there was a Ker gem forming on the ground.

He had observed one in this stage before when he had gone to pick up the gems from the chamber when it had been in its previous location, so he could estimate that the Ker Gem would finish forming soon.

Wait, he had the system to do these estimations, and to give him the answer he needed.

[Ker Gem production rate: 1 Ker Gem every 20 days.]

Almost a 3-time increase in speed!

It seemed that the tag 'ultra' wasn't there just for show, after all.

Seeing that he finally wasn't disappointed about something, Daneel asked, "What is my burn rate of Ker Gems? How long would I take to consume one if both me and the clone trained together?"

He knew that training along with the clone meant that he would burn resources at a much faster rate, but it seemed that he had underestimated just how much of an Energy-guzzler it was.

[1 Ker Gem every 10 days.]

Daneel had known that the rate of resource consumption would increase with his level, but he could never have expected that it would be this much of a rise.

Of course, there was also the consideration that it was said that Ker Gems were wasted on Humans, as they would only increase the training speed. Warriors were the ones who could use the gems fully.

Still, he couldn't believe that he now needed to absorb the equivalent of 10,000 Ether blocks every 10 days.

He could still remember a time when just a single Ether block could last him for hours.

Right now, he couldn't decide whether to feel happy that he had come this far, or scared just how much this rate of consumption would multiply into the more he grew in power.

Regardless, it was useless to think about it now.

As his rate of consumption of Ker Gems exceeded the rate at which they were being produced, Daneel had no option but to rely on both blood and the gems to carry out his training.

Sitting down in the center of the training chamber, Daneel asked, "System, show me my status."

It was about time he found out exactly what kind of timeline he was looking at.

[Host status updating. Please standby.

Host status:

Host Fighter Level: Human-8(54%)

Host Mage Level: Human-8(92%)

Host Body Potential: A+

Host Comprehension Level: ????

Host Condition: Nominal]

Before, the two levels of Fighter and Mage had been equal, as his techniques trained both aspects of his body equally, and he had had equal levels of talent in them both.

However, after that incident with the remnant spirit when he had broken through to some unknown level of comprehension, his mage level had started to exceed his level of a Fighter.

He had regularly been training every night, and this was the result.

Daneel was almost at the peak of the Exalted Human realm.

All he had to do now was sit down and train continuously, day and night.

No matter how monotonous or bored he felt, he had to just let the Energy flow through him, again and again, until his body couldn't take any more.

It was going to be tough. Very, very tough.

However, when had anything been achieved without going through difficulties?

Chapter 403: 2 Months

"Miss. Eloise, you're a godsend! We don't know what we would have done without you!"

"Don't thank me. Thank our King, who made everything possible. Now go home, Janice. Your kids are waiting for you. With this money, let the first meal you cook be for them. After that, I can't wait to hear great things about it from all of Lanthanor. You hear me?"

"Y-yes! Of course! Hail King Daneel! Please thank him for me!"

"I will. He is in secluded training, so that he can be strong enough to protect us when threats come our way. Go on. I'll come by to your restaurant later when I have the chance. Remember, don't trust the wrong people again. Harley, here, will help you with that. Ok?"

"Of course! Thank you! Oh, thank you, so much!"

Seeing the tears in the eyes of the woman who had been begging on the streets to feed her kids just the day before, Eloise felt happiness fill her heart.

This woman had trusted her husband with years of savings that had been earned by being a maid in various restaurants. They were all so that she could open a small place of her own, as she had always been great with cooking.

However, that man had fled with that money, leaving two young kids.

She had been found by Maria, who had been in the poorest areas of the city as a part of her efforts in uplifting those who had been dealt a bad card in life.

Her efforts had already been paying off big time, and she was called Mother Maria by all.

Mother to not just the King, but Lanthanor itself.

After tasting her cooking in her small, dingy shack without putting on any of the airs expected from the mother of a King, Maria had referred Janice to Eloise, who hadn't hesitated to give her the title of "Citizen in Need" so that she could be lent money in order to kickstart her business.

Her days were usually spent in this way- taking care of a few things which needed her attention, while carrying out inspections to make sure that all of the King's plans were going on smoothly.

Norcet was a phenomenal person who had helped her greatly in the endeavors which she couldn't pay her full attention to. While she took care of the bank, the network and the hospital, he was slowly developing the fleet of transportation units which were part of the King's plan to make a service that could deliver items to sellers in a cost-effective way.

As for the business with the IDs, both of them regularly met to see how the trial run was going.

So far, the success had been phenomenal. In a closed group, they had carried out mock scenarios where soldiers acting as those with malicious intent tried to breach the Kingdom to carry out their plans. Using the ID trinkets, those charged with defending the city could easily rule out the authorized citizens to focus on outsiders, and those who had managed to sneak in.

As for the Bank, it was seeing a record influx of money. The King hadn't expanded it to the whole continent, but Eloise had been charged with making it so that when they were ready for that stage, there would no problems such as not being able to handle such a scale.

Almost all "Citizen in Need" cases were profitable, and even in cases where the initial businesses had failed, the process of vetting individuals carefully had shown its worth. Even after failure, citizens tried again and more often than not, succeeded at least on the second try.

These were all small businesses, like the restaurant in the case of Janice. Still, the sheer number of the cases made it so that the total amount that the Bank was earning was quite sizeable.

Although none of them were at the scale of H&D, this was nothing to be scoffed at, as H&D was truly special.

Since the Olympics, they had seen an influx of orders from all over the continent. Many spectators had zoomed in to see their logos on all the clothes worn by the participants, and this had been followed by an effective marketing campaign which let everyone know just how special this brand was.

Helena and Dalia were shown as the perfect dream family who had overcome poverty through hard work, thus, they knew just how much quality was to be valued. Besides, they had many innovative and new designs, and they also seemed to have an unlimited pool of money to draw on to fulfill the orders, no matter how many came.

Of course, the last one was due to the partnership that Helena had signed with Daneel, which gave her almost unlimited funds to invest in her business.

All in all, H&D was slowly becoming THE brand to own in the continent.

Eloise was really happy for them, as she knew that this was what the King had envisioned for the company when he had thrown his support behind them.

She missed him. She really, really missed him.

Although they had never gotten as close as she wished, she had just loved to be near him. Even now, the thing which gave her the most happiness was seeing his dreams come true.

His last communication had been two months ago, when he had said that he was entering 'deep-state training', which meant that he wouldn't be able to respond to messages unless they were at the level where the Kingdom might be destroyed.

Since then, she had had a weird itch, as if she felt him close. She knew it was false, but she just couldn't get rid of it.

Every day, she took care of the Kingdom, she trained and she thought about him.

Already, she was almost an Eminent Human, and this was astonishing given the fact that she had been an Amateur one just months ago.

Clearly, the fact about her having top-grade talent was true.

On this day, more than ever, she felt that the King was near.

Little did she knew that she had just been scanned by him.

….

Get gem.

Get blood.

Train.

Absorb clone.

Rest.

Get gem.

Get blood.

Train.

Rest.

This had been Daneel's schedule, day in and day out.

2 months.

2 months of isolation.

2 months of being cut off from the world, so much so that he couldn't tell night from day.

If it hadn't been for the numbers on the status that kept going up, he knew that he would have lost himself long back.

He lived for those numbers. Those tiny percentages which meant that inch by inch, he was crawling towards his goal.

To be a Warrior.

His food consisted of bare basic bread, as his body was already getting enough nutrition from the Energy. If he had to go to the bathroom, he would use magic to construct one.

When he rested, he couldn't dream, as his mind was completely occupied by a singular feeling.

The feeling of being changed, inside out, by Energy.

He knew that if he broke off his concentration on that feeling, he might never be able to go through with such a long, continuous period of training.

He knew that if he even heard others' voices, he would be tempted to leave, and probably never come back.

He became sick of the blood that stank.

He became sick of the dust that fell on his clothes when Ker gems dissipated.

He became sick of himself.

In these two months, Daneel got closer to insanity than ever before.

If there was any other way to achieve his goal of breaking through, he might have chosen it.

However, there was none.

What he needed to do was get in a state where he would be able to keep absorbing, day and night, while taking only the briefest of rests.

And that-demanded this kind of singular isolation, which was the longest period of torture that Daneel had ever felt in his life.

Since entering that chamber, Daneel had followed his plan of pushing through. It had been so tempting. All he needed to do was think, and he could contact anyone he wanted. His mother, or his father. Eloise. Sister Xuan. Anyone.

But no, he had resisted.

Until today.

Today, he had allowed the system to scan his surroundings, and let him hear Eloise and his parents talking above him in the Palace.

Because he had hit a dead end.

[Host status updating. Please standby.

Host status:

Host Fighter Level: Human-9(99%)

Host Mage Level: Human-9(99%)

Host Body Potential: A+

Host Comprehension Level: ????

Host Condition: Nominal]

He was at the absolute peak of the Human level, but no matter what he did, he couldn't take that next step.

It was as if his body and mageroot had become sieves, which let all the Energy out, no matter how much more he absorbed.

Deciding that this approach and just sitting and training had taken its course, Daneel finally broke his self-imposed isolation.

As he listened to their voices, tears came in his eyes and flowed down his cheeks, falling on his feet, which were quivering, just like his entire body.

He was…back.

He had grown a beard, which he shaved with a flick of his finger after managing to control himself.

Right now, all he wanted to do was embrace his mother and cry. Cry with happiness that he hadn't become lost in that dark place where he had been in till now.

So, he did just that.

The King of Lanthanor, a man in command of 4 forces in Central Angaria, possessor of mage talent which surpassed that known to all in the Central Continent, Paragon, holder of a Tenebrous Flame, inheritor of the Ruler's Inheritance, inheritor of the Basilisk's Breath, inheritor of the Art of the Withering Leaf, Basilisk Rider and, last but not least, heir to the Anivron family, hugged his mother hard and found comfort in her embrace.

He was all of those things, but right now, he was just a boy who had been shut in the darkness for far too long.

Chapter 404: Befriending Isolation

"Daneel, what's wrong? Are you in trouble, son?"

Seeing her son, who was apparently supposed to be in secluded training since the past few months, appear at their door before entering and hugging her tightly, Maria was quite bewildered.

Besides, his entire body was also shaking, as if he was either crying or about to cry.

Robert, who had been in the balcony while looking at some cadets for the army, rushed into the room on hearing the commotion.

Ever since he had regained his power, he had been instrumental in taking care of miscellaneous tasks to help his Kingdom. However, 2 months ago, he had officially been assigned as the commander of the regular Fighter Army, a post previously held by Luther. On asking, he had only been told by his son in a short message that Luther had to take up other duties.

Of course, as the "Spear of Kindness" who was renowned among the regular soldiers for his caring yet strict nature even though he had departed from the army a long time ago, he had no problem taking up the post and the duties associated with it.

Yet, today, seeing his son in this state, he was at a loss regarding what to do.

Since all those months ago when his son had taken matters into his own hands and ascended the throne, he had been the proudest father in the whole wide world. He had always thought that Daneel was someone who required no help from others whatsoever, but seeing what was in front of his eyes now, he realized that he was wrong.

The expression on his son's face was…fear. Fear of something that had almost happened.

He had seen this particular emotion before-in the eyes of soldiers who killed for the first time, and had almost lost themselves in the bloodthirstiness.

Yes! It was the expression of one who had almost lost themselves.

First, he realized that they needed to stop asking questions. What he needed was their comfort.

So, he immediately made a shushing gesture towards Maria, who had just been about to ask something else.

After that, not wanting to startle his son, he made a motion of sleeping.

Sleep was the best healer in these situations, in his experience.

Although she didn't understand at first, his wife was an astute person, so she soon grasped his meaning and nodded.

Her son was still shivering in her arms, but she slowly walked towards the bedroom, leading him slowly in its direction.

After reaching the bed, she sat and made him lie on the bed, cradling his head in her lap.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten that even though her son had so many responsibilities on his shoulders, he was still barely 18 years old.

In many ways, he could still be called a kid.

Gently, she started to stroke his forehead, which seemed to have a soothing effect.

It seemed that her husband was right, as after a few minutes, the King of Lanthanor fell into a deep sleep.

Getting up and laying his head on the cushion, she closed the door silently and made her way to her husband's side.

Seeing the panic on her face, he said, "Don't worry. I think he just had some problem in training. I spoke to Kellor's master once, long, long ago. He was a mysterious old man who seemed to hold many secrets, and no one even knew why he had chosen to stay as the Court Mage then. I was still a kid then who had entered the army, unable to sit down without moving for 2 hours to absorb energy from Ether stones. He told me that mages who reached the higher levels had to befriend isolation, lest they lose themselves within it. According to him, they needed to sit with only their thoughts for months at a time, and many even crazy in that process. However, he said it was unavoidable. It was only on mastering that skill could one truly grow powerful in this continent. That tale motivated me to get through those two hours. I think our son might have gone through something like what he mentioned. He was supposed to be in secluded training, after all. But he didn't seem lost. Let's wait. If he doesn't wake up after some time is past, we can think about what to do then."

It was said that parents understood their children best. This was clearly on display here, as both Robert and Maria had managed to understand their son's situation without him needing to say anything.

Maria had also applied what her husband said to what she had seen in her son's face before, and she realized that he was right.

Trusting her husband, she nodded before making her way back to the room.

She missed her son, so there was definitely nothing wrong in wanting to take in more of him when he was sleeping, peacefully.

….

Daneel was having the most relaxing slumber in his life.

That comfort from hugging his mother stayed with him, and he felt protected, which was something he really needed right now due to the fear that had almost swallowed him before.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but if it weren't for his complaining bladder, he wouldn't have chosen to wake up.

However, when he opened his eyes, he received the scare of his life.

4 worried faces crowded his vision, and because it was a sudden image that was quite odd, he yelped and pulled the blanket close.

As he heard his father's chuckle in response, he finally regained his senses.

Right. He was the respectable King of Lanthanor!

There was no reason whatsoever to act like a scared kitten.

It seemed that he had also startled the people to whom those 4 faces belonged to, as they stepped back in shock.

Cassandra, Eloise, Kellor, and Maria. These were the four individuals who had almost given him a heart attack.

Why had they all looked so worried? Hadn't he just taken a nap?

Deciding to voice this query, he asked, "Why are you all looking at me as if I returned from the dead?"

"Son, if anyone woke up after sleeping 24 hours at a stretch, I believe they deserve to be stared at with disbelief and doubt regarding whether they are alive or dead. Welcome back to the land of the living."

Hearing this, Daneel also felt shock covering his face.

He had slept for an entire day?!

But…it had just felt like a comfortable nap!

Deciding that the system definitely had the answers, Daneel decided to ask it.

[Host's psyche was damaged due to the isolation. Host's actions and the long sleeping period have repaired this damage, and also strengthened the psyche on the whole. Such damage will not occur if host undergoes the same period of training ahead.

Achievement: Befriending Isolation obtained.

Befriending Isolation: Anyone who treads on the path of power and World Domination is destined to face the risk of being lost. To overcome it, one must constantly push themselves and eventually befriend that which threatens to destroy them. Congratulations on beginning on this journey!

2000 EXP awarded.

Total EXP: 5000.

Additional discovery found by Phenomena Analysis Module. Would host like to hear about it?]

"Yes!"

[System has found that decreasing the break periods between training sessions leads to a cumulative increase in the rate of Energy absorbed by the body and mageroot. Body and Mageroot enter a state of flux where development using Energy is easier. This was noticed after host went through one month of isolation training. It is because of this factor that host has managed to reach the peak of the Human level in such a short time.]

Yes! It all made sense!

Originally, according to Daneel's estimates, it would at least have taken a few months more in order to reach this level and breakthrough. His hope had been to do so in 5 months, so that he would have a month to train in the inheritances.

However, that had been cut down to just two months.

It seemed that hard work and dedication really did pay off, and this time, he had really reaped a lot of benefits.

Yet, if he remembered correctly, the system had said that he was stuck, and he also remembered just leaking Energy during training after a point. What was the reason behind that?

[Host has reached the stage of saturation which indicates that a "Condensation Event" is required for host to enter the Warrior realm. Data insufficient to gather the exact conditions required to undergo a "Condensation Event". Reports vary. Some underwent one during combat, and others overcame this point using years of training. System recommends host to collect more data.]

Wait…what the f@@k?

Daneel had expected before itself that entering the Warrior realm would definitely not involve just sitting and absorbing Energy. If that was the case, with the high number of High-grade talents in the Central Continent, there should have been many by this point.

However, the number of Warriors could be counted on one hand. So, there was definitely something stopped peak Humans from stepping into this incredible realm.

He had wanted to become a Warrior to collect data…but he needed to collect data to become a Warrior?

What was he even supposed to do now?

….

Meanwhile, at a spot a few kilometers away from the headquarters of the Withering Leaf Sect in the Valley of Mist.

A man stood in the foliage, wearing a green dress that allowed him to blend in and appear invisible.

He had long hair that extended to his knees, and his face looked like it had been fair once, but it was now covered in dust and dirt, as if he had traveled quickly for a long time through the forest.

Through the bushes, he could catch a faint glimpse of the sect where he had been born and raised.

Everything, everything, had been destroyed by one man.

All this time, he had been waiting.

Finally, now, it was time for his revenge.

If anyone could look at his eyes now, they would definitely have stepped back in horror, as they contained such a crazed look as if this man had long lost his sanity.

His fingers, which were covered in blood, took out a pouch of trinkets.

Slowly but surely, he started to arrange them on the Valley floor, all while smiling to himself in anticipation for what was about to come.

Chapter 405: Condensation Poin

"Sister Xuan is in seclusion training that has been ordered by the Matron. She cannot respond right now, but you don't need to bother, I know her answer. All sect members are forbidden from divulging any details regarding training techniques to outsiders. Any details. So, she can't help you in breaking through to become a Warrior. Goodbye."

Hearing this response in a slightly harsh tone from Mulan, Daneel wondered how he had pissed that taciturn woman off.

His first thought after becoming stymied due to the Condensation Point had been to contact everyone he knew who had already passed the threshold to become a Warrior.

The first one that had come to his mind had been Sister Xuan, and if she was able to help, he might also get the best possible way from her, as after all, she was someone from the Big 4.

Now, that route had been closed off with this reply from Mulan.

His next option would have been that useless disciple Percy, but Daneel knew that it would be a waste of time as all sects in the Big 4 most probably had similar rules.

This left the top assassins and the previous sect leader in the Hidden Kill Sect, but he wasn't very optimistic there either.

He knew the training techniques that they all practiced-after all, he had gone through all the archives of the sect thoroughly. The source behind the system quoting the situations regarding the Condensation Point had definitely come from there.

Still, he decided to give it a try.

First, taking out the communication trinket that he had given Luther, he contacted him.

"How is everything? Have you settled into the sect? Is anyone giving you any trouble?"

It had been two months, and he was eager to know whether everything was well there.

"It's good, Your Majesty. The tournament is to be credited for that. After seeing my performance, there have been few dissidents, and I've handled those using classic techniques from my time in the military. Of course, the top assassins are all angry at you due to the bet, and they glower whenever they are in my presence. Still, they haven't given me any trouble. Skkrag has been a big help, he has become close to me, and he insists on learning from me. We have resumed accepting contracts, but like you asked, I'm sending over a secret log to Eloise. In cases where our interests could be hurt, your instructions will be followed-either we can warn the target, or we can give an urgent contract to kill the contractor first."

Hearing this answer, Daneel nodded satisfactorily.

His estimate about the Hidden Kill Sect which had been drawn after his interaction with them after the incident with Axelor where he had been saluted was right: they respected skill.

One other thing which delighted Daneel was that Luther was no longer that reticent man who barely spoke a word.

It seemed that resolving old problems really did have an effect on people's personality, as evidenced in both the cases of Luther and Faxul.

"That's great, Luther. Anyway, listen. I need you to do something for me. I'm at the peak of the Human level, and I've hit a wall. I need to speak with Warrior level individuals regarding how they stepped past the threshold. Tell them that the Basilisk Rider asked them to impart their experiences to me, the Basilisk Rider's disciple, as he is too busy to do so. Also, I'm in a hurry, so this needs to be done as soon as possible."

After Daneel got to the point behind him contacting Luther, there was silence from the other end.

After a few seconds, Luther hesitantly replied, "Er…My King, I don't think that would be wise. Right now, they are really angry at your other identity for 'swindling' them of their savings. They will definitely not respond well to this, and I doubt that experiences imparted in that way will be useful. I have spent time with these people, and I think I understand them more now. Could you let me try something, My Lord? I will go with your plan if that doesn't work out."

Daneel sheepishly rubbed his nose on hearing this, as what Luther said did make sense.

He had heard their curses before he left, so he knew that they were definitely very, very angry at Master Novrain.

Hence, they would definitely not be favorable towards his disciple.

Daneel was curious regarding what his ex-commander's plan might be, but he decided to ask later. So, he just said, "Carry on!"

This was the last lead he had regarding the Warrior level, so he really hoped that it would work.

Leaning back on his chair, he waved to Eloise who was standing in the balcony while looking at him.

They were in a small meeting room, and she had brought up to speed regarding everything that had been going on in the Kingdom.

Daneel had gotten some new ideas regarding how he could bring over his experiences from Earth to Angaria, but he put them on the backburner for now.

He needed to get to the Warrior level ASAP to stop that Ashahell. If not, all of it would be futile.

A few minutes later, the communication trinket in his pocket vibrated with a short message from Luther, "My King, they wish for you to come here."

…..

Reaching the foot of the Hidden Kill Sect, Daneel put on an odd expression on his face, as this was supposed to be his first time coming here.

He was wearing a hood to cover his identity, as it wouldn't be very wise for others to know that the King of Lanthanor had visited the Hidden Kill Sect.

According to his spies, already, whispers had begun which called the King of Lanthanor a mastermind who was planning the unification of multiple Kingdoms. Thankfully, they were just whispers, as none of the watching forces had any actionable intel to base their suspicions on.

After all, it was a coincidence that a long lost son of a Top Assassin had made his way to Lanthanor, right before a fleeing prince also chose this Kingdom as his destination.

Yes, it could be a coincidence, but Daneel realized how flimsy it sounded when he thought about it in his head.

It really was a coincidence!

Hell, even he couldn't believe himself.

Putting this matter aside for now, Daneel stepped back with mock shock when a reptilian appeared right in front of him, as if he had been there all along.

Disguise was one of the key skills of an assassin, and there were many mage techniques in the archives which allowed assassins to hide themselves in plain sight if they could stay unmoving for long periods of time. It was a simple, but effective method, and to any layman, it would seem quite shocking, as there would be no evidence of movements of elementary particles after it was cast once.

Of course, the system had spotted him ages ago.

"Welcome to the Hidden Kill Sect, King Daneel of Lanthanor. Please follow me. The reputable assassins of our sect await you."

Nodding, Daneel followed the reptilian and was led to that same teleportation door, after which he had to once again act startled when he saw the beautiful scenery of the sect headquarters.

However, here, there was something which made him feel genuine surprise.

5 individuals were standing in front of the pedestal which was the exit of the teleportation door with impatient expressions on their faces.

Daneel, of course, recognized them to be the 4 top assassins excluding Agmar and the previous Sect leader.

As soon as he appeared along with the reptilian guide, they rushed toward them.

"Sir, I was going to bring him to you-"

"SHUT THE F@@K UP! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! FOLLOW ME!"

As Jaggrv shouted these words, the reptilian was shoved aside.

Bewildered, Daneel could only watch as Stefan and Jaggrv caught one hand each and started to drag him towards a location.

The other three were on the lookout, as if they were afraid that someone would come interrupt them.

Daneel could barely keep his jaw from dropping. What the f@@k was going? What had Luther done?

Were they possibly…so angry that they wanted to kill him, the disciple of the man who had cheated them?

No, it couldn't be possible.

In front of 5 Warriors, he was powerless, so he could only be dragged along like a plaything to a remote location on the mountain which was surrounded by a forest.

Here, there was a stump of a tree on which Daneel was seated. Or, shoved onto.

As panic really started to set in, Daneel was about to contact Luther or ask the system to activate the formation to save him, but he stopped when he saw all 5 assassins stare at him with manic eyes before each of them burst out with statements which shocked him so much that he almost fell off.

"You're in luck, kid!"

"We will make you a Warrior even if it's the last thing we do!"

"F@@k that cheating sect leader! Either you become a Warrior, or you die trying!"

"We have 5 different types of advice to get through the Condensation Point! There's no way you can fail!"

"HAHAHA, I can't wait to see his face after we are done!"

Wait…really, was he going mad?

So they were all impatient to help him get through the threshold?

What exactly had Luther done?

Unable to take it anymore, Daneel asked this question through the oathstone, and the answer really did make his jaw fall to the floor.

"Oh, it was nothing, Your Majesty. I…might have hinted that the sect leader, your other identity, is jealous of you for progressing so fast, and that he doesn't want you to break through so soon for petty reasons. So, I told them that he asked them not to tell you about their experiences properly. Also…I might have made it clear that you breaking through quickly before the sect leader returns will really piss him off greatly."

Chapter 406: 'Need'

Watching as Stefan held an Ether block and Ker Gem in either hand, Daneel's eyes were as round as the moon.

"Ah, I see you get the general concept. Now, all that's left is the actual act of condensing the Energy. Let's get started with Jaggrv first. He has the most usual method."

Nodding, Daneel once again went through everything he had just seen.

After his surprise due to the method that Luther had used had faded, he had felt quite indignant as he felt that he hadn't done anything deserving of such malice from these top assassins.

Still, it was a fact that he was the reason behind them losing possibly decades worth of earnings.

Seeing the anger and impatience on their faces, he had actually felt a bit of pity, and had decided to do something for them in return if he had the chance later on.

Of course, only after he taught them a lesson for this.

Regardless, he decided to be like a sponge to soak up everything they had to say when he had a chance so that he could rush through to become a Warrior right away.

After all, the more time he had to master the inheritances, the better.

The first thing that had been shown to him had been these two items: the Ether block and the Ker Gem.

In Stefan's words, the change from being a Human to a Warrior was best shown in this way.

The Energy in the Ether block was in the mist form, swirling around aimlessly while confined inside the rectangular shape.

Meanwhile, inside the Ker Gem, a thicker material could be seen, which almost looked like a liquid.

It was flowing throughout the gem artfully, and its beauty was something Daneel marveled at each time he held one to train.

Condensation!

Of course!

Even before Stefan had spoken, Daneel had understood the concept by seeing these two.

It turned out that he was right.

The process of stepping to the Warrior realm meant condensing all the Energy absorbed by the body and mageroot into a higher form, so that an individual could accommodate more to proceed on his path of power.

Apparently, the Energy which was absorbed had the weird quirk that it needed some kind of stimulus before it automatically condensed.

There were conditions for the chance of this stimulus happening to occur: for one, the body and/or the mageroot had to be at the peak of the Human realm, meaning that further training was impossible.

The second condition was the most important: there had to be a need for the Energy to condense.

According to Stefan, this was where the method became fuzzy.

This 'need' was difficult to put into words to explain to an individual, but Daneel actually found himself comparing it to something back on Earth.

He had been reminded of the act of weight-lifting to gain muscle.

The human body would usually not dedicate resources to build muscle unless there was a 'need' which arose when the individual tried to push past their limits.

Of course, although there were other scientific processes involved such as the breakdown and rebuilding of muscle fibers, the essence was the same: 'need'.

Clearly, the concept was similar. However, there, what needed to be done was simple.

Here, that was not the case.

One had to find their own 'need', and this could apparently only be done with time and experience, both of which Daneel did not have.

Thankfully, he had 5 very eager individuals for that purpose.

First up was Jaggrv. Standing in front of Daneel, he folded his hands and began.

"Kid, listen up, I'll only be saying this once. My process was simple. I sat and trained. And I cursed at my body repeatedly, calling it weak. One day, I think I just made it fed up, because I felt all of the Energy converging on itself and changing into a higher state. I followed the same thing for my Mageroot."

Seriously?

As Jaggrv walked away, Stefan walked forward with a sheepish expression on his face.

"That's the usual method?"

Hearing Daneel ask this question, Stefan smiled helplessly and said, "Weirdly enough, yes. It is the method of self-motivation. By constantly scolding his own body, Jaggrv managed to create the 'need' to change."

Well, that did make sense. After all, it was said that a good pep talk could do wonders before a game.

However, Daneel got a query.

"How long did it take?"

"Er…2 years. That's why he went first. Anyway, Kerrt is next."

Kerrt was the name of the introverted reptilian.

"I…sat down with a singular goal and trained, even though the Energy kept leaving my body. In between, I slowly took contracts which tested me and pushed me a little bit more toward my limit each time. Eventually, I stepped through in a year and a half."

This method made sense, too.

By incrementally pushing himself continuously, Kerrt had become a Warrior.

However, again, it was too time-consuming.

Next up was the snivelly man who had rejected Daneel beforehand.

"I fought with a Warrior level individual, the sect master during my time, daily. While doing so, I kept trying to copy him. His movements, his speed, his actions. All of them. One day, something just clicked. I only took 8 months."

Imitation.

By watching and going through the same motions, this reptilian had instigated the 'need'.

Daneel couldn't help but be fascinated.

Clearly, every individual who reached the peak of the Human level had the ability to step through.

However, how they did so was so varied.

However, after this, the two remaining people, Stefan, and the previous sect leader, stepped up together.

The previous sect leader was the one who spoke.

"Both of us have the same method, and it is the fastest one, but also the most dangerous. After we speak, you have to make a choice regarding which one you want to follow. We will not force you to pick any particular method; whichever one you choose, we will throw our full support behind your back. Our method was dying. During the time when we reached peak Human level, both of us chose contracts which were very difficult. During their course, we endured critical injuries. Don't be mistaken-these are two separate incidents, we did not go on the same mission together. The injuries almost lead to our death. In Stefan's case, even his heart stopped beating for a few seconds before he was resuscitated. Somehow, we fought through the pain and survived. This led us to break through."

Breaking through on the border between life and death!

Of course, this made sense most of all.

An incident that almost claimed the life of the body had coaxed it towards the breakthrough.

Daneel felt excited on hearing it, but what Stefan said next after the previous sect leader fell silent sent chills through his spine.

"Don't get your hopes up, just yet. After you sent your request, I went and had a look at the medical records in the sect. Like us, there were 54 other peak Human level individuals in recent history who also sustained critical injuries before returning to the sect. I checked their cases personally; their level of injuries were almost similar to mine and his. Of them, 28 died, 10 lost their entire prowess, and except 5, the rest remained at their level. The success rate is very, very low, and we can't even judge what the criteria are for this method to succeed. It is certainly not willpower, as these individuals were each known to possess hearts that could withstand anything. So, it is up to you. In this method, time is not a factor. One individual in history broke through just a month after he became a peak Human."

Hearing this, Daneel fell silent.

Seeing that he was thinking, Stefan and the rest gave him some space.

From everything he had heard, all the clues pointed to one thing: somehow, the body had to feel the 'need'.

Time was short, but if he chose the route of critical injuries, there was a real risk of dying or losing power. After all, with the medical miracles that were possible with magic, the meaning of the word 'critical' must be terrifying.

However, the other methods were too slow.

After thinking for a few minutes, Daneel made a decision.

He had no mood to play with his life, but as he had learned during the ordeal with Skrrag when he had obtained the inheritance, hardships were necessary to step forward.

So, he settled on the plan to first try the other methods for a while, before proceeding towards the method of injuring himself, or getting injured in a fight, to try and break through.

After deciding, he didn't hesitate.

Daneel completely threw himself into the schedule prepared by the top assassins after he made his intention known.

In the mornings, he would try self-motivation, followed by a session of futile training in the afternoon, after which he would spar with the assassins in the evening.

In this way, days passed, but with each day in which there was no sign of a breakthrough, Daneel felt tempted to begin life-or-death sparring.

A week passed, and with impatience, Daneel realized that these methods were just not working.

Hence, he called the top assassins to announce that even if it meant facing death up close, he would fight with all he had and allow himself to get injured.

They agreed, and this was followed by 3 days that Daneel would never forget in his life.

Each day, he would be injured to the boundary between life and death. He had to allow this to be done while conserving his trump cards, as he couldn't let others know about them.

Each night, he would be healed, but there was no change.

Daneel was at his wit's end. But, with no other choice, he continued, as there was no other way.

However, on the morning of the fourth day, one of his trinkets vibrated.

Someone had step foot in the vicinity of the Withering Leaf Sect Headquarters.

Chapter 407: Trapped

The Withering Leaf Sect Headquarters?

Daneel had just been there 2 months back, and there had been no movements at the place for months before that. Suddenly, someone had reached it?

Due to the nature of the many traps placed inside the Valley, only someone who had knowledge about them, or someone who was powerful enough not to care about them would be able to reach the headquarters.

In the first case, it could be a member of the sect who had survived.

Back when he had forced the sect to flee, he had killed off a large part of them, but of those who escaped, only a part were accounted for. They had infiltrated the palace of Lanthanor and slaughtered innocent, before paying the price of their actions by turning into pools of blood.

The rest were still out there, and they had always been on the back of Daneel's mind. After all, the grudge he had with them was something that could only be resolved by death.

So, the main purpose of the trap was to notify him if someone came back for the techniques. If they did, he could kill them and decrease the length of his list of enemies in Angaria.

However, if it was some Champion who was there for a different reason, Daneel might well get himself killed.

Still, there was no hesitation in his decision. He had to go.

Because the system was upgraded, he at least had a hope to escape before dying in case he really did meet someone he couldn't handle. Hell, he could even call on Marcus as a last resort, as the man had promised to keep him safe for 6 months.

Besides, he was quite frustrated with these attempts to get into the Warrior realm. By all accounts, the best method was the last one, but it wasn't working.

Clearly, something was missing.

Deciding to think more on it after returning, Daneel told Stefan that he had to go handle some urgent business.

Hearing this, Stefan sighed.

"Kid, all of us like you. You have a singular determination, just like that ass-, cough, I mean, that master of yours. No matter what he did, he saved our sect. We have already given you all the information we can. The rest is up to you. If you wish to resume the attempts with us, come back any time. Here. These are our communication trinkets. If you are in danger, do not hesitate to call on us. Just…get to the Warrior realm fast, and be sure to tell your master that you couldn't have done it without us. Got it?"

Understanding that he had given these 5 some very deep trauma, Daneel nodded and accepted the trinkets.

Having a bunch of Warrior level assassins to call on was definitely a plus.

Lead out by the reptilian who had helped him enter, Daneel made sure no one was watching him before teleporting away to get to the Valley.

He had debated whether to visit the Watcher, but the man would also definitely be bound by strong oaths to not reveal anything regarding training technique. So, he felt that it was useless.

After reaching the outskirts of the Valley of Mist, Daneel felt that something was wrong.

Many times since he had transmigrated to this world, his guts had saved his life by giving him timely warnings regarding things he was going to face.

Right now, they were screaming at him to turn around and run.

The border of the Valley felt like the gaping maw of a gargantuan beast that wanted to swallow him whole, and as he took a few steps forward, it seemed to lean forward, eager to get started on its meal.

For the life of him, Daneel couldn't understand what was going on. 2 months back, he had felt no such thing, except that small tingle in his back which was probably due to the existence of very dangerous traps.

Once again, he debated whether to enter.

He had all kinds of trump cards and now, even Warriors to call on, so it seemed foolish to turn back without at least investigating.

After all, the fewer variables there were, the better.

So, ignoring his guts which were still raging at him, Daneel stepped into the Valley and asked the system to activate the Hidden Item Detection tool as usual.

However, when he saw the message it showed, he felt shocked before quickly moving forward as if everything was normal.

[Host under surveillance. Direction of surveiller: North. Method of surveillance: formation maze. 2 formation mazes discovered in host's path. First maze has been laid down for a long time. Second maze has been laid down recently. The purpose of the second maze is to alert an individual about the whereabouts of a person using their presence. Second maze is at the Champion level.]

Cold sweat appeared on Daneel's back as he realized that he wouldn't even have been able to detect the second maze if the system hadn't been upgraded.

Clearly, someone wanted to track his movements in the Valley of Mist in the most covert way of possible. Usually, this would be enough to work on anyone in the Central Continent, including the Warrior level assassins he had just conversed with.

Of course, Daneel was different.

The one watching him couldn't know that they had been found out, so Daneel acted as if everything was normal. He started to evade the traps in the Valley while moving towards the sect headquarters.

Even he didn't dare to teleport inside the Valley, as the formations here were rigged to attack the moment space elementary particles were agitated to cast a spell. With the sheer number of traps around, almost anyone would be consumed before they would teleport away.

While walking, Daneel decided on his next step.

One thing had become clear: this was a trap.

The fact that this change had occurred in the Valley only after his trip meant that someone had planned it using all this time.

Who could it be? Was it a member of the sect who had seen him?

Regardless, the fact was that he was on someone else's turf. Even though he had the system, he had to be as careful as possible.

First things first, he didn't like that he was following someone else's plan. If he continued, there would definitely be a surprise waiting ahead.

So, he started to devise a plan.

….

The sect leader of the Withering Leaf Sect had his eyes closed while controlling the formation maze which was tracking the King of Lanthanor's movements.

He had waited so long for this day. Since that fateful moment in the Valley when those who had taught and raised him had perished in front of his eyes, he had vowed to take revenge.

Now, it was finally time to appease them.

Slowly, he started to move to intercept the King.

His appearance was even more shoddy from before. What was most strange was that along with the red, bloody marks on his hands, there was a red stain around his mouth which looked eerie.

His face had an even more crazed look than before, but he was in full control of his faculties right now, poised, waiting to strike.

A single blow from a Warrior should be enough to put an end to an Exalted Human. Especially in the case of a Warrior in his present state, there was no chance of survival.

In just one minute, his target would be at the optimal distance for him to attack. However, at this point, the King of Lanthanor stopped for a moment before continuing onwards again.

Although the sect leader got a slight feeling that something might be wrong, he fully trusted the detection formation he had obtained after much difficulty. There was no way in hell that a mere Human level boy could fool a Champion level formation.

So, telling himself that the pause was nothing, the sect leader resumed waiting.

As the seconds ticked by, his heart started to beat louder in his chest, and he took out a trinket shaped like a needle before squeezing it and enlarging it.

It really was a large, thick, needle-shaped object with a sharp end. On its other end was a handle, making it appear like some sort of weird weapon.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Now!

WHOOSH!

With blinding speed, the needle glowed a faint red before being thrown in a specific direction.

In a fraction of a second, the sound of it hitting its target could be heard, making the sect leader jump forward in glee.

However, what he saw made him rip off his hair in frustration.

The needle had indeed hit its mark, but while he watched, the King of Lanthanor's body dissipated. It had a smile on its face, as if it had accomplished some sort of mission.

NO! His plan had failed!

Well, it was a good thing that he had made many, as this was his only shot.

Taking out a trinket, he said, "Plan B. Now."

…..

Meanwhile, Daneel was standing at a specific spot in the Valley with a small smile on his lips.

[Surveillance Dissonance Spell Developed to counter the Formation Maze is active.]

Indeed, he had simply used the system to fool his enemy for a very specific reason.

"Is the simulation ready?"

[Affirmative. Using the attack sustained by host's clone, system has created a simulation with the approximate power level of target. Estimated Power Level: Eminent Warrior.]

Hearing this, Daneel was surprised but not shocked.

However, just as he was about to ask the system to activate the simulation, a message sounded in his head which made slight worry appear on his face.

[System has detected that individuals have activated Champion level attack formations on the borders of the Valley of Mist. Controller of the formations must be killed for system to obtain control of these formations.]

Wait…he couldn't go out without killing the controller?!

Clearly, the enemy's planning had gone above and beyond what Daneel had expected. Their intention was to trap him inside, like a lamb for slaughter.

Chapter 408: Ambush

Usually, if Daneel were stuck in a situation like this where the only option was to put himself in life-threatening danger, he would have been panicking by now.

After all, the other party was an Eminent Warrior with unknown trump cards while he was still an Exalted Human.

However, ever since he had gotten the message that someone had stepped into the vicinity of the Withering Leaf Sect Headquarters, he had gotten a suspicion that his method of going about becoming a Warrior was flawed.

The experiences of the top assassins had been invaluable, but instead of sitting down and understanding them in-depth, Daneel had rushed into trying out a plan because of the urgency he felt.

That had been his first mistake. The 'need' varied from individual to individual, but the moment of it appearing was never perfectly planned by anyone. If so, how could he have hoped to make it come by just directly applying what the others had gone through?

Secondly, from his experience on Earth, Daneel knew that this 'need' might correspond to some evolutionary instinct of an organism to continue surviving.

Although the method varied, stepping past the threshold was all about adapting oneself into a higher realm. That was the clue: to push past.

If so, the end goal in his mind during his training had been correct, but his way of going about it had been completely wrong.

A man who was in a fight would definitely not try to push his limits if he knew that there was no risk of him dying.

It was very simple logic, but one that he had missed in his hurry.

Regardless, he would soon have a chance to test his hypothesis.

Closing his eyes, he entered into a state of meditation first, where he constantly told himself that he could rely on himself in the next fight. Either he would win, or die.

If his opponent ended up being too weak, then he would just have to look for a different, stronger one.

But if that was not the case, then he would either break through or die trying.

The fate of Angaria itself rested on his shoulders, and as he realized it, his chest puffed up with confidence.

For all those who were depending on him, he had to do it, no matter what.

This self-hypnosis worked, as he felt his heart beat rising in anticipation of a blood-boiling competition.

He would use every trick in the damn book. Nothing was off-limits.

For once, he was going to go all out.

…..

As the sect leader wandered through the Valley, he kept trying hard not to let his mind stray from his goal of killing the King of Lanthanor.

If he had succeeded before, he wouldn't have found himself in this position now, where he was constantly reminded of a few scenes in his mind.

The first was always the same: it was the one where he could only watch as the elders of the sect were slaughtered before they made their way out of the Valley of Mist.

The second, though, was very strange.

It looked just like the first one, but it was morphed.

Sect members had been slaughtered left and right, but instead of watching from afar, the sect leader was amongst them.

He could see clearly with his own eyes how each of the bodies had a disbelieving and fearful look on their faces, as if they couldn't get themselves to believe who or what had killed them.

Each body had a large hole in the stomach area, and they all also looked like their blood had been drained.

Through all this, the sect leader was constantly walking between them.

Women, children, teenagers. Whoever the culprit was, he had shown no mercy.

There was one thing which was off: no matter what the sect leader did, he did not look down at his own hands.

Repeatedly, he kept chanting the words "King of Lanthanor", the man he saw as the devil who had caused all this carnage.

At the last moment, he was just about to look down at his body in his memory once again, but the sect leader shook his head, making that scene freeze while forcefully pulling himself back to the present.

The King had done it all. He had slaughtered his sect, his family.

He would pay.

Just as he was about to contact the last few sect members alive whom he had positioned outside the Valley to activate the trap once again, the sect leader heard a few voices from a particular direction.

It had been over an hour since that man had escaped his attack, and he had been frantically searching everywhere while expertly avoiding the traps placed at every step.

It didn't make sense for someone else to have entered the Valley, and he had told his sect members not to enter at any cost. Besides, they didn't even know how to navigate through the traps, so they would have been mincemeat by now.

Maybe that King had called for reinforcements?

That didn't make much sense, as the sect leader was still constantly checking the formation. He couldn't even wrap his head around the fact that the King had escaped its surveillance, so he couldn't accept that even others in the Central Continent were capable of his feat.

Regardless, anyone he didn't know were threats, and they had to be eliminated.

Silently, he made his way through the bushes toward the source of the sounds.

However, merely a few seconds later, when the voices became clear, the sect leader froze.

They were familiar.

Hauntingly so.

"Jaqueline, run toward the front! You can get away, leave us be!"

"No, grandpa!"

"Throw all the young ones forward! They must teleport away! Even if we die, he will avenge us!"

That voice…belonged to the man who used to bring him candy late at night whenever he fought well in the morning.

As for the other man, he had carried him on his shoulders while taking him around the Valley.

No! It was impossible!

There was no method to record audio or video in the Central Continent that he knew of, so he couldn't make sense of what was happening.

Besides, these things were what these people had said before their deaths.

How could he be hearing them now?

Unless…they had found out what he had done, and had come back?

Whatever the reason was, crippling shock encapsulated the sect leader's body, making him stand still.

His mind was blank, so by the time he heard a strange noise above him, it was already too late.

Some kind of…object had floated to the spot right above him, before silently shooting forward 4 projectiles which all looked like eerie, green skulls that wanted to eat him, piece by piece.

It was a trap!

Wait…hadn't he been the one to trap the King inside the Valley? How the hell had the man laid a trap for him, instead?

There was no time to think. Thankfully, he was a Warrior, so his body responded quickly, allowing him to jump away at the last moment.

However, the 4 projectiles which looked like fiery cannon balls had been cleverly shot with the added effect of sealing off all escape routes, and they even seemed to be able to edit their paths.

2 still managed to hit him, with one brushing past his shoulder and the other hitting him square in the back, making him thud to the ground before skidding on it.

In the process, 3 traps activated, with 2 shooting ice shards at him and the third releasing some kind of poison.

Facing so many attacks all at once, the sect leader showed his experience.

First, he blocked off the air entering his nostrils before making barriers appear around him that stopped the ice shards. These were powerful traps, so he needed to conjure multiple barriers before the thick ice shards finally dissipated.

Finally, he realized that the man problem was the green fire, which was slowly engulfing his whole body.

It looked like it wouldn't stop spreading till there was nothing left of him, and it kept eating through every barrier he made.

Still, he had managed to reach an equilibrium with it, so the next step was to look for a way to purge it from his body.

His back had thankfully been protected by a Warrior level defense trinket, so he had only been hurt by the impact of hitting the ground.

That had been…scary.

However, just as he was about to snarl and look for his opponent, he realized that he had been surrounded by 4 more objects just like the one that had shot at him from above just now.

Sh*t.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

As they all once again shot those devastating cannonballs at him, the sect leader at least had the chance this time to grasp a few items in his pocket.

One after the other, Warrior level defense trinkets came into being which were supplemented by his own Warrior level barriers.

As he saw the trinkets which were worth millions of gold coins that had been earned by the hard work of the sect members be burned away one by one, the rage in him once again increased.

The caster of these things must be close, and as he extended his senses outward, he realized that his opponent was being very sly: he had hidden himself covertly on top of a tree just a few meters away. If it hadn't been for his skills that had been honed in countless battles and the secret techniques of the sect which had once been part of the Big 4, he would never have spotted him.

However, now that he had, it was finally time.

BOOOMM!

At a speed that wasn't visible to the naked eye, the sect leader shot towards his target, but as he did so, the image he had been blocking in his mind finally became clear.

He looked down in the scene in his memory, and he saw his clothes drenched in blood, while his fingernails had bits of flesh still stuck in them.

Chapter 409: Who Will?

All dead.

By his hands.

The entire Withering Leaf Sect, wiped out in a single night.

For what?

For this.

As the sect leader neared his target, his veins started to pulse in a weird manner, alerting his opponent that something was wrong.

However, he didn't care. It was too late already.

If this kid had hidden in some bush while waiting for reinforcements, the sect leader might have considered changing his plan. He could have lain in wait, while carrying out a few massacres in the Kingdom this kid seemed to like so much.

However, by choosing to ambush him while being the one who had been trapped, he had written his own death warrant.

The pulsing of the veins was also accompanied by the entire body of the sect leader turning red.

As he felt his power increasing quickly, the sect leader smiled in anticipation of wetting his hands in the blood of one more person.

Along with his body, his persona seemed to shift. Before, he had at least been cautious of that memory, taking care not to focus on the truly gruesome parts.

However, now, he relished those moments when he locked all the sect members in a room after making them believe in him, before killing each one and absorbing their blood.

With each person whose blood he absorbed, he felt his power grow, leading him to break through from the Amateur Warrior realm to become an Eminent Warrior.

Of course, that wasn't the only advantage.

This 'bloodboiling' state was supposed to push his power to the peak of the Eminent Warrior level, further decreasing any chance of his opponent escaping.

He really had to thank that man who had given him technique once again.

All this seemed to happen over a long time, but the truth was, even a second hadn't passed since he had shot forward.

Even as the expression of his target changed into one of horror, he plunged his hands through his body.

Another clone.

Well, no matter.

Extending his senses in this state, the sect master quickly managed to find the real target: he was hiding in a bush around 100 meters away, and just as the clone dissipated, he took off running through the Valley.

Seeing this, he smiled in a twisted manner before giving chase.

….

Daneel's heart was beating so fast that it felt like it would hammer out of his chest at any moment.

In his mind, he was cursing at this damn guy.

He had anticipated all manners of trump cards, but a method to suddenly increase power by 3 levels was something he could never have expected.

After that attack which had been foiled by the clone, Daneel had carefully practiced his approach using the simulation feature in the upgraded system.

In it, the sect leader had been at the beginning of the Eminent Warrior level, and Daneel had devised multiple plans to kill the man.

In the simulation, his current plan had worked 9/10 times.

This was already good enough, as in that time when it didn't work, he had faced bad luck the likes of which never happened in real life.

According to the system, this was normal, as the simulation could never really simulate reality. There could always be something unexpected.

Like this.

Feeling himself targeted, Daneel briefly looked back to see two mad eyes which sent shivers down his spine.

This man had gone completely crazy. That was quite clear.

[Host's enemy is using the blood he has absorbed/ingested to burn his Energy in order to output higher power. Effect limited to Fighter prowess. Enemy's mage level remains the same as before: Amateur Warrior level.]

Well, there was the silver lining.

His opponent was not a complete Eminent Warrior through and through; if that were the case, Daneel might have given up long back.

He was still an Amateur Warrior mage, and with the system and Daneel's own power as a peak Exalted Human mage, he could at least match him and defend himself.

The problem was with the sect leader's Fighter prowess.

In the simulation, Daneel had had to go to great lengths to avoid getting into close-quarters with the man in order to kill him.

That plan had hinged on him being at the beginner Eminent Warrior level, and even then, it had required very meticulous planning.

However, that was no longer viable now.

In the Warrior realm, it seemed that the difference between each individual level was much more pronounced than in the Human realm.

Just by advancing 3 levels, this man was already moving 60% faster than in the simulation. If the same difference was there in the Human realm, he would have been at most 30% faster.

While running for his life, Daneel tried to decide what the heck he was going to do.

Fleeing was no longer an option at all; even if he called for reinforcements, he would be dead before they arrived.

He felt like he was missing another option, but he had no time to think further down that line now.

Either he came up with something right now, or he would be dead in the next minute.

No saving Lanthanor. No saving Angaria. No saving anyone.

Feeling the pressure weighing down on his shoulders, Daneel entered into a highly focused mode.

He needed allies. Desperately.

And…he actually had a ton of them all around!

"System, call all the mosquitoes. As many as can be controlled. First, have them hold him off."

[Affirmative.]

Yes! He could use the mosquitoes to level the playing field, while looking for an opportunity to strike.

Daneel knew that he only needed one chance to pierce the man so that he could send the Tenebrous Flame inside. After that, the Flame would do all the work.

It was hard enough for someone to cast a barrier on themselves, as this required very minute control of elementary particles. After all, creating a balloon was much easier than creating a pair of clothes which perfectly matched a person's body.

Hence, it was impossible for a Warrior to cast barriers inside their own body to prevent the flame from spreading and eating up their entire body.

All he needed was one breach, and victory might be his, especially with the upgraded system controlling the fire to split it into numerous small tendrils that would infiltrate his body.

Deciding on his plan, Daneel didn't hesitate.

First, he took out all the Warrior level defense trinkets he had on him.

He had won a few in his trip to the Hidden Kill Sect, and he also had others which were obtained by Lanthanor.

These would be his last defense line.

Activating them and keeping them ready, he watched as a cloud of mosquitoes quickly gathered at his area.

He wondered whether to build any more constructs, but his best construct had already failed. He had even built those with a lot of concentration and time, two things he didn't have right now. So, it would be futile to waste his energy on that option.

The Ruler's inheritance worked when he had people around him who followed him, but as he was just surrounded by mosquitoes which were only loyal to their next meal, it couldn't be used.

That left the Basilisk's Breath and the Art of the Withering Leaf.

He was going to use the former to preserve his life while looking for a chance, and he would use the latter at a critical point of time to get that chance, by hopefully startling the sect leader.

His plan set, Daneel stood and waited.

The mosquitoes were spread all throughout the Valley, and although Daneel had been regularly killing them to use their blood to train, they bred at a frantic pace. In fact, if the system wasn't controlling their rate of growth, they would definitely have destroyed the ecosystem of the Valley completely by now.

Instead of that, they had assimilated themselves to become the top predator.

Daneel didn't have to wait long. In 2 seconds, the sect leader arrived and launched an attack with a manic expression on his face.

There were actually two attacks: one was a punch, and the other was a shard of reinforced, condensed ice.

Magic attacks along with close-combat fighting: so this was the sect leader's mode of combat.

This actually worked in Daneel's favor, as it was inherently weaker than the Hidden Kill Sect Assassin's method of merging the two to make one seamless, deadly attack.

Of course, that required for the Fighter and Mage prowess to be at the same level.

Daneel didn't even bother handling the mage attack by himself. Commanding the system to cast everything necessary to counter the magic, he busied himself with dealing with the punch.

"Activate."

Time slowed down, and Daneel made a clear mental note about the trajectory of the attack, while taking care not to move himself in that split-second.

"Deactivate."

Lunging to the side with reflexes that looked like they were predicting the opponent's movements, Daneel launched his own punch-a Hidden Kill one.

It impacted the barrier surrounding the sect leader, leaving a small ripple on it.

"Left side, attack."

Before the sect leader could fight back, a dense cloud of mosquitoes attacked him from the left, making him growl with anger before casting a fire tornado to take care of them.

Daneel used the opportunity to land 3 more punches, and they seemed to have some effect.

The sect leader's body became bruised, but he seemed to have become even more angered in the process.

In this way, the fight continued.

The system would handle the magic attacks of the sect leader while controlling the mosquitoes to distract him, while Daneel would use the Basilisk's Breath to dodge and keep landing attacks.

With each attack, there was a little damage, but it was minute.

Occasionally, the sect leader would use the Art of the Withering Leaf to throw his attacks back at him, and Daneel would just have to cast more spells to counter.

With each passing second, he felt his mageroot start to ache, while his fists started to leak blood to repeated impacts with the barrier.

With each passing second, the frustration inside Daneel grew.

If only he could punch just a little harder.

If only he could move just a little faster, so that he would have more time to land more attacks.

If only his magic attacks moved faster and had more power, so that he could hope to overpower his opponent.

The frustrations built up inside him like a tower, all while he became increasingly fatigued.

After just one minute of their fight, he endured his first injury.

He had anticipated the sect leader's attack, but he hadn't been fast enough.

As a result, the sect leader's punch connected with his shoulder, making him stagger backward.

Even though his barrier blocked the majority, the impact he felt made his shoulder burn as if it was on fire.

His left hand became slower than his right, making panic appear on Daneel's face.

Still, he held on, somehow managing to dodge like the last struggles of a mouse whose eventual fate would be to be eaten by a cat.

His shortcomings stood out glaringly, making him scream at them in anguish.

His mageroot had also begun to burn, meaning that he was losing the battle on the mage front too.

The mosquitoes were running out; already, they were taking care not to step in puddles of blood so as not to lose balance.

Was he really going to die here?

Daneel racked his brain for options, but except for that faint thought that something was eluding his mind, there was nothing else.

His next injury was to his stomach, which directly made him spit out blood.

The next one hit his chest, making his whole body seem sluggish.

Slowly, the Warrior trinkets started to shatter one by one, until he was almost standing like a punching bag in front of the sect leader.

His opponent seemed to be taking great pleasure, as with each punch that landed, his smile grew wider, until it covered over half of his face, making for a very creepy sight.

With each punch and kick that hit him, Daneel raged at himself.

The thought of letting down everyone and failing haunted him, making him feel disgust and hate.

Disgust at his overconfidence, which had led him to take this fight.

Hate at his incompetence, which was leading him to lose.

And finally, rage.

So, so much rage. Rage that burned to the heavens. Rage whose only target was himself.

Why can't you be stronger?

Why can't you be faster?

He asked, but he received no answer.

Each and every part of his body was leaking blood, as lacerations had started to appear due to the repeated impact.

The blood loss was making him dizzy, and images he had long forgotten started to appear, such as the image of that smiling, kind old lady who had taken care of him in the orphanage back on Earth.

Was this it?

Was this where his tale ended?

No.

NO.

He couldn't go down like this.

He couldn't let some arrogant sect leader take his life, thereby ending the last hope for Angaria to survive the Church.

He couldn't stand the thought of his family, friends, and citizens living with the fact that their King had died because he was too weak.

For one, final time, he screamed.

He screamed at his shortcomings, his weaknesses, his fears.

He screamed at his incomplete life, his unfulfilled dreams, his inadequate power.

He screamed until he didn't know whether he was screaming inside his mind, or out loud.

Why can't I be stronger?

Why can't I be faster?

Why can't I fight back?

Why? Why? WHY?

A single image flashed in front of his eyes: the image of Angaria, which he had seen from above in his chat with the Watcher, turning completely red with the blood of the millions who inhabited it.

The images of his friends and family dying didn't need to appear in his mind's eye. They were already visible in that image of Angaria, which represented them all.

Still receiving no answer, Daneel changed his question.

This question rose up from the deepest recesses of his mind, but it resonated with his entire existence.

"If I can't save it, who will?"

As Daneel started to realize that this was the question he would ask last in his life, his screams reached a crescendo, and he saw one final blow flying at his face, while the expression of triumph on his opponent's face was clearly visible.

At this moment, as Daneel almost gave up and let the regret consume him before taking him away, something seemed to answer from inside his body.

It answered the question he had asked before, but it seemed to have awakened due to the question he had asked last.

Regardless, the moment it sounded, everything changed.

"Why? Because you never needed it, that's why."

CLICK

Raising his hand in a smooth motion, Daneel caught the sect leader's punch.

Chapter 410: Aftermath

[Host status updating. Please standby.

Host status:

Host Fighter Level: Warrior-1(50%)

Host Mage Level: Warrior-1(50%)

Host Condensation Level: Ideal(Amplification: .2x)

Host Body Potential: A+

Host Comprehension Level: ????

Host Condition: Nominal

Subroutine Primary Outcome achieved. Canceling subroutine. Deactivating tool.]

As the sect leader stared with wide open eyes, the system gave this message.

Things he hadn't been able to think of before once again appeared in his mind, making a smile appear on his face.

It was as if his persona itself had changed: from that scared King who had been running away with fear before because of going into a fight impulsively, to a World Dominator who always had everything under his control.

This was the real Daneel, but if he hadn't been the former during that fight, he would never have broken through in this way.

The sect leader noticed this, and his shock multiplied.

It was as if he was seeing a completely different person. Before, the kid he had been fighting had been a flustered and angry individual who was regretting the fact that he had even entered that fight.

Now, it was as if he was looking into the eyes of a mastermind who had engineered everything to play out in this way.

No! How could this be possible!

It didn't make sense. Was the King of Lanthanor crazy? Did he have multiple personalities?

If so, how had no one heard of it?

During the split second that the sect leader had before being blown back by a punch to his stomach, he asked these questions, the answers to which he would never find out.

One thing was clear: this was not the man he had entered the fight with.

Indeed, after catching hold of the sect leader's hand, Daneel had unhesitatingly launched an attack.

This fight was over.

Even his opponent seemed to know this, as was evidenced by the look of absolute shock and panic on his face.

Before the sect leader landed on the ground, Daneel pointed at him.

[Champion level Paragon Construct: Dragon Claw of Lanthanor forming]

The sect leader couldn't believe what he was seeing.

He remembered being witness to the image of a dragon in one of the books present in their archives, and he had marveled at their majesty and grace which somehow combined with overwhelmed power and ferociousness.

Now, as he saw a gigantic dragon claw materialize in front of him to pin him down, he once again felt that awe, which was this time coupled with fear.

Yes, maybe his opponent had broken through to the Warrior level at such an opportune time.

However, how the hell was he able to cast such a terrifying spell?

Objects like these were only said to be able to be conjured by Champions, and that too only by the most talented of them.

How the heck was a Warrior able to do the same?

The sect leader didn't understand.

And his opponent didn't give him the time to think further.

With astonishing speed, the King of Lanthanor used that second of time obtained by him using the Dragon Claw to rush forward and aim a punch at the Withering Leaf sect leader's head.

He had calculated it perfectly: the Dragon Claw attack had shattered the Warrior level defense trinket on his opponent's body, so his punch made it's way through, knocking his opponent unconscious.

Such speed and reaction time would definitely not have been capable of him just moments back.

Seeing the sect leader close his eyes, Daneel, himself collapsed to the ground.

His entire body felt like it had been put through a meat grinder, and the spot on his forehead where his mageroot was situated felt like it was being repeatedly pierced by flaming needles.

"Kellor and Cassandra, move in with the army. There should be some sect members outside the Valley, too. Apprehend them. Use the map I will transmit to you shortly to reach me. Remember: follow the instructions as closely as you can, or you will trigger the traps. Disable the sect leader, and imprison him securely. Remember: he's a Warrior, so use appropriate shackles and equipment."

By the time the last word exited Daneel's mouth, he was already half-unconsiousness. Sending the map relayed by the system, Daneel closed his eyes and crumpled on the ground, his blood pooling around him while the system continuously cast simple healing spells to keep him alive.

2 men lay side by side, but their expressions were so contrasting that anyone would gasp with surprise on seeing them.

One of them had an expression of absolute shock and fear, as if something truly unexpected had occurred.

The other: he had the expression of one who was genuinely happy and satisfied that everything had gone according to plan.

…

An unknown amount of time later.

Waking up with a start, Daneel looked around and wondered whether he was dreaming.

Everything felt…different.

Slowly, he raised his hand, awed at how…effortless it felt.

He had felt that he was quite powerful and fast while being an Exalted Human, but now, when he looked back, it felt as if he had constantly been swimming through lead then.

His bones, blood, organs: all seemed to be functioning more efficiently. In a way, it was as if he was a vehicle which had switched gears.

He had felt this once before: when he had advanced on his path as a Fighter and Mage after entering this world for the first time.

Now, he knew why it was called a different realm.

Warriors couldn't be compared to Humans in any way, and this made him chuckle at that stupid decision to take that fight before.

No matter which way it played out, he would have been killed.

Leaning back on the bed and yawning lazily, Daneel recalled his plan.

Before stepping out to face the sect leader after self-hypnotizing himself, Daneel just hadn't been able to do it.

True, the simulation had shown that he might win 9/10 times, but his guts had been screaming at him continuously that this was a mistake.

It had felt just plain foolish to ignore them.

Besides, he had been through a lot to become who he was now. His smart nature, slyness, and intelligence as a King had been obtained after making mistakes and learning, and he hadn't been able to step forward and ignore all those.

After all, this wasn't his last option. True, he had a deadline and he had to reach it, but if he died while hastily rushing to reach it, everything would be futile anyway.

He could simply wait and train and put himself through other dangerous situations. He had 4 months of time! If he still didn't succeed, after that, he could simply go seek a fight with someone else as a last resort.

Also, he had multiple Champion level trinkets on his body which he could use to take care of his opponent easily. After all, a Warrior couldn't hope to defend against multiple head-on attacks from a Champion, no matter what level he was on.

So, no matter how Daneel saw it, he couldn't justify dumbly going out to face the sect leader, especially due to fact that he could beat the man by resorting to extreme means without risking his life.

He wasn't truly trapped either. He could simply call his army, and even a Warrior wouldn't be able to defend himself against the bombardments of hundreds of soldiers.

Hence, Daneel had once again stopped and thought about what to do, and it was then that he had hit upon this idea.

The system was able to control his facial expressions by taking them from his memories. It could go through his memories to replay things, or analyze. Then, why couldn't it block certain things from him?

On asking the system this, he had received the answer that it was possible.

[Memory Smudger-1 Tool available for purchase. Cost: 5000 EXP.

Memory Smudger-1: For a short period of time, certain chosen memories/knowledge/traits/experiences can be blocked from host's active mind. Specified memories/knowledge/traits/experiences can also be imposed. Please upgrade the tool to increase time of effect.

Level-1 Time of Effect: 60 minutes.]

He had been expecting the system to be capable of it by default, but Daneel had had no problem with the fact that he needed to spend EXP. He had a feeling that it would be incredibly useful in the future too.

So, with 0 EXP in his pocket, Daneel had set about installing backup plans to save himself in place. The system was capable of carrying out simple pre-programmed orders, so he had ordered it to make a subroutine to send instructions and call the army to save him in case he was really about to die, and also to activate a Champion level trinket to stall.

Kellor and Cassandra had been called over with elite Mage and Fighter units, and they had been put on standby.

After that, it had been a simple process of using the tool to make himself think that he was truly trapped with no other way out, and that he had to fight the sect leader at any cost and win with his own power without relying on any outside help.

If it would work, it would work. If it didn't, he would at least live to try again later.

It had been close. Looking down at his body that was still laced with wounds, Daneel shuddered at the thought of going into that thought without all these preparations.

And remembering that thought of "If I won't do it, who will?", he chuckled.

Right now, he was just a nobody who couldn't do a single thing against the Church if it attacked. Compared to the many Warriors, Champions and individuals possibly above that level on this continent, he was less than an ant.

Being so, it sounded naïve and preposterous to think that he was its savior.

Of course, he was going to become someone who would save Angaria, but he was still nowhere close.

However, the thought did sound...admirable.

Just as he was about to inspect that strange line of information he had seen on the status, Kellor sent an urgent message through the oathstone.

"My King! The sect leader just collapsed! Blood seems to be pouring out of his pores! We don't know what to do!"

With alarm, Daneel rushed to the underground prison.

He had a lot of questions to ask this man, but by the time he arrived, the sect leader was writhing as blood congealed around his body.

His eyes were rolled back into his head, but he was sputtering a few words repeatedly.

As Daneel heard them, he opened his mouth in surprise.

"D-damn y-you A-Ashahell! Th-this wasn't written in t-the technique! I w-will have my re-revenge!"

Chapter 411: Decision

Ashahell again!

As Daneel heard this name again, he felt as if this man was like a wraith that was everywhere.

He had already caused great trouble for Daneel once by giving that mosquito to Axelor. Now, he had given some sort of technique to this sect leader?

Daneel didn't understand at all. It was one thing if he was an evil character who wanted to end Angaria for his own selfish reasons.

However, according to the Watcher, he was the head of the High Council of the Big 4. As someone sitting in such a position, how was it possible for him to do all these things and still not be found out?

Daneel had many questions like these in his head, but first, he had to save this sect leader.

Blood was oozing out of all of his pores constantly, almost as if he was leaking like a balloon. If Daneel didn't do something, he would be dead soon, and there would be no chance to find out more about this foe.

So, unlocking the prison using the system, Daneel entered and laid a hand on the sect leader.

Due to the blood, the sect leader was sticky and wet, but Daneel ignored the gross feeling and concentrated on the system's response.

[Target is undergoing a violent reaction due to sudden catalysis of absorbed Energy. Target has absorbed a high amount of human blood, which has also made him unstable. Similarities found in target's technique with host's Blood Absorption technique.]

"All that is fine, but how do I save him?"

[All excess blood must be drained, and fresh, Energy-rich blood must be transfused, preferably from someone of similar level. Chances of survival increase if level is similar.

Probability of survival if blood of Warrior level individual is transfused: 60%.

Probability of survival if blood of Human level individual is transfused: 20%]

What? He had to give this man his own blood to keep him alive?

Daneel hesitated only for a moment, before commanding Kellor and the soldiers watching to leave.

Soon, he was going to infiltrate the Big 4 to foil Ashahell's plan. It was best to know more about him before he did so.

So, after he found himself alone, Daneel cut his arm using a wind blade and ordered the system to carry out the blood transfusion.

The man had already been leaking blood for quite some time before Daneel arrived, so he didn't have to wait long until the process started.

Sitting and seeing his blood going into the body of the man who had almost killed him, Daneel smiled wistfully before asking the system to show his status again.

This time, he noticed the anomalies.

Condensation level and amplification? What were those?

And…how the hell was he already halfway to the second level of a Warrior already?

The answer was a pleasant surprise to Daneel, and it made him feel very glad that he had taken that gamble before.

[Condensation Level: This denotes the degree to which Energy has condensed in host's body and mageroot. After host's breakthrough, system compared host's Energy to other Warriors. In this process, it was found out that the degree varies, and this degree also allows for an amplification in training speed. Further data is needed to find the reasons behind different condensation levels. There is a probability that the condensation level might be tied to the degree of 'need'. Training method also plays a key role.]

So, fighting on the line between life and death had paid off, after all.

Daneel didn't care much for the rest of the details, except noting the fact that higher condensation level meant faster training.

But, he did get a query.

"What is the highest condensation level and amplification that has been detected?", he asked, as the system had said that it had compared his to others'/

[It must be noted that only Warriors were scanned.

Highest Condensation Level: Exceptional(2 levels above ideal)

Amplification: .5x

Target: The individual known as 'Sister Xuan'

The training method of this target has brought about this level of condensation and amplification.]

Hearing this, Daneel's jaw dropped.

The top disciples from the Big 4 were able to train twice as fast as regular Warriors?

Now, Daneel understood part of the reason why the Big 4 maintained their position.

Not only did their disciples have top-notch techniques and resources, but they could also train faster!

He had to get these techniques, one way or another.

As Daneel resolved this in his mind, he heard the sect leader groan.

As the man slowly fluttered his eyes and opened them, he saw a very strange sight.

The one whom he had to sworn to kill, the one who was the reason why the Withering Leaf Sect members had been killed and drained of their blood, was sitting beside him and giving him his blood.

This situation seemed so odd and ironic that the sect leader could only laugh.

During their fight, he had come face to face with the fact that he was the one who had killed all of his fellow sect members. So, in a way, the other persona was no longer present, as its existence had been due to the fact that he hadn't been able to accept that fact.

Now that he did, pain and guilt racked him, but more than anything, there was disappointment and regret that he had failed.

Seeing him looking at him, his arch enemy turned around and…waved.

This made the sect leader want to rip his skin open, so that he wouldn't have to accept this blood.

However, suddenly, he found that he couldn't move his body, which made him snarl with frustration.

The fire for revenge was still there, but right now, he was infuriated at that man from the Big 4 who had given him that technique.

"Ya, ya, I know you don't want to be saved by me. Let's cut to the chase, as I have no time to waste. You are imprisoned here. Without my command, you cannot die, and you cannot leave. Just ask the Knight from the Church who's next door to you. The guy has happily settled in for the long haul! Of course, he's confident that the Church will come to get him. You, though, have no such luxury. So, I'll make it easy for you. Either swear an oath to listen to my orders, no matter what they are, or rot away here, waiting for a death that might never come. After all, I might find some way to control you in the future when I become a Champion. Anyway, first, if you don't want your happy stay to be marred by torture, tell me everything you know about Ashahell. I have some beef to pick with him, and I would love to know more so that he doesn't catch me off guard, like you almost did."

Hearing his options clearly laid out for him, the sect leader knew they were the only ones he had.

He had heard about these prisons that were there in all the major forces in the Central Continent.

They were some of the only remnants from the old ages which still worked fine. If a Warrior entered, they would almost never be able to leave.

Besides, even if he did somehow manage to escape, he didn't know when it would happen.

As a leader of a large sect, he knew how to prioritize. Also, he did blame Ashahell for the deaths of his sect members, too.

So, he might as well try to make it so that he could have his revenge on him while waiting for a chance to kill his main foe.

Hence, he chose to speak.

"You can forget about the oath. One day, I will have a chance, so I'll just wait for that, or I'll die in the process. I deserve to, anyway, for letting down my sect, but taking you with me would be best. About Ashahell, though, I will speak, because he is second on the list of people I must take revenge on."

Daneel felt glad that the man was speaking, so he sat and let the blood be transferred while listening.

"I met him while I was looking to buy Champion-level trinkets using the wealth of the sect so that I could trap you inside the valley. The seller was a black market dealer from the Big 4, and he asked me why I needed it. I told him the reason, as I felt that the Big 4 might offer help to me, as you are, after all, poised to possibly build something greater than a Kingdom, which is a known taboo. To my surprise, after he heard that you were my target, he told me about a discrete location in the forest west of the Black Raven Kingdom, and asked me to wait there. It was there that Ashahell came to meet me and give me this technique. I could tell that it was just his clone, as he was using trinkets to teleport instead of casting the spell himself. He only wished me good luck, and left, but I could tell that something was wrong. Yet, the technique was authentic. It required me to ingest the blood of beasts to train faster to break through to become an Eminent Warrior. It did say that human blood was best, but I had no intention of using that option. But…why did I? Why did I kill my sect and drink their blood? Something…changed after I started to use the technique. Like…I wasn't myself. Why did I do it?"

Towards the end, the sect leader was mumbling to himself, making Daneel sigh.

Clearly, this was just another pawn being used by this Ashahell to target him and spread chaos. But why? Why was he so interested in him?

Daneel had too many questions, and too few answers.

The only way to resolve them was to go to the damn Big 4 and find out for himself.

Just as he was about to get up and leave this man to his rambling, a communication trinket on Daneel vibrated.

Taking it out, he was surprised to see that it was the one he had given to Percy, that snivelly son of the Mad Doctor.

Curious as to why he was contacting him at this moment, Daneel answered, and raised his eyebrows as he heard the message.

"Master! I have important news about my father's plan to deal with my senior disciple! This time, cutting off his treasured part won't work!"

Chapter 412: Information

To the west of the Black Raven Kingdom, there was an abandoned forest with dead trees that few dared to travel through in order to get to their destination.

In fact, only nothingness was supposed to be present in this direction, except for a few isolated towns which survived by themselves.

This forest was said to have been the scene of a great fight between powerful figures, who had wrecked it in the process before moving upward to clash in the sky like gods. It was said that their power still remained, ready to harm those who dare to trespass.

Standing in the middle of the forest, Daneel, who was in his persona of Master Novrain, looked around with interest.

Before coming here, he had checked the spy reports about this place, and as the system scanned around him, he was surprised to know that those rumors might actually be true.

[Remnants of Champion level energy found. Estimated time since effect: 180 years.]

He couldn't believe his ears. Champion level energy was so potent that it could still be detected after almost 2 centuries had passed?

Besides, what kind of power was it that had killed all the wildlife but not destroyed it?

All the trees were blackened, as if they had had their life leached out of them. Also, there was an eerie silence, which frankly made Daneel feel that there might be someone behind him creeping up on him.

As he heard a twig snap behind him, he hastily turned around, thinking that his suspicion was true, before seeing that it was simply Percy who had just arrived.

They had decided on this meeting place, as the information that Percy had was too sensitive to be transmitted over communication trinket.

The place had been suggested by Percy, and Daneel had agreed, as the kid had said that it was easy to get to from his sect.

"Master!"

Seeing him, Percy immediately knelt on the ground, making Daneel say, "Get up. You left without even saying goodbye to your master?"

Standing up swiftly, Percy awkwardly looked to the side before saying, "I apologize, Master. We were all called back, as our leaders said that it is not safe for core sect members to be outside especially when there was nothing for us to do. After I went, I had to go through a session of closed-door training as was mandated by the leader. It was during that training that I got to know about this information, and I contacted you as soon as I could."

Whatever this kid's intentions might be, Daneel needed to know this information as the first fight he would have after the six-month period was with the son of the Mad Doctor.

Nodding, Daneel said, "All right, spit it out. If it's actually valuable, I even have a small gift for you."

His eyes widening at the mention of the gift, Percy said, "My father is putting them through a forbidden training technique which pushes them to the peak of the Warrior level if they can endure the pain, while cutting off any hope of getting to the Champion level. It is forbidden not because it has side effects or that reason, but because it uses just too many resources which can be much better utilized in other ways. There are supposed to be other side effects, such as people going mad due to the pain, but pain is something that my father is very specialized in, and I suspect that he used some of his tricks to make sure that my brother and the others don't go cuckoo. Master, I would really like to suggest that senior disciple should hide, as someone who is not even a Warrior cannot hope to defeat a peak Warrior, that too from the Big Four."

Raising an eyebrow, Daneel said in a displeased tone, "Really? So you doubt my ability in picking a disciple, and you think I'm not good enough to teach or instruct him to survive such an engagement?"

Raising his head in panic, Percy shook his head hurriedly and said, "No way! Master is all-powerful, and I'm pretty sure that senior disciple will be given some method or idea to help him overcome this trial. I… Just hope that I can also get a part of that method."

Seeing his shamelessness appear again, Daneel smiled before saying "Good job," and throwing a data trinket at him.

Surprised that his master hadn't berated him and had instead actually given him something for the first time, Percy almost missed the trinket but got it using a spell before quickly examining it with excitement.

"The – the Art of the Withering Leaf?! This is a tier 2 inheritance! Even though it's incomplete… It's something I definitely wouldn't be able to access anytime soon… Thank you, master! Your disciple is very, very grateful!"

Saying these words with a tone of deep gratitude, Percy knelt on the ground once again, and to Daneel's surprise, tears actually came out of his eyes.

What? Why was this slimy kid crying?"

"Get up. This is nothing worth crying about. If you keep helping me, there will be many better things for you. Now, I need something from you."

Nodding, Percy quickly got up and tried to wipe away the tears.

If he was acting, that he was definitely a very good actor, at least as good as Daneel.

After taking a few seconds and stopping the tears, Percy said, "Sorry, master. It's just that… No one has ever appreciated me or given me anything for my efforts. I was always the bastard son who had talent but who could be kicked around by all those with background. Thank you. Tell me what it is. Whatever it is, I'll do it even if it costs my life."

Wait… Wasn't this a bit too soon to pledge his life?

Either this was a very emotional kid who really had had a sad childhood and wasn't loved by anyone, or he was trying to get into Daneel's good graces to find out his plans.

Daneel couldn't help but suspect him. No matter how sincere this kid acted, he just couldn't trust someone from the Big Four, which was supposed to be completely corrupted. For that matter, he didn't really trust Sister Xuan and Molan either.

He had needed to give this kid something to string him along and make him want to be of service, and this something had to be quite valuable, as regular techniques definitely wouldn't interest somebody from the Big Four.

The Art of the Withering Leaf was a game-changing inheritance in many ways, but it was nothing compared to the other two inheritances that Daneel had.

So, he had decided to give it up to obtain something much more valuable.

Information.

"I need to know exactly where your elder brother and the others who had their organs severed by my disciple are training. And I need to know a way to access them. Are they training in the sect?"

Hearing this, Percy nodded and said, "Yes, master. But I don't know where they are training. My father doesn't trust anyone, least of all the sect. He has important hideouts all over the sect grounds, and I know for a fact that he's using one of those to use the forbidden technique on all of those guys. The only reason I got to know about it is that my elder brother was given a break recently and he used it to come gloat at me before going off to find some maids for himself. No one knows where these hideouts are."

This made Daneel frown and look down, as it put a wrench in a plan that he had just made. This plan was the reason why he had decided to use that inheritance in the first place, and he wondered now whether he had made the wrong decision.

Percy seemed to understand this, as he quickly said, "Master, leave it to me. Like I said, I am ready to risk my life. I don't know what you have planned, but I'll help you no matter what it is. I'm confident that I can gain access to that hide-out by telling my father something or if necessary, begging him to take me there. He is always the one who teleports other people there, so we can't really tell its exact location. However, I will sneak in a locator trinket with me so that you, or anyone else can find out the location using it. However, it can only be detected inside the sect, as we have a formation which blocks such trinkets' signal outside. I'll think for some way to overcome this, too. Just give me some time."

This made Daneel raise both his eyebrows in surprise, as it essentially meant that this kid was putting his life on the line to give Daneel what he wanted.

He wasn't dumb. He must have guessed why Daneel was asking for it, but he still gave this option, which made Daneel admire him.

Walking forward, Daneel put a hand on the kid's shoulders and said, "Good. I wasn't wrong to count on you. Don't bother looking for ways to overcome your sect's formation, leave that to me. Just get me their location."

"Yes, master!"

Seeing the smile on his master's face, Percy stepped forward to hug Daneel.

Yup. Definitely emotional.

Just before he touched his body, Daneel teleported away, making Percy lose balance and fall on the ground, face first.

Appearing a little distance away, he said, "Kiddo, I'm not a hugging master. Get it done in a month."

Leaving these words, Daneel again teleported away, this time leaving the location.

Appearing back in Lanthanor a few seconds later, he had a wide smile on his face due to the plan he had just set in motion.

He was going to infiltrate a sect anyway. Why not infiltrate another and kill those scum before they reached Peak Warrior level? A bunch of peak Warriors really would be very, very difficult to deal with even if he used all of his trump cards.

After all, he wasn't a dumb hero in some story to train in the time he was given and meekly wait to fight.

Chuckling, Daneel made his way to a training chamber to begin training in the inheritances.

Chapter 413: Discovery During Training

BOOM!

"The King is at it again."

As the security guard patrolling the corridors of the Palace said these words to the one beside him, both of them simultaneously closed their ears to brace themselves.

BOOOOOMMMM!!!

Just like the last time, a single, loud sound was accompanied by a much louder one that almost seemed to shake the entire Palace.

This had been going on for a month. Actually, in the first 15 days, it had mostly sounds on the lower end of the octaves, but with each day, they got louder and louder, as if the King's intention was to make the loudest one possible.

Afraid that their supervisor might berate them for putting on this unprofessional sight, they both removed their hands and quickly left the corridor, hoping that they could make it before it began again.

Inside a large meeting room that had been cleared of all objects, Daneel was lying on the ground, sweating.

However, his face had an expression of triumph on it, as he had finally done it.

For a month, he had been putting himself through the most grueling of trainings, as he knew that he had to get as proficient with the inheritances he had as possible.

He had targeted all three inheritances, as although the Ruler's Inheritance felt like it was useless when there wasn't anyone who was loyal to him nearby, he had found out that it still amplified his magic output by a not insignificant amount.

According to the system, this was the 'passive amplification' that was accorded to him due to there being so many people following him in one way or the other.

Of course, compared to the actual multiplication when he was in Lanthanor, it was quite minor, but it would still make a difference in the fight.

If he had known this, he might have chosen to use it in his fight against the Withering Leaf Sect Master, but he was actually thankful that he hadn't done so as it still affected his mind.

Only, instead of directly hearing the thoughts of those near him, they were like murmurings, as if he was surrounded by a gaggle of ghosts intent on entertaining him.

If Daneel hadn't spent long amounts of time getting used it, he might have gone crazy again if he used it in a fight.

Even now, he wasn't proficient in using the actual inheritance in Lanthanor for the 5x multiplication. The best he could do was keep it active for 1 minute, before the voices would become too much.

However, at least now, he could keep the passive inheritance active for 30 or so minutes, before the murmurings would start to creep over him.

All in all, he had gotten another power boost.

As for the Basilisk's Breath, Daneel no longer had his arms and legs flinging around like a puppet every time he used it.

After obtaining the full inheritance, there had been clear instructions regarding how to train oneself to make sure that that didn't happen.

It all had to do with familiarizing oneself with the slowed down time, and to realize how each command to the body interacted with the different parts of the body.

To learn this, Daneel had to spend hours and hours with the Basilisk's Breath activated while he tried to do the simplest of things normally: such as walk or punch something.

Initially, it had been very frustrating, with him constantly tripping or hurting himself in just a few minutes.

Yet, now, after a month, he could keep it active for 30 minutes, after which it became too taxing for his mind.

After all, living in that state caused a dissonance with the normal state of existence, which might lead to serious problems if one stayed in it for too long.

As for the Art of the Withering Leaf, he was much more adept at it now, capable of using it in the middle of fights to surprise his enemies.

It was time to test it all.

"Bring him in."

As Daneel sent this message to Kellor, the Grand Court Mage who was waiting outside the cell of the Withering Leaf Sect Master opened it and lead the man out before he was trapped in a Dragon Claw immediately to prevent him from taking revenge on his captors.

Of course, he had expected this, but he still grumbled repeatedly.

Slowly, he was led to the room in which Daneel had been training all this while.

As Kellor and the Withering Leaf Sect Master entered it, both of them astonished to see deep crevices in many areas all around, as if they had been bombarded by some sort of cannonball.

Kellor could tell that this must be the reason behind the loud sounds that had been disturbing the sanctity of the Palace for a month, but he hesitated to ask the reason behind them.

Instead, he asked, "My King, would you mind if I stayed to watch? It might help me in my attempts to break through to become a Warrior."

Indeed, in all the time that the King had been absent from the Palace, he had been diligently training so that he could be powerful enough to help the King achieve his lofty aspirations.

Just recently, he had reached the peak of the Human level, and he had begun the process of becoming a Warrior with instructions from Daneel.

"Of course, I was going to tell you to do the same anyway. Stand to the side; I'll use a Dragon Claw to protect you."

"I can use my own barrier, My Lord, it's all right."

With a chuckle, Daneel said, "Oh, trust me, you need the claw. Go."

Puzzled, Kellor nodded and went to a corner before a Dragon claw materialized around him, leaving a gap for him to see through.

Why did the King think that he wouldn't be able to use a barrier to withstand just the aftershocks of the battle? After all, no one would be attacking him directly.

"Sect leader. Care for a little spar? I gather it must be quite boring just sitting in the cell all day. Of course, if you swear that oath to me, you can live a much better one! What do you say?"

In response to the King's words, the sect leader spit to the side, which made the King smile before making the Dragon claw disappear.

As the sect leader fell to the ground with nothing constricting him, his first thought was to run.

However, he knew that another claw would just trap him again.

So, the best option was to fight and hopefully kill this King, so that the formation would become unmastered.

Well, it was a long shot, but it was worth a try, along with the fact that it was much better than being cooped up in the cell all day.

Besides, he wasn't injured now like before, so he should stand a much better chance at winning.

Thinking this, the sect leader leaped forward with his hand extended backward.

A large ice shard materialized beside him, ready to plunge into the King's body if there was an opening.

However, what happened next made both the sect leader's and Kellor's jaws drop.

The King moved after the sect leader had almost reached him, but in 2 seconds, the sect leader dropped to the ground, wincing.

His ice shard had already fallen to the ground and started to disintegrate, as the sect leader was busy trying not to scream out loud from the pain.

Watching the sect leader's body, Kellor could tell that he had been hit in 15 different places: all in the span of a fraction of the second, while the man was shooting through the air.

He had no chance to retaliate!

The King had moved so fast that the word "blur" wasn't enough to describe it. It was like he was in a different dimension of speed altogether-one which they could never hope to reach or even see.

3x amplification. This is pure 2x amplification of Fighter power, mused Daneel, watching contentedly as the sect leader tried to get up.

"Again."

Gritting his teeth, the sect leader got up and launched forward again, but this time, the King stood still.

A web of interlocking metal links materialized in front of the King, wrapping around the sect leader who looked around in horror.

No…the speed of making something so complex and so strong was definitely not something capable of a Warrior!

As the sect leader thought this, fire appeared on the cage of metal he was caught in, along with revolving metal cutters that would tear him to shreds.

Right before they impacted his skin, they stopped, making him sigh in relief.

"Again."

It went on like this, with the sect leader being beaten down repeatedly, as if he was merely a kid trying to fight an adult.

If anyone saw the fight, they would be unable to believe that this was an Eminent Warrior fighting against an Amateur one that had just broken through a month ago.

Be it as a Fighter or a Mage, the sect leader was completely outmatched, and he could only fall on the ground, defeated before rising again because he couldn't stand the condescension with which the King said the word "Again."

Finally, after half an hour and over 100 defeats, the King clapped his hands and said, "All right, final time. Let's get this over with. Come."

The sect leader and Kellor both had a bad feeling, but the former leaped forward anyway.

Finally, the reason behind the loud sounds that had shaken the palace became clear.

With an expression of deep concentration on his face, the King Of Lanthanor raised both one hands with his palm facing up.

A small particle of fire came into being, before enlarging quickly as more and more fire elementary particles were pulled towards it.

As Kellor watched, in barely a second, a globe of the most concentrated fire he had ever seen came into existence above the King's palm.

It was at such a high temperature that the air seemed to be warping around it, making it difficult to see.

At the last moment before the sect leader reached him, the King seemed to take something red out of his pocket and drop it into the globe.

BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!

An explosion larger and louder than any he had seen in his life erupted in the room, and if it weren't for the formation protecting it, it might have made the Palace collapse.

The King had made a Dragon claw appear around him at the last moment, so he and Kellor were safe.

However, the poor sect leader endured the brunt of the bright explosion.

A second later, he thudded to the ground, completely burnt black and barely breathing.

While Kellor rushed to him to check if he was OK while wondering just what the King had done, Daneel had a complicated expression on his face.

He wondered if this was how those scientists on Earth must have felt, when they saw the nuclear bomb they had built work for the first time.

Chapter 414: Setting Off

10,000 Ether blocks. Gone, just like that.

Indeed, Daneel had just used a Ker Gem to power the explosion. The results were impressive, to say the least, but the burden they put on his pocket was too much to bear.

After Kellor checked the poor sect leader's body, he looked up to say, "He's barely alive, My Lord. Can I ask what that was?"

"Oh, nothing. Merely a trump card I plan to keep for extreme circumstances. Take him to the cell and heal him there. We can't afford to take chances with him."

Understanding that the King was unwilling to say more, Kellor picked up the sect leader's body using telekinesis and led him outside.

Sighing, Daneel looked around at the destruction that had affected the room.

It had a taken a full Ker Gem to get this much power, but it had still been insufficient to kill an Eminent Warrior level Fighter at close range.

Over the past month, he had been experimenting with parts of Ker Gems and Ether blocks.

This had been his final test.

This discovery had been the result of a small experiment that had been born after Daneel remembered a thought he had had long back.

Ether blocks and Ker Gems were stored forms of Energy, which were found in nature.

The principle of exploding trinkets was that Energy from mages was used to draw a special enchantment that made it so that this Energy was released explosively.

This had made Daneel curious, as these forms of Energy reminded him of the explosive materials used back on Earth.

Radioactive materials were just sources of immense energy which needed the right conditions to be set off to result in an explosion. If used correctly, they could generate energy to be used.

Why couldn't Ether blocks and Ker Gems be the same?

Hence, he had set out experimenting with the simplest method that was also used on Earth: using extreme amounts of heat to result in the explosion.

Initially, there had been many failures, as he had been repeatedly trying things such as increasing the temperature while the Ether block was inside the globe of fire, etc.

This had been his fascinating side project which he spent most of his time on when he wasn't training in the inheritances.

In fact, it was during a session of training the Basilisk's Breath that he had noticed the method to excite and erupt the Energy stored inside the items.

Using the Basilisk's Breath, he had utilized the slowed-down time to carefully examine each and every minute change in the swirling Energy in a Ker Gem while increasing the temperature around it.

While doing so, he had noticed that the swirling waves tried to exit the boundary set on them by the gem as a reaction to the increased temperature.

Only, the waves moved slowly, which Daneel figured out to be because he was gradually increasing the temperature around the Gem.

It was like a wave of water whose power was higher the more acceleration it managed to achieve.

And in this case, instantaneous acceleration was needed.

After figuring this out, it was simple.

Using the Basilisk's Breath, Daneel focused his mind to create a globe of compressed fire hot enough.

Then, he created a hole to its center and threw the Ether Block or the Ker Gem inside, resulting in the explosion.

Of course, the first time it worked, he had gotten his face completely blackened in the process.

Still, his eyes had been shining bright with the delight of discovery.

This whole process of finding something out by himself had been very rewarding and enlightening.

All in all, it had made it so that his training wasn't monotonous in any way, and that he now had a very powerful, albeit expensive trump card tucked up his sleeve.

Daneel didn't dare call it an "invention", because it was definitely possible that others might be aware, even though he was pretty sure that the inheritance was required to notice the minor changes.

All in all, he decided to only use it in the direst of circumstances if he had no other option.

As for the results of the training of the Ruler's Inheritance and the Art of the Withering Leaf, he was very satisfied with them as he had managed to beat the sect leader quickly before the man even managed to reach him.

With everything almost set in place, Daneel set about finishing the last thing on his list before proceeding to infiltrate the Big 4.

….

As a sudden announcement that the King would be addressing the people of Lanthanor after a long time became known among the public, it caused a furor the likes of which hadn't been seen in quite some time.

Many rumors started spreading, ranging from the one that stated that the King would be announcing his marriage with the fair lady Eloise, to the one that warned everyone that the King was going to march on the other Kingdoms to wage war and conquer them.

However, those in the know had already found out that this was regarding the recent changes and new policies and schemes that had been put into effect by the government.

So, even though it wasn't as exciting as those two rumors, many still flocked to the front of the Palace as this announcement would set the tone for the near future of Lanthanor.

At the point when the sun was highest in the sky, the King of Lanthanor appeared in the air with a smile on his face.

Large display trinkets had already been deployed to aid the at least 2-million strong, so when they all shouted as one, it was as if their cheers could rend the sky itself.

"All hail King Daneel!"

Daneel had already solidified his standing in their hearts, from all of his actions for their good.

Also, with his recent 'noble' act of saving everyone during the Olympics, he had also started to build an image for himself in the other inhabitants of Angaria.

"My dear citizens! I trust you have been well!"

Hearing the positive cheers below him, Daneel couldn't help but smile even wider.

This, this was why he had become King.

It all went back to that moment so long ago on the library steps, where he had been cheered for the first time for bringing justice to the commoners.

That same happiness that had suffused him then coursed through his body now, energizing him and making him look forward to doing his best to make sure that he did everything in his power to ensure the happy lives of these people.

It wasn't pleasure that came from being in control of them, or that which arose from a thirst for power.

No, it was a humble feeling of joy seeing the smiles on so many faces.

"Great! I'm here before you today to announce some very exciting things! First, I trust you all have heard about the Bank of Angaria?"

"YES!"

Almost everyone had heard about this mystical place which doled out money at very low interest, overall.

Nodding, Daneel pointed to the side, bringing attention to around 100 individuals who were standing in the air with Kellor.

"I trust you recognize these people? They are ones who have been uplifted with the help of the bank! And first and foremost are, of course, the continent-wide stars of our Kingdom, Helena, and Dalia!"

This small family had changed so much since when they had initially forayed into the capital with the intent of finding revenge and closure.

Helena looked mature and elegant in a flowing green dress, while Dalia was the very picture of youth, with her vibrant, red cheeks highlighted by her maroon dress.

The best way to highlight any scheme was to show success stories. So, taking a page out of the most effective advertising strategies on Earth, Daneel had these now well-off citizens speak very favorably of the bank.

By the time they were done, the eyes of the commoners in the crowds were wide open with dreams.

"Today, I would like to happily announce that we are opening the bank to the entire Kingdom! Anyone can come in to apply for a small loan, and after a small selection process, they will be enabled to pursue their dreams! My fellow Lanthanorians, if you wish to fly, Lanthanor will give you wings!"

As the cheering rose to a new level, Daneel swelled with happiness.

He had high hopes for this scheme, as empowering the poor was the best way to uplift an entire nation.

Only-such schemes were usually beset by cheats and crooks.

Well, it was time to remedy that.

"That also brings me to my second announcement. The bank is open to all, but only those who are verified and given IDs by the government of Lanthanor will be eligible to draw funds. Yes, you heard me right. The ID system that has been tested extensively will now be rolled out nation-wide. No more trespassers with malicious intentions will be tolerated! With this system, all outsiders can easily be caught, and all citizens will be protected! All hail Lanthanor! All hail Angaria!"

Seeing the millions of citizens jumping on the streets, Daneel knew that things were progressing well for the Kingdom.

Now, all that was left was to look for an opportune time to unite the Black Raven Kingdom with Lanthanor.

Of course, everything was in place for that move, so it wouldn't take a lot of difficulty.

After the grand success of this public address, Daneel had one last meeting with Eloise and Norcet to finalize details for their further plans, such as the one to set up a delivery system for the entire continent.

Finally, with all his affairs set, Daneel secretly made his way to the Watcher.

Sitting in that stone room facing that floating head, Daneel said, "I'm ready."

Nodding, the head replied, "Good, the earlier you go in, the better. Be careful, young King. This will be your most dangerous travail yet. The name of the sect you are going to is 'The Hedonist's Abode'."

Chapter 415: The Sect of Hedon 1

The Sect of Hedon.

The name itself caused an unpleasant feeling inside Daneel, making him wonder whether it was tied to the word "hedonist".

Hedonists were those who prized pleasure over everything else, while also being ready to do anything and everything in order to get that pleasure.

In other words, it could also be construed as those who were willing to stop at nothing to reach their goals.

Seeing him ruminate over the name, the Watcher paused for a few seconds before continuing.

"Your disguise is that of a disciple who was sent out on official sect business for a regular check on what is going on in the Central Continent. Here he is."

Once again, a flick of a finger sounded in the room even though the Watcher had no body.

An unconscious male appeared in the room, crumpling on the ground with no support to keep him up.

He was blonde, with a slim build and freckles on his nose.

"Meet Travis Eclair, your new identity. Just like you, he has also recently broken through to become an Amateur Warrior. It is best to not fake things such as power levels, as they can be easily monitored. I have a special spell which makes people lose their memory, so it is your duty to wake him up and find out everything about him so that you can impersonate him perfectly. Take special note of the mannerisms, so that those who are skilled in noticing such things will not see anything amiss. You depart in one week. Just like you, even I think that the sooner you go in, the better."

His eyebrows twitching, Daneel got the feeling that this man had planned everything and kept it ready even though he had only confirmed now.

"How did you know I was coming now? You couldn't possibly have kept this kid locked up for months altogether right?"

Chuckling, the Watcher replied, "You should really think about putting in some sort of countermeasures to stop people like me from knowing almost everything that is happening inside your Palace. Of course, this time, I didn't even need to use the spies inside your Palace. I saw the proclamation, which was quite grand by the way, and I could tell that you would be coming soon. So, I took the liberty of nabbing this little kid. After you're done, come back here."

Shaking his head, Daneel felt weirded out by this happiness that shone in the Watcher's eyes when he spoke about his actions of watching everything while sitting in his room.

Clearly, he was someone who took pleasure in what he did.

Taking the kid, Daneel headed back to Lanthanor, as he didn't want to risk someone finding him out in the Hidden Kill Sect.

He didn't even know why he was calling him 'kid', even though they were both almost the same age.

The Watcher had already given his word that this kid wouldn't remember anything, so Daneel just went ahead and directly woke him up.

"Who – who are you? How dare you apprehend one from the Big Dour? I will make sure that everyone you love die a horrible death! Let me go right now!"

Daneel had initially been planning on going easy on this kid, as he was probably just some innocent bystander that had gotten involved in this mission.

However, hearing this clichéd line of someone who was definitely used to using his power for ill means, he decided otherwise.

Unlike on Earth where there was no magic, special tools and skill weren't required to torture in Angaria.

He simply flicked his fingers, and the kid started to scream out loud, as he was being subjected to the feeling of having his entire body being pricked by needles continuously. With each second that passed by, the needles moved further and further into his skin, until it was apparent on his exposed arms that they would soon break the surface and make the man bleed like a pincushion.

It seemed that the kid also understood this, as he hurriedly said, "Stop stop stop, I beg you! I'll do anything you want that isn't forbidden by the oath! Anything! Please!"

Stopping the spell, Daneel stared at the kid with a smile on his face.

He had had the suspicion before that this was someone who had been sheltered all his life, so seeing him break already in such an easy manner, Daneel confirmed it to be true.

"Oh, don't worry, you don't need to tell me anything that is controlled by the oath. Just… Tell me about yourself. Your hobbies, your pleasures, your life in the sect,…"

"I'm sorry, but I don't swing that way! But I definitely know some of my brethren who do! I can get them outside if you want!"

Hearing himself interrupted in this way, Daneel's lips pressed into a thin line as he realized that he had just been mistaken as some pervert.

Of course, in a way, that conclusion made sense, as he was asking all these personal things about the kid.

However, this knowledge did nothing in decreasing his irritation due to it.

Without a word, he put on a bristling expression on his face and started the spell again, making the kid scream out loud, "Alright, alright! But please, consider the others, I'm sure they'll love it more! My hobbies are…"

Marveling at this kid's ability to rat out his friends at the blink of an eye, Daneel shook his head and conjured a chair quite a distance away from him to not cause any more misunderstandings before settling in and starting to learn.

…

To the west of the Black Raven Kingdom and the north-west of the Kingdom of the Elves, there was a particular location where one would feel as if they were passing through some sort of veil when they progressed on their way towards the endless sea.

Angaria was a landlocked continent with a stormy sea all around it, preventing ships from sailing and fishing, as the waves were too strong and would easily break any civilian boat.

The only ones capable of traversing the sea were mages, but even the strongest mage had had to give up and come back due to a lack of seeing nothing no matter how far he went.

Of course, they had to fly manually, as teleportation was very dangerous above the endless sea, due to the countless thunderstorms that would both interfere with teleportation and also add high risk to it as a mage could simply teleport into one and be burned to a crisp.

And if they teleported too close to the surface of the sea, they might be dragged under.

Even Champion level mages might not be able to withstand the full fury of nature if they weren't sufficiently prepared.

All in all, all the general public knew was that the ocean was untraversable.

Still, many loved to make their way to the scenic spots above the sea where the land ended, to gaze out at its endless lengths and wonder what was out there.

As such, there were small autonomous villages and towns on the coastal areas, but there were no kingdoms.

This invisible veil was something that all travelers went through on their way to reach the coast, but Daneel was now standing in front of it and pondering.

He stepped forward, and back, multiple times, marveling at the smooth effects of the formation that was present here.

The truth was that each and every traveler who passed through here was teleported more than a hundred kilometers forward, directly reaching the coast, after crossing the area where one of the Big Four was present.

This was definitely one of the most ingenious hiding methods that Daneel had ever seen, and although he wanted to examine it more, he stopped himself as he might alert those who were usually on guard at the borders of the sect.

Taking out a strange trinket that looked like a face with its mouth wide open, Daneel held it forward before using blood to draw some symbols.

This part had been given by the watcher, as this was information that was hidden by the oath.

Of course, the blood he was using was from the real Travis, who had become a veritable blood bag and had had multiple bottles of his blood drained just in case Daneel might need it when he was inside the sect.

After doing so and seeing the symbols vanish into thin air, Daneel stepped forward and saw a different sight.

A sprawling area with rich forests, with a singular tower far away in the distance reflecting the sun like a lighthouse.

He couldn't see many buildings, but from what Travis had said, he knew that they were all spread out in these forests, which reminded him of the style in which the Withering Leaf sect headquarters had been constructed. Could these two forces be related in some way?

Hoping that he would find the answer to this question and many more in this trip, Daneel nodded at a short watchtower nearby, where two mages were eyeing him idly.

Walking forward to a stone slate, Daneel once again showed the trinket and said out loud, "Travis Eclair, returning from a routine investigation of the Central Continent."

His voice was low but strong, and as the trinket touched the stone slate, a voice said, "Report your findings to the sect mission headquarters. This is your payment."

A pouch appeared on the slate, opening which Daneel found five Ker Gems.

Already, he saw the disparity between the Central Continent and the big four.

A simple, routine job of touring the Central Continent and making sure that no major threats were present was given a payment of five Ker Gems which equaled 50,000 Ether Blocks, a staggering amount of wealth that he could only dream of back when he was a normal boy.

Excited, Daneel stepped forward but was confronted by a familiar figure.

"You-how's the situation in the Central Continent? Has there been anything happening in Lanthanor?", asked Percy, in a tone which made it clear that he was talking to someone inferior than him.

Chapter 416: The Sect of Hedon 2

Percy was here? Then this meant that… The Mad Doctor was also in the same sect as Ashahell?

Initially, Daneel rejoiced as he realized this fact.

His plan before had been to find a way to also infiltrate the sect that the Mad Doctor was in, in the case that it was different from the one into which he was going in as Travis.

However, now that that wasn't in the case, he would be able to finish all of his objectives in one fell swoop.

However, after that, as he heard the kid talking to him in his irritating tone, he almost felt like taking off his disguise then and there.

Of course, this was only a momentary thought, before it was replaced by the action that Travis would usually do if he was confronted by someone of higher social standing.

"Lanthanor? Everything remains the same, senior brother. If you wish, you can tell me what you want me to find out, and the next time I go there, I can definitely make some inquiries. After all, simple missions like these are best suited for weaker junior brothers like us. We are all depending on you to help us, so this is the least we can do to make sure that you can focus your time on training and becoming stronger."

If he hadn't become quite an accomplished actor after coming to Angaria, Daneel would definitely have had great difficulty in reciting this line in front of the individual with the most punchable face in the entire continent.

"Humph. If you get any news regarding the King of Lanthanor, just let me know."

Leaving these words, Percy thankfully trudged away and teleported, leaving Daneel alone.

Sighing with relief due to the fact that his disguise seemed to be perfect, Daneel started to make his way to where he was lodged.

The Sect of Hedon was a very peculiar place due to the fact that it had no specific direction like the other three, at least according to what the Watcher had told him.

The other three of the Big 4 either worshipped some specific entity, like the Goddess's Sanctum, or had a specialty, like one of the other big four which was apparently focused on only the path of Fighters.

As for the Sect of Hedon, they only prioritized power.

Their motto was "Power is King", so the entire sect functioned in this way.

Incidentally, this was also the sect behind Axelor, because the long-standing wish of the Sect of Hedon was to conquer the Central Continent and take it under its wing.

This was simply to satisfy the thirst for conquest in the leaders of the sect, and also apparently due to the fact that this sect had once ruled the entire continent for a time before crumbling upon itself due to various reasons.

This was all based on the information that Daneel had gotten from the Watcher, so he decided to head to the library first in order to understand everything about the sect clearly.

The Watcher had said that this was all hearsay that he had obtained from his colleagues, as he had never been very interested in finding out more about the outside world, instead focusing on 'Watching' Angaria on the whole in his post from which he had been kicked out mercilessly.

This was a sect that reminded Daneel of the novels he had read when back on Earth, with a contribution points and mission system which allowed disciples to take on tasks to earn resources and give contributions so that they would be considered for more advanced training.

The criteria to enter was also simple: one simply had to have high-grade talent in either the path of a Fighter or Mage.

Daneel was quite happy that everything was progressing so smoothly, but he still kept his guard up as he never knew when something might occur which would risk him exposing his identity.

In fact, he had already been scanned once by some sort of device which originated from the central tower of the sect, but because his camouflage technique had been upgraded along with the system's upgrade to be at the peak Champion level, he hadn't been detected.

Teleportation was allowed in specific spots in the sect, which were indicated by podiums with teleportation doors on which one could stand and transport themselves to a different podium in a different area of the sect by selecting their destination from a floating stone slate beside it.

If anyone teleported to anywhere else, they would immediately be apprehended and fined heavily.

Although Daneel was quite impressed by this smart system, he found the first incongruity in the sect when he approached the podium and saw a kid around 17 years old sitting in front of it and barring everyone's way.

"1/8 of a Ker Gem, you know the drill."

Nodding, Daneel conjured a knife and carefully sliced off a part of his newly earned resources and passed it on, before being allowed to get on the podium.

Here, strength reigned supreme, and only the strong could hope to retain all of their resources.

People like these, who were usually on a higher level than the average sect member, would use their hard-earned power to run side operations like these where they could get extra resources to further their training.

The one who had just taken the part of the Ker Gem was apparently an Eminent warrior who was known for his mastery of metal and gravity elemental particles. Travis had practically been the bottom feeder of the sect with his level as an Exalted Human before his recent breakthrough, and he had taken this mission right after as it was only allowed for Warrior level individuals.

He hadn't had a chance to show his power yet, so he could only still act meekly in front of people like these.

Besides, Daneel had no intention of drawing more attention to himself than necessary.

His clothes were dusty from the travel, so Daneel first made his way to the dormitory where all sect disciples had single rooms.

He was supposed to have quite a few friends, but thankfully, they seemed to have gone out to attend some lecture or the other.

Lectures were frequently conducted by the senior officials of the sect, who expounded on the tricks and tips to manipulate elementary particles to output the best result.

Of course, contribution points were needed to pay for these lectures, but according to what Travis had told him, there was a sort of black market where those with connections used communication eyes to transmit the lecture to display trinkets so that those who didn't have the cultivation points could still watch and listen after paying a small amount of money.

Here, money meant resources, and the most common denomination was fractions of Ker Gems.

Daneel was starting to get more and more surprised by this internal structure of this sect, where corruption was rampant everywhere. All of the core functionalities of the sect seemed to be compromised using such underhanded means, so how did this sect even function?

Deciding to find out, Daneel headed to the library, where he once again had to pay 1/8 of a Ker Gem to access something that was supposed to be free for all disciples.

As a warrior, he now had access to both the first and second levels of the library, with the second holding techniques to augment a warrior's output of strength.

Daneel had already obtained many techniques like these, which was similar to the hidden kill fist technique that he had gotten so long ago. They all used one principal or the other to make it so that Warriors would not waste their strength when fighting opponents.

For example, Daneel had just seen a fist technique called the "Dragon's Fist", which apparently used the concepts of a dragon's movements to make a Warrior punch with extra power by using a different kind of stance.

Just as he was going through it, he heard a voice calling him.

It had already called three times, but because Daneel still wasn't used to being called Travis, he had had to take this long to notice it.

Now that he did, he looked up and saw a round individual with chubby cheeks and short hair striding towards him with a wide smile.

This was Grod, one of Travis's closest friends.

"There he is! Became a Warrior and set out without telling any of us? We of the 'Shameless Sect' were all going to have a meeting the night you left! We had to carry on without you."

The 'Shameless Sect' was something that Travis and his friends had formed, as they were all background-less people who had entered the sect through their talent alone.

Only, they didn't have very high talent, so they were used to being kicked around by those above.

So, these 5 students had banded together with a single motto to help them meander through this sect:

"When you can, bluster. When you can't, be shameless!"

Clearly, this was exactly what Travis had been doing when he had been interrogated by Daneel before.

"Oh? Yeah, I was completely out of resources, so I took that mission. So what did you discuss in that meeting, anyway?"

Sitting down on a table nearby, the fatty gestured at him to come.

Putting the technique book back, Daneel walked to the table and sat down, grimacing at the strong oily smell that was coming from the fatty.

"This is top-secret! With you, we have 3 Warriors now. It's about time we set up our own side operation! There aren't that many gigs left, you know. Our goal is to get more resources and contribution points so that we can access more parts of the library and hidden areas of the sect! Do you have any?"

Hearing this, Daneel was really taken aback.

The things that the fatty had mentioned were exactly what he wanted.

So, pondering after a while, he said, "Yes, but not here. I'll tell you when we are alone."

While he was saying this, Daneel had a mischievous smile on his face.

Corruption? Well, as someone from Earth, he was the forefront authority on the matter.

It seemed that this trip might end up being much more fun than he had thought.

Chapter 417: Mea

Promising to come to a meeting of the Shameless Sect that was scheduled that night, Daneel shooed the fatty off before picking up the technique book again.

Indeed, it was a very interesting concept to use a stance to output more power, but Daneel realized that his own fighting style of using the Hidden Kill Fist as a foundation was too familiar to him.

He had no idea whether changing Fighting technique would have any effects on his overall power output, so he decided to try it after compiling everything in the library.

The ideal thing to do would be to collect everything at once, but Daneel decided to act tactfully.

After all, it would be strange for anyone to run their fingers on all the books, no matter how much they tried to make it look like a quirk.

With no intention to court disaster, he partitioned the library into 8 zones, with each floor divided into 4 zones. It was a very large library, so this was necessary.

Each day, he would be able to cover one zone.

However, Daneel noticed a problem.

If he had to visit the library 8 times, he would have to give up an entire Ker Gem as fee!

As someone who had grown up from a frugal background, Daneel was loth to waste money. Even that experiment with the Ker Gem before had really hurt his heart.

No. There was no way that he could allow this farce of collecting fee, at least from him, to continue.

There were only two ways to get out of paying such fee: One, have a high enough social standing either using background or personal power.

Two, have a side business whose services can be exchanged.

The former was not possible right now, as a sudden growth in power from Travis Éclair would definitely result in scrutiny from higher-ups.

So, the latter was the only option.

Deciding on it, Daneel took his time and covered the first zone on the second floor, which had many techniques.

Sadly, he did realize one thing: in the entire library, there were very few history books which pertained to that mythical time when the Sect of Hedon had seemingly ruled over the continent.

Either the information was lost, or it was hidden to all but the higher echelons.

Daneel had been really looking forward to finding some clues regarding the connections and similarities between the kingdoms in the Central Continent right away, but it seemed like he would have to wait.

Nevertheless, the King of Lanthanor smiled to himself, as his opportunities felt almost limitless here.

Corruption was truly something that he had seen a lot of back on Earth, so he felt like a fish in water in this place. Even though he abhorred it, he had to admit that he had a flair in getting ideas to carry it out, probably because his mind had been constricted all this while, only being able to think of 'good' solutions and ideas for the most part.

Hence, looking forward to the meeting, Daneel spent his time taking out random books or touching them in one way or the other so as to feed their information to the system.

….

A few hours later.

As Daneel finally exited the library, he found that he was famished.

Their meeting was two hours from now, so he had enough time to eat and explore a bit more.

While heading to the cafeteria of the sect, Daneel asked the system, "Let me know if any important data is collected."

A while back, he had already sat down with the system and clearly tagged all matters that he deemed "important", such as information relating to his talent in magic which exceeded the known grades, or anything related to the Central Continent.

The objective of collecting as many techniques as possible was to later have the system extract the best parts to make something which suited him, so he didn't need to ask about it.

The walk to the cafeteria would take 40 minutes, or he could pay an eighth of a Ker Gem again to teleport.

Of course, as a newly ascended Warrior who closely guarded his resources, and as someone who just couldn't justify spending thousands of precious Ether blocks to just save himself some effort, Daneel chose the latter.

The moon was out, so the surroundings of the sect were suffused in a warm light that brought out a unique beauty the likes of which Daneel had never seen before.

The layout of the Sect of Hedon was in the form of wide walkways paved in among the grass amidst the vibrant trees that were everywhere. The walkway seemed to be made of some kind of marble, as it shone in the moonlight with a soft glow.

Each walkway could accommodate at least 20 people side by side, so this made Daneel understand that the Sect must have once had a very large population.

Buildings were in the style of the Withering Leaf Sect: with creeps gracefully augmenting their appearance, making them blend into nature.

Daneel couldn't believe at all that such a beautiful place could be home to such a rotting sect.

Shaking his head, he finally arrived at the cafeteria and saw to his surprise that no one was asking for a fee here.

Well, it made sense. If even one's basic sustenance was denied, it was very possible for mass riots to occur.

Only, when he entered, he saw that he had been mistaken.

Thankfully, it was only slightly.

There were 3 different queues for food, with the first having the most members.

There was no one near the first queue, but from the envious gazes that were shot by those in this one towards the sect members in the other two queues, Daneel understood what was happening.

Back during the episode with the Black Raven Kingdom, Daneel had reared a wondrous type of wheat in the farms in his Kingdom. Apparently, eating them would result in a boost in power, giving the effect of training for a period of time.

Only, of course, the adverse effect of that plant had been that it ate away at the soil and made it barren.

This was only one variety of the crop, so it only made sense that there might be others with lesser side effects.

The second queue seemed to be the living proof of this: along with the food that was served in the first, a perfectly square shaped piece of bread was also given here to each member.

Only, unlike the first which needed no authentication, each member of the queue in the second needed to show their trinket with the face and the open mouth.

Seeing this piece of golden bread that seemed to shine, Daneel salivated, even though he didn't understand why he was doing so.

He had a hunch that this bread was made of some type of Energy-rich plant, and he could tell that he was right.

Wait, if this was already being served in the second queue, then what was being served in the third?

Bending his head, Daneel noticed a strange metallic box beside the serving table for the third queue.

The third queue had the fewest members, but each time someone approached the serving table, the metal box would be opened for the briefest of moments to remove a square-shaped piece of meat.

It looked like it came from some kind of fish, and from the steam that escaped each time the door was opened, Daneel could tell what the cooking method was.

He was completely entranced by this piece of meat, as it was the most perfect piece of food he had ever seen since coming to Angaria.

He hadn't been that much of a foodie back on Earth, so this trait had carried over the Angaria. However, he really did enjoy the general cuisine in the Palace, which involved dousing meats from various beasts in flagrant sauces before serving them on a bed of bread or vegetables.

This meat definitely wasn't from the beasts found on Angaria, as it was a fact that the meat of wild beasts had no beneficial effects for humans. Only their other body parts, such as their teeth and claws, could be used to make weapons or trinkets.

It was pink in color, but it's hue looked so brilliant that one would feel like staring at it as long as possible, feeling reluctant to spoil its perfection by doing something as uncouth as cutting it apart.

It shone with a bright luster, as if it were absorbing all the attention and light in the room.

His eyes followed a woman who had just been served the piece of meat, who sat down at a table and picked it up before admiring it for a while.

Yes, this was what it deserved.

Daneel appreciated the woman, but after that, he felt horrified when he saw her swallow it whole.

The juices flowed from the corner of her mouth as she munched on the meat with an expression of extreme delight, but suddenly, she looked at Daneel who stepped back with shock, as he had just gotten the feeling that someone had tightened their hands around his neck.

His step back made him bounce on something soft, making him turn back and notice the fatty who was also looking at the woman eating the meat.

Only, he was stealing glances instead of abjectly staring like Daneel.

"The day I get the meat of the fish from the endless sea, I'll save it and eat it bit by bit, for a month. No, make it 6 months. A year it is! No one would be foolish enough to waste food that has more Energy than 100 Ker Gems combined."

As the fatty smacked his lips while saying this, Daneel's eyes widened.

…..

2 hours later, in one of the rooms in the disciples' dormitory.

Smacking his hands on the table in between the 5 people, Daneel, as Travis, said, "All right, we have to get an awesome side business to eat that meat! If any of you slack off, I'll bash your heads in!"

Chapter 418: Plan

Seeing the enthusiasm of their friend, all the members of the Shameless sect were quite surprised.

What had gotten into Travis today?

The fatty, being the one closest to Travis, asked.

"We really admire your drive, but do you think we were just sitting around twiddling our thumbs in all the time you were gone? All the side businesses are already taken!"

Hearing the fatty say this, Daneel came back to his senses.

He couldn't help it; for the first time, he had a very strong craving to eat that meat.

Of course, he kept telling himself that this was because he wanted to see if it would help in him training as a Warrior faster.

Before, when he had been training as a Human, both the blood of the mosquitoes and the Ker Gems had accelerated his training greatly, as they were Energy materials used by the next level usually. When used by someone below the requisite level, even though some of their efficacy would be wasted, they provided a considerable boost in training speed.

Now, having become a Warrior, Daneel no longer had that advantage. His progress had slowed down by quite a lot, so one of his other objectives had also been to find out what the next, higher grade of Energy was.

After all, there were no Champions in the Central Continent unless one counted the Watcher, so there was no need at all for information about this Energy resource to be present here.

Of course, just like the bread which was only a secondary item to increase training speed, the fish, which was miraculously from the endless sea which Daneel had thought to be uninhabited except by the corpses of those who had tried to cross, was definitely also a secondary item for Champions.

Sadly, none of the others in the Shameless sect knew the resource for Champions, as they had no reason to know about it. They only needed to concern themselves with knowledge on their level.

The other members of the Shameless sect were Clyde, Henry, and Jarred.

Clyde was a lanky youth with short hair, while Henry was of a normal height with bushy eyebrows.

As for Jarred, he had black hair and a short nose coupled with a double chin.

These three were also from simple background just like the Fatty and Travis, so they were all united in the fact that they had clawed their way up the ladder.

Clyde was a timid youth, but according to Travis, he was the first to become a Warrior among them, and he was also known to be ferocious when fighting.

Jarred and Henry were both the only remaining Exalted Humans in the group, and they were apparently brothers who loved to do almost everything together.

Seeing Daneel just sit and observe them weirdly after giving a statement like that, the fatty continued.

"From the most profitable side business of reselling parts of Energy food given to stronger members of the sect, to the most despicable one of always interrupting youths during…ahem…special activities and demanding money, all of them are taken. We are called Hedons for a reason. We take pleasure in obtaining stuff, no matter what the route to obtain it was. We are the Shameless sect, but even the shameless side jobs aren't left for us."

Hearing this, Daneel felt like gagging.

Such a ridiculous side business existed?

Daneel knew for a fact that the Sect of Hedon only accepted male disciples for some reason. As such, there were a large community of physical help, forest caretakers and maidservants which had sprung up around the sect.

Some of the favorite past times of the active youth of the sect were to travel to these sections to partake in 'special' activities, as the fatty put it, but someone's side business was to interrupt even these moments of sacred pleasure?

Despicable, indeed.

Of course, on seeing this form of arrangement, Daneel had gotten the doubt whether the sect members might use force to solicit the services of the normal humans.

However, apparently, such things were strictly forbidden, which made Daneel understand why the Mad Doctor's son must have been admonished when he engaged with the maids in unwanted advances, from what Percy had told him.

All this was fascinating about the sect, but Daneel decided to get back to the topic at hand.

Now, he had four goals:

1) Find a way to access more information restricted to Amateur Warriors to find out the history of the continent.

2) Find out Ashahell's plans to deliver something to have the Church come early, and find a plan to thwart them.

3) Find where the Mad Doctor was training his son and the others, and kill them(this had to be done last, as a chase would definitely follow)

4) Finally, find the resource that was a higher grade than Ker Gems, and find out the taste of the meat of the fish from the endless sea.

Whew. Listing it like this, it felt daunting, but it all came back to utilizing the atmosphere of corruption to obtain resources and contribution points to be noticed by the higher echelons.

So, coming back to his senses, Daneel banged on the table again.

According to Travis, he was a spirited lad who rarely controlled his emotions.

Daneel acted the part.

"Shameless sect! How could you give up on such an important matter so easily? This concerns our future! Because we have given ourselves this name, then we must adhere to it faithfully! Tomorrow, we will take a complete tour of the entire sect and the sect rules to figure out whether my plan will work. I will only tell it to you after I confirm it. So, have a good night's rest, because we have our work cut out for tomorrow! Get out!"

This was his room, so Daneel threw them all out with magic before they could respond.

Banging the door on their faces, the King of Lanthanor smiled to himself, feeling happy that this was a day well spent.

Meanwhile, outside, his fellow sect members grumbled that their friend had gotten even more insufferably dramatic after his breakthrough.

….

The next morning, just like he had told them, the 4 gathered at the entrance of the dormitory before setting off on the walkways.

They walked to each and every important part of the sect, and as the sect spanned over a hundred kilometers in area with a lot of empty space in between, they would all have dropped dead if they weren't at least Exalted Humans.

Still, the Warriors in the group started to feel slight fatigue, while the Humans had already given up halfway through their quest.

Of course, the most energy-filled one was Daneel, who actively led them everywhere.

Each and every side business was analyzed and listed, along with the prices and the power levels of the individuals manning those side businesses.

In some cases, even 'official' corruption was seen, like in the case of the sect member assigned to handing out tasks who reserved the easiest ones to those who paid the most.

Before the real Travis had set out, he had apparently paid all of his savings to get that task.

Finally, as the day neared evening, Daneel bade the tired fatty and Clyde off before heading to the library.

Even though his heart hurt again, he paid the eight of the Ker Gem and covered another zone in the library.

Finally, going back to his room, he assembled his thoughts for a few minutes, taking his time.

When he was done, he called the four to his room using their communication trinkets.

With an expression complete seriousness, Daneel began.

"I have a series of plans for side businesses laid out, but they are in the increasing order of difficulty. In fact, if you hear the one on the top of the list, I guarantee that you will faint with shock. Anyway, we will start at the lowest and work our way up-"

…..

The next day, Percy was walking around the sect as usual when he saw many sect members whispering amongst each other.

He had a weird habit of walking the entire length of the sect at a blazing speed each day, as he claimed that this helped him to increase his control over his power of a Fighter along with regular sparring.

So, when he saw these murmuring sect members in a remote corner of the sect, Percy followed them silently without alerting anyone.

On the way, he caught snippets of conversation.

"Imagine it! If it's true, I can soar into the heavens at once!"

"Exactly! And it's just 5 Ker Gems. It's not like we can't earn that back by working hard."

"You heard him. It has all the right signs! Besides, he even guaranteed a refund! Even if there ends up being nothing there, we can just get our money back!"

Getting more and more puzzled by the second, Percy noticed that the students were now coming out from somewhere inside the forest, off the walkway.

Knowing that he had to satiate his curiosity, he covered his face and made his way inside, following the clues left behind by the excitedly chattering sect members.

Finally, he came across a clearing where 5 sect members were sitting underneath words written in flames, answering questions from the crowd that had gathered.

"Secret expedition to a place where I observed a phenomenon and got hints about a (possible)core inheritance! To follow, pay 5 Ker Gems! Refund if there's nothing there, but don't blame me if you aren't talented enough to comprehend the intricacies! Only for Amateur Warriors!"

As Percy gasped on seeing this, Daneel, who was sitting below the words, smiled at the box in front of him which was filling up with Ker Gems.

If there was one thing he had learned from the corruption he had seen on Earth, then it was that 'scams' were the most lucrative methods to earn money!

Chapter 419: Percy's Stinginess

5 Ker Gems to be taken on an expedition to possibly get hints or clues about a core inheritance?

In many ways, it was a steal, which was the reason why almost all the Amateur Warriors flocked here.

Only, the problem was if this became too famous and alerted the higher-ups.

The truth was that this wasn't the first time that something like this had happened.

Many students had tried to scam out the resources from large groups of people, but their problem was that the group would end up ganging on them, making them cough back everything they had obtained.

Everyone knew this fact, so there was little inhibition in taking such an opportunity.

Besides, the person responsible for the operation himself was promising a refund, so it was unlikely that there would be a problem.

As for the matter with the higher-ups wanting to investigate as core inheritances were essential resources for any sect, they had tried before in secret when the first scams had come up.

However, seeing how things played out, they had started to ignore them, as if the expedition turned out to be a success, then they would be notified about it anyway.

So, all in all, this was a perfect plan, if the scammer wasn't being disingenuous.

All these thoughts passed through Percy's head, which made him walk up to the blonde kid who seemed to be in charge.

Of course, this was Daneel.

"Oh, it's you again. Sign me up, too."

This was the attitude that someone just a step away from being an Exalted Warrior had to have.

Only, after a pause during which the kid waited for payment but didn't see any gems, Percy could swear he saw an irritated and cunning expression on his face for a fraction of a second.

"What's the matter? You dare to ask me for payment?"

As someone who had clawed his way up from the bottom just like the Shameless sect, Percy's shamelessness was on a whole other level. He was stingy to the extreme, so he had no intention to pay.

This slightly angry statement made alarm appear on the kid's face, before he said fearfully, "Not in a million years, senior brother! It's just that…this inheritance is weird. All those above the level of an Amateur Warrior get adversely affected on trying to obtain it. I know this, because when I first found it, it was along with another disciple from one of the other Big 4 who seemed to have arrived coincidentally. He gloated about his strength and tried to make me leave, but he immediately left after trying to understand the inheritance while saying weird things. I had already been comprehending it without any problems, so I realized that this might be the case."

"Humph. You let me worry about that. I'm no ordinary Eminent Warrior. Just get me there, and maybe I'll help you and the others out with what I comprehend. Of course, if it turns out to be a scam, I'll be expecting additional payment from you."

"How generous of senior brother Percy!"

"Thank you so much, senior brother!"

"You are a real role model!"

As statements like these echoed from the Amateur Warriors nearby, Percy raised his head and stared into the distance as if he was some venerable sage who had descended to help others generously.

So, he missed the expression of absolute mischief that passed across the blonde kid's face.

After a few seconds, the kid replied, "Thank you, senior brother! We set off tomorrow at noon. Please meet me at the south exit 7 of the sect."

Nodding, Percy left while maintaining his attitude.

Seeing this sight, the fatty asked, "Travis, you're sure right? We will have to pay back everything with interest if you're not. Damn that 'senior brother'. He's just taking advantage of us."

This made Travis chuckle slightly before replying, "Let me worry about that. Let's see who takes advantage of whom tomorrow."

Leaving these cryptic words, Travis ordered the others to take down the banner as almost all the Amateur Warriors had already been tapped.

While leaving to the library, he had a sinister smile on his face.

Daneel was really looking forward to tomorrow.

….

Meanwhile, at the very top of the tower in the center of the Sect of Hedon.

To those inside the sect, it looked like this tower ended at a specific height in the sky.

Very few that this was an illusion. In reality, the tower penetrated the clouds, coming to a stop at a dizzying height of 15,000 meters.

At this altitude, only clouds could be seen all around, while the temperature also plummeted to such low levels that the real top was always coated by ice.

Staring out at this endless sea of clouds at the top of the tower was a man wearing a peculiar attire.

He had a small, globe-shaped earring on one ear, which was barely visible due to his long brown hair that fell to his shoulders.

His clean-shaven long face had a calm expression on it, while his thin lips were pressed together.

His black robes that had a gold trim in a few places such as the shoulders and the chest area glinted due to the light, and he seemed to be frozen in place, as if he wouldn't move no matter how many eons passed.

Feeling a communication trinket vibrate, he sighed and teleported, reappearing in a grand hall on the lower level of the same tower.

Around him were all the Champions of the Sect of Hedon, sitting in silence with respect.

As someone who had shown enough talent and power to become the youngest leader of the High Council, he was their pride.

However, all he felt was disgust when he saw them.

"This is the routine report on the sect, my Lord Ashahell."

As a Warrior-level scribe handed over a data trinket, Ashahell gave it a perfunctory glance before going through it idly.

Most of the information was normal, pertaining to the recent breakthroughs and the general situation in Angaria.

For some reason, when he saw the news about the King of Lanthanor's grand announcement to his people, he smiled, but that smile looked like it had no ill intentions.

Instead, it was almost like the man who was known for his cold countenance was happy.

Finally, he stopped on the news of the scam expedition that was going to set out the next day.

Indeed, although it seemed to everyone that the sect was frivolous in nature, in truth, they kept a close watch on all the activities.

News concerning an inheritance, even if it might be a scam and might not be a core one, had to be passed up all the way to the sect leader.

Lounging idly in the high throne made of stone that looked like it had been made for a giant to sit on, Ashahell recounted his days in the sect when he had similarly gone on a scam like this.

He had later been found out and reprimanded by his teachers who felt that it was a waste of time given his incredible talent, but it was one of the fondest memories of his life.

Handing it back, he said, "Everything looks fine. As you were."

Saying so, he teleported back to the top of the tower, leaving a host of Champions who all bowed reverentially.

While gazing out once again at the clouds, he only had one though: Angaria was…so beautiful.

Alas, what had to happen, had to happen.

Taking out a communication trinket, he said, "Is the delivery on schedule?"

"Yes, My Lord Ashahell. All will definitely go according to your plan."

Nodding to himself, he let silence regain its hold on the room.

If anyone saw this sight, they would remark on how lonely this individual looked.

It was as if he was a lone boat struggling along in the middle of a calm sea, with nothing but water in sight.

Waves of sadness and regret radiated from him, but there was an underlying sense of duty that could be detected.

As he continued watching, he once again became frozen in place.

…..

That night.

The Shameless sect had a lot of things to do to prepare for the excursion the next day. The 4 members were in charge of something…special inside the sect, while Daneel headed outside.

He had expected that the exits might have some of the Amateur Warriors making sure that the 5 wouldn't run away with the gems, but seeing that there was no such thing, he let out a relieved sigh.

Little did he know that the fate of someone who had tried that stunt the last time had ended in a desiccated corpse that couldn't even be recognized by his closest friend.

Sect members were allowed to leave for a short period of time, but if it crossed the threshold, they would be called back forcefully using the oaths they had sworn.

The threshold was one day, but Daneel only needed to be out for an hour.

The Sect of Hedon was surrounded by a rich forest, so Daneel didn't have to search long before finding an underground cavern with a waterfall.

Squatting in front of the surface of the small lake that had formed due to the waterfall, Daneel cast the spell he had prepared.

A mysterious series of lights appeared above the lake, swirling around in random patterns and at times passing through the surface of the water.

Checking 5 times to make sure that everything was all right and that he wasn't being spied on, Daneel smiled mischievously.

It was almost time to watch a great show.

Chapter 420: First Act of Corruption: Scam 1

"Oh my god, he wasn't lying!"

"Incredible! This is worth those Ker Gems!"

"Everyone move away! I'll be going first!"

"Travis, I'm sorry I doubted you! From now, I'll tell my big brother to give you free passage to the transportation door that leads to the dormitory!"

As sentences like these resounded in the scenic cave, around 100 individuals were all milling around the lake above which bright lights were swirling around calmly.

They had excitement in their expressions, imagining themselves comprehending a core inheritance and soaring to the sky in one go.

Core Inheritances also had very strict criteria for one to comprehend them and be able to use them in battle, so all those with the capability to do so after reaching a certain level were treasured by the sect and given a high status almost equal to the Champions in the sect.

So, seeing that their dreams might become true, some even started shoving forward.

However, the by-now renowned Shameless sect, which had thankfully chosen not to disclose this name, had prepared for this.

Magnifying his voice, Daneel spoke, the sound reverberating throughout the cave.

"Everyone, listen up! I have done my part, now it's all up to you! Let me give you some warning beforehand: only one person can try to comprehend at a given time! So, I suggest that everyone form a line! When it's your turn, submerge yourself in the water and wait! Remember, pay utmost concentration!"

These words calmed everyone down, making them assemble into a line.

Some adopted a cautious attitude, as it was possible that there might be danger involved.

Others were enthusiastic, as they believed that Travis had already entered the lake and received something or the other.

So, after a little jostling around, the first one to enter was chosen.

He was the person who had promised Travis that perk from his big brother before, and he was supposed to be one of the most talented Amateur Warriors in the sect.

Only, both he and his big brother came from modest backgrounds, so they worked hard to gain power and use it to earn as much as possible.

The difference between these brothers and the Shameless sect was that the latter were supposed to have lower talent than that duo. Also, pride had gotten to their heads, so they constantly liked to speak as if they were superior compared to those who came from completely normal backgrounds.

Even before, when he had made that promise to Daneel, this kid had had a gloating expression on his face, as if he was doing him a great favor.

Daneel observed this, and actually felt happy.

It was time for the scam to begin.

He was already 500 Ker Gems richer, so his first plan of corruption was already a success. Now, all that remained was to not arouse suspicion and ire.

The best kind of scam was one where those being scammed had no idea that they were being scammed.

So, he smiled and magnified his voice once again before saying, "One final reminder. Different people comprehend this phenomenon up to a different level. I would suggest that your specific level of and type of comprehension be kept secret. After all, there is no sense in helping others without profit. I can give one hint though: this inheritance has the miraculous effect by making one hyper-aware of their surroundings. Enemy attacks will seem clearer for a brief period of time, and one can use this time to counter-attack effectively. It needs great concentration, and it only works for very brief moments, but when used properly, it can tip the scale towards your victory. All right, good luck!"

These words made the faces of those standing in queue heat up.

An inheritance to become hyper=aware?!

Such a thing existed??

If so, then it was definitely a tier-0 inheritance, something so precious that only one who had given countless contributions could access.

Today, they had the chance to learn it for a paltry 5 Ker Gems?!

This was their chance!!

But wait…how could they believe what this kid was saying? He could be lying, right?

Daneel had already planned this part. After all, a scammer had to be prepared for moments when his prey might question him.

As thoughts like these went through his head, he realized that he, himself, might have gotten corrupted by the environment.

But…hadn't he been the one to burn food stores to eventually take control of the Hidden Kill Sect?

Maybe a scammer had been there inside him all along!

Chuckling softly to himself at this, Daneel took it in stride.

Well, if saving Angaria required a few scams and a lot of cheating, he didn't mind.

Besides, it was actually very fun.

Daneel was only in the sect to quickly finish his objectives and leave. So, he was going to exploit the heck out of this corruption-fueled environment when he could.

"I know what all of you are thinking. So, let me demonstrate to you all what I learned. Senior brother Percy, if you please?"

Originally, the plan had been to use some 3rd level Warrior sect member. However, now that there was an Eminent Warrior present, this was the better option, as it would go a long way in convincing the others.

Percy had been standing to the side and calmly observing everything as though he had something on his mind.

Hearing his name called, he frowned and looked up to see the blonde-haired kid waiting for him.

Reaching the raised stone podium-sort location where Daneel was standing, he waited for the kid to speak.

"All of you know senior brother Percy is a peak Eminent Warrior. I'm just a 1st level Amateur Warrior, I stand no chance against him. Senior brother, as someone who has been an Amateur Warrior, you must know about the limits of our reaction speed, right? Could you please humor me by punching me fast enough that there would be no way for me to avoid it with my current level?"

Hearing these words, the sect members looked on with interest in their eyes, waiting for the outcome.

With a nod, still slightly annoyed at having his thoughts interrupted, Percy swung his fist and hit Daneel squarely in the jaw.

He hadn't expended too much force, but his jaw still hurt like hell.

Massaging it, Daneel grumbled inwardly that he would soon take back payment in full before closing his eyes and entering into a deep state of mock thought.

He could feel their eyes on him, as they waited with bated breath to confirm that he wasn't lying.

All of them had seen the speed of that punch: there was no way that any one of them could have dodged it.

After taking 30 seconds, Daneel opened his eyes, which now looked like they shone.

"Again, if you please, senior brother."

Gasp!

As they saw Travis lean back with panic on his face at the exact moment when Percy's fist had been about to hit him, they realized it: it must be true! With his hypersensitive sense, he had predicted the attack and dodged! Incredible!

Similar thoughts went through the minds of all those present in the cave, including Percy, who was staring with shock at Daneel and the lights.

This was a real core inheritance! This act alone would be enough to make the sect classify this spot as top secret!

No, they couldn't know about it right away! First, he had to have a chance!

He was just about to turn about and frantically run into the water to try and comprehend the inheritance first, but he was shocked when he heard a 'splash!' from the direction of the lake.

This made Daneel smile surreptitiously.

Scam: success.

Saying that his job was done, he seemed to leave the cave along with his colleagues.

…..

After that demonstration, everyone was happy to see Travis and the other 4 leave.

They had paid for this, so they were going to obtain it!

However, no one knew what lay inside the lake and the swirling lights.

Thankfully, the frontmost member had jumped forward.

His name was Fryre, and he came from a relatively rich merchant family which made constant donations to the sect to procure their son better treatment.

He had been completely amazed by Travis's performance, so he had directly jumped into the lake.

Floating in it, he looked up to see the lights.

Noticing their dizzying patterns, he suddenly felt drowsy, and entered into a half-asleep state.

In his blurry vision, a figure materialized before shooting towards him at blinding speed and throwing a punch.

"OW!"

Fryre had thought that he was leaving, but he screamed with pain when the punch impacted hi stomach.

However, looking down he saw no damage.

Emboldened, Fryre tried to fight the figure, but no matter what he did, it was always one step ahead.

His attacks would be dodged in the blink of an eye, and he wouldn't even be able to see when the other party swung their sword.

After a point, bloodcurdling screams started to emanate from his mouth, as he had started to bleed in his half-dream state.

The pain was too excruciating! What the heck was all that stuff about the inheritance? This was just plain torture!

How was he supposed to leave?

Thankfully, the moment this thought came in his head, everything vanished, leaving his body the same way it had been.

That's it? He was supposed to get beaten up to learn the inheritance? What kind of sick joke was this?

He wanted a refund!

However, just when he was about to say something, Travis's voice echoed in the cavern again.

"Your experiences in the dream-like state that you enter are the key to understanding the inheritance. The more pain you suffer, the more you might be able to understand! Good luck! I was able to only grasp a little, but all of you with great talent might be able to get so much more!"

"Haha, we definitely will!"

"You just meekly watch over there, Travis. Don't feel bitter later when you see us shine!"

"Hehe, 5 Ker Gems was really cheap. I would have paid 50 for this!"

Hearing statements like these, he suddenly wanted to go back in, but remembering the excruciating pain and shuddering, he gave up.

As he got out of the lake and heard more excited boasts of his colleagues, he shook his head with a mysterious expression on his head and stood to the side when he was asked what he experienced.

After all, why should only he have all the fun? They had to enjoy too.

Besides, they had even made such proclamations. Surely, they didn't need a warning.

At this moment, one of the most harrowing experiences that these sect members would ever go through began.

The irony was, they had paid for it themselves.

Watching this scene, Daneel laughed to himself again, feeling happy that things were going the way he had expected.

However, when his gaze turned towards Percy, a slightly cold look entered his face.

Now, how was he going to take revenge on this snivelly bast**d?

Chapter 421: First Act of Corruption: Scam End

As the gears in his mind turned, one sect member after another entered the lake and tasted the baptism of pain.

Without fault, none of them managed to understand anything, but they still stood to the side in deep thought, as if they had comprehended something amazing and needed time to process it.

After all, no one had asked them to make those statements before.

Each sect member took around 2 minutes or so, so the line was moving quickly.

One option for Daneel was to reveal his identity, and make the kid prostrate on the ground to his "Senior Brother", or even his master.

However, he discarded this, as it was too risky.

No matter how the kid acted, there was no reason to trust him completely yet. Hence, exposing the fact that he had infiltrated the sect might bring him trouble so immense that he would have no time to regret later.

So, he had to do something else.

After a few seconds, Daneel hit on an idea.

Percy had been observing the proceedings in the cave with a frown. Although he also felt very excited about the inheritance, he calmed himself and chose to see how the others were doing before entering by himself.

Yet, no matter how much he watched, he couldn't understand.

All of them winced, and then acted as if it had been very 'enlightening'.

After around 20 people were done, he couldn't control himself anymore and decided to cut the line to find out what was going on for himself.

However, he found his way blocked by the blonde-haired kid.

"Senior brother, your status is above us all. Why do you need to cut through these normal sect members? If you could wait till the end, you can spend as much time here as you want. Besides, whenever this phenomenon appears, it lasts at least for a day."

Hearing this, he did agree that with his status, there was no meaning in taking the same time as everyone else.

When such an easy fix was around, it didn't make sense to insist to make the others wait and grumble.

So, nodding with an expression of dignity on his face, Percy walked to the side and leaned on a wall before closing his eyes, as if he was some cool master who had entered meditation.

"Senior brother is so kind!"

Even as Daneel said these words, he gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to punch this kid in his guts right away.

With one thing ticked off his list of things to do, Daneel climbed on top of a rock from where he could view everything happening in the cavern.

30 people were already done, so the next problem should be arising soon.

Sure enough, the 33rd sect member, who was a large kid with bulging muscles, exclaimed, "What is this bullsh*t? I just got beaten up! There's nothing to learn in this! I still think you're scamming us! Maybe you learned that inheritance in some other way!"

It was about time.

Hearing this, the others who had been acting so far also started to erupt in protests.

"Yes! This is still a scam!"

"Out with it, Travis! How can getting beaten up help us to learn?"

Hearing the commotion, Percy opened his eyes and glanced up.

They were getting beaten up? How?

Although he didn't understand, he decided to wait and watch like the 'dignified' senior he was.

As Daneel was about to open his mouth to respond, one of those who had already gotten into the pool walked forward.

He had stayed silent till now, but after stepping in front of the crowd, he hit his right palm with his left fist and exclaimed loudly, "I GOT IT!"

This shout stopped the others, who were puzzled as to what was going on.

The kid who had walked forward was named Keefer, and he was one of the more talented ones in the Amateur Warriors of the Sect of Hedon.

After a pause, he continued.

"Guys! Don't blame Travis, it's you all that need to change your perspective! When you are getting beaten, focus on how the opponent is doing it! I did that, and I think I almost grasped something! I'm not lying! Travis, this the correct method, right?"

With a sigh, the blonde haired kid glanced at everyone and replied, "You are too impressive. I was hoping to hide this and charge extra for it. That is the correct way. Just focus like that, and you should be able to grasp something."

As if on queue, 2 of the 30, who had been shouting before but had apparently sunk into deep thought on hearing Keefer, clapped their hands and thighs respectively as if they had realized something.

"He's right! I realized something, too! That's the right way! I want to go again!"

This settled it. As one, the others quieted down and began pondering again with renewed enthusiasm, while those in queue smacked their lips as if in anticipation and looked forward to their turn.

Meanwhile, Clyde, who had been prepared beforehand, stood to the side and said, "If you want to go in again, pay 5 more Ker Gems here. You can try to say no, but if you do, Travis knows a way to make this entire thing disappear."

This made everyone exclaim in shock, before they glanced at Travis as one.

"Yes. I didn't mention it before, as you all needed to see that it existed in the first place. Please pay up. It's not like you aren't charged extra to enter the library even if you go out for lunch and have to go back in. Besides, the benefits are too amazing!"

With this, it became clear that the crowd had two options: either risk it, or follow along.

With the allure of the possibility of entirely changing their future, they chose the former.

As they grumblingly nodded, some in the initial 30 started to walk up to Clyde to pay.

"Great! Remember, use your time carefully. This phenomenon is somehow sentient- it appears and disappears in random places. That was why I advertised this expedition with caution, saying that it's only 'possible'. Who knows, this might be the last time it graces us."

As a sense of urgency appeared in everyone's face, they started to try to spend more and more time in the lake.

Percy was watching everything, but he chose not to comment.

However, he was slightly impressed with Travis's tact which enabled him to milk this as much as possible.

It was mostly the case that he was bluffing, but it had worked.

As everything settled down once again, Daneel shared a look with the other 4 from the Shameless Sect.

All of this was scripted, and it had gone beautifully.

Last night, this was what the other 4 had been doing: they had approached those in the list of people who had signed up who were known for being opportunists.

These people were charged to fake this, and they were promised simplified explanations of what Daneel had learned, and 20 Ker Gems.

With such a large reward, and the possibility of succeeding using the explanation that had agreed.

This was his second phase of the scam: when doubt arose, he would use it to convert it into more earnings.

There were no risks, as it was impossible for these kids to comprehend anything without being beaten to an inch of their lives.

As for those who had been charged to act, Daneel would be giving them a different technique altogether which had been created by the system.

Only, it was barely on the level of an inheritance, which they would realize later and find out that everyone, including Daneel, might have been mistaken.

All in all, everything went smoothly until everyone gave up all the Ker Gems they had.

The actors were still posing, while the others were still puzzled.

Of course, the actors were staggered, so new ones arose with time so as not to arouse suspicion.

With everyone's pockets empty, Daneel was wondering just how to dismiss them so that he could end this first operation of his successfully.

Thankfully, Percy helped him in this regard.

Stepping forward in a stern voice, he said, "Everyone, go back to the sect. You can get more Ker Gems and come back later. Comprehension also takes time, so think hard and rest. According to Travis, this will stay here for a day, so you can come back."

Hearing Percy say this, all of the sect members, who were already very mentally exhausted due to being beaten up continuously, nodded and made their way out.

Daneel was delighted, but he kept it to himself.

With an expression of reverence on his face, he gestured to Percy, who started walking to the lake.

However, on the way, he said something that surprised Daneel.

"I know that you bribed those few to act as if they understood. In truth, it takes a lot longer, right? You must also have promised them detailed notes about your experience. Hehe, don't be surprised. I've done my fair share of scams, so I know how things work. Good job. I think you'll definitely get away with this, until the sect seniors clamp down."

Daneel was honestly surprised, so he hadn't hesitated to let it show.

Following it up with an expression that made him look like all of his secrets had been exposed, he accompanied Percy to the lake and waited in silence.

"I beseech you one last time, Senior Brother. I don't know what adverse things might happen. Please reconsider."

In response, with a humph, Percy entered the lake.

He knew what was going to happen: he was going to enter a dream-like state, and he would be attacked, but the pain would only be illusory.

He was ready to endure as much as was needed, so he braced himself when that figure appeared in his vision after he felt drowsy on entering the lake.

Initially, he wanted to just experience the blows and try to investigate using that, so he just waited.

When the figure shot forward and punched him in the chest, he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Pain! Waves of pain racked his body, but weirdly, it stayed.

The others had been talking that the pain usually faded after the first hit, so what was this?

Bang!

The next punch was to his face, and it made his jaw sting like it was on fire.

Again, the pain stayed.

With a horrifying realization, Percy fought to regain consciousness, and when he did, he looked down to see the imprint of a punch on his stomach.

He tasted blood, which meant that his body had suffered it too.

What the f**k? He was being hit in reality?!

As he tried to understand what was going on, he felt someone watching him and turned to see Travis standing on the shore and looking at him with an innocent expression on his face. He looked like he had just moved to somewhere else and gotten back, but Percy dismissed this.

No. This needed to stop! Each punch hurt like hell!

However, just when he was about to call out to Travis or try to exit by himself, he felt himself being dragged back into the illusion, where the punches and kicks resumed with full force, even as he started to beg for them to stop.

Finally, 2 minutes later, he clawed his way to the shore and looked up at Travis, who was standing there with surprise on his face.

As Percy heard him speak with innocent shock, he felt like crying.

"Senior brother! Heavens! These are some REALLY adverse effects!"

Chapter 422: Interrogation

The next day, when Percy got up, he grimaced fiercely, feeling his entire body burning with pain.

Looking down, he saw that he was in a healing solution special to the medical bays of the Big 4.

Even though his flesh seemed to be slowly knitting itself together, it's mangled remains made him wince visibly and look away.

What god had he offended to undergo this kind of torture?

The last thing he remembered was hearing some word, which had made him feel so frustrated that he had promptly passed out.

He was in a solitary room, so, with nothing else to do, he thought back to what had happened.

Yes! He had been assaulted both in body and mind, and he had even been dragged back into that phenomenon!

Hadn't that blonde-haired kid said that one could willingly leave it if they wished?

Wait…he had also cautioned him not to go.

As his thoughts turned awkward, he left that line of reasoning and shifted to the memories of being beaten up.

There really had been…something peculiar in the way the opponent had moved.

A secret seemed to be hidden behind a veil, and all he had to do was reach forward and remove it.

Alas, no matter how much he tried, he got nowhere close to accomplishing that.

He still kept at it, and just when he thought he was going to understand something incredible, a nurse walked in holding a data trinket in her hand.

Rather than her appearance, it was what she said that affected him.

"Percy, right? Due to the injuries you suffered, your body had an adverse-"

ADVERSE!

Yes, it was that damn word uttered in that damn innocent voice!

Endless frustration blanketed his mind, making him faint once again and enter the land of dreams, where he, for some reason, dreamed of being beaten up by someone with blonde hair.

…..

Meanwhile, in the tower so high in the air that no living creatures seemed to be able to live around it.

Ashahell was still frozen in place, as if he had become a statue that would only rouse itself if there was an absolute need.

As he felt his communication trinket vibrate, he moved his hand, making dust fall to the ground before he answered.

"Sect leader! There is an urgent report that that scam actually wasn't one! There are hints of a core inheritance of unknown level!"

A core inheritance?!

Suddenly, his countenance changed as he vanished from where he stood.

Appearing in the lowest floor of the tower, Ashahell only paused for a second to get the location before setting off once again.

The entrance to the cave that was referenced by the report made him pause, as it brought back many memories.

10,000 people, most innocent, herded inside like lambs to the slaughter.

A black-robed man, prepared to kill them to obtain absolute power.

Him, arriving just a little too late to stop the massacre.

So many dead bodies, littering the cave like they were nothing but useless garbage.

Husbands holding wives, parents holding children, children holding their siblings.

All lifeless- to result in that golden globe.

In his fury, he had apprehended the black-robed man, but the power was just going to go to waste.

So, because he had to give meaning to all these lives that were lost, he had taken it for his own, and it had changed his life forever.

However, that was all in the past. Many things had happened since then, and he was now preparing to bring to Angaria a massacre the likes of which it had never seen before.

Alas, if only it weren't necessary.

Not letting himself be shackled by his memories, Ashahell put on a stern expression before entering.

Inside, he immediately reached the lake using his advanced elementary vision to pinpoint all the historical changes that had occurred in the elementary particles.

Indeed, there had been some kind of phenomenon here, and it was very likely that it was a remnant from the old ages.

There had been more than a few inheritance sites found where those who had left them behind must have certainly been eccentric, as all of them had certain rules that had to be followed.

Also, it wasn't strange to find inheritance sites that moved around.

More than anything, the thing that convinced Ashahell that this was an inheritance site was the presence of hints of magic that was at the peak Champion level.

Surely, no one could fake something like this, that too just to scam a few hundred measly Ker Gems.

"Keep an eye out for the inheritance site. Take a full report of the one who found it. If he looks like he's lying, use the oath. But if he's not, leave him be after taking the report. Also, take detailed reports from everyone who was here."

Sending this message, Ashahell sighed and looked around once again.

Flashes of dead bodies once again appeared in his mind, but they were nothing compared to what was going to happen.

Right now, the only thing he wished was that this would be over soon.

"Send me the routine report on the King of Lanthanor."

Sending this one last message, he traveled back to the top of the tower.

….

As Daneel and the rest were happily recounting the Ker Gems they had obtained, they were shocked when they heard hard knocks on the door of the single room before hearing the words, "Travis Éclair? Open up! We are here representing the sect leader!"

As all of their expressions first turned into those of thieves who had gotten caught counting their loot, the shameless sect initially tried to hide the bundle of Gems somewhere.

Finding no suitable hiding place, they simply shoved it into a pile of worn laundry, hoping that no one would want to go through the stink.

When the door opened, a strict man with buzzcut hair came into their vision.

"Travis Éclair? Follow us to give a detailed report regarding the inheritance site you found. You can keep whatever you earned. The sect leader simply wants a full and truthful account of everything you learned. You will be compensated in return, too. As you know, you will be sitting in the 'Chair of Truth'. Lie, and we will have no choice but to use your oath to force you. Understood?"

When the other 4 heard only Daneel's name being called, they initially felt relieved before feeling guilty due to this.

However, before they could regain their worry and show their care for their friend, Travis replied in a strong voice, "Of course! Please lead the way!" before walking out without hesitation.

Only, before he left, he left one line.

"Touch my share, and you'll suffer the fate of Percy."

With a gulp, none of them dared to touch the Ker Gem pile.

….

Being lead to the tower in the middle of the sect, Daneel's eyes lit up with excitement, but he tried to cover this up.

He had been hoping that this incident would make a situation for him to arrive here, as this was the destination he had to arrive at sooner or later if he wanted to fulfill his goals in the Sect of Hedon.

That entire scam beforehand had been set up by having the system develop a spell for the simulation that it was now capable of. Any capability of the system could be made into a spell, and this had come in very handy for Daneel many times before, too.

Because of the system's upgrade, the complexity of the spell was pushed up to peak Champion level, which actually made it feasible that there was no foul play on Daneel's part involved.

As for the little fun he had with Percy, it was simply by manipulating the spell to trap him while happily going gung-ho on him with his fists.

Entering the tower, Daneel asked the system to scan as much as it could.

However, he was stumped when he heard its reply.

[Complexity of formation exceeds system's complexity. Please upgrade system to rectify. Upgrade Cost: ????]

Another upgrade!

As the one who had been charged to bring Daneel saw the blonde-haired kid get an expression of deep frustration and hopelessness on his face, he wondered whether he was guilty of something.

However, Daneel was just devastated due to the fact that another upgrade had popped up.

And-it seemed that even the system wasn't aware of the upgrade cost.

[Pre-requisites haven't been met for host to be allowed to upgrade the system to the next level. The upgrade is locked.]

What the hell?

Seeing that he was entering the tower, Daneel forcefully put thoughts like these aside.

In a way, it actually made sense. He had needed an upgrade to take full control of the formations in the Kingdoms, and because the Big 4 were organizations one step above, it was logical that it might require another upgrade.

However, he was too moody to notice this now.

After being led to a solitary room, he was sat down in an ancient-looking stone chair.

Thankfully, as he had expected, the system could control his heartbeat and other aspects about him so that the Chair wouldn't pick up that he was lying.

After he was done giving a fictitious report about how he had found that spot by chance, he was made to wait in a room that reminded him of the interrogation rooms back on Earth.

He asked who he was supposed to wait for, but those who had brought him didn't answer.

A few minutes later, a man with a long face wearing black robes with a golden trim opened the door and sat down in front of him.

Daneel didn't know why, but the hairs all over his body stood up in alarm when he looked into this man's eyes.

Chapter 423: Meeting Ashahell

A feeling of being threatened wrapped around his whole body, freezing him completely and even making him stop breathing.

Only resuming after the man took a seat and looked at him, Daneel felt like he was between the crosshairs of the most deadly predator in the world.

Thankfully, this faded away after a few seconds, after which the man smiled slightly and said, "I am Ashahell, your sect leader. I usually don't make public appearances, so you might not have seen me. However, I trust that you heard of me?"

No. He had to control himself and act.

Quickly, Daneel realized that he was in the most dangerous situation yet right now.

Even though that feeling of being targeted had left his body, there was still a prickling sensation in his spine, as if he was staring down the barrel of a gun.

The system's notification didn't help.

[The person sitting in front of host is at Peak Champion Level. An attempt to check for disguise techniques was made, whose level came close to the system's.]

Great. He was a peak Champion to boot!

With all his might, Daneel assembled his thoughts and managed to make small changes to his facial expression so that it would only look like shock.

After all, everyone had heard of the great Ashahell, who was said to have been born to save Angaria.

Tales and legends were still told about him by the lecturers, with all of them regarding him as someone who had directly stepped down from the heavens to grace the Angarians.

Thankfully, it seemed to have worked, as Ashahell only stared at Daneel with that small smile, not showing any sign that he was suspicious of anything.

After a second or so, Daneel's spoke in a quivering voice.

"S=sect leader! It's an honor!"

Quickly, he stood up and prepared to bow.

Of course, as this was the man who might potentially be the one who would cause the destruction of all of Angaria, Daneel had no want to give him any honor or respect.

However, he wasn't foolishly proud to refuse to bend the knee even if it meant that his cover might be blown.

Any sect member, especially someone like him who had no background, would prostrate on the ground if necessary when they were spoken to by the sect leader.

However, just when he was about to complete his bow, a formless force seemed to hold his shoulders and make him stand up straight.

"A member of the Sect of Hedon must always stride forward to take what he wants from life with a straight back. You don't need to bow to me. Sit down."

His voice was genial, and if Daneel had had no prior impression of the man, he would definitely have been quite impressed by the wisdom and experience that it seemed to carry.

However, all he felt now was wariness. Extreme wariness.

He had expected Ashahell to be someone like the King of Axelor-proud, arrogant…basically like a typical evil character in a book or movie.

Yet, the man in front of him looked completely normal, and even likable and followable, because of what he said next.

"On behalf of the Sect of Hedon, I would like to thank you for being a part of us. By finding that inheritance site and letting us know about this particular inheritance that has never been seen before, you have done us a great service. Henceforth, your status will be upgraded to that of a 'Benefactor'. In essence, what that means is that you will be eligible for treatment that is one level higher. Do you have any questions for me?"

Honestly, Daneel was pretty stunned on hearing this.

He had been expecting suspicion and all kinds of questions, but all he was getting was a pat on the back.

Also, from his words, this Ashahell appeared to be someone who was humble and honest.

He still had to keep up his act, so stuttering with surprise, Daneel once again tried to bow while saying, "Sect leader! I am honored! Thank you so much!"

Once again, that formless force stopped him, while Ashahell sighed and said, "Like I said, no bowing."

Standing up, he laid an arm on Daneel's shoulder.

This almost made Daneel flinch, but thankfully, he controlled himself at the last moment.

Looking deep into Daneel's eyes which had varying amounts of relief from not being suspected and joy at being able to access better resources, he said, "Train well. Tough times are coming. It is likely that the war that everyone is preparing for might come sooner than anyone expected. When it comes, there will be many chances to grow exponentially. You must train well now, so that you can stand in front of our enemies later to defend Angaria."

Leaving these words and sighing once again, Ashahell walked out, while Daneel was left just standing there, awestruck.

The man had been talking sincerely: when he said the words 'defend Angaria', Daneel had seen a resolve that seemed no weaker than what he possessed.

What the hell was going on? Wasn't this supposed to be someone who was hell-bent on destroying Angaria? Why did he seem so passionate about saving it?

Such sincerity and passion couldn't be faked, in any way.

His mind completely muddled, Daneel had to be called twice before responding and being lead out of the room.

After exiting the tower, he couldn't resist but look up at it again.

His clarity about what he was going to do was gone, replaced by a nagging curiosity.

As his thoughts swirled, a horrifying possibility came to mind.

Were…the Watcher and the black-robed man wrong? Were they framing this man whose only purpose seemed to be to save Angaria?

Daneel had never really trusted those two's words, but he had been inclined to believe them due to the supposition that Ashahell had been the one to give the doom mosquito to the King of Axelor.

However, this was also said by the Watcher.

Which version was true? Which was false?

He had no idea, but after a few seconds, one thing became clear:

He could only continue his plan and strive to get more data so that he could find proof to confirm either possibility.

….

After Daneel arrived at his room, he found it empty.

Asking his neighbors, he found out that his friends had also been hauled away for questioning.

He wasn't really worried about this, as he had only told them the 'truth' that he had reported during his interrogation, which was that he had only managed to comprehend what he did because he spent a lot of time alone at the site while being repeatedly beat up and enduring it.

He had hit a dead end, so he had hatched this perfect plan to scam out Ker Gems.

Since they weren't there anyway, he searched under the bed, and to his delight, found the sack with the Ker Gems.

As he plunged his hand into it and felt the rough edges of the gems, he smiled with the happiness that came from accomplishing something.

Hence, putting all his uncertainties and doubts out of his mind, he focused on the counting once again.

The total came out to be a whopping 1250 Ker Gems, which was more wealth that he had ever seen or heard of in his life.

Equaling 12,500,000 Ether blocks, this fortune might be enough to boost Lanthanor's growth enough to directly let him reach the next milestone for gaining EXP.

Only, he faced the same predicament as the diamond merchants on earth: the risk of disturbing the fine line between demand and supply.

Just like diamonds, these Ker Gems were rare and sought after. However, if they suddenly flooded the market, their price would definitely fall.

So, stealing these away before leaving the sect wasn't an option.

However, he could do one thing: buy that fish.

The fish from the Endless sea was known for its exquisite taste whose intensity didn't recede no matter how many times one had it.

One of the known ways of corruption was for those eligible to save away the fish they were given to sell them later for double the price.

Hence, even though a single piece of fish only contained the Energy equivalent to hundred Ker Gems, one had to pay 200 Ker Gems to obtain them through other means.

Quickly grabbing 200, Daneel made his way to the dorm of those who were close to becoming Champions.

These were the only people eligible to get that meat for free.

It was a pretty standard process, so by the time Daneel was back in his room, he was trying hard not to sniff that heavenly fragrance again and again.

Closing the door, without any preamble, he dug in.

Instead of the woman he had seen in the cafeteria, he took a bit, and he understood why she had eaten it whole.

Juices which seemed to have been trapped inside the meat using some method flowed down his cheeks, falling on the floor.

However, Daneel was too busy being lost in the explosion of flavor that was assaulting him.

Sweetness, spiciness, tanginess, all flavors seemed to cycle through his mouth, making his mind go blank.

It was like he was eating many courses at once, instead of only having a single piece of meat.

By the time he swallowed, he opened his mouth with alarm to see the juices that he had wasted.

Still in a daze due to that taste, without thinking too much, he bent close to the ground and looked for the drops to see whether he could still salvage them.

Bang!

When the door swerved open due to being kicked, his 4 friends found him in that position: his ass in the air and his nose to the ground, ready to lick the top of a thick drop of the juice which had a jelly-like consistency.

If they could know that this was the honorable King of Lanthanor who presided over millions of citizens, they would definitely have made the news public, which would have become the talk of the continent.

However, acting in a tactful manner, Daneel sat straight as if nothing had happened and said, "Our first scam was a great success. It's time for our second: create a problem, sell the solution."

Chapter 424: Second Scam

After hearing Daneel say these words, the 4 who had appeared at the door stared before breaking out into bouts of laughter.

However, this laughter immediately stopped when they saw the piece of fish in Daneel's hands.

It couldn't be mistaken for normal food in any way: the fish steak shone lustrously in the light, as if it were a treasure instead of food.

The fatty was the first one to run forward and point at it before stuttering. "I-is that…"

"Yes. Here."

Sighing, even though he felt reluctant, Daneel handed over the piece of which he had only taken a small bite.

After all, they had all worked together for it, and he actually liked these 4.

They were simple, honest teenagers who just wanted to find ways to lead life more easily.

With a flash, the fatty snatched it away and bit, but before he could eat more, he, too, entered a trance just like Daneel, savoring the incredible taste.

This resulted in the fish switching hands to Clyde, who had the same reaction, and then to another one, before finally being finished by the last.

As Kator saw his empty hands, he couldn't help but glare at the others while chewing.

He had had the smallest piece!

Seeing that they were done, Daneel said, "That price of that piece, we will cut equally from our shares. Like we discussed: I get 50%, and the rest of you share the rest among yourselves.

Daneel had established this beforehand, as this entire thing wouldn't be possible without his involvement.

If he wished, he could turn his back on the Shameless Sect and set everything up by himself, but he hadn't done so.

So, they appreciated it and also respected him due to his decision, but that respect had mostly gone after the scene they had witnessed.

Still, they held on to the agreement, as even the dumbest among them could guess that their friend had changed into a golden-egg-laying goose.

After all 5 resolved to get more pieces of the fish soon, Clyde asked, "Why don't we take a break? We might draw too much attention to ourselves after this if we start a new gig straight away."

The other 3 nodded, but Daneel frowned.

He didn't have time.

In the Sect of Hedon, everything was corrupted.

So, there was also a price to pay to enter the secret archives of the Sect, which were located in the Central tower.

No core inheritances could be obtained, but some very high-level techniques, along with the books regarding history which were locked to regular sect members, were available.

This had raised a red flag in Daneel. How could the sect allow for something like this to happen? The secret archives must have had a reason to be…well…secret.

Apparently, the one who facilitated this was a sect member who had entered the Central tower as the one who took care of the library.

He needed a lot of resources, and according to him, getting access to techniques was hardly enough to reach the peak of one's realm. As for the history, his opinion was that what was dead and forgotten wouldn't affect the present too much.

So, he allowed anyone in for a whopping fee of 10,000 Ker Gems.

His customers were usually peak Warriors who hoped that learning a high-level technique which they would only be able to access when they reached the Champion level(which was whom this archives room was meant for) might help them in some way to either advance or fight better.

Mostly, his constant customers were those who were stuck at the peak Warrior level, looking for any and all ways to find a chance to make themselves break through.

All in all, it sounded legit in many ways, and even though it would be strange for someone as weak as him to spend everything to access the library, weirder things happened every day.

As for finding out Ashahell's plans, Daneel had a plan for that too: infiltrate the tower first, and try to find a way to uncover what he was doing.

All in all, he needed 10,000 Ker Gems, which was no small number.

This scam had been wildly successful, with more gains than he would ever have expected. However, he only had around 700 Ker Gems now.

"Pfft. Only."

Hearing himself use that word to describe that many Ker Gems, he could only chuckle with resignation, as a change in the living atmosphere really did bring a great change in one's worldview.

"No. We should do this now, before someone else thinks of it. Come on, where's your spirit? If we delay, who knows whether someone else will get the same or a similar idea and ends up eating our revenue…"

As Daneel's sentence trailed off, the 4 looked at him with wide open eyes.

He was right! They couldn't delay if it was that kind of idea!

So, putting on ingratiating expressions on their faces, they said as one, "We are at your command! Shameless sect, arise!"

…..

The next morning, Percy had just returned to his dorm after spending 2 days in the medical ward of the Sect.

He still had pain all over his body and his face had a haggard look, but he had insisted on leaving and taking bed rest instead of being in the sick bay.

The problem with the sick bay was that there were just too many people who kept coming up to him to ask questions.

He had always hated others snooping into his business, so this riled him up enough to decide to go home.

His 'house' was on the top floor of the second dormitory, as he was the one right now with the most chance of breaking through to become a Champion.

All he wanted to do was sleep, so that he could rest and get back on his feet as quickly as possible. After all, he still had that task he had to accomplish for his master.

So, imagining himself being worshipped by millions of people, he closed his eyes with a smile.

BZZZZZ

A weird buzzing noise woke him up, making him look around with a puzzled expression before falling back asleep.

It had stopped when he opened his eyes, but when he closed them again, it resumed.

Once again getting up, Percy activated his elementary vision this time, ready to catch the culprit in case they were foolish enough to prank him again like this.

However, a few seconds later, after he dozed off once again, that same BZZZZ sound woke him up, this time seeming like it had grown in intensity.

Again he went out to check, and again, this time, he found absolutely nothing.

Thinking that it must be some low-level insect which couldn't be found, he went back to what he was doing.

This continued for a day, before a select few in the dormitory opened their eyes with huge bags underneath them.

One such victim happened to be the one inhabiting the floor right below Percy, so he quickly walked up to him and asked whether he was experiencing the same things as me.

However, finding out that the timings of hearing the noise and a few others were different, he kept quiet.

The meeting was to discuss what to do about this menace, as this place was something run by the sect.

After a discussion, it was decided that a peak Warrior level guard will be posted for an entire night.

Hoping that it would make a difference and having a nagging feeling that it would not, Percy went back to his room and hesitantly tried to sleep once again.

Yet, sadly, the buzzing was there to welcome.

It didn't leave no matter what he did: stuffing his ears, begging, threatening-nothing was effective.

He went and complained to the Sect, who assigned someone else, but they had the same report.

All in all, this turned out to be the gossip of the sect.

What was causing this?

How did it choose its targets?

How was one supposed to make it stop?

All kinds of 'solutions' popped up, but nothing seemed to work.

Finally, 2 days later, when it looked like all those affected might die at any point due to lack of rest, someone looked at them with a gleam in his eyes.

This blond-haired kid smirked to himself before saying to the room he was in, "Watch and learn, boys. Watch and learn. Remember, be sure to cover your identity when you set up the stage. Go."

….

Back at the top of the tower, Ashahell was standing while holding a data trinket in his hand.

In it, detailed information about the King of Lanthanor's last seen action, which was the grand announcement to the people, was written.

After that, it was reported that there were many eyewitnesses who had seen the King of Lanthanor enter his Chambers and stay there, as teleportation was impossible in the Palace.

The King of Lanthanor could only at most be an Amateur Warrior. So, Ashahell believed this report as no one at that level would be able to master the teleportation of the Palace completely in order to be able to teleport out.

While he flicked through the data, his usually deadpan expression was replaced by one of excitement, as if he had a great deal of interest in what he was doing, or what he was going to do.

As many possibilities surged through his mind, he finally selected one before saying to himself, "King of Lanthanor, it's high time you know who I am."

Chapter 425: Eavesdropping

"Get your spell to sleep tight here! No refunds, but it has worked for 3 people!"

"This is the real spell! You-you look like you haven't slept in weeks! Buy this now, or you just might die from sleep deprivation!"

"Cheap solution: knock yourself out using this drug!"

Shouts like these could be heard on the large walkways of the Sect of Hedon as students shuttled back and forth between the vendors, trying to decide which one to buy.

This issue of not being able to sleep had started to affect the whole sect, but the problem was that none of the solutions seemed to be working properly.

Among those walking around with red eyes and haggard faces, Percy was the one who looked most miserable.

He had just gotten healed and needed rest, but the heavens had, for some reason, chosen him as the butt of all the misfortune that one could unluckily find themselves enduring in the Sect.

Off to the side, under the shade of a tree, Daneel was standing while viewing the chaos with happiness.

His second scam: "Create a problem, then sell the solution" was going well.

It was inspired by many scammers from Earth, who used this same concept to steal millions of dollars yearly from rich, hapless citizens.

For example, one could call someone rich, who had engaged in corruption, and tip them off that the government might be on their way to seize certain assets.

At the same time, a solution could miraculously appear, which would seem trustworthy despite its timing.

Using the rich person's fear, the scammers would manipulate him to accept this solution by only giving him little time to accept.

After that, it would be discovered that it was all a ploy, with the solution being flawed in such a way that it stole away the rich person's wealth.

Scams like these were very common, but Daneel had needed something he could affect the whole sect with.

Thinking along these lines, he had ended up remembering that illustrious person who interrupted people

's…special time to demand money so that they wouldn't be disturbed.

Basically, there, he was taking advantage of an essential process that a sect-member engaged in.

Thinking of other essential processes, he realized that sound sleep was something that was so crucial for a sect=member that it couldn't even be put in words.

Absolute concentration was necessary for a mage to be able to manipulate elementary particles properly to cast spells, so they had to be at their top-state-well rested and well fed.

The former mattered more than the latter, as most sect members were still Warriors who needed sleep much more than Champions, who apparently began to become people who did not need to satisfy basic, human needs to survive.

So, after choosing sleep, it was simple.

With the upgraded system, Daneel made a spell at peak Champion level which would make a buzzing sound effect anyone who was asleep.

Then, he chose targets at random, targeting around half the sect's population.

After all, if he went overboard and targeted everyone, it might bring down the higher-ups, which was something he didn't want.

Right now, this was the second phase: allow others to make bogus products to rectify the buzzing, when only he had the real solution.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, except for the small hiccup where he hadn't expected the sect members to be so capable of such out-of-the-box thinking as to suggest knocking oneself out using a specific kind of drug that was quite dangerous.

Thankfully, this was only a temporary stopgap, as it would cause many physical and mental problems in the long run.

All in all, when he would introduce his solution, which would simply just be a spell to differentiate people, he would ask the system to stop affecting those people with the spell.

He had patted himself on the back for such a simple yet ingenious plan, but he also felt ashamed a tiny bit, wondering what his parents would think if they knew what he was resorting to.

Just when he was going to return to his room to train with some of the Ker Gems he had acquired so that he would let the sect get more desperate, he saw something which startled him.

2 black robed men with golden buckles, who signified the section of the sect in charge of keeping everything running smoothly, approached the walkway he was on before stopping an especially droopy sect member who looked like he might fall unconscious at any time due to exhaustion and sleep-deprivation.

With stern expressions, they began asking him some questions, which made Daneel panic slightly.

If someone sent over Champion level individuals to investigate, there might be trouble even though he was confident that they wouldn't be able to detect a spell made by the system.

Deciding to find out what they were saying, Daneel asked if the system could eavesdrop, but he was told that he had to move closer.

Mixing himself in the crowd, Daneel started to walk towards the two, but they seemed to have been done in merely a few seconds.

Still, they were talking among themselves, so he decided to tail them anyway.

After walking a bit more, although they were quite far away from Daneel, the system managed to pick up what they were saying as they weren't using any special means to hide their communication like anti-eavesdropping trinkets.

"Figures. Whoever is doing this is quite smart to only target a few. Last time, that guy who did something similar chose to target everyone, and he paid for his greed."

With shock, Daneel almost froze, but he continued walking so that he could keep hearing.

"So what do we do? Should be trouble that old guy?"

"He might be listening! You want to do solo training for a month?!"

"Meh, I know he's heading out of the sect on some business-he's discussing with some other senior sect members about it now. Someone said he was headed to Lanthanor, that village in the Central Continent. I wonder what work he could have there. Anyway, you know the rules."

"'Anything goes, as long as the core functionality and direction of the sect to obtain resources and grow stronger isn't disturbed'. Let's give it some time. If the one responsible is smart and has learned from his seniors who have done the same, he will stop the whole thing soon and get as much profit as possible so that we won't have to intervene. Let's come check again tomorrow. Wanna go grab some wine?"

"It's the middle of the day! So, perfect time for wine, I suppose. Let's go."

The conversation ended with them teleporting away using a podium, leaving Daneel with a stunned expression on his face.

First and foremost, he quickly took out a communication trinket and said, "Cancel the wait! Begin selling the real solution in 6 hours! We have to cash in as much as possible by tonight! No questions, just do it!"

Ignoring the fatty who started asking all kinds of questions, Daneel made his way to a teleportation podium.

Although it made his heart hurt, he paid up so that he would be able to get to the podium which led outside the sect.

The Sect of Hedon was covered by a very powerful formation which blocked all transmissions. This was why Percy had needed to exit the sect before to contact him.

The news that Lanthanor might be visited by a senior member of the Sect of Hedon…was terrifying.

Senior members were all Champions, and Lanthanor could practically be destroyed overnight if one really wished it.

Trying not to panic, he tried to apply to go outside but learned that he had completed his opportunities to go out for the month, due to the expedition.

Sect members couldn't roam in the outside world willy-nilly: occasionally, they could go out to look for inspiration or to try their luck for inheritances, but only once a month.

Hearing this answer, Daneel felt so frustrated that his face became red, making the sect member in charge of approving requests ask if he was all right.

Replying that he was fine, he first walked into the jungle, afraid that he might cause suspicion.

After walking for 30 minutes and finding himself completely surrounded by vegetation, Daneel started pacing around and thinking.

It was possible that it might be due to what had happened with the mosquitoes, as according to what the Watcher had said, Ashahell was responsible for giving the doom mosquito to Axelor.

Or, it could be something more sinister.

The problem was that he didn't have data. Realizing this, he looked up to see that tower which made him wish that he could smash through the entrance to find out more.

No. He needed to enter through the proper channels, and he had to trust that that High Council or whatever it was that had the rule that people shouldn't be slaughtered, would stop the worst case scenario from being carried out.

This scam would have to suffice! No matter what, he had to get enough gems to enter the central tower so that he could try to find clues in the archives to find a way to gain at least rudimentary control over the formation so that he could find out what the plan of those secret members was.

This was his only hope, so he would have to step it up.

The best way to do this was to jack up the prices, but this needed some kind of example to spur people to desperation, to buy the real solution no matter what.

Going back to the walkway, Daneel looked around before focusing on Percy, who was still staggering around, looking exhausted.

Well, he would have to do.

Although Daneel felt a bit sorry for the kid, he hardened his heart, deciding to award him with something or the other later.

Chapter 426: 'Panic'

A few hours later, in the early evening.

As Nate walked to a specific house in the Sect of Hedon while hugging his arms for warmth, he wondered why he had gotten stuck with this duty.

Every month, on a specific day, one of those who were employed by the Sect to handle miscellaneous matters had to stand outside this certain house and make sure that no one entered the vicinity.

It was a boring job, but it paid well. All he had to do was stand, and shoo away the sect members.

If he had known that it was the sect leader who was inside the house overgrown with creepers, he would definitely have taken the job more seriously.

Ashahell was kneeling on the ground in front of a painting.

'Photos' weren't a thing in Angaria, but top-level mages with their amazingly sharp brain could reproduce any sight in minutes on a canvas, provided they were at least a little talented in the area.

In the photo were a smiling couple holding a baby boy, who was wrapped in a red blanket.

Both of them had very proud expressions on their faces, as if they had accomplished something amazing.

The woman had a long face, but she was very pretty.

The man had long, brown hair, which almost looked to be moving due to the way the light fell on the painting through the window.

The house all around looked like it hadn't been touched in ages, but there wasn't a single mote of dust anywhere. It was only the creepers outside which were an incongruity, as one wouldn't be able to make sense of how they had grown so much if someone was taking care of the inside of the house.

With his eyes closed, Ashahell thought back to the only happy memories he had of his life.

Rather than happiness, it was the feeling of…having someone who understood him.

As his parents, these two were the only individuals in the world who loved him unconditionally and would have been on his side, together with him, no matter what happened.

However, in a fluke accident during an exploration for a Ker Gem Mine, they had both passed away.

Since that day, his solitary life had begun.

This day was his birthday, and his parents had always made a point to celebrate it, no matter which month it was.

Going through his memories, all Ashahell saw was him, standing alone.

His training speed and comprehension made it so that he was lauded as the one prophesized to save Angaria, so he always had this halo about him which prevented anyone from getting close to him.

Even if they did, they would soon leave, seeing how despite all the talent, he was just a quiet kid who pined for his parents.

His ambitions, his actions, all construed the image of someone lofty, undeserving of nothing except praise and jealousy.

He could find no one like him, no matter where he looked. So, he just slogged away at his goal all alone, disregarding everything that changed and always ready to do everything that was necessary to help him achieve his goal-to save Angaria.

Usually, he stood this night vigil alone.

However, right now, there was a small painting beside him.

Of the King of Lanthanor.

….

As Percy trudged through the street constantly cursing the heavens for causing everything that had happened to him, he saw the blonde haired kid who was partially responsible for everything that had happened in the cave approaching him.

He knew he shouldn't blame him, as he had already warned him, but in his state, Percy wasn't thinking right.

He started to head to the blonde-haired kid by himself, but to his surprise, he saw that the kid was approaching him.

After he reached within earshot, he raised his hand and pointed a finger at him, before opening his mouth to rain down a hailstorm of curses so vile that it would definitely make him cry for his mommy.

However, he suddenly felt woozy for some reason.

His eyes spinning, his finger shifted towards the air before he swooned and landed on the ground.

He could almost swear that he had felt that infernal buzzing briefly again, but that didn't make sense=the buzzing only came when he was going to sleep.

"Someone help over here! Our respectable senior brother has collapsed!"

This was the last thing he heard, before blackness covered everything in his vision.

Meanwhile, after hearing the shout, a large circle formed around Percy and Daneel, who had run forward and bent to check with 'care'.

"His breathing is shallow! He might be dying! Damn that bastard who caused him to be sleep deprived! It's all because of that! Damn him!"

As Daneel repeatedly cursed with passion, the medics who had been alerted quickly reached.

It wasn't safe, usually, to teleport someone sick, as the transfer through space could exacerbate any existing conditions.

So, it was always best to wait for a medical professional to give the OK.

In Angaria, that meant healers who had studied the human body.

The healer who arrived first was a black-haired woman, who immediately bent and laid a hand on Percy's forehead.

"He has fainted from exhaustion, but I don't know if he's completely all right. He's ready for transport. Let's go."

"Miss Healer! Will he be all right!"

"It's tough to say now."

Leaving these chilling words, the healer teleported away with Percy while everyone watched in shocked silence.

Everything had worked out like it was an orchestrated play, so Daneel was very happy inside.

Fighting the urge to smile, he got up and left in a hurry, as if he was intent on following his senior brother.

Of course, he had been the one to cause the fainting through the system.

It wasn't easy at all to make such a strong Warrior faint.

However, when said Warrior was already close to passing out, all it needed was a…push.

Daneel had just made sure that that push came at the right time.

Panic. All he wanted to cause was panic.

It had already been a few hours since he had eavesdropped, and he had spent them setting everything up for this.

As soon as people started to recover, as if on cue, one sect member shouted, "Guys, head to Clyde's stall over there! His solution worked, I just took a nap and came here to tell you all!"

This was a true sufferer, who had been given the 'cure' by Clyde, the tall member of the Shameless Sect.

He had timed this whole incident to make sure that it coincided with this sect member's return, and even if he hadn't exclaimed like this, he would have been manipulated into doing so by Daneel soon enough.

Thankfully, that hadn't been necessary.

The problem had been created, and it was now time to sell the solution and…profit.

As everyone flocked to Clyde, who had surreptitiously set up his stall at a place quite a distance away so that it would be able to accommodate a large crowd, they were startled when they saw a weird signboard outside.

"500 Ker Gems for the cure. Pay first. If you don't, I can just give you a fake one."

After seeing the state that Percy had fallen to, all many did was glare before forking out the amounts.

No one carried so many Ker Gems, so they exchanged anything they could: trinkets, contribution points, sometimes even free passage in some side business they owned.

Daneel had mainly chosen Eminent and Exalted Warriors, with a few Amateur Warriors thrown in there to avoid suspicion, so that they would have the ability to pay such a sum.

The first one who bought the 'cure' actually walked into the jungle and slept there after casting the spell, before coming back out and shouting, "IT'S GONE! IT WORKS!".

After this, he promptly ran back to his room to sleep.

As the boxes started filling up, Daneel left the scene, satisfied.

Other people might steal the 'cure' and start selling it soon, but he wasn't very concerned about such bottom feeders who resorted to piracy.

They were scum that would lower themselves to do anything anyway, so it was just a waste to try and stop them.

SO, Daneel was only concerned about being the first mover and tapping the market as much as possible-something he had learned back on Earth.

While walking to his room, he was reminded of a certain tech giant which created problems with its products which only it solved, while making a tidy sum in the process.

Where he had used 'panic', that tech giant used 'need'. By making society think that those who owned their products were of a higher class, they successfully created the 'need' before fulfilling it.

All he could do was try to take hints from such 'geniuses'.

After reaching his room, Daneel laid down on the bed, trying not to fret about Lanthanor.

He knew that he couldn't do anything before he got to the tower, but he felt restless.

So, he started pacing back and forth again, while resisting the urge to go count the Ker Gems in the stall even while sales were going on.

….

Meanwhile, in the sky directly above Lanthanor.

2 individuals teleported to a certain location almost at the same time, before looking at each other and nodding.

If Daneel were here, he would have recognized both of them: they were Marcus and the Matron, who had 'interrogated' him before.

With panic, the Matron clutched Marcus's arms and said, "It's Xuan. She sensed something. She says Angaria is in grave danger, but she can't get anything else. She says…that all she sees is blood, with not a living soul left on the entire continent."

Chapter 427: Windfall

As Marcus saw the Matron utter these words in absolute panic, he widened his eyes before pointing in the air with his finger three times, making three consecutive anti-eavesdropping barriers appear around them.

When talking about such important matters, there was no such thing as too much caution.

Only after this did he relax, before taking a deep breath and sitting down on a chair which looked like it was made of the clouds surrounding them.

The Matron had already let go of his arms, so when he pulled out a bottle of wine from thin air, she gasped and said, "Marcus, your addiction!"

Raising another finger towards her to make her stop speaking, he conjured a glass and poured in the wine before bringing it towards his face.

However, instead of drinking it, he merely smelled the wine and threw the glass in the air, setting the wine on fire.

As the Matron watched this bizarre display from one of the strongest Champions on Angaria, she understood just how much this news had affected him.

She, herself, had had to take quite a lot of time to assemble her thoughts before contacting Marcus and making her way here.

After a few moments of silence, Marcus asked, "What do your records say about her ability?"

"But don't you already know.."

"Repeat it, please, for my sake."

Nodding, the Matron replied, "When the 'seer' ability appears, it usually means that the land is in danger. It has appeared 5 times in the history of Angaria so far, and all 5 times, millions of people died. Seers have the ability to smoothly become Champions, regardless of what path they choose. No prediction made by a seer has ever been wrong: if they see something, then it is definitely something they will experience in their life. There are two problems with seers: one, it is difficult to ascertain exactly when the prediction will come true. Two, specific details are never visible in a prediction: only general details can be glimpsed. One seer's prediction came true 234 years after it appeared to him."

As the Matron recited these facts with a single breath, Marcus stared aimlessly.

The signs that Angaria was in trouble had been appearing for a long time, and this had already caused the Big 4 to aggressively recruit individuals even if they didn't meet the criteria.

Regretfully, that was one of the only countermeasures that had been taken, as there was too much infighting between the members of the Big 4.

All of them had different paths, so it was natural for them to have differences.

Still, one would expect that they would put them aside in the face of a continent-wide catastrophe.

Yet, the old geezers who had lived comfortably for hundreds of years had grown over-confident, and with the birth of Ashahell who was prophesied to save Angaria, their thought that drastic changes weren't required had been bolstered.

So, this was the current state: all of the Big 4 were preparing for war individually, when what was needed was a joint effort.

"We must take this to the High Council!"

As the Matron said this, Marcus scoffed and replied, "You already know what they will say. The last time when a seer's prediction was not heeded, millions who could have been saved lost their lives. This time, we are already aware of the threat, and we are preparing. Those geezers who have gotten too comfortable will simply say that the prediction of many dying is true, and that the part about 'no living soul left alive' must be an exaggeration, as seers can only get general details regarding their predictions. It's useless."

The Matron opened her mouth as if she were going to refute what Marcus said, but she closed it soon after, as she knew that he was right.

Far too much time had passed since Angaria had had to rouse everything it had to defend itself.

Almost all of those in the higher positions were in favor of using the Central Continent as fodder, and some were even suspected to be planning to escape.

To where- no Champion knew.

She knew that there was a different, very important reason for this, but she had yet to ascertain exactly what that was.

It seemed that the longer one lived, the more they became prepared to do anything necessary to cling to their lives.

Grimacing with frustration, the Matron almost shouted, "Then what are we supposed to do? Just ignore it?! They don't care about the Central Continent, but we do! It is just foolish to abandon it!"

Marcus's response made the Matron get a hopeless expression on her face, before she also conjured a chair and sat down, as if she needed to rest to come to terms with what he was saying.

"Abandoning the Central Continent means abandoning Angaria itself. We can only trust Ashahell when he says that he will save Angaria, and hope that all those rumors are false. There is no one else we can stand behind."

….

In a particular room in the dormitory that housed the Amateur Warriors of the sect, the sunlight that was spilling through the windows had turned the walls red, because it was being bounced off a large pile of red objects in the center.

Of course, they were Ker gems.

All 5 members of the Shameless Sect were standing around it, staring with wide-open eyes, unable to believe that they had earned this in just 3 days.

As one, 4 of them turned towards their friend who had made all this possible.

The fatty, whose eyes were as wide as saucers, stepped towards Daneel before raising his arms and saying, "Never has there been anyone as shameless! You are henceforth declared the leader of the Shameless Sect! Your shamelessness knows no bounds! We hope that it flourishes forever, so that we can keep obtaining such shamelessly bountiful harvests! All hail the Lord of Shamelessness, Travis!"

As Daneel heard this pretentious speech, he couldn't help but rub his nose with slight embarrassment.

What would the honorable citizens of Lanthanor think if they found out that their King had just been crowned the Lord of Shamelessness?

Well, his public favor would plummet for sure, so there was no way that all of this could ever be made public.

For a second, Daneel even waited for the system to award him something, but when it didn't, he sighed with relief.

After all, at least it hadn't acknowledged his scamming nature-

[Achievement Unlocked: Dominating Scammer

Dominating Scammer: A World Dominator must always be prepared to use any and all means available to him to reach his goals. By choosing the route of a scammer and successfully accomplishing your goal using it, you have become eligible for this title! Congratulations!

2000 EXP Awarded.]

"…"

There is was.

It was almost as if the system had chosen that exact moment to announce it, so that his embarrassment would grow manifold.

Well, it was right. To reach his goal of saving Angaria, he was ready to do anything, so he had to own up to it.

Putting his embarrassment aside, he kicked the kneeling fatty in his shin and said, "Shut up, and let's count."

As if they had all been waiting for this, the 4 ravenously fell on the pile and divided it before starting to count with the expressions of those who were afraid that their newfound wealth would be snatched away.

It barely took 10 minutes, but the final figure astounded them all.

Of course, no one was as shocked as Daneel, who had come from the 'backward' Central Continent and had hence never been used to hearing about or seeing Ker gems in such large quantities.

14,674 Ker Gems.

Such a massive amount would definitely be enough to serve them even when they became Champions.

Of course, in a way, this wasn't a very large amount, as just the piece of fish that Exalted Warriors were eligible to eat 2 times a day would bring their monthly expenditure to 6000 Ker Gems per individual.

Reflecting that the disparity between Energy materials in the Central Continent and the Big 4 was so exponentially high, Daneel wondered why it was so, but his urgency to find out what the hell the Sect of Hedon wanted to do with lanthanor overrode all other thoughts.

"Everyone, I know we initially agreed that I'll take 50%, but please let me take 10,000. I'll tell you why later, and I'll also be sure to pay an interest of an eight of a Ker gem for every gem I take from you."

Hearing this sudden proclamation, the 4 who had repeatedly been going through the gems to make sure that they weren't dreaming looked up.

After a few seconds of silence, they glanced at each other before shaking their heads in unison.

Seeing this, Daneel sighed with sadness.

It seemed that he might have to resort to force, as they looked like they were definitely going to reject his request.

The Sect of Hedon really was a dog eat dog world, and no one completely trusted anyone, especially when the matter was related to such wealth.

He had hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but he had expected it. He had almost been seeing these 4 as his friends, but that was clearly wrong.

Just as he was about to ask the system to knock them out surreptitiously, the fatty opened his mouth and spoke with a smile.

"Just take how many ever you want, you idiot. We know that we would have nothing if it weren't for you. We were only helpers, and if it were someone else, they might just throw us the scraps. You don't need to pay any interest, and you don't even need to pay us back. Just promise us that you won't forget us when your shamelessness allows you to soar in the sect."

As Daneel heard this, it was his turn to open his eyes as wide as saucers.

Hurriedly asking the system to stop, he stared at all of them with shock as they smirked.

He…had been wrong.

Due to the impression he had gotten about the Big 4, he had unconsciously held a negative impression in his mind regarding its members, especially when this sect was the one which was being Axelor.

However, clearly, these were just honest sect members looking to grow powerful for their own individual motives-they deserved to be trusted, and saved.

Being King and suspecting everyone had clearly taken its toll.

Realizing this, Daneel sighed and nodded, but as he was about to thank them, the fatty said, "At least now, stop licking fish off the floor."

Chapter 428: Entering the Central Tower

Walking to the central tower, Daneel was trying hard to curb his excitement.

He had actually spent a bit of time with those 4 after glaring at the fatty with embarrassment and ignoring that...mishap again. They shared a bottle of wine, before he set off with the gems.

He was finally going to uncover something that had been hidden from him for ages, and he was trying hard not to let his eagerness show.

After reaching the central tower which went high up into the sky, Daneel went to the right, entering a secluded walkway that was smaller than the rest.

These were the instructions he had gotten regarding the man who allowed people to peruse the secret archives in exchange for money.

Walking towards the end, Daneel first saw a dilapidated house with creepers growing everywhere, but weirdly, it was protected by one of the strongest barriers he had ever seen.

Through his elementary vision, he could tell that even a peak Champion might require quite a few strikes to get through it.

What could such an old house be hiding for it to be protected with such extensive resources?

Although Daneel was curious, he set it aside, as he needed to focus on his own matters.

On reaching a small, single floored house a little distance away, he knocked three times-1 long, 2 short.

After that, he directly made his way to the back of the house, where there was a small semicircular hole in the wooden wall, which almost looked like something a counter at some place which accepted customers would have.

Surely, this wasn't designed for that, right?

Proving his words wrong, a hand suddenly shot out of the hole, startling Daneel and making him take a step back.

He had never been a fan of horror movies back on Earth, and such sudden things were still uncomfortable to him, even though he now had the means to protect himself.

After extending outside till the elbow was exposed, the wrinkled hand which looked like it belonged to a man beckoned and made the universal sign for money-he rubbed his thumb and index finger together.

Taking the cue, Daneel walked forward and slowly handed over a large bag, which was immediately grabbed.

How was the hand going to fit the sack of Ker Gems through that tiny door?

He received the answer soon enough: after hefting the bag 3 times as if checking weight, the hand dropped the bag, but before it hit the ground, it disappeared.

[Based on speed of space elementary particle manipulation, the person in the proximity of host who has cast this spell is at least an Eminent Champion]

Well, it made sense that someone in such an important post must have the power to back it up.

It also explained why such an exorbitant fee was being charged: although it felt very high for them, it was pocket change for a Champion.

After this, the hand returned inside the hole, which made Daneel a bit nervous, making him wonder whether he was scammed in return.

Thankfully, a few seconds later, the hand returned, this time holding a key that looked special.

When Daneel held out his hand to take it, he felt a small prick in his index finger, which made a drop of blood land on the key.

"It'll work only for you, and you can stay inside for 24 hours at most. Use the back entrance. Pay 10,000 more to extend your stay. Get out before 24 hours, or the sect officials will throw you out."

A gnarly voice said these words, before the hand disappeared after which the sound of footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door.

Taking the key, Daneel noticed that it had changed color. Clearly, it was some kind of trinket.

Wondering why this man seemed like such a weirdo, Daneel headed to the tower, as he had gotten what he wanted.

The tower was made of grey stone blocks, which seemed to be melded together with almost no perceptible gap. They were rough on the outside, like regular rock, but according to the system, this was some kind of special material which was a lot more durable.

The tower was at least a massive 30 meters in diameter, as it did contain the entire official wing of the sect. The front door was made of wood, and it was carved with flowers to lend it a touch of grand beauty.

There were many other entrances to the side too which were also decorated, but the back entrance was just a plain door.

It was hidden away from the others, and the back side of the tower had a jungle which made it easy for Daneel to make sure that no one was looking/

Besides, he also had the system to check for eavesdroppers.

Putting in the key, Daneel entered it just like a normal door, but the color of the key, which had been silver before, started changing slowly to green, which was what it had been when the man had held out the key.

Understanding that this was some sort of countdown, Daneel put it away before heading down the stone passageway that he found himself in.

The passageway was quite wide, and although it had chattering officials walking around, no one took notice of him.

On the way, he saw quite a few interesting rooms, one of which was the armory.

However, when he tried to enter, a formless force seemed to stop him from doing so.

[The Sect of Hedon core formation is stopping host from entering places which host does not have permission to enter. Should the system begin to look for vulnerabilities?]

Yes!

Daneel had been very worried that the system might be completely powerless inside the central tower, but thankfully, it seemed that the situation wasn't that bad.

"You said before that the formation can't be controlled right?", he asked, wanting to know everything the system could and couldn't do.

[Core formation is already under the possession of an individual. Thus, brute force possession is impossible with system's current level. Vulnerabilities can still be found and used in certain areas that aren't prioritized very highly by the core formation.]

This made Daneel rejoice, as it meant that he had a way now to try and find out what he wanted.

If what he was thinking was right, then the core formation definitely only protected a certain core part, like in Lanthanor where the coiled dragon with treasures inside had been protected until Daneel managed to take full control of the formation.

Giving up on trying to enter rooms where he didn't have the authority, Daneel headed inside the one that was titled "Secret Archives".

Rows and rows of bookshelves greeted him, and as he counted, he realized that there were at least a thousand books here.

It would take a long time to touch all of them.

Also, there were people around, who glanced at him and got back to their books, so they would definitely notice when Daneel did something that ridiculous.

Just as he was about to try and decide his next step, he spotted something familiar: a podium, which a sect member was holding with both his hands.

Yes! It was a sect interface trinket, just like the one in the library of Lanthanor!

After waiting for his turn, Daneel walked up to it and held it tight, as if nothing in the world could dislodge him.

[1132 books found. Assimilating data.]

As the system started absorbing all the information, Daneel looked around, wondering why no one was asking any questions even if he was someone new in the central tower.

Everyone was busy with their own work, but Daneel saw two bearded men sitting side by side while talking to each other.

Eavesdropping was something that had helped Daneel time and time again, so while the system carried out its task, he asked it to magnify what these two were saying.

It turned out that they were talking about food.

Well, not every conversation he eavesdropped on could be vital.

Next, still bored, Daneel asked the system to magnify each and every conversation in the room while giving each 5 seconds.

Most were casual, about the principles of elementary particles or the difficulties faced in breaking through a level.

Some were talking about the menace gripping the dormitory, and how they would have to step in soon if it didn't get resolved.

As he was flicking through conversations like this like one flicked through channels on a TV back on Earth, one caught his attention.

"Yes, I'm not kidding! The 'seer' from the Goddess's Sanctum saw something. Their Matron is here to have an audience with our sect leader, as he is the leader of the High Council. Let's hurry, it's happening in the Main Audience Chamber."

Daneel couldn't believe his ears. Hurriedly, he asked the system just where this conversation had been eavesdropped from.

After finding out that it was between two people who had just passed the door, without caring about whether the data collection was complete, he hurried out while trying hard not to run.

After exiting the secret archives, Daneel looked around before finding two people in black robes heading somewhere with quick strides.

Following them, Daneel made it to a large door which was slightly opened.

Each door was at least 20 feet wide, so that sliver was enough for people to enter through.

As he tried to walk inside, Daneel was once again stopped, but this time, he asked the system to find the weak point before using it and casting a quick spell to enter.

As soon as he walked inside the large, crowded room, he heard a statement spoken with such passion that he would never forget it.

"This continent is my home, and I will definitely do anything and everything in my power to save it. Trust me. I. Will. Save. Angaria. No matter what it takes."

Chapter 429: Ashahell Speaks

If the room weren't so crowded, Daneel would definitely have been found out by now, due to how wide open his eyes were.

The reason behind him being startled wasn't the content of the statement from Ashahell. After all, he had seen his intention to 'defend Angaria' before, during his first meeting with the man.

No, his shock came from Ashahell's expression and the determination he heard in his voice, which made him understand that this was truly a feeling that was erupting from the bottom of his heart.

Before, Daneel had at least doubted whether the man had been putting up an act.

However, now, he was pretty sure that it wasn't.

No one could be this good an actor. It was impossible!

The room was circular, with gaggles of people standing all around while the central area was left empty.

There was only one chair in the entire room: and it was very much like a throne.

It did not have any decorations in the shapes of mythical beasts like what Daneel had seen in the other Kingdoms, but it was beautifully carved with flowing designs.

The back of the chair made it stand out: it was at least 20 feet tall.

The room itself had a very high ceiling at at least 50 feet, which gave it a very grand feel.

After the impassionate statement, a brief silence had fallen over the room, during which Daneel continued to stare.

His mind was muddled, and his thoughts were moving slowly, as if they were being dragged through thick mud. If Ashahell wasn't acting, then it meant that he truly wanted to save Angaria. Did that mean that the Watcher really was lying about everything, along with the black-robed man?

No. Before he decided either way, he needed to observe more.

The reason Daneel held off on making a decision was that his gut was telling him that there might be more to this man than what meets the eye.

Back when he had met him, his entire countenance made him appear like someone who was…sad.

He hadn't noticed this then due to the shock of meeting him, but when he thought back, this was what he felt.

As Daneel finally began to return to his senses, he noticed with alarm that Ashahell was turning towards him.

Due to long practice with the Basilisk's Breath, he had learned to notice moments where it was crucial that he use the inheritance.

Like now.

Quickly activating it, he ordered the system to change his camouflage to one of the bearded sect members he had seen in the Secret Archives.

At the same time, he ducked, and because there were at least 3 rows of individuals in front of him, he went out of the Sect leader's line of sight.

By the time he deactivated the Basilisk's Breath, Ashahell was already frowning slightly while looking at the position where he had been before, as if he had felt something and turned around, but there was nothing there.

With sweat appearing on his forehead, Daneel realized just how much of a close shave this had been.

The only way for a non-sect official to enter the central tower was through bribing that archive keeper, but that only allowed one to enter the room which held the Secret Archives.

If he was found here, it would become clear that he had some method to circumvent the sect's formation, which would make him a prime target.

Thankfully, his quick thinking had saved him.

Also, he had been quite impulsive.

What if entering the room had drawn the attention of everyone inside towards him?

What would he have done- waved and said that he was looking for the bathroom, before walking out?

Yeap. That would definitely have worked.

Berating himself and making a mental note to think and act even if the stakes were high, Daneel blended in with the crowd and finally noticed that the Matron and Marcus were standing in front of Ashahell.

The whispering from two individuals in front of him filled him in on the situation.

"I heard that seers appear only when mass casualties are about to occur on the continent. That damn Church is invading anyway, so that's pretty obvious."

"This seer is supposed to be pretty too. Her actual name is Xuan, but she is called 'Sister Xuan' on the orders of the Matron, 'cos she wants to protect her from distractions."

"Do you think she's exaggerating when she said that there wasn't a soul alive on Angaria in her vision?"

When Daneel heard this part, he couldn't help but take in a sharp breath, which interrupted the conversation briefly.

Thankfully, they resumed after glancing at him.

"Definitely. If it was that bad, the other sects wouldn't be so relaxed. They couldn't possibly send us all to our deaths, right?"

As one of the two in front of him said this, weirdly, the other didn't say anything, leaving the first chuckling nervously before the conversation ended in this bizarre fashion.

What could it mean?

Putting that aside, Daneel focused on the information he had acquired.

Sister Xuan, that bold girl, was some sort of 'seer' and had predicted something related to Angaria.

The system had been gathering data for quite some time, so he asked it what a seer was on the off chance that this information might already have been absorbed.

['Seer's appear when Angaria is in grave danger. 5 seers have appeared in the history of the continent…]

As the information about this ability flooded into his mind, Daneel realized why this news had warranted such a major gathering.

Only, he was puzzled why this hadn't sent the entire continent into a frenzy.

A few seconds later, he got the answer to this question.

"As per your request, I have conferred with the other members of the High Council. They have denied the motion to upgrade the danger level of the continent to the highest level. The reason being recorded is that no prediction in the history of Angaria has ever been accurate, at all. Final vote: 7-2."

Hearing this, the shoulders of both the Matron and Marcus slumped.

From their expressions, Daneel could tell that they expected this, but it still came as a disappointment.

However, the others in the room actually let out sighs of relief.

"The High Council knows best! If they say that it's not necessary, then it means that they must be confident of protecting all of us, at least. If we don't die foolishly during the war, that is."

"Although I doubt that, there is no way that I would train with those wenches from the Goddess's Sanctum. I would rather bend them over my leg than form a team with them. I can only say that I hope you are right."

As Daneel heard these two statements from the two in front of him whom he had eavesdropped on before, he was trying hard not to make judgments without knowing all the information.

He was the type who would consider a threat real and to be planned against if there was even a 1% chance of it happening, that too when the threat was on such a massive scale.

So, from his viewpoint, it just seemed foolish for the Big 4 not to escalate their 'danger level', whatever that was.

[Danger Level: 4 states of danger level have been decided on by the High Council-Yellow, orange, red and black in ascending order. Yellow is for situations where moderate loss of life is possible in the Central Continent. The rules state that secondary forces must be sent out to stop the threat. Orange is for threats to the stability of the Central Continent, which might lead to massive loss of life. All active duty personnel can be deployed. Red is for an active threat to the entire continent, which will definitely cause loss of life in both the Central Continent and the Big 4. Aggressive member hiring, trinket production, and strategical planning must be carried out. Black is for threats which will most possibly wipe out the entire continent. All of the Big 4 must unite, form combined armies, plan combined defense strategies and resort to extreme measures(including forbidden ones) to save Angaria.]

As this long explanation rattled through Daneel's head, he got a better understanding of why the two in front of him had spoken in that way.

Clearly, all this information was from the secret archive, which made Daneel feel relieved that the decision to gamble everything on coming here for data hadn't been wrong.

As the whispering resumed, Daneel assumed the meeting was over, as the Matron and Marcus were just standing there, looking down with defeated expressions on their faces.

However, Ashahell spoke after a little while, and what he said made both of them snap their heads up as if they had been electrocuted, while Daneel even had to bite his tongue hard so that he wouldn't exclaim due to finally uncovering a mystery that had plagued him quite heavily since he had taken full control of the formation in the Hidden Kill Sect.

"Don't lose all hope like that. I already expected this response from the High Council. Although I am its head, it's sad that I am powerless in the matter of forcing them to do anything. So, I plan to take things into my own hands. We all know the hidden history about of the Central Continent: the strongest inheritance and the strongest trinket that has ever been developed on Angaria was made by the largest empire which once sprawled across the entire continent, in all 4 directions. This was their greatest achievement, but this also led to their ruin. Hence, the Kingdoms and forces were broken up, and the inheritance and the trinket were broken apart and distributed among all of them in case Angaria ever faces a threat which will certainly destroy it. The reason behind their ruin is why we do not allow empires on Angaria, even today. I plan to collect them all and try to create a way where they can be used without danger. It is our last hope."

Chapter 430: Revelation

Ignoring the pain that came from biting his tongue so hard that even blood appeared, Daneel tried to comprehend what he had just heard.

This was the mystery surrounding Angaria that he had been trying to uncover since a very long time.

The history of this continent was something that none of the forces on the Central Continent knew. Either the Big Four had made sure that this would be the case, or all those forces that were now in the Central Continent had come into existence after whatever had happened to the Empire, meaning that their history started when the true history of Angaria ended.

This proclamation was met by silence, so Daneel used this opportunity to think about this revelation that had shocked him to the core.

As he listed all the facts he knew so far, he realized that it all made sense, more or less.

It was an unspoken rule that Empires were forbidden on the Central Continent, and many had even suspected that this wasn't just because no force on the Central Continent wanted others to gang up on them.

The Empire spirit was something most probably left behind by that glorious Empire which had spanned across the entire continent, possibly as a way to resurrect themselves.

As for the vision he had seen when he had unlocked the first layer of the Empire spirit, it was most probably what had let to their destruction.

This meant that… He had already collected two parts of the inheritance, and two parts of the trinket that Ashahell had spoken about?!

Of course, Daneel was referring to the strange objects that he had found inside the core formations of the Hidden Kill Sect and Lanthanor, that the system had said were very similar.

If they were part of the same trinket that had been broken up, it would only make sense that the system would be able to analyze this.

Only, the level of the trinket was apparently something that even exceeded the present level of the system.

Did that mean that… The trinket could be at the Hero level? Or even stronger?

Daneel already knew from Sister Xuan that the condition for a force to be considered part of the Big Four was to have a Hero-level individual with them.

He had already deduced that these people must be the ones hidden away from the sight of common sect members, busy defending the continent in secret.

Now that he thought about it, Daneel even got a suspicion that they made up that High Council that Ashahell had just conversed with.

Of course, it didn't make sense that the head would be just a Peak Champion while the others would all be Heroes, but still, Daneel did not discard this possibility as for some reason, his gut told him that there was some truth to it.

The arrogance of the Empire spirit also made sense, as compared to an Empire that sprawled across the whole continent, the present forces were nothing but mere villages.

As a mystery that had been plaguing him for many years was finally uncovered, Daneel felt relief flooding through him, but it was also accompanied by even more questions.

If such a powerful inheritance and trinket existed, why hadn't more people sought to possess them over all these years?

What exactly had led to the collapse of that glorious empire?

How did the existence of that empire tie in with the mythical beasts that all made up the cores of the formations of the various forces in the Central Continent?

Why had he found nothing in the Black Raven Kingdom and Eldinor?

Even though these questions revolved in Daneel's mind, he felt energized and ready to uncover them, because of the satisfaction that came from having uncovered this earth-shaking truth through his own efforts.

Right now, with all seriousness, Daneel considered something: if Ashahell was truly an honorable man who wanted to protect Angaria at all costs, should he consider giving up what he had to help the man?

His goal was to save the people of this beautiful continent that was his home, and although doing it himself would definitely give him such a great amount of satisfaction and joy that he wouldn't be able to put it into words, if there was someone else more equipped to do the same, he realised that he wouldn't mind letting them proceed.

After all, he wasn't an egoistic, selfish ruler who wanted the credit at all costs and wanted to dominate and rule the entire continent no matter what.

The answer to this question would dictate his whole plan while moving forward, so Daneel decided to think more on it. First of all, he needed to make sure beyond any doubt that Ashahell was the man he appeared to be.

This was because no matter how much he tried to ignore it, he felt that something was off about this prophesized savior of Angaria.

"Has the High Council approved this?"

It was Marcus with his deep voice who asked this question, and it broke the silence and whispers that had filled the room till now.

"Yes. Because of the prediction, although they are not prepared to raise the danger level, I just convinced them that this must at least be tried. That is why I am announcing it in public now. The seer's prediction was useful, after all, Matron. Of course, they will do everything in their power to make sure that history doesn't repeat."

The very mention of "repeating history" caused a shudder to pass through many in the room, as just the thought of something like that cataclysm happening again was very scary.

Hearing this, both the Matron and Marcus nodded, before the Matron said, "We wish you luck on this quest, and we really hope that you find success. Still, we can only beseech you to please try and convince the elders in the High Council to agree to increase the danger level. Xuan says she is sure about what she saw, and I believe her."

"Very well. My first stop will be Lanthanor. I'll be doing this through the proper channels, so I'll be sending a senior sect official after an initial scouting of the area to initiate conversation for meeting the King of Lanthanor by myself later on. When I meet each ruler, I will also emphasize about the threat that our continent is going to face soon, and I will ask them to prepare in the best way they can. Farewell."

When they heard this, both the Matron and Marcus bowed slightly before disappearing from the spot.

"I'm still going through some tests to formulate an initial plan, so we will be carrying this out in a month. After I obtain the first part, I will be convening a physical meeting of the High Council at our sect to discuss the plan and finalize it. Let it be written in the record that this became privileged knowledge in the sect on this date, at this time. The sect meeting ends here."

After nodding to a man standing beside the chair who had a data trinket in hand and who was clearly noting down everything to store it in the official records of the sect, Ashahell also disappeared, after which people started to move towards the door.

Taking this opportunity, Daneel made his way out and headed back to the secret archives while in deep thought.

He had gotten his answer regarding what the Sect of Hedon wanted to do with Lanthanor, but he still didn't know whether it was the full story.

He couldn't help it. Whenever he thought about such meetings and matters which were recorded, he couldn't help but think back to Earth, where politicians would announce one thing and carry out their own hidden agenda under the guise of acting with everyone's best interests and heart.

Before he made a decision on what he would do next, he knew that he had to finish absorbing all the information first.

Right before he entered the secret archives, Daneel chose a moment when no one was looking at him to change back to the blonde haired kid before walking up to the podium again.

After five minutes, with all of the information in the secret archives completely assimilated in the system, he made his way out and headed to a bathroom.

While washing his face using a faucet, Daneel looked around.

He already had all the information, so there was no urgency to leaf through it. He had already asked the system whether there was anything in the secret archives that required his urgent attention that was related to what was going on right now, to which the system had answered that the main info was already known to him.

Right now, there were only two possibilities: either the Watcher was right and Ashahell was evil, or he was wrong and this entire thing was only to take revenge for being kicked out for some other reason.

According to him, Ashahell was going to deliver something to the Church which would allow them to invade sooner. What he needed to find was simple: if there really was something like that which when delivered, could destabilize the entire continent and make it ripe for invasion, then it meant that the Watcher was right.

Taking out the key, Daneel checked how much time he had left.

From the gradually changing color, he could tell that he had used up around one hour of his time, which meant that he had 23 hours to search throughout the entire Central Tower.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at himself in the mirror.

This was going to be very grueling.

Chapter 431: Last Hope

23 hours later.

As Daneel walked out of the Central Tower while holding the key that was about to completely turn black, he couldn't help but bite his lips with frustration.

Each and every part of his body was aching, and he even had a very bad headache due to constantly changing camouflages and having his mageroot overly taxed for quite a long time.

Using various disguises, he had searched through almost every nook and cranny of the entire Central Tower, save for the core spot on the ground which the system couldn't infiltrate into, and a few other places.

Besides, he knew that there was probably nothing there except the core control mechanism of the formation, which was actively in the possession of someone.

At least three times, he had had very close shaves where the person he was disguised as had almost walked into the room he was in and realized that there were two of him.

At the last moment, using the Basilisk's Breath, he had been able to change disguise and avoid suspicion.

In this process, the only consolation was that he had come across various bookshelves in other parts of the sect which he had run his fingers over and collected information regarding the finer workings of the sect.

At one point, he had even infiltrated the living quarters of the sect leader himself, but what was strange was that the bed looked like it hadn't been slept in in a very long time.

It was then that he had heard while eavesdropping on the maids in the central tower that the sect leader very rarely spent time here, instead opting to disappear somewhere.

There was one other thing – when Daneel got to the top floor of the sect, the system had notified him that there was actually a camouflage formation which was making it appear to everyone outside that the Central Tower only had eight floors.

Apparently, there were many more floors, but the system couldn't push through as this was also another area of priority by the Hero level formation which made it so that the system's level wasn't enough for it to find vulnerabilities which Daneel could use.

Basically, he had exhausted each and every place he could look inside the Central Tower, but he had found no indication whatsoever about the true nature of the sect leader.

With his time up, he had no option but to give up and go out, lest he risk being discovered by the sect officials and being fined and thrown out.

As soon as he walked out, the key crumbled into ash before being swept up by a breeze.

While Daneel watched the ashes floating away, it was as if he was also watching his last hope of finding the truth leaving him.

He didn't know what to do. Even the Watcher had had no concrete plan – he had trusted that whatever the sect leader wanted to deliver, Daneel would be able to find it and identify it for what it was – an element which could be used to destabilize the continent.

Regretfully, there was no such thing.

Although the possibility was there that it might be stored in the higher portions of the central tower, Daneel had no way of ascertaining whether this was true.

What was he supposed to do now?

It would take at least three and a half weeks for him to exit the sect again, and by that time, if the Watcher was true, then it was very possible that the end of Angaria might come to be.

Hopelessness and desperation surged through Daneel, but no matter how much he tried to find a way, he really couldn't see any hope.

Besides, there was also the nagging feeling that the Watcher might be false all along, and that he might be better off handing over whatever he had to Ashahell.

However, whenever he thought about this, a chill would creep up his spine, as if to warn him not to do anything hastily.

Walking back to the dorm, Daneel asked the system to tell him about any information that he needed to know from all the data that had been gathered inside the central tower.

[High Council: The High Council consists of all the Hero level elders of each member of the Big Four. The number of elders from a sect determines its position in the hierarchy of the Big Four. A force can only be considered to be part of the Big Four if they have at least one Hero level individual on the High Council. The leader of the High Council is the only one not at Hero level – typically, the leader is chosen from the Peak Champions in all of the Big Four, with the objective being that the one who is most likely to become a Hero next should be in possession of the role of 'head' whose responsibility it is to act as a bridge between the regular sect members and the members of the High Council.]

Well, that was established. So that was where all the Hero level individuals of the sects were.

[Hero Level: The level that is beyond Champions. The key to becoming a Champion is to choose some aspect which resonates with the individual, and either being capable of casting spells related to that aspect without using a Mageroot(in the case of a Mage) or being capable of exerting power and affecting reality without using their body(in the case of a Fighter). This is the information pieced together from the journals of those who have already become Champions. As for the Hero level, it has only been written that an additional aspect is needed, and that the difference between Champions and Heroes is much more than that between Warriors and Champions. Core information about reaching Champion or Hero level is exclusive to the core inheritances of the sect, which is not included in the data that has been gathered.]

This made Daneel stumble slightly, as he finally realized the meaning behind the system's notification during the Olympics when it had said that mageroot-less spell casting was key to becoming a Champion.

He had already expected that the most important inheritances wouldn't just be lying around the Central Tower for him to gather. The formation would definitely prioritize such information, so it would only make sense that he hadn't been able to access them.

Although all this stuff about the Hero level was very interesting, he knew that it was very far from him right now.

Too far to think about, especially when he considered that if he didn't accomplish something soon, it was very possible that Angaria itself would not exist for long.

Again and again, Daneel couldn't help but think this and frown with extreme frustration.

[Comprehension and potential levels: Unlike in the Central Continent where comprehension and potential levels are capped at top grade, according to the information that has been found in the secret archives, there are two additional levels, denoted as "S" and "SS". Comprehension level and body potential level dictate the farthest power level that an individual can train to. Top grade comprehension and body potential means that an individual can become a Warrior without too much difficulty, given the right resources and training method. But beyond this, it is almost impossible for them to move forward, unless external mechanisms are used to increase their comprehension and body potential level.

S level means that one can become a Champion.

SS level means that one can become a Hero.

Very few people are born with S level comprehension or body potential. One example of those born with S comprehension and body potential level are 'seers'.

Since the collapse of the Empire of Angaria, no individual has been born with SS level comprehension or body potential.]

His head reeling with all this information, Daneel realized that he had finally found out just what kind of level his own comprehension had reached after that experience so long ago with the remnant spirit.

On a whim, he asked the system to show him his status.

[Host status updating. Please standby.

Host status:

Host Fighter Level: Warrior-1(67%)

Host Mage Level: Warrior-1(84%)

Host Body Potential: A+

Host Comprehension Level: S

Host Condition: Nominal]

Clearly, whatever he had been through when he was attacked by that remnant spirit had in some way changed his comprehension level and improved it. If he remembered correctly, it had all been about pressure.

Right now, he could bet that whatever the sect members of the Big Four went through to become a Champion was definitely closely related to what he himself had gone through.

Again, another mystery solved, but this time, it gave him no satisfaction.

Reaching the dorm room, Daneel fell on the bed.

There was still no new news about the Mad Doctor, as it seemed that Percy was still searching and trying to find out just where his father was hiding his brother and those cronies. Of course, he had been waylaid by Daneel.

Daneel slowly realized that there was only one thing he could do- a last hope of sorts: Ashahell was going to meet with him, and during the conversation, he would have to try his best to find out something or anything about the man's real motives.

There had been instances before when a personal meeting had helped Daneel and allowed him to understand the other person, so he could only hope right now that the same would repeat.

He threw himself into training, waiting for the three and a half weeks to end, so that he would be able to leave while also hoping that Ashahell wouldn't move his schedule forward.

Thankfully, no such thing happened, and after 25 days, Daneel made sure that Ashahell was going to come to Lanthanor in five days before leaving the sect.

As he stepped out of the barrier, he took a deep breath.

These past few weeks had been very tough on him, as his anxiety regarding the future had reached new peaks, not even allowing him to get a good night's sleep.

The stakes were just too high.

As he had just exited the sect, he could choose to contact the Watcher if he wished, but Daneel held off on doing so and also made sure to disguise himself as someone else, as that guy must definitely be watching right now.

Without being sure, he couldn't risk going to the Hidden Kill Sect again.

In five days, Ashahell would be appearing in Lanthanor, and that meeting might well decide the fate of Angaria itself.

Chapter 432: True Intentions 1

On the day that Daneel was set to leave the Sect of Hedon, Ashahell was standing on the real top floor of the Central Tower with his eyes closed.

However, unlike his usual countenance, his eyes were flickering, and there was a strange golden halo around his long brown hair.

In his mind's eye, he was currently in a place that looked like it was in the sky.

All he could see were clouds all around, along with 8 massive chairs on which hazy humanoid figures were seated.

He was his normal size, so all of these individuals looked like giants that were at least 20 feet tall.

"What is it now, Ashahell? Another plot to 'save' Angaria?"

These words were said in a languid tone by the figure to his right, and the hazy figure in that chair seemed to be casually lounging on it, with one leg over the armrest.

Chuckles sounded across the area, with only 2 individuals not joining in on the laughter.

"Yes, I hope that is not the case. If I need to hear one more time about how the Energy on the continent is decreasing and how we need to stop mining Ker Gems from its core, I'll revoke your privileges to call for a meeting."

"Halfax, come on! Ashahell has a point. You know how hard he has tried over the decades to find a way to stop it. He only wants to save Angaria!"

The one who said this was clearly female, and she was to Ashahell's left.

More laughter erupted from the others as they heard this.

"All right, all right, enough. Don't take this to heart, Ashahell. You are prophesized to save Angaria from the Church, not from itself. You will be leading the charge against the Church when the time comes, so I hope you haven't been neglecting your training even though we can't give you all the resources you want. Anyway, what is this meeting for, again?"

Usually, if Ashahell heard such statements which belittled his sincere efforts and passion to save this place that he considered his home, he would have felt frustrated.

Since his parents had died, that had been the only motivation that had pushed him forward.

It was a known fact that Energy resources were decreasing throughout the continent.

The average power level of people in this era was a far cry from those in the ages past, where Heroes had been as common as Champions now.

In his investigation, he had found that it was because the inhabitants of Angaria were ruthlessly mining away all the Energy resources, leading to such an overall decrease.

If this continued, the continent itself would surely die.

Since he had discovered this, he had made it his life's work to save his home, as he believed that that was his purpose.

No matter how lonely he felt on his path, or how much resistance he faced from these old geezers, he had strode forward with his head held high.

However, after that incident where he had absorbed the power of those 10,000 people, he had started to realize that his method had been wrong.

Since then, he had devoted himself to finding a way to save his home, no matter what he needed to do in the process.

Finally, he was at the last step, and although what he was going to do made him sad, he told himself that it was necessary and looked up to meet the gazes of the 8 in front of him.

All of his efforts would come to fruition soon, and all he needed to do was go through with his plan.

Taking a deep breath, Ashahell began to speak.

"I called this meeting to submit my plan to unearth the lost inheritance and trinket from the Angarian Empire. I set off in 5 days to meet the King of Lanthanor, and obtain the first parts of the trinket and inheritance. After that, I will be bringing them back to the Sect of Hedon, where I humbly request the physical presence of all the members of the High Council, as per the ancient rules."

"Oh, it's that. Well, that didn't require this meeting. Sure thing, we will be there. If that's all, I need to get back to my maidens."

As more laughter was heard, Ashahell nodded, and when his consciousness returned to his body, no one saw the despondent smile that appeared on his face, accompanied by a sigh that was filled with regret that there was no other way.

….

Five days later.

Daneel was sitting all alone in the Royal Court, mulling over a data trinket in his hand.

It held the information about the power levels of the Domination Corps, more specifically, of all the individuals who had gone to the Hidden Kill Sect for training.

This was practically the most powerful and effective group of soldiers that he had, and he had no intention of leaving them alone and letting their power dwindle.

After coming back to the Kingdom, Daneel had made simplified copies of both the Art of the Withering Leaf and the Basilisk's Breath before passing it on to the Domination Corps.

These were individuals who had already sworn an oath to not disclose any information about the training techniques that they had, but there was still a risk that someone could notice them when they were fighting and identify the inheritances they were using.

However, Daneel didn't really care about this, because if the time came when they really had to go all out and use these techniques, it really wouldn't matter who was seeing them, as everyone would be too busy trying not to die.

Of course, he hadn't really been able to completely hide the news that he had exited the sect, and the Watcher had been repeatedly trying to get in touch with him using the communication trinket.

Daneel had been ignoring the man, but he knew that he couldn't do that much longer, as this was a Champion level individual and he might resort to doing something extreme if he saw that he had no other option to talk to him.

Thankfully, that hadn't happened yet, as it seemed that even the Watcher had gotten wind of the meeting that was going to take place soon in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Three days ago, the senior official of the sect had arrived at the Kingdom of Lanthanor and asked for an audience with the king.

When Daneel had talked to him, the man had been very polite, which had been quite surprising.

After telling him that he was from the legendary Big Four, he had simply notified him that the leader of the High Council and the sect leader of one of the Big Four wanted to have an audience with him, as he needed to discuss some very crucial matters.

Of course, Daneel had readily agreed, after showing the appropriate amount of shock by using the system.

The meeting was set for today, which coincided with the schedule that Ashahell had initially announced.

He was nervous, to say the least, as there was a lot riding on this meeting.

Even in these past five days, he had been very distracted, and he had even repeatedly gone over everything he had seen inside the central tower to no avail.

The meeting was supposed to happen at noon, and to make sure that he wouldn't arouse any suspicion, Daneel had even asked the system to relinquish control of the Court formation of the Palace of Lanthanor after putting back the items he had found reluctantly.

After all, a Champion was required to take control of it, and there was no such individual in Lanthanor.

If Ashahell discovered that there was nothing inside, suspicion might fall on him, and he was not ready yet to face up against a bunch of Heros and a Peak Champion, especially when he didn't even know what a Hero was capable of.

As soon as the clock struck 12, a man appeared in the center of the Royal Court.

He was wearing the same black robes with a golden trim that Daneel had seen him in during the audience in the Sect of Hedon, but that genial nature that had been present in him both when he interacted with Daneel and during the sect meeting was absent.

Instead, his long face was set with an expression of indifference, sadness, and…hope?

The last part confused Daneel, but he discarded it, thinking that he had seen wrong.

This was clearly a show of force, as the formation of the Palace which was supposed to stop teleportation had been broken through in merely a fraction of a second.

Of course, if Daneel were in control of the core formation of the sect, he could have redirected resources to stop this, but he would obviously not do so.

Instead, all Daneel did was appear as if he were seeing one of the most shocking things in the world, before controlling himself and bringing back the dignity of a King.

Even though he was much less powerful than the individual in front of him, he decided that a King like himself would definitely protest at least a little bit at having his Court intruded on in this way.

The proper method would have been to appear at the entrance, before being led the Royal Court.

However, as Daneel was about to open his mouth to speak, he realized that he had lost all control of his body.

Only his eyes could still be moved by him, and they widened with genuine shock when he saw Ashahell folding his hands and looking at him with an indescribable expression on his face.

Daneel felt his skin crawl when he looked into Ashahell's eyes, and he already realized that things were developing in ways that he could never have foreseen.

He had expected for this to be just a normal meeting, but that clearly wasn't so, as he had just been bound to the throne and rendered immobile.

With growing horror, Daneel wondered whether he had been foolish and naïve in even accepting this meeting.

This was because his gut was repeatedly screaming one thing at him, and it had been a long time since he had felt hopeless in changing what was going to happen using his power.

It was screaming that he was going to die.

Chapter 433: Ashahell's Ultimatum 1

Just the concept of having one's control of one's own body taken away was a horrifying thing to think of.

Daneel could feel everything: from the invisible ropes that were binding him in place to the air that brushed against his skin.

Only, it was like he was a passenger in his own mind: only able to move his eyes while the rest of his body refused to follow his orders.

"System, is there nothing that can be done?"

[With clone body, no action can be taken. With original body, time to disable spell: 10 seconds.]

That was just great.

Using simple common sense, Daneel had chosen to meet this man using his clone, but his guts had still begun warning him about his impending death, which had made him panic the most.

Even if it was his original body, in 10 seconds, he could possibly be killed countless times before he even mounted a resistance.

However he thought about it, if this man wanted to kill him, he was doomed.

At this point, Daneel truly understood just how much farther he had to go if he wanted to be anything greater than an ant in this continent.

True, he was a once-in-a-millennium genius who could match an Exalted Warrior even though he had just stepped into the Warrior realm himself, using all the inheritances and tricks he had.

However, standing up against a genius who had apparently been born with more talent than him, he could do nothing.

The man in front of him was a Peak Exalted Champion, but he could tell that even if he was just an Amateur Champion, Daneel wouldn't be any better off.

With panic surging through him, he began running from his personal chambers, where his original body was.

He had already shifted his consciousness, but because he wasn't in control of the core of the Palace's formation, he couldn't disable the anti-teleportation part of the formation and immediately leave.

Only, as soon as he raised his foot, he felt the same thing happen to his original body.

He hadn't even wasted any time: as soon as he had felt the warning from his gut and as soon as he had lost control of his clone's body, he had shifted consciousness, but apparently, Ashahell was even faster.

"You're cautious. I like it. But that's useless."

As Ashahell uttered these words in a cold voice, the chill that was creeping up Daneel's back only grew in intensity.

The next second, all three bodies vanished from the Palace, and because both his personal chambers and the Royal Court were sealed off on his orders, no one was none the wiser.

Something even more horrifying was that he couldn't even send any message through the oathstone. In all the situations he had been in on Angaria so far, the mystical oathstone's connection to all those who had sworn oaths to it had never been cut off.

As he realized this, he finally understood that all routes of escape were completely sealed off.

His last hope had been to contact the Watcher with the hope that the man might be able to help, but clearly, that was no longer possible.

The clone disappeared as soon as Ashahell attempted to teleport it, as during the teleportation, the distance between it and Daneel easily exceeded the limit in which it had to stay in.

So, when Daneel opened his eyes, he only saw Ashahell beside him, whose arms were still folded.

Looking around, Daneel realized that they were actually in the area outside the Valley of Mist.

Barren ground was all around them, and this was coincidentally near the spot where Daneel had first stood and wondered why the Valley was the only place inhabited by plants when the area all around it was almost completely devoid of life.

He was propped upright like a robot, with stiff limbs, but one thing had changed: he could move his neck around.

However, the rest of his body, including his lips and mouth, were still the same.

Hence, twisting his neck, Daneel looked all around before finally focusing his gaze on Ashahell after realizing that there was no one and nothing else around them.

"Have you never wondered why this place is so peculiar?"

Daneel was still in a major panic due to the fact that his life might end soon, but he still chose to answer.

Back on Earth, he had seen TV shows where it said that in the presence of a crazed killer, it was always better to follow their instructions and not infuriate them, as that would only lead to a quick death.

Of course, he had no idea whether that applied here, but Ashahell really did seem like a maniac, for some reason.

As Ashahell saw him hurriedly nod, he smiled slightly before saying, "Don't worry. I won't kill you…yet. At least, it'll be your decision regarding whether you live or die. For now, just enjoy the ride. So, you did wonder about the reason?"

Daneel didn't know if that statement was meant to calm him, but it definitely managed to do the opposite.

However, he had been in many high-risk situations so far since he had transmigrated here. So, drawing on all that experience, Daneel assembled his thoughts and nodded slowly, knowing that if he at least wanted to keep the possibility alive that he could get out of this unscathed, then he had to keep a rational and quick mind.

"That's better. This place is of special importance to me. 20 years ago, when I was a little kid, I used to play here. You wouldn't be able to believe it: that Valley stretched many hundreds of kilometers out, and there were many animals that became my companions. Whenever I got too bored of training, they would accompany me. There was one bear in general which loved it when I patted it on its head."

A lush forest here? Just 20 years ago?

Daneel hadn't really gone through a detailed report of the area, so he had no idea whether this was true.

However, from the way Ashahell was speaking, he could tell that the man wasn't lying.

After a pause, when Ashahell resumed speaking, his tone had a cold edge to it, like a blade that had just been unsheathed.

"Everything was fine…until one day, when I saw a red rock shining in the sun. I was so naïve. I just reported it to those who had escorted me, and I saw as their eyes went wide open. Like primitive beasts, they pounced on the rock and clawed it with their hands before remembering their powers and breaking apart the rock using magic. They pocketed all they could, and when they reported it to the sect, many, many mages descended here.

"Did you know that a red rock peeking out of the ground meant death to the land? I didn't either, and I learned this fact on that day.

"There was apparently a massive Ker Gem mine underneath, which drew the attention of even the Hero level elder of our sect.

"In one night, it was all over. By the next morning, everything still looked the same from the outside, but no one could have guessed that a cave tens of kilometers in width and height had been dug out in a single night. All the Ker Gems were emptied, and from then on, the forest began to die."

As Daneel listened to the tale, he couldn't help but notice that Ashahell's voice was getting colder and colder by the second.

"The animals became listless. The plants started to wilt. The very air felt like it was rotting, as it had lost that which had sustained it. You see, Ker Gems energize elementary particles for a large area around them, allowing nature to thrive. When they were suddenly removed, it caused too catastrophic a change which ended up…killing everything. That was just in one area; one forest. Imagine what would be the effect if this happened all over the continent. Have you never wondered why those in the ancient times seemed so much more mighty compared to us? Why we can only learn from them and pick up their scraps with lofty aspirations of reaching their heights? IT'S BECAUSE OF OUR GREED!"

As the last sentence was shouted out, Daneel flinched, but that was completely in his mind.

He suddenly thought back to his first days on Angaria, when he had learned from the library about this very thing: that the general Energy level of the continent was depleting, and no one knew exactly why.

Of course, immediately, Daneel drew a parallel with Earth.

Even these, excessive consumption of natural resources had led to a global crisis, but no one was ready to seriously face it and look for solutions on a global level.

Clearly, that was also the situation here. The Big 4 had mined away all the major deposits of Ker Gems and possibly other materials, which explained why they had so many resources in abundance while the Central Continent fought over scraps. They had only been left with the most basic of resources, barely enough to sustain them.

There, it was the global leaders and massive corporations which only cared about themselves.

Here, it was the Hero-level individuals of the continent, who, for some reason, didn't care at all.

Of course, at this moment, Daneel felt very angry.

As that anger became reflected in his eyes, Ashahell actually…smiled.

He had been observing Daneel closely all this while, so when he saw the expected reaction, he felt happy that he hadn't been wrong.

"I was right. You are angry, too, just like I was when I found out! You are someone who cares about the continent. I saw all of your efforts in saving your people. I even tested you using those doom mosquitoes, to see just what you were capable of. King Daneel, people like us, we just want what's best for the continent. For too long, I have been walking alone on this path. I ask you to join me. Join me, and I will show you what you have been doing wrong. Join me, and I will show you the right way. Join me, and…we will save Angaria together."

As Daneel finally realized why this man had taken a special interest in him, he heard one last sentence.

"And, oh, yes. Join me…or die."

Chapter 434: Ashahell's Ultimatum 2

As soon as Daneel heard the last part, he regained control of his mouth.

First, he coughed to make sure that he could speak again.

After that, seeing that Ashahell was looking at him with an expression of hope on his face, he really felt like laughing at his own situation.

Here was a man who had taken a special interest in him because he thought that he wanted to save Angaria, too. And if he didn't join him, he would die.

What was he supposed to say now? That's great, let's be brothers and let's go save this continent together?

No!

Daneel could tell that there was a lot here that he wasn't being told.

However, he had no idea how to ask.

This wasn't a multiple choice question: if he said no, he would most probably die.

As the gears in his mind turned, he tried to find a way out where he could live and find out more.

After a few seconds, he finally got an idea.

"If we are truly going to save all the people of Angaria together, then I would not hesitate to join you."

In response, Ashahell shook his head, and Daneel felt as if his heart had dropped like a rock.

"No, King Daneel. I never mentioned the people. No matter when I talk about my mission, I only talk about saving Angaria. Angaria is the land we live on- the land we take for granted. The people are just insects who happen to be on it. For Angaria to be saved, they have to be eliminated. I know it's sad, but sometimes, we have to do what is necessary to get what is needed. This land gave birth to us and allowed us to gain power using its breath and soul. In return, all we do is plunder. That has to end. Angaria will be rid of all that plagues it, and there will be a fresh start under my helm, and yours, if you agree."

There is was.

Hearing this, Daneel sighed inwardly.

There was the typical extremist.

At this moment, he fully understood this man, and he also understood why he had even gotten that doubt in the central tower before, about whether he should follow him.

Ashahell truly believed in his cause to save the continent. In fact, when Daneel thought about it, he realized that he really hadn't heard him ever mention the inhabitants of Angaria whenever he spoke about saving it- not once.

He should have picked up the clue then, but it was too easy to miss.

Right now, Daneel saw an extreme "Save the planet!" protestor from Earth inside Ashahell- only, it was one who was insanely powerful and also had the means to get what he wanted at all cost.

What was he supposed to do now?

He could tell what was going to happen if he chose to follow Ashahell: at best, he would have to swear an oath, which would definitely be binding enough that it would take a lot of time to find a way to circumvent it. By then, Angaria would mostly be lost.

In the worst case scenario, Ashahell might even have something even more binding, which Daneel would have no hope of getting out of.

And if he chose the other option to refuse, he would simply die.

It was a lose-lose situation, and Daneel cursed himself for even getting into it, even though he saw no way in which he could have done things differently.

All too often, one would only find out one's true nature when it was too late.

Wait…was it too late?

At this crucial moment between life and death, his mind worked faster than ever before.

All of his experience, drive and urge to save the people who believed in him transformed into a singular need to find a way to get out of this predicament.

Suddenly, he got an idea.

"I refuse."

As these words sounded over the empty plane, the expression of hope on Ashahell's face disappeared and was replaced by one of disappointment.

"That's a foolish decision. It's just too bad. I was really looking forward to finding someone else to save from Angaria, so that they can help me when it is time to rebuild. You could have saved your family and friends too. Now, along with you, all of them will also die. King Daneel, goodbye."

As he said this, Daneel once again started to lose control of his mouth and throat, but before it left, he quickly shouted, "WAIT!"

Thinking that he was changing his mind, Ashahell paused and gave back control of the ability to speak.

"Why are you killing me? Don't you have a policy to not involve yourself in the Central Continent? How will you explain yourself to the High Council?"

This was what the young King wanted to say?

Frowning, Ashahell just took it as the last struggles of someone who was about to die.

"I'll just place a clone in your place. It really doesn't matter; all life on Angaria will end soon. All I need to do is not let anyone get suspicious for a little while. Originally, this was going to take some time. However, a certain prediction allowed me to move all of my plans forward. I assume that you got this information from that Xuan. You have to thank her for dying so soon, too. If that's all, we can proceed."

"WAIT!"

When Daneel once again felt control leaving him, he shouted just like before.

With a deeper frown, Ashahell asked, "What?"

"Let me speak like one who wants to save this continent to another. You and I want the same things, but in different ways. So, you and I understand each other. I only have one wish. I want to die with my people, along with the knowledge that I did everything in my power to save them and reach my goal. I think you can understand just how much I want that. You, of all people, should. You said that it doesn't matter. Isn't there any other way for me to live, but not hamper your plans? Any way? As a King, it is not right for me to beg, but if necessary, I'll do just that."

As Daneel spoke these words with such passion that even tears appeared in his eyes, Ashahell's frown lessened, but he furrowed his brow.

Seeing this, Daneel rejoiced that his plan was working.

This was a man who strived for his goal more than anything, so he was just appealing to that very strong part of him that knew how it felt when one walked forward on the path to fulfilling their dream.

Ashahell was, indeed, moved by this speech.

He liked to think that he was a very reasonable man. In fact, before that incident where those 10,000 people had died, he had even been very kind and fair to others.

Of course, after that incident, his thinking had changed, but he had still refrained from causing unnecessary deaths for the most part.

He could understand this last wish of this King who really did only want the best for his people. He was right: they were the same, and that was why he had hoped to recruit him.

So, he thought for a moment whether there was a way to fulfill his wish without taking risks.

He was also someone who pursued perfection, so there was no way that he would leave loose ends.

"Isn't there a way to wipe my memory, maybe?"

As Ashahell heard this, he realized that there was, indeed that method that he hadn't thought of.

Only, many said that it was worse than death.

"Now that you mention that, there is a way. If you completely relinquish the defenses around your mind, I can use my mageroot to enter your consciousness using an advanced spell to wipe away this meeting. I can even replace it with a fake meeting where I would only tell you about the Church's threat and ask for permission to examine your core formation-that's what I'm going to do with the other rulers, anyway. You were just...special."

"Then I chose that!"

"Don't be hasty. If you let me do that, it means that I will have access to all of your innermost secrets. I will be able to go through each and every moment of your life, starting from birth. You will feel as if your mind has been…violated. You will feel that something is wrong, but you wouldn't be able to explain it, and you would eventually go crazy. Of course, if you don't die first, that is. Many prefer death. It's your choice."

Hearing this, the King in front of Ashahell shuddered, which was the typical reaction.

However, after a few seconds, resolve shone in his eyes.

Yes, this was someone that he had chosen as worthy to follow him.

It really was a pity.

"Do it. You said everything will end anyway, right? If I'm going to forget this anyway, can I know when and how that is?"

"I have no need to answer that. Let's just say that I'm looking forward a lot to a very important meeting. Brace yourself. This is going to hurt a little at first, and a lot later. Goodbye, King Daneel."

As screaming started to echo throughout the barren area, blood started to flow from the King of Lanthanor's eyes, nose, and ears.

….

An unknown amount of time later.

"Thank you for your cooperation, King Daneel. I hope you take my advice to heart. The Church is no small enemy. We will need all the help we can get."

"Of course. Farewell, and good luck with your quest."

As Daneel saw off the very respectable sect leader from the Big 4, he clutched his head, feeling that something was wrong.

The man had already disappeared, so he was now alone in the Throne Room.

Looking back in his memories, he felt that something was…wrong.

He was just a regular boy on the streets who had worked hard to become King, and had found a lucky inheritance which aided him on his journey.

Crack!

As a sound akin to a glass being broken appeared in his mind, he felt memories flood back into him, making him collapse on the ground while howling in pain.

A few minutes later, he raised his head and eyed the space where Ashahell had disappeared from with bloodshot eyes.

Due to the pain, he had bit down so hard that his entire mouth was filled with blood, so when he grinned, a visage of one who looked like a ghost with bloody teeth could be seen.

In the empty room, he exclaimed, "Who's foolish now, you f*cking bastard?"

Chapter 435: Counter-Plan

Taking large breaths, Daneel slowly rose up from the ground using one hand while he used the other to check whether there was any remnant blood on his face.

His skin was a pale white, as if he had just had all of his blood drained out of him.

Wiping away the blood on his teeth using the sleeve of his red robe, he hobbled to the throne before sitting on it, using its back for support.

Although he seemed very pathetic right now, his eyes were shining with the glorious light of triumph.

This had definitely been the closest shave of his life yet, and when he thought back to just how even a small mistake would definitely have lead to his death, he couldn't help but shudder.

Still, the smile didn't leave his face.

When he remembered the way in which he had panicked, he actually scolded himself.

From all he had been through, it should not have been that a mere face-off with death caused such fear to attack him.

How many dire situations had he gotten out of using his wit and skill?

Daneel made a promise to himself: from now on, no matter what he faced, he would keep the cool head of an experienced senior who had seen the passage of time filled with enough awe-inducing events to numb him to any and all fear.

With that out of the way, Daneel still couldn't make that remnant chill in his spine leave.

If he hadn't gotten that idea to use what he had heard from the Watcher in passing, a clone would definitely have been sitting in his place on this throne right now.

The Watcher had said that he had a way to make the real Travis forget everything that he was subjected to. This meant that there was definitely a technique in the Big 4 to alter one's memory.

Using that crucial hint, Daneel had asked the system and rejoiced when he heard that there were records of a technique which bared all memories and left one scarred.

Choosing this option like a man clinging to the last vine left before he fell into a ravine, Daneel had ordered the system to make a fake life for himself.

His memories from Earth had been replaced by those of the original Daneel from Lanthanor, and as for the rest, each instance where he used the system had been tweaked to show that he had only achieved everything using hard work, perseverance and a little bit of luck.

All of his original memories were locked up by the system using the tool that had already paid off its cost many times over, and even he had assumed that that had been his life for a second after Ashahell left.

After finalizing this plan, his mission had been to manipulate Ashahell towards 'allowing' him to choose this option, and for that, he had appealed to the man's passion which clearly meant a lot to him.

When Daneel had been giving that speech, he hadn't even had to use the system to make those tears appear. All of the passion he had shown had been genuine, which led him to feel joy that he had reached new heights as an actor.

Of course, he had acted from his heart, but Daneel didn't consider this fact.

After a minute passed, Daneel finally prepared to put the harrowing experience before him so that he could decide what to do next. After all, time was short.

Yet, before he did so, a single question appeared in his mind which refused to leave.

Ashahell was a Peak Exalted Champion, and an individual at that level would definitely be able to detect anything at the upper boundary of the Champion level in complexity.

However, he hadn't been able to detect the system at all.

Daneel had considered this possibility, but he had just put it aside as if that happened, then it would mean that all was lost anyway.

Thankfully, it hadn't come to be.

However, the doubt that he now had was this: just what level was the system at?

For a second, Daneel wondered whether to ask the system regarding this, but he discarded this thought, knowing that it would definitely just say that he wasn't eligible to know the answer yet.

Taking a deep breath and using a mirror conjured using water to check his appearance, Daneel finally started thinking about what to do next.

First and foremost: the Watcher was right, and Ashahell really was delivering something to the Church which would allow them to invade earlier than expected.

What could it be?

When he had asked, the man had simply said that he was looking forward to a meeting…

The meeting!

With all the knowledge that Daneel was in possession of due to infiltrating the Sect of Hedon, it didn't take a genius to figure out Ashahell's plan.

In the sect meeting room, Ashahell had announced that he would host a physical meeting with all the members of the High Council after obtaining the first part to ascertain ways to move forward in this project.

The Watcher had been wrong in one thing: he had assumed that Ashahell was delivering some "Thing".

No, what Ashahell was delivering…was the heads of possibly all the Hero-level individuals of Angaria.

In that meeting, he would definitely somehow kill all of them, which would leave Angaria completely defenseless.

After all, these Hero level individuals were definitely the last bastions of defense that must definitely be the ones stopping the Church from merrily marching in.

This was a guess which Daneel made when he thought about all the facts, but he knew that he was right.

It all fit! Ashahell had used the excuse of Sister Xuan's prophecy to suggest his plan to try and use the forbidden inheritance and trinket left behind by the last Empire on Angaria.

After they agreed, he had proposed this meeting, which needed to be carried out anyway.

If Sister Xuan's hadn't seen that vision, he would mostly have had to use more time to convince the High Council about his plan, which would make his "delivery" coincide with the timeline that the Watcher had told him.

With growing conviction, Daneel immediately regained full control of the core formation of the Palace of Lanthanor before disappearing from his place.

Before leaving, with a sigh, he saw that the items he had placed back were gone-taken away by Ashahell, but he had really had no choice.

This also made him curse that madman one more time. He was definitely more intelligent than any foe Daneel had ever faced, and something even more terrifying was just how driven he was. His goal was a noble one, but it was just his method that was evil.

When this thought appeared in Daneel's head, he grit his teeth and crushed it before using a few choice words to curse the man, as he was still very disgruntled about how close he had been to death.

No matter how smart he was, Daneel would have to be smarter, or Angaria was truly doomed.

….

10 minutes later.

In the hidden underground room of the Hidden Kill Sect, a very peculiar sight could be seen which would definitely shock anyone who happened to walk through the door.

A head, with nothing but air from the neck down, was madly hopping around the room and destroying various things while repeatedly berating a man who stood to the side with a sheepish expression on his face.

The head's favorite move was head-butt, which made sense because…that was the only move it could use. Apparently, it had forgotten that it could also use magic.

The headbutt destroyed almost each and every piece of furniture in the room before finally pausing and returning to the podium in the middle which was the only untouched item.

"All right, all right, I know I was wrong! I couldn't help but doubt you, OK? We can argue about this later! For all we know, Ashahell might be hosting that damn meeting right now! What do we do to stop it?"

Hearing the sense of urgency in Daneel's voice, the Watcher finally fumed before swallowing down the remaining curses that he had been about to hurl at the King of Lanthanor.

This kid had had the audacity to doubt him and ignore him for days, even choosing to meet the prime threat of the continent in secret without informing him!

Daneel had only told him about the fake meeting that had occurred, deciding not to say anything about the truth.

As for the part about figuring out Ashahell's plan, Daneel had said that he had noticed the man's special attention to the meeting, and had put two and two together.

Even then, the Watcher kept saying that it had been very foolish and dangerous, which Daneel couldn't agree with more.

"We have a day. It's 2 PM right now, and the physical meeting is scheduled at noon tomorrow. I still have some contacts inside the sect, you know. I heard this from a maid inside the Sect, who passed it on to her sister who left the sect and then talked to her husband about it. It will happen in the hidden floors of the Central Tower."

Daneel thought whether to ask just why he was watching every random maid's family, but he chose not to, knowing that the man greatly loved his job. Besides, it had shown admirable results.

"How do we stop it?"

Looking straight into Daneel's eyes, the Watcher replied, "You have to figure something out, kid. You will be the one returning to the sect, and you are the one with the most clarity about everything inside the sect. Force is obviously out of the question. A direct warning is also useless, as no member of any sect will choose to believe you. They might bring it up covertly with their sect leader, but Ashahell must definitely have countermeasures in place to make sure that he detects any and all potential danger to his plan. He can kill you before you blink if he wishes."

Hearing this, Daneel fell into deep thought.

He had indeed been thinking about all the possible routes to stop the man, and he had also discarded the choice of directly telling the Matron or Marcus.

He couldn't risk it. If it caused suspicion to arise in Ashahell, he truly would be killed, and that smart-ass would definitely even find some way to proceed.

No. There had to be some other way, which did not put him in risk, but would still get the job done.

Ideally, the plan would be foiled, and Ashahell would be caught red-handed.

As Daneel racked his brains for a few minutes, with a flash, an idea finally appeared to him.

Immediately, he took out a communication trinket to find out where Sister Xuan was.

That bastard had used a prediction from a seer to push forward his plan, and Daneel was going to use the same to put an end to it.

Only, this one…would be fake, but no one would know.

"System, begin to create a simulation where 9 people are lying around a table, dead, which is followed by the Church invading Angaria and killing everyone on it. Retrieve information regarding how a seer actually engages in visions, and begin the development of a spell to make a seer think they are really experiencing one."

Chapter 436: Vision

"Sister Xuan, can you come to Lanthanor at 11:30 AM tomorrow? It's really crucial that you do. I have something very important to tell you."

As Xuan got this sudden message on her communication trinket from the King of Lanthanor, she froze for a few seconds, as her mind had gone blank.

The King of Lanthanor was definitely the most interesting man she had ever met. Even though she hadn't met that many men in the first place during her life, she could tell that there was something…special about him.

She had first gotten interested in him when she had gone on that journey in Lanthanor to find out his past.

His struggles, his achievements, his dreams-all of these resonated with her on some level or the other.

She had also been an outcast, and she had had to grow up alone while scorned by her entire village as they were all afraid that she was the incarnation of something evil.

She had never been able to help it. Whenever her ability acted up, her vision would first go dark, before she would realize that she was floating in the air, as if she were some ethereal spirit.

She would always look at a scene from above, and whatever she saw would always be hazy.

However, she would be able to make out a few details.

Also, whenever she focused, one or two very specific details would always appear much sharper than the rest, differentiating themselves and standing out to her, as if to inform her that they shouldn't be ignored.

Only, many times, even these sharp images would flicker and shift between multiple things.

One dead body could become 5, or 5 could become one.

Lastly, according to what she had been told later by the Matron, every seer would enter a half-asleep state during their vision during which they would continuously recite what they were seeing.

She had been told that seers came to aid the land in dire times, and that this was a mechanism set in place to make sure that the visions would never be forgotten or mistaken for something they were definitely not.

She had always had many questions. What caused seers to be born? Who put these mechanisms in place? Why did they do so?

Sadly, no one knew the answers.

Hidden under her skin, she would always carry a special trinket that was able to identify when she was having a vision by checking for signs.

When it did, it would immediately float out and broadcast her image and voice to the Matron, who was always in possession of the receiver.

This was something devised by the sects of old, where the belief was that every vision was crucial to save as many lives on Angaria as possible.

Many said that she was blessed to have this ability, as it meant that she was talented enough to smoothly become a Champion. Unlike those with Red and Gold comprehension level who were said to be able to become Champions, but were in fact, only eligible to increase their comprehension through the right means to become capable of reaching the Champion level, her path was smooth, like a river that flowed through the land with no obstructions. She would just have to absorb Energy, and she would automatically grow stronger and stronger.

It was only after a few seconds that Xuan finally regained her senses and quickly replied, "Yes! I mean, y-yes, I'll be there, King Daneel."

She had been itching to leave the sect and stretch her limbs anyway, and she had already gotten permission from the Matron for a brief excursion.

With her heart fluttering, she wondered what the reason could be for the King calling her.

The Matron was the only mother she had ever had, and she had taught her that those of the Goddess's Sanctum would always ask for what they want boldly, instead of feeling shy or awkward.

Hence, she had gone ahead and told the King of Lanthanor how she felt about him.

Could it be that that method could actually have worked?

….

The next day, at sharp 11:30 AM.

Standing outside the main gate that led to the Palace of Lanthanor, Xuan couldn't control her excitement.

For this meeting, she had even dumped Molan by trapping the woman with a pile of Ker Gems and a promise that she was just training in the next room over.

She had even worn the best dress she had: it was an enchanted gold gown, with embroidered birds that looked like they would take off into the air at any moment.

"Sister Xuan! Thank you so much for making it!"

Seeing the King of Lanthanor walking out of the large main entrance with a smile on his face, Xuan was just about to smile and go forward before she felt that something was wrong.

For a split second, she felt as if something was trying to invade her mind.

In fact, if she hadn't been distracted by the appearance of the King, she was pretty sure that she could have defended against it.

However, the feeling left as soon as she felt it, leading her to think that she might have imagined it because she was quite stressed right now.

Yet, when her vision suddenly began to go dark the next second, she finally realized that she was having a vision.

No! Not now!

She complained inwardly, but as always, her sight went dark before the eye-shaped trinket at her waist lit up and floated into the air before pointing at her.

….

Meanwhile, in a room in the hidden levels of the Central Tower.

The Matron of the Goddess's Sanctum, a person whose post was equivalent to that of a sect leader in other sects, was currently standing respectfully with her hands joined together in front of her navel.

Her head was slightly lowered, and if anyone from the Goddess's Sanctum, or for that matter, from any of the Big 4 saw her at this moment, they would shudder with shock on seeing an Exalted Champion, a woman who stood above all, bowing in front of someone.

That someone was sitting in a royal manner on a chair that looked more like a throne.

She had a glittering tiara made from what looked like Ker Gems on her head, and although she didn't look old, one would be able to tell that this was someone who had experienced the passage of many decades of time.

Even though her skin was smooth like that of a 20-year old's, it was her eyes which gave away her wisdom and age.

She had a beautiful countenance, but the frown on her face was enough to signal that she was in a very bad mood.

"Damn those old fogies! Why can't they just put their differences aside and increase the danger level?! Isn't age supposed to give one more wisdom? Why is it always like the opposite has happened to them?"

"Mother-"

"Quiet. I really thought the vision from Xuan would be enough. Actually, maybe I was just hoping for it. Damn them!"

As the Matron shut her mouth and looked down again, the room became filled with the grumblings of the seated woman, who was not acting at all like someone who had lived for over 300 years, and had at least 300 more to experience.

Beep!

As this sound suddenly echoed in the room, both women widened their eyes before looking at the triangle-shaped trinket that floated up from the Matron's waist and expanded to become a display trinket.

It showed the image of a beautiful girl wearing a pretty golden dress, and she was held in the arms of someone who was wearing red robes.

The girl's eyelids were closed, but her eyes could be seen rolling around and pressing on the eyelids occasionally, as if she were having a very bad dream.

As the two women waited in silence with expressions of slight fear mixed with hope for good news instead of bad, the girl began to speak in a halting voice.

"….a round stone room with no windows, no! There's one window, through which I see the sky…"

Between each utterance, there was a pause that varied between 3-5 minutes.

"…9 hazy figures…what are they doing? Are they sleeping?...No! They're dead!..."

"…No, no, I see one who is still alive, a man with long, brown hair…he's looking around the room and…smiling? I think? He did it! He did it!..."

"…the Church-descending on the sect…the Church! They're killing everyone! Rivers of blood! Headless bodies! Limbless children! Everyone, dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! Dea-…"

As the girl kept repeating the last word over and over again for at least 10 times, with the strength of her voice going down with each iteration, the 2 women in the Sect of Hedon stared at each other with horror on their faces.

Taking out a communication trinket, she was about to send an urgent message, but she realized that there was a message waited for her, that she had ignored because she had been too caught up in the vision from the seer.

"We're beginning 20 minutes early-this kid is being too impatient. Come at your leisure."

What?! How could Angaria itself be so unlucky at this moment?!

There was no more time for messages. Gritting her teeth, the woman in the chair closed her eyes for a brief moment.

The stone floor that was below the chair cracked, and a heavy pressure enveloped the entire room, making the Matron fall to the ground.

Outside the sect, a pink aurora appeared, and all those who were near the Central Tower got an odd urge to kneel and worship that they couldn't resist.

Crack!

With a sound like that of a wood beam being cracked in two, the Hero-level anti-teleportation broke, letting the woman vanish from her place and reappear in a round room with a single window.

"STOP AND GET OUT OF HERE! THIS MEETING IS A TRAP TO KILL US!"

Hearing this loud proclamation, various reactions could be seen from all of the people in the room, but none was stranger than that of the person sitting at the head of the table, Ashahell.

A frown which contained deep anger and desperation flashed across his face for the briefest of moments, before it was replaced by one of determination.

There were tea glasses present in front of all those in the room, and it seemed that his was the only one that was untouched.

Taking advantage of that split second of time when the others were busy teleporting away, he raised the glass and drank half of it.

Chapter 437: Ashahell's Foiled Plan

1 hour before the meeting.

Glancing at the clock on the mantlepiece in his quarters that he seldom visited and seeing that it was 11 AM, Ashahell once again sighed before hearing a knock on his door.

"Come in."

Heeding the command, a man entered the door.

He looked just like one of the regular folk who serviced the Central Tower, but when he entered the room, he looked around carefully before closing the door.

He was holding a tray that had a teapot and many teacups. Setting it to the side, he touched the spot near his stomach.

On the surface of his body, Ashahell saw a bulge appear which moved eerily, as if it were some kind of worm that had been trapped inside the man's body.

After a few moments, he said, "It's clear."

"Yes, I know. I checked with the sect's formation."

"But my orders are my orders. The item you asked for is in the teapot."

Nodding, Ashahell carefully walked towards the tray that had been set down before.

The man had been carrying it casually, but when Ashahell neared it, he gingerly lifted the lid of the teapot to look inside.

Instead of tea, the pot only had a few tea leaves which looked ordinary.

They were the most expensive sort which were grown in the east of Angaria especially for consumption by the rich and influential, and many liked them because of the tea's incredible aftertaste.

Not even he could guess that these were actually objects which had been transported from thousands and thousands of kilometers away, from a distant land where those with his talent and power would be considered just slightly worth paying attention to.

There, according to what he had heard, even reaching the Hero level was just the first step to entering the higher levels of society.

Apparently, the cost of these tea leaves itself was something that couldn't be estimated in Ker Gems, as the number would easily reach terrifying heights in the range of tens of millions.

"You don't need to be so careful. I was told that they are effectively bound for one and a half hours more. After that, when their essence is released…"

Instead of continuing, the man only smiled sinisterly.

Nodding again, Ashahell picked up the tea leaves and carefully adjusted them in his sleeves.

Seeing him do so, the man walked forward and laid an arm on Ashahell's shoulder before saying, "Your cause is noble. Just march forward without a doubt. You know this is necessary. Purges are the way of nature. I don't think I need to give you a speech regarding them now. Just drop the tea leaves in the pot, and at 12: 30 AM, anyone who has had more than half a cup of the tea will die, even if they have somehow managed to reach the Exalted Hero level. This plan was completely designed by you; have more confidence in it."

It seemed that the man had seen the slightly glum expression on Ashahell's face, which must have led him to speak in this way.

Indeed, he, himself, had been the one to design this entire thing.

The Hero-level individuals of Angaria were elusive individuals who always secluded themselves in some or the other corner of the continent; reluctant to show themselves lest they be attacked by the Church or anyone who is capable of ending their long life which they had come to enjoy.

For a long time, he had been looking for a good enough excuse to host a physical meeting. He had slowly started to increase the pressure placed on the continent by the Church so as to make them panic, even going to such lengths as to have the Church invade those Olympics, even though they had been convinced that it would be a waste.

Ashahell had continuously persuaded them saying that it would all be worth it in the long run, and now was the time for all of it to pay off.

This trinket and the item which purportedly contained the inheritance were items that had brought the ruin of the continent before, so although these geezers were confident that they could find a way to use them properly, they still had to all appear physically.

As for the fear of dying, it didn't exist right now as they were confident that no one would be able to do anything when all of them were at one place.

In a way, a physical meeting would even force reluctant individuals to appear, as they would fear even more that they might be targeted if all the others were busy with something.

Hence, all in all, he had needed a proper, solid excuse to host one to get them all in place, and after doing so, he had chosen the simplest method to kill them: poison.

He knew for a fact that due to living for so long, all of these geezers had gotten used to the comforts of life, which included this tea which apparently also had some narcotic addiction effects.

So, he would just add in these tea leaves with the pretense of 'checking' the tea, and watch as the first step in the saving of Angaria began.

He didn't even need all of them to die. Within half an hour of the meeting, whoever had drunk more than half the cup would perish, and even the others who had had a little would be incapacitated. Hell, even if one or two didn't drink at all, the next step, which involved the Exalted Hero of the Church who was permanently posted on the continent arriving with deadly trinkets in two, would definitely be enough to allow him to reach his goal.

Everything had gone without a hitch. He had even started the meeting early so that there would be more time for them to have the tea, and although one of the newest additions to the Council would be arriving late, the others had already almost drunk more than a half-cup.

However, everything had been ruined when that woman appeared with that warning.

If she had chosen to at least use communication trinkets to send the message, he could even have tried to allay suspicion on her. However, her sudden appearance and the expression on her face had caused everyone to leave without hesitation.

In that split second, he had vowed to find the one responsible for foiling his plans, no matter what it took.

As for the decision to have the tea himself, it was to make sure that he wouldn't be suspected. He had known that it would be like going to hell and coming back, but he hadn't hesitated, as he knew that it was crucial that he retain the trust that the others had in him.

After taking this step, he, too, teleported away, reaching his quarters before sending a quick message to the man who had come before that the plan had failed, and that it was time for backup measures to remedy the situation.

With his countermeasure in place, Ashahell added mock panic to his voice before using the oathstone to communicate with the others.

"What's the matter?! What news do we have of the trap?"

He heard only silence in return, which made him worry a bit.

Still, he repeatedly kept sending messages before he finally received an answer that made him narrow his eyes.

It was from the actual head of the High Council, who was the strongest Hero-level individual on the continent.

"Ashahell, stay where you are."

….

Around 30 minutes later.

The woman who had warned everyone before was currently standing in front of a man with a short, grey beard and crafty eyes.

He had very handsome features, and one would be able to tell that he must definitely have been a lady-killer in his youth.

His grey hair was curly, and he was wearing the latest fashion on Angaria: a double-breasted vest over a white shirt.

In between them was the sect leader of the Sect of Hedon and the leader of the High Council of Angaria, who had been knocked out minutes before being teleported here.

Unlike what he thought, he actually wasn't the one in full control of the core formation of the Sect of Hedon.

The bearded man was poring over a data trinket, while the woman was looking at Ashahell with disgust on her face, as if she was resisting the urge to attack him.

"This rat! We gave him everything he wanted! Well, almost everything! But he still decided to side with the Church!"

"Calm down, Halle. This is only the interpretation of that girl. Yes, she may have seen him being alive while all the others were dead, but it may have been due to other reasons too. She can't be sure he's smiling. I don't even think that she can be sure that he was alive. The main thing that can be taken away from the vision is that we were all in danger, and you were right to warn us like that. However, I still don't understand what that threat is. That arrogant prick from the Church is still twirling his thumbs on the shore, and there are no signs of any attack, anywhere. We shouldn't act hastily-"

Mid-sentence, the bearded man's cut off as he clutched his heart in a quick motion.

His face started to turn purple, and he gagged as if he couldn't breathe.

Ashahell, who was on a podium in the air, also began to writhe violently, while foam started to appear at his mouth.

Similar scenes occurred all over the continent, but the bearded man was the first to recover.

With a quick motion, he changed his hand into a claw and struck his chest, extracting a beating mass of blood and flesh that was completely purple.

As he crushed it, noxious fumes perfused the air, while his skin turned back to normal.

Although he was slightly pale, it looked like he was going to be Ok.

Seeing Ashahell in that state, he quickly reached the kid before encasing him in a block of ice to stop the progress of the poison.

Glancing at the woman who had a shocked and worried expression on her face, he said, "Another reason not to suspect him. This poison is so potent that I doubt that he will survive. If he is the perpetrator, he would have fleed by now, as that prick can definitely save him. Let's not jump to conclusions regarding the vision. Go help the others. Leave the kid to me."

….

2 hours later.

Back in Lanthanor, Daneel was striding to and forth in his quarters with his brows furrowed.

As he finally got a message from the Watcher, an expression of relief came on his face, but it was replaced by one of frustration.

His main fear, all along, had been that Xuan's vision might be suspected to be fake. If Hero-level monsters came investigating, he knew that he would be found out, and that was a risk he hadn't been willing to take.

Hence, he had told the system to be subtle, as, per the records, visions could only show one thing clearly, while the rest were only half-truths.

The main goal was to save the Hero-level individuals, and catching Ashahell would have been a bonus.

Gritting his teeth, he couldn't help but applaud the determination of the man to swallow poison to absolve himself.

Shaking his head and realizing that this battle between them was going to be very, very tough, Daneel started to decide what his next step would be.

Whatever it was, it definitely had to involve that bastard getting his comeuppance in a way that he wouldn't be able to dodge this time.

Chapter 438: Aftermath

1 day later.

As Ashahell stood at the same spot as always on the top floor of the Central Tower while looking out over the sky, his mind was a mess for the first time in years.

As someone who pursued perfection, he was always used to seeing his plans working out exactly as he imagined them.

However, what happened yesterday kept reappearing in his mind.

That damn vision! If it weren't for that vision, everything would definitely have gone without a hitch.

Suddenly, his heart completely stopped beating, making him fall back into a chair that had been placed there before.

Pain the likes of which he had never even imagined to be possible racked his entire body, making him almost wish he were dead.

Yet, knowing that his purpose had still not yet been fulfilled, he held on with all of his will.

A trinket at his waist suddenly rose into the air, before shooting towards the veins on his arm and shooting a solution into them.

This made the pain worse, and Ashahell gasped silently while his vision blurred.

This had been happening less and less frequently as the cure given by the Mad Doctor's master was working, but this pain still appeared at least twice an hour, leaving him dripping with sweat.

He had had to cling on to something so that he could retain his sanity, and he had chosen it to be the thing that had made him drink the poison in the first place without giving up and escaping: the need to save Angaria.

He didn't know for sure whether anyone had been responsible, directly, for the failure of his plan.

It had all been the fault of that vision and that seer, but Ashahell wasn't some foolish, vengeful idiot who would go after her because of something even she couldn't control.

No, if he wanted to blame someone, he could only blame providence and the heavens for making that vision appear in the first place.

If there had been any foul play involved in that vision, those in the High Council would definitely have sniffed it out, but apparently, it matched all the signs that had been left behind by their ancestors.

As the pain finally started to recede, Ashahell stood up again and looked out over Angaria with bloodshot eyes.

In the corner of his vision, he could see a tiny trinket that had been tied to him to ensure his "safety".

Of course, he knew that the real reason was because many on the High Council suspected him because of the vision, even though the actual head had said that it was most probably just a vague conclusion that should not be given much import.

The problem was that this meeting had only come about because of him, so there was a possibility that he was the culprit. In fact, if it weren't for him drinking the poison and the countermeasure he had placed, he might have been arrested already to undergo an 'investigation' by the member of the High Council who specialized in torture.

Thankfully, his meticulous planning had paid off, but this had been a very large setback.

However, there was a silver lining.

Two Hero-level individual had had almost the required amount of tea to kill them, but due to the quick help given by the others, they had survived, but gone into a coma from which they could not be awakened without killing them.

According to estimates, it would at least take 20 years for them to get healed and wake up, so they were definitely out of the fight.

Angaria had been significantly weakened, but it was not enough.

Caressing his chin, Ashahell began planning again with renewed vigor, thankful of the fact that no one knew with certainty about his true goal.

….

Meanwhile, in the Palace of Lanthanor, Daneel sneezed, and wondered just who was thinking about him.

In front of him were seated Kellor, Robert and Eloise.

Daneel had spent the day before with his parents, after finding out that Angaria had at least been saved.

Of course, the nagging frustration that Ashahell was only a suspect was still in his mind, but he was ignoring it for now.

His mother had been ecstatic on seeing him arrive, and she had even cooked all the favorite food that he had used to love when he was a kid.

When Daneel had seen his mother bustling about in the kitchen, he finally remembered something about the Warrior level that he had forgotten.

"Humans perish, Warriors march on."

This had been the slogan told to him to symbolize that only Warriors and those above could enjoy a longer lifespan, while the others would only have to let death take them after their time was up.

He was now someone who would live for at least 300 years, but his parents would be long gone by then.

Could he do nothing to stop that?

On asking the system, Daneel had found out that the only way was to have them train.

Although he still had a lot of core inheritances to go through, any method to solve this problem would definitely involve someone having an adequate power base first.

His father would be no problem, as the man was actually an Exalted Human already due to that bizarre ritual with that deserter's mark on his forehead, which Daneel now knew that it had been passed down from the Empire itself.

His mother had been born with minimal talent as a Mage, but she had never trained a day in her life.

Hence, he had entrusted his father the mission of having his mother train using the technique he gave, which would allow one to increase their mage comprehension level slowly.

Robert had already been using it since long.

His father had initially been quite startled, but he had nodded after that, while an unspoken communication passed between their eyes.

Mary Anivron was the most important woman in both of their lives, so they would do everything to make sure that she would live for as long as possible.

"My King, the Bank is running briskly, but I still believe that we should expand faster. Even though we are getting new customers from all over Angaria, there have been many frauds, as expected. Still, instead of steady growth, I would really prefer some sort of an explosion."

As Daneel got pulled back into the present with Eloise's words, he nodded before saying, "I'll think on that. Meanwhile, pump more money into the Network. In the near future, it might convert into something else. What has happened to the assignment to bolster our assembly line of mages and blacksmiths?"

Kellor answered.

"My Lord, we have basically exhausted our Kingdom. We have begun sending invitations to the other Kingdoms, too, but as you know, all mages, even if they are just poor citizens, are assets for a Kingdom. There is resistance, in particular from the Kingdom of Arafell. That also reminds me: the Queen of Arafell has requested a meeting with you to discuss some arrangement that you promised her during the Olympics."

Hearing this, Daneel sank into deep thought for a moment before saying, "Turn down the Queen for now using polite words; I don't have the time to deal with her. Eloise, how is our transportation network developing?"

"Quite well, My King. Norcet is in the Black Raven Kingdom as we speak, hiring a crew and quarters in anticipation of the launch."

Nodding, Daneel replied, "Good. Nothing says that our transportation work should only transport things. Tell him to speed up preparations in Arafell. If they don't want to let their mages and blacksmiths go even if they want to, then we'll just…help."

As Daneel said these, all three individuals in front of him stared at him as if he were a madman.

"But the inter-Kingdom tensions…"

"Leave that to me. If the tongue doesn't work, then we will use gold. From now on, our plans cannot stop. Even if we have to stoop to very low depths in order to make them happen, we must do so. Kellor can tell you two later why that is so. I'm getting back to training. Eloise, keep an eye on H&D, we don't want them to be targeted out of jealousy. Father, please keep checking Axelor. I feel they might move soon. This meeting is dismissed."

Saying so, Daneel nodded at the three and walked out of the room before teleporting away.

After a minute or so, he appeared in the underground room in the Hidden Kill Sect.

"Great job, kid. I still don't know how you did it, but I won't ask. Instead of killing at least 5, only 2 were disabled. That's a loss we can live with, but any more, and we might have to resort to desperate measures. That rat Ashahell got away, yes, but the High Council doesn't believe him blindly anymore, at least. So. What do you plan on doing next?"

Daneel had already prepared his answer.

"What happened to the plan to use the parts of the inheritance and trinket left behind?"

"Discarded for now, as they don't have a hope of getting it done with just 6 Heros. These things were supposed to be able to slaughter Heros with impunity before, after all. Instead, there is chatter that the danger level might be upgraded. Why do you ask?"

Daneel didn't answer, but he had just decided in his mind.

He was going to try and assemble this trinket and inheritance himself, and if that meant that he was going to turn into a burglar, then so be it.

As for Ashahell, Daneel had already started to cook up a plan that would hopefully see him exposed once and for all.

As long as this man remained freely breathing on the continent, Daneel could never sleep soundly.

Chapter 439: News

"Nothing. First things first, I'll be going back to the Sect of Hedon. How's Travis doing?"

As Daneel asked this after coming out of his thoughts, the Watcher actually smirked before saying, "See for yourself."

After he uttered these words, a door on one side of the room, whose grooves were hidden, opened to reveal a comfortable room, complete with a bed.

As Daneel glanced inside, he saw a bookshelf and a blonde-haired kid enthusiastically poring over a particular book.

Beside him was a cloth bag, in which Daneel could see shining Ker Gems.

As he raised an eyebrow at the Watcher, the bodyless man chuckled and said, "What can I say? I took a liking to him! If it weren't for the oaths he swore to the Sect of Hedon, I might even have taken him under my wing to groom him as the next Watcher. I like the way he sucks up to me, so I'm allowing him to read through some of my experiences of training to become a Champion. He won't remember any of this anyway, when we decide to erase his memory and send him back to the Sect."

As the Watcher said the last sentence, Daneel senses sadness in the man's tone.

Why was he feeling sad?

As Daneel wondered this, he saw the Watcher turn towards the door, which appeared to be the type where the person inside wouldn't be able to know if someone were looking at him from the outside.

Noticing the way he saw the kid, Daneel understood after a few seconds.

Loneliness.

It was actually a loneliness that was similar to what he had felt from Ashahell.

It seemed that every Champion level individual he met was lonely for some reason or the other.

It was a known fact that the path to power was a solitary one, and that an individual had to be prepared to spend a lot of time alone if they wanted to reach the peak.

Back on Earth, he had been a loner, but Daneel had gotten used to company after being on Angaria for so long.

Whether it be the stoic Robert, the loving Mary, the enthusiastic and shy Eloise, the ever-loyal Kellor or the understanding Faxul, he loved spending time with them, and couldn't imagine living for so long that they would all return to dust, while he might still be moving forward, with no one near to talk to.

This was why those who had life companions on their path to power were considered very lucky, but usually, the problem was that those with the fortitude to reach the peak either as a Champion or a Mage would have very individualistic personalities, making it hard to sustain a relationship for a long time.

Hence, true relationships between those on the path to power which lasted against the test of time were rare and treasured.

Daneel had almost gone crazy when he had had to spend just 3 months in complete isolation. How could he even imagine living in that way for years, or even decades?

Besides, he wasn't someone who could quickly build relationships.

Should he seriously start considering the offers from Eloise or Sister Xuan?

As this question appeared in Daneel's mind, he shook his head before being surprised at the route his thoughts had taken just by seeing the sad gaze of the Watcher.

Well, he did understand the man.

So, getting an idea, Daneel asked, "Do you want to find a way to rid him of his oath so that he can become your disciple, if he wishes?"

As if the Watcher had heard his wish being uttered, he turned towards Daneel with a hopeful expression at first, before it turned into a neutral one due to realizing just how impossible of a task that was.

Noticing this, Daneel said, "I'll see if it can be done. Anyway, I'll be going back to sect. The Mad Doctor is also a part of it, and I plan to go kill the ones he wants to send after me before they prepare and start planning to kill me. Also, I'll keep looking for ways to incriminate Ashahell. I'll contact you if I need anything."

"Pulling out the weeds before they sprout! Good idea, kid, but be careful. Your safety should come first. Good luck. And don't bother about the oath thing. If it's meant to be, it'll happen."

Nodding and waving at the Watcher, Daneel teleported away after checking that all was well with the Hidden Kill Sect.

Contracts were coming in at a steady pace, and Daneel had already told Luther to try to reject contracts that targeted good, innocent people as much as possible.

Luther also seemed to be doing a great job of managing the sect, and it looked like the help from Skrrag was instrumental.

After leaving, Daneel took out the communication trinket that had vibrated when he had been talking to the Watcher.

Initially, his plan had been to spend a little more time in Lanthanor to launch another of his grand plans which would go a long way in mimicking one of the most effective means of propaganda on Earth to achieve the effect of building support and goodwill for him on Angaria.

On Earth, there were at least a host of regulatory boards and experienced people to notice the effects that entertainment channels had on people, and these people would fight and bring attention to such attempts.

On Angaria, as there was no such thing and no such people, Daneel had a free rein, and he intended to make full use of it so that when the time came, things would move smoothly.

However, this plan had changed after the realization that the communication trinket that had vibrated was the one that he had given to Percy.

If the kid was contacting him, then it meant that he must have some information about where the Mad Doctor was storing those disgusting cretins.

Hence, Daneel had announced this plan and left.

After reaching a point halfway beneath the Hidden Kill Sect and Lanthanor, Daneel teleported into the air and contacted Percy.

"Master! I can't stay outside for long. Please come quickly! I've completed your assignment, but my father is acting very suspiciously!"

Hearing the urgent tone in Percy's voice, Daneel quickly changed into the disguise of Master Novrain before heading to the same meeting place as before.

However, before he reached, he carefully used the system to check if there was a trap waiting for him.

Although he was impatient to get Ashahell acquitted for his crimes, he had already learnt from his mistakes so far that hastiness would only lead to ruin.

So, after checking that it was just Percy pacing around with a worried expression on his face, Daneel appeared in front of him silently before saying, "What did you mean by 'suspicious'?"

Startled, Percy almost tripped and fell before righting himself and saying, "Greetings, Master! Regarding that, something has recently occurred in our Central Tower. Yesterday, the Tower was sealed and all those inside were thoroughly interrogated. After that, all the Champion level elders in the Sect have been hurrying here and there with worried expressions on their faces."

"What does this have to do with your father being suspicious of you?"

"I was getting there, Master. 2 days back, I begged my father to take me to where elder brother and the others are. I had gone through some…events, and I was very pitiful, so I used that opportunity to appeal to his sane side. Luckily, he agreed, and as we discussed, I placed a locator trinket there covertly, in a place where no one would ever be able to find it. His 'suspicion' started with that event I told you about in the Central Tower, and because I don't know what other reason he could have, I think it might be me. He threw me out while shouting that 'Nowhere is safe'."

Hearing this, Daneel was quite surprised to see that two events instigated by him had led to him finding the location of those bastards.

First, he had targeted Percy using his scams, which had allowed the kid to use his pitiful appearance.

Second, he had caused Ashahell's plan to fail, and the repercussions must have ticked off the Mad Doctor, as someone had infiltrated the Central Tower and poisoned the tea.

Daneel knew that the suspicion was definitely not on Percy, but he couldn't tell the kid the same.

However, he decided to use the opportunity to bluff.

"Don't worry, kid. I'll protect you if you're outside even if that Mad Doctor tries to kill you. Great job with the trinket. After the deed is done, you'll get your reward."

Percy's face lighted up when Daneel said these words, while Daneel scoffed inside that he was only saying this because he knew for sure that the Mad Doctor wouldn't come after Percy right now.

"Thank you, Master! Here is the accompanying trinket. Please ask eldest brother to be careful."

Handing over a small button-shaped trinket, Percy bowed before disappearing, and his last words indicated that he was trying to show his intelligence.

Chuckling lightly, Daneel switched disguises before heading to the Sect of Hedon behind Percy.

Coincidentally, they both entered the Sect at the same time, but Percy was too busy praising himself for a job well done to notice Daneel.

Getting back to his dormitory, Daneel noticed that things did seem stricter, and although it meant that his next mission was going to be harder, he looked forward to it.

The items were definitely inside the Central Tower, and there was no way that he was going to accumulate and pay another 10,000 Ker Gems to enter it.

So, it was time to use true corruption to worm his way into the upper echelons of the sect, while waiting for an opportunity where he could be sure that the Mad Doctor wasn't around so that he could go pull out those proverbial 'weeds' before they sprouted.

Chapter 440: Worming In

"We…are going to get posts inside the Central Tower."

"Nope."

As Daneel made this announcement in his dormitory room where the Shameless Sect was gathered, their reaction was something he couldn't have expected.

After exchanging glances between each other, all 4 of them said that word in unision before walking out the door.

Finding himself alone in the room and still staring at the door, Daneel couldn't believe what had just happened.

As the fatty's head popped into his vision, he realized that he wasn't seeing things.

"Hey, no hard feelings, but success has gotten to your head. We have no intentions whatsoever of flying too far into the Endless Sea and dying. In fact, you don't even need to repay those Ker Gems you owe us! If you need any other help thought, feel free to ask. Bye!"

As Daneel heard the fatty's words, he felt a vein throbbing on his head as he realized that this sect was living up to its name.

They really were shameless!

Well, looking at the facts, he had to admit that they had their own reasons.

The minimum power level required for someone to enter the Central Tower was to be an Eminent Warrior, but some of them were still only Exalted Humans.

Besides, there were stories about how some people had overestimated their abilities and challenged posts inside the Central Tower, which led to their ruin.

There were only two methods to get such a post: one, the challenger had to defeat the one holding the post in direct combat or two, the one holding the post had to willingly hand it over.

All jobs inside the Central Tower paid very well, and there was also special access to a host of techniques which would send any Warrior drooling.

Finally, it was said that those who showed promise in their posts might be selected to receive Tier 3, or even Tier 2 inheritances.

In the Big 4, inheritances were separated into three Tiers in ascending order of importance.

Tier 3 meant those inheritances which gave the user a significant boost in combat potential.

Tier 2 covered the inheritances which gave even more of a boost-categorized as those which would allow one to jump over their power level to fight opponents.

And lastly, Tier 1 inheritances were those which fundamentally changed the working of the body or mageroot to give a boost that was incomparable to the other two tiers.

Typically, Tier 1 inheritances were all 'core' inheritances, such as the Basilisk's Breath.

In a challenge for a post in the Central Tower, although killing one's opponent wasn't allowed, forfeits were also forbidden to dissuade those not serious, and to make it so that those who had the posts wouldn't be pestered by challenges all the time.

Some sect members who pitied their opponents might leave them after a beating, but other, more twisted ones would opt to severely disable their opponent to the farthest extent that the rules allowed.

Although healers would be able to get such people back to their prime, it would require time, during which the individual's peers would cross them in power level.

All in all, it was a very serious and risky business, so there was a valid reason for Daneel's 'friends' abandoning him.

They were only a group of people who had banded together because of their common origin and for their common good, so when a task came along which involved too much risk, then they had no obligation to stay, even if Daneel had made it possible for them to earn more than they ever could have alone.

Should he call them ungrateful? Cowardly?

No, Daneel just decided to call them 'shameless' and let it go.

After all, self-preservation was one skill crucial for all those on the path to power.

Besides, he had no more debt to pay!

As he arranged his thoughts in this way and leaned back on the chair with a smile, he noticed a conundrum he had overlooked.

He also had no Ker Gems to train with!

He had dumped everything he had for the key to the Central Tower!

With one eyebrow twitching, Daneel considered going to these 4 and using emotional blackmail to get more Ker Gems, but he was a King! He couldn't possibly lower himself to such levels…

Still, he fondly stared at the door as this was the easy way, but he finally gave it up after a little while and got off his ass to go earn some Ker Gems.

….

4 hours later, Daneel was happily munching on some Energy infused bread, that tasted excellent.

Due to his increased status that Ashahell had been so kind to grant, he was allowed to eat this food that was usually reserved only for Eminent Warriors.

Of course, his side dishes were the many jealous glares from the Exalted Humans and Amateur Warriors that were also having their meals.

He had spent the past 4 hours finishing up some simple tasks, such as checking on the quality of trinkets and ensuring that formations weren't being worn down.

All formations, unless they reached the level like those that protected the Palace of Lanthanor, were subject to being ruined by time, hence, this was a daily sect mission, as there were numerous formations all over the sect for miscellaneous purposes like plumbing, etc.

The pay wasn't much, but it was an honest day's work.

Daneel had basically been scrounging up enough Ker Gems to visit a very special place that one could go to to acquire information in the field he wanted, so although he had grumbled a bit and wondered just why he had let his 'friends' off so easily, he had continued his work.

Besides, it felt like a nice change of pace compared to all the hair-raising action he had been going through lately.

He could have sold this meal for Ker Gems, too, but he had chosen not to as he realized that he had truly become a foodie for Energy infused foods.

According to the secret archives, these were plants that required extensive resources and care to grow, but unlike the demonic plants that had been grown on the land of Lanthanor, these didn't destroy the earth.

After having a hearty meal, Daneel made his way outside and headed to a remote corner of the sect.

It was a 3-hour walk or 2 teleportations for an eighth of a Ker Gem each, so he chose the former, also using the time to recall all he could about corruption on earth to give him ideas.

The main thing he remembered about corruption was that it was all about greed. On Earth, greed had shown that it could bring down entire organizations and countries, if one man became prepared to do anything and everything necessary in order to get what he wanted.

Also, Daneel was reminded of the importance of keeping the hierarchy of an institution in mind before trying to infiltrate it.

Of course, there was still the route of directly challenging someone above his level, but Daneel didn't want to take such risks and draw attention.

Besides, there were records of Amateur Warriors gaining places in the Central Tower through their enormous contributions, or their wit.

Only, it was so rare that it had been deemed important enough to be written down in the secret archives, which was how Daneel knew about it.

The place he was going to was a 2-story villa overgrown with creepers which looked abandoned.

After reaching it, he knocked twice on the door before scratching it with his nails.

This…was the weird secret signal that was recorded in one of the journals he had recorded during his extensive sweep of the Central Tower.

He had donned a typical black mask, and when someone opened the door 15 minutes later, he noticed that the other party was masked too.

This 15-minute wait was the second secret signal: if someone stayed in place without leaving for that long, then it meant that they had the right to enter.

After entering, Daneel saw 5 people, who were also masked, with the one who opened the door simply waiting with an outstretched hand.

After handing over all of his hard-earned money, Daneel heard a scoff from the man as he said, "This much only gives you 1 minute. Good luck memorizing more than 10 of the over 500 sect members who work in the Central Tower. Be careful: you don't want to jumble up information and bring disaster upon yourself."

In response, Daneel nodded before entering the room and reaching a large, 10-foot wide display trinket on which faces and names, along with various information was written.

Indeed, this was an underground information dealer who specialized in providing information to those who wanted to challenge or obtain a seat in the Central Tower.

Each person was described very extensively, from their likes and dislikes to their weaknesses in combat.

Only, because there were so many people, the flashing and changing, making it so that one would have to examine for a long time if they wanted to get all of the information they wanted.

Also, the one in control of making the letters appear was carefully watching each person's eyes to make sure to make things difficult for them so that they would fork out more Ker Gems to stay longer.

1 minute of time required payment of 15 Ker Gems.

This was why the two in the room looked at him like a madman, and when they saw him vaguely glancing at the list without paying too much attention, they became convinced that this guy was here to either cause trouble or fool around.

Well, if he wanted to stay longer, he would have to pay.

However, to their surprise, the blond-haired man walked out even before the one minute was up.

Of course, with the system, Daneel had no reason to be confused like the others.

Simply ordering the system to list prospective subjects, Daneel started walking back to the dormitory.

After thinking for long, Daneel had realized that he had two ways to reach a top position that would give him free rein in the Central Tower:

One, he had to convince someone to give up their job willingly after either making them commit a crime and ensuring to cover it up, or two, he had to give them enough reason to leave their post.

Either way, this was going to be fun.

…..

Meanwhile, in the covert underground room where Percy's elder brother was advancing quickly to become an Exalted Warrior.

Everyone was bored while just enduring the pain and waiting for themselves to grow stronger, so they had gotten to talking.

Right now, the topic they were discussing was quite strange.

It was the topic of why Percy had spent so much time in the bathroom, when he had come here accompanied by the Mad Doctor.

Chapter 441: The Red Herring

The next day.

A stout man with a bald head and a long mustache that he was repeatedly twirling with his hand was walking along the large pathway that led to the Central Tower.

Around 200 meters away from him, a blonde haired kid could be seen following him while trying not to attract attention to himself.

This man was an Exalted Warrior who was just one step away from becoming a Champion, and as such, he was already in possession of a little of the advanced 'sense' that only a Champion had.

Hence, he glanced back, ready to catch whoever had been tailing him for the past one hour.

However, to his surprise, the spot where he had locked on to his follower was empty, and even though he looked around, there was no one to spot.

Grumbling, the man entered the Central Tower to get back to his training.

Meanwhile, Daneel was hiding around 50 meters away from that spot, thanking the heavens that he was in possession of the Basilisk's Breath that had enabled him to make this escape.

This was the target he had chosen: Alfonso the Wrangler.

Indeed, the man was known by his nickname even though the two didn't make a name which sounded very well, as this was the thing he was most famous for.

He was in charge of making the payments to the normal humans who lived on the borders of the sect who were responsible for mundane work, and he was notorious for not just shaving off a little of the money, but also withholding it to gain unwilling favors.

Apparently, he was also the father of one of those who had accompanied Percy's elder brother in those dastardly acts in the Black Raven Kingdom.

Like father, like son.

Daneel frankly hated such scum, and after seeing the characteristics of this man, he only looked forward even more to wiping away those 'weeds' as soon as possible.

Regardless, he was going to handle this man first.

His was a very high post that had been previously held by an Amateur Warrior many years ago, due to that Warrior somehow accomplishing the feat of subjugating the actual one in the post and even having him fight his battles for him.

If something happened once, then there was much less chance that it would draw a lot of attention if it happened again.

After seeing Alfonso enter the Central Tower, Daneel started to walk towards his second stop: the back of the mountain.

When he arrived, he was quite surprised to see that it was not at all like what he had expected.

In Daneel's mind, he had been thinking that the Border Village, as it was called, might be a destitute den of filth, like the camps which used to accompany armies in the history of Earth.

The Sect of Hedon was an all-male sect, and as such, there was an official brothel set up here to enable those who had distractions to eliminate them to focus on their training.

This aspect of this world was something that Daneel had only heard about before, but not seen.

In his Kingdom, and all the others around the continent, brothels were officially recognized by the governments and there were set rules which protected the interests of those who engaged in this business.

For example, there was a fast track court for those who resorted to force or excessive violence during said acts.

Also, anyone who dared to push women into this trade was given the death sentence without fail.

Thus, Daneel had heard that low-grade brothels were inhabited by those who had no other job to choose, whereas high-grade ones earned enough money to put most medium enterprises to shame. Hence, those who were employed in high-grade ones were even respected in society to some extent.

Back in Lanthanor, apparently, the previous king had loved to go to the best brothel in the city to choose his concubines.

Of course, since becoming King, Daneel had been too busy running around to save the continent to pay attention to such things.

Getting back to the matter at hand, Daneel had expected the Border Village to have mud roads, depressing thatched houses, and dreary inhabitants.

However, when he reached it, he found neat, tiled roads, professionally-constructed stone houses, and happy children running around and playing.

This was the regular section of the village, so thinking that he might find what he had been expecting in the section that housed the brothel, Daneel walked there and saw that he was wrong.

There were no scantily clad women or raunchy boards, either. Instead, there was a plush entrance through which Daneel could see a woman sitting in what looked like a reception desk.

Well, this was definitely a pretty posh setup.

In the underground information room, Daneel had seen that Alfonso loved harassing women in this institution in particular.

The sect had a population of around 2000 members, and the border village was inhabited by at least 3000 people.

Hence, as it was a pretty big village, there were multiple establishments like these.

After double checking the address, Daneel walked to the reception.

With a warm smile, the woman who was wearing a blue chiffon gown greeted him and said, "Welcome to the Red Herring! What are you here for today?"

"I'm-I'm looking for Jessica.", stuttered Daneel, surprising even himself.

Oh, yes.

He was from Earth, where there was a certain stigma about going to places like these, that wasn't helped along by the fact that they were illegal in most countries.

It seemed that that memory had surfaced, along with a nonsensical thought that Eloise and Sister Xuan might tear him apart together if they found him here.

"First time, dear? Did you recently join the sect, or did you only now manage to scrape together enough money?"

Hearing the question which had multiple meanings, Daneel stuttered a reply, deciding to keep up this 'act' as it had already started.

"I just became a Warrior the-the other day and managed to get some mo-money."

"I knew it! As they say back in the sect, distractions must be fulfilled, not ignored. It seems that Jessica is in. 20 Ker Gems, please."

If Daneel hadn't already heard about this price before, he would definitely have been sputtering in rage by now.

Apparently, this high price was to dissuade sect members from indulging too much in things like these, and it scaled according to the level of a sect member.

Wondering who the heck had thought up such a weird system, Daneel handed over the pile of gems with a breaking heart.

He had worked all day yesterday after getting the information and deciding on this plan to obtain these Ker Gems, and they were gone, just like that.

Well, it was necessary.

In Daneel's plan, the woman he was going to meet was instrumental, and although he could have chosen to covertly find her house and try to talk her there, he did not want to risk being seen and getting suspicion thrown on him after everything was done.

Instead, just meeting like this was the best method.

The woman handed over a key that had the letters 54 written on it, so Daneel went up the stairs and reached the room with the same letters before knocking.

"Come in."

As a sweet voice replied from inside, Daneel entered and closed the door behind him, using the lock to do so.

This lock also activated a formation around the room, preventing all sound inside from being heard outside.

Daneel didn't know what to feel about this perfectly thought out system.

Jessica was a pretty woman with brown hair. With a few freckles near her nose, she was actually pretty attractive, and she also seemed to be well-endowed which allowed her to be a popular draw in this institution.

She was wearing silk robes that she prepared to take off when she saw Daneel locking the door, but she stopped with a puzzled expression on her face when she saw the blond-haired kid raise his hands and shout, "STOP!"

She had seen all kinds of men, but this must be a first-seeing someone who wanted her to stop, instead of going faster.

"Shy? I heard this is your first time. Don't worry, I'll be-"

"NO!"

Shouting again, Daneel took a few deep breaths.

Things were already going out of control.

Calming down, he returned to a calmer state, putting aside the slight panic before when the woman had almost exposed her entire body.

"I came here to talk about Alfonso."

When Jessica heard this, a deep frown appeared on her face and she prepared to pick up a communication trinket beside her, which must be how she had heard that it was his 'first time'.

"Hear me out. I want him to get his due, but I need your help."

This made Jessica hesitate, but it was only for a moment.

Why should she believe this kid? After all, he might just be someone here to take advantage of her by telling her that he would fulfill her dream.

Seeing this, Daneel sighed and said, "Look, I'm telling the truth. I'm not even being selfless. I found a way to make him give up his post to me, before having his life destroyed. I know the way he threatens to withhold your son's wages to have his way with you, and others around the village. I know what he does to you women, and why you don't dare expose him. I can help you all, but I need your help. Just come to this spot at midnight with the others. That's all I need. Bye."

Saying so and putting a communication trinket on the desk beside him, Daneel turned around and walked out, leaving a gawking Jessica.

To Daneel's surprise, he found the woman from downstairs waiting at the edge of the corridor near the stairs.

Looking at him come out with a slightly flustered expression on his face, she exclaimed, "That was even faster than I imagined! So it really is your first time!"

Chapter 442: Midnight, at the Hemeris Tree

As Daneel heard her words, the blush that had been creeping into his face ever since that incident inside the room finally broke through, making his face go red as he looked away.

Although this woman looked gentle, she let out a roar of laughter which startled even those inside the first two rooms beside her, making them come out and ask what was going on.

"Travis, here…"

Crap! She even knew his name!

Having no interest whatsoever in being laughed at by even more women if he tried to explain, Daneel realized that this was actually good for his plan and made a quick escape.

Of course, as soon as he made his way out, more laughter erupted behind him, and this time, even his ears turned pink.

He could just imagine the next headline on the Network of Angaria.

"Honorable King of Angaria-out in 30 seconds!"

Of course, as he owned the network, he would never let such news circulate, but that didn't stop him from imagining it and berating himself more.

His reaction had been pretty…pathetic, so Daneel resolved to at least not act so weird the next time he was faced with such a situation, even if he did feel very embarrassed.

Repeating to himself again and again that he would only focus on his training for now, he made his way back to the sect and picked up more odd jobs to earn a few Ker Gems while waiting for night to fall.

At sharp midnight, Daneel reached a large tree which was surrounded by many smaller ones, as if it was monopolizing the nutrition that was supposed to go them all.

This was apparently a special tree that was almost extinct on Angaria. It really was capable of snatching nutrients consciously from trees surrounding it.

Of course, there existed many species, like weeds, which did this anyway. However, the peculiarity of this tree was the reason why the word 'consciously' was used when describing it.

The Hemeris tree, which was named after the first scholar to have discovered its properties, only took enough nutrients to ensure that it would grow the most, but it would always limit itself to make sure that the plants and trees around it wouldn't die. They might not grow as well, but unlike weeds, it did not absorb so much as to kill them.

Many said that this was how one on a path to power was supposed to be: they should strive to grow strongest, but they should also not endanger others' lives for that purpose.

There were only 5 such trees in the Sect of Hedon remaining, and Daneel had set the meeting at this one, which was distinguished by it's proximity to a small stream that was one of the many that were present in the expansive forests that were a part of the Sect.

Seeing that there was no one here, he sighed with disappointment.

Alfonso was responsible for forcefully taking advantage of over 110 women, as he delighted in switching around and having favorites.

If Jessica had heeded his communication and alerted the others, a crowd could have formed here by now.

So, it was clear that she hadn't done so.

Still, Daneel asked the system to check if there was anyone monitoring him in the darkness, and to his surprise, he found that there were actually 4 pairs of eyes on him.

4 people were watching him and he hadn't felt anything?! After becoming a Warrior, his senses had grown sharper, so Daneel actually felt a threat now that there seemed to be someone who seemed to be so adept at hiding themselves. Chances were that they all might be stronger than him.

However, a few seconds, Daneel gaped as a kid ran towards him.

He was around 2 feet tall, and he had plump cheeks, although the rest of his body was lean.

Where did this kid come from?

Seeing the kid raise his hand before opening and closing his fingers, Daneel understood it as a gesture for him to bend.

When he did so, he heard a cute, innocent voice utter words which chilled his spine.

"Harm my mother, and I'll definitely kill you."

As Daneel froze and wondered whether he had heard right, he heard Jessica's voice saying, "Jake, why did you go there? I only told you to look and tell us if he came alone! Get back here!"

With these words, 3 other little figures stepped out of bushes and off of branches in a 100-meter radius around him.

These…were the threats that Daneel had thought must be above Warrior level?!

They had been so still that Daneel hadn't even been able to sense them with his Warrior level senses, which made him feel shocked that they seemed like assassins who had trained in the Hidden Kill Sect.

With a sweet smile that made the hairs on Daneel's arm stand up straight, the kid ran to his mother who was walking forward from quite some distance away.

Along with her, a host of women were making their way forward.

They had hidden themselves in the darkness, which was why Daneel hadn't been able to see them.

He hadn't expected them to be this cautious, otherwise, he wouldn't have felt disheartened before when he had seen no one here.

But when he thought about it, it did make sense.

These women were being prosecuted by one person already, so it must be that they didn't want to be blackmailed by another, who might bring a group to force them to do something.

The worst case was that they might even be called here to be killed so that they would be made to shut up, as Daneel had heard dark stories about incidents like those where the perpetrator even managed to escape charges if they had connections in the top brass.

All systems looked ideal on the surface, but incidents like these were common, as there was almost no system that could run perfectly.

Sighing, Daneel raised his arms and said, "I promise I have no ill intentions. I just want to help."

"Good. If anything happens to us, there are people waiting who will report everything to the Sect. Kids, get out of here."

With an obedient nod, the 4 kids left silently in the night, not even making a single sound.

Daneel couldn't help but stare at them, and when Jessica noticed that he was doing so, she said, "These kids are orphans whose parents died due to…you know what, I can't tell you that. Either way, the story goes that they lived for 1 month in the forest, while being chased by those who killed their parents in front of them. During that, they learned to stay silent, and many other things that they refuse to talk about. The culprit was killed, and we adopted these kids. Now, tell us why you want to help us, first. If that isn't genuine, then we have no intention to hear what you have planned."

Daneel felt like asking and finding out more, but he resisted the urge.

"I have a plan to take over a high post in the Central Tower so that I can train faster with more resources. I could have chosen anyone else, but I chose Alfonso, as my plan works best against him. Of course, the fact that he deserves this was also a factor in my decision. I come for a normal family, and I really do think that he is scum for doing everything he did to all of you. If you choose to believe me and follow my plan, you will be rid of him, and no harm will come to you. I promise this."

As Daneel gave his speech, he looked out at all the women who had gathered.

They were all different, with varying heights, skin tones, body structures, and hairstyles, but one thing was common: they were all gorgeous.

Back on Earth, they could easily have walked the runway as models.

After his speech, they all stared at him in silence, before Jessica slowly raised her hand and said.

"I believe him. I want to give it a try."

A woman beside her, who had ebony skin and frizzy hair, asked, "The speech did sound sincere, but what makes you so sure, Jessica?"

Her answer made Daneel's ears burn again.

"Oh, nothing. It was just his face when I almost took off my clothes. He's definitely never been with a woman before, and he could definitely have slept with me before giving this offer. But unlike all those horny boys from the sect, he actually shouted 'NO!'. I choose to believe someone who is that innocent and has that sort of mental fortitude. Besides, his speech sold me! All of you know it's genuine!"

Daneel had spoken with passion, as he really did want to give justice to these poor women.

However, he could never have expected that that 'incident' would be brought up.

On hearing these words, the other women actually stared at Daneel, before breaking out into chuckles that were accompanied by gleaming eyes from some of them.

Wait…why were they looking at him like that?

Without saying anything, woman after woman raised their hands.

After waiting a few seconds and seeing that all of them had done so, Jessica smiled and said, "Ok, we're in. What do you need us to do?"

Great!

Feeling happy that his plan was taking the best route, Daneel said, "Your role is simple. I will be visiting many of you over the next week, but only to stay for a little while and leave. After that, when Alfonso returns to any of you, you must tell him about a certain thing that I boasted about. I came across a large Ker Gem mine outside the sect, and I'm secretly extracting Gems bit by bit."

"But isn't withholding information about locations for Ker Gem mines a crime that can land one in prison?"

"Exactly. Just leave the rest to me. Alfonso will soon be rotting in prison."

As the women started whispering amongst themselves, Daneel smiled slyly.

He was going to use the classic method of scamming people by making them give up what they have, with the allure of giving them something many times greater. In other words, he was going to be Alfonso's "Prince from Nigeria".

Chapter 443: Will you take it, Sir?

4 days after the midnight meeting.

Alfonso was lounging on a soft bed with one of the women from the Red Herring, who had a reluctant smile on her face, as he was known to be capable of using magic to cause pain if the women didn't appear 'happy'.

If Daneel were here, he would have recognized this woman as the ebony-skinned one that had stood beside Jessica and asked her that question.

With one hand over the woman's shoulder and idly groping her assets, Alfonso closed his eyes and thought about the vicissitudes of life.

Although he had been never that talented, he had always been capable of doing everything that was necessary to move forward. This differentiated him from his peers, allowing him to obtain more resources in order to gain power faster while leaving them behind.

Never one to not resort to underhanded tricks in situations where they would work, he had used a perfect plan to get this position that he was proud of to this day.

By accumulating piles and piles of money and using it to ask a Champion whom he had picked due to their ruthless nature, he made sure that his opponent got injured because he had 'disrespected' that Champion.

Although fights between sect members were banned unless it was in the official dueling ring which was also used for challenges for posts in the Central Tower, such matters where a valuable Champion and a mere Warrior were involved were usually ignored.

Hence, when he fought his opponent, the man could only output half his strength and had been beat.

After that, Alfonso had madly trained in order to become strong enough to beat that man a second time when he had come back for revenge, by using his rage against him and continuously taunting him using personal matters.

In other words, Alfonso wasn't someone who would only rely on others. Instead, he prided his own power over all else, but wasn't against using any and all means necessary to get what he wanted.

Right now, he was just one step away from being a peak Warrior, which would allow him to claim the special resources meant for nurturing those who might become Champions.

He had been stuck at the Warrior-8 level for far too long, and the problem was his talent.

Talent allowed one to get more done with fewer resources, and because he didn't have that luxury, he had always had to scrounge for each and every bit of money in order to push himself forward.

There were only two things he loved: power, and women.

In fact, no, he only loved the latter: the former was just a means to grow strong enough to protect himself, while also obtaining a longer lifespan.

He knew that the woman he was groping was uncomfortable, but he liked that.

Hence, he began to do so harder, but to his surprise, the woman let out a chuckle before frowning deeply in pain.

Why had she chuckled?

"Margeret dearie, why so happy, all of a sudden? Did Sammy get a raise or something?"

Sammy was her brother, whose fee Alfonso was withholding in order to have his way with her.

"N-no."

Wait…she was hiding something.

Alfonso could tell. He had once been in the torture wing of the Sect, and he had seen the way people spoke when they didn't want to reveal something they were holding deep in their heart.

"Tell me what you chuckled about, or I'll make sure Sammy also gets fined a few Ker Gems, which you don't have."

This usually made the women beg, but he looked on with startled eyes as Margaret just felt afraid for a second or so before appearing to remember something.

"Pl-please don't."

No. She was only begging as that was what she was supposed to do. There was no real fear in her voice.

Over the years, Alfonso had gotten addicted to the cries of mercy and the desperate begging from people whose fate he held in their hands. Hence, when he saw that it was missing, it infuriated him to no end.

Casting a spell that used both metal and fire elementary particles, Alfonso conjured a red-hot metal rod before pressing it onto Margaret's hand mercilessly.

As she screamed in pain, he immediately made the rod vanish and cast a healing spell, while Margaret watched with tears as her skin slowly began to heal itself.

If marks were left, it was always possible that someone might be able to testify against him to the Sect.

This wasn't the first time this had happened, and as Margaret still kept her mouth shut, Alfonso repeated this for 4 more times on different places before she finally shouted, "PLEASE, ENOUGH! I'LL TALK!"

"That's more like it. Why did we need to go through all this? I really do like you, Margaret."

As Margaret shrunk into the bed like a defenseless new-born turtle, Alfonso chuckled and resumed his groping while using his other hand to twirl his mustache.

With a stutter, Margaret said, "Th-there was this kid who came in yesterday to me. He visited a lot of women in the past 4 days. He's just an Amateur Warrior! We couldn't figure out how he had so many Ker Gems! We finally managed to worm the information out of him after a lot of coaxing. He found a large Ker Gem mine outside the sect, bigger than any discovered in recent years. He knows it's a crime to conceal the information, b-but he said that they wouldn't notice a few missing Ker Gems, so he plans to mine a few hundred before reporting to the Sect. 4 days ago was his first time with the new-found money…and he will be a regular customer, and he pays a lot, that too, directly to us. Th-that's why I…Please don't do anything to him!"

By the time Margaret was done, Alfonso was almost foaming at his mouth with excitement.

Could he…really be this lucky? To have found out about something like this before anyone else?

No. He had to stay calm and verify it with the other women. What if she was just saying things to escape?

Without a word, Alfonso took the key and unlocked the room.

However, just as he was about to step out, he calmed himself due to a thought.

If he went around to all the women now, it might arouse suspicion. He had to do it slowly.

So, walking back in, he said in a threatening tone, "Speak with no one else about this. If you do, I'll know," before leaving while whistling a tune, as if everything was normal, and as though he wasn't planning to kill all these women after he confirmed everything.

Margaret heard these words with an expression of fear on her face, while her frizzy hair was in disarray.

However, as soon as his footsteps faded away from her earshot, a proud smile came on her face as she relaxed and lounged back on the bed, stretching her body while putting on her clothes.

She was just slipping on her dress when Jessica appeared at the door, asking, "Is it done?"

Gesturing at Jessica to close the door, Margaret waited until she was done to laugh out loud before saying, "Of course! The pig bought it. He only sees us as nitwits who are only good for one thing. I bet he can't even imagine that we are all very good actors. We need to act when we get nice boys like Travis in here, after all."

As Margaret said the last sentence with a chuckle, Jessica smiled and replied, "Good. And I'm glad you and the others didn't go through with your plans. I knew what you were thinking the minute I saw that gleam."

This made Margaret frown slightly before saying, "We just wanted to tease him! You know, see if he cracks when he gets a real, hard look at what he's missing? A slip here, a tear there…it would have been so much fun! You're such a spoilsport."

"No. He's sure about what he wants. Maybe it would have been fun for us, but it definitely would not have been for him. Instead, it might even have driven him away. All right, I'll go tell the others to prepare themselves. Take care."

Saying so, Jessica was about to leave, but she turned around when she heard Margaret ask a question in a tone unlike the confident one before.

"Hey…do you think he'll really do it?"

Seeing her shoulders shake, Jessica could tell that she was probably crying.

That confident side was just a veneer that all of them put up in different ways, just to mask their suffering to the outside world.

"I sure hope so," she replied, before praying to the heavens and closing the door.

….

3 days later.

As a blonde-haired kid walked into a remote clearing inside the Sect of Hedon where an anti-eavesdropping formation was set up, he frowned and saw the bald man in front of him and said, "I'm here, Mr. Alfonso. Why did you say you wanted to meet me?"

"Travis, Travis, Travis. You've been a really naughty boy. You-"

"Is this about the Ker Gem mine?"

What the heck? Aren't you supposed to deny all knowledge of it?!

Having his 'you have no way out, reveal the truth' speech ruined, Alfonso sputtered for a bit before regaining his calm.

"Yes, I wanted to-"

"Oh, I was going to report it to the sect anyway. I guess you can do so, sir-"

"NO!"

As Alfonso shouted this while imagining his riches going away, he realized how implausible this situation was.

Why wasn't this kid clinging on to such a massive amount of treasure?

He got the answer in the next second, and when he heard the kid's response, it was accompanied by the strange feeling that nothing was going as he had expected.

"I'm not confident at all in keeping it a secret, I'm too afraid. It's also a pity to tell it to the sect. Wait…here's an idea! Will you take it, sir? There must be, like, 200,000 Ker Gems in there, at least. In return, can I have your post in the Central Tower? I can't do it for free, right."

Chapter 444: Scamming Alfonso 1

200,000 Ker Gems?!

After getting rid of that strange feeling, these were the words that got stuck in Alfonso's mind.

For a second, he became distracted as he imagined what he would do if he had such a fortune.

Getting to the Champion level would no longer be a pipedream!

The older one was, the harder it would get to absorb Energy, both for the body and the mageroot. So, he had always been hoping that he would come across some opportunity to obtain enough in one strike so that he could just go into secluded meditation to reach the peak.

This was his chance!

As Alfonso was busy daydreaming, he didn't notice the flash in the blonde-haired kid's eyes.

Suddenly, he felt a prickling at the back of his head, and a vague feeling that something was trying to…invade his mind.

This was something that he had never felt before, and with a start, he quickly scanned all around him, wondering whether someone was trying to eavesdrop.

The feeling had vanished, but unlike Sister Xuan who discarded it thinking that it was a figment of her imagination, Alfonso clung to it and checked the formation he had set up for blocking outsiders from listening in.

The formation was controlled by him, and it was said that when someone with a higher skill in formations tried to take control of one that was already being controlled, the one who was controlling the formation would feel as if their mind was being invaded.

The core of his formation had been covertly placed in a tree to the side, so as he walked towards it with a deep frown of suspicion on his face, he didn't notice that for a split second, the blonde-haired kid had narrowed his eyes.

However, after that, an expression of happiness replaced it, but again, this was very brief.

Right before Alfonso reached the core, he once again felt that prickling, and although it wasn't exactly the same as before, it was similar enough for him to think that he had been right.

Moreover, as he saw the core of the formation which was in the form of a triangular metal trinket that had various patterns embedded on it, he noticed that a small crack had appeared on one side of it.

Yes! Someone was trying to eavesdrop!

Immediately, he said, "I like your proposition. We can talk on it tonight, and we can also go out to verify whether what you are saying is true. For now, it seems that someone is trying to listen in. I'm leaving. Meet me at midnight in the glave 200 meters south of the 3rd northern exit."

Saying so, Alfonso didn't give a chance for Daneel to reply. Picking up the core, he deactivated it and left swiftly, while glancing around and trying to spot the 'enemy'.

After waiting for a moment and checking with the system that no one was watching him, Daneel smiled wide.

He was very happy with the way this meeting had gone.

The prickling, of course, had been the natural defense of one's mind against invasion by the system, which wanted to hijack its inputs and show it a false image, just like with Sister Xuan and that vision. This was a very advanced spell, and even though the system was at the peak of the Champion level, only using it on a Human would allow it to proceed without giving any indication to the target.

Also, Daneel had to make sure that the target was distracted when the spell was cast, as someone who was completely in control of the faculties of their mind would be able to notice the invasion faster and try to resist.

If they were distracted, it would be over before they realized it.

Daneel had worried a bit when he saw Alfonso get suspicion on his face, but when he saw him walking towards the core of the formation, Daneel had quickly asked the system whether there was any correlation between anti-eavesdropping formations and spells like these, where the objective was to send a simulation to one's mind.

After finding out that an attack on the formation would have the same effect, he had immediately made one, which resolved the situation and sealed Alfonso's fate.

However, Daneel realized that he had landed himself in a small dilemma.

Alfonso wanted to go today, itself, to check out the mine. Initially, Daneel had planned to delay the man until the time when he could leave the sect so that he could set it all up before they went.

Even now, he didn't panic too much, as if worst came to worst, he could simply knock Alfonso out.

With his inheritances, he would definitely be able to take on this Exalted Warrior. A prolonged fight might be a bit difficult, but Daneel was confident of winning a short engagement.

The limitation of the "Mind Control" spell, which had been ambitiously named by Daneel after being derived from the ability of the system to simulate scenarios for him, was that a single 'invasion' could only result in one simulation.

For example, he had 'invaded' Sister Xuan's mind, and played that vision for her to see. If he wanted to do so again, he would once again have to distract her and let her feel that sense of being invaded again, and the chances were also high that she would definitely notice something amiss, as she would be familiar with it from before.

Still, if there was no other way, Daneel didn't mind using his 'invasion' before to make it appear to Alfonso that he had been knocked out by someone or something else while he left to make the fake Ker Gem mine.

After that, he could wait for the man to use a formation again so that he could 'invade' his mind again without arousing suspicion.

Only, Daneel preferred if his plan didn't have variables. If Alfonso somehow had the means to escape his clutches, then he would be placed in a very dire situation.

Hence, Daneel fell into deep thought, wondering what to do.

Getting no solution after a few minutes, he first made his way to the Border Village to thank Jessica and tell her that it had worked.

When he reached the Red Herring, he saw with relief that there was someone other than that woman who had laughed at him before. Still, she giggled when she saw him, which meant that he had already become famous for his 'endurance'.

Sighing and feeling happy that he was in a disguise, Daneel reached Jessica's room and knocked before entering.

Seeing that it was him through the peephole, Jessica immediately opened and closed the door behind him before asking in an excited voice, "Did it work?!"

When Daneel nodded, an expression of relief came on her face.

"The first part worked, and the second should go without a hitch."

Even though this was happy news, Daneel was still frowning slightly.

Noticing this, Jessica asked with a frown, "What's the matter? I thought it went well?"

"Oh, I was thinking about a small problem that I have. I need to go out of the sect today, but my monthly leave is done."

"That's it? Why didn't you ask me before? We have a special way in and out which doesn't require anyone to be allowed to leave. Just leave it to me."

As Daneel heard this, he looked at her and beamed.

He had been hoping that she might have a way because of how resourceful she seemed, so seeing that he was right, he felt really glad that there were no more problems.

Now, all that was left was to put Alfonso behind bars due to his greed which made him dumb enough for sending all the money he had to the 'Nigerian Prince' with the belief that he would get much more in return.

As Jessica saw him smile, she felt glad after seeing that everything was going smoothly.

"You're very cute, you know," she said, making Daneel's smile freeze.

This made her chuckle softly before saying, "Don't get me wrong. I just wanted to tell you that we all really appreciate what you're doing for us. We could say lofty things like 'We are willing to follow you anywhere', but we know we are just powerless humans who can't be of much help to you."

Daneel immediately started to shake his head, but she continued.

"You don't need to refute this. We will always be in your debt. You can never know all the horrible things that pig put us through. By the way, I really think it's commendable that you weren't tempted to go about this a different way. I can tell that that part of life is not on your mind right now. Still, I've heard of many who went mad with grief later on because of decisions like these. Rumors say that something like that happened to the Mad Doctor, too, but I don't know if they have any truth to them. I just wanted to say that if you do find someone you like, don't hesitate to do everything you can to make them a part of your life. You'll know that that someone is special, don't worry- I've heard that Warriors and Champions have a special sense in this matter. Anyway, that was just my advice. Now, get out of her if you don't want it to become known that you've suddenly gained a lot of endurance. Here are the instructions for the secret exit."

As Daneel heard the last part, he did feel embarrassed a bit, but he stored the rest in his heart. She definitely meant well, and he even felt that there was quite some truth to what she was saying.

Still, it was true that he shouldn't arouse suspicion. So, getting up and taking the trinket, he just said "Thank you. I'll be back after it's completely done," before walking out, only to find a gaggle of women at the end of the corridor all staring the door to Jessica's room.

As soon as he walked out, some cheered and others got sad expressions on their faces.

Daneel wondered why that was, and he got the answer a few seconds later, when he saw money being passed around.

They were all betting on how much time he would last inside!

Sighing and feeling pity for Travis, Daneel followed the instructions to leave the sect, so he could set the stage for Alfonso.

Chapter 445: Scamming Alfonso 2

Midnight. Near the glade indicated by Alfonso.

Alfonso was already waiting there, having reached 20 minutes before to stake the location out so that he could make sure that whoever had been eavesdropping before, hadn't managed to follow him here too.

He had thought long and hard about who the culprit could be, and in the end, he could only conclude that it was someone who was interested in a cloaked conversation that was going on not too far away from a central walkway.

At around 11:55 AM, the blonde haired kid that he had been waiting for finally arrived, with a smile on his face.

Seeing that smile, Alfonso really wanted to punch him, as it reeked of innocence and naïveté.

Why was it that someone like this had come across such a valuable treasure? Why had it not been him?

Of course, arguments like these were irrelevant, but he still engaged in them so that he could calm himself and not blow this deal.

"So. You want me to hand over my senior post, which earns me 50 Ker gems per day, and that has always been held by an Exalted Warrior, to an Amateur one like you?"

In response, Travis nodded and folded his arms behind his back before saying, "You can't say it's not worth it, Sir. Doing something like this was on my mind before itself, but I just didn't find someone that I could trust. You found out about it anyway, so I just chose you, and when I asked around, I found out that you are someone who keeps your word. You must have asked about me, too, right? I've already given one very useful information to the sect, and I wouldn't mind giving them another, but I really do feel that it's a pity. I should focus on my path to power too, after all."

Hearing this, Alfonso nodded.

He had indeed investigated this kid called Travis, and had found out that he had a special status directly granted by the sect leader because of his discovery of an inheritance site. Although it could be said that he had not done so willingly, it was obvious that by doing that business with taking so many sect members to the site, he had already anticipated that this would be the result, and had been prepared to give it up to the sect.

Many times, Alfonso had seen that luck always favored those who didn't deserve it, and that too, in amounts which would make others cry.

This kid had already found out an inheritance site, so it wasn't even that implausible that he had also found such valuable treasure.

Besides, his greed seemed to be getting the better of him, and there even seemed to be something whispering in his mind that he should take this chance, as another like it might not come along in his lifetime.

For a second, he wondered why he was having such strong feelings about this deal without being objective, but right at that moment, those suggestive thoughts vanished, making him discard that line of thinking.

"I need to see it first, of course. You might just be lying."

"I'm not that dumb, Sir. If I show it to you, you could kill me afterward. I want you to swear an oath to me right now, that if you do find that the mine is real, you will promise me three things:

1. You will give me your post in the Central Tower, and also never challenge me again for it, while helping me to keep it.

2. You will not harm me in any way, directly or indirectly, regardless of what you find.

3. You will never speak anything about me to anyone, or give any indication directly or indirectly that you know me."

As Alfonso saw Travis say these three things with great concentration, he chuckled.

Clearly, this kid had put a lot of thought into this.

Maybe he wasn't that naive after all.

This wasn't really a bad thing, as if this was all fake, the kid would definitely not take this many precautions.

Taking a moment, he pondered over the three conditions.

Oaths could be made without oath stones, but the limitation was that the oath would be tied to the person, making it so that if the person died, the oath would vanish. If there was an oath stone, the oath would be passed on to the next inheritor.

Also, facilities like communicating with the other person through the oath stone were absent.

Clearly, the kid had thought about the possibility of him hiring somebody else to bring harm to him so that he could rid himself of the oath, which was why the second clause said: "directly or indirectly."

In fact, all Alfonso cared about right now was getting to the peak of the Warrior realm, obtaining the special support of the sect, and shooting forward to become a Champion so that he could triple his life span yet again.

Compared to that, these three things felt trivial.

Only the third clause seemed a little bit strange, but Alfonso just assumed that it was there because the kid was scared that he might use other means to bring harm to him.

Yes. This was a good deal, definitely.

The suggestive thoughts returned, but in his daydreaming of becoming a Champion and having hundreds of years to enjoy all the women he wished, he didn't notice it this time.

Although he would be giving up what he had – the post in the central tower which earned him 1500 Ker gems a month, he would be getting so much more.

As he finally nodded in reply, he saw an expression of relief come on Travis's face.

"Of course, you also have to swear that you will never disclose any information about the mine to anybody else, and that no one else but you knows about its whereabouts right now."

This was just basic common sense. He couldn't risk this kid getting greedy later, and telling others for more profit.

Also, he had to make sure that he would have the mine to himself, instead of having to share with anyone that this kid might have blabbed the information to.

As for all the women on the Border Village, Alfonso wasn't really worried about them right now, as no one else could make them talk like he had done, and they wouldn't be dumb enough to go against his words.

Still, he began planning a way to make them all… Disappear.

"Of course. Let us begin."

…

20 minutes later.

After swearing the oaths, both of them made their way out of the sect using a secret exit that only Alfonso, and a few other senior sect members knew of.

Clearly, anyone who had spent a long time in the sect would find ways to go around the rules imposed, in cases where the rules weren't too strict and were meant mainly to make sect members focus on training more.

After teleporting four times, the two of them reached an unmarked spot in a forest east of the Sect of Hedon.

This area was completely unremarkable, with even the trees not being lusher than those around them, which was usually a dead giveaway for the location of a Ker Gem mine, especially of this size.

As Alfonso saw this, he started doubting whether he was being led into some trap.

He had already prepared himself for that possibility – checking his pocket, he made sure that the defensive Champion level trinket, the single most expensive item he owned, was ready to be deployed to protect him.

At least there was one good news: if there really was a mine here, it would be impossible for anyone to find it, as this was just one random spot in an area of hundreds of kilometers that was filled by forests.

They had teleported in the air, so after landing on the ground, Travis first looked around carefully to make sure that no one had followed them.

After that, he went to a nearby bush which looked completely normal and plucked it after deactivating a formation.

Below that bush, hidden expertly, was a small hole through which only one person could fit.

"After you," said Alfonso, not intending to walk into a trap if there was one.

However, the next second, his eyes became as wide as saucers when he saw a red mist float out of the hole.

There were two main indications of a large Ker Gem mine – one was obviously the large amounts of red gems that would be found inside, and another was the red mist, which meant that this was an area which naturally condensed Energy. This was why Natural Energized Training Chambers also condensed this red mist while absorbing Energy from their surroundings.

As his breathing hastened, he watched as Travis nodded and entered the hole, after which Alfonso followed, barely able to contain his excitement.

The hole had no ladder, but as mages, they could simply fly through it.

After descending around 800 m into the ground, the hole finally ended, widening into a large, block-shaped cave that had an area of at least 1 km².

Sensing no threats, Alfonso conjured a globe of light, and as he saw the red glimmers all around him, he staggered back and had to take support from the wall behind him.

Yes! Ker gems! Thousands and thousands of them!

There was also the red mist, which was faint, meaning that this mine had formed long ago.

It all made sense now. The vegetation above must have been lusher many, many years ago, but because of some reason, no one must have noticed it. After that, the extra Energy had been sapped away by the mine, so the plants above were normal. Although it meant that there would be no additional gems being added to the mine, the ones that were already present would easily be enough to tide him over for quite a long time.

There was only one question – how did this kid find it in the first place?

Without asking, Travis answered.

"On a routine examination of the continent, I came across a woodcutter who spoke about a single plant he had seen during his journey through this forest which looked like it was blessed by the heavens. Because the mine is so deep underground, the additional Energy only affected one plant above, and when I dug and found this mine, I immediately killed that woodcutter and burned his body. No one else knows. Is our deal done?"

As he heard this and realized that it did make sense, Alfonso only nodded, too busy admiring the beautiful prisms around him.

Of course, this was why he didn't notice the gleam in Travis's eyes.

…

One hour later.

[Preprogramed protocol being activated. Sending pre-recorded message anonymously to Central tower.]

Chapter 446: Scamming Alfonso 3

The next day, as per the deal, Alfonso handed in a formal resignation and recommendation for Travis, quoting that he saw himself in his earlier days in this kid.

There had been such strange requests before, and the job of those in the administrative department of the Central tower was just to approve the requests after checking that all the proper channels were being used.

Everything looked fine, and by the end of the day, Travis Eclair had a post on the Central tower, where he was in charge of handing out the payments for all the normal humans in the sect.

Mundane posts like these in the Central tower were mostly overlooked, and were only favored because of the easy pay. However, there were many better ones, and because this job involved doing some legwork, powerful and talented Warriors actually avoided it as they didn't want to waste their time. Instead, they would rather prefer to find something else to grow stronger, faster.

As Alfonso had never been someone too talented, he had been happy with this job, but the main reason was that he simply loved everything he could do to all the women in the Border Village.

Still, he had decided to give that all up to increase his lifespan.

After his end of the deal was done, he simply shook hands with Travis and left to go to the mine, trusting in the oath which could not be broken in any way. Although there were rumors that Champions and those above might have a chance, that was, of course, too far away from him.

The next two days passed peacefully. Instead of beginning to mine the Ker Gems immediately, Alfonso decided to absorb all of the mist first, so he simply sat inside and trained all day long.

On the morning of the third day, everything still seemed fine, but he suddenly felt someone trespass over the formation that he had set up in the direction of the sect.

He initially ignored this, thinking it was just some woodcutter, but when the second formation that was placed after it also got triggered, he panicked and got up.

The blonde haired kid could definitely not have told anyone else about this, so he wondered whether he was just unlucky.

Of course, they were definitely just passerbys, and there was no way of them knowing that he was here, underground.

Only, he had placed one final formation right beside the Bush which had the entrance to the mine, and when he suddenly felt it triggered too, he quickly tried to teleport away.

However, to his shock, he realized that an anti-teleportation formation had been set up at some point without his knowledge.

He was an Exalted Warrior! For a formation to activate without even him knowing about it… It had to mean that it was at least at the Peak Champion level!

As he realized this horrific fact, he decided to leave.

Until now, he had been sitting at the front of the mine which was in the form of a long corridor, and he had been training with his eyes closed.

During his panic, he had only looked up at the entrance. Now, when he decided to escape, he turned around and was about to cast the spell to burrow into the ground, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw a sight that was even more horrifying than the knowledge that the sect had caught wind of this mine.

All of the Ker gems were gone!

All those shining prisms had disappeared, replaced by faint fragments of Ker gems here and there, as if they had been dug out extensively.

Only the smallest amount of mist was left, as he had been busy absorbing it all this time.

What the hell was going on?

No… It didn't matter! He had to get out of here first!

However, the pause due to his shock was enough for the Champions who had been sent by the sect to descend into the hole and find Alfonso standing there like a statue.

Noticing that he was just about to cast a spell, the two Champions immediately cast anti-spells.

If Daneel had been here, he would have been startled to see that their way of spell work was very reminiscent of what the Domination Corps had used in the Olympics to shock everyone.

"Enough. Resist, and we won't hesitate to tear you apart. Just come quietly. If you're innocent, nothing will happen to you."

As one of the Champions said this while casting immobilization spells by making the air around the target heavy by using metal elementary particles, Alfonso only nodded, knowing that the jig was up.

He couldn't even take on one Champion in direct combat- there was simply no hope of going up against two.

Three hours later, when he found himself in a cell underneath the Central tower, he only had one question in his mind.

How in hell had this happened?!

…

The news that a member of the Central tower had been arrested for committing one of the few crimes that one could get jailed for in the Sect of Hedon spread like wildfire.

Hiding information of Ker Gem mines from the sect was something that even the bravest of sect members wouldn't do, but it seemed that this particular one had a nasty streak of doing anything and everything to gain power.

Because he was jailed now, all of his past got dug up, including the cruel way he behaved with all the women who were actually sweethearts of the sect members who regularly visited the Border Village, and the way he had gotten his post using underhanded means.

Normally, such things were common and remained hidden, but now that the perpetrator was behind bars with no hope of being released for a long, long time, everyone began to talk.

Of course, his appointment of Travis in his post also became known, but a rumor soon started to spread that explained this.

Apparently, Travis had found out about the mine, and he had been about to go to the sect to report it. However, Alfonso had threatened him and had made him swear an oath that he wouldn't tell anyone, also going so far as to give him his post so that they would be known to be accomplices together if it ever got out. Also, Travis was under Alfonso's control, and Alfonso needed to go into closed door training for a long time to take that last step towards becoming a Peak Warrior. So, he had appointed Travis so that he could simply take back his post if he wanted, after he was done.

This made perfect sense!

No one knew where the rumor started, but it kept spreading and spreading until it even got into the ears of the sect officials who was placed in charge of investigating the cover-up of this mine.

From the indications of the mist that was remaining in the mine, it became clear that it had existed since a long time, and the extra Energy in that land had already been sapped dry.

Alfonso had always had more Ker gems than he was supposed to, and many had always thought that this was because he shaved off a small amount from all of the payments he was supposed to make. However, now, it became clear that these extra gems came from the mine, and when the humans of the Border Village were asked about this after being told that they needn't fear retribution from Alfonso, they answered that they got their pay in full, although the man regularly delayed payments so that he could do whatever he wanted with those related to these poor people.

As all the facts started to add up, the case against Alfonso became clearer and clearer, and it no longer remained a doubt whether he needed to be imprisoned.

It was a pity to lose an Exalted Warrior like that, but punishments like these had to be carried out, lest others repeat such infractions without being afraid of repercussions.

One day later, the sect leader passed the final verdict – Alfonso would be imprisoned for a period of 50 years.

He kept claiming that this was all a scam, but of course, no one believed him.

The night that he was incarcerated, the entire Border Village lit up as if there was a festival going on.

By all rights, Travis should have been the chief guest, but because it was better not to arouse any suspicion, the women settled with profusely thanking him and telling him once again that they would forever be indebted to him.

Many actually walked up and gave him hugs and kisses on his cheek, and when they saw him blush a little from time to time due to this, they laughed gently, but didn't mock him.

As Daneel walked back to his dormitory with many marks of lipstick on his cheeks, he couldn't help but pat himself on his back.

The Nigerian prince plan had worked perfectly, and it also felt great to have helped out so many sweet women.

The image of the mine being full of Ker Gems had been an illusion using "Mind Control", but the mist had been real: Daneel had covertly transported it over from his own Natural Energized Training Chamber, which was why the sect hadn't suspected that the entire mine might be fake. Daneel, had, of course, dug out the mine and placed those fragments of the gems to make it look real.

To escape the oath, the key had been the system – although he had sworn not to tell anything to the sect, he had already done all the preparations and preprogrammed them into the system before asking it to execute all of the tasks, like sending the tip to the sect.

The sect was still puzzled as to who sent that tip, but because of all the facts, they let it go, thinking that it might just be someone who had picked up on some clues, or might have a vendetta against Alfonso.

Also, he had used a special spell that worked similar to the one which made simulations appear, albeit being simpler, to introduce those suggestive thoughts in Alfonso's mind so that he wouldn't question anything too much and go along with it.

And of course, the rumor was his work.

[Achievement unlocked: Crusader of Justice.

Crusader of Justice: By going out of your way to help those who couldn't help themselves, you have shown the attitude that a person on the righteous path of World Domination should have. They will forever remember you, and if the need ever arises, they will not hesitate to follow you. It is events like these that build up the support that every World Dominator must have. Congratulations!

5000 EXP earned.]

A nice bonus on top, too!

With his smile widening even further, Daneel got to his dormitory and fell on the bed.

One job was done, and although it had been very fun and gratifying, it was now time to get back to his main goals.

Chapter 447: Entering the Hidden Vaul

The next day.

As Daneel walked to the main entrance of the Central Tower, he saw many sect members whispering among themselves while looking at him.

The large, wooden double doors which were artfully ingrained with gilded patterns were open. The last time, when he had entered with the key that he had used 10,000 Ker gems to buy, he had only been able to use the back entrance, which was much less glamorous.

Using the system, Daneel eavesdropped on one of the conversations between two people who were shooting glances at him while talking between themselves with low voices.

"All those missing things from Alfonso's case still bug me. Who sent in the tip? Why hadn't that mine been found all this time? How did Alfonso not cause any suspicion over all this time? Why are all the regular humans claiming that he hasn't been mooching off of their income? And this mop-haired brat. I don't know. I just feel like he is at the center of it. And it's not just me, you know. The others let it go as he can't be touched according to the rules, but I'm not prepared to."

Daneel's heart skipped a beat as he heard this, but the reply from the other person calmed him down.

"Too bad the challenge for his post was taken just three days ago. We still have to wait 26 days to get someone to challenge him, so that we can beat him up to get answers. I already contacted some people who are interested in getting the post. Let's just wait. He'll definitely be careful, so it's not worth plotting against him. He can't run anywhere, anyway."

With this, the two stop looking at him and walked inside the Central tower, after shooting glances filled with derision, making it clear that they didn't believe that he deserved a place inside.

The reason behind Daneel calming down was that he was safe for almost a month.

He had no intention of staying that long, because if he did, he would have to either be beaten up to a pulp or reveal his power, and he was definitely not going to do the latter.

He hoped that a month was more than enough to finish everything he needed to do inside the sect, and he had no time to waste.

Just like they said, conversations like these were everywhere, and he had a large target painted on his back. After all, he was an Amateur Warrior who was in a post which paid enough to entice Exalted Warriors.

Getting to his office which was a small pie-shaped stone room with one window, he saw that all of Alphonso's things were still here, such as a few of his clothes and some trinkets.

Obviously, the man hadn't been given enough time to clean them out.

Claiming them all for his own shamelessly, Daneel sat down on the chair in front of the small desk in the room and first used the key he had been given after obtaining the official post to open a hidden compartment, in which there were pouches of Ker gem shavings.

These were all of the pending payments that Alphonso had been holding back, so the first thing he did was pick them all up and go to the Border Village.

As he saw each of the honest workers almost cry as they received what they were due, he truly felt glad from the bottom of his heart that he had targeted this bastard for his plan.

After being done with this and making sure not to visit places like the Red Herring again, he once again reached his office and set about his first task: to find the objects that Ashahell had taken from Lanthanor.

Instead of using the same method as before and risking being found out to be someone who was also present at a different place, Daneel did his homework and only chose the identities of those who were training.

Also, he tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible, so that his face wouldn't be remembered by anyone.

To this purpose, he used a Champion level spell which had been developed by the system to make a faint blur appear on his face.

It made it so that if he was viewed in a group, he wouldn't draw attention, but he also would not stand out.

It was similar to the effect that came over humans when their eyes glazed over due to seeing too many faces at once.

By using such a foolproof method, Daneel began a very thorough sweep of the entire central tower.

He had already guessed that these items were placed in the most secure location inside the tower, but the problem was that this location was also hidden.

Hence, his objective was to find out where it was, so that he could start to plan what he would do to get inside.

Right now, he had three things to accomplish in the Central Tower, and in the sect:

1. Get back the items that Ashahell had taken from Lanthanor and look for clues regarding the remaining parts of the inheritance and trinket left behind by the Empire of Angaria, so that he could try and obtain them himself.

2. Finalise and set in place the plan to show that Ashahell was guilty of aiding and abetting the Church.

3. Kill all the scum who were going to be sent after him soon for revenge.

He could only wait to accomplish the third and hope that an opportunity arose before he left, but the first two had to be finished ASAP.

Daneel also had to be quite covert during his operations, so that he wouldn't risk drawing too much attention to himself. It didn't help at all that he was in the spotlight right now, due to Alphonso's case.

Before, during his search, Daneel had only covered everything briefly, but now, he spent his time in each area, allowing the system to deeply analyze the formation while looking for clues regarding exactly what was inside, and whether there was a way for him to sneak inside without trying to controlling the Core of the formation.

Time passed in this way, with him spending most of the day loitering around different areas of the sect in different disguises, while collecting Ker gems for his post and training in the remaining time.

After reaching the warrior level, Daneel felt as if his progress had slowed down, and that was mainly due to the fact that Ker gems just weren't good enough resources anymore. He needed something of higher quality, but the only one available to him was the fish from the Endless Sea, but that cost too much.

His progress had really slowed down and this frustrated him, but he couldn't do anything about it and only resolved to find ways to solve it after all of his present predicaments were behind him.

One and a half weeks later, he finally got a break – the system had identified a method through careful analysis for Daneel to infiltrate the hidden, higher portion of the tower, where all of the important areas were.

The method was that these areas needed maintenance weekly, and when someone used teleportation to reach them, the core Hero level formation of the sect would allow it for a split second.

Using another Peak Champion level spell developed by the system which enabled him to follow that someone by fooling the Hero level formation to think that he was an insect on the man's skin, Daneel finally accomplished his first objective.

Apparently, the higher areas of the Tower were divided into sections, and this maintenance man was only here to service one.

He had teleported into a winding stone corridor with a single on one side, and luckily, he had teleported right behind the man.

His appearance was distraction enough, so using the "Mind Control" spell, Daneel made the man think that he had been mistaken, and that there was no one else here.

Shaking his head, the man, who was an Exalted Warrior, used his blood to open the door, and Daneel sneaked in behind him.

He had entered a large room which had many bookcases and podiums everywhere. There were at least 50 stone podiums, but the items on top of them were shrouded in white mist.

Sadly, these seemed to be the sect-preserving trinkets, which were being actively protected by the core formation.

It was the same with the bookshelves, which definitely must be holding the core inheritances of the sect.

Daneel was about to be disappointed, but to his surprise, he spied a section to the side which seemed forgotten.

There were multiple podiums here, too, but they were all empty.

Wait, no-one wasn't.

It contained the items Ashahell had taken from Lanthanor, and there wasn't even any white mist covering them!

Rejoicing, Daneel walked to that area silently and saw that there was also a single bookcase here, which were similarly not being treated with the same importance as the others, like in the case of the podium.

Clearly, the sect did not attach that much importance to just one part of that legendary inheritance and trinket, and had hence opted not to spend valuable Energy to actively guard this area.

After all, it was true that they had always known of the existence of these things, but they had allowed them to stay inside the core formations of the forces in the central continent, or in the other locations.

But why were there so many podiums here in the first place?

He was about to get more questions, but hearing the maintenance man finishing going about his work, Daneel realized that he had to hurry.

If he hadn't spent so much time to study each and every aspect of the Central tower, he would never have found this opening. Hence, satisfied that his hard work had paid off, Daneel completely utilized the opportunity and absorbed all of the books on the bookshelf, while staring fondly at the items from Lanthanor and wishing he could take them right now.

He had a few seconds, so Daneel took out one book and read the first page.

The information about the book recorded on the first page hit him like a lightning bolt, and almost made him drop the book.

It was a journal written by a scholar of the Sect of Hedon who had gone to all of the forces of the Central Continent to study the parts left behind and the Empire Spirits!

This meant that…he could finally find out just where the heck all the parts were!

However, a sentence written in large font on the second page stood out, and as Daneel read it, his eyebrows rose to the top of his head, while his hands started to shake.

"Beware of Empire Spirits! They are the remnant consciousnesses of Heros from the Empire of Angaria which want to revive themselves and their Empire by enticing people to train in their inheritances!"

Chapter 448: Pile of Information

Daneel had to re-read the line 3 times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but by the time he was ready to form any thoughts about it, he heard the maintenance man walk towards the door.

If he left, Daneel would be trapped in here indefinitely, as the core formation would 'lock up' the room.

So, quickly putting the book back and taking one last glance at the items from Lanthanor, Daneel quietly made his way back to the door and exited along with the maintenance man.

After that, he went back in the same way: making the formation think that he was an insect.

It was only after he finally got back to his dormitory did Daneel sit down and revisit the revelation he had just been subjected to.

His fingers forming a tent, he placed them below his chin to prop his head up before closing his eyes.

The Empire Spirit…was not a sentience, as had been indicated by the system when he had first come in contact with it.

If he thought about it, the system had never actually said that it was artificial; only, no one could have made the connection that it was the remnant consciousness of Heros.

If what he had read was right…then Daneel had conversed with someone who had been dead for tens of thousands of years.

For someone like that, the only desire would be to leave such confinement, and apparently, he was supposed to be the route for it to accomplish just that.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel first thought back to every interaction he had had with the Empire Spirit.

Now that he thought about it, all the Kings before him had been fascinated with the knowledge that was supposedly stored inside it.

Each and every one of them had even made it their goal to find out just what amazing techniques and secrets the Empire Spirit was hiding, but none of them had succeeded, except for him.

It was so obvious!

Even from the Empire Spirit's attitude!

That aloofness, arrogance, and pride would make one think that it truly was some wondrous man-made sentience left behind to be inherited by future generations, but the truth was that it was all an act to draw them in and give birth to interest, and need.

The 'satisfaction level' was definitely to bar entry to all but those who were most talented, and it was also possible that it was important for some other reason, like, for instance, mastering the Ruler's Inheritance, which clearly depended on having people loyal to oneself around them

To think that he had been so excited when he had finally been able to unlock its first level and obtain that inheritance.

He had even done so much keeping this objective in mind!

At this moment, Daneel felt a sheer mass of frustration overtake him.

All this time, he had thought that the Empire Spirit had rewarded him for accomplishing something so significant, but instead, it had only been judging whether he was good enough, while encouraging him to fatten himself up for slaughter.

He felt like clapping at the intelligence of whoever the Empire Spirit was a remnant of. All this time, it had simply been sitting and waiting for the perfect body and mind to come along, and it seemed that it's wish had finally come true.

Immediately, Daneel said in his mind, "System, is there any backdoor in the Ruler's Inheritance? Any side-effect, which can enable the spirit to take control of me if I become adept enough in it?"

[Negative. System has found no such mechanism.]

Great. Then that just meant that whatever was hidden inside was beyond the level of a Champion.

Daneel didn't even doubt for a second that the information in the book could be wrong. It had been stored in the most secure vault in the Sect! Just him being able to reach it was a miracle, so the information contained in it was definitely very important, and very true.

Besides, all the facts just added up! It was like a jigsaw puzzle falling in place, but the problem was that Daneel hadn't even known that he had a puzzle in his hands for the first time.

This really taught him not to believe anyone or anything on this land.

The only one he could trust was himself.

Of course, this didn't mean that he would go around suspecting everyone.

No, Daneel decided that he would just take everything with a pinch of salt, even if it came from someone very close to him.

He knew better than anyone just how powerful spells like Mind Control were, and he knew for a fact that Champions were capable of casting spells like those, let alone Heros, whose means were mysterious, but definitely much more frightening.

With a sigh of relief, he felt really glad that he hadn't placed too much focus on the Ruler's Inheritance before going to the Sect of Hedon.

It had been dumb luck!

Daneel had had a mission to go out of his Kingdom, so he had abandoned it temporarily while resolving to come back to it when he had the time. After all, a 5x amplification wasn't a joke.

Instead, if he had chosen to stay and master it, he couldn't even begin to think about what might have happened.

Wiping the sweat that sprang up on his forehead at this thought, Daneel sighed with relief and asked the system to relay the other important information that it had recorded from the other books in the Vault.

It turned out that he had struck the motherlode.

[The data collected is about the travels that scholars from different generations embarked on to discover more about the Empire spirits and the parts of the inheritance and trinket left behind by the Empire of Angaria. System has noticed a general trend in their discoveries, and this has been remarked upon extensively, being the basis from which the line that host read was derived.

The information can be summarised in 5 important points.

Empire Spirits are not named so because they can only be found in the present 'Empires', as some believe. Instead, their name is derived from the fact that they are the living remains of the last Empire of Angaria. They exist in all of the forces in the Central Continent, but one by one, they started to cease to exist. There have been cases of them finding suitable hosts in the past, but the Big 4 have always been able to find these hosts and kill them before they got too powerful. Once, this even resulted in the decline of a then-powerful part of the Big 4, the Withering Leaf Sect, as their Hero-level elder and several Champions died during the battle to stop the Empire Spirit from accomplishing its goals.

2. All the information found in all Empire Spirits is the same- they entice people with authority using top-notch Core Inheritances. The specific one chosen to give to an individual varies. The method and the checklist of things that need to be fulfilled for the Empire Spirit to take over a person are unknown.

3. The most popular theory regarding Empire Spirits was that there were many more of them even outside the main forces of the Central Continent, but they were the remnants of weaker Heroes. Continuing to exist as an Empire Spirit requires an iron will to not succumb to boredom due to the passage of time, which is not capable of all individuals. Only the strongest remain.

4. There are 4 Empire Spirits left on Angaria: one each in the Kingdoms of Lanthanor, Arafell, Eldinor, and Axelor.

5. There is a prominent theory with proof that the Core Inheritances contained in the Empire Spirits are lesser versions derived from the Root Inheritance which was split apart by the Empire.]

As Daneel slowly digested this pile of information, he once again reaffirmed his decision to not touch the Ruler's Inheritance again, no matter what.

But…what if the Basilisk's Breath was also something like that? What if it had been given by the Empire Spirit to the founders of the Hidden Kill Sect to be used on those who wanted to learn? After all, only one with true talent could comprehend it by being beaten up, which sounded just like another test to choose a suitable host for an Empire Spirit.

Those bastard Heroes.

Why couldn't they just die in peace and leave the future generations alone?

And wait…the Kingdom of the Elves had an Empire Spirit? Why hadn't he found one?

Oh, yes. He hadn't looked for one, and he hadn't exactly been interested in finding other Empire Spirits-that thought hadn't crossed his mind, as he had been too busy busting his ass trying to satisfy the one he had, while it kept watching on as the chicken it was going to cook and eat paraded around, getting fatter and marinading itself for its pleasure.

Well, he still couldn't get over this frustration!

Calming himself down, Daneel asked the system whether there was any information regarding the locations and number of the other parts of the inheritance and trinket left behind.

He hadn't given up on finding those: in fact, Daneel would be lying if he didn't admit that he hoped that finding them would allow him a way to use the Inheritances without running a risk of becoming a sacrificial goat.

[Affirmative. There are 6 parts. Their locations are the 6 major forces in the Central Continent.]

Wait..what the hell?

So it was as he had imagined?!

Then where had the parts that were supposed to be in Eldinor and the Black Raven Kingdom gone?!

Who the hell could have taken them?

Suddenly finding his quest much harder than he had imagined it to be, Daneel was going to sigh in exasperation when a communication trinket vibrated in his pocket.

It was the one he had given Percy as Master Novrain, which meant that the Mad Doctor had left the sect, giving him the opportunity he had been looking for.

Finally, at least something was going his way.

Chapter 449: Percy, Again

Leaving the sect through the secret exit he had been shown by Jessica, Daneel made his way to the forest with residual energy for the third time to meet with Percy.

Just like before, he first made sure that Percy was alone from a distance before teleporting to him.

As soon as Percy saw his Master appear behind him as usual, he exclaimed, "Master! My father has left the sect on some important business! He won't be coming back for a day… It's the best time to strike!"

As Daneel saw the enthusiasm on Percy's face, if he had been the man before this revelation with the Empire spirit had taken place, he might have been inclined to directly believe the kid because of all the interactions they had had so far.

However, right now, he just couldn't do so.

For some reason, he felt that something was off, and this wasn't even any sort of paranoia that might have formed due to his recent experience and frustration.

Still, how was he supposed to verify what was true and what wasn't?

First, not wanting to arouse any suspicion in Percy, he grabbed the kid's shoulder and said, "Good job! I'll set my plan in motion… Don't worry, come dawn tomorrow, your brother will be no more. Just relax and go back to the sect. Your rewards will also soon reach you."

At the mention of the word 'rewards', Percy's eyes twinkled, just like they normally would.

Everything definitely looked normal on the surface, but again, Daneel wasn't convinced.

"Thank you, Master! I'll go back to the sect then, before anyone notices that I'm missing!"

Saying so, Percy was just about to teleport away, but Daneel tightened his grip on the kid's shoulder.

A cold look came on his face, and his eyes turned razer-sharp.

"You aren't leading me or your senior disciple into a trap, right?", he asked suddenly, making fear appear on Percy's face.

He had been smiling genially just a second ago, so such a sudden change in attitude startled Percy, resulting in him needing a moment to assemble his thoughts.

After he did, he immediately fell on his knees.

Lowering his head, he spoke in a grave voice.

"I am ready to swear any oath you wish from me, Master. I have no ill intentions against you. All I want is the end of those disgusting scum who don't deserve to live. Master has been very kind to me. Even if I have to give up my life, I am ready to prove my loyalty."

Not a hint of panic had flashed across his face, even when Daneel had enacted his plan of trying to eke out a reaction using surprise.

The fear had only been that which had formed because of the knowledge that he might have lost the trust of the Master whom he 'adored' so much.

Even his speech had been told in an even and serious tone, with all the signs of being from someone who really was ready to do what they were saying.

After a pregnant silence came over the forest for a few seconds, it was broken by Daneel laughing out loud wildly.

This was his Master Novrain laugh, and hearing it, Percy looked up from his position on the ground where he had been kneeling.

"Of course I had to ask, kid. Get out of here. You'll hear good news tomorrow."

As Percy heard this, he rejoiced in his heart before beaming.

Yes, indeed, such a figure would definitely at least consider the possibility.

Besides, he might just have brought it up to warn Percy never to even think of doing anything like that.

Getting up, he smiled at his Master and lingered for a moment, his gaze taking in the man's figure, before teleporting away.

This location was quite far from the Sect of Hedon, so even a Warrior needed to teleport multiple times to get to it.

His first teleport took him to a random spot between the forest with the Energy remnants and the Sect.

Without continuing to teleport again, Percy carefully descended to the ground while looking around to make sure that no one had followed.

After landing, he did another round of checking, this time using Champion level trinkets that were supposed to be quite expensive. Usually, Warriors seldom possessed trinkets of such value.

Seeing that the coast was clear, he first put the trinkets away before leaning on the trunk of a tree for support.

Closing his eyes, he remembered the image of the arrogant, yet fair man that he had just met.

He went through each and every interaction he had with him, from his first 'acting' episode, to the situation when he had had to get inventive to deliver wine bottles.

Sadly, come tomorrow, the man would mostly be no more.

At least, even if he wasn't the one to die, all relations he had with him would be severed, which would effectively mean the same thing.

His snivelly appearance was gone, replaced by one of extreme sadness, grief, and frustration.

Sinking to the ground, he bent his legs and hugged them before starting to rock to and fro.

If anyone happened upon him right now, they would definitely think that he was a child who had been kicked over and over again.

As Daneel watched him while standing right in front of him, he felt such a sheer amount of pity that he had to resist the urge to go forward and console the kid.

Even though Percy had shown no reaction whatsoever due to his sudden question, eking out the truth using that method hadn't been his main objective.

Instead, it had been to use that moment after distracting him using the sudden question to use the Mind Control spell on him.

Using the spell to make Percy think that he was alone, he had followed the kid to this place.

Daneel had already had experience fooling trinkets like those which Percy had used, so the system had taken care of them.

After that, he had watched as the kid's mask collapsed, resulting in him crumpling to the ground.

He looked so…wretched. Pathetic. Miserable.

Clearly, his childhood had been much worse than he had let on.

Daneel was still unclear regarding the exact reason behind him choosing to collapse now and go into this state.

However, he could tell that his suspicion had been right.

Something was wrong.

Frankly, he was also quite shocked at the kid's acting abilities.

There hadn't even been a single hint before!

Of course, even now, it could be that this collapse was only something Percy allowed himself to have whenever he exited the sect, and that it had no relation to Daneel's plan.

Just as he was about to wish that there was some way to confirm the exact reason, he heard a low voice chanting something in the clearing.

Percy's head was between his legs, while his hands were hugging them. Obviously, the sound was coming from him.

Wanting to find out what it was, Daneel tiptoed towards him, even though he knew that the spell would make it so that Percy wouldn't notice him even if he stomped around.

As he got close and finally heard the contents of the chant clearly, he stepped back with his mouth hanging open with shock.

"My Mother, Kelsey. My best friend, Bonnie. My half-brother, Bruce. My half-sister, Overa. My…"

This list went on and on, spanning over 40 names, but what had shocked Daneel so much was the last one, and what followed after.

"…My Master, Gonver. My Master, Novrain. He killed them all. I must live long enough to kill him."

Over and over again, this chilling chant reverberated in the clearing.

With each time it repeated, his tone seemed to get stronger and stronger.

Finally, when he stopped the rocking along with the chant, his eyes when he looked up were bloodshot.

He seemed to be imagining an image, and his expression was filled with such bloodthirstiness that Daneel wondered just how this kid was even sane.

This only lasted for a second before vanishing, replaced by that same punchable, snivelly kid that Daneel knew.

No…that Daneel had thought he knew.

Calmly getting up and dusting off his clothes, he took out a communication trinket and said, "It's done, father," before taking a deep breath and teleporting away.

Daneel didn't follow him this time. Instead, he stayed in that glade as he sank into deep thought.

Either the Mad Doctor had found the locating trinket that Percy had left behind and threatened him to do this, or this entire thing had been a plan by the Mad Doctor to draw him to the Sect.

Both possibilities had reasons for being correct or wrong, but Daneel decided not to dwell on that now.

No, he first had to decide what he was going to do. Should he skip this mission as the Mad Doctor was definitely waiting for him?

As Daneel thought about it, he remembered what he had promised himself after that close shave with death from Ashahell.

He was equipped with a system that had Peak Champion complexity level. He wasn't even walking into a trap. If he still decided to act safe, then he would just be an undeserving coward.

As Daneel made his decision, his eyes seemed to shine like two torches of blazing fire in the darkness.

Those scum were going to die, but the Mad Doctor wouldn't know what hit him.

As for Percy, a strange thought appeared in Daneel's mind regarding him, and he couldn't even tell where it had come from.

Even though he had only taken on the kid as a disciple on a whim, maybe it was time to really act as his Master.

A Master who treated his disciple's problems as his own.

Chapter 450: Justice

After thinking for a good while what he was going to do next, Daneel teleported back to the sect.

The main issue he had right now was whether he could pull this operation off without using the Basilisk's Breath, which he had gotten quite used to after utilizing it almost daily since he had obtained it.

After the disturbing revelation regarding the Empire Spirit, Daneel couldn't discount the possibility that there might be a backdoor in the technique which could leave him wide open for possession.

Yes, he had started to call it 'possession' in his head, as he had started to treat the remnants of those Heroes as pesky but dangerous demons that he had to get rid of if possible.

As there had been cases before where the Empire Spirits had almost succeeded in taking over someone's body, Daneel had asked the system to look for information regarding this process, and whether it was possible for it to happen even if one was far away from any Empire Spirit.

After all, it made sense that the poor individuals who had been trapped by the Empire Spirits must have trusted them fully.

[All reports point to the victim being in close proximity of the Empire Spirit, and even continuously having to be in contact with the physical container of the Empire Spirit during the transfer. Usually, the guise of opening the last level and giving the strongest inheritance in Angaria is used.]

Those sly assh*les.

Well, this was good news, but still, Daneel decided to only use the inheritance if he had no other way. After all, just because something hadn't happened before didn't mean it couldn't happen now. Besides, according to what he had heard, the Spirits that had survived to this day were the strongest of those from that era, and that might mean that they had far more tricks than the others.

With this thought, Daneel was once again reminded of Eldinor, and his decision to pay a visit to that place to check for the Empire Spirit.

However, he needed to take care of this matter first.

Taking out the other part of the locator trinket given by Percy, Daneel checked it and saw that the location it was pointing to was near the south border of the Sect.

The south of the Sect was mainly overrun by forests, unlike the other three sides which had more inhabitants and important structures set up.

It was said that this area was meant to be the place where resting areas and homes would be built and assigned to the Heroes of the Sect.

However, with the decline of Energy, Heroes had become few and far in between and this area was just a forgotten landscape with occasional ruins of grand mansions that had once existed there.

These structures had all been ignored for the past few hundreds of years, so nature had taken its course and reclaimed those areas for its own.

The locator trinket was indicating that the place where the Mad Doctor was waiting for him was at a depth of 1400 m under the ground, at a spot that was marked by the remnants of a large mansion.

Daneel was surveying the place from high up in the sky, while making sure with the system that no one was surveilling him.

He had come up with a simple plan: somehow pull the Mad Doctor away, so that he could step in, kill them all, and leave.

However, this plan had a major flaw: the Mad Doctor's secret bunker would definitely have advanced teleportation detection formations that even Daneel would need a few seconds to fool completely.

The moment the Mad Doctor got the signal that he had arrived, he would teleport back, meaning that Daneel would have less than a second to kill all of the scum.

These were all Warriors, with tough bodies that would require Daneel to cast a strong spell in order to kill them all in such a short span of time.

Hesitantly, he asked the system whether it was possible.

[Negative. Host's speed of casting at Amateur Warrior level is insufficient according to the projections.]

There it was.

The limitation of his damn power!

Although Daneel was equipped with a Peak Champion complexity level system, he was only an Amateur Warrior.

It was exactly like back when he had had the system at the Peak Warrior level: although he could cast spells at that complexity, he just couldn't do it as quickly as an actual Warrior.

In other words, he was like a horse carriage being steered by an F-1 driver.

The driver wanted to go fast, but the horses just couldn't oblige.

So, that plan was out of the question.

However, as Daneel stood in the air and thought among the swirling clouds, he suddenly got a brainwave.

He had been considering all of the tools he had, so he had managed to hit upon an idea.

"System, is it possible to combine Mind Control with the Basilisk's Breath?"

….

In the underground room which had various pits scattered around.

All of those who had been involved in that sensational activity in the Black Raven Kingdom were still here, submerged in the various liquids with only their head on the outside.

Meanwhile, the Mad Doctor was sitting in the center of the cave on a throne made of skulls that he loved to conjure when he was alone.

With his eyes closed and his head resting on his left hand that was propped up on the armrest, he looked like he was sleep, but the reality was that he was patiently waiting for his prey to arrive.

To think that that kid had thought that he would get away with placing a locator trinket in a place that was covered by a Champion's domain.

He had always thought that the kid didn't have enough backbone to even think about taking revenge on him.

Hence, he had ignored him, but this blatant action had made him focus on him again.

After flaying him alive and using all of his favorite torture methods, he had managed to make the kid swear to obey everything he said, effectively wiping away all possible risk from him.

Still, he had been able to see it in his eyes that the kid had only agreed to swear because it would mean staying alive to try again later.

Seeing this, he had rejoiced that his blood flowed in this bastard's veins, after all.

Well, he could knock himself out.

Instructing him to tell that ex-sect member of the Goddess's Sanctum that the coast of clear, he waited, looking forward to see who would appear.

It would either be the King of Lanthanor, or the ex-sect member himself.

Either way, the Mad Doctor would have a new plaything to pass his time.

Just as he was thinking whether he should send a clone to grab some food, he heard a sudden message in his ears.

"Breach has been detected in the Central Tower! All Champions, assemble with your true bodies!"

It was a direct order from the Sect master himself, so the Mad Doctor was just about to teleport away, but he paused as a thought occurred to him.

Could this be a ploy to pull him away so that his son and the others could be targeted?

He was an old monster that had lived for hundreds of years, and he was even known for his wicked cunningness.

So, it was natural that such a simple ploy which was at the level of a child occurred to him.

Hence, even though there was no time, the Mad Doctor left behind an Amateur Champion level clone of his before teleporting to the headquarters of the sect.

His opponent wouldn't have chosen such a simple plan, right?

Wrong.

As soon as he teleported away, he felt the teleportation detection formations go off, which made him shift his consciousness to his clone with a cold smile on his face.

As soon the image in front of his eyes shifted from the corridor in the Central Tower he had teleported to to the underground cave, he saw a man with a broad back standing in front of him.

"Hey, guys! Happy deathday!", he shouted, drawing the shocked attention of all the submerged sect members in the room, who saw him and widened their eyes.

By this time, the Mad Doctor had already lunged forward at a dizzying speed, moving so fast that only a blur could be seen.

His hands were stretched out like claws, and in a moment, he would tear through his opponent.

However, just before he got his hands on the intruder, the man vanished, leaving behind nothing but empty air.

Dammit! He had gotten away!

Although the plan had been simple, it was effective: all Champions were required to definitely report to the Central Tower as quickly as possible when summoned by the Sect Master.

Immediately notifying the Sect Leader that there was an intruder in the sect, the Mad Doctor turned to his son and the others to make sure they were Ok.

Although their faces seemed frozen due to the shock, they looked all right.

The enemy had gotten away, but he had not accomplished his goal.

It did feel very, very frustrating, but the Mad Doctor still took solace in this fact.

Well, all hell would break loose soon anyway when the news about the inheritance that belonged to the King of Lanthanor would get out, so he could use that opportunity to target both that bratty King and his master once again.

Closing his eyes, he was just about to disperse his clone and shift consciousness back to his main body, when he suddenly felt that something was very, very wrong.

By the time he opened his eyes again, it was too late.

"AAAAHHH! FREEEE-"

"NO MORE! NO MORE! NO-"

"HAHA! YOU CAN'T CHASE ME NOW-"

As loud screams like these reverberated in the cave suddenly, they became replaced by gurgling sounds, due to the fact that each and every one of the teenagers in the pools had killed themselves.

Some had cast spells to behead themselves. Others had plucked out their hearts and crushed them with their hands. One had even cast a spell to mince his own body in little pieces, which floated in the liquid.

Frantically, the Mad Doctor looked towards his son's pool.

Drawing in a sharp breath, he saw that his son had chosen to gouge his eyes out. Wait, no, it wasn't just his eyes…all of his organs, including his manhood that had grown back, had been separated from his body by himself and were floating beside his lifeless head.

As the Mad Doctor took in this sight, he raised his head and roared in agony, while veins popped up on his forehead, looking like they would burst at any moment and unleash hell on this world.

Meanwhile, the one responsible for this unbelievable occurrence had just lied down on the bed in his dormitory, his eyes shining with the light of one who had just meted out justice while simultaneously also pulling out weeds that would have bothered him later.

As a notification sounded in his head, a small smile came on his face, while he ticked off an item on his list.

[Newly developed spell "Eternity in a Breath" deployed successfully. All traces of the spell's execution have been erased.]

Chapter 451: Aftermath

As Ashahell glanced at the Mad Doctor, who was leaning against a wall with his eyes closed, he sneered secretly before putting on a face of sympathy.

All around them, the gory scenes that were visible in the pits looked like they had descended straight from hell.

An anti-degradation spell had been cast in the area, so that investigation wouldn't be hampered, which meant that all the people in the cave right now could see exactly what state the enemy had left these sect members in before leaving.

All around him, sect officials who were experienced in decoding a battle scene were pouring over the grisly contents of the shiny liquids, trying to ascertain how this deed had taken place.

Ashahell, on the other hand, was bored.

Ever since the incident in the Central Tower due to which suspicion had fallen on him, he had been under close watch by the head Hero-level figure of the High Council.

That damn old man wasn't even letting up his surveillance when he was in the bathroom!

It seemed that he wasn't prepared to take any chances, even though he had mostly shown a lackluster attitude until now regarding the threat from the Church.

If it weren't for the special high-level inheritance that Ashahell had been given by the Church, he wouldn't even have been able to tell that he was being spied upon.

This inheritance was stronger than any that existed in all the Big 4, and when he had asked, he had been told that it was just one step away from being as strong as the one left behind by the Empire of Angaria.

Either way, his actions were completely stalled for now, and it seemed that he would have to wait for an opportunity to strike.

This Mad Doctor had once been one of the fiercest deniers when he had pitched his plan of slowing down the mining of Ker Gems in the continent to save it in a general assembly that had been attended by all the Champions and Heroes of Angaria.

Frankly, if it weren't the case that it was his duty as the sect master to investigate happenings like these personally, he wouldn't have bothered coming here, and he might even have thought that Angaria itself was taking revenge on those who didn't care for it.

If the stories he had heard about the man were true, then the word "Mad" didn't even come close to accurately describing just what kind of mentality he had.

Walking up to him, Ashahell laid a hand on his shoulder before saying in a sad tone, "I'm sorry for your loss. I heard that this was the son whom you trusted to take forward your legacy. It is really a pity. To think that they were in so much pain that they even broke apart the restrictions of the legendary Ambrosial Fluid…I can't believe it. Even though it wasn't true Ambrosial Fluid as written in history, it's still shocking! You have my full cooperation!"

The Mad Doctor, himself, couldn't tell whether the sect leader was mocking his situation.

Honestly, he didn't even care.

He was too filled with rage in order to think about anything beyond catching the one who had dared to kill his son.

So, he just nodded.

The sect leader looked like he was about to leave, but in the last second before he did, he paused and looked at him with a serious gaze.

"Remember the rules. The High Council has an eye on the Central Continent now, after the events during those silly games. Anyone who threatens any of the key figures in the Central Continent will be dealt with by the harshest means. Don't throw away your life. Just wait for a chance."

Leaving these words, the sect leader teleported away, leaving a shaking father who had lost his son, but couldn't do anything to take revenge.

"AAARGHHH!"

After letting out another scream of frustration which startled the other sect officials still in the room, he considered whether he should just take the chance and go kill that King. If the culprit was the master behind him, then he would definitely show himself.

However, remembering the last time he had foolishly feuded with a Hero, he let go of this thought, knowing that it really would be futile to just throw away his life, like the sect leader said, thereby letting the culprit off scot-free.

No. He would lie in wait, and he would strike.

Before that, he had to take out his frustration on someone.

Was there someone else responsible for all this happening?

Of course. The kid who had thought that he could get away with hiding a locator trinket in the bathroom.

…..

Percy was walking along the large walkway that led to the Central Tower with his head bent.

He had heard the news: somehow, someone had infiltrated the sect, triggered an alarm in the Central Tower and then gone to the secret bunker of the Mad Doctor to slaughter all of those who had been training to become peak Warriors there.

Usually, if such a thing happened, sects would band together to curse the perpetrator, showing the unity that a sect should have.

However, in the Sect of Hedon, which was practically known for its unconventionality, many rejoiced in the misfortune of the Mad Doctor.

All of those who were killed were notorious for bullying those weaker than them and using their background to escape scrutiny from those stronger than them.

They had been a stain on the sect who regularly terrorized the inhabitants of the border village, who were looked upon favorably by the vast majority.

Hence, news that they had been killed was welcomed.

Even the reason for the news leaking out was someone among the sect officials who had been happy about the incident.

When he had first heard it, Percy had rejoiced, as it meant that whoever had infiltrated the sect hadn't been killed, be it his master or his eldest disciple brother.

However, he then started to wonder just how they could have pulled it off. Could they have known that he was acting as a double agent?

Even if that was the case, how had they managed to breach the Central Tower- the most secure location in the Sect of Hedon?

All these questions pointed to the possibility that his Master was much more powerful than he had let on.

Alas, he had blown the chance to stick with the man and obtain revenge.

He would be naïve if he thought that he could just go back to his Master, claiming that it was just a coincidence that his father had been on alert for the attack.

Whatever the case was, his relationship with his master was done.

Putting aside these matters, he started considering what all of this meant for him.

With this question, he realized that he was the one who would be blamed by his father for the death of his elder brother.

That would mean…another round of torture. A much longer one this time, mostly, as the man must be fuming.

Well, at least there was the consolation that he wouldn't be killed, as the number of sons still alive were quite low.

Gritting his teeth, Percy closed his eyes and flipped through the images of all those he had to take revenge for.

This had always been the one thing that kept him sane through the many rounds of torture inflicted on him by his father.

He hoped that it would be enough this time too, but he had to admit that he was scared.

Scared that his journey might end here, leaving behind many, many regrets.

Sighing, he felt a communication trinket vibrating in his pocket, which meant that his father was summoning him to begin.

With a bitter expression of hopelessness, Percy took out the trinket linked to the one to his father, but was surprised when he saw that there was no incoming message.

If it hadn't been his father, then who else had messaged him?

Quickly, he flipped through all the trinkets he had on him, before finding an unfamiliar one with a strange symbol on it.

Communication trinkets were mostly plain slips of parchment, so this one stood out.

It was the image of a man sitting on a throne, with his palm outstretched.

Above that palm was a strange shape, and as Percy looked closer, he realized that it was Angaria, from above.

Marveling at the exquisite artwork, he touched the trinket, wondering how it had gotten in his pocket.

"Hey, kid. Did you think you could get rid of me that easily?"

M-Master!

It was the voice of his Master!

As his jaw dropped in shock, Percy quickly made his way to the forest on the side of the walkway.

It was only after getting to an isolated area and checking that no one was around him did he touch the trinket again to let the message continue.

"If you did, then get ready to be sorely disappointed. When I accept a disciple, it's for life. Even if punks like that retarded Doctor come in the way, your Master will handle them for you. Although it is true that I can't kill that cretin right now, be rest assured that it will happen. Till then, just live. I promised you a reward, right? Well, here's one. I think it'll be useful to you. Don't risk death by trying to contact me. When the time is right, I'll find you. Till then, take care."

As Percy walked with shaking steps to a tree nearby for support, he replayed the message.

Using the tree as support, he sunk to the ground, holding the trinket close to his heart, as if it were his most prized possession.

Again and again, he listened to the message, because it was proof of something he had never even dreamed would happen.

Someone…cared for him.

Truly cared for him.

As tears started flowing down his cheeks, Percy heard the message for the 50th time.

However, at that moment, a communication trinket vibrated again, and this time, it was his father.

If this message had come before he had received word form his Master, he would definitely have been very afraid.

However, now, just the knowledge that someone was out there who was thinking about him was enough to reinvigorate his zeal to stay alive.

He didn't ask useless questions such as how his Master had found out everything. No, they were irrelevant.

All he needed to do was live.

Just as Percy was about to leave to the teleportation platform, he realized that he had forgotten something.

His Master had said that there was also a reward!

Checking the trinket, Percy saw that there was an additional, smaller trinket underneath it, which he touched to make a sentence appear in his mind.

"Pre-Cast Spell-Pain blocking self-hypnosis: Allows those who have pre-cast this spell to feel no pain for a pre-set time period."

More tears started to flow down his cheeks, but this time, they were due to happiness.

Now, he understood why his Master had said that it would be useful to him.

…

Meanwhile, after dropping that trinket in Percy's pocket and seeing his reaction, Daneel had returned to his dorm room and asked the system whether there was anything he had missed, as had become his custom since the last time when he had missed an important notification.

When he heard the system's reply, he couldn't help but go into a daze.

[Phenomena Analysis Module has analyzed Ambrosial Fluid through the floating moisture that came into contact with host's skin.

Ambrosial Fluid: A solution that allows a Warrior to reach the Peak Exalted Warrior level through forceful reconstruction of body and mageroot.

Drawbacks: Limits power to Peak Warrior Level.

Drawbacks can be eliminated by modifications to the fluid.]

Chapter 452: Ker Roo

Breathing heavily, Daneel got up in a flash and asked the system to repeat the notification.

Am-ambrosial fluid?

What the heck?!

How the hell could such a thing exist?!

Daneel had already known that the Mad Doctor was doing something to push the levels of those scum to the Peak Warrior level.

However, he had just thought that they were a few levels away, as he had had no way to find out their exact power levels during his short confrontation with them.

Now, hearing that this method was so magical that it could actually let an Amateur Warrior become a Peak Exalted one in a matter of months…he couldn't believe it!

Why the heck wasn't the sect practically filled with Exalted Warriors then?

There must be plenty of Warriors who only broke through due to sheer effort!

Why weren't they given this option, so that the Big 4 could grow powerful with leaps and bounds?

As he asked the system this, Daneel got his answers.

[Ambrosial Fluid requires top-grade materials that are rare in Angaria. Hence, the effective cost of setting up the fluid comes out to be in the hundreds of thousands of Ker Gems.

Also, the process of destruction and reconstruction is excruciating. Any foreign drugs or spells during the working of the Ambrosial Fluid results in abnormalities forming, so one can only handle the Fluid using their own fortitude. Hence, it has been recorded that many ingredients always used to get wasted because those undergoing the procedure would break in the process, critically injuring their consciousness.

Finally, those who are ready to leave behind any chance of advancing to the next level after working so hard to reach the Warrior level are few and far in between.]

Hmm…since when had the system started to reason?

Chalking it up to the recent upgrade, Daneel thought about the reasons listed, and realized that it made sense.

Still, one doubt appeared to him.

"Why was I not informed about a method like this if it was recorded before?"

[System has not been instructed to relay information on this topic. Also, in the data collected, it has been written that the ingredients for this process are extinct.]

Berating himself for not doing so before, Daneel immediately said, "Always prioritize information which can help me advance faster, and relay it to me as soon as it is recorded."

[Affirmative.]

Setting the alert now and feeling a little at ease, Daneel pondered over everything he had heard so far.

Clearly, this process must still be available to the higher ups of the sect. Still, the third point of the system did make the most sense: no one would be willing to give up the chance like that.

Putting aside the matter as he didn't have enough information, Daneel took a deep breath to ready himself for the bad news.

The good news was that he had a method to race to the Peak Warrior level. However, whatever material the system had said was needed to counteract the drawbacks must definitely be either extinct, or very hard to get.

Since coming to this world, he had almost never been directly handed things like the protagonists in many of the novels he used to read when he was back on Earth.

Instead, he had always had to claw his way to whatever he wanted to accomplish, and although he didn't regret this, he sometimes found himself wondering how it would be if he were like the overpowers characters in those stories.

Shaking his head to get rid of stray thoughts like these, Daneel finally asked, "Which item is required to counteract the drawbacks?"

[Ker Root.]

As Daneel heard these two words, he felt his heart drop, simply because of the fact that he had never even heard of them before.

Bracing himself, he asked the system what a Ker Root was.

[Ker Root: Ker Roots are one of the energy sources that used to be used by Champions in the ancient ages.

According to the data collected regarding Energy and Angaria, the occurrence of high-Energy areas across the land is random. The level of higher Energy also varies.

These high-Energy areas result in mines.

The two known levels of Energy result in Ether mines and Ker Gem mines.

Ker Roots are abnormalities which form during the conversion from a high-Energy area to a Ker Gem mine.

In 10 occurrences out of 100, part of the high Energy is converted into a red-colored heart-shaped object called a Ker Root. The other part results in the formation of the Ker Gem mine.

The Ker Root also constantly releases it's Energy to the Ker Gem mine, which means that by the time the mine reached full potential i.e the extra Energy vanishes, the Ker Root vanishes too.

Ker Roots have the property of releasing Energy peacefully in such a way that the one absorbing feels no discomfort whatsoever. The drawback of having one's path cut off to becoming a Champion while using Ambrosial Fluid is due to the repeated remolding, which results in a body lacking the ability to fulfill the conditions required to break through to become a Champion. A Ker Root's higher grade Energy would protect the Warrior's body and Mageroot, resulting in the elimination of the drawback.]

As Daneel took in all this information, he felt as if his head were reeling.

Some times, he felt as if the system was like those old men in the stories, whose only purpose was to spout exposition.

Finally digesting everything the system had spewed at him, he let out the breath he had been holding.

Great! Now, he had to find something that was rare even during the ancient times!

Calming down, Daneel first realized that he had no reason to complain at all.

Even having the possibility of using just months to do what others needed years for was a dream come true, so it would only make sense that it required something that was so rare.

So, now what? He was supposed to find a Ker Gem mine that hadn't been completely found yet?

Great.

Still unable to stop himself from grumbling a little as he had had his hopes up that it might be something easier to obtain, Daneel lied back down on his bed and started thinking about what to do next.

The scum were all dead, but the Mad Doctor was still alive. Heck, he was probably happily torturing Percy by now.

The spell that Daneel had given him was derived from the system's capability to control his face when needed. According to the system, it was a sort of self-hypnosis, and this was great as if Percy cast some spell while being inflicted with horrible weapons, the Mad Doctor would definitely notice using the movements of the Elementary Particles. With this spell, all Percy had to do was pre-cast it.

Feeling happy and proud that he had come up with that idea to help his disciple, Daneel got back to the matter at hand.

If he thought about it, even training every day felt futile next to the possibility of finding a Ker Root and somersaulting to become an Exalted Warrior.

Sill, Daneel didn't even know if one could be found in this day and age.

Whatever the case was, it seemed that he would have to break into the Central Tower again in order to visit more rooms in the floors which were hidden in the hope of finding more information he could use, and to look for ways to incriminate Ashahell.

Deciding to do this next, Daneel went to sleep.

….

Meanwhile, at a particular location on one of the rocky beaches surrounding Angaria.

This was a place that was frequently visited by the locals, as it had an incredible view, but none of them knew that this had been the base of operations for the Church of Rectitude for quite a long time.

Hidden using a 'Confounding Formation' that hid all traces of a base from those around it while also having the capability to constantly shift around if needed, the base of the Church comprised of a single tent, inside which was seated a man wearing purple robes.

The robes were similar in style to those worn by the members of the Church who had invaded Angaria, but it seemed to be made of a better material.

At the moment, this figure seemed to be in a deep sleep, but when a high-pitched alarm of sorts started to reverberate in the tent, he woke up and looked around.

His facial features were mostly unremarkable, except for his eyes.

His eyes seemed to be like two blinding torches that would scorch anyone that dared to look into them, and just a glance of them would definitely make one wish to bow down and pray that the one in possession of these eyes did not decide on a whim that they no longer needed to breathe.

Finding the source of the sound, these eyes dimmed, before the man stood up and shook off the dust that had settled on top of him during his long 'nap'.

Walking to an apparatus in the corner of the room that looked like a wooden table on which lay 3 shining human skulls that had patterns etched on them, the man placed his hand on the skull in the center and closed his eyes.

"Incoming Directive from the newly ascended Bishop who is in charge of foreign activities."

Raising an eyebrow in surprise due to the unexpected news, he asked, "Newly ascended Bishop? What happened to Bishop Francis?"

"He was killed in cold blood by an unknown assailant. Stand by for transmission."

Compressing his lips into a thin line due to the news, the man waited patiently, before hearing an authoritative female voice.

"As per my analysis of the Church's handling of the island-continent known as Angaria, the Church has been too soft. We need to increase our efforts and move forward the date of the purge, lest we risk the TriCobra Sect reinvoking their efforts on that continent after all the efforts which were made to drive them away. For this purpose, a Deacon of the Church, who was originally born on that continent but has now seen the Truth, will be sent."

Chapter 453: Archpriest Kolean

When the phrase "seen the truth" passed through the man's ears, his lips curled, as if he was resisting the urge to laugh out loud.

Taking a second to calm himself down, he said, "Directive acknowledged, your Holiness. I shall be waiting for the arrival of the Deacon."

As soon as he said this, the air around him started crackling, as if a thunderstorm was imminent right above his head.

Realizing what that meant, the man got an expression of panic on his face for the first time in a long time before running out of the tent, with a speed that made it look as if he had teleported.

Boom!

From the clear sky in the direction of the Endless Sea, a thunderbolt as thick as the waist of a man struck down at the tent, obliterating it and wiping it off the surface of Angaria.

The thunderbolt was so bright that it blinded the man, who hadn't been quick enough to close his eyes.

When he opened them after a few moments and blinked, he noticed that there was someone standing in front of him, where the tent had been, with an expression of peace on his face.

The heat of the thunderbolt had even melted the stones on the beach, turning it into a circular, solid mess that had strange designs etched on it.

Beside the man was the table with the three skulls, which seemed to have been unharmed, even though that thunderbolt had been strong enough to directly kill a Hero-level figure.

Taking a deep breath and immediately folding his hands in front of him near his stomach, the purple-frocked man bent low.

As his upper body became parallel to the ground, he bent one knee, lowering himself and placing both of his hands on the knee before placing his head on the hands.

This was the unique sign of respect in the Church, and it was said to have been passed down for hundreds of thousands of years.

"Archpriest Kolean greets the arrival of the Deacon. Praise be to the Almighty Saint Rectitude!"

"Praise be. Rise."

Hearing the calm voice of the man who was definitely not a day over 20, Kolean got up from the bow.

Still keeping his arms in front as a sign of respect, he observed this new Deacon that had been sent by the Church at such a great expense.

Teleportation over such a large distance was no ordinary matter, and it was said that it needed the will of those above Heroes for it to happen. Clearly, the new Bishop who had risen to power seemed to have quite a few connections, in order to make sure that her directive had been carried out as soon as she made it.

This new Deacon reminded him of someone he had seen before, in one of the briefings that he had had before attaining his post.

Right! He looked a lot like the previous King of Lanthanor, who had been killed recently!

So that meant that…

"I see you've made the connection. Yes, this body belonged to a sinner from this land who has seen the Truth. Haven't you?"

As soon as the last word left the lips of the newly arrived man, something very strange occurred.

Except for his face, the rest of his body seemed to freeze.

As for the face, it morphed into such an expression of fright and panic that it even made the hairs on the back of Kolean's hand stand up.

Looking around with confusion, the Deacon, or his face, at least, screamed in a voice filled with horror.

"NO! I LET YOU IN, I SAW YOUR DAMN TRUTH! YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T PUT ME TO SLEEP AGAIN! NOOO! GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT-"

"Ahem."

Suddenly, that scream was cut off, as the face of the Deacon once again relaxed into that peaceful expression.

Righting the collar of the red-colored cassock he was wearing, the Deacon spoke in an idle tone.

"I guess he needs more time. Time that we don't have, unfortunately, due to the new Bishop's orders. The original plan was to wait at least 5 more years before beginning full-scale deployment after looking for a way to weaken these heathen's defenses. Now, her Holiness wants it done in 3, or even 2 years."

Hearing this, Kolean raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

As the one posted here, he knew exactly how strong this continent was.

Hence, the best approach had been to take things slow, otherwise, their purge might end up bringing more loss to the Church than profit.

What reason could there be for the Bishop wanting to hurry along things?

Alas, he had no authority to ask, so he just nodded and took out a capsule-shaped trinket from his pocket.

"Stop. I brought my own arrangements."

Seeing him do this, the Deacon raised his hand and took out a similar capsule.

Only, where the Archpriest's capsule had been a dull bronze, his was golden.

As he threw it into the air, both of them watched as a 2 story villa made of shimmering stone appeared in front of them.

The Archpriest was trying hard not to drop his jaw. Just how rich was this damn Deacon!

Of course, people who continued to live for hundreds and hundreds of years while switching bodies really would accumulate a lot of wealth, but it was the first time he was seeing someone splurge like so.

"Isn't one of the directives of Saint Rectitude that one must be humble and satisfied with what they have?", he blurted out, unable to control himself.

The villa even had a balcony, a lawn and a rectangular box on the lawn meant for grilling food.

It was occupying an area of at least 500 sq.meters, which, when compared to his measly tent that used to occupy a mere 50 sq. meters, was quite gargantuan.

The specialty of his tent before, and the house in front of him now, was that they had the ability to shift around from time to time, avoiding detection, and even having defenses that would keep a Hero level individual out.

His tent, alone, would easily cost millions of Ker Gems, if judged in the general currency of this continent.

Hence, he couldn't even imagine how much this house would have cost.

"Those are the old rules. With the help of our new Bishop, the Church is preparing to cast off its old, conservative self to become an organization that will defeat all. Many great things are going to happen under this Bishop, Kolean, mark my words. You would be wise to throw your lot in with her. Anyway, come on. You don't need to salvage the tent that was destroyed. You can lodge with me."

C-casting off its old self?

Quite shocked by such momentous news, Kolean had to take a few moments to assemble his thoughts, and by the time he had done so, the Deacon had already entered the house, leaving the door ajar.

As Kolean followed and entered the door to see the spacious interiors that had all the amenities that he had only been able to dream of during his extended stay here, the house vanished from sight, erasing the marks left behind by the thunderbolt along with it.

Seeing the Deacon sitting on a sofa near the fireplace, Kolean walked forward, and sat down in front of him before asking respectfully, "What do you have planned, my Lord?"

"I see you still need time to make such a decision. Well, take all the time you need. The reason I was sent with this body is that it is a native of this continent, and as such, its original inhabitant will be instrumental in helping us look for more ways to break down their defenses. I've begun looking through his memories, and I've already found some interesting things. For instance,-"

As the two continued discussing the plans to bring Angaria to its heels before the appointed date, the one who had made it his mission to put a stop to them was currently pacing around in front of a bathroom in the Central Tower of the Sect of Hedon, as if he really had to go, but had no opportunity to do so as the bathroom was full.

His face even had an expression of constipation, but the truth was that he was trying hard to make a decision.

Finally, shrugging his shoulders, he asked the system to proceed.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, all the plumbing in the bathroom started to shoot out water explosively, badly scaring all of those who were relaxing inside.

The Central Tower had been on high alert ever since that incident before, so the moment something amiss was discovered, the alarm of the Central Tower started to ring.

Immediately, those in the bathroom ran out of the door with fear, with some even half-naked, as they had been instructed to gather at the safest core areas of the Sect as soon as they heard the alarm if they wanted to be safe.

Scrambling to pull their robes up, they ran to the Sect Meeting Place, which was the designated 'core area' of this floor.

Meanwhile, Daneel was shaking his head, cursing at the things he had to do in order to save this continent.

[Cloaking commencing.]

In the next moment, he found himself back in a corridor similar to the one which had contained the vault.

Only, this one contained more than one room, and the one he was looking for was coincidentally right in front of him.

"Records of Official Studies on Angaria."

As the room which was supposed to store all the journals of the high-level scholars of the sect who had undertaken extensive studies on the continent, this was the place with the highest possibility of containing clues on how to find a Ker Root.

So, tapping the one who had come to guard this area on the shoulder to initiate Mind Control, Daneel proceeded to infiltrate the room with the hope of finding a way to realize his dream to shooting forward to become a Peak Warrior.

Chapter 454: Planning

10 minutes later.

After the alarm died down due to the discovery that the incident in the bathroom had been due to a small malfunction in the plumbing formation which was actually common, everyone started to return to their duties, including the ones sent to the hidden floors of the Central Tower to guard them.

In the crowd of those going back to their offices was a blonde-haired kid, whose head was bent low, as if he was in deep thought.

After getting to his small office, he first checked if there were any more payments to be made before sinking into the chair and propping his chin on his hands.

Closing his eyes, he asked the system, "Repeat the notification about the tips to find Ker Roots."

[Affirmative. According to multiple scholars who have studied the continent of Angaria, when Ker Roots are formed, the area above that spot becomes deprived of Energy, resulting in the sudden death of greenery. Unlike the formation of Ker Gem Mines, where the indication is lusher greenery due to the higher amount of Energy, Ker Roots first absorb high amounts of Energy in a short span of time, resulting in the sudden drop. However, the indication can vary from the size of a single plant to a large glade.

Also, Ker Roots draw the attention of beasts, which tend to loiter around such places more, as it is beneficial to their power.]

Great.

Before, Daneel had thought that it might be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

No, although the size of the haystack had decreased, the difficulty more or less remained the same.

More than once, he had considered just sweeping through the entire continent, using the system to scan everything below him.

Of course, unlike others who had to split their concentration between flying and looking for the signs, the system was best equipped to give him an accurate appraisal of what was going on below in a timely fashion.

However, Daneel did not want to this unless it was the last option.

How would it look if someone suddenly decided to go on a blanket flying mission which would take him all over Angaria?

Suspicion was the first thing he would face, and after that, he might even be hunted by the Big 4 on suspicion of working for the Church to scout out their competition.

Although he could carefully do it, slowly, without arousing any suspicion, this would take months, and by then, it would already be time to face all the lunatics who could come after him due to the news that he had high-level inheritance.

Indeed, even though the Mad Doctor's son and the other scum were dead, this threat still remained.

Originally, Daneel's plan had been to lure them to Lanthanor being using the Ruler's Inheritance to scare them away once and for all.

Yet, now, that was no longer an option due to the fact that he might be consumed by the Remnant Hero that was the Empire Spirit right after that.

What other option was there?

As Daneel started to think about those who could look for something like this, a name appeared in his mind:

The Watcher.

Of course, that bodyless head would definitely have the spell to view the entirety of Angaria from above!

Not intending to waste any more time, Daneel proceeded to the exit from the Sect that he had been told about by Jessica.

It was in the form of a hidden pathway in the forest that led to a 'breach' in the formation, but when he reached it, he realized that something was wrong.

There were sect officials barring it.

Initially, he hesitated, wondering whether to go forward and show himself.

However, recalling that he was an official member of the Central Tower after all, he walked forward and asked, "Could you let me pass, brothers?"

Travis and his mop of blonde hair were famous among the sect right now because of the way he had obtained his post, and because everyone was waiting to see his ass handed to him in a few weeks, when there came the time for him to be challenged again.

So, seeing him, the sect officials, who were at least 30 years old, sneered and said, "Sorry, this path is closed, as are all the others which lead out of the sect unofficially. We are under high alert, you know."

"Oh, is that the case? I'll take my leave then."

Answering casually, Daneel was just about to leave when he considered whether to Mind Control these two to bypass them.

However, from further inward, he could sense 3 more pairs of eyes on him.

Clearly, the sect was making it a priority to not let anyone leave through indirect channels.

Knowing that this was his doing, Daneel grumbled under his breath while heading back to his dormitory.

What was he supposed to do?

How was he supposed to leave the sect?

It looked like this damn alert wouldn't die down any time soon, at least until they caught the culprit behind the events on the day the Mad Doctor lost his son.

Wait…the culprit?

Could it…be possible for him to pin this on Ashahell?

He had been looking for ways to increase the suspicion on the man anyway.

As far as he had seen, there was no effective way of completely changing the attitude of the High Council from 'suspicious' to 'he's a part of the Church, kill him' with one plan.

So, why not adopt the strategy of slowly accumulating suspicions until they became too many to be ignored?

After all, Ashahell didn't know who his opponent was. He was just sitting in the tower, unaware that he was within Daneel's sights.

If Daneel did more and more suspicious actions in the Sect of Hedon, and even Angaria, after he got out, and found a way to pin them all on Ashahell, he could imagine the High Council changing their attitude.

So, setting a new short-term plan with his primary one still being the goal to obtain the Ker Root so that he could advance, Daneel smiled sinisterly while walking to his office, thinking exactly what to do to make everyone think of at least the possibility that it was their own sect leader who had distracted everyone in order to facilitate the death of the son of the Mad Doctor, among others.

After all, as someone from Earth, he was well-versed in the techniques used to throw blame on someone and completely ruin their public image, even if they had done nothing wrong at all to deserve it.

…..

Meanwhile, in the Black Raven Kingdom.

In the Palace of the Black Raven, in a room reserved for the King's training.

As Faxul punched a bag filled with sand, he couldn't help but feel frustrated, as he had been stuck for far too long.

Ever since that moment when something had awakened within him to allow him to rush through the levels to become an Exalted Human, he had been stalled at the last step that separated him from the Warrior realm.

As theirs was a Kingdom that also had a long history of Kings, many of whom had reached the Warrior level, Faxul had a lot of information to draw on.

After researching thoroughly, he had found out about the method of breaking through using 'need', or constant accumulation.

Knowing that a war was coming soon, he didn't even consider doing the latter, as no one knew just how much time that would take.

As for the former, he didn't know how to proceed.

He had been thinking about 'need' extensively, all the time.

What did he need to do with the power he would obtain?

What was his goal?

If there was only one thing he could accomplish before dying, what could it be?

Questions like these revolved in his mind all day, but sadly, although he was getting closer to figuring out the answers, he had nowhere near the amount of clarity that his friend always seemed to have.

He had considered whether he should contact Daneel to ask for help, but he had hesitated.

Even though Daneel was his best friend whom he could even trust his life with, he had already helped him so much, in so many ways.

Hence, unless there was no other option left, Faxul had decided to forge his own path ahead.

"You're too impatient. Black Ravens wait for the wind to fly them to dazzling heights. We don't flap our wings impatiently."

Hearing the wise voice of the Protector Raven in his head, Faxul smiled slightly before replying, "I know. But you know why I want to break through so badly."

In his mind, Faxul shared a connection where only the thoughts he wanted could be shared with the Raven.

However, it seemed that the other way around wasn't true.

He could sense most, if not all, of the Protector Raven's emotions and thoughts, and right now, he could tell that it was hesitating whether to tell him something.

Knowing that there were some things he couldn't rush, Faxul patiently waited while punching the bag in front of him with all his might.

"Come with me," it said, before flying to the balcony outside the room in which Faxul was training in.

The huge Raven was flapping its wings a small distance away from the balcony, and as Faxul leaped off the railing in a practiced motion, he landed snugly on its back, as if this was something they did often.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Nodding and closing his mouth, Faxul set his gaze on the landscape while he was flown out of the Black Raven Kingdom, to a random forest east of the Palace.

As he felt the Protector Raven descending, he noticed that they had reached a large waterfall.

"Go in there.", said the Raven, prompting Faxul to enter the curtain of water that had been gestured at by it.

Using a simple spell to repel the water, Faxul walked in and was surprised to see an ancient stone podium that had beautiful patterns carved on it.

"What is this?", he asked, and when he received the reply, he couldn't help but gasp with shock.

"Something that claims it can help anyone reach the Champion level directly."

Chapter 455: A Reckless Plan 1

Off the top of his head, Daneel could remember two major ways to incriminate someone: either spread a rumor about their involvement in a particular event, or plant false evidence to make others think that they had done something they hadn't in reality.

Usually, the Sect Master was one of the most respected figures in the entire Sect.

However, just like everything else, this wasn't the case in the Sect of Hedon.

Either due to the fact that the one who was in control of all of them wasn't that much older than the average Warrior, or due to the reason that the Sect Master was an aloof person who didn't spend much time in the Central Tower, the general opinion on Sect Master Ashahell was mostly neutral.

Very few disliked him, but there were also only very few who liked him a lot in his post.

In such cases, the best thing to do was to find a rival who could take their post, and empower them with tools that they could use to take their rival, who would be, in this case, Ashahell down.

Here, Daneel hit a snag.

"A rival for Sect Leader Ashahell? Are you kidding? Do you think Peak Champion Level powerhouses just pop up wherever you want like cabbages?"

"Sect Leader Ashahell isn't the most charismatic of people, but he is the strongest amongst us all."

These were the typical answers that Daneel received when he casually brought up the topic over lunch with a few people that Travis was supposed to be acquainted with.

Everyone knew he was dead meat in a few weeks anyway, so they had begun to pity him.

Ignoring this annoying attitude, Daneel continued his investigations.

He knew that somewhere, there must be something that he could use to bring suspicion and blame on Ashahell.

For this purpose, he had even tasked the system with actively eavesdropping on all conversations around him, 24/7, looking for clues.

Although this put a strain on his mageroot due to the fact that the system had to develop a spell to make this happen, he didn't mind, and put up with the slight throb in his forehead.

Finally, 2 days later, Daneel caught a break.

"The Sect Leader was definitely gloating over the Mad Doctor's misfortune. I was right there! On the surface, it looked like he was consoling him but I could tell that he was happy! The Mad Doctor could, too! He screamed with frustration after the Sect Leader left!"

"Really? Can't that scream be because hundreds of thousands of Ker Gems, the Mad Doctor's lifetime accumulation, were wasted due to that culprit's actions? From what I heard, it was only his son who had the actual solution. The others only had lesser ones, and their fathers paid for it! Although those people are just a bunch of retired Warriors, it was their life savings too! Apparently, they all formed a group which has sworn to take revenge!"

"Nah, I know it for sure. That scream was because of whatever the Sect Leader told him. I bet they must have had some disagreements before."

"Might be. It's a pity that solution couldn't be purified. What a waste of resources."

"Meh. What do you know. This happens all the time with the top levels of the Sect. They spend hundreds of thousands of gems, like obtaining the solution for their sons, but they just turn out to be whiny brats! Now THAT is a waste."

"Sigh."

That last sigh was definitely to lament over the disparity between themselves, who were regular Sect Officials that were at most at the Eminent Warrior level, and the higher echelons of the Sect.

Daneel had had to put up with a very irritating headache for 2 days in order to finally obtain this very valuable information, so he felt really glad that he had taken the decision to persevere.

Hearing them, he couldn't help but think that there was definitely a parallel between Earth and this Sect.

Even on Earth, the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world would never hesitate to spend bucketloads of money, that would count as a treasure and lifetime sustenance for most of the rest of the world, for trivial reasons.

Of course, the argument could be made that these people had the right to do so as they had worked hard to obtain that money, but similar to the case in Angaria where the saving of those Ker Gems might result in the decrease of the rate of overall Energy dispersal over the centuries on the continent, those people could act to save the planet they were on before it became too late, even though there were many warning signs.

This line of thought led Daneel to once again think that Ashahell's purpose really had some merit to it. He just wanted to save the continent, and he saw no other way to do so.

However, killing millions of people was definitely not the way, and Daneel would put a stop to him.

Yet, when he asked himself what he would do regarding saving the continent from the fate of completely running out of Energy, he could only say that he had to take things one at a time.

Ending this inner monologue, Daneel concentrated on the other important information that had just surfaced.

The Mad Doctor had some kind of feud with Ashahell.

What could it be?

Personal things such as these definitely wouldn't be lying around randomly for him to read and find out.

Also, it wouldn't be wise to ask around specific stuff like this. If word got to anyone in the higher echelons, it would definitely arouse suspicion. Just asking about people's opinion of the Sect Leader, and possible rivals had already been pretty risky.

Sinking into deep thought, Daneel finally hit upon an idea that was bold, and frankly, a little bit reckless.

However, it had the most chance of succeeding.

Deciding to act immediately, he exited his office and made his way to the infirmary.

The Mad Doctor had that moniker for two reasons: One, of course, was because he was pretty mad, but the other was because of the fact that he was one of the most accomplished healers in the entire Sect.

Such mastery of healing spells required detailed study, as one would have to watch for themselves exactly what kind of effect elementary particles had on the skin and tissues of a human in order to learn and figure out ways to heal life-threatening injuries.

He officially held the post as Head of Medicine, and according to the rules of the sect, all 'Head's had to entertain requests to pick disciples who would continue their craft.

This was to make sure that a post wouldn't stay vacant when the time came for the one possessing it to step down.

The infirmary occupied an entire floor of the Central Tower, mainly filled with strange solutions of various colors in which injured people were placed, and beds where those who had gotten out of the solution was resting.

As he paused, he saw with his own eyes how the index finger of someone who had crushed it during training regenerated from the stump, albeit at a slow pace.

On one corner, there was a room titled "Head of Medicine", which Daneel headed to.

However, he was stopped on the way by a man who was wearing blue robes, which meant that he worked as an official healer in the Central Tower.

"Whoa, whoa, do you have a death wish? Where are you going?"

"I wanted to apply to be taken as an apprentice with the-"

"Oh, so you're definitely mad! The Mad-, err, I mean, the respectable Head has just lost his son. He is in no state to take requests. Instead, you might find yourself become the unwilling test subject for a radical healing approach! If you want to live with all of your limbs, I suggest you leave, right now."

Daneel smiled ruefully at first, as he was actually counting on the fact that the Mad Doctor would be unstable.

Yet, so as not to appear odd and make this man suspect that something was going on, he got an idea and said, "That's where you're wrong! Yes, the respectable Head lost a son, but I think this is the best time! Think about it! Isn't there a chance that he might pick me as a replacement to train?"

Hearing this, the man looked at Daneel with pity.

Shaking his head, he said, "Ah, I see you have the incurable disease of stupidity. Carry on. It was nice seeing you. If you need a message passed on to your next of kin, you can tell me now."

"Pfft. Just watch me."

Shrugging off the hand laid on his shoulder for consolation, Daneel proceeded to walk towards the office of the Mad Doctor with confident strides.

Knocking on the door, he heard a guttural voice say, "Come in."

As he entered under the pitying gaze of the man, Daneel froze, as he was quite shocked by the sight of the Mad Doctor.

The man's veins were jutting out all over his body, and his eyes were so bloodshot that Daneel could barely make out the whites in them.

His hands were covered with blood, but Daneel couldn't tell whose it was.

Seeing someone he didn't know enter, he bellowed, "What the f*ck do you want?", while the anger of a Champion sent the surrounding elementary particles into a tizzy, making random lightning and fire appear across the room.

This sight finally made Daneel wonder whether he had been just a bit too reckless.

…

Meanwhile, inside the waterfall at an unmarked spot east of the Black Raven Kingdom.

As Faxul hesitantly walked forward and touched the stone podium, a voice reverberated in his mind, making him step back with shock.

"Hehe, kiddo, it's your lucky day. Are you ready to become a Peak Champion? And oh, by the way, your closest friend used one of my brethren to grow that strong, too. How else do you think he was capable of all those wonders?"

Chapter 456: A Reckless Plan 2

As Faxul stood in the cave, frozen, with the sound of the waterfall behind him, he didn't know what to think.

Daneel had accomplished all those wonders with the help of a stone podium like this one?

At this moment, Faxul had a choice.

He could play it completely safe-he could contact his best friend, ask him if what the podium was saying was true, and consider what to do next.

If it really was true, maybe Daneel might even share whatever he had obtained

But…why hadn't he done that yet?

The other choice was to step ahead and explore this by himself, so that he could find out more before taking a decision.

As someone who had never hesitated to take risks on the path to power to accomplish what he wanted, Faxul considered both choices very seriously.

Before, his motivation had been to obtain revenge for his parents' death. That singular motivation had led him to take the risk with that technique to grow stronger, even though his friend had strongly advised against it.

Now, his main motivation was to be a good King-one that his father would have been proud of.

For that purpose, Faxul knew that the best thing he could do for his people was to get strong enough so that he could at least hope to defend them when the time for the war came.

Although it was what his entire life was about right now, he was also indebted to his friend, who had made it possible for him to ascend the throne in the first place.

Knowing this fact, doing something like choosing the latter option would really make him someone who didn't deserve Daneel's attention at all.

Even if it was true that Daneel had used the podium, or something like it, to go stronger and had hidden this fact for reasons that were his own, Faxul found no logic good enough to make him want to hide this from Daneel-the one person in his life who had done so much for him.

So, without any more hesitation, Faxul was just about to take out the special communication trinket, that was shaped in the form of a special coin carved with the Lanthanorian crest, when he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Usually, when one touched a trinket, all it would require was a conscious thought to activate the formation and send the message.

However, right now, Faxul felt as if his mind was completely cut off.

With growing horror, Faxul tried again and again, but the communication trinket did not respond in any way.

Finally, realizing that he was in danger, Faxul turned around and started to run.

The thing that had finally let him realize that fact had been his failed attempts at contacting the Protector Raven.

Somehow, he had been completely cut off from the world.

He hadn't had to walk in a lot to reach the podium, so the curtain of water was just a few meters away.

If he could reach it, he could simply indicate to the Protector Raven that something was wrong, and it would definitely save him.

However, strangely, the distance between him and the entrance of the cave hidden by the waterfall seemed to be widening.

Every step he took seemed to take him farther away from the exit, instead of closer.

This incongruity in what he was trying to do and what was happening made him puzzled, before he started to understand that he had entered some sort of bewilderment formation.

Calming down, he was just about to cast a spell that would allow him to find the correct path out, when he found that he could no longer feel his Mageroot either.

What the…hell?!

Cutting off someone's mind, even though it sounded very mystical, was something that wasn't unheard of in the Central Continent.

Often, magical prisons would have complex formations like these, supplied by Eldinor, to make sure that no communication would happen with the outside.

However, the ability to make one feel as if they had no mageroot at all-this, this was impossible.

Who the hell was doing all this?

At first, Faxul focused on the podium, but he saw that it had been inactive from when he had touched it.

Who, else, could be responsible for all this?

Faxul got his answer a minute later.

From the distance, he could see the shadow of a meandering giant, which was at least 7 foot tall, walk forward with loud thuds.

As his heart started to beat faster, Faxul watched on, powerless to do anything as doom walked toward him.

When the shadow turned a corner, Faxul realized that it was just a man.

The shadows had made him seem much large, and the echoes of his footsteps had made it seem as if he were a giant.

However, just as he was about to feel relieved, he saw that something was wrong.

The man was wearing ragged clothes, which looked as if they had been on his skin for years and years.

A stench floated into Faxul's years-that of someone who hadn't bathed in decades.

Wrinkling his nose, Faxul noticed that these weren't the most disconcerting things about the man.

No, it was his face, and the way he walked.

If Daneel were here, he would have recognized that this man looked like he was wearing a straightjacket.

His arms were tightly pressed to his body by invisible forces, and his knees were twisted inwards, making it so that walking was probably the only thing they could do.

As for his face-it was one straight out of the darkest of nightmares.

Hair matted with mud and other fluids framed it, and through the gaps that were present, Faxul could see that the man's eyes were wide open.

His eyeballs were rolled back so that only a small part of his pupil was visible, and his head also moved from side to side as he walked towards Faxul.

The unknown was often the most terrifying thing, in most cases.

Even now, it was the same.

Faxul found himself rooted to the spot: unable to move as he saw the monstrosity approach closer and closer.

With each meter that was covered between them, he could see more and more details.

For instance, he could see that this man was wearing clothes that had been royal once, but he couldn't tell which Kingdom they were from.

His features were bold and striking, but the crazy look on his face would never let anyone focus on them.

His teeth were shut tight, but he seemed to be moving his lips up and down, as if he wanted to talk, but couldn't.

All in all, Faxul prayed with all his might that this was just some dream he was trapped in.

However, the stench, and the danger, were all too real.

He had thought that he at least his strength as a Fighter left to defend himself, but he felt that sapped from him too when the man reached him.

Raising his right hand which had been pressed tightly on his body all this while, he tapped Faxul's forehead, which made the latter's eyes roll up into the back of his head before he fainted.

The hand had been shaking, as if there was someone trying to stop it, but failing repeatedly as the will of the force driving the hand was too strong.

After Faxul collapsed into a heap, a voice could finally be heard from the figure.

"Heehee…

A new host?!

A brother to suffer with me…

No, he shouldn't have to suffer like me…

But I was so lonely all this time!

That doesn't mean…

Shut up! He's staying with us!

Oh Almighty Lord of…

Screw your Almighty Lord who has forsaken you! First, he will fulfill his duty outside! Then, we must make the assimilation with that bastard Hero in the stone fail! IT MUST FAIL, AND HE MUST BECOME LIKE US!

You idiot, that Hero is listening…"

In the beginning, it was as if two voices were conversing with each other alternatively.

Towards the end, the first voice completely took over, and it had such hints of madness that it would have driven away anyone who heard it.

Only, the last sentence was spoken by the second voice, which seemed more or less sane.

After the last statement reverberated in the cave, the figure ducked down and looked around, as if trying to see whether anyone was watching it.

It was a childish gesture, but it showed just how far gone into the depths of madness that first voice was.

After making sure that it was alone, the figure grabbed Faxul's arm and dragged it to the stone podium.

Laying it on the top, the figure retreated into the cave, with its hands completely immobile again.

By the time the sound of its footsteps faded, Faxul woke up with a start.

Wait…why am I on the ground? And what's that smell?

The last thing I remember was…trying to decide what to do.

Did I faint because of something this podium did?

Should I tell Daneel about it?

As Faxul asked himself the last question in his mind, a different answer than before sprang from its depths, its origin unknown.

It was very different from the voice that used to be in his head before, when he had transplanted that other consciousness into his body to gain power faster.

It was of a much higher level, and it felt indistinguishable from his own thoughts.

Oh, yes. His friend had been very distressed when he hadn't followed his advice before, regarding the other consciousness.

What was to say he would share what he knew now?

Why wouldn't he keep it with himself in the hopes of becoming the strongest alone?

Yes, maybe contacting Daneel would be a bad idea.

Maybe he could try this thing out first.

As thoughts like these started to revolve in Faxul's mind, he considered whether to touch the podium and talk to it again.

….

Meanwhile, in the office of the Head of Medicine.

After being screamed at by the Mad Doctor, Daneel closed the door behind him and abruptly sat down on the seat in front of him.

The Mad Doctor looked absolutely ready to slaughter him, so Daneel got straight to the point.

"Sir, I know what happened to your eldest son. I was a staunch supporter of his. My blood is boiling for revenge. Please let me help you in your quest for revenge."

Chapter 457: Unexpected Outcome

The Mad Doctor was a loner-used to people staying away from him in general due to his disposition and image, he was quite surprised when he saw someone say that they wanted to join him in something.

Of course, there were always requests to learn medicine under him, from those who prepared themselves to ignore his 'madness' if he was willing to teach them.

He was usually inclined to say 'f*ck off' to them, so the only ones he taught grudgingly right now were those doctors in the room outside, who had been assigned by the sect to ensure that his post wouldn't remain empty if he perished.

Hence, hearing someone say something like this, he couldn't help but pause.

As the fluctuating elementary particles in the room died down and started to return to normal, Daneel heaved a sigh of relief, feeling glad that his plan had worked.

This reckless plan was due to a supposition that had occurred to him about the Mad Doctor before: usually, people who were highly affected emotionally about a matter would connect with someone who showed that they were being affected in the same way, albeit to a lower extent.

Not everyone could show true sincerity in emotion, either. It would require a certain level of ability to show empathy, which Daneel had due to his experience in acting.

Just like he had imagined, finding someone who shared the same emotion as himself made the Mad Doctor feel relieved for once.

His anger at the kid in front of him vanishing, the man redirected it to the culprit.

"If I don't bathe in that scum's blood, then I will renounce my name and my life. I am surprised to see someone who was close to Henry when he was alive. How did you two meet? Tell me about him. I was mostly busy with my work, and I neglected to spend time with my son. I want to know more. Tell me."

Daneel had initially been rejoicing after hearing the first part of the Mad Doctor's statement, but the second stumped him.

He had only hoped that the shared 'pain' would allow him to coax the information regarding the conflict that this man had with Ashahell out.

However, now, he found that he was in a dilemma.

The Mad Doctor had spoken in a dangerously low voice, so Daneel knew that rejecting was not an option.

Creating stuff out of thin air and telling it was also not advisable at all, as if it was later found out that none of the stuff he had told had happened, he would definitely face death, or worse.

Now, how the heck was he supposed to answer about that disgusting cretin?

Thankfully, the system came to his rescue.

[Certain conversations which were eavesdropped on during the time that host was searching for information before relate to the activities of the Mad Doctor's eldest son. Would host like system to replay those?]

"Yes! Yes!"

Fighting the urge to smile due to the happiness that he had been saved, Daneel waited as those conversations replayed in his head.

However, after that, he had to work hard not to let disgust show on his face.

Most of the conversations were about the way that kid had used to take advantage of those both in the Sect and in the border village using his almost untouchable background.

Others were about how that bunch of bullies would have been brought to justice long back if it weren't for their backing.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel realized that he would have to foul his mouth if he wanted to keep the ruse up.

He hesitated for a bit, but proceeded, as he knew exactly what hung in the balance- it was the fates of millions of people.

More and more, Daneel started to realize that he was getting prepared to do anything to reach the goal.

If this kept continuing, was it possible that he could become someone like Ashahell who wouldn't hesitate to commit mass genocide?

No. They were unrelated things. Surely, he was only having these thoughts as he was in a panic.

Telling himself this and taking a deep breath, Daneel started speaking.

"Of course! Henry was always the leader to follow. His ideas were legendary! Once, we went to the border village to a certain woman's-"

20 minutes later, the Mad Doctor's mood shifted somewhat to one of grief.

It seemed that until now, the man had been holding onto his anger and thirst for vengeance, but listening to some stories about his eldest son, who really had grown up to become just as despicably horny and detestable like himself, he couldn't help but begin the process of grieving.

Only, even his method of grieving was, well, 'mad'.

Standing up abruptly after Daneel's stories were done, he walked to a cupboard and retrieved a painting of that cretin.

After doing so, he sat back down and kept staring at the picture, while steam appeared near his eyes from time to time.

It seemed that he was crying, but as he was too proud to let anyone see it, he was evaporating the tears with magic.

Finally, after a few minutes, he set aside the picture and sat in deep thought.

As this continued for an unbearable amount of time, Daneel even began to wonder whether the man had fallen asleep or something with his eyes open.

However, after what felt like an eternity, the Mad Doctor finally looked up, and his eyes had a shine in them that hadn't been visible before.

"I will find a way to kill those two bastards, even if I end up dying after that."

W-what? Seriously?

As Daneel heard the Mad Doctor say this under his breath with a tone of bloodthirsty determination, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He was exactly the one that this Champion level powerhouse had sworn to kill, and at his level, he couldn't even hope to resist.

It seemed that his reckless plan had completely backfired and taken him from the frying pan into the damn volcano.

Before, he had known about the special decree that the High Council would be watching over the Central Continent, which had made him feel relieved that the Mad Doctor would at least not march out for revenge without any hesitation.

Somehow, he had made the man decide to do just that.

Well, when madness was involved, outcomes seldom fit the norms.

One step at a time.

He had created a disaster for himself, but before he could begin thinking about what to do to solve it, he had to first finish what he had come here to do in the first place.

As if he hadn't heard the Mad Doctor make that proclamation, Daneel spoke out hesitantly.

"S-sir, I didn't know whether you knew of this, so I wanted to bring it to your attention, as I couldn't bear to hear people speaking like this about my idol's father. They said that the Sect Leader was gloating due to your misfortune! That can't be true, right, sir?"

Although Daneel felt like washing his mouth with disinfectant due to using the word 'idol', he felt relieved when he finally received the answer he had been looking for.

"Humph. I never expected that he would still hold a grudge because I rejected his plan to decrease mining. Screw that obnoxious kid. Just because he has talent, does he think-"

As the Mad Doctor went on a rant about how the Sect Leader was the worst one to occupy that post in the past 100 years, the gears in Daneel's mind started to turn.

Now, he knew about the grudge, and knowing what he did about Ashahell, he could understand why that had affected the man so much.

With a twinkle in his eyes, Daneel began planning how he was going to use the conflict between these two, so that it could result in the High Council suspecting Ashahell more and completely putting a stop to his actions by imprisoning or killing him, instead of just keeping a watch over him like now.

Was this plan immoral? Yes, of course, as he was going to plant false evidence and take advantage of someone whose confidence he had won by exploiting his grief.

However, Daneel felt no qualms at all, as he knew that sometimes, actions shouldn't be looked at on the surface. Instead, what should also be taken into consideration was whether the targets deserved it, and whether the end result would be beneficial on the whole, while not violating any inviolable bottom lines.

After the Mad Doctor stopped speaking, Daneel just said, "Please do contact me, sir, if I can be of any assistance to avenge the man I looked up to most. I'll take my leave then."

As a grunt came in reply, he hurried out, and when he closed the door to the office behind him, he came face to face with the healer from before whose jaw dropped on seeing that Daneel didn't have a scratch on him.

"Wh-what?! Don't tell me it worked!"

"Why don't you go find out for yourself?"

As Daneel said this, the healer sputtered for a few moments before rushing to the office, as if he didn't want to let this opportunity slip.

Chuckling to himself in a rare moment of amusement, Daneel walked to the door.

Bang!

The next second, the healer found himself skidding across the hospital room, with his face having an extra addition of a bootprint.

When he tried to search for the blonde haired kid who had almost caused him to be skinned alive, he was nowhere to be found, which made the man scream with frustration before admitting himself and starting to treat himself in the medical ward, all the while grumbling about how he was going to make sure to have his revenge when he got his hands on that obnoxious bastard.

Chapter 458: Change of Plans

Meanwhile, Faxul had been standing at the same spot in the cave for 10 minutes, trying what to do next.

Every time he thought about contacting Daneel, doubts would appear in his head, making him think more and more that that would be a bad idea.

He even felt a sense of…déjà vu. As if…he had been agonizing over this before, but had made a decision.

However, he didn't remember doing it.

Attributing it to the strange atmosphere in the place, Faxul took a deep breath and berated himself for dillydallying so much.

Yes, he could tell Daneel later after finding out more.

The moment he had this thought, the feeling that it was right appeared inside him.

Hmm? I was unsure about this, right? Then why do I feel so sure now?

Rhetorically asking himself this, he walked forward and touched the podium.

Unlike before, when he had heard the arrogant voice, all that was transmitted to him now was a technique.

At first, Faxul thought that it was a spell model, but slowly, he realized that it was so much more.

It was…an inheritance-a treasure that had been quoted often in the records in the Kingdom, but hadn't been seen for many years.

"This is your birthright, Black Raven King. It is called the 'Raven's Might'. It will allow you to harness the power of the Protector Raven, and the other Ravens in the Kingdom to push yourself forward on the Path to Power. All Ravens are magical beings which absorb Energy in their own way. This technique allows you to tap into those reserves, and although that means that the Ravens will lose a part of their power, they can simply gain it back over time. I must warn you, King. If anyone else knows about me or this technique, they will try to snatch it away. They will even quote that I only mean harm, or that this technique has some trap. Do not listen to them. If you need reasons to trust me and believe in what I'm saying, then simply ask the Protector Raven outside how it knows this place. I will not even argue my own case. For now, farewell, King. If you do believe in me, I urge you to return, as there are any more techniques that I can pass on, which will aid you in your quest to help the people of the Black Raven Kingdom."

As Faxul heard this speech which sounded inside his head with a noble tone, more and more thoughts started appearing that whatever was inside this podium could be trusted.

No. Why should it be trusted? He wasn't dumb enough to take everything he heard at face value.

But, no! All he needed to do was ask the Protector Raven outside for proof!

What if the risk was present that he could be prosecuted for possessing this treasure? After all, it wouldn't be the first time it was happening on the Continent.

In this way, each and every one of his qualms repeatedly got answered by an inner voice, which, of course, he assumed to be his own.

Finally, he decided that the best thing to do might be to put the technique aside for now until he found out from the Protector Raven just how it knew about this place.

Leaving the stone podium while in deep thought, Faxul walked towards the curtain of water and exited it, all while being stared at by a pair of rabid eyes from the inner parts of the cave.

After he passed through the waterfall, he saw that the Protector Raven was basking in the sun with its massive body, while idly munching on some animal it seemed to have picked up as a snack.

"What happened? Did you obtain it?", it asked, which made Faxul frown slightly.

"How did you know about this place?"

On being asked this question, the Protector Raven hesitated, and Faxul could tell through the bond he shared with it that it was deciding whether or not to answer.

Finally, it seemed to have decided to tell him what he wanted to know.

"I only know of this due to the memories that are passed down from Protector Raven to Protector Raven. According to them, the stone podium inside was once in our Kingdom. At that time, the most talented King of that time managed to pass the stringent conditions of the podium and attained unbelievable techniques."

After pausing to prune it's glossy, black feathers, the Protector Raven continued.

"At the time, the King managed to shoot forward in power, but the Big 4 intervened. In my memory, the Protector Raven of that time only saw the King trying to protect the podium at all costs, while those from the Big 4 besieged him from all sides. The wondrous thing was that even if he was outnumbered, he still managed to kill many of his opponents, and even managed to escape. However, the King told my ancestor that the Big 4 had interrupted and ruined a very important process that would have seen him become one of the strongest beings on the continent. After faking his death and hiding the podium, he made the Protector Raven swear that this matter would be kept a purpose. At the same time, a bond was formed between the podium and the Protector Raven, which was passed down to me. I felt that bond calling to me, when I saw you pushing yourself so much to gain power. We both know war is coming. The Big 4 must be preoccupied with that, unlike then. So, I decided to heed that call and bring you here, at least to see whether the podium finds you worthy. My King, whatever you obtained in there, I strongly suggest that you keep it to yourself. Wars have been fought over even less valuable things."

The Protector Raven almost seemed as if it had prepared this speech the moment Faxul had walked out, as if it knew that he would have this question.

He had read about an ancient Black Raven King who had been persecuted by the Big 4, but in the records, the reason was unknown.

It did make sense now.

Faxul knew clearly that such a magical technique would definitely garner attention from the highest echelons of this world.

However, why would his best friend, who had only helped him till now without even expecting much in return, covet it?

Again, like clockwork, answers appeared in his mind which refuted this.

Everyone could change according to the situation, his inner voice said.

So, it was probably best not to take a chance.

Besides, the technique might not even work. Why not try it first?

In this way, Faxul's thought to contact Daneel was postponed yet again.

Getting on the Protector Raven, he prepared to go back to the Palace, but he couldn't shake the thought that something was wrong.

…

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

The guard that had been posted 24/7 in the Library in the Academy that the present King had studied in had just been about to get off his shift.

He only had one duty, and it was pretty boring: sitting in the hidden and forbidden highest floor of the library, he had to keep watch over a door and notify the Grand Court Mage if there was any change.

For months now, there had been nothing, and this had become one of the shortest straws that could be drawn by those who were assigned for general guard duty.

However, today, it seemed that things were going to be different.

A red light started to shine from under the gap of the only door in the corridor, and it grew in intensity until it became so bright that the guard had to blink in order to see anything.

Shocked by the sudden event, he even fell on the ground, as he had been in the middle of the process of getting up to walk around before his replacement arrived.

Hurriedly, he took out a communication trinket and contacted the Grand Court Mage.

Receiving the message, Kellor immediately contacted the King, but he received no reply.

The King had instructed them that this red light was of the utmost priority, and that he should definitely be intimated if it appeared.

Yet, the King had been in complete closed door training for weeks!

Wondering what the heck he was supposed to do, Kellor started pacing around, while repeatedly sending messages through the communication trinket of the King and the oathstone, hoping that whatever the significance of that red light, it could wait until the King received the message about it.

….

Meanwhile, Daneel had just been on the way to his dormitory so that he could plan exactly how he was going to plant evidence.

Suddenly, he stopped in the middle of the Central Walkway due to a message from the system.

[One of the alarms set down using the system has been tripped. Unable to ascertain exact alarm due to interference from Sect Formation. Please exit the formation if host wishes to identify which alarm it is.]

As his heart started to beat faster, Daneel realized that something must definitely be wrong outside.

The 'alarms' he had placed were all highly important: they ranged from the one he had set up to identify trespassers in the Withering Leaf Sect, to the one he had placed in Eldinor, near the core of the formation, to try and find out who might have taken away the items.

There were many more which were equally crucial, so Daneel knew that whatever it was, it needed his immediate attention.

But how was he supposed to go out?

Gritting his teeth, Daneel decided that it was time to take dire measures.

Walking to the mission office, he saw that there were missions to the outside which were under the supervision of an Exalted Warrior.

Looking for the shortest one, he saw that it was one week long, and the mission was to travel to all of the 'no-trespasing' and forbidden regions on the continent to check whether the formations that had been placed there were secure.

It was monotonous work, so there were not many people interested.

However, Daneel signed up without hesitation.

A few hours later, he set off with 3 others, and the moment he exited the sect, he was inundated by messages from Kellor that the Empire Spirit in Lanthanor was shining red, indicating that something had happened to it.

The last time that had happened, he had 'unlocked' one of its levels.

This was already shocking in itself, but the message from the system that sounded in his head made the rest of his thoughts disappear.

As he stopped in the air with his eyes wide open, he hoped that he was dreaming.

[Alarm placed inside target 'Faxul's' mind to identify interference from secondary consciousness has been triggered. The alarm has been wiped away. However, from the information received, system has been able to identify the source. Target 'Faxul' has come under the effect of a Hero-level Mind Control Spell, which is directing his thoughts subtly.]

Chapter 459: Going to the Black Raven Kingdom

After having the notification repeated to him multiple times, Daneel felt a sense of urgency rise within him.

This was his closest friend in the world – the one who had been with him each and every step of the way, no matter what they had had to go through.

Who the hell was targeting him?

Could it be to get to him?

And to think that it was actually a Hero level individual! What could they be hoping to gain?

Multiple questions like these flashed through his mind, but Daneel decided that he should stop thinking too much until he went by himself to verify what was going on.

The thought that he should be afraid and consider staying away because a Hero-level individual might be waiting to smash him into oblivion didn't even cross his mind.

No, he was going to be cautious, but there was no way that he would abandon his best friend.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team members were staring at him with irritated expressions on their faces, wondering why this kid looked like he had seen a ghost.

These were going to be two very grueling days, and their moods were already bad because they had had to choose this mission, unless they wanted to go without Ker gems for days.

The leader seemed the most annoyed – as an Exalted Warrior, usually, he would never undertake such monotonous and low-paying tasks. However, because of the state of high alert the sect was in, each and every team that was going out had to be escorted by a trusted Exalted or Eminent Warrior, so that they could keep an eye on the sect members when they were outside, while also ensuring that additional attacks could be thwarted.

"We don't have all day! Come on!"

As he snapped at the blonde haired kid, he seemed to come back to his senses.

After looking around and getting an expression as if he had decided on something, the kid nodded and apologized, saying, "Sorry about that. Let's go."

With a humph, the Exalted Warrior led the way, flying through the air for a little bit of time until reaching a certain spot from which they would teleport after making sure that they weren't being followed.

These were all steps that had been implemented for the safety of the sect members, and they had to be followed rigorously.

The first stop was coincidentally the spot where Daneel had broken through to become a Warrior.

Apparently, areas like these which still had remnants of formations from the ancient ages that were very dangerous even to Warrior level individuals had formations laid down by the Big Four which would prevent regular humans from entering them and being killed.

If this hadn't been the case, the number of deaths would have been a lot more, which was detrimental to the continent as a whole.

Hence, even though most of the Big Four didn't care much about the regular humans except treating them as livestock from which they could pick out talented individuals, they had taken the duty together to maintain the formations in these dangerous areas.

As soon as they reached the valley, the blonde haired kid among them suddenly shouted out, drawing all of their attention.

Pointing behind them, he exclaimed, "What's that?!"

His expression of extreme fear made the others panic too as they turned around with alarm.

However, seeing nothing there, they turned back, with the Exalted Warrior glaring at the blonde haired kid and saying, "What the hell did you see?"

"Oh, nothing. I thought I spotted enemies. My bad. I'm feeling a little sick. Could you all please take over my workload, too? Of course, when we get back, please tell them that we all shared the work equally, and forget that I asked you this. You would do that for me, right?"

"Of course!"

Everyone replied together, as all four individuals' minds told them that this was what they were supposed to do.

"Wonderful. So even if you don't see me, assume that I'm following you. Don't wait for me when teleporting. I'll find you on the last leg of the task."

"Very well! Have a good rest!"

The Exalted Warrior who had been grumpy all along now had a smile on his face as he said this, even waving at Daneel who immediately teleported away to "rest".

It seemed that he was getting better and better at mind control, as it had been very easy to even bring that Exalted Warrior and the others under his control simultaneously without letting them identify that anything was wrong.

They might have felt that prick in their consciousness due to the invasion of a foreign one, but they must have discarded it right after the "suggestions" started, as the distraction was enough for the spell to completely engulf them.

After a few seconds, Daneel were standing in the air above the Black Raven Palace.

Getting into the kingdom had been quite easy, as he was now in possession of a Champion level system that could let him infiltrate without triggering any alarms.

This was why a Champion, or in most cases, even a Warrior could have free reign over the entire Central Continent if they were allowed to let loose their power.

It was only the core formation of the Palace that he needed to worry about, but right now, he was not in its sphere of influence.

Unlike the Palace of Lanthanor which reminded him or of the Victorian era structures from Earth, the Black Raven Palace emphasized openness over all else.

In the center of a large open space with sprawling gardens, the central building was surrounded by many spires, all of which were supposed to contain areas where Black Ravens could rest and recuperate when not training.

The throne room was located right in the center of the Palace, which coincidentally happened to be right below him, but Daneel hesitated, wondering whether he should barge in.

He had considered whether to contact his friend and asked him to come out, but if it really were a trap for him, or if the influence of the mind control denied that request but also got suspicious that he was onto it, Daneel knew that he would cause more harm than good.

He had rushed over in a hurry, but right now, he was stumped regarding what he was supposed to do.

The system was only at Champion level, and he doubted whether it would have any effect on a damn Hero level spell.

Just to confirm, he asked the system regarding it and got the answer that it needed to be upgraded, which was definitely his least likable sentence uttered by the system by now.

The biggest problem was that he didn't know who the hell was responsible for all of this, so he couldn't act recklessly.

In fact, even him standing here might be a big risk, but Daneel had been assured that there was no one keeping an eye on him right now.

Of course, there was the possibility that someone at the Hero level might be watching him, but if that were the case, there was really nothing he could do.

Heck, if a hero level individuals wanted to, Daneel could bet that they would easily be able to kill him in a breath no matter where he was, as that was the maximum level on this continent.

Besides, for his friend, he was ready to take any risk.

"Argh!"

After standing in the air for five minutes without finding any method to best handle the situation, Daneel was just about to give in to his frustration and barge into the Palace.

However, suddenly, a notification from the system sounded in his mind again.

[Phenomena Analysis Module has scanned target "Faxul". Because of host's repeated usage of the Mind Control spell, system is capable of analyzing similar spells with greater ease. System has been able to identify that a source which is near to the target is handling the mind control spell. However, this source appears to be a formation which is receiving instructions from somewhere else and relaying them to the target. System has been unable to deduce the original location of the consciousness that is sending the commands and handling the mind control spell. System has only been able to find the general location of the formation. Would host like to know where it is?]

"Yes!"

[The source of the formation is the large Black Raven statue in the throne room. System suspects that this formation is also capable of surveillance. As system was not the Champion level when host was last at this location, this formation hadn't been detected.]

As Daneel heard this, he did a double take.

His damn gut had been right!

All those times when he had been in the Black Raven throne room, he had felt as if he were being watched by something.

In fact, it had even felt as if that Black Raven statue was real, and was watching him all the time.

It turned out that he was right, although in a roundabout way.

Along with this discovery, Daneel began to string together the other mysterious occurrences in the Black Raven Kingdom that he had had no option but to brush off before.

Faxul's sudden increase in power, the subtle change in his consciousness, the gut feeling that he should place backups in the Kingdom just in case – all of them must be because there was someone targeting Faxul from the very beginning, listening in on everything happening in the throne room, and even possibly in the entire Kingdom.

This was… A little too much to take in.

At this point, Daneel couldn't guess who could have the motivation and means to carry this out.

Whatever the case, swooping in to try and help his friend right now was definitely not the answer.

Understanding this, Daneel was just about to turn around and teleport away when a sudden chill made him freeze.

At the same moment, the system spoke in his mind with urgency.

[Space has been locked! A Peak Exalted Warrior has teleported to the location 100 meters behind host!]

A stench reached Daneel's nostrils first, which made him wrinkle his nose before turning around to see just who had managed to find him here.

It was a man whose arms were pressed against his body as if he was wearing a straightjacket, with his face hidden behind a curtain of dirty hair matted with mud.

Only his eyes seemed to shine, and the madness inside them made Daneel feel unsettled.

Staring into Daneel's eyes, the man spoke in a very strange manner.

Each alternate sentence seemed to be spoken by an entirely different person, with even the mannerisms, expression and tone changing.

"Hehe...Finally broke free of that damn bird-wait, why was I here again?

Please kill me!

Oh, who cares...I think I'll kill you for fun...I miss the taste of blood...

Please, you must do it before I go under its control again!"

Chapter 460: Fighting the Crazy Man 1

[Hero-level Displacement Formation detected.

Displacement Formation: A formation which completely 'displaces' an area. This means that any fluctuations of elementary particles in this area will remain hidden to any and all surveillance spells at or below the Hero Level. In the displaced area, space is locked down, and a barrier is also in place which prevents those inside from exiting unless the formation is deactivated. Communication is also blocked.]

As this message echoed inside his mind, Daneel realized that he was well and truly trapped.

He had heard of Displacement Formations before. They were ultra-rare formations which ensured that no one would be able to interfere in a fight, while also ensuring that the vibrations from high-level fights, which would usually be able to be detected from hundreds of kilometers away would stay hidden.

In essence, it was something used when one wanted to kill their enemy after abolishing all outside factors.

Looking at the crazy man's chest, Daneel noticed that he was wearing a black circular amulet that had the image of a Raven engraved on it. It had shining feathers placed artistically around it, and it was especially eye-catching right now due to the fact that it seemed to be shining.

Noticing his gaze, the crazy man spoke once again in that strange way.

"This is just something I stole from the bird to make sure no one can interfere when I…play.

You need to kill me if you want to get out!

Oh, shut up and go back to your hole. Let's see who kills who."

Suddenly, before Daneel could make heads or tails of the situation and decide what to do, the crazy man shot toward him with a sonic boom.

Alarmed, Daneel could only deploy a simple magical barrier before impact.

Boom!

As a fist ruptured the barrier and impacted his chest, Daneel was blown back, somersaulting in the air multiple times before coming to rest and wiping blood that had appeared near his lips.

It seemed that he needed to fight first, before doing anything else.

Now that he thought about it, Daneel couldn't even remember the last time he had had a good fight.

It had just been too long.

So, as he felt the heart-pumping excitement that could only be experienced during a high-stakes fight, Daneel pulled back a fist and shot it forward to meet his opponent who had zoomed forward again for another attack.

"Heeeheheeee! That's it! No fun slaughtering an innocent lamb! A struggling pig that tries to run away is so much tastier!"

Shouting insane statements like these, the crazy man's fist met Daneel's, but once again, it was Daneel who was blown back, and this time, even his shoulder had gotten dislocated due to the force.

At the point of impact of their fists, another sonic boom had appeared which drove the clouds away in an arc all around.

All right. Time to get serious.

This was an Exalted Warrior, after all, and Daneel was just an amateur one. It was suicide to face him head on without using the tricks up his sleeve, but Daneel had done just that to get his head into the fight.

He had been considering whether to hold off on using the Basilisk's Breath, but that was no longer an option, as only death awaited him if he chose to discard this trump card of his.

What use was there fearing possession if the other alternative was death?

Besides, the main confirmed threat was the Ruler's Inheritance, which Daneel couldn't use now anyway as he was in the Black Raven Kingdom.

So, taking a deep breath, Daneel pulled back his fist a second time.

His opponent was already approaching him with the intent to kill, all the while laughing creepily as if this was the most fun thing he was doing in decades.

However, this time, right before the fists connected, Daneel activated the Basilisk's Breath and blinked.

Time slowed down.

The clouds that had been dispersing at a fairly fast pace due to the speed of the crazy man slowed down to a crawl, and Daneel could fully see the maniacal expression on his face which craved blood.

It seemed that it was destined to be disappointed.

Boom!

At the last moment, Daneel's fist bypassed the crazy man's, shooting toward his chin.

The opponent's fist flew harmlessly over Daneel's shoulder, but the force of the wind still hurt his face.

The first two strikes had only been at the level of an Eminent Warrior, which had allowed Daneel to get away with minor injuries that were already being healed due to his ability to passively launch healing spells using the system. Any other opponent would have to put their full head into the fight, unable to do such a thing as they would be too busy fending off their opponent.

Clearly, the opponent had been warming up during those two, and this third one had had the full strength of an Exalted Warrior.

If it had hit, Daneel's arm might have gotten torn off, as there was, after all, a difference of 2 major levels between them.

It seemed that his opponent had also been expecting this, as Daneel could see the expression of surprise on his face when his fist didn't connect.

This time, it was the crazy man who did the somersaulting, and Daneel flew forward to continue the fight.

However, to his shock, he felt something prick his brain, as if someone was using a needle on his scalp in an attempt to get inside.

"YAAARGH!"

Immediately stopping, Daneel screamed with pain while he fought madly to stop that needle from going any further.

A second later, it disappeared, but he had already lost his window to attack.

[Host is under the attack of Hero-level Mind Control spell that has been cast by a Warrior. Due to the lacking power and complexity of the caster, the spell has been weakened. Host has thrown off the attack. System is in the process of analyzing the spell.]

"Hmph. Seems the trick I picked up from that bird is useful after all."

Spitting out this sentence, the crazy man took the initiative again, and this time, it looked like he was pulling out all the stops.

Two knives made of metal appeared in his hands, but strangely, Daneel could see the air deforming around the edges of the blades.

Quickly, he understood.

This was an Exalted Warrior-level combination spell that used metal and gravity elemental particles in a unique method to create a whirling blade that could cut through anything.

The intricate blade was designed like a chainsaw, and gravity was lowered at one end and heightened on the other to make it whirl.

This required a level of complexity and control that an Exalted Human, or even an Amateur or Eminent Warrior was capable of.

The most important thing was that in battle, this spell needed to be maintained.

This was how Warrior who were both mages and Fighters usually fought: using magic, they would give themselves an incredible edge which they would use to cut down their opponents.

If Daneel was even touched by one of those blades, it would be his end.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his arms and kept the Basilisk's Breath activated, while commanding the system to stand by for spell commands.

Whoosh!

"Enough games. Time for you to die before that bird comes back."

Bam!

Breaking through the barrier that Daneel had conjured to slow his opponent down, the maniacal smile returned to the crazy man's face as he swung down with his right arm, intending to cut Daneel in half.

Just in time, Daneel moved back, and as the blade swept past only an inch away from his skin, he felt his enchanted clothes, that were supposed to block the strike of an Exalted Human, tear apart.

An angry red line also appeared on his chest in the path of the blade, as the whirling serrated edge was just too dangerous to handle even if it didn't impact his body.

The air that was expelled at high speed, itself, was enough to cause injury.

Thus began the cat and mouse game between Daneel and the crazy stinking man.

Daneel only used rudimentary magic to slow the man down, while he dodged for dear life using the Basilisk's technique.

His main trump card was the Champion level system, and his status as a Paragon who could wield all elementary particles.

Behind him, a massive missile-shaped object started to come into being, which Daneel didn't bother to hide as there was only open space around them.

When it was finished, it would move at a speed faster than an Exalted Warrior to pierce the opponent and put an end to him.

At the Champion level, there were certain spells which resulted in explosions using the concept of making opposite elementary particles react in a controlled manner after accelerating them.

This wasn't capable of Warriors, as their mageroots wouldn't be able to handle the complexity of controlling the particles effectively at high speeds to result in an explosion of force.

However, according to the journals Daneel had read, this wasn't used by Champions as it would take too long on a battlefield.

He wasn't a fool to sit around twiddling his thumbs and hoping that a fight with those above his level would come to him. No, every day, Daneel would spend some time making plans to handle such opponents, and this was one of those which leveraged the system in an efficient manner.

The 1.5-meter long missile had two parts: a 0.5 meter long exploding mechanism in the back, and a 'blade' of sorts made of condensed metal and fire elementary particles.

He had named the spell "Paragon Missile", and it would rend his enemies before they knew what hit them.

Chapter 461: Fighting the Crazy Man End

Daneel's strategy was simple: he was going to avoid the attacks from this crazy guy until the missile was ready before getting the hell away and letting it pierce through him.

He would just have to see if that smile still remained after a whole meter of blazing steel pierced through the crazy man's body, burning up his insides while making sure that he wouldn't die.

Yes, Daneel didn't want him to die. All he wanted was that the man had to be incapacitated so that he could find out his origin and just what the 'bird' was that he was referring to.

This man was an Exalted Warrior, and by all rights, using Mind Control on him should work.

However, Daneel's gut told him that that would be a bad idea.

His Mind Control had to work the first time, or it would definitely fail if he tried again. This was someone who knew the spell, and hence, Daneel could guess that he must be guarding against it, even if he didn't know whether Daneel was capable of using it.

With that being the case, Daneel couldn't take the risk.

After he had been pierced through, Daneel would try the mind control, and if that didn't work, then he would just have to improvise.

Other than this, there was no other way to stop the man from killing him.

12 seconds had passed since that first strike by the crazy man, and Daneel's clothes were already in tatters.

Multiple strikes assaulted him in each second from various directions, and if it weren't for the Basilisk's Breath, Daneel would have been mincemeat by now.

"Heeeheeeeheee! Dodge all you want, my blade will f-i-n-d youuuu!"

The crazy statements hadn't let up: instead, at the sight of the angry red lines that appeared all over Daneel's body, they increased in number and volume.

He felt as if he had been lashed by a flaming whip over and over again, and his face was set into an expression of pain.

However, 15 seconds were all he needed to create the devastating missile.

At the 15th second, Daneel finally smiled triumphantly before kicking away in the air suddenly.

Yet, things didn't go as planned.

The crazy guy had been ignoring the missile till now, and Daneel had just thought that it must be another mad tic of his-to ignore everything else besides his opponent.

However, it turned out that he had been wrong.

Very, very wrong.

As Daneel kicked away, the crazy man smiled sinisterly and said, "Oh, so you wanted to kill me with that, mighty Paragon? How cute!"

"YAAARGHHHHHH!"

The prick in his mind reappeared, and this time, it's intensity was greater than before.

What the hell?! Wouldn't Mind Control spells lose effect after a target shook them off for the first time?

Instead of a single needle, Daneel felt as if his entire scalp was under attack by a bramble that just wanted to rake its way in.

As he put up a frantic resistance, he let everything else go, and apparently, this included his mageroot, which the system had been using to cast the Paragon Missile spell.

Tsssss.

Instead of the fearsome explosion, a sound akin to a fire fizzling out emanated from the missile, as it fell apart as the numerous elementary particles were no longer under tight control.

Daneel once away shook off the attack, but it was too late.

The missile had begun to disappear, and the whirling chainsaw blade of his opponent was right in front of his face.

At the last moment, Daneel leaned backward, but it wasn't enough.

Sllickkk.

"ARRRGHHHHH!"

The blade didn't penetrate Daneel's face, but it had passed within a centimeter of it.

That was enough for the mini-wind blades to do their work.

As blood flew in the air and was accompanied by Daneel's scream, the King of Lanthanor lost vision in one eye while a deep cut appeared on one side of his face.

It was in an oblique direction, running from his chin to his forehead on the left side.

Frantically clutching at the wound, Daneel flew back.

The left side of his face felt like it had been dipped in molten lava, and the unique pain that came from one losing their eye was driving him crazy.

Yet, at this moment, the system finally gave him some good news.

[Hero-level Mind Control Spell analyzed. Mind Control spell has been upgraded. Multiple attempts are now possible. Effectiveness of the spell will not decrease with failures.]

At this moment, a madness overtook Daneel, making him smile as he looked at his opponent who seemed to be surprised that he still hadn't succeeded, despite the sudden attack.

The bastard had been fooling him along! By pretending that he was completely crazy, he had let Daneel believe that his attack would work while concealing his trump card.

Well, now, he wasn't the only one in possession of said trump card.

As the healing spell quickly went to work on Daneel's eye, he wiped away the blood quickly using a spell as the crazy guy once again flew forward to attack, this time with frustration.

Suddenly, before he could come close to the kid whose eye he had taken, he felt a prick in his own mind which made him pause.

Wham!

As a fist connected with his stomach, he was pushed back with a dazed expression on his face while the blades in his hands disappeared because he, too, had lost the ability to control his mageroot during the attack.

Looking down, he saw a bloody imprint of a fist.

Wh-what?! How the hell had an Amateur Warrior succeeded in hurting him, an Exalted one?!

And how the hell was an Amateur Warrior in possession of this spell, that was considered a treasure even during the time of the Empire of Angaria!?!

He only received the answer to the first question, and it was when he saw the next fist that impacted him: this time, on his chin.

Behind the elbow of his opponent, there was a golden boosting spell that seemed to be accelerating the punches to a terrifying speed.

No! Such intricate and instantaneous control of elementary particles to adjust the thrust multiple times in each second…was only capable of a Champion! How! How was this kid capable of this?!!

Indeed, Daneel was pulling out all stops.

This was another attack he had developed: "Heaven-shattering Punch".

Daneel had given the lofty name due to how impressed he had been with the performance, and he now saw that he had been right to do so.

With this and the continuous mind control attempts, victory was in his hands.

However, he had forgotten something.

"DAMMIT! ARGH!"

His opponent could do the same.

As the pain in his mind assaulted him again, the crazy man took the opportunity and attacked.

Thankfully, the Basilisk's Breath saved Daneel's ass again, but this time, his waist had gotten injured by the opponent's punch.

In this way, they went back and forth, distracting each other and landing attacks. Only, neither of them were able to hit critical spots, as the other always managed to recover enough to block and take the attack with a different body part.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The clouds completely scattered, as sonic boom after sonic boom rocked the area, while two figures shot all around, turning each other into a bloody mess.

Magic became meaningless, as in that moment of Mind Control Attack, the mageroot would let the elementary particles go.

Soon, Daneel realized that if this continued, he would lose.

Although he was fighting on par with his opponent, his endurance was definitely lower than a true blue Exalted Warrior.

Soon, his body would run out of Energy and he would have no choice but be minced into nothing.

Frantically, Daneel got out of the mindset of going blow-for-blow and considered what he could do.

One by one, he discarded all the spells he could deploy, as none of them would have much of an effect here.

Of course, it didn't help that he was continuously losing his line of thought due to the Mind Control Attack.

Wait…Mind Control Attack?

As a bulb seemed to light up above Daneel's head, he finally got an idea.

Mind Control attacks were all about distractions.

For his to take effect, he had to do a better job of distracting his opponent.

How to do that? Well, the best method of distraction was making someone face their worst fear.

Again and again, this crazy man had mumbled that he had to finish before that 'old bird' came back.

Picking up the clues from the engraving on the pendant that was responsible for the Displacement Formation, Daneel took a chance and rolled the dice.

Calling on his prowess as a Paragon, Daneel made the image of a gigantic Black Raven, much like the Protector Raven he had seen in the Black Raven Kingdom but much larger, appear behind him.

It was a fake apparition using magic, but for a millisecond, it looked real.

"No! You damn old bird! Don't take me away just yet! I need to have more fun!"

As the crazy man shouted this in fright, a smile lit up on Daneel's face.

He had succeeded.

[Mind Control Successful. With the upgraded Mind Control, host can give multiple commands which the target will be forced to heed.]

As these words echoed in his head, Daneel watched as the crazy man froze in the sky with his fist halfway toward his face.

Although Daneel wished he could revel in his victory, he knew that he had no time. That 'old bird' could come at any moment, so he had to make it quick.

"First tell me who you are, what happened to you, and whether you know anything about the mind control spell on Faxul."

The response startled Daneel, making him take a step back in the air with an expression as if he had been struck by a lightning bolt.

"I was the King of the Black Raven Kingdom 178 years ago-and I was the most talented one to have ever been born in the Kingdom. I passed the test of the Empire Spirit in our Kingdom, but the Empire Spirit was an ancient Black Raven which used to serve the Empire of Angaria and who had reached the level of a Hero and had had its remnant bound to the stone podium. During the process of possession, we were besieged by those from the Withering Leaf Sect, and although the Empire Spirit took full temporary possession of me, thereby raising my Exalted Warrior self to become a Hero before slaughtering multiple Hero-level entities and fleeing, the overall process failed, leaving my mind in a broken mess. The Empire Spirit was also weakened, so it decreased its criteria before slipping into a slumber. It awoke 20 years ago, and after that, it has been watching the Kingdom for a chance to take control of a talented Exalted Human Black Raven citizen, who turned out to be your friend. Now, it intends to wait and recuperate fully, which needs a month's time, before beginning the possession process. You cannot save him."

Chapter 462: Decision

As Daneel saw the mystery of the origins of this crazy man be revealed in front of him, he couldn't help but shake his head with pity.

He had heard the way the man had spoken when he had been lucid, and it had been very reminiscent of a king.

Watching the fate of this person who had definitely once ruled over millions of people, Daneel shuddered with fear, wondering if something similar might have happened to him to if he hadn't found out about the dangers of the Empire Spirit.

Thankfully, with all the means available to him, he had.

Coming back to this matter, the most worrying thing was that the Empire Spirit had managed to kill multiple Hero level entities in its heyday.

Right now, it was a very reasonable guess that it would definitely not even flinch at killing him, who was just a Warrior.

Besides, that last proclamation about him not being able to save his best friend had sounded ominous, and because he knew for sure that the one in front of him was telling the truth due to the Mind Control spell, Daneel felt worry clouding his mind.

The only good news was that the Empire Spirit was still currently weakened, and he still had one month of time.

Of course, in one day, he would have to return to the Sect of Hedon, but Daneel would try to figure out how to escape from that later on, as first, he needed to decide what he was going to do with this abject man.

"Why do you think I cannot save him?"

As Daneel asked the obvious question, he almost felt as if the crazy king in front of him had just scoffed.

"Even though you are in possession of a Hero level Mind Control spell, you cannot cancel out another, especially when it is in full effect. Whatever you do, you cannot break your friend out of that spell, and the Empire Spirit would just drive him crazy if you tried anything else. You can't hope to trick it either: it is something that has existed for thousands of years, and its intelligence surpasses almost everyone alive. I suggest that you forget your friend, or if you have the guts, kill him to save him from that plight."

As the chilling words entered Daneel's ears, an intense frown came on his face, but he decided to move on for now.

"Why are you so afraid of that bird?"

"This is not the first time that I managed to escape. Sometimes it even lets me escape so that I don't devolve completely into madness. The second side in me get satisfied when it drinks someone's blood, so it engages in that activity while the first has no option but to watch on with horror. That is why it has been imploring you to kill it. After a little period of time, which typically ends 10 minutes from now, the Empire Spirit reactivates the Mind Control spell on this body, making it return to where its corporeal body is."

The crazy man was in a state where his inner consciousness seemed to be talking, so he occasionally referred to himself in the third person.

At the mention of the corporeal body, Daneel recalled what he said about the Empire spirit – that it was bound to the stone podium.

"Will destroying the stone podium kill the spirit?"

"Yes. But it cannot be destroyed using any means that are available right now. The only other way is to absorb all of the Energy inside the stone podium, which is the source of the Spirit's continued existence in this world. This option is only possible for Spirits which have been ripped from their original place, which, in itself, takes a massive effort, and is only possible during an attempt of possession. When the stone podium was being carried away on the orders of the Empire Spirit for safety, I noticed that there were misshapen branches of red material inside which constituted it."

As Daneel heard this, his eyes widened with surprise.

Could it be…?

After hearing about the Ker Root, Daneel had asked the system to show him what it looked like, just in case he came upon one by chance.

Quickly, using his Paragon powers, he made an image of the Ker Root that he had seen in the book appear in front of the crazy king.

It was almost exactly like the root of a plant, except if the root were made up of the shiny material that glowed a dark red.

Daneel was just about to rejoice, but the answer from the crazy king made a crestfallen expression appear on his face.

"No. It was much thicker, and it was a much darker color. It was almost black."

At this moment, the system spoke in his mind, making him smile.

[The person in front of host is referring to the ancient form of the Ker Root, when the Energy level of the continent was much higher. Descriptions of the material were found in one of the journals of a scholar who extensively studied the age of the Empire of Angaria.]

Yes! That meant that the crazy plan that had appeared in his head might work!

However, now was not the time to think about it. First, he had to decide whether he was going to kill this King.

If he did, then he would be granting the wish of someone who might have only wanted to grow stronger in order to help his people.

Yet, he would be taking a very big risk, as the Empire Spirit might be able to detect that something was wrong.

However, if he didn't, he would be left with the guilt of ignoring a helpless man's plea just to keep themselves safe.

Also, killing someone in cold blood just because they asked for it and needed it was still not something the Daneel was sure that he could do.

Sure, he had gotten a lot more bloodthirsty than before due to everything he had been through, which had especially been on display when he had slaughtered those scum in the Sect of Hedon without flinching.

Only, then, he had been imagining what they had done to those poor women in the Black Raven Kingdom, and he had let the anger take control.

Now, with this man pleading in front of him, Daneel was hesitant.

Did everything always have to be so black and white? Couldn't there be better, easier ways to do things?

Before, in the fight, Daneel had at some point decided, without even knowing why, that he would defeat his opponent directly, matching fist with fist and blood with blood.

Thankfully, he had snapped out of that after realizing that that would only end in his room.

After that, he had managed to find a solution through his wit.

Could he do that now?

Asking himself that, Daneel sank into deep thought, and a few minutes later, he realized that there really was a way.

To confirm, he asked the crazy king, "Can the Empire Spirit detect that you were under the effect of a Hero level Mind Control spell?"

"No, because it is at the same level. Spells at the same level cannot detect things about each other. They can only do so with those of lower level. Right now, its Mind Control spell is still on me, but it is in a dormant stage. You were not able to detect it."

That was right. Daneel had guessed as much, and had also been hoping that this would be the case, even though this wasn't always how spells worked.

"Good. First, tell me the location of the Empire Spirit, and answer a few more questions of mine. Then, listen. This is what happened…"

…

A few minutes later.

At the waterfall where Faxul had interacted with the Empire Spirit, the crazy man had just returned and was blabbering to himself while he walked inside the cave.

The stone podium was unmoving, but if one closed their eyes, they would be able to feel that there was something inside that podium that was keeping an eye on the blabbering man.

Inside the crazy king's mind, the Empire Spirit rummaged around, as since the man had come back, it had only heard from the crazy side of him, with the lucid side nowhere to be seen.

A few seconds later, it understood what had happened.

This old friend of its had gone and slaughtered a few people from his own Kingdom, and after so many years, it had finally been the last straw. The lucid side had completely snapped and lost itself to the crazy one, resulting in the man now truly deserving the moniker "crazy"

Well, this didn't change or modify its plans in any way.

Changing back its focus to the Black Raven throne room, it observed as the body that it was going to inhabit and rule the world with went about its daily routine, sitting in on a boring court session while wondering when it could get back to testing out that incredible inheritance that it had received from the mysterious stone podium inside the waterfall.

The doubt regarding whether it should contact its best friend still remained, but the Mind Control spell was more than enough to stop the body from doing so, all while fattening itself up to be ripe enough to be plucked by the Empire Spirit when it was done recovering.

That was why the Empire Spirit did not even consider the person who was inside the body presently: it only referred to the body as "it", as it saw itself inside the body soon, at which point the original owner would be irrelevant.

Waiting for that day when it could finally free itself from this damn podium, the Empire Spirit chuckled to itself sinisterly.

…

Meanwhile, Daneel had reached the Kingdom of Lanthanor and was standing in the library, where the red light was still shining from under the door.

For the life of him, he couldn't decide whether he had to go in, or whether he should just ignore it completely, just to be safe.

Chapter 463: Talking to the Empire Spirit of Lanthanor

Daneel had felt much calmer after arranging everything with the crazy King, as he was at least starting to form a plan to save his best friend.

Although he didn't know the details and whether it would work or not, it was a start, and it was much better than his position before where he had been clueless about everything that was happening.

In this regard, he had to thank that crazy King for choosing him as an opponent.

Not allowing himself to dwell on everything he had learned right now, Daneel decided to take care of the other pressing matter first.

The matter of the red light that had been shining from under the door behind which the Empire Spirit of the Kingdom of Lanthanor was.

He had had to think long and hard before coming to the decision to go and check it out, as there was a small possibility that the Empire Spirit could find out that he was ignoring it even though he knew that it was giving an indication that something about it had changed.

He had been so excited to unlock its level before, and if nothing had changed, he would have joyfully run to the library to find out if he had unlocked another level so that he could get more benefits such as the "awesome" Ruler's Inheritance.

However, now, he was well aware that Empire Spirits were backstabbing as*holes who just wanted body bags to inhabit.

The only consolation was that one needed to use the techniques given by the Empire Spirit repeatedly in order to get possessed, and he had done no such thing with the Ruler's Inheritance.

Hence, the chances were low that there was any danger to him, especially if the Empire Spirit still believed that it was successfully deceiving him.

Daneel had found out just how Faxul had become infected with the Mind Control spell, and he wasn't afraid of that either, as the system had assured him that if the same scenario played out, it would be able to hold off the attack until he managed to extricate himself from the situation.

So, all in all, considering the different risks between ignoring the call and heeding it, Daneel chose to go and check it out, as it seemed to be the safer option.

Besides, who knew, maybe he would be able to find some clue which would allow him to better make a plan to save Faxul.

However, after arriving at the door inside the library, Daneel started to hesitate again.

He was currently still blind in one eye, but the camouflage spell made sure that no one would be able to observe that the King of Lanthanor had had his ass handed to him.

According to the system, regenerating the eye wasn't a big deal, and it just needed a lot of Ker gems for it to happen. Hence, he had left that task until the time when he returned to the sect.

The Empire Spirit could know what he was thinking, so he acted as though he was talking to someone through a communication trinket, while trying to control the frustration that had appeared inside him at the thought of talking to that arrogant bastard who had led him around by his nose like a damn circus animal.

That was also partially the reason why he had paused here.

Every time he remembered just how pitiful he must have looked when he acted so excited at receiving the Ruler's Inheritance, curses came to Daneel's mouth which he had to swallow down with great difficulty.

Again and again, this inculcated the lesson inside him that he had to be very careful about what or whom he trusted.

Finally calming down, he was about to enter, but he decided to take another precaution – the ultimate one.

Using the memory editing feature of the system, he made sure that he was the same king from before the trip to the Sect of Hedon, who was very excited that there was a change in the 'hidden treasure' of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

The memories of this encounter were definitely going to make him want to puke in his mouth, but he would just have to live with them.

A second later, all he remembered was training for the past few months rigorously with the goal of obtaining as much power as possible, quickly. Right now, he was just here because he had received a very urgent communication about the red light.

Walking in, an expression of excitement came on his face as he hurried forward and placed his hands on the sides of the stone podium.

Immediately, a voice sounded inside his head which would have shocked him very, very badly if he hadn't taken that step to edit his memories.

"King Daneel! Your friend, King Faxul is in danger! Someone who was once a brother of mine will soon take control of his body! You must put a stop to him!"

"What? Faxul's in danger? And what do you mean a 'brother' of yours?! I thought you were just an artificial intelligence placed inside to guard the secrets!"

As Daneel asked in a naive manner, the Empire Spirit seemed to sigh with frustration.

"It seems that you really don't know what I'm talking about. You were not supposed to find out about this now, but I guess there isn't much of a choice. I am not an artificial intelligence. I was once a Hero who defended the Empire of Angaria from the hordes who sought to invade this great continent. By the request of the Honorable Emperor, I chose for a part of my consciousness to be interred in this stone podium so that the descendants of our glorious Empire will have the means to defend themselves if there was a threat and rebuild the Empire after learning from the mistakes that were committed which led to the catastrophe."

"You mean a hero, as in, you did a heroic deed?"

"No, you…never mind! A Hero, as in, someone who has advanced to the next level after the Champion level, which is the Hero level!"

"Whaaaaaat?"

Daneel made a sound as if his mind had been blown.

This self of his had heard vaguely that the level after Champion was Hero, but the main thing that had startled it was the revelation of the origin of the Empire Spirit.

However, this story was completely different from what he had seen.

Of course, he didn't know this.

With his eyebrows raised so far that they had nowhere else to go on his forehead, Daneel continued listening to the Empire Spirit.

"Sadly, the Honorable Emperor seemed to have miscalculated the greed of his descendants and the rate at which Energy would decrease in the entire Continent. It became harder and harder to find suitable candidates due to the strict criteria that had been set down, but the main problem wasn't even this. No, the problem that he foresaw, but didn't seek to solve was the effect of time. With time, the consciousnesses started to lose their purpose due to the boredom. We are all connected, so when the first of our brethren turned into a sinister lunatic who only wanted to possess someone in order to leave the confines of our corporeal body, we were all shocked. Together, with what little power that was available to us, we made him perish, but more started to follow. One by one, like leaves on a tree, the Noble Heroes of the Empire Of Angaria became lost. Only I and one other remain, while the rest just lie in wait for a host to inhabit. One such brother of mine has managed to trap your friend. In one month, he is going to possess him and become the strongest being on this continent. You must stop him if you want to save this continent, and your friend."

As Daneel heard this fascinating tale, he couldn't help but drop his jaw with awe.

Noble Heros beset with a purpose, but corrupted by time.

It all sounded like a fantasy, but something inside him, which had changed so deeply due to the revelation of the 'truth' behind Empire Spirits, wondered why he should believe this whole story.

As if sensing his feelings, a sign echoed inside his mind, before Daneel found himself pulled away from reality, just like before, when he had witnessed that scene of the figure massacring thousands of innocent people.

After the scene became clear, Daneel realized that he was in a very strange room.

It was circular, and instead of stone or typical materials, the room seemed to be made of gold that shone in the light that looked like it was emanating from everywhere.

Glass windows were set all around, and the intricate pattern etched on them depicted fantastic sights of mythical beasts that Daneel had only heard of.

However, Daneel quickly realized that he wasn't alone, and that something was wrong.

Everything seemed…bigger.

It was as if he had shrunk…or had entered the abode of a giant unwittingly.

As he finally placed his focus on the only figure in the room, he understood that it was the latter.

This man was at least 9 feet(2.75 meters) tall, and his back seemed so broad that Daneel felt sure that it could encompass the length of his own body.

He was wearing regal light-gold colored robes on which the designs looked like they were moving, and his white hair that reached his shoulders was neatly combed back.

Daneel was in the center of the room, and when he heard a door opening behind him, he turned around.

Unlike that other vision where he had interacted with everyone, in this one, it looked like he was just here to watch, as he wasn't paid any attention by anyone.

Numerous individuals entered, and many of them weren't even human.

After a few moments, the door closed, and the man who had been looking out all this time finally turned around.

He had a chiseled face, but the thing that would strike anyone first was his eyes.

They contained such dignity, such presence, such wisdom that anyone would want to just bend the knee and bow down out of sheer respect and reverence.

This urge to kneel seemed to be born from the very soul of a being, and although he was only here to watch, Daneel couldn't resist. He knelt along with all the others in the room, but as he did so, he realized something.

This wasn't his first time seeing this man.

No, he had seen him before.

However, it made sense why it had been difficult to identify that as first glance.

It was because the last time Daneel had seen him, he was busy carrying out a terrifying slaughter.

Chapter 464: Prioritizing

As Daneel tried hard to control his shock at discovering this fact, the regal man began to speak, and his voice carried a certain weight that would make anyone take what he was saying very, very seriously.

"Nobel Heroes of the Empire. Rise."

As one, everyone stood up, and when Daneel looked around, he could see that each of their eyes contained a solemnity that spoke volumes about their emotions right now.

"You all know why you are here. You have heeded my call to take up the sacred duty.

Your names will be etched into the Wall of Grand Heroes.

Your deeds will be sung in the everlasting halls of the Heavens.

For hope.

For honor.

For Angaria.

FOR THE ETERNAL GLORY OF THE EMPIRE! LET US MARCH FORTH INTO THE VOID WITH OUR HEADS HELD HIGH!"

"FOR THE ETERNAL GLORY OF THE EMPIRE!"

Although the speech was short, it set Daneel's heart ablaze, and it made him feel like screaming out like the others, even though he didn't know exactly what was going on here.

After the screaming died down, the man spoke again, but his tone seemed to contain sadness now.

"Let us depart. Apocalypse approaches, and only we can save the future of this bountiful continent. You have been briefed about your duties. At no point must you give in to the decay of time. At no point must you relax your criteria. And at no point must you let down your guard. Farewell, friends."

Suddenly, Daneel got the scare of his life when he felt someone laying a hand on his shoulder.

He had merely been a spectator till now, and the others had even passed through him as if he were just a ghost.

Hence, when this implausible event occurred, he almost jumped up in fright.

Looking around, he noticed that it was the Empire Spirit, who was in the form of that rugged man he had seen in the last vision.

"Let's go."

As Daneel felt himself yanked out of the vision, his consciousness returned to his body while he couldn't help but reel from the shock.

"W-wasn't he the one who…"

"Yes, it was him. But the reasons behind that happening are not for you to find out now. All you must know is that your friend is in danger, and he must be saved. Now, do you believe me?"

Although that doubt due to the innermost changes in him did exist even though his memories about everything he had learned were sealed, it had been rocked by everything he had seen right now.

The Daneel right now had no strong reason to think that the Empire Spirit was out to get him. So, at least momentarily, he shook his head, intending to find out what it had to say regarding him 'saving' his friend.

This was also a matter of high importance, so Daneel didn't really want to take chances.

"Good. I see that you still have some doubts, but you seem to be ready to at least listen. Let me repeat, and reiterate. Your friend, Faxul, has come under a 'Mind Control' spell, which allows that Empire Spirit to control his mind. It was through this that it ensured that he didn't contact you. You have a month's time. After that, his body will come under the possession of the Empire Spirit, and he will rise naturally to the Hero Level, at least as a Mage. I know with certainty that his plan after that involves teaming up with the Church of Rectitude. This is because corrupted Empire Spirits only want to grow stronger, and the path to power beyond the Hero level is cut off to the Angarians. Only the Church has information about it, so he intends to trade this continent for that chance to ascend beyond the Hero level. It is up to you to save your friend and this continent itself."

As Daneel heard clearly the grave implications that could become reality if he acted too cautiously, he stood up straight and asked hesitantly, "Wh-what do I need to do?"

"Kill him. Kill Faxul, at the exact moment when he is going to be possessed. This will injure the Empire Spirit and put it into a slumber it will not be able to awaken from this time."

Silence.

As Daneel heard the answer from the Empire Spirit, it was as if they echoed in his head, with him refusing to comprehend and accept what they meant.

He…was supposed to kill Faxul? His closest friend and brother?

"But I thought you said that I should save him!"

As Daneel asked this with frustration in his tone, the Empire Spirit answered with a sigh.

"Young King. By killing him, you will be saving him. The fate that awaits him if the possession succeeds is a life of imprisonment in his own body. He would only be able to watch while the Empire Spirit commits untold sins with his face. He will curse you for not saving him. He will wish for death, but there will be no one to grant him his wish."

No.

That couldn't be!

Unwilling to believe it, Daneel removed his hands from the podium and stepped back, taking the support of the wall behind him to stand upright.

It was as if all his strength had left his body, and what was left was just the frail, powerless shell.

This reminded him of how he had been when he had met Faxul in the training hall: each fight of theirs, each plan, each dream-had enabled him to rise to this position today.

And he was supposed to just kill the guy?

Furious, Daneel walked forward and put his hands on the podium again with the intension of demanding for a different way to resolve this matter, but the Empire Spirit spoke first as if it had read his mind.

"There is no other way. I don't expect you to come to terms with it right now. Take some time. Think. Reflect. But whatever you do, DO NOT contact Faxul to find out if what I'm telling is true. That would be the dumbest thing you can do. The Empire Spirit would become aware of my plan to use you to stop it, and it would take precautions. Go. The fate of the continent is in your hands, and yours alone. Even the bigwigs in those puny sects that call themselves the 'Big 4' can't stop it. Only you can. I hope you make the right decision. If you do, come back here in 3 weeks. If you don't…"

Suddenly, Daneel felt his surroundings blur, as he once again found himself being transported into a vision.

However, this time, it was very brief, but also very vivid.

It was that image of the figure he had seen just now slaughtering people left and right without mercy.

"The agent of destruction might be different, but the result will be the same. I hope you do not repeat the mistakes that we made. Now, leave."

With this, the Empire Spirit completely sealed itself off, not responding at all no matter how many times Daneel tried to call upon it.

With a hopeless expression on his face, Daneel teleported away and arrived at his quarters.

There was a large, wall-length mirror on one side of his quarters. There, he paused to look at himself.

[No eavesdroppers have been found. Unsealing memories.]

Gasp!

In the mirror, Daneel could see as the blood completely drained from his face when all the things he had learned about in the Sect and from the talk with the crazy king reappeared in his mind.

With staggering steps, he stumbled back and fell on the ground near the bed, using it to take support while viewing everything he had been shown by the Empire Spirit by Lanthanor in a new light.

At this point, he only had one question in his mind.

WHAT THE F*CK?!

For once, the King of Lanthanor was well and truly flummoxed.

The Big 4's opinion was that all Empire Spirits were evil, and just wanted to possess a body.

This Empire Spirit, on the other hand, wanted him to believe that it was only a few that had gone mad to due to boredom.

Whom was he supposed to believe?!

Running his hands through his hair, Daneel felt as if he were going mad.

The statement regarding the fact that killing Daneel was the only way to 'save' him didn't simplify matters, either.

All in all, Daneel found himself overwhelmed.

It was as if was a poor college student who had been studying for 2 exams which, in his case, were the problems of the impending invasion of the Church along with his quest to incriminate Ashahell, and the issue regarding how he was going to deal with all the hidden experts and the Mad Doctor when it was revealed that he had a powerful Inheritance.

However, now, another mad professor had come along and said that he had a third exam, too!

'Really, what the f*ck, man? Don't I have enough on my plate?', he would have asked, if he could find someone to blame for everything that seemed to be happening at once.

No. He couldn't let himself be overburdened like this, as it would definitely lead to him committing mistakes, which might spell doom for the entire continent itself.

Once again, just like when he had become King and had been overwhelmed by all the things he had to take care of, he had to learn to prioritize.

Taking a deep breath and running his hands one last time through the mess that was his hair, Daneel thought about everything, and realized that if he handled things properly, those second and third 'exams' could be taken at the same time.

As for whether the Empire Spirit of Lanthanor was lying or not, and all the conspiracies that could be derived from the visions he had seen about the truth behind the Empire, Daneel realized that it really didn't matter right now.

All he knew was that his friend was in danger, and he was going to save him.

No matter what it took.

And in the process, he might just shoot forward to become a Peak Warrior, while also putting an end to that goddamn 'bird'.

Chapter 465: Risk

Meanwhile, in the Black Raven Kingdom.

In one of the training halls that existed exclusively for the King to use, Faxul was standing in front of a Black Raven with his hand outstretched.

The bird was looking at him intelligently with questioning eyes, as if wondering what this man was doing.

A few seconds later, it felt a certain…weakness, as if it had just gotten injured and had its blood taken away.

Over the course of its growth, it had been in much tougher situations. This minuscule feeling of weakness and pain was nothing to it, so it just squawked, indicating its displeasure that the treat it had been promised to come here hadn't been given to it yet.

With complete seriousness, Faxul was examining the Raven, trying to determine whether it was hurt in any way.

He went so far as to ask the Protector Raven to connect with it and check, as he wanted to make damn sure that this technique wasn't doing something untoward to the birds.

As a Black Raven of a higher tier, the Protector Raven was capable of connecting with normal Black Ravens just like humans did. All it needed to do was be in the target's proximity.

Heeding his call, the Protector Raven landed on the large balcony to the side before entering and doing what he had asked.

It was only after it told him that the Raven was just hungry, did he heave a sigh of relief and throw the piece of special meat that he had placed to the side to entice the Black Raven to stay still.

Thanking the Protector Raven, Faxul walked back to his room while in deep thought.

Inside his body, he could feel a pocket of…something, and as it dissolved slowly, he felt energetic and lightly, as if he had just been through a long training session.

Clearly, the technique was working, and he could even tell that he had pushed himself closer to the Warrior level.

A month. A month was all it would take for him to take that step across. Till then, he had to keep this under wraps, as he could just surprise his friend with after that by showing him the result and even offering the technique to him so that he could see whether he could learn anything from it.

This thought appeared in Faxul's mind all of a sudden, and it got stronger and stronger, as if there was a person inside his skull shouting with his full might, making the sound reverberate all over his body, forcing him to acknowledge it.

To him, it felt more as if he was so sure that this was the right thing, that he, himself was impatient that he should decide to do it.

Finally, after getting to his dormitory and locking his door, Faxul agreed, as the repetitions of the statement in his mind had started to make him believe that it really was the best thing to do.

However, he got the faint feeling that something was wrong.

As if it were a proof that an alien hunter had gotten on Earth which validated his life's pursuit, Faxul clung to that feeling, but try as he could, he couldn't hold on.

Again and again, he was forced, or he was forcing himself, to think normally. Rationally. Intelligently.

Why would anything be wrong? This was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to him, and it was even going to help Daneel after that surprise.

As that feeling disappeared, Faxul felt as if he had lost something-some…hope?

No, he must be wrong.

Yes, about a month from now, he was going to give his friend a great surprise.

However, he would go to the waterfall first on that day, so that he could set everything up.

Nodding to himself, Faxul got up and resumed his daily activities.

….

After successfully prioritizing and deciding what he was going to do, Daneel paced back and forth in his quarters, etching out all the details of the plan.

There were many variables that he had to eliminate, but he had a month to work on them.

However, try as he may, Daneel couldn't shake the feeling that ignoring the Empire Spirit of Lanthanor might not be so wise.

He needed information, and he needed all the help he could get to carry out this plan, as it had a very large rate of failure if even the smallest thing went wrong.

However, how could he guarantee that the Empire Spirits weren't working together in some way in order to trap and possess him, too?

This was a very real risk, but Daneel was considering whether he should take it, as all indications from everything he knew told him that even if that were the case, the system would be enough to help him escape.

Besides, he had been thinking about this, and he had to admit that the scholars of the Big 4 had quite a huge chance to be wrong.

Also, he had seen that…man for himself. That weight, that regality- it couldn't be faked.

At this moment, he had to admit that there was a chance that the Empire Spirit of Lanthanor was right.

However, trusting that chance was a very foolhardy thing to do, and if it were for almost anyone else, Daneel wouldn't even be considering it.

But this was his friend, who was closer than a brother. For him, he would do it.

So, without any more hesitation, the next day, he walked to the library where the Empire Spirit was located and repeated the action of editing his own memory.

Only, this time, he replaced his memory with that of brooding on the matter for a long, long time, before deciding that he needed to do it to save the millions of inhabitants of Angaria.

With red eyes that spoke volumes about the pain, sadness, and frustration he was feeling, Daneel walked up to the podium and grabbed it before shouting in his mind, "I'LL DO IT!"

After a brief silence, the Empire Spirit answered.

"Good. I knew I wasn't wrong about you. Now, listen up. This is the plan. About a month from now, the Empire Spirit will begin the process of possession in a location that I will give you. During the possession, both it and your friend will be vulnerable. That is when you must strike. I will secure you entry. After that, it is up to you to find the best moment to strike. It will be quite easy to spot, so don't worry about that. Do you understand? Do you have any questions?"

"Yes, I have one. During that window of opportunity, won't the corporeal body of the Empire Spirit also be vulnerable? Why not target and kill it instead of Faxul?"

"That's a smart question, but sadly, it's not possible. You are the only one whom I can secure entry for. And an Amateur Warrior like you does not have the means to destroy a Ker Root structure in that limited period of time. Trinkets are out of the question, too, as you'll have to go in without any. I've thought about everything, young King. This is the only way."

Although his memories had been edited, Daneel had made sure that he would ask this question by…mind controlling himself.

Hearing the answer, he only sighed and said "All right" before leaving, but after getting back to his quarters, a smile lit up on his face on replaying the answer with his memories intact.

The decision to take the chance with the Empire Spirit had already paid off in a major way, as his plan was almost now concrete.

He had been hoping that the Empire Spirit of Lanthanor's plan would make use of the moment of vulnerability which he needed access to, and it had done just that.

Feeling happy that something was finally going his way, Daneel had a talk with Eloise and Norcet to set up something before heading back to his 'team', who had been toiling day and night in order to cover for him and finish the job.

Eloise had seemed…different, in some way, but Daneel hadn't been able to identify how, and he had had no time to ponder on the issue. Hence, he had only ensured using the system that there was no threat to her life from any source.

After rejoining the team and returning to the Sect, Daneel collected the pay, for work that he hadn't done at all.

However, in the days following that, he worked his ass off.

From morning to night, he would always be doing some job or the other, and often, he took dangerous ones, which paid much more than any scam he could have done.

Time lost all meaning, with Daneel only focusing on job after job, accumulating as many Ker Gems as possible.

The matter with Ashahell had been placed to the side for now, as he needed to finish this first.

Finally, after 27 days, the auspicious time arrived.

On this day, Daneel's haggard face was smiling as he checked all his pockets, making sure that he had everything.

Without further ado, using another team mission, he set off on a small but very important detour before heading to the Kingdom of Lanthanor, and when he arrived, he went straight to the Empire Spirit.

When he grasped it, it asked, "Ready?"

For once, Daneel had all of his memories intact, so he was tempted to say, "More ready than I'll ever be" with a hopeful tone.

However, he was setting off on a sad mission to kill his best friend.

So, to suit the atmosphere, Daneel said "Yes," in a pained voice.

Yet, this atmosphere was completely broken when the Empire Spirit replied in a hesitant voice.

"Good. So…I need you to let me possess you. Only for a brief moment, I promise."

As Daneel heard this, he couldn't help but curse inwardly, finding the first wrench in his plan that had been going smoothly till now.

Really, what the f*ck? How the hell am I supposed to believe that it'll only be for a brief moment, huh? You think I'm a kid?!

Chapter 466: Possession 1

This 'just the tip' situation really stymied Daneel, but the Empire Spirit continued.

"Look. I know that you don't trust me. I am actually glad that that is the case. It shows me that you are someone cautious. But I really don't have a choice here. I need you to believe me. My method of securing entry for you is that I will pretend that I turned, just like the Black Raven Empire Spirit. After turning, I will claim that I managed to take control of you, as you are, after all, a once in a century talent. You rapidly used the technique I gave you and mastered it, so I managed to complete the possession very fast. In reality, the technique I gave you has no such backdoor, unlike the one the Black Raven Empire Spirit gave your friend. Again, I can't make you believe that, but that isn't important right now. What's crucial is this chance. The Black Raven Empire Spirit will believe this and let you in, as I'll be claiming that I'm there to protect it during its possession."

Daneel pondered on this for a few moments, before a question occurred to him.

"If this was your plan all along, why didn't you choose to deceive me that there really was a way to save Faxul, so that you could kill Faxul using my body yourself after entering its abode?"

This made the Empire Spirit chuckle, before it replied in an amused voice.

"That's quite cunning of you to think that up. But, that isn't possible. Temporary Voluntary Possession, which is what I'm going to do, will result in you still retaining the power to push me out using sheer will. If you see me using your body to kill your best friend, you would rebel, which would reveal everything to the Black Raven Empire Spirit and result in the entire plan being wasted. You must do it yourself, King. There is no other way. This is why I told you about this on that day, so that you could make a decision."

Again, Daneel was caught in a dilemma regarding whether he should trust this Empire Spirit or not.

Repeatedly, he was getting the feeling that everything it was saying made sense, and that he would be foolish to ignore it just to be too cautious.

However, Daneel needed proof.

So, after thinking hard, he got an idea.

"System, can it be identified whether the Empire Spirit is using a Temporary Voluntary Possession technique like it said, or a permanent one, like the one used on the Crazy King?"

[Affirmative. Possession is an advanced form of Mind Control. Due to system being in possession of the Hero-level Mind Control spell, system is capable of this task, as the same data can be used to check. Data collected by observing the target 'Crazy King' will also be used.]

That was good news. So, Daneel asked the most crucial question.

"If the Empire Spirit is attempting the latter after I give permission, is it possible for me to throw off the attempt and escape?"

[Negative. Host will be in a state of semi-slumber after giving permission, so this is not possible.]

Hearing this, Daneel frowned, but he felt like cursing the system after that when it continued, almost as if it had a sense of wit with which it was playing with Daneel.

[However, this can be ensured using a pre-programmed protocol to close off the consciousness and cancel the attempt if a Full Possession is detected.]

Of course-he had already used the pre-programming function of the system to excellent effect, and it seemed that it was going to help him again.

So, with this back up in hand, Daneel was much more agreeable to the Empire Spirit's plan.

Yet, he couldn't show that, so he acted as if he were very frustrated.

He first walked around the room with his face set in deep thought, before even banging on the walls, as if he was torn regarding a very, very critical decision.

Finally, satisfied with the frustration and hopelessness he had shown, Daneel walked up to the podium with a resigned look on his face and said, "Fine. It seems I don't have a choice, anyway."

"You won't regret it, Young King. Perhaps, with this, you will see that I mean you no harm, and that everything I've told you is the truth. I will begin right away. When you feel a prick in your mind as if you were being poked by a needle, please do not resist."

Nodding, Daneel took a deep breath and closed his eyes after confirming that the protocol was active.

Soon enough, he felt the prick, and although every fiber of his being told him that he should resist, Daneel relinquished all his defenses with great difficulty.

Slowly, he started to get sluggish, after which he felt a foreign presence in his mind.

Frankly, this made him feel…violated.

As he tried to push away this feeling of disgust, he slowly started to lose control of his limbs, one by one.

The sensations remained, but he could no longer move them with a thought.

This was followed by his heart, his organs, his throat, and finally: his face.

Daneel was now a passenger in his body: he could see everything, hear everything and feel everything, but he was not the one in control.

"Young King, shall we proceed? Notice that at any time, you can take back control. Why don't you try it now? Try to control yourself again."

Nodding but not feeling his head move(which was a very strange and horrifying feeling), Daneel willed himself to take back his body.

There was a small struggle, after which something seemed to give way.

Instantly, he could move again and do everything else again, but that foreign presence was still there.

"Now I am trapped with you, instead of the other way round. This is very dangerous, you know, for this exact reason. Anyway, let's go. It is time."

….

Meanwhile, in the cave behind the waterfall where Faxul had first come into contact with the Black Raven Empire Spirit.

Flying here with the Protector Raven again instead of teleporting, Faxul alighted on the ground and put his hand on the head of the Protector Raven.

These past few weeks had been fully filled with training and handling court matters, such as the deal to unify trade that was progressing briskly, and a few other requests that had been sent to him from Lanthanor for approval.

Today was the day. Today, he was going to break through to the Warrior level here, and he would be surprising his best friend with a means which they could probably use to grow strong enough to protect this continent, together.

This thought sounded great in his head, but day by day, as this date approached, Faxul had been feeling as if something was leaving him.

He had been using the technique to obtain power using Ravens, and each time, the feeling of digesting that globule of Energy was so addicting that it was almost like a drug.

Now, as he laid his hand on the glossy feathers of the Protector Raven and leaned his head on it, he felt as if he were saying…goodbye?

What? Why would he be doing that? No, he must be mistaken.

However strongly his mind persisted in making him think that everything was fine, it was as if something inside him knew that soon, everything was going to change, and not in a good way.

Only, that something was powerless to do anything.

With the gait of one walking to their death, Faxul and the Protector Raven entered the cave together this time.

According to the technique, this final step to the Warrior level and beyond needed him to use it on the Protector Raven, but it needed to be in the presence of the source of technique, as this was a dangerous step that would require the 'help' of the source to finish smoothly.

Entering, Faxul noticed that the podium was nowhere to be seen.

Looking around with puzzlement, he noticed that there was a path leading inwards.

Following it with the Protector Raven beside him, Faxul came upon a large, open area with stalagmites and stalactites filling the ceiling, which was illuminated with a soft glow.

The sight was beautiful and serene. There was even a calm lake to the side, where Faxul could see a few fish swimming around, minding their own business.

The only incongruence in this sight was the stone podium, which was perched in the center of the open area at an angle.

Before, the podium's base had been hidden underneath a few rocks, but now, he could see that it seemed as if it had been broken off quite crudely.

In a few spots, Faxul could notice thick branch-like structures of a dark red, almost black material, that seemed to be faintly glowing.

While he took all this in, he walked to the podium and put his hands on it without even thinking about why he was doing it.

His mind told him that it was just the natural thing to do.

"Wise King! You have progressed far with the technique, but it is time that you took the final step! From now on, a new age will unfold with you at the helm! Let us-"

"Hey, old bird. I beat you all those ages ago at each and every game the Empire held. Did you really think that you could beat me at this?"

As these words echoed in the open cave, a figure appeared at the entrance through which Faxul had just walked through.

The figure's hand was raised, holding the neck of the Crazy King who seemed to have been incapacitated without even landing a single blow.

His regal clothing that made him look like he had a Dragon perched on his shoulder only served to accentuate his Royal air, which was coupled with an expression of one who was like a force of nature: something that no one could stop.

"Long time no see, old bird. Now, were you fond of this mutt? Or can I snap his neck?"

As the crazy King's eyes widened due to the possibility that this man seemed crazier than him, Faxul's jaw dropped as he realized something.

This…was not his friend!

Chapter 467: Possession 2

As this realization swept through Faxul's mind, an ancient voice reverberated through the cave.

"Drakos. So you finally turned? Humph, took you long enough. I can just imagine what our Emperor must be feeling from above when he sees that even his most trusted general has become 'lost'. That's how he would put it. I call it becoming 'awakened'. Welcome to our circle, and congratulations for being the first to succeed. I guess that it is because of the exceptional talent of that King? And spare that mutt. I still have use for him."

"Humph."

Squeezing slightly and cutting off the air of the crazy king, Daneel, or Drakos, as he had been called, watched on as the man's face became purple before fainting.

Throwing him to the side as if he were garbage, Drakos walked forward before conjuring a throne that seemed to be made of dragons.

At the arms, the legs and even the back, ferocious dragons with realistic expressions could be seen, giving off a vibe of splendid, yet dangerous glory.

Idly taking a seat and putting one hand under his chin, Drakos answered.

"You guessed right. His talent was his undoing. Now, get on with it. I'll make sure there are no interferences. After you're done, we can discuss the future of this continent."

"What's there to discuss? I'll just share the Church's help with you. What use is breaking free from the constraints of our prison with so much difficulty just to perish in a few hundred years? Besides, it'll be easier to hand over Angaria on a plate to them if there are two of us. All right, I shall begin."

As the voice replied in this way, a change began to come over Faxul, whose hands seemed to be glued to the podium at the center of the open cave.

Faxul, on the other hand, had just had the Mind Control lifted.

Everything was already over! Right now, there was no more meaning in concealing the truth from him. Soon, he would just be a trapped consciousness that would slowly go crazy with time, stuck in an eternal prison that was his own body.

As soon as he had seen his friend's body being controlled by someone, he had understood that something was gravely wrong, and that was when the veil had been lifted.

In a flash, all of it became clear to him: from his failed attempt at contacting Daneel, to the forced Mind Control spell that took effect on him due to the crazy man.

Of course, at that moment, all the thoughts that had been crushed due to the Mind Control spell also stood out in his memory. With growing horror, Faxul viewed all of those times when his gut had told him that what he was doing was wrong, but it had been strangled and thrown to the side where it could no longer be viewed, so that Faxul would still carry forward with his goal.

All this time, he had just been fattening himself up, just like a sheep before the slaughter. The Black Raven Empire Spirit wanted someone as close to the Warrior level as possible, so he had been doing just that: growing in power, so that it could reap the rewards.

The whole thing about stepping to the Warrior level itself had been false! It had all been just a ruse for him to arrive here today, when the Black Raven Empire Spirit recovered, so that he could be possessed.

As for his friend, the same fate had clearly befallen him, too.

At this moment, Faxul felt…pity, towards himself.

From ever since he could remember, he had just been a burden to Daneel. Discounting the minimal and forgettable help he had done for him, he had just been someone who held on to his coattails while being shown the world.

Even his revenge couldn't have been possible without Daneel. Although he, himself, had played a large part, he knew that he would definitely be dead without his best friend.

Once, just once, he had been looking forward to it being the other way around. He would help Daneel, and they could do something together.

Alas, it seemed that fate only wanted to show him the heavens while dooming him to hell.

As he involuntarily started to lose control of his body, Faxul fought with all high might to no avail.

It was as if the world's strongest drug had been injected in him. Try as he might, he couldn't shake the foggy state that was chasing him.

Soon enough, he was half-asleep, and his body was no longer in his control.

A shiny, black glow enveloped his body, and it connected to the podium, covering it too.

The black glow over the podium seemed to…coalesce, turning into something solid while it started to move toward Faxul.

At the same time, in the exposed spots through where the branch-like structures could be seen, their glow stopped, leading them to become dull.

"Go now! It's time!"

As the Empire Spirit, or Drakos, as he had been called, shouted this in his mind, Daneel immediately regained control of his body.

All this while, he had been watching and observing while his body had been controlled.

He had noticed and learned many things, but it was time now to carry out his plan and save Faxul.

Teleportation had already been sealed inside the cave, so the only option was to run forward.

The whole show with the crazy king before had been to make sure that he wouldn't interfere at this moment.

As the throne disappeared underneath him, Daneel took a step forward before pushing off on it and running toward his friend.

However, suddenly, a low laugh appeared in the cave.

"Hahahahaha! I knew it, Drakos! You never were good at scheming, what with all the high and mighty attitude you had! Did you think I would be so foolish as to trust you if you randomly appeared and said that you had turned? Did you think I would be so foolish as to leave the one vulnerability in this process unprotected? You fool!"

As soon as the statement which was spoken in a confident, scoffing voice ended, a circular, transparent barrier appeared around Faxul's body, shielding him from all harm.

Inside Daneel's mind, Drakos started to panic.

"No! This can't be! He should have trusted me! That's a Hero-level barrier! We are all…doomed!"

In this moment of hopelessness, instead of being forlorn or despondent, Daneel actually…smiled.

In his mind, he said, "Oh, shut up with your dramatics, and just watch. THIS is how you scheme against someone."

As Drakos shut up with shock, Daneel leaped forward, covering that last distance between himself and his target in one go.

"You fool! It's useless! Nothing can get through that barrier! Nothing! NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! ARE YOU MAD?!"

Initially, the Black Raven Empire Spirit scoffed even more, seeing the young King of Lanthanor leap to 'save' his friend even though there was no chance at all of him breaching the barrier and harming him, in order to put an end to the possession.

However, that gloating turned into terrified panic, when after reaching the spot where the stone podium and Faxul were, the King of Lanthanor ignored his best friend and clasped his hands around the stone podium with a vice-like grip.

In a smooth motion, he lifted the podium up before banging it down the ground.

BOOOMMMMMM!

In an instant, the floor caved in, resulting in Daneel, the stone podium and Faxul free-falling for a few seconds before landing in another cave that seemed to have been excavated not long ago.

All the while, Faxul's body flopped lifelessly along with the stone podium as if he had been glued to it.

In a practiced motion, as soon as they were close to the ground, Daneel used the podium to cushion his fall and roll forward.

He didn't need to worry about Faxul at all, as he was being protected quite efficiently by the barrier.

After the roll, he thrust his hands forward, letting go of the podium and watching it fly through the air before it landed in a square pool in the floor.

SPLASH!

As some of the liquid inside it, which was grey and glowing with a few specks that looked like silver stars floating around, flew out and fell on the cave's floor, the stone podium became completely submerged, sinking to the bottom while taking Faxul along with it.

Standing up on seeing this sight, Daneel dusted his hands, happy that the pitching skills he had learned yesterday had served him well.

If Drakos, the Empire Spirit had a mouth, he would definitely be frothing at it right now with shock, while he moved his jaw up and down with a confused expression, wondering when the heck this 'kiddo', as he had once called him, had set all this up.

With confident strides, Daneel walked to the pool with the thick, grey liquid before raising his palms and putting them over it.

Instantly, the stars in the liquid seemed to grow brighter, as they started to absorb the now-vulnerable Energy present inside the ancient Ker Roots in the stone podium.

"B-but this is a lost formula that only the most talented of Champions can use! H-how are you-"

That voice from before interrupted Drakos's sputtering query in Daneel's head.

"YOU FOOL! YOU SCHEMED WELL, BUT YOU COULD NOT HAVE KNOWN THAT-"

"That you will temporarily raise that crazy King to become a Hero-level mage, before using him to cast Hero-level Mind Control spells all over again, just like when you escaped from the Withering Leaf Sect after making their Heroes kill each other?"

Right on cue, the crazy King who had been made to faint woke up like a robot and headed to this inner cave.

However, Daneel's response had made the Black Raven Empire Spirit sputter, but it regained its confidence the next second.

"So what if you know? You cannot defend against it! The only way to defend is if you know a Mind Control spell yourself! Even if Drakos gave you one now, you're just a puny Amateur Warrior! You can never hope to face against one cast by a Hero-level mage alone!"

"Who said I was alone?"

Saying this, Daneel raised one corner of his lips before casting a simple spell to make his voice much, much louder.

At this instant, a hint of the regal air that belonged to that Emperor seemed to emanate from him.

Taking a deep breath, he shouted.

"PEOPLE OF LANTHANOR! HEED MY CALL! COME TO MY AID!"

"FOR KING DANEEL! ONWARD! ONWARD!"

As the sound of 1000 people rushing into the vicinity of the waterfall and the cave began to be heard around them, Daneel spoke in his mind.

"Activate Ruler's Inheritance: Second Layer."

[Activating. 10x Amplified Spells ready to be deployed.]

Chapter 468: Possession 3

1000 people.

Soldiers, merchants, farmers, citizens.

Different vocations, different lives.

All: united with one cause.

To rise and help their King, who had done so much for them.

One month ago, they had been contacted covertly by Eloise to move gradually into the Black Raven Kingdom under the guise of setting up the uniform trade route which would unite the two Kingdoms in trade.

Permission had been obtained from Faxul, who hadn't suspected anything because this was a plan that had been in place for a long time.

In turn, the Black Raven Empire Spirit had also not been alerted to anything.

Even now, this contingent had just 'happened' to be passing through this forest while being disguised by a Warrior-level trinket, just in case.

So, when they suddenly rushed in, both Drakos and the Black Raven Empire Spirit could only watch with dazed expressions, which would have been visible if they had faces.

"FOR KING DANEEL!"

"DEATH TO THE ENEMIES! DEAAATHHHHH!"

"FOR LANTHANOR!"

Various slogans, all with a singular passion that could only be born for a true King who cared for his citizens.

As the cacophony of 1000 voices assaulted Daneel's mind, he felt as if his head had been hit by a truck.

Subject to a throbbing pain unlike any he had ever experienced in his life, Daneel was almost at the state where he might take the decision to just rip off his own head in order to get rid of it.

Thankfully, he had prepared for this.

Gritting his teeth so hard that blood appeared from his mouth, Daneel spit out one sentence in his mind.

"Begin pre-programmed scenario."

[Activating pre-programmed scenario.

Identifying target.

Target found 458 meters north-east of host.

Target is at an elevation of 645 meters and closing in fast on host.

Waiting for target to reach optimal location.

Target has reached the optimal location.

Launching 10x amplified restriction spell.

Objective: Repeatedly cast amplified spells threatening the mage root of target so that his Hero-level Mind Control cannot be utilized without dying, while also using host's own 10x amplified Hero-level Mind Control to combat target's attempts.

Executing.]

BOOM!

While the system rattled off its actions inside Daneel's head, a gigantic hand which was at least 20 meters in length and 10 meters in width had appeared in the cave before slamming into the crazy King who had just descended to attack his target.

The hand was cut off at the wrist, and although it looked like it was made of stone, the truth was that it comprised of various elementary particles that enabled high strength while also allowing the welder to use it as comfortably as his own hand.

This was the Champion level spell Daneel had learned during his foray in the Sect of Hedon: God Hand.

The name was quite ambitious, but it couldn't be denied that thoughts about deities really did appear in one's mind when seeing such an awe-inducing weapon of destruction.

Each finger of the hand could change into any element as required, and when someone was caught in their grasp, they would also deploy a space-locking spell, although that wasn't required in this situation.

In many ways, it was very similar to the invincible Dragon claws conjured by the core-formation of the Kingdom of Lanthanor, which had made Daneel think that the Dragon-claw might be a more advanced application of God Hand.

The crazy king's eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was twisted into one of madness. No semblance of either personality from before was left: instead, there was only the desire to bathe in Daneel's blood after controlling his mind.

Alas, it seemed that he would never have his wish.

As soon as the God Hand slammed into the crazy King's body, an insanely strong Mind Control spell struck his mind, making him use the Hero-level mage powers he had been granted to just defend himself without moving any closer to his goal.

"Yeargh!"

Shouting with frustration, the crazy King threw off the Mind Control attack using his own. Although the spell had been amplified by 10 times, it was still not an equal match to one cast by a true-blue Hero mage.

After handling the more dire threat, he cast a simple unraveling spell to take care of the God Hand in the most efficient way possible.

However, just as he was about to leap forward once again, 2 more God Hands came into being, pommeling toward him in his path, along with a thick bolt of lightning-fire that had ultimate destructive properties.

As if that wasn't enough, he was also inundated by another prick in his mind, which meant that his opponent had launched another Mind Control attack.

Feeling vaguely as if something similar to this had happened before, the crazy King, or more accurately, the Black Raven Empire Spirit which was controlling it had to set time aside once again, lest the mage root of its host be destroyed, which would mean that its last hope of escaping its predicament would be gone.

How?! How the hell had this brat who wasn't even as old as the moss on its side set up such an immaculate plan which was being executed so well?

How had he managed to master the Ruler's Inheritance to such a high degree that he was able to have enough strength to keep his trump card at bay?

Even as the Black Raven Empire Spirit asked itself these questions, it felt its consciousness getting sluggish, as a feeling of weakness had started to spread through it.

It was as if something was being…sucked away from it.

When the Black Raven Empire Spirit turned its gaze to the pool it was submerged in, it noticed that the depths which had been murky after its arrival had started to acquire a glow, with light emanating from everywhere.

WHAT?!

Even if he was fighting at such a dizzyingly high level that was beyond him, he was still maintaining the spell to extract energy from the Ker Roots present in its corporeal body?

What was he, a machine? How the hell was he doing all this?

If it had known that its guess had been pretty close, it would have been pretty damn surprised.

The system was carrying out all the attacks meticulously like a machine, while maintaining the spell on the pool of liquid.

All Daneel had to do was handle the voices in his head from the 1000 Lanthanorians who were still marching to his exact location, but this was easier said than done.

When the Black Raven Empire Spirit turned its attention to the King of Lanthanor expecting a cool image of someone who had everything under his control, it was quite surprised to see him kneeling on the ground, holding his head with both hands and screaming soundlessly, as if he was close to going mad at any moment.

Yes! He wasn't managing the side-effects of the Ruler's Inheritance very well!

This was its chance!

There was a very precarious balance that was being maintained right now, what with the attacks from the King of Lanthanor and the attempts to close the distance by the Crazy King.

If it could just introduce a small factor to tip the scale in its favor…it would win!

Instantly, the Black Raven Empire Spirit was reminded of the Protector Raven, which was lying upstairs, unconscious, as it had decided that the Raven might interfere if it saw its master coming under someone's control.

It also had a Mind Control spell on the intelligent beast, which had enabled it to bring the kid to this place that first time. However, it couldn't control both with its limited power right now. Yet, a workaround could be found for that easily.

Yes! This would work!

Without hesitation, and without dumbly proclaiming its intentions to alert its opponent, the Black Raven Empire Spirit chose a moment when the crazy King had just thrown off a Mind Control attack.

Letting him suffer an attack by a God Hand, it shifted its attention to the Protector Raven.

Mind Control only allowed one to control a target when the target was conscious. It wasn't possible for it to magically wake up those who were unconscious, or incapable of doing so.

However, since the unconsciousness of the Protector Beast was induced by the Black Raven Empire Spirit, it was able to command it to wake and attack the King of Lanthanor, in an attempt to foil his plan.

He definitely must not have prepared for this!

With eager anticipation, the Black Raven Empire Spirit watched as the Protector Raven stood before jumping forward and leaping down to enter the cave.

Still clutching his head in his hands, the King of Lanthanor seemed oblivious to his surroundings, as he did nothing to defend himself even when the Protector Raven entered the inner cave and headed toward him to run him through with its sharp beak.

It had held in its glee at outsmarting its opponent till now, but at this moment, where the beak of the Protector Raven was just about to end this whole farce, the Back Raven Empire Spirit decided to speak with euphoric joy.

"DESPAIR! HOW DARE YOU THINK THAT YOU COULD OUTWIT AN EXISTENCE LIKE ME, WHO HAS LIVED FOR THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF YEARS! DIE-wait, what?"

At the last moment before impact, something hidden inside the Protector Raven's mind came into effect, knocking it out and making it skid on the floor harmlessly.

[Backup Disabling Switch placed in Protector Raven by host has been activated.]

This statement was heard in Daneel's mind, but he was too busy trying to keep the voices from devouring him.

However, it seemed as if it was the Black Raven Empire Spirit who seemed like it had had its pride devoured.

In thousands of years, even when it was alive, it had never felt this helpless. This pathetic.

Bully! This guy was just a bully! Here it had just wanted to get out of its prison, and this guy had come along with everything in his grasp! Dammit!

Brought close to tears, the Black Raven Empire Spirit could only ramble like this before deciding to do the last thing it could do in this situation.

"All right, Young King. I admit that you planned everything perfectly. I know that you based my abilities on what you must have found out in the Big 4, through some means. Regardless, there is one thing that I made them think I am incapable of."

Even though Daneel was oblivious, he opened his eyes now a little bit, as he had just managed to more or less reach an equilibrium he could maintain for a few seconds.

So, when he did, he was shocked to see Faxul's upper body emerge from the pool, while the Black Raven Empire Spirit made a proclamation.

"Stop this whole thing, or he dies."

Chapter 469: Possession End

The moment Faxul's upper body emerged from the pool, the crazy King went still, flopping to the ground lifelessly.

[Target found to be incapacitated. Deactivating Ruler's Inheritance as per program.]

As the voices suddenly disappeared, Daneel finally got up from the floor, dusting his knees in the process.

Tasting blood in his mouth, he couldn't help but spit out before wiping the rest away, before looking around and seeing the mayhem that had been wrought when he had been busy trying to ignore the voices.

This waterfall and the cave seemed to have been covered by an impassable barrier for weaker humans, so there was no risk of his citizens marching in and finding this scene. So, Daneel got back to the urgent matter at hand.

The Black Raven Empire Spirit seemed to know just how jarring the Ruler's Inheritance must be, so it had waited silently while Daneel returned to his senses.

However, seeing him look around idly, it couldn't help but feel infuriated, as time was running out for it. Its Energy was being sucked away, and soon, it would have no option but to go into an endless slumber.

Compared to that, anything was fine.

It knew that its corporeal body, the stone podium, was invincible when an active attempt at possession wasn't being made.

So, if worst came to worst, the Black Raven Empire Spirit was prepared to kill this host it had worked so hard to acquire, as the alternative was much more horrifying.

True, it would be trapped in the damn podium for a long, long time again, but that was still better.

Still, it still wanted to make one last-ditch attempt at using the life of this brat's best friend to achieve what it wanted.

"Are you really prepared to see your friend die? At least, if I possess him, he will still be alive. Who knows? In the future, if you grow strong enough, you might find an opportunity to abolish my consciousness and give him back his body. I'm even prepared to be agreeable to that, as I can just shift to a new body then. Think about it, young King. You will not get a better offer. Refuse, and your friend dies. Because of you."

Indeed, Daneel had been dazed after that horrendous experience of having 1000 people inside his head.

If he hadn't broken through to become a Warrior, he would definitely have succumbed and gone mad.

All aspects of a Warrior were upgraded when compared to an Exalted Human, so it only made sense that this had been a deciding factor.

His plan had been going pretty smoothly till now. He had indeed obtained clearer information about exactly what had happened when the Heroes of the Withering Leaf Sect had been killed, so he had been able to program the system to take care of the situation.

Everything had worked out beautifully so far, including the usage of the failsafe he had placed in the Protector Raven when he had cured it of the inability to connect with Faxul.

He hadn't known what situation he would have to use it in, but he had to admit that it had definitely paid off in a large way.

Only, now, it seemed that there was finally a snag.

According to the reports, the Empire Spirit shouldn't be able to control someone without temporarily possessing them, like it had done the crazy King all those years ago.

Both he and the Black Raven Empire Spirit knew that it was a dumb thing to do, as it would just mean that Daneel could use the same method as before to keep Faxul at bay while the solution continued to extract the Energy, as it would still be vulnerable during a temporary possession. Also, this would result in Faxul becoming crazy again, and the Empire Spirit becoming injured, which might land it in a permanent slumber this time.

So, right now, Daneel found himself a bit flummoxed, but thankfully, his habit of placing failsafes everywhere just in case looked like it would pay off once again.

When Faxul had decided to use that technique of placing a secondary entity inside himself to increase his training speed, Daneel had placed a failsafe through a technique that he had given to him.

Although his friend had stopped using the technique long ago, the failsafe still remained, and using it, he could knock out Faxul just like the Protector Raven so that he could not come to harm.

Feeling very weary due to the exertion he had been through just now, Daneel decided to just end it.

"Young King, I told you that you do not have a lot of time. It is a very reasonable offer. You must consider it."

In the stone podium, there was a certain Energy level that had to be maintained in order to keep its Hero-level consciousness at an active state.

Slowly, that limit was being reached, and after that, the Black Raven Empire Spirit would enter a dormant state that might last till eternity.

So, the Empire Spirit spoke with panic, before using a different form of possession that allowed it to control Faxul and his power, without injecting its own power into him.

This would not result in Faxul going crazy, and neither would it be hurt like before.

In order to hasten the brat further, it made a metallic knife appear in midair using Faxul's mageroot before making it float in front of his chest, point first.

The only vulnerability with this would be that the brat might try to overpower its target, but the Hero-level barrier which was still active took care of that.

Yes! This time, it was definitely going to work! Besides, it was prepared.

Seeing this sight, Daneel nodded decisively while telling the system, "Activate the failsafe inside Faxul."

[Activating]

The King of Lanthanor was just about to sigh in relief due to everything being resolved, but instead, he gawked as he saw nothing happening.

[Hero-level interference detected. Failsafe has failed to activate.]

As this message echoed in Daneel's mind, the Empire Spirit spoke in a gloating tone, and this time, Daneel really did get an expression of slight panic on his face, as he wondered about what he was going to do.

"Hahaha, I was right! You did fool me once, but were you really so naïve to think that it would work a second time? I am a millennia-old Mage, you fool! You caught me off guard then, but I was prepared now! You have no more avenues to explore! Decide! Kill your friend, or save him later! It's an easy choice!"

…

Meanwhile, after being placed in the slumber, Faxul had been watching in a half-asleep state as all the events in the inner cave unfolded.

When he saw his friend regally call on the people of Lanthanor, he had felt himself boiling with excitement and pride.

Yes, this was his friend!

Someone who had risen up from being a commoner to become a King, and who would surely march forward to become an Emperor.

Hell, he could even see hints of that now.

Alas, his fate wasn't anywhere as good.

Along with those feelings, regret and shame had kept washing through Faxul's consciousness.

Again, his friend was here to save him. Again, he was going to live by his grace.

There was nothing wrong about it but…it just seemed so pathetic.

A burden.

That feeling from before returned, and once again, Faxul found himself remembering how he had done nothing, ever, to help Daneel, at least not in a way that was not even close to being compared to what he had done for him.

Useless. That was what he was.

Still, pushing all these feelings aside, Faxul had watched on, and when he saw the Protector Raven almost pierce his friend, he had been so afraid.

Thankfully, the Protector Raven stopped at the last moment, which made Faxul think that his friend really had grown into becoming a perfect planner, or, in this case, schemer.

Although thoughts like these gave him brief moments of brevity, again and again, Faxul couldn't help but return to the bottomless pit of self-pity and regret that he wallowed in.

Once. Just once, he wished he could help Daneel.

He had gotten used to this feeling of not having control of his body at all, but suddenly, when the Empire Spirit took control of him to create that blade, everything changed.

Why did it seem as if…he had felt this before?

Yes! He definitely had!

Back when he had fought off that entity, Faxul had felt like this then.

That feeling of a foreign consciousness invading him, trying to take over everything.

Only, now, that foreign consciousness had succeeded, but Faxul suddenly realized something.

If he tried, he believed that he could take back control, at least for a moment!

Yes, with all those hours spent pushing against that entity, Faxul was confident that he could accomplish this.

However, what use could it be?

While he asked himself this question, the Empire Spirit spoke that statement which finally made the confident expression on Daneel's face crack.

As his closest friend, Faxul could tell that Daneel had finally hit a brick wall. He didn't have a plan to handle this.

Realizing this, Faxul went into a mode of panic, looking for a way to perhaps make his wish of helping his friend come true by using that moment for something.

Hastily, he went through the two options given by the Black Raven Empire Spirit.

The first would mean him dying, and although Faxul didn't want to die as he had so many things left to do, he wouldn't have a say in that matter.

The second meant him being trapped in his own body for a long long time, while he could only watch as the Empire Spirit committed untold and unmeasurable crimes against the people of Angaria.

No! He didn't want that!

Not to mention, in that case, his friend would have to train hard and look for ways to 'save' him again.

Again, he would be a burden to be borne.

No. He was sick of it.

Time seemed to pass slowly in the state he was in, so Faxul thought long and hard about what he should do.

He considered everything, from using that moment of control to have Daneel snatch him away to somehow extricating himself from the barrier in order to help Daneel.

However, he knew that none of them would work.

Only one option remained, and no matter how sad it made Faxul, he chose it with determination.

And when he made that choice, he felt relief and even slight happiness spread through him.

For once, he was going to be useful.

For once, he was not going to be a burden.

And for once, he was going to be…a good friend.

…

Along with the slight panic, Daneel had begun to quickly run through every option in his mind with the system.

Alas, most of them were made moot by that damn barrier, and the others would require time which he didn't have.

In fact, at one point, Daneel even started to consider whether he should agree and let the possession continue. Maybe he could alert the Heroes of the Big 4 and fight with them to stop the Black Raven Empire Spirit. He could definitely find some way to stop him, right?

However, his gut told him that this would be a bad choice, as the damn Empire Spirit had already shown its intelligence. No way it would be foolish enough to fall for such things.

So, what then? He was supposed to let his best friend die?

No, it would be like he was killing him!

The one person who had been with him from the very start. The one who had helped him in every step, while also being a moral and emotional support which Daneel relied on unconsciously.

The one he considered as close as his kin.

How could he do it?

Yes, it might save a lot of people in the long run.

But could he get over the pain that would come from this?

As Daneel's expression started to twist, the Empire Spirit got even more impatient, as the limit had almost been reached. In 12 seconds, it would be sent into the slumber. So, it spoke again, and this time would be the last time.

"Enough. 10 seconds. In 10 seconds, extract me from this solution and be on your way, or your friend dies, and I become invulnerable again. Choose. 10,9,8,7…"

As the countdown began, each number seemed to bombard against Daneel's chest, making his heart beat faster while a tornado seemed to be swirling in his head, making a mess out of his thoughts.

On one side was the survival of Angaria itself, while on the other, was his best friend's life.

'I shouldn't have to make this choice!'

He screamed this in his head, but it was futile. He had to make it, and it had to be now.

"5, 4, 3…"

As the end of the countdown approached, Daneel felt as if he were going mad for real this time.

Just as he was going to make the toughest decision in his life, something changed.

"On-No! How did you-"

Right before the countdown ended, Faxul's eyes, which had been half closed till now, suddenly opened.

Seeing this, Daneel felt as if he had just been struck by thunder.

Those eyes. That expression. That smile.

It was Faxul!

But how did he-

Before he could even voice this question in his mind, Faxul spoke in a voice that was filled with regret, but also…joy.

"Daneel. Thank you for everything. I wish I could repay you many times over, but alas, this is all I can do. Know that I am doing this of my own volition-you are not at fault. I wished to see the day when you would become an Emperor to rule over Angaria. Although my road ends here, I will be watching from above: make sure you accomplish it, and more. Farewell, my friend."

As the last word left Faxul's mouth, he grasped the blade that had been floating in front of his chest and plunged it right into his heart.

At the same moment, the voice of the Black Raven Empire Spirit reverberated in the cave for the last time.

"NO! YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE CAPABLE OF THIS! I WILL NOT BE DRAGGED INTO SLUMBER! I AM THE IMPERIAL BLACK RAVEN OF THE EMPIRE OF ANGARIA! I WILL NOT-"

As Faxul's lifeless body plopped into the pool, the Empire Spirit's voice also got cut off, before the barrier that was around Faxul became deactivated.

Instantly, Daneel flew to the pool in a mindless frenzy as he extracted Faxul's body and grasped him in his arms.

"System, heal him!"

[Target has deceased. Cause: Extensive damage to the heart. System cannot hea-]

"I DON'T CARE! HEAL HIM! NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES!"

[Target has deceased. System is currently incapable of curing such a state.]

"NO! SHUT UP! JUST HEAL HIM!"

As Daneel continued to hug the lifeless corpse of his friend, he kept screaming at the system hysterically.

Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't Faxul have just kept himself alive? WHY?!

Slowly, as his eyes started to turn bloodshot, the rage that had begun to grow inside Daneel started to warp him in irrevocable ways.

However, just as the King of Lanthanor was about to become someone completely different, the Empire Spirit of Lanthanor, Drakos, who had been silent all this while spoke in his head, making him pause and see hope.

"Young King, I have a way to help your friend."

Chapter 470: Drakos

"Young King, I have a way to help your friend."

At first, Daneel didn't want to believe that he had heard right.

He had been in such a pit of hopelessness and despair that if he were given hope and pulled up before being plunged into it again, he didn't even want to think about how he would take it.

Besides, the one who was responsible for his friend dying was from the same lot as the one who had just spoken to him. Even though he claimed that not all of them were evil, Daneel hadn't really been ready at all to believe him.

However, now, after everything that had happened, he couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, Drakos might not be lying.

Or…this could be another scheme to take advantage of him in his darkest moment.

Maybe Drakos's 'help' would require Daneel giving over his own body in some way.

If that was the case, would he be ready to do it?

No, before he made hasty judgments, Daneel decided to at least listen to what the man, or, the Spirit had to say.

Even while pushing down the hope that had been born in him after hearing Drakos's statement, Daneel replied, "How? That knife was carrying a special spacial blade on its edges. His heart and even the organs surrounding it are completely destroyed: mangled into a heap of flesh. He was beyond saving by the moment I touched him. No healing spell that I can cast can do anything, and we both know that you can't cast Hero-level spells now. How can you help? HOW?"

Indeed, after the pause in his descent into darkness that had come about due to Drakos's statement, Daneel had become aware of the facts surrounding his friend's death.

Usually, even if a strong Exalted Human was pierced in the heart by a normal blade, he could be saved by a skilled healer.

However, in this case, to make the threat real, that damn Black Raven Empire Spirit had conjured a special blade that was designed to kill if it managed to hit a vital spot.

If Faxul was a Warrior, maybe there might have been a little chance. Alas, he was only an Exalted Human, so there was nothing the system or Daneel could do.

"You are right, Young King. His body is beyond saving. But the same cannot be said regarding his mind, I mean, his consciousness. His consciousness is lingering in his mind right now, and if we wait for longer than 5 minutes, it will disperse. If you choose to, you can make your friend become someone like us: a Spirit bound to a corporeal object, capable of taking control of a suitable host in the future."

As Daneel heard this, he could only stare into the distance, dumbfounded.

Yes! That was right!

The consciousness was a mystical object that even the system did not seem to completely know about. However, for those from the Empire of Angaria, who had made these things called Empire Spirits, it must be a subject they excelled in.

If Faxul's consciousness could be saved, then there was hope for the future. Daneel was confident of his potential and how far he could go. He knew that if he was given time, he would definitely be able to obtain anything and everything needed for his friend to revive.

With this, the darkness inside him receded even more, but some of it still remained, as if it were still hoping that the hope he had been given was false.

So, Daneel decided to be rude in order to find out clearly whether his suspicions had been right.

"What do you need in return? Possession of my body? Or some process that involves possession of my body?"

"Uh…yes?"

There it was! All of these Empire Spirits were the same! Just like the one that had caused Faxul's death, even this one just wanted to scheme and use any opportunity it had to take control of him!

"I KNEW IT! DAMN YOU EMPIRE-"

As frustration and rage swept over him, Daneel started to shout at the Empire Spirit in his head.

The darkness swept over gleefully to consume him again, but it stopped in its tracks when Drakos spoke, interrupting Daneel.

"Young King, I think you misunderstood. I just need to take control of your body here, just like before, so that I can cast the spell to save your friend's consciousness. You'll still be able to take back control; just like you were able to before. And, oh yes, I need you to take the podium out of that solution quickly, before it becomes too weak to even hold an Exalted Human's consciousness."

As Daneel heard this, his eyes widened, before he hastily cast a spell to lift the podium out of the pool and set it on the ground beside him.

After that, he pursed his lips and actually felt a little embarrassed.

It seemed that he had really jumped the gun here.

However, no one could blame him, as he was quite a bit unhinged due to what had just happened.

"The sooner the spell is cast, the lesser the chance of there being damage to the consciousness. I suggest you hurry, Young King, and I'm doing that out of good will, so that we can better help your friend. Not to hasten you so that you can take a decision that would benefit me."

Hearing this, the King of Lanthanor didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He could hear chagrin in the tone of Drakos, which apparently stemmed from being screamed at even though he just wanted to help Daneel.

"I apologize. Please proceed."

Daneel's hesitation and doubt before had been that Drakos might want to do something that would involve taking Faxul to his own corporeal body before giving instructions that might involve more of himself coming into Daneel.

However, if it was the case that everything could be done right here, then Daneel didn't have to worry anymore.

After all, he had already been possessed like that once, and he was 100% confident that he could get out of it easily.

So, he didn't hesitate anymore to apologize and ask Drakos to go on.

"Good. Now, brace yourself, and relinquish your defenses once again."

As Daneel nodded, he went through the same experience as before when the control of his body had gone over to Drakos.

After the process was done, Drakos let go of Faxul's body before getting up and walking to the podium.

Touching it and closing his eyes, he said under his breath, "Old bird, you always did like to fly too high, too confident in your power and wit. Look where that got you. Of all the Imperial Beasts, you were the first to slip into endless slumber. However that may be, you were once my comrade, so I offer a prayer to you. May you be released from the slumber as soon as possible."

Imperial Beasts?

Right…hadn't the Black Raven Empire Spirit referred to itself as the Imperial Black Raven?

Did that mean that…

As Drakos started to cast a spell, Daneel's stopped that line of thought and focused on Faxul's body, as a change had just come over it.

Daneel's left hand was touching the stone podium, while his right hand was raised, with his palm pointing at Faxul.

The moment Drakos began casting his spell, Daneel was amazed at the way he handled the elementary particles.

Mages usually coaxed, prodded and poked elementary particles into doing their bidding to become formations that would result in spells.

However, Drakos didn't need to do any of that.

With a touch here, and a touch there, he would make the elementary particles flow naturally into the formations he desired.

Even the complexity of the formations was dizzying- far beyond the level of anything Daneel had ever seen.

Slowly, a hue started to form around Faxul's mind, which was what Daneel had noticed before.

As that hue began to grow brighter, Daneel could see that something seemed to be dissipating from Faxul's head before it was absorbed by that hue.

This something was like a white mist, but it seemed so alive. It frolicked in the air, moving side to side as if it were intelligent before finally being absorbed.

With each absorption, the hue grew brighter until finally, the light around Faxul's head was so bright that Daneel, or Drakos, who had turned Daneel's head toward Faxul, had to squint his eyes lest he be blinded.

This seemed to be some signal, as Drakos changed the spell and made the hue form a globe before traveling in the air toward the podium.

At this point, Daneel's mageroot started to hurt, as it was already very taxed due to the fight before.

Ignoring the pain, Drakos persisted, not pausing at all until the white, shining globe came into contact with the podium after which it was instantly sucked away, causing darkness to once again befall their surroundings.

The next moment, Daneel felt control of his body being returned to him, which made him squint his eyes to adjust them to the light.

"It's done. This stone podium now contains both the consciousnesses of that old bird and your friend. The old bird's consciousness is at Hero level, and as the level of Energy inside the podium cannot support him, he can only sleep and remain in a dormant state. Your friend, however, will be up in a few hours. It will be very jarring and confusing for him, so you must be prepared to ease him into his present state."

As Daneel heard Drakos speak, he realized that he sounded weary, as if something had been taken out of him.

Yet, in his state of worry for his friend, Daneel ignored that and asked, "It's really done? He will live on in the consciousness form? And if he finds a host, he can inhabit him to live again?"

"Yes, Young King. This is a very effective way to cheat death. Hence, it was always guarded as the heirloom spell of the Empire of Angaria. Many wars have been fought to defend it, and many lives have been lost. Yet, the Emperor instructed it to use it for those who showed potential. That should show how much he valued you."

Daneel couldn't believe it. No, he was too scared to.

Yet, the notification from the system confirmed it.

[Target Faxul's consciousness has been shifted to the Ker Root structure. This deduction can be made from the data that was collected on analyzing the two Empire Spirits that host has come into contact with.

No damage has been detected.

Complexity of spell observed is beyond system's complexity. Please upgrade the system to analyze.

Complexity of spell model/inheritance observed is beyond system's complexity. Please upgrade the system to analyze.]

Daneel was almost ready to believe it, but he decided that he would wait till he heard from Faxul personally before completely letting himself feel relief.

So, to pass the time, he decided to ask Drakos about the thought that had appeared to him before.

"Thank you. Oh, yes, I heard you refer to yourselves as Imperial Beasts? So the Black Raven Empire Spirit once served the Emperor? Does that mean…"

"Yes, that does mean that I am the Dragon who served by his side. It is my heart which you see every time you enter your chambers. Pleased to meet you. Now, instead of wasting time, why don't you use that pool and become a Peak Warrior before its efficacy is lost?"

Chapter 471: Soaring to the Peak

"Uh…ok?"

Daneel honestly didn't know what to say to reply to such a statement.

So that enormous Dragon heart that graced his sight every day in his chambers belonged to this guy?

He couldn't even begin to imagine why that was, and what other connotations this information meant.

For example, did all the Empire Spirits comprise of the Imperial Beasts?

If so, what beast was the one that was supposed to be there in Axelor?

At least in the Black Raven Kingdom and Lanthanor, there was a clear indication about what beast it could be. Even for the Hidden Kill Sect, it could be supposed that the Empire Spirit was a Basilisk. But what about the others?

Regardless, Drakos was right in one thing. The efficacy of the pool was wasting away by the second while Daneel idly stood here discussing historical matters.

But wait…how did the guy know about this in the first place?

Oh, yes, he had mentioned it before…but did that mean that he knew about Daneel's secret, the system?

This was Daneel's most valuable trump card, and if anyone got wind of it, he was sure that the entire continent would be after him.

So, with a hesitant tone, he asked, "How do you know about it?"

As if the ancient dragon could sense the slight panic in the King of Lanthanor's voice, he chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Young King. I know that you have some Inheritance, or some means which is somehow allowing you to utilize the complexity of a Peak Champion even though you are only an Amateur Warrior. It makes sense, in fact. Maybe this was what you used to accomplish many of your incredible feats. Regardless, it is yours, and I will never ask about it, nor speak about it to anyone. Such Inheritances actually aren't completely rare: it was said that the Emperor was in possession of one, but no one knows for sure. Anyway, this solution's roots can be derived from the Empire, where we perfected it to be used to save time if someone was truly talented- like you. The drawbacks of cutting off the path forward only came to be because of the lower efficacy of the Ker Roots from the present age. You have already overcome that limitation. Now, go. Become a Peak Warrior before your friend wakes up. With the original Ker Root's usage, even the time has shortened enough that one wouldn't require to soak in the solution for months at a time. Of course, remember, you must submerge your head if you wish to advance as a Mage, too. Typically…"

"Umm…wouldn't it be better if I start, first?"

Daneel couldn't help but interrupt the ancient Dragon, as he was going on and on with no end in sight.

It seemed that eloquence seemed to be a habit for him, and as he heard Daneel interrupt him in this way, he sheepishly said, "Oh, yes, yes, go on. We can talk later. Go."

Nodding, Daneel jumped into the pool without hesitation.

It was a very strange liquid: Daneel felt as if he were wading through mud, and the stars that were floating in the solution constantly blinded him. His skin felt as if it were being set ablaze, and his head, especially the spot in the center of his forehead, felt like it was burning furiously.

Dammit, why did it always have to be a burning pain?!

As Daneel complained in this way, he ordered the system to activate the spell to let him breathe even though he was submerged.

After that was done, Daneel sank to the bottom and sat with his legs folded, as if he were some hermit who hadn't bothered to move when a flood passed through his abode.

With each second, the pain grew, but it was offset by a wonderful feeling inside Daneel's body.

It felt as if…each cell of his body was being rejuvenated and reborn into a higher state, which would allow them to hold and output so much more Energy.

As for his Mageroot, it constantly expanded, letting him reach complexity levels that he could only dream of before alone.

The larger a Mageroot, the more complexity it could handle: this was a fact that made Daneel think of the RAM in computers from his home planet.

Distracting himself with idle thoughts like these, Daneel tried not to focus, which helped him to avoid growing crazy from the pain.

Slowly, his clothes got burned off, as if they stood no chance even though they were supposed to be strong enough to defend a blow from a Warrior.

"Maybe you can distract yourself if I speak? The pain you are feeling right now is because of the speeding up of the natural process of growing in power slowly to become a Peak Warrior. In fact, using Ker Roots for this purpose was frowned upon in the age of the Empire, as a lot of the Energy in the Ker Root is wasted in the process. Instead, a Champion absorbing that Energy would be much better off. Also, those whose Mageroots were expanded, making them capable of higher complexity but not having a very strong grasp of the interaction between Elementary Particles, as would be expected from someone of their level, would have a difficult time taking the step toward becoming a Champion as that step involves the understanding of…"

"IT'S NOT HELPING! SHU-! I MEAN, PLEASE BE QUIET!"

On one side, Daneel was busy trying not to let the pain get to him, but when he focused on the words from Drakos, it seemed as if the pain doubled in intensity.

So, he could only shout like this to stop the man.

After a brief silence, another sheepish reply was heard in Daneel's head.

"Um…sorry about that. It was really lonely these past few thousand years, you know, having only myself and the limited bits of intelligence stored in the podium to talk to. Makes me understand why the others went crazy. Yes, I'll stay quiet."

Oh, great.

Now he felt sorry for the guy.

Was he the villain here? Stopping a poor old ma-, no, Dragon from speaking his heart out after having been trapped inside a stone block for millennia?

Ok, whatever the case was, right now, Daneel needed to concentrate and not let the pain invade his mind.

So, resolved to apologize later, Daneel adopted the tactic he had learned during that fight in the Hidden Kill Sect where he had traveled to the very depths of the hell that was pain.

Ignore it, like it was a buzzing bee in his ears.

Of course, the more the intensity was, the more difficult it became to do this.

However, that feeling of rebirth in his body, and especially at his forehead, made it so much easier to endure, just like the motivation then to obtain that Inheritance.

As the seconds ticked by, Daneel became more and more like a worm that had entered into a cocoon and would soon emerge as a glorious butterfly.

No matter how much he felt like giving up and rising to the surface, he endured, knowing that he had to do this.

Finally, 5 hours later, a notification that sounded oh so good sounded in his ear.

[Host's body has reached Peak Exalted Warrior level. Host's Mageroot had already reached Peak Exalted Warrior level 45 minutes ago.]

Splash!

Not even willing to spend a second more in this damn burning pool of fire, Daneel leaped out before landing on the ground haphazardly.

If any of his citizens saw him now, they would definitely not recognize him.

He was lying stark naked on the ground, but the main difference was his skin.

Instead of the skin of a Warrior who had been through trials and training, thus tanning and scarring himself, Daneel's skin looked as if he were a baby who had just been born.

Toward the end, Daneel had been very close to just saying 'F*ck it' and giving up, as it had really become unbearable. To put it in perspective, it had felt as if someone had cut him into tiny little pieces before roasting each part, eating it and then digesting it in acid, all while he was still feeling every sensation.

It was a very gruesome thought, but there was no better way to explain it.

Power really did not come easily to those who sought it.

Coughing, the King of Lanthanor got up and dressed himself using a spell to conjure clothes using his Paragon prowess.

Using his knees for support, he took a deep breath before finally getting up and asking the system to show him his status.

[Host status updating. Please standby.

Host status:

Host Fighter Level: Warrior-9(100%)

Host Mage Level: Warrior-9(100%)

Host Body Potential: A+

Host Comprehension Level: S

Host Condition: Fatigued]

Finally!

Daneel could never have expected that he would be able to cross the chasm that was the Warrior level in this manner, in just one go.

Unable to control himself, he whooped in the air.

Boom!

A sonic boom was heard, while his punch in the air which had been casual actually caused the wall in its path to be damaged, resulting in him being showered by a mound of dirt.

Oh, yes. He was a Peak Exalted Warrior now, and he would have to adjust himself to that power, lest more mishaps like these happen.

Still, the incredible way in which his body moved so smoothly and the amazing clarity and quickness of thoughts in his mind were intoxicating, making him feel that it was all worth it.

"Bleuh…dhals….wuijf…wjef"

With his reverie interrupted by strange sounds, Daneel looked around before focusing on the crumpled figure of the Crazy King.

Puzzled, he walked to him, and when he saw that the lax expression of the man who was drooling from one corner of his mouth while making unintelligible noises, he understood vaguely what had happened.

"Congratulations on being just one step away from becoming a Champion! As for this King, it is regrettable. Being controlled like that by the old bird again has driven him completely crazy."

Nodding, Daneel felt sad for the man, whose only downfall had been his ambition.

However, turning to the side, as the image of the podium came into his sight, he got an idea.

Even though his spirit was completely broken, why not at least allow his body to once again be a King and rule his people?

Chapter 472: Faxul's Rebirth

Pain.

Horrendous, soul-tearing, mind-numbing pain.

The moment Faxul plunged that knife into his chest, that was what he had felt.

The feeling of having one's organs destroyed inch by inch by a force that just wanted to turn everything it passed through into a mangled piece of undistinguishable flesh was something that couldn't be described in words.

The worst part was that as an Exalted Human, he had more endurance than the typical individual.

Hence, even though almost all of his vital organs had been destroyed, he had been clinging on to life, all while the pain threatened to destroy his mind.

Wasn't death supposed to be peaceful? Why was his like this?

When his best friend ran up to his body and caught him, Faxul had been able to feel it, but he hadn't been able to respond at all, as his mind was in an extreme state of shock.

Slowly, as the seconds passed by, the blood which had no more means to be pumped stopped where it was and caused his body to rot, while the sudden lack of oxygen in his brain made every thought blurry, bit by bit, until he slipped away into an eternal slumber that he would never wake from.

Or…so he had thought.

Even before slipping that slumber, Faxul had been hoping that his friend might have some miraculous means to save him, as he really didn't want to die.

However, when he had seen Daneel's expression through his vacant eyes, he had understood that that wasn't the case.

Hence, with mixed emotions of joy from being useful and regret at leaving without fulfilling so many wishes he had had, Faxul had slipped away.

After that, there was nothingness…until he felt something calling to him.

It was like he was a lost traveler that had been about to step into the maw of a terrifying beast that wanted to devour him, but a good Samaritan had lit up a lantern at the last minute and had allowed him to escape it.

Bit by bit, Faxul started to return to a state of 'awareness', and the first thing that he felt was…a stink.

To be more specific, it was the stink of someone who hadn't bathed or washed themselves for months, or maybe even years.

Was this hell? Had he committed so many sins that outweighed his good deeds that he had been sentenced to a life of torture?

In Angaria, the concept of Heaven and Hell did exist in the general populace, but it was said that it was only a vague thing that had been proliferated to hopefully keep people in check.

The Heavens were constantly prayed to for good luck and fortune, and everyone knew that sinners would go to hell, where they would face torture.

It could be said that the unique aspect of Angaria was that there was no specific dominant religion and deities for people to pray to, except in cases like the Black Raven Kingdom, where people prayed to the Ancient Black Raven, and the Kingdom of Arafell, where the giants prayed to the first Lady Arafell who had supposedly led them here.

Even in those cases, there were no specific rules as such, and it was only a vague prayer.

All in all, the rankness of the stink made Faxul wonder whether the first torture he was being subjected to was to live in a place of filth.

Wait…he could feel that he had no body, but somehow, he had the sense of smell.

How?

As Faxul wondered about this, suddenly, he realized that he wasn't alone.

It was as if he were in a dark room where there was no light, but near him, he could feel another…presence.

Faxul felt that he could reach out and touch it, so he did.

However, the next moment, he recoiled as a feeling of chaos pervaded him.

Yes, that presence was completely filled with chaos, as if it had gone mad from being subjected to something abhorrent.

If this was hell, maybe that would be his state, too, after the torture?

"FAXUL! Can you hear me? FAXUL, WAKE UP!"

Huh?

Wasn't that…Daneel?

Slap!

Just as Faxul was about to muse once again about whether his friend had followed him, he felt a sharp feeling of pain that raced through him, along with the faint sound of a slap.

Yet, they only lasted for a moment before fading away.

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

As if whoever had caused it the first time had some score to settle with him, the same sensations repeated again and again, and with each time, the intensity seemed to grow.

Slowly, Faxul started to realize that he actually had a body, which seemed to be injured in multiple places, but it was rapidly being healed.

And…he was pretty sure that it wasn't his body, as the feeling of strength that came from it dwarfed his body by multiple levels.

Soon, the slaps stopped, and although Faxul almost felt as if he could move the body, it was as if there was some final barrier that was stopping him from taking full control.

However, the faculty of hearing had been returned to him, so he could tell that it was Daneel.

This made him rejoice, and then feel very puzzled, as he didn't know what the heck was going on.

Yet, suddenly, Daneel grumbled something under his breath, and when Faxul heard it, a feeling of horror passed through him.

"So something even more painful is required? Fine, guess I'll go all out. Sorry, my friend."

Crack!

The next instant, that veil that had been stopping Faxul was completely shattered, and all of the senses were returned to him.

Only, he really wished that that wasn't the case because of a particular feeling that was radiating from his lower body.

His best friend, the man whom he had chosen to 'save' from a life of pain due to choosing something he didn't have to even if it meant his own death…had just kicked him in his balls.

Unable to say anything, the first thing that Faxul did after coming back to life was clutch his crotch and roll around on the ground as pain that was only second to what he had felt before dying radiated throughout him.

"Hey! It worked! Welcome back, Faxul!"

Really, dude? This is how you welcome someone back from the dead? By kicking them in their balls?

"Err…sorry about that. Apparently, intense sensations needed to be felt in order to 'connect' you with the body. But don't worry, Drakos here has a healing spell that'll fix those balls in no time. And all the other injuries."

Oh, really?! Then why don't you get your balls shattered and then healed, just for kicks?!

Cursing like so, Faxul had to roll around on the ground for a minute or so even while the healing spell went to work, mending the damage.

Meanwhile, Daneel was watching on sheepishly, rubbing his nose and wondering what his friend must be thinking.

A broad smile was on his face, as everything had seemed to work out.

Finally, Faxul got up and looked around in a daze before spotting Daneel.

In a flash, he walked to his friend and grabbed his shoulders with an expression as if he was going to hit him.

However, instead of doing that, he hugged him tight, truly happy due to the fact that he was not dead.

Questions could come later, but first, he was really grateful, despite what had just happened.

"Thank you," he said, to which Daneel replied, "No, I should thank you. But first, you stink."

Laughing, Faxul stepped away before conjuring a globe of water and dropping it on himself.

When he did, he noticed just how…easy it was.

It was incomparable to when he had been an Exalted Human. Hell, if the two were compared, then it would be like a little kid going up against an adult.

It was then that he realized that he recognized this body and this stink, and this made him conjure a mirror using water to see his face.

When he saw the crazy King looking back at him, he screamed, unable to control his shock.

As he looked to the side, he saw his own lifeless body which lay unmoving on the ground.

"Sorry, we had to make do with what we had. This is the gist: Inside me is Drakos, the Empire Spirit of Lanthanor, who is good, unlike that Black Raven Empire Spirit. He cast a spell to make you like them:a spirit who is bound to a corporeal object, and in your case, its that stone podium that the Black Raven Empire Spirit was previously in. It's still in there, but it can't wake up because I leeched too much Energy from it. Instead of keeping you in that thing, I decided that you would be better off in a body. The crazy King had completely gone crazy, so we used him. It won't be permanent: Drakos says that since you are only an Exalted Human, the criteria for you to enter a body are much lower, unlike how it is for them. Ok, that's the important stuff."

Hearing Daneel give this speech and take a deep breath, Faxul once again looked in the mirror, unable to believe it.

So…he was a spirit now? Who was inhabiting this body?

But what about his own body?

"Why didn't you just…heal my own body and put me back in it?"

As he asked this, Daneel shook his head and said, "Drakos says that's impossible. If that were the case, death would have no meaning at all! Apparently, when someone dies i.e when their body and mind completely stop functioning and their consciousness leaves their body, a core aspect of a living being that enables a consciousness to reside in them also dies, and it is impossible to reverse that. A consciousness cannot inhabit anything that is 'dead'. The crazy King, however, is alive, so you are inside him. And he's a Peak Exalted Warrior, so…you've got that going for you. Now, what do you say we get out of here? I've got some…people I need to take 'care' of."

Chapter 473: The Path Forward

As Faxul heard this, he couldn't help but once again turn around to look at his new face in the mirror.

Now that a bucketful of water had been poured over him, a lot of the grime had been washed away to reveal the features of the crazy King.

They were sharp, with a slightly flat nose and a pointed chin.

Why did he look familiar?

"Drakos just asked me to tell you that that body is of the former King of the Black Raven Kingdom. That means that…he is your ancestor. This was, apparently, also a factor that helped with you inhabiting it. First, let's go to your Kingdom. I'll tell you the rest of the important details there before departing. I really have some important stuff to take care of."

Unable to say anything, Faxul just nodded, as this was all just a little too ethereal for him.

After all, how was one supposed to react to the revelation that they were just a spirit that was possessing someone for the time being?

In a slight daze, Faxul nodded and was about to fly up the cave, but feeling Daneel's hand on his shoulder, he stopped.

Daneel had noticed the state of his friend, so he decided to take a moment and console him even though he was short on time.

"Look, Faxul. You gotta admit that this beats death. You aren't evil like that f*cker who just wanted a body so that he could sell Angaria to live longer. I know that what you really want is to help your people, and those of this continent that we were born in. This way, you will be able to do that much easier. Also, Drakos just told me that if you wish, you can start to…'devour' the consciousness of that Black Raven Empire Spirit that is slumbering in the podium. Even though you are possessing a body, you will always be tied to that podium as that was where your consciousness first inhabited. You can move between this body and the podium at will. From time to time, you can travel to it and try to obtain some of the power of that Hero-level bird, which will apparently greatly increase your prowess as a mage, and even help you in that final step to become a Champion. You will also be taking his memories, and becoming more and more cognizant of the Empire. Don't worry, there's no risk of him resurrecting himself in that way: Drakos says that's impossible, but you should just take it slow. All in all, this is good. There's only hope for the future. Hell, who knows, maybe you'll even cross me in power, and I might have to come to you for help! It'll all depend on you."

Each word Daneel said seemed to pull Faxul away from that mist of confusion that had congregated around Faxul, letting him come to terms with what had happened, and making him look forward.

Now…he had the means to possibly help his friend for real?

And he could devour the memories and power of a legendary Hero-level creature?!

Hell yeah!

As a smile cracked on Faxul's face, Daneel chuckled, happy to see Faxul return.

That was his iconic smile, which was apparent even though the face was different.

Nodding at Daneel, Faxul also slapped a hand on his shoulder before grinning and walking to the stone podium.

Lugging it up on his shoulder, he said "Let's go," after which he teleported away.

Daneel first teleported to the spot where all the Lanthanorians were gathered.

They were still being stopped by the formation, as that was not an active one, unlike the space-locking formation which had been deactivated as soon as the Black Raven Empire Spirit went into a slumber.

Each of them had weapons raised high up in the air, and this included even a few children who had come over as a family.

Eloise hadn't given them any details except that their King needed them, but they seemed to have assumed that he needed them in a fight.

The little kids held their dolls and toys in the air, ready to smash them into an enemy at a moment's notice with a ferocious expression on their face, while the adults who weren't soldiers were holding pots and pans and kitchen knives in the same way.

Seeing this, Daneel felt truly warm, knowing how much he meant to these people, and understanding that they were ready for anything just to be of service to him.

Even those with no Energy-those who hadn't started on the path to power were so ready.

Why shouldn't they get the chance to defend themselves, and grow in power, even if they didn't have the talent for it?

As the seed of an idea began to be born in Daneel's mind, he appeared in the air, visible to all of them.

"FOR LANTHANOR! FOR KING DANEEL! Wait, isn't that the King?"

As the furor started to die down on noticing that the one they were marching for was standing above them in the air, the citizens of Lanthanor started to kneel to show their respect to the man who had changed their lives for the better.

He had enabled them to send their children, regardless of potential, to an institution which trained them and gave them hope for the future in something they were talented in, instead of them having to resort to depend on their parents to acquire a craft.

He had set up a Healer's academy which healed people for practically no cost, thus decreasing the overall number of people dying from treatable diseases because they couldn't afford treatment.

He had set up a Bank where many of them had acquired loans which they had used to full effect to sustain their family.

All in all, they revered him, for if not for his grace, they knew that they would definitely be rotting in the ground by now.

"Rise, brave people of Lanthanor. The battle here is done, and you were instrumental in my victory. You must all visit the Bank of Angaria when you go back: you have a hefty award waiting for you. Your King thanks you for your steadfast support and bravery even in the face of danger. Long live Lanthanor!"

"LONG LIVE LANTHANOR!"

Initially, everyone cheered, but then, the doubts began to emerge.

"But, My King, we didn't do anything! How were we-"

"The threat of you marching in and rending my enemies in two helped me in my victory, dear citizens and soldiers! Now, I must depart!"

Hastily, Daneel fled the scene, knowing that he wouldn't be able to answer any more questions, unless he resorted to lying.

Even if he lied, there would still be doubts, so he decided that it was best to leave.

Seeing their King disappear, the people of Lanthanor scratched their heads, but finally, they just shrugged and began their journey back to their Kingdom.

Meanwhile, in the Black Raven Kingdom, Faxul had just taken a very thorough bath to finally wipe all the mud away.

The Protector Raven was still lying unconscious in the cave, so he had left it there, knowing it would make its way back when it was ready.

As Daneel appeared behind him, he said, "That's better. Here, take this technique. It'll let you look like your original self, and even a Champion won't be able to distinguish that anything is wrong. You're a Warrior now, so using it all day should be no problem. Remember: devour that bird slowly, and if you feel that anything is wrong, contact me right away. Got it?"

Seeing Faxul nod and smile, Daneel grinned and said, "Good. I'm off, then. When some pressing matters have been attended to, I'll be back."

Saying so, Daneel disappeared and returned to the group with which he had come out for a mission.

Seeing them busily doing their work and his, he chuckled, and returned to the Sect of Hedon before collecting the reward for the work he hadn't done.

Finally, as he sat in his office once again, he placed both hands on his chin, pondering about his next step.

Tomorrow would be the day where he would have to face a challenge for this post. Initially, his plan had been to finish all his work in the Sect of Hedon by now so that he could leave, but that was definitely not possible.

Ashahell was still free, and the Mad Doctor was still a major threat.

He would have to stay, but he wasn't willing to be beaten into a pulp.

So, Daneel decided that whoever was unlucky enough to challenge him tomorrow, they would be the first prey to his Peak Exalted Warrior strength.

Of course, it wouldn't appear like that, as he had to keep up appearances that he was still an Amateur Warrior.

Still, it was going to be fun, so Daneel looked forward to it.

After that, Ashahell and the Mad Doctor were going to be pitted against each other, so that he could get rid of both threats at once before leaving back to his Kingdom, to continue his plans for the continent.

Just as he was deciding on his next course of action, a voice spoke hesitantly in his head.

"Er…you do know I'm still here, right? You didn't go back to Lanthanor to put me back in the podium."

This made Daneel chuckle and say, "Of course I do. You're going to be instrumental in my path forward. You think I'll let a treasure trove like you lie around and go to waste? No chance! Mr. Ancient Dragon, you're going to help me, and believe me, it'll definitely be more exciting and fun than what you've been doing for thousands of years. Let's get started."

Chapter 474: Meanwhile

Meanwhile, in the topmost hidden floor of the Sect of Hedon.

Ashahell stood in front of a window like always, looking out over the expanse of Angaria while thinking about how this beautiful continent had been laid waste by the greedy Big 4.

However, now, he had to deal with the knowledge that there was someone watching him 24/7, trying to catch him in the middle of 'activities' that might incriminate him.

He was a Peak Champion, and if it weren't for a very special trinket that had been given to him the moment he had colluded with the Church, he wouldn't even have been able to detect those sets of eyes on him which were a level above him.

Recently, his life had been completely dreary, and he hadn't been able to help but curse that seer, even though she couldn't really be blamed completely for getting the vision that had foiled his plan.

Occasionally, he also thought about the King of Lanthanor, and their little talk and his peek into his memories.

With nothing else to do, he would even imagine how it would have been if that King had joined him. He had always longed for someone to share his passion, but it seemed that fate had decreed that he would be alone in his pursuit of justice for the continent that had given birth to him, and named him its 'savior'.

Suddenly, he felt that something had changed.

That set of eyes were gone! No one was currently observing him!

Wait…why was no one observing him? Had they taken some decision regarding him? Or had the Church somehow advanced their date of purging despite the failure of his efforts?

As numerous questions surged through his mind, he heard a knock on the door.

Quickly running to it, he opened it to see a server holding a tray with a glass of chilled wine.

Without thinking, he first took the glass and was about to close the door before happening upon a very crucial question.

He was in the topmost floor of the Central Tower where entry was forbidden to all but a select few! How the hell had a waiter appeared here!

Even as this question flashed across his mind, the server cracked a smile before taking back the glass, setting the tray to the side and taking a sip from it.

"How have you been, Ashahell? Is it fun being watched even when you're in the loo?"

Finally, his Peak Exalted Champion level senses picked up on the dissonance in the brain waves of the server.

Usually, he would have noticed this right away, but the skill of the one who was causing this was so high that it had escaped his level of detection.

The only reason he even saw it now was that the one who was really behind this had allowed it to be seen.

Conjuring a chair, the server sat down before taking two more sips and frowning.

"Where I come from, each sip of wine transports one to a land of pleasure and bliss from which one wishes there is no return. Compared to that, its as if I'm drinking horsepiss. Now, sit down. We don't have long. We need to talk."

Nodding, Ashahell also conjured a chair before sitting in front of the server and saying, "I trust you have been well, Koleos. How are you doing this? Aren't you on the same level as those watching me?"

Chuckling with a confidence that bordered on arrogance, the server replied, "Of course. But a man wielding sticks and stones is incomparable to one who has forged sharp weapons of steel for himself. I'm using a special trinket made by the grace of one beyond the Hero-level, but even then, this can only last for a few minutes before they notice that something is off. I came here to give you a message."

The-the level beyond Hero-level?!

So far, Ashahell had only heard empty words and claims about how the man in front of him, who was the member of Church that was positioned here, was associated with those of that level.

It was only now that he was seeing hard proof, and this made Ashahell's eyes blaze with a longing for strength.

If his primary goal was to save Angaria, then his secondary one was to go as far as possible on the Path to Power.

It was not because he lusted for power, or because he reveled in the feeling of having more strength than others.

No, it was just pure curiosity.

Curiosity about what lay at the end, and whether he could reach it.

Yet, this wasn't the time nor the place to ask about it.

So, Ashahell just said "Speak," and folded his hands, after which the servant smiled and said.

"Sit tight."

"Sit tight?"

"Sit tight."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, just sit tight."

Frowning, Ashahell wondered whether there was any hidden meaning, but the servant just chuckled and said, "Don't think too much into it. Sit tight. Things have changed. You'll know how soon enough. Suffice it to say that the one in charge of the expedition to Angaria has changed, and she wants it to happen faster. Thus, she's in the process of siphoning more resources and personnel here, after which you will be better equipped to help us. Until then, just don't try anything that will get you caught. Just sit tight. Got it?"

After sinking into deep thought for a few moments, Ashahell nodded, after which the server got up, took back the tray, and placed the wine glass on it again.

Nodding at Ashahell, he opened the door and left, after which Asahahell couldn't sense him anymore.

The server wouldn't be remembering anything, and he would be left wondering who might have consumed the wine which he must have been taking for someone else.

As soon as AShahell took his typical position again, the feeling of being watched resumed, which made him understand that whatever the Hero from the Church had done, it had stopped.

So he just had to sit tight? He could do that.

Resolving not to plan anything actively and just wait, Ashahell closed his eyes.

Unless someone specifically targeted him, nothing would make him move.

And who could be capable or daring enough to target him in this entire Sect?

….

Meanwhile, in a private training room in the vast underground area of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

Recently, a close friend and confidant of the King, whom apparently the King used to call as his own brother, had taken up a room here, and whenever a servant passed it while going on their way to get something, they would always hear loud thumps, as if someone was in the middle of a fight.

None of them would enter, but if they did, they would have been shocked to see the sight of two people, who looked exactly the same, fighting each other.

If two people looked the same, one would expect them to be equals, but instead, in this case, one side seemed to have a definite advantage, whether it be in terms of skill or strength.

The other side was bruised and bloody, with blood even streaming down their fists where the skin had been cut to expose bones.

The other figure, who looked fine except for a few small patches of dirt and blood on their clothes, was standing with an expression of slight vexation and arrogance on their face.

"Stand up, boy. Or do you want to bend your ego and beg? When you found me in the woods, I was hopeful, thinking that I had finally found someone talented enough to take forward my legacy as one of the few pure Fighters who reached the Hero level. I even saved you from the mutated bear that was about to maul you to death! If I had known that you would turn out to be so worthless, I would have-"

"YAAARGHHH!"

Before the figure could complete his sentence, the bloody one shot forward and launched a punch, which impacted on the chest of the other figure.

Strangely, at the point of impact, a small balloon seemed to have formed, which burst the clothes open, but there was no damage to the underlying skin.

"Not bad. Your Hidden Kill Fist is progressing well! You can even use it when you're close to death! But that's not enough. If you don't feel like you 'need' power, then nothing is enough. Get up! Fight! Kill me or be killed, dammit!"

After the punch, the bloody figure had fallen to the ground unmoving, and even though the other figure screamed in this way, there was no movement.

Sighing, the figure was about to disperse its own figure, but it heard a low whimpering coming from the body lying on the floor.

Walking forward, the figure bent, but it suddenly went flying as a fist had just impacted its jaw.

Standing up like a spring, the bloody figure shuffled on two legs before saying with an exasperated tone, "'Need' this, 'need' that, what's so important about this 'need' anyway? Huh? Why does nothing hurt anymore? And why did you fly when I hit you? Was it to encourage me?"

Massaging its jaw, the other figure got up and grumbled for a bit before shouting, "THAT'S BECAUSE YOU JUST BECAME A WARRIOR, YOU NINCOMPOOP! THIS IS A HUMAN LEVEL CLONE, SO OF COURSE I WAS SENT FLYING! WHO WANTS TO ENCOURAGE YOU, EH?!"

"I-I'm a Warrior?!"

No matter how much the other figure shouted, the bloody figure seemed fixated on this statement, as he repeatedly looked at his arms with an expression of disbelief on his face.

Finally exhausting himself and noticing that it was all useless, the other figure panted for a while before grudgingly saying something, which lit up the eyes of the other one.

"Yes, you're a Warrior. Now, you can finally begin training in my true legacy, and not these parlor tricks. But prepare yourself. This will be painful. Nobody ever got power by twiddling their thumbs. But you-you will reach the lowest depths of hell, but when we are done, no Fighter on this continent will be able to face you and live to tell the tale."

Chapter 475: Mystery

Meanwhile, Daneel was still sitting at his desk, conversing with the ancient dragon who had never expected to find himself in this situation.

"So…you want to use the Mad Doctor to blame Ashahell and put him behind bars, and in the process, you also want to remove the Mad Doctor as a threat?"

"Yes. What do you think?"

"That it's impossible!"

As Daneel heard this response, he chuckled, as it really would appear that way to anyone who heard such a crazy plan.

However, with time, he had to say that he had grown into quite the talented schemer.

It was his scheme which had allowed him to more or less win the fight against the Black Raven Empire Spirit, and it was going to be a scheme which was going to help him now, too.

So, he just replied with a confident voice, saying, "Just wait and watch. You'll see. But first: are there any secrets you want to reveal because I trust you now?"

Daneel had been looking forward to this the most, but when he heard Drakos's answer, he had no option but to be disappointed.

"Er…nothing that would be very useful to you. I am bound by very specific rules, you know. You still have to increase the Satisfaction Level if you want to unlock more seals."

Daneel was just about to curse, but Drakos continued.

"However, I can help you with a few things. For example, I could help you with my personal knowledge of formations, and non-essential lore regarding the Empire. And I can also identify the locations of the other Empire Spirits for you. Dragons are beings of honor, Young King, and I intend to earn my keep in your mind."

Hearing this, Daneel couldn't help but silently grumble to himself that his head had become a hotel.

First, it had been the system, and now, it was Drakos.

How many more 'guests' was he going to have before he was done?

…

As Elanev heard that statement from the figure in front of him who looked exactly like him, a fire lit up in his eyes, before he nodded, looking forward to whatever was in store of him.

Ever since that moment when he had left the Kingdom of Lanthanor in the pursuit of power, he had decided that he would never, ever feel weak and worthless, like he had felt in front of his junior brother.

Now, he must be stronger than him, right?

As if reading his mind, the figure in front of him spit out, "Wrong! I know what you're thinking, boy! But it's not possible! I bet that kid is at least an Eminent Warrior by now, or even an Exalted one."

Hearing this, Elanev opened his eyes wide, unable to believe it.

He had been training so damn hard! Ever since he had stumbled upon this weird guy in those woods by chance, he had resolved that he would always keep moving forward in order to be more helpful to his people, and his younger brother.

If anyone on the Central Continent knew that he had been just an Eminent Human a few months ago, they would definitely be shocked and say that he was spouting tall tales.

Yet, this old man was saying that his younger brother had surpassed even his speed?

How was that possible?!

Again, the old man replied to his thoughts.

"I don't know how it's possible, but I do know that it's true. That lad has…something inside him which is benevolent. I cannot compare to it, and if it weren't for the fact that he trained in one of the techniques I left behind, I wouldn't even have detected it. Whatever it is, it means no harm, and it just wants him to be stronger."

Frowning deeply, Elanev looked at the figure and said, "Are you sure you aren't reading my thoughts, old man?"

"No, you're just an open book. I was called Senior Fists of Justice in my time, you know, because I always did what I said."

"That name sucks, by the way."

"Humph. Not as much as your talent. If you're done bantering, go get healed before your wounds start to fester."

"Not so fast. You said you would tell me what that threat to the continent is if I became a Warrior."

Saying this, Elanev sat down on the ground with a determined expression on his face.

Seeing him sit like that, the figure sighed before starting to speak.

"Uh, first, can you change into your true form? It's kinda distracting to see myself. I know you told me it was for some symbolic method of beating my own self to become stronger, but that's hardly necessary now, right?"

Interrupting the figure, Elanev said this, which made the figure say "Fine," before changing form.

A moment later, an old man with a shining head was standing in front of him.

He was wearing a coat of sorts which was open at his shoulders, exposing his chest, and he had a long, white beard along with a drooping mustache.

He looked frail, but he was anything but that in battle, and Elanev had found this out painfully on one occasion when he had mocked the old man's figure.

Using a wooden walking stick that seemed to have been carved from wood that was at least a thousand years old, the old man bent forward and began to speak.

"The threat is the Church of Rectitude, boy, and all it wants is to make this entire continent flow with blood. Why they want to do that: I have no idea. But I do know one thing: they've been trying to accomplish this for many, many years, but this is the first real opportunity they've gotten."

"Flow with blood meaning, they want to kill a few people and take over all the forces?"

"No. They want to purge Angaria, which means killing all those on the continent except for a very, very select few. Think apocalypse, boy."

Elanev sucked in a deep breath as he heard this, unable to believe that those people whom he had seen in the air during their invasion in Lanthanor had such cruel intentions.

"But…why?"

Shrugging, the old man said, "Beats me. Maybe they gain something from it. Or maybe its just for kicks. Who knows? The point is that they've done it to many continents before us, and each time, only a few hundred or so live to tell the tale. Now then, there was one more thing I wanted to tell you after you became a Warrior. Do you really think that it was just luck that you found me in those woods when you were in such a critical condition?"

Frowning, Elanev asked, "Yeah, what else could it be?"

This made the old man furrow his eyebrows before saying, "For once, use that head of yours, boy. Don't you think too many 'coincidences' have been happening around this Kingdom in particular?"

This made Elanev feel quite confused, but he still closed his eyes and started to think about everything he had seen and found out recently.

Slowly, with shock, he started to understand what the old man meant.

In all of his life, he had never been very lucky, but the moment he had been about to die, he had happened upon a strange stone structure that had been covered by vines which had saved him after telling him that the he was the true ancestor of the Fists of Justice Training Hall.

This had utterly shocked Elanev, and he hadn't been willing to believe it until the man, or spirit, or whatever it was had given him an advanced form of the Hidden Kill Fist which he had used to high effect during the Olympics, and during his travels through the continent.

It was so much of a coincidence that Elanev wondered how he had been so dumb as to not notice it.

Thinking about the other things he had found out or seen, he realized that the old man was right.

Tracing them all, Elanev started to make a list.

First, he, a member of the Fists of Justice Training Hall, had by 'chance' found the spirit of the real founder and ancestor of the Training Hall, who had taken him on as a disciple after entering his head.

Second, his younger brother Daneel had some fantastic kind of help along with him that was much more potent than the one in his own head.

Third, Faxul had turned out to be 'real' King of the Black Raven Kingdom, and he had taken the throne.

Fourth, Luther was revealed to be the adopted son from a prominent figure in the Hidden Kill Sect, and he had become the sect master of that sect with the help of some mysterious figure.

How were so many miraculous things happening around those from Lanthanor?

"You're right! So how are so many coincidences happening?"

"So you've finally realized it? The answer is…"

Unable to control his curiosity, Elanev leaned forward, waiting to uncover the truth.

However, suddenly, he found a wooden walking stick flying toward his face, which made him jump to the side with panic.

Rolling on the ground and wincing due to the injuries that were already present, Elanev shouted, "What the f*ck was that for?"

In a flash, the wooden stick flew back to the old man, who leaned on it again before answering with a wise tone.

"That, boy, is why the coincidences are occurring."

As Elanev took on an even more confused expression on his face, the old man chuckled before continuing to reveal something that would have shocked Daneel to the core if he had been present in the room.

Chapter 476: Mystery Revealed &

His tone seemed to take on an air of mystery, and Elanev's eyebrows went as far up as they could on his forehead when the truth was finally revealed to him.

"Angaria knows what is coming, or at least, it can sense it. I cannot give you the details, because I don't know them myself, but you should understand that all beings have sentience, more or less. Even a plant would strive to move toward sunlight in order to grow. Angaria is doing the same. It can sense that a great danger is approaching it, so it is doing everything it can to brace itself, and find a way to avoid that danger. The other 4 coincidences, excluding the one about your friend, can be explained with that. But him…I don't know, my gut tells me that there's something more to him. A Fighter should never ignore his gut. Meh, whatever it is, it doesn't matter to you. What is it, boy? Is your gut telling you something? Maybe you've learned something unconsciously after interacting with the great Senior Fists of Justice for so long?"

The latter part of the old man's statement was due to the fact that Elanev had put a hand on his stomach with a very serious expression on his face.

However, the next moment, a loud growling sound was heard in the room, which was accompanied by Elanev saying, "Nope, just hungry."

….

The next day, the stadium that was located to the west of the Sect of Hedon was completely packed to the brim with sect members who were waiting for a great show.

Today, that upstart, Travis Éclair, was finally going to be challenged and beaten into a bloody paste.

Jealousy was a vice that all creation suffered from in general, but it seemed to be all the more present in the Sect of Hedon, especially in this case where an Amateur Warrior had taken a position that only an Exalted Warrior was supposed to have.

For an entire month, Exalted Warriors had had to control their anger, while Amateur Warriors had had to control their angst at seeing one of their own getting something none of them could ever hope to achieve.

So, today, both sides were cheering for the lucky one who would be challenging that upstart and finally putting him back in his place.

If there were multiple challengers for a post, the rules stated that a random draw would be used to select the one who would fight.

Meanwhile, in the waiting room meant for the one being challenged, Daneel was sitting on a chair with his legs placed on another chair that he had pulled up.

His hands were behind his head, and he was whistling a merry tune while deciding about exactly what he was going to do to instigate the Mad Doctor.

Hearing a knock on the door, he wondered who was brave enough to come to meet him.

After all, if someone was seen entering his room before the fight, they would automatically be associated with him and they would have to share the hate.

Opening the door, he was very surprised to see 4 people wearing thick black clothes that completely covered their face, leaving only a small slit for the eyes.

"Travis! It's us!"

Hearing the fatty's familiar voice, Daneel raised one eyebrow and let them in.

After entering, all of them stumbled twice due to not being able to see much through their disguises.

Finally removing the cloths, the 4 members of the Shameless Sect took deep breaths, because they hadn't been able to breathe much due to how tightly they had tied those things around their faces.

After finally regaining his breath, the fatty spoke first.

"Travis, we're here to-"

"Encourage me? That's really nice of you all! Don't worry, I'll be fine!"

Daneel was in a good mood because of the fact that he had obtained a trusty Ancient Dragon who would be an immense help in everything he was going to do, so he said this after interrupting the fatty.

However, hearing what he said, the 4 looked at each other with sheepish expressions before the fatty spoke, making Daneel's smile freeze.

"Um…not really. We came to pay our last respects to the Lord of Shamelessness. Boys, let's do it."

As Daneel watched on with chagrin, the 4 joined their hands together, closed their eyes, and chanted a pre-planned chant.

"May the heavens have mercy on the soul of our dear friend, Travis Éclair. Even after his demise, we will always remember him for the epic shamelessness he was capable of. May he rest in peace!"

Daneel honestly didn't know how to respond. He must be the first man who had had to hear a chant that assumed that he was dead while he was standing right in front of them.

He thought they were done, but when a sly expression appeared on the fatty's face, he realized that he was wrong.

"So…we know you must be crying under that façade. It's all right! We, your brothers, will never forget you! See, were so thoughtful! So…we were wondering where you stash your Ker Gems?"

Wow.

These 4 really did live up to the sect they had made for themselves.

Daneel had heard a lot of implausible requests, but this one definitely had to take the cake.

Seeing the expression of rage that had begun to come on his friend's face, the fatty gulped before saying in a high-pitched tone, "Only if you die, of course! If you die, they shouldn't go to waste right? I mean, you're an Amateur Warrior going up against an Exalted Warrior who wants to kill you!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

With 4 kicks, 4 people flew out of the room before the door banged shut behind them.

The tall one among them grumbled before saying, "I told you it wouldn't work!", but before the fatty could reply, he realized something that terrified him.

Their 'friend' had taken care to keep the black pieces of cloth that they had used to disguise themselves with him before kicking them out!

While Daneel smiled on the other side of the room and burned up the pieces of cloth, the fatty cursed, knowing that they were quite thoroughly screwed.

All he could hope for now was a miracle.

Little did he know that that was exactly what would occur that day.

….

Hearing the bell ring, Daneel was about to walk out of the door when Drakos stopped him.

"Young King, you should activate your cloaking spell now. It's safest that way, instead of activating it on the field."

Flummoxed, Daneel asked, "What cloaking spell?"

As an awkward silence ensued, Drakos hesitantly asked, "The…cloaking spell to hide the fact that you're an Exalted Warrior?"

"Why would I need a cloaking spell for that? If I don't display anything at that level, it should be fine, right?"

"No, Young King. Although the chance is slim, it is possible that a Hero might watch the match, and if they do, they will be able to tell at a moment's glace that you aren't what you claim to be. I assumed that you had already obtained one from the other inheritance you seem to have."

This time, it was Daneel's turn to speak hesitantly, after rubbing his nose with embarrassment.

Now that he thought about it, the Watcher had mentioned before his infiltration that it would be best if they chose someone with similar level, as the Sect had means to find the true power level of a person.

Clearly, these were those means.

From the silence and Daneel's embarrassed pose, Drakos could tell that Daneel had no knowledge about such a thing.

"Here: use this. It's just a small trick, so it isn't classified as essential information. So your inheritance isn't all-powerful, I see."

"Not-. I mean, nope."

Daneel had been about to say 'not yet', but he had thankfully managed to control himself at the last second.

As the system was still at the Peak Champion level, it was obvious that it wasn't aware of these things which were at the Hero level.

Clearly, he needed to begin thinking about how he was going to upgrade it again.

Putting it to the side for now, Daneel wiped off the sweat that had come on his forehead due to the close shave and thanked Drakos before telling the system to activate the cloaking spell.

As far as he was concerned, this ancient dragon had already earned its keep many times over.

"So how are you going to defeat an Exalted Warrior without arousing suspicion?"

To this, Daneel replied without thinking just as he was walking through the door.

"I'm just going to act like David, to kill the Goliath."

"Who?"

Stumbling, Daneel quickly replied, "Err, nothing. I'm just going to act like an underdog before using a weakness to win surprisingly."

…

That day would be remembered by all as the day on which an Amateur Warrior would shine to beat an Exalted Warrior, who was poised to grind him into dust.

In the records, it was noted down in this way:

"The one who won the lucky draw was known as 'Ferocious' Saul, known for his intimidating strength which surpassed his own level. However, it soon turned out that it had been back luck for the Exalted Warrior. The opponent, Travis Éclair, had by chance chosen 'speed' to his focus, reaching great heights in that aspect, that allowed him to evade and dance around the field, not letting even a single attack fall on him. Whether it be magical attacks or fists and kicks, Travis would escape them all, tiring out Saul and making him more and more frustrated. Apparently, this Travis had always had a talent in speed, which had allowed him to learn a skill beyond his level that just happened to target the weakness of his opponent. Toward the end, Saul's rage had made him expend too much energy, and Travis was able to obtain victory amidst shocked silence from the onlooking crowd using simple attacks, which showcased his own weakness of having very low power for someone at the Amateur Warrior level. This kind of imbalance is actually a fatal weakness, so Travis was not singled out for special focus by the sect. Yet, he would go on to keep his post."

…

After the fight, Daneel was back in his office, chortling to himself remembering how good it had felt to defeat that Exalted Warrior.

"So you used speed to overpower someone who specialized in strength. What would you have done if it were someone who specialized in speed?"

"I would have used strength, and shown my weakness to be speed, before winning using a 'lucky' fluke."

"And what if they were all-rounded?"

"Then I would have feinted weakness, before using a surprise attack to take them out in one go, which would again look like luck."

This made the Ancient Dragon sink into deep thought for a few moments, and when he finally spoke again, he made Daneel grin.

"Young King, I should have realized how schemi-, I mean, intelligent you are after I saw the way you defeated that old bird. Well, I am now completely convinced that you will definitely succeed in that plan of yours to pit the Mad Doctor and Ashahell against each other. So, what's next?"

Chapter 477: Deciding the Plan

The next few days, Daneel had a halo about him, with almost everyone looking up to him and even admiring him wherever he went.

However, that all went away when someone jealous leaked the fact that his 'specialty' in speed was actually a crippling weakness, instead of an advantage as it had looked like.

The true experts had already known this, and they started to gloat, saying that he had cut off his future for some temporary strength.

All in all, everyone's attitude went back to before: they felt that he didn't deserve his post, and they would wait a month for the next challenge, during which only those who also specialized in speed, or who were balanced would be the ones fighting.

This time, Daneel certainly had no intention of staying till then. He had gotten away temporarily, but he would definitely not be able to use the same trick twice.

So, Daneel started to carefully watch the Mad Doctor along with a very enthusiastic Drakos.

When he had asked Daneel about his plan, Daneel had told him that he was still forming it, and that it would require a lot of work.

To this, surprisingly, the Ancient Dragon that was supposed to be millennia old had asked if he could help, just like a kid who wanted to help the plumber because plumbing seemed so interesting, as he had never been exposed to it before.

This made Daneel agree with gusto, as there could be nothing better than an idle Hero helping out.

This also made him understand Drakos's personality a bit better: the man, or in this case, the dragon was interested in learning how to 'scheme', and he seemed to be convinced that Daneel was a master at it.

Daneel didn't know whether to feel proud about that or ashamed, but he had to admit that it worked, so he was happy.

So, both of them had started to keep a close eye on the Mad Doctor.

According to Drakos, even if the Hero-level members of the Sect of Hedon took casual looks around the Sect, they wouldn't be able to find evidence of him poking around, as a Hero couldn't detect another Hero, especially in this case when the Dragon apparently outclassed them by quite a bit.

So, Daneel now had an omnipotent watchman who could practically invade anything.

'This is awesome!', thought Daneel, when he found out from Drakos that Ashahell was calmly brooding on the top hidden floor of the Central Tower while being watched.

As for the formation, Drakos had called it a 'toy', saying that the formations he had seen and built in his heyday were so much more complicated and powerful.

All in all, Daneel now had the ability to keep a close watch on both his targets, and also find out where they were at all times.

The only place that Drakos couldn't breach was the core-most region of the sect, which was apparently something that was still simple, but would require more of an effort from him to break through undetected, which wasn't possible with the small part of him that was present with Daneel. Even with the large part, Drakos could only ensure that he would break through, as, after all, he was just a spirit right now.

Daneel didn't really care much about that, as this was more than he had wished he would have, and he was very happy with it.

Feeling very glad that he had allowed Drakos to 'possess' him, Daneel got down to carefully studying the Mad Doctor's movements, as Ashahell just seemed to stand there eternally, even letting the dust settle on his clothes.

The Mad Doctor's schedule was simple: in the morning, he would go to his son's grave, which was in a formation-protected glade to the east of the Central Tower.

While at the grave, he would vow daily that he would have his revenge, and that it would start with Daneel.

This only served to increase Daneel's wish to get rid of him somehow, quickly.

Then, the man would go to his office in the health department and brood while training, occasionally taking the time to shout at a few healers just for kicks.

After that, he would sleep, and his dreams would be filled with nightmares where he would repeatedly curse himself for being too weak to save his son.

And, oh, one other favorite past time of his that he occasionally engaged him had made Daneel want to burn his eyes out, as Drakos had been using a Hero-level spell(which the system had used the opportunity and copied) to view everything the Mad Doctor was doing.

He should have stopped when the woman undressed, but he had been a heartbeat late, which led to him seeing the Mad Doctor's…

Yeah, he didn't want to think about that, at all, ever.

Surprisingly, the Mad Doctor didn't kill the women after the act, almost as if he was currently…laying low, and trying to keep the attention off of him.

This was evident from the expressions of extreme relief on the faces of the women who were unlucky enough to find themselves in his clutched, and when they saw the pile of Ker Gems they were given each time, they were even downright shocked.

That was basically it. For 10 days, Daneel used all of his time to nail the Mad Doctor's routine down to the tiniest detail, just to be sure that whatever plan he came up with wouldn't hit any snags.

On the 11th day, Drakos spoke to Daneel in the morning with joy in his tone, as if he was happier than he had been in a long time.

"So what are we going to do today, Young King? More tailing? If so, we must hurry! The Mad Doctor must already have finished his morning routine by now!"

"No, Drakos. We are done with the tailing. It's time to decide on the final plan."

"Great! Err, I mean…Interesting. What are you considering, Young King?"

The tone of excitement was hard to miss, and Drakos was now exactly like a little kid who had found a new toy.

Sighing, Daneel asked, "You do know of the classic method of framing someone, right?"

"Yes, you use a complicated spell to weave their tapestry and…"

"No, I mean frame as in make them look like they committed a crime they didn't!"

It wasn't even a good joke, thought Daneel, as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Oh! No, I do not. Like I told you, dragons are…I mean, were, just beings that were the most righteous of all. The Emperor even took special care not to expose us to any of the flaws that were inherent in the characters of other species."

This was the first time Daneel was hearing about this, so he was quite puzzled.

Why had the Emperor taken such a special interest in that aspect of the dragons' lives?

To Daneel, it felt like…the dragons were the Emperor's children, whom he wanted to protect from all the wrongs of the world.

So, he hesitantly asked, "Were you…somehow related to the Emperor?"

"Of course! I was his vassal! He trusted me more than-"

"I meant physically."

"Physically? What do you mean?"

How should he frame it?

Sighing again and complaining that he didn't have time for this, Daneel said, "I meant to ask if you were related by blood!"

"By blood? You mean to ask whether I am a product of his copulation? No!"

Ew.

That was what Daneel thought when he heard Drakos answer, and he actually felt glad after hearing the answer for some reason.

However, it seemed that Drakos wanted to continue.

"Although we were a liberal empire that allowed relations between those of all genders and species, copulation between humans and dragons was impossible, mainly because of the size diff-"

"ALL RIGHT, STOP! I got it, ok?"

"You were the one who asked, Young King. What made you think of that, anyway?"

Even more flummoxed than when he had started this conversation, and quite a bit creeped out, Daneel said, "Forget it. The classic way is to put evidence in the other person's abode, before giving a tip to the concerned party about that evidence. It is always harder to prove that one is innocent when one is caught red-handed, and the evidence would pit our target against anyone we wanted. Yet, that's too simple to use here. I need to get creative."

After a few seconds of silence, Drakos spoke in the tone of one who had had their minds blown.

"Incredible! Such a cun-, err, I mean, witty way to trap someone! I don't see how anyone would escape from that! Why would you need something better, Young King? I would definitely be incriminated easily if someone used that against me! I wouldn't even be able to claim that that evidence wasn't mine, as it was found in my home- a place that I frequent. Amazing!"

Tuning out Drakos, Daneel started to think hard, going through every detail he remembered from Earth, along with everything possible he could do, especially with Drakos, the innocent Dragon's help.

His objective was for the Mad Doctor to fight against Ashahell, and either get the former injured or killed, while putting the latter away for clear, verified suspicion of colluding with the Church.

Ashahell was smart enough not to leave any evidence. But how would he contest against fake evidence?

As for the Mad Doctor, Daneel decided to take an approach he had already used once.

The best way to deceive someone or manipulate them was to make them think that it was their own idea.

With his decision made, Daneel chalked out the details, all while Drakos continued about how 'smart' he was.

However, when he was about to interrupt the innocent Dragon to tell him the plan, he felt like a senior in school who was being a bad influence on a cute, young schoolmate.

Taking a deep breath and ridding himself of that image, Daneel proceeded.

Chapter 478: Implementing the Plan

3 days later, the Mad Doctor was following his routine as usual.

He had just been to his son's grave, and he was currently on the way to his office.

Over the past fortnight, each day, he had only been able to stay sane by imagining and dreaming of the moment that would soon come when he would crave the flesh of the King of Lanthanor and make him beg before finding out the location and identity of his master from him.

And if he didn't have the answer the Mad Doctor sought, then it was just too bad. The Central Continent would lose a valuable King, but a part of the Mad Doctor's revenge would at least be fulfilled, as he would be able to make that master feel a little of just how it was to lose a son.

However, until then, he had to stay out of sight of the Hero level members of the Sect of Hedon, who usually kept an eye on him due to some…activities that he had gotten up to a few decades back, which had partly given him the nickname he carried now.

After reaching his office, he suddenly noticed that something was amiss.

A Champion's senses couldn't be compared to those of a normal human: they could sense even the smallest changes in places they regularly frequented, purely due to the familiarity they obtained after staying in a location for an extended period of time.

Thinking for a bit, the Mad Doctor walked to the cabinet to the left of the room which contained the important records of the Health Department of the Sect of Hedon, such as core healing methods and records of injuries, which was actually a very valuable resource because of the fact that each injury caused by magic was unique, leading to different healing methods, where one method may be more effective than other.

All in all, this cabinet was protected by the core formation of the Sect itself, and although it wasn't as prioritized as the areas where the true treasures of the sect were stores, it was still quite strong.

However, he could tell that someone had opened it.

Frowning and wondering who it could have been, the Mad Doctor opened the cabinet to view the rows and rows of cubical white crystals, which were memory trinkets, that were placed inside.

Scanning each row carefully, the Mad Doctor finally spotted the incongruency: it was one of the cubes in the back of the 6th row, whose position had changed by a millimeter since the Mad Doctor had last seen it.

Wait! That wasn't the only one!

In the 9th row, there was one more cube.

Picking both of them up, the Mad Doctor sat down at his desk and went through them carefully.

Everything looked fine, but his gut told him that something was off.

A Champion's instinct could never be doubted, as it was only with harmonizing ethereally with themselves did they even cross that chasm that separated the Warrior and Champion realms.

Frowning even further, the Mad Doctor quickly left the office and went back to his room.

Inside, he opened a secret compartment in the wall which he had hidden using a Hero-level formation that he had obtained with great difficulty.

Here lay piles and piles of Ker Gems, and also a thin, branch-like substance that glowed red.

Yes, it was the inferior Ker Root that he had used partially for the solution that was supposed to have advanced his son to the peak of the Warrior stage.

As for how he had obtained it: that was a secret that only he knew.

Not just that, even this compartment's existence was definitely not known even by the Hero-level sect members of the Sect of Hedon. Unless someone was capable enough of watching him every day, after evading the detection of the only other Hero-level trinket he had that alerted him to being spied on, could they even find a hint of this compartment, and even then, he would definitely have been alerted if someone disturbed the foundation.

No Hero-level individual alive was capable of tampering with this vault of his.

With a small smile of confidence, the Mad Doctor reached inside and traced his fingers across the rows of data crystals that were arranged here.

Indeed: these were the illegal copies he had made of the ones in his office, for his own personal use, in case he ever needed to flee the Sect. Although they contained trivial information such as the records of all the people who had been healed in the Health Department, the core data about healing they contained would ensure him amnesty if the day ever came when he did something horrible enough that he would be hunted by the Heroes of the Sect of Hedon.

Who knew? That day might come very soon.

Discarding these thoughts, the Mad Doctor took out the corresponding cubes that had been moved in his office.

Going through them, he realized that it was the data of the records of those healed in the Health Department that had been made.

There were two records that had been deleted, with one each in each cube.

In the first one, on the same day that his son had died, someone had been admitted to the health department with a wound in their back, that seemed to have been sustained from a Champion.

On asking, the recipient of the wound had just claimed that it was an Exalted Warrior who was trying out a new attack. As the wound wasn't very serious, not many questions were asked.

With this itself, the Mad Doctor started to shake with anger.

On that day, he had been sure that the attack of his had grazed the person who had killed his son.

Apparently, the culprit was in his own sect, and he had dared to get healed in the department he was a head of!

Such audacity!

Controlling himself, the Mad Doctor viewed the second one, and it made him stand up with absolute shock.

On the day when the tea that was served to the Hero-level individuals of the continent who had gathered for the meeting, someone had been admitted in the health department showing symptoms similar to those that came from drinking a little of that poison.

As the concentration of poison was very low, and because that person claimed that it was from ingesting some herb outside which was apparently his weird habit, only a record had been made.

However, no one had made this connection- that it was the same poison.

Perhaps…the one who had transported/administered the poison had ingested it by mistake? And was still at large?

And the person who was responsible for intruding in his office wanted to cover this up?

Wait…then didn't that mean that…the one who had killed his son, and the one who had colluded with the Church, were one and the same?!

With completely bloodshot eyes, the Mad Doctor rushed to his office again, where he pulled aside a healer to ask who had gone into his office when he was absent.

There was only one person, and the answer completely shocked the Mad Doctor, making him look as if he had just been electrocuted by an attack from a Hero.

It was a staff member of the Sect Leader, who had come with the Sect Leader's permission to check on the formations inside the room.

If it wasn't for his paranoia of making backups which no one knew about, this would have been a perfect plan.

However, now, that activity of his had resulted in him finding out the killer of his son, and as it was someone whom he had suspected before, he had no suspicion at all. Thus, he let rage consume him again, while he started to rapidly change his plans.

…

Meanwhile, in the chambers of the Sect Leader, Ashahell had just received a report from a few sect members from other members of the Big 4 whom he had contracted to keep an eye on the general Energy levels and concentrations in the continent.

It was his attempt at finding Ker Gem Mines which could be protected from the Big 4, and these sect members were people who shared his zeal, albeit to a much lesser extent.

The report made his eyes furrow, before making him show a hint of anger, that anyone would be very surprised to see, as the Sect Leader was always a man of few emotions.

If any emotion was being shown on the outside, then it definitely meant that it was present in considerable amounts in the Sect Leader's mind.

The report stated that the Mad Doctor had engaged in planting Devil Crops secretly, not caring for the fact that they rendered the land barren for years, in order to obtain enough resources to make those pools which were designed to push those sect members who had died to the Peak of the Warrior level.

Since the incident in Lanthanor last time, the Big 4 had cracked down on all such activities, even putting in place the law that those found to be engaging in these activities would be killed directly.

This man had already opposed him vehemently once, when he had proposed his plan to save Angaria.

This time, for once, Ashahell seriously considered giving in to his emotions, and killing that Mad Doctor, lest he finds an opportunity to take shelter behind some Hero.

…

Meanwhile, the one responsible for all of these actions and reactions was slowly savoring a piece of Fish from the Endless Sea while smiling to himself.

"Young King, you said that framing someone means planting false evidence in their abode. But you planted false evidences in both of their abodes! Why?"

"Two reasons, but you should be able to guess the first as its obvious. Try, Drakos."

After a few moments of thought, Drakos replied, "I got it! So that they would be instigated to fight against each other!"

Sighing and thinking that Drakos still had a long way to go, Daneel spoke.

"Yes. But the second reason is that I planted false evidence about a false crime in one case, and false evidence of a real crime in the other. Even though a lot of care has been taken to cover up that real crime, if investigation starts in the earnest, don't you think that some or the other clue might be uncovered? After all, no crime is perfect, at least, not when there's someone like me to help the investigation. What do you say, Drakos? It's like a thief who has stolen something accusing and being accused by another thief who is innocent, with both thieves finding false evidence which lead to the accusations. If you are the investigator, don't you think that you have more chances of finding some clue to prove the crime of the first thief, because it really has happened, and because although the evidence is false, it points to that crime?"

"Yes! Of course! Brilliant, Young King! You're using his crime against him! Wonderful! Deceitful! Shamele-..Err, I mean, Amazing!"

As Daneel accepted the praises, he finished the piece of fish before buying another, deciding to splurge in celebration of a successful start to his plan.

Chapter 479: Champion Deathmatch 1

Standing idly in a grove near the Central Tower while leaning on a tree, Daneel was watching the actions of the Mad Doctor who was in his office, and Ashahell who was in his quarters.

The report about the Mad Doctor giving Echer Plants to the Black Raven Kingdom was false: he had only made a fake one up after finding out Ashahell's contacts so that he could infuriate the man using the one thing which affected him the most: the condition of the continent.

His hope was that due to this and their earlier altercation, Ashahell would be inclined to kill the Mad Doctor.

But…this was only a hope, and he needed to make sure it would happen.

He knew that the Mad Doctor would soon target him to kill him as soon as Marcus's favor of 'protecting' him ended, and Daneel just didn't want to handle someone at his level while being just a Warrior.

He had asked Drakos about the Champion level, but he had been told that this was essential information which could not be revealed unless he took the satisfaction level of the Kingdom to another peak.

Resolving to get on that as soon as this little assignment of his was done, Daneel refocused on the Mad Doctor, who had begun to break the things around his room in anger.

The man never had been that good at controlling his rage, and that seemed all the more apparent now. However, what Daneel wanted him to do was report this to the Heroes of the Sect before going on the warpath.

Handling Ashahell would be harder-the man was the one of the smartest that Daneel had ever seen, so it would be unwise to try and manipulate him in simple ways. No, Daneel needed to be careful and thorough.

At this moment, he was like the master of a maze which had two entrances. Into each, he had put in an ant, and now his job was to poke and prod them to reach the center where they would kill each other.

Meanwhile, the Mad Doctor was trying hard to act rationally.

If he gave in to his rage, he knew that he would foolishly go face the most talented and powerful Champion of the Sect without preparation, which would definitely result in his death.

He had never particularly believed that the latter was true, and although he was willing to try and kill the man himself, he didn't want to risk the possibility that he would be killed in return.

Inside his room, to the side lay a healer whose mind had just been flicked through by the Mad Doctor.

For his consent, he had promised him various things, but it wasn't necessary that he had to deliver them.

This was the healer who had written the report, and in his memory, the Mad Doctor had found that the one who had been injured bore a lot of similarities to the Sect Leader.

If he had had a smidgen of doubt before, it was completely gone now.

Clearly, Ashahell must have used the name of that master of the King of Lanthanor to commit this crime and take his revenge.

After finally smashing things for 5 more minutes before calming down, the Mad Doctor made his decision.

Taking out a data cube, he started recording something.

…

Viewing this, Daneel was happy.

Of course, he had used Mind Control on that healer to place that fake memory in his head.

"Young King, how could you guess that he would make a backup like this before attacking the other man?"

"It was an educated guess, Drakos. He makes backups of everything else, and he's also paranoid. So, I was just hoping that that habit of his would act up again. Thankfully, it did. This part is going well. Now, on to Ashahell."

Saying so, Daneel's gaze shifted to Ashahell's quarters.

Through Drakos's spell, it was like he was right there in the room.

Currently, Ashahell was pacing around with a deep frown.

Clearly, although he had felt very angry before and had been tempted to go and directly kill the Mad Doctor, he had now controlled himself.

He was a formidable foe, indeed.

It seemed that he needed another…push, so Daneel pondered on what he was going to do.

Almost mimicking his pacing unconsciously, Daneel thought hard for a minute before finally getting an idea.

For a solution, he had placed himself in Ashahell's shoes, to think about what would work on this man the most.

This had led him to one answer: other than the condition of the continent, the only other thing of large import to him was probably his secret- that he was an agent of the Church.

Yes!

His lips curling, Daneel started to instruct Drakos about what they were going to do, before marching toward the Central Tower.

One hour later.

Ashahell was still in his quarters, which was quite uncharacteristic of him. This would definitely be the longest time he had spent here in recent times.

He had nothing but time right now, so he had decided to spend as much time as needed in order to reach a decision instead of rushing into one.

He had been told to sit tight, but that didn't necessarily mean that he couldn't rid the continent of a pest that only wanted to exploit it.

However, although it was possible that he would get himself pardoned, it might be safer to wait and collect more proof.

These were the two paths he was thinking about, but he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Frowning and wondering about who could know that he was here, he opened the door to find a shaking servant holding a tray with a few wine glasses on it.

"S-Sect Leader! Y-you're here! I…I just wanted to try b-before I went to the ad-administrative department. Can I please speak to you?"

Seeing the man's heightened state of panic, Ashahell nodded, gesturing at him to come in.

This wasn't the first time he had taken sudden audiences in his quarters. The last time, some sect members had confessed some crimes directly to him in hopes that he would be lenient, instead of doing so at the administrative department, where they would try to give the worst punishment possible.

Thinking that this servant might be the same, Ashahell closed the door but he froze in his tracks and widened his eyes when he heard the man speak.

"S-sir, I just heard the M-Mad Doctor screaming something about finding proof that y-you're an agent of the C-Church, Sir. It's so preposterous! B-but he has connections in the administrative department, so I didn't want to report this there, as he will definitely try to kill me. St-still I thought you should know, Sir. It s-sounded like he would do something r-really bad, so I wanted to help stop it like a dutiful s-sect member."

The Mad Doctor had found proof that he was a part of the Church of Rectitude?!

On the outside, Ashahell looked fine, but tumultuous waves of thoughts were churning inside his head.

What could it be? He had been so thorough!

No, it wasn't the time to think of that now.

"Well done. You will be rewarded handsomely. I'll take care of this- you know how he is when he gets mad. He's been unhinged ever since his son died."

"Th-thank you, Sir."

"Tell no one of this. I will reward you later, myself. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir. I'll take my leave then."

Nodding in reply, Ashahell opened the door, but just when the servant was about to leave the room, he asked, "Does anyone else know about this?"

With a start, the servant stopped and answered in a quivering voice.

"N-no, sir. I was alone when I walked up to his room to offer refreshments."

"Good. Go."

As soon as the servant left, Ashahell frowned deeper than ever.

Something about this didn't seem right.

However, he had to consider whether he could take the risk.

If there was proof, everything, all of his efforts, would go to waste.

Why not just kill the man and give the report of him breaking the rule as a crime?

Regardless of whether he had proof or not, it would solve all problems.

At the same time, Ashahell received a message through his communication trinket.

"Sect Leader, the Mad Doctor has requested for your presence at a location outside the sect. He quotes that it is because he has some important information he needs to convey."

Really? His madness was acting up again? He actually wanted to confront him?!

Perfect. This would be the perfect opportunity.

Thinking so, Ashahell carefully stored the report to show as proof for his actions later, before embarking to that spot.

A Hero was still watching him, but that could be remedied temporarily when the time came.

…

Heaving a huge sigh of relief on seeing Ashahell set off to the location where the Mad Doctor was waiting for him, Daneel wiped the sweat off his brow.

Finally!

"Young King, I must say that I've learned a lot. With such fine ski-"

While Drakos droned on in his head, Daneel felt that although this had been very hard, it had all been worth it.

From taking the time to find each person's weaknesses and contacts, to using Mind Control discreetly without anyone noticing.

He was in the final lap, so without delay, Daneel immediately rushed to the missions section before finding another team, Mind Controlling them and teleporting away to arrive at the spot where the Mad Doctor would be confronting Ashahell, after taking care of a little errand.

As soon as he arrived, he saw nothing, but Drakos asked him to move forward.

As he did under the Hero level camouflage spell that Drakos was casting, he saw the Mad Doctor waiting in the air.

Apparently, Ashahell was taking a longer route: he must be tying up loose ends in the Central Tower before coming.

Regardless, Daneel waited with bated breath.

A deathmatch between Champions was going to break out soon, and he was the one who had merrily arranged for it to happen.

Just as he was settling in, Drakos spoke, making him enter a state of high alertness.

"Young King, pay very close attention. In the time of the Empire, spars between Champions used to be held in public tournaments for the benefit of the people. It is said that even if one hasn't embarked on the path to power, the power of Champions is something they must learn of, and for that, witnessing them in action went a long way into understanding how they did what they were capable of. This was all the more important for Peak Warriors like you. Witness the power and glory of Champions, and try to find clues about what being a Champion means. Maybe, that way, you can find clues about how to cross the chasm yourself."

Chapter 480: Champion Deathmatch 2

The Mad Doctor looked livid: his face was completely red like a tomato, and veins were throbbing on his forehead.

However, what Daneel found strange was that he wasn't laying any traps for his opponent.

Daneel had no idea exactly what level the Mad Doctor was at, but he knew for sure that he was not a Peak Exalted Champion like the Sect Leader.

Thus, he was the weaker side. With his level of cunningness, wouldn't it make sense to set up traps put the enemy on the back foot?

As he voiced this question to the Ancient Dragon, he got the answer.

"Young King, I cannot tell you much due to the rules laid down by the Emperor. But I can give you a hint. If this man did arrange traps, no Champion would be foolish to march into such a place. The only traps he can use are those at the Hero level, and apparently, he is not in possession of such means. Anything below that would be futile, as he would just tip off his opponent."

Right!

The Mad Doctor was only calling the Sect Leader here to convey some information. If the Sect Leader managed to detect something like a trap, he would definitely be tipped off.

Of course, the Mad Doctor didn't know that the Sect Leader was also coming with hostile intentions.

Exactly one minute later, the Sect Leader of the Sect of Hedon appeared in the air opposite the Mad Doctor.

An expression of eerie calmness was on his face, and his arms were folded behind his back.

He was wearing a high-collared gold robe, while the Mad Doctor was garbed in black robes that covered his entire body except for his face.

"Sect Leader, I wanted to-"

"Cut the crap. Do you deny your crimes?"

"Wh-what crimes?"

What the hell? This wasn't the script!

By now, even the Mad Doctor could tell the Sect Leader was here with some other motive.

"It's just like you to feign ignorance. Enough!"

Saying so, the Sect Leader took out a trinket shaped like a strange hourglass.

As he broke it, the hourglass disappeared into the air, instead of breaking into pieces and falling down.

Instantly, Daneel felt as if he had just taken a cold shower.

"A rare Hero level trinket. I wonder where he found it."

"Oh? What does it do?"

"It distorts the time for whoever is watching him. At this instant, it will appear to them as if these two are just standing there. After two minutes, what has really happened will be transmitted to them. Basically, they will not be able to appear instantly to break up the fight. By the time they understand what is going on, it will be too late."

Hearing this, Daneel's eyes widened.

Such a miraculous trinket existed?

However, Daneel got a query.

"2 minutes? Isn't that too short for a fight, though?"

After a brief silence, Drakos replied, "Young King, a single second is often enough to decide the victor, especially when the fight is at the Champion level. 2 minutes is a stretch. I suspect that he plans to use the rest of the time to change the scene to appear however he likes."

A second?!

Daneel couldn't believe his ears, but he realized that it made sense.

Even Warrior level fights rarely stretched on for very long, but for some reason, he had assumed that the stronger one was, the more time would be required to breach their defenses and land a fatal attack.

Wherever did he get that idea?

As he asked himself this, he realized that he had been using the animated fights he had seen back on Earth to compare, which was obviously, not very wise.

But what was so special about the Champion level?

From the system, he knew that the key lay in Magerootless spell casting, but he didn't know anything further.

He already knew that there wasn't much information in the system about it: most of the journals and data that had been recorded pertained to the Warrior level, with Champions not even having residences in the Central Tower. Even if they did, he didn't know where they might be storing their most secret information.

All in all, Daneel was due to get his first clear view of what the Champion level was right now, and he was ready for it.

As soon as the trinket dissolved into space, the Mad Doctor got a ferocious look on his face.

"So you knew why I called you. How did you have the audacity to-"

"Oh, just die."

As Ashahell cut him off in this way, the elementary particles around the Mad Doctor started fluctuating wildly.

Random flashes of lightning, fire, ice, and earth started to appear around him.

The lightning was in the form of snakes which would pierce through any Warrior easily, and the fire appeared in the form of clumps of such high temperature that any Warrior would be roasted alive if they came into contact with them.

Along with ice pricks which threatened to destroy everything they attacked, and massive boulders of earth which were ready to crush anything to oblivion, it was as if nature itself was showing its wrath.

These were only the visible elements: through his elementary vision, Daneel could tell that so many more elemental attacks were also appearing at random, such as drops in gravity, space rips, and ultra-sharp wind blades.

In a way, it was as if nature had gone…mad.

Yes! That was it…nature had gone mad!

Each attack varied in intensity too, but at minimum, they could kill a Warrior.

As Daneel focused his eyes on Ashahell, he was surprised to see no change take place near him.

He had been expecting some kind of impressive change in the area around Ashahell, but the Sect Leader of the Sect of Hedon was just standing there idly.

Compared to the maelstrom of furious destruction that had sprung up around the Mad Doctor, he seemed weak. Powerless.

[Champion level display of powers being analyzed. Consolidating hints from thousands of sources using analyzed metrics.

Champion Paths identified.

'Mad' Champion Path analyzed.

'Mad' Champion Path: Those who choose this path come into touch with their inner madness, projecting it outwards through their Mageroot/body to make the world transform into a deathtrap where random elemental attacks with high frequency and power attack trespassers.

Current Form of Champion Path On Display: Domain/Projection

Note: It has been written that this Domain must not be confused with a Hero's Domain, which is something that all Heroes possess. This Domain is a projection of one's path into the world, which is a Form of attack as opposed to attacking in different Forms.]

Huh. So the system did know quite a bit about Champions.

As Daneel asked the system to repeat the information, he realized that a few journals that the system had recorded from the Central Tower might be from Peak Exalted Warriors who must have been doing their own research into the Champion level.

Discarding these idle thoughts, Daneel was about to completely focus on what he had just learned, but he stopped when he saw Ashahell move.

"Come! My Madness Domain has made many Champions flee with terror! Show me that 'Sense Distortion' Path that was touted as that which can only be trained in by one in a million!"

As the Mad Doctor shouted this, a small smile appeared on Ashahell's face, which made Daneel's skin crawl.

This man had been creepy enough with his intense expressions, but this smile took that to a whole other level.

It wasn't the meaning of the smile which made Daneel feel this; no, the meaning was clear: Ashahell was scoffing at the Mad Doctor.

Most of all, it was how unnatural that smile looked, as if it was something that had never graced that serious face for years.

Even the Mad Doctor felt a chill creep into his spine when he saw the Sect Leader's smile, but he just focused on his rage.

He knew for a fact that the Sect Leader was notorious for being able to kill someone without them even realizing anything. He was capable of taking away their sense of pain, touch, sight, and hearing, and then returning it to them after he was done.

No one knew exactly how it worked, but the Mad Doctor had long prepared himself for this battle using an obscure phrase he had read somewhere about this Champion Path.

"Cut off a few senses and focus on the ones remaining, and no Sense Distorter can affect you."

Slowly, Ashahell began to walk toward the Mad Doctor idly.

At the same instant, the Mad Doctor felt a vague fog encroaching on his mind.

However, he held firm because of his preparations, and when he did, Ashahell frowned.

This made the Mad Doctor rejoice.

"Hahaha, your Sense Distortion is useless! I've cut off my own feeling of pain to take full control of the others, so you cannot do anything! Come, Sect Leader! Die to my Madness! Haha-No…what?!"

Toward the end of his speech, just when he had been about to laugh again, the Mad Doctor was interrupted by something rushing up his throat.

Making gurgling and coughing noises, he spit it out, before seeing that it was blood.

With an expression of extreme alarm and shock, the Mad Doctor looked up to see that the Sect Leader wasn't in front of him while walking toward him, as he had thought.

Instead, as he looked down to see the massive hole in his upper body where his organs used to be, he heard a calm voice from behind him.

"Hmph. You were mistaken, Mad Doctor. It is not just your 5 basic senses that I can distort. You forgot about your sense of time, and your sense of space. Goodbye."

Meanwhile, Daneel was gaping at the scene, with his jaw hanging open.

He had been able to witness what had truly happened.

When Ashahell started to walk toward the Mad Doctor, everything had looked normal, up until that frown on his face after which the Mad Doctor had begun his gloating.

After the first word had left the Mad Doctor's mouth, it was as if time had…completely slowed down for him.

His body movements were very, very slow, and each word that he said was stretched out, almost as if…time was passing differently for his own body.

After seeing that whatever he had done had taken effect, Ashahell simply strolled forward again, before being attacked by the wild elemental attacks.

Here, he faced a little difficulty: hundreds of attacks bombarded him, reducing his trinkets to dust, making him resort to defending himself actively, and he was also slightly injured in the process.

However, the Mad Doctor was still staring at some distant spot where Ashahell had been a minute ago, and his speech was still coming out slo-o-o-o-wly.

After reaching the Mad Doctor, with one punch, Ashahell caused a large bloody hole the size of a man's waist to appear in his chest, before quickly leaving that domain under the attacks and standing behind him with his back turned.

After he replied in this way, the Mad Doctor finally seemed to come back to his normal senses, looking down and wondering what the heck had happened.

Seeing this whole thing, Daneel's back drenched with sweat, and he could only think of one word to describe both of these Champions.

Terrifying.

Utterly, insanely, terrifying.

Chapter 481: Champion Deathmatch End

['Sense Distorter' Champion Path analyzed.

'Sense Distorter' Champion Path: Only those who are capable of perfectly controlling their own senses can even begin to embark on this path. This is an 'Acquired' Path, instead of an 'Original' one.

Current Form of Champion Path On Display: Domain/Projection

Note: It has been written that this Domain must not be confused with a Hero's Domain, which is something that all Heroes possess. This Domain is a projection of one's path into the world, which is a Form of attack as opposed to attacking in different Forms.]

While the message sounded in Daneel's mind, the King of Lanthanor tried to close his jaw which was still hanging open after seeing such a breathtaking display of power.

However, he quickly realized that something was wrong.

By all assumptions, someone who had a hole that was large enough for a fully grown man to fit through in their stomach should be dead.

However, the 'Madness Domain' was still active, crackling with energy and threatening to decimate anyone who entered.

After spitting out blood, the Mad Doctor's eyes had also closed, and he appeared dead.

Then why was his domain still active?

Ashahell seemed to have noticed this too after turning around. As an expression of extreme vexation appeared on his face, he prepared to go back in disregarding any injuries he might sustain, but suddenly, Daneel saw a sight he would never forget.

The sun blackened out, as if someone had stretched their hand over it, and everything became still.

"Young King, a Hero approaches, and he is a powerful one. We must leave here, at least. Although my spell will hide you, a true Hero might be able to sense something if you are so close. Quickly start moving east. I'll still be able to transmit what happens, so don't worry."

Hearing this, Daneel got an expression of slight panic on his face before he slowly started to move away.

Still very dazed from the display of power, he was keeping a close eye on Ashahell, so when the man turned toward his direction, Daneel froze as sweat suddenly appeared all over his body, completely drenching him and making his heart beat out of his chest.

"Drakos, you said he can't detect me, right?"

"He can't! This man is no ordinary Champion. Still, Young King, disregard his gaze. You must leave. NOW!"

Since Daneel had taken that portion of the Ancient Dragon's consciousness into his body, this was the first time that he was seeing him actually serious.

As he screamed the last word, the majestic roar of a dragon seemed to be echoing in his mind, making him enter a state of high alertness that allowed him to cast off the panic that had arisen due to the possibility that the man, no, insanely powerful monster that was just a few hundred meters away from him might know of his presence.

Heeding Drakos's words, Daneel briskly walked away, taking care not to disturb a single twig on the forest floor.

Finally, when he got the get-go from Drakos, he teleported a short distance away before taking in huge gulps of air.

Daneel had been holding his breath this entire time, hoping that nothing would happen.

He had thought that he was some hotshot who could defend himself because he had reached the Peak Warrior level, but he realized just how much of an ant he was after witnessing that display of power.

Although Ashahell had used it against him, too, before, this was nothing like that.

No, Daneel could tell that it wasn't some simple spell that could be avoided using some kind of means. It was something so much more, and even though Daneel couldn't tell exactly what it was, he knew that he stood no chance.

So, right now, he threw away all remaining thoughts he had about probably facing Ashahell.

Using someone else to remove this threat was best.

Calming down, Daneel realized that it had already been 10 seconds since that moment when the sun had blackened, so he quickly asked Drakos to use that spell to let him eavesdrop again.

As he blinked, the image around him changed, and it as if he was back at the same spot he had been 10 seconds ago.

The Mad Doctor was still floating in the air looking like a corpse, and his Madness Domain was still active.

However, Ashahell seemed to have cleaned up. The wounds he had sustained were no longer visible, and he also seemed to have had a change of clothes.

Everything else looked the same, and Ashahell seemed to be waiting for something.

3 seconds later, a figure appeared between him and the Mad Doctor.

At the same moment, Ashahell turned around and kneeled to the figure.

This was an old man who was wearing maroon robes. He had a short white beard which seemed to be immaculately trimmed, and his white hair fell to beneath his shoulders.

His robes were old school, reminding Daneel of the Kings he had seen in a few textbooks on Earth. There was a scarf of sorts which was around his neck, with his left hand raised to chest level on which the long end of the scarf was draped on.

All in all, he looked to Daneel like one who had just walked out of a court a few centuries ago.

He had an ancient look to him, as if he had existed for a very long time, and this was exacerbated by his eyes, which spoke of such wisdom that couldn't even be fathomed by mortals.

However, now, those eyes were filled with disappointment.

"Ashahell. Why am I not surprised?"

His voice was deep, and when Daneel heard it, even though he wasn't at the location, he felt as if it had some kind of hypnotic tone to it, almost as if it were designed to make anyone who heard it obey and go along.

"He broke the laws, so I was just meting out the punishment. I received-"

"A report from one of your contacts. I know. But he was wrong. The Mad Doctor wasn't the one who gave the Echer seeds before, and he certainly isn't using them now."

"What? How? He is trustworthy! I was just-"

"He received information from someone else, and because of a few coincidental reasons, the report was sent forward to you by a mistake by one of his staff."

"A mistake?! But I didn't know! I just wanted to-"

It seemed that interrupting someone was the favorite pastime of this aged man, as he continued doing it without giving any hint of stopping it.

"Mete out justice. Child, the age of a single hair follicle of mine is longer than what you've spent on this continent. You knew that you would not be blamed too much if you did things in this way, as everyone already knows about how…sentimental you are about the continent. I've traced everything that's happened, even though you went to great lengths to hide the traces. You destroyed the Mad Doctor's backups, so there is no concrete proof about anything, and especially about those incidents that you covered up. Your aim was to get away with killing him, after making sure that there was no proof against you to further increase our suspicion that you've struck a deal with the Church. You think you've succeeded, right?"

With everything exposed, Daneel could see Ashahell hold his breath.

Clearly, this Hero, whoever he was, had been able to find out everything in minutes.

Daneel thanked the stars that he had a Hero-level Mind Control spell that couldn't be detected by this man, because if that were not the case, even more stuff would have been revealed by now which would definitely have led to his capture and eventual death.

Daneel had been the one to make that 'mistake' happen coincidentally by Ashahell's informant using Mind Control, in the same way that he had set everything else up to make this fight happen.

After giving a pause, the Hero continued.

"Wrong! I knew that you might try something like this, so I set up special formations to detect trinkets like these. That's how I was able to come so fast. The Mad Doctor will live, and although he will be in a coma for a considerable amount of time, he will still be able to serve this continent when the time comes. You, though. You thought you were so smart. But for once, the Mad Doctor was smarter than you. You deleted his backup, sure. But you couldn't find this."

As the Hero unveiled a data cube from beneath his robe, Ashahell's eyes widened oh so slightly, displaying his shock for the world to see.

Impossible! That guy had made another backup?!

Seeing this, despite the tension of the situation, Daneel couldn't help but snicker.

It was he who had made that backup and placed it in such a way that the Hero would be able to find it.

After all, if he had started scheming anyway, why not see it through to the end?

Of course, the Mad Doctor would be the one taking the credit, but the end result was what was most important.

Especially after that incredible power display, Daneel really, really wanted Ashahell to be put away.

Thankfully, for once, it seemed that his schemes were going to pay off in the way he had expected them to.

"It's over, Ashahell. I've seen what coverups you've done. The only reason you're still alive is that some on the council have stated that you might be being framed. Only because of that possibility, you will be locked in the best prison we have, until such a time when your guilt or innocence can be proven. Don't bother wasting your breath. The decision has been made. Let's go."

With the last sentence, Ashahell was forcefully dragged away in an instant by that Hero, who vanished too, letting the sun shine again.

As for the Mad Doctor, he had been taken away too, but in a much gentler manner.

As the Madness Domain finally disappeared, Daneel heaved a huge, huge sigh of relief.

Well, the Mad Doctor wasn't dead, but he had practically gotten everything else he had asked for. Ashahell was going to rot behind bars, so he would no longer have to worry about that pertinent threat at least for the time being.

However, right now, as the Mad Doctor would be in a coma anyway, it was time for some good ol' looting.

Regaining his enthusiasm, Daneel chuckled and made his way back to the Sect before discreetly entering the Mad Doctor's house again.

If the kind woman who had raised him in the orphanage back on Earth got to know that he had become someone who delighted so much in looting, she would definitely have been quite disappointed.

The guy was in a coma, so he wouldn't miss them. Even if he did, Daneel could handle that later, as Drakos had just told him that with that amount of injuries, it would definitely be at least 6 months to a year before he got revived.

First, Daneel packed away the piles and piles of Ker Gems and the Ker Root, before getting to the really good stuff.

To the back of the vault was a mottled diary, which seemed to have been written by a madman.

Oh, right- that madman was the Mad Doctor.

As he quickly touched it, Daneel got a notification from the system which made his face light up with a smile.

['Mad' Champion Path Obtained.

Type of Champion Path: Original

Level Limit: Peak Eminent Champion

Achievement Unlocked: Large Strides.

Large Strides: By obtaining your first Champion Path just months after advancing to become a Warrior, you have qualified yourself to receive this achievement which commends you for the quick progress that you are making. Congratulations!

10,000 EXP Awarded.]

Chapter 482: The Fruits of Labor

Sweet, sweet EXP.

After upgrading the system to the Peak Champion level, Daneel had been disregarding EXP for the most part, both because he was able to make do without spending them for the available tools, and because he had thought that he wouldn't need to upgrade it any time soon again.

However, being a witness to that fight had changed his opinion.

The sooner he was able to upgrade the system, the better it would be, but he honestly didn't want to find out the upgrade cost right now.

If he did, he might keep stressing about it, so he decided to accumulate EXP for now and ask the system later, when he felt that he would be able to take the blow.

After going through the description of the 'Mad' Champion Path in his head, he was tempted to ask more, but Daneel decided to first get out of here.

Taking care to record each and every backup the Mad Doctor had, including the ones of the medical techniques of the Sect which were practically priceless, Daneel left, leaving everything as it had been.

This had truly been a bountiful harvest, he thought, as he lugged the bag of Ker Gems and walked to his dormitory.

Thankfully, Drakos had given him a Hero level spell that made it so that he wouldn't be paid much attention by anyone who laid eyes on him.

This enabled him to make a clean escape without drawing attention, and as he reached his dormitory, Daneel felt like jumping up in joy.

Jackpot, jackpot, jackpot!

Many said that there was a certain 'kick' that was felt by every schemer and thief when they succeeded in looting something very valuable, and Daneel was feeling that now.

Euphoria washed through him as he sat down on his bed and looked at the enormous bag of Ker Gems.

It would have been impossible to lug it here without Drakos's help, so he thanked the Ancient Dragon, who strangely stayed silent.

Shrugging, Daneel began to count, and with each second, his joy grew by leaps and bounds.

He could have asked the system to give him the number, but he hadn't done so as he wanted to have the satisfaction of finding it out himself.

After a few minutes, the final number shocked him so much that he could only stare into space in a daze for a few seconds.

168,516.

WOW!

Remembering that moment when he had been loath to use just one Ker Gem because they were so rare, Daneel realized that he had really come a long, long way.

Besides, he had seen the size of the Mad Doctor's vault. There used to be so many more Ker Gems, but Daneel could guess that he must have used them for the solutions in which those sect members had been training.

Of course, the true prize was still the Ker Root, which was in the form of a hand-sized knotted twig-like object which seemed to be made of the same material like the Ker Gems, but was much darker.

Opposed to what he had seen in the corporeal body of the Black Raven Empire Spirit, this one looked undernourished and decrepit, but he knew that its value was so many times higher than even this huge pile of Ker Gems.

Grinning so wide that his cheeks hurt, Daneel immediately took a Ker Gem and was about to train for a bit, but he stopped when he remembered that he was at the Peak Warrior level, both as a Fighter and a Mage.

Training now would only be throwing the Ker Gem into a bottomless well with no benefit being derived from the act.

Putting the gem back on the tall mountain of Ker Gems that he had fashioned from all of them, Daneel sighed and shook his head, lamenting at his fate.

When he had needed Ker Gems to train and buy that key to enter the Central Tower, he had had to undergo so many risks and hardships.

However, now that he had more than he would be able to use in the short term, he practically had no use for them.

Still, it felt so good to look at, and Daneel started dreaming about what he could do for the Kingdom of Lanthanor with so much money.

After all, one of the primary aims after getting out of the Sect would be increasing the satisfaction level even further, so that he could earn exponentially more EXP from the system.

While his thoughts drifted, he suddenly heard Drakos speaking, but something seemed different.

"So using underhanded and cunning means can bring this much profit? Why even be righteous then? Why didn't the Empe-ROOOAAARRRR!"

Drakos's voice had always given Daneel the feeling of honor and righteousness, but this time, it was almost like he was a different person.

Even before he could react and do anything in response, Drakos's sentence got cut off, and was replaced by a savage and guttural roar that Daneel would remember forever.

It was the roar of a Dragon that was ready to kill, and its will was something that no one could stop.

Immediately, Daneel felt himself pulled into a vision like the one that he had been shown by Drakos before.

What the hell was going on?

Looking around, he realized that he was in that same circular spire again, and that that large and regal man was still standing in one corner, looking out over the impressive expanse of his Empire.

Was the vision replaying?

Puzzled as to why such a thing would occur, Daneel was about to ask the system his query when he received the scare of his life.

"Young man, I believe that you have exposed my closest vassal to corruption and deceit?"

Turning around, that regal man whose grandeur once again made Daneel feel like kneeling said these words, with his eyes fixed squarely on him.

What the…f*ck?!

How was the dead emperor talking to him?!

As Daneel's heart started to beat faster, the Emperor's serious face continued looking at him for a few seconds more, before finally breaking out into a chuckle.

"Relax. This is just a pre-recorded message that I stored in Drakos's mind without his knowledge. It was set to play when drastic changes appeared in his consciousness, and it will also revert those changes, which will certainly end up saving your life."

Still unable to believe it, Daneel moved from side-to-side before finally confirming that it was a message.

The man's eyes hadn't moved.

So the Emperor had a sense of humor?

With his heart finally calming down, Daneel looked again at the Emperor, who seemed to have entered into a river of his memories.

His eyes were glazed as if he were reliving some moment, and a wistful smile was upon his face.

Still, Daneel couldn't help but realize something.

Even in the last vision, Daneel had been able to see this, but it was even more visible now that he had more time to think and analyze.

Above all, one emotion seemed to dominate the Emperor, and it was as if it was the undercurrent of his mind which affected everything he did.

That emotion was…sadness.

An extreme, unfathomable and mystifying sadness.

"He was just the size of a palm when I first came upon him. Dragons were vicious and selfish creatures, which were blessed with terrifying power that defied the Heavens themselves. Although their numbers were few, their wishes were endless. So much so that they set out to destroy all other races or subjugate them, in order to let their own species reign supreme. I killed so many of those majestic creatures with these hands, but when I saw this little one, I just…couldn't. He had just been born, and he looked at me with such adorable eyes that had nary a hint of the evil that I saw in his parents. I took him in, and raised him in a sheltered atmosphere. I was told by a Seer that prolonged exposure to the types of wishes his species had might lead him to awakening the legacy of his forefathers, giving him unparalleled power. But that would also turn him into someone to be targeted and killed. Why not be weak, if you can at least be alive?"

As the Emperor spoke while looking at his hands, Daneel could almost imagine it.

A small, palm-sized creature that looked a little like a scaled bird, but its unique eyes and innocent face must have been so enchanting.

Taking a deep breath, the Emperor continued.

"When the time came to call for those who would take up the duty of serving this continent even after this Empire's demise, he turned out to be the one whom I placed my hopes most on. His innocence would allow him to hold on to sanity much, much longer than all the others. Thus, I gave him the most valuable of techniques and secrets for safeguarding. If someone earns his approval, then I know that they must be worthy.

"But I also know that one being worthy does not mean that they are completely righteous. As humans, our advantage is that we are capable of being many things, unlike the Divine Beasts which mostly have a single-track mind. Young man, my main message is this: Please do not expose Drakos to direct acts that might corrupt him. Him knowing about them, or hearing about them is fine, as that's taken care of. But I cannot do anything if he witnesses them himself. If my seal on his power breaks…I dare not imagine the consequences. Of course, I have placed a lot of countermeasures, but it is best to be safe. Just follow this simple rule, and everything will be all right. Oh, and, congratulations. The reason for me congratulating you will be revealed when it is the right time. For now, fare thee well."

Chapter 483: Leaving the Sect of Hedon

"Young King? Young King, what happened to you? Are you all right?"

As Daneel was immediately thrown out of the vision right after the last word exited the Emperor's mouth, he heard Drakos's concerned voice in his head.

Heaving a sigh of relief on seeing that his voice no longer contained that change form before, he said, "Oh, I must have just overexerted myself and fainted. What was the last thing you remembered me doing?"

After a pause, Drakos said, "Me? I remember that you were counting something, and then…you must have fainted, because I don't remember anything else. After all, when your consciousness is not awake, I cannot do anything either. Was I saying something befo-"

"NOPE! Err…nope. You weren't saying anything. Now, let's go out for a stroll."

Just as Daneel was about to head to the door after interrupting Drakos in this way for safety, he came upon the large pile that he had been counting before.

As he did, he cursed inwardly while hearing Drakos say, "I remember! You were counting Ker Gems! The loot from that Mad Doctor! And, oh, I wanted to tell you that your method was very effective. In fact, I-"

"DRAKOS!"

As sweat appeared on Daneel's back after remembering the dire way in which the Emperor had described Drakos's species, he shouted in his head to interrupt the Ancient Dragon again.

"Umm…yes, Young King? Is there something urgent for you to scream to like that?"

Without answering, Daneel first exited the dorm room before heading to a walkway.

When he had safely put some distance between him and that shining pile, Daneel said, "Yes. I wanted to tell you something."

Sensing the seriousness in Daneel, Drakos replied, "Go on, Young King. Is there any threat to your life?"

Yes, and to Angaria if you're corrupted!

Daneel said so to himself, before thinking for a bit and saying, "Nothing like that, Drakos. But you need to understand something. Those methods are…wrong. One must never use them unless there is no other choice. The righteous path is the best path, and one must always choose it. I just had to use those methods because I was weak. I didn't even gain much in the process! All in all, devious methods and schemes are…not things that you should think about. Definitely."

As Drakos paused on hearing this, Daneel wiped the sweat on his forehead while continuing to walk.

All this time, it seemed that he had been carrying a nuclear warhead in his mind without his knowledge.

"You sound like the Emperor, Young King, which is quite strange. But you were so ecstatic when you saw your plan work! Why-"

"I was desperate, and I shouldn't have felt happy. I was wrong. Drakos, a King must set the example for his people. What example would I set if my people found out about the things I did? They would all become thieves and scammers. I'm a changed man. Henceforth, I shall only be righteous. No underhanded schemes at all."

Never had Daneel thought that there would come a day when he would be scolding himself while having no other choice.

His cheeks burning while he felt chagrin, Daneel waited for Drakos to reply, and when he did, he finally calmed down, convinced that the crisis had been averted.

"You're right, Young King. The Emperor was also very adamant about this. Both of you must be right. I was wrong to feel attracted to those kinds of methods. Maybe I should enter meditation to ponder on my mistakes."

"Hmm? Meditation? What's that?"

"It was a technique given to those of us who chose to become Empire Spirits in order to help us to remain sane. It cuts us off from all external inputs, but when called, we can respond. During the meditation, our consciousness slows to a crawl, and we can ponder on anything we want with leisure."

"Perfect!"

After Daneel exclaimed like so by mistake, he sheepishly added, "I mean…you do that. I'll definitely call upon you when I need you. Happy meditating, Drakos."

"Sure, Young King. Be aware that short spans of time, such as those below 10 years, will feel like nothing to us when meditating. So even if I might appear to be, well, not here, please do not hesitate to call for me when you need me. I-…Never Mind. Fare thee well for now, Young King."

Giving the same address as the Emperor before leaving, Drakos stopped speaking, and after a few moments, the system chimed in Daneel's head.

[Target Consciousness 'Drakos' has gone into a dormant state. Analyzing technique being used. Technique's complexity exceeds system's complexity.]

So even the Meditation Technique was at Hero level? What was so special about it?

Striding off the walkway, Daneel took support on a tree as he leaned down and let out a few breaths.

That had been a close call.

Even now, he could remember that roar clearly. It had the power to rend the Heavens and the earth in two, and he had almost set it free.

No matter what, he was not going to have Drakos witness anything 'bad' from now on.

Of course, doing small bad things wouldn't count, as the main problem came when he saw the outcome.

So, like the Emperor had said, Daneel just needed to be careful.

Thankfully, his main objective in the sect for which he had needed Drakos had been completed.

Although the most ideal situation would have been for one of those two to die, Daneel wasn't too disappointed.

The vitality of a Champion was said to be terrifying: thus, it was a pipe dream to wish for one to die, especially when Ashahell had had such a short span of time to work with.

Given more time, Daneel was sure that Ashahell would have completed the task, but things were still great as they stood now. Ashahell was imprisoned and could no longer freely plot the downfall of the continent, and the Mad Doctor was in a long, long coma.

Going back to his dorm, Daneel once again viewed the pile of Ker Gems and realized that he was in a dilemma.

How was he going to transport them out now?!

Thankfully, the next day, there was good news.

The super-strict lockdown on the Sect had been lifted.

The reason hadn't been released, but Daneel knew why: apparently, his action of framing Ashahell had also resulted in this, which made him feel quite happy before he felt his face burn again on remembering what he had had to say about himself in front of Drakos yesterday.

Apparently, the truth was that there had been a lot of displeasure due to the lockdown, mainly from all the Warriors who had been assigned to keep an eye on those who went out.

Now, there was no such thing bothering anyone.

Using the secret exit that he had used before, Daneel began to smuggle out the Ker Gems carefully to Lanthanor's vault.

It took many, many trips, but by the time he was done, Daneel felt greatly satisfied.

Right now, Lanthanor was the richest Kingdom of the Continent.

Gone were the days of poverty when he had had to scrounge up the money by taking loans.

Now, he had all the money he needed, and because there was nothing like the "Tax Commission" in Angaria which would have asked questions if he suddenly showed so much wealth, Daneel was going to be able to implement more and more of his plans for the welfare of the people.

Of course, if he showed too much wealth at once, it would be an obvious incongruency that would call the Big 4 down on him, so he would still have to be a bit cautious.

With his work in the Sect of Hedon done for now, Daneel headed out, looking forward to finally returning to his Kingdom.

The only thing that was left in the Sect was to re-obtain the parts of the Inheritance left behind by the Empire that had been taken away by Ashahell when he had visited Lanthanor.

He would definitely have to come back for those.

After exiting the Sect, Daneel first headed to the Watcher's place, as the original Travis was still being held there.

However, when he reached, he saw something very…strange.

Travis was just standing there, without any bindings, and the Watcher had a sheepish expression on his face.

"Umm…I took him in as my disciple. He knows everything. Don't worry, he's sworn an oath. So, he's ready to take your place in the Sect again, and you can even switch out with him whenever you want if you need to go back inside. Win-win, right?"

Daneel had seen hints of this the last time he had met the Watcher, too, but he couldn't have expected that the bodyless man would take the plunge.

Still, he had to admit that it was convenient.

So, walking up to Travis, he patted his shoulder and said, "Have fun," before leaving.

Travis asked the Watcher what Daneel might have meant, but he wasn't aware of the answer either.

Little did he know that there was a huge roster of Warriors just waiting to kick his ass to a pulp for his post as soon as he went back.

…

After getting back to the Palace without telling anyone, Daneel lied down on his bed, thoroughly exhausted.

He was just about to take a nice nap, when the system suddenly sounded in his head, making him snap his head up with shock.

[Warrior-level display of power has been detected in the Palace. Location: South-east of Host.]

When the hell had a Warrior invaded Lanthanor?!

With alarm, Daneel teleported to that underground room, intending to find out who had the audacity to enter his Kingdom.

Without hesitation, he used his full strength to kick open the door, only to find his elder brother figure, Elanev, training in the room in front of a punching bag.

There was no one else here.

Daneel was about to ask the system whether it was Elanev who had been the one to display that power, but the man spoke out by himself with an expression of extreme frustration on his face, which made Daneel take a step back with surprise.

"I didn't want to believe it. I was so ready to gloat that I became a Warrior so fast…and you became a damn Exalted Warrior already?! I mean, COME ON, MAN!"

Chapter 484: Race

Daneel could only gape at his elder brother for a few moments, before looking around the rest of the room to notice the extreme level of training that had gone on here.

There were multiple strange apparatuses which seemed to have been constructed to train punching and kicking, and all of them were stained with blood.

Even Elanev was practically wearing rags: it was as if explosions had rocked his body, making him look like the survivor of some terror attack.

By the time Daneel managed to completely comprehend his words, he heard a wise voice coming from behind him.

"I trust that my clone technique served you well?"

How the hell had someone managed to evade his Peak Exalted Warrior senses to appear behind him?!

Turning around with an expression of extreme seriousness, Daneel came upon the visage of an old, bald man with striated muscles and a long beard.

Huh? Why did this guy look so similar to a very sleazy character in a very popular show back on Earth?

This was the first thought that went through Daneel's mind, but he discarded it, knowing that it must be a coincidence.

He would have cause to be truly puzzled if this man also turned out to be sleazy, so he hoped that that was not the case.

When Daneel finally focused on the words said by the man, he immediately understood who he might be.

"You…are you the one who established the Fists of Justice Training Hall before leaving?"

A proud grin came on the mottled face of the old man as he heard these words, as he puffed out his chest and said, "The one and only. The moment I stepped foot in this Kingdom, I could tell that someone had taken the secret techniques I had left behind for those who proved themselves to be worthy. And of that caliber, only you exist in Lanthanor."

"Hey! What about me?!"

Hearing the old man praising his younger brother, Elanev spoke out with exasperation, but the old man's merciless reply shut him up.

"Be quiet while those superior to you are talking."

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Elanev just stood there, but he reacted when he saw Daneel walking toward him.

Daneel had already made certain shocking deductions which made him wonder whether he was dreaming, but first, he decided to support his elder brother, whom he valued highly for various reasons.

After reaching him, Daneel took him into a bear hug which made Elanev's face soften.

This reminded him of that time which felt so long ago, when this kid had looked up to him for guidance.

It was actually partly that feeling that spurred him on in his pursuit for power: under no circumstance did he want to be left behind by his younger brother.

His father, the Righteous Hawk, had brought him up with core values that emphasized the importance of one's origins, and their duty to serve it.

True, he had never listened to his father's admonishment about how it was best to enter the administrative wing in order to fulfill his duty, but he had still instilled those teachings deep into his heart.

Now, he had been prepared to finally aid his younger brother for that end, but it seemed that he had been outstripped yet again.

After the strong hug, Daneel held Elanev by his shoulders and asked, "How've you been? Things just got very…hectic after the Olympics."

Laughing, Elanev clapped Daneel on his shoulder and said, "Of course I understand. Well, this old man has been putting me in the grinder day and night after I became a Warrior to train me in what he claims to be the 'Best Fighter Inheritance on the Continent'. It sounded like a load of hogwash, but since I've started training in it, I gotta admit that it's pretty powerful. Maybe we can have a spar later!"

"I'm right here!"

As the old man bristled with anger on being ignored by both the people in the room, Elanev secret smiled before winking at Daneel.

Daneel had ignored the man because he would always support his elder brother over someone he didn't know, and it seemed that Elanev was following his example, and finally taking some revenge by making him angry.

Daneel had been able to guess the old man's character the moment he had seen him puff his chest up like that: he was clearly very prideful, so being ignored was definitely something that would sting heavily.

"It's been hell, I tell you. I haven't been with a woman in months! Damn, whenever I think back to what a colorful life I had before I left on my trip, I just feel like cursing…"

Daneel knew about his elder brothers varied 'exploits' in the Kingdom, which had made him quite famous as the playboy of Lanthanor. So, puzzled, he asked, "Why? Is it a prerequisite for your training?"

Shaking his head, Elanev answered, "No, but how would you feel if you did it while having an old man in your head who's watching everything all the time? He says that it helps in training as a Fighter, but I call bull! I bet he's satisfied that I can't do it, because he hasn't done it in thousands of years!"

Umm…that's too much information.

His face burning slightly, Daneel looked to the side before confirming something.

This old man…must be another Empire Spirit!

As he asked the system to make sure, he got the answer.

[Affirmative. System has detected similarities between the changes in the minds of host, target 'Faxul' and target 'Elanev'.]

Even though Daneel heard this, he was puzzled.

First, how was it possible that so many people from his Kingdom were coming into touch with Empire Spirits?

If it were just Faxul, Daneel could ignore it as a coincidence, but now that Elanev had also been added to the list, he felt that he could no longer ignore it.

Second, what kind of relationship did Elanev have with this old man?

So far, he had seen two extremes: one was Drakos, who had been willing to put himself at risk to enter Daneel's mind.

The other was the Black Raven Empire Spirit, whose only aim had been to fully take control of Faxul's body.

And third, if he was an Empire Spirit, how the hell had he come to Lanthanor to establish the Fists of Justice Training Hall? Daneel knew for a fact that the Training Hall had been set up in the past few hundred years, instead of existing for thousands of years.

What was going on here?

He had many questions, and he realized that he would have to talk to the old man if he wanted them answered.

Slowly, Daneel realized that he was starting to hate questions.

The Emperor had already left him with one: the man, or, the giant of a man had congratulated him for something, but he hadn't told him what it was for.

Daneel had considered asking Drakos, but the priority then had been to have the dragon go into meditation as soon as possible to avert disaster.

In the end, Daneel had had no option but to put it to the side along with the others, which included the major question about how that regal and sad man had turned into the crazy figure that had carried out that massacre.

Right now, he could only tell himself that each question would be answered with time.

After all, if he spent all day dwelling on all the mysteries that were still hidden from him, he wouldn't have time to do anything else.

Now, looking at Elanev who was sadly shaking his head due to his 'regrets', Daneel wondered whether to speak freely.

Thankfully, the old man resolved this dilemma.

"All right, that's enough."

As he raised one hand, Elanev plopped to the ground, which made Daneel frown.

So the old man could forcefully control Elanev?

This was definitely something to worry about.

It looked like he had made Elanev faint, but when Daneel looked at his Elder Brother's face, he saw that he was smiling wide, while drooling from one side.

Also…why was there a-

"Don't worry, I just put him to sleep. And I think you can imagine what he's dreaming about."

Eyeing his elder brother again, Daneel sheepishly nodded before turning around to see that the old man had appeared in front of him.

"He can't be awake during this discussion. He has enough distractions as it is: I don't want to add another by having him listen about things which currently don't concern him. I see that you have some questions. You can voice them first, before I speak."

Folding his hands, the old man said this with a pensive expression after meeting Daneel's gaze.

Oh? That was quite generous of him.

For once, Daneel felt happy that he had an opportunity to have things answered directly.

"What are you? Are you an Empire Spirit like Drakos? If so, in what way are you inhabiting my elder brother's mind? And if you are an Empire Spirit, how were you able to travel to Lanthanor to set up the Fists of Justice Training hall?"

"Most pertinent questions first, I see. So you know about Drakos? I was one of the few who supported that guy in his decision to not kill the cute little thing. Anyway, do you recognize …this?"

In an instant, the old man changed into a middle-aged giant, with a top-knot and bulging muscles.

Wait…Daneel had seen him before!

In that vision, he had been one of those who had been addressed by the Emperor!

Seeing Daneel's eyes widen, the old man turned back into the same form as before and said, "So Drakos did show you that vision. To answer your question: yes, I was an Empire Spirit. To be more specific: I was one of those who were placed in a Major Sect at the time, which was subsequently wiped out later. You see, each and every one who became Empire Spirits chose different ways to remain sane. For Drakos, it had already been chosen: it was his innocence, which allowed him to stay in a meditative state for longer. For that snake, it was to pass time by training assassins. And for me: it was to do everything I could to foster power and lost techniques in the world. As I am a pure Fighter, my consciousness is different: my criteria are much lower, and I have the ability to clone a part of my consciousness and enter someone's mind without harming them. It was one in one of those forms that I entered Lanthanor and set up the training hall. With time, I learned a few tricks, which is how I was able to put that boy to sleep. Now, let's put all that to the side. What are your plans for the race?"

Daneel had been listening intently, but this last question threw him off.

What was the guy talking about?

"Race? What race?", he asked, and as the old man answered him, Daneel's jaw couldn't help but drop for the second time today.

"Why, the race to become the successor of the Emperor, of course, and to gain possession of the source of his incredible power. The prerequisite is to gain the approval of an Empire Spirit, and the goal is simple: assemble all the parts scattered around the Central Continent by the Emperor. If that guy were here, he would be congratulating you on being able to enter, but you look like you haven't even heard about it?"

Chapter 485: Nine

So this was what that Emperor had congratulated him about?!

His mind rocked by waves of shock, Daneel only shook his head before taking a step back.

Raising an eyebrow, the old man said, "So you really don't know anything about it? That's really strange…"

Folding his hands and putting one hand on his chin before stroking his beard, the old man pondered for a few seconds before saying, "Did you, by any chance, expose Drakos to corruption?"

So this old man knew about that too?

Still quite dazed from the fact that he was in a race, which meant that there might be competitors, Daneel only nodded, which made the old man slap his fist and palm together before saying, "now it makes sense. Even though Drakos is accepted you, I guess he must be too busy meditating to tell you about it. Besides, he is limited to the information he sees around him, so he doesn't know about what's going on in the rest of the continent, as I do. For example, I know that the race has started, and that one competitor has even assembled two parts."

"Who?!", Daneel asked hurriedly, wondering which king was capable enough of increasing his own Kingdom's satisfaction level without it being noticed by Daneel.

"The Kingdom you call Axelor. Not all Empire Spirits need satisfaction level to be increased for approval to be gained. According to what limited investigations I was able to carry out, that King fulfilled some other criteria in order to enter the race, and he was guided by that Empire Spirit, who is a vile, bloodthirsty madman by the way, to acquire another part. I guess he's the one who is leading right now, as I can sense that you only have one part with you, which is not even from Lanthanor. So, are you ready to tell me what's going on?"

Axelor!

Due to him being recently busy with the Sect of Hedon, Daneel had had no option but to turn a blind eye to this Kingdom which had tussled with him for quite a long time.

Although he had disqualified Axelor in the Olympics, Daneel still intended to take revenge for the act of releasing the mosquitoes in the first place.

Now, he was supposed to believe that that King was in possession of two parts??

Seeing the disbelief in Daneel's eyes, this old man who seemed to be used to reading people's facial expressions in order to find out their thoughts said, "I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. Of course, I have no proof to show to you, so you'll just have to take my word. Anyway, before that kid wakes up, you just need to tell me one thing: whether you're in possession of another part."

Daneel was still a bit indecisive about whether to trust this old man, but he decided that it wasn't that harmful to answer this question.

"The inheritance parts of Lanthanor have been taken by the Sect Leader of the Sect of Hedon, and they're currently stored in their Treasury. Yes, the ones I have are from the Hidden Kill Sect."

Raising an eyebrow again, the old man said, "From the Hidden Kill Sect, you say? I wonder what that snake is doing. Anyway, I guess that that part is safe and sound for now. At least, no one from the Central Continent can get to it. Now, I've been observing the continent, and from some clues, I know that you control a lot of things from the shadows, at least much more than how it appears on the surface. For now, my only advice for you is to focus on finding your own path to break through to become a Champion, while also looking for the other parts of the Grand Inheritance. Yes, that's what he named it – I told him it was tacky. But don't dally too much – the Church is coming, and although the estimates I've received say that we should have a few years, something tells me that we shouldn't trust such numbers too much. For now, I would suggest that you focus on the former most, as the game completely changes as soon as one becomes a Champion. Remember: there is no weak or strong path, there is only a path that you are weak or strong at. Good luck, and farewell for now. If you need me for anything else, do not hesitate to find me."

Hearing the speech, an expression of seriousness came on Daneel's face as he pondered on the statement from the old man about the Champion Path. He had never heard it before, but he could tell that it was a very important clue.

As for the rest, he was going to do these things anyway, while concentrating on implementing more schemes in Lanthanor to increase the satisfaction level, especially now that he had almost an unlimited amount of money to tap into.

Nodding, Daneel watched as the old man slowly started to fade away, but he suddenly became corporeal again before saying, "Oh, one last thing. The Big Four was given misinformation about the number of parts of the Grand Inheritance. As you must know, on Angaria, the number nine is paramount. To suit that, the Emperor also made nine parts, which are all scattered around the continent. Goodbye, now."

Dropping this last bomb, the old man faded away, leaving Daneel with his drooling elder brother whose dreams seemed to be getting more and more wild.

In the silence that followed, strange grunts started to come from Elanev, which made Daneel shake his head and leave the room to head to his quarters.

So there were nine damn parts, not six as the records had shown?

Why had the Big Four been misinformed, and who was even responsible for it?

As for the number nine, Daneel had noticed that when he came to Angaria itself, but he hadn't thought that this little fact would come into focus now.

Nine parts: two with Axelor, if the old man was to be believed, one with Daneel, and one in the Sect of his Hedon.

Where were the other five? And who where the other contestants in the race?

And finally, what was his Champion Path going to be?

These were the most burning questions to be answered right now, but Daneel could only shake his head once more and lie back down before closing his eyes.

One thing after another kept hitting him, but nothing said that he couldn't just sleep to forget about everything for the time being.

So, the King of Lanthanor drifted off to his own, tamer dreams, accompanied by the constant beating sounds of Drakos's heart.

The next day, Daneel woke up with a fresh mind and smiled before freshening himself up and walking out of his quarters.

The moment he did, he bumped into Eloise, who seemed to be waiting at the door for some reason.

"King – I mean, Daneel! You're finally out of closed-door training?!"

With a broad smile, Daneel said, "Yes, Eloise. And I must say that it was very fruitful. How is your training going?"

Saying so, Daneel glanced down to see that she was holding a tray filled with breakfast items that had been freshly cooked.

Famished, he had just been about to go grab a bite, so he asked, "Is that for me?"

Hearing him say this, a slight expression of panic passed through Eloise's face for some reason, before she said, "Yes, Daneel! Tuck in! It's so good to see that you're back! I'll go assemble everyone else… We should have a meeting!"

Saying so in a high-pitched tone, Eloise pushed the breakfast tray toward Daneel who caught it before she turned around and started to quickly walked away.

Munching on a piece of bread, Daneel first attributed her actions to perhaps feeling shy due to seeing him, before finally realizing something.

Wait… She couldn't have known that he would come today, right? Then how was she standing outside while holding a breakfast tray?

A second later, he got a possible answer.

He knew just how much Eloise cared for him, so he sighed, thinking that she must be bringing meals to him each and every day in the hope that he would come out.

Seeing such pure love and care made his heart feel warm, as he once again wondered whether he had made the right decision to say no to her as he hadn't felt anything special.

As Daneel began to think about the two gorgeous women who had both shown interest to him, but whom he had literally friend zoned – an act, by the way, which would definitely have made him a target of many beatings by many frustrated men back on earth, he saw someone appearing from the other end of the corridor toward which Eloise was running.

It was his elder brother, Elanev.

There was a big swelling on his face, so it seemed that he wasn't able to see very clearly.

Eloise had been in a hurry, so without noticing him, she had bumped into him which made Elanev realize who it was and say, "Hey, Eloise. Weren't we supposed to grab some breakfast together? Should we go to the Palace grounds, or should we take a walk like last time?"

Seeing him, Eloise froze like a reindeer in front of headlights, before she started cursing inwardly about this man's timing.

Meanwhile, Daneel had heard everything, and his eyebrows were twitching as he realized just how wrong he had been.

So… Eloise and his elder brother, huh?

It seemed that the King of Lanthanor had quite clearly overestimated his own charm, and as he remembered the thoughts that had just passed through his mind, he blushed crimson, feeling thankful that no one was here to see his awkward plight.

However, the next moment, he felt a tap on his shoulders before a snickering voice floated into his ears.

"You thought it was for you, didn't you? Ho Ho Ho, for some reason you remind me of that Emperor, who was so focused on his 'Divine Duty' that I'm pretty sure that he died a virgin. Something tells me you're going to have the same fate!"

Chapter 486: Misunderstanding

Leaving another annoying snigger, the old man disappeared, not allowing Daneel to say anything in response.

Of course, his words had been branded into Daneel's mind.

Meanwhile, Eloise hurriedly turned around to see the King of Lanthanor standing there, thunderstruck.

"This isn't what it looks like! Elanev and I are childhood friends: his father used to bring him to court many times when he was a kid, and I was the only member of the royal family that he talked to. We maintained our relationship through the years, so that's why he just…"

Seeing Eloise's expression of extreme panic, Daneel's expression softened, as he realized that he had misunderstood.

As for Elanev grasping her hand, even that was explained the next second when Elanev said, "That's true, but who are you explaining yourself to? Is your mom here? And where's the breakfast tray? I'm starving!"

Indeed, it seemed that his elder brother had stretched his hand forward to grasp the breakfast tray, not her hand.

Ignoring Elanev, Eloise walked up to Daneel as tears started to swim in her eyes.

She had missed him dearly all these days, so the fact that this happened when she finally got to see him made her feel like crying.

"Nothing has changed in what I feel for you. I really missed you. Will you be staying for longer this time?", she asked, fighting the tears.

Seeing her up close and hearing what she said, Daneel regretted his action of jumping to conclusions even more.

In her eyes, he could see the same emotions that had quite shocked him on that day, when he had told her that he couldn't promise her anything.

Smiling, he said, "I know. It was my mistake. Yes, I should be here for quite a long time from now. So you and Elanev are childhood friends? How come I've never heard of this?"

Even though the distance was quite large, Elanev's sharp senses of a Warrior picked up their conversation, making him realize who the third person in the corridor.

With stumbling steps, he walked toward them while saying, "So there you are! I was meaning to talk to you, anyway. Well, you didn't hear about it because you never asked, and 'cos I was gone for quite a long. Even after I came back, I was quite busy. When she was imprisoned, if Faxul hadn't said anything, I was going to. I know all about what happened between you two, by the way: she is my best friend, you know. You really shouldn't leave a gal hanging like that, even if you are the King…Ouch!"

When Elanev had started to say the last sentence, Eloise had started to blush a lovely pink, and as she saw that he had come close, she stamped her foot down hard on his to make him shut up.

Yelping with pain, Elanev started jumping around, but because his vision was limited due to the large swelling of his face, he collided face-first with a wall before promptly falling down.

Still holding his foot, he exclaimed on the floor, "Eloise! I told you that you aren't a normal human anymore! Take care of how you apply your strength, woman! Ow! This leg was already injured during the damn training! F-"

As Elanev started to curse, Eloise blushed even more and looked down.

Hearing this, Daneel asked, "So your training is going well?"

"Yes, I've been using every opportunity I got. I'm just a step away from becoming an Exalted Human."

This made Daneel raise his eyebrows, as it had only been a few months since her 'rebirth'.

This speed was, to say the least, quite astonishing.

It seemed that Sister Xuan hadn't been joking when she said that that sect-preserving treasure was worth more than a Kingdom.

As for Elanev's and Eloise's 'friendship', Daneel was surprised, but he took it in stride.

It was true that Elanev had been absent for quite a long time, and even after his return, he had been quite busy.

And of course, nothing needed to be said about Eloise's very demanding schedule, especially before Norcet had come along to share the load.

So, all in all, it wasn't too surprising to hear of this, but it had given him quite a sheer shock when he had seen those things before.

"Elanev, I'll catch you in a bit. You, too, Eloise. Go on, grab some breakfast, you two. I'll be calling for an official meeting anyway, but before that, I should at least go see my parents."

Eloise was still shooting fearful glances at Daneel, as if she was afraid that he was still taking what he had seen in that sense.

She did not want that at all, but she knew that she couldn't do anything about it right now.

So, resolving to stamp Elanev's other foot too when she got the chance, she nodded and walked in the opposite direction from where she had been going last time.

Hearing her footsteps, Elanev exclaimed, "Hey, wait for me!"

"Humph! Elanev, next time I catch you flirting with some maid in the palace, I'll be sure to tell your father!"

"Huh? B-but why? Dad would kill me! Hey, wait up!"

Quickly getting up, Elanev started to chase after Eloise's voice, and the two started bickering even before they turned the corridor.

Seeing this, Daneel once again felt that they really did look like childhood friends.

Still, he found himself thinking back to what he had felt before, when he had thought that they were together.

If she really did change all those deep feelings she had for him in a matter of months, should he be really surprised?

After pondering on this for a bit, Daneel realized that if he thought about this with the view of a new-age earthling, then he really shouldn't find it strange.

He had, after all, given her no promises and hadn't spent any time with her. In his absence, it would make sense for her to develop feelings for someone else, especially if that someone understood her heart.

However, he knew that Eloise was an old-school girl. She was the kind who wouldn't fall for someone easily, and her feelings were so deep that she had put them as her priority even when she thought she was dying.

So, for someone with her personality, it wouldn't make sense to pivot those feelings so easily.

Wait…why was he even making such a detailed analysis of this?

As Daneel asked himself this, he realized that he had taken that old man's words quite seriously.

He had no intention of staying alone forever, so maybe, he should just make up his mind instead of constantly searching for that special 'something' which he thought he was supposed to feel if he wanted to be with someone.

The major influence on him in this topic was the kind old lady who had brought him up when he was an orphan: she often told them stories about true, pure love, and as he remembered them, Daneel realized that those incidents, and his parents' advice were directing his thoughts, but maybe it was time to change them.

Still, it was a major decision, so Daneel decided to put it aside for the time being. However, it was a fact that this incident had changed him: first, the old man's words had affected him like so, and second, his misunderstanding about Eloise had informed him that the woman who were showing interest in him now might not wait around forever, which might actually be the true reason behind the doubts and line of thought that had just appeared in his head.

Shaking his head, Daneel did what any normal son would do when his mind was troubled: he went to spend time with his parents.

Mary was ecstatic to see him out of closed-door training, and she took him into a bear hug before sitting him down and telling him about everything that she had been up to.

His father was seemingly out training the troops in his new charge as the commander who had replaced Luther after his departure, so Daneel told her that he would come back at night before leaving to call that meeting.

A few minutes later, Daneel felt nostalgic as he sat in the seat with the tall back, while facing all of his key personnel.

Eloise, Kellor, Robert, Elanev, Cassandra, and Aran were in front of him, eying the king and wondering what kind of breakthrough he might have had after his closed-door training.

The meeting did seem a little off with Faxul and Luther's absence, but Daneel knew that they would just have to get used to it for the time being.

Looking at the commanders and his father, Daneel saw one thing: their power level was still more or less the same, so he immediately decided that this would have to be verified ASAP.

But first, he decided to speak about what he had in mind for this meeting in the first place.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel said, "Everyone. First, allow me to say that I am greatly pleased with the way you all have handled everything in my absence. I consider it my honor to have such capable people by my side."

As they heard this, smiles broke out on their faces, but when Daneel changed his tone into a more serious one, all of them leaned in a bit with stoic expressions.

"Now, it is time to take everything up a notch. First things first: the Network of Angaria has been a grand success, but haven't you ever imagined how it would be if instead of just voice, we could have a method to capture the attention of almost each and every citizen by giving them something they cannot turn away from? This will be our main focus for now, and it will change Angaria forever."

Everyone's eyes widened as they heard this, wondering what the King meant exactly, but before they could ask, Daneel continued to say something which made all the people in the room except one collectively drop their jaws.

"Oh, and by the way, I'm a Peak Exalted Warrior now."

Chapter 487: The Walkou

"Pfft. Showoff."

As everyone else stared at the King of Lanthanor as if they were seeing a ghost, Elanev couldn't help but say this under his breath even while hiding his own shock.

The old man had only said that Daneel was an Exalted Warrior, but that was leagues different from being a Peak Exalted Warrior- a being just one step away from becoming a legendary Champion, which was a level that had never been seen in the Central Continent.

Usually, he was used to being the center of attention in a room due to his fast training speed, but in front of his little brother, all he could do was bow and accept defeat.

Eloise was the first to recover. After all, she was someone who had full confidence in the King's abilities to repeatedly awe everyone, so this only served to increase the adoration she felt for him.

Kellor was next. With a wistful expression, he leaned back and caught his chin with his hand before shaking his head.

He couldn't believe that this was the little kid whom he had awed all those years ago, in the National Academy, when he had shown up to kill that spy from Axelor.

It felt like it was just yesterday when Daneel had been looking up to him for support, but now, he had surpassed him and gone so far that he was merely an ant that could be crushed with a thought.

At this moment, he could only feel shame that he was still stuck at the peak of the Exalted Human level, and extreme curiosity as to just how the hell the King had managed to cross everyone in the Central Continent itself, just like someone who had come to participate in a running race with a super-fast Ether-driven carriage.

As for Aran, Cassandra, and Robert, their shock was the most pronounced.

Cassandra was like Elanev in the sense that she was also someone who was proud of her training speed.

However, now, seeing someone who had broken all the norms known to her, her jaw just wouldn't close, and she could only keep staring with wide open eyes, while wondering if this was a dream.

A damn Peak Exalted Warrior!

That meant that…the person in front of her was the most powerful man in the entire Central Continent!

She was a fiery woman who had never felt any kind of feelings for any man, but now, such an ultimate level of power suddenly made the King look quite attractive.

If Daneel could hear her thoughts, his face would once again be burning by now.

Aran, on the other hand, began to chuckle and laugh as if he had gone crazy.

Here he was, busting his ass each and every day just to reach the Peak Exalted Human realm for years, and their King had gone into closed door training for a few months and come out as a Peak Exalted Warrior?!

I mean, come on, man, should you be so domineering that you make the rest of us feel worthless?

His laughter seemed to be just one step away from turning into crying, and this broke Robert out of his shock.

He had just been feeling quite proud of his own training speed after recovering the ability to train, but he had never expected that his son would eclipse him like so.

Seeing the others who reacted in different ways, Robert first stood up and said, "Son, it is not good to show off like that." Before walking away, unwilling to let his son see his reaction.

"Exactly!"

This was from Elanev, who had actually been hoping to get the same reactions from everyone by revealing that he was a Warrior.

Hearing his admonishment, it was Daneel's turn to not know whether to laugh or cry.

He had just wanted to inform them, and to be honest, he hadn't intended to drop it like a bomb like that, thus eliciting such intense reactions.

However, now that he looked back, he realized that maybe…he had done so unconsciously just for this.

Well, he had gone through untold difficulties to get to this level, so he was very proud of that and seeing the shock and dropped jaws had felt quite fulfilling and satisfying.

Yet, now, understanding that he needed to offload some of the attention, he blurted out, "It's not just me, Elanev is a Warrior too!"

"WHAT?!"

If it were the King of Lanthanor, who was said to be the most talented person to be born in centuries, then the others could at least accept that he was someone capable of such feats.

But Elanev? The playboy who had once been famous for being chased around half the Kingdom for bedding the daughter of a very powerful Fighter when he was just a teen?

They couldn't believe it. No, they didn't want to believe it.

Even though it wasn't as shocking finding out about the King, everyone in the room except Eloise had had enough of shocks for now.

"Nope," said Cassandra, getting up and throwing her hands in the air.

"Uh-uh." This was from Aran, who mimicked Cassandra and stood up while shaking his head.

"…"

As for Kellor, he didn't say anything, but his emotions were clear: he wasn't ready to believe that the kid who was constantly accused of stealing the undergarments of women had surpassed him.

Robert also didn't say anything, but he shot a glare at his son, and the King had understood by now that he had made things worse.

These were all people who had been struggling for power for years! And now, all of their struggles had been made to feel useless due to these revelations.

Only Eloise, who already knew this, sat in her seat with a small smile on her face.

"Son, come to our room later. We should talk."

As Daneel heard this and scratched his head, Robert staged a walkout, and as the King of Lanthanor watched on helplessly, Aran, Cassandra, and Kellor followed him, all while still showing disbelief.

"Hey, why are you-"

Hearing Elanev say this, all of them turned around and shot such an intense glare toward him that he promptly shut up and remained seated.

At the door, only Kellor turned around and weakly shrugged after glancing at the King before exiting too before shutting the door.

As for the reason behind this walkout, it was simple: they just needed some time to wrap their heads around the fact that the Kingdom which had just recently been targeted and mocked for having no Warrior level individuals at all, now suddenly had 2, with one even being a Peak Exalted Warrior.

Inside the room, Daneel's eyebrow twitched while he spoke in a tone which made him look as if he were trying to cling on to his authority as the King right now.

"You're all dismissed…I-I guess?"

Finally, this made Eloise break out into laughter, and as this tinkling sound echoed across the room, Daneel and Elanev also cracked smiles before beginning to chuckle.

However, while laughing at the absurdity of the situation, Daneel decided one thing: he was going to make all of those people Warriors as soon as possible, as he had no intention whatsoever of letting them waste their potential at their current level.

It was not just them; he had decided that all those who were qualified, such as the previous Grand Court Mage who was silently training, would be given opportunities to break through.

Lanthanor was soon going to be the center of a lot of attention, so the more Warriors they had, the better.

As for the plan he had stated, he was truly looking forward to it: the television was one of the most world-changing inventions back on Earth, and it was high time that it was implemented here, so that Daneel could reap the benefits.

One thing was for sure, though: he was going to have this little incident of his own commanders walking out on him scrubbed from the records.

…

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of the Elves.

A court session had just been adjourned, during which Eldra had heard a report that she was currently the Queen with the highest approval rating in the last few hundred years.

She had only cracked a small smile and said some perfunctory words about how that was possible only with the continued support of all those in front of her, but inside, she had been scoffing about it.

After the court, she headed to the underground room again where she spent the majority of her time.

This room was quite small: it was made of yellow-colored stone, and some simple necessities such as a bed and a basin were placed to the side.

One wall was left completely bare, and as she closed the door, activated the formations which hid her presence from all those below the Hero level and knelt before placing her palms on it, as if she were praying, she heard a voice in her head.

"Well done, Eldra. You are progressing well. Your mother was right about you."

Eldra frowned as she heard this, but she put away her emotions before asking the question she asked each and every day, whenever she came to this room.

"How close am I to breaking the oath?"

"Have faith, dear. The technique I gave you is one which is highly effective. Now, have you completed your assignment?"

"Yes. I have gotten close to a maid. Like you instructed, I let her become my true friend. I speak to her about almost everything. She is an orphan, so she has started to treat me as family. I, too…"

As the Queen of Eldinor showed a small moment of vulnerability, the voice in her head said, "Treat her as the same? Good, that was exactly what was supposed to happen. Now, call her here."

With shock, Eldra asked, "Here? B-but why? I thought you said this room had to be kept secret from everyone!"

With a laugh, the voice responded in a chilling tone.

"From everyone alive, child. Everyone alive."

Chapter 488: Decision

As Eldra heard the voice inside her head, she immediately dropped her hands from the wall and stared at it with wide-open eyes.

It was cold and empty, just like the voice which had just commanded her to kill the only person she had ever had the grace of calling a friend.

Ever since she had had that conversation with her mother before she died, she had been fixated on this idea of getting rid of the oath.

She had worked tirelessly toward that end, as she hated the feeling of having to answer to someone.

Yet, to have to kill someone so close in order to accomplish this?

Was it worth it?

As soon as this thought appeared in her head, she felt the urge to stick to her decision of ridding herself of the status of a puppet, no matter what it took.

Where was this urge coming from?

She asked herself this, but, of course, there was no answer.

All she could feel was that it was getting stronger, and she even started considering whether to do it.

However, she suddenly remembered that moment of clarity, when she had freed the elf children from their captivity.

Their expressions of pure joy had become one of the major motivations for her, and now, if she chose to kill the elf maid who had actually had a similar past, it meant that she would be defiling that memory forever.

That…would basically mean that she would become an entirely different person, which was the objective of the spell that that voice in her head had told her about in the first place.

An internal turmoil started at this moment, and if anyone looked at her face and her twitching ears whose sharp ends looked like they were quivering wildly, they would know just how torn she was.

Two opposing forces fought, and each seemed to be equal for quite a long while, until finally, a single realization made one side win.

If she did this, she would be no different than her mother.

This thought was so revolting, so vile, so horrifying that Eldra immediately recoiled, making the side that didn't want to kill her friend win.

At the same moment, the other side disappeared, and because it was all in her own mind, she didn't pay much attention to it, assuming that it just might be because of her decision.

With the same determined expression she had had when she had ordered the execution of her own mother, Eldra put her hands on the wall and was going to say something, but she was interrupted by the voice which spoke in a pleasing tone.

"My child, why did you sever the connection so abruptly? I was still speaking! I was going to say that if you want the spell to finish right now, then you must do this. Otherwise, there's a different way. An oath binds the ethereal consciousness of a person, so the only way to break or bend one is to bring a drastic change in that consciousness, which would allow one to 'loosen' the binding. Killing your friend will result in the most abrupt change, which would allow you to break free right away. But if you do not wish to do that and follow in your mother's footsteps, then you simply need to insult that maid using all the personal things she told you. Twist them to make sure that they will break her, and when you succeed, although the spell won't finish, you will be just one step away. Choose, my child."

Hearing this, Eldra's eyebrows rose.

"It did not seem at all that you were going to continue."

"You are mistaken, my child."

Something was wrong here.

The phrasing and the tone had been very clear before, so now, seeing the complete 180 by the voice, Eldra started to suspect whether there might be something going on that she didn't know about.

However, those whispers returned, and this time, they were successful in allaying her suspicion.

As for the choice regarding whether to follow the second path, although Eldra wished that there was a different way, the desire inside her to get away from the control of that man was too strong. Besides, the whispers were pushing her a lot, too.

Finally, she decided, and left the room to carry out the deed.

However, as soon as the door closed, a vase was thrown across the room, which smashed on the door and broke into pieces before magically coming back together and floating back to its space.

A sound of extreme vexation and frustration was heard, before silence returned, resulting in the room becoming calm once again.

…

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Daneel was in the treasury, gazing at the enormous pile of Ker Gems in front of him.

He had a very difficult decision to make: he could directly use these resources to hasten the training of key personnel in Lanthanor, but if he did that, he would be running a very big risk.

Ker Gems were highly coveted resources that would make any Kingdom go crazy. With that being the case, if someone found out that the Kingdom of Lanthanor was handing out Ker Gems freely for soldiers and commanders to train in, then there would definitely be a continent-wide riot that might result in a joint invasion of his Kingdom.

Of course, that was the worst case, but he couldn't rule it out.

Besides, this would also draw attention from the Big 4, who might start questioning him, which was something that Daneel didn't want to handle at the moment.

All in all, it would be a bad idea, even if he invested heavily in putting a clamp on all information. In some or the other way, it would definitely leak out and bring him a host of problems.

So, after sinking into deep thought, Daneel finally got an idea.

With the system's help, Daneel began a small project that took him a whole day.

After he was done, he was quite proud of the result, and as he stood there smiling to himself, he realized that he was slowly becoming quite the narcissist.

Chuckling at the notion, Daneel headed to his parents' room.

His father had asked for him anyway, and he might as well begin his explanation from there.

As soon as he entered, however, he found a very angry Mary waiting for him.

"Daneel, did I raise you to be a show-off? I heard from your father that you upset so many people today! Son, humility is the best policy! No one likes a braggart!"

As he heard his mother admonishing him in this way, the King of Lanthanor only hung his head and didn't say anything.

Emperor, King or even a damn Hero- no matter who they were, they would only find themselves undertaking similar actions in front of their mothers.

Thinking like so and smiling slightly, Daneel said, "I'll take care, mom!" which quietened her complaints and made her lead him to where his father was sitting.

It was the balcony, and as he saw his son approaching, Robert got a stiff expression on his face.

"Dad, I just wanted to casually tell you all about it. I had no intention to-"

Raising his hand, Robert interrupted his son and shook his head.

They were in a balcony which overlooked the sprawling grounds and the Inner City beyond the high walls, which was a breath-taking view that was only reserved for the best rooms.

Daneel could tell that his father was in a very pensive mood, so he just stayed silent and waited for Robert to speak.

After looking at Lanthanor for a few minutes more, Robert spoke with a wistful tone.

"I know, son. It was just that…after I regained my powers and found out that I had become an Exalted Human, I was excited because I thought that I might be able to help you, as your equal. I know, I know, it was preposterous. But it was just a small wish which took ahold of me. Fathers are supposed to protect their sons- it's not supposed to be the other way around. I guess you could say that I was clinging on to what little pride I had left, after subjecting our family to such wretched conditions. Finding out that that will never be possible was just a blow that I need time to recover from."

As Daneel heard this, he sighed.

In the memories he had acquired from the original Daneel, he remembered just how proud a man his father had been. He was never too arrogant or overtly egoistic, but he took pleasure in being powerful enough to protect everything he held dear.

Right now, in front of him was a man who had been beaten down one too many times.

He knew that his father was proud of him for achieving everything so far, but he could also tell that he was a man who had his own wishes.

What was wrong with wanting to fight beside his own son, or to be his equal so that he could protect him if the time came?

What was wrong in being heartbroken after finding out that he could no longer aspire for such a thing?

"Follow me," said Daneel, before leading his father to one of the bathrooms in the large room that his parents were staying in.

Before Robert got any strange notions, Daneel raised his hands on top of a washbasin for a few seconds before opening the tap.

With a gasp, Robert watched as a thick, white mist gushed through the tap instead of water.

"Father, this is your opportunity to achieve everything you want. This is a special Energy which will hurt when absorbed, but it will greatly hasten your training speed, allowing you to reach the peak of the Exalted Human realm as fast as possible. Who knows? Maybe, in a few months, you, too, could become a Warrior like Elanev! And after that, believe in your son to find ways to both increase your training speed, and to increase mom's longevity. You and Mom are the reason that I was able to become who I am. Without your support and upbringing, I might never have dreamed about stepping forth and becoming the King at all. Now, please do not feel ashamed to accept everything I give you. No matter how much I repay you, it will never be enough."

Daneel had taken inspiration from many of the speeches he had seen on TV, but his emotions were true.

He wanted to do these things, and he hoped that his father would accept.

Thankfully, after thinking for a bit, a smile broke out on Robert's face before he stepped forward to hug his son.

However, at the same moment, a notification sounded in Daneel's mind which made him raise his eyebrows in surprise.

[Minuscule modification of Oath-link between host and target 'Eldra' has been detected.]

Chapter 489: Back to Eldinor

In a village on the outskirts of the Kingdom of the Elves.

"Olfax, how have you been?"

When the middle-aged man with a sharply trimmed beard who was sitting in the room heard this, he stood up with a start before immediately kneeling on one knee and bowing low.

"My King! It is an honor to meet you after so long!"

"So long? To me, it just feels like yesterday that we put Eldra on the throne. I trust that everything has been well with you?"

Saying so, the King of Lanthanor waved his hand which made a force raise Olfax from the ground.

Taking a seat, the king gestured at the one in front of him, on which the loyal spy sat before smiling and saying, "Of course, Sir. The Voice of Eldinor is now the leading news organization in the Kingdom. Investing in it in an early stage has reaped me a lot of profits, making me one of the most respected humans in the capital. Of course, this was all just to keep a close eye on the Queen, as instructed, My Lord."

Nodding, Daneel smiled before gazing into the distance, lost in his thoughts.

Now that he was back in the Kingdom of Eldinor, he couldn't help but think back to everything that had happened the last time he was here.

As those memories flashed through his mind, he tried to think about what motive Eldra might have had for doing something to escape the oath.

He had suspected that something was off from the reports, but he couldn't have guessed that it would be this. After all, it was definitely suspicious for the Queen to be spending such long amounts of time in some area of the Palace, after closing herself off from everyone.

Daneel had trusted the Oath and the Oath Stone, as until now, except his Master, he had never seen anyone successful in breaking or bending one.

Now that the truth about her actions had been revealed, Daneel had to admit that he was quite unhappy.

He had given this woman a fair deal: she had had nothing going for her, and he had worked so hard to help her rise to the throne.

Yet, this was how she chose to repay him?

He hadn't even asked anything of her Kingdom or her except a few inconsequential little things. This had simply been because he didn't want to draw any more attention than necessary, so was it that even those little things had been too much for her to do?

Now that Daneel thought about it, he realized that ungrateful people were some of the most irritating beings in the world.

Shaking his head, he said, "Give me another full report of everything the Queen's been doing recently. I trust that your spies inside the Palace are discrete?"

Nodding vigorously, Olfax said, "Of course, my King! I took great care to pick them out from those who were close to dying from starvation due to having no money for food. I raised them, and made them believe in me, before sending them on their missions. There is no possibility at all that they would betray me. For the most part, the activities of the Queen have remained the same, but something that has changed is that she had started confiding in a specific maid for the past month or so. I sent a report about this to the Kingdom, too. However, what I've just found out today is that that elf maid was seen leaving the Palace with tears in her eyes. The others heard that she had handed in her resignation, and after a lot of digging, what I found out was that the last thing she did before leaving was to meet the Queen. I don't know yet what to make of this, My Lord."

Hearing this, Daneel frowned deeply.

He had talked to the system after the notification, and he had found out that such minuscule changes in the Oath- link was something that couldn't even be detected by a Champion. It was only because the system was constantly monitoring each and every oath link, had it been able to analyze the change in real time in order to notice it.

As for what could have caused it, the system had no idea, but it did say that there were obscure sayings about how such changes would be the premise to the breaking of an Oath link, if it were even possible.

This research had apparently been done by a sect member of the Big Four who had been charged with finding out whether Oaths were truly as dependable as all those in the continent considered them to be. His results were mostly theoretical, but according to the system, his methods of research were quite thorough.

All in all, this meant that Eldra might have somehow found a way to break the oath, and that she was well on the way to doing so.

Daneel had been meaning to make a trip to Eldinor for two reasons anyway.

One, he wanted to make sure that there was no Empire Spirit here even though he had found nothing on his last trip, and also to once again look for the parts of the Grand Inheritance that he hadn't found here.

Two, for his plan to make the television come to Angaria, Daneel needed a lot of Enchanters as the assembly line he had in Lanthanor would simply not be enough.

Display trinkets were a luxury in Angaria for a reason: only highly talented Enchanters could create them, which resulted in a huge supply and demand problem.

However, Daneel had already made a plan to circumvent this, but he still needed to enlist more Enchanters for the task, and there was no better place than Eldinor for this task.

So, it was quite a coincidence that he had received this notification about the Queen right at this moment, which made it so that he could look to accomplish all of his objectives at once.

Yes, in his head, Eldra had already become an objective instead of a follower.

After all, why would he still care about someone who apparently wanted to renege on such a fair deal?

Standing up, Daneel said, "Lead me to that maid."

He needed to find clues about just how Eldra had managed to change the oath link, so Daneel decided to start with that maid.

"Yes, My Lord."

A few minutes later, Daneel was in a village that was much further inside the Kingdom. Still, it was quite a distance away from the capital, which made him wonder how this elf had managed to get a job in the Palace if her home was so far away.

"My King, she was one of those who was saved from the elf slavery ring. She was given a residence here after she gave in her resignation, as the Queen has laid in place a program to help all those who are integrating back into society after being enslaved for elongated periods of time."

That was definitely quite thoughtful.

If anything, Eldra had definitely shown herself to be quite a capable leader. He had read all the reports about her governance before coming here, and he had seen that she had implemented many plans for the welfare of the people which had resulted in her being voted the most approved leader in the past few centuries.

He still hadn't decided about what he was going to do, but Daneel realized that at least one plan was going to be very difficult: if he chose to switch her with another puppet, then it would be an uphill task, as unlike her mother, it seemed that she had left no areas for him to exploit in order to make her popularity plummet.

At this moment, Daneel realized that his whole psyche was quite disturbed.

After thinking for a bit, he understood the reason.

This Kingdom had been his first conquest after becoming the King of Lanthanor, and as such, it held a special place in his heart.

To see that that achievement was sullied…was definitely very dissatisfying.

Resolving to keep a clamp on his emotions, Daneel made his way inside the maid's house directly, while Olfax tried to keep up on foot.

When Daneel arrived, he saw that the maid was simply sitting in a corner of the house and crying her heart out.

Looking around the small house, Daneel saw that it looked like she hadn't eaten in days, and her sunken eyes and pale face told him that this was definitely not the first tears she had said, nor would they be the last.

What had happened to this woman?

"Excuse me," he said, which made the elf snap her head around before her eyes lost focus.

Sitting in front of her on the small wooden table, Daneel ordered, "Tell me everything that happened that resulted in you entering this state."

As the elf started to talk, Olfax slowly opened the door and crept in before reeling from shock on seeing the way the elf was pouring out her innermost secrets without any hesitation.

He had thought that this would be the most difficult step, as elves were very proud creatures who normally wouldn't talk about their problems with anyone, least of all some humans like them whom she didn't even know.

However, he realized that he had forgotten just what kind of man the King of Lanthanor was.

He was someone capable of miracles, and this was probably just a small one that he happened to be witness to.

A few minutes later, everything became clear to both of them.

A month ago, just like Olfax had said, the Queen had taken her into her retinue and given her the task of tending to her personal needs.

Day by day, she spent a lot of time with this elf, telling her about all of her true feelings and becoming very close to her.

There was nothing of import in what she told, as it mainly consisted of her difficulties in finding the perfect plans that would allow her to help her people, and her internal turmoil due to the one being responsible for her mother's death.

However, just the act of spending so much time with someone and sharing each other's innermost secrets had apparently made them become as close as family, with one other important reason behind this being that both of them were orphans.

After that, just yesterday, the Queen had called her to her chamber and said many hurtful things which had damaged this poor elf and broken her heart into millions of pieces.

After all, having one's trust broken in such a manner was truly something that few could recover from.

Towards the end, Daneel asked one thing: he asked exactly at what time this had happened.

And to his surprise, he found out that this coincided with that exact moment when he had received the notification from the system.

Sighing, Daneel realized that he had no other option but to do something he hadn't wanted to.

"Drakos, I need you," he said, and after a few seconds, the Ancient Dragon replied.

"Young King, as I promised, I'm here. Oh? I see you're in the presence of an Oath-breaking object?"

Chapter 490: Dinora

"An Oath-breaker object? What's that?"

"Why, isn't it obvious? This woman was an object in helping someone break an oath. It doesn't mean that the oath is broken, but the process has definitely started. It might actually be at the last phase, in fact. Such a task leaves behind elemental vibrations that can be spotted by a Hero, you know."

"Tell me everything you know about this. Aren't oaths supposed to be fool-proof? What kind of level of a spell is required in order to break one?"

"That… Is a good question. They are supposed to be fool-proof in this age. Young King, the spell to break an oath is at the Hero level, which means that there is definitely another Empire Spirit active here. Judging from the sharp ends of the ears of the individual in front of you, I gather that we are in the Elf Kingdom?"

Daneel only grunted in response, to which Drakos replied, "Oh. Then this is definitely very troublesome."

Hearing this, Daneel frowned even further but decided that he would continue this discussion in a more discreet place.

Instructing Olfax to leave, Daneel lifted the Mind Control spell on the elf maid before teleporting away.

After a few teleportations, he finally stopped when he was in view of the tall mountain on top of which the Capital of Eldinor, Elfaven was situated.

Gazing at that city which was vaguely visible, Daneel asked Drakos to continue.

"Young king, you must already be aware that there are three different paths to follow to gain power. The lone Mage path, the lone Fighter path and the hybrid path – which includes training in both areas. As a Dragon, I trained in the equal hybrid path, which means that I was just as powerful as a Fighter as I was as a Mage. Many chose this path, mainly because it offers the most flexible form of combat and the most options when one reaches the chasm that separates them from the Champion realm. Yet, there are some who choose the other two paths, either because of higher talent in those areas, or some specific interest. You must already know about elves; they are strong in magic, but weak in body potential. As such, even during the Age of the Empire, the strongest Mages of the armies were mostly elves. Following the same trend, the elf who was chosen to become the Empire Spirit for the Elf Kingdom was also a pure Mage, which turned out to be a problem. You already know that our corporeal bodies need a certain level of Energy in order to maintain our consciousnesses, and the Mage level of one decides the size, or power of one's consciousness. Although that doesn't mean that Fighters have much weaker consciousnesses, it is definitely a fact that their power doesn't affect the size of their consciousness too much, as opposed to how it is in the case of Mages."

"Whoa whoa whoa, stop for a bit. Drakos, you really need to learn to break up your long speeches, or otherwise, no one would be able to hear you out."

Daneel was already reeling from this long block of text, so he had to take a moment to assess it carefully before asking Drakos to continue.

"I'll keep that in mind, Young King. I was approaching the end anyway. As a pure Mage, the Empire Spirit of the Elf Kingdom could not be stored in a normal stone podium like the rest of us. Instead, the Emperor had to use a special construct made out of her own corporeal body. I guess that you must have checked the Kingdom for the parts of the Grand Inheritance, and must have failed because you found nothing in the core of their formation?"

As Daneel nodded vigorously, Drakos continued, saying, "That's because that part was stored along with her body that went through a special transformation in order to hold her consciousness even after her death. This was the only possible method, as transporting her consciousness from her body to the stone podium in the process that you saw was impossible. The idea is that if someone gains approval, they will be given access to the true location of her body, which was hidden away in a location even I cannot find. The Emperor had to take these measures, as he did not want it to be too easy to finish the race. The one who did finish had to be worthy. Now, the reason I said that this is troublesome is because she was one of the first to turn – even though the Emperor made many plans, he could not have accommodated for the changes in his vassals. Or maybe, he intended his inheritor to tackle these problems too."

Toward the end, as Daneel heard Drakos speak in a melancholy tone, he was reminded once again of that giant figure who had spoken to him in the message.

Indeed, he had to agree that that man did look like some legendary grandpa in those novels who would place multiple hoops in order for his inheritor to jump through to test whether they were worthy.

"Drakos, the history lesson is fine, but I want to know about the oath."

"Young King, the best method is to directly come into contact with the person who is in the process of breaking the Oath. Do you know who that is?"

"Of course. Get ready to deploy spells to hide us."

A few moments later, Daneel was strolling the streets of the capital city of the Kingdom of the Elves while looking around at all the development that had happened in his absence.

It was quite impressive: new areas of gathering had been built for people with like-minded interest to gather and share knowledge, there were more parks for kids to play in, there were advertisements for schemes that would reward parents for having more children which was to combat the declining elf population, and there was even a more robust policing force that was patrolling the streets and making sure that there would be no delinquents.

Just like he had thought, this Queen was quite capable.

Wasting no more time, Daneel directly teleported inside the central palace and was soon standing in the middle of a court session that was going on.

This was the true power of a Hero – nothing and no one could stop one in the Central Continent. If it were a Champion, the core formations of a few kingdoms might at least hope to detect one, but a Hero was just too much to handle.

This was why Daneel had awakened Drakos, and he was glad that he had done so.

The throne room of the Kingdom of the Elves was smaller than that of Lanthanor: apart from the central, large throne, there were only around 20 seats on which the ministers were seated.

Although there was empty space behind the seats for spectators to stand in, currently, there was no one there.

Setting his eyes on the Queen of Eldinor, Daneel saw that she had changed.

When he had first met her all those months ago, she had still had the naïveté of someone who had led a sheltered life, despite the fact that she had been doing the dirty work of her mother.

That Eldra had been filled with hopes and dreams even though she didn't let them be displayed outward, but this one… This one seemed to be a cold, dead husk.

Her face was set in a rigid expression of seriousness, and it didn't change no matter what news she heard. She ordered welfare plans and executions with the same tone, almost as if nothing mattered to her anymore.

It was as if someone had leached the life completely out of her, leaving behind an empty shell of the person she had once been.

At this moment, looking at her, Daneel couldn't help but actually feel pity.

What had she been through to turn her into someone like this?

The last time he had come here, he had been in a hurry, so he hadn't called on the Queen, which was something he regretted now as he wondered whether he might have been able to change anything if he had noticed this earlier.

This had definitely been an oversight on his part: just because he was confident in the oath, he had neglected to go see how his 'puppets' actually were, even though he had reason to believe that they might be doing something which they shouldn't be.

This… was definitely one of the banes of having too many things to do.

"This is the individual, yes. I can see that… She is in the final phase! Dinora has been busy…"

"Dinora? That's her name?"

"Yes. It was where the name of this kingdom was derived from. I knew her quite well, in fact. But even then, she always had something… crazy about her. I still remember when she chased me to – ahem, a story for another time."

[Target "Eldra" has been found to be under the effects of a weak Mind Control spell.]

Daneel had just been getting curious due to the almost fearful tone with which Drakos had just talked about the Elf Empire spirit, but the message from the system made him furrow his eyebrows.

An Empire Spirit was not supposed to be able to cast spells without taking control of one's body!

This was true in all the cases he had seen so far, including that old man.

Did that mean that…

"Young King, you must realize that this woman is under a Mind Control spell. But it is very weak. Dinora was the best Mage among us all, and as such, it is possible that she must have learned how to cast low powered spells during her long millennia of solitude. If anyone is capable of it, it would be her. The only consolation is that the Mind Control spell is very weak, so much so that the target can break through it if they try hard enough. Young King, whatever this woman has done, do not take it at face value. She has definitely been influenced by that crazy elf. Oh, and by the way, she is definitely not temporarily possessed, as the special process in which she is stored makes temporary possession, like I'm doing, impossible."

Yes, there had definitely been something between this ancient Dragon and that ancient elf.

Putting that to the side for now, he continued looking at Eldra, trying to decide what to do.

There was a major problem here – how was he supposed to decide what he was going to do with her if he didn't know which decisions of hers were her own, and which had been influenced by the Mind Control spell?

He couldn't just indiscriminately decide to kill her, if she wasn't the one responsible.

"Drakos, I need to know since when this woman has been under the influence of the Mind Control spell."

"Hmm. I have a suspicion, Young King. Does this woman perchance have kin who might have done some bloodthirsty acts which might not have made much sense?"

"Yes, but that person doesn't exactly fit your description. Her actions were justified by herself for her own means."

"Good. Take me to her body, or whatever remains of her."

Puzzled, Daneel teleported to the grave of Eldra's mother, which was quite grand despite all of her wrongdoings.

After a few moments, Drakos spoke in a grave tone.

"Young King, this elf… reeks of blood. If I'm not wrong, she has killed hundreds of her own species. I know now how Dinora is casting spells. Now, to answer your question – the elf above came under the effect of a Mind Control spell when she spoke to this elf last, right before her death."

Chapter 491: The Truth, Revealed

Okay, this was just too many revelations for one day.

In the underground crypt where the former Queen was interred, Daneel took a step back and had to take the wall behind him for support as he tried to understand what Drakos had just told him.

After he thought for a bit, the pieces finally started to fall into place.

The matter of the elf slave trade in Angaria had made many waves at the time when it had been uncovered, but the most mysterious thing was that even after a lot of money had been burned to search for the elves who had been sold, none of them had been found.

After all, if it was true that the slave trade had gone on for a long time, it would mean that at least one elf out of the hundreds who had gone missing might have surfaced somewhere or the other, which would have given some clue.

Instead, it was as if they had all disappeared into thin air.

Now, it was obvious that they had all been killed.

But why?

And since when had Drakos become some kind of supernatural forensic investigator that could gather so many things from the ashes of the former Queen?

As if anticipating this question, Drakos said, "Even after a consciousness leaves one's body, there are… signs left behind about the changes that happened to one when they were still alive. Along with that, it is also possible to identify the last spell cast in the proximity of one, as signs are left behind in one's mageroot when it responds unconsciously to remain ready to take control of elementary particles when called for. Both of these signs can still be analyzed even if the body has changed form. Of course, this can only be done by a few Heros, and one of those Heros is me. The Emperor taught me this personally. However, I can see that only a very weak spell was cast, which meant that Dinora was still a few steps away from breaking free."

"Drakos, slow down. Tell me everything. You can't just spout out things which don't make sense and think for yourself out loud."

As Daneel said this an exasperated tone, Drakos hurriedly replied, "Apologies, Young King. It makes sense now. At some point in the recent history of this kingdom, were there a large number of missing elves?"

"Yes. And I guess from what you said that she killed them. But why?"

"A blood spell, Young King. A blood spell to rebuild a new body for herself, so that she can be born anew, with the full Mage capabilities of a Hero. Dinora was always very ambitious, so much so that I can't even remember one instance when she backed down from something ruthless if it meant that she would benefit from it. I always wondered why the Emperor chose her, and I still don't know the reason behind that. However, one thing is for certain: if you do not intervene, Young King, this kingdom itself might cease to exist, and from its ashes, a Mage stronger than any this continent has seen in millennia will be born who will effortlessly defeat those Big Four and take control of the continent. You must stop this, Young King. When she is done, she will have the same goal as that bird: she will offer up Angaria for information on how to reach the next level. She must be stopped. She must!"

Hearing Drakos say this in a very chilling tone, Daneel shook his head while trying to make sense of everything.

This was not the correct method. Drakos was just dropping facts right and left, but there was no clear idea about what exactly might have happened.

So, Daneel decided that he would first list everything using a timeline, so that it would all be clear.

Conjuring a chair in front of the large crypt, Daneel leaned back and closed his eyes before thinking about everything that he had just learned.

By asking Drakos and the system a few questions, he finally started to piece together the true history of everything that was going on in the Kingdom of the Elves.

It must have started with the greed of the former Queen. According to Drakos, only those with intense needs could be communicated with by Dinora, which apparently had something to do with her Champion path.

Queen Eldra must have been looking for a way to fund her campaign so that she would remain in her post. In the process, she must have come across the Empire Spirit, which should have spoken to her through some means.

This was where the tale got a bit tricky. In some manner, the Empire spirit, Dinora, must have exchanged the blood of the elves for money.

As for exactly how, even Drakos couldn't guess. One possibility was that Dinora might have given the locations of Ether deposits in the underground of the Kingdom, which might have come into existence due to the discharge of the excess Energy from the Ker Roots which were preserving her body and consciousness that had been arranged by the Emperor.

Regardless, Queen Eldara, in her thirst for power, must have chosen to kill all those elves. After all, one who was ready to thrust them into slavery and a life of torture, wouldn't hesitate to just kill them.

From what Drakos said, Daneel gathered that the elves of today had very diluted blood as compared to the original elf race which was due to the result of the depleting Energy on the continent. Of course, time was also a major factor here, as repeated generations had become weaker and weaker, thus diluting the elf blood in the process.

Using the blood of those elves, Dinora must've started casting the spell to recreate her body, which should have lent her the power to cast some very weak spells.

It seemed that it was most probable that this was when the event where Eldara was killed happened, but using the power she had gained, Dinora must have cast that Mind Control spell on Eldra.

As for the need she had exploited – it must be the one to be free from being a puppet.

Since then, Eldra must be training in a special technique that was apparently designed to modify the basic components of one's body so that it would facilitate a change in the consciousness too, which would result in one becoming eligible to try and break or bend an oath.

The final step was to do something that went against the very core beliefs of that person, so it became obvious that the action of hurting that elf maid must have been for this purpose.

All in all, this was one huge clusterf*ck of manipulation that Daneel hadn't even spotted during his last foray in the Kingdom of the Elves.

It was a pretty complex map of things, but it made sense now.

Now, the burning question was back: what was he supposed to do?

"Young King, as I mentioned before, Dinora needs to sacrifice the entirety of the elf population in order to successfully rebuild her body. The reason why she must've spent so much time helping the elf above to break the oath is that you would have been able to stop her as soon as you found out about this, which would have ruined all of her plans. For her, the best case would have been if that elf maid had been killed, but instead, I think that she must've fought against the Mind Control spell and chosen the other option so that she could at least save the life of that elf. Still, Dinora's objective has been fulfilled: a crack must've appeared in the oath which no one should be able to detect, and using that crack, she will be able to forcefully disable the oath for a period of time in the future if needed. In essence, she is ready to proceed with the plan of sacrificing all the elves in this kingdom. Wait… How did you appear here at such a crucial time in the first place?"

This made Daneel scratch his nose, as he couldn't reveal that he had the system which had thankfully detected that crack in the oath link.

"Err… Luck, I guess. I had to come here for a few tasks of mine anyway, so I was able to notice this incongruity. Put that to the side. What kind of spell could that Dinora cast to fulfil her goal?"

As he quickly changed the subject in this way, Drakos paused for a few moments as if he was suspicious, but the good old Innocent Dragon let it go and answered, "I don't know, Young King. But I do know that it will definitely involve gathering all of the elves, or at least most of them, in one place. That will be the main clue for you."

"Alright."

Nodding, Daneel first made his way out of the crypt before teleporting to the throne room one last time and taking a glance at Eldra, who had simply been manipulated all her life.

First, it was her mother, who had controlled her and made every decision in her life.

Next, it was that Empire Spirit, which was still directing her actions.

Yes, this was definitely quite a pitiful elf.

His next stop was the mansion where Olfax was waiting for him – this man had made quite the fortune for himself, and as Daneel looked around the spacious halls and the servants who were going about their tasks, he smiled, thinking that Olfax definitely deserved this for all the service he had done to Lanthanor.

Olfax tried to insist that Daneel should take the master bedroom, where he was currently living, but Daneel denied and took residence in the best guestroom there was.

Lying down on the bed, he once again closed his eyes.

He had already instructed Olfax to keep an eye out for any announcements that would result in the gathering of elves on a large scale, but when he heard a knock on the door, he couldn't have expected that this was the reason behind Olfax disturbing his rest.

At the door, Olfax was holding a conduit for the Network of Angaria, in which an announcement was taking place.

"To all the elves listening: the Queen has called for a major festival to honor the history of the elves! 10 days from now, in the large open ground east of Elfaven, the largest festival to have ever graced our kingdom will begin! All are welcome, but all elves must definitely attend! In the words of the Queen: "On the hallowed ground we have chosen, all elf kind must unite to take forth our Kingdom and return us to glory!" Stay tuned for more announcements!"

His eyes widening, Daneel realized that it was already happening.

10 days from now, if he didn't do anything, Eldinor would cease to exist, and there would be a new Hero level mage who would apparently be the biggest threat to Angaria yet.

At this moment, one thought radiated throughout Daneel's mind, and even though it was nonsensical, Daneel found himself encouraging it for once:

F*ck Empire Spirits.

Chapter 492: A Meeting In The Clouds

After taking a moment to curse these things which felt more like they were out to destroy Angaria rather than help save it as the Emperor had originally intended, Daneel nodded at Olfax and close the door.

At least, now, there were no more mysteries about Eldinor. Everything had been revealed to him, and all that remained was to figure out a plan to stop Dinora.

Sitting on the bed, Daneel placed his head in both of his hands before closing his eyes and beginning to think.

There was one obvious plan: he could simply kill Eldra, which would bring an end to the Empire spirit's plans.

After all, it needed someone with need and authority to manipulate, so if its main chess piece was removed, it wouldn't be able to do anything except once again begin a long wait for an opportunity.

However, Daneel kept this as a last option, as if possible, he didn't want to do it.

First, there was the possibility that most of Eldra's actions might have been dictated by the Mind Control spell. Although he didn't know this for sure, he had to give her the benefit of doubt.

Second, the Big Four were keeping an eye on all the rulers of the Central Continent. Wiping out a ruler would definitely make them focus their attention on him, and would also result in turmoil that might end up in riots that could cause a lot of loss of life.

This was, of course, something that he wanted to avoid. Just because Angaria had to be saved, it didn't mean that thousands and even hundreds of thousands of people had to be sacrificed for that.

If he did that, he would practically be no different from Ashahell.

He was already toeing the line he had set for himself by the recent actions he had taken, but he had had no other choice. However, something like this went against his beliefs so much that Daneel recoiled against the idea.

What else could he do?

Could he possibly… Talk to Eldra to tell her the truth and try to work with her to get out of this situation?

"Drackos, is Dinora actively monitoring everything that Eldra sees?"

Daneel asked this, as if that Empire Spirit was capable of casting a damn Mind Control spell without even inhabiting someone's body, then it might be capable of other things too.

"Yes. Surveillance should be possible quite easily. But if you wish, I can cast a small spell to cut whoever you want from Dinora's view for a limited period of time."

Hearing this, Daneel saw that this plan was still viable.

However, he remembered the last time that he had worked with Eldra.

Once again, he thought back to how fair the deal was, which made him realize that Eldra was just the sort of person to not see these kinds of things.

She was prideful like any other elf, and it seemed that her pride would definitely get in the way of the thought of once again becoming Daneel's "slave".

Although that wasn't the case, he could tell that that would definitely be how she would see it.

With this in mind, Daneel concluded that it would just be foolish to once again make plans with her. Something like this might end up repeating, or he might even find later that he was stabbed in the back just because she was someone who couldn't set aside her prejudice about being under someone else's control.

That was her nature, and Daneel was not ready to bet anything that it would change.

So… Was there perhaps a plan which would keep Eldra on the throne, save the Kingdom of Eldinor and Angaria, and also make her follow him willingly without feeling any resentment?

Oh, that was definitely a tall order.

But that was exactly what he needed to do.

However, no matter how much he rummaged in his mind, he couldn't come up with something foolproof that would accomplish what he wanted.

Leaning back on the bed, Daneel ran his hands through his head and felt…alone.

All the schemes, all the plans, all the dealings-everything had been done by him alone, for the most part.

He had never thought about this much, but at this moment, he didn't like it.

Why should he do everything alone?

This question appeared in his mind, but unlike all the times before when he had had answers for it, he realized with a start that right now, it might be possible to change those answers.

Immediately sitting up, he asked, "Drakos, is there a Hero-level spell which will shield people's minds from Mind Control? Or, at least, if someone tries to go through their minds using the technique in possession of the Big 4, can their memories be altered in order to hide certain things?"

Daneel asked this question twice, once to Drakos, and once to the system.

Drakos took some time to ponder, but the system answered first.

[Negative. This aspect of the system to edit host's memories on demand cannot be made into a spell with system's current level. Please upgrade the system if host wishes to carry out this task.]

He had already thought as much.

All this time, he had been turning the capabilities of the system into spells for him to cast.

However, this was just too advanced a case.

After a minute or so, Drakos finally spoke.

"Young King, it might be possible through a hidden trinket that they can hide on their bodies. When the trinket detects that its wearer is under the effect of a spell like what you mentioned, it will enable them to choose what memories to hide and which to show. It might be crude, but it will get the job done. There is one catch, though."

A broad smile had started to spread on Daneel's face as he heard this, but that last sentence made him frown.

However, when Drakos continued, he laughed out loud when he realized that it was quite an inconsequential catch.

"This will only work on the simple consciousnesses of Humans and Warriors. When one becomes a Champion, their consciousness undergoes a change. You can say that it becomes…refined. In that refined atmosphere, the crude actions of the trinket will stand out like a flame in the darkness. Only in the cases of Humans and Warriors will the invading spell make it appear that the crude changes are all just a part of the 'simple' consciousness of that person."

"That's all right! What do you need to make them?"

"A tiny part of a Ker Root."

This made Daneel gape, before he exclaimed, "And you didn't think that THAT was the catch?"

"No, Young King. You are already in possession of one, right?"

"Y-yes, but it's very precious…is there no other way?"

"None, Young King. All complicated trinkets which relate to the mind require Ker Roots as materials. It will only need a very small part, though."

With a sigh, Daneel realized that this innocent dragon was not even exposed to the human emotion of greed.

It wasn't even greed. It was more like…a habit Daneel had acquired from hounding materials and EXP all his life. Just the notion of such a precious material being depleted caused his heart to hurt.

However, he knew that this was very important.

So, he just sighed and said, "All right, fine. Make them."

"How many do you need?"

"Eight."

…

A few hours later, at a spot in the clouds above the empty area that was between Lanthanor, the Black Raven Kingdom and the Hidden Kill Sect.

Unbeknownst to the inhabitants of the Continent of Angaria, a very historic meeting was about to take place here.

In fact, later on, it would be known that this was the meeting which had set the course of the future of Angaria.

First, Daneel appeared here with a neutral expression on his face.

He was looking forward to what he was going to do, but watching the small Ker Root being shaved had been quite painful.

Ever since coming into possession of such a wondrous object, Daneel had decided that he would hold on to it until he became a Champion, but it seemed that that was not the case.

Still, putting it out of his thoughts for now, Daneel first asked Drakos to make sure that no one was eavesdropping on them.

After that, he stated a strange request.

"Drakos, I need you to go into meditation for now. I'll be sure to call you again if I need you."

"Why, Young King?"

Hearing the innocent question, Daneel hesitated, wondering whether he was supposed to lie.

Thankfully, after seeing that he was silent for a while, Drakos just said, "I am glad that you did not decide to directly lie to me about such an important thing. I know everything about my race, Young King. I understand. Just call on me if you need me."

The tone he used was more serious than any Daneel had ever heard from him, so for once, Daneel felt glad that he just hadn't gone ahead and found an excuse.

Sighing as the system confirmed that Drakos was meditating, he sent a message to Kellor, who teleported over along with a few people in two.

They were: Eloise, Elanev, Aran, Cassandra, and Robert.

Daneel had already conjured 9 thrones that looked like they were made out of clouds.

Four were on one side, and four were on another, with a large, very distinct throne fashioned from dragons in the center.

It looked like they were standing in some Hall of the Gods, from where otherworldly beings might be looking down at mortals to decide their fates.

He had just told them that he needed to talk them, so they had puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Sit. We have two more people coming."

Hearing the King say this, the 6 people sat down and started to whisper amongst themselves.

Soon, two more figures teleported over.

The first was Faxul, who had strangely come with a large, decorated box which he placed to the side before greeting everyone and sitting.

Second came Luther, who also did the same, before taking his seat.

With everyone assembled, Daneel smiled and walked to the Central Throne before sitting down.

As soon as he did so, he flung his hand out, making eight non-descript gold coins fly out and float in front of each of those present.

"Drop your blood on them. Trust me when I say that they are more valuable than you can ever imagine."

Nodding, all of them did so, and watched as the coins melted into their palms.

In a solemn voice that reverberated through the sky, the King of Lanthanor spoke.

"It is said that 9 is the holy number of our continent, and by chance, 9 of us have gathered here. Each of you know bits and pieces about the true happenings in our continent, but it is high time that you know the truth. Listen, and brand everything into your memory."

After saying this, Daneel proceeded to speak for a long time.

His narration was punctuated by many gasps and shocked mutters, but he plowed on, as if unaware.

He told them the truth about everything: about his actions of taking control of other Kingdoms, his motives behind doing so, the threat of the Church, Ashahell's actions, his exploits in the Big 4.

Only the truth about the system was hidden: instead, Daneel stated that it was because of an inheritance he had found buried under his house.

To those present, it was as if they were listening to some epic tale that would do well as a novel, instead of being told as reality.

Toward the end, Daneel stated his dilemma, and although he didn't ask, it was clear that he needed their help.

Faxul was the one who knew most of the story, and although he was very shocked by the rest, he recovered first.

After thinking for a bit, he spoke, giving Daneel an idea that blew his mind.

"Daneel, you've been going around making puppets. You made me one, too, and although I'm not complaining, don't you think that it hasn't worked out very well? Despite your efforts, you still have not united the Kingdoms. Maybe…it is time for you to walk out of the shadows, and begin conquering Kingdoms out in the open. After all, you are powerful enough."

Yes!

Daneel had been continuously thinking about how he was supposed to manipulate stuff from the shadows. He was just too used to it!

Hence, he hadn't considered this.

Now that he was alerted to it, the cogs in his brain started to turn, and his eyes started to shine.

The best way to conquer someone…was to save them.

What if he just so happened to be a King who ended up saving the entire elf species?

Wouldn't it be natural for them to follow him?

Slowly, a bold and daring plan started to form in his mind.

Chapter 493: The Prerequisites of The Plan

"Well done, Faxul. I was right in deciding to set up this meeting. For too long, I've been doing everything alone. I realized that a fresh perspective would definitely help, and I see that that objective has already been realized. For now, let us disperse. Those 8 trinkets can also be used to contact me directly: they have a lot of tricks hidden in them, so keep them safe at all times. Ruminate on everything you've heard, and if you have something to say, we can speak away in the next meeting. Goodbye."

As Daneel said this, the others who were still blinking their eyes and trying to wrap their heads around the fantastic tale nodded, deciding that it really might be best to just take some time.

Kellor teleported those from Lanthanor away, and Faxul and Luther left on their own after nodding to Daneel.

Finding himself alone in the sky surrounded by empty thrones, Daneel grinned.

The meeting…had been a grand success.

There was, of course, the tip from Faxul which had already been a game changer…but what he hadn't mentioned was that he felt freer than he had in ages.

Having such a heavy burden on his shoulders had been slowly burying him into the ground, inch by inch, but this action of laying everything out had resulted in him becoming capable of digging himself out from that desolate, suffocating hole of darkness.

Just before he, too, teleported away, a thought came to him.

He had to give some cool name to this meeting.

The Round Table of Angaria sounded good, but Daneel decided that it reminded him of the original too much. Besides, he did not want to end up like the head of that table.

So, deciding to think on this, Daneel dispersed the clouds before heading back to Olfax's mansion.

Once he was there, Daneel woke up Drakos again.

The reason he had asked the dragon to meditate was that there were quite a few instances of scheming being beneficial in his tale that would definitely have risked history repeating.

Now that that was done, he could safely call upon his trusty friend again.

"Drakos, I've decided on a plan. It's not a scheme. It's just…a method of using circumstances to get what we want. Is that clear?"

As Drakos heard this right after waking up, he said, "Of course, Young King. I'm not totally unaware of myself. I can tell if I am being affected by something I see or hear. If that is the case, I will go into meditation immediately. It was the dying wish of my f-I mean, the Emperor that I stay as myself instead of invoking the memories and instincts of my race. I intend to follow that directive to my death, whenever that may be."

Hmm? Then why weren't you able to detect anything last time, when you almost lost control?

Daneel heard Drakos speak in a serious tone, but due to that incident, he wasn't really ready to take Drakos up on his word.

Still, he needed the Dragon on this task, and he had analyzed this quite carefully. It would definitely be exactly as he had just stated: just an opportunistic usage of circumstances to get what he wanted.

So, simply giving out a sound to indicate that he understood, Daneel sat down and started to chalk out the finer details of his plan.

In essence, it was similar to the one he had used in the Hidden Kill Sect: by upping the danger and becoming the way out there, he had taken control of the Sect.

Here, though, the first part wasn't needed, as the danger was present all on its own.

All he would have to do was make sure that the latter was done as flashily as possible.

After all, there was nothing like publicity in order to turn public opinion towards something.

As for whether it was too risky to openly ally with/take over a Kingdom, he knew that the High Council was busy with its own matters, especially due to the fact that it was short-handed right now. He didn't even need to worry much about the Central Continent, as he was already a Peak Warrior, which was almost definitely the strongest level here.

The only worrying thing might be the actions of the other active Empire Spirits, but Daneel couldn't possibly accommodate into his plan.

So, hesitating no more, Daneel called for Olfax and said, "Sit down, Olfax. It's time for another major operation in this Kingdom."

As he said this, untold excitement shone in the old spy's eyes.

Almost as if he were resisting the temptation to break out into a jig, the loyal citizen of Lanthanor sat in front of the King, who opened his hands wide and said in a grand gesture, "We are going…to save Eldinor, and make the elves beg to fall under the rule of Lanthanor."

No matter how much of a miracle-worker the King of Lanthanor, this was just too much of a farfetched claim.

Olfax could only drop his jaw and stare, wondering whether he had heard right.

The history of over-ambitious Kings was clear: the entire continent would ally against them, and their Kingdom would be slaughtered before being split apart and absorbed by the rest of the forces.

As he voiced this concern after taking a few moments to calm down, Daneel chuckled and said, "Don't you worry about that. I'll handle it."

The Hidden Kill Sect and the Black Raven Kingdom were both under his control, more or less. From where would an alliance come to threaten him, if these two chose to stay out of it?

This was also one of the other major reasons why Daneel liked this plan so much. Unwittingly, he had already destroyed the age-old tradition of forming an alliance to stop Kings who tried to take control of more than one Kingdoms, making it so that it was no longer possible for that to repeat.

However, if he said this out loud, Olfax would, of course, look at him as if he were crazy.

So Daneel just said this cryptic statement, before proceeding to chuckle mysteriously, as if he was some mastermind who had everything under control.

Sadly, the truth was far from that. He was just scrambling to do his best, but so far, it seemed to be working.

Discarding these useless thoughts, Daneel said, "All you need to know is that in 10 days, there will be a major threat to all elves in this Kingdom, which we will help avert."

"…"

After revealing this plan, Daneel had expected some kind of shocked expression from Olfax.

However, the man was just sitting there and staring at Daneel, as if waiting for him to continue.

What was going on?

Breaking the awkward silence, Daneel said, "That's it."

Noticing his mistake, Olfax looked to the side sheepishly before coughing and saying, "Apologies, My King, I thought you were continuing. With all due respect, saving the elves will not result in them begging to be under your rule. Elves are the proudest sons-of-…Sorry, sir, I mean that their pride will never allow them to agree to be under anyone's rule."

Daneel thought for a bit after hearing this. Indeed, just a simple act of saving them might not be enough.

He had already considered this, and Daneel had just thought that making it as dramatic and grave as possible might result in him succeeding.

However, he realized that he had unconsciously been thinking like a human.

Olfax, due to his prolonged exposure to elves, had been able to pick up on this.

All in all, this made it clear to Daneel that it would be a mistake to carry out something which related to a different species without having a member of that species on hand in order to test whether his plan would be successful.

Yes, although Olfax was experienced, he wouldn't be enough.

At this moment, the dragon spoke up.

"Young King, I know a thing or two about elves. Although their pride dictates their lives, there is something they value even over their pride: their love for magic. Also, they are not completely ungrateful being; from what I remember, elves do not like to keep debts."

Right!

Daneel knew exactly just how much they loved magic. It was one of the few things that almost all members of their race had in common.

For this love, many talented elves spent their lives in solitude, choosing the embrace of the myriad elementary particles and their study instead of doing anything else with their time.

Yes…he would definitely have to use these, too.

However, he found himself once again going back to the thought that allying with an elf might be best.

Eldra was out of the question, so who else could there be?

Suddenly, he remembered a very strong elf who was one of the few he truly respected on this continent.

…

In Elfaven, in a large house with an artistic exterior made of stone.

This house was famous in the capital for the renowned artwork on the exterior which set it apart from the neighboring villas. Meandering fish, drifting birds, sprawling vines- all of these and many more had been carved into the stone outside, resulting in an impressive mosaic which made many stand and stare.

It was only at night that the inhabitants of the house were left alone, and as Katerina sat on the balcony of the villa and looked out at the capital city, she once again cursed that fling with that very handsome human who had done this in an attempt to woo her.

He had succeeded, but their relationship hadn't lasted.

Suddenly, the senses that she had cultivated during her long years in the army warned her about a presence that was standing behind her in the balcony.

Taking a deep breath, Katerina readied herself before swiftly turning around with a flash with a dagger in each hand.

However, there was no one there.

Snip!

At the same moment, she felt something sharp at her throat that cut into her skin, making a line of blood appear.

The intruder had somehow moved to the position behind her!

Was this really going to be her end?

Boom!

In the most amazing burst of complex elementary particles that Katerina had ever seen, an object thundered through the head of the figure who was about to sink his knife into her neck.

At first glace, she thought that that…object, whatever it was, had hit him, but seeing no blood, Katerina realized that he must have escaped.

What was that? She had never seen something so delicate, yet so destructive.

With a start, she turned around to see that there was another man behind her, beside whom floated another of those…bullets that were as large as a dinner plate.

"Hello, Miss. Katerina. I would like to have a chat with you," the figure said, before making the apparatus beside him disappear.

A Warrior level P-Paragon?

Just which talented member of the Big 4 had come to save her life?

Wondering along these lines, Katerina nodded, but rubbed her eyes as she heard what the figure said.

"In 10 days, all elves will cease to exist. I need your help to stop it. Also, your Queen is one step away from unleashing something that will destroy the continent itself. Follow me, and I'll show you."

Sometimes, there was no stronger weapon than the truth, mused Daneel, as he saw the shocked expression on Katerina's face.

Chapter 494: Blood Purifying Formation

Daneel had always known that his Paragon spells were the most impressive in his repertoire. In this day and age where Energy levels had depleted, Paragons were nowhere to be seen.

As Drakos had said, that was not the case in the ancient times, but right now, Daneel was going to use this skill of his to 'woo' Katerina, the elf.

He had to admit that she was one of the most heavyset women he had ever seen. She was wearing pants made of a material that looked like cotton, and they emphasized her thighs, each of which were as large as a man's head.

However, this didn't take anything away from the inherent, rough beauty of the woman. In fact, it even added to it, giving her a unique vibe the likes of which he had only seen in Cassandra, although she wasn't nearly as muscular.

For this instance, Daneel had chosen one of his first Paragon spells- it was the one which utilized the concept of how a gun worked.

He had only refined it further, before making it into something that was quite impressive to see.

When he saw Katerina's wide open eyes that stared at the cannon-shaped Paragon construct beside him, he felt happy that it had worked.

"Please. Take a seat, first. I don't know where that assassin was from, but I think I'm right when I say that his objective must have been to stop this meeting."

With a flick of his finger, he made the Paragon constructs, including the large 'bullets' which were comprised of a delicate mix of elementary particles to simulate piercing metal and gunpowder, disappear.

This made Katerina snap out of her rapture and see the man who had arrived.

She's only now noticing me?

Seeing this, Daneel couldn't help but remark about just how these elves' love for magic seemed to cloud all of their senses.

"You…I know you…"

She said, before remembering where she had seen his face before.

It was in one of the briefings she had received as one of the valuable mages of the Kingdom. This man was the King of Lanthanor, and the report had said that one should be cautious of him.

The reason behind that hadn't been written, but just the meticulous planning of this King whose most famous feats of fighting the Withering Leaf Sect and taking the throne of Lanthanor which were told in households today as bedtime tales were enough to warrant caution when dealing with him.

"Yes, I'm the King of Lanthanor, but I assure you that I mean you no harm. Please, sit."

Daneel repeated his request, after which he fashioned his own chair from the air and sat down.

As someone from the army, Katerina was used to high-stakes situations, so she quickly calmed down and first looked around before sitting down, too.

"I presume that the assassin teleported away. Now, I would first like to ask you one thing: when was the last time you spoke to the Queen."

Of course, you won't find that 'assassin', as he was my clone!

Daneel had been standing in the shadows of the balcony using Drakos's Hero-level concealment spell which had even hidden him from Ashahell and the Mad Doctor. He had first conjured a clone behind Katerina, dispersed it, and then conjured another one on the other side to give the image that the clone was really powerful. Of course, she hadn't been able to detect it, as the clone had literally come into being in both spots, as opposed to teleporting there or walking there.

Nodding her head with a pensive expression on her face, Katerina caressed her high cheekbones before thinking for a bit and replying, "Yesterday, when she called everyone for the special briefing regarding the festival. Wait…you said 10 days, right? Do you mean to say that…"

"Yes, Miss. Katerina. The festival will be the location of the massacre."

"How do you know of this?", asked Katerina, her face set into an expression of disbelief.

Sighing, Daneel said, "It is a long tale, but…"

"That's fine, I'm all ears."

Seeing her interrupt him in this way, Daneel saw that she wasn't someone who would be led around by his air of mystery.

So, he just remained seated, and told her everything about the Empire Spirits and their goals.

He didn't tell her about how he had rigged the election using publicity, as she was the kind of righteous elf who might leave the other facts and focus on this, as it had resulted in her defeat, too, when she had stood in the elections.

However, when he reached the part about how the elf queen must have been killing the elf children, her eyes lit up like a lighthouse.

"Yes! That makes sense! I searched for months, but I found nothing!"

Seeing her say this, Daneel leaned back with satisfaction, knowing that his tale already had a seal of approval, more or less.

When he was done, though, she asked, "How do I believe you?"

To which, Daneel replied, "Just think about everything you've heard now. Soon, I will be able to show you the proof, when the Queen speaks to that spirit again. At that time, I will come to get you. Is that all right?"

After hesitating for a bit, Katerina nodded, following which she saw Daneel disappear from in front of her.

Smiling to himself, Daneel appeared back in the mansion before standing over a desk he had chosen to plan.

It had the map of Eldinor laid out on it, and the spot where the festival was about to take place had been marked with a big, red circle.

The population of the elves wasn't too large; at most, there might be a million or two of them.

Still, Daneel had marked quite a large area.

If it were the case that all of these elves were equally talented in magic, then they would have bowled over Angaria long ago.

Thankfully, although almost all of them were capable of becoming reaching the Eminent Human Mage level easily, those that could surpass that were few, but this number was still greater than all the other Kingdoms.

So many Eminent Human Mages. How terrifying would it be if they all cast a single spell?

As this thought came into his mind, Daneel couldn't help but pause, but he put it to the side as the main reason behind Eldinor not trying something like that was the individuality of the elves, which did not allow them to play well with others.

After all, he had seen the ragtag groups of army regiments that Eldinor had sent long ago in the dispute for the Ker Gem mine.

If they were united, they would definitely have been a truly game-changing force.

Shaking his head, Daneel refocused on the map.

Olfax was here with him, and so was Aran, who had just been called over for his skills.

It had even surprised Daneel to find out that Aran, the guy with a fashionable bowl haircut that reminded him of a very hated singer back on Earth, who wore casual clothes and loved to tease Cassandra, was a master in army formations and deployments.

Hell, apparently, during the war before, Aran had been the main one to propose deployments which had been sent to him as suggestions from the commanders as a whole.

The man's eyebrows were creased as he stared at the map. The King had given him a tall objective: the army had to be able to move in at a moment's notice, but it had to be hidden from the view of the Kingdom of Eldinor, or other Kingdoms.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he was startled, as he hadn't even realized that the King had arrived due to him being too absorbed in the map.

He was just about to kneel, but Daneel waved his hand, gesturing that it was not necessary.

So, Aran made do with a bow, before saying, "Apologies, My King. I am still…"

"Take your time. I know it's a preposterous request. But I'm confident you can think of something. Have you been speaking to Luther, too?"

Aran had been taught by Luther, who had picked up his own experience from fighting for his life on the battlefield.

"Yes, My Lord. He's not that busy for a Sect Leader…"

Laughing, Daneel replied, "Yes, well, the Hidden Kill Sect is a unique sect. Just let me know when you're done."

Nodding, Aran got back to the map, while Daneel left to a different room which he had requested from Olfax.

Here, there was a forge on one side, and complex tools lay on the other.

It had been quite a long time since he had gotten down to enchanting, but it was time to dust off those skills and get started again.

…

5 days later.

Eldra, with the cold expression that had become fixed on her face since that moment when she had seen the emotion of being betrayed in that elf maid's eyes, was walking to the secret room underground while trying not to think too much.

The voice in her head had just told her that all elf kind needed to be gathered for some final step after which she would be free of her oath.

She hadn't even suspected that there might be any danger to her people. After all, who could imagine that there was even a spell capable of killing millions instantly?

So far, except for that time when she had been told to kill that maid, the voice hadn't shown any bloodthirstiness or the like, which made it so that Eldra didn't even consider that something might be off about this whole thing.

As usual, she kneeled in front of the wall and placed her hands on it.

"Reports say that the festival will be a success. Imploring them to come by using the statement that it was for the benefit for all elves was a major factor in this. According to estimates, at least 95% of all elves will be present."

"Good. Now, did you bring what I asked?"

Nodding, Eldra took out a round, flat bronze plate.

"Follow my instructions carefully. Carve these formations into the plate. You will need to make 6 of these which you will bury in at the edges of two triangles, one inverted, one straight on top of each other. Understand?"

"Edges of two triangles, one inverted, one straight on top of each other. I got it."

"Good. Let us proceed…"

An hour later. In an abandoned shack on the outskirts of Elfaven.

Katerina had just been witness to the Queen placing her hands on a wall, as if she were worshipping it, before she carefully started carving formations onto a metal plate.

Clearly, she had been making a trinket, but what could its purpose be?

And why had she made 6 of them?

As the entire conversation had gone on in the mind of the Queen, she had only been able to see, but not hear.

"All of your questions will be answered. Now, would you please give me a bowl of your blood?"

"W-what?"

"A bowl of your blood. I'm afraid it's necessary."

As the King of Lanthanor said this and shoved a bowl toward her, Katerina started to wonder who the bloodthirsty one was.

However, she obliged, cutting the veins on her wrist before letting the blood flow into the bowl.

After the bowl was full, she looked up to see the King of Lanthanor fussing with 6 identical metal plates.

He was carving the same formations.

When he was done, he seemed to be puzzled for a moment, as if he didn't know what to do with them.

After a moment, he looked like he had gained clarity, as he quickly bent and scooped out the earth before placing the 6 on the edges of a 6-point star.

Taking the bowl, he smiled at Katerina before placing it at the center.

What happened next was something that Katerina would never forget.

When the King took out Ker Gems and placed one each on top of the 6 spots, the blood in the bowl started boiling, before beginning to evaporate.

Through her elementary vision, she could tell that he was doing nothing; it was the work of the formation.

All it took was a few seconds. After the red steam dispersed, all that was left was a pale-yellowish substance that was barely 1/100th of what had been there before.

"And that is the true plan of that Empire Spirit. I just want to save-"

Thud!

Suddenly, Katerina fell on her knees.

Although Daneel was startled, he just grinned when he heard her say what he had been hoping for.

"King Daneel, I implore you to help save the people of Eldinor from this threat! If you do, we will forever be in your debt- and you must know that an elf always pays her debts, no matter what."

Chapter 495: The Elf Carnival 1

"Aren't elves supposed to be proud creatures who are known to never bow to anyone?"

Of course, Daneel had to act like he was surprised. After all, he wasn't supposed to know so many deep facts about elves.

Still kneeling, Katerina said, "Yes, we are proud. But we are not blind creatures who cannot recognize good and bad. And it is that pride that does not allow us to ignore debts. It would eat at us, day and night, until we choose to fulfill it. I think I speak for all elves when I say that the debt of saving our species is something worth bending our knee to."

Even though Daneel had been hoping for this, hearing the sincerity in Katerina's voice, he couldn't help but smile even wider from the bottom of his heart.

Wait…why wasn't Eldra like this?

Wasn't giving her the throne also a debt?

After a moment of thought, Daneel realized what the answer was and felt like slapping his head with frustration.

A choice, or a promise would always have more value in one's mind when one wasn't forced into making it.

He had given Eldra no other option: as he knew almost nothing about elves then, he had insisted on her swearing the oath in order to ensure that she wouldn't backstab him.

Ironically, that might be the thing that resulted in the present situation.

Would it have been different if he offered her the throne with sincerity and just asked for her word that she would follow him?

Looking at Katerina in front of him, Daneel knew the answer.

Definitely.

However, how could he have chosen that? He had just become King, and he had wanted to be as cautious as possible.

Yet, if he could go back in time, he would definitely have done things in that way.

Being forced to follow someone, and choosing to do so out of one's own accord were completely different things, so much so that the prejudice against the former might eclipse the value of the debt itself.

Now, Eldra's actions made more sense, and Daneel became even more confident in his present plan.

Also, he had learned a very strong lesson: different species could be different in entirely novel ways that he should learn about before dealing with them, if he wanted a long-lasting deal.

Yes, if Eldra hadn't been forcefully shackled, maybe she wouldn't even have had the 'need' which the Empire Spirit had manipulated.

So, in a way, even he was responsible.

Sighing softly, he said, "Rise. I will not say empty words. I will do everything in my power to save your species, and after I am done, you can choose your own method to pay off your debt. But for now, I need your support and help."

Standing up with a determined expression, Katerina pressed her lips into a thin line and said, "Of course. Anything."

"Good. This is what I need you to do."

…

5 days later, Daneel was standing in the sky above the large gathering area where over a million individuals could be seen.

According to the estimate given by the system based on visual data, the number was close to touching two million.

In other words, it was one of the largest crowds Daneel had ever seen in an open area.

Of course, the area wasn't completely open. Countless, colorful tents had been set up, with some offering food and others putting magic-based games on display that amused all those who passed them.

For example, there was the classic game of hitting a balloon with a gun that Daneel was familiar with from back on Earth, but it had been changed here to become a game of skill.

Balloons made of water elemental particles floated erratically in an area, and it was the task of the challenger to hit as many as possible using an arrow by using magic to alter the arrow's path during its flight.

Raucous applause always sounded whenever a challenger managed to hit more than one, and they were cheered by the watching elves and humans alike.

Yes, quite a few humans had gathered here, too, and although the majority were still elves, they couldn't be ignored.

There were always moderately well-off citizens of various Kingdoms across the continent who liked to travel to visit exciting places. Seeing them, Daneel was reminded of those from Earth who tagged themselves as having "wanderlust".

If Dinora's original plan proceeded as she wished, all of these humans' blood would just boil away and leave nothing behind.

In other words, they were the unwitting useless sacrifices that had come here for fun, but were actually in danger of losing their lives due to getting caught up in something that wasn't even related to them.

In fact, Daneel was partially responsible for this, too: the event was highly publicized using the Network of Angaria, which was how all these humans had found out about it in the first place.

It seemed that Dinora just wanted to make as flashy an entrance as possible onto the land of this continent.

Shaking his head, Daneel messaged Kellor and Cassandra, asking if everything had been prepared.

Receiving the reply that everything was in place, Daneel sighed deeply as a grave expression appeared on his face.

This was definitely the most complex plan he had deployed yet since coming onto this continent. There were many steps which all needed to go perfectly in order to achieve what he wanted, and if even one got messed up, the entire thing could fall apart.

However, Daneel was confident in his power, and his planning. He hadn't even slept properly over these past few days: almost each and every second had been spent meticulously thinking about and simulating each aspect so that it would be the best version possible that would definitely lead to success.

Finally, it was time.

Feeling like a student who was just going to attend a very important exam, Daneel said, "Get to your positions. It's showtime."

…

Maylana was the name of the elf whose heart had been shattered by the Queen of Eldinor.

The words that had been thrown at her abruptly, out of the blue still revolved in her head to this day, making her burst out crying at random times even though all she wanted was to forget this whole ordeal.

Why was her life so unlucky?

She had had a simple, but happy childhood.

Her parents were part of the few elves who loved to farm. Elves were known for their varying interests, and it just so happened that she, too, inherited that interest and excitement that came when looking across a field and knowing that it was her handiwork.

Like all elves, her parents were moderately talented in magic, which allowed them to even research and create spells to better till the soil or reap the crops.

Of course, the bane of the elves was that few liked to share, instead just receiving happiness from the knowledge that they had accomplished something on their own. This was in stark contrast to humans, which was a species in which many only received happiness from their accomplishments when they received praise from others.

Her childhood had gone on happily, until that incident which had changed her life forever.

They lived in a remote area, so the kidnappers just strolled inside to grab her.

Her parents, of course, tried to stop them, but she could only watch as their heads rolled on the ground, cut off in a flash by the kidnappers who seemed to be powerful mages adept in combat.

She spent a year enslaved, fighting for food, light and even the right to use the bathroom.

Finally, when she was set free, she had thought that she could calmly continue with her life.

Using the scheme implemented by the Queen who had seemed fair and just then, Maylana entered the Palace with the plan to work a few years and accumulate some money so that she could go back to her village and buy some land to resume her family trade.

However, everything changed once again when she was joined in the personal retinue of the Queen.

Slowly, they grew close, until one day, Maylana cracked and just poured out all of her deepest, darkest secrets, such as her guilt that she was the one responsible for her parents' deaths.

The Queen had comforted her and helped her immensely, until that fateful day when she had been called to her room and scolded without reason.

She had been told that it really was her fault, and that she should be ashamed that she hadn't been able to help.

This broke her completely, and it was only now that she had recovered a semblance of sanity.

Today was the day of the Elf Carnival, as it had come to be called, and although she had intended to sit in her house and mope all day today, too, the neighboring family, who took pity on her condition forced her to come in the hopes that the festive atmosphere might lighten her mood.

She had arrived at 9 a.m using the special teleportation doors that had been set up in a lot of villages, and she actually had to admit that it was a good decision.

She had the company of a small elf child called Martina, who had been left in her company to cheer her up.

The cute little child tugged her here and there, wanting to take in all the sights.

When the little elf urged her to play with 'Balloon and Arrow' game with pleading eyes, she did so, and actually won due to the skill of carefully controlling elementary particles which she had learned from her parents, as it was essential when farming.

The little elf's eyes went as wide as saucers, which made Maylana laugh for the first time in what felt like ages.

Just when she once again started to think that her life would go back to normal, she started to hear screams from somewhere nearby.

They were near the outer border of the carnival, as this was where the stalls for the poorer people were located. Further inside, she had heard that top-class magic exchange stalls and expensive trinket sellers had set up shop.

Maylana's first instinct was to go help out. She had been taught by her parents to help those in need when she could, so she followed that now.

Keeping a tight clamp on the little elf's hand, Maylana headed further outward to the border, which was when she saw a horrifying sight.

A thin, curved, red veil had popped up at some point, and it seemed to be slowly moving toward her direction.

The veil was transparent, so, behind it, Maylana could see hundreds of people on the ground.

They were motionless, which made her assume the worst: they were dead.

Suddenly, she felt something behind her, and for the briefest moment, when she turned around, she felt she saw someone familiar.

That feeling passed away instantly, and as she turned back around thinking that it must have been her imagination, she saw something that made the hair all over her body stand up.

One of the elves among those hundreds on the large field suddenly turned red, and before she could say anything, the body burst like a tomato, with the blood evaporating into mist, leaving behind a few gristly remains, among which she could also see some kind of yellow substance.

With a shriek, she stepped back, before she was accompanied by many similar sounds from those around her.

As a primal fear encroached on her mind, she started to run backward, with tears appearing on her face.

The little girl was confused; although she had been standing facing the same direction, it looked like she hadn't seen the grim sight that Maylana had just been subjected to.

Thinking that she must be in shock, Maylana picked the cute elf up, who asked innocently, "What's wrong, Sister Maylana?"

Even while running for dear life, Maylana sighed heavily and wiped the tears from her eyes before saying, "I'm sorry, little one. It seems that my bad luck has affected you, too. Just close your eyes and hold me. The Queen will-"

Just as she was continuing, she saw people around her looking up, and as she did so too, she saw the one she had just been referring to.

The Queen of Eldinor stood in the air, completely petrified, while a voice continuously cackled in her head.

"YOU DID THIS! HEHE, TO THINK THAT YOU DIDN'T WANT TO KILL ONE LITTLE ELF? NOW GAZE AT YOUR HANDIWORK! YOU HAVE FINALLY SET ME FREE!"

At the same moment, a notification sounded inside Daneel's mind, but it only made him smile.

[Oath-link with target 'Eldra' has been broken.]

Chapter 496: The Elf Carnival 2

Maylana could only stand in a daze for a moment, along with the others who saw their 'just' and 'righteous' Queen get a guilty expression on her face, as if this were all her fault.

No…that couldn't be the truth, right?

Almost each and every one of them thought so, but they didn't have time to stay and ponder on this as the death veil was getting closer and closer.

Jostled by someone from behind, Maylana also came to her senses and started to run forward again.

She had thought that seeing the Queen would awaken her own memories which she had shoved to the side with great difficulty, but instead, all she had seen was a broken elf.

However, she had no time to wonder why this was.

The screams started to get louder, and as she turned back, Maylana saw that more and more elves and humans were falling to the ground.

Thankfully, they just lay there, motionless, instead of bursting into a bloody mess like the one she had seen.

Yet, she could tell that that would be the fate of them all sooner or later.

Desperation clouded her mind, but she didn't know what to do.

All she could do was keep running farther inside, with the hope that the army or the policing force that was present there would be able to do something to help.

The area beyond the veil was exactly like a graveyard, and it felt as if that veil was death personified.

The only advantage was the fact that it was a very large open space, which gave people enough time to run to the center.

Finally, when she got there, she saw chaos.

The more important or well-off elves were demanding that they wanted to go further inward, while the army of 10,000 fighters and mages that had been stationed here were trying to explain that the space inside was full.

All in all, this did not look like an organized operation at all.

Was this really how the great and proud elf race was going to be wiped off the face of the continent?

As such thoughts started to come into Maylana's mind, she suddenly saw someone rise into the air and speak with a booming voice.

"Eldinorians! Please do not panic! Retreat to the center in an organized manner! Our best mages are in the process of figuring out a spell to neutralize that red veil from reaching us! But until then, we must huddle inside a limited space so that we can give them as much time as possible! Just follow the instructions of the soldiers around you!"

It was Madam Katerina, the elf famous for her tenacity and bold attitude.

No matter how many times she lost in the elections, she would keep participating, as it had always been her life's goal to help the Kingdom that had nurtured her.

As a decorated war veteran, there was no one more qualified than her in this situation to take control.

The Queen was outside, and it seemed that she either couldn't reach them, who were inside the red dome, or she wasn't even trying.

Although quite a few ministers were present, they, too, had been absorbed in self-preservation, with none of them taking the initiative to lead.

Now, with Katerina stepping up, a semblance of order finally started to return to the area.

Although many were still panicking and screaming due to the horrific sight in front of them, they were helped by those around along with the army of Eldinor to move inside.

A few powerful mages started to build air blocks, on which people sat, so that they would take up even less space.

All in all, at this moment, with Katerina's urging, the elves of Eldinor showed remarkable solidarity that had almost never been seen before.

After all, there was nothing like the threat of extinction to bring a race together.

As for the humans, they started to gather in one place, but they were shown no prejudice.

They, too, were given spots to stand in and wait, and they felt glad that the elves weren't ignoring them completely in this time of crisis.

Finally, when the around 1.5 million people who were still present inside finally turned around after taking their assigned spots, they breathed out a collective gasp of horror.

The sight of hundreds of thousands of motionless bodies just lying there, on the ground, as if someone had put them to sleep, was something that they would never forget.

It would haunt them in their dreams and during their waking hours, reminding them of just puny they had felt when they saw that humongous dome march forward relentlessly like the grim reaper.

Feeling the atmosphere, Katerina spoke again.

"Fret not, everyone. Our mages are close to figuring out a counterspell which should let us stop that thing until help arrives. Do not panic; that is the one thing that will be most detrimental to us right now. You can see that there is a lot of empty space in front of you: we have time. Just take deep breaths, and wait."

After sending this message, Katerina entered a special tent that had been set up as the operations center.

Inside, more than 50 senior mages were sitting huddled together, studying an elemental construct in front of them.

It was a replica of a barrier that was specially being designed in order to stop that veil of death.

Seeing her arrive, one of them stood up to give her an update.

"Miss. Katerina, like we told you before, the space is locked with a spell of such complexity that we cannot even hope to break it. None of us have even seen such a spell before. Also, one strange thing is that the domed veil is one-way. If it passes through someone on the inside, it will cause them to fall to the ground, into a state we haven't been able to assess. But if someone crosses inside from the outside, they would be fine. This means that of backup arrives, they will have to risk their own death if they want to help us. As for communication, it is also still blocked, and the worst thing is that there is even an illusion formation, which makes it look like everything is normal from the outside. In other words, this is a very elaborate plan which has cut us off from the world completely. No one knows we are all dying here, and no one will know."

Nodding with a grave expression, Katerina sighed and said, "Yes, but we cannot let those outside know that, or many will lose their lives in the stampede itself. Proceed with your task of finding the counter-spell. I pray that you succeed soon."

Folding her hands, Katerina saw the elf get back to work, but she kept checking the time on the clock on the tablet near her.

Any time, now.

Any time, now, the one who had promised to save them would arrive.

Until then, she could only maintain the calm, and hope that he would come soon.

…

Gawain was one of the Eminent Human Mages in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Born in the slums, he had depended on his own hard work and talent to get a seat in the academy and train as if his life depended on it.

Still, his life had been filled with many, many instances where he was 'shown his place' by the aristocrats.

He had thought that he would be stepped down on forks long as he lived, but everything had changed due to one man.

King Daneel.

After he became the King, new norms had been passed down for recruiting, and that was how he had gotten this spot, even though he had been rejected multiple times before because of some inconsequential reason or the other.

His pay had allowed him to shift his parents from the horrid living conditions of the slums to a decent apartment where they would have no want for necessities.

Just the smile on their wrinkled faces had been enough for him to swear undying loyalty to the King in his heart.

He was just one of those who had benefited immensely from the King; many, many others had sworn the same, for various reasons.

Each and every scheme implemented by the King had touched the hearts of each and every one of them, making them aware of just how much the King cared about them.

So, why should they hesitate from giving him their all when he requested for it?

This had been a regular training exercise in hostile territory: 800 mages and 1500 Eminent Human Fighters, which was actually the majority of the elite army of Lanthanor, had been deployed with orders to covertly reach this location that was just a kilometer away from the east border of Eldinor.

The Grand Court Mage, Kellor, was with them, along with the Mage Commander, Cassandra.

It was the latter who had become aware of the strange anomalies in elemental particles around them, which was a sign that a major formation might have come into effect closeby.

For instructions, she had messaged the King, who instantly arrived, which elicited silent cheers from all the soldiers.

The King had left to investigate, as everyone knew that he was the most powerful mage in Lanthanor.

A few minutes later, he came back, but he had a very grave expression on his face.

First, he isolated the area where they were using a spell, so that no one outside would be able to hear what was being said.

Standing in the air and pondering for a few moments, he finally looked at them with a pained expression on his face.

"Soldiers of Lanthanor, I'm afraid that there is something I must ask of you."

This was the reason why Gawain had gotten that thought. This man had given them all so much. What couldn't they give in return?

Whatever it was, he was ready.

Taking a pause, the King of Lanthanor continued.

"A few kilometers away from here, a massacre on a scale that has never been seen in this continent is taking place. More than a million elves, and at least a hundred thousand humans, are all trapped in some kind of formation which is killing them. Besides, I have reason to believe that their own high command cannot be trusted, so they cannot be contacted for help. We are their only hope. I will not sugarcoat this. If we go to help them, it is possible that most, or even all of us, might lose our lives. We have the option to either march forward to uphold our morals and save innocent lives, or we can turn a blind eye and return to our Kingdom."

After speaking till here, an expression of clarity seemed to come on the King's face.

Straightening his back, he stood in the air with his hands behind him, looking into the eyes of all of his soldiers with a scorching gaze.

With a chuckle, he said, "Call me foolish, but I, for one, cannot imagine sleeping in my bed tonight with the knowledge that I did not go forward when I had the chance to save so many people. They might not be my citizens, but they sure as hell are citizens of this continent. I choose to march to their aid. If any of you wants to leave, you're welcome. But if you don't, then know that I cannot guarantee your lives. Make your decision."

Saying so, the King of Lanthanor turned around to face the direction of Eldinor.

In his broad shoulders and straight back, the soldiers of Lanthanor could see the confidence and righteousness of one, who was worthy of being called a King.

Would it not be the greatest honor to fight by his side?

Would it not be an honor to die for him?

In their minds, there was no hesitation.

"King Daneel, I shall march with you!"

"So shall I!"

"And I!"

"For the glory of Lanthanor, and Angaria! King Daneel, I am with you!"

As shouts like these started to reverberate around the area, the King of Lanthanor couldn't help but grin.

From the bottom of his heart, he felt joy and happiness gushing through him, making him proud of himself for garnering such support that transcended even death.

His people were ready to give their lives for a cause they might not even believe in, just because he had asked. What else could a King wish for?

Taking a deep breath, he once again vowed to never do wrong by these people.

Now, it was time for the final, but most important step of his plan.

Turning around, he magnified his voice and said:

"If that is your decision, then I am honored to be your King! Ready your spells!

"Today, we march for justice!

"Today, we march for our place in history!

"TODAY, WE MARCH FOR ANGARIA! GO FORTH, BRAVE SOLDIERS OF LANTHANOR!"

Chapter 497: The Elf Carnival 3

Back in the tent that had been designated as the operations center, Katerina was trying hard not to pace around while she waited for the Mage scholars to come up with the spell.

It required special experience in spell creation to even be able to analyze something and devise a counter-spell, but thankfully, all of those who were capable of that feat in this Kingdom were here. They had all gathered here for the high-level information exchange that had been arranged, which turned out to be a stroke of good fortune for the elves of Angaria.

Finally, one of the elves stood up with an expression of pride on his face.

"That's it! Just reverse the affiliations of the particles here and here, and you have a barrier which will stop and eventually neutralize the veil! It's perfect!"

Hearing him, the other 49 elves also broke out into hurried discussions, following which the one who had spoken to Katerina before walked up to her and said, "Luca was right. We were all looking for some instant way to disable the formation, or whatever it is that is causing that red veil to continue killing. But this is the best, and only method. A modified, much more complex version of a barrier. It will slow down the progress of the red veil while also eating away at its core base. Think of it like rust coating an iron sword; after enough rush accumulates, the sword will break. However, there are a few problems."

Katerina had been about to feel relieved on hearing the explanation from the senior elf, but on seeing his grim expression when he said the last sentence, she braced herself for the worst and asked, "What are they?"

"Two main ones. One, those who take part in setting up the barrier are susceptible to the effects of the veil. It will mostly happen at random, because the veil has random surges of Energy which seem to be some sort of defense mechanism against a countermeasure just like this. This can at least be overcome if the soldiers are willing to sacrifice themselves for the people. But the second is the most worrying. Due to the immense size of the veil, large barriers need to be put up. This will require teamwork and coordination in spell casting, and as you know…"

"We elves are deplorable at that."

Katerina breathed out the sentence under her breath, with her face set in an expression like she had seen a ghost.

Teamwork: this was a quality that had never been present in the armies of Eldinor. Many, many times, she had advocated the fact that if elves put their egos aside and worked together, the strength of their army would rise manifold.

However, peaceful times had resulted in a mentality where measures like these were scoffed on and rejected, with the reason that was stated being that it wasn't possible.

After all, how could it be possible if no one was willing to try?!

Unwilling to lose hope, Katerina asked, "Can't we have some short exposure to teamwork now, so that we can…"

Shaking his head, the senior elf interrupted her, saying, "Impossible. Only those who are used to casting spells with coordination can make large enough barriers. You are welcome to have some of the most talented ones try, but I'm ready to wager my life that they will not be ready by the time that darned veil kills us all. Curse the one responsible for it!"

The fingers in the senior elf's hand wound up into a tight fist and shook as he said the last sentence, while his eyes turned red.

No elf would want to die like this. Just like in life, even in death, elves wished to choose whatever they liked.

Katerina knew the one responsible, but she did not dare say a word about it, as she knew that she might just lose the authority that had been granted to her due to her actions before.

For her plan with the King of Lanthanor, retaining this authority was essential.

Suddenly, an elf ran into the tent, interrupting them.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, he screamed, "An army approaches!"

Could it be?!

Katerina was not ready to jump to any conclusions, so she just exhibited alarm, just like all the elves in the tent.

They knew just how much of a perfect trap this was; there was no way that those were reinforcements.

Still, they found themselves hoping against hope that word had somehow gotten to the Palace.

So, as one, they all flooded out of the tent.

Accompanied by a retinue of soldiers, they headed east, where the report had come from.

As they neared the spot where the rows of gathered people ended, they noticed that all those around them were whispering amongst themselves, while their faces were filled with astonishment.

With each step, the confusion inside the elves grew, until finally, they broke the last line and lay their eyes on the gigantic red veil that was still moving toward them.

Just like the report had said, there was an army on the other side, but they couldn't recognize who it was right away. The veil blurred the image outside, so these elves also started whispering among themselves, wondering who it was.

Only Katerina got an expression of relief on her face, as she could recognize the man standing at the head of that army anywhere.

His stance would look normal at first glance, but she knew that it contained a certain grandeur to it that couldn't be mimicked by anyone.

At the same moment, he seemed to make some gesture to the army behind him, which resulted in a large banner unfurling in the hands of the soldier.

A golden, majestic 'L', around which was coiled a Dragon.

"The Lanthanorians!"

"Why are they here? How did they know about this?"

"Will they enter?"

"Don't be a fool! Even an idiot can tell that that veil will kill anyone who crosses it. Why would they do something so foolish?"

"Then why are they standing there?"

The whispers got louder, but they suddenly got cut off when a booming voice reached them.

"Lanthanorians, this is the point of no return! It is not too late yet to turn back! If you cross this line, then there is no going back! Your lives will definitely be at risk!"

As it finally dawned on the elves why these Lanthanorians were here, they couldn't believe their ears.

Was it that there were a lot of Lanthanorian citizens inside? Had they come to save them?

As many questions started to appear in the minds of the Eldinorians who were watching, they watched as not one Lanthanorian stepped back.

What a splendid display of foolishness!

This was what some people thought, but many others were only awed, unable to imagine what it must take to follow someone's orders so absolutely.

As elves, they couldn't even comprehend this feeling completely.

However, the reason was still a mystery.

As if understanding their main question, the King of Lanthanor spoke again, dispelling all of their doubts.

"Very well, then. Remember this moment, for it will be sung by bards until eternity as the moment when Lanthanor did not turn away when it saw that many, many innocent lives were at risk. We may not have any link to those we march forward to save, but we do have an obligation to this continent that we were born on. Let it never be said that we are not proud Angarians. Onward!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound of drums could be heard, as if giants had come to walk the earth, which accompanied each step that the 2300 brave souls put forth.

The elves of Eldinor could only watch on in shocked silence, while those whom they had always looked down upon rose up today, as if to say that despite their feelings or affiliations, when the time came, they would not hesitate to stand on the side of the just.

It was over in a minute, but to the elves, it felt like an eternity during which all of their preconceptions were shattered.

Here was an army that had put aside their own lives to help them.

Could there be a more selfless gesture?

Meanwhile, Katerina had done the one thing that had been asked of her.

While the attention of everyone around her was focused on the army of Lanthanor, she had deployed a communication eye, and 3 large display trinkets that had been given by the King.

This seemed to be an improved design; earlier, such trinkets were only capable of transmitting images. However, this one could receive the sound, too.

The 3 trinkets had floated to the three other directions where the elves and humans were huddled together, fearing the death and their fate.

They, too, saw and heard the actions of the Lanthanorians, which was accompanied by hundreds of thousands of jaws dropping on seeing something so marvelous, so unbelievable, that it would definitely go down in the history books as the moment when an entire nation stood still and admired another, which it had treated with scorn till now.

Of course, some thought that they were being dumb and throwing their lives away, and a few others even considered whether this was some act of publicity. However, the overwhelming emotion was that of…gratefulness.

After all, the one who sent wood during a blizzard was given more value in one's heart than someone who sent blankets in summer.

In their time of need, Lanthanor had not turned away even if it meant that they would lose their lives. Despite whether this gesture would end up bringing results, the act had been engraved into the minds of almost all Eldinorians.

It was only when the King of Lanthanor reached the delegation of senior mages did they finally snap out of their shock.

Katerina was the one who walked forward to address him.

"We do not how we can thank you, King Daneel, for not leaving us to our plight. We elves always pay our debts, so let me say now that I, for one, already consider myself indebted to you for coming to help us. This is because I know, for sure, that with your help, this calamity can be averted."

The communication eye was still switched on, so everyone heard these words and watched as the King of Lanthanor smiled graciously in return.

They were going to be saved!

Now, even those who were skeptical and saying that the Lanthanorians had only come to throw their lives away shut their mouths, gulping with shock.

The elf scholars had noticed the display trinkets and the communication eye, but they hadn't asked before. Yet, now, they understood.

Lanthanor was the Kingdom that was known on the continent for their teamwork. This was exactly what they needed at this moment to defeat the veil and save themselves.

As a decorated war veteran, she must have spotted this and deployed those trinkets so that she could offer peace of mind to the scared citizens.

Smiling, they, too, began to thank the King of Lanthanor and say similar things, but he spoke with a confident voice, interrupting them and making them nod as they split apart for him.

"I have assessed the rate with which the veil is moving: it's speeding up. From your words, I see that you have a plan. Let us hurry to a more closed location so that we can discuss this."

A few minutes later, Katerina watched as he studied the spell that had just been given to him.

"Yes, it shouldn't be a problem. Just give me a few minutes. You should consider yourselves lucky that my elite mages are all here."

In the tent, silence reigned as the elf scholars- who were those with the most authority in the entire Kingdom, heard the King say this.

They knew about the strength of the mage army of Lanthanor- they could tell that most of that army was here.

Was this man…truly going to sacrifice them, and the future of his Kingdom in order to save them?

They did not speak out this question, but it was apparent in their eyes.

His answer was simple, but it would become a quote that would spread across the continent and be used in various situations by many, many people across countless generations.

With a heavy sigh, he said, "Sometimes, you might have to burn your own house down if it means that you can save someone who is dying from the cold, even if you bear no relation to them."

Chapter 498: The Elf Carnival End

"Martina, we're saved! The Lanthanorians have come to save us!"

The display trinkets went blank after the King's statement, but the images they had seen stayed in the eyes of the watching Eldinorians and humans.

After a few moments of shocked silence, Maylana hoisted Martina in the air and said these words, echoing the thoughts of many around her.

Some were still skeptical, as they didn't want to get their hopes up, but many were simple citizens like her, who trusted Katerina because of the many times they had seen her campaigning to become the Queen.

"Really, Sister Maylana? My parents, too?"

As the little elf said this with hope in her eyes, Maylana's face hardened.

Her parents…had been among those who hadn't been able to get inside before the red veil crossed them.

Still, she didn't want to break that news to the little elf just yet.

She had been crying non-stop since hearing the scary things said by those around her, and she had just calmed down.

Maylana couldn't possibly put the little elf under any more grief right now.

So, she chose to lie.

"Yes, of course! I didn't see them, but they must be somewhere inside!"

As she saw tears of happiness come in the little elf's cute, large eyes, she felt guilt racking her heart, but she put it aside.

Turning around, she saw the red dome again, from which she had averted her eyes till now as she didn't want to see it's inexorable advance forward.

Now, finally, with hope and gratitude filling her, she waited to see that veil disappear.

Just like her, many had turned to the veil, thinking that there might be some spell cast that would neutralize it.

While they did so, they couldn't help but think back to the solemn faces of the Lanthanorians, which made them applaud that gesture even more.

So, when they saw those same Lanthanorians fly into the sky from the central tent after a few minutes, all of them looked up to see what they were going to do.

Among the Lanthanorians, there was just one team of elves, who were the misfits of the army.

They were the weakest regimen, and they were actually constantly mocked for their choice to work together after forsaking the individuality of elves.

No one knew that this would be the day they would rise to fame.

800 Lanthanorians and 200 elves split apart into 10 teams of 100 each before heading in the direction that had been assigned to them.

With bated breath, all the Eldinorians followed the team that was closest to them.

Those who were inside the circle and couldn't see anything cheered when the display trinkets flew into the air again, showing the scene of a team approaching the veil.

The cheering continued when each team spread out after their arrival, before raising their hands and closing their eyes with expressions of stern concentration.

Initially, nothing happened, or at least, nothing was visible in the trinkets.

However, if someone with elementary vision could view the area near each of these teams, they would be able to tell that the elementary particles were slowly being molded into something huge.

Nothing needed to be said about the teamwork of the Lanthanorians. The defining factor of their Mage army- the Mage constructs required hundreds of hours of time to be spent honing the skill of a Mage to do their own part in casting a major spell, without interfering with the others.

If it was simplified, then it was a lot like rowing back on Earth, where each member on a boat had to train for long hours in order to be able to match the timing of all the others.

Initially, the spells sputtered and faded, making those watching panic a little as they saw the veil inching closer to all of those soldiers.

However, the cheers suddenly surged when a sound was heard through the trinkets, accompanied by a sight which made some rub their eyes and hope that they weren't dreaming.

Scwing!

A tall golden barrier sprung into existence in front of a particular team of Mages from Lanthanor, and it shined so bright that those on the borders who were watching that spot directly had to close their eyes and turn away.

This wasn't even what shocked people the most.

No, the most miraculous thing was that as soon as the barrier went up, the red veil that hadn't paused since it had come into existence finally halted.

At least, in that area, it did not move forward, and as over a million people watched, the veil even started to grow slightly faint in that spot.

Yes! It was working!

The cheers which had paused resumed with vigorous intensity, but just as it seemed that everything was going to be ok, a scream sounded from the trinket which made horrified silence return.

It was the scream of one of the mages in that team, who had just fallen down with a contorted expression on his face.

"Jimmy? Jimmy, get up!"

The Mage beside him, who seemed to know him, abandoned his post without thinking and bent to touch the man.

As soon as he did so, that contorted expression relaxed, and the man went still.

With shaking hands, that Mage checked the pulse of the one on the ground, and from the shocked expression on his face, the fate of that man became clear.

At the same moment, the squadron leader of that team shouted, "Gawain, get back to your post!"

As if he couldn't believe it, that Mage, whose face had become white after having the blood completely drained from it, screamed, "He's dead, sir! He's dead!"

"I KNOW! WE KNEW WHAT WE WERE GETTING INTO! WE WERE TOLD THIS MIGHT HAPPEN! IF YOU'RE SCARED, YOU SHOULD HAVE TURNED BACK WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE! NOW, GET BACK INTO YOUR DAMN POSITION! DON'T YOU DARE DISGRACE OUR KING IN FRONT OF SO MANY PEOPLE!"

Each word seemed to thunder into the young Mage, but it looked like it was the last line which had the most effect.

Slowly, he rose up from the dead body and raised his hands again, which made the barrier that had dimmed before get slightly brighter.

The people of Eldinor had thought that they had had enough shocks today that nothing would be able to surprise them again.

They now realized that they had been very wrong.

The cheers did not resume. Instead, grave expressions appeared on those watching when another display trinket showed something similar happen in a different team.

How could they cheer when they were seeing people unrelated to them giving up their lives for their sake?

At this moment, the silence seemed loud, as if it were boring into the ears of the Eldinorians and humans while they witnessed the sacrifices of the Lanthanorians.

By now, 10 barriers had gone up, but around 10 Mages had already fallen.

9 from Lanthanor, and one from Eldinor.

As the seconds ticked by, more and more started to fall, while the Eldinorians' wide-open eyes were witness to the heartbreaking expressions of loss and desperation on the faces of all the soldiers.

Their friends, whom they considered closer than family, were dropping like flies, and they could do nothing to stop it.

Hell, they might soon be subject to the same fate, which made them curse whoever was the one responsible for this abhorrent deed.

With each second, the way the Eldinorians viewed Lanthanor changed.

First, it had just been gratitude.

Then, it was shock and disbelief, as they couldn't believe that these soldiers had signed up for this willingly.

Finally, it was adoration, which was the point at which the cheering resumed.

"Hail Brave Lanthanor!"

"Hail our saviors!"

"Hail King Daneel!"

Everything was visible in their eyes. Those eyes which had once held scorn, were now blazing with admiration, while the figures they were seeing became idolized in their hands.

Watching everything from the air, Daneel folded his hands.

He was smiling inwardly at the fact that his plan was going brilliantly, but he only had a grim expression on the outside as he was, after all, a King who was seeing his soldiers die.

In all the spots where the barriers had sprung up, the veil was beginning to thin, and this seemed to be having an effect on even the parts of the dome which weren't being obstructed.

Still, those parts were quickly approaching the spot where the border line of those gathered was, which added a hint of panic to the cheers.

By now, over half the soldiers had fallen, and the other half had very fatigued expressions on their faces.

It looked like they would give out at any moment, but they were holding on by sheer will, just like a candle which would blaze the brightest before going out.

After shooting one final look at all the people and judging that it was enough, Daneel sighed, drawing Katerina's attention to him.

"I did not wish to reveal this, but it seems to be the right time to do so. Besides, how can I let my people die without fighting alongside them? Go down to your scholars. There is something I must do."

Boom!

As soon as the last word left his mouth, a loud sound that was akin to that of a thunderclap echoed throughout the area where everyone was gathered.

As one, they all turned to the source of the sound, which was a spot in the air right at the center of the circle they were huddled in.

A single man stood there, and as almost everyone watching had been thinking about his figure which they had seen in the display trinkets when he had arrived, they recognized him.

His hands were outstretched, and his palms were facing up, where a blazing, golden sun had come into existence at some point.

Curious, all those present who could do so switched on their elemental visions, and let out a collective gasp as they marveled in the complexity of that spell.

Katerina had floated down to those 50 elf seniors and ministers, and as she turned around to gaze at that sun, she, too, felt more shocked by its sight than anything else she had seen before.

"H-he put together layers and layers of barriers…so many of them! Such beautifully complex spellcasting…only an Exalted Warrior can be capable of this! The Central Continent…has given birth to an Exalted Warrior level Mage! I cannot believe it!"

Awe filled the minds of those who could understand just what this meant, while the rest just gaped, unable to even comprehend what level of power this was.

However, all of them had the same reaction when that sun moved upward, to the center of the dome and began to melt the veil that had already gotten quite transparent.

They were all…stupefied.

One man was doing more than hundreds combined, and it seemed that this was the last push that was needed.

Puchi!

The veil broke, letting the sunlight that had been dimmed till now fall on the awestruck elves and humans of Angaria.

That man was still standing there, and right now, he looked like some God that had descended to help them.

"We-we're saved?"

"We have been saved!"

"WE WILL LIVE! THANK YOU, KING DANEEL!"

Tears flooded the faces of many, as they let themselves finally feel relief.

One thing was clear: on this historic day, that man and his actions, had forever been branded into their hearts.

Each and every action of his would be replayed millions of times all over the continent, while thousands of versions of everything that had happened would proliferate, with some even claiming that he really was a God who had reincarnated into that form to fight evil.

Yet, at that moment, the one who was responsible for it all was completely tongue-tied, due to a voice that had just sounded in his head.

[Achievement Unlocked: Out of the shadows, into the light

Out of the shadows, into the light: By saving over a million individuals who have all begun to idolize you as a deity, you have stepped out of the shadows into your true role of rising to become a World Dominator. Congratulations!

50,000 EXP received.]

5-50,000?! What the heck!

However, Daneel had no time to dwell on this. The steps of his plan here were done, but there were still things he needed to do.

Just for safety, he patted his pocket, inside which were hidden 6 trinkets.

These 6…were the real trinkets that Eldra had made.

"System, prepare to awaken those put to near-death sleep using Drakos's fake blood-purifying formation, and make sure that the Mind Control spell on Eldra is still making it look like the real spell has killed everyone here. She will soon be lead to the real location of the Empire Spirit's body, which is when we should be ready to swoop in and acquire the Grand Inheritance parts. Time to make that bi*ch, Dinora, pay."

Chapter 499: Aftermath

Eldra, the Queen of Eldinor, was currently screaming with all her might.

There was only one problem: no one could hear her.

She was locked in her own body, unable to move a single inch, while that voice kept laughing continuously as if the enjoyment it was receiving was something that couldn't be summed up into words.

She was still in the sky above the dome, but after that moment when she had seen that horrifying sight which still tormented her, the voice that had only used to come when she went to that room had exploded in her head.

Her heart had completely been shattered into bits, and her mind had gone into disarray when she saw the full might of the blood-purifying formation.

Unlike what was really happening, she had watched while all those who were affected by the red veil had instantly burst into a shower of blood before leaving behind some sort of substance.

Hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands and finally over a million people had been wiped out in the short span of less than a few hours.

Each and every face and voice that had screamed for mercy still flashed through her consciousness, making her want to claw her eyes out if she could just move her body.

However, she was just a disembodied being who could only look out of her eyes and do nothing else.

Since that moment when that voice had triumphantly screamed inside her mind, she had been locked in this cage in her own mind, and there was no way out.

So, motionless, she kept watching and watching, while the laughter went on and on.

In fact, with each minute, the laughter seemed to grow in intensity, until it was so loud that Eldra was sure that if she were hearing this from outside, her ears would have burst.

The laughter kept bringing forth her guilt, which was the thing that was consuming her the most.

Just a few hours ago, everything had been normal. She had gone to place those 6 trinkets, with the only thing to remark on being that she had almost felt as if someone had teleported in front of her for a moment.

Yet, she was pretty sure that that had just been her imagination. After that, she had gone and placed those trinkets, before waiting for the appointed time.

As soon as the sun was at its highest point in the sky, she had placed a mysterious red-branch like material that had been placed in that room by that voice for her to collect on each of the spots, just a few meters below the surface.

That was when the terror began. The veil popped into existence and began killing everyone in sight, and now, everything was over.

Even though the blood of each person had burst into a substance like steam, there was just too much.

That blood started to precipitate, and as she watched, it looked exactly as if it were raining blood.

Finally, after a few minutes after the almost 2 million people had passed away, the laughter receded, before stopping.

The silence actually seemed more deafening, until that voice spoke again while urging her to go to the ground and collect something.

"To think that your mind would be so shattered that my weak mind control spell is enough to control you so much. Well, this was more fun than I've had in thousands of years. So, let's get this party started, shall we? You just need to do a little something for me, and we can meet and become best friends after that. Go. I'm waiting."

As soon as the voice said this, Eldra felt that something was different.

Wait…she was back in control of her body?

But…she had already killed everyone.

What else was there for her?

She should just kill herself.

But before that, why not do this small task and find out what the origin of that voice was?

The Mind Control taking full effect, Eldra just floated down to the ground she saw.

Casting a spell, she watched as all of the yellow substance that had been left behind by most of the bodies of those that had died collected together into a large orb, which rotated in the air slowly before becoming compressed into a palm-sized ball.

This was it? Over a million elves had died for this?

Even as this question came in her mind, Eldra found herself reaching for that ball even though she hadn't meant to. There was something she couldn't stop that was pushing her, but the main fact was that she didn't want to stop it.

She was just…utterly defeated. She had no more purpose to live, so why fight anything?

As soon as she grasped the ball, a location appeared in her mind.

It was a specific spot about 4000 meters below the Palace of Eldinor. If someone wanted to find it by manually searching through all of the ground below the Palace, then it would be harder than endeavoring to find a needle in a haystack.

Dinora was simply ecstatic. If she had a body, she would be jubilantly smiling right now, although many had told her when she was alive that that smile terrified them.

Happily controlling the mind of the weak little elf, she awaited her resurrection.

That spell had been cast with the power of the blood of just a few hundred elves, and it was so simple that it could barely be considered to be at the Warrior level.

She had had no choice! If she wanted to have her true power, she needed millions of elves, not hundreds! That was why she had had to decrease both the complexity and power of the spell just to be able to cast it.

Well, that was all in the past. Soon, she would be whole again, and Angaria would feel her return.

Resisting the urge to cackle again, Dinora watched as Eldra clumsily chose a spot in the Palace and began to dig.

As a Peak Exalted Human level Mage, she wasn't too weak, so in a few hours, there were mountains of dirt behind her as she finally reached the spot.

After all, it wasn't possible for her to blindly teleport forward when there were obstacles there, unless she had some sort of method to scan it beforehand.

Finally, as a bright light shone into Eldra's eyes, making her stop the digging and shade her eyes, Dinora's excitement rose to palpable levels.

She was going to be free!

This was where her true body had been placed all those years ago by that Emperor.

Hidden from all means of detection, there was even a cage made of Ker Roots that only she knew how to open.

And right now, it was finally time to open it.

For her to move her consciousness from her dead body, which was in this place, to her new one, she needed the purified blood essence to come into contact with it.

So, she gave the instructions for Eldra to open the cage.

The bright light had been from the Ker Roots of old, which still blazed with the Energy that was singular to them. That was why they had been used; Ker Roots were some of the few substances which were capable of absorbing Energy on their own over a long period of time if they were left alone without moving.

The Energy they gave off was enough to maintain her, while they absorbed Energy from Angaria to sustain themselves.

It was a perfect cycle, and when she had seen its design in the Emperor's hands, she had even thanked the guy personally, thinking that it was her key to breaking through the barrier which had stopped her.

That fool had thought that she was doing this for his 'Grand Plan'. If he could have known that these were her true intentions all along, she wondered how he would have felt.

Regardless, that wasn't important now. Eldra had just cut her wrist and was drawing a secret formation on the Ker Root in front of her. Her small cage was entirely made up of them, so it didn't matter on which spot she drew.

The Emperor had taken precautions to make sure that she wouldn't be taken advantage of by using two key pieces of information that he told noone: her exact location, and this key.

She did not even hesitate to reveal them both now; after all, it was impossible for anyone to take advantage of her.

All the Empire Spirits were accounted for, except for that old bird, who might have gone completely senile, and that dragon that she had so many memories with.

The former was definitely not a threat, and the same could be said about the latter, too, as everyone knew that if that innocent thing was exposed to scheming on this scale that it could fool her, then Angaria would have been doomed by now.

So, there was no danger whatsoever.

Crack!

As a small opening appeared in the thick web of Ker Roots in front of the elf, Dinora refocused and felt like jumping with joy, now that her rebirth was close.

Watching those 2 million people die had been fun, but the real fun would begin soon.

The crack widened enough to let in one person, and as Eldra entered with that same defeated expression, she came upon a small space which was mostly occupied by a large body that was curled up into a ball.

It took up the least space in this way, and it seemed to be floating in the air. When the body floated around to expose its face, Eldra was quite surprised to see just how beautiful it was.

Slightly upturned nose, high cheekbones, and a sharp chin complemented long, blood-red locks of hair.

The peaceful expression of the sleeping figure would never be able to do justice to the true bloodthirstiness inside her.

"Go! Go touch that ball in your hands to my body! Do it!"

Unable to control herself any more, Dinora spoke in Eldra's mind, who was so pitiful that even she wasn't sure whether she was just following orders like a meek little dog because of her nothing-matters-anymore attitude, or the Mind Control.

Regardless, she stumbled forward and bent, pressing the ball to the forehead of the curled up, floating giant.

Dinora had just burst out into a loud laugh as she saw the yellow blood essence go nearer and nearer, but that cut off when she realized that she felt nothing with her true body.

Wait…what the heck was going on?

Like other Empire Spirits, she had the ability to 'see' or 'feel' the things around her corporeal body.

Right now, she had two differing sights: one showed that the Queen of Eldinor was bending and pressing that ball on her forehead, while the other, which was her own, showed that there was nothing in the Elf Queen's hand.

NO! SOMETHING WAS DEFINITELY WRONG!

As this realization started to dawn on her, she seemed to hear a sound coming from the crack through which Eldra had just entered the Ker Root cage.

It was the sound…of someone clapping.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

With each clap, the source was getting closer, and as Dinora finally saw a man she had never seen before enter her private abode, panic finally started to appear in her mind.

He had a mocking expression on his face, and even though he had stepped inside, he had still not stopped his clapping.

It was only after he walked forward and stood a few inches from her original body did he finally stop clapping and speak.

"Good plan. Hell, it almost worked, too! Too bad I was around. Poor Eldra here has been seeing everything you wanted to see- a very handy application of the Hero level Mind Control spell that you weren't able to detect. When I saw her gathering air in an empty field, I actually felt like laughing! Well, I would have, if you weren't such a crazy bi*ch."

As these words reverberated throughout the cage, Dinora finally became aware of what had happened.

He had cast a Hero level Mind Control Spell!

B-but how?

As if sensing her question, the man raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, so you're wondering how? An old friend of yours sends his regards. He regrets that he can't greet you by flapping his wings."

By now, because of the close proximity and the direct contact with her, Dinora had been able to cast a full Mind-Control spell, and as a Mage who was more powerful than even Drakos, her Mind Control was almost like possession. Whatever commands she gave, Eldra obeyed.

At this moment, anger clouded Eldra's face before she began to scream, "DRAKOS! NO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN UNLEASHED BY NOW IF YOU WERE A PART OF THIS!"

"He just says that he was meditating, and he doesn't know what has happened up until this point."

Instead of that sentence clearing things up, it only made the puzzlement Dinora was feeling increase.

"NO! MEDITATION DOES NOT CUT YOU OFF FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD! YOU STILL SENSE EVERYTHING, EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO! Unless, the Emperor…"

With this, the truth of the matter finally seemed to dawn on the man.

"Well, then I guess the Emperor gave a few special tricks to the one he considers his son. By the way, keep this a secret, would you? I don't want the other Empire Spirits to know about this…if they knew I was coming for them, they might do something I wouldn't like…"

The man spoke in a completely casual manner, as if he were taking a stroll in the park.

Of course, this only further infuriated Dinora, who couldn't believe that she had just been schemed against by a puny human who wasn't even the age of her toenail.

That damn Emperor's hand was also in this, but he was dead, so she blamed this man.

Hysterically, she started to scream through Eldra.

"NO! JUST YOU WAIT! I'LL MAKE SURE THAT…"

"That the others find out? Oh, I was hoping you would say that."

Suddenly, the smell of burning flesh appeared in the closed space, and a scream came from Eldra's mouth.

However, her body was fine.

It was the leg of the floating giant that was burning, and as the man flicked his finger, the fire went out.

"Good old Drakos is meditating again, but before he left, he told me about how you, unlike the other Spirits, are vulnerable because your consciousness is still in your true body. So you took so much delight in killing millions of innocent people? Well, then, I'll take delight in watching this. Time to burn, you crazy b*tch."

"YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!"

With no other option, Dinora made Eldra lunge to attack, but with a simple wave of his hand, the man made the elf faint.

After all, a Peak Exalted Human who wasn't even temporarily possessed was no threat to a Peak Exalted Warrior.

Although the space became silent, Daneel could swear that he was hearing silent screams, as he set fire to the body of the elf who could have been killing the entire continent by now if he hadn't stepped in.

At the same time, a notification sounded in his head.

[Higher-tier Lifeform analyzed. Gathering Data.

Achievement Unlocked: Empire Spirit Reaper(1)

New Acquired Champion Path "Hedonist" analyzed.]

Chapter 500: Treasure

Another achievement?!

Unable to believe it, Daneel waited with bated breath for the description.

After all, if there were multiple announcements, the system would often bundle the main parts of them together before elaborating on the specifics of each.

He was still reeling from the shock of obtaining 50,000 EXP in one go. After all, this was a windfall the likes of which he had never seen.

[Higher-Tier Lifeform: Through analysis, it has been found that host's current body is a lesser version of this lifeform. Data suggests that aspects such as longevity, potential and comprehension level are all a step above the norm that is seen on the continent today. Further analysis is in progress.

Empire Spirit Reaper(1): Others might feel lucky to just come into contact with one, but you have actually succeeded in ending the life of an Empire Spirit through meticulous planning and perfect execution. Congratulations!

10,000 EXP awarded.

Subsequent iterations of the same achievement will have multiplied rewards.

This is a dual-path achievement: Bringing an Empire Spirit into host's complete control would also have qualified host to receive the reward. As such, the same will also count towards the rewarding of the subsequent iterations.

'Hedonist' Champion Path: A Champion Path for one who is capable of doing anything and everything in order to fulfill their desire. Power of this Champion Path varies according to the desire chosen. The target from which this Champion Path was analyzed had chosen the desire for 'Blood', which allowed her to gain ultimate proficiency in using blood-related spells. Also, because the general path is that of a 'Hedonist', the Path also gives the ability to manipulate other people using their desires to those who choose it.

Type of Champion Path: Acquired(Special)

Level Limit: Depends on the desire chosen.

Form of Champion Path On Display: Domain/Projection, Ability Augmentation.]

Well, although it was no windfall, 10,000 wasn't bad at all.

As for the other data, Daneel mulled over it in his mind.

He wasn't really surprised that the system had tagged this giant as a higher-tier lifeform, neither was it a shock to find out that normal humans were lesser forms of that lifeform.

After all, it was pretty obvious.

As for this special type of Champion Path, Daneel was most intrigued by its name.

Could it be connected to the Sect of Hedon in any way?

After pondering over this question for a few seconds, Daneel decided that he would ask Drakos about it as soon as he woke the dragon up.

He didn't want to do so now, until this grisly deed was done.

Although he had become someone who would kill indiscriminately when it was needed, he wasn't a huge proponent of torture.

So, if it weren't for the system telling him that the best method to analyze the body of the giant in the quickest manner possible was to burn it, then he might have chosen to directly chop off its head or something.

Apparently, the burning was to see the root constituents of the body, and assess just how his own body had been derived from it.

It was an unorthodox method for sure, but it wasn't that novel for someone like him from Earth, where combustion analysis was a thing to understand more about certain substances.

Daneel had thought that the best method would be dissection, but he had been told that the system would be able to obtain the same results because of the high level of the Phenomena Analysis Module, which had led him to choosing this method as it would mean that he would be taking some revenge on the bloodthirsty elf, too, by subjecting her to pain the likes of which she would have inflicted on millions if she had been set free.

While the body continued burning, Daneel turned to the side and observed Eldra, whose face still contained a hint of the misery and despair he had seen in her before.

He had already asked Drakos how Dinora could have taken control of Eldra if the Mind Control spell was so weak, so when he had found out that that would only be possible if her mind was completely shattered by what she was seeing, Daneel had decided that she wasn't someone who deserved to die.

True, she had her negative aspects, which had resulted in this whole mess in a way. However, after understanding the true method in which an elf's mind worked after seeing Katerina, Daneel had realized that he might be partly responsible, too, even though there could have been no way in which he wouldn't have insisted on an oath at that point.

But that didn't mean that she didn't have her own redeeming qualities too. She had the talent to understand the needs of her people and devise plans and schemes to address them. She also seemed to have the charisma needed to make others follow her.

Sighing, Daneel decided that he would just leave it up to her.

The best case would be if she, too, recognized the debt that she now owed Daneel because of everything he had done. If she did, and if she chose to follow him whole-heartedly, then he would be happy to leave her be.

Only after placing some good old countermeasures, of course.

However, if she relapsed to that haughty elf who still saw him as a ruthless slaver, he would have no option but to remove her from her position.

Turning back to the giant's body, Daneel watched as the flames rose higher, turning the entire body to ash.

What was most surprising was the amount of Energy that had to be consumed in order to make that happen. Asking the system, he found out that if he were burning a normal, human body, a 10th of the Energy would have been enough.

So, it was clear that the higher-tier lifeform, whatever it was, was also 10 times sturdier at the least, as he didn't know exactly what the Fighter level of the Empire Spirit was.

Finally, unable to ignore it anymore, Daneel glanced up at the complex, interweaving web of Ker Roots that made up this small cage.

S-so…many Ker Roots!

Drool almost appeared at the King of Lanthanor's mouth when he devoured them with his eyes.

He had been consciously ignoring them till now as he knew that if he got fixated on them, he would never be able to let them go.

Now that he was focusing on them, he felt the urge to crazily grab at them and tuck them away in a safe place, just like a money-grubber who had just laid his eyes on a large pile of diamonds.

He couldn't help it! Scrounging for resources and EXP had been just that much of an integral part of his growth. After all, it was true that one never outgrew their roots. Well, not completely, at least.

Now, the biggest fear that Daneel had was that he couldn't use these Ker Roots to absorb Energy.

He couldn't blame himself for getting this fear. It was just too good to be true!

Just days ago, his heart had been stinging on seeing tiny parts of Ker Roots being shaved away to make those trinkets.

Now, he was suddenly eyeing over a 1000 of them?

Taking in deep breaths to calm himself down, Daneel waited for the giant body to completely burn down to ashes, before stepping forward on seeing something shining among the black pile.

There were two items: one that looked like a round ball of metal, with the other was a simple, unengraved red-colored coin.

However, Daneel didn't even have to wait for the system's analysis to know what they were.

[Unknown item detected. Material matches the item that was discovered in the Hidden Kill Sect.

Unknown item detected. Material matches the item that was discovered in the Hidden Kill Sect.]

These…were the parts of the Grand Inheritance.

Yes!

Holding them in his hands, Daneel could hardly suppress the feeling of pride and joy that gushed up in him.

The news that Axelor was the frontrunner in the 'race' had been quite sudden, but also worrying.

Now, he was in possession of two parts, too, so it could be said that they were neck and neck.

From here, it would only take a single step to move up and take the lead.

Yet, Daneel had to handle the aftermath of his plan first.

Tucking away the parts safely, Daneel finally awakened Drakos.

"Young King. Where is Dinora?"

"Oh, I dispersed her body. I figured that it might be best if you didn't see it. Did you know that the meditation technique given to you is different from the one that others have? And it also seemed as if she didn't know about the Emperor's countermeasure."

After pondering for a few moments, Drakos spoke in a pensive voice.

"I didn't, but I do remember something. My f-, I mean, the Emperor did say once that he was taking special precautions for me. I thought he just meant that countermeasure with the message. I guess he took additional steps, too…"

As Drakos's voice stretched to indicate that he was thinking, Daneel couldn't wait anymore and blurted the question in his mind.

"So…can all of these Ker Roots be trained with?"

"Hmm…what? Oh, the Ker Roots that constitute this cage? Yes…but that would be a waste, I tell you."

At first, Daneel had been about to jump in joy, but he paused when he heard the last sentence.

"What do you mean?", he asked, hoping that the answer wouldn't dash all of his hopes and dreams.

"Well, this is one of the most ingenious designs of the Empire of Angaria. Because all of these Ker Roots release some of their Energy anyway, the one inside can absorb that Energy indefinitely, as the design allows the Ker Roots to replenish themselves from the surroundings. Basically, it is a…"

"A Natural Energized Training Chamber!", exclaimed Daneel, his eyes shining.

"Yes, Young King, but one of the highest level. The level of Energy that one can absorb inside is higher than any naturally occurring Energized Training Chamber- it will be just like one is absorbing Energy from a Ker Root directly. Besides, it does not cause too much of a strain on the land because of the property of Ker Roots to absorb small amounts of Energy from vast distances. The land of the Elf Kingdom is one that is devoid of Ether deposits. This allowed this Ker Root Energy Generator, as it was called in the ancient times, to function for so long. Of course, the negative was that any Ker Gem/Ether mine that could have appeared didn't. But…."

As Drakos droned on about how Energy Generators had their pros and cons, Daneel phased him out, as he was too happy imagining all the things he could accomplish with this…Energy Generator.

Yes, he liked that name!

EXP would be spent. But this…this was definitely his greatest reward.

The only con he had to think about was that only one person could train inside at a time, but if the cage was disassembled, then a 1000 individuals could use these Ker Roots to quickly replenish their Energy. Of course, after that, there would be jack squat left.

In essence, it was just like a wind turbine from Earth. In times of crisis, one could disassemble the parts of the turbine and sell them to obtain temporary wealth that would be gone as soon as it was used. However, if the turbine was allowed to operate, it would keep generating electricity, and in turn, wealth. Of course, in the short run, this wouldn't compare to the other case, but it would be very beneficial in the long run.

With everything settled, Daneel first ensured that no one else would be able to find this treasure of his before leaving.

There were still a few things to take care of…such as awakening all those who were thought to be dead.

It was time for the last sweet, sweet drama of Eldinor to unfold, and this one…was going to change the face of this continent forever.

Chapter 501: The Plan, Revealed

The first thing that Daneel did after leaving the Energy Generator was that he chose a spot in the sky before casting a Hero-level anti-eavesdropping formation and fashioning a wooden chair out of thin air.

Dumping the Queen of Eldinor in that chair, Daneel folded his hands and cast a spell to awaken her.

He had knocked her out using a pretty strong and sudden blow to her head as he hadn't wanted to take any chances, so he had to wait for a few seconds while she woke up and looked around groggily, trying to understand who and where she was.

Before he proceeded to do anything, he first had to get the answer from her regarding what her choice would be.

So, he had no option but to wait while she gathered her bearings.

While waiting, he couldn't help but think back to the plan, and the amount of work he had to do.

Since the start, the goal had been simple: simulate a fake threat which will bring the elves together in idolizing Lanthanor, and him as their selfless saviors to whom they owed an inestimable debt to.

Initially, he had considered using the original blood-purifying formation given by Dinora to Eldra, but he had instantly discarded that after finding out that its true potency would result in all the bodies that were affected by the veil bursting into showers of blood instantly.

He needed something…less grisly. And he also needed something whose effects wouldn't be so…permanent.

After all, he wasn't a madman who would consider just letting countless people die just to further his plans and power.

There had been many in history, both on Earth and Angaria who had tried to use devilish plans which sacrificed many, many lives in order to set up a scenario where they could swoop in and save the day in order to reap the support or rewards from many, many more.

Yet, very few of those actually had good endings. At least, even if there were those who got away with it, it was most possible that they were few and far in between.

Daneel's plan revolved around creating an authentic scenario which was reversible, but also real.

And as such, there had to be at least a modicum of real consequences, which was integral if he wanted to lend authenticity to the whole thing.

He had already known that there would be naysayers who would definitely accuse Lanthanor of setting it all up, so his job was just to make sure that those people wouldn't have any believable facts to back their story up.

Whether he liked it or not, naysayers like these were integral to society, and he just had to deal with them.

Besides, Daneel had had no intention of doing a half-assed job anyway. This was going to be in an integral turning point in the history of this continent, and if there was even a hint of a chance through which the truth could be exposed, then everything would be for naught.

His grand plans would all go up in flames, and it was very possible that there might even be an all-out war.

So, Daneel had been determined to be very, very careful.

In essence, his plan was a double-layered deception.

The first layer of deception involved deceiving the elves and humans who were attending the festival that there was a very real threat to their lives, while the second involved making Eldra, and in turn, Dinora think that they were seeing the real effects of the blood-purifying formation.

The latter part had actually been the most simple. He had simply intercepted Eldra on her way when she had set off to bury the formation trinkets, and as the Mind Control spell cast by Dinora was just too weak, she hadn't been able to detect anything amiss.

After a simple switcheroo, Eldra had set off with the fake formation trinkets which would activate the fake blood-purifying formation that Daneel had designed with Drakos in order to carry out the most visceral scene of a savior descending to save the damned possible.

Now, the main problems with the first part were threefold.

1) Some people had to die. There was no way around it. If the only thing that those inside saw was people falling to the ground, then they would have no reason to believe that they were dead. Even if they looked motionless, there would be no method to make sure. However, if some people just so happened to see a few of those motionless bodies exploding into showers of bloody mist, then it would create the chaos and panic he needed to make the nightmare come true.

For this, pure Mind Control was not an option. Later on, investigations would be made about who had died, and if it was found out that everyone was fine, then everything would be revealed to be fake right away.

It was also not possible to simply resurrect those who had died. At least, the ones collapsed on the floor could be said to have gone into a near-death state, which could just as easily be mistaken for death. The same was not possible in the other case, though. So, all in all, people really did have to die.

2) The Lanthanorians couldn't be in on it, as that would be too much of a liability.

3) There had to be major consequences for Lanthanor, too.

4) And finally, the three problems above had to be solved in such a way that even if the Heroes from the Big 4 came to investigate, they shouldn't be able to find any smoking gun that would reveal the truth.

It was only after seriously considering these problems and weaving them into his planning had Daneel managed to come up with something that felt like it would work.

The first problem had actually been the hardest to overcome, but he had done it in an interesting manner.

Just like the elves whom he had chosen to be killed during that time when he was in the Hidden Kill Sect in order to make Eldinor march on them, he had decided to choose those who deserved it, without any doubt.

Of course, Daneel didn't feel good about it, but if people had to die, then it was much better for scum like that to go instead of those who were innocent.

The problem was that those influential elves had been easy to identify: they had been avoiding the punishments for their crimes for ages, which made them stand out distinctively.

What Daneel needed to find was elves who were equally guilty, but not anywhere as influential.

This was mainly because the outskirts of the festival would mostly contain common people, who would be the ones that appeared to die.

Thankfully, it was a fact that he had a large, large pool to search in.

Almost all elves had chosen to attend this carnival, and it was even one that had been advertised as being for the 'good of their race'.

So, it was easier to find the ones he needed.

With the help of Katerina and Drakos's spells, Daneel had looked for and collected the lists of reports to authorities which involved gruesome crimes but went unsolved due to lack of evidence.

To his surprise, some of the main crimes involved those committed due to the feeling of bigotry.

It seemed that the individualism of elves also had this kind of consequence. In many instances where the personal opinion/belief of an elf was vehemently challenged by someone else, deadly fights ensued, which would usually result in lifelong vendettas.

In these cases, Daneel looked for repeat offenders who had happened to be skilled in magic and were able to remove all traces of the crime.

The other major crime was acts of planned violence against humans.

Some humans who didn't have much for themselves chose to settle down in border villages in Eldinor with no other choice. Yet, here, they would come under the effects of being those who belonged to the minority.

Besides, it seemed that there were always some elves who didn't want to get rid of the feeling that they were superior.

Rapes, murders, and in some cases, even torture were crimes against humans which were reported but not handled that seriously, as there were often those even in the policing force who chose to turn a blind eye. In many cases, the acts were even against human children by elf children who were generally more skilled in magic.

The only consolation was that these acts were in the minority, and mostly only in the villages and towns of Eldinor instead of in the capital. Otherwise, Eldinor would have long been tagged as a place that was hostile to those of other races.

All in all, Daneel had made a list of those who were charged with multiple crimes multiple times but weren't convicted, before making trips to them and using Mind Control to find out whether they were really guilty.

In the process, he had been exposed to some truly horrifying stories which once again made him understand just how cruel one could be.

Darkness really seemed to be something that lurked in all living creatures' hearts, regardless of race or gender.

Finally, those who were revealed to be guilty became the chosen ones who would die, exploding into a bloody mist so that they would let others know what fate awaited them if they did not run from the red veil.

Even in this, he made sure that there was no pattern, by also finding a few criminals who hadn't even been charged using their wit. As for the source from where he found them, it was the whispers he heard in each village or town he went to.

This was the thing that had taken up such a major chunk of his time, but Daneel had fulfilled it to perfection.

The second problem was resolved by using Aran to create a 'training exercise', and the third's solution was to have Drakos modify the formation he was making so that those who wanted to stop it would also be affected by that near-death condition.

As for the fourth, as Daneel hadn't hesitated to take even drastic measures, he was sure that even a Hero from the Big 4 would find nothing.

Also, he had added an additional trick to the solution of the third problem, which was going to come in very handy soon for his endgame in regards to Eldinor.

When he had seen the families of those who died crying, his heart had hurt, as he was the one responsible for their tears. Although the profiles of those who were capable of such horrific acts were such that not many of them had close family members, there were still quite a few exceptions to this rule. However, when he imagined just how many tears those people had caused, he tried to harden his face and turn away, but the memory of the pain of those families still got engraved in his heart. Yet, he couldnt help but think about how many more tears might have been shed if those families had found out the reality of the numerous horrific acts that had been secretly committed by the ones they were mourning. Still, did that make it right for him to kill them like this? Definitely not. This wasn't even the first time he was responsible for making a family cry. Back when he had killed those scum in the Hidden Kill Sect, he had known that their parents must have shed many tears, too. However, for some reason, this felt different...and as he thought about it, he had realized that it was probably because he now had faces to associate that fact with.

He knew that he was no perfect good Samaritan who could get things done magically with no morally ambiguous side-effects like these, but he also knew that that was impossible in the real world. In the real word, things couldn't be so black and white.

This plan needed to work for the future of Angaria, so he had just done his best. He just had to be satisfied with that, while being capable of dealing with his own feelings about himself, which he couldn't even figure out at the moment.

"Y-you! King Daneel! Wh-what happened?"

Finally, as Eldra woke up, Daneel shook his head to get rid of these sordid thoughts and said, "Queen Eldra, I gave you a fair deal and put you on the throne, but you repaid me by doing everything you could to weasel out of your end. By all rights, I should just kill you."

The words shocked her to complete alertness, and as the memories of what she had witnessed popped up into her mind, tears started to flow from her eyes before she screamed, "THEN KILL ME! I DESERVE IT!"

With a sigh, Daneel said, "Watch this, and tell me if your wish remains the same."

With a simple flick of his fingers, Daneel made the clouds below them part, which resulted in the sight of the area of the festival where hundreds of thousands of people were frantically running around while clutching the motionless bodies of their loved ones.

"Wh-what?! They're all not…"

"Dead? No, they're not. What you watched was an illusion. Basically, it's a long story. Even those whom those people are shedding tears for will come back to life soon. But what you saw would definitely have become reality if I hadn't stepped in. That was the true purpose of the formation you activated, after all. Basically, I saved your people. Again. Now, then, you have an important decision to make. You must already know that the oath between us is broken. I understand how abhorrent it is for an elf to pledge themselves to someone using a magical oath. So, I will just ask for your word that you will still heed my or-requests. If so, I will give my blessings to your continued reign as the Queen. However, if not, then you will be made to step down by force. Choose."

The words hit the Queen like thunderbolts, but Daneel had also dispelled the Mind Control spell on her, which allowed her to look back on the real memories, not the fake apparitions that she had seen due to the Mind Control spell, and see that what he was saying was true.

After taking a minute, she got an expression of pain mixed with determination on her face before she looked straight into Daneel's eyes and gave him an answer.

Hearing it, the King of Lanthanor raised his eyebrows, and internally, his impression of this elf also rose along with them.

With this, the rest of his plan was finalized. The stage was set, and all that remained was for the actors to take their places and begin the show.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel went over everything in his mind again, before telling Eldra what she was going to do.

Chapter 502: The Queen Speaks

Back in the field where the festival was supposed to have become one of the proudest moments in the history of the Kingdom of Elves, the anti-teleportation and anti-communication field had been dispelled, which finally allowed those inside to communicate with the outside world.

However, Katerina and the other scholars had initiated a lockdown on information, as they did not want to discount the possibility that the culprit might still be among them. Still, word had gotten to the palace which led to the remaining army of the Kingdom and the ministers who had stayed back to immediately make their way over.

One very disconcerting thing was that the Queen was missing. She had last been seen heading to this area, but after that, communication had completely been cut off and nobody knew where she was.

It was only after asking around was it discovered that the Queen had been seen right around the time when the veil had come into existence. At that moment, many of those in the central areas had been busy trying to rush to safety, so it was only a few on the borders who had been able to spot the Queen.

In the hut that had been expanded to seat the newcomers, Katerina stood at the head of the table while hearing the bickering of those in front of her.

"We should find some way to communicate with the Big 4!"

"Why? They've never cared about us, so I doubt that they would show any interest now!"

"What if all of this was a scheme by our enemies?"

"Yeah, right. As if our enemies could be capable of mustering a formation that baffles even us."

Theories, suspicions and even war threats were being thrown around casually, and Katerina was trying hard not to lose her temper.

At the same time, she received a message through the communication trinket that connected her to the King of Lanthanor.

Bang!

As she banged her fist on the table and cracked it in the process due to her Fighter strength that she was known for, the voices finally stopped, while the 83 elves in the tent turned around to look at her.

Among the newcomers, some had had scorn on their faces after seeing that she had taken the role of the one in charge, but after finding out just how integral she had been in handling the whole situation, they had shut up.

Still, she saw no ardent support in the eyes of these elves, who were, practically, the strongest in the Kingdom, either in the terms of strength or influence, and in many cases, both.

However, that changed when she spoke.

"The King of Lanthanor approaches. As you all know, he left to check the formation in the hope to find some clues about who might be responsible."

"The King of Lanthanor!"

"If it weren't for him, we would all be doomed!"

"But how did he become a Peak Exalted Warrior so quickly?"

"He's the strongest mage on the continent right now! And to think that he's a human!"

"Human or elf, what does it matter? He saved us, and soon, this is going to make waves across Angaria!"

Whispers sprung up, while Katerina observed the absurd amount of respect and admiration that shone in the eyes of everyone around her.

Apparently, it had been pretty strange that no one had been able to contact anyone inside the area of the festival for an extended period of time. Many had just thought that it must be because everyone got too engrossed in magic theory exchange, but they had still had their attention on the area, which resulted in them seeing the apparition of that awe-inducing blazing sun that had broken the veil.

Such a level of complexity and power…was something that fascinated and captivated all elves, regardless of age or position, because of their inherent love for magic.

So, those emotions were seen even in the newcomers, as after finding out that the one responsible for the sun had been the King of Lanthanor, they had only been able to give grudging, yet genuine praises.

And after hearing about and seeing the many soldiers who had lost their lives while defending the Eldinorians, that respect had gone to a whole other level.

At this moment, while Katerina waited for King Daneel to arrive, she couldn't help but get a small suspicion in her mind.

That man had already known about the blood-purifying formation before. Yet, he had told her that he had no idea about exactly when it would activate, before promising that he would arrive to help save them.

Could it be possible…that he had planned all this in order to elicit such emotions from all the high-ranking elves in the Kingdom?

After all, it was the perfect opportunity, as most of them had gathered for the festival.

But…no. Surely, no one could be capable of something like that, right?

For once, even her gut failed her, so she just put the matter aside.

"Eldinorians."

A calm, graceful voice suddenly appeared from beside her, and as she turned to her side, she realized that the man she had been thinking about was already here.

How the hell had he…

Oh, yes. He was a damn Peak Exalted Warrior! Surely, bypassing their security and appearing without alerting her must be a piece of cake.

"King of Lanthanor!"

"We cannot thank you enough!"

"I apologize personally for looking down on your Kingdom!"

"Eldinor will never forget the debt we owe to you! You are a true friend of the elves!"

As phrases like these showered down on him, the King of Lanthanor actually hardened his face and raised his hand to stop all of them, instead of basking in the praise.

"Come with me," he said, in an iron tone that brooked no argument.

Without even waiting to see whether they were following, the King of Lanthanor turned around and walked out of the tent.

"King Daneel!"

"There's King Daneel! Our savior!"

"King Daneel Thank you so much for saving us!"

Without responding, the King continued walking in a specific direction with a stoic expression on his face.

All those in front of him parted due to an invisible force, but as they saw who it was, no one complained.

Instead, a large group started to gather, which followed him to see where he was going.

The cheers and praises continued, but again, he didn't pay them any heed.

After a few seconds, the crowd behind him had swelled to encompass most of those who had stayed in the central area because they hadn't lost anyone.

After the veil had been broken, all of those who had had to leave behind their loved ones had immediately rushed out, leaving behind these people.

Now, the crowd, with King Daneel at the head, was passing through the area where motionless bodies were being clutched by grieving families who couldn't stop crying.

Children, wives, and husbands kept staring at the peaceful expressions on the faces of those they loved. They couldn't believe that they were dead, but they had no choice but to accept it.

By now, even though it was a large area, all of those who had seen their family members collapse due to the veil had already gone back and gotten reunited with the lifeless bodies that had been left behind.

As for those who couldn't even find that, their cries were the loudest, as they understood that it meant that their husband, wife or children were no more.

On seeing the crowd and the man who was leading them, even these grieving families chose to follow, as that moment when he had saved them all really had become engraved into their minds.

Besides, on Daneel's request, Katerina had also deployed those display trinkets again, which meant that the rest of the people also started to watch and wonder where the King was taking them.

Finally, he came upon an area where a long row of human bodies could be seen.

Their hands had been laid on their chests, and although they looked like they were sleeping, those watching knew that these were the ones who had given up their lives to save them.

However, something was wrong.

Why…did the mages who were alive look so…defeated?

It would have made sense if they were looking at their fallen comrades and lamenting their deaths. Yet, that was definitely not the reason.

The Mages of Lanthanor were either sitting on the ground or standing haphazardly while looking out into empty space.

Repeatedly, they ran their fingers over their foreheads, as if looking for something they had lost.

Even the arrival of such a large crowd did not affect many of them. Only a few glanced in their direction to see that their King had arrived, which made them slowly stand to attention.

Finally, it was only when the Grand Court Mage and the Mage Commander called out an order did they respond and turn around before assembling into ranks.

Still, they walked as if they had heavy loads on their backs, and anyone watching could tell that all the glory and honor they had seen before was gone.

What was wrong? What could be worse than losing so many of their brothers-in-arms that they looked so devastated?

The two senior Mages had grave looks on their faces. They had been seen fighting alongside the soldiers while leading two individual teams on their own, and although they didn't look as desolate as the soldiers, one could tell that they were mourning something. In fact, the red-haired woman even looked angry.

As the King left the crowd to stand in front of his soldiers, the elves finally stopped but continued to stare, eager to find out the just why everyone from Lanthanor looked like they had lost much more than just those soldiers.

Taking a deep breath, the King spoke, after looking deeply into the eyes of each and every soldier in front of him.

"Brave soldiers of Lanthanor, I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done. Look around you. All of these people…all of them- are alive because of your sacrifice. I-"

"SO WHAT?! ALL OF THESE SOLDIERS HAVE LOST THEIR MAGEROOTS BECAUSE THEY PUSHED THEMSELVES TOO MUCH WHILE TRYING TO STOP THAT DAMN THING! THEY CAN NO LONGER BE WHAT DEFINED THEM FOR SO LONG! THEY ARE EMPTY SHELLS OF THOSE WHO MARCHED FOR YOU, KING! YOU-"

"Cassandra, stop."

Wh-what?!

As shocked silence appeared among those who had been saved, they finally realized the reason behind the crazy grief they were witnessing.

All of these glorious and honorable mages…had had their mageroots burned out because of overexertion.

They had pushed themselves too far, for too long.

All…for what?

For them.

But…wasn't this the main Mage army of Lanthanor?

Didn't that mean that…

"My King, we must depart. Already, word that Lanthanor is no longer in possession of our iconic Mage Construct regiments is spreading. Axelor will be the first to mount an attack. We must…make preparations."

These words from the Grand Court Mage, who had stopped Cassandra in her tirade before, confirmed everything.

It seemed that he didn't even bother to make it secret, as everyone could derive this simple conclusion.

It wasn't just that a few mages had died for the Kingdom of Lanthanor. No…almost their entire Mage army was, more or less, 'dead', which meant…that the Kingdom itself was doomed.

"I know. Even if I can bring all of those who are lying motionless back to life, I cannot reverse this. Lanthanor…must brace itself for a storm that it mostly cannot survive from."

Wait…what?

Y-you can resurrect all of those who we thought to be dead?

Why didn't you lead with that?!

This question popped up in many minds, but after thinking a bit, it did make sense that the worry about his Kingdom being destroyed probably trumped everything else.

The man who had done so much for them…was mostly going to have to see his Kingdom destroyed and annexed, all because he had chosen to save them.

He could have simply ignored it all and even waited to storm a defenseless Kingdom to raid their treasures after they were all dead, and many elves could tell that many rulers would have chosen to do just that.

But not him.

No, he had made the choice to stand with them, and for that, he was going to lose everything.

Ever since they had seen him, the one thing they could think of that defined him were those broad shoulders and that straight back which spoke volumes about the confidence that the King of Lanthanor had in himself.

However, at this moment, his shoulders were slumped, and his back was bent. More than his grim expression, it was these two little details that got stuck in the minds of those watching most, making them feel waves of emotions that they couldn't make sense of.

"No!"

Katerina had her mouth open, as it was her cue to speak. When they had spoken, Daneel had told her that there might come a time for her to speak about how she felt.

However, before a sound appeared out of her mouth, someone else said this word that was echoing in the minds of the hundreds of thousands who were watching.

The source was from above, and as they looked up, they saw someone descending from the sky.

It was…the Queen of Eldinor.

Even before anyone could react, she alighted in front of the King of Lanthanor and actually…knelt.

Yes, an elf, and that too, an esteemed Queen, had bent the knee to a human, which was definitely something that hadn't happened in written history.

This was just too many surprises from one day.

Reeling from shock, the elves of Eldinor heard the Queen speak, and as they comprehended her words, a blazing emotion of shame, which was followed by overwhelming support engulfed them, making most of them cheer with all of their hearts.

"We, the people of Eldinor, have accrued a debt with Lanthanor that cannot even be fulfilled by giving up our lives. We proud elves have never been known to default on any of our debts. We always pay what we owe. And now, when you are in need, if we do not step forward, then we would only be worthy of calling ourselves the most despicable and shameless race in history. King Daneel, I kneel to you to show my willingness to follow you. In this way, I can at least rest assured that I am paying off my debt in some way. I propose an alliance between Eldinor and Lanthanor, with you being the main leader of our combined forces. Even if you hadn't been capable of miraculously resurrecting all those for whom tears have already been shed, you have already proven yourself worthy of this. I do not know if my people will follow, but I, for one, choose this path, as I do not want to die and be cursed at by my ancestors for bringing disgrace to my race. I, Eldra, Queen of Eldinor, swear to follow till the Endless Sea lays claim to my soul. Who's with me?!"

When she spoke the last sentence, she looked up straight into the eyes of the King, and at that moment, even though she was kneeling, Eldra looked more prideful and dazzling than any elf that had been seen by anyone present.

Her words were enough to give birth to the seed of this idea in most of the minds of the watching elves, and as they thought about it, they felt that it was how it should be.

The Lanthanorians had already elevated their status to the heavens through their gesture. Now, it was the opportunity for the Eldinorians to do the same.

Happiness and anticipation that most of them were going to see their loved ones walk and talk again mixed with the satisfaction and relief that came from knowing that they had a chance to pay back what they owed, which resulted in such jubilant screams that they echoed for many miles around.

Even though it didn't become official right away, the thunderous cheering was enough to signify just how much support there would be for this decision when the time came to stamp it into reality.

And so, while King Daneel suppressed the urge to break out into a broad smile, the First Alliance of the Present Age was born.

Chapter 503: Purge

In the Kingdom of Axelor, a certain section of the capital city was roped off, while a barrier prevented those inside from going out.

Those from the outside could still enter it if they pleased, but no one was ready to do so.

However, there was one old man who was looking around and searching for something within the barrier.

The roped off section was a small area, but as it was a low-income section of the capital city, a lot of people lived inside it.

Hence, even though only 4 4-storeyed apartments were the ones that were inside the barrier, there were at least 500 people inside who had just been informed something horrific.

This area…had been chosen to be purged because evidence was found that it was inhabited by heretics.

In the morning, everything had been normal. The old man had woken up, and seeing that his wife was peacefully sleeping, he had planned to go to the market to buy her her favorite buns in order to surprise her. Even though 40 years had passed since their marriage, he loved surprising her occasionally, as the smile that came on her face each time she saw how much he loved her even after so many years was just too beautiful to forget.

They had been simple farmers, but their sons had joined the army. Being in the army was the most respected profession in the entire Kingdom, and as such, the perks were also outstanding.

The monthly pay, itself, was quite high, which led to their sons insisting that their parents should move into the capital where it would be easier for them to live. After all, living by themselves, they had to take care of everything by their own effort, which wasn't very preferable due to their old age.

Here, they had been assigned maids to help them in their day-to-day lives, and whenever their sons got some free time, they would visit and feel happy that they were doing something for their parents.

However, it seemed that fate…had different plans for them.

By the time the old man came back, the barrier was up, and although he had started to hope that it was nothing too serious, the whispers of those watching had been enough to confirm it.

Heretics.

Those crazy bastards who chose to speak ill and distribute misinformation about their glorious Kingdom and divine ruler.

Every time a heretic was found, the general area where they lived would be purged to warn those who might consider going the same route, and also to make sure that the ideas of those heretics wouldn't spread.

The old man had always been a devout believer in King and Kingdom. Yet, right now, as he stared at all the people who were hammering on the barrier and pleading that they had done nothing wrong, he wondered whether those heretics were right when they said that their Kingdom was just a brainwashed place with one of the cruelest Kings in the entire continent.

After all, why else would innocent people be chosen to be killed just to stop a few ideas from being shared?

He even knew who the heretic was. It was a young man who was in possession of a strange device from which voices appeared, and he had even talked to the man and seen that he was quite rational.

Yet, it was his fault that his wife was going to be killed.

Even though he had seen in the newspapers that the number of purges had been increasing steadily in the past few months, he had never thought that he would be affected by them.

Obviously, he had been very, very wrong.

"Ready the spells!"

The eeriest thing about this whole situation was that those inside the barrier were muted so that no one could hear their begging and crying voices, but the same spell seemed to have been cast on those outside, too, as none of them dared to speak a word and stand up to the army.

Instead, they just stood witness, while whispering amongst themselves about how 'sad' this was.

The old man just continued to search with his eyes, while hobbling toward the barrier slowly.

Finally, he found her: she was standing at a specific empty spot on the other side of the barrier, and she, too, was searching for someone.

The moment he lay his eyes on her, she seemed to sense him, too, as she turned toward him and smiled.

There were no regrets on her face. At this moment, she was just happy…that she had been able to see her husband again.

Bam!

Just as the old man was about to run in the direction of his wife, a loud sound made him turn around and look at the spot where the 4 mages from the army were situated.

A body had just been slammed onto the barrier right in front of the lead soldier, and it was that of that kid who had had that device.

Clearly, he had been ratted out by someone else.

He had already been stamped on and beaten to death, but even though the people kept gesturing at him and saying that only he was responsible, the soldier didn't listen.

He raised his hand, which made a whooshing sound appear from the top of the large rectangular barrier that had been erected.

Wind blades. Visible, revolving, shining wind blades, which looked like they were ready to descend and turn all those inside into slices of flesh and blood.

The panic in those inside the barrier increased, making them take out their anger more on the young man who was already dead.

The woman was one of the few who was unperturbed. What a purge meant was clear to all Axelorians, so she had no disillusions that she might be saved.

She only kept her eyes on her husband, taking in his visage one last time before her journey to the heavens, where she would await him.

As she saw him reach the barrier, she suddenly realized something and was going to speak, but she could only watch as he entered without any hesitation and held her hand.

Tears streaming down her face, she squeezed his hand tight and said, "You should have stayed outside. Our sons-"

"Are old enough to live even if they don't have us. Did you really think I would let you leave alone?"

"Begin!"

At the same moment, this word was shouted by the soldier at the head of the 4-person team, and as his hand swiftly cut down in the air, the air blades started to descend.

Not bothering to look up even now, the woman just hugged her husband, who kissed her forehead and returned the hug.

He felt complete now, and he didn't really care anymore.

Yet, he did feel sorry for all the other people who were being killed indiscriminately.

Would this never stop? Would innocent people continue to be sacrificed just because of the insecurity of their ruler?

He didn't know the answer, but he did wish silently that someone could change the fate of all those who had been unlucky enough to be born here.

In life, they were isolated and controlled, while being brainwashed completely that the King was the Supreme Divine Ruler who needed to be worshipped as their god.

Only in death did it look like they would have an escape.

Screams started to be heard all around the man, but he ignored them and continued hugging his wife.

However, the blade above him paused, unlike the rest which went ahead and did their job.

Seeing this, he turned toward the 4 soldiers whose faces were covered by masks, as they were part of a special team in charge of purging.

As he focused his aged eyes, he finally saw that one of them, a tall man, was shaking, while his head was turned toward him.

As their eyes met, the old man recognized who it was, and it was at that moment that real sadness appeared in his heart.

He hadn't been sad about dying, but being killed by his own eldest son?

Now that…was something that he couldn't put into words.

For the first time, the old man cursed at the man who was behind all this.

"I damn you to the most painful death possible, King of Axelor!", he screamed inwardly, and as he looked up to the sky, he could almost swear that he saw a few people standing there.

Already, the other 3 soldiers were getting ready to take over the spell and continue.

Ignoring whatever he thought he saw in the sky, the old man chose to help his son one last time.

"My love, don't open your eyes. Just trust me. Move with me," he said, before leading them both away from where they were standing.

Seeing this, that soldier collapsed, but he watched on and branded the image into his mind when his parents walked into an area where the wind blades were revolving at the height of one's waist.

Just before he stepped into it, the old man waved at his son as if to say goodbye, and this, more than anything, broke that soldier's mind and heart into countless unsalvageable pieces.

The old man continued hugging his wife even after they entered that field of spinning blades, and as their upper bodies separated, they continued hugging each other, ignoring the pain and focusing on the warm feeling that came from being in a loved one's embrace. Even while the life slipped away from their bodies, the smile remained on the face of the old woman, as she did not need to embark on this last journey alone. It was only the old man who had an expression of grief and frustration before his death, but even that relaxed into one of peace in the last moments before he slipped away because he could tell what his wife was feeling, and he felt the same.

The soldier saw this sight, and fainted.

As this extremely disturbing scene came to an end in this way, if one were present in the sky above the area, they would hear a rambunctious laugh echoing all around from a man who was sitting in a chair and watching everything.

Right now, he was clapping his hands and moving back and forth as if he had seen some great scene in his favorite television programme, while the man who was standing beside him was looking at him with a veiled expression of disgust and fury on his face.

"Did you see the looks on their faces? That soldier thought he could stop it! And that old man, hugging his wife even after there was only half of him left…priceless! Placing his son on duty during this purge was a masterstroke on my part, I tell you!"

While laughing, the man in the chair said sentences like these, praising those below as if they were 'actors' instead of real people who were dying for his entertainment.

Finally, unable to control himself anymore, the standing man spoke in a frustrated tone.

"My King, weren't you the one who…"

"Yes, I was the one who let that communication trinket that is connected to the Network reach that guy's hands. I can't call for a purge with 0 proof, can I? He had the chance to turn it in, but he didn't! I should thank him, though. If he had turned it in, I wouldn't have had such a good show!"

As his laughter resumed, the standing man's fists closed and began to shake, but he said nothing.

Ever since that incident when they had been defeated and had had to call their troops back after canceling the attack on the Hidden Kill Sect, the King had…changed.

For one thing, he had relapsed to become a Peak Exalted Human again, because of the timing of the news from the Hidden Kill Sect that had caused his return to his power as a Warrior to reverse.

Since then, the King seemed like he had become infected with some sickness, as he spent most of his time planning stuff like this and relishing in the 'performances'.

"Oh, Minister. I know you think I'm crazy, but everything has a purpose. This is just preparation for my Champion path. Even if I explained, you wouldn't understand. Now then,…"

The King was about to continue, but suddenly, a message reached them both, making them stare at each other with shock.

The King was the first to react.

"Get the troops ready! We march on Lanthanor as soon as possible!"

Yes!

No mages meant…that there would practically be no defensive magic to worry about!

Yet, the piece of news that reached them next made them pause again, before their jaws dropped together, unable to believe that what they were hearing was true.

The Kingdom of the Elves…had allied with Lanthanor, and were bolstering the Kingdom with their mages?

What the f*ck?!

However, once again, the King was the first to recover.

"This is still a golden opportunity! Contact the other Kingdoms and the Big 4! We should quickly start the plan to destroy them! No alliance can stand on Angaria!"

Nodding, the Minister disappeared and began to do so, while the King returned to the throne room.

He waited with bated breath, while trying to not let excitement take over his mind.

Was this finally it? Was it finally time for him to take his sweet revenge on that bast*rd King?

His face was filled with a hopeful expression, but one hour later, when he re-heard the replies that he had just gotten from the other Kingdoms, fury ate up that hope while he began to spit curses without abandon.

The Hidden Kill Sect and the Black Raven Kingdom had sent the reply that although two Kingdoms had entered an alliance, their overall strength was still that of only a single Kingdom, as Lanthanor had lost its Mage Corps that it was most famous for.

So, the two rulers had said that there was no need to hastily form plans that would only result in useless loss of life, as that alliance had no power to take over anyone else, anyway.

He had actually expected this from these two, as they were both connected in one way or the other with that bastard King.

His main hope had been the Sect of Hedon and the Kingdom of Arafell, so when they sent the same reply, although he knew that they were right, he just couldn't accept it.

Somehow, the first alliance that was going to stand had been made, and it had been done in such a manner that for the first time in the history of Angaria, it was going to be unchallenged.

The more he thought about it, the more did one sentence start to revolve over and over again in his head, until he finally shouted it out, startling the minister in front of him.

"SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE F*CK?!"

Chapter 504: Resurrection

Maylana would never be able to forget this day in her life.

After the veil had been broken against all odds, she had finally told the little kid the truth.

Her wailing had been one of the loudest in the entire area, and Maylana had had to resist the urge to cry, too.

She even felt partly responsible. Maybe, if she wasn't there…her bad luck might not have rubbed onto this little elf who looked so adorable even when she was crying her heart out.

Maylana tried and tried to help her calm down, but she knew just how it felt to lose parents at an age when a child could understand what it meant. She had gone through the same thing, but she still didn't know what to say to console the little elf.

There really was nothing that could be said at this moment to ease her suffering.

It was only after the little elf saw the stoic face of the King of Lanthanor, their savior, did she pause her crying and stand up from the side of the bodies of her parents.

Till then, she had been holding one hand each from her mother and father while crying on them.

Seeing this change, Maylana had felt happy, and she chose to follow the King after succeeding in dragging the little elf away from the macabre scene of the two most important people in her life lying motionless.

Would she have done the same if she had known that the Queen would be appearing there?

Probably not.

When the revelation that the soldiers of Lanthanor had lost their mageroots dawned on her, she, along with almost everyone near her, had felt emotions of such sadness and guilt that they threatened to eat her up.

When the Queen appeared, though, Maylana closed her fist and resisted the urge to cry again.

She had to be strong for the little elf.

Yet, when she saw the proud and arrogant Queen kneel, she was more shocked than anyone else.

She was the one in the Kingdom who understood the Queen most. So, she knew exactly what her kneeling meant.

It signified…that a major change had come upon her.

As the Queen spoke in a tone that commanded the hearts of all of those who had been saved, Maylana couldn't believe it, but she, too, started cheering in the end.

Yes! This was how an elf was supposed to be.

Never hesitating to pay off a debt, never thinking twice before helping someone who had done so much for them.

It was only after she saw the little elf's shining eyes did she remember that the glorious King, who had already caused so many miracles, was going to bring all the dead elves and humans back to life!

Was that even possible? Was he a god?

Such questions ran through the minds of all those present, but when the King started the process of 'resurrection', they understood the truth.

All of these people had been placed in a near-death state, almost as if they had been frozen solid.

All it required was a simple spell to kickstart them to life.

Yet, that spell was so blindingly complex that many Human level mages actually had to switch off their elementary vision as they became subject to splitting headaches.

He walked from grieving family to family, touching the foreheads of those affected and making them wake up, like a Deity that had descended to give back life to those from whom it had been unjustly taken.

Each and every family cried and thanked him profusely, yet he only gave them a small smile and told them that it was his duty, and that he was thankful for their support in supporting the step the Queen had proposed. After all, it would save his Kingdom, and the people he valued so much.

As the Eldinorians heard this, they once again felt happy that they had gotten this chance, as they started to truly believe that just as the Queen had said, he was worthy of being someone to rule them. Just the love he showed for his Kingdom was enough to indicate how well he would take care of them, too.

With each resurrection, positive thoughts and support like this got reinforced more and more into the minds of thousands of Eldinorians.

Before, some could at least doubt that the resolution to ally with Lanthanor would gain the approval of the Court, and the people with ease.

However, after seeing this, that doubt started to vanish, and soon, it became a foregone conclusion that it was definitely going to happen.

Maylana watched this, and realized just how much this incident had changed the elves.

Before, their individualism and ego would never have allowed them to think in this way about a 'mere' human.

Yet, the shock of almost dying, the grief of losing someone they loved and the relief of having that someone brought back were all life-changing events that served to change the general mindset itself.

Even though all elves weren't subject to the latter two events, they could definitely see and understand how it must be when they gazed at the many families, and in turn, they were affected by those emotions too.

All in all, Maylana could tell that the race of the elves of Eldinor had been changed forever.

All, because of one man.

As the sun started to set, that man finally reached them.

He patted the little elf's head and whispered words of comfort to her, which made her smile cutely and hug his head.

This wasn't the first time that the norms of 'societal interactions' had been broken. He hugged back, before touching the foreheads of both of her parents behind her back.

When the little elf stepped back with a shy expression on her face, to her surprise, she bumped into someone's legs.

Turning around, she first froze for a second, before squealing in joy and running into her parents' embrace.

Maylana, herself, smiled on seeing this, and so did the King before moving on.

By the end of the day, only a small portion of those who needed to be resurrected had been visited, so the rest were told to wait for the assistance of soldiers who would transport those bodies to the Palace, where this activity would continue.

Daneel was exhausted, but he was happy that his plan was working.

This one-to-one interaction with so many people had been set up for the exact purpose of solidifying the idea of allying with him and coming under his rule.

This had been his second objective behind the modifications to the formation.

As he now had a moment of respite, he was about to rest to recharge his Mageroot, but he found Katerina and Eldra walking toward him side-by-side.

They seemed to be arguing, but Eldra was having none of it.

As they neared, Daneel heard what Katerina was saying.

"But that's not how it's supposed to be! You can't just give your post to me! Elections need to be conducted!"

"I've decided, Katerina. In times of war, there is a clause that states that this is possible. This is such a time. I have decided to step down, as I believe that I am not worthy of the post. Besides, I want to concentrate on my training, too. Just come to the Court. You'll find out. King Daneel, I've called for an emergency Court, like we discussed. Shall we go?"

Toward the end, the two reached him, so Eldra addressed him while speaking.

Hearing this, Daneel took a deep step.

Indeed, this was the decision she had taken before when he had asked her in the sky.

Nodding, he said, "Let's."

A few minutes later, he was standing in the Royal Court of Eldinor for the second time, but, of course, no one could know that.

That was because the first time, he had sneaked in here without anyone's knowledge.

The Court was full right now, with many aged elves who had extremely serious expressions on their faces.

A few even seemed furious, but they were hiding it well.

Daneel was standing in front of the throne, and the strange thing was that the throne was empty.

The Queen was standing beside him, and she had just begun to speak.

"In many ways, I am partially responsible for this extremely horrendous act. I've already explained to you about the culprit, and about how that glorious act of King Daneel's when he broke apart the veil caused a backlash which made the Empire Spirit burn up and die. I was being Mind Controlled, but that is no excuse. For this reason, I have chosen to step down and give my post to Katerina, the one who saved the day when there was no one else to take charge. I hope and pray that I can still stay on and advise the Queen about certain schemes that I've put into effect, as I've gained a rather clear understanding of our Kingdom during my time as the Queen. However, if that is not preferable, then I have no problem in leaving the Palace altogether."

Hearing the determination in the Queen's voice, many shook their heads and some even looked like they were ready to curse.

The main reason for the latter, though, was what she addressed next.

"As for the resolution to ally with Lanthanor, I propose an urgent national vote tomorrow. This matter cannot be delayed. Let this be my last official act as Queen."

In Eldinor, important decisions needed National votes in order to be passed.

This was put in place so that rulers wouldn't lead the Kingdom to ruin by doing whatever they wanted.

The Queen had the authority to call the vote, so everyone knew that it was up to the people.

Hence, they stayed silent, but while he observed the haughty expressions which were mainly on the elves who hadn't been in the festival, he knew that there would be pushback.

However, he trusted Katerina to handle that.

More than anything, right now, he was waiting for the alliance to go official, which was when he guessed he would receive more EXP.

As for Axelor's attempts at building a counter-alliance to attack Lanthanor and Eldinor, he had laughed before directing Luther and Faxul about what they should do.

Yet, he had been pretty surprised on hearing the Arafell's decision.

The Sect of Hedon's decision could be understood, as the High Council was low on Heroes and they had other priorities.

Still, of course, it had turned out in the best way for him, which was how he had been hoping everything would pan out in the first place.

If Lanthanor was still at full strength, maybe Arafell would have felt differently, which would definitely be a problem. Also, the other two Kingdoms would also not have such a solid excuse.

All in all, this episode had come to an end, with the only thing remaining being the official ceremony when the alliance would form.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel waited till the Court was adjourned after it was decided that the vote would be held at noon.

After this was done, he made his way to a makeshift barracks that had been constructed near the border of Lanthanor.

As the mages of Lanthanor who had had their mageroots destroyed couldn't teleport anymore, they had to take the long way back.

Many mages from Eldinor had offered to teleport them back, but as one, they had rejected, as if the trek of hundreds of kilometers back to the capital was some sort of pilgrimage that they had decided to take part in.

It was around 11 PM, but when Daneel reached the barracks, he saw that no one was sleeping.

No…they were all drinking.

Crates and crates of cheap beer were placed beside the door of the large open warehouse-style room, and the hundreds of mages were all either standing or lying on the ground while continuously gulping down the unpleasant drink.

Boom!

Sighing, Daneel made a loud sound which brought them to attention and made them aware that their King was here.

Hastily, all of the soldiers dropped the bottles and got into ranks, but some stood facing away from the King, as they were too drunk to tell which direction was which.

Daneel waited for a few moments while Cassandra and Kellor made their way here. As able mages, they had taken part in the operation to transport the thousands of bodies which needed to be resurrected to the palace.

However, now, when they arrived and saw the haphazard ranks where some soldiers had even started to puke on those in front of them, they sighed with sadness.

"Are these the brave soldiers of Lanthanor who made history by saving over a million innocent souls today?"

Daneel's voice reverberated through the room, but the only response he got was a few hiccups.

Shrugging his shoulders, he turned around and said, "Oh, well. Here I had wanted to tell you that there might be a way to become mages again, and even increase your comprehension level in the process. I guess you're all too defeated to want that. You'll be receiving hefty pensions anyway, so have great lives."

"…"

Silence.

Pin-drop silence appeared in the room, before frantic shouts started to emanate from the soldiers.

"No, My King! I'll do anything!"

"Me too!"

"Even death can't stop me! Please, My King!"

Well, there was nothing like hurting the ego of a soldier to rile them up.

Smiling, Daneel turned around and spoke in a dead serious voice.

Seeing him do so, the soldiers quieted down, but the content of his statement left them speechless, making them wonder whether they were dreaming.

However, that was followed by a brilliant shine which couldn't be hidden even in the darkness of the night.

"I like the enthusiasm. But this will be a walk through hell. Gentlemen and ladies, I guarantee you that if you pass, you will become some of the strongest mages on this continent. But there is one caveat. To the outside, you will still look like mageroot-less veterans. You will have to be fine with hiding your strength, as I want to mold you into a knife in the dark that will dazzle everyone when it is revealed to cut the throat of the Chu-, I mean, our enemies. You have been warned."

.....

It's simple: write a spin-off story about WDS!

Either choose your favorite character and write something about their exploits, or choose an event in the book that has happened so far, that you wish happened in a different way.

In essence, just write a story based on WDS. Judging will be based on a voting system!

Mail in your stories to: worlddominationsystem@gmail.com

Prizes: 1st Place - 500 SS!

2 Runnerups- 200 SS Each!

3 Consolation Prizes - 100 SS Each!

Get writing!

(Note: this doesn't cost SS)

Chapter 505: A Visi

Meanwhile, at a specific spot in the area where the event which would be later known as the 'Spark that lit the fire of the Alliance' had taken place.

A man with a short, immaculately trimmed beard wearing court robes that looked a few centuries old was bent over a piece of land while staring at it with complete seriousness.

Beside him stood a beautiful woman with long, brown hair that cascaded down to the small of her back.

She had a stoic expression on her face while watching a man walking around and 'resurrecting' people.

As for the old man, he looked like he was pondering about something.

Whenever someone walked in the direction they were standing, they would find themselves being unconsciously led elsewhere so that they would sidestep the exact spot of that piece of land.

Finally, shrugging his shoulders, the old man clenched his fist, which made two items jump out of the land in front of him, which had become a hole in an instant.

They were a rather dull but large Ker Root, and a round dinner-plate sized metal piece.

Taking the metal piece into his hands, the old man closed his eyes and began to analyze it, but after a few seconds, a vein started to throb on his forehead before he had to stop, forcefully.

Shaking his head, he stood up and said, "A Hero-level formation trinket. There is no Hero alive on this continent who is this capable in formations."

Hearing this, the woman raised her eyebrows with a start.

"Then…"

"Yes, the Empire Spirits are growing restlessly active again. The last time they did, we were almost wiped out. But this time…the threat is so much larger. First, let us leave this place. I do not want to risk the Church mounting an attack that would level this whole place along with us. Heh, I thought that kid King was doing something special, but he's just using a simple Warrior level wakeup spell. I do wonder how he got to the Peak Exalted Warrior level, though. Later on, maybe I'll have a talk with him, but for now, he's not the priority. We have bigger things on our plate."

Nodding, the woman flew up, while the man followed.

They stopped in a specific spot in the air, and although it looked no different than the vast sky around them, expressions of relief came on their faces as soon as they crossed some sort of invisible line.

"Ok, we're safe now. I ascertained that the goal of that formation was to make the bodies inside undergo some sort of process. We've examined the dead bodies, so we know that the objective was to 'purify' the blood. That should be the biggest clue that it is the Empire Spirit. Now that that's sorted, let's call in our main witness."

Saying so, the man flicked his fingers, following which Queen Eldra, or at least, the former Queen of Eldinor, suddenly found herself yanked from where she stood.

She had never even known that such a spell was possible. How was someone forcing her to teleport without even being there?!

Knowing that this might be what she was warned about, she steadied her heart and prepared to tell the story that she had discussed with King Daneel.

The old man saw her expression which didn't contain all that much surprise, which made him furrow his eyebrows and ask, "You look like you were expecting this. Do you know who we are?"

"Yes. When I was Mind Controlled by the Empire Spirit, Dinora, I was still aware of many of her thoughts as she liked voicing them out loud for me to hear. She called you…the 'monkeys' who are currently inhabiting the continent and will be wiped off first as soon as she regained her body."

Hiss!

Taking in a fast, deep breath, the old man looked at the Elf Queen with shock.

So this was that damn Empire Spirit's goal!

Resurrection using blood essence!

He had only been able to figure out the purpose of the formation, but he had no idea about what the other steps should be.

So, this thoroughly shocked both him and the woman standing beside him.

"Where is she now? What happened?"

The woman asked the Elf Queen this hurriedly, which, for some reason, made Eldra feel as though that voice sounded so pleasant to hear.

Shaking her head to get rid of that feeling, she said, "I don't know. I heard screams inside my head as soon as the veil broke…I mean, when the formation shattered by the heroic actions of King Daneel. I think…it might have been some backlash due to that."

This made the two look at each other, before the old man shrugged and said, "I can't gather much from the formation trinket, but I think that's possible as it looks like it needs an active connection with a consciousness in order to function. The result of the formation being forcefully stopped could result in a recoiling force that would definitely be deadly to an Empire Spirit. Oh, how the high and mighty have fallen."

As the old man said the last word, he was smiling wide.

Empire Spirits were practically the bane left behind by the Empire of Angaria that kept giving the Big 4 problems which they couldn't even handle appropriately with the power level they had right now. That incident where the Withering Leaf Sect had been wiped out because of the Black Raven Empire Spirit was just one of the many instances where the Big 4 had had their ass handed to them by the spirits.

They couldn't even do anything to stop them. It was impossible to move them, and 24/7 surveillance to stop people from accessing them wasn't feasible as one couldn't discount the possibility of even that surveillance being influenced for power.

Also, there was that damn statement left behind by the Emperor about Empire Spirits and about how they should take no actions that will limit the access of them by those who were worthy. It was said that that would be what would definitely lead to the true end of the Continent, so there were quite a few Heroes who believed in it and wanted to do nothing proactive. Instead, they wanted to 'hope'.

"So should we begin searching for those parts of the Grand Inheritance?", asked the woman, which made the old man frown and stop his ruminations.

"No, leave it be. When and if it is needed, it can be found easily. Until then, it is best not to waste our resources. Queen, you can leave. Just don't tell anyone about this conversation, or I would have to do something very…unpleasant to your mind. Got it?"

"B-but…"

The woman behind the old man tried to interrupt him, but he only raised a hand to stop her before addressing the Queen again.

"Got it?"

As soon as the Queen nodded, she was teleported back to where she had been.

"But the Ker Roots!"

The woman exclaimed this as soon as they were empty, which made the man stand up from the chair he had made for himself before.

"You think I don't know? We're scrounging for each and every Ker Root, and here we have a huge mine of them! But it's risky; I'm not aware what kind of formations might be left behind even if the Spirit is gone. Deploy a few Champions to begin a thorough search of each inch of the space below their Palace."

"Then why did you…"

Raising a hand to stop her again, the old man folded his hands behind his back and looked out over Angaria for a few seconds before speaking.

"Recently…I've begun to detect a force that is moving behind the shadows. There are too many coincidental things that don't make sense. For example, someone caused that false report about the Mad Doctor and the Echer seeds to be sent to Ashahell. I found no exact clues, but it was definitely not a simple clerical error. And I don't even believe that Ashahell was the one who killed the Mad Doctor's son and the other Sect Members. I know the kid. He wouldn't do something like that, even if it meant he could get away with it. Still, I went ahead and imprisoned him because I also know that he's capable of allying with the Church."

After pondering for a bit, the woman asked, "Could it be that the continent is…"

"No, this is not the continent. At least, I feel that that is not the case. I feel there is…someone or something behind the scenes, pulling the strings and manipulating us all with hidden motives. I just hope I'm wrong. Still, to be safe, in case that someone is capable of getting to the Queen, I told her that we're dropping the matter. It is best to keep our moves hidden from as many people as possible, and it wouldn't hurt to leave behind false information here and there to see if anyone falls for it. Let's go. We shouldn't leave our posts for too long."

After the man said this and left, an expression of disbelief appeared on the woman's face, before she teleported away, too.

For a few seconds, the sky returned to normalcy, with just a few birds here and there making a few sounds.

However, after that, a different man appeared here.

He was wearing maroon robes with a Dragon on each shoulder that looked like it was sitting there, and he had a small smile on his face.

Indeed, it was the King of Lanthanor.

"Young King, it was inevitable that you would leave behind some clues, but it looks like you are safe. What would you like to do next? I believe that your objectives in this Kingdom have been more or less fulfilled?"

Daneel looked down in consternation for a few seconds before replying. He did notice the palpable excitement in the Ancient Dragon's tone, so he knew that it was once again having fun by tagging along.

He had known that the Big 4 would arrive, and everything they had seen was what he had wanted them to see.

However, it seemed that a few other actions of his hadn't escaped their notice.

Still, as Drakos said, he was safe right now.

As for those Champions who would be searching through the area below the Palace of Eldinor, they would find nothing, as he had just transported the Energy Generator to a safe place below Lanthanor.

Finally, after thinking for a bit, he answered.

"To be honest, I didn't imagine that I would be in control of this many forces so soon. Still, there's no reason to slow down. I have three priorities now, Drakos: finding more Champion Paths so that I have more options before choosing my own, finding ways to control the other two Kingdoms, and winning that Race. Right now, we're free anyway, so let's get started on the second objective. Like you said, a Hero is uncontested in the Central Continent. So, let's make a visit to Arafell and Axelor and see what they're up to."

He was supposedly 'resting his mageroot' now so that he could resurrect more people, so he was free for the moment.

First, Daneel headed to Arafell.

He could still remember that seductive Queen who had tried to captivate him during the Olympics. Looking forward to finding out some inside information about her Kingdom, he was about to teleport inside their borders, but stopped when he heard Drakos's scream.

"YOUNG KING, STOP!"

Jerking to a halt in the air, Daneel wondered what the heck was wrong.

"There is a Hero-level formation here which I cannot hide you from. If you choose to enter those borders, the one in charge will know, and they will also find out that I am with you."

What?!

Daneel froze in shock in the air for a few moments, before hastily teleporting in the opposite direction first for safety.

It was only after he was hundreds of kilometers away from their border did he pause and take a deep breath.

Never before had Drakos's Hero-level anti-detection/camouflage spell failed him.

Now, he was supposed to believe that Arafell was somehow in possession of a formation of that level?!

Putting it to the side for the present, Daneel got a stinking suspicion.

To confirm it, he went to the border of the Kingdom of Axelor, before hearing the same message from Drakos.

With extremely furrowed eyebrows, Daneel tried to understand what was going on.

Both the Kingdoms of Arafell and Axelor…were in possession of Hero level formations that surpassed even the Big 4.

Did that mean that…the Empire Spirits there…?

No.

Deciding to not jump to conclusions, Daneel took a deep breath.

Whatever the case inside those Kingdoms was, one thing was clear.

He was definitely not as 'uncontested' on the Central Continent as he had thought he was.

....

Final details of contest:

Theme: WDS Spinoff

Submission: Mail to worlddominationsystem@gmail.com

Last Date: 30th March 2019

Prizes: 1200 SS

Minimum Word Count: 500

Method of deciding winner: Voting

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments!

Chapter 506: Uncovering Truths

In the quarters of the King in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Daneel was sitting and staring at Drakos's heart while being completely flummoxed.

Its rhythmic beating seemed to give a semblance of calm to his tumultuous mind, and as time passed, he finally took a deep breath and tried to voice his thoughts.

"So...In both Axelor and Arafell, Empire Spirits are in contact with the respective rulers, and they have deployed formations which will detect if anyone else at their level enters their borders. Did I get that right?"

After a pause, Drakos answered.

"It appears to be so, Young King. Even though the information and techniques contained in each of us is different, this formation is common as it is something basic, but also undefeatable by anyone at that level, which makes it incredibly precious. All it does is detect if anyone at and below the level of a Hero is covertly entering the areas which have been designated. This was originally intended as a safeguard against the Church or other enemies in case of an attack, but clearly, it works against each other among us, too, especially in this age."

"So…why haven't we deployed one on the borders of my Kingdom?"

This was the first damn question that appeared in Daneel's mind.

Those two were aware of all of those who entered their Kingdoms. What about him?!

Drakos had been in his head for quite some time already, but he still hadn't mentioned something so crucial?

An awkward silence followed, during which Daneel could easily guess that Drakos was trying to form an answer that would address the frustration in Daneel's tone when he had asked.

"Err…the answer is that you haven't unlocked it yet, King Daneel. This is one of the formations that is explicitly locked behind the second layer. You don't have enough satisfaction level in your Kingdom for you to unlock it. You can, still, enlist my services as a Formation Master, just like you did before, but certain formations, techniques, and information cannot be given by me unless you unlock them. "

Oh.

Right.

But…How the hell had these two managed to do something which was taking him so long to accomplish?!

Daneel couldn't believe it, but as he thought about it, he realized that he partly knew the answer.

This news actually wasn't that surprising in the case of the Kingdom of Arafell, as it was well known that the Queen was loved by all. Since as long as anyone could remember, not a single incident of someone showing discontent had become known.

This was an almost eerily perfect record, and although Daneel had wondered about it before, he had just assumed that it might be that all incidents like those were being hidden away.

However, now, he realized that that might not be the case.

Maybe…the satisfaction level really was that high?

But how?

This was a question for which he would have loved to find the answer by going to Arafell using Drakos's Hero level spells, but obviously, that wasn't possible anymore.

Still, what about Axelor?

Everyone knew about the famous brainwashing regime of the Kings of Axelor. Rumors about horrific events called 'Purges' were also always abound in the continent.

How the hell could a Kingdom like that have such a high satisfaction level?!

As Daneel asked Drakos this, he got the answer.

"Young King, satisfaction level is a criterion which can be achieved in many ways. The best way, and the way that was intended by the Emperor, is what you are on. It is by doing good to the people and making them feel glad that they are being governed by you. The other way is to use forceful methods. You must be aware that there are different criteria for different Kingdoms. It might be that…whatever criteria was given to the Empire Spirit of Axelor, is being fulfilled very well by what their King is doing."

Right.

Taking another deep breath, Daneel tried to order his thoughts.

The old man in Elanev's head had mentioned this before, but in his shock from having all of his plans dashed, Daneel hadn't been able to remember it. Still, he couldn't have expected that an additional tier would have already been unlocked by that crazy man.

However it had happened, it was done.

Cursing at it would bring no results. Instead, all he could do was amend his plans to accommodate for this fact.

Initially, he was going to take the easy way: he would infiltrate them both using Drakos's spells before finding ways to usurp those leaders or bring them under his influence using something he might find by snooping around in their Kingdoms without their knowledge.

Clearly, that wasn't possible anymore.

So, it was time for a new plan.

Yet…he was blank.

He knew that his spies were practically ineffective in these Kingdoms, and going in by himself using a camouflage spell was out of the question, as there was quite a big risk that he might be spotted by the ruler and caught.

After all, even though covert ways of entry were being blocked, it didn't mean that the formation could check each and every person entering the Kingdom after obtaining proper permission.

After asking Drakos and finding out that this was true, Daneel heaved a sigh of relief before once again starting to consider what he was going to do.

If camouflage was out of the question…then what?

Normal means of concealment using physical props was also too risky, and he knew that he definitely did not want to get caught inside their Kingdom without Drakos. That would definitely be the worst thing that could happen, even if he was a Peak Exalted Warrior at the moment.

So, while Daneel pondered, he was quite surprised when he heard Drakos speak up.

"Young King, I think you are overlooking something."

Raising an eyebrow, Daneel wondered what he could have missed that the innocent Dragon hadn't.

"What's that?", he asked, slightly hopeful that it was something important.

"They do not know that you have reached the requisite satisfaction level and taken me into your mind. Yet, because of their formations, you know that they have definitely at least reached the second tier. And we can also ascertain that both of them are, most probably, those who haven't gone insane, as if they had, they would have attempted full possession by now, and Angaria would have been doomed. This means that they are in the Race, and they want their 'contenders' to win."

"…".

For once, Daneel was stupefied.

Right!

By putting up those formations, these two had practically exposed themselves for the sake of safety. They were like fearful humans who lit a fire for light, but had indicated to the animals around them about their location through this action.

He was just like one of those predators in the darkness. No one knew that Drakos was in his mind. Even if it was now public that he had become a Peak Exalted Warrior, he had a reason for that which wouldn't bring the suspicion on the Empire Spirit.

In other words…if he managed to infiltrate them, they would never know what hit them.

Yes!

Finally, Daneel saw a ray of sunshine in the darkness. This was good news. Even though he didn't know exactly how he was going to do that, he now at least had an advantage that he wouldn't be foolish to throw away.

Yet, as he ruminated over Drakos's words, he suddenly got a doubt.

"Why are they so interested in this Race, by the way? What do they get if their 'contender' wins? Don't tell me they, too, revere the Emperor like you?"

"That…is also locked information, Young King. But I can give you a hint. It has everything to do with the Grand Inheritance. Whoever assembles it, will be capable of doing something that will highly benefit the Empire Spirits."

As Daneel heard this, he couldn't help but smile at the corner of his mouth.

Clearly, Drakos was getting better at becoming, well, 'human', but Daneel didn't know if that, too, would count as risking him going berserk.

He really hoped that that wasn't the case.

After all, Drakos had just given Daneel all the clues. Even though he didn't spell it out loud, the answer was clear.

Apparently, the Grand Inheritance would allow its wielder to free an Empire Spirit from their captivity.

This only made Daneel feel curious and excited about just what the Grand Inheritance was.

He knew that each part came in pairs, and that there were 9 of them, meaning 18 total individual pieces.

He had 2 parts, and so did Axelor.

Arafell had at least one part, but for some reason, Daneel suspected that it might have more, simply because of his suspicion that there was more to the Kingdom of Arafell than met the eye.

Wait…hadn't that old man been the one who sensed the parts and said that Axelor was leading?

Wouldn't he know how many parts Arafell had?

Getting a brainwave, Daneel immediately rushed to that training room where Elanev was still pounding himself bloody against all the training apparatus there.

Whatever the purpose and goal of this training was, Daneel could tell that it was very excruciating, which made him slightly pity his brother.

Yet, it was his choice.

As soon as he entered the room, Elanev swooned to the floor without even greeting him.

The old man, who had appeared behind him again, said, "He was already dead tired. What do you need me for, boy?"

Not in the mood to banter, Daneel directly asked, "How many parts of the Grand Inheritance does Arafell have?"

For the first time, Daneel saw the old man with a flabbergasted expression on his face.

Scratching his smooth, bald head, he said, "The ruler of that dump with those so-called 'Giants' is in the Race? How do you know?"

So-called Giants?

Anyway, that wasn't the important point right now.

"Yes…I tried to enter their Kingdom, but Drakos said that there was a detection formation there that can only be accessed by someone who's unlocked two tiers. That means that the Queen must have unlocked the formation in her Kingdom and gotten the part, right?"

Hitting his palm with his other hand, a look of realization came on the old man's face.

"So that's why I always had a prickly feeling whenever I entered that Kingdom! I was being watched! Dammit!"

Daneel patiently waited for the old man to continue, as he had begun using some very choice curse words to refer to the Queen of Arafell.

After a few seconds, the old man finally said, "Anyway, the answer is that I have no idea. I'm a Fighter, you know?! I can detect the parts of the Grand Inheritance if they aren't being concealed, and if I'm near them. That's how I found the parts on you. Clearly, that bitch in that Kingdom must have concealed it. My clones have gone to both Kingdoms, but I got no feeling like that in Axelor. Did Drakos say that that formation is up in Axelor, too?"

As Daneel nodded, the old man continued, saying, "I knew it! I felt that there, too. And here I thought the Race has just started. Clearly, there are others on the track, but they're so far away from you that you can't even see them!"

Ignoring this jab, Daneel asked the doubt that he had just gotten.

"If you can't detect the parts of the Grand Inheritance when they are concealed, and if someone who can conceal them can also cast that anti-detection spell…then how were you able to detect the pieces in Axelor?"

As this realization dawned on the old man, too, his eyes widened, before both of them blurted out the answer together.

"It means that Axelor was deliberately not concealing the parts!"

That was the most obvious conclusion. If the King of Axelor was able to put up that formation with the help of his Empire Spirit, then it meant that he could cast that concealment spell, too.

Yet, he had chosen not to.

Daneel wondered why, and as he reached an answer, his eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

"Maybe…it's a trap? Maybe the Axelorian King wants to lure the other participants in the Race to his Kingdom by not concealing his parts? It's not a very hidden trap, but what's to say that some cocky contender might not choose to march in anyway…"

If this was the case, then a plan slowly started to form in Daneel's mind.

Yet, he had to finish his present pending jobs first.

Letting it ruminate in his mind, Daneel spent the next two days 'resurrecting' all of the elves, following which his status in their hearts became more solid than it could ever be.

The vote had passed smoothly, and although those elves in the court looked like they would cause trouble, nothing had happened so far.

The morning of the next day, the auspicious time of officially signing the alliance approached.

Under the gaze of the court and the blessings of the citizens, Eldra finished her last official act as the Queen.

Yet, just as Daneel was about to sign the document, too, with his blood, a loud sound interrupted him.

Looking up, he saw with shock that a hole had just appeared in the Palace, outside which stood two figures who were looking at him with scorn.

Before they said anything, Drakos spoke in his mind, making Daneel's heart skip a beat.

"Young King…the two of them are Heroes."

....

Final details of contest:

Theme: WDS Spinoff

Submission: Mail to worlddominationsystem@gmail.com

Last Date: 30th March 2019

Prizes: 1200 SS

Minimum Word Count: 500

Method of deciding winner: Voting

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments!

Chapter 507: Attack 1

The King of Lanthanor's jaw dropped as he viewed the two figures standing in the air and looking at him as if he were an insect.

Their emotions were quite clear in their eyes and their expressions. It was apparent that both of them thought that they were highly superior to him, and that it was quite a boon for him to even look at them.

The one on the left was a tall, thin man wearing very tight-fitting black clothes with a robe underneath. His eyes had an additional aspect of rabid craziness, almost as if he were a mad dog that had been released from its leash. He reminded Daneel vaguely of the Mad Doctor, but that man's madness couldn't even come close to what he was seeing here.

As for the other figure, he was quite strange.

He was very short. According to Daneel's estimation, he was definitely not taller than 3 feet.

He wore a top hat as if to add more height to his figure, and he was wearing a very old-fashioned three-piece suit complete with a monocle.

All in all, he seemed to be some high-class noble that had mistakenly walked into this scene.

The thin man's lips curled as he observed the King of Lanthanor viewing him, following which a loud sound appeared greeted Daneel's ears.

Boom!

Crack!

The first was a sonic boom, as the thin man had just shot toward Daneel at a blinding speed.

As for the other, it was the sound of the many glass windows in the Palace breaking at once due to the vibrations of the man's movement.

Actually, he wasn't moving that fast, and if Daneel activated the Basilisk's Breath, he was pretty confident that he could hope to dodge the blow.

Of course, Daneel did no such thing, as no one could know that he was in possession of such a high-grade inheritance.

Boom!

A foot landed squarely in the middle of his chest, making him fly back due to the momentum and crash through the throne before exiting the palace itself.

Instead of landing the kick and stepping back, the thin man had followed along with Daneel while the latter flew, keeping his foot in contact with Daneel's chest.

Only when the King lost momentum and was about to fall to the ground did he finally move a little bit back, before launching another kick from above that shot Daneel to the ground, instead of letting him fall freely.

Thankfully, they were still in the area of the Palace, which meant that there was only soft ground below Daneel.

With another loud sound, he landed in a large crater and coughed out blood.

Daneel wasn't even faking it. He really was pretty injured, as he had neglected the system's warning which had been given right before impact. If he wanted, he could have asked the system to deploy multiple levels of barriers which would have easily decreased the amount of damage he would take, but again, it would expose that he was in possession of so many more tricks up his sleeve than he let on to the outside world.

So, he took the full brunt of this attack and was a little surprised when the system told him that it was merely at the Amateur Champion level.

Wasn't this man a hero?

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

As soon as this question appeared in Daneel's mind, he felt that same foot on his chest again, which seemed to be the favorite spot of this man. He pressed down right above his heart, making Daneel scream out with pain while trying to use both his hands to get that foot off the top of his chest.

"Hello, King. Am I addressing you with enough respect?", he asked sarcastically, while pressing down more and more and making Daneel continuously cough up the blood that had appeared in his throat due to his internal organs getting severely damaged.

It was nothing life-threatening as he was, after all, a Peak Exalted Warrior, but it was definitely tremendously painful.

Again and again, Daneel was tempted to just use everything he had and escape. He was definitely capable of that, even if there was a Hero level formation here which was negating teleportation.

However, where would he run to? These two would simply redirect their wrath towards Lanthanor, which was something that Daneel couldn't afford.

So, hoping that this man would get to the point after this 'activity' which was clearly just a show of force in order to make him understand that he was beneath them, Daneel continuously screamed with pain, acting as if he was too distracted in order to cast a spell to put up resistance.

He had already told the system to let him know if he needed to do anything to make it appear as if he was just a normal, hapless Peak Exalted warrior, but it seemed that he was already acting quite well.

Crack!

After 10 seconds, the constant pressure made his ribs crack even though they were quite strong due to his Fighter body, which resulted in him starting to wonder whether this guy really wanted to kill him and wasn't just playing with him for fun.

Anger kept trying to rise up inside him, yet Daneel kept squashing it down.

He knew that this was definitely not the time or place to give in to his emotions, as he was in a very precarious position. He didn't even know what these two Heroes were here for, so he had to be as careful as possible in order to not give away any secrets that would definitely put him in trouble.

That anger kept roaring that he was a King who should never let anyone step down on him like this, yet he reigned it in. He didn't try to completely abolish it. Instead, he only kept telling it that he would have his chance, but until then, it would have to control itself.

By this point, a bloody imprint of that foot had already appeared on his chest, and he had already screamed himself hoarse. That damn foot would soon make contact with his heart, after which things would start getting serious.

Typically, the pain should have been the hardest thing to endure, but this wasn't that much of a problem for Daneel who had gone through so much more in his prior experiences. His repeated fights in the Hidden Kill Sect, themselves, had been more painful than this.

Besides, he could even ask the system right now to switch off the sensations, but he didn't do this for two reasons: one, he couldn't guarantee that his acting would be genuine enough, and two, he wanted to feel it all so that he could inflict so much more when it was his time to take revenge.

So, the King of Lanthanor held on, right until the point where that short man appeared floating above him and tapped on the other man's shoulder before saying, "Enough. We can't kill him yet."

With a snarl, the thin man stepped back and angrily threw something into the open, bloody cavity on Daneel's chest.

All this time, he had been reveling in the screams of pain and the expression of agony on the King of Lanthanor's face. Each scream seemed like it was music to his ears, and Daneel had even gotten the feeling that he was trying hard not to break out into joyous laughter.

If it hadn't been established before that this man was mad, then there were no more doubts now.

That something was a green ball of goo, and just as Daneel was about to suspect that this might be another torture device, he was told by the system that it was some sort of freezing agent that would more or less freeze the wound and make it become harmless. Healing spells could heal that injury at their own pace, while not fearing that the injury would obstruct the remaining process of the body, as this green goo also seemed to be able to mimic the anatomy of a human and replace whatever was broken temporarily.

Whatever this was, it was definitely so much more advanced than all of the healing techniques in the Central Continent and even in the damn Sect of Hedon. However, when Daneel asked, he was told by the system that the Mad Doctor had written down something about this vaguely in the data that he had collected from his house. Apparently, it was a signature technique of a different member of the Big Four.

Regretfully, he had neglected to mention the name.

Right now, only a few vestiges of that pain was left, which made Daneel understand that it was finally time for words and not screams.

Staggering to his feet, he clutched at his chest where the green goo had become rock hard. Raising a shaking finger, he asked, "W-Who are you?"

His dignity as a King was still present, but it was apparent that it was quite shaken.

As he saw the reactions of the two Heroes, he understood that this had been their objective in the first place.

"Not so regal and grand now, are we? Now that we've established that you're just a fly that I can stamp on whenever I wish, let's have a discussion, shall we?"

Once again, the thin man spoke. His voice was raspy, almost as if it was being forced out of someone who was very sick. Flicking his finger, he bound Daneel's hands and legs with invisible cords before making him float up into the air and follow them as they flew back to the Palace.

The scene at the Palace was very strange. At least 30 seconds had passed since the attack, and usually, one would expect that there would be panic or at least some action being taken by all of these premier elves of the Kingdom of Eldinor.

Yet, they were all frozen, as if time itself had stopped.

"Young kKng, this is the formation which freezes the bodies of those below the Champion level. It was typically used when high-level beings wanted to have a chat at a place where those of lower power also present. To them, after this is lifted, it will seem as if no time has passed, when in reality, they have been made to stand like puppets who are at the whim of whoever activated the formation."

So that was what this was.

Well, it was definitely much less impressive than something which might really stop time, but it was still pretty marvelous.

Of course, Daneel made himself look astonished, as if he couldn't comprehend at all what was going on.

"These primitive monkeys always think that we stop time. Hey, puny King. They've just been frozen solid. Look."

Saying so, the thin man walked up to one of the elves and pushed him at his forehead with his finger.

The elf fell back, causing a domino effect where all of those behind and around him also started to fall, looking as if they were just stone statues.

This made the thin man chuckle, before he walked forward and stamped his foot down on the face of the elf that he had pushed first.

Squish!

Only a blurry mess was left, which made Daneel understand just how much this man had been holding back before when he had had his foot on his chest.

Turning around and seeing the round eyes of the King of Lanthanor, the thin man said, "Don't be so shocked. He is actually the reason we are here. One of them, at least."

With another flick of his finger, 15 elves suddenly un-froze and looked around with stupefied expressions on their faces.

As Daneel viewed them, he finally understood what was going on.

These were the 15 who had had very disapproving expressions back when the alliance had been proposed.

Clearly, in an attempt to stop it, they had contacted the Big Four, which had brought these two down here.

But if so, why the hell had they attacked Daneel? To stop the alliance?

The next second, Daneel got the answer to this question, as the short man seemed to have lost his patience.

Adjusting his monocle, he spoke in an impatient tone.

"Cut the bullshit, Kojak. You know we don't have much time. We're just here using the alliance as an excuse. Just make him hand over his inheritance, and we can leave. I'm very curious about how he went from being a normal Human to an Exalted Warrior in a matter of years."

Chapter 508: Attack 2

As soon as Daneel heard that sentence appear from the mouth of the short man, relief flooded through him.

That was it?!

In the worst case, Daneel had been expecting that maybe his collaboration with the Empire Spirit might have gotten exposed, which would definitely lead him to be subjected to many awkward questions, before probably getting killed. Of course, the chances for this were slim, but he couldn't rule it out completely.

Next to that, his other biggest fear was that they had gotten to know that he was in possession of some very top tier inheritances such as the Art of the Withering Leaf and the Basilisk's Breath. He knew just how much the Big Four valued inheritances, so he had no wish whatsoever of having their greedy eyes fall on him.

Or, it could also be possible that some of his schemes might have been exposed, which would once again lead to some very unneeded suspicions.

Thankfully, none of these were the case.

Ever since that moment when he had exposed his power when pushing away and abolishing that veil of death, Daneel had been prepared for someone to come along like this.

After all, it was pretty incredible when one thought about it. It had only been a couple of years, but he had somehow risen from being a normal Human to a Peak Exalted Warrior.

He knew that ever since the Olympics, many people must have already been keeping an eye on him due to that spell he had used which had saved the day. Just like Marcus and the Matron had said, he was already under suspicion of having a very high-level inheritance, and the only reason he hadn't been bombarded by stray individuals on the Path to Power was that Marcus was supposedly protecting him in return for him saving his son.

Now, with this very grand exposure of his baffling strength, Daneel knew that he would definitely be under their scopes so much more.

Yet, what he didn't understand was why this was so appealing to those from the Big Four, who were in possession of inheritances that must definitely have similar methods of making something like what happened to him possible, even though they might need a lot of materials in the process.

Knowing that he would soon find out the answer for that, Daneel feigned panic.

Seeing this, the thin man started to laugh loudly, while the 15 elves who had been frozen finally gathered their bearings.

However, instead of kneeling or showing some sort of respect, one of them asked, "Are you from the Big Four?"

Bang!

The next second, a hole appeared in the head of the elf, making him slump to the ground lifelessly while the other 14 watched on.

"That is not the tone to use when you are speaking to someone whom you should pray to as God. Kneel, you monkeys."

Surprisingly, it wasn't the thin man who did this. It was the short one, who had gotten an expression of extreme irritation as soon as he heard the tone of the elf.

Daneel had been hoping that at least one of them might have a clearer head which he could appeal to, but seeing that that wasn't the case, he sighed, realizing that this was probably going to result in so much more pain for him.

Well, there would just be that much more pain to inflict when he got his chance.

Hearing this, the 14 elves initially panicked but let go of their egos.

They kneeled low, but the short man raised one hand and made force bear down on their backs, making them kneel even lower, until their legs finally gave out and made them lie on the floor on their stomachs.

This made a smile finally appear on his face, as if he was happy that their heads were no longer above his.

From this, Daneel could gather that the short guy was definitely very touchy about his height.

"Which of you drafted that request that you sent to the Big Four?", asked the short man, while the thin one just folded his arms behind his back and kept watching while standing beside Daneel.

"Pray that you never get on his bad side. Later on, when we ask, you better give the right answer, or he will be giving you the full course of the King of Torture."

Hearing the thin man say this, Daneel raised an eyebrow, as he had been thinking that if anyone could hold that title, then it would be this guy who had been taking so much pleasure in inflicting pain on him.

As if reading his mind, he chuckled and said, "Hey, I just like seeing others squeal! But that guy… that guy lives to cause pain. For me, it's just a pastime."

By this time, the short man had reached the 14 elves

"A-All of us," answered one of them in a shaky voice, which made the smile on the face of the thin man extend even further.

Daneel got a bad feeling, but even before he could form another thought, loud screams suddenly started to reverberate in the Royal Court of the Palace, following which a very disgusting smell of burning flesh reached Daneel's nose.

With horror, he saw that these 14 were being roasted alive.

"That's what they get for impetuously demanding the Big 4 to step in and stop the alliance. Cretins should learn to beg, not demand."

The thin man said this under his breath, which made Daneel finally understand the whole situation.

These 15 stupid elves must have known about the unspoken rule in Angaria which stated that alliances shouldn't be formed. With their puffed up egos, they must have somehow obtained a method of contacting the Big Four and used that to send an impetuous request that brought these two here.

It was quite obvious that what these Heroes hated more than anything else was having to see people who they considered to be much lower than them acting as if they had any value in front of them.

After an entire minute, the screaming finally died down before stopping. Daneel had been observing the short guy, and just like the other one had said, he could tell that the exultation and pleasure that he was receiving from hearing the screams was on another level.

In the case of the latter, it had just been leisurely enjoyment, but for the former, it seemed to be like a drug with which he could not live without.

Yes, the shorter one was definitely the more deranged of the two.

Why were so many Champions and Heroes so f*cking crazy?

This question appeared in his mind, and Daneel resolved to ask Drakos about this later as it looked like his interrogation had just begun.

This time, he was supposed to be prepared, so as he saw the short guy cast the spell to cause flames to appear around him just like he had done with the others, Daneel immediately conjured a barrier which protected him.

However, with a frown, the short man waved his hand, following which the flames grew to a blinding intensity for a brief second thereby shattering the barrier before returning to a more normal temperature that started to make Daneel sweat.

"Resist, and you'll regret it. You already heard the question. Answer."

The temperature constantly increased, which was indicative of the sweat on Daneel's body that soon started to have to run through multiple blisters that appeared on his skin due to the heat.

He was gritting his teeth hard in an attempt not to scream, but he couldn't resist anymore.

Once again, he told himself the same things as before, while his screams reverberated in the room, replacing those of those elves.

"Alright, I'll tell you!", he said finally, just as some of his blood started to evaporate from the heat.

He had judged that this might be the level of pain at which people usually cracked, and it looked like that was the case, as a smile appeared on the face of the short man as soon as he heard this.

Stopping the flames, he once again adjusted the monocle and waited for the answer.

"I… found an inheritance on the grounds of the Academy by fluke when I was studying there. I didn't use it until it became King, as I was simply not in possession of enough resources. It was in the form of a square block of stone that had strange inscriptions on it, and I didn't even know what it was until a Ker Gem fell on it by chance.

"After that, a lot of information entered my mind as I touched it, and in that information was a specific location east of here where I found a pool that had some sort of shining liquid inside it. I entered that pool and almost went crazy because of the pain, but I endured and walked out a Peak Exalted warrior. The slab is even on my body! Please take it, and leave me!"

Daneel made sure that when he spoke, the answer still contained just a tiny bit of pride, as a King would definitely not completely break down even in the face of agonizing pain.

Both of these Heroes spotted that, but they ignored it for the moment after hearing the answer.

They started to whisper among themselves, but Daneel could guess what they were talking.

He had spun the story and also gone to huge lengths in order to make it look authentic, going so far as to even make that fake pool and leave behind the residue of the same liquid that had caused him to jump forward in power in that cave where the Black Raven Empire Spirit had been hiding out.

Of course, he had worked with Drakos while coming up with this, and according to the Ancient Dragon, there were a few eccentric people who left behind locations like these. Apparently, many of them should have been found in the history of this continent, so it wouldn't be too surprising if one more was unearthed.

As for the stone slab, again, it was made with the help of Formation Master Drakos who assured him that it would definitely fool any Hero alive.

A few seconds later, the thin man walked up to Daneel and searched his body before extracting that stone slab with glistening eyes.

"For your sake, I hope that at least a little of the Ker Roots or materials that were used are left behind. Otherwise, our trip would be for naught, which would make us VERY pissed."

Hearing this, slight alarm passed through Daneel's mind, as he finally realized their goal.

It was so god damn simple! It was just simple greed!

By now, he knew that Ker Roots were very rare materials that would even be lusted aster by Heroes. Hence, it really was a mystery regarding how the Mad Doctor had obtained one, but that question was something he would have to leave for another day.

According to Drakos, Ker Roots were so beneficial that both Heroes and Champions could use them effectively to train, which meant that these two simply wanted resources for themselves, instead of coming here after discovering something earthshattering such as some of Daneel's true secrets.

The thin man immediately teleported away, and returned after two minutes with a deep frown on his face.

Looking at the short guy, he shook his head, which made the flames return on Daneel's body.

Of course, there was no residue of Energy left at all, as Daneel had absorbed it all during his breakthrough. If there was any left, there was no way that he would have left it lying around in that location.

What now? Surely, they weren't contemplating killing him, right?

The sentence uttered by the thin guy under his breath confirmed Daneel's suspicion, and made him wonder whether he would be really exposing some of his secrets today after all.

"Screw that mandate. Let's just kill them."

The short man nodded, following which the flames started to increase to that blinding intensity again that would definitely result in Daneel's body turning into ash.

"STOP!"

A voice suddenly interrupted them, while a barrier appeared around Daneel, protecting him.

A man with broad shoulders and bulging muscles appeared in front of him, and as the two Heroes saw him, anger appeared on their faces.

"You two have already established that there is nothing for you here. Leave him be. If not, I, Marcus, will have to step in."

Chapter 509: Attack End

"Pfft. You? A mere Peak Champion wants to fight against two Heroes? You must have a deathwish!"

An expression of amusement appeared on the face of the thin man, before he cackled wildly.

Saying these words while laughing, he wiped the tears that had appeared due to his abrupt laughter.

Marcus glanced back at Daneel, and as he did so, Daneel saw an expression of resolve on his face.

"Yes. A debt is a debt. You'll have to go through me if you want to kill him."

"Enough."

Boom!

A blazing inferno suddenly came into being around Marcus, and just the residue heat that got through the barrier made Daneel's skin blister even further.

He could imagine the immense temperature that Marcus must be being subjected to, so when he saw the man just thrust his hands out and form a solid white barrier which managed to resist the fire, he was pretty surprised.

"Hmm. A pure Fighter. Impressive."

Drakos said this in his head, which made Daneel raise both his eyebrows.

So Marcus was a pure Fighter, too, just like that old man?

"Does that make him stronger or something?", asked Daneel, which made Drakos ponder for a bit before answering.

"Not always. But in this case, this man's path is oriented toward defense, and defensive Fighters are some of the toughest beings to deal with. Back in the Empire, they were called 'cockroaches', which wasn't an insult in any way as the term was used to refer to their attribute of surviving no matter what was thrown at them."

As realization flashed across Daneel's face, he suddenly felt glad that he had unwittingly saved this man's son during the Olympics. He would have done that even if there was no reward associated with it, so it was quite surprising to see someone like this who considered it a debt and was also willing to go so far in order to repay it.

Such people were rare.

"Humph! Quick! He must have informed the Head! Just kill them both before he comes!"

Nodding, the thin man extended his hands, too, which made a strange change come over the inferno.

Until now, it had been in the form of a globe of white flames around them that had already melted everything, including the walls and the floor. They were floating in space while those flames were pushing ever inward to devour them, with only Marcus's barrier in the way. Daneel had considered whether to add his own barriers in order to help, but he rejected that as he could detect that they would be pretty useless.

This temperature…was just a little bit too much.

A Hero wasn't someone to be scoffed at, after all.

The change that came upon this globe of fire was that large, barbed thorns had appeared around it. They seemed to be made of a strange purple material, and as Daneel viewed them with his elemental vision, he saw that the sheer complexity of the elemental make up of that material was dizzying.

Right after the thorns appeared, they were given way by the flames, and as they came into contact with the barrier, a very weird phenomenon was seen.

As they latched on to the barrier and pulled, small holes started appearing, almost as if the thorns were capable of pulling away the Energy that Marcus was using somehow without having a Mageroot.

The holes were tiny, but they were enough to cause the temperature inside to rise abruptly.

Marcus screamed with defiance. He had stretched his arms outward to conjure the barrier, and he pushed forward with them now, willing the barrier to become whole again.

Yet, no matter how many times he did that, the thorns kept poking holes.

Thankfully, Daneel's barrier was still fine, which meant that although the temperature he was being subjected to had risen to a level where he had no other choice but to deploy his own barrier to make sure that he wouldn't burn up to a crisp, it was still nothing compared to what was outside.

Even Marcus's Champion level body seemed to be unable to resist. His skin started to blister and crack before falling off, yet, miraculously, Daneel watched as new skin popped up quickly and tried to cover up his flesh and muscles.

However, there seemed to be a limit. After 5 times of this happening, no new skin appeared, which meant that Marcus's naked body soon became devoid of skin, leaving behind a grotesque figure of just flesh, muscles and bones.

The clothes which looked precious had melted away long ago, and there were only a few shreds of skin left.

At this moment, Daneel's anger reached a level where he couldn't control it anymore. This man had come here to protect him, yet he was being roasted alive in front of him.

If it weren't for Drakos and the system both telling him that Marcus's vitality was still strong, he would have stepped in long ago.

It felt as if a long time had passed since Marcus arrived, but in reality, barely 2 seconds had elapsed.

Yet, Marcus was at his limit. It seemed that facing 2 people who were a major level above him was no joke.

Daneel had observed that even though his skin was gone, there was some sort of invisible layer which was protecting the rest of him. Even that started to fail now, as even the flesh underneath it had started to melt.

Enough was enough.

Taking a moment, Daneel first imprinted the faces of these two Heroes into his memory. Fury consumed him, while he resolved that he would definitely get his revenge on them.

"Drakos, prepare to teleport us away.", he said, as he had decided that he wouldn't let someone die for him.

He would never be able to live with it.

The reason he was concealing Drakos's existence was that historically, no matter what type of possession it was, the Big 4 would always hunt those that got the approval of Empire Spirits.

Yet, it didn't matter to Daneel anymore. Whatever would come, he would just handle it rather than regret later that he had let someone die while defending him when he had the ability to stop it.

Such was his bottom line, and he wasn't willing to cross it.

"A moment, Young King. I sense someone approaching."

As Daneel heard this from the Ancient Dragon, his tense mood finally relaxed, but he didn't let that show on his face.

BAM!

With a loud sound, another hole appeared in the Palace of Eldinor, and this time, it was caused by an immaculately dressed man with a neat, short beard.

"Enough, you two.", he said, and his words seemed to contain a power that immediately made the two Heroes drop their hands.

They appeared extremely agitated for a second, but following that, they nodded, which made both the globe of fire and the thorns disappear.

Marcus collapsed to the ground, while Daneel did the same, as he, too, was grievously injured.

Yet, he suddenly experienced a familiar feeling go through him.

It was as if light had somehow turned solid and entered his body before going through it and healing him in the process.

He felt rejuvenated, as if he had just had a great night's sleep.

The goo turned to liquid and fell away, while Daneel slowly stood up and took a deep breath.

This….was a true healing spell.

From the Mad Doctor's journals, he knew that it could only be cast by those highly talented in healing skills. The last time he had experienced it was when the Matron had used the spell to heal him when he had been close to death due to the actions of the black-robed man in the Black Raven Kingdom.

Marcus, however, didn't get the same treatment. He was enclosed in a white, glowing ball before he floated in the air and appeared beside the newly arrived man.

"I've got my eye on you two now. You dared to try this stunt because the punishment was just a century of isolation, right? Well, I'm changing the rule. Henceforth, the mandate will state that if anyone lays a hand on an integral figure in the Central Continent, or goes on a rampage for any reason, their resources will be cut away for 10 years, and they will also be locked in my house. You two know how much I like to entertain my guests with my flute skills."

As soon as that old man said the last sentence, shudders of fear passed through both the Heroes.

Huh? Why were they scared of a simple flute?

"Get out of here. I'll clean up. And spread this to the others."

Nodding, the two Heroes shot a glance at Daneel before teleporting away.

Their expressions said that this wasn't over, and Daneel agreed.

The most frustrating thing was that he didn't even know why they had wanted to kill him so much. It had looked like it was just irritation that they hadn't been able to obtain what they came for, but something told him that there might be more to it.

Still, whatever it was, he would find out when the time came for them to bear the full wrath of his fury.

After the two disappeared, the old man sighed as he saw the 15 dead elves.

Pointing his finger at each of the three holes, he made them go back to normal using a spell that looked like it was reversing time.

From Drakos, Daneel found out that this was a high-level Hero spell that could detect the previous state of something and return it to that status.

After the Palace returned to normal, the old man looked at Daneel and said, "Finish your business here. If someone notices that those elves are missing, tell them that they were killed by the Big 4 because they plotted against their own Kingdom's wishes. I'll come back later to talk to you. They will be un-frozen in 1 minute after my departure."

Seeing the King of Lanthanor nod dazedly, the old man turned around and was about to fly away, but he turned his head and left one last sentence before leaving.

"One last thing. His debt to you is cleared. You're on your own from now."

This time, Daneel nodded firmly.

Yes, his debt was more than cleared.

After he watched the old man and the glowing white ball which contained Marcus fly away, he turned back to the court and saw that everything had been frozen from the moment when those two had appeared.

So, the document of the alliance was still on the carved table in the center, and Eldra was still waiting for him to sign with a smile.

The only difference was that 15 elves out of the 100 or so in the room were missing, but that wouldn't be noticed in a short period of time.

So, Daneel just took his place again. Exactly after a minute, time seemed to resume.

Daneel signed the document, and history was made. The First Alliance came into being, but little did the others know that such a dangerous event had taken place right before this consequential event.

What followed was the official process of Eldra surrendering her post to Katerina, stating that she felt guilty that something like this had occurred without her being able to stop it. The people implored her to stay, stating that they didn't blame her even though some had seen her like that on that day, but she just told them that she would still help them in every way she could.

Katerina was welcomed as Queen by all, mainly because of the right chords that she had struck in all the elves of the Kingdom by taking up charge in those horrific moments. Everyone remembered her as the resourceful leader who had stood by them even though they were all scared, and this was exactly what Daneel had wanted.

Finally, a few hours later, he was sitting in a room with the two beautiful elves in front of him.

First, he recited the truth behind the deaths of those 15 elves, which had caused a stir that had been put on hold due to all the events.

As shock flashed across the faces of both the elves, Daneel stated the thing that he had been waiting to say for a long time.

He had been looking forward to this eagerly, and now that it was here, he couldn't control his excitement, which was already high because of the rewards he had obtained from the system after the signing which he had put away to explore again carefully later, after this day was done.

"I need all the Enchanters you can muster for a very, very ambitious project of mine that will change the face of this continent, forever."

....

Final details of contest:

Theme: WDS Spinoff - can be anything related to the events/characters of this book

Submission: Mail to worlddominationsystem@gmail.com

Last Date: 30th March 2019

Prizes: 1200 SS

Minimum Word Count: 500

Method of deciding winner: Voting

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments!

Chapter 510: A Night Under the Stars

[Achievement 'Building Blocks of An Empire' unlocked.

Building Blocks of An Empire: Few Empires rise from nothing. By openly allying with a Kingdom, you have gotten yourself your first vassal state! Congratulations on showing your true colors as a World Dominator! Now, all that remains is to gather enough blocks and dominate the world!

100,000 EXP obtained.]

For the 5th time, Daneel asked the system to repeat the notification.

A lopsided smile was on his face, while he sipped spiced wine from a crystal glass.

It was night time in the Kingdom of the Elves, and because of the elevation, he had to admit that it was truly beautiful.

After a long meeting with Katerina and Eldra who had needed to take time even to comprehend the scale of what he was talking about, he had hashed out a lot of details with them before they chose to return for the night.

He had had the option to go back to Lanthanor, but he had chosen to stay, as he still had matters to settle here. Hence, he had been given the grandest guest room there was which had a large balcony in which he was now sitting.

100,000!

Now that was a damn windfall!

It had taken this much EXP to upgrade the system to its present level. Yet, he had just earned this much in one go.

He couldn't believe it, but he really felt happy.

The matter of those two Heroes was already tucked away in his mind, not affecting him anymore. At the end of the day, they were just pesky flies whom he would squat as soon as he had the ability.

Daneel wasn't the kind to go into an intense vengeful wrath, especially when they hadn't even done anything except cause a little pain, which was only comparable to a pinch when he remembered what he had been through in the pool during his breakthrough.

However, Marcus's actions stayed back in his mind, making him understand that there were also such noble people among the Big 4. Sometimes, he had no option but to wonder whether the Big 4 was completely filled with psychotic lunatics.

Yes, the man's debt was more than paid, and Daneel even felt that he might be in debt, himself, especially if that fight caused any long-lasting damage to the noble guy.

He was slightly worried about what that old man might want to talk to him about, but Daneel was pretty sure that it might just be to explain something about the Big 4, or to warn him about the alliance.

He had been expecting this, too, which was one of the reasons he had chosen to 'weaken' Lanthanor.

A full scale, open alliance would have really brought a ton of problems which he didn't want to handle at all right now.

Taking a few more sips, Daneel was about to ask the system how much EXP he had in total, but he was interrupted by Drakos's voice.

"A sky like this reminds me of my childhood, before I was found by the Emperor."

This made Daneel choke on the wine.

Before the Emperor found Drakos…wasn't he living with those ferocious beings that brought ruin to the continent? Why was he remembering that now?

As if sensing Daneel's panic, Drakos continued to say, "Don't worry. Then, I only remember lying on my mother's broad head and staring at the stars. She used to point at each and tell me its name in my tongue. I forgot those exact names, but that moment remains with me."

Such an intimate memory was something that Drakos remembered?

Then…wasn't he angry at the Emperor for killing his parents?

Daneel hesitated for a bit, but decided to ask anyway, as Drakos seemed to be in a chatty mood.

"No, Young King. I feel no resentment for my father."

Father?!

Daneel had guessed that this was what Drakos had been about to say all those times when he had had to fumble while addressing the Emperor, but hearing it confirmed was still pretty shocking.

So, the Emperor had…adopted him?

"Yes, my father, Young King. I would not like to hide that anymore. He raised me, taught me everything and made me who I am. What…do you think about the Emperor, Young King? I've noticed that many on this continent treat him like some greedy monster who destroyed his Empire due to his lust for power. That is not the case! To answer your question, let me tell you about one incident that happened when I was, say, 20 years of age when considering that as a Dragon, my lifespan and maturation speed was very different from a human. So, even though I had lived for longer, assume that that was my age."

Refilling his glass, Daneel sat back and stared at the endless sky again, which was probably why this Dragon had entered that melancholy mood.

After a few moments, he continued.

"At that time, I had just come of age, so, as per the rules, I was tested for my specialties before being given an option to choose my career according to my interests and strengths. Yes, even though my father was the Emperor, he wanted me to lead a normal life.

"After I chose the path of a Formation Master, he lead me into a vast forest where the traces of a high-level battle could still be seen even though decades had passed. I asked him where he was leading me, but he wouldn't tell me.

"Soon, we reached an area that looked more devastated than all the others. There was a small stream running along in the ground, but apart from that, each and every rock and plant looked like they had been bombarded with high-level Energy. Again, I asked him where we were, and this time, he told me."

Here, the Ancient Dragon paused, as if what it was going to say was taking a toll on it.

From Drakos's tone, he could tell that this was something very important to the Dragon, so he had already decided not to soil that in anyway.

Hence, he just kept sipping and waited.

"He told me that that was where he killed my parents, and that I had a choice. By that age, I had already learned right and wrong. He told me that I had a choice. I could give in to what was left behind my parents and become a true member of my race, or I could stay with him, as his son. He said that he would honor either decision. He even said that he would help me out even if I chose the former, but if I really did reprehensible things, he would have no option but to hunt me. Yet, he told me about reformed Dragons who fought every day and didn't lose when it came to battling their own instinct to destroy. Young King, you know what I chose. He loved me, with all of his heart, like I was his true son. I had already heard about the disasters wrought by my people, so I had no intention whatsoever of following in their footsteps. I chose him, and for the first time, I saw the mighty Emperor, the man who was revered by millions…shed tears, as if he was nothing but a mortal who was happy."

A mortal man.

For some reason, this story resonated with Daneel, making him, too, get a positive impression of that giant of a man even if he was the same person whom Daneel had seen massacring countless innocent citizens.

Of course, it didn't make him idolize the man, but it did make him wonder whether there really was more to his tale than what was known by everyone.

All in all, Daneel entered a reflective mood which led him to just want to sip more wine and stare out at the sky.

It tasted good, and he had a great view. Sometimes, such little things were enough to satisfy someone.

A few minutes later, Drakos spoke again.

"That is why I get angry when I see him being mentioned by so many in the Big 4 with scorn. He was greater than any of those people can ever be, but they dare to sully his name. He did always say that he didn't care what others thought about him, and that I shouldn't either, but it's hard. You reminded me of him today, Young King. You never flinched once due to all that pain. Not once. Yes, it might look like you were being tormented on the outside, but in reality, you were just calm. I know it."

Raising an eyebrow, Daneel simply nodded, while Drakos continued.

"He told me about many times in his life, too, when he was subject to pain, but he just took it and didn't complain. Each instance taught him a lesson, and gave him the motivation to stride forward. He learned and improved himself with each lesson, until there was no one who could cause him pain, even if he wanted. I believe you two are alike in many ways, Young King."

Daneel knew that Drakos was probably only saying this due to the mood he was in, where he must be missing his father.

So, he just took it in stride and smiled, not saying anything.

Drakos fell silent, too, and Daneel could tell that the overall mood of the Ancient Dragon was better, as if this talk had gone a long way in helping him…mature.

Regardless, Daneel retired, as he knew he had a busy day tomorrow.

The next day, in a large warehouse which was ironically near the spot where Daneel had saved the elf slaves, around 4000 elves were standing and whispering among themselves.

These were some the best of the best Enchanters in the whole Kingdom, and they had been told that King Daneel wanted a word with them.

Most of them had been in the festival, so they had been witness to the glorious feats of the King. Hence, they had been happy to oblige.

They had thought that it might be something random, but seeing that it was only fellow Enchanters who had been called, and that there was an Enchantment table laid down in the center of the warehouse, they understood that it must have something to do with their specialty.

The appointed time came and went, but no one appeared, which made a few grumble slightly.

Around 10 minutes later, when people had just started to get pushy, a display trinket enlarged itself right above the enchanting table.

"Hello, Enchanters of Eldinor. This is King Daneel, and I apologize for making you wait. I'm just dealing with something more…important. That's not to say this meeting isn't important. No, it is very close to my heart, as I have an extremely important task to give to you all. I need you…to find a way to mass produce this trinket. That is the goal. No par on materials, but the time matters. I shall be taking no questions. Just know that…those who succeed, and thus, win this competition will be designated as team leaders in this prestigious project that will make you all famous, as they will have proven that they are better than the rest. Good luck!"

By the time the last sentence was said by the King, the elves in the warehouse were bristling with anger and irritation.

First, it had been communicated to them that they weren't that important.

Then, they had been given a task where, if they lost, it meant agreeing that those who won were superior to them.

To an elf, and to especially these elves who were proud of their craft, both of these were insults which they wouldn't take lying down.

No, they would fight with all of their skill…to win.

As Daneel saw the mad fights filled with enthusiasm that broke out in the warehouse, he chuckled and idly had breakfast in the company of the Queen and the former Queen.

Seeing their looks of puzzlement, he explained, "I've found that nothing makes an elf perform like hurting their ego. So, just a little white lie to spur them along."

The two elves' faces burned as they saw the King's 'white lie' working to great effect, as it made them feel slightly embarrassed that their race could be manipulated so easily.

After he was done with his breakfast, Daneel got started on his agenda for the day.

"So, our first item is to leak news about the expansion of the Network of Angaria."

"What?! Why would we do that? Wouldn't that cause…"

"Pressure on us? Yes, that's exactly what I want. Pressure is…publicity. And whether it's good or bad, publicity is publicity. You two need to understand this. The more people start to talk about this, the more of a success it'll be. So, let's make a plan to perform a successful leak that will cause no suspicions."

Daneel said this and got down to business, but his mind was buzzing with the many ideas he was waiting to implement for this special project of his.

He had neglected to mention one little thing- who they were going to leak it to.

As someone from Earth, Daneel knew about the importance of opposing views in any topic. Competition was crucial in this industry. If there was just one source, then it would be cause for people accusing him of being partial.

So, the solution was to have competitors.

However, what if these competitors…were also secretly controlled by him?

What if he leaked the technology of transmission to only those who were in his control, giving the illusion that there would be competition, whereas, in reality, he would be running the whole show?

Sometimes, Daneel realized that his ideas frightened even him.

Chapter 511: Interlude

In his 20 years of experience in running a successful newspaper business, this was the most excited Magnus had ever been.

In his hands was a trinket that he had paid his entire life savings for.

In the Black Raven Kingdom, his office was located in a remote street in the capital which almost no one frequented. Still, because he had always kept his costs low while only publishing the most interesting news, the sales of his newspaper had allowed him to lead a comfortable life while also saving quite a bit of money due to his frugal nature.

Yet, all that had gone into the trash with the advent of the Network of Angaria.

People no longer wanted to buy newspapers daily to read the local news when there was such a convenient one-time payment method to find out about everything happening throughout the Kingdom.

Besides, whoever was the one heading the Network was definitely a genius. Each and every program, be it the audio skits that were often hilarious or the story narration that many who liked hearing to bards tuned in to, was geared toward a large subset of the audience, meaning that there was always something for everyone.

In other words, he had been on the verge of bankruptcy, even though he knew that he could take money out of his own pocket to make more newspapers.

Yet, who would buy them except the limited few who still wanted to feel parchment in their hands while finding out about the news?

So, Magnus had been prepared to close down his business and look into investing everything he had saved, which was quite a hefty amount, into another business.

Yet, yesterday morning, he had received earth-shattering news from the professional spy whom he had placed in Lanthanor.

After all, the Network was placed in Lanthanor, so he had been hoping that he might obtain important news from the spy about some method with which he could rejuvenate his business.

Never could he have expected that this would pay off in ways that made him wonder whether he was dreaming.

The spy had managed to unearth a very important report, which he claimed would make Magnus one of the richest people in the entire continent. In fact, he had also claimed that he was tempted to sell it to others, but he had no option but to give it to him first because of the oath that had been sworn between them.

Yes, Magnus was also a Mage, albeit just an Amateur one who hadn't been able to progress. Unwilling to enter a dangerous life in the army, he had set up the business which he had hoped would tide him over for his whole life.

The spy was so sure about this piece of news that he had threatened that he would rather not earn anything from it if Magnus didn't agree to the rise in price. Their oath had only been that the spy would give the news to only Magnus, and not to the competitors who might also benefit.

So, Magnus had agreed, forking out his entire fortune and placing it on the table to the side before inviting the spy over.

While the spy bent over his shoulder and waited to see the expression of satisfaction on Magnus's face, the latter unfurled the parchment and went through everything that had been recorded on it.

Each and every word hit him like a blow in the stomach, making his eyes water with excitement as he couldn't believe what he was reading. He even had to wipe them hard to make sure that he wasn't dreaming.

The Network of Angaria…was going to undergo such a tremendous improvement that small businesses like his would soon become completely moot. It would be different if they could afford to place people in all Kingdoms to obtain intercontinental news instead of just local, but because no one was that wealthy or had that kind of power, they would definitely be phased out when this update went live.

After all, who would want to read a boring parchment about just local news when they could watch someone talk about it and even show certain images that would make them feel as if they were at the scene?

Besides, nothing even needed to be said about the entertainment factor. All he could do with his paper to entertain people was write a few jokes which few laughed to. On the other hand, this new Network would have live-action plays for them to watch! Comedy, action, romance, mystery- no matter what genre one liked, they would be able to watch things related to it with the press of a button!

This seemed too fantastic to be true, but Magnus trusted that if anyone could pull it off, then it would be Lanthanor, which was home to such innovative and grandly successfully schemes such as the Bank of Angaria.

And to think that he now had a method to take part in that initiative, with them being unable to even do anything about it!

Yes! This was his opportunity!

But…if he was bankrupt, how would he bankroll the plan to capitalize on this opportunity?

"I told you it would be worth the money, right? I'm amazed that I even obtained it. It was sheer luck, but also hard work. You know that Lanthanor is out of Mages, right? So this thing was being transported by an overworked Fighter who knelt over and fainted near me while holding the scroll. I saw that it looked important, so I made a copy of it before placing it back where I found it! No one will know! Heh, I bet you're glad that you employed me-….kkkggghhghh!"

The last word coming from the spy's mouth had been cut off due to the fact that his head had just been separated from his body.

He was just an Amateur Fighter adept at concealing himself, so he had no way to detect the invisible wind blade that Magnus had conjured with great difficulty behind the spy's neck.

Even while his head rolled on the floor in his own blood, the last thing that appeared was a dumbfounded expression, as if the spy couldn't believe that someone who looked as innocent as Magnus, who was just a bald, thin, hunched over old man with a beard, could be capable of such a feat.

Yet, the last moment before he closed his eyes forever, he saw a man step out of the space behind this treacherous old guy who had a smile on his face on seeing the lifeless body of the man who had almost taken away his entire fortune.

Magnus felt the presence of someone behind him, too, but when he turned around, there was no one there.

Shrugging, he got back to the parchment.

Bringing up some estimates, Magnus realized that the amount of money he had wouldn't be enough to enlist an Enchanter to make what he wanted. So, it looked like he would have to take a loan.

Initially, he was going to just take some money from the local moneylender, but an idea appeared in his mind out of nowhere.

It was almost as if someone had whispered it into his ear, but as it appeared in his own mind, he didn't doubt that it was his own.

What he was going to do would make Lanthanor very, very unhappy. He was looking forward to that, as they were the reason behind his decline in business.

Yet, he wanted to make that revenge feel even better.

What if…the money to bankroll this plan of his came from them, too?

Sure, they would earn interest on it, but wouldn't the fact that they had given the money in the first place make their faces burn?

Yes, it would feel so good to see that!

"Bank of Angaria, here I come!", he muttered under his breath, before getting up and leaving the room after locking the door carefully.

Even though it looked like there was only a severed head and a lifeless body in the room, a chuckle soon echoed inside, before it disappeared along with the man who had been standing in a corner while watching everything.

Of course, this was Daneel, and he was truly amused that the first 'competitor' was actually going to take money from his Bank, thereby letting him earn more money.

It was the work of the Mind Control spell he had just placed on the man, but he still had to admit that it was pretty funny.

Straightening his back, Daneel made his way to his next stop, where another 'competitor' was waiting.

An hour or so later, with this task done, he had accomplished two things: one, there were going to be multiple competitors from various areas which would make it look authentic, and two, the Bank of Angaria was soon going to give out a few massive loans that would earn it a lot of money.

All in all, it was a win-win situation for him.

Reaching Eldinor, Daneel took a peek into the warehouses where thousands of Enchanters were hard at work making display trinket after display trinket.

From time to time, many of them would glance at someone particular near them, who was designated as the one to 'lead' them as he or she had proven themselves to be more talented than the rest.

The rule had been laid down that if someone beat their time, then they would take their place.

This was the best motivation for these elves. Unwilling to be under someone who had been their equal until recently, they pushed themselves to work as fast as possible to make more and more portable display trinkets as per the King of Lanthanor's design in as less time as possible.

As Daneel saw the frenzy with which each of them was working, he thought to himself that, maybe, this plan of his to motivate them was going a bit too well.

If he didn't step in, he was afraid that all of them would burn themselves out, which wasn't a good thing at all.

So, putting in place a few countermeasures that would mandate the elves to take periodic rests on a compulsory basis, Daneel made his way to Lanthanor, where he dropping in on Eloise who showed him the grand project that she had embarked on.

Her chest was puffed up with pride, and he had to admit that she was doing a phenomenal job.

The entirety of the underground tunnels of the Lanthanor Kingdom which spanned over hundreds of kilometers were being remapped and repurposed with a very important goal in mind: to make a place which was conducive to recording all sorts of programs that would soon regale the entire continent.

Daneel had been tempted to name it "Hollywood", but he had resisted, knowing that it would make no sense whatsoever.

So, he had left the naming to Eloise, who did a pretty good job.

She named it "Fantasyland" as, in her words, this was a place where the fantasies of everyone in Angaria would take place.

Seeing that everything was progressing smoothly, Daneel made his way to his quarters.

There was still quite a bit of time until the trinkets would get ready to be distributed, and he had already set in progress a plan to market them in as effective a way as possible.

So, for the moment, he was free.

The Kingdom of Arafell came to his mind once again, as he had been ruminating upon it for the past few days.

Again and again, he had been asking himself whether he should take the risk and just go talk to the Queen without Drakos. After all, he had promised her a visit, and she wasn't aware that he wasn't just a normal King.

Finally, after being reminded of the last time when he had decided to play safe, Daneel decided that just a visit, where he would try to unearth things discreetly with just the system, wouldn't be too much of a life-threatening risk.

So, acting decisively, he sent a message to the Queen, who replied right away with much enthusiasm, which did seem a bit suspicious.

Still, pushing that suspicion aside while humorously thinking that she probably just wanted to meet him again so eagerly because she missed him, Daneel gave the orders to publicize the visit, as he wanted to give himself as many methods of safety as possible.

Drakos just told him to be careful, before entering his stone pedestral again.

So, the next day, Daneel found himself at the border of the Kingdom of Arafell, where he had turned back due to that shocking discovery just a few days ago.

Taking a deep breath, he readied himself to finally pry into the mysteries that surrounded this Kingdom of Giants.

....

Final details of contest:

Theme: WDS Spinoff - can be anything related to the events/characters of this book

Submission: Mail to worlddominationsystem@gmail.com

Last Date: 30th March 2019

Prizes: 1200 SS

Minimum Word Count: 500

Method of deciding winner: Voting

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments!

Chapter 512: Visiting Arafell

With the booming of large drums which was so loud that it felt as if the earth, itself, was shaking, a large retinue made its way towards Daneel.

He had chosen a simple 2-row formation of soldiers, with a small, newly added unit at the back.

It was the elves, who had already begun their integration into his army.

These elves, in particular, were the elite ones who were usually in charge of protecting the Queen. Yet, Katerina had insisted that he should take a part of them, as he currently had almost no mages to field.

So, Daneel had obliged, and he had also been quite happy on seeing the graceful attitude of the elves, who seemed genuinely happy even if they were powerful members of their species who were being commanded by him.

The Queen of Arafell, on the other hand, seemed to have chosen quite the method of pomp.

There was a large, open palanquin which was floating in the air, with two long lines of giants who each stood 8 feet tall banging the drums which had been hung around their necks.

They had proud, smiling expressions on their faces, as if they were truly happy that they could be a part of this retinue.

The rest of the procession consisted of artfully dressed humans, who were all mages, which was indicated by the fact that they periodically raised their hands and made flower-like magic structures appear on the large carpet above which the palanquin that held the Queen was floating.

As for the Queen, she was dressed in a dazzling pink dress that once again exposed her perfect curves while leaving little to imagination. Still, somehow, it only dangerously teetered on the line between decency and indecency, even though the dress looked like it would tear if the Queen breathed too much.

Her features were as extraordinary as he remembered, and her luscious lips glistened in the sun, almost as if she was wearing lipstick, a product he had never seen on Angaria.

This time, he wasn't that weak Mage who had almost fallen prey to the Queen's bewitching spell which would make anyone gazing at her feel attracted and attached to this breathtaking woman. In fact, Daneel guessed that a normal human might even agree to throw away his life at a moment's notice if he asked.

He was a Peak Warrior now, so even though the Queen didn't appear to be using that spell right now, he knew that he could have resisted without the system's help if she even thought it.

Her dress also had a cape, which was held by two rows of women behind her.

As soon as she laid her eyes on the King, she broke out into a pure smile which made Daneel's heartbeat quicken slightly.

Yes, this was definitely one of the most stunning women he had ever seen, even if he counted all the supermodels and actresses he had seen back on Earth.

When her procession neared the massive gate that was on the border of the Kingdom of Arafell, it slowed before finally coming to a halt.

Soon, the drumming stopped, causing silence to befall this area.

The walls weren't as tall or strong as those of Lanthanor, but Daneel knew that the Queen didn't need them. No, with that Hero-level formation available to her, no wall was needed at all.

"Welcome, King Daneel, to my humble Kingdom! Arafell is graced by your presence! The last time a King from Lanthanor visited us, he was gifted a Warrior level weapon. However, you are a Peak Warrior! Hence, I have decided to break the rules and give you one of our most precious weapons. Bos?"

Daneel felt quite shocked when he heard this statement from the Queen.

Ever since he had arrived on Angaria, he had noticed something: weapons weren't as valued here as he had read in all of those novels back on Earth. Even though there were a lot of weapons for specific levels which worked in such a way that only those at the corresponding level could wield the weapon to its full potential, he had seen few who truly showed astonishing power while wielding an inanimate object.

In his view, he had felt that it was because an inanimate object would pale against the creative, mind-bending constructs that a skilled mage could whip up to aid them in battle.

So, weapons were reduced to objects which were most appealing to Fighters, but again, although they would be effective against other Fighters, Mages would be able to kill them from a long distance away before any weapon could reach them.

Only Archery was effective, but even that could be nullified using barriers.

Yet, he had heard mention that a proper weapon made by the legendary weaponsmiths of Arafell using the exclusive techniques passed down for generations was capable of substantially increasing a Fighter's strength.

Only, Daneel hadn't seen many fights yet where weapons figured into the equation substantially. Of course, during the Olympics, it had been different as the rules stated that only standard items could be used.

He had already examined the Warrior level sword given by Bos when he had become King, but he had found it to be limiting when compared to a flaming sword which he could conjure.

So, Daneel was pretty excited to see whether a Peak Warrior level weapon would be any different.

Also, he was pretty surprised that the Queen was doing something so momentous, as this was the highest level of weapon that they could make. It was rumored that the failure rate was very high, so, limited numbers of these weapons existed, which weren't even sold unless there were special circumstances.

Bos, the familiar giant who had made the trip to Lanthanor back when Daneel had become King, walked forward and whipped out a strange weapon that made Daneel raise his eyebrows.

It…looked like a trident, but it was more unique than any trident Daneel had ever seen in his life.

The 'trident' part was normal- it included a three-pronged end to the weapon, with the center prong sticking out farther than the rest. Silver in color, the three tips glinted in the light, making it clear that they would cut through anything that stood in their path.

The strange thing was that it almost looked as if two long swords, which ran along the length of the body of the Trident had been attached to it.

At the top of the bottom where the prongs ended and the bottom, these blades seamlessly attached themselves to the central staff using bent blades.

In other words, there was a space in the middle where the staff of the trident could still be grasped, but on both sides of where one's hand would be, there were single-edged swords that shone dangerously.

The angular connections and the blades, together, formed a 6-sided prism that was actually quite impressive to look at.

It was definitely a unique weapon, but what was its purpose?

"Behold the 'Dual-Blade Trident', King Daneel. You might now know that we Arafellians are not just weaponsmiths. We are also weapon designers. This is the weapon I wanted to show off during the Olympics. It is our latest creation: an offensive and defensive weapon which can switch between its present form and a bow. Bos?"

Hearing himself called, the gentle giant smiled wide before pressing something hidden on the 5-foot tall trident.

Twang!

A bowstring appeared from inside on the staff area of the trident.

Whipping out an arrow, Bos slammed the bottom half of the trident into the ground before affixing the end of the arrow to the bowstring.

As he pulled back, strangely, the entire staff of the trident bent.

Boom!

The arrow, itself, had been 3 feet long, but it looked normal in the giant's hands. As soon as Bos released its end, it shot forward with a loud sound and collided with the stone wall, leaving behind a solid indentation even though the giant hadn't used much force.

Grinning on seeing the result, Bos pressed that mechanism again, which made the bowstring disappear. Picking up the trident using the staff area in the middle, the giant which had seemed as if it was just a dumb being moved like an expert, hacking and slashing with the two blades in the air while using the three points for stabbing attacks that would rend any opponent in two.

Watching this, even the soldiers in Daneel's retinue gasped silently on seeing just how useful it was.

"The bowstring is made of a special material we designed which becomes rigid when it is stretched too much. When it is inside the staff, it is stretched, lending stability to the trident. When it is exposed, it becomes tensile, allowing an expert archer to use it like a longbow. This is a perfect weapon for both long range and short range. Although this particular one was made out of materials which make it suitable to be used by a Peak Warrior, I think that it will be very suitable for the armies of the continent when mass produced. Besides, it can even be compressed into a foot-long baton. What do you say, King Daneel? Do you agree?"

Oh.

So that was the case.

Daneel had thought that this was some display of R&D capabilities, but hearing the last sentence, he realized that it was…a pitch.

The Queen was pitching her product to him in an attempt to make him buy it to outfit his army.

Why…did he feel like he had become some sort of unwitting Venture Capitalist who was being pitched to?

Shaking his head slightly to get rid of his weird thoughts, Daneel smiled slightly and said, "Definitely impressive, Queen Arafell. I'll definitely give it some thought."

Although the Queen's expression remained unchanged on hearing this, a large smile lit up Bos's face. On seeing this, Daneel wondered if the Queen was even trying to guilt him into making the deal, as it really did feel like it would be such a pity to ruin an exceptionally innocent smile like this one.

"Of course, of course. Come on in! Why have you stopped at the border, itself? We are allies!"

Right. As if you didn't want me to stop here so that you could make that pompous grand display and showcase your weapon.

Daneel didn't say anything. He just folded his hands and walked forward, following which a white-clothed mage walked out of the procession and came near him.

When he was halted by the soldiers who were standing in a square formation around Daneel, the Mage bowed slightly and said, "Follow the mark I leave behind when I teleport," before disappearing on the spot.

Turning to the elf unit and indicating them to follow, Daneel disappeared, too, following which only the Fighters were left behind. All of his trusty commanders had had jobs assigned to them for the upcoming launch of the next phase of the Network of Angaria, so he had brought no one along. Also, he had no intention to put them at risk.

Daneel directly reappeared inside a large hall, and as he looked around, he saw that it was the Royal Court.

There was a giant-sized Throne on one end, while two giants clad in metallic armor with visors covering their faces were standing on both sides of it.

All around, there were chairs, making it look like a typical Court except for the fact that a lot of the chairs were also giant-sized.

This was definitely quite unorthodox- leaving open such an important spot in a way that anyone could teleport in.

Turning to the Throne, Daneel saw that Queen Arafell had just appeared on the raised platform there.

His 50 elf strong team appeared next, but they were asked to wait outside. With a gesture, the two giants also left, leaving the Queen and Daneel alone.

Daneel was about to say something, but a startling change appeared in the Queen in the silence which made him stare at her while his jaw dropped.

Her shoulders which had been slightly slumped to make her appear demure straightened and her more or less innocent expression was replaced by one of wisdom.

Her eyes were most apparent. Previously, they had been blue, but now, they changed into a very distinct red.

Opening her mouth, she said something that made Daneel's heart begin to thunder in his chest.

"Now that we're alone, it's time I reintroduce myself. I am Queen Arafell: the original Queen that served under the Emperor as the Warrior Queen who led his armies. Ever since the beginning of this Kingdom, I've been the Queen. Oh, my body might change, but as you must know, my name doesn't. I couldn't give a clearer clue for those who wanted to look! Now, I don't know whether you've met my old friend or not, but regardless, I have a proposition for you that I need you to consider very carefully. The Church is coming to kill us all, and I consider it my goal to fulfill the duty which we were made for. I intend to protect this continent he loved so much. I don't know how many other Spirits are left without losing their sanity, but I cannot depend on them. For the good of Angaria, to help me save it, you must ally with me, and swear allegiance by bending the knee. I will not force you in any way. But I want you to listen, and agree. Millions of lives are at stake, and I am the best chance they have for their survival. If you truly love your people, you will put aside your pride and kneel."

Chapter 513: The Queen Speaks

For a few seconds, Daneel just stood there, unable to believe what he had just heard.

First of all, he had gotten this slight suspicion after reflecting on the fact that the name of the Queen didn't change no matter how many times the actual Queen changed.

From this, one could understand that it meant that although the body might change, the Queen remained the same.

Yet, from everything he knew about Empire Spirits so far, Daneel had concluded that this must be impossible, as it wouldn't make sense for a spirit which was capable of this to just sit quietly in its Kingdom and not try to rule the continent.

After all, it was an established fact that each Empire Spirit had enough ability to stomp over the Big 4 and become the Supreme Ruler. The Black Raven Empire Spirit and Dinora would both have accomplished this easily if they had been given a chance to fully possess someone.

Yet, he was supposed to believe that this spirit only had good intentions?

Fat chance.

There was no way in hell that Daneel would trust any Empire Spirit other than Drakos.

On seeing the expression on Daneel's face, Queen Arafell sighed.

"You aren't as shocked as I imagined you might be. This means that through some means or the other, you are already aware of Empire Spirits. Maybe you found out after your foray in Eldinor. Or maybe that cute Dragon has already formed a bond with you. I don't know, and I won't ask. You must be wondering how it's possible for me to be sane when so many Spirits have gone insane, right? Let me explain."

Saying so, the Queen first stepped down from the raised platform on which she had been standing on that contained the Throne.

Daneel looked at her with caution, but she only smiled slightly at him and conjured two chairs before sitting in one.

"Sit. Although I ask you to bend the knee, I have no intention of demeaning you in any way. Even though I am a few millennia older than you, I consider you my equal because I am truly impressed by all of your feats. Sit."

Not bothering to hide the hesitation on his face, Daneel took a seat and waited for her to talk.

He would wait and listen to everything she had to say before forming any conclusion.

"Good. First of all, yes, it is true that Empire Spirits which have gone insane seek to fully possess bodies so that they can rule over the continent. However, in their insanity, they forget something. Would you fancy some wine?"

As Daneel watched, the Queen made a bottle of wine that was placed in a cupboard in the corner of the room float to her along with two crystal glasses.

Holding it in her hand, she opened it and started to pour it into the glass in front of Daneel.

Yet, even when it became full, she continued pouring, causing the wine to overflow and fall on the table that she had conjured.

"When something which is larger than a vessel seeks to enter that vessel, things might look fine in the beginning, but the truth is that eventually, the vessel will burst as it cannot hold on any longer. That bursting won't be as peaceful as this wine overflowing. After all, it is a Hero level consciousness which is trying to enter the weak mind of a Warrior, at most. After the vessel bursts, the consciousness will have no choice but to return to the corporeal body, or find a new vessel. You already know that finding another vessel is no piece of cake. You might wonder why I'm telling you this. It is to first let you know that I am not fully possessing this body. No, it is a voluntary partial possession. Priscilla is the name of the woman whom this body belongs to. Here, she wants to say hi. Oh, and, by the way, she thought you were quite handsome the first time she saw you during those games of yours."

Daneel gulped with surprise when he heard the last part.

Yet, what happened next made him cough and look to the side.

Right after the last word exited the Queen's mouth, her posture changed again.

She had been sitting straight up with the confidence of someone who had the world in their hands, but now, her shoulders slumped forward and a beautiful, breathtaking blush appeared on her face.

Demurely shooting a glance at Daneel, the Queen, or, Priscilla, said, "Th-The Queen has a sense of humor. Hello, K-King Daneel. Nice to meet you."

She looked so pretty when she blushed that Daneel was sure that if anyone from Earth who didn't have the mental fortitude he had obtained from training to his present level was here, they would definitely be falling head over heels in love with her.

Yes, this was clearly a voluntary possession, just like the way Drakos had entered his mind.

This made the suspicion he had of this Empire Spirit decrease slightly, as it at least meant that she wasn't some vile being who was forcefully controlling woman after woman to do her bidding over the years.

As the posture switched back and the Queen returned, a tinkling, mature laugh sounded in the room, which was definitely something that would never have come out of the mouth of the woman who had just blushed on seeing him.

To get rid of the slight blush on his own face, Daneel reached for the glass of wine and took a sip.

Mimicking him, the Queen said, "Now that that's established, let me come to the main point. The kneeling part. Look, King Daneel. I'll be frank with you."

The amusement left her face, and was replaced by that same deadly seriousness as before when she had implored him from atop that platform.

Sharpening his eyes, Daneel leaned forward, too.

"The Emperor used a very unique method to make sure that whoever obtained the Grand Inheritance that he left behind, they would be someone worthy who truly cared about the people, instead of someone who might want to use it for their own gains. You are already familiar with it. Satisfaction level. Although there are some exceptions, for the most part, we Empire Spirits are bound in the matter of how much information and knowledge we can reveal by this satisfaction level."

Daneel didn't show any signs outside, but he nodded inwardly. Indeed, this satisfaction level played a major role.

"My goal is simple, King Daneel. I wish to assemble all the parts of the Grand Inheritance and lead the charge against the Church. I believe that there is no one more qualified than me for this purpose. I was the one who fought war after war under the Emperor's orders. There is no one more knowledgeable than me about the various ways in which Fighters and Mages can be deployed to maximum effect. If the Grand Inheritance is also in my hands, I can guarantee that I will be able to beat back the Church to whatever hole they crawled out from with minimal casualties in even the Central Continent."

This sounded like another pitch, but it was a bold one, for sure.

Basically, the Queen was claiming that she could help Angaria win the war single-handedly.

Daneel just waited for the catch. In matters like these, there was always a catch.

He was right.

"But there is a problem. The Grand Inheritance needs to be assembled first. The parts of the Grand Inheritance were made in such a way that if more than one pair is together, they will give off a detectable signature. This can be hidden if there are only two pairs, but the more pairs there are, the more it gets difficult to hide them. Also, the one who manages to obtain more than 7 pairs will be able to detect the rest, no matter how deeply they are hidden. This was a mechanism put in place to make sure that someone wouldn't try to hide away one pair just because they do not want the Grand Inheritance to be completed. Assuming you have broken the first seal, you would have learned of this if you broke the second one."

Speaking until here, the Queen placed her hand near her waist, where a hidden pocket came into being.

From it, she took out 4 pieces.

Seeing them, Daneel fought hard to stay calm, but the shock was already pervading his mind.

These were…two pairs of the Grand Inheritance!

Placing them casually on the table as if they were nothing, the Queen said, "I have two parts, and I need to assemble the rest. I only found these two parts after searching discreetly for centuries. However, the time of the invasion approaches, so I no longer have the luxury of dallying in this duty of mine. The bad news is that all of the parts are scattered. The King of Axelor has two parts, and I suspect that he is letting them be detected because he laid a trap for whoever goes to retrieve them. As for the rest, I have no idea about their location."

Hearing this, Daneel heaved a sigh of relief.

He had left behind the part of the Grand Inheritance he found in the Energy Generator with Dinora in Eldinor itself in a very safe place, which meant that the part that was there in Lanthanor also stayed secret. If he had hoarded them both without having the concealment spell, which was also apparently locked behind the second seal, he might have faced invasion from this Warrior lady by now.

Sighing, she continued.

"There is good news, though. There is a spell which is locked behind the last seal that would allow me to detect the rest of the parts even if I only have 4 of them. Also, I know the Empire Spirit who is in Axelor. He was my Vice Commander, and no one understands him better than me. I know the trap he must have laid, so I am confident that I can evade it and snatch those two parts using another spell locked behind the last seal. Alas, the satisfaction level required for this seal is just too high. The Giants in this Kingdom follow me wholeheartedly, but although it looks that way on the surface, the same cannot be said about the humans. This…brings me to the kneeling part."

Putting down the glass of wine, the Queen looked straight into Daneel's eyes as she uttered the last part of her speech.

"There is a loophole in the bindings placed by the Emperor. When measuring satisfaction level, the level needed goes down the more people there are. If you have broken the first seal, then I bet that you are very close to breaking the second because you allied with Eldinor. Yes, alliances are the method to make the number of people increase! But, the alliance needs to be headed by one person. You command Lanthanor and Eldinor. If you bend your knee to me, I will be in command of three Kingdoms, which should be enough for me to break the last seal. When I do, I will use the spells that lie there to assemble the parts of the Grand Inheritance and beat back the Church. King Daneel, this is a sure fire way of saving the continent. In case you are in the Race and are someone who also aspires to save the continent like me, then I urge you to choose this option. Whatever other methods you try will never have as much guarantee of success as this one. It is your choice. You can either choose a method where you have to kneel but by doing so, you will be ensuring the continued lives of millions of Angarians. Or, you could try to continue on whatever path you are following, thereby placing all those lives at risk. Please consider this carefully."

Hearing her phrase it in that way, a tiny seedling of doubt took root in Daneel's solid intention to not trust the Queen.

What if…she was right?

Would he be willing to bend the knee if it meant that he would definitely be accomplishing what he had set out to do in the first place?

Before Daneel even began thinking about everything she had just said, a question appeared to him.

Without hesitating, he asked.

"Why do you consider it your duty? Why do you want to save the continent so much? Why do you want to save what the Emperor 'loved so much' with so much passion?"

The question seemed to throw off the Queen, but she answered after taking a moment.

"Because…I loved him. He never loved me back, but I loved him with all my heart. Now, even though he is gone, I wish for his wishes to be fulfilled. I wish for Angaria…to be saved."

....

Final details of contest:

Theme: WDS Spinoff - can be anything related to the events/characters of this book

Submission: Mail to worlddominationsystem@gmail.com

Last Date: 30th March 2019

Prizes: 1200 SS

Minimum Word Count: 500

Method of deciding winner: Voting

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments!

Chapter 514: Decision

Whoa…that came out of nowhere.

Quite taken aback, Daneel had to take a moment to gather his thoughts while the Queen looked down for the first time since he had come here.

That confident woman who was ready to rule the world was gone, replaced by one who had her heart broken millions of years back but was still pining after the man whom she had loved.

Wait…why did she seem a bit like Eloise?

Shaking his head to get rid of that thought, Daneel focused on the matter at hand.

Her reason was definitely something that would lead one to want to save Angaria. Daneel was mostly basing his supposition on the movies he had seen back on Earth, where endless love, even after death was a thing.

He assumed that that was what was going on here.

Yet, even though he could give her the benefit of the doubt in the motivation department, the rest had a bit too many incongruities.

For example, the Grand Inheritance itself.

From all the clues that Daneel was able to piece together regarding it, he understood a few things.

For instance, the Emperor's action of letting the Grand Inheritance be possessed by only those who had a satisfaction level definitely wasn't some arbitrary test.

He had seen what had happened to the man during the apocalypse-type event that had resulted in the fall of the Empire. From that, Daneel could guess that there was some danger in that Inheritance, just like with the Ruler's Inheritance where one could go crazy and lose their identity if they allowed too many thoughts to enter their head.

As for the link between the core formations and the Empire Spirits needing satisfaction level to have their seals broken, Daneel had already gotten an answer regarding that from Drakos.

Apparently, he was a special case.

Typically, one would have to break at least the second seal in order to obtain a spell that would allow them to unlock the core formations of their Kingdoms.

After all, not everyone could have a Peak Champion level system that could just easily unlock the cores and let them obtain the parts of the Grand Inheritance.

So…everything was linked to satisfaction level. The Grand Inheritance, the techniques the Empire Spirits could give, the cause behind the fall of the Empire…Daneel suspected that all of these were linked.

Hence, it just wouldn't make sense for the Queen to find a 'loophole' like this.

Besides, from what she was saying, she had worked with the Emperor closely. So, she should know about all these things. Yet, she was pushing this agenda of 'saving Angaria' toward him in order to guilt him into kneeling.

Yes!

That was definitely how it felt like.

Also, she reminded him of Ashahell quite a bit.

That man, too, was so righteous in his cause, but the reasoning behind it was something twisted and horrific.

What was to say that that wasn't the case here?

The Queen had regained her composure, and she was sipping wine while waiting for a response from Daneel.

Daneel took his time. Yes, through various clues, he had found a clue that she might be duplicitous, but he had to be sure.

After all, the stakes were abnormally high.

If he refused now and later on caused the deaths of many more people than was necessary, he would never be able to forgive himself.

There was one more thing.

Why…didn't the Emperor just give the Empire Spirits the power to rise up and save Angaria by themselves when it was needed?

Why were there so many steps and failsafes to make sure that that wouldn't happen?

And finally, why had he insisted on this Race which was obviously designed to be won by a human from the present Age?

Daneel pondered deeply about this matter. Something told him that there was another clue here.

The Emperor must definitely have had some objective to want to make sure that Empire Spirits would only be an aid. He had wanted the living humans to be center stage…but why?

Oh, how he wished he could have a chat with Drakos right now.

He had thought that the system might be enough to help him no matter what dilemma he fell in, but he couldn't have expected that this would be the sort of situation he would be in.

The only thing the system could do to help now was maybe cast Mind Control on the Queen, which obviously wouldn't work because of her power.

[System has detected traces of a Hero-level spell similar to the one used on host during host's first interaction with target 'Queen Arafell'. These traces were found on the giants that host encountered so far. System was only able to detect this due to prolonged exposure to Hero-level spells.]

What?!

It was almost as if the system had spoken out at this moment after detecting the fact that he had just called it useless.

Well, regardless, this changed everything.

The Queen was using some sort of spell to exert dominance over an entire race!

However Daneel imagined it, he couldn't think that this was something good.

She seemed to have practically…taken away their free will!

Free will was something that was supposed to have been given by God to all living beings.

Wait…God!

A God complex!

As the gears in Daneel's head turned, he got the clue about why the Emperor might not have wanted Empire Spirits to be center stage in the activity of saving Angaria.

It was their God Complexes!

Except Drakos…No, in fact, even Drakos had one to some degree. It was only his innocence that covered it up.

All the Empire Spirits he had met so far considered normal humans to be insects.

In fact, in that first speech of hers, the Queen had also spoken about it as if she was doing some big favor to the continent.

She said nothing to that effect, but now, Daneel realized that something about her tone or posture definitely gave him this impression.

All in all…what if there was some flaw in all those chosen as Empire Spirits which resulted in the Emperor not wanting them to be the ones who lead the charge against the enemies of Angaria?

This supposition definitely seemed to have quite some merit to it.

Besides, as Daneel thought about it, he realized that there was one last catch here.

True, if he ended up not kneeling now, there was a risk that a lot more people than what he could have saved might end up dying.

Yet…if he did kneel, and if the Queen turned out to have ulterior motives, then all of Angaria would definitely be doomed.

That…seemed like a much greater risk.

Especially when there were these many worrying factors about the Queen's claims.

Clearly, in her way of phrasing, she had been hoping that he would only look at things in the way she was showing them.

Yet, this facet changed everything.

Daneel hadn't even gotten to the part where he should think about whether he would be willing to kneel in case everything she said was true.

According to the system, his destiny was to become a World Dominator. Was a World Dominator someone who would bend the knee and allow others to take the helm?

Definitely not.

For a moment, Daneel looked back at everything he had accomplished.

Hey, his track record wasn't perfect, but anyone would have to admit that he was getting better and better.

At this moment, Daneel realized that he should have more confidence in himself.

Just because someone claimed that she wanted to save Angaria and that she was best equipped to do so because of her experience, it didn't mean that he had to get doubt in himself.

After all, on the surface, he hadn't done much. Yet, in reality, all of his schemes and plans combined would definitely give him a sizeable wealth of experience to call on.

Where there had been turbid confusion before, clarity returned to his eyes, which made the watching Queen understand that he had reached a decision.

Yes, in the last moment before his deep foray into logical reasoning had ended, Daneel had come up with one, final question.

And that question had led him to form a small plan.

"What have you decided, King Daneel? I hope you considered everything while keeping the good of the continent in your mind."

"System, stay prepared to capture her micro-expressions. I want to know every reaction she has to what I am about to say."

[Affirmative.]

Picking up the crystal glass and swirling the wine inside, Daneel took a leisurely sip and spoke after furrowing his eyebrows, as if there was something bothering him.

"Queen, I had a small query."

"Of course. Anything. Ask away."

Taking a deep breath, Daneel spoke.

"On the way over, near the border, I ran into two of your human citizens. They had some very…glowing praises about you. My question is regarding what you would say about those praises."

"I don't see the relevance of this when there are millions of lives at stake, but, please, carry on, ask. I would be happy to answer."

"They said that the Queen is an uptight bitch who only knows how to sit in the Palace, and that she's done nothing whatsoever for the welfare of the people."

"…"

Silence.

The Queen's expression hardened, but Daneel wasn't able to detect any micro-expressions by himself. He was looking for these micro-expressions because he knew that the first true, honest reaction from someone regarding something would be reflected in them, and not in whatever reaction they had after that, as the latter could just be acting.

He could have used the Basilisk's Breath to analyze the same thing, but Daneel had decided not to do so as he couldn't risk it being detected by the Queen.

[Microexpressions detected and segregated. Would host like them to be displayed in the Heads Up Display?]

Oh, yes, he had a heads up display which he hadn't used in a long time. Thinking about it, Daneel surmised that this might be best, as it was most preferable if he analyzed the expression himself.

As soon as he said 'Yes' to the system, three faces appeared in three directions in front of him.

He started from the left. The first face showed shock in the Queen's face, as Daneel had purposefully called them 'praises' to lull her into a false sense of pride.

The middle one had anger, and maybe even fury.

Well, that was a bit unusual, but many rulers would feel angry if someone talked about them in that way.

Yet, the last…was what Daneel had been looking for. Gazing at it, he made his final decision.

This last face depicted…disgust. The disgust that could be seen in the face of an Earthling kid before he stepped down on and destroyed an ant colony, just because one dared to climb up his hand and disturb him.

Could someone who didn't love and value the people of this continent, no matter how they were, ever hope to keep its best interests at heart and save it?

If it was just this matter, then it would be different.

But with everything combined together…there wasn't a chance in hell that Daneel would choose to kneel.

He didn't even listen to her answer, and as he asked the system, he found that she had said something along the lines of there always being detractors who could never be satisfied.

Seeing her expectant eyes, Daneel put down the glass and stood up.

"The answer is no, Queen Arafell. I cannot give you my reasons, but my answer will not change. Good luck with the Race."

Hearing this, the Queen's eyes popped, while her jaw almost hung open.

Standing up, Daneel took decisive strides toward the door. All the while, he waited for an attack or some attempt to stop him, but nothing came.

His straight back showed the confidence he had in himself, and that, more than anything, made the Queen understand that he wouldn't change his decision.

Still, right before he reached the door, she said, "You're making a big mistake, King Daneel."

This made Daneel turn around, with the door right behind him.

Folding his hands behind his back, he asked, "Maybe. By the way, if I give you the same reasons and ask you to kneel, would you? I already have two Kingdoms, and I am much more capable than what you think. I'm confident that I can save Angaria. If you kneel, you will be fulfilling your wish, too. So, what do you say? Would you, an Empire Spirit, kneel to a mortal?"

This time, Daneel didn't even need the system.

That last sentence made an expression of consternation appear on the Queen's face, while she chose to say nothing.

Her answer was clear.

Not a chance.

"I thought so. If you change your mind, please do not hesitate to contact me. See you later, then. I've got two Kingdoms to run."

Saying the last sentence just because he felt like rubbing it in her face for some reason, Daneel opened the door behind him and exited before hastily closing it.

He must have appeared quite grand when he boldly walked away, but now, a small sheen of sweat appeared on his face while he began to run in the direction of his soldiers with all of his regal nature gone.

Yet, it would definitely be dumb to stay here even a second longer when there was a super-infuriated Hero-level Queen right behind those doors.

Chapter 515: Escape

As soon as Daneel took a few steps toward the room in which he had left those elves, he heard a loud sound from inside the Throne Room which meant that he was right.

Yeah…she was definitely very pissed.

'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'

Even though it didn't really apply, this phrase popped into Daneel's mind while he increased his pace and ran frantically.

"System, is there a way to break the space-lock formation here by using a spell which is only at the Peak Warrior level?"

He had no intention whatsoever of giving away any secrets about himself, so Daneel didn't want to use anything above his power level.

[Affirmative. A simpler version of a Hero-level spell that was examined can be used. The space-lock formation…]

"No time for that! Just prepare to use it!"

He could tell that the system was about to launch into some explanation about why that spell could be used, but Daneel had no intention of sitting around and listening. It was a given that the Queen must be in full control of her formation, so it was pretty surprising that this was even possible. Still, Daneel had no time to ask any questions, as, for all he knew, she might already have teleported ahead to kill his soldiers.

Such a bloodthirsty move would definitely change her image on the continent, so there was a chance that she might not choose to do that. Still, Daneel wasn't willing to take any chances. All he wanted was to get the hell out of this crazy b*tch's Kingdom.

Right now, he even felt like kicking himself for coming here, even though it had resulted in him finding out some very crucial information.

Not two seconds after his quick exit from the Throne Room, Daneel reached the waiting room where his squadron of Mages were waiting.

Yet, to his horror, he found that the Queen was already here.

She smiled at him, but thankfully, the elves were fine. In fact, they had just begun the process of slightly bending their heads to show respect to the ruler of a Kingdom.

The Queen's 'kind and noble' image was gone. All Daneel saw now was a vengeful woman who wanted to kill his soldiers and probably even him because he didn't want to kneel to her.

She didn't give any indication of that on her face, but this was the vibe he was getting from her. It was oh, so negative, and actually, pretty deadly, too.

"Queen! I didn't fancy that I would see you here. I'm afraid there's an emergency in my Kingdom. I really need to leave. Soldiers, gather in ranks."

Hearing this, the elves quickly returned to a tight-knit formation, but the Queen just stood at the other end of the room, behind the soldiers while looking at him with an indiscernible expression on her face.

Yes…she was definitely controlling her fury.

Wait…why was she doing that?

Looking around, Daneel noticed that there were quite a few Arafellians here. Humans and Giants were both present, and it looked like they had all come here to offer refreshments to the soldiers, as they were the hosts.

So…the Queen didn't want to ruin her image?

Yes! For the satisfaction level to be high, her image must be something that she valued highly, as an impressive one would mean that more people might be willing to follow her.

The next second, Daneel's suspicion got confirmed.

Starting to walk toward the door, the Queen spoke.

"Oh? Then I'll help you to teleport myself. Fellow Arafellians, please leave the room. I have something important to tell the King before he departs."

Seeing nothing amiss, the giants and the humans started to make their way outward, while Daneel took the opportunity to inch closer to his soldiers.

He had already formed a plan in his mind, so all that was left was to wait for an opportunity.

By the time all of the servants and guards left, Daneel had reached the head of the unit of soldiers.

With a broad smile that looked like it was filled with evil intentions, the Queen said, "I'll see where you go to, now. I guess I was too light-handed in my convincing. Allow me to be more firm."

Saying this in a way that only Daneel could hear it, the Queen turned around to close the door.

Whoosh!

"Maybe next time. Like I already said, I'm much more capable than you might think. Contact me if you wish to kneel, I'll drop by at any time. But, for now, goodbye!"

A bold voice reverberated in the room, and although the Queen instantly turned around, there was nothing but empty space left.

The King of Lanthanor had disappeared, along with his soldiers.

First, wrath mixed with frustration appeared on her face, but it was followed by a small smile.

She had kept her space-locking formation at the relatively low, Peak Champion level so that she wouldn't arouse suspicion in the Big 4. Clearly, that had worked againt her.

Still, she had obtained valuable information herself. She knew that the inheritance the King of Lanthanor had obtained was either atleast at the Peak Champion level, or that he had, indeed, formed a bond with Drakos and accepted a few simple spells from him.

Either way, he was right: she had definitely been underestimating him.

Even if he left now, where could he go? There was no method to leave the continent, so there was practically nowhere he could hide.

So, although the Queen was thoroughly angered, she didn't resort to any drastic measures such as an open chase which would draw the kind of attention she had been avoiding for the past few millenia.

Still, the valorous back of the King appeared in her mind, along with the memory of that moment when he had firmly answered.

Fixing that image, the Queen smiled to herself, and if Daneel were here, his skin would definitely have crawled on seeing this smile.

Yet, after a few moments, her anger subsided, following which the smile disappeared and was replaced by one of utter seriousness.

And along with that seriousness…came worry- the same worry that had shone on her face when she spoke about saving Angaria.

Turning around, she left the room, following which the sound of something turning into dust echoed in the emptiness.

…

Back in his retinue that was quickly heading back to his Kingdom, Daneel was viewing a small display trinket in his hand.

Yes, in fact, he had been watching.

Recently, he had figured out one thing: if he was discreet enough, he had realized that he could hide trinkets effectively, especially in cases where the one he was hiding them from was merely a Warrior.

Daneel had taken a gamble before leaving. He had suspected that even if the Queen was lying about a lot of things, it was possible that she wasn't lying about the temporary possession.

According to the system, there was data in the journals he had collected in the Sect of Hedon about consciousnesses which were too big for a body causing that body to burst.

So, if that was the case, a voluntary possession wouldn't give the possessor the senses which belonged to someone at their level.

All a voluntary possessor could do was cast spells of their level with the limited Energy available, while controlling the body. Yet, because it wasn't a full possession, they wouldn't be able to access all of their powers. Their senses, for instance, might be dulled.

So, the gamble was to hide a tiny communication eye there which through which he would be able to assess the reaction of the Queen and decide whether she was truly crazy or not.

However, with frustration, Daneel realized that the results were once again inconclusive.

Although it had looked as if she was angry, but then genuinely worried about the continent, he wasn't sure whether she had detected the communication eye and was acting.

So…all he knew was that she had two pairs, and that her plan was to break the last seal somehow so that she could have access to spells that would allow her to win the Race.

Oh, and there was one last thing: there was no way in hell that he would kneel to her.

As for repercussions that might occur because of the fact that the two of them fallen apart, Daneel wasn't too worried about them.

If the Queen of Arafell was capable of moving ruthlessly and doing whatever she wanted, she would have done so long ago.

Something was stopping her from doing that. And that something would also stop her from taking revenge on Lanthanor, if she had that idea at all.

Still, he would definitely have to keep an eye on her. If there was even the tiniest clue that Arafell might move, then he had to be alert in order to counter it.

But first, he needed to have a talk with Drakos.

After carefully watching his back multiple times during the trip, Daneel relaxed on seeing that the Queen wasn't going to pursue.

Something about her had just given him the feeling that she might be someone who holds grudges, so, he had decided to be safe, rather than sorry.

It was only after reaching the safe border of Lanthanor did Daneel feel completely safe. Heading to the Palace, Daneel immediately made his way to the room above the library.

"Drakos, get in here."

Saying this as soon as he touched the pedestal, Daneel waited as the Ancient Dragon separated his consciousness and entered his mind again.

Even before he had a chance to say anything, Daneel spoke.

"All right, what's the deal with the Empire Spirit over there?"

Beginning with this, he went over the details of their discussion, following which there was silence from Drakos.

What was wrong with this guy?

It was only after a minute or so that the Dragon finally replied.

"Young King…this is troubling news. The Emperor warned us all against this. He said that if we try to rise to the top instead of following the path he set for us, it might result in another catastrophe like the one that brought down the Empire. He never said that it would definitely happen, but it is definitely possible. I believe…that you made the right decision, Young King. I think she should be stopped."

Hearing this made Daneel sigh with relief. Well, he had at least been right about something. The Emperor did want those of this Age to be the ones who saved the continent.

"Don't worry, she isn't going anywhere in order to be stopped. For whatever reason, she's acting very cautiously. Is it true that she was the commander? And that she loved your father?"

"Err…I don't know. They did spend a considerable amount of time alone, but I never heard Father mention her in a special manner. But she was the commander. She was an expert in troop deployment, and, in fact, she was the one who taught my Father military tactics in the first place. Before that, my Father was only focused on building his own power."

Well…if it was a one-sided love story, this answer from Drakos would make sense.

Sighing, Daneel prepared to momentarily put this matter to the side after ensuring that the number of people tracking Arafell's movements was increased.

Without understanding her weakness clearly, Daneel had no intention of making any moves against her. Besides, this was a very important time for him.

Shaking his head, he was just about to throw himself into the preparations for the launch of the next phase of the Network of Angaria, but he paused when he saw something flashing in the corner of the room.

The flashing was from the table which held the communication trinkets of all the Kingdoms in Angaria he was in contact with. Of course, among them, there was also one which would allow him to directly contact the Queen of Arafell.

Right now, that was the one which was flashing.

After hesitating for a bit, Daneel picked it up and read the message anyway, telling himself that she couldn't harm him through a communication trinket.

Yet, after he was done going through it, he gritted his teeth with even more frustration.

"King Daneel, this is Priscilla. Queen Arafell wanted to apologize. She says that her feelings got away from her. Even if you stayed, she says that she would have done nothing except ask again. She promised when you came that she wouldn't force you to do anything, so she sticks by her word. If you change your mind, you can contact us at any time, too. At the end of the day, she says that all she cares about is the good of Angaria. So, she will keep trying to work toward her goal. In the meanwhile, she says that the relationship between our Kingdoms shouldn't change. I hope you reconsider."

As the message cut away, Daneel asked Drakos, "Was Arafell known for her anger?"

Hearing Drakos's answer, Daneel felt like throwing the communication trinket at the wall.

He had never expected that he would miss straightforward enemies like Ashahell whose motives were clear, but right now, he felt just that.

"Yes, Young King. In fact, she was even famous for it. Once, she was said to have entered a battle against a Hero because he said 'No' when she asked him something very trivial. I do not recall…Oh! Yes, I remember. He said 'No' when she asked him to dance with her at a ball, and she was going to destroy the entire venue. In fact, that was when the Emperor met her: he stood up to stop her, and defeated her in combat, which was when she knelt and swore to follow him till eternity."

Chapter 516: The New Network

Yes, thinking about her any longer would just make him lose his mind.

Drakos's reply only made it worse- it gave him the additional possibility to consider that she might have done those actions out of anger at being denied something, and that she might actually care about the continent in her heart.

Regardless, Daneel was done thinking about her.

Choosing to not reply to the message, Daneel first lied down and took a nap.

His mind just felt a bit too cluttered, so the idea had been to relax before throwing himself into work.

Yet, the dreams he got of being chased around by the Queen who was strangely riding on the shoulders of a giant didn't help.

Getting up, the King of Lanthanor decided that it was probably best if he let the work distract him.

So, he first made a trip to Eldinor to check on the display trinkets.

Budget was not an issue at all, what with the fact that he now had access to the treasuries of two Kingdoms. That had actually been one of his biggest shocks after becoming the head of the Alliance - he had been taken to the treasury, which was so filled with Gold and Ether Blocks that it made Lanthanor look like a piss poor backwaters village.

Well, that was if one didn't consider Daneel's windfall in the Mad Doctor's home.

Even though the Bank was steadily giving loans and earning interest, the income wasn't too much.

For one thing, the fact that the Bank was based in Lanthanor restricted those who wanted to avail its services.

So, Daneel had already planned a way to make sure that the Bank would also see a huge boom after the new and improved Network was up. After all, if he didn't benefit from his own plans, then what was the use?

After checking in on the trinkets which were slowly being packed into boxes for shipping, Daneel left to Fantasyland, where he found Eloise running around everywhere while coordinating the programs.

Daneel was quite excited about what was going to air in the Network. He had actually been about to give a list of all his favorite TV shows and movies from back on Earth, but he had hesitated as it would be a bit too…strange. After all, how could he have so many ideas while busily governing multiple Kingdoms?

So, Daneel decided to first wait and see what the native Angarians would come up with. After that, maybe he would have…epiphanies, here and there, which he could write down and give to Eloise to have them made.

The main factor which excited him here was magic. Back on Earth, creative people were bounded by the resources that were needed to make their creations come alive on the screen. For example, some obscure novel writer who could only afford to write and post his book online would never be able to afford the money needed to hire a film crew, a CGI artist and all the odds and ends that went into converting a book into a TV show or a movie. At least, on Angaria, that middle part was covered. Where there was magic and a talented Mage, insane amounts of money would never need to be forked out to create fantastic illusions and images.

All in all, Daneel waited to see what Eloise and the rest of the bards who were already hired by Lanthanor would do with this opportunity.

After this visit, Daneel headed to his 'competitors'.

First, he went to that old man who hadn't hesitated to kill the spy he hired so that he wouldn't have to pay up the money for the information that had been obtained.

The man had already obtained the loan, and was busy hiring an enchanter to build the transmission trinket.

These were all the main facets of his plan, but now that he had a little time, Daneel also began started on the other methods he had devised based on his experiences from Earth which would result in the display trinkets selling like hotcakes.

Yes, giving out the trinkets for free like what he had done with the first Network just wouldn't cut it at this point. Although he had simplified these display trinkets a lot with the help of Drakos, they were still expensive to make.

So, while keeping track of all his enemies and all the factors that could go wrong, Daneel took personal care of each and every step. This was like his baby that he would give to the continent, and sometimes, he even wondered whether he was bestowing a boon upon this land, or a curse.

Only time would tell.

…

Finally, the auspicious time arrived.

On that morning, the Network of Angaria had a very special announcement to make.

From morning to evening, the same announcement inundated the heads of everyone listening, filling their minds with its content and making sure that even if someone didn't own a trinket which connected to the Network, they sure would have heard about it from someone else.

"Tomorrow, history shall be made in Angaria. For the first time ever, a trinket which was meant for Royalty shall be available the common public. With this trinket, all of your dreams, aspirations, and desires will come true. Each of you will live lives of power, wealth…or romance. Whatever you want, you can choose, and become lost in the phenomenon that will sweep the continent. Angaria will never be the same. But to experience it first, you must be chosen. The Heavens were the ones who chose those who would be experiencing this, first. If you are chosen, look to the Heavens, and you shall know. A miracle will unfold. Until then…let your dreams stay as dreams, before they fly forth and become reality."

The over-the-top way in which this was marketed turned a few people off, making them say that they weren't children.

Yet, most only felt awe, looking forward to just what the mystery was.

Most of these people were the ones who remembered that just a few short months back, there had been no method whatsoever to find anything about the outside world besides their own house and street. The Network had changed all that, and opened up a world which they could know about.

So, everyone started to look forward to what this new development would be.

Some spread rumors that it was some sort of hypnosis, that would make one enter a living dream of their greatest desires.

Others underplayed it, saying that it might just be a simple product like a cheaper network trinket which one might be able to place in their ear.

Even others said that there might be a completely new trinket that might allow them to look into worlds which were beyond them, but this one, along with the first, was dismissed immediately by most.

Such mystical things were reserved for the rich. Surely, there was no way that common folk could be exposed to them, right?

In this way, even though there were attempts made for lies and tall claims to spread along with rumors which were close to the truth, none of them managed to gather a great following, especially because of the fact that there was only a day before the reveal.

The next morning, the citizens of 4 Kingdoms stepped out of their houses at dawn, itself, with eager expectation lighting up their faces.

Yet, the people of Lanthanor, the Black Raven Kingdom, Eldinor and Arafell were in for disappointment, as they saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Yes, even Arafell had been included in this list, as those who came representing the Network hadn't been blocked and thrown out, much to the pleasant and suspicious surprise of the King of Lanthanor.

Most waited for a few minutes before going back inside, while some even chose to stand in the sun for an hour.

Finally, everyone went back inside after realizing that the announcement hadn't contained a time.

It was at dawn that a miracle happened.

Certain families all over Angaria heard a 'THUMP' on their roofs, and as they went out and looked into the sky, shock assaulted their hearts because of the fact that there was a Mage standing in the air in the sky.

In most places, it was an Elf, except for a few humans here and there. In the Black Raven Kingdom, there were even a few strong Ravens who greeted the families of those who were 'chosen'.

On looking for the source of the sound, the families would find a carefully wrapped parcel. After ensuring that the parcel was taken, the Mages flew away.

Just like the announcement had said, the miracle had happened in the Heavens above them.

One out of every 50 families received the parcel, and as they opened it, they first saw a letter congratulating them for being the 'chosen ones'.

This made many swell up with pride and joy, before taking out the trinket inside.

Wrapped in a transparent material that was keeping it safe, this trinket was in the form of two narrow triangular blocks, with one facing up and the other facing down joined to each other.

The larger block, which was 5 times bigger than the other, was the upturned one. It's singular point which faced the ground connected with the smaller triangle, whose base made for a solid part which would allow this trinket to stand anywhere.

The narrowness was because the breadth was small, but this lent to the stylish nature of the trinket, which was pretty good to look at.

Yet, what happened next made the families jump back in fright.

The upper part of the trinket which was the base of the first triangle was 15 inches long, and as they watched, it folded open twice on either side to form a strange shape while elongating its length to 45 inches.

The next second, a large screen appeared, and as it was a glass-like material, the stupefied expressions of the family members were visible.

Floating text appeared on the edges of each screen, accompanied by an arrow which pointed at them.

"Congratulations on being chosen! Now…get ready to experience the new Network!"

With that shape of two triangles as the backdrop, the letters 'NOA' appeared in a colorful font, which were then replaced by the stoic face of a man.

"My father abandoned me. My mother…"

He began a sad story, and because each of the citizens of Angaria were already captivated because they could never have imagined that they would have their own display trinket which they had only seen used by militaries for special purposes, they watched on, spellbound.

"But they all underestimated me. Today, I found something that will let me become the strongest on Angaria."

Boom!

The image changed from that man who looked poor and destitute, to that same man flying in the sky while casually flinging colossal attacks at an unseen enemy.

The marvelous power awed everyone, making them even feel afraid that such a destructive display might be taking place near them.

Yet, the next second, that image changed again to his face, as he looked out from the screen into the eyes of the common men and women and said, "This, is my story. Journey along with me as I gain power and take revenge. Only on the Network of Angaria. Ha!"

It ended with a punch in the direction of the viewers, which made them jump back with surprise before exciting discussions began about what this trinket was…and what it meant.

Meanwhile, Daneel was watching a particular family on a display trinket on his own along with Eloise.

After the family started discussing in enraptured tones, Eloise jubilantly turned to Daneel and asked, "How was it?!"

"Cheesy," was what Daneel wanted to say, but as he saw the reactions of many of the families who had been 'chosen', he gulped it down and said "Amazing!" instead.

It was pretty amazing. He had forgotten that on this continent, power was everything. The strong were revered, while the weak were considered to be nothing. So, it was probably best if the Network started with shows like these which would immediately attract everyone's attention.

As for the 'choosing' thing, it was Daneel's idea.

Anything which was shown to be 'exclusive' would give birth to a thirst in others to own it for themselves, too, and enter the 'elite' club. He was just going to use this to build up the hype, before beginning the sales with another ceremony that would go off with a bang.

And maybe…he might also be having his first 'epiphany' soon.

As for the competition, now that the trinkets were distributed, they, too, would start making a fuss, as Daneel had leaked the transmission technology to them. With that technology, they could broadcast their own 'channel', thus increasing the options on offer while also giving the Network that much greater publicity.

All in all, the Network was off to a great start, and Daneel was satisfied. There was still a lot more to do that he was looking forward to, but, for now, he was happy.

Now, all he wished was that no one would come throw a wrench in his plan.

Yet, he couldn't have known that wishing for something like that would often end up in resulting in it becoming reality.

Chapter 517: A Meeting

Unbeknownst to the King of Lanthanor, at the same moment, a meeting that concerned him was going on on a barren mountaintop west of Lanthanor.

This area was filled with rocky peaks, so if one wanted to identify this specific peak just by looking from above, it would be impossible.

Inside this peak, a room had been hollowed out which had no door that led in or out.

A man wearing the garb of a farmer was calmly arranging a long wooden table which could seat 30- 15 on each side. He first put down plates from the stack in his hands, before picking up a bunch of spooks and forks and starting to place them neatly everywhere.

While he went about his work, people began to teleport into a certain spot in the room before solemnly walking forward and sitting in the chair which had their name engraved on the back.

None disturbed the silence, and, if one observed, they would be quite surprised to notice that each individual was appearing in the room exactly 45 seconds after the previous one.

They were all teleporting into the same spot, so if even one person made a mistake, it would result in a bloody mess.

Yet, none of them seemed concerned about that fact, until the 23rd individual appeared and looked around before cursing under his breath.

"Damn those timings! Almost missed my window."

As one, everyone present turned toward him, which made him feel conscious and stammer, "Err…apologies."

His face turning red like a potato, he started to search along the table for the chair with his name. Yet, even after 10 seconds, he didn't find it.

The solemn atmosphere made it so that he hesitated even to breathe loudly. So, asking about this seemed to be out of the question.

As for the man who was arranging each spoon and fork meticulously, his reputation preceded him. There would be nothing dumber than disturbing him and thereby looking for his death.

Finally, after a few more minutes, the teleportations ceased. 29 people were seated, whereas the last one, who had disturbed the peace as soon as he came, was standing to the side while scratching his head.

He had never been very capable of social interactions. Hence, in this situation, he had resorted to being silent and waiting for the issue to be resolved instead of doing something about it by himself.

If Daneel were here, he would have been amused thinking that this man was acting exactly like an introvert from Earth who didn't want to talk to anyone, even if he was facing a major inconvenience which could be solved by words.

There was an empty spot on the table, but it didn't have the man's name, but he knew better than to take someone else's place in this gathering. It would practically be the same as signing an agreement to take part in a life-or-death match.

After placing the last fork, the one who looked like a farmer sighed, which made the room look at him.

First, he flicked his fingers, which resulted in his garb immediately changing from the mud-stained, dusty, faded shirt and pant of a farmer to a royal robe made of the best materials in the Central Continent that had an image of a traditional weighing scale which was balanced perfectly in the middle of his chest.

The robe was black in color, while that scale shone with a silver hue.

As the scale came into existence, the entire atmosphere of the man, itself, seemed to change.

Rather, the way the others looked at him was what changed.

This…was Raul. The strongest rogue Mage in the entire Central Continent who was just a step away from becoming a Champion.

His was the path of balance, and it was rumored that if one managed to use this path to become a Champion, the power they would wield would be on par with a Champion who reached that realm with an Acquired Path of the highest caliber.

A throne-like chair that had weighing scales carved into the back and sides fell with a 'THUD' at the head of the table, where he sat and let out a deep sigh before glancing at the man who had started to sweat.

He spoke in a deep voice with a flat tone that reverberated in the cave.

"All of you know how much I despise things which are out of balance. Out of order. Out of proportion. A few of you must be familiar with Gondar, here, a rogue Eminent Warrior Fighter who was invited to this meeting. Even though I explicitly gave orders that this meeting had to be kept secret, he went ahead and blabbed the details to a certain spy of the Big 4. If I hadn't been keeping an eye out for imbalances such as these, this meeting would have been graced by the heads of each Sect who would happily have 'welcomed' you back with open arms."

The last sentence caused a shudder to pass through most of those sitting in the room. Except for a select few who only shrugged and looked as if they didn't care, the rest laid their eyes on the man who had started to sweat buckets by now.

Feeling the palpable tension in the cave, he stammered, "I-I was drugged! And she was…showing interest in me! I just wanted to impress her!"

"By selling all of us out. Bravo."

By now, the Fighter's shirt was thoroughly drenched. His muscles spasmed as if he was having convulsions, and finally, after a few seconds, he said, "I-I would like to leave. Any member of the gathering can leave at any time, right? I want to exercise that right."

For some reason, this statement resulted in a smile appearing on the face of the man who was sitting at the head of the table.

Waving a hand, he said, "Of course. Feel free to go ahead."

Nodding, the Fighter began walking toward the spot where all the teleportations had occurred so far. The rest of the room was space-locked, so that was the only exit he had.

On the way, he kept glancing at the others on the table, who had expressions of scorn and ridicule on their faces.

Some even looked at him as if he was a dead man, which made him decide to take an extended vacation in some remote forest after cutting himself off from all sorts of communication methods.

Just as he was about to take the last step toward that spot, he felt something amiss.

Slick!

By the time that feeling appeared in his mind, it was already too late.

"Oh, I misplaced a few space blades of mine. Please do watch your step."

This spot was right behind where the chair at the head of the table was, and as the man with the scale, who had been called Raul, said this in an idle tone while still looking forward, the Fighter…fell apart.

Not even a single sound escaped his lips, with the only reaction that appeared in him being a shocked expression that could still be partially visible, as his body had been cleanly sliced horizontally from head to toe into 20, equally proportioned pieces.

With a flick of his finger, Raul made fire spring into existence that ate away the body before leaving behind a large, long pouch that seemed to have been hidden very carefully on the inside seam of the Fighter's pants.

Making that pouch float into his hands, Raul examined the insides. The pouch was mostly crammed with Ker Gems, with a few occasional odds and ends here and there.

Shrugging and placing it in front of him, he said, "I took the liberty of inviting a different rogue Fighter who has left his sect recently."

The moment he said this, a man teleported into the room.

It was as if…somehow, this man had scheduled everything so that it would take place in this manner.

After this last one took a seat, Raul said.

"Let us begin the gathering. You all know of the agenda, today. A few months ago, the King of Lanthanor displayed a feat of magic which let us get a hint that he was in possession of a top tier Inheritance that wasn't in the control of the Big 4. However, Marcus, whose son had been saved by said King, declared that he would be actively protecting him for a period of 6 months. I gave you all the order to stand down, and you did, as none of you were foolish enough to step out and be clobbered into meat paste beneath Marcus's famous fists. The situation has now changed. A certain event has resulted in Marcus becoming temporarily…indisposed, and it has also reached my attention that his debt has been cleared. All of you know what this means."

Raul didn't need to say anything further. Anticipation started to shine in the eyes of almost everyone present, as they leaned forward with attention and started to make plans in their mind.

Yet, Raul remained calm. Continuing in that same flat tone, he made the faces of the 30 individuals freeze with what he said next.

"Before all of you march to your deaths, I guess I should remind you that just a few days ago, the King of Lanthanor displayed power at the peak of the Warrior level. How many of you are confident that you can handle someone at that level?"

Pindrop silence pervaded the room, as many sat back with frustration apparent in their eyes.

However, that excitement soon returned to them when Raul said, "I thought so. What we need is a quick operation, as the Big 4 are still mandated to keep the top rulers in the Central Continent safe. Even I, a half step Champion, do not have the confidence to defeat him in one blow. So, I have devised a plan where we can all work together to grab him in the span of a second. Not even a Hero will have enough time to save him. The Inheritance that we obtain will be shared among all those who participate. How many of you volunteer?"

Initially, almost all the inhabitants looked like they would stand up and follow Raul, but a few started to hesitate, as doing this would definitely place them on the shit-list of Heroes.

So, after a few minutes, only 19 individuals raised their hands.

Only, this number seemed to infuriate Raul, whose composure now broke. One by one, he stared at the 11 who remained, until one of them finally shrugged and raised their hand, bringing the total count to 20.

Regaining his sage-like appearance, Raul said, "Good. The attack will be inside Lanthanor, near a populated town, so that we can threaten to kill his citizens if he does anything funny. We set out in 2 days. I want him distracted, so that he won't be able to put up a strong resistance. I've noticed that he's launching some sort of ambitious product, so, I've planned a nice surprise for him with regards to this…'Network' that will lead him right to us. All right. Here is what each of you should do…"

…

Meanwhile, in the Royal Court of the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Daneel was madly scribbling something on a piece of parchment while Eloise watched on with an expression of anticipation on her face.

A few minutes ago, he had called her to the Court saying that he had had an 'epiphany' regarding what kind of program should be made to be broadcast on the New Network.

A few seconds later, with a drained expression on his face, the King handed over a thick stack of parchments which were all scribbled with details.

Reading the heading, Eloise felt like rubbing her eyes.

"A daily show with an entertaining host who breaks down the actions taken and schemes implemented by each ruler, humorously putting them in simple terms for the people to understand."

...

Final details of contest:

Theme: WDS Spinoff - can be anything related to the events/characters of this book

Submission: Mail to worlddominationsystem@gmail.com

Last Date: 30th March 2019

Prizes: 1200 SS

Minimum Word Count: 500

Method of deciding winner: Voting

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments!

I've looked over the entries so far and they're awesome! Keep it up!

Chapter 518: Lesson

One day later.

"Next!"

In Fantasyland, Daneel was currently sitting in a closed room with two large display trinkets in front of him.

Eloise, who was sitting beside him, touched the communication trinket in her hand when she heard Daneel say that word in an exhausted tone.

They had been at this for hours, and Daneel was close to his limit.

Right after Eloise sent the message, the images on the trinkets changed. The scene was the same: on the first screen, there was a wooden table with a mug on top, behind which there was a seat where the host was supposed to sit.

The second screen showed an empty area with a wooden pedestal, which was supposed to be the place where the monologue would take place.

Back on Earth, Daneel had always enjoyed a good, smart Late Night Host who put his spin on news to make it both simple and digestible for normal people. Even if there were crass jokes, the relevance that was lent to them due to the issue they represented made it so that even they were accepted to be good comedy.

He wanted something like that here.

His main motive with the new Network wasn't money, or anything else.

It was simple: using the Network, he wanted to build his own brand, which would come in very handy when there came the situation where he had to take over the continent.

Both to earn extra EXP from the system and break the seals on Drakos, satisfaction level was key. And for satisfaction level to rise, people had to be happy with their ruler. No…it had to go beyond that.

People needed to be joyful, lucky and proud that they were being ruled by a said ruler.

Daneel wanted to have that kind of image in the minds of many Angarians as possible. He wanted to inculcate the idea in everyone that he was the one who should be the one ruling Angaria.

When phrased like that, it did sound a little like he was a nefarious villain out to dominate the world, but at the end of the day, that was his end goal.

Regardless of whether it sounded evil or not, Daneel wanted to fulfill this goal, as he knew clearly that that was what made him happy.

Of course, if he was truly nefarious, he could begin running bogus shows about how great he was.

Yet, Daneel had no intention of doing that. He wanted to win people over with the truth, and the Network was just a tool which he was going to use to get that truth across as effectively as possible.

"Hey, folks! Have you heard of the latest news from the Black Raven Kingdom? Apparently, there's a rogue Raven flying around the capital whose past time is to drop its 'goods' on unsuspecting netizens. Reports say that with constant practice, it has mastered the art of even assessing wind direction and speed to make sure that its payload lands directly in the…you know what, I'll leave that up to you."

Pulling his attention back to the second screen which was showing a guy wearing formal black robes reciting this sentence that had been written with Daneel's inputs, the King of Lanthanor shook his head.

"My King, if you're listening, I would really suggest arranging a new game in the next Olympics with this Raven as the star. I'm telling you, no other format can even come close to the level at which such a game would test someone's skill in dodging."

This was supposed to be the punchline, but no laughter was heard from the audience.

'Flat tone. No charisma. Dammit, he even sang the last verse.'

This was the thought that came in Daneel's head before he once again shouted 'Next', making Eloise flinch.

Seeing that, Daneel sighed and said, "Sorry, Eloise. We've been at this for too long. I think that the crowd must also be tired. Let's take a break."

Saying so, Daneel got up while Eloise let out a breath and smiled at him briefly before getting up, too.

Her face had a frustrated expression, which made Daneel understand that she was treating this as her failure.

"No, don't blame yourself. I just had…something different in my mind. Don't worry, we'll find it. Go on, grab some snacks, I'll be right there."

Patting her shoulder gently, Daneel said this.

Watching as her smile spread to her cheek this time as it was a real one, Daneel smiled in return before following her with his eyes as she started to walk toward the door.

Turning around, Daneel viewed the guy who had just been booed out by the audience.

His testing method had been simple: with the help of the writers who generally wrote comedy scripts for plays, he had gotten that line written, which was being given to those who had come to audition for the role of becoming 'Angaria's Sensation'.

That was how it was being advertised among the artist community, and although it had generated quite a lot of buzz due to the opportunity for exposure and the hefty salary, all of the applicants so far had been unsatisfactory.

Each applicant had to walk up to the pedestal and simply utter the sentence in a way which would make the live audience, who had been sourced from all walks of life, to laugh.

At least, even if they didn't laugh because they had already heard it a million times, the audience would score it according to how much they were amused.

Some were too over-the-top, choosing to utter each word in a grandiose tone that was suited to be in plays rather than a show that would air every day.

Some were too low-key and flat, as they were used to having weeks and weeks of time before a show to practice their lines, tone, and actions.

Again, that would simply be impossible for a daily show.

Although Daneel had kept his expectations low, he realized that he should probably push them lower.

Maybe the one he wanted was out there, but it would take time for the community to develop and for talent to emerge.

Until then, it looked like he would have to make do with a more mediocre host in order to get the genre popular first.

Yet, Daneel wasn't happy with that, at all.

The best way to make a genre a hit was to put out the best content possible. So, if he couldn't accomplish that, he didn't know how he was going to make this take off.

Yes, he would stop expecting a Stephen Colbert or a Trevor Noah to magically appear in Angaria and audition for him. Those people had their own style, so he would have to find someone who also had a style that was as entertaining.

Alas, it was easy said than done.

Eloise came back from her break, and they resumed auditions which lasted for a few more hours before ending for the day.

Frustration was building inside Daneel, as this felt like one of the days that was more wasted than any in recent times. He had deemed this to be important, hence, he had allocated a lot of time to make it perfect. Yet, it had all been wasted.

Just as he was about to bid Eloise goodbye and say that he hoped that they would have better luck tomorrow, she froze while touching the communication trinket.

Looking at him, she said, "There's one last applicant, but he came late. You want him to leave and come back tomorrow?"

On a whim, Daneel threw his hands in the air and said, "We're still here. Why inconvenience a citizen? Let him do it."

After all, the entire day had already been taken up by this. What difference would an additional few minutes make?

Sitting down, he watched as a man wearing the formal black robes, which was the standard 'uniform', took the parchment with the line and walked up onto the pedestal.

He read through it three times, before looking into the communication eye with a hesitant expression on his face.

"Err…are small modifications ok?", he asked, which was a first so far.

Play actors, who had been the main applicants so far, were only used to following instructions. So, asking something like this wasn't something that would occur to them.

Intrigued, Daneel told Eloise to tell the one directing the shot to say "Yes".

Hearing the answer, a broad smile spread on the man's face, and as Daneel noticed his features, he saw that although the man wasn't that handsome, he seemed to have a certain…hue to him that made him pleasant to look at.

Putting away the parchment, he first took a moment to think, before spreading out his arms.

What happened next made Daneel's jaw drop.

A transparent Raven appeared out of thin air, before flying into the area above this man's head.

The Raven didn't look that perfect: it had blocky edges and blurry features, which was the sign of weak complexity. This man was definitely just an Eminent Human Mage.

As if forgetting that he had done that, he said, "I'm ready," and looked at the communication eye.

"In the Black Raven Kingdom, a beast is terrorizing the citizens. It…Oh, look! What's that in the sky? Why's there an omelet …oh."

Splat!

A pail of thick, white liquid, which was obviously just water elemental particles that had been made to look like that by manipulating light hit his face, while the Raven he had conjured swooped down and made a laughing sound while pointing at him.

For the first time in hours…the audience burst out into peals of laughter.

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen. No orifice is safe. If you're traveling to the Black Raven Kingdom, I would suggest you carry an umbrella. Well, maybe don't if you want to participate in the next Olympics, where I will personally advocate for a game that involves running away from this uncultured beast. Heavens help us all."

Eloise, who was sitting beside him, was holding her mouth as if she was resisting the urge to burst into laughter, too.

Meanwhile, Daneel was just sitting there, his jaw hanging open, viewing the man who looked genuinely happy but also a little bit shy that he had made so many people laugh.

Yes! This was what he had been looking for!

Yet…his methods had all been wrong.

In an attempt to copy over things from Earth, Daneel had almost caused a disaster. He had forgotten that Angaria was unique in itself: he might be able to carry over a general idea, but the general implementation was best if it was left to Angarians.

With this performance, he had been taught that lesson thoroughly.

Artistic, casual magic that was fun to look at, with a dose of silliness.

This was an act that would definitely be a huge hit here.

Most likely, his vision of a simple host wittily speaking on the podium might have been a flop!

Yes, at least this time, Daneel resolved to remember this lesson. He had to let go of any notion to bring things over exactly as they were. Instead, it might be more fun to see what the Angarians would do with them after he gave them the general idea.

Just as he was going to think on this further, Drakos and the system both spoke in his mind.

"Young King, trespassers!"

[Multiple individuals have trespassed on the Champion level formation that had been set up recently by host.]

His face hardening, he said, "Finalize him. I'll be back," before disappearing from the room.

A few seconds later, he was in the air, protected by Drakos's Hero level formation.

21 individuals led by a dark-skinned man who looked like a farmer were discreetly heading into Lanthanor on foot so as not to trigger the teleportation-detection formation.

Really? Did they think he was that weak?

After Daneel recent foray to Arafell where he had seen that there was a Hero-level detection formation set up there, he had immediately implemented the same in Lanthanor. After all, it would be extremely dumb not to do so after being alerted to it.

Although Drakos couldn't give him the formation that could detect even Hero-level individuals, he was happy enough to offer up the one which could alert him if anyone below the level of a Champion intruded into his Kingdom.

In fact, Daneel had even set up that formation in anticipation for people like these.

Clearly, these were the rogue cultivators whom Marcus had been keeping at bay. Now that he was out of the picture, Daneel had suspected that they might make their way.

Still, he was pretty surprised that they moved so fast.

After analysis, Daneel found out the power levels of this group, and honestly…he wasn't really worried.

The strongest one might be a problem, but with Drakos and the system, Daneel was sure that it wouldn't be too much of a hassle.

If he wished, he could swoop in right now and engage, and this seemed very enticing as he realized that he was itching for a fight after that incident where he had had to run with his tail between his legs from the Queen.

A good old beatdown was just perfect to get rid of frustrations like those, after all.

Yet, Daneel suddenly got an interesting idea.

With the night sky behind him, he watched as the 21 people carefully moved through the terrain of Lanthanor with a destination in mind.

Touching the communication trinket in his pocket, he said, "Eloise, prepare a large, discreet crew for an outdoor shoot. I want all the communication eyes we have. I've just had another epiphany."

Daneel had been trying to figure out what exciting show he would add to the new Network which would quickly make it a household name.

Before the full launch, his goal was to make it a commodity that would be sought after by all.

Now, he realized that he had gotten the perfect show to fulfill that goal.

Also, this would be the start of the ascent of his fame in the minds of the Angarians.

As Daneel flew after the intruders and started to finalize the plans in his mind, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Reality TV was, after all, one of the hottest and most successful genres in the TV industry.

Now, it was time to bring it over here…in Angarian Style.

Chapter 519: Mercy for the Wicked 1

"Something feels…off."

Hoisting the short plow in his hands onto his shoulder, Raul said this and stopped, making those behind grind to a halt.

Their cover was that he owned a farm in Lanthanor, and that these 20 were the help that he had hired from outside the Kingdom.

From the beginning itself, this plan had faced obstacles that made Raul appreciate just how…creative the King was.

He hadn't paid too much attention to the ID system before, but now that he did, he saw that there was practically no way to defeat it unless he enlisted a bonafide formation master.

Each ID was bound to an individual by blood. Even a camouflage technique would only change the outward appearance, making it so that if someone did carry out a search, the mechanism of the ID where it would stand out if it was not in the proximity of the person it was tied to would result in them being caught red-handed.

As for trying to enter normally, that was impossible, as it would be foolish to dump away all their trinkets and weapons. Raul hadn't been willing to take that risk, so he had only cursed the advanced trinket-checking devices that the King had deployed at the borders.

In the end, he had decided that this would be a quick Guerrilla strike. They would enter the Kingdom and try to reach their destination as quickly as possible, and if anyone intercepted them, they would just kill the soldiers.

So far, they had faced no obstacles, but Raul just couldn't shake that feeling.

At the moment, it had just peaked, so he had ordered a halt.

Using the scanning formation that he had acquired which was able to spy out any being at the Warrior level near them, he tried to see if they were being tailed, but sighed when he saw the same output.

There was no one.

"What is it, Raul? Any change of plans?", asked the woman behind him, who was garbed in the clothes of a peasant which she kept pulling at as she was used to wearing only the softest of fabrics which were sold at a premium that only the privileged could afford.

"No. Just a feeling. I guess I'm just being paranoid. Let's go over the plan while we walk."

If he knew that his target, the King of Lanthanor, was currently standing right in front of him and looking at him with an expression of scorn, Raul would definitely have turned back right now and raced away with all his might.

After all, someone capable of that…was clearly not an individual he could mess with.

Indeed, Daneel had been closely following this group while they traipsed through his Kingdom, unaware that their mission had already failed.

He could guess that their objective must be to take him by surprise, but those roles had switched.

Just now, he had been considering whether to go ahead and engage, but hearing this sentence, he stopped.

"Eloise, stay on standby. Move forward when I give the signal."

Sending this message, he prepared to find out what the exact intentions of this group were.

He had prepared multiple plans regarding how he was going to use this opportunity to bring Reality TV to Lanthanor. Some of them were simple, such as the idea to have the communication eye follow him while he infiltrated the group and began slaughtering each with the rest being unaware that they were being slowly picked off.

This would make for a great show, but was it Reality TV?

Not really.

Other plans were a bit extreme, so there was still a little bit of hesitation in Daneel regarding whether he should choose them.

He had been hoping that they would talk about their plan, as it would make it much easier for him to choose.

If they were just here to target him by just attracting his attention and attacking him when he least expected it, he was ready to consider even not killing them. After all, Warriors were a rare commodity in the Central Continent.

Yet, if they had planned something more nefarious…then the extreme plans would be much more enticing.

Hearing their leader, the woman nodded and began to speak while the rest resumed their brisk walk forward.

"We're heading to a town called Kasar which is populated by 2000 citizens. In this town, 50 people have a Network trinket. We will be posing as a rogue Axelorian unit who will kill these people and use the ability of these Network Trinkets where they can also act as communication trinkets to send the message that more will die unless the King arrives…"

Interrupting the woman, the leader, Raul, said, "Killing them isn't necessary. Knocking them out is fine."

"There he goes again…caring for these useless cattle."

A scoffing voice was heard from the group, but when Raul turned around to see who it was, no one spoke.

Aiming to defuse the situation as fury was slowly starting to appear on Raul's face, the woman said, "Yes, we will disable them, and wait for the King to come. He will only be thinking that he will have to deal with a squad of Humans, but we will deploy the Champion level space-lock formation and barrier that we will have laid beforehand to trap both him and the town. He's only a Peak Warrior, so he will be powerless in front of the Peak Champion level formations. After that, he will be given the choice between handing over his inheritance or watching thousands of people die, painfully. He's known to care for his citizens, so he will hand over the Inheritance, as Bors, who is an expert in torture, will begin torturing and killing a hundred people for every 5 seconds that pass without the King handing over what we want. After obtaining the Inheritance, we teleport away, and if he tries to stop or pursue us, we will threaten to detonate the Explosive Formation that will also be laid down."

While Daneel's eyes slightly reddened, he watched a Raul sighed and said, "For the sake of those innocent people, I hope that he hands over the Inheritance right away."

Right after he said this, he didn't notice one of the 20 nudge the woman who had just spoken about the plan.

"Err…Raul? The others wanted me to ask something."

"What is it?", he asked, while keeping a careful lookout.

His eyes darted around, carefully examining each and every part of the terrain around them, but when he heard the question, he couldn't help but press his lips into a thin line.

"They wanted to know whether you'll hesitate if the time really came to kill all of those townfolk. Some say that we should do it anyway, despite the King's actions, so that he wouldn't dare to pursue revenge."

Initially, it looked as if anger would cloud his face, but Raul controlled himself and spoke in a stoic voice.

"That would be a bad idea. You forget his talent. If we do that, we will be creating a vendetta that will result in us having to run throughout the rest of our lives with the fear that the King of Lanthanor might be around the next corner, waiting to end our existence."

His voice caused silence to descend over the group, as they all knew that he was speaking the truth.

Meanwhile, Daneel was looking at this leader of theirs with both of his eyebrows raised.

A previous member of the Big 4 who cared for the people of Angaria?

This was pretty hard to believe, but he knew that this man had no reason to put up an act.

Besides, from the way the others were talking about it, he could tell that this was something that must be famous about this man in their circles.

Still, it wasn't as if he was willing to do anything to make sure that those citizens lived. It was quite clear that although he might care about them, that care only extended till the selfishness of his needs, as it looked like although he would feel that it was regrettable, he wouldn't really hesitate to let them burn.

With this, Daneel's plan was finalized. It looked like 'extreme' was the way to go, as these people definitely deserve any mercy.

Giving them one last look, he prepared to tell Drakos what he needed.

If any of those 21 could see him now, they would definitely have rethought this strategy of infuriating the King of Lanthanor.

That look…belonged to one who had decided that he would play with his prey before tearing into their throats and crushing their hearts.

With a small smile on the corner of his mouth, Daneel ran ahead to a location he had chosen on the way so that he could wait to 'welcome' his guests to the show that would soon become the phenomenon of the continent.

…

In the town of Kasar, little Ophelia was arguing against her mom who was insisting that she should go play outside, as she had been cooped up in the house for 3 days ever since that Network Trinket had landed on their roof.

"Mom, that's unfair! You and dad are not leaving, why should I?"

Her face flushing as she heard the question, her mother answered, "Ophelia, stop asking questions and go, this instant! You'll understand when you grow up!"

Grumbling under her breath, the 11-year old left the house, following which her mom closed the door and ran into their living room.

The Network Trinket was affixed to a wall which had been cleared, and her husband, who was twiddling his thumbs while waiting for his wife, said, "She finally left? Great! Come on, I can't wait to see whether Gerard will kill those arrogant pricks who insulted his mother, or show mercy! I, for one, hope that he cuts them in two!"

Nodding with glee, Ophelia's mom snuggled into her husband while the man used a small, palm-sized trinket to change the channel to one which was meant for adults.

Filled with gore, cursing, and supposedly even explicit scenes, this show was one which could not be watched when there were kids around.

"Last time on…SKKKRR!"

A sudden, harsh sound made the two close their ears reflexively, while the screen went blank.

"You broke it! Damn it, Howard…"

"I didn't do anything!"

Ophelia's mom automatically started to hit her husband, who had a penchant for breaking things, but while he began to hastily defend himself, the screen cleared to show someone very familiar to them.

It was the King of Lanthanor.

"Good evening, viewers of the Network. For those of you who might not know of me, I am the King of Lanthanor. I am interrupting all of your shows right now for a very important announcement. As I speak, 21 Warriors are headed to the town of Kasar in Lanthanor, where they plan to launch a terrorist attack. Listen to them yourselves."

With pulses racing, the duo watched the conversation between Raul and the rest, and when the contents of the plan became clear to them, shudders of fright passed through both of them.

Without saying anything, Ophelia's mom started to run toward the door to get her daughter. Yet, she stopped in her tracks when the King's confident voice was heard through the trinket once again.

"First of all, I would like to urge all viewers not to panic. The situation is under control. If you don't believe me, see for yourselves!"

As the King waved his arm, his surroundings, which had been dim till now, lit up to reveal a stage, on which the 21 individuals who had been seen before were sitting with all of their limbs tied up by thick ropes.

Near the stage, the King conjured a large Throne for himself before taking a seat.

Gesturing at the unconscious Warriors, he made a proclamation that would never be forgotten by all who were watching.

"If it were up to me, I would kill them all, or at least imprison them for life. However, I realized that this is a special opportunity to show you the potential of the New Network. Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight, you all will be part of a show called…'Mercy for the Wicked'! Soon, each of these…contestants will be pitted against their teammates. Each fight will be more exciting than the last! And at the end of each fight, you will be posed with a question. Which of the two would you wish for to be given a second chance, so that they can swear to follow me? You can vote through your control trinkets! Choose the most dazzling one, or choose the one whom you think will be of service to Lanthanor the most! Either way, you are in charge! Let's…begin!"

The best Reality TV was, after all, that which involved 'Real' participation by the audience.

On Angaria, where power was supreme, Daneel wanted to give the people the chance to experience power, themselves, by being in the judging seat.

At the end of the day, the success of a show was dependent on how much it connected to the audience.

And on Angaria, what could connect more to its inhabitants than a show about which they thought about the most?

Chapter 520: Mercy for the Wicked 2

With his head pounding as if it had been bashed in by a hammer, Raul woke up to find himself tightly tied to a chair.

Wh-what the f*ck was going on?!

One moment, they had all been on the way to Kasar, and in the next, a sudden, bright light had made them all close their eyes before darkness covered their visions.

Now…he was bound and gagged, and he couldn't even move a muscle.

All around him, he could see his comrades who were still unconscious, but in the corner of his eye, he could see a Throne on which their target was sitting.

The King of Lanthanor was leisurely resting with his head propped on one hand on the arm of the Throne, while sipping a glass of chilled wine.

His pulse racing, Raul got a heavy feeling in his stomach as he started to realize what had happened.

They…had apparently underestimated this monster.

Somehow, the King of Lanthanor who was supposed to be weaker than him, a half-step Champion, had apprehended and bound them all without even giving them a chance to put up a fight.

Raul was confident that with this Champion Path which was considered to be quite powerful, he would even be able to put up a fight against an Amateur Champion for a time. Yet…here, he had been rendered completely powerless.

Was this man, somehow…an Eminent or Exalted Champion?

Impossible!

Blinking his eyes, he didn't want to believe it, but he had no choice.

Either that was the case, or the King had someone with him at that level.

Either way…they were f*cked.

Completely, utterly f*cked.

Laying his eyes again on the King, Raul stared at him disbelief, wondering how a man who had been a regular human just a couple of years ago could have grown to this stage in such a short period of time.

'Monster' couldn't even begin to describe it. Even those privileged young masters in their Sects didn't have this kind of talent and speed in training! And those arrogant guys had the resources of the entire Continent at their back and call.

But…what was going to happen now?

Why were they still alive?

As he continued to stare at the King, his target suddenly looked in his direction.

That look, in itself, carried an inherent commanding might that made Raul realize something.

His feeling before must have been right…they had been in the palm of this man from the moment they had entered his Kingdom.

The 'how' was a mystery, but Raul could tell that it was true.

This plan of his…had definitely been f*cked from the start.

His face flushing, he started to feel regret, thinking of all the things in his life that he had promised himself that he would accomplish, but wouldn't be able to do so all because of one man.

The King was still looking at him, but Raul didn't care. He defiantly looked back, but the next moment, a flick of the King's finger caused his chair to disappear from where he was and appear on the spot right beside the King.

Smiling genially, the man said, "Do you know why all of you are alive even though your plan was to torture and kill thousands of citizens just for an Inheritance?"

As Raul heard this, shock coursed through his veins while his jaw dropped.

H-he even knew their plan!

Seeing the shock, the King said, "Yes, I was within arm's reach during your little 'discussion'."

Within arm's reach.

Within arm's reach?

WITHIN ARM'S REACH?!

Repeating that phrase within his head, Raul saw that he had been right: they had been played around with by this monster of a man, just like how a panther would stalk its prey and make it bolt in different directions for its amusement before finally going in for the kill.

His eyes started to water, and he weakly started to laugh.

Seeing that confident man break down like this in front of him, Daneel was actually a bit surprised.

Like in the movies he had seen back on Earth, he had been expecting defiant spit in his face which he had been ready to evaporate using a spell.

Yet, instead of that, this man looked…defeated.

If he had known that that was because Raul could accurately guess the power level needed to accomplish something like this, and thus, also knew that someone who was capable of that could crush them all like they were nothing, it might have made more sense to Daneel.

Yet, at the moment, the King only found this man intriguing.

Someone who cares for normal people, and also someone smart who knew the gig was up.

Without doing anything else, Daneel said, "Drakos, you might want to…"

"No, I'll be fine, Young King. There's nothing nefarious here. These people deserve this kind of treatment. My father always despised this kind of scum, but he would never have done something like this. Some called him soft because of that. I'm actually happy to see that you are not the same, Young King, as he always said that a ruler had to be capable of doing things decisively. I've guessed that this is also so that you can send a statement to the other rogue Warriors. Am I right?"

This made Daneel smile wistfully and exclaim in his mind, 'Hey, hey, I'm not being that ruthless here!'

Well, regardless of that, Drakos had guessed right.

"Exactly. The best way to strike fear into the deepest recesses of someone's heart is to make them see for themselves what fate theirs will be if they dare to enter my Kingdom."

When Daneel thought this in his mind, his eyes sharpened, causing them to look like those of a wrathful God who was ready to smite the mere mortals who had dared to defy him.

Raul, who saw this, wondered whether his time had come.

Yet, when the King looked at him and spoke, he blinked, thinking that he must definitely have heard wrong.

"Don't worry, you aren't going to die. Yet, anyway. I guess you've been too shocked to look at the screens near you? You're a star in Angaria's latest hit show! Hell, you're even the main boss! Go on! Look!"

Indeed, when Raul looked around, he saw that there were three display trinkets floating in the air in front of them.

The first contained a list with their pictures that had been assigned numbers.

The second contained two columns labeled "Votes for A" and "Votes for B".

And the third, was showing himself.

Gaping at his own image, Raul tried to comprehend what was going in.

Yet, suddenly, a mage teleported to a spot near the King and said, "My Lord, we're ready to begin."

With a smile that sent a chill down his spine, the King replied, "Yes! Let's do it!"

…

Meanwhile, Ophelia was fighting with Jennifer, her friend who lived in the house beside theirs over a pillow that the former had been using to lie on the ground.

Their house was completely packed to the brim with 50 people who all had their eyes glued to the display trinket on the bare wall.

Some were sitting on the ground, some were sitting in other people's laps, and some were even looking in from the open windows.

One phrase was on all of their tongues as they excitedly discussed among themselves.

'Mercy for the Wicked'.

Ophelia's father and mother were in the seats of honor, and their faces were beaming with pride as they were now the most popular family in their entire street. Ophelia had even watched while her mother cashed in on the opportunity, taking favors such as discounts on common trinkets from their neighbors who were trinket sellers or free food for a week from the family which owned a restaurant.

Right now, everyone was waiting with bated breath for the show to begin.

After 15 seconds, the trinket which had been displaying the words 'Mercy for the Wicked' in an artful format with a sword underneath the words and a spear passed through the 'o' in 'for' changed to once again show the King.

"Everyone, welcome to the show! Time to bring in our first contenders!"

As the image switched to the stage where two chairs had been teleported into the midst of the area which looked like a large dueling ring, 'ooh's and 'aah's sounded in the room, followed by shushing sounds from those whose attention was fully on the screen.

The chairs they had been bound to disappeared, along with the bindings, and at the same moment, a transparent barrier flashed for a moment as it came into existence before disappearing, looking like it wasn't even there.

Of the two inside, one was wearing a sleeveless shirt while the muscles on his arms rippled with might.

The other looked more delicate: he had slicked back hair and a high nose, and his posture of holding his head high made him look as if he was constantly looking down on something.

The instant they found themselves free, the two rushed toward the outside, but as their heads hit the barrier and made them fall back, the watching audience chuckled.

"Contestants 5 and 15, you have been chosen for the first round! Let me tell you the rules! In a moment, your power will be restored to you! Hundreds of thousands of citizens of Angaria are currently watching you, so straighten those backs and lift up those heads! Your objective is to fight, and impress your spectators to make them vote for you!"

"WHAT BULLSH*T IS THIS?"

"Let us out, this instant!"

The first was a shout from the muscular man, while the second statement was from the other one, whose voice was also delicate.

As if he couldn't hear them, the King continued.

"The winner moves on the next round, where he will face off against another opponent! The loser goes into the loser's pool, where he will have a chance to redeem himself if he climbs up again! But the winner and loser aren't decided by whether you defeat your opponent...No, it will all depend on the number of votes each of you accrue! As for the grand prize…"

Speaking till here, the King stood up from his Throne and walked toward the stage.

Each step of his seemed to strike the hearts of the spectators with various emotions of awe, reverence, and respect.

The moment he reached the spot where the barrier began, he folded his hands behind his back and looked straight into the eyes of the two inside the ring.

"The Grand Prize will be the chance to not be slaughtered like the 'cattle' you are for planning to kill my citizens. Now, fight!"

With stupefied expressions, the two inside the ring stared at the man who was supposed to be 'just a Peak Warrior'.

A sudden burst of fear struck their minds when he looked at them with those eyes which were oh, so cold, but the moment they felt their power return to them, they automatically launched attacks in his direction after sharing a look.

The barrier was of such a high level that they couldn't even detect its existence, so it was their small hope that the King might be caught off-guard.

The bulky man shot forward a punch that caused the apparition of a blazing fist to appear, while the other conjured a tornado filled with thunderbolts.

Yet, before they could release either attack, the King flicked his fingers once.

BAM!

BAM!

While the citizens of various Kingdoms watched on with expressions as if they had seen something straight out of the stories that bards sang, two humongous, glowing hammers appeared out of thin air above each 'contestant'.

With a resounding boom, the two individuals were crushed to the ground while their attacks dissipated.

This act was so impressive that those watching wondered whether the two in the ring had been crushed into meat paste because they had defied the King.

Yet, when the glowing hammers dissipated, they saw that the two looked fine. They were collapsed on the ground, but there were no obvious injuries.

However, on closer examination, everyone noticed that their eyes had rolled into the back of their heads, and froth was coming out of their mouths.

They were also shaking minutely, and their expressions…were those of two men who were going through the most painful torture imaginable.

With another flick, the writhing stopped.

With that same, cold voice, the King said, "Disobey, and you get another taste of those 'Hammers of Agony'. I'm told that three strikes from these Hammers result in even a Peak Exalted Warrior becoming a blabbering mess who can never recover. If you don't want to take part in a test to see whether that's true, fight. Good luck. Your fate will be decided by those people whom you had been about to kill without a second thought."

Leaving these words, the King walked back to his Throne, where he sat down with a flourish.

Waving one hand in the air, he shouted, "Let the match begin!"

While the spectators all over the continent erupted into cheers of excitement, two figures teleported into the air right above where this 'show' was going on.

Daneel would have recognized one of them: it was the regal old man who had said that he would have a chat with him.

The other man was shrouded in darkness despite the bright sunlight, but when he looked down to see the barrier and the 'contestants', his eyes shone red.

"Shouldn't we interfere? Isn't that what we're here for?", he said in a raspy voice, which made a chuckle appear from the old man.

Conjuring a comfortable chair, he sat down and said, "Why in the world would we do that? I'm just here to watch the show! No one knows that they are from the Big 4, as, in the eyes of the people, the Big 4 doesn't exist. If we step in, that will change. This kid has planned it perfectly. The moment we step in, we will also be exposing our location to the Church, who are definitely watching. Both of these things, we must avoid. All we can do is watch, and regale ourselves!"

Although the man said this, the figure in darkness didn't respond.

But, when the man spoke again after a few seconds, the figure turned around and glared.

"I know about your bastard son who's down there, but I cannot let you interfere. That's why we're here, by the way. If you try to step in, I'll stop you. You're also not going anywhere, so why not sit and watch? That guy should have been killed a hundred times over because of his crime. The only reason he's alive and only exiled is you. Who knows, maybe its finally time for him to pay his dues…"

Chapter 521: First Match

5.

That was his name now.

Born as the son of a simple woodcutter, Morgan had been delighted when he had been picked to enter one of the Big 4.

Aiming to reach the top, he had mixed with the sons and daughters of the higher-ups, who treated him like trash even though he tried to suck up to them as much as possible.

His thinking had been simple: coming from a normal life, his main goal was that he should never have to go back to having nothing. He wanted power and more resources, but because he didn't have any background, he was treated the same as everyone, which wasn't enough for him.

With the idea to become indispensable for this gang of arrogant, spoiled brats, he had become the one to do their dirty work.

Initially, it had been fine. As he was a gifted Warrior, and because he would never hesitate to resort to dirty tricks no matter what the situation was, victory was easy when he was dealing with those at his power level, especially if the opponent was someone who had grown up in the sect and, thus, didn't have much exposure to the outer world.

His mage skills were lacking, but he had still found a way to incorporate magic into his style to make sure that he could do as much damage as possible.

Most of his 'work' had involved beating up those who weren't like by the arrogant brats discreetly, so that they could gloat in the misfortune of others while not being scolded by their powerful parents.

However, it had all gone wrong during a certain exploit into the outside world.

They had gone to a village which wasn't affiliated to any Kingdom or force, and there, one of the gang had gotten carried away.

He ended up killing a family, but the Mayor of that town revealed that he was someone who had a connection with a different member of the Big 4, as the latter usually came to this town for supplies and recruitment.

The Mayor was going to send the report and condemn the gang to be reproached by their parents, which was when one of them had the brilliant idea to have Morgan slaughter the entire village.

He was hesitant at first, as the punishment was very severe. However, he was promised something that he had been looking for for a very long time: a proper Warrior Inheritance that gave him a method to strive to become a Champion. These were few and far in-between, so he had gone ahead and done the deed after taking payment preemptively, just to be safe.

He was found and sentenced to death, but that was when Morgan threatened that he would tell all of the gang's dirty secrets if he was killed.

The gang panicked, and his sentence was changed to exile.

This was just a typical story which had common elements with other stories of other rogue Fighters and Mages, but his had a twist.

He had been the one to make that member of the gang kill that family, after making sure that what he wanted was in the possession of one of them.

After that, even their actions had been choreographed by him by dropping subtle hints.

The problem had been that no longer how much dirty work he did, those arrogant sons of ******* would never hand out anything more than scraps.

So, he had created this elaborate plan, and the end result had been that he had been able to make a clean exit from all the politics and constrictions of the Sect with a big bag of Ker Gems, an Inheritance that included and Acquired Champion Path and the freedom to do whatever he wanted.

In other words, he was someone who was ready to do anything to live and prosper.

That hammer had made it very clear that his life was now in the hands of this King, who had somehow risen from being a target to a shark that was ready to devour them.

So, to live, he would win in this show, and do whatever it took to reach that goal.

Meanwhile, Daneel had sat back down with Raul, who was tonguetied.

"Come on, talk. Who do you think will win?"

Meanwhile, in the ring, the two seemed to have reached the same conclusion that they didn't want to have another taste of the hammer. They were circling around each other carefully, and because they hadn't had much of a feeling of camaraderie before, either, there wasn't that much push needed to make them turn on each other.

There were a few among the 21 who had known each other for a long time, but that definitely did not include these two.

Raul had just recently recovered from the shock that he was in this situation, so he had just been interrupted in an introspection of all the choices that had led to this moment by the King's question.

Well, what did he have to lose?

For someone who had pursued balance all his life, this was the most imbalanced thing he was seeing.

"Mor-"

"No names. Numbers. That's all they are to me, and the spectators. Well, except you, at least. But we'll get to you later. Answer."

Gritting his teeth, Raul said, "5 will lose, for sure. He's just an Eminent Warrior who has broken into that level very recently. He's even just an Exalted Human Mage. His opponent is an Eminent Mage who has quite a few killing moves up his sleeves."

"Oh? Let's see if you're right."

Watching as they circled for a few more seconds, Daneel got irritated and made his voice reverberate inside the ring, while making sure that this wasn't broadcasted.

"Stop circling and fight. If either of you is close to death, I'll intervene and save you, as I've decided that you will die by my hand if you lose. But if you win, you should be alive to claim your prize, right? Nothing is in your control, except for the chance to impress as many people as possible. Fight, or the hammers will descend again."

Nothing was more effective than the thought of having that body-shattering pain lace through their bodies again.

So, the two inside the ring conjured the same attacks which they had been about to launch at Daneel before, and…launched them toward each other.

…

"WOW! DAD, VOTE FOR 5! FLAMING PUNCHES ARE COOL!"

"NO, TORNADOES ARE COOLER! VOTE FOR 15!"

"It's simple logic! A tornado will blow fire out!"

Among excited cheers, the match that had started was now being heavily commented on by the children.

Meanwhile, the parents were having more of an…intellectual discussion.

"The muscular man looks like an honest Fighter. Look at his flaming punches…they embody the manly power of youth."

"Pfft! 'Manly Power'! Your wife should talk about that, not you! The delicate one is so much nicer! He looks like one of those nice kids who can take your daughter out!"

"Both of you, shut up! We need to analyze their attacks, not their appearances! Now, look, the fire punch is strong, but it pales in comparison to the versatility of the tornado."

"Yes, but look at the delicate guy running around while trying to avoid getting close to the other one. He definitely looks pathetic!"

"But the hefty guy is running away from the tornado, too! All of his punches are getting extinguished!"

Each turn of the battle was dissected into multiple components in this way, before each was judged thoroughly using what limited knowledge the citizens had.

They had been right, number 5 was constantly on guard against the tornado, which was being actively controlled by 15 to get near to his opponent's body while he either dodged 5's attacks using barriers or ran away.

Finally, the tornado with lightning bolts reached its target, which resulted in the hefty man being flung across the ring.

Hitting the barrier, he slumped to the ground, while Daneel prepared to pick him out.

The pure Mage was quite talented, and there even seemed to be a difference of two minor levels between him and the Fighter. The latter couldn't even get close enough to use his Fighter attacks, which had resulted in this loss.

Just as he was about to intervene as the tornado was nearing 5 and would soon kill him, he saw something that made both his eyebrows rise high up on his head.

"No! For my father, I must survive! I need to fulfill his dying wish!"

With acting that would have won an award back on Earth, the hefty man valiantly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and shakily stood up.

The sound from inside the ring was being transmitted to the Network Trinkets for realism, so the spectators all heard this line.

Silence shrouded over the houses where boisterous discussions had been going on till now, while citizens gazed as number 5 heroically launched one last punch before disappearing from the ring, right before the tornado madly collided into the barrier at the spot where he had been.

This made many scream with fright, wondering whether that 'poor man' who needed to fulfill his father's dying wish had died.

However, the screen flashed once and went blank, before changing to show the two contestants standing on two wooden podiums.

It seemed that barriers had again been set up to stop them from moving, which became evident when the delicate man launched a punch and shook his head when his hand collided with the transparent membrane.

For the spectators, numbers appeared below each podium indicating the contestant's identity, while Daneel's voice reached them through the trinket.

"Press the 'left' button on the trinket to choose 5! Press 'right' to choose 15! Their fate lies in your hands! Choose wisely!"

No one even heard Daneel, as most were busy viewing the hefty man again, who had fallen to the ground after 'realizing' that he wasn't dead.

Daneel's instructions that he would save them hadn't been broadcast to the people, so they didn't know that number 5 could have known that he would live.

So, seeing him collapse on his knees and cry while looking as if he was ecstatic that he was still alive, it looked like he really had been ready to let death take him valiantly with that last attack.

"Daddy, 5 should live to fulfill his father's wish. Vote for him."

"Yes, we should vote for him!"

"Now that I think about it, he was pretty impressive. And the King did say that victory and loss doesn't matter. All that matters is whether he impressed us. 5 impressed me!"

"No, how can you believe that he's not acting?!"

"Did you SEE him cry? It was so honest!"

Although few were still skeptical, many had been bowled over by this 'performance'.

The votes started pouring in, and Daneel watched as the 'bucket' which indicated the number of votes for 5 started filling up.

Right now, he was…pretty irritated.

He hadn't expected that these Angarians would adapt so fast!

The hallmark of any reality show contestant was his/her ability to enter the hearts of the spectators through their performance. Clearly, the hefty man had aimed for that, and had succeeded, despite the fact that the other was more impressive than him.

This was an aspect of reality TV that Daneel had always hated. So, seeing it enter his show so soon, an expression of exasperation was visible on his face.

Even Raul seemed to agree.

"Heh. His father? What a joke. Morgan is known to be one of the most cold-blooded guys in the rogue circles. His father was killed by some human robbers, but I know for a fact that he didn't even bother to go for the funeral as he was too busy sucking up to others. The only one he values is himself."

This made the irritation in Daneel grow to new heights.

It was one thing if a person was being dramatic using the truth.

However, if someone was being someone they were not just to win, that…was someone Daneel wanted to squash.

Sadly, he could only bide his time. Forcefully putting on a fake smile, he spoke when the screen shifted to him.

"The people have spoken! 5 advances, while 15 enters the loser's pool! We will be having a 5-minute recess before the next match! Get some refreshments, but don't. Go. Away!"

In Ophelia's house, many shouts of happiness were heard, as most of them had gotten what they wanted.

As for the rest who had been skeptical, they could only grumble.

Just like them, Daneel was the one grumbling the most.

However, suddenly, it was as if the Gods above had heard his 'prayers'.

"Young King, I understand your frustration. But I think you have a chance to make it right. Focus on the spot where number 5 is sitting."

After the proclamation of victory, 15 had had a baffled look on his face while 5 had jumped into the air with joy.

After that, they had both been bound again and placed along with the other captives.

As Daneel followed Drakos's instructions, he smiled after a few seconds.

Immediately contacting the Network Crew, he prepared for a…'special' broadcast.

…

Back in Ophelia's house, people were chatting happily about how they had done the right thing. It was almost as if they had forgotten that that man had been about to kill them, which was something that those who hadn't wanted to vote for 5 repeatedly tried to remind them about.

Yet, that was shrugged away, with the reply being that 'Even the Wicked should be shown Mercy, sometimes'.

Ophelia didn't want to leave even to the bathroom, so her eyes were glued to the screen, which was blank.

When the screen suddenly flashed and showed a picture of two people, she yelped and shouted, "Look, it's back!"

Hurriedly, all the people assembled again, with some even buttoning their pants in the process as they had been in the bathroom.

They were all expecting another show, but it was number 5's voice which floated through the Network Trinket.

When they heard his words, shock, disbelief, and anger started to shine on the faces of those who had voted for him, while those who hadn't prepared to utter the biggest 'I-told-you-so's of their lives.

The beginning part of his conversation with the one bound next to him had been cut off, but the remaining was enough for everyone to understand the truth.

"-knew it! I guessed that those stupid sheep would fall for whatever sob story I spouted! They're only fit to be slaughtered! Hehe, my dad's only last wish was to never see me again because I stole his life's savings when I left! Well, in a way, it's true, cos I would have seen him if I died! HAHAHAHA!"

.....

Final 20 hours to send your entries in! All entries will be up for voting by Sunday's Powerstone reset!

Final details of contest:

Theme: WDS Spinoff - can be anything related to the events/characters of this book

Submission: Mail to worlddominationsystem@gmail.com

Last Date: 30th March 2019

Prizes: 1200 SS

Minimum Word Count: 500

Method of deciding winner: Voting

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments!

I've looked over the entries so far and they're awesome! Keep it up!

Chapter 522: Just Desserts

The smile on Daneel's face couldn't get any wider while he watched the broadcast of 5's real nature which was being witnessed by all the spectators all over the continent.

He hadn't expected that he would be getting a chance to get back at this guy so soon, so he was both pleasantly surprised and extremely happy about it.

However, it didn't make that much sense. If someone was sly enough to be able to figure out this loophole this quickly, then he didn't understand why he would resort to boasting in this way which was both risky and unnecessary.

Regardless, Daneel knew that he would find out everything soon, as he didn't intend to stretch it too.

He knew that shorter shows were always better, as it would be tough to keep excitement and anticipation up for hours and hours on end, continuously.

That was also why TV shows on earth ran in the form of episodes instead of dumping everything in front of the spectators' eyes in one long broadcast.

Even here, the best case would have been if he could have made this play out over the span of five or six episodes, but he couldn't afford to do that as Daneel didn't want to risk unknown factors entering into the fray and messing with his plans.

Coming back to the broadcast, he knew that this was the kind of rude awakening that the people needed so that they wouldn't fall for such tricks and would vote according to the criteria he had given them.

His whole objective with this show was that he wanted them to feel how it was if they had the power to judge the fates of those who had set out to vanquish them. He was practically making them the judge, and he knew that few things were more exhilarating than that for these common people whose lives were spent only looking up at people of power like these Warriors.

Also, of course, the main objective was that his face and his image had to be etched into the minds of the people of this continent as firmly as possible through this show.

Hence, Daneel had already planned it with the crew and Eloise that there would be as many appearances by him as possible during the course of the show. Between each match, during each recess, during each announcement, and during each time that he stepped in to save either contestant from dying, his image would flash across the screen, highlighting his grandness and royal attitude when he dealt with these powerful people who were nothing like ants to him.

At least, that was the image they were going for, and it worked pretty well, especially considering the fact that Daneel's real power really did eclipse that of these 21 individuals by a large margin.

The second match was between two Mages, who had to run around the ring incessantly while dodging the other's attacks as they were both quite weak in body potential. All of their trinkets had been stripped from them in order to make for a level playing field, so they could only resort to conjuring barriers that were usually ineffective in fights of this level as it would take too long to cast the spell for a strong enough barrier to stop a Warrior's attack. It was much more easier just to run while making sure that their own attacks were on track to hit the opponent, which made for a cat and mouse game that wasn't that entertaining, at all.

However, the effects of the first match were apparent. Taking a cue from 5, these two also tried to put out sob stories that were even cringier then 5's, but they failed as the voting was almost dead even with one of them eking out a victory just by pure luck and a little bit of skill. They had already put on display the most dazzling spells they had in their possession, so it could be said that they had done everything they could do.

…

Ophelia had a very serious expression on her face throughout the second match, just like the many other adults who had advocated for 5 during the first match. The only ones smiling were the skeptical individuals who had tried to dissuade these people from falling for those tricks.

In fact, they had been gloating all this while, but a snap from the majority who couldn't take it any longer had made it so that those people could only sit by themselves and gloat silently while the rest tried to forget what had happened.

The whole time during the second match, silence had mostly pervaded throughout Ophelia's household with only a few gasps of shock on seeing the dazzling displays of magic on the screen.

However, there were no excited cheers like during the first match, as it seemed that even the cheering would make them remember how they had been made fools of.

Many had even resolved to wait for the next match in which 5 would take part, so that they could vote against him even if he turned out to be the most dazzling one.

As for when they saw the dialogues of the two Mages just before the match ended which were clearly attempts to swing the audience towards them by making themselves look more pitiful than the other, scorn and derision appeared on the faces of the spectators while they closed their ears completely and refused to believe anything that these two were saying.

At the end of the second match, the good spirits of the people finally returned a little as they saw that the victor this time was the one that most of them had chosen, as he had seemed just a bit more dazzling than the other due to his spells which used ice and fire in a beautiful and artistic manner.

He had also won that match, which had served to increase the good opinion that they had had of him.

All in all, the judging took place in a much more fair manner due to the incident of the first match, and this was something that Daneel also commented on and felt glad about. Hell, he even wondered whether he should thank number five for educating the citizens of this continent about the fraudulent ways in which people in reality shows could gain favor.

After all, there was no awakening better than a rude one.

The next two matches after that also took place in a more normal manner, with the cheering slowly starting to make a return because each time, the citizens were happy that they weren't falling for the inept and sometimes even disgusting attempts by these Warriors to make them vote for them.

Some quoted a dying wife, others copied 5 and spoke about their parents, and some even resorted to saying that they just wanted to take care of their kids.

Of course, all of these fell on deaf ears, and each time, more votes went to the one who managed to strike a better impression of his or her power in the eyes of the citizens.

In the four matches that followed the first one, three of them went in the favour of the one who won the match, while the fourth was an exception as the winner in question was a lady who displayed a very mesmerizing style of magic which involved flying around the ring serenely while trying to avoid the strikes of her opponent, who was a Warrior just like 5. Towards the end, she failed and was almost about to be struck down which would have resulted in possible death, which made Daneel step in. She ended up being the victor in votes, with a majority higher than those that had come before her.

This also happened to be the woman who had stood beside Raul and spoken for the group before, and when he saw her fighting, Daneel had noticed that Raul had a regretful expression on his eyes.

After the match, he was going to ask why that was, but he let it go as he once again got busy in appearing in front of the people and making grand gestures.

Next up was 5's turn, again.

When Morgan went into the ring the second time, he was ecstatic.

His plan was progressing beautifully, and he even glanced toward one of the communication eyes and winked, as if he was some sort of favorite who had returned in front of the eyes of the spectators to regale them with his performance.

Of course, he had no idea that his true colors had already been broadcasted to his fans.

He couldn't have known that the king eavesdropped on him during a normal discussion between him and the other Warriors, which had actually been part of his plan.

While he was stepping down from the podium after his victory, he had gotten this idea.

He had seen the expressions on the faces of his opponent and the other Warriors who were spectating the match, so he knew that they would definitely copy his tactic and attempt to win over the hearts of those watching.

If that was the case, then he couldn't guarantee that he would have the upper hand in his own next match. After all, he even knew that he couldn't compare in acting skills to a few of his fellow Warriors.

The matches after his had cemented that opinion in his mind, as everyone put on performances. Yet, as he didn't know that he was the reason why the judging had changed to become fair, he assumed that it was still based on who performed better in both the battle and the drama.

So, he went forward with his plan, even going so far as to make sure that his statement about him stealing his father's savings would spread throughout the Warriors so that no matter who became his opponent, they would definitely know about it.

Sure enough, his opponent was another Fighter who had a mocking smile on his face, as if he was going to end his progress by uttering the truth.

Well, that was exactly what he wanted.

The moment the match started, just like he had expected, his opponent stood where he was and shouted out, "Morgan – number five! The people need to know just how much of a fraud you are! I heard you telling everyone outside and gloating that you fooled all of the citizens using your statement when in reality, your father never wanted to see you again because you stole all of his life savings!"

Only, instead of panicking, Morgan just chuckled, as it was time for the final part of his plan.

"You think all of these people are foolish to believe whatever you say? They saw me facing death itself when I said that. I'm not the kind of vile character like you to say whatever is needed just because I want to live. Besides, the citizens of this continent are smart. They will only judge based on how good we are, not on what we say. Fight me, you fool. If you are better than me in impressing the great citizens of our continent, then I will admit defeat by myself and cut my throat. So, stop this kind of underhanded behavior."

This left his opponent gaping, while Morgan continued to laugh inside his mind.

He always liked to be one step ahead of his opponents, just like in the case with that gang from the sect when he had led them to kill those villagers.

He had expected that he would be targeted in this way no matter who his opponent was, so his objective had been to remove that from the equation and praise the spectators so that they would be more inclined to vote for him.

He could almost imagine those foolish creatures' faces – they must be beaming that he, a great Warrior, had praised them for being smart.

Still, just to be safe, Morgan put on the best performance of his life. Luckily, his opponent was also a Fighter who was much less dazzling than him, so he even started to feel regret that he should have saved this for another match as he knew that he would have won this one anyway even if the judging was fair.

However, when he stood atop the pedestal and waited for the results, he saw the King smiling at him in an odd way.

He didn't understand why that was, but when he heard the King's proclamation in front of the screen, his jaw almost dropped to the floor.

"What a historic decision! For the first time, I'm seeing the biggest difference in votes yet. I didn't even think of this was possible! I can only comment that all the citizens have become very cognizant about how they should make their decisions. The winner is number 19, with an astounding majority of a ratio of 98:1. Onto the next match!"

Morgan started to stutter, raising a finger pointing at the King, as he wanted to ask whether this was all a mistake.

Meanwhile, smiles of joy could be seen on the faces of Ophelia and the rest, as they felt that they had finally set right the mistake they had done before.

Daneel chose to clear the man's doubt. Flicking his fingers, he made Morgan appear beside him, before he said, "Your plan was good… But you should have thought about it a bit more. What do you think the people will feel if they see you calling them cattle right in front of their eyes?"

Everything fell into place in Morgan's mind. He had been… Doomed from the second he made that plan.

Right now, he could only stare at the King, whose gloating smile made him flush and look to the side while anger and frustration dominated his mind.

Yet, when he looked to the side, his eyes fell on the screen denoting the votes, where he saw that his 'bucket' was almost completely empty.

'Damn this King! This isn't fair!'

He shouted this in his mind, but he knew that he couldn't do anything about it.

He had tried to be smart, but it had ended up stabbing him in the back.

Daneel had to say that he was very, very satisfied right now. The citizens had been educated in the correct way, and this guy, who had attempted to hoodwink him and live, had also had his just desserts.

The shock on his face had been one of the most fulfilling things that Daneel had felt in a long time.

Now, it was time to bring an end to this show.

Turning toward Raul beside him, Daneel said, "Get ready. You're the final boss. You'll be going up soon."

Chapter 523: Unexpected Developmen

The completely shocked expression on 5's face when he saw that he lost was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

All of the cheers and excitement that had disappeared from the people returned, making them jump with glee along with those smiles of joy that just wouldn't leave their faces.

This would definitely be a lesson that they would remember forever, and when the King made that comment, his words also got branded into their minds.

Throughout the show, his repeated appearances really had gone a long way in making him feel more and more familiar to all of the people who had used to think of him as some distant figure whom they didn't know much about.

Familiarity always bred comfort, and when they viewed how impressive he looked as he was in control of everything going on even though he was dealing with people of this level which was supposed to be undefeatable on the Central Continent, their impression of him started to grow more and more. At least, in those who hadn't felt much about the king except knowing that he was someone famous, Daneel had succeeded in building the foundation of the image that he hoped would grow into something so much greater.

Meanwhile, after hearing Daneel's comment, Raul remained silent, just like he had been throughout the show so far.

He only observed everything as if he was a spectator himself, while he repeatedly went through everything that had happened in his whole life until now.

He didn't think much about winning, as something told him that even though the king had stated that he would let the victor go, things definitely wouldn't be that simple. After all, why would this man give someone the opportunity to target him again by letting them go, now?

Along with being the most powerful, he was also the oldest among all of the rogue Fighters and Mages, and because of his special position beside the King, he could tell that this was all just a choreographed play whose only objective was to further some goal of the King's. As for what the specific goal was, although Raul had a few suspicions, he didn't know the answer exactly.

He had already assessed that all of the formations and spells binding all of them were at the Champion level, which made him wish that he could cross the final step stopping him from becoming a Champion and breaking out of the bindings in one go.

All he needed to do… Was understand what the essence of balance was, and cast a Mageroot-less spell that would result in the advance of his Mageroot to the next level.

That had been his whole objective behind targeting the King in the first place – the King had awed everyone by casting a Mageroot-less spell during his Olympics, which had resulted in a fire being lit up in Raul to find out just how he had done it.

If he could receive even a few tips regarding the process, then he was confident that he could finally achieve what he had been trying to reach for the past 10 years.

Accompanied by the King's smile, the contest continued for another hour during which those in the loser's bracket also fought with everything they had in an attempt to get more votes.

The exception was 5 – initially, he tried to put on dazzling performances in the hope that he could overturn the impression that he had given to the people, but each time, he lost without fail.

In his last match, he didn't even bother to put up resistance, resulting in a forfeit.

In the end, the victor was quite surprising – it was the woman who had that mesmerizing style of magic.

She wasn't the most powerful, but there was just something about her that made the people want to vote for her. One thing was for sure – she always put forward the best effort, and she was always graceful when she saw the result, no matter if she won or lost. In fact, she had lost once with a very small difference in votes to a Fighter who had managed to strike her down in a very short span of time, but she fought her way through the loser's bracket and even won the semi-finals, as she seemed to have a towering advantage over all Mages.

Her battle style was peculiar – she seemed to be an expert in nullifying the spells of her opponents, which obviously didn't work against Fighters as there were no spells being cast.

Also, her own attacks didn't use any of the typical elements – instead, they employed some sort of sound based medium that sought to lull the opponent into a dizzy state in which they could be defeated.

All in all, she stood out, which was a major factor in her victory.

After the end of the semi-final match during which he emerged the victor, Daneel walked onto the ring where so many fights had taken place.

Seeing this and knowing that it might be time for the most brilliant fight yet, everyone in Ophelia's household held their breath, looking forward to what the King would say.

First, Daneel gestured toward the woman who had won, who was standing beside him in the ring.

She was wearing a white dress with many tassels around her hands and legs, which artfully flew around her even when she was standing still.

"Number three, congratulations on reaching the finals. I must say that for someone who was about to take part in an act that would have gone down as one of the most horrific in the history of my Kingdom, you really managed to turn your impression around and strike a chord in even the people whom you would have killed if you hadn't been stopped. Really, this show is more of a grand success than I could ever have imagined, and I think the citizens all over the continent agree when I say that I have shown them fully just what my Network is capable of. What do you all say?"

The final question was, of course, addressed toward the communication eye. In Ophelia's house, everyone stood up with broad smiles and even started to applaud, even though they knew that the king couldn't see them.

They were just too…moved. This was definitely the best show they had ever seen in their entire lives, and it had all been made possible by the man whom they saw in the trinket. The way in which he had stopped this threat and even made it into such an exciting show for all of them was something they would remember forever, and in their hearts, the image of the King of Lanthanor started to solidify into something that wouldn't budge no matter what anyone said about him.

"I can hear the applause even though I'm not with you, and I can only say that I am humbled. However, like all good things, this must also come to an end. It is time for the final match – between the victor, number three, and their leader who put this entire operation together. I have chosen to give him the special Number zero. He is special… Because he is the most powerful man to have ever set foot in my Kingdom. He is a Peak Exalted Warrior- just one step away from becoming a Champion – and I don't think I need to tell you all just how legendary a level that is."

Gasps of surprise and shock sounded throughout all the households who were witnessing the show, as they had only heard about Champions in stories. Just like the King had said, that was a level that was legendary. In the stories, such people were capable of rending the earth and splitting the heavens if they wished, and many had even thought that the Champion level was just a hoax.

Anticipation grew to the next level when they heard this, making the people move even closer to the trinket so that they wouldn't miss even a single move.

"Still, I implore you all to judge in the same way that you have been judging so far. You will be the ones to decide the fates of these two people – one will live, and one will not. Let the match… Begin!"

As the king said this and disappeared from the ring, the eyes of the spectators sharpened as they prepared to take part in the final judging.

However, even though seconds passed one after another, both individuals just stood on two corners of the ring and looked at each other without doing anything.

Daneel was also perplexed. He wondered whether he should step in and threaten these two again, but he had set the stage so beautifully that doing something like that would spoil it.

He had referred to these people's initial objective so that he could remove any impressions of favor that might have formed for the woman by making the people remember that she had been about to merrily kill them all just a few hours ago.

He wasn't too worried about the fight being one-sided, as he had noticed that this woman's peculiar style would let her stand up to Mages who were more powerful than her. So, he was looking forward to a good fight, even though he knew that Raul would most definitely be the one winning.

After a minute, he finally chose to intervene.

"The hammers will descend in one minute. Begin the fight," he said coldly, which did not elicit any response from either contestant.

Well, if they wanted to feel pain, then he couldn't do anything.

Meanwhile, Raul was staring at the woman whom he had known for more than two decades.

How could he rais his hand against someone like that?

Unlike the rest who were just acquaintances with each other, the two of them had always been close. In fact, she was the one who had introduced him to the circle of rogue Warriors after he had been exiled from the sect.

He had been pursuing balance all his life… But he had now reached a position of such imbalance.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't imagine this going in a different way. In his pursuit of balance, he had thought that he had already taken care of all aspects, but there was no possible way in which he could have known that the King's inheritance was something much more powerful than he had thought.

Wasn't balance all about considering all factors and placing them on either side of the scale?

He had done that, but failed spectacularly.

What if… That wasn't all that was there to balance?

What if… True balance wasn't actually impossible in this world, where there was chaos and uncertainty everywhere?

If that couldn't be taken into account, then what was the point of trying to achieve equilibrium?

But… If he incorporated imbalance as a factor, then wouldn't the entire pursuit become moot?

Complex thoughts revolved in his mind, as realization slowly started to dawn upon him.

He couldn't get rid of the chaos, and the chaos would cause imbalance.

Then what was the only solution?

Once again, he remembered the powerless feeling that had filled him when he viewed all of his comrades fighting each other. He went over this entire experience, and what he had learned from it.

His pursuit had always been to find balance in everything, but he had never accepted that that was impossible.

True balance… Was only possible when he accepted the universal fact that nothing could be completely certain.

He could only seek to measure what was visible in front of him, while being cognizant of the fact that the chaos was something he couldn't quantify or take into the equation. His pride, his power, his magic… All of them were useless in the face of that chaos.

At this moment, he understood that he had been seeing it in the wrong way.

His whole pursuit of this Champion path had stemmed from one sentence he had found in the records of the sect: "The path of balance can only be sought after by those who tread on it while trying to keep away from the shadow that is imbalance."

He had assumed that this meant that everything had to be in his control so that he could achieve balance… yet, a shadow was something that was always present, no matter if it was visible or invisible. Hence, he could only know of its existence, and move on.

The moment he understood this, his Mageroot started to go through a metamorphosis that allowed him to view the world in a different way.

He raised his two palms, and when a fireball appeared in one, another fireball came into existence on the other palm even though he hadn't cast the spell for it.

This fireball… Had appeared because of his understanding of the concept of balance, instead of being conjured by his Mageroot.

So this was the power of this Champion path.

It was the power to influence the world itself to be in equilibrium, by making it move in order to set right any imbalances that he created.

In essence… All of his attacks would spawn copies.

When Daneel viewed this, a chill passed through his spine, as he could see with his Elementary Vision that this man hadn't cast the spell for the second fireball. No… His surroundings had moved by themselves.

The next moment, the barrier broke, as he had only been using an Amateur Champion level barrier given by Drakos so that he wouldn't set off any suspicions in the eyes of those who might be watching.

Of course, that bit him in the ass, now, as Raul had become a true Amateur Champion who broke through everything in a flash.

Initially, Daneel frowned, wondering what he should do, but he suddenly got an idea.

After asking Drakos a question and receiving the answer he had hoped for, he messaged Eloise, saying, "Keep it running. I wanted the show to end with a bang, and it seems that the heavens have answered that prayer of mine. No matter what happens, don't let the broadcast stop."

Saying so, Daneel rose into the air to face the man who had been his captive till now.

Chapter 524: The Moment Angaria Stood Still

Meanwhile, at the location in the air where the man shrouded in darkness and the Hero from the Big 4 were sitting.

On seeing the sudden, unexpected development below, the former stood up with shock, while his eyes started to glow brightly.

The bearded, regal man also stood up, with his eyes sharpening.

Yet, after viewing the scene for a second, he sighed and said, "So he really did achieve it. I must say that I'm surprised. However…"

That last word of his spoken in a strange tone. It made visible reverberations appear from his mouth, which bounced infinitely on invisible surfaces before coalescing into a solid, transparent cage around the man shrouded in darkness.

All of this happened in the span of less than a second, and even though the other man was about to retaliate, he found himself trapped before he could even conjure an attack.

This man…wasn't the head of the Big 4 for nothing.

"It's sad that we cannot interfere even if he becomes a Hero. An exile is an exile. He bears resentment toward us. True, he is talented, but he isn't talented enough to warrant a departure from the customs which have allowed us to exist to this point. You know as well as I do that we cannot step in. So…just sit, and hope that he can escape. His chances do look better, you know."

As soon as he said the last sentence, a formless force made the other man enter a forced sitting position, while the glow in his eyes took on a dangerous aspect while he looked at the Head of the Council.

Chuckling, the Head said, "Don't look at me like that. You know I'm doing this for a reason. Come on, let's watch the show together."

…

Meanwhile, the system had just sent a message in Daneel's mind which made him smile with delight.

[Champion level Paragon Constructs analyzed. Ready to deploy.]

"Young King, as you've asked, I've given you the copy of the Champion level inheritance that definitely exists somewhere in this world. That man was my disciple…he told me that he would place it at a place where only those with determination could find. I assure you that it is at a similar level to those that must have been found by the Big 4 so far. You won't arouse any suspicion even after you defeat this man. It will be a bit tough, though."

"Oh, that's all right. It has to be tough so that our spectators believe that it's all real."

Replying in this way, Daneel first made sure that Eloise and the rest of the crew were at a safe distance. After that, he checked on the communication eye that he had placed on his chest so that it could have the best view.

Any communication eyes floating around in the air would definitely turn to dust due to the aftershocks of their fight. So, placing one on himself, where it would be protected by the barriers protecting him, was best.

After all his checks were done, he laid his eyes on his opponent, who was just looking at him with an indecipherable expression in his eyes.

He spoke after a few seconds.

"Must we fight? The objective that I came here for has been fulfilled. If you allow it, I'll just take all of these Warriors and leave."

As soon as he said this, hope appeared in the eyes of all those who were still bound below.

However, following that hope…was fury, which made it clear that these weren't the sort of people who would just let this humiliation go.

They had been put on display like circus animals to produce tricks for the amusement of those whom they considered to be insects. Till now, because they had thought that they had no way out, all the Warriors had put that to the side and focused on the attempt to win and live.

Yet, now that they saw that there was an opportunity, they could only think about one thing: revenge.

In fact, some even planned on going on a killing trip where they would seek out and kill all those who had done the voting.

All of this was clear in their expressions, even if they tried to hide it. Many didn't even try, as they knew about the gap between a Peak Exalted Warrior and an Amateur Champion.

It was such a qualitative leak in power that there was almost no match between the two, and, besides, they had all seen the incredible ability that Raul's Champion Path had made him capable of.

So, they looked forward to when they would be free.

The only exception was the woman who had won the semi-finals- she was only looking at Raul with eyes that contained awe, with none of the bloodthirst that was apparent in the others.

Daneel didn't even need to give an answer. There was no chance that he would let them go, especially after they had made their intentions clear.

This became clear to Raul, too, who sighed again and said, "All right, then. You were right to defend your Kingdom's citizens, but putting us all on this kind of show really is inexcusable. I'll give you a swift death. Let the vendetta between us end with this. All of you- if you target the innocent people even after I kill this King, then I will come after you. Understood?"

That last sentence made Daneel raise an eyebrow, while the 19 Warriors tried to curb their anger and nod.

It didn't look like Raul bought it, as he had a sad expression on his face when he said, "Let's get this over with."

At the end of the day, Raul knew where his allegiance lay. These were only a few of the rogue Warriors on this continent: he knew for sure that there were many more.

He had his own goals, and for them, he had to stay on the side of these people even if he didn't like most of them.

Daneel, on the other hand, was just smiling when he watched this whole show.

At this moment, he truly understood why an Empire Spirit was considered to be the ultimate treasure trove, and why the Big 4 feared those who connected with one so much.

Apparently, the seals were ordered in such a way that the first seal, which he had already broken, was meant to give access to myriad Champion-level techniques, spells, and information.

The second seal was meant for Hero-level, and this was what the Queen of Arafell and, supposedly, the King of Axelor had broken.

As for the third and final seal, it seemed that even Drakos didn't know what was behind it.

Of course, there were loopholes, such as simple Hero-level spells that Drakos had been able to give him.

Yet, Daneel felt as if what he had just received surpassed everything that Drakos had given him so far.

In fact, he even felt like kicking himself for not telling Drakos to dump all the Champion-level stuff he knew so that the system could record it.

Regardless, Daneel decided that that was what he would do as soon as this fight was done.

With his hands behind his back, he watched as Raul conjured one barrier, which made another appear.

Even if it was the second time he was viewing it, Daneel was thoroughly impressed.

This was different from the Champion abilities that the Mad Doctor and Ashahell had displayed, but he could tell that each had its own advantages and drawbacks.

In succession, Raul deployed an array of barriers around him, before raising his hands.

Between his palms, a small, fist-sized glowing ball of light appeared, which started to grow brighter and brighter as time passed.

At the same time, a similar ball came into existence beside it, which also started to grow brighter at the same pace.

"Young King, this is the Warrior-level spell 'Sun Ray'. By concentrating light elementary particles, a destructive ray of energy is shot at an opponent at a blinding speed. Now that it is being channeled by a Champion, it is even more powerful, and the effect of his Champion Path doubles its power. If you were just a normal Peak Exalted Warrior, you would stand no chance at all."

Nodding inwardly, Daneel only chuckled in response.

Raul couldn't understand what was the reason behind the King's confidence. He had been a Peak Exalted Warrior himself, so he knew that this attack would definitely have killed him.

Looking around, he noticed a few Paragon constructs coming into being, but he was confident in the defensive power of his barriers. Besides, it was known that the King was a Paragon, but he was sure that no Paragon construct could even come close to defeating him.

So, he just shrugged and continued gathering power to make sure that this would be a sure-fire kill.

Daneel, on the other hand, had even conjured the Throne on which he had been sitting while watching the show.

After a few seconds, the system sent a message, which was accompanied by a shocked remark from Drakos.

[Anti-Mage Ultimate Paragon Quagmire "Starry Skies" ready to deploy.]

"Amazing, Young King! I didn't know that your learning ability was so quick! If my disciple were here, even he would be amazed! Back in the day, each and every Mage, even if they were at the Eminent Champion level, would flee as soon as they saw these Paragon Constructs form. The most horrifying thing was that my disciple used these even when he was just an Eminent Warrior! True Paragons really are that scary. But it is just too difficult a path. I confess that even I tried it, and failed. My disciple could also not cross the chasm that separates a Champion and a Hero because he chose to be a Paragon. But he had no regrets."

Hearing this made Daneel almost rub his nose with embarrassment, as it was the system that was responsible for this feat.

While Drakos continued his recounting of the memory of his disciple, Raul had become ready to fire.

Daneel had been prepared for a slugfest, just like the one when he had fought against the mad Black Raven King.

However, he really had to thank Drakos for giving him a way to win while putting on a show that would give the best ending possible to 'Mercy for the Wicked'.

The moment Raul fired his attack, Daneel waved his hand and said in his mind, "Deploy".

At that moment, it was as if the world, itself, stood still, while the spectators witnessed the most glorious scene of their lives.

Raul's attack was in the form of a thick, burning jet of light that wanted to reduce the King of Lanthanor to dust.

It shot out at a blinding speed which made it look as if it would have no problem accomplishing its task, but after it got to the halfway mark between them, it…halted.

The reason was that multiple stars had come into being at some point behind the King, who was royally sitting on his Throne. All of these stars were shooting similar attacks back at the opponent's Sun Ray, effectively nullifying Raul's attack by using quantity over quality.

Meanwhile, the King looked like he was just taking a random stroll in the park, and everyone could see this clearly as Eloise had made sure that there was an additional Communication eye broadcasting the scene from a third person's point of view even if it was from far away.

They really did look like stars- glowing in the night sky, eclipsing the real ones which seemed to dim as if their light had been stolen from them.

They were arranged in some sort of pattern which made it look as if the hand of a giant was gently cupping the King's Throne from behind and protecting him, and as more and more 'stars' came into being, Raul's attack even started to be pushed back, despite the fact that his Champion Path had allowed him to layer both of his attacks into one.

This sight- of the King sitting casually while handling a Champion's attack as if it was nothing, made hundreds of thousands of people wonder whether they were dreaming.

As for Raul, he simply couldn't believe it. His eyes were open wide, and his face was fixed into an expression as if he had been struck by a Champion level thunderbolt.

Each star was comprised of many, many elementary particles seamlessly joined to create the construct, which actually seemed to be…feeding off the energy of his attack to grow stronger.

Wh-what the heck kind of Godly attack was this?!

Even as he asked this question in his mind, the two Heroes from the Big 4 stood up with astonished expressions on their faces.

The man shrouded in darkness remained silent, but the other one couldn't help but speak.

"A Warrior-level Paragon, undefeatable even by Champions! H-how did this kid find THAT inheritance?!"

Chapter 525: A Message

"Wasn't that a lost Inheritance?"

"Yes…it was listed in the archives we retrieved, but it was never found. Many assumed that it was lost in one of the devastating battles that followed the collapse of the Empire. Apparently…that is not the case."

"But what kind of talent would be needed to train in it, and even deploy it to this level?"

"That's…immeasurable."

Even the two Heroes had to take a few seconds to recover from the massive shock that had flooded their minds the moment they understood just which Inheritance this was.

The path of a Paragon was both the most sought after, but also the most frowned upon path, even in the Big 4.

The reasons for the latter were numerous. The speed of growth was agonizingly slow because of the time period needed to understand and master each and every type of elementary particle, and even though there was an insane power boost even in the earlier levels where a Paragon was capable of battling against opponents of higher levels, it just wasn't worth it when one considered that it was very possible for one's optimal training age to pass by while foolishly pursuing this path. Others would have soared to reach greater heights where they would have elongated lifespans, while bones or dust would be left behind for these people who would be remembered as those who had burned bright, but only for a small period of time before getting extinguished.

So, at least in the Central Continent, the negatives greatly surpassed the positives.

However, in the Big 4, there were a few additional reasons that were known which made a Paragon path so much more enticing.

The main reason was this: in the archives of the Empire, there were multiple mentions about how a Paragon, even at the Warrior level, when paired with the correct spells and Inheritance, was capable of standing undefeated no matter how many Champions assaulted him.

Of course, this kind of invulnerability didn't last forever, but when one thought about it, this feat of a Warrior standing against multiple Champions was so astounding, so magnificent, and so unbelievable that many had assumed that it must be an exaggeration.

Yet, that had just been proven wrong in the eyes of the whole continent.

Indeed, even though only these two Heroes had appeared here, the rest were also watching from their own abodes.

The King of Lanthanor hadn't shielded the spot of the contest from viewing in any way. His whole objective was to warn the rest of the rogue Warriors and Mages, and that wouldn't have been possible if he went for secrecy.

So, it wasn't just the spectators who were awed. Even the top-most individuals in the entire continent would never be able to forget this scene which made them rethink all the evaluations they had had of the King of Lanthanor.

Even in the archives, there were few mentions of Paragon paths that were capable of this. And of those people, only 3 were known to have left behind their Inheritances for future generations.

When considered the sheer number of Warriors that had existed during that time, this was a pitifully small number, which showed just how rare it was for even a Paragon to be talented enough to invent something like this.

In fact, some estimations even said that the number of Warriors in that age was comparable to the number of Humans in the present age- which was such an inconceivable notion that many could only scoff at it.

All in all, the Head's mind was completely blown. When he sat back down, he shot a glance at the man beside him, whose eyes had begun to shine with that dangerous light again.

So, he employed the same spell as before to make him sit, which made the man look at him with fury.

Shrugging, the Head said softly, "I'm sorry. It seems that fate has other plans for your son. I'm just here to stop you. Even if he ends up dying, you can only pay your last respects. An exiled member cannot be shown any consideration, even at the time of his death. Sit."

While the other man's fury made even the darkness near him look like it was changing into something much more sinister and dangerous, the Head let out a breath and looked down again.

Viewing the Sun Ray which was still being pushed back, he decided one thing.

His visit should definitely take place soon, and, no matter what, he had to try and pull this kid into the Big 4. Perhaps, even the secret disciples of the Big 4 who were being explicitly trained for the invasion might not be a match for him, if they were made to fight at his level.

Regardless, he knew what he should use to entice him: a library of the myriad Champion Paths known to the Angarians, which was the thing most sought after by someone like him who was at that level.

A few rules might have to be broken, but he was the Head, after all. If even he couldn't break rules for the good of Angaria, then what was the point?

Of course, he just couldn't do that in the case of the man beside him, as it would cause a civil war.

Such a talented Paragon just couldn't be allowed to waste away in the desert that was the Central Continent.

Hell, at this point, he even regretted the fact that this kid's talent hadn't been noticed sooner.

If that had been the case, he would have definitely led him down a normal path, as, with this much potential, it was possible that this kid could have become even a Peak Champion if all the Big 4 poured their resources into him.

Yet, he had wasted time with this Paragon Path. True, it caused heads to turn and was breathtaking to watch, but, at the end of the day, there were no Paragon Heroes even during the age of the Empire. So, it was a futile endeavor.

Still, all was not lost yet. If he could grab him now…maybe, he could still make something of this kid.

With the gears in his head turning, the Head once again laid his eyes on the King, whose idle expression, as if he was squatting a fly that had wandered to the wrong location, was something that greatly impressed him and made him smile.

Such grandeur was absent even in many of the Heroes he knew. Yet, this kid who wasn't even a century old was capable of such a sight?

'The wonders of Angaria are truly endless', he mused, before going back to the task of making sure that no one from the outside would interfere with what was going on below.

…

"Making a sky of stars appear…is-is he a God?"

In Ophelia's house, there was not one person who remained seated on seeing this awe-inducing sight.

The Throne of the King stood defiant and proud against the attack, and although the scene was tense and filled with danger, the expression of the King resulted in a contrast that made the minds of the hundreds of thousands of citizens blank.

As one of them said this, the others started to nod. For them, a God was someone who could command their fates with impunity.

If so, wasn't this a God, who deserved worship?

Even though their minds told them that this man just still a mortal who had ascended from a background where he had lived in the slums to the position where he was in, their hearts said otherwise.

Their hearts…told them that they were witnessing something so great, that it could no longer be explained in human terms.

Even if the term "God" was wrong, there was practically no difference between what they associated that word with, and what they were watching.

Hence, even though none really bowed down, the image in their hearts that had formed over all this time changed again, for one last time.

For Lanthanorians, who already had the strongest and most favorable image possible, it reached oh, so near to the level where they would want to bow down right away.

For the Eldinorians, who were next if a list was made on how well a specific group thought about the King, the image changed from the kind Warrior with immense talent who had saved them all, to that of someone who surpassed even this level and had to be praised as the strongest Mage they had ever seen, which was something that meant more to them anything else.

As for the rest, King Daneel became a figure to be admired, and not just respected, like before.

When they thought of him, they would think of this moment, and remember the way their hearts had stopped as if to pay obeisance to the glory of the King.

…

In the Kingdom of Arafell, the Queen was also one of the spectators who was silently viewing this image that would soon become tantamount to a legend on Angaria.

She was in the Palace, but she was somehow in possession of a Network Trinket that Daneel had distributed only to citizens.

She could tell what kind of effect this would have over almost all citizens, regardless of nationality. Angarians valued power, and there probably no scene that displayed power better than this one in any of their living memory.

Her expression alternated between one of gushing veneration and acclaim from Priscilla, and one of anger laced with frustration which belonged to the Queen.

Yet, slowly, with each switch, that anger seemed to diminish and slowly be replaced by a different emotion.

The Queen, herself, didn't know what that emotion was, but, for some reason, she was reminded of the memory of when she had first met the Emperor.

She shook her head to get rid of that, but one thing was now clear to her:

The King of Lanthanor had been right. She had definitely thought much, much less of him, and, right now, he looked like a juicy onion whose layers she wanted to peel away, one by one, to get to the center.

If Daneel were here, the hair on his hands would definitely have stood up straight, while his skin would have been crawling on seeing the way the Queen was looking at him through the display trinket.

…

["Starry Skies" has reached the optimal level needed to break the opponent's attack. Would host like to activate this effect?]

"Meh, let it continue. Why cut the fun short? Let them all see what will happen if they dare to make plans against me again."

Unaware of all these reactions, Daneel was idly enjoying the feeling of making a Champion feel helpless.

This spell also had negatives: for example, it depended a lot on the opponent's strength.

If the opponent was weak, then this spell would also look weak.

As the lengthy name suggested, it was designed to be a 'Quagmire' which had the same properties as the word. The more one struggled, the more one would be pulled in.

Thankfully, there was no one in this age who knew that little tidbit, so he guessed that they must all be amazed.

Which was exactly what he wanted.

After this, any Warrior would have to shake in their boots if they even thought of stepping inside his Kingdom.

Judging that it had gone on long enough, Daneel prepared to order the system to 'break' the spell, which would result in a backlash that would momentarily leave Raul defenseless. Initially, he had planned to let the man go due to his inclination to care for normal people, but after seeing the way in which he had been about to kill him, Daneel decided to end his life.

Also, it would make for a fitting end to 'Mercy for the Wicked'.

True, a Champion was valuable, but with all the stuff he was soon going to 'download' from Drakos, Daneel was pretty confident that he could boost some of his own to that level through acquired paths.

Besides, when even Oaths couldn't be fully trusted when it was related to Champions, why would he want to trust someone like this who could backstab him at any time.

Daneel had made his decision. However, just when he was about to command the system to go ahead, it sent a message in his mind.

[Incoming voice transmission from unknown source. Source is at Hero level, which has been judged from the complexity of the spell that was used.]

Hmm…that was odd. Which Hero wanted to talk to him?

Thinking that he had nothing to lose, Daneel told the system to let the transmission in, but when he heard the contents of the message, he couldn't help but frown.

"King Daneel, I am one of the Heroes of the High Council of Angaria. The man you are about to kill is my son. I ask you to let him live. The only reason he was exiled is that when he was given the order to kill 10,000 citizens to save the lives of 200 important members of the Big 4, he chose to save the citizens. Even though he was my son, I had no other option but to allow him to be exiled as the sons and daughters of other members of the High Council were among those who were killed. He is a good man. If you let him go, I shall be in your debt. But if you go ahead and kill him, I will make it my life's goal to end your life and lineage. If you were a father, you would understand my anguish. I hope you choose the right path."

Chapter 526: Mercy for the Wicked End

With furrowed eyebrows, Daneel looked up, as that was where the transmission had come from.

He had guessed that a couple of Heroes might drop in to watch the show, but he could never have expected that his target would be the son of one of the Heroes of this continent.

Initially, although Daneel had been surprised and skeptical of the story, it was still believable. It fit with Raul's nature of wanting to save citizens.

Of course, the question regarding how it was even possible for such a scenario to occur had to be placed to the side. After all, it sounded pretty absurd.

Still, Daneel had been ready to accept that there might be strange inheritances or whatnot that he might not be aware of.

However, it was the latter part that left a bad taste in his mouth.

Clearly, it was a threat from an all-powerful Hero who saw it to be beneath him to ask politely, even though his son's life was at risk.

Such an attitude was something that irked Daneel to no end.

If he agreed, it would seem as if he had gotten scared of the threat. True, it might not be known to many people on the outside, but Daneel didn't care about that.

HE would know, that even after accomplishing so much and having a Hero-level Ancient Dragon in his head, he had practically bowed down just because he didn't want to make an enemy.

Wait…was this pride? The same pride which led to the deaths of many powerful individuals, because they wouldn't be willing to let certain things go even though there were more benefits in doing that?

This thought made Daneel enter a deep period of thought. He had seen this pride in various forms, and, in most cases, it had led to the deaths of whoever let their pride dictate their actions.

At the same moment, he also realized that he had changed. Being powerful, doing powerful things had changed him in ways that even he couldn't comprehend.

He was no longer that scared Human in Lanthanor who wanted to be absolutely safe in all the things he did, even if it meant killing his dignity in the process.

Slowly, he had grown into someone who was worthy of sitting in his seat. And…that worth was also attached to the self-respect and self-confidence that he had built.

If that weren't the case, he would never be capable of the gravitas with which he was sitting on the Throne right now, which had become engraved into the minds of all those watching.

It just wouldn't be the same! If his regality all stemmed from someone who was still that kid who valued safety over all other things as he was too weak, then it would just never seem real to those who were watching.

It was just like they said on Earth: a fox could don a lion's skin, but it would never be able to imitate the grandeur of a true lion.

That didn't mean that he could be overly cocky like all those pig-headed protagonists or young masters in stories that he used to read on Earth.

No, he just had to know when to choose which path. Where cockiness and the will to never bend was needed, it had to be there. And where it might be necessary for him to take a step back, he had to be ready to do so.

Even if it was best if the former eclipsed the latter, he had to be ready for both.

And right now, Daneel was leaning toward the former.

It wasn't the foolish pride of an arrogant King who didn't want it to look like he was capitulating to a threat.

No, it was the pride of a World Dominator who had no intention of doing so, especially when he had enough tricks up his sleeve to make sure that he wouldn't regret it.

Still, Daneel was moved by the Hero's story. What if it was true? Would he still want to kill Raul?

If he removed that threat from the equation, what would his decision be?

Right now, he had two options: One, he could kill Raul just to make the statement that threats wouldn't work on him.

Or, two, he could let Raul go and live with the fact that he had given in to the threat.

When Daneel pondered on them, he realized that he didn't like either of them.

Although so many thoughts were going around in his head, in the real world, not even a second had passed.

Just when Daneel was about to reluctantly choose one of them, an idea struck him.

If he didn't like the options, why not…create a new one?

After all, when a chess board wasn't to his favor, the best thing to do was flip the board itself.

This idea captivated him, resulting in him quickly forming a plan and asking Drakos for the tools which he would need to implement it.

Thankfully, Drakos delivered.

As soon as everything was finalized, the idle, royal smile appeared on his face again.

Looking up at the spot in the sky where the transmission had come from, Daneel…winked.

It wasn't the playful wink of one who had agreed to the option set forth.

No…it was a wink that said 'kiss my a*s'.

As soon as the man shrouded in black understood this, a very bad feeling engulfed his heart.

Sure enough, the next second, the stars around the King grew even brighter, becoming so bright that they seemed to inundate everything around them in a flash of light.

At the same moment, the King's Sun Ray suddenly underwent a qualitative change.

Where before it had been slowly eating away at the enemy's attack and getting stronger, now, it started to devour the Sun Ray in front of it with gusto.

It was almost as if the combined rays which were impacting the opponent's attack had opened their maws to rout their opponent in one go.

The moment this happened, Raul screamed while clutching his Mageroot.

All the elementary particles that he had been controlling had been forcefully wrenched away from him, and before he could even comprehend how this was possible, the King's Sun Ray shot toward him with unimaginable speed.

"NOOOOOO!"

In Kasar, and the other towns which were near the area where the contest was taking place, citizens looked up in the direction of the sky as the powerful sound of a thunderclap reached their ears. The reverberations of this thunderclap even caused all of the houses to shake, as if an earthquake was affecting the area.

If they knew that all this was just the effect of a scream of fury from a Hero, they would definitely have been shaking in their boots.

Indeed, when he saw the Sun Ray shoot toward his flesh and blood of whom there would be nothing but ash left soon, the man shrouded in darkness let out a scream of rage that resulted in the thunderclap naturally forming in the air around him, even though his Mageroot was tightly bound by the Head. In vain, he tried to break through the barrier that was stopping him, but the Head was just too powerful.

He was in a transparent cage while watching the demise of his son in slow motion. Even though it only took a few seconds, it seemed as if eternity was passing in front of his eyes.

What was the point of all his power if he couldn't even save the only one he was supposed to protect?

The darkness he was shrouded in surged, seeking to break apart the barrier, but it was all in vain.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Losing hope, he even started to bang on the barrier with his bare hands, while his whole body shook.

Beside him, the bearded man only sadly shook his head, and then, it was all over.

The moment before the King's Sun Ray met Raul's body, a bright flash of golden light obscured the vision of all those watching, including even the numerous Heroes, some of whom were watching with glee while the man who was responsible for the deaths of their sons and daughters was brought to' justice'.

Even the Head and the man he was stopping from wreaking havoc unto Angaria had to look away, following which they saw only ash remaining of the man who had broken through to become a Champion in such a spectacular method.

Alas, he had met the wrong opponent.

"Humph, this kid really loves being flashy…"

While the Head said this under his breath, the spectators all over the continent started to cheer on seeing such a show-stopping grand finale to an event that would definitely be talked about for decades.

Meanwhile, the man shrouded in darkness just stood there silently, watching as the King made a gust of wind disperse even the ash, leaving him with nothing to remember his son.

Momentarily, he regretted that he hadn't chosen to leave his dignity behind and beg. Perhaps…things might have been different, that way?

He had seen no reason to do so when dealing with a puny Warrior who he thought would be ready to give anything to hold a debt with a Hero.

Yet, he had been wrong.

That regret…gave way to an all-encompassing wrath that made his eyes go completely red.

However, when he turned those eyes toward the King, he heard the Chief speak.

"Surpsising. I thought he might take your offer, after which I could have placed both you and your son in Heavenly Confinement for breaking the rules of Exile."

Wh-what?

He had been sure that he had succeeded in sending a message without the Head finding out!

As the wrath turned into shock, the Head chuckled and said, "You thought I didn't see you send it? Humph, how naive. If that kid agreed, it would have counted as you stepping in - which would allow me to imprison you both. Well, this works, too."

Looking at the Head, the man was reminded about what other Heroes usually said about him.

'The old monster who always wins.'

Yes, that fit him perfectly.

All along, everything had been in the palm of his hand.

The Head was one of those whose son had died at that time. And…Heavenly Confinement was an area that only he had access to.

The man didn't even need to imagine what they would have gone through if the other scenario had taken place.

Still, his son would have been alive.

This time, the fury that erupted was targeted toward both the King and the Head, but because the latter was untouchable, he focused it all on the King.

"I'm afraid I can't let you have revenge on him, either. But I also can't imprison you without any grounds. I'll be keeping a watch on you, though. And I'll be placing a formation in Lanthanor so that you won't target the King. Come on. Let's go. We can head to your place, where I'll help you cool off before leaving. I heard you acquired a very special bottle of 230-year old wine? Let's see how that tastes."

Without giving the man any chance to respond, the Head teleported them both away after sending a message to the King of Lanthanor.

…

Meanwhile, Daneel was giving his show the fitting end that it deserved.

For a grandiose scene, he ordered the system to let the stars remain even though they had no job to do except stay there and look great.

A communication eye flew up to his level, where he paused to make sure that it encapsulated the entire scene of the shining hand of a giant made up of stars which was cupping him.

Waving his hand as if to signify the end of something, Daneel said, "Well…that was unexpected, but I bet it must have been entertaining. What you saw was a fight between an Amateur Champion and me, a Warrior. If I were just any Warrior, it would be my ashes spreading in the air. Thankfully, I managed to withstand the onslaught because I am a Paragon."

"Daneel, you're tooting your own horn too much."

Receiving this message from Eloise who always transformed into a different woman when she was working, Daneel paused and cut his speech short, deciding to end it with a flourish.

"The winner chosen by you is Number 3, the lady with the mesmerizing style. Her life will be spared, while the rest will meet the fate they are due. You've been a wonderful audience, and I can only hope that I find more chances to put on such shows. But, that's all for now. Once again, I, King Daneel Anivron of Lanthanor, thank you all for watching. Good night, Angaria!"

With another bright flash, the Network Trinkets went blank, while cheers louder than ever resounded throughout the continent.

Meanwhile, Daneel heard the other message he had received from the same spot.

"Kid, this is the old man who saved you from those two Heroes. I'm honestly and pleasantly surprised that you stuck to your guns and went ahead. If I were you, I might have chosen to have a Hero in my debt! But I guess this is the kind of single-minded determination that is required to progress on the legendary path of a Paragon. Still, you've made quite a powerful enemy. I've laid down a formation along the borders of your Kingdom using which I can get to you and save you if needed. For a period of time, until the Hero in question cools down, do not exit your Kingdom. I'll come talk to you soon."

Instead of making him panic, this message made the smile on Daneel's face grow wider.

A second after he received this message, he sent one of his own to Eloise.

"Eloise, pack up and start making the highlight reel."

"But you said you would join me?", asked Eloise, to which Daneel answered:

"Yes, I'll see you soon. But, before that, I need to take a small stroll on our border."

...

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Chapter 527: The Hero Who Choked

At an unknown location hundreds of kilometers beneath Angaria's surface, the man shrouded in darkness had his eyes fixed on the Head, who was carressing the wine bottle that he had unearthed after great difficulty.

They were currently sitting in a large, open room with a high ceiling which was filled with bookshelves everywhere.

If anyone looked into this room, they would never be able to guess that it was underground.

That was because there were multiple, huge windows which showed different scenes around Angaria.

One showed the image of the Endless Sea, where the furious waves were crashing against the shore, warning all those who dared to enter that their only fate would be to be overwhelmed by the silent might of the water.

Another showed a forest much like The Valley of Mist, complete with trees which reached the skies and beasts that were going about their lives.

All of these were views from above, which was something that would shock all who viewed them except Mages.

A Mage would be able to tell that all of these were teleportation portals that were actively being maintained at the expense of Ether blocks.

Such extravagance…was only possible in the abode of a Hero.

After looking at the bottle from all sides, the Head expertly removed the seal, took away the cork, smelled the aroma that was peachy yet laced with a spicy scent, poured it into a glass and finally swirled it before taking a gulp and exclaiming in satisfaction.

Filling up the other glass on the table, he said, "Drink up."

Of course, currently, the man didn't care about the wine, or the fact that he was forcibly under house arrest.

Flashes of memories of his son kept revolving in his mind, fanning the flames of his fury which demanded blood.

However, he had already used a clone to scout Lanthanor. Just like the Head had said, there was a formation all around the Kingdom which would detect if any Hero-level individual or clone stepped foot inside.

All he could do was circle the Kingdom like a helpless, starving dog whose food had been placed behind an impassable cage.

At least, that was how he felt.

With a knowing smile, the Head poured himself another glass and said, "You can put those clones away, and relax! That kid definitely won't leave his Kingdom. Just take a sip, or it's all going to be over!"

With frustration, that was exactly what the man did.

He knew that the King wouldn't be foolish enough to appear outside even after being warned explicitly by the Head.

Even though the Head was powerful, it was impossible for him to constantly monitor large tracts of land for something specific like this. All he could do was lay down a formation the size of a Kingdom, and keep an eye on it while handling all the other responsibilities he had due to his role.

If the King put even a foot outside, the man was confident that he could end his puny Warrior life even though his main body was under lockdown.

Yet, it was ridiculous to hope for something like that to happen, unless one was suici-…Wh-what the f*ck?!

Choking on the mouthful of wine, the man watched as the King calmly appeared on the border wall of the Lanthanor Kingdom.

"What's wrong? Too bitter for you? Want me to break out some of my stock?"

The Head had too many things he was handling at once, so he wasn't paying any active attention to Lanthanor except for maintaining that formation. So, he wasn't seeing the same image that his 'companion' was gazing at with an incredulous expression on his hidden face.

Yet, the shock soon gave way to even more fury, as the King looked up to gaze at the stars casually.

This f*cker was taunting him after killing his son!

And to think that he had gotten all excited on seeing the King appear on the border…Of course he wouldn't be dumb enough to step outside!

Making elaborate plans about how he would torture this pompous runt when he got his hands on him, the man completely dispelled the excitement and just shook his head before swallowing down the wine accompanied by a cough.

"All right. Have another, then."

Saying so, the Head refilled his glass, which the man took into his hands again while cursing under his breath.

However, when he threw this into his mouth, too, he couldn't help but choke again.

"Ok, really, Rayen? Don't waste this bottle because of your anger…let me get one which is dispensable."

This time, even the Head frowned and said this, as it obviously wasn't normal to choke not once, but twice on a swig of wine unless one was going crazy due to strong emotions like anger.

Understanding that that might be the case even though it was strange, the Head disappeared and reappeared with a silver-colored glass bottle.

Yet, the man was still in a daze.

"You look like you're seeing either your worst nightmare or your greatest hope appear in front of you. Surely, you can't still be thinking that you can reach that kid, right? If this daze is because you came up with something…"

Hearing this, Rayen, as he had been called, snapped out of the daze with a start and said, "No! No, its nothing like that."

He was trying hard to act normal, but his mind felt like it was being battered by those same waves of the Endless Sea which were visible in the window behind him.

That was because…the King, who had looked as if he would taunt Rayen and then leave, had just stepped out from his border and was now standing, unguarded, in an area which wasn't under the eye of the Head.

What the f*ck was going on?

Surely, he can't be looking for a way to reconcile things, right?

Even then, why would he give up the safety of his Kingdom and throw away all the chips he had?

It just didn't make sense, and this had been the reason why Rayen had had to fight to not let his jaw drop, lest he alert the Head.

That couldn't happen at any cost. So, after taking a sip of the second grade wine that the Head had brought, he came up with an excuse.

"I-I just remembered something I always wanted to tell my son before he died. Now, I no longer have the opportunity. Curse you, Head."

Yes, this was definitely a normal reaction.

Throwing back his head, the bearded man whose age couldn't be deciphered by any known means laughed uproariously.

"I've lost count of the people who said that. Curse me all you want, but you won't be getting your way. I'm bored. Wine should be enjoyed with tales of intrigue and mystery! Why don't you tell me about your son?"

This made red hot anger explode again inside Rayen, which wiped away all the disbelief and caution that he had felt after seeing something that was so absurd.

Screw all that. He would just kill him, and ask questions later.

So, gritting his teeth, Rayen split his consciousness. Most of it stayed in his main body so that the Head wouldn't be alerted- but the rest took active control of the clone.

While he began telling the story to the Head, the clone shot in the direction of the King like a comet.

…

Meanwhile, Daneel was covering his mouth with one hand and yawning.

Where was this guy? He had more important things to do, but he was being held up by this vengeful Hero.

Your son was killed! Shouldn't you be abandoning all notions of being safe?

Well, this was really important, too, but currently, Daneel's main focus was to get out that highlight reel of the show as quickly as possible.

It would be replayed at night every day, so that those who might have missed it would get a chance to be influenced, too.

Besides, he was pretty damn confident in the plan he had made with which he would handle the conceited Hero that had threatened to kill him if he didn't do what he said.

Right when he started to wonder whether he really should shout out some inane things like "HAHA, I KILLED YOUR SON, BUT YOU'RE A SPINELESS FOOL WHO WON'T EVEN DARE TO ATTACK!", he saw a large, arrow-shaped projectile heading in his direction at a startling speed.

This thing was strange: wherever it passed, it caused the darkness in those areas to become even darker, which made for a pretty breathtaking scene that would have given birth to terror in most men.

Of course, Daneel wasn't most men.

Knowing that the Hero could hear him, he yawned again and said, "Yeah, yeah, I killed your son, I can't do anything that'll change that, you'll chase me to the ends of the continent if I escape, your thirst for vengeance can only be quenched by my blood. Have I covered everything?"

Viewing the cavalier attitude of the King which was something that no one had dared to adopt in front of him in centuries, Rayen couldn't help but skid to a halt.

His senses told him that something was off, so he first sealed off the area they were in completely.

Even the Head wouldn't be able to see them now if he threw a cursory glance in this direction.

Now that he was completely certain that there would be no interferences or tricks whatsoever, he allowed his body to appear and say, "No matter what you might have planned, it won't work."

Clapping his hands and interrupting him with that madly infuriating smile on his face, the King exclaimed, "Right! I forgot that one!"

Again, Rayen was stumped.

Seriously, what the f*ck was going on?

He decided to wait and see, but he could never have expected that this scene which was already crazy would reach a different level of insanity that made him scratch his head and wonder if this was all some rage-induced fever dream.

"Anyway, here are my conditions. One, you give me the inside scoop over everything that happens in the Big 4. Even if one of the Heroes is going on a vacation by the beach with their harem, I want to know about it."

Raising his hand which was balled up into a fist, the King looked straight into the eyes of Rayen, which were the only things visible, and raised his index finger.

With each 'condition' that he listed, another finger would rise up from his fist.

"Two, you give me all the information about the continent and Champion Paths that you have. I know you Heroes must have some secret stashes of knowledge, so I want copies of all of them. I don't care whether you have to beg, plead or bargain with the other Heroes. I. Want. It. All."

Rayen's eyes started to widen more and more with each condition, as each was more ludicrous and laughable than the last.

"Three, you hand over any resources that I ask. I ask for something- you give it, no questions asked."

With this, Rayen chuckled madly inside his head while prepping the attack that would end the existence of this arrogant King on this continent.

He also prepared to say something fitting to commemorate his son before he avenged his death, yet all of that was lost in the rage that erupted like a volcano when he heard the last condition.

"And lastly, four, you bend the knee to me, Daneel Anivron, King of Lanthanor, and swear your undying loyalty. Also, spare the sh*t about how you're a legendary Hero and I'm just a 'puny' Warrior."

"YAAAAAARGHHHHH!"

Rayen couldn't take it any more. At this moment, he felt as if he would die from frustration if he had to look at the King's cocky smile for one more second.

Coalescing all the darkness into a massive scythe, Rayen flung it toward the King's neck, ready to reap his life and soul.

Yet, as if he had expected it, the King of Lanthanor curled the fingers that he had raised while listing the conditions back into a fist. Only the index finger remained, and right before the moment when Rayen's scythe would reach his neck, he placed that finger on his lips and said:

"Shhhhh."

Initially, Rayen scoffed, thinking that there was no way in which he would stop this attack.

Only, the shushing sound made by the King was accompanied by a display trinket activating behind him.

It enlarged into an enormous one, and the sight it showed made Rayen desperately halt the attack while his roar of fury was cut off midway.

It was his son, strung up by all four limbs, with razor-sharp blades pointed at all of his vital spots, ready to mince him into a bloody heap of flesh and bones.

"R-Raul…"

Stuttering, in disbelief, the esteemed Hero of Angaria turned his gaze toward the King, whose finger was still pressed against his lips.

At that moment, Rayen could swear that he was staring into the eyes of the Devil, Himself, in all of His diabolical Majesty.

Chapter 528: No Matter Who You Are, Kneel

After giving the Hero the shock of his life, Daneel put his hand behind his back and waited for the man to recuperate.

It was actually pretty funny. His gaze shifted between Daneel's eyes, which were shining with delight at the idea of having a Hero-level individual under him, and the image of his son who looked like he would die if he so much as moved an inch.

It seemed that no longer how powerful one grew, the way they processed shock was the same.

Disbelief, followed by confusion.

"H-how did you…"

"Remember that flash in the end? Didn't you notice that it blinded everyone from looking on with elementary vision?"

Realization flashed across Rayen's face when he heard this.

Indeed, that flash had resulted in that effect, but it had been so minuscule…

"Yes, it was only a fraction of a second, but I was prepared. Besides, I knew that you wouldn't be expecting much from me, because I'm 'just' a Warrior."

This made Rayen grit his teeth while he continued staring at his son.

Indeed, they had all been hoodwinked by this kid whom they had thought nothing of.

Yet, all along, this kid had been controlling everything in the palm of his hand.

However, the frustration was momentary in Rayen. It was followed by endless floods of relief.

His son was still alive!

But it looked like he had to agree to these slave-like conditions if he wanted that to remain a fact…

Daneel was keeping close track of the emotions on the Hero's face.

Toward the end, the man looked at him with clear eyes, which meant that he had understood the situation that he was in.

"Good. I see that you're cognizant of your position. If you don't agree to even one of those conditions, your son will die before you can even say 'Wait'. I need an answer, now. It's costly to maintain all those sharp blades for such an extended period of time, you know."

Daneel said the last sentence in that same idle tone that was designed to elicit extreme frustration in the Hero.

So far, it had all been deliberate. Of course, even though that was the way he felt, he was acting in this way for a reason.

He had realized that the best way to treat these bull-headed Heroes was to catch them by the horns and wrestle them to the ground.

He couldn't talk to them as equals, as they did not view him in that way.

There was no way that he would suck up, and this route would mostly be disastrous anyway.

Hence, the only way left was to stay in a position of power while demanding their respect and obedience in the most straightforward way: by hitting them over the head until they were senseless, and ready to listen.

His 'casual' dialogues had all been a method of implementing this plan. For any Hero, someone whom they could dispose of in a thought speaking to them in this manner would have the same effect as being bashed on the head with a hammer.

So far, it was working brilliantly.

As for using Raul as a bargaining chip: that had been Daneel's intention ever since he saw that thunderclap in the air.

That had all been pure anger, and Drakos had even said that it was from a Hero whose power was being constrained using some means.

Hence, although initially Daneel's plan had been to talk to Raul and make him submit in some way before using him, too, to convince his father, he had decided that this method would be most effective mainly because of the pure love that this man felt for the captive in his hands.

As they said on Earth: "People do stupid things for those they love."

And, seeing the way in which the Hero was looking at him and understanding that it meant that the man was seriously considering the conditions, Daneel felt elated that he had taken the right decision.

Of course, on the outside, he still remained as that cocky guy who was treating this like a waste of his time.

Indeed, Rayen was seriously considering the conditions.

All these years, he had been keeping an eye on his son. He had been watching even when Raul went on this expedition into Lanthanor, and he had hoped that his kid would find the final clue to break through to become a Champion in this journey.

Yet, he had gotten captured.

Even then, he had known the consequences that both of them would be subject to if he stepped in. So, he had decided to wait until the final moment and do it anyway if it meant that there was no other option.

Only, that damn Head had shown up.

He couldn't put into words just how proud he had been when he saw Raul break through to become a Champion. In fact, he had had to try very hard to not let this show on his face, as he didn't want the Head to see it.

And as for when he saw him die…it had just destroyed him.

A Hero's life was lonely. Of course, there were many who built personal harems to counter this, but that was all physical pleasure and temporary love that meant nothing.

A true companion was rare, and couldn't even be sought after actively. The luckiest would find one in the form of life companions. Those like him, who weren't that lucky, would have to settle for looking for the same kind of fulfillment and companionship in family members.

For him, it had always been his only son. All the others had died due to old age as they hadn't had enough talent, but Raul showed signs of being someone who could break through to become a Hero.

That was when that disaster had happened, and although he was proud of his son's decision, he had had no option but to agree to an exile.

Still, he had kept watch, and felt happy.

Now that he thought about it, Raul's death had destroyed him so completely that he wasn't even confident that he could live on after obtaining revenge.

True, he was a Hero. But at that moment of powerlessness, it had dawned on him that all of that meant nothing.

So, revenge had been the only thing that kept him going, but now that he saw a ray of hope in the darkness, he wasn't willing to let go of it, at all.

He had to admit that at this moment, he was like a broken vase that had attached itself together temporarily, but wouldn't be able to survive another fall.

So, to avoid that, he was ready to do almost anything.

As for this kid's cocky and arrogant attitude, Rayen accepted that he would just have to deal with it, at least, for the time being.

Of course, it would all be until…

"Don't even think about it."

As if he had read his mind, the King spoke out, interrupting Rayen's line of thought and making him look up with an incredulous expression on his face.

After the consideration, Daneel had observed that the eyes of the man, which were the only things visible, had slowly narrowed by a fraction, which he would have missed if it weren't for the system.

It was obvious that the Hero was thinking about accepting now, and finding some way later to bypass everything and save his son.

So, he decided to put an end to that.

Also, seeing the way he had considered it with seriousness, Daneel had just reevaluated the value of this deal.

Earlier, it had been just something that he hoped would succeed. At worst, he would get an unwilling slave who would give him scraps of what he asked for. That was because both of them knew that if Daneel really did go ahead and kill Raul, it would mean game over for him, and Lanthanor.

After all, even though there was anger, Daneel couldn't have accurately judged what kind of man the Hero was. If he was someone whose ego surpassed the love, Daneel would have been in for a lot of trouble.

The best case was exactly what he was seeing right now: this Hero apparently cared more for his son than Daneel had expected, which was inferred from the act of consideration.

A deal was something that was fluid: according to the conditions, it could change.

If this Hero could be a wholehearted slave instead because of his overarching love, then it meant that it would be worth it to make sure that the deal went through even if it meant that he would have to take an additional, considerable risk.

Daneel only took a moment to decide whether he should do so.

"Here, let me tell you a secret. Empire Spirits don't work in the way you Heroes from the Big 4 think! All of you think that only a full possession is possible, right? That you'll be able to detect one easily, so you don't have to worry too much about keeping a very close eye on the Spirits?"

Wondering why the King was bringing this up now, Rayen nodded and hesitantly said, "Y-yes…"

The next moment, he choked for the third time today.

The King held his hand up, on which a miniature dragon claw had just been conjured.

It was a lot like the one that the Royal Palace of Lanthanor used to keep enemies at bay, but it was a lot more realistic.

If one looked closely, they would be able to see blood vessels, veins, individual hairs, sections of scales and more.

To laymen, it might appear like a trick.

Yet, Rayen knew what it was.

"A H-Hero level construct! It's weak, but the complexity…"

"Yes, Drakos, the Empire Spirit, says Hi. Oh, and he also wanted me to tell you that he has placed a very nasty spell in your son's mind. So…"

With a flick of his finger, the image changed.

All the blades vanished, and Raul fell to the ground.

"All this is unnecessary. You so much as think about betraying me, it will activate and eat your son. If you want a demonstration, dispel the barrier for a moment."

Unable to believe it, Rayen did so after making sure that the Head was still busy listening to his story back in his house.

At that moment, one of the contestants who had taken part in the show appeared beside them, bound and gagged.

It was Number 5.

Seeing that his surroundings had changed, he tried to plead silently with his eyes, but Daneel just coldly pointed at his head.

As Rayen watched, a single, deviant elementary particle that had hidden itself in the Warrior's brain started to multiply on its own accord at a startling speed.

It degenerated all the tissues around it, resulting in the brain of the man to melt into a puddle as if acid had been poured on him.

In barely a second, only a red-colored pile of slop was left.

Seeing the sheer complexity of that spell and understanding that he could do nothing- nothing at all to stop it, Rayen just let everything go and fell on his knees.

He had already seen that all his pride was useless. He didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

The moment this happened, a message sounded inside Daneel's head.

[Achievement: 'No Matter Who You Are, Kneel-1' Obtained.

No Matter Who You Are, Kneel-1: By making someone who surpasses you in power by a large margin kneel in front of you, you have proven that for a World Dominator, nothing is unachievable. March on!

20,000 EXP Awarded.

Pending Notification:

Satisfaction Level has reached the second threshold.]

The pending notification that he had missed in all the excitement made Daneel's heart beat faster.

Could it be…?

"Drakos, have I unlocked the second seal?"

"Err…Young King, I have no idea. I need to be in my podium to access the seals."

Daneel was almost tempted to say, "You don't know it, but I do. Now, dump all that Hero-level stuff on me! ALL OF IT!", but he controlled himself.

As soon as this was done, it was time for a major upskilling of the system, and Daneel couldn't wait for it, at all.

Chapter 529: Issues

"Good. Stand up. Now then-"

Daneel decided that he had been domineering enough. If he continued to gloat even now, when the man had knelt in front of him, it would just look…bad.

This did, indeed, surprise Rayen, who had been expecting some sort of uproarious laughter on seeing him, an esteemed Hero, someone who had been threatening to end the King's life just a few minutes ago, kneel in front of the man.

Still, of course, this wasn't enough to change the cocky, irritating, yet diabolical image that had formed in his head of the King of Lanthanor.

Well, the real test of this man's true character would be now.

Standing up, he interrupted the King.

"One moment. Before you proceed, you need to get some facts straight."

Raising an eyebrow, Daneel resumed the same pose as before. Putting his hands behind his back, he gazed at the Hero as if he were looking at one of his subjects while waiting for him to speak.

"I will try and do my best regarding the first three conditions, but the last is an issue."

This made Daneel frown. The last one was, actually, the most important.

He had already asked Drakos about what the problem was with Oaths in regards with people on the level of Champions and Heroes.

The answer had both been simple, and very informative.

Oaths were apparently destructive strings of magic tied around one's consciousness: that which Daneel had witnessed with his own eyes during Faxul's 'rebirth'.

From Humans to Warriors, unless there were special circumstances like in the case of the Prince or the Queen of Eldinor who had trained in those peculiar techniques, oaths could not be circumvented.

Yet, from the time that one became a Champion, one would begin to know and understand more and more about one's own consciousness.

In fact, the very act of stepping past the chasm separating a Warrior from a Champion was one that involved in connecting with one's inner consciousness through a path that resonated with oneself, and the world.

Although Drakos couldn't give a lot of details because of the seals, this apparently took place to an even further extent when one went from being a Champion to a Hero.

The gist was this: given enough time and the right tools, Champions and Heroes would definitely be able to escape from Oaths without suffering from too many adverse effects like in the cases where this might be attempted when one was much weaker.

So, Daneel's plan with the last condition had been to bound the Hero to him at least for the present time period, before he figured out a way to make a more permanent 'binding'. Also, Drakos had assured him that he would be able to detect it if an Oath was being loosened on the other end.

Hence, now, if this Hero wanted to say no to the last condition, then this whole deal would break apart.

Why had he still knelt, if that was the case?

Daneel found out the answer after the Hero funnily raised his hands to stop Daneel, as if he was some kind of crazy person who was prone to mood swings. It really did look like that was what the Hero thought of him.

"Now, hold on! Before you go springing any traps, let me explain. You must know of this guy, right?"

Saying so, the Hero made an image made of elementary particles appear which showed the bearded man who had saved Daneel before.

"I've met him, but I don't know who he is, exactly."

Making the image disappear, the Hero said, "He's the Head of the High Council of Angaria, which is typically comprised of all the Heroes of Angaria and one honorary Champion. Until recently, that role was occupied by one Ashahell, but he was recently imprisoned on suspicion of aiding and abetting the Church of Rectitude. I trust that you already know of the threat from the Church, right?'

Yeah. And I'm the one who put that bast*rd behind bars.

Daneel felt like saying this, but he just replied, "Yes."

"Good. I'll cut to the chase, then. You see, the Church represents a way to go to newer heights, and as you must already have seen, those of the Big 4 normally don't give a rat's ass about the people of the Central Continent. If so, why do you think they haven't all deserted the continent already and left?"

Hearing this, Daneel had to admit that he was…stumped.

This guy was right!

If there were detractors on all levels, why hadn't the ones who stood to gain the most from going over, done so?

They could let Angaria go to hell, and enjoy resources and higher-tier knowledge that might lead them to gain even more power and lifespan.

Seeing the King furrow his eyebrows and ponder over this, Rayen let there be a moment of pause before continuing.

"Let me answer. This is where the issue with your last condition also comes in. Also, I can only put this in the simplest of terms, and you'll understand 'why' soon.

"First of all, no one can become a Hero on Angaria without the Head's permission. He is the leader of all 4 of the Big 4, and without his approval along with a vote from the High Council, a new Hero cannot be born.

"Before a new Hero is born, he or she must agree to a Chain that is wound over their consciousness in ways that makes an Oath look like a plaything. In other words, it is unbreakable even by a Hero.

"Apparently, this is only made possible by a very rare Artifact that was left behind by the Emperor of the Empire of Angaria, himself."

As soon as the Hero said this part, Daneel heard a sigh from Drakos.

"He always called it one of his greatest creations, and although he made it because it was necessary, he lamented that what he would leave behind is an object that causes unhappiness."

Daneel couldn't respond to this, as the Hero was continuing, unaware of the comment from the Ancient Dragon.

"That Chain has two commandments: One, all information regarding the Hero realm will never be uttered to any person or being, living or dead.

"And Two, the Chained one's loyalty will forever lie with Angaria. As such, any Oaths or other forms of binding cannot be entered into voluntarily with anyone."

As Rayen said the last sentence, he let out a sigh, seeing that the King was still thinking about it and not reacting violently.

Yes, it was best to tread carefully with someone who had looked like the Devil just minutes ago.

Meanwhile, Daneel had just asked Drakos whether what the Hero was saying was true.

After taking a few moments, the Ancient Dragon finally answered, saying, "Yes, Young King. It can be true. That Artifact that he just mentioned really did have that purpose. No Hero can escape its binding, but, of course, permission must be given for the Chain to be made in the first place. The Emperor always knew that the greed of men was something that he would never be able to control through any amount of words. So, this was his answer. His intention was for it to be used in this way, so I am, at least, happy that its purpose hasn't been twisted over the millennia."

After hearing Drakos's answer, when Daneel thought about it, he saw that it did make sense.

If something like this didn't exist, then, just like the Hero had said, nothing would stop these Heroes from jumping ship and dooming Angaria to turn into a land ravaged by endless rivers of blood.

However, this did present a problem.

How was he supposed to ensure this Hero's loyalty, now?

That, too, when he had adopted such a domineering attitude with the guy?

What if, one fine day, this Hero just decided to say that 'enough was enough'?

Although he didn't really think that this was possible, he couldn't trust his gut on this one. The danger was just a bit too much.

On noticing the way the King was looking at him, Rayen understood what he was thinking.

So, he decided to speak.

"Look, King Daneel. I know that I cannot ask you to trust me. So, there is only one solution. I shall trust you. You can cast that same 'trap' that you put inside my son's head in me, too."

This made a flash of realization, and then disbelief appear on Daneel's face.

In the case of an oath, this Hero could at least hope to escape it some day.

Yet, this spell of Drakos's was a truly nefarious one that, he claimed, would never be able to be countered by any Heroes in this age.

The only limitation was this: it needed time to be cast, and if there was any resistance from the target, there was a high chance of failure.

Seeing the complexity, this should have already dawned on this Hero.

Yet, he had suggested it, himself?

Daneel had to say that he was rather impressed. There was no way that he could have expected the man to do this.

Clearly, what he felt for his son exceeded any level that Daneel had conceived in his head.

Nodding, he said, "Very well. Your trust is not misplaced. I give you my word that I will not abuse it. Now…"

"Um…there's another issue."

This time, Daneel's eyebrows moved into a V-shape as he glared at the Hero, who had a hesitant expression on his face.

A Hero was being hesitant to say something to him?

Oh, he had definitely come a long way.

Although he mused this in his head, he continued to glare at the man, who finally said, "This is a clone. And, as I speak, my original body is on lockdown by the Head, so that I won't go on a rampage and kill you. So…yeah…"

Shaking his head, Daneel said, "So, what do you wish to do?"

He was burning with anticipation to check out all the goodies behind the second seal, and this Hero was detaining him like an Earthling's mom who was making her son do laundry instead of watching his favorite TV show.

Sighing with relief, Rayen said, "In this state of mine, even information transfer would be difficult, and it's risky as someone can look here at any moment and find something amiss. The lockdown won't be forever. After taking a few weeks or so, I'll act as if I'm fine. The Head can't sit with me forever, so he'll leave. I'll come to you in my original body, then."

"Fine. Get out of here, and remember that your son is still with me. Don't play any tricks. You cannot even fathom what kind of knowledge a being from the Age of the Empire possesses. Got it?"

Seeing the Hero nod hurriedly, Daneel waved his hand as if he was dismissing some subject of his.

He wasn't too worried about the Hero not coming back because of everything he had seen so far.

As Rayen dispersed his clone, he couldn't control the shock that shone in his eyes at the last moment.

Had he just been…waved away by someone?

Slight anger threatened to invade his mind, but he controlled it, telling himself that he would deal with it.

After the Hero left, Daneel first heaved a sigh of relief, feeling glad that this was over.

Then, he frantically rushed to the library in the academy with an excitement which even startled Drakos.

In barely a few seconds, Daneel's hands were clasped around the two edges of the pedestal, while Drakos said, "You were right in your hunch, Young King! The second seal is broken! Congratulations! Would you like me to give you all the information one by one…"

"No! All at once!"

"Uh…are you sure? Such a high load of information might.."

"I'm sure! Do it!"

"All right…"

As soon as Drakos said this, Daneel felt as if his mind had just been forcibly dunked into a bucket of cold water.

[Massive influx of information detected.

Warning! Host's brain under risk of overloading.

Analyzing.

Categorizing for storage and further analysis.

Multiple categories have been found. They are:

Hero-level formations.

Hero-level spells.

Artifact Creation.

War Strategies.

Empire Development Strategies.

Fighter techniques.

Common Paragon Constructs.

Common Champion Paths

…]

With each category, Daneel's eyes burned more and more with excitement, and when he heard the last one, even though he noticed the prefix, his excitement reached new peaks.

Only, the flood of information was too much, and even as the system continued to analyze and store all of it, the King of Lanthanor's eyes rolled into the back of his head before he fainted onto the stone pedestal and started to drool.

If Rayen could see him now, he would definitely have wondered whether this was the diabolical Devil to whom he had sworn his loyalty.

Chapter 530: Jackpo

When Daneel finally woke up in a puddle of his own drool, sunlight was pouring through the windows.

The 21 rogue Warriors and Mages had attacked during the evening, and the show had gone till midnight. After that, Daneel had been occupied with the Hero, and, now, it looked like he had slept on…Drakos until morning.

Oh, yes, the stone pedestal was Drakos!

The moment he realized this, he made fire evaporate the drool before hastily wiping what was left on his mouth.

"I-"

"Don't say it."

He knew Drakos was going to say 'I told you so,' so he cut off the dragon before it could finish.

Shaking his head in an attempt to get rid of the pounding headache, Daneel asked the system, "Has all the information been categorized and analyzed?"

For the first time in a long time, the system took a moment to reply.

[Categorization completed. Analysis in progress. Most of the data collected exceeds system's complexity. Hence, storage is taking longer than expected. Hero-level information which cannot be analyzed is being placed in 'blackboxes', where spells can be accessed when needed, but their working cannot be analyzed and modifications are not possible unless host upgrades the system.]

Daneel had already expected this. The system was still at Peak Champion level, so it couldn't really analyze Hero-level stuff. However, by imitation, it could cast the spells given by Drakos. This taxed Daneel's mageroot heavily, as it was just like someone using a tool to get an output without understanding what that tool was or how it achieved the result.

Before Daneel revisited those categories which had made him froth at his mouth when he heard them, he decided to find out how much EXP he had accumulated over all this time, and whether he was close to the upgrade.

Until now, the system's complexity had always been a full realm above his. Yet, now, if he wasn't able to upgrade it, he might break through to become a Champion and be on its general level for the first time.

"System, tell me my total EXP and tell me what is needed for the upgrade."

[Affirmative. Would host like to hear the pending notification regarding the Kingdom Satisfaction Level Milestone?]

"Yes!"

This was the second major thing he had been looking forward to after hearing that he had managed to have his Kingdom reach the level required to break the second seal.

These Kingdom Development Milestones that the system had given him, for some reason, coincided with the levels required for the seals to be broken. Daneel didn't think that this was anything except a coincidence, as he assumed that these metrics might be things that the Emperor had found out after a lot of research and time, so it wasn't surprising that the system was using them, too. After all, the system usually did use the best metrics available to judge his performance.

Last time, with the Olympics, Daneel had gotten the Kingdom Satisfaction Level to 26% with great difficulty. He had been told that the next milestone was 30%, and that the reward would be multiplied by 5 times, from 10,000 to 50,000.

The system responded at this moment, making him smile on seeing that his memory was right.

[Satisfaction Level: 38%

Dissatisfaction Level: 19%

Milestone Reached. 50,000 EXP awarded.

Next Milestone: 60% Satisfaction Level.

Award: 250,000 EXP]

For a few moments, Daneel could only stare into the air slack-jawed while he asked the system to repeat the notification.

He couldn't believe it!

Earlier, he had had to try so hard to increase the satisfaction level by a few percents using the Olympics. Now, it had suddenly increased by this much?!

The next moment, he remembered what Queen Arafell had said.

The more people there were, the easier it was to get a high satisfaction level!

"System, is this satisfaction level only for Lanthanor, or for Eldinor, too?"

After all, he was ruling both of them out in the open.

[System informs host that satisfaction level is only for the Kingdom of Lanthanor, as the tool only allows system to scan a set area around host. Please upgrade the tool if host wishes to scan more areas. Upgrade cost: 15,000 EXP]

Oh, right.

He had forgotten about this little tidbit.

Unlike the Empire Spirit which had been given the ability to judge satisfaction level by the Emperor, the system was simply using a tool which he had bought. If he wanted to scan more area, he needed to upgrade it.

Yet, before he started spending EXP, Daneel decided to wait for the answer to his other question.

[Total EXP: 247,000

Cost/Requirements of Upgrade: Locked. Certain conditions must be fulfilled by host for the requirements to be locked. Currently, only the EXP required is available.]

Daneel was a little crestfallen, as he had been hoping that gaining so much information might have changed this. Well, at least he could find out how much EXP was needed.

Bracing himself, he said, "All right, tell me how much EXP is needed."

[EXP needed for upgrade: 1,000,000]

Yeah…there it was.

Daneel had actually expected this, but he just hadn't wanted to admit it.

For the first upgrade, the cost had been 10,000 EXP.

For the second, it had been 100,000 EXP.

So…if the trend continued, the cost would have been multiplied by 10 times, again, which was what had happened.

Also, there seemed to be additional conditions which he hadn't unlocked yet.

Sighing, he felt happy, for now, that the bad news was out of the way.

Rubbing his hands, a smile came on his face as he said, "Ok, list the categories of data collected, and give me summaries about each."

He decided he needed a chair to sit in while he received all this so that he wouldn't faint from excitement again(even though that hadn't been what happened before), so Daneel conjured a Throne behind him and sat down.

Sure enough, with each sentence, the smile on his lips broadened more and more, until it filled his whole face.

[Listing all categories with descriptions.

Hero-level formations: Formations such as the one encountered during Host's travel to the Kingdom of Arafell have been obtained. Also, numerous key offensive, defensive and obfuscating formations have been recorded which are ready to be deployed.

Hero-level spells: Destructive Hero-level spells such as Large-scale Earthquake, Thunderstorm, Hurricane, Firestorm, Icestorm have been obtained. However, system can only cast these spells without modification, which means that with host's power level, only a small area of effect is possible.

Artifact Creation: Artifacts are special items which surpass trinkets. They have a measure of sentience, which is not on the level of Warrior-level trinkets which have also been seen to have a certain level of awareness. Yet, in the latter case, this awareness only extends to fine-tuning shape/size according to user's preferences and checking whether the one wielding the trinket has the requisite power level. Artifacts, when made properly, are capable of understanding instructions to a certain extent. Also, the feats capable by using Artifacts cannot be compared to trinkets.

System has recorded several Artifact Creation techniques and models.

War Strategies: Large scale Army Deployment strategies, Mage and Fighter training strategies, Mage-Fighter integration strategies and Guerrilla strategies using high-level Mages and Fighters have been assessed and recorded. With this data, new module- 'War Strategist' available. 'War Strategist' can assess a live battle situation and suggest the best strategies to host.

Empire Development Strategies: These are the personal logs left behind by the Emperor regarding what can be done to develop an Empire in the direction of one which is supposed to be sought after by all people to live in. The schemes used by the Emperor, along with his reflections on the potential and drawbacks of each have been recorded. With this data, new module- 'Development Strategist' available. 'Development Strategist' can take into account all factors of a Kingdom to suggest host regarding what schemes can be used with available materials.

Fighter techniques: A special set of Fighter Battle and Training techniques for all levels from Human to Champion have been recorded.

Common Paragon Constructs: An exhaustive list of Paragon constructs at and below the Champion level have been recorded. These include ancient weapon constructs such as Barrier-Piercing Ballistae, Self-Adjusting Elemental Catapults, and Amateur Shadow Soldiers.

Common Champion Paths: An exhaustive list of common Acquired Champion paths which are usually chosen by those of medium to low talent have been recorded.

Although there is a qualitative power increase when one goes from being a Warrior to a Champion using these paths, the corresponding Champion Domains are simple and do not play a major role in battle.

For example, one who becomes a Champion using the 'Happiness' Champion Path by deeply delving into the state of happiness and understanding it to an intrinsic level, will only have the domain effect of either influencing the opponent using that emotion, or possessing increased attack/defensive power when in the state of that emotion.

In the case of Elemental Champion Paths, an amplification of power is acquired when said Element is used.

These include Champion Paths of Anger, Happiness, Sadness, Fear, Fire, Water, Ice, and Lightning.]

When Daneel went through all of this, a word appeared in his head, and he felt as if it applied now, to this situation, more than ever before.

'JACKPOT!'

New modules, new spells, more Champion Paths, the Emperor's own logs…what more could he ask for?

Historically, the Kings of Lanthanor had written in their memoirs that it should be a priority for every King to attempt and raise the Satisfaction Level so that one could unlock the 'invaluable treasure trove of knowledge' that was supposedly sealed inside the Spirit.

If they knew how right they had been, Daneel felt that they would really be regretting that they hadn't put in more effort in this endeavor.

Yet, there could also have been no King like him, who had a tool with which he could accurately judge the satisfaction level and see how well he was doing.

Putting such thoughts aside, Daneel forcefully stopped himself, at the moment, from going into a full on 'nerd-mode' where he would explore each category by himself in depth.

Instead of focusing on what he had gotten, he decided to list what he hadn't received.

No…maybe, it was better to ask Drakos, rather than do the list himself.

"Drakos, I've just gone through all the data. But I see that a lot is missing. Is all of that hidden behind the last seal?"

"Young King, you were knocked out and were drooling on me, so how were you able to…"

"I have a thick mind which doesn't quit.", Daneel interrupted and answered, aiming to nip any suspicion before it grew into something troubling.

Well, he had slipped in his excitement, so he could only seek to rectify the situation in this way.

Drakos looked like he didn't buy it that much, but he let it go.

"Right. If you need me to repeat, you can ask, Young King. There is no reason to be ashamed."

Oh. So he had understood it in that way.

Daneel felt like chuckling, but he stopped himself on realizing that this was an opportunity to make sure that Drakos didn't suspect anything, at all. He decided to sit with the Dragon and go through everything again, but, before that, he needed an answer.

"Ok, fine, you got me. But I was able to understand the categories. So, tell me what's missing?"

"Good. For reasons that only my father knows, he chose to place all prominent Champion Paths, which include the one you saw when that man in your captivity broke through, all information regarding the Hero-level, and all of his signature spells and Artifacts that allowed him to control the Empire for so long behind the last seal. And…I must say that breaking open the last seal will require so much more satisfaction level than the first two, Young King."

It was just as he had thought.

Still, Daneel honestly couldn't complain, as the Emperor had given him many, many tools which he could use to reach that level.

But…what should he do, first?

Daneel was lost.

Yet, he realized that he didn't have to be.

So, by using the special trinket he had made out of the Ker Root with Drakos's help, Daneel called for the second meeting with all of his 8 trusty advisors and friends.

Also, he had just come up with a name for this gathering, as it was quite difficult to refer to it in this way every time.

It would be called…The Council of 9 Sovereigns.

Chapter 531: Second Meeting of the Council

The idea behind the name came from the fact that two of these eight were already sovereigns of two major forces. Perhaps, with this name, the rest might also be motivated to forge ahead with as much enthusiasm and dedication as possible so that they could reach that level, themselves, too.

After all, Daneel had no intention whatsoever of shortchanging those who trusted him so much and believed in him to lead them. He valued them highly, and he had always had grand plans for them so that he could be rest assured that they would never, ever feel regret in their choices.

After calling for the meeting and asking them to assemble after six hours, Daneel began a deep run through of everything he had obtained from Drakos with the company of the Ancient Dragon, whose enthusiasm was palpable.

According to him, all of this data had been obtained with the blood and sweat of the Empire's forces. He was very proud of it, and Daneel's great interest only spurred him on to go to great lengths regarding each and every category.

Of course, Daneel didn't learn too much new stuff other than what the system had already analyzed, as although Drakos had a lot to say, a lot of it comprised of musings regarding how each specific piece of knowledge had been collected.

For example, according to him, he had personally known the Paragon who invented the legendary Barrier-Piercing Ballistae, from which had been derived a certain type of Artifact that had become the mainstay of the Emperor's Armies for quite a long time.

This information was definitely something interesting, but it didn't benefit Daneel all that much, but he still endeavored to gather it all. After all, who knew when it might come in handy.

Yet, 3 hours later, the Dragon's penchant for soliloquies resulted in Daneel feeling very drowsy, so he did a little cheating. The Ancient Dragon was completely absorbed in recounting everything in vivid detail, so he didn't notice much when Daneel's replies became sort of robotic, as the system had taken over while Daneel took a very well-deserved nap.

He woke up two hours later, only to find Drakos still going on with the same amount of gusto.

Finally, after another hour, Dale extricated himself from the Ancient Dragon, quoting that he was too tired to accept any more information, when in reality, he had already had enough after realizing that he had been right all along – the system had already extracted as much as it could.

As he reached his chambers to change clothes before heading off to the meeting, he once again marveled at just how valuable everything he had obtained was, as he now had an even better idea after this long session of discussion.

If this were some sort of video game, that it was like he had entered a cheat code which gave him so much stuff that he wasn't supposed to have at this stage.

Yet, he was definitely going to use it to great effect.

First, Daneel took a deep breath and decided to prioritize, as this was always most necessary when he was faced with too many routes to go in.

His utmost priorities were still the same – First, he needed to find all the parts of the Grand Inheritance before someone else did, as even though the ancient Dragon hadn't told him exactly what that thing could do, he knew that he definitely didn't want it in anyone else's hands. And, of course, he wanted to win the Race, too, as he could tell that it was very important.

On the same level was his priority to get to the Champion level. After seeing all of the Common Champion Paths, it had once again dawned on Daneel just how important this choice was. Whatever the Path that was chosen, one would have to stick with it when they proceeded to become a Hero and beyond. Hence, he definitely had to find one which he was happy with. Only, none of the ones he had seen so far stood out that much, and this included Ashahell's path.

Maybe… He would have to leave this until he broke the next seal, which brought him to his next priority – raising the Satisfaction Level even more so that he could see for himself what the Queen coveted so much.

She seemed to be pretty sure that if she broke the last seal, she would be able to take over the entire Continent, itself, without a problem. Could the information hidden there be that powerful?

Daneel honestly couldn't say, but he was definitely pretty excited to find out, especially now when he had already been endlessly awed by what was behind just the second seal.

However, he knew that it would be very tough.

Finally, his last main priority was actually related to the third one – he had seen just how beneficial it had been for him to come out in the open and become the ruler of the Kingdom of the Elves. How amazing would it be if he was somehow able to do the same with the other two forces that he controlled?

This was a pretty tall order, but if he really managed to do it, Daneel suspected that he would be able to achieve the third goal quite easily, if the Queen was to be believed.

These four remained on top, while there were a bunch below.

Things such as choosing what path to go with his military, what to do with all the Mages whom he had shown to the world as disabled, how he was going to integrate the Mages of Eldinor with the Fighters of Lanthanor, what he was going to do to hide the fact that he was in possession of unlimited wealth, et cetera et cetera were all stuff that he hoped to take help with from the Council.

His purpose behind prioritizing now was also so that their meeting could have an agenda, instead of spiraling into multiple discussions that might reach nowhere. On Earth, he had seen just how fruitless such discussions would be, during the times when he randomly tuned in to congressional sessions of various countries where elected officials would squabble uselessly instead of reaching any conclusion.

Donning a clean, shiny coat, Daneel left to the same spot in the sky between the Hidden Kill Sect, the Black Raven Kingdom and Lanthanor where the rest were already waiting for him.

4 were seated on each side, and as he appeared, all of them stood up in respect.

No bowing was necessary, as Daneel had explicitly stated this in his message. He thought of all of these people as his closest friends and confidants, so he didn't want a formal atmosphere to pervade this meeting.

As soon as he took his seat, Faxul also sat down and chuckled before saying, "Council of Nine Sovereigns. I must say that I quite like the sound of that. Is it your goal for all of us to become Sovereigns, eventually?"

Daneel hadn't expected that his friend would hit the nail on its head so soon, so he feigned surprise, but didn't say anything.

This made the rest exchange looks between each other, but knowing that the King must have called them all for a very important reason, they waited for him to speak.

Sure enough, as soon as Daneel began speaking, expressions of seriousness came on everyone's faces. He started reciting all of the things that had happened since their last meeting – including what had happened exactly during the whole episode with the Emperor Spirit of Eldinor.

Of course, he hid a few specific details, such as how he had made Drakos give him a fake formation. But what he did give was a detailed recounting, with more information than what anyone else had.

When he went over how he had taken the decision to disregard the threat of a Hero after 'Mercy for the Wicked', gasps sounded in the air, mainly from Eloise and even Robert.

Cassandra looked at him with approval in her eyes, while her red hair swayed in the light breeze.

As for the rest, they were more surprised than anything.

They all wondered one thing: where did the confidence of the King come from?

When he told them about his bargaining chip, his father furrowed his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

It was obvious that the man could understand what the Hero must have felt, but, at the same time, he knew that it was necessary.

Toward the end, all 8 members were even more astonished than last time, which they had thought would be impossible.

It was almost like the King achieved phenomenal things left and right in the same span of time that the rest of them used to do something absolutely trivial.

For example, Elanev had just now compared his activities with his 'younger brother's', and when all he remembered were the curses from the old man who had repeatedly said that if he didn't push himself even further, he could never hope to reach even the shadow of 'that kid', as he referred to him, Elanev couldn't help but blush and realise just how right the damn old man was.

Of course, his blush only deepened when he heard the mocking laugh from the old man in his head.

With the recounting done, Daneel leaned forward to get to the real agenda.

Waving his hand, he made numerous words appear in the air between them.

"This is all the important knowledge I've gained after breaking the second seal. In fact, there is much more, but this is the part which can be used in the present age. The rest either requires resources which have long gone extinct, or conditions such as squadrons of Champions which is something that can only be dreamed about right now. My task for you is simple. Go through it, and pick the ones you find to be the most interesting, or the most valuable. We will be deciding which to prioritize right now."

Daneel had come up with this open-ended format on the way over. It would take too much time to go through each piece of information, one by one, so this was probably the best.

Using the system, he had cast a spell which gave brief image-based descriptions of each thing so that it could be understood easily. For example, military formations or training techniques had little stick figures carrying out small demonstrations.

At first, viewing the large area that was taken up by all these glowing beacons of knowledge, all 8 members of the Council were quite shocked. Each label was more unbelievable than the one before, so much so that they couldn't believe that the King had obtained this much.

After that, each member started to walk up to whatever interested them.

The commanders were, of course, mesmerized by all the numerous things related to war. So, like kids who had found new toys to play with, Cassandra, Robert, Aran, and Luther hurried over to this section and started to go through each and everything available seriously.

Eloise walked over to the Kingdom development strategies, where each idea was more daring than the last. Kellor was captivated by all the Mage techniques, and even though he didn't understand many, he studied each and every one of them.

Elanev's choice was also to be expected. He ran to the section called 'Fighter Techniques'.

It was only Faxul who walked to Daneel's side instead of immediately delving into the treasure trove.

Daneel looked at his friend questioningly, who seemed to be adjusting quite well even though he had lost his body.

"Hey, I heard you when you said that its a priority to take control of the other two forces in the open, too. I have an idea regarding that. Is there any way…to fake an attack by the Church? What if we get crippled, too, in the same way Lanthanor was? What if, in the process of driving away the Church, we ally with you in the same way that Eldinor did, so that it doesn't draw too much attention? Just another struggling Kingdom allying to survive. What do you think?"

For a moment, Daneel could only stare at his friend in disbelief.

It was almost like he was being a bad influence on all these people.

The idea sounded great on the surface, but there was a problem.

"It's too risky to fake the Church. The Big 4 would swoop in right away."

"Then can we fake it that anyone else attacked?"

As Daneel heard this, the cogs in his head started to turn as he gazed out over all the knowledge.

There was one additional problem with all this knowledge, too, that he hadn't thought about.

If he brazenly implemented it, how could he explain it if someone came asking where he had gotten it from?

By using that Paragon Attack, he had already made it clear what 'Inheritance' he had obtained.

What if…the idea that Faxul had brought up could be used to solve this, too?

After all, Daneel liked nothing more than to hit two birds with one stone.

Seeing the maleficent smile on Daneel's face, Faxul couldn't help but feel a chill in his spine.

At the same moment, Eloise called out to Daneel, which made him walk over while still pondering over the plan that was forming in his mind.

Eloise was standing in front of a certain Kingdom Development Strategy that Daneel hadn't seen before during his discussion with Drakos.

It showed the images of two cities connected by a bridge that rose into the air, while a cubical box was traveling between them on the bridge and dropping off stick figures and boxes.

Seeing this, Daneel's eyes widened.

Was this…what he thought it was?!

Chapter 532: Breaking the Pattern

"Inter-Kingdom Transportation System: Designed for smooth, efficient and cheap travel between cities. Goods can also be transported regularly, without a need of waiting for strong enough Mages to come along.

Pros:

-Easily accessible to common folk.

-Can enable two Kingdoms to share their strengths and shore up their weaknesses

-Capable of regularly transporting essential items

Cons:

-High initial setup cost

-Will result in a period of loss, as common folk cannot pay much

-Mages and Magic Portals are already accessible in most locations. Hence, financially not feasible."

A train! A damn train!

Daneel could barely control his excitement. As someone from Earth, he knew exactly how important a proper train network was.

He had actually considered this, himself, long ago, but he had discarded it due to various reasons.

Most of all, it had been too ambitious at that point.

However, now, seeing that the Emperor, himself, had been thinking about it, he saw hope.

Sure enough, when Daneel touched the image that was showing this information, detailed plans unfolded.

One of the reasons for him getting so excited was also that the cons that were listed were no longer true.

At least, the most important one didn't apply at all to this age.

Considering the number of high-level Mages that used to exist during the Empire's time, it must have been easy to build and monitor portals, like the ones at the base of the mountain on which the capital city of the Kingdom of the Elves was located.

The longer the distance between two portals, the more the power required to maintain them.

Even the Eldinorians had had to spend large amounts of money to set up just those few portals. They had wanted to show off that theirs was the 'Magic Destination in the Continent'.

Yet, those only teleported someone for a distance of a few hundred meters, at most.

Hence, building a portal between 2 Kingdoms was completely unheard of, and would even seem absurd.

As for regular teleportation, in this Age, Mages were so scarce that only the richest of common folk would have access to it.

So, their go-to methods for transport were either Ether-powered carriages, if they were capable of hiring one and walking.

Goods were always being snatched away on the way by mercenaries, and that had been the reason why Daneel had set up his own 'Angarian Delivery' system, which was inspired by 'Amazon' back on Earth.

Only, the rise of this scheme had been slow, as he hadn't had enough money to pump into it.

Now, with this plan of the Emperor's in front of him, Daneel realized that it might be possible to give that scheme the success he had always wished for.

Also, the other advantages, such as addressing the common folk's needs in traveling, would definitely make even the satisfaction level rise.

Any way he saw it, there was only profit.

And besides, it was a f*cking train!

If this amazing piece of heritage didn't impress him, then he shouldn't even call himself a former Earthling.

Seeing the King enter a deep state of concentration, Eloise had been silent, even though she had been the one to call him over.

She had been very intrigued by this strategy, as even she could tell how useful such a network of transport would be. The economic benefits, themselves, were so momentous.

Teleportation didn't work for large amounts of goods, so, the market of on-foot transportation was a major one which they had entered into.

Clearly, they were both thinking the same things.

Looking at her, Daneel realized that he didn't even need to explain anything. He said, "Eloise, take these plans. As soon as this meeting is over, sit with our assembly line and our finance ministers to modify this so that it can be implemented now. ASAP. Ok?"

The plans the Emperor had drawn up involved using complicated trinkets on the tracks.

Each trinket was capable of absorbing the forward momentum of the 'train' and pushing it forward, just like a spring.

Of course, such extravagance was impossible right now, as hundreds of thousands of such trinkets would have to be made. In this Age, there were neither the resources nor the manpower.

Thankfully, the model of the train, itself, could be adapted.

Instead of coal, like on Earth, this train burned Ether Blocks to propel itself forward.

Also, the Emperor had wanted it in the air simply because it would 'look impressive'.

Again, this was another useless aspect which could be removed.

What he did have to do, though, was add measures to protect the train from possible attackers.

How cool would it look if the train was mounted with crossbows and catapults?

His head buzzing with ideas, Daneel listed them all down inwardly so that he wouldn't forget any of them.

After doing that, he slapped his head.

How could he not have gotten this idea, himself, even after that windfall that had given him almost unlimited resources?

This should have been one of the first things he pursued!

Well, it wasn't too late now. No matter what, he would implement this, even if he faced all kinds of challenges.

In fact, Daneel was looking forward to seeing the challenges, so that he could solve them.

All in all, this was another thing that would change the course of this continent for the better.

Eloise understood this, too, as she obeyed the King's orders and immediately handed him a data trinket.

After Daneel transferred the details to it, Eloise shot him a sweet smile before walking away to check out all the other stuff.

At the same moment, Daneel found himself being called by Kellor.

Kellor was in the section where Mage training techniques were listed. Here, his attention was fixed on a label that read: "Civilian Mass Spell Casting Training."

"My Lord, I think this might come in handy…"

Nodding, Daneel touched this one, too, to see its details.

"Civilian Mass Spell Casting Training: A method to train large numbers of people without prior military experience to take part in a joint spell casting activity.

Pros:

-If executed well, high power of resultant spell

-Gives citizens the feeling of belonging to something they can see

Cons:

-Need to have a subset of citizens who all have a minimum level of Mage skills

-Requires long periods of training

Notes: -Implemented in a certain Kingdom of the Empire, where it was a partial success. Needs to be tweaked more."

The moment Daneel read it, he understood why Kellor had been attracted to it.

The Elves!

Patting his Grand Court Mage's shoulder, Daneel said, "Take the details, Kellor. You'll be responsible for this. See if it's even possible for us to apply something like this."

After he filled the data trinket for Kellor, too, Daneel just couldn't wipe the smile off of his face.

He had to say that he was very, very satisfied with how useful this meeting had already turned out to be.

As for the rest, the commanders were captivated by all military formations, and, according to them, they would need time and in-depth study to decide on the best ones to prioritize. So, Daneel handed all the data regarding that section over.

Finally, Elanev was also given everything from the Fighter Techniques section, along with a special goal: to shortlist the best Fighter techniques that could be given to the army to make it stronger.

After this delegating of duties was done, all 8 Sovereignz sat back down in their seats with their eyes still shining.

They still couldn't believe that they sere actually in possession of so much 'wealth' that would be coveted by any force in the Central Continent.

Daneel had already chosen his 'area of focus', too: he was going to study all the Champion Paths available, along with the Paragon Constructs. In the short run, these two were the things which would benefit him the most. Even though he was inclined to wait for the final seal to break to gain access to the best Champion Paths, he still wanted to acquaint himself deeply with everything that was available.

Addressing the Council, Daneel said, "Now that all of you have your assignments, I would like to remind you about one additional matter. We currently have three special, secret forces."

"Three?"

Hearing this, the 8 whispered among themselves. How could there be three?

The King answered their question.

"The first one is the Domination Corps, which will be remotely guided by Luther. The second is our secret Mage Force, which the world thinks doesn't exist."

"What do you mean, My Lord? I've examined those Mages. They really did lose their Mageroots."

Shaking his head, Daneel said. "I think I forgot to mention this, then. Why would I do something like that to my own soldiers when everything was in the palm of my hand? Their Mageroots are merely 'hibernating'. With a jolt, they can be awakened. However, all suspicion must first be removed. So, they are living their lives normally, for now. After a period of time, an initiative by the government will give them all 'special' jobs in the Palace, where they will begin training anew. Kellor, Cassandra and Aran: you'll be in charge of that."

By now, the King shocking them had become such a common thing that almost no one even flinched when they heard this revelation. Instead, they took it for granted, as that was what they had come to expect.

But…that made only two.

"The third is the small Warrior squadron made up of all the intruders who so kindly decided to invade Lanthanor. They're still being 'reformed', but after that is done, they will be swearing Oaths to serve Lanthanor. They will be our most secret hidden knife: no one can know that they exist."

This news actually made wistful smiles appear on the faces of most of the 8 Sovereigns.

A Warrior Squadron!

That was something that was unheard of in the Central Continent.

Yet, they were now in possession of one.

Lanthanor…really was starting to accumulate a level of hidden strength that would startle anyone and everyone when revealed.

Daneel's agenda was done, for now, so he chose to disperse the meeting.

"Let's meet again after these matters have been finalized. Everyone is dismissed. Faxul, stay back."

Daneel had been giving thought to Faxul's idea, and, in the process, he had come across a problem that he had missed before.

After everyone else left, he said, "Faxul, like I said, I like your plan, but there is a problem."

"Hmm?"

"Well, everyone already knows of the relationship between us. Even if an attack does happen, it might look…choreographed, and I will be suspected to be someone aiming to unite the Central Continent. Besides, they know that my 'master', and my former commander is in charge of the Hidden Kill Sect. It will raise too many red flags, and put too much of a spotlight on me. We need to avoid that. Even if the fake attack is carried out perfectly, suspicion will still definitely rise. Already, there are a few suspicions, so it might not be best to take a risk."

Daneel was thinking of that 'Head' when he said this. According to the Hero, he was someone terrifying who would definitely notice something amiss in a common plan like this.

The problem was that a pattern would form, which was noticeable.

So…he had to break the pattern.

"How about if the Black Raven Kingdom allies with the Hidden Kill Sect?"

"Same problem. It will still look suspicious because of my ties. Something…completely different should happen."

"Like what?", asked Faxul, scratching his head.

He was at his wit's end. Weren't these the only options they had? What else could be done?

At that moment, Daneel got a daring idea.

"Axelor."

"Excuse me, what?", exclaimed Faxul, sure that he had heard wrong.

Yet, Daneel only repeated the word.

"Axelor. Consider this. No one else knows about what has happened with the Empire Spirit. And Axelor is completely closed off to the entire Central Continent. What if…you act as if you are the Empire Spirit, and get in the good graces of the Empire Spirit who is present and active in Axelor?"

"Is that even possible?!"

"Drakos says so. The Empire Spirit's consciousness is available to you. He says you can access it to learn all the mannerisms, etc of that crazy Raven."

The more Daneel thought about it, the more it made sense.

He could find solutions for other problems in other ways. Yet, this was a golden opportunity to enter that closed Kingdom which was sealed off to all.

And…this was certainly a way to break the pattern.

Chapter 533: The King of Axelor's Decision

Meanwhile, in the Royal Palace of Axelor.

King Safiros currently had a livid expression on his face. All the crazy joy that had been there when he had witnessed the gruesome massacre of hundreds of his citizens was absent, replaced by an expression that made him look as if he was seeing something that irked him to no end.

In his hand was a display trinket, which was showing the image of another display trinket in a house where a replay of the continent's most talked-about show, 'Mercy for the Wicked' was being played.

The reel had been cut in such a way that the emphasis was always on the King of Lanthanor. From the beginning, where he had assured the people that everything was alright, to the end where he looked like a God while he stopped the attack of someone whose power level was legendary in the Central Continent, his face, his posture, and his voice were given so much focus that it would be difficult to forget any of them even long after the show was over.

And who would want to forget them? Each of those things stood for a certain level of gravitas that was admired endlessly by all, no matter if they were honest manual workers or rich merchants.

While the King continued watching while his expression got more and more ugly, his Minister, who was standing in front of him in the Throne Room, said, "This show has spread to even those people who didn't receive the display trinket. Most had gathered with those who did have the trinket and were watching. As for the rest, some people have started charging money to hold special shows where they give access to the so-called 'Network Trinket', or, in short, N.T. There is also talk that mass production of N.Ts has begun, and that they will be launched for all to buy, soon. There are also certain rumors about how some people have managed to obtain the technology to broadcast to these N.Ts, and that they are in the process of creating the trinkets needed. As for the effects of the show…"

"THIS POMPOUS RUNT!"

Interrupting his minister, the King suddenly stood up and threw the display trinket in one direction, causing it to crash onto the wall and fall to the ground.

The Minister remained silent, with his only hope being that this anger wouldn't turn into another purge.

Thankfully, instead of ordering something like that right away, King Safiros started marching from left to right on the raised pedestal on which the Throne was present.

He also started grumbling under his breath, which was audible to the Minister.

"Don't they see what he's doing? He wants to sway the continent's people to support him so that he can conquer them all! He already has 4 Kingdoms in his grasp! It's just me and that bitch in Arafell who's left! What the f*ck are the Big 4 doing?!"

The King kept repeating stuff like this, until, finally, he whipped out a communication trinket from a secret pocket in his robes.

This was a special trinket that was always on his body, no matter where he was. That was because it was that important.

"My King, they said…!"

"Screw what they said. Hey, I need to speak with you. Get over here."

Crack!

The next second, the sound of something being broken into was heard, after which the Minister turned to the side and realized that he wasn't alone.

This man was wearing green-colored robes which fit him perfectly, and he had a trimmed, short beard that gave him the look of some stately advisor. His clothes were old school: he had a tassel around his neck, which was draped on one arm of his that was held aloft.

Right after he appeared, he had a suspicious expression on his face, as he looked around as if he had sensed something strange and wanted to find out what it was.

"Hmm…could have sworn I felt something at the Hero-level here…"

"Who're you? You're not the one…"

"Quiet."

The moment he said that word, the King shut his mouth, going so far as to even bite his own tongue in the process as it hadn't gone back into his mouth fast enough.

Blood was visible on his teeth, which were being held together rigidly as if someone had their hands around his head and was making sure that he wouldn't open his mouth.

The Minister could tell that this was done by this bearded man, but what he couldn't figure out was…how?

His elementary vision had been switched on, yet, he hadn't noticed any attempts at controlling elementary particles.

What was going on?!

After a few moments, the man finally shook his head, as if dispelling some thought of his.

"All right. Speak. Why have you contacted the Big 4, King of Axelor? Take caution in what you say. There is somewhere I need to be, right now, so my patience wears thin."

Coughing uncontrollably, King Safiros spit out a portion of his own tongue with fury in his eyes before he forcefully controlled his anger and said, "The King of Lanthanor directly or indirectly controls 4 of the 6 forces in the Central Continent. He has already allied with one of them. Why aren't you doing anything to stop him?"

Yawning, the man said, "Because we are keeping a close eye on his Mages. They are crippled. And we know of your plan to target Lanthanor as soon as it's weak. Even though we explicitly stated that methods of great bloodshed should be avoided."

This made the King narrow his eyebrows and take a moment before replying.

Yet, cutting him off, the bearded man said, "We have an eye over all 6 forces. At the first sign of a unified alliance forming, we will interfere. Right now, that alliance is still only as powerful as you and Arafell. As for the other links: those are fine unless the King of Lanthanor brazenly uses them in some way. Now, then. I hope you've learned your lesson that you shouldn't call upon us unless you have something important to discuss. Next time, it won't just be your tongue that gets…cut off."

Saying so, the bearded man left in the same manner that he had arrived.

Silence greeted the Throne Room, while the Minister waited for another angry outburst from the King.

Only, surprisingly, the King burst out laughing with that blood still staining his teeth.

"Fool. Couldn't even detect the Hero-level formation around my Kingdom. Just you wait. The moment I assemble the Grand Inheritance, it's your head I'll be coming for, first. Well, at least, now I know that these guys are all clueless about the real deal that will dictate the fate of this continent."

"My King, what do you mean?", asked the Minister, thoroughly puzzled.

"My dear Minister, you know that we only recently put up the Hero-level formations after breaking the second seal using a few…unique methods. I wanted to know if he can sense it. If he could, I would have disabled it. And it was best if he had no reason to suspect the reason behind my anger and me calling him. He glanced at the display trinket, and inferred what I must have been watching. And…he didn't detect the parts of the Grand Inheritance that are waiting to be snatched up, either. After all, it is best to know whether there are any additional contenders I can worry about in the Race. Now, if only that b*tch in Arafell took the bait…"

As the Minister saw the King sink into deep thought, he remained silent, with his arms folded behind his back.

He had to admit that the King had surprised him: until now, he had only been thinking that the man was mad. Yet, it now looked like there was a method to his madness.

Still, when he heard what the King said next, he couldn't help but rub his ears, wondering whether he was the one that had gone crazy.

"Minister, when were the last War Games in Angaria conducted, and why?"

The Minister had to spend a few moments to recall the history of the continent, after which he replied, "Around 375 years ago, My King, when the Kingdoms were on better terms. At that time, a very valuable Ether Mine had been discovered at a spot that wasn't under the authority of any of the Kingdoms. As all 6 forces were in a state of equilibrium at that point, a major war was brewing, and it was suggested by the late King of Axelor that War Games, where tactics and skills of armies would be tested on a massive field with differing scenarios, should be conducted to come to a decision regarding the matter. As this was a method without bloodshed, the War Games were conducted, with Axelor achieving victory due to the superior discipline of our soldiers. This was a private event, with no spectators. Only, the Big 4 later lay claim to the Ether mine, as there was a Ker Gem Mine hidden underneath it. We won glory, but we did not win what we wanted. In fact, the other Kingdoms even gloated on seeing our plight, as we had no option but to let the Big 4 take away our 'winnings'."

As the Minister rattled off this significant moment in history, the King took a moment and said, "We do know that runt likes to put on a show. Propose an event like that, with the reason being that we should sharpen our forces before the invasion so that we can identify any weaknesses."

"B-but why, My King?"

This question made the King stand up and spit out a mouthful of blood, before saying, "To cause a distraction- the biggest distraction possible, while I go to the Core of his Palace to get the part of the Grand Inheritance that is stored there. And if it isn't present…I'll have found out that he, too, is in the race. Send the message, and send a healer."

Giving this order, the King walked away to his chambers.

Finding himself alone in the Throne Room, the Minister looked at the Throne, wondering how this glorious Kingdom of his had reached this state.

Sighing, he left to send the official message.

…

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Daneel was in a room along with Eloise and various officials that she had called together.

The plans for the train were laid out on the large table in the middle, while a discussion was raging on regarding what the best method of implementation was.

He recalled the rest of his conversation with Faxul, where his friend had agreed and had subsequently been given the spell to delve into the memories of the Ancient Black Raven.

Daneel knew that it was a risky endeavor, but he had no choice but to ask it of Faxul. Axelor was sealed off just a bit too tightly. Now, with the Hero-level formations, not even a fly could enter that Kingdom without the knowledge of the King.

That was when he received an urgent message from Kellor, who relayed the communication that had just been received by Axelor.

Daneel had to ask Kellor to resend it twice, as he couldn't believe his ears.

War Games? Seriously?

He had already known of this significant event in history, as he had researched about all previous events when setting up the Olympics. Yet, he hadn't tried something like that, as no Kingdom would arbitrarily agree to expose their army tactics in that way if there was nothing to be gained except honor.

Yet, now, the King of Axelor was proposing one, by himself?

Was he crazy?

Oh, yes. How could he have known that Daneel had just come under the possession of various army tactics from the Empire, itself?

At the same moment, Daneel also started to think whether he could use this opportunity to accomplish something else.

As his eyes took on a dangerous light, he called for an emergency meeting of all army-related top personnel in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Chapter 534: A Meeting

"Completely preposterous, Your Majesty. Even if the case stands, as you say, that the Continent is under risk of being vanquished by a bloodthirsty force that wants nothing but to kill us all, Axelor would never do something like this. I would find it more believable if Axelor joined that Church, and wants to find the weaknesses of all the armies of the other forces on Angaria so that they can be sold to the Church."

"I concur, Your Majesty!"

"Yes, that fits with their mentality! Your Majesty, we can't trust them! Especially not when we're weak, like this!"

"Yes, My Lord!"

In one of the large meeting rooms in the Palace of Lanthanor, a large, circular table had been laid in the middle around which around 50 individuals were seated.

These were the major lieutenants and captains who served under his commanders to manage the army.

If the War Games did happen, these would be the people who would be playing a major role, too. Hence, Daneel had decided to call them all, too, to the meeting.

There was also another reason. Apparently, most of these captains and lieutenants came from military families, and some were even supposed to have ancestors who had taken part in the first War Games conducted almost 400 years ago.

Such events were significant, so, information about it had been passed down from son to son as family lore.

And now, it was here for Daneel to see.

As the King, who was sitting at the prominent spot of the table on a Throne, frowned when he heard this, Robert, who was sitting next to him, said, "We are considering that viewpoint, too. But the King called you here so that you can tell us what your ancestors said about the War Games. Did they have anything specific to say about Axelor?"

This made the army personnel pause and whisper among themselves.

To their credit, they were actually handling the situation quite well.

The news about the Church's invasion was supposed to be privileged information, so as not to cause mass panic. So, it had come as a shock to most of these people that there might be nothing left of their homeland in a few short years.

Still, they had taken it in stride and begun to give their views on Axelor's proposal.

Or…it might just be the long-standing hatred they had for that Kingdom which might have helped them in the process.

Regardless, Daneel leaned forward to see whether there was anything useful to be learned.

Seeing Daneel's interest, Robert said, "Most of your ancestors must have been war buddies, so points should match between their stories. Take a moment to discuss, before putting forward a consolidated version."

As everyone else nodded, Daneel flicked his fingers and made an invisible barrier appear around him and the rest of the Sovereigns who were present in the meeting.

He had a little time, anyway, so he had decided to talk to them a bit.

Everyone except Faxul and Luther was present here, as they obviously couldn't leave behind their forces and appear here, in Lanthanor, whenever they were needed.

"What do you all think?", he asked, wanting to know their views on the issue.

Robert spoke up first.

"Definitely suspicious. In no way can I imagine Axelor looking out for the good of the continent. Do you know, for sure, that they haven't allied with the Church?"

Daneel was going to nod, but he stopped himself. Could he know, for sure?

He was mostly certain, but it was best not to be overconfident.

"I don't think so, but I can't be completely certain. Still, for argument's sake, assume that they haven't done so."

"Then there must be some other ulterior motive!"

This was from Cassandra, who had just banged her hand on the table.

As Daneel glanced at her, he saw that something was wrong.

Her breathing was labored, while her beautiful countenance was flushed red. Her red hair almost looked like it was a bunch of angry, crackling flames, giving her the image of some vengeful goddess who had come upon the land to take revenge.

"Cass…"

As Aran laid a hand on her shoulder, Cassandra whipped her head in his direction, which made him back into his seat hurriedly, as if he was afraid that she would do something.

"Autumn leaves. Autumn leaves over a balcony filled with broken, wooden planks."

These random words seemed to hold some kind of special meaning for her, as Cassandra, the Mage who was known for her fiery temper visibly calmed herself down for a moment and said, "Apologies, My King. May I be excused for a moment?"

"Of course."

Daneel replied instantly, following which Cassandra stood up and left the meeting room.

He found it odd. What could the reason be behind her outburst and loss of control?

The most plausible answer was that she had some vendetta against Axelor, but he had seen her be calm multiple times when handling that Kingdom. Even during the Olympics, she had kept her cool.

As he looked at Aran questioningly, the man dressed in casual clothes replied, "It…is the anniversary of the death of her family, My King. She always gets a bit touchy about the subject of Axelor during this time. Please pardon her."

Raising an eyebrow, Daneel asked, "Why?"

This made Aran scratch his nose, as if he didn't want to answer.

Hmm? What information could there be that he was showing such hesitation?

Finally, Aran looked at Robert, and as Daneel turned toward his father, he noticed that the man was glaring at him.

Huh?

Making another isolation barrier appear around the two of them, he asked, "What's the matter, father?"

In a neutral tone, Robert said, "Son, that is her story. I heard that she had to spend 5 years with Aran and Luther before she was able to open up to them. How would she feel if her trusted friend lay her secrets bare because you asked? You learned tact, son. Just because you're a King, it doesn't mean that you should forget that. If you want to find the answer, ask her yourself."

As Daneel heard this, he couldn't help but flush with embarrassment.

Right.

It was just that he had gotten used to finding out anything and everything he wanted from anyone with a thought. So, Daneel had asked without thinking whether he was breaching someone's privacy.

Thankfully, Cassandra entered the room again at the same moment, which gave Daneel an excuse to not reply to his father.

Musing that a scolding from a parent was something that even a Hero might not be able to escape from, Daneel decided to ask Cassandra later about the topic.

Yet, surprisingly, she spoke up before Daneel could say anything.

Standing in front of her seat, she put her hands behind her back and said, "I know the question in all of your minds. A commander whose mind is supposed to be the calmest on the battlefield has lost composure on just the mention of an enemy. Before any of you get any doubts about my capability, I want to give the reason."

Hearing this, Daneel decided that he had to step in.

Although he hadn't spent too much time with these commanders since he became King because some or the other matter always kept bothering him, he was always grateful for the steadfast support that they had always given him. When he needed them, they had always been there to deliver everything he asked.

Actually, now, he regretted not getting to know them closer.

These were the people he worked with closely, all the time! He had even made them Sovereigns!

Yet, all he knew about them was that Aran liked wearing casual clothes and lounging on sofas, and that Cassandra had beautiful locks of red hair that somehow always looked perfect and that she was supposed to have a temper.

Even with Kellor, the man who had followed him first, all he knew was that he had been a woodcutter, and that he was now someone who was enthusiastic about magic and justice.

That was just…pathetic!

Daneel cursed at himself in his mind, before resolving firmly to change that.

But first, he decided to address the heartthrob Mage of the army.

"Cassandra, no one doubts your capability. You can sit down, you don't need to give any explanation. I trust you. I do not want you to speak of something so personal just because you feel that it is necessary for us to not view you in some way. Sit down."

As Daneel said the last two words, the others also pitched in and chimed that it wasn't necessary.

This made a small smile break onto Cassandra's face.

She had already controlled herself completely using just that moment outside, yet her mood had still seemed pretty bad, especially when she had uttered that statement.

Now, her posture, too, which had been rigid, loosened up, while the last traces of the anger in her vanished.

As if she wasn't in a state to say anything in response, she simply nodded and sat down.

Daneel could tell that he had done the right thing. The main sign of that was when he had said the words 'I trust you'.

Now, he had become quite adept at using the Basilisk's Breath at a moment's notice. So, he had activated the inheritance to see her micro-expressions, which was when he had noticed that her eyes had widened when she heard those words.

Numerous emotions had shone in her eyes at that moment, including gratitude, relief, and joy. Also, after this, the changes in her posture had signaled that something inside her had changed.

All in all, this moment had been important, but Daneel decided that he would find out how later on, when he found a moment to talk to her alone.

Yet, for now, it was time to get back to the meeting.

…

An hour later, Daneel walked out of the room and headed to an underground chamber while the rest dispersed.

After the incident, Cassandra had remained silent, while Daneel spoke to everyone else to find out if they had any grievances. Their forays into the information given by Daneel were going well, and Eloise was even almost ready to finalize the first plan for the train.

As for the army personnel, they had only been able to come up with information that was already written down in the records. Apparently, any personal embellishments or remarks had washed out of the story over the years.

Still, Daneel did find one thing: Axelor was prone to tricks and doing things under the table, which was something he already knew, especially after what had happened during the Olympics.

Regarding these War Games, he was still on the fence. On one side, it would give a huge boost to the Network, as it would be an exclusive show that would entice the whole continent to buy the trinkets and get hooked to them.

On the other, something just felt…off.

Sighing, Daneel decided to give it at least a little time, as he had no intention of rushing into a decision.

Right now, he had a meeting with his friend to get to.

Reaching the chamber, Daneel closed the door behind him to find his best friend, Faxul, carefully browsing through the multiple floating beacons in the air, each of which was a Champion Path that he was in possession of.

"What do you think? Any inspiration? Any plan in mind?"

Faxul was currently mulling over a Champion Path which was labeled 'Flight'.

The details read:

"'Flight' Champion Path: Those who wish to tread this path must connect with their inner passion to soar in the air, with a speed and grace that leave those watching in a state of awe.

Possible Special Abilities: -Domain of Increased Flight Speed for self/decreased flight speed for enemies.

-Increase offense/defense while in the air."

"Why are all of these so…simple?"

As Faxul asked this, Daneel chuckled.

"That's because they are the most common Champion Paths. Like I told you, Drakos says that one can obtain inspiration from them for acquired paths."

Shaking his head, Faxul stepped back.

"I'll think on it more. So, why did you want me to wait here, without the others knowing?"

As Faxul asked this, Daneel answered in a casual tone.

"Oh, nothing. I just need you to dress up as an assassin and try to kill our Commanders."

This made Faxul spit out the mouthful of wine he had just drunk.

Sputtering, he asked, "W-what?!"

Laughing, Daneel slapped his friend on his back and said, "Well, regardless of if the War Games are conducted or not, Lanthanor can use a few more Warriors. We have a couple of Peak Exalted Human Commanders who are just wasting their time at their current level. Nothing like a death threat to give them the last 'push' needed…"

At that moment, Faxul decided that he would never ask Daneel's help to achieve a breakthrough.

Ever.

.....

Chapter 535: Road Through Hell

"Young King, the method with the highest success rate lies before you."

Although Daneel heard this in his mind from Drakos, he couldn't help but stare at the holographic diagram made from light elementary particles in front of him with both of his eyebrows raised up as far as they could go.

"Daneel… Are you sure about this?"

As he heard Faxul say this next to him, Daneel couldn't help but shrug.

It had all been fun and games when he announced his grand idea to Faxul, but after asking Drakos about the best methods that were used during the time of the Empire to help a Human break through to become Warrior, the plan that the Ancient Dragon put forward was what had made both of their jaws drop.

In fact, it reminded Daneel of a very popular movie series back on earth, which released horrible sequel after horrible sequel with recycled plots even though the first few movies were the best.

In front of them was a deathtrap filled maze which would push an Exalted Human to their limits and beyond, step by step, methodically until they either broke through to become a Warrior to get out of it, or died trying.

This was what it looked like on first glance, but on closely observing a few of the deathtraps and seeing the descriptions floating on top of them, Daneel noticed that there were always safety measures installed which would stop the imminent death of the Exalted Human taking part in this activity right before it was too late.

Still, it really did look like the basement of a deranged murderer who had decided to put his victims through a very specifically designed journey of torture.

"Designed by the legendary Hero known as 'Torture King' who was defeated by the Emperor and brought under his command in the 176th year after the establishment of the Empire of Angaria, this is the method that has the best success rate in terms of turning an Exalted Human into a Warrior. However, it only works if the person going in is aware of the fact that there are going to face certain death. In fact, at that time, when this method was first designed, there were no safety traps installed."

Hearing this, Daneel couldn't help but feel a shudder go through him. Even with the safety measures, this looked like an extremely dangerous endeavor for anyone.

"Out of 10 Exalted Humans who entered, at least two would always die, two would be inflicted with injuries that caused them to take rest for months, two would escape with a scare that would traumatize them their entire lives and four would break through to become Warriors."

Wait… Every 4 out of10 Exalted Humans who entered this became Warriors?

That was shocking!

Even though the other statistics were chilling, this one overrode them all in terms of how impressive it was.

However, at what cost was this rate of success achieved?

"The Emperor later intervened, stating that there were easier methods which would allow a Warrior to be born, albeit at a slower pace, but without any of the danger in this method. So, secretly, safety measures were implemented which significantly decreased the death rate, but also the success rate. Of course, the latter was also because all the Exalted Humans going in knew exactly how much danger they would be facing. As you must already know, Young King, becoming a Warrior is all about 'need'. Some who could afford it even used to employ the services of Peak Champions or even Heroes who would change their memories to make them forget everything they knew about this method before entering. This method was used before this, too, to begin fights where one would think that they were going to die, but the method of the 'Torture King' was proven to have a higher success rate because of how it was designed. At that time, other than these two, the only methods available to others who wanted to break through quickly were exceedingly dangerous ones such as entering dueling rings with beasts or opponents above their level, or taking part in one dangerous situation after the rest where there was no chance of life. Young king, I should say that this method suits your commanders is the best, as they know nothing about the history of this so-called "Road through Hell"."

Road through Hell.

Right. That name definitely suited this method well.

At this moment, Daneel remembered an illustration of the historical description of hell by Dante, which had multiple levels that tortured a person in different ways. In a certain way, this was similar, so the name felt very fitting.

Also, Daneel had blushed slightly when he heard mention of that method of editing one's memories to elicit a breakthrough, which was exactly what he had done using the system. It did make sense that he wasn't the only one who had come up with this method, but it was still surprising to hear it from Drakos.

As for Drakos's point about how this was best for his commanders, Daneel did agree. They knew nothing about the history of this method or any relevant details, so they would think that they really had been kidnapped by some sadistic individual who wanted to see them suffer before dying.

Yet, every time he laid his eyes on what was in front of him, he couldn't help but flinch.

Borrowing the significance of the number nine in the continent of Angaria, the Road through Hell also had nine stages, with the first being a duel with an Exalted Human.

The whole idea was that each method would try to bring forward the 'need' of the challenger in different ways.

The first was the most simple, and it was also one of the most direct methods employed typically in attempts to make one breakthrough.

Only, here, according to Drakos, the one attacking was typically a prisoner who would be promised a period of freedom or some other thing that he wanted if he managed to kill his opponent.

At each stage, the only way to win would be to push one's own power to the limits.

'Need' was something that might become clear in different ways. So, at each stage, a different aspect of one's power was tested, to give as many opportunities as possible for this 'need' to come forward.

After the first stage, the Road through Hell differed for Fighters and Mages. Fighters would be put through stage after stage where their endurance, agility, explosive power and speed of reaction would be tested using dangerous scenarios such as escaping the pursuit of multiple assailants at their own level who would definitely kill them if they caught up, punching a certain wall to break through to the next stage while the room they were in was closing in on them to crush them into paste, escaping a hail of deadly arrows from different directions while searching for an exit, et cetera et cetera.

In particular, that second scenario had reminded Daneel of that movie series once again.

As for Mages, their aspects such as complexity, speed of spell casting and endurance were tested by placing them in scenarios where they would have to solve complex elementary particle puzzles while being threatened that they would be dropped into a vat of lava if they weren't fast enough, or one where a Mage would have to tread through a billowing blizzard without becoming frozen while repeatedly casting a fire spell that would make them pull out everything they had in the process.

Each and every stage could be passed easily by a Warrior, so, the moment one broke through, they could easily escape.

As for the safety measures, they were designed to alert the onlooking staff about imminent death at which point someone would step in and remove the challenger from the stage.

This was the trend in the seven stages after the first, but the last one was different.

Apparently, if all these methods failed and if the challenger was still alive, they would be placed in a bewildering formation where their deepest fears would be dug out and placed in front of them.

On the surface, it might look like this was also a very efficient method, and one that should be placed in the beginning.

However, according to Drakos, this bewildering formation often resulted in people having mental breakdowns who would need to take months of counseling and treatment to recover from.

All in all, this… was something that one wouldn't wish upon their worst enemy.

Seeing Daneel's hesitation, Drakos spoke up.

"Young King, it is definitely a fact that a breakthrough can be achieved through rigorous training and other, safer methods. However, let me tell you about another metric that was discovered and only known to the top echelons of the Army. Only those who managed to find their true 'need' in the process of taking this first major step in their journey on the Path to Power, often ended up being the ones who were able to reach dazzling heights where they were admired by everyone. This kind of opportunity to find out one's own motivation comes rarely in life. The Emperor admired this method, but, at the same time, despised it due to the extreme danger and death rate. Yet, he still let it stay, because he knew how valuable it was. I encourage you to keep it secret, because if those who have no regard for their soldier's lives get their hands on it, they will definitely put every Exalted Human they have through it."

As Daneel heard this, he took his decision.

This whole thing has started because in that meeting just before, he had also asked them about the levels that they had reached in their training.

Except for Eloise, all of the rest of the Sovereigns who hadn't already done so had reached the Exalted Human level and had all been trying to break through to become Warriors for a month.

The frustration was apparent on their faces, but they had been hiding it.

The truth was that these were all individuals who had been in the Exalted Human level for quite a long time, but after Daneel had set up those energy faucets in their room, like in his parents' room, which were directly connected to the horde of Ker Gems in the Treasury, they had been able to boost themselves forward and reach the peak in one go. After all, training with a Key Gem was just incomparable to training with Ether Blocks, which was what they had been doing till now.

He decided to keep the safety measures, and step in as soon as someone was about to die. If they failed, he could decide what to do next.

Also, he decided to remove the last stage.

"Faxul, let's do it. You're in charge of being the sadistic mastermind who has some grudge against Lanthanor. Think of some story. Maybe you're someone who was unintentionally harmed by Lanthanor, and you've been biding your time while training yourself. Now that you're strong enough, you abducted all the Commanders. You'll be bringing them here, and you'll be dueling them in the first stage. I'll keep a close watch. Got it?"

Faxul had to take a few moments to respond, but when he did, he sighed and said, "Well, why should these guys have all the fun. I'll bring over some of my commanders from the Black Raven Kingdom, too."

This made Daneel chuckle. He knew how much Faxul disliked them because of how much they liked to oppose him, so, he agreed, as it would do good to the Black Raven Kingdom. Afterward, he could just erase their memories using Mind Control.

With the plan decided, Daneel and Faxul were just about to head off, but that was when Daneel received an urgent message from Kellor.

"My King! We've just received news that Arafell has agreed to the War Games! There is already talk brewing that those who don't agree to participate are cowards!"

This made Daneel take a double-take. What the hell was that b*tch thinking?

At the same moment, Daneel received another message.

This one was to the exclusive trinket he had which connected him to the Queen of Arafell.

"Erm…King Daneel, Priscilla, here. Lady Arafell wants to speak with you."

Chapter 536: Decision

Daneel had received the message because he had asked the system to remotely monitor all important communication trinkets, whose physical copies were placed in his chambers. So, he decided to go there to reply.

"Faxul, find a discrete location, underground, somewhere. It doesn't matter if it's in your Kingdom or mine. Finalize it, and begin construction. Make sure none of the others find out. Maybe steal away workers and pay them handsomely. I have a way to change their memories, so don't worry about that."

Nodding resolutely, Faxul waited for Daneel to lift the anti-teleportation barrier around him, which let him teleport away discreetly, removing the chance that someone could have seen him on his way out.

Next, Daneel reached his chambers before heading to the table in the corner of the room. On it, there were two trinkets flashing: the first was Axelor's, which was still waiting for his reply on the matter of the War Games. The second…was from Arafell.

Touching it, Daneel spoke in a neutral voice.

"What do you want?"

"King Daneel! I…"

At first, it was the innocent voice which had sent the message that spoke. She seemed hurt because he had been rude on purpose, but that voice cut away after a moment when the Queen, apparently, took over.

"No pleasantries, eh? After your little show, this girl likes you even more, just like the thousands all over the continent. You're the heartthrob of Angaria, you know."

"Get to the point, or I'm ending this conversation."

"There's no need to get so-"

"The last time I saw you, you were about to chase me down and kill me and my soldiers."

Daneel was honestly sickened by this two-faced Queen who was talking casually for some reason, right now. All he wanted to do was find out her reason behind accepting that suspicious offer to start an event like the War Games, but he hadn't wanted to ask about it, by himself.

The Queen let out a short laugh as she heard this, which sounded like the melody of tinkling bells from a place of worship.

Of course, this only made Daneel remember that instance where he had been forced to kneel to her more.

"Oh, that? It was just a fit of anger! I wouldn't have killed any of you! I might merely have…tried to persuade you, before letting you go! After all, how would it look if the esteemed Queen of Arafell had guests over and took undue advantage of their presence in her Palace? So, what have you been up to?"

'Oh, nothing. Just building a torture maze for my most trusted commanders. Why don't you take a sponsored, express tour inside? I promise, you'll love it so much that you'll want to stay back! I would insist that you do.'

Daneel felt like saying this, but he held his tongue. That feeling of being chased really had irked him to no end. Hell, right now, he wondered whether he should be considering that this move from the Queen, to accept the War Games, was some sort of sign that she had allied with Axelor.

Yet, with her ego, he knew that that was impossible.

Gritting his teeth, Daneel said, "None of your business. Now, get to the point or I hang up in the next second."

"All right, fine! I need your help. I have no idea why that dumb monkey from Axelor proposed those War Games, but I think it is a perfect opportunity to sneak into his Kingdom and steal the parts of the Grand Inheritance that he has. Or, if he carries them with him, to ambush him and take them from him. That is why I agreed to his proposal."

Daneel took two seconds to answer.

"Yeah…No thanks. You're on your own. Good luck with that."

Saying so, Daneel cut the connection and…waited.

With a smirk, he could just imagine the outrage that must be on display in Arafell right now.

He could remember exactly how much anyone hated to be hung up on, and, this was something that was supposed to especially infuriate women, at least, if he chose to believe TV shows.

That was exactly his objective.

Sure enough, a scorch mark had just been added to the Royal Throne Room in the Kingdom of Arafell.

"THAT LITTLE USELESS ARSE CUT THE CONNECTION ON ME?! WHEN I CALLED HIM TO GIVE HIM A CHANCE?!"

Even though Priscilla was frantically trying to calm the Queen down, her efforts were bearing no fruits.

"I REEVALUATED HIM! BUT HE STILL…"

"Queen Arafell, he really must be under the wrong impression that you wanted to kill him before. It is difficult to look past something like that."

As Priscilla repeatedly said stuff like this, the Queen finally calmed down and placed the call again.

Seeing the trinket flash, Daneel tapped his foot and let it ring for 2 seconds, then 5, then 10.

Finally, after 15 seconds, he answered.

"Didn't I give you my answer? What else do you want?"

"YOU-"

"Queen!"

"ARGH! Alright! Priscilla says I should be clear-headed, and the girl is right. Look. I need your help. Both of us are in possession of everything in our Empire Spirit Pedestals hidden behind the second seal. Even though I am powerful, I'm not confident in taking down the crazy guy who's sealed in Axelor. We need to fight together. I'll even promise you two things: half the spoils, and an oath. We can split the rewards, first: One piece of the Grand Inheritance, each. After that, I'll make you an oath that I would give away the parts that I have if you assemble the rest, while you swear the same thing. This is the best compromise I can reach, keeping the continent's safety in mind."

Daneel couldn't help but scoff as he heard this.

If he couldn't tell that she was full of sh*t, then he might as well step down from his post right now.

Yet, something was definitely intriguing.

The objective of both of these two was the Grand Inheritance. Their every action was probably geared toward fulfilling their goal of gathering all the parts, and gaining the power to become someone who could rule the continent.

If so….could Axelor's intention behind sending the invitation also be related to that?

That would definitely make sense.

Daneel's line of thought was interrupted by the Queen.

"King Daneel, I am willing to take this step down because I have seen that maybe, I really did underestimate you. Make your decision wisely."

Huh?

At this moment, Daneel considered it seriously.

He hadn't been taking the Queen seriously, at all, as he couldn't even think, for a moment, about teaming up with her.

Putting aside the fact that she was a nutcase, there was no way that he would ever trust her with his back.

Still, he hated Axelor more, for everything they had done so far.

His main consideration, right now, was whether to even scheme in this matter or try to obtain the most while those two duked it out.

Yet, for some reason, he found the former idea very unappealing.

There were multiple reasons, from how no one knew yet that he was even in the Race, to how there was a major risk of the Big 4 finding out.

To keep the first thing an uncertainty, Daneel had even declined the offer from Drakos to set up formations around Lanthanor just like the ones around Axelor and Arafell. After all, if they tried to come to his Kingdom just like he had done, they would be able to infer the same conclusion like him. Instead, Daneel had asked for different types of countermeasures and deployed them even though they weren't as effective, over all.

Besides, even if the assumption was made that they won and stole the parts of the Grand Inheritance, would Axelor just sit around and accept that?

No! It might do something truly stupid like tattling to the Big 4 about how its entire research into the Empire Spirits was wrong.

Or, maybe they might even go over to the Church.

That wasn't to say that Daneel advocated that Axelor should be allowed to keep those parts, just because of reasons like these.

No, there were just too many variables in this plan, and that showed Daneel that it was too risky.

He knew that, sometimes, it was better to let an opportunity go even though it might look like another like it might never come along.

In the matter of the Queen, Daneel just wasn't ready to let his suspicions go.

His opinion still remained that the strategy that they were using, itself, was wrong.

Daneel had understood something very important after opening the second seal. The Emperor had made a clear plan from top to bottom. If he had a reason behind hiding certain information behind certain seals while laying the groundwork for the eventuality that the one who was capable of breaking the third seal should be the one to control the Grand Inheritance, then Daneel suspected that there might even be some tie between these seals and the Grand Inheritance, itself.

After all, no one knew what it was or what it was supposed to do.

So, Daneel's plan regarding this had formed unconsciously just a few days ago.

He would endeavor to follow the Emperor's way that had been laid down, instead of looking for extreme loopholes.

After all, loopholes like using more people to skew the average were fine in Daneel's view, mainly because he could guess that it might be impossible to even reach the level needed if there was only one Kingdom in the mix.

Regardless, Daneel's answer to the Queen had already been decided.

"Nope. But good luck with that. I have stuff to do. Don't involve me in things that don't interest me."

The last sentence was, again, meant to allay the fact that he might not even have an Empire Spirit in his corner.

This time, as Daneel hung up, there was no returned call.

Thinking that the Queen might completely have gone bonkers, Daneel headed off to find Faxul and help him.

He would still keep a close eye on these War Games to see what would happen, but, for now, Daneel had decided to concentrate on his schemes and his commanders.

The 'Road through Hell' was supposed to be as discreet as possible, so openly hiring people was a no-no. At the same time, numerous missing workers in a Kingdom would raise suspicion.

So, after discussion with Faxul, Daneel decided on a mid-way plan.

They would hire workers using bogus offers, and then abduct them, so that there would be no issues.

They were fine with building the area by themselves, with magic, but understanding designs and implementing them would take professional work that they couldn't do.

The thing was that the level of these designs wasn't at a range that present-day fold could understand.

Still, by making concessions, Daneel and Faxul worked tirelessly on this project and finished it in a week.

Meanwhile, the plan for the first phase of the train had been finalized. The first train would run from the capital to the closest town, and, although the method of propulsion was still being discussed, the route had been laid out.

Daneel was torn between three designs: one that used Ether Blocks, which was too expensive. One that used mages to power spells of propulsion, which was also expensive. And one weird one that had also been found in the Emperor's journals: a self-propelling train where cycle-like seats in the carriage would allow citizens to get a good exercise in, and also get themselves to their destination.

While he was deciding on these, the 'abductions' began to get the commanders to the 'Road Through Hell'.

Yet, it seemed that this was something that would be marred with shocking happenings.

First on the 'hitlist' had been Kellor, who would be abducted from his room. Daneel had sealed off the room tightly for this purpose.

True to his from, Faxul burst in, cackling crazily while wearing billowing, red clothes.

A fight ensued, which was one-sided for the most part, with Faxul idly playing around with his opponent to make him feel desperate, on Daneel's orders. The King of Lanthanor's idea had been to start the process of bringing out 'need' from here, itself.

Only, halfway through this, Kellor…broke through, and hurled a Warrior-level Woodcutter Axe at Faxul, who had only been prepared for Exalted Human level attacks, and had been acting as one to make Kellor feel desperate.

Just as Faxul had been about to get his hand chopped off because of not being fast enough, Daneel had had to step in and reveal himself.

Yet, he did so with a very rueful expression on his face.

They had gone to all that trouble of building that damn Road, and if they were being honest, they would admit that they had been secretly looking forward to the dignified commanders going through it.

Only, the middle-aged Grand Court Mage had thrashed all of their plans.

At this moment, Daneel and Faxul felt like two teachers who had painstakingly built a teaching course filled with torture to help their 'struggling' students graduate.

Yet, the first student they had gone to…had aced the test on his first try.

Chapter 537: Kellor's Breakthrough

Kellor had been having a nice cup of tea in his room when the 'abduction' had started.

He had just been through a very grueling session of carefully reviewing all the information that he had taken from the King so that he could extract the most useful and efficient plans that they could implement in this age, and he had actually been looking forward to this brief period of rest.

However, only he could remember how surprised he had been when a man burst through the door of his room wearing black, billowing clothes with his face completely covered by a veil.

There wasn't a smidgen of doubt that this was someone who shouldn't be here. Yet, that didn't make any sense.

After the two meetings of the Council of Nine Sovereigns, it had dawned on all of them just how powerful the King of Lanthanor was. As such, he knew that the King was actively monitoring everything in the Palace as he was in control of the Core Formation.

Yet, how could someone barge into a room that was almost right beside the King's quarters?

The only possibility was that this was someone who outclassed the King so much that he was capable of this intrusion – possibly, it might even be someone who had crossed the level of Champion.

In the face of such power, could Kellor even put up a resistance?

This thought only passed through his mind, but he didn't hesitate before he immediately stood up and launched an attack.

Teleportation didn't even need to be thought about – space was locked in the Palace anyway, so it would only waste time if he cast a teleportation spell.

In his haste, Kellor had used the attack he was most familiar with – his signature Woodcutter Chop.

An axe made from wood and metal elementary particles came into existence, before chopping down on the intruder with terrifying momentum and strength.

Yet, what happened next had caused Kellor's eyes to widen in shock.

The man simply raised his finger and placed it in the path of the oncoming axe, which made it stop and then shatter into multiple pieces that dissolved away as the elementary particles had been wrenched away from the grasp of his Mageroot.

"Puny Exalted Human. You dare to try and resist against me? Today, you and all the other Commanders of the Kingdom of Lanthanor will disappear, and will never be found. Despair, for the time has come for the great Kingdom of Lanthanor to collapse inwards and perish. Ha ha!"

This speech only made Kellor pause and look at this person weirdly.

Why did it seem as if this was some sort of second-rate actor who was putting on a show in an attempt to convince the audience that he was a master villain?

There was no genuine evilness in his laugh, or passion in his words.

Instead, they seemed to have been rehearsed many, many times. Although the general effect was still there, Kellor just felt that something was… Off.

Yet, the next second, he was rudely awakened from his thoughts because of a burning feeling from his stomach.

Looking down, Kellor had seen that a large gash had appeared on his abdomen which stretched from his waist to his chest.

Clutching it, he staggered backward and took the support of the wall, following which the man dressed in billowing clothes continued.

"Come on, aren't you supposed to be the legendary Grand Court Mage of Lanthanor? Is this all that this paltry Kingdom has?"

Anger surged through Kellor as he heard this. He could bear any type of curses, but when someone disgraced the Kingdom that he had devoted his life to, he would stand up against them even if it meant certain death.

As he willed with his Mageroot, multiple woodcutter axes appeared around the man and chopped down, but Kellor watched with disbelief as they all were also shattered in barely a moment.

He was at the edge of his room, and it was then that he realized that even a barrier had been set up without his knowledge that prevented him from flying outside.

He was well and truly trapped.

There was a space of 10 steps between them, and with each step, it felt as if Kellor's end was approaching him slowly.

Also, with each step, more and more gashes kept appearing on Kellor's body, making him growl with unwillingness as he didn't want to scream and give the satisfaction to this sick man who was obviously here to enjoy his plight.

From his power level, it was obvious that taking Kellor away would be a piece of cake, but he was deliberately playing with him like a predator that was playing with its food.

No matter what, he wouldn't give this man the satisfaction.

With each gash, the pain he was feeling increased bit by bit, until he felt as if his whole body had been flayed alive and had no skin left. There were only 3 steps of distance between them, and, after that, Kellor didn't know what would happen to his life.

"Useless Lanthanorians! All bark, no bite! I was really looking forward to some sort of struggle, but it seems that I should postpone that program to a later date. Oh well, you'll have a lot of opportunities to squeal where you're going. I may not be able to face your King, but you Commanders who are just Exalted Humans are just a piece of cake. After you, I'll be making a visit to the King's father, himself. I wonder how loud the King's cries will echo across his Kingdom when he finds out that the man who gave birth to him was tortured and killed, resenting his name to the last breath, wondering why his son hadn't been able to find him and save him. That'll break the King, right?"

This line also seemed to he rehearsed, but with time, it was as if this man was getting better.

He did sound like someone who would revel in the King's anguish, and Kellor could even picture what would happen if what the man said really did come to be.

And all that… would start with him. If he, the Grand Court Mage, himself, couldn't stop someone like this, then what match would the other Commanders be?

If he didn't count Robert, who was a special case, he was the oldest and the one who had been training for the longest.

He had reached the Exalted Human Level a long time ago, and, in fact, he had even been very close to the Peak Exalted Human Level, so much so that just an hour of training with the faucet that the King had installed had resulted in him reaching the Peak in one go.

Only, he hadn't told anyone as he didn't feel that that was something very remarkable.

The main way that he could help the King was by becoming a Warrior, so, by contacting Luther and asking him about the process of becoming a Warrior because the former Commander of Lanthanor was in constant contact with multiple Warriors throughout the day, Kellor had been training all this while in an attempt to break through.

Of course, he hadn't used the danger method, but he had been training consistently to cross limits and step past.

Only, each and every attempt had been met with failure, which resulted in increasing frustration, mainly because he felt that he was letting down everyone who had placed their trust in him.

At this moment, that frustration reached a breaking point, but it also exposed him to something else that he had been hiding away in his heart.

It had been affecting him all this while, but Kellor hadn't faced it head on as it had the capability of destroying him completely.

It was guilt.

Only two steps were left between him and the man in billowing clothes, and as the latter laughed, his laughter grated on his ears, making him curse himself more and more that he was just useless.

All those years, when he had been bound by the Oath of the previous King, he had seen so many atrocities committed in front of his eyes without the ability to do anything.

If he counted through them, he would realize that there were hundreds of people whom he had the power to save but couldn't because stepping forward would mean certain death.

Instead, he would always tell himself that a time would come when someone would be able to stand up to the King, and when it did, he would have to be there to help that man.

Of course, Kellor also always secretly did things to help the people targeted by the nobility of Lanthanor, but that wasn't much compared to everything he had to allow happen.

This guilt had been consuming him every day until Daneel came along, and the reason he had burst into tears that day when he had seen Daneel expose his talent was that he had finally seen the one who could change all this.

So, finally, when he had seen King Daneel kill that vile man and take the Throne, he had been among the happiest, and that incident had allowed him to even bury all of these memories in his heart and move on with the objective to help this Kingdom as much as he could so that he could assuage that guilt at least a little bit.

Yet, now, he was going to be taken away and killed, meaning that he would have no more opportunities to do that.

Was he always destined to being an onlooker while the most important things were done by people other than him?

No! He wouldn't stand and let that happen any longer!

He had to live. He had to live for the King. He had to live for the people whom he had let down for decades. He had to live, because if he died, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Instantly, with these thoughts, Kellor felt something crack inside his body which made his Mageroot feel as if it was on fire.

He was a pure Mage, so, the metamorphosis was in his Mageroot which responded to the dire need of his mind to grow stronger.

The moment it reached a higher level, a brilliant woodcutter's axe with a shining edge that was more powerful than any that had come into being so far flew in the direction of the neck of the man whose head was still thrown back into the air, as he was still busy laughing maniacally to show the sadistic pleasure he was taking in this activity.

Yes! He had succeeded in taking him by surprise!

Kellor was as surprised as the man in front of him that something like this has happened, but when he saw the axe get closer and closer to the neck of this man, he rejoiced inwardly.

Only, at the last moment, someone very familiar appeared in the room and caught the axe by the handle before hurling it away.

Boom!

As the axe collided with the wall and made a huge hole, Kellor stared with shock at the King of Lanthanor who had a strange expression on his face.

At the same moment, the veil on the man also dropped, revealing Faxul, who had a similar expression.

Wait – what the hell was going on here?

Without jumping to conclusions, Kellor decided to ask, following which, the King said, "It's a long story. Basically, what just happened was the goal, but we had a much larger, elaborate plan for it. Oh, and, by the way, if you don't mind me asking, what was the need you felt that allowed you to break through?"

Kellor was still in shock, but the word breakthrough finally made him understand what had happened.

He had actually become a Warrior!

With that, the Kings and Faxul's actions slowly became clear, as Luther had told him about this method of putting someone in a dangerous situation to push them forward.

He had no intention of hiding anything from the King, and at this moment, it also felt as if he had received a little bit of closure for his feelings, which let him answer without hesitation.

"Guilt, my King. Guilt because I could only stand by for decades while the nobility and the King massacred innocent citizens under my watch. My eyes had to witness my own disciple's wife being killed. I…was useless. Now…that is no longer the case."

As Daneel saw the eyes of his Grand Court Mage shine, he couldn't help but smile.

Finally, the Kingdom of Lanthanor had obtained another Warrior!

Chapter 538: A Meeting in Eldinor

A few minutes later, Kellor was gazing at the spot where he would be if he hadn't happened to break through just now.

"Y-You were going to put me through that?!"

Turning around to see the sheepish expressions on Daneel and Faxul, the Grand Court Mage held his chin with his hands and shook his head, unable to believe it.

"It's… The most effective method…", Daneel tried to say, but he stopped in the middle as it sounded like a reason that in no way justified throwing his most trusted friends and advisers into this…thing.

Thankfully, when Kellor replied, Daneel let out a sigh of relief.

"I can see why that is the case. This would definitely be very… Effective in pulling out the need that you mentioned."

Kellor was thinking in terms of what he had experienced before, when that feeling had burst through his mind with clarity that had resulted in him stepping forward and becoming a Warrior.

It was something that was supposed to come out of the very core of one's heart, and it would make sense if this required extreme external stimuli like the ones in front of him.

As he continued to observe each stage, he heard the King speak up next to him.

"Drakos says that it is also about your age. The older one is, the easier it is for the need to come through because of maturity and clarity that is obtained by living longer. Of course, this also means that you have less time before you miss the chance to get to the next level."

This made Kellor nod.

He had spent most of his life as a woodcutter, unaware that he even had the potential to become a Mage until his master had chanced upon him.

So, it did make sense that his case would be different from the others, who had gone through more typical processes such as having their talents discovered after they had enrolled in the army.

"So… What do we do now? Should I bring Cassandra next, as we planned?"

This was from Faxul, who was still wearing those clothes.

This made Kellor turn around and say, "I wouldn't advise that. You're not exactly… Convincing as a sadistic villain who wants to abduct all the top personnel of the Lanthanor Kingdom. You looked more like an unwilling associate who's only doing this for the money."

This made Faxul blush fiercely, while Daneel turned to glare at his friend.

Unlike Daneel, who had taken to it like fish in water, Faxul wasn't very skilled in immediately entering a role and acting when needed.

Yet, Daneel had thought that that wasn't as important as all he needed was for them to enter this maze.

Only, now, as he saw Kellor in front of him, Daneel got a different idea.

"Will you do it?"

Momentarily startled, Kellor looked at the King, who was looking at him with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Thinking back, Kellor tried to think about how Faxul could have done better, and as he imagined it, he could see himself being in that role and taking steps to pull out the need.

In fact, this also reminded him of how he had been trained by his master, when the man had still been in the Kingdom of Lanthanor. His master used to switch between two personalities: cold and emotionless when he was training, so that he could make Kellor put forward the best effort, and jovial and funny when they were casually speaking.

That kind of complete shift was needed, and as he thought about it, Kellor became more and more sure that he was capable of it.

Besides, if he did his job well, he could tell that maybe the others also would not have to go through this… Hell, which was clearly something that was best avoided if possible.

"Give me a week to prepare, My Lord. I'm confident that I can definitely do a better job. And I also feel that it would have been better if there was more of a fighting chance, which would make the other side feel desperate and want to exceed their limits."

"But that was reserved for the first stage!"

"I know, but during that first stage, the shock of something like this happening would already have faded away, to an extent. But, if this first stage is implemented during the abduction, itself, I believe that there might be a higher possibility of someone breaking through just like me. This is just a hunch, Your Majesty. I'm willing to listen to whatever you decide."

Faxul had spoken out indignantly, as, even though he didn't like the job much, he had been entrusted it.

Only, as Daneel heard Kellor's words, he sank into deep thought.

The Grand Court Mage was right. That element of shock which was present when something so implausible like this was happening was something that would be lost subsequently if they waited for an even matching to occur until the first stage.

Also, he had seen Faxul's performance. It was downright appalling.

So, walking to Faxul, he slapped his friend on his shoulder and said, "Faxul, you have to admit that acting as a villain is definitely not your cup of tea. But you have to learn to act crazy. For the other plan for you to enter Axelor, it's needed, and your life will also depend on it."

This made Faxul sigh and say, "That won't be a problem, Daneel. With the spell that Drakos gave me, I've been able to dip into the mannerisms and thoughts of that crazy Black Raven. All of it is crazier than imagined, but I don't think I'll have a problem mimicking them, as going through them is slowly giving me the ability to understand and act just like that, as if I am the Black Raven. Also… Connecting with the memory of when I saw him control my body while I was trapped inside is helping me a lot."

"Young King, this is to be expected from people who have been possessed. A bond is formed between the possessor and the possessed, and this is supposed to result in effects like these. I believe that he really will have no problem, and you also don't need to worry as it won't adversely affect him. He will be able to snap out of it, especially because the Ancient Black Raven is asleep. In the worst case, it might require a slap on his face."

This made Daneel sigh with relief as he heard it, as he would truly have been worried about these atrocious acting skills if he had to send Faxul into such a dangerous place as Axelor.

"It's decided, then. Kellor will be in charge of both abduction and Stage I, while you will be on standby to step in and save anyone if required. Kellor, you have a week. After that, start with Cassandra."

As the Grand Court Mage heard this, he nodded resolutely, thinking inwardly that he would definitely put on the best performance and try to make sure that all this hard work of the King's and Faxul's would definitely be wasted. He had no intention whatsoever of anyone entering this Road, at least, not if he could do something about it.

With this matter settled in this unexpected way, Daneel headed back to Eloise so that they could get back to the planning of the train system.

The next two days were spent in building prototypes of each type of implementation, to check and see which one would function best in the present age. Daneel took an active role in this, as he knew that this train system would definitely revolutionize Angaria and turn out to be more important than anyone could ever think.

On the third day, they were supposed to be taking the decision, but Daneel received a message from Eldinor stating that he was being requested to attend a meeting with all the major figures of the government and the Queen.

Wondering what was up, Daneel traveled to the Kingdom of the Elves where he was escorted to the Throne Room which had changed a lot since his last visit.

The pedestal on which the throne used to be there had been removed, and the entire room was filled by a large, wooden table. There was still place for those who could be in the throne room but didn't have the authority to sit, but this had been moved to the furthest edges of the room, which was currently empty.

There were three prominent chairs, with one at the head and two beside it, and, on one of those, the Queen was sitting while the other was occupied by Eldra who was smiling at Daneel as she saw him enter.

Daneel was led to the head of the table, where he sat down in his rightful place as the leader of the alliance.

He had to say that he quite liked this, as it wouldn't make sense for a Throne to be placed on which he would sit, as this was an alliance as opposed to an Empire.

The meeting was begun by the Queen.

"King Daneel, I'm happy to say that I've called you here to give you good news. The incident during which we were all saved by you and your army has resulted in many more changes than any of us thought. If you remember, there was a certain force that fought alongside your Mages which was comprised of elves who had let go of their egos and trained together to achieve the coordination required to mount an assault against that blood formation."

Daneel nodded with a puzzled expression on his face, wondering why she was bringing it up.

"After seeing the effect of that kind of unity, there are many, many more Mages in the Army who are willing to enter units like these, and train according to the strict norms that are required for coordination to be achieved. I can say with surety that if you wish, the Mage formations that Lanthanor is famous for will definitely be put to great use by them. Also, this brings me to the agenda of this discussion. We need to finalize the plan of integrating the armies of Lanthanor and Eldinor. Historically, we, the elves, have suffered from a severe lack of Fighters, which stopped us from growing to become the most powerful force in the Central Continent. Now, with the robust forces of Lanthanor, I'm confident that we can make an army which would be able to crush anything that is thrown at it. Lastly, we need to address the final plans regarding the unification of the two kingdoms which will see increased trade, camaraderie and cooperation between our two peoples."

As he heard this, Daneel really felt like bashing himself on the head with a hammer.

How the hell could he have not prioritized this more?!

Back when Faxul had taken over the Black Raven Kingdom, this had been the only thing on his mind! Yet, now, because he had the new Network and other matters to attend to, he had almost forgotten about this.

Lanthanor and Eldinor were now one!

Which meant that…it was time for these two Kingdoms to fully integrate and become a gigantic force that would leverage the strengths of each to cover the others' weaknesses!

And, for this, Daneel didn't even need to think much. Plans after plans flowed through his mind at a light-speed.

After taking a second and letting out a deep breath, some of the elves who were looking at him had to wince and move back as they couldn't handle the brightness in his eyes, which shone like two lasers, when he spoke.

"Listen, this is what we are going to do…"

One plan after another was laid out, which made the eyebrows of each and every elf present rise higher and higher.

Finally, after he has done, it was the new Queen who spoke up.

"Wow…you've really put a lot of thought into this," she said, which made Daneel grit his teeth as he shouted something in response in his mind.

'Of course, I did! I've been looking forward to this for so f*cking long! It's time to show the world what an Alliance with Lanthanor really means! After I'm done, they'll be drooling and wishing that they could enter in one, too!'

Chapter 539: Rapid Developmen

Alex was just a normal bandit scout who was part of a group that operated in the area between the Kingdoms of Eldinor and Lanthanor.

After the news of the alliance had broken, they had been making lots of profits as there were many more merchants who had started to go between these two kingdoms in the hopes of getting better prices than elsewhere.

So far, in two days, they had already waylaid four merchant groups, killed 89 people and stolen away goods worth 300 Ether Blocks, which was something that they used to need months to pull off, typically.

He was currently hiding under a small, common bush that was found everywhere in this arid land between the two Kingdoms. Most of his body was buried in the earth, with only his eyes exposed outside so that he could look around and spot anyone that might be coming in this direction.

This was very hard work, as he had to be still for the most part, but over the years, he had gotten used to it and he was even proud that he had spotted more merchant groups than anyone else in his bandit group.

Also, he had developed a knack which allowed him to sense the vibrations in the earth and find out the size of the group which was coming. Right now, his face was filled with excitement as he could feel tremors the size of which he had never felt before, which meant that a massive group must definitely be passing the area.

In these cases, they would usually unite with other bandit groups in the area to bring down these large merchant convoys, and even if they didn't manage to gather enough forces in the span of time before the convoy passed, they would stand in its way anywhere and demand a fee, which would usually be paid as it was much better than engaging and becoming a target to other groups that might enter the fray on seeing the fat, juicy sheep in the middle.

This was work with high-risk, but also very high rewards, and with the right leadership, there were many dream cases where a bandit group managed to earn enough to retire to some or the other Kingdom where they could set up their own mansion and live comfortably with a harem of beautiful women.

These were the daydreams that he often indulged in, and, right now, as he waited for this group's approach, he was thinking of that even more, hoping that this might be the one which would allow him and his buddies to retire, finally.

Only, a few moments later, he felt a tap on his back which made him freeze.

Er… It must just be a lizard who had seen something amiss. It would go away, right?

As he prayed in this way inwardly, the tap was felt again, which made Alex grasp the knife in his hands even harder.

He was always prepared in case his location was found out, but he could never have guessed that someone could walk up to him in this way without alerting him in the slightest.

If he had known that this someone had flown down from the air, he would definitely have understood before making an attempt to run away.

Yet, as he felt the third tap, Alex gritted his teeth and screamed before lunging out with the dagger.

In the next moment, he felt a strong fist tighter around his neck and lift him into the air, cutting off his breath completely and leaving his arms flailing in an attempt to cut his opponent.

Yet, his blade seemed to be deflected by an invisible force, which immediately made him understand who he was up against.

"M – Mage!", He sputtered, which made Daneel feel mused.

Why were all of these bandits always so surprised to see a mage sneak up on them so easily?

Oh, yes. How could typical mages have the ability to detect those around them in a radius of a kilometer instantly, like him?

Chuckling to himself, Daneel repeated what he had said to the four bandit scouts he had met so far today.

"Take me to your leader."

Initially, the scout was about to spit in his face in defiance, but, the next moment, the Mind Control kicked into effect, making him nod after which Daneel let him go and drop to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

A few minutes later, Daneel was standing inside a cave with dead bodies all around him.

Hanging by the throat in front of him was another man, but this one was stressed in luxurious clothes.

He was the head of the bandit group, who had recently massacred a merchant family transporting a convoy of expensive fabrics between Lanthanor and Eldinor.

"Give me the locations of other bandit groups."

"I don't know any!"

As Daneel heard this, he sighed before squeezing, which resulted in the man's neck breaking before he fell to the ground and twitched in pain.

All of these were animals who hadn't hesitated to kill even woman and children who had been traveling to Eldinor to search for opportunities. There was no reason to show any mercy to them, and the only reason he had bothered to talk was to see if he could find any information about other bandit groups that they might be encountering on the way.

This problem of bandits was something that he had known about for a long time, but was honestly helpless in tackling at his current level.

In fact, Lanthanor had even been attacked when it was under his command by bandits at one point as a distraction, but, even then, he had only been able to watch as they left to their secret hideouts.

Well, it was something that generations of Kingdoms in the Central Continent had been unable to snuff out despite several efforts, so he doubted that he could find a solution instantly.

Shaking his head, Daneel made his way back to the large team of Mages that was actively doing something that hadn't been seen, ever, in the known history of the Central Continent.

They were building a massive highway between the two Kingdoms of Eldinor and Lanthanor.

This highway was made by digging two feet into the earth, filling it with stone bricks, using fire to flatten the tops, and laying smooth, stone tiles, which would be made to stay in place by using the residual heat to meld the bottoms of the tiles and the base together.

Behind the team of Mages stretched a caravan of Ether-driven carriages which contained all of the stone tiles and blocks that were required in this process.

They had been able to put this together in the short span of a few hours after Daneel had made his decision known to the Council in the Kingdom of the Elves. It had always been his dream to build something like this between Lanthanor and the Black Raven Kingdom, but through fate's will, it turned out to be the case that the first trade highway would be built between these two kingdoms that had been on opposite sides of the fence for quite a long time.

Highway construction wasn't something that was very hard, especially when all the resources of two Kingdoms were being thrown at the task.

Hence, it barely took the span of two days to finish building a massive road on which ten people could stand side to side.

The important part was how it would be given protection so that bandits couldn't repeatedly assault those who were traveling on it.

According to statistics, every year, at least 10% of all trade was disrupted by these bandits.

That was simply a massive number.

Currently, the matter of protection was being handled manually by dedicated sets of guards comprised of those from both kingdoms, who regularly patrolled the lengths of this path and made sure that if anyone needed help, they would be there to save them.

Of course, this wasn't very feasible in the long run.

Thankfully, there was a plan that Daneel came up with after a little bit of thought.

When Daneel had revealed the trinket needed for his plan to the elves, he had been target to a lot of staring and shock, as they couldn't understand how someone like him who must be dedicating all his time to training could also have the skill to design trinkets.

The solution was a simple alert system that could be activated by anyone on the highway the moment they saw someone approaching to assault them.

The moment an alert was sent, a team that was standing by would receive the coordinates and teleport to that exact location to save whoever was being attacked.

The alert could be sent by voice, with the merchant or traveler screaming out a specific phrase, or touch, with the use of special buttons that were placed on the sides of the highway at equal intervals, or even with special trinkets that would be given for a price to all who were traveling that could be activated at a moment's notice.

All in all, it was both robust and simple, and as they saw it, there was no way to circumvent this unless the bandits attacked multiple spots at once, leaving the security forces helpless as to which ones they had to respond to.

For now, until a better system was planned, this was the best they could do.

So, it was implemented immediately, following which the highway was opened with much pomp.

This event was even displayed on the Network of Angaria, with many onlookers wishing that such roads could exist between the Kingdom's they traveled to, too, so they would have a much easier time if there ever had to make the journey.

As for the changes this brought to the two Kingdoms, they were numerous.

Roads would always have their place even if trains existed, and they could be implemented in a much easier manner. That was why Daneel had berated himself so much.

For one thing, many more workers could take their goods to a different Kingdom to sell where they would definitely get better prices, where before they would have to either settle with selling where they were or entrusting their wares to merchants who might or might not be ambushed on the way.

As things that were scarce before were available much more easily, prices of many items went down, much to the delight of the citizens.

Lanthanor's and Eldinor's main imports and exports were mainly food and trinkets, and as these two flowed freely between the two kingdoms, development also sped up, as trinkets were much more readily available to even poorer farmers, and there was increased demand for trinkets in Eldinor which led to more people entering this business and earning well.

Of course, all the earnings benefited the two kingdoms, too, as all the money would be either put into developing infrastructure which was good for the Kingdoms, or expanding businesses that would bring in more tax.

All in all, the two kingdoms entered into a rush of integration and co-development that saw the elves and humans mixing together in ways that would never have been construed before.

The elves had already lost most of their prejudice against humans after the brilliant display of the Mages of Lanthanor, and although there were still a few detractors, most of them welcomed the humans with open arms.

As for the humans, they had always actually been awed by elves, so there was no problem with them accepting this species as their friends.

Approval for Daneel rose steadily, and the King of Lanthanor had a smile on his face as he saw all of this and continued doing more and more.

His next goal was to implement the train system between the Kingdoms as well as between the towns and cities inside a Kingdom.

He prioritized the former, as this would only hasten the development that was had already started.

Only, this was where Daneel met his first roadblock.

That roadblock… Came in the form of something else, just like the First Alliance, that had never been seen in the known history of the Central Continent.

In the 2nd Year of the Reign of King Daneel Anivron, the first Bandit Alliance in history came into being.

Chapter 540: Finding A Clue

At a specific spot 50 km away from the border wall of the Kingdom of Lanthanor, a large team of mages was carefully holding a long block of metal which was around 5 meters in length.

Behind them, there was a long row of such metallic bars laid out horizontally for as far as the eye could see.

Suddenly, a hail of arrows assaulted them, which made them get frustrated expressions on their faces instead of panicked ones as they carefully set aside the block and conjured barriers to stop the arrows.

No one was harmed, but the arrows were followed by explosion trinkets which caused billowing smoke to block their sight.

Behind them, a team of people wearing ragged clothes had just started to assault these metal bars with swords and spears using the distraction of the explosion trinkets.

Only, it looked like this team was prepared for it, as 20 soldiers wearing the uniforms of the Kingdom of the Elves teleported above this group and instantly cast wind blades to kill all of them.

Only, unbeknownst to them, four other spots had also been attacked, and although three attacks had been thwarted, one had succeeded, which meant that this team of mages had to go back to that spot first and fix the rail trinkets there.

"Let's go."

As Daneel said this, Elanev, who was right beside him nodded and froze, allowing Daneel to lay a hand on him and teleport them both into the air above the team of the bandits who had succeeded and were running away at full speed while chattering among themselves quietly.

"Ha, they're helpless! Our brothers may be dead, but we are succeeding! All we need to do is continue doing this for another few days, and everything will go back to normal! Those bastards won't know what hit them!"

As Daneel heard this, he couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows with irritation, as he resisted the urge to kill them right here and now.

Elanev observe this and said, "Since when have you developed this much bloodlust?"

"Since these pests have started to threaten the implementation of my plan. I think we are nearing their base."

As Daneel answered in a cold voice, Elanev shrugged and nodded, and after 10 minutes, the reached a nondescript bush which was carefully picked up and placed to the side to reveal a hole into which the 10 bandits jumped.

"Here goes nothing," said Elanev, following which the two of them also plunged into its depths without any hesitation.

After flying down a distance of around 30 m, the two found the hole opening into a large cave in which 150 bandits were all facing a certain direction.

Seeing this, the two hovered in the air, and no one was able to see them.

As Elanev once again marveled at how effective this camouflage spell of Daneel's was, he heard someone who was standing on top of a rock in the corner of the large cave speak.

"We are once again successful! These suckers want to build a system that will take away all of our livelihoods! Did they really think that it would be that easy? Thankfully, we managed to find a leader who set out a plan to stop it all! All we need to do is hold on for another week! Teams 3, 4, 5, you'll be attacking next. Teams…"

At that moment, a voice filled with silent fury interrupted that man.

"And what will happen in a week?"

As gasps were heard all around, the 150 bandits looked up to see two people flying in the air above them.

As they scrambled to get their weapons, they were shocked once again when they heard their leader answer instead of spitting out one of his favorite curses.

"I don't know, but this was all I was told!"

This made a grimace pass across Daneel's face, as he let go of Elanev who dropped in the midst of all the bandits.

"Take care of them. I'll carry out a more detailed interrogation."

As the King of Lanthanor said this and floated toward the leader and grasped his collar before teleporting them both away, Elanev, who suddenly found himself surrounded by multiple snarling individuals, hit his palm with the fist of his other hand while he smiled with anticipation.

"Haha, your friend abandoned you! You're dead!"

As one of the bandits near him said this, Elanev couldn't help but chuckle and say, "You idiot. He didn't abandon me with you, he abandoned all of you with me. If it were him, he might have given you all a swift death within wind blades. My methods are much more…uncouth."

These bandits weren't stupid. The fact that this man had been allowed to remain meant that he definitely must have a lot of tricks up his sleeve, so the intention had been to test him in some way.

Yet, seeing that he wasn't taking the bait, two bandits lunged forward anyway, as a lot of frustration had been building up in them all these days due to the desperate straits they had been driven to because of everything that had been happening between the two kingdoms of Lanthanor and Eldinor.

The introduction of the highway meant that, for the first time, merchants had a perfectly secure way to tread the path between the two kingdoms, which allowed them no opportunities, at all, to ambush caravans and convoys, which meant that their livelihood was basically destroyed.

They couldn't simply migrate to other areas between Kingdoms which didn't have such paths, either, as those areas already had a lot of bandit groups who would put up a fight if they even tried to encroach on their territory.

The highway had been finished before they could say or do anything about it, but after finding out about this train system, they just hadn't been able to sit still.

As bandits, they knew more than anyone else just how effective the trains would be – apparently, those magical trinkets that were being laid down on the ground had the ability to make barriers appear all across the hundreds of kilometers of the path of the train which meant that guards would be able to intrude on any attempts of destruction before any damage at all was done, as all of their weapons would be helpless against the barriers.

At least, with the highway, there was a little hope, but if these trains also came into being, they would all have no choice but to abandon this livelihood.

And this was something they were definitely not willing to do. Most of these bandits were criminal offenders in some or the other Kingdom who had chosen this life as there was no other way. If they tried to re-enter these Kingdoms without having sufficient money or means, they would definitely be killed at first sight.

As soon as it became a matter of life and death, unity that had never been there before had sprung up among these bandits who usually never trusted anything farther than how far they could throw it.

No one knew who the leader was, but he had distinguished himself by drawing up strategies which worked surprisingly well against all the plans being put together by that bastardly devilish King of Lanthanor.

Boom!

Even while the scimitars that they were attacking with were just a few centimeters away from the neck of their opponent, the man who had just uttered that confident statement, who was wearing sleeveless training gear of some kind punched out, which resulted in a sight that was branded into the eyes of all those watching.

At the edge of his fist, a concave ball of air appeared, that explosively pushed away the weapons of the two attacking and sent them careening into the bodies of two other bandits who had been standing nearby.

At the same moment, the bodies of these two bandits, along with four others who were in the path of that punch were blown backward as if they had suddenly been flung away by a tornado.

As if this wasn't shocking enough, an old man appeared beside this man at that moment and tapped his chin before idly saying, "Needs more practice. This is called the 'Lion's Roar Fist' for a reason. During the time of the Empire, there was a certain Warrior level lion beast that was the size of a two-story building. Hey, I'm instructing, here!"

Unable to control his fear and panic, one bandit had desperately struck the old man, hoping that he might be weak as he looked just like some old grandpa on the street.

Yet, the blade of his sword had just been caught in midair between the fingers of the old man, who nonchalantly said this before letting the blade go and flicking it with his finger.

Something magical happened the next moment. As if life had been given to that blade, it flew towards the neck of the one who attacked before smoothly passing through it and heading in an arc all around, beheading 12 bandits before finally falling to the ground.

"And that was the 'Puppeteer's Flick' I told you about. Master the Lion's Roar first, and we can get to this. When that lion roared, a wall of air would be explosively pushed out what that would destroy everything in its path, but the core of its strength lay in the edges of that wall. The edges are supposed to bend inwards, so that even everything on the boundaries of it would be pulled inward instead of being blasted outward. This increases destruction to the maximum amount, which leads to…"

As the idle instruction continued, the bandits could only stare between themselves, wondering who these two monsters were who were treating so many Amateur Human in such a casual way.

To make things worse, they were standing right below the only exit, so there was nowhere to run to, either.

The vice leader of the bandit group took command at that point.

"Don't foolishly go at them one at a time! All of us, let's attack together! We can definitely beat them that –"

Only, the voice of this man was cut off as he felt a glare land on him.

The glare was from the man who was being instructed, and it almost looked like he was glaring at someone who was threatening to take away something that he had earned after a lot of effort.

The glare made the vice leader, someone who was almost an Eminent Human, piss his pants on the spot, as it also felt like he had been locked on to by the eyes of a predator that would never relent in its hunt.

"Good. The Predator's Eyes are progressing smoothly. Maybe you'll surprise that younger brother of yours, yet. Now then, try the fist again."

Boom!

As Elanev blasted forward another punch in the direction behind him which made 15 people fly into the air like rag dolls this time, Daneel was on the surface, interrogating the man whom he had captured.

"Tell me everything you know about the leader. Specifically, I want to know a way in which he can be reached."

"I don't know! No one knows his true identity! We get orders from those who're under him, but I know for a fact that even those people don't know who he is! Maybe… Only the other major bandit leaders who are also leading the Alliance might know them!"

"And where can they be found?", asked Daneel, pulling the man closer and letting him witness the full fury that was raging in his eyes.

It was a sight which made the leader wish that he was anywhere else in the world, and he answered without any hesitation.

"Arafell! I know that one of them loves to frequent the bar called 'The Maiden's Waist' in the capital of Arafell! Please, let me go!"

As Daneel finally got a clue, he felt more frustration instead of relief.

Squeezing his hand, he ended the life of the leader in a simple manner before running his other hand through his hair.

Did he really have to go back into the Kingdom of that crazy b*tch whom he had infuriated just a few weeks ago?

Chapter 541: Realization & Setting Off

Daneel was beyond himself in anger. Standing there, beside the hole from where multiple echoing booms and screams were emanating as part of Elanev's 'training', he seriously considered whether he should just barge in there and demand that she stop all these nonsensical attempts at derailing his plans.

Derailing them. That was, actually, exactly what she was doing, in case she really was the one behind it.

On seeing the amazing level of development that had begun in both kingdoms after the steps he had taken, Daneel had been looking forward so much to the train being implemented, too, so that everything could really be supercharged.

So far, according to the statistics they had drawn up, the level of development had already exceeded what any of them had estimated. Also, this trend was expected to continue when the trains came into effect, too.

However, that was when these pesky bandits had come into the picture.

After a lot of testing and prototype development, Daneel, Eloise and the rest of the planners of the Kingdom of Lanthanor had decided on this specific model which used both Ether blocks and a form of the trinkets that had been there in the original plan of the Emperor.

The objective was to make a series of affordable ultrafast trains, each of which could travel at a top speed of 150 km/h, which would really be groundbreaking if it was possible.

To do such a feat with just Ether blocks, it would cost too much and the payoff would definitely not be worth what was being burned.

In fact, the Emperor had even left behind logs of certain Ether block to propulsion conversion formations that increased the efficiency beyond the level that was available in Angaria right now. Even if they used this, it would still not be enough.

Hence, they had all gone back to the drawing board to reconsider those trinkets which absorbed momentum and acted like springs, pushing forward the train to faster and faster speeds while also saving fuel in the process.

The Emperor's exact formation plans could not be implemented anyway, as the materials he had used weren't available in the present age. Only low-grade ones that could act as substitutes were what they had, and using these, Drakos had drawn up plans for alternate railway tracks which, although wouldn't have the same effect as that of the Emperor's, would still make it possible for Daneel's trains to reach that speed and maintain it while not costing too much fuel.

In the process, Daneel had also asked Drakos to make the tracks as indestructible as possible, but this was apparently impossible.

That was when they had designed the plan to add the barriers. The trick with the barriers was that if they were active always, they would, again, drink up too many Ether blocks.

So, the plan was to set up two levels of barriers, the first of which was very weak and didn't take a lot of Energy to sustain.

It was, in fact, a very ingenious plan which Daneel had complimented Drakos about repeatedly, and which had made the ancient Dragon blush even though it didn't have a body.

The railway tracks acted as the formation points of this massive formation which stretched over hundreds of kilometers, and as soon as the first layer was broken, a second, stronger one would come into effect which would definitely hold back any attacks until help arrived.

Everything had been going on in such a great manner, when they suddenly started to face multiple teams of bandits attacking the spots where the tracks were being set up repeatedly, throughout the day, and even through the night, in an attempt to delay the process.

Initially, Daneel had thought that this would be a simple problem that could easily be resolved by using Mind Control to reach the leader of this operation. Yet, in that pursuit, he had faced failure due to the leader's uncanny care of not revealing their identity. That was why this was the first clue he had gotten in a week.

Also, these bandits had numerous hideouts spread out everywhere and whenever he thrashed one nest, more would keep popping up as if this was a game of whack a mole.

All in all, Daneel was seriously pissed and he was ready to direct all of his anger on the Queen of Arafell.

At this moment, he heard Drakos speak in his mind.

"Young King, I see your anger, but I urge you to consider something. I know the Queen. She may be crazy, and incredibly egoistic, and even cunning in a lot of ways, but I don't think she's behind this."

This made Daneel take a deep breath and try to calm himself down.

He was typically not someone who would get this much anger, even though this was such an important issue. So, he took a moment to pause and understand why he was taking this so personally.

Daneel had begun this journey with the mind of just a teenager that had had to drop out of college, and although he had matured immensely over the course of all these years, he knew that he was still not anywhere near perfect.

That had only been impressed upon him more in the recent episode where he had been admonished by his dad.

There was one thing he did know for sure: protagonists and antagonists who gave in to emotions too much never did meet good ends in all the stories that he had read back on Earth.

As he analyzed everything that had happened, he realized that this was because this was the only major thing he had failed in in a long time.

All these months, almost everything had been going his way, although he didn't always achieve everything he set out to. For example, in his plan regarding Ashahell and the Mad Doctor, the best case would have been the latter dying and the former getting injured grievously, but both of those things hadn't happened.

Yet, he hadn't written off any of those things as failures, but this one was.

Continuing this line of thought, Daneel also realized the second reason.

All of these were just normal Humans, with none of them even reaching the level of an Amateur Warrior. Yet, he was a damn Peak Exalted Warrior who had even exchanged blows with an Amateur Champion and come out on top!

Anyone who had gone through such experiences would definitely feel very irritated on having these "ants" bother him so much.

The moment this thought entered Daneel's mind, he took a step back, seeing just how wrong that was.

Wasn't this the exact mentality that most of those Big Four douches had which made them seem like such eyesores?

Since when had he picked that up?

It seemed that he had done it inadvertently, without even knowing that this attitude had been forming in his mind.

Well, he had realized it now, so Daneel crushed it right away.

With his anger completely under control, Daneel got a new view on the matter.

Yes, these were all just Humans, but they presented a threat that even a Hero might not be able to tackle.

That was the power of those who were weak, and considering that he was someone who had struggled in that level for a long time, he felt ashamed that he had even adopted that attitude even though it had only been for a brief amount of time.

Resolving that something like that shouldn't happen again, Daneel said to Drakos, "I guess I let my feelings get ahead of me. Tell me why you think so, Drakos. I'm listening."

Drakos took a moment to reply, and when he did, his voice was gushing with pride.

"I must say, Young King, that I'm truly impressed with you. I could tell that you were being affected in the wrong manner, but I did not know what to say to change that. After all, it is a bad thing for the King to be so riled up in the face of any matter. Even if something was threatening the existence of his Kingdom, a King should remain calm and never underestimate his enemies. I could tell that you were doing the latter, too, but, again, I felt helpless. It is truly a marvelous feat that you managed to see it yourself, and learn from it, and I can vouch for that because I saw your feelings throughout the process. Young King, again, this shows me that I made the right decision."

Daneel neither smiled nor grimaced as he heard this, but he took it in stride. It was something that shouldn't happen, but it had, and he was happy that he had handled it in the correct way.

"Yes, about Arafell. She always preferred direct methods, and although she learned how to use underhanded ones from the Emperor and others, she had a tendency of reverting to the former as those aligned most with her personality. In battle, her forte was always her God-like skill in motivating soldiers and deploying them effectively in the face of a direct assault. However, she always had lieutenants and captains who advised her, and, initially, it was known throughout the Army that she set all of their undergarments on fire because they tried to tell her what to do. The Emperor then heavily penalized her, and made her understand the importance of listening to those kinds of points of views, too. After that, Arafell always listened to these individuals, as they were the ones skilled in spotting cunning or underhanded attacks, and in the process, she learned to deploy them herself, and also look out for them while becoming someone who was highly skilled in handling them if the opponent chose to use such methods."

"So? You just said that she learned to use them, herself."

Daneel asked with a slightly annoyed expression on his face. He had given a lot of effort in maintaining his attention throughout Drakos's, as always, lengthy explanation only to find that he had no valid point.

"Hear me out, Young King. The reason I don't think it's her, in this case, is that because of the power difference between you two, she would contact you and even let you know that she was doing this before embarking on it. There is a very interesting story about…"

"Some other time. So, you're saying that if she is doing it, she would already be gloating about it."

"Yes, Young King. And, if she was doing it, she wouldn't have left behind this clue, as her plans are always perfect."

This last sentence, more than anything, went a long way in convincing Daneel that Drakos's point of view might also be right.

What if… the culprit just happened to be in Arafell?

Well, even then, the problem still existed that he had no method to enter the Kingdom without her finding out due to the Hero level formation she had placed all around her borders.

"Young king, there is a way… But you might not like it."

…

A few hours later, a cart with a man chewing a stalk of grass in his mouth was approaching the border gate of the Kingdom of Arafell.

He was singing a merry, local tune of Lanthanor which told the story of a pretty maiden who loved a boy in her village, but was very shy, and was thus praying for some help in this matter from the Heavens. A passing mage took pity on her plight, and took on her countenance to go propose to the boy. Much to her delight, he agreed. Instead of the story ending there, it continued because the mage ended up finding that the boy had a hidden talent in magic, and thus gave him an offer to come study magic under him. The boy agreed, and there were initially no problems, as he married the girl, too. Yet, later, his love for magic outgrew the love he had for his mortal wife who had no talent, which led to him leaving her.

This was supposed to be a cautionary tale for village folk to take care of their own problems instead of praying for some sort of divine intervention which might end up messing things up, and just as he reached the ending, the cart which was being led forward by horses approached the gates.

"Here to pick up a load of metal to transfer to Lanthanor.", He declared, following which the guards carefully checked the cart which had a layer of hay on the bottom to avoid damage to the wood of the cart.

As everything looked normal, the guard walked up to the man and said, "Go ahead. But be careful, there appear to be a few rats inside."

This, strangely, made the man freeze for a moment, before he laughed and said, "Oh, don't you worry about them. I'll take care of 'em."

In the back of the cart, as Daneel heard this, he said, "Now what if that guy had decided to squash me by himself? What would I have done then?"

"Then this would have ended much sooner than it was supposed to, Young King. Please calm down. You look like you're startling the rat."

As Daneel heard this, he grumbled and stayed quiet inside the head of the little rat, while he entered the Kingdom of Arafell without the knowledge of the Queen.

Chapter 542: Reveal & Planning

Indeed, Daneel was entering the Kingdom of Arafell… as a rat.

According to Drakos, the formation could scan both lifeforms and consciousnesses at any level. Yet, there was a certain loophole that wouldn't have existed if they were living in the age of the Empire of Angaria.

Apparently, the original formation, when deployed, also had a secondary part where a fine-tuned search would be carried out of each and every organism entering the formation which would have resulted in this plan failing.

Yet, because the second part was the one which required a lot of materials which were not available right now, the Queen had chosen to subvert that by building the smaller, second one around her Palace while the larger one was around her borders.

Essentially, this large formation, which was easy to implement, was only designed to scan large beings.

That was because if each and every beast and insect that made its way into the Kingdom were scanned live, every second, the formation would just overload.

The second formation was special because it managed to only scan these beings and still stay functioning, which was why it required more precious materials to handle the workload and the increased complexity as compared to one which only needed to scan larger beings.

The Queen of Arafell's most important objective was to stop anyone or anything from entering her most guarded areas, which were all inside the Palace. As she had no other option, she had only implemented the second part around the Palace, and was thus disregarding any threat that might come in the form of pests inside her Kingdom.

This did make sense. The Queen of Arafell had never struck Daneel as one who cared too much about the Kingdom except for their impact on the satisfaction level in the breaking of the seals. As such, her priority would be the Palace and whatever secrets she was hiding in there, so it was no surprise that she had allowed only that larger formation to protect the kingdom and alert her if any large being of Warrior or Hero level entered.

All of this meant that Daneel could only use smaller beasts, and there was even an inherent risk here.

If Daneel had wanted to go through with this plan, he would essentially be doing what Drakos had done before: he would be separating his own consciousness, which was apparently pitifully small at this point of time, and if it was lost due to the death of whatever it inhabited, it would have a very bad effect on him and cause him to need a period of recovery before he could even be as adept in all matters as before.

Basically, it would be like someone had taken a hammer and was hitting him on his head daily, resulting in a throb that would need weeks or months to disappear.

Also, he had to take care not to go near the Palace or near the Queen, as she would be able to detect him.

This was a plan filled with so many variables and dangers, but Daneel had still agreed to go through with it as there was simply no better choice. He had no intention whatsoever of asking the Queen whether she was behind this, as it would be a sign that he was acknowledging his defeat, which would cause her to gloat.

He just did not want to give her the satisfaction, when there was another way.

The process had been surprisingly painless: all Daneel had needed to do was cast the spell by himself or using the system, following which it was as if a hair had been plucked from his head.

After that, he had started to feel strange sensations, which were those that he was intercepting and understanding from the rat.

A rat's only focus was food, and its main weapon, it's nose was also geared towards finding as much food as possible. When he had been in the Kingdom, Daneel had felt sorry for this rat which would apparently die after this process and had allowed it to feast on all of its favorite delicacies which included bread of all sorts and some product made of milk.

As for how he was communicating with Drakos, it was through a tiny metallic trinket that Drakos made, himself, by using Daneel's hands. It was a communication trinket that connected to 3 trinkets: one that was in contact with Daneel's original body that was currently being controlled by Drakos, one with the cart driver who was a regular trader that had been enlisted for this mission, and one that connected him to Eloise in case he needed something from her.

Eloise had found the whole thing funny, and she had even taken rat Daneel into her hands and caressed him, as if it was the cutest thing in the world. Daneel had simply been helpless at that juncture, and he had only been hoping that this would get over as soon as possible, even though being in her hands had felt… Comfortable.

Now that the first major question about this mission was solved, which was whether Drakos's information was right about this formation, Daneel felt more at ease.

Instructing the cart driver to go about his usual routine first before taking him to that bar, Daneel fell asleep along with the rat.

He woke up at night, due to the spell of grapes near his nose, which were being given to him by the cart driver who had been instructed to carry certain foods and keep feeding it to him so that he could control this thing's urges, which was actually a very hard thing to do as there was only a very small part of his consciousness here. If he wasn't careful and if this rat felt something strong enough, it might break apart from his possession and do whatever it wanted.

At the end of the day, this had been a willing possession, as the rat had been bribed and distracted with food when Daneel had entered its mind. That was why it could still take back control of its body when it wanted to, enough.

After heartily eating all the grapes, rat Daneel entered the man's sleeve and was taken to the bar known as The Maiden's Waist.

Pungent smells of alcohol and sweat greeted his hypersensitive nose, and Daneel had to struggle hard not to move and startle the man who was transporting him.

According to some intel that they had received from the spies who were inside the Kingdom of Arafell with the knowledge of the Queen, who was allowing them for reasons he didn't understand, there was a really specific, unique individual who did frequent this bar on a weekly basis on the same exact day, at the same exact time.

Others also had habits like these, but they had been eliminated because all of their origins could be traced. Yet, this man was like a ghost who disappeared and appeared only during this visit, and could not be found at any other time.

There was no clearer sign that this was who Daneel was looking for.

This was both a bar and a brothel, with the upper rooms reserved for the other 'services' that were being offered by the establishment. This man would always book the same room with the same performer, and, in anticipation of that, Daneel had already used his rat form to sneak away from the bar and covertly use the areas where pipes were hidden to access the room.

Sure enough, after an hour or so, the man appeared inside the room, but the strange thing was that Daneel had just noticed that there was a secret second exit through which the scantily clad 'performer' exited right after entering.

After seeing her leave, this man, who had a very strange hairstyle of a bald, shiny patch surrounded by long, glossy black hair and a face filled with features that looked like they had been sculpted by an amateur sculptor who had just started the trade, opened the wine bottle on the table and started to sip glass after glass while looking into the distance.

An hour after that, Daneel had begun to wonder whether this was their man. Based on all the movies where he had seen the hero of the story eavesdrop on something and immediately happen upon the exact information that he wanted to hear, he had been hoping that something similar might happen for him, which would allow him to leave this rat and get back to his body as quickly as possible.

It was only after another hour did something finally happened, and, thankfully and coincidently, it did turn out to be what Daneel was here for.

From his coat which looked like it had been worn for years without being washed, the man took out three trinkets, and Daneel recognized two of them.

They were very precious surveillance trinkets that scanned the area for listening devices and humans.

Even though he had been capable of doing these things with the system since he was a human, itself, it was very difficult for a trinket to carry out such tasks. Hence, it required highly advanced formations that could only be engraved by a high-level engraver, the likes of which were rare in the continent of Angaria.

All in all, these trinkets would sell for thousands and even tens of thousands of Ether blocks in typical Central Continent auctions, if they were sold.

The last part was the problem. Very few were in circulation, so Daneel wondered where this guy could have obtained them.

Thankfully, the trinket only scanned for humans, and he was in the form of a rat, which was something that even the Queen's formation, itself, hadn't been able to detect.

The second trinket was slightly a problem, as the one on Daneel qualified as a listening trinket. He was currently in a long, dark passage filled with plumbing tubes that had running water going through them with the tubes vibrating every second as a result. He was peeking through a tiny hole he had made discreetly, and he knew the exact range of the trinket. So, without hesitation, Daneel removed the string with the tiny communication trinket that Drakos had made for him and threw it hard in the direction he had come from. He could simply take it on his way back.

His quick thinking had saved the day, as the man immediately activated the two trinkets and waited for them to give the green signal that he was in a very secure location. In fact, it might be one of the most secure in the entirety of the Central Continent if one did not count freaks such as Daneel and Queen Arafell who were in possession of stuff from the Empire, which could basically be considered cheating.

Whatever this was, it was a very high-level operation that was being carried out by someone who had an eye for details.

Soon, the purpose of the third trinket became clear. It was a communication one, which the man touched and began speaking.

"Preliminary checks are done. I'm alone. Shall we begin?"

Initially, Daneel got very excited, but, sadly, everything wasn't as perfect as he had imagined. This was a communication trinket, so that meant that whatever was going on in the channel was only stuff that he could hear. Hence, he could only rely on what the man in front of him was saying to try and understand the flow of the entire conversation.

It started with a discussion of the progress of their mission of delaying the process of laying rail tracks. On finding that it was going well, the man smiled a very unpleasant smile which made Daneel wish he could get down there and scratch his eyes out.

No, he should be calm at all times, like Drakos had said.

Next, the conversation turned towards topics he didn't understand, with this man giving updates on his part of whatever he was doing, which apparently involved him gaining control of one of the fake network operators that Daneel had set up as 'competition'.

This was already very important information, in itself, so Daneel rejoiced inwardly that he had taken this decision to come here. In fact, he also counted himself lucky that this man was incapable of sending his thoughts through his mind, which wasn't something that everyone could do if they didn't have a knack for it, which was why he was speaking what he wanted to say out loud for Daneel to hear.

The rest of the conversation was all about cursing at the one who was responsible for all of their problems: Daneel, himself.

Each curse made Daneel angrily wipe his whiskers, and by the time the conversation was done, he was fuming, especially because of certain curses which had been leveled against his mother by this guy.

Thankfully, his mission had been accomplished, so Daneel headed to the cart driver who was still drinking in the pub.

As he wanted to be done with this as soon as possible, Daneel insisted that they leave right away, which led to the cart driver stating that his wife was suddenly sick and that he had to get back to Lanthanor as soon as possible.

An hour or so after they exited Arafell, Kellor arrived to end this ordeal that he would always remember, and as Daneel took back control of his body and let out a deep sigh of relief, he knew where they had to go to next.

A day later, Daneel was carefully surveilling a certain exit of one of the 18 of the Kingdom of Arafell, and as the system alerted him that it had found the one whom it had scanned the day before, Daneel smoothly nabbed the guy who was wearing a physical disguise.

He was only an Exalted Human, so Mind Control worked like a charm, and the first thing Daneel asked was the identity of those he had been talking to.

Only, he was once again met with disappointment as the identity of the main person who was calling the shots yet working as an equal with them was hidden.

The second question was what the endgame was, and this was where Daneel was really tempted to snap this guy's neck, which was exactly what he had done with all those other bandits he had come across.

Their plan was to stop the train… By breaking the alliance between Lanthanor and Eldinor.

And how were they going to do that? Well, the plan was certainly very chilling.

Race crimes, when an elf would discriminate against, kill and even torture humans because they felt superior were things which were punishable by death, but still existed.

Their plan was to make the reverse happen. In one week from now, in a certain town in Lanthanor, humans would turn against and kill a large delegation of elves. It would be leaked that it was done by Daneel, following which suspicion and doubt would emerge that would result in what they wanted.

For further popularity and outrage, this would be broadcast on the Network Trinkets, too.

As for that specific town, there was again no info.

Yet, Daneel had already chosen his course of action.

He…was going to become a bandit leader.

...

Chapter 543: Desperate Straits

A few minutes later, the same man who was on his way out of the Kingdom of Arafell had resumed his journey, but no one could tell that he was now a puppet of the King of Lanthanor.

He looked the same on the outside, yet, he had been given strict orders to keep reporting everything to Daneel whenever he could.

Daneel was confident in the Mind Control spell on this guy, even though the spell had been failing him recently when he used it to tackle this matter.

The problem was that these bandits whole life depended on reading people and finding out things. As such, Mind Control would cause a dissonance in one's mind that would cause one to act in ways that didn't fit with their original personality.

Hence, sometimes, when he had sent bandit scouts inside their camps, the bandits had been able to find that something was amiss even though Daneel had given express orders to the scout not to give any sign of anything being wrong.

All of these bastards were…just a bit too suspicious of each other. Hell, it looked like even those groups which had worked together for years still watched each member, trying to see whether there was any chance of someone choosing to backstab.

Again, it had been impressed upon Daneel just how tough this life was. Yet, he also knew how profitable it could be.

Apparently, there was one group which had managed to bust a small, unassuming caravan which everyone thought would contain nothing too valuable. Yet, it had actually had all the wealth of a merchant who was shifting Kingdoms, and that group had managed to rise through the ranks by using that money to buy better weapons and trinkets instead of retiring, like some others would do.

That…was the bandit group that this bandit leader with a bald patch belonged to. Daneel had 'downloaded' all information regarding him, but he had hesitated to impersonate him, yet, as he wanted to test first whether his skills were good enough to fool these people.

Regardless, he now had a direction he could pursue, which Daneel was very thankful for.

The rat had passed away after his piece of consciousness had exited it, and Daneel had asked for it to be buried on the grounds of the Kingdom, as it really had died in the service of the King, and, thus, did not deserve to have an unmarked grave.

Now, as he summarised everything he knew, he realized that there was still a lot for him to do.

For one thing, he still didn't know whether Queen Arafell was behind this. Even though Drakos had given a very good reason, he hadn't found evidence yet that that hidden man who was calling the shots wasn't related to the Queen.

As Daneel thought of who else could be the culprits, he sighed when he saw that there were a lot.

It could be Axelor, too, pulling strings in the shadows to stop him from raising satisfaction level.

It could be someone he didn't know from the Big 4, who might not want the alliance to grow stronger.

Or it could even be the damn Church, who was doing stuff covertly as they had already been burned once when they tried a direct approach.

Shaking his head, Daneel traveled back to Lanthanor, and as he did so, he couldn't help but pause over a spot on the highway to proudly see those who were utilizing it to travel between the Kingdoms or transport some kind of goods.

Smiles were on their faces, and even though they were still alert, this was nowhere near the anxiety and fear which usually followed a caravan like a cloud.

Using this moment to take a little joy in what he was seeing, Daneel called for a meeting in the Palace with all the planners, again, as he had just gotten an idea.

Although his main goal was to stop their chilling plan to incite race issues like many that were present on Earth, he had no method of finding out where they would be targeting the numerous elves who had started to enter Lanthanor as part of this process of development. Some were trinket designers, who wanted to see the real-life usage of their trinkets so that they could design better ones, while others were just fascinated about exploring new places and new people. Before, the prejudice against elves had stopped them from freely traveling where they wanted.

So, all he could do now was find a way to hasten the process of connecting the two by railway so that these people's objective could be rendered moot. They might still go through with it, but it was Daneel's idea that they might let something slip in their desperation to stop him.

When he sat down in front of Eloise and the rest of the Lanthanorians and proposed his plan, they stared at him as if they didn't know him.

Oh, right. Even though this was a simple scheme, not everyone was aware of his…capacity to scheme against his enemies.

Only Eloise had an amused smile on her face, and he had looked at her and shrugged ruefully on seeing this reaction, which had made her burst out laughing.

This broke the atmosphere and shock, and everyone immediately got down to implementing the King's plan, after reevaluating his 'honorable and just' image in their minds.

…

"150 soldiers. All wiped out. Dude, I heard that even their faces were beaten so out of shape that no one could identify one body from another."

"Man, what kind of psycho would use methods like those to kill people? The big boss is right. The King of Lanthanor must really be a devil from hell. My grandma always used to say that devils would come upon the land if humans didn't stay true to their roots."

"You dunce, your grandma said that that to scare you and to make sure that you wouldn't abandon her when she became really old! Your stupid ass even believed it and did that!"

"Oh…well, I was gunna do it anyway…"

"Wait…shut up! I hear something!"

These two bandits, who were lying prone on the ground while chatting with each other to avoid boredom, suddenly froze when they heard voices.

"It's our lucky day! These people must have not wanted to pay the small fee to use that damn highway! Contact the others! We might have a caravan to loot!"

As one bandit said this and reached for the communication trinket in his pocket, he suddenly found that his hand had been grasped by the other, who was looking forward with an incredulous expression on his face.

"What's the matter?"

"Look! That's not a damn caravan!"

On the urging of the second bandit, the first focused on a spot on the horizon and felt his jaw drop when he saw those who were approaching.

Mages, carrying metal bars and laying them down one by one!

A damn train track!

But…why the hell was it here?

"Hey, are you sure we're at the right spot! Maybe we got lost and are in the path of the track our brothers are attacking…"

"No! That's impossible! Let's go! We need to talk to the big boss!"

Saying so, the first bandit scrambled to his feet and started to run, while the other followed.

After a few minutes, they were panting for breath inside a hole similar to the one Daneel and Faxul had 'invaded'.

Their leader had a very grim expression on his face, and as he waited for them to catch his breath, he kept glaring in a certain direction.

Finally, after a few seconds, the second bandit spoke.

"Leader! You won't believe what we saw! But I swear its real!"

Strangely, these words made their leader sigh and bury his face in his hands for a moment in frustration.

The bandit had been expecting to shock everyone, but when he saw similar reactions appear on the others, too, he still continued, but his tone was more puzzled now than shocked.

"We saw a train track…"

"THAT MAKES 8! THAT F*CKING BASTARD IS PLAYING WITH US!"

Sure enough, this outburst from the leader made the jaws of these two drop.

8?! 8 railway tracks!

Wasn't the whole point that the trinkets were precious, and, hence needed to be carefully laid as they needed time to be made? Wasn't their whole plan hinged on them being able to attack multiple spots of the singular track to cause troubles?

They were already shortchanged in numbers, as it was, as each attack was a kamikaze one! Yet, now, they had to stop 8 tracks?!

Impossible.

Immediately, the leader used a trinket to contact their big boss, who had already gotten the news from the others.

In the end, the final count was 10 tracks. 10 tracks were being laid, simultaneously, at a speed that didn't match what had been on display till now.

In his quarters, Daneel was smiling to himself while holding a communication trinket in his hands.

This was something that connected to the one that was used by the bandit leaders to communicate, and he had given it to the one he controlled just now after finding out that an emergency meeting had been called.

As Daneel prepared himself to finally hear the voice of the one who was behind all this, his heartbeat slowly started to accelerate.

He had already been told that the 'weird' one belonged to the hidden leader, but he didn't know what that meant.

Soon, the meaning of 'weird' became clear.

"The King has outsmarted us. He knows that we only have resources to stall one, or at most two tracks from being built. But 10? Impossible."

It was a garbled, as if the voice of the one speaking was being distorted because it was passing through some or the other layer.

"Young King, this is a simple spell to hide one's voice. Whoever they are are, they are being very thorough."

Daneel nodded as he heard this, and, honestly, he hadn't been hoping too much that he would find a clue with the voice, anyway.

Indeed, this hidden leader had covered all bases.

"Damn him! What should we do, now? How did he even make so many tracks? If they are completed…"

The garbled voice interrupted the other bandit leader, who had a gruff tone.

"I suspect that some of them are fake, but there is no way to tell which are fake and which are real. It doesn't matter. It would have been best if we stopped them from being built, but even if they start to function, nothing much will change in a week. Nothing too much, at least. The outrage that develops because of the massacre will be enough to drive these two apart. Actually, he bumped up the stakes, so let us do so, too. Stop all attempts at hindering the railway tracks. Ask all the bandits to disperse silently and covertly into multiple small towns and villages inside the two Kingdoms. Focus more on Eldinor, as Lanthanor has that damn ID system. When I give the signal, they should emerge and kill many, many unsuspecting elves."

Wh-what?

This definitely hadn't been what Daneel had in mind when he implemented this!

As he bent forward with his eyes widened, he realized that he couldn't even do anything to stop it.

Who the f*ck was this person?

"I'm leaving to give the order to the bandits under me. You two do so, too. Time is of the essence. I'll call for a meeting if anything else needs to be addressed. Do you two have anything else to say?"

As silence appeared after the garbled voice said this, Daneel ran his two hands through his hair.

All he had was a week, from now. How was he supposed to root out thousands of bandits hidden among millions of citizens in that time?

Thinking quickly, Daneel made a decision. It was time for desperation, so he threw caution to the wind.

Using the trinket that connected him to the bandit leader, Daneel gave the command.

After a moment, the leader, who was named Skylar, spoke.

"No. We've gone along with everything, so far, but I won't stand for this. If this happens, we will have lost for all of our forces. I think there are better ways. I officially call for another Bandit Gathering, just like when the three of us were placed in charge."

Chapter 544: Bandit Gathering 1

For a few seconds, there was only silence, after which the other man said, "Skylar, are you out of your goddamn mind?! A Bandit Gathering, at this time?"

The man with the bald patch spoke according to Daneel's instructions.

"Yes, at this time, Riordan. We agreed for this mystery person to join us as the leaders of this alliance because of the power he showed and the skill he displayed in using bandit groups to stall the train system. That was fine, and I even like the scheme. But this is too much. The train system won't be stalled anyway. And assume that it works, and that multiple villages flow with the blood of elves. Then what? We will be hunted with a vengeance for a long, long time. I don't think I need to remind you what has been passed down regarding the line we bandits must not cross. Last time we did, for years, our ancestors had to huddle together in the deepest hideouts, running out of food and even resorting to eating raw meat, because if they were caught, they knew what they would be subjected to. That will repeat."

Daneel, himself, was surprised when he heard this. He had just told the man to state the case in a convincing manner. Hence, he couldn't have known that there was even a historical incident that could be called on at this juncture.

Daneel had even read about this event: it was the great Bandit Hunt that had happened 300 years ago. At that time, some bandits had actually taken a town hostage and massacred the thousands inside before fleeing with the women and wealth.

This outraged the entire Central Continent, which went up in arms against this force by deploying most of their armies and even handing out bounties for the heads of all bandits.

Mind Control was really something to be admired. All Daneel had had to do was give an instruction, and the bandit leader's mind had pulled out the best facts it could use to fulfill the command.

A gulp was heard from the man who had been called Riordan when he heard this, and it looked like, he, too, was aware of the consequences.

It was the garbled voice which replied, and when it did, anyone could tell that the one on the other side must surely be vexed.

"So what? Are you saying that you prefer having to give up banditry and die instead of putting up a fight and hiding afterward for a period of time, if needed?"

For some reason, Riordan remained silent. It was Skylar who spoke, again.

"Oh, we know there won't be any f*cking 'if's. We go through with your plan- it means that we all die. Or most of us, at least. I agree that it is time for dire measures because of that f*cking King's cunningness, but this it too dire. I, for one, won't stand with it. If you want, you two can go ahead, and I'll have all my bandit groups remove themselves from the alliance. Riordan, you know I won't budge after I make a stand."

The words were spoken with ferocity and passion, as if it really was what the bald man wanted.

Daneel was smiling, and thinking that he had been lucky to find this guy, who was helping him so much, so sincerely.

After a pause, the gruff voice spoke.

"If you leave, so will I. The alliance will only stand if all of us remain. A Bandit Gathering needs to be called. Who knows, maybe the pressure might have caused others to break through and like our friend, here, too. What do you say, J?"

As the garbled voice finally replied with resignation after a few seconds, Daneel let out a sigh of relief.

"I would go ahead with this, even if it meant that there will be another bandit hunt. You forget that we rose from the ashes, victorious, in the end. The Kingdoms of the Central Continent had no choice but to give up as they were no match to our patience and craftiness. We left our hideouts, and resumed our lives, and since then, we have had a period of prosperity. If this is to repeat, we must take these steps. But I know that I cannot force you two to agree. I need all bandit groups to carry this out. Let a Bandit Gathering happen. In 2 days, all bandit group leaders will gather in the same way as before, at the same place."

The sound of someone leaving the channel was heard right after the garbled voice said this, which made Riordan chuckle and say, "Haha, we showed him. I was sick of him bossing us around."

Daneel thought that Skylar would say something perfunctory and end the discussion, but he snapped, surprising him.

"Riordan, f*ck off. Don't think that I'll forget what you did, you white-faced bastard. If we weren't in desperate times, I would hunt you down myself."

"Humph. I would have loved to see you try."

After the gruff voice said this, the communication finally ended completely.

The ups and downs had caused Daneel's heart to hammer in his chest, and as he calmed down, he took a moment to appreciate and curse just how real a threat these bandits were.

There may only be thousands or tens of thousands of them, but all, or, at least, most of them were definitely skilled in worming their way into anywhere they wanted. If they really did want to vanish among the millions of citizens of Eldinor and Lanthanor, Daneel would have been truly helpless.

Yet, now, it seemed that he might have an opportunity to wipe them all out in one strike. A Bandit Gathering would mean that all of them would gather, right?

Apparently, he was wrong.

After a few minutes, Skylar was ordered by Daneel to exit Arafell again so that a more detailed interrogation could occur.

In the sky, Daneel asked Drakos and the system to check whether there were any pesky eavesdroppers before getting started on the burning questions.

"What did you mean when you said Riordan was a white-faced bastard? What's a Bandit Gathering? How were you three chosen as the leaders?"

"A Bandit Gathering is where all leaders of small, mid and large sized bandit groups gather to choose those they trust to lead them. The last time one was called was during the crisis where a continent-wide bandit hunt was launched due to the actions of a few bandits. We bandits don't trust each other, either, so we do not gather in person. A designated person distributes communication trinkets to all the groups in a discrete manner so that they can hear what happens in the gathering and make their decision known when they wish. A Bandit leader is chosen when he amasses support from a significant number of leaders. Initially, during the gathering, a friend of mine was going to become a bandit leader because of his strength, which was known by all because of his success in defeating caravans which used Exalted Human level guards. In his group, there were actually two Exalted Humans who made this possible, and the other one got jealous as he didn't have the charisma to make others follow him and proceeded to kill my friend and made it known that he was the strongest one, and that the dead one was simply taking all the credit. Strength is valued, so even though many didn't like it, Riordan was given the role. It is the same for me, by speaking to the bandit leaders and appealing to them using my strength and everything I've accomplished, I gathered support. J, the mystery one, was a surprise. No one knows which group he belongs to, but he, too, killed an Exalted Human bandit and showed his strength before showing his skill in strategy by putting forward these plans. In that way, he became the third bandit leader."

As Daneel heard all this, he couldn't help but shake his head, stupefied.

A meeting with just communication trinkets!

How anti-climactic, yet practical!

Mind Control didn't work through communication trinkets, so his plan of Mind Controlling all the bandit leaders and killing them, along with those under them off was no longer possible.

It looked like he had to go with his original plan, after all.

"Do you have any Eminent Humans in your bandit group?"

"Yes, there are two. One entered the group recently, just before all of this started."

"Good. I'll be taking his place during the gathering, then. Oh, and, by the way, how many people have you killed and raped?"

"I've lost count. I've killed at least 400, out of which at least 50 are those whom I've raped, then killed."

"Right. Give me the location of the hideout of your bandit group and get back to your business. I'll call you when it's time for the Gathering."

After Daneel said this and got the answer, he dropped the bandit leader off near Arafell before standing in the air and trying to decide what to do.

There was no option but to go with the flow, here. In 2 days, he would be infiltrating the bandit group of this bandit leader, after which his objective for the bandit gathering was clear: he had to, somehow, make sure that the mysterious man's plans didn't continue.

On that note, Daneel decided that he would warn Katerina and Eldra about this, so that they could secretly caution the elves to be careful, or even return to the Kingdom, if possible.

A few minutes later, he was sitting in the quarters of the Queen, who had insisted that they should be having their discussion here, in private.

Unlike in Eldra's time, Katerina's room was decorated with her personal taste.

All sorts of weapons were hung on all four walls, from normal ones such as spears and sets of swords to strange ones like a whip with thorns and a spiked pole.

Also, as he looked around, he saw multiple paintings of Katerina hand in hand with various individuals.

He had known that elves generally had a lot of partners, but he hadn't expected that there would be this many.

There were at least 16 portraits of her with various men and women around the room, and just as he was done counting, the door opened to let in Katerina and Eldra.

Smiling at him, who was seated on a sofa beside the bed, the two women pulled up two chairs and sat down.

It was night time, and as he observed them, he noticed that they were both in casual attire.

Instead of the usual, thick dresses of Queens that he usually saw these both in, Katerina was wearing a tight-fitting brown dress that hugged her body. As a Fighter, her body was filled with muscles, and with this dress, all her prominent features such as her thick biceps, perfectly defined abdomen, and bulging thighs were visible. The last stood out the most: those thighs looked as if they could lock around anyone and strangle them to death in an instant.

In stark contrast to this, Eldra was wearing a pretty, pink nightgown that was also tight. Her delicate body was emphasized, and along with the ears with blades on the earlobes and their shining skin, the two elves looked like two exotic minxes who could steal away the heart and soul of any mortal.

If Daneel didn't know that elves were usually frank and open beings who were comfortable with who they were and would state directly their interests in matters such as those, he might even have misunderstood something.

Getting to the point, he told them about this whole matter, omitting the details about how Mind Control was integral.

Only, after he was done, he was quite surprised to see them staring at each other as if they had seen a ghost.

"Could it be…!", said Eldra, which caused Katerina to nod and turn toward the King.

"King Daneel, I think we know who this mysterious person is. Until quite recently, she was a citizen of the capital, but a horrific incident caused her to leave. Her husband, parents, and children were all tortured and murdered by an elf who thought of humans as playthings as slaves."

Chapter 545: Bandit Gathering 2

Gobsmacked, Daneel wondered whether he was hearing right.

How could these two be so sure that this mystery person who had gone to such lengths to cover everything about them was who they were saying she was?

And…wait. She? The bandit leader was actually a woman?!

Katerina crossed her legs and leaned forward before continuing to speak.

"I can understand the query you have. If you hear the tale, you'll understand why we think it's her."

As Daneel nodded, Katerina glanced at Eldra, who sighed and spoke up.

"I guess I should be the one to tell you about it, as all of it happened when I was Queen. Her name is Joselyn, and she was the daughter of one of the most prominent human families in the capital of Eldinor. I won't sugarcoat it. Until recently, even though it wasn't visible on the surface, humans were always persecuted and maligned in all matters in this Kingdom, especially in matters related to the higher classes of society."

This made Daneel nod. It made sense because supremacists were more often than not those who had had their wealth and power passed down for generations, and were thus rooted in the 'old ways'.

"If this were also the case in the low to mid-class society, I daresay that Eldinor might have collapsed long ago. I've realized over time that the more power one has, the more they tend to hold on to this disgusting idea that they are entitled to being superior. Anyway, I digress. They are the reason why human traders, merchants, and families who engage in certain occupations cannot grow to the top, as they would find it very difficult to receive larger contracts and work after reaching a certain level. Joselyn changed that. She monopolized a certain industry and made it so that even the elves who didn't want to would have to come to her, with no other choice. In her case, it was the transport of large quantities of high-end materials to and from Eldinor. As you know, the hobbies and occupations of many elves is trinket making. For this, many materials are required which need to be imported. They are precious, so a caravan getting intercepted by bandits would result in huge losses. No one knows how she did it, but she somehow made it so that her caravans had the least chance of being ambushed. Some said that she knew bandits very, very well, while others said that she was a master tactician. Regardless, her family grew by leaps and bounds until they were at a level comparable to the top echelons of civilians in the Kingdom."

At first, as he listened to this, Daneel couldn't help but feel admiration for this woman. He had seen first-hand just how crafty and cunning those bandits could be, so the fact that she had been able to study them and built effective strategies against them was really something to be admired.

At the same time, it started to make sense. Only someone like that would be capable of accomplishing everything that mysterious person had done. After all, she had come close to completely outsmarting even himself!

If it hadn't been for his quick thinking, Daneel would truly have had no option but to face complete and utter defeat in her hands.

With interest, Daneel joined together his hands and placed them in front of his face while he saw Eldra continue.

"Many elves didn't like that, but they let it go, and even started to adjust. Yet, there were a few who joined together and schemed to take 'revenge'. If I had known about it, I would definitely have stepped in, but by the time the Palace found out, her family was dead. She was actually supposed to die, too, but because she left on an unscheduled caravan run, it was her family who faced the brunt of the sick intent of those elves. They were abducted and were missing for three days, and even though Joselyn raised hell throughout the Kingdom in an attempt to find them, all she got was their dead bodies. No, 'dead bodies' isn't the right term. Sacks of bloody parts were unceremoniously dumped in front of her house. One contained all the heads, another had all the hands…you get the idea."

Daneel felt the hairs on his hands stand up straight as a chill passed throughout his whole body when he heard this. He could almost imagine it: a strong woman who had single-handedly built a business empire, crying with grief while staring at all the bloody sacks.

"3 children who were aged 8, 10 and 13, 6 elderly people who were her family, 2 sisters, 1 brother, and 1 husband. All of them had been drawn up and tortured to death. Some who witnessed the scene said that she went mad and died from having her heart shattered into a million pieces."

Sucking in a sharp breath, Daneel leaned back in his seat with anger in his eyes.

Back when he had had to incite the Eldinorians to target the Hidden Kill Sect, he had targeted such elves, too. Yet, only the dumbest ones would let the information leak that they were involved in something like this. The smartest ones would continue completely in the shadows, getting their sick satisfaction from asserting their 'dominance' over a 'lesser' species.

"It was later found out that that was a ruse proliferated by her to make everything think she was dead, when, in fact, she had just gone into hiding to take revenge. By this time, the Palace had also gotten involved, and even we were clueless about her whereabouts. We couldn't find the perpetrators, either, as they hid their tracks too well. Only, 2 months after that, strange things started to happen in the capital."

This tale had already reached the level where a movie modeled after it would definitely have broken all records back on Earth. Daneel could guess what happened next, but he looked forward to hearing it anyway.

"Accidents started to befall a certain group of high-profile elves, some of whom were even ministers of the Palace. One tripped and broke his neck. Another choked on a glass of tea. One even slipped on a banana peel and had her head impaled by a decoration."

'Creative, certainly.', Daneel mused, while a smile appeared even on Katerina's face.

"All in all, 8 elves, two of whom were Warrior Mages were killed. With their deaths, their torture rooms and illegal activities started to be uncovered. Joselyn had had her revenge, but, alas, as per the rules of the Kingdom, I had no option but to authorize an arrest warrant for her as she had taken the law into her own hands. Since then, we've heard nothing from her, except for a single piece of news that she had stolen the assets of those 8 elves and converted them into Ker Gems. She was only an Eminent Mage, but with those Ker Gems, it's very possible that she must have reached the Exalted Mage level. Hence, she fits all criteria."

Daneel had already guessed as much, so he continued and asked million Ker Gem question.

"But why would she want to break the alliance?"

It was Katerina who answered.

"I suspect that it is because of her vendetta against Eldinor, which failed her. She must not want this Kingdom to develop rapidly and continue the trend that has already started due to your actions."

Mulling on this, Daneel nodded after a few moments, but something felt off.

True, the perpetrator of this whole thing was definitely a very driven individual, so, Joselyn fit the bill.

Yet, this reason wasn't enough for her to act and talk with the desperation he had seen.

Still, he knew her identity, and a lot of stuff about her, which would definitely come in handy.

Standing up, Daneel let out a deep sigh and said, "All right, now I'm really glad that I came here. Thank you, both of you, for solving this. I promise that this will be resolved in a few days. Meanwhile, try to warn the elves to stay safe and cautious."

Nodding, the Queen and Eldra both stood up, too, to send the King off.

Nodding in return, they followed him with their eyes as they saw him leave and close the door politely behind him.

With him gone, Katerina adopted a much more casual pose

Sitting down on the sofa and putting one leg on another, she said, "So, the rumors are true."

She had a very strange expression on her face. It was one of…disbelief.

With a sigh and a sweet smile, Eldra sat down and said, "Yes, that appears to be the case. But I don't know why we should care. I don't even know how you talked me into this."

After chuckling for a moment, Katerina clapped both of her hands together and said, "Don't you feel it's so…odd? He must be the most innocent ruler in the history of Angaria, itself! There hasn't been a single ruler who didn't abuse their power to get what they wanted in 'that' matter. Not one, I bet!"

Putting her fingers together, Eldra said in a low voice, "Well, I…"

"You were hell-bent on destroying the Kingdom, so you don't count."

Katerina was never one to mince her words, or refrain from making direct jokes, She said this idly, which made Eldra glare at her for a moment before saying, "There's Queen Arafell, too."

"Pfft, please. That uptight woman is rumored to have a secret room in her Palace with numerous 'toys' to play with. Even if that isn't true, it doesn't take anything away from the novelty and uniqueness of our dear alliance leader."

"You…want to pursue him?"

As Eldra asked this, Katerina got a very thoughtful expression on her face for a few moments, before she sighed and said, "No, I just wanted to see if it was true. I don't gel well with those more powerful than me. Besides, it wouldn't be appropriate. And I wouldn't want to get into a fight with a certain woman in Lanthanor, who I hear is quite the firebrand. But, for now, it seems as if the King has no intentions of taking steps regarding those matters."

Hearing this, Eldra nodded.

As Katerina got up to get a bottle of wine, she ended the discussion, saying, "I wonder how long that will be the case, though. It will definitely be interesting to see who he chooses. I, at least, will be waiting to find out. Firewhiskey for you, right, Eldra?"

As the former Queen nodded, the present Queen walked to the cabinet and got them both bottles of wine, and the night was filled with discussions regarding the future of Eldinor and the alliance, along with brief speculations about what kind of woman the King would choose when the time did come.

…

One day later, Daneel was trying hard not to wrinkle his nose in disgust due to the cheap beer he had just drunk.

All around him, raucous laughter mixed with the sound of men winning and losing at board games of chance to result in an atmosphere that made Daneel feel as if he were in some sort of decrepit bar.

Only, he was 50 meters underground, in a large cavern which had over 600 people.

"Vincent, refill?", asked the bartender, which was a coveted position because the one in that role would be the one who could steal away the most beer and wine.

"Sure thing."

The Eminent Human he was masquerading as was supposed to be a drunkard, so Daneel had no option but to say this.

"System, block out my taste sense."

[Affirmative. Blocking taste.]

Taking this step, Daneel proceeded to down mug after mug of the murky yellow liquid until, finally, an explosive 'Boom!' Caught everyone's attention and made them look toward a flat-topped tock in the corner of the cavern.

There stood the man with the bald patch, and as he gathered the attention of all the bandits, he said, "The Gathering will start in 10 minutes. Now then, I don't want our group to be embarrassed like the others during the Gathering. There should be no squabbles for the leader's role. If anyone has the guts to beat me, then step right up, right now. Does anyone have the balls?"

Amidst the silence, Daneel drunkenly raised his hand and hiccuped, before shouting, "I do! Your balls will be mine, today, Skylar!"

"Here we go again."

"Man, Vincent is gonna have to rest for a month, again."

"Dumb bastard. The leader should just kill him this time."

As laughter and statements like these were heard all around him, Daneel staggered toward that flat-topped rock.

It was showtime.

Chapter 546: Bandit Gathering 3

As soon as Daneel reached the rock, the man with the bald patch leaped from on top of it and landed on the ground, 5 feet away from Daneel.

This entire section was devoid of any bandits, as if it was reserved for those who were foolish enough to challenge the leader- and Exalted Human.

Laughing lightly, Skylar cracked his neck from side to side and said, "It will be nice to get some punching practice in before the Gathering so that I'm fired up to take on the others. Which body part do you want to be broken now, Vincent? A leg, maybe? I told you to stop being so dumb."

Vincent: the new addition to this bandit group, had always been an odd one out.

Bandits had a very particular prejudice against those who hadn't lived similar lives as them. They actively shunned any and all people who had a decent upbringing and past, unlike theirs which was filled with darkness and blood.

Hence, when Vincent, the drunkard who was an Eminent Mage had joined the group with a spotless face and clean looks, everyone had come to the conclusion that no one would fraternize with him.

Vincent had liked nothing better. Clearly, there was a reason that he drunk himself silly every day, but he held it close to heart. His only goal was to defeat the leader and take his post, as it looked like he had some sort of objective to complete after achieving that.

Only, his dedication to that objective wasn't very high, as he could usually be found passed out in a pool of his own piss beside the bar area.

He was known for his antics of challenging the leader in drunken hazes, which always resulted in him losing the functioning of a body part until he got it healed. The leader still valued him as he was, after all, an Eminent Mage who got stuff done even though he was drunk, so that was why he hadn't killed him and allowed this to happen.

Hence, the moment he reached the leader and brandished his fists while waving from side to side as if he were a leaf that would blow away at any second, it became clear that everyone was in for a show.

Only, no one could have expected that this show would be so much more electrifying than they could think.

Without showing much caution, the leader lunged forward with a punch aimed at the drunkard's head to incapacitate him, so that he could safely dump him to the ground before having his way with him.

Yet, the moment his fist was going to connect with the mop of hair of the drunk man, he felt that something was wrong.

Shing!

A blade of metal appeared at lightning speed in the hand of the drunkard who had seemed to be only half in control of his wits till now, and as it shone in the light being cast onto the scene by the lamps on the walls, the man's eyes shone along with them.

This…speed of spellcasting! An Exalted Human!

As the bandits and the leader all realized it at the same moment, a smooth uppercut sent the magic blade in the direction of the leader's heart.

Yet, just before it connected, a barrier came into being that deflected it and allowed a moment of reprieve for the leader, who hastily stepped back with extreme, mind-numbing shock on his face.

"No, leader!"

Only, the moment he did, screams echoed from the watching bandits.

Even as he wondered why that was the case, Skylar heard a horrifying sound in his ears.

Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!

As a bandit, and an Exalted Mage bandit, at that, he had procured all the barrier trinkets he could, which he wore on his body at all times. At any moment of time, anyone would require 10 strikes to kill him, as the first 9 would all be blocked by the barriers.

And what he was hearing…was the sound of successive barriers breaking, one by one.

As he turned around in an attempt to see who or what the culprit was, he felt like rubbing his eyes.

At some point, a bevy of floating knives had come into being, each of which was neatly arranged with a little bit of distance between each of them so that they could successively break each barrier.

And he…had stepped right into them by stepping back.

In the only instant of time he had before he met certain death, Skylar cast a teleportation spell to leave this dangerous place.

Only, as he saw even this thwarted, he felt like sitting down on the ground and crying with frustration.

Even a damn anti-teleportation trinket had been activated by his opponent.

It was as if…he had started a choreographed dance, with each step perfectly under the control of the choreographer, who was his opponent, who had somehow taught him the steps and was making him follow them without his own knowledge.

That was the all the time he had had, so, a moment later, a knife smoothly entered his brain and exited through his Mageroot, granting him a swift death.

As for the last thought he had before dying…it was that he honestly wanted to clap at this performance, as it looked just so magical and perfect, albeit in a diabolical and bloody way.

As shocked silence spread throughout the room, Daneel, who was in the form of Vincent, straightened his back which had been hunched.

The drunken demeanor was finally gone, replaced by the arrogance of one whose scheme had just worked.

He was wearing the dirty, ragged, stinking clothes of a bandit for whom hygiene was the last priority, but still, at this moment, he let a hint of the aura that had awed the entire continent, itself, spread, which made the watching bandits' minds go blank.

Walking forward to the dead body of the man with the bald patch who had been the leader up until now, Daneel spit in his face, before flicking his finger and making a simple, wooden transparent casket appear.

The body floated into the casket, which was made to stand horizontally, displaying the face of the previous leader whose forehead was marred by a horizontal, bloody hole, through which his brain matter could be seen.

This chilling scene drilled it into the minds of all those watching, more than anything else.

Daneel had already figured out that as with normal people, the key to making these cold, bloodthirsty follow him instantly was theatrics.

Jaw-dropped, body-shattering theatrics that would result in them having no choice but cheer for him, lest he kill them all, too, in this exact way.

Of course, he had had to step stuff up a notch, and as the first cheer sounded, he smiled, knowing that it had worked.

"H-He did it! He told me he would, but I never believed it! He broke through and killed the leader!"

Saying so, this bandit who had managed to recover first and see the opportunity hurried forward to become the 'spokesman' of the leader, which was another important job.

Daneel was already floating in the air, and as this bandit reached the spot on the ground in front of him, he shouted, "Everyone, cheer for our new leader, Vincent! He will definitely lead us to many, many riches and women! Ha ha!"

With the visage of the previous leader clearly showing them what fate they would be subject to if they didn't support their new leader, the hundreds of bandits in the lair started to cheer, which made Daneel's smile broaden.

No matter how many times he experienced, this feeling of making a crowd turn in his direction through his actions…was something that would always make him feel very, very happy.

The cheering continued for a few moments, after which Daneel raised a hand and slashed the air, as a signal for it to stop.

Raising his hand and making a bottle of the costliest wine available, which was reserved for the reader, float to his hand, he threw his head back and chugged it all in one go.

When he was done, he wiped his mouth and said a single word.

"Drink."

With the raucousness returning, the cavern of bandits returned to their revelry.

This was, in fact, a common occurrence in smaller bandit groups, and they had all seen it before. The only reason they had been so awed now was that they had never been witness to such a smooth kill. Usually, there would only be messy attempts which were nowhere near as exciting to look at.

His first object accomplished, Daneel walked to the back of the the flat rock, where a table had been hewn out of a boulder.

On this table, there were the familiar three trinkets used by the man with the bald patch before, along with a fourth one. One of the three was flashing, indicating that there was a message.

The moment he touched it, that gruff voice said, "Skylar, are you done with the battles? There were only a few pesky brats here. I wanted to discuss something with you. Why don't we ally together and push that newcomer out? We can do whatever we wish, then. The safest thing would be to leave! We can definitely get a foothold elsewhere, especially if we work together."

In a nonchalant tone, Daneel replied, "Skylar is no longer with us. I'm Vincent."

This was followed by a few moments of silence, after which a laugh was heard through the trinket.

"Great! Congratulations! I always hated that that bald bastard anyway. Now then, Vincent. The offer still stands."

The hypocrisy of this man was something that could only be marveled at.

Shaking his head, Daneel said, "I'll make a decision during the Gathering. If I'm with you, you'll know."

"Sure, take your time! Again, congratulations!"

As the voice faded away, Daneel chuckled and waited for the Gathering to start.

He had spent yesterday doing some investigations, and some very interesting stuff had turned up.

The Gathering began exactly 9 minutes later, and as Daneel silenced the cavern again, he changed the mode of the last trinket to 'loudspeaker', which allowed all the bandits to listen.

"The Gathering has begun. I am Asher, the same bandit who hosted the last Gathering, too. Almost all bandit groups are in attendance, along with the three leaders who were elected last time. Today's agenda: the future plan of the alliance, now that the train system between Lanthanor and Eldinor can no longer be delayed. But first, before that, we have Vincent, who has taken over Skylar's place. By virtue of showing his power, he has inherited the alliance leader place of his predecessor. As such, a fresh vote can now be called, but personally, I urge you all not to let this happen, as time is precious. Now, then. Do any of you three want to call for a vote? Even if one of you wants to, it will be done."

The person who spoke had a surprisingly deep voice, which garnered the utmost attention of all those listening.

The garbled voice answered first.

"I pass."

The gruff voice followed.

"I pass."

Only, when it was the turn of the last leader who had newly ascended to his post, only silence was heard through the display trinket.

"Mr. Vincent, we are waiting for your answer."

As annoyed murmurs started to sound in many bandit groups who were listening, the new leader made a statement that made almost everyone rub their ears and wonder if they had heard right.

"I call for a vote. I have no intention of sharing this leadership with someone like Riordan. I propose that he be stripped, and I encourage all those who are under him to come under me."

Even the bandits in front of Daneel were shocked.

This drunkard hadn't been the leader for even an hour, and he was already creating so much trouble?

With fury clearly visible in his voice, Riordan, the third leader, asked, "And why is that?"

Daneel answered in a merry voice.

"Oh, I thought you would never ask, Riordan. I recently came across some very interesting news…you see, I could never have guessed that your real name is John Burrows. Everyone, let me tell you a bit about John Burrows. He was born in the massive family estate of the esteemed Burrows family in the Kingdom of Arafell. For his schooling, he went to Lanthanor to attend a private academy for the rich. His parents have a real nice marriage, and he even visits them occasionally. In fact, that was where he was last night. And why did he become a bandit, you ask? Of course, to exploit you all and earn money on your blood which will sustain the rich lifestyle of the Burrows! Now, as someone who grew up in the slums, I think I can speak for everyone listening when I say that I WILL NOT stand for Mr. Richie Rich here continuing to exploit us, just like all those arseholes who did the same thing all our lives and drove us into this life. Well, that's my thought, at least. Who's with me?"

Chapter 547: Bandit Gathering 4

For a few seconds after Daneel made this statement, only silence could be heard from the thousands who were in attendance.

Then, a menacing growl brought everyone back to their senses.

"You m*****f*cker! Stop spouting bullsh*t! Noone's dumb enough here to believe everything you say! Everyone, there isn't a smidgen of truth in what this guy is saying! Don't believe him! I'm not willing to share leadership with him, either!"

At this point, the main problem with a Gathering that was being out in this fashion was displayed.

Because only audio was available to the thousands of bandits, they had only the voices and tones of those speaking to study and judge on before making decisions.

A claim so absurd…would definitely have been thrown out the window, normally, if it was brought up by any bandit.

Yet…Daneel wasn't basing this on nothing.

"Pfft. Shut up, Riordan. Everyone knows how you entered the circle of bandits wearing clothes that belonged to high-profile citizens. Everyone knows how you much you enjoy your luxuries. Hell, I heard that you even brought a bed to your lair to be comfortable while the rest of us sleep on cold, hard ground! As for your family…anyone can go check them out as soon as this Gathering is over. Or…asking around about the family would be enough."

This made discussions begin in the bandit groups, more specifically, in the ones that were under the leadership of Riordan after pledging to follow him during the last Gathering.

Bandits…loved gossip, as they didn't have much else to do in their free time. Hence, the eccentricities of this man were talked about a lot in hushed tones, as he was also known to kill those who talked about him behind his back.

Daneel had heard these things from Skylar, whose place he had taken, and using them, he had formed a really…convincing tale that twisted what was there into something he could use for his own purpose.

This was really nothing too different from what politicians always did back on Earth. A mountain could be made out of a molehill just to aid a politician's cause, even if the molehill was nothing but a pile of phrases taken out of context.

"You! I dare anyone to go to that family, right now! Yes, I do like my luxury! But that doesn't mean that I-"

There it was!

Hearing this made Daneel smile, as what he had hoped had come to be.

Anger would often loosen one's tongue, and make them say incriminating things which might not have been so harmful in normal circumstances.

Until now, Riordan's 'luxuries' had been rumors spread by the large bandit group he was directly in command of. However, now, it had just been confirmed, meaning that there was a possibility that what Daneel had said was also right.

It seemed that Riordan had also understood the same, as he cut off his sentence midway.

Daneel didn't even step in to say anything at this point, because there was always a line which, when crossed, would make it look as if he was trying too hard.

Someone who was confident that they were telling the truth wouldn't feel the urge to step in and repeat themselves every opportunity they got.

So, Daneel held his tongue…and waited for the dominos to fall.

He had had no option but to use such a roundabout method, as the locations of each bandit group was really a very well hidden secret, such that it was impossible even for him to find any other bandit group than the ones Skylar was in control of.

Otherwise, he could directly have gone to kill these two leaders who were just Exalted Humans.

In the silence that followed, Daneel could tell that many full-blown discussions had started in many bandit groups regarding whether what he was saying was true.

Yet, they were all interrupted by three screams.

These…were followed by a chilling voice which said, "Well played, Vincent, or whatever your name is. It looks like you've been planning this for a long time. Nothing I say will work in this situation, anyway. So, I think the best thing to do is let our actions speak for us. The truth is a murky object which can switch hands at a moment's notice. We can argue all day, but at the end, it all comes down to one thing: whether you're willing to back up your words with strength. I'm not willing to share the leadership with you, either. Come to this location and fight me. The winner will be the one who's right. Unless you're too cowardly to step forward, in which case it will become clear that you're just a coward who's hiding underneath neatly woven lies."

Daneel was honestly…shocked.

Shocked…at the utter stupidity of this guy.

Yet, how could he know that he wasn't just a newly ascended Exalted Human who had killed Skylar by chance?

At this moment, the King of Lanthanor really felt like bursting out with laughter, as this was just too funny.

This whole thing had started because he couldn't find the locations of these bandits. Yet, this guy was delivering himself to Daneel on a silver plate.

Well, who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth?

"Come at me, Richie Rich."

"Hahaha! Here we go. Asher, pause the Gathering for 5 minutes. That's all I'll need. You…I'm sending the location via the trinket only the leaders have. Come meet your death."

A few seconds later, Daneel was whistling a merry tune while waiting at the spot indicated by Riordan.

As the man appeared, Daneel finally couldn't hold it in any longer and started laughing while clutching his stomach.

This made Riordan, who really was wearing the luxurious clothes of a high-profile family, frown and say, "What's the matter? Found it funny that you're going to die to uphold a lie?"

Daneel had to take a few seconds to control himself. When he finally did, he wiped the tear that had appeared at the corner of his eye and said, "No, but you'll get it soon."

"Enough talk. Let's get this over with quickly."

Saying this, Riordan let out a battle cry and heroically conjured a globe of fire around his fist, with metal spikes to boot, which really did look like a terrifying attack.

Clearly, this was someone who was treading the path of a Fighter cum Mage.

Although the man was a little alarmed that his most famous signature attack handn't elicited even a flinch from his opponent, he charged forward anyway, punching with all his might with the intention to break any and all barriers that came in his way before crushing the smug face of this lying bastard.

Weirdly, no barriers stopped him, and his opponent even stood still.

Rejoicing and taking it as a sign that the man might be scared silly, Riordan waited to hear the sickening crunch that he loved which came when multiple spikes drilled into one's face and brain.

Only…at the last moment, he suddenly found himself frozen, in mid-air, with an impossible sight in front of him.

This guy, who was supposed to be an Exalted Mage who had just reached that level, was holding a single finger up, which had stopped his attack in its tracks.

It wasn't just his attack. His whole body felt as if it had been trapped in a quagmire, and he was unable to move no matter how much he tried.

Daneel enjoyed the look of befuddled shock on the bandit leader's face for a moment, before he decided to end this without stretching it for too long.

"You idiot, all I wanted was for you to come out of whatever hole you were hiding in. I really should thank you for saving me the effort."

Shaking his head and saying this with a smile, Daneel used Mind Control and extracted all the valuable information, such as the locations of all the hideouts of the bandit group under this leader, before conjuring a bed of knives that impaled him in hundreds of spots around his body.

After that, he even separated each limb, before finally letting the 5 parts of the man fall to the ground, where they would stay as a chilling memento to those who came to check what the fate of the bandit leader was.

The idea was to scare anyone who came and leave no illusions, whatsoever, that this hadn't been one-sided. And to incite fear…the best way was to bring one's nightmares to life.

With his work done, Daneel dusted his hands, quite pleased as to how this had turned out. If this guy hadn't asked for a fight, some groups might have voted to stay with him, meaning that Daneel wouldn't have gotten their locations. Also, the man might even have stayed in his role.

That was all a thing of the past now. He now had the locations of 2/3rds of all bandits, and they were at his mercy. All that remained…was Joselyn.

At the last moment, just as he was about to teleport away, the system sent him a message.

[Surveillance Module has detected an object that is spying on host from a spot 150 meters south-east of host.]

An object? Did that mean…that someone had sent some sort of communication eye to watch the fight?

Other than him and Riordan who was lying on the ground below in 5 parts, only one other person knew that they were fighting in this spot.

Joselyn.

In an instant, Daneel reached that spot and saw that he was right.

It really was a communication eye, which was in the form of a small globe that hovered in the air.

"Drakos, can you give me the location of who is controlling this thing?", Daneel asked, wondering whether he had hit the jackpot. If that was the case, he would simply go over and Mind Control Joeslyn now, bringing this whole issue to a satisfying end.

Yet, it looked like he wouldn't be having it that easy.

"No, Young King. There are three trinkets in between this one and the actual source. Whoever is using this is very skilled in hiding themselves. Even if I could give you the location of the next trinket, they would be gone before you went to the next one after that."

Great. This woman had even managed to outsmart the Ancient Dragon!

Honestly, Daneel was impressed, but he had to stop her.

Yet, all he could use right now were his words.

So, he decided to throw the dice.

"Hey, I know who you are, and I know that you probably know who I am, too. If you don't, let me tell you. I am the King of Lanthanor, the leader of the Alliance which you are trying to break apart with all your might. Joselyn, I know what happened to your family. But, trust me, that doesn't mean that all elves are bad. I really must advise you against seeking revenge from the whole of Eldinor for something done by a few rotten individuals. I-"

"You really think I'm doing all this because I resent Eldinor?"

Seeing that same garbled voice interrupt him and say this, Daneel's eyes widened.

"Then why are you doing this?"

When he heard her answer, he couldn't help but raise both his eyebrows in disbelief.

"I'm doing this because I'm a human who doesn't want even more humans to be discriminated against. I only managed to target and kill those responsible for my family's death. Other than them, there are hundreds who still engage in activities like those and go scot-free, because they are essential to the economy. They can't be touched. They are the main ones benefiting from this alliance! They will grow and gain even more influence over many more humans! I cannot allow even one more family to suffer what I've been through. So, I have no choice but to stop your alliance. You're powerless against them; if you targeted them, Eldinor, itself, will collapse. If you really care for your citizens, I suggest that you stop this, yourself. Our two races can never co-exist. You might have changed some of them, but they will change back. Trust me, I know them better than anyone else."

So…that was her cause.

Hearing the anguish and passion in her voice, Daneel could tell that it was also her strong motive which enabled her to work so effectively.

At this moment, he really wished that he had someone like that under him, too.

As for the news about the elves, he was sickened, but he knew that she was right. He had had no time and no way to investigate each and every elf, and only those who had been careless had allowed their actions to be known by others.

But….was he really powerless? Was there really nothing he could do?

A bold idea entered Daneel's mind.

"Consider this. What if…all of these elves confessed their crimes to the public? Out of…well, let's say…guilt, because they were saved by humans? Wouldn't it be a sight to behold? And if you see the way the other elves react to that, wouldn't it help you to change your opinion about them?"

"Pfft. Stop speaking nonsense. Those black-hearted elves would never confess."

"Don't be so fast to judge. Who knows? Maybe they will be visited by someone who can be very…convincing. Maybe they will see the light, and start to praise it, too, while confessing everything! Would you cancel your plan if that happens?"

Chapter 548: Bandit Gathering End

5 kilometers away, under an unassuming rock, a figure coated with earth was lying prone, unmoving.

A small scorpion slowly climbed onto this figures legs, then made its way to her back, as it had smelled something strange from this spot. Yet, no matter how much it searched, it couldn't find anything amiss.

From the figure's back, it traveled to its head, before finally admitting defeat and leaving the scene.

All through this, the figure hadn't moved even an inch, which showed just how adept it was in hiding.

Of course, this was Joselyn.

As she heard the King say that statement with so much confidence, doubt appeared inside her, as she wondered whether this man, who was the cause of miracle after miracle on Angaria, was capable of even this feat.

Yet, that thought was interrupted by the flashes of images which haunted her day and night.

Sacks oozing with blood. One had only hands. Another, only legs. And the last…contained the heads, all of which were contorted into expressions of extreme pain.

In all of the sacks, it was the smallest items which hurt the most when she saw them. She had clutched them in her hands and cried out, yet there had been no one to help her. No one to tell her that it would be all right.

Since that day, she hadn't slept even a single night completely. Nightmares plagued her, and it was a miracle that she was even alive after surviving on just 2-3 hours of disturbed sleep per day.

She…had lost the ability to trust anyone ages ago. Hell, she didn't even trust herself, completely. Maybe that was why she would sometimes tie up her hands before sleeping. Because she was afraid that she might kill herself, before she obtained revenge on all those elves who were still continuing to commit acts like those and destroying human families, one by one.

Only, right now…when she had heard the King say it, she had imagined for a moment.

It…was truly a sight to behold.

But was it possible?

Should she give him a chance?

Should she trust him and promise to stand down?

No way. How could she trust someone who had saved all those elves, too?

"No. I'm sorry, but I cannot take the luxury of trusting you. I guess that you want me to announce to the Gathering that we will stand down or something. After that, I can guess that your plan must be to root all these bandits out and kill them, all at once. If you do that, I will have no more instrument to take my revenge."

Hearing this, Daneel sighed.

It had been a long shot. After all, he couldn't expect everyone to just follow him willy-nilly just because he said a few words.

Besides, this was also someone highly intelligent and driven, and such people were rare and hard to come by. Only, they were also harder to convince.

Once again, Daneel felt that same feeling that had washed over him when he had repeatedly failed to find clues regarding who was behind all this.

Failure.

After a long time, he had once again…failed.

Yet, Daneel had learned from that moment. Instead of getting anger and frustration, he felt determined to give his best.

He could tell that Joselyn was going to cut the call, probably because she was still afraid that he would somehow track her down.

So, he quickly said, "Wait! I have one last thing to say."

Not hearing the 'click' which would mean that she had severed the connection, Daneel felt relieved and continued.

"I understand that you can't trust me. After all, I've done nothing to earn your trust. But I wanted to tell you this. I will go ahead and do what I just said, anyway. I do not want such scum to live any more than you do, and I'm also interested to see how the other elves will react when they see those confessions. Give me the list of those elves. It will save me a lot of time. I assume that this was what you were doing in the years between you leaving Eldinor and becoming the bandit leader?"

The answer came after a moment.

"Yes."

"Good. Give me the list. You lose nothing by doing so. If, and I'm saying if, I make it happen, I really hope that you reconsider your decision. Of course, for now, you don't need to join me, and you don't need to promise anything either. All right?"

The only answer Daneel got was that 'click', which meant that she had gone ahead and severed the connection.

Yet, he smiled, as he knew that she had heard what he said.

But…what about the list?

As soon as he got this question, data from a data trinket started to be transferred, line by line, to the communication trinket in his hands.

"System, record all these names!", he said, as even though he could remember all of them clearly if he wanted to because of the increased complexity of his mind after breaking through to become a Peak Warrior, he didn't want to run the risk of missing a name.

[Affirmative.]

The transmission ended after a few more minutes, after which Daneel smiled again, placed the trinket in his pocket and teleported back to his bandit group.

Once he reached there, the others had to take a moment to recognize him, as blood had spilled onto his face when he had wrenched Riordan's limbs out.

First, there was fear, mainly because of the horrifying look in Daneel's eyes, which was the result of him contemplating what kind of tortures those rotten elves should be subjected to.

"Leader Vincent is victorious! Yes!"

After that, cheering finally began, which was cut off by Daneel with a wave of his hand when he walked forward to the Bandit Gathering trinket again.

The others had already heard the cheers, so, when he spoke, it was the confirmation.

"Guess Mr. Riche Rich wasn't as skilled as he thought, after all. Oh, if anyone wants confirmation: we were fighting 56 kilometers north-east from the Border gate of Lanthanor. Just look for the craters, and you can find his sorry ass body there, too. Now then, I wish to address all the bandit groups. My predecessor, Skylar, called this meeting because he wasn't confident in J's plan. I echo those sentiments. Hell, I miss the man. We had such a nice understanding."

As chuckles sounded through the trinket, Daneel continued.

"If we go through with what J has suggested, mark my words, there will be another bandit hunt just like 400 years ago, when he had to hide like dogs and rats for years, living on raw meat and grass, while the Kingdoms of the Central Continent scoured the land for us. We may have survived then, but I am not willing for us to do that again. One statistic says that 40% of us died from starvation. That means 4 out of every 10 of you will die from clutching your stomachs in vain because you will have no food to eat! There isn't a more disgraceful death for a bandit. We are men of might! If we die, then it should be on the battlefield, after we've put forward our whole effort to live and spit on death's face! I propose a different plan. Let us move to the other major bandit areas, where we can covertly attack and kill many bandit groups and take over their place. I've already shown you my worth in might. Follow me, and you will see the same in all other matters, too. Follow me, to march forth into a new age of banditry, where we can pillage and kill to our heart's content!"

"YES!"

"LEADER VINCENT! LEADER VINCENT!"

"Pillage, kill, and drink! And make sure that the beer isn't always gone!"

As Daneel spoke out with burning passion, many, many shouts of approval could be heard until it resulted in a cacophony of voices which couldn't be made sense of.

Only, they all ceased when that garbled voice spoke up.

"A noble cause, Leader Vincent. But a statistic also says that 6 out of 10 of an invading force, especially when they are outnumbered and in a new place, will die. I still see better odds with my plan, even if this statistic doesn't really apply to us. Yes, we will have to hide. But we can make preparations beforehand to avoid deaths by starvation. To all those who follow me, I tell you this. Yes, we will have to hide for years. But when we emerge, we will be the ones in command, instead of having to struggle to go to a new place which we know nothing about. Follow me, if you want to be Kings instead of fleeing rats."

J's speech was given in a neutral tone, but it was enough to incite the other bandits who had been on the fence.

Once again, Daneel had to admit that she was very, very capable, to say the least.

He had expected something like this to happen, but he was powerless to stop it. So, all he could do was say his piece and see what happens.

Asher spoke up after this.

"Bandit leaders, please stop forward and make your decisions known regarding which leader you wish to follow. I guess it's obvious that those who follow Vincent will be following his plan, while those who stand behind J will go ahead with the plan we already have - to mix into villages and towns and kill elves to break the alliance. I shall be counting."

With a pondering expression on his face, Daneel waited for the voting to be done.

He was thinking about the list of vile elves he had. True, making them confess was a bright idea, but how could it be explained if the Big 4 decided to intervene on seeing that it was very strange? There had to be some or the other reason.

When he was thinking about this, Daneel found himself remembering Earth. There, what would explain something miraculous like this?

A single answer came to his mind.

Religion!

There were many instances in history where people had gotten up to strange activities in the name of their 'God'.

Some said it was mass hysteria, but others said that there really was something to it.

Regardless, the result was what Daneel wanted.

As he thought about this, Daneel noticed a glaring 'hole' on this continent that, made him pause and drop his jaw, wondering how he hadn't noticed it before.

There was no religion, at all!

On Angaria, there was no concept of prayer or believing in something people couldn't see, but was much greater than them. Yes, people referred to the 'heavens' and 'hell', but it was all vague.

There were a few exceptions, but even there, religion wasn't a thing. For example, in the Black Raven Kingdom, people worshipped the ancestor Black Raven, which had turned out to be a crazy, raving lunatic who was now subdued by Faxul.

As for the giants, they worshipped Arafell.

Still, this really was a huge, gaping 'hole'.

Should he fill it?

Daneel knew that there were many positives and negatives with religion, so he was indecisive.

That was when the final result was announced: surprisingly, the bandit groups which had been in 3 parts had now split into two, with half vowing to follow Daneel while the other half would go along with J.

Yes, it was definitely a failure, at least, for now.

As Daneel stood up, he made a decision.

This was a major matter, so he would first have to carry out a test. With this thought, Daneel recalled the origins of some of the major religions on Earth.

While he decided that he wouldn't be copying anything directly from there, he did take some tips, while forming a plan in his own style.

As a smile formed on the corner of his lips, the members of his bandit group started to wonder just what kind of plan their powerful leader was cooking up now.

…

Night time, in the Kingdom of Eldinor.

After using burning tongs to happily torture 5 of the many humans whom he kept in his basement, Gerhart the elf had just climbed into his soft bed with the company of another human who was tied to his bed.

Closing his eyes, he fell asleep.

Only, a few minutes later, he opened his eyes and squinted to find a round globe of light that was as bright as the sun shining in all its glory in the room, right in front of him.

Looking to the side, he saw that the tied up human woman was still asleep, which meant that….

"You're dreaming, Gerhart. You have sinned. I have come to offer you salvation, and an escape from the eternity of pain that awaits you in hell. I am the Light, and if you truly wish to find an escape, then you must Praise me and follow my instructions. What kind of pain, you ask? Let me show you…"

Chapter 549: Praise the Light!

As a Peak Exalted Human level Mage, the first thing Gerhart did was switch on his elemental vision to see just what kind of spell was causing this ball of light to appear.

Not for a second did he buy that stuff about sinning and salvation. For centuries, his ancestors had tortured humans, year after year. For them, humans were just playthings which brought them entertainment and a sense of accomplishment when they made them squeal, as, in their view, that was all they were worthy of.

Yet, now, he was suddenly supposed to believe that they were all suffering in hell? Fat chance.

And as for the statement that this was all a dream? Well, again, he didn't know whether he believed it, even though all the signs were currently pointing in that direction.

Only, when Gerhart did switch on his elementary vision, he saw something that made him gasp with shock.

There were no elementary particles being moved! This was some kind of being that was in that shape!

Daneel smiled as he saw the elf realized this. Of course, this was all being done by Mind Control. He had already taken control of the man's mind when he had awakened, and now, he was in complete control of what he saw and thought.

"As you see, I am no hoax created by a spell, Gerhart. I am real as you and the poor women beside you whom you **** every night. You are confident that your ancestors have done the same for centuries. Well, let me show you what they are up to, right now."

Saying so, the light brightened, while, in front of Daneel, the elf collapsed.

He was doing this after dropping off Drakos in his stone pedestal, and although the Ancient Dragon had asked why, Daneel hadn't answered, thinking that telling him that he was creating a fake religion might count toward him being enticed toward the dark path.

So, he was in this alone, but that wasn't a problem with his Peak Champion level system, as he was only handling Peak Exalted Human level Mages for the most part.

Daneel watched as the elf's eyes twitched while he was seeing his ancestors being subjected to the most gruesome tortures imaginable to him. That was definitely a long list, as Daneel had taken a look around the elf's secret chambers. The kinds of torture devices and the state of the prisoners there…had made his blood boil, making him want to kill this elf, right here.

Yet, the best punishment for such people was to strip them of what they valued most. And for elves like these, it was their superior feeling that was most valuable to them.

Not wanting to get ahead of himself, Daneel stopped his thoughts, watching while froth started to form at the elf's mouth due to the fact that he must be reacting violently to that nightmare in his mind that wasn't ending.

Finally, after a minute, Daneel resumed his 'divine intervention'.

Indeed, Gerhart had just seen his own father being torn apart into pieces while alive, and then reformed perfectly, before being subjected to a different form of torture. This went on, again and again, all while his screams echoed in Gerhart's head.

Right beside him was his mother, and then his grandparents, and behind them were a long line of people.

He caught no glimpse of the ones actually carrying out the torture, but that was even more horrifying. In a way, it had almost been like his ancestors were being forced to do all that to themselves.

As he came back to his senses, Gerhart collapsed to the ground and knelt without any hesitation.

An eternity of that…just thinking about it made him take a piss in his pants. As the one who enjoyed inflicting pain so much, there was probably no one else who could understand better exactly what that meant.

No! He didn't want it! Whatever this damn ball wanted, he would do it!

"Please save me! I have sinned!", he said, even though he didn't mean it.

Fear was the only thing directing his actions, and if this were a real god, he might have been turned away, with some statement such as 'your heart isn't pure'.

Yet, this was exactly the result that Daneel wanted.

"Realization is the first step. This is what you must do…"

As Daneel said this hypocritical crap and continued to give instructions in detail, Gerhart listened without missing a single word, his eyes shining with relief that he wouldn't have to face what he had just seen.

That was all that was on his mind. He didn't care about anything else.

After Daneel was done, he used the Mind Control spell to make the elf go back to sleep, following which he silently promised all the poor humans here that they would be free, soon.

He had a lot of stops to make, so Daneel hurried away and got to work.

If he were stronger, he might have chosen to do this in a different way: Mind Control worked in such a way that a person could be actively controlled and influenced by him if he wished, remotely. Yet, this would take up a little of his Mageroot. Even though it wasn't a lot, when the matter became that of hundreds of elves, it just wasn't enough.

Hence, he had no option but to dispel the spell on them, while leaving no traces whatsoever that they had been Mind Controlled. He trusted the power of fear, so Daneel wasn't too worried that this would backfire on him in any way.

The list given by Joselyn was very exhaustive. By the time he was done, according to Daneel's guess, all those whom he had visited, if taken together, would mostly have as much wealth as a Kingdom, itself.

Most of this wealth had been accumulated for decades of centuries, as most of these elves were those whose traditions and 'habits' had been passed down, daughter to son, son to daughter. There was no discrepancy in gender: in the list, at least 40% of them were female.

With the preparations done, Daneel realized that he was on a very tight schedule. It was around 3 A.M in the night, and he knew that Joselyn would be going ahead with her own plan at noon, today.

Before that, he had to make this happen.

So, Daneel immediately rushed to his quarters to grab some quick rest, as today would be a very tiring day.

…

The next day, Maylana the elf was humming a little tune to herself while going about her business.

Since the events of the Elf Carnival, she had changed so much that she was almost unrecognizable from the sad, crying, brooding elf who had had her heart broken by the Queen.

The reason for that change…was the King of Lanthanor.

That moment, when the King had marched forward with his army into the red veil, knowing that it might mean certain death, was the defining one of her life.

She had always thought that she was unlucky, and that bad things happened to her repeatedly.

Yet, seeing someone march forward even in the face of death had driven all such negative thoughts out of her mind.

These were humans who hadn't hesitated to sacrifice themselves for a race which had treated them with scorn and prejudice for centuries! If that wasn't inspiring, then what was?

Even later, when she had seen the King walk from family to family and bring them to life, she had been captivated by this dashing man who had done more for the elves than anyone else since antiquity.

She had heard the other elves talking. Apparently, as he had seen it happening and because his was their neighboring Kingdom, he had the option to let them all die and then invade an empty Kingdom to reap the riches and expand his own Kingdom.

Hell, if it were any other normal King who had inherited their throne, many elves said that that would mostly have happened, and that the elves might have ceased to exist, altogether.

That had given birth to an interest in her to find out what made the King different. Hence, after everything had died down, she had made a trip with the allowance given to her by the Palace to the Kingdom of Lanthanor, where she went to the capital to take the tour of the King's life.

When she had seen the tiny house which was smaller than any even she had lived in, she hadn't been able to believe it. That was where that man had come from?!

This had changed her even more. If someone like that could forge forward without complaints and accomplish something so momentous that he would be known for, probably, eternity, then how was it right for her to bemoan her 'bad luck' and contemplate suicide?

She had gone back to Eldinor a changed woman.

Before leaving, she had gone to the Bank of Angaria, where, to her surprise, she had even received a loan, on seeing which she had burst out into tears.

Determined to turn her life around and equipped to do so, she had returned and leased a portion of land, which she began tilling and farming in in the ways taught to her by her family.

In the process, she had come up with some interesting ideas for trinkets that would really help in farming, and that was the reason why she had been in the capital for 4 days: she was looking for someone to make those trinkets. Although many kept rejecting her, the changed Maylana never lost hope.

Right now, she was heading to another trinket designer, but, on the way, she stopped in her tracks as she saw a sight which made her widen her eyes with shock.

Wasn't that…Lady Irfina, one of the most reputed elves of the capital?

Why was she…walking in front of a large group of humans, most of whom were bloody and injured?

Had she saved them, perhaps?

No, something was definitely wrong.

This delegation had caught the eye of others, too, and along with them, Maylana followed.

Soon, she came across a sight she would never forget.

In the large square in front of the Palace of Eldinor which was meant to hold thousands of people for important events such as elections, there were many such delegations present.

Most of the elves were dignified and famous ones, known for their rich heritage and skill in various fields.

Only, right now, they were all standing in front of groups of silent humans in a strange position.

Their eyes were fixed on the sun, while their hands were kept straight and raised above shoulder level.

Their eyes were leaking tears because of directly looking into the sun, but only smiles were on their faces.

They were constantly muttering something, and as Maylana got closer, she heard what they were saying.

"Praise the Light."

Over and over again, they were saying this.

At this point, Maylana noticed something else, too: in front of each of them was a pole, on which a long parchment was placed.

Curious, she walked up to one of them, but as she read it, she stepped back with terror.

"I confess that I am the cause of all the crimes below. I have sinned, but I now beg for salvation by Praising the Light!

76 humans killed by drowning.

89 humans killed by boiling.

156 humans killed during torture

…"

Like this, the list went on and on.

As Maylana started to go from parchment to parchment, she didn't spot a man standing in the shadow of a building nearby, looking at everything going on with a grim smile on his face.

So far, everything was going according to plan.

A communication eye was also live, broadcasting all this to the Network, which meant that Joselyn must be watching.

Just as Daneel was about to send a message to see if she would respond, a chill passed through his spine.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! ….

Multiple thunderclaps were heard in the sky, as 7 individuals teleported into the air right above where all this was happening.

Daneel actually recognized four of them. The man standing in the middle was the Head of the High Council, and beside him was the Hero who had sworn to follow him.

Toward the end were the two Heroes who had attacked and almost killed him.

For the first time, the Head looked furious. His pupils were dilated, and his face was an angry red in color as he screamed, "WHO DARES TO TRY AND SNEAK IN? COME OUT! COME OUT AND FACE THE HEROES OF ANGARIA!"

[System informs host that all 7 targets being scanned are at the Hero level.]

His jaw dropping, Daneel got a single question in his head, while he took a step back and bumped into the wall in shock.

All he had wanted to do was start a fake religion. Why the f*ck had that warranted an all-out attack by more Heroes than he had ever seen in a single place?

What the f*ck was even going on?!

Chapter 550: Lesson

After gaping at the sight of all these Heroes looking around with glaring, red eyes, Daneel almost yelped with fright before saying, "The camouflage is on, right?"

[Affirmative. Hero-level camouflage spell was deployed when a Hero-level individual was detected, as instructed by host.]

'Thank god for subroutines!'

That was the thought that ran through Daneel's head when he heard this.

He would have been foolish if he had the ability to instruct the system beforehand on certain things and didn't use it to save his ass in situations where he could be slow on the uptake.

Hence, he had already placed a lot of subroutines which would trigger in specified situations, such as this one.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Daneel refocused his eyes on the Heroes, who were still waiting, as if the Head's shout really would result in some opponent busting out of somewhere.

The people of Eldinor were also puzzled, wondering who these individuals were that had barged into their Kingdom like this. They started whispering among themselves, which seemed to irritate the Head, who flicked his finger.

In an instant, the large, circular square became devoid of Eldinorians, and, at the same time, a transparent globe came into effect which kept everyone away, including the army of Eldinor which had just started to come forward to see what the ruckus was.

Except for the Heroes, the elves who were 'confessing', and the tortured humans behind them, there was no one else inside.

Or so the Heroes thought.

Daneel was still there, feeling so thankful that the system had managed to copy the Hero-level camouflage spell from Drakos even though it couldn't understand it.

Panic regarding what the hell he had done to bring down what almost looked like divine fury still filled him, but he was at least confident in the fact that they couldn't find him, unless he drew attention to himself.

Besides, he wasn't close to the Head like in that occasion before when he had been right below the man after the fight between Ashahell and the Mad Doctor. At that moment, Drakos had warned him that it might not be completely safe, so Daneel also felt thankful that he had been cautious and opted for a place that was quite far away from the clearing, but still in eyeshot of it.

Resolving to not even move an inch no matter what happened, Daneel settled into the shadows to observe.

Meanwhile, the Heroes were still menacingly looking around, as if expecting a fight from any direction, at any moment.

Finally, after a minute or so, they got odd looks on their faces.

The Head was the first to regain his composure.

"That's odd. Typically, by this time, they would have jumped out and would be expounding about how backward we are. Guess we have a sly one, this time. If whoever had the gall to sneak in is still here, they would be hiding inside one of the people below. Spread out and begin searching. Use force to break through their minds and search through their memories. Look for residues of spells. Don't leave even a single rock unturned."

There were hundreds of elves in the square, and thousands of humans.

So, the Heroes had their work cut out for them.

At this moment, Daneel realized how much of a close shave this was. If he hadn't used that strategy of trusting fear, he would have been actively Mind Controlling these elves, which would make it so that he would have been spotted in an instant.

Against this many Heroes…he didn't stand a chance. Hell, just one Hero, himself, would be quite a challenge, even if he did have Drakos. And now, Daneel didn't even have the Ancient Dragon with him.

As he had taken care not to leave behind any clues, he was confident that they would find nothing, but the curiosity was still eating him up inside.

What the f*ck had he done that had elicited such a reaction?

He had already considered the risks.

The main risk was that this might look like another attempt by the Church to proliferate in Angaria, but the Big 4 had been willing to let that happen last time, in his Kingdom, when they had almost taken over Lanthanor, itself. So, Daneel had presumed that the Big 4 probably would only step in if things got very, very bad, which was a far cry from this, which was just a small test.

And that was the only damn main risk he could think about!

All the others, such as building something that he might not be able to control, or starting a chain effect which might lead to disaster, could all be solved by him with effort. He could just nip this thing in its bud with practically a flick of his finger: by killing all these elves, and Mind Controlling those who might be affected to forget about it.

He wasn't the naive boy who had played with fire back in the academy and gotten his eyebrows singed off. No, he was someone who had learned constantly from his mistakes and had grown to become a King renowned by many!

Yet, here, somehow, he had f*cked up.

F*cked up in a major way.

As the Heroes broke through the minds of the elves and left them as sloppy messes with their tongues outside, Daneel didn't feel any remorse for them. But he did tense up when he saw the Heroes heading to the humans.

However, all of these humans had been imprisoned for long times in underground caves, being fed on scraps while experiencing mental and physical torture every day. Their minds were already 'broken', so they offered no resistance and allowed the Heroes to rifle through their memories, just like how Ashahell had done when he had kidnapped Daneel.

While Daneel watched this, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he probably should have thought about it more.

The reason behind all this was mostly still related to that main risk about the Church. When the thing he was doing could look like something that was being done by the main enemy of the entire continent, maybe…he should have taken a step back and analyzed stuff instead of marching forward like a f*cktard.

In many ways, it was like a scenario where a country on Earth had just suffered a devastating terrorist attack and was still reeling from it, while expecting another. In that case, what reaction would there be if he marched into that country holding a water gun that looked exactly like the gun used by those terrorists, while yelling 'Death to the infidel!'?

He might present no threat in reality, but he would definitely be riddled with so many holes by the full force of that country that there would be no difference between him and Swiss Cheese!

As he thought about why he hadn't been cautious and seen this before, he realized that it was because he had been anxious after that failure with the bandits to do something awesome and effective and get back his status of a 'genius who excelled at implementing ideas in unique ways.'

'Well, guess what. This might be unique, but it was dumb as f*ck!'

As he cursed himself in this way, he realized that this week was a double bonanza of failures: he had f*cked up the bandit thing and left it dangling at the will of that woman who might be crazy, and he had f*cked up big time in this thing which might have resulted in him dying before he even said 'Hey, what's up?'.

Shaking his head inwardly, Daneel decided that it really was imperative that he not let his head swell with each success, or not let desperation overtake his head in the face of failure. True, he had come a long way since that time, but he was still nowhere as mature and smart as he should be.

If he didn't imbibe that into his mind this time, then there might not be a next time.

At the same time as this dawned upon him, the Heroes got done with their search.

As each of them reported that they found nothing to the Head who had a pensive expression on his face, the man stroked his beard and said, "Guess they were smart enough to leave. They might have thought that this would be like last time, when we were all preoccupied driving away the landing forces of the Church and the Tri-Cobra Sect. This is certainly worrying, though, as what I've seen bears no resemblance with anyone we've encountered from the mainland. Could someone else have found Angaria's location, or could it have been by fluke?"

As the Head said this, expressions of…worry came on the faces of these Heroes who were supposed to be fearless in the face of anyone and anything.

After a few moments, the Head shrugged and said, "Leave it. It might actually be a good thing. Regardless, I'll be ready if whoever is responsible for this turns up again. And if they're serious about this, they will turn up again. Get back to your posts. Rayen, let's take a trip to that vineyard outside the Black Raven Kingdom…"

As the Hero that had sworn to Daneel grumbled when he heard the Head say this, the rest of the Heroes started teleporting away, one-by-one, until only the Head and Rayen were left.

This was a barrier that was supposed to keep out everyone, so it seemed that the Head had no inhibitions against speaking out loud.

"Rayen, something about this feels…off. Do you get what I mean? You're supposed to have the best instincts, apart from those who are still healing from that dastardly poison. What do you think?"

As the Head said this, Rayen sighed and closed his eyes.

As he did so, the billowing darkness around him formed a perfect sphere, which revolved calmly for a few moments before it condensed on the man again and covered him like a cloak.

"Yes, something tells me that there is more…or maybe, less to this, than we are thinking."

With a frown, the Head asked, "Less?"

"I don't know, I just felt that way. Maybe I was wrong. Religions aren't things to play with, so I don't know…"

As Rayen drifted off, Daneel could almost swear that he shot a glance in his direction, which made him freeze with fear and shock while his heart started to beat at a breakneck pace.

Thankfully, it looked like it had been his imagination, as the Head nodded and said, "I'll certainly pay more attention here, then, " before they both teleported away.

At the same moment, all the elves who had become mindless wrecks disintegrated into a pile of ash, causing the humans to finally to watch that and finally react in a normal way, with joy.

Daneel stayed at the spot for 3 hours after that, just to be sure. He was still afraid, but everything he had heard, and the confirmation behind the reason due to which this had happened kept running through his mind, causing him to curse himself even more and brand even more strongly the lesson he had learned here.

After that, he finally braced himself and teleported away, before feeling relieved when he heard the system say that there was no one following him.

Immediately, Daneel headed to Drakos.

He needed more concrete answers, and he wished the Ancient Dragon had 'em.

As soon as he reached the pedestal, Daneel grasped it and blurted, "I f*cked up," before reciting everything that had happened while panting.

Gone was the regal King who had everything in his control.

After he was done, he waited for an answer, but started to sweat when the Ancient Dragon paused and didn't say anything.

When he finally did answer, the blood drained from Daneel's face.

"Young King…your foolhardy actions, which almost killed you, have exposed you to something you normally would have learned much, much later. You…have touched upon the secrets that lie behind the veil which hold the crucial knowledge regarding how one can ascend to become a Hero, and reach the levels beyond. If you would like to live long enough to obtain that knowledge in the normal way, I suggest…that you refrain from such activities."

Chapter 551: Joselyn's Decision

Daneel could only stand there, like a statue, while he tried to comprehend what Drakos had just said.

'The secrets that lie behind the veil which hold the crucial knowledge regarding how one can ascend to become a Hero, and reach the levels beyond'?

Indeed, that veil had always existed between the Champion level and the Hero level, but Daneel could never have expected that he would stumble upon it in this way.

The shock from almost dying to those Heroes had still not faded away, and he had been subjected to another mind-numbing one.

Taking deep breaths, Daneel first tried to calm down and think.

Right. What all did he know about the Hero level?

Not much, actually. Only recently, he had found out from Rayen that no one could become a Hero without the Head's permission, and that, in doing so, one would be bound not to reveal any secrets regarding that realm to anyone.

Also, one would also be bound to Angaria.

That was all he had known, except for the fact that the difference between a Warrior and a Champion couldn't even be compared to that between a Champion and a Hero.

Now, according to what Drakos had said, the Hero level was related to…religion?

In what way could that be possible?

Could Heroes obtain their power if people prayed to them?

If so, the reason behind all the Heroes congregating to attack would be explained: they wouldn't want anyone to steal away prayers and decrease their prayer.

Yet…the problem was that very few people prayed to certain entities. The rest…just prayed arbitrarily, which didn't fit in with this explanation.

Then what else could it be?

As if knowing what Daneel was thinking about, Drakos spoke in a calm voice.

"Young King, I would really advise you not to think on this. Many have dabbled in this realm without the proper knowledge and lost their lives. I guarantee you that if you continue, you will be signing your own death warrant. Instead, I urge you to focus on becoming a Champion, and then a Peak Champion. If you unlock the last seal by that time, all of the information known to the Empire will be known to you. Even if you don't…you will find the answers you are looking for at that stage. Right now, if you keep thinking on it, it would just be a distraction."

Initially, Daneel wanted to disregard the Dragon's words, because secrets were, after all, things that would captivate anyone's mind. Moreover, these secrets were related to the highest power level on this continent, itself.

Yet, on further thought, and on remembering the lesson he had just learned through his repeated failures, Daneel realized that maybe it really would be a distraction.

Heavens knew that he had enough things on his plate. If he added this, too, it would definitely be a bit too much.

Yet, Daneel couldn't help but do one last thing.

"System, using this clue, have you obtained any clues from all the texts you have gathered? Clues regarding the Hero level, and how one gets there."

[Negative. Data insufficient. Although there are a few fragmented clues here and there, the rest of the data seems to have been purged from all sources. If host wishes to use this route, system suggests that host should collect even more data.]

Yeah, right. Where would he do that? In more Sects like the Sect of Hedon?

Wait…couldn't he do that?

There were 3 other organizations on the same level. So, if he managed to read through their texts, too, was there a possibility that the system might be able to figure out something? After all, when he hadn't even been a Warrior, the system had been able to combine clues to obtain the meaning behind the Champion level, giving him the ability to buy Mageroot-less spells.

At the same time as he realized this, he also grew a little dejected, as there were too many things Daneel had to handle in the Central Continent first.

Still, he resolved that if he did get the opportunity, he would definitely make use of it to find more clues.

However, for now, two things were clear:

1) Religion, or anything related to it: Big No-no.

2) The Hero level was somehow related to this

All he could do right now was keep these things in his mind, and move on, while on the lookout for anything to bring more clarity.

At this moment, Daneel did feel a little hopeful. Yes, he had been dumb and foolhardy, but somehow, he could tell that he had obtained something really valuable from it.

Before, everything about the Hero realm had been covered in a thick layer of mist. However, this crucial piece of information was like a beacon deep in that mist, giving him direction and…hope.

Taking another deep breath, Daneel decided to first put the Dragon at ease.

"I agree, Drakos. I'll stop thinking about it, and focus on my Champion path. And, come on. Hehe, maybe if I would have taken you along, you would have stopped me."

"Yes, Young King. It is a miracle that you survived. Didn't the Heroes of Angaria descend as soon as they heard even a little thing about it?"

"They did, but, like I said, I was lucky. Anyway, come on."

Daneel had glossed over a few details, as the Ancient Dragon couldn't know that he had a system that could cast spells at much higher levels even though it didn't understand them. In fact, normal, talented Mages could do this, too, but they wouldn't be as effective as the system, and they would be required to place a lot of attention. Basically, it would be like someone who had flown a simple single-jet airplane flying a commercial airliner by just using a booklet of instruction. They might manage Ok and not crash and die, but they would still be extremely stained and would have to put their full attention on the plane.

The time that had passed since Daneel had made his escape was barely 10 minutes. Yet, before that, he had waited 3 hours for safety, which meant that it was almost noon.

And noon…was the time at which Joselyn would go ahead with the massacre.

Daneel first made a trip back to Eldinor, where he found many staring at the long lists of confessions that were still present.

The army had arrived, and they were handling the tortured humans. Taking their details, they were moving them to camps where they would first be healed of the horrible wounds that had been inflicted to them.

On the lists, the top part about the 'Light' had been burned off by the Head right before he left.

This gesture by the Head could be construed to mean that he cared that the crimes of these elves, but Daneel wasn't prepared to make any judgments regarding this man, yet.

The communication eye was still shooting everything that was going on at the scene. Seeing this, Daneel contacted Eloise.

"Eloise, did you broadcast the happenings in Eldinor? Were there any problems?"

Eloise's voice was heard after a few moments.

"Yes, Daneel. But after a while, some strange men appeared in the air and formed a barrier, I think, which blocked out all vision. After it disappeared, all that was left was ash in the place of those elves. What happened?"

Daneel sighed as he heard this. He had been hoping that the barrier had been transparent, but he realized that that was a long shot. The Heroes probably wouldn't want common folk looking in on them while they went about their work.

"Keep playing it. I'll explain later. In fact, enlist a Mage and form a 'news bulletin' at the bottom of the screen which will constantly repeat the information about everything that happened here. Make sure that the bulletin focuses on the fact that all these elves weirdly marched out to confess. Got it?"

"Yes."

Dependable as always, Eloise could tell that Daneel was in a hurry, which led her to agree and do what he asked.

Daneel then contacted the Queen, and told her not to worry about what had happened. He had already told her about this plan, but he hadn't said how he would make them confess. Hell, he wouldn't breathe a word about that little detail to anyone from now.

After this, Daneel finally touched the trinket which connected the leaders of the Bandit Alliance and sent a message.

"Now do you trust me?"

…

Meanwhile, Joselyn was sitting alone in a small cave that could only fit one person.

Used to loneliness, she always preferred spots like these where she would only have to keep an eye on the entrance to ensure her safety.

In her hands was a Network Trinket, which she had stolen from some random house in Eldinor.

As she viewed the repeated images of hundreds of elves marching to the square with thousands of humans and confessing their crimes in the form of that list, she didn't know what to think.

That morning, itself, she had been pretty surprised when she received the message that she should obtain a Network Trinket and watch.

She had done so, and when she had seen that sight, she hadn't been able to believe her eyes.

These were black-hearted beings that wouldn't hesitate to even sell out their own family if it meant that they could get what they wanted! In that case…why were they blatantly admitting to their crimes?

She knew that the Kingdom would definitely punish them, even if it might mean that turmoil would occur, as if it didn't, it would completely lose the trust of the common people.

What kind of magic had that man worked to make this possible?

At that moment, she remembered the image through the display trinket when she had spoken to the King who had been in the form of Vincent.

His voice and face had been fake, but his tone and confidence couldn't be faked.

A chink had appeared in her own confidence that no salvation was possible and that this was the only way when she had seen that, but she had been unwilling to believe anyone at that point.

When he had made that promise, she had scoffed, sure that he would face failure.

Yet, now…she saw that she was the one who had been wrong.

What should she so? She hadn't promised the man that she would do anything. Yet, it had been implied, and although Joselyn had been broken beyond repair, she still retained a smidgen of human courtesy.

Also, she had always had doubts about this, too, as it would mean that she might be massacring innocent elves. Still, she had been ready to go ahead as there was no way.

But was that true, anymore?

At the same moment, as she was about to make a decision regarding this, she received a message through the trinket.

"Joselyn, I did what I said I would. I sincerely hope that you stop that plan. Something tells me that even you know its wrong. I know that you are doing everything for your family- so that no families would have to suffer their same fate. Accomplish that by joining me. It's not just elves who torture humans. There are many other vile ones in the shadows who revel in such activities, too. Join me, and become my hand in the shadows. I know that you might not be capable of this, yet, but I ask you to trust me. If you do so, I promise that it will never be broken. Joselyn, I hope you choose well."

This statement from the King made Joselyn sink into deep thought, while she realized that this...had begun to change her.

But, after a moment, she made her decision.

There was one other thing she still retained from whom she had been…and that, was that she would never settle for being someone who wasn't valued.

…

As Daneel received the reply, he excitedly listened to it.

"King Daneel. Yes, you have kept your end of the bargain, even though none was made per se. I will keep my end. The massacre will not happen. But as for joining you…I refuse. Instead, you must join me. Don't be puzzled. I meant you, as Vincent. If I join you now, I will be someone who was awed by a single feat by you. Who knows, I might be disregarded later on, as it often happens that anyone always regards those who were with them from the beginning more. As such, if I do join you, I wish to be indispensable. Give me command of the rest of the bandit groups. I will lead them out of this area, and head to the others. I won't make promises, but my goal will be to take command of them, too, just like I have done here. The bandits of Angaria have been without any leadership for too long, and I wouldn't be able to call myself a businesswoman if I didn't notice this 'hole'. When I am satisfied with what I have with me, I will consider this offer of joining you, again. Until then, goodbye."

As Daneel heard this, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

This woman…was certainly one of a kind.

Chapter 552: Blood Sacrifice Spell

"I, Vincent, hereby swear to follow J. I urge all those under me to do so, too, as I really do believe that she represents a flourishing future."

In his last visit to the Bandit Cave where Daneel had killed Skylar to take this role of a Bandit Alliance leader, he made this announcement before sitting on the large chair on the raised platform that was meant for the leader with a disgruntled expression on his face.

Only, as he did so, none of the bandits in front of him were very surprised, nor were the leaders who had sworn to follow him before, during the Gathering.

Almost all of them agreed, except for very few who wanted to go out and find their own path. Of course, they said this, but the rest of the bandits knew that these guys would probably try to sneak back into a Kingdom to begin fresh lives.

The reason behind this was a rumor that Daneel had spread after obtaining Joselyn's reply.

Even now, as he sat there looking like someone had stolen something from him, he could hear the conversations between the bandits in front of him, most of whom had begun to drink again as they couldn't carry all the beer and wine stashed here when they began their journey to a different area, as was mandated by the now singular leader of the Bandit Alliance who had changed her stance this morning.

She had said that after further receiving further information, she had had no choice but to declare that the path they were on would only lead to failure. So, the best method was to leave, as, according to her, there was unrest in a certain area of Angaria which would be a perfect opportunity for them to enter and obtain their own place.

"How many strikes do you think were needed for our boss to be defeated by that J's hand?"

"I dunno, but he doesn't have a scratch on him. So, maybe J overpowered boss so much that our boss was defeated in one or two strikes."

"Or maybe boss just admitted defeat. We know how he was before he became the boss."

"Hey, it's a good thing, right? It means that J is more powerful than any of us thought! Maybe we really will have a great future!"

"Shut up, Bob."

Hearing these statements from the bandits, Daneel smiled inwardly.

He could have killed off Vincent at this point, but Daneel had gotten an idea. What if he had to step in in the future to help Joselyn in some matter or the other? In those cases, having an identity would be best.

So, Vincent would go to work under Joselyn, who would be using the man for 'scouting', so that no one would be surprised even if he didn't turn up for long periods of time.

All in all, this matter was settled in quite a satisfactory manner.

Indeed, Daneel was happy with Joselyn's decision. This was because if he was given an option between a subordinate who had to be given tools and opportunities to provide results, and one who brought and made these things themselves, he would definitely choose the latter, as a subordinate of that type would also definitely be more capable in all areas.

That night, Daneel convened a remote meeting over communication trinket between himself, Eloise, who was the one leading the operations behind the train, Eldra and Katerina.

As soon as it started, Katerina said, "Miss. Eloise. It is a pleasure to finally speak to you. We have heard a lot about you."

Eldra spoke up next.

"Yes, Miss. Eloise. It is our understanding that you're quite special. In fact, we are even envious of you in some ways."

Hearing these statements, Eloise was quite puzzled. What were these two elves talking about?

Daneel was similarly stymied.

"Uh…what are you…?"

"Oh, we are speaking about your amazing capabilities of single-handedly handling so many things for the King. King Daneel is truly lucky to have you."

This was from Katerina, with Eldra chiming in next.

"Yes, we are envious because you command the thoughts of so many with the Network. Now, shall we begin the discussion?"

It was odd. Daneel could tell that there was some other meaning behind these two elves, who had gotten surprisingly close, speaking like that, but he couldn't figure it out.

Eloise was the same.

"Right. It is a pleasure to speak to the most glorious elves of Eldinor, too. Miss. Eldra, all the schemes you implemented for the welfare of the elves were all well thought-out, and even executed perfectly. Queen Katerina, your firm grip over the army is something many rulers can only envy."

"Oh, please, call me Katerina. I feel we will get along well! In fact, we would like to invite you to the Palace, as we really want to get to know you better."

What was going on?

Daneel was tempted to interrupt and say that they should get started on the agenda, but he held his tongue, as he could tell that that would be a bad idea.

Thankfully, it was as if Eloise could sense his thoughts.

"Of course. Now then, let's get started. To counter the bandits, we had to spread our resources and manufacture a lot of track trinkets to construct multiple tracks. I believe that we should actually continue this. Initially, we were building only one, but the number of people and the goods that are typically transported between the two Kingdoms would hardly fit in one. Out of the 10 tracks, three are genuine, and my suggestion is that all three should be built after abandoning the rest."

Daneel was quite happy with this. A well-planned train system would consist of multiple paths to reach the same destination, for cases of extreme load. Besides, this was a main line which would receive a lot of traffic.

After receiving voices of agreement from the others, Eloise continued.

"All right, as for the specific details of the train…"

…

In a specific underground room that was surrounded by so many barriers and formations that even a mote of dust wouldn't be able to get through, a man was pacing around with a very serious expression on his face.

Once again, just like the many times he had done since coming to consciousness days ago, he tried to conjure something, anything.

Yet, the moment he tried, a splitting headache assaulted his Mageroot, making him stagger backward and take support from the stone wall.

Clutching his head, he sunk down to the ground, while waiting for the pain to subside.

To think that a Champion had been reduced to this.

He chuckled to himself morosely as this thought came to him, before he stood up and went to the bed, intending to sit and, maybe, sleep, as he had nothing else to do.

Meanwhile, Daneel was viewing the actions of the man while standing outside the prison cell he had made specially for this Amateur Champion.

Indeed, this was Raul, the one presumed dead by the entire continent, except one person- his father.

"The formation is quite effective. So, you placed an active, invisible barrier around his entire head which causes his Mageroot to be assaulted as soon as he tries to cast a spell?"

"Yes, Young King. This formation is intricate, and it needs time to deploy. Even a tiny disturbance during its deployment would bring ruin. That is why it is ineffective in battle. However, it is excellent against prisoners. It's a pity that it can only be used on those at the Champion level."

Nodding, Daneel continued to survey the man.

The development of the train project was progressing swimmingly, and, soon, it would be launched with much fanfare. He was very excited about that, as there were quite a few modifications that Daneel had done which he was excited to see. In fact, he had been hard at work on that project for the last three days. It was only tonight that he found himself free, which led him to come here and see how the Champion in his custody was doing.

All the preparations on his side were done, and all he could do right now was wait for Eloise and the rest to coordinate and set everything else up.

Hence, deciding that it was finally time to talk to this man and get the question that had been plaguing him for quite some time answered, Daneel walked forward.

He had been watching everything through a display trinket whose communication eye was cleverly embedded in the wall so as to make sure that the man wouldn't know about it, so Raul had no idea that he was being surveilled at all times.

Opening the door, Daneel walked inside and folded his hands behind his back, while gazing at the Amateur Champion with a serene expression on his face.

Raul was quite startled on finally receiving an 'audience' with his captor after this long, but he didn't stand up to show respect.

Instead, he remained seated on the bed with his back to the wall and idly said, "Come to gloat?"

"No, I've come to relieve my boredom, and yours. I saw that you were quite uninterested in the books I placed here."

Indeed, Daneel hadn't been too cruel. This room was small, with only enough space to walk 10 steps from one end to the other, but there was a bookcase on one side and a closed toilet on the other.

"I've already read all of them. So, I gather that you're using me as a bargaining chip?"

Raising an eyebrow, Daneel said, "What makes you think that?"

"Well, if that weren't the case, I wouldn't be left alone like this, for so many days."

Chuckling, Daneel conjured a throne and sat down. These days, even if all he wanted was a chair, he had gotten used to subconsciously making a throne appear, instead.

Putting one leg on the other, Daneel leaned back and said, "Yes, you're a bargaining chip to make your father follow me. Inside your mind is a…let's say, a bomb which will kill you when triggered. Even he can't stop it. And don't even think about killing yourself- there's another formation here which will stop that. You would be glad to hear that he agreed."

Initially, an expression of shock came on Raul's face, before he folded his hands and smiled at the corner of his mouth.

"That old man always was sentimental. I guess our family is now completely under your control. I would ask how you are capable of something that even a Hero can't stop, but I don't think I'll get an answer."

It was always nice to speak with someone with a brain, Daneel mused, as he smiled and said, "Right you are. Now, then. Your father said that you had an option to either save a bunch of sons and daughters of the Big 4, among whom were even those who were the offspring of Heroes, or save 10,000 regular humans. You chose the latter. Tell me, how can such a situation even arise?"

At first, Raul stayed silent and gazed into the King's eyes.

He considered whether he should act like a disgruntled prisoner and not say anything, but as he thought about it, he realized that he actually carried no grudge against this man. Because of him, he had broken through to become a Champion! That had always been his goal, all along, anyway.

So, he decided to answer. But, before that, he had to clarify something.

"Before I answer, let me tell you something. Check the formation trinkets which I gave to the other rogue Warriors who came along with me. I told them that the formation made by those trinkets would allow us to blow up the entire town if you refused, or to stop you when we were fleeing. That wasn't the truth. That formation would merely have caused a bright light and smoke, while not harming anyone. I never intended to slaughter innocent people. If I had that intention, I would never have become a rogue Mage, in the first place. My decision to battle you was also only because of some affiliations of mine with a few towns which are not ruled by any Kingdom. If all the rogue Fighters and Mages in Angaria saw that I betrayed them, they would have taken revenge on those towns. Anyway, coming back to your question. It was a Forbidden Blood Sacrifice spell, which enables one to choose a very special and powerful Champion Path. They did everything secretly, but they had erred by offering me the chance to join, too. Then, they tried to pass it off as something they had discarded. Yet, the teachings of my father made it so that I couldn't ignore the risk. I kept tabs on them, which made it so that I was able to reach them at the crucial moment when the sacrifice was going to happen. There was no time to contact the Heroes, but I still did. By that time, the humans had already been bound by the spell. To stop it, the only way was to kill either side of the scale. I was given the order to let the humans die. I couldn't do that. And now I've landed myself here. Fate works in strange ways, I guess."

Chapter 553: Decision

Raul's words were quite shocking to hear, but what stood out to Daneel, even more, was the way in which he said them.

They were the sincere words of a man who had nothing more to lose.

Curious, Daneel asked, "Do you think I'll kill you?"

This question made Raul look at Daneel and humph, before saying, "Either that, or I'll rot away here for the rest of my life. You may be a just King, but no-one like you who has risen to their stage step-by-step, by scheming and utilizing each and every opportunity presented to them, would ever trust me, no matter what I say. At least, if I were in your boots, I wouldn't trust me. First of all, I'm your bargaining chip. If you don't keep me hidden, my dad might be tempted to try and break me out, or even ask for the Head's help in the matter, no matter how much he hates him. I may be an Exile, but the Head wouldn't sit for a King of the Central Continent using me to command a Hero under him. His means are unimaginable, and I would advise that you not get on his bad side. Secondly, even if you did trust me, what would you bind me with? We both know oaths aren't good enough when it comes to the matter of life and death. And it is a matter of life and death, as, even though you managed to defeat and capture me using that Paragon spell, I doubt that you have enough confidence in yourself, as a Warrior, to actively always be capable of defending yourself against an all-or-nothing blow from me, an Amateur Champion. With all that in mind, even if you did trust me right now and ask me to follow you, I would always have the suspicion that you might have some other ulterior motive, which wouldn't allow me to trust you. Third, there would be no way to hide that me, a Champion, is following you, an Exalted Warrior, from the Big 4. Even if I used a camouflage spell, I would be busted easily, which is something you definitely would not prefer. Even if you wish for me to operate discreetly, it would be too big a risk, as a Champion in the Central Continent would stand out like a fish in a clear lake. The Big 4 might look like they don't actively care about the Central Continent, but they do have their eye on everything, you know. Of course, this cell is special, as I suspect that you used the Core formation of your Palace, which is an ancient formation that they typically do not pierce. So…that's that."

As Daneel listened to this long, carefully analyzed and logical explanation from Raul, he couldn't help but sit back and chuckle, thoroughly impressed.

At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if he was lucky right now, as he had come across two capable people, one after the other.

Indeed, even if the question regarding what he would do with this guy remained, Daneel was definitely impressed by his capabilities.

What he understood from this exchange was that Raul was a calm, collected, analytical person who would keep his cool no matter what was happening.

In other words, he had all the traits of a leader.

Which…had exactly been his role before he met Daneel.

"Did you prove yourself capable of leading all those rogue Warriors by showing your analytical skills? Or was it through fear of your power?",he asked, as there was no doubt that this man was also not lacking, at all, when it came to the matter of power.

With a smile at the corner of his lips, Raul said, "A little bit of both."

Nodding, Daneel folded his arms and waited for a moment, after which the door which he had just entered through opened to allow in a replica of his, who handed him a trinket in the shape of a square coin before disappearing.

Raul raised an eyebrow on seeing this. Typically, splitting one's consciousness and being capable of controlling multiple versions of oneself at once was an advanced skill that only Champions and those beyond were supposed to be capable of. Yet, this King who wasn't even halfway toward the Champion level had just displayed it?

Indeed, he was definitely full of surprises.

At the same moment as this thought appeared in Raul's mind, he was also reminded of what had happened which had led to him being in this cell in the first place.

Deciding that despite what he said, he wouldn't underestimate this man, Raul braced himself for anything that might come.

Daneel couldn't help but smile as he saw the vigilance in Raul's eyes when he intentionally displayed this feat.

Of course, the system had been the one controlling the clone, and, even to Drakos, it just looked like a skillful adaptation of a Champion level spell which he wasn't supposed to be capable of.

Taking the trinket, he asked the Ancient Dragon whether what Raul had said was true.

Soon, he got the answer.

"Yes, Young King. It is hidden well for someone of his level, but this formation does look like it will cause an explosion on the surface, but, in fact, it will only give the illusion of one while not hurting anyone."

Nodding, Daneel put away the trinket and refocused his eyes on Raul, trying to decide what he should do.

One option was taking the man under his wing, but this reminded him of the analytical explanation he had just been given.

All that would apply…if he were a normal King, and a normal Exalted Warrior.

So, if Daneel wished, he could choose this option.

The others were all unappealing, and, if he had to be honest, he would admit that this speech and the revelation that he wasn't going to hurt the citizens, even before, were swaying him in that direction. After all, this was a Champion, who had inside information on the Big 4!

However, Daneel decided to be prudent, as decisions taken in haste were never good.

After thinking for a bit, he decided that what option he chose would depend on Raul's answer to his next question.

Putting down his leg, Daneel leaned forward and placed both of his hands on his knees before asking, "What was your endgame? Why were you so desperate to get to the Champion level quickly? The way I see it, this was a risky mission which might or might not have worked. People could still have died, and you clearly do not want that. But you still want ahead. That shows me that you have something you want to achieve in your mind. What is it?"

This time, it was Raul's turn to be surprised that the King had deduced this from his actions.

For a moment after he heard the question, he remained silent with a neutral expression on his face, but, after that, fire began to burn in his eyes.

Daneel was taken aback. This was only the second time he was seeing this man's composure break, and, from his personality, he could tell that this was something that definitely did not occur often, if at all.

The first time, of course, was when he had been defeated by him, a 'mere' Warrior.

Those smoldering flames weren't born because of fury, or pain. At least, that was what Daneel felt when he looked at them.

Instead, the tinder that was making them burn was…regret. Regret and anguish.

What had this man done which had led him to have such a strong motivation which had been tucked away deep in his mind until now, when he had been asked this question?

Daneel received the answer after a few seconds.

"I need…to kill a Hero."

As soon as he said this, Raul burst out laughing, and it was such an uncharacteristic break of character from that calm person that Daneel couldn't help but widen his eyes with shock.

It was, however, a mirthless laugh, which cut off abruptly when he spoke again.

"Sounds impossible, I know. In fact, you are the only person in this world who is hearing of this. Even my father doesn't know. But…as long as I live, I will always keep working toward that goal, However, I have another one, too, which is to stick to the ideals taught by my father and save as many humans as possible. I have been following the second one all my life, but it is the first which always feels so…unreachable. I feel that even more now, as I am a Champion. I thought something significant would change, but no…I am still as powerless as before in the face of a Hero."

The moment Raul said that last sentence, that fire in his eyes fizzled out, and he returned to the same man he had been when they had begun this discussion.

Daneel sighed as he heard this. Clearly, there was a tale of tragedy here, which he wasn't going to ask about. Even if he did, he doubted whether he would get a response.

Why was it that all those he met recently were those who had been through a lot of pain in their lives?

Maybe…it was because tragedy and pain were effective in molding one to become capable of achieving great things.

Shaking his head, Daneel got up and headed to the door.

Raul saw this and neither said or did nothing, as it was clear that his deductions had been right.

However, to his shock, the last moment before the King stepped outside, all the formations surrounding the cell…vanished, one by one.

Last to vanish was the one which constrained his Mage powers, and as Raul realized it, he got up immediately.

Still with his back to him, the King stretched out his arms wide and said, "I'm an open target, unaware that I am going to be backstabbed. Take your best shot, Champion."

Raul had to admit that he was puzzled. Was this overconfidence? Or was there something he wasn't seeing?

First, he tried to teleport away, but found that the anti-teleportation formation was still present.

Then, he decided that he would attack anyway, just so that he could rid his father of slavery while also reobtaining the chance to forge ahead toward his own goal.

Yet, he really didn't want to King, now that he was no longer obliged to prove anything to anyone, as no one was watching, unlike back then when he had been defeated.

As speed was most important, he decided to use the same attack: two rays of blinding light emanated from his hands, which joined together at a point before heading toward the King's leg.

At this moment, Raul witnessed an incredible scene.

He saw the King conjuring a barrier, but he scoffed at this, as no barrier conjured by an Exalted Warrior at the same time as his attack would ever be able to stop his, as the level difference was too big.

Only, in front of his eyes, before the ray reached the King, his spell…amplified.

Two times, three times, four times, then…a whopping 5 times.

At this degree of amplification, the gap was easily closed. When the ray hit the King's barrier, it simply broke it, but it's Energy was also dispelled at the same time.

At the same moment, the King leaned back with a movement so quick that Raul's eyes almost didn't catch it.

He was so fast that he became a blur, and, before he knew it, Raul felt pain as a blade nicked the skin of his neck.

The King was now standing behind him calmly, with his hand holding a blade that was ready to kill him at a moment's notice.

In that position, the King whispered, "Listen up. I can always defend against you, no matter what I'm doing, no matter if I'm defenseless, no matter what my level is. And if you join me and serve me well, I can give you a promise that you will become capable of killing a Hero. So, I urge you to scrap all those deductions, and make a choice. Follow me, or rot here and die."

…

Meanwhile, in the capital of Lanthanor, Eloise was standing outside a large mansion which could house more than 50 people.

The logo 'H&D' was carved into the door, and as she knocked, she heard the sound of laughter from inside before a cute, little girl opened the door.

Smiling at this kid, Eloise asked, "Hello, little girl. Who're you? Is Helena home? Or Dalia?"

The kid first smiled back politely before answering, "No, Miss. They are both at the factory. Today, there are a lot of shipments to send. I'm Dalia's sister."

"Oh? I didn't know that Helena had relatives?"

Eloise asked this casually, but when she heard the little girl speak, she regretted asking it.

"We aren't related. Aunt Helena adopted me from the slums after my parents died in a robbery."

Immediately bending down and patting her on her head, Eloise said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Can you hand this to either of them when they come home and tell them that I asked that they contact me as soon as possible?"

Handing over a gold-trimmed envelope with Helena and Dalla's names, Eloise watched as the little girl 'aah'ed and took it into her hands, before asking, "What is it?"

"It's an invitation to a very special event."

"Wow, can I come, too?"

As she heard the little girl ask this, Eloise couldn't help but smile wide and pinch her cheeks, before answering.

"Of course, little one. All of Lanthanor is invited. And believe me, it will be fun."

Chapter 554: Nightmare

As Helena and Dalia got home late at night, they tiptoed carefully in order to not wake up all the sleeping children in the house.

Although it hadn't even been a year since they came to the capital while looking for justice for what had happened to them, they looked like completely different people.

For one thing, they weren't emaciated, at all, anymore. After all, before, they had had to scrounge for every morsel, meaning that their nutrition was severely lacking, which had led to them being scrawny and quite unhealthy.

With fuller cheeks, sturdier bones and filled-out bodies, there was already a massive change, but the main difference between who they were before and who they were now was in their eyes.

In their eyes…was the confidence of those who had made their way in the world and succeeded, but hadn't forgotten where they had come from.

There was no arrogance due to the fact that they now owned one of the largest garment manufacturing and import businesses in all of Angaria, or that they had so much money that they could literally roll in it.

No, Helena had never been the type to show off and gloat, and she had brought up her daughter in the same way. More than anything, this showed the value of upbringing, as Dalia was slowly growing to become a progressive woman with the right morals and goals.

They were known for three things, throughout the continent:

Never skimping on material, like many liked to do in order to save costs.

Never accepting more orders than they could handle, which meant that there was no occasion where they overpromised and underdelivered.

Always willing to listen to any complaints humbly, while also allowing refunds and exchanges with a smile, unlike the other haughty enterprises which had enjoyed monopolies for far too long.

In this age where large enterprises had gotten used to being the only source of certain things which meant that they could act how they wanted and still retain customers, these three ideals were so trailblazing and unique that they set apart H&D from any and all competition.

Of course, their popularity could also be attributed to the Olympics and the Network.

After the Olympics, there had been constant demand from all over the continent from those who wanted to be dressed in the same way as all the incredible Mages and Fighters who had performed deeds of amazing skill and power in front of them.

Apart from the trend of sporting bald heads which had begun due to the King, this was the one which captivated the people for a long time.

After that, constant advertisements over the Network using clever methods to not make them feel boring or repetitive had led to the name H&D almost becoming a household one. Add to that the fact that H&D had a wide range of products to offer from those costing a few Bronze Lans to even Enchanted clothes which cost dozens of Gold Lans, it was quickly becoming the go-to store for all kinds of people.

The most important thing was that this success hadn't gotten to Helena and Dalia's heads. Dalia still went to school, and Helena was still the warm woman who spoke politely with all those who worked with her. Yet, she had learned to be firm where it was needed, which had become a valuable skill for situations where someone tried to take advantage of her.

The first time this had had to be used was when the other seamstresses and embroideries of Lanthanor, who had come under her so as not to have their businesses closed by imported products, had tried to convince her that a little compromise on quality was fine, as their profits would grow considerably.

She had put her foot down there, which had communicated to them that she wasn't someone to be pushed around.

Eloise had actually been the happiest when she heard of this. She had wondered whether she would have to step in in such situations, but it was a pleasant surprise to find that the little family was talented both in embroidery and business.

Also, this was the investment which paid off most for the Bank. Since that time, Helena had already taken three additional loans of increasing amounts, each time, which had led to the Bank earning a lot, and even increasing its popularity as Helena was always grateful and told everyone who would listen that the Bank was one of the main reasons for their success, apart from the King, himself.

As for the mansion, she had been unwilling to leave the small house they had taken right after coming to Lanthanor city which had so many memories, but she had finally been convinced after their street kept getting crowded because too many people always came to see her.

Yet, the mansion had always felt empty with just them and the maids. That was when Dalia had gotten the bright idea that they should adopt orphans from the streets, who might be as hopeless as them when they had first come here.

And that…was what had led to this moment, where Helena had just tiptoed to the kitchen to find a letter waiting for her on the dining table.

Curious, she picked it up and saw that it was from Eloise, which made her hurriedly open it and see what was inside.

That was when she immediately took out a trinket and sent a message.

"Miss Eloise! Why didn't you just intimate me by trinket? I would have dropped everything in an instant!"

She heard a tinkling laugh from the other side, which made a smile light up on Helena's face. Even Dalia understood what was going on and came closer to hear her favorite elder sister's voice.

"I didn't want to disturb you two! Anyway, you must have seen the invitation. The King requested your presence personally. You two are the role models of the Kingdom, you know! And, he also wanted to speak to you about something. He has been busy with certain…projects, till now, but as he is relatively free at the moment, he is taking a hands-on approach to all the things that are valuable to Lanthanor. Oh, and he asked how little Dalia was doing."

That last sentence made the little girl, who was maturing into a stunning woman, blush profusely before she squeaked something about going to the bathroom and ran up the stairs.

This made Helena burst out laughing for a moment, before she answered, "Anything for the King, Miss. Eloise. You know that we will always remain indebted to you, too, and that man who changed our whole life."

"Good. Be there at the appointed time, then. And, oh, prepare to be awed."

…

Meanwhile, Daneel had instantly teleported away from the man after saying those words into his ears, as it would be really weird if he stayed in that position for even a second longer than necessary.

Right now, he was back on the Throne, while waiting for Raul to comprehend everything that had just happened and then make his decision.

Indeed, Raul was a bit slow on the uptake as he had no idea how someone, anyone, could amplify their spells by 5 times.

Besides that, the movement of the King which had been so fast as to look like teleportation was another skill which seemed unbeatable.

Add to that all the remarkable, inconceivable things he had seen from the King so far…and it resulted in a man whose mysteries were endless.

If anyone else on this continent had said that they would make it possible for him to kill a Hero, he would have scoffed at the notion and turned aside.

Yet, coming from this man…it almost seemed natural. As if he didn't even need to think much before giving the assurance.

He didn't need to think anymore. He had always been decisive, which was the reason why he had chosen to save those 10,000 people even though he had had only a split second of time.

With a thud, he kneeled on the ground with both legs, before bending his head.

Daneel had to say that he was pleased as he saw this. After the rejection from Joselyn, he had gotten prepared to face another one, which was why he had gone to the extent of making that statement physically, which would have the most effect.

Clearly, it had worked.

From all angles, right now, this decision felt great, but Daneel was also excited to see exactly what surprises this man would give him during his service.

He had no intention to savor the moment, so he just cast a spell to return the man to his feet before getting up and turning around.

"Good, come on. We have no time to lose. First, I have a temporary assignment for you. It's kind of beneath you, but I need you to do it, as my commanders are…let's say, busy with something. And, here, use this spell which will camouflage you from Heroes, too. Don't try to understand it, just practice and cast it. It will be taxing, but it's worth it until I find a better alternative. If you prove yourself to be worth it, I'll think about creating a trinket with the same effect."

Rattling off instructions and then even throwing a data trinket that behind him which Raul caught with a bewildered expression on his face, the King looking like a busy employer who had no time to give to his most recent acquisition.

Yet, Raul couldn't help but ask, "That's it? Oaths aren't that effective, but aren't you going to make me swear one, just in case?"

This made the King shrug and say, "I trust you, and you now know that the reason is that my power is absolute, at least, in regards to you."

This was the answer that Daneel gave, as he couldn't tell Raul that he had a subroutine running in the system which would detonate Drakos's nano bomb and kill Raul in the fraction of a second if it was necessary.

Raul shook his head and then sighed, knowing that this was true. Even though he knew that it was a good thing as it meant that he was that much more likely to achieve his goal, he still hadn't come to terms with it.

Soon, they reached a double metal door which was locked.

Flicking his fingers, the King removed the formations and opened the door, which resulted in Raul raising his eyebrows as he saw that this was actually a large cavern with a high ceiling in which over a hundred individuals were sparring and training.

In the corner was a row of…faucets, strangely, which were letting out a golden Energy instead of water. This Energy was being absorbed by those sitting under them, who had painful expressions on their faces.

Even though the color was different, Raul recognized it instantly.

"Isn't that…", he began, but he was halted by the King who raised a hand.

"Don't say it, and don't tell it to anyone. And don't ask me how I have so many."

Of course.

By this point, Raul realized that he shouldn't find it surprising that a King in the Central Continent somehow had a pile of Ker Gems which he was using to train all these people.

After a few moments, the two of them were on a raised pedestal, and as a few older people who were overseeing the training saw this and singled everyone to gather, the King spoke out loud in a booming voice which echoed throughout the cavern.

"Oh, you all don't need to gather. I just came here to introduce you all to someone."

Saying so, with everyone's attention on him, the King pointed a finger at Raul, who had taken on a different appearance- coincidentally, he had chosen one which made him look like a battle-hardened veteran with many scars on his face and body, which really fit in with what the King said next.

"Everyone, meet…your nightmare."

Huh?

Including Raul, everyone was puzzled.

But when the King made it clear, those in the room took in a deep breath.

"Let me explain. Domination Corps, and members of the Fists of Justice Training Hall who have joined me. From this day forth, this man's only duty is to make your life fell. You wake up to a punch from him in the gut. You eat breakfast while fending off magic arrows from him. You go to the bathroom while casting a fire spell to keep your arse and your other, oh so important parts from freezing and breaking away, as he will be creating a blizzard all around the bathrooms. Lunch and dinner will only be served after he is satisfied that he has shown you enough hell. Otherwise, hell is all you will have for all your meals. Hell, and that Golden Energy. Every time you are close to collapsing, or have already collapsed from exhaustion, you will be dumped below a faucet where you WILL absorb all the damn Energy you can. This will only end when I am satisfied that you are worthy of being called my personal corps. Have fun!"

Saying so, Daneel clapped Raul's shoulder once and smiled at his former college mates and teachers below, who looked like they were seeing the Devil incarnate, just like Rayen.

Without another word, Daneel teleported away and got to his quarters.

Here, he put away the smile and sighed.

He didn't want to put those people through all that, but he had no choice.

It was an open secret that a body would be able to absorb Energy and grow stronger faster the more it was strained.

Apparently, this was even more true with Her Gem Energy, which would have even more effects in such a state.

Yet, this method wasn't used because, historically, according to Drakos, as it placed too much strain, mentally.

Only, Daneel trusted all those people. If they could hear him now, they would definitely curse their luck for having earned his trust.

In this training, those who endured…would soon become Warriors. And the rest would be weeded out to make a weaker force.

It was regrettable but necessary.

Exhausted, Daneel flopped onto his bed, but it was almost like he could hear the screams from many kilometers below.

Chapter 555: A Special Event 1

The next morning, Dalia was firmly looking down while sitting in an Ether-driven carriage that was taking them to the location given in the invitation.

Helena had a broad smile on her face as she looked out the window. The sun was just peeking out of the clouds, and because the actual ceremony was slated for noon, there weren't too many people on the road they were traveling on.

They had had the option to directly teleport to the location, but both of them had refused as they tended to spew out the contents of their stomachs whenever they went through the ordeal of teleportation.

Hence, even though it meant that they would have to start out very early in the morning to travel all the way to the border, they had done so after packing a portable touch-up kit which they could use after reaching their destination.

Before, they had never used to care about their appearance, but, now, just like Eloise had said, they represented something important. So, they had picked up a few simple skills just so that they could look presentable instead of looking like two people who had been traveling for hours.

As the sunlight hit her face, Helena squinted and looked to the side to see her daughter in that position.

Putting her hand around the girl who had opted to wear a gorgeous red dress with a simple, pearl pendant, she said, "Don't be nervous! It's been months since you've seen him. Just act like yourself."

Of course, this had no effect whatsoever, which made Helena sigh and remember her own childhood crush- a woodcutter in her village around whom she had always used to get flustered till she grew up and grew out of it.

Just like that, she knew that this would pass, but the problem was that they were soon going to be in a public place right near the King where the entire scene was going to be broadcasted live for hundreds of thousands of people to see.

The surprising thing was that too much advertising hadn't gone into this program. It had all been very secretive and hush-hush, and even though it had become clear that the King was going to unveil some kind of transportation system, no one knew any further details.

Over both forms of the Network, only a very brief line had been used to build up the hype: "Prepare to see the future," along with today's date and the word 'Noon' below it.

This kind of crisp, clean advertising had worked surprisingly well: all over the continent, anticipation was at an all-time high, mainly because everyone wanted to find out what was being concealed so well.

Looking at her daughter again, Helena decided that she would handle this delicately.

With that intention in mind, she was just going to launch into a story about her own crush, when she suddenly felt something strange and stopped.

They had rented a large carriage with 4 seats, two on each side, just so that they could have spacious leg room over the long journey. All the little girls and boys in their house were due to leave a half hour before the appointed time via teleportation, so they were alone right now.

Only, when she looked down, she saw a pair of feet adorned in hand-made shoes.

"Hello, ladies."

Even though the voice sounded familiar, she shrieked with shock and was about to forcefully catch hold of her daughter and jump out, thinking that some rapist or murderer might have managed to appear in front of them, in this way, so as to abduct them.

Only, weirdly, it was her daughter who had a calm reaction.

"Mom, calm down! It's the King!", she shouted, which made Helena take a closer look at the man who had a sheepish expression on his face as he smiled at them.

He was wearing a red-gold coat, complete with shining, crimson dragons that coiled around his shoulders and waist. Right now, he was scratching his head, as if things hadn't played out in the way he had expected.

"Apologies. Maybe I should have teleported outside and knocked first before entering. We are a little strapped for time and I heard that you two were arriving in this means, so I just…"

"Please don't apologize, My King. I'm used to this because the teacher in our school loves to do the same to startle students who might be gossiping instead of studying. My mother is not that experienced, though, so you must pardon her."

Meanwhile, Helena stared at her daughter, wondering where that timid and blushing girl had gone.

Wasn't she supposed to be tongue-tied right now? Instead, how was she talking so calmly?

A slight blush was still there, but Dalia had a sweet smile on her face, instead of being silly like she had been during that first audience.

It seemed…that the generation gap was real. She had grown up in an isolated place while not interacting with many people, which had resulted in her being in that way with her crush. Yet, her daughter was a modern citizen of Lanthanor who was studying the world in school while also talking to various people from all walks of life. This must definitely have resulted in a fundamental change which made her different, and much more mature.

Realizing this and regaining her composure, Helena sat down, as she had just been about to jump out.

With a small smile, she was also about to say something to the same effect, but she stopped when the King raised his hand and said, "No, it was my fault. I'll make sure to be more tactful with my loyal subjects in the future. Miss. Helena, how is business? Any troubles you wish to tell me about? If that is the case, don't hesitate. I have both a personal and professional stake in this business, as you already know. And little Dalia, how's school? Any suggestions on making it better?"

Seeing the King smile genially and say this, Dalia almost lost her the composure that she had mustered with great difficulty. She could tell that he was…different, from how she had last seen him.

At that time, there had still been a little bit of the rough edges of a normal person who had ascended to the Throne.

Now, all of that was gone, and was replaced by the bold presence of a leader who was fully confident in himself.

Thankfully, her mother came to her rescue.

"None at all, My Lord. And, please, you must call me Helena, I insist. I've met Mother Mary multiple times. Oh, that is what she is being called by many in the Kingdom- I'm surprised that you aren't aware."

Helena said this because of the fact that King Daneel had just raised an eyebrow on hearing his mother being addressed as 'Mother Mary'.

Seeing his interest in the matter, Helena said, "Her philanthropic work has built up a considerable following who are all ready to die for her, if needed, My Lord. I am only saying that to convey the level of devotion she garners, mainly because of her humble and motherly attitude which made her become the Mother of the downtrodden, who had no one to call their own. As for the business: there are no difficulties that need to be brought to your concern, I assure you of that. If there is anything, I definitely would not hesitate. Dalia, you said you had some ideas about the school, right? What were they?"

Hearing her mother speak had allowed Dalia to gather herself again, so, she waited for the King who had sunk into deep thought.

After a few moments, he snapped to attention and looked at Dalia again before nodding his head, which Dalia took as a sign for her to speak.

"My King, I just think that…the method of testing us is too varied. You see, the teachers set the tests, by themselves, and sometimes, they are hard, while other times, they are so easy that we could do them in our sleep. In the same subject, there are multiple teachers, and, hence, multiple tests, so there is no method for us to compare with the other classes. I, at least, think that it would really push everyone to perform better if there was something to achieve by scoring high in a way that can be compared and is common among all students at the same level, in the same subject. Right now, the only criteria is pass and fail, and those who perform exceptionally get recommendations. That's it."

Daneel had been quite startled by this news about the 'following'. Initially, his only intention had been for his mom to not be bored when both of them were off taking care of their duties. He had given her an almost unlimited fund to spend on the poor, as she had always liked to help those in need, even when their own family had been in a very bad condition.

He had almost forgotten about the matter, so, finding out about this, in this way, at this stage, itself, was a good thing.

His guess was that Eloise hadn't reported anything about the matter because it might not be big enough, yet.

After all, how could she know that this concept of one person garnering devotion from others could be something so dangerous?

He had experienced that danger, himself, just recently. Yet, he didn't know if that applied here. After all, his mom wasn't promising anything, nor were there specific things to do to show devotion. If so, could it be called a religion?

Deciding to do an in-depth study of this as soon as today's event was over, Daneel had listened to Dalia's words, and had been startled again.

He had set up the school as a means for children to find out about the world and be educated about the possibilities of their future. Hence, there hadn't been an emphasis on standardized testing methods.

Yet, he now realized that that was foolish. Just like Dalia had said, a standardized test would push students to study harder, while also resulting in a metric with which their skill could be judged.

As he thought on it, he was, at first, very reluctant about the latter, as he hated that practice from Earth where someone was judged according to their marks all their lives.

The tests had to be there, but steps would also have to be taken so that the negatives wouldn't get carried over. This…would definitely also be something very crucial that might dictate the future of Lanthanor and Angaria.

So, it had to be given careful thought, as Daneel really, really did not want to put the children of this world through what all those poor kids on Earth had to endure.

All in all, even before he got to his main point, this conversation had already turned out to be very fruitful.

Bending forward, he patted the cute, little girl's head, which made her blush a deep crimson before looking down.

"Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention! I'll definitely look into it and implement something that we can be happy about."

Smiling broadly due to the adorable reaction, Daneel sat back and looked at Helena before a serious expression came on his face.

"Now, then, I also wanted to give you a little advice, Helena. I've looked over everything you're doing. You are unique because you cater to all kinds of people. But…I think a small step will really boost your popularity. You see, segregation is something ugly that we must acknowledge and use even if we don't like it. At least, that's what I think. You need to differentiate your clothing line into three sections: one for normal people, one for those who are relatively well off, and one for the rich. This way, you will pull all those people who have been on the fence because they don't want to wear the same clothes with the same branding as those who they see to be beneath them. Sadly, this is how a major part of the market is, and it won't change no matter how many changes I bring. That is how humans are, and I don't see that changing, at least in the short term. Hence, what you can do is take advantage of that. You can overcharge the premium line, and use that extra money to keep the cheapest line very affordable. Take from the rich and give to the poor, in a way, while keeping everyone happy. As for the differentiation, you can keep the H&D and add suffixes, while also changing the color of the logo you print on the clothes. At least, this is my suggestion. I would understand if you don't want to go through with it, but I do urge you to think about it. Now, then, I think you two forgot to notice something…"

Saying so, Daneel pointed at the window, which made the two look outside and gasp, as all they saw were clouds.

Indeed, Daneel had sped up their journey by personally flying them up.

This idea regarding the garment line was based on what he had seen on Earth: premium brands always had tons of sales, because of the 'pull' of their name, and because they were regarded as status symbols. If Helena agreed, he had many ideas for ads which would definitely catapult H&D to the top.

As for the 'Robin Hood' part, it was his own twist to the typical idea he was implementing here.

Even before the two could recover from the shock that they were flying, they began to descend, as they had reached their destination.

As they landed, Daneel opened the door and got out, before breathing in deep while viewing the sight in front of him which he was very, very proud of.

There were three, distinctly different tracks on the ground, with three different 'carriages' on top of them.

Each carriage was a wooden box on multiple sets of wheels, with the edges of the box had metallic parts jutting out that glinted in the sun, and were carved into beautiful shapes to award the carriage with a very high-class look.

The first carriage was the most normal-looking: it just looked like a typical Ether-driven carriage that was placed on a track.

The second looked more special: it had a very weird, metallic back part whose purpose they couldn't tell. The tracks were also different: each track had many patterns carved on them, which meant that they were trinkets.

The last was the strangest: it was made of wood and metal of the highest quality, but the main peculiarity lay in the fact that there was a very strange apparatus that the carriage…fit, into.

While Helena and Dalia gasped in wonder, Daneel proudly said, "Here is the segregation I told you about, in action. Soon, you will understand its importance. And…just wait till you see what each of these things can do."

…

Meanwhile, a secret meeting had just begun in a remote location that was not under the rule of any Kingdom in the Central Continent.

Over 30 people had gathered, each wearing more extravagant clothes than the last, but at their head sat a man donning the simple attire of a common shopkeeper.

They were in a wooden house specially constructed for this occasion, and on one wall was a Network Trinket with a countdown to noon, when the special event would start.

Whispers could be heard from everyone in the room, but they were interrupted when the man at the head of the long table stood up and spoke.

"Everyone, I've been warning you for a long time. The King of Lanthanor…is a genius whose mind we cannot beat. Hence, the only method left is for us to learn what we can and implement it in our own way. If all of us come together, we can put all his plans to much greater use."

One among the audience chose to speak up.

"But…isn't that stealing?"

The response was given in a cold tone.

"So? What can he do about it? We will do it openly, and even credit him, saying that we were 'inspired'. All that he will be able to do is lament. People, this is the best way for us to flourish. Now then, unless you are fine with seeing your profits dip further, I suggest we watch, and get ready."

Chapter 556: A Special Event End

In the Palace of Arafell, the Queen was pacing around in her empty Throne Room while a Network Trinket floated in front of her, showing a countdown to the event that almost all of Angaria was waiting for, right now.

"Priscilla, what do you know about the importance of being on the cusp of becoming a Champion? I remember that I was stressed and kept starting fights everywhere for months during that time! It is, possibly, the most important decision of one's life! Their future power, their potential, their combat role, all of it is decided with that decision! Yet, this guy is idly launching schemes for the people instead of focusing on more crucial matters? Does he think the Church is just sitting around? He should drop everything and focus on getting stronger, or on finding ways to defend Angaria!"

After the Queen said this, her facial expression suddenly changed to that of a girl who was smiling because she had caught something.

"Aha! I knew it, My Queen! Before, you were ready to force him to bend the knee, but now, you're almost talking like you care about him! Why the sudden change?"

As the expression changed again, this time, a woman blushing oh so faintly appeared, before that blush was replaced by anger.

"No! I just want him to be even stronger so that I'll have a better subordinate! I don't care about anything else! All right, look, it's starting!"

Glancing at the trinket and noticing that only a minute was left for the countdown to end, the Queen used the opportunity to change the subject and teleport back to her Throne before sitting comfortably to view what the King had been up to.

Yet, at the same time, she couldn't help but think back to that moment when an Amateur Champion had been killed at the hands of a mere Peak Warrior.

At that moment, the King had seemed vaguely….similar to the Emperor. She didn't even know why that was the case, as the Emperor had been even more of a peerless genius who skipped multiple levels to kill people, often.

Still, maybe it was that someone had like that, who could do so with style, had come along after a long, long while.

Shaking her head to get rid of these thoughts, the Queen, and Priscilla who had noticed the turmoil, but held her tongue, viewed the trinket to see what announcement the King would make.

…

At the same time, the King of Axelor was doing the same, accompanied by his favorite minister who always stayed by his side, and a few other people.

They were all those who handled the economic matters of the Kingdom, and they had been called specially to analyze the scheme of the King of Lanthanor's which would soon be revealed.

Everyone knew of the King's…love for purges for the oddest of reasons. Hence, they stayed completely silent and kept their eyes on the Network Trinket, waiting for the program to start.

Meanwhile, there was a barrier around the King and his minister, and the former was grumbling something under his breath while the latter fiddled with his fingers nervously.

"My King…analysis shows that another purge, so soon, will definitely result in unrest that will take quite a long time to die down. It will cause a massive loss to the Kingdom, and the army. I urge you to reconsider."

This was what the Minister said out loud, but, inside, he was cursing the King of Lanthanor because he had no other option.

Why had the man rejected the War Games?

This rejection after the King had already planned a lot of things to happen during the event had thoroughly unseated the man in front of him, causing him to go on another murderous rage which had claimed the lives of 18 poor, innocent maids while also insisting that another purge should be carried out.

Clearly, these purges somehow the sick urges of this man who was unfortunately in control of the Kingdom the Minister meant. Hence, he could only do his best to veer him away from such choices.

Thankfully, the analysis had given him a reason to say this and try to dissuade the King.

Surprisingly, King Safiros answered in a calm tone.

"Oh, cancel that, but draw up plans for another, discreet one. This one needs to be more elaborate. Maybe we can plant some traitor from a different Kingdom who starts killing those of ours, resulting in a purge being compulsory because the surrounding villages would be scared? When we carry one out, they will even thank us. And Lanthanor should be the one responsible, of course. Hate is at an all-time high, but there's no harm in letting it rise further."

These words made a chill appear in the minister's spine, even though he had initially been glad that the King had calmed down.

He had been hoping that those words said in throes of anger might be reversed, now that he was calmer.

Only, it seemed that King Safiros was even more dangerous when calm.

What was the reason behind this man's fascination with purges?

This question appeared in the minister's mind, but except for concluding that it mostly must be for sick satisfaction, there was nothing else that the minister could do about it.

"Or maybe there's a disease spreading. I don't know, I'll come up with something."

As soon as he said this, the countdown ended, and the screen was replaced by a…a dragon?

Not just any dragon- it was one made of fire, which animatedly frolicked this way and that before finally stopping in the center in the form of an L, which was the logo of Lanthanor.

"So much for a grand opening,", said Safiros teasingly, yet, the next moment, he had no other option but to shut up and watch as the screen had once again been replaced.

In it was a simple house, in which a little girl was sitting and playing with a few crude, wooden toys while her mother fussed with her cooking in the kitchen.

The door opened to reveal a tired man stepping through, wearing clothes plastered with ash while his face was that of someone who hadn't taken a rest in a long, long time.

As soon as he came in, he collapsed, which made the little girl run to him and say, "What's wrong, father?"

It was a touching moment, for sure, but most people were puzzled. What was going on?

If they were inhabitants of Earth who were used to theatrics for advertisements, they would have understood by now.

The father proceeded to explain that he had lost his job, and that although there was an opening obtained via a friend, it was many towns away.

It would be impossible for the family to shift, and it would also be impossible for him to commute daily and still have enough money for his family to eat.

Just as he said this and was about to lament, with a flash, the King of Lanthanor was standing in that house.

"What the f*ck?"

That was the exclamation from the King, who was already quite irritated that he had had to watch that clearly fake sob story which he didn't even understand much, as there hadn't been a day when he hadn't been shrouded in luxury.

The sudden appearance of the King startled him, but all over Angaria, those who had witnessed his heroic acts during 'Mercy for the Wicked' cheered.

At the same moment, that family was also shocked, but before they could react, the King stretched out his arm to the father who was on the floor and said, "Let me help you, dear citizen of mine."

The screen went blank after this, and was replaced by a completely different scene of a warehouse filled with bags of some kind of crop.

"What is this? Is he going to torture us by making us sit through hours and hours of this bullsh*t?", said the King, but all those in the room were busy watching the scene and wondering what would happen here.

A similar scenario occurred: the owner of the warehouse had just lost a deal with someone he was supposed to deliver all this wheat to, and it was all going to go to waste as there was no way that he could transport it quickly enough to sell it to another buyer.

This was followed by the fear that the man would have to default on the loans he had taken from moneylenders, which would lead to his family having no other option but to sell everything and move to the slums, but the King appeared again and did the same motion.

Stretching out his hand with a genial smile on his face, he said, "Let me help you, dear citizen of mine."

As the screen cut off for the second time and was replaced by another scene once again, King Safiros was at the end of his patience.

He was just about to erupt with anger and storm out, but he stopped as this scene showed the grand mansion of someone who was very well off.

What did the transportation system that was apparently going to be launched now have anything to do with the rich?

All the analysis by his advisors had pointed to the fact that this whole thing was an attempt by the King to solve the problems of the working and middle classes.

The others in the room were similarly shocked, so they watched on as the scene panned to an old man with a goatee idly reading the newspaper while sipping a cup of clear wine.

His butler appeared at that moment, and said that the man was supposed to travel to some area where some business of his was running, which made the man sigh and lament that it would be another long journey by carriage, as he just couldn't adjust to teleportation, just like many others.

The King did his act for the third time, and the screen cut off and was finally replaced by the main announcement.

"The Angarian Express: One Solution to All of Your Problems."

The first family was shown traveling to an opulent station, where the daughter and wife bid goodbye to the man who climbed a carriage with many others in it that started slowly and took off at a moderate speed.

The warehouse owner was shown smiling happily as a different, open carriage was being loaded with bag after bag of wheat, which, when done, started moving at a speed much faster.

Finally, the rich man was shown being ushered into a regal room by professionally dressed servers who sat him down and started tending to his every need.

Extreme opulence was shown: although it was clear that this was the interior of a carriage, there were incredibly useful amenities such as some sort of seat massager, a Network Trinket, a personal chef and even a full-sized bed, in case someone wanted to sleep.

Yet, the most miraculous thing about this was when the image zoomed out to show a carriage, which actually moved back while pushing some kind of…rope that was as thick as a man's waist.

After a few moments, the image zoomed out again for the actual reveal.

It was a massive bow-shaped apparatus, with a large hole in the front for the train to pass through. The carriage was the arrow, and as it was launched with a loud sound that made it shoot forward and become a blur, barriers activated all around, stabilizing the carriage and keeping it on the tracks which were also glowing.

Only, when the image zoomed in again to show the old man who was traveling, he was feasting on steak as though he hadn't moved at all.

How was this even possible?

That question ran through everyone's minds, but the screen cut off again, and this time, although it remained blank, the King addressed the viewers.

"Experience comfort and connectivity the likes of which have never been seen on this continent, with the Angarian Express. If you aren't convinced, stay tuned to listen to interviews with some of the most prominent Angarians and Eldinorians and also common citizens, who have all had the pleasure of experiencing this revolution."

With this Daneel's part in the announcement was done. Helena and Dalia were up next, and as he smiled to them while he felt happy, the system sounded in his mind.

[Incoming communication from Hero-level figure.]

"Let it in."

"King Daneel, I am waiting to speak to you right above where you are."

It was the Head.

Daneel's heart lurched, but he calmed down as the man had said that he would come talk to him about something at some point.

So, Daneel first teleported straight up before flying.

As he finally reached the spot where the man with the stylish short beard was sitting on a large sofa made of clouds, Daneel was about to greet him, but he was quite startled when the Head spoke out in a stern voice.

"King, if you were in my sect, I would shackle you without a thought and throw you in a training room. You received such an incredible inheritance, but you're wasting it by playing these antics with these people, who might all die soon unless those like you shut up and train to become strong enough to defend Angaria. You disappoint me, King. For how long do you intend to waste time on trivial things while not focusing on the big picture?"

Chapter 557: Manipulation

As Daneel heard this tirade, he didn't know how to respond.

First of all, this wasn't some well-wisher of his who was saying this for his own good. The Head gave him all kind of negative vibes which meant that there was no way that Daneel would trust the man, and, besides, this was only the second time they were talking.

Secondly, the way he spoke about how all those below them might die was troubling, to say the least. Was the Big 4 sure that there would be massive casualties in the war that was to come? Were they prepared to let that happen with some endgame in mind?

A lot of questions appeared in Daneel's mind, but, sadly, he couldn't ask any of them.

So, he just stoically stood there among the clouds while the Head glowered at him for a few moments in silence.

After that, he let out a sigh, before conjuring a chair and saying, "Sit, first. No matter how many years pass, I guess that a young one wasting their potential is the one thing that I will always be affected by. My apologies."

Huh? He was even apologizing, now?

Again, Daneel had no idea what to make of this. So, he just decided to be a passive participant in this conversation with the aim of finding out as much as possible about this enigmatic man who was supposed to be in control of the whole continent.

As for his other statements about how he was wasting time, how could he know that Daneel's main objective was to break the third seal?

Behind the third seal were the most precious Champion Paths of the Empire, among which there might be something which enticed him, as, right now, he neither had clarity regarding which direction he wanted to go in, nor did he have interest in any of the Paths he had seen so far.

All he did have was a vague feeling, and a wish.

That wish was that whatever he chose would be something that personified him, to as much an extent as possible. As such, that wish was also that it would be the most powerful and dominating of all Paths that existed, which was something that ought to be the case anyway, considering the name of the system he was in possession of.

As for that vague feeling, it told him that he had to be patient, and that this was an important choice which had to be handled very, very carefully.

All in all, Daneel wasn't that concerned with rushing this decision, even though he knew that it would give him a significant power boost.

So, he had decided to concentrate on the schemes such as the train, which would increase the development rate, and, thus, the increase in satisfaction level.

Along with this, he also had many other 'antics', as the Head put them, planned, for the same purpose.

Hence, he had to admit that he was pretty disgruntled at being shouted at by this old man who didn't know the truth behind the matter.

Still, he just stayed silent and sat down.

A glass of wine floated to him, which Daneel accepted, but did not drink.

Seeing this, the Head sighed again and continued.

"I guess we got off on the wrong foot. But it needed to be said, King Daneel. You might not know of this, but the Peak Warrior stage is a very crucial time. Each moment you spend there without stepping forward is one wasted, which could be put to much better use progressing on your Champion Path and making it stronger. Some foolish people end up delaying too long while searching for the 'perfect' Champion Path. With my experience, let me tell you something. There is no 'perfect'

Champion Path. The one you choose, is the one that is 'perfect' for you. If you choose it for the right reasons, then it is the best choice."

Huh? Why did this remind Daneel about the cliched dialogue about love from Earth?

Discarding that thought, Daneel focused on the man's words.

Well, he was right, but how was Daneel supposed to tell him that reason behind him not forging ahead was that there was a treasure box in front of him which would definitely equip him with much better choices if opened first?

He couldn't say anything about the Empire Spirit, and it looked like this old man wasn't going to leave this topic alone.

So, Daneel decided that it was time to lie.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel was just about to start a long, drawn-out speech about how he couldn't even train properly if he didn't take care of all these people who trusted him, and that he was the sort of man whose mind would be disturbed endlessly if he didn't act as the thoughtful ruler he was, complete with hard-hitting dialogues and even tears which would make it seem like he was an emotional fool.

Yet, at the last moment, an idea struck him.

Could this opportunity, and this man's passion in the matter be somehow put to use to manipulate him?

Anyone in this situation might choose to get rid of this Head, whom they knew nothing about, by telling some lie or the other. After all, the best option might be to get back to what he was doing without having to worry about a Hero overlooking everything and glowering at him silently.

He could choose to let him down, or just act bratty, even, while keeping the end result in mind.

Yet, Daneel discarded all these options and chose to go with his idea, simply because he felt that it had the most benefits.

For one thing, it would help him to get a better gauge of this man's intentions. That was simply the most pressing question, right now.

This was a slight gamble, and he tried to ask Drakos about it to make it less so, but, alas, that didn't work out.

Still, Daneel decided to roll the dice, once again.

Taking another deep breath, the King of Lanthanor put on an expression of deep thought as he leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees while looking down, through the clouds, at all the people moving in throngs toward the enormous train station that he had built for the Angarian Express.

The Head was initially about to continue and try to convince the King more, as, to him, he was just a kid who should be advised. Yet, he paused as he saw that his words had already had some kind of effect.

Silence punctured by the occasional sound of wind and the calls of various birds cast its spell over their vicinity, while the Head waited patiently.

Finally, the King spoke after a minute.

"Uh…how should I call you?", he first asked, just to be polite.

Chuckling, the Head replied, "Just call me Head. That is my designation, and its what everyone calls me, too."

Nodding, the King resumed speaking.

"Head. I don't know I should explain it, but…I feel that my Champion Path has something to do with people, from all walks of life."

Hearing this made the Head raise his eyebrows, but he just folded his hands and said, "Oh? Interesting. Tell me as much as you can."

"It's like…each action and reaction I see makes me understand something. It varies for each kind of person I study. Rich, poor, old, young. It feels as if…if I study them enough, and do things which make them react in different ways, I can learn to…control those reactions. Change them to my will. Manipulate them…to my liking. Like…see that little girl, down there, who's crying because she can't find her mother. The action needed is to reunite with her mother, but when that happens, if I progress enough, I feel that I can make it so that she feels…happier. Maybe she had trauma from years ago where she got lost for a long time. I could make that disappear. Basically, what I mean to say that: my Champion Path is all about people. It is not clear to me, yet, but I feel that it will be very strong both offensively and defensively, if I succeed at it. You know much more about Champion Paths than I do. What do you think?"

The last part was just to pander to this man's passion for instruction, just because he had seen it in action when he had arrived.

Daneel had just spouted a hot, steaming pile of bullsh*t, but it hadn't been spun out of thin air. There were simple Champion Paths which related to people's emotions, and controlling them. Why couldn't the same apply to reactions?

It was a shot in the dark, so Daneel had tried asking Drakos, but the Dragon had just said that the information was sealed. That, though, did give him confidence, as it meant that it was at least remotely related to something which was hidden behind the third seal.

Still, now was the moment of truth. It would all depend on how the Head reacted.

If he saw it as the bullsh*t that it was, Daneel would have no option but to revert to the original option of lying.

However, if that didn't happen…he was ready to pounce.

By the time the Head spoke after a few moments, Daneel was almost about to burst due to the suspense.

Thankfully, his reply made the King of Lanthanor smile, inside.

"Intriguing. You might have embarked on a path that is hinted at in the records we have from the Empire's time as one that is fit for a schemer. You're an upright and just King, though, so maybe yours is a different variation. For now, all I can say is that you should make it clearer, but when the time comes to fix it, I can help, if you need me to. Young seeds like you are far more important than what anyone believes. Again, I apologize. I see you do have the Champion level in your mind."

The Head said this in a tone filled with both slight excitement and embarrassment, which made it clear that Daneel's gamble had paid off.

So…he implemented the next step.

"There is something in which I do need your help, Head. I don't know if I should ask, though."

"Speak up! Even though you aren't a part of the Big 4, there are certain things I can still help you with. But, there are many things I can only do if you leave the Central Continent and join the Big 4. First, state your need."

With hesitation, Daneel said, "I…also feel the need to study those who are from different backgrounds and hold different levels of power, and I am also interested in the personal accounts of powerful people who have graced our continent. I feel this will really propel me forward on this path of understanding, as the goal, after all, is for the Champion Path to aid me in a fight. Is there any way to obtain those?"

After a brief pause during which the Head looked like he was trying to decide about something, he finally replied with a smile.

"Well, you can find those in the various libraries of the Big 4, and it shouldn't be a problem for you to interact with sect members. Maybe you might even choose to join us, if you do so. What do you say, King Daneel? Would you like me to authorize your entry into all 4 sects of the Big 4, along with access to libraries which those of your power level can access?"

It was said that the best method to make someone do something was to make them think that it was their idea.

As Daneel nodded excitedly when he heard the Head's reply, this thought passed through his mind, along with joy due to the fact that he had just gained access to places which might hold answers to quite a few of the mysteries that plagued him.

Along with the possibility of the system finding more clues regarding Heroes, there was also a possibility that he might find information which would propel him forward in the Race.

And...it was finally time for him to find out just which were the sects that comprised of the rest of the Big 4.

…

Meanwhile, in that wooden room in the middle of nowhere, all the luxuriously dressed gentlemen and ladies were speechless as they recalled that enormous, village-sized bow which had fired a carriage forward without inconveniencing its passengers in the slightest.

It was the man in plain clothes who finally spoke up.

"Well, that third train is certainly out of the question. But the other two can be implemented by us. Assemble all of your Enchanters. The plan for Angarian Express is that we will implement it in the few towns we control in the other Kingdoms. As for the Network, I already know some people who have obtained the formation models for the trinket used to broadcast. We will be beginning the plan to enter that sphere, soon. And, finally, the Bank. We will offer even lower interest rates, and turn everyone toward us. In a week, the King should be pulling his hair out. That is the goal, everyone. Let's get started."

Chapter 558: Advice

"All right. I will pass down the instructions right now, and when all the authorizations are done, I will send you the instructions through which you can visit each of the Big 4. I would advise you to finish everything you wish to do in one trip, as it would be too much of a hassle for you to go and come as you wish. There are protocols to be followed each time an outsider is allowed into a sect, you know."

"Of course! I will certainly plan accordingly."

'Believe me, once will be enough. All I need is the location of the Sects, after all.'

With this thought in mind, Daneel smiled broadly as the Head nodded in response.

The Watcher had been a part of the Sect of Hedon, which was why it had been easy for him to set up all that with Travis to enable Daneel to infiltrate the Sect, as he had already known most of what he had to take care of. Hence, the man couldn't be depended on if Daneel wanted to make a trip to the rest of the Big 4.

As Daneel watched, the Head stroked the ring on his right hand, which seemed to be a communication trinket, while closing his eyes to send messages to make Daneel's journey possible.

While he waited for the man to be done, Daneel excitedly began to list everything he wanted to accomplish on his trip.

It was almost like he was back on Earth, planning a sight-seeing trip to a famous tourist location, instead of venturing into a place filled with arrogant and overpowered Fighters and Mages, all of whom would definitely be looking down on him and making sure to come in his way.

At least, that was what he was expecting from the Big 4, based on what he had seen so far.

On top of the list was, of course, to go through each and every book he could find so that the system could pick up as many clues as it could regarding the things which concerned him, which included both the Race and the secret behind the ascent to Hero level.

After that would be to try and estimate what the fighting ability and power of each sect was, so that he could get a clear gauge of the resistance that Angaria was going to put up against the Church.

What else could he do? In the Sect of Hedon, there had been a clear goal to stop Ashahell and whatever he was planning. Was this all he was going to do in the rest of the sects?

Daneel felt that he should aim high.

After a second, a bold thought occurred to him.

He had already spread his tendrils of control as far as they could go in the Central Continent. Except for the two forces which were both being controlled by those who could resist him, the Central Continent was his.

Yet, he sadly couldn't come out in the open regarding the other two forces as that would definitely draw the attention of the Big 4, whom he couldn't handle yet.

Also, after seeing the benefits that came from openly dominating a force instead of doing it in the shadows, Daneel had already shifted his focus to continue his pursuits in that direction instead of like before, when his goal had been to take control of as many forces as possible in the shadows.

That bold idea was regarding these puppeteering skills that were currently gathering dust in his cupboard which contained all the skills which he wasn't using right now.

Could they, somehow, be put to use in the Big 4?

It was a tall order, for sure, when considering the fact that Champions were those in command, on the ground in each sect, while Heroes also constantly oversaw all operations.

Still, Daneel decided that he would see what he could do.

The Head opened his eyes and spoke as soon as Daneel made this decision in his mind.

"It's done, the process has begun. Should be finished in a few days. After that, I'll send you the details. Now then, let me come to the main reason I wanted to speak to you before."

Hearing this, Daneel leaned forward. So there was a different agenda to this old man's summons, too?

"First, your alliance. The oldest rule on Angaria is that no unified force shall be born in the Central Continent. It is the duty of the Big 4 to ensure that that doesn't happen, even if it means that we have to step in and use force. I do not know if you have any designs on the rest of the forces, but even if you do, I urge you to shelve them. And don't bother asking me the reason behind the rule, either. I don't know it, and it will not change. At any point in time, the power in the Central Continent must be divided between at least 3 forces. That is what the rule states, but we like to play safe as we can guess the reason behind the existence of this rule. There was clamor from a few Heroes to disband your Alliance, too, but I, and a few others simply said that the overall power distribution remains the same, and that the rule is still being followed. Besides, it is a crucial time, and it is best that we do not step in and waste our time and resources unless it is absolutely necessary."

'WHAT THE F*CK!'

On the outside, Daneel nodded solemnly, but in his mind, tempestuous winds had begun to form which gave birth to feverous excitement.

3 forces! That meant that…if he was careful, he could go ahead with consolidating the Black Raven Kingdom and the Hidden Kill Sect openly!

As for why it was this number, Daneel thought that it was a coincidence, at first, but as he thought about it, he realized that it was because the main reason behind the rule's existence was that there shouldn't be a singular power which united the entire Central Continent. If there were two, a single takeover would be enough to result in that, which would be a risky position. So, 3 was the minimum number which was safe.

Although he still only had a few clues about the reason, itself, Daneel didn't care about all that right now.

instead, he was hard at work hiding the shine in his eyes which would signify that he was happy due to this revelation

Thankfully, the Head looked like he hadn't noticed anything, as he continued to speak.

"Lastly, your Inheritance."

These words served to give Daneel the opportunity to shelve all his thoughts and focus.

Right. The Paragon Inheritance that he had used, which must have been identified by all those from the Big 4 who were watching.

Was the old man going to ask for it?

This question made Daneel tense up a bit, but he had already prepared for that. After all, the moment he had asked Drakos and obtained it, the whole objective had been to keep himself safe from prying eyes.

Opening his mouth, he was about to begin the tall tale about the Inheritance where it's physical location had been destroyed, but he was stopped by the Head who noticed his expression and chuckled before saying, "Don't worry, my intention is not to ask for it, and obtain it for the Big 4. The Inheritance you obtained is already in our records, and we know what it contains. As such, in the present state of things, there is no Paragon who can utilize it anyway. Besides, even if I wanted to take it from you, all those from the Empire always take steps to make sure that their Inheritances aren't coveted by those whom they don't need to be worthy. Keep it. But be careful. Even though you gave a brilliant warning to the whole continent, there might be others who will still want to obtain such power."

Daneel nodded in response, as he knew about this, too, even though he was surprised that the Head wasn't acting like those antagonists in stories who would always seek to make trouble for the Hero.

The Head continued after pausing for a moment and taking in a breath.

"And, of course, I don't think I need to tell you that although you pursued it till now, it is best to abandon the Paragon Path. Champion Paths either give one an additional trump card while evolving their Mageroots to a different level, or they aid in battle directly. Regardless, a Mage must still focus on the types of Elementary Particles that they are most proficient in to launch most attacks. So, the journey of a Mage after becoming a Champion is to become more even more adept in using their newfound level of power with the Elementary Particles they have specialized in all their life, while also refining their Champion Path endlessly to bolster the advantage it gives them. At this stage, focusing on all Elementary Particles, like you have done till now on the Path of a Paragon, is just a waste of time. Also, there is another problem that one faces if they do this when they wish to become Heroes. Back in the Empire, it was said that this warning was given to all Paragons who became Champions. Yet, many didn't follow it, and ended up regretting it later as they all died without becoming Heroes and extending their lifespan further. The one who left behind your Inheritance is an exception: he is known to have had no regrets. Still, I don't think you would want the same end. You might know all this from the Inheritance, anyway, but I just wanted to repeat it."

The Head paused here, as if for emphasis, and looked into Daneel's eyes for a few moments with seriousness before continuing to speak on seeing that the King was listening attentively.

"After deciding on your Champion Path and becoming a Champion, leave behind the Paragon Path and choose the Elementary Particles to focus on. Also, about the-...I don't think I need to repeat everything regarding the difference between Mage and Fighter Paths, too. Just keep it in your mind. I've spoken enough, my presence is needed elsewhere. We shall speak again, if needed. If you need to contact me, just go ahead and use this trinket. Goodbye, King Daneel."

After this long speech which felt as if it had been going on forever, just before he said the last part, the Head had gotten interrupted by something, as his face had taken on a slightly unpleasant expression for some reason. At the same moment, he had stopped saying what he had started and given that 'summary'.

Even before Daneel could nod, he found a bronze ring flying in his direction before the Head vanished, while the Throne of clouds he had been sitting on began to lose form and float away, slowly.

Daneel caught the ring, but was then startled when he received a message from Kellor.

"My King, a man arrived at the Palace doors looking for you! He said his name was Rayen! But then, he disappeared after getting an irritated expression on his face, just a moment ago! He asked me to tell you that the agreement you had with him still stands, and that he's still under lockdown, but that he might be free, soon! Do you know him, My King? He was shrouded in darkness!"

As Daneel heard this, he couldn't help but laugh out loud heartily.

So that was the reason behind the Head leaving like that. Clearly, he must have detected that the Hero he was watching had left while he was busy talking to him. As for why these two weren't using clones, Daneel had no idea.

First, Daneel was about to stop and ponder on what the Head had said, as quite a few interesting things had been revealed to him.

Yet, he stopped that as the system spoke in his mind.

[Instance 4 of sub-routine "Keep a watch on Mind-Controlled Network Trinket Competitors" has been triggered. Eavesdropping trinket placed on target 4 has intercepted communication which signifies that target 4 is close to deployment. Host has been notified as per the subroutine.]

Oh? That was pretty fast.

He had created this subroutine so that the system could monitor those competitors and save him the hassle of constantly checking up on them. According to the complexity of the trinket that needed to be made and the funding that was available to each of them, his estimate had been that they would be ready to launch by the time he was ready to launch the Network for purchase by all, instead of it being an invite-only program like now.

Although he was still in deep thought regarding what he had learned, he decided to check it out.

Teleporting to the location of this elf who was in Eldinor, Daneel was startled when he simply asked how it was possible and found out that the elf had received a massive influx of funds from an unknown person.

Slightly concerned, Daneel commanded the elf to call for that person, so that he could begin trailing the breadcrumbs to find out which wealthy figure had taken such an interest in this project.

Chapter 559: Trail of Breadcrumbs

"I've sent an emergency message saying that he needs to come. He will be here any moment."

As the elf said this, Daneel nodded and conjured a Throne before sitting on it and casting a camouflage spell to hide himself from whoever appeared in response to the elf's message.

This elf's house was located in a relatively large town around 80 kilometers away from the capital, and he had been banished here because of his penchant for prizing money over all other things. In one of the projects he had undertaken as an Enchanter, he had apparently taken a huge sum of money from the competitor of his employer to supply defective trinkets that ended up derailing his employer's business. As soon as this was brought to light, both that company and this elf were punished severely.

When Daneel had found this out, he has chosen this elf to build a competing trinket, too, and sell it as he saw fit to someone whom he would then monitor. Although this elf was an Enchanter, he wasn't skilled enough to build the entire trinket himself, so it should have taken a lot of time to entice other Enchanters and complete the product.

He was also not trusted by anyone due to that incident, so the estimate by the system had placed this target along with the others in regards to the speed at which the broadcasting trinket would be developed.

Only, for some reason, someone unnamed had come forward and showered money on this guy after taking the promise that he would have the first bid on the finished product.

Daneel was very interested to see who this person was. And to find them, all he would have to do was Mind Control his way up to the top.

After all, no one in the Central Continent would operate with the suspicion that anyone was capable of something like this.

No matter how careful they were, Daneel was pretty confident that he would soon find the answer he was looking for.

While he was waiting, he started to ponder on what the Head had told him.

Throughout his life, here, there had only been people telling him repeatedly that the Paragon Path was not something to be chosen, especially by those like him who were talented enough to progress swiftly.

In this age, only those who had no hope of crossing some major level would choose this Path to be the most powerful version of themselves that they could be while they were alive.

Yet, Daneel had still gone ahead because of the existence of the system, which was capable of analyzing and understanding elementary particles accurately, thereby allowing him to skip past the time-consuming step that was needed.

So, did he have any reason to listen to the Head now, at this stage?

Definitely not.

The only concerning thing was that there were no Heroes who were also Paragon even during the time of the Empire.

Yet, how could there be those equipped with something as amazing as the system even in that age?

Paragons towered over all at the same level, and were also capable of jumping levels to fight those far more powerful than them. So, there was no way he would leave that behind, unless there was no other option.

As for what he had said regarding Fighter and Mage Champion Paths, Daneel decided to ask Drakos.

"Drakos, what is the difference between a Fighter Champion Path and a Mage Champion Path?"

Daneel had a faint inkling of the answer, even though he hadn't thought extensively on it. Still, he wanted to hear about it from the Ancient Dragon.

"Young King, I thought you already figured it out from all the information you received. The goal of the Champion Path is to resonate with something at such a level that it causes nature, and elementary particles to be affected accordingly without the need to do so actively. Mages and Fighters do so differently. In the case of the former, the resonance springs forth from the mind, and, thus, the Mageroot is affected, making it evolve to the Champion level. In the latter, it is the body which does so. Imagine it as you understanding something by reading it and simulating it in your mind, versus practicing it using your body over and over again until it comes naturally to your body. Typically, one chooses a Path that lets them break through in either way, and then, if they wish, they can choose a different Champion Path for the other. This is typically regarded as a waste of time, as it is usually the case that that time is better spent honing the Path chosen. There are also many other issues, such as the fact that the two Paths might have fundamental differences which do not allow them to function together, or the risk that an internal dissonance can occur as the body and the mind are on different paths, which can lead to death. I cannot say more about the matter, Young King."

That last part…made Daneel smile broadly, as he had gotten the answer he needed.

Daneel knew more or less about the rest, but all he had wanted to find out was whether there was anything more about this topic that might be hidden behind the third seal.

Again, that was the case.

Right now, Daneel's mind was buzzing with all the information that he had just heard or found out about, leading him to discard everything that wasn't necessary and focus on what was important.

The gist, basically, was that the Champion Path had even more aspects that he hadn't thought about before, and that he should find out more about them while definitely not acting in haste to break through.

If Daneel were some normal human who had reached this level, all this stuff wouldn't concern him. He would just choose whatever looked the strongest, and look to break through as soon as possible.

Yet, because he had the means to do things that no one else could, he had an obligation to research as much as possible and find out each and every piece of information possible before making a decision.

About these things, too, Daneel looked forward to finding clues in the libraries in the sects that he would soon visit.

As he continued to mull silently over it all, the door finally opened after an hour or so to reveal a man dressed in a black cloak.

He had clearly hurried over from somewhere, as the cloak wasn't even worn properly.

Intending to not waste any time, Daneel simply discarded the camouflage spell before startling the man and casting Mind Control.

With a simple question, Daneel found out that he was just a middleman who received instructions regarding what he should do from an information broker.

That was Daneel's next stop. The address was a lawless area in a certain town in the Black Raven Kingdom, which Daneel casually strolled into.

This was where he faced a surprise. The information broker actually had a Peak Exalted Human Fighter in his employ for security, which meant that he dealt in pretty high profile stuff.

Of course, that was no trouble for Daneel. Opting for crude means, he just used a hammer to knock out the Fighter before Mind Controlling the information broker to find that he, in turn, received his instructions from a random spot outside a bar in a town which wasn't controlled by any of the forces in the Central Continent.

Whoever this was had gone to great lengths to keep their identity a secret.

Daneel used a simple strategy to flush them out.

He ordered the information broker to send fake information that another buyer had offered even more money to the elf, who was going to accept.

That would definitely send them in a tizzy.

After this was sent, Daneel traveled to that town and waited.

Here was an unmarked trash can which was apparently where the liaison of the information broker would receive the payment and instructions.

Here, Daneel faced another surprise. Even though he was keeping a close watch, the instructions on how to react along with payment appeared in the bin, and a message was sent to that liaison to go and collect them.

Daneel was puzzled, but he waited till the liaison did so. After that, he asked the system to scan the trash can, which was something he should have done before.

He had only been expecting someone else to come and drop them off, so he had neglected to do that.

It was then that he found out that there was a secret shaft underneath the trash can, and that the can had a hole which had been used to place the items inside.

Well, this was some real James Bond sh*t.

After getting this thought, Daneel followed the shaft and finally reached the 'lair', where he was pretty startled to see not one, not two, but four Peak Exalted Human Mages defending the location underground.

His Kingdom had struggled to have just one of them! Yet, here, there were four?!

Clearly, the pockets of these people were deep.

So, very deep.

This actually made him feel excited, while he made them all faint and entered to find a butler, who was Mind Controlled to finally give him the location in the middle of nowhere where a meeting was apparently going on.

After this lengthy chase, Daneel was pretty tired, but knowing that it was near the end, he traveled to the location to find the meeting with the 30 people dressed luxuriously, while a man in plain clothes was instructing them all.

As soon as he found out what they were up to, the King of Lanthanor couldn't help but curse, out loud.

'F*CKING PIRATES!'

He couldn't have expected that this notorious practice from Earth would appear in Angaria so soon, but he realized that he should have expected it in a place where there were no clear copyright or patent laws at all.

At this moment, Daneel faced a choice. Was he supposed to Mind Control them all and make them stop, or could they be used, in some way?

He reminded himself of his goal behind all the schemes in the first place, which was to increase the satisfaction level of the people. These people were clearly doing all this to stay relevant, and they seemed to be prepared to burn the money they had hoarded for a long time in this pursuit.

With that in mind, Daneel realized what this was.

It was an opportunity, which, if utilized properly, might help him to reach his goal much faster than anticipated.

…

Meanwhile, the Head was once again in the room with the various windows which showed different scenes from all around Angaria.

Rayen was sitting with a frown beside him, like a little child who had been caught sneaking off even though he had been grounded by his parents.

"You can forget it, Rayen. I already told you, but you still went and tried. Well, it was pretty funny that the King was with me."

Rayen was just about to respond, but they were interrupted by a loud 'boom' which shook the whole underground mansion they were in.

This was followed by a bellow, which made both of them look at each other with bewilderment.

"Hey, Head! You weren't responding on trinket, so I thought I would make a visit! What's up, Rayen? Still mooning over your son?"

Followed by the bellow, a knocking sound was heard from one direction where a large, wall-length window was showing the scene of the Endless Sea.

Yet, after the knock, the formation distorted to reveal a crude cavern with a large hole, as the house was actually located in a gigantic underground cave.

Only, after a second, the view of that cavern was obstructed by a large head the size of a grown man.

The features of the head were simple, but a huge grin appeared on the face when the head's eyes focused on the image of the two men sitting inside.

After the grin, acting as if this was all normal, the head continued to speak.

"So, I wanted to say that if you want my Sect to allow in that King, I want him to get his friend with him, too. What was his name? Oh, right, Elanev! Send him, too, or the doors of our sect will be closed! And you know us Fighters! If we decide on something, we will follow through even if it means death! All right, ba-bye then, Rayen! Sorry about your formation!"

Chapter 560: An Eventful Day

By the time Daneel got back after making a few special…arrangements, the meetings regarding Angarian Express were just coming to a close.

As a graceful host, Daneel joined in and thanked everyone for watching and coming before closing off the show.

After that, he made a flying platform which he used to personally take Helena and Dalia back, as they stared out at the clouds in the night sky in awe.

Daneel kept the speed moderate, so that they wouldn't get motion sickness. If he had to be frank, he would admit that he, too, liked flying in the moonlight, staring at the stars as they winked at those below.

After coming to Angaria, Daneel realized that he hadn't even paused and appreciated the sheer beauty that lay in flying by oneself through the sky, unbridled and free, with the feeling that nothing could stop them.

It was every child's, and even many adults' dream on Earth, and he had obtained it by just training for a few years.

So, Daneel used this moment of silence between them to close his eyes and feel the night wind blow into his face, lifting his hair while, at the same time, lifting up his spirit which had become slightly bogged down in confusion due to all the information he had just obtained.

This allowed him to calm down and smile, and in the process regain his confidence.

He knew that what he had chosen was right, and he would follow through with it no matter what anyone said.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Helena was being held by Dalia while she had fun with a few clouds that passed them: she would reach out and let her hand run through them, causing long swathes of blankness to appear which looked pretty as they passed them by.

Smiling, Daneel got to the reason why he had opted to fly these two back.

"So, Helena. How did you feel when you saw the effectiveness of splitting the service in three according to who used it? You must have listened to all those who came gossiping among themselves while discussing the Express. Let little Dalia play, she won't be able to hear us."

That last part made Helena smile, before she stepped forward while letting Dalia stay where she was, so that the little girl was only able to see her back, and, hence didn't know that this joy trip had turned into a business one.

She didn't have to know, which was something that both Daneel and Helena felt.

After thinking for a moment, Helena finally said, "I did see the kind of reach that wasn't there in our products. The rich were avid to show their opulence by purchasing tickets for the Premium Express, as you called it, and the poorer folk were just happy to have an affordable means of travel. Of course, us business folk are the happiest. We are your biggest consumers, right?"

Raising an eyebrow at the astute observation of the woman, Daneel smiled and said, "Yes, apart from the rich. As for the poor, the margins are low and the profits are almost nil, but I don't mind because I just want to provide them with the service. In a way, like I suggested it for you, I am using the extra money I'm receiving from you and the rich to fund the poor's expense."

This made Helena nod to herself, as if she had expected that the King would answer in this way.

First, she once again sank into deep depth, before finally giving her answer.

"All right, King Daneel. I'll work out a way to segment them accordingly. You are right, using the rich to pay for the poor is really a great idea. And the poor will also have something to work toward."

The answer made Daneel clap and beam with joy.

As someone from Earth, he knew the importance of a brand name. Now, he was going to create a premium one which the whole continent would clamor for.

"Good! Now that you've agreed, maybe we can make simple enchanted clothes available for the poor, too? Think about it. A farmer's clothes, if enchanted with the ability to keep off dust, will save the farmer from enduring coughing fits due to the dust and dirt they have to be near. A blacksmith can have cooling clothes to help them work for longer without heating up due to the flames. A roadside seller can have self-cleaning clothes so that they can use the same and decrease costs in washing clothes and having to buy multiple sets of them. All in all, citizens will be happy to live in a place where all these things are available."

Daneel said this with a smile. Of course, the last part was all about satisfaction level, which would definitely grow if what he said became possible.

"Indeed, King Daneel! I've thought about that, too. But the problem is that we would never be able to create enough, as there are too few-"

"You forget our alliance with the elves, By tomorrow, a team of Amateur Enchanters will be at your factory. Use them well."

Helena was startled.

Right, they had the elves now!

She had almost forgotten, and as she heard the King give that statement, she smiled and bowed before stepping back to join Dalia.

Meanwhile, with the matter settled, Daneel was looking forward to the trip he would make soon.

Earlier, before his visit to that underground lair, Daneel had felt that it was unfortunate that he had to leave behind his schemes to leave on that journey.

Yet, he wasn't concerned now, due to the arrangement he had made over there.

…

Meanwhile, in the wooden house in the middle of nowhere that had been designated as the official meeting place for all those involved in the plan to profit from the King of Lanthanor's schemes.

Jordan was walking around in the mostly empty house with one hand behind his back.

In his other hand was a duster, which he was using to clean all the tables and chairs that had been used in the meeting.

As he was doing so, a maid appeared at the door and looked at him before saying, "Oh, someone's already here? I'll clean the other areas, then."

She had been sent by the official butler in charge of this area to clean the main meeting room, but as soon as she came, she had seen a man wearing the plain clothes of a worker carefully cleaning everything with his back turned to her.

The man only nodded in response, which led her to leave.

However, it was only after getting to the butler to tell her about this did the woman find out that she had made a blunder.

That…was actually supposed to be the most powerful person among those gathering, and she had mistaken him for a cleaner.

The woman ran back to apologize and beg that she not be punished, but when she returned to the room, she found it empty as Jordan had already left back to his own room.

Unlike the others who had gone back to their bases to handle their various businesses, he was someone who only needed communication trinkets to manage his empire.

Yes, an empire- one which dwarfed all the enterprises of all the others in size.

He had a hand in almost every business, as he controlled the wishes of the main, common workforce that all those other businessmen employed.

In a way, if they didn't pay him his due, he would incite movements for pay raises, or revolutions that would see thousands of Ether blocks worth materials lost.

And how had he done it all? By shrewdly building his network over decades while being a simple cleaner in various places.

No matter where he went, he would gather support from the working class, thereby increasing the size of his network, until he had a sizeable force to call on in all the Kingdoms except Axelor.

If things hadn't gotten dire for the people he took money from, he might not have stepped out, at all, but he had done so because he had recognized that all these people needed guidance to protect their interests, and his.

The plan had all been his doing, and he would also gain a lot when it succeeded.

Yet, right now, a voice inside his head was repeatedly telling him that this was an opportunity like no other.

He already had an idea in mind, and although it was risky, he realized that this risk might set him up for life.

As the voice got louder and louder, Jordan finally listened to it.

With a smile, he sat on the table in his small room and took out a data trinket which had a record of all the money that each businessperson was putting into this endeavor.

The agreement had been that they would reap profits proportionally.

But…what if he showed them the allure of fake profits, and kept squeezing them dry?

Yes, they trusted him, so it would work. All he would have to do was make edits in the records here and there to entice these hoarders to take out everything they had leeched from the continent over all these years.

Their 'inspired' plans would move faster and obtain more market share, while they would keep thinking that they would someday acquire limitless profits as reported by the records.

Yet, there would be none.

Wait…what did he gain from all this?

The voice kept promising him that he would gain more than anyone, and it was so strong that Jordan believed it. Yes, he would definitely gain a lot. All he would have to do was go along with this plan.

So, as the system kept watch, Jordan began the King's operation, which had aptly been named 'Squeeze 'em dry'.

…

Meanwhile, the Head and Rayen had just recovered from the shock of abruptly being interrupted by that Giant Head outside the window, but by the time they looked to that window again, a giant figure could already be seen scrambling away on all fours through that hole it had made.

With frustration, Rayen exclaimed, "Well, there go almost all my other formations. Head, couldn't you have just responded?"

To this, the Head shook his head with frustration, too.

"Listen to the message he sent.", he said, before raising a hand with the ring which he had used as a communication trinket earlier and making sound appear.

"Shed, shi want Zshelanev doo. Shend both or we closh."

It was practically gibberish.

"I thought he sent it by mistake!"

Indeed, the message had been spoken out by someone whose mouth was stuffed.

This made Rayen realize that the Head couldn't be blamed, but he was still pretty disgruntled as his master plan to get rid of the man had been ruined.

In the brief absence of the Head, Rayen had purposefully traveled to Lanthanor in his main body so that the Head would notice.

When stopped, he would come back to the house with the Head, and launch into a speech about how that was the last-ditch desperate attempt, and that he would now enter a closed-door training/mourning period.

This would be an ample excuse, and he would behave after that, which would make the Head leave so that he could uphold his end of the bargain with that devilish King so that his son would stay alive.

Only, the moment was gone, and he would have to think of a better plan.

Meanwhile, as he watched, the Head shrugged and took out a communication trinket to send a message.

…

Daneel had just gotten back to the Palace after dropping after the mother and daughter duo.

As soon as he was about to hit the sack, exhausted and dream about simply banging his enemies heads with hammers to make them faint, the ring given by the Head, which he had kept on his body after checking that it wasn't an eavesdropping trinket, vibrated.

As Daneel heard the message, he was puzzled and had to make it repeat, but when it did, he immediately called for Elanev.

A minute later, his elder brother staggered into the room, looking bone-tired and weary.

"What is it, Daneel? This damn old man only allows me 4 hours of sleep…", he said while yawning, which made Daneel raise an eyebrow and say, "Well, this will wake you right up. A Sect of the Big 4 is calling for you, because they say you will fit right in with their teachings. Know anything about that?"

The next moment, Daneel received his answer, but it wasn't from his elder brother, who looked as bewildered as he had been when he received the message.

No, it was the old man, who appeared beside Elanev and whooped before saying, "Finally! My disciple, your master is incredible! Long ago, I set up a plan to infiltrate the sect in the Big 4 which is solely made up of Fighters so that he can put in place a plan for me to access all the top-notch Fighter techniques and training areas, in case I needed them to train a special disciple. You are that disciple, boy. Get ready to see real hell! Haha!"

Chapter 561: Exploits of the Old Man

This proclamation by the old man was met by silence from both Elanev and Daneel, who could only stare at him while he smiled broadly, clearly very proud of himself.

Daneel recovered first.

His head full of questions, he asked, "Care to elaborate?"

For the life of him, he couldn't imagine what this old man who had apparently been in a pedestal for the past thousands of years could have done to infiltrate one of the Big Four and set up such an elaborate scheme to train a disciple.

Still beaming, the old man first looked at Elanev, who shuddered with fear both because of his expression which spoke volumes, and the statement he had just heard where he had said that he would soon see "real hell".

Then what the hell had he seen so far?

Turning to Daneel, the old man began to answer his question.

"I already told you that I bond with promising Fighters and travel with them by splitting my consciousness and giving them the skills they need, right? That was how I set up the Training Hall all in your kingdom. Well, over the years, there were certain Fighters who were so promising that they managed to enter the Big 4, itself, and even reach high positions from where they could pass down orders that would stay in effect for generations. But, I knew I was playing the long game. So, instead of using this strategy of laying down orders, I decided to have those fighters instruct their disciples, and then the disciples of those disciples after them that they would have to carry out a task if they were truly grateful to their master. That task… Was to identify and help the one who displayed certain techniques, no matter at what time they appeared, because it would mean that that person was the successor of their grand-grand-whatever master. I won't go into the details – suffice it to say that I made a very elaborate tale which would not be doubted by anyone. Basically, it seems that one of those plans paid off – a disciple in the Big 4 must have taken a high position, and is now carrying out that instruction of mine. Boy, I'm telling you, you really should feel lucky. There can definitely be no other master who thinks so much for their disciple. What can I say? The credit goes to my master, who taught me everything that I'm teaching you. Ah, you should have seen the way he laughed whenever I screamed during all those times when I was close to death. Of course, it was only through those experiences that I got strong enough to become a vassal Hero of the Emperor. Anyway, prepare yourself. I would suggest that you say your goodbyes, because the training you're about to undergo is definitely not for the fainthearted."

Hearing this, Elanev looked to Daneel with a terrified expression on his face, as if begging for help.

Clearly, his elder brother was not looking forward to this, but then he knew that he was the sort of man who might react in this way initially and be afraid, but when the time came, he would definitely step up and give everything he had.

So, deciding to have a little fun at his expense, the King of Lanthanor walked forward and laid his hand on Elanev's shoulder solemnly, as if mourning him already.

"You will be missed," he said, before bursting out into laughter.

Daneel couldn't help it, as he knew that even though the old man was scaring Elanev in this way, he definitely cared enough for him that he was willing to use this opportunity which was definitely one of a kind just to train him. No one would let such a precious disciple die, especially during training.

So, this was just some kind of psychological conditioning which his elder brother would have to go through.

The laughter made Elanev curse under his breath and look to the side, but the old man interrupted both of them.

After the story, he seemed to have slipped into a reminiscing mode, which made him speak almost like he had forgotten that there were other people in the room.

"Ah, I miss those times. When was the last time I felt a woman's touch? It must have been 300 years ago…"

Wait… What?

Both Elanev and Daneel were similarly dumbfounded. Why was a spirit talking about a woman's touch?

Their shock made the old man snapped to his senses, and as he looked at them, he smiled and launched into an explanation filled with weird expressions.

"What, do you think I'm one of those damned spirits whose only thoughts are about getting stronger? There is so much more to life, dammit! What's the point of longevity and power if one doesn't enjoy their life? In my time, I was quite the voyeur… Why would I let that go just because I became a spirit? Sometimes, I made a few wrong judgments… Fighters who got into a bond with me would occasionally turn out to be heartless murderers or rapists who would do whatever they wanted. I despise such people. So, I would… ehem, guide them to a state where their brain would be dead, allowing me to take over their body and live a full life. A businessman, a traveling merchant, a mercenary, a farmer – I have reprised all of those roles, and I always make sure to get as rich as possible so that I can have a blast. Oh, and I left behind quite a lot of sons and daughters all around the world. Well, most of them are just normal people, so you don't need to think about them. Now that I think about it, I quite miss it… Maybe after the threat is past, I'll do so again!"

Toward the end of the old man's long speech, he was speaking more to himself than to the two in front of him, which was why he didn't notice the extreme expressions of bewilderment on their faces.

Both of them had one thought going through their minds.

What the… f*ck!?

Although this guy had never given them the vibe of some wise old master whose knowledge would awe young Fighters, they could never have guessed that he had had such an… Illustrious past.

As Daneel heard all this, a very crucial question appeared in his mind.

"If spirits can do all this… Why don't they just amuse themselves in this way and not go crazy?", he asked, thinking about the Black Raven Empire Spirit and all the others who had gone mad due to thousands of years of isolation and boredom.

The question made the old man laugh heartily before saying, "Perks of being a Fighter, boy. My consciousness is much more versatile than theirs, meaning that I can split it into so many more parts without caring about going insane. Fighters wade through years and years of extreme self-torture and pain to obtain power which results in this kind of consciousness, as opposed to Mages who just sit around and 'understand' stuff. Of course we Fighters have certain tricks up our sleeves which Mages cannot contend with!"

The Ancient Dragon also spoke up at this point.

"Young king, he speaks the truth. The power of Mages is tied to their consciousness, as opposed to Fighters whose main source of power is their physical body, for the most part. You already know that this is why our consciousness is much larger, but, like he said, there is also the flaw that we cannot split it as we wish. What I did before, splitting mine to enter a bond with you, was risky in itself. If this part of me dies, the other on the pedestal will have to go into a long period of hibernation just to recover. That is not the case with this Fighter. Even if he loses multiple parts, he can still stay normal and even regenerate those parts over time, which is something that Mages cannot do. Of course, we have our own advantages – when we take over a body, we can instantly output our power level to an extent because all we need to do is use a higher complexity, but a Fighter can do that, because they would need their own body to exhibit their power to the fullest extent."

Indeed, there were advantages and disadvantages in both areas, just like the old man had said.

Still, Daneel couldn't stop thinking about the fantastic adventures of this guy, which would definitely make for an exhilarating tale if someone ever decided to note it down.

After all, there couldn't be a more unique perspective than someone who had lived for thousands of years and only wanted to have fun in the world, without caring about anything else.

Shaking his head, Daneel got rid of these useless thoughts and said, "Well… It was nice to find out all that. Elanev, start packing. We will leave soon."

Elanev still seemed to be in shock due to both the old man's exploits and the fact that he was going to have to go through something that was on a different level than what he was currently facing. So, he just nodded, before walking in the direction of the door with slumped shoulders.

"I don't know how you did it, but good job gaining entry into the Big 4. Be careful, though. Power twists people in unthinkable ways."

With this, the old man disappeared and reappeared next to Elanev before laying a hand on his shoulder and beginning to say something.

Daneel heard the tail end of the conversation before the door closed, and that was enough to make him raise an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Hey, here's an added incentive. If you reach the goals I set for you, I'll impart certain special… Techniques that I've perfected over a long time. I promise that they will have an excellent effect in the be-"

As the door closed, the last thing he saw was Elanev's back straightening, as if he had been injected with a very strong shot of enthusiasm and motivation.

…

Meanwhile, Jordan was sitting inside his room with a very satisfied excision on his face, as he had just finished editing all the data trinkets with the records of financial estimations and calculations that would soon be sent to all the members of this plan.

He had clearly outlined everything – a certain level of profit which was almost impossible to obtain was being projected as the most likely figure, and a lot of hidden charges had been added which would make it so that much more money than was needed would be pumped into this project by all these successful business families.

A portion of that money from the hidden charges would be added to the profits to show them that a lot was being made, which would entice them to put in even more, which Jordan would once again siphon away with even more hidden charges.

As for the other portion, it would actually be invested into the plans, too, but the intention was to use it in such a way that the overall cost of whatever they were doing would come down at least on paper, which would also increase the profit margin and squeeze more money from the others.

This was a notorious cycle which would definitely be successful, but it would take a little bit of time.

In the meanwhile, that voice in his head had just given Jordan another idea.

Taking a piece of parchment, he noted everything down, and when he was done, he couldn't help but marvel at it, himself, as he wondered how he had come up with it.

On the surface, it looked like it was a very fair and profitable plan, but when one dug into the details, they would realize just how… evil it was.

After thinking for a bit, Jordan reached forward to write down the name of this plan.

"Pyramid Scheme- a plan to target all the smaller business families associated with the larger ones"

Feeling happy, he put it aside, before beginning to think about how he was going to introduce it.

…

The next day, after Daneel woke up, the first thing he did was check on Jordan, his main pawn whom he was actively monitoring through an eavesdropping trinket.

He had put two ideas in place of the man's mind which were inspired by the greatest scams that he knew about from Earth – one was a scam which involved the infamous "hidden charges", which would allow anyone to change prices as they wished, and the other was a "Pyramid Scheme" which had ruined millions of lives, and continued to do so.

The latter was meant to target the smaller families which had benefited from the larger ones, so that no stone would be left unturned in the objective of implementing stuff using others which would increase the satisfaction level.

Seeing that everything was going well, Daneel began packing too.

Right now was a time where he could afford to go missing for a couple of days, so his plan was to head to the Fighter Sect.

Only, just before he was going to embark on that task, he received the strangest message from Kellor.

"My King! There's a…20-foot giant that has come to speak to Elanev! It somehow teleported onto the academy grounds, and it's currently creating havoc in the forests nearby! Oh, wait, I just received a message that it seems to be building some kind of toy castle with trees…regardless, everyone is in a panic! What should we do?!"

Chapter 562: The Gian

Huh?

Daneel first had to ask his Grand Court Mage to repeat the message in a calmer tone, as he suspected that he was really misunderstanding something.

A giant asking for Elanev was building a sandcastle, but from trees instead of sand?

Was his Grand Court Mage pranking him?

If it weren't for the tone of panic in his voice, Daneel would have seriously considered that.

Immediately sending a message to Elanev to get to the Academy, Daneel teleported into the air above the academy to see what was going on.

That was when he received a message from the Head.

"King Daneel, regarding the intruder in your Kingdom. I tried my best to keep him away…but he isn't the kind that listens easily. He's dead set on this mission of his. He won't harm anyone, so you don't need to worry. Just…be careful, still. There have been many who were squashed by his strength if he throws a tantrum. If that happens, even I might be helpless, unless you're fine with me using attacks that will level your capital. I suggest you clear the whole area, and listen to what he has to say."

This morning was getting weirder and weirder.

While still mulling over the Head's cryptic words, Daneel got to a point in the air from where he could finally see the scene in the academy grounds.

Indeed, it was exactly as Kellor had described it: there was a giant with rippling muscles, shaggy hair and an innocent face that was casually playing with trees each 15 feet long as though they were twigs.

A clearer indication wasn't needed about the strength of this being, whatever it was.

Daneel had already known that this had nothing with Arafell, as the giants were Arafell were only 9-12 feet tall. This one outsized them all by a considerable margin.

besides, the main clue was that it was asking for Elanev. So…the most possible case was that this was related to the message he had received last night, where it was written that Elanev should accompany Daneel if he wished to visit the Fighter Sect of the Big 4.

The giant was wearing some sort of gigantic leather armor that made an X over its chest, exposing most of its body on which not even an ounce of fat seemed to be present. Underneath that, there was basically a knee-length frock, which reminded Daneel of the attire of ancient Roman Legionaries from Earth.

Of course, no one in their right mind would ever dare to comment anything about this giant's clothes, considering that a single fist would be enough to squeeze that person into a bloody paste.

Daneel considered whether he should go down there to converse with the Giant, but he decided to wait till Elanev got here.

Only…it seemed that the Giant had other plans.

Turning its head, it beckoned at Daneel with one finger.

But…Daneel hesitated, wondering whether he should be on the defense.

Yet…it seemed that his hesitation had irritated the Giant, as it flung an enormous tree in Daneel's direction with a speed that made it shoot forward like a bullet.

Daneel was thoroughly dumbfounded as he saw this.

Seriously…why did this seem like a kid flinging their toys at someone because they didn't agree to their wishes?

Only, in this case, the 'toy' was a gigantic tree that might fall in the Capital and crush multiple people.

Quickly, Daneel cast a telekinesis spell to increase the strength behind the tree, making it safely fly past the city before landing on the outskirts.

With a sigh of relief, he turned back and immediately made his way forward, fearing that there might be more flying 'toys' if he didn't oblige.

As soon as he neared, he heard the Giant speak in a booming voice.

"Hey, you're the King, right? Head said that we shouldn't enter your Kingdoms, but I'm just here to check something. After that, I'll be on my way. I'll leave behind something as compensation, too. My Master always used to say that if I do something offensive, I should either kill those who are offended, or pay them off if they can't be killed."

The way the words were spoke made it seem as if this really was a child who was talking to him while still absorbed in his playtime.

Unable to resist himself, Daneel asked, "But who are you?"

The answer…was given in the most unique way that Daneel had ever seen in his life.

Using the corner of a tree, the Giant carved a word in crude handwriting onto the ground, and the sheer size of this carving would have been enough to fit a village.

"Bam."

'What a strange name…I wonder what it means.', mused Daneel.

After admiring its handiwork with a smile on its face, the Giant finally looked up to see Daneel have a pondering expression on his face, as if he was deciding whether to ask something.

Only, this seemed to have been enough to convey his question to the Giant.

Raising one hand, it punched thrice into the air.

The effect of this action was…startling, to say the least.

While Daneel watched in horror, he saw a visible shockwave appear at the spot where the Giant's fist stopped each time in the air.

With a sonic boom, this shockwave spread outwards, leveling the buildings which had thankfully been evacuated around the Academy while making him involuntarily move back with his hair completely flying backward due to the sudden gusts of wind.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Before the sounds could dissipate, the Giant happily said, "I was named Bam because I loved to make things go 'Bam'! Now where's Elanev? I'm getting bored."

At the same moment, the system and Drakos both sent messages in his mind, but Daneel had already figured it out himself.

[The target in front of host is at the Hero level.]

"Young King, this is definitely a Hero-level Fighter! Impressive!"

Right.

This was a Hero.

A casual swing of his arm had caused destruction on the level of a natural disaster. As Daneel looked around, he saw the remains of the buildings where he had spent many years of his life.

For a moment, he wondered whether he should get mad at the Giant.

Putting aside the fact that it could probably crush him in a second, Daneel realized that it wasn't even fair.

It was like a normal-sized man placed in a Lilliput town where his every action might cause catastrophic effects. Could he be blamed? No!

But Daneel decided that it was best if Elanev came ASAP, lest this Giant get even more 'bored' and begin to have 'fun' in the Capital.

Right. Where was his older brother, anyway?

Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Daneel teleported to the Palace, but didn't find Elanev there.

No one had seen him leave, so Daneel was just about to carry out a search using the system, but he stopped when he got an idea.

Immediately, he traveled to a very familiar mansion in the Inner City, which was the place where he had obtained his first jackpot.

Heaving a sigh of relief on seeing Elanev sharing a cup of tea with his father, Daneel decided that there was no time for explanations.

Swooping down, he caught his collar, before teleporting them away in a flash.

As Elanev spit out the sip of tea he had just taken in shock, he focused on the Academy and the Giant, which was now cleaning its teeth with a twig the size of a telephone pole.

"Wh-what the f*ck is that? And what does it want?"

In response, Daneel simply said 'You' before shoving his elder brother forward and making him fall on the ground near the Giant.

Meanwhile, Elanev had begun to sweat buckets.

Turning back, he glared at the King, who wasn't being a younger brother, at all, these days.

Yesterday, he had offered no words of comfort, and today, he was even being thrown as bait?

Bro…what the f*ck?

He felt like saying this, but he was interrupted by the Giant, which had hastily gotten up, as if it had smelled something.

Turning around swiftly, it looked at Elanev and said, "It's you. Bam saw you using Grandmaster's move! Use it on me so that I can confirm. Now!"

With the last word, a palm started flying in Elanev's direction, making him almost piss his pants while the sun was completely blocked away by the gigantic hand that would soon crush him into paste.

Only, the old man spoke up at this point.

"Use the special Hidden Kill Fist I taught you, idiot."

The Hidden Kill Fist?

Elanev had abandoned it long ago, after finding better techniques. Even the old man had said that that was just a beginning level technique which was special to him, because he had invented it on his path to becoming a Hero Fighter.

So…in a way, it was fitting that this skill was needed for whatever this 'confirmation' was.

Only those who had been given the technique by the old man were capable of executing it. Back during the Olympics, too, Elanev had secretly taken permission before imparting the improved Hidden Kill Fist to Daneel, before they had both gone on the field and pummeled all of their opponents into the ground.

It seemed that the special muscle movement of the Hidden Kill Fist, which was special as it was a discontinuous one with jerks, was enough, as the Giant stopped its hand just a few inches away from Elanev's hand.

Only…again, the shockwave was enough to blow Elanev back, but Daneel was there to catch him.

'Boom!'

Hearing another loud sound, Daneel looked up with horror to see if the Giant had caused any more destruction, but he heaved a sigh of relief when he noticed that the sound had only been from a clap, while the Giant smiled broadly with happiness.

"Yes, it's you! By the word of the Grandmaster, you'll have access to everything in the Sect!"

Wait…'everything'?

As Daneel heard this, he couldn't help but gasp.

All the Head had promised him was access to stuff which a Peak Warrior had the right to access.

Yet, Elanev could go everywhere?

He wanted that!

Besides, before, Daneel had been prepared to focus on the Mage Path temporarily, just so that he could focus his efforts.

Yet, now, after seeing the level of power of a Hero-level Fighter…Daneel had to admit that he was impressed, and also a little interested.

So, using a communication trinket, he first had a little chat with Elanev and the old man, before stepping forward to interrupt the Giant who had begun to hum a happy song which made it sound as if an earthquake was occurring somewhere nearby.

Making his voice louder, he shouted, "Hey! I know it, too! Test me, too!"

…

Meanwhile, many kilometers away from the Capital.

Under the ground, Faxul was sitting on a chair while looking up, aimlessly, as his mind was in a mess.

Kellor stood beside him, keeping a close eye on the many display trinkets which were showing several nightmarish scenes from different rooms.

In one, Commander Aran was gasping for breath while he was chased by…nothing.

Yet, in the "March Through Hell", the special mist which was designed to pull out the deepest fears of one's mind were making him hallucinate and think that he was being chased by an army of gigantic spiders.

Faxul was pretty much free. His Kingdom was currently still pretty bankrupt, as they had put all the money they had taken into several basic projects which needed time to be carried out.

Right now, and since a long time, he had been trying to figure out his own Champion Path.

What resonated with him? What fit his personality the most?

He went back to his earliest memories, and went through his life. All through it, he saw himself being helped by someone or the other.

Suddenly, out of the blue, a thought appeared to him.

'How nice would it be…to just sprout wings and grow strong enough to fly on my own, without needing anyone's help?'

At the same time, an image of a Black Raven soaring through the skies, unbridled and undefeated appeared in his mind.

Only, in that image…he was that Raven.

Chapter 563: Tes

The Giant didn't look too happy that it was interrupted, but that was before it comprehended what Daneel had said.

Puzzled, it scratched its head, which caused fist-sized flakes of dirt to fall to the ground.

In the list of things that Daneel had thought he would never see, this was one item that could be ticked off.

Elanev's legs were still shaking from being blown back in that manner by the sheer force of the Giant's fist, but when he recovered, he looked at Daneel as if he was crazy.

"Daneel, are you out of your mind?! You don't want to go through this, believe me! If I had talent as a Mage, Heavens know that I would never choose this! It's not fun to bleed all day and have your bones broken multiple times, hour by hour, you know! Oh, pipe down, old man."

Obviously, the last sentence was in response to the grumbling that the old man must have started on hearing what he said.

Clearly, from what Daneel had said to the Giant, Elanev had misunderstood that Daneel also wanted to join the 'real hell' that he was going to go through.

The statement made by Elanev made Daneel receive a new perspective of what kind of training his elder brother must be going through, but he just laid a hand on his shoulders and said, "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Besides, it's not my intention to completely enter the path of training of a Fighter, yet. I'm doing this because I need the access that you have. Just trust me."

No sooner did Daneel say these words, did he look up to find that same fist heading toward him, too.

It was just too fast! Daneel was pretty confident that even if he kept his eyes on the Giant all the time, he would definitely have missed this fist being launched unless he used his inheritance.

Thankfully, the distance between them wasn't too small, which was why he was able to at least spot it before it was too late.

Without thinking, Daneel first activated the Basilisk's Breath, which made it slow down considerably. Although it was still at a speed which he couldn't contend with, at all, he could at least see it now unlike before, when it had just appeared like a blur.

He had no time to be gentle, so Daneel unceremoniously threw his elder brother to the side and launched a Hidden Kill Fist, just like Elanev had done.

Just like before, he expected the fist to stop right at the moment before it hit him, but, to his horror, he suddenly realized that something was wrong.

His gut screamed at him that he would soon be turned into meat paste if he didn't act, while even the system started giving warnings due to the subroutines he had placed which detected perilous situations in which there might be a need for the system to cast certain spells.

By now, he could see what was different, too. Before, the speed of the fist had been noticeably slower, and there had also been a sign at the end where the Giant had applied force to stop the fist before it hit Elanev.

There was no such sign now, which meant that he was going to contend against the power of Hero.

He only had an instant, but Daneel utilized it as best he could.

This was his Kingdom, which meant that… The Ruler's Inheritance could be used to full effect.

As the thoughts of many, many people appeared in his mind again, he skilfully segregated them in the same way that he had done during the fight with the Black Raven Empire Spirit. It still pounded in his head, threatening to take over and drive him insane, but he kept it at bay for the time being while concentrating on doing one single thing – conjuring barriers.

One after the other, barriers went up until a thick shell formed through which Daneel couldn't even look outside. His fist was still flying forward as he had had no time to take it back, but, soon, it would meet the wall of the barrier instead of the Giant's hand.

Initially, there were only normal barriers, but then, barriers of strange shapes also started appearing, such as ones filled with hexagons and others made of interlocking circles.

All of these were designed to ablate force and push it to the side instead of having to take it all on directly. In essence, their goal was to enable contraction and expansion of the overall construct, which was due to the nonrigid structure which was built on top of a solid base that would basically turn Daneel into a kind of bouncing ball that would be bounced away instead of being crushed in the face of a force which could not be resisted against.

Even Elanev seemed to have noticed that something was wrong, as he heard a scream from that direction at the moment before impact.

When the impact did occur, Daneel wondered whether this was how it felt to be crushed.

His barrier construct which he had named 'Turtle Shell' had worked wonderfully – instead of putting up resistance, it had allowed the force to pass by it while being launched away just like a ball being hit by a baseball bat.

The fist was slightly angled up, which caused Daneel to fly upwards into the sky at a speed which almost made him look like a shooting star.

Some in Lanthanor even spotted this, and wondered why they were seeing shooting stars during the day.

Inside the ball, Daneel was tumbling around endlessly, with his mind spinning in circles while he felt pain all over his body due to the residual force that had entered the barrier.

Thankfully, his Peak Warrior level body was strong enough to endure, even though it hurt like hell.

The force finally died down after he had traveled hundreds of kilometers diagonally from Lanthanor, which almost put him in the airspace of the Black Raven Kingdom.

As he finally started to slow down, Daneel struggled to cast spells to stop the momentum, which finally allowed him to come to a halt.

Instantly, he spat out blood as all of his internal organs had gotten injured due to them moving around and tumbling inside him due to such an instant and insane change in state.

His face was completely red due to all the blood that had rushed up, and his eyes were bloodshot as he blinked in shock, wondering what the heck the intention of the Giant was.

'Not harmful, my ass!'

Cursing the Head, Daneel teleported back to find a crater where he had previously been.

It was over 10 feet deep and 20 feet wide, almost making it look as if an asteroid had barrelled down from the sky and impacted the Academy Grounds of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

If anyone knew that this was all just the side-effects of an attack from a Hero-level Fighter, they would definitely be amazed.

"Young King… You should know that that was just a casual punch. If he really wanted to kill you, a fully powered punch would not give you any time to react. You would have been obliterated by now."

The statement from Drakos made Daneel gasp in shock.

That had actually been just a casual fist?

So Heroes were THIS damn overpowered?!

At this moment, Daneel got a clearer estimate of the chasm that lay between him and the Hero level. Even though he couldn't quantify it perfectly as he didn't know just how casual the punch of the Giant was, he could tell that this was a chasm that couldn't be crossed by using cute tricks such as before when he had utilized the Paragon techniques to battle against Raul.

The Giant smiled wide when he saw Daneel reappear, which made him wonder whether he should contact the Head for help, in case more attacks were going to come.

Daneel has been pretty sure that this must have been some test, which was why he had gone back, but now, as he was face to face with the Giant, he couldn't help but rethink that decision.

Should he have killed his pride and contacted the Head, just to be safe, anyway?

After all, that was the only person who could protect him in this case, other than Rayen, but the latter couldn't do so unless he wanted the secret of their agreement to be exposed to everyone.

This really irritated Daneel. Right now, he felt as if he was once again that weak Amateur Human who had only been able to look up to the Exalted Human level foes that he had gone up against during his ascension to become the King.

He had kept them in mind each and every moment when he trained, which had really helped to push him forward and enable him to endure.

It seemed… that this incident might have the same effect as then, when he had been made to kneel in front of the King because he was weak.

The Giant spoke up at this point.

With the innocent face of a child who had meant no harm, he said, "Sorry, King. The Grandmaster ordered me to test whether you are strong enough to take a casual Bam from me. It's because you're a Mage. The grandmaster doesn't approve of those not focusing on one path. But you passed, so you are eligible now, too. I'll be leaving now – it's time for my second breakfast. See you soon when you come to the Sect!"

Saying this, the Giant waved his hand in an animated motion before disappearing from where he was.

This… Made Daneel take another step back and rub his eyes, while he wondered whether he was hallucinating.

His elementary vision had been switched on, as it always was during a fight, which had enabled him to see just how this Giant had used teleportation.

There had been no use of a Mageroot!

Somehow, the Giant had forced the elementary particles to change in such a way to facilitate teleportation.

It reminded him…of the Mageroot-less spell that he, himself had cast during the Olympics.

How was it even possible to do this?

Daneel had no idea.

It was almost as if… he had learned all his life to sail a boat in a particular way, by seeing many others do so. Yet, right now, he had just seen someone accomplish the same thing without using a 'rudder', which was, in this case, his Mageroot.

Daneel had heard once that once one reached the levels of Champions and Heroes, there was no longer a difference in power between Fighters and Mages, as was the case in the lower levels where a Fighter was weaker because they had to get into close range to launch their attacks, while the latter was capable of handling multiple opponents using various spells.

He hadn't really believed it, but now, as he saw this, he realized that that must be true.

After all, this was the first truly powerful Fighter he had seen, as the old man didn't count because he was just a spirit.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel tried to clear his mind of all the thoughts that had appeared because of everything he had just experienced

All in all, although Daneel was thoroughly disgruntled by that grandmaster's actions, he was still happy because he had achieved what he wanted – he now had unlimited access in one of the Big Four, which, he felt, was worth the near-death experience.

Also, because he had had to endure the attack himself instead of before when he had only seen the Giant in action, Daneel now had a very intense admiration of the power that the Fighter path contained. In fact, right now, he even felt foolish that he had not placed this path, too, on the top of his list.

He had a goddamn Heaven-defying system, for Heaven's sake!

Equipped like so, it would really be a shame if he didn't aim as high as possible.

Just as Daneel was about to help Elanev up, a message resounded in his mind.

"HELP, DANEEL!"

It was from Faxul.

With panic filling his mind, Daneel instantly teleported to the location where Faxul was supposed to be- the underground area where they had built the "March Through Hell".

Only, as soon as he appeared in the cavern, he was greeted by a sight which made him wonder if he had gone crazy for the second time today.

A 6-foot tall Black Raven was in front of him, which screeched as if in pain before falling to the ground.

That was what it looked like, but through the elementary vision, Daneel could see that it was actually…an Elementary Particle Construct of dizzying complexity.

In the middle of it was Faxul, with his eyes closed and his face twisted into an expression of agony.

As Daneel looked on, unable to understand what the f*ck was going on, the Raven construct in which his friend was present phased in and out of existence.

Drakos's shout returned him to his senses.

"KNOCK HIM OUT, YOUNG KING! HIS BLOODLINE HAS BEEN TRIGGERED! IF HE ISN'T STOPPED BY FORCE, HE WILL GO MAD!"

Without any further thought, Daneel made a large metallic hammer appear above the Raven's head, which was also where Faxul's head was.

Apologizing silently, he let it drop.

Chapter 564: The Black Raven Bloodline 1

Bang!

With a resounding echo, the hammer knocked the living daylight out of Faxul, causing him to slump to the ground while the Black Raven Construct vanished.

This allowed Daneel to take a deep breath and calm himself.

He realized that this was just one of those days, where there would be so many shocks and reveals that it would feel as if he was being overwhelmed.

So, over time, he had learned that the best thing to do was take a step back and just breathe in and out, thinking about simpler things in life.

Before Daneel could get to the second part, Kellor hurried to Daneel's side and spoke in a voice filled with shock.

"I don't know what happened, My Lord. One second, he was just lounging in the chair and daydreaming, just like all the other days. He told me that he was actually trying to figure out something very important, but I didn't believe him as it didn't look like that, at all. Suddenly, a few seconds ago, he screamed loudly and started writhing before that Raven appeared. I sensed danger from it, so I was first about to conjure a barrier around myself and then contact you, but you arrived before I needed to do so. Wh-what is going on, My King? Can that consciousness of the Empire Spirit be messing with him? Or does being a different body cause phenomena such as these?"

Daneel knew that Kellor, who usually preferred to keep things short and to the point, was in a pretty flustered state as he practically babbled all this before finally shutting his mouth.

Yet, Daneel still marveled at the man's analytical ability which had shown itself even though he was in such a state.

As he was part of the Council of Nine Heavens, he knew about the truth behind Faxul. So, he had raised questions regarding this, which made even more questions arise in Daneel's head.

What the f*ck had Drakos meant when he said 'bloodline'?

Daneel had almost never heard this term over all the years he had spent on Angaria. Even recently, when he was discovering more and more about Champion Paths and the secrets behind becoming a Hero, he had never seen any indication of important data which was related to one's bloodline.

Then how the heck had this come out of the blue?

Unable to take it anymore, Daneel decided to ask Drakos, while also wondering why the Ancient Dragon hadn't already explained itself and absolved Daneel of all these doubts.

"Drakos, wh-"

"One moment, Young King. I'm trying to ascertain if there's any additional threat to your friend's life and sanity. This is a very tricky case due to the existence of that hibernating old bird."

Daneel promptly shut his mouth as he heard this.

Obviously, Faxul's wellbeing mattered more than him getting his questions answered.

Still, as he was idle, he decided to ask the system.

"System, has there been any data found regarding 'bloodlines'? Check back and give me all relevant and important instances where that word is used."

[Affirmative. No entries found in data obtained as part of breaking the second seal on the Empire Spirit of Lanthanor. Irrelevant entries found in various books. Vague hints have been recovered. Consolidating. Looking for other mentions. No references found in data collected in the Sect of Hedon.]

That last sentence made Daneel frown, as he had really been hoping that that source would prove to be fruitful.

Only, as he remembered that most of the data he had collected there was from journals of just Warrior-level characters, he realized that he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up, as this seemed to be something that was definitely very closely related to the Champion level.

Daneel was about to give this up as a lost cause and wait for Drakos to answer while observing the spells that the Ancient Dragon was deploying his Mageroot which looked like they were scanning Faxul in various ways and receiving feedback which was at a level he nor the system could understand. Yet, he paused and opened his eyes wide as the system gave one last reply.

[Total direct, relevant mentions found: One. Replaying.

'Only the true line of the Black Raven can command the God Beast']

A deep voice said these words, and as Daneel heard them, it was as if he was transported back in time.

It was a part of the message that had been left behind for Faxul by his father before he died.

As Daneel asked the system to repeat the sentence, he finally understood something.

All along, they had thought that this sentence was related to the ability to speak to a Raven closely, and understand what it was feeling and saying at a more intrinsic level than all others, which was something that Faxul had always been capable of.

In fact, with that ability, he would have been very adept in combat if he had a companion at the same level as him, but, sadly, that was not possible in this case.

Now, as Daneel was reminded of it, he got the inkling that maybe, it was not related to this particular aspect, at all.

Also, at the same time, Daneel was reminded of the mystery that was still present regarding his friend.

When they had begun the plan to have Faxul take revenge for his father's death, Faxul had suddenly undergone a metamorphosis, of sorts, where his power had increased exponentially in the short span of a few minutes.

To this day, Daneel had not seen a similar phenomenon anywhere else, even though he had had quite a few dealings with Champions and even Heroes.

Even the system had only been able to say that there was something different in his blood that had caused it, but it couldn't explain what.

Today, Daneel had a feeling that he would definitely get an answer.

Also, although it was a fact that Faxul was in a different body, and hence, should not be in possession of the same 'bloodline', when taking the traditional meaning of the word, Daneel knew instantly that that was not a problem.

The body he was in was that of a great-great-whatever-grandfather of his, which meant that they shared the same bloodline.

As for what Kellor had said about feeling danger, as Daneel thought back, he realized that the Grand Court Mage was right.

In those brief moments when Faxul had been in that form, even Daneel had felt a certain level of ferociousness and power that was capable of giving even him pause.

The most incredulous thing was that Faxul hadn't been controlling those elementary particles that made up the Black Raven Construct with his Mageroot.

No, they had naturally formed into those incredibly complex patterns, just like in the case when he had seen that Giant teleport away.

In a way, the whole thing had actually reminded him of something from Earth.

Mechas.

Indeed, it was almost like Faxul had been stepping in and out of a Mecha that was in the shape of a Black Raven.

Only, this Mecha was much more natural and fluid than any man-made device could ever be.

Shaking his head, Daneel tried to make it stop thinking.

The more he replayed what had happened and mulled over it, the more his anticipation and eagerness to have his questions answered grew, which were also accompanied by nonsensical thoughts like these which were the product of an idle mind.

Thankfully, Drakos finally spoke up after a few moments.

"He should be fine. It seems that…the dissonance between his consciousness and body caused the bloodline to be triggered, because the two wish to achieve equilibrium using any and all methods available. Interesting. No wonder father said that the consciousness is a wonderful thing which even those at the Hero level are only beginning to understand."

"Drakos!"

Daneel couldn't help it any more as he heard the Ancient Dragon talking to himself.

He had actually meant to just remind Drakos politely that he was waiting, but his emotions had caused it to come out as a shout.

"Oh, right, Young King. Apologies. Bloodlines are…complicated. Where do I start? Oh, yes, I'll begin with the Godbeasts. First of all, please understand that some information is still locked behind the third seal. I'll try to make use of what isn't to give you as clear a picture as possible."

Daneel felt a little irritated as he heard this, but he continued to listen without saying anything.

"Hmm. Young King, the full story, which you will find behind the third seal, relates to the history of this continent. It speaks about ages long, long before even the Empire. I only say this to motivate you further. Let me give you the gist of the answer you seek. As you know, I am a Godbeast, too. Godbeasts are not singular beasts; no that word refers to species of beasts which were so much more powerful than regular beasts that they had to be revered as 'Gods'. We Godbeasts have the ability to grant our bloodline to certain humans who meet certain requirements. Apparently, this is a very painful process which even halves the power of that certain Godbeast. In the time of the Emperor, all remaining Godbeasts were made to do this 'granting'. Some agreed to the Emperor's terms and did so willingly, while others had to be forced. All this happened in the beginning of his rule, so I am pretty sure that this has nothing to do with all the plans he made for the safety of the continent. That was why I was surprised before: by all estimates, by this age, all bloodlines should have thinned too much, meaning that their effects should not come to light unless there are special circumstances in the case of your friend."

"DRAKOS, JUST TELL ME WHAT THE BLOODLINE HAS TO DO WITH FAXUL TURNING INTO A GODDAMN BIRD!"

Daneel hadn't been able to take it anymore. Seeing the Ancient Dragon go left and right in his explanation, the King of Lanthanor shouted out like a little kid who was angry at his parents for not telling him what gift they had bought him for his birthday.

Well, he had had no choice if he wanted to retain his sanity.

Finally, Daneel received the answer he was looking for.

"Er…yes. A bloodline has various benefits, such as increased base potential and comprehension. But the most coveted benefit is the right to train in Champion Paths which are comparable in power to the strongest in existence. In their blood, those who are descendants of humans lucky enough to obtain bloodlines of Godbeasts carry the essence of the existence of said Godbeast. This allows them to 'will' themselves into a form of that Godbeast, granting them access to all inherent natural affinities and strengths while also still being capable of using their Mageroots and bodies. When paired together using the right techniques which exploit those affinities and strengths, those who train in these Champion Paths skyrocket in power to match, and even in certain cases exceed the most advanced and powerful Champion Paths in existence."

Here, Drakos paused, before saying, "Let me show you. That would be for the best.".

As soon as he said this, Daneel received a message from the system.

[Incoming Visual Message.]

"Send it in," he said instantly.

The next moment, Daneel was standing in an open plain, with rolling hills all around for as far as the eye could see.

THWUP! THWUP! THWUP!

Hearing a sound from above, Daneel looked up and received the shock of his life.

Above him, flying in the sky was a gigantic Black Raven with a wingspan that exceeded 40 feet in length. It covered the sun, itself, when it passed over him, making him shade his eyes and gaze at it with awe.

It's resplendent feathers which shone individually looked razor-sharp, and as he continued watching, it flapped its wings once to instantly pause in the air.

What happened next was branded into Daneel's mind.

As it opened its beak wide, a spherical…darkness sprang into being, which quickly began to expand.

As it did, Daneel felt a strong pull, as if he was going to be tugged into the air at any moment.

All around him, trees and grass started to be uprooted and swallowed by that darkness, which allowed Daneel to get an epiphany and understand what it was.

It was a black hole.

Around its edges, existence, itself, seemed to warp, while its will to swallow and destroy everything was felt in every part of Daneel's body, which was struggling not to be pulled into that abyss just like everything in his surroundings.

At this moment, Daneel heard Drakos's voice again, and the tone of the Ancient Dragon was filled with a certain…respect, and deference that the King of Lanthanor had never heard before.

"Such individuals are known by special names which indicate the Mage/Fighter Technique they choose to unify their power with the Natural Construct that is formed by their will. This particular one was called…'The Path of The Invincible Black Raven: Devouring Monarch of the Skies'."

Chapter 565: Godbeast Baptism

"The Path of the Invincible Black Raven: Devouring Monarch of the Skies."

This name reverberated in Daneel's mind while the image in front of him broke apart into pieces and was replaced by reality.

Kellor was thoroughly bewildered. First, he had had to witness the strange happenings in the case of Faxul, and after that, when the King came, he had hoped that he would get some answers.

Only, even though he had gone to the King's side and asked, the latter had just stood there stoically, staring off into the distance as if daydreaming.

Understanding that the King must be conversing with the Ancient Dragon in his mind, Kellor had patiently waited while seeing the King get more and more irritated by something, until finally he even folded his hands and got an angry expression on his face.

Only, after that, that anger had been replaced by something that almost looked like…fear.

With his eyes wide open and bloodshot, the King had stared into empty space as if he was seeing an apparition of something so terrifying that it even made him shudder.

Rather than fear, it was shock that had been taken to extreme levels, but there was an added aspect of deference that had made it look like fear.

As Kellor saw Daneel finally regain his focus and return to his senses soon after, he was amazed when he saw the King take a step back and actually…kneel down on one knee while clutching his chest, right where his heart was.

Copious amounts of sweat also appeared, drenching the King where he knelt, while Kellor could even hear the frantic hammering of the King's heart.

What the hell could he have seen to have such an intense reaction?

Kellor was truly puzzled, because, from all the exploits of Daneel that he had heard about during the Council of the Nine Heavens, he knew that the one in front of him had seen so much more than probably anyone in the Central Continent, if those who were still existing from the previous age weren't counted.

So, something that couldn't elicit this sort of reaction must definitely be truly horrific.

Glancing to the side, Kellor saw that Faxul was still lying on the ground, motionless, while a large lump the size of a fist had appeared on his forehead, right where the King's hammer had dropped to knock him out.

Just as he was about to turn his head back, he felt a hand catch his and use it for support.

Of course, it was the King, who got up in this way and took a deep breath while his heart finally started to calm down.

Indeed, Daneel had been pretty sure that he would pass out due to the rush of emotions and blood that he had been subjected to after leaving the illusion.

It had almost been as if…the very presence and aura of that beast, or human in a beast's form, or whatever it had been in the sky had suffocated Daneel, making him feel as if he was being crushed under the weight of its majesty.

What was amazing was that he had been affected by that so intensely.

He was a Peak Warrior! Just what kind of level must that being be at to be able to cause such an effect in even him?

In fact, now that he thought about it, he was pretty sure that if it had wanted, and if he was really present in that place, that Raven could have ended his life without even needing to spare a second of its time.

For the first time, Daneel had to search for some other analogy, as calling it as 'being treated like an insect' just didn't cut it.

Right. He had been like an inconsequential mote of dust floating around, which would only need to blown away to end its existence.

Also, that black hole. His elementary vision had been unable to make sense of what it was, and even the system had just told him that it exceeded the bounds of its complexity, which was to be expected.

What he did know was that it could devour anything and everything, and that it seemed to be an ultimate attack of that being. Also, the word 'devouring' in its name must have come from this attack, because it was just that awe-inducing and supremely powerful.

It was only when he looked around and laid his eyes on Faxul did he make a conscious decision to snap out of all his speculations.

He was about to ask Drakos to continue, but he paused when he saw Kellor looking at him with an inquisitive expression on his face.

Oh, right. In his hurry, he had forgotten to answer his Grand Court Mage.

At first, Daneel pondered whether to find everything and tell him later, but, as a thought came to him, he decided that he shouldn't be the only one 'graced' with the opportunity of experiencing that sight.

Maybe he would be motivated.

Or maybe Daneel just wanted to see someone else's reaction, too, so that he could tell himself that he hadn't acted like a coward.

He was sure that anyone at his general level would enter the same state after experiencing the visceral and savage might of that…thing, so he looked forward to see how his Grand Court Mage would react.

"Instead of telling you, let me show you. I know you trust me, so just open your mind and don't resist. What you are about to see, is apparently the peak which those during the age of the Empire who are blessed with the same thing as Faxul- a bloodline of a Godbeast, can reach."

Saying so, Daneel stepped forward and was about to use the system to send the same visual message to Kellor. He knew that the system recorded all the things he saw, so it would be able to recreate everything.

Thankfully, he stopped at the last moment, realizing that this would stand out a lot, as it wasn't typically something that normal humans should be able to do. After all, the message had been in a very complex format which encapsulated all those emotions and feelings which had allowed Daneel to undergo a very realistic experience. No one would be able to memorize it after experiencing it once, even if they were a Peak Warrior Mage- such a feat would be akin to a normal human from Earth looking at the Louvre once and then recreating it with perfect architectural detail.

Asking the Ancient Dragon to do the task for him, Daneel walked forward to Kellor and touched his forehead, which began the transmission.

And…not even a few seconds afterward, the Grand Court Mage of Lanthanor fell to the ground and started frothing at his mouth, while his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Yes, his own reaction hadn't been uncharacteristic, at all.

Sighing and conjuring another hammer to knock him out, too, Daneel remarked inwardly about his growing penchant for using hammers, but he was interrupted by the Ancient Dragon.

"This is the kind of reaction that one typically has when they experience such raw power which outclasses them by an unfathomable margin. You are truly special, Young King. It seems that your mind is much more resolute than I thought."

Daneel was puzzled as he heard this, so he asked the system what the reason behind his 'resoluteness' might be.

The answer pleasantly surprised him.

[Replying to host: host has a stronger mentality due to the fact that host has spent a life on another planet, and has also gone through several experiences which, typically, only those at much higher levels are subjected to. For example, host went into closed-door uninterrupted training for three months when host was just a Human, which generally drives Humans mad. In the process, host's mind grew stronger. Prolonged exposure to high-risk situations also incites growth in the strength of one's mind.]

Oh, right.

He definitely wasn't someone who could be called 'typical'.

With this out of the way, Daneel refocused on the issue in front of him.

"Continue, Drakos. So…he has the bloodline. And it was triggered for some reason. Now, if he gets the Mage technique that corresponds to that Devouring Monarch of the Skies, he can train to reach that level? And can he breakthrough, now, to become a Champion?"

"Ahem…it's not so simple, Young King. The figure you saw in the vision was one of the strongest beings of the Empire. He was even a step above us vassals. As part of a special corps which only listened to the Emperor, he was seldom seen in public, often carrying out missions on the Emperor's behest. To reach that level is something that is not possible in this age. Still, if everything goes well, your friend will grow into someone who can stand among the strongest beings among this continent. However…that will only be the case if he can survive the Godbeast's Baptism."

"Huh? What's that?"

The word 'baptism' had resulted in Daneel remembering the image of small babies being dunked into water. Surely, Faxul wouldn't be drowned or something, right?

"You must already have realized how overpowered the descendants of Godbeasts are. Even if they have lower talent, they can directly contend with those of extreme talent who choose the strongest of Champion Paths. If all descendants truly had it so easy, then everyone would have opted for this method, too. The Baptism is the thing that stops this from being the case. The power of taking on the form of a Godbeast using one's bloodline can only be done by those who pass the Baptism with their mind intact. As for what the process is, it's simple: the act of awakening one's bloodline through a Baptism is basically an awakening of all the memories and essence of the existence of the Godbeasts they are descended from. These memories proceed to test the descendant in different ways, in an attempt to 'break' them and take over. If they cannot pass the test and absorb both the memories and the essence without staying sane, then the awakening is a failure. I will sum it up using a famous quote of the Emperor. 'A Baptism is a journey into one's own mind, where they must find themselves. If they do so, no foreign influence can ever hope to affect one's sanity. Instead, that foreign influence would be absorbed in return, leading to a successful awakening. But, if they do not, one will be lost, forever, and no magic will be able to bring them back. Descendants, if you wish for power, then you must earn it.'."

That statement of the Emperor really did sum it up, but Daneel braced himself for the bad news.

"So…what is wrong with Faxul?"

Drakos answered with a sigh.

"When I said his bloodline had been triggered, I meant that he had been pulled into a Baptism involuntarily. In the age of the Empire, this would be a carefully controlled process. However, here, your friend has no choice but to go through the Baptism or give up on that body, and the chance to set foot on a Path which will lead him to become one of the strongest figures on this continent. Of course, if he fails, he will be lost to us, forever. The choice is his, Young King."

This made Daneel sigh, too, as he remembered something from the past.

In that memory, a face was looking at him with determination, ready to defy him and risk death or worse if it meant that he could grow in power.

His dear friend Faxul had a penchant for taking enormous risks for power. Before, he had allowed that spirit to remain in his body just so he could train faster.

Even though Faxul wasn't in such a desperate condition now, something told Daneel that his choice would be similar.

If there was one quality of Faxul's that Daneel truly admired, then it was his stubbornness to do everything possible to reach his goal.

Right now, Daneel could only hope that that stubbornness would pull him through.

…

Meanwhile, right after being knocked out, Faxul had felt as if he was being…pulled somewhere.

A few moments later, he had opened his eyes, only to find darkness all around him.

Standing up, he felt around his body to find, with shock, that he was back in his original body, instead of the one was currently in.

This…was definitely some sort of dream.

Only, pinching himself had no effect except making him flinch.

The darkness and silence bored into his eyes and ears, making him very uncomfortable, as he tried to comprehend just how he had gotten here, and how was supposed to get out.

A few moments later, he saw a globe of fire approaching him.

When it neared, he rejoiced when he saw that it was his closest friend, Daneel, who was holding it.

Daneel looked…odd, somehow, yet Faxul couldn't see him clearly.

Feeling glad that he wasn't alone in whatever place this was, he scrambled forward to reach the light.

Yet, right before he did, he felt a foot connect with his jaw that made him fly backward in an arc before landing on the rough ground.

Before he could come to his senses, a voice echoed all around him, making Faxul raise his head as shock raced through his mind.

"Hello, 'dear friend'. I'm afraid it's time you stop leeching off of me. What have you ever achieved in your whole life by yourself? You're just a useless dog that licks at my heels while I throw you scraps! If it weren't for me, you would have long been buried in the ground. Do you even have any other purpose in life except being given things that you aren't worthy of? If I were you, I would kill myself out of shame."

…

At the same time, in the underground mansion that had been broken into by the Giant.

"Rayen, I can tell that you've calmed down, more or less. I'll take my leave, then. It's not like I can stay here forever to keep an eye on you. Remember, that formation is still there, and you will be punished severely if you lay a hand on that King. Don't try underhanded tricks, either. Got it?"

In front of the Head, Rayen sat with his hands on his knees.

As he heard this, he picked up a painting from the table beside him, which was of his son.

Caressing it, he answered in a soft voice.

"Yes. It may be time to let go…"

Seeing this, the Head sighed, before teleporting away to leave him in peace.

Yet, right after he did so, Rayen immediately sprang up and checked to see whether he was still being surveilled.

Seeing that the Head had truly left, he took a moment to rejoice, before teleporting to his library.

With a flick of his finger, various books containing important information such as Champion Paths, records of Champions and various in-depth studies on certain topics flew into a bag, which he placed in front of him.

Looking forward to finally seeing his son again, Rayen made a clone, which slung that bag over its shoulder and started flying in the direction of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Chapter 566: Godbeast Baptism 2

"So, the Baptism has already started?"

"Yes, he must be experiencing it now. However, like I told you, we can pull him out, and then let it start again. Only…subsequent tries are always harder, for various reasons. Do you wish to pull him out?"

Pacing around the room, Daneel kept glancing at Faxul, whose eyes were twitching as if he had had a bad dream.

He had just asked Drakos what he was supposed to do to give Faxul the choice, but he had received this answer.

Daneel had been thinking that he would have to just wake Faxul up, or something, following which his friend would definitely choose to face the danger.

Yet, as he heard this, Daneel hesitated.

How sure was he of Faxul's answer?

The answer was: pretty damn sure.

So, Daneel shrugged and said, "Let him stay. I'm actually pretty confident in him. You don't know how determined he was back when we were in the Academy. I think he must have worked harder than even me, because he had lower potential and comprehension. He would always be the one burning the candle at both ends. The others would mock him, saying that he wouldn't get anywhere with that potential no matter what he did. Of course, he didn't listen. Even now…I believe that that rebellion streak of his will help him."

Even though Daneel said this, he had to admit that he was pretty tense.

He wished that this would be the case, but the power they were talking about was at such a level that Daneel could guess the difficulty of the Baptism.

So, getting an idea, he asked, "Can we watch?"

If a baptism was taking place in one's mind, and if they could Mind Control him or gain access to his consciousness like they had done before when he had shifted bodies, then couldn't it be possible that they could view what was going on?

Drakos answered after a few seconds.

"Yes, I think it's possible. Let me be honest with you. This is actually a…secret spell made by father, who wanted to see who the people whom he was going to trust really were. After all, in the Baptism, there can be no lies. This spell can only be cast if there's a two-level difference between the target and the one casting. We're lucky, because he's a Warrior and I'm a Hero, meaning we will be casting the spell using Hero-level complexity. Shall we get started?"

Daneel couldn't help but marvel at the Emperor's shrewdness as he heard this.

This was like the ultimate test that would establish once and for all what kind of person one was. So, even if it was a breach of privacy, Daneel felt that it was the right thing to do, especially if passing the Baptism would mean that the person could wield power at the scale Daneel had seen.

If such people went rogue, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Sighing, Daneel said, "Yes, Let's do it."

…

Meanwhile, Faxul had just spit out blood and gotten to his feet.

Daneel was still standing there, looking at him with a disgusted expression on his face, while darkness surrounded him.

As he recalled his best friend's words, he couldn't help but feel disgust, too, at first.

It seemed as if Daneel's voice had some sort of hypnotic power vested inside it, which affected him at a subconscious level and pulled out all the thoughts that were tucked away there.

Useless.

Pathetic.

Unworthy.

Kill yourself. Kill yourself. KILL YOURSELF!

His mind seemed to have been pulled into a quagmire, in which he had come face to face with everything he had felt, but didn't want to deal with.

Clutching his head, Faxul fell to the ground.

His life, up until this moment, started to flash through his eyes, with each and every incident in it magnified.

…

Meanwhile, Rayen was frustratedly staring at the communication trinket that connected him to the King of Lanthanor.

He was pacing around on the border of the Kingdom, unseen by all, while still holding that bag.

He had been so excited to fulfill his end of the bargain so that he could meet his son. After all, this had been the second condition of the King back when he had outed himself as the Devil: to bring all the Champion Paths and other important information he had from the secret stashes of data that all Heroes had.

Yet, now, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get through to the King.

After all, how could he know that the King had entered his best friend's mind and was currently viewing the latter trying hard not to shatter into a million pieces?

Sighing and thinking that there might be something or the other he must be occupied with, Rayen decided to wait, but as he did so, he took out a communication trinket shaped like a stick figure.

He lovingly caressed it, remembering how he had obtained it.

Little Raul had just joined Engraving classes when he was just 8 years old. This…had been the first trinket he made, with the help of the Engraver, who had remarked that he had excellent talent.

Raul had proudly presented it to Rayen, who had chuckled and activated the trinket, himself, before keeping it, saying that this would be how they would communicate.

Since then, whenever he had had to contact Raul, he would use this trinket.

Even when Raul had made that decision to end the lives of all those sons of daughters of Heroes, Rayen had heard it from this trinket.

Out of a whim, he said, "Raul, I hope I see you soon."

To his shock, a message was heard from the other end, which made him jump back and stare at the trinket while wondering whether he was dreaming.

"Dad? Where are you? I thought you were on lockdown by the Head?"

…

Daneel was trying to make sense of his own feelings while he saw his best friend collapsed on the ground, clutching his head in pain.

That wasn't all that Daneel could see. Apparently, this spell was designed to peer into one's consciousness. So, Daneel could clearly see what was going on inside Faxul's mind in the form of images that surrounded his head.

Right now, the memories of his before disaster had struck the Black Raven Kingdom were being played out. They were all so happy and filled with love, up until the point where he had had to flee so as not to be killed.

At that point, his mind had somehow spun it to make it look it was his fault.

There was even a fake message from his dad saying that he was responsible for all of what was happening.

It was then that Daneel realized what was happening.

The essence of the Godbeast was twisting his memories, with the goal of making him succumb to inner grief and give up.

It would be like…if one's own life was taken from them and made into a movie, where they were depicted as some kind of villain who was responsible for everything bad happening to all those around them.

Soon, the first scene of their meeting was going to come- of that time in the Fists of Justice Training Hall when Daneel had gone to the kid who had looked calm unlike the others and introduced himself.

And…it was twisted like all the others. It looked more like Faxul had seen something in him and come up to him to become his friend, just so that he could use him to his benefit.

Was that how Faxul really saw these memories? Or were these all just tricks being played by the Godbeast's essence?

Daneel had no idea, but he felt very sad as he saw Faxul in this condition.

His friend had always gotten the short stick in life. Even when he had been a child, his potential had been damaged by his dad to keep him safe.

Since then, he had always had to struggle for each and every thing. True, he had gotten fortune later on in the form of becoming the King of the Black Raven Kingdom, but what had happened after that?

He had gotten manipulated by the Empire Spirit, and had even opted to kill himself just to help Daneel.

It was like a tale of extreme tragedy that no one would like to read, because it would make even them feel sad.

Yet, what was really admirable was his attitude of not giving up.

Daneel could sigh and wish that that would help, and give him this power which he truly felt he deserved. If that happened, there would be no one happier than him.

Not wishing to watch any longer, Daneel asked the system to keep a monitoring spell that would trigger when Faxul was in real danger. Then, he could return to pull him out.

He had just asked Drakos and found out that the signs of that would be clear, so he knew that he didn't have to worry about not being here when he was needed.

As soon as he opened his eyes and took his hand off of Faxul's shoulder where he had placed it before to enter his consciousness, he received the messages from Rayen.

It seemed that the Head had stopped the lockdown, finally.

However, Daneel felt no excitement. All he felt was worry.

Only, it seemed that this process might take days because the sense of time inside Faxul's mind would be skewed by the essence which would want to have as much time as possible to whittle down its target.

Looking at Faxul's prone body one last time, Daneel teleported away.

…

Right after Rayen had received that message, he had had to take a few seconds to verify that he hadn't gone crazy.

Wasn't Raul supposed to be a prisoner? Why would a Peak Warrior allow a Champion enough freedom to access a communication trinket?

It was definitely strange.

Yet, the urge to talk to his son was too strong.

"Raul?", he asked hesitantly, and as he heard the reply, he couldn't help but gasp in disbelief.

"Yes, dad! It's me! Where are you? I'll come over there. The King did say that you might come to visit us soon."

"O-on the outskirts of Lanthanor…"

Barely a second later, Raul had appeared in front of Rayen with a smile on his face.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to give an assignment and then co-"

Interrupted by a bear hug from his old man, Raul smiled and hugged back.

Rayen was close to tears. He had already dispelled the darkness around his body, which was something he only did in the presence of those he trusted.

Right now, he just looked like a normal middle-aged man who looked ecstatic that he had been reunited with his son.

But, hastily stepping back, he said, "Raul, did you escape to come here? If so, you should go back! That King can kill you whenever he wishes!"

This made Raul chuckle and say, "Don't worry, dad. That man…has us both twined around his finger. He defeated me in fair combat, dad. Look."

Saying so, Raul raised one hand and made an image appear using light elementary particles.

It was of him being bested in the span of a few seconds by the King of Lanthanor.

Seeing this, Rayen couldn't help but stare at Raul with wide open eyes.

"Hey. So the Head left, huh?"

At the same moment, Daneel teleported behind the Hero, startling him and making him point at Daneel as if he were a ghost.

"Y-you…"

Usually, Daneel would have found this assuming. Seeing the image still playing over Raul's hand, he could tell that it had just been revealed that he could beat an Amateur Champion without using any tricks.

However, he wasn't in a good mood, at all.

So, he just walked forward without hesitation and took the bag from Rayen's shoulder while the Hero continued to stare at him.

He had already received the message that Rayen was coming to fulfil the second condition that Daneel had given back when they had reached an agreement.

Without hesitation, he plunged his hand inside the bag, as if he was rummaging around, while in truth he was touching all the books so that the system could record them.

After that, as he stood up, he said, "System, tell me if there's any important information that I need to know right now."

The answer made Daneel pause, and raise his eyebrows.

[Scanning. Champion Paths found. Research materials found. Journals found. Total Number of Books: 264.

Scanning for relevant information.

A journal from the time of the Empire has been found which theorizes a Champion Path that can, potentially, defeat any and all that exist. However, this Champion Path is based on one that is purported to be the weakest in existence, as one that is chosen by Peak Warriors as a last resort if they don't break through by other means. Would host like to hear about this information?]

Chapter 567: 'Hopeless' Champion Path

"A Champion Path that can, potentially, defeat any and all that exist."

That was a statement that could give anyone pause.

Daneel was tempted to say 'yes' and find out what the system was talking about right now, but he stopped when he saw Rayen recover his senses.

Any way he saw it, this father-son Hero Champion duo were very important to him. Hence, he knew that he had to take the time out to ensure that they would stay by him, instead of going into a daze like before with Kellor.

Kellor knew that there was a different entity in Daneel's head, but these two would just think that he was acting weird.

So, walking forward, Daneel first greeted Rayen.

"I trust you've been well, Hero Rayen. So the Head finally decided that you're past your mourning stage?"

Raul stayed silent as he saw the King speak to his father, whereas Rayen folded his hands and eyed the King with an indecipherable expression on his face.

However, he had already detected something: the darkness that always swirled around his father was both an offensive and defensive mechanism that came as a result of his Champion Path. He had once told him that ever since he had broken through to become a Champion, he would always have it on, no matter where he was, except on very rare occasions.

Right now, the darkness wasn't present.

Daneel had noticed that, too. Till now, he had only seen this man as that enigmatic Hero of darkness whose eyes were the only things visible.

Now, as he saw a middle-aged person wearing the normal clothes of a middle-class family and looking as if he had just walked out of a merchant store or some other normal occupation, he couldn't help but feel that judging people by how they looked was definitely something that everyone did without even thinking about it.

Taking Rayen for example, first of all, Daneel had almost assumed that someone who was wreathed in darkness all the time must be some kind of villain character, as that was the way they were usually portrayed in various forms of media back on Earth.

Instead, reality was that this was just a man who cared for his son, and also cared for the millions of humans on Angaria.

Secondly, he had thought that Rayen would have an imposing figure, mainly because of his eyes which gave one the feeling that the one in front of them was not to be messed with.

Yet, reality was completely different. The man in front of him was more suited to be sitting on a porch and telling sweet stories to his sons and daughters, rather than being someone who wielded power that could devastate entire swaths of land in the span of a single breath, if Daneel used what he had seen from the Giant as a reference.

Right now, he knew that he was getting all these thoughts, again, because of Faxul.

If someone looked at his best friend from the outside and judged him by how his actions looked, they might think of him as some useless person who had gotten everything he had in life by the grace of others, instead of working for them by himself.

However, if they knew just how much he had had to go through, they would definitely not dare to think so.

He was like a flame that did not wish to be extinguished no matter how much wind came his way.

Deciding that thinking on that matter more might lead Daneel to become even moodier, he forcefully scrubbed such thoughts and waited for the Hero to answer.

He finally did after taking a few seconds.

"King Daneel, my son was right when he said that you've entwined us both around your fingers. Initially, you know that the only reason I agreed to work with you was because you threatened to kill my son brutally, and even showed me a demo of what would happen if I didn't oblige. At that time, I thought of you as some devilish character who is going to drive me like a slave."

Daneel rubbed his nose sheepishly as he heard this.

Indeed, he had been going for that effect, but hearing of it from Rayen first hand made him understand just how effective he had been.

"However, now, I see that I was wrong. There is just…something about you that I can't place. You know, the Head feels so, too, but he won't admit it, as he just assumes that it's because you're someone from a background that none of us can understand. But I can tell that that is not the case. Too many secrets surround you, making you an enigma. I just hope…that they also make you a dark horse in this fight against the Church, so that we can avoid the deaths of many, many innocent people. I trust my son- he is the most impeccable judge of character that I have ever seen. If he accepted to work for you voluntarily, I can assure you that it wasn't just because of your show of force. Instead, he must also have seen what I'm talking about."

Beside Rayen, Raul nodded.

"All in all, what I'm saying is that…you now have a supporter who reprises that role whole-heartedly, instead of being forced into it. The Mephisto family is yours to command, as of this moment. In the records we recovered from the Empire, the Mephistos were part of the Emperor's corps. Their power and purpose are shrouded in mystery, but they were said to be some of the most powerful beings in the continent. As such, high potential is something that has been passed down through the generations. Ah, you probably aren't too interested in the past, which doesn't really matter, right now."

If Daneel hadn't made an immediate effort to hide his shock, Rayen would have sensed that something was amiss by now.

The Emperor's Corps!

This was definitely a coincidence that startled him.

He had just heard about the Emperor's Corps, of which Faxul's ancestor had been a part of.

Did that mean that…these two also possessed some kind of bloodline?

Could there be that much of a coincidence? That he had just found out about these things, and that there were two people under him who had them?

Of course, Daneel turned to Drakos to ask the question.

However, before he said anything, itself, the Ancient Dragon spoke up.

"The Mephistos! Of course! It makes sense. They were a clan who insisted on marrying with those of high potential, so that their power would continue through the ages. It makes sense that they retain their power to this day, and that they are part of the Big 4. Their bloodline is too thin to be of any purpose right now, but high potential is definitely something that can be retained."

As Daneel heard this, he realized that maybe…this wasn' as coincidental as he had thought.

To confirm his suspicion, he decided to ask Rayen a question.

But first, he had to respond to the man's words.

"It makes me really glad to hear that, Hero Rayen. I can promise you that you will not be disappointed, and that if you have any wishes, they will be fulfilled in the same way that Raul's will be."

This made Rayen look at his son with one eyebrow raised, but he just frowned and didn't say anything.

Clearly, there was a story there, just like Daneel had thought before, but, again, he decided not to dig.

If he needed to know something, he would.

He proceeded to ask the question.

"Tell me…are a lot of prominent families in the Big 4 also descendants of famous figures or families from the time of the Emperor?"

Rayen answered without a pause.

"Why, yes, of course! While there were many who didn't enforce any kind of rules which made it so that they more or less decreased in power with each subsequent generation, there were also many who had strict rules of marriage. Some even forbid relationships with outsiders, and promoted inter-family marriages. This was rare, though, as it was known that the only thing that matters is that both parties in a marriage possess high potential or comprehension, which is typically passed down to the child. In fact, it was some of those families which set up the largest sects which became the Big 4, in the first place. I can tell you that at least half of all the prominent figures and families have the type of ancestry you asked about."

Seeing that his suspicion was right, Daneel nodded.

This seemed like crucial information, but he decided to put it to the side, for now, as he had a lot of other pressing things to take care of, first.

Like…the Champion Path that the system had just mentioned.

Still…he felt that it was a good thing, and that he had lucked out by getting two supporters who contained bloodlines possibly as strong as the one in Faxul.

"All right, I was just curious. You can't come in now, right? Next, I need you to gather as much as possible from all other sources, too. As you know, I'm trying to decide on which Champion Path to choose, and I wish to read about as many as possible. You can meet Raul at any time, of course, and as for the other two conditions, send me all the data via trinket."

"Of course. I shall take my leave, then. It is not safe to create a void in surveillance for too long, either. Someone might notice something amiss. King Daneel, I will send what you asked for soon, and I'll also head to some of my friends to gather all the Champion Paths they have. I can use my grief as an excuse. Farewell, then."

With a nod to Daneel, who nodded back, and a slap on his son's shoulder, Rayen vanished, while Raul also did the same to get back to his…'duty' of torturing all those people.

Finding himself alone, Daneel finally asked the system to tell him about what it had mentioned.

[Name: 'Hopeless' Champion Path.

Description given in the record: The name 'Hopeless' was given by the creator of this Champion Path to refer to the feeling that is supposed to be felt by the opponents of those who walk this Path. It was originally designed to be something to be chosen by the most talented, as it could potentially give them the ability to win no matter who their opponent was, given that the opponent was on the same level. Even against those of higher levels, those who choose this path were supposed to be able to put up a fair fight.

However, it later became known as the path that only 'Hopeless' people chose, because of the problems that were revealed when one really did try this Path.

The 'Hopeless' Path seeks to use one's opponent's Champion Path against them. In a fight, the strategy was that using this Path, one would be able to defend while understanding the weaknesses and strengths of their opponent's path, before either nullifying them or beating them in their own game, so to speak.

The prerequisite was also low: one was only required to have a scheming brain that would allow them to actively scheme against their opponent in this way, while also having high potential/comprehension to ensure that they were talented enough to use the Path effectively.

The problem was that no amount of Talent was enough to understand one's opponent's path in a short enough span of time for it to be effective in a fight.

Also, in other Paths, one could use their Mageroot to make the effect of their Champion Path stronger.

In this path, no such conscious amplification was possible, as it was something that related to one's understanding, instead of relating to power of a tangible nature.

All that the Path was capable of was giving one the ability to better look into their opponent's Path, but this was in no way enough to achieve the effect of understanding and countering them.

Hence, it was deemed as a failure, but it became famous due to its low and simple prerequisites. Peak Heroes who failed to resonate with any other Path chose this even though they knew they would be weaker than most others, as it meant that they would still have an increase in lifespan and power. After all, a scheming side was present in everyone.

In the end, this Path that was created with lofty ambition was disgraced in this way. Some said that it also lead to the early death of the creator. I, for one, still believe that his idea was right, but that it wasn't right for this continent. Maybe there would have been more success in a place with a higher ceiling of talent.]

As the end of the record approached, Daneel's eyes were shining.

An ability to understand the other's Champion Path, and use it against them.

How cool and awesome would that be?

Yet, he saw why it failed.

After all, who would be able to understand one's Path instantly?

As Daneel got this thought, he suddenly got the feeling that he had missed something important.

Hmm? What could that be?

Standing there outside his border, the King mulled over this question.

Chapter 568: The Problem

As Daneel finally got the answer to that question after a moment, he hit his forehead, which made an audible smack resound in the area around him.

At this moment, he felt dumber than everyone he had seen so far on this continent.

The system!

All this time, whenever he saw a Champion, the system would always output a list of details regarding their Path, complete with the description and the method in which it was being used.

What more could one desire for, especially when all of this data was obtained in merely a few seconds?

Seeing the opportunity, Daneel excitedly decided to ask the system whether it was possible for him to pull out the full potential of this 'Hopeless' Path.

However, it looked like things wouldn't be that easy for the King of Lanthanor.

The system's answer made him furrow his eyebrows and look down while in deep thought.

[Analysing. For the system to be capable of what host desires, a module "Champion Path Analysis" must be developed which can analyze Champion Paths more deeply. For this, data regarding Champion Paths is required. More specifically, more Paths need to be assessed for the module to be developed. At this moment, not enough data regarding the Champion level is present.]

It seemed that data was one of the major banes that always came in Daneel's path whenever he wanted to accomplish something, but he knew that he shouldn't be too surprised by this.

However, this answer also made him pause and quiet down his rapidly beating heart, before thinking more deeply about the subject.

As this was something that concerned his future, Daneel decided that it needed a lot of thought.

First, he asked the system to repeat everything it had said that was recorded in the book.

As he went through the description one more time, he saw the problem.

The process of correctly implementing this Champion Path involved two things – one, was analyzing the opponent's champion path, and the other was a way to use that analysis to replicate, or nullify the opponent's attacks in some way.

However, from personal experience, itself, Daneel could tell that the second part was easier said than done.

For example, during that iconic fight between the Mad Doctor and Ashahell which Daneel always recalled whenever he thought about the ultimate power that Champion Paths were supposed to give to people, he could tell that even if he understood, theoretically, each and every thing about how Ashahell was manipulating the elementary particles to bring about the effect of sense distortion, he might not be able to do the same, as in Ashahell's case, all of his actions were directly generated by the world itself because of the intrinsic understanding and connection that one creates when they cross the chasm.

It was similar to someone wanting to fly a multi-engine jet plane after reading just the instruction manual, which would definitely be impossible because they would be missing certain aspects, same as in the case here, where Daneel would be left with just an understanding of what the opponent was doing with no idea regarding how he was supposed to replicate it, or counter.

First, to find an answer regarding this, he decided that he would go through the book by himself, instead of asking the system for everything.

Since a long time ago, he always liked to involve himself in the more important stuff, because there was always this nagging fear in his mind that he might be left helpless one day, if this system which had inexplicably entered his mind left it in the same manner without giving any explanation.

After all, he did not know its origins, so he couldn't be sure that it would always be with him.

Although he wished that it would never happen, he had to be cognizant of the possibility and plan accordingly, so that he wouldn't be left completely hapless if worst came to worst.

As such, even though the system implemented a lot of the spells and a lot of other things that he needed, Daneel always did pay attention so that he would be able to replicate the same effects, even if he might face a little difficulty in doing so.

After all, he was someone who possessed S-grade comprehension and top-grade body potential.

Rummaging through the pile which had many interestingly titled books such as "Hysterical Champion Path", "Self-doubt Champion Path", and also "Slaughter Champion Path", Daneel finally found the book which contained the information about the "Hopeless" Champion Path, which looked as if it had been saved from a burning building.

Its cover was tattered and it was almost falling apart. The name was hard to read because of many burn marks on the cover, but he did see the word "Hopeless". The pages also had many scorch marks, but they were still readable, and as he started to go through the book and see the in-depth analysis of the person who had written this, he got more and more interested until he conjured a Throne then and there and sat down to continue to read.

If anyone saw this strange sight of the King of Lanthanor being absorbed in a book in some random spot outside the border, they would definitely be puzzled and wonder just what kind of information warranted such immediate attention that he couldn't even go back to his Palace.

When Daneel had heard the record, he had wondered just who the author was, but he got the answer soon enough. Apparently, the author was the son of the creator of the technique, who was clearly very distressed and regretful that his father's most ambitious work had been turned into the Path for those who had no other option, and that he was ridiculed for this so much so that it had led to the man's early demise.

In the book, there were in-depth case studies of each and every person who used the Path, from those of high talent, who apparently even cursed their family and tried to attack and kill them because they were angry that their future had been cut off because they had trusted the Champion Path Designer, to those of medium and low talent who were full of appreciation that they could live on.

This was also when Daneel found out that "Champion Path Designing" was actually a very high-level occupation that was only given by the Emperor to those who showed exceptional talent in creating techniques. They were respected by all and even paid handsomely, which explained why the shattering of the pride of that man had been so catastrophic for him.

It seemed that those who opted for testing Champion Paths, as this was the only way to check whether one's design and idea were correct or not, were able to avail special benefits from the Empire such as personal coaching from powerful figures and access to top-end resources.

All of this data made Daneel marvel at the mind of the Emperor, or whoever worked under him who had thought of all this, because this system clearly showed just how meticulous and effective the Empire was in developing the power of its Warriors and innovating without sticking to the norm, and thus running the risk of stagnating.

A few minutes later, he also found out that his query had been valid – true, they were able to understand what was going on with the elementary particles when their opponent accessed them using their connection to the Champion Path, but they were not able to do the same themselves to any extent that would prove to be meaningful.

After all, copying was still a thing, but the problem was that because one party was doing it consciously, and the other unconsciously, the former's was always of lower power.

Toward the end, as Daneel went through the detailed analysis, he finally got his answer – this problem was also related to the one where there was no method to 'supercharge' this Champion Path, like normal Champions usually did using their Mageroots/bodies.

Theoretically, the supercharging effect would make it so that the second part of the process – nullification/perfect imitation would be possible.

Hence, the fact that no method was available was actually quite crippling.

All in all, Daneel realized just how truly hopeless this technique was.

At this moment, even he couldn't understand how he would go about utilizing this to great effect, even if he did have the system.

In this case, all the advantage that the system offered him was that he was quicker at analysis, and that was it.

As he thought about it, Daneel realized that this case was akin to both him and the Ancient Champions who chose this Path being faced with the same math paper – they could understand all the questions, and they knew all the theories that were being tested, but because the supercharging effect, which would have been present if they actually "practiced" these problems instead of just assuming that theory would be enough was absent, they were helpless in actually answering it.

If Daneel came along, he would only be equipped with an additional calculator or assistant in the form of the system which might enable him to understand information quicker, but he would also be no closer in answering it either.

To confirm this, Daneel decided to ask the system itself.

[Affirmative. System is not capable of replicating the exact effect to the extent of defeating an opponent using this method, as using the host's Mageroot would not be enough. As it is written in the description, some form of 'supercharging' is required.]

There.

On one side, Daneel was slightly happy that his own analysis was right, but, on the other, he was disappointed that his hope of somehow using this to tower over everyone else could probably not be fulfilled.

Right now, he couldn't figure out any method to solve this problem, and neither could the system.

With a sign, Daneel decided to put it in the back of his mind and think on it occasionally.

However, he was attracted to the module that the system had mentioned. So, his goal of breaking the last seal and collecting as many Paths as possible still remained.

As soon as he made this decision, he also realized something.

A Champion Path was something that was supposed to resonate with one, and bring out their true nature.

Was 'scheming' all that he could connect to? No, although that was a part of him, there was so much more.

Hence, the Path just…didn't feel right.

However, Daneel once again told himself that he should figure it out soon, as dallying in the Warrior level for too long was also not an option.

So many things to handle, yet so little time.

With a sigh, Daneel flew into the air to check up on all the projects he had implemented to take his mind off of stuff.

Meanwhile, the system began deeper analysis of all the books that Rayen had given.

First, he traveled to the school, where he observed little children excitedly go to learn all they could about the world. This was actually a great sight to see, compared to the typical one on Earth where students in many countries had to drag themselves to school even though they had no interest.

He had given strict orders to Eloise to make sure that no forms of negativity would be present, and that there would only be an encouraging atmosphere of learning. Seeing that that was the case, Daneel smiled a bit and carried on.

Next up was the Healer's Academy, which was flourishing due to many Healers coming from different Kingdoms in order to study here. There were many people going in with illnesses and wounds, and coming out with smiles without burning a hole through their pockets.

Next up, Daneel went to the train station, where the main trains were all up and running. Work was still going on to completely cover all the internal towns and villages, but the main routes to major ones and Eldinor were present, and were being availed by a large number of people.

Apparently, there had been a rush of all the rich people, too, making it so that the premium express was booked out for a month.

Clearly, novelty was still in vogue.

As for the ID system, the Bank and other miscellaneous projects, Daneel took a quick look only to ensure that they were running well.

With his trip complete and his mind still thinking whether there was a way to 'fix' the 'Hopeless' Champion Path, Daneel made his way back to the Palace.

For a few hours, Daneel languidly went through all the Champion Paths he had obtained while looking for inspiration.

Of course, his mind was constantly on Faxul, but he kept telling himself that the fact that no warning had come was a good thing.

Finally, just as night was approaching, he received a message which surprised him and made him immediately teleport out of the Palace, into the sky outside the Kingdom.

There, in the sky, was a very familiar figure, but she seemed totally different from how Daneel remembered her.

She had an overflowing aura which made him feel as if he was in the presence of someone to be revered, and her face, which had always been pretty, had ascended in beauty to a different level that made her feel untouchable and holy.

Yet, all that vanished when she blushed softly as she saw Daneel, reminding of that same girl who had boldly declared her intentions before.

"Siste-"

"It's Goddess Xuan, now."

At the same time that Molan, who was standing beside Xuan and had been eclipsed by her, said this, Daneel received a notification in his head.

['Goddess' Champion Path analyzed.]

Chapter 569: Goddess of Sanctum, Xuan

['Goddess' Champion Path analyzed.

'Goddess' Champion Path: A special Champion Path listed in the data obtained from the Hero, Rayen. Said to be the core Champion Path of the Goddess's Sanctum, and the reason behind their continued existence. According to the one who wrote a book regarding it, it is a Path which can only be trained by a select few. High talent is only one of the prerequisites. The author suggests that one connects with their inner 'Goddess', but that this term is not related to deities, in any way. Rather, this 'Goddess' is more accurately supposed to be called a 'Goddess of Sanctum', as in, a person who is the best in giving Sanctum. The original name of the Path is also 'Goddess of Sanctum', but it was shortened over time. Other details are shrouded in secrecy, but the Champion Path gives one an amplification of all spells to a minor degree, and also supremely greater effectiveness when using healing/purification spells.

Current Form of Champion Path On Display: Domain/Projection]

As Daneel stood there gawking at Xuan, it looked more like his reaction was because of the proclamation by Molan, but instead, it was because of what he had just heard from the system.

So, such Paths also existed?

So far, Daneel had only seen Champion Paths which worked on one attribute or the other, giving one a specialty that they could call their own. They would use this in innovative ways to achieve victory, but they would be limited by that domain.

Daneel had already thought a lot on this, and he had realized that this meant that there was always some or the other flaw that could be used by their opponent. For example, theoretically, in the case of Ashahell, one might be able to completely cut off all their senses and still fight using some method, in order to achieve victory.

How one would do this, Daneel had no idea, but this could be inferred by anyone as long as they knew the particulars of his Champion Path.

As for Raul, his flaw seemed to be that whenever he conjured an attack, it would take a little bit of time for the world to create another one in order to mimic it for 'Balance', which would give one an opportunity to exploit, if they so wished.

Similar inferences could be made for all Champion Paths, but he was sure that all those who chose them would definitely have ways to counter these, as they were most apparent and would definitely be targeted by anyone in the event of a fight.

However, for the first time, Daneel was hearing of one which seemed to have no flaws, whatsoever.

Amplification of all spells!

He had to say that he was thoroughly impressed by this. It sounded a lot like the Rulers Inheritance, but without the need of constantly having to suffer from one's head being almost burst open due to the myriad voices of all those they connected to.

But, at the same time, the Rulers Inheritance was also pretty overpowered, so finding out that someone could replicate the effects without the side effect was really shocking.

However, because the system had used the word 'minor', Daneel could guess that the amplification was not that high.

Yet, that wasn't the only additional power.

In fact, that other one had been experienced by Daneel, himself, before.

Back in the Black Raven Kingdom, Daneel had been grievously injured by that Black Robed man and had been on the verge of death. Although he might have been able to cling onto life using the system and healing spells, he had been healed by the Matron.

Now that he thought about it, he realized that she must be on this Champion Path too, as her healing spell had had the most gentle and powerful effect than any other that Daneel had ever seen, even though he had gone through the extensive medical records of the Mad Doctor.

This was really something to be marveled about, as the Mad Doctor was someone who had traveled to most of the Big Four and compiled records regarding their medical expertise.

However, it did make sense that he didn't write down about these… 'Goddesses', because it was a very exclusive power.

Right now, Daneel didn't know how to react.

He had no intention of calling this woman 'Goddess', both because he now knew that the term was generally wrong and was only a short form of the actual name of the Champion Path, and because doing so would place him in a position of subservience, which he wasn't willing to be in.

Besides, this was a friend. In fact, if it wasn't, he would have taken this in the same way as he had during his meeting with the Queen of Arafell – as a direct challenge to his own authority.

If Daneel was still a normal kid from the slums of Lanthanor, he might not have cared as much about these things, but his position right now did not give him the luxury of being able to ignore them.

So, putting away the shock, Daneel folded his hands behind his back and said nothing, while Molan started to glower.

However, Xuan only laughed and walked forward, before soon reaching a spot only a step away from him.

Around them, except for the woman with the glower on her face, there was nothing but the spotless sky, which made for a moment which was truly beautiful in every sense of the word.

Of course, most of this was because of Xuan's new temperament, which made her seem like some sort of unreachable person who wasn't meant to converse with mere mortals.

This was also the first time that Daneel was seeing some auxiliary effect like this to a Champion Path. Was it because Xuan was doing it consciously? Or could it be some side effect with the connection that she made when she became a Champion?

If things had felt the same as before, Daneel would have asked unhesitatingly, but he now wondered whether their friendship, or whatever they had, still existed.

She answered this in the most "Xuan" way possible.

In a flash, she made a kind of shimmering mirror made of mist appear between them and Molan, which deceived her eyes into thinking that she was still seeing them standing as they were before.

This was a simple trick that would have been seen through by anyone who had access to elementary vision, but because she did it so fast, anyone would have been hard-pressed to understand what it was before they saw just the elementary particles fading away, not revealing the patterns they had been in which would give a clear indication of what they had been doing before.

In that flash, Xuan leaned in close to Daneel's left ear and whispered, "Nothing has changed between us. I'm still interested in you, and I'm still waiting. I'm a Goddess now, though, so if you accept, you would have to be fine with being the less powerful one in the relationship. Matron always said that a man should never be coddled, and that he must be rigidly controlled, but I don't agree with her. Anyway, I've made preparations for us to have a small getaway. I'll explain later, when Molan isn't here."

She said all this in a single breath, and if Daneel wasn't a Warrior whose mind's complexity made it so that he was adept at taking the information, slowing it down in his mind and understanding it, it would have sounded like gibberish.

By the time he got the meaning, though, Xuan had already leaned back, and a slight blush had started to creep in to her cheeks as she looked down, shy.

At this moment, Daneel couldn't help but remember a very famous dialogue he had heard back on Earth.

"Beauty that could cause wars."

He could totally imagine Xuan being a princess of sorts who might be sought after by all the princes and Kings of the continent, even waging wars in an attempt to win her favor and make her theirs.

Such was her beauty right now, which, combined with her aura, would definitely make one feel as if they were experiencing both the happiest and the saddest moment of their life.

They would be happiest because they would bless the good fortune that enabled them to witness her, in the first place. But they would also be sorrowful as they would realize, without a doubt, that they would never be able to interact or even speak to a woman of such earth-shattering beauty.

This was to such an extent that even Daneel, who hadn't been swayed by these matters all these years, was affected to some degree.

Unconsciously, he almost raised a hand to her face, as if to find out if she was really as exquisite as she looked, and to ensure that she wasn't some illusion.

Thankfully, at the last moment, he stopped himself.

Yet, he couldn't have predicted her next action.

The shimmering list was still present, and Xuan had just noticed that Daneel's hand had risen halfway before coming to a stop, while the King of Lanthanor went rigid.

She remembered all that lonely time spent training when she had kept reminding herself of him, and of that feeling that she was sure that he would definitely be capable of accomplishing more than anyone else on this continent, which was partly the reason why she had fallen for him in the first place.

She was a Seer, after all, and although she had never told anyone this, there were also certain feelings that were formed from unconscious glimpses into the future, which was a different method of expression of her power as compared to the usual one of visions.

This wasn't written anywhere in the records, either, but she just knew that it was right.

Now, as she saw the effect that she had just had on him, she couldn't help but feel immensely ecstatic.

Playfully biting her lip, she caught his hand, which made him freeze even further, and made his index finger stroke her cheek gently, before letting go and walking back quickly.

By the time the mist cleared and allowed Molan to see what was really going on, all she witnessed was the King of Lanthanor flushing so fiercely that his face had turned crimson.

She couldn't imagine, for the life of her, what Xuan might have done, but she did not want to ask because, one, it was her duty to keep an eye on her and make sure that she wouldn't get up to any actions exactly like these, and two, if she did report it, she would be the one being scolded for not doing her job properly.

Indeed, she had noticed the mist, but it had all happened too fast for her to do anything, so she was left knowing that something had happened, and that she was powerless to do anything about it.

Even now, as she saw Sister Xuan smiling as if she was very satisfied and happy with something, she could only glare and wish that the girl's self-control was still present.

Meanwhile, that moment when Daneel's hand had touched her skin was stuck in his mind, as he replayed it over and over again.

It was definitely the softest thing that he had ever touched his entire life, and the way she had looked into his eyes when she made him do it was what affected him the most. In them, he could clearly see just how much she admired him, and he would be lying if he said that it didn't shake his decision of not dabbling in these matters at all, at least a little bit.

Finally, after a few more moments, Daneel regained his senses after taking one last look at his hand.

Thankfully, Sister Xuan's next words made him refocus, and allowed him to forget, or at least put aside, what had just happened.

"Forget that Goddess thing. Molan was kidding, it's just a formality for the members of the Sect. There's no need for outsiders to call me so, too, and I would never want you, of all people, to do that. Now, if you're not doing anything, why don't you make a trip with me to our sect? The orders have already been passed down, and the Matron has accepted. I'm free right now as I just broke through, anyway, and I took special permission to be the one to lead you around. Oh… And I might have the key to the secret archives, as well. Might you be interested in those, King of Lanthanor?"

Chapter 570: The Secret Archives 1

"Xuan, you –"

"Oh, calm down, Molan. It'll be fine. You know just how much the Matron and everyone else value me, now that I was able to use the Goddess Champion Path to become a Champion. You should have seen their faces when they saw me do it – the Matron's master was so happy that she even stated that she would be going to the Head to tell him about this right now, as it was unprecedented that such a young person was able to connect with such a high level Acquired Champion Path in one go. Well, it was pretty shocking to me, too. Anyway, come on, Daneel. Oh, can I call you that, by the way?"

As she asked this in a sweet manner, Daneel was once again reminded of what had just happened, but he forcefully eliminated that from his mind and nodded, as a Champion didn't really need to call him by his honorific.

Also, he noticed that she was also bolder than before, when she had been quite hesitant for the most part. It was like she was more…confident, in herself.

Besides, if what she said was true, then he would definitely owe her a favor which he wouldn't be able to forget.

The secret archives of a Sect - which would definitely contain information that Daneel had not had access to, yet, and was probably stored within the third seal.

From Daneel's understanding of the Big Four so far, he knew that they had acquired certain records from the Empire which they kept sealed in their most guarded vaults. Daneel hadn't even considered trying to break into those, as he knew for sure that they would be protected using formations that, even though he might be able to break with Drakos's help, would definitely bring down the wrath of all the Heroes of the continent on him as soon as he did so.

Right now, there was no way that he would be able to handle something like that.

So, he had thought that all that was left for him was to wait patiently and break through the third seal using whatever method he could, but he could never have expected that he would get a back door into one such archive in this manner.

So, as his eyes shined, he tried to hide that before saying, "Of course! There are many things about this continent's past that I've always wanted to find out, and I even feel that having these questions answered will really help a long way in me deciding what I want to do regarding various matters. Sister Xuan, you don't know just how big a favor you would be doing for me, if you really do give me access to those archives. But I also don't want you to get into trouble, so only please do so if you're confident that there won't be any problem."

Daneel felt that he had to say that last part, as he didn't want her getting punished in some manner for this. Although it was very important for him to get access, he didn't want to do it at the cost of something like this.

He was also trying hard to act as if that moment before hadn't happened, and so far, he felt that he was succeeding, to a certain degree.

Yet, it looked like Xuan was hell-bent on not letting him do that.

"I'm calling you Daneel, so I won't accept it if you call me Sister. Just call me Xuan. Don't worry, I know for sure that there won't be any trouble. Besides, this is not the archive which holds Inheritances and Champion Paths, which is the main one that is forbidden to all without permission. The one that I'll be taking you to only contains the records that the Sect has kept since the time of the Empire, and I expected that you would be interested in them, seeing how you were so excited and happy before to find out more about the Big Four, when I told you. Come on. What I was saying before is also linked to that place, too."

That last part almost made Daneel stammer, as he remembered that she had said that she had planned a "get away" for them.

If everything stood the same way as it had before this meeting, Daneel would have been confident to go to any place with her, knowing that he would not be swayed in any manner, no matter what.

However, he wasn't so sure now, after losing control like that before.

In fact, it was so bad that questions like why he was controlling himself so much, and why he was being such a fool in not using opportunities like these when they presented themselves even after he knew about the Emperor who had died alone started to appear in his head, which he had only weak answers to, such as that there was no pressing need, and that his main focus was on getting stronger and saving the continent.

Again, the argument could be made that those things weren't connected, but Daneel managed to control himself at this point.

That was also because he had just remembered whom he would be leaving behind if he went with Xuan right now – his friend, who was probably close to dying in that underground room, fighting against a fake version of him.

So, Daneel asked, "Will it be that if I go once, I won't be able to come back before I go through all the archives and libraries you have? You should know that that will take time, but I have some things that I need to check on here, and come back to immediately if need be."

"Oh, that won't be a problem. Our Sect is… unique among the others, in the fact that it is divided into two parts – one which has the general areas, and the other, which is in a different location, that holds all the knowledge and core facilities. The segregation was made long, long ago as the founder of the Goddess's Sanctum believed that attaining knowledge is a sacred and holy process that must be done in the purest and most undisturbed of places. Her philosophy is what directs the sect to this day, so even this is something that has been maintained for so long. Basically, because they're in different places, it is no hassle at all to have you enter and leave as you please because you won't be disturbing any of the sect members in the process."

This made Daneel smile with relief. He only knew that Faxul's baptism would take days of time, and during all that time, he was pretty sure that he might be the same way as he had been today – languid and distracted, mainly due to the worry.

However, if he managed to absorb himself in something, it would be a great help.

So, he had to say that Xuan definitely had impeccable timing, and he also had to thank her for giving him a way to stop worrying so much.

Also, the philosophy of learning being sacred was something that Daneel admired – he knew many on Earth who had the same opinion, and it gave him a good feeling of the sect in general, as someone who thought like that would probably not create a sect that was in the style of the Sect of Hedon.

Most of all, although he didn't want to get his hopes up, Daneel was really looking forward to having some mystery or the other revealed in those archives.

Right now, it felt as if mystery after mystery was being thrown at him at a breakneck pace, without giving him the opportunity to uncover at least one of them.

This was definitely pretty damn irritating, and his main wish was that that would not be the case, soon.

So, with rising expectations, Daneel nodded and said, "Alright then. Let's go."

…

Meanwhile, Faxul had just seen his entire life pass in front of his eyes five times, which was an exhausting process that had taken hours and hours, but it looked like there would be no end to it.

Each time the present approached, his vision would clear to give him the image of Daneel, in front of him, laughing coldly and holding a sword of blazing fire which looked as if it was meant to be used to impale him and end his life.

As the cold laugh bored into his ears, he would be pulled into that river of memories, where he would once again experience all those twisted moments where he would be shown to be the most pathetic being on the continent, using the help given by others and living a life so wretched that it didn't deserve to be lived.

Each time, towards the end, the urge to kill himself and end it all would grow stronger and stronger, and by now, Faxul had realized that the whole objective of this was to make him give in.

But this realization didn't help him in any way. All it did was make him feel helpless, instead, and as he kept witnessing them, his own memories which he knew to be true also started to get twisted as he kept seeing them in a different light over and over again.

The only sign of hope that he saw in all this was that there was some corner of him which was still standing in defiance, telling him that he had done the best he could in every situation, and that he should not, at any cost, succumb to these false memories and give up.

That corner was like a bastion that protected him from everything that sought to vanquish him, and with each second, he tried to make it stronger and use it to stand against the crippling darkness of self-disgust.

However, at this moment, it was still being battered continuously, and Faxul didn't yet know if he would be strong enough to endure in the end.

So, as settled in for another replay of his life, he told himself just one thing.

"You're not worthless."

"You're not worthless."

"You're not worthless"

"You're not…"

As he chanted this to himself, the attack resumed.

…

A few seconds later, Daneel was standing at a location he had seen before, but had never felt curious about as it was just one of those places on this continent which was marked as untrespassable for various reasons.

Right below where they were standing in the air, there was a massive, 50 km long crack in the earth, which was also a kilometer wide, showing rocky depths that looked like they would devour anyone who dared to step foot inside.

It was almost as if that crack into the earth was hiding an insatiable monster that only existed to swallow whole all those who came near.

In fact, what was reported wasn't too far from that – those who entered the vicinity of this crack would often find themselves either in a place where they hadn't walked to, instantly, or they would be lost forever.

Hence, any travelers between the Hidden Kill Sect and the Endless Sea to the east, where this area was located, would take a wide berth in order to keep their life safe.

Daneel had assumed that it was just like the Valley of Mist, where there were numerous formations of the older ages which still continued to function and keep away intruders.

Disabling all those formations was something which would take too long, so they were often left like that and marked as untrespassable zones so that there wouldn't be too much loss of life.

Only, now, as he saw Sister Xuan and Molan plunge into the crack without hesitation, he realized that the zones probably held other secrets, too.

Without any more hesitation, Daneel jumped inside, too, taking great care to stay within a meter of them, as that had been the instruction given to him. If he strayed outside that range, he would be affected by the formations too, and would definitely have a very unpleasant experience.

The system kept telling him that it was detecting formations left and right that were at Champion level and Hero level, which made him gasp with disbelief and wonder why there were so many.

This was a generally rocky area, so all around them, there were only various stones that seemed to have been cracked apart by the impact of some sort of… Blade.

Daneel was unwilling to believe this, as he couldn't imagine just what kind of blade would be needed to create a chasm this large and this deep.

After flying for 10 minutes and possibly over 3 km, they finally approached the destination.

And as Daneel saw it, he couldn't help but hold his breath.

At the base which expanded into a large cavern, there was a gigantic 10 kilometer tall sculpture of a lady, meditating with her legs folded and her hands forming a bowl in front of her abdomen.

On top of that bowl was a massive dome, and as they approached, a hole appeared in the dome which they entered.

Inside was a large, open area which seemed a world unto itself.

As they flew around, Daneel saw various buildings built in more of a modern style, but he still couldn't get the image of that edifice outside from his head.

It was only after seeing a small alcove did Daneel drive away all other thoughts, as there was a plaque on the alcove on which the name 'Secret Archives' was written.

Chapter 571: The Secret Archives 2

"I guessed that that would catch your eye."

Seeing the King captivated by the alcove made of stone that looked like it had been built many ages past, Xuan said this with a chuckle.

Molan, who was beside her, remained silent, but her displeasure could clearly be felt in the way she kept grumbling to herself.

The field they were in was so large that Daneel would have mistaken it for a location outside, if it weren't for the sources of artificial light on the ceiling which were actually simulating sunlight in this place.

The ceiling was at least half a kilometer above him, and this whole place would definitely have an area of at least 100 km2, which meant that it was roughly the size of the capital of Lanthanor, itself, which could hold around a million people in it.

To think that this was something constructed by someone to be placed in the palm of the figure outside- was something so mindblowing that Daneel couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of workforce needed for such a task.

After entering, Daneel had seen that the whole place was mostly open, with buildings present here and there, which must be the facilities that Xuan had talked about.

There was also one large building in the center with the word "Library" on its plaque, which Daneel could guess would be his next stop.

Where they were was roughly a few kilometers from the library, and it seemed to be an isolated place that didn't see much footfall, which was indicated by the path made of tiles that weren't worn like the others.

Well, it did make sense that not many could access the Secret Archives of the Sect.

The alcove, itself, was the size of a 2-bedroom house, which surprised Daneel, as he had thought that there might be much more data, as Xuan had said that these were records kept from the time of the Empire.

He curbed his enthusiasm and waited for Xuan to lead the way, but instead of doing so, she turned to Molan.

Taking out a bracelet of sorts that looked like it was made of silver, Xuan said, "Here, Molan. I wanted to give you a gift because I broke through!"

As soon as Molan saw the bracelet, her eyebrows went up as far as they could go, and her jaw dropped with shock.

After a few moments, she stammered, "Th-this…"

"Yes, it gives you special entry to the location with all the combat and auxiliary arts of the Sect. It also allows you to take away one item you wish."

"Oh, Xuan!"

Exclaiming like so, Molan walked forward and almost grabbed the bracelet, before feeling it with her hands.

Xuan was standing in front of her with her hands folded in front of her, but from her expression, Daneel could tell that she was up to something.

Indeed, after a few moments, she said, "There is a problem, though. It expires today, so that means that you only have…6 hours to go through them all and select something you want. Don't look at me like that, it was coincidental! I even got this one only because one of the Sect Members got injured, and couldn't use theirs! You know how difficult it is to get one quickly!"

Right after Xuan stated the deadline, Molan had looked at her with a glare, before glancing at Daneel suspiciously.

Yet, she then once again focused on the bracelet, before looking like she was trying to make a decision.

Finally, she said, "Argh! Fine, I'm leaving. But I don't need to tell you to follow what the Matron said, Xuan. Even if you became a Goddess, some rules can't be broken."

Saying so in a vexed voice, Molan flew away, leaving Daneel and Xuan alone.

As the latter laughed to herself silently before turning to him, Daneel asked, "What rule is she talking about?"

This made the laughter stop, before she answered in a neutral voice.

"The rule that Goddesses cannot enter relationships. You know Marcus, right? The man who saved you. The Matron has always loved him, but the two can't be together because of the stupid rule. I have a plan regarding it, though, and although I can't tell you about it, I can say that you shouldn't worry about it. Just trust me. Come on."

Daneel didn't know what he was supposed to 'trust her' about, but he followed when he saw her walk in the direction of the alcove.

She was wearing a simple, purple gown that moved and fluttered even though there was no wind, and her perfect hair cascaded down her shoulders before reaching the small of her back.

She had a petite figure, as she must be at least a head shorter than Daneel, who stood 6 feet tall.

As Daneel saw her from behind, he couldn't help but notice other details, such as the perfect arc of her waist.

He hurriedly looked elsewhere as he saw her glance behind, which was why he didn't notice her contented smile, as she had noticed him looking.

It looked like choosing this dress and altering it had worked out, after all.

Xuan had always thought that her best approach was to wait patiently, but it was during her breakthrough that she had realized that that was just not her.

She had already decided that she would use any and all means to try and get what she wanted, as she trusted the feeling that told her that this was the best man for her.

Her fondest memory from that horrid village which constantly used to curse her and call her a bringer of bad omens because of the fact that she had always been able to tell what would happen next was of her seeing the happy couples, who were always so involved with themselves that they would forget the world and everything else.

She had always wished for something like that, and now, she was ready to go out and get it, herself, instead of waiting around for some miracle to occur.

When she reached the door, Xuan took out a seed-shaped trinket from her pocket which she inserted into a groove in the stone door before dripping a droplet of blood on it.

As the door opened slowly, she turned back and said, "Come on. We might not have too long. If the Matron realizes that I'm using the key she gave me right now when I am supposed to be showing you around the library, she will definitely come to see what is going on. She's in training, though, so I hope that that won't happen too soon."

As Daneel saw the darkness inside the room and heard Xuan say this, he nodded before quickly walking in.

All he actually needed was a few seconds, after all, so he wasn't worried at all about them being interrupted too soon.

Right after he did, Xuan entered and closed the thick double doors of stone behind them, which made light blossom on the ceiling that drove away the darkness.

As soon as Daneel laid his eyes on the contents of the room, he felt like jumping in the air with joy.

There were rows and rows of faintly glowing blue-colored cubes, which he knew to be data trinkets.

That was when Xuan spoke up.

"Our Sect is also unique because we are the only force among the Big 4 which has endured from the time of the Empire, until now. Here, you will find the chronological history of the Continent from that time, and also quite a lot of information about the Empire, itself. The latter is only a small part, but it is the largest exclusive collection of records that you have. Help yourself. I need to check on something, too."

Saying so, Xuan smiled at him and moved in a particular direction.

It was a small room, but the ceiling high rows of trinkets made it so that he couldn't see much beyond the row he was in.

Hence, he didn't see the playful smile on her face as she made it to a distant row and picked up a data trinket.

Daneel felt as if he was a kid who had been given all the toys in the world.

Only nodding in response half-unconsciously, he quickly moved to the where the rows started.

Here, he at least controlled himself and looked around to make sure that he wasn't being watched.

Seeing that it was so, he quickly began to touch trinket after trinket, while the system started to record all the data.

He did this for the most part, except in the row in which Xuan was there. There, he acted as if he was just giving cursory glances to all the trinkets, while he made sure to touch them all, anyway.

Soon, he approached a specific section which was different- here, the trinkets seemed older, and they were golden instead of blue.

As he touched the first one with curiosity and read its title, he almost shouted in glee.

"Fragmented Records of the Empire. Part One."

Until now, all the other trinkets had detailed the history of the Sect, from the actions taken by each Matron, to everything that the Continent had faced over the millions of years.

Such an incredible span of time couldn't even be imagined, and if it weren't for the fact that a shorthand form of notation was used which only summarized events in the format of a sentence for each year, this alcove wouldn't have been enough to hold the number of data trinkets needed for this purpose.

These golden data trinkets were what Daneel had come for in the first place, and as he touched them all to devour them, the anticipation inside him grew to new levels.

He was already bracing himself for the possibility that he might be finding a lot of stuff that he had already found out from Drakos, but he really hoped for something concrete which would lift the veil over some mystery or the other.

Drakos was silent throughout all this, and Daneel didn't know what he was thinking.

Soon, he had reached the end, and as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before putting forward the question, Daneel felt like a student from Earth waiting for the result of an exam that might dictate his life.

[Analyzing data. Summarizing and assigning sub-headings. Categorizing into 'known' and 'newly discovered' data. Listing 'newly discovered' data in order of importance using metrics given by host.

The first item on the list is : "The Grand Inheritance". Would host like system to read out a generated summary of the topic?]

Daneel had never answered so fast in his life.

"Yes!"

[The Grand Inheritance: A lot of different records were found on the subject, but one thing is clear: the court, the vassals, and the secret corps of the Emperor tried, together, to stop him from implementing a way for it to be accessed in the future.

The reason behind this is that everyone feared that a catastrophe might occur if it was ever used.

From the records, it is clear that everyone was fearing some sort of threat that would destroy the continent.

The only way to drive back this disaster was to use the Grand Inheritance, and this was why the Emperor put in a lot of failsafes to ensure the future of the continent in case the catastrophe did occur.

The information regarding the identity of the threat seems to have been deliberately purged, but the data gives the impression that a lot of attempts were made to keep it at bay, while this was touted as the last option.

From what happened afterward, system can infer that the Grand Inheritance was used, and the threat was beaten back, but the catastrophe also occurred.

The Emperor tried to convince everyone that the way he was leaving forward for the future would also ensure that the person who did inherit the Grand Inheritance would not cause a catastrophe to occur again.

He failed, but he went forward with his plan anyway.

As for what the Grand Inheritance is, it is simple: it is a method for one to connect with Angaria, itself, and control it at their whim to do anything they wish.]

Chapter 572: The Secret Archives 3

"A method for one to connect with Angaria."

As Daneel heard this part, he couldn't help but take a step back to take support from the wall, before taking in a deep breath and trying to calm his mind down.

Could…such a thing even be possible?

Just as this thought came in Daneel's mind, he remembered what he had just seen on the way here.

Those stones which had seemed as if they had been cut in half by a blade!

If this was possible, then even a feat like that - of making a crack in the earth 50 kilometers long appear with a sword, didn't seem so farfetched at all!

However, Daneel tried to calm his mind and think clearly.

As always, he first went through the whole thing again, and started to reflect.

First of all, regarding the threat facing the continent.

His initial thought had been that it might be the Church, again, which could have returned now and caused a situation just like then.

However, when he thought about it, Daneel realized that he shouldn't discard other possibilities so soon.

If the threat was as dire as then, and if the Big 4 knew about the Grand Inheritance, why weren't they at least going about collecting the parts so that they could use it if needed?

And if it was the Church, why would all mention of the name of that threat be purged from the records?

It didn't add up. If Daneel thought from the point of view that it might be because it should be kept secret, it didn't make sense either because the Big 4 didn't really care if others knew about the threat. They just didn't want mass hysteria to spread, and that was why they hadn't announced it to the world.

Although there was still a major chance that it could be the Church and that all the questions raised had valid explanations, Daneel wasn't ready to discard other possibilities just yet.

Next, he reached the part about the Emperor facing pushback from those under him while he sought to implement steps to have those after them find the Grand Inheritance.

The Emperor had always come across as a kind man who really did care for the people, and their welfare. If so, unless he was absolutely sure, why would he make these elaborate plans and set up the Race? Could he have known that there might come a time later when those who were supposed to protect the continent might decide to abandon it to its fate, if worst came to worst?

After all, that was the opinion of the Big 4, right now: the Central Continent was an expendable scapegoat, for all they cared.

Daneel wasn't prepared to believe that the Emperor could have such an incredible power of foresight, but he had to admit that the man had amazing forward-planning skills.

However, what if someone else won the race and cause another catastrophe? The risk was real, now, especially as he had read about the aftermath of the Empire's fall in the records of the Goddess's Sanctum that he had just gone through.

In it, it was clearly written that the continent was left with mere tens of thousands of people, as compared to the tens of millions before.

Blood was present everywhere, and in some places, the air itself had become red due to the immense amounts of blood that had been spilled.

Although it didn't give details, either, about just what the catastrophe had been, it did paint a very gruesome and chilling image that Daneel couldn't get out of his head.

Of course, it reminded him of what he had seen in the vision.

Hence, he couldn't help but ask this question, just like the Emperor's vassals had done all those years ago.

"Drakos, if there was so much risk…"

"I was one of the few who supported the Emperor, Young King, because I had access to his plans. I can tell that you've found out that the catastrophe was caused by the Grand Inheritance. But I can promise you that if there was any other way, we would have chosen it. There wasn't. I cannot say more. But I can say that if you win the Race, you will understand. His plan regarding the Grand Inheritance was both the cause of the most happiness in his life, and the most sorrow."

The last sentence was said with such a heavy tone of sadness that Daneel widened his eyes and stared into space with shock.

He didn't know how to respond, but he also realized that there was probably nothing he could say in this situation.

So, Daneel just sighed and decided to trust the Ancient Dragon and the Emperor before getting back to the recounting.

After all, even if he didn't, it wasn't like there was something that he could do, except try to stop the others from winning the Race, either, because it could lead to the annihilation of the continent.

Finally, Daneel had to return to that statement about the one having the Grand Inheritance being able to control Angaria, itself.

As he thought of this, he was reminded of a Champion causing the world to react using the resonance within themselves.

Could it be the same thing, but amplified to an infinite degree?

Could one do what they wished with all elementary particles?

Wouldn't that basically…make someone a God?

This thought involuntarily came in Daneel's mind, as he could find no other word to describe someone with that kind of power.

Yet…Gods wouldn't be plagued by the need to cause a catastrophe right after using their power.

Clearly, there were very, very strong drawbacks that couldn't be ignored, but it didn't stop Daneel from dreaming about such a power, anyway.

Yes, such a person would indeed be seen as a God.

The first item on the list, itself, had caused Daneel's heart to thunder in his chest as he thought about all the ramifications and possibilities.

So, he was more excited than ever to get to the rest.

"System, tell me the other items in the list of newly discovered data."

[In descending order of importance, the list is:

The 'Ultimate' Path.

Records of the Creation of the Empire

Cultural Information about the Empire]

Obviously, Daneel went straight to the first one, and his eyes even almost popped out as he heard that this wasn't the only important information he had gleaned from this place.

Typically, the pattern was that Daneel would find one important piece of information in one place, so seeing that pattern broken felt really good, and it even made him want to hug Xuan and thank her profusely as this had all been made possible by her.

Deciding that he was definitely in her debt, Daneel asked the system to tell him about the 'Ultimate' Path.

[Data found in certain records of soldiers in the Empire's time segregates them in terms of those who are capable of choosing 'Ultimate' Paths and those who are not. However, it is not clear what this path signifies. A few mentions here and there do give a clue that they refer to a Path in which both the Fighter and Mage Pathways are utilized perfectly, but this is only a supposition.]

As Daneel heard this, he was reminded of the power of that Raven which had left him shaking in his boots.

How would it be if that power was combined with a Champion Path as impressive as the one of Ashahell's, or Raul's?

Yes, maybe that would be worthy of being called 'Ultimate'.

Yet, Daneel couldn't be sure. This was his guess, and it also seemed that the pattern remained, even though it was pretty important information.

It wasn't as mind-numbing as the reveal regarding the Grand Inheritance, but it was still pretty important as he at least knew now that focusing on both paths was not something wholly new. There were those who did the same in ancient times, too, which meant that he shouldn't hesitate at all, any more.

It wasn't that he was going to hesitate, any way, but confirmation did feel good.

Now that he thought about it, all this only reinforced Daneel wish to open the third seal as soon as possible.

He wanted to be sure. He didn't want half-truths and suppositions. No, this was too important a matter to base on those.

Of course, Daneel tried asking Drakos, but, again, the Dragon couldn't say.

Yes, that damn seal had to open ASAP.

Apparently, the reason behind the information being so fragmented was that all the records had been literally pulled out from burning buildings and carried by the desperate humans whose main goal had been to save themselves. In such a state, it was a marvel that they had managed to save at least this much information.

After all, this was only one of the four secret archives, which he knew stored different information as it was clearly stated here that a few books had been snatched by some force or the other, which might have eventually lead to them being owned by the other of the Big 4.

Daneel thought so, because unlike the Goddess's Sanctum which had stood for millennia even if it went into hiding frequently or sometimes, was even survived by a few hundred people who painstakingly rebuilt it, the others of the Big 4 had apparently ascended to their state through various means.

As he had gotten till here anyway, Daneel was about to ask the system to tell him about the other two new discovered information, too, but he paused when he saw Xuan walking toward him from the end of the 'corridor' made by the rows of data trinkets he was in.

Behind him was the hard stone wall of the alcove, and he was currently leaning against it as he had had to take support before.

In his hand was the last golden data trinket, and as he put it back, Xuan approached him and asked, "Was the data satisfactory? I guess at least one mystery must have been answered, right?"

She was standing just 2 steps away with her hands behind her back, and she asked this with a smile which made dimples appear, which was something that Daneel had never noticed before as he had never paid too much attention.

However, now, they stood out as he was once again reminded of what had happened before.

Inwardly, he said to himself, 'Come on! Buck up! You're from Earth, the land of romance and relationships! You can do this! This is not like that time with Jenny in High School! You're a King now, dammit!'

That didn't help much, as he was only reminded of that moment when he had been mercilessly rejected when he asked a girl out to prom on the urging of the kind old lady in his orphanage, who hadn't wanted him to go alone.

At least, that last part made him a bit more confident, but all that melted when Xuan took a casual step forward.

'Why is she coming closer?!'

With alarm, he was almost about to step back, but that was when he realized that he was really acting in a pathetic manner.

This admonition finally allowed him to gain some real confidence and stand up straight, before answering, "Yes, I can't tell you how much it helped. I count myself to be heavily in your debt. At any time, no matter what the matter is, you can ask for my help, and I will do my best. I-"

The magnificent King of Lanthanor choked and swallowed what he was going to say next as he saw the exquisite woman in front of him take another step forward, placing herself in a spot where her face was just a few inches from his.

This was already enough to make his heart stop, and then start beating at a breakneck pace, but what she said drained the blood from his face and almost made him wonder whether he had entered some bizarre dream.

She leaned in close, and as she spoke, her warm breath was felt on his skin, where goosebumps rose in response that almost touched her luscious lips.

"Oh? Then there's a way to clear your debt, right now. All I ask for…is a kiss."

Chapter 573: Secret Archives End

Daneel honestly thought that Xuan must have said something completely different, and that he must have misheard her.

Yet, as he saw her move back and then start to move forward again, slowly, he realized that he was wrong.

She was being serious!

At this moment, a war began in his mind between two opposing forces.

One contained all the suppressed feelings inside him which he didn't even know he had had.

They raged and ranted about how any typical earthling would have used the status as a King to enjoy the fruits of adulthood in as many different flavors as possible, day in and day out, even if only to see whether one could ever get tired of them.

It said that he should lean in now, too, and clear the debt in the process.

Obviously, it didn't give two sh*ts about the debt.

The other was the more rational one, and Daneel was actually surprised that it wasn't stronger.

It contained everything that the kind old lady had taught him, about how a woman should be respected and cared for by one with their utmost attention, and that one shouldn't rush into a relationship the first chance they got.

It was the main reason he hadn't proceeded in this matter even though he had gotten various opportunities- that, and because he had never seen the pressing need to rush.

The risk of millions dying always seemed more important, and he had always told himself that he could think about it later, when the threat was past.

After all, one was a pressing issue which would result in massive loss of life if not handled properly, and the other wasn't.

Yet, that other force begged to differ.

It tried to make him afraid that dallying like this would only result in him being left alone, until death, just like the Emperor, and that he should use the opportunity presented to him instead of acting like a completely inexperienced, shy teenager from Earth.

It didn't fit his character, and it definitely didn't fit his position.

As a stalemate was reached, something happened which threw everything in his mind into chaos.

Xuan had reached close enough that her warm breath, which had graced his neck before, was now felt on his nose as her lips reached ever closer.

The woman was the same height as him, which made him realize that she had used a spell to raise herself before initiating this action.

She had clearly planned everything out perfectly.

Yet, from the deep blush in her cheeks, Daneel realized that she might not be as bold as she was letting on.

However, she didn't pause, and even Daneel unconsciously bent forward a little, resulting in him experiencing something which he could never forget.

Their lips touched for the briefest of moments, and when they did, Daneel was even tempted to use the Basilisk's Breath to make this moment pause so that he could savor it more.

Her lips felt like they were the most succulent things in the world, and the way they pressed against his made him appreciate their fullness and perfection.

Feelings that had been hidden away for the longest time surfaced, making him become hyper-aware of all the changes happening in his body.

Yet, at that moment, a loud sound interrupted both of them, and made Xuan fall to the ground in shock.

Bang!

Someone had banged the door loudly, with such force that the whole alcove shook, causing dust to fall from the ceiling.

Daneel automatically leaned forward and caught Xuan by her armpits, and as he did so, his hands also brushed against something delicate and bouncy that made him feel puzzled at first, and then raise his eyebrows as he realized what they were.

Immediately, he let go, but not before he saw the expression of alarm on Xuan's face, as she, too, hadn't expected that something like this would happen.

Indeed, she had planned this whole thing because of a suspicion that the King was dallying in the matter because of inexperience, and not some other strong reason.

Hence, during her free time after becoming a Champion, Xuan had used Champion-level eavesdropping spells to listen in on the women of the sect who were in relationships, who mostly happened to be the normal servants of the sect.

From them, she had learned a lot of details that had made her feel quite bashful while giving her the urge to close her ears, but she had also heard about how some men needed to be pulled into a relationship and be courted actively, in the same way that women typically were.

In fact, she even heard about a fair system in many villages and towns where there were cases of women seeking men and wooing them for various reasons which were in the same range as the number of men who sought after women.

That was when she had understood that her thinking had been flawed- her boldness had been good, but more boldness wasn't bad, either.

This was what had led to this whole plan of obtaining the key to the Secret Archives, where they could definitely be alone, and also obtaining that bracelet to lure Molan away.

Of course, she had been as nervous as ever as she had leaned in. Many, many thoughts had gone through her head, such as what she was supposed to do if the King got angry and left, or if he thought less of her because of this, or if he had some other kind of adverse reaction.

Still, she had gone ahead, and she had been struck as breathless as Daneel in that moment.

And after that, when she had felt his hands on her body, a shiver had run through her back, making her shudder and feel a little sad when she saw him hurriedly remove his hands.

This was accompanied by a sudden onset of embarrassment and self-consciousness, but both of their reactions were cut off when they heard another loud 'Bang!' Which made them look at each other for a brief moment before running toward the door.

Xuan reached first, and as she pulled out the seed from her side, the door opened to reveal a furious Matron who glared at her and said, "Xuan, you may have become a Champion in the Goddess Path, but you are not authorized to bring outsiders to sacred places such as these! You must learn to stick to the rules!"

The Matron was the one that had practically raised her, all her life. Even though she had begun to rebel in some ways, some intrinsic fear was still present, which made her look down and stammer, "I'm sorry, Matron-"

She was interrupted by a confident voice.

"Matron, let me apologize. I was the one who took advantage of Xuan. Your wrath should be directed at me, and not her."

It was from Daneel, who had understood the situation and decided to act this way, as he was really grateful and didn't want her to get into trouble in any way.

Besides, he was banking on his position with the Head, who wouldn't want him to be harmed.

To him, this felt like something he was obligated to do, but he didn't notice the glow in Xuan's eyes as she saw him defending her like this.

Inside her mind, fireworks were going off as she thought, 'Yes! This is the kind of relationship I saw! Someone who cares for me, and is even ready to stand up for me in front of someone like the Matron! I've made the right decision!'

Meanwhile, the Matron had turned her glare in Daneel's direction, who didn't feel the need to lower his eyes, at all.

Of course, he was trying his hardest to not recall what had just happened, as he was afraid that all of his composure would disappear if that happened.

That moment, and that feeling still lingered in his head, but he couldn't let them do so, unless he wanted to risk devolving into a bumbling mess of a kid who had just had their first kiss.

It didn't even count as such, and he, and her, had only been able to feel it as they had evolved minds.

If it was someone normal, it would have just felt like their lips brushed against each other for a fraction of a second, which wouldn't have had as much of an effect.

Regardless, both of them knew that couldn't show any sign of what had happened in front of the Matron.

So, Xuan just stayed silent, while the Matron measured up Daneel from top to bottom.

Finally, she 'humphed' and said, "You're lucky the Head favors you. But Xuan must be punished according to the rules of the Sect, and you cannot stand in her place. Xuan, head to the Room of a Thousand Mirrors and meditate for three days. Go."

"But I-"

"Yes, you were designated to show him around, but I'll assume that duty, now. Now, go. One more word from you, and it'll be three months."

This made Xuan grumble under her breath, which resulted in Daneel opening his mouth to speak again on her behalf in order to help her.

However, he stopped when he received a message from her via trinket.

"It's all right. That room is just one of high Energy meant for a special type of training. It's no trouble. I can show you around again when I'm out. If you want to leave, you can do so when the Matron is around, too. Goodbye for now, King Daneel."

Daneel didn't know how to respond, and before he did, Xuan shot him a quick smile and teleported away.

As she saw this, the Matron 'humphed' again, but led him in the direction of the library with her hands folded in front of her.

Just as Daneel was about to follow, he received another message from Xuan, which made him stumble and almost fall.

"That kiss doesn't count, though. You are still in debt, and I'll see what to do with it when we meet again."

His cheeks felt warm, and he even unconsciously raised his hand to touch his lips, while everything that had happened ran through his mind.

Before he sent a reply, the Matron spoke.

"She will be closed off from talking to anyone via trinket, too, so don't think it's too light a punishment. I'm just telling you so that you don't think about doing something similar again. Whatever little information you might have gotten in that short visit, that's all you'll ever learn from our Secret Archives, unless you join the Big 4. Now, come on. I don't have all day."

Daneel felt like laughing as he heard this.

Little information? He had recorded it all!

Smiling to himself, Daneel followed after her, but even he couldn't tell whether that smile was because of what the Matron thought, or because of the message he had received from Xuan.

Regardless, he still did summarise his findings in the archives.

The Race was more important than he had ever imagined. He had to win it at all costs, and for that, he had to break the third seal as soon as possible.

Hoping to find things in the library that would help him, Daneel quickened his pace.

…

Meanwhile, sitting in a secret false room at the top of the dome were two middle-aged people who were drinking tea mixed with wine.

It was a special brew of the Goddess's Sanctum which gave one both the kick of wine and the serenity of tea, and all those who visited always sang praises of it.

One of them was the Head, and the other was the Matron's master, who was the Hero on the High Council who represented the Goddess's Sanctum.

"You're sure about this, right? I don't want to have allowed my precious grand-disciple's first kiss to be stolen away in this manner by someone incompetent."

This made the Head burst out with laughter before saying, "Hey, who stole who's first kiss?! It reminds me of you, you know, all those years ago. Anyway, yes, I am confident. That kid just has something about him. He's among the top in overall talent and potential in all the Big 4, but there's something additional, too. Well, I've never been wrong, yet, and it's not like she's your most precious grand-disciple."

The Hero's lips pressed into a line as she heard the first part, and after the Head was done, she shrugged and said, "She is the cutest, though. Anyway, have you-"

As they continued to talk about various other topics, Daneel absorbed himself in collecting all the books in the library of the Goddess's Sanctum.

…

At the same moment, Kellor had a puzzled expression on his face as he watched Faxul's body, which had been acting strangely for the past 10 minutes.

He had been asked to stay and monitor Faxul, so he wondered whether to message the King.

After thinking for a bit, he decided to wait.

The 'strange actions' were that wings made of glossy black weathers had started to come into existence occasionally on Faxul's back, accompanied by tiny, dark holes in space which gave Kellor a feeling of danger even though he had touched them and felt nothing except a slight attractive force.

As he continued to keep a close watch, night turned into day, and, for some reason, Kellor felt as if this day might prove to be quite eventful, too.

Chapter 574: Deja Vu

Daneel's mind was buzzing with all sorts of titles related to various different topics, all of which he was collecting into the database with the system.

After all, equipped with this kind of godlike ability, he would be a fool not to record and obtain everything he could, just in case it might be useful in the future.

For example, he didn't see any way in which he could use the book titled "An In-depth Study Into Pimples and the Kinds of Spells That Can be Used to Counter Them", but he recorded it anyway, as all it needed was a touch of his finger.

He could feel the Matron's disapproving eyes on his back, as anyone who saw him would think that he was being frivolous.

However, if he told her that he was actually collecting data faster than probably anyone else in the continent, she would definitely not believe him and even might think that he was spouting bull crap to cover up his original intentions of just browsing around idly without focusing on anything in particular.

The library was massive, with all kinds of trivial and nontrivial information that were divided into Sections. As he was only a Peak Warrior, he could only access all the techniques for Warriors, which weren't too many.

There were also almost no Fighter techniques, as the Goddess's Sanctum was a predominantly female Sect, as was evident from its name.

A lot of its major techniques were also designed for special use by women, which partly explained why this was so in the first case. Of course, he knew the actual reason, which was that this Sect was something that had existed in the time of the Empire with the same name. Even though particular records regarding the reason behind this name from that time were lost, they had retained it, and also continued to rebuild the Sect repeatedly using the ideals and principles that had been existed from that time.

For example, the case of someone like Xuan being taken in like that was not unique. In the Goddess's Sanctum, all those in high positions were required to embark on periodic journeys where they would recruit woman of talent who had no ties in the mortal world.

Even if there were ties, if that woman or girl was willing to sever them to come with them, they would accept her and treat her like their own.

This was one implementation of the word "Sanctum" in their name.

The other was that they would also accept people who were suffering from incurable diseases or conditions, mainly on whom others might have given up.

In such cases, the Champions of the Sect, themselves, would endeavor to save them while not desiring anything in return.

It was through reading things like these that Daneel really did start to respect the Sect, which seemed to have no negatives at all like the Sect of Hedon.

As for the matter of leadership, it was decided by potential. And this was tested directly by seeing who could acquire the Goddess Champion path, which was the most precious Path in their possession, and was said to be strong enough to match the most powerful ones known to the Big Four.

Those who managed to use this path to become a Champion were all eligible to become the Matron of the Sect, and if there were multiple candidates at a certain time, a simple voting procedure would be carried out with the official members of the Sect.

As he had already guessed, all official members were female, with a few special exceptions who made decisions to stay as "retainers" of said official members.

These retainers would also have access to information and core facilities, but Daneel felt as if this was just to bolster the strength of the Sect by taking in those who wanted to join.

Also, regarding the rule of Sect members not being allowed to enter relationships, he found no mention of such a thing, which made him assume that this might be something exclusive to those who managed to acquire the Goddess Path.

All in all, the Sect seemed to be a serene place of training where one could forget everything else and just focus on getting stronger.

To entice Sect members to train as hard as they could, competitions were apparently set up and carried out periodically, where the winners would be awarded with more resources and one-on-one training with Champions.

All this was very interesting, but Daneel stopped thinking about it, as it didn't really help him other than letting him know that each of the Big Four had different structures, and that he definitely liked what was here much more than what was present in the Sect of Hedon.

Over there was an extreme dog eat dog world with each and every step forward having to be one that stepped on others.

Here, the soothing environment encouraged people to work together, and strive to reach greater heights hand in hand.

At least, that was what it looked like on paper, and he would have to see for himself if that was true.

Yet, Daneel knew that he would mostly not get that opportunity, as there would be no need for him to head to the other part of the Sect which housed all the disciples.

As for the disciples in the library, the Matron kept them all at bay with a simple glare, so that Daniel was left completely alone.

Of course, he didn't mind this at all, and he happily recorded each and every book he could.

There were thousands of them in this large building, but he was done in a few hours, mainly because quite a few sections were not accessible to him.

These made his eyes go red with desire, as they seemed to all be journals and information written down by the various Champion level individuals that had graced this Sect in its long and illustrious past.

Daneel could never have expected that his trip to the Goddess's Sanctum would be so fruitful and… Exhilarating.

Occasionally, he would still remember what had happened in the alcove, and that would make him once again feel those things that seemed like they wouldn't be shoved back into a hole after having been unleashed into the world by Xuan's bold action.

Although he was done with the library, he had to keep up appearances, so Daneel took a random book and sat on one of the wooden benches that were present all over the place, and buried himself in it, as if it was very interesting.

Only, because he hadn't been taking it seriously, he hadn't noticed that the book he had chosen was one about what a man or woman should do to groom themselves so that they could look like the best version of themselves.

Seeing this made the Matron grumble even more as she remembered what she had had to take part in before, when the Head and her master had been clearly aware of everything happening inside the alcove but had still let it happen for some reason, before sending her to interrupt them at that exact moment.

It had felt just… Wrong to be a part of something like this, but there was no way that she could disobey the word of her master.

All she had been able to do was tell yourself that her master and the Head would definitely not be wrong in their assessment of the King of Lanthanor, and that she would definitely skin him alive if he ever took a wrong step in the matter of her favorite disciple.

Meanwhile, casually rifling through the book, Daneel was once again thinking about the Grand Inheritance, and everything it represented.

His thoughts drifted from that, to the Ultimate path, to Faxul, and then to Xuan, and even to Eloise, whom he remembered a bit guiltily as she had been the first to express interest in him, yet Xuan had been the first to make a move and take away something of his.

Such thoughts were so never and strange in his mind that they stood out and made him wonder if it was really him who was getting them, and not some imposter who was also in a similar situation.

Three hours later, his musings were interrupted by an urgent message from Kellor.

"My King, you have to see this! I didn't know whether to contact you, but I couldn't wait any longer. Please make your way here quickly!"

He heard the panic in his Grand Court Mage's voice, but there was no hint of alarm, which was a good thing.

Besides, the 'alarm' that he had set up had not gone off, either, so he could tell that Faxul might not be in danger, and that something else might be happening.

Either way, Daneel decided to leave, and as he put the book back on its place on the bookshelf and walked to the Matron, she spoke up before he could say anything.

"Xuan told me about how you said you might have things to handle back in your Kingdom. Go, and use this if you wish to come back. Of course, this will only give you access to this library, and not to the one that you just went to by breaking all the rules. And…"

The Matron look like she wanted to say something else, but she stopped herself at the last moment and just handed Daneel a seed much like the one that he had seen Xuan use before to open the door to the alcove that held the secret archives.

Only, the seed that she had used had been bright silver in color, while this one was earth colored, making it look quite normal.

With a nod, Daneel took it, and not knowing how to bid goodbye to the Matron, he just nodded again before rising into the air and starting to fly out of the enormous dome structure that he was in.

As soon as he reached the ceiling, a hole opened up in the same manner that it had done when they had arrived, allowing him to leave and once again gaze at the magnificent statue which was the most magnificent thing he had seen on Angaria so far, except perhaps that Dragon all those years ago which had laid waste to that pub.

Exiting the crack in the ground, Daneel had to fly up a few hundred meters into the sky before finally teleporting to reach his kingdom.

As soon as he did so, he headed for the underground room, and when he arrived, he could tell that something was amiss.

Beside him stood Kellor, who had multiple holes in his clothes of varying sizes, which made him almost looked like a beggar.

Yet, his expression was filled with excitement as he gazed at Faxul, the sight of whom made Daneel take a few steps back and widen his eyes, wondering whether what he was seeing was true.

A large set of wings made of glossy black fathers which looked both dangerous and beautiful had appeared on the upper back of his friend, which were clearly created by elementary particles that were not being controlled, same as before.

However, instead of fading in and out of existence, they stayed there, making Faxul look like some sort of human – Raven hybrid.

This wasn't even the most disconcerting thing going on. No, that prize went to the dark holes of varying sizes that were popping up all around the room.

In fact, just as he saw that, he detected one opening up right where he stood at the spot where his hand was. He was about to teleport away, but he stopped himself to see what it would do.

As he did so, a hole similar to the one he had seen on Kellor's robes appeared on his own sleeve, while he also felt a faint itch and pull on his skin, where he could see the tiny, nail-sized black hole.

He didn't need the system right now to analyze it. Unlike the black holes he had read about back on earth, this one did not seem to have any time-based effects – at least as far as he could see. In the same way that he had seen back in that image, light did seem to be bending around its edges, but that was more because it was a constantly revolving rip in space similar to one that a mage used during teleportation.

This was visible now, as he could see and study it unlike before, when he hadn't been able to due to its sheer power.

The novelty here was that on the other side of wherever this rip in space connected to, there was a very strong gravitational force that was pulling in everything that was in the vicinity of the hole.

If this hole was bigger, Daneel could imagine the amount of attractive force that would be present, and it was pretty similar to what he had felt in that visual message before.

Enemies would truly be rendered helpless as they would have to resist being pulled constantly and relentlessly into a place which looked like there would be no return from, and he could tell that this pull also affect the elementary particles, too, which was why the hole was black in the first place – all the light elementary particles had been sucked away, leaving behind only darkness.

Hence, if strong enough, this black hole would have a very strong effect on all spells being cast by mages. A mage would have to expend double the effort to cast a normal spell, itself, which was definitely a terrifying handicap that would lead to the loss of almost any mage that dared to go up against a Devouring Monarch of the Skies.

Daneel had no idea what he was supposed to do, but he couldn't have expected that his arrival would cause a change in Faxul.

And that change made the King of Lanthanor almost jump back in panic, as he saw his friend open his eyes, which were completely red, and flap those wings which made him become a blur as he lunged at him with the intent to kill.

Even as barriers automatically sprang up around Daneel to defend against the unexpected attack, he was blasted back into the wall behind him due to the sheer momentum that passed through from the punch.

…

Meanwhile, a few seconds ago.

As the fifteenth recollection of his past began, the bastion in Faxul which had been growing stronger with each and every second that passed finally took a step forward in defiance.

In essence, it was the personification of everything that had allowed him to reach this step in the first place – all his stubbornness, determination, propensity for marching forward no matter what he had to endure, and lastly, his wish to make his parents proud, and also pay back everything he still felt he owed to Daneel.

It was as if… He had known all these things beforehand, too, as if they weren't inside him, he might have perished long ago, itself, when he had decided to take that spirit into his body which had threatened to kill him during each and every waking second if he let up his efforts for even a single moment.

Only, the fake Daneel had still been effective mainly because he had never asked these questions to himself, instead letting them stay there with the intention that he knew the answer any way, and hence did not need to face them.

Now that he finally did, all of his determination and will solidified into a singular desire to never give in, and never doubt himself.

True, he might have benefited a lot from others, but there was so much more that he had accomplished by himself! If it were any other person, he could almost bet that they wouldn't have been able to survive and move on as well as he had.

Hence, there really seemed to be no reason for him to doubt himself so much, and with this, he got a wish to break out of this place, whatever it was.

That was when he had opened his eyes to find that the repetition of memories had stopped, and that he was standing face to face to that same fake Daneel with the cold smile, while he somehow had wings on his back that lent him a kind of power that he had never experienced before.

Yes! The only way to get out must be to defeat this fake impersonation of his friend!

With that thought, he launched himself forward and began the attack.

…

As Daneel finally came to a stop a few hundred meters away and spit out a little bit if blood as he had had to endure such a sudden and insanely fast attack, he heard Drakos speak in his mind.

"Young King, I was hoping this wouldn't happen! In cases where the person in question already had determination and the will to not give up, the baptism would move on to the second stage- which is to make them enter an illusion as if they are still in the space inside their head! Your friend probably thinks he is attacking that fake version of you! You must endure, and allow him to break out of it by himself!"

As the King of Lanthanor heard this and saw Faxul flying in his direction, again, with a black hole swirling in front of his fist, he realized that he might be getting a taste of the power of a bloodline possessor much sooner than he had expected.

Also, he couldn't help but get a feeling of deja vu, as this had already happened before.

'Aw, sh*t. Here we go again.'

With this thought, hoping that this would be the last, he prepared to unleash everything he had and find out whether the name 'Monarch' was really deserved.

Chapter 575: Guiding the Baptism

Daneel only had a split second of time before Raven Faxul would be upon him.

Without hesitation, he chose to use his strongest defense- the turtle shell barrier, so that he could just defend and observe.

This wasn't some random enemy that he could attack as he wanted while not caring whether they lived or died.

No, this was Faxul, whose mind was thoroughly in the control of that damn bird which did not want to lend its power to him.

At least, that seemed to be the instinctual aim of those memories and the essence in the blood of Faxul, which had awakened.

Daneel had already tried Mind Control in order to see if it was possible to break Faxul out of the illusion, but it had failed, as his mind was already under complete control.

Therefore, all he could do was fight, and find a way to subdue his friend after observing everything he could about the Devouring Monarch of the Skies.

He had to say that he was actually excited.

Although Daneel knew that he was just someone of common descent unlike Faxul, whose blood was royalty, he was confident that anything and everything would eventually be made possible by the system.

Since he had seen that awe-inspiring sight of the gigantic beast, he had to admit that he had been pretty interested in these bloodlines.

Only, he had been ready to carefully unveil and research everything about them, but he now had a chance to experience one's power firsthand.

So, he decided to make full use of it.

However…it turned out that it was not as easy.

The turtle shell, which had last been used against the Hero Bam in order to defend against his blow, once again came to his rescue and did well in protecting him, but Faxul was no simple opponent.

As soon as he approached, he launched a barrage of punches with the objective of breaking through the layers and layers of barriers.

They were in a passage that had been formed underground due to Daneel barrelling through the earth because of the remnant force of Faxul's punch from before, and as the King of Lanthanor's turtle shell ablated the force it was experiencing into the surroundings, the earth behind Daneel began to break apart and essentially form a cavern.

All this would have been fine if Faxul were a normal, albeit powerful Fighter who wanted to get through to Daneel.

The problem was that that wasn't the case.

As Daneel watched with wide open eyes, the black holes that were present on both the hands of Faxul were tearing away at the elementary particles he was controlling to make the barrier. With each punch, it was getting harder and harder to hold the integrity of the shell. If it broke, Daneel knew that he would have no option but to teleport away if he wanted to escape.

Only, that wasn't an option!

In this place, with Drakos's help, he had also deployed a Hero-level anti-surveillance formation quickly before Faxul had arrived before, so that they wouldn't draw undue attention.

After all, he had seen the records, and knew that there was a major chance that the Big 4 knew a lot about bloodlines.

If they saw the one that had been triggered in Faxul, all kinds of questions would appear, that would definitely throw Daneel in hot soup, as he didn't want them to know the answers to any of them.

He would basically have to go back and tell them everything about Empire Spirits, and this was something he knew could not be done.

So, all he could do was defend and try to control Faxul in this small, closed space, yet, his friend was punching away like a madman, making Daneel feel hard pressed to keep defending.

The most impressive thing, however, was that Faxul wasn't even using any Mage powers, at all. This was all his Fighter strength, that seemed to have somehow been temporarily amplified.

As for the black holes and the wings, they had formed naturally from the world.

Because they were bigger, the damn attractive force was also greater, so much so that it was able to affect Daneel's spell.

As he saw the barriers in front of him break at an alarming pace, Daneel wondered what the heck he was supposed to do.

By his estimate, Faxul would make it through in 2 seconds, and it would be futile to make another shell, as it would fatigue his Mageroot too much and leave him with lesser strength for the fight.

Only, with a howl of rage, Faxul did something which threw Daneel's estimated in the trash.

His long wings that, when combined, would at least have a length of 4 meters, suddenly raised up almost as if they were extensions of his hands.

Two black holes appeared on the edges of the winds, and before Daneel could react in panic, they struck forward at a speed that he could only see using the Basilisk's Breath.

In fact, if he hadn't activated the inheritance, he would definitely have suffered a grave injury, as the combination of the two wing edges which frantically slashed over and over again, down then up and then down again, like two damn chainsaws, with Faxul's punches allowed him to cut through Daneel's layers of barriers as if they were butter.

Thankfully, with the Basilisk's Breath, Daneel noticed this and made a barrier of air in front of him on which he kicked to launch himself backward.

Defense was no longer an option. If he chose it, he was now genuinely afraid that those sharp blade-like wings might cut off an arm or leg.

This Monarch…was definitely not to be underestimated.

Initially, he had thought that the black hole might be an attack that could only be used by the possessor of a bloodline when they obtained the corresponding Mage/Fighter technique, like Drakos had mentioned.

However, he now understood that the Natural Construct formed after the baptism wasn't just for show.

It already gave its possessor certain attacks that gave them an incredible edge in combat, which meant that even if a bloodline possessor wasn't skilled at all as a Mage, they could just focus on their bloodline and grow pretty incredibly strong.

This…was just too f*cking overpowered!

If an untrained and rage-filled bloodline possessor, himself, was so powerful, then just how terrifying could someone trained with the right technique be?

No wonder they had comprised of the special corps of the Emperor.

Daneel had no more time to think, as Faxul was already approaching again.

However, finally, he saw a flaw that he could exploit.

The attractive force from the black holes on Faxul's fists and wings took a little bit of time to have a considerable effect. That was why Daneel had at least been able to defend himself for that much time.

He got a feeling that this flaw might also be meant to be covered using their exclusive techniques, whatever they may be, but right now, it was there for him to exploit.

But would it be so easy to do so?

Just like before, the answer approached with the intent to smash his face in.

With rage-filled eyes, Faxul was ready to begin another barrage, but he couldn't help but pause when he found himself surrounded by shining barriers.

His opponent was nowhere to be seen, so his sole objective became that he had to break out.

Due to the mindless rage which was induced by the Baptism, Faxul used the same approach again, but Daneel had already planned for that.

Each time Faxul approached one particular location of the 'cage' he was in, Daneel would focus all the power of the cage onto that spot, leaving the rest in such a weak state that they could be passed through without any resistance.

And, besides, this was Lanthanor.

His Lanthanor.

Fighting against the madness that threatened to creep into his mind from the thoughts of a thousand people, Daneel used the amplification to full effect to trap Faxul with no way out.

Next up, the plan was simple: hammers.

Insects could be swatted using a fly-swatter. But what to do when the insect is huge and powerful?

Just use a damn hammer to smash it to bits.

Daneel felt slightly bad as he prepared to go on.

He was basically using a smart way to fight, by exploiting the flaws of his opponent, instead of meeting him head-on in battle.

Because the attractive force of the black holes needed time to have a considerable effect, Daneel kept making sure that his image appeared on a different side of the cage, pulling Faxul in that direction and letting the overall barrier recover.

And so, the mindlessness was also being used to effectively control his friend and get him ready for a good ol' swatting, which Daneel told himself was for his own good.

Well, he had already accomplished his objective: he had experienced the terrifying power of the Monarch, and he was even more interested now in bloodlines.

So, rolling up his sleeves, Daneel prepared to get hammer-happy, but he was stopped by Drakos.

"Young King, this is not the correct way. Fights of Baptism are supposed to have a clear resolution. Either your friend loses, or wins. A resolution is needed to move on to the last and final step. If this happens, the result will be up in the air, and he might have to go through it all again."

"Oh? Then what do you want me to do?"

"It appears that he believes that killing you will rid him of the illusion. That is what happens in most cases, and it's also safest to use the approach of letting him do that. In the time of the Empire, we had sophisticated flesh clones to make one believe that they were fighting their real opponent. Clones don't cut it. Back then, this was called 'Guiding the Baptism'."

As Daneel heard this, he thought for a bit, and then suddenly got an idea.

It was a bit ruthless, but he was going to go ahead with it.

However, before that, Daneel decided to do one last thing.

Taking off his robe, Daneel walked forward in his pants, exposing his perfectly proportioned body with lean muscle that was filled with explosive strength.

The result…was a resounding defeat.

He had collected numerous Fighter skills from various places, and he had been confident that he might at least be able to put up a fight.

Only…all he could do was use the Basilisk's Breath to barely dodge the attacks from Faxul which were coming from 4 directions.

Besides, the attractive force of the black holes worked on one's body, too, making one expend considerable effort to make sure that their body didn't move erratically.

His mind was still resisting the voices, but he still tried to put forward the power of a Peak Fighter.

Only, even with the Basilisk's Breath, which was supposed to raise his own power by a large margin, he could only dodge for 3 seconds before a large gash appeared on his abdomen, causing him to retreat and immediately begin healing.

Yes, it was thoroughly settled now.

Bloodlines were unparalleled among Fighters and Mages, and like a kid deciding on a toy for Christmas, he decided that he wanted one.

With this decision made, Daneel traveled to the place where all the Warriors lead by Raul to invade Lanthanor were kept.

Here, he picked out an Exalted Warrior and Mind Controlled him to take on Daneel's appearance.

Coming back and heaving a sigh of relief on seeing that the barrier stood, he threw the fake Daneel inside, who was immediately pummeled to death by Faxul, who fell unconscious right after that.

Seeing this, Drakos said, "Well done, Young King. The second phase is done. The objective of this phase is to have the bloodlines possessor killed in the process. That didn't happen. So, the bloodline will begin its last-ditch attack. If he passes this one, he will consume it and make it his own."

"What is it?"

"Well, in the first phase, one is confronted with the past. In the second, it is with the present. And in the third…the future will be used. Let us see."

With this, they once again entered Faxul's mind, ready to witness how this elaborate baptism would end.

…

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Axelor, King Safiros was madly going through several sheaves of parchment in his hands, which listed a few chilling projections he had asked for.

The question was simple: how many people could be purged without causing mass riots that would destabilize the Kingdom?

All the projections pointed to minuscule numbers, which the King wasn't happy with.

Burning the parchments, he had everyone leave, leaving behind his trusty minister.

Shrugging, he made a proclamation which made the Minister's blood run cold.

"Well, all my other plans are failing. If nothing else develops, it will be time for drastic measures. The best way to stop riots from happening is to unite them against a common enemy. How will it be if an elite hit squad from Lanthanor invades us and massacres all the babies and children of a particular town to stamp down on the future of Axelor? After that, they could escape into various parts of the Kingdom, giving me a perfect reason to carry out multiple purges. We will be in the endgame soon, after all, and all that matters is that I win the Race. For that, sacrifices are necessary, my dear minister."

Chapter 576: Past, Present, and Future

Faxul had almost no recollection of the fight.

He had been driven by a singular motivation to vanquish the fake Daneel in front of him, and this driving force had been so strong that he had ignored everything else in the process.

At his disposal were the blackholes, which came naturally whenever he wished for them to appear, and the terrifying might in his body that made him believe that he could end anything as long as he hit it enough.

So, it was all a blur of repeatedly flying after his opponent and punching him, following which he had been whisked away once again after seeing that he had succeeded.

He had assumed that killing the fake Daneel would have allowed him to get out of whatever this was, but, clearly, he had been wrong.

Yet, Faxul wasn't as panicked as before.

The victory before made him believe that what he was up against could be defeated. It bolstered his confidence, and, in turn, strenghthened the bastion that had enabled him to begin the fight in the first place.

So, when he once again regained control of his body, he braced himself for the next attack.

No matter how terrifying or gruesome it was, he was confident that he would be able to endure and not give up.

Yet…before he opened his eyes, itself, he could feel that something was wrong.

Faint music was playing somewhere near him, and as he recognised the tune, his heart skipped a beat.

It was the tune that his father had always sung to him before he slept.

In fact, he remembered his grandfather commenting that he would fall asleep, without fail, whenever that tune was sung.

Also, his head was resting on something very soft, and warm sunlight could be felt on his face.

As he opened his eyes, his gaze fell upon the face of a woman, who was looking in a direction while singing that tune.

His head was in her lap, and he was wearing a soft fabric that felt very comfortale.

As he looked around, he saw branches filled with lush, green leaves above them, through which streamed the sunlight that was hitting his cheeks.

As she felt him move, the woman looked down, and that was when he clearly saw her face.

She had exquisite features and dark hair, and her eyes held so much love as she looked at him that he wondered whether he had transmigrated into someone else's body.

However, when she spoke, that question was answered.

"Faxul, you're up? I thought you would sleep longer. Heavens know how hard you worked last night, when you had to dispel those Axelorians."

Hearing this and not knowing what to say, he sat up and looked around before noticing that they were in the large balcony of his Royal quarters, which was also meant to be a resting place for the Protector Raven.

His eyes immediately shot to a little kid to the left, who had a wide smile on his face while he chased a Black Raven.

"Jexal, honey, come here. Your father is awake."

"J-Jexal?", Faxul asked.

That was the name of his father.

"I thought you weren't fine with calling him Jessie? Your father's name is a mouthful, you know. And besides, that style of naming went out of fashion a long time ago."

Faxul was too busy staring at the kid who walked over.

He looked very similar to him, and as the kid came forward and hugged his leg, asking to be picked up, Faxul did so, and a feeling well up inside him that he couldn't explain.

This…was his son?!

He had prepared for all kinds of torture and deceit. Yet, why was he being shown this?

Walking forward, he gazed out at the Kingdom, and as he did so, many things appeared in his mind.

In this world, the Black Raven Kingdom was the leading force, and they were respected by all the other forces.

There was no looming threat, and the people were happy and content.

His wife was pregnant with another child, and he was a Champion who would hand over the throne to his firstborn and travel the world with his loving wife.

In other words…it was a perfect world- one that anyone would want to live in, when compared to the real one.

Yet…he knew that it wasn't real.

As soon as this thought appeared in his head, everything…froze.

And from behind him, he heard a deep, ancient voice, which said, "This…is the future you could have, if you wish. In this future, there is no risk of the people of this continent dying. In this future, you will be the most powerful on this continent, and you will even leave behind a legacy which will be respected for aeons to come. In this future, you will be happy- happier than you ever were in the real world. And most importantly, in this future, you will have no regrets. All you need to do…is agree. Just agree to give up on the real world and stay here, and you will forget all about it, and not even know that there is a different one out these. All this will be yours, and it will be real…for you. What do you say, young man? Will you accept this offer that I make from the kindness in my heart? Or do you still wish to devour this old man and return to that world where your death surely awaits?"

As Faxul turned around, he saw a hunched man wearing a dense cloak make of Raven feathers.

He had a long beard and wrinkled skin that made him look as if he had born over a century ago, and he even his voice had contained that hint of age.

At that moment, everything that had happened so far became clear to Faxul.

Setting down his 'son' who had become like a statue, exactly like the surroundings, Faxul walked forward to stand in front of the old man.

Past, present, and future.

With everything revealed to him, he realised that it was time for the final decision.

In his mind, he compared the two worlds.

One with danger and regret, and one with nothing but happiness.

He was sure that if he agreed, the old man would stay true to his words: he would forget everything else, and live out his life in this world.

That would mean that he wouldn't have any more responsibilities, to his friend or to his people.

No more debts.

No more sadness.

He had to say that for the slightest moment, he was tempted.

But only for a moment.

Could he really turn his back on everything just so that he could have a happy life?

Hell, no.

If he was that kind of person, he would have perished in the first test, itself.

Along with this thought, Faxul also understood what he was supposed to take away from these experiences.

With a smile, as he gave his answer, he realised that each of these steps had let him discover himself.

And now…he was completely clear regarding who he was.

"By showing me the past, you made me come face to face with all the demons that have always plagued me.

By using the present, you showed me what I could use to change my fate.

And by letting me witness this future, you showed me what I should work towards, and why I should never lose hope.

What I am…is a rebel.

Fate keeps trying to step down on me, but I rebel against it.

A rebel who uses everything in his disposal to achieve what he wants.

If I am always cognizant of what I have recieved, and if I always endeavour to pay it back, why should I feel that I am unworthy?

No! I am worthy, because I choose to never bow down and accept.

And no matter how much more power I may be bestowed with, now, or in the future, I shall never doubt myself.

All I shall do is use everything I have, and do my best to get what I want.

Thank you."

The last two words came involuntarily, as Faxul felt that it was only right that he thank someone who had helped him so much.

Indeed, if he hadn't gone through this at this point, he was pretty sure that someone would definitely have used it against him in the future, or that not finding himself would surely have led to disasters with catastrophic consequences.

As soon as the old man heard him, a wise smile spread across his face.

Raising a hand, he laid it on Faxul's shoulder.

Faxul felt no animosity from the man. No, in fact, all he felt was pride.

"Good. You are one of the few who have understood that the goal of the Baptism was never to try and deprive you humans of our power. No, all we Godbeasts ever wanted was that only those who knew themselves, and would thus never be misled by others, be the ones who inherited our bloodlines. After all, it is not ours, alone, to hoard. It is our duty to pass it on, and we just wished that we could ensure that those who can call upon it are not unsure, and hence, unbefitting of our glory. I don't care what you do with the power. But whatever you do, do so with your held head high, and with full confidence in yourself. Good luck, young man."

As soon as the last word left the old man's mouth, he turned into a mist that surrounded Faxul's body and then…entered it.

As it did so, he suddenly felt like something…had clicked into place.

As he opened his eyes and felt the stone ground beneath him, he felt more comfortable in this body than ever.

It was almost as if…it was his own, instead of one he was using because his own had been destroyed.

Yes! That was exactly what it was.

As Daneel saw his friend open his eyes and stand up, he couldn't help but notice that something was different.

"Young King, you really do surround yourself with the best of people! A perfect Baptism! He will go very, very far! In fact, he may even become the strongest one on this continent!"

Hearing this, Daneel felt happy, but he also remembered his decision before to get a bloodline for himself.

'Hehe, just hold my glass of wine.'

He felt like saying this, but at this moment, he was just really proud of Faxul.

He could already tell what the difference was.

It was as if Faxul had always been carrying a mountain on his shoulders which made him feel burdened.

Now, that mountain was gone.

What remained was a man who looked like one who might truly deserve the role of a King.

A King…of a calibre befitting one whom Daneel could trust and rely on.

Yet, before he could walk forward, he collapsed, once again.

"Don't worry, Young King. He's just drained. Some rest will get him back to normal."

With a nod and a smile, Daneel deposited Faxul in a bed in the Palace, before convening an immediate meeting.

Right now, he could tell that he had no time to waste. He wanted to break the third seal as soon as possible, which meant that he needed a stimulus to openly take command of the other forces under his command.

Also, he had to do something to proceed on the Race.

Daneel had already devised a plan to accomplish both of these things, and more, in one go.

Right now, he realized that this was the best opportunity to implement it.

Of course, when he spoke in the meeting which comprised of the other members of the Council of Nine Sovereigns except for Faxul, everyone looked at him as if he were mad.

"So…the plan is simple. First, the Black Raven Kingdom will have a falling out with us and join Axelor. After that, some…things will happen, and in the end, I will openly be in charge of the Black Raven Kingdom, we will know all the intentions of Axelor, and I'll also obtain something I want from that crazy King. How does that sound?"

Chapter 577: The Plan

After a few moments during which Daneel had to endure being stared at by all his trusted confidantes, he chuckled and asked, "What's wrong?"

This made the room look at him as if he were playing a joke with them.

What was wrong? Everything was!

Eloise was the one who finally stood up and decided to make her doubts known.

"King Daneel…a lot is. First of all- falling out with the Black Raven Kingdom. Why would that even happen? Especially after you went to all that trouble with the Olympics and the memorial to show them that we are worthy, and that we are their friends."

This statement made Daneel frown a bit, as he remembered those two plans of his, which he had to admit were some of those which hadn't worked out as he wanted them to.

One of the objectives of the Olympics had been to show the Black Raven Kingdom the power of Lanthanor, as they were a people who respected power over all else.

That might have succeeded, to a degree, but it hadn't been enough.

Secondly, when those soldiers from the Black Raven Kingdom had been killed after entering his Kingdom on the orders of the black-robed man, Daneel had had a massive memorial built in their honour on that land, before freely allowing any and all citizens to visit so that they could spend time at their loved ones' grave.

That had increased goodwill towards Lanthanor, but, again, it hadn't been enough that the Black Raven Kingdom would be content with being ruled by him.

Basically, these were some of the most obstinate people that Daneel had seen in a long, long time.

He had kept that in mind while coming up with this plan.

True, they were obstinate, but over time, he had learned how their minds work through observing them.

"Don't worry about that part, Eloise. That isn't even the most interesting one. Faxul was the one who suggested this in the first place, by the way. To have a public falling out so that he can act as a spy for us. The Kingdom of Axelor is just too tightly closed off for us to access. And I'm not comfortable having him do whatever he wants without knowing what he's up to. Also, I need a method to enter his Kingdom to obtain a few things. We have to admit that those two plays weren't very effective, Eloise. All they did was make goodwill rise regarding Lanthanor, while they also started to believe that we are powerful enough to be regarded as 'friends'. When I made those plans, I guess I didn't understand something very important."

This impassionate speech by Daneel made everyone lean forward with very serious expressions on their faces.

Of course, there weren't many in the room in the first place, as Aran and Cassandra were still in the 'March through Hell'. Robert was up next, but all he knew was that the other two commanders had gone on some special training.

Yet, the atmosphere was filled with expectation regarding what exactly the King's plan was.

"You know, it reminds me of a quote of-…Er, one that I read somewhere. 'Of the people, by the people, for the people.' My calculations and plans before always only thought of them as normal people, just like those from Lanthanor. Yet, the Black Raven Kingdom is unique in the fact that they have a specific entity that they pray to- the Ancient Black Raven, who was the one that is supposedly responsible for their existence. As such, they will never expect some sovereign ruling over them who hasn't been acknowledged by their ancestor."

This made expressions of realization appear on the faces of those present.

Right! The Black Raven citizens definitely were pretty unique among all those in Angaria.

They were also said to be the most bullish and stubborn in the continent, which explained why this was something that had changed for a long, long time.

But…what did all this have to do with the King's plan?

They soon got their answer.

"So…what I've developed is a two-pronged approach. First, they need to be content that the one ruling over them is worthy. And, second…they should want to be ruled by me."

Huh? How were they supposed to do that?

The King continued with a smile on his face.

"My plan already accomplishes the first thing, anyway. The second one is, however, the most important. You see, I suspect that with the stubbornness of these people, even if they see me somehow being acknowledged by their deity, they might still feel that I'm an outsider. The second part is to make sure that that doesn't have too strong an impact on the takeover. So…to accomplish it, we will be using one of the strongest emotions of mankind: desire. We will show them the stark contrast between being ruled by me, and being ruled by someone else. At the end of it, I want them begging to be under me. And, don't worry, if everything goes well, that will happen."

…

A few hours later.

Seeing Faxul sleeping peacefully on his bed in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Daneel couldn't help but feel happy for him.

He was leaning against a wall, and as he raised his palm, a black hole kept appearing and disappearing, just like the one that his friend had used to attack him before.

Indeed, seeing it being used in a weaker form had allowed him, and the system to study it, and, hence, he could replicate it.

Only…it was a Hero-level spell, so all Daneel could do was copy it.

This had been pretty shocking, although he should have expected it after seeing the tremendous power in that visual message.

Initially, the plan had been to see if he could add this to his arsenal.

However, after playing with it for a bit, Daneel had realized that that was not a viable plan, at all.

The problem was that it took too much effort to cast.

As it was a high-level spell, if Daneel used it, it would suck away all his strength, leaving his Mageroot fatigued.

The only reason it was viable for Faxul was that he was casting it without using his Mageroot, at all. Apparently, as he had already guessed, it was induced from the world because of the awakened bloodline.

Hence, unless that was possible, it would simply be a waste to use this in battle. There were much more effective spells that Daneel could use that took much lesser effort.

Yet, Daneel wasn't too concerned about this. He had already decided that he would obtain one, himself, and he had added a subroutine where the system would also let him know if it found any data that would allow him to make that happen.

Right now, all he felt was…immense happiness for his friend.

Using Drakos's spell, he had been there when Faxul had turned down that old man.

He had seen him be tempted, and then realize that he wasn't unworthy, after all.

What more could Daneel want?

He had always wished all the happiness and prosperity in the world for those he had cared about, and thus, he was ecstatic for his closest friend.

When he had heard that speech from Faxul about what he had realized, pride had welled up inside Daneel, and he had almost felt like a happy parent who had just seen their child succeed in something.

Only, after that, they hadn't been able to listen to what the old man had said, and Drakos had said that there was always a message that was exclusive to bloodline possessors.

Except for the Emperor, whom they had trusted, no one else knew the contents of the message.

Daneel had found this intriguing, and he had decided to ask Faxul when he woke up.

A few minutes later, Faxul did get up and look around drowsily before spotting a glass of water and some food- meat and vegetables, on the bedside.

There was also a Ker Gem which shone faintly, and he actually took that into his hands and started absorbing Energy, which allowed him to throw off the deep fatigue that he was feeling in his bones.

After a few seconds, he finally looked up to see his friend waiting for him.

Smiling slightly, he said, "I'm sorry about the-"

Waving his hand, Daneel cut him off and said, "No apology needed. I found out the power of a bloodline possessor, and you killed one of those scum who invaded us. No loss, no foul."

This made Faxul smile broadly, and as Daneel looked at that smile, he realized that it was more… freer than he had ever seen.

Yes, this change was definitely a delight to see.

At this point, Drakos spoke up in his mind.

"Young King, your friend should begin his breakthrough to Champion right now. Typically, Peak Warriors go through the Baptism to awaken their bloodline, using which they smoothly step into the Champion realm because of the resonance they feel with the essence of the Godbeast. Right now, everything he has absorbed must still be very fresh in his mind. Hence, it is the best time."

With a nod, Daneel repeated the same to Faxul, who said, "All right. There is no place I trust more, so I'll just go right ahead."

In each and every Champion Path text, the clear method to break through was written down after one found the thing they wished to use, and developed the resonance.

All one needed to do was connect with it, and…bring it forth.

Daneel had seen it happen once in Raul's case, but he hadn't been paying too much attention.

Now, he prepared to carefully observe everything.

Faxul simply folded his legs on the bed and closed his eyes, following which he breathed out calmly.

At the same time, as Daneel observed with his elementary vision, he saw all the elementary particles around him swirling in circles around his friend, as if he was influencing them in some way.

After a moment, all of these particles rushed into his body, changing each and every part of him in ways that were too complex to even look at.

Just trying made Daneel get a sudden headache that made him stop. As he clutched at his head and looked to the side, he heard Drakos chuckle and say, "It is better not to gaze at any mysterious ascension that is facilitated by the World, Young King. Even in the time of the Empire, we had no idea how it worked, and those who tried to comprehend it often went mad. Well, it does make sense. After all, if we could figure it out, we would be able to raise any normal man to become a Champion."

Daneel could only nod, and by the time he looked up, it was all over.

Faxul had just gotten up, and as he raised his fist and clenched it, a light 'boom!' Could be heard.

The bloodline was a way for one to become a Champion in the Fighter Path. And, clearly, the power of a Champion level Fighter…was definitely nothing to scoff at.

"Drakos, what about the Mage Inheritance that will let him bring out the power you showed me? If I'm understanding this right, then it means that he can only fight like before, right? With smaller black holes, and greater strength?"

"Yes, Young King. The Inheritance…is, sadly,-"

"In the third seal."

"Yes."

Daneel said this with his teeth gritted, but he relaxed when he remembered the plan he was going to set into motion.

There was no time to waste. So, walking forward, he said, "Congratulations, Faxul. But we can talk in-depth about this later. I just want to say that I'm proud and very, very happy for you. Now then. Regarding the plan you proposed…"

…

2 days later, King Safiros was sitting in his throne room, finalizing the plan for the 'Lanthanorians' who would invade his Kingdom, soon.

In a week, it would all go down.

Because all of the citizens were heavily isolated, they would never be able to tell the difference between real Lanthanorians and the fake ones he was going to use.

His word was law, and if he said that they were from Lanthanor, then they were.

However, at that moment, a voice suddenly appeared in his head.

"Stop everything you're doing, and go to the border of your Kingdom. An old friend of mine awaits. If it's really him, things will become much, much easier. That old bird always was pretty crafty."

Chapter 578: Meeting the Empire Spirit of Axelor

"Er…Daneel, are you sure this will work?"

As Faxul said this in a hesitant tone, he saw his friend merrily slap his shoulder and say, "Oh, yes. You don't know Empire Spirits like I do. I've met 4 of them, and I must say that they all share the same trait that we are using today."

As Daneel said this with a smile on his face, he heard Drakos grumble in a low voice in his mind.

Clearly, the ancient dragon was making his displeasure known, but Daneel didn't say anything.

It was true that even the dragon was prone to get haughty, at times.

He wouldn't display that quality clearly, but whenever Drakos felt amazed at something that Daneel did, there would be a slight tone of 'I can't believe you were capable of this.'

He didn't blame the ancient dragon, though, as he knew that even he would be pretty amazed if someone whom he thought belonged in a 'primitive age' was capable of incredible things that weren't supposed to be possible.

Also, of course, Drakos's more or less innocent character made it so that even if there was a hint of that arrogance, it didn't impact his judgment and thinking in any way.

Unlike…the Empire Spirit that they were going to meet.

Above them, a clone of Faxul's was standing in the air right outside the border of Axelor, waiting after sending a message using a secret method Faxul had found in the memories of the Ancient Black Raven.

After his baptism, it had been pretty easy for him to go through the vast memories of the Empire Spirit, which would apparently have not been the case if Faxul hadn't found himself beforehand.

According to Drakos, delving in one's memories in that way would often cause people to lose themselves and forget their own memories, but that wasn't possible for Faxul, whose mental state was already as strong as it could be.

This had made Daneel wonder what he would go through if he ever did have to endure a baptism. What demons of his were there that he would have to face? What would he find at the end of the road?

It was all very interesting, but it had to be stowed away for another time, mainly because Daneel wanted to find out what that crazy King was brewing inside his Kingdom.

Ever since he had rejected that offer for the War Games, Daneel had suspected that King Safiros must definitely be doing something else to achieve his goals, whatever they might be.

He was probably desperate, and when someone that crazy had that emotion, very bad things could happen.

Now, as they waited for the Empire Spirit of Axelor to turn up, Daneel decided to ask Drakos to recount the story about the identity of whom they were about to meet one more time.

He also asked Drakos to speak out loud using a simple spell, so that Daneel wouldn't have to repeat it to Faxul.

And, besides, Faxul already knew a lot about this guy from the memories that he had seen. So, now, this explanation was only so that they could briefly recap everything.

"The Empire Spirit was one of the few humans who chose to enter this…'program' of the Emperor's. His past is actually hidden to all, except for the Emperor who found out everything about him before taking him in. Rumors said that he was bathed in blood that was not his own, or his mother's moments after he was born. The story changes with each retelling, but the gist is that he was born in the midst of a battle that was mostly between a few bandits and an entourage of merchants who were transporting goods. No one knows if he was born on the side of the merchants, or the bandits, but what is true is that he saw bloodshed as soon as he was born.

"He was blessed with superior talent, but where many would call this luck, it turned out to be unlucky for him. He was taken away by the bandits and raised by them, while learning to kill and pillage since he was a child. The bandit world was one of backstabs and betrayals, but it was said that he breathed in the atmosphere and absorbed all the knowledge he could. H

"More than anything, he was a survivor. No matter what he had to do, whether it be that he had to poison an entire village to act dead as he had a spell which would mimic the effects of that poison on his own body, or when he forcibly kidnapped, seduced and married the daughter of someone who had sworn to kill him so that he could escape his wrath, he would do it so that he could live on. Many, many tales float about regarding everything he did to stay alive and grow stronger, with one more preposterous than the next.

"The common denominator of all these is that he is ruthless, cunning, and smart, and that he was a foe whom one wouldn't dream of antagonizing unless they wished to die without even knowing how they had been killed."

As Drakos paused here, Daneel couldn't help but think that this Empire Spirit was certainly…interesting, to say the least.

Yet, if he had done such atrocious things, why had the Emperor pardoned him?

He had gotten this question the last time that Drakos had told him about him, too, and it made him wish that he could find the consciousness of the Emperor and delve into his memories for answers, just like Faxul had done with the Ancient Black Raven.

"He was found and defeated by the Emperor during the conquest of a certain force. Apparently, that entire force had been under the secret control of that man, who acted like a puppeteer to get all the resources while he kept the daughters of the real leader of that place hostage. All while sleeping with them, as they couldn't get enough of him. Oh…"

Faxul couldn't help but stare at Daneel with a very puzzled expression on his face as he heard this from Drakos.

Yet…after a few moments, when he checked the memories, he understood the reason.

"I'm sorry that I said that part. It's just that whenever this story was being told, he would always appear and add that part, making sure that none of us forgot it."

Faxul just nodded, while Daneel felt like chuckling when he heard the embarrassed tone of the Dragon.

After a moment, Drakos continued, acting as if nothing had happened.

"For reasons that are known only to him and the Emperor, he was pardoned, and taken under his wing, becoming one of the most dependable commanders who used all kind of underhanded means to capture those the Emperor needed when direct means failed to work. As a Mage, his power was also unrivaled when he could choose the terrain, as he was known for his exceptional talent in setting up trap after trap that would ensnare anyone who dared to enter. Young King, I urge you to be as cautious as possible when dealing with this man. He might not be the strongest, but he was the one regarded to be the most dangerous."

Hearing the warning for the second time, Daneel nodded, and at the same moment, a figure appeared above them in front of Faxul's clone.

It was King Safiros, but he had a cold smirk on his face that did not look like it belonged to him.

With just a glance, Daneel could tell that it wasn't him.

He was wearing Royal Robes with strange patterns of people toiling in different ways to build a throne that was present all over his body, making for an unforgettable sight, and also the most unique fashion that Daneel had seen yet.

Folding his hands behind his back, he said, "Old Bird. Before we continue, how can I believe that it's really you that I'm talking to? What if you're just one of those in the Race who wants to gain access to this Kingdom using the identity of an old friend of mine?"

With just a sentence, he had spelled out Daneel's plan.

This made Daneel's heart begin to beat faster in his chest, but he calmed down and nodded at Faxul, telling him to continue with their plan.

Anyone would be suspicious, so they had already planned for this.

Faxul's clone got a deep frown on its face, before it took out a parchment from its pocket and handed it to the man.

"I could tell that you would be suspicious. I just gained partial control of this body after years of hard work and after using some…unorthodox means, so imagine my surprise when I saw a Hero-level formation around this Kingdom."

Indeed, the clone above didn't look like Faxul. Instead, it was the original version of this body, which had once belonged to an ancient King of the Black Raven Kingdom.

The Empire Spirit took the parchment and read it, before smiling and burning it to ashes.

"I did hear about that fight centuries ago. So this body wasn't as injured as I thought? I bet it must have been a struggle, though. Anyway, what do you want? I already have my own plan, so don't think that I'll abandon it just because you came along."

Yes! It had worked!

Well, more or less.

Daneel's gamble had been that no matter how smart an Empire Spirit was, it wouldn't be able to think, even in its wildest dreams, that a mere human from this age had been able to best one of its kind and put it to sleep, making it vulnerable to having its memories scoured.

According to Drakos, that had been a confluence of events that no one could imagine: for one thing, it had been a miracle that Daneel had been able to trick the Ancient Black Raven and steal away the energy of its pedestal in the first place, and as for Faxul's consciousness entering the pedestal, no one could have imagined that it was made possible because the Ancient Black Raven temporarily possessed him, putting in place the link that was used to facilitate the transfer.

So, one would definitely not be able to expect that something like this would be possible, leading them to take the simplest explanation, which was that the Black Raven was telling the truth.

With a deep breath, Faxul stated the plan they had agreed upon beforehand.

"It's simple. Seeing as how you're unsuccessful in fully possessing a body, I can tell that your goal is to break the last seal and win the Race. For that, both of us know that the more citizens, the better. As for me, I need your help in causing a situation where this kid is caught unaware. After that, he will have a falling out with his friend, following which the two Kingdoms can unite. Your seal is broken, I get a body. Together, we can take over the continent. What do you say?"

It was the moment of truth.

The plan was simple: propose something which benefits both sides, so that there would be no suspicion.

The only aim here was that Faxul should be trusted by this Empire Spirit, so Daneel had decided on using this method to make sure that that would happen.

For a moment, he wondered whether they should try to persuade him more, but realizing that there was also such a thing as overselling a deal, he stopped himself.

Finally, after thinking for a bit, the King of Axelor threw a trinket shaped like a leaf in Faxul's clone's direction before saying, "I'll think on it. Stay in touch," and vanishing from the scene.

This immediately made smiles appear on the faces of Faxul and Daneel.

From the Black Raven's memories, they had already understood that if this Empire Spirit didn't say 'no', then there was a high chance of it saying 'yes'.

Preparing to go back to Lanthanor to implement the next step, Daneel decided to ask Faxul a question that he had gotten.

To verify his identity, he had asked Faxul to write down something that only the two of them would know, so that the Empire Spirit of Axelor would be inclined toward believing that it really was the 'old bird'.

He had seen Faxul think for a bit, blush, and then write down a number.

Now, as he asked what it was and got the answer, he understood why his friend had gotten that reaction.

"It was the number of women he had slept with. 1087."

Chapter 579: The Pyramid Scheme Enters Angaria

Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous wooden building in the middle of nowhere.

Jordan was standing at the head of a long table around which all of the leaders of the families who had congregated to profit from the King of Lanthanor's plans were sitting.

They all had smiles on their faces, as he had just finished a recap of everything they had done so far, which included reports about how the implementation was going well, and that the projected profits would soon be obtained.

Of course, they were all false figures that he had fabricated in order to have them pump in more money, but there was no way that they could know that as he had hidden it very, very well.

Besides, there was no occupation in Angaria where designated people would check records and make sure that everything was recorded correctly. Typically, the butlers of various families had this duty, and although some of them were skilled, it didn't even come close to be worthy of comparing with Jordan, who had single-handedly run a humongous business in the background all by using accurate bookkeeping skills that had helped him in minimizing losses for a long time.

He had put those skill to full use here, so he was very confident.

With the first step proceeding well, he got a very serious expression on his face as he prepared to deploy the next one of his plan.

Seeing Jordan like so, those in the room quieted down, knowing that this 'brilliant' man must've come up with something else.

They fully trusted him, both because of the incredible results he had shown so far, and because his expertise was known throughout the business world, at least to those who were high enough on the chain to know of his existence.

On seeing that he had gotten all of their attention, Jordan nodded at his assistant who activated a display trinket on the wall behind him.

On it, was a huge pyramid divided into levels.

If Daneel was here, and if he was seeing this figure, he would definitely have remarked about how fortunate it was that this scheme hadn't been thought of by others, or at least recorded in the books in the long history of this continent.

As everyone looked at the figure with puzzled expressions on their faces, Jordan said, "Now, let me announce a way in which all of you people can grow even richer. Have you ever wondered how you could leverage the immense number of people you have under you to considerably increase your earnings? Well, this is the perfect way to do just that."

These words didn't do much to dispel the doubts in the minds of those present, but it did raise their expectations, as they leaned forward and waited to see what Jordan would say next.

After taking a pause for dramatic effect, he continued, saying "It's simple. What has always been the biggest headache for you all after a specific good has been manufactured?"

This question didn't need long to be answered.

The one who spoke was the leader of a family who supplied trinket materials to various Kingdoms. It was a thriving business, and this man had used many nefarious methods to control as many mines as possible so that he could monopolize the market. Although he hadn't succeeded perfectly, he was still the sole supplier for a major part of the continent.

Frowning, he said, "Of course, sales. And transporting the goods to the customers. It's never enough to just make things. These days, with competition popping up everywhere, it's getting harder and harder to entice people to buy from us."

This made Jordan raise his eyebrows with surprised joy. He couldn't have expected that the perfect answer that he wished for would come right after he asked the question.

Well, it could also be taken as a sign of just how enticing this plan would be as soon as it was explained.

Hence, tightening his hand into a fist, Jordan nodded firmly and said, "Well said. I think I'm right when I say that this is something that most of you face, except for a fortunate few who have methods to circumvent this?."

This made almost everyone in the room nod, except for those select few whom we had mentioned.

These few… were those who dealt in illegal operations such as assassinations, information dealing, and smuggling.

Indeed, there were families which specialized in things like these, too, and although they faced a lot of competition from the Hidden Kill Sect, they still flourished as not everyone could afford the high rates of that sect.

They operated on quantity, not quality, so their profits were still supposed to be hefty.

Jordan didn't care too much about these people, as they weren't the target of this plan at all.

Thankfully, those whom he was targeting had completely been captivated by his words, and were waiting again for him to continue.

Already realizing that it would be a much greater hit than he had thought, Jordan smiled slightly, which was a rare thing for him, and said, "Well, what if I told you that I can make sure that you won't have to handle those problems? All you have to do is buy the products, or make them, and the rest can be handed off to someone else. A lot of 'someones', in fact."

What was he talking about? Was he perhaps saying that he was setting up an organisation which would specialise in distribution and sales?

That question did come in many many people's minds, but they couldn't have expected what he would say next.

"It's simple, everyone. All you have to do is the opposite of what you've been doing all these years. I think I'm also right when I say that you've all worked very, very had to make sure that those under you have no chance of selling products by themselves and keeping everything they earn?"

As he saw the nods once again, he prepared to reel them in, as he had just dangled the bait, which they had all bitten.

As he gestured at his assistant, the image on the display trinket changed to show the same pyramid, but now, at the top level of the pyramid, various names of the families who were gathered here were present, below which the names of subordinate families were also being shown.

Below that was a level simply titled as 'Merchants', and finally, in the last level, 'Customers' was written in bold letters.

With another gesture, arrows formed which ran between the bottom level at the top level, while various numbers also started to appear, that increased exponentially with each level, before finally reaching a huge amount as they approached the topmost level and disappeared right near the names of the largest families.

That image of those numbers disappearing was like the sound of money in their years, and as each of the leaders present started studying those numbers along with their butlers who were standing beside them, they realised that over time, the amount they would earn seem to be limitless.

Finally, one woman spoke out, asking "What is this?"

Jordan had been waiting for just that. Without flourishing too much, as that wasn't his style, he answered in a simple tone, but it carried such weight because of the silence of the room that all of the words hammered into the ears of all those present, who represented a large magnitude of the wealth in the entire continent.

"Like I said before, it is simple, so let me explain using an example. Let us take you, ma'am, leader of the Savlagan family. Your primary business is the sale of convenience trinkets, right?"

"Yes," the woman simply said, unable to contain her confusion.

"Well then, consider this. As the Savlagan family, you have the smaller Kijon family under you. What you simply do is this – from me, you buy a large number of network trinkets. You've already seen the craze for these trinkets – you can be rest assured that they will never go out of fashion, because we can be sure that the King of Lanthanor will keep innovating in this area and inventing ways to keep the people occupied. After that, at a higher price, you sell these to the family under you, and to others, with the stipulation that whenever they make a sale, they give a percentage of their profit to you, as they are only able to do that in the first place because of your grace. They will be happy to accept, as they've never gotten such an opportunity before. Then, the magic begins. You give them the idea that instead of going forward and enduring difficulties to sell by themselves, they should find smaller merchants with whom they can do the same thing – sell at a higher price, with the agreement that a percentage would be given, and of that percentage, you take a percentage. If you've been wondering, that is how your profits increase with each level that this goes to, as the number of people who are in the scheme grow. And then, the merchants can be left alone to sell by themselves, but instead of that, I suggest this – the merchants should also sell at a higher price to citizens, with the same agreement, and I don't need to repeat that a percentage of that percentage will reach you as it goes up the chain. Many times, a lot of citizens wish to enter the merchantry business, but they can't because they cannot obtain a supply of goods. With that solved, they will happily use all of their savings to buy up as much as possible as all they will need to earn a lot of profits is to make sure that they sell, sell and sell. That's it! As you can see the figures here, with each level of the chain that increases, your profits, as you are at the top, will rise the highest, as at each level, it all compounds to grow to a huge number. Everyone, I can proudly say that this is the best plan that I've ever seen in my life. Thus, I do not wish to be the only one to enjoy it, as I knew that it would all be copied by you anyway if I went forward with it. Now, I will give you all the projected numbers, so you can study them in depth before making a decision. Whether you choose this and become more prosperous than you can ever imagine, or if you act cautiously and see others surpass you in just a few years, it is up to you. I'll be waiting."

Leaving those last powerful words, Jordan simply marched out of the room, and as soon as he closed the door, he heard a loud buzz of conversation begin, which made him allow himself another smirk as he confirmed that they had definitely fallen for it, hook line and sinker.

After all, how could they guess that this was the most devastating scheme possible?

Happily thinking to himself that he would be the final winner, he proceeded to his room, all while being watched from elsewhere.

…

Daneel and Faxul had just gotten back to the Palace after not speaking for a while due to the revelation of the meaning behind that number.

For the life of them, they couldn't imagine how anyone could be with that many women, especially when considering that both of them were Kings who had never had any progress in that direction.

Daneel's reasons were clear, and as for the case of Faxul, he knew that there must be a lot of reasons, too, as the guy was constantly having to handle one thing or another with no time to spend for himself. Besides, the customs of the Black Raven Kingdom were also that just like with Black Ravens, mates were sacred, so harems were frowned upon, which was another way in which this Kingdom was unique.

All they could do now was wait for that Empire Spirit to give his answer, so they were free for the time being, which led Daneel to ask what Faxul had heard from the old Black Raven at the end of the Baptism.

He had already just checked on the eavesdropping trinkets he had placed on that guy who was in charge of those whom he called 'pirates' in his head, and he was quite happy to see that the pyramid scheme of Earth had fully made its entry into this continent.

Of course, he hadn't done this without placing certain measures in place so that it wouldn't cause as much desperation, and even death, as it had back on earth.

The objective was to completely squeeze these rich families dry so that he could use that money for the betterment of this continent, all while making sure that those at the bottom levels would not be the ones most adversely affected when things went south.

The news that it had all gone down smoothly was something to rejoice about. So, as the both of them sat down in his quarters and opened a bottle of wine just like they had done so many years ago when things were much simpler, Daneel had a smile on his face as he asked Faxul the question that was bothering him.

Faxul repeated the old man's statement word for word, which led to even more questions arising, but before Daneel could think about them, his gaze fell upon the beating Dragon Heart in the middle of the room.

As for the reason behind this common sight captivating him like so, it was simple and could be explained with a single word – "bloodline".

Leaving Faxul hanging, Daneel directly asked the owner of the Heart.

"Drakos? So, about that bloodline…do you think you could give me one by somehow using this huge beating heart of yours?"

Chapter 580: Entering Axelor

Hearing the almost predatory tone in the King of Lanthanor's voice, Drakos had to take a few seconds to answer.

Indeed, Daneel's desire to get a bloodline was pretty strong right now, and he was very enticed if there was a possibility that he could obtain it without much effort.

However, when the Ancient Dragon spoke after a few moments, he realized that that was not the case and sighed with a little bit of frustration.

Why couldn't at least something be easy? Did it always have to be so hard?

"Young King, I'm afraid that's impossible. A bloodline can only be bestowed by the living member of a Godbeast race. Before you ask- I've already checked your body- you were born of common descent, so there is no prominent bloodline in your body. Of course, due to the intermingling of bloodlines over the ages, there is a very minuscule concentration of various bloodlines present, but it is too little to amount to anything. Coming back to your friend's recounting of the private message given by the essence of the Black Raven, which is something that perhaps, only you, apart from the Emperor, must have heard, mainly because he had always insisted on the utmost secrecy in all matters regarding bloodline possessors, I urge you to focus on the part regarding 'duty'."

As he heard Drakos speak, it was almost like the Ancient Dragon was desperate to distract Daneel, so that he wouldn't focus on this topic.

At this moment, Daneel could bet that if it were anyone else but this Ancient Dragon, they would have been able to do the same without giving rise to suspicion.

Yet, this innocent Empire Spirit was just not well-versed in using any means like these.

Hence, Daneel could tell that there was something here which Drakos did not want him to dig deep about.

At first, he wondered whether he should press the issue to try and force the dragon to speak, but Daneel decided against this idea.

He did not want to put the Dragon in a position where he might have to lie to him.

Whatever this was, it seemed to be a personal issue, so Daneel decided to either find out using other means, or confront the dragon with enough information so that he would have no choice but to spill the beans.

As for completely letting it go on account of the dragon always being helpful?

That was not an option at all, as the bloodline was just too important.

So, acting as if it had worked, Daneel recalled what Faxul had said.

Indeed, the part where the Godbeast had said that power wasn't theirs, alone, to hoard, and that it was their duty to pass it on, was pretty interesting.

There were a lot of possible questions that could arise from it. For example, was it possible that there was a different species of even greater power on this continent, itself, that the Black Raven had been referring to? Or was it possible that these Godbeasts were tied to some being that wished the power to be passed on?

Whatever it was, Daneel soon realized one thing: this was far above his pay-grade, so to say.

So, all he could do was add them to the ever-growing list of mysteries to be solved, and move on.

With this matter settled, the two of them spent a night reminiscing about the old times, specifically regarding the years in the Academy which had actually been relatively quite calm and enjoyable.

As a Champion, Faxul's body could take any amount of alcohol, and Daneel had a Hero-level spell which dispelled the effects of the alcohol perfectly. So, both of them just enjoyed the taste of the wine and the kick they got each time it hit their gullet till the morning, following which Faxul departed to begin the preparations in the Black Raven Kingdom which were for the case where the Empire Spirit of Axelor accepted his proposal.

As for Daneel, he, too had some work to do.

Ideally, by this time, he would already have traveled to the Big 4 to collect data, but Axelor was just too important a factor in the continent to ignore.

As they had the chance, he was determined to at least set in motion the plan to tackle them, before leaving on the journey of data collection.

Even though his endgame regarding the third seal was to unite the Black Raven Kingdom and the Hidden Kill Sect under him, thereby creating a unified force where it would be easy to reach the level required, he still placed a heavy focus on all the schemes he had implemented to ensure the happiness of the people.

He had also gotten an inkling that it was better to be safe than sorry. From what the Head had said, there had been times in the past where only three forces had been present on the continent. Yet, the seals hadn't been broken then, at least, according to the history of the continent he had seen in the Goddess's Sanctum.

For now, everything was running smoothly, so he decided to seek out Eloise to discuss a recent idea he had gotten regarding something that would really increase goodwill among the citizens.

He already had a Bank. And one of the major operations undertaken by banks, at least, on Earth, was to give various types of insurance to people.

There was no such system in Angaria, and even though there were a few similar plans in the list of the Emperor, none of them encapsulated the essence of insurance.

And that was…safety.

If he could give his citizens the assurance that their family would be looked after even in the event of their death, he was sure that satisfaction level might just shoot up even further.

At least, it was definitely worth a try, and regardless of whether it impacted the satisfaction level or not, Daneel was determined to see it come to fruition.

The second advantage, of course, was that the people of his Kingdom would have something to fall back on after they retired.

Excited, Daneel went to the vast underground 'Hollywood' that they had built, as he knew that there were definitely pitfalls in this idea that he could avoid if he could discuss it with someone. For this, there was no one better than Eloise, whose understanding of the people and the Kingdom was unparalleled.

When he did implement it, he did not want the flaws of the original system on Earth to be carried over. If that happened, he would definitely be ashamed to call himself someone who had transmigrated.

However, to his shock, for the first time since he had known her, Eloise avoided him.

As he was in command of the formation governing the whole area, he had appeared directly beside Eloise, who had been handling the shooting of the most popular show in Angaria right now.

She had been startled on seeing him, and instead of greeting him with the usual smile that would always come on her face whenever she saw him, she had actually…turned away, and had even tried to cover her face.

Of course, nothing could miss Daneel's eye. Even though it had only been a moment, he had seen that her eyes had been swollen and red, as if she had been crying.

In a muffled voice, she had said that she needed to finish the shooting, and that she also had a lot of other stuff on her plate right now.

Daneel had been struck speechless. For a few moments, he had only been able to stand there, sputtering and wondering whether he was dreaming.

He had no idea what he was supposed to do. She had practically been trying to ignore him, which didn't make sense, at all.

He wondered whether he should directly ask what the problem was, but he knew that this wasn't the time and place.

So, he decided to wait until she was free, before coming to find out what the matter was.

Thoroughly disturbed, with a frown on his face, Daneel teleported away, and if he hadn't been so distracted, he would have seen the hurt in her eyes when she watched him teleport away.

He did observe her again after leaving, but all he saw was a woman devoted to her work.

This left him feeling very, very unsettled, even more so than when he had discovered that a bunch of Warriors were invading Lanthanor.

For the rest of the day, Daneel went about all his tasks such as checking up on the schemes, his commanders, and the Domination Corps robotically, as he kept recalling how Eloise had looked.

Finally, at night, Daneel was just about to go to her again, when he received a message from Faxul.

"Daneel, it worked! He asked me to come to the same spot as before, and he said that we could discuss the particulars inside the Kingdom, as he already has a lot of defensive formations in place. And…he asked me to do right now!"

This managed to drive Eloise off of the center of his mind temporarily.

He had expected the Empire Spirit of Axelor to dally for days, so it was pretty surprising to see him accept after only a single day.

Regardless, this was their chance.

Without hesitation, Daneel said, "Good. Stay right there. I'll head over right now."

It was possible that the Empire Spirit might keep a close eye on Faxul, so Daneel didn't want to risk him coming back to Lanthanor now.

So, using the Hero-level camouflage technique, Daneel headed over to his friend, following which he repeated the same thing that he had done before, when he had infiltrated the Kingdom of Arafell as a rat.

Splitting apart a tiny part of his consciousness, Daneel entered Faxul's mind, and the both of them set off to Axelor.

The beauty of this plan also lay in the fact that this was a perfect method to evade all the detection formations that might have been set up.

Detection formations only endeavored to find out the maximum level of complexity of an organism entering them. Here, the consciousness of the Black Raven, a part of which had been transferred from the pedestal to Faxul's mind without disturbing its slumber, would make it appear as if all Faxul's body contained was some being at the level of a Hero.

So, Daneel could sneak in easily.

As they arrived at the border, he couldn't help but feel expectations rise inside him as he finally prepared to find out just what kind of place the Kingdom of Axelor was.

King Safiros once again appeared, and only greeted Faxul, who was once again in the guise of the old King, before leading him inside.

Daneel did tense when they passed through the formation surrounding the border, but seeing that they raised no alarms, he inwardly exhaled a sigh of relief.

He could see and feel everything Faxul was feeling, so he could tell that although his friend had gotten tensed, there was an underlying calmness that could almost be envied.

The Baptism…really was extraordinary.

Yet, all such thoughts were driven out of Daneel's mind after a few seconds, when Faxul looked down during their flight to the capital to view a town on the way.

Daneel had looked forward to seeing unique customs or people, but the first thing that reached their combined vision almost made Faxul pause with shock.

It was a large poster of Daneel, himself, in the center of the town, on which the netizens of the town were throwing all kinds of nasty stuff.

Globes of dung, eggs, dirt, and various other things impacted his face, which quite accurately depicted his features.

Noticing his interest, the Empire Spirit chuckled and spoke.

"Hehe, just a little ploy to make sure that that brat can never succeed at turning the people of this Kingdom, even if he succeeds in somehow entering it. They all think he's responsible for all the purges being carried out, as he wants to conquer them, the same way that he 'conquered and enslaved' Eldinor. I swear, time has only made all these people dumber than they were during the Empire. It's so easy to manipulate them! A whisper here, and a casually smuggled in newspaper there. That's it! Oh, I can't wait to see how it'll be when a village gets massacred by soldiers touting his name. Maybe they'll start burning him! Or maybe I should think of something even more creative…"

Chapter 581: The Objectives of the Empire Spiri

As soon as he heard this, Faxul could feel the little ball in his head that was his friend heat up with anger, and although he felt the same, he kept a calm face and just nodded, as if he wasn't too interested in what he was seeing.

This tied in with the old Black Raven's original personality, which was one a stoic one that seldom spoke.

In the memories, it was clear that this was one of the reasons why the man, who had later become this Empire Spirit, had become close with the Raven because he loved to talk, and the Raven would just listen.

Thus, they had made a pair of unlikely companions, and Faxul also knew that the man didn't have any male companions that he was close to except the Raven.

In fact, this action of Faxul's also seemed to have brought back old memories in the mind of the Empire Spirit.

"Ah, I've missed company, old friend. These past few millennia have been torture, I tell you. Bless this age that we were able to finally emerge in. Now is our time, and as soon as we get our bodies back, we will find a way to outlive all those other fools who said we were foolish in choosing this path. But…didn't you go crazy in all these years? How are you still the same as the bird I knew? Heaves know I've gone crazy and done my fair share of killing…"

Clearly, this was a trick question, and if Faxul answered wrong, suspicion would arise in the Empire Spirit.

This danger finally allowed Daneel to snap out of his anger.

It had barely been a second, but Daneel hadn't been able to help it.

He was now perfectly clear regarding what was going on inside this dastardly Kingdom.

Clearly, he was being depicted as the villain to unite against while the true villains, the Empire Spirit and the King, did whatever they wished by using him as an excuse.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't imagine a way in which this could be reserved.

It was equal parts genius and ruthless. Because they were closed off, they wouldn't be able to verify the truth. And because they had a lot of reasons to be miserable about, they needed someone to blame and vent on, and he was available so that they could do just that.

All in all, this damn Empire Spirit was every bit as smart and cold-blooded as Drakos had said.

In the pause, Faxul acted like he was thinking, before answering.

"I did go crazy. But getting a body seems to have made that better. Occasional urges still come and go, but I can control them. And you would have done your 'fair share of killing' regardless of whether you were crazy or not, Arnold. So don't test me, and just lead the way. I still don't know if you are that same person who was legendarily known to be the only one to enter a lair of Godbeasts and try to bed them. You might have changed, too, and I intend to get the answers I want with time. For now, we are only cooperating for convenience, so let me make it clear that I trust you just as much as you trust me."

The smile on the King's face got broader and broader with each word, and it especially lit up with a fond expression when the part about the Godbeast was mentioned.

Thankfully, it seemed to have worked.

Simply nodded and gesturing forward, King Safiros, who was currently under the control of Arnold, continued to fly in the direction of the capital.

Inwardly, Faxul released a sigh of relief, following which he said to Daneel, "Close shave. But we knew he would be distrustful, anyway. Daneel, I'm as angry as you are. But keep in mind what we are here for."

Right.

That was exactly what Daneel intended to do.

Their objective here was threefold:

Find out all the plans of the Kingdom of Axelor

Find where the pieces of the Grand Inheritance were being kept

Gain enough trust with the Empire Spirit so that there wouldn't be a problem when the time came to stab him in the back.

They sounded simple when listed like this, but, in fact, each was more difficult than the last.

Still, they were determined to succeed.

On the way, Daneel continued to observe all the towns and villages, most of which had similar posters that the citizens were showing their hate on.

In some places, even children had expressions of wrath while they flung stones at him.

It both pained Daneel and aggravated him to see the way his image was being twisted and used, but he knew that he was powerless to stop it now.

So, he looked past them to observe other things.

For instance, he noticed that many villages were so primitive that they weren't even using proper trinkets to farm large areas of land.

A lot of people were doing work manually, where a trinket would have saved them a lot of time and effort.

The most apparent example of this was a large piece of land in which over a hundred people holding water cans were patiently watering the land.

In Lanthanor, and even in many places around the continent, there was a very simple trinket which flew in the air and properly irrigated each and every part of a designated farm.

This either meant that the trinkets weren't available at all, or that these citizens were too poor to use them.

Soon, it became clear that the latter was true, as he spotted a small garden in a mansion being irrigated using that same trinket he had just thought about.

With this also came the discovery that most of those who had wealth had various army titles in front of their name.

So…it was clear that for the most part, only those who supported the government were able to hold wealth.

More and more, this Kingdom started to remind Daneel of one back on Earth.

Many similarities could be drawn, including a crazy ruler who cared nothing for the well-being of his citizens.

However, that was unimportant now, as, by the time he had transmigrated, no one had found a solution to tackle said country yet.

Soon, they approached the Capital, which was a sprawling city with the predominant colors, for some reason, being red and grey.

Most houses were in either of those colors, and many citizens were also wearing clothes of these colors, too.

Only a few wore luxurious ones of different colors, and these were almost always surrounded by a retinue of soldiers.

The Capital was peculiar in the fact that humongous horns of some creature propped up its gate, and also its entrance.

This, however, was known to the people of Angaria, as it was one of the few features of Axelor that had been made public by the scholars who traveled here and lived to tell the tale.

Daneel had asked Drakos which beast those horns might belong to, but the Ancient Dragon had been unsure, as there were multiple options.

And right now, he wasn't present to view this sight.

However, Daneel did have the system.

[Phenomena Analysis Module analyzing bone structure. 2 matches found:

Bones of an Ancient Giant, reported to have roamed Angaria in the time of the Empire

Bones of multiple mutated beasts joined together.

Because a long period of time has passed since the making of these objects, system cannot give a definite answer.]

That was interesting, to say the least.

However, it wasn't the most interesting detail about the Palace, by far.

That was because even Faxul had detected certain dangerous formations around the Palace, which made him feel as if he would be at the mercy of the Empire Spirit if he entered.

This made him pause right at the point where these formations began, which led Arnold to turn around and smirk, before saying, "Trust runs both ways, my dear, old friend, just like you said. So, if you need my help, you need to find it in yourself to abandon some of that caution of yours."

Typically, advanced formations had specific purposes.

Some were designed to keep people out, and others…were designed to make sure that those who entered would not be able to leave no matter how hard they tried.

One such formation was around the Palace, and it was even clear that it had been set up recently.

At this point, it became clear that the day of time that Arnold had taken had been spent in setting up this formation.

With his hands behind his back, the Empire Spirit waited for an answer.

Daneel was almost inclined to tell Faxul that they should just go in, but he paused, as he knew that his friend must be going through those memories again.

So, when he did react, it made Daneel feel dumbfounded.

"No thanks. I'll find a way to help myself."

Saying so, Faxul promptly turned around and began heading back in the way they had come.

As Daneel saw the Empire Spirit's reaction, he realized that this was another test.

Teleporting in front of Faxul, the Empire Spirit laughed and raised his hands, as if in surrender, and said, "All right, all right! I couldn't resist! Come on, there's a separate place I set up."

At this moment, Daneel couldn't help but marvel at how Faxul had understood the nature of that Ancient Black Raven.

Clearly, it was so cautious to the point that it would never enter an area like that, which would be tough to leave from.

Soon enough, they were sitting in an abandoned house in the Capital, where a few refreshments had already been waiting for them.

By now, it was obvious that Arnold had expected the reaction, and had prepared beforehand.

This made Daneel wonder what would have happened if they had gone forward, and he couldn't help but shudder due to the thought.

As both of them sipped wine, there was silence, at first, following which Arnold spoke up.

"So, first, tell me exactly everything what you have in mind."

Instead of responding, Daneel asked Faxul to put forward a question that had been bothering him.

"Before that, why are you killing off so many citizens? Aren't you concerned that it'll set off alarms in the Big 4?"

This made the Empire Spirit sit back and let out a burst of laughter, before giving Daneel and Faxul a response that left both of them astonished.

"Hehe, purges were always a custom in this Kingdom, so I just upped the frequency, Besides, I'm not doing it for fun. They keep the population low so that satisfaction level can be high, and they also keep the people afraid, so that they also feel happy to not be purged. Which, obviously, means that they are happy to be in this Kingdom. There is a third purpose, though. Haven't you wondered why this Church wants to kill everyone after taking over? I've been doing experiments to find out just that, and I'm proud to say that I have had some good results…"

…

Meanwhile, in the Goddess's Sanctum, Xuan had just exited her isolation with a smile on her face.

All of her time had been spent dreamily thinking about the King and the moments they had shared together, so when she saw Molan waiting for her, she asked, "Have I received any messages? Did the King contact me?"

This made Molan frown, as she usually did these days, and say, "No. But that Eloise did contact me for something, and by mistake…she overheard a few maids gossiping about two people who were said to have been kissing in the Secret Archives."

As soon as Xuan heard this, she froze, remembering the woman who had almost died just because she didn't want to back down.

As anger started to enter her mind, she was about to heavily reprimand Molan, but she first decided to teleport away to meet Eloise, first.

Chapter 582: Blood Sacrifice

After seeing Xuan teleport away in front of her, Molan remained where she was, thinking back to that moment seconds ago again and again, where Xuan had looked at her with real anger for the first time in the decades that they had known each other.

She was currently standing in front of a large, 6-sided building that rose into the sky like a tower. At the top of the tower was a smaller version of the same humongous statue that held the other part of the Sect.

Indeed, this was where the Sect members typically stayed. In fact, far off, in the distance, she could spy a couple sneaking away into a forest nearby, which was usually empty as this was a place where only the most elite in the sect had the authority to come to.

In her hand, she was still holding the glass with water that she had intended to give to Xuan after the isolation training, in which no food or water was available to those who were part of it.

Yet, she had left not even a moment after finding out about that woman in that Kingdom.

And as for her, who had always only existed as a shadow to care for her and think about her every need…she had been left alone.

If it was just that, maybe it wouldn't have affected her so much, as she had slowly started to get used to it after seeing the changes in her friend after her breakthrough.

Only…those eyes that had been filled with anger.

Those goddamn eyes!

Crack!

As her whole body started to shake, Molan clenched her fists while emotions that she couldn't even make sense of ran through her, devastating her in the process and threatening to return her to whom she had been before the Matron had randomly chosen her, all those years ago.

The glass shards went deep into her palm and blood started to pour on the ground, but she didn't care.

Yes, maybe she had been partially responsible for this happening. The Matron was someone who always spoke her mind, and it had looked as if she didn't care much regarding who found out about this. So, she had made a random comment about two people, with one being an outsider, kissing in the Secret Archives, and that it should henceforth be banned.

The rumor mills were always overactive in the Goddess's Sanctum. And with this comment, it didn't require genius-level intellect to figure out who was being referred to. In the records, which were accessible to those in charge of administration, it had been clearly written that Xuan would be bringing the King of Lanthanor under 'special circumstances'.

And hence, it had become the talk of the entire area.

When Eloise had reached out to Xuan regarding some matter, Molan had been about to tell off a couple of maids involved in the discussion. In the process, she had known that Eloise would be able to hear, but for reasons even she couldn't figure out, she had let it happen, after remembering how Xuan had used the sect-preserving heirloom treasure to save her life and give her top-grade potential, which she firmly believed she was unworthy of.

After all, she, herself, only had near top-grade talent as a Mage, and she had faithfully served the Sect, and Xuan, all her life. What made that random woman worthy?!

As she collapsed to the ground, she couldn't help but remember how dreary her own life had been, before that marvelous encounter had changed everything. She had been brought to the sect as she was an orphan with good talent, and initially, this had made her ecstatic, as Molan had always liked to be better than everyone wherever she went.

Only, here…she was nothing.

For a year, at the tender age of 8, all she did was find some way to feel special again, as that was the one thing that was most important to her.

No one had ever told her it was wrong. So it had always felt right.

After miserably failing due to being in a place where those better than her in various things were aplenty, she had finally gotten her chance when the Matron came along looking for volunteers to become a companion of a new Sect Member, who would need some time and care to fit into the Sect.

That had been her first image of Xuan. A girl with footprints all over her faded dress, as if she had been mercilessly kicked multiple times by many people, and feet that were so worn after running endlessly that they didn't even look like they belonged to a human.

Since then, Xuan had become her whole life.

She vicariously lived through her, always standing beside her through every step of the way, while always believing that theirs was one life, together.

Yet, all that had changed now.

Because of one man.

As his image came in her mind, boundless fury and mindless rage engulfed her.

…

Meanwhile, in the room that the Empire Spirit, Arnold, had selected for their discussion.

After controlling their shock regarding the revelation of the Empire Spirit's true motives, the two of them couldn't help but feel excited, as they hoped that a question that they had asked each other right after their talk when Daneel had revealed the true intentions of the Church might be answered right now.

This was doubly so for Daneel, who had had no option but to carry this question around for ages and ages, ever since he had become King.

In the vision that his master had shown him, the entire continent had been flowing with rivers of bottomless blood, with the connotation being that most of the citizens were definitely dead.

But why? Why subdue a continent with great difficulty, only to massacre it completely the next day? What did they gain out of it?

Faxul hastily looked through the memories and replayed the same way that the old Raven displayed shock.

A slow lean forward, followed by an intense gaze.

As the Empire Spirit saw this and noticed the interest of his 'friend', he said, "Ah, I guessed that that would catch your eye. Come on, let me show you, then."

Saying this, the Empire Spirit teleported away, while Daneel and Faxul followed by noting the space stamp left behind on purpose in order to teleport to the same location.

The first thing that Daneel heard as soon as the sense of sound returned to them was the wailing of a baby, from somewhere nearby.

Of course, Faxul had heard it, too.

As he looked around while trying to identify the source, a thick stench of blood hit him, causing him to wrinkle his nose and almost react, which would have, again, given away his identity.

Impersonating someone was truly not easy.

The old Raven and Arnold were two people that had been in multiple situations where the stench had been ten times worse than this. So, even the wrinkling of the nose wasn't supposed to happen, but that could thankfully be attributed to the suddenness of the sensation.

The first thing they noticed was the King, who spread his arms wide and said, "Welcome to my personal hell!"

Followed by this statement, the lights in the room sprang to life, making Daneel and Faxul experience a sight they would never forget.

Over 200 people were caged, individually, in metallic cages that hung from the ceiling.

All of them had varying degrees of wounds, with some even missing limbs.

As for the crying, it was from a particular cage in which a woman was holding an 8-year old boy who was bawling his heart out.

With time, more and more details started to become clear.

For instance, most of the cages contained men, and they were all wearing a specific dress that almost looked like…prison clothes.

The woman was the same- her, and a few others in the large cavern where this 'hell' was located, were also wearing that dress.

As soon as light appeared, they all cowered in their cells and fearfully stared at those who had appeared, with even that boy stifling his cry.

If Faxul hadn't gone through the baptism, he was pretty sure that their cover would have been blown by now.

Yet, the calmness and surety in himself that he had adopted saved him, allowing him to stay calm, while he experienced the red-hot anger from the King of Lanthanor.

However, that vanished when the Empire Spirit spoke while idly looking at that cage with the boy.

"You would think that being a by-product of primitive life-elongating magic experiments who slaughtered an entire village single-handedly would take away the ability to cry from someone. But no, this guy cries just all day. I can't make sense of it."

What?

Arnold continued, while walking in a particular direction and talking in a casual tone.

"Remember I told you that a prison is the best place to get live bodies from, if ever the situation arose? Well, here's proof that I was right. Being in such a controlling Kingdom puts people under enormous psychological pressure, you know. So…a lot of them crack, and go on killing or raping sprees while not caring about their life. I was quite surprised when I found out that the prisons of Axelor are filled with more scum than any other force in this continent. I didn't want them to go to waste, so here they are."

These were all…prisoners?

Rapists and murderers?

But…even if that were the case, did they deserve to be treated like this? Or did they deserve special care like on Earth to fix their underlying problems and release them back into society?

Daneel didn't have the luxury of time to think of an answer, as they had just arrived at a laboratory of sorts, where all sorts of torture devices were shining on neatly arranged tables.

Picking one up that looked like an elongated scissor, Arnold said, "Torture is most fun when your subject is one whose mind is deranged, you know. You can never tell when you truly broke them."

Putting it back down, he continued in a tone that wasn't as chilling.

"Anyway, I wasn't doing this for fun. I was merely carrying out a set routine of experiments where each and every aspect of a 'blood sacrifice' is tested. We already know of that infamous blood sacrifice that helps one along when they want to become a Champion. It twists them, true, but it also has the power to change someone's fate. I took up the clue from there, and decided to check whether that power can be used for something else. And, of course, where does that power come from? Their resentment, of course."

Saying so, Arnold snapped his fingers, causing two men to appear in a formation in the middle of his 'lab'.

"I'll show you the short version."

Saying so, he flicked his finger again, causing invisible wind blades to appear that gouged the skin off of the two people, while Daneel and Faxul were forced to watch on.

When their screams reached a crescendo, the formation that was under them lit up, causing them to melt into puddles of blood.

Most notably, in that formation, a specific place lit up, which caused Faxul to turn toward it.

And as Daneel saw what was in that place, in the ground, as a part of the formation, he couldn't help but gasp with shock.

Two parts of the Grand Inheritance!

They were weirdly shaped, just like the others, but their material stood out clearly.

Seeing his 'friend's eyes captivated by those two small objects, Arnold smirked and said, "You got that right. Although I can sense that this isn't the whole story, as forces like those only do stuff which give them multiple benefits, I can tell that this is at least one of their primary objectives. Sacrifices…when done right, can somehow affect the Grand Inheritance. My guess…is that it allows one to wield it without risking the catastrophe."

Chapter 583: Realization, and the Beginning of the Plan

The catastrophe.

Although Daneel's full attention was still focused on the two pieces of the Grand Inheritance that were just lying around in the open, this did catch his attention.

As soon as he heard it, though, an image entered his mind- that of a crazed man massacring thousands of citizens, who all couldn't believe that the one whom they had trusted for all their lives was actually the one carrying out this fiendish act.

Of course, it was the first vision he had been shown when he had broken the first seal on the Empire Spirit, right after establishing a considerable satisfaction level using the Olympics.

Ever since Daneel had uncovered the information regarding the Grand Inheritance in the Secret Archives of the Goddess's Sanctum, he had automatically assumed that it must be something physical that would impact the continent in some way because of the usage of such a power that wasn't supposed to belong to anyone.

He had been thinking of the type of catastrophe that was written about in Earth's history, because that was the idea he had grown up with in his original life.

It took this sudden incident where the catastrophe had been referred to out of the blue for him to realize that he must have been thinking about it in a completely wrong way.

What if… The catastrophe was the thing that had resulted in the Emperor going crazy in the first place?

This had been staring at him all this while, but he couldn't have made the connection as he had had no method of assessing one's power level at that time. Also, he couldn't have known that it wasn't an isolated incident: after all, he had thought that it was only the city he was watching that might have gotten massacred.

Yet, now that he thought about it, it was definitely possible.

Daneel wished that Drakos was here so that he could ask the Ancient Dragon regarding this, but because that wasn't an option, he had to keep it firmly within his mind and move on for the time being.

And that… Brought him back to the discovery that the bait that had been placed for Queen Arafell and others in the Race to come here was right in front of him, and the results that had just been shared by Arnold.

First of all – these were definitely bonafide Grand Inheritance parts – exactly the ones he needed to win the Race.

Yet, there wouldn't be something more foolish than trying to obtain them now, in the presence of the Empire Spirit and numerous formations that were currently slumbering all around him, ready to be activated at a moment's notice.

Also, even though they looked vulnerable, they were protected in a small compartment in the ground which was connected to the formation that Arnold had just used to demonstrate to him, and he could clearly detect that there were even more terrifying formations that had been implemented without caring about the cost to make sure that these two of the nine parts of the Grand Inheritance would not be in any risk, whatsoever, of being stolen away without at least giving a lot of difficulties to those who sought to obtain them.

So, Daneel had to reluctantly divert his attention away from them, and focus on what he had just learned.

That was even more shocking in itself if he thought about it, but the main reason that those two parts had captivated his attention was that they were one of the main objectives behind him risking a lot and coming to this Kingdom.

Now, he thought back to those particles that he had seen which had been born after those two people had died.

They were a completely new form of particles, and they were clearly created artificially using the formation that had been drawn by Arnold.

First of all, Daneel decided to make sure that he was recording everything.

"System, has the formation been recorded along with the process of creation of those particles? Is there any data regarding them?"

The answer to this actually surprised him.

[Formation has been recorded. After analyzing the data observed during the aftermath of the sacrifice, system established that there are similarities between what host has just seen and what has been written in one of the manuscripts collected by host.]

"What?! Which one?"

[Replying to host – the manuscript is titled "Blood Energy Absorption". It is the one that host's technique of absorbing energy from the blood of mosquitoes is based on. In that manuscript, the author also refers to something he had heard from an obscure source – that there was a specific kind of energy that could only be harnessed when a living being's resentment reaches a particular level. The theory was that, at that level, all living beings are capable of affecting the world even if they normally do not have any talent in either path to power. Resentment is one of the best driving forces for the consciousness, and this enables it to tap into that capacity of each and every living being to use energy to train at the moment of death to release a kind of particle that can theoretically be used for various purposes. From here, system has also drawn another parallel with the data found in one of the journals recorded in the Sect of Hedon – this is in reference to the Blood Sacrifice spell which is used by Warriors who are having difficulty in crossing the chasm between themselves and the Champion realm. Host is already aware of this technique, which utilizes the deaths of multiples of 10,000 individuals to both facilitate the jump in power, and also lends Champions who use this method with additional power that sets them apart in the Champion realm. Not much is known apart from this, as information about the Blood Sacrifice was forcefully scrubbed from all of the Big Four so that innocent citizens in the Central Continent would not be targeted by aspiring Champions in a bid to increase their own power. Also, there are mentions about adverse effects being present, which affect one's mind as the whole nature of these particles is one of twisted pain, which have the capability of interacting with one's consciousness. Rather than calling them particles, these objects are apparently more suitable to be called remnants of consciousnesses that are made to stay behind in order to be used using special formations.]

Daneel had to go through this information twice in order to understand it all – and when he did, he realized that his action of collecting each and every book that he came across had really helped him out.

The system would be able to draw more connections with even more information, which made the value of data shoot up exponentially.

After all, who else could boast that they would be able to make connections and figure out stuff based on a book that they had obtained months ago, and already forgotten by this point?

Indeed, the Blood Absorption manual had helped Daneel at a time when he had been strapped for resources, but he could never have imagined that it would once again help him in this way, at this juncture.

And regarding the part where these weren't elementary particles but actually remnants of consciousnesses, Daneel had to agree as he thought back to how Faxul's consciousness had looked when it had been transferred from his original body to the stone pedestal by Drakos.

Both of them had the same… aura around them, as if they were not just mere particles that existed around the world and could easily be controlled by anyone with a mageroot. Instead, they seemed to be of a different nature, even though they slightly appeared to be the same.

Yet, the mysteries about just what the consciousness was was something that even those during the Empire had been unable to figure out, so Daneel decided to set it apart from now, and focus on the more salient details.

For example, the blood sacrifice, which had been referred to, was the one that Raul had intercepted when it was being carried out by those sons and daughters of the bigwigs in the Big Four.

The adverse effects were probably most clearly seen in Ashahell, who was supposed to have also used this method to become a Champion. Daneel didn't know the exact truth behind what had happened because he only had the account of that black-robed man in the Black Raven Kingdom to go with, but one thing was for sure – that sacrifice's power had been used by Ashahell to become a champion, and that too, one who was more powerful and valued than any in the entire Big Four.

Hell, his value had been so high that he had even been allowed to continue leading the Sect of Hedon and holding his place in the High Council even though he had been suspected of having connections with the Church, and this had led to Daneel providing the proof that had resulted in his incarceration.

Coming back to the most important revelation about how it decreased the risk of the catastrophe happening, Daneel didn't even know what to think of it.

But he had to admit that it did make sense – any force would want to make it so that such a strong weapon could be wielded easily, and as many times as possible, without risking any danger.

So… It could definitely be established that one of the objectives of the Church was to kill everyone so that they could use these particles in order to make the Grand Inheritance more easier to handle, probably so that they could use it as they wished in the place where they came from.

Daneel deduced that last part from what he had heard from the Head during that incident where he had meddled with religions – then, the Head had referred to multiple organizations from wherever the Church came from, and this meant that there might definitely be some sort of competition or struggle where the Church would surely get an edge if they had this kind of all-powerful weapon.

This also shed more light on why the Church wasn't attacking directly- either they waiting for something to happen on their end, or for Angaria to get weaker. Maybe they were just too busy in that struggle to be able to spare enough forces to take over this continent by force, so although they really wanted to, they might have no option but to wait and bide their time.

After all, where could a continent go?

All in all – it all fit beautifully, and even though there might be more motives just like how Arnold had said, Daneel was inclined to believe that this entire supposition regarding the status of the church and their motive behind the attack was logical, and could most likely be the truth.

He couldn't believe that this trip to Axelor had already been so fruitful.

As the famous saying on earth went – "Know your enemy, and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster."

Finding out more about the Church was of paramount importance as it would allow him to better decide what steps to take to battle it.

Although so much had run through Daneel's mind, only a few seconds had passed in the real world, during which Faxul continued to be shocked.

That was when Arnold spoke up again. In a proud tone, he said "The Emperor, bless his name, always banned experiments of this kind during our time. But even if I had found out about this at that point, I wonder if he would have chosen this path – hell, I'm even prepared to bet that he probably knew about it, and didn't tell anyone, as was the usual case regarding most things. Either way, I'm still experimenting, as I can feel that there is a lot more to discover. Now then, come on. Let's discuss your plan, and then you can be on your way. You must surely be reaching the limit of how long you can stay away from the pedestal, right? I often forget about that these days, as I was smart enough to place it in the best position – right below the throne! Haha, even if someone like that bitch wanted to target me, they would never be able to find it."

As Arnold said this with a chuckle, Daneel realized that he had inadvertently picked up another very important piece of information – the real location of the Empire Spirit, which was a weak point for all of them until they managed to completely possess someone, like the Queen had done.

Clearly, that was not the case with Arnold, as there appeared to be a partial agreement like the one between Daneel and Drakos.

To their luck, the old Black Raven had never been a very talkative person, so it was enough to just nod along with an expression of mild shock, before following Arnold back to that room, where Faxul laid out the entire plan.

They had already decided beforehand that it would all be in a way that would make it seem as if there was no risk whatsoever for the Empire Spirit, and this made it so that the immediately got an answer – "Yes".

Controlling his joy on seeing that the whole idea of basing the plan on the arrogance of Empire Spirits that they could never be outsmarted by those of this age had worked, the two began their journey back to their respective kingdoms, and as soon as they got back to his own body, the first thing he did was speak to the ancient Dragon.

"Was the catastrophe the reason behind the Emperor going mad and killing everyone, and was he the one who made the entire Empire, and the continent collapse?" He asked, and after hearing the answer, Daneel didn't know what to feel.

"Yes, and no, Young King. I can tell you this part, as you have already figured out most of it. The Emperor was the cause of most of the destruction, as he was the strongest individual on the continent. But…apart from him, the catastrophe caused all those at and above the level of a Champion to go crazy and begin destroying everything around them, too, because of their connection with the world. Except us, who were protected from this because we were in our pedestals, Angaria lost all of its Champions and Heroes on that day. I'm only telling you this to impress on you the magnitude of the danger of the catastrophe. Imagine the power that you have always trusted recoiling on you and making you enter a state of unstoppable frenzy that made many kill their own family, who were around them, first, before moving on to others. The Grand Inheritance, if assembled, must NEVER be used lightly, Young King. I cannot stress this enough, especially as it looks like you might be gaining possession of two more parts of it soon."

Daneel was already aware of this, but he instilled it into his mind even more.

Drakos fell silent after that, and Daneel also didn't give an answer.

He began the preparations on his end, and soon, everything was ready.

…

The next day, the people of Angaria woke up to shocking news.

The Kingdom of Axelor…was marching out with its full force to attack, and take over the Black Raven Kingdom.

Chapter 584: War

An hour earlier, before the shocking news spread across Angaria.

The Head was quietly sitting in his abode in the sky, from where he kept an eye on Angaria and its borders, as was his duty.

This was a location where one could always find him, as at least a clone of his was definitely supposed to be here so that they wouldn't be caught unaware in case something happened.

He monitored each and every formation that protected the Continent, one by one, all while making sure that the core tenet regarding the Central Continent was maintained.

The latter was actually something that didn't need his attention much, usually, but recently, with Lanthanor uniting with the Kingdom of Eldinor, he had had to actively look into it and make sure that the ancient rule was maintained.

True, at least 3 forces were supposed to be present. But why not let more remain so that there would be no risk of less than 3 forming in the first place?

Besides, wanton bloodshed was really something that Angaria could do without in this critical time.

Hence, with all this in mind, the Head was paying quite a bit of attention to the Central Continent- at least, to the parts of it that he could see without much effort.

He did keep a close watch on troop deployments and general actions of each King, and he had actually been a little put off by the propensity of the King of Axelor for random purges.

Well…that was bloodshed, but he didn't see a need to step in when the amount was minor.

Besides, they were all common citizens, who weren't very high in his list of priorities.

In the other Kingdoms, Lanthanor stood out the most, mainly due to the many innovating things that the King kept pulling out from somewhere.

He often mused that with the kid's genius intellect, he would definitely grow into someone terrifying if he put it all into his training.

Yet, he knew that sometimes, forcing things would often have negative consequences. So, all he could do was watch and hope that the King of Lanthanor would get his 'clarity' regarding his Champion Path as soon as possible.

The Head had to admit he was fascinated by the train, the school, the bank, and the Network.

In calmer times, he might even have adopted some of these into the Big 4.

Only, they had no time for that right now.

It was right when he was casually looking into the house of one of the random families on the continent who were in possession of the Network Trinket due to his interest in one of the romantic shows that was currently very popular(which was something he would never admit to any living soul in the continent), that he noticed something wrong with the Kingdom of Axelor.

Axelor had always been the odd one out in the Central Continent. Its armies moved day and night, going to random places to set up multiple training exercises or to carry out the many strange and often bizarre commands of the King.

In fact, the Head was almost sure that the King of Axelor's mind was almost completely lost due to the technique he had foolishly used before to make his power level go down.

Yet… Something was definitely different now.

Axelor had one of the largest Fighter armies is in the entire continent, and if it weren't for the fact that their Mage army was severely underpowered in comparison, they might have swept through the continent whenever they wished until they would have had to be stopped by the Big Four.

Of course, the Head would not have had to step in in that situation, because if that happened, it would definitely be with the express permission of the part of the Big Four that was supposed to be 'backing' this Kingdom.

This was in reference to the connection between the Sect of Hedon and the Axelor – which was actually much less of import than others thought in the Central Continent.

All it was was an agreement of mutual exchange. The Sect of Hedon would choose those whom it wanted from the population of this kingdom, and in return, it would award the Royal Family with certain trivial techniques that were actually quite valuable in the Central Continent.

Oftentimes, the Kings of Axelor would also try to use the name of the Big 4 to scare others, but this never worked out too much because no one was foolish enough to believe that what they were saying was really true, as if it was, they wouldn't still be just one of the many forces in Angaria

In fact, now that he thought about it, since that time during the Olympics of this kid in which they had meddled in because they did not want one person and one Kingdom to obtain so much acclaim, which was something that was happening now anyway, their dealings with the Kingdom of Axelor had reduced quite a bit, and it was almost nil right now.

Now that the head thought back to the Olympics, he couldn't help but chuckle, thinking that even though they had tried, they had failed. And now, along with various other things that had happened, the King of Lanthanor truly was one of the most revered figures when compared to all others in recent history.

Of course, he hadn't had the luxury to keep a close eye on this and even think about stopping him in the process, mainly because of the fact that their Heroes had been injured.

That incident had made something like that no longer seem important, as the only objective behind it would have been to make it easier for them to keep the ancient rule.

Actually, with this line of thought, the Head began to see something just a little bit suspicious – that a lot of things had worked out in the King of Lanthanor's favor. Was he really that lucky?

Only, the thought stopped in its tracks as soon as the Head cracked the mystery regarding what he was seeing in the Kingdom of Axelor.

It was a full-scale army deployment.

Always in a state of readiness, it was actually a thing to be marveled that the Kingdom of Axelor only needed a few hours to assemble their troops and set out to do what they wished.

At this moment, the Head was faced with a tough choice – he could go out to stop them right now, but when he saw the direction in which they were heading, he paused.

They were heading… To the Black Raven Kingdom.

But wasn't the Black Raven Kingdom ruled by a person who was very close to the King of Lanthanor? Wouldn't he come out in full support, causing a stalemate anyway, which would result in a war that will only see both sides losing and with no one emerging as a clear winner?

Everyone knew that such wars should never be fought, as it would only give an opportunity for others waiting in the wings to jump in and reap the rewards.

So, expecting such a situation to happen where there might only be flexing, the Head decided to watch on, as if this was another show on the Network Trinket.

He would only step in if there was a threat of loss of life in the range of hundreds of thousands of people, as the Big Four really was not supposed to interfere much, or at all, in the Central Continent, which was another rule written right alongside that other tenet that there should only be three forces.

Often, he wondered just what the Emperor might have been thinking while setting down these rules, and why this was all supposed to be so.

Of course, he knew that he could no longer find out the answer, so, splitting his consciousness between this live-action drama between the Kingdoms and the other one on the Network Trinket, the Head conjured a plate of food from one of the finest restaurants in Arafell and settled down comfortably in his chair.

…

Jalan was truly perplexed.

He had gone to play with his friends in the morning, but his mother had called him back with an extreme look of panic on her face that he had only seen a few times.

And in those times, very bad things had happened, and they had had to move their house as they might have been killed otherwise.

Now, as he returned to the house with his hand being pulled by his mother, he saw her run towards the table where the Network Trinket was placed and activated it so that the voice of the announcer could be heard throughout the house.

Initially, the regular morning show which was usually a series of soothing songs meant to allow one to begin their day with a calm mind played, but after a few seconds, it was interrupted by someone speaking urgently.

"This is an update regarding the situation of the army that has headed out to the Black Raven Kingdom. The King of Axelor has not made any attempt to keep their invasion secret, so the Black Raven Kingdom has also begun to assemble their troops in order to meet the other army in open combat, rather than near the border which would present a risk of the whole Kingdom being overrun if there is the dire situation that the ranks of the Army are broken through. Also, our steadfast ally, the Kingdom of Lanthanor, which is currently in an alliance with the Kingdom of Eldinor, has agreed to lend us all the help possible. Mage and Fighter armies will be setting out soon to unite with those of the Black Raven Kingdom. Retired lieutenants from both the Kingdoms of Lanthanor and Eldinor say that this will result in a stalemate with a few skirmishes, after which the Kingdom of Axelor will have no option but to return to its home, with its tail between its legs, just like the last time it dared to come out. Still, the Black Raven Kingdom has asked us to announce to all the citizens that they should head to their local military garrison so that they can be protected. As of right now, the Black Raven Kingdom is still under high alert. This is 'Breaking News of Angaria', signing off for the moment, and I promise that we will be back as soon as we know something new. Now, you can return to –"

His mother switched off the trinket at this point, following which she began to quickly pack a small bag with all the food they had, along with their most precious possessions, which were three trinkets that helped in farming that they used to till the small patch of ground near their house.

After that strange incident during which they had been visited by those two men who had left behind quite a bit of silver, a lot had happened in their Kingdom, and their lives had changed for the better due to the many helpful policies implemented by the current King, as opposed to the former one who only liked to raise the taxes.

That silver had allowed them to buy these trinkets, and the extra income from the farm had allowed them to live quite a happy life.

Yet, now, with the flames of war on the horizon, Jalan didn't know what would happen. He heard the others often gossiping that times of war were the cruelest for citizens, and that they all wished that another war would not come upon them as long as they were alive. But if one did come, they wanted the Black Raven to soar high, unlike recent times during which they had had no option but to lose time and time again.

Without speaking, Jalan helped his mom, and after a few minutes, they were quickly heading towards the garrison which was a kilometer away, where his father was waiting.

Along the way, they came across the families of many of his friends, too, who were also hurrying in that direction.

Jalan had a lot on his mind, but he was remaining quiet. Yet, right before they reached, a very iconic sound made him look up and drop his jaw in awe.

DUN DUN! DUN DUN! DUN DUN!

The rhythmic sound of a troop of soldiers marching out to battle.

In front of him, accompanied by a dust cloud that was growing larger and larger, 2000 soldiers were marching in the direction of the border with grim expressions on their faces.

The citizens who were heading to the garrison paused and moved to the side to let them through, and when this happened, little Jalan heard the leader, who was standing at the front with a Black Raven on his shoulder, say something to them that he would remember throughout his life.

"If we do not return, please remember us as those who did not hesitate even though we knew that our weakened Kingdom has hardly a chance of standing up against the behemoth that is Axelor. Even if our bodies rot in the ground, we shall soar forever with the Divine Ancestor. All hail the mighty Black Raven!"

Chapter 585: 'Just Make Sure to Act Shocked'

In a large tract of open land which was silent save for the calls of carrion birds hoping for a feast, a majestic sight was visible which would take away the breath of any and all who had to fortune to witness it.

This area was actually at the intersection point between 4 Kingdoms: The Black Raven Kingdom, the Kingdom of Axelor, the Kingdom of Lanthanor and the Kingdom of the Elves.

This morning, as soon as the news had begun to spread regarding the army of Axelor marching out to war, many individuals who hoped to get rich had set off to the approximate point where the armies would meet.

They had various purposes. Some wanted to be witness to a war the likes of which might not occur in centuries. Others wanted to chronicle the war in a book and shoot to fame in the process. Still others wanted to do market research, as everyone knew that war was the most profitable business. If they could identify something or the other that might let them get a contract with the government of a Kingdom, they would be able to earn more than they could imagine in their wildest dreams.

Only, 2 people who had just appeared on an empty cliff 4 kilometers away from the site where the armies had congregated had completely different objectives than the typical ones that people usually thought about.

As soon as they appeared by stepping out of space, they began to sprinkle sharp metal shards all around them, which would pierce anyone's foot easily if they stepped on them without knowing that they were there.

Only allowing themselves a small area to stand in, they completed this task and then began taking out various trinkets.

Most of them were nasty-designed as traps which would target one's eyes or other private eyes. They weren't lethal- no, they would make one wish that they had never been born, but they would never go so far as to let blood spill.

Anyone would find their actions strange, but after a few moments, their objective became clear.

Right when they were about to finish up, a loud 'OW' was heard from behind them, which made them turn around and grin as they saw a bulky man wearing grey robes clutch his foot as he tried to hastily conjure a spell to either rise into the air or teleport himself away.

Before he could do that, one of the trinkets that was floating in the air saw its target: its formation allowed it to receive a location from its owner, before it zoomed forward and let out a light electric shock.

The area that they chose was, of course, the crotch of that man.

As he was distracted by the pain caused by stepping out of space and finding his foot impaled by at least 10 metal pricks, he had no option but to trust that his barrier would save him, but one of the two men shot an attack right before the trinket, that was shaped like a glove with its fist clenched, impacted the man.

This made the barrier break, and before another one appeared, the trinket expertly made its way through and mercilessly impacted against its target, before releasing the shock.

With a scream that sounded like it was straight from hell, the man shook where he stood and began to fall back, which would result in his certain death.

Before this happened, one of the men conjured a platform of air which saved him, but before he could rejoice, two wind blades formed in front of his crotch, again, threatening to sever his ties with the bedroom.

As he gulped and looked at the two identical men in front of him before recognizing them, he heard one of them speak.

"The Rosso brothers have occupied this spot. Let the others know, and don't even think about coming back. You know what happened to the last guy who tried, right? Even Lanthanor's Healer's Academy almost gave up on him. Now, f*ck off."

The man would have let out a retort if it weren't for the blades which approached closer and closer.

With a gulp, he could only look to the side and gaze at the armies, wishing that he had arrived at this perfect spot before these two who were known for being some of the most vicious in whatever business they chose.

Why did they even have to enter this business, of all the others which were much more profitable?

Cursing his luck and knowing that he wouldn't have a second chance, the man nodded, and teleported away.

With the area around them becoming tranquil once again, the two, who were twins wearing the same style of robes in different colors- one black, and one white, bumped their fists together before getting down to work.

The one wearing black took out a complex trinket and began to set it up. It had a long tube that was larger at one end, and at the smaller one, he placed an object that was like an eye.

After he was done, he took out a communication trinket and said, "This is Rosso. I've set up the trinket. The bonus is supposed to be for the one who has the best view. I think I win, right?"

"Yes, right now, you have the best vantage point. I'll let you know if the situation changes. The Network is grateful for your help. Payment will be done after the job is over."

Hearing this, he put away the trinket with a smile, while seeing his brother set up a canvas on which he began painting the extraordinary scene in front of him.

"You know, brother, times have changed. We don't need to follow dad's instructions anymore. Then, he couldn't have imagined that display trinkets would become this widespread. If we split up, you could cover the battle from another point, letting us get double the income. The Network pays lucratively, you know."

Without answering, his brother continued to paint.

He added layers upon layers to the canvas. First, he started with an empty landscape, on which he added the many figures who constituted the army of Axelor. They were all wearing their uniforms which were marroon for the most part, with only their shoulders and belts being painted black. The army was at least 60,000 strong, and for the most part, it consisted of foot soldiers who were all outfitted the same: they had a short sword, a bow on their back, and a trinket that could elongate into a pike. They also had armor, with defensive properties that would stop the blow of an Amateur Fighter.

As for the other, elite parts of the Army, they were hidden from sight using formations, but his brother drew them anyway from the facts he knew regarding them.

The Elite Fighter army was only 2,000 strong, but they were terrifying foes, with each being at least an Eminent Fighter. They had specialized trinket blades that could morph into any weapon they wished, and they even carried defensive trinkets.

Of course, the Mage army was pitiful, standing only 300 strong with most of them being Amateur Mages, with very few Eminent Mages mixed in.

This was only a portion of their army, with the rest staying back in their Kingdom to defend against anyone who might want to target them while they were at war.

Yet, just this was enough to match the armies of the three Kingdoms in front of them.

In front of the Army of Axelor, there were three portions of armies with each being quite different from the other.

First of all, the total size was merely half that of their opponent.

Only…here, quality was emphasized more than quantity.

First of all, the Black Raven Kingdom had deployed 12,000 foot soldiers, which was almost their entire force.

Of these, a minor number of elites had Black Ravens on their shoulders, and there were also 300 Mages who were also mostly Amateur Mages, as they had been severely weakened recently.

Next to them was Lanthanor: 16000 Amateur Fighters, 500 Elite Eminent Fighters and just 100 of their Legendary Mage Corps, as the rest had been incapacitated in their recent mishap in Eldinor.

Of course, they were bolstered by Eminent, and even Exalted Mages from Eldinor. Just 200 of the former and 6 of the latter were enough to make a major difference, which tipped the scales into balance.

As he finished inking in all the details, the one who was watching couldn't help but shake his head, once again in awe of his brother's almost godly talent.

If one gazed at the painting, they would even feel the atmosphere of tension that was present between the armies, where a single command might result in the deaths of thousands of people who all had families waiting for them back at home.

His brother finally answered his question after carefully rolling up the canvas and setting it aside, before propping up a new one.

"Mark my words, brother. Some day, all of these trinkets might stop working, but my paintings will live on, and be admired by generations. The name 'Navar Rosso' will become known to all, just like our Father wished for it to happen. I cannot forget his dying wish, and I know that you can't either. I'll tell you what. I'll take care of this spot- why don't you head to another one?"

Hearing this, the other man shook his head and levitated a boulder nearby to his position, before sitting down and saying, "No thanks. Let me just feel lucky that I can gaze at my brother while he is making these pieces of art that will surely make our name known throughout the continent. Besides, others will be expecting us."

With a nod, remembering the times when his brother had used to sit just like this while cheering on his painting, no matter how ugly they had looked, Navar smiled and began another work- this one, with a perspective from above.

As he continued, little did he know that right above him, a meeting that would decide the fate of the soldiers he was drawing was taking place.

…

Daneel and Katerina were standing on the two sides of Faxul, while King Safiros, who had a smile on his face, stood alone in front of them.

He was dressed for war: with various defensive trinkets on his belt, along with a robe that was made of the strongest of materials that might even block the blow of an Exalted Human.

"What is the meaning of this, King Safiros? There will be no winner if we fight. Turn back, and I am ready to forgive you."

Hearing Faxul say this, the King of Axelor laughed out loud and said, "Forgive me? You truly are as inexperienced as they say you are. There will be no forgiving. Today, I will not return without subjugating the Black Raven Kingdom, and forming an alliance that can battle against the other one in this continent. Even the Big 4 will not stop me, as they know that this is fair. But…there is a way for this to be resolved without too much bloodshed."

This made the others wait with bated breath, and as King Safiros spoke again, his voice actually…reverberated throughout the area where the armies were assembled, and also in all the major places inside the Black Raven Kingdom where the citizens were assembled.

Clearly, he had planned this beforehand.

"I, King Safiros, challenge you to battle as I deem you unworthy of your role. If you wish for me to turn back, then fight me and show me that I am wrong. But if you're too scared, then my army will attack. Choose. Will you let your soldiers die for you when you have a way to avoid that, or will you finally be exposed as the coward you are?"

This resulted in a silence, with everyone unable to believe what had just been proposed.

A battle between Kings? But…why?

As Katerina saw Faxul waver, she realized that he was in a tough position.

On one side, the battle would be unpredictable, and very dangerous.

On the other, if he stepped back, he would lose the support of his people, which would be disastrous in the current state of things.

As she began to ready herself for either outcome, she got a message from the King of Lanthanor, which made her widen her eyes and wonder whether he was joking.

"Don't worry about this. I was busy, so I didn't have the time to tell you. Anyway, I'll explain in detail later. For now, prepare to be attacked by these two. After that, get ready to be 'routed' when their forces combine and attack us, but make sure that there are no losses. Engage all defenses. It's fine if we look like we are being beaten to the curb. Just make sure to act shocked, all right?"

Chapter 586: First Phase: Success

Jalan and his family were closest to one of the points from where the King of Axelor's voice echoed throughout the Kingdom.

They bent low, at first, fearing that it might be an attack.

Yet, as they heard the contents of the message, they didn't know what to think.

All around them, families began whispering among themselves. Most said that the King should fight, as they were a people who always wished to have their heads raised high. How could they face others if it was a fact that their King retreated from a direct challenge without even fighting?

Of those who advocated this, the most vehement were the ones who had family members in the army that had marched out. They did not wish to see a war happen, if it was possible.

A few murmured about how the King had always been good to them, and that it was unfair because he was still just a teen, compared to the King of Axelor who had lived for many decades. Their power levels surely would not match, so it would be suicide.

Yet, they did not like the option of not accepting the battle, either, for the same reasons that the others felt.

Jalan didn't know what to think. Before he could decide on something, though, they heard the firm voice of the King respond.

"All right. I will fight. Let it never be known that the Black Raven Kingdom took a step back, no matter the circumstances."

At the scene where the rulers were gathered, Faxul's answer had caused the two behind him to adopt stoic expressions as they saw him walk forward to meet his foe.

On the outside, it looked as if they were prepared to step in in case he faced any danger.

Yet, in a few seconds…it was all over.

The moment King Safiros reached his opponent, he conjured a sword made of condensed fire and struck down.

In response, Faxul expertly jumped to the side to evade the blow, but that was when he froze, as if he were being electrocuted by a force neither of them could see.

In that moment, without giving them any time to respond, the King of Axelor forcefully punched to dispel the barrier around Faxul, before taking out a trinket shaped like a small, stone block from his pocket which he placed on Faxul's forehead.

This immediately caused Faxul's face to relax, before a cold smile came on his face.

The King of Lanthanor, who looked as if he was seeing something he couldn't accept as the truth, suddenly shouted, "It's a trap!"

In response, the two Kings in front of them shot out devastating attacks at the Hero level which were capable of killing them both, who were only supposed to be Warriors, in the blink of an eye.

Thankfully, his gut feeling had saved him. The King of Lanthanor had hastily caught the Queen's hand, before teleporting them both away instantly.

Finding themselves alone, the Empire Spirit, Arnold, who was once again controlling the King, stretched out a hand to the Black Raven King, who was still on the ground, where he had collapsed after being forcefully Mind Controlled.

The trinket was something special that he and the old bird had made, that was capable of connecting someone to the stone pedestal where he was bound.

Basically, Arnold had used a Mind Control attack first to distract the King, before using this trinket to put him under the temporary control of the old bird.

The latter's aim was to slowly torture the King in various ways until he voluntarily allowed him to take full control, while this alliance, which would come to be using the identity of the King that they had just obtained, would allow Arnold to break the third seal and win the Race using everything that he would obtain.

It was a beautiful confluence of objectives that would see both of them getting what they wanted, so both of them had smiles on their faces after seeing the first part of their plan succeed.

Next up…it was time for the 'betrayel'.

…

Meanwhile, Daneel and Katerina had just appeared above their armies, which had hastily begun to defend against the combined attack from the Black Raven Kingdom and the Kingdom of Axelor.

They were retreating slowly while hiding behind the many barrier trinkets that were deployed courtesy of Eldinor, and it definitely looked like a rout.

Katerina looked at the scene with worry, but when she turned to the side, she saw the King of Lanthanor smile happily.

What the f*ck was going on?

Thankfully, the King looked at her and spoke at this moment.

"Good job. That was a pretty genuine expression."

"That's because I was shocked! What's going on? And how could you not tell me, beforehand?"

"Er…like I said, I was busy. So, what do you want to know?"

As Katerina heard this, she could only sputter for a moment, while she saw the King shoot glances below with that same happy expression.

Finally, she found some words after putting aside her exasperation.

"Everything!"

This made the King scratch his nose and think for a bit, before answering.

"Right. So, first, I don't need to tell you to keep this a secret, right?"

Folding her hands, Katerina nodded with anger appearing on her face, as it almost seemed as if the King was delaying his answer to ramp up the shock factor.

She was not amused.

Noticing this, the King finally launched into his explanation.

"Well, I'll keep it short. Faxul is betraying me so that he can gain the trust of Axelor's King and find out everything that is going on inside his Kingdom. Later on, things will play out in such a manner that the Black Raven Kingdom will be saved by me, so that we can bring them into the Alliance."

Instead of clearing things up, this raised more questions than ever in Katerina's mind, which made her even angrier as it looked like the King was deliberately being enigmatic.

Curiosity won out over anger. So, she asked the most glaring ones.

"How the hell did those two shoot attacks that were at a complexity I couldn't even comprehend? What was that trinket? And if this is a sudden betrayal, how the hell did his soldiers begin to attack us without being puzzled regarding why they are being ordered to attack those who came to support them?"

"Oh, apologies, I forgot that you're out of the loop on certain…matters. Well, the answer is that this betrayal was facilitated by something called an Empire Spirit, which is working in conjunction with another Empire Spirit that is controlling the King of Axelor, that Mind Controlled Faxul into obeying its orders. They were already planning this from before, so they Mind Controlled key commanders in the Black Raven Army, who declared before the battle, secretly, that they would be allying with Axelor for the good of their people, and that it was the command of the King after he had found out that there was a secret plan by Lanthanor to take over their Kingdom by force. Oh, Faxul's in on this- both of us allowed them to do that. Strong dialogues like 'for the good of my people, I am ready to kill my friend' blah blah were used. In other words, it's just a load of bullsh*t to convince, or at least confuse them into following orders. Because it was a direct command, and because they always were wary of Lanthanor, they followed the orders, and the result is what you see below you. Now then, I'll explain more about Empire Spirits later. For now, prepare to lead everyone back. Let's go."

Saying so, the King of Lanthanor vanished, leaving behind Katerina who was close to spitting with rage.

True, he had said a lot, but most of it didn't make sense.

Still, controlling her anger, she left to do as she had been asked.

…

An hour later, citizens all over the Continent were shocked as they saw the King of Lanthanor, who had seemed so undefeatable during that show that was still talked about, running back to his Kingdom along with his army while being attacked by a humongous force that was 4 times the size of the one he had deployed.

They desperately conjured barriers to protect themselves, and it was mainly because of the Exalted Mages from Eldinor who managed to rain down cautionary attacks on their opponents that they even managed to escape to their border, where the chase was finally stopped as that force was not enough to fight against the legendary border walls of Lanthanor.

Yet, in their display trinkets, many watched in shock as they witnessed the sight of the combined army of Lanthanor and Eldinor scurrying inside the walls while their opponents cheered with the joy of victory.

Even the army of the Black Raven Kingdom cheered, as this was their first victory in what felt like a long, long time.

As the two armies returned to their respective Kingdoms, a grave announcement was made on both types of the Networks.

"The Black Raven Kingdom and the Kingdom of Axelor have entered an Alliance. The Black Raven King has released a public statement saying that he had no option but to do this because his friend, the King of Lanthanor, was going to vanquish his Kingdom and bring it under his Alliance to satiate his greed for power. The King of Lanthanor has also released a statement that his close friend has been somehow hoodwinked by the King of Axelor. At this point, all we can do is report the news as it is. As things stand now, there are two Alliances on this continent. The Network will continue to be neutral, so stay tuned to hear more."

For the first time, the citizens of Angaria were exposed to the sight of two figures in power giving different accounts of an incident, with them being clueless regarding which one they were supposed to believe.

Daneel chuckled inwardly as he thought of this, while he sat in his Throne Room, where all the ministers that were assembled had grave expressions on their faces.

In their eyes, they had just lost an ally, and they were up against a force which eclipsed the combined might of their Alliance.

Of course, on the outside, Daneel had to look worried, so he engaged in a brainstorming session with them where they listed all the worst-case scenarios so that they could prepare for them.

As soon as this was done, Daneel flew into the air to watch as King Safiros, or Arnold, who was still in control, laid down a formation much like the one that was around his own Kingdom.

Only…he couldn't have known that Daneel had already expected this, and had set up a small nullifying formation inside that would allow him to enter the Black Raven Kingdom as he pleased.

The first part of the plan had gone beautifully. The betrayal had been perfect, and for all intents and purposes, Lanthanor was now the villain.

Yet…the second part of his plan would see that change.

Teleporting inside the Black Raven Kingdom without being detected by Safiros, Daneel traveled to the same family that they had lodged with before, when he and Faxul had been journeying in the Black Raven Kingdom together.

When he reached the house, he saw a kid sleeping, while two adults confusedly discussed the events of a day.

He had decided to begin the next phase here. So, with a flick of his fingers, he Mind Controlled both of them, before putting a very specific thought in their mind.

"In some point in the future, soon, your King will order a specific place to be purged. Then, you must go to that location, and begin to tell people that the King of Lanthanor was right, and that your true King is somehow being controlled by someone. Working with a few others, you will begin to build small pockets of support for the King of Lanthanor, who has only always wanted to help you all. When the time comes, you will sway even more people to your cause using an event that will take place. For now, you will forget all this, until the time when the purge is announced."

With his task done, Daneel continued onwards to other houses throughout the Kingdom to repeat the same actions.

As he did so, he couldn't help but remember an iconic statement from Earth, which made him wish that that language was present here.

"Viva la revolución!"

Oh, if only he could hear this being shouted when the second phase reached its conclusion.

Daydreaming in this way, he went about his work.

Chapter 587: Elanev's Ruined Vacation

In the Kingdom of Axelor, in a secret location a few kilometers away from the Royal Palace.

Two men were standing in front of a third whose face was so battered that even his features weren't clearly visible anymore.

He seemed to be wearing the garb of a King, but the beating he had been through had torn through most of it, leaving behind a few remnants of the precious materials that had once protected him.

He was chained against a boulder, with his hands in the air, while a large puddle of blood formed between his legs from the multiple injuries all over his body which looked like they had been caused by some kind of ridged whip.

Indeed, to the side lay a table, on which there were multiple objects designed for torture, all of which had blood on them.

Of the two men, one had a small smile on his face, while the other looked grim.

Of course, they were Arnold and the one whom he believed to be his friend from the time of the Empire.

"You want me to step in? I didn't expect a brat to hold on this long against our tried and tested methods.", he asked, after spending a few moments while gazing at the half-dead body in front of him.

In response, the other figure shook his head and said, "No. I want to do it myself. I already told you there was something special about him. He's stubborn, at least. Makes me look forward all the more to completely possessing his body. I can only keep this guy's craziness at bay for so long."

With a nod, Arnold turned around and said, "All right. I guess we have time. Let me go see how much closer I've gotten to the last seal. Call me if you need anything. Good job, by the way. Everything went swimmingly. I trust there won't be any problems from all those soldiers and citizens?"

"Even if there are, it won't matter. We're only using them. I'll handle them if any pop up."

"Good. I'll go rest in my pedestal, then. You be careful to not let yourself stay away for too long, too. I don't want to lose an ally for stupid reasons."

"Humph. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not that old bird who needed your help to fly again."

"Force of habit."

Saying so and waving his arm, the King of Axelor's body teleported away, following which the 'Empire Spirit', who looked like the previous King of the Black Raven Kingdom, immediately activated a secret formation and ran forward to untie the shackles.

This was followed by him touching a hidden trinket on the prone body's neck, which resulted in the 'Black Raven King' turning into someone completely different.

"Oh, that f*cking stings. I shouldn't have trusted that old geezer's damn 'pain blocking technique'. The f*cker was always saying that he wanted me to go through the worst pain possible as it would build resolve. I didn't think he would make it happen now! That f*cking technique double the pain! OW!"

That last howl was the result of the healing spells that had begun to knit the skin back together all over his body, making it even more painful for a little while.

"Brother Elanev, I said that we could try faking it. So that was why you were screaming so loudly?"

Hearing this question, Elanev, who was masquerading a Faxul as part of the plan, chuckled hoarsely and said, "Yes! But that wasn't an option. What if he looked closely? Well, we can try it now, though, as he's already come once. From next time, just don't meet him here, like Daneel said. I don't know how that kid managed to think of every damn thing."

This made Faxul smile.

"He's always had a knack for that since we were in the Academy. It's kinda creepy, in fact. Come on. Let's eat."

Saying so, Faxul stretched out a hand, which Elanev caught to raise himself up before they both headed to a table nearby on which some food was placed.

As they both devoured the bread and soup even though it was hardly food fit for Kings, they almost forgot that they were in a hostile Kingdom where if their identities were revealed, they would face certain death.

After finishing everything in front of him, Elanev sat back and resisted the urge to scratch the wounds which were healing.

Decided to take his mind off of them, he looked at Faxul and said, "All right, take me through it again. In as simple a way as possible. I don't want to miss anything."

This was the 8th time that Elanev was asking this. Yet, Faxul didn't judge him in any manner, as this was a pretty complex plan that he, himself, had had to ruminate on for quite some time to grasp properly.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to start with what had already happened.

"Ok. Well, the objective was for the betrayal to place me squarely inside Axelor, from where I can collect information. And, of course, Daneel needs to become the leader of the Black Raven Kingdom, too, so something like this was needed to create circumstances where that can be made possible."

Seeing Elanev nod, Faxul continued.

"So, the main sticking point was the army. That became simple, as all we had to do was Mind Control a few of the commanders into believing and following the orders. I and that Arnold were both supposed to do it, but Daneel did my part, because I'm not really a Hero-level Mage, you know. Of course, it looked authentic, so that guy didn't doubt a thing. After that, we had that scene of betrayal where you masqueraded as me. How did it feel when Arnold tried to Mind Control you, by the way?"

"Like someone was bashing my head in with a damn building. I could resist if I wanted to, though. Part of the old man's training was him chasing me around with a huge metal bell he found somewhere. He would bash my head with it repeatedly, and I had to recover as soon as possible and run again after throwing off the ringing sound that came from the bell. Oh, such fun."

Hearing this almost made Faxul pity Elanev, but he just smiled in reply and went on, after actually feeling quite surprised that there was a way to defend against this spell that seemed all-powerful against all those at a lower level than the one casting it.

"So, he basically did that to distract you, so that the real Mind Control by me i.e the Empire Spirit could happen. That stone trinket he kept on your forehead was a special 'connector' trinket that connected your consciousness to my…I mean, my character's stone pedestal, as that is required for the Mind Control to be carried out. Well, we faked that part, as Daneel made that trinket to just mimic the real deal and throw Arnold off. That's why you were instructed to act in that manner. It was pretty good, by the way- especially that cold smile, you pulled it off well. Arnold thinks Daneel and Katerina have no idea what's going on, so it will look like a betrayal, but Daneel is also supposed to be smart, so he released a statement saying that he thinks you've somehow been hoodwinked. Well, we couldn't disclose the fact that he has Drakos. Or that I'm a Champion level Fighter. Yet, anyway. And, finally, you were selected because we needed someone to match the known power levels of the Black Raven King. Arnold has a level detection formation around this Kingdom, so it was necessary to use you. You were only being Mind Controlled, which is a temporary thing unlike the transfer of a part of a consciousness, so the complexity of your mind was supposed to remain the same. Thankfully, the formation can only detect a major level. So, your dabbling in the Mage path which allowed you to become an Amateur Mage was enough to pass you as the Eminent Mage that I'm supposed to be. And, of course, it scanned the body, too, which fits again because I'm supposed to be an Amateur Warrior. My bloodline allows me to hide my body's power level, though, which is apparently something only awakened bloodline possessors can do."

That last part made Elanev grimace fiercely.

Initially, it had just been Daneel. Yet, now, even his other younger brother had surpassed him.

No, the most infuriating thing was that he had surpassed him as a Fighter!

Damn those Bloodlines! They were so unfair!

When he had cursed about this in the presence of the old man, the latter had said that with the surprise waiting for him in that sect in the Big 4, he wouldn't have to worry.

Yet, they couldn't go now, because this plan had to be implemented first.

"Yes, I just thought of all the things I would do to the old man in case he got a body, and I got that smile.", he replied, before standing up.

That had been their plan so far, but the next part still remained.

Because his mind was only supposed to have an Amateur Mage complexity, bringing along the old man had not been an option.

The next part was going to be pretty boring, though, as all he had to do was wait and be 'tortured'.

Faxul, though, had an important job, which he spoke about after a few moments of silence came between them.

"I'll be off to start my thing, then. Daneel wants a clear analysis of all the towns, villages and gatherings all over the Kingdom, along with all the data I can get about everything that has happened in this Kingdom over the past few years. It's essential for the third phase, which will bring everything to a head. I also need to scout all the important places, so that he can come and steal those parts of the GI he needs. I've got my work cut out for me, while he must also be pretty busy handling everything outside. You can use your free time to do as you wish. This formation was given by Drakos: it will alert you if someone's coming, which won't happen anyway because I'll be monitoring it. I'll come back right away and intercept anyone who comes. Bye."

Saying so, Faxul teleported away, leaving Elanev alone in the room.

Initially, after hearing the plan, he had thought of this as a vacation where he could get some rest away from the old man.

Yet, seeing that fact about this guy, who was younger him, becoming a Champion while he was still just a Warrior, he was no longer in the mood to rest and pass time.

Choosing the back side of the boulder he was supposed to be imprisoned on, Faxul began punching, repeatedly.

"Iron hands: A skill that can only be trained by one's hand breaking and then being mended over and over again, until they adapt to become strong enough with the influx of Energy."

This was one of the most excruciating techniques given by the old man because it required one to break their fingers and hand hundreds of times.

Yet, it was apparently a technique that scaled with each level, allowing a Fighter to use it even after he became a Champion.

Deciding to master it during this trip, Faxul continued punching, while ignoring the pain.

…

Meanwhile, Daneel had just visited all the places he had wanted to go to in the Black Raven Kingdom.

He was basically building resistance pockets in preparation for a very important event that would soon go down, so they needed to be as spread out as possible.

For now, his job was done, so he finally got some free time.

Deciding to talk to Eloise, Daneel headed to her chambers, only to find them empty.

Just when he was about to contact her through a communication trinket, a maid approached and gave him a letter that Eloise had left behind.

As he read, a cold sweat sprang up on the King of Lanthanor's forehead.

"Sister Xuan invited me on a trip somewhere. She said she wanted to talk to me. We will not be reachable for a while."

Chapter 588: Wai

2 days later.

Jalan was sitting along with his friends on a tree, while munching on some sweet snacks that his mother had made.

The one beside him tried to snatch one of them from his pocket, but Jalan expertly caught his hand and bent it backward, saying, "I told you you would regret not sharing before."

This made the kid grumble and fold his hands, while the others laughed a bit before once again focusing their attention on the gathering that was going on a few hundred meters away from them.

Their parents were all standing around a very large tree, in the forest near their village, that had been designated as the place where important meetings would take place.

Right now, the Mayor, who was an old man with greying hair and a bent back, was speaking with the help of a loudspeaker trinket that was exclusively available to those in power.

"We all know of the sudden circumstances in which our King had to take thing decision. I spoke to the leader of the troops that we passed on that day, too. He told me that he was caught by surprise as much as everyone, but the commander was someone to be trusted. Seeing him so sure, the Captain decided to obey orders, just like the rest of the army. You all must still remember that scene of victory where the combined army of Lanthanor and Eldinor was routed effortlessly."

In response, one of the women among those gathered spoke up.

"So what? It's still a fact that Lanthanor was always good to us. Their King even built that monument by giving up his land, that I, and many others, still visit regularly to this day. Obviously, we can't do that anymore, and we aren't griping about that. But what if he is right? What if our King has been hoodwinked?"

"Mafana, you've always been a conspiracy nut! Stop trying to make others panic! We all remember when you saw the Protector Raven in the air and assumed that it was the Divine Ancestor, come to bless our village!"

This made the woman who had spoken blush for a moment, but she replied without missing a beat.

"And I remember when you cheated in the fight against your neighbor by having someone else fight for you. That was a mistake of mine, before. But this is something we should seriously consider. We have never been an Alliance. I heard that there was a proposal to ally with Lanthanor before, where we would have gotten a lot of benefits in the form of trade. It was stopped because we, the people, would never agree to be ruled by someone not acknowledged by the Divine Ancestor. But isn't that the case now? The King of Axelor was named as the chief of the Alliance in the public statement!"

That last statement made silence appear in the gathering, as they all recalled the announcement, and the way it had made them feel.

Some had gotten angry, but the announcement had also contained grave warnings about the threat that the King of Lanthanor presented, and that this was the only way for them to survive and preserve their way of life.

Overall, almost all the citizens had been…confused.

Too much had happened which muddled their minds. Typically, they would have directly rioted in opposition of an Alliance where someone acknowledged by the Divine Ancestor was not in command. But with the other option being that the same thing would have happened anyway without their own King not even being in the list of those who were in authority, they couldn't help but think that maybe…this was Ok, because it was better than the other option.

Yet another conflicting thing was that their impression of the King of Lanthanor had been steadily improving for a time, due to everything he had done, and due to the capability of his soldiers that had been on display during the Olympics. Of course, the events they saw in the Network Trinket during 'Mercy for the Wicked' played a large part in that, too.

That had taken a blow with their King's announcement about that secret plan, and the conflicting announcement that their own King was being controlled somehow had made the people even more confused, not knowing which cause to rally behind.

Should they doubt their King?

Should they believe him, and remove their impression of King Daneel?

Should they show their ire due to being under the command of someone foreign?

Or should they let it all be and continue with their lives, as there did not seem to be too many changes anyway?

The objective of this gathering had been to answer these questions, but with the discussions going on, it soon became clear that that might be easier said than done.

After these statements, what followed was bickering where almost everyone was still divided. Some wanted peace and some wanted to rebel. A few also only wanted to find out when the snacks would come, as they were tired of so many questions and just wanted to wait until the confusion was cleared up.

Unbeknownst to them, a communication eye was floating in the air, watching this entire scene, and it was only one of many which had been secretly deployed by the Army on the orders of their King.

All of these communication eyes sent data to the Kingdom of Axelor, where three men were standing in the Throne Room while listening to the discussions going on.

Each time someone spoke of rebelling, a frown would pass across the King's face.

This was King Safiros, who was finally in command of his own body as the Empire Spirit was resting in his pedestal.

Beside him was the one he thought to be the 'Empire Spirit', who was masquerading as the Black Raven King for the sake of the other man in the room- his trusty Minister.

Safiros had been delighted on finding out this plan that the two Empire Spirits had hatched. He knew that he would only benefit, over all, if the third seal was broken, as the agreement he had with Arnold was that he would be the winner of the Race, in any case, and when that happened, all he would have to do was one small little task, after which he would have his power and life span magnified by an unimaginable amount.

Also, he would be given command of the entire Continent, including the Big 4.

What else could he want?

His enthusiasm, in the beginning, had been palpable. This dream had been the reason he carried out so many purges with such gleeful joy, and he had also been told to study the feelings of those he was purging, as he had also been promised a very powerful Champion Path that was apparently behind the last seal, which he could use to ascend even if he was only an Exalted Human right now. Apparently, according to Arnold, the third seal would also give them a way for him to drastically grow in power, instantly, just like how the King of Lanthanor had done.

Yet, with failure after failure, and with no one taking his bait, he had started to get worried.

Thankfully, all that had changed with the emergence of Arnold's 'old friend'.

The entire plan had been carried out so beautifully. He could still remember the shock on the faces of that damn brat and that elven b*tch, and it was something that gave him so much happiness that he often burst out laughing with joy at odd times on recalling that memory. Of course, the same thing happened when he thought about their army being routed by his in that way, too.

Seeing the King's beloved friend in that state, near to death, and knowing that he would be undergoing extreme torture, day and night, had also been some very happy news that he had wished he could share with the King of Lanthanor just so that he could gloat.

Only, he had been forbidden from doing this as the King might some way to use that to support his claim that the Black Raven King was being controlled.

Lastly, the fact that he was now in command of two Kingdoms, not one, was another reason why this was the best time in the King's life, so far.

Yet, all the discussions in front of him about rebellions were once again stroking his rage and madness, which had been put to rest temporarily.

Those frowns were noted by the Minister, who had also been pretty shocked by everything that had happened. He didn't know about Empire Spirits, so he had only been told that this was all a plan hatched in secret by King Safiros. Although he doubted that this mad guy was capable of planning anything on that scale, he had accepted the answer on the surface, while knowing that there was something secret that he didn't know about. He wasn't dumb, after all.

Still, he had been pretty happy as all this meant that those purges might stop.

Only…seeing these frowns, he once again started to fear the worst.

Hastily, before they turned into something much worse, he decided to speak up.

"My King, this is normal in a Kingdom which has never been ruled by anyone other than whom they acknowledge. It will all die down with time. It is actually a blessing that they are so divided, as we can slowly turn them in our way by using the correct means. Isn't that so, King Faxul?"

Of course, the 'Faxul' here was the real Faxul.

With a nod, he said, "Of course."

Suddenly, before he could continue, a change came over King Safiros.

His face became relaxed, and he looked like a completely different person.

The Minister had seen this many times, and he had always thought it to be a split personality developed due to that technique that had decreased the King's power level before.

"Leave us, Minister. I wish to converse with the Black Raven King alone."

The Minister nodded and left, and as soon as the door closed, 'Faxul' changed appearance to his 'true' form, in the eyes of Arnold, which was that of that old Black Raven King.

"What is it? You called me?", he asked, following which Arnold waved his hand to gesture at the screens before saying, "We have a problem. I've checked the satisfaction level."

Furrowing his eyebrows, the 'old bird' waited for Arnold to continue.

After looking at the screens for a few more moments, he said, "The satisfaction level in the Black Raven Kingdom is pretty damn low because of all this doubt. Although there was an increase overall, as we predicted, it's not enough. We're 9% away, which is not a small amount."

Hearing this made Faxul smile inwardly, although he looked like he was seriously considering something on the outside.

'Damn, Daneel. How did you calculate it all so perfectly?'

Indeed, Daneel had already given an estimate regarding this, and now, it was Faxul's duty to guide Arnold into doing what they wanted.

Yet, it had to be done slowly, without taking any risks.

Looking up, the 'old bird' said, "Let's wait and see. That guy was right- this is a transition phase. With time, it should settle down. I'll get back to my task."

Saying so, the 'old bird' disappeared, leaving behind the Empire Spirit who did not look as amused as he had been in that underground room before.

But, he did agree that they would have to wait.

…

After seeing the message, Daneel had tried to contact them, anyway, to no avail.

It was like they had vanished off the map.

So, the only thing he could do was hope that they would get back in touch soon.

He had already guessed that the reason behind her tears might be that she somehow found out about what happened in the Goddess's Sanctum.

He had to admit that he was worried, but he still cared most about whether she was ok.

Sadly, all he could do was twiddle his thumbs and await their return.

While he was doing that, he got the message from Faxul that the second phase was progressing smoothly. Arnold had measured the satisfaction level and found it to be within the range Daneel, using the system, had predicted, and Faxul, as the 'old bird' had told him to wait for it to get better.

Of course, there was no way that Daneel would let that happen.

So, putting aside the worry regarding Eloise and looking forward to this next part that would be pretty fun, he set off once again to the Black Raven Kingdom.

Chapter 589: Anti-Satisfaction Level Module

Satisfaction level was something which dictated how happy a citizen was in being a part of the particular kingdom that they inhabited. Hence, after repeated experimentation, and due to all the efforts he had undertaken to increase the satisfaction level of his own kingdom, Daneel had an idea regarding how to influence it in whatever way he wished.

Basically, it was all about the thoughts of a citizen. He had always known that it was possible to use indirect methods in order to increase the satisfaction level drastically, such as the one that the King of Axelor was employing. Yet, he had always had the feeling that there must be some motive behind the Emperor putting this as the test for those who wished to obtain what he had hidden behind the three seals.

So, he had always endeavored to increase it in the right way, and he was happy that most of his efforts had worked out well.

Yet, he had to agree that this method of increasing the overall number of people to increase the average was something which was smack dab on top of the line between right and wrong.

On one side, it was such a gaping loophole that he was sure that the Emperor might have thought about it, and on the other, it also looked as if there was no way to stop someone from taking advantage of it. After all, if the objective was to find a King who would keep a lot of people satisfied that they were in his kingdom, then what was wrong with him assimilating more people into his dominion so that he could make them happy, too?

While questions like these swirled in his head, Daneel teleported into the Black Raven Kingdom and headed to that same village where he had started his recent task two days ago.

As soon as he arrived, he noticed that the atmosphere here was quite different from how it had been all those months ago when he and Faxul had traveled through here as part of their journey in the Black Raven Kingdom.

At that time, although the rate of development and the number of things that were being done for the people weren't anything remarkable, at all, there had still been happiness and joy in most of the families in this little village.

Yet, now, all Daneel felt was a weird atmosphere where many stares were being exchanged between various families, who had been coexisting peacefully until now.

Clearly, the differences in opinion were driving wedges between them, which was something that he had seen a lot back on Earth.

He had been loath to use this simple yet effective method of differing opinions to decrease the satisfaction level so that Arnold wouldn't directly break through the third seal, but it had been staring him right in the face, and it was the easiest method to make sure that the other phases of his plan would go ahead properly.

And of course, this fit in with the rest of it, because only troubled times would give rise to what he wished.

Putting aside his excitement for the last phase, Daneel first pointed at a specific spot in the air, where he knew a communication eye was present.

He had already planned this beforehand so that Faxul would be present in the throne room where all the display screens were present. So, as soon as he pointed his finger at it, he asked Faxul, "What do you see? Was there any sort of flickering?"

After a few moments, Faxul responded.

"None. The image remains as it was. I have to admit that I'm thoroughly impressed by this part, Daneel, even more than the rest."

To this, Daneel merely chuckled and said, "Well, it was pretty obvious that he would have to use some sort of monitoring system in order to check out what is going on in this Kingdom that he thinks is under his command. If I wanted to deceive him in any way, I needed to prepare beforehand – and he could never have expected that I would deploy communication eyes everywhere, so that I can simply show him a loop of whatever happened whenever I want. Keep checking. If there is even a sign that anything might be exposed, I'll stop."

"Alright. Just be gentle with them. Remember, they will be under your command soon."

To this, Daneel just said "Of course. When have I ever been anything but gentle with citizens?", Before cutting off their connection and walking into the village.

Right after he did so, Daneel once again checked on the eye, and then conjured a throne before sitting down right in the center of the village.

The input of the communication eye that the King of Axelor would see was already hijacked and it was sending data of the day before– so that nothing amiss would be seen by anyone who might be watching.

With a smile, he spoke inside his head.

"System, deploy the Anti-Satisfaction Level module."

[Affirmative. Deploying. Beginning analysis of data. 62 families detected. Listing families on the basis of what side they are on. Primary Targets identified: 16 families. Collecting information about targets.]

This was something that would take at least a little bit of time, so Daneel conjured a book out of thin air which was one of those that he had acquired in the library of the Goddess's Sanctum.

It was an interesting piece of work about how even those of high talent should be put through extra difficulty so that they would always be grateful of their power, which might allow them to reach the highest level that they could.

10 minutes later, the system was done.

[Results are ready to be displayed in the HUD.]

Standing up with a broad smile, Daneel asked the system to activate the HUD to show him the results before walking forward to the first house that was located just a few steps away from where he had been sitting.

As he walked, no one could tell that there was anyone in that location, and only those who passed close by got a strange feeling which made them look around with suspicion, and then shake their head, thinking that they must have imagined it.

Trusting the efficiency of the system in hiding him from the sight of all who might be watching, Daneel reached his target and simply teleported inside.

He noticed that the two members of this little family were embroiled in a small discussion regarding whether they should continue supporting the King's decision, and be happy that they hadn't been vanquished by the King of Lanthanor, which was a possibility that might be true based on the decades-long history that the two Kingdoms had shared.

This was one of the reasons behind this family being on the side that Daneel didn't want them to be in.

Hence, he had to change that.

The process for this was simple – the other side had already introduced a few doubts into the minds of these two people, so he just had to make those doubts stronger.

Right now, the point of the discussion was that Axelor had just as bad a history with them as Lanthanor, and that the positive actions that the latter had undertaken should be taken into account, too.

At this point, Daneel simply looked at the space above their heads, where there were multiple statements floating around.

Above the woman's head was a statement that said: "What about that time during the Olympics though, where Axelor was the one who must have deployed those mosquitoes which killed a lot of people?"

Choosing this one, Daneel made it…appear in her mind.

This was the simplest form of Mind Control which didn't even take a lot of his effort – all he was doing was introducing this thought into her mind, and he wasn't even coaxing her into thinking about it. That part wasn't necessary, as their minds were already in a state of flux because of the discussion that was going on.

Hence, the next second, the woman uttered this thought that she had just gotten, and even she, herself, got a thoughtful expression on her face while both of them began to think of this, which slightly tilted their opinion towards the side which stated that they should rebel in some form, and not be happy with how things were.

He had basically given the system the task that it should identify all the facts regarding the issues that could be used as counterarguments to push the citizens to think what he wanted. So, all he had to do was pick what he wanted, so that he could learn what worked and what didn't.

Changing someone's thoughts while using this form of Mind Control was a very fine art, which was what Daneel realized after a few more minutes.

For example, in the husband's case, he had used the issue about how uniting with Lanthanor would have given them better trade routes, and that this was no longer possible as they were a part of Axelor, which was a foe of Lanthanor's. This didn't result in any major shift in their overall opinion, as it was something that did not concern them, personally, too much.

There were others which did concern them, though. For example, reiterating about how Daneel had looked during the episode of 'Mercy for the Wicked' had worked well to swing them towards the rebellion again.

By the time he was done 20 minutes later, this family was already firmly heading in the direction of becoming one of those that would soon clamor for things to not be like they were right now, which was exactly what he wanted as the satisfaction level would go down.

With a smile, Daneel traveled to the next family and continued to repeat this, all while learning how to get better and better at the task.

Two hours later, 12 families were already well on their way to shift their opinion. He couldn't do it with all of them, though, as it would be too suspicious.

It would have been nice if this was the only thing he had to do, but it wasn't.

Next up, Daneel traveled to the houses of the extremists, who were saying that they should begin right now and also target those who had different opinions from them.

These were his secondary targets.

Such people would always be present throughout the world, but he did not want them to do as they wished, as that would result in an atmosphere of violence which would cause many deaths – which was something that he really did not want to see happen.

So, in these houses, Daneel did the opposite – he used the thoughts from the other sides to make them doubt their own conviction in carrying out the rebellion, with the objective of making them decide that they would stall and wait to see what would happen.

With time, he got better and better at it, and even the system started to learn which ones worked in which didn't.

With this, his work in this village was done. Before he had come, almost half of it had been on the general side of not wanting to be in this alliance. And now, that had changed to more than three fourths, which would definitely result in the satisfaction level plummeting instead of rising up.

True, he was manipulating them, but Daneel had to admit that this was a very good learning experience, and that it was definitely not boring at all to see how simple one-liners could influence the thoughts of a person.

This made him think about the major influence of social media back on Earth on the entire world, where even political parties had begun to use methods just like this one to sway people towards their cause.

Thankfully, there were regulatory bodies there which endeavored to stop this from happening, but there was no such thing here. Hence, if this fell into the hands of someone who could exploit it, it might definitely result in a disaster.

So, resolving to do something about this right after he was done using it himself, he proceeded to the next village, and then the next one, and the next town, and then the Capital itself.

He did so randomly, and even the number of families changed at each location was random – all so that there would be no suspicion arising whatsoever.

It was pretty exhausting, as there were literally tens of thousands of people he had to cover, but soon, with time, the system absorbed more and more data until it was capable of accomplishing what he wanted automatically just my him passing over a settlement.

That had been his hope, and seeing it work, Daneel was pretty happy. Hence, using this, he sped up the whole thing, and was finished with the entire Kingdom in three days.

The continent was still reeling from what had happened, as it hadn't even been a week since that humiliating loss by the First Alliance of Angaria.

Yet, Daneel decided to proceed anyway, as it was best to strike the iron when it was hot.

Exhausted, with his eyes drooping, he picked up a communication trinket and sent a message to Faxul.

"My part in the second phase is done. You can proceed. Let me know how it goes. Good luck, Faxul."

Chapter 590: Ending the Second Phase 1

As soon as Faxul got the message, he couldn't believe what he had heard.

He knew exactly the task that Daneel had set for himself, and he hadn't been envious of him at all, as he had known that it was something that would definitely take a lot of time and effort.

In fact, he had been doubtful if Daneel would even be able to pull it off.

Yet, now he was supposed to believe that it was all over in just three days?

When they had talked, Daneel had said that he would have to go to each and every family that was in support of being happy with the state of the kingdom, and use Mind Control to introduce thoughts in their mind to sway them in the opposite direction. As for how he would identify the stance of each family in the first place, he said that it would be using the data from the display trinkets that he had already deployed in each and every village and town in the Black Raven Kingdom in preparation to hijack those that the King of Axelor would definitely deploy.

Even with the complexity of a Warrior, going through the footage of a village, magnifying and separating the audio inputs from each house and then assessing these inputs to make a decision regarding what side they were on – all of this would definitely take a considerable amount of time that made it seem as if this task that he had set for himself was impossible, and would take months to accomplish.

Even with the help of Hero-level Drakos, this timeline might be cut short to a few weeks, and even this would be a miracle.

But three days? How?!

Faxul had no idea, and he was pretty sure that he might not be getting an answer, either, from his friend, who would almost definitely brush it off and give some random explanation.

Even with the calm that he had adopted after the baptism, he had needed a few moments to recover from the shock, but just as he was about to get back to normal and begin to do his part, he received another message which seemed like an afterthought.

"And, oh, you don't need to worry about riots breaking out before we want them to. Like we discussed, I did that thing to make those kinds of families and people decide to take a step back and wait to see what happens."

What!? He had done that, too?

Was he even human?

At this point, realizing that such questions were futile, Faxul just sighed and let it go, before deciding to hurry up with his own task so that he wouldn't stall them.

He was supposed to find out about all the recent purges, and those who had been affected by them, and for that reason, he was currently in the government records of the Kingdom of Axelor.

His excuse in coming here was that he wanted to see for himself how effective these purges were, and because Arnold was quite busy looking for ways to increase the satisfaction level to the point he wanted without having to wait, he had had a certain period of freedom where he had already gone through most of the details that were listed here.

He wasn't even reading through them all, as Daneel and he had both expected that he might not have too much of a chance to do that. Hence, he was using a specially designed trinket that was recording the image of each page while he flipped through them, which was something he was doing discreetly after making sure that there was no one else present in the room.

As for the data trinkets, he simply copied them.

Thankfully, he was done in a few hours, which made it so that he could get on to doing his part even though his friend was way ahead of schedule.

Well, it was true that they should finish all of this as soon as possible, so that variables wouldn't come into effect.

With that thought, Faxul took a deep breath and proceeded to the throne room, where the King could be seen gazing at all the display trinkets in the room, that were showing the scenes of the various regions and towns in the Black Raven Kingdom.

Right now, the King was in command, but that changed as soon as Faxul entered.

The doors closed, and because the Minister was out on an errand, they were alone.

All of that calmness of Arnold's was gone, replaced by frustration that this plan in which he had placed so many hopes wasn't going as well as he had thought just a few days ago.

Waving his hand in the direction of the display trinkets, he said, "Time doesn't seem to be having any change, old bird. How can these people be so obstinate? Why do they insist on not being satisfied that they are at least alive? Why can't they be like the people of this Kingdom, who are so easy to handle?"

Hearing this, Faxul almost widened his eyes with pleasant surprise.

He had been thinking that he might have to find a way to make Arnold think in this way, but he had forgotten that this man was also supposed to be as adept in scheming as the best of them from that time.

And someone like that… would definitely wish for something like this, as soon as they saw that things weren't going their way.

In response, Faxul first stared at a few of the display trinkets, taking note of how there were even more families now that wanted to support those who wished to show their displeasure in some way, so that they could get answers or some sort of reply from the King. Clearly, Daneel had done his job, and it was even more impressive now that he witnessed it with his own eyes.

After that, shaking his head, he said, "You're right, Arnold. Even I underestimated how block-headed all of these people are. You already know that I was going through the records of all the purges you carried out here, right?"

In response to this, Arnold nodded, waiting for him to continue and state why he was bringing this up.

"I was doing so because even I was thinking about the worst-case, and it's obvious that that has clearly come to be. Your purges were always very effective in putting a lot of fear in the minds of these people, so that they would just be glad that they were not the ones targeted. This, in turn, had quite a considerable effect on the satisfaction level, which allowed you to break the two seals. Now, you said that all we need is 9%, right?"

"11%", Arnold spat out, which made Faxul narrow his eyes and continue as if he was pissed, too, but hopeful.

"Still an acceptable level. Before this becomes a problem that we cannot handle, I think that maybe we should try your method in this Kingdom, too."

"You didn't think I thought of that? That was the first thing that popped into my mind as soon as I saw all that stuff five days ago! But it's too risky. Here, there was at least the advantage that they are completely closed off, so all the citizens thought that they had no way out. They believe that our kingdom is completely surrounded by ravenous wolves who will devour them if they go out, so it worked. But those ants know more about the world. Just one purge might result in a major event where the chances of the satisfaction level going even lower are too high. If that wasn't the case, I would have gone and done it myself!"

Right.

Hearing this, Faxul was actually glad, at least for now, that they were dealing with someone with a brain.

This was someone who considered all cases, and the only reason they had succeeded so far was that he had a flaw which they were using.

In their discussion, Daneel has said that it was possible that Arnold might come up with this plan on his own, but that he would hesitate for various reasons.

And Faxul's job.… was to remove that hesitation, if that happened.

They were in that situation now, so, Faxul prepared to end the second phase, and enter the last one.

"That might not be the case if you make certain small edits to the whole thing. I have some thoughts on the matter…"

…

2 days later, in a particular town near the border of the Black Raven Kingdom.

The day had dawned just like any other, but the 20,000 citizens of this town soon realized that something…was different.

There were, in fact, multiple signs of this. For one thing, legions and legions of soldiers had marched into the town on the pretense that there was some threat inside, and that they were charged to protect the citizens. For another, all sorts of barriers were being set up all around the town, and all those inside were being barred from leaving, with the reason once again being that it was for their 'safety'.

The clearest sign, though, was when a jamming formation became active that blocked all simple communication trinkets, which were what typical citizens used.

Even the Network was blocked due to this, as it, too, used a simple formation because of the fact that the trinkets were made on a large scale.

So, all the citizens inside began to panic, but they were stopped in their tracks by the gleaming weapons of the soldiers of Axelor and the Black Raven Kingdom, who stood in almost every street, wearily eyeing the citizens and making sure that none of them made any strange actions.

People still started to ask what the matter was, but they were only commanded to stay in their houses. Shops were shut down, and everyone was hounded back to their houses. Children sensed the tension-filled atmosphere and started crying everywhere, while parents tried to console them and tell them that everything would be fine, even though they, themselves, didn't believe that.

Finally, at noon, a voice reverberated through out the town.

"Good afternoon, loyal citizens of the Black Raven Kingdom. This is Commander Hablow, and I am speaking on the direct orders of the King. Today morning, by luck, we intercepted a message that a rebellion would be carried out in this town on the orders of the King of Lanthanor. The objective was to forcefully convert those who were happy with the decision of our King into rebels who support the vile King of Lanthanor. We are going to use this chance to show him, and the rest of the people of this Kingdom the fate that awaits those who think in this way. But first, just so that that King cannot refute what will happen here once again using false claims, we will be entering the houses of these rebels and showing you all the proofs that they have, indeed, been contracted by that man to betray our noble Divine Ancestor."

As this voice stopped, a massive display trinket became active that was visible to almost all the citizens, no matter where they were.

On it, they watched as a team of soldiers headed to a specific, nondescript house in one of the streets of the town.

Meanwhile, Arnold and the 'old bird' were watching this scene through a special, large display trinket that had been set up in the middle of the Throne Room.

As Arnold saw the soldiers proceed, he said, "Not bad, old bird. Of course, I would have come up with it, too, if I hadn't been hell-bent on finding something even faster."

Ignoring the latter part, the 'old bird' said, "It was simple. You already used the ploy of planting false evidence. All we had to do was magnify that, and make it a live show, just so that it becomes clear who the enemy is. This will point their hatred toward him, while increasing the satisfaction level. Unless he comes out himself to refute it, there is nothing that can stop this from happening. And that…is definitely something that no one in their right mind would do."

Chapter 591: Ending the Second Phase 2

All over the continent, people had tuned in to the Network to catch up on the latest shows.

Yet, when they were greeted by another 'Breaking News' report, they braced themselves, expecting another shocker like the one where they had seen the twists and turns that had resulted in the Black Raven Kingdom allying with the Kingdom of Axelor.

That entire episode had been so captivating that most people had been glued to the Network Trinkets all day, and when the conclusion where the combined army of Lanthanor and Eldinor running back to their Kingdoms had been shown, many had dropped their jaws in disbelief, unable to reconcile with the fact that the King of Lanthanor who had been shown before to be invincible, had been beaten in this way.

Of course, those who had already been thinking ill of King Daneel had rejoiced, but they were a minority. For the most part, there was only surprise that took days to vanish.

One other thing that truly got impressed on the citizens all over the continent was that the Network really was an independent entity. Because it was based in Lanthanor, and because it was the brainchild of the King of Lanthanor, many had thought that there might be attempts to play this off as anything other than what it had been: a crushing defeat.

Only, this didn't happen. All sides of the topic were shown, including those which supported Lanthanor, and those that derided it.

All in all, it gave the option to the watchers and listeners to make their own decisions, which was something that was applauded at all. This also drove many to want even more to get these trinkets for themselves so that they wouldn't always have to gather in the houses of others, so they waited for the continent-wide sale that was supposed to come soon.

In fact, this facility of attracting a lot of guests had also given business-savvy citizens the idea of setting up special services for food and seating, so that they could earn a little bit of money from the good fortune that had enabled them to randomly obtain the Network Trinkets.

Of course, some had even gone so far as to set up large halls which were very similar to movie theatres from Earth, but more than these, the other case was more prevalent.

So, today, when the 'Breaking News' flashed onto the screen, a lot of people in front of the trinkets already had food ready in front of them, hoping for another show.

Only…this one made them spit out whatever they were eating or drinking with shock, as it was something that they could never have imagined.

'We are transmitting to you the signal that is being given by the alliance of the Black Raven Kingdom and the Kingdom of Axelor. Please be advised that this might not be content that is suitable for viewing by children. The story we know so far is that there have been claims by a commander of the Black Raven Kingdom that the King of Lanthanor has planned a mass rebellion in one of the towns in the Black Raven Kingdom to sway public opinion to his side violently, so that he can move forward in his goal of 'vanquishing' the Black Raven Kingdom. As always, we, the Network, are only reporting to you everything we know. So far, the King of Lanthanor hasn't spoken out to refute these claims, but we are aware that he's watching. What you are seeing right now is the aftermath of the statement by that commander who has stated that he, along with the team of soldiers under his command, will be showing the proof behind what he has stated so that more 'false' claims cannot be made. Again, this is live, so we cannot predict what will happen.'

The lengthy disclaimer and information was accompanied by a video which was split in two: half the screen showed the scene of a head-mounted communication eye moving with a team of soldiers, and the other was displaying the scene of the town from above, where soldiers could be seen lining all the streets while citizens looked out of their windows with puzzled, angry and scared expressions on their faces.

Boom!

As soon as the explanation ended, the first half of the screen showed the soldiers kicking open a door by force.

The family of four inside, who all had extremely terrified expressions on their faces, started to ask why this was happening, but they instantly became silent as the mage in the team of soldiers conjured thin, metallic blades that hovered in the air, right above each of them, not even sparing the 4 or 5-year old who burst out crying on sensing the tension-filled atmosphere.

Accompanied by the sounds of the attempts of his mother in making him stop, the soldiers casually started flipping through everything in the house.

Except for the spot in the corner where the family was, where there was nothing else except for a long sofa, the rest of the house was soon demolished, with even the baby's toys not being spared in the process.

Outrage began to be sparked in all those watching.

Surely, all these people were innocent, right? This was a blatant misuse of power!

Such statements began to get louder and louder as the search went on, with nothing out of the ordinary turning up.

However…they all became silenced a few moments later.

Done with the rest of the house, the leader of the company, whose perspective was being shown, walked forward to the family who were still cowering on that sofa.

He first asked them to move, but they didn't, following which the mage made the metal blades move closer to their heads.

At this point, when everyone saw the family flung aside, the outrage reached a peak, but it all vanished when the sofa was torn open to reveal gleaming sets of weapons.

Swords, spears, bows, along with explosion trinkets and even torture devices.

And in the middle of them all…was a communication trinket, which the soldier picked up and played for everyone to listen.

"Remember, if they don't agree and swear an oath to follow Lanthanor and keep it a secret, just kill them to make a statement for the others. You will be paid handsomely when everything is done."

The voice was just a bit similar to that of the King of Lanthanor, and even if someone didn't recognize this, they were all enlightened regarding the fact by the commander, who spoke up at this point to be heard both by the inhabitants of the town, and by the people all over the continent who were watching and listening.

"Finally, the King of Lanthanor's schemes have been laid bare! That is his voice, for those who might not be aware of how the devil sounds like. This oh, so innocent family whom you all were supporting, will soon have begun killing and torturing many others like them if it weren't for the wise actions of our King, and the leader of the Alliance. Soldiers, take them to the site of the purge."

A cold voice replied.

"Sir, the children, too?"

"No, do you think our King is merciless? He wishes that this wasn't needed, either. Take away the children: they will be raised as a part of the King's retinue. Then, you may continue."

"…"

Hearing this, everyone had no idea what they were supposed to think.

They could only watch in silence while the two kids, one who was still a bawling baby, and the other who was merely 10 years old, were separated by force and hauled out.

Tears appeared in the eyes of many parents as they saw this. Those in the town even clutched their children to their bosom desperately, as if imagining themselves undergoing the same fate.

Of course…this scene brought a broad smile to the face of Arnold.

Looking at his old friend, he said, "I have to say that this 'shock and awe' thing is working very well. Maybe I should have used it in Axelor, too."

The 'old bird' stoically replied, "I don't fully take credit for it. The idea was originally used by the King of Lanthanor to turn many, many people toward his side. Ironic that the same is being used against him for his downfall. As I said, there is nothing he can do, either."

As Arnold burst out laughing, the process of separating the children had just finished.

Following this, the parents were shackled and thrown into a giant metal cage that had been constructed in the largest open area in the town: the town center.

The two parents repeatedly cried that they knew nothing, but no one heeded their cries.

Soon, they were joined by many, many others, who were all found guilty of having accepted the 'weapon package' apparently sent by King Daneel along with that message.

Of the 20,000 in the town, roughly a quarter found themselves in the cage.

Multiple teams carried out the task, and it was all over in barely 3 hours.

The display then shifted to show just the commander, who stood in front of the cage and said, "Watch closely the fate that awaits those who decide to defy the rightful rule of our King, and think about supporting our enemy. All of these are people who spoke out about how the King of Lanthanor might be right. Many thought that they were just people who were supporting the wrong side, but no one could have expected that they will go to these lengths. I hope that this changes the mind of all those who are thinking similarly, and makes them aware that they must feel grateful for having been saved from the clutches of that evil man. Soldiers, begin."

As soon as the commander gave that order, roaring flames sprung into existence at the top of the cage, which stood 5 meters tall.

The screams of those trapped inside reached a new level as they felt the temperature around them increase. They struggled in every way they could, but there was no way out.

Even those watching were speechless. Was this…really happening?

Hopelessness and despair dominated the faces of most of those in the cage, who could only watch on as the wall of flames started moving downward. Soon, they would be engulfed by them.

Arnold could be seen laughing continuously, while his 'friend' just kept staring at the scene in the display trinket.

Of course…he was waiting for something.

The first sign that something was wrong became apparent when a soldier ran up to the commander with panic on his face.

In his happiness, and with the objective of transmitting these screams for greater effect, the commander hadn't switched off the trinket he had.

Thus, the words said by the soldier were heard by all.

"Sir, the part of the border nearest to us is under attack!"

This immediately made the commander take on a serious expression on his face, as he asked, "What?! Whose army is it? Lanthanor's? Or is it anyone else?"

In response, the soldier shook his head, and replied in a tone accompanied by disbelief.

"Neither, sir. It's…one man."

BOOM!

As soon as the last word left his mouth, a thundering sound echoed from somewhere nearby, following which the commander looked up to see a comet shooting in his direction.

It was a resplendent gold, and it was clear that it had just gotten through all the barrier trinkets that must have been deployed by the border in the event of an attack.

Barely a second after that, another 'BOOM!' Resulted in the barriers around the town being breached with hardly any effort, before the commander finally managed to see just who it was.

It was the man whom he had been referring to all this time.

The comet came to a stop right in front of him, and the image of the King of Lanthanor, who had an expression of fury on his face, was shown to all who were watching all over the continent.

"Gargh!"

Letting out a choking sound, the commander found himself lifted up in the air by his neck, while being glared at by two eyes which seemed to contain uncontrollable rage.

He said the first thing that came to his mind, in the hope that it would help him to keep his life.

"Y-You can't! This is an act of war!"

In response, the King spoke in an imperious tone.

"An army attacking and breaking into a Kingdom is an act of war. I am just one man, and I am here because I cannot stand innocent people being massacred simply because they made their opinions known. Take me to the person who orchestrated all this, or I swear, you and all of your soldiers will find yourself inside that cage instead of all these faultless citizens. King Safiros, I know you're watching. Just know this…even if it results in my death, I will always stand for those who need me. Open the gates of your Kingdom. Let us settle this once and for all."

Chapter 592: The Third Phase Begins

Back in the Palace of the Kingdom of Axelor, the two people who were supposed to be thousands of years old were staring at the screen in front of them, dumbstruck due to the scene that they were witnessing.

Arnold couldn't believe it. In all his years of scheming and planning against foes, he had always trusted his instinct in reading them, and assessing what they would and wouldn't do.

For example, someone who was supposed to be as smart as the King of Lanthanor would never enter enemy territory, alone, and then demand to enter even deeper inside to risk his own life.

All for…what? A few thousand people?

It didn't make sense!

Even while the domineering dialogue of the King seemed to echo in his mind, he just couldn't make sense of it.

Weren't you supposed to be one of the best in this age, at least in the Central Continent? Aren't you the one who came up with all those crazy ideas, just like the Emperor, and even succeeded in implementing them?

Then why the hell are you doing something so stupid now?!

Calming down his shock at the absurdity of the situation, Arnold thought for a bit, and realized that there were only two possibilities.

One, there was some hidden card that the King trusted in, that made him confident enough to put up this kind of show, and still believe that he would live to tell the tale.

Or, two…he was just that dumb.

This had, in fact, been a masterful plan that would also have severely dented the adoration present for the King all over the continent.

Arnold had never thought that that was a factor.

Yet…what if that was the case?

What if the real reason was a mix of both, and what if this King truly lived off of the feeling of being adored?

There were no reports to support this…but Arnold had seen many like him in his long life.

Whatever the truth was, he had to admit that after a very long time…he had been pretty damn shocked.

It looked like it was the same for his old friend, who was still staring at the screen, where the Commander was quivering in the hands of the King, not knowing what the hell he was supposed to do.

In fact, now that he thought about it, Arnold realized that this case had even been mentioned by his friend, who had done so only to say that no one would be foolish enough to do that.

Clearly…he might have been wrong on that part.

In front of his eyes, he finally recovered and said, "Well…that happened."

Faxul had known what would happen. The whole point of him presenting this plan to Arnold, and then choosing a town close to the border had been for Daneel to enter in this way.

Still, he was supposed to be shocked, and he had been prepared to act his life out.

Only…Daneel's entrance really had been so amazing that the shock had come automatically, meaning that he hadn't needed to put in so much effort.

His shock had also stemmed from the fact that through the display trinket, he could tell that…the emotions raging in his friend's eyes were absolutely real.

He wasn't faking it.

And at that moment, Faxul remembered something he had seen long, long ago.

It had been right after their 3-month hell training, when he had been headed to the library after obtaining some money from his guardians to check out all the paths that were present for him to select.

Only…that had been the day when Daneel had put on that play, where Elanev's father had arrived and apprehended those sick people who had been having fun by seeing poor people waste their hard earned money.

That incident that been followed by Daneel being applauded by all those present, as he had rid them of an evil that had plagued them all for quite a long time.

Even now, he could remember the specific shine in his eyes, which had made it clear that this was someone…who truly delighted in helping others.

That same quality was even more magnified now, and it was a really good thing to see that even though so many years had passed and so many things had happened, Daneel hadn't lost that all-important thing which set him apart from most.

That…was one of the reasons that Faxul had no reason handing over the people who had trusted his father, and then him after that, to take care of them.

After all, even though this specific instance was something orchestrated by them, together, Faxul was pretty sure that Arnold would have gone ahead and done this anyway.

So…he knew that the reason behind Daneel's anger was probably that fact, and he was pretty sure that it must have had a tremendous effect on all those watching.

Which was just what they wanted.

All over the continent, Daneel's statement made many, many people stand up and cheer on this man who had stood up even though there was grave danger.

There was just…something special about one who marched forward with determination to stand on the side of what was right, even if it meant certain death.

After ensuring that everything was going well, Faxul recovered and saw Arnold looking at him, which led him to say that.

Right now, the key was to wait and let Arnold decide what to do, as they hadn't wanted to coax him to do everything, as that would result in too much suspicion.

So, Faxul continued and said, "Like I said…this was the most foolish option there was. Now, if we don't agree, we will look like cowards, instead of the same happening to him."

Arnold took a few moments to respond, and it looked like he was thinking about something.

Faxul wondered whether he should panic, but he just remained calm, and finally felt happy when he saw Arnold shake his head and say, "How can we, as Empire Spirits, decide to be cautious against someone from this age? However I see it, there is no risk for us. He has a deathwish. Let's fulfill it. It is the best way to get rid of a threat, after all. This way, even those Big 4 won't intervene, 'cos I'm not even going out of my way to kill him."

With a chuckle, Arnold made his voice appear above the town.

"King of Lanthanor. It seems that you want to get away with this by bluffing. Well, we have nothing to fear. Our gates are open. You can come in by yourself, or you can even bring an army. The same thing that happened before, will happen again. Soldiers, return to your posts. The purge can wait until after the King of Lanthanor has been dealt with."

"Humph."

As soon as the King of Lanthanor heard this, he put on an expression of derision and tossed the commander in his hand to the side, who coughed violently and clutched his throat, which had been so close to being crushed.

Scrambling to his feet, he ordered a retreat, which resulted in all the soldiers leaving under the blazing eyes of the King of Lanthanor, which made them all feel quite conscious and even a little bit scared.

The townsfolk couldn't believe what had just happened.

Although it was true that a lot of them had been inclined to think that the King of Lanthanor might be in the right regarding this issue, they hadn't been very firmly entrenched in either side.

Yet, now…all that changed.

That change started in those in the cage, who stared at the bold figure of the King with tears of gratitude in their eyes.

As soon as the soldiers left, he flicked his fingers without even looking at them, which made the metal cage and all the shackles fly into the air before being tossed aside, outside the town.

With this, the King began to rise into the air, as if he really was going to do what he had said.

This action made everyone see one other thing: he hadn't said anything to those he had saved. No, he had done so just for the sake of doing the right thing, and now, he wasn't even expecting anything from it.

This began to be whispered among those who were saved, and soon, the whole town was abuzz.

After rising to a certain level, the King stopped and hovered there, but his eyes were closed as if he was talking to someone.

This allowed more time for everyone to talk between themselves, and affirm everything they were feeling.

Even a few moments later, by the time the King finally left, everyone was still talking about how he did seem to be the one who wasn't lying, in this case.

Yet…was he really going to march into an enemy Kingdom for them?

Most of them couldn't believe it.

So they watched on.

The breaking of the barrier had resulted in communications being restored.

So, after finding out that the Network was showing a scene from the King's eyes, almost everyone rushed to the houses where the Network was present.

"The King has said that he will keep this channel open for as long as he can, so that the people can see what happens in Axelor."

This announcement greeted them, while they saw the aerial images of the scenery between their Kingdom and the Kingdom of Axelor, before the image finally changed to show a border wall that was manned by hundreds of soldiers.

All of these soldiers had expressions of anger on their faces, as if they were seeing the most dreaded villain in their lives.

As for the border gate nearest to the direction where the King was flying in…it opened as he approached, which made it clear that King Safiros was keeping his word.

And why wouldn't he? For the first time, a King of a different Kingdom was walking into an enemy one, alone, with them knowing that he was coming.

Without any hesitation, the King flew in the direction of the gate, as that was the spot where the barriers had been deactivated.

Yet, the moment before he entered the airspace of Axelor, he paused and turned to address the millions who were watching.

"I can detect that there's a blocking formation inside. Citizens of the Black Raven Kingdom who gave me the benefit of the doubt. Let it never be said that the Dragon didn't soar with the Raven when dire winds blew in the sky. I march forward now, knowing that I might not return, because I know that if I do not do that to save all of you, I will never be able to live with myself. I promise you that when I leave here, it will be with your King- one who is no longer under the control of Axelor. And if I don't…I will be happy that I will have died fighting for something I believe in. Either way, farewell, Angaria."

Leaving these words that echoed in many, many minds and became affixed with a hue of awe in most of them, King Daneel turned around and flew into danger.

His noble silhouette, one that would never be ready to cower, no matter what, was the last thing that they saw.

As soon as the display trinkets cut off, the soldiers of Axelor who were on the border walls were greeted by a sight they would never forget.

The King of Lanthanor…smiled, and teleported away, instantly breaking apart the Champion-level anti-teleportation barrier that was present here, which was something that no Warrior should be able to do.

At the same moment, Arnold instantly shot up from his throne and screamed, "I KNEW IT! IT WAS ALL A TRAP! THE FORMATION SENSED SOMEONE AT THE HERO LEVEL! HE MUST HAVE FORMED A BOND WITH THAT DAMN DRAGON! HE'S HEADED FOR THE PARTS OF THE GRAND INHERITANCE!"

Even before the last word exited from the Empire Spirit's mouth, Daneel reappeared right outside the place where Arnold had given that demonstration to Faxul.

Smirking, he sent a message to his friend.

"Time for the last phase. He allowed me in, but he sure as hell won't let me get these things easily. I'll handle him, though. You just get everything done on your end. Remember to keep it silent, and be sure to hurry over when you're done, because you won't want to miss this."

Chapter 593: A Desperate Escape?

As barriers of various colors sprang to life in front of him, Daneel simply said to Drakos, "Begin."

They had already discussed everything beforehand so that the time that might need to be spent here, after arriving at the scene, would be minimal.

As the Ancient Dragon began casting spell after spell without saying a word, Daneel felt a slight ache on his forehead where his Mageroot was due to the sudden deployment of all the high-tier spells, while he thought back to everything that had just happened.

He had to admit that even he was surprised that there had been no problems so far.

Wasn't this supposed to be the man touted to be the one most adept in scheming back during the Empire?

Yet, now, both of them were manipulating him easily?

Daneel took a deep breath and erased these thoughts, as he knew that they were dangerous.

He still felt that it was wise not to underestimate this enemy, so he decided to be as cautious as possible even though everything pointed to the third phase progressing smoothly, too.

The second phase had had two objectives:

Set up a foundation in the minds of the Black Raven citizens, so that it would help him later when the time came to take over the Kingdom.

Ensure that he entered the Kingdom of Axelor without facing any obstruction, so that he could take Arnold by surprise and get here before him.

With both of them fulfilled, he found himself here: ready to begin the third phase, where, by the end, the goal was to have the parts of the Grand Inheritance in hand, while also becoming capable of breaking the third seal by openly taking control of the Black Raven Kingdom.

This was easily the hardest part, but Daneel was confident in the many preparations he had made.

Just as a loud rumbling began to be heard all around him, Daneel received a message from the system.

[Data analyzed. The best town which matches all the parameters given by host is called 'Azmar', and it is located 46 kilometers east of host's location.]

"Alright. Deploy the module, and let me know when the optimal result has been achieved."

[Affirmative. Module deployed. Standing by to receive results.]

Feeling glad that there were no problems in deploying this all-important module, Daneel allowed himself a smile.

Almost all of Daneel's preparations had been to counter the worst case scenarios, such as that Arnold might have prepared beforehand for this, and that he might be facing a lot of difficulties if he wanted to just waltz out with the parts of the Grand Inheritance.

After seeing the performance of the Empire Spirit so far, though, Daneel had been hoping that these might not come to be.

Yet, the next moment, it became clear that that wasn't the case.

Bang!

As soon as Daneel had arrived at this location, he had deployed a Champion-level anti-teleportation barrier to slow those who would be coming here.

Now, that broke apart instantly, as two men burst onto the scene with livid expressions on their faces.

The moment they did, the various barriers around the area that Daneel had been trying to breach doubled, which made it obvious that Arnold had planned for this beforehand.

This became even more apparent as soon as a confident voice thundered around where Daneel was standing.

"Drakos, how have you been? Knowing you, you must have entered a voluntary bond with this kid, even though we were warned by the Emperor to never let that happen as that could lead to us being blackmailed, and used. And did you two really think that I wouldn't think of this? True, it was at the bottom of my list of possible reasons behind your nonsensical actions. But that was only because I had already taken a lot of steps to prevent something like this from happening. Why do you think the signal of those two parts was allowed to be freely detected by all, in the first place? It was to trap fools like you who overestimate yourselves. Give up. I'm enough to deal with you. Sure, you are a formation master who can dismantle the trapping formations I placed around this place. But that doesn't mean you have any hope of leaving this Kingdom alive."

This speech would have been impressive, if Daneel hadn't heard Arnold screaming in that way just a few seconds before.

Remembering that made him want to laugh, and because he didn't care what this guy thought, anyway, he allowed himself to.

As Arnold saw the King of Lanthanor laugh out loud, he grit his teeth, before taking a deep breath and getting back the smile on his face.

Yes, it had definitely been a scare, and he had shouted like that without caring for the dignity that he was supposed to possess.

That had always been a problem even during the Empire. And there hadn't even been anything much he could do to fix it.

As he was someone who was used to letting his emotions run wild, which was something that had always helped him in everything he did, he had often seen other ministers talk about his 'uncouth' behavior behind his back.

Most of them did end up getting in egregious situations such as being blamed for things they didn't do, or finding out that their wives had been swept away without them even catching a whiff of it, but except for satisfying Arnold, this didn't change much.

After all, even his scheming behavior, and his ruthlessness which let him survive no matter what the odds were were a result of his singular emotion of wanting, no, needing to come out on top and thwart any and all who wished to see him dead.

These memories had all rushed into his head…because the last time he had been shocked in this way-by seeing someone defying his expectations and acting in a way that seemed foolish, had been when the Emperor had chased him down and captured him.

Yet, as he saw the King continue to laugh, all these thoughts vanished and were replaced by all-consuming anger.

He had already seen all the spells deployed by the Dragon after arriving here. They were attempts to breach all the protective formations around the pieces of the Grand Inheritance, and, in fact, they would have been successful if Arnold hadn't arrived at the scene and personally activated the rest by casting Hero-level spells.

He had had to resort to this crude method, as although he had many formations that he could use after breaking the second seal, the materials needed to implement them weren't present in this age.

He wasn't a formation master like Drakos who could freely edit and create new formations after taking into account what was present.

The damn seals were like glowing, imaginary walls inside his own head, which irked him to no end. The worst part was that he could even see the information present behind each, but if he even tried to use something, or refer to something from the third seal, for instance, he would feel a crippling pain throughout his consciousness which would leave him with no other option but to stop his attempt.

Still, he was confident that he could stop them from leaving his Kingdom, because the most important point: the border, had been reinforced with almost all the resources he could get his hands on.

Besides, it wasn't like he would stand aside and watch, either. He had already prepared a lot of devastating attacks, and all that remained was to see whether there was a chance of the kid surrendering after seeing that he had no way to leave, even though he had marched in so boldly.

So, despite the anger which tempted him to just attack and get this over with, he said, "It's futile! Just give up. Drakos, you must have seen by now that you chose wrong. Maybe you liked this kid because he is like the Emperor in some ways. But it's clear he's arrogant, and his arrogance will now result in his death. Urge him to give up, and I'll guarantee that both of you will live."

In his mind, Arnold was imagining an Alliance with even Lanthanor and Eldinor under him, and at that point, there would be no question at all regarding whether he could break through the third seal.

Yet…that disappeared when the rumbling that had been present until now rose to a different level.

Initially, it had looked as if it was coming due to the side-effects of the spells cast by Drakos.

However, at this moment, the truth became clear.

His 'old friend' detected it, too, and spoke out with alarm.

"He was just using those spells to cover the real one! His objective is to carry away the whole thing!"

Even as the last word left the 'Black Raven's mouth, a gigantic block of earth slowly began to rise up into the air, accompanied by the King who shot a smile at them.

Till now, he had been standing on the ground right above where the lab, and the pieces of the Grand Inheritance were.

If he succeeded…he would be able to take away the entire thing, including the formations, so that he could crack them later at his leisure.

Yet, Arnold didn't panic too much.

He had expected that something like this might be on the cards, as, after all, the Ancient Dragon was renowned to be one of the few experts who reached the peak in formation design.

If anyone could perform a feat such as this, to condense all the formation materials into a small area in order to take them away, then it would be him.

So, he just shook his head and said, "Just start attacking. I guess there will be no surrenders today, after all."

With a nod, the 'Black Raven' started conjuring a ball of darkness between his hands, which was one of his iconic attacks.

Meanwhile, Arnold lazily conjured a similar ball, but this one was of light, and as it reached the size of a fist, he threw it in the direction of the King, who was still concentrating on the large 20-meter cube of earth he was extracting from the ground.

In response, Hero-level barriers rose up, which effectively stopped the attacks, but made sweat appear on the forehead of the King, who didn't look all that calm now.

Arnold was puzzled as he saw this. What could the rest of the plan be? What could he hope to achieve by doing this?

It was like an enemy coming into a Kingdom to steal gold, only to find that all the gold was locked in a safe. Still, instead of giving up, it was as if the enemy had lugged that safe on his back, and was hoping to run away even though he knew that there was an army waiting behind him, along with experts targeting him from the front, who wouldn't give him a moment of breathing time.

Shrugging and thinking that it might just be one last, desperate ploy, Arnold just continued shooting attack after attack with the aim of tiring down the King and making him fall to the ground, alive, so that he could at least hope to torture him and bring him to his side, if that was possible.

Soon, the King succeeded in extracting the block of earth, and he began to fly in a specific direction, as if he still hoped to somehow escape.

Shaking his head, Arnold only nodded at his 'friend', and they began to follow, still continuously shooting attacks.

It was also becoming apparent that the King would soon reach his limit. His brow was covered with sweat, and he had an expression of pain on his face as he kept conjuring barrier after barrier to protect himself.

Right now, if anyone could see this sight of a man carrying away a huge block of earth while being chased by two men who kept shooting balls of darkness and light at him, they would definitely have found it quite odd.

Only, no one could witness it, a there was an anti-eavesdropping spell present that was mainly to prevent anyone from the Big 4 from seeing, and finding out that they had failed horribly in their 'mission' of keeping Empire Spirits in their pedestals.

A minute later, it began to get more and more apparent that the King really had no where to go. He couldn't teleport, as Arnold had already deployed multiple anti-teleportation formations, so all that there was to be done was to try and leave Axelor with that huge clump of earth.

That wouldn't be happening today.

Soon, the King of Lanthanor finally came to a halt in a random place in the air, panting with exhaustion while looking at the two Empire Spirits chasing him with an indecipherable expression on his face.

Seeing this, Arnold smirked and said, "I see you may have finally come to your senses. Give up, unless you want to cease being a Mage, as your Mageroot will be destroyed after all this effort you're putting it up to."

The words didn't bring any change in the expression of the King.

It only made him focus on the cube of earth where the pieces of the Grand Inheritance were present, safely protected by the numerous formations that were still in effect, before he began casting the spells to try and break them again.

Huh? Had he gone mad?

Why would he try that again especially when it looked like he had no endurance to even run any farther?

Arnold was going to ask the same but gloat, but the words got stuck in his throat as he saw something that made his eyes pop.

Had the power of the spells…just doubled, in front of his eyes?

No! It couldn't be possible!

Rubbing them, he hoped that he would see something different, but what he did witness made him drop his jaw in utter, mind-shattering disbelief.

The power of the spells had…shot up again.

As he watched, this repeated once, twice, and then thrice, before finally stopping when a 5x amplified version of the same spell that Drakos had cast before began to make quick work of the formations protecting the pieces of Grand Inheritance.

He had sworn that he would retain his dignity no matter what more happened, but at this moment he couldn't help but sputter, and then scream.

"No…this spell…this goddamn spell…even if you have it, you're not in your Kingdom! How are you doing this? How?! HOW??!!"

Chapter 594: Lazon, of Town Azmar

15 minutes earlier, in the town of Azmar.

With a population of around 18,000 people, this was a medium-sized town in Axelor which actually had a few unique features.

For one thing, it was the newest town in the Kingdom, only established 3 years ago by a retired general who had obtained the land and the permission to set up the town after his own name.

This wasn't a very uncommon circumstance. The highest rewards given by the government were always to those of the army, and this man had served for over half a century with a lot of honors to his name. In fact, he was even known to be one of the only Generals to have fought against all the other forces of the Continent, and lived to tell the tale.

He hadn't been very talented, nor had he been very intelligent.

Yet, his redeeming quality was that he pushed himself harder than anyone else could, and he was an expert in listening to orders and carrying them out in the best way possible without asking any questions.

This had, of course, made him well-liked, which resulted in him retiring to directly becoming a town Mayor.

In the land that he had obtained, he used most of his money to build the town that attracted people from villages all over.

When he was done, many expected him to milk this opportunity as much as possible by raising the taxes to exorbitant amounts. He would only have to pay the standard portion to the government, before pocketing the rest himself.

Only…defying all expectations, General Azmar's town had the lowest taxes in the whole of the Kingdom except for the Capital itself. On top of the Government's taxes, which were mandatory everywhere, there was only a very small amount that was just used for the maintenance of the town.

Hence, this became the prime location to live in, as it was also discovered that this man who had been ruthless on the battlefield, was actually just a kind citizen who wished to see the happy smiles on the faces of his people whom he had fought to protect.

Most of all, it became the hot destination for those looking for a new start.

The purges had resulted in many families being broken apart and ruined, forever. Often, remaining members of these families would commit suicide, unable to accept the fact that they had been deprived of their loved ones so suddenly.

Even though they understood that it was necessary due to the excessive propaganda that was blasted on them everywhere, from daily announcements to newspapers to even posters present in many places, they just couldn't reconcile with this fact.

Hence, to prevent this, government officials who still had good hearts advised people to move, so that they wouldn't have to be constantly reminded of whom they had lost by being in the same place.

And for those moving for this reason, Azmar was the first option, mainly because of the relatively calm atmosphere and the lower cost that would be needed to live.

Hence, over the years, with the increase in the number of purges, those moving for this reason had also increased, until Azmar became the unofficial haven for all those deprived of family or friends.

With more number of people gathering who shared a more or less common feeling, they found solace in each other, eventually resulting in a thriving town.

Today, all signs had pointed to this being a normal day. As no one had access to the Network, they didn't know of all the incredible things happening outside. All they did know was that the small army unit garrisoned in the town were a bit restless, which wasn't a very uncommon occurrence.

Lazon had opened his store as usual, and he had been waiting for the first customer to walk in.

He wore a bandana which covered his forehead and was tied around the back of his head, and many who came to avail his services always asked why he chose to wear this peculiar item of clothing.

If they knew that it was because he wanted to hide the round, ball-sized hole where his Mageroot had once been before he gouged it out by himself, they would definitely have been pretty damn shocked.

He touched that spot from the outside now, and as he did so, the moment which triggered this came into his mind, as it always did.

An elderly man out to grab breakfast for his beloved wife, who came back to find a barrier around his apartment with his wife waiting for him, faithfully, like she had always done throughout their life whenever he left for work.

Unhesitatingly, he had stepped through and hugged her, and Lazon had been reminded of all the times during his childhood when he had been in the middle of that hug.

Somehow, by coincidence, he had been the one in charge to cast the wind blades to purge all those in the area in which his parents were standing.

But how could he? He had stopped, and that was when he saw his father turn towards him and recognize him for who he was.

He had no idea what to expect, but he could never have thought that his father-the man who had raised him…would actually move to another area so that he wouldn't have to be the one to commit the ultimate sin.

And at that last moment, when he had waved goodbye…Lazon had completely lost it.

He had fainted, and the first thing he did after waking up was to cast wind blades to cut out his own Mageroot, as he didn't want this thing which had been useless in protecting the people who mattered to him most.

He had been diagnosed with PTSD and given involuntary retirement with a hefty pension, as this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

The Mages in Axelor were already numbered, but incidents like these brought that number even lower, leading many ministers to request the King that he should consider stopping such 'targeted' purges.

Of course, he hadn't listened.

Blinking hard to get rid of these thoughts, Lazon heard a commotion outside which made him wonder whether the local drunkard was throwing a fit again.

The street he was in was near the center of the town, and it was usually jam-packed at this time.

However, when he walked out to see what was up, he found the streets empty.

Puzzled, he looked around, and finally saw a large group of people gathered together in front of something.

Curious, he walked forward to the group and saw many people who had faces which had been drained of blood. They were standing rigidly while staring into space, which made them look quite eerie, and tears had started to flow down the faces of a few who collapsed to the ground as soon as he appeared and started to cry.

In a bid to ask them what the heck was going on, he took another step forward, but stopped and adopted the same position as the others as he felt himself being swept away before appearing in a scene where the King of Axelor, whose face he could never forget, was flying in front of him while gesturing to a town below them.

His words finally made Lazon understand why the others were having those reactions.

"Hehe, just a little ploy to make sure that that brat can never succeed at turning the people of this Kingdom, even if he succeeds in somehow entering it. They all think he's responsible for all the purges being carried out, as he wants to conquer them, the same way that he 'conquered and enslaved' Eldinor. I swear, time has only made all these people dumber than they were during the Empire. It's so easy to manipulate them! A whisper here, and a casually smuggled in newspaper there. That's it! Oh, I can't wait to see how it'll be when a village gets massacred by soldiers touting his name. Maybe they'll start burning him! Or maybe I should think of something even more creative…"

Allowed to witness this from up close, Lazon had no doubt that it wasn't real. He didn't know how it had been made possible, but as he returned to his own body, he, too, collapsed, once again losing himself in the tide of those painful memories.

Yet…instead of causing sadness, they made him angry.

Angry…that he had to go through all that, that he had had to see his parents die, just because their King was fearful of the King of Lanthanor.

"F*CK YOU, SAFIROS!"

Unlike the others, he had no qualms in screaming this, which made those around him stand up with red eyes, too, as they tried to control the rage that pumped through them along with their blood.

However, that was when they saw a familiar figure in the center of the group, who was holding aloft a glowing trinket that was shaped like a conch.

His face had been the one on the posters that always made their way to villages and towns, so that the people could know whom they had to blame for the purges. In many places, his face was plastered with mud and even feces in order to give a little bit of satisfaction to the citizens.

Only, now, with that vision…it became clear who the one that was supposed to be pelted with feces was.

The surprising thing was that the King of Lanthanor had an expression of sadness on his face as he saw those crying with sadness, frustration or anger around him.

Turning to Lazon, who had been staring at him with a puzzled expression on his face, he beckoned him forward with his finger.

Lazon could tell that that conch was the reason behind them being shown that vision. He was grateful that he finally knew the truth, which was something he had questioned a lot, as it had never been clear how that man in that apartment had gotten that trinket which caused the purge in the first place.

When he reached the King, the man spoke in a low voice.

"I know how you feel. And I am truly sad that all this happened, in a way, because of me. I wish to set things right. I cannot explain everything now, but I need you to do something for me. Can you gather more people who have been affected by the purges? I need at least 2000 of them. You probably feel powerless against the King. But know that by doing this, you will be helping to cause his eventual downfall."

Lazon was a soldier, so he was trained in partitioning his mind so that he could fight whenever it was needed. Now, he used that skill to put the anger aside before nodding. He didn't know if the rest of what the King was saying was true, but he was sure that everyone else deserved to find out the truth, just like him. And that would happen most effectively with the vision, as it was better than any other means of communication.

Nodding, he was about to leave, but he stopped when he remembered the army.

"The soldiers-"

"Will not stop you. They're all trapped in their barracks by a barrier. I made them chase me there before trapping them all inside. Go, and be quick."

With another nod, Lazon left, and while he did, he heard the booming sound of the King's voice echo in the place where the people were gathered.

"People of Axelor. The truth has been shown to you. I do not have long, so I will be brief. If you wish for revenge, there is a way. Bend the knee and swear to follow Lanthanor, and retribution will be yours. If you do so, I will swear an oath to all of you, right here and now, that it will happen. I only ask this because it is essential. The choice is yours."

…

5 minutes. 5 minutes had been all he needed.

Using a loudspeaker trinket, Lazon had decided to act smart. Going to each apartment, he had shouted, "Reports have come that the King might be purging the remaining family members of all those who have already died in purges. Only the town center is safe! Head over there if you wish to live!"

This had been more effective than any other method. Scrambling, hundreds of people flocked to the center and were subjected to the vision.

Daneel had been afraid that it might take time to gather a lot of people. This was only a clone of his that had been deployed on his orders after he had reached the location of the Grand Inheritance, so all he could do was walk around and deploy trinkets. He had an arsenal of them that he had prepared for this plan beforehand, which he had put to good use to trap all the soldiers in barely a minute.

His whole objective behind asking Faxul to gather data regarding purge victims had been to make this happen. In Axelor, he needed a pocket of at least 1000 people whom he ruled, so that he could activate the Ruler's Inheritance.

He had been lucky in picking that soldier, who called people here in that innovative way to save him time. His real body was delaying the transport of that block of earth for this reason, too: he needed to be done here before his main body approached this location.

Thankfully, in just 5 minutes, over 3000 people had gathered in the town center.

With each loop, he stated his message again.

But people were still lost in their emotions, and very few had bent the knee.

This wasn't working as fast as he had hoped it would.

So…Daneel improvised.

Putting away the conch, he gathered the attention of all those in front of him by using a loudspeaker trinket.

"I know why you are doubtful. All you know about Lanthanor is that it is a cruel place where people are always oppressed. Am I right?"

Many people nodded, as that was the propaganda that had always been spread by Safiros.

"Well, just like what you just saw, the King was lying to you. Lanthanor is a place where people are free to do what they wish, and they are even supported by the government to fulfill their dreams. You don't believe me? Then look for yourself."

Saying so, Daneel made a display trinket appear which began to show the scenes all around the Kingdom, including the train station, happy, laughing families going about their work, calm streets filled with laughter, et cetera, et cetera.

With each image, the people of Axelor realized what they didn't have.

"This is what I promise you if you choose to follow me. This, and the revenge that you deserve. Safiros needs to die. And I swear that it will happen. The choice…is up to you. Either bend the knee to me, and take the chance of gaining revenge. Or don't, and be left wondering whether you should have done it for the rest of your life."

Daneel was out of time. And this needed to work.

Clearly, he had underestimated just how effective a lifetime of propaganda and fear was, and how much time he needed to change someone's allegiance. After all, this was the first time he was dealing with something like this.

The Mageroot was quickly tiring in his main body, so he couldn't dally any longer. Even though the main body was only being robotically controlled by the system while his main consciousness was here, he could tell that this was the case.

That last statement finally resulted in a little change, but nothing much happened.

Until…one man walked forward to stand in front of him.

He was the same one that Daneel had asked before to call the people, and now, in front of him, he turned around and addressed them.

"I am Lazon, an ex-soldier of the Army. This man speaks the truth. In the army, I heard rumors regarding this, but talking about it was treason. The King of Lanthanor is someone who has committed many glorious feats throughout the continent. I…believe him. And I am willing to take this chance, as I know that otherwise, all of us are powerless in defying the King. Even if there is the tiniest possibility that I can avenge my parents, I am ready to take the plunge. People, I know you are afraid, but it is now time to put that fear aside."

He turned around, and said, "We Axelorians are a hard race. We have been beaten to the ground, again and again, but we always survive. I want that to change. And I hope to see that change under you. I, Lazon Fellharn, swear to follow you for the rest of my life."

Saying so, he bent, which resulted in a domino effect.

One by one, the Axelorians knelt to the ground, swearing to be ruled by him.

'Well, this was sloppy,' was the thought that came in Daneel's mind, but he was just glad that it had worked.

997, 998…1000.

As soon as the magical number was reached, Daneel smiled broadly, and said in his head:

"Ruler's Inheritance…activate."

Chapter 595: The Final Step 1

As soon as Daneel's consciousness returned to his body, the first thing he heard was Arnold's shocked statement, which felt so, so satisfying that the smile on his face stretched as far as it could go.

Until now, the system had been the one controlling his body, and it could only make him put on the most rudimentary of expressions.

Thankfully, neither Drakos nor Arnold noticed anything, as it just looked like he was the one doing everything.

With him returned to his main body, Daneel didn't change that much: he just focused on the block of earth with the pieces of the Grand Inheritance inside, as the priority was to get rid of these barriers.

The objective of the whole plan with that town had been to make this possible…along with a certain side-objective that Faxul would soon put into effect.

As soon as he thought of this, Faxul's opportunity came, as Arnold, of course, opted for the thing that anyone would do when they were desperate.

"We cannot let him get those parts! Prepare to hit him with everything!"

So far, Arnold had had them conserve their energy and play out a war of attrition as he had been confident that everything was under his control, even though he had been surprised once by the actions of the King.

Yet…this was the second time that that was happening. His gut told him that it wasn't safe to do that anymore, and that this brat might have even more up his sleeve, which was a risk he was no longer willing to take.

But, when he said this, his old friend spoke up.

"Why? I admit that this is impressive, but even if he gets those parts, how will he leave the Kingdom? The formations at the border are still standing strong, right?"

Hearing this, Arnold nodded while calming himself down.

Indeed, that was the case.

Activating the Ruler's Inheritance had just been pretty damn impressive.

Also…he had been panicking about those two parts being unprotected, but wouldn't that be Ok if their target couldn't leave the Kingdom, anyway?

Even while they talked among themselves, the barriers around the pieces of the Grand Inheritance had started to break, one by one.

Still, Arnold prepared to let it happen…but that was when a realization hit him like a thunderbolt.

He had always had a habit of making lists of possible things that could happen, no matter how farfetched they were, so that he would never be caught too off guard to even respond in an appropriate manner.

This had already helped him before, where the scenario of the pieces of the Grand Inheritance being attacked had made him increase the defenses around them, which had come in handy when Drakos and the bratty King had tried to break through.

In this list…was also the possibility that although it looked like there was no way in which it could be possible, his 'friend' wasn't who he said he was.

True, he seemed to know all the things that were privy only to the Black Raven, and he couldn't think of a way in which the old Black Raven would ever come under the control of someone from this age. Knowing his ego, he knew that he would rather die.

Still…he hadn't been ready to discard it, as life had taught him that it was often the unexpected things which caused the direst of effects.

Now that he thought about it, everything that his 'friend' had been doing so far had somehow helped in him landing in this situation.

He would never have taken control of the Black Raven Kingdom if it weren't for his friend's plan.

He wouldn't have begun that purge if it weren't for the Black Raven suggesting it.

And he wouldn't have allowed in the King without resistance if the above two didn't happen.

Although all of these could have said to have happened outside of the expectations of his friend, and that it might just be his paranoia that had allowed him to survive multiple desperate situations acting up, Arnold's gut told him strongly that it wouldn't be wise to listen to his 'friend' at all right now.

He decided to follow it.

"No, let's not take any chances. Hit him with everything. No reason to take any more risks."

Keeping a close eye on the man beside him, Arnold began casting an elaborate spell of 4 types of elementary particles which would definitely tax his opponent much more than any attack they had used before.

As he watched, his 'friend' began casting a complex spell, too, and everything looked normal.

Yet…in the last moment, when he fired his attack, the 'Black Raven' disappeared from his side and appeared in front of the King of Lanthanor, before dispelling his own spell and conjuring two small black holes and a barrier which took on his attack. As Arnold watched, his attack, which was in the form of a thin ray meant to penetrate anything in its path resulted in his 'friend' being pushed back toward the King, until he entered the layers of barriers already in effect and allowed them to dissipate the rest of his attack.

Instead of being shocked, Arnold burst out into mad laughter.

He was…disappointed in himself, more than anything. It looked like the years of being trapped in that damn pedestal had made him soft.

As the barriers continued to break, his laughter cut off abruptly, and the Empire Spirit glared at the King of Lanthanor with an expression so fierce that it looked as if all he wanted was to tear the man in front of his eyes into pieces.

"Good show. Really, good show. You actually managed to manipulate me. Me! I should thank you, I guess, for this wake-up call that I need to bring my A-game in this age, too. Anyway, it's time for it to end. Even you two, combined together, won't be enough to leave the Kingdom alive. You might be able to defend yourselves, but I really don't see how…"

"Don't you learn?"

After a long time, the King of Lanthanor spoke, interrupting Arnold's serious speech.

Arnold's glare intensified as he saw this happen, but he just curled his lip, knowing that the King would continue.

Sure enough, after a few more seconds, all the barriers were broken, and with a loud sound, clumps of earth fell to the ground, leaving behind two things.

One was a small globe of transparent light in which the two pieces of the Grand Inheritance were floating.

The other…was a person, who looked like he had been tortured to no end.

Again, this didn't surprise Arnold. Just this morning, his 'friend' had asked his permission to use the torture chamber in his lab where he had previously demonstrated his experiment. Without thinking much about it, Arnold had agreed, which now meant that even the Black Raven King was in the King of Lanthanor's hands.

Well, it would just be one more person to crush after they failed in their escape.

With an expression of extreme joy, the King pocketed the two pieces, which made Arnold grimace, but he just told himself that he would be getting them back soon.

Then, the King pointed at his friend to make healing spells appear, before he was positioned on one side behind him.

As for the one who had masqueraded as the Black Raven all this while, he was standing on the other side.

Of course, there was no way for Arnold to know that the real Faxul was the Black Raven, and that the one who looked like Faxul was actually a different person.

And Daneel had no plan to let him find that out, either.

The more unexplainable a plan seemed, the more the caliber one would attack to the planner.

With everything done, it was time to end the part of the third phase in Axelor, and get out.

Getting annoyed on seeing the King just gloat without continuing, Arnold humphed and said, "The things I've learned would make your head explode. Go on. I want to see what futile attempts you make to leave. You are in an inescapable fortress."

He was constantly looking around and thinking, trying to see if there was anything he could have missed.

He was sure that there was nothing more that could surprise him.

Yet…the King's next action made him drop his jaw for the first time in eons.

"Oh, I thought you might have learned that no matter who you were in your own age, this one…is mine, and mine alone. Let me demonstrate that one more time."

Saying so in a confident voice, the King raised his hand and targeted a formation that Arnold had almost forgotten about.

It was…the one which hid everything happening here from the Big 4.

"N-!"

Crack!

Before he could even say a word, the anti-eavesdropping formation was forcibly broken, allowing this entire scene to viewed by everyone outside.

And the next moment…an expression of panic appeared on the King's face, while he downgraded all the spells he was using to ones of Champion level.

"Head! You said I could call for you if I needed you! I need your help now!"

Whoosh!

A man wearing regal robes appeared between the two parties, before setting eyes on the expressions of the two Kings who were apparently having a confrontation.

He had been watching the continent idly all this time, so he had been pretty surprised to receive a message through the communication trinket he had given to the King of Lanthanor, while a scene revealed itself to him in the Kingdom of Axelor.

He had always been ready to help out, as it would mean that he would be giving out a favour that a man like the King of Lanthanor would definitely return.

But he had never imagined that he would get the opportunity for this, as men like these seldom had to depend on others.

Only, this situation seemed unique.

On one side, King Safiros looked like he was ready to attack and kill those in front of him.

On the other, the King of Lanthanor was extremely tired, and his friend, King Faxul looked like he had been tortured extensively.

He didn't know the other man, but there were no indications of power from him, so he didn't care who he was.

Before he could make a judgment, the King of Lanthanor spoke up again.

"Head, I know that the Big 4 want to make sure that there isn't too much loss of life in the Central Continent. I marched into this Kingdom as I was sure that my friend had been controlled in some manner. That turned out to be the truth. I managed to find him, but it seems I cannot escape. I ask you for this favor, which I will certainly repay. If I die, Lanthanor will go to war, and I guess you don't want that to happen?"

"What the f*ck are you doing?"

After Daneel said all this and made the Head put on a pondering expression on his face, Arnold secretly sent him this message.

And the response…made it clear that the statement from the King before, was definitely one made from confidence, and not overconfidence.

"Oh, it's simple. Both of us know what will happen if the Big 4 get to know that Empire Spirits are roaming freely in the continent. They will crack down on them, hard, with their full force, and there's no way that you're powerful enough, yet, to handle that. You will be sealed away, and you'll have lost everything you worked for so far. So…the choice is yours. Either expose your power and attack to bring the full brunt of the Big 4 down on yourself, or let us go. What do you choose, oh master manipulator of the Empire of Angaria?"

Hoodwinked. Outwitted. Manipulated.

Not once, not twice, but three. damn. times.

"Pfuagh!"

Interrupted as he was mulling over what he should do, the Head wondered why King Safiros had just spit out blood, and looked so livid that it seemed like it was a real possibility that he might die of sheer frustration.

Chapter 596: The Final Step 2

Assuming that it was just because of the fact that a golden opportunity to take out two Kings of two of his biggest rivals so that he could place those Kingdoms in vulnerable positions which he could take advantage of might be lost, the Head folded his arms behind his back and turned to the kid who was the reason he was here.

Adopting a stoic expression, he asked, "Do you take me for a fool, King Daneel?"

He used the communication trinket that he had given the King to send this message, so nothing was heard outside.

Still, the change in the expression of the King was discernible, and it made a small ray of hope appear on King Safiros's face.

The Head had always wanted an opportunity like this.

And now that he had it, his instinct told him to haggle, and get as much out of it as he could.

True, the rules did dictate that the Big 4 weren't supposed to interfere too much in the Central Continent. But they also clearly stated that too much bloodshed should also be prevented, so that the overall strength of Angaria would remain the same.

Hence, if anyone asked, he could just say that he was following this rule, as the sudden loss of two Kings really would lead to all kinds of unrest that would definitely result in massive loss of life.

He had a suspicion that King Daneel probably knew about this, more or less, as he had gotten access to the Secret Archives. The Head was unsure regarding just how much data he must have collected there, but it was definitely possible that he must have gone through the tome that listed the various rules and guidelines of the Big 4.

Still, he was sure that he could use this situation to his advantage and take as much out of it as he wanted, as, after all, he was in the position of the one that was being asked the help.

The King took a few seconds to reply, and when he did, it was in a respectful tone.

"I do not follow, Head. I have only stated the truth. I know there are holes in the story, but believe me, they puzzle me as much they might seem puzzling to you. Some can be clarified by asking King Safiros, right now, and if you do so, I will also be very interested to hear what he has to say."

So it looked like the kid was prepared to take this 'innocent' act as far as it would go.

As someone who had lived for centuries and had seen all kinds of geniuses and schemers, the Head wasn't so easily fooled. He could tell that there were a lot of lies in the King's story, but one thing was true: these three individuals definitely were under risk of being killed by King Safiros.

True, King Safiros was only an Exalted Human while King Daneel was an Exalted Warrior, but the latter looked like he had been bombarded by some kind of formation repeatedly, which made it possible that he might have had to deal with some tough ones to get to his friend.

At this moment, the Head didn't care about these holes, and he didn't care to find out about the truth. It was enough for him to know that they existed, and whatever they were, he was confident that they were trivial enough not to concern him. After all, he was the goddamn Head of the High Council of the Big 4, and the strongest Hero on this continent to boot!

So, his whole focus was on exploiting the King, and his statement had been aimed at doing just that.

In response, the Head humphed and said, "If you do not at least admit that this has all been somehow orchestrated by you to gain the support of the people of the Black Raven Kingdom, then I will leave here, right now. I have no interest in helping those who are disingenuous with me."

This finally made a hint of panic flash across the eyes of the King, who had looked oh, so confident till now.

Smiling satisfiedly to himself inwardly, the Head maintained his seriousness and looked forward to see what the King would say.

The reply…was just what he had hoped it to be.

After shaking his head and putting on a serious expression, too, the King of Lanthanor said, "In a way, you are right, Head. My friend was abducted without my knowledge. But I decided to use the opportunity that was presented to me to both understand how the minds of the people of the Black Raven Kingdom worked, which would help me to better understand my Champion Path, and to get a way to enter the Kingdom of Axelor without contention, so that my work would be easier. If it weren't for me burning a lot of resources that will set me back for a long time, I wouldn't even have been able to free my friend so that an attempt to escape would at least begin. I know why you are saying this, Head. Just tell me what you wish in return. I know that the Big 4 does not give out free favors."

Yes, dealing with smart people who could read a situation accurately really was a delightful experience.

Musing in this way, the Head finally let a small smile crack on his face before putting forward his condition.

"Your talents are wasted out here. I want you to-"

"Join the Big 4? I'm ready to do that if you allow me to break through and become a Champion first. That's something I need to do out here, anyway."

"…"

The Head had thought that he would face an uphill battle, so he had built up this impression of a tough guy so that he could haggle for the King to join the Big 4 willingly.

Yet…he had already agreed, which left the Head sheepishly rubbing his nose.

So…it was done?

His main aim had always been to make sure that more and more talented people would be present in the Big 4, so that they could rise to become Heroes that would protect the continent. With everything he had seen from the King so far, he was confident that this was someone who could reach that step. As for what he chose when he did reach it…that would be up to him, but when the time came, the Head was more experienced than anyone else alive in persuading one to take that plunge and become a Hero.

He was confident in his skills. So, all he had wanted was for the King to agree.

Now that it was done, there was no need to dally any more.

"All right. It's good that you made this decision. We can leave, then. I don't care what you do before that point as long as you don't toe the bottom line, but after becoming a Champion, you must honor your word and enter the Big 4 after breaking all ties with the Central Continent. Is that clear?"

Hearing the stern voice of the Head, the King of Lanthanor looked like he was struggling with the decision even though he had stated it directly before.

Finally, after a few seconds, he nodded, which made the smile on the Head's face broaden.

Of course, inwardly, Daneel was laughing so hard that he was afraid that it would show on his face.

The Big 4 had always been the final goal of his on this continent: he had long known that if he truly wished to unite this continent, then he would have to target those sects, too.

According to his estimates, after he became a Champion, Daneel would be heading there anyway, so he had given the Head a word regarding something that would have happened eventually in either case.

Could there even be a better deal?

Meanwhile, Arnold was fuming as he saw the exchanges between this Hero of Angaria and the vermin he wished to crush under his feet so much that they were itching continuously, as if being denied that pleasure would make them feel so disappointed that they might shrivel up and cease to exist.

He could tell that he had lost this round.

This really was a stalemate: he just couldn't risk bringing down the Big 4 on him, especially as he hadn't even broken the third seal. Sometimes, in war, and in life, the best ability that one could be in possession of was knowing when to retreat, and when to advance. It would definitely be devastating if he gave in to his rage and advanced now, so the best thing to do was accept that he had lost this round, and prepare for the next one.

No matter how he thought about it, this was the only method he saw, even though it stung a lot that he would be losing the two pieces of the Grand Inheritance. Yet, he was confident that given enough time, and with the knowledge of just how capable his opponent was, he would definitely be able to take them back, along with the brat's head.

So, taking a deep breath and condensing all the fury he felt into a blazing ball that he could call on whenever he wished, Safiros straightened his back and wiped away the blood on his mouth.

From the smile on the Hero's face, it was obvious that an agreement had been reached.

Hence, deciding to retain some dignity, he said, "Get out. But remember how you were chased like a dog. Head, I will be taking my leave."

Saying so, he vanished, while the 4 individuals in the air looked taken aback. Even the Head was a bit surprised, as he had been expecting the King to go mad, as that would be in line with the personality he usually put on display.

Only Daneel got a cold smile on his face as he saw this.

Indeed, even he knew that he had won this round due to all the meticulous planning. In fact, he had even been pretty close to losing, and that would have happened if it weren't for that soldier who had stepped forward in the last moment. Daneel was almost inclined to think that this was a form of Karma due to all the sins committed by Arnold, but as he knew that no such thing seemed to exist in this world, he chalked it up to luck, and engraved it in his mind as a lesson.

But…he had been fighting from a position which had been shrouded in darkness. Arnold hadn't known a lot of things, which Daneel had used to full advantage. But now…almost everything was out in the open, and Daneel couldn't even imagine just how dangerous an enemy he would be now when he was equipped with so much more than before.

He would never be able to sleep peacefully if such a foe was alive.

As this thought came into his mind, his cold smile turned into a happy one, before he turned his gaze to Town Azmar.

…

Meanwhile, in Town Azmar, Lazon was surrounded by people anxiously looking around for some indication that the promise they had been given would be fulfilled.

Many even came forward to ask him if he knew anything, but all he said was that he was still confident in the King, and they should wait.

However, he could tell that everyone was scared even though they had gone ahead and bent the knee bravely before, as they knew the fate that awaited deserters.

Deserters would be subjected to 99 days of extreme torture, after which their remains would be thrown to the dogs all over the capital to be torn apart and feasted on.

Such a fate…would make anyone shake in their boots.

BOOM!

As a loud sound reached their ears from the direction where the garrison was located, the fear only grew in intensity, with many beginning to break down and regret the decision they had taken.

These were fragile people who were living after picking up the parts of their life left after seeing their loved ones die. They just weren't equipped for any amount of stress.

The confidence and gut instinct that had led Lazon to do what he had done before was still strong, but it couldn't help but waver just a bit as he saw legions of soldiers running toward them from all directions.

He tried to tell those around him to flee and not tell anyone about what had happened here, but although some did so, most were too afraid. They stayed where they were, rigid, ready to be slaughtered by the soldiers who must have heard about what had happened.

Just as he prepared to defend as many as he could, he heard a voice in his head that startled him and made him look up.

"In one minute, look east. A true King always keeps his promise."

…

Arnold had just reached the throne room in the Palace of Axelor. With an expression of frustration on his face, he prepared to down a few bottles of wine to satiate his anger before beginning to plot the downfall of the King.

This plan…would be so perfect that the King of Lanthanor would definitely find out how he had felt today.

Pointing to a wine cabinet and looking elsewhere, he lazily made a bottle fly over.

"Nice collection you have here."

What the-?!

With alarm, Arnold turned around to see the bottle that he had cast the spell on in the hands of an old man who had appeared out of nowhere.

As he recognized him, extreme shock appeared on his face as he raised a finger to point and stuttered "Y-you-"

Opening the bottle and taking a swig, the old man, who was bald with a long beard smiled and said, "Yes, me. You won't mind if I take this with me, right? Oh, why am I even asking."

Saying so, the old man calmly walked to the wine cabinet and began putting all the bottles he could find into the pockets of his robe.

Feeling danger, Arnold tried to teleport away, but he realized that a Hero-level anti-teleportation formation had been placed here already which he would need a few seconds to break through.

So, he decided to act shocked, which was an emotion that still hadn't faded anyway, and ask, "H-how?"

"Oh, stop dithering. I can tell you're acting. The major flaw of that formation you deployed is that it can only detect the overall complexity level of a consciousness. That makes it easy for additional ones, like mine, to sneak in."

5,4,3,2…

What the old man had just revealed was something to marvel at, as it revealed the many layers of the plan of the King. Yet…Arnold was busy counting down the seconds until he could teleport away.

However, before he could say '1' in his mind, the old man turned around and fixed his beady eyes on his and said, "Ok, good chat. Courtesy of the King of Lanthanor, I bid you farewell."

BOOOOOOOOOM!

Chapter 597: The Final Step End

The explosion was so loud that even Daneel, Faxul and the unnamed person, who had paused outside the Kingdom of Axelor along with the Head so that the latter could heal Faxul as a courtesy, heard the loud sound and turned around toward the direction of the capital.

Slight tremors could be felt from the earth, and for a second, a flash of light could also be seen lighting up the sky further in that direction.

With his view of the entire continent from above, the Head could clearly see and understand what had happened.

The capital of Axelor had always been shaped like a massive dome, decorated artfully with the long bones of whatever the strange creature was that this Kingdom used for this purpose.

Right now, right in the middle of it was a large, smoking hole, through which the emptiness where the Throne Room had once been could be seen.

Furrowing his eyebrows, the Head turned to fix his eyes on Daneel, who adopted an expression more innocent than any he had shown before.

It was almost as if he was as surprised as the rest due to this development, but after the Head glared at him for a few moments to make him remember what he had said before, Daneel finally raised his hands and said, "All right, fine. I couldn't resist. He left his Palace wide open, so I sneaked in a very talented assassin who placed some explosive trinkets. I made a promise. During the Olympics, he was the one who had released those mosquitoes that killed hundreds of people. Today, I took revenge. Promises are meant to be kept, Head, and you can be sure that I will keep the one I made for you, in the same way that I kept this one."

Seeing the sentence uttered in a dead serious tone, the Head didn't know what to think for a few seconds.

He was sure to face backlash for protecting someone who had killed the King of an enemy Kingdom, but it remained to be seen what kind of effect this would have on Axelor.

That would be the key factor: whether this attack would cause widespread death. After all, assassinating Kings and Queens was something that happened a lot in the history of Angaria, but it didn't always mean that that resulted in a Kingdom becoming weak. On the contrary, a few times, stronger individuals had taken the mantle and taken revenge on those who steered the assassination, which set in stone the fact that if one wished to follow this route, then they had to be ready for it to backfire on them.

For some reason, the Head could tell that Daneel wouldn't be suffering from this problem. Also…it was good to once again see that he would keep his promise and that he could be ruthless when needed, which was a trait that was all too rare in the modern batch of disciples in the Big 4.

So, just sighing and shaking his head, the Head said, "All right. This is it, right? You've got nothing else planned that'll cause major changes in the Central Continent? Because although I'm Head, I am answerable to the Council, you know."

The Head only asked this out of exasperation, thinking that the answer would definitely be 'yes', and that he could let out a breath of relief.

Yet…when he saw the King sheepishly look down and focus on his feet like a shy maiden, a bad feeling came over the Head.

Sure enough, a few moments later, the King of Lanthanor raised a finger and spoke in a slightly abashed tone.

"Err…just onnnnneeeee little thing…"

…

In Azmar, the army which had been rushing in the direction of the citizens who had been reported to have spoken to the person recognized as the Evil King Daneel were stopped in their tracks as they, too, turned east to see the gigantic fireball, and the subsequent smoke that arose from the spot where the Capital was certainly located.

Everyone stood in awe as they witnessed this, and even though they didn't know it, they could tell that they were witnessing something that might just change the history of their Kingdom in unfathomable ways forever.

Only…the citizens who had been promised revenge by the King of Lanthanor, and who had been told by Lazon beforehand to look there to see the word that had been given to them kept all had smiles on their faces, along with shining tears in their eyes that fell as they knew, before everyone else, what this spectacle meant.

The King was definitely dead.

Remembering his twisted face when he had merrily referred to the purges that had killed their loved ones, they felt satisfaction surging through their minds which made them once again fall to the ground, just like before, when they had bent the knee.

If they had been doubtful of the decision they had taken before, it was no longer the case now.

There was nothing more effective than seeing someone promise something impossible, and then do it right in front of their eyes, right away. This was capable of instilling a kind of belief that couldn't even be explained using words.

"Hail the King…"

"Hail the King!"

"HAIL THE KING!"

It started as a whisper, but it soon turned into full-blown cheering which shocked those of the army into regaining their senses, as they wondered why this group of people were chanting this slogan with extreme expressions of satisfaction on their faces.

They would have gone up and asked, but the next moment, they received immediate orders from the commander in charge of them to make their way to the Capital as soon as possible.

So, with no option but to think that maybe, this was a chant for their own King, whom they didn't know to be dead, they left, while the shout continued to echo throughout the town.

…

Chugging down a bottle of wine casually while seeing the chaos wrought by him, Elanev's master smiled as he felt the communication trinket in his pocket vibrate.

"Any problems?"

Hearing the calm voice of the King of Lanthanor, the old man humphed and said, "During the Empire, it was an established fact that if you left something up to Senior Fists of Justice, it would be done no matter who came in the way. Like I told you, it was a piece of cake."

As Daneel heard this, although he had seen the explosion for himself, he let out a breath of relief.

Of course, the old man wasn't where he was, so he couldn't see this, but he did hear it.

"I have to say that your plan is right up there among the top in what I've seen from the most talented generals during the Empire. Hell, even the Emperor would have struggled to make one as elaborate as this one. It was a genius idea to smuggle in an additional Empire Spirit in your mind along with yourself when you entered Axelor, as Arnold would be pretty startled on seeing you head to his precious parts of the Grand Inheritance. If he had detected an additional being, he would have been on alert, but all he would be able to tell from the feedback of his formation would have been that your mind has the complexity level of a Hero. And, of course, no one could have used this opportunity except me. All you needed to do was drop me off in the mind of some random person with a grievance, along with the set of trinkets that you specially made. I'm an expert in swaying people to accept me, so all it took was 10 minutes. Hehe, it definitely helps that there are so many stories from bards, even in this Kingdom, about powerful masters who sometimes grace people with no background to make them strong enough to get revenge. He thought I was someone like that, too, and after that it was a simple issue of taking his permission to use his body, putting his consciousness to sleep, and using the Ker-root based trinket made by that Dragon to bypass the formations in the Palace of Axelor so that I could place those special explosive trinkets in the Throne Room. He was completely occupied by you, so it was a piece of cake, especially as Drakos's trinket did wonders. Of course, wherever his stone pedestal is, it's unharmed, but as a major part of his consciousness has perished along with the King, he will have no option but to go to sleep for an extended period of time. That's the major negative with partial possession. If the body dies, that part of the consciousness disperses, too, so the original one is often injured beyond salvation. And when asleep, Arnold is no threat to you, or anyone. You really hit this one out of the park, didn't you?"

Daneel felt a small amount of pride as he heard this, along with the sting that still hurt him as he had had to use the precious Ker Root he had obtained in the Sect of Hedon again. Alas, Drakos had said that it was necessary if a trinket capable of bypassing formations of the level that would be defending the Palace in the absence of the King needed to be made.

This had been the last layer of the plan meant to remove Arnold from play, as he was just too dangerous an opponent to keep around. Hence, Daneel hadn't hesitated too much before deciding to splurge.

He was fine with not ending the Empire Spirit, for now. All he needed was for Arnold to be completely incapacitated, and with the death of King Safiros, that had been accomplished.

"What next, though? You can't enter this Kingdom again, as they'll be turtling up using everything they have. Even if they can't finely control the Hero-level formations, they can activate and deactivate them. So there's no way in. This part of me will have a merry life here, and I'll give you constant updates regarding everything that's happening, but you know that I can't do more."

Of course, as Daneel was always an advocate of getting more out of every plan he made, he had also used this to place a permanent spy in Axelor in the form of a part of Elanev's Master. The idea had come from the man's illustrious past, where he had lived multiple lives all over the Continent in this method.

Sadly, Daneel was too busy now with a different matter, so all he could say was, "Just keep me posted. I'll decide when I can spare some time for it."

"All right. Time to go make this boy a man, then."

As he saw Senior Fists of Justice cut off the connection, Daneel refocused his gaze on where he was.

This was actually a place that gave him the feeling of déjà vu.

Months ago, when Faxul had been crowned King, this place in the sky had been used to allow everyone to see everything that was going on. Just like then, all the people of the Capital were gathered in the streets, while display trinkets were also showing the scene all over the Kingdom, and even all over the Continent, with the help of the Network.

Two people stood in the air, and as the sun reached its highest point in the sky, one of them, who was wearing black robes with life-like Ravens embroidered on them, stepped forward and spoke.

"People of the Black Raven Kingdom! The King of Axelor, who is now presumed to be dead by the attack of an unknown force, used a spell to control and abduct me. He used this same spell to control the commanders of the army, too, who ordered our soldiers to unite with that fell Kingdom in that way. At this moment, I bow my head in shame, for I failed you."

Without giving the people a moment to react, he continued.

Pointing a finger beside him, he said, "If it weren't for this man, our Kingdom would have been doomed. Our people would have been slaughtered for simply making their opinions known, and the free will and spirit that we hold dear would have been trampled on, making us unworthy of being the descendants of the Almighty Black Raven. All those who stood on his side were right: he was speaking the truth, and he is the one you all must thank for saving my life, and allowing our Kingdom to be free from the clutches of someone who would have reveled in destroying everything we stand for. In every way, he has proven himself to be a better King than I."

As he said this, King Daneel walked forward and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, as if to tell him that he shouldn't feel so.

This honest display of friendship and camaraderie warmed the hearts of many, but suddenly, the gathering was interrupted by a loud sound that made the hearts of almost all the citizens gathered here beat faster, as they remembered when they heard it last.

"SQUAK!"

It was the Protector Raven!

Descending from the sky with the same grandeur it had shown back during the ascension of King Faxul to the Throne, which was something which was still fresh in the minds of all those present, the enormous Raven stepped onto the invisible podium in the air on which the two Kings were standing.

Seeing it appear, a smile came on King Faxul's face, and he walked forward with a smile, announcing, "Even the Protector Raven could not save me, as it looked like I was doing everything of my own free will. I-"

As the remaining words got stuck in King Faxul's mouth, an incident occurred that was witnessed by all which made almost everyone in the Black Raven Kingdom wonder if they were dreaming.

As King Faxul walked forward, the giant Black Raven walked forward, too, on its two legs, as if to greet him.

Only…after it reached him, it flew over him in a swift motion, which was the reason behind King Faxul choking on what he had been about to say.

While he turned around in shock to see what the hell was going on, the might Protector Raven of the Black Raven Kingdom actually…landed in front of King Daneel, and bent its beak which was the size of a human head.

Instinctively, the King of Lanthanor raised his hand, which made the Black Raven step forward and nuzzle its beak against the King's palm, while a resounding squak emanated from it at the same time.

"The sacred Connection Ceremony!"

"Th-the Almighty Black Raven deemed him worthy of being our King?!"

"B-but he's an outsider…"

"Who cares? He's done more for us than most! That's why the Almighty Black Raven acknowledged him! He truly cares about us!"

"The one who passes the Connection Ceremony must ascend to be the King! That is the teaching of our forefathers!"

"All hail the Almighty Black Raven!"

As shouts in this manner started to echo all over the Kingdom, Daneel asked Faxul, who was in front of him in the form of the Black Raven.

"Hey, does that really feel good, or are you acting?"

The answer, though, was disregarded by Daneel, as he had just received a message which made his mind go blank.

In the priority list of messages that should be relayed to the King, one of those on the top included any changes in the secret room in the library, where Drakos's pedestal was.

And, according to Kellor, right now…a golden light could be seen cascading onto the floor outside the door behind which the stone pedestal stood.

The last time this had happened, Daneel had broken the first seal after the Olympics.

As excitement beyond any level he had felt in a long time surged through him, he waited with bated breath for this ceremony to end, so that he could finally, finally, FINALLY go find out what awaited him behind the goddamn third and final seal of the Empire Spirit of Angaria.

Chapter 598: The Third Seal 1

In front of him, Faxul who was acting as the Protector Raven that had gotten gravely injured during that fight with the ancient Black Raven before could sense that his friend was very tense for some reason. He asked for the reason through the communication trinket that he had on him, but the only reply he got was that they should get finished with this soon, and it was given in such a terse tone that he wondered whether anything was wrong.

Yet, because Daneel hadn't bothered to say anything, Faxul didn't worry too much, and continued their act which was to show the people of the Black Raven Kingdom that Daneel had been acknowledged by the Protector Raven, which meant that they could have no qualms about accepting him as their leader officially.

Of course, there would still be some obstacles to pass through, such as getting the approval of the Council. All the senior members of the Council were now staring with completely astounded expressions at this scene, and as the 'Protector Raven' stood up and let out another loud squawk before flying off into the direction from where it had come from, they regained their senses and focused their eyes on the King of Lanthanor as if he was some kind of primordial monster.

Daneel also used this little bit of time to control his excitement, as he knew that this was the culmination of all of his efforts so far. Clearly, that act had been very effective in changing the minds of many of the citizens who were congregated under him, which had led to the satisfaction level reaching the required threshold that had allowed the final seal to become broken.

Obviously, same as before, Drakos couldn't tell whether this was the case, because this part of his consciousness wasn't in the pedestal. Yet, when Daneel told him that the golden light that had whisked him away into that vision before had appeared once again, Drakos also confirmed that this meant that the final seal had been broken – apparently, the Emperor had planned it so that the first and last seals would have these visions, which would be most effective in explaining whatever he wished to those who passed the criteria than any number of words that might be spoken by the Emperor Spirits left behind.

Elanev, as Faxul, continued his part after the 'Protector Raven' left.

As they were maintaining the act that he was shocked beyond anyone else, he just ended the event by once again assuring everyone that only prosperity would follow for the Black Raven Kingdom, and that another event would soon be held after a discussion with the Council.

Although he didn't explicitly state that this discussion would be regarding what they had just seen, it was apparent, and when everyone in the air disappeared, a loud buzz of conversation could be heard from the people below, with most of them advocating for the fact that there was nothing more they needed to wait for. The King of Lanthanor was their rightful ruler, and they apparently wouldn't have it any other way, especially after seeing how he had saved them all from that purge before, which was more powerful than any other thing that he could have done in an attempt to sway them toward him.

Of course, all of Daneel's efforts to go to each and every town and adding thoughts about supporting him also came to fruition now, as these blossomed into beautiful flowers of loyalty that stood stronger than ever after witnessing this unscheduled, yet sacred connection ceremony.

Typically, their agenda now was that Daneel would right away begin the discussion with the Council, but he couldn't wait anymore. He just told Elanev and Faxul that he needed to handle something in the Kingdom, and that he would come back soon. After all, the council wasn't going anywhere.

The two were a bit surprised, but after seeing the way in which Daneel completely cut off connections and immediately teleported to Lanthanor, they had no choice but to wait.

Barely a few seconds later, Daneel was already standing in front of the secret room in the library, from under which that golden light could be seen.

It cascaded onto his boots, lighting them up splendidly while his face also lit up with joy and expectation. He paused to cherish this moment, for which he had worked so hard. He couldn't wait for the mysteries to finally be revealed to him, but he still thought back just once to everything he had done, so that he could instill it in himself that with the correct vision, anything could be achieved.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel opened the door, and just like before, he collapsed to the ground as his mind was whisked away into the visual message.

Unlike before, when he had woken up in the presence of the Empire spirit which had apparently been acting with all that bravado in order to impress all those who managed to reach that level, there were no happy conversations to be heard from the citizens of the Empire. Instead, screams of pain and loud explosions greeted his ears, making him snap open his eyes and look around, with the intent of finding out where he was.

Dark clouds could be seen everywhere around him, and in front of him, a familiar figure stood, yet there was something different in him from what he had seen before.

First, Daneel took a measure of their location. They were clearly in the airspace of Angaria, standing on a physical balcony which was very similar in style to the buildings that Daneel had seen in his last vision.

It was a style which reminded him of the Victorian Era back on Earth. They were standing on a C-shaped balcony with a railing that was artfully constructed using a material that looked a lot like marble.

Flowing designs could be seen etched all over the railing, and the floor also seemed to have had a large sigil –"had", because it looked like it had been attacked using a fireball that had caused soot to appear all over it,.

As soon as Daneel finally looked up to once again see the figure of the giant-sized man in front of him, he turned around, and although he had the same face with those bold features and perfectly cut short beard, there was an additional weariness about him that hadn't been present before.

At this moment, Daneel could also tell what the difference in his figure was – unlike before, when his back had been the very symbol of confidence, authority and power, it was hunched now, slightly, as if burdened by the weight of a failure whose magnitude could not be imagined.

Yet, as soon as his eyes fell on Daneel, a small smile appeared on his face, which also seemed to drive away the gloom that was present all over where they were standing.

Without saying a word, he simply gestured Daneel to come over using his hand, before turning back and once again gazing upon whatever had been looking at when Daneel had rudely interrupted the scene.

Daneel picked himself up, and maybe because he couldn't help but compare himself with this man, he straightened his back as much as he could and also arranged his hair, with was quite funny as he had never cared much about his appearance till now.

Adopting a neutral expression, he finally walked forward to lay his eyes upon the same sight that the Emperor was looking at.

As he did so, he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

They seemed to be smack dab above the center of Angaria, and in the part of Angaria they were watching, there were five major settlements, all of which were completely covered by furious flames that rose to the sky. In each and every one of them, as Daneel focused his vision, he could see multiple individuals in the same form he had seen in the first vision– their upper body was swollen to a size of at least five times of the lower body, but the head still remained the same size, which resulted in a grotesque being that would bring terror to any who saw it. Such figures were proceeding to wantonly massacre all those around them, all while Mages and Fighters here and there tried to futilely stop them using whatever trinkets they could find. Yet, it was clear that all of these individuals were at most Warriors, who stood no chance against these beings which were mostly Champions, with even a few Heroes mixed in here and there.

Everywhere he looked, this was apparent, and in places where there were no more people to kill, these beings began thrashing all of the buildings around them.

By now, it was obvious that he was witnessing the catastrophe that had destroyed the Empire, and resulted in Angaria having to pick up the pieces and survive with barely a fraction of its population left.

Although all this was very shocking, Daneel had already imagined it before, as the records in the Secret Archives had been quite elaborate in describing how it had been.

The true shock… came when he looked up, as he had just heard a strange rumbling sound from there which did not match with any natural sound of lightning that he knew.

When he did so, above the clouds, Daneel could see some kind of… massive being that was at least the size of Angaria, itself.

He couldn't even comprehend how this was possible, and as he moved his head to take in its entirety, he saw that there were actually tentacle-like things which stretched from it and were approaching the borders of Angaria in various places.

He couldn't gather any more details except for the fact that it was somehow hidden using a spell whose complexity he couldn't comprehend – it was as if he was watching something wreathed in a mist that he couldn't see through no matter how much he tried, and this applied to those tentacles, too. He could only see the general shape, and that they were actually… moving up, away from Angaria.

It was then that he noticed something – right in the middle of this humongous mass which was literally like a cloud that covered Angaria and darkness, there was a gaping hole through which just a single ray of sunshine fell through.

It was such an incongruous sight that Daneel had to rub his eyes to see whether what he was watching was really true.

Finally, the Emperor spoke, and as Daneel listened to his words, the shock and awe that he felt only increased in magnitude until he could just stand there, watching this sight which was straight out of a nightmare.

"A World Eater – it is named grandly so, but it can barely be used on a continent of this size. If I hadn't used the Grand Inheritance to gravely injure it, all of Angaria would have been swallowed whole by it by now – leading to not a single Angarian surviving to tell the tale. It was inevitable, and we all knew that it was coming – but we still hoped that we could somehow stop it without resorting to this measure. Alas, this is what it came to. It was to prevent this that I set up so many obstacles to test those who wished to take control of the immense knowledge of the Empire, after which they would certainly use it to gain control of the ultimate power that is the Grand Inheritance. From the criteria that was fulfilled, I can tell that you actually went about it the right way- which is something that truly gives me pleasure. On behalf of this continent, I thank you and congratulate you on breaking the third seal, behind which all of the mysteries and secrets that you must have come across before are hidden. Now then, instead of me droning on and on about things you might not be interested about, why don't we do this – ask away, and I will answer each of your questions to the best of my ability."

Chapter 599: The Third Seal 2

Daneel first took a moment to distract himself from the image in front of him.

World Eater.

He had to admit that the name perfectly fit, because this really did look like some sort of terrifying being that could gobble up an entire continent whole.

He could just imagine those tentacles completely reaching down and holding the edges of the continent, before engulfing it in that mist and swallowing each and every being it could find.

Of course, he couldn't really tell whether this was how it would play out if that massive hole didn't exist that had certainly been caused by the Emperor wielding the Grand Inheritance, but that was how he imagined it.

After that, he continued to ask the first question that came to his mind.

"Why? Why do so many organizations want to massacre everything on this continent? What do they get out of it? And where are they even from?"

The Emperor did not turn to Daneel to answer the question. Instead, he just talked, while Daneel listened with complete attention.

"Getting right down to the important stuff, aren't we? Well, the answer to this is simple, and it is the answer that you would get for most of the questions that you can ask about those who wish destruction – power. You must have already guessed that Angaria is just a continent in this World, the true size of which even I do not know. However, what I do know is that Angaria is a mid-sized continent compared to others, and that it is one that has come into existence recently relative to other continents. The place that these organizations come from is simply called the Mainland – it is the oldest continent that has existed, and nobody even knows when it came into being. The mainland is vast – larger than you can ever imagine. In one estimate, it can be said that a hundred Angarias can fit into it. Even though this is the case, there are only a few major organizations which control large tracts of it. And the one which is currently attacking Angaria in this vision – is one of them. Here, I have to disappoint you just a bit – I cannot state its name, as doing so would call its attention upon us. But I can tell you why they wish to do this."

Indeed, Daneel did feel a little bit of disappointment when he heard this, but he was actually fine with it as he had no intention of gaining attention from such a behemoth, especially when he wasn't strong enough to even handle the forces in current Angaria.

So, he just took a deep breath and waited to get the answer to his first question.

"You see, the way the world works is that each and every being which is born in it is given a certain… ability to affect it, and mold it to their will. In those who are talented, this manifests in the form of Mageroots and Body Potential, which they can use to train and achieve great things. But what about those in whom this is not the case? These people should also be able to influence the world in some way, as it is the right given to them. Hence, they gain the ability to influence the Will of the World. I think you can guess what this Will is. When a Champion resonates with something inside himself and causes a reaction within the world, it is this Will that responds and lends its power. When a Hero ascends, it is the quintessence of this Will that he takes control of to dramatically increase his power by making the world itself move for him. And when one wields the Grand Inheritance, it is this Will that they control to do whatever they wish. Finally, this is also the answer that you seek – all of these organizations wish to control the Will of the World, which holds immense power, to drive their own agenda of either defeating their enemies, or becoming stronger so that they can continue to live for millennia. But herein lies the problem with the Will – the Will of the World is a combination of all the thoughts of all the beings that inhabit it – in case you have used the Ruler's Inheritance, you must already have gotten a taste of what this means. Such a large amount of individual thoughts can only be controlled and ignored, if all of those people, or at least most of them are loyal to the one who wields the Will. This has always been the singular rule that covers the Will – when wielded by one who is supported by a large part of it, it will not put up as much resistance, as they are deemed to be worthy. But when this is not the case, it will retaliate, and attempt to drive them mad. If someone gets over this and still uses it, it results in this catastrophe – a complete and utter retaliation by the Will which drives all those above the level of a Warrior into a state where their only objective is to destroy everything around them. That is exactly what you are witnessing below."

Daneel had been holding his breath as he heard all this, and he finally let it out as he realized that most of the suppositions he had had before were right. He couldn't even begin to express the amount of satisfaction that came from having them confirmed, but he stopped all these thoughts when he saw the Emperor continue.

"Now, to understand why they wish to massacre the inhabitants of the continent in order to get this Will, I ask you to simply think of something: you are a King who has definitely swayed a lot of people toward your side with great difficulty in order to reach this stage. Instead of that, imagine a race of people who are brought up while being taught a single thing: to revere you like a god, and always support you while keeping you in their hearts no matter what you do. Wouldn't this directly allow you to wield the Will without fearing the backlash, and also let you rest assured that outsiders cannot steal away the right to wield the Will?"

Daneel nodded without hesitation when he heard this. He had just now experienced this firsthand when he had tried to sway the citizens of Axelor. They had been brought up while being taught to support the King. Hence, even when they saw that that man was responsible for them losing their loved ones, they had still needed time to betray him.

"That is their objective. It is, in fact, two-fold: one, by killing millions of people, there is a certain power that is born which they can use. Two- they can quickly populate an empty continent and raise those people to support them, allowing them to easily wield the Will as they wish without having to go through any difficulties. As for why they want the Will: I am unclear about this, too, but one reason is that there is always a struggle in the Mainland, which can be won by those who control more Wills, and can hence defeat their opponents using overwhelming power. Another is that it is said that a Will can be used to prolong the life of those who stand above the level of a Hero. Continue. What else do you wish to know?"

Daneel decided to first to ask and get all the answers he wanted, before mulling over them later. So, after thinking for a bit, he asked, "If this risk still stands, why did you even leave behind the Grand Inheritance? And from what you said before, I can gather that you know that loopholes can be used to take control of it. Why did you allow that? And how did you even discover the Grand Inheritance? And what happened in this fight? Why didn't they return to attack again?"

This made a smile of sadness appear on the face of the Emperor.

After letting out a sigh, he spoke.

"Let me answer your last questions first. In my time, I was blessed with more talent than most others, and I went ahead to grow stronger and stronger until I reached the farther edge of the Hero level. There had never been anyone before who reached that level. Excited, I forged ahead. That…was when I was exposed to the Grand Inheritance, as my mind reached a complexity which allowed me to detect it. I found it in a spot at the center of the continent, and when I realized what it was- I acted like a fool. In my quest to grow stronger, I used it just a little bit without caution, and this…was the thing that attracted the attention of one of the organizations on the Mainland. You see, until that point, Angaria had been veiled. In other words, I am the fool who is the reason behind our continent being targeted by organizations from outside. In this final fight, I used the Grand Inheritance even though I didn't have the required amount of support to gravely injure their strongest weapon, and also ensure that the veil that was originally around our continent would come into existence again, at least for a time. I wasn't strong enough to make it stay forever. I knew that it would dissipate one day. I knew that Angaria would once again become a target. And that is why I left behind the Grand Inheritance, and the Empire Spirits so that our descendants would be able to learn from our mistakes. You have the chance, now, to do right by Angaria, and defend it without causing the catastrophe."

Daneel couldn't believe it. But he stood by the decision he had taken before, and just listened.

"As for why I allowed those loopholes, it was because I could not jeopardize the existence of this continent on my faith that one such as you would arise who could use the correct method to reach the level where the Grand Inheritance could be wielded without the risk of causing the catastrophe. You see, until I actually used it to get rid of the threat, even I didn't know the exact criteria that it used to judge the 'worth' of someone. I just thought that it needed people to be happy. I gave them everything they could ever dream of. But that was not the answer. You seem to have found it. I used everything I learned to make the seals. The objective of leaving behind the loopholes was that in the case where Angaria was once again under risk of being destroyed, one would be able to use the Will to defend it, even if it meant that they would reach the criteria by using horrible means to get to the required satisfaction level. Isn't it better to have a few die when you can save the rest, as opposed to letting everyone perish? It was always all about the satisfaction level. The seals, the Race- all of it. I simply wished for one to come forward who could use the Grand Inheritance to wield the Will without causing the catastrophe, like I did. And as for the Ruler's Inheritance, it was my creation based on how the Will worked. It was supposed to be used for practice by those who were using the correct method-such as you, for the time when you obtain the Will. Those who used other means would not have obtained that technique. In either case, Angaria would have been saved. I feel…that I have succeeded. Don't you?"

Daneel was tempted to just continue to ask questions.

But he decided to speak his mind.

"No. You failed. Those who used loopholes to get the Will might have used it to defend Angaria. But such a person…might opt to give up Angaria anyway, to obtain the knowledge to reach a higher level and live for even longer. How could you not think of this?"

In response to this, the Emperor looked to the side, and actually…smiled.

Only, it wasn't one of mirth.

"Of course I did. I didn't become an Emperor by being foolish, King. I set up a secret backdoor in the Grand Inheritance. Anyone with that intention…will perish right after defeating the threat."

Chapter 600: The Third Seal 3

Daneel couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he heard this. He hadn't even considered that it was possible to put in such countermeasures in the Grand Inheritance, but when he considered that it was probably an item made by the Emperor himself, he realized that there must be many more that the man hadn't stated, yet.

Also… It really was a brilliant plan – to use those who obtained the Grand Inheritance to defend the continent, which was his goal, and then kill them off before they became a threat.

He could only guess how it worked – it was most probably some kind of spell which would look for the condition that anyone who was going to give up the Grand Inheritance to someone foreign, and when that happened, it would result in the death of the possessor.

Daneel wondered whether he should ask about details regarding this, but he felt that such trivial things should be left for later, if there was a 'later' in the first place. Even though the Emperor hadn't said anything to indicate that their time was limited, he really felt that that might be the case, and that he should use what he had to the utmost before then proceeding to matters like these.

After all, he also had a feeling that when he did obtain the Grand Inheritance, he would be able to scan it using the system to find out all the countermeasures placed inside.

So, Daneel merely nodded and continued on to the next pressing question.

"What are you? Even in the vision that I watched before, each and every one of you were at least more than a head taller than most who live in my age. Are you perhaps some kind of being who is at a higher Energy level? If so, why did we become smaller, and is this in some way linked to how the overall Energy level of the planet is decreasing, millennium after millennium?"

This made the Emperor glance at Daneel once again.

"I must say that your mind is quite meticulous, young man. Each and every question you ask is important, and crucial. First of all, yes, I don't know how you guessed it, but we are beings of a higher Energy level. In our age, all those who were born were at least at the level of an Eminent Human, even if they did not train on any path for all of their life. So, you can guess that progressing in levels was also quite easy – Champions were quite common, and it was Heroes who were the main force to be reckoned with all over the continent. The tier of Energy that a race is born in depends on the overall Energy level of the continent. After the catastrophe, my guess is that the overall Energy level declined, because most of the Energy reserves must have been laid waste by all those who went crazy. Also, in that form, each and every individual can absorb humongous amounts of Energy which does not conform with their power level – and this is also the reason why the devastation was so absolute. All of these factors must have contributed to the overall Energy level falling into the tier where your level of beings became common. Or, it might have been gradual. I do not know, as this is only one of the pieces of my consciousness that were stored inside each and every stone pedestal to wait for one who breaks the third seal. After we finish talking, it will disperse, as no form of my consciousness exists in an unsealed form in this world, meaning that this one must perish as it is not strong enough to maintain me by itself. I suggest that you ask each and every thing that you wish to find out now itself. The only other way that you can speak to me again is by breaking the third seal on a different Empire Spirit who may accept you, but I don't know if you are capable of accomplishing that. As for the overall Energy level continuing to diminish- I can answer you based on what I learned about the Mainland. And before you ask, I found out all of this information by conversing with those behind the World Eater, who offered me any and all knowledge that was trivial to them so that they could entice me into joining them. Of course, they were still going to annihilate Angaria, and this was something I could not stand by, especially when it was my fault. At that point, I had already finished the rest of my preparations – all that was left was for me to wield the Grand Inheritance one last time, and then use the small fraction of time I would have before going insane to place copies of my consciousness in the stone pedestals, and also placing down the final rules using the knowledge I gained from that act. Getting back to your answer – according to them, each and every continent in this world has cycles of low Energy and high Energy. Currently, from what you're saying, I can guess that this continent is in a cycle of low Energy, which is typically when forces from the Mainland choose to attack, as they would need the least effort to accomplish what they wish. The overall Energy level would be lower, meaning that there would be fewer Heroes to handle. And in these fights, all those below the level of Heroes are inconsequential. I do not know specifically what happens between a cycle of low Energy and high Energy, but I do know that a continent-wide 'purge', as they love to call it, also hastens the cycle to an end because the leftover Energy is enough to kickstart the other part of the cycle. Of course, at that time, Angaria was in a state of high Energy, meaning that they would not have gotten this advantage if they had proceeded. In your case, I can tell that whoever is targeting you must have this objective in mind, top. After all, conquered continents become breeding grounds for powerhouses who are deeply brainwashed using their religion or doctrines to fight for them till the end of their lives."

Daneel had already gotten to the point where his head was completely stuffed, but he knew that if he stopped and started to think about even one thing, he would become stuck and unable to go on. So, he once again absorbed it all, and only checked whether the question had been answered before moving onto the next one.

"What about the Big Four? What was your plan for them? Why did you not want them to meddle in the Central Continent too much, and why did you choose to lay down that rule that there should at least be three separate forces at all times?"

The answer to this was given in a normal tone.

"The Big Four, or Three, or any Big organizations that came to be, were mainly meant to be a deterring force against any random organizations that might find Angaria by chance even with the veil up. This is possible even though the world is vast – one can never know how the tides of fate work. Even in such cases, the endgame was always to find someone like you who can wield the Will of the World in the correct way without fearing the catastrophe. So, all they needed to do was to make sure that there would still be powerful individuals who would be ready to stop threats, while also ensuring that the Central Continent would not devolve into the state of too much chaos. After all, there needed to be someplace where the only focus would be on obtaining power – and after everything I learned during my time as the Emperor, I realized that it was best if such places were kept separate. You see, segregation in terms of power level is not always a good thing, and it is definitely a bad thing when it is exposed to common people. Those with power tend to have puffed up heads, and incidents of showing off often result in consequences that are horrible to imagine. I remember one individual who massacred an entire town because he wasn't given enough respect by their Mayor. Of course, this was before the time of the Empire where I laid down very strict rules regarding such behavior. Anyway, I digress. As for your last question, the three forces rule was placed as a countermeasure in case nefarious means were used by outside forces to gain a following inside our continent. Along with this rule, the rule that no religion must ever grow large enough to encapsulate the whole continent was also placed for the same purpose. I had also found out that those in the Mainland mainly use this tool of religion to bind people to them. In the little time that I had, I decided that no religion might be best, and that each and every outcropping of it must be dealt with using extreme and absolute force. Three is the ideal number, as if there are only two, then one can take over the other and result in a singular force, and if that force is secretly under the influence of some kind of religion, Angaria would be doomed as all of my plans would have been for naught. I take it that at least this countermeasure worked."

Remembering how so many Heroes had descended upon him when he had recklessly dabbled in religion, Daneel blushed a bit and nodded. Oh yes, it had definitely worked.

Below him, all this time, the destruction had continued, leading to more and more places becoming silent graveyards due to those beings moving on to locations with standing buildings and living people. Here and there, Daneel could spot small pockets of people who were using some kind of trinkets to burrow deep, deep into the ground, where they couldn't be found. Only, most of them were interrupted and killed, but a few succeeded, and Daneel could tell that these must have been the ones who survived this apocalypse and went on to form the Big Four.

Watching this sight, the Emperor said, "Our time runs short. When this destruction comes to an end, my consciousness will also disperse. So I urge you to hurry up, and only ask those things which you definitely wish to know about that will help you in your path forward. We also do not have the luxury for me to sit down with you and find out everything that has happened after my passing. I wish that would happen, as even though it will be meaningless, at least this part of my consciousness will have perished with a little bit of satisfaction. Anyway, continue."

As Daneel heard this, he turned to his right to see a single tear appear in the left eye of the Emperor, which evaporated into mist not even a second after he had spotted it.

He could sense the extreme despondency of this man. How could he have known that just by pursuing power, he would bring down such a foe that could only be defeated in this manner?

He had clearly been a victim of fate, but instead of feeling defeated and giving up, he had nobly gone forward to do so much in order to ensure the continued existence of this continent that had given birth to him.

Right now, even though there might be reasons to hate him, all Daneel felt was respect for this man.

But the thing about only having a little bit of time made him feel panic. He could tell that there were so many more questions he wanted to ask, and although a few appeared in his mind, with the one about the bloodline being among the most important, he couldn't decide between them.

So, with frustration, Daneel was finally about to choose one, but he suddenly got an idea.

He loved it, as it would make both him and this man happy.

Not hesitating at all, Daneel proceeded to give a few instructions to the system before turning to face the Emperor and saying, "How about this? As you are a piece of consciousness, I know that you can enter my mind and go through my memories. It should not cost you anything. I would love for you to do that, if you allow me to do the same. What do you say?"

Daneel had to tilt his head up to say this, and when the Emperor also turned toward him with an expression of interest on his face, he looked forward to a positive answer as the advantages were clear.

This was an opportunity for him to find out each and every thing about the Emperor's life, so he was prepared to let this man go through his own memories and see the results of all of his plans as Daneel had so much more to gain from this than him.

Folding his hands, the Emperor said, "I must say that I like this idea. But sadly, it cannot be done. I have simply lived for too long a time, and even though most of it was spent in training in solitude, you cannot skip over these parts if you wish to go through my memories. You will have to endure the brunt of all of them, and even if you do survive the strain that this will put on your consciousness, I'm sure that you will have no way to remember any of it clearly enough in order to peruse it at you will. I can tell what you wish to accomplish, but it is not possible."

At first, Daneel was worried, but when he heard this, he chuckled and simply said, "Try me."

This made the Emperor raise both his eyebrows, but he glanced once to the right, and when he saw all that destruction once again, Daneel could spot the yearning in his expression to find out whether all of his efforts had mattered, at all.

Such temptation was truly something that could not be shielded against easily.

Sure enough, the Emperor turned to Daneel after a few moments and asked, "Are you sure?"

Daneel just nodded without hesitation, following which he saw the Emperor stretch forward one hand and lay it on his head. The hand was so big that it completely covered his skull, but the next moment, he was inundated with such a gigantic flood of memories that he directly fainted.

Yet, the moment right before he closed his eyes, he could almost swear that he saw the Emperor smile broadly, while tears of joy shone in his eyes.

Chapter 601: The Third Seal End

When Daneel woke up, he had such a splitting headache that he could only continue to lie on the ground, clutching his head and waiting, or at least hoping for it to subside before getting up.

His eyes remained closed, as he knew that opening them to let light in would only make it worse.

Right now, it felt as if his head had been dumped in water until just the moment before he would have drowned, and that this had happened so many times that that constant feeling of drowning was always with him.

Of course, he knew that all this was because he had allowed himself to be battered senseless by hundreds of years of memories, even knowing that he would not be able to remember any of it after waking up.

True enough, even trying to think of everything he had seen caused the headache to flare up, resulting in him only catching a few glimpses and flashes of images and words that were all just jumbled into an incomprehensible mishmash of nonsense right now.

Thankfully… he had placed his hopes on something much more reliable.

"System, have you recorded all of the memories?"

[Affirmative. Memories recorded. Analysis underway. Due to the sheer volume of the memories, deep analysis is expected to take a prolonged period of time.]

As he heard this, Daneel burst out laughing with happiness, and if anyone could see him now-lying on the floor on his stomach while clutching his head with an expression of extreme joy that was mixed with pain, they would definitely think that the King of Lanthanor had gone mad.

After laughing himself hoarse, Daneel finally struggled to reach a wall, which he leaned on as he asked the other all-important question.

"System, replay the announcement that I missed."

Indeed, completely captivated by the third seal, Daneel had ignored this announcement which had sounded in his head as soon as that news about the golden light had reached him.

He had known that they would be there whenever he wanted to go through them, so he had focused on that matter. Now that it had concluded, it was time to view what he had obtained from the system by reaching the threshold of satisfaction level.

Even before, he had seen this coincidence where the threshold of satisfaction level that the Emperor had set down had matched with those that were present in the system. In fact, this had even led him to the absurd idea that the system might be somehow connected to the Emperor, but after talking to the man, Daneel could tell that this was not the case, even though he did not have confirmation.

Of course, now that he had the full memories of the Emperor, that would be answered, but he would have to wait for the analysis to finish.

Also, there was the question of whether his transmigration was also in some way connected to the Emperor, but even this would have to wait until the system was done analyzing those memories.

So, Daneel just sat back and looked forward to finding out how much EXP he had gained through that elaborate and meticulous plan that he had spun against Arnold the Empire spirit.

[Satisfaction Level: 62%

Dissatisfaction Level: 28%

Milestone Reached. 250,000 EXP awarded.

Next Milestone: 80% Satisfaction Level.

Award: 1,250,000 EXP

Total EXP: 482,000 EXP]

YES!

Daneel had already guessed that this would be the case, but hearing it still made him ecstatic.

Also, the trend had continued – with each threshold so far, the reward had increased by five times and the same had happened again, resulting in the award for the 80% satisfaction level, which Daneel don't even know how he would obtain after having had to go through so much just to barely pass the 60% threshold, having an award which blew his mind.

The cost for the next upgrade to the system, which would allow it to reach hero level, had already been given to him – it was 1 million EXP, and at the time, it had seemed like an unreachable number. Yet, now, with this award, that didn't seem so at all.

Also, Daneel knew that there was even more EXP to be earned when the Alliance with the Black Raven Kingdom was finalized. He had used 15,000 EXP to purchase the advanced tool which allowed the system to scan a much larger area around Daneel for satisfaction level, and that was why this had become possible even though the Black Raven Kingdom hadn't allied with Lanthanor officially yet. Even last time, that step had been essential before the system gave him those oh so sweet achievements.

One last thing which Daneel did reflect upon was that he hadn't gotten the continuation achievement for "Empire Spirit Reaper".

Yet, Daneel just attributed this to the fact that he had only put Arnold to sleep after destroying half of his consciousness, unlike in the case of the Empire Spirit in the Kingdom of the Elves which had ceased to exist due to his machinations.

So, the next main step that he would have to take was to go back to the Black Raven Kingdom and browbeat that Council into announcing the allowance.

Only, before that… There was one last thing to do here.

Although the headache was still there, Daneel struggled to get up as he had to reach somewhere.

He failed. Even the simple effort of trying to get up hurt too much, but the enticement was too strong. Leaving behind all dignity, Daneel crawled on the floor and reached the center of the room, where the other ultimate award was waiting for him.

The stone pedestal, with all that precious, high-level knowledge.

As soon as Daneel laid a hand on it, he heard Drakos speak in his head.

"Congratulations, Young King! I am truly honored to have found someone like you who – "

"Drakos, no offense, but please cut the crap and just give me everything behind the third seal."

A moment of silence followed, after which the Ancient Dragon said, "As you wish."

The tone of the Empire Spirit made Daneel realize that he hadn't actually thought this through.

So, when another flood of information collided with his consciousness and amplified the pain he was feeling to over 10 times of what it had been before, Daneel screamed out loud before promptly fainting again.

And this time, the last thing he heard was a very subtle chuckle, and if it hadn't been for what he had noticed in the Ancient Dragon's tone before, he wouldn't even have been able to guess that this Empire Spirit, which was supposed to be so innocent, was capable of taking revenge in this way.

…

Meanwhile, Faxul was sitting on his throne in the Black Raven Kingdom, conversing with the members of the Council who were all arguing amongst themselves regarding what they were supposed to do next.

Elanev had finally been allowed to give up the role of acting like Faxul, and he had jokingly said that it was quite addicting. At that time, Faxul had been tempted to say that Daneel's aim was to make all the members of the Council of Nine Sovereigns rulers of some force of the other, but he refrained himself as it was his friend's plan to announce.

Just like he had been doing for the last 10 minutes, Faxul continuously tried to reach Daneel, but when each and every communication attempt failed, all he could do was wonder what was up, while trying to not let this opportunity that they had worked so hard for to pass away from them.

After all, it was always best to strike when the iron was hot, and right now, most of the Council were still bewildered that the connection ceremony had actually happened in the first place.

Yet, already, some of them had started to refute it using dumb arguments such as that the connection ceremony was invalid as a sitting King was already present on the throne.

Faxul had already guessed that there would be such people who did not want an outsider to rule them even though the citizens wanted it – all of these people were those who had been in power for a long time, and had thus gotten used to the old ways.

Even though those ways are constantly changing, they were just not ready to move on, and the only blessing was that there seemed to be enough people who had also recognized the sheer amount of support that Daneel had among the common populace.

Yet, these views could be changed, and although he and Daneel could still force the Alliance onto the Council, it would result in a lot of friction that would only bring problems in the long run.

So, after once again sending a message and receiving no response, Faxul announced, "This meeting is adjourned. Don't all of you have duties to get to? Instead of using this time to idly think about things which cannot be decided by yourselves anyway, I charge all of you with quieting down each and every segment of the Army and making sure that they know that whatever happened will not repeat. When you're done with that, I want you to go hold small gatherings in all the major towns where you use your authority to calm down the people, too. Keep doing this until I summon you all again. Got it?"

Ever since the baptism, Faxul had adopted a certain measure of authority that made his orders carry a tone that could not be defied. This thankfully kicked into action right now, as most of the Council nodded in reply before seeing him disappear from his place.

This was a good tactic to delay them, but it would only do that – delay the inevitable.

In the meantime, he had to find Daneel and get him to the Black Raven Kingdom as soon as possible.

After thinking for a bit, he contacted Kellor to find out the last message that had been relayed to the king. On discovering that this was regarding their academy, he was slightly startled, but he proceeded to go to the library where there were so many memories of theirs.

Here, he walked up to the secret room whose formations were still open as Daneel hadn't bothered to reactivate them after passing through as he had been too excited. Still, the system was actively monitoring everything, and it would have stopped any threat. It only allowed Faxul to go through without any resistance after identifying him.

As Faxul finally stepped inside this room and saw the stone pedestal, he realized what it was as he had seen the same kind of object before during their foray into the Ancient Black Raven's abode.

Yet, the sight of the glorious King of Lanthanor, who would soon be in command of not one, not two, but three Kingdoms in the continent of Angaria, made him want to take out a communication eye and record this so that he could tease his friend using it later.

Realizing that there was no need to hesitate, Faxul did so.

The King was slumped over the pedestal, drooling freely from his mouth which had a lopsided smile on it, as if he was having a very pleasant dream. Occasionally, he would flinch as if that dream was being affected by nightmares, but each and every time, the smile would return.

Done with the recording, Faxul went forward and started to shake Daneel, but receiving no reply, he got a bit worried before deciding to resort to extreme measures as time really was tight.

If he had known that Daneel had actually entered into a dreamland filled with the memories that he had just experienced from the Emperor, he might have hesitated, but he just went ahead and did the thing that Daneel loved to do to others when he had to wake them up – a solid metal hammer came into existence right about the King's head, before dropping down and making him wake up with a startled expression on his face.

At that moment, the King blurted out something that made Faxul question if something was wrong with his hearing.

"Bleargh! Hero-level! Champion Paths! Bloodlines! 1000 year virgin!"

Chapter 602: The Ultimate Jackpo

After sputtering out those words, Daneel groggily looked around, before finally spotting Faxul who was looking at him with a very weird expression on his face.

At first, he didn't understand why, but after remembering what he had just said, a blush crept into the King of Lanthanor's face, while he straightened himself and wiped the drool off of his mouth.

The headache was manageable, as it looked like he had slept for 2 hours. Although it still felt as if someone were constantly dropping hammers on his head, it was much better compared to before, when he hadn't even been able to get up.

Thinking about hammers, Daneel touched his forehead to find an imprint which was already healing, and in the air, he could see the remains of the spell that Faxul had just used to wake him up.

Initially, on realizing what it was, Daneel was going to 'politely' ask his friend why he had resorted to that method, but after remembering how he had used the same before, when Faxul had fainted due to the bloodline awakening in his body, he put away the question and simply decided that he would just use the next opportunity to use not one, but two hammers.

"1000 year virgin?"

As Faxul asked this with one-eyebrow raised, Daneel turned to the side to hide his expression before blurting out, "Never mind that. What's up? Why're you here?"

Although the memories were a mess, the one where that nickname had come from was clear.

It was quite shocking that coincidentally, the Emperor had followed a similar path as him.

Although they were differences in the ways they had obtained power, one thing did match: both of them had taken control of a single force first, before expanding to grow larger and larger.

At that time…the Emperor had stood out as one of the only people who were in charge of a force, but didn't have a harem of at least 2 or 3 women.

Even the women used to mock him, who typically had harems of men ranging from 2-100.

Even then, his talent had been known among all, so he had been called the 'Thousand Year Virgin', to refer to their supposition that even if he lived to be a thousand years old, if he didn't change his ways, he would always be a virgin.

This actually reminded Daneel of that moment with Senior Fists of Justice, when the latter had said that he was similar to Daneel in this matter.

Daneel felt the pressure again, now, but he now knew that that old man…was wrong.

The Emperor hadn't died a virgin.

Daneel didn't know the details, yet, as the deep analysis wasn't done, but he could tell that this was the truth based on the overall view he had of the man's life.

Deciding to reflect on that later, he waited for Faxul's answer.

"Er…the Council, Daneel. Remember the plan? You have to come convince them."

Daneel turned around with a start as he heard this. Indeed, right now, that was supposed to be going on, and he really hadn't expected that this trip to the stone pedestal would take so long.

After all, who else but he would choose to do something like that during the vision?

Nodding seriously, Daneel said, "Right. Go call for the meeting in 10 minutes. I'll be there."

Faxul was initially about to confirm this, but seeing the furrowed eyebrows of his friend, he knew that he would be there.

So, nodding, he teleported away, following which Daneel folded his arms behind his back and addressed the other issue that had been revealed to him before he had fainted.

"Drakos…did you allow me to withstand that flood of information knowing that it would make me faint again? Did you do that for revenge because I was rude?"

Daneel deeply respected the Ancient Dragon, but at that moment, he had just been a tad bit impatient. He couldn't even be blamed, as he had been looking forward to this for a long, long time.

Still…the fact that the 'innocent' dragon had done this was quite surprising.

After a few moments of silence, Drakos answered, knowing that he had nowhere to hide.

"Umm…yes, Young King. I apologize. I don't know what came over me, but I felt that doing that would feel good. And it did. Afterward, I realized that it was wrong."

Hearing this, the King of Lanthanor adopted a serious expression.

The innocence of this Ancient Dragon was a very important matter, and it could not be ignored.

Thinking for a bit, he asked, "Did you feel anything similar to how you felt before, when you were about to give in to your race's instincts of destruction?"

After pausing for a few seconds, Drakos answered.

"No, Young King. I promise that no such thing happened. It was more like…I imagined what you would do in that situation, and I just…did it."

Daneel couldn't help but gape as he heard this.

The Ancient Dragon…had been imitating him?!

On Earth, there was a famous saying often used by the kind old lady who had raised him. She had had it read off of a newspaper by a gentleman who had visited the orphanage, and after mugging it up, she had always used to repeatedly say it even if it didn't fit the occasion.

"Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company."

Here, Daneel was the bad influence who was slowly corrupting Drakos even though he had been trying not to expose the Ancient Dragon to too many of his schemes.

Alas, most of his schemes had required for the Ancient Dragon to be present, and even in those cases, he had asked Drakos to go to sleep whenever the main event had been about to go down.

Still, it looked like just a little bit of his scheming mind had seeped into Drakos, and Daneel had no idea whether this was a good thing or bad thing. If it brought him closer to that 'snap', then it was definitely terrifying, but if that was not the case, then Daneel wondered whether it was possible for the Ancient Dragon to unleash his true power by changing bit by bit, without completely snapping and turning into a bloodthirsty monster who craved destruction.

Either way, Daneel was in no position to make a decision regarding this right now. So, regarding this, too, he decided to peruse the Emperor's memories when they were available to him.

With this settled, he finally came to the goldmine waiting for him that he had had to crawl to to obtain.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "System, give me the list of types of items received after breaking the third seal in order of importance as set by previous commands."

It was the moment of truth, and Daneel felt like a little kid who was unwrapping his present during Christmas while hoping to all the Gods there were that his parents had bought him the gift that he had begged for.

After hearing the answer from the system, he really did smile wide like a happy little kid.

[Affirmative. Analysis has been put on hold as previous analysis task is already under progress, but categorization has been completed. Please note that this is a macro level categorization. List in order of host's preferences is as follows:

1. Information regarding the Hero level, and how to reach it

2. Information regarding all Bloodlines available in Angaria, and theories about how to obtain one even if one is not born in the line of the Godbeast

3. An exhaustive list of High- and Medium-Tier Champion Paths

4. Exhaustive list of Hero-level formations and spells

5. Exhaustive list of Hero-level Fighter and Bloodline Techniques

6. Speculations regarding the history of Angaria before the Empire by the Emperor, and miscellaneous data.]

As he had 10 minutes, just for enjoyment's sake, Daneel asked the system to repeat this list 5 times.

Each time he went over it, he beamed so happily that anyone would wonder just what the King had obtained that was making him so happy.

If they knew that it was a treasure trove of information which basically made him the strongest person on this continent if he used it wisely, they would understand, and smile alongside him.

At this moment, the main emotion that Daneel was feeling was…extreme relief, and a strong sense of expectation.

Until now, in his journey on Angaria, for the most part, he had always been playing from an underdog position. Although he had used hard work to sometimes ensure that he was dominant, when he looked back, all he saw was a struggling ant in the face of individuals who were far more powerful than him.

Now…that was no longer the case.

True, he was still a Peak Warrior.

But, he was now a Peak Warrior armed with such an extensive wealth of information that it would definitely put all of the Secret Archives of all the Big 4 to shame.

If he was on Earth, this was basically like him being handed the launch codes for all the nukes on a planet. True, he still may be someone inconsequential, but that didn't mean that he didn't have ultimate power.

Besides, with so many Champion Paths, Daneel was sure that he would choose his own, and break through to become a Champion soon enough.

Even if that wasn't the case, even as a Warrior, he could use all these things to do anything he wished on this continent.

Angaria was now his playground, and if he moved carefully, he was sure that he could achieve each and every thing that he wanted.

The journey so far had continued in one way. From now, it would be different, and much more fun, as Daneel was now truly equipped to put the 'Domination' in 'World Domination'.

The only thing that could result in his downfall…was if he got cocky. And from everything that Daneel had learned, he was sure that he wouldn't be a victim of that simple, yet powerful flaw that had seen the ruin of many, many before him.

Taking another deep breath and holding it for a few moments to calm himself down, Daneel disappeared from Lanthanor.

Following his instructions, Faxul had called for the Council again, and because they knew that the King of Lanthanor would be coming, varied emotions could be seen all around.

Some looked forward to seeing him.

Some loathed him, and wished that he would die on the way.

And some were looking forward to using their dumb arguments to deprive him of what he deserved.

Yet, all of these people stood up in shock, as they could never have expected that the King would enter in this way.

His arrival was heralded by a loud and familiar 'SQUAWK', and when they looked out the window, they witnessed the King of Lanthanor riding in on the Protector Raven.

It alighted in the middle of the Throne Room and menacingly looked all around, as if threatening them that if they even thought of opposing the one it had acknowledged, then they would be exposed to the true fury of the Almighty Black Raven.

Since childhood, all of these old-timers had grown up revering their deity, and this living embodiment of their Almighty Black Raven whose wish was absolute.

And now, when they saw this and realized what it meant…they all bowed without hesitation, as was their duty.

Faxul was actually the most shocked. During their fight with the Black Raven Empire Spirit, the Protector Raven's consciousness had gotten gravely injured because Daneel had wrested control of it from the Empire Spirit, which had caused it harm. Since then, it had been in a coma.

This was why Faxul had had to act like the Protector Raven before, during their fake connection ceremony.

Yet, now…this was the real deal!

How the hell was this possible? Even Drakos had given up, saying that only a Hero-level healing spell, which he didn't know, could save it!

Before he could ask anything regarding this, though, Daneel did something which set the Alliance in stone and bypassed all the problems that they might have faced in one go.

While they continued to kneel, he regally jumped off the Protector Raven and walked to Throne, which Faxul respectfully vacated.

Sitting on it as if it was his right, he spoke in a tone that made almost everyone in the room feel a chill up their spine that made them shake in their boots.

"Council of the Black Raven Kingdom. I have been acknowledged by your people. I have been acknowledged by your King. I have been acknowledged by your Deity. Now, I will be frank in saying that I no longer give two sh*ts about you lot. If you don't wish to support me, the Protector Raven wants me to tell you that it hasn't feasted on human blood in a long time. It will be a fitting sacrifice to begin a new age for the once Mighty Black Raven Kingdom. Any takers?"

Chapter 603: Trinity of The First Alliance

The deafening sound of silence greeted the Throne Room of the Black Raven Kingdom, where before it had been filled by whispers of plots and plans to make the King of Lanthanor go back to where he came from without giving him anything in return.

The Council was mainly made up of retired commanders who had lived to be over 70 years old. Hence, most of their mind was still filled with the old idea that Lanthanor was their enemy, and that the Black Raven should always soar free.

Yet, now…when they saw the Protector Raven eyeing them as if they really were its next meal, they could only gulp, and struggle to rearrange their thoughts.

All of their schemes left their heads, replaced by the singular question asked by the King which reverberated in their mind over and over again.

"Any takers?"

While Daneel waited for his classic 'shock and awe' tactic to work with a smile on his face, he received a message from Faxul.

"Is that really…the Protector Raven who went into a coma after our fight with the Black Raven Empire Spirit?!"

Faxul had always shared a special bond with this Raven. When he had been small, it had carried him around on its head, amusing him to no end, so much so that he loved to roam the corridors of the Palace in this fashion all day, while his father and grandfather watched on with happy expressions on their faces.

After finding out that it had become the innocent casualty of that fight because of Daneel and the Empire Spirit fighting for control of its mind, he had been heartbroken, but he had consoled himself by thinking that this was only a coma, from which it would surely recover.

Now, seeing that happen all of a sudden…was pretty overwhelming.

Daneel didn't show any outward reaction while sitting on the Throne, but he did reply.

"Of course. It says 'hi', and that it senses something new from you. Something…that makes it want to bow. Hehe, it's really puzzled. I guess you have some explaining to do, or it might get jealous thinking that you got a stronger Protector Raven."

As soon as Daneel said this, the gigantic Raven in the room turned around and glared at him for a moment, before winking familiarly and turning back around to continue doing its job.

Faxul saw this gesture and became dumbstruck.

It had been so quick that none of the others had noticed it, but he could never mistake it for anything else.

Yes! This was that same Protector Raven! It wasn't some kind of construct!

"H-how?!"

Sending this message was all he could do, while he continued staring at this majestic being which was the last family in the Black Raven Kingdom that he had left.

"Oh, this? Well, I broke the last seal and obtained all kinds of spells. Using one of them was enough. Now, let's bully these guys into agreeing, and you can have your reunion."

Feeling Faxul smile with joy in front of him even though he was facing forward, Daneel felt happy, too, as he knew just how much this Raven meant to Faxul.

He had seen how hurt his friend had been before, when it had gone into a coma, although he had tried to hide it deep inside.

Daneel had simply paused the analysis of the memories of the Emperor to have the system extract just this one spell so that he could make this kind of a smashing entrance. After extracting and using it, the system had gone right on back to the all-important analysis.

Daneel let the atmosphere grow even heavier for a few more seconds, before finally starting to speak again.

"Good, I see that most of you retain your senses. Now then, onto the official stuff. The Black Raven Kingdom will officially join the First Alliance that currently comprises of the Kingdoms of Lanthanor and Eldinor. King Faxul Coronis shall obtain a seat on the council, while I hold the commanding rights. Any problems?"

"Ki-"

"Raven."

One of the men in the room- a bald man, with a bulging stomach and quite a tall stature, had stood up to answer Daneel as he had been holding in his anger all this while.

He was the main leader of the faction which did not want an outsider to rule their Kingdom. Instead, they were happy with Faxul, who had recently just been mooning around while letting them do what they wished.

They didn't know that this would change now, as Faxul was a changed man who was no longer inhabiting a different body, but they still wished for that situation to remain.

Daneel had been really hoping that there would be a 'taker'. After all, the best kind of demonstration was a live one.

The moment he called out to the Raven, it teleported forward, which was something that only it was capable of.

The man had no chance to say anything more. He had gotten livid on being interrupted by the King, but that expression barely had the time to turn into one of shock when he felt himself being raised by the sharp beak and then teleported to the large balcony from where the Raven and Daneel had appeared from.

Before anyone could say anything about the matter, the Holy Protector Raven promptly…dropped the man.

They were at least 6 floors up, so everyone had ample time to hear his scream while he plummeted to his death.

It was an old lady who got up and shouted, "My King, he is a Fighter! He will die!"

She addressed Faxul, but Faxul merely shrugged and jabbed a finger in Daneel's direction, who was looking out the window as if admiring the non-existent scenery.

Sometimes, Daneel had to admit that he overdid it.

Right now, the objective was for them to call him what he wished to be called, and for that…he was ready for some theatrics.

The old lady hesitated as she saw this, but she tensed, waiting for the sickening crunch that would indicate that a member of the Council had fallen to his death.

As a former commander, herself, she could estimate the height of the Palace, so she knew that by this time, that man was mostly a mass of splattered blood and guts.

Only…instead of the scream being cut off, it grew louder, making her look out the window to see the man appear from a space door in the sky before beginning to fall to the ground again.

What the…f*ck?!

Everyone was similarly dumbstruck. They could only watch as their fellow member of the Council repeatedly fell, again and again, until he got so disoriented that he let out one bodily fluid after another, until he finally even barfed up his stomach, which resulted in the disgusting sight of even all those things accompanying him in this nightmarish horror.

The sound of the King of Lanthanor flicking his fingers brought them all back to reality.

The member of the Council did not return to the Throne Room. Instead, it looked like he had been set down on the ground, where he could be heard retching from the open balcony.

Although many were still focused on what they had just seen, the words of the King made them shake their head and put their full concentration on him.

"I never make empty threats. All of you are revered commanders who served this Kingdom and helped it become what it was. Don't you feel ashamed by looking at its state now? Don't you want it to reach its former glory? If you agree to my proposition willfully, and swear to do all of your duties as instructed, I can guarantee that I will put all of my efforts into rebuilding the Black Raven Kingdom. Your armies will be back to full strength. Your people will be able to keep their heads raised in the presence of outsiders. And the bunch of you no longer need to give excuses to all those who ask what the f*ck it is you are doing in rectifying this whole situation."

Many times, trust was the most bitter pill to swallow.

All those present knew exactly what the King was referring to. Almost every day, they were asked by the citizens regarding what they or the King were doing to bring the Black Raven Kingdom back to its glory.

Once, even though they had been ruled by that tyrant who raised taxes and worked people to death, they had at least been a force to reckon with.

Now, they were the weakest force in Angaria, only present to be the laughing stock of the others.

They simply couldn't take that anymore!

Most of them already knew what the King was capable of. They had seen and studied all the steps he had taken in developing Eldinor after taking it under his wing.

So…they knew that he wasn't one to exaggerate.

It started slowly, but when it did, it became an avalanche that toppled the entire Council.

One by one, member after member bent, even if they were unhappy and disappointed.

They both knew what hideous fate awaited them if they didn't support this, and they also knew that supporting it was probably for the best.

It was basically the age-old battle between logic and ego, and because the punishment for the latter winning was something that couldn't even be imagined without getting the urge to puke, the former won out.

The moment the last knee hit the floor, the system sounded in Daneel's mind.

[Achievement Unlocked: Out of the shadows, into the light (2)

Out of the shadows, into the light(2): Fortune favors the brave. After stepping onto the path of the true World Dominator, you have forged ahead to take control of another force out in the open. Congratulations!

100,000 EXP received.]

As Daneel heard this, he almost started to hum a tune, but he stopped himself at the last moment as it would have ruined the somber atmosphere in the room.

'It's raining EXP, oh, hallelujah…'

It didn't really rhyme, but Daneel sang it in his mind anyway before standing up and saying, "Thank you. From this day forth, the First Alliance comprises of three Kingdoms which will all be feared as the Mighty Trinity for their strength and valor. Rise, brave commanders of the Black Raven Kingdom. I commend you on making the right choice by yourselves. As we agreed, if you do what is asked of you, this will be a golden age. Faxul, here."

Fashioning that same document that they had signed in the Kingdom of Eldinor, Daneel added Faxul's name at the bottom, right below that of Katerina.

Faxul signed it after levitating over a bottle of ink lying in the corner, and the council was dismissed.

Daneel asked Faxul to keep a close eye on them, as they still couldn't be trusted fully, before leaving his friend to happily rejoin the Protector Raven, which nuzzled its beak against his head the moment Daneel teleported away.

With most of his matters settled, all that remained was for the system to be done in all of its analysis.

As soon as it was, he had three burning questions to ask:

What is the Hero level, and how does one get to it?

What should I do to get a bloodline for myself?(the strongest one, of course)

Is there a way to fix the 'Hopeless' Champion Path using all the data accumulated so far?

He wanted these to be answered by the system, and as for the rest, Daneel could get to them at his leisure.

He knew that it would take a few hours, but Daneel was too skittish to sleep.

So, he did another round of inspection on all the schemes, before checking on Eloise and worrying a bit that she was still not back.

Yet, everything else left his mind when he finally got the notification he had been waiting for 15 hours later.

[Analysis complete. Memories have been compiled into a module ready for viewing which has been named after a famous autobiography of the Emperor:

"The Legend of Emperor Fenoras-Slave, Warrior, Monarch, but above all, a simple man."]

Chapter 604: The First Blazing Question

Daneel didn't respond to the system right away. He wanted to do it right.

Teleporting to the top of the Palace of Lanthanor and casting a camouflage spell to make sure that no one could see him, he conjured a throne and opened a bottle of premium wine that cost over 10 Gold Lans.

Taking a sip and enjoying the spiciness sliding down his throat, Daneel looked out over his Kingdom for a moment.

From this vantage point, he could clearly see the sprawling grounds of the Palace, and right outside, all of the meticulously constructed villas and mansions of top officials in the Kingdom were in glorious display.

Beyond that was the wall that separated the inner and outer cities, and past it, he could see the Academy where he had spent his formative years.

It was always important for one to remember their roots when taking a major step forward, solely so that they would remain grounded instead of ascending too much into the sky and running the risk of crashing and burning into nothingness.

Finally, taking a deep breath, Daneel ignored the module that he had been told about and continued to ask the system the questions he had listed before.

After all, that module would always be present for him to peruse. However, the answers to these three questions were things that he had been searching for for what felt like a long, long time.

"System, what is the Hero level, and how does one get to it?"

[Hero Level: The level that one ascends to after reaching the Peak of the Champion Level.

Requirements to reach Hero Level:

1. Acknowledgment by the World.

2. Peak Champion Level.

Methods to reach Hero Level:

There are two main methods.

Method 1: By taking the resonance used when breaking through to become a Champion to the next level

This is the method used when one has chosen a Champion Path that can be refined to take them to the next level. The requirement is that there must be a deeper level that can even be reached in the Champion Path that is chosen. However, this is typically not told to Peak Warriors, as it must not be a criterion when one is choosing their Champion Path. Research carried out during the time of the Empire suggests that each and every Champion Path has a deeper level that can be found if one is talented enough, and if one is capable of resonating with it enough. Top-tier Acquired Champion Paths already have the route for this laid out, but there is a chance that this route cannot be pursued, as, after all, one who chooses an Acquired Path is choosing one that is not completely their own. Hence, the most common practice was to adapt Acquired Paths with set routes to one's own preference, and then use the guidelines when the time comes to break through to become a Hero.

For example, there is information on the 'Mad' Champion Path. Unlike the one that was seen by host in the case of the individual known as the 'Mad Doctor', this is an acquired one which provides guidelines regarding how one can connect with their inner madness to influence the World. The deeper connection is achieved when one can understand the different types of madness that are present in the world, and then gain possession of knowledge regarding the true meaning of this concept known as 'Madness', instead of just resonating with what is inside themselves.

When a threshold is reached, the World automatically responds and bestows one with power that 'can rend the skies and shatter the earth'. A qualitative change occurs, putting Heroes on a much higher level when compared to Champions, so much so that even tens of the latter cannot really compare to just one of the former.]

True…meaning?

Daneel had made a lot of speculations regarding just what the Hero level could be.

He didn't need the system to tell him about the disparity between Champions and Heroes: he had seen it himself. It might not be as exaggerated as what the system had just said, but the chasm was definitely much wider and deeper than anyone could imagine.

He had imagined that it might be the next step in resonance, but he could never have expected that it would be something like this.

Truly profound.

Yet, when the system continued, it made him drop the smile that had appeared on his face when he imagined himself choosing an incredible Champion Path and then taking it all the way to the Hero level.

[Special Note: This method is not possible in this age.]

"What? Why?!"

[Energy Level. For the World to facilitate this kind of breakthrough, a certain overall Energy Level is required, which is currently not present. There are deeper calculations and reasonings regarding why this is the case, but the general consensus is that the Will of the World is too weak to even acknowledge this kind of deeper resonance and grant the owner with a special power that allows them to break through when the Energy level is low. Would host like the system to elaborate?]

Daneel's jaw dropped as he heard this.

Seriously?!

After getting past the shock regarding the fact that the overall Energy Level of the continent was tied to even this facet of one's growth in power, he realized that there were some incongruities between this method and what he had learned so far regarding the Hero level from Rayen.

Apparently, no one could become a Hero on this continent without the express permission of the Head.

If this method was possible, why couldn't one simply achieve the required level of resonance/knowledge, and then directly break through?

Why would the Head's permission even be required?

Something was definitely fishy.

Looking forward to being able to, for once, answer a question as soon as it appeared in his mind, Daneel asked the system to continue instead of elaborating.

[Method 2: By gaining the acknowledgment of the World in a different way.

The first Method can typically only be used by those who possess extreme talent. In 1000 Champions, it is considered lucky if 1 can use that method to become a Hero.

Hence, this second method also existed for those who couldn't achieve said requirements.

The Will of the World is present to be controlled by all beings on the continent.

As such, those who are on the Path to Power are capable of manipulating this Will even further.

In other words, they can stand in for the Will in such cases where deeper resonance is not possible.

The key behind this is a special type of Oathstone that can only be made during the event of a Hero's death.

Typical Oathstones are not a natural resource. They are special materials fashioned from Ker Gems and inlaid with Hero-level formations that enable them to act as Oathstones.]

Wait…what the f*ck?!

Here, as he heard this, Daneel couldn't help but conjure the Oathstone that he was in possession of- the one that he had obtained when he became the King of Lanthanor.

It had been a long time since he had taken this thing out, as there had been no need to take oaths recently.

So, now, when he viewed it…he still saw nothing.

Oh, yes. These were Hero-level formations. As a Warrior, how could he even detect them?

If the Hero-level formations were high enough in level, even the system probably wouldn't be able to scan and detect them, as it was only at the Peak Champion Level.

So, he decided to ask the Ancient Dragon.

"Drakos, is this really an artificial thing, and not a natural one?"

One of the first things that Daneel had found out about after becoming a King was that Oathstones were wondrous substances found in nature and hoarded by large organizations due to their ability to not let oaths expire if the one whom the oath was sworn to died.

So…all that was bullsh*t?

"Yes, Young King. In fact, it is an Artifact: the next level of magical item after a trinket. There were many kinds of Oathstones with different properties during the Empire. Let me see this one…oh, it is one from a famous product line which boasted that these Oathstones were 'indestructible'. They used to advertise that even the apocalypse wouldn't be enough to destroy their Oathstones, and that all the Oaths would be safe. Although I cannot believe it, I guess that they were right."

Daneel raised his eyebrows as he heard this while continuing to stare at the red-colored egg-shaped stone with sharp edges in his hand.

He was still surprised, but he had to admit that it made sense.

Oaths were basically like data backups back on Earth. They could be considered as a record of debts, and if they were lost, then there would be no way to enforce a certain debt. In the same way that losing the records of all the student, business, etc. loans of a country would cause chaos and needed to be avoided at all costs, Oathstones which couldn't be destroyed would also be sought after.

Putting it away and marveling at how one of the earliest things he had found out after transmigrating had turned out to be a lie, Daneel asked the system to continue.

[In the event of a Hero's death, said Hero can infuse the authority they possess over the World into the Oathstone, turning it into an object known as a Willstone.

Willstones are indistinguishable from Oathstones. The difference can only be known by one who has bonded with them.

When a certain number of people at a certain level- either as a Fighter or a Mage swear oaths to a Willstone, their Will can be called upon using the authority left behind by the dying Hero to cause one to break through and become a Hero themselves.

Exact number of people varies according to overall Energy level, but according to estimates, based on all the power levels of all the people that host has witnessed in the Sect of Hedon, that Sect's Oathstone, given that it is a Willstone, would be able to produce 2-3 Heroes.

The owner of the Willstone can also bestow this power unto others.

Those who become Heroes using this method are weaker than those who use the first method. Hence, they are known as 'Lesser Heroes', while those who use the first are called 'Greater Heroes'.]

Daneel immediately got up from the Throne he had conjured as he heard this.

It all…made sense now!

What if…the Head was in possession of all the Willstones from all of the Big 4?

What if anyone who reached the peak of the Champion level would need his permission to grow stronger and become Heroes, as the first method was unavailable to all in this age?

This perfectly matched with what Rayen had said.

Anyone who wanted to become a Hero would have to allow that Artifact made by the Emperor which made one swear an Oath stronger than a normal one that could not be defied even by a Hero to bind them.

According to Rayen, there were two commandments to swear by : that they wouldn't divulge any details regarding the Hero level to anyone, and that they would forever remain loyal to Angaria.

The more Daneel thought about this, the more he became sure that he was right.

Only…just one thing didn't add up.

Pacing around on the rooftop of the Palace, Daneel began to think furiously.

Yes, that first commandment made sense.

But why the second? Why was it so important to make sure that this info was kept a secret?

Could it be that the Head didn't want aspiring youths on the Path to Power to know that they would have to basically enslave themselves to this continent if they wanted to become the most powerful version of themselves?

Yes, that might leave a bad taste on their mouths, but Daneel's gut told him that it was something else. This wasn't good enough a reason.

Finally, a few minutes later, the King of Lanthanor abruptly stopped as an idea hit him like a thunderbolt.

"Drakos…how can one tell the difference between an Oathstone and a Willstone?"

The Ancient Dragon was thrown off a bit by the question, but he soon answered, saying, "For anyone who has possessed both, it stands out as clear as day, Young King."

Daneel pressed on.

"But what if…someone has only ever possessed a Willstone? Just tell me one thing that a Willstone can do that an Oathstone cannot."

"Hmm, let's see…well, an Oathstone can only hold oaths and pass them on to the next owner. But a Willstone allows the possessor to speak to those who have sworn oaths directly, into their mind. Willstones are also nearly indestructible."

"I F*CKING KNEW IT!"

Hearing the King exclaim in such an uncouth way, Drakos was startled, but Daneel was too busy celebrating as he had cracked what was possibly the biggest secret buried in the Central Continent.

All the damn Oathstones in the Central Continent had always been capable of this!

That meant that these were all Willstones!

But because no one knew this way of distinguishing them, they simply took them to be rare, but simple materials-whereas the truth was that they could be used to help a Peak Champion break through and become a Hero without needing the permission of the Head!

Daneel was sure that even the Head knew of this, and that must be why he had set down that other commandment.

It was exactly like a peasant using a fist-sized, fat diamond as a paperweight back on Earth. It might seem normal to him, but only those who were knowledgeable regarding what it was would be able to know its true value.

Daneel had been worried before that there might be problems in the future if there was ever a time when he, or any of his subordinates might ever need to break through to become Heroes. He had feared that they might have to go obtain permission from the Head, too.

Well, now…he could happily say one thing.

"F*ck you, Head."

This felt great and all, but he calmed himself down, as if he was still a puny Warrior, for whom the Hero level was still far away.

So, Daneel took another deep breath and asked the next blazing question.

"How do I obtain the strongest Bloodline?"

Chapter 605: Curveballs

[Parameter unclear. Please clarify.]

Daneel was taken aback as he heard this from the system.

Huh? Which part of his simple question had been unclear?

As he asked the same, he got an answer that almost made him wonder whether the system was mocking him for his stupidity.

['Strongest' parameter is insufficient to list Bloodlines. Different bloodlines are strongest in different scenarios. The Bloodline of the Divine Snake is most adept in dealing with stealth blows, which are guaranteed to take the lives of all those who are unaware. The Bloodline of the Flaming Hawk is strongest when dealing with opponents who rely on low-temperature based attacks. Hence, more parameters are required.]

Daneel blushed, and felt glad that no one else was around to see him in this awkward situation.

Right.

The excitement had gotten to him, so he had gotten ahead of himself.

But after thinking for a bit, Daneel realized that his original idea had been right.

Although it was the truth that something that could be called the 'strongest' in each and every scenario was something that one wouldn't see every day, that was exactly what he wanted.

After all, wasn't that the true meaning of being 'domineering'?

Yet, it looked like such a thing was not possible through the list of Bloodlines that the system had just obtained.

So, thinking for a few seconds, he asked, "All right, what is the most fearsome Bloodline- that which can be used to dominate one's opponent in the most number of scenarios?"

Daneel had made this question up based on what the system had said. He was very interested in all Bloodlines, and those that the system had mentioned had sounded pretty damn impressive.

But, he still held on to the hope that he could find something that could satisfy his own criterion.

As he waited for the system to go through the data and give him an answer, he sat back down and took another sip of the wine.

Only, when the system did answer…Daneel spit out this wine with shock and wondered whether he had gone crazy and heard wrong.

[Bloodline of the Divine Cockroach]

What the…f*ck?!

As he asked the system to repeat the answer, Daneel realized that he had right.

A cockroach?!

He had always known that a lot of species were common between his home planet and this one, and this had always led him to wonder how that was even possible. Of course, he only did that idly, as he knew that the answer was most probably something that he couldn't find out with his current power level.

As such, he had gone about noting the ones that were similar. There were some which shared characteristics but had additional properties due to being mutated by Energy: such as the mosquitoes. This was a species which was close to his heart because he had dealt with it a lot during the time when he had been much weaker.

Cockroaches were another species similar to mosquitoes, which had taken on strange characteristics due to being on Angaria.

For one thing, they never grew to be as large as the ones on Earth- the biggest ones were at most the size of a fingernail.

For another, they had no wings on their back.

Instead, they were blessed with an ability to dash away at high speeds.

Cockroaches usually survived on anything that could find, and they were hardly a menace. Even here, they were known for their tenacity of being able to live through almost anything.

At most, there were a few simple substances that could be blended together to make a product that kept away cockroaches from a home.

Apart from this, most Angarians didn't bother with this species unless they were elves who had taken up biology out of interest.

Of course, this was vastly different from the mosquitoes, which, up until recently when Daneel had messed with their ecosystem causing them to change their prey to other living beings instead of Energy resources, were a severe nuisance to all Angarians.

Daneel couldn't help but think through all this as he wondered how it was possible for a Bloodline like the one that the system had just stated could satisfy the parameters he had given.

He got no answer, so he gave up and asked.

[Bloodline of the Divine Cockroach: Lends one the ability to survive the onslaught of any opponent at or near their level. Unless there is a major level difference, those who have awakened this Bloodline will live on because of their nigh-indestructible bodies and terrifying regenerative abilities. Only, the drawback is that they cannot output much power, as these abilities eat away at their other abilities. All in all, this is a Bloodline opted by frontrunners in armies, who typically perish in the first charge. Also, it was a favorite for those who feared death, as it is almost guaranteed that a Bloodline Possessor of the Divine Cockroach will live to his maximum lifespan.

This Bloodline has been chosen based on a book written by the Emperor, himself. He stated that those who have the Bloodline of the Divine Cockroach have the ability to assess any opponent through a fight and then run away while staying in possession of their life to plan a counterattack after identifying weaknesses. As the Bloodline Possessor would mostly be able to survive no matter who he was up against if the power level difference wasn't too much, he is the one who can handle the most scenarios.

Parameter 'Fearsome' also matches, as those who are capable of doing this effectively do strike fear into the heart of many. All who know of the properties of such a person would hesitate to provoke them, as they would be aware that they would be gaining an enemy who would be ready to do anything to take revenge.]

Daneel could only shake his head with an expression of bewilderment as he heard the answer.

Oh, yes. 'Fearsome' and 'dominating' indeed.

He couldn't help but react with prejudice initially, but when he calmed down, he could see that the system was right.

However…this Bloodline didn't suit him, as it was also an objective of his to be able to awe people in order to bring them under his wing, instead of making them laugh when he turned tail and ran whenever he met an opponent he couldn't beat.

Giving up on his quest to receive a direct answer from the system, he just told it to give him a list of all the Bloodlines.

This resulted in him receiving a large infodump that almost made him get a headache again, so Daneel decided to go through it calmly later on, even though a few did jump out, such as:

[Bloodline of the Divine Dragon: A Bloodline solely focused on destruction through fire and fury. Destruction begets power. Has the ability of growing more powerful during a fight if the possessor is capable of getting enraged without losing himself in the process.]

This wasn't too surprising, given what he had heard about Dragons in this world from the Emperor in that vision.

It was certainly interesting, but again, it wasn't really applicable in all scenarios. Already, he could see the weakness that if there was a foe who fought defensively, the Bloodline possessor would get frustrated instead of aggravating himself on seeing the aggressive moves of his opponent.

Almost all of them seemed to have a weakness, and some were also peculiar, like:

[Bloodline of the Divine Earthworm: Bloodline Possessors have increased fighting prowess when surrounded by earth.]

All in all, there were many more Godbeasts from the time of the Empire than Daneel could have imagined. Initially, he had thought that there only might be a couple.

"System, what happened to all of these beings?"

[They went extinct during the catastrophe, as they all are born with the ability to resonate with the World to some extent. Hence, each and every member of all species of Godbeasts went mad and destroyed everything around them, and then themselves during the catastrophe.]

Daneel felt sad as he heard this. He could just imagine a vibrant world filled with powerful creatures and limitless possibilities, but that had all been taken away from Angaria due to one incident.

Setting aside such thoughts, he got to the other part of this question.

"Even if I choose a Bloodline, what method can I use to possess it even if I don't have it in my blood?"

Daneel asked this because of the fact that each and every Bloodline, even those which only gave limited boosts in power, when awakened, was capable of letting one break through and become a powerful Champion level Fighter, just like what had happened with Faxul.

He could guess that the Emperor only chose those with extreme potential to be in his private corps, but it was a fact that the rest were also wildly popular due to this reason.

As he waited with bated breath, the system finally gave him an answer.

[In the case of host, it is impossible as host's blood only contains very, very trace amounts of all Bloodlines. If any one is present in a higher amount, as was the case with the individual known as 'Faxul', an Awakening can be brought about using artificial means. But, this prerequisite of is necessary, and it can be achieved if there is a way to obtain the blood of a living Godbeast.]

He heaved a sigh of relief as he heard this.

Daneel had already imagined that this must be the case, but he had been afraid that even this method might be absent to him.

"Drakos, your heart is beating, so it can be considered to be a living object, right? A living part of a Godbeast?"

After a pause, Drakos answered.

"Um…I know what you are thinking, Young King. Alas, that is not true. It is only artificially being stimulated using the formation. The only way I can give you a Bloodline is if I somehow gain my body again."

This was a curveball that hit Daneel in the gut. However, he plowed on.

"And…that is possible if I win the Race, right?"

"Yes, the Emperor said that he had laid down a spell in the Grand Inheritance where it can be used to recreate the body of one of us if we succeed in helping the one who wins the Race the right way. It was meant to be a reward to motivate us."

The King of Lanthanor smiled happily as he heard this.

"Good. Prepare to bestow it upon me, then."

"Of course, Young King. It will be my honor."

With this matter settled quite quickly, which was against his expectations, Daneel felt quite good.

For now, regarding this matter, he would continue to check out all the Bloodlines available while looking forward to the time when he could take Drakos's Bloodline. After all, he still felt that the Dragon's Bloodline didn't really fit him, and he yearned for something even better.

But, he had no intention of giving up and holding off of a major increase in power when he had the opportunity to obtain it.

So, Daneel finally moved to the last question, but this time, as he had learned his lesson, he changed it.

Initially, he had wanted to find out whether there was a way to fix the 'Hopeless' Champion Path.

Now, he knew that this was a shortcut question, just like the one where he had asked before regarding the 'strongest' Bloodline.

What if there was something even better in everything he had obtained now?

So, he asked the system to give him the exhaustive list of ALL the Champion Paths it had recorded.

There were hundreds of them, and he knew that this would take time.

But he was determined to go through them all, as he knew that this was crucial if he wanted to choose the best for himself.

Also…he wanted to test himself and see whether he could come up with an answer to this question himself, instead of depending on the system.

So, the King of Lanthanor leaned back and closed his eyes.

If anyone saw him, they would think he was sleeping, but, in fact, he was going through thousands of pages of information that anyone in the Big 4 would kill to obtain.

Only…as he was too absorbed in this, he didn't notice that two figures had appeared at the gate to the Palace.

They were Xuan and Eloise.

Looking at the Palace, both of them put on determined expressions on their faces before looking at each other, nodding, and entering the abode of the King of Lanthanor.

The moment they did so, they both sent a message to the King.

"Daneel, we wish to have a word. Come meet us in the grounds of your Academy."

Chapter 606: Emperor Fenoras's Last Night 1

As soon as Daneel got this message, he stopped going through the extensive list of Champion Paths and looked as if he had just been punched in the gut by someone.

Xuan and Eloise, calling him together to come somewhere.

It was a scene straight out of the list of things he never wanted to see, right after the one where the Church might invade without any preamble and wipe out most of Angaria without letting him do anything to stop them.

Yes, in his list, only this was worse than what he was going to face now, mainly because of that little nugget of guilt that had burrowed into his mind after that kiss from Xuan.

Of course, there were a lot of arguments that could be made: for example, he could say that she had come forward, and that he had had no chance to react and get away.

However, Daneel had always been taught to own up to everything he did, instead of trying to weasel his way out of situations by lying or giving excuses.

It had always been partly this nature of his that had allowed him to face difficulty after difficulty to reach where he was.

If his will had been any less firm, he might have perished long ago even though he was equipped with something wondrous like the system.

Daneel knew that it was his inexperience that had led to this, and also that he had probably made the wrong decision when he had seen Eloise crying that day.

Recently, every time he checked on her and saw that she wasn't back, he would replay this last interaction they had had in his mind and then ponder on how it could have gone differently.

Yes, she had been evasive. And yes, he might have told himself some sh*t then to not talk to her as he had had that guilt, even then.

But the more he thought about it, the more he felt that he should have hunkered down and tried to find out just what was wrong.

He hated this feeling of regret. And he hated this feeling that he should have done things differently.

For the first time in a long time, Daneel felt nervous about something.

Even when he had been about to participate in fights that might kill him, he had never felt nervous. Scared, maybe, yes, a bit, but never nervous- and definitely never like this.

He never wanted to feel this again.

So, he took a moment to sort out everything in his head, and decide for himself what he felt for these women.

First, Eloise. Smart, sweet Eloise.

She had boldly made her interest know. But because he hadn't felt anything 'special', he had honestly told her that there might never come a time when he felt about her the way she wanted him to feel.

Was he so sure about that right now?

When Daneel recalled the worry he had felt these past few days whenever he wondered where and how she was, he wasn't so sure of the answer to that question.

True, because he had made it clear to her that he might never be interested in her, he had no obligation to let her know that he had kissed a different woman.

But that, again, sounded exactly like an excuse that only someone weak would give.

After all this time, Daneel's idea of waiting for that 'perfect someone' who could make him feel like how someone was supposed to feel when they loved somebody had gotten eroded, bit by bit, until he was getting more and more sure that he was committing a major mistake by breaking the hearts of those who wished to be with him now.

That brought him to Xuan. Fierce, gallant Xuan.

Even she had told him clearly that she was interested in him. And he had given her practically the same answer.

But at that moment, when her lips had approached his…

Just remembering it made his heart beat faster, which made him feel pretty embarrassed.

Well, it was the first action of intimacy in his 2 lives so far, and he would be lying if he said that it didn't make him want more. It was almost an instinctual feeling, and it could not be denied and ignored.

But had that changed his view regarding her?

No. Definitely not.

Daneel had never been one who would feel confused regarding their own feelings.

He was clear on this.

What he felt for both women was equal: he really liked them both, for different reasons, and he knew for sure that he would love spending time with both of them.

They were each incredible people with distinct personalities, wants and needs, and it was the truth that he also admired them for the one characteristic that they shared: their courage to never give up, and accomplish what they wished no matter what kind of difficulties came their way.

Any man would feel lucky to catch their interest.

And at this moment, Daneel knew that he was probably in jeopardy of losing both of their affections.

He needed to make a decision, right now, regarding what he should do about this whole situation.

But at this point, Daneel didn't even know what his options were.

He wondered whether he could ask anyone for guidance. His parents, maybe? Or Elanev?

No, both didn't seem very appealing.

Suddenly, he recalled one other person who might have gone through someone similar, and whose brain he could literally pick if he wished.

The Emperor.

"System, in the new module, take me to the memory where the Emperor last spoke with the one he loved. And give me the information regarding this person."

[Affirmative. Sorting through memories. Last memory chosen.]

As Daneel closed his eyes in preparation of being whisked away and placed in the memory, he wondered what he might experience.

Although he knew for sure that the Emperor hadn't made his nickname come true, he didn't know any other details.

A few moments later, he opened his eyes, but he was puzzled when he saw nothing but darkness around him.

Indeed, it was pitch-black, so much so that when Daneel stretched out his hands in front of him, he saw nothing.

It was also really, really quiet. The sound of his own heartbeat was the loudest thing, and it was actually pretty jarring.

The complete isolation from light and sound had more of an effect than Daneel could ever have imagined. In this kind of environment, one's thoughts would also be magnified, and the mind would be allowed to wander more, instead of being distracted every moment by things that might affect it in the outside world.

Only…it was also pretty creepy. Soon, Daneel began imagining phantom sounds all around him, which made him stand up and take a defensive stance even though this was just a memory where nothing could hurt him.

It was only after a knock sounded on a door somewhere near him did Daneel hear someone closeby get up and walk forward.

A moment later, after he heard the sound of a door opening, light spilled inside and let him look around and take a measure of the room he was in.

It was a stark stone room, with no furnishings whatsoever.

All kinds of formations were etched on the walls, though, and this was the only embellishment to be seen anywhere.

Apart from this, the only other thing was a small mat in the center, which was much larger than any in Angaria.

Oh, yes, he was in the memory of a time where everyone was giant.

"System, what is this?"

[Isolation Chamber. The Emperor always trained in this Chamber, as it allowed him to focus on what he wished without any distractions.]

No matter how much Daneel thought about it, he could never imagine himself doing the same.

It was practically like locking yourself in an isolation cell in prison to train, and he was sure that the amount of effort that would go into using that to train was definitely considerable.

Loneliness was a dangerous thing, and it had almost driven him mad the last time he isolated himself. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Daneel had no intention of repeating that whatsoever.

The Emperor, who was standing in front of the door, also needed a moment for his eyes to adjust.

After they did, Daneel heard him say, "Nayana? What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to check on the deployments of survival trinket kits to the soldiers of the 6th Battalion?"

Daneel heard a sweet voice answer.

"I'm done with that. Come with me, Fen. I need to talk to you about something."

The Emperor seemed surprised as he heard this, but he nodded and walked out.

Daneel followed, and as he exited that room, he finally caught a glimpse of the woman the Emperor had just spoken to.

Her outfit was one that would make any typical teen on Earth faint from spurting out too much blood from their nose.

In fact, it even made Daneel blush, as he could never have imagined that he would see something like this in real life.

She had long, flowing hair that was a dashing crimson, and she was wearing a two-piece dress with her almost completely bare.

They seemed to be walking through the Emperor's bedroom, and although it didn't have any furnishings, too, there was a wall-length mirror that they passed in which Daneel caught a glimpse of her image.

Features that would captivate any man or woman, with especially luscious lips that stood out.

An angular, attractive neck that was adorned by a simple necklace with a single, red gem.

Plunging cleavage, which was the main source of Daneel's blush, that exposed most of her ample bosom with her top only covering the barest amount. They moved as she walked, and it was almost like they would fall out at any moment.

Her mid-riff was completely exposed with even the sides of her hips completely visible. The bottom part of her dress framed them, with her voluptuous assets almost completely visible, along with her strongly built thighs and long, perfectly developed legs.

In other words, very, very little was left up to imagination, and it made Daneel wonder why she was sporting such an outfit.

After all, he had seen these kinds of dresses only in the artwork done for entertainment of a specific kind back on Earth, and he knew that they were scorned at due to their impracticality and the way they falsely influenced the imagination of those they were targeted for.

Yet, here, somehow, all that did not seem to stand.

It was clear that the objective of this dress was to arouse any who laid their eyes on her, and it was very, very effective.

Daneel barely managed to get his heartbeat back to normal after a few moments. The Emperor seemed unperturbed, and when they reached a large balcony which had a breathtaking view, Daneel finally had something else to focus on.

It was the Empire, and it seemed ready for war- which was indicated by the legions of troops marching out on all the streets visible.

Yet, before Daneel could notice anything else, a sound made him turn to the duo who both stood at least 9 feet tall.

'Clink!'

The woman's top had been made of a metallic material with very little cloth. Thus, when it fell to the ground, it made this sound, and Daneel thankfully saw it first, which allowed him to turn around and not be greeted by the sight that was now being witnessed by the Emperor.

Daneel was crimson once again, and he wondered whether he should end this.

However, he stopped when he heard the Emperor sputter, "N-Nayana? What are you-"

The woman interrupted her.

"Fen, what is my Champion and Hero Path?"

The Emperor had to take a moment to answer.

"I-It's that of 'Desire'. You made it yourself. You captivate your opponents, and make them yearn for you, which allows you to take a part of their power for yourself. Wh-why are-"

"Fen, for once, shut up. I lied. To you, to everyone. My Path…is not that of 'Desire'. You've always known that simple desire would never be as effective as the one I have. But, as a dunce, you thought it was my secret. Well, if you had asked, I would have told you without hesitation. My Path is that of 'Unattainable Desire'. That…is because I was dumb enough to fall in love with you. I thought I could change you slowly, until someday…well, all that does not matter now. Tomorrow, we march to our deaths. So, today, just shut the f*ck up."

This impassionate speech was followed by someone running forward, and then the sound of lips meeting could be heard.

As Daneel's blush deepened even further when he heard the sound of clothes being torn apart, he wondered what the heck he had walked into.

…

Meanwhile, in a luxurious house that was teleporting at every second to different places, making it impossible for anyone to pinpoint its location.

Two men were sitting in front of a table and sipping two glasses from which steam could be seen, and both of them had very contented expressions on their faces.

However, that changed when one of them stood up as if he had been suddenly electrocuted.

His eyes rolled back to show their whites, and the cup in his hands spilled what it contained onto the ground.

The moment before it hit the ground, the other man siphoned it into his cup, before smiling and taking large gulps.

A few moments later, the first man fell back to his seat, and glared at the other before saying, "New orders. I've just sent the missive that one man has succeeded in bringing three forces under him. We are ordered to test him, and see if there is any reason that we need to be wary of him. It is wise to be careful about anyone who is loved by the people as much as he. Do you have anything in mind?"

After thinking for a bit, the other man answered.

"Oh, yes, sir. A foe who went into a coma because of an injury. If he wakes up, I can guarantee that I know who his target will be…"

Chapter 607: Emperor Fenoras's Last Night End

On hearing this, the first man nodded and asked the other to tell him the details, following which he found out all the details regarding the Mad Doctor and the rivalry that existed between him and the King of Lanthanor, who was now being called the Alliance Leader of Angaria.

It might not have the same ring to it, but it definitely represented something astounding that hadn't been seen on this continent for a long, long time.

After getting all the details, he closed his eyes again and placed a request, following which he furrowed his eyebrows before taking out a tiny metallic box from some inner, hidden pocket in his robes.

It was battered and bruised, almost as if it had been the unlucky casualty that came in between two powerful Fighters, but the moment it got exposed to the air, a rich aroma appeared in the room.

The second man looked like he had been waiting for this. Eyeing this box with a ravenous hunger that could only be possessed by one who hadn't eaten in weeks, he slurped up the drool that inadvertently came on the corners of his lips before waiting for the man to open it.

However…when that box disappeared back inside, his expression morphed into one of anger, and he almost looked like he would spring forward and attack the other man even though he would be pummeled to a state near half-death in barely a second.

He was just that captivated by that heavenly substance.

All this was carefully observed by the other man, who waited for the first to calm down and take a few deep breaths before speaking.

Shaking his head, he said, "I see I've addicted you to this, too. Well, when you asked me where the aroma was coming from, maybe I shouldn't have offered you a cup. But alas, there is no joy in enjoying Addiol alone."

The first man almost nodded, but he didn't when he took another sip of the last of the liquid that still remained in his cup.

It was thick and dark in color, and when the light fell on it, there was even a little bit of shine that could be seen inside the liquid, almost as if there were stars trapped inside.

Whenever one drank it for the first time, it would burn their tongue and throat before sliding down to their stomach and setting it ablaze.

But after that happened…the mind of the one lucky enough to partake in this heavenly drink would be subject to a rush of energy and focus unlike any other.

The true reason behind the man's anger came after this, though.

There was a famous saying, even in Angaria, that to be at peace with oneself was something that could not be attained without luck, no matter it be whether one was on the Path to Power or not.

However…after that focus faded, one's mind would enter a period of such calm that any and all things in the real world would feel far removed from them, almost as if they were in a waking dream where the only objective was for them to be content and…happy.

According to the other man, some even experienced visions in this state when they reached an advanced level. Apparently, this was a new concoction by a now very famous Bishop in the Church, and it was all the rage even in the areas surrounding the Headquarters.

The only problem was that it was heavily regulated, which made each and every ounce of the powder, which had to be mixed in hot water and then be subjected to a very complex Hero-level spell for the drink to be made, precious beyond measure.

Apparently, this man was part of a small clique, and he had access to a small personal supply, which was barely enough for one person.

However, because he was alone here and had to have someone for company so that they could pass the time, he had decided to share a little bit, only to make a little addict out of this poor guy who had been living alone on Angaria for all these years.

Switching on the Network Trinket in the room which had been changed to become one that took up a whole wall to give an immersive experience like no other, the man sought to distract himself from the worry of not having any more after this small can ran out.

He had asked for a little more to be sent, but he didn't know if they would honor his request, as he wasn't very influential. If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have had to come to this sh*thole in the middle of nowhere in the first place.

Thankfully, a few moments later, a light began to glow in one corner of the room, which made him hurriedly walk over and hold a peculiar wooden box that had 4 skulls embedded into its four sides.

The empty eyes of these human skulls glowed, making the man use his own Hero-level spell to help the transfer.

A few seconds, colorless smoke billowed out from the open mouths of these skulls, which made the man smile and open the box to find two items.

Yes! They had sent it!

A similar, battered metal can was in the box, along with a faintly glowing cube.

Although the latter was actually the valuable Artifact that had the ability to heal grievous wounds inflicted to Champion-level individuals, the full focus of the man was on the can, which he pocketed secretly without the knowledge of the other.

Even though he was the superior, addiction was a dangerous thing.

The moment he touched it, he had also received a message which made him rejoice.

"The Artifact has a typical use, but its main value lies in the fact that it can be used from quite a distance away. I had to have it made specially as per your requirements. Also being sent is a new batch, with reportedly increased effects. You're lucky you're out there: here, there are even fights happening between those who have a stock and who don't. It's under control though, so that it won't come under the eye of the bigwigs. I pray to Saint Rectitude that we come see you soon, brother, for that will be the day when the Holy Purge bears down on all those sinners."

Going through the message, the man picked up the Artifact and tested the formations on it before confirming its peculiar function of being able to heal a Champion from over a hundred kilometers away.

The Church was, after all, known for being able to create unconventional Artifacts and trinkets which they used to great effect in all kinds of battles.

Hefting it in his hands and walking back to the hall, he said, "It's here. Be prepared to move out soon. We can't let these Heroes become calm. Maybe we can have a little battle to keep them on their toes, and then use this to complete the mission. Either way, first up is scouting."

…

Meanwhile, Daneel was still in a dilemma regarding what he was supposed to do.

Behind him were two giants going at it with a kind of enthusiasm that did not make it seem, at all, that they were a couple that were coming together for the first time.

The Emperor actually seemed to be the one to be most eager, despite the fact that the woman had been the one to initiate it. It sounded as if some kind of insatiable appetite had woken up inside him that even he didn't know existed.

Just when more ripping sounds began to be heard, Daneel gritted his teeth and said, "System, fast forward the vision to the one they where they are talking."

[Affirmative. Fast forwarding.]

Daneel closed his eyes as the sounds disappeared.

He knew that no one would know if he turned around and watched everything. Heavens knew that many, many people would jump at this opportunity, especially because of how ravishing that woman had been.

However, these memories had been entrusted to him by the Emperor as the man had trusted him. True, not much dialogue regarding this had passed between them, but at the moment when their 'exchange' had happened, Daneel had been able to take a glimpse into the true feelings present inside that piece of consciousness.

Along with the yearning to find out whether all of his countermeasures had worked, the Emperor had also been sure that his character was trustworthy enough to be allowed to view his memories, even though there was no chance, according to him, that they would be perused idly in this way.

If Daneel were the kind of guy to want to view such a scene just because he could, he might never have come this far. He knew clearly what was wrong and what was right, and watching someone during their most intimate moments was something wrong. It didn't matter whether these people were alive, or dead, nor did it matter whether anyone would know about this.

All that did matter was that he would know. And he knew clearly that his judgment was right.

This might seem like a small thing, but Daneel identified it to be a clear display of who he was.

He was someone who would choose to do the right thing just because it was right, and not because someone else was watching, just like the case of numerous people back on Earth.

"Nayana, I…"

These words from the Emperor made him open his eyes, but he didn't turn around as he could still see the torn clothes of both of these individuals on the ground.

He could tell that they were lying on the bed, together, and all he was here for was to listen, and find out the Emperor's thoughts regarding this aspect of his life.

"Hush, Fen. Can we not have a single night where we just enjoy each other's warmth? Come morning, the battle drums might make my blood run hot, but that is nothing compared to what I just felt. I wish…"

"We had more time."

A gasp could be heard from the woman.

"Fen, you-"

"Yes, Nayana. I always knew that you were the only one with whom I could entrust anything. That…includes my heart, too."

"Then why didn't you-"

"I always thought we would have time. That I could grow even stronger, before giving you, and Angaria a safer future. Look where that brought us. If there was another chance, I would have definitely…"

"Enough, Fen. Don't say it. If you do, I will shatter into a million pieces with the regret that so much could have happened, yet didn't. Just hold me. Just let me have this night, so that I can march into battle for you without any qualms, whatsoever. Can you hum me that song you always hummed to yourself when killing thousands, one after another, on the battlefield? Where is it from, anyway? Although you would only hum it in that situation, I can tell that its tune is not meant for that."

Even without turning around, Daneel could feel the smile on the Emperor's face, which was similar to the one he had seen on that piece of consciousness, which was a testament to the amount of satisfaction and joy he was feeling.

"When I was a slave in the mines of Gortak, the old man who taught me everything would always sing this. He was blind, and before he was imprisoned, he was a simple farmer who used his magic to feel around and work. Around the time that he always came back to his village from the field, his daughter would sing this song, so that he could find their house by her voice. He told me that it is the song of one who moves forth even when they cannot see anything in front of them, with the singular hope that at the end of the song, they will find their home. I…thought I might never find it after my blunder. I was wrong. I have, in you."

No more words needed to be said.

The song began to echo in the room, but Daneel was no longer in the memory.

Instead…he had just teleported to the grounds in the Academy, which was coincidentally the exact spot where he had gained his first followers all those years ago.

Two beautiful women whose skin glistened in the moonlight waited for him, but the moment he appeared, he spoke without giving them any chance to say anything.

"Eloise. Xuan. I apologize if I have hurt either of you with my actions. But I have made a decision. I was foolish to keep putting this matter off, when it is often the case that one can find themselves with no more time in the future. When that time comes, instead of being filled with regrets, I wish to be filled with the satisfaction that I at least tried, and that I wasn't foolish enough to completely ignore everything even though there might be reasons behind that. The truth is that those reasons will seem trivial when those regrets appear. Hence, I have chosen this. I like both of you, for different reasons, but I don't feel anything truly special for either of you. What I want…is to at least give a chance for whatever that 'special' thing is to appear."

Chapter 608: Be Who You Are

After speaking his mind, Daneel waited for some sort of reply, but even after a few moments, both the ladies were still looking at him with bewildered expressions on their faces as if they were seeing their worst fears come true.

Following this, instead of even greeting him, Xuan raised a finger and then conjured a barrier that covered the two of them, after which both of them began talking something between themselves.

The barrier stopped all sound from coming out and being heard by him, and although Daneel knew that he could discreetly use the system to bypass this and find out just what they were discussing with serious expressions on their faces, he didn't do so, as he had no intention of betraying their trust in this way.

Instead, he was calm right now as he had already taken his decision, which gave him a kind of clarity and confidence that wasn't there before when he was all indecisive about what he was supposed to do.

The Emperor had been the push that he had always needed to progress on this matter. Each and every time this used to come up, he had always put it off, even though he knew that that was probably not the best way to go about it.

Yet, this calm was broken the moment the barrier was removed due to the words spoken by Xuan in a dead-serious tone.

"Daneel… It turns out that we were right, and that the problem is just as deep as we imagined."

"Yes, Daneel… I tried to assure Xuan that that might not be the case, but after seeing you speak right now, I should say that I agree with her."

The second statement was from Eloise, who actually had a worried expression on her face.

All of a sudden, this scene was very weird, and it almost felt as if Daneel had contacted some sort of disease and that these two women were trying to break the news about it to him in a way that wouldn't make him panic too much.

What the hell were they even talking about?

Besides, since when had these two been such thick friends?

Daneel had noticed this strangeness right after he had found Eloise's message which said that she was leaving with Xuan.

Before, he distinctly remembered that it was their rivalry that had almost led to Eloise's death.

Typical logic would point to the possibility that they would be dead against each other, as both of them were pursuing the same man, and situations like these usually resulted in all sorts of conflict and even outright violence, at least if he was back on Earth.

The two said those statements but then paused, even though Daneel kept looking at them and waiting for them to continue and explain themselves.

Soon, it became quite clear that they were being hesitant.

So, he simply said, "I really don't understand what the two of you are talking about. Just tell me, without any hesitation. I can guarantee that no matter what you say, I will take it in the right way. Come on. I'm the King of Lanthanor, and now the Alliance Leader of an Alliance that consists of three Kingdoms. Do you really think I'll be that skittish?"

Daneel said that last part to lighten the atmosphere a bit. Both of them knew that he was not someone who would gloat, and that he was only saying this for their amusement.

Yet, that objective wasn't fulfilled at all, as it only made them share a look between themselves before they nodded with determination.

What happened next startled Daneel, and made him wonder if he was dreaming.

Both beautiful ladies in front of him let go of all the hesitation from before, and put on stoic expressions on their faces as if they were marching out to war.

If Daneel didn't know better, he would even have asked just what kind of foe they were getting ready to face, even though there was no one else here except him.

When Xuan finally spoke out, he understood the reason behind their behavior so far.

"Daneel… Yes, you might have become one of the youngest Kings of Lanthanor, and then gone on to achieve something which has not been seen on this continent for a very, very long time. The continent thinks of you as a domineering and all-powerful individual who will never stop at getting what he wants, no matter who he might have to face. That is an image that you have cultivated with a lot of effort. But… In this matter, we have realized that you are worse than a 10-year-old child."

A – a 10-year-old child?!

Daneel had always known that he was a bit immature on this matter, and this had become even more apparent when he had heard the Emperor and that woman talking just now in the memory.

There were multiple reasons behind this.

For one, he had been an introvert back on earth, keeping mostly to himself and not having any friends even in the male populace of the University that he had studied in. The kind old lady had always used to complain that he might never find a beautiful bride so that she could play with his children and take care of them for him, but whenever she brought up this topic, he would always brush it off and move on to something else. His character had always been that he would focus on getting enough money to take care of all the needs of the orphanage permanently, and that he could think about matters like these later on, when he had the time.

Now that he thought about it, it was quite similar to the situation right now, where the looming threat of the Church was taking up all of his focus and giving him the excuse he had used multiple times, so far.

The gist of the matter was that he was accustomed to putting the matter aside using the always present excuse that there was something more important to handle, and that he had no time to think about it.

True, he hadn't been some kind of extreme shut-in who was awkward in all kinds of social interactions.

But he had always felt just a bit unsure of himself because of his background, which placed him many steps behind most of the others who had come to the same university. True, he had been an honor student, but apart from that, he had never had much going for him.

It had only been after transmigrating to Angaria that all aspects of his personality had begun to change and develop to what they were now – here, he had found the purpose that he could strive towards, and it was one that was worthy of giving up everything for. If it weren't for this cutthroat environment and the fact that he would definitely have died and been left behind by everyone if he didn't adapt quickly, he might never have changed so much and become who he was.

Only… this had further resulted in his development in this aspect being completely stunted, and now, when he heard someone say this, even though he was stunned at first, he later understood that she was probably right.

But… Even though he might be ready to admit it, what should he do to change it?

Xuan seemed to be carefully gauging the King's reaction after she said this.

She had to admit that she didn't know his personality completely from the limited interactions that she had had with him, even though those had been enough to decide that he was the one for her.

She had also had a long discussion regarding this with Eloise, but that had made them realize that even their combined time spent together with the King did not lead them to know for sure how he would react when he was told to his face that he was a child.

They knew that it was the truth, but typically, those who held such power would never like to be made cognizant about such a glaring defect about them in such a direct way.

They had also thought whether they could use some other method to enlighten the King about this issue which would definitely cause problems later on, but they had found nothing and had decided that a direct approach was best, and was also most likely to work, as Daneel was not like other Kings.

He was kind, patient and smart, and their instincts told them that if he was who they thought him to be, he would understand right away after being told.

Yet, they had had no way to be sure, but now, when they saw him ponder deeply and then nod to himself, sighs of relief escaped them before they looked at each other once again and felt happy that they hadn't been wrong.

Well, the most difficult part was done.

Xuan spoke up again, catching Daneel's attention.

"Daneel, it's really good that even you can identify this. When I came to seek out Eloise after finding out that she had found out about our kiss, I was startled to find her crying, alone, without you being there with her. I spoke to her frankly and told her everything that had happened, which made her understand what she had been doing wrong. She hadn't been as bold as me, but that lead us to this line of thought – why is there even a situation that the one who is bolder among us is the one who advanced more in this matter with you? Even I admit that you are closer to Eloise, as you two have been together longer, and she has done so much for you. Yet, although she told you about her feelings first, you ended up kissing me. I do not blame you. We… Do not blame you. But we did notice what was wrong, and we want to let you know clearly how you can change it, because both of us genuinely care about you. Even now, when you came here and said those words, they indicated that even though you took a small step forward, your condition is still exactly what we thought it to be. Now… Are you ready to listen to what we feel you should do regarding this? After all, identifying the problem is seldom enough, and we would not be able to call ourselves those who care about you if we were not able to give you a possible solution, too."

Xuan's speech made Daneel smile and shake his head, as every word she said was true. The weirdness about the situation was still there – he had never expected to be counseled like this, but he did appreciate it, and it did feel good that there were people who thought about him this deeply.

Finally, he nodded, as he was never one who would shirk from taking help.

This was when Eloise step forward and spoke in a soft tone.

"Daneel, both of us talked about this for a long, long time, and we really think that you should act like the person you are – a domineering King who is clear about what he wants, and does everything to take it when he decides that he wants it. Both of us want you. But that is worthless if you don't end up valuing us. We are not ready to settle with just captivating you and working hard every day to get your attention for every little thing. You are a King – one the likes of which has not graced this continent in thousands of years. Be like one. If you want us, decide that and pursue us. We are fine even if you pursue both of his, because what Great King in the history of this continent has lived without a harem? We called you to tell you this, and to inform you once and for all that if you wish to be with us, then you need to show us that, in which case we will be ready to do the same, too, even more. Be the King you are and conquer us, for then, we will know that we will always hold a position in your heart. What do you say, Daneel?"

Chapter 609: Setting Off

Daneel had to take a step back as he heard everything Eloise said.

Each and every word she said was true.

Who was he?

A King- that too, one who had something as magical as the World Domination System.

What had he depended on to get him this far?

His determination to get what he wanted, even if he had to scheme for it.

That was exactly who he was, so wasn't that exactly how he was supposed to be regarding this matter, too?

At this moment, what he was shocked about most was that this very basic, simple truth had eluded him for so long, and had had to be brought up by someone else in order for him to become aware of it.

When he actually pondered on it for a little bit more, he realised that even though he might have known that this was how it was always supposed to be, the social norms that he had grown up with back on Earth had stopped that thought from coming forward, as he was conditioned to think that this was "wrong" in some way.

At face value, it was obvious how it could be taken that way, but the truth was that he would basically be who he was, and there was nothing wrong in that.

Also, he realised that they were right regarding the other topic, too: if they really did push the matter by being even bolder, he couldn't promise that he would value them as much as he would if, like they said, he became someone who could be clear, and ready to go out and do anything in order to pursue and "conquer" what he wished.

The more he thought about it, the more he liked it, and the more it felt… Right, as if it was how it had always been meant to be.

For a few minutes after Eloise said everything and waited with bated breath to see what the King would say, there was silence, as Daneel was looking down and thinking fiercely regarding everything.

But after that, when they saw a smile appear on his face, they inadvertently broke out into smiles, too, as they could tell that he had seen the truth for what it was.

Eloise and Xuan had spent quite a long time together in her sect, and they had talked a lot about this topic, and various others, before finding out that they were actually quite alike.

They had grown to like each other, both because of their shared interest, which actually did not cause them to come into conflict, and because both of them knew the frustration that had come when they had expressed their feelings and gotten nothing in return from the Kinh.

It was only with both of them looking at this from different perspectives did they begin to realize just what the problem was, before beginning to think about how it could be fixed.

Their motive behind all this was simple: they were afraid.

All around them, there were multiple cases where one party would pursue the other, and then, even if the other agreed, the former wouldn't be as valued as they would have been if they hadn't been so insistent in the first place, and had let the relationship take its natural course without forcing anything.

They were strong women who were clear about what they wanted for the future, so they knew that this was certainly something that they would never want to see.

Hence, the only solution was to make sure that whatever came to be, it would be because there was enough interest on both sides, instead of how it was right now, where both of them deeply wished to be with him, but he did not have anything firm or specific in his mind at the moment.

That was when they had hit upon this – that this was probably how he was supposed to be, and that he might not have realized it for whatever reason.

Maybe he might not have thought about it.

Or maybe he might have put it aside for too long because of all the things that he was always doing.

They had also thought up many backup plans in case this was not the truth – and they were clear about the fact that if it wasn't, it would become clear, as the King had never been someone to listen to something and agree to it directly without thinking about it by himself.

But this had definitely been the best case, and seeing that they were right made them smile happily and hold each other's hands.

Daneel folded his hands behind his back as he saw this, as he was also genuinely joyful that he had found how he wanted to be.

True, he could not change himself completely right away, but he was actually surprised when he felt each of the inhibitions that he had always had leave him, one by one.

They weren't all gone, but he didn't feel as awkward as before.

Thinking about it more, he realized that it was the effect of being changed twice – once by that memory of the Emperor, and once by this truth.

It was his character, and he had ignored it for so long.

But no more.

Taking a deep breath, he studied the joyful faces of the two woman in front of him, trying to see if he cared about one more than the other.

Just like Xuan had said, Eloise was closer to them, both because she had always been with him, and because she had done so much for him.

However, Xuan also held a special spot in his heart because she had stolen away his first kiss.

More importantly, she just had something about her which, although Daneel didn't understand as he hadn't spent a lot of time with her, he was definitely interested in.

Well, it wasn't like he had to decide now.

Just like they had said, he would pursue both of them, as it was at least clear now that he was interested, and he did not wish to ignore either of them. As for whom he might like more, or whether he might decide to be with both, as he was definitely no longer on Earth where that might be frowned upon, only time will tell.

Daneel was just about to feel happy that he had progressed so much in such a short time and could march forward without any hesitations, but the next moment, the two in front of him did something which made him realize that maybe… He still had a long way to go.

They had been smiling at each other while holding their hands, but after seeing him look at them like that and measure them up from head to toe, they both got mischievous expressions on their faces as they nodded at each other once more and started to walk towards him, still hand in hand.

Daneel didn't really know what they were doing, and he simply thought that they wanted to say something more.

However, in a flash, as soon as they reached him, both of them bent forward and kissed both the sides of his cheeks, which made him blush so hard that his face turned completely crimson.

"We've done our part. Now it's time to do yours. Farewell, for now, King. We'll be looking forward to you."

Saying so, they teleported away, leaving Daneel looking around with a blank expression on his face before raising his hands to touch the spots where their lips had touched his skin.

However, a moment later, that embarrassment faded away… And was replaced by a smile as remembered just how great it felt.

Daneel knew that this day was very important, as it had changed him in ways that would only become clear later on.

He continued to spend a little more time here, as it was even more important to him now both because of the significance it held as it was the place where his "revolution" has truly begun, and now, it was also the place where it could be said that he had grown from a boy to be a man.

An hour passed, and he was still fondly remembering the past and thinking about what he would do in the future.

However, he was startled out of this state by a message from Elanev.

"So… I just got a message from that giant who is responsible for the Academy incurring more repair costs than if an actual goddamn war had happened on the grounds…"

…

A few moments later, three people were standing in Daneel's quarters in front of Drakos's beating heart.

The one in the middle of them held up a trinket, before a gruff, yet innocent voice was heard in the room.

"Bam is calling you to tell you that if you no here soon, your Kingdom goes Bam-Bam. Master says no, but Bam will do it anyway and blame it on Mini-Bam."

The extremely child-like message would normally not have had any effect on these three individuals, where one of them was even in possession of a vast database of Hero-level information that practically made him the strongest person on the continent.

Only…remembering the devastation that had been wrought on the Academy Grounds due to the simple test, only shivers of fright passed through the bodies of the two people on the scene.

The third, however, seemed proud, as his chest was puffed out and there was a broad smile on his face.

Finally, Daneel spoke out.

"Well…it's hard to ignore such a well-worded message. Do you have anything to take care of?"

Elanev, who was beside him, shook his head and said, "Nope, I've been waiting for you to say the word. You know that I was ready to go even before that whole thing with Axelor started."

With a nod, Daneel thought for a bit and said, "All right, let's go, then. I'm ready, too. It shouldn't be too long of a trip, anyway. I do have some…matters to deal with here, but I'll use this time to decide just what I'll do regarding them. Meet me outside in 5 minutes."

Both of them were about to depart, but they were interrupted by the old man bursting out into booming laughter and saying, "Bwahahaha! Finally, the two of you shall see the brilliant planning of this Senior Fists of Justice! Blood shall flow and screams shall echo! Let's go!"

Shooting an expression filled with pity toward his elder brother, Daneel teleported away to the Royal Tailor.

…

It was the early evening, with the sun just about to set.

People were scrambling to get home, with many talking about the new show that had been announced today on the Network.

It followed the personal and professional lives of six twenty to thirty-something-year-old 'Friends' living in the capital of Lanthanor, and it would focus both on the frustrations they faced in work and also on the inter-arching romantic storylines between different pairs among them.

The main selling point of the show was that a very reputable comedy show manager had been contracted to direct it, and everyone was abuzz about how it would definitely be one of his most prominent works. The trailer, itself, had been rife with witty humor, and even though some found it strange that they could hear someone laughing from the Network each time a joke was told, they quickly grew accustomed to it and found it fun to laugh along.

While hearing these conversations and feeling happy that the Network was progressing well, Daneel and Elanev approached an unremarkable village which was located at a spot between the Kingdom of Arafell and the Hidden Kill Sect.

It was isolated from both of these forces, though, because both of them were quite inland whereas this one was much nearer to the coast.

As soon as they entered the village, they headed to a specific establishment which had a banner that said "Fighters for Hire."

Approaching the one who was manning the store which had nothing but a bare counter and a few chairs for customers to sit on, Daneel asked, " 'Unbeatable' or 'Unbreakable'- which word best describes a Fighter's might?"

With a smile that exposed the missing teeth in his mouth, the man answered, "It is neither- the answer is 'Unyielding'. Follow me."

Although the man said that, he remained unmoving, but before Daneel could say anything, the floor below them gave out.

This would normally have meant nothing as Daneel could simply fly, but an extremely strong gravitation force immediately came into effect, pulling them both downwards.

Whoosh!

They started to fall through a narrow, cylindrical cavity, and not even 3 seconds later, Daneel could see that a floor littered with human bones was approaching.

He was calm as the system's subroutines would save him anyway, and he had even activated the Basilisk's Breath and taken control of the situation.

So, right before they splattered on the ground, he cast a Champion-level Anti-Gravity spell that nullified the force acting on them and allowed him to gracefully drop himself, and Elanev to the ground.

Looking around at all the bones around them, Elanev frowned, but looked up when he saw Daneel point a finger forward.

They were in a cave lit with torches, and in front of them was a sentence that was carved into the stone under an opening in large letters.

"Only walk forward if you are prepared to face pain that will make you pray for death."

Chapter 610: The Fortress Above The Sea

These ominous words, along with all the broken bones strewn across the floor resulted in a very chilling atmosphere that might have scared lesser men.

Yet, Daneel and Elanev simply looked at each other and shrugged before walking forward to approach the tunnel, or whatever it was.

There were no embellishments all over the semi-circular cave that they were in, and apart from the hole in the ceiling through which they had just fallen through, there was no other place to go except forward.

Only… Before they could enter the dark depths in front of them, the sound of footsteps could be heard coming from farther inside.

Deciding to wait, they both simultaneously stopped, with Elanev folding his hands and putting on a menacing expression on his face while Daneel simply folded his behind his back and adopted a small smile, as if everything was under his control.

The result of that interaction with Eloise and Xuan was already visible in the way that he carried himself.

Typically, although he did put on the atmosphere of a King when it was needed, he wouldn't do so in casual situations like these where he would actually be meeting those who were part of the Big Four.

Now, Daneel was most clear on the fact now that his character – the one that he had developed with so much pain and difficulty, was not one to ever be ignored and put aside.

Soon, the footsteps came nearer and nearer until three figures could be seen walking towards them from the tunnel.

With this, it also became clear that the footsteps were much louder than those that they had made, which meant that these three were either doing so on purpose, or that something was different about them when compared to the two of them.

A few moments later, it became clear that the latter was true.

These three were some of the most heavily set men that Daneel had ever seen since coming to this continent.

In his view, they even bypassed the largest bodybuilders who participated in tournaments back on Earth.

Their rippling muscles were on full display in the light that was being emitted by the torches all around the cave, and each of them was at least 6 feet tall, which made for a very intimidating image, as if they were primordial monsters who could crush anything they wished under their feet.

Yet, the most peculiar thing was actually their garb.

They were wearing the skin of various beasts, with the one in the middle dressed in the skin of a bear, while the other two had garments made from some sort of leopards and tigers.

Also, they were crudely made, so they barely managed to cover the most important part, with the rest being mostly exposed.

Daneel was even reminded of cavemen as he saw this, as these three also exuded a certain kind of primitive aura that puzzled him.

As soon as they opened their mouth, he even fully expected them to growl instead of speak, but he felt like chuckling to himself when he heard them talking normally.

It was the one in the middle who spoke.

"The Chief welcomes King Daneel. Please follow us."

Saying so, he turned around along with the others and began to walk back in the direction they had just come from.

That was it?

Daneel had been expecting some sort of confrontation or test like the one that they had had to endure from that giant.

Of course, if that happened again, he was much more confident in his chances, as he was now equipped with the treasure trove that could be put to use to accomplish almost anything he wished.

Just from the top of his head, he could think about three or four formations that he could quickly deploy to make each and every attack of the giant useless, which should at least give him enough time to easily make an escape. Even if it was at the Hero level, it would definitely be ineffective in stopping him if he wished to do this.

Hearing Elanev make a sound beside him, Daneel realized that the weird thing was that he had been greeted and welcomed, but Elanev had been completely ignored.

Typically, that might not have been very apparent, but it was so in this case mainly because of the cavemen in front of Elanev who had humphed and looked in a different direction, instead of looking straight ahead and letting his eyes fall on Daneel's elder brother.

It was definitely peculiar, and Elanev had also noticed this, as he had furrowed eyebrows while he seemed to be converging with the old man in his head.

However, it looked like the old man was no help in this situation, as Elanev simply shrugged once again after meeting his questioning eyes and began walking toward the tunnel.

Well, whatever it was, Daneel expected to find out in a little bit of time while he, too, followed.

Pitch black darkness greeted them, but neither of them was afraid, and they just kept walking forward while ignoring the reflected sounds that almost made them feel as if there were hundreds of people walking in this tunnel, instead of merely just five.

The loud sounds of footsteps of the three in front of them were unmistakable, and even though they faced a few forks along the way which were identified by a glowing signboard that was the only source of light that they saw on their way, that sound of footsteps was enough to let them go in the right direction.

An hour passed, and usually, by this time, Elanev would have been bored.

However, that wasn't the case because of the fact that from some of the roads that they didn't take…they could hear all sorts of sounds that made them wonder just what the heck was going on on the other end.

Loud screams of pain. Unintelligible shouts of defiance. Bloodcurdling yells of agony.

If Daneel didn't know better, he might have wondered whether they had stepped foot in hell.

Right now, though, he actually had a pondering expression on his face.

The main reason behind this was that he had just detected that they had, at some point, entered a formation that completely restricted any communication to the outside.

In fact, without their knowledge, that formation had also scanned them. Even though it was obviously not advanced enough to be able to check the complexity of their minds, it was pretty effective in detecting them and the number of trinkets on their bodies, using the weak Energy that was given off by them even if they weren't being used.

The formation was at the Hero level, and as Daneel felt that he had seen something similar before, he asked the system and found out it was actually exactly the same one that was also present in the Sect of Hedon.

It looked like the Big Four seemed to share at least a little bit of knowledge between themselves.

That was actually related to what he was most excited to find out on his trip. Right now, he knew that he was probably at the limit of what he could do in the Central Continent, except for developing what he already had.

As for going on even more journeys of conquest, he knew that this was impossible as he would be defying the core rule that the Central Continent was supposed to follow.

So… The only avenue left for him was the Big Four, but the problem was that even though he had unlocked the third seal, it did not contain any, or at least too much information about the Big Four, as there had been many changes among them in the millennia that had passed since the time of the Empire.

Even though the Secret Archives of the Goddess's Sanctum had been quite thorough, they only detailed the major events in Angaria, with the most information being about what happened to their own Sect.

Even if others of the Big Four were mentioned, it was done so vaguely, making Daneel feel as if the objective behind this was that information regarding these very important organizations of Angaria would not be given up to the enemy if just one of them was breached.

He had to admit that this was smart, but it made things difficult for him, as it meant that he would have to go to the rest of them in order to find out about them, and get a complete picture regarding these age-old organizations.

Two hours later, they finally stopped working, and judging by the distance that they had covered over this time, Daneel realized that they were barely a few hundred meters away from the coast of the Endless Sea.

Only… Even Elanev found out about this, because sea breeze hit their faces just as they began to approach an exit that was very distinctive because of the open sky that could be seen through it.

As soon as all of them finally exited the labyrinth, Daneel and Elanev could not help but pause and suck in deep breaths as they witnessed one of the most fantastic sights of their life.

They seemed to have walked out of the tunnel that was on a mountain, and in front of them was an arching bridge that connected this mountain to another that was almost the same size, while the Endless Sea could be seen below them.

Clearly, Daneel had been wrong in his estimate.

Or… The map that he had been using all this time was the one that was wrong, and this was so on purpose.

On the right, the horizon was covered by dark clouds that were always present above the Endless Sea in which waves that reached at least 30 m in the air could be seen. Even the sound was deafening, and it was almost as if hundreds of blows were being rained down on them continuously, every second, with only the sound reaching them instead of their might.

Below them, the Endless Sea continued onwards to the shore, which was empty.

This made it obvious that this was a peculiar spot on the continent which curved inwards, allowing for these two mountains to be separated in this way.

Finally, looking forward once again, Daneel laid his eyes on the reason behind him feeling so shocked before.

The bridge they were on went straight to the top of the steep mountain in front of them, that looked like it was standing in defiance against the Endless Sea. The Endless Sea's waves could be seen lapping against its base, which resulted in a very strange sight.

Of course, its most distinctive feature was that at its top was something that Daneel could only use the word "Fort" to describe.

It was four-sided, with four cylindrical towers that each had massive cannons of some sort mounted on top of them.

Even from here, Daneel could tell that this fortress was humongous and that its walls were at least 40 m tall.

They were made of some sort of dark rock that almost seem to swallow away all the light that fell on it, giving the structure a gloomy atmosphere.

In the middle of these four walls, though, was the main shocker- it was an edifice that went straight into the sky, and stood at least 80 m tall.

It was obvious that it was a tower of some sort, but from where Daneel stood, it was almost like a sword that yearned to pierce the Heavens.

The three men leading them had also paused on noticing that those that they were responsible for had stopped here, just like many did whenever they first lay their eyes on the glory of their sect.

With pride, the man in the middle once again spoke in a gruff voice.

"Welcome to the Fortress of Unyielding Might. We stand against all those who dare to try and invade this continent. We are the bastion that will continue to survive even if the entire continent falls. We are the hope of Angaria if all else fails, and we are the guardians of the sword that the Emperor, himself, used during his conquests. Feast your eyes, for this is something that very few are lucky enough to see."

Daneel had to take a few moments to recover, but after he did, he decided to do something that would throw those in front of him off, instead of letting them expect his every move.

After all, a reputation of being unpredictable was always good as others would feel wary of him, and he wanted to establish that right away.

Calming himself completely, he smiled as if he was speaking casually and said something that made the man dressed in the bearskin growl and lunge forward to attack.

"All that sounds great. But first, tell me what you're planning to do with all the blood harvested in the mountain we just crossed. I can tell that you're taking it from all the Fighters who are being subjected to extreme torture with the promise of growing stronger, but what I don't get is why you need so much. You aren't V-, err, I mean, blood-drinking monsters, are you?"

…

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Axelor.

The kind minister, who was typically seen with a gentle smile or a deep frown on his face while standing beside the King, was currently wiping the blood that had splattered on his face from the spurting neck that he had just relieved from its duty.

As the headless body in front of him collapsed to the ground, sadness appeared in his eyes, but it instantly vanished and was replaced by determination.

Calming his trembling hands, he held up the sword that had just committed this act and turned around to face the thousands of people who had just gathered here.

"The Royal Family is dead. Long live Axelor!"

As the people cheered in response, the Minister grit his teeth and prepared himself to give the speech that would soon rock the entire Central Continent.

Chapter 611: The Speech That Changed a Kingdom

For the citizens of the Central Continent, the past few weeks had been some of the most exhilarating in their entire lives.

First of all, it was a fact that they had never been equipped with the ability to find out about the most important events in the continent right away. Typically, they would rely on traveling bards who would pass information regarding what was happening in other Kingdoms to them, which was why the arrival of bards in many towns and villages was always celebrated like a festival.

Of course, the Network Trinkets had made it so that this particular tradition had stopped for the most part, but there were not too many people complaining about this as most bards who were worth their salt had already been employed by the Network, itself.

Secondly, it was because there were so many events happening that kept shocking them one after the other, making them sit on the edge of their seat and wondering what will happen next.

Of course, it had all started with the events surrounding the Kingdom of Eldinor, where all the elves of Angaria had almost been wiped off in one go.

Following that, so many things had led to the current situation where an Alliance had formed that actually comprised of three Kingdoms – and all the aged netizens of almost every settlement all over the Central Continent made everyone know that this was unprecedented, and was something that they had never imagined that they would see for as long as they lived.

No one had any disillusions that the saga had come to an end, because the Network was reporting every day about the unrest in the kingdom of Axelor caused by the sudden death of the King, and the reveal regarding his cruel and evil actions that had resulted in the deaths of thousands and even tens of thousands of Axelorians.

Many of those who weren't affected by Axelor felt pity on hearing this for this kingdom, and lamented that their difficulties must surely not be over, as it was obvious that a Kingdom in this state was most eligible for being taken over by different one.

Even those who had only laid eyes on an army once or twice suddenly became expert war strategists who began to speculate which force would move against Axelor and take advantage of the unrest to gain control.

Only… As the hours passed, no news of this sort came to light, which made everyone feel puzzled.

Of course, if they had known that the two remaining forces other than Axelor – those of Arafell and the Alliance were in full cognizance of the fact that moving on this Kingdom would make them targets for the Big Four, it would have made sense why this current situation where such a weak kingdom was left to itself had come to be.

Thus, all the suspense regarding what would be the final end of the Kingdom of Axelor finally came to a head when the two magical words "Breaking News!" once again appeared on their screen.

This was followed by the image of a clean-shaven man with gentle features and a wide brow that seemed to contain boundless wisdom.

At first glance, he would look like a wise adviser whose duty was to advise a ruler on the decisions that they could take for the betterment of their Kingdom.

However…when the spectator's eyes traveled down to what he was wearing, they saw the patches of dried blood on his clothes and the left-over blood on the sword in his hands which made it clear that he had just been through some sort of battle.

He seemed to be standing at a spot in front of the Palace which was still in ruins from the explosion that had killed the King, and it was visible that thousands of Axelorians had gathered in front of him.

Opening his mouth, he spoke in a clear voice.

"Axelorians. The task that I took upon myself for the good of our Kingdom is done. The Royal Family sought to take up the mantle of the King and continue his cruelties. I, along with the commanders who understood my cause and have always advocated against the evil acts of the King, gave them the offer to surrender and let go of that objective. However, they refused and tried to kill us, which lead to us having no choice but to vanquish them all. Let this…be my apology to you for all those years when I could only stand beside the King and watch while he indiscriminately killed so many loyal citizens. Forgive me…for I was powerless to do anything."

As the man's voice broke due to the honest emotions he was displaying that moved even those watching through the trinkets, the announcer's voice was heard in the pause.

"This is Minister Navaris of Axelor, who was the King's most trusted advisor. However, it was always apparent that the King only loved to torture this man, as he was one who wanted to save the people, but had no other option except to see them suffer and die in front of him. Even during the time of the King, he helmed many attempts to at least decrease the occurrence of Purges, and he was successful to an extent. This resulted in him becoming a beloved character among the citizens. Now, his support is at an all-time high."

The spectators couldn't believe their ears.

There had always been such a virtuous character in Axelor?

Some felt doubt, but when the speech continued a few moments after the announcer's voice was heard, these naysayers had no option but to shut their mouths and consider whether this really was the truth.

The man looked back at a group of people who were as bloodstained as him.

They nodded encouragingly, but he shook his head, which made them widen their eyes.

Turning back around to the people, the Minister first dropped the sword in his hands.

'Clang!'

This sound echoed throughout the area where there was pin-drop silence, and with this as the background, the Minister spoke his heart.

"These commanders wish for me to take up the duty of leading this Kingdom, because I was the one who took care of all the administrative matters anyway. However…I refuse. Even if I do this, and do a good job of leading this Kingdom that I love so much, I cannot guarantee that my sons and daughters will do the same. Maybe, in a few hundred years, this will repeat. I cannot stand for that! So, I propose a different system. Down with Kings and Queens who might or might not have our interests at heart! We, the people, should be the ones to choose our ruler! I have studied this for a long time, and I propose a system like the one in Eldinor. I propose…that Axelor will henceforth choose its ruler by voting!"

Thunderous applause made those who had the 'remote trinket' hastily turn down the volume as it was so loud that it made some clutch their ears with pain.

'Down with Kings and Queens.'

This statement had a certain kind of charm to it, which made many remember those rulers who had simply abused their power and done nothing for the citizens.

Of course, there had also been those who were virtuous, like King Daneel, right now, so not everyone was swayed.

Yet…a seed was born in the minds of many, who began to wonder about the merits and demerits of the system of monarchy.

"Subsequent reports state that the voting system has been accepted by all, and the first vote will be held in a day's time. The Minister is leading in support, and he will most likely be the first democratic ruler of Axelor. As soon as there are more developments…"

…

Meanwhile, Eloise and Xuan were cloistered in a room in the Palace of Lanthanor where they were also watching this broadcast.

Eloise had already managed everything regarding the Network and had come to talk to Xuan, who hadn't spoken out yet and was still seeing the screen.

Finally, she said, "This man looks kind-hearted. Even I heard about his cruel fate to stand beside the King and watch while purges occurred. Such happenings are also a topic of gossip in the Sect, you know."

Eloise nodded. She felt the same.

"I agree. Maybe that Kingdom will finally see prosperity for at least a little while under his rule. Anyway, what did you wish to talk to me about?"

As Xuan heard this, she turned to the side to look into Eloise's eyes and asked, "Do you think it really worked? I never expected that he would agree just like that."

To this, Eloise smiled confidently and said, "Yes. He has always been one who can be decisive when he feels that something is right."

Xuan nodded and sighed, before replying, "Good, then. It was worth it to set aside both of our characters to do this. If he had stayed the same as before, who knows what could have happened. From now, whatever happens…I will be content that I was at least helpful."

Eloise nodded too, and looked down before speaking.

"Yes. Others might have taken advantage, and pushed themselves onto him. But like I said, even if we do run the risk that helping him grow up regarding this matter might result in him pursuing us and realizing that he would not want to spend his life with either of us, it will still be worth it because we will always know that we did the right thing as those who care for him. I just…wish that won't happen, though."

No response came from Xuan, and the room devolved into silence as the two women sat and wondered what the future held for them.

…

Bang!

In response to the man jumping forward to attack, it was Elanev who stepped forward and stretched out his fist casually.

It looked as if this would result in him being blown away because he was being lazy while the other also had the advantage of momentum with him, what actually happened made even Daneel raise one eyebrow.

The man's fist collided with Elanev's, but Daneel watched with surprise as all the force smoothly traveled through Elanev's body and exited through his feet.

It was almost like…his elder brother had easily absorbed the attack like some lightning rod that could take the awesome power of lightning and still stand to tell the tale.

Like a conduit that conducted force, his body had moved rhythmically, sending the force from his fist to his upper body, then his legs, and then into the ground.

The man in the bearskin fell to the ground and growled angrily, but he raised his hand to stop the other two who had also been ready to attack.

The next moment, though…he ignored Elanev, and spoke to Daneel.

"Do not speak of this to anyone else. The Chief will answer your questions. Follow us."

Saying so, he turned around and began walking on the bridge that connected the two mountains.

This made Daneel and Elanev once again look at each other with confusion.

Yes, something was definitely weird here.

Daneel was most intrigued about the blood, however.

With Drakos's help, he had detected that all the blood was being collected and transferred somewhere.

There were multiple uses that came to mind, but he wanted to find out specifically what they were doing with it.

Enjoying the vistas around them, the two walked along the bridge, and as they got closer and closer to the fort, they started to realize just how gigantic it was.

Soon, they approached a massive gate, but before they neared it, they came upon a large clearing in front of the fort which was empty save for a few trees here and there.

To their right, though…was the Giant who had wrought havoc upon the Academy of Lanthanor.

There was a normal-sized man beside the Giant, and as it laid its eyes on Daneel, it pointed at him and spoke in a voice that was audible to all in the area.

"He's the puny guy that Bam blew away. So weak! Bam can break him like a twig!"

Usually, Daneel would have let this go as even though this Giant was simple-minded, it was at the Hero-level.

However…he was in no mood to do that, as it didn't sit well with him at all that he was being so submissive.

So, getting an idea, Daneel shouted, "Hey, Bam! I don't agree! In fact, I think I'm stronger than you! Want to test that? Let's arm-wrestle, and find out!"

Chapter 612: Arm-Wrestling Bam

This proclamation was met by silence, as even Elanev couldn't believe that his younger brother had just done something so foolish.

A challenge… Against a damn Hero level giant who might not even hesitate from killing him because it was too simpleminded?

Such a thing would only be done by those who sought death, and even the three individuals who had been leading them till now were shocked by the King's actions even though they had been pretty angered by his attitude before.

The two men on the two sides of the man in the bearskin looked at him, silently asking whether they should stop this, as they had been commanded not to let any harm befall these two guests to their sect.

In response, the man in the middle held his chin and thought for a moment, before shaking his head and making a hand signal.

"Wait and watch."

This made broad smiles pop up on the faces of the two men, and even the one in the middle smiled at the corner of his mouth, already imagining the scene where he would have to step forward and save the life of the King when he was about to be crushed by the might of the strongest Fighter in their sect, and in many ways, in even the whole continent.

As for Bam, he was actually the one who took the most time to get back to his senses, as he couldn't believe that someone had actually said something like this to him. He was typically feared and respected for the fact that he could put even a Champion in the sickbay for months if he wished using a single finger, so this situation was so new that he needed some time to adjust.

As for the man beside him whom he had been talking to before, he looked at Daneel inquisitively but did not give any other reaction and just stepped back, as if to silently witness everything.

Meanwhile, Elanev started to panic a little, as he really didn't want to see his younger brother defeated and humiliated right after arriving at the sect.

Whispering from the corner of his mouth, he said, "Psst… Daneel! What are you doing?"

With a confident smile on his face, Daneel openly said, "What do you think I'm doing? Getting revenge for what happened in Lanthanor, of course. If I leave this guy alone, he'll keep saying stuff like this throughout the time when we are here, and I have no intention of letting that happen. I would rather take the risk to be humiliated once, instead of having to settle for being subjected to it multiple times without even trying to change the situation. So what if he's a Hero level giant? After I settle this, we can have a peaceful time over here."

This made Elanev adopt an even more puzzled expression, as he knew that his younger brother was not someone who would say something like this.

Indeed, they had been pretty humiliated back in Lanthanor, with the giant having its way and doing so much damage before leaving.

Even the message had shown its arrogance, and although it had been clear that it only thought of them as ants, Elanev had not said anything as that was the truth – they were simply Warriors who could be swatted to death with a single movement if this giant wished.

He had assumed that Daneel also felt the same, judging from the reaction that he had seen when he had given him the message.

However, here… Something had caused the tables to turn.

"Just wait and see. This kid is definitely not someone who acts foolishly. If he says that he can beat a Hero in a contest of strength while being just a Warrior, then he'll definitely do so somehow. This should be interesting…"

Hearing this statement from the old man in his head, Elanev relaxed a little bit.

He was just about to take a step back, too, and be a witness, but he decided to do the opposite thing as even he was quite pissed that he was being ignored completely by everyone so far in the sect, when he had actually been expecting some kind of a hero's welcome due to all the hype that had been built by the old man.

So, he stepped forward and shouted, "A giant who's scared? I never thought I'd see the day!"

This finally managed to anger Bam, who had been seriously considering whether he should go forward, as he, too, had been instructed very strictly by his master not to cause harm to their guests.

However… This was a little too much, and he could no longer just sit and allow it to happen.

Standing up, he beat his chest with his fist, resulting in a sonic boom that bent the trees around him due to the shock wave.

'Now this… Is how a Hero should be.'

Musing to himself in this way, Daneel looked at Elanev and wondered whether he should tell him that what he was doing might end up being harmful, as Daneel's plan had a chance of backfiring.

However, after a second, he just shrugged and decided to give it his all and see what would happen.

After this display of strength, Bam simply leaped into the air and disappeared from their sight, which made it look almost as if he had teleported.

However, activating the Basilisk's Breath, Daneel could see that this giant had actually used some sort of technique to conjure a solid block of metal behind him that he had pushed off of to reach a speed that was enough to let him disappear from their eyes.

Boom!

Barely a second after that, it appeared in front of them with menacing eyes that caused its whole atmosphere to change from that of a simpleminded yet strong oaf, to a terrifying beast that was ready to tear apart everything in its way.

Of course… Daneel was not perturbed, but Elanev took a step back unconsciously and gulped.

"Bam is ready. And Bam will be careful not to kill you, as master will be angry with Bam if that happens. What is this arm wrestling?"

Daneel's smile broadened as he heard this, as he had been kind of hoping that this will be the case – that this sport which was popular on Earth would not be known on Angaria, which was something he could use to his advantage.

In response, Daneel decided to explain it in the simplest way – he conjured a clone of himself along with a table on which he set his elbow.

The clone mirrored him, and their hands met, following which a contest of strength occurred with Daneel beating the clone and looking at Bam before saying, "It's a simple as this. Just try to use your arm to make mine hit the table. Don't you agree that it would be enough to check who is stronger? If I can push yours, then it means that all of your strength is for naught. And no rematches, understood? If you lose, just admit it and stop calling me weak."

Although Bam did seem like a child who had been trapped in the Giants body, it looked like he wasn't that dumb. He instantly understood and set his elbow on the wooden table that Daneel had conjured.

Of course… This resulted in the table breaking, and Daneel conjured another, much larger one as Bam's elbow and hand were at least three times larger than his.

It almost looked like a child's hand going up against an adult's, but Daneel wasn't worried.

The giant seemed to have disregarded the latter part of Daneel's statement, as he probably couldn't even imagine a scenario where he would lose.

Of course, Daneel had said that part for the benefit of the spectators, instead of the giant.

Still with that self-assured smile on the corner of his mouth, Daneel stepped forward and caught Bam's hand before flexing his muscles temporarily and putting forward a bit of strength.

Of course, Bam's hand remained unmoving like a rock, which made Daneel understand just how absurd of a situation this was.

"Should I start?"

Well, if anything, at least this giant was polite.

Daneel took a deep breath and prepared himself before looking into the giant's eyes and saying, "On three. Three, two, one…"

Bang!

Suddenly, a large cloud of dust appeared at the spot where the man and the giant were having their contest. The spectators in the area had been watching closely, so when this happened, expressions of irritation appeared on their faces as they began to wait for the dust to clear.

They had been looking forward to hearing a scream of pain, but that hadn't appeared, which made them wonder if the King had been crushed, and that they might be reprimanded for not doing their duty.

Only… After a few seconds, the expression on the face of the man who had been conversing with the giant changed to one of extreme surprise and befuddlement.

Elanev was among those who were unaware of what happened, but the old man spoke up and said, "So that was his plan. Cheeky bastard. But he deserves it. Sometimes, this is the best way to handle a situation."

Elanev didn't understand, but his attention was diverted as he saw that the dust cloud had begun to disappear.

As it finally floated away… His eyes fell upon the scenario which had had the least probability of occurring.

The wooden table was gone- blasted into smithereens, which was partly the reason behind the dust cloud that had also consisted of wood particles.

There was a large indentation on the ground inside which the giant's hand could be seen, half buried in the dirt.

Even Bam had fallen in that direction, as if he had been bowled over by whatever force the King of Lanthanor had pulled out from within himself.

As for Daneel, he was casually dusting his hands, following which he didn't say anything and simply walked back to Elanev's side.

The man in bearskin, who couldn't believe his eyes, raised a finger in Daneel's direction as he sputtered, "Y-You…"

In response, Daneel paused with his back still facing the man and said, "Yes, me. Now, can we get going? I don't have all day."

The man had no idea how to respond, as he couldn't believe what had happened.

As for the other one, he was looking at the giant with a slight hint of panic on his face, and as Elanev noticed this and refocused his attention on Bam, he saw why this was the case.

The giant had gotten up silently, and was now holding the hand that had been smashed into the ground with his other one while he stared at it with disbelief on his face.

His back was shaking, and it soon became clear that this was because of rage, as the eyes of the giant suddenly turned completely red, as if a demon had infested its mind.

"Bam lost. Bam lost. BAM LOST!"

Even Daneel could tell that something was wrong. Quickly turning around, he saw something red that looked like blood appear from the pores on the two hands of the giant, before quickly hardening into some sort of armor that also had a spike on top that was at least half a meter long.

The next second, though, the giant was nowhere to be seen, as a blur approached Daneel, making warning bells ring in his head while the system launched all sorts of subroutines that he had saved for situations where he might be near death.

Daneel had no time to think. His full focus was on surviving the blow that would soon come, but his eyes widened when a calm voice was heard from beside his ear.

"Not bad. Your plan worked. But what was your plan for dealing with this situation?"

Chapter 613: 'Welcome to the Fortress.'

Before Daneel could say anything in response, he received a message from the system.

[Incoming teleportation attempt from a Hero level individual. Would host like the system to oppose it?]

Without hesitating, Daneel shouted, "No!"

The next moment, he felt his eyes being blinded by a flash of bright light, following which he found himself in a completely different place.

"Daneel?! Are you alright? What the f*ck just happened? That giant was going crazy there, and I was teleported somewhere before it smashed me to bits!"

Before he could gather his bearings, he got this panicked message from Elanev through the communication trinket that both of them had, and he decided to reply.

"Yes, I'm alright. I was teleported away, too. Sit tight. We're inside the sect. I'll explain later "

Although Elanev looked like he wanted to say more, he understood that Daneel was probably in some sort of situation where he couldn't talk as it looked like he was trying to send the shortest reply possible.

Indeed, that was the case, as Daneel had just realized that he was not alone.

In front of him stood a thin old man with a hunched back who was holding a wooden walking stick while looking at him with an indecipherable expression on his face.

He was short – he couldn't be taller than five and a half feet, and the fact that he was hunched caused him to look even smaller.

However… Daneel felt a very acute sense of danger from him, and it was much stronger than what he had felt before when he was being attacked by Bam.

In that situation, he had at least been confident that he was equipped with all the tools to protect himself.

Yet, in this one… If this man tried to kill him, even though Daneel did not know what method he might use, he had a hunch that it would be an even competition, and that it would be left up to luck whether he would be able to get away or not.

Of course, in both cases, there was no scenario where he could beat them – all of this was only regarding whether he could at least get away with his life.

The old man was the first one he saw wearing normal looking clothes. He was wearing a grey colored robe that looked like it would tear easily, but the truth was that it was made of some sort of material that even Daneel couldn't understand.

All he knew was that there were faint Energy vibrations being emitted from it, which meant that it was not as simple as it looked.

The old man was clean-shaven and also had a bald head, which reminded Daneel of the Shaolin monks back on Earth.

After noticing all this, he finally took stock of the room that he was in.

They were in a large audience chamber, and the first thing that stood out to Daneel was that it was made of the same material that he had seen before, when gazing at the castle.

He had seen this after receiving the message from Elanev, itself, which had been the reason why he had given that reply.

Now, as he asked the system regarding it, he found out that he was right – he had been teleported into the fortress directly.

As for exactly where they were, Daneel had no idea.

This question was answered by the old man, who once again spoke in that same calm voice as before.

"Welcome to the audience chamber of the Fortress of Unyielding Might. This room is seldom used as disputes are typically settled in the fighting ring – but I decided to open it now as we have someone who was actually acknowledged by the Head, himself. I was apprehensive, at first, but after seeing the way you handled Bam, I must say that I can see the reason why he likes you. That was a nice force reversal spell, by the way. And I have a suspicion that you learned it recently, right after seeing your friend use a similar technique against the one who was leading you. If that is true, it is really commendable that you managed to learn it after seeing it once, and then was capable of using it so quickly. Your skills are worthy of someone who managed to beat a Champion with a high tear Champion Path even while being just a Warrior."

Daneel raised both of his eyebrows on seeing the in-depth analysis of the old man in front of him, but he simply nodded in response and once again folded his hands behind him.

Taking a moment, he reflected on what had just happened.

Daneel had known all along that it was a pipe dream to want to beat the giant directly, so he had resorted to the oldest trick in the book: cheating.

His objective was just that he did not want to be humiliated in this way everywhere he went during his stay in the sect, so he had simply wanted to use the opportunity to make that happen.

If it wasn't obvious that this was a giant who, for some reason, had the intellect of a child, Daneel would never have dared to do something like this, as it would have resulted in more problems popping up.

He had simply been hoping that after the defeat, he could manipulate the childlike innocence to make the giant follow his word while disregarding everything else.

And the old man was right – the whole idea had sprung up from seeing Elanev redirecting the force of the man in bearskin.

After studying it for a bit, Daneel had realized that this could be emulated using elementary particles too – instead of using the parts of the body to skillfully let the force be guided by Inner Energy, like Elanev had done, the same could be achieved using a simple construct.

He hadn't even needed the system for this. Daneel was also skilled in making simple spells after seeing it done so many times by the system, so he did it himself and simply activated the Basilisk's Breath to use the exact moment of opportunity between him saying 'one' and the giant putting forward his force to conjure the construct and use the giant's own strength against him, which had resulted in that incident taking place.

In any other situation, this would not have worked as Daneel would not have had the element of surprise.

The dust had also been a tactic to not let others understand this, and although it seemed to have worked against those in that area, it wasn't enough to fool this Hero level individual who had also been watching.

Of course, Daneel had known that this was the case, but he knew that if he wanted to hide this from the eyes of this man too, it would result in him being exposed as someone who was capable of casting Hero level spells.

Knowing that it would definitely be a bad idea to expose all of his cards, Daneel had let him watch, which actually turned out to be a boon as he had been saved by the intervention of this man.

After all, how could he have expected that defeat would cause the childlike giant to enter that state of fury where all of his powers had also been amplified to some degree?

And in that state, it looked like no one was capable of calming the giant down who seemed to have lost all sanity.

Indeed, Daneel had had to panic, but even though he could have survived by using all the tricks up his sleeve, he had let himself be saved, as he had also judged that he must have caused enough of a ruckus by that point.

Seeing the King's response, the old man wasn't perturbed.

After a few moments, he spoke again.

"I see that you like to keep your cards close to your chest. Very well, caution is never bad. However, I do wish for you to tell me something. What is your objective in coming here? You are clearly very talented in your Mage Path, and you do not strike me as one who will be stuck as a Warrior. Typically, individuals like those try to seek other Paths to increase their power. I can tell that you can break through to become a Champion at any time that you wish, and that you must simply be looking for the strongest Path that you can find. So, I will admit that I am puzzled. Yes, you also satisfy the conditions that were placed down to identify those that we are obliged to recognize and help with all our might. But again, all the facilities we have are only for Fighters. Are you simply interested in finding out everything about us, or do you have something that you wish to achieve here, too?"

Hearing the question, Daneel wondered what he should say.

In fact, even he had to think of the answer, as the old man was right.

Daneel was now also in possession of all the incredible Champion Paths that were stored behind the third seal, and all that remained was for him to study them all and find one that he was happy with. Or, he could simply ask the system to give him a way to improve the Hopeless Champion Path, as right now, he was leaning toward it the most.

However, he had still decided to come here, and as he thought about it, he realized that the main motivation behind this was… Faxul.

Although Daneel had looked like he was satisfied with the answer from Drakos that he would have to wait until winning the Race to reform the Ancient Dragon's body and obtain a bloodline, the truth was that he still wanted to see whether something else could be done, as he was simply too captivated with the power of a bloodline.

Who could blame him? After all, there could be few things more impressive than a damn black hole that swallowed everything.

This wasn't even counting the other incredible things that he had seen listed in the information about bloodlines that he had obtained from behind the third seal.

So… Other than the idea that he wanted to see whether he could plan any conquest here, the other objective had been to find out whether there might be any information here that he could use on his quest to obtain a bloodline.

After all, this was a Fighter thing, and what better place could exist for him to investigate about it than the sect that solely focused on this Path to Power?

Only… The problem was that he couldn't give this answer to the old man, either.

Although acting arrogant and not giving an answer was also an option, Daneel didn't wish to do that, as he was grateful to this man for saving him and letting him hide his strength.

Also, although he had been domineering in front of the giant, he knew that humility was also needed especially in a place like a sect of the Big Four where there could be threats waiting around each and every corner if he painted a target on his back with his behavior.

So, after putting on an expression as if he was pondering something very deeply, Daneel finally answered after a few moments.

"I will answer honestly, as I'm grateful for your interference before. All my life, I've had to face naysayers who kept telling me that it was futile to want to excel in both parts. I kept proving them wrong, until this point where it seems more and more as if it would be best to focus on the Path that I am stronger in. However, this deeply unsettles me, as the Fighter Path is also something very special to me. Hence, I wish to find out if there is a way for me to still pursue both, and become stronger than any other Champion who might have given in and chosen just one. I know that might sound absurd, but I would never forgive myself if I don't use this opportunity to at least see if it's even possible."

Daneel spoke in an earnest tone, so when the old man actually burst out laughing after he finished talking, he almost got a slightly irritated expression on his face.

However, at the last moment, Daneel realized that this wasn't a laugh of ridicule.

No… It was one of pure pride, and as the old man replied after a few seconds, the King of Lanthanor felt like rubbing his ears to test whether they working properly.

"Ha ha, then you've come to the right place, King! Whoever said that one has to give up this Path in order to proceed? That is simply not the truth. What you seek is possible… But it is not something that anyone has accomplished in the time since the aftermath of the Empire. It wasn't even possible during the time of the Empire, but things have changed now! They used to call it the 'Ultimate Path that Cannot Be Obtained', but in at least this one thing, we managed to surpass those who came before us!"

Chapter 614: Ultimate Path 1

After a few moments, Daneel finally managed to speak in his mind.

"Drakos… Are you listening to this?"

He actually had to wait a few seconds for the reply from the Ancient Dragon, who was definitely similarly shocked on hearing that the people of Angaria had achieved something that those from the Empire had not.

When the Dragon finally did reply, it was in a voice that was filled with disbelief.

"Yes, Young King. It doesn't make sense. From everything I know regarding the Ultimate Path, nothing that changed during the apocalypse should have made it easier for anyone to pursue it. In fact, even you have the information regarding it, as it was also stood behind the third seal. If you go through it, you'll understand why it's not possible."

Daneel already knew that this was the case, and he had just been about to ask the system to do so.

However, he stopped as he felt that it might be more interesting to find out about the Ultimate Path from this man, which would give him the perspective of one who was listening about it for the first time.

This was also a Hero level individual, so he did not want to risk that he might not put forward the correct reactions and end up causing suspicion to arise against him in the mind of this man who definitely seemed to be pretty damn smart.

Later on, he could simply ask the system to fill in the gaps.

So, Daneel stood there, agape, for a few seconds as if the words of the frail old man had shocked him to the core.

This seemed to be the reaction that the man had been going for anyway, as he chuckled to himself softly and finally walked forward to stand in front of the King of Lanthanor.

As the man was so short, he had to raise his head to look at Daneel, who finally regained his senses and asked, "H – how?!"

"Follow me."

With these two simple words, the man started to lead the way in a particular direction.

Daneel nodded and turned around to follow, while making sure that the shock still remained in his eyes.

Of course, this was real as he really was looking forward to finding out more.

This was practically the Holy Grail that he had always been searching for ever since seeing the awesome power of that Black Raven in the visual message from Drakos.

He could never have expected that he would encounter a method to pursue it in this Sect, even though he had been hoping for it.

After all, it was no simple feat to have accomplished something that those from the Empire did not – all of the scholars from the Empire had had hundreds of years during a time when development was at its peak, which was something that was just not available to those interested in those fields in this age.

They were equipped with all sorts of high-tech trinkets and a fully comfortable and safe atmosphere that encouraged sharing of knowledge where all the scholars did not hide their research in fear of it being stolen. In fact, this second part was actually the most important, and the argument could be made that it was also one of the reasons behind Earth's quick development in the 20th century.

In Angaria today, that was simply not the case. In the time of the Empire, Daneel had found out from the Secret Archives that there had been a very specific and strict Information Protection rule, which allowed for anyone and everyone to share their work and ideas freely.

If such a thing was present today, too, Daneel couldn't even imagine just what kind of things would spring out from the darkness and surprise everyone.

He couldn't believe that he had ignored such an important avenue all these days, and he vowed to pursue it as soon as he left from the sect.

However, right now, his full focus was still on the explanation that the hunchbacked old man in front of him would soon give.

They walked out of two large wooden doors, and entered a tunnel that was made of the same material as the room.

At certain points, there were a few windows, through which Daneel could see the Endless Sea, which made it clear to him that they were on the side of the fort that was facing this untraversable barrier that existed all around Angaria.

Daneel kept walking forward in silence, and even though the hunchbacked man seemed to be hobbling forward just like any other old man would, he was actually covering a lot of distance with each step, which resulted in Daneel actually having to run forward to catch up as he had adjusted his speed based on how fast she had thought the old man would move.

[Hero-level Fighter Technique: Void Displacement detected. Void Displacement allows a Hero to manifest tiny teleportation windows in front of their body to move forward at much quicker speeds. This can even be used in situations where anti-teleportation formations might be deployed, which is the main reason behind it being so popular. In the words of the scholar who wrote a treatise regarding this, "Any hero worth his salt will learn this technique, as it would give him a way to evade magical attacks from those stuck-up Mages so that they can be left crying instead of feeling so high and mighty that they can do things we Fighters cannot."]

After remarking to himself that that scholar had definitely been bullied by Mages during his school life which must have led to this deep resentment against them, Daneel paid close attention to the sight of the old man which finally allowed him to spot what the system had been talking about.

The reason he hadn't seen it before was that space elementary particles came together and dispersed so quickly that anyone would miss it if they blinked.

Each teleportation was so minuscule that it only allowed the man in to move forward a few more centimeters than he usually would if he didn't do anything, but so many were conjured in such a short period of time that the overall result was pretty astonishing.

At the same time, Daneel could also see why this was at the Hero level. In fact, he could also tell why this could only be done by Fighters who learned it, as a Mage casting the same spell would have to put forward so much more effort as they would be doing it consciously, all the time.

Daneel already knew from various clues that he had seen so far that that was not how Fighters manipulated the world around them. They did it with their bodies – by training them to move in specific ways that resulted in minuscule changes in the elementary particles around them which finally led to whatever they wanted happening.

A Mage obviously couldn't do this.

It was exactly like the case of someone dumb doing something over and over again, for thousands of times until they became really adept at it – which allowed them to do it without any thought. Now, if someone much smarter came along and tried to do the same thing, they would be equipped to learn faster, but they would definitely not be able to do it as well as the one in the first case.

Although Daneel liked this analogy that he just told to himself in order to understand it better, he realized that he should never speak it out, as it would definitely result in the old man who trained Elanev going berserk due to being called dumb.

Slowly, it was becoming clear why that feeling before that he could be killed at the whim of this old man had been so apparent.

The corridor they were in went straight forward, and soon, doors started to appear on the right side.

They passed many, until they finally came across one that was glowing faintly with the light of the many, many formations that were protecting it from unauthorized entry.

Even Daneel was dazed by the numerous layers of formations on the door in front of him. True, he was now equipped to break through them even if they were at the Hero level, but this was a case where someone had been so afraid of something being stolen that they had locked it up using 10 or 15 padlocks. Even though Daneel might be equipped with a hammer to break through one easily, wanting to smash through all of these would take so much time and result in such a ruckus that he would be caught before he could get through and take anything that he might be targeting.

As Daneel looked up to read the words written on top of the door, he realized why this was the case.

"Sect Vault. Trespassers will be killed."

That explained it.

After reaching it, the old man simply raised his hand, and all the formations seemed to melt as he was the one who commanded them all.

Daneel hadn't known how to address him till now, but seeing this, he got the answer.

Chief.

This was definitely the Chief of the Fortress of Unyielding Might to whom they had been being led by those short-tempered individuals.

The door soon opened to reveal a room that dazzled Daneel's eyes.

As he entered and looked around, he had to admit that this was the most impressive Vault that he had ever seen, and this included the ones that he had been to back in the Sect of Hedon.

The main reason behind this was summed up in a single word: weapons.

Weapons of all sorts, sizes, and shapes.

Since coming to this continent, Daneel hadn't seen weapons being used to their full potential, or even too much by high-level individuals in fights where life and death were on the line.

He had pondered on this recently, too, and realized that he had actually not seen too many of such fights, and that he shouldn't make a judgment.

Now, when he looked around and saw all the shining formations that were protecting the many weapons in front of him, he realised that all of these were high-level weapons that were fit for Champions, and in a few cases, even Heroes.

Axes, swords, spears, pikes, bows, whips…

The list went on and on, but Daneel had to reluctantly shift his attention from them as the old man had shambled forward once again using that technique to reach a point at the end of the room.

Walking forward, Daneel noticed that the man was standing beside a 6-foot tall podium on which there was placed… A paper scroll?

On seeing this, Daneel did a doubletake and had to verify whether this was something that might be disguised in this way in order to decrease the interest of one that might lay their eyes on it.

However, no matter how much he scanned it, he could detect no such thing, which meant that it was simply what it appeared to be: a scroll of paper.

As if having enjoyed himself enough on seeing the expressions of the King, the old man laughed again and said, "This is what you seek. Before you get even more frustrated, let me tell you the story behind it. Godbeasts and Bloodlines. These two words were what strong Fighters were usually associated with back during the Empire, and the Ultimate Path was something that a Bloodline Possessor would choose if they were also equally skilled in the Path of a Mage. The whole process of breaking through to become a Champion is that of resonating with the world, but the idea of the Ultimate Path is that one achieves resonance between their Fighter and Mage Paths, too, that results in an overall moderate amplification effect for themselves whenever they use either Path, and a substantial amplification when using spells that utilise both of these Paths. Such a man, who could beat almost anyone at his own level… could only be called 'Ultimate'. However, this was very difficult to attain even during the Empire, as even though it was theoretically possible, all those who tried always got too old as they have to try and achieve three things, or three resonances: one with their Champion Path, one with their Fighter Path, and one between these two. And to even make this possible, there were only a limited number of Champion and Fighter Paths that went together, and the problem was that they didn't fit many aspiring Champions. So, it was almost destined to be a pipe dream that was only achievable by very few, and even these few, although the went on to become illustrious Heroes, never managed to find the continuing Path or a way that would allow them to maintain this advantage when they became a Hero, which resulted in it all being meaningless and this drove away even more people from it. Only… Who could have thought that an apocalypse would be needed to change this? After the demise of the Empire, we had nothing. There were almost no resources, and there was a serious dearth of knowledge. And that… Is the best environment for a genius to be born in. One such genius… Was the first Sect Master of the Fortress, who established this Fort where we are standing. He single-handedly killed the crazed yet weakened bringers of the apocalypse, and began the construction of this stronghold as he did not wish for something like that to happen again. And all of this… Was only possible because he figured out a way to achieve the Ultimate Path. Now, this brings me to the most important part. Although I wish I could tell you more and just give this to you, there is a strict rule that that is only possible for Sect members. Too bad. So… That's that. Let's go."

And in this way, one of the most epic speeches that Daneel had ever heard in his life ended, and he was led away without even understanding what was happening until he was standing in front of the doors that had the name "Sect Vault" on them.

It was only then that he finally realized what the heck was going on.

This damn old man wanted Daneel to join the Sect for some reason.

So what better way could there be than to dangle something in front of him that was, right now, more enticing than anything else in the entire world?

Chapter 615: Ultimate Path 2

The worst part was actually that the old man did not give Daneel any time to say anything before walking off in the corridor.

Daneel had to curse under his breath and move his legs to follow the man, as he did not want to be left behind in this place that he knew nothing about.

All through the journey, the damn guy in front of him kept humming a merry tune to himself, as if he was very happy with something.

And of course, this irritated the King of Lanthanor very, very much, as he continued to grumble and scold the guy in front of him in his mind while thinking back to that room and what he had heard regarding the Ultimate Path.

One thing was definitely clear: the word 'Ultimate' definitely fit.

As he thought about it, Daneel also realized that this was the natural evolution from Champion and Fighter Paths that he should have figured out as soon as he heard the word "Ultimate".

The old man had been right: only something which could unite the two Paths in one's body and give them an extra method to influence the world around them deserved that name.

He had expected a lot from it, and all of his expectations had paid off, but he had been mercilessly… Well, clickbaited.

Daneel even wondered whether this was the damn Head's doing, who always kept wanting him to join some or the other part of the Big Four.

Somewhere in the sky, the Head coughed as this thought came in Daneel's mind, and if he found out that it was because the King of Lanthanor was cursing him with frustration, he would definitely pretty bemused.

Forcefully calming himself down, Daneel asked the system to give him any information about the Ultimate Path that the old man might not have mentioned.

That was not the case, as the old man had been quite succinct.

This incensed Daneel even more. Even Drakos was dumbfounded as to how someone could have done something like that, and that too in a time of such chaos, but he did admit that if it was possible, then it would only be so during such a time as the old man had been right in saying that difficult times really did give birth to geniuses.

After all, it was said that the Emperor had also been a product of such a time.

Daneel could just imagine it. Hell, he didn't have to imagine it. Behind the third seal, there was a visual message of the recording of someone who had succeeded in training the Ultimate Path to become a Champion that stood above almost all of his peers.

The only ones who were supposed to be able to give someone like that a challenge were apparently Bloodline Possessors who were also in command of their technique that brought out their Bloodline powers in full effect. And even then, it was said that it would be a fair matchup.

Pumped full of expectations once again, Daneel first judged the distance in front of him, and only entered the visual message after seeing that he had at least one minute before they would reach the end of the corridor that they were walking toward.

Of course, he also told the system to immediately wake him up if he was needed, as it would be controlling his body while his mind was elsewhere.

After ensuring that everything was in order, Daneel closed his eyes, and opened them to view an open field filled with lush grass that waved in the wind which was gently blowing across it.

Right in the middle, he could see a man dressed casually in white robes.

He was sitting on the ground with his legs folded, and his hands were resting on his knees while he breathed in and out calmly, as if he was one with the world.

The system spoke in his mind, disturbing him from this image in which it almost looked as if the man had melted into his surroundings, and was no longer visible unless one paid a lot of attention.

This was the first time Daneel was seeing anything like it. If he had to describe it further, it was like seeing someone who had perfected the art of staying so still that they would disappear from one's vision.

[This is a recording made specifically for researchers to use to entice talented individuals to try out their methods to obtain an Ultimate Path. Such methods had to be used as rumors became more and more wide-spread that trying to obtain an Ultimate Path would only result in doom.]

It made more sense now that something like this existed, as Daneel had been puzzled before regarding what the purpose might have been behind recording the power of such an individual unless it was to show off.

A moment later, the demonstration started along with a voice that was heard all over the area which gave him the details regarding what was happening.

The first thing Daneel saw was the man standing up and putting on an expression of determination while looking at a spot in front of him, as if expecting an enemy to pop-up right there.

Soon, it became clear that that was the case, as someone did appear in front of him to challenge him.

"This man has trained in the simplest Ultimate Path, as he is not someone who has extremely high talent in either Path. His Mage Champion Path is that of fire – resonating with the understanding of the element that he gained after studying it deeply for numerous years, he was able to use this Path that allows him to gain an amplification in his attacks when they are fire-based. His Fighter Champion Path is that of strength – pursuing power over everything else, he trained his body to value strength above all else, allowing him to understand the route that one must take to become all-powerful. Lastly, he also managed to gain an understanding regarding how strength could be used to take one's inner fire to new heights, allowing him to obtain the 'Ultimate Path of Fiery Strength'. The result is in front of you."

The speech wasn't all too impressive in itself. These two were some of the most common Paths that Daneel had seen, and although many struggled to at least use these in this age, he knew for a fact that during the time of the Empire, these Paths were frowned upon by even those with middling levels of talent.

If such kinds of Paths were used, how good would an Ultimate Path be even if it was the case that there was an additional resonance to draw power from?

A few words floated above the man who had just appeared as if to answer Daneel's question.

"Mage Champion who has trained in a Lesser High-tier Champion Path and is on the same level as his opponent."

Even High-Tier Champion Paths were separated into multiple categories, and the most common classification was that of Lesser and Greater ones. There were a few which didn't fall into either category, but these made too little a number to be considered.

Raul's 'Balance' Champion Path was also a Lesser High-Tier one, from what Daneel understood regarding this classification, so he interestedly looked forward to what this Ultimate guy could achieve.

And in a few seconds… he was gobsmacked.

They were goddamn even!

Daneel had been expecting some sort of hard contest, as just the concept that someone who trained in trash tier Champion Paths could contest against one that was pretty much guaranteed to reach the Hero level as long as they were living during the time of the Empire was something so crazy that anyone who heard it would definitely scoff and think that whoever was speaking had gone mad.

Yet, that was exactly what he was seeing.

The third resonance allowed this man to close the gap which would typically have taken at least four or five levels to overcome.

Daneel had thought that the amplification might not be too large, but he had to change that opinion now.

True, he had not seen the full extent of potential of an Ultimate Path yet, but what he had seen so far was more than enough to pique his interest and yearning even more.

Before, he had been captivated enough by it to decide to get it even if he had to go out of his way.

Yet, now… it was no longer an option that he would let it go.

He needed it. That damn scroll had to be in his hands, no matter what he needed to do to make that happen.

He had already arrived back in his body, and as he looked forward, he saw that there was still a moment before they reached the end of the corridor.

So, he allowed himself that moment to daydream.

A Mage Champion Path that would allow him to stand against all those at his level even if he used its power alone. A Bloodline that gave him incredible powers the likes of which would be enough to defend against any other Champion who dared to challenge him. And an Ultimate Path that united both of these, and allowed him to use them to blast his enemies with even stronger attacks, so that he would be able to add 'Killing enemies with shock and depression that they will never be as powerful' to his list of killing moves.

This awesome dream was interrupted by the old man pushing open two large wooden doors which looked exactly like the ones that they had exited when walking out of that room into which Daneel had been teleported.

And in this one… The first thing he saw was the giant which had been ready to kill him just a few minutes ago.

For a moment, Daneel wondered whether this guy was leading him into a trap, but he relaxed when he saw that those red eyes had disappeared, and that the giant was also looking down as if it had just been reprimanded severely by someone.

Focusing his elementary vision, Daneel got a glimpse of the remnants of a clone spell, which revealed the mystery that it was probably this old man, himself, who must have been using a clone to speak to the giant while his main body was in the company of Daneel.

This room was also almost the same as that other one – bare walls, and an almost empty floor. In fact, Daneel even began to wonder why they hadn't bothered to just stay there.

However, he got the answer to this when he saw a very peculiar… Chair that was on the podium in one corner of the room.

It was this chair that the old man walked to and sat down, and as he did so, his whole aura seemed to change.

That wasn't the only thing that changed, though.

His thin, frail body suddenly began to fill with flesh, muscles, and sinew, and even his height began to increase, as if Daneel was seeing a sped up version of someone taking steroids.

Soon enough, a middle-aged man with flowing hair, a medium-length beard, and a body even buffer than that of those who had welcomed them was in front of him, and Daneel was so flabbergasted by this transformation that he had to take a few seconds to ask the system just what the f*ck it was.

[Blood Absorption Training Technique: Allows one to absorb vast amounts of blood to maintain their strength and power even if their age results in them growing weaker. Also extends lifespan to a degree depending on the overall level of those who shed the blood. A banned technique during the time of the Empire because it was repeatedly abused by those who did not care for common people.]

So…this was where all that blood was being transported to.

Chapter 616: The Oldest Hero In The Continen

Blood Absorption Training Technique.

Although the name sounded simple, its implications were so vast that Daneel had to take a few moments to judge whether he should be afraid for his own life.

So far, each and every encounter he had had with techniques that were related to blood hadn't gone very well – and this was specifically so with those who trained in such techniques.

Although he had dabbled in them and used one to great benefit when he had had a great dearth in resources, Daneel knew just how harmful such techniques could be.

This situation, though, was definitely much more complex than the ones he had been through so far.

So, he took a moment to calm down and reflected on everything that he knew so far, instead of jumping to conclusions and doing things that he might regret later.

First of all, it was a fact that all this blood wasn't being obtained by illegal or cruel means.

Well, it could be called cruel in a way, but Daneel had carefully investigated all the activities being done in that mountain which were causing the bloodshed in the first place.

All of them were typical Fighter training routines, and even Elanev had undergone them in that room under the Palace of Lanthanor. So, he knew that they were legitimate ways to increase one's strength.

Of course, usually, the blood that was shed during such exercises would simply be left to be cleaned away by servants, but in this case, there were special formations that pulled and absorbed all the blood which appeared from the bodies of the Fighters the instant it was exposed to the air, without giving any time for it to fall and be contaminated.

There was even a filtration system that filtered out the sweat and dirt from it as much as it could without disturbing the inherent composition of the blood, which made it clear that this was a very sophisticated formation that had been built for this very specific purpose.

And now, when that purpose was revealed, Daneel realized that he actually had to consider that there was nothing wrong with it.

After all, couldn't it be said that it was a kind of payment for allowing all those people to train with this Sect?

Daneel felt it was possible, and he also realized one other thing: that mountain had only been occupied by Fighters who didn't have very high Body Potential. As for this one, even though he hadn't gone to any other rooms, he could tell that there were many advanced facilities for actual Sect members who were hand-picked to use precious resources to full effect.

That, along with what he had seen when they had fallen through that cavity made it clear that this Sect, unlike the others, also had some sort of program for normal people even if they did not match the high standards that were typically the norm in all of the Big 4.

Whether that was for their betterment, or for the blood that was being collected… It was anyone's guess, and it could even be that it was a mutual thing that left both parties happy.

Next, coming back to this old man, Daneel saw that even though his age had decreased substantially due to this technique, that wisdom that had been present in his eyes and brow before was still there, which made him tell himself that he still had to be cautious.

As for the chair, it had seemed very peculiar, and now, he understood why that was so.

It couldn't be called a throne, as it wasn't very grand, but it definitely stood out as it was made mostly from the skin of some sort of snake.

The material was thick, yet bouncy, which was evident from how the Chief had sunk into it when he sat down.

The four legs of the chair were connected to 4 pipes in the ground, which were continuously transferring blood from some sort of storage that must be under this room to the hands of the Chair, where it was all being absorbed into the Chief's body without leaving behind any clue that there was even something like this happening.

Dale could only notice it all when he had switched on his elementary vision, and even then, he had to get past multiple illusion formations that sought to not let anyone know exactly what was happening.

The King wondered what he should say, but he kept quiet when he realized that this was, once again, the best option.

First of all, nobody was capable of doing what he had just done, so he still had to feign ignorance, but thankfully, he was relieved of that need because of the words that the Chief spoke after letting the King stay puzzled for a few seconds.

"You asked the purpose behind all that blood being collected in that mountain, right? This… Is that purpose. I am the oldest living Hero on this continent, even older than the present Head who took on his duties in my presence and with my blessings. All of this blood allows me to continue to live even though I am reduced to a husk of what I previously was, with only these situations where I am absorbing the blood allowing me to once again look like how I used to during the days of my prime. After I get up, though, you will see that old man once again, and although I was unhappy with it at one point because I always believed that the image of a Fighter should strike fear into an enemy and make them want to surrender right away, I have come to terms with it as it is who I am now. Let me make something clear, though. I'm not doing this because I want to give up my life even though I should have died long ago if I had lived naturally. Even now, my heart aches every time when I imagine the honest blood being shed by all those Fighters who came to this Sect to change their fates being gobbled up by me, like I'm some sort of monster. But I have no choice. The legacy of my Sect must live on. And for that, I have yet to find a suitable successor. The moment that happens, I will be more than happy to let everything go and drift away to the Heavens, where I will finally be able to join my brothers and sisters for a round of beer. Before we continue, do you have any questions?"

Daneel took a few seconds to absorb this monologue, which was spoken in a very sad tone while the Chief looked into his eyes with an honest expression on his face.

Daneel was even more divided now, but he decided to let it go for the moment and focus on just what the Chief wanted to say.

He once again remembered that scroll, and fixed it in his mind as that was his goal right now. From now on, each and every thing he would do would be to get closer to it, even if it meant that he might not succeed in his other objectives, It was just that important.

After all, with personal power, other things could also be achieved and accomplished, but if he didn't pursue it, it would be too late to regret later when he was dead because he wasn't strong enough for some situation.

Seeing him shake his head, the Chief continued.

Daneel had gotten a slight suspicion when he heard that last part, but that erased itself in his mind the moment he heard the Chief's next words.

"And don't be disillusioned into thinking that you are that Saviour who has magically come to this Sect to fulfill my last wish. That cannot be said regarding your friend, either, whose future I do not envy. The one who laid down the instructions regarding him was someone in whom I placed many hopes, and even though he couldn't reach up to them, he still had an excellent stint in this Sect which makes me want to honor his request. What is true, though… Is that you are a different kind of individual when compared to the typical Sect members of my Fortress. But I don't want to get into that now. Maybe, later on, you'll understand the answer to this yourself. So let me leave you with one final statement regarding what you just saw, which might entice you to change your mind regarding certain things."

It was time for the hammer to drop, and so he took in a deep breath as he waited for the Chief to continue.

"There are two ways to get that scroll. The first is to become a Sect Member, and leave behind the Central Continent to train here solely as a fighter to reach the Champion level. After that, you can go through it, as each and every champion can do so. After all, the objective is always to find someone who could utilize what is written on that scroll to follow the same Path as our first set master, but alas, almost no one has been capable of that in thousands of years. The second way… Is to participate in the annual Legacy Battle of our Sect. It begins in one month, but I must caution you – that is a public event, and I will not be responsible if you end up being buried in the ground even after this warning. The Head won't be able to blame me, either. So, you have a choice to make. I expect that you will make one soon, so I'll be looking forward to hearing what it will be. For now, you are dismissed. Bam will lead you to the quarters where your friend is already waiting for you. He wants to speak to you about something, too. Don't be afraid- each and every thing in this Fortress is always under my purview. Nothing will happen to you unless you seek out dangerous situations yourself. And once again… Welcome to the Fortress."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Barely a second after that he finished his speech, Bam walked forward with these resounding booms that were caused by his bare feet hitting the ground with all the mass of his body bearing down on the poor material that had been used to construct the floor of this chamber.

As soon as he reached Daneel, he simply waved his hand and turned around before heading off in a different direction.

The Chief closed his eyes and continue to absorb the blood, which made Daneel understand that this audience really was over. If he wanted to say anything more to the Chief, he would have to seek another one.

So, he quickly followed after the giant, wondering just what the Chief had been talking about regarding Bam.

The doors that he was led to were the largest that he had seen yet – they even dwarfed the giant, standing at double his size and requiring his full strength to open them as they were made of metal instead of wood like the others.

Soon, it became clear why this was the case, as Daneel saw sunlight poured through the doors when they were open.

A loud buzz also reached his ears, which made him understand that he was entering the Sect grounds.

Yet, the moment he and Bam walked out to see a large open field that was clearly between the walls and the edifice in the middle of the Fort and was occupied by hundreds of Fighters who were training or chatting, the buzz ceased as everyone turned around to look at this unmistakable duo.

Open scorn could be seen, but Daneel had expected this as he was an 'ant' from the Central Continent.

Only…What was peculiar was that that was not the only emotion he saw.

Some of the eyes that were staring at him… Were actually filled with admiration.

In the next second, Daneel found out why this was the case, as a random guy sprang forward from the crowd and knelt in front of him before saying, "You defeated Bam, and Bam can smash me to bits, so that means you are stronger than me. Can you teach me how you did it even though you are supposed to be just a worthless villager from the Central Continent?"

Chapter 617: Legacy Battle 1

As soon as Daneel heard this extremely odd statement from this lad who wasn't even a Warrior level Fighter, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

True, he had been acknowledged as the one who had beaten the giant beside him, but what they thought of him was made clear, and even though this wasn't very surprising given the general idea that those who were part of the Big Four had regarding the Central Continent, hearing it in this way was definitely pretty jarring.

Thankfully, Daneel didn't have to reply as a shadow suddenly descended from the sky, blocking out the sun and materializing into a hand that fell on the spot where the kid who had just spoken to Daniel was standing.

This made panic appear on his face before he leaped aside, as Bam's hand thundered onto the ground right where his feet had been a few moments ago, causing a 2-feet deep hole to appear in the earth that was present there.

Taking large gulps of breath due to having escaped death in such a manner, the kid turned around to see that the giant who typically had an innocent or arrogant smile on his face was now pretty displeased about something.

Of course, everyone knew the reason behind this, but they had been thinking that, just as always, Bam must have forgotten about it as he had quite a short-term memory.

Realising that this wasn't the case, a few others who had also been about to move forward with the same objective as that first kid stopped in their tracks and quickly moved back, as they had no intention of tussling with this giant who regularly put multiple sect members in the sick bay for weeks on end.

In fact, there were even betting circles where sect members could bet on the number of people who would be landing in the sickbay due to Bam in any given month.

After looking around menacingly and seeing that there were no more people who wanted to emulate the same actions as that kid, Bam nodded to himself and growled, saying, "Talk later."

These words were enough, as a passage opened up allowing the two to quickly cross the large open field and approach another building made of the same strange black colored rock.

It looked like a guesthouse of sorts, as it was in the shape of a typical hut, albeit larger, which made it seem as if it could easily accommodate 5 to 10 people.

And in front of the door was Elanev, standing alertly and eyeing the giant as if to see whether the situation from before would repeat.

Bam led Daniel up to a point where Elanev was within earshot of them, and stopped.

This made Elanev walk forward, and as soon as he appeared beside Daniel, Bam looked at them both and frowned like a little kid who was being made to do something that he didn't want to.

Opening his mouth, he spoke in a very low tone.

"Bam is sorry for what happened before. Contest is contest. Bam will not speak of puny king's weakness anymore. But it was not fair fight, so Bam does not acknowledge your strength. Bye bye."

With a wave of his hand, before either Daneel or Elanev could say or even feel anything, the giant was gone like a willow on the wind.

Daneel had initially thought that the giant was only capable of brute strength, and this he might be weaker in terms of speed and reaction time. Yet, now, seeing this, he realized that that was not the case.

If he wished, the giant could also be as silent as a ninja before smashing his enemy into bits using his god-like strength.

Finally finding himself alone, Daneel first talked a bit with Elanev, who told him that he was actually not looking forward to the old man's training at all.

Daneel chuckled on hearing this, as even the Chief had said that he didn't envy Elanev's near future. True, it was all to grow stronger, but he slightly pitied his elder brother as he had no option but to resort to these methods to grow powerful.

Well, it would all be worth it if he somehow managed to obtain a bloodline, but Daneel did not see any way in which that could happen.

His training would start tomorrow, so they decided to first take a little bit of rest and gather their bearings before meeting later to decide what their game plan would be.

Daneel went to his room, which only had a hard bed, a wardrobe, and an attached bathroom. Black was still the theme, and by this point, it was getting annoying.

Lying down on the bed and grimacing on seeing just how hard it was, Daneel thought back to the options he had been given.

Either become a sect member, or beat this Legacy Battle, whatever it was.

The first was simply not an option right now. He still had a lot to do in the Central Continent, so going away to the Big 4 would not be a good idea, at all.

Even later on, if he was free, he might not have chosen this as it would mean him bowing in and giving up everything he had obtained with great difficulty.

As for the second one…it seemed to be the most enticing, but without knowing the specifics of the battle, Daneel wasn't prepared to make any judgments.

An hour later, the two met again and decided to go find someone who could give them a tour of the sect.

It was still early evening, so they wanted to get a measure of the place before retiring for the day and preparing themselves for whatever tomorrow would bring.

Sadly, they failed, as they didn't even know whom to contact.

Soo, though, using instructions from sect members most of whom didn't even feel it to be worth their time to give an answer, the two reached an administration block.

Here, after announcing who they were, they finally got a guide allotted to them by the snarky guy in front of the communication trinket in the reception.

Even the guide looked like he was unhappy due to being dragged away from whatever he was doing, but he relkuctantly took up his duty and began to lead them to the most famous areas of the Sect.

Their first stop though…was one that interested Daneel greatly- it was a room where the two words 'Legacy Battle' were emblazoned in bold letters.

When he entered, all he saw was dust, but the words from their guide startled him.

"Oh, give it a few moments. The entire sect is participating in the Legacy Battle anyway. Someone wanted me to get you here as they found out that you might be competing, too."

Chapter 618: The Group With No Names

Daneel had been expecting something like this since the moment he had arrived at this sect, itself.

In every powerful force, there was always some or the other character who would think high and mighty of themselves, so much so that they would want to assert their dominance on anyone who visited the Sect from outside.

In the case of Daneel, he was actually a ripe candidate for someone like this to take pleasure in challenging and then beating him.

Everyone knew that Daneel was a King, and although this was only in the Central Continent, he was pretty sure that he would still be the target of jealousy.

After all, who wouldn't want to be revered thousands and tens of thousands of people?

All these people knew that they would probably never be in such a position. However, most were fine with it.

Some, though…would have too much of a superiority complex that wouldn't allow them to settle for the fact that someone from the Central Continent was greater than them in any aspect.

Hence…they would resort to these antics.

Folding his arms, Daneel watched as their guide slinked out of the room, leaving them alone in the vast chamber that looked like it had been built to house over a thousand people.

Chairs and tables stretched out in front of Daneel and his elder brother, and there was a bar counter to the right in which many kinds of wine could be seen.

Knowing for sure that he would be experiencing one of those clichéd moments where a cocky sect member would walk up to him with bravado and declare that he was nothing before proceeding to threaten him to step out of the battle, or risk being killed, Daneel decided to enjoy it with some wine.

He treated it like an interesting play that he would be idly watching, as he knew that he would mostly be crushing anyone who walked through the door without fail soon, anyway.

This wasn't overconfidence. No, it was just a simple admission of the truth by someone who had dealt with more than all these runts in the Sect could ever imagine.

He wondered whether he should flip out and try to maintain the grandeur of a King, but he decided against it, as that was usually what dumb protagonists would do: by being impatient, they would bring unnecessary problems upon themselves that could simply have been solved by biding their time and then striking later when the opportunity was right. Daneel planned to do just this, so when he walked over the bar counter and chose a random bottle of wine before conjuring two glasses and filling them, he had a neutral expression on his face.

Elanev followed, and it looked like he, too, had understood their situation.

Instead of taking the glass, he took the bottle from Daneel's hands and downed it in one go.

As he saw his younger brother raise an eyebrow on seeing this, he shrugged and said, "Ever since I've started this damn old man's training, wine has no effect on me. I need to get through at least a couple of bottles before I can start to enjoy it."

Nodding, Daneel made a few bottles float into the air.

With a flick of his finger, he broke them all and conjured another transparent, larger bottle into which all of the wine flowed.

As he handed that to Elanev, his elder brother beamed and said, "Oh, don't mind if I do. Thanks for making it convenient!"

A few seconds later, when a small group of people approached the room, this was the scene they upon.

A man was chugging a huge bottle that was half his size.

This would have been pretty peculiar in itself, but it didn't stop there.

That large glass bottle had no bottom, and as it kept getting depleted, the man beside him would make more and more bottles float into the air before shattering them and adding their wine to the large one that his friend was drinking.

Already, they could see that over a quarter of the wine that was typically meant to feed 50 people had been depleted, which made one of them who was an avid drinker step forward and shout, "Hey!"

'Glug, glug, glug'

That was the only response he got, as the two completely ignored him and continued their task, whatever it was.

The lover of wine was about to jump forward, but he was stopped by a tall man who stood at the head of their group.

"Wait."

Hearing this word, the man nodded and stepped back to his initial position, while the rest continued to watch, wondering just how much more this guy could take.

It was already commendable that he seemed to have more capacity than their Survival Master, who was a Peak Champion that was supposed to be able to drink more than a hundred people combined.

Initially, they were bored, but after a minute, astonishment was on their faces as they saw the entire stock depleted.

All that wine could have been drunk by 50 people, yet this man had finished this alone?!

Moreover, he didn't even look that woozy! As he threw aside the glass bottle which disappeared into the air, he even started looking around for more, which flabbergasted them and made them feel like running forward to hide the reserves stocked in the other bar counters around the room.

Daneel finally lay his eyes on them while they were looking at each other and whispering that this was supposed to be impossible.

He had already noticed them even before they had come with a hundred meters of the room, but Daneel had wanted to throw them off their balance by introducing this scene.

He had also been secretly hoping that they would attack, as he could then use a few nasty spells on them and say that he had acted in self-defense.

For example, there was a Hero-level spell that he had gotten from the third seal which would make one grow hair all over their body that would attract fleas strongly.

It was a prank spell, but it had been banned after it was used in a war to disable an entire company of foot soldiers.

The problem was that without the counter-spell, anyone affected by it would have their vitality sucked out, before dying and turning into a husk that was covered in a gigantic ball of hair.

Any spells that sought to change the flow of Energy in one's body like this were at the Hero-level, as that was the complexity required to do such a feat.

Daneel chuckled inwardly as he imagined 5 people covered with hair running around while panicking, after which he could secretly cast the counterspell and remove all traces. It would seem like a prank where someone had glued on hair, instead of making it grow.

He had no idea why he was thinking up something so elaborate, so as he thought about it, he realized that although he was ready to sit through something like that, he would be pretty irritated, and he wanted to act on that irritation instead of swallowing it up. With everything he had, he simply didn't have to.

Also, as Daneel watched them approach after being commanded by their leader, he realized that his earlier supposition that everyone in this Sect was rippling with muscles like this was some sort of extreme gym from back on Earth was wrong.

In this group, there were three different body types: of the 5 of them, two were buff like the others he had seen, but one of them was round.

Yes, round, exactly like a ball.

He walked like a penguin- putting his feet to the side in order to not wobble and fall down.

The other two were lean, and this group included the leader, who was at least 2 meters(6 and a half feet) tall.

Daneel and Elanev remained seated on the bar counter while the 5 approached.

Elanev had found one last bottle under the wooden counter, and as he was just about to open it and drink, the leader of the group walked forward and caught it, making Elanev glare at him fiercely.

Sensing that the confrontation was here, Daneel prepared to pull back his elder brother if necessary. He could tell that this guy was also a Peak Warrior, but he was…different. Although Daneel didn't feel danger from him, he could tell that this guy was definitely pretty damn powerful.

However…what happened next made the King understand that he should really not judge books by their covers.

Pulling away that wine bottle, the tall man took one out from his inner pocket.

Placing it in Elanev's hand, he said, "Normal wine does not affect us Fighters much. Try this."

Elanev looked at Daneel, who nodded after using the system to scan and verify that there was no poison in the wine.

The third seal also contained an exhaustive list of flora, fauna and their uses, so he was pretty confident that there wasn't any poison that could escape the system.

Elanev raised the bottle as if he would gulp it down, but he choked and immediately lowered it on taking just a single sip.

His eyes turned red, and he looked as if he had just drunk liquid fire that was burning his insides.

Daneel could tell that this was nothing to worry about. So, he just waited with a curious expression on his face.

Finally, when Elanev took a few gulps of air and finally managed to get back to normal, he looked at the tall man and sputtered, "What the f*ck was that?!"

The tall man had simple features, which would never stand out in a crowd. Of course, his height was distinctive, so Daneel and Elanev had to crank their necks up to see him.

Noticing that, he took a seat beside Elanev on the bar counter and said, "Firewine. Concocted in the depths of the mountain from Ether blocks and a special plant that only grows inside volcanoes. We have no active ones in Angaria, but the Twin Peak of the Sect is a dormant one. Each bottle costs 2 Ker Gems, and can be used for training, too."

If that was true, then this was definitely the most expensive bottle of wine that Daneel had ever seen.

Taking it from Elanev, he took a sip and understood why his elder brother had reacted like that.

It really did feel like fire was burning up his mouth, throat, and stomach, but when he endured past it, a high unlike any other struck him, making him want to leap up and go out to war, too, if needed.

Curbing that feeling and eyeing the bottle with appreciation, Daneel asked, "Who're you, and why did you want us to be here?"

Still with that smile on his face, the man said, "Names are unimportant in this sect unless one distinguishes themselves. You can call me Tall. These are Short, Round, Thin and Lean. I wanted to meet you because I want to work with you in the Legacy Battle."

Well, that was definitely strange.

Daneel pondered for a bit, and answered, "What is this Legacy Battle, anyway?"

The answer was given by Round, who had a deep, booming voice that echoed in the room.

"A Legacy Battle is conducted annually to shortlist candidates who are then mentored by the Chief, himself. The Battle, itself, is simple. Participants are thrown into a vast jungle where they must survive for 30 days. Champion level individuals will be going around acting as crazy individuals who kill all those they lay their eyes upon. The objective is to mimic the conditions after the Apocalypse, where our Sect Founder burst forth with potential in such an atmosphere to accomplish things which are still sung about to this day. The hope is that one who is worthy of taking forth his legacy will react similarly. No one knows how to win. No one knows what metrics are used to judge the participants. All we do know is that no one has won in the past few hundred years."

As Daneel heard all this, only one thought appeared in his mind.

What the f*ck kind of a contest was this?!

Chapter 619: Legacy Battle 2

No rules, no metrics, and no winners.

It was like a student sitting down for an exam without knowing what was being tested, as there were no metrics to go by.

Seeing the completely puzzled expressions on both of their faces, the one who had called himself the peculiar name 'Tall' shrugged and said, "I know, right? It's just that strange. All we do know is that at the end, a few people are selected to be mentored by the Chief. They obtain all of the best resources and facilities, and they easily go on to become powerful Champions. This year, I want to achieve that, too."

The last sentence was spoken with a singular determination that Daneel had seldom seen in others.

Clearly, this guy was someone who had set a goal, and his passion for fulfilling that goal was capable of attracting others to his cause.

In fact, in many ways…Daneel was the same, although he was equipped with just a liiiiittle special something that set him apart.

Of course, even though that was the impression he got, and even though his expectations had been subverted, he had no intention to trust this guy so fast.

After all, it was still possible that he might be being set up as a scapegoat.

Deciding to hear everything he had to say before making a decision, Daneel said, "How do you plan to accomplish that, though, when there are no metrics?"

In response, it was Tall who answered again.

"There are two things that can be done by anyone who wishes to excel in the Legacy Battle. One…survive. That is the name of the game. Although more than 1000 people take part in the Battle every year, only 100 remain until the last week. And on the last day, it's usually a miracle if even 20 or 30 are still alive. This is because the Champions acting as crazy destroyers grow stronger with time, and even start adopting various tactics to flush us out. All in all, if someone manages to survive till the last day, they will at least ensure that they have a chance of being selected."

Daneel nodded. It did make sense.

"This, in itself, is easier said than done, but I have a secondary goal. It is…to stand out. Every year, those who give stellar performances while excelling in some matter or the other typically get selected, and their talents are nurtured. For example, last year, my own elder brother, Kanor, was selected because he was really adept in making others enter situations where they could only flee or be killed by the destroyers if they targeted him. Resources are also scarce, so there is a lot of infighting. He is…was a master of using his surroundings to full effect."

Both Daneel and Elanev could clearly detect the hint of sorrow that was present in Tall's tone as he said this.

The one who had been called Lean even walked forward and laid a hand on Tall's shoulder, who shrugged it off and said, "I'm fine."

In this situation, the typical thing that anyone would do was ask and find out the story behind why this guy was sad.

However…Daneel wasn't someone typical.

He hadn't come to the Big 4 to make friends and acquaintances. He had enough of those in the Central Continent, and his objective was to save them all by using everything he obtained here. If he went into sidetracks while he was here which might end up resulting in him jeoparding his main goals, he would never be able to forgive himself.

True, he was interested, and he was ready to help if he could do so without going too much out of his way.

But if it was something where he would have to go up against some powerful figure which would result in his time being wasted massively, he would have no qualms in ignoring this for now and keeping it in the back of his mind for a time when, maybe, he was the leader of this sect.

Well, right now, it would seem like a farfetched dream, but people had said the same about an Alliance until they saw it formed.

Daneel didn't have to ask Tall to tell him the reason, though. Tall turned toward them and began to talk, which made the King of Lanthanor look at him with just a tiny hint of suspicion in his eyes.

"I apologize. My elder brother was killed recently in a fluke accident during a friendly tournament with another member of the Big 4. I simply wish to follow in his footsteps and make sure that our family is 'Named' once again instead of remaining 'Unnamed'."

"It's all right. Losing someone close to us can be tough."

It was Elanev who said this, but the message he sent to Daneel through the communication trinket he had was totally different.

"He's probably a lying sack of sh*t."

Daneel felt like smiling as he heard this. Clearly, he and his elder brother shared the quality of suspecting someone if they gave away even the tiniest of clues.

Elanev had always been someone smart who chose his battles wisely. True, he was a flirt and he loved bravado- he even loved mixing the two together which netted him a lot of the women in Lanthanor, but he had never been someone who blindly believed someone or something just based on face value.

That was one of the reasons Daneel had looked up to him as an elder brother, as he had treated these as qualities he should learn.

And it looked like he had grown up and done just that.

Both of them kept their suspicions close to their chest, so Tall just continued without noticing anything.

"I called you here because I have been following everything you were doing in the Central Continent. Others think that you were lucky, but I think you must have some trump card of your own. And, of course, everyone knows that you have an Inheritance which you displayed to beat a Champion, but they use various excuses to dismiss that, such as that a newly ascended Champion might not have fully understood his own power. Their prejudice blinds them and makes them see someone to scorn, but I see an opportunity. Work with me, and I will guarantee that you will also be selected in the Legacy Battle. At least, I can promise that I will give you the most chance for that to happen. We still have a month, so you don't need to rush to take a decision. Before that, many things can happen, so I will only look for an answer a week before the battle, as we will have to plan strategies if you do agree. Are you ok with that?"

Daneel thought for a bit and nodded, as there was time.

True, a lot of things could happen.

Smiling again, Tall took out another bottle of firewine from another inner pocket and placed it on the table before saying, "A gift because it is our first meeting. Lean will act as your official guide. Apologies for using that method of making our meeting happen- I had to do it discreetly, as there are many other factions eyeing the battle, too. Be rest assured that mine is one near the top, though. And if you want to find out more about us, just ask anyone about the 'Unnamed'. Goodbye for now, King."

Daneel nodded once again and smiled slightly, following which Tall stood up and began walking in the direction of the door while flanked by the other three. Lean stayed behind, and his attitude seemed to be much better than their previous guide.

Daneel was just about to take his own bottle of firewine, but he paused when he heard Tall say one last thing before exiting from the door.

He was just a step away, but he had paused and turn around to say it.

"A word of caution regarding your friend, by the way. He is not welcomed in this Sect because many believe he doesn't deserve the position that he has automatically obtained. The way forward is marred with thorns, so I would advise him to tread carefully."

A flash of realization passed across Elanev's face as he heard this.

So this was the reason behind everything he had seen since coming here.

He had already figured out that the machinations of the old man in his head had enabled him to gain quite a lot in this Sect.

However, he should have known that this would cause displeasure.

Back when he had been saved from that bear by the Empire Spirit, he had been told one thing which he still remembered clearly.

"Boy, a Fighter's life is filled with obstacles. Each one you pass will threaten to break your spirit. Your body will be broken countless times, but it can at least be healed. Your spirit, though…if it shatters, all will be lost. So I ask you one last time. Are you determined to become my disciple? I can promise you that I will make you the greatest Fighter of your age, but all that will be for naught if you break on me. If you decide to be cautious, I will understand, and there will be no debt that needs to be repaid."

Elanev repeated the same answer that he had given the Empire Spirit on that day.

"F*ck caution. My old man always used to tell me that when I learned to walk, I never looked down as I didn't care about anything else but getting to where I wanted to go. I am still the same. I'll smash my way through anything that dares to stand in my way. Go tell those thorns that."

In response, Tall smiled enigmatically before leaving the room.

…

Meanwhile, Faxul and Kellor were in the same underground room where the incident that had led to Faxul becoming a Champion had occurred.

This was actually Faxul's favorite place now, as he had never imagined that he would once again have a body to call his own.

Sitting at that same spot as before, he kept an eye on all the commanders of Lanthanor who were undergoing the 'Road Through Hell' that was supposed to make them Warriors.

Kellor was doing the same, but he had a hopeful expression on his face.

A few minutes later, he suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Yes! Finally! The last stage! Faxul, get ready! It's the most crucial part!"

Raising his eyebrows, Faxul got up and walked to the array of display trinkets that were broadcasting everything happening in the various sections of the Road.

Multiple torture devices and situations which were meant to pull out the inner potential and 'push' of a Human could be seen, but they were all empty, as they had all been passed successfully.

The Road was typically something that took a few days to even weeks according to Daneel. Time needed to be given for the participants to rest between attempts, and this was the main reason behind this.

These commanders had no idea that so, so much had happened outside since they had been trapped inside the Road. For them, their only goal was to get the f*ck out so that they could get back to their King.

After many days, Cassandra and Aran had finally reached the final step.

It was a coincidence that they had done so in generally the same time, but when one realized that these two always trained together and had comparable strength even though their Paths were different, it would make more sense.

They were standing in empty rooms, frantically searching for the traps that had made them pull out everything they had to survive.

Only…they saw nothing, until a mist suddenly began to appear from minuscule holes in the walls.

Cassandra had reached this room first, and she was the one that Kellor had seen and exclaimed. She fainted, and as Aran entered a different, similar room a half hour later, the same happened to him.

The mist brought one face to face with their deepest fears. If they overcame them using one last push, they would break through.

Otherwise…if they were allowed to suffer for too long, they would become mentally unstable.

Hence, Faxul needed to be alert. The moment he saw that something was wrong, he would have to jump in.

So, with bated breath, the two men waited to see whether these two Commanders of Lanthanor were capable of taking their fate into their own hands.

Chapter 620: Cassandra 1

Cassandra was going through one of the most horrible times of her life.

Days ago, she had been kidnapped by some entity that was far more powerful than her.

She didn't know where she was. She didn't even know if Aran was alive, as they had been taken together. And she didn't even know what the f*ck the motive of the culprit was, unless he just got off on watching them suffer.

During the brief time of respite that she got between the ordeals that tested her mind and body to their limit, she would often wonder this, and shout out her questers at the bare stone walls of the room she was trapped in.

Of course, there was always only a single answer, given in an emotionless voice that did not belong to anyone she knew.

"Reach the end of the Road if you wish to leave."

Oh yes, the Road.

Room after room of pure hell, where even a moment of not giving her all would have taken her life.

She had crossed vats of boiling lava that would fall on her if she were even a second slower in crossing a wide area full of traps. She had gone past poisonous arrows that she had had to deflect with all her might using every magical trick she knew unless she wanted to die by being hit by one. And she had even had to, at one point, completely deplete her Mageroot while defending against a boulder that had been about to crush her.

Each time, she would think that that was it. That it was all over, and that all the goals she had worked toward in her life would never be reachable.

Yet, somehow, she would pass that stage by pulling out power that even she didn't know she had.

Each time, it would also feel like she was reaching closer and closer to something, but that there was just one last barrier that was stopping her from reaching it.

After every ordeal, a spell would put her to sleep and when she woke up, she would find food waiting for her.

Of course, she didn't waste a single morsel, as she still had hope of getting the f*ck out of here.

Today had started like any other. She had been through an ordeal and rested for an unknown amount of time, and she had woken up and eaten the food.

When she was teleported to the next room, though…it was empty.

She had waited for some threat to appear. But there were really no signs whatsoever of the typical traps that would always be there.

After a few seconds, a yellow smoke entered the room, and she instantly went on guard.

Making two fireballs appear over her palms, Cassandra carefully looked around, waiting for the threats to appear so that she could overcome them.

However, all she heard was…laughter.

Laughter from three people, who were very, very familiar to her.

"Cassie dear, how have you been?"

NO!

Cassandra immediately began to back away from where she stood.

The fireballs had disappeared, and she looked just like a helpless woman who had no means to defend herself.

She kept backing up more and more until she hit the wall, and even then, she tried to keep moving but stopped as there was nowhere to go.

The yellow mist began to fade, and because it had been clouding her vision till now, this resulted in her being able to see what was in front of her much more clearly.

A woman wearing a green cardigan, holding a little boy in her hands who was dressed neatly with his hair combed carefully to the side.

And a thick-set man with broad shoulders who had his hand on the woman's shoulder, while he looked at her with a small smile on his face.

All three of them were smiling at her, and it was the woman who had spoken.

"Sis, you really did become a Mage! So cool!"

This was from the little kid, and her father spoke next.

"Cassie, why are you scared? Don't worry, we are but remnants who were invoked by a spell. You never forgot us. And you never let go of your guilt. The one behind this was able to use that to make this happen."

Saying so, the man patted the woman's shoulder, who walked forward slowly with her hand stretched out.

The little boy came, too, but he showed much less caution.

He immediately ran up to his sister and hugged her legs tight, and this finally opened the floodgates.

Sobbing, Cassandra hugged him back, and she could feel his skin as if he really was present in front of her.

Her mom soon reached her, and she was pulled into the hug, too, while Cassandra bawled just like she had all those years ago, when she had been left alone with three motionless bodies.

Her father also walked forward and joined the little family, and as he did so, Cassandra felt complete.

For years, she had been holding the guilt close to her heart while moving through life, endeavoring to never show anyone that she was broken inside.

The truth, though…was that she was very much a wreck, and that revenge had been the only thing holding her together.

Now, however, when she felt the warmth of her family again, she realized that it hadn't been just revenge.

No, it was grief, too, and the fact that she couldn't let go of them.

Cassandra wished that this moment would stretch on forever. She really did. Yet, a sound interrupted them.

"No welcome for us, little girl? Did you miss us?"

A voice that made rage fill Cassandra's mind was heard from near her, making her immediately move forward and shield her family behind a barrier that she instantly conjured.

2 men were standing in front of her. Both wore black clothes with a few grey spots here and there, and they wore masks on their faces.

Their voices, though…were unmistakeable.

"It's not just your family whom you didn't let go of. You killed us with a tiny break knife, but you still remember us with hate every damn day. It's all useless, though. You don't believe me? Then just try and stop us while we do the same thing one more time. And just like last time…you won't be able to do a damn thing."

…

In a room nearby, both Faxul and Kellor had their eyes fixed on Cassandra, who had just shuddered where she lay on the ground.

"It's begun", said Kellor, to which Faxul nodded.

"Such a strange formation. Daneel said that it puts one in the most traumatic situation of their life again, right? If they get that final push and break through, they resolve that incident and become free of any guilt they might have, depending on the nature of the incident. If not, though…it will completely break them, and I should pull her out if there's a risk of that happening. In many ways, it is cruel, but seeing the way these two had to get to the final stage…its possible that they might have taken a very, very long time to break through naturally."

As Faxul said this, Kellor nodded, but he still had his eyes completely focused on Cassandra.

He had never had any other family except these two, until Daneel had come along. He cared more about them than anyone else in the world, and it had been practically torture seeing them struggle so much through this Road.

However, he knew that it was necessary.

All his life, Kellor had never prayed to the Heavens for anything.

His Master had always told him that praying was an act of desperation. Only when one is sure that they can no longer affect a situation using their own power, should they pray, and hope for the best.

Well, now he was desperate.

Closing his eyes, he prayed.

…

Meanwhile, Daneel and Elanev had just been through almost all the areas of the Fortress of Unyielding Might.

The thing that stood out most was the extensive effort that had been put into creating various types of innovative facilities that all sought to develop each and every aspect of a Fighter.

In fact, this place reminded Daneel a lot of the army training camps that he had seen in videos back on Earth. Of course, with the addition of magic, there was so much more danger, but also so much more potential that could be dug out by those who went through them.

In particular, Daneel had been quite impressed by a 'Movement' training course, where there was a vertical wall which had to be scaled by Fighters.

Unlike Mages, Fighters didn't have the facility of simply flying to wherever they wanted. They had to learn to be able to cross any terrain, and this was just one of the types which were tested and trained.

The peculiarity, though…was that there was a time limit. If one didn't get to the top in that time limit, a formation would make gravity surge, making the candidate fall to the ground, where there would be a pit of fire waiting for him.

Of course, the objective was not to kill those who failed.

No… it was to embarrass them.

Each one who fell would have their ass set on fire, and as they leaped out and hurriedly put it out, there was a communication eye that recorded them and played their footage on a display trinket that was set up nearby.

So…unless a Fighter wanted to be seen with a blackened butt, they would strive to only test themselves here when they were sure that they could pass.

And if they wanted more resources, the only way was to pass such tests.

Nearing the end of their tour, Daneel and Elanev approached a gate through which many Fighters could be seen going out and coming in.

This was when they noticed something peculiar.

Those who were leaving the gate had very sullen expressions on their faces, while those who were entering the Sect had broad smiles.

Daneel got a faint suspicion when he saw a few buildings past the gate, and it was confirmed when their guide spoke.

"Beyond that gate lies a settlement which is fondly called the 'Fortress's Mistress'. As you must know, all people have certain needs which, if not satisfied, can end up distracting them in the long run. This village was established to prevent that from happening. Men and women can go at any time, and it is encouraged as there are a lot of perks given to all those who bear the children of Fighters. According to the Chief, we have a duty to populate the continent with more people who have the chance of having a higher Body Potential. It is completely voluntary, and the stronger you are, the more doors are open to you in there. There is also the standing record regarding the number of simultaneous…"

"Oh, we don't need to know about that. Let's go."

As Daneel said this and interrupted their guide, they moved on, but weirdly, the three of them moved in three different directions.

Assuming they were going back, Daneel turned around.

With the intention of going forward, their guide had walked on.

And as for Elanev…he turned left, and headed straight to that gate with a hungry expression on his face.

Daneel turned around on seeing no one near him, and sighed as he saw his elder brother forgetting everything else.

Conjuring a hand, he was about to drag him back by his collar, but he was stopped by the guide who said, "Let him go. You'll see why."

Raising an eyebrow on seeing the tone of the man and noticing something amiss, Daneel dispersed the spell and followed Elanev along with the guide.

Passing the gate, they came across a wide road on the two sides of which were numerous stone houses.

The Fighters who were in front of them randomly walked up to houses and knocked on the doors, following which they would either be pulled in, or left standing there.

If there was no response, they would get a dejected expression on their face and move on to another one.

Elanev was a quick learner, so he ran up to the first house and knocked.

Striking a dashing pose, he waited, but there was no response.

After a few moments, sure that it was a mistake, he knocked again, following which a voice was heard from inside.

"We know who you are. And here, no doors are open to those who get things without deserving them. Piss off."

The guide spoke up while Elanev went eerily still.

"A rival of ours holds a lot of sway here, and he is one of those who are displeased about you. Y-"

The guide choked on his words as two burning eyes had just locked onto him.

They were Elanev's, who had turned around while bloodlust burned in his eyes.

In a chilling voice, he said, "Point me to him. I'm going to murder that f*cker."

Chapter 621: Cassandra 2

Daneel initially felt like laughing when he heard this, but feeling the bloodlust actually radiating outwards in waves as if it was ready to take form and suffocate all those near him, he understood that Elanev wasn't kidding.

He really wanted to kill the one responsible for this.

Well…he could understand why this would cause so much frustration for his dear elder brother.

Even the guide seemed to have detected this. Raising his hands, he said, "Whoa, there, now! We don't need to get hasty! During the Legacy Battle, we can point you to him and even help you in the process!"

Daneel furrowed his eyebrows and turned to Lean who said this.

It was there only for a moment, but Daneel caught the flash of happiness that came across his face which he quickly hid.

If it weren't for him being able to activate the Basilisk's Breath whenever he wanted in the fraction of a second, he wouldn't have been able to see the confirmation for the suspicion he had gotten on hearing the statement from Lean.

This guy had planned this on purpose.

Or, at least, if it wasn't him, it was Tall, who seemed to be the ringleader behind all this.

For someone who was used to scheming so much, it was clear as day.

They had been lead here, and it was a reasonable assumption that most virile men would march to the village as soon as they found out that they could seek the company of a woman by using their strength.

Elanev had taken the bait, and when Daneel had been about to stop him, Lean had encouraged it.

And now, all of it had resulted in this situation, as he knew that Elanev would be denied entry.

There was really nothing like the rage that would erupt when something like this was snatched away from a man.

Daneel also had to admit that it was a pretty damn effective plan. He was even a bit impressed, but only a bit.

As Elanev took a few deep breaths on hearing this and forcefully calmed himself down while storing that anger deep inside his mind, Daneel kept a track on Lean without looking at him.

The system was, of course, really helpful in this. And soon, his second confirmation came when the system reported that Lean had looked at him with a slightly disappointed expression for the briefest of moments.

What more could he need? This was definitely Lean's assignment- to entice them into joining the Legacy Battle. And he was disappointed because Daneel hadn't fallen for it.

There was definitely more to these 'Unnamed' than what was visible on the surface, and Daneel was now really interested in finding out what that was.

Elanev would have noticed this too, if he had been thinking with his mind.

Walking up to Daneel, he spoke with gritted teeth.

"I wasn't really that interested before, but now, I'm so looking forward to that Legacy Battle. Maybe joining with these guys is not such a bad idea. Even if that f*cker before was lying, we can use them to our advantage."

Daneel raised an eyebrow as he heard this.

So he hadn't completely gone into 'cucked' mode after all.

Nodding, Daneel looked toward Lean in order to continue their tour.

This was the last part, so they were just shown the cafeteria once more before Lean left after giving them a communication trinket that they could use to contact their group if needed.

He repeated the same thing as Tall- that they would be waiting for a positive response, to which Daneel simply replied with a smile.

Finding themselves alone again in the guest quarters, Daneel first asked Drakos to deploy a Hero-level anti-eavesdropping stealth formation.

This was a special formation to be used in cases where a location might be under the active surveillance of someone. The formation would both prevent others from listening in, and also project a fake one that would make it seem as if they had gone to sleep, or were training.

Daneel had the formation after breaking the third seal anyway, but he asked Drakos to deploy it as he didn't want to shock the Ancient Dragon too much by showing that he could deploy it without getting a splitting headache, as would be the case for even the most highly talented Warriors.

After it was active, he nodded to Elanev to indicate that they were cloaked, following which his elder brother immediately smashed a table near him.

"I HATE BEING MANIPULATED!"

Yes, he had definitely understood it too.

The Central Continent was just a place where there were many more instances of using underhanded methods and scheming.

Elanev was also the son of the Righteous Hawk, who had uncovered many treacherous schemes in the Kingdom of Lanthanor over his long tenure. So, it obvious that some of that knowledge had trickled down to his elder brother, too.

Chuckling softly, Daneel said, "So you found out, too?"

Sitting down explosively on a sofa near the fireplace, Elanev spat out a reply.

"Of course! I know women. Her statement was rehearsed, and she hadn't even done a very good job at it! Well, I've seen my fair share of acting from those who wanted to cheat me, so I could sniff it out right away. And that guy! So amateurish. I'm still affected, though."

Oh? Daneel hadn't noticed that.

Well, different people did have different talents, after all.

Smiling, he, too, sat down and said, "That's all right. It's just good that you know. We have to collect information which isn't manipulated by that group. I have a suspicion that its pretty powerful, and that they will be actively looking to monitor what we hear."

"But how? I seem to be public enemy number one, and it doesn't look like not many people like you, either. Well, there might be sycophants like those guys, but I doubt that they will be any help."

"Haha, that's simple. Give me a second."

Saying so, Daneel closed his eyes and said, "System, create a new Eavesdropping Module using all the Hero-level spells that we have. The objective is to collect information only by breaching anti-eavesdropping formations which can be broken through without alerting anyone."

[Affirmative. Creating module. Checking formation and spell repository. Shortlisting spells. Base spell: Hagaro's 'Find whether your wife is cheating on you without alerting anyone' spell. Creating module by adding other spells…]

Daneel got an amused grin on his face as he heard this part. Clearly, poor Hagaro had created this spell after a very bad experience.

Barely a few seconds later, the system was done.

"Use the module to collect information from my surrounding areas regarding all the major factions, and their members. In particular, focus on their reputations and past deeds, and any rivalries that are present. Keep running this module. Of course, keep making sure that no one detects it. Safety is paramount-its fine if less data is collected because of that."

Daneel insisted on this, as he had no intention whatsoever of fighting that Chief, or alerting him. No, he was just a bit too out of his league right now.

Gossip was basically an ephemeral force that was essentially omnipresent in most social settings. Even if some places might have anti-eavesdropping formations, there would definitely be many places where people might be talking in the open after just making sure that no one was around.

The number of things that were said by over a thousand people over the span of a few minutes, itself, couldn't be underestimated.

Just 5 minutes later, the system had an answer for him.

[Major Factions: 3

Faction 1. 'The Unnamed': Contains those who enter the sect with common backgrounds. Created to rally against those who have a background in the sect. Although resource distribution is completely based on talent, there are various things which can only be attained, or can be attained faster, by those with a significant background. The objective of this group is to rise to the top and show those who disdain them regularly what they are worth.

Faction 2: 'The Glorious'/???: No unified name. Simply a loose organization by those with background which only congregates when things are serious.

Faction 3: ????: Name not found. Only referred to by pronouns. Comprised of the topmost individuals in the sect. An exclusive clique that many yearn to get into, but cannot do so unless invited.

Rivalries: Factions 1&2 - Direct rivalry. Compete in every contest to prove who is the best. A lot of talk was currently eavesdropped on regarding the Legacy Battle, for which secret bets seemed to have been made between these two groups.

Factions 3 and (1+2): An ever-present rivalry between those who achieve at the peak, and those who seek to do so.

Both factions 1 and 2 are known to use all means possible to obtain what they want.]

Well…that was a pretty damn good summary.

And this was a pretty damn good way to hide one's reputation.

If everyone were thieves, then how could the reputation of one who was mixed in the middle be distinguished from another?

As Daneel went through this again with Elanev, the latter gaped at him and asked, "What the f*ck? Have you been here before?"

"Oh, a little bird just told me."

"Then point me to it, and I'll go pay it my respects. Anyway, what do you want to do? We didn't really find anything to go by, right?"

"Let's wait. Let more time pass. I'll have more information, too, that way. Tomorrow is Monday. So let's meet again the next Monday to talk again regarding this. I guess you're going to be pretty busy till then?"

This made a dejected expression appear on his face before Elanev said, "Yes…busy is one way of putting it. This old guy in my head is going crazy with excitement. I guess all top fighters need to be sadists in order to go that far."

Chuckling, Daneel lay a hand on his elder brother's shoulder before both of them went to their rooms for the night.

The next morning, Daneel woke up to a knock on the door.

Waiting for him was a messenger, who handed him a closed bowl and said, "From the Chief."

Before Daneel could respond, he left, leaving the King puzzled as he walked inside and opened it.

As soon as he did so, a trinket latched onto his palm.

"Owww!"

It seemed to have teeth, as it bit a spot right at the center of Daneel's palm before burrowing into his body.

[Foreign object detected. Does host want the system to abolish it?]

Daneel was about to scream yes, as this was a scene right out of horror movies. In fact, the image of a grotesque creature bursting out his stomach and crying like a newborn devil even appeared in his mind, adding to his panic.

However, he forcefully controlled himself and asked, "What kind of complexity is needed to stop this thing?"

[Hero-level. Even Champions cannot defend against it.]

"Then don't! Let it do as it wishes and only stop it if it threatens my life!"

[Affirmative.]

Daneel had no other choice, as he really didn't want to expose his Hero-level knowledge.

So, screaming with agony, he felt the damn thing burrow through his body like a worm. He hadn't seen it before it entered him, so he just had this image in his head which made it all the more worse.

It was traveling up, so injuries appeared all over Daneel's body which would have killed him if he weren't a Peak Warrior level Fighter, too.

He cast healing spells to keep healing the damage that was being done, which was when he realized that this…thing was also healing him, which meant that its objective was not to kill him.

When it punctured his trachea and entered his windpipe, though, Daneel's panic increased to a different level, and he almost screamed at the system to kill the damn thing.

From his mouth, it entered his face, and to Daneel's extreme bad luck, there was a mirror in front of him which showed him everything in clear goddamn detail.

Squirming exactly like a worm, it roamed around near his cheeks inside his skin as if it was looking for something. Finally finding its target, it shot to his forehead, where it stopped right near a spot near the middle of the forehead.

[Entity destabilizing into a lesser being. Lesser being wrapping around Mageroot. Mageroot has been disabled due to the peculiar property of the creature. Forceful abolition of creature is possible, and it can be done by even a Warrior. The creature only blocks the Mageroot from accessing elementary particles outside a small area from it. In that area, a tiny attack can be created to puncture the creature and restore the Mageroot. Does host want the system to carry out this attack?]

Before Daneel could marvel at the astonishing actions of this being, or whatever it was, a voice emanated from the trinket that was also in the bowl.

"King Daneel. Pardon the pain, it was necessary. Your Mageroot is now sealed. You can probably tell that you can unseal it at your will. But if you do, you will be disqualified from the Legacy Battle and thrown out of the Sect. Our Sect is a Sect for Fighters, and Fighters only. I await you in the same hall that we spoke in before."

…

"NO! I WON'T LET YOU!"

Meanwhile, in the underground cavern in which the 'Road' had been established.

Cassandra was standing in front of her family, while the two individuals who had murdered them in front of her eyes slowly walked forward, with their eyes glinting with cruelty and sick expectation.

She tried to summon her Mage Powers to stop them, but to her horror, they were gone.

"Sis! Please save me this time! I don't wanna go back to that dark place!"

As this voice was heard from behind her. Cassandra froze.

W-would she really have to relive the most traumatic incident in her life?

Was there really no way to stop it?

As she asked herself this while watching the fear that was slowly creeping into her mind and swallowing the semblance of normalcy that she had regained after many years of hard work, she felt a wall inside her mind.

And beyond that wall…seemed to lie something magical.

But how was she supposed to push it?

Even as she asked this question, one thing soon became clear.

If her worst fears came true and if she did go through this again…she would certainly go insane, and her mind would certainly be lost in the throes of her nightmares.

Chapter 622: Cassandra End

Just this realization seemed to have some kind of a power that threatened to bend her to its will, so that it could have its way and leave behind a broken, dead husk of the person she had once been.

Desperation drove her to try all the means available to her to try and break that wall. She knew that salvation was somehow behind it, but try as she might, she couldn't find any way to even interact with it. It was inside her mind, and it looked as if she couldn't approach it in any way.

Helplessness. Fear. Pain.

As she almost began to shake due to being wracked by many emotions, she felt something that distracted her.

Looking down, Cassandra saw the two tiny hands that were hugging her thigh from behind.

To her left, she saw a wrinkled hand that had all the warmth in the world. It was her mother's, and she had always vowed when she was little that she would never let her mother wash any more clothes, so that her hands wouldn't always be so wrinkled and rough.

To her right was her father, whose hand had multiple scars and burn marks. As a blacksmith, he had always been someone who never stepped back even if his hand was burning if it meant that the weapon he was making could be made perfectly. He did everything for the betterment of his family, and for them, no amount of pain was too much.

They gave her the strength she needed.

A moment of clarity appeared to her, which made her understand that the solution might lie elsewhere.

So, looking down, Cassandra saw her own hands, and let her mind drift in pursuit of the answer.

They were smooth, as she seldom had to use them while being a Mage.

Also, as a Commander, she had gotten used to ordering people around for almost everything. Although her desire for revenge still kept her going and made her train as hard as she could, it had almost become like something secondary.

With time, that fire inside her had begun to wane.

First of all, even though her talent had allowed her to become a Commander, the resources and techniques available to her had only allowed her to grow slowly, and she had been fine with it by telling herself that it was the same for everyone else, too.

Secondly, as the joy that came from ordering around cadets and seeing them thrive under her instruction increased, that fire decreased even more, even though she frequently thought about this incident almost every day.

And finally, the oath that she had always been bound with by the previous King of Lanthanor had made her want to give up on her lofty objective and just focus on saving as many soldiers as she could, as all of those guys had started to become her family.

Had it all been wrong?

Should she have become a crazed machine of revenge who wouldn't stop at anything to get what she wanted?

The answer seemed to be 'yes' right now, as, in this situation, she was powerless to do anything.

She didn't want to see them die again.

In a way, she didn't even need to, as the images of these two people whom she always cursed had already been enough to jog her memory, allowing those images that she had buried deep, deep inside her heart to resurface.

A normal night, with a gentle breeze blowing outside the window.

Her father came home as usual, and even brought her and her brother a few candy sticks that he had been given as an extra reward for fixing the barrow stake of the candy seller.

Her mother had made a generous dinner for them to enjoy, and the happy family had sat down to share food and create happy memories.

All that, though…had been broken by the sound of glass shattering.

They hadn't been very well off, so they hadn't really invested in protection against those seeking to come inside through the window. The door had a padlock, but it was useless now as the sound of someone falling to the ground, cursing, and getting up was clearly heard.

"Get out of here with the kids. I'll stop him."

"This is not bravado, Nisi. They are here to kill. The best thing to do is compromise for now, and then strike later when we have the advantage of numbers."

As her mother said this, her father sighed and said, "All right. Whatever happens, I'll never regret any moment that I've spend with you."

"And you."

This was something that her parents had always said, but Cassandra hadn't understood its meaning until that day.

When the dark-robed individual had come to the living room of their small two-bedroom house, her father and mother didn't even have time to react.

They had just shared a hug, causing small smiles to appear on all of their faces.

And so, when Cassandra saw her mother and father's head fall to floor and roll, they both had a smile on them, as if they were ecstatic about being in their current situation, when they clearly were not.

It had taken for a few seconds until Cassandra saw the spurting geysers of blood and the motionless bodies that fell forward, onto the table on which they had shared their supper.

"I always tell you to use a variable spell. See, now you only killed two of them, and you'll have to cast another windblade to kill those kids. If you had used a variable one, though, your wind blade would have moved down to kill the children, then back up."

Saying so, another similarly dressed man appeared beside the first one, and shot out some kind of attack that looked like wind that had been solidified into a blade form.

Instead of before, when it had traveled in a straight line, this one dipped low and headed straight to her little brother, who had been completely shellshocked since this whole ordeal had begun.

'Snip'

Just like that, he was gone, too.

Cassandra's life had shattered in front of her life. At that moment of time, she had seen no future except the same one for her- one of blood, and motionlessness.

However, when the same windblade was about to swerve up a bit and behead her, too, the new man stopped the first one by catching his hand.

"Look at her. She'll do. We still have 30 minutes until the siege. The squad leader asked us to stay put and be quiet. We can simply handle the second one with magic."

Cassandra had been 14 years old at that point.

So, she easily understood what the men were discussing.

It had looked like fate had had a much darker path ahead of her instead of shoving her into complete darkness directly, so Cassandra had almost broken down then and there and given up her life.

It was her father's words which had stopped her.

As a blacksmith, he had always said that unless tempered properly, a blade would never withstand an opponent's blow.

And if the tempering was wrong…then it was better to just break the blade, and make a new one which did not have the flaws of the previous.

She had been broken.

But she did not want to be remade in death or torture to become someone mindless who remembered nothing of her family.

Anger and dissatisfaction filled her. Along with a willingness to do something, anything for revenge.

Until then, she had been a simple, hardworking girl who helped her family in every way she could and dreamed simple dreams of getting a good job and taking care of her parents' difficulties.

Her best friends had always called her as someone spontaneous, as she, herself, didn't know how she would react in a situation. They had always used to play pranks to test that and laugh, as she was someone who lived in the moment and decided her next course of action using pure instinct instead of going by logic.

Of course, they also called her crazy due to her perseverance which allowed her to do anything and everything in case she wanted to achieve something. Once, she was known to have 'studied' a guy who had bullied her brother for 3 days before striking and taking revenge. Her family was her life, and she would also never accept anyone saying anything wrong about them

This fierce loyalty and love was the one that had led to her decision then.

They had been eating with knives, too, so she had carefully snuck one to a spot that she expected that no man who was going to do that to her would touch.

It was into her hair, whose red flowing locks had been the envy of all the girls in their street.

It had been difficult. But she persevered while remembering how they had looked after losing their heads. That terrifying image shocked her so much that she became hyper-alert, which had been a bad thing as she had had to let the man begin his activity.

She had lain there, while pain wracked her body, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Finally, at the perfect moment…she had buried the knife into his throat.

In his throes, he had only been capable of falling to the side while his eyes had rolled back to show their whites.

She had known that she didn't have time. So she hid behind the door and made a loud noise.

The other man had come up, but her plan had been dashed as she hadn't accounted for the smell of feces that also emanated from the dead man.

The other man smelled it, and entered cautiously.

He had seen her, and she had thought that all was lost, as he began to throw an attack.

However…at the last moment, he had tripped on the puddle of blood from his partner.

The problem was that he had already shot a wind blade toward her.

All seemed to have been lost.

Yet, in the time of crisis, she remembered what other guy had said.

"Variable Spell"

Ducking, she saw the blade pass after cutting a few hairs of hers, as the man had automatically cast the spell he was used to.

By the time it impacted against the wall, the knife had been driven into this guy's neck, too.

Later, the news came out that a small invasion by Axelorians had been thwarted by the then Grand Court Mage, an enigmatic old man who loved to watch people do mundane things.

At the same time, she also became famous as the one who single-handedly killed two Axelorians.

Since that night, no man had ever shared her bed. And no one ever found out the real truth about what had happened.

Even Aran, Kellor and Luther only knew that she had been witness to her parents' deaths. What she had done, though…had been locked away in the ball inside her mind that yearned for revenge.

She had been lauded and given a full scholarship in the Academy. And she had clawed her way to the top after finding out how she had lucked out regarding her Comprehension level.

All to grow stronger and take revenge on the man who had deployed the invasion in the first place: a commander in Axelor.

Years had passed, and she had later found out that that commander had been killed in war.

She had felt desperate. Directionless. At that point, she hadn't even become a Commander and found joy in training others.

So she had shifted that blame to the King of Axelor.

And when he died, too, Cassandra had just told herself that she would fight to end such oppressive people all over the world.

Whatever she did, though, she never gave up on the idea of revenge, as she had always felt that that was the last part of her family that was still with her.

If she let it go, she would no longer be the 'Cassie' of Edgewater.

But…was that really true?

Cassandra looked up. The two men were reaching ever closer, and the pressure she felt from the three hands grew.

She had gone into the past with the hope of fighting strength.

In that desperation, she had just been wishing that she would find some way to break that wall inside her mind.

She seemed to have been successful, but it was in a way she could never have imagined.

She took another last moment to think about it. And when she did, she realized that this had been staring at her for years, and she had never faced it and seen it for what it was as she had always been too busy running forward to pause and look back.

So, without any more hesitation…she stepped forward, and closed her eyes.

The feeling of those hands leaving her body was heartbreaking, and it almost drove her mad with sorrow.

But she knew that she had no other choice.

She couldn't change anything that had happened.

And she couldn't cling on to it, like she had been doing all this while.

She knew this to be true, yet she didn't understand one thing.

Why did it have to hurt so much?

This was the single hardest thing Cassandra had ever done in her life.

Her fiery nature had always been there due to this resentment. And she had always been the one who leaped into battle first, as she hated inaction and weakness.

But that was exactly what she was being now.

Just the act of not doing anything took so much out of her that she came close to breaking.

She imagined her family looking at her back with pain and disappointment in their faces. She imagined the two Axelorians walking forward and slaughtering them, all while she just stood there, just like the first time.

As the seconds ticked and this reality came closer and closer, Cassandra understood that she might not get past this.

Yes, she might have chosen the correct thing by letting go.

But reliving it would still break her.

However…she didn't care.

For too long, she had been choosing the wrong thing so that she would be fine.

Now…she was ready to choose right even if she killed her.

Since that night, she had hidden away her true nature. That of that little girl who could do anything to get what she wanted.

She would do so no longer.

That was her, and now, she wanted to make this choice even if it meant death, or worse.

But…even after a few minutes, none of what she imagined happened.

There were no screams, and no blood being shed.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, and as she did so, she felt the wall inside her mind disappear.

In front of her stood her family, and they were all beaming at her.

T-They were normal!

Cassandra didn't understand, but she jumped forward and hugged them all desperately anyway.

As her tears dripped down her cheeks continuously, the three of them patted her back and spoke.

"You had to let go, Cass. But as you're the stubborn girl we raised you to be, you never did."

"Yes, silly sis. We're fine. You should take care of yourself, too."

"Cassie dear, we will always be with you. Whether you want us to, or not. We will always be a part of you. How could you be so silly to think that we would leave?"

She nodded profusely, as if she was being told off for eating all the honey meant for a week back when they still used to live in the village.

With the wall gone, clarity also returned to her. She knew that this was an illusion, and that it would soon end.

So she just wanted to spend a little bit of time in their embrace, which was something that had been taken away from her all too soon.

"Be who you are, Cass."

"Be the Cassandra that will bring glory and honor to our name."

"Be the big sister I can brag about."

Her mother, father and then her brother spoke in turn, and as she felt them fading away from her hands, she heard one last message from all of them.

"The brighter you shine, the more we will be able to see you. We miss you. We love you. And we will always be proud of you, no matter what choices you make. But, for now, we must say goodbye. But don't worry, Cass, because like we said, we will always be with you when you need us. Just think back to that day when the autumn leaves were drifting over the broken, wooden planks. And when they drifted down to land on you…"

"You found me, and took me the home that became ours."

BOOM!

Faxul and Kellor had been carefully watching Cassandra's room for any movements, so when they saw an explosion wipe away the communication eye and all the formations set around the room, they got up with shock and gaped at the empty screen.

When they looked past it, though, they saw a sight they would never forget.

A woman wearing tight-fitting leather was floating in the air, while a blazing white-hot aura surrounded her body, melting the stone around her.

Even her red hair was ablaze, and it was now a striking crimson.

While her eyes also glowed brightly like two burning flames in the darkness, she calmly floated forward, breaking apart all the formations laid down in her path with ease.

"K-Kellor…aren't those formations at the Champion level?"

"Yes…"

"Then how is she breaking through them even though she could only have become a Warrior?"

Faxul only received a mumble as an answer, which he didn't understand, so he turned around to find Kellor even more gobsmacked from him.

He seemed to be mumbling something under his breath though, so Faxul was about to ask the man to repeat himself.

However, before he did, Kellor violently turned to the side and grabbed Faxul's shoulders before shouting, "CALL THE KING! He told us to call him if there's an emergency or if something happens out of the ordinary, AND THIS IS NOT ORDINARY BY ANY MEANS! CALL HIM!"

Chapter 623: Getting to Cassandra

Daneel had just finished cursing the Chief who was responsible for the excruciating pain that he had had to go through.

First of all, it was pretty amazing that he even had something like this. After taking Drakos, Daneel found out that it was a popular one-time trinket that bordered on becoming an Artifact. He was pretty impressed that someone had created it in this age, and he had warned Daneel that such a person was certainly someone with a lot of means.

This only made the caution that Daneel felt in the matter of the Chief increase.

That was when he received the frantic message from Faxul, who was actually unintelligible for a few moments before Daneel finally asked him to calm down, first, and then tell him what was wrong.

As Daneel heard about the weird metamorphosis that Cassandra had been through, his eyes opened wide, and he immediately got up from where he was and ran out.

These commanders had been the people who had strongly supported him even though a lot of citizens in the kingdom kept saying that he was just someone inexperienced who had happened to take the mantle of the King. They had always been patient with him, and they had given him their all, and there was really nothing more he could ask of them. Even though his interactions with them were quite limited until now, he still felt that they were really close to his heart and was really worried now that one of them was in danger.

It was only when he automatically tried to teleport did he realize that he was in one of the Big Four, which was a place from where he couldn't leave whenever he wanted. It was quite early in the morning, and there was almost no one around, except for a few stragglers who were chatting among themselves while heading to the training facilities to begin training early.

Daneel considered going to the Chief to ask for permission, but he discarded the idea. He had been warned by the Head that he should get a visit over with once, and that leaving and coming in regularly might give those who were against his visits in the first place leverage in order to lobby that he should be banned as he didn't respect the Big Four, and thus wasn't worthy of entering them.

In desperation, he asked the system whether it was possible to somehow sneak out through the village in the back or something, as that had been what he had done multiple times in the Sect of Hedon.

Clearly, though, this one was different, as the system told him that that wasn't possible and even though it could do it using the spells that had been obtained from behind the third seal, it would definitely alert the Chief and also bring down the armada of the entire Sect on him.

Was there really no way at all to go out? He was definitely needed over there, and he wanted to handle the situation himself and find out just what the hell could have gone wrong in a typical breakthrough from Human to Warrior level.

That was when Daneel realized that he hadn't just gotten a few spells from the third seal. In that extensive list, there must surely be something else that he could use in order to find a solution for the situation.

With bated breath, Daneel asked the system, and as he got the answer after a few seconds, he rejoiced and asked the system to implement it immediately.

[Hero Level Long-Range Clone Spell: By halving the power of a mage, a long-range clone can be deployed which can exist even if it is hundreds of kilometers away from the original body. It will contain no power, and only basic communication can be done using it, along with travel. Trinkets with power sources can also be used, and the clone can only exist for three hours at host's power level before host's mageroot will have to shut down from the excessive strain. ]

This was exactly what he needed, as he at least wanted to assess the situation first. So, Daneel patiently waited for a copy of him to appear in front of him, but he saw nothing even after a few moments passed. That was when he received another message from the system.

[Unable to cast spell by bypassing the current restrictions applied to host's mageroot. Should the trinket covering the mageroot be destroyed in order to deploy the spell?]

Oh, right.

Thwarted again, for a few seconds, he seriously considered just going forward and risking being thrown out of the sect, but he paused as he remembered the scroll that still looked so enticing. In fact, he was even pretty sure that it had appeared in his dreams last night.

Yet, Daneel just couldn't sit around while something was happening to one of his most trusted commanders.

"System, is there no other way except to break through that thing and use a spell?"

As he received no answer even after a few seconds, he began to seriously consider the pros and cons of just getting the hell out, and also considering whether there was a possibility that he could somehow manipulate the Head or the Chief in order to get back inside.

However, that was when the system spoke again.

[System has detected a formation that can be used to deploy a copy of one's consciousness in the form of a powerless clone in any area that is within a radius of 500 km around the sect. The spot where host wishes to go is inside this radius.]

What?! Even something like this could exist? And even if that was possible, why was it present in this sect, which, as part of the Big Four, didn't care at all about the Central Continent which was what was mainly in the purview of the formation?

Such questions were intriguing, but his only focus was to leave and get to Cassandra.

So, he directly told the system to give him the directions to that place with the formation and set off on a path while the members of the sect looked at him as if he was crazy as he hadn't even had time to shift out of the Royal Pajamas that he had gone to sleep in.

Typically, he would simply have cast an illusion spell or used telekinesis to grab him a pair of clothes, but as his Mageroot was blocked, all of these options weren't available to him. Slowly, Daneel realized just how much he was depending on magic to do almost each and every single thing throughout his day.

Thankfully, it looked like the formation was nearby, as he soon approached a building with the words "Simulation Training" written on its large front door.

Having no time to consider what that meant, he directly burst inside and halted as he saw a very strange sight.

This was a large open room with a high ceiling that had over 100 circular objects arranged neatly all over the place.

Each object looks like it could be opened, and it was double the size of a human. As Daneel watched, one guy who had entered the building right before him walked up to one of them which automatically opened as he approached.

Stepping inside, he let the door-like thing close, and a faint glow covered the object just like many others in the room.

There were also many that were dull, and those were the ones that newcomers were heading to.

The problem was that there seemed to be no one around to administer things. This looked like it was something that all sect members could avail anyway, so there wasn't anyone to give someone like him instructions.

Having no other option, Daneel simply ran to a pod which was dim, but unlike with the others, this one didn't open with his approach.

He felt like pulling his hair out, but calming himself, the King looked around and wondered what he could do.

Once again, various methods of using spells to get what he wanted appeared in his mind, with the simplest one being that he could directly use Mind Control in order to take over someone else's pod.

However, all he had were his fists.

But what could he do with those?

Wait… His fists!

Getting an idea, Daneel carefully looked around and identified two people – one was buff, like many of those in the sect, and he was walking toward a pod with a very serious expression on his face.

The other one was lean and even looked a little bit weak, but his eyes constantly darted around as if he was looking for threats, and he even had a hand in his pocket where Daneel could see the outline of a small knife.

Taking a moment to make a choice, he marched toward the second person.

As soon as he began to do so, that guy's eyes became fixed on him, and he waited to see whether this person really was heading towards him.

As soon as that became apparent, he shouted out, "What's the matter, friend? There are many paths to go around here. Why are you approaching me?"

As soon as the guy spoke, Daneel spotted a wary expression on the face of the buff guy, which confirmed his suspicion.

This was someone with a reputation, and that was exactly what he needed.

Without any further ado, Daneel promptly walked closer and closer to the man until he pulled out the knife and lunged forward with a ferocious expression on his face.

Alas… He was just a mere Eminent Warrior, and Daneel simply used one hand to knock the knife away before deploying a Hidden Kill First and knocking back the man with a single attack.

As he skidded across the floor, various weapons fell out of his pockets, including poisonous knives, all kinds of needles, blow darts, and even a live snake that slithered away as if it was ecstatic that it had finally obtained its freedom.

Daneel couldn't care less, though. He had timed this so that the man had just been about to enter the pod that he had had in his eyes since he entered the room, which meant that it was his.

It had also opened, so Daneel directly stepped inside and closed the door above him, finding himself in darkness while ignoring everything outside.

He could have gone and beaten the buff guy, but his sole objective had been to target someone powerful, so that if anyone wanted to interrupt this session of his, they would have to think twice.

Hoping that this quick plan would work, Daneel asked the system, "I've arrived. Do it."

[Affirmative. Taking over simulation formation. Removing all records from central monitoring trinket. Deploying clone at the specified location. Transferring consciousness. Please stand by.]

A second later, Daneel was whisked away once more, which was something he was quickly getting accustomed to due to the many audiences with the Emperor.

As he opened his eyes, he recognized that this was the spot right above the Road Through Hell.

However, it was almost indistinguishable now as at some point, a massive hole had appeared in the ground through which he could see two men facing a woman who was floating in the air while a blazing aura surrounded her.

The two men had their hands raised, as if they were frantically trying to explain something, while the woman seemed to be ignoring them.

Before Daneel could make any judgments on the matter, he heard Drakos speak with astonishment in his mind, and this made him drop his jaw and wonder whether he was still dreaming after going to sleep the night before.

"The Bloodline of the Blazing Phoenix! B-but how? How is it possible for a bloodline that was almost extinct even during the Empire to be awakened in a mere Warrior? How?!"

Chapter 624: Bloodline of The Blazing Phoenix & Daneel, The Anomaly

A Blazing Phoenix.

As Daneel heard this dominating name, he quickly asked the system what bloodline Drakos was referring to.

Soon, he got the answer.

[The Bloodline of the Blazing Phoenix: A Bloodline passed down by a creature that was elusive enough that there was even an expression during the Empire where people would associate the extreme rarity of something with the term 'Phoenix'. The Emperor had to go to great lengths in order to make contact with and convince just one of that species, which resulted in an individual under him obtaining the bloodline, but records state that this was one bloodline that was simply not compatible with the human body. The individual was known to have gone insane in the matter of a few months, and each usage of the bloodline powers was found to be what drove her nearer and nearer to that state of madness. Subsequent attempts were also made, but the Emperor finally gave up when the death count started rising sharply. The bloodline was still passed down, but all attempts at awakening it were halted. This Bloodline is supposed to give one the power to be reborn, and also grants them extreme skill in handling flames. It is also said to give one added advantages when a battle is occurring in the air.]

Daneel had already guessed the 'reborn' part from the word 'Phoenix'. The scene from that iconic movie appeared in his mind of a bird climbing out of its ashes, but when he remembered the typical size of the Godbeasts that he had seen so far, he could guess that if such a thing was similar between that Phoenix and this one, it would be a pretty terrifying sight.

But what was the situation that was going on below him? Why were Faxul and Kellor so frantically waving their hands, as if they really wanted to stop Cassandra from moving forward?

It wasn't fear, as Faxul's bloodline practically made him invincible in the Central Continent if one didn't count those with undue advantages.

Even though the image of Cassandra was awe-inspiring and majestic, she did not look like she offered that much of a threat.

However, when Daneel looked behind her and saw all the formations that had been melted in her wake, he realized that she had probably displayed much more power in the time before he had arrived. After all, he had needed some time after receiving the message from Faxul regarding what was happening.

If he was capable of using his elementary vision, he could have directly found out just what was going on. However, as this was just a powerless clone that was only capable of standing around or at most running away in the face of a threat, Daneel had to guess, and when he went through the plan of the Road Through Hell that he had constructed personally, he realized what the problem was.

The place where Faxul and Kellor were standing was the central hub of the entire formation, and breaking that apart would make the rest fall apart, too.

That meant that if anyone was going through the Road in the other sections, they would find all the traps around them deactivating.

Typically, this would be a good thing, but if one considered the final room, they would understand what the problem was.

In that room, it was a formation which created the wondrous illusions that allowed one to face their fears.

However, if this was interrupted… No one knew what would happen, but at the least, it was possible that such a sudden break of immersion might make the person think that they had failed, which would lead to permanent loss of sanity.

After all, if everything suddenly disappeared, what other assumption would anyone who was already thoroughly emotional make?

So, Daneel concluded that this was mostly the case, and that Aran must be in the other final room where he was undergoing an illusion test.

Cassandra was either not understanding what the two of them were saying, or she was as puzzled as them regarding what was going on and simply wanted to get to Kellor, whom she trusted to help her no matter what the situation was.

Daneel had no powers at all, and he almost began to hope that the two below him would find some way in order to stop her.

However… That was when he realized that his power didn't come solely from whether his body or Mageroot.

No… his power came from the him that had grown from a simple Earthling to a King, and no matter what, no one could take it away from him.

Striding forward as if this was his original body that was capable of doing all those awe-inspiring feats, Daneel descended into the now open-ceilinged room and said, "Cassandra. Stop right there. A single step forward, and you will kill your closest friend."

Kellor turned around with an expression of relief on his face when he heard the familiar voice of the King, but when he noticed something weird, he used his elementary vision to see that the King was just using a clone. This was an almost hollow projection of sorts, which was definitely not capable of putting forward any power at all.

With no time to ask why the King had come in this manner, Kellor immediately said, "She's not hearing us. We don't know why."

He thought that the King might begin to ponder fiercely regarding what else they could do in order to stop Cassandra, but instead, when he saw Daneel smile broadly, he turned around to see why that was the case.

To his shock, Cassandra had stopped right where she was, and she was currently hovering in place with her eyes fixed on Daneel.

How had the king been able to do what they had been trying to accomplish for so long with just a simple sentence?

"It's not always about words, Kellor. Sometimes, one's presence can also get across a message, and that's what happened here. Now, stop panicking and use your Mageroot to affect the spots there, there and there. And then, change this and this…"

Daneel had made the central formation, so he knew exactly how to manipulate it to make it do what he wanted. Right now, he wanted to deactivate everything around them except the room in which Aaron was present, so he directed Kellor to do just that while Cassandra kept bobbing up and down with that blazing aura that splendidly lit the surroundings around them.

The tight-fitting leather clothes seemed to be a perfect companion to this secondary skin that she had obtained, giving her the look of an immortal goddess who had descended to grace their mortal lives. Her glowing, floating hair accentuated this image, and her eyes sealed the matter. In fact, Daneel was pretty sure that any normal person who saw her would definitely get the urge to bow down and pray.

Soon, the formations had all been changed so that even if Cassandra came forward and destroyed the one in the hub, Aran would not be affected.

Finally, Daneel walked forward while Cassandra continued to look at him with a neutral expression on her face.

Before, the two of them hadn't walked out of the hub as doing that would leave it completely vulnerable in case they failed in stopping Cassandra from moving forward. In fact, Faxul had even been prepared to use lethal force to stop her, as it looked like she could endure it while Aran would definitely go insane if his attempt at breaking through was interrupted.

The King first kept walking in order to get as close as possible to her, but he could feel the temperature around him rising with each step he took.

In fact, when he looked closer, he realised that the spot right below Cassandra was actually liquidy, as the stone had been completely melted due to the heat that was emanating off of her.

Understanding that this clone of his would be no match, Daneel was about to stop, but surprise flashed across his face as the temperature began to decrease.

Her aura drew closer to her body and congregated into a much more brighter and concentrated version as compared to before, and as Daneel saw this, he felt hope.

After a few moments during which they exchanged gazes, Cassandra opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Her mouth kept moving as if she was trying to say something, but it looked like she had lost the ability to speak, and as her eyes were only filled with flames, he couldn't decipher anything from them either.

Puzzled, Daneel asked Drakos what the matter was, to which the Dragon answered in a doubtful voice.

"I'm not sure myself, Young king. The reality is that none of us have any clues regarding this bloodline, except knowing how to recognize it as that incident when the original possessor went insane is something that is branded into the minds of all of us. In a fit of fury, she went on a rampage that leveled an enormous forest, and although we all set out on the orders of the Emperor in order to stall her, we were unable to do so. She could beat any one of us in direct combat, and when we ganged up on her, she was so fast that she would simply leave us in the dust if she chose to flee. Even the other bloodlines which were supposed to be famed for their aerial maneuvering skills were almost no match. That was the first time that we all faced such a huge defeat, and we could never forget it. In fact, it was the personal corps of the Emperor who were affected the most- till then, they had been pretty complacent due to their power, but they completely changed their attitudes after that. Then, too, that individual could not speak and she looked exactly like this – but I ask you not to panic, as she also had a very furious expression on her face, and it was pretty clear that she had lost all semblance of sanity already. Your commander looks more or less normal, as she was even able to draw in her domain so that she wouldn't hurt you."

Daneel began to think deeply as he heard this. At first, he had indeed been ready to panic, but he knew that he needed to be calm in order to help this loyal commander of his.

What he really needed was some way to switch off whatever was happening to her, and as he thought along this line, he finally hit upon an idea that he felt might work.

"System, can you create a spell with the same effects as the thing that is around my Mageroot? I want to seal all the Energy flowing in her body, though.."

[Negative. No such spells found.

However, a different method has been found from a journal from the time of the Empire

The target is already in a state of high Energy. An overload will result in an immediate internal shut down which apparently does not have lasting effects except for disabling one's ability to control the Energy inside their body for a limited period of time. Essentially, they lose both their Mage and Fighter powers for a time.]

That was exactly what he needed!

But… An overload? How were they supposed to make that happen?

Instantly, Daneel remembered an image- a small room where if one looked up, they would see interweaving roots that glowed a faint red.

Not hesitating at all, Daneel turned to Kellor and said, "Follow my instructions carefully."

A few minutes later, Daneel and Cassandra were the only two people inside the training chamber that he had obtained during the tryst with the Empire Spirit of Eldinor.

This was his most precious belonging, and it would be indispensable after he actually broke through. However, he couldn't use it now as he was at a saturation point, and even his commanders couldn't make use of it as this was too high a level of Energy that would bring more harm to them than good.

Placing Cassandra here was the best option. Not even a few seconds after she had entered the chamber and inadvertently absorbed the Energy that was present in the form of a thick gas all around them, she shook as if something was attacking her from inside her own body.

Bringing her here had been easy, as she had willingly followed all commands as if the Cassandra they knew was still inside this woman even though she couldn't communicate anything with them. They had tried having her write along the way, too, but she had only been able to write down gibberish.

After shuddering for a few more seconds, with a loud scream, Cassandra crumpled to the floor while the aura around her finally disappeared, allowing her to get back to normal.

Watching her, Daneel heaved a huge sigh of relief before he furrowed his eyebrows while thinking about something that had just occurred to him.

"Drakos, how the hell is it that all of those around me are so abnormal? I thought it might be a coincidence at first, but now, even Cassandra turn out to be someone possessing such an incredible bloodline, it no longer seems to be so. I even know everything that happened during the Empire, so I know that this was not some sort of plan and I don't think this can be explained by that thing Hungary a once to defend itself, so it's doing stuff to that end. If so, is the consciousness of Hungary something and think so accurately and place all such people around me? I don't think so. How the hell is this possible, tray course?"

Then he had no option but to grant, as he knew that the answer to this was not even available in the memories of the Emperor.

However, to his surprise, the ancient Dragon really did have an answer.

"It has puzzled me, too, Young King, but I have a theory. Imagine if this really was enabled somehow once more by the Will of the World simply because it wants to protect itself from the fate that it can sense is approaching it at a breakneck speed. It made it so that there are more ways for people to empower themselves, and also higher chances for forces that will defend her to be as strong as they could be. For this, it is possible that the sentience made a lot of talents congregate in one place. However, I'm sure that it is not able to distinguish between forces that mean well for her, and which do not. And going forward and blindly empowering everyone would also be bad, but with no other option… I think the Will is doing just that. That brings me the conclusion that the reason behind so many coincidences, at least when compared to all other forces…is you, who is making it possible for all of these things to happen. Think about it, Young King. If you hadn't orchestrated it, would Luther have gone back to his sect? If you didn't establish this Road, would Cassandra have entered the state of awakening? If you hadn't helped out your friend, would he even have lived to become what he is today? You say that all these things cannot be explained, Young King, but I want to tell you that you are the one who cannot be explained. You are the anomaly who is influencing everything, and you're the one that would stand out to anyone if they are observing Angaria and wondering how so many coincidences are taking place. You…"

"Get the f*ck out of there, or we'll burn you alive!"

Hearing Drakos's deep philosophy interrupted in this rude way by a voice that sounded like it was coming from far away, Daneel felt dazed for a moment and then understood its source.

"Disperse the clone and let me awaken in my body."

A moment later, Daneel blinked as he found himself in his original body.

However, all around him, he could hear many people cursing at him in loud voices.

They kept clamoring for him to come out, and that they would end him as soon as he did so.

Daneel had already expected this, so he chuckled and opened the door of the pod to see over a hundred fists pointing right at his face, ready to launch forward and pummel him into a paste.

Seeing his smile made all of these people pause, and when the King of Lanthanor spoke, an uproar unlike any that had occurred before this point rocked the room, shocking even those who were deep inside the simulations.

"Look what we have here. In the Central Continent, there's a saying that when you kick a dog, you should be wary of the runts who act all macho even though they're nothing but weak sh*ts with big mouths. I didn't know that a single dog could have so many runts! Guess I'll add this to the tales I'll tell when I go back to my Kingdom…"

Chapter 625: A Secre

"Stop."

The uproar had seen as if it would erupt into a 1v100 free-for-all, but all the shouts of anger immediately cut off as a voice was heard from behind them.

This made Daneel frown, as things had been going the way he wanted them to. He had wanted to beat these guys up because of all the things they had dared to say before, but he didn't want to be the one to start the fight. If he was pulled into one, though…he simply wouldn't be responsible for the consequences.

And if someone made the argument that he had incited them using his words, then he could simply say that it was their prerogative to get insulted instead of walking away which would be the smart thing to do if they knew what he was capable of even though he had no access to his Mageroot.

There was actually a different reason behind Daneel being so cautious besides the one where he knew that he should be wary of the Chief. There was just…something about this place which constantly told him that he should be on his toes and not be complacent like how he had spent his time in the Sect of Hedon.

There, he hadn't even been equipped with all the treasures that he had obtained since that time, but he had felt no danger, although it could be said that that was because there had been no Heroes actively living inside the sect at that time.

Here, though, it was different, and this Hero was also one who had supposedly lived for longer than anyone else on this continent. In most cases, old age didn't directly translate to strength, but in this guy's matter, Daneel knew that with time, he must have picked up more and more tricks until his capability was something that couldn't be judged by any normal means.

In fact, even when talking about the Head, Daneel had always detected a little bit of fear, or reverence from all the other Heroes he had met, including Rayen and those other two whom he still had to take revenge on for attacking him like that after the incident in the Kingdom of the Elves.

Yet, this man had simply referred to the Head as just some normal individual whom he didn't have to worry much about.

Seeing the person he had first attacked approaching him, Daneel got his head back in the game and began to think about his current predicament.

As for his thoughts regarding the answer that Drakos had given him…Daneel decided that he would tackle that later, when he wasn't completely surrounded by vicious Fighters.

True, he had been the one who attacked in this case, but he had had no option. Of course, he could now apologize and try to resolve this issue peacefully, but he could tell that in a place like this, that would only be a sign of weakness that would definitely bring him more problems.

While the hundred people parted to make way one by one, the lean guy whose robe had been filled with weapons and even a live snake walked forward while constantly coughing out blood.

As Daneel had been in a hurry, he hadn't controlled the amount of force he had used while deploying the Hidden Kill Fist. He had felt a few ribs break, but beyond that, he hadn't cared and had just left the guy after confirming that he would live.

Now, as he looked closer, he saw that there was a large red bruise right in the middle of his chest, which meant that all the tissues below that spot were definitely pretty damaged. The property of the Hidden Kill Fist where it transferred the impact to inside the body was clearly visible, as the skin on top looked almost fine, while it was clear that everything under it was anything but.

"Your fist technique stands up to everything we've heard about it. You are truly lucky to have found it and succeeded in training in it in order to fulfill the qualifications to enter our Sect and peruse all of our valuable records, but that does not mean that you can think you're invincible."

It looked like the Head and the Chief had gone forward and given this as the reason behind him visiting, as it was much better to hear than the one where he was being sent by the Head as the man believed in his potential and wanted him to find out everything he could so that he could find the perfect Champion Path for himself.

The latter reason would definitely cause even more displeasure, as it was practically a favor being done to someone from the Central Continent, while the former would be perfect as everyone knew about the rules that had been set down by the previous masters.

Those found to be capable of wielding the Hidden Kill Fist were those that they owed a debt to, and this needed to be repaid by giving them complete access to their sect and facilities. There were other clauses which dealt with the finer details, but this was the gist that everyone knew about.

Daneel hadn't expected this guy to be capable of speaking so calmly after that incident and his statement where he had implied that this was just a worthless group of stray dogs.

However, as he recalled all of the weapons that he had seen on the guy's body and the way he had attacked without any hesitation on finding someone coming close to him without giving an explanation, Daneel understood that this was definitely a meticulous person whose experiences had, for some reason, given birth to a large amount of paranoia.

Walking to the front of the group and looking Daneel straight in the eye, he said, "Let me demonstrate. Koror, Impregnable Body."

As soon as he said this, another round person walked forth from the group, and he was even larger than the one who had accompanied Tall during that meeting.

This one had a vicious expression on his face, and while he walked forward to stand beside the one that given the order, everyone gave him a wide berth as if they were afraid to even touch him.

As he came closer, Daneel soon saw a multitude of scars all over his body as if he had been through the most agonizing of tortures, but he soon understood that they had all been caused by various training activities in the sect.

Stopping right in front of Daneel, he closed his eyes, and a sheen appeared on his body which made Daneel raise both his eyebrows.

There was no other way to call it. The skin that was visible was faintly glowing, and a layer of some sort of light could be seen all over him, which made him almost looked like the sun that had come down and was, for some reason, standing in front of him.

"Use the Fist you're so proud of now, and tell me if you still think that you can do as you wish with it in the sect."

Daneel had simply used that Fist as it was the one he was most proficient in. However, it looked like that had caused this guy to misunderstand that it was his most 'prized' technique.

Well, there was no reason to clear the misunderstanding.

Shrugging, Daneel punched forward with full force once again, reveling in the feeling that came from using his fists instead of just watching what he was doing which was the case when he used magic. There was just…something about personally feeling his power go forth and destroy his enemies, which was simply not attainable when he used magic.

Fully expecting the same scene as before to repeat, Daneel aimed at the same spot where he had hit the other guy who had somehow turned out to be the leader of such a large group.

Yet… The skin of the round man simply jiggled, as all the force was simply siphoned away by the jellylike folds all over his body. Not just that, even that glow, which actually turned out to be pure Energy that had been many pulled forth in order to form something akin to a barrier that Mages deployed, helped quite a bit in defending the man from his Fist.

This was the final stage of the Hidden Kill Fist, which, according to the what he now knew, was actually a technique from the Empire that had been hidden away in the last layer by the Empire Spirit so that only those who were worthy would find it and be graced by its help. It had also been a tactic to shield it from the eyes of the Big Four, which had worked – in all the years that the training hall had existed in Lanthanor, Daneel had been the only one to be able to get to the final level and use the real Hidden Kill Fist which scaled perfectly along with the level of a person. When he was a Human, he had only been able to affect one's skin to cause grievous wounds. And now that he was a Warrior, he was able to use the pullback force of the fist to affect the muscles and tissues that were present below the skin.

Apparently, the motive was to identify talented Fighters who could use this and further the Path of Fighters, as that was what the Empire Spirit was always interested in.

The whole essence of the fist was that using a sudden movement, the aftermath of the attack would cause a bubble of force that would explode outwards, causing internal injuries. However, in this case, that bubble had been swallowed away and hadn't been able to reach any important organs. Even though it had exploded outwards, nothing was visible, as even the force of the explosion had been hidden away by all the fat that was present all over this man's body.

So this was the path chosen by those who had this kind of body composition in the Sect.

Daneel had been wondering about it, as he had already figured out that those who were buff were the ones who focused on strength, while those who were lean probably believed that speed was paramount. As for the round folk, he had been slightly puzzled as to what they wanted to accomplish. Now, it was clear that they wished to attain the ultimate defense that could block any attack.

But how were they supposed to attack?

Daneel received the answer the next second, as he witnessed a terrifying sight would have traumatized any normal person.

The huge figure in front of him actually… Jumped and stretched forth his arms while he flew through the air, intending to crush him into pulp under the weight of his body.

This was the dumbest and most direct attack that anyone of that size could use, but its peculiarity lay in the fact that his speed did not seem to be affected by his weight. As Daneel activated the Basilisk's Breath and observe the scene carefully, he realized that this was actually being achieved by cheating – there were trinkets placed behind the guy's body which were propelling him forward at a breakneck speed.

It was definitely an intriguing way to battle, but Daneel had reached the end of his patience. He had had enough of this sidetrack, as the Chief was waiting for him, and he also wanted to see whether he could find a way to go to Cassandra with his original body so that he could be there when she woke up.

And of course, Drakos's 'Anomaly Theory' needed to be addressed.

So, with the Basilisk's Breath, Daneel sidestepped the sumo crush easily and even raised his leg to stomp the fatso to the ground, while feeling thankful that he could at least use this inheritance as it didn't need to affect the outside world.

This caused a loud boom to echo in the room that attracted the attention of everyone who was present, and even the stone tiles that they were standing on cracked.

"Alright, fine, you can nullify my attack. But you're a fool if you think that that is the only trick I have up my sleeve. Now, are you going to make more trouble, or can I leave? I don't have all day to deal with people like you, you know."

The leader of this group had an expression of shock as he saw this person who was supposed to be weak easily sidestep the money-fuelled attack by this guy who was known for his shamelessness that allowed him to use trinkets even though others look down on it. Nobody had ever been capable of evading this crushing attack without at least being injured a bit, so he had no option but to understand that this man was even more powerful than he had thought.

Silence fell over the room, and Daneel understood that beating this guy so easily must have scared all of them. So, he simply began walking to the door, which was when something regarding the trip he had just made to Lanthanor occurred to him.

He hadn't delved into the Emperor's memories regarding the Bloodline of the Blazing Phoenix.

Thinking that there might not be anything special, but that he should be thorough, Daneel asked the system to check that module and tell him if there was anything he needed to know regarding what the Emperor had done.

However, when he got the answer, he had no option but to pause mid-step and ask the system to repeat whatever it had just said.

[Perusing the memories of Emperor Fenoras. Scanning for memories related to the Blazing Phoenix.

Memories Found.

Summary: The incident where the original possessor went insane was a plot meant to deal with the growing egos of the Emperor's secret corps, and also to deceive everyone that this Bloodline was unattainable. In truth, the Emperor hid away the Bloodline so that he could save it for when things were truly dire. His plan regarding this Bloodline stretched through the ages, and his objective was to make it available for any future threats that Angaria might face. This was one of his most secret plans, and it wasn't just this Bloodline which he hid away in this manner.]

Chapter 626: Meeting the Chief Again

Behind him, the leader of the group who was staring at him as if he was a monster as he had effortlessly dealt with the fatso's attack was puzzled when he saw this King from the Central Continent pause right at the entrance of the room in which there was still pin drop silence, except for the low moaning of the guy who had been stomped into the ground.

Expecting some sort of dramatic dialogue just like the one before which had actually stung quite a bit and made him admire that someone was capable of coming up with such a witty remark in such a short amount of time, the lean man whose chest was still burning as if someone had made him swallow fire waited with bated breath, although he wasn't as worried as before that a fight might break out.

As one of those who could be called a middling level leader in the factions that were present in the Fortress of Unyielding Might, he knew that this was someone special who was regarded highly by the Chief. This had been derived from the fact that the Chief had personally given him an audience, and had even called him back today, which was actually partly the reason why he hadn't insisted on keeping him for long. Such news always made its way to him and the other leaders as soon as a messenger was sent, so his aim with calling that fatso before had only been to impress this King, and then deal with him later if the best case where he was awed came to be.

That had been how he had won over most of his group. Initially, he had just been a normal sect member until he had had to go through a very harrowing experience during training where he had almost been killed because of a malfunctioning trinket that had caused attacks at a level much higher than his own to rain down on him and almost pummel him to death.

Even those in charge of training had been astonished that he had survived, but although he had done so with a lot of injuries, something which wasn't visible on the outside had also been affected, and no matter how much he searched, there seemed to be no cure for it.

He had developed the paranoia that the world was out to kill him, and even though he knew that this wasn't true and it was just his delusion that now existed because of that experience, he just couldn't shake it off.

That was also when he had begun to form this group, as he had wanted a bunch of lackeys whom he could throw at threats as sacrifices if he needed to run away. He had awed each and every one of them using the ruthless methods that he had developed due to the creativity that he always depended on, and they had chosen to follow him as the big groups didn't have much interest in them anyway.

Now, he had seen this as an opportunity, but it looked like it would slip out of his hands.

However, he suddenly felt a strong sense of hope when he saw the King turn around and run toward him with a zealous expression on his face.

He had no idea regarding the reason, but when the man caught his shoulders and frantically said, "Take me to your secret archives!", he realized that he might not be completely out of chances yet.

Unlike most people, he didn't have any prejudice against those from the Central Continent, as he was from there, too. He was someone who had experienced just how widespread this prejudice was, and how many took pleasure in showing him his place and telling him that he would never have a meaningful future in the Big Four. He often felt like telling them that they were the same, but had only been born in different circumstances, but knowing that such statements might well lead to his death, he would keep his mouth shut and wait for his time.

Nodding and sending a silent signal to the group that they should disperse, Snake, which was the name he had taken for himself after coming to the sect as per the tradition in the Fortress, led the way outside.

The group was slightly puzzled, but they had full confidence in their weirdo leader who had directed them well for more than a year and had already brought them a lot of benefits that they had never thought that they would experience their lives.

Their whole anger from before had been due to the orders given by their leader, and they had followed them even though they knew that it was a weird order as most of them were all also mostly from the Central Continent and thus actually respected this man who had accomplished so much and even managed to make the high and mighty members of the big four jealous. Of course, they would never accept that last part, but the way in which they acted made it clear just how much they resented him as he had what they might never have.

These were some of the few who hadn't been corrupted by the ideology and become sycophants who licked the boots of those with background so that they could obtain some or the other benefit, and this was actually a prerequisite to be taken into the group in the first place as those who didn't have at least a few ideals weren't welcome.

In other words, this was a close-knit group who wholly trusted their leader, and this was actually the only thing they had going for them when compared to the other groups.

Murmuring among themselves and walking away, they didn't notice that this had all been spotted by the King of Lanthanor who had managed to control his enthusiasm by this point.

Right before Daneel exited the door along, he had turned around casually and seen all these people dispersing while looking more or less normal.

This made him see the guy beside him in a new light, as being able to command such unwavering loyalty wasn't a very easy thing.

Indeed, the news about Hidden Bloodlines had almost driven him crazy with excitement, as he knew that information that warranted such actions must really pack a kind of punch that just wasn't present in the normal list of bloodlines that Daneel had obtained from the system.

After all, those had been from the third seal, whereas this information was from the memories of the Emperor.

This also made him aware that he had been ignoring this goldmine of information even though he had the means to easily process it completely. He knew the reason behind this was that he still respected the memory and didn't want it to dissected clinically, but he didn't hesitate anymore when he saw that he had almost missed out on this piece of amazing information by forgetting to ask about it before.

So, he had already told the system to run a process where all of the information in the memories of the Emperor would be tagged and be ready for access whenever any topic was asked about. At least, this way, he wouldn't need to remember every time to ask the system what the emperor's personal thoughts about something where.

As for the smart way in which the Emperor had tackled the ego of hi subordinates…Daneel admitted that there might be stuff that he could learn from the Emperor, too.

The reason he had ran back to get this guy in order to have someone lead him to the Secret Archives was that Daneel had also asked the system to tell him about the other hidden bloodlines.

And that was when he had found out that there was actually one that was only for Fighters, and this meant that records about it would be present in the Secret Archives of this Fighter Sect that had survived since the time of the Apocalypse itself.

Daneel knew that he could directly ask the system all the details he wanted to know about this specific bloodline, but he was more interested in what had happened after the Empire collapsed, as he now knew that incredible things were also possible during that time after finding out about the achievement of the founder of the sect which was what he was yearning to obtain in the first place.

Sensing his urgency, the guy who seemed as though he was still in pain sped up.

Daneel took pity on him, but he couldn't do anything to help as his Mageroot was sealed off.

It had been obvious that that group had dispersed on his orders, but it was probably true that they had also assembled and been like that after being called by him, instead of just looking to get revenge for their leader which was the impression that they had been trying to give.

Once again, after being in the Central Continent and dealing with Empire Spirits which were much more adept in scheming, all of these little things seemed so childish and simple that Daneel could identify them right away.

It looked like they had a few moments, so he asked, "Hey, what's your name? I just really needed that pod, so I chose you as you were the strongest of those who were present in the room at that time. I didn't want to be interrupted, so you kinda became the scapegoat."

This was as close to apologizing as Daneel was ready to get, and this, too, was only because this guy was doing a favor for him by leading the way. In situations like these when excitement was at the peak, being stalled by stupid reasons such as not knowing the way was something that would be really irritating.

"Call me Snake. That's alright. I apologize for calling all those guys and telling them to curse at you, but I only did that because I wanted to find out how capable you were. We all heard rumors, but we don't really know just how capable the two of you are. I am thoroughly impressed, and even though I might not show it, I would really love to work with you if we have the chance."

That last part was said because even though he was leading the way, this guy was still cautiously keeping an eye on Daneel as if he was expecting an attack at any moment. His hand was also back on the knife, and he was also maintaining enough distance where it would be easy for him to run if he wished.

As for Daneel, he was surprised that he hadn't even been in this Fortress for a day, but he had already gotten two offers to work with someone. This was in stark contrast to what he had expected the treatment to be like when he was in one of the Big Four, and even though that aspect was still present, he could never have guessed that there would be so much interest in people to work with him. After thinking for a moment and realizing that this was probably because they had also seen his display where he had beaten a newly-ascended Champion, Daneel chuckled, but didn't
say anything in response as he felt the same about this offer as what had come into his mind after getting that offer from Tall.

It would be dumb to believe someone in the first encounter, and it would also seem fake if he agreed right now, as no one in their right mind would take decisions regarding such important things right away.

Seeing this, Snake didn't remark, but he felt really glad that there had at least not been an 'no'. Their interaction had really started off on a bad foot, and he had been hoping that this wouldn't affect the decision of this King. He pondered whether to explain that he would not have reacted that way if not for this paranoia that he couldn't control, but he let it go as that would be too much information which didn't necessarily need to be shared.

Soon, the two of them reached a gigantic building that was built into the central part of the fort. This was one of the few places which was accessible even by normal sect members, unlike the rest of the central portion which only housed the administrative members and champions of the sect.

The King of Lanthanor immediately rushed forward, and it looked like he would be stopped by the gatekeeper. However, nothing happened, as it looked like this place had already been intimated about their guest and the access that he now had.

Immediately, Daneel walked to the secret archives where the time after the Empire's collapse was documented. She wasn't looking for important information, as that would definitely be under lock and key just like that scroll. Instead, Daneel simply wanted to find out if there were any mentions of the bloodline that he had just found out about.

A few moments later, he found what he was looking for.

[Gentle Giant Bloodline: A Bloodline whose name refers to two things: one, the gentle nature of the possessor, and two, the nature of a location after it feels the wrath of the possessor of this Bloodline.

Allows one to grow exponentially stronger when compared to normal means.

Allows one to grow larger and take up the body of a Giant.

Side-effects include damage to intellect. Reasons unknown.

Only those who had simple minds of children in the first place due to some or the other ailment were given access to the Bloodline, and the results were astonishing.

New information found in Secret Archives suggests that this Bloodline had a comeback during that time of danger.]

Yes! He had known it!

So far, Daneel hadn't known the reason behind the increased strength and size of Bam, but it had now been revealed to him.

That guy had definitely awakened this Bloodline, even though he didn't know how.

Just as he was going to go into a long reflective session, he heard his guide speak up behind him.

"The Chief is still waiting for you."

Dammit! He had forgotten about that!

Well, he couldn't be blamed as one wouldn't find out about hidden Bloodlines each and every day.

Daneel was also really excited as he had found one among the hidden ones which really caught his eye.

However, that would have to wait until after the meeting, so Daneel waited to speak to the Chief.

Soon, he was in front of the man who looked the same, and before he could ask, he gave his answer.

"I'll take part in the Legacy Battle. And I'll let this thing stop me from using my Mageroot. So watch out, and get ready to forget that scroll. Before that, though, do you think I can make a quick trip back to my Kingdom. If I'm going to be Fighting, then I need my weapon that I left behind..."

Chapter 627: A Favor

The Chief was someone who was typically not used to people being daring enough to talk over him. So, when he saw the King of Lanthanor directly say these words and then wait for an answer, he actually had to pause for a moment in order to gather his mind and wonder just how long it had been since someone had stood so gallantly in front of him.

However, what he asked wasn't so simple.

Daneel could already tell that something was wrong the moment he saw the Chief pause and then put together his lips as if he was thinking about something unpleasant.

What could there even be that would cause a man like this to feel that kind of emotion?

Daneel received the answer to this question when the Chief opened his mouth and spoke in a serious tone.

"Insolence. That is the world that will be used to describe you, and that is what all those who do not like you will use as an argument so that you no longer have access to the Big Four. The Head already told you that you should get everything done in one visit. The truth is that even though the both of us are the strongest Heroes on the continent, we are still bound by a few rules which we must follow unless we wish to risk letting the entire continent slip into chaos. One of those is that decisions must be taken by the Council, and not by us, individually. Even though a few things can be done by our discretion, a matter such as yours which is something so unprecedented definitely needs the approval of a majority in the Council. In fact, the Head had even been ready to smuggle you in if needed, but he told me that he was pleasantly surprised when a majority was reached, albeit barely. Of course, the detractors were all those who believed that someone like you should never be given a chance like this unless you choose to give up your Kingdom and completely become one of the Big Four. As for those who supported you… After a little bit of time, we understood that they did so because they were happy that the person who was responsible for their children's and grandchildren's deaths was killed by you. So, you actually had a stroke of luck to help you out then, but now, if you leave and then come back later, another Council will have to be held as each and every major happening in Angaria is monitored by it. Typically, we are autonomous, but this is in place so that if there are any risks, they can be identified beforehand and handled. This must be the first time I'm explaining myself so much to a mere Warrior, and that too, one from the Central Continent. But I'm doing so because I now see a little bit of what the Head saw in you. I don't know what technique you used when you stamped that guy into the ground, but I can tell that it was pretty impressive, and that you must have obtained more from Angaria than what you're letting on."

The Chief paused at this point, while Daneel' heart started to beat faster.

He had used the Basilisk's Breath for barely a moment, but this guy had still identified that some technique had been utilized in that short span of time. He had known that he must be watching, and had taken care not to expose anything, but it turned out that that plan of his had been a failure.

Still, it was a consolation that he was only taking it to be something not as powerful as an Inheritance that had such an impressive effect as the Basilisk's Breath. However, Daneel realized that he should be even more careful, and this was pretty damn maddening as he had already thought that he was being more cautious here than in anywhere else he had gone to on Angaria.

Putting that aside and focusing on the matter at hand, Daneel wondered what else he could do to find a way to leave.

Yet, it looks like the chief was not done.

Cracking a small smile, he continued, saying "It is good news, though, that you are prepared to participate in the Legacy Battle. It has been too long since I've seen anyone excel in one, and I yearn to find out more of what you might be hiding. How about this? I do you a favor, and you do one for me. How does that sound?"

A-A favor? And that too from Hero like him?

Daneel was pretty flabbergasted. He could never have imagined that he would get this kind of preferential treatment from this man, so this actually made him panic and begin to think what motive could be there behind his actions.

Could it be that this favor would lead him to his death, or put him in a situation where he would have to expose even more of his power if he wanted to stay alive?

Both of those would be pretty devastating for him, as Daneel knew that if any of his secrets were exposed, he would be hunted by the whole continent. And right now, he was definitely not in a position where he could handle that, although he hoped to get there as fast as possible.

Calming himself down, he decided to listen to what the Chief had to say first.

Seeing the extremely cautious expression on his face, the Chief actually chuckled and said, "I can see why you must feel as though I am a threat, too. But the truth is that you are too weak to be targeted by me. Go become a Hero first, and then we can talk. For now, all I'm concerned about is this legacy that needs to be passed on. Honestly, at this point, I don't even care that you are a mage, too, although I used that trinket so that there will be a fair competition. I've seen nothing so far to indicate that you might win, but I have my reasons regarding why I am hopeful. You say you need a weapon, and I understand. I don't want you to go into the battle without a full strength. Incidentally, how long do you wish to be gone for?"

Furrowing his eyebrows and pondering for a bit, Daneel answered, "A week."

He had already made a list of all the things he wanted to do outside after all the developments that had happened during his visit to this Sect, so he chose this timeframe which would be enough even if there were any unforeseeable delays.

At the top of the list was even something he had found out from the system just before coming here which he was really excited about, but that excitement had been dampened by quite a bit as he had no wish to take undue risks by giving out favors that could potentially kill him.

On hearing his answer, the Chief first raised an eyebrow, and Daneel started to form another lie, as it really didn't make sense why someone would need a week to go "grab their weapon".

In fact, he had even given that reason in the first place as an excuse as he just wanted to go out.

Before Daneel could make up a lie, though, the Chief just shrugged and said, "Well, if I do this, the time really won't matter. If you agree, I'll use a camouflage technique to take your place, and I'll also give you a way to leave and come back that can only be used by me. Even though the Council is monitoring everything, they can do nothing if I, myself wish to help someone in this manner. Don't you think that this is a pretty big thing for me to do?"

To Daneel, this sounded exactly like a conversation that one would have in a shop back on Earth with a shopkeeper who wanted to rip them off.

Seeing the grand personage of the oldest Hero on the Continent act in this way, Daneel almost felt that it was funny, but the feeling of danger that was ever present at this place stopped him from cracking a smile.

He had to admit that this was a pretty big favor, but he wasn't prepared to take it without finding out the cost.

Also, a doubt had appeared in his mind. What the hell could have caused the character of this Chief to change from the person he had been yesterday to the one he was now? Yesterday, he had been all domineering while acting as if his word was law. However, today, he was ready to bargain. Such a steep change set off alarm bells in his mind, and he wondered what he should do about it, as it would keep bugging him even when the time came to make a decision.

Thinking on it for a bit and finding no answer, Daneel nodded in reply.

He thought the Chief was done, but the man opened his mouth and spoke again, proving him wrong and making this doubt in his mind grow even stronger.

"My favor isn't limited to just that. There are many personal Hero level Fighter techniques that I've developed by myself throughout all these years. I'm willing to give them all to you, even though they might not make sense to you now. These are invaluable, and you won't be finding them in the Secret Archives either, as I am the only one who is in possession of them. And finally, there is one last book that you will also not find anywhere else on the continent. It details the attempts by those throughout the history of my sect in pursuing the Ultimate Path, and it gives a detailed explanation regarding why each attempt failed, or didn't give very satisfactory results. Without this, even if you obtain the scroll, you would be setting yourself up for a possible failure. But if you are equipped with the knowledge that was collected over many, many generations, the chance of you succeeding will increase exponentially."

Daneel couldn't believe his ears. The chief was right – any technique was better if there were also studies regarding how others had failed in them. True, he had the system which was capable of carrying out analysis on things like these, but Daneel had a suspicion that whatever was inside that scroll might be at a level beyond that of the current system. Although he was obtaining a lot of EXP recently, he was still quite a ways from the upgrade, so he couldn't simply twiddle his thumbs and choose to wait for it. But instead, if he had that book with all of that data, the system would definitely be able to run the analysis and at least give him something that he could use if he chose to use the method of the founder of the sect.

At this point, he couldn't take it anymore, as each and everything being offered by the Chief was more valuable than the one before.

So, he just blurted out his doubt.

"Why this change? Just yesterday, you threw me out saying that I should make a decision, and that you'll meet me later. How you're behaving now does not match with that at all. I –"

"cannot help but suspect me? I see why you might feel so. But let me tell you one thing: just hear me out regarding the favor I need from you, and you'll get the answer to your question. Alright?"

…

Back in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Cassandra looked as if she was fast asleep on a bed while Kellor was pacing to and fro right in front of her.

The King had charged him with taking care of Cassandra, and making sure that if she woke up and was able to talk, he would be contacted at the earliest. He also said that the span of time after waking up would be crucial, as she might be panicking due to what had happened. Kellor's instructions were mainly to help her remain calm, and have her wait for his arrival.

However, remembering that blazing aura which was capable of melting a Warrior into a bloody sludge instantly, Kellor wandered what he should do if it suddenly appeared and didn't give him any time to teleport away.

Thankfully, this thought left his mind when he saw a person teleport right in front of him.

When he saw that it was the King, a broad smile appeared on his face.

The King looked like he was thoroughly amused and happy about something, and Kellor almost asked what the reason was. He decided not to at the last moment, as the King would tell him anyway if it concerned him.

Nodding at him, the King walked up to Cassandra's bed, and Kellor opened his mouth to tell him that there had been no movement since when she had screamed and crumpled to the floor.

However, before he could say anything, a low moaning was heard from Cassandra who drowsily opened her eyes and woke up, as if she had sensed the presence of the man who was responsible for saving her from that state before.

Blinking, she looked around, and when her eyes fell on the King, she got up immediately and said in a vicious tone, "My King, some bastard kidnapped me and tortured me for days! I think Aran was taken, too! We must find that culprit! And when we do, I'll burn that bastard's balls off!"

Chapter 628: A Weird Turn Of Events

Daniel had no option but to smile sheepishly and scratch his nose as he heard this statement from his most loyal commander.

His plan with the Road through Hell had always been that he would reveal later on that he was the one who had subjected them to all of that, so that they could break through. However, Daneel felt those words get stuck in his throat while the image of what Cassandra had just talked about appeared in his mind – he shivered and instinctively covered his crotch with one hand as that happened, while the Grand Court Mage burst out laughing.

Kellor was really relieved as he had seen that Cassandra seemed to be back to normal. His main fear had been that she might be the same as before even after waking up – mute, and unable to communicate in any way. Thankfully, that hadn't happened, and when Cassandra turned to look at him with an expression of puzzlement on her face as she wondered why he was laughing when she was telling them about something so serious, his laughter only increased in volume.

Calming himself down after a few moments, he couldn't help but say, "I typically don't like crass jokes, but I must say that if you do go ahead, toasting Royal balls will definitely be an achievement that you'll be able to tell even your children about."

R-Royal balls?

The confusion that Cassandra was feeling only increased as she heard this, making her turn to the King.

She remembered clearly each and every moment up until she had felt her parents fade away while hugging her, and after that, it was all blank. She did recall a vague feeling of burning up, but after that, she had woken up here feeling very tired.

Even now, she was famished, but she had uttered that statement as she really believed that finding the culprit and the place where she had been held was really important.

Soon, it began to get irritating, as she was genuinely worried about Aran who might also be trapped there.

She had always been known for her fiery temper, and as it began to flare up, it allowed her a moment of clarity to think back to the statement made by Kellor.

Royal balls?

Connecting that with the sheepish expression on the King's face… A supposition entered her mind.

"My king… Are you the one responsible for it?", she asked, unable to believe it herself.

After else, who else could be capable of kidnapping her when she was inside the Palace?

She knew that although the King could be ruthless and scheming towards his enemies, he cared more than anyone about those were close to him.

So, initially, it didn't make sense why he would do something like that, but when he spoke, she realized that the answer was pretty simple, and that she had only not thought about it as she was still reeling from the mental fatigue of going through such ordeals continuously for so long. If she were normal, she would definitely have noticed it right away.

"It was all to incite the breakthrough, Cassandra. I really believed that the four of you had been in the Human realm for too long, so I searched for ways in which I could help you to break through. That was when I found this – the essence of a breakthrough is all about pushing past one's limits, so this was all designed to help you achieve that. Kellor and Faxul were actively watching everything all the time, and they would have stepped in if there was any real threat to your lives. I –"

Daneel had hastily spoken up after seeing the accusatory glare in Cassandra's eyes. He knew that what he had done was right, but he really didn't want anyone to feel resentment because of that.

He had been about to continue, but he stopped when he saw Cassandra get up and then kneel on one knee.

In a straightforward tone, she said, "Apologies, My King. I think I was still partly in the state that I was back in that place, which did not allow me to see this right away. I am truly grateful that you went out of your way and did so much for us. You allowed me to see something that I was always ignoring for a long, long time. I will forever be indebted to you for allowing me to go through that experience, and even if I die, I will do so with a smile on my face."

It had been quite a long time since anyone had given Daneel such a formal and direct pronouncement of what they felt for him, and it felt pretty good to see his plan work out. In the records about the Road Through Hell, it was also written that those who successfully passed the last phase would almost always find themselves to be mentally stronger than before. It seemed that that was true, as he was seeing it in Cassandra in front of him. She no longer seemed to be the firebrand commander who always acted according to her emotions and was pretty damn unpredictable, which made almost all the soldiers of her unit tread softly around her, especially if she looked even a tad bit unhappy. Now, there was an added measuredness to her, and although she wasn't a completely different person, this kind of change was a great thing to see.

But right now… There was a different matter to address.

"System, repeat the gist of the Emperor's plan regarding this particular Hidden Bloodline."

[Affirmative. The Emperor used different methods to ensure that these Hidden Bloodlines that he picked out would be passed forward to subsequent generations while still maintaining the purity needed in order to result in an awakening. The core plan revolved around modifying the original possessor's bloodline so that when it was passed down, it would go into hibernation inside one's body and then peak at certain times in a certain few generations. Different Bloodlines were set to peak at different times. Although he had lofty ambitions, the Emperor had no way to ascertain exactly how the future would unfold, so he simply wished to give a fighting chance to Angaria by making sure that such people would at least be present at all times so that they could be nurtured and turned into powerhouses if needed. Built upon this core plan were different ones for different Bloodlines with different lists of prerequisites that needed to be fulfilled in each and every possessor of a Peaked Hidden Bloodline in order for an awakening to occur.

He knew that there would be no resources or knowledge in order to carry out a proper awakening, so he implemented this method although it was dangerous and guaranteed a very, very low success rate. An additional reason was also there behind this – Hidden Bloodlines came with a host of problems which were real even though the 'snapping' of the original Blazing Phoenix Bloodline possessor was fake. Her mental health really was affected with each usage of her power, and she really did come close to insanity, although the Emperor managed to save her after finding out the reason.

The reason was that when using the power of the Bloodline that was passed down from a God beast, a few other things would also be passed down in some cases as they were caused by the power in the first place. In the case of the Blazing Phoenix, it was a Godbeast which regularly went through repeated rebirths. Each time, its mind would completely break down, and it would have to gather the pieces and maintain its sanity if it wanted to live on. And each time, a few pieces would be lost, and although they could be found again if the Phoenix managed to live long enough, there were many cases where that just didn't happen. This was also why Blazing Phoenixes were so rare. Each and every one of that species always carried the risk of dying, being reborn and then going insane, following which they would be killed and their flesh that was filled with high-level Energy would be feasted on by other Godbeasts.

It was only natural that such a thing would affect a human, as well. In fact, just one rebirth would be enough to completely drive a human mad. So, the prerequisite for anyone awakening this Bloodline is that that they must have overcome a deeply traumatizing experience by themselves. This lets them build the mental strength necessary which can at least act as a base that can develop slowly into one strong enough to use the power of the Phoenix without being affected by the risks. Target 'Cassandra' fulfilled the prerequisites, and her bloodline has awakened. Her body has already begun to reform, and she only needs a large amount of Energy and time in order to become a Champion.

Note: There is a high possibility that if others from the same generation exist, then their Bloodline might also have peaked.]

That last line had been why Daneel had asked the system to repeat the gist, and although he had had to sit through the whole thing, he didn't mind, at all. No, Daneel was simply awed by the incredible intellect of the Emperor who had thought of such an intuitive plan in order to make sure that Angaria would have a few hidden blades up its sleeves if the time came when it had to defend itself.

Well, that time was now, and he was deeply interested in seeing if there were any others just like Cassandra.

So, he asked, "Cassandra, is there anyone left of your family? Even far relatives whom you might have lost touch with. Do think and let me know, as it is really important. Oh, and, by the way, you are someone who has been blessed with a special power that has awakened now and will let you become a Champion. Well, you aren't truly one yet as some time and Energy is still needed, but soon, your power will awe the entire world. I ask you this question, because it is possible that if any of your relatives are still alive, they might be capable of undergoing something like this, too. As you know, we can use as many reinforcements as we can in the fight against the Church."

This was what Daneel had been excited about after finding out about it from the system after his visit to the Secret Archives, and it had made him decide that he should leave the Sect and talk to Cassandra.

At first, Cassandra's jaw dropped as she heard the part about her becoming a Champion.

She couldn't believe it, but as she saw the King waiting for an answer, she put that aside for the moment and hesitated a bit before saying:

"My king, during that experience before, I also realized something that I had stored away in the depths of my mind for the longest time. I always knew that the scene of autumn leaves drifting to the ground among wooden planks was something that could calm me down, as it always brought me happiness. However, I could never remember why that was so, until now. I was actually...adopted. That moment that always brings me joy is when I was taken in by my parents. So… I have no idea regarding where I really come from. I have no memory from before that time, so I can't really help you in this matter. My apologies."

This made Daneel frown, as he couldn't have expected that something like this would be the case.

His plan of having a flock of magnificent Phoenixes under his command looked like it had been foiled, but he soon got an idea.

"Drakos, is there some way to recover her memory?"

"Of course, Young King. However, she needs to consent."

Daneel had been able to teleport because he had destroyed the trinket around his Mageroot after agreeing to the favor he had been asked by the Chief. So, he no longer needed to think about being restricted in any way.

Nodding, Daneel asked Cassandra, "I have a way to jog your memory, but you need to allow me to enter your mind. Is that alright? I promise that I will not look through your other memories, although I will be able to do so."

Cassandra nodded without hesitation, and said, "You have my absolute trust. Please go ahead."

Smiling, Daneel walked forward and placed one finger on Cassandra's forehead, while she immediately closed her eyes and pressed them tightly together as it was never a pleasant experience to have someone go through your mind.

Drakos was the one doing the searching, so Daneel just waited for the good news.

However, a few seconds later, he heard the Ancient Dragon speak in a baffled tone.

"Her memories from before that time have been erased, Young King. This is something that can only be done… by a Hero."

Daneel immediately dropped his hand in shock as he heard this, but when Cassandra opened her eyes and spoke out, he looked at her with astonishment on his face.

"My King… I remember something. A village with lush, green fields. Thatched cottages with stone chimneys. All kinds of…beasts running around. And someone who was called a God."

Huh? What the f*ck?

Before Daneel could even comprehend this weird turn of events, a glow appeared in Cassandra's eyes as she said, "I think I can find out where it is! I have a vague feeling in my head…and although I can't pinpoint it, if I search, I'm confident that I can find it, My King. That…is where I must have been born? But why was I abandoned in Lanthanor? Why can't I remember anything?"

Daneel could only shrug helplessly as he heard these questions.

"Your memories were also erased, so I cannot help.", he said, which made desperation appear on Cassandra's face.

After all, finding out that everything one had believed about themselves was false was a pretty daunting thing.

After thinking hard for a few moments, though, she spoke in a determined tone.

"King Daneel, I wish to go and find out where that village is. I think it will take time, but I'm confident that I will reach it. You said that you want to find them, too, right? Can I excused from my duties as your Commander until I do?"

Daneel had no idea how they had ended up at this juncture. He had simply wanted to see if there were any unassuming Lanthanorians with a Hidden Bloodline whom he could take under his wing, but he had uncovered something which frankly sounded like a made-up thing in the tale of a wannabe-famous bard.

Seeing the determination in her face, though, Daneel simply nodded, which made Cassandra smile wide.

When bewildered, the best option was just to go with the flow.

Cassandra looked like she didn't want to wait. The curiosity seemed to be eating her up, so Daneel quickly created a few high-level trinkets for her safety that would also allow him to locate her. Also giving her a bunch of Ker Gems, he and Kellor watched as she set off walking from the Palace.

According to her, teleportation only made the feeling fuzzy, so she had to walk.

A few minutes later, Daneel sat in his room, still marveling at how weirdly things had turned out.

To distract himself, he asked the system to repeat the information about the Hidden Bloodline that had interested him.

When it did, a smile inadvertently appeared on the corner of his mouth.

[Bloodline of The Shapeshifter: Allows one to obtain the power of the Shapeshifter which allows it to turn into any Godbeast it wishes. As this Bloodline seemed to have unimaginable potential, it was hidden by the Emperor even though there were severe drawbacks.]

Chapter 629: Luther Returns

This particular bloodline had captivated Daneel's mind the moment it had been listed by the system, as his dream had always been that he would never have to choose which bloodline he wished to have. After all, wasn't it best to be able to shift into whichever one he wanted, instead of being limited to just one of them?

However, he had also figured out right away that there must be some caveat or the other, just like with all the other Hidden Bloodlines that had been chosen by the Emperor.

Sure enough, the drawbacks made it clear why this Godbeast had not been the most powerful one on the continent.

In fact, it was ironic that it was actually one of the weakest.

The main drawback was that although it could take the form of any Godbeast it wished and even fool the Will of the world to an extent in order to wield the powers that were exclusive to those beings, there was no way for a Shapeshifter to actually display the real strength of those attacks.

For example, if a Shapeshifter shifted into a Black Raven, it might be able to make black holes appear, but they would have no attractive power at all.

At the end of the day, all it was was a trickster, and it sought to survive by making its enemy have to guess whether they were facing off against a real Godbeast, or one that was just pretending to be the awe-inspiring Dragon which was ready to form a hurricane with a single flap of its wings.

Typically, predators would not want to take such risks, so they would leave it alone and let it live on.

Hence, Shapeshifters had some of the highest survival rates among all other Godbeasts, although they were practically at the bottom in all other aspects.

After a lot of investigation, the Emperor had apparently found out that the reason behind this was that the Will of the world could not be completely fooled no matter how much anyone tried.

Still, although he had found no way in which this could be countered, he had gone ahead and hidden it after having someone obtain the bloodline as he knew that if one really did manage to overcome this drawback, then they would practically be unrivaled.

The Emperor couldn't possibly have predicted that someone like Daneel, who had the magical system that could eliminate the drawbacks of any technique given that it had enough information, would come along. Finding himself having a moment of respite, Daneel took a deep breath and asked the system whether the drawbacks of this bloodline could be eliminated in some way.

Alas, the answer gave him flashbacks of what had happened when he had asked it regarding the 'Hopeless' path.

[Drawbacks cannot be eliminated with the current level of the system. Please upgrade the system if host wishes this task to be accomplished.]

Well, almost nothing had ever come to him easy, so he just told himself that he was already more than halfway to the amount of EXP needed, which had seemed so unreachable just a few weeks ago.

There was a cause for celebration, though: slowly, Daneel could feel the path forward for him becoming clearer and clearer, as if a fog that was present all around him was being lifted, bit by bit, by the light of all the knowledge that he kept gathering.

Knowing that his time was limited out here, Daneel bent forward and quickly summarised to himself what had happened regarding Cassandra, as he had had enough time to think on it and let it register in his mind.

Basically, there seemed to be a village somewhere where a Hero was present, who had erased Cassandra's memories and put her in Lanthanor. He had no idea how these events had played out, but this was what had happened.

For some reason, Cassandra was capable of locating this village, and she had set off to do so as she wanted to find out just where she was from, and why she had been left like that.

Overall, one thing was clear: this was all beyond him right now, so he could only focus on what he had going on at the moment while keeping this matter in the back of his mind. He had strictly told Cassandra that she should only look for the village, and then retreat and contact him so that they could decide what to do in case she succeeded. Until then, Daneel was going to focus on getting that damn scroll.

This led him to the other tasks that he had set for himself to finish now that he was outside the sect.

First of all, Daneel wanted to check on his commanders.

Cassandra and Kellor had succeeded, so that left Luther and Aran.

If possible, Daneel wanted to finish this before he the time came for him to be gone for a month, as it would give him less cause of worry.

He had recently gotten an idea where he had decided to set down multiple formations around Lanthanor that could be used in the case of an emergency. His objective was to use formations that could be hidden, unlike those that he had been able to detect in both the previous Axelor and Arafell.

The whole point was that if there was an attack of some sort, or if there was a situation where Lanthanor needed to defend itself, these formations could be used to tackle any threat.

The problem with this plan had been that all the formations he had in mind needed at least Warrior level individuals to control them.

There were formations which could be controlled by Fighters, too, which needed the one controlling them to have a certain power level. For example, one that had really been attractive to him was called the 'Fighter Transformer Formation', which conjured a construct around the Fighter's body, which was very similar to the case where Faxul had turned himself into a Black Raven. Then, that had been incited by the Bloodline within him, but here, it would form due to the formation.

The construct would strengthen the one controlling it and offer them various weapons and a whole load of strength to stomp to death any foe that still dared to attack it.

Of course, seeing its 15-foot frame, he doubted that anyone would wish to come forward, anyway.

The problem was that the construct would place a massive strain on the controller's body, and strength was also needed to make it move, as it attached itself, like a second skin, to the one who was in control.

Again, the Warrior level was required, which led Daneel to want to focus more on his subordinates' breakthrough.

As for the Domination Corps who were also pursuing the same end underground with the help of his resident Champion: they would still need time to grow strong enough, so his commanders were his best bet.

Daneel's whole idea was to use what he had gotten behind the third seal to full effect. If he didn't, he would really never be able to face himself if that resulted in loss of life that could have been prevented.

Multiple such formations, and others, could be laid down, but there needed to be personnel to command them all.

His almost month-long trip would feel much better if he could rest assured that there were enough Warriors present defending Lanthanor. So, he had set this objective for himself, too, on this trip.

Aran was apparently still in the illusion state, which wasn't too worrying as different people needed different amounts of times to overcome their darkest fears.

That left Luther, whom Daneel decided to contact.

In order to not waste too many resources, and also to make sure that those present could keep their eyes on those going through the Road at all times, Daneel had only constructed two paths, which meant that only two people could simultaneously go through the Road at the same time.

Right now, a spot was vacant as Cassandra had already 'graduated'.

"Luther, how are things in the Sect? And have you broken through, yet?"

As always, his trusty commander replied right away.

"My Lord, they have been…busy. We are thoroughly weakened compared to the power that our Sect had had before, so I, along with Jaggrv and the others, are trying to implement plans to make our assassins grow stronger. I'm also trying to actively change our business structure so that we don't accept all kinds of assassinations. There are problems, though, but there's nothing that I can't handle. And although I've been training with my father, I haven't broken through yet, as I devote too much time to this managerial stuff. I don't envy the previous Sect Leader right now. His son is a great help, but it's still pretty hectic."

If Luther had been the same as before, his reply would have been 'Busy, My Lord. No, My Lord.'.

Yet, the man had spoken at length, which made Daneel happy as it showed him that he had been right: reuniting him with his father and the sect he loved had really gone a long way in letting him heal and become someone more normal.

"All right. I need you for a few days."

"I'll be right over, My King."

Daneel had been about to say that it was necessary, but he smiled to himself satisfactorily when he heard Luther's answer.

This was a kind of loyalty and reverence that just couldn't be bought by anyone. No, it needed to be earned.

Soon, enough, Luther arrived outside the Palace with a mage from the Hidden Kill Sect in tow, who departed on his Sect Leader's orders after he was told not to let the interim Sect Leader get too complacent.

He owed the King everything. So, when he had heard the words 'need you', he had unhesitatingly dropped everything and arrived.

Finding himself teleported, he prepared himself to greet the King, but the moment his destination began to become clear, he felt that something was wrong.

Instead of seeing the King, he saw someone unfamiliar, and then there was only darkness as he felt himself knocked out by a hammer falling on his head.

…

Back in the reconstructed Road to Hell, Kellor, Faxul, and Daneel were sitting in front of a large display trinket that was showing the image of an unconscious man lying in the middle of a room that was filled with all kinds of attacks and traps.

There was still a moment for the man to wake up, so Faxul said, "I bet that he will break through in 2 days. At most, 3. He always was the most mature, so finding that 'push' shouldn't be a problem."

"Cassandra and Aran took weeks. No, I think even Luther will take a week."

Hearing them, Daneel smiled at the corner of his mouth and said, "I'll take both of you on. I think he'll just need a day. Ready to bet? The winner gets a High-Tier Champion level technique. And if I win, both of you need to be quiet and follow what I say in a certain matter. I know you would anyway, but this makes it more fun. Alright?"

The words 'High-Tier Champion level technique' made a fire light up in both Kellor and Faxul's eyes. They looked at each other for a moment, and then nodded in Daneel's direction.

True, they would do what Daneel asked anyway as they respected him that much, but they could, on occasion, be cheeky, and they couldn't be so if they lost.

His smile broadening, Daneel eyed the display trinket and said, "He's getting up. Let's see what happens."

If someone froze that moment, they would be able to see three emotions on the three faces of those present.

The King of Lanthanor looked confident, as if he was sure that nothing would happen out of his expectations.

The Grand Court Mage looked expectant, as he looked forward to the technique which he wanted to study even if he couldn't use it.

And finally, the Black Raven King looked serious, as he really wanted to win. He was a Champion, so the technique promised by Daneel called to him even more.

However…if that scene was unfrozen, then it would be followed by all three expressions changing into one- that of extreme surprise, that was accompanied by three jaws dropping together.

The reason behind this…was that the ex-commander of Lanthanor and the present Sect Leader of the Hidden Kill Sect defied all expectations when he woke up.

He looked around, and when he received the message which said that he needed to be a Warrior to break out of where he was, determination appeared on his face as he closed his eyes.

The next moment, the barriers blocking those inside the Road from going out deactivated, as they had detected that the one inside them was no longer just a Human.

Of course, this was followed by Daneel receiving a message through the Oathstone.

"My King! I was kidnapped by someone who is inside the Palace! Please be careful! I will stealthily enter and try to capture him. If he's more powerful than me, I'll use the special crotch-severing assassination move that Jaggrv recently taught me! It has a hundred percent effectiveness on enemies who are unaware, and if I'm careful enough, it should work! Until then, please stay behind barriers! It is best for you not to expose yourself!"

Chapter 630: The Final Step

Kellor could never have expected that this stoic commander who had always been known for his decisiveness would be capable of breaking through to become a Warrior so instantly.

Their expectations had all been shattered, which led to all three of them rethinking everything they knew about Luther.

Of course, in a way, it could be said that the King had won, because it had taken less than a day.

Finally closing his jaw after seeing Luther immediately begin to run forward through the rooms which had all been deactivated in order to get to where they were, Kellor turned to see what the King would say.

That was when he saw a strange sight. Just like before, when Cassandra had been ready to roast the balls of the person who was responsible for her capture, the King had one hand over his crotch protectively, almost as if someone was threatening the family jewels again.

For a moment, Kellor was dazed, but he immediately understood what might have happened.

Could… Luther also have given a similar threat? After all, anyone who found themselves freed from such a situation would immediately use the oath stone to contact the King.

In order to see whether his suspicion was right, Kellor asked a question in a low tone.

"My King, did Luther also…"

He didn't need to say anymore, as the King immediately turned to him with just a slight bit of panic on his face, which made it abundantly clear that his suspicion had been right.

What a coincidence!

It could now truly be said that the commanders of Lanthanor were truly in sync, as there was no proof better than the two threats that had both been directed in the same direction.

Kellor controlled his laughter, as he didn't want the scene to repeat, but he heartily chuckled inside his mind. Of course, Faxul noticed this, and asked what the matter was, to which Kellor directly gave the answer, causing the King's best friend to burst out with laughter that echoed in the room, causing a light blush to enter the King's face.

Of course, he could tell what must have happened, and in response, he simply smiled mischievously and said, "You two forget that I won the bet. Just you wait. There's a lot of 'fun' waiting for you, soon."

The laughter immediately stopped as both Kellor and Faxul felt a chill run up their spines.

It was in situations like these that they understood just how unlucky the King's enemies must be, as his words were capable of causing such fear to appear in them, too, even though he wasn't really serious.

Indeed, Daneel was half joking, but he really did not envy what he was probably going to put these two through. Well, they had laughed, so they would pay the price.

As for the coincidence, he decided not to comment on it, except to wonder why there was suddenly such an ardent interest in targeting balls. Still, it was an unpleasant topic which he just wanted to forget, so he only waited for Luther to enter the room that they were in without saying anything.

Taking the cue, the two other men in the room also remained silent, but they did chuckle from time to time, which always halted when they remembered what the King had said.

Just what had they walked into by making that bet before?

Knowing that they would find out soon, they just hoped that it wasn't anything too bad.

Soon, the wooden door in front of them which had been placed just a few hours ago burst open, giving way to Luther whose fists were ready, expecting to find the mastermind behind this entire plan at this place.

His initial plan had been to somehow climb out of this place and reach the Palace so that he could fulfill his duty of protecting the King, but he had been unsuccessful in finding any way out except for the one that led forward through the many rooms that were present in front of him. Of course, it had been smooth sailing through them all, as none of the deadly traps and mechanisms that were present were active. However, eyeing them, he could get a clear picture of everything that he would have been in for if he hadn't managed to break through instantly when feeling the intense need to perform his duty, no matter what.

He was someone who would give his all for those whom he decided to follow, and it was the same both for the father who had adopted him when he had been found alone, and this King whom he had chosen to follow wholeheartedly after seeing how he truly loved the people of the Kingdom which he had come to cherish after staying in it for a long time.

It, too, had taken him in when he had been alone.

So, when he saw the King patiently waiting for him in this room accompanied by two familiar men who were in a strange cycle of chuckling to themselves, stopping that abruptly and then chuckling again, he did not understand what was going on.

The King spoke up to dispel his doubts.

"Calm down, Luther. I was the one who placed you here, as I wanted you to find the 'push' inside yourself and break through to become a Warrior. You had been stuck in the Human realm for too long. Little did we know that all it needed was a simple situation in which you thought I was in danger."

Luther had to take a few seconds to comprehend this, but when he did, a small smile appeared on his face before he folded his arms behind his back and looked down, remembering the threat that he had sent before that had been directed at the King, even though he didn't know whom he had been cursing at that time.

Seeing this, as these two new about it anyway, Daneel decided to just own up to what had happened.

"It's an incredible coincidence that both you and Cassandra chose to go for 'those' as soon as you were capable of exacting revenge on whoever was responsible for abducting you and placing you here. I guess that any man who chooses to oppose you two should really be careful."

Daneel had only said this to lighten the atmosphere, but he could never have expected the kind of answer he would receive.

"Oh, it is not that much of a coincidence, Your Majesty. Us three commanders would often strategize about how we we would go about handling a foe whose power level was unknown to us. If it's a man, the best option was to go for the balls, as it is unlikely that even someone who has ascended to heights that we cannot comprehend has special protection over this special area. It is something that many tend to forget about, so our plan was to target it as it would have the most chance of success. I suspect that even Aran will react in the same way when he breaks through."

Oh, now it made sense.

It turned out that he had been right – anyone who targeted these three commanders of his would definitely regret doing so.

This also made the laughter from the two now jovial people beside him to begin once again, which made Daneel decided to end this quickly.

Nodding in response, he said, "Well, good to know. You can get back to the sect. You must've dropped a lot of duties to get over here so quickly, right? I really value that, and I'm also really appreciative of the need that erupted in you when you realized that you had to get out and protect the King. I am honored to count you as one of those whom I can trust my life with."

In response, Luther simply bowed, as no more words are necessary.

Always a man of duty, he did not feel that it was something to be appreciated, but he still accepted these words and it did feel good when he heard them.

Daneel flicked his fingers, allowing Luther to teleport away and making sure that he would emerge at the foothold of the Hidden Kill Sect.

With this matter done, only Aran was left, but there was no way to speed up a break through that was being incited by the illusion formation. All he could do was make sure that the formation was maintained, and hope that there would be no problems. Faxul was charged with constantly keeping an eye on him so that Aran could be saved if possible, and with that, Daneel moved on to the next item on his list.

Of course, in the list of people who could break through, Eloise could also have been present, but it was different for her as she might be able to break through naturally instead of having to be 'pushed' by Daneel. Besides, their conversation was still fresh in his mind, and he had already planned their next meeting perfectly.

Putting that aside, Daneel dispersed the Grand Court Mage and the Black Raven King after actually feeling happy about just how much their personalities had changed since the time that he had first met them.

Nothing much needed to be said about Faxul, who had had the most drastic change, but as for Kellor-he was someone who had broken down and cried when he had seen that Daneel might be the one whom he had been waiting for. The man had always been weighed down by all the things he had had to do under the orders of the previous King, and it was only now that he was getting out of their shadow and returning back to who he originally. And that 'original him' was a very likable uncle, who was always ready to help, and who always had his best interests and heart.

Going back to his chamber, Daneel got to the last thing on his list – to make all the provisions necessary for the Legacy Battle.

He already knew that his Mageroot would be completely restricted after he went back to the sect. So, he would be foolish if he didn't use it for all it's worth and prepare a lot of countermeasures to handle any type of situation he might face. He had the chance to do so, and it would be dumb to waste it.

Of course, he could cast Mageroot-less spells, but that would be a dead giveaway as that Chief would easily be able to sense what was going on. Before, his antics had only gone unnoticed as there had been no one at that level watching.

Taking a moment, Daneel pondered deeply on the plan that had slowly begun to form from the moment he had entered the sect.

He now had full clarity regarding the Legacy Battle – it was basically a free for all, but there were all sorts of factions that formed so that more people could aim to survive until the final days, which would give them more chance of being selected to be trained harder by the Chief.

For anyone else, the goal was to stay in the competition, but for him, it was to win.

However, the problem was that even he didn't know the metrics for one to win, so after a lot of thought, Daneel decided to do things the brute force way, as that was the best option in such cases.

If there was only one person remaining at the end of the battle, wouldn't that guy be directly crowned the winner? He was pretty sure that there must have been no contest where something like this would have happened, but he still decided to verify that.

For now, though, he acted on this, and formulated the plan that was actually inspired by one of his favorite movies back on Earth.

Of course, he would have to make a lot of modifications to it, but he had to say that he was excited to see how it would all turn out. It was definitely going to be a blast, and he just couldn't wait to snatch that scroll from its resting place.

And so, Daneel began all the preparations necessary after taking a few hours to hammer out all the finer details of his plan. He also made many backup plans, as he did not wish to be caught off-guard.

A week later, as he arrived back at the sect at the agreed time, his clothes were completely filled with trinkets.

This made him feel really glad that the sect only checked the maximum level of the trinkets, and not the number.

After all, why would a Sect with a Hero-level Chief fear a simple Human or Warrior level trinket?

So, after getting in with all of his tools intact, a smile that stretched from ear to ear appeared on Daneel's face, as he knew that he was now ready to face anything that might come his way.

Humming a merry tune, the King walked down the path to reach his cottage, almost as if he already owned the damn place.

Chapter 631: Returning to the Sec

Daneel soon reached his cottage and found it empty.

On the way, the Sect Members had been looking at him various expressions on their faces, with the most prominent one being one of anger and vexation.

Understanding that these people must be part of those who despised him because he was from the Central Continent, Daneel had continued on his way.

Searching around in the house, he found a note addressed to him in Elanev's room.

"My training is beginning. The old man says that I will only be able to come out of it for the Legacy Battle, so I'll see you then. And remember, if you can find the identity of that f*cker because of whom I can't go to the village, intimate me at any cost. I don't care if the old man said that I shouldn't be disturbed. This is too important a matter to be ignored!"

Daneel could see the anger that was still in his elder brother due to the incident before. Chuckling, he burnt up the note and sat down, wondering what he should do next.

The answer was simple: the initial idea behind coming to the sect had been to collect all the information it held, before he had become distracted by other things.

So, Daneel recalled the route they had taken before, and went back to the Secret Archives where he was directly allowed in again.

Except for the core techniques of the sect which weren't present here, he could access everything else, so he began to store it all in the system.

Many people shot him strange looks when they saw him casually browsing through all of the shelves, while making sure that he touched at least the spine of each and every book that was present.

This couldn't be done continuously, as it would arouse too much suspicion, so Daneel took constant breaks during which he continued his perusal of all the Champion Paths that he had obtained from behind the third seal.

He would look as if he was poring over the book in front of him that he randomly selected without even seeing the title, but in reality, he would be arguing within himself about things such as the inherent weaknesses that Emotion-driven paths had when compared to all other types of Paths.

The Fortress actually held a lot more books than the other sects, and Daneel had found this out from a journal of one of the previous sect leaders who had written about how this Fortress supposed to be the last Bastion of Angaria. Hence, it only made sense that all the essential information should be recorded here, in case a similar apocalypse occurred which might result in the loss of all the cumulative knowledge of the continent.

Along with that, general information about how Angarians should handle multiple situations was also given, that had apparently been researched thoroughly by scholars who had contracted to do so.

All in all, this place reminded Daneel of the famous Georgia Guidestones back on his home planet, which existed to help humanity in the event that an apocalypse wiped out most of the population of the Earth.

Daneel recorded it all anyway, as he never knew when it might come in handy. Even if it didn't, he wasn't willing to let any piece of information go, as he knew that it would leave him with an unsatisfied feeling.

This, in itself, took two days, and on the morning of the third, he was finishing up the last section.

The same building that had the Secret Archives also had the library behind it, where Daneel currently was.

He had been having his cool-down time in order to not irritate everyone and have them demand that he should be thrown out as he was simply passing time instead of seriously utilizing all the knowledge gathered around him. He had just been about to get up and begin another final round all over the place to make sure that he hadn't missed any book.

That was when he saw two familiar people enter through the doors of the library and look around, before finding him and heading in his direction.

They were Tall and Snake, and they were actually a funny sight to behold as Snake was half the height of Tall, although Daneel still believed that he was the more dangerous one.

Soon enough, they were in front of him, and they sat down as if it was the most casual thing in the world.

This made Daneel raise an eyebrow, but he simply remained calm and waited to see what they would say.

The two of them looked like they were struggling with something, as hesitation and unwillingness could be seen on their faces.

They even started to look around casually, almost as if they wanted to put on an act that they hadn't come here to speak to him. Daneel had no idea what the objective behind something like that could be.

While absorbed in this, Snake looked at the book in front of Daneel, and this made him pause and then smile slightly, as he had found a starting point to begin the conversation.

"I didn't know that you like romantic stories. I tried reading them, too, but I couldn't stomach even the first 10 pages. Tall here, though, is widely known as someone who is an expert on all the romantic novels present in the sect. In fact, when he goes to the village, the women request him to quote their famous lines from these books, and it is said that he even enacts out certain sequences from them."

Daneel had no idea what the f*ck this guy was spouting, but when he looked down, he understood. The book he had in front of him was titled "Unrequited, Yet Endless."

He hadn't been paying too much attention to the books he had been picking up, so he was now pretty startled when he saw that these kinds of books were also present here. What was the point behind that?

Daneel almost asked the two in front of him, but he decided that that would be too strange. So, he asked the system and got his answer.

[Romantic novels were introduced into the library by Sect Master Brutus, who was famously known to have romanced the Sect Master of a different sect. It took 20 years for his relationship to succeed, and when it did, for a period of time, he was in "incorrigible puddle of goo", as quoted from a friend of his from that time. He gave the order that these books should also be stored here, and that they should be perused by all Fighters and Mages alike, as it would motivate them to grow stronger and find what he had found in the then most powerful mage on the continent. When they had fights, these incidents were said to be on such a scale that the Head at that time had had to intervene in order to make sure that entire swathes of land would not be devastated permanently.]

Daneel really didn't have to know all that, but he was definitely amused by the information. Closing the book, he raised his head to see a slight blush creep into Tall's face before the man shook his head in order to hide it and said, "Let's get to the point. Snake and I need to tell you something, and we really hope that you agree to our request. It'll be alright even if you don't, but we can't help but ask."

This statement uttered with extreme hesitation caused Daneel to raise his eyebrows and wonder what the heck was going on.

The last time he had met these two, they had wanted him to join them and help them last as much as possible during the Legacy Battle.

Daneel's current plan that had been formed from the data that he had gathered regarding all the factions of the sect did not include him having to join either of them. So, seeing them, he had been prepared to let them down, but he was now curious as to what favor these two were talking about.

As Snake opened his mouth to continue, shock appeared on Daneel's face as the puzzlement he was feeling only deepened.

"First of all, we rescind the offer given to you to join our group, even though you made it clear that you have no interest in doing that. Secondly… We really hope that you do something in public which shows everyone that we have cut all ties with you. We were constantly being targeted because others saw us meet, which made many in the sect think that we are together in your plan. We don't even know if doing this will help us, but we have no option but to try. In fact, this is even the perfect opportunity. You can simply get up and slap both of us, and also make it clear just how worthless you think we are, and that you don't care that we rejected your offer. You know, it's all a story that doesn't affect you at all, but it would really help us out. Would you please consider it? If you do, we are even willing to hand over a few Ker Gems and some Warrior level weapons that we have stored away. As a gift, of course."

Daneel slowly couldn't help but understand that these two knew something that he did not.

Activating the Basilisk's Breath and slowing down time so that it wouldn't appear as if he was clueless regarding what they were talking about, Daneel asked the system to once again scan all the conversations around the sect and find out if anything had happened in his absence.

Soon, the system gave him the answer, and with each word that sounded in his mind, his face grew darker and darker.

[Numerous conversations have been detected regarding the same topic. Three days ago, an individual who looks like the host and has assumed host's identity walked up to the Challenge Board of the sect, where conflicts were resolved using regulated fights so that deaths would not occur. Host is said to have written down that he wishes to challenge the entire sect, as he believes that they are all worthless cretins who do not even deserve to lick the bottom of his boots. Host proceeded to fling various courses detailing how all of the members of the sect at his level should just commit suicide, as they would never be able to reach the heights that host would soon ascend to. When all the leaders of all the major factions in the sect flared up and gathered at the Challenge Board, host made a proclamation that everything would be decided during the Legacy Battle.]

What…the f*ck had that chieftain done?

Well, this explained the strange looks that he had ignored thinking that they were just because of his identity.

Daneel decided to go ask the man himself, but first, he needed to handle this situation.

Going back to what they had said, he made a decision and immediately stood up by breaking the table in the process.

This made wariness appear on the faces of the two in front of him, even though Snake had been prepared because of his paranoia.

Without hesitation, Daneel punched out with both of his fists, sending the tall and short guy flying.

He was in no mood to do the other part, so he simply left the library knowing that those two could probably spin the situation however they wanted to get out of the predicament that they had placed themselves in.

When he arrived at the Chief's building, he got even more infuriated when he saw that the doors were open, waiting for him.

And inside, the Chief was serenely sipping a mug of beer before he looked up with interest and smiled broadly on seeing Daneel enter.

Before Daneel could say anything, he raised one hand and said, "I never said that I would be your version of yourself. I simply did what I would have done if I were in your shoes. Oh, don't blame me, you already know what I want, and this is just a way to make sure that both the Head and I can see what you are truly capable of. One man against the entire sect. It sounds pretty great, don't you think? Well, it will definitely be a sight to see."

Daneel glowered on the spot as he heard these words, knowing that he had been thoroughly bamboozled. Assuming his identity, the Chief had placed him in this position where he now had a gigantic target painted on his back.

However, he soon calmed himself down and recalled the plan he had made, and realized that this actually… Helped him. In fact, the plan might even have gotten better.

Still, that didn't erase the irritation that he felt on being blindsided like this. So, gritting his teeth and vowing that the 'sight to see' would be so shocking that the Chief would have no option but to regret doing this, Daneel left the room.

Chapter 632: Announcemen

Right after walking out, Daneel was subjected to even more glares and people who looked as if they wanted to pounce at him, but couldn't do so until the time was right.

Now that he knew the truth, he wondered how he hadn't seen this before, but he realized that he had gotten a habit of completely ignoring people like these right after he sensed even the tiniest bit of negativity from them.

He had basically typecast them as those who hated him simply because of his background, so he had been unable to identify that something had been wrong.

Of course, this hadn't caused any damage, but it was still pretty infuriating, and Daneel was simply looking for things where he could direct his indignation.

Realizing what he was doing, he stopped right where he was, in the middle of the path, and took a deep breath in order to calm himself down.

The vow he had taken back in the Chief's room resounded in his mind, making it clear that if he really kept it, then all his feelings would be given redress in the best manner possible.

However, the annoyance that he had just controlled came back in full force when he saw that even a crowd of people who were passing along on the path on which he was in give him a wide berth, as if he was a disease-ridden person whom they didn't want to touch.

Wait… Why was there even a group of people in the first place?

Ever since coming to the Fortress, Daneel had only seen small groups of people moving around, and in fact, most of the sect members were usually stragglers who were doing their own thing. However, right now, over 100 people were all heading in the same direction.

Curious, he let the group pass and then followed them, even though those at the back of the group kept shooting him looks which he couldn't decipher, as anger was the main emotion that was present in them.

Well, considering what he had called them and knowing how the Chief must have accumulated a lot of incredible curse words over his long life in Angaria, Daneel didn't really blame them, and he just tried to ignore it all while he kept following.

Finally, the group approached a place where a large, raised open arena was present, in the middle of which three men were standing.

These three were some of the most peculiar the Daneel had seen since coming here. First of all, they were dressed more luxuriously than any other sect member. Well, this wasn't actually saying much as most of the other sect members were wearing all sorts of clothes made from animal hides, just like the first three sect members that he and Elanev had seen when they had arrived at the sect.

Other than that, their body types were also different. Unlike the other three archetypes that were present in the sect, these three looked like they had achieved a perfect balance between speed and power. They were lean, but not so lean as Snake, whose extreme focus on speed made it so that being lighter would help him achieve what he wanted. They also don't have bulging muscles, but what he could see of them made it clear that they were capable of bursting out with incredible power if they wished.

At this place, more than 200 people had already gathered, and with the addition of the hundred that Daneel had followed, 300 Fighters stood around the arena while whispering among themselves.

Daneel overheard a few whispers, and he understood who these three were.

Apparently, they were the most talented Warriors in the sect, and they were also the favorites to place in the top during the Legacy Battle.

Also, they were the leaders of the unnamed faction which consisted of all the top talent in the sect that Daneel had heard about when he had asked the system to gather all the information that it could, before.

And all around him… were all of the people who would soon be competing in the Legacy Battle, regardless of whether they were part of a faction or not.

After all, not everyone wished to band together with those who were alike so that they could fight for more benefits. There were also many people who preferred to fly solo, and just get as strong as they possibly could without caring for all the rivalries in the sect.

Daneel was actually pretty surprised that he had obtained such an important opportunity to study each and every opponent that he would soon be facing up against during the upcoming battle. So, he told the system to assemble as much information as it could regarding each and every member present here, so that he could know exactly whom we should be wary of, and whom he could disregard.

The reason they had all gathered here was that these three had announced that they would be giving out important information regarding the Legacy Battle which all those who wished to participate had to know. Apparently, it was a custom that the three most hopeful candidates of any generation would be the ones to give these details, in order to both motivate those who didn't get this chance, and to make it clear just what level one should aspire to reach if they wished to be at the top.

Of the three, two of them had smug smiles on their faces, while the last one simply folded his hands and looked around as if he didn't wish to be here.

What was weird was that all three of them had similar characteristics – they were fair, with high cheekbones and sharp features. Apart from subtle differences, their hair was also completely different – the first two had opted to grow it out and let it fall to their shoulders, which looked to be the reigning fashion in the Fortress. The third, though, seemed to have gone for practicality – his hair was mowed down, which reminded Daneel of the army cut back on Earth.

The moment he appeared, though, all three of their eyes focused on him, and varying degrees of anger appeared on their faces, which they forcefully had to swallow down in order to not disturb the proceedings.

Everyone knew that the Chief was watching, and the man had apparently forbidden all battles in these few crucial weeks leading up to the Legacy Battle.

This was a typical rule, but to Daneel, it looked more like he wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be secretly stabbed during the night which would result in the Chief and the Head not been able to see what they wanted to.

Finally, after a few moments, the two who had been smug before sneered and then returned back to their original expressions, while the third let his eyes linger on Daneel for a moment longer before disregarding him completely, as if he had put him out of his mind.

With everyone gathered, the one in the middle spoke up.

"We have called you all here to announce this year's Legacy Battle's unique rules. Each Battle has different rules from the last, which is something you must already have known if you were a member of the sect."

This was obviously a childish jab at Daneel, who ignored it completely and just folded his hands with a very bored expression on his face.

He had just decided something – the Chief had already set down his character, and he had no reason to change it, especially before the Legacy Battle.

So, for once, he decided to experience just how it would be to act like those dumb protagonists and antagonists in stories who were cocky in all situations without a single care for any consequences.

Taking it a step further, Daneel even yawned loudly, which attracted the attention of most of the Fighters in front of him.

At first, he felt uncomfortable as hundreds of eyes looked at him as if they wanted to him apart, but he then began to enjoy it, which made him look at the arena and say, "Can you three buffoons get this over with quickly? I have a warm bed waiting for me back in my cottage, you know. I have to get my beauty sleep if I wanna look good when I crush all of you in the Legacy Battle."

Fury erupted in most of the Fighters, and some even almost let themselves go and bounced forward, which Daneel would have welcomed with open arms. It would be an excellent way to take out the vexation he was feeling on the Chief.

However, they all turned around when the man on the stage spoke again.

"My fellow sect members, ignore him. He will get his due during the Battle. No reason to break the rules and be punished before that. But let's get this over with quickly, so that we can get back to our training. For various reasons, the sect has decided to allow participants to have a method to save themselves if they find that they are in a situation from which they cannot escape. At the start of the battle, teleportation trinkets will be given to all participants, and they can activate them whenever they wish to be teleported out of the battle area. Of course, they will be disqualified in the process. The main rule that there will be a complete blackout of information during the Battle still stands- and no trinkets which connect to the outside are allowed. As for what are allowed – any and all trinkets at or below the Warrior level can be taken into battle. And of course, the battle will be for 30 days, and the metrics for selection of those who will be personally trained by the Chief are a secret. I don't think I need to tell you that the whole objective is to survive till the end, and see yourself be accepted into the Chief's tutelage, which will allow you to spread your wings and fly to the sky. I wish good luck to you all. You may disperse."

Daneel felt intrigued on listening to this, as he wondered why the battle wasn't lethal, just like how it had been explained to him by Tall.

A very possible reason was that due to the incoming invasion by the Church, the Sect did not wish to lose too many sect members in an internal battle like this.

Well, it didn't really matter to him.

Shrugging, Daneel was about to spout another dialogue to piss them off further, but he stopped when he heard the system sound in his mind.

[Subroutine 'Important Information Scanner' has found that there is a meeting between all faction leaders at midnight today in the village behind the fortress. The meeting has been called for by the three individuals who are on the stage, and it will be attended by small and large fraction leaders alike.]

Daneel's eyes glinted as he heard this.

Oh, this was a meeting that he really wouldn't want to mess.

…

After spending the whole day strolling around and checking out all the facilities available in order to decide what he should do before the start of the Legacy Battle, Daneel made his way to this entrance of the village which was guarded by two sect members.

The path was deserted except for him, but he boldly just walked up to them and asked, "Which is better to knock someone out: a fist, or a hammer?"

The weird question three these two off, but after a few moments, they prepared to send the signal that the person whom they should keep a lookout for had arrived.

Yet, they were distracted by two shining objects that were suddenly flicked in their directions by this arrogant King.

The next moment, a flash of light appeared in their vision, and by the time they blinked their eyes and regained the ability to see, the path in front of them was empty.

They also had no recollection of anyone approaching them, so they just resumed their vigil after telling themselves that they really shouldn't doze off, as that was how they remembered the past minute.

Meanwhile, behind them, the King of Lanthanor smiled slyly as he made his way deeper into the village.

Chapter 633: The Eve of the Battle

"As all of you must probably have noticed, this year's Legacy Battle is quite different from all the others. Never before has there been such a facility with which sect members could save their lives. The whole point of the battle was always that those who were weak would directly be killed, while those who escaped such dangerous situations would grow stronger because of them. Even though that was the case, the death toll during every battle was never too high, as the Champions of the sect sometimes show mercy so that promising individuals who might have just been unlucky would be saved. However, this time… that will not be the case, and I found this out from my own father."

In a large house that was present almost at the end of the village inside the fortress, a small number of people had gathered who were listening to the words of the same person who had spoken in the morning.

His smugness was gone, replaced by a serious expression, and if anyone saw him now, they would never be able to believe that he was the same person as the one before.

There were 22 people in the room, and of these 22, two were familiar to Daneel – they were Tall and Snake.

In the large room, there was a small table in the center, around which a few figures were seated. The rest were seated in concentric circles, and Tall and Snake were in the last one, which sort of made Daneel get the impression that they weren't very important.

Of course, he was idly looking in through the window after bypassing the anti-eavesdropping trinket that was active here.

As for how he had bypassed it even though his Mageroot was once again locked away… It was using the many preparations he had done during the week he spent in Lanthanor.

Even the shining objects that he had thrown at the guards before were one-time use Mind Control trinkets with various uses. Daneel could predetermine which use he wanted them to achieve before throwing them at someone, and before, he had selected the option where they would make someone go blank before making them forget everything that happened a minute before they regained their consciousness.

These were pretty costly: each cost a Ker Gem to make, but they were really, really effective, as had been demonstrated before.

In the evening, Daneel had received the same box as before, and even though he had had the option to tell the system to switch off the pain he would be feeling, or to knock him out so that the worm-like trinket would go to his Mageroot without him having to endure its journey, Daneel gritted his teeth and went through the whole experience again, as he knew that this would be even more motivation for him to accomplish what he wished in the sect.

As more people began to speak inside the room, he distracted himself from that very unpleasant memory and refocused his attention on the words that were being transmitted to him by the system.

"How will they be different, Ace? Will they be showing mercy, too? If so, how will the Heroes watching even judge what we're capable of under pressure?"

This question was asked by one of the men sitting around the table in the center, which meant that he was probably someone important.

The one who answered was the other smug guy who had been on the stage.

"Before, the Champions who roamed the battlefield were typically just acting as if they're crazy. This time, they will really be so. They will be like animals whose only aim is to tear us all into pieces, and they will completely be driven by their instincts."

A hush fell over the room as everyone heard these chilling words and felt their spine shiver.

First of all, encounters with Champions in Legacy Battles were typically things that Warriors could not come out of unscathed. So, everyone would avoid them like the plague during every battle.

It was said that Champions even allowed a few participants to go free as even they knew that the power disparity was too much. All they wished to do was give them a challenge, so there was no reason to wantonly kill everyone that they saw.

Yet, now… That would no longer be the case?

The man spoke up again as if he heard the questions revolving in the heads of all those present.

"Yes, you heard me right. Apparently, some Hero in the High Council managed to figure out a 'Maddening Formation' that will place a Champion in such a furious state. However, the Champions are still awake in the back of their own minds, so they can break out of it with a little effort whenever they wish. Also, this will really enable the battle to take on almost the exact same atmosphere as what had been there originally after the apocalypse. The objective was always to achieve this, anyway. We suspect that this whole theme of giving teleportation trinkets to participants is to make sure that this specific change in the Legacy Battle will not result in too many deaths. All of you must already have understood that even if we did have such a trinket, only those who are skilled or lucky will be able to reach it and activate it in time to save their lives, while all others will be killed. However, enough on that. I just wanted to give you all a heads up even though the three of us typically don't typically care about the lives of you lot."

This resulted in the other person speaking up again in a befuddled tone.

"Yeah, what's up with that? Each and every time, all those like you simply ignore us and excel in the battle any way. This time, why are you being all accommodating and inviting? I can't help but say that it puts me on edge."

In response, the man said, "The answer to your question… Is the main agenda of the meeting. King Daneel."

Another silence fell over the room as this wretched name was heard, but this was one that was punctured repeatedly by the sound of grinding teeth, while the temperature of the room slowly seemed to be rising.

Seeing this, Daneel wondered just what curses the Chief must have used in order to elicit this kind of reaction from these seasoned Fighters.

Soon, though, the first man spoke again.

"I don't think any words need to be said regarding how he should be our main target. So, we want to propose a temporary alliance where the whole goal will only be to kill him in the most horrific method possible. This will be a warning to all others who wish to go up against us, as other Sects will be watching, too. When that goal is achieved, we can all break apart and go back to what we usually do during every battle."

Smiles filled with glee appeared on the faces of almost all those present as they imagined that aggravating guy who had insulted multiple generations of their families being killed like that. They could almost imagine all of his bravado drifting away into the wind when he cried out with pain and begged them to stop. Some even had such vivid imaginations that drool dripped down from the corner of their mouths, which made Daneel take special notice of them, knowing that they were the most vicious of the bunch.

After a few moments, the other person at the central table spoke up once again.

"That sounds fine by me. The strongest of us can make a small strikeforce which will target him, and the rest can build a perimeter where they will stall him if he comes in their direction. How does that sound? An unbeatable strategy, right?"

Approving expressions could be seen on the faces of many faction leaders, and even the three who had made the announcement on the arena smiled slightly on hearing this.

"You always were known to be the best strategist in the sect. Alright, we'll do that. It's simple and easy to follow, and it's pretty much guaranteed to allow us to get what we want. There is no way that he will be able to escape an encirclement by hundreds of Fighters, no matter what trinkets he smuggles into the battle. Let us disperse. One last thing, though: until the battle, keep this under wraps, and don't even tell your faction members about it. Directly give the instructions on the eve of the battle. Alright?"

Knowing that the meeting was over, Daneel quickly hid himself nearby while asking the system to keep a close watch on everyone.

If anyone saw him now, they would see such a cold expression on his face that they would feel as if they were in the dead of winter even if the sun was shining on top of them.

As soon as everyone left after the last person put out the torches that were present inside the room, darkness engulfed the village.

Yet, instead of going back to his cottage, Daneel carefully walked forward, just like a predator eyeing its prey in the darkness.

This night…would be a busy one.

…

Meanwhile, unknown to Daneel, the library where his fight had taken place had been abruptly closed off due to the sect officials quoting some sort of repairs.

Yet, inside it, only two people were present, and both of them had serious expressions on their faces as they observed a specific spot on the ground where the tiles had caved in.

"You're telling me that that fatso was defeated in a single move? Even though he was able to move that fast? Seriously? Since when was this kid such a strong Fighter? And here I was pretty damn impressed by his Mage skills that allowed him to kill that Champion. I'm even beginning to wonder whether it was the right decision to give him this much leeway. If he really is this talented in both Paths, maybe the best thing to do is to completely focus on nurturing him, whether he likes it or not. All geniuses always resist this in the beginning, but later on, when they realize just how much it helps them, they come around."

These words were said by the Head, who was shaking his head while looking at the imprint of the round body on the floor.

Yet, when he heard the reply from the Chief who was beside him, a dark expression flashed across his face for the briefest of moments.

"And what about those who don't come around? It might be best to allow this to continue. Those who come into the Big Four of their own volition often stay loyal. Of course, we don't need to worry about that aspect with this kid, because he clearly cares about all those people in the Central Continent. We can keep tempting him and bribing him until he enters, and when he does, we can keep throwing resources and techniques at him in order to make him stay."

After pondering for a bit, the Chief nodded, also knowing that this was for the best. In fact, he had only said that before because he was simply impatient. He had always loved to see a gem being polished in order to expose its true brilliance, and he really wanted to see that happen in the King's case too.

Chuckling suddenly, he said, "I saw the replay of that speech, by the way. You really chose those curses well."

This made the Chief smile and say, "Of course, who can be more skilled than me in riling up emotions? Remember that time when we defeated that bandit group simply by having their leader become too ashamed to lead them after just a single speech?"

"Of course! That was all you, though. As my mentor, instead of teaching me how to fight, you taught me those kinds of things."

"Well, I knew that you might become the Head anyway, and knowing the responsibilities that you would be taking on, I wanted you to have other tools in your repertoire that you could use instead of just having to resort to force."

With a smile, the Head turned around and said, "You're right. The things you taught me did help a lot, and they allowed me to handle many situations using words as opposed to showing my power and causing general displeasure. But in all these centuries, I've never seen you take this much special interest in anyone else. Are you really thinking about passing down the legacy, finally? After all these years?"

In response, the Chief turned around and began walking toward the exit.

It was only at the moment before he opened the door that he finally replied.

"I don't know. But I just have a feeling that this Legacy Battle might just be the most eventful one in a long, long time. Even these old bones of mine are quivering with excitement. Let's see what happens."

Saying so, the Chief disappeared, and a few moments later during which the Head felt shocked because he had received an answer for the question that he thought would be brushed aside, he also teleported away, while feeling happy that his decision to value the King had been right.

…

The next few weeks passed uneventfully, with Daneel mostly going through all the Fighter techniques available to him that he had obtained both from the Emperor's memories and the third seal. He knew that he would have to resort to them soon, so he wanted to brush up on them and also choose the ones that he could add to his toolbox. He would often find himself alone in many training areas, as the others feel too distracted and infuriated to train as all they wanted was to get their hands on him.

And in such cases, Daneel would happily escort them out with witty jeers and remarks.

Three weeks later, the morning of the battle dawned like any other day, but the entire sect's atmosphere had completely changed to one of tension and excitement.

Looking at himself in the mirror and letting out a deep breath, Daneel marched of the cottage, just like the commander of an army who could already see the outcome of a war even before the first ranks clashed on the battlefield.

Chapter 634: 'Overdrive' Inheritance

The Legacy Battle would take place outside the Fortress in an unknown location, and all the participants would directly be transported there, together.

They had only been intimated the day before that they were to gather at the same place where those three had given the announcement. The arena in that location was so large that it could easily accommodate all 300 of those who would be participating, as it was part of a formation which allowed it to increase or decrease in size as needed.

As soon as Daneel got to the place, the buzz of conversation that had been present until then ceased, as almost each and every one lay their eyes on him.

It had been amusing at first, but by now, he was tired of it.

Well, that would all change by the time this battle ended anyway, so he just ignored them and looked around, waiting for his elder brother.

In his mind, he was thinking of all the kinds of transformations that could have happened to Elanev.

He might have grown bigger. Or leaner. Or there might even be something else that he couldn't expect.

In the meanwhile, he checked each and every pocket in his clothes thoroughly, to make sure that all the trinkets he had placed were present. Of course, the system was monitoring them all, but it still felt good to feel them and know that they were there.

He had gotten very used to the theme of the Dragon, so before leaving to the sect, he had had the Royal Tailor make him a special set of clothes with high-quality materials that were meant for Fighters. He was wearing a shirt that perfectly fit his figure – which was actually the same type as those three who had looked impressive on the stage. He didn't have bulging muscles, but what he did have were framed clearly, with his broad back standing out prominently. He was also wearing pants which reminded him of the cargo pants back on Earth, as they had multiple pockets in which he had stashed his many trinkets. His shirt also had many hidden pockets, too.

A Dragon was embroidered on the back of the shirt, and it glinted magnificently in the bright sun.

Recently, he had found out the reason behind the strange garbs of the sect members.

Even now, most of those around him wore weird shirts and pants made out of animal hides that looked like they had been made by amateurs, and although some of them were peculiar as they seemed to be enchanted, most were just meant to cover the important areas.

Apparently, this was because the sect emphasized on each and every person being completely responsible for themselves before they became Champions. So, whenever someone entered the sect, they would be thrown naked into a forest on the mountain on which the Fortress was located. This was both a test and an opportunity to get some clothes. As most beasts were only at the Human level, the forest was relatively safe for talented people, and they would fashion their clothes out of the hides of the animals that they killed. According to the system, this was also to pay homage to the origins of the sect, which had been born out of the ashes of the Empire in a time when humanity had had nothing.

Achievements could be racked up in the sect by passing various training exercises, and these achievements could be exchanged for enchantments that gave protection to sect members.

The sect also had a debt system, where sect members could take things that they wanted such as resources for a small debt that could be cleared by using those resources to grow stronger and pass tests.

All in all, there were many systems in place which offered each and every sect member all the chances in the world to achieve whatever they wished. At least, according to Daneel, this was much, much better than the Sect of Hedon, which emphasized strength over all else.

As an outsider, he wasn't subjected to these rules.

Daneel's musing was interrupted by a strange sight that even many of those around him were gawking at.

On a path that led up to this arena, a man was walking towards them. He looked so peculiar that even sect members who were headed in the same direction paused in order to look at him and wonder why his appearance was so weird.

He was completely covered, from head toe, with not even an inch of skin visible to the outside. This was mainly because of some kind of black cloth that was wrapped tightly around his hands, legs and face. It might be present on the rest of his body, too, but that was covered by some garments the looked like they had been through a grinder. There were many, many tears on them, and many even felt strongly that they might fall into pieces when the slightest pressure was applied to them.

It was these clothes and the eyes of the man that allowed Daneel to identify that this was his elder brother. Completely bewildered, he asked the system to scan him, and the response he got made him gasp with shock.

[Target is in a state where his blood and flesh have observed a huge amount of Energy. Target has already reached the peak Warrior level using a method that is similar to the one utilized by host. However, there is a difference as double the energy that is required to typically ascend from being a Human to a Warrior has been used. All of this Energy has caused all the parts of the body of the target to be completely oversaturated, which has resulted in a state where they are constantly recoiling and, even in some cases, exploding, although the latter effect was restricted to small amounts of blood. The effect is also most apparent on the skin, which is continuously being subjected to damage and then regrowth.]

What the f*ck had his brother been through?

Puzzled, Daneel immediately asked the system, "What technique does this correspond to?"

[Scanning list of techniques. Identifying similar points. Shortlisting based on power level. One technique found: 'Overdrive' Inheritance. By ingesting large amounts of Energy far beyond the limits of one's body, a Fighter can be forcefully pushed into a state where he builds reserves that can be called upon as needed. These reserves can also be replenished, but the difficulty lies in forming them in the first place. This was a theoretical inheritance that was put forward and then banned because of the terribly low success rate. In 100 people who attempted to use this inheritance, 99 of them had to experience their own body exploding from the inside. As for that one person who succeeded, he showed tremendous potential and was able to amplify almost all of his attacks to at most four times of his power, which was the main 'holy grail' of any top-tier inheritance. It was even projected that this advantage would carry forward to the Champion realm, which would allow him to stand supreme among all others at his power level. However, in the first serious fight that he participated in, he lost control of the power reserves that were forcefully created due to the oversaturation, resulting in him meeting the same fate as the other 99. This led to the complete scrapping of the Inheritance, and the disgrace of its founder.]

Just the initial description of the technique had been enough to make the negative feeling take birth in Daneel's mind that it was too risky. The rest of it confirmed his theory, and by the end of the system's explanation, he felt the worry inside him bubbling up into anger.

What kind of maniac would even think of such a technique, and why had that old man made his elder brother train in it?

That was when he got a suspicion, causing him to ask the system: "Who was the one who formulated the technique?"

[A fighter called Dick Venore. However, he went by the moniker Senior Fists of Justice.]

Oh, jolly. Now it all made sense.

A scenario appeared in his head. Would an Emperor spirit as proud as the old man wish to see this technique succeed, no matter how many years passed?

And after finding such a suitable seed, wouldn't he immediately think about giving another go at it?

Daneel's mind was purely fuelled by the overwhelming worry that he felt for his elder brother. He just couldn't imagine someone he cared so much about exploding randomly in the pursuit of power.

His anger showed on his face, too, making Daneel glare at Elanev who continued walked forward until he came face-to-face with the king.

When he finally did, he raised one hand to stop Daneel from saying anything and said, "The old man wants to talk to you first, before you make any judgments."

Daneel nodded, after which Elanev's voice changed.

It was impossible for the Empire Spirit to personally appear here, so it looks like it had taken over the body of his elder brother to deliver whatever it had wanted to say.

Daneel doubted that there was anything that could make up for risking his brother's life like this, but he paused and decided to listen away.

"King. I can tell that you know what technique this is. I wanted to speak first, because I want to eliminate any suspicions that you might've gotten. Yes, this is my technique that failed spectacularly. You must have gone through the report regarding it, but do you know that that last person who succeeded in it was actually my son? He saw those 99 failures, and he stepped up and forced me to give him the technique as he wanted to be the one to succeed and prove everyone that my technique did have the potential to stand out among all others. Initially, everything looks perfect, but during that battle… I recognized the flaw that I had to fix in my inheritance. Alas, it was too late. He passed away, and the technique was permanently banned. King, I feel the same way about your elder brother. I am 100% confident that this will give him the power that he yearns for, and I am even prepared to bet my life on it. You can ask him and verify it later – he had the same misgivings, but I convinced him to train in this by transferring most of my consciousness into his mind. If he dies, I will drift away into an eternal sleep. So, just trust me for once, and you'll see soon why there is no reason to worry."

The one who had died… Was his son?

Daneel asked the system to verify, and when the system told him that it was true, he saw the senior in a new light.

Calming down, he thought about it, and realize that even if he did he feel anger, there was nothing he could do as the technique had already started.

Besides, before, he had ignored all the other things that the Emperor spirit had done. All other signs pointed to the Emperor spirit actually being a good one who loved Angaria just like the Emperor, so it made sense that he wouldn't be lying now, either.

Yet, it was still a fact that Elanev's life was still in danger, but after realizing that the man had made the decision to train led by himself after being told the risks, Daneel completely calmed down, as he had formerly been afraid that Elanev might have been forced into it somehow.

Before he could say anything, though, a loud gong interrupted both of them, and a voice was heard throughout the area.

"The Legacy Battle begins. All of you already know the rules. Good luck."

A flash of light blinded them both, and after a moment during which they felt weightless, they blinked and regained their vision to find that they were no longer standing in front of each other.

It looked like they were in the middle of nowhere, but when he peaked beside a tree, he found someone who looked very similar.

They were in a forest filled with trees that stretched at least 30 feet in the air, and in front of Daneel, he saw a small trinket which glowed faintly.

Clearly, this was the teleportation trinket that they had been promised.

Picking it up, Daneel put it in a pocket and set off in the direction of the guy who had just looked at him.

Seeing this, that Sect Member stood his ground with determination on his face. He had been ordered to regroup, but now that he was facing their enemy already, he would stand his ground.

Daneel reached him and admired his courage.

Yet, sadly…this day was destined to end in blood.

"Your shoelace is untied."

"Huh?"

As the sect member looked down due to the weird statement and realized that he wasn't even wearing any shoes, he felt something really heavy hit his head from behind.

The last thing he saw was the King happily storing away the hammer he had just used to knock him out, before lugging him on his shoulder and setting off to somewhere while humming a happy tune.

Chapter 635: The Legacy Battle Begins

Tall's eyebrows were furrowed while he moved through the forest, looking for his teammates so that they could group up and implement the plan to take down the King of Lanthanor.

The problem was…that he had been doing this for 10 minutes without any success.

Typically, Legacy Battle's had medium-sized battlefields where anyone would be able to traverse the area from one end to the other in the matter of a few hours.

However, no one would ever be dumb enough to do that as it would make them prime targets for the roaming Champion-level powerhouses charged with eliminating them from the competition.

Even though that was the case, Tall had never had difficulty in finding his teammates in the previous battles. He would simply have to use the locator trinket to find out their location, and then he would head there directly. The rule was that the roaming Champions would be unleashed upon the battlefield a half hour after all the Fighters were teleported into it, and by the time that grace period ended, he would often have reunited with almost all of his team.

This time, though…the trinket wasn't working.

Clearly, the changes announced weren't the only ones that had been decided upon by the Council of Elders.

Already, he understood that it might be practically impossible to trap the King in and take him out.

Initially, Tall had had mixed feelings regarding the guy. He had seemed shrewd, and also quite powerful.

The image of him blasting a Champion into oblivion was one that was branded into almost all of the Sect members.

That was mainly the reason why he had carried out that plan of baiting him and his friend to fight with them by taking them to the village and letting them experience an insult that would make any man's blood boil.

Tall had only been half-confident that it would work, as, after all, not all men and women were like the Fighters of the Fortress who needed to go to the village regularly if they didn't wish to go mad due to all the torturous training that they had to undergo without any breaks whatsoever for years on end.

After Tall had found out that the King had been oblivious to it, he had realized that his suspicion had been right: the King was already a mature person who would not be swayed by such things. That, of course, had made him wish that he would be on his side even more.

However, all that had changed after that speech at the Challenge Board.

Tall had begun to regret ever approaching the guy, even though he had felt that something was off all during that speech. The one he had been seeing looked like a completely different person, but Tall had had no option but to discard that doubt when he and his group began to get attacked for associating himself with that guy.

All in all, right now, he was just glad that they had been able to clear up that 'misunderstanding' using the incident in the library.

Even for a moment, Tall hadn't felt bad about going back on his word like that. His focus was different: he was one of the 'Unnamed', and every night, he would dream about the day when he would be able to use his family name again.

As Fighters, they all prided themselves on their personal strength and, in most cases, honor.

No one knew from where it had begun. But this theme of honor, and the glory of being able to use one's own name had engulfed the whole Fortress, to the point where there were almost no underhanded schemes or method used using fights.

Even the trainers and more powerful sect members had taken on this identity, as it was something they could use to set themselves apart from the members of the other Sects.

And even the other Sects admired the members of the Fortress for this reason.

Tall didn't believe in that. He was in the minority, who were prepared to use all means available to win.

However, because the rest of the sect insisted on 'fair fights', he could only fight in that way.

Even the Legacy Battle was the same. Groups would fight against other groups, and there were almost no instances of factions betraying or backstabbing others in order to achieve victory. Those that did would often be disgraced, and targeted by all others.

Tall had studied this long and hard.

And after a lot of deep thought, he had understood something.

They were all Fighters, who were extremely weak against Mages in normal circumstances.

The majority of Fighters were Warriors, so although that didn't stand true when one reached the Champion realm, these Warriors were concerned about their reputation.

In the frequent Inter-Sect battles that took place, Fighters would always place last in contests or fights that didn't place restrictions, such as free-for-alls or battle royales.

So…this whole thing about honor was so that Fighters would have something to tell themselves when they lost.

Regret was a powerful thing. If even the tiniest regret that they could only be Fighters was born, then it could be said that one's path to greatness would be cut off right at that instant.

So, when a Fighter was picked off from a distance by a Mage, they would say that it wasn't a 'honorable' fight.

When a Mage used spells to stop Fighters from advancing to reach an object crucial to winning a contest, they would say that the Mage hadn't fought 'honorably'.

Oh, and if someone said that in the real world, there wouldn't be honorable fights, then weaker Fighters would shrug it off by saying that they would never enter a situation where they might lose in the first place.

True, the stronger Fighters knew the truth: that they were weak, and that they could only hope to shore up their weaknesses using some or the other methods.

Yet…the others were more content with hiding behind this veil and attacking anyone who dared to try to pierce it.

Of course, Tall thought that that was all bullsh*t, but he couldn't do anything about it.

The past 5 Legacy Battles had gone on without any surprises. Groups from different factions would fight. Losing groups might retreat for reinforcements. Winning groups would press on to cover more area so that others wouldn't have a chance to hide from the Champions. And the strongest group would win, which was followed by the strongest Fighters being selected.

Tall's prediction was that this one would be the same.

Looking up, Tall tried to use the sun to estimate the direction he should go in, but he was interrupted by a loud sound that echoed throughout the forest.

And as he heard it and understood what it was…his jaw dropped, and he froze right where he stood.

…

Meanwhile, the Chief and the Head were seated on two luxurious chairs on a floating pavilion above the forest where the Legacy Battle was taking place.

Around them, the other members of the High Council were also present. Although quite a few were still overseeing their duties of protecting the continent, more than half of all the Heroes of Angaria were present here in the form of clones.

After all, no one would want to come with their original bodies and offer up such a juicy offering to the Church.

After arriving, each and every Hero had respectfully gone to the Chief to greet him, as they all knew about his identity and his power.

The Chief accepted them all with a gracious smile on his face, which made them puzzled.

In almost every Legacy Battle, they would be witness to most of the Fighters of the Fortress taking part in tame battles which did not echo the initial objective behind this battle at all.

Still, they would spectate, while making fun silently, which always resulted in the Chief sitting in his seat with a neutral, or even, at times, an irritated expression on his face.

Why was he smiling now?

The Head had asked the same right after they had all been seated.

And in reply, the Chief had said, "Just wait and see."

Curious, the Head had remained silent, although he had had an inkling of why the Chief looked so happy.

As the Battle began, most of the Heroes were bored. They were only here because they had to pay respects to the Head and the Fortress Chief, and they had no interest in watching a few puny Fighters play at being post-apocalyptic survivors.

Some of them were mildly interested, though, as they had heard the rumors that the Champions this year would be different.

However, as it was still the grace period, they were all just looking around with bored expressions on their faces.

Yet, suddenly, a commotion was heard from the pavilion in front of them.

It wasn't just the Heroes who had come here from other Sects. A few top disciples had also made their way over, and they had all been seated in a different pavilion in front of them.

Hearing this, the Heroes were about to admonish them, but they paused when they noticed that all of these disciples were pointing down, at a specific spot.

Curious, they, too, focused their attention there, and a very peculiar sight graced their vision, they blinked, as their minds didn't let them believe that what they were seeing was real.

One by one, the Heroes noticed this anomaly in the battlefield and followed it with attentively.

Only one Hero among them, who was shrouded in darkness, looked like he wasn't surprised at all…and the reason behind that, was that he had expected nothing lesser from the man whom he was bound to.

Looking forward to seeing gobsmacked expressions on all these haughty Heroes, he settled in, watching the show that had begun to unfold.

…

Walking up to a tree, Elanev leaned on it while he grit his teeth, enduring the pain that came from his entire body, as if it was constantly being put through a grinder.

Blood began to appear in his mouth as he bit down too hard, but compared to the pain that he was already enduring, this was nothing. In fact, he even enjoyed it, as it let him know that in this world, there also existed pain that wasn't of the magnitude that he was being subjected to all day, every day.

"Just one more day, boy. And then, you'll…"

"Shut the f*ck up."

For once, the old man obliged, which made Elanev shake his head and walk forward.

He wanted to catch up with Daneel, but weirdly, the locator trinket that he had found in his room along with a few instructions wasn't working. He had headed there before coming here, but he had missed Daneel as he had already set off.

Taking a few deep breaths, he wondered what he should do. For their plan, finding each other wasn't necessary, but it still might be best to group up.

Just as he was about to decide, a resounding voice from somewhere close by startled him.

"LISTEN UP, YOU MONGRELS! UNLIKE ALL OF YOU COWARDLY MUTTS, I AM A KING WHO STANDS ON MY WORD! I SAID I WOULD TAKE YOU ON, SO HERE I AM! COME AT ME!"

A smile coming on his face despite the pain, Elanev ran forward, as he could tell that his younger brother was close by.

Sure enough, not even a minute later, he came upon a clearing in the middle of which a throne was present.

Yes, it was a Throne, but it was built…out of the bodies of 15 or so Fighters who all had hammer marks on their heads.

In fact, they were just piled onto each other, but anyone seeing it would get the impression that it was a Throne due to the majesty of the person sitting on top of them.

With a smug smile, the King of Lanthanor waited to take on the Fortress, just like he had written on the Challenge Board.

Chapter 636: The Legacy Battle Has Ended?

Elanev saw his younger brother wink at him when he arrived at the scene.

That confidence, that grace, that…arrogance.

Unlike the typical kind of arrogance that would piss anyone off, this was one which naturally belonged to a King who disdained all those who were dared to challenge him.

"ARRGH-"

Before Elanev could notice anything else, a man appeared from the forest a few feet away from him and bounded in the King's direction without a thought.

Fighters were typically hot-blooded folk, and few were capable of taking such an insult, added to the many colorful ones uttered by the King when he had thrown out his challenge, while lying down.

This Fighter, in particular, was wearing a vest of sorts with many pockets sewn into it.

He had a long mane of hair which flew behind him when he leaped toward the King, and in the air, he skillfully took out 2 trinkets which enlarged into weapons.

They were circular, and their edges glinted in the sun. Seeing this, anyone would be able to understand that they were the sharpest of blades.

In the middle of the circle was a handle, and as each weapon sprung forth on the activation of the trinket, a peculiar sound rang in the air, as if the blades couldn't wait to taste blood.

Elanev calmly leaned against a tree and got some respite as he watched the scene.

There were very few Fighters whom he respected, and his younger brother was one of them.

Yet, the attacker didn't seem to be a pushover.

The two circular blades he first enlarged were thrown to the sides, and he enlarged two more which he pointed at the King.

As for those he threw, they flew for a little while and took a u-turn in the air before beginning their approach on the King from his sides.

The amount of skill required to pull of something like this in such a short amount of time was definitely nothing to be scoffed at.

Yet…the King made it seem as if it was something that could be accomplished by a child.

By this time, more than 50 people had appeared on the edges of the clearing, and they all witnessed the way the King handled the Fighter who was famously known as the 'Whirling Blade'.

Just as the four blades- 2 in the hands of the Fighter, and 2 flying through the air were about to cut the King into 4 pieces, he stretched out his hands and simply…flicked the edges of the blades using his thumbs.

Often, a tiny push was enough to change the direction of a rolling boulder. The same thing was put on display here, as the tiniest alteration in the forces acting on the circular blades caused them to change their direction…and head straight toward their master.

The Fighter couldn't believe what he was seeing. It had taken him a year to learn this move! Yet this guy had countered it in barely a second?

Maybe he would have been alright with that considering that this was someone who was supposed to have defeated a Champion while he was a Warrior and was also quite skilled in his Fighter path…but why the f*ck did he have a bored expression while he was doing it?!

Hey, is my attack not 'interesting' enough for you?!

With infinite amounts of frustration clouding the Fighter's mind, he did the only thing he could do: changing the direction he was pointing his own blades at, he prepared to save himself.

Yet…at the last moment, the sunlight suddenly stopped shining on his forehead.

The reason behind that…was that a hammer had, at some point, materialized right above his head, and it dropped down with a 'thunk', knocking him out instantly and making him drop to the ground.

The 4 blades clunked to the ground, and the Fighter's collar was skilfully caught by the King at the last moment.

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, he casually flung the man behind him, adding him to his throne.

Catching the hammer that was falling to the ground at the last moment before it passed out of his reach, the King returned it to its trinket form and relaxed once again, before eyeing all those present, as if wanting to see who the next challenger would be.

Unlike the poor fighter who had been turned into a human building block, the spectators had managed to see what had happened.

At the perfect moment, the King had flung the hammer trinket into the air and activated it, timing it so that it would drop on the Fighter's head when he wanted it to.

As for how he had managed to counter that attack so smoothly, no one could understand the reason.

The only way they could think of was that the blades weren't as fast for the King as they had looked to them. But no one could possibly slow down time like that, right?

The final result was that one of the strongest Fighters in the Battle had been knocked out with one move while the King hadn't even moved an inch from his throne, which left everyone watching in a dazed state as they wondered whether they could have fared any better.

Elanev's snigger brought them back to their senses, but no one stepped forward to take up the open challenge reflected once again in the smug smile on the King's face, which was back in full glory.

Shooting a look of derision at all of them, the King took out the loudspeaker trinket that he had just used.

Participants were allowed to bring in any trinkets they wished, but Elanev could guess that this was probably the first time that anyone had used that rule to bring a loudspeaker trinket with them.

And from the way the King's eyes shined, it looked like he was ready to put the trinket to full use.

…

Ace had just regrouped with his twin brother, and the two of them had been about to look for their last twin.

Born and brought up together, they had always had secret codes among themselves. Hence, even though they were thrown off here by the disabling of the locater trinkets, they could find themselves by heading in a pre-agreed direction and looking for signs that would be left behind on the trees.

Ace, Jasper, and Xander.

These three were lauded as the Warriors with the most potential among all others in the Fortress of Unyielding Might.

Although there were other Warriors who were also in the top tier, they stood out the most, and they were the goal that all others tried to reach.

Only, with the advent of this King and his friend…Ace and Jasper found that position threatened.

In the back of their minds, they kept trying to tell themselves that there was no way that two nobodies from the Central Continent would be able to eclipse them, who had been born with the highest body potential possible in a sect where each and every resource they wished was placed at their feet without them even asking for it.

They had been groomed to be great. They had been groomed to take over the Fortress, and take it to new heights among the Big 4.

Yet…these two had come, possessing the Inheritance that gave them the right to treat the Sect like their backyard.

Both of them hated it, and they had meant to end their journey during the Legacy Battle anyway.

So when they had seen the King make himself public enemy number one, they had been smiling the hardest inwardly.

As for their brother Xander…he was an oddity.

He didn't care about positions. Or fame. Or anything else, in fact.

All he wanted to do was reach the peak. And he would never let anyone stop him from doing that.

He had only come to the announcement on the orders of their father, the strongest Champion in the Sect.

And although he seldom said it, what he felt for his other two brothers was apparent.

He felt that they were fools, and they felt the same about him.

"This is going to…"

Ace had opened his mouth to remark about how the plan to end the King would be difficult.

Yet…he had no option but to stop when a voice thundered out of a location east of them.

"LISTEN UP…"

By the end of the statement, both Ace and Jasper had furious expressions on their faces, but smiles soon replaced them as they realized that the King's cockiness might soon lead to his downfall.

Setting off in that direction, they ran as fast as they could, but along their journey, they once again had to fume with rage as the King's voice resumed.

"LET ME TELL YOU A STORY. THE FORTRESS IS FILLED WITH WEAKLINGS. AND THEY ALL PISSED THEIR PANTS INSTEAD OF FACING ONE MAN. THE END! LOOK OUT, FOLKS, OR YOU MIGHT STEP IN THOSE PUDDLES! I'M WAITING RIGHT HERE, YOU #(@)$^*…"

As curses continued to rain down on them, Ace and Jasper gritted their teeth and tried to run even faster.

Soon, they were greeted by a strange sight.

A group of people were right in front of them, but all of them had their eyes fixed on something, as if they were seeing their worst nightmares.

Ace and Jasper had to force their way through, and when they did, they, too, understood why everyone was so silent.

The King of Lanthanor sitting on his throne of humans was just so iconic that it would give pause to anyone.

By now, it had swelled to contain over 30 Fighters, and it seemed like the King was looking forward to adding more.

Looking around, Ace and Jasper found the leader of the 'Unnamed'.

Walking to him, they began a silent conversation.

"Why aren't you attacking? You're the strongest among those here."

They were genuinely curious, as this man wasn't known for his caution.

The response they got was weird.

"You know the three called 'Whirling Blade', 'Heaven-Piercing Spear' and 'Hellcharge'?"

Frowning, Ace replied, "Of course. They're a few steps below us. We can defeat them easily."

"But can you do it without standing up and barely taking 3 seconds for each of them?"

"…"

Ace and Jasper knew that that would be very, very difficult.

Yet, they weren't willing to admit defeat so easily.

"Yes, if we practice. This doesn't mean he can beat us."

In response, the leader of the Unnamed turned around and said, "Yes, but I can't guarantee that I can beat him, either. I am not willing to take that risk. Are you?"

Only silence was heard from the two strongest Warriors of the Sect.

Yes, they couldn't guarantee it.

Yet, it didn't look like the man was done.

"The most worrying thing is that he hasn't even exposed his main Fighter Inheritance. He's been using the weak points of his enemies, and…hammers. Lots and lots of hammers. But he hasn't been forced to expose his main moves yet."

Finally, the two were convinced.

If any one else in the Sect saw them now, they would definitely wonder whether they were seeing the same people who were supposed to be the most honorable in the entire Fortress.

With cunning smiles, both Ace and Jasper spoke together.

"Swarm him. He called it upon himself."

This made a smile appear on the man they were talking to, too.

"I was waiting for that. Let's do it."

Nodding, Ace walked out of the shadow of the tree under which he and the other two had been skilfully hiding so that the others wouldn't know that they had arrived.

In a booming voice, Ace announced, "Fellow Sect Members! Enough of this farce! He has clearly rigged that throne somehow! Honor is only for those who are worthy! And he has lost his honor when he dared to say all those things about us! If we still sit back now, we will be a disgrace to our ancestors! To arms! He challenged the Fortress, so let him get the Fortress! Attack!"

Not even a moment after Ace's speech was done, shouts echoed in the ranks of those present, which were from a few Fighters he had placed before the Battle to take the clue and support him, no matter what he said.

Everyone was waiting for this anyway. So, telling themselves that the strongest Warrior was definitely right, 200 Fighters sprang forth at once, targeting the Throne in the middle.

This sudden turn of events startled even the watching Heroes, who gasped with shock. Some, though, remarked that he was getting his just dues as it was dumb to be so cocky.

Ace got a broad smile on his lips when he saw a small look of panic flash across the King's face.

It looked like he had been right: the man had been expecting that there would be honorable fights, so he must surely be shocked due to the sudden charge by 200 Warriors.

No matter how powerful he was, no one could defend against this.

Yet, it didn't look like he was ready to go down without a fight.

"YOU F*CKING HYPOCRITES! I KNEW THAT THESE WERE YOUR TRUE COLORS ALL ALONG! YOU'RE MORE LOWLY THAN A BEGGAR WHO STEALS FROM THOSE WHO TAKE PITY ON HIM! YOU-"

His indignant shouts were cut off as he was suddenly subject to over 50 fists aimed straight at his body.

BOOM!

No one knew how he did it, but all of the Warriors who reached him first were blown back, as if a shockwave had erupted all around him.

This finally made Ace pause, and wonder if the King had used magic.

However, the smile returned to his face when he remembered that anyone doing so would instantly be teleported out. Besides, it looked like this was a move that had a cost, as blood had begun to ooze from the corner of the King's mouth.

He was also wheezing, yet the majesty still hadn't left him.

Even though a tiny voice inside his head said that this was impressive, Ace just shrugged and pushed those in front of him. He had taken care to be in the back, so that he could aim to finish off the King.

This resulted in a domino effect of the Fighters jumping forth again, and even those who had been blown away got up, as it looked like they weren't injured much.

This finally allowed Ace to relax. Yes, no matter how formidable he was, this was something that no one could defend against.

Boom! Thud!

The King kept attacking those around him with a vengeance, but he was like a ship that had already taken catastrophic damage. It was sinking, and nothing could be done to save it.

He kept taking attacks, and he also started to cough up blood. There was no more time for cheeky remarks, as it was possible that he would die if he even tried anything like that.

Soon, the King looked like he was on his last legs. Although his eyes still blazed brightly, his punches had lost their power.

"Halt!"

Noticing this, Ace shouted this, causing the Fighters to retreat.

Satisfaction filled most of their faces, as it just felt so good to see that cocky King in this state- where his clothes were torn, and his entire body was filled with cuts and bruises.

It looked like he couldn't even stand, as he took a few steps back and coincidentally leaned his back against the throne that he had built.

Ace walked forward with a short blade in his hands to deal the finishing blow.

However, this made a smile appear on the King's face, which infuriated those watching to no end.

Even on his deathbed, he wasn't ready to leave behind his pride and ask to be spared?

If it weren't for his actions before, they might have felt that this was actually admirable.

Alas, it was too late.

Hefting the blade, Ace walked forward and pulled his hand back to plunge it into the King, aiming to end this quickly. He wasn't dumb enough to give some speech now and give the King an opportunity to run away.

However…he stopped his sword mid-swing as a strong sense of danger made the hairs all over his body stand up at once.

"ROAAAAAARRRR!"

This happened to all the others standing too, and as multiple roars were heard from multiple locations all around them, they realized what the source was.

The Champions…had entered the battlefield.

"Mark my words, each and every one of you. This isn't over."

SHWIP!

Realizing his mistake, Ace was just about to resume his actions, but by the time he turned to the King again, the man had already disappeared by activating the teleportation trinket given to him.

For a moment, Ace was frustrated. He had missed the perfect opportunity.

However, they had at least taken their revenge. For the King, the Legacy Battle had ended, so his bold claims of 'winning' it could later be used to taunt him endlessly.

Time was tight. So, turning around, Ace immediately shouted, "The King has gotten what he deserved! Now, the Battle has begun! Everyone, be careful, and good luck!"

No more words needed to be said. Like a flock of deer being targeted by a tiger, all of the Warriors split apart into different directions and ran away frantically.

A few seconds later, only the pile of bodies that had been there from the start was left.

While the roars still echoed in the distance, a man completely wrapped from head to toe appeared out of a shadow he had been hiding in and calmly headed to this pile.

As he did so, a body extracted itself from it and took his outstretched hand to get up.

"What was it you wrote in that note? 'When all eyes are on you, it is better to make them think that you no longer need to be in their sight.' Right?"

With a smile, Daneel got up and dusted off his clothes before saying, "Exactly. Now, let's begin the real plan. Oh, this so isn't over."

Chapter 637: The Plan Unfolds 1

Elanev couldn't help but smile in return when he heard his younger brother's dialogue.

Indeed, if they thought that they were done with him, then they would soon be proved very, very wrong.

All through the altercation before, he had been watching closely in an attempt to find out just when the switch would occur. He knew that it was coming, and he had been braced for it, but to his shame, he had to admit that he had still missed it.

So, after Daneel was done dusting off his clothes and checking that all of his trinkets were in place, the two of them began walking in a specific direction away from the nearest roar.

That was when Elanev spoke up.

"So how did you carry out the switch, anyway?"

Daneel chuckled in response.

"Any Warrior would flinch for at least a moment when they hear the roar of a maddened Champion level individual who will soon be out to kill them. That one moment was all I needed. The whole reason I allowed myself to fall on that pile of bodies was so that I could quickly mix myself in it using both that moment of distraction and the flash of light that I knew would appear when a teleportation trinket was used. So… By the time anyone could refocus their attention on me, I was already inside my 'throne', while some random hapless fighter who happened to come upon me on my way here got teleported out. A simple switcheroo, that's all."

Daneel told it as if it was easy, but the truth was that if it weren't for the Basilisk's Breath, it would have been impossible for him to utilize that perfect moment in order to escape. Of course, the added speed that he could muster while under the effect of the Basilisk's Breath had also come in handy, allowing him to noiselessly mingle among all the bodies that constituted the throne while the decoy got teleported out.

On Earth, magic was all about distraction and misdirection. By timing it perfectly so that his "downfall" would be at around the time that the grace period would end, he had made it so that he could use that moment to misdirect everyone and make them believe that he had escaped like a coward.

And now, because no one would be wary of him, he could go about his plan easily.

It looked like Elanev had figured that out too, as he said, "Yeah, right. A 'simple' switcheroo. You just needed to coordinate it so that the Champions would appear on the battlefield at the same time, and that you would be in a spot where it would be easy for you to escape from the eyes of everyone. And how could I forget that you would have had to plan all this beforehand to get the trinkets from Lanthanor when you came here? Oh yes, I bet even I would be able to do it if I wanted. Easily. Anyway, let's get back to it."

Daneel merely smiled slyly as he heard the sarcasm oozing in his elder brother's voice, but there was no way that he was giving up his secrets. More and more, he had begun to understand just how crucial the Basilisk's Breath was, and he was truly grateful that he had gotten it from the Hidden Kill Sect.

This did make him wonder about what other inheritances like these were present in the other forces, but he put that aside for now and focused on what was at hand.

Indeed, the true plan would begin now, so they would have to tread carefully.

"Follow me."

Saying so, Daneel took off at a run, while Elanev followed with a mixed expression in his eyes.

No matter how hard he worked, it always looked like his younger brother was out of his reach, but he decided that he would not let that bring him down. Instead, it would only motivate him more to work even harder and achieve everything he wanted.

Daneel didn't notice that, as he was too busy feeling grateful that he had the system, which hadn't been disabled by the trinket which was around his mageroot. The system was basically the dream tool that anyone could use to win this battle – it could scan an area around him, allowing him to clearly know where the threats were, so that he could avoid them or target them if need be.

Right now, he had already identified where the closest Champion level threat was, so he was taking Elanev in a direction where they would be safe.

After running for around 20 minutes, they finally came upon a cave into which Daneel entered.

After Elanev entered, too, Daneel said, "This place should be safe for a little bit. We will have enough time to decide what we are going to do, and then set off. Let's also use this as one of the places that we can meet at over these 30 days whenever we need to talk about something. It looks like they've disabled all sorts of communication and scanning, so we will have to resort to methods like these."

Elanev nodded, and then was treated to a sight that made him gape.

Taking off his shirt, Daneel shook it, causing a heap of trinkets to fall to the ground.

There were at least 30 to 40 of them, and they were all of different shapes and sizes. However, one thing was common among all of them – they were all glowing, which meant that they all had Energy stored inside them beforehand, which was crucial as no Fighter in this battlefield was allowed to bring in Energy sources of any sort with them. And of course, any spellcasting was also forbidden.

Elanev was just about to remark that he had been quite skilful in hiding all of these and still being able to fight like that before, but he paused and closed his mouth when he saw Daneel take out even more trinkets from all the pockets in his pants.

Finally, a giant pile of over 100 trinkets was in front of him, while Elanev's eyes shifted between it and Daneel.

Understanding the silent question that was being asked, the King of Lanthanor shrugged and said, "What can I say? I love backup plans, and I couldn't decide which trinkets to leave. So, I just decided to get them all. It turns out that having a Hero level formation master is really handy – almost any Warrior level and below spell can be turned into a trinket. That was how I made that transformation trinket that I used before, too. Well, there are some limitations. For example, my favorite spell is Mind Control, but even though I can make trinkets that do specific actions such as make someone forget the last minute of their life, I can't change the trinkets however I wish so that they can be used in all situations. Hence, I had to plan beforehand and only bring those that I thought would be most useful."

Gulping, Elanev simply nodded and walked back, knowing that he had to get used to these antics of his younger brother, whom no one could possibly understand.

As for his penchant for backup plans, he knew about it clearly, so he could only remark that Daneel was being very… thorough.

"The other problem with this is that because they can only utilize the small amount of Energy that is stored in them, they basically become useless after a single use. So, I had to bring so many. Anyway, I'll quickly arrange them so that we can get started. And, of course, here are the most important ones."

Saying so, Daneel took out two round, shining glass balls that look like they held a star inside them.

He was very careful with them, as this was the first time he was using such a trinket. If it weren't for the fact that he had unlocked the third seal, he could never even have dreamt of obtaining the formation plan for something like this.

Placing them on the ground, Daneel let out a breath, while Elanev said, "So you really did it. I was doubting it when I read that note. How did they look when you told them what you needed them to do?"

"Oh, they had no option to say anything, because they were dumb enough to bet on something and then lose to me. So, they had to shut up and just endure it all. It was pretty funny seeing their constricted faces, you know, and Faxul, in particular, look like he really wanted to say a lot of stuff."

On the outside, Elanev burst laughed awkwardly, but inwardly, he told himself sternly that he should never, ever bet on anything against the King.

…

Tall honestly couldn't believe what had happened just now.

That was it? The dominating King had been defeated so easily?

Although this question appeared in his head, the counter question also followed – how could anyone handle the simultaneous attacks from more than 100 Fighters?

Tall doubted whether even a Champion would be able to do that, so it only made sense that the King had no option but to succumb to the swarm.

As for the statement by Ace, he knew that it was bullish*t, but again, he was powerless to do anything about it.

Still, something kept telling him that they were all missing something. That they had all forgotten something, and that it might bite them in their arse later.

He had always had a sense of premonition that typically came true, but usually, he was able to logically infer ways in which that would happen. In this situation, though, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure out how the King could have escaped. They all had seen clearly that a teleportation trinket had activated, and that someone wearing the same clothes as the King had disappeared. The afterimage had even lingered for a few moments, during which this had been confirmed.

Right as he was about to think more about it, a roar sounded nearby, which made him freeze as if he was an antler in front of headlights.

In his musing, he realized that he had randomly kept moving in a direction even though there were a few signs all around that where he was going was not safe at all.

The biggest sign, though, was a huge footprint that was right in front of him.

It looked like it belonged to a man who was at least three or four times bigger than himself, which was no mean feat as he was already called a half-giant as he stood more than six and a half feet tall.

In the previous Legacy Battles, being silent had always been something that was crucial if anyone wanted to save their lives. Then, Champions had been instructed to leave those who were astute enough to cover their tracks and erase all traces of their presence.

However, now, as Tall saw a monstrosity marching in his direction from right in front of him, he realized what Ace had meant back in that meeting when he said that the Champions would be in the same state that all powerful individuals had entered during the apocalypse.

He had read about it in books, and he had seen a few illustrations, but nothing came close to the real thing.

The body was oddly swollen to at least three times its normal size, resulting in one which would definitely be called a giant that was larger than all other giants in Angaria.

However, the word 'monstrosity' would always be the one used to describe this thing, as the head was still the original size, which resulted in a mismatch that was just terrifying to look at.

Add to that the fact that the eyes of this thing were a pure red while its face was twisted in ways that a human face would never be able to move naturally, this being would make anyone bow down and beg for mercy.

However, no mercy would be shown today.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRR!"

With another roar that shook the trees around them, the thing sprang toward Tall, who instantly began running, hoping that his swift legs that he was famed for would carry him far, far away from this place.

However, it looked like it was the end of the road for him, as the giant kept closing in.

That… Was when he saw a member of his faction a few hundred meters away, who was silently gesturing at him to come in that direction.

That same premonition that had appeared to him when he had seen the King before came again now, which told him that something was wrong with this person.

However, there was no time to think. Without further ado, Tall headed in that direction, and to his extreme surprise, there was a trap in the ground on his way which he leaped over, but which the Champion fell into.

Although it still managed to jump out, that moment of time was enough for the two Fighters to make an escape.

Panting, the two regained their breath a few hundred meters away from that spot, after making sure that they were alone.

Tall opened his mouth to thank the person who had saved him, but instead, the man spoke before that, saying, "Faction leader! There is a rival faction nearby! I've also located a few other team members of ours! Let's go, this is the perfect opportunity to end them!"

Chapter 638: The Plan Unfolds 2

Hidden behind a tree, Daneel was carefully eyeing a Fighter who was being chased by an Apocalyptic Champion.

The advantage of having a scanner was that he could accurately know just where Fighters were who were being targeted in this way so that he could intervene and gain their trust.

The 'gaining trust' part wasn't really necessary, but he was doing it anyway in the beginning as he didn't want to take any risks, and see whether it was needed while going forward.

He had already been done with one Fighter, who had happened to be Tall, and this was the second. This was actually the same spot, as it seemed that these Champion level things were mostly patrolling the same area instead of going wherever they wanted. True, they seemed crazy, and they were ready to kill all those they lay their eyes upon, but it looked like they were bound to something that didn't allow them to go anywhere they wished.

After thinking for a bit, Daneel realized that this was probably so that those participating in the battle would at least have a chance.

He could just imagine it. If a Fighter who was already being chased by a Champion attracted even more, he would have no chance at all to escape, and it would definitely lead to his death. In this way, a Fighter would at most have to handle one monstrosity, and if they were skilled enough, they would be able to run away.

Daneel suspected that this might change as the Battle progressed, but right now, it made things easier for him.

So, when he saw that a Fighter was running away just like Tall, he once again suddenly gestured at him, which caused the same scene to unfold.

However, when they paused and got back their breath, he changed the statement he had given to Tall.

In fact… Even his identity had changed.

"Go assemble in that direction! The Unnamed are soon going to attack us, so we should all group up and prepare to repel them. Remember, no mercy! I'll go look for our leader! I think I saw him over there!"

Same as before, he did not allow any time for the Fighter to question who he was, and the only thing he saw was that he was a part of their Faction.

Also…as he was too concerned about running away, he hadn't noticed that this guy had touched him with a round ball whose glow had faded away the instant the contact had been made.

The advantage with having only three major factions was that Daneel could switch identities between them easily, and using this tactic, he could ensure that no further questions would be asked.

Giving that statement, he ran away, while the Fighter looked at him with a dumbfounded expression on his face before finally deciding to follow his words and head in the direction he had shown.

Stopping after going ahead, Daneel laughed to himself as he saw this, and looked for the next Fighter who would be his prey.

True, Elanev would not be able to do this, so he had given him a different method, although the result would be the same.

And the result… Was being witnessed by the Heroes above with wide-open eyes.

In the pavilion that was watching the Legacy Battle, the Chief's chair was practically surrounded by Heroes who all wanted a closer look at the battlefield below.

This was because the Chief was positioned so that he would have the best view, as he was, after all, the most important person in the area. Of course, the Head was beside him, and he was also surrounded.

As for the reason behind this… It was because they were all captivated by the actions of the King whom they had written off as just some boring addition to a Battle whose result was set from the beginning.

However, as each second passed, each of them realized just how wrong they had been.

In fact, even 'aah!'s and 'ooh!'s were occasionally heard from both the Heroes and their disciples that they had brought along, resulting in the Chief having a smile on his face.

As he received a silent message from the Head, that smile broadened.

"I don't remember the last time a Legacy Battle was so interesting. You knew that this would happen?"

"I had an… Inkling. Unlike you, I frequently follow the matters in the Central Continent when I'm bored. Sitting and ingesting blood is a very lonely task, you know. And in the past few years, this King is the most interesting character to have graced the Central Continent. Of course, I don't see the same potential to become a great mage that you saw, but I definitely know how unique his mind is, and how skilled he is in scheming. You should have seen the way he handled the situation in the Black Raven Kingdom where the Matron had to intervene. It was brilliant! So I knew that he might bring along some of that into the battle. Of course, I could never have known that he would hit upon a plan like this."

Hearing the Chief's response, the Head raised his eyebrows. As he was typically busy, he wouldn't usually watch the Central Continent unless a lot of people were dying, so even though he had gone through a short summary of the King's actions, he hadn't known that this guy was capable of so much.

In fact, just this feat of being praised by the Chief was definitely one that any Warrior should feel glad about, as this individual was someone who had seen thousands of Warriors grow and then perish on Angaria.

Even though he didn't praise the potential or the power of the King, just acknowledging that the mind of the King was something unique was an achievement in itself.

"Look! He's got another faction! How is he finding them so fast?"

As this voice from a Hero from the Sect of Hedon interrupted the Head's musing, he finally decided to stand up and take upon the duty of a commentator.

This made him recall the days spent growing up in his sect, when he was usually pegged to commentate matches as both his voice and his skill in analysis had been perfect for the job.

"Alright, all of you. Settle down. Instead of you peeking around us and trying to figure everything out, let me give you a clear explanation. First, take your seats, so that the Chief doesn't decide to take out his legendary slapping technique."

That last that was enough to make the Heroes instantly go back to their seats, almost as if they were schoolchildren who had been scolded by their teacher.

Seeing this, the Head smiled and said, "Well, then. What we're seeing here is a very classic case of divide and conquer. However, this kid from the Central Continent managed to put a twist on it that even I couldn't have thought of. In the next 30 days, all of you will definitely be treated to a delightful feast for the eyes. So, this is what he is doing…"

…

15 days later.

Ace was running through the forest while carefully looking at the trees all around him, noticing the various signs that were carved on them that indicated the direction in which he was supposed to head.

His mind, though, was in turmoil, as the past few days had been some of the most inexplicable in his life.

First of all, it had all started with him missing the killing blow on the King, which was something he still berated himself about.

Of course, he knew that victory was still his, but he still wished that he could just have planted that sword deep, deep into the King's gullet so that he could feel his life drift away from his body.

After that, it had turned out that 'Apocalyptic Madness', which was how he termed it, was not something trivial after all.

He had already crossed paths with five different Champion level individuals, and each of them had invoked such a sense of horror in him that he had only been able to run, and keep running until that thing was completely out of his sight.

On the way, he had seen multiple bodies that had been crushed into a bloody mess. Knowing that that was the fate that awaited him if he slackened his pace for even a second, he had kept running faster than he ever had in his life.

This part was at least something he had anticipated.

The reason behind him being so confounded, though, was something else.

Typically, the way that a Legacy Battle went was that any opposing factions that encountered each other would fight, so that there would be fewer people left behind for the final days in order to be selected by the Chief.

Usually, the battlefields were smaller, so there were quite a few skirmishes which resulted in quite a large number of people losing their lives or at least being disabled for the rest of the battle.

This time, the battlefield was larger, so he had been expecting that there would be much fewer skirmishes, and that there might be one final all-out confrontation that would decide which faction would come out on.

Yet, according to the reports that he kept receiving whenever he met up with others, there were many more fights between factions this time than any previous Legacy Battle.

Also, weirdly… Anomalies were popping up everywhere.

In a small faction that was known to be weak, one of their members had somehow burst out with potential and become capable of defeating a faction larger than them that had started a fight in the hope that they could wipe them out and leave.

A minor faction which was supposed to be strong had also had its strongest Warriors wiped out, which meant that smaller factions had been able to end its journey.

The overall strength levels of many minor factions kept changing, with many such instances of those who were supposed to lose winning, and vice versa. By now, no one could predict who was in the lead.

Even with this, it looked like the gods of chaos weren't done. Apparently, there were some people who were going around saving Fighters and directing them to where their factions were gathering, and this was typically followed by skirmishes taking place.

This basically resulted in factions gathering together before fighting, with the end result being that one of them would be wiped out.

All in all, the numbers in the battlefield were being whittled down quickly, and Ace was headed to a battle in the hope of watching and figuring out why all these things were happening.

Unknown to him, he was already being watched by Daneel, who was standing along with Elanev on a tree just a few tens of meters away from where two groups were going to clash.

"How many are left?", Elanev asked, to which Daneel replied, "Around 75."

This made Elanev shake his head with an incredulous expression in his eyes.

"How did you even come up with this?", he asked, genuinely wanting to find out how his younger brother's mind.

After shooting him a glance, Daneel thought for a bit and said, "Well, I once heard a story. A group had been brought together to rob a ban-…err, I mean, a house of someone powerful. Each of them had different duties- one needed to bypass the formation, while another was in charge of taking out the guards. However, the man behind it all had planned it in such a way that each such person was charged with killing the team member whose job was done. That way, those remaining would have a bigger share. In this way, the number of team members kept decreasing, as they could never have known that they were all fighting each other as planned by the one behind the whole thing. By the end, only one was left…and he was the one who had planned it all, and had disguised himself as a team member."

Elanev heard the story with interest, and slowly, he could see how this had inspired the King.

However, for his benefit, the King continued in order to clarify it further.

"I wanted all of these factions to fight against each other and keep wiping themselves off. For that, I had to assemble them, and then make them face off against an opposing faction. That wasn't too hard. But the problem came when a certain faction was weaker than the one they were facing. If only one of them got wiped out, it wasn't ideal.

"So…I took it a step further, and I found a way to change the power levels using those balls, which held the consciousnesses of Kellor and Faxul. The balls allow consciousnesses to enter and control Fighters easily. Mages, or Champion level Fighters would be able to resist in the blink of an eye. Warrior level Fighters, though, have pretty vulnerable minds. If there's a strong group, I would send in Kellor's consciousness to weaken them by making the strongest Warrior's of that group not use their full potential, resulting in their defeat. He is a Mage, so he knows jacksh*t about Fighting. If there's a weaker one, Faxul would enter the fray and make a weak Fighter 'burst out' with power, as I gave him a way to burn the resources in a body for a small burst of power. Basically, I manipulated the factions to be on the same level so that they would keep getting wiped off, while covering all that up so that the Heroes wouldn't know what's actually going on. To them, it'll look as if different people are changing according to the pressure in different ways, while I am skilled in locating Champions. After all, I only need to hide the consciousness thing from them, as its a simpler version of a Hero level spell which I'm not supposed to have. They can follow along with the rest, as all the other trinkets can be made by a Warrior, anyway. That's all. Simple, isn't it?"

Hearing the plan again, Elanev was awed even though he had been carrying it out till now.

However, that last question…made him want to throw up.

Still, controlling himself, he asked, "But in that plan, that guy manipulated their greed, right? Here, you're just making these factions fight each other normally, but with a little twist."

This made an even more mischievous smile appear on the King's face while he said, "Exactly. Everything so far was to set the stage for this secondary plan that is based on the story I told you to begin. And by the time I'm done, I want the entire Fortress to shiver with fear whenever they hear my name. All right, this one's starting. Watch out, though. We have a special visitor. Maybe…it's time for a little bit of that revenge I was talking about."

Saying so, Daneel focused his eyes in the direction from where Ace was watching.

At the same moment, Ace felt a chill which made him shudder, but no matter how much he searched, he could find no one around him.

Deciding to be even more alert, he continued watching the battle between the Fighters which had just started, while unaware that he had already been locked on to by the most dangerous predator in this battlefield.

Chapter 639: The Final Stage

Just like the many fights that he had heard of, the one he was witnessing was dead even. The Fighters were almost equally matched, so they continued to whittle down each other until barely a couple were left alive from the 40 that had started the fight.

As Ace watched all this, the feeling in his spine, that something was wrong, didn't leave.

In fact, it kept getting stronger and stronger, and no matter how much he searched around him, he couldn't find any source.

Yet, he didn't even know whether he should feel happy about that.

After all, what was more terrifying? An enemy that he could detect and be wary of, or one that was capable of sneaking up on him completely undetected?

Finally unable to take it any more, he set off back to the location in the battlefield where he and a few other Fighters had gathered.

And of course, just a hundred meters behind him was a man who was using a weird technique to move through the trees.

He rarely stayed in the light. Each and every movement of his kept putting him in the shadows from the trees or various branches above him, and in the darkness, it was as if he was invisible.

For almost any Warrior level Fighter, this was something unimaginable.

Yet…the King was doing it, and again, the Heroes above kept remarking about how this should be impossible.

Heroes were beings that could go without sustenance or sleep for months at a time. After all, they had a lifespan of hundreds of years, and many of their training sessions were often counted in the span of years.

Hence, these 15 days had passed by like a breeze for them, and their interest in watching the King didn't decrease at all.

Yet, the questions they had only kept increasing, as even though they were Heroes of Angaria, not all of them could accurately analyze all techniques and figure out what was going on.

The Head had been doing his duty and commentating about what technique was being used and why.

Indeed, even he had been a bit puzzled by a few things- mainly by the fact that initially, almost every faction that came into contact with the King changed its power level, with Fighters either getting weaker or stronger.

There was no plausible way in which this could be explained perfectly, so he had just used the best explanation available to him: that the King was putting them in these situations that caused the change.

Thankfully, it didn't happen in all of them, which made it so that there was a chance that he was right.

Also, this was something else that the others hadn't been able to understand.

So, he decided to stand up and explain it, too.

"This inheritance is known as 'Master of Shadows'. Anyone who wields and is capable of training themselves to a high level in it can become almost invisible in the shadows, so much so that their presence wouldn't even be felt by us Mages. In the days of the Empire, those who used this Inheritance were typically assassins who also had various other trinkets to get through the formations on their way so that they could carry out their task. However, in this age, those trinkets can no longer be made, so a Master of Shadows would be doomed to only targeting lesser individuals. As it is a Fighter Inheritance, it is present in the Fortress of Unyielding Might, but few train in it before of the drawback I just mentioned. Also, the further levels of this technique have been lost, and mages typically have even better ways of concealment, so few train in it in this age. However, it looks like he made a different judgment."

With the truth revealed, all but the disciples of the Fortress who had kept quiet as they weren't supposed to blabber about their Sect's inheritances had expressions of realization on their faces.

However, those from the Sect had already been shocked enough throughout these few days, so it wasn't really something great for them to be smug on this occasion.

Seeing them all, the Head continued.

"In a shadow, a Warrior is able to fade from sight using the Energy inside his body and twisting it in a certain method to achieve what he wants. It is a high-level technique which allows one to influence the elementary particles around them even before becoming a Champion, and hence, it is invaluable as it shows a path forward for one to take that leap. After all, a Champion needs to be both find that resonance and use it to change the world, so getting some skill in the latter part is only beneficial. There are better techniques which do the same thing in ways which can be taken forward into the other realms, though, and I suspect that you will be seeing them before the Battle is up. Typically, these abilities are not put on display as everyone is usually busy just surviving. This time, though…something might be different."

Hearing the last sentence from the Head, almost all the Heroes nodded, and the change in opinion of the King which had begun 15 days ago looked like it was still in progress. In fact, even the sect members who had been brought along, who were the top seeds in their sects, compared themselves to the King and wondered whether they would be able to accomplish so much while managing a Kingdom.

As many people continued to watch Daneel, who was aware of them all and knew that he was giving them a pretty good show, Ace arrived at a meeting place that had covertly been established …in the sky.

Indeed, it was a pretty ingenious idea. In a few areas all around the forest, trees were cloistered together closely, resulting in thick layers of branches. A skilled Fighter could easily use these to stand, and even sit on.

In this place, 5 people were waiting for him, and they all had worried expressions on their faces.

The reason Daneel had stopped his initial plan of confronting and taking very special care of Ace in return for the treatment he had received during the battle before had been this: so that he would lead him to a gathering of the remaining faction leaders.

Although Daneel's scanner was powerful, it still had a limited range. So, he would have been hard pressed to find these individuals if he hadn't chosen to follow Ace.

It looked like controlling the urge to go forward and pummel someone who deserved it paid off, after all.

With a smile, Daneel perched himself in a shadow, using the technique that he knew was being interpreted as one with no future by the Heroes above.

Just like they were probably saying, this was a High-tier technique whose later portions had been lost.

But, of course, Daneel had the whole thing, and he was pretty impressed by the acquired Champion Path that followed the Warrior-level version of this technique.

Apparently, if someone became a true Champion-level Master of Shadows, they would be able to expand their shadow to consume light and regain their power.

It sounded pretty damn overpowered, and it was- that was why it was put in one of the highest tiers of Fighter techniques. In fact, after using it now, Daneel had already decided that his Domination Corps would be training in it as soon as he went back to Lanthanor.

Putting that to the side, Daneel focused on the gathering that had just begun.

"Wiped out, too?"

This question was from Jasper, who had a worried expression on his face.

Seeing Ace nod, dejection appeared on the faces of those present.

"Yes. They were evenly matched, too, so most of them went down, and the others are too exhausted and weak to be of any help to us. It's just us."

They had been hoping to figure out why all these strange things were happening, but they had been unable to do so.

However, the overall leader of the Unnamed, who was the one Ace had spoken to before that battle in which the King had run away like a coward, spoke up.

"Well, that's that. But think about it this way. If we're careful, we will be the last ones standing. There are 60 Fighters under all of our control. I say we split apart and fend for ourselves, and see who comes out on top. Before, I wanted to find the reason behind all that stuff happening, but now, I just want to survive and be among the ones who survive. So, gentlemen…this has been great, but I have to go. Tall, will you be coming with me, or will you find your own way?"

Indeed, Tall was another faction leader who had survived, even though he was among the weakest among those present.

After thinking for a bit, Tall nodded and said, "Yes, but give me a few minutes. I need to confer with the others in my group."

With a nod, the leader of the Unnamed said, "All right, you know where to find me. Good day to the rest of you."

While he left, Ace and Jasper looked like they were shooting daggers with their eyes at his back, but he just shrugged and ignored them.

He was known to be a pragmatic man, and he had shown that side of his in this meeting.

The only remaining faction leader was the one who was the overall commander of the 'Glorious', and he had already sworn to follow Ace and Jasper no matter what they did.

To Daneel, it looked like the statement from that guy was just what the rest of the 4 were thinking, too.

At the end of the day, it would be individuals who would be selected to train with the Chief, so everyone had their own priorities.

So, after Tall departed, too, the three of them began discussing what they could do to make sure that they, and those from their groups would be the ones surviving until the final day.

Daneel ignored this discussion, though, as he had already decided his target.

So, without any hesitation, he eyed a shadow near him and sprained in that direction.

…

Tall was on the way to where his group was gathered while thinking deeply about what he should do.

However, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone traveling through the underbrush near him.

"Who's there? Show yourself!", he said, taking out a pair of knives from his pockets.

The man who walked out of the bushes startled him, and made him drop his jaw with astonishment.

It was the King of Lanthanor.

He had been right all along! This guy had somehow bamboozled them all!

The King casually walked forward with a smile on his face, and although Tall was a bit wary, he thought that the man simply wanted to talk to him.

When he saw the King reach him and stretch forward his hand, Tall thought for a moment, and raised his own to shake it, as he would be an idiot to pass the King up after the strength the man had revealed.

However…the moment their hands touched, he could feel that something was wrong.

There was some sort of trinket in the King's hand that he hadn't noticed before, and as soon as his hand touched it, he lost consciousness.

The last thing he heard…was the King speaking.

"Let me just borrow your body real quick."

…

10 minutes later.

The leader of the Unnamed waited in a cave for Tall to arrive.

Although Tall only led a small faction, he knew that he was a pretty talented Fighter.

So, as soon as he came, he said, "Tall, this is an opportunity. We have to make sure us Unnamed come out on top."

To his surprise, Tall smiled and replied, "Yes, leader. And I have the perfect plan to make that happen. But…we need to ally with the other two factions. Believe me, they'll never see it coming."

…

Up above, after seeing the King converse with Tall, a constant buzz had appeared in the area.

So, the Head once again stood up to clarify.

"It looks like the King managed to sway one of them! That, folks, is the effect of the skill of knowing how to talk to people, and sway them to your cause. It's a powerful skill, so watch and learn!"

If Daneel were here, he would definitely be sniggering away after hearing the Head's explanation.

Chapter 640: The Final Stage 2

Many of the Heroes were usually those who never paid much import to skills like these, but after seeing the overall performance of the King, they couldn't help but wonder if they were wrong.

They had seen him meticulously plan each and every step so far: from identifying the 'domains' of the monstrosities to saving and redirecting faction members to their factions by disguising himself as one of them, to causing the minor factions to wipe each other out, until the situation had turned into how it was now: with barely a third of the initial participants surviving.

Although these Heroes were typically bored during Legacy Battles, they paid attention, so they could clearly recall how the previous ones were.

By the 20-day mark, the norm was that around a hundred or so Fighters would be eliminated.

By the 25-day mark, around 50 would be left.

And by the 28-30 day mark, only around 20 would remain, among whom the final selection would occur.

All that had been upended single-handedly now.

Marveling at how effectively the King had managed to turn around his enemy to join him, all the Heroes kept their eyes on the place where the converted faction member and the leader of the Unnamed were talking.

They wanted to see what other miracles the King would accomplish, so they all waited with bated breath, which made the Head remark inwardly that this must be the first time on Angaria when two a Warrior had captivated the minds of so many Heroes, and that too, to the extent that they waited eagerly to see what he would do next.

Unaware of all that, Daneel simply waited for a response from the leader of the Unnamed while cognizant of the fact that he was being watched by a lot of Heroes.

A lot of them.

This did cause him to feel an itch in his back, as he didn't trust them one whit.

However, he just tried to focus on controlling Tall.

Indeed, Daneel hadn't made just two of those 'Soul Carriers', as they were called.

He had made three, and the third one…carried a part of his own consciousness.

It was all in preparation for this final stage, so Daneel had whipped it out after choosing his target.

As he was no stranger to having his consciousness split, he had been able to endure easily. With a touch of a Soul Carrier, any individual at the Warrior level or below would immediately have their mind attacked by a momentary Mind Control spell whose purpose would be to put the original consciousness of the body to sleep, allowing the consciousness present in the Carrier to take over.

It had worked seamlessly, so Daneel was now in control of Tall while speaking to the leader of the Unnamed.

The person in front of him had some of the most nondescript features he had ever seen. He had never stood out, unlike Jasper and Ace and the rest who all had some distinctive feature to identify them.

This person would mix in flawlessly no matter what crowd he was standing in, given that that crowd was human. I

Many would think that the man was just plain, and that he hadn't been blessed with great looks.

However, Daneel felt that something was off.

So, he decided to ask the system while the leader continued to ponder on Daneel's statement, even though he hadn't even made his proposition yet.

"System, is the person in front of me using any sort of technique actively? If not, what Fighter Inheritance does he train in?"

[Scanning. Target individual identified. Slight irregularities in elementary particles detected. The irregularities are too slight to even be noticed using elementary vision unless one knows what they are looking for. Scanning list of techniques. High-tier Fighter Technique Inheritance found.

Fighter Inheritance: Bodymorpher

Allows one to change the structure of their bodies at will by manipulating the elementary particles using absorbed Energy to result in transformations. Target is utilizing the Warrior-level version of this Inheritance, which, just like the 'Master of Shadows', allows one to be able to manipulate elementary particles in the Warrior realm itself to lay a solid foundation for when they become Champions. The Inheritance continues to the 'Bodymorpher' Champion Path. At present, target is only changing his face. He has also hardened his vital body parts to avoid fatal injuries. In the Champion realm, Bodymorphers can change their own body into weapons, or soften a body part to endure attacks. Note: only such transformations are possible, but this is considered a formidable High-tier technique because the degree of hardening and softening is high.]

A technique at the same level as mine, huh?

By this point, Daneel had already understood that all these top-level Fighters were definitely using such techniques which could already manipulate the world to some extent. After all, it only made sense: these techniques allowed one to be more powerful than all their peers, and it was usually such people who became leaders.

His guess was that the high-tier techniques that managed to survive from the age of the apocalypse were reserved for such talented individuals to train in. If so, he looked forward to what those three guys' inheritances were.

It looked like the leader had finally made a decision, as he looked at 'Tall' and said, "I think I can already guess what you want to suggest, so I was thinking for so long as I couldn't decide whether to hear it or not. I admit that even I have been pretty pissed off by their attitudes for a long time, so I don't know if I'll be able to resist myself if I do hear your plan. However, this is truly a golden opportunity. Speak your mind."

Smiling inwardly, 'Tall' said, "That's good, leader. The plan is simple. As you must already have guessed, it revolves around us first entering an alliance with both, or at least one of the factions quoting that it is the best method to survive, as you already know that everything changes at the 25-day mark."

A shudder passed through the leader of the Unnamed as he heard this.

Indeed, each and every Legacy battle combatant knew that the last 5 days were the most dangerous, as all Champions would leave behind any rules they had set for themselves. They would actively begin hunting, and unless a combatant was especially careful and managed to hide themselves perfectly, they would be eliminated. Apparently, this was to thin out the herd even further so that only those who deserved it would survive.

This time, there had been no such rules set. The Champions were as deadly as they could be from the start. The only change that could be was…

"That's right, leader. I think that the domains will stop existing for those monstrosities. They will roam the jungle freely, hunting for all of us. At that point, just running and hoping will not be an option. A combined plan is what is required."

The leader raised both his eyebrows when he heard this. He had expected that Tall would be smart, but he couldn't have known that the man would be this calculating.

Seeing him nod, 'Tall' continued.

"So, after the alliance forms, we can assign specific duties to each and every faction that is still present. And then…we will tempt each faction to turn on the others, baiting them by saying that they will have a greater chance to live and be selected in this way. You already know how enticing that is. There will even be perfect opportunities for factions to target others, as we will be moving as a unit. When the time comes and when I have more information, I will also be able to plan more. But, for now, I think we should set out. What do you think, leader?"

The leader was thoroughly impressed by the plan. Indeed, greed was a powerful thing, and he could already see the others turning as soon as they saw an opportunity.

How would those opportunities come to be, though? Well, he would leave that to Tall.

Deciding that he would definitely promote Tall and keep him under him after this was done, the leader gestured for Tall to go ahead, but he was surprised when he saw Tall respectfully give him way.

Humph. So this guy knew his place, after all. Then what better subordinate could there be? A follower who would be content with where he was could be called the perfect subordinate, as there would never be a risk for a backstab to occur.

Smiling to himself, the leader walked out, while Daneel eyed his back like a spider that was eyeing a fly which was haplessly falling into its web.

Only, in this case, the fly didn't even know that it was stuck, and that its end was already near.

So, it was truly an amusing thing to see that fly have lofty ambitions about flying high, which made Daneel smile again and realize just how addicting this feeling of manipulating everything and being in control could be.

…

The Heroes watched the King and the leader of the faction walk out of the cave and head to the same place where they had been before.

There, the two joined the other two factions, quoting that they felt that that would be best when the last 5 days came.

This made many look at the Chief questioningly in order to find out whether they were right about the status of the Champions changing.

The Chief just gave an enigmatic shrug in response, but this was enough confirmation.

The alliance between the three factions was something that had never happened before, but the impending threat resulted in its formation. Even Ace and the leader of the Glorious had been talking about teaming up, with the leader hoping that he could ride the coattails of Ace and his brother to the end even if it meant sacrificing his faction members, and the former wanting to have scapegoats in case severe situations where he would have to flee came to be.

Thus, the existing 5 factions were given individual duties.

They would move in a loose formation, with each faction fulfilling its duty to let the most individuals survive.

There were 5 duties: scouting, vanguard, stalling, advance guard and communicators.

The duties would rotate every 3 hours, just to be fair, as some roles carried more risk than others. Even if the whole group got unlucky, one would only be able to blame their own luck for being in the wrong role.

Scouting was dangerous, but it was nothing compared to the vanguard and the advance guard who defended the back and the front when running away from a threat. And by 'defense', it meant distracting the monstrosities so that the rest could run away.

These two were the most dreaded and dangerous duties, while stalling and communicating were two of the easiest. Those stalling just needed to dig holes, and communicators just traveled to send messages. They kept track of each other by judging relative distances and counting steps, and as all those remaining were high-level Warriors with most of them even being Peak Exalted Warriors, this wasn't too hard to implement.

For the first 5 days, everything was peaceful, and many Heroes had even begun to wonder when he would start.

From the 25th day, though, just like they had expected, the monstrosities started to roam around the battlefield freely.

Not all participants were part of these factions who had made the alliance. There were very few smaller groups and a few stragglers, and most of these started dying off.

The alliance's formation, though, allowed most of them to live, and many even started to praise the leader of the Unnamed who had proposed it. However, the leader eyed 'Tall' every time this happened, as he had been the one to give the base of the plan, and tell him about the duties that could be given.

From the 26th day…the Heroes above finally started to see what they were waiting for.

On the 26th day, the scouting team missed spotting a roaming monstrosity, causing the massacre of the vanguard.

The scouting team was admonished, but they insisted that it was an honest mistake.

On the 27th day, the communicators sent a miscommunication, causing the faction in charge of being the forward guard to go too far ahead.

They were all forced to teleport away by another monstrosity.

Ace had been exasperated, but he had let it go as mistakes did happen in tense situations.

The existing faction members were split apart to fulfill the other duties.

On the 28th day, disaster struck in the form of a random mistake. A faction member tripped, alerting a monstrosity near which the 'stalling' team had been digging some holes so that they could stall it and move forward.

After this, Ace could take no more.

He called for a halt at a relatively safe location and asked the communicators to have all the remaining faction members gather.

And when they did, he looked at them all and burst out with frustration.

"WHY ARE ONLY 2 FACTIONS REMAINING FROM THE 5 THAT SET OUT? WHAT THE F*CK IS GOING ON? I WANT SOMEONE TO GIVE ME AN ANSWER, OR I'LL MAKE SURE ALL OF YOU HAVE NO FUTURES IN THE SECT!"

With the most innocent expression on his face, 'Tall' stepped out and said, "Whatever do you mean by that, alliance leader? They were all just honest mistakes! Please don't give in to the frustration! Surely, you can't believe that someone is capable of manipulating all of us from the inside, do you?"

Chapter 641: The Final Stage 3

Silence fell over the cave as these words were uttered by a lowly Unnamed.

Yet, they all felt that he was right. They had looked like mistakes, and although they did notice that something might be wrong, they were too busy worrying about saving their own lives to stop and wonder whether they should be concerned about something else.

All they cared about was that they were alive and in the battle, and they had a higher chance of being selected and achieving all of their dreams.

Money, fame, power- all of them would be theirs, and they would be able to soar into the skies in one go.

With that goal in mind, the rest only wanted their leader to set his grievance aside so that they could continue.

Only 2 days were left, and among them, only 25 Fighters remained.

13 belonged to those who followed Ace and Jasper. They were a mix of bootlickers and those with aspirations who simply admired those stronger than them.

12 of them were Unnamed, and their motivation was one and the same: to shed that title.

The Glorious had all been wiped out except for their leader, who wasn't really saddened because of that, as he hadn't cared much for them anyway. After all, the Glorious were mostly just a bunch of those with background who didn't have too much talent.

And of course, the leader of the Unnamed was still there, along with Tall, bringing their total number up to 29.

They were a haggard group that just wanted it all to end. And right now, Ace was in the way of that, so even though they were wary of his power, they looked at him with eyes which made it clear what they felt.

Yes, something is afoot.

Yes, we were convinced to betray and let others die or teleport away.

But that doesn't mean you should make a fuss. Just continue leading us till the end.

And that…was also the 'hope' they had received when they had been approached by Tall and the leader of the Unnamed to betray others in the first place.

They had been told that when two factions remained, everything would stop, as two factions were at least needed to fend off the monstrosities and live.

They believed that they were at the finish line, and there was no strength greater than that which was displayed by someone when they thought they were so close to victory.

Ace saw all these varying emotions in the eyes that were looking at him.

Slowly, he began to understand what he had been ignoring all along.

Meanwhile, Daneel was closely watching Ace.

The past few days had been…fun, to say the least.

Just as expected, it wasn't too hard to convince the Fighters to betray others so that they would have a higher chance of winning.

At the end of the day, honor had no value, and this was something that would painfully be clear to anyone who was watching.

As for the Fighters who survived, he had expected that they would be like this- where they just wanted Ace to sit the f*ck down and continue leading them to safety, while helping to protect them.

Of course, he didn't do those things, but it was true that he was one of the fastest, so he had been instrumental in distracting quite a few monstrosities.

If they knew that he was only doing that so that he could use them all if needed, they might have changed their opinions of him, but the truth was that he was no different than them.

So, when given the assurance that only two factions would survive, and after seeing that there were only two left, none of these Fighters were willing to come forward and expose what had happened.

Even if they had tried…Daneel had a backup plan for that.

Thankfully, he hadn't had to resort to it.

However, Ace figuring it out and doing something out of his expectations was something that Daneel did not want.

Any plan was not perfect. Variables always existed, and the true skill of a strategist lay in accounting for those variables, and being capable of quickly changing the plan if needed.

At this moment, Daneel realized that he needed to do just that.

According to his original estimates, Ace was a dumb, privileged piece of sh*t who wouldn't be smart enough to do anything even if he found out that something was wrong.

Well, there had been no way to completely make the three massacres appear natural, so it had been a given that the ruse would be revealed sooner or later.

Yet, now…Daneel wasn't so sure, mainly because he had seen the skill of the man during these past few days when he had made the right calls to save as many as possible repeatedly.

There was a small risk that he might do something that could derail Daneel's plan.

And Daneel was having none of that.

So…in that moment, he decided that he would bring forward the conclusion.

During all this time, Daneel had refrained from using Faxul's and Kellor's consciousnesses any more as it might make the Heroes more suspicious. The previous incidents could be passed off using some reason or the other, but if the same repeated here, they would see the pattern of a form of Mind Control, which would be disastrous for Daneel.

However…that didn't mean that he didn't have another knight on the chessboard.

Ace knew that he couldn't do anything at that moment. He needed to confer with his brother, but first, they had to leave this cave as no place was safe for such a long time.

Already, the roars that were ever-present all around the battlefield sounded like they were getting closer, so Ace first called for them all to disperse into the formation and move east.

Daneel smiled as he saw this.

He might have had to panic if Ace had insisted on doing something then and there.

Yet, the moment the man had decided to deal with it after a little bit, he had lost.

Of course, he didn't know it.

Hiding the smile that was present at the corner of his mouth, Daneel covertly left behind a mark on a tree that they passed in a location that would only be found if someone knew where to look.

And that someone…approached the tree and noticed the mark not even a minute after the departure of the group.

…

"Who could it be, Ace? They're incompetent Fighters! It's natural that they f*cked up! Hell, I would be surprised if they didn't f*ck up!"

While bounding through the forest while constantly looking around to make sure that there weren't any threats that might have been missed by the scouting team, Ace and Jasper were having an intense discussion.

Pressing his lips into a thin line with frustration, Ace replied, "I don't know! But they're all acting shifty. I didn't see it before because I didn't think that they could be capable of it. And even if they were, I didn't care, as all I wanted was that as many as possible would survive so that we could use them to defend ourselves during the final battle. But now, I'm not so sure. If one of them is capable of somehow manipulating everyone so much, maybe they are a threat to be cautious of. It looked to me as if all of them are guilty. All of them did things to result in others dying. But now, they don't want me to bring it up, almost as if they are sure that the same won't happen with them. What if…that person promised them all that when 2 remained, no more scheming and betraying would be necessary?"

Jasper had always been relatively simple-minded when compared to his brother.

So, unable to wrap his head around the complex machinations being referred to by his brother, he said, "You're surely overthinking it, Ace. Even if you're not, so what? What can you do now? They're all dead already."

However, his response looked like it fell on deaf ears, as Ace looked like he had entered a trance during which he seemed to have realized something.

"If I were in his shoes…what would I do next? I would have to give the promise that two would survive, or there would be too much of a risk of my plan being exposed. After all, plans with ambiguous endings would make people skittish and fear that they would be targeted later on, too. But after two are left…what if I want to continue? What if I want to make even more factions die? Then the best method would be to…"

Just as his thoughts were about to allow him to reach a horrific conclusion, a scout ran in his direction with a message.

"Leader, a monstrosity has been spotted in front of us! We have to change our path right now! It's as if it came out of nowhere!"

Hearing this, Ace panicked for a bit, but he calmed himself, as he felt confident that he had been able to figure it out before the final day.

If he were the mastermind, and if he were following that plan, he would make the last step take place on the last day.

So, calming down his rapidly beating heart, he called over the communicators who were running nearby and asked them to send the message that they should head back in the direction they had come from.

Monstrosities had already been spotted on the other two sides, so, currently, the rear was the best option.

Everything looked fine for a few minutes, but another scout soon ran toward Ace frantically.

Seeing him, Ace's face immediately turned dark.

"Leader, another monstrosity has appeared in front of us again! And the one behind us is still chasing! What should we do?!"

"…"

The scout got a confused expression on his face as he saw the leader erupt with rage.

"CALL A HALT! WE MAKE A STAND TO STALL THEM, AND THEN WE SHALL DISPERSE!"

Nodding, the scout ran away, as the formerly dignified top Fighter in the sect looked like he would die from an aneurysm at any moment.

Indeed, Ace was infuriated.

He had figured out the plan, but alas, he had been too late.

When only two factions were left…the best option was to obliterate all of them in one go.

Even if they went east or west, he was sure that they would only find more monstrosities.

So…the only thing to do was fight.

If this 'mastermind' thought that he could handle him so easily, then he would be very, very surprised.

As soon as all the Fighters gathered, Ace spoke to them in a cold tone.

"Split into two and begin stalling on both sides. As soon as it becomes clear that an escape is possible, disperse and run away. But beware, there might be more waiting. And if any of you wishes to speak to me, I'll be waiting right here. The other two leaders will go to the other two sides."

The last command was a bit strange, but everyone obliged and split apart instantly, knowing that time was crucial.

The leader of the unnamed could also sense that something was off, but he left as he didn't want to be in an unprotected place.

If they stalled in those two directions, wasn't the center unsafe?

All alone, Ace waited for the mastermind to come out.

And soon…a silhouette appeared from the shadow of a tree near him, startling him in the process.

Yet, he had been expecting it.

'Tall' walked toward him calmly, but there was something…weird about him.

However, that calm walk was interrupted by a familiar roar from the left, where a monstrosity could be seen closing in.

He prepared to say that he had discovered everything, and that he would 'take care' of him as soon as the battle was done, and that he would have no more chances to manipulate anyone, anymore.

Only…what happened next baffled him so much that he began to question everything he knew about the world.

"One second."

Saying so, 'Tall' actually…ran in the direction of the Champion-level monster.

What the f*ck was he doing? Was he loose in his head? No Warrior could…

BOOOOOOMMMM!!!!

A single punch.

A single punch to the head was all that was needed, and it even resulted in a shockwave that flattened all the trees around them.

When the dust settled, the monstrosity that had terrorized many over the past month could be seen…trapped inside the earth, with only its massive shoulders outside the ground.

And as for 'Tall', he was right in front of the grotesque thing which kept struggling in order to get out and kill the puny thing in front of it, but it couldn't.

Putting his hands on his hips, 'Tall' said, "How rude of you. Can't you see that we were going to have an epic back-and-forth which would have ended in that guy being gobsmacked? Now, look what you've done! The atmosphere is ruined! Ruined, I say!"

Chapter 642: Flyswatter

Silence reigned over both the two pavilions and that spot in the battlefield on which so many eyes were focused.

It wasn't even just the disciples from the Big 4. Even the Heroes and Champions who were in attendance were baffled, seeing the heroic pose of that man while he berated the monstrosity which looked so pathetic that anyone would take pity on it, if it hadn't been going around killing everyone it could find just a few minutes before.

In fact, even the Chief and the Head were staring with wide open eyes, as even they had never expected that such a scene would unfold.

They had seen 'Tall' covertly switch identity with the King right after they had set off. 'Tall' had been a scout, so it had been easy for him to find a spot where he could meet with the King, whom he was in cahoots with. However, it had been strange to see the King robotically knock out 'Tall', and then take his identity using one last transformation trinket that he had on him.

Some started to question why this switch hadn't taken place beforehand, itself.

Why didn't the King directly take over Tall's identity to infiltrate the alliance and do everything he had been doing so far? Why convince 'Tall' and have him do the dirty work, before switching at this point?

However, those people were called dumb and they were mocked by those sitting near them who knew the answer.

Over these past few days, the original body of the King hadn't been idle.

With a stiff face, which was probably due to the fact that he was doing some very dangerous things, the King had been going around attracting monstrosities left and right to manipulate the group into traveling in the direction he wanted, so that those machinations inside the alliance where each faction had been eliminated could happen. So, it was both an inside and outside job.

After all, it made sense. Unless there was intervention from the outside, too, how could there be perfect situations for factions to betray the others? How could it have all worked out so well that those mistakes would have caused an entire faction to be eliminated?

Some would call it bad luck. But as the Heroes and those watching knew, it had nothing to do with luck.

No, it was all skill.

The King, with the help of the man he had come in with would set up monstrosities at the locations he wished by using his overwhelming advantage where he could escape from them whenever he wished using his shadow technique. As for the man who was covered fully from head to toe, he had an equally impressive method, and it had already become clear to all that like a few others who were also holding their own on the battlefield, he would definitely survive till the end.

When the King had covertly given the signal, this man had made sure that monstrosities would surround them from all sides, and that hadn't been that hard at this stage as all of them had already been pretty infuriated because they kept getting chased and then losing their prey.

That had led to this situation now, which was still being watched with vacant expressions from almost everyone on the two pavilions, as if their mind had gone blank because of seeing such an implausible sight. Their minds just couldn't process that what they were seeing was real, so they had no option but to shut down.

His statement kept reverberating in their minds, and his image, with his hands on his hips as if he was admonishing a pet dog that had knocked over a cup, was branded into the minds of many.

A furor burst out at almost the exact moment the King turned to walk away after mockingly staring down the monstrosity, which, of course, was just puzzled as even it had never expected that it would enter such a state.

The din was so loud that the Head actually had to stand up and shout, "Shut up! Let this event end, and then I will explain what happened! For now, sit your asses down and watch!"

His voice seemed to carry with it the spirit of thunder and lightning, as it struck all those who had begun to speak as if it contained solid power.

They instantly obliged, and laid their eyes on the scene again, where one more person was still in shock.

Ace.

Ace felt like turning around and running away for the first time in his life. If this was a dream, no, a nightmare, he wanted it to end.

He even pinched himself, but that only left behind a red mark on his skin that was almost the same shade as his face, which was flushed.

Godly.

That was the one word that floated through his mind.

A God among Fighters.

Yet, he squashed it instantly as a God demanded reverence, and he was not ready to revere anyone.

This was a random Fighter who had been flying under the radar for so long. How could he contain so much power? And if he did, why would he hide himself for that long? It didn't make sense, as showing this much potential would directly bring him under the wing of the Chief.

'Tall' had just turned around and had resumed his walk toward Ace, with that same lopsided, confident smile on his face.

That smile…reminded him of something.

Ace couldn't place it, but the more he watched, the more he became sure that he had seen all of this before.

That walk where each step was as if he was taking control of the earth, and bending it to his will.

That expression which was filled with arrogance born from intelligence, and not foolishness.

And that eloquence…which would leave almost anyone tongue-tied.

He had to cease his thoughts, though, as 'Tall' reached him and said, "Oh, yes, where were we? You were going to give a long speech about how you're superior, blah, blah, right? Go on. Oh, but before that, let me just…"

A flash of light.

Followed by a different man standing in front of him.

If this really was a nightmare…it was the most horrific one in his life, as the King of Lanthanor was standing in front of Ace.

Sputtering, he took a few steps back, unable to believe his eyes.

How…the f*ck was this possible?!

He had defeated him personally, and he had seen him flee! Yet, now, he was standing here unharmed?!

Ace's back hit a tree, which made him have no choice but to stop backing up.

This also brought him to his senses, pushing away the extreme shock and astonishment he was feeling that the man who had sworn that it was not over…had proven himself right.

That was when he connected the dots.

Faking his departure and mixing in with the participants.

Sweet-talking the factions and getting them eliminated.

Sneaking into the final days like a snake slithering silently through the bushes, before striking and ending its prey in one go.

And here…he was the prey.

Brilliant.

It was just brilliant.

If that first step hadn't happened, they all would have been wary about the King, and would have hunted him down throughout all the early days. No matter how powerful he was, he wouldn't have been able to evade so many Fighters.

If the second step hadn't been orchestrated, Ace would have had tens of Fighters to call on and defeat the King.

And if the third step also succeeded…the King would have delivered on his promise.

To win the Legacy Battle and show everyone their place.

This single thought made the rage return to Ace.

Only, it couldn't help but be stifled as he eyed the Champion-level monstrosity that was still struggling in the ground, unable to escape.

What should he do? Give up?

And then what?

His father would be watching, and he would be disgraced.

And when their father was disgraced…

With a shudder, Ace caught that fury and embraced it.

Only strong emotions could make him leave behind logic in order to find the courage to face this man.

He now knew that he was no match for him, but he knew that he still needed to fight.

So, gritting his teeth, he raised his fists.

If someone had told him a month back that he would be shaking in his boots while facing a mere 'ant' from the Central Continent, he would have scoffed.

However, now…it was reality, and no matter how much he didn't want to believe it, he had to own up to it.

Only, seeing his actions, the King…laughed.

"Bravo! So you do have some guts?"

Hearing this, Ace couldn't take it any more. Yes, he knew that there might not be victory, but there was no way that he would allow himself to be insulted in this way.

"YAAAAAAAHHHH!"

With a warcry, he jumped 10 feet into the air while his hands took on a silvery coating.

This silvery coating soon coalesced into two swords, which he pointed in the King's direction before diving down.

The Heroes above watched with bated breath, too, anticipating a fight to conclude this event.

However…the moment Ace was about to reach within a few feet from the King, the King hopped into the air and shot a roundhouse kick with such a speed that he turned into a blur.

Seeing this, the Chief stood up and exclaimed, "Extreme speed! This fool of a kid!"

No one understood what he meant, but the spectators watched on, viewing the 'top seed' kicked away into 3 trees before finally coming to rest.

"It's cute that you thought that you would stand up against me, and I might have obliged you if I didn't have more pressing matters. So, go have a rest. And you…come out."

If Ace had been awake to hear this, he would definitely have spurted blood on seeing his bravery mocked in this way.

Thankfully, he was already deep in the land of dreams, where even nightmares of him being chased around by monstrosities were better than the reality which he had just escaped from.

For a moment, those in the pavilions were puzzled on hearing this, but they soon saw a man emerge from the ground a few meters away from the King, inside the forest.

This startled most, and only those who hadn't been completely focusing on the encounter had noticed this person creep up on the scene.

He was sturdy, with short hair and features similar to the now-unconscious Ace and his brother, who was desperately fleeing at the moment.

"Xander, right? I thought you didn't care about your brothers?", asked the King, to which the man replied, "I don't. But blood is blood. I couldn't leave them alone knowing that they were being targeted by someone. I always was the one who fought off those they couldn't defeat."

Xander began walking toward the King as he said this, and behind his back…two wings grew out, which looked like they were made of flesh and bone, but were actually comprised of elementary particles.

"My 'Angel' Inheritance stands undefeated so far."

With a small smile of confidence, Xander walked in front of the King and rose into the air with a flap of his wings.

However…those wings faltered and he almost lost balance as he saw an incongruous sight appear in front of him.

Taking out 5 trinkets from his pockets, the King connected them all and activated them.

When he was done, in his hands…was a hammer that was 7 feet(2.13 m) long from top to bottom. It had a long handle, but its body was bigger than a fully-grown man, and it looked like it was not possible for it to be wielded by any human.

Yet, the King easily hefted it onto his shoulder and said something that made the same fury that had flashed across Ace's face appear in his brother, too.

"Angels are just cockier, larger flies. So, I just need a larger hammer to swat you down."

…

Meanwhile, Elanev was waiting for a Fighter in front of him to activate the teleportation trinket and leave.

He had been defeated in one punch, and he had been given the option that he could either die, or depart.

Of course, he only had a single question.

"Why?"

As his face wasn't visible, the Fighter could only hear Elanev's cold tone.

"Because in this Legacy Battle, only one Fighter will survive in the end."

BOOOOOMMMM!

Feeling the ground reverberate under him as a sound suddenly startled both of them, Elanev smiled and said to himself, "The swatting has started. I should hurry up. I hope you're not too tired by the time our fight begins, my dear younger brother."

Chapter 643: Waiting

"'Extreme' Inheritance Path. It was said that it was created by a madman in the age of the Empire. That man simply wished to beat his opponents, regardless of what that victory cost. So, he created this technique, which was henceforth banned and sealed. But…there are certain records that point to the fact that he used the turmoil during the apocalypse to create an Inheritance site in order to pass it down…as no one would want to make their greatest creations go to waste, after all. A copy of it is also present in our archives, but that copy was left there as a reference as to what must not be done on the Path of a Fighter. No one could have trained in it using that copy. So, I suspect that he found that Inheritance, too…"

These solemn words from the Chief were heard by all those in the two pavilions amid the mad smashing sounds that echoed out from below them.

The hammer was just that big: every time it was swung, it would smash either a tree or the earth, but the King deftly raised it again as if it weighed nothing.

Everyone had even begun to wonder how that was possible, and they also started to think back to that moment when the monstrosity had been smashed into the ground.

Initially, many had assumed that although the hammer was large, it might be hollow for the most part, but the more they watched, the more it became clear that that was not true.

These words made them redirect their attention on the Chief, but they kept watching the fight, too, and only reflected on what he said after seeing that the King and his opponent were still only testing each other out.

'Extreme' Inheritance.

It did sound great, and its history was impressive, but what did it even do?

And if he had found that Inheritance, then just how lucky was the damn King? How could he find so many where the Big 4 hadn't unearthed any in the past century?

The Chief spoke up to answer the first question.

"The path of the 'Extreme' is the path to forego oneself for victory. An 'Extreme' Fighter furiously burns through everything he has to result in a burst of power that only lasts for moments. However, this can only be done for a few times, and after it happens a certain number of times…the Fighter is completely disabled, because the body collapses in on itself. Who would want to lie on their bed for months in excruciating pain just to defeat an opponent? It is not even that this can be used as a backup technique. It requires great skill to master, so anyone who is focusing on another Inheritance cannot train in the 'Extreme' Path as a backup to use when death is near. The King is using the 'Extreme' Path. That is how he used only one punch to trap that Champion- he directed the force expertly, too, but if he didn't have the power, this wouldn't have worked. He is also using it now to swing that hammer that probably weighs over a ton. What a foolish choice. Power is important, but this is just an irrational method to obtain it."

Ah.

Now it made sense.

After all, if a Warrior could defeat a Champion without facing any repercussions, the whole power level system on Angaria would have been upended by now.

Even though this was still impressive, everyone could at least accept it, so they just directed their attention onto the match again, which looked like it was picking up steam.

…

"YEARGH!"

Xander was a man of few words.

He was always the stoic kind who kept his head low and just focused on training until his body and mind broke.

That was how he had exceeded his limits time and time again: by believing in himself, and doing the best he could.

Now, though…he was more frustrated than he had ever been in his life.

A flyswatter.

That was exactly how the King was using that thing in his hands, and this irked Xander to no end.

True, he had wings, which gave him incredible mobility and speed. His foes would usually be helpless as he could dive down and attack them from the air while they helplessly watched from the ground or tried to use silly jumps and hops in order to match him.

Yet, here…whenever he got close, the King would simply swing that thing with such force that just the vacuum created in its passing was dangerous as it could affect his flight.

Of course, nothing needed to be said about its freakish might which caused dents on the ground and destroyed multiple trees without any effort.

Each time, he would swoop down, and the King would even mock him.

"Here, fly fly fly. Here, fly…"

Xander could control himself to not be infuriated by this, even though he did feel angry every time he remembered how he had been called a 'cockier, larger fly'. Only, the King kept proving this every time with his actions.

He would swing the hammer as easily as if it were a 2-feet long sword, and it would whistle through the air with the intent to smite him.

He would have to dodge, and they would be back at the beginning.

So, he let out a sound of frustration, which made the King laugh out loud and say, "If a fly isn't swatter, it's the one trying to swat it who should be frustrated. Our roles are reversed! You have to admit that's funny."

Daneel really was amused.

However, what Xander didn't know was that he was keeping his eyes on a lot of things.

"System, how many are left?"

[Scanning. 6 individuals left. Correction. 5 individuals left, excluding the one known as 'Elanev', who has just forced one of the 6 to teleport away. Target is now moving to a different Fighter.]

During these past few days, Daneel and Elanev had also been actively rooting out and defeating Fighters who had managed to hide themselves, or were flying solo.

It wasn't too difficult, given the fact that they were at least on par with the most powerful Fighters in this contest. Of course, that 'most powerful Fighter' was in front of him, and Daneel was even starting to wonder whether he deserved that title.

Still, it was a possibility that his opponent was holding back, which Daneel wanted anyway as his main goal was that he should stall this battle until such a point that only the three of them were left in the battlefield.

Daneel's aim for this legacy battle had always been the same.

He wanted to be the only one who remained standing in the end, as he had a suspicion regarding the true nature of the Legacy Battle.

Putting that aside, Daneel commanded the system once again when he saw Xander shooting toward him one more time.

"Activate Extreme Technique for the duration of the swing."

[Activating. Catalyzing stored Energy. Deactivating.]

WHUUP!

Once more, the hammer swung accurately, cutting off all paths for Xander and giving him no option but to retreat.

"Hey Drakos, do you think they figured it out, yet?"

"Certainly, Young King. But they must definitely be thinking all kinds of things about you, as it was only a technique that was chosen by fools."

"Haha! Exactly. Well, it'll be fun when they confront me about it later. I have to say that the Emperor had so many backup plans that they are pretty dizzying. Hiding a super top-tier technique just so that it could be a hidden weapon in his sleeve if needed? The man was a genius."

"That he was, Young King. Once,…"

As Drakos began reciting a story about the Emperor's great deeds which displayed his intelligence, Daneel chuckled and let the Dragon ramble on, as he already knew everything about the incident that the Dragon was recalling.

And as for the Extreme technique…the person in question had succeeded in developing an amazing technique, and rumors had been spread regarding its drawbacks to detract all, while it was added to the list of techniques that were compulsory for his personal corps.

The technique did allow one to use bursts of strength and speed.

But the limit of how many times it could be used was clear to the one using it, and they could stop before it became too dangerous.

With this being the truth, this technique was perfect for shock and awe, which was Daneel's trade name by now.

Hence, he continued this battle while waiting for the number of contestants to decrease further, and he also recalled one decision he had taken this morning.

This morning, while writing down the note which Elanev would read after coming to their room, Daneel had pondered whether to write that Elanev should aid him, and then eliminate himself using a freak accident or something.

However, that had felt so wrong that Daneel hadn't even hesitated before making his decision.

At the end…they would fight, and the best man would be the last one standing.

True, he had many goals and he could argue that he was doing everything for the good of Angaria.

But what would it be worth if he achieved it in this way?

What would a King be worth if he had to ask his subordinates to lose and stand down?

No, he wanted there to be a fair battle between them.

Daneel wasn't oblivious to the fact that Elanev treated him as a motivation and someone he wished to reach, now or in the future.

He could even tell that Elanev probably endured all the pain he was put through with the final aim of being someone who could stand on the same level as him.

So…having to ask someone like that to lose on purpose just didn't make sense.

Also…since the moment it had occurred to him, Daneel had to admit to himself that he…wanted the battle.

For the longest time, his own lust for battle had been sleeping as he had planned and schemed his way to victory during most of his recent battles.

So…he wanted to once again feel how it was to beat someone with his own strength, fair and square.

Hence, Daneel waited, while the rest of the Fighters continued to be eliminated, and while the Heroes, Champions, and Warriors watched with expressions of awe, and regret, because of the explanation that had been given by the Chief.

However, unknown to all of them, two individuals appeared 500 meters above the battlefield and sat down in chairs made of clouds.

"Sir, why are we here?"

One of them asked the other, who raised his hand and waved it to make the vista below them change.

What had looked like a calm forest till now, was now a battlefield with blood and roaring monsters all over the place.

And above it was a pavilion with multiple Heroes, Champions and Warriors.

"Look at that battle. He is the one we are supposed to test. With this battle, we can get an understanding of his Fighter power."

With a nod, the first man laid his eyes on the battle and couldn't help but gasp when he saw the size of the hammer.

Yet, as he was from the Mainland, he had seen such techniques, so he just assumed that this person had been lucky enough to find one.

A few seconds later, his eyes drifted to the pavilions above the forest and scanned the individuals present there.

They paused on one man, and when he saw that face with its confident smile, he gritted his teeth and cursed silently.

Seeing this, the other one asked, "What's the matter?"

Pointing at the Chief, he said, "He's the one who beat me back last time. When the War begins, he will be the one I target?"

After a moment's thought, the other man replied with a slight smile at the corner of his lips.

"Oh? Then prepare yourself. We can have a skirmish now, as we were ordered to remind them of our presence anyway. Make sure you give me a show, though. I hate boring fights."

Chapter 644: Clipping an Angel's Wings

Daneel was already tired of this stalemate, but he held it up as he knew that Elanev needed time where his efforts wouldn't be obstructed by anyone else. Among all the remaining Fighters present in the battlefield, the one in front of him was supposed to be the most powerful, so holding him up was the best thing that he could do at the moment.

Yet, suddenly, a chill passed through his mind as if some sort of deadly beast had laid its eyes on him for the briefest of moments, like a tiger which eyed its prey before sneakily creeping up on it.

Daneel knew that no one in this battlefield would be able to give him this kind of feeling, so he immediately asked both Drakos and the system whether there was anyone else watching them.

Both of them took a little bit of time, but then answered that nothing regarding the situation had changed.

However, Daneel trusted this instinct that had been honed through multiple years of living through incredibly difficult situations that would have resulted in anyone else turning into dust.

Something was wrong, and the fact that he couldn't place his finger on exactly what was behind it irritated him to no end, but he calmed himself down knowing that if some threat of this magnitude really was eyeing this location, it would definitely not be easy for it to attack him as there were multiple Heroes and Champions waiting to intercept it.

Daneel also had a vague feeling that it was from quite far away, and that was all he could understand about it. So, he placed it in the back of his mind, even though each and every instinct of his told him not to ignore it.

He did think about it a bit. There were two possibilities – either there was a Hero that, for some reason, had a grudge against him and was targeting him, or it was the Church which was targeting this location as it would be a dream to attack a place where the most prominent seeds of the continent were gathered.

The latter possibility did not seem to have much chance of being true, as it must definitely be something that was already thought of by the Chief, who had proven himself repeatedly to be quite smart. According to Daneel's estimations, even though he couldn't scan past the Hero-level formation that was covering the entire battlefield, it was very possible that there were multiple ones clouding this entire area which included the place from which all the gathered Champions, Heroes and Warriors were watching.

However, he did not completely disregard the possibility either, as he knew that it was best to be prepared for every eventuality.

Still, it was the truth that he could do nothing about it at the moment. He even went through all of his accumulated knowledge, but realized that there was nothing he could do especially with his Mageroot caged in the way it was right now. If he had access to it, he could have tried some very effective scouting spells created by the Emperor himself, but that was sadly not an option.

So, all he could do was trust in the Big 4 for once, and continue what he was doing while keeping an eye out and taking care to not let his guard down.

Asking the system for an update again, Daneel saw that there were only two Fighters left, so he decided that he should start to bring an end to this fight.

So, putting away the smile on his face, he said, "Enough of this. You must already know that it is futile. Still, I was allowing you to fly around because I was hoping that you can at least put up some sort of fight after realizing that your current method is ineffective. Sadly, it looks like this is all that a top seed of the Fortress is capable of. I don't know why I got my expectations up, but I must say that I'm pretty disappointed. Well, I shouldn't complain, as it means that I can easily achieve what I announced that day. Oh, after you're done, come over to my cottage, I left out a few curses that day that I would love to impart onto you."

Being so cocky did feel good, but Daneel wasn't just doing it for kicks – he had realized that the most effective method to deal with these arrogant snowflakes who had never been outside of the sect was to infuriate them in this manner, as they would never be able to believe that someone could take that tone and that stance with them. It had been working ever since this battle had started, as Xander was looking more and more frustrated as the seconds passed.

Yet, surprisingly, at this moment, calmness appeared on his face, wiping away all of those extreme emotions and replacing them with one that would remind anyone of a calm, peaceful lake.

"Very well. Even I was tiring of that charade, and I only held back because my master told me never to use this unless my life was in danger, at least before I got to the Champion stage. However, I believe that my life IS in danger, because if I lose to you now after you've said so much, I doubt that I will ever be able to meditate and train properly without remembering your face. A true Angel… Is not one that is defeated so easily."

Daneel wasn't surprised by this speech of his, as he had been expecting it from the get-go. It was obvious that this guy was hiding something, and it was now clear why he had been doing so. When he actually thought about it, he also realized that he was being pretty unfair, as typical Warriors would usually be undefeated in their class if they had the kind of power that had been displayed by this 'Angel' Inheritance. After all, being able to drive down from the sky like lightning and strike one's opponent at a speed that was difficult to gauge was pretty overpowered.

Alas, Xander was up against someone who was equipped with both a method to instantaneously slow down time and to instantaneously increase his strength to perfectly counter any opponent's moves effortlessly.

That had been the reason behind the Emperor choosing to save this technique for his personal corps, too. Here, it had only been outed because Daneel had been displaying power that was really disproportionate to that of a Warrior. However, a typical Champion could use this kind of instantaneous power surge along with a few distractions, such as some kind of flashy activation in order to fool enemies into thinking that they were using up their trump card so that they could burst out in that way with their full strength. And then, when the opponent was least expecting it, the same thing would repeat, and the opponent would be dead, unable to give away the secret that the personal corps of the Emperor were not as simple as everyone thought they were.

This technique was perfect for Daneel due to different reasons. He had chosen it both because it synced with the Basilisk's Breath, and because it was something that could be explained away by the Chief who was watching so that the others would not feel too suspicious about him. There were other options, too, but those were definitely lost, and him using them would be the biggest giveaway that he was in possession of knowledge from the time of the Empire.

Putting these thoughts aside, the King looked forward to seeing what this 'Angel' Inheritance was worth. Although he had the option of asking the system and finding out everything about it, he wanted to witness it for himself and see whether he was capable enough of countering against it with his own strength instead of depending on the system or the Ancient Dragon.

With that same calm expression on his face, Xander remained in the air and adopted a pose where both of his palms were joined together, while his head was slightly lowered.

Daneel was just going to once again use that cocky tone to say that no opponent would allow him to have such a moment of respite during a fight in order to throw him off, but he paused when he felt a sudden rush of Energy from the surroundings.

Typically, Mages would be able to accomplish this when they cast high-level spells, so it was pretty astonishing to see it caused by a Warrior.

Soon, it became clear why that was the case.

As Daneel had no access to his Elementary Vision, he couldn't see exactly what changes the elementary particles were going through, but it wasn't needed as he saw shining light cover Xander completely from head to toe just like silver armor that had been crafted so expertly that it reflected the sun and made one appear like a shining knight.

No… a shining Angel.

Including the wings, his entire body was now completely covered in that intense white light, and when he outstretched his hands and legs as if he was reveling in this feeling of power, only his eyes became exposed to the world, and even the pupils looked like twin white flames.

The wings behind his back were actually the ones glowing the brightest, and they even looked like they were comprised of sharp blades.

All in all, this transformation… was pretty awesome.

Impressed, Daneel finally went ahead and asked the system what he was witnessing.

[Acquired High-Tier Champion Path - 'Angel'. At the Warrior level, the Inheritance part of this Path allows one to form wings that can be used for maneuverability. Requires one to connect with the essence of fairness/calmness in oneself, and is suited for Warriors who are pure of heart and just wish to become as powerful as possible. According to the Emperor, it is most suited to those who pursue power for its own sake, instead of for some end. If one has already begun on the process of resonance, they can use this to temporarily elevate themselves to a state that is close to the Champion level. It is termed 'Pseudo-Champion Level, or 'Half-step Champion Level'. If one can achieve this, then it is guaranteed that they can definitely use this technique to become a Champion, and all that is required is time. However, the backlash from forcefully elevating themselves will cause them to have to use even more time, so this method is not used unless in life or death situations.]

Well, this guy's master was right. It was dumb to use this technique when he wasn't at risk of dying.

Yet, Daneel understood Xander's previous words, and he now actually didn't think so bad about this guy who apparently only wanted power, and didn't want to abuse it. Now that he looked back on their interactions, the reason behind his disinterest in all of the proceedings became clear.

Only… It was once again sad that even this wasn't enough to face up against someone who was equipped with something that was treasured by even the Emperor, himself.

True, it was a High-tier technique, but could it compare to something like that?

Nope.

[Only one Fighter remaining in the battlefield. Target is approaching that Fighter.]

Getting this notification, Daneel sighed, as even though he slightly wanted to test out just how powerful this 'Angel' thing was, he knew that he should probably conserve more power for the fight against his elder brother.

So, Daneel simply said, "Don't be discouraged by this. And don't listen to what they say about me later on. Just keep working on your Path, no matter how you feel."

Xander had been expecting more dialogues like the ones that he had had to endure so far.

Hence, when he heard these words spoken in extreme seriousness from the King, he was surprised, but he knew that he shouldn't be distracted as he didn't have much time in this state.

Condensing all the power into his wings, he took off with a shockwave to end this battle.

He turned into a blur, but the hammer still reacted perfectly- raising it from his shoulder, the King swung it down.

However, having been through this multiple times already, he knew what to expect.

Right before he was going to be 'swatted', he redirected the Energy that he was using to propel himself in order to abruptly change his direction of flight.

Mid-air, that burst of Energy in a different direction allowed him to pass that hammer with such a close margin that he even felt the wind in its wake.

Then, he was home free.

Redirecting that energy again, he prepared to plunge the two swords made of light that had appeared in his hands into the King.

Only…when he saw the solemn expression on his face, he realized that something was wrong.

Xander was already moving with speed that couldn't even be conceived by normal humans.

Yet, at that moment, the King moved even faster.

He let go of the hammer, and punched.

Seeing this, the watching spectators stood up and held their breath, wondering how the f*ck the King was capable of such an incredible reaction speed…unless he had one more Inheritance.

If so, how could one guy have found so many?!

As this question once again went through their minds, they realized that the King's punch would directly kill Xander if he kept moving because of his sheer speed.

Xander realized this too, so he hastily turned to the side in order to evade that punch.

However, he made sure that the twin swords in his hands were still going for the King, who actually…smiled when he saw this.

That moment of hesitation was all that he had needed.

The punch had been a feint.

Pulling his fist back, he caught the hammer again, which hadn't reached the ground.

Exerting strength, he simply…swung it up this time, and in its path was the fly that had evaded it for so long.

THHHHWUP!

"AAAAAAARGGHHHH!"

With a scream, Xander was sent flying into the air.

His armor was shattered in some places, as even it couldn't handle the impact from a hammer that weighed a ton.

The truth was that the armor was secondary in his Path: it was the speed that mattered, and that speed had been bested by the King by simply using a smart tactic.

Simple?

If Xander heard that word, he would have coughed out even more blood than he was already coughing.

The kind of patience, confidence, and skill required to wait for the perfect opportunity, and then to utilize it in this way for that moment when Xander had been still in the air in order to 'swat' him was something that no one in the Warrior realm was supposed to be capable of.

Yet…the King had proven that wrong, and he stood alone on the battlefield while Xander lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

"Flyswatting…successful."

Saying this under his breath, Daneel heaved a sigh of relief. That had been close, and if he hadn't used almost all the techniques he had, victory might not have been possible.

"Nooo! I WAS GOING TO WIN-!:

However, it was time for the true battle to commence.

As this scream echoed from somewhere nearby, Elanev walked out into the clearing and faced his younger brother.

Only a single word was needed.

"Ready?", he asked, and as he saw the King nod wordlessly, Elanev began to unwrap the bindings that he had placed all over his body.

In this fight…he couldn't hold back.

…

Meanwhile, in the Pavilion, the Chief was equally shocked as all the others when he saw the King beat Xander in that way.

Many questions were still present in his mind, but he suddenly sniffed something that reminded him of a sour memory.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he said to the Head, "Brace yourself. We have guests. And they aren't friendly."

Chapter 645: Daneel v Elanev 1

The Head froze as he heard this, and with the backdrop of multiple voices loudly debating which other Inheritance the King must have obtained which enabled him to end the fight in that way, he slowly calmed his heart that had started to beat faster due to the Chief's statement.

'Guests who weren't friendly' could only mean one thing, especially due to the fact that he hadn't detected anyone.

The Church.

The Church always had been equipped with advanced spells and trinkets that allowed them to spy on Angaria and even stay on it, with the Big 4 only being capable of repelling them if they showed themselves and decided to attack.

If so…how had the Chief been able to detect that there was someone near?

The Chief understood the unspoken question, and quietly sent a reply while making sure that he didn't expose anything to the outside which could be used to infer that he had become aware of their presence.

"As someone who survived the apocalypse, the founder of the Fortress was a big proponent of the method of using normal means which did not involve any kind of magic wherever possible, as an enemy would not be expecting them. As someone who was taught his ways, I know of a particular weed in Angaria which has a very pungent smell when it is ground into a paste. Few know of this, and even fewer know that when it attaches itself to any substance, be it a weapon or even one's clothes, it has a notorious property of continuously clinging on and emanating that odor even if the object is washed countless times. Many stop after a few times, though, as they feel that it is gone, but the Founder identified that it is still present and can only be detected if one uses a Fighter technique or Mage spell that enhances one's senses."

The Head began to understand where the Chief was getting at, but he waited for the man to finish his explanation out of respect.

"You know that I was the one who repelled one of the attackers from the Church during our last battle, right after this little kid became a King. In that battle, you know that I bit his hand off to obtain victory, but he reobtained that hand using a counter-attack. I had enough time to apply that substance to his skin. He must have reattached it, as I smell it again. My senses are always enhanced, as yours should be, too. Anyway, Heroes often forget that all kinds of covert formations and barriers are designed to allow air through, as it wouldn't be very conspicuous if the airflow is blocked whenever someone is trying to hide. They are somewhere above us, as the air in which I smelled that scent has come from there. What is the best thing to do here, Head?"

The Head had always known about the eccentricities of the founder of the Fortress. In fact, if it weren't for them, he probably wouldn't have survived the apocalypse and built such a flourishing sect.

So, once again impressed by his innovative techniques and also awed by the Chief's presence of mind which had allowed him to use that opportunity to put in a tracking method which had just shown its worth, the Head pondered deeply on the question he had been asked.

After a moment, he answered.

"Let them be, maybe? They must just be here to watch, just like us. We have always known that the Church is on Angaria, anyway, even though they are too weak to be a real threat unless they are reinforced."

"If so, why are they here with their real bodies? If it was a clone, the smell would not be present."

"Maybe…"

"No maybes. You've grown soft, Head. Don't you want to take out the frustration that filled you last time when you were trapped by a one-use Peak Hero-level trinket so that you couldn't join in the fight?"

This caused even the usually calm Head to almost burst out with anger, but he controlled himself and said, "Of course I do, Chief. But they'll simply run away when confronted."

This made a smile appear on the Chief's face.

"Exactly. So what better way to motivate all these young seeds than to show the Church scurrying away with fear? A gloom has come over the Big 4 recently, with many even believing that loss is certain. They are keeping these thoughts to themselves for the time being, but when these voices grow stronger, we will collapse from the inside out. This is the perfect opportunity to try and stop that from happening."

A flash of realization crossed his face, followed by a smile that looked very similar to the one on the Chief.

With a nod, he said, "Even after all these years, I still have things I can learn from you, mentor. Let's do it. Let's give these young 'uns something to remind that we Big 4 aren't pushovers, at all."

…

Unaware of this crucial conversation that had just taken place above him, Daneel watched as Elanev started removing the rolls of dark bandages that covered his whole body.

From the information given by the system, he had guessed that their purpose must be to hide the damage done to his body due to him training in the 'Overdrive' Technique.

Still, he could never have expected the extent of the injuries that would be exposed by this action.

Each and every inch of Elanev's skin was either scarred, or bleeding. It looked like he had been cut up into tiny pieces, and then reattached before being healed half-heartedly by some bored mage.

How could anyone fight in this state?

Even those in the pavilions let out gasps of shock as they saw Elanev show what he had been hiding all this while.

Many had been thinking that he might be hiding some special weapon which he wanted to save till the end. Yet, now, all that was in front of them was a broken man who looked like he was very close to death.

The bandages seemed to have some property to absorb blood, as a puddle formed under Elanev's feet the moment he took them off.

Only, despite his pathetic image, if anyone saw the burning flames in his eyes, they would never mistake this man for someone weak.

And the next moment, he proved this by raising his leg and stamping down hard on the ground.

BOOOOOOOM!

His leg seemed to flash oddly for a moment, and a moment later, it was as if an earthquake had erupted in the small area that they were standing in.

Cracks appeared in the ground, radiating out from the spot of the impact and making Daneel raise his arms to stabilize himself so he wouldn't fall.

All the trees surrounding them were either uprooted or thrown away by the sheer force radiating through the ground, and when the shockwaves died down, a true battle arena was formed which was empty of almost all sorts of obstructions.

Even Daneel was shocked by this sight, and together with those on the pavilions, he looked at Elanev as if he was looking at a monster.

So this was what he had been through all that pain for?

Such power…

Only Champions typically wielded the might to cause small-scale natural disasters in this way.

Yet, Elanev had somehow reached that level.

"System, how the f*ck is 'Overdrive' this powerful?"

[Replying to host. Stored Energy has reached the level of a Champion. This means that the target will always have strength many levels above his level. Phenomena Analysis Module is assessing target. Gathering data. Conclusion: This is only possible if target has trained with this goal in mind since the beginning of the Warrior level, itself.]

As soon as Daneel heard this, images flashed through his mind.

A room filled with bloodstained equipment of all sorts.

His elder brother, bleeding and putting himself through torturous training day in and day out.

The old man…promising that it would all be worth it.

Well…it definitely was.

If the old man's son was present to see this day….he would definitely have been very, very proud of his father, who had proven that his technique wasn't a failure, after all.

Those on the two Pavilions who could no make sense at all about what was going on instinctually turned toward the seats of honor, only to find that they were empty.

Huh? Where had the Head and the Chief gone?

BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!

As the sky pealed with sudden thunder, all those present looked up as one.

…

A few seconds back.

The two from the Church had similarly been impressed when they saw the King defeat that 'Angel' using that method of being patient and creating the right opportunity which he used perfectly.

One of them was just about to comment that this was someone with pretty good battle awareness, when he suddenly stopped and realized that they weren't alone.

Turning around, he saw two men genially smiling at them while knocking on the formation that they had set up around them.

At the same time that he did, another formation sprang up around theirs, preventing them from leaving directly.

These two men were radically different from each other, but they both looked eager, for some reason.

One of them was dressed immaculately in regal robes and had a perfectly-cut short beard with sharp features.

The other was dressed in loose robes and his face had as many wrinkles as the stars in the sky, yet he radiated a kind of wisdom that could only be adored.

Seeing that this was the one who was responsible for him having to go through the excruciating pain and humiliation of losing his arm and then having it reattached, anger appeared on his face, but he paused when he heard his companion speak.

"I guess they are more skilled than we give them credit for. Come in."

The last two words were meant for the two outside, and as the formation became dispelled, they merrily walked into the airspace around them as if they owned the place.

"Greetings, and welcome to Angaria. I see that you're the other useless Hero who was sent to be stationed on our continent as your companion is only fit to run around and hide from our sight like the rat he is. Oh, by the way, how's that arm of yours?"

A low growl emanated from his mouth, but he controlled himself and waited for the higher ranking member to speak.

"I guess this must be the first time that you so-called 'Big 4' actually walked out by yourselves instead of just defending like turtles in your layers of formations. What's the occasion?"

The one who answered was the Head, who was the prime target of the Church at the moment, right in front of the one beside him.

"We just believe that it's high time things change regarding our…relationship. By being passive, it seems that we have given the wrong impression to our disciples."

"Oh? And you believe that you can change that, now?"

The response…was given in the form of a single punch by the Head which caused numerous streaks of lightning, each as thick as a man's waist, to shoot toward his opponent- the man in purple-colored priest's robes, who had spoken till now, which made it clear that he was higher in position and power when compared to the other one.

This caused the sound that redirected everyone's attention to the sky, and at the same moment, the system sounded in Daneel's head.

[Hero-level intruders detected! Analysis under way.]

Oh? So that was the reason behind that feeling of his before?

Daneel felt glad as he realized this, as it meant that he had one less thing to worry about.

Looking at Elanev who was also looking up, he said, "That fight doesn't concern us. Let us begin."

Elanev turned to Daneel and nodded, which made Daneel drop that hammer as it was time to be serious.

Before, he had been reasonably confident that he would be able to defeat his elder brother using all the advantages he had.

Yet, now, after seeing that display of power…he could no longer say that, as it wouldn't be true.

This only made his blood boil even more, though, while he sent an order to the system.

"Activate 'Supreme Fighter' subroutine."

[Acknowledged. Activating subroutine. Retrieving and activating multiple techniques and inheritances…]

Chapter 646: Daneel v Elanev 2

A Supreme Fighter.

Before this battle, Daneel had asked himself what one who was worthy of holding this title should be able to do.

Was it a Fighter who was able to win all battles?

At least in the Legacy Battle, that was impossible as no Fighter would be able to predict all the variables that he might have to face.

Was it one who would be revered and worshipped by all as the goal to reach?

Such a Fighter would still be crushed if he had to go up against a group of Fighters, or if he faced a freak like Daneel's elder brother who had already crossed most of the boundaries of common sense.

No, in Daneel's view, a Supreme Fighter was one who would be able to adapt to any situation thrown at him in order to accomplish what he wished, even if the World, itself, wanted him to fail.

A Supreme Fighter was one who would be able to take any situation and turn it into one that was favorable to him.

With this in view, he had set out to create subroutine in the system, and when he heard its boot-up sequence, he couldn't help but smile with joy.

[Retrieving technique "Calm Mind". Allows faster processing of information.

Retrieving technique "Boulder Shoulders". Manipulates Energy present in shoulders to harden them.

Retrieving technique "Boundless Might". Allows one to direct force from a stable footing to output maximum power possible.

Adding technique "Invincible Arms". Allows extra amplification to arm strength using this technique to add to the force produced from the previous one.

Retrieving technique "Swift Feet." Allows prolonged/instantaneous acceleration.

Adding to technique "Flow like the Wing." Increases acceleration further.

Retrieving technique "Pillars of Eternal Might" to counter against speed-based foes.

….

….

....

187 techniques retrieved. 78 combinations of techniques created. 54 counter-techniques on standby.

'Supreme Fighter' subroutine activated with base as the 'Extreme' Inheritance. System on standby to deploy technique as required. ]

This…was Daneel's version of a 'Supreme Fighter'.

One who could use and even combine multiple Fighter techniques to handle anything thrown at him.

There were all kinds of combinations that allowed Daneel to output power amplified by multiple levels no matter which body part he used, and there were even counter-techniques which he could use depending on his opponent.

Daneel could bet that no one in history was capable of this, as they would have to train in all these techniques in order to deploy them.

Yet, he had the system which simply needed them in its database for it to let him use them without any hassle.

A typical Fighter would slowly learn the way to manipulate the Energy he absorbs day in and day out that is stored in each and every part of his body in order to exhibit a certain technique.

In Daneel's case, the system would simply do it, and all he needed to do was act accordingly to utilize the technique's power.

The 'Extreme' Inheritance, which allowed him to pull out all of his strength in a burst, was already overbearing enough. So, when other techniques were combined with this as the base to take the already overpowered amplification to new heights…the effect was pretty astonishing.

In essence, he was basically like a carefully designed one-man army who was equipped with each and every weapon necessary to achieve victory.

To test it out, Daneel sent out a single punch to the side.

[3 techniques were combined to output maximum power. Activating 'Extreme' Inheritance. Deactivating 'Extreme' Inheritance.]

BANG!

At the moment the punch ended, a shockwave was sent through the air which cut a tree in half.

"…"

Silence.

Absolute silence appeared in the entire area.

"NOT ONE, BUT TWO WARRIORS CAN OUTPUT CHAMPION LEVEL STRENGTH WHEN THEY ARE JUST FIGHTERS?! AND THEY ARE BOTH FROM THE CENTRAL CONTINENT?? I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS! THERE IS SOME KIND OF CHEATING GOING ON! MAYBE THEY ARE CHAMPIONS! OR MAYBE THE PEDESTRALS…"

"Sit."

Unable to take it anymore, a Hero had gotten up to begin this tirade which echoed the thoughts of many, many people around him.

Indeed, to the outside, it looked like Daneel had exhibited power on the Champion level, or at least close to it, with that punch.

After all, if a simple Warrior level Fighter could do something like punching in the air and causing a tree thicker than a man's waist to fall, then wouldn't he be able to easily defeat the Champion level monstrosities from a distance?

It was a fact that Warriors couldn't use ranged attacks without weapons, as at that stage, they were still limited to only utilizing their body to engage in hand to hand combat, if one didn't count anomalies such as Xander who were at the peak Warrior level and hence, were just one step away from becoming Champions.

It took the appearance of the Chief to stop him, and when he sat back down, the Chief spoke up again, saying, "As you can see above us, a fight is soon going to break out between the Head and I and two Heroes from the Church."

Although many had already understood who the enemies might be, the declaration from the Chief still made many gasp and even get fearful expressions on their faces.

Seeing this, the Chief humphed and said, "Angaria has stood for millennia in the control of those whom it gave birth to, and that will continue to be the case no matter how many more years pass. Today, the Head and I will show you why no one needs to be afraid of the Church. Watch, and if you ever wish to reach this level, keep a close eye. As for the battle below…"

Shooting a glance at the battlefield, the Chief continued.

"It will also be enthralling, and I encourage any who can to divert attention to it, too. Especially Warriors- you will see two individuals who have both surpassed their level using different methods. I will not comment on the methods, but suffice it to say that they are ones in our possession, and I will later be explaining to you all how it was made possible. But, for now, just watch, and witness the glory of Angaria."

The Chief was speaking through a clone, and he had made one appear on seeing the uproar on the pavilions. Knowing that it was best to speak to them once and then continue their fight so that they would at least know what they were witnessing, the Chief finished his task and refocused his attention on the spot above the sky where the 4 of them had just exchanged 'welcome' blows.

After that, though, they had paused.

As Heroes, they were capable of diverting their attention to multiple things at the same time due to the incredibly high complexity of their minds.

Hence, they had had an eye on the battlefield, so even they were given pause when they saw the King casually fling an attack that should only have come from a Champion.

After a moment, though, they analyzed what had happened and came up with the answer, and it was this moment that had been used by the Chief to go and give that proclamation.

It was the man in purple priest robes who spoke up first.

"What a pity. It is true that his main path is that of a Mage, but with this much talent, he could have achieved something extraordinary. Yet, he chose to go for momentary strength, instead. Although it is impressive to master so many techniques at once and utilize them together to gather this much strength, there is no way that such a person can actually breakthrough as they have no clear Path. All there is…is a jumble."

The man had spoken out what was on the minds of the Chief and Head.

The King had gone ahead and handpicked several techniques which he had combined to get this result, where he was comparable to a Champion.

His intelligence in being able to make such a combination was extraordinary.

But what was the use?

This kind of power could not be wielded for long by a Warrior, anyway. And later on, if he continued down this path, no matter how many combinations he made, he would never actually be able to break through.

So…they were disappointed, as they expected so much more.

But that didn't mean that they would show it in front of these enemies.

"He doesn't concern you. Your only worry…should be us. Head, you take this shiny guy. I'll go after my old opponent."

As the Chief said this, anger returned to the face of the Hero from the Church, but there was also a smile of expectation on his face.

This time…history would not repeat.

The Head also nodded, as he had understood that the Chief was also giving him an opportunity to cement his position in the minds of those on the High Council.

Sometimes, a direct reminder of one's strength was necessary.

Meanwhile, Daneel was quite happy on seeing the tree fall, too.

His estimations had already allowed him to find out that this would be the result, but it still felt good to see it for himself.

Of course, what felt even better was to see the shocked faces on all the might Heroes, Champions and Warriors on the pavilions above them.

Indeed, the shockwaves from the attack before had shattered the simple opaque sound-blocking formation that had been erected to prevent those in the battlefield from looking out.

So, he could clearly see both the pavilions and the Hero-level standoff above them.

It had been great to hear that tirade, and the shocked discussions that followed, but Daneel had also heard both the proclamation given by the Chief, and the conversation that had gone on above between the Heroes.

Anyone who heard themselves being mocked in that way would have felt worried and insecure, as they would wonder whether it was true that they had gone down the wrong path.

However…these things only gave immense relief to Daneel.

Ah, how good it felt when a plan succeeded right in front of his eyes.

Daneel had never wanted to become the 'target' of all of the Big 4 at this stage, nor had he wanted too much attention that would definitely gather around him if he displayed domineering strength that surpassed his level.

For someone normal, the only solution for something like this would be to conserve their strength and feign weakness.

Only, that was not an option at all for Daneel.

So…after planning for a long time, he had hit upon this method which used existing techniques to give him access to the kind of power that he wanted.

All the fools calling him a fool for choosing this method could never know that he had only taken a few seconds to give the system the instructions that had resulted in this scene.

All he cared about was the end result: he could be as powerful as he wished, he could get what he wanted, and he could escape becoming someone who would be targeted by all who coveted his power.

With everything set in place, Daneel could now fight with abandon.

A pure smile appearing on his face, he said, "All right, let's do this."

At the same moment that another loud peal of thunder sounded above them, Daneel and Elanev leaped forward at the same moment to finally meet in battle.

…

All over the Legacy Battlefield, the monstrosities were stomping around, looking for prey to get their hands on.

Alas, no matter how much they looked, they found no one.

That…was when they all heard a sound of earth-shattering from a specific direction.

Puzzled, the monstrosities began moving in that direction, but when that sound was followed by that of a tree falling, they all understood that that...was where their prey was.

Howling madly, they changed their walk to a run, as they set off like flies attracted to a light in the darkness.

Only…just like those flies which couldn't understand whether they were simply going to a heat source, or to a fire that would burn them, these monstrosities had no idea about the fate that awaited them.

Chapter 647: Daneel v Elanev End

Boom!

BOOOOM!

Bang!

THWUMP!

As Snake's eyes kept darting between the battle above and the battle below, his mind was simply blown away repeatedly by both scenes which even seemed oddly in sync.

Above, the Head would open his mouth and say something which seemed to affect his opponent in some way, stalling him while he conjured an attack that was almost like the sun- it was a concentrated ball of light that blinded those looking at it, and as it shot forward, it radiated waves of pure power that distorted the air in its wake.

Below, the King would shoot a punch that would be nullified by his opponent, before he braced himself for three kicks from the person in front of him who moved at a speed that made many Warriors helpless as they couldn't even figure out what was going on.

Above, the Chief would shoot through the air like a bullet while holding a simple short dagger in his hand, but each time he struck, it was as if he pierced the very fabric of space and time. A visible shockwave would emanate every time his opponent blocked an attack, and the Chief would use that counter-force to smoothly move back, reposition himself and then shoot forward again.

And below, the King would somehow spontaneously accelerate in the middle of the fight to launch an attack that any Warrior and even most Champions would not be able to avoid, but his opponent would bend his body in weird ways in order to achieve just that.

As the battle below had started too suddenly, no one had had time to think about who would win and come out on top.

Yet, now that they saw that it was perfectly even, they were pretty shocked, as these two were on a peak that other Warriors could only dream of reaching.

In the case of the Heroes, it looked to almost be the same.

The Head and the man in purple-colored priest robes seemed evenly matched. Everyone knew that the Head's Champion path had something to do with his voice- and he displayed this fully by repeatedly using it to create some sort of invisible attack that either slowed down his opponent or forced them to counter it in some way. Using that opportunity, the Head would attack, but the man from the Church would always be able to both counter the effect of his voice, and also create an attack that blocked the Head's. The Head used all kinds of dazzling magic attacks: from creating multiple suns, to even conjuring a massive axe that covered everyone's vision as it was the size of a village.

Heroes always were known to possess power that could devastate entire regions and even cause natural disasters that could cause thousands. Everyone realized that this was the truth when they saw the purple-robed man's counter-attacks which were mostly wind-based: cyclones and tornadoes were formed instantly to engulf the Head's attacks, and in the end, they would cancel each other out.

It was slightly different in the case of the Chief's fight. His opponent seemed to be biding his time, as he only used defensive methods while slyly aiming the Chief, as if waiting for something.

The Chief made everyone realize just how powerful a Hero-level Fighter could be: he was using the simplest of methods, but not even one movement of his was wasted. Each time he flew through the air, it was at an angle that needed his opponent to turn in order to see and defend, which gave him an extra moment during which there were no attacks. Each time his opponent managed to launch an attack, he would rotate instantly and become a blur while some sort of a barrier sprung up around him, defending him while still allowing him to continue his attack.

And each blow…each blow of his brought awe to all those watching, as it seemed to be filled with such might that it could easily destroy the massive mountain on which the Fortress was built.

Of course, they didn't even know that all 4 of these individuals were still holding back.

Daneel was aware of this, as he had seen the old man's transformation. Knowing that he was still in his scrawny form, he could deduce that the Chief, just like his opponent, was waiting for the right moment to take out his trump cards.

That was not the case with him and Elanev.

They were going all out from the start: Daneel was already using everything he had, and it seemed that Elanev was doing the same.

And with each blow that they exchanged, the same thought passed through their minds.

'DAMN, THIS FEELS AWESOME!'

Indeed.

Because most of those on the pavilions were watching from quite a distance and because they were not equipped with means like mages to enhance their vision at will, they didn't know that both the King and his elder brother…had smiles on their faces.

Broad, joyful smiles filled with the purest of emotions.

For Daneel, being able to lose himself in the moment and just give a fight everything he had felt so, so good that it was almost therapeutic. All the little frustrations he had from not being able to pummel Heroes if he wanted to or not being able to get that scroll without going through all this started to disappear slowly, allowing him to find true peace that felt oh, so valuable when he realized what he had been going without so far.

For Elanev, each blow showed him that he hadn't been wrong to go down this path of extreme pain while giving up almost everything he loved in life. Each blow told him that it had all been worth it, and that he should never doubt himself again.

Their fighting styles were completely different. Daneel depended on the techniques to give him raw power and speed that he used in the simplest ways to either attack, dodge or counter Elanev.

Elanev had more of a flowing style, where he used all sorts of varied methods in an attempt to land a blow. Sometimes, he would solely use his legs and they would move seamlessly, layering blows and making Daneel use the Basilisk's Breath so that he could see the next one and block beforehand. If he wasn't capable of doing that, he was pretty sure that he might have lost by now.

At times, his fists would begin a…dance, where one would be a feint and the other would carry his full force. Again, without the Basilisk's Breath, Daneel would not have been able to spot the minute changes in his body which allowed him to guess which was which.

As he asked the system, Daneel learned that all of these were Fighting Skills that he had seen the old man teach Elanev, and through this fight, he understood their importance.

He couldn't do anything about it, though, as the system could not help him in that matter: all it could do was give him instructions, and in the heat of battle, without practice, Daneel would only make a fool of himself.

With time, it became clear that even though their overall power level was equal, these techniques gave Elanev an advantage that would have allowed him to cinch the victory if Daneel didn't have the cheat that was the Basilisk's Breath.

It was almost like two men equipped with the same guns. Daneel could equip as many guns as he wished and he could also shoot them all, but Elanev had skills which allowed him to expertly handle the recoil and also crouch to increase his accuracy so that he would have the advantage.

Their fight devastated their surroundings, felling all the trees and causing deep pits to appear in the ground due to the aftershocks.

And so, when the monstrosities started to pop up one by one from all directions, Daneel noticed them and leaped back while Elanev did the same.

"They're finished! They'll be massacred! They should just teleport out!"

Seeing this scene, Snake exclaimed like so, speaking out the thought that had come in the minds of most of the Warriors near him who were also watching the battle below while shooting occasional glances upwards to see the dazzling Hero-level attacks of those in the sky.

Yet, what happened next caused each and every one of them to drop their jaws and stand up with shock.

"Pesky things. Why don't we handle them before continuing? They're disturbing all the fun."

With this casual statement, the King turned around and ran toward the incoming enemies, while his elder brother nodded and did the same.

The latter reached first, and it looked like he had taken notes from the monstrosity still stuck in the ground from its previous altercation with the King.

A single punch to the head.

A single punch to the head caused another monstrosity to be buried in the ground, where it became trapped, unable to move.

With only its undersized head and a little bit of its shoulders above the ground, it snarled at the one who had just put it in this state, but he had already gone forward to a different monstrosity.

On the other side, the King was doing the same. He would take care that the monstrosities weren't bunched together, and he would nail each one into the ground as if he was a studious carpenter just now learning his craft.

More and more Warriors, Champions and Heroes began to notice this sight, and it made them all so distracted that they even ignored the Hero-level fight above them for a few seconds.

Champion after Champion was immobilized, with each and every one of them evenly spaced so that their struggles wouldn't loosen the earth around them to allow them to escape.

"HOW THE F*CK IS THIS A LEGACY BATTLE ANY MORE? THE CHAMPIONS ARE SUPPOSED TO HUNT THE WARRIORS! NOT THE OTHER WAY ROUND!"

This shout from the same person who had gone on that tirade before made many nod inadvertently before they caught themselves and stopped.

Indeed, each Champion was being…hunted.

Not even a minute later, the two men were once again standing in the middle of the battlefield, and they seemed to be slightly out of breath.

Slightly…out of breath.

As the Warriors noticed this, they lost all hope of matching these two.

If they could defeat a single monstrosity even by having a few of their bones broken, they would call it a victory that would be lauded by all others.

Yet…these two had just handled tens of them without even properly breaking a sweat.

The gap…was just too large.

Above, even the Heroes were surprised on seeing this, but they were too busy looking for the perfect opportunity to launch their ultimate attacks.

Meanwhile, Daneel had also noticed this, and he wanted their fight to be over first.

Looking into Elanev's eyes, he smiled and said, "Elder Brother, I used to say this before, and I'll say it again now. No matter what happens, you will forever be my elder brother whom I will always look up to."

Elanev did not reply.

Instead, he took a stable stance and held out his hand.

A light glow began to form around it, and the system immediately sounded in Daneel's mind.

[Technique 'One Final Strike' is being used by target. All the remaining Energy in the body is collected and released at once.]

Oh? So that was how he wanted it to end?

Daneel thought for a bit, and replied to the system.

"All right. Let's use it, too."

[Affirmative. Deploying 'One Final Strike'.]

He held out his hand, too, and Daneel felt Energy rushing from his entire body towards it while it began glowing, too.

This made Elanev raise his eyebrows, but he did not say anything.

A moment later, the process of accumulation was done.

Even the battle above seemed to pause for this moment, and in the silence, the two brothers ran forward.

At this moment, who won and who lost didn't matter. They had started this fight for different reasons, and for both of them, those reasons had been fulfilled.

So, there was no expression of frustration or anger on either of their faces. All that was present was calmness- and it was one that could only be achieved by those whose hearts were at peace.

The two fists met, and it was as if a bomb had been set off in between them.

In that moment of impact, Elanev said two words to the old man in his head.

"Thank you."

For the longest time, only one question had repeatedly plagued him and had even kept him awake at night.

It was even the reason he had set off from the Kingdom and met the old man in the first place.

Would he ever be able to reach the King, and stand beside him while he served proudly?

Or would he forever have to be a side character who would be forgotten later when everyone else went too far ahead?

Today, he had gotten his answer.

YES!

Yes, he could!

Receiving this answer…made him happier than he ever remembered being in his life.

BOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!

As their attacks canceled each other off, Elanev could tell that they were once again dead even- pain wracked his body, and he knew that the King must be enduring the same.

However, the King hadn't had to go through so much to reach this stage.

Bang!

As a large dust cloud rose up due to the impact which blocked the view of almost everyone on the pavilions, Elanev knelt on the ground, his hands to his sides.

From there, he proudly looked up to meet Daneel's eyes.

"I always wanted to say this, too, but I could never do so. Now, I say it proudly. Daneel, you will forever be my brother, and my King. I, Elanev, disciple of Senior Fists of Justice, pledge my undying loyalty to you, in order to stand by your side and do your bidding, now and forever more."

At the moment the last word left his mouth, Elanev fainted and collapsed.

As the dust cloud began to fade, those in the Pavilions witnessed a sight that they would talk about for years to come.

The King stood alone and invincible on the battlefield, with his last opponent unconscious in front of him.

All around him, unconscious Fighters and struggling Champions could be seen, present as symbols of his victory.

Amongst them all, he shone with a majesty and grandeur that only a domineering ruler could command.

And at the same moment, an ancient voice echoed throughout the forest.

"All save one stand. The Legacy Battle has been won. Glory be to my Legacy Disciple! All who call themselves of the Fortress, I command you to kneel!"

Chapter 648: Legacy Disciple 1

"Kneel?"

"KNEEL?!"

"The voice of the Sect Founder!"

"It has been won? Wait, someone can win it?"

More than the sight of the King, it was this statement spoken by that ancient voice which made goosebumps rise on the hands of almost all the Fighters who had previously been inside the Fortress of Unyielding Might's secret archives that stayed in their minds even as it echoed throughout the forest before disappearing.

It looked like the King was as equally shocked as them, because even he angled his Head up with a puzzled expression on his face.

Yet, the next second, his eyes widened, and he immediately began to step back with a very serious expression on his face.

As many were watching him, they saw him do this, and they, too, glanced up to see what was the matter.

And that… Was when they saw a different kind of magnificent sight – one which made fear arise from a deep, deep place in their hearts that made them almost cower and hope that they would not perish.

…

Two seconds before the conclusion of the King's fight, and the statement that echoed throughout the area.

The Head and the Chief was still engaged in the stalemate, and it did not look like the two from the Church had any intention of actually bringing it to a quick conclusion.

When anyone thought about it, they would be able to understand the motivation behind this. If the objective of the Chief was to show the top disciples of the Big Four that the Church was nothing to fear, then they would want to quickly finish the fight and end it in a victory that would stay for a long time in those young minds.

So, instead of that, if everyone from the Big Four simply saw even the two supposedly most powerful individuals in Angaria having to enter this kind of stalemate, then the opposite effect might occur, which would be perfect for them as any force would always face an easier time fighting against a demotivated foe.

Knowing this, the Head sent a message to the Chief, saying, "What do we do, Chief? I don't know when this guy got here, but his power has exceeded my expectations. And you already know that I cannot take out our trump cards. What should we do? I really, really don't want to see their smug expressions if it reaches a point where we will have to break off the fight, or allow them to flee as they wish."

The Chief took a second to answer, but as the Head glanced toward him, he could see that the man had just looked down to take in the state of the battlefield.

At the same time, the Head did so, too, and he was once more impressed by this feat by the King that had not been achievable by any Warrior in the Legacy Battle before him- at least, in the last few thousands of years.

The next moment, he received a decisive answer that made him harden his face.

"Ready your latest spell. It's worth it. You'll know when to use it, and it will be soon. Take care not to miss."

If it was anyone else, the Head would have questioned them, but this was his mentor whom he trusted with his life.

A Hero was one who could affect the world in ways which others could not even comprehend. Their power was something that could only be looked up to by all below their realm, and if they wished, they could bring devastation the likes of which could wipe out entire towns or even cities.

Hence, the attacks that they had been using till now were not a true indication of what they were capable of. Instead, it was like a careful dance to find the right moment, as they knew that if a major attack failed, they would be placed in a disadvantageous position that would be hard to come out of.

The Chief's Path was one which used his words to affect the world around him, and of course, the world of his opponent. In many ways, his Path was said to be invincible as the types of attacks that he could use were only limited by his imagination.

Till now, he had been using his Path's effects on the man from the Church to slow him down or constrict his usage of the elementary particles around him. However, he stopped that now and conjured a thick barrier in front of him before joining his hands and making another 'sun' appear between them.

This 'sun' looked different, though. Where the others were made of light and would only look like bright, glowing blobs of Energy, this one was a dark shade of red, and anyone who had honed their instincts even a little bit would be able to detect that it was something that they should not mess with.

Indeed, as it came into existence, the amount of heat inside it was so high that the atmosphere, itself, began heating up.

If those in the pavilions weren't so engrossed in the spectacle of the King's final fight, they would have noticed this, too.

Seeing this attack, the man from the Church let out a short laugh and said, "So, it seems you finally lost patience. Very well. I guess it really was required to remind you monkeys that you are nothing in front of the Church."

With this, it became clear that that really was the objective of these two men, and the reason behind them staying and not leaving like they typically would in such an engagement.

Closing his eyes, the man in purple robes stretched out his hands and hid himself in multiple layers of formations.

Inside it, if anyone could see him, they would observe that he had taken out some sort of object that looked like it was a figurine of a man wearing long robes and holding a staff aloft which seemed to start releasing Energy of the sort that was present in a Natural Energised Training Chamber the moment it is exposed to the air.

Even Daneel would have been shocked to see this kind of phenomenon, as on Angaria, it was impossible to make such an object in which Energy could be condensed to such a degree that it became solid.

With a sly smile, he muttered to himself, "Do you think this is some kind of stupid battle where honor might prevent me from using trinkets that you cannot possibly possess in this sh*thole? Hehe, get ready to get a taste of the Church's most profitable weapon."

Of course, on the outside, nothing was visible to the Head who simply looked like he was preparing to bombard the layers of formations created by his opponent in an attempt to defeat him and end this fight.

Beside him, the Chief looked like he was doing something similar. However, his style was different.

If most of those in the pavilions hadn't been distracted by the incredible sight below that had managed to captivate even many of the Heroes and Champions, they would have witnessed the scene that only a few in the Fortress had seen till now.

In the span of a fraction of a second, the Chief's entire body transformed into one that belonged to a youth that had just reached the peak of his Path. He looked many years younger, and there was even a confident smile on his face that was only present on those who were assured of their victory.

In this state, he prepared to once again shoot forward in order to attack his opponent, whose expression also changed as he realized that it was time for what he had been waiting for.

Just like his companion, he also prepared to use a figurine, but he held it inside his pocket so that it wouldn't be exposed.

This resulted in the moment of silence that had been present in the span of time when the King's fight had concluded.

The Chief looked down, and knowing what was going to come, he sent a message to the Head.

"Just like old times."

This made a smile appear on the Head's face, and if anyone on the High Council saw it, they would be pretty surprised as they would realize that this meant that the one they had been seeing on him all this time had been fake – this was one that was real, as it had come to be because of a feeling that had been born due to many memories rushing back into his head.

"Just like old times," he echoed, before taking in a deep, deep breath.

It was this scene that caused Daneel to instantly feel such a strong sense of danger that he was tempted to break the trinket around his Mageroot and teleport away, as he wasn't sure that the formation still in place would be enough to protect them from what was going to happen next.

Opening his mouth wide, for the first time since Daneel had seen him, the Chief actually… Shouted.

"FOR ANGARIA!"

'A single shout to break the world.'

That day, Daneel understood the meaning of this phrase, as he saw visible shock waves erupt from the Head's mouth as they headed towards his opponents, driving away all the elementary particles that were being controlled by them in order to both stop the spells they had been about to use, and also break the barriers they had conjured.

In an instant where shock appeared on both of their faces, the barriers instantly cracked, and both the attacks short forth unhindered.

The Chief's was first. Leaping from an invisible platform in the sky, he turned into a bullet that seemed to part the very heavens in front of it.

Nothing could come in its way.

The Chief also began to rotate at a speed that turned him into a bright blur, and his hand that was held forth with that short blade made him appear like a missile that had set out with the singular purpose of destroying its target.

He struck first, but the sound of that impact was only heard for a moment before it was overshadowed due to the Head's attack.

The Head had also thrown forth that ball of intense heat, and as it flew through the air, the temperature of the atmosphere rose to another level. And as soon as it reached near its target, it exploded into a supernova that caused waves and waves of fiery force to batter everything around it.

Of course, the purple-robed man was the main one who had to handle the brunt of its power, and because all of his defensive measures had been blown away due to the Head's shout, he was left with nothing.

For a second, he took on the attack with his bare body, but after that, he managed to use the figurine to cause a thin layer of Energy that looked like it would break at any moment to cover his body.

On the other side, the white-robed man's fate was worse. With nothing stopping him, the Chief had successfully driven that dagger deep into his chest, while both of their bodies flew backward in the air. The impact also caused various injuries to appear all over his body, and the Chief used that moment of time he had to drag back that dagger and repeatedly slash, aiming at all the vital organs.

So what if they came from the mainland? They were still humans, and they still had weak points that could be targeted.

Yet, it was that figurine that stopped him, too. That same layer of Energy appeared around this man's body, too, and detecting danger, the Chief immediately used the man's head as support and leapt back to return to his original position beside the Head.

That was when a broad smile appeared on his face as he saw the pitiful condition of the purple-robed man.

His clothes had all but burned away, except for a few shreds that remained. Nasty burns could be seen all over his body, and because he knew that this man was probably someone who had gone through some sort of hardening process that was present in the mainland that could allow a Mage to cover up their drawbacks, he was pretty damn impressed with the attack.

Even the skin on his face had been burned away, so his expression couldn't be seen. However, his eyes made it clear what he was feeling.

In them, shone the anger that came from losing to someone he had deemed unworthy of even battling him in the first place.

"Retreat!" He shouted, and immediately teleported away, while his companion did the same.

"For Angaria!"

"FOR ANGARIA!"

This magnificent sight made those on the pavilions who had had the shadow of fear in their hearts burst out with cheers, and others also followed.

On this day, two Heroes from the Church had been defeated and driven back, and it was a victory after a long chain of losses and draws.

Amidst the cheering, though, no one forgot the command from before.

Were they really supposed to kneel to this previously unknown nobody from the Central Continent?

Even Daneel had this question, and at the moment, he couldn't help but hope that he could gain control of such a massive force so easily.

Yet…the Chief sent him a message at that moment, which made the smile that had come on his face disappear.

"Congrats. You won. But if you think even for a second that the entire Sect is yours, you are very, very mistaken, King."

Chapter 649: Legacy Disciple 2

Seeing the sour expression on the King's face, the Chief almost felt like laughing, but he first decided to address those the pavilions.

Their objective had been fulfilled – the Church had been beaten back, and although the cost of that was that one of the newly created attacks of the Head had been exposed, the Chief truly believed that it was worth it and that it would show its benefits in the long run.

After he descended, a shiny eye-shaped trinket shape came and landed in his hand, which had been capturing the entire battle so that it could be transmitted to everyone who hadn't been lucky enough to be present here.

Putting that safely in his pocket, he eyed all those who were a part of the Fortress who had pretty troubled expressions on their faces due to the message given by the voice of the founder.

By this time, even though they were still reeling in the joy from seeing the damn Church being beaten back, this weighed down on their minds.

They were of the Fortress, and of the Big 4, and this gave them a kind of mindset that would not allow them to just obey the command.

Putting his hands behind his back, he addressed them all.

"You all heard the founder. Indeed, the legacy battle has been finally won, and because this has not happened in any of your lifetimes, you were caught off-guard by the contents of his message. The truth is that it has always been the case that those who won a Legacy Battle could directly ascend to the post of the Sect Leader. In the days after the Fortress was newly established, the Sect Founder was a huge believer in the fact that it was much better to choose the next leader according to their capability rather than by any other method.

"His instructions were that no one should be given any clue as to what they were supposed to accomplish in the Legacy Battle. They could be enticed saying that lasting till the end would give them a lot of benefits, but that was it. In fact, in that time, as it was difficult to keep such simple information that the goal was to obliterate everyone and stand alone in the end a secret, there were even mages who were specially called in so that they could temporarily wipe the memories of the participants."

This made many raise their eyebrows, and as for the Warriors who hadn't even heard that such a feat was possible by mages, they were pretty shocked. Indeed, it looked like it was pretty important that no one should know what exactly they were supposed to achieve, just like them till now.

"The whole idea behind it was that they should be placed in a similar situation as him. As you already know, the Sect Founder was someone who established the Sect after killing off the weakened post-apocalyptic creatures who had already had their fill destroying everything around them. He rose to prominence because he was one of the first to take this decision to fight, as almost all the others were too scared or too cautious to emerge from their hiding places and face those monstrosities in battle. He did so, as he was someone who was not ready to bow down and allow those things to rampage as they liked without at least trying to face them."

These words by the Chief allowed many to imagine the scene. They could put themselves in the place of the Sect Founder – he must have been hiding in some sort of cave along with all the other survivors, and while they all eyed those grotesque things with fear and caution, his eyes must have been burning with anger and the will to fight. Shocking everyone, he must have strode out and begun his battles, and by achieving victory, they could tell just how much of a beacon of hope he must have stood as for those who felt lost because of everything that they had had to go through.

In this solemn atmosphere, the Chief once again spoke, and his words made many get expressions of realization on their faces.

"The whole idea was that he wanted his successor, and the leader of the Sect to be someone who would also make this choice when placed in a similar situation. Of course, he did not wish all the promising seeds of the Sect to be killed off, so he made sure that the monstrosities would, at max, be at the level of someone who had newly broken through to the next realm, even though that was not how it was for him. Courage to stride forward where all others are bereft of it, and the might to stand alone on the battlefield, invincible. Both of these things are required – even if one is missing, the other will not be enough. And today, the King of Lanthanor, and as you should call him now, Legacy Disciple of the Fortress, has displayed just these attributes that the Sect Founder was always looking for. I'm happy to announce that my long search for a Legacy Disciple has ended, as I have found someone who can carry forward the ideals of our Sect."

As he paused after saying this, everyone braced themselves, as it almost felt like the Chief would announce next that they should honor the words of the Sect Founder and kneel to him.

However, his next statement made the sourness on Daneel's face deepen, while also making relief appear on the faces of many.

"Only… Things are now different from how they were right after the Fortress was established. At that time, it was Heroes who took part in the Legacy Battle, and the one who won was typically also the strongest in the Sect. There would not be any qualms from anyone in the Fortress to object to them becoming the Sect Leader, and a smooth ceremony would follow where that person would be given his position. However… With the steady decline in the overall Energy of the continent, the Legacy Battle had to change, as there came a time when there were too few Heroes to take part. So… All the elders of the Fortress sat down at that time and made a decision for both their present, and the future."

With bated breath, even those not of the Fortress waited for the proclamation that this guy from the Central Continent who had burst out of nowhere would not be taking control of one of the Big Four.

Right now, most from the Fortress were still remembering his curses from the day before, and even though some had begun to change their attitude after seeing his incredible performance, they were still not ready to kneel.

After all, although they did respect power, it didn't mean that they would have to bow to all those more powerful than them.

As for those from the other sects, they were simply jealous, as they did not want to even imagine a case where someone without any background or resources had accomplished things which they couldn't even dream about.

Finally, as the Chief spoke again, relief shone on the faces of quite a few people, and Daneel took a mental note of all of them so that he could sate the displeasure that he felt by later targeting them if he wished.

"The decision was that, first of all, the Legacy Battle would occur between Champions, at that time, and later on, when the Energy Level of the continent decreased even further, Warriors. And more importantly, although the title of a Legacy Disciple would be given to the one who wins, they will not be able to directly become the Sect Leader unless they grow to become Heroes, themselves. Using accurate calculations, those elders were able to understand that even if such a time came when only Warriors would be the ones who would be participating in the Legacy Battle, Heroes would still be the most powerful individuals around. Hence, they wished for the Sect Leader to both have the ideals, and the strength necessary in order to command such a large force."

"A Hero? Pfft! According to the Chief's explanation, he won't even become a Champion! It won't be happening, so there's no need to worry!"

That same person who had given the tirade and had been stopped before by the Chief spoke out again, making many nod, as it was true.

Because of the Path the King had chosen, it wasn't a fact that he would even become a Champion at this point.

So…worrying about him becoming a Hero later on and having them kneel was something that did not need to be on their minds now.

Although some reacted differently, this was what most felt

The decision made sense, but Daneel had to struggle to get back a calm expression on his face.

Oh, how good would it have been if he could directly have skipped all the parts in between and gotten the achievement from the system which would definitely have given him a ton of EXP.

After all, the upgrade was still in his sight, and he wanted to get there as soon as possible – however, it looked like he would have to find other routes.

As for achievements in this battle, it did not look like he would be getting any, as he hadn't really accomplished anything which had driven his path towards World Domination – which was apparently the metric used by the system to award him EXP. Elanev had always been in his service, and although he had not spoken it out before, it did not make a difference to the system. As for winning the battle, it didn't count as he hadn't swayed many, and because just like before, even though the announcement had taken place and he would mostly be getting the role in the future, it had to be official, and he had to take it before the system gave him the award.

This was when Daneel realized that he had gotten pretty spoiled recently.

So what if he couldn't get it now? He had only been aiming for the scroll, and this was an extra addition that he hadn't known about!

Besides, wasn't it something whose value couldn't be estimated? He was pretty much set to take it later, so he should be rejoicing!

After all, was the Hero realm truly all that difficult to reach, for him?

Nope!

And wasn't his objective to not become the target of others, anyway?

So, when he thought about it in this way, Daneel realized that things had actually turned out…perfectly.

He had initially set out to hopefully gain control of one of the Big 4, and it had seemed so far fetched.

Yet, he had now achieved it without even aiming for it directly!

As soon as this made him smile, the Chief once again spoke.

"All those from the Big Four, I thank you all for coming. All those from the Fortress-I hope you will remember today, and the various things you have learned. As you must have noticed, the path of honor, which has recently become something that I hear a lot, is bullish*it. The King managed to accomplish so much because he knew that, in the end, victory is what matters. So, I urge you all to leave that foolishness behind, and just focus on your own strength. Just remember one thing: if your heart stands resolute, then no one can stand in your way. All of you are dismissed."

This statement made thoughtful expressions appear on the faces of most from the Fortress, as they could see the truth in his words after remembering everything they had witnessed.

Even though he had been at a serious disadvantage, the King had used every method available to him to clinch a victory.

If so, why should they hide under their fake 'honor'? Wasn't it just disgraceful?

Smiling broadly on seeing these thoughts that had started to appear in the minds of those from his sect, the Chief nodded to the Head and teleported to Daneel's side.

A moment later, they vanished again, as Daneel had given the system the order not to stop the Chief.

When he looked around after they reappeared, he realized that they were back at the place where this whole thing had started.

The room filled with treasures, and the podium on which the scroll floated.

"You did it. And I'm a man of my word. Go ahead."

What? Really?

Ecstatic, Daneel stretched forward his hand and grasped the scroll, already daydreaming again about achieving the Ultimate Path that he had been seeking for so long.

Yet…when he opened the scroll, all he saw was one word, which made him drop his jaw and wonder whether this was what he had worked so, so hard for.

"Need."

Written in an elegant script, it seemed to be mocking him.

At this moment, as laughter erupted from the Chief behind him who had seen his flabbergasted face, he truly considered whether he should just leave caution to the wind and turn around to strangle this damn old man.

Chapter 650: Legacy Disciple 3

What the f*ck?

'Need'?

That's it?! That was what he had worked so hard for??!!

Unconsciously channeling a specific character from a very famous movie back on Earth, Daneel opened and closed the scroll twice, and even thrice, but that word didn't undergo any sort of transformation.

Still desperate, he even asked the system to scan it and see if there was something he was missing, but the only answer he got was that this was just a simple scroll of parchment whose defensive formations had been removed for him to access.

That was it.

The Chief's laughter was still echoing around the room, and at this moment, if Daneel was asked whom he hated most in the Big Four, then the answer was something he would not hesitate to give.

Not wanting to give the man the satisfaction of knowing that he had pissed him off even more, Daneel took a deep breath and calmed himself down before turning around and saying, "Very funny. Now, where's the real scroll?"

Daneel actually had to wait for a few moments until the Chief finished his laughing session, wiped his eyes and then looked at him before finally opening his mouth to answer.

And, of course, the answer was something that infuriated him even more.

"What real scroll? This is it! What were you expecting, by the way?"

Daneel wondered whether to scream out the answer, but knowing that that would degrade his identity of a King to that of a toddler, he took another deep breath and answered with his lips pressed tightly together in order to show his displeasure.

"A method to tread on the Ultimate Path without having to stay in the Warrior realm for too long while mastering both the Paths required. A method to become a Champion, and then focus on getting an Ultimate Path, so that anyone who can accomplish that can be invincible in their own realm. A method that was used by the sect founder, to accomplish all that he did in order to set up the sect. You need me to spell the words out for you, too?"

Speaking to the Chief like he was the toddler instead did make Daneel feel a little bit better, but as he did not faze the man in any manner, it ended up being just a small satisfaction.

The Chief only smiled a bit and said, "Read the scroll again. What does it say?"

Of course, Daneel did not have to look down in order to answer.

"Need."

Slapping a hand on Daneel's shoulder as if they were best buddies, the Chief said, "Of course! 'Need'! That's all you 'need'! Okay, fine, that joke is too overused. Anyway, I am being serious. 'Need' was what allowed the sect founder to achieve that third resonance that is needed for one to tread the Ultimate path. Now… Do you remember our favor?"

Daneel got a slight clue as to what the Chief meant when he heard the man give the answer in this way, but he decided to answer first.

"Of course. I was going to ask about that, next. I believe that I have held up my end?"

Back when he had had to get back to Lanthanor in order to be there for Cassandra, Daneel had had to go request the Chief to cover for him as the Head had only allowed him to enter and leave each and every sect in the Big Four once.

At that time, the Chief had gone ahead and offered a very peculiar favor, even stacking a lot of rewards on top just to make Daneel accept.

Of course, Daneel had gone ahead and said yes, and that was what had resulted in this scenario where he had been targeted by everyone, which had actually ended up helping him out when one looked at it after it was all done.

As for what the favor was… It was that Daneel had to somehow show everyone in the Fortress that their foolishness in pursuing honor, which was basically being used as an excuse so that they wouldn't have to face up against Mages and lose, would stop.

The Chief was basically looking out for his sect. Deeply saddened by this type of behaviour where a Fighter was usually supposed to honorably accept defeat and look for a time when he would be equipped with enough tools in order to counter his opponent, he had set out to find some way in which those of the Fortress could be shown that they were on an erroneous path in the best way possible.

In that process, he had found Daneel, whose actions he had actually been following whenever he was bored while absorbing blood.

Knowing that this was someone whose mind had a certain proficiency for scheming and getting things done, the Chief had gone ahead and rolled the dice, and the results were actually… Beautiful.

Even now, the Chief was thinking back to the thoughtful expressions on those of the Fortress when he had spoken before. All he had been looking for was some kind of push so that this kind of thinking would at least begin, and the rest could be handled by the Champions and Heroes who had already been instructed to capitalize on this opportunity and go ahead to offer classes where Fighters would be taught specifically how to handle Mages using new techniques that the Chief had created.

Essentially, it was just a mishmash of old techniques from the Empire that he had excavated and modified for use by Warriors so that they wouldn't lose their motivation in advancing forward.

Even though the top seeds of the sect would not be affected by something like this, he really did not want anyone to have to abandon the glorious path of a Fighter for reasons like these.

After finding out about the favor, Daneel had, of course, understood the motivation behind it, and he had gone ahead and accepted as his plan had already been forming in the direction.

Now that his end was done, he realised that accepting it had been the best thing to do, as if the scroll really did contain nothing else, then at least the book that had been promised to him which contained the experiences of all those who had tried this method would definitely help him out in uncovering just what the sect founder had exactly done in order to accomplish something that had flummoxed even the many genius minds of the Empire.

Of course, there was also the additional reward of all of the techniques created by the Chief, but Daneel wasn't really looking forward to this that much, as he already had a plethora of techniques which he could use at any time. Yet, he still valued it, as it was something that he could use without anyone getting suspicion on him.

After taking that moment to think back to what he had seen and feeling happy that he had taken the right step in offering that favor, the Chief answered, "Of course you have, brilliantly. Now, I've had my bit of fun, so I want to tell you that I would not have just left you with the scroll and cheated you out of what was promised even if you didn't fulfill your end of the favor and earned this book. However, because you have, I don't think I need to explain further. Just go through it, and all of it will be clear to you. Remember, this is something that will become most clear when you are at that junction, so don't worry too much if you don't understand something now. If you need anything, feel free to contact me, and you can even use this room to study the book for now and memorize it. I don't think I need to tell you not to touch these weapons, as unlike normal ones, if you touch them, they will attack you. And of course, here is the other thing I promised: the collection of my techniques. You can go through this later, though, as they won't make sense to you now anyway. Once again, congratulations on winning the battle, and fulfilling the expectations that the Head and I had for you. You can have a moment of respite, but after that, both of us will be waiting in the audience chamber where you first met me so that we can have a talk about all the things that you displayed during the battle. Hey, don't look at me like that, you should have known that it was coming. You're not someone dumb, after all."

Daneel had glanced at the Chief with a little bit of alarm in his eyes as soon as he had heard that last part, which had led the Chief to respond in that way.

Well, the chief was right. He had known that this was coming, and he had already planned for it, but he still couldn't help but feel that little bit of panic especially after the incredible attacks that he had just seen.

Daneel had yet to remark on that, as he was too busy with these things. Yet, one thing was for certain: no matter how many tricks he pulled out of his bag, he would not be able to defeat even one of these two.

So, he simply nodded in response, which made the Chief say, "Take your time. When you're done, just knock on the door."

Saying so, the Chief disappeared, once again using that weird method of teleportation where he used his body to guide the elementary particles instead of using a mageroot, as a mage would.

Before, the Chief had also taken out a data trinket from his pocket and threw it into the air where it had floated when he was present.

Now that he had left, it dropped to the ground, and Daneel caught it instantly and asked the system to scan it to see how valuable it really was.

[Scanning trinket. Multiple Hero-level Fighter techniques found. Comparing with techniques in database. There are multiple cases where the techniques in the data trinket are edited versions of those in database which are focused on using less Energy. The data trinket also contains files with notes from its creator, and from this, system has deduced that these were modified keeping in mind the current Energy level of the continent. Adding techniques to database.]

Hearing this, Daneel raised both of his eyebrows, as he was once again impressed by this man.

Apparently, instead of sitting back and lamenting that techniques from the Empire could not be used in this age as the Energy level was too different, he had gone ahead and studied them extensively before modifying them to benefit all Fighters for all ages to come. Daneel knew the amount of skill that was required in order to take an existing skill, or spell, and modify it, as even though he had the system to do this in a snap for him, he had tried it for himself and seen the difficulty.

Putting it aside, he walked forward, as he had noticed his second prize atop the podium that had just had its formations removed right after the departure of the Chief.

As expected, there was a neatly bound leather book in front of him, and as Daneel picked it up, he had to blow a little dust off of it.

Opening it, he read the first page, which had the title, and impatiently flipped to the second one to find an illustration of a man who was larger than any giant Daneel had ever seen, as was clear from the small humans he was holding in his hands as if they were just two twigs he had casually picked up from the ground.

Below it, a caption read, "Success Study One: Third Sect Master of the Fortress of Unyielding Might.

Mage Path: Magnification/Case-based amplification.

Fighter Path: Invincible/Boundless Strength.

Ultimate Path: COLOSSUS."

Chapter 651: Legacy Disciple End

The word popped in front of his eyes almost as if it was written in golden, glowing letters, even though it had just been underlined with a flourish by whoever had written down this book.

With the Legacy Battle done and with him receiving his rewards, Daneel didn't care anymore. With a simple thought, he broke the trinket that was obstructing his Mageroot, which made him feel like stretching out his Mage powers as it felt that they had been sleeping for far too long.

Various elements sprang into existence all around him – balls of concentrated fire, lightning, water, ice, earth, and then, multiple constructs also sprang into being before disappearing one by one and then being replaced by a grand throne on which Daneel comfortably sat.

For the first time in a long time, he did not ask the system to scan the book in his hands to tell him what it contained – no, he decided to read it himself, so he put on a calm expression on his face and began to go through the book that actually did not contain too many cases.

'Need'. What could the sect founder have meant?

With each page that turned in the silent room, the answer to this question became more and more apparent to Daneel.

There were only 10 cases in total. And there was a good reason why it was so.

For a long time even after reading the last page, Daneel just sat there, lost in his thoughts.

Finally, he stood up and walked to the door before knocking on it, and being teleported out once again.

A moment later, when he blinked and looked around to realize that he really was back in the same audience chamber where he had first been received by the Chief, he also noted that two men were standing in the room along with him.

Even after blasting off that attack that had decimated a part of the sky and had only not affected those in the Pavilions and the battlefield because of special formations that had been activated at the last moment by the Chief, the man still looked pretty normal. In other words, he did not at all look like the pyromaniac who had just set fire to the sky.

As for the Chief, of course, he still had that small smile on his face, and he was the one who spoke first.

"So… I gather that you found out what you were looking for? Why don't you tell us, so that we can make sure that you are on the right track."

With a nod, Daneel answered.

"'Need'. It is need that allows a Human to break through to become a warrior, and the sect founder found out that it is the same 'need' that can allow one to build a resonance later on even if they do not plan beforehand and spend time to choose Paths that go together. His favourite quote always was that 'Necessity is the road to power'. In many ways, it could be argued that even the other methods that are used by Humans to break through to become Warriors have something to do with need. When they attack that bridge for a long time, the body feels the need to cross over or perish from old age, and it succeeds. And, of course, Angaria, itself, has everything to do with need. A Champion manipulates the elementary particles and draws them to him when he uses his resonance to make his need known to the world. Even the inhabitants of Angaria who feel the need to grow stronger find themselves enabled by the continent to accomplish that using the energy resources that can be found in the ground. So… When the sect leader was placed in a position where he was going to die against the monstrosities, which would definitely have set back that general area of the continent for quite a long time as no one else was present who was as powerful as him who could take the mantle and let humanity rebuild, he felt the 'need' and erupted in power. However…"

"No one can explain exactly what was different about him that allowed him to do so properly, while most of the others who tried the same failed, and even had to suffer horrible consequences."

The Chief spoke up to finish Daneel's sentence as he paused while thinking back to the failures that had been listed in the book.

Indeed…the answer was 'need', once again, just like it had been when Daneel had broken through to become a Warrior.

In a harmonic way, it made sense, as it could be said that the world, itself, functioned on this singular concept.

Only, the problem was that even the Sect Founder could not explain further.

All it needed was a moment for that resonance to be formed, and after that, one would have already have set foot firmly in the Ultimate Path.

But to get there…was a perilous process.

Seeing the slightly disturbed expression on Daneel's face, the Chief said, "You must be remembering those failed cases listed down. Be aware that those were only the few that were written down, and there are many, many more. These cases were special because the leaders at the time believed that they would be useful for those in the future."

Daneel nodded as he heard this, as he had already deduced as much.

Taking the clue from the Sect Founder, many had tried multiple ways to simulate similar conditions so that that same 'need' could be used.

It had never succeeded.

All those who were success cases were either senior leaders in the Sect, or sect leaders themselves.

Apparently, they had felt the 'need', somehow, due to factors that hadn't been figured out yet.

Just like the sect leader, they tried to explain how they had done it where so many others had failed.

Daneel had gone through those testimonials, and they were pretty useless. All these people said was that they felt a burning desire to make it happen, and it just…did.

So, basically, they were clueless.

If it was just this, Daneel would have felt that the book was wasted, too, and that he had been chasing something that hadn't been seen on this continent in thousands of years.

Indeed, the last person who had succeeded dated back to the early few thousand years after the passing of the apocalypse. After that, there had been no success cases whatsoever.

It was exactly because the book told him why that was so, did Daneel feel glad that he had obtained it, and that it was worth it all.

This included what was there on the scroll, too. Without this additional information or what the Chief would have told him if he hadn't fulfilled that favor, it would be useless.

All the information…pointed one to what they shouldn't do.

Each one who failed was very clear about what they had done wrong.

During the process of forming the resonance, one of them had been interrupted.

So, it needed to be an uninterrupted action, but that man had been in the thick of battle, so he had failed, and he became an example for others to learn from.

Some of them had used mind control to think that it was the apocalypse, again.

This had been a strange case. By many accounts, it should have worked, as they were the exact conditions which the sect leader had had to face.

Only…the results were varied, and none of them succeeded.

One of them was killed because he couldn't do it till the end.

Another felt something- an instinctual response from one's own body that was supposed to be the trigger for the formation of the resonance, but it had been too feeble to result in anything.

As more and more began to fail, this method had been ruled out, as a theory was born that even though one could fool themselves using this way and although it might be effective during the breakthrough from a Human to a Warrior, a Warrior's consciousness was developed enough to know that there was no need for true 'need' to erupt.

And each failure…was also accompanied by damage to both one's mageroot and body, as combining things without knowing how to properly do so could be pretty damn dangerous.

Daneel knew this perfectly, as he still remembered when he had mixed two elements to result in an explosion that had burned his hair.

All in all, the book and the scroll were a guidebook to prevent one from going wrong, so that they could save themselves when pursuing this supreme power.

So…they were practically priceless.

Daneel had already begun to find some clues in all this, but he could tell one thing: he had now equipped himself with this knowledge, and when the time came, he was sure that it would sprout like a seed to give him the power he wished. He had also found a direction which he could follow to find the answer, and that was what he needed most, as he was equipped with the system which could do wonders if it was given all the data it needed.

He would not have been thinking so positively if it weren't for a single thought that had occurred to him, and had gotten stuck in his mind.

The sect leader's 'need' was to save humanity.

Since then, had there been another situation where the continent was threatened on that scale?

Definitely not.

Now, Daneel was in the same unique position.

His 'need' was to save Angaria, and he knew for sure that it was at least as powerful as that felt by the sect leader.

The more he thought about it, the more he believed that this…was the key.

So, he was positive that the Ultimate Path was now available to him, and all that was left was for him to decide on his Champion Path, and his bloodline.

All in all…he was ready to call this trip a grand, grand success.

He had obtained the method he needed, and although it wasn't a perfect step-by-step guide, he had gotten all that was there to get. If anyone could tread the Ultimate Path simply by getting these two things, then there would have been so many more with that kind of power, but that was really not the case.

When something was so rare that it had gone unseen for millennia, the path to obtaining it would definitely not be one that could be walked by anyone easily.

Secondly, he had basically set himself up to rule the sect later on, and although there might be problems on that end when the time came, Daneel was sure that he would be able to handle them.

Hence, all that was left was to handle these two so that he could leave and check on his brother, before departing together to Lanthanor.

Looking up again and realizing that he had become lost in his thoughts for a minute, Daneel said, "I have gotten the clue that I always wanted to find, so I am satisfied. What is it you wish to speak to me about?"

The Chief was actually a bit surprised as he heard this. Raising his eyebrows, he hesitated a bit before saying, "Well, I wasn't expecting that. I've seen many get angry that there isn't a checklist they can follow to obtain the Ultimate Path."

Daneel felt like laughing as he heard this, as he could understand their mindset, and he had almost reacted in the same way.

Yet, because he had confidence in what he had discovered, he really was satisfied.

Shrugging, the Chief continued, "Anyway, first of all, your role as a Legacy Disciple allows you to take a role that is only beneath mine. Even the elders will have to listen to you, and all the secret techniques, weapons, and resources will be yours to use. You can practically strut around as if you own this whole place, and when you become a Hero, you can take my place, too. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?"

If Daneel hadn't already suffered multiple times at the hands of this old man, he would have celebrated by now, but he knew that a catch was coming.

And of course, after waiting for a few moments and seeing that the King wasn't falling for it, the Head smiled softly and spoke up.

"There is a catch, as you are expecting. You must join the Big 4 to take up this role, and when you do, there is also something else waiting for you. Are you tempted to join, now? You will be more powerful than almost all disciple in all of the Big 4. You will grow much faster than them, and you will-"

"Not interested. Anything else?"

This time, it was the two Heroes' turn to gape, while the King felt like laughing, as there was just something great about seeing such an expression on individuals who held as much power and prestige as these two.

After all, anyone normal would have jumped for this opportunity. Yet, Daneel was already equipped with so much more than they could ever give him. Even in the area of resources, he was flush, for the moment, and before he broke through, he couldn't use anything, anyway.

So…anyway he saw it, there was no reason to change his original plan.

Clearing his plan, he decided to say just that.

"At least, for now, I have no intention of doing so, even if this is the case. I wish to continue handling my Kingdom, studying the people, and going through the libraries of the other sects in the Big 4. After I break through, we can speak on this, again. So…"

"All right, fine, the Head already mentioned this. Then, there's one matter left. Those techniques…"

"Were found by me without even me trying too hard. These are the locations of the inheritance sites. It was almost like the world was helping me."

Saying so, Daneel threw a data trinket, which the Chief caught, while both of them had the same thought flash through their minds.

Angaria…must have been helping him, as was written in the records.

Could such a thing be explained even by Heroes?

Not a chance.

So…that left almost nothing else on their agenda.

With his hands behind his back, the King waited patiently for the men to speak up.

He had already placed those inheritance sites for the techniques he had used during the Legacy Battle, knowing that he would be asked about them, and he had decided to use this excuse which couldn't be refuted. Hey, it was possible that it was true, and the two Heroes couldn't prove otherwise, so they just had to accept it.

Not expecting this conversation to go in this way, the Head and the Chief had to exchange glances for a moment to figure out what to say next, and it was the Chief who finally spoke up again.

"Oh, yes, about that method you were using. You must already know that it won't allow you to break through, right?"

Knowing that this was the last thing, Daneel smiled and said, "Of course. I have a different plan, and I'll be shifting to that now. I only used that method before because I wanted to win the Legacy Battle, which I did."

Hearing the words spoken in a confident tone, the Chief was left helpless. There really was nothing else to say.

Seeing this, Daneel said, "I guess that's it. I'll be taking my leave then, gentlemen. I had a wonderful stay in the sect, and I look forward to my return. And at that time…you can bet that I will be taking control of the whole thing, no matter what anyone has to say about it. Goodbye."

With broad shoulders and a straight back, the King made this proclamation which echoed in the room while he nodded to them both in a royal manner and walked out.

It was only after the door closed after his departure that the two got back to their senses, as it had almost been like a spell had been cast on them by his words and actions.

Chuckling on realizing this, the Chief sat back in a chair that was behind him and said, "He's really something, that one."

The Head, though, had a puzzled expression on his face.

"Why didn't you try to instruct him? I thought that was what you were going to do, as you said that you cared about his future."

The answer was given by the Chief after he turned to look straight into his previous mentee's eyes, and hearing it, the Head felt such surprise that he almost messed up even the simple conjuring spell that he had been casting to make himself a chair.

"You still quite a bit to learn, my oldest disciple. I have a theory regarding this. In this world, there are two types of people. The first are like you and me. When instructed, they follow the instructions and work hard to take each step forward on paths that have already been tread in order to reach the peak, and possibly go even further. And then, there are those who I thought did not exist in this age. They forge their own path forward, and instructing them will be as futile as trying to talk calmly to a raging bull. They have a perfect clarity regarding what they wish to do, and all you have to do is equip them with what they need, and watch as they go forth and surpass all. The sect leader was one such man, and it was said that the Emperor was the same. I have a feeling that he is of that sort, too, and my instinct has never been wrong. Unlike what I said to those people, I follow the instructions of the founder, as that is what I have been instructed to do by my master. I am ready to kneel to him even now, and even though he doesn't know it, I am ready to do anything and everything for him. Just keep watching, Head. This…will definitely not be the last time that he shocks us all."

Chapter 652: Leaving the Fortress

Unaware of the ally he had just gained, Daneel directly walked to the medical bay of the Fortress where Elanev had been taken to after the Battle.

On the way, he couldn't help but notice that the overall attitude of those in the Fortress had changed.

True, there were still the typical Fighters with fragile egos who sneered at him and comforted themselves by saying in their mind that he could never become a Hero, so they would never have to kneel to him.

Daneel ignored them, as he knew that they would be his primary source of entertainment when the time came to take over the sect.

It was the few who made way for him, and even looked at him with respect in their eyes that surprised Daneel and made him once again feel that a public spectacle was always the best method to change one's perspective.

After reaching the medical bay, Daneel wasn't surprised to see that it was almost filled to the brim.

As a sect that focused on the Fighter Path, it was normal for its inhabitants to sustain injuries regularly which made it so that it made sense that the medical bay was a large room that had over 200 beds.

It occupied an entire building that was built into one corner tower of the 4 towers of the fortress, and walking through it, Daneel felt that this was one of the most unique sights he would ever see.

That was because most of these beds…were filled because of him.

As the Battle had just concluded, all the Fighters who had been injured during it were currently being healed here. Among them, many had been eliminated by Daneel's machinations.

If they hadn't seen that final fight where the dominating sight of those monstrosities being handled as if they were children wasn't present in their minds, they might have gone ahead and swarmed the King in order to get their revenge.

At the moment, though, all they could do was glare at him, and as Daneel walked through the multiple rows of beds, his back prickled as many, many sets of eyes were eyeing it with murderous anger.

Of course, these were all insignificant individuals he didn't care about, and although he was tempted to take on his 'cocky' avatar and say something to make them cough out blood, he resisted the impulse as he knew that there was no need to further hurt all these Fighters who had already been put in their place by everything they had witnessed.

Soon, he reached the bed where Elanev's name tag was there, and to his surprise, he saw that it was empty.

Huh? Shouldn't his condition be pretty critical as he had expended all of his energy in the battle before? Where could he have gone?

Was he being targeted by some disgruntled Fighters in his weakened state?

That didn't seem very possible, as the Fortress was still under the surveillance of the Chief, who wouldn't let something like that happen.

Puzzled, Daneel wondered who he should ask, which was when he saw someone familiar in the corner of his eye.

Tall.

He hadn't used much force to make the guy teleport out so that he could take his place, but the wound from the hammer on his head looked like it still needed some treatment.

When Daneel had been looking in a different direction, he had spotted that Tall had been eyeing him with an expression that he couldn't decipher as he hadn't been able to see it clearly.

Now, when he turned in that direction and walked to him, he saw the man trying very hard to act as if he was asleep.

"Stop acting if you don't want another hammer to your head."

This statement caused Tall to suffer flashbacks which made him instantly sit up and look above his head in panic, as he was afraid that there was already a hammer there, which was the last sight he had seen on the battlefield.

Seeing that that was thankfully not the case, Tall first let out a sigh of relief before putting on an expression of deep discontent.

"I agreed to help you, but you eliminated me in such a rude manner. Couldn't you have just activated the teleportation trinket?"

"What can I do? You insisted on getting greedy when I told you that you should leave. So…I simply had no choice!"

If anyone who knew the truth behind what had happened in the battlefield heard this exchange, they would definitely be puzzled as to what the heck these two were talking about.

Hadn't Daneel used a part of his own consciousness to control Tall before switching with him? What was all this about 'agreeing' to help, now?

This…was the last part of Daneel's plan, which was to make sure that no clues would be left that he had used means that were not supposed to be available to him.

Each and every Fighter who had been controlled by either his, Kellor's or Faxul's consciousnesses would think that they had done everything of their own volition, and that they had not been under someone else's control in any way.

After all, their consciousnesses had full control of that person, so it was a piece of cake to create a fake memory that would seem real after they left those bodies.

Hence…according to Tall, everything had happened just like how it had looked to those in the Pavilions. He had agreed to help Daneel so that he could help himself, and he had been switched out later.

At that time, he had resisted, and he had been knocked out by a hammer.

"I don't even know why I made those decisions, but I was just trying to win. Anyway, what do you want? If it's about the guy who came to the sect with you, he limped out of here while saying something strange that sounded like 'thirsty'. Water was beside his bed, so no one understood, and no one stopped him either as they didn't want to take a punch similar to the one they had seen during the battle."

For a second, Daneel felt even more puzzled as he heard this, but he then understood where his elder brother might have gone.

He was just about to head off, but that was when he saw the deep sadness in the eyes of the man in front of him whose identity he had used.

To everyone else, Tall would be the one who had resulted in them being eliminated, so Daneel could tell that he would be targeted for a long while even after Daneel left the sect.

True, he had tried to scheme to make Daneel fight for him.

But did he deserve this?

That sadness made it clear that he had a tale that belonged to him, and although Daneel wasn't too interested in finding out all the details, one thing was clear: his motivation to become stronger and lose his status was something to be commended, and it was something that would keep him going for a long, long time, no matter what came in his way.

Getting an idea, Daneel said, "If you value your life, don't tell anyone where you got this," before directly walking toward the door.

Tall was puzzled as he heard these words which were spoken in such a low tone that they were only audible to him.

Shaking his head, he lied back down on his bed but felt something sharp poke his back which made him yelp with pain.

These sounds were common around the room due to all those suffering from having various bones broken, so no one really noticed it. As for those who had their eyes set on him to take revenge later, they were too busy getting treatment and they weren't paying attention to him right now as they knew that he couldn't go anywhere.

So, unnoticed by anyone, Tall searched the bed and found a shining data trinket which made his jaw drop as soon as he touched it.

"Greater High-Tier Fighter Path: 'Elasticity' modified for this age. Allows one to stretch any body part…"

…

Meanwhile, with a smile on his face, Daneel headed to the place where he knew his elder brother would be.

He hadn't been told by the Chief not to give the techniques he had created to others, so Daneel had taken the liberty of awarding Tall with that technique after checking whether it was suitable for him.

Putting that matter out of his mind as his fate was in his hands now, Daneel once again got lost in his thoughts as he began to recall the cases where the previous sect leaders had been able to obtain the Ultimate Path. Could there be anything he had missed?

Soon, though, he found himself at a door which he knocked.

There was no response.

As he knocked again, he asked the system to break through the anti-eavesdropping formation that was active around this house.

As soon as the system did so, he heard a voice from inside say, "-must be him! One of you go open the door! He's shy around women, so he'll definitely leave!"

Giggling and laughing sounds followed after this statement, and as Daneel felt his face burn, he heard the footsteps which indicated that someone was coming to the door.

Bracing himself, he counted the number of distinct sounds he had heard.

1,2,3…13.

13 women were in there.

So…it seemed that his elder brother's 'thirst' was pretty damn serious, and that his status seemed to have changed in the village after his amazing performance in the battle.

Deciding that they would definitely be having another fight as soon as he got back to Lanthanor, Daneel left the sect after placing a note in front of the door.

…

Leaving the sect was simple- the Chief had already given him the authority to bypass the sect's formations, which Daneel used to get to Lanthanor quickly.

As soon as he got back, he checked on Cassandra, who was apparently in the Black Raven Kingdom right now as part of her search.

She sent him a message saying that she felt that she was getting closer, but that it would take time.

Hoping that she would succeed soon, Daneel immediately called for a Royal Court so that he could get an update regarding anything he might have missed in this past month.

He had completely been cut off from all sorts of communication, and after the battle, he had seen that there were a lot of messages waiting for him.

However, he had decided to directly come to Lanthanor in order to see what was up instead of seeing the messages and then responding to them.

After doing so, he sat alone in the Throne Room, and Eloise was the first to show up.

Daneel smiled brightly at her, and she smiled back.

He had already told all of the sovereigns what he was up to, so she asked, "How was it?"

"Extremely fruitful. After the meeting, stay back. I have to talk to you about something."

Although she got a puzzled expression on her face, Eloise nodded, while the rest of the ministers started filing in one by one.

Soon, news spread that the King was already waiting, so everyone sped up, and the Royal Court began.

And the first item on the agenda…made Daneel take a double take.

A map of Angaria that had been conjured by Eloise, herself, was floating in front of him in the middle of the court, and it was divided into three sections: one was golden, to represent the Alliance, another was red, which was the newly established Republic of Axelor, and the third was blue, which represented Arafell.

Only…this blue seemed to dominate a LOT of the map.

Eloise spoke up to explain the situation.

"Until now, in the history of Angaria, the various Kingdoms and Forces were always cautious of others attacking them if they expanded their territories. However, right now, the Kingdom of Arafell is acting as if it is sure that others will not attack it, no matter what it does. It has begun aggressively expanding to take in all the independent towns and villages, thereby expanding its population significantly. Usually, these people are left alone as any Kingdom trying to take them over would be beaten back into their walls by other forces. We estimate that if Arafell's progress is not stopped, it will control almost the same amount of land as the four Kingdoms of the Alliance, combined."

A single thought instantly appeared in Daneel's mind as soon as he heard this.

That b*tch!

She knew that 3 forces had to exist as per the rules enforced by the Big 4, so she was taking advantage of it to get control of more troops so that she could break the third seal, too!

Besides, it was almost like she knew that Daneel would be gone for a month, as it looked like she had begun this whole thing right after the Legacy Battle had started.

So, she had had the perfect window to just go ahead without any hindrance.

Getting a sudden doubt, Daneel checked whether there were any messages from Arafell.

Indeed, there was one, and as he heard it, he had no option but to grit his teeth and realize that he had been outplayed.

"Remember me?"

Chapter 653: Emergency Cour

His good mood that had come from having a great trip completely destroyed, Daneel closed his eyes and took a moment to calm down.

Indeed, this wasn't some fantasy movie where his other opponents would sit idly while he handled other things.

No, this was real life, where they would all be planning behind his back to use the perfect opportunity to do something exactly like this.

Now that he thought about it, it made sense that the Queen Arafell must have had some method or the other to keep a tab on the Big 4, and as the Legacy Battle was quite a momentous occasion, she must have found out easily that Daneel was going to take part.

So…she had struck, and it looked like she had used all the time she had perfectly.

All of these towns and villages situated between the Kingdoms and the forces on Angaria typically had to depend on themselves for almost everything. Defending themselves against bandits, governing themselves, making sure that adequate security measures were there for the inhabitants- everything had to be taken care of, and these were not simple tasks.

So, such settlements were usually happy to go under a Kingdom or a force if they could get something in return. In fact, in history, there was even a town that was famous for flying the flags of all of the forces in the Central Continent in just the span of a month, as their system was that their allegiance would simply be to whoever paid the most.

Typically, conquests of these sorts were usually just to stoke the ego and pride of the rulers, and smart ones would actually avoid these kinds of actions as it was just a pipe dream to want to control anything outside of one's borders.

Of course, Daneel had proven that wrong by taking three other forces under his control, but that was different.

According to many estimates, these smaller towns and villages had a number equal to the size of a typical large Kingdom, which meant that by ruling all of them, the Queen had a solid chance at breaking her own third seal so that she could be equipped with the same treasures from the Empire that Daneel now treasured so much.

That…couldn't happen.

True, these settlements could be ignored in normal times, but there was nothing normal about the current age, and Daneel felt like kicking himself because he hadn't identified this sooner.

They were just sitting there, like fat sheep that could be taken under someone's control to reward them with higher satisfaction level!

It couldn't go on. She had to be stopped.

But how?

Letting out that breath, Daneel addressed the court.

"Is there any way to stop this, or, better yet, reverse it? Arafell cannot be allowed to take control of so many people."

Hearing the King's serious tone, those in the Royal Courtroom felt shivers in their backs.

Why was the King taking this so seriously?

They didn't understand, but they still obliged.

It was a rotund man who spoke up first.

"My King, the easiest thing to do is to just use our army to take back all that land. We are now an Alliance-the first in recent history! With our combined force, Arafell will only be able to run back to their Kingdom!"

Sounds of agreement came from others around him, too, as he stated this obvious answer, but Daneel locked his eyes onto him, which made him panic as if he was being locked onto by some kind of feral beast.

"Any kind of violent means cannot be used. There also cannot be any means where there is a chance that violence can be incited by our actions. Whatever we do, our army should not move."

The-the army shouldn't move?

But why?

The King did not look like he wanted to give an answer, so those in the Court shrugged and began to think with these constraints.

Of course, Eloise could detect that something was wrong, so she chose to ask.

Kellor would usually have been the one to ask this, but he wasn't attending as he had said that his head felt as if someone had split it in two and then joined it back together using the shoddiest of healing spells.

Eloise had known that splitting a Warrior's consciousness could be dangerous, but as she had seen that scene, she had remarked that if the drawback was just this kind of pain, then maybe it was worth it.

"Daneel, why? I get that there should at least be three forces in the Central Continent, but why shouldn't we at least drive Arafell back? The Queen is really acting as if she fears nothing, so what am I missing?"

Eloise's voice had a calming effect that allowed Daneel to lessen the amount of irritation he was feeling.

She had asked in the form a message, and he sent back his answer in the same method.

"It's because I'm in a, well, a bad situation, at the moment. I told you all about the High Council, right? They're all pretty mad because I scored the right to go to all of the Big 4, so they're just waiting for something to use against me. Typical swollen heads that think they are better because I'm from the Central Continent, blah, blah. Anyway, even the small show of force will allow them to say that I am using my military might to bully others, and that, in essence, I can bully someone to come to my side easily, which would mean that the rules would be broken. I don't want to give them that chance, and somehow, the Queen knows that, too. We need other methods."

Eloise couldn't help but gasp as she heard this. So this was the case? But how did Arafell know everything so perfectly?

Knowing that it was a question for another day, she focused on the topic at hand.

The others in the court had already begun discussing, and it did not look like a solution would spring out soon.

Still, Daneel decided to wait, as this was too important.

He just couldn't have that crazy woman running around with that much power.

Finally, one of the ministers stood up and first spoke out the most obvious answer.

"My King, if a show of force isn't possible, then why not try a method of non-violence? As we are the Alliance, we have much more power than Arafell, and we can tempt those towns and village with various things so that they change their allegiance. We can even move our military might to take care of the bandits, as that is a very real problem for almost all of those settlements."

Daneel had already thought of this. So, he gave his answer.

"No. It also must not seem like we are actively going forward to do things to oppose Arafell by using what we have. I know that these restrictions sound strange, but they are real. The truth is that if we do not follow them, we will be attacked by a different force which does not wish for a Kingdom that is too strong to form in the Central Continent."

A hush came over the room as he said this.

Daneel knew that motivation went a long way in enabling creativity, so he had decided on this story as opposed to the truth, which was actually pretty close to what he had just said.

It worked. Instead of just discussing casually like before, a measure of seriousness could be seen on everyone's faces, as they all knew what that 'different force' was.

The Big 4.

As for them not going forward to do anything actively, again, it was so that the High Council would not have grounds to target Daneel.

Soon…almost everyone in the court began to agree that there was only one method left which was obvious, and that they would need more time if they had to come up with something else.

Daneel had also reached this conclusion, so when one of the ministers spoke it out, he wasn't very surprised.

"My Lord, in that case, the best thing to do would be to somehow make those settlements want to join the Alliance by themselves. We need to think of a strategy to entice them using things they cannot resist. So, for that purpose, we propose that an active committee should be set up which will analyze the specific needs of these settlements so that more information will be available."

For once, Daneel was happy that he had capable advisors who were smart.

So, he nodded and said, "Go ahead. Give this committee all the resources they need, and also set up another one to create strategies to sway the citizens, too. The Court is dismissed. Eloise, with me."

Daneel had to change his plans for the aftermath of the meeting as this was something that was too pressing.

Even as they spoke, Daneel could feel the satisfaction level of the Queen rising steadily, so he immediately called for a meeting of the nine sovereigns, even though two of them were indisposed.

His objective was to immediately begin a few countermeasures using covert means.

Also, he began to check on all the plans he had set in motion to see if there was anything glaring of this sort he might have missed. These included the pyramid schemes, the mass production of display trinkets, the shows on the NOA, the growth of H&D and the expansion of the train network, among the others.

As Daneel absorbed himself in this work, unknown to him, two men were talking about the battle he had just been through in a house that constantly kept teleporting all over the coast of Angaria.

These two men were actually just in the form of two humans trapped in glowing crystals, but if one looked closer, they would see that this 'crystal' was healing the grave injuries they had sustained.

The one who had used to wear the purple-colored robes now actually had skin that was a faint purple, as the flames had caused some of the material of those clothes to mix with his skin.

He was the one speaking now, and he used magic, as his face still did not have a lot of skin and tissue.

"We should hasten the plan to test his Mage Prowess, too. If we can send back results that show that he is a threat, maybe we will get a weapon he won't be able to defend against. And maybe…we will be able to use that weapon against that damn sweet-talker, too. I hate that Path! It's such a menace even on the Mainland!"

The other one looked fine, except for the gaping holes in his stomach.

"Yes, I'll take care of it. He will have to fight a Peak Champion this time, so there definitely won't be a repeat of what happened before. And that Chief…ARGH!"

As the man's voice devolved into howls of pain because of exacerbating his own injuries by getting angry, the other man also began to dream.

Soon…they would know, as the King would be placed in a situation where he would have no option but to pull everything he had out.

Either way, he was doomed. If he wasn't too talented, he would be killed by his opponent. If he was, he would be killed by the Church.

Looking forward to it, the man closed his eyes and cast a spell to go into hibernation, while the other man continued to suffer, alone.

…

Meanwhile, in Arafell, the Empire Spirit was in a joyous mood.

She had just gotten the news that the King had convened an emergency Court, and that he had seemed pretty disgruntled.

Oh, how good it felt to be one step in front of this guy!

But…why was that so? Hadn't she tussled with even greater foes during the Empire?

This thought was interrupted by a voice in her head.

"Is this really necessary? Do we have to go against him?

The answer was given with a smile.

"Silly girl, stop letting your crush speak for you. This is both a test and an opportunity. If I can break the third seal, I will be back in the Race. If he somehow still wins even when he is so close to losing, he will have proven…something. Just wait and watch, girl. This won't be a fight of power…no, it is one of wits, and in that area, I wish to see whether he can match me."

Chapter 654: A Meeting 1

In the Sect of Hedon, a man was walking down a path with a feral expression on his face, as if he was ready to pounce on anyone who even looked at him wrong.

He was walking right in the middle, and typically, he would have been cursed at by those more powerful than him.

However, instead of that happening, even the Champions on the path decided to move to the side as they wanted nothing to do with the 'Mad Dog of the Mad Doctor'.

It had all started with the Mad Doctor going into a coma. For a few days after that, everything had been fine. But then, strange things started happening, and they all surrounded this man.

On one day, a Warrior was found strung up on a street with all his limbs cut off and the words "I do not think that the Mad Doctor deserved what he got" on his chest. He wasn't breathing, but the agony with which he died was apparent in the expression that still lingered on his face.

A week after that, a casual scouting expedition had resulted in one of the team members massacring all the others because they all had expressed that they wished that the Mad Doctor had been killed instead of being put in a coma.

And two weeks after that, over 20 beds in the Medical Bay got filled with Warriors who fought with this guy and lost because he used all kinds of underhanded methods for victory. Low blows, biting, scratching, conjuring farts to distract enemies- he used all of these, and many more, all because this group had been hoping that it would be a long, long time until the Mad Doctor woke up.

In all this, the most surprising thing was that the Sect did nothing to stop him, or even reprimand him for his actions. True, the Sect of Hedon was known for the freedom it granted to its disciples so that they could do whatever they wished, but it was just a bit too much.

Hence, even the Champions had come to the conclusion that it was possible that this guy had support from someone in a high position. It was probably best not to mess with him, as that would mean that that figure might descend to attack them.

On the path, a small gaggle of three people were discussing something after carefully looking around and making sure that they were alone.

However, as if he had some sort of targeting mechanism that allowed him to detect anyone talking about that individual, this man sped to them and raised one of the group up with his collar.

Looking into his eyes, he snarled, "What did you say about my father?"

Fear appeared on the faces of all three Warriors, and the other two even looked like they wanted to bolt instead of staying here.

The one who had been raised up hastily said, "Nothing, nothing! I am in charge of maintaining the formations in the top-security medical ward, and I was just telling them that the Mad Doctor was moaning something last night! I heard the Hero from the other sect who came to heal him say that he is recovering quickly, and that he might be back on his feet in a month or two if everything went well!"

If anyone were keeping a close watch on the man's eyes, they might have noticed the panic that flashed across them for the briefest of moments before disappearing and being replaced by joy.

Laughing, the man said, "Good! Then, two months later, I will come with a few bottles of wine from the Black Raven Kingdom to celebrate with you! But if it doesn't happen…"

Seeing the laughter, the man hoisted up in the air had just been about to breathe a sigh of relief, but this statement immediately made him tense up again and say, "That wasn't all! The Hero also said that if something adverse happens to him before then, then the time of awakening might be delayed, too! In fact, even the probability of him definitely waking up was only positive, and not definitive!"

"Oh? Then you wanted to raise my hopes and then dash them, with the wish that I, loyal Mad Dog of the Mad Doctor, will have my heart broken into a thousand pieces and die? I'll kill you first!"

"No, sir! Please! Oh, look at the time! I'm delaying your training, sir! It isn't worth skipping training just to kill little old me! Please accept these Ker Gems as an apology!"

Quickly, the man remembered what the talk around the sect was.

Apparently, this Mad Dog was also mad about training, so no matter time it was, this excuse could work depending on his mood.

Hastily taking out a pouch from a hidden pocket, the man watched with bated breath as the man snatched it and checked to see how many gems there were.

"Humph. Don't let me hear you talking about that topic again. And take good care of my father! In his absence, I will be setting everyone right! Get out of here!"

Hearing this, the three scrambled away even though they had been standing right in front of their own quarters.

Continuing onwards to his room, the man closed the door behind him and walked forward to stand in front of a mirror.

Seeing himself, he…began laughing, uproariously, while remembering the expressions of those three, and how they had run away.

Taking a little bit of time to revel in the moment, Percy finally settled into a sofa and counted the Ker Gems before dropping the laughter and recalling the information about his father that he already knew.

In 2 months, it was possible that he might wake up because of the work of a Hero from a different sect.

Well, he would handle that when the time came.

For now…he would be the 'Loyal Dog'.

Chuckling again as he recalled this title, Percy threw the pouch into a pile in the corner of the room which was already as high as the room.

This was fun, and profitable!

Lying back down again, Percy couldn't help but think back to when this had all started.

Right after that fight between the previous sect master and his father, Percy had been ecstatic, but the revelation after that that the sect master was probably in cahoots with the Church had shocked everyone.

In turn…suspicion had begun to fall on him, as it was possible that he might have schemed, too, to result in the downfall of the Mad Doctor.

Each and every Champion was an integral part of the Big 4, and that was even more the case with the Mad Doctor, who had been an Exalted Champion.

So, the crackdown had been pretty severe, with each and every person related to the incident being thoroughly evaluated.

Percy had been the one to smuggle that locator trinket into the hidden location where his brothers had been training, and many Champions knew of his hatred toward his father, even though not many knew the reason behind it.

Hence, they had even started the process to get the permission to take him away and torture him, in order to find out whether he was in with the Church, too.

It was a remote possibility, but the Hero of the Sect had been livid because he had been reprimanded by the Head, and he had wanted results. And in torture…anyone would spit out anything in order to just escape from the pain.

That…was when that first incident had rocked the sect, and from then, each incident made it clear that the son of the Mad Doctor had turned a new leaf, probably after seeing his father in that state.

Indeed, Percy had visited him, and seeing him with that gaping hole where the middle section of his body used to be, he had almost broken down with pain and anger.

Of course…that was all an act, and a part of his plan.

Inwardly, he had been laughing to himself, as it had felt so good to see the man who had killed so many people important to him in that state.

So, in the end…with the brand of the 'Loyal Dog', he had saved himself.

Wondering how his master was doing, Percy was just about to train, when he heard a knock on his door.

Puzzled as to who could be brave enough to come bother him, he checked the surveillance formation present around every house to see that it was someone who had newly joined the sect.

Huh? Why would some nameless disciple come to see him? True, he looked like he was shaking in his boots, but why was he even here?

Deciding to find out, Percy put that menacing expression back on his face and opened the door, which made that Sect Member yelp, "Sir, I was sent by the administrative wing to check on the room!"

Oh, it was this. After that breach of the central wing by his master, the sect had implemented this new procedure of scanning all the rooms of sect members with special trinkets that could check whether there were any foreign trinkets or individuals that shouldn't be present.

Letting him in and closing the door, Percy walked to sit back down as it would take a minute, but he suddenly felt danger and turned around.

It was already too late. A trinket shaped like a tiny arrow whistled through the air and hit his hand, burrowing inside as if it was alive and making him fall to the floor while screaming with pain.

He could feel it moving through his body, up his bloodstream, until it finally stopped at Mageroot.

"Resist, and that thing will detonate and blow up your Mageroot and brain. Even the medical techniques of the Mainland won't be able to defend you, then."

As the pain finally started to fade, Percy heard this calm voice, and as he opened his eyes, he saw that his room had already been surrounded by formations whose complexity dazzled him.

They were definitely at the Hero level, and they seemed even more sophisticated than the ones he had seen in the sect.

The man who had entered transformed into someone familiar, and after thinking for a bit, Percy realized that this was the same person who had been defeated by the Head.

That meant…that he was being targeted by the Church? What the f*ck could they want with him?

As he got the answer, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"This is just a precaution. I'm here to help you, but I can't have you tattling that I've infiltrated the sect to anyone. This is also a very unique trinket: it will only detonate if you speak about anything related to me, and otherwise, it will remain hidden. Anyway, I have heard about your loyalty to your father. For a few reasons, I want to…speed up his recovery, and then set him on the enemy whom he will definitely target the moment he wakes up. I need you…to help me with that. Your father will even become stronger than he was! Isn't it a win-win? What do you say?"

…

Meanwhile, Daneel had just decided to travel to that house in the middle of nowhere to check on the pyramid scheme himself.

Right now, because he couldn't move actively, he had realized that it might be best to manipulate these other organizations to accomplish what he wished.

However, just before he set off, he received another message from Arafell, and this one surprised him.

"Meet me outside your Kingdom, in front of the east gate."

After pausing for a few seconds, Daneel immediately discarded the possibility of him going with his original body.

Knowing that she would be sending a clone, too, he conjured one himself and sent it to the place written down.

There, right outside the wall, he saw the Queen floating in the air, looking at the night sky.

She was invisible to the guards manning the wall, and as his clone moved toward her, it turned invisible, too.

As he reached the spot beside her, he saw that she was as stunning as the first time he had seen her.

However, when she spoke, he couldn't help but stare as if he couldn't believe what was going on.

"King Daneel. I called you here because I wanted to say something before we engage in this…'war'. I wanted you to bend the knee, once. But now, I have realized that you are right. You really are worth much more than I thought you to be. So, here is one final offer from me. Join me, and as equals, we can take down the Big 4 and unite Angaria to face the Church."

Chapter 655: A Meeting End

Daneel had to admit that although he was surprised, it wasn't to a level where he would have to pause and think whether he had heard correctly.

Indeed, since the last time he had met the Queen, he had accomplished a lot of things that should have made it clear just what he was capable of.

Hence, anyone who wanted to go against him would definitely want to try first to unite with him, even if that someone was as powerful as an Empire Spirit who used to command the armies of the Emperor, himself.

Still, it did catch him a little bit by surprise as he hadn't really expected that her ego would take so many steps down so soon.

However, he could understand why she had chosen this time to give him the offer.

After they engaged in a full-on confrontation, it would definitely be difficult to build those bridges that might have been burnt in that process.

Maintaining a calm composure, Daneel also turned to look at the stars that she was gazing at.

In that moment, a slightly despondent expression appeared on the Queen's face that anyone would have missed as it was present only for the briefest of moments.

Yet, Daneel had already activated the subroutine in the system which enabled it to detect micro-expressions, so he was immediately notified about it.

This puzzled him. According to the system, her expression contained both a little bit of frustration and a little bit of sadness. The former, he could understand, as she might have been expecting that he would jump at the opportunity, as any normal man would. After all, the capabilities of an Empire Spirit could not be doubted.

Only… What about the latter? Why would she feel sad?

Storing this question for later, Daneel opted to stay silent for a little bit as it looked like her mind was the one in flux. In situations like these, it was always better to see whether an individual might blurt out something important just because they wanted to fill the silence instead of allowing it to bear down on them while they felt the pressure from waiting for an answer.

Sure enough, after a few seconds, the Queen spoke after glancing at him for a few times, all while acting as if she were still gazing at the stars serenely.

"It has been so long that even the constellations have changed positions from where they used to be. As a little girl, I remember looking at the stars and wondering whether anyone could be powerful enough to reach them. Even though so many years have passed, I have seen none with the potential to do so. The only one whom I believed could achieve something like that was the emperor, but he…"

It looked like she had been about to speak about the secret regarding what had led to the apocalypse, but she paused, as, after all, it wasn't a topic that anyone would want to get into casually.

Of course, Daneel knew everything that had happened, and even he agreed. That man, with his amazing intellect and his penchant for making perfect plans, would definitely have achieved so much more if he hadn't taken that misstep that had let him to attract the attention of an entity he couldn't go up against. Even then, it had to be commended that he had stayed and tried to right his wrongs instead of running away and just caring about himself like many others would have.

Thinking about the Emperor's demise did make even Daneel feel a little bit of despondency, but he covered that up while he waited for her to continue.

And when she did, it was in a calmer tone.

"Never mind that. The Emperor always used to say that only those had the determination and willpower to get answers should be the ones who ask questions. After seeing everything you've done till now, I believe that you are someone like him. You casually went to one of the Big Four and you somehow got crowned as their leader, even though there are conditions. However, you are still a Warrior with a long way to go, even if you break through to become a Champion right now. The opponents you will be facing from the Church will all be at at least the Hero level, and you are naïve if you think that you will be able to reach that level in the span of time before they arrive. Hence, I do not see why you are so against my offer."

This statement elicited a response from Daneel – a tightness appeared around his mouth, which indicated the seriousness with which he was thinking about what she had just said.

This wasn't something that he was finding out about for the first time – he had always known about it, and he had tried to increase his power by leaps and bounds as fast as possible just so that this would not be the case.

Yet, just like she said, even if he broke through, he would be quite far away from the Hero level.

Of course, there was an obvious solution to this- the Grand Inheritance.

With the power to wield the entire world, it could be said that such a small gap would be nothing to overcome.

Of course, he knew for a fact that she must not be thinking about it as no one would be mad enough to use that again especially after what had happened the last time, except if there was no other option. She wanted to win the Race for the other rewards that were also included, part of which was that she could get back her body.

That… Was exactly the point that differentiated the both of them. Due to all of the Emperor's plans, Daneel was confident that he would be able to use it, and there were even other methods for him to increase his power that lay within the Emperor's memories.

Only… He would first have to break through, and this statement from her had only made him once again decide that he should speed it up, instead of delaying even longer.

The pressure was building up with each day, and the excuse that he wanted to find the perfect one for himself was growing weaker and weaker.

This couldn't go on anymore. Hence… He made a decision.

Three months. Three months from now, he would break through, using the best option that he had at that time.

As for the reason behind this number, it was simple.

A month felt too short, and two months still felt as if it was a bit on the shorter side.

Nine had always been a holy and lucky number on Angaria, and three, as its multiple, was also given a lot of priority by many.

So… Three it would be.

With this decided, Daneel felt calmer, and also more focused. He knew that he would have to do everything he wanted to regarding the research for his path in this span of time, as at the end of it, he intended to follow through with whatever he arrived at, no matter what.

This gave him a measure of peace, as he felt that pressure lessen by a degree.

Eager to get back to his research in all the Champion Paths he had obtained, Daneel decided to end this conversion of theirs, but before that, he had just one question.

"Before I tell you my reasons, I have a question for you, as well. You keep speaking about vanquishing the Big Four and ruling the entire continent. How do you seek to accomplish that? I've been to one of them, and they aren't weak by any means."

Hearing this question, the Queen thought for a few seconds, but after that, a sly smile appeared on her face as she said, "Join me, and I'll tell you. I can't simply give away my secrets willy-nilly, right?"

That was it. Since the moment Daneel had met her, and even in their subsequent meetings, Daneel had felt more and more that hers was a character that he just didn't like.

He hated to be pushed into something. By anyone.

So, deciding to break off all ties, Daneel was just about to retort with a lot of choice words, when something suddenly struck him.

Wait… If she wanted him to join her, and if she wasn't afraid of him leaking her secrets, as he hadn't told the Big Four about her status as an Empire Spirit anyway, why wouldn't she try her best? Again, she wasn't someone without the smarts to realize that his character would not allow him to follow someone who wasn't sincere, and was holding back things in order to try and pull him in. If so… How did this make sense?

That was when it clicked. That despondency he had seen before on her face, her history, and the way she had just talked about the Emperor, comparing him with himself.

Was she… Transferring her unrequited feelings for that man to him?

It seemed laughable at first, but as he thought about it, he realized that it was definitely plausible.

And if that was true… Then this whole thing was a test. If he really was like the Emperor, then he would never accept this, and he would want to stride forward alone.

True, this was what he had been about to do anyway, but this realization did allow Daneel to change some plans and decide to throw the dice, in order to gain a potential follower later on.

Instead of rudely breaking off all ties, he decided on something more moderate.

Also… He decided to take advantage of what he had.

"System, give me a list of the most iconic quotes of the Emperor. Shortlist them based on what I can use in this situation to let her down, in a manner that will remind her even more of him."

[Acknowledged. Scanning Emperor's memories. Outputting list…]

After looking like he was in deep thought for a few seconds, Daneel raised his head and straightened his back before speaking up in a composed tone.

"Interesting, but no thanks. I do not speak from arrogance, or ego. I do so from my self-confidence that I will keep moving forward no matter who is in my way, and that I will save this continent, whether you help me or not. So, I see no reason to ally with you and take a risk. I seek to stand at the top, and I cannot do that if I do not walk my path alone. Goodbye."

Not giving her any time to reply, Daneel turned around with a flourish before disappearing.

The turning around part was unnecessary, but he had done it in order to let the system detect her reaction.

As he appeared in his room, to his surprise, it was exactly what he had been hoping for.

[Micro-expressions detected: admiration, frustration, nostalgia, hope.]

…

Meanwhile, in his dorm, Percy closed the door and fell on his bed.

He couldn't believe just how much of a close shave he had just had, and with a worried expression on his face, he took out the trinket and once again listened to the instructions that had been recorded inside.

"Remember, the trinket in your mind is an active one that I will be monitoring day and night. If you so much as breathe a word about the Church, or if you try to leave the sect, it will immediately detonate, and everyone will think that you just had a mishap. It is good that you agreed. It is tough to smuggle things inside, so I'll be sending over the cure for your father as soon as possible. Before that, just relax."

It had been that, or death. So, Percy had agreed.

As for the target that the guy had been speaking about… He knew very well that it was probably his elder brother, who was the only one easily reachable who was connected to what had happened to his father.

No. He couldn't let it happen. But what could he do?

"Oh master, where are you?", he mouthed desperately, while thinking about just what the heck he was supposed to do.

…

A few hours later, Daneel had already put the meeting with Arafell out of his mind.

He had just come back from a trip to that house in the middle of nowhere where the pyramid scheme was going on, and he was still pretty dazed.

In order to use his time in the best manner, he had set up a meeting with Helena and Dalia, and seeing them waiting, he shook his head in order to calm himself down before appearing in the room where they were sipping tea.

Immediately, they rose to bow, and after they did so, Daneel said, "Originally, I had called you two find out if there were any problems, and because I had some plans that I want to talk to about. However, I just found out that I have a large, large fortune that I want to use. So… What are your thoughts on expanding into other businesses? You know, once, I heard a tale about an organization that spanned across multiple industries and was a powerhouse that could go toe to toe even with a government of the nation. It was called an MNC, a Multinational Corporation, but because we have Kingdoms here, let's call it an MKC. The first proper MKC of Angaria. How does it sound?"

MKC. It was a weird name, and the same was reflected in little Dalia's eyes.

Chuckling, Daneel continued.

"Okay, fine, not that name. Maybe we can call it what I want it to be? A corporation that will stomp down on many, many others and make it so that Lanthanor will be the prime location that each and every settlement in Angaria will want to migrate to. Oh, yes, that does sound much better. What do you think?"

Chapter 656: Rise of the Alliance 1

Silence lingered in the room for a few seconds while both the mother and daughter looked at the King with extreme confusion on their faces.

Stomping down on other organizations? A prime location which each and every settlement would want to migrate to?

What were they missing? Why was the King bringing up all this?

Realizing that he had spoken out of context and that he possibly sounded like a power-hungry madman, Daneel chuckled as he was in an extremely good mood.

Indeed, he had never expected the pyramid scheme to pay off so well, and most of the credit had to go to the one who was responsible for it all.

Jordan.

He had underestimated the level of talent that was required to run a shadowy organization on the scale of some of the largest trade families present in the continent, and Jordan had shown it in full in the way he had perfectly executed all of Daneel's orders.

Eking out each and every single Ether Block possible from those families who trusted that he was one of them, he had proven that there was so much more wealth in Angaria than Daneel could ever have imagined.

Mostly, it could be attributed to the greed of those who were already rich. In fact, it could be said that anyone could have fallen into this trap. After all, if one saw the money they put into something increasing and even almost doubling, wouldn't they want to repeatedly put in as much as possible so that they could quickly increase their fortune?

It was almost like gambling. When one got addicted to the feeling of seeing their earnings quickly grow, they would keep pumping in as much as they could as it was almost like a drug that they would not be able to resist.

Indeed, Jordan still had to deliver those Network Trinkets, as promised, but that wasn't the problem. He was selling them at an inflated price, and after they were sold, they would just be sitting in the warehouses of those who had paid all the money as they had severely underestimated the actual demand that was there for the product.

Ruminating on the fact that ideas like these when carried over still worked pretty well as basic human nature was still the same, Daneel opened his mouth to explain to the family in front of him why he had just said the statement that was still echoing in the room.

"I'll be honest with you two. Right now, it is a major priority of mine that the settlements which lie outside of Lanthanor should all be enticed into coming into our Alliance. All these people have no allegiance to any force, and although the settlements have various reasons why they chose to establish themselves in such areas which are not within the borders of any Kingdon, I want to give them enough reasons to uproot themselves and move. For that, this is only one of the steps that I will be taking. You see, employment is one of the most important factors that are considered when someone is considering moving to a different place. Just think about it. If you wanted to go to the Black Raven Kingdom, wouldn't you check whether you could easily get a job and earn a living there?"

Although it was true that the two people in this room right now were some of the richest in the entire kingdom, they hadn't forgotten their roots, and that was partially the reason why their success continued instead of halting like it would have for many others.

Unlike typical people who would start spending and showing their wealth as soon as it began accumulating, these two always remembered the time when they had had nothing to eat. That was why only a very little portion of their earnings went into spending for themselves, and the rest was spent on adopting children whom they treated like their own family.

Daneel deeply admired such people, and once again, he felt glad that he had supported them.

Seeing them nod, he continued.

"Good. The two of you, right now, are role models in the society. So, there is no one better to helm this project. First of all, let me make it clear to you that such an organization, when run by those with greed, can wreak a lot of havoc because of the power it will possess. I've seen… Cough, heard of many tales where such organizations exploit people and even governments with their power or monopoly in order to generate as much wealth as possible for themselves. I know your characters, so I know that this won't be a problem. Your priority will be to generate as much employment as possible so that so many more people will not have to go to bed with the worry that their future is not secured. At the end of the day, this is something that weighs heavily on anyone's mind, right? So, we will be implementing a lot of stuff to this end. What do you say?"

More than Danlia, it was Helena who was affected by these words.

In this age, stability of employment was not something that was assured almost anywhere. It was different for government jobs, but even in that case, in other Kingdoms, there was always a possibility that someone with more background or power could usurp one's positions and throw them onto the street. As for typical jobs like farming, mining, or other industries that were related to these two major occupations, they were also not stable as one never knew when there might be an oversupply, resulting in losses, or some sort of problem that could result in one having to depend on their savings, or even take loans in order to survive.

This was how it had been for a long time, and people had gotten used to it. But now, according to the King, it could change?

Helena couldn't believe it, and it seemed more like a pipe dream than anything.

However, if anyone could accomplish it, then it was the man in front of her who was responsible for more marvels than anyone could count.

She, herself, had spoken to many seamstresses who always kept wishing that their business would continue to be as flourishing as it was at the moment, as that would mean that they would not have to worry about the future. These were all people who supported multiple family members with their own income, and although education was currently free, food and living were not at all cheap.

And as for generating more employment… What else could she desire rather than to help others achieve and grow in the same way that they had?

So, with hope shining in her eyes, she nodded and said, "My king, we owe everything we have to you. No matter what you ask of us, we will always be ready to comply, and this is even something that resonates with us, so I can promise you that we are ready to do everything that is required of us to make your dream a reality. I must admit that it really does sound like a dream, and if it really is possible for it to become reality, then no one will be happier than me."

Daneel had expected this response, but hearing it made him smile.

For a long time, he had been focusing completely on satisfaction level and implementing schemes to increase it quickly, but he had not done something basic like this for the people that would drastically change their living conditions.

What better way could be there to make those who believed in him know that their decision was right?

With this thought, more and more ideas began popping up in Daneel's head, and he listed all of them down.

The most crucial thing was that he was from Earth, where many, many types of developmental schemes had been tested and verified. Taking inspiration from them, Daneel began forming his master plan, which would encompass a lot of things he had seen on Earth.

It had been quite some time since Angaria had experienced a storm.

So… It was high time he changed that.

…

In the Kingdom of Eldinor, Katerina and Eldra were staring at the missive from their alliance leader that had just arrived.

It had been transmitted and recorded in a data trinket which was lying in front of them, and they had already played it twice.

Still, Katerina played it one more time after which a few seconds of silence lingered in the room.

Finally, Eldra was the one who spoke up.

"I always knew that he was a man of tall ambitions, but I wouldn't have expected that he would move in this method. Isn't the Church still a threat?"

Katerina had gone into deep thought regarding the same topic.

But, after analyzing it from all angles, a flash of realization passed across her face.

"You're mistaken, Eldra. I suspect that this whole thing is in fact in preparation for the Church. Think about it. Which is better, a united people who have a sense of belonging to each other and will hence fight together, or a fractured continent where each Kingdom's interest might be different? He has the opportunity to do this, and although it appears on the surface as if he's just exploiting his position for no valid reason, there is a lot of sense in what he's doing. I support him wholeheartedly."

Eldra ruminated on these words for a few seconds and then said, "I see your point, but there are still other ways. Still, it's not like I don't believe in him. Let's do it."

Immediately, orders were sent to the communication wing of the palace where the personal records of each and every army mage living were present.

Due to the loose nature of the army of the Kingdom of Eldinor, there was no specific barracks except for the special forces such as the ones which had made their name known across the continent during the incident before.

Right now, those forces were still recuperating, so the rest were called.

Initially, many mages ignored these calls as they normally would, and continued whatever they were doing. Some were researching strange topics, others were honing their skills, and still others were casually enjoying the privileged life that their power had earned them.

However, when each mage saw the message, expressions of shock appeared on their faces as they immediately teleported to the palace in order to find out whether it was real.

Seeing them appearing one by one, Katerina couldn't help but chuckle and say, "As always, he was right about this. Being part of something historic is definitely something that would entice any elf. Let's go. I can't wait to see the end product."

…

To the east of the Black Raven Kingdom, there was a village that was situated right outside of the border.

This was a settlement that hadn't been targeted by any Kingdom so far, so they were still an independent entity who always kept a careful watch on the surroundings.

Hence, when a large bunch of mages appeared in the air a few meters away from them, they spotted them immediately, which caused alarm bells to ring throughout the village.

As one, each and every villager picked up pitchforks, knives or whatever weapons that were nearby and headed outside of the shabby wall that they had constructed to protect themselves from wild beasts and weak bandits as the strong ones wouldn't target them anyway as they had nothing too valuable.

BOOOOMMMM!!!!

That was when they all screamed and almost fell to the ground, as the earth shook as if there was some creature moving underneath them.

With horror, they looked forward to see that each and every mage had begun to blast the earth below them, causing large craters to appear out of which soil was lifted out and thrown to the side.

Right about this scene, unknown to them, the most powerful individual on the continent who had recently shown his power and awed the High Council of Angaria was standing along with the person who had set what was happening in motion.

"There won't be a problem, right? I'm just marking my territory, and those inside can choose to leave at any time."

Seeing the beginnings of a project the likes of which hadn't been undertaken on this continent in a long, long time, the Head said, "Due to the recent fight, they are still pretty cowed, so it's alright. Even if there is a little resistance, I'll take care of it. You've proven your worth in the legacy battle, so I can't wait to see what you do in the next sect. When is your next trip, by the way? I still believe that although this is impressive, it doesn't help your power in any manner. Although I do believe that all these plans might help Angaria on the whole, your personal power is still what is most important."

Hearing the answer that he wanted to hear, Daneel grinned and said, "Two months. In two months, I will transform this continent, and then, I will be able to focus wholeheartedly on my own power. Thank you, Head, for placing your trust in me. Again, you won't be disappointed."

Chapter 657: Rise of the Alliance 2

If Angaria had still been the same as it once was, news of incredible changes like these would have taken at least a few days to proliferate in the continent.

However, now, with the existence of the Network, the continent woke up the next day and gawked at their screens or the Network Trinkets that they had, while they listened to or watched an explosive piece of news that they never thought would happen in their lifetimes.

And the whole thing was covered in a section that was aptly named "Rise of the Alliance."

In the Kingdom of Arafell, the Queen was sitting alone in her throne room while also viewing the Network Trinket's display in front of her.

In it, a view from above could be seen in which the land of the continent had a long, circular scar running through it that looked as if it was quite deep.

She could estimate that the depth was at least 10 meters, and work was still continuing to extend this line more and more, with mages repeatedly blasting the ground beneath them and lifting up the soil that was loosened in the process.

She had already blocked out the voice of the announcer, as she had already heard everything regarding the matter. Instead, she waited for the other sight that was shocking the netizens all over Angaria.

Soon enough, a blank image appeared, and then the trinket showed a different scene.

BANG!

It was a wall that was being bombarded by large stones that were being picked up and thrown by mages who looked all too happy that they were doing such a fun task.

Behind the wall, in the distance, a colosseum could be seen, which let everyone realize that this was the Black Raven Kingdom, where Battle Royales were famous.

The image switched again, and this was a different wall – a slightly shabby one, but it looked as if it had been protected by some sort of formations till now.

These formations had been deactivated, as this wall was also being pelted by humongous stones.

Lastly, the image switched once again to show the biggest wall yet.

Anyone who was knowledgeable in the continent would recognize that these were the legendary Impenetrable Walls of Lanthanor, which had protected the Kingdom from invaders for thousands of years. As one of the most impressive feats of construction in modern history, many had even visited them in order to see their incredible height and undefeatable might. Possessing the record of not allowing any sort of army inside since they had been built, these walls also boasted of being the tallest, standing at 30 m tall.

Only… Even these were being destroyed, but instead of using violent means like in the other cases, mages were carefully dismantling the blocks and putting them on carts as if they were to be transported somewhere.

Each greyish-black block was huge, bigger than a human, and it was only because these mages who were able to use telekinesis spells that they were able to safely transport them.

Over all, this was actually the sight which shocked people the most. The famous Walls of Lanthanor… Were actually being destroyed? Why? And what the hell was the purpose of all that work?

The answer was given by the voice of the announcer, whose statement was put in a loop while these images were repeatedly shown.

"Breaking News! The First Alliance of Angaria has begun consolidating the land of all three of its kingdoms in order to make one united force which is not divided by any walls within itself. The goal is to create a unified land where people can go freely where they wish, without any barriers to separate them. This is only a small press release that has been given by the alliance leader, and the man who has set everything in motion has yet to make his address. But, for now, you can see that all three kingdoms have agreed to this, which is why their walls are also being demolished. As for the scar you see, that will be a wall that will be built to encompass the three kingdoms: Lanthanor, the Black Raven Kingdom and Eldinor. In order not to incite panic, we have also been told to spread the news that the settlements in between these kingdoms, which were not under the control of any force till now, can leave if they wish, or stay independent. This step is only to make development easier for the Alliance, and it is not meant to violently seize these huge tracts of land that have remained free till now. Whatever the case, history is being made, so we encourage all of you to take a part in it and watch."

"History is being made"

The whole reason Arafell did not want to hear the broadcast was this quote, which brought back a lot of memories from the time of the Empire.

True, she was a great admirer of the Emperor, but that didn't mean that she didn't have a competitive spirit.

She wanted to win this contest between them, and she thought that she had used a masterstroke to take the advantage when he was absent.

Yet… She had forgotten that he was the one with the advantage, and that she had only been able to get lucky.

She could even tell that this wasn't the only thing he had planned. If he was going this grand, then he must definitely also have begun other plans so that he could pull all the settlements to himself.

However… She was definitely not out of the running yet.

"Now, it's a contest. A one-sided beatdown is boring, anyway. Let's see if you really do deserve to be regarded by me at the same level as the Emperor."

"Miss, are you saying it to me? I always get confused when you speak out loud in an empty room…"

Having the moment spoiled by the little girl whose body she was inhabiting, Arafell snapped, "For the umpteenth time, it's what rulers do! Whether anyone is there are not, such things should be said out loud as it looks impressive! Got it?"

…

Meanwhile, Daneel and Faxul were standing above one section of the wall that was being built.

"I was surprised that the council didn't put up much resistance. In fact, they seemed… Stifled by my words."

Faxul said this, recalling how his announcement that they would be doing this had been greeted by almost everyone agreeing almost instantly, as if his words had contained some sort of power.

Chuckling, Daniel said, "You must have unconsciously used the natural command over the world that a Champion possesses after the break through. Those poor Humans and Warriors must have been pretty scared. Anyway, I'm glad it all worked out. Your kingdom would have been the main problem, as Eldinor didn't have much of a wall to speak about in the first place. As soon as I promise them that they will be getting a lot of interesting formations to play with and that they will also be responsible for the construction of these magical walls that will exceed even the fame of those of Lanthanor, they were in."

Daneel couldn't help but snigger to himself a little bit as he said this, which led Faxul to say, "Exploitation just comes naturally to you, huh. You already knew that they attach a lot of significance to being at the forefront in magic, and they were robbed of the title after they stopped being the trinket capital of the continent. They had also always been jealous of the walls of Lanthanor, so now that they got the chance to get the glory of constructing something even greater, and also put their name at the forefront in magic, they must have jumped at it."

Daneel only nodded in response, as that was exactly what had happened.

"So… What else? All of us can tell that this is not the only thing you have planned, as walls are just flashy yet simple things, after all."

In response, Daneel said, "Oh, thank you for reminding. I was just going to set off."

Saying so, he teleported away and began the second set of announcements that once again made Angarians all over the continent widen their eyes and wonder just how many more shocks they would be subject to today.

First, it started with something that concerned each and every one.

Money.

"We have just received news that the alliance will also be introducing a new currency, whose name is yet to be determined. However, its specialty is that it will hold the same value in all three kingdoms, which means that anyone will be able to buy a loaf of bread for the same rate no matter where they are, as opposed to before where bread was cheaper in Lanthanor and costlier elsewhere because it was made locally. Folks, for the first time, this currency will be stable, which will allow you all to safely earn and spend without worrying about how the value might change the next day. The exact value used to be set by traders, but soon, there will be a commission that will take care of the set value that will be enforced throughout the alliance. We go now to a special panel of traders, who all believe that this will result in a haven for trade and development, and that they now wish to move their businesses from other kingdoms to the alliance as well…"

A unified currency!

This appealed to all, as it really was the case that even though a general metric was present that hundred silver Lans in Lanthanor would allow a family of four to survive a year, this could vary according to what price a seller might set for certain goods based on how much demand and supply was there. This kind of volatility had always been present, and everyone had gotten accustomed to it. So, now, when they heard that it would not be so anymore… Many couldn't even believe it.

A haven. Yes, that was exactly the word.

If these two were already explosive, then the third blew everyone away, causing them to look for support to lean on as their hearts and minds couldn't take it.

"Another news has just reached us! In the alliance, employment will be guaranteed to each and every able-bodied man and woman! All you have to do is reach out, and you will be allotted a job with a guaranteed payment! Also, education will be free for all, no matter what the age! We will keep you posted if there are any more developments, but we seriously don't know if it can get any better! At this moment, I, the newscaster, am personally risking my job by saying that I am so glad that I live inside the alliance! Praise be to the alliance leader, King Daneel!"

…

Meanwhile, unaware of the tumultuous changes rocking the continent, Percy was pacing around his room, desperately looking for an answer regarding how he was supposed to get out of his situation.

He had gone through each and every option available to him, but none of them would work.

Finally, he leaned against a wall and slid to the ground, while clutching his head in deep frustration and resisting the urge to scream out loud.

Wait…

This position of his, and these extreme feelings, reminded him of a moment that had affected him a lot.

He had thought that he had forsaken the only man who cared about him, but…

"When I accept a disciple, it's for life"

These words echoed in his mind, and he suddenly realized something.

A man with the means of his master must definitely have set up something to keep track of him!

After all, he had found out about his 'betrayel' before, so this was definitely plausible.

But…after thinking for a bit, Percy understood the problem.

The Sect formation.

After the recent scares, the sect formations had been upgraded, so it was possible that the spells of his master weren't able to transmit information to the outside.

So…all he would have to do was leave the sect.

But how? That f*cker had told him not to!

The answer came to him in barely a second. That guy didn't want him to do so by himself. But what if he was escorted out by a Hero?

Yes. This would work.

Well, if it didn't, he would at least die knowing that he had done everything he could.

Bracing himself, Percy made two fire arrows appear in front of his eyes.

SWISH!

Not wanting to allow any time for him to doubt his decision, he made them move, and crumpled to the floor with agony before sending a message to the medical bay.

Only blackened holes were present where his eyes had once been, and there was only one person on the continent who could heal an injury like this.

And to get to her…he would have to be taken outside the sect.

Hoping that his sorry face which he had seen in the mirror right before plunging those fire arrows in would not be the last sight he would see in his life, Percy fainted, and entered the land of his dreams.

Chapter 658: Rise of the Alliance 3

Soon after these announcements took place, all sorts of discussions sprang up in almost each and every town, city, and village all over Angaria.

There were some who thought themselves educated in the matter of economics, so they repeatedly tried to explain just how brilliant the King's propositions were, or how stupid.

In fact, half of them were even doubtful as to whether he could really implement them all, and they kept saying that they should wait and see, but that if he really did do it, then they would actually consider moving into the alliance if such a thing was even possible.

In the Black Raven Kingdom, the small family where Daneel and Faxul had stopped at so long ago were also currently sitting around a table with deep expressions of thought on their faces.

The whole reason that the two Kings in disguise had arrived at their house was that they had used to run a small inn called "Irma's Inn" in order to help out travelers who couldn't stay at the local inn that was almost always closed for renovation.

However, with finances getting more and more tight, they had had to close that down, which had been very sad for the little kid because he missed the feeling that came from guiding travelers over and seeing their happy faces when they realized that they would not have to go sleep in some haystack on the side of the road.

Right now, all these announcements meant nothing to him, and he was simply thinking back to those days when life had seem so much better.

Since then, so many things had happened, and so much had changed.

Then, life had been simple. His father had used to go mining to send back money, and his mother had used to run that little inn from the kindness of strangers who arrived at their house. Of course, it was the silver given by one of those strangers that had allowed them to tide over the tough times, but soon, it had all been spent, and they had had to decide on something else to do. Although the small farm behind their house was doing okay, it was barely enough for the three of them.

On the other hand, the two adults in the household were sincerely happy and hopeful for the future, but right now, they were just thinking everything through as there had been many instances in their lives where they raised their hopes regarding something only to have them dashed later. It wasn't that they were afraid of this, but just that they wished to have the right things to say unlike those outside who were simply spouting whatever came into their mind just so that they could gather some attention.

This was regarding the future of this little family, and they wanted to be very thorough.

Finally, it was the woman who spoke up.

"If what the King says is really true, I want to go get a job, too."

The little kid was a bit shocked as he heard this, as his fondest memories were always of his mother being around the house and them finding joy in all the little things that they did together.

If she, too, went on a job like his father's, then would he be left all alone?

As tears shone in his eyes due to the silly question, the two parents noticed this and realized what they had done wrong. Standing up and hugging him together, they said, "Don't worry, little Michael. You're going to go to school! Didn't you hear about it over the Network?"

School?

This was something that deeply captivated little Michael, and he had only ever dreamt of it. So, now, when he heard that he would actually be going, he couldn't believe his ears.

Looking up innocently at his dad, he said, "Isn't it something that is only in Lanthanor? How can I go? Will we be moving? Will I have to say goodbye to all of my friends?"

Being badgered by questions in this way, the man finally laughed before telling himself again that this whole situation was actually a positive one and not one that demanded them to be so serious and brooding.

Brushing the hair on top of his son's head, he said, "There's no need for that! I'm pretty sure that schools will be set up all over the Kingdom – no, the Alliance, as we should now call it, so you'll definitely be able to go without us having to move anywhere! And even if your mom does go for a job, which even I was thinking about, it will only be during the day. This way, even I can cut down my hours at the mine, where I now work for at least 14 hours a day so that we can sustain ourselves. Maybe even I can get back in the evenings and we can have some family time together every day! How does that sound?"

Family time?

His father could be home more?

The tears that had been shining immediately burst out of little Michael's eyes as he hugged his dad tightly and hoped that this wasn't all a dream.

As a kid with simple wants, what more could he desire? He had always been envious of all those other children who boasted of how they were always playing games or learning from their fathers, and just thinking that he could have something like that too sent him into a tizzy.

Seeing this little reaction made both of the parents' hearts sing with happiness, and after assuring him a little bit more that everything would be great, they laid him down to sleep and resumed their own discussion.

"It is the right idea, Irma. Although it remains to be seen what kinds of jobs will be available, I think that it is pretty safe to plan accordingly. From everything I've seen so far, the King is someone who keeps his word."

Nodding, the woman replied, "I know. But is it even possible? And what about those other announcements? How do they impact us? And is it even sustainable to do those things over the long term?"

Hearing these complicated questions from his wife, the man raised an eyebrow, which made the woman blush a little bit and say, "I've been talking to Old 'Nan… It gets boring, you know. And she loves just using all of these words to show everyone that she is knowledgeable. But by talking to her husband, who is actually the one who studied under a man from the government and knows about these things, I found out the meanings. You said that you also had someone like that in the mines whom you frequently talked to, right? What do you think?"

After thinking for a bit, the man answered, "Well, it is a damn hard thing to do, and it's not like no one has tried over the years. I heard a tale in the mine that was passed down by the grandparents of a miner. Apparently, a King tried the same thing in order to make his people the happiest so that he could invite over all sorts of talent and make his Kingdom the 'Capital of the Continent'. He promised a job for everyone, and guaranteed payment, as that really is what concerns simple people like us the most. However, as soon as it was implemented, flocks of people with no real skills approached him, and he had no option but to keep his promise and dip into his treasury so that he could pay them all. True, a portion of it was retrieved in the form of tax, but the rest was such a drain on the country. With the scale of it even increasing month by month, eventually, his Kingdom became so overpopulated and underfunded that he was invaded by a different one. That stood as a warning sign to all – no schemes of this sort should be implemented which have the potential of placing a Kingdom under risk by promising too much and leaving themselves vulnerable. Just think about it – anyone can enter a Kingdom if there was something like that, no matter what motives they have. But… I have to admit that this King is different. Maybe he has something different planned. Let us see what he does, and then, we can decide whether we, too, should feel lucky that we are in the Alliance. With the grace of the Almighty Black Raven, we will finally be blessed with some good fortune."

The woman also echoed the last sentence in her heart, and told herself not to have too much hope.

Still, like an unstoppable chill in winter, it crept into her heart and made her dream the dream that had been displayed to all by the King.

Meanwhile, a team of mages had immediately rushed over to a certain room in the Sect of Hedon as soon as they received an emergency signal from the location.

On arriving at the site, they were witness to a man who had burned his own eyes out, and as they starred into those holes which looked bottomless, they couldn't help but shudder and blink as if they felt that their own eyes were threatened. He had done it using fire, so the wounds were seared off, meaning there was no risk to his life. Still, immediately, higher-ups were called, as they had been commanded to do so whenever they saw something even slightly unusual.

As the Champion on duty reached the quarters, he was similarly baffled, and he had to call the one above him, too.

This finally resulted in the strongest individual of the Sect of Hedon, who had been absent during the King of Lanthanor's visit earlier to arrive on the scene.

He was a man who was quite peculiar. On the surface, he looked completely normal, and it was almost as if some commoner from a village nearby had somehow strolled into the Sect and was being regarded by all as a mighty figure. His clothes looked like they had been washed so many times that the original color could not be discovered anymore, and each time he moved, his face seemed to change, but each of those faces all shared one feature – they were of the sort that would easily mix in a crowd and be forgotten the moment they were seen, which resulted in almost all of the sect members and guards who saw him feeling uncomfortable.

On arriving, the Champion expected him to do something, but even he was baffled. After all, what motive could there be for anyone to do something so horrendous like this? True, everyone knew about the legendary healer who would never move out of her house, but being taken to her was something only reserved for the most talented of sect members.

Giving up, even this Hero had to resort to his own higher-up, which caused the Head to appear on the scene.

Since the moment the Head laid his eyes on the person in question, he could tell that something was wrong. He used all the Hero level scanning techniques he had, but he found nothing wrong.

That was when he resorted to finding out about the identity of the person, which led both him and the Hero to discuss for a long time and conclude that he might have gone crazy somehow.

Regardless of what the reason was, the best thing to do was, of course, to wake him up.

Yet, the Head knew that they couldn't do that, as the healer in question always insisted that healing should be done right after an injury was afflicted, and in the state that was most similar to that when the body first reacted to the injury, as according to her, that was when the body would be ready to fight and react the most.

He wondered for a moment whether he should let this minor sect member lose his eyes as everything regarding this situation felt fishy, which was when he saw a note sticking out of the person's pocket.

Taking it out, he read it, and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"These eyes of mine which did not allow me to see the threat to my father are useless."

The Mad Doctor had such a devout son?

As the Mad Doctor was just a normal Champion in a sect, the Head did not know too much about him, and he only felt that the man should be glad that he had a son who was so filial.

Deciding that such a thing should be rewarded, he gave his order.

"Prepare to take him to the Eternal Blossom Sect. But I'll be accompanying him, just in case. Something feels… Off, and I intend to find out what that is. Put him in stasis first, or that healer will make everyone contract some deadly disease again. Be careful when you do so- it's fine if it takes a few days."

Nearby, the man who had walked into Percy's house could be seen with panic on his face.

Why the hell had this guy gone ahead and done this? Was he really crazy?

Initially, the man had been about to go ahead and detonate anyway, but with the Head present, he decided not to, as he did not want this man who had just defeated him knowing that he had his hand in this thing. He had worked very hard to infiltrate the sect, and he did not want to waste the opportunity.

Well, he was just going outside, right? It should mostly be fine, as he would be unconscious for the whole time, anyway, which was required for healing at the scale.

It wasn't like there could be any formations on him that would be able to transmit information that even he couldn't detect, right? Of course, there was no way that this could be the case, as he had already scanned him and found nothing.

Assuring himself in this way, the man left from where he was standing in order to pursue his other plans in the sect.

…

Meanwhile, a meeting of the Nine Sovereigns had just begun in Lanthanor, even though two sovereigns were missing.

And…Daneel was flabbergasted, as all 7 people in front of him had banded together to propose a single thing.

Almost as if they knew that he would think before directly saying no to his father, it was he who spoke up to voice their combined sentiment.

"The new currency should be named after you, as none of this would have been possible without you. It should be stamped with your face, and it should be called either a 'Dan', after your first name, or a 'Nivron', after your last."

Chapter 659: Aran 1

A currency named after his own name, and coins stamped with his face.

Could there even be anything more narcissistic?

As Daneel heard them, he was even reminded of Ancient Rome, where coins used to carry the portraits of the present Emperor- a trend that had been started by the great Julius Caesar, himself.

However, as Daneel remembered this, he also recalled the other features of the Roman currency.

The idea behind the portrait being on the coin was to disseminate the image of the Emperor into the people, while also associating him with divinity using the added images of deities.

Of course, the latter wasn't needed in this case, as Daneel had already displayed his powers, but he had to say that the former sounded quite good.

Knowing the importance of branding, Daneel had always strived to put his face on major events so that it would be remembered.

What better way could be there be for the same thing to happen if his face was something that would be seen by almost all citizens each and every day?

He hadn't considered this whole thing before as it had seemed incredibly egoistic, but now, as he realized this, he began to lean toward the idea, too.

It wasn't even just this. During ancient times, the Roman Empire had represented stability, which led even those from other Kingdoms and places to hoard Roman currency as they knew that they could trust its continued value. If the same could be accomplished here, then it would give the alliance a superior image that would make it even more enticing for people to move into it.

Seeing the King go into deep thought, the other sovereigns heaved sighs of relief as they had still been prepared to face strong resistance from their King whom they knew to be humble.

After all, although such a thing had been done by others in the past who had thought a lot about themselves, such Kingdoms often got invaded, or the currency lost its value as a King's lifespan was finite, after all, and after he died, his successor might not want to honor him by letting his image stay.

Yet, these seven knew that this might not be the case with their King, so they had wanted this. The other reason, of course, was that they truly believed that he deserved it, and that it would go even further in uniting the people under him, which was what he wanted.

As sovereigns, they took it as their responsibility to suggest and speak about things that might not occur to Daneel, and in doing this, they were fulfilling their duty. The initial idea had come from Eloise, who had always been the most creative of the bunch, but the subsequent details had been hammered out by them all together and they had decided that they would stand together and not budge.

Hence, finally, when they saw the King nod while still in thought and then open his mouth to speak, they couldn't help but rejoice.

Seeing the broad smiles that burst out on their faces, Daneel couldn't help but pause and smile, too.

He was truly blessed to have such supporters who truly cared about him, and were happy for him instead of being jealous or scheming like many advisors were known to be.

"All right, I agree. As for the name…"

The answer appeared to him instantly.

"Why not use both? Dan can be a lower denomination of currency, and Nivron can be an upper one."

Both?

Well, that did sound great!

Almost all the sovereigns looked like they were happy about it, but Luther frowned and said, "Why not the other way round? Isn't it better to have your first name take precedence?"

Daneel smiled again as he heard this, as he knew that there might be two reasons behind his father asking this question.

First, he motioned them all to sit, so that they could continue.

Before, they had all stood up and bunched together for a show of force.

After everyone was seated, Daneel looked at his dad and said, "Dad, Anivron is our family name, and now, it will be the name of the Royal Family. Our origins do not matter. All that matters is that I, of the Anivrons, have risen to this stage. I know that you might feel that it should not be given so much importance, but I feel that it should be, as it will henceforth be worshipped for generations."

Elanev spoke up, too, as Daneel said this.

"Your old man was even originally against the suggestion of 'Nivron' before. I guess this was the reason."

Indeed, Robert had had a small sentiment like this- that their family line was only lucky to have gotten someone like Daneel, and that unlike others who would honor it as it had helped them achieve a lot, it need not be done in this case as it had not helped at all in Daneel's rise.

However, now, as he heard this, he accepted it as he knew it to be true, and felt genuinely happy.

Seeing the joy shining in his father's eyes, Daneel could tell that it was one that came from making one's ancestors proud.

Feeling glad that he had identified it and spoken out to solve it, he continued.

"Anyway, it is better for Dan to be the lower denomination as it will be used most by the common people, and I would rather my first name be called daily by such honest folk instead of those uptight ones who will definitely start hoarding the currency as soon as we release it. Nivron also sounds more formal, so it fits for it to be a higher currency. Dropping the beginning 'a' was to make it easier to pronounce repeatedly, right?"

Eloise nodded, which made Daneel say, "That's a good idea- 'Anivron' is a bit too many syllables, after all. Anyway, it is decided. The exact value will be set soon, before the official announcement. Now, then. Let's move on to other things. Kellor, how's Aran doing?"

Frowning a bit, Kellor said, "Still in the illusion formation, My King."

"It's all right, don't worry. Some have a different kind of illusion which they need to go up against over a long time in order to overcome it. Just keep a close eye, and notify me if you see anything wrong."

After Kellor nodded, Faxul spoke up.

"Daneel, how are you going to sustainably do this 'complete employment' thing? You must already have heard of that tale of the King before who tried the same thing."

Faxul had heard about this in the conversations between those in the finance wing of his Kingdom, and he had eavesdropped on them to also find out the difficulties present.

The major factor would be money, and although he knew that Daneel must have a stash of Ker Gems, these could not be used as the Big 4 would start questioning him if they saw him expose such wealth.

Chuckling, Daneel said, "That King was, frankly, either an idiot, or someone who had different motives. Anyone even contemplating something like this should have thought about these problems before going forward, and if he had advisors who were at least a little bit competent, they would have told him this. So…the only other possibility is that he found out about Empire Spirits, like the Kings of Lanthanor, and tried this to raise the satisfaction level. If so…well, he might not be that much of an idiot."

Daneel had already thought about this, so he could give this answer. If the latter was true, then he couldn't be blamed, as unlike Daneel who had the system which let him accurately understand just what satisfaction level was and how it worked, everyone else had to guess.

Still smiling, he answered the other question by revealing the plan he had had ever since he had started this whole thing.

"From him, though, there is a lot to be learned. For example, we know what problems to expect- large numbers of unskilled men and women who might only be a drain. True, we probably have more wealth than a few Kingdoms combined in the form of the stash of the Ker Gems I got on my trip to the Sect of Hedon, we can't really use it. A portion can be used initially, but if we tap into it more than that, it will be a problem. So…the best thing is to do our best in that initial phase. With this in mind, I came up with a plan."

Eloise already had a broad, broad smile on her face as she heard this, as she already knew the plan, and loved it.

"My plan is the simplest to understand when you think about it in this way- it is very similar to a duty assigned to a common miner."

Seeing the looks of confusion on the faces of the sovereigns, Daneel laughed to himself and continued.

"A special miner is always assigned the job in the mine to segregate ore that is mined into 3 segments: one that is already shining, and can be sent off to sell. One where the gold or silver or whatever is being mined is partially hidden, which needs to be polished. And one where it is completely covered, in which case, even more time will need to be taken. All of them have the same value, but in the other two segments, a little work needs to be done before their value can shine.

"People are the same. Each and every person has some or the other skill they excel at, or can be trained to excel in if they have the proper motivation. If the people who come to us for jobs are of the first sort, they can directly be employed. If they are of the second or third, special institutions are being set up which will give them the training they need. Think of it as an investment. We are investing in them by teaching them. We will get it back in the form of tax when they use those skills to learn. In the end, everyone is happy."

As those in the room gawked at the King who was making it sound so simple, they realized that he was right.

It sounded perfect!

However, they knew that it might not be as easy.

"Of course, I expect problems to show themselves, and when they do, we will solve them. Hey, with all my sovereigns around, there is nothing I can't do, right?"

As laughter echoed in the room, the meeting moved on to cover other topics, and an hour later, Daneel found himself having a moment of respite.

He still remembered that frown he had seen before on Kellor's face when talking about Aran, so Daneel decided that it was high time for him to go check on the man.

With the formation surrounding him, Aran was still near the place that had been scorched and destroyed by Cassandra.

Going to him, he used a variation of the spell he had used before when Faxul had been undergoing his 'baptism'. Both were illusion formations, of a sort, so that spell could be adapted for use here, too.

Typically, people who were going through this process would be facing their innermost fears, which was a really personal thing that others should not view. Daneel was originally not going to do this, too, but because it had been so long, he had decided to do so anyway so that he could ensure the safety of his commander.

Closing his eyes, he activated the spell and was about to open them again, when a smell reached his nose that made him wrinkle it and frown.

Wasn't that…the smell of charred bodies?

Opening his eyes, Daneel witnessed a sight that made him take a step back with shock.

Hundreds of bodies were lying all around him, and each one's flesh was still sizzling from the fire that had burned them.

Above, a man stood in the air, laughing maniacally while hurling fireballs left and right.

And in front of him…was a little boy, cowering in a small hole he had made in the earth for himself.

Chapter 660: Aran 2

Even though Daneel had been witness to many sights of death on even a different scale, the sight of burning bodies just had something visceral about it that would shock anyone.

Taking a few moments, he finally calmed himself down and then focused on other details.

All around him, there was a generic landscape of a town out in the middle of nowhere while beyond that, there was only darkness.

Puzzled, he asked the system why this was the case, and got his answer.

[The illusion is created from the memory of the one being targeted. In the target's memory, if only this much information is present, the rest is shown in this way.]

Well, of course, with something so horrendous happening, anyone would be hardpressed to remember more details.

In the town, it looked like most of the houses were made from stone, and at the moment, most of them were either destroyed or burning.

The area they were in looked like some sort of town square or gathering area where hawkers would typically gather. It was also the place where townsfolk gathered in case they needed to discuss something.

In the edges of the scene, people could be seen fleeing, all while the little kid kept shivering with fear and flinching every time another fireball was launched.

Indeed, the man hadn't stopped yet, and it didn't look like he would stop any time soon. It was as if he was taking pleasure in seeing the bodies burn, as he even resorted to targeting the corpses below him when he ran out of living targets to attack.

Droning out his maniacal laugh which was quite grating on the ears, Daneel focused his eyes and tried to pick out clues.

There were no clues in the garb of the man or the kid. They were wearing the clothes of commoners, which didn't make much sense as the madman in the air looked like he had the strength of at least a Peak Human Mage. If so, he should have been flush with gold and Ether, but they were in this state.

It was only when he focused more on the details of the houses did he finally get some clues. Their style seemed familiar, and when Daneel juxtaposed their remains with his memories of typical houses in towns in Lanthanor, he realized that they were one and the same.

This town…was definitely one in Lanthanor!

"System, scan the records of the Kingdom for any villages or towns that were massacred and erased from the records for any reason."

Daneel instantly thought of this method, as he had recorded the real history of the Kingdom long ago, right after he had become King.

And when the system gave the answer, he felt a bit of joy that he had been able to pinpoint the best route to get his answer, but that was wiped away the moment he understood the contents of the message.

[Town Name: Northvale Town.

Population: 12,342 Individuals

Major Economic Focus: Farming, processed food production

Status: All information purged from the records after the incident that took place 15 years ago.]

Purged? What, it was purged even from the records only accessible to the King?

This was definitely strange.

It seemed as if someone really wished to keep this a secret, but Daneel was determined to uncover it.

Thinking for a bit, Daneel used the spell again to leave and immediately went to Kellor to ask him about it.

Alas, this was a dead end, as Kellor had only been the Court Mage at the time. Being lower in status, he hadn't been privy to most confidential details.

That left only one option.

The previous Grand Court Mage of the Kingdom of Lanthanor, who had once sided with the previous King but had then tried to get back in Daneel's good graces.

Daneel hadn't bothered to respond to these attempts much except to give him the resources he needed while waiting for him to do something that would prove his loyalty.

After all, he didn't trust the man, and the man was already bound by the oath.

In fact, when Daneel reached his room and saw the tidy surroundings along with the frustrated face of the man who still hadn't noticed that he had arrived, he saw that he was still a Peak Exalted Human Mage even though he had been able to use as many Ether blocks as he wished to try and advance.

Clearly, his talent was enough only to get him till here.

With a long, grey beard, he wasn't a youth by any means, even though he wasn't that old, either.

As soon as Daneel made himself visible, the man stood up with shock and stared for a few seconds before hastily getting down on one knee and saying, "My King! To what do I owe this honor! This humble servant-"

"Enough."

It hadn't been easy for Daneel to forget this man's allegiance to the previous King who had caused all those difficulties for his parents. Still, knowing that actions shouldn't dictate a man's fate, he had given him a chance, but that didn't mean that he liked him.

Closing his mouth and realizing that this wasn't someone like the previous King who needed to be flattered, the man spoke up again with a serious voice.

"Apologies. If this is about the resources that are being wasted on me, I can only say that I have stopped using them in the past month for I believe the path forward is closed to me."

Daneel would normally have dismissed this statement and just gone ahead to ask what he had come to ask, but the sheer depth of emotion that he heard in that one line struck him.

The Grand Court Mage had been a secretive character in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, not appearing anywhere and only being responsible for the safety of the King. Hence, Daneel didn't know much about his character except for the fact that he had been very loyal to the previous King and his father.

The man had even been trained by the latter.

Now that he saw this honest emotion, he wondered whether he shouldn't have forgotten about a Peak Exalted Human Mage who could break through and who wouldn't be a small addition, at all, to his present force.

Previously, Daneel had had no means to judge him, or to know whether he would be loyal. After all, oaths weren't full-proof, so he hadn't wanted to run the risk of allowing a potential traitor who was at the Peak Exalted Human level to run free and do as he wished.

It was different now.

Remembering all the things he had done so far to change his image, such as offering to behead those vile princes and daughters, Daneel said, "You once wanted to try and become a part of my retinue. You stopped right after you failed. Why was that?"

The man was still kneeling, as he hadn't been given the order to stand. As he started to answer in the same position, Daneel conjured a throne and sat before saying, "Stand and take a seat. I am not like the previous King who had to show his power by crushing those in front of him."

Daneel was, of course, referring to the incident where he had been made to bow right after his first tournament.

Although this man hadn't been present there at the time, he must definitely have been watching, which was something that got verified when a small expression of shame appeared on his face.

First, the man, whom Daneel remembered was called Declan, stood up and sat, before saying, "The deceased King did love to stroke his own ego in various ways. As for the answer to your question, My King, I realized that the best way to make myself useful was to grow stronger and show that I am worthy of being used. I knew that little gestures like those would probably not help, anyway, as you would remember the King whom you despise rightfully every time you see my face. In many ways, I am one of the last remnants of that era."

Daneel couldn't help but nod as he heard this.

He was wrong regarding his thinking, though. Daneel wouldn't have cared much whether he was a Human or a Warrior, as the latter case would only have carried even more risk.

However, instead of saying that which would need him to explain further, he cut to the chase.

"There are two things I wish to speak to you about. First, I have a way through which I will be able to know, for sure, that you will remain loyal to me if I lift your house arrest. Second, I want to know everything that happened in the town called Northvale."

The man's face had shown hope after he heard the first statement, but the second had caused it to change, almost as if he was remembering something horrific.

"N-Northvale? Wh-"

"Answer."

That single word was enough to make the mage shut his mouth and shudder where he sat, as the majesty of the King in front of him seemed to be radiating in waves that threatened to drown him in their power if he did not obey.

Looking down, he finally spoke.

"Northvale was…wiped out in the span of a single day due to the actions of one of the scion of the previous King. 10,000 people were burned to death, and it was such a huge scandal that it could potentially have set off a riot that would have engulfed the Kingdom. With the intention of concealing it, the surviving 200 or so people were sworn to secrecy using the Oathstone, but were then killed as the King was paranoid that the tale could still somehow spread."

10,000 people, burned.

The number did match the scene he had seen.

Although the massacre by the King was shocking, Daneel still didn't know just what had led to it.

So, he asked, and the mage needed a few moments to answer during which he gulped and contorted his face as if he was remembering a bad dream.

"During those days, you must be aware that the scion of the King loved to go to random towns where they would **** or take away any women or men they liked. This was supposed to be a similar incident, but…the husband of the woman was away, and no one knew exactly what he did , except that he worked in a different Kingdom. Not wanting any trouble, no one in the town even tried to protect her. After having his fun, the prince in question killed and burned the woman's body, but when he was about to leave, the woman's son tried to kill him using a knife he snatched from somewhere."

Here, the mage paused, as if even he couldn't stomach the rest of the tale, but Daneel only gazed at him with his piercing eyes, waiting for him to continue.

When he did, he did so with closed eyes.

"The prince was infuriated, and he decided to stay back at the town and torture the kid. For 9 days and nights, the kid was burned, and then healed. All of this happened in the town square, where the rest of the town was witness to it all, but again, no one stepped out. It was said that his screams echoed throughout the town, not letting anyone sleep, and that many even started wishing that he would die so that this nightmare of theirs would end. However, the boy looked like he was clinging on to life as if he was waiting for something, and that 'something' appeared on the 10th day. A man appeared from the Kingdom of Axelor, where he had been working as a spy for the government while cut off from all sources of communication. As someone close to becoming an Exalted Human, he was pretty valuable, but his identity had been completely confidential, and at the time, the commander of the spies had also been away on a mission. Finding out everything, he lost his mind, allowing him to reach the Exalted Human level in an instant. First, he burned the prince to ashes, but he wasn't satisfied. Then, he burned all the guards of the prince's retinue, but he still wasn't satisfied. Finally, he targeted the people, who had done nothing. In his rage, no one could explain to him that they weren't directly responsible. On that day, the town burned, and his son had apparently been on his last breath- his body wasn't found, and the man, himself, was said to have turned to ashes as he expended his mageroot too much. Fearing backlash from the army and the people, all records were purged. No one except me, the King and his father knows about this, as even the clerks were killed."

No one?

Hearing this, Daneel breathed out the air he had been holding in without even realizing it.

No, one man, or one kid, knew about it all, and he had been hiding it in his heart while acting jovial and easy-going on the outside.

Aran.

Without giving any response, Daneel teleported back to the room where Aran was lying on a bed, bearing witness to that horrific scene.

He had a lot of questions regarding just what had happened after that scene, but at that moment, all Daneel could do was marvel at the man's fortitude, and decide that he would help him get through this, no matter what he had to do.

Chapter 661: Aran 3

Daneel could never have expected that the most normal-seeming person in his retinue would be the one with the darkest past.

In all his memories of the man, he had always been smiling and jesting jovially.

Cassandra's past was similarly dark and sad, but for her, everything had happened in one grim stroke. Whereas, here, although it hadn't been confirmed, Daneel had a feeling that Aran was the kid who had been tortured for nine days straight.

It was just a feeling, initially, but in fact, when he thought about it, he realized that it was a logical conclusion that he had reached after remembering more details from what he had seen in the vision before.

Intending to confirm that, Daneel entered into the vision again, and paid more attention to everything around him.

The garb of the little kid looked like it had been singed in multiple places, and there were many holes which Daneel had ignored before as the scene was, after all, one where there were multiple burned bodies with similar clothes all around.

Yet, as he looked closer, he realized that there were also many scars which looked like they had recently appeared. This, of course, corroborated with the story that he was constantly being healed so that he could be kept alive for that prince's sick pleasure.

Looking up, Daneel took note of the man in the air who was crazily throwing fireballs all around him. Again, here was another clue – their features were similar, and an underlying sadness could be felt from both of them, which was definitely because of the death of their most loved one that had just occurred.

No more was required. Aran was the only one who had survived of those 12,000 people, and although Daneel did not know yet how he had done it, he could tell that it must have been something that wasn't easy at all.

What to do next?

Thinking for a bit, Daneel realised that he first had to verify something.

"System, is there anything I can do to influence his vision without causing any harmful side effects? Or can he somehow safely be extracted from this vision without causing any harm?"

This was the first solution that came to Daneel's mind. This seemed like a little bit too much for someone with the mentality of a child to go through. Even Cassandra had been quite a bit older than the child in front of him when she had had to go through her own traumatic experience.

If he could somehow remove his commander from this illusion formation, he knew that he could think of other ways to make the man break through later on. The most important thing right now was his safety, and as he once again looked at everything around him and tried not to gag from the smell of the burning flash, he knew that Aran must be pretty close to snapping and losing his sanity forever.

How could anyone overcome something like this?

In Cassandra's case, she had already gotten her revenge, and her problem had been that she hadn't been able to let go of the thirst for even more revenge that had still been present inside her, eating her away like and making her cling onto it as it represented the memories of her family.

She had simply had to let go.

But what could Aran do? Obviously, he had been powerless to change anything, so what solution was there? What could he do to overcome the situation and break through?

This completely baffled Daneel, and that was also why he hoped that he would get a positive answer for this question.

It was obvious that the creator of the Road through Hell had not been thinking of people like this when he had created this illusion formation. For normal people, traumatic experiences were usually those that they could overcome by doing something different. Yet, Aran was anything but normal.

[The target's mind has already completely entered the illusion. Even if the illusion formation is canceled at this stage, the illusion will continue in his own mind. Host can affect the target in these ways:

Host can suggest what route to be taken to overcome the situation, but if host's suggestions fail, the target will be doomed to a life of madness. In the Emperor's records, it is written that this is a very risky thing to do, as solutions have to come from oneself, and even if such solutions fail, it is possible that the mind would want to turn back and try to look for another one, as there always exists a need inside one to try again and succeed. However, if there is external disturbance or manipulation, this gets disturbed, and this 'looping back' that has been going on so far will not occur, resulting in permanent damage. The records advise that such a thing should not be undertaken unless there is no other option.

Host can choose a High-Tier technique suitable to target which fortifies target's mind and allows them to better handle the situation, and look for a solution.]

Looping back?

Daneel was pretty surprised that such a thing even existed, but it did make sense.

After all, Aran had been in the formation for days.

Anyone would want a second chance, and if it was possible that they could go back and try something different, then in a world where 'need' trumped all, it was definitely plausible that such a thing could be achieved.

After hearing the two options, Daneel breathed a sigh of relief as all hope hadn't been lost yet. He heavily leaned toward the second, which he had thought of, too, as he had read about techniques which accomplished that.

However, for both of them, he needed information about what had happened, so Daneel decided that he would first wait and watch.

Obviously, he was just a bystander – an outsider looking in, so the vision had not paused just because he had come and then left.

The last time he had been here, there were fewer bodies, and there had been people fleeing the scene.

Now, an eerie silence was present, with the maniacal laughter being the only thing that occasionally broke it.

The cowering of the little kid did not stop, though, and he started to flinch more and more violently with each sound of explosion that he heard.

Daneel waited patiently, not closing his eyes, as he felt for some reason that he had to be witness to all this that had been caused, ultimately, by the previous king being free with his children.

He branded each and every image into his mind, as even though he knew that he would never make any decisions that might result in something like this, there was no reason not to witness what had already happened, and use it as a guidepost or a warning so that he would always know what not to do.

The man never stopped laughing, almost as if he couldn't even if he wanted to. After he was done with killing all of those near him, he even started roaming in the town, which explained the 10,000 kill count. He burned all the houses, and set on fire each and every man, woman, and child he came across. He wasn't doing it consciously, and this was something Daneel knew for sure as he could see his eyes.

Those were the eyes of a mad, raging bull that would keep charging forward even if death was in its way, as its mind was no longer in its grasp.

It felt as if an eternity had passed before the man finally paused and looked up at the sun that had just begun to set.

He suddenly stopped laughing, and as Daneel watched, tears came from his eyes as if the sunset reminded him of something.

He said nothing, so Daneel didn't get any more clues, but he just floated there in the air, witnessing the blazing sun dip lower and lower into the horizon.

As it slowly began to disappear, his body also started to turn to ash.

As he died in the same manner as was told to Daneel by the previous Grand Court Mage, the 2000 or so people who were still remaining came out of their houses.

They had been hiding all this while, and it was actually only a brave few who ventured outside hearing the silence and wondering whether something had changed.

Even these brave few kept shaking in their boots and taking steps more cautiously than a deer drinking water in a lake infested with crocodiles, and as they finally looked all around and found no one, they went back to their families to tell the good news.

That was when shouts finally broke that silence, as all the families and those who had been lucky enough to escape the devastation walked out to a darkness that felt safer than any they had lived through.

That night, there were no fires, as almost all the around 2000 survivors were already deathly afraid of anything that represented that element.

They wondered what they should do, as they knew that they might be held responsible for the death of the prince, who was even supposed to be one who was beloved by the king because of his talent.

Finally, as morning came, the survivors of the town knew that they could not just sit there, as the truth would come out sooner or later anyway.

Daneel was free to roam around the vision, so he observed all these while still keeping a close eye on the kid who was Aran, waiting to see what he would do.

Only, for a day, the kid just stayed there, not even drinking water.

It was as if he was stuck- as if some memories were repeatedly playing again and again in his head. In his eyes was deep, deep pain- the kind that could make anyone wish that they were dead. Daneel assumed that he was revisiting the memories he had spent with his parents.

The survivors had decided that they would go contact the nearest town and began a search of their own town in order to see whether there might be anyone who might still be hiding in fear.

And that… Was when they found Aran.

Daneel braced himself, understanding that this might be the defining moment of the vision.

Only… Something weird happened.

The moment they saw him, the whole area blurred, making Daneel feel as if he had entered some kind of fever dream. Random sounds and blurry images assaulted him, and by the time all of these cleared out, the sight he saw was another one that he would remember forever.

Aran lay buried among a mountain of corpses, with only darkness all around him.

Of course, he was seeing everything from Aran's viewpoint, so he could only see the same bodies that he had seen before all around him, through which Aran frantically scrambled.

That was when Daneel realized that they were in some kind of pit, and from above, indistinct voices could be heard.

Aran got to the bottom of the pit, and because the bodies were weirdly stacked into a mountain, there was some flat ground in which he quickly dug a hole.

He seemed to have a bit of time, so he kept digging lower and lower while heaping on more and more earth above him.

Finally, it got to a point where Daneel doubted whether he could even dig himself out if he wanted to.

It seemed that Aran realized the same thing, as he stopped digging with those bleeding hands, and braced himself as if he knew that something was coming.

A few minutes after that, the sound of raging fire was heard, and Daneel, who was like a ghost hovering in the earth around Aran, saw the earth above him start to heat up and turn red-hot, causing the little bit of space in which Aran was there to also increase in temperature.

It soon got so hot that angry red boils started to appear on his skin, but what was strange was that Aran didn't even look like he was holding in a scream.

Oh, yes, he had already endured this a lot of times.

Remembering this, Daneel forced himself to keep watching, and soon, the fire stopped, and the temperature of the earth all around Aran also started to slowly decrease.

Outside, it had been night time, so that also helped. Soon, Aran checked and judged that the earth above him was cool enough for him to dig through again, so he began emerging, and when he finally reached the surface, there was nothing but ash left all around him along with an ever deeper stench of burning flesh.

"Quickly, Aran!"

An old man waited on top of the pit with a rope, and seeing him appear, he threw it down and allowed Aran to climb up.

Aran was taken to a cave in a small mountain nearby, where there were a few food supplies.

The man left the moment he showed Aran the cave, as if they had some understanding between them.

From here, there was a clear view of the town, so Daneel watched as Aran spent the time applying the healing salves that were also left behind, while eating the food.

More and more questions started to pop up in Daneel's mind, regarding everything that had happened.

Why had everything gone blurry? Who was that old man?

However, one thing did happen which Daneel understood.

A day after Aran escaped that pit, the sounds of screams were once again heard from the town, after which there was a dead silence which was even deeper than the one that had been present before after the death of his father.

Clearly… The king had gone ahead and killed off all the survivors.

With panic in his eyes, Aran hastily collected the basket in which the food had been kept, intending to run out.

Yet, that was when a letter fell out of it which was addressed to him.

Picking it up, Aran opened it, and that…was where the vision ended.

['Looping back' occurring. As this is a kind of reset, host is being forced out. Spell must be recast if host wishes to enter the vision again.]

Opening his eyes in the room, Daneel was more puzzled than ever before, as he realized that he had found more questions rather than the answers that he had gone in to look for.

As he had the system, he could at least find the answers to some of those.

[Those blurry images represent things that are kept deeply locked within the target's mind, so much so that the consciousness managed to obstruct the spell, preventing anyone from outside to look in.]

"Is there no way to find out what happened?", asked Daneel, knowing that the key was probably in what happened during those times.

[Only one way exists. Host's consciousness can begin to 'mimic' the consciousness of the target, which will allow host to experience everything that the target experienced during the vision. Host is warned that his own consciousness might be damaged because the experiences are clearly traumatic. Host is advised to proceed with caution.]

Daneel understood right away why the system was saying this. Anyone who had to go through everything that Aran had gone through would definitely not emerge the same person.

According to it, if he agreed to this, there was a pretty good chance that he might not come out of it unscathed.

Daneel knew that if he wished to know the true extent of Aran's strength, which was needed if he wanted to choose the second option, he had to do this. The first one was just a bit too risky, and he was not willing to choose it.

This man was someone who had sworn his life to him, and would definitely do something like this for him in a heartbeat. If so… Why should he hesitate?

Taking a deep breath, he said "Do it," and closed his eyes before being taken away.

Chapter 662: Aran 4

Pain wracked Daneel as soon as he felt himself in the body of a little boy.

He hadn't known exactly what to expect, but for some reason, he had thought that he might forget everything about reality and completely become the little one who was going to go through so much.

However, it was different.

As the little boy opened his eyes and looked down, Daneel realized that he was like a bystander inside Aran's head.

He couldn't control anything, but he could experience each and every feeling and emotion that Aran went through.

He was in a small room, and he had just been woken by a guard who looked at him with pity.

That was when Aran looked down to see that scars were forming all over his body where his skin had been boiled away before.

Which day was this? Was it the first, or the ninth?

"Which day is this? Is it the fifth, sixth, or the ninth? Father should be back on the ninth…"

Wait… Where did that come from?

This startled Daneel, which was when he realized that he could also listen to Aran's thoughts.

Oh… So this was what 'mimicking' meant.

Well, at least he knew that he would definitely be getting the answers he wanted.

The pain soon got to a point where Daneel was ready to scream but he held it in.

In many ways, it was as if he had been captured by an enemy and was being tortured while being tied up to a chair. He couldn't move, but he had to endure everything with no other choice.

However, Daneel learned the true meaning of torture after he was taken down a corridor to a room where a man in regal robes was sitting.

"If you thought that I was going to get tired of seeing you scream because you tried to kill me, you're wrong, boy. Welcome. I have a special plan for you, today. I couldn't even sleep all night because I was so excited! It seems you are close to death, though, according to the healer, so alas, this might be our last day together…well, we have to make it count!"

Saying this, the prince gestured at something in front of him, which was when Aran turned his head to see a stone bed on which arranged burning coal had been neatly spread out.

As the guard proceeded to hold Aran's hands and slowly lower him onto that bed, Daneel realised what was going to happen, and he braced himself for the pain.

All around him, he had noticed multiple instruments that had been used for torture so far – a metal human-shaped casket, of sorts, with marks of soot all around it as if it had been burned with someone inside, a roasting pit with dried blood around it, and so many more that he couldn't even explain. Of course, Aran had been subjected to them all.

Daneel marveled at his fortitude even more now. How had he not lost his mind due to the pain and the hopelessness?

The answer was given by a thought that filled Aran's head like a mantra as he got closer to the coal.

"Father is coming…Father is coming…Father is coming…"

Getting his answer, Daneel prepared to scream, but suddenly, an explosion was heard from outside, which caused most of the guards to run out with panic to see what had happened.

Aran was thrown to the floor, but he had no energy to sit up. His breathing was labored, as even though he had been healed, he was still very weak.

The prince was hastily ushered somewhere while being securely guarded, and Aran was left alone in the room.

He faded in and out of consciousness, and Daneel could feel the life leaving him slowly.

That was when the door burst open to reveal the hazy silhouette of a man who was frantically searching for something.

In an instant, Daneel understood and recognized that this was Aran's father.

The man hastily ran to Aran and shook him, but Aran was so weak that even his pulse had gotten very feeble.

Shouts could be heard from outside the door, which meant that the guards and mages were definitely hot on his trail. Hence, he didn't have any time to check thoroughly, so when he held Aran's hand and didn't feel any pulse, he looked around and saw all the torture devices present.

"No, no, no, Aran, you can't be dead, too…"

Pleading the heavens in this way, the man hastily took out some sort of medicine and forced it inside Aran's mouth. It was bitter as it slid down his throat, but the moment it reached his stomach, it immediately started healing his insides and giving him strength.

Alas, it wasn't fast enough to kickstart his pulse, as the man felt his hand again and still felt nothing.

Behind him, the shouts of the guards got louder and louder, and the man kept looking around again and again as if he didn't want to accept it.

Yet… As he finally did, the 'snap' occurred, causing his eyes to go mad as he began that maniacal laughter that would echo for hours and hours on end.

Daneel could see him deciding to burn everything for revenge, as the same flame that shone in his eyes appeared on his hands.

Aran could understand what was happening, but he was half unconscious. Even his eyes were half-open, and he tried to muster the energy to show that he was alive, but it all failed.

With one last look at his son, the man flew out of the room and began the massacre, which was clearly conveyed to the two of them from the screams of pain and the faint smell that floated inside.

The medicine began to work quickly, and Daneel soon realized that it was a top grade one that only Warriors could afford. It quickly gave Aran enough energy to stand up and move out of the room, only to come upon the first corpse he would see that day.

Of course, it had been burnt to death, and as Aran moved through the large house, his mind was blank with no thoughts whatsoever.

"Father, father, father…", he desperately chanted, searching for the man he had been waiting for.

The moment he exited the large house that he was in, he saw the prince screaming as he turned to ash.

His father laughter reached a new pitch after this, but unsatisfied, he moved on to killing the townsmen who had gathered.

"YOU WATCHED AND DID NOTHING! YOU KILLED THEM TOO!", he screamed, making fear appear on the faces of those below him who had gathered to see why there was such a commotion.

They were in the square, and as each person died, Aran kept screaming out, trying to get the attention of his father.

However, due to the screams of so many more people who were afraid for their lives, his was drowned out.

Daneel almost teared up as he saw this. A little boy, frantically running around, trying to show the man who was killing so many as he was convinced that he had died.

'Please look at me. Please find me. Please stop this. Father, please!'

These thoughts kept echoing in his mind, but everything was futile.

Soon, Aran collapsed, hopelessly, and took shelter in the ground, right where Daneel had seen him when he had first entered the vision.

Right before he did so, though, he had seen someone burning and his eyes had lingered on them, and he had felt a strange emotion which Daneel could not pinpoint while the voice in his head had stopped.

While cowering in the shelter, Daneel finally found out the answer to one of his questions, as Aran started to recall many things.

A kind old lady giving him bread to eat.

A woman knitting a shirt for him and lovingly gifting it to him for his birthday.

A man lending their family firewood for the winter.

A family happily inviting them to dinner, after which they were sent home with bags bursting with food.

And his mother… Happily making many friends while he grew up treating them all as his family.

Yet, now… All of these people burned in front of him, and, of course, Aran blamed himself.

He recalled the last memory he had had with them, and that was the reason behind him feeling in this way.

It had been after his mother's death, and he had been completely filled with a mind of anger and the thirst for revenge.

Still, he had been cared for by all these people who kept telling him to bide his time and take revenge later, as it was not wise to act now.

They pleaded him to control himself, but he still went ahead and tried to kill the prince, even though his father would be coming.

His father had always been absent for the most part, so he had started to treat himself as the man of the family. Hence, he had taken it upon himself to avenge his mother, and he had believed that he could do it.

They had known that their deaths would be futile if they tried to stop the prince, and they tried to explain this to Aran, but as a child who had lost the person he loved most in this world, Aran had been unable to understand it.

And, of course… That revenge had caused him to be tortured, and the torture had resulted in him being in that state when he was found by his father, which in turn made the man go mad and start all this.

He kept recalling each of those people again and again, and he kept apologizing to them, as he felt that he was responsible for all of their deaths.

This… This was definitely why the illusion formation had brought forth this memory.

Daneel could only watch on without being able to help, as he mused within himself about how every story had two sides.

To some people who only heard the tale from the perspective of the previous Grand Court Mage, they would feel as if the townspeople were selfish folk who deserved what had happened to them.

Yet, what else could they have done?

At least, Daneel could never have expected that it was these people who would be responsible for the strong feelings inside Aran, that had made him experience this scene over and over again due to the illusion formation.

He had part of his answer now. But he waited to find out what happened when it had gone all blurry.

Daneel endured it all. He felt the pain, he felt the regret, he felt the shame, and he felt himself on the brink of collapsing from so much emotion, but he endured and held on, just like Aran did. He used Aran as his motivation, telling himself that if his subordinate could do it, then as his King, he had to be able to, too.

Finally, as Aran scrambled out and realized that his father had died, he was found by the townspeople.

And this… Was where Daneel understood why these memories had been locked away.

"You killed them all! You!"

"If only you had just controlled your grief! We were all sad for you! But now look what happened!"

"You deserve to die with them, too!"

They blamed him.

This… Only served to reinforce Aran's conclusion, increasing what he felt to a different level.

Pain unlike any he had experienced so far struck Aran's heart, threatening to make it burst into a million pieces.

Only one old man seemed to still care for him, and it was this man who hastily took Aran away while being chased by those others who had found him.

The old man hid Aran in a house, while trying to tell him that he wasn't responsible.

This was the old man whom Aran had used to treat as his own grandfather, and who had used to tell tales about the Kingdoms beyond Lanthanor.

Sadly, his words weren't enough, and Aran looked like he was going to devolve into madness.

They hadn't had much time, though, for the man to try more. The army soon entered the town to take measure of all those who had survived, and they had spells to prevent anyone from leaving.

The best thing to do was to hide Aran among the dead bodies, as he looked like them a lot. Aran was mostly numb, but he understood what the man said in parts and agreed.

Thus, it resulted in the scene of him hiding, following which he was taken out. By then, it looked like the King hadn't decided to kill everyone.

Even in the day spent in the cave before the next massacre, Aran kept blaming himself, and at one point, he even wondered whether he should continue to live.

Yet, all that changed…due to that letter.

"Aran, your father is dead, so it is time you remember something that he told you when you were just seven years old. Recall your birthday. Recall the time when I was there, when we had both gotten drunk, and when he had said something which you didn't understand. You will understand it now."

Aran obeyed, and went back to that time.

He had been just a wee little kid, and the main thing he remembered most was that he had been ecstatic that his father, who was usually not at home, was present for his birthday.

They spent a very fun day doing all the things Aran liked – they played, they explored the town, and his father told him stories of brave men who established kingdoms and cared for the people. As the time for the sunset came, the family also sat down together on the roof of their little house to watch it, hand in hand, feeling happy in each others' presence.

That night, indeed, the old man had come over, and the two had begun to drink.

His mother had had to leave for something, and Aran had been alone with them.

That was when his father had drunkenly placed him on his lap.

He had been a bear of a man – large and hulking, but where he felt ferocious to others, only comfort and security was what Aran felt in that lap.

Looking into his eyes, the man spoke, and as Aran recalled those words, everything inside him began to change.

"Aran, one day, I might not be able to come back. And if that day comes, I want you to remember this. I do what I do because as a Lanthanorian who believes in the ways of the old, I cannot sit idly by while little kids just like you in a neighboring kingdom are killed without any reason. I feel sad that I cannot be with you, but I endure that sadness and keep it away by…laughing."

Saying so, he laughed out loud, and this was the sound that Aran remembered him most by.

It was a booming laughter- the sort which would warm anyone's heart.

And warm his heart it did, before his father continued.

"Every laugh keep the sadness and the pain away. No matter what happens in life, son, I want you to laugh in the same way and keep everything that threatens you away. Find something to do which makes you happy, and keep laughing, as we Lanthanorians never give in, and never stand by if we are capable of helping someone. If you remember just one thing about me, then let it be this. I don't even care whether you choose to follow the teachings of our ancestors, or not. Just remember this, and live your life well, son."

Laugh, and endure.

That was the message given by his father.

And that…was how he decided his life would be.

As Daneel exited the vision and got back to his own body, he began sweating profusely as he waited to adjust and feel sane again.

All those memories of pain and grief were like monsters which were close to swallowing him and destroying the very fabric of his mind.

Yet, he somehow endured, and immediately went through the Champion Paths before he made his decision.

In the records of the Champion Paths he had obtained from behind the third seal, there was one which was only meant for those who were strong of mind.

Those who weren't strong enough would find themselves overtaken and driven mad, but if one was able to train in it, then they were capable of achieving heights many could only dream of.

As one who had kept so much inside him and still blamed himself to this day while only laughing and joking on the outside, there was no one better for this technique.

So, Daneel went ahead and gave the order.

"System, prepare to give him the High-Tier Champion Path 'Mindhunter'."

Chapter 663: A Walk Among The Stars

A day and a half after the meeting where they had decided on the currency, Eloise was walking down a corridor in the Palace while in deep thought.

Daneel's grand plans had, of course, placed a lot on her plate, and as always, she took it upon herself to deliver the best work possible.

For instance, she had just had to solve an issue in the newly created 'Jobs For All' department where the first flood of those who wanted to make use of the King's offer had arrived.

These were mostly from Lanthanor, as those who sought after jobs like these would typically not be capable of teleporting over quickly from other kingdoms.

Eloise, herself, had been pretty surprised that there were so many people with capable skills that didn't have jobs.

On asking around, she had found that there were various reasons for this, chief of which was that they had offended their employer in some way, which had caused them to be blacklisted completely from all jobs in that domain. Other reasons included that they were severely underpaid as there were too many people in a specific job, which was the case in jobs that could be performed by almost anyone such as mining and woodcutting, and that they had not been able to find a job where they were happy with the pay.

The department set up in the Kingdom had taken a good, long look at all the typical salaries that were given in Lanthanor and other kingdoms, and had come up with a minimum salary amount that was needed for sustaining a family. This actually turned out to be a bit higher than what was there out in the world, which brought to light that the reported salaries were higher than those that were being given out in reality, which meant that the rest went into the employers pocket. After all, by quoting more expenses, they could pay less tax on what was left.

Everyone had always known that such a problem existed in all kingdoms, but just the scale at which it was happening, where almost every employer was engaging in it, had shocked Eloise and made her decide that she would be approaching the king in order to see whether there was some way to stop this tax evasion which took place in multiple ways, with this one just being one of them.

The king had dropped off the face of the continent for the past one and a half day, and if it weren't for the fact that they knew that he was prone to suddenly going away like this, they would have been worried.

Still, when Eloise saw Daneel casually strolling down the corridor right in front of her with a broad smile on his face, she couldn't help but feel startled.

The King of Lanthanor even looked like he was humming a merry tune to himself, and when he saw her in front of him at the end of the corridor, he immediately teleported over.

Taking her hands in his, he spoke while looking into her eyes.

"Busy?", He asked first, to which she shook her head, unable to hide the shock she was feeling upon seeing this radically different behavior of the king.

Typically, he would be formal, and even though there are occasional hugs during bursts of happiness, this was different – he had never held her hands like this, and the feeling of coarseness on her palms felt… Different.

Of course, it was a 'different' that she really liked, and what he said next made joy well up inside her.

"Let's take a walk, then. The weather seems great."

Nodding with enthusiasm and wondering whether her and Xuan's extreme efforts had finally borne fruit, Eloise began to think whether she should change into something more… Befitting of a woman accompanied by the king, as she was wearing a typical gown which she thought made her look more authoritarian. Daily, she had to deal with people who were not used to taking orders from a woman, and these dresses which, according to the tailor, even had certain special spells sewn into them helped a lot.

That was not to say that she couldn't achieve the same effect herself, but it was tiring to always have to shout at somebody in order to make them know that they should just do what they were told without asking too many questions, as they didn't know the real story behind many things.

This question was followed by whether she should have curled her hair, which was currently falling down her shoulders.

As even more questions started to follow, she tried her best to put a stop to them, understanding that she was feeling exactly like a teenage girl would if she was asked out by her crush.

But this was something just like that!

It seemed that the king had also noticed all these questions and doubts that flashed through her eyes, and even though he could not instantly understand that they were the typical self-doubting questions that would occur to anyone who was attracted to someone else, he said, "Maybe I should just do a few things like these without asking, which won't give you as much time to think. My apologies. Well, I'm learning."

Saying so, he thought for a moment and then flicked his fingers, which instantly made Eloise lose her breath as she realized that she had been teleported away to a place that seemed like it was right out of fairytales.

They were standing in the middle of the sky with nothing but stars above and all around them, and below, clouds in beautiful shapes swirled where they were above Angaria, and rumbled with dark might where they were above the Endless Sea which stretched to the corners of the horizon.

Yet, bringing them here was not the only thing that the king had done – as she was an Exalted Human level mage now, she had the ability to switch on her elementary vision right away and notice that there was a spell in front of her which was magnifying the stats that she was seeing.

Right, the stars had never been this clear and distinct before!

Completely enthralled by their incredible beauty while they twinkled gorgeously, seeming oh, so far away but at the same moment, making it look like they could be reached by her simply stretching out her hand, Eloise widened her eyes and just stared.

Daneel had let go of her hands before in order to cast the spell, but now, he took her right hand in his, again, and began leading her forward.

There was no 'forward', 'backward' or 'side' in this magical place on first sight, but as they walked, she realized that it was almost as if they were gods taking steps that amounted to hundreds of kilometers with each stride.

That was because with each step, the constellations of the stars changed, which resulted in an even more dazzling sight that made Eloise keep darting her eyes around, trying to spot and take in everything.

She squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back, which made her look to the side and notice that he was gazing at her with a small smile on his face.

Oh, right, how could she act like someone silly who was seeing the stars for the first time, when she had the company of the king!

Just this moment was something that she had always dreamt of, but never gotten, and now, when it was finally here, she had let her whole attention be taken away by… stars.

Damn stars, that she could see by herself any time she wanted.

Vowing to not spare any more attention to them as long as they were here, Eloise tore her eyes away and thought for a bit before saying, "You seem very happy. Has something happened that I should also know about?"

This made the king laugh out loud before saying, "Yes, and I was going to call for a meeting to give out this good news anyway, but you can be the first to hear of it. Aran… Will be safe. He will get out of the illusion formation, and when he does, he will be one of the strongest Warriors in the entire continent, even when you count those in the Big Four. And when he becomes a Champion… hehe, just you wait. Angaria is going to have to stock up on drool which will flow when he exposes his power. He deserves it all, though, after everything he went through."

The last line was said more to himself than to Eloise, but it struck her, as she hadn't imagined that the king would have found out about Aran's past.

Assuming that he must have used the same inscrutable methods which allowed him to know so much that he wasn't supposed to know, Eloise casually said, "That's great to hear! He always was a strange one. I remember going to the hospital once, after a fight, and he was laughing! I knew that he would become someone special, so I wasn't surprised when he entered the Academy and was instantly given resources as he agreed to swear the oath…"

Eloise said this while looking down and continuing to walk ahead demurely, but she suddenly stopped when she felt the king's hand pause and pull her back.

Turning around, she saw that Daneel was looking at her with a questioning expression on his face.

Wait… So this was not what he had been talking about?

"I thought you found out about his past here in Lanthanor. Is that not what you were referring to?", She asked, which made the king exclaim, "No! And I can't believe I didn't find out about this till now! Tell me more, and tell me why this wasn't in the records of the kingdom."

Puzzled, Eloise instantly answered, as she knew that this was something that the king would be able to find out easily enough even if he didn't know about it right now. Especially with something like Mind Control at his behest, his reach was practically limitless.

"The King was paranoid, so the backgrounds of all the commanders were purged, and except for what was already known to the commoners, everything else is a secret."

It looked like the king had also realized that this was common with all commanders, as an expression of realization flashed across his face, following which Eloise continued to answer the other question he had asked.

"I don't know too much, but I do know that before he entered the Academy, Aran was known for going to bars and other places where the public gathered even though he was underage, and taking part in fights and brawls in order to try and stop them. Oh, he was supposed to have done a lot of things. Not just in bars – any confrontation that he could get to, he would try and stop with a few jests and an infectious laugh which actually worked more often than not. In fact, I just recalled that he even had a nickname – "the laughing little shrink". The 'shrink' part was because he also loved to talk to and advice people on things that were way beyond his age – such as grief, loss, family and pain. I bet it must have been a strange sight – seeing a kid not even 12 years old going around talking to random people whom he saw were going through tough times. However, maybe that strangeness was what made his words work. Anyway, I do know that he was effective, and it was only when the fights that he tried to stop went south that he was admitted in healing areas where he was healed for free because of his reputation. He was always asked why he did it, and even I asked him, too. His only answer was that…"

"No matter what you face in life, just laugh, and endure."

Seeing the King give part of the answer, Eloise exclaimed, "So you did find out! Yes, he always said that sentence which didn't make too much sense in context, but he followed it up by saying that he doesn't like seeing people kill and be killed for trivial reasons."

After she said this, she saw the King sink into deep thought for a few moments, before he suddenly burst out laughing.

It was as if he was even more happy than he had been before, and he spoke out to himself, as if he had forgotten that he had Eloise for company.

"I thought he was a fit from just what I had seen, but it turns out that there is a lot more to it, and it's all perfect! There can be no one better in this age!"

Of course, none of this made sense to Eloise, but she simply smiled, as she didn't remember the last time she had seen the king be so happy, and show it without just letting it stay within himself.

After his laughter died down, he said, "Anyway, enough of that. You'll find out more about him when he wakes up. For now, let's talk about you. How has everything been going? It doesn't need to just be about your job, just tell me anything you wish. I'm here to listen, and I want to listen."

W-What?

This sudden shift of topic startled Eloise, and then made her wonder and hope that she hadn't heard wrong.

Had he…really said that?

It even almost made her want to cry, as she had never been told anything like that by anyone.

She… Had someone who wanted to listen to her not just because they had to?

Tears swam in her eyes, as no one could understand how much this meant to her, who was used to having to be tough with almost everyone she worked with, and making them listen even if they didn't want to. Besides, it was the king who said this, which made it all the more special.

"Eloise, this is your chance. Don't blow it. Don't go crazy. Just… be yourself. Talk."

Giving herself this pep talk, Eloise began, "So, there is a problem with…"

It began with the problem of tax that she had been thinking about, and it then went in many directions, and they even had an incredible discussion about what shows should begin in the Network. Somehow, the king had amazing ideas that were so diverse and creative that she wondered how he was able to think of so many, but she mentally listed them all down, as all of them were so good. Especially the one about an old Enchanter who went into the underworld enchanting business because he had to support his family and battle a costly sickness within him- it felt like it could be a huge hit, and Eloise already saw the potential.

The conversation even touched on personal topics, such as their most favorite experiences from the past, and the things that they liked to do most in the present.

Many hours later, as the sun began to rise, Eloise cursed it, as it signaled that they would have to get back.

After all, the Palace would practically collapse if both of them were absent at the same time.

Even the king understood this, as he said, "I had a wonderful time. We should do this more often."

Eloise was all red from the deep blush that had invaded her face, and as Daneel chuckled on seeing this and leaned in to give her a hug, she hugged back tightly, which was a first for both of them.

The next second, as they teleported back to the Palace and as she felt his hand leaving her, it felt empty, as she had gotten so used to it being with her for so long.

That emptiness spread to her heart, too, as her eyes lingered on his broad back after he smiled and said that he would go check on Aran before walking away down the corridor.

As he disappeared at its end, she broke out of the spell, and had to lean against the wall behind her before pinching herself in order to find out and tell herself that had all been real.

Of course, because his back was turned, Eloise didn't spot the blush that had been present on the King's face, too, which he had hidden successfully.

She actually had to take a few minutes to compose herself, and as she got back to her duties, everyone under her noticed that she had an additional small smile on her face no matter what she did, and even her mood seemed to have improved, over all. She seemed more patient, and, at times, she even began to daydream with a broad smile on her face, which made many stop their work and stare, as she was just stunning when she became like that.

While they wondered what was the reason behind this, the king stood patiently in the room with Aran, who slowly fluttered his eyelids and finally opened them to see the world again, after a long, long time.

Chapter 664: Aran End

Aran had been stuck in the same nightmare for so long that he had been convinced that he had been condemned by some random God to keep enduring it for eternity, just for kicks.

Well, if that was true, then he was determined to spit at that God in his face, as he wouldn't give in and break no matter how many times he had to go through it.

It wasn't like he didn't dream about it, and even spend many waking moments trying not to let it creep into his mind on almost every day that he had lived after that incident that had changed everything.

The only thing he wished was that he could laugh through it, but he didn't, as he wasn't sure whether it would come out as a bout of laughter, or something much more dark and creepy.

Even though it was a memory, he did not want to scare those around him with the kind of laughter that always succeeded in casing away those he did not want to talk to.

If a woman walked up to him and tried to court him because she thought he was handsome for some odd reason, he would give her that laugh, and she would run as if the very hounds of hell were after her.

If a shopkeeper refused to sell him a trinket for a price that matched with the coins he had, he would give him that laugh, and the man would even sometimes just throw in a few extra trinkets for free if Aran promised that he would never return to that shop.

He couldn't go to many shops right now in Lanthanor because of that, and he had just been planning to go try this tactic in other kingdoms, too, now that they were in an alliance where he could go wherever he wished without worrying about stepping down from his duty.

It was thoughts like these that helped him to keep his sanity, even though in the forefront of his mind, he kept reliving what had happened on that day.

He knew that he had the power to step in and change that, but he didn't know what to change, so he just let it play out while talking to himself in the back of his mind.

At one point, it had gotten quite strange, as it had felt as if someone was looking in, almost as if he were some maiden who was bathing and was being peeped on by a pervy mage who had learned magic only so that he could cast a see-through spell.

For some reason, Aran had known that these personal thoughts of his were not being spied on, so, as he was idle, he kept making plans about how he would give 'special care' to the one who was both peeping in and responsible for what he was going through.

Something told him that these two were one and the same, and for some reason, in many of his plans, there was a special focus given to the two special objects that men treasured the most.

As he always said, if you want to hit someone where it hurts, hit them where it REALLY hurts.

It wasn't very profound, but it sounded good, so he said it, which was the case with most of the things he said.

Again, this was a self rumination, but this was the last one, is something suddenly changed.

He had just been through another round, and he had just begun to prepare to brace himself for a new one, which was when he heard someone whispering something into his ears.

'What the hell? This is creepy, disgusting and definitely pervy, man, just stop! I promise I'll take you to someone who is very close to me who loves stuff like this, for sure! He is called Luther, and he's harmless!'

This was his first reaction, but as he listened to the contents of what was being whispered to him, he realized that it was actually… A technique.

'Mindhunter'. It sounded impressive, even though he didn't know why it had been named so.

But he was in the body of a little kid! What use could any technique be?

Soon, this question was answered as he realized that this technique had to do with the most mysterious thing in the continent, both now and in times of old – the consciousness.

This technique started and ended with the consciousness, and unless someone satisfied some sort of prerequisites that were being referred to but never stated, then it was possible that anyone trying to train in it would go mad and kill all those around them.

Was it a sick joke to leave out the prerequisites? Was this a ploy by whoever was responsible for all this to see him try and use the technique to suffer even more?

One thing was true, though – if this technique was really capable of making him do what it promised, then it was definitely a way out.

Yet… Could he trust it?

This was the main question now, and after the recital of the technique was done, he hoped that whoever was the one speaking would find some way to tell him whether it was friend or foe. It was not that he would believe him, as a foe would mask themselves as a friend anyway, but it would still give him some important clues from the way they tried to do so.

Sadly… As soon as the recital of the technique was done, the voice faded away, even though it looked like it was trying to say something more.

Dammit.

Feeling like he had been reading an action thriller before reaching the end and finding that the climax had been ripped away, Aran considered seriously just what the hell he was supposed to do.

First, he began studying the technique, all while the other part of his mind went through everything in the vision, just like he had been doing so far.

The skill of partitioning his mind was also something he had learned over the long years of pain that he had had to endure. Basically, that part was the one which did the hard job, and his other part was the one that laughed.

The more he studied the technique, the more he loved it. Even though it had been stripped to only let him know of its aspect which helped him, it felt as if it could accomplish so much more, and that it led to, possibly, a Champion Path.

With each loop that occurred, the temptation to train in the technique grew stronger and stronger, and Aran realized that he had to face the reality: even though he had so much bravado, this was something that his mind might not be able to go through for much longer. Soon, it might become eroded so much that he would not even be able to train in the technique even if he wanted to, and this was not something he wanted to see.

If that started happening, it would all be for naught anyway, as it did not look like there was any chance of the king, or that short-tempered Cassandra somehow coming to save him.

So… He decided to throw the dice.

The technique was basically one which worked on the principle that someone who had endured great difficulties in their life and had still been able to get through them with their sanity intact were those who could touch upon the consciousness and wield it like a weapon, even if they didn't understand it too much.

The concept was that anyone capable of such endurance could only be so if they got in touch with their inner self, and found solace within that knowledge that enabled them to withstand anything.

Of course, all of it sounded like a bunch of crap written by scholars sitting in closed rooms, sipping chilled wine while hair grew of the ears, so Aran disregarded it all and focused on what he was supposed to do.

According to the technique, if he succeeded, he would be able to strengthen his mind to such an extent that no illusions would ever be able to affect him.

This was all an illusion, which was something Aran had figured out the moment he got here.

And if he succeeded, he could leave.

In fact, Aran even had a vague feeling that the way to break out of the illusion was to somehow find something that he could do to overcome the trauma of going through something like this, but the truth that no one knew was that that… Was basically not possible.

Initially, he had always used to get a little bit angry when those who saw him in pain just told him to try and forget it.

How could anyone forget something of this scale? That was the worst possible advice that could be given to anyone who was in a state similar to him.

He had already figured out, with time, that he wasn't actually to blame. There was nothing he could do to control the situation, and things had played out in that manner due to the unpredictability and sheer bad luck that graced quite a few random souls in life.

That didn't mean that he could let go of that blame, though.

And he didn't want to, either.

Perhaps he had been at fault. Perhaps he shouldn't have rushed forward like that for revenge. Perhaps he should have listened.

These questions always kept him on his toes, and drove him towards his goal – to follow the footsteps of his father, and follow the ways of the Lanthanorians of old. Unlike Cassandra who told a few people about her objectives, no one else but him knew about this goal of his.

The ways of the Lanthanorians were simple – save all those you can save, give all the love you can give, and live all the life you can live.

He had found this in an obscure book in the library when he had gone to research what his father had meant, and because it was like all of his sayings which sounded good but made almost no sense and weren't very profound, he had adopted it and made it his instantly.

It was this which had led him to see all the atrocities being done by the army and the government, and decide to enter them even though there was a risk of him dying because of the oath or being bound forever, with the intention of changing what he could and saving those whom he might be capable of saving.

Of course, they had succeeded a lot, and each and every success brought him a little more happiness that kept the darkness inside away.

Over time, he had even begun to realize that the festering wound inside him had begun to heal, slowly, but he knew that it was a long, long process, and that it could not be hastened by anything or anyone.

This was also the reason why he had let the loop repeat itself, as he had believed that he might be able to hold on for as long as needed due to all the progress he had made.

Alas, he had been wrong.

'I'm supposed to do what, now?'

Going through the technique again, Aran used it, and in the first try, itself… He felt what it referred to as the 'inner self'.

And the most shocking thing… Was that it was where this inner voice of his, which was partitioned and completely different from the other, always came from.

He… Had always been in touch with his innate self? With his consciousness? And it was what had allowed him to stay sane?

The damn concept was right?!

No sooner had these thoughts gone through his mind, did he realize that the world around him had begun to shatter, which was actually something quite therapeutic and satisfying to see.

As he fluttered his eyes and opened them, he saw the King waiting for him, and he immediately sprang decided to do his duty first.

He had to let him know about who had kidnapped him.

Hastily, the king spoke up, almost as if he was afraid that Aran would say something.

"Before you say anything, you should know that I am the one who abducted you. It was just so that you could break through, and because I didn't know that you had been through such trauma that could not be overcome easily, unlike in the case of normal people, I would not have subjected you to anything like this. I…"

The first part was said hastily, but the second was uttered in a sincere tone, and this stood out to Aran.

It seemed that the technique had even accelerated his thinking, as he instantly understood everything, and realized what the king was going to do.

He also understood whom the technique had come from, and who the peeping tom was.

Instantly, all jokes and intentions to jest flew out of his mind, and he did the thing that he knew would make the king pause.

Getting off the bed he had been laying on, he knelt on one knee and said, "My King, do not apologize. If I may, I would like to say that your plan failed grandly, as I broke through the formation, instead of my barrier. Alas, it seems I am a student who will somehow make a test get canceled instead of passing it normally. However, I understand why you did it, and I wish it would have worked."

Daneel couldn't help but burst out laughing when he heard this.

Now, this… Was the commander he knew, and was proud of.

More than ever, he felt happy that he had taken that risk in order to help his subordinate, without caring that, so far, he had been one of the weakest and least impressive among the others. If he really did adopt the attitude of forgetting those who followed him just because they weren't very powerful, then what kind of a king would he turn out to be? One who only cared about power, and nothing else? That had never been Daneel, and it would never be him.

Flicking his fingers, he made one of the Warriors that were still in captivity appear in the room, which startled Aran a bit.

Walking forward, Daneel raised the man by his shoulders and proudly said, "Use the technique with him as the target. And then, I dare you to say that it was a failure again."

Not really understanding, Aran went ahead and did it, as the technique that had been transmitted to him did not contain any details regarding the effect it would cause. It had been as if they were cut out, and he realized that that had probably been the case as the king might have been strapped for time.

The next moment, though… His jaw dropped, as the thoughts of someone foreign appeared in his mind.

The technique stated that he should overlap his own consciousness, that he could feel and manipulate, with that of the target, and as he did so, the man began screaming out loud while clutching his head and looking in different directions around him, as if he was surrounded by invisible beings the two of them couldn't see.

As these screams echoed in the chamber, Aran understood the true purpose behind the name of the technique, and took a step back in shock.

"NO! I DIDN'T CAUSE YOUR DEATH! DON'T KILL ME! I WASN'T RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR DAUGHTER RUNNING AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! I DIDN'T KNOW THAT STEALING WOULD MAKE YOU GO BANKRUPT AND COMMIT SUICIDE! FORGIVE ME!"

Chapter 665: Limitations of A Mindhunter

Mindhunter.

One who hunts the mind of his opponent and brings him face to face with all the dark and dirty secrets which had all been buried as they did not want to face them.

True, that 'dark and dirty' part might not apply to all, but it was pretty much true that everyone had some or the other thing that was still stowed away, never to see the light, as it would just affect the person in question too much if it was came in the forefront of their mind.

Right now, the Warrior was going through a vision where all of the people whom he had killed and all the things that he had done which he regretted were all surrounding him, threatening to swallow him whole and throw him into an endless pit of disgrace and shame.

In this state, anyone would be defenseless, and the Mindhunter would be able to get an easy victory.

This was something that just felt so invincible and unbeatable that after getting over his shock, Aran felt like laughing out loud, as was expected of anyone who had suddenly obtained such great power.

Yet, right before he could do so, a splitting headache made him collapse to the ground on his knees, while he clutched his head and started screaming just like the Warrior in front of him.

However, that Warrior actually recovered, and although he still kept looking around as if expecting those things to reappear, it was obvious that he was no longer under the effects of the technique.

Meanwhile, Aran had already begun to bleed from his nostrils, and as that blood dripped onto the ground, the pain only started to get worse.

"W – what's wrong?"

As he barely managed to squeeze this question out, the king spoke with an apologetic tone.

"Err… My bad, I underestimated the negative effects that would be there when using the technique when you're just a Human. The technique did say that if anyone tried it, they would be subject to a headache, but it didn't say how bad it would be. Maybe it was because you used on a Warrior? Anyway, the best way to make the pain stop would be…"

That last sentence, for some reason, sent a chill down Aran's spine, making him endure the pain and look up to see the king hefting a huge hammer in his hand while he walked toward him.

Immediately backing away, he said, "What the… I mean, My King, please put that away! Surely there must be some other way, right? ARGGHH!"

No sooner had he spoken this with panic, the pain returned in full force, making him bend over and scream again.

Unknown to him, Daneel had sheepishly scratched his nose and made the hammer disappear, realizing that maybe, he really was getting a bit too hammer-happy these days.

There were much more peaceful methods to make faint, and although they took a little bit of time and effort, but this was a situation where he wasn't in a hurry, which meant that he should be choosing that option.

So, he asked the system to deploy a body numbing formation around Aran, and after 10 seconds during which his screams echoed in the chamber just like those of the Warrior who was looking at everything with an expression of confusion on his face, Aran fainted.

This led the King to turn toward the Warrior, who only defiantly stared back, as he had been imprisoned for so many days while just being given food and water. He had already given up on life, and after this strange incident, he had realized that it was almost as if they just existed in order to be used as guinea pigs for the King's experiments.

Even though he was someone who had wanted to rise in power easily by targeting the king, he did not want to be subject to a life like this.

"Just kill me," He said, before bracing himself and spitting in the direction of the king, knowing that this was something which would definitely infuriate the man and make him end his life.

True, this insolence might cause a little bit of pain, but at least he could leave the world with his head held high.

However, that spit evaporated before it even reached the king, while the man folded his hands and said, "Oh, how could I? There are so many more Paths that need to be tested, and all of you are the prime candidates. After all, there is no way I would be able to obtain such willing Warrior level individuals, even if I tried. All of you are a treasure! And if you do well enough, maybe I'll even offer you a way to get stronger if you agree to swear an oath to me. How about it? Do you, by chance, want to swear one now?"

Like a crazy doctor who was happy that he had found a few live subjects to test all of his mad experiments on, the king smiled while showing his teeth, which made the Warrior want to run out of the room and run away as far as he could.

Alas, that wasn't possible, and as the king understood that he was not going to accept as there was still quite a bit of resistance that needed to be worn down in his eyes, he flicked his fingers again to make the man disappear.

Deciding to wait, he resumed his perusal of all the Champion Paths while Aran rested in the formation and allowed his mind to go back to normal.

Playing with the consciousness was no simple thing. Only Champions could even hope to try and manipulate it, and even then, they would always follow strict rules, which was just like a technician from Earth fixing problems in a machine according to a manual without understanding how it really worked.

Of course, that was different from Aran, who was much more intimate with the consciousness, and was able to do so much more.

The very fact that this was one of the only Paths that could lend a one a special power even when the one training in it was just a Human showed just how precious and strict it was.

Although other Champion Paths also did so before one reached the Champion level, it was typically when they were warriors, and not when they were humans.

Thinking back to what Aran had said, Daneel realized that one thing was true, though, his objective of helping his commander to break through had failed.

By training in the technique, Aran had broken through the illusion formation in an unorthodox way instead of passing its test and becoming a Warrior first before being allowed to leave. In other words, he had found a backdoor out of it that he had taken as there was almost no way for him to pass the test of the formation due to the specific illusion that he had gotten trapped in.

Hence, the man was still a Peak Exalted Human.

Putting his hand on his chin, Daneel began to tap it as he thought long and hard about whether he could do anything more.

After a few minutes, he finally got an idea and teleported away.

…

As the hammer he had seen in his last waking moments had gotten really entrenched in his mind, Aran repeatedly dreamed of it. At times, it chased him, and at times, he chased it. At times, for some reason, he even slept in a bed with it beside him. This was so strange and weird that Aran had to wonder whether he was going crazy, but as the scenes kept shifting, he slowly understood that he was dreaming, which allowed him to relax and rest.

An unknown amount of time later, he groggily woke up to find that he was alone in the room.

Very few vestiges of the headache were present, but just the phantom pain that assaulted him when he remembered it made him want to scream again, but he controlled himself as he realized that it really was gone.

As soon as he began to look around and wonder how he was supposed to contact anyone, the king once again appeared in front of him, and the man once again had a smile on his face.

"Welcome back to the land of the living. I hope you had a nice rest?"

"Yes, My King, and I bet it was much better than what I would have gotten if you had gone ahead with your hammer plan."

This made the king smile sheepishly again, but Aran hadn't been able to resist saying it, as he even now remembered just how huge that hammer had been and how intimidating it had looked.

As if to change the subject, the king directly answered the question that was on his mind.

"The headache came as a result of you using your power when you were not even a Warrior. The best time to use it is when you are a Champion, and you will also be able to sustain it for a longer time, then, unlike now when you had to release the Warrior from the vision right away. That isn't to say that it is invincible, though, so you can't actually go around thinking that you can defeat anyone. First of all, he was defenseless, but if there was even a normal barrier on him, it would cause your technique to be impeded. There are also special spells that can be used to defend one's mind from such things, and you can also never discount the fact that there might be someone who can quickly get over their guilt and become ready to fight you after growing even stronger. Granted, that last case typically doesn't occur, but it is still a risk. However, the positive thing is that that skill of using someone's fears and trauma against them is not the only one that you will have. When you grow stronger, you will obtain more things that you can use to bypass different kinds of defenses, and if you train hard, I dare say that you will stand among the top in the continent. That's all very far from you, though, as you're still just a Human. Sure, you can use the technique for, like, a couple of seconds, but after that, you'll be knocked out for 18 hours."

18 damn hours?

This surprised Aran, as he hadn't expected that it had been so long.

Also, that line about him standing on the top had indeed made a smile appear on his face, but that had hardened into something more determined when it was followed up by the hard fact that he was still quite weak.

Indeed, the technique was magical, but it was currently limited by his own strength.

But how was he supposed to break through?

As if understanding this question, too, the king took out a folder from somewhere and handed to him.

"Here. It's possible that this will help you find the 'need' that you can use to break through. Records of this were purged from everywhere, as you already know, but there was still one person who knew about it."

The moment he heard the word 'purged', the first thing that Aran thought about was his town, but when he took the file and opened it to see the painting of a man who looked like a hulking bear with kind eyes, he gasped as he realized what it actually was.

Indeed, it was an official report of just what his father had been up to during the time when he had been fulfilling his duty as a spy.

Apparently, he had been sent on a secret assignment by the previous king, himself, so even the master of spies, Luther, had had no information about it. Right after Aran had become a commander, he had asked, and found this out.

And, of course, before he could ask, the King had perished, so he had thought that he would never, ever know for sure just what his father had been doing.

With anticipation on his face, he quickly flipped through it, while the King also began to talk.

"The previous king originally wanted your father to find the weaknesses of the Kingdom of Axelor so that he could invade it if he wished, but instead of that, your father focused more on the difficulties of the people and how that could be exploited to change the ruling party. The truth was that he wanted the king to change, even if it meant that someone like the previous king of Lanthanor would take his place, as there would at least not be those random purges that killed thousands at once. It was said that he even saved many from purges using ingenious methods, and he was lauded among the populace of Axelor as someone to look up to. In fact, it was this growing attention that caused the king to wonder if he should call him back, and that was when the disaster struck. I understand that you might not have felt the 'need' so far as you didn't have a very strong direction in life, that wasn't vague and just built from things you might have guessed. But I feel that this… will show you what you should do. I-"

Daneel stopped talking, as he had felt the wild rush in the air that indicated that someone nearby was breaking through.

His smile broadening even further, he teleported away in order to let his commander break through in peace.

…

A few minutes later, not intending to waste any more time, Daneel convened a meeting of all the most prominent ministers in the kingdom to make another announcement, which would be the fourth one that would rock Angaria.

He had been thinking deeply about everything Eloise had told him during their walk, and he had come up with something that he was very excited about.

Taking a deep breath, he began the announcement.

"Henceforth, the Alliance will be the only place in Angaria where there will exist regulatory bodies that will keep a close eye on things that affect common people such as salaries, prices of goods, and other things where an unfair manner of manipulation is taking place. We will also be setting up a Patent Office, where people can patent their inventions in either trinkets or even spells to make sure that others will not copy them and steal their glory. And, finally, there will be a system where any one can anonymously query anything regarding the government, be it the way funds are being used, or the way in which jobs are being allotted. For the first time, there will be a transparent government. Oh, wait, there is one last thing…outsiders coming in can avail all of these things and set up their own town/city with help from the government. Let this spread to each and every corner of the continent!"

As silence hung over the room, a smile appeared on the corner of Daneel's mouth.

He knew that the Queen must definitely have some sort of counter-attack planned, and that she would strike soon.

However, what if he managed to pull a major chunk of settlements toward him before she even managed to do anything?

In a way, it would be like playing poker, but snatching away the cards of the opponent before they revealed them to show that they had a great hand.

Looking forward to such a scene, Daneel teleported away.

Chapter 666: Discovery

In a place that would be classified as the middle of nowhere by anyone living in the major kingdoms and forces in the Central Continent, there was a small village which was inhabited by less than a thousand people.

Unlike normal settlements of these kinds, though, they had a very sturdy wall set up all around them with two guards even standing in front of the gate and checking everyone who was entering and leaving.

Such small settlements had to take great pains to maintain security, as they were always prime targets for bandits who did not want to tussle with the advanced security personnel who were trained rigorously to do their job. Granted, even if they were weaklings in almost all the major forces, as would be the case with any force which passed a certain number, it would mostly be that they would have to be really careful about messing up and having to face tons of backup who would decimate them if they even tried their antics in a proper town or village inside a Kingdom.

Inside the village, something else that was out of the norm was that the roads were not just bare earth that had been tread on so many times that they had flattened out. Instead, stones had been laid down and then their tops had been sliced off, before mud was inserted between them in order to make a stone pathway.

All in all, anyone visiting would definitely be shocked, and this was also the case with an emissary from the Kingdom of Arafell who had just arrived on the orders of the Queen.

As soon as he had made his identity known to the guards, one of them had rushed inside to summon the one with the most authority in the village.

A middle-aged man who was neither too short nor too tall and neither too skinny nor too muscular walked through the path on the other side of the gate while greeting all those on his way with a smile on his face.

From the respect he was given, the emissary guessed that this was the Chief, and he felt surprised as this was definitely the most unique leader of a settlement that he had seen yet.

Most leaders were those who enjoyed wealth as well as respect, but it was not so with this man.

He looked like a simple man. He wasn't even wearing any shoes, and he looked like he was a farmer, which was evident from the strong smell of wet earth that emanated from him. Used to the luxuries of the Palace, the emissary frowned at this, but he tried to control himself as he was here with an important job.

After he finally approached, he said, "Our humble village welcomes the honorable emissary of the great Kingdom of Arafell. Please come in. After you have rested, we can speak regarding what you have come for."

Simply nodding, the emissary walked inside without showing any proper respect, as he had also been commanded to not show any weaknesses even though he was here to ask something of them. Rather than 'ask', he had been told that he was giving them an opportunity to become so much greater than they were, which meant that it had to be given from a position of greatness, as otherwise, the value of what he was offering might not be conveyed as much as it should be.

He had already noticed the walls and the road, and as he looked at the houses which were also not thatched cottages like in the many settlements that he had been to till now, he wondered just what was so different about this village that it had developed in this way.

Still, he did not care much and just decided to do what he was here to do, as, in the grand scheme of things, nothing else mattered except him finishing his job here and moving on to another settlement.

Ushered into a small room where there were fruits of all kinds and a bottle of wine placed, the emissary raised his eyebrows, while the village chief said, "This is a brew by one of our villagers. Please try it. It'll definitely be to your liking. When you're leaving, you can also take a few bottles with you, as this is the specialty of our village. Even the bandits who come to raid us often just leave when we give them a crate of these."

Laughing at the last sentence, the chief walked to the door and said, "Please rest for a bit, and we can meet in our meeting room in a few minutes. I shall wait for you."

Very respectful.

Saying inwardly that it was well-deserved, the emissary sat on the couch which was also quite comfortable and munched on a few fruits which were all very sweet, as if they had just been plucked from the tree. He then sampled the wine, and had no option but to raise his eyebrows again as the sweet liquid dripped down his throat, instantly making him want to drink more.

Even after he was finished with the bottle, he felt himself wanting more, but he suddenly remembered who he was and tried to control his urges.

What would his commander say if he found out that he was acting like a common drunkard?

Yet, the wine had just been a bit too addicting. He felt himself salivating even as he saw the bottle, so he hid the bottle below the couch, but even this did not stop the temptation.

Taking a few deep breaths, he finally calmed himself down and walked out of the room to find a little girl waiting to show him the way.

Checking his pocket and making sure that the all-important trinket that he had placed there was still present, the emissary adjusted his clothes which were grand robes that had been embroidered with images of fairy-like beings descending to the earth while being worshipped by ferocious giants.

This was a pretty strange image to be stitched onto clothes, but it was the standard garb of emissaries from the Kingdom of Arafell, and he wore it proudly.

Yet, the moment he stepped outside, darkness suddenly overtook him as he collapsed to the floor, and the last thing he remembered was the little girl giggling, as if this wasn't the first time that she was seeing something like this.

Meanwhile, the village chief had been watching everything from a tower that was present in the center of the village, from where he could see each and every nook and cranny of the village below him if he wished.

Right after the emissary fainted, he was carried to the tower by a few men who then checked his pockets thoroughly before finding the hidden pocket in which the trinket that he had caressed before was present.

It was in the shape of a ring, and the most remarkable thing about it was that in its crown was set a blood red gem that glowed faintly.

"Bring over a pitcher of water.", The chief said, all merriness gone as he had put on an expression of absolute seriousness.

The villagers also acted quickly, as they had only seen this man that they viewed as their God being this serious when they had been in the way of a bandit flood which had been fleeing from one region to another.

At least, then, the leader of those bandits had been a benevolent woman, who had let them be, but in this case, it looked like things were even more serious.

As the pitcher of water was brought, the chief dipped the ring into it, which caused the water to suddenly glow a bit before going back to normal.

Looking around, the chief thought for a bit before saying, "Bring over that newcomer to the village who tried to **** his neighbor's wife."

Expressions of anger appeared on those in front of him as he said this, but without saying anything, they bowed and went to do their job.

Soon, a tied and gagged man who already looked like he had been tortured so much that he was praying for death was presented in front of the Chief.

As soon as the gag was removed, the man cried out, "I'm sorry! Please, just ki-"

His shout cut off instantly when the chief laid his eyes on him.

"What do you think of the Queen of Arafell? Answer honestly."

"Why are you asking me this? Are you-"

Instantly, one of the men near him ran forward and kicked him in the groin, which made him howl with pain, as blood started to flow anew from the place which had already been cut multiple times by the women in the village.

Understanding what he had done wrong, the man pleaded for a bit and then said, "I understand! I don't feel anything special about her. I did hear that she was a great beauty, though…"

His base instincts shining through once again, the men near the Chief looked like they wanted to rush ahead and continue what they had been doing to this man before they were interrupted by the visit from the emissary.

Raising his hand, the chief stopped them, after which the pitcher of water floated towards the man.

The man started to struggle and shout incoherently, as he was afraid that this was another kind of torture and that the water would burn.

Yet, when it poured over him, he drank, as he had been kept thirsty for the last few hours.

Seeing this, the chief nodded and let the pitcher land on the ground, after which he asked the same question again.

It took a few moments, but after that, the man's eyes shone as he said, "The Queen is a benevolent being who is here to give us a better life! I want to be near her! I want to go to her! I want to-"

All those in the room were shocked as he continued raving, but the chief looked like he was only seeing what he had expected.

Shaking his head, he took out a communication trinket and began to send a message.

…

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Daneel was peacefully sitting in his room and going through the Champion Paths again while the beating of the Dragon heart was like music in the background that calmed his mind and allowed him to focus.

Yet, that peace was instantly shattered by a sudden knock on the door, after which it opened to let in a frantic Kellor.

"My King! I've just received news from a friend of mine who is a leader of a small village! He was originally a Lanthanorian, and he was even the mayor of a town, but he was persecuted by the king because of his strict policies regarding any crimes. He used to torture and kill rapists, and murderers were instantly killed where the murders happened with intent. He was also a powerful mage, but he was not interested in power – he only wanted to lead a peaceful life of farming while taking care of the needs of people. He left and setup that village, and it seems that he was just approached by an emissary from Arafell. He… Found something."

Raising his eyebrows and feeling surprised that there were even such characters, Daneel instantly got up and went to the Grand Court Mage.

As he saw the description of what had been sent, anger instantly appeared on his face as he understood right away just what Arafell was doing.

Without hesitating, he took out the trinket that connected him with Arafell and asked to be connected with the Queen.

"What is it, King Daneel? Are you going to reconsider your offer?", came the voice of the Queen, but Daneel spoke in a harsh voice.

"An Enthrallment Spell using physical means? Really? Isn't it the same spell that was active the first time we met?"

After a moment of silence, a low chuckle sounded from the other side, before she said, "You found out sooner than I expected…but so what? You can't move, or the Big 4 will come down on you! I know all the news, King. So just sit, and prepare to lose. No matter what schemes you put out, I will be the one winning."

Chapter 667: A Predator Out In The Open

The Queen of Arafell had been enjoying the company of 20 male minstrels who had been specially trained in order to perform to her standards.

She had always been a fan of artistic dance, and because that art form didn't exist in the age she was presently in, she had gone ahead and created her own personal dance group so that she could be entertained whenever she felt the need.

Typically, these occasions were when she was idle, or when she was feeling nostalgic of the times during the age of the Empire when she had fought together with the man of her dreams.

When she had received the communication from the King of Lanthanor, she had immediately raised her palm, which froze all of those dancing in front of her.

The moment she heard the King's message which meant that he had discovered everything, she had felt shocked at first, as she didn't understand, at all, how he could have gotten to know about her real plan when she was doing everything so discreetly.

She had gone to great pains to make sure that neither he, nor the Big Four would be any the wiser, but it looked like she hadn't been careful enough.

Intending to find out exactly where and how the breach had occurred later, she had thought for a bit, and then smiled to herself as it really didn't matter.

She knew just how critical they were of the king right now in the High Council of the Big Four, and even though the Head seemed to be favoring him a lot, that would not be enough if the king went ahead and started to act aggressively in the Central Continent.

The tiniest of mishaps would be enough to set him back by a lot, and she knew that he must know that too.

First, she went ahead and calmed the little girl inside her mind who had begun to panic as soon as she heard the king's message. Unlike her, who had gone through multiple battles with many ups and downs, this little girl was not used to having a plan being fully revealed to the enemy.

As for why it didn't matter, it was because the Queen had planned it in the way she usually used to during the wars fought for the Empire: she made sure that it was just perfect enough that it would not matter even if it is revealed before it was supposed to be.

After that, she had given that response to the king, and she looked forward to what he would say.

As expected, the king seemed very, very angry.

After all, this had been a fair competition before, and he had gone ahead and worked so hard in order to create all of the schemes that she had to admit were pretty damn impressive. She had always known that the Emperor had had a knack for things like these, and although she had never been able to think in the same way and formulate plans which would bring a lot of welfare to her citizens, she knew how to recognize which were good, and how to appreciate them.

Hell, she was even prepared to begin to copy them, as soon as she was done with what she was doing right now.

If this was a test that they were taking together, then she was, practically, cheating by enticing the one monitoring the test to give her full marks.

Yet, she didn't care. She always believed that victory mattered, above all else, and regarding this, she and the Emperor had had long discussions where he would emphasize that things like the path in which victory was achieved mattered, too, while she would say that the path was irrelevant if one succeeded properly in what they had set out to achieve.

"YOU-!"

Hearing him scream that word out and then control himself, the Queen could almost visualize him seething, and this made her smile only broaden as she realized that he wasn't really the mature and perfect version of the Emperor that she had thought he might be.

That was actually better, because that man had rejected her without any hesitation, whereas in this case, there might still be some chance-if it turned out that everything she hoped for was true.

Wait, why was she thinking in this way? Was she even seriously pursuing the king?

This was not the time to think of that, so although she blushed a bit, which resulted in the little girl inside her mind repeatedly asking what the matter was and whether they should be worried as she assumed that it was because of their plans, she put it to the side and just waited silently for the king to say something, or cut off the communication as would be expected from anyone who was livid.

Indeed, after a few seconds, the communication abruptly cut off, and once again, she could imagine him storming around, knowing that no matter what he did, she would win.

Will you overcome this? Or will you accept defeat?

That would be the true test, and she looked forward to seeing what he would do.

She actually felt happy that she might be one of the few who had made him lose his composure, as he always seemed so calm and confident every time he met her, and every time he appeared in front of the public.

Well, now, the ball was in his court.

Standing up, she dismissed the minstrels, and then set out to account for each and every emissary that had been sent out, and each and every trinket that she had painstakingly made based on the special spell that the King had experienced before.

It was actually based on one that was not even behind the third seal, as it had been created by another powerful figure who was on par with the emperor, but because it had been a secret, it had only been passed down to a certain few.

She was one of those lucky few. Yet, it had only been passed on to her, and she hadn't been very adept at it initially.

The only reason she could use it to create trinkets that could bring others under her effect was that she had spent a long, long time studying the spell, and understanding how to accomplish this.

Now, all of her hard work was finally going to bear fruit, and she had to say that although she was equally excited to see whether her expectations regarding the king would be fulfilled, she also wanted to win, and stand victorious.

This… This was the kind of contest that would make one's blood pump, and she had missed this feeling that she had lived for during the Empire.

She had thought that there was no one who equaled her in this age, so just the possibility that that was not the case…set her heart racing.

With a soft smile playing on the corner of her mouth, she left the throne room.

…

Meanwhile, in the King's chambers, Kellor was quite surprised to see the king being angry for the first time in a long time.

In fact, even when he thought about it, he couldn't remember the last time that the king had made an angry outburst.

Well, now, he was making one.

He didn't know what response the king had gotten from the Queen, but it had made anger instantly appear in his eyes, while even his face began to turn red.

After that, he barked out a word loudly and looked like he would begin a tirade of curses, but he visibly controlled himself and cut off the communication.

Powerful men were always scary when they were angry, as even the world would join in on their anger.

Yet… What was strange was that the world around the king was calm, and there were no fluctuations in elementary particles that were typically present when a mage was furious.

Maybe the king was controlling himself that well?

This question appeared in the Grand Court Mage's head, and after the king cut the line, he wondered whether he should even go ahead and ask, or whether he should give the man some time.

However… What happened next made him gasp, as he realized that he should never make suppositions about this man who always trumped all expectations no matter what he did.

Not even a second after the line cut off, he put the communication trinket calmly to the side and actually… began laughing out loud.

It wasn't the crazy laugh of someone whose anger had reached the peak – no, it was the genuine laugh that came from one who was happy about something.

Turning around, he clasped Kellor's shoulders and said, "We should really thank that friend of yours! Oh, but don't forget to tell him that he's probably in danger – now that she knows, she will definitely set out to account for each and every trinket that has been sent out… How about this, why don't you ask him to come back to Lanthanor? He seems like a capable person, and I can make an exception where a settlement can exist with its own special rules and laws. All citizens who go into that settlement will be notified of these things, so even if anything happens, they would only have themselves to blame."

Although Kellor heard this and felt surprised that such a thing could even be possible, the shock regarding the sudden change in the King's mood was what dominated his mind right now.

Understanding this, the king chuckled again and said, "You're properly wondering why I acted angry before?"

As Kellor nodded, the king said, "It's simple. Who would you deem more as a dangerous threat – someone who reacts emotionally and seems immature, or someone who can take any news calmly and think about what to do about it?"

The answer didn't need to be given.

"Over all these years, I found that if you can control what the enemy knows about you, then you can control the outcome of a confrontation. True, it might not be an exact science, but more often than not, I find that keeping my cards close to my chest always helps out. Remember this, my dear Grand Court Mage. The reason I'm so happy is that I finally know what she is doing! Until now, she was like a predator in the grass, unseen and unheard until it strikes. Yet, now, she is completely out in the open, and I can plan slowly make plans to counter her. In other words, we're in a much better position now, than before. Anyway, what are your thoughts on the Court Mage?"

A bit thrown off by the second question, Kellor actually had to take a few moments to digest everything the king had said.

Indeed, the king was definitely right regarding the fact that knowing what she was doing was so much better. Until now, they had worried and brainstormed over what method she might employ, but they could never have expected that she would do something like this.

In the world of sealed Empire Spirits and incredible, magical spells from the time of the Empire, a spell which was capable of making people admire her did not seem to be too out of place.

Thinking for a bit, he finally gave the answer.

"Nothing specific, my King. He was mostly a reclusive figure, so there was very little he handled personally. I don't know too much, and I only knew that he carried out the orders of the previous king, and his father. Why, has he broken through to become a Warrior?"

"No, but when he does, I plan to join him in our retinue. But before that, he needs to be thoroughly vetted, and his every motivation has to be found out. It seems that he might be prepared to swear an oath, so in my stead, I charge you with the duty to go and take the oath and talk to him, as he will be under your charge when he breaks through. What do you say?"

A Warrior mage under his charge?

Kellor was not one to feel happy over such accomplishments, but he did feel glad that he had been deemed responsible enough to take care of such an important task like this.

Fully intending to finish it appropriately, he nodded, and left.

As soon as Daneel found himself alone, the happiness left his face, because although he really had been happy that he had found out what the Queen was doing, he had to say that he was also a bit worried now because by himself, he did not see how he would counter her.

Of course, the next thing he did was ask both the dragon and the system simultaneously, but their answers only made him ponder seriously even more.

"Young King, this is not a spell that is present behind the third seal, so I do not know much about it, although I did hear of it. Before the Empire was born, a Hero was supposed to have built an entire brain-washed army using it, and they were all ready to die for him. He was a tough foe, and his technique was thought to have been lost. If we get one of those trinkets, we might be able to analyze something, but she must definitely have some sort of self-destruct formation also added into them, if she was comfortable with sending them forward into the world. There might be brute force methods which will work against such spells, but those would be too flashy, and they will attract undue attention."

[No direct countering means found which will not alert the Big Four.]

Well, no one ever said that this would be easy.

Chapter 668: Decisions

Unwilling to accept the truth that had been presented to him, Daneel went over all of the Anti-Enthrallment spells that were present behind the third seal.

Enthrallment was something more complex than Mind Control: in the latter, specific instructions needed to be given, but, in the former, a vague sense of admiration would be born that could be used to basically achieve anything. In other terms, it was an advanced version.

Indeed, just like both the Ancient Dragon and the system had said, the spells he found were too flashy, and without a doubt, the Big Four would be able to notice easily.

For example, one of the spells dictated that those under the effect of the Enthrallment could be subjected to a complex formation that would wipe their mind and 'reset' their preferences and likes according to what they were before the spell was cast on them.

Another advocated for a bright flash of light that would give the same result, but there were cases where eyes were burnt out as the light was too bright.

If that had been true even for the Giants during the Age of the Empire, then without a doubt, if he used it now, he would be blinding tens of thousands of people.

After spending a day futilely looking for other solutions, Daneel understood that he needed a different perspective, which meant that he had to break away from this for now and focus on other things.

Thankfully, there were a lot of things that he could shift his focus to. First, he went Eloise, who smiled so brightly when she saw him that he felt glad that he had used the opportunity before to spend some time with her.

She was one of the most valued people in his life, and regardless of whether he entered a relationship with her or not, he wanted to know more about her, just like he had been 'advised' to do so. From that long talk the other day, he felt like he was getting closer to her, but he didn't yet know whether this was in the capacity of a friend, or something more.

His character had never been one where he would want to 'obtain' woman, so even though he had no intention now of putting this away, he wanted to be sure before he made a decision.

Although Eloise seemed a bit shy, there was no tension between them, and, if anything, it was as if they were more comfortable in each other's presence.

He had come to go over the records of all those who had approached Lanthanor for jobs, and the progress of the walls.

Taking the documents in which the details of all the job seekers were present, he flew along with Eloise into the sky so that they could check out the wall together.

The whole purpose of the wall, originally, had been to both break all the barriers between the three kingdoms inside, and to entice all those already in the regions between the three kingdoms to enter the alliance.

So far, the news was promising. The schemes had been quite effective in pulling 30% of the settlements into the Alliance, and he was even planned to have a meeting with the heads of all these settlements so that they could be further integrated permanently, with no risk of them changing their minds later on.

The rest looked like they were waiting and watching to see whether the announcements would result in something concrete, and not be just fake ones designed to pull them into the fold.

Now, Daneel was happy that he had gone with this plan, as the walls also kept out the emissaries of the Queen.

The Queen probably knew that if she carried out such things inside his kingdom, he would definitely find out right away.

Either way, he was happy with the progress.

The foundations had all been filled up, and in some places, construction of the actual wall had also begun. As he saw all this, he couldn't help but remark on just how easy things on Earth would be if magic could be used.

For example, the major time taking and resource intensive task was lifting heavy objects, but here, it could be easily accomplished by a few mages working together. Besides, as the mages of Eldinor were already quite powerful, and because they really wanted to be a part of this historic construction, they worked very efficiently and they even had high stamina which allowed them to keep working for quite a long time before breaking for rest.

Using the most simple, yet effective design of all, hollow metallic sections were being set up first before being filled with earth. The earth would then be solidified in a process very similar to how bricks were made back on earth, and along with a few spells that were from the Empire and that had been used during the construction of the walls of Lanthanor(which allowed him to escape suspicion on this matter from the Big Four), a majestic border wall would arise.

After they were done, they arrived back in the palace, where Eloise spoke about another topic that had been on her mind since quite a long time.

"Daneel, why don't we use this opportunity to bolster our army, too, if possible? So far, the armies have been small because of the fact that not everyone can train as a Fighter or a Mage. Is there no way to make that change? Right now, patriotic feelings are very strong, and there has always been the general idea that entering the Army would allow one to settle for life, both because of the hefty pay and benefits that are given to each soldier and his family, even after death. What do you think? Even if we can't increase their potential now, as the Big Four are watching, can't we do so later? Or use some kind of formation to allow them to be effective?"

This was something that Daneel had thought of before, but he had hesitated as he had already been under the purview of the High Council, which was also definitely keeping a close eye on his military might.

That was why he had also not gone ahead with the 'resurrection' of the mages who had been sacrificed during the event with Eldinor, but as Eloise spoke, he realized that he could do something which would not call too much attention upon him.

In his mind, he recalled a certain image that was a part of the memories of the Emperor, which he had come across when the first transfer had occurred.

Then, some images had been seen by him, although the rest had appeared like a blur while being recorded by the system.

Maybe this image was just too grand to be ignored, so it had flashed for a moment in front of his eyes, and he had never forgotten it.

It was that of an army that looked like ants swarming a large figure, and it looked as if that figure would fall at any moment.

He had not been able to see many specific details, but as he inquired the system about it, he realized that he had been right in remembering that image in this context.

Ants really could take down a giant if there were enough of them.

And in that image, apparently, a Hero had been killed by a formation that consisted of 100,000 Amateur Humans Fighters and Mages who were training together for that task for a long time.

True, the same thing might not be possible in this age, as they were not as many Amateur Humans. After all, just getting to that stage would allow one to enter an army.

Yet, if the minimum power level could be decreased, wouldn't it be pretty impressive even if the target's power level was also decreased, in turn?

What if 100,000 normal soldiers, with no power, could bring down a Champion?

Daneel's eyes blazed with hope as he thought of this, because in the fight against the Church that was sure to come, there would be many Champions to take care of.

If the general populace could help and take up at least a little bit of the slack, then he knew that it would go a long way in helping them achieve a favorable outcome.

But first, he had to take baby steps, and not hurry in this momentous task.

So, he told Eloise, "Devise a new job. It should be for fit and young people, and they will be added into a new corps in the Army where even those with no potential whatsoever in either Path can join. However, to make sure that not everyone will flock toward it, make it so that the benefits and the salary are lower than regular soldiers, but also keep in mind that it should stand out among other jobs, too. Of course, it should be made clear that they will be risking their lives as there will be active campaigns or even life-threatening tests, so that should be enough to dissuade too many. After all, even though we will be picking those with no potential, I want to go for quality, not quantity. Set the limit to 10,000, and when it is reached, notify me."

This hasn't exactly been what Eloise had been expecting, but she still felt glad that there was a different job which could be fulfilled, as that meant that they now had more options to employ people.

Nodding and giving him a smile, she left to begin instantly, after which Daneel went back to his chambers.

Checking back on his list of things to do, he realized that he had still not checked up on the other schemes that he had begun.One thing he really did not want to do was be like many governments back on Earth where all sorts of schemes would be announced and begun, and then left to themselves to fail. This could be prevented by monitoring them on a timely basis, so he intended to definitely do that as he did not want any failures to his name.

Other than that, in the Nine Sovereigns, except for Eloise who was still not ready, his father was the other Peak Exalted Human who was ready for a breakthrough.

For a moment, Daneel wondered whether he should also be placed in the Road through Hell, but he hesitated because of all the things that had gone wrong so far with that approach.

Besides, he definitely did not want to see history repeat, such as seeing his father aim for his 'royal balls', too, if he really did go ahead.

Thinking for a bit, Daneel saw a pattern.

In both the cases of Luther and Kellor, where both men had been quite mature, their breakthroughs had been smooth with just a little push being needed.

Yes, this approach would be better. Right now, his father was taking care of the construction of the walls, and after he was done, Daneel planned to maybe assault him in disguise while threatening the life of his wife, which would definitely be enough for him to find the 'need' to break through.

As that matter was settled, he shifted back to the most pressing one – the Queen's plan.

However, surprisingly, the moment he began thinking about it, it was as if a light bulb turned on above his head.

He didn't know whether it was because of the break he had taken, or all the things he had handled during it, but he had just gotten an excellent idea which was unconventional, but which just might work.

Taking a deep breath, he asked the system, and when he got the green signal, a wide smile spread across his face.

Oh, she would definitely not be expecting this.

Still, if he wanted everything to go smoothly, there were a lot of preparations to make.

Without any further hesitation, he got down to them with gusto, as he really did love plans like these in which he was using the system with his creativity in order to get a solution.

Funnily enough, her expression when everything unfolded was one of the things he was looking forward to the most.

So, with that in mind, the king worked through the night.

…

In the Sect of Hedon, a section of the medical bay had been completely closed off for the past few days, and rumors abounded regarding just why this was happening.

The seniors in the sect instantly understood that it must be that another valued sect member must have sustained an injury which required him to be treated by that scary healer. Each and every sect member who had gone to that sect and come back would always tell the most horrific of stories, so even the seniors felt a heavy feeling in their stomach as they spoke about it in hushed tones.

Listening to all this, the newcomer to the sect who was the reason behind this happening breathed a sigh of relief as he had been a bit scared that this guy could go outside the sect and come back to, maybe, disturb his plans before he went ahead with them.

It had been quite easy finding someone else to do the job, especially in a sect like this which valued power over everything else. A simple promise to get the person to the Hero level had been enough, and even though he had sworn an oath to do so, it wasn't like oaths needed to be fulfilled if the person on the other end was dead.

On enquiring, he found out the timeline in which the 'stabilising' of the person would be done, with let him know that his plan of setting the Mad Doctor loose might just coincide with the time when the guy who had blinded himself would be taken outside.

Well, in that case, there was no chance whatsoever that there was any risk in anyone finding out that there was something amiss.

Soon, the king would either be dead, or too crippled to do anything more. If that wasn't the case, then he would simply be getting even more 'presents' from the Church which would help him handle the person.

Either way, the King's fate was sealed, and this was a thought which made a low laugh appear from the man.

Chapter 669: 'Eccentric'

The next day, with the full plan in hand, the king called for another meeting of the nine sovereigns.

Each and every one of the sovereigns actually felt happy that they were having so many meetings, as there had been a long gap after that first one where they had been anointed which had made them fear whether the King was going back to his old ways.

This time, they were treated to a pleasant surprise as they found that Aran had broken through to become a warrior.

He had been quite incorrigible even when he was a Human, and he was known for his cheeky remarks and the fact that he had almost no filter.

Now, it looked like this would be taken to another level, as there was already an ever-present smirk on his face, as if he knew something that others didn't.

Typically, he would already have been hounding Cassandra or irritating her in some manner which was something that gave him a lot of pleasure, but because she was absent, he had no one to target.

Initially, he had considered the others, but he had had to reject each one.

For instance, Kellor was almost always stoic, and he seldom engaged in banter. When he did, though, he was pretty smart, but those occasions were just a bit too rare.

He didn't even consider Robert as, for some reason, he felt that he would be able to put him on his back in a moment even though he was still a Human.

The grizzled ex-Captain commanded that kind of respect.

Then there were Elanev and Faxul, and both of them gave him a feeling of danger, which meant that it would just be dumb to go looking for trouble with them. Hell, they might even relish in beating him easily, even if he used his full powers. He had just broken through, after all.

Finally, Eloise was too sweet, and he would never be able to bear it if he brought to tears.

An expression of irritation appearing on his face, he realized that he really, really missed Cassandra. He had heard of the story of her power, and if he hadn't gone through the full manuscript of the Mindhunter Champion Path, he might even have felt sad that his friend had gone ahead by leaps and bounds. Yet, he wasn't so sure of that anymore. At least, he had full confidence in the fact that their status quo remained the same – Cassandra had always been just a little bit more powerful than him, but he had always been smarter.

Hence, it made for an even match, which was just perfect.

Disturbing his ruminations, the king entered the meeting and immediately began speaking.

"Right, I have devised a plan to handle the Queen. Now, before I tell you about it, it might sound a bit unconventional, but just understand that this is the best way that we can win without attracting too much attention. Attention is the one thing we can do without right now, so that is for the best."

Five minutes later, the minds of the seven Sovereigns who were present were all blank, as they would never have expected that the king would come up with something like this.

Eloise was one of those who was most shocked, though, but after a few seconds, a tinkling laugh appeared from her, and the others couldn't help but join in.

Yes, if they carried this out, it would definitely be a sight to see.

Seeing them all laughing, the king heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Good, then. Now, we need to do a few things to make sure that everything goes in the way we want it to. First and foremost, we need to manipulate the Queen to call a grand meeting of all those who are newly joining her."

Elanev spoke up. Aran looked at him with interest, as he had found out that after an incident in the sect of the Big Four that they had gone to, he had been allowed full rights and privileges to enter and exit the sect as he pleased. So, a mage had been assigned to him who teleported him here if he was needed, and then teleported him back so that he could continue his training. Aran had no idea what kind of training the man was going through, but one thing was certain: whatever it was, it was definitely pretty damn brutal, which was evident from the bandages that surrounded his body that made him look as if he would start dripping blood from his whole body if they were removed.

"Won't it be easy? Doesn't it just make sense to call a gathering of all the new people so that they can be integrated into the kingdom?"

"That would be true, if she were going about it in the traditional way. Because she is using that spell, it doesn't really matter whether she holds a gathering or not. She just needs them to come to her kingdom, and after that, their fate is sealed. Besides, if we push her into calling for a meeting to brazenly, she might also get suspicious, and I don't need to tell you all just how astute she can be. She was the Chief Commander of all the armies of the Empire, and, according to Drakos, at one point, enemies used to cower on the battlefield as soon as they found out that she would be the one leading the troops on the other side. She was ruthless, and after some time in the military, she is supposed to have built up a genius-level intellect that can handle any and all situations. That…is also the reason why I'm going for something out of the norm."

Hearing the list of accomplishments took away the breath of the Sovereigns, and made them enter deep through.

Angaria really was a den of vipers and snakes. No sooner had they handled that damn Empire Spirit of Axelor, this one had become a threat.

After a few seconds of silence during which no one could come up with an idea, it was Eloise who finally spoke up, and as the others heard her, one thought crossed their minds.

With all the exposure and experience she had gotten from practically running the Kingdom in Daneel's stead till now, she had really grown into someone with an incredibly analytical mind from the little girl who had almost been executed after the downfall of the previous King.

Even the King leaned back and thought about for it a bit, before clapping his hands and exclaiming that it was perfect.

So…they got down to it, right away.

…

In the Kingdom of Arafell, the citizens were talking among themselves about the influx of newcomers into their Kingdom.

These people were long-time residents of the Kingdom, and they were all also life-time admirers of the Queen. Every time they were able to even see her in person was considered a festival, and many even dreamed of the day when they might get the chance to actually talk to her.

For them, she was an ethereal being who sat in the sky and showered goodwill down upon them. Their Kingdom had always had excellent living conditions when compared to the others, and although that might not be the case right now due to the rise of the Alliance, everyone was still very happy.

As for the Giants, nothing even needed to be said about them. They worshipped the Queen, and their gentle mentalities also allowed them to thoroughly mix into human society and become integral members of many families.

One such conversation was going on between two shopkeepers who were quite glad that their sales had gone up, so they were remarking on the reason and hoping that the trend would continue.

"They should consider themselves lucky, you know. You remember how strict the conditions were to enter this Kingdom back in the day? I remember that rigorous tests were done where each and every thing was tested, from how someone reacted to specific situations and what they liked and disliked. Now…there's nothing like that, at all."

On the wide road in the capital, these two were standing in some shade beneath a tree and observing the passing people during the break they were taking from work.

Hearing him, the other man replied, "Well, for some reason, I think that they would easily pass the test even if it was administered. Have you talked to any of them? I was talking to one casually…he was completely normal at one point, but after I said 'Praise the Queen', he began heaping praises on her, as if I actually meant it instead of just saying it like we always do…it was weird, to be honest."

Shrugging, his friend said, "Well, eccentric people exist everywhere. In the Black Raven Kingdom, it's said that a citizen can't even sleep if they haven't been to a Battle Royale. They say that Ravens are worshipped so much that some even spend their whole lives taking care of the animals, and the government even pays them for it."

"Eccentric? Well…"

Their conversation was interrupted when they saw a giant bump into a man who wasn't wearing local garb.

The giant had been carrying a huge bag of wheat from one side of the road to another, and when it saw what had happened, it said, "Gorat sorry!"

The poor man had fallen over, and as he got up and dusted off his clothes, he smiled good-naturedly and asked, "It's all right. Can you tell me where this address is? I'm new here, and I got a job in this place…"

BANG!

Instantly dropping that huge sack in his hands in the middle of the road, the giant smiled wide and said, "Oh, newcomer? Queen says all newcomers very welcome! All giants should help! Come, Gorat will show."

And that…was when the 'change' happened.

The moment the word 'Queen' was heard by the man, he said, "The Queen! Oh, how kind and caring she is. I feel so happy that I can be in her Kingdom!"

Nodding, the giant said, "Yes! Also beautiful and smart! Queen take care of all giants!"

"Wow! She must be a goddess sent by the Heavens!"

"Queen more than Goddess! Queen…Queen!"

"Yes, more! She must be…"

For 10 minutes, the two kept exchanging more and more outrageous statements regarding the Queen, with the two shopkeepers looking on, gobsmacked, while their jaws hung open.

Finally, it was only broken up because a guard had come over as the road was being blocked.

As the two departed, the second shopkeeper looked at the first with skepticism and said, "'Eccentric', right?"

The sarcasm was evident, but the first one just shook his head and replied, "Yes, I still call it that. It's best not to ask too many questions. You know what happens to those who ask too many questions."

Sweat instantly appeared on the other man's face as he heard this, and with nary a word more, the two left.

Meanwhile, the Queen of Arafell had been seeing all this from her Palace.

"Queen, what do we do if they get too suspicious?"

With a humph, the Queen replied to the little girl she was inhabiting.

"It's all right. After the third seal opens, I'll release the spell. But, until then…maybe we should do something, too. I-"

Interrupted by a sudden knock on the door, the Queen frowned, but let it open.

In ran a man who said, "My Queen, the Network! The King is making a surprise announcement!"

Hearing this, the Queen instantly walked to her Throne from the balcony she had been standing in and activated the display trinket.

In it, the King was comfortably sitting on a grand throne and addressing those watching.

"This is to all those who have graced the Alliance by joining us. I will be hosting a large gathering to commemorate this next step in your lives, and all of you are invited. After all, as your new leader, it would be strange if I did not accord you at least this courtesy. Such important moments in your lives should be celebrated, and that is exactly what we will be doing. In fact, I even encourage those who haven't joined, or have joined other Kingdoms to come, as this will be open to all. Come, and see all the dreams of yours that will come true in the Alliance. Come, and enjoy. Come, and be welcomed…to the Alliance!"

As applause from an unknown source was heard, the Queen grit her teeth.

She could clearly tell that this was so that those who hadn't been reached by her emissaries yet would be further moved to join him.

No! She couldn't let that happen.

Immediately, she called for the top-most minister under her and said, "Arrange an even grander gathering for all the newcomers to our Kingdom! We have much more people, so his should seem lackluster compared to ours! Go all out- I will personally be involved in the planning! Go now, and begin! We should be able to announce it by tonight!"

Chapter 670: The Queen's Address

With expectant expressions on their faces, all of the sovereigns who were present were seated around a large display trinket that was patched into an input being directly sent from the Kingdom of Arafell, that had requested for an announcement to be made on the Network.

This request was even been worded quite stiffly, as if daring Lanthanor to reject it, which would show that Daneel was afraid of enabling the Queen to win. This was almost a childish sentiment, and if this hadn't been something that was happening because of Daneel's machinations anyway, he might have rejected the request outright as no sane person would want to help their opponent achieve victory.

Clearly, even the Queen hadn't really been expecting that Daneel would agree, and it had only been something to distract him. That was because new spies whom Daneel had obtained after taking control of Jordan and his network of servants had found out that the Kingdom had gone ahead and contacted all of the establishments that were claiming that they had formations and trinkets that would patch into the Network and make it so that the Network of Angaria would not be the only thing displayed on the hugely successful Network Trinkets of both kinds.

These few establishments, who, of course, existed because Daneel allowed them to exist after giving them the plans in the first place, were waiting for the continent-wide launch of the Network, which would soon happen. After all, creating tens of thousands of trinkets was no small feat, and the mages of Eldinor were still hard at work in that task

If the Queen could have known that Daneel could have stopped her from using the Network broadcast medium if he wanted to anyway, she would definitely have spit out blood, as it really looked like she had been prepared to go that route and then gloat that Daneel hadn't been able to stop her.

Of course, all of that was scrapped as soon as a positive reply was sent from Lanthanor, which made the Kingdom of Arafell scramble and get ready to broadcast.

And that… Had led to this moment, where all those present knew what was coming, but still wanted to see it in with their eyes before rejoicing that their plan had worked.

A few seconds during which the silence was only punctured by Aran nervously popping his fingers, which was an irritating habit of his that was usually stopped by Cassandra discreetly setting his hands on fire and then feigning ignorance, the display trinket finally flashed brightly before the blank imagine on it was replaced by a beautiful background of the city.

The location looked like it had been hand-picked in order to show a paradise on earth. There were numerous fountains here and there, and if one looked really closely, they could see people chatting happily and moving among the artistic pathways. There were also lush green parks arranged neatly, and even marketplaces could be spotted which were bustling.

Daneel had only been to Arafell in the form of a rat when he had had to go in order to spy on the Queen, and although he had heard that the capital city was beautiful, he couldn't have expected that it was this scenic.

He had to give props to the Queen for using this image, which would definitely evoke interest even in those who hadn't been forcibly swayed using a spell.

Slowly, the image started zooming out, and soon, it became clear that this was what one would see through a window.

With that window still occupying three-fourths of the screen, a dazzling figure walked into the shot.

She was wearing a dress very similar to one that Daneel had first seen her in – it was tight in all the right places and graceful in all the others. If others were wearing it, it might have seemed a bit vulgar, but the grace and elegance that was present in the Queen of Arafell's stunning face allowed her to carry it off amazingly. It was also red in color, which made sure that it would linger in anyone's eyes, as if her extraordinary beauty wasn't enough to make both men and women wonder whether the stories were true, and that she was really some kind of fairy that had descended from the heavens.

Even when she spoke, her voice was like that of a Nightingale – one that anyone would be ready to listen to for no matter how long the one who possessed it went on for.

"Arafell. I really believe that there is no better word to describe this magical place other than 'Paradise'. Where others offer you dreams that might not be fulfilled, I offer… a promise. A promise… That if you trust me, I will give you the greatest life possible on this beautiful continent. So choose wisely, and if you're still on the fence, then I invite you to the grand gathering that will soon take place inside the Kingdom of Arafell to welcome all those who have already made the right choice. Even the Kings of the other Kingdoms are invited, as I hope that at least seeing what you do not have will allow you to learn what you can do to give a better life to your citizens. I, your Queen, look forward to seeing you all then. For now, farewell."

As the transmission cut off, even the sovereigns could not help but sit in their place and marvel at what had just happened.

Unlike what one would think, this was actually not because they were feeling extremely happy that their plan had worked out, and that the Queen had called for a gathering.

No, it was because…the Queen was still lingering in their eyes, and her words were still echoing in their minds.

Each word had been enunciated so clearly, and each sentence had its own unique gesture, such as her opening her arms wide in order to show her welcoming nature when she had uttered the statement about the 'promise'.

Her ethereal beauty seemed to strike one's heart and soul in a manner that made them want to keep watching, and after she left, Eloise even got a distressed expression on her face.

After that, even Aran, Keller and the rest also got the same expressions.

Faxul was the first one to break out of it, and when he did, it was as if a cloud that had somehow drifted over him and had covered his vision had been lifted. He had been able to resist using the power of his blood, which he had been practicing with for the past few days and which had fascinated him more and more with the amount of strength it possessed.

Of course, it was not something that would allow him to come under the effect of whatever was happening here, and as he looked around to see Daneel with a very serious expression on his face, he realized that he was right.

This wasn't natural, at all.

As if he had seen enough, Daneel flicked his fingers, which allowed all the others to also escape the 'spell' as that flick of his had allowed sound waves to vibrate in such a way that made them feel as if their heads were ringing like bells.

As they all turned around with shock to look at the King, he said, "She has mastered the Art of Enthrallment much more than I thought. Enthrallment is… A complex thing, and there were always very strict norms for anyone to be able to use it. One of them was that anyone who even tried to use it had to be very charismatic, or should have had some other feature that would set them apart and make them look unique and unforgettable to all those who saw them. In the case of the ancient one whom the Emperor went up against, it was his ferocious nature to go forth and get what he wanted, no matter what it was, that attracted many to him. In her case… It's obvious."

Kellor was the first one to express his thoughts.

"Isn't that… A bit too scary? So…has she already captivated everyone who was watching? We should stop the replay!"

The others also nodded frantically, because if what the king was saying was true, then the Queen of Arafell was much more of a threat that they had thought. Moving millions using mere words was something that was only supposed to happen in the Legends, but they had just experienced it by themselves, and they were still pretty shaken up by it.

Thankfully, the king's answer allowed them to relax.

"Calm down. Nothing can be that powerful. Even if I hadn't snapped my fingers, all of you would have broken out in a matter of a few more seconds. As for common people, at most, for a minute, they would have been 'enthralled'. The true purpose of this is not to completely manipulate everyone, because if that were possible, she would have used this route instead of the risky one where she sent emissaries with trinkets. No, this is something that was purely based on how the minds of humans and other species work, and it will only have this much effect for a little time before completely fading. The only case in which this is different, is if someone already had a little bit of a notion to go to her. If that is true, they will be convinced to take part in the gathering. But if it isn't, it won't bring that much of a change, other than what would have been brought if she had talked normally."

Daneel didn't add that he had heard of leaders on Earth, too, who could achieve a similar effect.

After a brief silence hung over the meeting for a few seconds, Elanev spoke up.

"Does this change anything?"

After thinking for a bit, Daneel answered, "Not really. If anything, I feel even more glad now that I'm using this route. Anyway, let's go ahead. All of you have your duties laid out. As for me, I'll be personally checking up on the Healer's Academy and the National School, as they will be featured quite heavily in our own gathering. Well, even if we called ours just to make her call one, we still have this to hit it out of the park, as it has to look like that is the reason why people will be shifting their allegiance, later on. Disperse."

…

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Arafell, the Queen was happily smiling to herself after the announcement.

The fact of the matter was that even the one who had been handling the communication eye during the broadcast had been struck speechless by her act, which had led the little girl to ask, "Queen, I can tell that you are using some form of the Enthrallment spell. But, won't the Big Four notice that?"

Chuckling, she answered, "Oh, that's alright. The Big Four have always known that this kingdom has a form of that spell, but they never knew the true power of it. Even now, I'm not using any form of magic, so even though this was only made possible because of extensive research during the age of the Empire by the creator of the spell, it will look as if it is all because of my natural charisma."

After answering in this way inside her mind, the Queen turned to the minister who was waiting for her.

Seeing that he had her attention, he said, "My Queen, regarding the resources that we need…"

The Giants were excellent additions to any Kingdom, but they also cost a lot to maintain. Hence, the Treasury of the kingdom had always never been too flush, but that had never been a problem.

Until now.

The grand scale of the gathering that the Queen was planning needed a lot more resources than they had, and when the Chief Financial Minister, who was in front of her, had asked her about it before, she had said that it would be solved in good time.

Now, seeing him ask again, she said, "It has begun. Just give it a little bit of time, and we will have more than we need."

The Minister didn't understand what 'thing' had begun, but he bowed and left.

In fact, even the little girl didn't understand, but she held her tongue as the Queen had said that everything would become clear in good time.

An hour after that, the Queen sent a peculiar message.

The entire army in the capital was supposed to retreat, and no matter who entered the palace, they were not supposed to interfere.

Although there were protests, they acquiesced, and soon, the Queen was practically defenseless.

For the last 30 minutes, the little girl had been struggling with the urge to go ahead and ask even though she had told herself that she shouldn't bug the Queen. After all, in these 30 minutes, they had done nothing except sit and stare at the door.

Right when she made the decision to just do it, a loud sound stopped her.

BANG!

"Haha! Queen, clearly, you know you are no match, so you didn't put up any resistance! Or maybe you trust your formations, but nothing can stop me, a formation master! If I had known of your beauty, I would have come a lot sooner, but it's not too late now! Be my Queen, and I will allow you to become even more powerful while we…"

BANG!

With another loud sound that made the little girl shriek, the man who had just entered the throne room was squished into a red paste by a huge hand that descended from above.

It was so fast that it hadn't given him any time to react, but the Queen sat unflinching, as if this was exactly what she had been waiting for.

Opening her palm, she made a pouch filled with Ker gems flow to her.

As she counted the ones inside, she remarked, "Pfft, a formation master? With just 20 Ker Gems? A beggar is more like it. Well, I hope the others are richer…"

As the little girl realized how they would be getting their resources, she couldn't help but gasp inwardly with horror.

With another motion of her palm, the red past disappeared, and the stage was set for another 'pursuer' to enter.

So, while looking forward to King Daneel's expression which she would soon see when he lost, the Queen patiently prepared to 'welcome' the next exiled Warrior who had been captivated by her address.

Chapter 671: Visiting the Healer's Academy

In the sky above the Fortress of Unyielding Might, two figures were seated while curiously looking at a specific spot on the Central Continent which was laid out in front of them.

They had been staring at the same spot for the last hour, but both of them had not spoken a word, but with each minute, the expression of stupefaction on their faces grew more and more pronounced until their eyes were as wide as they would go, and they were wondering whether what they were seeing was really true.

Finally, shaking his head, the Chief spoke up to break the silence.

"I knew that Warriors, especially those who were exiled and have been living in isolation for many years can be hot-headed… But this is a bit too much. Can't they tell that they're all entering a deathtrap? Why do they keep going in, one by one?"

The Head had no answer. Shrugging, he said, "You saw the display trinket, right? She really did have something about her… Hell, even I was affected for a few moments. Her's really is a natural beauty that surpasses the heavens, and it was always said that beauty of this sort attracts trouble. But in this case…"

BANG!

They had already cast a spell so that the sound from inside the capital would be heard by them, and so, as another loud sound which indicated the death of another Warrior echoed in the area they were sitting, they blinked with mild shock, as the one that had just gone in was one of the most powerful who was exiled.

"Should I go check? How is she killing all of these warriors? Arafell is a strange case, and it is supposed to have formations that are on a different scale when compared to the other Kingdoms, too, but…"

Shaking his head again, the Chief said, "I don't think so. I don't even think she is using special formations – she's just capitalizing on the fact that they're all, well, blind. It is said that a woman's beauty can cause kingdoms to fall, and each of these individuals have enough strength to set up their own kingdoms. They don't because they would be stopped by us, of course. Well, I guess their destiny was to be toppled in this way. The Queen was also clearly prepared for this. Thankfully, it's over now. What's the final tally?"

Nodding, the Head replied, "28 Warriors. The rest seem to have finally realized that something is wrong, and stopped."

"They should count themselves lucky. They've saved their own lives. Let's go. That kid is setting up a gathering soon, and I can't wait to see what he does. But the Queen is certainly winning, right now."

"Winning? Is there a competition going on here I wasn't aware of?"

Hearing the Head ask this question, the Chief chuckled and slapped his shoulder before saying, "Of course! I doubt that many know, except for the two taking part in the competition, themselves, and maybe some others who are also keeping a casual eye on the Central Continent just like me because they're idle. Of course, you've been busy tending to the formations, so you wouldn't have noticed. The competition is in regards to the number of people that either of them will be taking into their forces, and these gatherings will decide everything. The one who has the most impressive gathering will be the one who wins, unless unexpected things happen. I've received word that others in the High Council are also watching, as they want to find something that they can use to push back your resolution to leave the kid alone."

This made a frown appear on his face, before he said, "I hope he's careful, then. If he does give them cause, then I don't know how I can stop them. They're out for blood, I tell you, and I don't even know exactly why they are so motivated to stop him."

The Chief laughed heartily before saying, "Isn't it obvious? Even though they can't explain it, they know that he's a threat to them, even though he's nothing more than a buzzing fly to them right now. They haven't seen what I saw in him, and soon, when it does become visible, it will dazzle them all. If I'm being honest, I must say that I'm looking forward to it – seeing all those high and mighty Heroes being smacked on their faces is a sight that will surely warm my old bones."

Hearing this, the Head shot a strange look at the Chief. He still couldn't believe that this man had thrown his entire lot behind the King of Lanthanor, but it looked like he had to accept it.

As he did so, he also thought about the sight that the Chief was talking about, and this made a smile appear on his face.

Well, at least for that sight to become real, he hoped that the Chief had made the right decision. This wasn't an unfounded hope, either, as the Chief hadn't been wrong in judging talent till now. Case in point was himself, who had been rejected by quite a few masters before finally finding a mentor and life-long friend in the Chief.

Resolving to also keep an eye on the gatherings and see just what these two would do, he made a bottle of wine appear in front of them, before both of them sat down to reminisce about old times and also wait for the show to begin.

…

Meanwhile, Daneel had just felt a very slight prickling feeling in his spine, which made him understand that he was being watched.

Well, he had no problem with that, as he was currently out in the public.

More specifically, he had arrived at the Healer's Academy, which was one of the things that he had set up right after taking the throne.

Before the establishment of the Academy, healthcare had been really non-uniform in the Kingdom of Lanthanor. Healers charged exorbitant fees, and they even set their fee according to their reputation, which made it so that those who were skilled were only affordable to merchants and others who had enough coin in their hands. This resulted in a very deplorable situation where the poor had had to resort to either saving up money, or taking loans from loan sharks if they fell ill.

Their only other option had been to go and try their luck in the medical wing of the palace, where corruption had been rampant.

In order to solve this, Daneel had gone ahead and used the system from Earth where universities would have their main income as that which came from teaching others, while rendering services which were cheap as it would also function as practice for those who were training with them.

The defunct medical wing had been abolished and all of the healers had been congregated into the Academy, where they had agreed to charge only a set fee for all those who came to avail their services.

Healing was a very lucrative job, so there had been no dearth of people who wanted to come study this art. Anyone could learn and cast a basic healing spell, but if they didn't study human anatomy and the minute details that went into correctly targeting the spell, then they would have to waste a lot of their magic power to heal just a simple scrape.

Hence, even mages who had mastered other fields of magic would often come to take a course on healing in the Academy, which led to the healers being quite happy as they got more money than they used to when they had their individual practices, while also being able to heal all those who would definitely have lost all hope and died if the Kingdom was the same as it had been before the present king rose to his position.

Today, Daneel was here to see if there were any problems with this setup, and to clear them so that it would be ready for expansion.

Yes, of course, expansion.

As the Alliance had been established, Daneel wanted to expand the Healer's Academy to all three Kingdoms so that he could congregate all of the healers under one roof and possibly decrease the set fee so that even more people could be helped. He also wanted to supplement the Academy with a few funds from the government, so that they could decrease the overall cost of taking a healing course.

The second objective had come into his mind after thinking about the war that would soon engulf the continent. When that happened, the more healers there were, the better.

The Academy had already been notified that he was coming, so, as soon as he arrived, he was ushered to a room where over 50 healers were calmly sitting while waiting for him.

At their head was a middle-aged woman whom Daneel had seen once before – when he had negotiated the fee during that time right after taking his throne when the Academy had first been set up.

As soon as he entered the room, the woman stood up to bow gracefully along with all the others.

"All Hail Alliance Leader Daneel!"

Daneel was quite surprised that they had used this moniker of his, and even though he didn't like it as much as he liked 'King', he had no option but to go with it for the time being.

Gesturing at them all to sit, he teleported forward and sat on the chair that was positioned the highest in the room.

A step below him was where the middle-aged woman was sitting, and below that was where all the healers were seated.

These were the typical social norms- the king had to be seated in the highest position in the room, as if anyone were seated beside him, then it would mean that both of them were on the same level.

The meeting actually went smoothly, with the healers only bringing up a few trivial issues such as that they needed even more exposure through the Network to bring in more students, which Daniel promised right away, and that they wanted more area as the number of students was growing steadily.

Even this wasn't a problem as the new Academy would be set up outside the kingdom, where there would be enough space for all.

Next, Daneel put forward the plan that he had been thinking about.

There were no issues at all with decreasing both of the fees, as the government would be supplementing them anyway. Also, Daneel had decided that another system from Earth should also be implemented here – that all those studying in the academy should mandatorily serve for a set period of time at a location before they could graduate.

In this way, even if the actual Academy was outside the kingdom, healers would be positioned in branches all over the Alliance so that as many people as possible could go ahead and reach them whenever they wished.

After a bit of discussion regarding the minute details of this, everyone agreed, as they could all tell that in the long run, this would only result in the fame of the Academy growing, as even more qualified healers would be passing out with each batch who had experience working in the real world, instead of in a controlled environment.

Feeling quite happy that he had finished this task in the best manner possible, Daneel left the Academy, but this matter wasn't over yet.

Was it enough if the Academy, itself, was alright? What about those for whom he had actually set it up?

The people.

Even now, there was quite a long line of those who were waiting to be healed, so Daneel considered whether he should just go ahead and ask them whether everything was alright.

Yet, he decided against it, as he wanted the truth, and he didn't want to waste too much time on this endeavor.

So, he went ahead and started using a discreet form of Mind Control that would make it seem as if people were just answering normally, while they were actually being as truthful as they could be.

Initially, everything looked great, but as Daneel questioned more and more people, the underlying problem started to reveal itself.

True, he had decreased the fee by quite a lot, and there would be another cut.

Yet… it was still quite high for common people, and if there were serious conditions, people were still looking for either loan sharks or the bank to pay the fee for multiple visits.

After finding out this problem, Daneel thought for a bit, and instantly got the answer regarding how he would solve this.

He couldn't believe that he hadn't implemented this yet, here, but it wasn't too late.

The Gathering, initially, had only been an event where the best features of the Alliance would be celebrated. However, with this, Daneel decided that he would also jazz it up with an announcement that would definitely help even more in pulling people to the Alliance.

Hence, his 'revelation' in this matter couldn't have come at a better time.

Feeling really glad that he had made the decision to come check out these schemes of his before the gathering, Daneel went on to the next one, while his sovereigns continued taking care of the preparations to 'handle' the Queen.

Chapter 672: Visiting the National School of Lanthanor

Daneel's next stop was the National School of Lanthanor, which would soon become the Alliance Academy.

He thought the name had a nice ring to it, so he had decided on it on the way over.

As soon as he reached, he was greeted by a sight that made him pause in the air.

Around 10,000 students were standing in the large ground that had been allocated to the Academy for recreational activities, and as soon as he flew into the airspace of the school, they greeted him with a single shout that warmed his heart.

"Long live the King!"

"Long live the King!"

"Long live the King!"

Standing there, with two soldiers beside him whom he had only brought along as it was expected of him, the King could only stare at the masses of children who all had broad smiles on their faces.

They were wearing the uniform that had been designed by Eloise, herself – it was a cloak made from enchanted materials that could grow in size so that it could fit them throughout their school life, and it had a magnificent Golden Dragon emblazoned on its back which shone brilliantly in the sun.

For a moment, it was as if 10,000 little dragons were all greeting his arrival.

Daneel beamed after taking a moment to firmly fix the image in front of him in his memory.

This hadn't been in the plan, so it had come as a pleasant surprise.

As he reached the principal who was a kind old man who had apparently been the senior-most instructor for children before he had been appointed in this post, he said, "I apologize, My King, I could not stop them. Someone spread the news that you are coming, and all of the students wanted to show just how appreciative they are that they have this opportunity to study in the school, which was set up because of you."

Daneel smiled at the corner of his mouth as he heard this, and said, "Principal, it's alright. You are the one who spread it, weren't you? After all, you are the only one who knew."

The principal looked like he was shocked for a moment, but after that, he raised his hands and said, "You got me there, My Lord! It's just that they have always been clamoring that they want to show this feeling of theirs, and I decided that there was no better time. I hope you pardon this humble subject's wish to show you just how much of an impact you have had on these little minds, and the attempt to hide it."

Yes, typically, one did not lie to the King, and get away scot-free.

However, this case was different.

Getting an idea, Daneel put on a very serious question on his face and said, "I'm afraid that is simply not possible, principal. You made a mistake, you dared to lie to my face. You must pay the price."

Shock appeared on the old man's face, and he immediately began to bow as if to beg for forgiveness.

Deciding that it was enough, Daneel laughed and ran forward to hold the man's shoulders before saying, "As punishment, you will have to also be the Head of the Academy that will be set up for the children from all three Kingdoms inside the Alliance. I'm afraid that you'll have a lot of stuff to do, and a lot more little minds to guide. Don't you agree that it is a fitting price?"

The old man had to take a few moments to understand, but after he did, a smile appeared on his face that was straight from his heart.

His had been a simple life – he had always had an all-encompassing love for teaching and seeing people from all walks of life, especially children, benefit from the knowledge and go on to live happy lives. Hence, he had dedicated his life to studying various subjects and holding classes, both free and paid. He was usually employed by merchants who wanted their children to know more about the world as he had traveled extensively to become capable of being called an instructor, and the pay was always hefty. He took their money, and used it to give the same classes for free to orphans and children in the slums, and also to pay for their food and boarding.

His reputation had slowly grown, so when the newly appointed Grand Court Mage had come looking for someone to head this ambitious program of the King's, he had been the first and only option.

The old man had always been a dreamer, so he had hoped for the best and had gone ahead to take the post, which had resulted in some of the most fulfilling years of his life. Every day, he tended to the vital education of thousands of students, and as the number slowly grew, he blessed the King daily for getting the idea to set this up.

Before, children had been completely neglected until the age of 15, when they could take a test for their potential which would decide their career path. Except for merchants and ministers who had grander plans for their children, everyone else thought that it was just dumb and a waste of resources to teach children when they did not know which direction in life they would be taking.

It was only now that the benefits of finding out more about the world, and about everything that existed outside the Kingdom was dawning on the parents all over the kingdom. They had started to notice that their children were smarter, and that they were growing more quickly and becoming more mature, which was a sight that shocked them.

These parents had begun to talk, and they had thus inspired others also to send their children, which was one of the main reasons why the school had become such a success.

Hence, as the old man heard that he would also be heading the initiative for all of the children in all three kingdoms, tears even came from his eyes as he could never have expected that he would get the opportunity to fulfill his life's dream of seeing education for children become the norm for most of the continent.

What more could he ask for?

The King had stopped him from bowing and stepped back while still chuckling, but he still went ahead and bowed low anyway, and while his tears fell on the ground, he said the same thing that was still echoing in the halls of the school.

"Long Live the King!"

After he stood up, he saw the gracious smile on the King's face and felt happy that his original intention had been achieved.

He had wanted the King to know just how incredible of a job he had done, and it was clear now that that had been communicated quite effectively.

Next, they finally went forward to the meeting which was the reason behind the King coming to the school in the first place.

All of the teachers had been gathered, and as they respectfully stood up after he arrived, it was the old man who spoke on their behalf, just like in the case in the Healer's Academy where the middle-aged woman had represented the healers.

Daneel really was feeling truly and completely joyful after seeing all of the lives that had changed with this simple plan of his. With a smile, he waited to hear about any problems that might be present.

He had heard about the principal and his history, but this was the first time he had actually met the man as he had just been a bit too busy till now. He lived up to his reputation, and Daneel was very happy to see that this very important initiative was in his capable hands.

Unlike with the Healer's Academy where he had had to put forward stuff for them to accept, he was quite happy with the school, and there were no changes except for a few that would allow the school to integrate with the newly set up job allocation wing of the government so that people would directly be able to enter the field that suited them most. However, that could wait till the expansion of the school was done.

What surprised him, though, was that here, there was a clear problem to be addressed.

Space.

As the principal put it, with the influx of students from all over the kingdom, the limited space of the school that had been set up in the former National Fighter Academy of the kingdom was not enough. The Academy had originally been built for only 10,000 Fighters, but that number had already been crossed.

There was also a dearth of teachers, but that was expected to be solved with the expansion.

After Daneel heard about this, he decided that he might have to change his original plan of just setting up two more branches in the other two kingdoms.

After a few moments, an idea came to him, and it delighted him so much that he almost got up as he wanted to announce it right away.

Yet, he controlled himself, as this would also be an excellent announcement to make during the gathering for all those watching.

So, he just gave his promise that their problems would be solved, and he thanked them all for their hard work before leaving.

It had been quite a sight to see the chests of all the teachers puff up with pride as they heard this from him.

Next up, just like with the Healer's Academy, he also decided to check on those who were actually being affected by the school.

Right now, the school accepted all those who were over eight years old and below fifteen years old.

Beginning his questioning from the youngest, he went toward the oldest and was happy to see that there were no problems, except for the typical ones that anyone would expect. For example, there was more of an interest in combat arts and knowledge, as Angaria was a combat and magic-oriented continent, after all, and things like arithmetic were considered a bit boring and difficult by most.

Knowing that this was probably something that he would not be able to solve no matter how much of an advanced system he had, Daneel was just about to leave when he heard something peculiar that stopped him.

Right now, he was in the playground of the school where a specific batch of students were actually playing the game that he had introduced in Angaria for the Olympics – 'handball'.

He had cast a spell so that he was invisible, and he had been going around using Mind Control to ask random children while making them temporarily invisible, too, so that no one would see the sight of a child talking with dazed eyes with a grown man, that might result in him being labeled a pervert.

The conversation in question was between two instructors who had asked their wards to rest before coming to the side to relax and have a chat for a few moments.

"You remember that Dalia, who is in my class?"

"Of course, how could I not? She is a role model for the entire class, and even to the school. What amazes me most is how she can be so humble even though her family is now probably richer than all the ministers and merchants in the Kingdom."

"Proper upbringing, I guess. I brought her up, because she had a very interesting question the other day, which I didn't know how to answer."

"Ooh, what is it? A question even our star teacher can't answer? I thought that would never be possible!"

Hitting the shoulder of the other teacher who seemed to be a friend of his, the man smiled and said, "I bet it's one even our principal can't answer. She asked whether Lanthanor should be called the Alliance Headquarters, as our King is the Alliance Leader."

After a few moments of silence, the other man replied, "I see the problem. There has been no official announcement, yet, and if it does get announced, no one knows whether there will be any dissent from the other Kingdoms. And, after that, a lot of things will change. The price of land will go up. Trade will increase. People might start flocking here, too."

"Right you are. It might cause the development of Lanthanor to speed up more than the other Kingdoms, though, which might not be for the best as this is supposed to be an 'Alliance' and not an 'Empire'. Also…"

Unknown to them, the King had had a flash of realization cross his face as soon as he heard this.

The reason…was that he had gotten one last idea that took the cake in regards to how awe-inspiring it would be, and the effect it would have on the people.

On Earth, the government had always had a hidden function that was neglected by many.

It stood as a visible symbol of order among chaos, and the stronger this image was, the easier it would be to rule a Kingdom.

As a short laugh escaped his lips, the King teleported away to end this very, very fruitful excursion.

Chapter 673: Heavenly City of the Alliance

Over the next week, spies all over the continent of Angaria had no option but to work overtime as there was so much news to collect and transmit to their many clients.

As there were only three forces, spies had turned to major merchants and trade families to sell their 'wares', which was information regarding how the continent this changing.

Weirdly, the latter group seemed to be embroiled in some kind of struggle with finances, which didn't make much sense as they were supposed to have almost limitless wealth stored up due to their many decades of dominance over Angaria.

Either way, all of the spies had decided to keep collecting information and putting it up for sale, and there were always were buyers, even though the situation regarding the trade families was strange and they couldn't even investigate much into it as all means has been completely blocked off.

First, in Arafell, the kingdom had somehow obtained resources far beyond what they were supposed to have, and they had begun a project on a scale that was far beyond anything they had attempted so far.

A massive space where over 100,000 people could fit had been selected inside the kingdom, and extensive resources had gone into first landscaping it as it had all been comprised of arid land until then. That was the major reason why that spot of land had been empty in the first place, but after many, many formations were deployed, it started to take shape into something that would definitely awe the entire continent.

First of all, enchanted mats had been laid out on the ground in large swathes in order to first form the base for everything that would be constructed later on.

After that, thousands and thousands of people who had all been contracted by the government entered and began to construct various things.

Just like in the image that had been shown to the continent during the Queen's address, it looked like a paradise was slowly taking shape.

Soon, it began to become clear that it would be beauty personified, and one that would live up to the expectations that had been born in people.

Seating areas were set up where those seated could gaze upon calm pools of water filled with beautiful lotuses that sparkled in the sunlight that had been constructed in various places, along with tinkling fountains that lifted up the atmosphere. Around them, multiple stalls were being set up which would serve all the delicacies of Arafell, such as skewered meat and a dish made out of wrapping meat in flowers and then cooking it in a globe of fire conjured by a mage. The latter was a specialty known throughout the continent, but in the gathering, it would be given to all who wished to taste it.

No expenses were being spared. It was as if each and every person who would be gracing the gathering were all important diplomats, and not normal people who had just been lucky enough to be in settlements outside the kingdom till now.

All the chairs were padded with cushions. Temperature regulating formations were being laid out that would keep the air cool and comfortable. Giants acting as brand ambassadors of the kingdom would be going around to welcome each and every one who arrived, while telling them that they had made the right decision by coming.

Clearly, the Queen was going all out.

Only, on the other side, the actions of the king surpassed the feeling born in those who were watching everything the Queen was doing.

…

It all began a day after the excursion of the king. Suddenly, a very large portion of the Palace had been completely isolated, and numerous mages and blacksmiths had gone inside.

It had seemed as if the king was adamant that no one could find out just what he was up to, as no living being was allowed to go inside or outside of this area for the entire week. The spies pulled out all stops, but they still failed in gathering any relevant information regarding the project that the king had embarked on.

On the seventh day of the week, a spy was casually sitting outside the Palace of Lanthanor disguised as a beggar.

Discreetly, he was listening to a news report on the actions of Queen Arafell, and he was idly thinking that there could be no way in which the king's secret project could surpass the impressiveness of everything she was doing.

Indeed, a similar gathering spot had also been picked out in Lanthanor and a few steps were being taken to make it more suitable for a gathering to be called in, but that was about it. There was nowhere near the level of extravagance and luxury that was present in its counterpart, and it looked as if the Queen would be victorious if one were judging them both on the effort.

Feeling the ground suddenly shaking under him, the man hastily got up, allowing the course cloth he had draped on himself for his disguise to fall off and reveal the enchanted clothes underneath.

An amateurish mistake.

Scrambling to gather up the cloth again and looking around to make sure that no one had seen him, the spy hoped that he hadn't blown his cover.

Alas, there were quite a few people around him.

Only… Weirdly, they were all looking up, as if they had no interest in the strange sight of a beggar suddenly revealing himself to be very well off.

Puzzled, the spy also looked up, and as his eyes instantly locked on to the oddity in the sky that was slowly rising higher and higher, his eyes went wide and the cloth, which he had just gathered in his hands, fell to the floor once more.

Taking a few steps back, he hit the wall behind him but he didn't even notice.

The reason… Was that a humongous structure had just taken off from the surface from a spot inside the grounds near the Palace of Lanthanor.

It was made of some sort of light grey colored rock, and it was big enough to fit a medium-sized town that could hold more than a thousand people on top of it.

The spy couldn't comprehend how something like this could fly, but that wasn't his job.

Quickly, he grabbed the trinket that he had been listening news on and immediately began to transmit the information.

Yet, right before he did so, he spied a few gigantic words that were etched on the bottom of this floating city.

After waiting for a few moments, he finally read them, and as he did so, the breath that he had been holding till now instantly got knocked out of him.

"Heavenly City of the Alliance"

…

Meanwhile, the Queen had also just received the news regarding what had taken place in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

"A floating city! Heavens! Is that even possible?"

Hearing the little girl inside her head say this, the Queen gritted her teeth for a few moments and then said, "Of course it is. In the age of the Empire, there were actually many cities which floated in the air, and these were usually the capitals of provinces. Although I don't know why he made one, I guess it is for some plan regarding the gathering. I don't know what he has planned exactly for his school and the healer's academy, but whatever it is, it will definitely be just as impressive as the other schemes he set up."

Toward the end, she was talking to herself.

Indeed, the news of the king going to both of these areas wasn't secret, as they were both public places. After receiving the news regarding them, the Queen had instantly figured out his game plan.

Normally, it would have been enough for victory.

Yet, in this case… She knew that if that was all he had planned, then he was doomed to fail.

The problem was that she could tell that even he knew this, which meant that he had something up his sleeve that she hadn't figured out yet.

Initially, that had driven her crazy, which was when she had come up with a plan of her own the day after the king's excursions.

For the entire week, she hadn't allowed herself to be idle for even a second, working day and night to ensure that there would be no possible way for the king to win.

Looking at the minister in front of her, she asked, "Is everything ready?"

Seeing the man who was still in shock regarding how the Queen had dumped hundreds of Ker gems in front of him nod, she smiled and said, "Alright. We are going ahead with it. Begin."

…

"Daneel, we're almost at the gathering site."

As Eloise said this while looking at Angaria below them from her position on the newly launched Heavenly City, Daneel looked up from the data trinkets he was going through and replied, "Good. Tell the mages to make it hover over the gathering site. This way, we can make sure that the gathering has shade. Without having to go for expensive formations, we can keep the area cool! Isn't that great?"

Contrary to what people were expecting, the top of this heavenly city was completely… Blank.

Rather than 'Heavenly City', it was more appropriate for it to be called a 'Heavenly Rock', because that was exactly what it was right now: a rock that was somehow floating in the sky.

Daneel had launched this project, and although the others were puzzled regarding the reason behind it, the king had only said that it would be revealed later on, during the gathering.

Even now, the sovereigns who were on top of this rock were skeptical regarding its function other than as a placeholder for the headquarters of the alliance.

After arriving on top of the area where the gathering was supposed to be held, the entire structure slowed down and then froze in the air as if someone had fixed it there. If anyone walked on top of it, there would think that they were on solid ground, if they didn't look out over the edge and see the sprawling continent of Angaria.

With this step done, Daneel took in a deep breath in order to tell the rest about his reason behind beginning this entire thing.

Yet, right before he did so, an expression of shock appeared on Kellor's face, which made him pause and wonder just what news he had received.

Standing up immediately from the chair that had been bolted down to the 'rock', Kellor exclaimed, "The Queen has just announced the date of her gathering! It's… Tomorrow! She is also setting up multiple teleportation formations all over the areas nearby, to facilitate people to come directly to the gathering easily. It seems it is not a decision taken hastily… Which means that most people should be able to easily reach."

Hearing this, for a moment, panic appeared on the faces of the others, too.

Originally, the Queen had not announced any date for her own gathering, and it had looked as if she was preparing to hold hers after their's so that it would have the most effect.

Their own gathering was scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

Yet, now… Her objective was clear.

She did not want to take any chances.

The former- waiting for their gathering to take place, and then going ahead with her's displayed her arrogance that no matter what they did, she would emerge victorious.

That had fit with her personality, so that had all assumed it to be true.

But now, this plan showed her cunning mind, as they really had prepared a lot to counter the Queen's gathering due to the assumption. Now, all that preparation would be for naught.

However, did it affect their original plan?

Instantly, as soon as this question appeared in their minds, the sovereigns, along with Daneel, burst out laughing.

Definitely not.

In fact, she might even be helping them out a lot by doing this.

Still, there were some things that they needed to change.

Still with that smile on his face, the king said, "Alright. All of you know what to do. Let's go."

With those words, the heavenly city that was the talk of the continent instantly became deserted, while the sovereigns all left to carry out their individual duties.

Chapter 674: Breaking the Spell

Standing on the central podium erected in the middle of the large gathering ground that was now filled with people milling around and waiting for her to arrive and kick off the gathering, the Queen took in a large breath.

Looking around her, she could see many, many people with shining eyes that were fixed on the place that she was supposed to soon appear.

They had already enjoyed the food, and the incredible luxuries all set up for them, and now, they were only waiting for the main event to begin.

What they all didn't know… Was that she was already standing there, and that she had cast an invisibility spell on herself to hide from the crazy eyes of the tens of thousands of people around her.

The predetermined time was quickly approaching, and right now, she was slightly in a panicked state as suddenly, the King and all of his subordinates were missing.

She didn't know where there were, and neither did her spies, but she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart by telling herself that she had already accounted for each and every possibility that she could think of.

If anyone saw her, they would never believe that she was a veteran commander who had been through hundreds of battles.

In fact, she could even hear the silent question of the little girl in her head regarding the same thing while her heartbeat returned to normal.

The poor girl had felt her mood, and she had kept quiet as she knew that Arafell could get quite irritable if she was disturbed in crucial moments.

Feeling a bit sorry for her, she said, "Are you wondering why I'm acting like this even though I'm supposed to have been through many, many similarly stressful situations?"

At first, she was startled, but after that, she replied, "Not at all, My Queen! I'm just…"

"In the same way that you can feel my emotions, I can feel yours. And I can always tell when you have a question that you're burning to ask. The answer… Is that I always forcibly put myself in this mindset before each and every battle. According to the Emperor, this is why I win most of the time."

"…"

Arafell knew that she hadn't given a complete answer, but still, the awkward silence that followed made her chuckle, which broke the tension in the atmosphere.

Pitying the poor girl whose inquisitive nature had always been something that was occasionally irritating but mostly fun to see, she continued.

"That is because there is no commander more foolish than one who believes that his plan is perfect, and that there is no way that he can be beaten. Such a commander…will have lost the battle even before it begins."

She paused again, but this time, it wasn't for her amusement.

No, it was because she was reminiscing about the times during the Empire, and the man who had stolen her heart and never given it back.

Today, for some reason, she found herself remembering him a lot.

"But… Isn't that what we should tell ourselves? I was till now, and I thought you were, too."

Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, she answered, "That's true, but I only do that so that I can think about everything, and see whether I missed something. But eventually, no matter what plan anyone makes, in war, things can change in ways that cannot be accounted for. And this IS war, and that King is one of the smartest foes I've ever faced. However, I do trust in our preparations, so let's see what he'll do."

With this, the little girl fell quiet again.

Arafell also took a few more deep breaths and prepared to reveal herself, but suddenly, a message was transmitted by the minister who handled the spies.

"My Queen, we have detected six individuals entering the gathering in disguises. They aren't using very complicated disguises, so we were able to detect that they are the Grand Court Mage of Lanthanor, the King's father, the King of the Black Raven Kingdom, the two commanders of Lanthanor- one present, one ex, and, finally, the close friend of the King. They entered from different directions, and they're trying to mix into the crowd. Should they be stopped and thrown out? It has also been detected that they are not carrying any trinkets above the Warrior level."

What? They were entering so brazenly?

Arafell considered whether she should really do so, but she suddenly realized what would happen if she tried.

Each of these individuals was supposed to be quite powerful, and it might cause a scuffle that could escalate into something more.

Besides, she knew about that woman in Lanthanor who handled the Network. With her intellect, it was quite possible that she would also spin this to show that Arafell was afraid, and that she was not sticking to her promise of allowing everyone into the gathering.

So, she chose the only option left, as she still did not see how her plan could be disrupted, especially because they weren't carrying any complicated trinkets. Even though the foremost trinket makers could create trinkets capable of casting spells beyond their level, there was nothing even in the Champion level that could threaten her. She had set up a trinket detecting formation to counter against the King if he tried to smuggle in high-level trinkets, and it looked like it had worked out quite well.

"Keep a close eye on them, and notify me right away if they do something funny. Any word on the King?"

"None, my Queen. Our eyes are peeled."

Frowning, Arafell tried to put all of this out of her head.

Soon enough, it was time for the gathering to begin, so Arafell once again went through the entire tome of Enthrallment that she had already researched for decades.

Still, it never hurt to prepare oneself before an important event.

As soon as the invisibility spell lifted along with bursts of fireworks appearing above her to draw everyone's focus, a deafening roar assaulted the area where the gathering was taking place, almost as if it had come under attack by an endless army.

However, this was simply the sound created by the thousands of people who had all been waiting for days to get another glimpse of the Queen who had completely captivated their minds.

The podium had formations which made three 20-foot tall giant-sized transparent versions of her to appear facing three directions so that she could be visible to all, even if they were far away. Wearing a golden dress of the same fashion as the one she had donned during the address, she made many people's minds go blank as they just stood up and stared.

The other function of the Enthrallment arts that Arafell had used was that weak-minded individuals would directly come under her spell even though there was no spell being cast. Granted, this would have been true due to her beauty even if she hadn't been using the arts, but they guaranteed that that would definitely be the outcome.

Once again putting on the arts on full display, she welcomed everyone and began the speech she had already prepared.

In it, she spoke at length about how amazing their lives would be if they joined Arafell, and that she would be present for each and every one of them whenever they needed their Queen. This, in itself, gave rise to such a roar of approval that it almost drowned out her voice.

Of course, most of those roaring were those who had already been brainwashed by her emissaries into 'admiring' her.

She went on to speak about the Giants, and how they would become family members of all those entering the kingdom, just like how they were right now for all the Arafellians.

Certain hand-picked citizens who were also present vouched for this, and then, the speech moved on to other topics such as a few schemes like tax benefits for newly joining citizens that she had decided to announce at this gathering to pull in even more people who might be on the fence, and to make all those from the Big Four who were watching believe that there was nothing, at all, out at place.

Yet, during each and every second of the speech, a small part of her kept waiting for some news regarding the king, and with each second that passed without any such news, the tension she felt grew more and more.

Soon, she reached the point in her speech where the Enthrallment had done its part – she could see that many who had arrived just out of curiosity were also almost fully convinced to choose Arafell, so she prepared to end the speech as there was such a thing as doing too much, and ruining the effects of what she had already done.

Right at that moment, she felt something, and gazed up at a certain spot in the sky.

Her heart froze in her chest, and her eyebrows rose as far as they could go.

As her beautiful lips mumbled a single word, she wondered whether she was dreaming.

…

10 seconds ago.

"Stand by. She will be ending her speech soon."

As soon as this message was received by the sovereigns who had mixed themselves in the crowds, they all undertook different kinds of actions, but with a common theme.

Elanev had been happily chewing on some skewers he had gotten from a stall nearby, so he had to grudgingly stop munching and take out the trinket from his pocket.

Robert had been carefully studying the expressions and the eyes of those around him, but he had been alert, so he instantly made a small motion with his hand to make the trinket drop down from where he had been discreetly hiding it in the crook of his arm.

Kellor had been zoning out, studying a spell that he had recently devised, but as soon as he got the message, he also took out the trinket from his pocket and prepared to activate it.

A random man who had been paying close attention to the Queen's gigantic image suddenly got startled as he saw someone step out from the shadow and look as if he had just teleported there. Of course, this was Luther, who had moved in response and was also grasping the trinket in his hand.

And, finally, Aran had been happily relaxing on one of the comfortable coaches laid out, as the rest of those gathered had stood up and were paying close attention to the Queen. Hearing the message, he, too, got up, and gave the signal that he was ready.

Getting all of the signals, Daneel directly teleported to a spot above where the Queen was giving her speech.

After that… He only cast one spell, which was a very, very simple one.

It was… A camouflage spell, but it was a special version where it would affect a small area.

And that area, was exactly where the Queen was standing.

Seeing her expression and the way she acted, a natural, grand smile appeared on his face, and he began to descend.

…

Arafell couldn't believe it.

The word she had been about to say had become stuck in his throat, and right now, even her jaw had fallen on seeing the man royally descending from the sky.

It was… The Emperor.

'Fenoras…'

This was the word she had mumbled, unable to believe the image reflected in her eyes.

As if summoned by her thoughts, he smiled at her, and even though a small voice in her head kept telling her that this was not possible, at that moment, she believed that it was really him, as the smile on his lips was exactly the same one that used to grace his face whenever he saw something that made him happy.

This was also the smile she had missed in the latter part of his life, as, after the mishap with the Grand Inheritance, all happiness seemed to have disappeared from him. So, it was all the more important and special, and it completely took her breath away.

Dazed, she stood there, while he descended to her side and actually… Touched her hand.

It was as if electricity raced through her entire body, and as he spoke in that deep voice that he had always been known for, she almost shuddered with shock.

"Arafell, you depend on yourself too much. Just try your best, and call for me if you need me."

As she heard this sentence that he had always used to say to her, she couldn't take it anymore.

All of the emotions she had held deep inside her heart for the millennia she had existed as an Empire Spirit burst out at once, and she sprang forward to hug this man who was everything to her, tight.

DING!

DING!

DING!

DING!

DING!

DING!

At the same moment, the 6 sovereigns all activated the trinkets they were holding, which resulted in loud sounds akin to the ringing of bells echoing out all over the place from where they stood.

These sounds, which were preceded by the image of the one who had 'Enthralled' them hugging someone else had caused an effect almost like a 'reset' to appear in many of those present, as they blinked their eyes and started to wonder where they were. To them, it was as if the sound had woken them up from a dream.

Seeing this, Kellor beamed while thinking back to what the King had said when he had laid out this plan.

"Enthrallment is not all-powerful, as it also has a very important drawback. It uses the art of completely captivating one's mind, but what would happen if that person sees their 'idol' showing affection for someone else? The effect of the Enthrallment has a likeliness of shifting, because the mind associates that other person to be at an equal level as the one that had Enthralled them, due to that show of affection. That was why the ancient one who used this technique during the age of the Empire was a solitary man who trusted no one, and did not allow himself to show even a shred of affection to any being, living or dead."

Here, he had paused, before setting his eyes on each and every one of them before speaking his mind.

In those eyes, Kellor had seen a little bit of hesitation, but above that had been the determination that had let the King become the man he was.

"And that…is how we will be reversing the effects of the Queen's spell. Compounded with a loud sound, many will break out naturally, and it will also not allow any kind of suspicion to arise. Even though I am not too happy about certain aspects of the plan, it is the best one that we can use."

Chapter 675: Aftermath

For a moment, it was as if the entire continent stood still.

There were all kinds of reactions, with the most pronounced being from those who had been under the effects of the Queen's spell till now.

All of these tens of thousands of individuals looked around with puzzled expressions on their faces, as these past few days were all hazy in their memory.

They tried to recall exactly what had happened, but all they remembered was that an emissary had come, and after he had laid out the advantages of joining Arafell, they had gotten a strong feeling from somewhere that this was the best thing that they could do.

Along with that, they remembered a deep admiration for the Queen, which actually still lingered in many.

Yet, it was nowhere as strong as it had been before.

As for those who had become temporarily enthralled after coming here out of curiosity, they were shocked, as they couldn't believe that someone who was as unreachable as the Queen had hugged the King of Lanthanor.

Even common people could dream. And in these individuals, many had dreamed of being with the Queen, even though they knew that it was impossible.

The human heart worked in mysterious ways. It still gave them hope, and it had been ready to go forth and make the individual become part of her kingdom which it would take as the same result, as they could be close to the one in their heart.

However, now, seeing this image of the Queen showing affection for someone else, anger actually erupted, and the eyes of many turned red.

Thankfully, this was a minority, but it was still very interesting to see the result of what would happen if Enthrallment was disrupted in this method.

At least, that was what Daneel would have remarked if he had been able to focus on anything else except for the woman who was hugging him so tightly that their bodies had almost become one.

He could feel her pressing onto him more than any woman had ever embraced him, even counting Eloise and Xuan. It was as if she was afraid that he would disappear if she eased up.

Thankfully… She seemed to know right away what exactly had happened.

The embrace didn't even last for two seconds. As she pulled away, Daneel, who was so close to her, could see the tears in her eyes, and the sincerity in her emotions. And in that moment when it had still been up in the air whether what she was seeing was real, he had also felt just how deep and true her love for the Emperor was.

Since he had come up with this plan, he had felt hesitant about going forward with it, as it would mean that he would be manipulating the emotions of the Queen. Now, that feeling of his only got exacerbated as he noticed these things, and after she pulled away, he even had to pause for a moment and gather his bearings before he went forward with the rest of the plan which would make sure that he wouldn't get in even more trouble.

With her hugging him and the deployment of the trinkets, he knew that the first objective of breaking away many from the Enthrallment spell had already been achieved. Yet, there was also the very important secondary objective that had only sprung up because he had chosen this plan.

Heroes all over the continent would definitely be watching, and they would clearly be able to see the Queen initiating the hug. If they even got the smallest suspicion that she might unite with Daneel… He didn't even want to think about what they would do.

So, that possibility had to be instantly crushed before it could take shape.

The Queen looked like she would need a little more time in order to come to terms with what had happened, as right now, in her eyes, pain and longing were clearly displayed while she looked at Daneel as if she were looking at someone who had stabbed in the heart after she had trusted them.

That look made him feel very uneasy, but he put that feeling aside and went ahead.

Instantly, he made a shocked expression appear on his face, as if he was the one who was most surprised about what had happened.

As he looked at the Queen, he saw that she was also wondering just what he was doing. She didn't look like she had completely recovered yet, as those emotions from before were still present.

Finally, after staring at her like this for a few seconds and making sure that the attention of everyone was on him, Daneel stood up straight and said, "I-I apologize, Queen Arafell! Your beauty was just so… Enchanting that I couldn't resist but hold your hand and pull you into a hug. This is a great breach of honor, and I sincerely apologize. To defend myself, I can only say that even lifeless rocks which are graced by your presence will want to grow legs and run after you as they will want to see more of the woman who can only be called… Heavenly. I am but a mere mortal, and even though what I did was inexcusable, I believe that anyone here can vouch for the fact that they would also have been similarly enthralled by your presence."

As these words echoed over the gathering, a hush fell over the people who almost looked like they had been ready to jump forward and tear apart this man that had dared to ruin the sanctity of the Queen.

Even the Army had looked as if it was ready to march forth and go to war, and the Giants had become frozen on the spot, staring at the podium where everything had just happened.

In the crowd, the Grand Court Mage was keeping a close eye on the Giants, as the king had told him that if a suspicion of his was true, then breaking the Enthrallment spell on the people might have some effect on these beings, too.

This would prove that the Queen had enslaved this entire species using the spell, for which there were many clues such as that no Giants are allowed to leave the kingdom unsupervised.

Receiving a message from the king, though, he still continued to keep an eye on them, but he went forward to do his other duty.

Walking to someone who had also been temporarily enthralled, he said, "Hey, can he really be blamed? Even I would want to do the same thing if I were standing on the podium…"

"But didn't she hug him?"

"Pfft! You must be joking! That's not possible, I saw it all with my own eyes! The King hugged her! Just think about it, and you'll understand how implausible it is for our amazing Queen to hug anyone! Damn, I wish I was in his place…"

This made an expression of thought appeared on that person, and seeing that he had succeeded, Kellor moved on to another one, and another one, and another one.

In five other spots, the five sovereigns were also engaging in the same act, making discussions begin that the king really could not be blamed for his actions.

As for the Queen, she was still staring at him as if she had been frozen in time since the moment she had realized that he was not really the Emperor.

"I'm sorry for what I did, but we can speak about this at length later on. Right now, the Heroes are watching, and I need you to do a few things so that they don't suspect the both of us. At the moment, don't you think that the present situation might cause some doubts to arise that all is not as it seems on the surface?" These words finally made the Queen move, and as she did, she adopted an icy cold expression.

If Daneel did not have the memories of the Emperor, he might have wondered what this expression meant, but because he did, he knew that this was the same expression that always came on Arafell's face whenever she was putting aside all emotions and going forward with a task that needed decisions to be made with cold, hard reasoning.

As the Queen spoke, she made the discussions in the crowd pause.

"King of Lanthanor, you have besmirched a lady's honor, and you owe a debt to this kingdom. Do you agree?"

Hearing this, Daneel was startled for a bit, as he could only marvel at her ability to still want to use this opportunity and make the best out of it instead of allowing her emotions to run rampant.

He could only nod, as she was right.

"Good. In good time, I will collect it. But, for now, I believe it is time that we adjourn this gathering, and allow all these people to enjoy all the luxuries that have been prepared for them. Unless, you have something to add?"

To this, Daneel said, "I have nothing to say except that the Kingdom of Arafell truly is one of the best places to live in in this continent. However, if anyone wants to see how the other options are, too, then please do come to the Alliance's Gathering that will be taking place tomorrow."

He had no option but to add this shameless plug, as he wanted to ensure that he would follow through on his victory instead of dilly-dallying in these final steps.

Hearing this, with a humph, the Queen said, "The gathering hereby ends, but all of you are free to stay for as long as you like. Our food stores have been prepared in order to let you feast for two or three days straight, so even if you want to skip this other gathering which will surely be boring, then you are welcome to do so and stay right here. I'll also be coming by tomorrow to check whether all of the guests are being treated well, and then, if have any personal questions, you can go ahead and ask me. Until then, farewell."

This instantly made Daneel understand that this had been the second part of a plan – to make all of these people stay back and not attend his gathering so that he wouldn't even have a chance to make them join the alliance. With the added chance of meeting the Queen, staying back would definitely be a very enticing option for many.

Once again, he had to admit that if he hadn't come up with this plan, then she might very well have won.

Shooting him a look that he couldn't decipher, the Queen teleported away, and Daneel did so too before sending a message right away.

"Right now, because I made it appear like so, it is unclear whether you started the hug or I did. It all happened too fast, so even though a few might have noticed this, most will still believe that I was the one who did it because of my words, but it is not so easy to fool the Big Four. If they feel even for a moment that the two of us might unite, they will crush both of us. To prevent that, I need you to leak the information that you had a discrete lover whom I was able to find out about, and imitate in order to throw you off. After that, my plan was to use that opportunity of shock to advertise my own gathering and let everyone know that they can attend it, too. This way, it will all be alright."

"Okay."

Receiving a single, stern word of response, Daneel sighed, because he didn't know what else he had expected.

Just like a cheat who preyed on women's weaknesses, he had used her feelings for the Emperor. It really didn't matter whether she deserved it, or that she had used underhanded methods– this was despicable, but he had still had to choose it as he had no other option.

In fact, if Daneel was the same person who had taken the throne before, his idealistic viewpoint might even have prevented him from choosing this easiest option and lead him to look for something harder that might have carried much more risk.

Well, so, at least the silver lining existed that he had truly grown, and in the right direction, as this feeling that it was wrong was what he felt was most important. Without it, there would be no difference between him and a cruel despot who was ready to do anything for victory.

A few moments later, Daneel received a message.

"It's done. They will receive it, and if there are any problems, I will know and I'll let you know. Right now, come to the spot east of my Palace."

First, Daneel felt happy as this meant that this matter was completely settled. His plan had worked beautifully, but even though that was the case, he felt a bit of tension as it was now time to face the music.

Taking a deep breath, he arrived at the spot to find the Queen already standing there.

Even before she said anything, he said, "I truly am sorry that I used your feelings in that way. I…"

It was the middle of the day, and they were standing right at the spot where the paradise-like image that had been shown during her address was laid out in front of them.

In many ways, it was a truly beautiful moment, but suddenly, Daneel saw the Queen's back tremble.

She was standing with it turned to him, and she hadn't turned around even though he had arrived.

Yet, as he saw this and realized that she was crying, he instantly ran forward even though he didn't know exactly what he wanted to do.

He expected her to scold him, berate him and call him all sorts of things, or even attack him, in which case he was prepared with a lot of defensive trinkets.

However, what she actually did startled him so much that for once, the King of Lanthanor became well and truly speechless.

The moment he came in front of her, she reached forward…and hugged him again, and said two words which did not fit in the situation at all, which was the reason behind Daneel wondering whether he had gone mad.

"Thank you."

As soon as those words left her lips, she started to sob onto his shoulder, while he could only stare into the air, completely flabbergasted and with an expression of one who was clueless regarding whether he was in a weird dream of sorts, or reality.

Chapter 676: The Gathering of the Alliance & The Queen's Feelings

Daneel had no idea what he was supposed to do.

He wasn't even clear whether he was supposed to hug back, so he could only awkwardly stand there while she sobbed onto his shoulders and made his royal cloak completely wet.

She cried for a full 10 minutes, which felt like the longest 10 minutes of Daneel's life.

During them, he had no option but to think about various things, as he couldn't figure out for the life of him why she was acting in this manner.

Was there something about his serious lack of knowledge regarding how to handle women that made him a ripe choice for any one who wanted to let their emotions out? After all, this wasn't even the first woman who was doing this… Eloise had once clung to him and cried in the same manner, and even though that case had been different, he couldn't help but notice the similarities and ruminate in this manner.

He even tried to rifle through the memories of the Emperor to see whether there was any other moment in her life when she had shown such vulnerability. After all, her character so far had consisted of showing her strong side that would not bow down no matter what happened, so this was such a serious breach of what was expected of her that Daneel wondered whether he had completely broken her by using that plan of his.

No, that didn't make sense. She had been alive for millennia, and she must definitely have built up a lot of mental strength over that time, especially because she hadn't gone crazy like the other Empire Spirits. Hence, even something like this should not have affected her so much that she would do something completely out of character, but reality spoke otherwise.

During those 10 minutes, he also communicated a bit with Kellor as there were still a few things to handle.

For instance, among the people, the idea that the Queen had been the one to initiate the hug had to be completely snuffed out, and for this, the Network was perfectly put to use. Not even a few minutes after the incident had happened, extensive programs regarding it had begun to be played.

This was why Eloise had not participated to deploy the trinket, as she had been on standby to direct those who were employed to maintain the Network so that she could snuff out the truth with these programs. In them, even the angle of the display trinket was changed and modified to make it look as if the king really was the one who had gone ahead to hug the Queen, and as soon as this began to spread, even the notion that such an ethereal existence as the Queen could hug the king by herself began to sound like such an impossibility that it was laughed at even when those who were present in the gathering and had seen it with their own eyes tried to talk about it to others.

This had been the whole point of the programs: to make those who even suggested it seem like laughing stocks, which was a method that Daneel had learned from Earth after seeing the ways governments handled certain situations.

It was the first misinformation campaign that Daneel was carrying out, and because he had taken steps to make sure that he would be successful, everything went according to plan.

The other thing was that this method wasn't a hundred percent effective in breaking everyone out of the Enthrallment spell. In the records, it was written that at least 50% would be able to reset their minds, and with the added effect of the loud sounds, this could at most reach 60%.

All of those people who had managed to have their minds 'reset' had to be given ways to leave and arrive at his gathering, so, instantly, teleportation formations were set up and many resources were deployed in order to create lodging spaces for those who would be coming. For this purpose, the floating structures that had been built during the Olympics were used, and these turned out to be both quite impressive and comfortable, as they had also been expanded to carry even more people.

Finally, after those 10 minutes, as the Queen stepped back, Daneel waited patiently so that he could find the answers for all the questions buzzing in his head.

The Queen once again turned her back to him, as if she didn't want him to see her expression, and a silence stretched between them that Daneel really wanted to break.

Only… He didn't know exactly what was going through the Queen's mind, so he couldn't tell whether it was the right idea to do so.

If he had known that the Queen was actually feeling embarrassed at the moment, he would definitely have been pretty shocked, just like the little girl in her head who was wishing that she had a corporeal body at the moment so that she could pinch herself and check whether she was dreaming.

Indeed, the legendary commander Queen Arafell was…embarrassed, and she did not want the King to see this. She had already allowed him to see many things that even the man that was in the heart hadn't been witness to, so she had no intention of exposing any more of herself.

Taking a moment, she tried to think back to what exactly had happened after that realization that it really had been a dream.

In that moment when she had hugged him, the emotions that had been pent up inside her for so many years had burst out at once, but not even a moment later, with the background of the loud sounds of the trinkets that had been activated, she had realized right away that this was not Fenoras.

That was because she knew exactly how it would feel if she hugged him, as he had hugged her once in ecstasy after a very important conquest which was a moment that she still treasured in the deepest corners of a heart.

This wasn't him. So… It had dawned on her, right away, that she had been cheated.

She had instantly pulled back, but the tears in her eyes hadn't stopped, and those emotions, which had all been kept at bay behind a 'dam', began flowing incessantly as the 'dam' had already been destroyed because of the hug.

More particularly, it was because of that moment during the hug before she had realized that it wasn't him, when she had felt that it was possible that he might have returned to her.

She missed him. Oh, heavens, how she missed him.

And at that moment, she had realized that she had never actually come to terms with his death.

She had been turned into an Empire Spirit and sealed away moments before his death, even though she had begged and pleaded him that she wanted to be with him in his last moments, if they came.

'No', he had said. 'You are needed for the future of Angaria', he had insisted, and as always, she hadn't been able to say no to him.

She wished that she could have told him that she just wanted to be with him no matter what happened, and if worst came to worst, she wished to hold him in his last moments and feel happy in his presence, before perishing by his side.

That was all she had ever wanted.

So what if what she felt wasn't reciprocated? This wish of hers would be fulfilled, and she would have been able to die happy.

However, instead of that, she had had to endure so many long years without him, knowing that all of her wishes would never be fulfilled.

She loved him. She hated him. She was angry with him. She yearned for him. She missed him.

And all these emotions got pent-up more and more inside her, even without her knowing about it.

If they had been able to continue to do so, she could tell that they would have reached a point where they would definitely have been able to cause her to descend into madness.

Yet, she had been forced to face them at that moment when she had seen him and thought that it was really him, which had resulted in her realizing all of these things.

Of course, these realizations only come later, after she had carried out the instructions of the king and those other actions from the icy cold place in her heart that she always went to when she couldn't deal with what she was feeling.

And hence, when she hugged him, she had only been able to say 'thank you', as allowing her to do so might possibly even have saved her life.

As for all those tears, they were, of course, the rest of what had been held behind the 'dam'. For each of those seconds, she had relived each and every moment she spent with the Emperor, because she was ready to finally let go and accept that he would never be coming back.

This hurt, more than anything that she had had to handle in her long life. She had never had friends, or family to teach her how to handle these things, and she had always only depended on herself. So, even now, she found herself reverting into that lonely, little, helpless girl that she had been so long ago when she was inundated by all of these emotions that were inside of her.

She had needed some kind of support, and because the King just happened to be there, she had used him.

And as she thought about it, she couldn't help but remark that she had used him in the same manner that he had used her feelings for the Emperor.

At this moment, she looked back on the rest of her actions, and realized how truly foolish she had been to see the Emperor inside this man.

True, they had some similar qualities, but could he ever be compared in even the same breath with that glorious man?

No, not at all, and this thought also made her understand that it had been those pent-up feelings that had been yearning for the Emperor that had made her delusionally think that she could once again see the Emperor in him. Even the notion that he could replace the Emperor in her heart seemed…laughable.

True, she was ready to move on, but that didn't mean that she would forget him. Her standards were sky-high, and he simply did not reach them.

One other thing made this revelation even stronger – the emperor would never, ever have used a plan like this, no matter what the situation. He was a straightforward man, and he had known that he would never be able to engage in such acts. Hence, he had sought out and brought those under his wing who could do things like these when necessary, such as that schemer who had been placed in Axelor.

Only, this made her feel even more embarrassed. What was she even supposed to say?

Wait… Why should she even explain herself?

Why couldn't she just let him roil in uncertainty?

With this, Arafell also realized that she had begun to change in ways that she, herself, couldn't explain. After all, this had been one of the main things that had resulted in her character being the way that it had been till now, and with it finally demolished, she could finally move on and become someone… Better.

But to understand who she was becoming, she needed time, so this was probably the best decision.

She also realized that she had lost in their competition, but in front of what had just happened, it seemed trivial.

For some reason, a smile appeared on her face as she imagined the king standing there gobsmacked without any answers, so she didn't hesitate anymore.

Instantly, she teleported away, leaving the king gawking at her fading image.

'W-what? She just left like that, after calling me here and using my shoulder to cry on? What the f*ck?'

As Daneel stood there scratching his head, he could almost bet that he heard a soft chuckling sound emanating from somewhere, but no matter how much he searched, he just couldn't find the source, which was something that irritated him even more.

It looked like he wouldn't be getting any answers, and this…was the most irritating things that Daneel had had to handle in a long, long time.

…

The next day, the Gathering of the Alliance began with a bang.

Although it didn't take the same route as that of Arafell, the towering structure above the Gathering that floated in the air brought a solemn atmosphere which allowed Daneel's words to resonate farther than they would have normally.

Taking a deep breath, he began right away with the two most important announcements, as he had decided that the last one, regarding the Heavenly City, would come toward the end of his speech.

First…was regarding the National School.

A separate, grand city would be built where children from all over the Alliance would be sent to learn everything under the sky. To allow them to mature and to foster teamwork, they would all have to board there for a set period of time, and the fee would be very low.

Second…came the one that made everyone gasp, and wonder whether they were hearing correctly.

All those who entered the Alliance would be getting something called 'Insurance', where they would have to pay a small fee every month. If they had to avail medical facilities, they could do so for a large amount much higher than what they paid, and if they didn't use this option, all the money they had paid would be returned to them at a certain point.

Not many understood it fully, but what it sounded like was that they would basically be paying a little, and getting a lot.

This was, of course, something that was welcomed by all, and they began to cheer.

At the same moment as this speech was going on, though, in the Sect of Hedon, a large contingent was preparing to set off.

In its midst was a large, round ball of earth, inside which there was supposed to be someone who had been sealed.

Indeed, the party that would be going to the most reclusive and mysterious of the Big Four was about to set off, and from a little distance away, the newcomer who had infiltrated the Sect was watching everything with a serious expression on his face.

Something felt wrong, but no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't place a finger on it.

So, telling himself that there was definitely no chance for anything to happen, he went back to his attempts at raising the hell that he hoped would burn the King of Lanthanor to nothingness.

Chapter 677: 'Ask The Heavens, And They Shall Answer!'

Tamra was lost.

When the Chief of her village had announced that he would be leaving to both the gatherings in order to find out which option was the best for their small settlement that was so out of the way that it had not been contacted by either of the two forces that were actively recruiting settlements, Tamra had sprung away from her mother's hands and shouted that she wanted to go along.

She had been born and brought up in this small place which was in the middle of nowhere, and the only exposure she had about the world was through the battered Network Trinket that had been bought by the Chief at a very discounted price as it had been thrown away by some merchant.

She listened to it day and night even though it wheezed and made odd sounds at times, whenever she didn't have any chores to do in her house. And even when she did have chores, she had a habit of being able to convince others to do them for her. Her puppy eyes were known throughout the village to have the power to melt anyone's heart, and when she asked, all the villagers would always find it hard to say no.

That was partly the reason why she had been the one to listen to the news about the gatherings first, and notify the chief about them.

For a long time, the chief had talked about going into some Kingdom of the other as all bandit groups that just so happened to come in their direction would always leave them with no money at all. They had barely 200 villagers, and it didn't make sense for them to expend a lot of resources to build walls that would be easily demolished by any mid-sized bandit group anyway. Hence, they always chose a non-violent method, which was to raise their hands and welcome in any group and be as gracious as possible so that there would at least be a chance of them appealing to the positive side in people's hearts and maybe make them decide that they could leave behind a little bit for the villagers to survive.

Of course, they had a secret weapon that had allowed them to survive for so long – a small vein of gold had been found right below the chief's house, and they had secretly mined it for quite a long time, which had allowed them to take it out and buy supplies when it was absolutely necessary.

The problem was… that that vein would soon run out, and after that, a single bandit raid would be enough for them to starve.

This was the main reason why the chief had jumped at the opportunity to enter a force and also gain some perks along with it.

Until now, the way it had been was that any small settlement that wanted to enter a kingdom had to actually pay extra tax, or agree to other constrictions such as that they would allow themselves to be employed wherever the kingdom directed them, as, after all, they would be availing the security that would come with being inside a proper force.

Yet, now, for some reason, all of a sudden, everyone wanted to take in as many people as possible while also giving them additional things that had a lot of value.

Counting their lucky stars, the chief had exclaimed that this was the best time, and he even agreed for Tamra to tag along as her wish to go out and explore the world was something that was known to the entire village, mainly because of a song that she sung day and night that often kept up many who were insomniac.

They first walked a lot of distance before hitching a ride with a merchant who had luckily been traveling along the route that they needed to take. After that, they had reached a teleportation formation that had allowed them to directly teleport to the gathering of the Kingdom of Arafell.

Tamra had squealed with delight as she experienced the feeling that came from closing her eyes and then opening them to find herself in a completely different place, and she had actually just stood there with her jaw hanging as she gazed at all the things arranged for them in the gathering.

Thankfully, they had set out early so that there would be no mishaps, so they had had time to completely enjoy each and every delicacy, and also all of the comforts that had been laid out for them.

The chief smiled happily as he saw her enjoy herself, and after that, he had listened with full attention to the Queen when she spoke about everything that they would be receiving if they entered Arafell.

His eyes had shone with delight when the part about the tax benefits had been mentioned, as, after all, paying tax would be a major change for them who had never had to answer to anyone else but themselves until now. However, the rest regarding how Giants would be their family and how they would be able to talk to the Queen on multiple occasions hadn't moved him at all. Tamra had been watching everything, as she had a zeal to learn, and she had noticed these things and felt proud that it was true that at just 12 years old, she was smarter than all the other kids in her village.

Of course, though, during the hug, he had closed her eyes, and when that weird loud sound had appeared, he had instantly panicked and hid nearby in a couch.

Tamra had also gotten scared, but thankfully, nothing bad happened, and although many strange things that she didn't understand occurred after that, the chief had given her one of the ice lollies that were going around and she had happily sat down and relished it while waiting for the event to finish.

After it was done, they had slept the night there and then arrived here – at the gathering ground for the event that would be held by the Alliance.

The Alliance.

She had always felt that this word sounded so good, and as she gazed up slack-jawed to see the beast-like 'city', as they were calling it, in the sky, she had felt so happy that she had decided to come out on this excursion along with the Chief.

Her eyes had just not been able to leave it, and the words etched below it that were visible due to light that was shining out of nowhere onto the bottom of the city allowed her to read the words "Heavenly City of the Alliance" and feel that the word 'heavenly' was definitely perfect for it.

This gathering hadn't been as grand as the one before, but Tamra didn't mind at all, partly because she was too busy staring at the sky.

Even after the novelty of this wore off, she noticed that even though this gathering didn't have all those extravagant things such as beautiful pools of water and lush cushions to sit on, the amenities were quite good, as there was seating for all and also refreshments that were constantly passed around that were in abundance. Whoever arranged this had also been very tactful, as they had accounted for the heat that was present during the day despite the shade that was cast on to them due to the city, and had arranged for things such as ice water and a sweet snack made from the bark of a certain tree that helped in bringing one's body temperature down and allowing them to be comfortable.

And, of course, the entire thing had kicked off with such a huge bang with those two announcements that had made both of their eyes go wide.

Tamra had been most excited about the school, which seemed like a magical place that she really wished to go to. As for the other, although she didn't understand, the excitement that was displayed by the chief was enough to let her know that it was pretty awesome.

The chief had a habit of talking to himself, so she had heard him saying that along with this, the other schemes that had been announced where they would all get monetary jobs, the uniform currency and also just the ability to avail facilities such as the bank were truly game-changing facets of the alliance that anyone would be foolish not to recognize.

Yet, he had also gone on to say that the advantage of Arafell was that it was the only kingdom that had stood stably for a long, long time. Where other kingdoms would go to war, Arafell would always stick to itself, and this offered it a measure of stability and safety that really appealed to him.

At this point, she had asked what his decision was, but he had said that they should wait for the gathering to end, because if there was even one more thing that could push him towards the Alliance, then he might just pick it as there were just too many good points to ignore.

That was when Tamra had seen someone distributing ice lollies just like those given out during Arafell's gathering, and without thinking, she had run forward while smacking her lips as they had been very tasty when she had had them before.

Tens of thousands of people had gathered, so it was quite crowded, and by the time Tamra realized that what she had done was a blunder, the chief was already nowhere to be seen.

There was also a low buzz of conversation, so her using her little voice to scream was also not very helpful.

Panic slowly started to set in, and tears even appeared in her eyes. Zoning out everything else including the voice of the king which was still droning on, she tried to struggle between the legs of all those present in an effort to find the chief. Alas, it looked like she was only getting even more lost, which made her sit down where she was and start crying.

However, at the same moment, something… Incredible happened.

She hadn't been paying attention to what the king had been saying, but he had spoken something in a loud voice that seemed to reverberate even after it was uttered, and it made everyone stop what they were doing and instantly look up.

Even Tamra looked up, but that was because this was the golden opportunity that she needed.

Quickly, she scrambled through all the people who were still, and as even a silence had fallen over the place, she managed to hear the chief's calls for her that allowed her to head in that direction and finally find him again.

As soon as she reached him, he swept her up into his arms and said that he had been worried, and told her not to go like that again.

Tamra was puzzled as she was expecting to be reprimanded more, but she understood why when she saw the chief also look up just like the others.

Curious, she finally did so too, which was when she understood what had captivated everyone so much.

Above them was the bare underbelly of the Heavenly City, which had been blank until now except for the etching of its name in a circular manner all around the area near its edges.

Yet, right now, it was as if a giant was writing letters in the middle area that had been empty until now.

"Ask the heavens, and they shall…"

These were the words already written in a flowing script, and as the last word also became etched into place, the entire crowd read it together, in a single breath.

The king joined in with them.

"Ask the heavens, and they shall answer! This… Is not just any simple Heavenly City! No, it is the very symbol of the Alliance, and the Alliance stands for the people that trusted that it would take care of them! Hence, any Alliance Citizen who walks under the shade of the Heavenly City can speak out any need that they have, whether it be a question regarding some aspect of governance, or something pressing that needs to be brought to the attention of the Alliance. Instantly, the citizen will get an answer, or will succeed in doing what he set out to do. The whole goal of this is to show that in the Alliance, the people come first, and I am prepared to do everything in my power to give everyone the best life possible. No matter what suggestions you have, they will also be seriously taken into consideration, so you know that the only thing you have to do is–"

This time, the crowd repeated the words, but with much louder voices which made a roaring sound assault Tamra's ears.

Yet, she was lending her voice to it, too.

"ASK THE HEAVENS, AND THEY SHALL ANSWER!"

From the eyes of the chief, Tamra could tell that he had made his decision, although she didn't understand the importance of this yet.

They were going to join the Alliance!

At the same time as the little girl began to celebrate, Daneel was smiling broadly as he had unveiled his idea that had led to the establishment of this city.

He was basically implementing something that had only been theory-crafted on Earth, and was supposed to allow any country to become the best version of itself: transparent governance.

It simply wasn't possible on Earth because of corruption that was present almost everywhere, but here, Daneel had hope.

Well, with time, it would show its promise.

With this main announcement done, Daneel prepared to close off the gathering.

Yet, suddenly, he could only stand on the podium that had been erected for him and stare into the air blankly, as the system had spoken in his mind with a message that was so unexpected that he had to ask it to repeat 3 times before understanding that it was real.

[Hero-level restriction has been placed in target Percy's mind which can be remotely triggered to cause death.

Target 'Percy' has sustained critical damage to his eyes.

Input received indicates that the injury was self-inflicted.

Target 'Percy' has been placed in a suspension state that allows a skilled healer to recover the eyes.]

Chapter 678: The Eternal Blossom Sect 1

To the north of Angaria, at a spot above the area that was between the Kingdom of Arafell and the Black Raven Kingdom, was another famous no-trespassing zone that was known among all those nearby as the one that was definitely the most inexplicable and mysterious in the entire continent.

Perhaps, the reason behind this was that this was one which boasted a zero death rate, which was pretty unique, as all the other zones either killed people or put them at quite a great risk of dying.

But if so, then why was it even labeled as one?

The answer was that whoever was foolish enough to cross the clear border that was drawn in the ground would disappear, and then reappear at the same spot exactly six months later.

No matter what that person was asked, they would not be able to answer just what they had been doing for all those months, and to them, it would even feel as if only a moment had passed.

Yet, there would always be some or the other minor change in them.

For example, there was a tale that was recited in all the nearby settlements that a village chief who was said to be the most upright man in his village had mistakenly stepped inside the border because he had seen a precious plant just a few steps away from where he stood.

Forgetting about this ultimate taboo, the story went that he had disappeared and reappeared exactly 6 months later, to find someone from his village waiting for him as they had known what had happened after seeing his herb gathering bag lying on the ground inside the no-trespassing zone.

Initially, it had all looked fine – it just seemed that he had missed a few months of his life, and he got back to his regular duties as the Chief.

Yet, soon, a few changes began to be seen, and these started at his home.

He had been married for 20 years, and their marriage was supposed to be one of the most beautiful in the entire village. They were treated as role models, and they were often even talked about as being blessed by the heavens.

However, the chief suddenly began to be irritated by almost everything his wife said, and it got so bad that one day, he finally exclaimed that he had been unhappy all these years and that he had kept up appearances so that he could hold his post.

This caused shock to radiate throughout the village, as no one could believe the truth that had been exposed.

The wife and husband parted, and although the elders of the village sensed that something was wrong, they just let it be by telling themselves that this was probably just a typical, temporary fight between two lovers that would be resolved later on, when tempers calmed down.

Only, things started to get worse. The chief started to show a hitherto-unseen lewd side of his, openly flirting with the young woman of the village who could only helplessly oblige as they didn't want to offend the one with the most power in their settlement, and even began to make passes on married women.

The elders continued to watch with growing discontent, but everything reached a head when the chief was caught trying to sneak into the bed of his neighbor's wife.

That was when the man was finally stripped of his role, but even when he saw all the honor and prestige that he had earned throughout his entire life being burnt to nothingness, he only smiled madly.

Initially, after this, the elders had considered that they would just banish him. Some who had been close friends of the chief also started to say that this might be some sort of effect because of him disappearing for all those months, and that he probably should not be blamed for something that was not in his control. No one really knew what happened in those months, so this actually seemed like a plausible explanation, as such an unbelievable change in someone that they had known throughout their life was something that they could not come to terms with, at all.

But as soon as the stripping of his role was completed, multiple woman came forward saying that he had taken advantage of them all multiple times and threatened them with the power he held to stay silent.

Hence… This made them understand that the scoundrel was the real face of the now former chief, and that everything they had been seeing so far was a façade.

This tale was exaggerated and told in all the surrounding settlements, and it even started to become an urban legend that all those who entered that line would have their true natures emerge.

However, another strange thing was that this didn't even seem to be uniform, as there were some people who disappeared and reappeared with no changes whatsoever.

So, although there was no consensus regarding exactly what the effect of stepping across the line was, it was still widely accepted that no one should be foolish enough to go and check this out for themselves.

After finding out all these things, Daneel had a pondering expression on his face while he sat on a tree and waited for the party of the Sect of Hedon to pass.

He was currently in the forest area and the spot where he was sitting was a few tens of kilometers away from that line of demarcation that marked the no trespassing zone.

The first thing he had done after coming here after following the tracking spell that he had left in Percy had been to open the map and mark down the locations of the Big Four he knew of.

This had led him to understand that a large unmarked area in the map was definitely where the last of the Big Four was, which was also the general spot where he was currently standing.

Daneel had already found out the name of this last sect of the Big Four long ago, when those Warriors had invaded Lanthanor.

It was called the Eternal Blossom, but except for that, he didn't know anything about it.

Even in all the records he had gathered from the other sects of the Big Four, there was very little mention of this one, and it looked like it kept to itself for most of the time.

After that, he had gone around to the small settlements that existed around this place to find out these tales that were all very odd.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't really connect this with anything else that would allow him to glean insights regarding the sect.

So, shrugging, he gave up for the moment and used a zoom spell on his eyes to look in a certain direction, where the trees were parting because a large group was passing through.

This group from the Sect of Hedon wasn't trying to be discreet, at all, and they didn't have any reason to be, as they were accompanied by the Head of the High Council, himself.

It seemed that with his recent display of power, he was confident enough that no one would be so foolish as to attack and find out just how strong the most powerful man in Angaria was.

This presented a huge problem, though.

After carefully analyzing all the messages he had received, Daneel had reached the only conclusion possible.

Whoever was responsible for placing that restriction in Percy, must not have wanted him to leave the sect, as he would need to be within a small area of Percy if he wanted to activate it.

Percy, on the other hand, wanted to notify Daneel that something was up, and for this, he must have realized that this was the only option where he could leave the sect without dying.

There were other possibilities that were also present, but this one seemed like it had the most probability of being true, mainly because of the fact that he knew that the wound was self-inflicted.

This, along with the order in which things had happened, strongly indicated that this was Percy's wish, which had been fulfilled now.

His master was here.

Yet, with the Head present, Daniel felt helpless.

Although Daneel had analyzed this much, he was clueless regarding the rest.

There were two possibilities – either some Hero from Angaria was responsible, or it was the Church which had somehow managed to infiltrate the Sect of Hedon.

Either way, they were targeting Percy, and for this, Daneel could find no reason.

Instead of focusing too much on this and wasting his time, Daneel had decided that the best thing to do was to reach Percy and somehow talk to him.

True, he was in a suspended state, but Daneel had already figured out how he could go around this using the system.

After simply asking it whether one who was in that state could be communicated with, he had got the answer he needed.

[Hero-level Spell 'Consciousness Link' can be cast as both individuals are at the same level. For a limited period of time, host can communicate with the consciousness of the target, but there is a risk as during this, host's consciousness will be at the mercy of the target. Host will essentially be entering the target's dream, and in a dream, complete control is always present with the dreamer. Because of this limitation, this technique was never used during the Empire for interrogation.]

This was Percy, so Daneel didn't think too much of the risk.

However, the problem was that to cast it, he needed to be touching Percy, which meant that he needed to somehow infiltrate the group.

First of all, he thanked his lucky stars that the group hadn't directly teleported inside the sect that they were going to for some reason. They had teleported to quite some distance away, where the forested area began, and they had begun walking from there. Daneel had received the messages from the system the moment Percy had set off from the sect, and he had right away adjourned the gathering and arrived above the area. Seeing their own actions, he had also decided not to do any kind of teleportation, as there might be Hero-level formations that he couldn't detect present. Finding the tales had only taken a few seconds, and now, the main thing he needed to figure out was how he should go about entering the group by disguising himself as one of those inside it.

There were many targets, but the main problem was that if the Head was present, then he could do nothing.

He had already thought on this topic for the last minute, and as an idea finally occurred to him, a small smile appeared on the corner of his lips, which was the same one that he always got whenever his ideas were the mischievous kind.

…

In the group, the Head was calmly walking forward. Even with his status, the prestige of the one inside the sect they were going to was something that just could not be challenged. Anyone who wished to enter had to walk, and that was exactly what they were doing.

Yet, suddenly, out of the blue, he received a message that made him stop, and in turn, the entire group stopped behind him.

"Head! I'm suddenly missing my son a lot, and I want to drink! I've already finished my reserves, so I'm treating myself to yours! If you want to stop me, come join me!"

His wine reserves!

As a connoisseur of wine, the Head had collected many precious bottles and crates that he treasured, and now, he cursed his folly which had made him give access to Rayen because he had pitied the man before, when he had lost his son.

He had given the offer that he could come and drink along with him whenever he wished, but this wasn't a very good time.

"Rayen, I'm in the middle of something! Leave, for now! We can drink later!"

…

Seeing the Head halt, and then walk forward again after sending a message, Daneel touched the communication trinket that connected him with the Hero under him and said, "Not enough. Wilder."

After contacting Rayen, Daneel's request had been simple: do something 'wild' that will pull the head away without causing suspicion.

He didn't understand why the head was even in this group, and this was the way he had decided on to try and make the man leave at least temporarily so that he could go about what he wished to do.

…

The head had given this order and continued his solemn walk, but he had no option but to halt once again as he received another message. This one caused him distress, which was evident from the slightly angry expression on his face.

"Hic! Head! I ain't accepting any of that! I'm going to dig into your most precious bottles if you don't get here right now! And no clones either! If you don't want to see them disappear…"

"NO! Rayen, if you do that, I swear you won't be walking straight for months! Just control yourself! I'll come as soon as I can!"

…

Once more, the group continued, and seeing that the Head was still there, Daneel frowned and sent, "Wilder! Go all out, dammit! I don't know what you do, but he has to come to you, at least for a minute!"

On the other end, Daneel heard a sigh and a grumble, but he didn't care.

…

"HEAD! IMMA BURN THIS WHOLE PLACE DOWN! IF YOU WON'T DRINK WITH ME, YOU SHOULDN'T DRINK WITH ANYONE! LET IT BE A TRIBUTE TO MY SON! PRECIOUS OR NOT, EVERYTHING'S GONNA GO UP IN FLAMES! AHAHAHA!"

As the group stopped for a third time, the others could tell that something was wrong.

The Head now had outright panic on his face, and some even began to wonder whether there was another attack.

"STOP RIGHT THERE! I'M COMING!"

Screaming this into the communication trinket that connected him with the Hero, the Head turned around and said, "I'll be back in a few minutes, you guys carry on. If anything out of the norm happens, contact me right away."

With this, the Head finally teleported away, which made Daneel heave a sigh of relief.

"You've done well.", he sent, but from the other end, he could swear that he heard a grunt, as if someone had just been punched squarely in the stomach.

Thinking that this was odd, he got off the tree and slinked toward the group.

Chapter 679: The Eternal Blossom Sect 2

When the Head hurried back to the group, his clothes which were usually perfect were slightly ruffled, as if he had gotten into a fight.

He had a broad smile on his face, though, as if he had done something very satisfying, and as soon as he reached the group that had been progressing along the path, he said, "A Hero needed to be…forcibly put to sleep. Let's pick up the pace. We're already expected there, and it is best not to keep those of the Eternal Blossom waiting."

Daneel, who had already infiltrated the group and was one of the Warriors standing beside the large globe of ice inside which Percy was frozen winced slightly as he heard this, as he could tell that Rayen had probably had to take a beating to facilitate this action of his.

Well, it had been necessary.

Deciding that he would help the Hero a bit with something later on, Daneel began to briskly walk along with the others as they started to hurry along and get to that point where the no-trespassing zone started.

As soon as they reached it, they crossed it without hesitation.

As soon as Daneel entered the zone, the first thing he felt was the formation that had scanned him and all the trinkets he was holding.

It was a really good thing that the Big Four were not in possession of the formation that could scan the overall complexity of an individual, because otherwise, Daneel would definitely have set off a lot of alarms because of the Ancient Dragon in his head.

This was the typical formation that had been present in each and every sect of the Big Four he had already been to, so there was nothing too surprising yet.

Even after passing that line, though, their pace didn't slow, and they continued walking through the forest while parting the bushes that came in their way.

It was only another 20 minutes later the Daneel finally saw something change.

Up until this point, the forest had been normal, but slowly, trees and plants that were different from any he had ever seen before started to appear.

As he asked the system, the answer he got made him blink with confusion.

[These are species which are supposed to be extinct in this age. Some of the species of plants and trees that host has passed so far date back to 2000 years ago, and some even date to the Empire.]

Huh? How was this possible?

Typically, a species would go extinct if the conditions for its continued existence were not present. Generally, these conditions would be common throughout the continent, and the only way that this would not be the case was if this place… Was completely isolated.

As they kept going further and further in, Daneel started to feel that this must be true, and that some formation might be in effect which was making this possible.

The way Hero level formations worked was that there were quite a few which could be completely hidden from even the sight of Hero level individuals.

If the system was upgraded, it might have been able to scan and pick up things that normal people at the level couldn't, but right now, it was only at the Champion level, which meant that there could be quite a few formations that could be there without Daneel knowing about them. While some such as that which had to scan things were always visible, most others would remain discreet, as that was how formations used to be designed during the time of the Emperor.

Finally, another 10 minutes later, they stopped.

Daneel didn't know why they had done so, as this place didn't look any different from everything they had passed so far.

Yet, as he looked ahead, he noticed a strange… shimmering, in the air, which made him ask, "System, what is ahead of us?"

[Phenomenon Analysis module deployed. Scanning. Hero-level Obfuscation formation found. What host is currently seeing is a reflection of the area that host has already passed.]

A reflection?

Interrupting his thoughts, the Head spoke up.

"All those are making this trip for the first time, brace yourselves. The golden rule here is to not ask any questions, and to not stare at anything for too long. Those of the Eternal Blossom do not take kindly to undue attention. No matter what you see, if you value your life, just glance and ignore. If you want to find out what is really happening, then I can only say that you should grow strong enough to become privy to the details. Let's go."

With these words, he led the way, and as soon as he stepped past that point where Daneel had seen the shimmering, he disappeared.

There were five people in front of Daniel, and after they all disappeared, too, it was finally his turn.

Yet, the moment he stepped past that point, he stumbled into the one in front of him.

Daneel was about to curse as that was what any normal Warrior from the Sect of Hedon would do, but the words got stuck in his mouth as soon as he looked around and saw something that made him freeze.

"Ouch! Get outta-"

As someone bumped into him from behind, he understood why the same thing had happened to him, so he simply stepped forward while still looking around with absolute shock which was clearly displayed by his jaw that was hanging.

At first glance, it looked as if this was still the forest that they had walked into.

However, if anyone kept watching for even a second more, then they would understand right away that something was very, very wrong.

All of the plants and trees were… changing in front of their eyes, by the second.

For instance, Daneel focused on a small sunflower that had just bloomed beside the path they were taking.

While he watched, it grew older and older until it withered away.

Something that was supposed to take months of time had occurred in a matter of seconds, and for the life of him, Daneel could understand how it was possible.

Right at the beginning of his path as a mage, he had investigated whether it was possible to manipulate the ultimate enemy of all living things – time.

He had been disappointed to find that although relative time could be modified at very high levels, such as in Ashahell's case, it was impossible to change the general flow of time. Time could not be sped up, or reversed.

Yet, here… That was clearly not the truth.

It didn't stop here, though.

After the plant withered, a single seed fell into the earth, and as Daneel's shock started to reach another level, the cycle began anew. A small sapling took root, and started to grow once again.

With this, he finally understood what was going on.

After looking around for a bit more, he knew that he was right.

All of the plants and flowers around him… Were repeatedly being born and dying!

But how?!

Of course, the first thing he did was ask the system.

[System has detected that a formation is in effect that cannot be analyzed with system's present level. Please upgrade.]

Along with the regular frustration that came from hearing the upgrade message, Daneel realized that he had probably been foolish in expecting the Champion level system to have an answer regarding this phenomenon which was clearly far beyond that level.

"What about the memories of the Emperor and the techniques behind the third seal? Is there any mention among those regarding something that could result in this effect?"

[Scanning. Certain references found, but the system cannot form a clear connection. Deeper analysis beginning.]

Denny actually heaved a sigh of relief as he heard this, as there was at least hope that he could get an answer soon.

As he heard this, though, he decided to ask Drakos, but before he could do so, he saw that they had come to a halt again, as there was a figure standing in front of them.

This was the first individual they had seen since entering the forest, and she seemed to be just as enigmatic as the surroundings. She was wearing a cloak with a hood that covered her face, and all over it, there were many flowers which were are all displaying the same effect – they grew, they wilted, they died, and they started to grow again.

Once again, Daneel had no idea how this was happening, which was pretty frustrating.

"She awaits. She's not very happy, because you're late by 84 seconds."

Hearing this, the Head actually… grimaced.

Huh? Wasn't he supposed to be the foremost figure in the continent who did not need to fear anyone? If so, why was he reacting in this way?

Not understanding, Daneel watched as the Head nodded and instantly disappeared, after which the figure waved a hand.

Daneel had already precautionary order the system to not stop any attempts from outside to teleport him, as this was not supposed to be an ability that could be present in a typical Warrior. He felt glad that he had done this, as the woman had cast a teleportation spell on them all.

As Daneel blinked to see the new location that he had arrived at, he saw that they were in some sort of a stone cave. Creepers grew here and there, and there were stalactites and stalagmites hanging from above which felt like they could fall and impale them at any moment.

"The healing will take place here. Go in that direction to reach a few huts, where you'll be staying for three days. If you value your lives, did not even try to enter here. If you're needed, you will be called for. Now, leave."

Among their group of 15, 5 had already come before, and they instantly started heading in the direction shown by the woman, where there was a passage.

Daneel followed after deciding that he would make his move from those huts after going through all the references that the system had found.

Along with the others, he started walking in that direction.

Everything looked like it was fine, but suddenly, at the last moment before he entered the passage, the woman spoke up.

"You, who is about to leave. Stay. She wishes to speak to you."

Daneel froze instantly, and the five ahead who had been walking forward looked at him with pity.

'What the f*ck? Why are you all looking at me as if I've been placed on the chopping block?'

Although he got this thought, he didn't dare to refuse.

He turned around with a puzzled expression on his face, and as he saw the woman wave him over, he walked forward.

They had left behind the transparent ice ball in which Percy was suspended, and as Daneel reached it, the woman disappeared.

Only the pitter-patter of the footsteps of those leaving echoed in the large open cave which was bare except for him and that ball, and as they all left, the system spoke in his mind again.

[Hero-level barrier has come into being around host.]

Daneel had detected it, too.

He didn't know what was coming, but as he had a moment, he decided to arm himself with at least a little bit of knowledge regarding just what that phenomena he had seen before was.

Before he asked, though, the system spoke up, which meant that it had finished its analysis.

[After deep analysis, one reference best matches what host has witnessed: Study of the Path of Life and Death. This is a taboo path where anyone who tries to study it walks a fine line between these two aspects of existence, and it was banned during the Empire due to the extremely high rate of death. The Emperor's strongest foe was skilled in a certain sub-path of this Path, and it was thought that his knowledge perished with him. The reference is that the Emperor once heard that the man trained by studying something similar, but in that case, it was a cycle of the life and death of animals.]

Life and Death?

Daneel felt only more confused than before, but all of the thoughts and questions that appeared to him instantly fled his mind as a voice suddenly reverberated in the cave, startling him and making his heart go still.

"So the King of Lanthanor is in possession of an Empire spirit. How interesting. Why have you graced my Sect today, King?"

Chapter 680: The Eternal Blossom Sect 3

"In possession of an Empire Spirit"?

After a moment of stillness, Daneel's heart started to beat rapidly in his chest while he frantically turned around, trying to identify the source of the voice.

How the heck had they managed to find out that he was from Lanthanor, and that he had Drakos with him?

This was one of the Big Four! The main card that was hidden up his sleeve was that the Big Four did not know about the link that could be formed between Empire Spirits and regular people, which was why they were ignoring the possibility that those who were capable of casting Hero level spells like Daneel were roaming around under their noses.

True, there were only been two individuals like that, such as him and the King of Axelor, and even in the latter case, it had been that the Empire Spirit had mostly been dominating the man.

And, of course, Arafell couldn't be counted.

Still, the status quo was clear – the Big Four wouldn't crack down on Kings and Queens of the Central Continent because they didn't know that this was even possible, and if they did, it would be a clear threat to their power that they would never be able to leave alone knowingly.

Yet… Someone of the Big Four had found out the truth?

No! It couldn't happen!

For the first time in a long time, Daneel felt intense panic covering his mind, and the only conclusion he could reach was that whoever this was, had to be killed, as this information could not leave this room.

Right away, he asked the system whether it could identify just who was speaking, but when it said that it couldn't, he didn't lose hope.

Whoever this was would appear in front of him sooner or later, and if they tried to leave, he could find out, as he detected that anti-teleportation formations and physical barriers had been erected to seal everything inside this cave such that no one could go in or come out.

With a more serious expression on his face than any that he had used to deal with almost everything that had popped up till now, Daneel prepared to go all out. His main secret had been exposed anyway, so he didn't really care if more was found out, as if this got out, he was pretty sure that everything that he had been taking for granted would be gone.

No more trust from the Head. No more freedom to do as he wished with his Hero level spells as Heroes of Angaria didn't know that there were others with the same abilities on the continent. No more non-interference by the Big Four in the Central Continent.

He could almost imagine it. They would definitely begin checking each and every King and Queen thoroughly, and even Arafell would be pulled into this.

Although they had been foes till now, Daneel knew about her value, and because she had lost, she would definitely be vulnerable right now as she wouldn't have broken the third seal. He didn't know what measures she had and how she had infiltrated the Big Four, but he didn't trust that she would be able to defend herself against them all.

Everything that he had worked for till now would be gone. And as for himself, he would mostly be imprisoned and then experimented on to find out how the link could be made, so that the Heroes of Lanthanor could extract as much information from the time of the Empire as possible.

When he thought about it, Daneel realized that they couldn't even be blamed. If he was in their position, and found out that these Empire Spirits who were formerly thought to be just crazy things that could not be reconciled with could form a bond and even share valuable information, then he might also do everything he could to use this to get more power that could be used against the Church, when it invaded.

"Oh, don't be so serious. I can tell that you've decided to kill me, but that is the most foolish thing you can try, right now. Tell me. What is it you wish to achieve? Like I said before, you have an Empire Spirit, and everything you've done till now was to increase the Satisfaction level and break all three seals. You've even succeeded in that, so I guess that you are now eyeing the Race. Assume that you get the Grand Inheritance, and assume that you even fulfill the conditions placed by the Emperor which might be enough to ensure that you don't cause another apocalypse like him. Then what? What do you want to do? Do you want to take control of the entire continent and hand it over to the Church, as even the Grand Inheritance would not help you with the realms above that of the Hero level, or do you want to just stroke your ego that is definitely fulfilled each time you see someone bowing to you?"

As Daneel heard all this, he couldn't help but stagger back a few steps.

They knew everything!

Daneel felt naked, and he didn't like it one bit. All this time, he had hidden all these secrets close to his heart, which had taken a toll on him. True, that had been abated with the setting up of the Nine Sovereigns and with him sharing everything, but that was different. Having it all discovered by someone from the Big Four felt so…wrong, and his heart just refused to calm down.

"Oh, and by the way, before you ask, I didn't use any complicated methods to find out your identity. You made a mistake. A silly one. You were in Lanthanor right before you arrived here, right? We are a sect who loves this continent which has given his life. We know exactly how the soil and the surroundings smell in each and every Kingdom and area, and you smelled strongly of that area where the gathering was taking place. From this conclusion, it was easy for me to deduce everything else knowing what you've done so far. So if you want to blame someone, then you can only blame yourself."

What – what?

Smell?

Daneel felt like laughing hysterically as he heard this.

Indeed, he had been thinking that whoever this was had means that were far beyond what he could imagine, and had used those to pierce the Hero level camouflage spell that he was currently using which had been cast by Drakos.

Yet… He had been given away by something as simple as this.

If they knew so much, then at this moment, Daneel really did feel that all hope is lost, but he was now not the same person as when he had first transmigrated here, with a weak will which might definitely have crumbled right now and waited for death.

No, he was the King of Lanthanor and the leader of the Alliance, and millions of people trusted in him and were waiting for him to lead them into a new dawn.

No matter what happened, he had to get through this.

Even if he had to break his honor, his pride, and even his power, he had the confidence to get back them all due to the one thing that he had that he was sure no one else could ever find out about. In fact, it was the last thing that was of that sort, now.

The system.

So, with this thought, Daneel finally began to calm down. This change was clearly visible on his face, where his eyes had been darting around with extreme panic until now.

As he calmed down, so did they, and he started to look squarely forward as his heartbeat also returned to normal.

Yes. No matter what would come, he would deal with it with this calm demeanor, and he would definitely walk away alive.

However, it looked like he was destined to not remain in that state.

"Enough, Erin. He is not someone who breaks easily, and as you must already have understood, you won't be successful today. Just show yourself."

The one who said these words… Was none other than the Ancient Dragon in his head, who had been silent until now.

His eyes widening, Daneel wondered what the f*ck was going on, which was when a woman appeared in front of him.

She was wearing that same mysterious cloak as that other woman who had guided them, with the face completely hidden. The only reason the Daneel was able to tell that both of these were woman was a small bulge in the chest region, and as the cloak was pulled back to reveal a face, Daneel's gaze fell upon someone with such striking features that he could tell that no one would be able to forget even if they saw her just once.

Unlike the transcending beauty of the Queen, this woman felt… down-to-earth, but she was anything but normal. She had a high nose and thick lips that glittered in the light that was coming out of nowhere in the cave, and there were smile lines around her mouth which indicated that she was someone who laughed a lot. This was most apparent from her eyes, which were a vivid green and which seemed to be laughing even as they moved. She also had a half-smile on her face, and it felt as if this was something that always graced her lips no matter what she was doing.

"System, can you detect who this is?", Daneel asked, as, for some reason, he hesitated before asking Drakos, who had not said anything till now but had startled him with those words.

As the Dragon hadn't offered an explanation yet, Daneel decided to patiently wait for it, but if this was someone that he knew, it was possible that Daneel had information on the person, too.

Unsurprisingly, it turned out that he was right.

[Scanning. One entry found. Empire Spirit – Erin. Formerly the Master of Torture, Spies, Infiltration and the Kingdom-toppling Division in the Empire of Angaria. Excels in breaking the minds of those whom she needs to pull information from, or those who need to be turned into an ally. Also excels in planning the downfall of enemy forces. Was placed in an area that was supposed to have been overrun by time and later discovered by the Big Four. Thought to be in captivity by the Big Four. She was one of the most vehement supporters for the usage of the Grand Inheritance to save Angaria.]

An Empire Spirit?!

In the big four!

As everything the Daneel knew so far was turned on its head, Drakos spoke.

"Young King, this… Is an old friend."

How? And why did the words 'old friend' sound weird when they came from Drakos? Did they have some sort of history?

Because Daneel's mind was distressed, such random thoughts appeared, but he snuffed them out and asked, "But… How?"

"I do not know. Let us find out."

Saying so, Drakos cast a spell to make an individual appear in front of Daneel.

At first, it was the head of a Dragon that came into being, but after looking for a bit, Daneel realized that it was just the breastplate of a magnificent set of armor that was red in color, and was in the style of a Dragon. There were scales glittering everywhere, and it looked so heavy that normal people would definitely not be able to wear it and still be agile.

This was also the most magnificent armor that Daneel had ever seen, but he waited for the face of the man to form, as he had already guessed who this was.

Auburn hair that glowed like fire. High cheekbones and a sharp jaw that when set with determination, could burn through everything in its way.

And finally, striking red eyes like molten lava that were so pure that they shone like red diamonds.

This…was Drakos, the dragon, turned into a man.

And the moment he came into being, Erin ran toward him and hugged him tightly, while Daneel could only watch on dumbly, as his mind had already gone numb due to everything he had seen and found out so far.

In front of those, the shock that this Empire Spirit happened to know Drakos, quite well, seemed like a small one that he could take.

Drakos, though, pushed her away and held her by her shoulders before saying, "Erin, how are you…"

As if she had understood what he was going to ask, she casually lay a finger on his lips to interrupt him, before saying something that came as one more shock to Daneel, which made him remark that if anyone with a weaker heart was present in his place, they would definitely have fainted by now.

"Don't you remember that I used to say that the greed of others is my strongest weapon? This sect found me, and instead of locking me away like the others, they wanted to investigate and see if they could find something useful. You know me. A single chance is enough for me to worm myself into the highest of positions no matter what organization it is. These fools were foolish enough to bare their hearts, so I…well, it's a long story, but the gist is that I'm now their leader. They don't know it, of course, because I take forceful possession of each and every leader of theirs…its really funny, I tell you, when each sect member works hard to reach the top for their entire life to take the place of the sect leader, and then realizes that it basically means being forcefully enslaved by me for the rest of it..."

As the woman started to laugh loudly, a chill unlike any he had felt in his life so far crept up Daneel's spine.

Chapter 681: Erin's Tale

Although Daneel's heart was one that has been tempered over a long time under conditions of very high pressure, this was still a bit too much for him to take in.

He had to make a visible effort to stop himself from raising his hands and holding his head which was buzzing with too many questions at once.

And, of course, one question stood out among them all, and the amount of curiosity he felt regarding its answer seemed to be burning him up.

How the hell had an Empire Spirit managed to gain control of one of the sects of the Big Four?

True, she had given a few details, but she had left too much out which was pretty infuriating as it was even worse than knowing nothing. What did she even mean by saying that she could forcefully enslave the leaders of the sect, who were pretty damn powerful individuals, while being just an Empire Spirit who was bound by all the limitations that had been placed by the Emperor?

No matter how much he thought about it, Daneel couldn't figure out how she could have managed to break any of her seals. The Emperor had made sure that all the criteria he placed that had to be fulfilled for them to be broken needed the one who was the leader of the place that the Empire Spirit had been placed in to be in command of quite a large number of common citizens. Leave alone the last part, from what he understood so far, this was an Empire Spirit whose original location had most probably been a kingdom or force that had perished in the tides of time, like in the case of Senior Fists of Justice, which meant that she shouldn't have any method to even try and break the damn seals.

Even if the Emperor had taken countermeasures against this and put it so that the Empire Spirit could unlock its seals for any leader of any settlement within a set area around it, this was the Big Four, where Hero level individuals roamed around freely. From what he had seen so far, leaders of the sects of the Big Four were hardly the most powerful individuals in the sect, hence, even the slightest indication that the leader was obtaining spells that he or she shouldn't know about would set off a lot of alarms that would bring down the entire High Council upon them.

With so much risk, how had she managed to accomplish anything? Daneel had been lucky enough to be in a backward place that was hardly noticed by most Heroes, and it had allowed him the privacy he needed to slowly go about breaking the seals. Even when he obtained and displayed stuff that he shouldn't have, he had been able to hide it as he wasn't gathering too much attention at the time, anyway. It should surely be different for the leader of the sect who should constantly be in contact with others at the same and even higher level, right?

Realizing that he was raving, Daneel first made an effort to calm himself down and stop this line of thought.

He had been repeating basically the same thing over and over again, as his mind that had already been quite damaged from the panic and the shock before had basically begun to spiral into confusion.

As he took a few deep breaths and finally managed to take control of it, he pondered on the questions he had raised, and wondered if it was possible.

And when he did so… he realized that it could be done if the person in question was careful enough.

Or… If the Empire Spirit in question, was careful enough.

With this, Daneel raised his head to see Erin playfully put her hands around Drakos's neck, as if they were longtime lovers who were meeting after a long break.

Until now, Drakos had been holding her back by her shoulders, but as she did this, he actually… removed those hands, and put them around her waist, as if this was something that was so natural that he had done it automatically, without thinking.

Was this really the Ancient Dragon that had been present in his head all these days?

Yet, this was only for a moment. His hands dropped to his sides, and he also removed Erin's hands around his neck and stepped back.

After that, he walked to stand beside Daneel and said, "I don't know if I can trust you yet, Erin, and I don't even know how you managed to stay sane. Until I get all the answers, I'm afraid that I simply can't believe that you are still the same person who was with me for 143 years."

This made Daneel glance to the side with raised eyebrows at the Dragon.

They had been together… For more than a century?

Was this really the 'innocent' Dragon he had known until now? From the way the woman was looking at Drakos, he could tell that this wasn't kiddy love, or affection. No, they had definitely been in a very serious relationship, and as this occurred to Denny, he finally understood something.

He had been thinking of innocence in terms of his home planet, Earth, where matters such of these were scorned as dirty and sacrilegious by many communities and religions. However, there were also many who said that this was just a simple, basic act of life, and that it should not be besmirched so.

In his case, innocence clearly meant him not being exposed to the truly dirty side of life, and human nature. Well, living being – nature, at least.

However, if he had dated someone who was a Master of torture, spies, and infiltration, had he really not been exposed to all that stuff which was basically what the Emperor had been trying to keep him away from in the first place?

It looked like that really was the case, as Erin walked over to Drakos's side once again and put her hands back in the same place while ignoring Daneel, as if he didn't exist.

Looking into his eyes, she said, "That's all right, it makes sense. Even I would do the same thing. This is just a physical apparition, so you must know that even if am not who I say I am, I cannot do you harm, unless I target your friend here, who is completely exposed anyway. With that being the case, can't you…not be so cold? You don't know how much I missed you, my burning Dragon. Over all these years, it was on you that my thoughts lingered the most. So give me this, okay?"

A difficult expression appeared on the Ancient Dragon's face, before he glanced at Daniel.

Was he asking for permission or something? In a hurry to just get the answers he wanted, and not intending to come in between these lovers anyway, Daniel shrugged and nodded, while Erin watched everything with an expression of displeasure that soon melted back into the happy one from before when Drakos caught her hand.

After this, she hugged him again, and this time, he didn't push back.

It stretched on for quite a long time, until Daneel wondered whether he should say something, which was when she finally stepped back and said, "Let's sit first."

The moment she said this, she turned away, almost as if she was hiding tears that had appeared in her eyes, which she didn't want the others to see.

Flicking her fingers, she made two chairs and a table with steaming tea on top appear.

Daneel sat on the one that looked normal, as the other was clearly some sort of loveseat on which two people could fit.

Damn, this woman even had something like this lying around to conjure right away when she wanted it?

After both of them sat together with Erin still holding his hand while looking into his eyes, she finally began her story.

"I don't need to tell you about the first part. We were all placed inside those podiums and placed in random places that the Emperor judged would be where kingdoms or forces would arise. If that didn't happen, we were even given the power to make sure that we would be in the capital of whatever kingdom arose around us, using the temptations of men. I succeeded for a time, but there were many leaders who just weren't good enough. You know how much I believed in the Emperor, and his plan for the Grand Inheritance. I tried a lot, Drakos. Believe me, I kept trying, but I didn't find anyone who could fit the role. And at some point… I lost hope. Maybe it was because the leader of the Kingdom I was in was plotted against by his sons because he was too greedy, which led to the downfall of his kingdom, and to my capture by the big four. By hearing bits and pieces from those around me, I realized that we had all started to be collected in this manner, and I thought that I would be doomed to a life of isolation which would eventually end with me going completely mad, just like the others. I even judged that Angaria was doomed, or at least, that there was nothing for me to do except trust the other spirits and hope that at least one would succeed. However…that just wasn't me. I wasn't ready to give up my goals and place hope on others. I waited for a chance. And I found it… in the form of Cara."

As the Empire Spirit paused and took in a breath, Daneel did so, too, as he had been holding his the whole time he was listening. This was fascinating, and that was why he almost missed Drakos's expression of sadness when he had heard her speak about losing hope. When he did catch it, though, it made Daneel wonder whether this dragon had gone through the same thing, too.

"At this point, I guess I need to give you a small gist regarding this sect that I was placed in for safekeeping. You must surely have guessed that this is based on the Life and Death Path of the greatest enemy of the Emperor, and even though we thought him to be vanquished, the truth was that he placed a secret inheritance site which was later found by the survivors of the apocalypse. You and I witnessed his power firsthand. Those who found the Inheritance had no trouble in setting up a powerful sect that rose to the Big Four. Unlike other sects, recruitment in this one happens by randomly bringing people who have gone through certain things in their lives. The secret Inheritance of that man who almost managed to kill the Emperor dictated that his art should only be taught and passed down to those who meet different conditions, and the first individual who founded the sect laid down the law that only those who met these conditions could enter the sect. One of those conditions…is that those who have given up on life can enter. Cara was one who entered on that condition.

"You know me, Drakos: I was always a strong supporter of the ideal that the goal is important, not the path. That's why I supported the plan of the Emperor to use the Grand Inheritance to stop the Church, because I valued the lives of the millions of this continent, just like him. I felt that it was better to take the shot instead of letting them all die. Look what happened! The Apocalypse came to be, but Angaria, and Angarians, survived! If the Emperor hadn't done that…that name, itself, would have vanished, which is the worst thing that we can allow to happen, especially when we were born due to this land. I never knew who my parents were, but like many, I took this land as my mother and father."

So this was the kind of person this Empire Spirit was.

That was certainly interesting, but she continued, not allowing Daneel any time to think.

"Cara had been talented quite talented in these arts because of the incredibly harsh life she had led, and she only continued to train and grow stronger because she believed that she would find meaning for her life if she did so. In that process, she found…me. One day, she felt lonely, and she entered the room where I was, in my podium, thinking that it was empty, and told her life's story. She had no purpose in life, and she had been contemplating whether to just end it all, which happens a lot in this sect, believe it or not. That was my chance…and I took it. It could have ruined everything, as the Big Four were not supposed to find out about our ability to make a link, so that they would leave the Central Continent alone according to the designs of the Emperor. I was prepared to sacrifice myself to erase her memory if things went wrong. But…they didn't. She understood me, and she found her purpose: to ensure that there would at least be some strong force which would be dedicated to saving Angaria from future threats. And in turn, I found something to cling to to remain sane. By then, I had found out that the Heroes were getting too comfortable with their long life, which meant that they would not stand if the time came to stand against those who would seek to vanquish us. I knew that the Emperor masked us from the Mainland, but I also knew that it would only be a matter of time until someone else found us. So, I took this as my duty, as I was sure that I couldn't fulfill the original one given by the Emperor."

A smile finally lit up the Empire Spirit's morose face as she said this, although the last few sentences were said with urgency, as if that was the emotion that had engulfed her at that time.

Here, Daneel saw the clear differences between her and Arafell. Arafell had the same goal, but she wanted to rule the continent and even take the Grand Inheritance. She believed that she didn't need to be held back by the Emperor's thought that those of the present age should be the ones to hold the mantle, and not those from the Empire. Clearly, Erin agreed with this, so she had only wanted to do what she could do without going for all-out World Domination.

"Together, we hatched a plan. She was the same as me: for the greater good, she was prepared to do anything. Oh, I even tried then to see if she could break the seals, but she just wasn't that type. Hence, I stuck to this path. We needed to ensure that at least of the Big Four would remain pure, or at least, as pure as possible, with the single intention of protecting Angaria, instead of just focusing on power and long life. She became the Sect Leader, and with my help, she achieved far more on the Path than any one else. She took the Sect to new heights, and in her honor, she and I made sure that a law was laid down that every consequent sect leader should touch a certain Artifact that she had made which would allow them to look through her life, and learn how to be a great leader. Of course, that Artifact was something we made with great difficulty that attacks one's mind, and makes them vulnerable to my consciousness taking them over."

With this, Erin finally took her eyes off of Drakos, and fixed them on Daneel. The weight of her gaze bore down on him, but he didn't flinch.

"Did I trick her? Yes, of course. I had to only tell her a few things while hiding much, because the seals forbade me from revealing almost any information. I also had to convince her to plot against all those who came after her, and that was hard. I used her poor heart and fragile mind to my purpose, but I regret nothing, because it was necessary. The consciousness of the one that I am in control of right now screams with a longing to be free every day, just like all the others that I forcefully enslaved over all these years. But I ignore them. Well, if some were good, I allow them some things, but others whom I can't trust eventually go mad after screaming themselves hoarse. You can judge me if you wish, but I know that you are not one foreign to the way my mind works, King."

Daneel gave nothing away regarding what he was thinking. Clearly, she wanted to understand more about him in the same way that he had understood a lot about her, but he didn't want to give her that chance. He just stared back defiantly, and their gazes clashed for a few seconds, before she finally humphed and continued.

"That is my tale. Now, it is high time we return to my first question, King. Although I am grateful that you allowed me this reunion, why are you here?"

Chapter 682: Consciousness Link

As Daneel saw the Empire Spirit repeat the question, he simply pointed a finger, along which both of them followed to see that was pointing at the giant, transparent ice ball in which a man was frozen.

Of course, Drakos had already known the answer, but Erin frowned and asked, "Him? What could you want with him? Isn't he just some sect disciple who had his eyes burned out? How do you even know him?"

Daneel took a moment to answer, as he felt that he should really have his guard up around this woman. She had managed to deduce so much from a simple thing, so he did not put it past her to read things between the lines of whatever he said. After all, he had no intention whatsoever of letting it slip that he had something else that he was hiding, so he carefully thought for a bit and said, "If my suspicions are correct, the Church might have already succeeded in infiltrating one of the Big Four. And as you can guess, they would definitely use that opportunity to try and break that sect from the inside. I want to use a Consciousness Link spell to find out what he knows. With Drakos's help, I sneaked into the Sect of Hedon before and made a bond with him, and I also cast a spell to keep a check so that he wouldn't betray me at the time. Now, the only reason he did this to himself is to notify me as the spell couldn't send information from inside the sect. There are other possibilities, too, so I just want to find the answer by asking him directly."

Daneel had tried to compress everything as much as possible, and he expected the woman to ask questions.

However, after deeply pondering for a bit, she just waved her hand.

"Go on. I need to… er, speak with Drakos, anyway. I don't like unfounded conclusions, so be sure before saying something so grave."

Daneel didn't know what word she had been about to use in the place of 'speak', and he didn't want to guess.

Although there were still a few questions regarding the Empire Spirit that he had, his curiosity had been sated, so he moved to his original objective behind coming here.

He also told himself that this time, he had gotten off lucky. He had been thinking that with all the spells behind the third seal, he was pretty much invincible, but that was clearly not the case. If this was anyone else from the Big Four, and if they had managed to know all of these things, he would definitely have been doomed. He had to be more careful from now on, and he vowed that he would definitely take much more caution, at least before he was powerful enough.

With a nod, he started walking towards the ice ball, after which he used a simple spell to heat his finger before allowing it to bore through the ice that had been enchanted.

The moment his finger came in contact with the skin of Percy's hand, Daneel asked the system to activate the spell, and the next moment, darkness overtook his vision as he passed out.

…

When Daneel opened his eyes, there was only a blank space all around him, and although he could feel his body, he couldn't see it.

This was a pretty terrifying thing, but he remained calm and observed his surroundings.

After looking around for a bit and finding nothing, he was just about to ask the system where he was, before a small light bloomed into existence right in front of him.

Along with it, multiple lights also started to come into being, but Daneel was focusing on this first one.

He expressed his intention to view it more clearly, as he could see tiny figures moving inside that light. Whatever this world was, it seemed to obey his will, as he moved closer to the light and was able to peek in.

This startled him a bit, but he took it in stride.

It was like he was watching a movie, and it displayed the scene of a wooden house in which a woman lay in a bed, looking deathly pale.

He was seeing things from a first person view, so he could see a hand holding that woman's arm on which the skin clung to the bones. Tears dripped onto the mattress that was draped on her, and as Daneel pricked his ears, he heard a young voice that sounded familiar.

"No, mom, you can't leave me alone. You can't leave me with him. Please, mom. Take me with you. Don't leave me. Please stay."

Again and again, he kept saying things like these, but the woman's eyes were closed. She did not seem to be responding to his words, and Daneel felt pity for this kid who, judging from the size of his hand, was only around 7 to 8 years old.

Suddenly, with a loud sound, the door opened to allow in the Mad Doctor, who looked at the scene of the kid holding his mother and tightened his lips.

He walked forward and felt the pulse on her other hand, all while Percy watched on with trepidation, as if he was afraid of what he would say.

After taking the pulse and casting a few spells that looked like they were supposed to check her condition further, the Mad Doctor shrugged and said, "She's too far gone. Giving birth to you had already taken a toll on her, and she had always been weak all her life. She had only her beauty going for her, and even that has withered away. She's useless. Well, better to just end her suffering."

It looked like his worst fears had come true, as Percy immediately sprang to his feet and found the courage out of nowhere to say, "No! You can save her! I heard the others saying that you have the skills and the materials to prolong any normal human's life! Please use them! I'll do anything you want!"

At first, anger appeared on the Mad Doctor's face, but he controlled it as it looked like he had just gotten an idea.

"You're too soft. Yes, I can do it, but I see no value in it. Instead, this might help in making you grow. Watch."

The next second, in a blur, the Mad Doctor's hand moved like a knife toward the woman's neck, and as a loud scream that almost shattered Daneel's ears appeared, that light broke into a million pieces.

"System, what was that?", he asked, wincing, and the system replied, [This is the consciousness of the target which is in a dreaming state. Currently, it is reliving the worst moments of its life, and this usually happens when one is in an artificially induced coma. All of the small lights that host sees, which is an artificial representation created by host's consciousness with the help of the link, are extremely traumatic situations that the target has been through.]

Although Daneel heard the answer, he just couldn't believe it, but after a moment, a memory surfaced in his mind.

Percy, on the ground, with his head between his legs, swinging forward and back while chanting a list of names to himself.

There had been 44 names on that list, and there were 44 lights here.

Clearly, these were all the people who had made it onto that list.

With horror appearing in his mind, Daneel took perfunctory glances at each of them, and realized that each was similar to the one he had originally seen. They were all about people who had been connected to Percy in some way, who were killed by the Mad Doctor due to various reasons. Sometimes, there weren't even reasons – he just did it for the kick of it.

Daneel had known that Percy had been through a lot, but seeing it for himself made it affect him in ways that it hadn't done before.

How did someone who had been through so, so much… Become the Percy that any new? That obnoxious, irritating kid who had begged him to take him on as a disciple?

Only one thing could explain it- a burning desire for revenge, that had somehow not consumed Percy and turned him into a single-minded individual who would keep pushing forward while not allowing it to burn them up.

And this meant that Percy had a certain kind of strength that was only found in a few – the strength to be able to persevere, and not bow down to life. Instead, he spit on its face every day, and tried his best to get what he wished, while not losing his identity in the process.

Daneel had a newfound admiration for his disciple now, but for the moment, he placed that to the side and asked the system, "How do I talk to him?"

[Host must choose a memory and enter it at will. Host will be at the mercy of the target, so it is advised that host should think of something that will prove host's identity, as the records of the Empire state that those whose dreams are intruded on in this way automatically associate it as a hostile attempt, and react aggressively.]

Oh?

Thinking for a bit and getting an idea, Daneel looked around and chose the memory in which Percy looked like he was the oldest.

The moment he did so, he blinked, and found himself in that same wooden house as the first memory he had seen.

He had appeared physically, so instead of seeing it from Percy's view, he now had a third-person viewpoint of the scene.

A man and woman were standing beside each other, and the man was pointing at an old, rusted steel bed while saying, "That was where…"

Interrupted rudely, Percy turned around as he felt something different about this memory, and this dream, or nightmare, as he called it, for the umpteenth time.

His dreams had always revolved around reliving his worst moments, and often, even though he felt that he had the power to control himself and change things, he knew that it was all for naught. What was done was done, so he allowed himself to be swept into each one while they reinforced his desire to kill his father, all while both giving him happiness due to seeing what he had had, and sadness because the memories would always end with that happiness being utterly destroyed.

The girl beside him vanished into a puff of smoke as he turned around, and by instinct, he prepared to attack. Something just felt…wrong about this, so his first thought was that this might be Church using some method to kill him while he was suspended.

Yet, the dignified face of the man in front of him made him stop.

"M-master!"

Of course, it was the one for whom he had done all this, in the first place.

"Of course it's me. Put away that attack, and tell me everything that happened."

Daneel knew how much his 'master' avatar meant for Percy, so he had gambled on its power to stop the man from attacking. Still, the fireball he had conjured in response felt so powerful, as if it was a supernova and not a simple spell, which was probably because of the fact that this world was controlled by him.

Percy prepared to do so, but he paused and said, "If you are an enemy, you could have checked my memories and taken this form. How can I trust you?"

Well, at least, the kid was smart.

Daneel had expected this, so he said, "Caution is good. There is no way to answer, though, because if I am an enemy and if I did go through your memories to find this form, I will also know all the interactions you had, which means there is nothing I can say to prove my identity. Let's leave all that. Just tell me everything that happened, and I'll be on my way. Obviously, if I was the enemy, I would already know everything, so you lose nothing by telling me."

Percy listened to the man speaking, and after thinking for a bit, he realized that it made sense. If it was the Church, they would already know the answer, anyway, so there was now a high probability that this was his master.

However, Percy decided to play it safe, as the Church were just too mysterious and powerful an enemy.

He recited everything that happened, including the exact dialogues spoken by the man from the Church, but he didn't say anything regarding his thoughts, or why he had blinded himself.

It looked as if it wasn't necessary, though, as his master's face took on a grave expression as he heard the answer.

After Percy was done, he said, "All right. I've found everything I wanted to. You'll be healed now, and after that, I'll come meet you. You did good, boy. There will be a huge surprise waiting for you when you open your eyes, so persevere, and make sure you recover. Got it?"

Tears shone in Percy's eyes as he heard this. He so, so wished that this was his master.

That had been the only man to give a sh*t about his bastard self in a long time.

As he saw him disappear, he went back to the memory, but he did remember the part about the surprise.

Well, he was definitely going to ask his master for it after he woke up. And if that had been the enemy…well, then there would be no waking up, so it was useless to think of that option.

…

Meanwhile, Daneel had just opened his eyes in the large cave, only to turn around and find that a large…room, had popped into existence at some point behind him.

It had opaque glass walls, and using his elementary vision, Daneel saw that it was made of Hero-level formations.

The two Empire Spirits were nowhere to be seen, and just as Daneel was about to contact Drakos in his mind, a loud sound stopped him.

BANG!

It was from inside that room.

Huh? Were they fighting or something? Were there unresolved issues, or…?

Before he could continue his line of thought, the barriers faded away to reveal the two Spirits in the same position as before, sitting on the sofa, but their faces were flushed.

Seeing Daneel staring at them with a surprised expression on his face, Erin got a playful look in her eyes and said something which made him almost cough out blood.

"Oh, you're back. You see, when two adults meet after a long time, they engage in some very enlightening…'conversations'. You'll understand when you grow up. Right, then, what did your friend say?"

Chapter 683: Damned if you do, Damned if you don'

After Erin said these words, a silence descended over the cave during which she unflinchingly stared into Daneel's eyes, while he could only keep looking, taken aback.

She had spoken almost as if she was talking to some toddler, and beside her, Daneel even spotted Drakos blushing and turning to the side.

"I apologize on her behalf, Young King. She has always been pretty outspoken, and she is famous for saying whatever comes to her mind."

Daneel could definitely see how she had gotten this reputation, so he simply chose to not respond to this, as he wasn't confident enough that he could say something that didn't reveal something about him which would also count as a great comeback. He might have shot back right away if this wasn't the Empire Spirit that had given him such a big scare just now, but in this case, he chose to take the gentleman's route.

Clearing his throat, he said, "The Church really has infiltrated the Sect of Hedon. They want to wake the Mad Doctor up and set him on me. That seems to be the only plausible explanation behind the words of the infiltrator."

Hearing this, Erin got a very serious expression on her face, and even Drakos adopted a grave one while he looked at him.

"Tell me everything that happened," Erin said, following which Daneel began to repeat the same things he had heard from Percy.

After he was done, Erin sank into deep thought, and Drakos looked very troubled.

Daneel waited to see what she would say, as she was one of the most unique existences that he had ever met. She had been the sect leader of one of the Big Four for a long, long time, and along with that, she was also an Empire spirit who had once been among the top in the Empire. All of these experiences must definitely have made her someone who had a very acute understanding of the continent and the threat of the Church, which was exactly what Daneel needed right now.

For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why the Church was doing this. By all accounts, they should mostly be infuriated with the Head for defeating them like that, and although Daneel had considered whether this was because the Head was clearly showing favor for him, the Church did not seem like those typical antagonists who would go after small fries like him with the hope that it would affect their main enemy.

He had also considered whether this was revenge for what had happened in Lanthanor before, but if they had that intention, he could guess that they would have moved much sooner. This was a golden opportunity for them as they had managed to infiltrate the sect, so it didn't make sense why they were taking so much risk to do this and target him when they could be doing a lot more to destabilize the continent.

Finally, Erin spoke up after a few seconds.

"King… I have bad news and even worse news. Which do you wish to listen to, first? Of course, this my analysis, and you can choose to listen to it or not."

As Daneel heard this, he was reminded of her statement before where she had said that he was free to judge her if he wanted. All of this made it clear that she was, for some reason, hostile towards him, and he wanted to know why that was the case.

"Did I offend you in some way? Putting aside the fact that we cannot fully trust you yet even though you laid out your story, I respect your opinion as an Empire Spirit and the trusted advisor of the Emperor who has a host of experience. Besides, you've also been the sect leader, so I expect that you will also be able to speak from the perspective of one who knows almost everything regarding what is going on in Angaria. The reason behind me not trusting you is not because I suspect that something might be wrong with your identity, but because with Empire Spirits, my experience has mostly been that they are dangerous beings who warrant a lot of caution. No offense. Of course, it is different with Drakos, but you already know why that is."

Hearing this, Erin raised an eyebrow and asked a question that made Daneel widen his eyes with shock.

"Are you referring to Arafell, by any chance?"

What the hell? So she knew about Arafell?

He had to take a moment to come to terms with this.

Why the f*ck was it that almost every time she opened her mouth, there was always something or the other that made him feel this damn emotion which kept surprising him even though he thought that he had become numb to it?

As he thought about it, he realized that it changed… A lot.

Daneel blurted out the first question he got.

"Wait… Are you the one who is giving Arafell inside information regarding the Big Four?"

Daneel remembered that Arafell had said that she knew almost everything regarding the Big Four, and it had sounded like she had a pretty strong lead on the inside. As he thought about it, it became obvious that the strongest lead would definitely be one who was at the level of the sect leader.

Shrugging, Erin said, "Of course! We've been working together for a long, long time. We didn't get along that well during the Empire, but in this age, we have mutual goals – both of as want to save Angaria. I want to do that by making a sect that will fight when the time comes, while she wants to take control of the continent. I promised her that I wouldn't stop her, but that I wouldn't help her actively, either. So, she asked me whether I could give her inside information, and I found nothing wrong in that. Our relationship has become much better because we've been talking for so many years, but even if that wasn't the case, I would have talked to you in the same way as I really detest those who use other's feelings against them. True, I do that myself, and a lot, too, but I try not to especially when one's feelings are as deep and sincere as Arafell's. Her love was known throughout the Empire as the purest to have ever existed, and you've now besmirched that. She hasn't even responded to me since then! I tried to reach out to her to support her, but all I got was silence. She is probably lying somewhere, completely broken, all because if you! True, she might have been your opponent, but you should really have acted with the knowledge that we will need her if we want to face the Church and win in the future! You-"

"Erin. Calm down."

With each sentence, the Empire Spirit's tone had started to become more and more heated, and toward the end, she had already gotten up and was pointing a finger at Daneel while taking steps toward him, almost as if she wanted to attack him out of anger.

It was Drakos's calm tone which interrupted her and made her take a few deep breaths, all while Daneel looked straight into her eyes.

Oh. So that was the reason.

Initially, he had felt that it was a little hypocritical, as he could guess that her role obviously entailed doing similar things day in and day out. However, as she continued, he saw the reason behind her being so enraged, and behind that, he gleaned that there was quite a bit of anxiousness that had probably been eating her up because she hadn't been able to reach Arafell.

In fact, he could guess that even she found it hypocritical as she did not seem like someone was unintelligent, and that she was mainly angry because she was worried.

Daneel had been keeping quiet and controlling himself so that he wouldn't expose anything about himself, but now, the Empire Spirit had gone ahead and done exactly what he had been trying not to do.

First of all, she was clearly an emotional person who wasn't afraid of speaking out and following her feelings, instead of being cold and calculating all the time. Of course, this had been hinted at from the way she had been with Drakos, too, but this confirmed it.

Secondly, she was someone who valued bonds, because in her own words, she hadn't liked Arafell initially, but talking for such a long time must have created one that was the reason behind her angry outburst right now. This wasn't just the worry that one of the assets that would be most effective against the Church might have been injured permanently – no, it was the worry felt for a friend who must be grieving, alone.

Also, this perfectly fit into Arafell's every statement when she had talked about taking over Angaria. In any war, information was key, and if she really did go up against the Big Four, she would be fighting from a very advantages position as she would have someone on the inside at a very high level to give her all the information she needed. Along with spells from the third seal and proper preparation, Daneel could see how Arafell would almost find it easy to take over the continent, especially if she also won the Race and used the Grand Inheritance to rebuild her body. She would be more powerful than any Hero on Angaria anyway, and with all the information at her disposal, it would be a piece of cake.

After taking a few more deep breaths, Erin sat beside Drakos again, who caught her hand and said, "The king had no choice. She was using underhanded methods, too, and he couldn't let her win, especially because he knows everything about the Grand Inheritance. It was too risky to allow her to break the third seal, especially when she did not seem like someone who would listen to others. Besides…"

As Drakos was about to continue, Daneel raised a hand to stop him.

He knew what the Dragon was about to say, but he wanted the revelation to have more effect on the Empire Spirit.

He had to say that although he had been quite cautious about her until now, that outburst of hers had actually made him understand enough about her to feel that it would be excellent if he could get her on his side.

Well, he had one Empire Spirit under him, who had already become indispensable in each and every one of his pursuits, and who had also turned out to have an excellent perspective that helped him in almost every situation. Why not add another who wasn't bound by the shackles of innocence?

This was great to think about, but Daneel knew that it would not be an easy task, especially after seeing the personality of this Empire Spirit which did not seem like that of one who would be ready to follow just anyone.

Still, he had to try.

"How do you speak to Arafell, by the way?", He asked, following which she frowned and answered, "There's a special spell that allows her to materialize here."

"Alright. Try messaging her again, but this time, tell her that if she doesn't come, then I'll tell you about what happened the last time I met her. Just try it."

As Erin heard this, she didn't seem convinced, but Drakos nodded encouragingly beside her.

This pushed her to take out a trinket that was shaped like a golden flower, and not even two seconds after she sent the message, a voice was instantly heard in the cave they were in.

"King Daneel, if you even think about doing what you just threatened me with, I swear that we will become irreconcilable enemies!"

With this thunderous statement, the woman who had already entered the hearts of many, many Angarians appeared in the room.

This was another physical apparition that looked just like her, and she was fuming while looking at Daneel.

Raising his hands as if to show that he was surrendering, Daneel said, "I'm sorry! Erin, here, was accusing me of 'breaking' you, so I needed to show what that you were at least… Not broken. Which reminds me, can I get the answer regarding what exactly happened that day?"

Daneel had to admit that he was still really, really curious regarding why Arafell had thanked him and cried on his shoulders for such a long time, but it looked like he was destined never to find the answer.

With a smile appearing on the corner of her mouth that looked exquisite, Arafell said, "Dream on. You'll NEVER find out. But if you even refer to it one more time…"

The warning didn't even need to be given. Daneel was still a bit guilty regarding what had happened, so he only got an expression of extreme frustration on his face, which delighted Arafell, before he shook his head and looked to the side while grumbling something under his breath.

Smiling wide as she saw this, Arafell walked over to Erin and said, "I'm sorry I didn't respond for so long. Is there anything wrong? I'll explain about everything later, when this cave is not so crowded."

Right as Arafell said these words, another realization appeared to Daneel which made him stand up and point at Erin before exclaiming, "Wait, if you knew Arafell, you must already have known about me and Drakos!"

Erin had gotten a very relieved expression on her face after seeing that Arafell was fine. So, when she saw the King say this, she actually burst out laughing.

After her laughter echoed in the cave for two seconds, she controlled it momentarily and said, "Yup! In your shock, I knew that you would forget that Hero-level camouflage spells erase all signs, including smell. I got you! I just wanted to see how the famous King who had managed to sway my beloved burning Dragon and even break all three seals would fare in front of pressure and panic, and I must say that I was pleased. Anyway, I'll make the choice for you. The bad news is that the Church now thinks of you as a threat, and they want to test your power. The even worse news is that…no matter what you do, you're screwed! Your only options are to either die in the hands of an Exalted Champion, as that is the only outcome which will not cause suspicion to arise in the Church, or show your strength and survive, in which case they'll treat you as a real threat and try even harder to kill you! You're damned if you do, and damned if you don't! Oh, and before you die, please do me a favor and give me my Dragon's consciousness…we have a lot more 'conversations' to share!"

Chapter 684: A Barking Dog

Although Daneel had seen value in Erin, there were still a lot of things that he disliked about her.

For instance, he didn't like the tone with which she spoke one bit, and he didn't like that she had been so devious as to use something that she had already known to make him think that he had made a blunder.

Yet, he placed all these things aside as there was something else he didn't like at all, on top of them – the news that he had just found out about.

The damn Church… Was treating him as a threat?

That was the worst possible news that Daneel could have heard right now, and this was clearly reflected on his face which took on a much graver expression than any that had appeared in recent times.

The Church was still too powerful an enemy for him to handle at the moment, and he had been hoping that he would have time to at least go quite far in the Champion realm before he might have to face up them.

This was also the reason why he hadn't gone to the location given by his Master, before the man had left with the Church-he had been told to go when he thought he was strong enough, and Daneel didn't think he was ready, no matter what awaited him there.

So, the news that he had brought upon himself the one thing that he had been hoping to avoid was pretty damn unsettling.

Looking back on his actions, Daneel didn't even know exactly what might have resulted in this happening, but he stopped that line of thought as he could tell that it would only cause time to be wasted.

There was no way to change the past, so he could only handle the present. And although that present was one where he was apparently "damned if he did and damned if he didn't", he had to find a way out.

After saying her piece, Erin happily chortled for a few more seconds before finally calming down and setting her eyes on Daneel.

He felt them, but he didn't respond in any manner. Instead, Daneel drew on the entirety of his mind to assess the situation and find the best ways forward for him.

First of all, it was futile to think that Erin might be cheating him, and that this might not be the truth. As Daneel ran through everything he had just found out, he realized that this explanation made sense.

He had already beaten an Amateur Champion, so they were now sending an Exalted one after him. Repeatedly, he had shown that he was one of the most talented individuals on the continent, so an enemy would definitely be interested in eradicating people like these so that they wouldn't rise to become another figure like the Emperor who had beaten back that threat from before that had probably been much stronger than the Church.

Hence, any force attacking Angaria after finding out the history would definitely be very cautious in this regard.

Still, there was definitely nothing that he could have done differently so far. His goals had needed him to take each one of those steps, and he would not regret any one of them.

The most worrying thing about the situation was that as it would be the Mad Doctor that was after him, and because there was the High Council which was also quite hostile towards him, there was quite a high possibility that he would not be receiving help from the Head, or individuals like the Matron. That would be one of the first things that would be thought about by the Church before they decided to use the Mad Doctor, so it was pretty safe to assume that his 'allies' would either be preoccupied, or prevented from coming forth and saving Daneel.

So, all that remained was to list out everything he could do, and eliminate each option that he definitely could not choose.

While doing this, Daneel also realized that this plan of theirs was perfect as they had ensured that he would be removed as a threat no matter what result came to be. Just like Erin had said, the objective must be to close off all paths for him, and it looked like they had successfully done so.

Yet, as someone who had practically made his entire 'career' on Angaria on thinking out of the box, Daneel instantly got a few ideas.

First, he began to think in the simplest of terms, for the simplest of plans, before going deeper into methods that used scheming.

Of course, the first two options were either to break through and use everything at his disposal to defeat the Mad Doctor, or to lose and feign death or disability.

That last thing, of course, was inspired by Daneel's own actions during the whole episode with the Kingdom of the Elves.

First of all, Daneel dismissed the first option, as it would be impossible to do so without alerting others that he had something like the system on him. Both the Church and the Big Four would find out, and he would have practically everyone in the world after him.

The second one, though, had appeal. Although he had the World Domination System which advocated that he should be going on that path, Daneel found nothing wrong in temporarily taking a step back in order to hide his power and grow secretly. One option was definitely to feign his death, which would not be too difficult given all the resources that he had at hand, and place someone else in his place.

Pausing, Daneel considered this possibility seriously. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more he began to reject it.

First of all, it wasn't because Daneel had a selfish attachment towards his titles, or because his ego needed to be satisfied every day by people bowing to him.

No, the reason behind him not liking this at all, was… The Grand Inheritance.

Ever since Daneel had found out what it was after breaking the third seal, he had known about the Emperor's idea that it might all come down to someone being able to properly wield that ultimate power without bringing about the apocalypse like he had done.

The Emperor's plans had all been geared towards this direction, – the Grand Inheritance, and in turn, the Will of the World, could only be safely wielded by one who was supported by most of the individual wills of that world, and Daneel was not prepared to let go of that. No, more than that, he was not prepared to let others have their way and make him give up things.

He had to find better methods. And he would.

If he gave up the throne, then someone else would be king, and they would be the one on to whom the admiration and everything that he had earned so far would transfer onto. But Daneel was the one with the system, and although it was the Emperor's belief that anyone who was supported by a large part of the continent would be able to use the Grand Inheritance safely, Daneel wasn't prepared to give that responsibility to someone else. He trusted that if anything went wrong, he was the one best equipped to solve any kind of problems, using both the advanced tool on the continent, and his own skills had been honed over the years.

Hence, that brought him to the disability part, which Daneel added to the 'possible plans' list. The negatives of this option was that he would definitely lose whatever support he had in the Big Four, but still, his image in the Central Continent would be the same. That was what mattered in the grand scheme of things, so Daneel moved forward to other plans.

His next set of plans completely revolved around dealing with his for beforehand by striking first. Why not just go kill the Mad Doctor while he was in the process of being revived by the Church?

Daneel liked this idea, as it was the most effective method to get rid of an enemy – to strike when they were weak, and to kill them before they could come and kill you.

Yet, the problem here was that the whole purpose behind the Church doing this was that they wanted to test him. If the Mad Doctor got killed, wouldn't they just look for another option to accomplish the same thing? This time, Daneel had been lucky enough to have Percy on the scene who had made that sacrifice to allow Daneel to know of the threat.

Next time, what if they were completely covert and began their 'test' when he was not prepared? Going into any battle with preparation and planning was the best method, and Daneel was not prepared to give this up.

It was better to deal with the stronger foe who was visible, than a weaker one who was completely invisible.

Daneel flipped through other options, too, but eventually, he realized that these were the only ones he had to pay attention to.

That was when he sat down and pondered on each deeply, which was when an idea suddenly appeared to him.

There was one option that Erin hadn't thought of, and it hadn't occurred to him, too, right away.

And that was… To give the Church something bigger to think about.

After all, if their entire outpost that was present in Angaria was about to be wi[ed out, would they care about testing him more, or about defending themselves against the High Council?

A small smile appeared on Daneel's face the moment this occurred to him, even though he did not know whether it would work yet. It was entirely possible that their means of hiding themselves would be much beyond anything he was capable of, but Daneel was determined to give this a try.

If he could somehow use the fact that he knew who the infiltrator was, and that he would be hidden from their eyes, to pull them out and find out their location, or place them at risk of death or worse, being captured, then Daneel was sure that he would at least be given quite some time away from the attention of the Church that would definitely be enough for him to calmly break through to the Champion level and handle any threat that they sent.

After all, this was also a golden opportunity for them, as the true test of the potential of one was to see whether they could handle someone much beyond their level. After he broke through, it wouldn't be as shocking as a Warrior beating an Exalted Champion. If they sent Heroes, he was sure that the High Council would not sit around and would instantly respond, unlike in this case where it was one of their own coming after him.

So, making a decision, Daneel stood up. He would first travel to the Sect of Hedon to see what he could find out, but just in case, he also prepared to completely map out the other plans, too, if a situation occurred where he might have the switch to them.

"Please get the healing done quickly, and send the delegation back."

Simply saying this, Daneel began walking toward the direction where the huts for the others who had come with him were.

After a second, he heard Erin's taunting voice from behind him.

"That's it? That's all the Mighty King of Lanthanor and Heavenly Leader of the HEavenly Alliance amounts to? A meek man with nothing to say in return?"

At the last moment before Daneel stepped out of the barrier and left, he turned around and gave a single answer.

"When a dog barks at me, I am someone who would rather cast a spell to shut its foul mouth instead of barking back and making myself look like a fool. In case you don't understand, my actions will be my answers. Farewell."

Chapter 685: Returning to the Sect of Hedon

Daneel continued walking and left right after he said those words, but the loud sound he heard from behind him was enough to let him know that they had been quite effective.

Indeed, seeing his back as he confidently walked away, Erin was fuming while Drakos simply held her hand and waited for her to calm down.

She was also known for her temper, and sometimes, the Emperor had even used to give her a few days off on a few occasions as her work would be particularly 'excellent', especially in the area of torture, if her mood was bad.

Yet, she had modeled a unique Champion Path for herself from these emotions of hers, so there was no one who dared to tell her that she had to control herself and not be so impulsive.

After a minute, she finally took a deep breath and turned to Drakos before saying, "I see what you see in him. Maybe even the Emperor would have liked if he had been alive. But is he really reliable?"

To this, Drakos smiled and said, "I knew you would see it right away. I have no reason to believe that he is not. It has been an honor and pleasure being with them all these days, and I look forward to each and every thing that he will do. Of course, my perspective is a bit tilted because of the way I see the world, but I still believe that he is the best hope for Angaria. Just believe in him, and you'll be pleasantly surprised."

In response, Erin humphed and took Drakos's other hand in hers before saying, "Well, just like he said, actions do speak much louder than words. I'll wait and see what he'll do, before I make a decision. But until then… Like he said, it's best if I get this over with quickly, but we still have a couple of days – let's make the most of them."

…

After reaching a small cave that was also lit by invisible light sources, Daneel saw a row of huts stretching out that looked quite comfortable.

The others from the Sect of Hedon were quite surprised to see him in one piece, which was when Daneel asked around and found that the whole purpose of this delegation, which wouldn't have been necessary normally to escort just that ice ball as the Head or some other Hero could have done it easily, was to help the process of healing in different ways.

No one exactly knew what happened during this process of 'helping', but what they did know was that each person who came back always seemed as if they had lost something or the other.

Some turned into dunces from being quite smart before, and some who were typically easy-going would start to take things very seriously and even become paranoid.

Thankfully, it was temporary.

All of this was very weird, and because it completely creeped out each and everyone who even heard of it, coming here was something that was talked about in hushed tones with fear and only those who were really low on resources and wanted the pretty large payout that came from joining this delegation were those who would chalk up the courage to come on this trip.

Of course, there were others like the one whom Daneel was impersonating, too, who simply came because of their curiosity, and because they had been pretty bored in the sect.

Daneel missed his old identity that he had used the last time he had been in the Sect of Hedon, but knowing that this would be a short trip if everything went well, he just decided to go along and not put something irrelevant on his plate such as having to change whom he was impersonating.

Asking around, he also found that this healing process would typically take four days, but Drakos soon gave him the message that Erin had promised that she would be done in two.

Daneel was quite interested to find out just what method she was using, as even the most complex healing spell at his disposal advocated that regenerating such a complex organ of a human wasn't something that could be done in just a couple of days.

Yet, he didn't want to give her the satisfaction, as the spell was definitely something that was also a part of the inheritance of that man who had been the Emperor's enemy, which was clearly indicated because of the fact that the system found no clue of a spell that caused such weird things to happen in both the records of the spells he had obtained from the third seal and the memory of the Emperor.

By this time, Daneel had already gone through half the Champion Paths that he had obtained, and the reason he was taking it slow was that he was carefully analyzing each and every one and listing the pros and cons for himself. Each path he went through gave him a different insight into how each individual's mind functioned, and how the Will responded to that individual's resonance with themselves to lend them power. Of course, it was the Original Paths rather than those that were passed down which interested him the most, and he focused more time on them as they were also fascinating.

Although being targeted by a behemoth such as the Church might have made others become skittish, Daneel managed to calm himself down and spend the two days going through the rest of the Champion Paths, while also thinking of the other plans that he could use to get out of the situation.

Communication was completely closed off, and because he didn't have anything pressing to tell Eloise and the others, Daneel did not go and ask Erin for permission to use the closed channel that connected this place to the outside.

At the end of the second day, the same woman who had greeted them on their first day here appeared and said, "Please pack up. The healer was in a good mood, so she has already finished the healing. You will be leaving right away."

Over these two days, the others had been called, and Daneel had seen those strange things for himself. The pattern he had noticed was that facets of one's personality were somehow being flipped around by manipulating their consciousnesses, but as this was displayed during the aftermath of the spell that had been cast, Daneel didn't get enough clues to find out just what that spell was.

These things always faded in 24 hours, which was another interesting thing, and as the others heaved sighs of relief on finding out that they would be leaving this creepy place much sooner than expected, Daneel decided he would come unravel the mysteries here as soon as he was done with everything else on his plate.

"Young King, Erin asked me to tell you that she will be looking forward to your 'answers'. She has finished the healing, but Percy will have to stay in a coma for a few more days as it is needed for the body to adjust to the changes that have happened to it."

Raising an eyebrow and understanding that this was basically her saying goodbye without even coming by herself to do so, Daneel once again saw her arrogant side, which made him all the more motivated to crush it into nothingness as soon as he got the chance.

At that moment, he vowed that the next time he came to the sect, this Empire Spirit's attitude would be completely different.

On their way back, the only change was that Percy, who was in the transparent ice ball, had a cloth over his eyes in order to cover his eyes which had just been regenerated.

The Head arrived to escort them back, as he still had a bad feeling about something, and hence, he did not want to risk any delegation or, in fact, even any Warrior of the Big Four being killed by random ambushes by the Church.

Before they had managed to beat back the Church, this had been common, and now that that had been quite long ago, the Head did not put it past them to resume such activities. At that time, they had let the small fries such as those who had tried to take over the Kingdom of Lanthanor go, as they had had much bigger issues to deal with – namely, the Heroes of the Church who had required the entire High Council to chip in to defeat them.

There were no mishaps along the way, and as soon as the delegation reached the Sect of Hedon, broad smiles appeared on the faces of almost everyone in the delegation.

They instantly left to the building which dispensed rewards to get their fat paychecks for going along this hellish ride, and Daneel followed them, too, as it would be suspicious to not look forward to the thing that had enticed each and every one of them to volunteer for this trip in the first place.

After taking the reward, Daneel checked on the location of his impersonator's dorm, before heading there to pause and decide on his next step.

In Percy's consciousness, he had also been given a clear description of the infiltrator's face, so Daneel first set out to identify where this guy was.

This wasn't too difficult as, by luck, the guy he was impersonating was known to be one with a fragile ego who constantly went to those weaker than him to bully them into giving him whatever scraps they had. He only targeted the weakest, and he barely got anything of value out of it, but he did it mainly for the enjoyment that it gave him.

A classic bully, in other words.

Not even two minutes later, Daneel found the newcomer, who was chatting away looking completely normal in a group of those who were heading to a training session.

After finding his target, Daneel made sure not to pay too much attention to him, as he couldn't be sure whether the one from the Church had employed Hero-level spells which could detect if other people started paying any attention to them, or felt bloodlust towards them.

The system was the one which did the surveillance, and all Daneel had to do was stay within a few kilometers of the newcomer, which was quite easy. He continued perusing the Champion Paths while utilizing the prompt from the system to move around to make sure that the newcomer stayed in his sphere of surveillance, and soon, Daneel got a report.

It was pretty disappointing, though. In the span of a day, the guy hadn't been up to any suspicious actions.

Understanding that he should probably be patient, Daneel moved on to his next target – the Mad Doctor.

Another idea had appeared to him after spending those two days thinking – even though killing the Mad Doctor and eliminating the threat that he was before he attacked was not an option, there was one other thing that Daneel could do: weaken him and make it look like a consequence of the attack from Ashahell, itself, which would bring down his overall power and not make it so shocking when Daneel did whatever he decided to do in the fight that he would eventually have with the man.

Also, if this was possible, Daneel had also decided on another plan of action: finding out more about the Mad Doctor would definitely be helpful as it might come of use when he fought him, and one was always most truthful to themselves. So, if Daneel could touch the Mad Doctor for at least a moment, he could cast the Consciousness Link spell he had used before on Percy to find information about all the dreams that the Mad Doctor was seeing, which meant that there would be quite a high chance of finding something he could use even if he couldn't interact with the man or the dreams like he had done with Percy.

Yet, Daneel got a bad feeling about both of these plans the moment he set out to implement them, as the enclosure which the Mad Doctor was kept in was on such a level of lock down the Daneel could detect multiple Hero-level formations and even Hero-level individuals near the man as soon as he went within 100 feet of him.

How could the one from the Church manage to go through so many levels of protection?

Clearly, the Head was focusing on saving this Champion of theirs, whom he did not want to die as that would mean that they would lose quite an important resource. On top of his power, he was also a very experienced healer, and such individuals were indispensable on the battlefield.

As he continued watching though, Daneel got his answer – obviously, Heroes would not concern themselves with mundane things such as changing bandages and tending to the bodily needs of the patient. Some sect disciples were the ones taking care of these things, and as Daneel saw them, an idea suddenly came to him.

With a smile that would definitely have chilled the spine of the Mad Doctor if the man had been awake, the King of Lanthanor walked forward.

Chapter 686: Visiting the Mad Doctor

Inside the Medical Bay that had once been the domain of the Mad Doctor, he, himself was suspended in between two trinkets that were making him float in the air.

The Medical Bay had been segregated into two halves, and one of those was being used for this purpose. A Hero was present here at all times, and although the identity of the Hero kept changing, one thing was common – each and every one of these individuals were aloof, and they did not like to talk to anyone from the sect. Instead, they would just stand there, imposingly, while the rest of those attending to the Mad Doctor would try to ignore them.

Kate was the head healer in charge of taking care of the Mad Doctor, and although she had remained in this post for the entire time since the man had been injured, those under her kept changing.

Perhaps, the reason for this was that no one was really interested in cleaning out the bodily fluids excreted by a body that was healing constantly, and in the grueling job of continuously applying ointments that had to be applied by hand while changing the bandages.

To add on to this, there was the state of the Mad Doctor, which was something that could cause nightmares. Even those who saw death daily and spent a lot of their lives going through training that would leave them in pretty horrible states would flinch at this sight, and as for those who worked for her, it was worse as they would have to see it every damn day.

There was also one last thing – the Head had asked the Heroes to watch those under her because of the incident before. Hence, the feeling of someone staring at your back and almost bearing down on your shoulders, physically, for the entire day, was pretty damn tiring.

She had tried a lot of things – increasing the pay, giving other benefits, but none of them had worked. In the end, she had decided that there were enough sect members who would be enticed by the fee, itself, and it would be fine even if they kept rotating, as there were always enough poor people in the Sect of Hedon.

Today, she was expecting three new 'newbs', as she called them, even though the term was not preferred by those who were only doing this for the money.

As they finally entered, she said, "Listen, and follow each of my instructions carefully. If you make even one mistake, the pay will be canceled. Got it?"

All three of them nodded, but the next moment, sweat appeared on their brows as the Hero had just placed his attention on them.

Kate even suspected that he was doing it on purpose, as she was pretty sure that it shouldn't be the case that all those who were being watched by Heroes would feel as if they were carrying bags of heavy dirt on their backs.

"Get used to that. It is simply the weight of the gaze of our esteemed Hero, who will be watching your every move."

All three of them glanced at the Hero, who was a man in a dark cloak leaning on a wall at the end of the large open room they were in as she said this.

Wait… Was she imagining things, or had one of them been just a bit slow on the uptake? For a moment, she had thought that she had seen the Warrior right in front of her glance at the Hero a second later than the others, almost as if he had realized that that was what he should be doing as a lowly Warrior in front of someone as powerful as Hero.

No, she must have been imagining things.

Putting it out of her mind, she began leading them towards the center of the room, where the Mad Doctor's body was floating.

All three sets of their eyes had already fixed on him, as it was truly a sight that lived up to its hype.

His expression was fixed into one of pain, and he was only wearing undergarments. Typically, this would have drawn attention to the coiled muscles that the present on his shoulders and legs, but instead, everyone could only stare at the large gaping hole that was present where his stomach should be.

As they got closer, more and more details became clear to them, which made each of them get more and more uncomfortable expression of the faces, and this was something that Kate always kept an eye on as it was amusing to watch.

The hole in the middle of his chest was half the size of a man's waist, but the most disconcerting thing was that when one got closer, they would be able to see that parts of the liver, heart, and intestines that were visible were slowly squirming, almost as if they had…a life of their own.

As they kept watching, they were soon able to notice that they were actually slowly growing, and as soon as this realization appeared on the faces of all three of the newbs, Kate spoke up.

"When the Mad Doctor was first admitted here, that hole was double the size. There was only a sliver of skin holding together the two parts of his body. The man was a genius in his field – somehow, he managed to engrave a healing formation onto himself, which was probably by mutilating his own flesh to form the designs of the formation. This enabled it to kick into effect as soon as he suffered extensive damage, which allowed him to survive, and which is still continuing to heal him even while he is in a coma. Such are the wonders of the art of healing. Anyone who finishes three stints in this job is eligible to ask me for an apprenticeship, so think on that when you go for your next mission. Healers are sought after no matter which part of the continent they are in, so don't miss this opportunity to gain a skill that will make you coveted by each and every organization on Angaria."

Kate always waited for this moment of awe to give this 'business pitch', as she could never have too few apprentices. She could charge them quite a lot, while teaching them a few bits and pieces, and she found nothing wrong in this system as that was how she had learned.

Of course, those who were truly talented would be directly mentored by a senior healer, but that rarely happened.

All three of the newcomers had slightly amazed expressions on their faces as they heard this, as it really was incredible that someone could survive a wound of this extent.

Loving the mysterious atmosphere that she always created around herself whenever she said these things, Kate was about to walk forward, which was when a loud sound interrupted her.

Turning around, she saw that one of the three, who was coincidentally the one in whom she had seen that strangeness before, had knocked over the table on which the tools that she used to guide the regeneration of the Mad Doctor were placed.

A sharp scalpel the had been specially refined for cutting the thick skin of Fighters flew in the direction of the Mad Doctor, and even as Kate lunged forward with panic to stop it, the Hero at the end of the room, who had been calmly leaning onto the wall, suddenly stood up and brought his gaze to bear upon the scene where everything was happening.

Before the scalpel could reach the Mad Doctor, it melted into a metallic puddle and fell onto the floor.

After shooting a look of contempt at the newb who was on the floor, the Hero went back to leaning casually, and the pressure they felt resumed.

Meanwhile, Kate heaved a sigh of relief and bowed to the Hero before turning her gaze on the newb, who had just picked himself.

"Didn't you see the description that said that only those with able and steady hands should be the ones to apply for this job?"

She asked this, fuming, but the innocent reply from the newb made her blink, blankly, as she didn't know how she was supposed to respond.

"I'm sorry, Miss, my hands are able and steady, but… I can be a little clumsy. I thought that it was okay, because it wasn't mentioned that it was something that should stop someone from picking this job…"

As he said this, even the other two stared at him, and at the end of the room, the Hero actually… barked out a laugh.

Kate felt her face burning as she realized that he was right: the requirement had been about the hands, not about the person.

Still, she had always been one to readily accept her mistakes, so, still keeping her eyes on this guy, she took out a communication trinket and said, "Modify the listing for those who are coming to take care of the Doctor to make it reflect that they should also not be clumsy."

As he heard this, the newb looked down, but Kate turned around and said, "You're already here, so let's get this over with. Just try not to let anything else fall, or I swear I'll add a compensation that will cut deeep into your pay."

Without waiting for a reply, she stormed forward and began to demonstrate how one was supposed to remove the bandages that were present over the other parts of the Mad Doctor's body, and to remove and replace the bags which were holding his bodily excretions.

The latter would thankfully be done with magic, but the former was difficult.

However, although it looked like he was paying attention, the newb who had just caused trouble was actually… smirking, on the inside.

Of course, this was Daneel, who had entered with the plan to see exactly how the security level of this place was, and also to see whether he could find out at least a bit about the psyche of the Mad Doctor.

He had already planned out everything that had happened so far, and its objective had been to check on how attentive the Hero was. Sadly, it appeared that there would be no chance whatsoever of him weakening the Mad Doctor somehow, as the security really was just a bit too tight.

Hence, his first objective had already been completed, and Daneel was now mainly focused on finishing the second one – all he needed to do was touch the Mad Doctor for at least a moment, and he would get his chance when it was his turn to change the bandages anyway.

Yet, to his irritation, it turned out the Daneel's clumsy actions had made the woman in charge decide that he would not be assigned this duty. Daneel grumbled on the inside as everything had been going to plan till now, but there was no way that he could have accounted for the consciousness of this woman.

Maybe he should have chosen other ways to check the security, but what was done was done.

Thankfully, he got a chance soon. Because the duty ran on for the entire day, and because the bandages needed to be constantly changed as there was too much blood that kept being absorbed by them in the process of regeneration which was apparently the waste blood being processed by the remaining organs, Kate finally had no option but to give him the duty as the others had already started to get careless.

This happened when one did the same thing over and over again, and she couldn't fault them for it, so she asked the guy whom she now disliked a lot to do it, while keeping a watch over him like a hawk.

Thankfully, he hadn't been bluffing – he had steady hands, and when he was done, she nodded with approval.

As Daneel finished the duty and went to stand at the end of the room, though, his mind was in turmoil as there was an image that he had just gleaned from the Mad Doctor's consciousness that spelled a lot of trouble.

It was the same blank world which he had entered when Daneel had used the Consciousness link with Percy, and there were small lights which were static because it had only been for a moment. Yet, that was enough for him and the system to zoom in and see the details.

Most of those lights involved torturing multiple people – one of them was him, in the form that he had used to kill the Mad Doctor's sons, another was Percy, and yet another was Daneel, himself.

Yet the most disconcerting thing was actually one single light that had caught his attention and wasn't letting go.

It was a very familiar place, with sprawling streets and a magnificent domed Palace in the center which was flanked by two areas where two of the most famous institutions in Angaria had existed until recently, when they had been moved outside.

It was Lanthanor.

And it was in the process of being destroyed.

Once again, the image was in the first person, so the system had to use a reflection that happened to be present in the view of the one who was doing the act in a pool of water that was on the ground.

It was the Mad Doctor, and it looked like he was laughing hysterically, as if what he was doing was giving him the kind ultimate satisfaction and joy that one could only dream of, and hope to obtain.

Chapter 687: Meeting With The Sovereigns

For the rest of the time that he was doing the duty that he had signed up for, Daneel was pretty absent-minded. Again and again, he couldn't help but think back to that image where the city he had grown up in had been burning, with hundreds of thousands of people being massacred by the Mad Doctor who, for some reason, was finding a lot of joy in doing that act.

The head healer got more and more irritated with him as being absent-minded meant that he was also quite clumsy, but Daneel didn't care. He had already seen everything that he wanted to, and there would be no coming back here anyway.

The moment he went back to his dorm, Daneel tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, and when he finally managed to do so after a few minutes, he tried to focus on the other 'lights' in that space with the hope that he could find something else that he could use in the situation.

Just like he had seen before, most of them were dreams where the Mad Doctor was elaborately torturing each and every person that he didn't like in the world, and most prominent among these were Ashahell, Daneel's alter ego and Daneel, himself.

Most of the others also included him killing someone or the other, and some of the targets even seemed familiar. As Daneel thought back to what he had seen in Percy's consciousness, he realised that some of those faces coincided, which made him once again feel that those like this Mad Doctor should really not be allowed to live even though they were a Champion level powerhouse that would be useful in the fight against the Church.

At least, even if they were allowed to keep their life, they should be shackled and completely restricted from going about killing randomly. Daneel was sure that pretty much everyone knew about it, but no one said anything because of his status.

There were many spells from the age of the Empire where people like these could be almost shackled like dogs and only be set upon enemies when needed, but Daneel don't want to go down that route at the moment. First, he had to analyze everything in front of him, and see what he could derive from it.

After a few moments, a thought occurred to him.

The Mad Doctor… Was clearly transferring the hate that he had for Daneel onto the kingdom that Daneel loved so much.

Of course, this hate, in the first place, was because Daneel was associated with the man that had killed his sons, and had resulted in the entire situation where he had been injured by Ashahell.

Daneel could tell that the Mad Doctor mostly did not expect to find that master of his, as he was known to be pretty elusive. That meant that he would simply target those close to him, and this role fell to Daneel. And if Daneel also went into hiding… Well, what he had seen would be what would happen.

Daneel could also tell that he could not trust the High Council of the Head to stop the Mad Doctor. True, they might step in, later on, to stop him from massacring millions, but before that, the man would definitely have at least a few seconds during which he could rampage and kill as many people as he wanted.

In fact, if he was really hellbent on it, then he could even cast a spell that caused mass destruction using everything in his body that would leave him very tired afterward, as he would know that the people who would be coming would only want to stop him, and not cause him harm.

There was no way that Daneel could risk that.

And hence… he realized that his plan of being weakened and surviving was no longer viable.

Over these few days, he had been planning that he would somehow escape when he was near death, which would lead to the test being fulfilled, and to the Mad Doctor being stopped by the Head of someone else.

Yet, now, it was clear that if that happened, the man would go ahead and destroy Lanthanor, so this option could just not be chosen.

"Dammit!"

Exclaiming in this way, Daneel couldn't help but get a very frustrated expression on his face, as that plan had been one of the best that had come to him. The test was still the most pressing thing, and this would have allowed him to bypass it completely.

Now, he had to look for other routes.

After thinking for a bit, he realized that he needed a different perspective, which meant that he had to call for his sovereigns.

His work in the Sect of Hedon was pretty much done, and if he wished, he could just come back later.

So, Daneel just used the same method that he had used before where he had Mind Controlled a group that was going outside for some job or the other in order to later break away from them and go back to his Kingdom.

Even though it was a bit harder this time because of the restrictions put in place by the Head to make sure that no group would be vulnerable to an ambush, it didn't take too much effort, and soon, Daneel was sitting in the sky above Lanthanor after calling an urgent meeting of the sovereigns.

Kellor, Eloise, Robert, Faxul, Luther, Aran, and Elanev were all talking happily among themselves after arriving at the spot, but as Daneel teleported in front of them with a very grave expression on his face, they realized that something was very wrong and looked at him with seriousness.

Daneel didn't beat around the bush. He directly explained everything that he had been up to, and what he had found out.

The tale that was filled with ups and downs garnered different kinds of reactions, with the revelation that he was being tested by the Church being the one that shocked everyone the most.

After all, the Church was like a block of solid stone hanging on top of them by the flimsiest of ropes that threatened to crush them at any moment, so it was enough to elicit this kind of reaction from the sovereigns.

After that, though, as they heard the acute thinking process that Daneel had been through to list all the plans, eliminate most and focus on the few that were best, they all couldn't help but feel admiration for the meticulous mind of the King that had, in many ways, allowed him to come this far and achieve so much.

However, finding out that the Mad Doctor would just go ahead and burn up Lanthanor if the plan to escape after being injured was used made everyone's temper rise.

They showed it in different ways, because of their different personalities. Kellor, Luther, and Robert all only tighten their fists, but their eyes burned with rage. It was more pronounced in Elanev and Faxul, both of whom started to curse under their breath, and in Faxul's case, even the air around him started to become stifling because of the pressure that came to be due to the bloodline of the Black Raven.

As for Aran, he got a very mischievous look on his face, as if he was daydreaming of what he would very much like to do to the Mad Doctor, and finally, it was Eloise who got both angry and worried, because she really didn't want to see the kingdom that she loved so much being razed into ashes.

"If he tries that, why can't I just go stop him?"

It was Faxul who said this, and true, if he tried, he would be able to do it.

Yet, even he knew why that couldn't be done.

"Exposing your power is the stupidest thing we can do right now. With secrets being exposed left and right, it is best to keep things such as yours, Aran's and Elanev's power a secret. True, Elanev is already quite famous for his power in the sect, but I reckon that that old man is making him train something special and different from what he has displayed that will surprise even them if it is revealed. Am I right?"

In return, Elanev nodded, but along with the others, he sank into deep thought as they had to find a solution to this.

Daneel had already thought about it on the way over, and nothing new had occurred to him. He tried going to the old plans again, but they weren't appealing at all with this risk hanging over him.

Soon, discussion started, but Daneel wasn't too happy with the things that had been proposed.

For example, Kellor asked whether they could use some kind of formations that they could say they had found in the records of Lanthanor to stop the Mad Doctor at least temporarily until the High Council or the Head arrived.

Sadly, this couldn't be done as the man's power would apparently be boosted, and any formations that could stop an Exalted Champion would definitely not be ones that could be just passed away with this kind of explanation.

Aran then asked whether there was some way in which the time of response of the other Heroes on the continent could be decreased, such as luring the Mad Doctor to get to where they were. Even though Daneel appreciated his commander's cunning mind, he could tell that this also wouldn't work, as even though the Mad Doctor had his moniker of being 'mad', he would definitely retain enough of his intellect to know that he should focus on his targets. And besides, Daneel didn't know right now just what factors would impede the other Heroes, but whatever they were, he was pretty sure that the Church would be pretty thorough in implementing them.

Finally, silence descended over the spot in the sky where the sovereigns were seated, and it looked as if there was no solution to be found.

In the silence, Robert, who had been quiet until now as if he had been pondering on something finally spoke up.

Until now, his father hadn't been that much of contributor to the discussions they had had, so even though Daneel quirked up and listened, he didn't have too many expectations.

"I don't know whether this will help, but this situation reminds me of a story I heard from my Commander from the time when I was a Captain in the Army. You know of him, Daneel. He was the one who asked us to take that plot of land and live there after I was banished. He died soon after, of old age."

A story from that man?

Daneel was intrigued right away, as that man was another mystery that he had yet to solve even though he had been in Angaria for so long. He had somehow known that the Natural Energised Training Chamber that Daneel had found later was under that spot of land, and hence, he had asked Daneel's father to take it and live there. Later on, Daneel checked the records, but what he had seen was that although there were reports that he died after retiring, there was no known family or body to be found. The reasonable conclusion was that he was just a loner, and Daneel had had no option but to take it.

The others also raised their heads and started to listen, as they were all blank anyway.

"There was once a famous bandit who operated right outside our walls. He constantly terrorized all the trade caravans that exited our walls, and because of him, there was a major impact on trade. The problem… Was that he was actually the half-brother of the King of Axelor, which, at that time, was the strongest kingdom of the continent. They claimed that they had gotten support from the Big Four, and this put everyone in a cautious position. If we went ahead and killed that guy, it might have resulted in us being targeted, and the king didn't want that. So… The commander made a plan. 1000 of us went out to meet them, and we were beaten back mercilessly. This was all a farce, but the bandit was known to find joy in seeing armies running, and that night, he was so happy that he…drunk himself dead. Well, at least, that was the public story, but the truth was that the commander, himself, stealthily killed him and spread the story, and there was no way to find proof as the rest of the bandits found the leaders body and mutilated it is the man was known to hide a lot of treasures on his person. All of these bandits were chased for months and then eradicated by the King of Axelor, and of course, we were happy because we solved our problem with no casualties except a little bit of lost honor. I don't really know how this applies, but I felt that it might help in your thinking."

An intriguing story, indeed.

Daneel began thinking on this, and at first, he didn't get any new ideas.

Yet, he went through his father's story bit by bit, and finally, inspiration struck him.

As a smile appeared on his face, the gears in his mind started to turn, and something…started to take form.

Chapter 688: The Plan

Daneel first dismissed the meeting and said that they would reconvene in a day, as he wanted to just sit by himself and think.

He went through each and every iteration that he could think of, and he visualized each and every thing that could happen, might happen, and should happen.

Soon, it got the point that he began to think that he couldn't perfect it any longer, and even though there were a lot of great areas, there was only one last question that Daneel needed to answer.

Was it time?

Was it time to take this step that would define his entire life?

Was it time to finally stop dillydallying, and march forth?

These questions hovered in his mind, and Daneel pondered on them deeply.

He didn't want to make a hasty decision, but something inside him kept saying 'yes'.

'Yes, it is finally time, and it has already been long delayed.'

He tried to ignore it, but it just kept growing stronger.

Finally, Daneel could only chuckle, as he could tell that this was his inner voice that had also wanted this and had been waiting for it all these days.

So…he made his decision, and the moment he did, clarity and determination appeared in his mind, and on his face.

This clarity…made everything fall into place. New ideas started to appear to him, and soon, the plan reached a level that made the previous one seem as if it had been drawn by a toddler.

A few seconds later, a smile bloomed on Daneel's lips, and it was accompanied by a thought which made that smile broaden until it covered half his face.

'Oh, this is going to be fun.'

…

The sovereigns had all congregated again, and as they saw the small smile that still hung on the King's face, they felt expectation rising inside them.

They had done all they could, so it was now up to him. And it seemed…that whatever they had done, had been enough.

As soon as they all sat in their seats and set their gazes on him, Daneel began.

"There are two main parts of what we will do. The first is actually a modification of what we were considering before, and it will be what I will talk about right now. The second… Well, let me just say that it is going to be pretty damn awesome when I pull it off, so I'll let it stay as a surprise. With the story that my father has recited, you might be able to guess a few things, but what is really going to happen will only be apparent to all of you after it is all done. You can look forward to it, though, as this is something that I have confidence in, and also something that has long been coming."

As soon as Daneel said this, strangely, Elanev and Faxul exchanged odd looks, which made Daneel think that they might have discussed something regarding the second part of his plan before this meeting. He knew for a fact that these two had been getting close recently because they had been talking more as they were relatively free now compared to before, and it did make sense that they would talk about this all-important topic that was plaguing them right now.

Well, it didn't matter. No matter what they were thinking, when it was eventually revealed, he was sure that everyone who found out about it would definitely be awed.

At this moment, Daneel realized that he had gotten quite addicted to this feeling of making people drop their jaws, but this only brought a smile to his face, as he didn't see anything bad in it. Others found joy in making themselves happy, and he found it in making others feel as if they had been struck by millions of lightning bolts.

There were a few impatient ones, too. For instance, Aran frowned, and this made Daneel understand that he was the type who flipped to the end of the book to see the ending before beginning it.

Well, no matter what they thought, this was what he was going to do, and if he was being completely honest, he would admit that the reason was also that he didn't want to jinx anything by saying it out loud, as this was going to be a very, very important step in his journey.

Putting all these thoughts out of his mind, Daneel spoke up again and broke the whispers that had started after he had given a pause.

"So, the first part. What we need to do is let the Mad Doctor attack, and make it seem as if I am dead, whereas, in reality, I would have survived with a sliver of my life. Yes, I know we discussed this, exactly, before, but there are a few changes.

"First of all, he will be doing it on our turf. He will be doing it in the location we choose, and he will be led there without any suspicions as a result of the individual jobs that I will be assigning to each of you. You have to be extremely careful, as even though I will be giving each of you a protective formation that will defend you against an attack from a Champion, I don't want any of you to get critically injured in this crucial time."

As they heard this, all of them nodded with, and Faxul even shrugged.

Oh? It seemed that the Bloodline of the Black Raven had given his close friend quite a lot of confidence. Thinking that it would be fun to make to tackle this later as it was definitely not the best idea to get arrogant, Daneel continued.

"Now then, regarding how exactly I'll be doing it… What are your thoughts on cockroaches?"

As Daneel asked this question, he was expecting Eloise to have an averse reaction, as that was what would normally be expected by someone from Earth, where there was a stereotype that women would be disgusted by bugs.

Yet, funnily enough, Eloise only looked puzzled like the others, and it was actually Kellor and Aran who both got uncomfortable expressions on their faces.

"Unpleasant things, my King," said Kellor, and Aran echoed, "It's just weird that they don't die when I crush them under my foot. But why are we talking about them now?"

In response, Daneel smiled and said, "Well, to survive this, I… am going to break through to become a Fighter Champion, and the method I will be using to live after fighting an Exalted Champion is by utilizing the powers of the Godbeast that is the ancestor to all cockroaches in this age."

…

After explaining everything and leaving to begin right away, Daneel chuckled heartily as he remembered the reactions he had gotten after he had said that sentence while he traveled to the Sect of Hedon.

That statement had resulted in even Eloise looking at him weirdly, as they all collectively got the image of the King suddenly transforming into a giant disgusting creature with multiple legs and wings that were too small for the size of its body.

After he explained it , though, Elanev was, unsurprisingly, the one who saw the potential of it first, and this made Daneel understand that the old man had probably given him an explanation regarding it.

Elanev had placed the question that this would result in Daneel's future path being cut off, but Daneel had just said that they should let him worry about that, while they just focused on doing everything that they had to.

Indeed, he had come upon this Bloodline that had seemed trivial and useless to him before after thinking a lot, as only a cockroach would be able to survive this kind of thing. This was a surefire way not to arouse suspicion, and as for him cutting off his future… Well, Daneel had a plan to stop that from happening, too.

And of course, in it, the main factor was the Bloodline of the Shapeshifter.

Indeed, Daneel had finally decided to go all out and pursue a Bloodline for himself so that he could get out of this situation.

Long ago, when he had received the information about all the Bloodlines, itself, this one had captivated him, but the main reason that he had stopped was that it had seemed almost as if there was no way to obtain it in this age.

Yet… What Daneel hadn't taken into account then was the fact that this was one of the hidden bloodlines that the Emperor had chosen to pass down to consequent generations.

And this… Had led Daneel to a bold, bold idea, which was going to be very, very hard to implement.

The thing was that even if he managed to succeed, he would still only be obtaining the bloodline that could only mimic other Godbeasts' appearances, and not their powers.

Yet, after analyzing each and every thing that Daneel had learned about Angaria so far, and using the system to create modules that he hadn't even thought of before, he had also come up with a way to bypass this.

After deciding everything, Daneel had sat down and taken in a deep breath, as he hadn't been able to believe that he had found the answer to the questions that had stopped him from deciding to get a Bloodline before.

As he thought about it, the answer…was that all this time he had taken while delaying his breakthrough had not been wasted. It had been the right idea to give it time, as it had allowed him to keep thinking on it, every day. Like a mountain that could be chipped away if one persevered, he had chipped his way to this answer almost unconsciously. All it had taken was just one more session of thinking hard, and he had obtained everything he needed.

Well, almost everything, at least, but he had gotten the most important thing: a route he could follow that he trusted would be effective in letting him reach where he wanted.

After arriving back at the sect, Daneel sat in his dorm and decided to list all the steps that he would be going through, and all the things he needed to do.

When he was done, he went through it all while remarking that he had set quite a tall order for himself.

1. First and foremost, the rest of his plan needed time, so he first had to return to the Sect of Hedon and ensure that the Mad Doctor's awakening would be delayed. He already had an idea regarding the timeline that the Church was aiming for, which had already been delayed, and he only needed to find out why this had happened and delay it even more.

2. He had to obtain the Bloodline. For this, according to Drakos, he needed the blood of the Godbeast. Yet, Daneel had gotten the idea after that moment of clarity that the blood of an Awakened Bloodline Possessor might also count as the blood of the Godbeast. The system had said that no one had been able to try this, so although Daneel didn't know if it would work, he was confident that he would be able to fix whatever problems there were using the system. Hence, he had to identify someone who possessed the Hidden Bloodline, awaken the Bloodline for them and see whether he could use their blood to give himself the bloodline.

3. He needed to peruse the records of the remaining sect of the Big 4, and find a way to use the Shapeshifter Bloodline to mimic the abilities of the cockroach Godbeast. Daneel already had a clue regarding this which had also appeared during that brainwave, and he was sure that if he followed it, he would find a way, which would be enough even if it wasn't completely effective.

4. Finally, he needed to set the stage for the fight, which would be the most important aspect that would judge the success of the second part.

With this clear vision in mind, all of the panic that he had felt before fled.

Hence, with a casual expression, Daneel walked out of the door…and began the steps that he knew would definitely end with him creating history.

Chapter 689: The First Step 1

The Shapeshifter bloodline.

Daneel had only said that he would be taking the Path of the Cockroach in front of his Sovereigns as he had wanted to see their reactions. Of course, in reality, his plan had been to choose this and find some way to overcome its weaknesses so that he could use the powers of the Cockroach, and the only other reason he hadn't spelled that out was that although he was confident that he could accomplish it, he hadn't wanted to talk about it until he did so.

Ever since Daneel had heard about it, it had completely captivated his entire mind, and it had even shaped the whole image he had regarding what a 'perfect' Bloodline was. In fact, unconsciously, he had even begun to think that this was the peak that no one could even dream of – to be able to mimic any bloodline that one wished, instead of being restricted to one, which would lead to one having some or the other drawback.

How amazing would it be to be able to be a Dragon at one moment, with the ability to melt anything with its blazing flames, and then instantly transforming to an Ice Shark that would not be tied down by the vulnerability that Dragons had towards ice?

There were many, many more examples, and just the idea of making his own path by 'fixing' this bloodline really appealed to Daneel, as it symbolized what he had done on this continent so far. He prided himself on the fact that he had made his own unique way, and accomplishing this would be him continuing on that route, as he wouldn't be just taking his pick among the strongest Paths and Bloodlines that had been passed down.

Any way he saw it, this was the Bloodline that he saw himself having in the future, and he was ready to do anything that was necessary to obtain it.

True, there were all kinds of obstacles, but he was excited to tackle them.

Yet, before all that, he first had to ensure that the recovery of the Mad Doctor would be pushed back by quite a bit.

So, to fulfill this first step of his plan, Daneel walked out of the room, full of expectations and eagerness.

Yet… It couldn't be helped that he was walking into one of the most boring parts of any plan- surveillance.

It was a consolation that the system was the one which did most of the work, which made Daneel admire the patience of spies back on Earth who had to undertake this kind of task in harsh conditions day in and day out, at times even starving themselves and letting their body go numb as they couldn't move and give away that position.

The newcomer, whose identity the Church was using to infiltrate the Sect of Hedon had to be followed, as Daneel needed to eavesdrop on one of the conversations that he would definitely have in order to recruit someone to do his dirty work to awaken the Mad Doctor. This was so that he could find out the method that was going to be used, in order to form a plan to delay him.

Daneel adopted a very cautious method – he had no idea what kind of spells the man might have up around him, and he didn't want to risk exposing himself. Thus, he had the system use very basic spells to keep a track on the man, and for two days, all he did was move around the sect while being in a set radius from the newcomer while doing various things to occupy himself. He didn't waste time, though – he focused on a few aspects of his own that he had neglected recently, namely, his Paragon powers, Paragon constructs and how he could incorporate these skills of his into the future plan that he had made for himself.

2 days was the deadline that Daneel had set for himself, as after that, it would be too risky to continue depending on the possibility of a breakthrough in eavesdropping on the man. If he found nothing in two days, he had decided that he would rather be proactive, and as he had obtained nothing productive, Daneel began thinking about what else he could do.

If he couldn't eavesdrop, then he simply had to be part of the conversation.

And that meant… luring the Church into trying to recruit him.

This meant that Daneel had to take on a character that would be very appealing for the Church, and so, with this objective in mind, he began going around the sect, as his present identity was a bit too unappealing for this project.

This guy was just a bit too low-key, and he was also not very talented. There were a few ideas that Daneel had that he could have used even with this identity, but before that, he wanted to see what else he could find.

The problem was that he had a feeling that no matter what method he chose, it would be pretty risky for the identity of the person he was going to use, and he didn't want to condemn someone who hadn't done anything wrong, per se, in his life, except being a bully, to death.

The Sect of Hedon was a sect which focused on one's desires, after all, and this meant that there were actually quite a lot of interesting characters.

For example, there was one guy who was known for gaining pleasure in seeing his opponent in pain, and no one dared to get into a fight with him. Even when he engaged in duels with those stronger than him, he would use all kinds of underhanded moves such as even getting spices from the kitchen and using them to blind his opponents to win and then enjoy seeing them as they winced when their blood flowed out from all the wounds that he would inflict upon them.

What kind of a serial killer would this guy turn into when he became a Champion? Daneel could tell that if he was allowed to continue, and if he did breakthrough, he would become a second Mad Doctor, and it was very possible that he might even be madder than the first.

There was another whose desire was women, and he had a strange devilish beauty that gave him the ability to make almost any woman fall for him. There were rumors that the Heroes of the sect had checked whether this was some kind of Path that he had made for himself, but apparently, the results were inconclusive. All of this would have been fine, but the problem was that he found some kind of joy in going after the women who were most involved with his opponents, and using his charm to make them fall for him in order to make his foes unstable during combat. He was famous for winning many duels in this way.

All of these characters were…'interesting', for sure, but none of them stood out as someone whom Daneel would be able to use. The former was an option as it wouldn't be too bad to send him to his death, but he was also known to be mentally unstable, and Daneel wasn't sure whether he could pull off that kind of character.

Finally, after searching for a bit more, Daneel found a candidate who fit his brief.

Ideally, he was looking for someone who was smart, as any organization would look for that kind of person when recruiting for an important job.

His name was Vance, and in fact, he was one of the quietest individuals in the sect.

At least, that was the impression that he had painstakingly made for himself as he wanted to use it to hide the truth that he was actually the one behind one of the largest rings of extortion in the entire Sect.

Under him were all kinds of people – cooks, cleaners, newcomers, experts, and he paid them all handsomely.

What he paid them for… Was information.

The kind of information that would kill people if it got out.

The whole reason Daneel had even found out about him was that there was news that recently, one of the sect members had been hauled away by sect officials on suspicion that he was going to look for the Church to join them.

This was, of course, the thing that was scorned upon the most in all of the Big Four, and initially, Daneel had thought that this might be someone who had been contacted by that person from the Church.

Yet, on further thought, that hasn't seemed possible as that guy from the Church was using that strange contraption to keep the mouths of those he contacted shut. He definitely would not be stupid enough to allow this kind of information to leak, and because he was still going around freely, Daneel concluded that they weren't connected.

A few whispers had led him to the truth that the one who had exposed this was Vance, who had tried to extort a lot of money out of him.

The one in question had not thought that it would be possible for anyone to find proof, but contrary to what he had expected, after he rejected the offer from Vance, proof was instantly found against him and he found sect officials knocking on his door.

What was worse is that he had no proof against Vance, and even though he tried blaming him during questioning, all they had been able to do was bring Vance in for questioning and then let him go as there was nothing conclusive.

Vance had alleged that this was because of their rivalry, and he had even created proof to that end.

Daneel had to say that he was quite impressed by this guy, as he appreciated people with cunning minds like these. Yet, what he really didn't like was that being a part of the Sect, he was giving an option to a potential traitor to continue down that path without immediately alerting everyone he could. True, from the perspective of that guy, it would seem as if he should only care about himself, and even though Daneel understood this, he found himself gravitating towards choosing him for his project.

After thinking for a bit and realising that if this was only one incident that had been exposed and that there might be many more that he didn't know about which might be much worse, Daneel made his choice, and that night, he approached Vance's dorm like a silent snake in the bushes stalking its prey.

He knocked on the door, and as soon as it opened, it was all over.

Using a trinket similar to the one he had used during the Legacy Battle, Vance, the infamous information king, came under his control.

As the man was only a Warrior, it was a piece of cake to go through his memories, and Daneel soon found that he had been right.

There were 16 instances in total where Vance had allowed people to hide information that had resulted in the deaths of others for monetary benefits. In one, he had even taken a contract of sorts to hide the information that a specific spot in a forest had a hidden formation that had been laid down by someone, and this had led to a group being massacred, as the contractor had had an enmity with one of those in that group.

One statement perfectly summed up Vance – he was someone who would do anything for money, and as Daneel went further and further back in his memory, he found out why.

Vance had been born in extreme poverty, and there had been times when he had had to starve for days, begging on the streets of his village, until he had been recruited by chance due to his potential.

This didn't justify him being responsible for the deaths of over 40 Humans and 12 Warriors, though.

Well, no matter how this was going to go, Vance was going to be Daneel's identity.

Looking around the room and finding none of the wealth that the guy was supposed to have accumulated, Daneel checked his memories again and and found that Vance had also been smart enough to use a hiding spot outside the sect to store of his ill-begotten assets.

Well, that was where his first stop was going to be, as he would have to use those Ker Gems.

He had no information regarding what the Church was doing, so he was short on time. Hence, he began the plan he had already made without any further ado.

Busying himself completely, he prepared to go all out, and what he was going to do… would definitely create a stir in the sect that would definitely not go unnoticed by the Church, and this was exactly what Daneel was going for.

…

Two days later, the newcomer who was responsible for Percy blinding himself was going down the central path of the Sect with a neutral expression on his face while grumbling inside his mind due to the many troubles that he had had to face since coming here.

Yet, his thoughts paused when he heard two people talking between themselves.

"Hey, did you hear about that new association? They're actually giving out money to those who join!"

"Ya, the Mad Doctor Association, right? I was just on my way to check it out…let's go together!"

Chapter 690: The First Step 2

On the largest path in the Sect of Hedon that led to the central tower in which the sect officials were housed, a large stall had been set up in front of which at least 30 Warriors were milling around.

Behind that stall sat a single man, wearing unassuming clothes and with simple features that would not stand out in a crowd.

One thing which did stand out, though… Was the huge pile of Ker Gems that were sitting behind him.

The two who had been talking before walked to this area and chose to wait and watch, first, unaware of the fact that they had attracted the infiltrator from the Church who was following behind them. He, too, chose a position on the street and chose to observe.

The 30 Warriors looked like they were waiting for something, and the man behind the stall was also sitting there while occasionally glancing at an hourglass he had placed in front of him.

The banner above the store was also striking, and the Warriors in front of the stall kept looking up at it, almost as if they sought to find inspiration regarding some topic. In bold, flourishing letters, it read, "Mad Doctor Association."

A minute later, the man behind the stall finally stood up, and when he spoke, pin drop silence appeared in the area.

"Alright. Another half hour has passed, and it is time to accept five more members. The five who give me the best reasons behind them wanting to join will get the offer, along with 50 Ker Gems."

Those last three words made the eyes of the two who had arrived shine, and they hastened forward to join the crowd, too.

Yet, they didn't know what to say, but soon, they got a few clues.

"The Mad Doctor is… Handsome!"

"The Mad Doctor is kind! He healed me for free!"

"The Mad Doctor is insanely talented! He is my role model!"

"The Mad Doctor is…"

All kinds of statements in this form started being flung out, with one being more 'creative' than the one before. It looked like all of those who had been waiting had thought about what they wanted to say, and after they were done giving their statements, the two who newly arrived also fumbled and finally came up with something.

"The Mad Doctor is… Patient!"

"His clothing sense is awesome!"

Many statements had been said, but these two took the cake if there was a competition in how absurd they sounded. The Mad Doctor was publicly known for his impatience, and he wore the same simple garb every day.

The others started to chuckle as they heard them, yet, the man behind the stall suddenly stood up and said, "Both of you, enter. You are right. The Mad Doctor is extremely patient in his madness – in fact, it is this patience to be impatient that allows him to harness the power of madness to be one of the strongest Champions in the sect. His clothing sense also displays his grasp of the world – he wears the same grey clothes, every day, and they represent the bleakness of life which he wishes to drive away for all those who take him as their leader."

"…"

'What the &^$&)&^ kind of bullsh*t is this?!'

Along with thoughts like these, expressions of shock appeared on all those who waited, and they stared at the one behind the stall as if he was the one who was mad. Yet, his statements had just the right amount of logic that they seemed intellectual, even though it was obvious that they were also the ravings of someone who was insane.

The infiltrator, though, got a glint in his eyes as he saw this.

Along with the two, three others who had also given 'creative' statements were chosen, and as the rest watched with angry and even jealous expressions, the pile of Ker Gems was delved into in order to award them, as promised.

"Welcome to the Mad Doctor Association! Let me tell you how this came to be. The other day, I wanted to see how difficult it would be to get into the profession of Healing on a whim, and I took the assignment to tend to the Mad Doctor's needs. Imagine my shock when I saw him! The incredible manner in which he was still alive even though anyone else would have been dead had they been injured in the same way enthralled me, and made me rethink everything in my life. It was the moment when I was wiping the blood off of his slowly regenerating body that I had an epiphany, and made a decision. He is the God of healing of our present age! He should be revered, and we should all take inspiration from him! We should be honored to be in the same Sect as him! This is why I made this association, and its only purpose is to make sure that his dignity is preserved, here, and in the whole of Angaria! The healer says that he is in a coma and that no one knows when he will break out from it, but if we try hard enough, I believe that we might be able to do something to help him! Well, this part is ambitious, and the healers called me crazy, but I will still try! All of those who wish to try with me will get these Ker Gems! If you want the chance again, then think more, and wait!"

The moment he was done talking, he spoke in a hushed tone with the five who were selected, and they all smiled and left. After that, the man resumed his position from before, and those milling around began to scrunch up their eyebrows and begin to think, again.

On the other side of the path, the newcomer kept his gaze on the one who had spoken up for a few moments before smiling slightly and turning around to leave.

What he didn't know… Was that he was also being watched, yet there was no way that he could have found out about this.

Of course, it was by the system.

[Target had an expression that has a high probability of being the one which appears on one's face when they have made a decision regarding something. Target has left area of surveillance.]

As soon as Daneel got this message from the system, he couldn't help but smile inwardly, but he remained stoic on the outside as he had to keep up the appearance of the cool and confident founder of the Association which everyone wanted to join.

This plan had been based around the fact that Percy had been the first to be approached by the Church, and from his conversation with him, Daneel had found out that at that time, he had been going around vehemently supporting the Mad Doctor.

He had clearly been able to figure out the Church's thought process behind this – they would want to find someone who was a supporter of the man, so that they would be able to get easy access that would hopefully not be as supervised.

Any task would always be carried out better by someone who wanted to do it, rather than someone who was forced to. That was also the Church's motive behind approaching Percy – they had thought that he would want to do it, but they couldn't have known that he was just putting up an act.

By imitating what he had done and taking it up a notch, Daneel had made a scenario where there was quite a high probability of him being approached, and it looked like he had succeeded.

Well, time would tell.

For three more hours, Daneel sat in the stall and suffered through more and more creative statements. He kept giving illogical explanation, and he found out that he was quite good at that, even though he didn't know where he had acquired this skill.

Finally, after the pile of Ker Gems that were a part of what had been accumulated by Vance with so much effort were completely depleted, he trudged to his dorm and instantly did something in preparation for the arrival of the one from the Church.

He split his consciousness again, and took control of Vance's original body instead of using a camouflage spell, as it would be the dumbest thing he could do to allow that…thing by the Church to invade his own body.

Daneel didn't have to wait long. It looked like that guy had been following him, as there was a knock on the door not even a few minutes after he was done with this.

Bracing himself for the excruciating feeling that Percy had described quite vividly, Daneel opened the door, which led to the newcomer giving the same excuse as he had done before when he targeted Percy.

And of course, as soon as the door closed, he shot that thing toward Daneel. It was 10 times more painful than Daneel had imagined, as there was just something so visceral about feeling a bug-like creature crawling through one's bloodstream and arriving at their mind while destroying everything in its path.

Finally, after it was done, he spoke up.

"Don't panic. That's just a-"

Daneel had no intention to listen to the whole thing again, so he immediately shouted, "How dare you! I'm an avid supporter of the Mad Doctor! If you even dream about hurting me, he will take revenge for me as soon as he is awake!"

The newcomer paused and looked at him with surprise as he shorted this, and that expression of surprise was followed by a smile as he realized that he had come to the right place.

"You mistake me. I am a secret supporter of a secret organization that also has the same purpose as yours, and this was only a precaution to make sure that you are not some enemy in hiding who might be a threat to the man we all admire. He does have a lot of enemies, you know."

Oh? It looked like the methods of the Church had also changed.

Nodding profusely, Daneel said, "Of course! Those cretins! That Ashahell should be put to death for what he did! But how can I believe you?"

In response, the one from the Church did something that Daneel couldn't have expected, and this made it clear that whoever this was was also quite smart, and that they shouldn't be underestimated.

He held up a display trinket, and as it was activated, the exchange between him and Percy that had happened before where Percy had agreed to help the Mad Doctor was played.

"I started this along with Percy, but he was attacked by the enemy, who knows that him succeeding will result in our Saviour awakening before they want him to."

After thinking for a bit, Daneel shouted with wide-open eyes, "You have a method to wake me up?!"

"Of course! Here it is…"

Seeing so, he took out a small trinket that was shaped like a pyramid with golden, shining sides.

"This is a trinket that I found in an inheritance site that I did not tell anyone about. It is supposed to be able to awaken anyone in a Coma, and it's a Warrior-level trinket. The Hero watching the Mad Doctor is an enemy, though, and there is a formation that scans all trinkets. The rule is that all Warrior-level trinkets are forbidden, so I am looking for a way to sneak this in. If you agree to take that responsibility, I will find someone else to deactivate the formation, which will be quite difficult. It is the main reason behind this being delayed for so long, though…"

As the man from the Church vented his frustration in this way, Daneel almost smiled as he had found all the answers he was looking for.

Right now, he needed to find a way to change the trinket, though, or at least study it to see what it did. For this, he knew that he would have to suggest some way to sneak it in without having to deactivate the formation.

Thinking hard, Daneel tried to come up with an idea for this. After a few moments, he suddenly remembered a scene from one of the movies he had seen back on Earth because the kids from the orphanage had insisted that they wanted to see it.

In it, a gun had been dismantled to sneak it onto a plane, and instantly, Daneel knew what he had to say.

"Have you tried dismantling it into multiple Human-level trinkets and then assembling it into a Warrior-level one on the inside?", he asked, and the infiltrator's eyes instantly lit up.

He knew that this was the best moment, so Daneel decided to strike when the iron was hot.

"I am a formation master, so if you give me the designs, I can try and make it happen. How about that?"

As Daneel said this, he could almost hear the gears in the mind of the infiltrator turning.

Indeed, the man loved the idea.

Both of them who had been stationed on Angaria had no idea about formations, and requesting someone from the Mainland to take a look would take too long.

Instead, why not use this guy? Even if he saw the designs and suspected something, he would be killed afterwards, anyway. Besides, the designs were so complex that anyone would only be able to maybe take them apart in that way, but no formation master even at the Warrior level on Angaria would not be able to modify them in any manner.

With a smile, he made the decision to go ahead with it and he handed over the trinket, and as he did so, he saw the flash of happiness that crossed Vance's face.

Taking it as joy due to the fact that the man would be saving his 'Savior', he rejoiced as it looked like he would finally be able to finish his mission.

Chapter 691: The First Step End

After handing over the trinket and once again going through all the same warnings that he had given to Percy before, albeit, in a lighter tone, the newcomer left after saying that he would contact Daneel when the time was right.

Even though he didn't mention it outright, Daneel knew that he was probably referring to the distraction for the Hero, because even if Daneel managed to sneak the trinket in, the Hero would be watching each and every movement of his. This meant that something had to be done to either pull the Hero away or draw away his attention for at least a second, and this was almost definitely what the man had left to put in place.

With a more serious but satisfied expression on his face, Daneel sat on the bed and asked the system to scan the trinket, following which he got the message that it would take a little bit of time as even though it was at the Warrior level, whoever had made this had managed to cram quite a lot of things into the trinket which meant that a very advanced formation master had definitely worked on it.

That was to be expected from the Church, so Daneel took the brief respite to think about the actions of his opponent.

He had picked up this habit of studying his opponent's every move and trying to glean things about them from them, and regarding this opponent, Daneel realized that there was a sort of… Arrogance that was on display.

To be more accurate, it was the lack of cautiousness, which had led to the man easily giving away the trinket to Daneel, almost as if it didn't have too much value.

Perhaps… That was the truth.

Daneel thought for a bit and also found one other reason for this behavior – the stakes.

In this situation, the stakes were quite low for the Church. Even if this trinket was lost, the man could simply find another avenue to get what he needed done. It was different for Daneel, though – the stakes were very high for him, as he definitely needed their plans to be delayed because he wanted to pass the test before it changed to something that he didn't know about and couldn't manipulate.

Overall, this meant that the Church could afford to be a bit loose in their actions, but that was definitely not the case for Daneel.

Also, the Church could never have expected that he would be something like the system which was basically a high-performance computer that could analyze almost anything. Hence, as Daneel was just a Warrior, the man from the Church must have thought that there would be no way for him to analyze and find out more about the trinket, whereas the truth was that Daneel was equipped with far more resources than any Warrior in the history of the continent.

A few moments later, Daneel got the answer from the system.

[Trinket analyzed. New style of formations added to the database – requires higher skill, but allows greater efficiency. The same formation that is inscribed with this style will result in a 10 to 20% increase in efficiency and power, depending on the type of formation.]

Daneel's eyebrows raised as he heard this, but he had to admit that he should have expected it.

The Church was from an advanced place where Daneel probably couldn't even imagine how things were, so it had to make sense that even the most basic things would be more advanced than what was present here.

Another thing to be considered was that this couldn't be compared with the Empire, either – many millennia had passed since the age of the Empire, and over all that time, it was possible that the Mainland had progressed, whereas Angaria had had to go through a 'reset'.

Yet, from what was happening on Earth, Daneel knew that even though many people thought that technology would steadily improve for as long as a civilization existed, that was not the truth, and that there was definitely a possibility that on Earth, the rapid advance in technology that was prevalent in the 21st century might soon either grind to a halt, or slow down to a very negligible pace. Barring inconceivable things such as advanced civilizations coming to Earth, this was even predicted to happen, and Daneel had been quite interested in this back when he had been on Earth, which had led to him reading up on it and now possessing knowledge regarding it.

In simpler terms, this formation style was like comparing cursive handwriting to a non-cursive one. In many cases, the former might be harder to master but it could be faster, whereas even though the latter was simpler and easier to adopt, it might result in the overall speed being slower.

Quite impressed with this gain that he had gotten without even working too hard for it, Daneel progressed to the other part of the message.

[Purpose of the formation is to imbue the essence of a material that is present inside into it in the quickest time possible. Inside the trinket, there is a ball-shaped, white organic material present which cannot be found in the records of flora and fauna of Angaria. This suggests that this material has been imported from a different area. The trinket itself is dispensable, and it is made of relatively cheap materials. This leads to a high probability that the entire value of the trinket is present in the object in the middle.]

A fruit of some sort that was not present on Angaria?

With this, Daneel understood the plan of the Church perfectly.

Clearly, that fruit was some sort of drug that would accelerate the awakening of the Mad Doctor and also give him more power, but this… Presented a problem.

Daneel's plan had been to somehow change something in the method that the Church was going to employ to increase the recovery time of the Mad Doctor, instead of decreasing it.

Holding his breath, he asked the system whether this was possible.

[Unable to draw a conclusion with present data. Trinket and object must be tested.]

Disappointment and frustration appeared in Daneel's face as soon as he heard this as there was only one trinket, and there was no way that he could just use it on someone in order to test it and still manage to convince the one from the Church that it had been an accident. True, the Church wasn't too cautious, but they were also not dumb enough to let something like that slide without getting suspicious.

Almost as if the purpose behind only sending that message had been to troll him, the system continued after giving a pause.

[Due to the method of delivery, system has determined that only 80% of the essence of the object has been set to be delivered into the target. With a few modifications, the remaining 20% can be used for testing. Trinket is also set to self-destruct after usage, or if it enters anyone else's hands, so there will be no sign of the testing.]

Not for the first time, Daneel wondered whether the system had a personality that loved to see him in situations like these.

However, this was absurd, and the truth was probably that it had only been a pause during which further analysis had been done which had led to this answer.

Putting all of this out of his mind, he prepared to begin testing to find a way to make what he wanted happen.

…

Two days later, the newcomer, who was going by the name Jeremiah, had a wide smile on his face while he marched down the path to the dorm where he would meet the secret weapon that he had recruited so that he could finally finish this task that had been delayed so much.

He was really proud of himself that he had decided to go along with the plan to put the other things in place, while looking for some way to sneak in the trinket, and find someone to do it. He couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of the idea that had been given by that crazy guy, but he still decided to take credit for it when the time came to send the report to the Mainland, as it had been his idea to go to that guy in the first place despite his craziness. He was also the one who was cleverly manipulating him to accomplish what he wished, so he found nothing wrong in it.

He reached the dorm to find that the crazy guy was waiting for him after hiding the trinket under his bed, and when he said that everything was ready, he saw the glow that appeared on his face.

Yes, this was definitely the best person for this job. Hell, after it was done, he might even consider just wiping his memories instead of killing him, even though the former would require him to put in a little bit more effort.

"Calm down, and listen carefully. All you need to do is use the pointy end to break the skin of our Saviour for a second. A full second, no more, no less. Got it? I can't enter along with you because they would be extra careful if I was there, but I will send a communication eye with you that you can simply take inside by saying that you want to take back a recording to inspire others. I expect they'll not have any problem with that. The problem is the Hero, but you'll know when to go ahead. The Hero will be distracted, and because all you need is a second, just wait for the opportunity and don't miss it. Understood?"

The crazy guy nodded profusely, but still, he decided to repeat it one last time.

"Remember, one second, not more, not less. The inheritance site said that this should be the method, and anything else might result in adverse effects."

One second was the perfect time that had been calculated to make the awakening happen in two weeks, and allowing the trinket to be in contact more would result in the awakening time drastically increasing. Even though he knew this, he saw no need to explain it, so he just used this method, knowing that it would be effective.

As expected, an expression of horror appeared on the crazy guy's face as he heard this, and a second later, he nodded even harder and said, "Leave it to me. I will not make a single mistake. I value the Saviour's life over my own, because he enabled me to find purpose and direction."

This guy reminded the man from the church of a very dangerous group back in the mainland who crazily believed in Saint Rectitude and were even ready to kill themselves in his name, and this made him shudder, as that group was quite terrifying.

Adoration was like a drug that could take hold in the most baffling of ways, and this was why he didn't suspect this sudden change in this guy's behavior, even though he had apparently been trying to not draw any attention to himself until now.

Putting it out of his mind, he said, "Alright, then. Let's go. Just join the next shift."

Giving the communication eye, Jeremiah left to his own dorm room and switched on the display trinket connected to the eye while he waited.

The eye was set to be active no matter what was happening, and he watched as the crazy guy went to the job area and then got assigned to the job to tend to the Mad Doctor.

An hour later, he found himself outside the room, and this was when he saw that the crazy guy had been quite effective in carrying out his plan – he had smuggled the parts of the trinket into the pockets of the other two people who had also signed up, and as soon as they entered the area where the Mad Doctor was being held, he took them back.

This made him wonder whether he was some kind of pickpocket, but thinking that this was probably just a skill he had picked up during his time in the Central Continent, which he had read about in the backup check that he had done, he put it aside, as it was showtime.

After waiting for a few minutes, the time finally came when it was the crazy guy's turn to mop the rotten blood off the Mad Doctor's recovering wound.

Now was the chance. Picking up a trinket, he pressed the button on it, and a few seconds later, a loud sound made the entire Sect of Hedon shake.

The reason…was that a devastating Hero-level attack had just been launched at the formation that protected the Sect of Hedon.

With excitement on his face, the man looked at the display trinket and watched as the Hero who was present instantly stood up and checked on everyone in the room for a moment before disappearing. He was the only Hero in the Sect, so he had to go and check whether there was an all-out attack.

This was the moment! The crazy guy had recognized it, and he instantly pulled the trinket out of his pocket which he had already assembled before thrusting it into the hand of the Mad Doctor, which was the spot that was closest to him.

"Yes!"

Success! With an exulted expression on his face, the man from the Church got up and almost whooped in the air, looking forward to the rewards he would be receiving for completing the task.

Yet, that…was when something changed.

The sect member behind the crazy guy, who had been waiting to hand over a fresh set of bandages chose just that moment to step forward, and as he did so, he…stumbled, and bumped into the crazy guy.

The minimum time was one second, and for that amount of time, the trinket was also designed to latch onto the target so that there would be a lesser chance of things going wrong.

Only, this worked in the wrong way, now, as it led to the crazy guy losing his grip and falling to the floor with the other sect member landing on top of him.

As the man from the Church looked on with growing disbelief on his face, the seconds ticked on, during which the crazy guy scrambled to get up to take back the trinket.

1, 2, 3…4.

4 seconds.

For 4 seconds, the trinket continued pumping the drug, and by the time the crazy guy finally managed to pluck it away and hide it in his pocket, the man from the Church already had his head in his hands and he was shaking it in denial.

4 seconds…meant 8 weeks! Instead of two weeks, it had been changed to 8! Dammit! And here he had thought that everything would go perfectly!

Even as he cursed, he missed the silent smirk that flashed across the King of Lanthanor's face before he put on a completely appalled look, as if he was horrified because of what had happened.

Of course, on the inside, he was rejoicing, as the mission…was a grand success.

All it had needed was a simple deployment of the skill he had picked up long ago: Mageroot-less telekinesis, which he had already used once to great effect. In the communication eye, it would look as if the sect member stumbling was a coincidence that had occurred due to the panic of hearing the loud sound, whereas, in reality, it had all been staged. Of course, even the 4 seconds had been discovered after testing as the best time to both extend the duration before the awakening, and to not make it seem as if everything was a bit too fake.

With joy bubbling up inside Daneel, he made a mental tick appear next to the words 'First Step' in his mind, and prepared to tackle the rest with gusto.

Chapter 692: Madam Elle

Outside the Sect of Hedon, the Head and a few others were standing at a spot where the air looked like it was burning.

Indeed, this was such a strange sight that it would cause anyone to be struck speechless, but occasionally, a transparent dome appeared and disappeared at the spot where this incongruity was visible.

Gazing at it, the Head had a very grave expression on his face, and as for the two behind him, they could also only keep looking at the fire as if they had no means to stop it.

However, a second later, the Head simply flicked his fingers, and the fire was enclosed in shining ice that almost looked like it was made of the same material as diamonds rather than simple water that had been solidified. The strange thing was that this fire did not seem to stop burning even though it was trapped in that icy enclosure, and it looked as if the Head was surprised by this, too, as he raised an eyebrow and then flicked his fingers again to make the entire ice vanish, making it take the fire along with it.

Turning around to address those behind him, he said, "I've taken that thing to my private research area… There are records of this kind of fire from the Empire, but this one seems to be more potent than what was mentioned in them. Well, it would make sense for the Mainland to have progressed while we could only go in the opposite direction, but I want to find out the reason behind this attack. Have you two noticed anything out of the ordinary?"

Among the two, one was the same cloaked man who had been stationed in the room with the Mad Doctor, and it was obvious that this was a clone, as it occasionally shimmered when the light fell on it.

As for the other, it was a woman, and she was actually wearing a cloak exactly like the one that Daneel and the others had seen when they had gone to the Eternal Blossom sect. The only difference was that the flowers on her's were wilting and being reborn at a much faster pace, so much so that just the span of a single blink would result in a full cycle being finished.

This made for a pretty strange sight that would cause anyone to wonder why someone was possibly wasting energy to make this happen just for the purpose of letting others see so that they could attract attention, but it did not look as if the others had any intention of saying anything like this, as they looked at her with extreme seriousness when she spoke.

"None, from my end. I was watching everything idly, and out of the blue, the attack appeared from a spot on the shore. I judged the strength of the attack to be weaker than what is required to break the barrier of any sect, so I went after the source, but they used some sort of one-time advanced obfuscation formation to erase all signs of their passing. A single whiff would have been enough to formulate a spell to pinpoint the location, but it looked like they were prepared for that, as the formation they used is one that requires a very costly resource that is also only listed in the records of the Empire."

The woman looked as if she was speaking calmly, but her fluctuating emotions could actually be seen in the rate of the wilting and rebirth of the flowers on her dress. Initially, they sped up, and in a single blink, three or four cycles would already have passed. Yet, towards the end, it looked as if she had managed to calm herself by putting in some effort, as the rate slowed down to match what Daneel and the others had seen before.

Nodding, the Head said, "You? Anything inside the sect?"

After thinking for a bit, the other man replied, "None. Just to be safe, I went through the memories of all those who were present in that room when the attack struck, and I also checked all the records of the formations throughout the sect. There was nothing out of the ordinary, at all. I even checked our resident patient, and except for signs that his condition might actually be getting better, there is nothing else."

That last part was said casually, but it caught the Head's interest.

"He's getting better? Really? The report just a few days back said that he was stabilized and would not see much improvement anytime soon, right?"

Nodding, the man replied, "Yes, even the healer was perplexed, but she said that this happens occasionally. It is supposed to be completely random, and it was actually out of the ordinary that the initial estimate that he would slowly get better had changed to one that said that he would not have woken up for at least a year."

Indeed, initially, the healer had claimed that it was just a normal recovery coma which would soon abate. Later, though, that condition changed, and it now seemed to have changed back.

Typically, the Head would not have paid much import to this, but something told him that there must be some reason behind this random attack from the Church which had laid low for so long. It could be that it was just a testing attack to see how they would respond, and the Head wondered whether he was reading too much into a situation where there might be nothing. Yet, that feeling of something crawling up his spine wouldn't leave, so he said, "Double the surveillance on all-important locations. I feel that something might be wrong, but I just can't pinpoint what that is."

In response, it was the woman who spoke up with an angry tone, which was also reflected in her cloak again.

"Yes, I was going to suggest is the same. If they even dare to try to the same thing again, I've already found a way to bypass their obfuscation formation in case they use the same one again. The Eternal Blossom… shall see the Church wilt and perish, no matter what it takes."

A stifling atmosphere appeared in the area as soon as the woman said that last part, and faint sweat even appeared on the Head's forehead.

Coughing, he said, "That's right, Madam Elle."

As soon as she heard said this, the woman seemed to have realized what the matter was, but she just nodded and teleported away.

Seeing her leave in this manner, the other man said, "Head, I still don't understand why you act so subservient near those from the Eternal Blossoms sect. I know I'm not supposed to ask about things like these as I'm just a new Hero, but…"

The rest of what the man had been about to say was suddenly cut off as the Head turned to him and locked onto his eyes with a gaze more serious than any he had seen from the man.

Yet, after a moment, it softened and the Head said, "Yes, you're a new Hero, and you haven't witnessed the terror of those who walk the path of Life and Death. Do you know that if she goes all out, she has a 50% chance of killing those even an entire level higher than her? Even though she is just an Amateur Hero, she might very well be able to strike down an Exalted one. That is something even I cannot do without the help of the formations of old."

The man took a step back in the air as he heard this, as he couldn't believe what the Head was saying. A full level? And that too in the Hero realm? This was something completely unheard of even when one was just talking of Champions and Warriors, but being able to do that when one was a hero…was something to be truly admired, and even feared.

Yet, wasn't it a bit too overpowered?

As soon as this question popped into his mind, the Head continued.

"The downside… Is that there is also a 50% probability of her killing herself when she uses such an attack. There is also a 20% chance that she will die when she engages in her next training session, and even though I do not know the exact number, there is also a non-trivial chance that she might have shriveled up and died right in front of our eyes even when she was talking to us. Such is the path of Life and Death. It is so perilous that those who trained in it during the age of the Empire were known to be only the ones who had become completely deranged, and even though that man who pioneered it was said to have found ways to work around the drawbacks, it is still a fact that it is extremely risky, and it is only for those who have no care for death. Such bravery… Deserves to be respected. Do not speak of this to anyone, ever again. Understood?"

Even as the Hero began to profusely nod as he heard this, in the sect that was behind them, Daneel's eyes were completely red as he grabbed the shoulders of the man from the Church, who had a very irritated expression on his face.

"PLEASE TELL ME NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE SAVIOUR! I'LL GO KILL THAT IDIOT WHO FELL ON ME!"

They had just been interrogated by the Hero who had been stationed in the room, and even though he had used a spell to go through their memories, he hadn't found anything due to a one-time use trinket apparently made from Ker Roots that had been given to Daneel right before he had embarked on the mission. He had been told to sneak copies of that trinket which was shaped like a button into the pockets of the others, too, and he had done so, which led to no suspicion arising, as everyone swore that they had only seen the two of them fall. Daneel had had the system scan the trinket and save the formation to analyze it later, but, at the moment, he had to finish his act.

For a moment, the man from the Church held his silence, but after that, he shrugged as if he had made a decision.

"It's all right. It should have been 2 weeks, but it's 8 now. You did well. Here…is your reward."

Saying so, the newcomer tapped Daneel's forehead, following which Daneel took the queue and retreated his consciousness to the back of Vance's mind, whose body he was inhabiting.

While Daneel watched like a spectator, the man from the Church cast a Mind Control spell in a unique method: he simply chose a 'concept' or an 'idea', which was, in this case, their conversations and the trinket and the mission, and he ordered Vance's consciousness to forget all instances of it. It worked beautifully, and soon, the man from the Church left, satisfied.

So the gift was just to spare Vance's life?

Daneel was happy with it, though, as he had been prepared to lose this part and suffer the pain that would result from it. Thankfully, he managed to rejoin it with his main one, and he happily left the sect after Mind Controlling Vance to continue the operations of the Association so that suspicion wouldn't arise.

During all this time, Daneel had already been planning the strategy to tackle the next step.

The next step was that he had to find someone with the Hidden Bloodline of the Shapeshifter so that he could use their blood to take the Bloodline, but the problem…was that Daneel had no idea how to do so.

The best way was to look for that place that Cassandra had discovered in her memories, but sadly, it looked like it was eluding her, as Daneel had already contacted her and heard her vent with frustration.

He couldn't think of a way to help that search, so he had to look for a different method.

The only other clue…was the condition that had to be fulfilled for one to Awaken the Bloodline of the Shapeshifter, just like Cassandra had done with hers.

This condition was weird, but in a way, it made sense.

Shapeshifters were basically those who should be able to don any identity they wished, at any time. Hence…the condition was that one should acquire the ability to do so.

Someone who could change their identity at will…

As Daneel thought about this, a single word appeared in his mind.

'Conman'.

Indeed, a conman was one who would have to be able to use different identities to carry out their cons, and the best in the field were also supposed to be able to change gender if they wished.

Well, this was a start. There was no way to find whether someone had a Hidden Bloodline except by testing their blood, so Daneel decided to use a brute-force method: the objective of that village seemed to be that it wanted to place Hidden Bloodline possessors in situations where they could Awaken their Bloodline, and if that was true, then it was possible that a top conman could be in possession of it.

So…he decided to go after them all.

And for this, after much thought, Daneel had come to a decision.

He, the King of Lanthanor, Leader of the Alliance and Legacy Disciple of the Fortress of Unyielding Might…was going to become a conman, and a thief, who would be targeting the wealthiest institution in the continent: the Bank of Angaria.

Chapter 693: Hidden Bloodline: Shapeshifter 1

One week later.

In the Black Raven Kingdom, in an unmarked street that was so deserted that it looked as if it hadn't had footfall for decades.

The street was filled with shops and houses that were all shuttered up, and there was a general sloppiness to the area that made it seem as if whoever had fled from here had done so in a hurry.

The street was quite famous in the surrounding area for once housing an organization, of sorts, which had, at that point, been one of the strongest and most mysterious in the entire continent. Anyone who found out about it would find themselves abducted and then killed, and all those who sought to do business with them would arrive wearing masks to cover their identity. Yet, it was whispered that no matter what masks anyone used, the organization had a method to discover who they were, and they even used that information as a bargaining chip if needed.

Below that street, even though it looked as if no one had inhabited it for a very long time, there was an area that could only be gotten to using an underground entrance and a pathway that had actually been set to be demolished, but had not met its fate because of the fact that the one who had been sent to do so, had been greedy and had not wanted all of the effort that had gone into constructing such an elaborate underground area to go to waste.

He had seen an opportunity, and he had let it remain, and to this day, he had never had to regret that action. Instead, it had actually slowly evolved into an area that was quite similar to what it had been before, and this was seen as quite an interesting irony by those who knew the reality of what used to go on here.

In that path, there were multiple doors on both sides, and in one of them, there were three people seated around a table.

They were playing a simple game of chance, with the objective being that the one who could accurately guess the side two dice would show after being shaken would be the one who would win all the money that was being placed for betting.

'Fighters only,' it said on a plank which hung outside that door, and all of the three appeared to fit the brief. Although they didn't have rippling muscles that were too huge to even fit into normal clothes, what each of them did have was an agile powerhouse of a body that could definitely do any task that was given to it.

There was a fourth man, and he was the dealer. In his hands was a round bowl made of glass, and inside it, two dice were swirling around as he had artfully moved the bowl all over the place with just one palm covering its opening, making clear that this was something that he did every day.

When he was finally done, he placed the ball on the table, but because of the way he had been swirling the bowl, the dice kept rolling around while being watched carefully by all three who were present. The bowl was transparent to make it clear that there was no manipulation being done, as the dice would never leave the sight of the players.

After a few seconds, the dice finally fell to the surface to show the numbers six and four, seeing which one of the men in the room exclaimed, "It's my lucky day! Ha ha!" Before swooping forward with his hands to drag all the money that was on the table to his side.

As he did so, among the other two, one of them had a frustrated expression on his face as he began to curse the bad luck that had struck him today.

Yet, the other looked as if he was considering something, and after a moment, he got an expression as if he had made a decision.

In a movement that was too quick to follow by anyone who wasn't at least an Exalted Human, the man stood up and pulled out a knife from his bare skin. All weapons were forbidden in this room, but he had somehow sneaked one in.

Even before anyone could react and scream to call the guards who were standing outside, the knife smoothly went into the forehead of the dealer, and while the dealer fell to the floor, the man lunged on top of him and followed him on the way down while making swift motions with the knife.

By the time the dealer hit the floor, the man had already dug out a blob of flesh that was dripping blood, and it was glowing faintly as if there was some kind of light inside it.

"A Mageroot. I knew it. So he was using a camouflage spell? Well, this guy was sloppy in actually mimicking the real dealer, because that guy has a notorious addiction to alcohol… Each time we played, I would always notice him glancing at our glasses of wine, but this one seemed immune to it. I guess I was right."

Saying this almost to himself, the man caressed that grotesque blob in his hand before finally crushing it and setting his eyes on the one who had exclaimed with joy before.

"Now then… How shall we settle this, my dear friend? Don't even think about trying to kill me, as I can send a message and make all of this public before even the first blow lands. After that, I'll see from the afterlife how your gambling business continues…"

A few minutes later, this man found himself happily whistling a tune while walking along the road parallel to the abandoned street. His pockets were flush with gold coins and Ether blocks that had been given in order to keep his mouth shut regarding the taboo behind cheating which had been broken in that room, and as he casually kept looking in different directions, no one would have been able to guess that he was actually keeping track of two men who had been sent to follow him to kill him later on so that he would never talk to anyone, ever again.

Yet, this man had a way of walking that allowed him to weave and bob into and out of crowds, as a result of which he was soon out of the sight of these two, and even a third tracker who had been sent after the man in the room had found out that the first two were facing difficulties.

After ensuring that he had succeeded, the man headed to a room in one of the many inns in the capital of the Black Raven Kingdom, where he opened the door to find someone who looked exactly like him.

Taking off the trinket that had melted into the skin of his chest, he allowed his real appearance to be shown.

He had blue, striking eyes that would captivate anyone who looked into them, and as he stretched his back which he had kept bent until now under the thick coat to hide the fact that he was actually taller than the one he was impersonating, it turned out that he stood at least 6 feet tall.

His features were such that he would have stood out no matter where he was, and there was also a general sense of mischief about him, as if he was always up to something. This was most prominent in his eyes, which sparkled like those of a trickster.

Throwing almost all of the gold coins and Ether blocks onto the table in the room except for a few, he said, "It's done. You should have seen their faces… you're not known to be very smart, though, but I don't think there'll be any problems. Just make sure you're not around."

Seeing the large pile of treasure in front of him, the eyes of the man inside the room widened before he said, "I can't believe those guys were cheating me for so long! To think that they even let me win a few times to make me believe that I could keep going back for the chance to win all of my losses back…"

Chuckling, the one in front of him said, "That's their strategy! The whole appeal of gambling is that if you win a little, it will make you feel invincible, no matter how much you lose, to make you keep putting in money. They switch around the dealers using a camouflage spell exactly like the one that is in this handy trinket of mine."

Looking up at him, the other man said, "I was never able to notice anything! Anyway, time is short. Thank you for everything, Lan."

Waving his hand, the one who had just been called Lan said, "Don't mention it, I've fully taken my payment. You helped me out in the city when I first came here, and I don't forget my debts. How could I stand to the side after finding out that you were knee-deep in debt due to these random fools? Where are you headed, by the way?"

After thinking for a bit, the man said, "Eldinor, maybe. I have a few relatives over there."

As soon as he heard this, Lan leaned forward and said, "That's great! Here, take this communication trinket. If you ever find a trinket that can cast an advanced camouflage spell, then contact me. It is exactly the thing I need to take my…ahem, services to the next level. I heard from someone that advanced levels can even change the make-up of a body to make you taller or shorter if needed. This one only changes the surface appearance. I have nothing to complain, though, as even this is rare."

The man's eyes lingered on the trinket in Lan's hand as he heard this, so he couldn't help but ask, "Yes, I had never heard that something like this was even possible… Where did you get it?"

In response, Lan looked around as if he could never be sure that there wasn't anyone around, and then finally answered, "The Tricobra Society. You know, the one that hastily left all those years ago, on the day when the Church incident happened in Lanthanor. Many say that those two are connected, but what I found out is that these guys were using the distraction caused by the Church to stay here, and with the Church being beaten back, they had to leave, too. I don't know who was beating who, and where they went, so don't ask me. They did say they would be back, though. Well, enough chit chat. Get going."

Nodding and getting a worried expression on his face, the man got up and packed up the valuables before leaving the room after thanking Lan one last time.

With a sigh, Lan prepared to use the communication trinket on the wall of the room to ask for dinner to be brought up, but he paused as he suddenly felt something.

His entire body tensed up, and in a flash, he turned around and threw a knife at the door.

It looked like that spot was empty, but the moment before it passed…the knife suddenly ground to a halt, and a man wearing a grey-colored cloak that hid his face appeared.

"Lan. Just Lan? No matter how much I searched, I couldn't find a last name. Is this the trinket that you are looking for?"

Saying so, the man threw a trinket shaped like a coin with a button toward Lan, who caught it with wide-open eyes as he had seen it before.

The moment he caught it instinctively, a needle suddenly appeared from the trinket and pricked his finger, following which a tiny droplet of blood dripped to the floor.

The moment before it hit the floor, the tiniest fragment of that droplet of blood was suddenly whisked away by a spell, and a second later, a voice appeared in the cloaked man's mind which made him smile with the happiness of one who had found water after searching for it for days, parched and desperate, in an empty desert.

[Blood analyzed. Hidden Bloodline: Shapeshifter detected. Concentration: Low. Chance of Awakening: Low.]

Chapter 694: Hidden Bloodline: Shapeshifter 2

Lan couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at the trinket in his hand, which was exactly how it had been described in a book that he had read in the library of the Black Raven Kingdom.

These trinkets were supposed to have existed long ago, and it was only after a lot of research that he had found that obscure reference that said that they would have the simple appearance of a coin with a button. All one needed to do was drop the blood of the one they wanted to be camouflaged as on it, and when they pressed the button, they would transform right away. Of course, it was an advanced spell, which meant that even the height and weight would change accordingly.

Lan almost wished that he could test it, but he stopped himself, as he knew that he was in a dangerous situation.

This man had managed to sneak up on him without tripping the many precautions that he had placed outside the room. This was something he always did no matter where he went – there were four layers of precautions, starting at the stairs. Over a long period of time, Lan had become accustomed to being able to hear and analyze each and every sound that he heard, so there was a tiny bell attached to a string that would be tripped whenever anyone entered this top floor corridor which only had his room. Even if someone managed to cross that, there was a small trinket placed under the floorboards which would be triggered if anyone walked on top of it, and after that, there was another trinket which was designed to detect the presence of an intruder by the airflow that would be disturbed by their arrival. Finally, at the door, there was one last trinket that would be triggered by the sound of rustling clothes that would definitely be given off by anyone, even if they had managed to somehow bypass all the others.

When that man from before had left, they had all been tripped one by one which had been a test to see whether they were all working fine. Yet, this man had not tripped anything, which meant that he was a very dangerous foe.

If he was a powerful Mage… With this much distance between them, Lan knew that his fate was sealed.

So, he slowly began moving towards the man in order to get closer to launch an attack. He had found that Mages were always vulnerable to such close range attacks which they couldn't react to because they didn't have the quick responses of a Fighter, and it had been this that he had always used to counter the dangerous situations that he always found himself in.

Yet, the moment he took a step forward, he found himself blocked by an invisible barrier.

Raising a hand, the man in the cloak said, "Just a precaution. I don't let anyone come near me. I'll get straight to the point. Treat the trinket as advance payment, and even if you reject me, you can keep it. I have a job that requires someone of your talents, and if you agree, I'm confident that you will become one of the richest individuals in the entire continent. Interested?"

Saying so, the man conjured a wooden chair out of thin air and sat on it, seeing which Lan couldn't help but feel warning bells go off in his head.

Anyone who could do this sort of thing was definitely a very skilled Mage, and as this dawned on him… Lan realized that his answer might very well decide the fate of his life.

Men like these would never take 'no' for an answer, and he wasn't prepared to gamble on the possibility that this one might be different.

"I'm interested. A job like that would be appealing to just about anyone… And there are many who are better than me in this business. Can I ask why you approached me?"

In response, the man chuckled and said, "There's no reason to be so humble. You are the best in the business of impersonating others, and I even saw it live, in action, in that room. You had, what, two days to shadow that guy and learn his every minute movement? Even then, you managed to pull it off almost perfectly. Now that… Is something rare, and I doubt that there are many better than you in that skill. May I ask where you've learned it? Oh, and sit, I don't want this to be formal."

As the man said so, another chair appeared right beside Lan, which he lowered himself into while saying, "I grew up in a place which required me to pick up the skill, or die. Let's just say that living on the street doesn't pay a lot, but impersonating the sons of those who are rich and privileged can go a long way in allowing a starving kid to get into places he would never have access to."

As the man's face was hidden behind the cloak, Lan couldn't tell what kind of expression he had, but in the way he leaned forward slightly, he understood that he was probably interested.

Also…the fact that he had been watched in that underground area without his knowledge made it clear that the power of this man was beyond anything he could imagine. Could it be…that he had even crossed the realm of Humans?

After a few seconds, the man interrupted Lan's thoughts and said, "Very well. Let me tell you about the job, then. Have you heard of the Bank of Angaria?"

Huh? Why was he asking about that?

"Of course, who hasn't?"

"Good. Let me give you some inside news, then, which no one else knows about. A prominent trade family is soon going to take out a large loan to build an orphanage for all the poor kids whose parents have either died, or have abandoned them in the entire Alliance. The Bank usually only gives out loans to those that it judges can repay it, and because of the respect that that family commands, there won't be any problem in the loan being approved. The family is also going to garner a lot of praise for embarking on this noble cause, and even the Bank's reputation will skyrocket because it is enabling them to do something so great. What do you think?"

The majority of Lan's mind was still occupied with finding a way to either get out of here or to attack this man, so there was only a part of him that had been paying attention to this news which seemed pretty normal. He didn't know how it concerned him, but he expected to find out soon.

So, he simply nodded and said, "I think it's precious information. What's the con? Is it to sell this information to other trade families so that they can take the opportunity to move faster to do the same thing? Or is it to sell this beforehand to all the organizations that can be contacted build the orphanage, so that they will be better equipped to put forth the proposals when it is time?"

As Lan said this, the man actually… burst out laughing and said, "Your thinking is too limited. I guess you forgot that I said that this would make you one of the richest men in Angaria. Try to think big."

This time, Lan took a few seconds and then answered, "Is it to steal the money on the way, then? It's risky, but with your power, it might be possible…"

In response, the man leaned back and said, "Close, but not close enough. That news… IS the con. We will be impersonating the family. We will be pushing the bank into giving the loan. And we will be taking all the money, for ourselves."

W-what?!

After staring at the man for a few seconds, Lan finally found his voice and said, "What about the orphanage, then?"

"There is none. It will all be fake. But it'll look real, and that is my job. As for yours… It will be to impersonate the individuals that we will need throughout this operation. There are many. Are you up for it?"

So… It was all a scam?

Lan couldn't be blamed for not directly reaching this conclusion, as something on this level had probably never been attempted in the known history of Angaria. There was a reason behind this, too, and it was that it would require a kind of power that could only be found in Mages who had progressed far enough on their path that they wouldn't need to do things like these to get resources for themselves. Even if they did, the amount they would be stealing would not justify the time that they would be spending on it, and this was common knowledge among everyone in this profession.

Unable to understand, Lan couldn't help but ask, "It's ambitious, and with your power, it might even work. But why? I know a bit about magic, and I can tell that you're at least a Warrior level mage. You can simply go to any kingdom and obtain a lot more than what we will get in this job. So… Why?"

Silence hung over the room as soon as Lan asked this, and he wondered whether he had overstepped his bounds. Was he going to be sliced into bits for his insolence?

Thankfully, the man spoke up to answer.

"Revenge. Do you know the incident that was publicly telecast where the King of Lanthanor defeated a Champion?"

Lan only nodded, which led the man to say, "At that time… One of those who were captured by the King is my partner, and for all I know, she's already dead. I am powerless to avenge her, as any outright attack would only spell my doom. So… I found this way to take revenge. That Bank is the brainchild of the King, and I know that he deeply loves each and every project of his. By doing this, I want the reputation of that Bank to plummet as it will become known for being so foolish as to lose money in this manner. Many more attempts will start to be made, and in the public, it will become a laughing stock. Let's get back to the point. Are you in, or not?"

As the man said this, it was clear that he had reached the end of his patience.

The temperature of the room started to heat up, and occasionally, fireballs even sprang into existence and disappeared in the blink of an eye, which was supposed to happen when a powerful Mage was angry.

Lan had seen many driven crazy by revenge. Besides, it was possible that this was actually a golden opportunity that might allow him to get all the money he needed to reach his goals.

Yet… It would be dangerous.

Only, playing with death was something that he did every day, so he shrugged and just decided to go with it. If he said no, he might just die anyway, so why not take the chance?

An image flashed into his mind the moment he made this decision, and he wasn't surprised, as it always appeared whenever he was going to embark on a dangerous job.

A blood-soaked street, a dying friend, and a whispered promise.

As he dispelled it and nodded, those fireballs and the heat disappeared, following which the man said, "Good."

"So who else will we be working with?", Lan asked, knowing that a massive job like this would definitely require a lot of people.

Yet, the response that was given made him widen his eyes with disbelief.

"No one. It's just you and me. I don't trust people easily, and I only want one other person on this thing so that I can keep a close eye on them. It should be easy, though, with your skills. You just have to perfectly impersonate, say, 10 different people. A piece of cake, right?

At first, Lan wondered whether the man was joking, but soon, he realized that was not the case.

Well, he had made his bed, and even if it turned out to be his grave, he would have to sleep on it.

This was probably going to be the hardest thing that he had ever done in his life, but he found that he was actually…looking forward to it. It would push his skills to the limit, and Lan had always liked challenges.

Because of the cloak, though, Lan didn't notice that the man in front of him was actually…laughing, silently, as the idea of scamming himself was a new level of scheming that he hadn't thought he would ever reach.

Chapter 695: Hidden Bloodline: Shapeshifter 23

After the brief moment of mirth that had come on due to that realization, Daneel stood up and stood to the side as he waited for Lan to pack up so that they could leave.

He had said that they had to go right away as this operation was time-sensitive, and Lan had agreed, as it wasn't like Daneel had given him much of a choice in the first place.

While he watched the man collect all the trinkets that he had placed as precautions to ensure that he wouldn't be intruded upon just as Daneel had done, though, the King of Lanthanor got a very grave expression on his face, as he actually wasn't very happy about the whole thing.

Although he had felt relief as he had managed to find the one with the Hidden Bloodline in a week after a lot of hard work during which he hadn't even slept a wink, the truth was that it was pretty disconcerting that he had managed to do so.

This was pretty weird, but it stopped Daneel from completely feeling happy that he had accomplished what he had set out to do in the timeline that he had set for himself, which would allow him to comfortably go to the next steps and be able to handle any problems that might pop up.

The reason behind it was that by finding Lan and finding out about his childhood, he had proven that his initial conjecture was right: that village that Cassandra had seen in her memories was some kind of organization that was clearly placing those with certain Hidden Bloodlines in certain locations after having them undergo certain situations which would have the most probability of them awakening their bloodline according to the conditions that were present for that to happen.

After all, coincidences without reason were some of the biggest indications that things weren't as they seemed on the surface. Those with Hidden Bloodlines were supposed to be exceedingly rare, and it was definitely not supposed to be the case that they would be perfectly placed in roles like these to be easily found, almost as if they were pieces on a chess board who had been arranged perfectly according to their properties. If this was true, the first suspect was obviously another plan that the Emperor might have put down, but Daneel had already checked.

The truth was that Hidden Bloodlines were supposed to have an effect on the psyche of those that possessed them. It was their blood, after all, and research had shown that there was a tendency that individuals, especially after maturing, had a chance of gravitating towards conditions that would awaken this hidden power inside them, even if they didn't know that it even existed. Daneel had heard of such cases on Earth, too, where children would almost automatically go towards professions or habits that their parents had used to have, and even though research was inconclusive about this, there was something there that could not be ignored.

However, what was happening here was different. Both Cassandra's and Lan's childhoods were too perfectly suited to their individual bloodlines, which suggested that something from the outside was affecting them. After all, bloodlines would only cause changes in the one who possessed them, and not in the reality around them.

Seeing it once, itself, had been pretty shocking, but seeing it twice practically confirmed it.

There was almost certainly someone behind it all, and the biggest problem was that Daneel didn't know whether they were friend or foe.

In fact, Daneel had hoped that they might be watching him, but neither Drakos nor the system had been able to pick up any form of surveillance that was being done on him. This meant that they were either in too advanced a realm for him to detect, or that they had just done the initial setting for these people, and then left them to their fates.

Both were possible, and Daneel decided it would be too naïve to wishfully think that he was reading too much into the situation.

For a moment, he actually daydreamed about some secret organization that was actually out to help Angaria, instead of wanting to destroy it or not caring much about it like almost every other force that Daneel had met so far. How nice would it be if there was such a powerful ally, much like those powerful grandfathers that protagonists would always have in the books that he had used to read?

He discarded this thought as soon as it came, though, because approaching the situation with that hope would be pretty dangerous, and dumb. He could no longer ignore whoever this was, and as soon as all of his steps were done, Daneel decided to join Cassandra and see whether he could help her in her quest to find them, and the place that she had been born in.

Right now, though, all he could do was shelve these thoughts and focus on the one in front of him.

He had to say that this week had been both enlightening and frustrating, as he had delved deep into the underworld of the continent. One thing that he hadn't liked when he did so was the constant mention of the Tri-Cobra society, which had apparently been the king of the underworld until they had been driven away along with the Church by the High Council.

However, this did make him understand the true power of the Tri-Cobra society, and it made him decide that he would keep an eye on this facet of the continent that he had practically ignored until now.

The good thing was that most of the underworld was involved in things like information trade, gambling, smuggling and of course, killing. That last part, of course, was majorly dominated by the Hidden Kill Sect, and even though it was currently laying low on Daneel's orders and accumulating strength under the leadership of Luther, they were still the go-to force if someone wanted someone to be killed.

As for the other aspects, they were of the regular sort that would be present in the underbelly of any Kingdom, and it was a consolation that atrocious stuff such as forceful prostitution, selling humans or other species and fulfillment of weird and oftentimes disgustingly immoral fetishes, which were all things that were prevalent on Earth, were not so here.

It was either that, or that he hadn't spotted them, but Daneel had been pretty thorough by using Mind Control, and except for very rare cases where he had already marked the culprits for death, he didn't find much.

The reason behind this was something that he couldn't ascertain, but it was possible that it was linked to the fact that punishment here was so much more severe when compared to that back on Earth. Case in point was, of course, the punishment for slave traders in Eldinor, which had previously been for them to be tortured unceasingly for a month before finally being beheaded in public. Of course, that had been altered for the former Queen, but it still stood strong, and similar laws were also present in other kingdoms.

Just as he began to consider whether he should think about implementing something as harsh in the Alliance just to make sure that the situation wouldn't change, he was interrupted as Lan held a suitcase in his hands and said, "I'm ready."

With a smile, Daneel nodded and checked once to see whether everything was in place.

The entire objective here was to take Lan through a series of impersonations that would push him to perfect his craft, and along with that, Daneel had also prepared a certain… Something for him that he suspected would help in giving the final push towards awakening his powers. He had gotten a clue regarding this from what he had seen in Cassandra's case, and there had also been certain thoughts regarding Awakening by the Emperor which had pointed him in this direction.

All in all, Daneel's role in this was practically done, and he would be adopting an attitude of just watching to see what this man would do. Everything was set for Lan to show what he was capable of and who he was, so Daneel looked forward to see what would be revealed step by step, throughout this operation.

He would be lying if he said that he hadn't been pretty impressed with Lan's own scheming skills, so he had pretty high expectations that he hoped wouldn't be let down.

With an enigmatic laugh erupting from his lips, he flicked his fingers, and both of them vanished.

…

A week later, Lan was cursing the bravado with which he had accepted to take part in this operation.

For this entire week, he had been secretly tailing 3 different individuals as he would have to impersonate them all.

He had always had a natural talent in this area, but 3 was still a bit too much.

Right now, he was sleep deprived, but as he went through the notes he had made regarding each person, he realized that he had actually…done it.

In a moment of clarity, their three distinct personalities, traits and unique movements became segregated into three different clumps of information in his head, and as he looked at himself in the mirror, he enacted each, and found them to be perfect.

'Damn, I'm awesome!'

Although he said this in his mind to distract himself from the fact that even he was surprised that he had outdone himself, the truth was that he was pretty damn impressed.

Never before had he had to do something like this, and by pushing himself, it was as if his skills were responding rapidly in turn. They were getting better and better at a pace that astonished and frankly scared him, and they even began to give him an unsettling feeling, as if there was something that he didn't know about happening here which he just couldn't put his finger on.

Yet, the constant reminders and calls for updates from the Warrior Mage, whom he had nicknamed 'Crazy' in his head for easy reference made it so that he could only put these thoughts to the side and focus on the matter at hand.

The first phase was finished, so it was time to begin.

Sending this message, Lan began to prepare himself, as this was the true start of their entire scam, and it had to be flawless.

Crazy had only given him a general idea of what should happen, and he had left the minutiae up to him. Lan knew that getting things wrong might result in his head being lopped off, so he had put all the skills he had acquired by running many scams in the underworld to use in order to formulate this pretty elaborate plan. He had sent it to Crazy, and he had actually been happy to hear the faint tone that had made it clear that the guy had been impressed.

This kind of freedom meant that Lan might also have a chance to…change a few things, down the road, but he had decided to get everything rolling first. So, putting on the same trinket that had kicked off their interaction, he strode out the door.

…

The next day, a press conference had been held by the prominent Viscargo Trade Family in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, which had various businesses all over the continent.

Dominic Viscargo, the head of the family, spoke at the appointed time that he had bought after paying a hefty sum to the Network of Angaria to telecast this in the display trinkets present in homes all over the continent.

"It is with great pleasure that today, I announce the plan to set up an orphanage for all the poor children in the Alliance who do not have any one to call their own. I understand their plight because my great-great-great-grandfather came from the same position, and I…"

Dominic was known for long speeches, so no one was surprised when he droned on and on about the values that represented his family.

What he was announcing, though, was pretty prominent, so the people listened with patience, following which a session of QnA began with a few people who had congregated at his mansion for the conference.

This session covered the details, but toward the end, it was a certain question that stood out to all.

"How do you hope to finance such a massive project? Will you be fully funding it by yourself?"

This had resulted in the man getting a difficult expression, and his answer made many feel admiration for him.

"I do not know yet. I have already pledged all of my assets, but it is not enough for what I have in mind. My family does have some reputation, though, which I am prepared to put on stake to take a loan from other trade families…I do hope they acquiesce."

This statement had been spoken with a tone that struck the hearts of those watching, but they began to instantly rejoice, as someone in the crowd had just given an idea that sounded great.

"The Bank! The Bank of Angaria should give the loan! It is for the Alliance, so they should give it!"

What everyone didn't know, though, was that that voice…belonged to the King of Lanthanor, who had, ironically, taken on the central role to kickstart this entire plan.

As others began to take up this shout, too, Daneel couldn't help but already feel impressed with Lan, whose entire script for all of this had worked out quite well.

Seeing a little bit of himself in the man, Daneel couldn't help but cough, as he had no intention of naming himself a conman.

Yet, he knew that it was the truth, and this…made the King of Lanthanor blush slightly, before he left to do his other duties.

Chapter 696: Hidden Bloodline: Shapeshifter 4

One week later.

At a location that had been recently chosen to be the new clandestine meeting place for those from trade families who wished to talk, multiple people had just begun to arrive accompanied by squads of Mages and Fighters.

An hour later, the meeting began inside the room that had been constructed just that morning.

"Families Bonugo, Kotares, Juniber and Anifares have arrived. Let the meeting begin."

As the official butler who had been appointed to take care of both the duties of checking everyone who was coming and the job of taking care of their needs said these words, the meeting officially started after the door closed behind him.

There were only 4 people in the room, with all those who had accompanied them waiting outside. Of these four, two were men, and two were women.

Of the two men, one had a potbelly, but the other looked like a Fighter: lean and strong.

It was he who stood up to speak first.

"As per our earlier discussion, I went to meet with Dominic personally. I've known him for years, possibly more than anyone else except for his wife and family. It really is him. There was no change whatsoever in the way he behaved, and, as a Fighter, I can notice even the smallest of things, such as how he is still a reluctant teetotaler because he gets violent indigestion every time he sips a glass of wine. This doesn't stop him from staring at others' glasses, and I made sure to check whether it was present. He also knew all the private things that we have spoken about which only the two of us are aware of, so it is impossible that someone has done anything to his family."

As these words hung over the room, frowns appeared on the other three.

Of the two women, one was middle-aged, but her skin was still flawless, and her features retained the beauty that had once been praised as that which could make the sky feel so jealous it would rather it be night so that not many could admire it.

The other was younger, and because her face was hidden behind a veil, her age couldn't exactly be discerned, but everyone knew that the leader of the Juniber family was one of the youngest to have taken charge in any major family in recent time.

It was this young lady who spoke out loud, now.

"Maybe it is time we consider that he found a pot of Ker Gems somewhere…"

As her voice trailed off, the pot-bellied man smacked the table between them with his fist and roared, "Impossible! That damn pyramid thing sucked him completely dry, just like it….argh! If I could get my hands on that damn Jordan, I'll…"

"That's not the point. The point is that we four have allied together because we were smart enough to see, first, what's wrong with Jordan's scheme. We've managed to save at least a part of our money. We decided not to tell the others as it is a golden opportunity to rise above them all. That was our one rule. Dominic's actions, though, need to be handled appropriately, and that is why we have gathered. Let us focus on that. We can curse Jordan and plot against him all we want in the sanctity of our homes."

With a humph, the pot-bellied man controlled his anger and folded his hands as the middle-aged woman spoke these words calmly.

It was the other man who opened his mouth again in the silence that followed.

"It is possible that this is a plot of his to use whatever he has left to rise up in the ranking of trade families by garnering goodwill and admiration. Or maybe he wants to build a sub-tier orphanage to steal the money of the bank by showing bogus records. Either way, we can't know for sure. So what do we do?"

This was the main thing that needed to be decided upon, and after a moment of thought, the lady with the veil said, "I have a suggestion. It is safe, and regardless of the truth, it will benefit us."

The lady from the Juniber family was known for her wit which had enabled her lowly trade family which had earlier been quite small to grow exponentially by capitalizing on the business of innovative trinket creation and export.

So, when she said this, everyone else perked up.

"I say we volunteer to help, by assembling and sending all the orphans in the Alliance to the orphanage. This will be one of the biggest problems to tackle later on, too, so by doing this, we will be getting quite a large share of that goodwill. It will also give us access to the orphanage, and if it is a scam, it will be a golden opportunity to step in and denounce the Viscargo family in order to take charge and reap the profits."

After some thought, this idea was liked by all, and after some more discussion where the details were hashed out, the meeting was adjourned.

The lady with the veil left with her guards to a sprawling mansion that was located in the Kingdom of the Elves.

Even though there had been discrimination against humans before, she had been smart to rope in a poor elf to act as the figurehead of the family so that they could prosper from the trinkets of the elves.

That might not be so necessary now, though, as conditions were changing for the better. However, on the outside, the elf family that inhabited this mansion had a close tie-up with the Juniber family who also lived inside it, even though the truth was that the elves were mere 'employees' who were oath-bound to do their duty.

After arriving, she headed to her room where privacy was given the utmost importance. There were three doors with guards posted that stood between outsiders who wished to even approach her room, and after passing them all, she arrived in a large room with a courtyard in the middle with artistic flowing water and the sound of soft music emanating from trinkets carefully hidden from view.

The moment she walked forward, though, she couldn't help but yelp as she found herself swept up into a strong hug, before her lips became sealed due to a kiss that was planted on them from above the veil.

The kiss continued as she playfully laughed and removed the veil, and after a full minute, the man who had been waiting for her parted from her embrace and asked, "So?"

It was Jordan, and he had the same neutral expression on his face with which he handled most thing. Even when he had 'gotten' that incredible idea about the pyramid scheme, all he had allowed himself was a small smile.

"Like you asked, it's done. They've agreed to send the kids there."

With a nod, Jordan bent and kissed her forehead before saying. "Great. Head inside and freshen up, I'll meet you there."

Blushing a bit on seeing the enigmatic expression of this man who had captivated her and helped her to rise this high in her family while taking it higher and higher in the rankings, she nodded demurely and skipped toward the bedroom.

Jordan waited for her silhouette to disappear inside the room before touching a communication trinket and saying, "It's done. The families will be moving as you ordered."

…

Lan was exhausted.

He was currently disguised as Dominic's wife- an aloof woman who only cared about whether she was better dressed than anyone else in the room.

Her personality was rather shallow, but the man had married her for the wealth behind her, and nothing else.

"I assure you, when everything is ready, we will have a grand gala inside! Oh, the children can watch, and we will event treat them to sweets!"

As the women who had come for the tea party laughed on hearing her absurd statement, Lan couldn't help but sigh and hope that this would be over soon.

Yet…there was two more hours to go, so he decided to try something that had startled him quite a bit the other day.

Dominic and his wife were two of the main characters that Lan was impersonating these past few days. He had had to attend multiple meetings with the bank and with the suppliers and builders who would be doing everything under his name, and all of these things had to happen to make everyone think that he was going to go through with it, until the time came to take the money and leave.

All of this would have been impossible if the real people weren't locked up in the basement, and if they hadn't been put under some spell by that Mage which allowed him to ask and receive answers about anything he wished. This was how he had handled situations where information that only he and the asker should know about had been referred to, as he had checked up on all the stuff like this before the meeting, itself.

It was during a particular three-hour meeting during which this had happened.

He had been pretty idle, and he had wanted to try something.

The idea had come out of nowhere, and mainly because he had nothing else to do, he had gone ahead with it.

Inside his mind, he had first made an effort to clump together everything he knew about the one he was impersonating. This was all the stuff he found out about them in his tailing process that he consciously drew on during the impersonation: their quirks, their habits, their motivations, etc, etc.

After that, Lan had simply tried to…put that clump in the forefront of his mind, with the hope that he could enter an 'autopilot' mode where the impersonation would be able to be carried out naturally, using just half of his mind, whereas the other half could do as it wished.

No sooner had he initiated the first attempt to do this, it had worked, instantly.

Dominic became a different personality in his mind, and his body and thoughts flowed as naturally as if he was Dominic.

Yet, Lan was actually a spectator, with the knowledge that he could take back control when he wished.

He had been so startled by this, that he had stood up with shock and resumed how he normally was.

It fascinated him, but it also terrified him.

What was happening to him? What was that? Why did it feel almost…instinctual? What if…he got stuck like that, forever?

Later on, he had convinced himself that he must probably have been hallucinating because he had been working his ass off. It was unlike anything he had had to go through until then, and he had felt his skills growing by leaps and bounds.

So, convincing himself, he tried it again, and it simply…worked, once more.

Yet, this time, Lan felt that something was off.

His 'spectator' mode was empty and cold, almost like a shell, and it was an unfamiliar place.

In it, he only had himself for company, and for some reason…that was disconcerting to feel.

As he continued to experiment in this, he wasn't aware that he was being watched by the mage he had christened 'Crazy'.

[Elemental fluctuations detected. Minute changes are occurring in the target. It is possible that these are precursors to an Awakening taking place, but it is not conclusive whether they guarantee that the Awakening will take place.]

As Daneel heard this, he smiled, as he knew that the rest of the plan would be enough to guarantee that it would happen.

He almost felt like a Vampire that was fattening up a human first in order to suck up his blood later, but he pushed that thought aside.

Everything was going smoothly, and soon, things would come to a head.

So far, he was pretty happy with Lan's performance, but the real test would be then.

The ghost of that smile lingering on his face, Daneel vanished, as he had decided to use this free time that he had to work on his next step, too.

That step was, of course, finding a way to overcome the limitation of the Shapeshifter Bloodline where it would only mimic the appearance of a Bloodline, instead of its powers, too.

And for that purpose, Daneel had gotten an idea.

As he wanted to channel the powers of a cockroach through the Shapeshifter Bloodline after he obtained it…why not go see exactly what those powers were, first?

Chapter 697: Hidden Bloodline: Shapeshifter 5

The next morning, Lan woke up to news that spelled trouble.

A lot, lot of trouble.

Four prominent trade families had come together to announce that they really appreciated the Viscargo family's actions, and that they wanted to help. Instead of offering monetary help or resources like the other families had done, these four had just gone ahead and chosen what they wanted to do.

And that was… To take the duty of transporting all the orphans who would be housed in the orphanage over.

With the speed of construction being that once it began, it would be done in barely a few days especially because there was talk that the family would be contacting one of the foremost organizations in the continent which had also constructed the stadium in which the Olympics had taken place, it made sense that the work to bring the orphans over should begin.

Yet, the whole plan was that because there would be no orphanage, there was be no purpose in doing this and that it could be postponed so that it wouldn't be a strain on the present resources.

Only, this action of these four families changed all that. With possibly thousands of orphans arriving, what was he supposed to do with them all?

For a second, Lan considered whether he should contact Crazy, but he chose not to as he had been told that he had to handle all of the problems that popped up. The mage was only responsible for any spells that he might have to cast, and he had already done his bit for now. He had made this exceedingly clear, and Lan had seen the hidden undertone that he was hired basically to handle things exactly like these.

Hence, he couldn't even argue that he hadn't signed up for this.

All he could do was go along with it, and so, by the afternoon, the orphans began arriving.

In the continent of Angaria, many of the biggest families always chose to have their main base outside of the jurisdiction of Kingdoms, so that in emergencies such as transition of rule, they would not be at the mercy of armies that might be set free to do as they wished. They employed extremely expensive defensive formations, and their mansions were also designed such that if they were really going to be overrun, then the evacuation of all personnel and wealth to a secure location could take place in the matter of minutes, which would result in whoever was attacking sacrificing their forces for nothing.

It was the same with the Viscargo family, which had a huge mansion that could house over 300 people in the outskirts of Lanthanor.

There were sprawling grounds which were attended to carefully by legions of gardeners, but right now, they were all occupied by tents in which children ranging from the age of 2 to 10 were milling around.

Standing on the balcony of the mansion while looking out over the same, Lan didn't know what to think.

They had just arrived, and the representatives of those four families had arrived with them, but of course, Lan had had no option but to thank them for this and say that they would definitely be recognized for their help when the time came to launch the orphanage.

Until then, the orphans would all be placed right here, and he would tend for them until it was time to shift them over.

It was already a logistical nightmare, but the mage had thankfully also left a pouch of Ker gems exactly for situations like these. When Lan had taken the job, the funny thing had been that the treasury of the family had been almost empty, and when he had asked the real Dominic the reason behind this, the man had just said the word 'pyramid' and shuddered as if it had some sort of meaning which terrified him to the core.

Lan had also found a warehouse filled with Network trinkets, but because this whole thing didn't really matter to him and because it was something that apparently no one else knew about, he didn't dig too deep as there was no need to.

Right now, he was supposed to be checking the video surveillance of three other targets that he would soon have to impersonate for this operation, but Lan was currently stuck staring at all of these children who had hope shining in their eyes.

Some of them had lost their parents in the many wars and skirmishes that regularly took place on the continent. Although there were systems in place to take care of such children who had become orphaned due to their parents fighting and dying for the kingdom, corruption had been rampant in this area, and even though things were expected to change with the new administration, it was a steady process. Hence, the orphanage was still the best place for them, and it was a fact that many of them found solace in others just like them, and a chance to live among those who would not remind them of their loss every day was something that they couldn't help but jump at.

Not all thought in this way, but Lan could see that many did.

And in fact… He had seen it in that way, too, back when he had been stranded on the streets.

No! Don't think of that!

Again and again, he had been trying to stop himself from associating himself with what he was seeing, but with every second, he was failing.

It was almost like a dreadful miasma that had been hanging over his head ever since he had taken up this operation because he had no choice, but it had become strengthened and it was now pulling him under because of the images he was watching.

A kid had just taken food from the butlers who were passing it around and had carried it to a sickly little child who did not seem to have any relation with him. He carefully fed the child, and this reminded Lan of his own friend who had done almost the same thing for him. In that case, that friend had starved so that he could eat, as he had been very weak from a sickness.

Another kid had gathered a large group around him, and he was regaling them with funny actions and jokes. In him, Lan saw himself, who used to take on the responsibility to cheer up their motley lives whenever things got very tough.

It went on and on… Until Lan could see no more, so he forcefully tore his eyes away and marched into his room before holding his face in his hands.

What would be their fate when it would eventually be revealed that there was actually no orphanage, and that it was all a scam?

What would their expression be like when they found out that all of their hopes had been for naught?

What would they feel when they saw their dreams being crushed, as it had been repeatedly announced that the orphanage would have top-class facilities that would equip them with all the skills that they needed to go out and face life?

These were questions that would ordinarily have been shelved, but that miasma made him fate them.

Damn those four families!

Out of sight, out of mind.

Lan had been depending on this to not see why he never got involved in jobs that involved his past life, but there was no more chance of him being able to do that.

All of these were things that were buried deep, deep in his heart, but now, they were all being pulled out, which made him run his fingers through his hair with agitation, while he kept trying to tell himself that he was just a regular conman who should only care about making money.

The operation had already begun, and there was no changing it. This was a scam, and it would continue to be so. It was just foolish to think that he could change anything with his powerless self, and even if he could…

No, the guy on the other end was a legendary Warrior mage!

Yet… Lan had been in situations where the power difference was even greater, and where his opponent had had no apparent weaknesses.

His past was filled with him standing up when he should have been crushed, and he had used his skills to do so.

Could he do it now?

But it was so risky!

As this internal discussion continued, Lan could almost feel something inside him changing, but he ignored it.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, and it was from his butler who had come to inform him that his next meeting was going to begin soon. Apart from that, Lan also had a finish studying those from the bank whom he would have to impersonate in order to smoothly finish the money transfer, as it was soon approaching the point where this operation would conclude.

And that meant… That he didn't have much time.

With a calm face, but with his mind actually in turmoil, Lan, no, Dominic walked out of the room, with a dignity that befit one of his class.

Yet, in the back of his mind… Was a different person, who was continuing to consider each and every option in front of him, even while he unconsciously impersonated the one whose shape he had taken on, flawlessly.

…

Meanwhile, the King of Lanthanor was in his quarters, and if the sovereigns or if any of the officials or leaders of the other Kingdoms in the Alliance walked into the room, they would definitely be flabbergasted by the king's actions.

In front of him were three bowls, and in those three bowls were clumps of insects which were climbing on top of each other to try and get out of the opening on top of the bowl.

The King had his eyes fixed on each of these bowls, and he was carefully watching each and every minute movement of these creatures which were so disgusting when zoomed in on that he felt his stomach getting ready to violently react if he continued in this endeavor.

Yet, he tried to control it, while he kept increasing tweaking the zoom spell to try and notice more and more things.

All three of the bowls didn't have cockroaches- no, the third actually held a kind of beetle that was also known for its ability to survive a lot of situations, but after checking its properties, Daneel had discarded it.

It had been his other option, but the problem was that it only relied on its thick out layer to defend itself.

This was different for cockroaches, though, whose entire body was designed to allow them to live through almost anything.

Daneel's whole idea here had come from what he knew about the World.

In this World, Will was paramount, and resonance allowed one to harness the Will to do almost anything they wished.

If so, to 'shapeshift' into a cockroach and use its powers, could it be that all he needed to do was find a resonance with it?

Resonating with a cockroach.

Even though Daneel had been holding it in until now, he couldn't help but almost puke as he got this thought.

Distracting himself for a moment, Daneel wondered whether he was going in the right direction.

This was all based on conjecture, and no one even during the Empire had tried something like this. Even the system had been helpless in giving him an answer regarding whether this would work, but Daneel was confident.

It was a confidence that had been born from the many situations where he had grasped victory where only loss had been in front of him, and he trusted his gut which told him that he was onto something.

Yet…as he thought about it, he suddenly realized something.

Wasn't a cockroach too different from a human? So…wasn't it like him attempting to pass the test for 10th grade when he was only in the first?

Then, why not try something…simpler?

As soon as this thought appeared in Daneel's head, his gaze became fixed on something in the room.

And this was, of course…the last beating dragon heart in the continent of Angaria.

Chapter 698: Lan 1

Two days later.

In the mansion of the Viscargo family, the head butler and the servant who was in charge of taking care of the personal needs of the Lord were talking between themselves secretly while looking as if they were going about their daily chores.

Typically, these chores would have involved just caring for the family of the Lord and any others who might be lodged currently in the mansion, but right now, the majority of them were concerned with cooking food for the hundreds of orphans who had already arrived, and the few hundred more who would apparently soon be arriving.

Inside the mansion grounds, there was already not enough place to house everyone, and preparations were being made right outside the walls. There was no risk of anyone daring to target this place, as it was currently the talk of the entire continent.

A day ago, representatives from the Network of Angaria had arrived and they had been clearly showing everyone the happiness that was present in the faces of all the orphans who had been gathered. Along with this, there had also been multiple interviews with their Lord, and in them, he had extolled that this is something that he is not even very proud of, as he considered it as his duty and something that he was simply doing to honor the memory of his great-great-grandfather.

The butler knew that all of this was probably just hogwash, mainly because he knew the true state of affairs of the family.

They were almost bankrupt, and he was pretty sure that even the money that the Lord was giving him to spend every day was what he had borrowed in preparation for the what was mostly going to happen.

Right away, the butler had understood that this was probably a plan to take a large part of the money that would be given to the family while only using very little to build the orphanage. This wasn't something that was very rare in the trade families, and even the Viscargo family, itself, was famous among those who knew about such things for a major scam a few years back where a large mercenary group had been outfitted with cheap quality weapons for which they had paid all of their accumulated money due to the promise that they would only be getting the best. This had led to the group being wiped out by one of their rivals, and it was later found out that this group had also given extra money to the family to make sure that this would happen.

Hence, making others trust them and then using that trust to result in their downfall was something that shouldn't be very new to them, yet, the butler had a frown on his face due to the current situation.

The reason behind this… Was the weird actions of the Lord that he had noticed these past two days.

Typically, the Lord had the aloof behavior that befit him and his status, and he would normally not have talked to the orphans any more than what was necessary during the times when others were present.

Yet, instead of that, the Lord had actually… Gone out to seek them on his own, even if there was no one else, and he had talked to them for quite a long while. As it was his duty, the Butler had accompanied him, and he had watched as the Lord had listened to all of their stories of poverty and filth, which he had turned his nose up against.

Only, to his shock, the Lord had looked like he was actually listening intently and even taking their words to heart, and he even repeated this action on the next day.

For a moment, during all this, the Butler had even wondered whether the Lord was the same person he had been all these years, but he could only hide that suspicion deep in his heart as everything else was perfect. Could it be that there was some sort of recording that was going on without his knowledge?

In fact, the whole reason he had come here was so that he could confirm this, so he put forward his question to the man who was currently helping him to take care of the logistics concerning all the food that had to be served.

"Did you see the Lord obtain any new kind of recording device, perhaps one which can be hidden while he does things?"

The other man was of much lower status than the Butler, so he knew that he should answer to the point. Hence, he scratched his head and thought for a bit before saying, "There was one additional thing that I saw when the Lord was getting dressed this morning. As always, I was present to drape his cloak over his body, but after affixing it, he switched out a button with something else that looked like a button, but wasn't. Is this what you were referring to, Sir?"

Lan was listening to the entire conversation while standing hidden behind a pillar a few meters away from the room in which these two were going about their work.

As he heard the servant give this answer, he used a handy trinket that worked like a mirror but didn't give off a shining reflection to see the expression of the Butler.

After seeing that it shone with the realization that his actions were probably to record his actions to show that he cared for the masses, Lan smiled to himself and returned to his room.

Indeed, the past two days, he had been going to the tents, and he had needed a reason to be able to do so openly while not arousing any suspicion in the multitude of servants and Butlers that were present in the mansion. He couldn't possibly impersonate them all, so using a different option was the best thing to do.

This was what he had come upon – the original Dominic was supposed to be someone who craved attention, so it would make sense that Lan was doing those things to record them and then showcase them at a later date.

With this matter handled, he reached his room and dwelled on what had happened so far.

His mornings had been filled with his job – his studies into learning about those that he needed to impersonate had already finished, and the grand total of the number of people that he would be acting as had become 11. This was pretty unheard of, but because a few of these characters were minor ones where he would only have to spend a little time, such as in the case of a contractor where the man had to ensure the person from the bank that the contract was ready and that only top quality materials would be used for the construction, the entire thing had gone smoothly.

In the evenings, initially, Lan had resisted the urge to go see the life that he had left behind.

His earliest memories were of him finding himself in one of the streets of the Black Raven Kingdom, with no parents and no one to call his own. He was told that he had been found in a basket with no one nearby, and that he had incessantly cried through the night until the gang of orphans on the street had decided to take him in, because the only reason behind them being alive was that someone else had done the same thing for them.

He was raised among them with many brothers who came and went, mainly because times were hard, and food was limited. He had blocked out a lot of those memories, but seeing the images of those kids had unearthed them all, and they refused to be ignored.

The whole reason he had taken up the art of impersonation was that the street that they lived on was one filled with restaurants which only the elite could enter. The advantage was that a lot of food was thrown away, and they scavenged this to survive, but eventually, the gang grew so big that this food ceased to suffice.

That was when he had started to study what happened in that street, which was followed by the realisation that if he could just act like those entitled and privileged sons and daughters of famous traders, retired generals and ministers, then he, too, could enter and use their line of credit to take back food for all those who had fed him when he was little even if it meant that they had nothing for themselves.

They had used to say that as a growing kid, he should eat, but he had been able to see the bones sticking out of their stomachs which must definitely have been aching due to hunger.

He had never been able to forget that, and he had been looking for a chance to pay them back. That had been it.

Slowly, Lan had seen each and every minute movement of those young and privileged folk, and he used to practice at a lake nearby where he could see his reflection when there wasn't too much wind to disturb the water.

The rest of the challenges such as finding clothes which fitted someone of that stature had been carried out by the rest of the gang, but sadly, the first time had been a failure, and Lan had barely been able to escape with his life.

Their advantage was that they had used to live in hidden areas where they couldn't be found, and as the rest believed in him, he had tried again.

The second time, he had learned that asking them to pack one of every item in the menu was ridiculous, and it had blown his cover.

The third time, he had simply been unlucky, as the one he was impersonating had already been inside after entering through some secret path.

After learning from all of these, he had finally succeeded the fourth time, by saying that there was a party with his friends for which he wanted to take back food. That was one of the happiest memories that Lan cherished in the deepest corners of his heart, as he had managed to bring back a lot of delicious things that they had savored for weeks while tears ran down their cheeks because all of them had never tasted anything so good.

That was when he had understood that this was a skill that would allow him to gain things that he shouldn't have, and he had kept perfecting it until he became a skilled conman.

All of these memories had made him nostalgic, and that was why he had gone to those tents to hear the stories of those kids.

Each and every second he spent there, though, all he could think of was the fake orphanage plan.

Each minute he spent there seemed to chip away at the inhibitions that were holding him back from risking it all and doing something that would change what was going to happen.

At worst, he would die, but this entire line of business was something that one only entered when they didn't care about not even leaving behind a corpse.

One other thing that Lan had also started to realize… Was that these experiences were making him find something that he had lost.

The strange thing was that he hadn't even known that he had lost it, and even now, even though he had this feeling, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

Yet, the clarity that he just might not be able to go through with it all was becoming stronger, and almost unconsciously, Lan had already begun to plan what he should do.

Only, he hadn't taken the final step, and the final decision, yet. The fear that he had for the Warrior mage was still present, and even though it had decreased, it was preventing him from making the decision.

After reaching his room, he found a communication trinket flashing which meant that the message had arrived.

"The loan has been approved. The transfer will be done in the form of Ether blocks and gold coins, and they will be arriving with a bank official and a squad of guards. Please be prepared on your end to receive it, and to confirm the amount."

Finally.

Usually, Lan would have been overjoyed that they had reached the final step, but in reality, he was feeling more tense than ever, as he knew that that moment that he had dreaded, where he would have to no option but to make his choice, would soon be upon him.

Tomorrow, it would all be over.

But when the time came, which path would he take?

He could almost feel that the answer was deep within him, and he wished that he could reach out and grasp it, but no matter how much he tried, it remained elusive.

Hence, giving up, Lan went to sleep.

His dreams were filled with his face contorting, forcefully, into different shapes, and he even had many nightmares about him losing himself and forgetting who he really was.

This made him get up sweating with horror, and as he looked in the mirror, he almost couldn't recognize who was looking back at him.

Thankfully, this drove away the grogginess, and as Lan returned to his senses, he realized that it would be another sleepless night.

So, he went out into the balcony, and chose to stare at the little bodies dozing off comfortably on the mats that had been provided, while the stars faded into the light and the sun appeared to herald the final day he would be spending in this mansion.

Chapter 699: Shapeshifter: Dragon

After checking up on Lan one last time and ensuring that everything was in place for the end of this little operation of theirs Daneel resumed the activity that he had been involved in for the past two days.

He sat in front of the beating dragon heart, and closed his eyes as he sank into the memories of the Emperor.

More specifically, he was going through the memories of dragons that the man had, going back to the first time that he had met one of the individuals of this magnificent species and then studying each and every one that he could find.

Even though Daneel already knew quite a bit about what dragons were, such as the fact that they had the tendency of violently going out to obtain each and everything that they wanted because of the confidence they had in their awe-inspiring power, he wanted to discover more and more things which he could add to his understanding of the species in the hopes that it would help him reach the resonance that he sought.

By achieving this, he was pretty confident that it would give him a formula, of sorts, that he could apply to the case of the cockroach, too. After all, the most important step was always the first one, and if he could somehow figure out how he was supposed to form the resonance with at least one species, he could tell that a lot of the experience would carry over, and give him a much easier time after he obtained the bloodline.

For two days, he had been engaged in this, and now, he sat down and continued for a few more hours, before finally opening his eyes and looking at himself in the mirror.

The mirror was placed right behind the beating dragon heart, and as his image and it became overlapped, he tried to imagine himself as one of the creatures that he had seen in the memories.

Unlike the typical traditional dragons that he had seen on Earth which were more like serpents which had grown limbs, these dragons were akin to the portrayal that was popular in western works. Their wings were attached to their hands, and their legs were stout and sturdy, built to carry their weight even if they had to rely on them if those wings failed their purpose. The wings, themselves, were double the length of the entire body, and when stretched out, it used to be said that they could block out the heavens, themselves. Each scale of the dragon was a treasure, as they could be converted into weapons that were sought after by the entire continent. The teeth and the claws had to be specially mentioned, as they contained penetrative power the likes of which rivaled even other Godbeasts that had been known for their ability to pierce through things. However, all of this paled in front of their real power: fire.

At that time, the Emperor had heard legends saying that where the heart of a dragon was supposed to be, there was an endless pit of burning lava they could spew forth the hottest of fires in unlimited amounts. At first, in those first fights that the Emperor had gotten into with them, he had almost believed this, until he had cut apart one for the first time and seen that although the heart of the dragon really was in such a way that it could interact with the elementary particles all around and convert them into fire quickly and efficiently, it wasn't limitless. Dragon's had endurance, too, and the endurance of humans seemed puny in comparison. This was the reason why he had identified that the beating heart of a dragon was actually one of the best Energy sources available, and that explained why he had chosen it as the energy source for the formations of the Kingdom that was erected here.

Seeing these memories had made Daneel once again scoff at the fake tale that he had heard and believed in since he had first come to this world. Richard Lanthanore, the man who had set up the Kingdom after his name, must apparently have only found a simple drake, which was a descendant that had roamed the continent for a few hundreds of thousands of years even after the apocalypse until the Energy levels dipped too low for its existence. After killing it, they must have found these formations and the beating dragon heart that belonged to Drakos, which was followed by them spreading the fake take to increase their popularity and to attract settlers that it was actually a real dragon, and that its heart was what was present here. Daneel could bet that the Big Four had known the truth, but had kept quiet while laughing to themselves and seeing the childish actions of those they considered primitive monkeys.

Putting all that aside, he finally braced himself and asked the question to the system whose answer he had been waiting ever since he had begun this endeavor.

"Run the simulations again. Using the new base that I found by trying to understand what it means to be a dragon, see if it is possible to overcome the weakness of the Shapeshifter bloodline so that the powers of a dragon can be used."

[Scanning for comprehension. Running simulation using data obtained from analysis of blood of Bloodline holder. Extrapolating results.

Status of creation of module "Shapeshifter: Dragon" has been changed from 'Unavailable' to 'More data needed'. Systems suggests host collect more comprehension.

Achievement Unlocked: 'Assiduous Innovator'

Assiduous Innovator(1): By doing something that was previously said to be impossible by the system, you have proven that you have riser far from the one who had to depend on the system to help you out of situations. A World Dominator's best resource is themselves, and you are following along the path of depending more on yourself, and believing in yourself even if everyone says otherwise. Congratulations!

Conditions to Unlock more tiers of the Achievement: Mimic achievement for 3 and 5 times. Tier Advancement Multiplier: 10x. Note: Module must reach hidden specifications

Award: 50,000 EXP

Total EXP: 717,000]

Yes!

The feeling of getting an achievement after so long added to the joy he felt, and seeing the total EXP, he felt his heart swelling with pride. Slowly, by saving up each and every bit of EXP that he didn't absolutely need to use, he was reaching that point where he would finally be able to upgrade again, which was his other main focus at the moment. Just the knowledge that he was getting closer was cause for celebration, and Daneel felt like jumping up into the air.

However, he controlled himself, as this was only the first step.

It was still possible that no matter how much data he collected, the creation of the module might not happen, but it was, just like the system had called it, quite a major achievement.

Until now, the system had been completely flummoxed in this, and he had only been continuing while trusting his own hypothesis which was based on his understanding regarding the World.

The World always rewarded those who had the courage to think in different ways, and to try and achieve things that were beyond them using their Will and grit.

He had trusted his gut feeling in this, and it felt really good to have done something that had been said to be impossible by the system, where, typically, the system would be the one turning impossible things, possible.

Of course, he couldn't rest on his laurels. Instead, Daneel resumed his study as he could tell, more and more, that the key to understanding what a dragon was did not lie in superficial things like their rage and their power.

No, the simple proof that that was not the case was Drakos, who did not follow those norms, but was still a dragon.

This meant that he had to identify the very core of what being a dragon meant, and Daneel was excited to discover what this was through his own thoughts in the process that he was following- by seeing their actions and trying to place himself in their position.

This was obviously what an impersonator would try to do, so it fit beautifully into the idea of a Shapeshifter.

A few hours later, though, he couldn't help but stop, as it was finally time to see what kind of a man the one whose Bloodline he was going to awaken was.

Changing into the persona of the paranoid Warrior mage that he had used to talk to Lan, Daneel traveled to the mansion of the Viscargo family, where Lan was currently in the form of Dominic.

Startled on seeing him suddenly appear, Lan had to take a few moments to calm his emotions, and the moment when Daneel had arrived, he had seen that the expression on Lan's face had been one of indecisiveness, almost as if he was considering a very important choice that he should make.

Well, that meant that everything was going perfectly, so Daneel asked, "I understand that the money is on the way?"

Nodding, Lan said, "Indeed. I'm ready to impersonate the one from the bank to ask the guards to remove the seals on the money before the oath is made. You will have to step in to disable them after I'm done."

With a nod, Daneel answered, "Of course. And after that, all we have to do is leave with all of it. I must say that I'm quite impressed with your ability to handle everything that has been thrown at you so far. Well, it's the final stage, so let's get it done."

The way the Bank worked was that any money being given as part of a loan had advanced formations imprinted on it so that it could be tracked in case it was stolen. After discussions, it had been decided that a bank official would be present to authorize the use of each part of the loan, as it was a huge amount, for each portion of the construction. Also, there would be an oath taken from the head of the family that he would do his best to use the money to the fullest. Lan's job was to bypass that by impersonating as this bank official and telling the guards that the plan had changed, and because he was the one with the highest standing, the guards would obey him if there was no suspicion that he wasn't who he said he was.

Daneel acted like he did not notice a lot of things.

He acted like he didn't notice the orphans who ran out to greet Lan, in Dominic's avatar, when he walked out of the mansion to reach the gates. Lan tried to tell them not to come, but they did, anyway.

He acted like he didn't see the additional weapon that had been tucked into his belt. It was a crossbow- a special weapon that wasn't in production, but was famed for its speed in releasing a projectile much faster than any other means available to regular Fighters.

He acted like he hadn't noticed the micro-expressions on Lan's face when he had left, which was, of course, something that could only be spotted by the system, or by someone using the Basilisk's Breath.

Seeing all of these things gave Daneel hope, as he had never been ready to give the power of someone who would become a Champion level Warrior very quickly to someone whose character he didn't trust. The truth was that even though the Shapeshifter was said to be the weakest among the Godbeasts, it was still a Godbeast, and the bloodline possessor would definitely be able to smoothly advance and even breakthrough to become a Champion when the time came. Besides, even though he might not have the system which would be instrumental in Daneel overcoming the limitations of the Bloodline, he might be able to use some tips to possess more power than he was supposed to. All this meant that it was imperative that his motives and thoughts be clear, and it would also let Daneel know whether he would just be a 'bloodbag' who could be discarded after the operation was done, to whether he could be given the chance to live.

The main question was simple…would he value his own life over his roots, or would he go against it all and risk death?

Looking forward to the answer, Daneel sat on a throne he had just conjured, and waited.

Chapter 700: Lan End

As Lan walked toward the gates of the mansion, it was almost like he could feel the gaze of the Warrior mage on his back.

He had been careful not to let anything slip, but because of the highly agitated state his mind was in, he didn't know whether he had succeeded, perfectly, in that, or not.

Well, he was still alive, so there was a high probability that he had.

Each step of his seemed to echo multiple times in his head, and the closer he got to the gates, the more he started to realize that it was now, or never.

After meeting the official at the gate, the only steps left were to escort them to a place inside the mansion, invite the official for tea, knock him out and then impersonate him to remove the seals on the money.

To reach this point, he had had to do a lot of hard work, and it had pushed him farther than anything else in his life so far.

The choice now almost seemed simple: he could take the money and not care about what happened to all the kids, or he could follow his other plan, which had such a low probability of success that it was laughable.

Slowly, Lan knew that he had been pushed toward the latter, even though it went against everything that he had stood for these past few years.

He was only 20 years old, but the hardships he had had to go through had apparently made him look older, as almost no one could guess that there was just a young man behind the facade of toughness that he put on display day in and day out.

The gates were a few meters away, and they blocked out the vision to the outside for security purposes.

Unable to go forward, Lan stopped, and his butler and the two guards who always accompanied him stopped, too, and wondered why their Lord had paused here.

This was also the point where all the tents in which the orphans were living ended, and even as the butler opened his mouth to say something, Lan turned around and took one last, long, hard look at the sight in front of him.

"Give me a moment to gather myself. This is what we've worked so hard for, all this time."

The butler and the guards nodded as they heard this, and Lan got a moment to himself.

Nothing had changed in the tents, and in the lives of those who had gathered here.

If he left with all the money, nothing might ever change, too.

Yet, there was change, somewhere, and as Lan looked for it, he realized…that it was within himself.

He had ruminated on everything that he had been feeling and seeing for these past two days, but he had never taken himself into the equation.

At this moment, the question that had been swirling in Lan's mind ever since it had appeared to him came to the forefront, refusing to be ignored and shelved again.

What have I lost? What am I searching for?

Again and again, he repeated this to himself, and like an avalanche that was building its might before crashing down with limitless might and speed, the answer that he had known all along, yet hadn't been able to find started to come to him.

For help, he started to look around, and his gaze finally fell upon a puddle of water in the ground.

The grounds of the mansion had used to be perfect and immaculate with lush green grass, but the lodging of so many children on them had caused holes like these to appear due to the frequent footfall. The field had also been watered, so this was even more exacerbated now.

Children always found ways to amuse themselves, and this puddle had inspired a group of four to jump into it, one by one, while laughing heartily to themselves and then climbing out to let the next one enjoy that moment when muddy water splashed onto their faces refreshingly while their feet felt the soft embrace of the earth.

As Lan began to walk towards that spot, his retinue was puzzled, but they followed.

When it finally became clear just where he was headed, the guards immediately ran forward to stop the kids, as they thought that the Lord might be displeased with what they were doing.

The children obediently stopped and stood in a row beside the puddle with their hands behind their back while waiting for this group to leave.

Smiles lit up their faces when they saw the man who had come to them fo two days along with sweet toffees and candies to listen to their stories, but they didn't go forward to greet him as the elder orphans had told them not to do so unless they were approached.

Lan walked up to the puddle and stood in front of it, and his reflection met his eyes.

Of course, it was Dominic's face, but in it, he saw all the disguises he had taken on over all these years.

They flashed in front of him, one by one, with each showing him the process with which he had lost that most important thing.

Or maybe…he had never known it, in the first place, and all this had only made it worse.

After all those avatars he had taken up were done showing themselves, one last, strange image lingered, and it was actually…himself, without any disguises.

However, even it felt foreign to him.

As soon as this realization came, Lan walked forward, and he finally saw what he had been led to over all these days.

That step forward caused the reflection in the puddle to change from his to the kid who was waiting for them to leave, and the face of that kid…changed to his own.

Yes! This…was what he had lost!

Himself.

Who was he?

As soon as this question appeared in his mind, the answer was also presented to him, and his eyes went as wide as saucers.

At the same moment, it was as if something inside him…woke up, but before Lan could see what it was, a knock sounded on the gates.

Those from the bank had been waiting for quite a long time, so they must have wondered if anything was wrong.

Turning around, Lan confidently began walking in that direction, and as the butler and the guards saw him, they felt happy that taking that pause had helped their Lord immensely.

He seemed more relaxed and sure, and mostly, he was more…himself.

This was the man they had pledged their lives to, as he had had the charisma of one who could make the world his if they stood by him.

True, that had been back when he was younger, and even though they hadn't seen that side of Dominic Viscargo in quite a long time, they did now, and it made them feel bolder as they walked behind him, with their chests puffed out.

[Awakening process has begun. As it was listed in the records, awakening process is different for each Bloodline. Fluctuations in Elementary particles being studied and recorded.]

As soon as Daneel, who was standing in the balcony while watching all this with an invisibility spell cast over himself got this message in his mind, a wide smile greeted his face, as the second step of his grand plan to handle his situation was soon going to come to an end in a perfect manner.

Everything that followed went smoothly. It even looked like there had been a change in Lan's impersonation skills, as they seemed to have reached a different level. He had had an indication that that would happen, but it startled him, as before, his own dabbling in the art of camouflaging himself as others had allowed him to see very few minute imperfections in Lan's actions if he used the help of the Basilisk's Breath. Now, though, they weren't present anymore, and he was practically living in his role.

The money was in the form of a large levitating cart on which a wooden box had been placed to hide it from the sight of others. After being taken to an underground room in the mansion, the box was removed to reveal a huge pile of shining Gold Coins and Ether Blocks. The Coins were still in the currency of Lanthanor, as the minting of the new currency had not begun yet. After checking that everything was in order, the official was invited to tea where he was promptly knocked out, and after an hour, Lan arrived at the room again in the form of the official and asked them to unseal the money, which they did so even though it was strange.

After that, Lan's job was to hide while Daneel, in the form of the Warrior Mage, would arrive to disable all the guards.

Until now, Daneel had been viewing all of the actions of Lan through the system, but at this point, he stopped that as he would have to spend a little time to disable all the Human level Fighters and Mages in the room. Lan ducked into a closet on the side which had been prepared beforehand for this purpose, while Daneel entered and simply walked among the Humans, making them faint and fall to the ground.

In a few seconds, he was done, and he waited calmly in front of that closet door for Lan to come out.

The moment that he had been waiting for was now, and the actions of Lan after he exited would decide his fate. True, Daneel had seen most of the signs which allowed him to guess what the man would do, but he wanted to see it for himself.

The first possibility was that he would say that they should leave, and would flee with the money.

Their original plan had been to part ways here, itself, with Daneel saying that he would teleport Lan to the place he wanted with his portion of the money.

So, if Lan chose this, he would find that he had unlocked the Path for himself to become a Champion, but that he would never have the chance to reach that level as he would be killed.

The second possibility was that he would try to attack Daneel with the crossbow which had a poisoned dart affixed on it. The Viscargo family was a major trade family, after all, and they definitely had precious poison which could kill a Human if it entered the bloodstream. Most Mages were said to be weak in body training, so the probability was high that he was only a Human-level Fighter, and that he would die if he was struck with it.

If Lan chose this, he would find out the truth behind everything that was happening, and Daneel would give him a spot in his posse.

Daneel hoped for the latter, as Champions were precious, and because he quite liked Lan, As the door finally began to open, Daneel put on a sagely smile on his face.

However…when it did, what he saw made his mind feel as if it was being battered with a tsunami of shock.

Behind the door…was himself.

King of Lanthanor, Leader of the Alliance, Killer of Champions and Saviour of Elves.

Using that moment where he was completely gobsmacked, Lan swiftly took out the crossbow and shot it.

He watched as the bolt smoothly hit Crazy's arm, following which the paralysis immediately kicked in causing the Warrior Mage to topple onto the floor.

With elation covering his face, he jumped out and exclaimed, "Yes! I knew that the image of the one you hated so much would make you pause because he can kill you easily! I don't know how the f*ck I was suddenly able to mimic someone even though I only saw them on a trinket, but blame that for your death!"

Chapter 701: Final Process

For a few moments, it seemed as if everything was perfect.

His secret plan to kill the Mage and set up the orphanage had succeeded, and he was going to settle down in the trade family as Dominic to use his skills and rise among the continent to reach the top, and then help all the others who had the same fate as himself.

The one that he had found when looking into that puddle…had been the orphan who had dreamed of changing the entire world, even if it hadn't made sense at the time.

He had always been someone with grand ambitions, and that was reflected in the way he had picked up the art that he had now perfected instead of lamenting that there was no food like many of the others in their gang.

He used to naturally inspire others to follow him, and he had had a clear vision.

Yet…growing up and facing hardship after hardship had beaten down that person, clouding him in a dense smoke labeled 'reality' where he was replaced with someone who had some skills, but would never amount to too much in the vast continent of Angaria.

To reach his goals, he had known that he needed power, but on testing himself, he had found that he didn't have too much talent in either Path. As a Fighter, he had a little promise, but it was hardly enough to accomplish anything worthwhile.

Hence, he had slowly begun to lose hope, and then, he had begun to compromise.

Oh, I can't directly do a major scam and repay those who have helped me? Fine, let me try a smaller one.

The smaller one needs me to put in a lot of effort, but doesn't pay very much? Fine, let's just get this over with, and see what happens later.

I was chased out of the city? Fine, let me just find another one. Later, I can see how I'll get my revenge.

Little compromises like these had slowly almost managed to kill that brave, creative and I-don't-give-a-f*ck-what-happens attitude-filled youth that he had been, and if it hadn't been for this entire incident, Lan was pretty confident that he would have ended up in an unmarked grave down the road.

Yet…it was his turn to drop his jaw and stare as if he had been struck with a thunderbolt when he saw the Warrior Mage get up and pluck the bolt out, before coughing almost sheepishly, as if he was embarrassed about something.

Huh?

What the f*ck is going on?

Didn't you die?

As Daneel saw the shock on Lan's face who was still disguised as him, he was almost tempted to change into himself and point a finger to reenact a very popular scene from back on Earth.

Yet, he refrained himself from doing so, as it wouldn't make sense, and because he still needed to use this identity a bit before the reveal.

The sheepishness was mainly because of the fact that he had allowed himself to be attacked in that manner. Although the poison wasn't deadly, it had paralyzed him for a second before being eliminated by the system, and that had been the reason behind him falling to the floor.

It had just been something that was so unexpected that he couldn't have acted in any other way, and for that, he had to give props to the man in front of him.

However, before that…there was something he had to do, and where before he had been loath to do it even though it was necessary, he looked forward to it now, as it was a small portion of revenge for badly startling him like that.

Putting on the actual persona of the paranoid Mage, Daneel got fury on his face and raised a hand, causing an invisible hand to tighten around Lan's neck in a vice-like grip before lifting him into the air.

By this time, Lan had realized that he had failed, and extreme panic appeared on his face.

This was followed by downright fear as he found himself choking in the air, and after a few seconds, Daneel lightened up on the pressure after seeing that he was in the state he wanted him to be in.

Contrary to what he had thought before, Daneel found no pleasure in this, and that was when he realized that his evaluation of Lan had grown leaps and bounds after seeing his quick thinking skills that had allowed him to take that step to ensure that his attack would work.

Indeed, as Daneel was the enemy that the mage was afraid of, he would definitely have an extended moment of panic when he saw his face.

Even though Daneel had known that Awakening, even when it wasn't finished, would give the Bloodline Possessor access to their abilities, he couldn't have known that it would be used in this way.

Putting that behind him, he snarled, "You dare! Tell me, is your blood boiling right now?"

On hearing the question, Lan, who was convinced that it was all over, nodded as he realized that that really was happening.

Wait…had this been happening from before? Had he just noticed it?

No, it must be some spell of this crazy guy to melt him as punishment.

Seeing him nod, Daneel continued in that same tone of anger, with his eyes reddening and his face swelling up.

"This is the fate of all those who cross me. I give everyone a chance to escape the suffering, though. In the hell that you are about to face, it is said that knowing yourself perfectly is the only way to remain alive. Haha, but in this age, who can say that they do? Goodbye, foolish conman."

As soon as Daneel finished saying this, Lan lifelessly toppled to the ground.

[Unconscious state has hastened Awakening process. Target has entered the final stage. Probability of success: 95%]

This message made Daneel chuckle to himself, but it stopped in the middle as he was once again reminded of the shock he was subjected to.

Oh, it was going to take some time to get over the fact that someone had gotten one over him. For the moment, though, Daneel was happy to wait for the final stage of the Awakening process to finish.

Indeed, according to the Emperor, it wasn't just skill in impersonation that was needed for awakening the Bloodline of the Shapeshifter.

Any Shapeshifter had the ability to mimic not just the appearance, but even the thought process and mindset of the one it was Awakening. Hence, there was a real threat of it losing itself while using its powers, just like in the case with the Phoenix where the risk had been that one might go mad if they didn't have the ability to endure.

Here, the main focus was to know oneself perfectly, which meant that they could take solace within that perfect shell of their identity which would not be broken into no matter how many things surrounded it.

During the final Awakening process, the Emperor had predicted that there would be one final hurdle, where there would be an attempt to stop it from happening. The attempt would be in the form of making the one trying to Awaken it facing all those they had impersonated, but because Lan had already found himself, Daneel was confident that he would get through it.

He didn't have the time to explain all this before Lan would be forcefully taken away, so he had used this approach so that he would know what to do.

Placing Lan on a conjured bed, Daneel decided to wait.

After the Awakening, all he would need was the blood of the man. He would need quite a lot as the Bloodline was diluted, but with the medical skills at his disposal, he was confident that he could keep Lan alive. Of course, he would first explain the truth regarding everything, and Daneel actually looked forward to doing that.

For this process, the system was already prepared, but he decided to double check anyway.

[Bloodline Extraction Module has been created based on the memories of the Emperor. The same method that was used by the Emperor to implant the Bloodline will be used, and system has judged that host's understanding of impersonation is sufficient for the minimum resonance that is required for the implantation. Subsequently, host's Awakening can also be directly induced by using the present understanding and the Elemental fluctuations that were recorded before.]

This was the plan that the both of them had come up with together.

Daneel's dabbling along with the system was a killer combination that could probably reach up to any test that could be put, and as for using the fluctuations that they had seen before during Lan's Awakening, it was a clever trick.

If Awakening could be likened to a chemical process, then it was something that needed a condition 'x' to be fulfilled before 'y' process could begin. Because they had been able to view what this 'y' process was, they could now directly use that process instead of waiting for the condition to trigger it, which removed the need for Daneel to perfect his skills as much as Lan had done.

He had to choose this mainly because he was strapped for time, and unlike Lan who had spent a lifetime in the art, he had only dabbled in it. Hence, he had no choice but to use the system and this trick to make up for the difference.

When all was said and done, he would have the Bloodline, and the only thing Daneel was a little bit concerned about now was what Lan was going through: the final test.

Yet, he was pretty confident in what he knew about himself, too, so the probability was quite high that everything would go smoothly.

Putting it out of his mind, Daneel asked the system the question he had gotten when it had given the answer before.

"System, while implanting the Bloodline in me, is it possible to change certain properties of it? Such as adding powers, or tweaking what is already present?"

[Affirmative.]

The answer made Daneel's eyes widen, but remembering the last incident where he had been hoodwinked by the system, he waited for the continuation.

Just as expected, it was soon heard in his head.

[Complexity of system found to be inadequate for creation of module for the task stated by host. It is estimated that at least two more upgrades will be required.]

2 more upgrades?!

Just the next one was making Daneel almost pull out his hair with the desperation to earn enough EXP to get it, so the one after that was something he knew that he shouldn't concern himself with.

As Daneel thought about it, he also realized that it made sense. After all, being able to change something like that was a feat that should only be possible by…

His thoughts interrupted by a knock, the King of Lanthanor went to the door to see the bank official peeking in by the time he reached.

His eyes had widened with horror on seeing the unconscious guards, and he figured out, right away, that it was an attempt at robbing this huge sum.

Ignoring everything else, he reached the 'panic trinket' that was at his waist, but Daneel caught his hand and said, "Relax, kid. You're going to contact me if you do that, anyway."

Of course, the official didn't understand why this old man who looked crazy was saying nonsense, so he began screaming, "KING DANEEL'S WRATH WILL SMITE DOWN ALL WHO GO AGAINST THE BAN-"

"…"

His face beginning to burn, Daneel flicked his fingers and knocked out the guy, as he was not at all interested in a repeat of having his own identity used against him.

After that, he sent an update to Kellor and sat down to wait again, while resuming his studies on dragons.

Right before he began this, though, Drakos spoke up.

"Young King, I understand that you would like to find out what being a dragon means. In that case…do you wish to go through my memories, and experience the world through the eyes of one?"

Chapter 702: Obtaining the Bloodline, Breakthrough 1

The moment he had lost consciousness, Lan had found himself in a sea of squirming bodies.

It had been just as disgusting as it sounded. Yet, it had only gotten even more horrific when Lan had realized that all of those bodies… Were actually those of all the people that he had acted as throughout his life.

Each time each and every one of them touched him, he was taken back to that moment when he studied them, and had found out almost everything about them in order to become an exact copy.

Each and every time this happened, Lan found that he would feel as if he were being pulled towards becoming that person forever, but each time, he was able to go back to who he was, mainly because he found that there was a shining island within himself which couldn't be engulfed by the waves that surrounded it no matter how much they roared.

Of course, that island…was what he had just found before all this had happened. It was like a safe place where he found solace with being himself, and it felt great to be there.

Each and every incident like this was a close shave, but with time, Lan became more and more accustomed with being with himself, and not being affected by anything on the outside.

He endured, and finally, it was over.

That… Was when Lan woke up in his body, and found that it had changed in many ways.

Yet, he had no time to slowly discover what these changes were, as he realized that he must have escaped from that spell that must surely have been designed to end his life.

But…why would anyone cast such a thing over their enemy where there was a chance that they would survive?

Lan got this question, but remembering the moniker that he had given to the Warrior mage, he understood that it was probably a futile one

Right now, his first priority was to leave this place, and currently, he was faking that he had actually gotten out of the spell.

Surprise was always the biggest factor in any fight, and he prepared to slowly open his eyes to take a peek and check whether the Mage still there.

Yet, this plan was instantly spoiled by a loud sound which actually made sweat appear on his brow.

It was a roar filled with mindless anger, and it hardly sounded like it was from a human.

Even goosebumps started to rise on his hands, and he wondered just what the f*ck that man had done.

Had he been lying? Had he just knocked him out and subjected him to all that before leaving behind a safeguard to eat him in case he did wake up?

Once again, Lan felt that it was all over, but even after a few minutes of bracing himself, there was no pain, and he didn't find any of the blood that he had expected would be pouring out of the many holes that would have pierced his body by now.

That was when he finally ventured a peek, and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the same room as before.

There were bodies littering the floor, and at first glance, he didn't find the mage in front of him.

Yet, that was when he looked behind him, and found the man seated in a meditative position, almost as if he was training.

Wait… If there were only bodies and this guy in the room, then where the hell had that roar come from?

As soon as Lan asked this question, another one echoed in the room, and it was so guttural that it made him instantly stand-up with the intention to defend himself. It was the fight or flight instinct of any individual that would be triggered when they heard something like this, and so, it was already too late to follow his plan of faking that he was still knocked out.

Lan looked around the room once more, and after a few moments, he realized that it was actually the mage who had been the source.

As for the reason behind him thinking this… It was because there were still the tell-tale signs of anger on his face. To be specific, his eyes were closed tightly shut, and his mouth was twisted into the state that it would be in if it had just let out a snarl.

Was he dreaming of something?

Oh well, what do I care?

He had never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so remembering that the utmost priority right now was to get the hell out of here, he gingerly headed to the door and tried to open it.

Only, the door didn't budge no matter how much Lan tried, and soon, he realized that there must be a formation sealing everyone inside this room.

Great… What now?

After carefully thinking for a bit, Lan understood that the best option…was obviously to have another go at his 'plan' before.

True, he had managed to survive that poison, but surely, no one could live with their head chopped off, right?

Lan got this thought as he stared at a scimitar that was lying on the ground that had belonged to one of the guards who had come to protect the money that the Bank had sent.

It seemed like the best thing to do, so he tiptoed towards it and picked it up before heading to the mage, who was still seated on the ground.

There was no other option, so hoping that the next thing he would see would only be the gushing geyser of blood that would erupt from the mage's headless neck, Lan raised the scimitar high and swung it with all his might.

What happened next would forever be seared into his memory as one of the most terrifying things that he had ever had to witness.

While the scimitar was still swinging, the eyes of the crazy mage opened, and they were so bloodshot that Lan was almost convinced that they weren't even eyes, and that they were just two balls of blood that happened to be in his eye-sockets.

This was accompanied by his mouth opening wide, and like an animal that had been starving for too long, he directly lunged towards Lan's neck as if he wanted to bite it open and suck him dry.

This was just one too many moments of near death for Lan, and his poor heart was nearing its limit. Still, one last time, it put out a burst of adrenaline due to the fear, but even as Lan prepared to jump backward to save himself, the mage seemed to come to his senses.

He blinked and seemed to recognize what was going to happen if he didn't stop himself, as Lan had obviously been too slow. The man had moved faster than any Human Fighter, and Lan had understood from this the reason behind his earlier plan failing.

Casting some sort of spell, the mage stopped himself and flew backward almost as if he had been hit by a wall, and it was clear that it was the only way to stop that much momentum.

Of course, he was unfazed by this, and as he stood up, he underwent a startling transformation.

The grey cloak he was wearing transformed into a golden, shining robe with a coiled dragon, and his face changed into one that seemed very familiar.

Wait… Wasn't that the very king that Lan had just impersonated?

Why the hell was this guy turning into him now? Did he want to do something sick and twisted, like killing him with the face that he had trusted to get him out of that sticky situation?

As if this wasn't cause for surprise enough, his next words seemed so nonsensical that Lan wondered whether he had gone completely crazy.

"I am the King of Lanthanor, and this was all a test to awaken a sleeping power inside you."

It almost seemed that these words had been prepared to sound grand and majestic, but now, they were thrown out without any of that, which was the reason behind Lan's reaction.

Little did he know that this was true, and that Daneel was actually still reeling from what he had just been through.

The offer from Drakos had been very much appreciated by Daneel, as he had realized right away that it was the best method to reach the amount of comprehension he needed regarding the essence of what it meant to be a Dragon.

Drakos had asked whether he should start from the beginning, and then go through all of the major moments of his life. This would obviously take too long, so Daneel had taken a decision that he now realized was pretty stupid.

He had asked Drakos whether there was any moment when his true nature had taken over, and as the Ancient Dragon replied that it had been during one of the only fights that he had gotten into in his life, Daneel asked to be placed into that memory.

And that… Was when he had experienced what true rage was.

Drakos had even warned him that it was something that even he stayed away from, and that he didn't know what kind of effect it could have on Daneel. However, thinking that it was just a harmless memory that he would be living through, Daneel had told the Dragon to proceed.

Even remembering it caused shudders to go down his spine.

Drakos had chosen the exact moment before the outburst which had apparently been later controlled by the Emperor and then sealed until a later date when Drakos had been given access to it, and told that he should never touch it, and only use it as an indication to see if he was reaching that state.

It had been a simple scuffle, apparently, instigated by those who were jealous of his natural talent in formations. There had been two individuals in front of Daneel, but they hadn't even looked like humans – no, their faces had seemed as if they had turned into burning demons, and for some reason, Daneel just felt so… Angry.

It was almost as if they had killed his parents, and that if he didn't kill them right now, he would die.

He had been consumed by that rage, and it had even begun to give him power. Drakos had been using a physical apparition while his real body was elsewhere, but even without him controlling it, he could feel that it had risen from its position and was coming here, right now, to breathe fire and fury upon the world.

He hadn't wanted to stop there, either. Each and every thing he saw seem to be mocking him, and his anger kept increasing by leaps and bounds, until finally, even Daneel's real body had become affected, causing him to lunge forward like that before.

Thankfully, Drakos had seen this and stopped the memory, giving Daneel that brief moment of time when he had managed to use the Basilisk's Breath to save the life of the subordinate on whom he had spent so much time.

Now, he breathed in and out, trying to calm his beating heart and throbbing mind, as he finally understood why the call of fury was so tempting.

In that state, he had felt invincible! He had known that the more he destroyed, the more power he would get, which was in line with the first description of the Bloodline of the Divine Dragon that he had heard about. 'Destruction begets power' had been the exact phrase, and it was perfect to describe this species.

This had also made him understand just how great of a feat it was the Drakos had never succumbed to it, and for that, he had to applaud the Dragon's sheer willpower to never give in and to continue to abide by the memory of his father.

After a minute, the King of Lanthanor finally managed to get back to normal, and he decided that taking it slow was probably the best approach.

So, putting it aside for now, he prepared to end this step, which made him say the statement that horrified the poor man in front of him. All the blood drained from his face, and he looked as if he had seen the most terrifying ghost of this life.

"Long story short, just sit there so that I can drain most of your blood. Don't worry, you'll stay alive, but you won't be able to walk for a month. So if you need to experience the feeling of voluntarily going to the bathroom one last time before that, I suggest you do it now."

Chapter 703: Obtaining the Bloodline, Breakthrough 2

Seeing the look on Lan's face, Daneel finally pitied the man and said, "First, have a seat. This will all be a bit difficult to take in, so I suggest you be seated so that you don't fall on the floor."

As soon as he said this, a very comfortable sofa appeared behind Lan, and the man lowered himself into it while still staring at the face of one of the most influential figures in the entire continent.

To the common people, the King of Lanthanor had already become quite legendary, both because of all of his feats of awe that were still told in many households and also because of the love he had for the common citizens that he had repeatedly shown in his actions, over and over again, until almost no one could doubt that he was one of the best and only leaders who cared about them. The latter was the strongest in those who had lived through the regime of a king or queen who only cared about themselves, and treated the common people as cattle to rear for their purposes.

As soon as Daneel saw him do so, he, too, sat in the throne that he had already made for himself and repeated the statement, but this time with the proper intonation that gave it the quality that he had wanted.

"I am the King of Lanthanor, and this was all a test to awaken the sleeping power inside you."

Of course, it didn't have the proper effect now because of how it had been said before, but Daneel continued from here.

"The best way to prove to you that this is the truth is probably for you to first feel the powers that you have gained, which, incidentally, you've already put to use to great effect. How do you explain the fact that you, a Fighter, were able to change your appearance at will, without the use of any trinkets?"

Hearing this, Lan could only gulp and remain silent, as he had no answer.

He had thought about it too, and no matter how much he looked for some plausible explanation, he had found none.

Yet, he was also not prepared to believe that he had any sort of power inside him, because it had never surfaced until now, even though he had been in many, many situations where death had been certain.

Seeing his silence, Daneel said, "I know what you must be feeling. But like I said, the answer is within yourself. I suggest that you take a deep breath, and look inside to see what has changed. Still, let me give you a brief run through. Before the Apocalypse, the world was inhabited by many fantastic creatures that were known as Godbeasts. These were the original inhabitants of the continent, and at one point, humans had to cower before them and seek survival by appealing to their mercy. They mostly kept to themselves, and this allowed humans to find areas where they could grow and flourish, until they grew powerful enough to be able to challenge these very individuals who had once pitied them and allowed them to live. In fact, the humans never wanted to feud with the Godbeasts, but many species were of the sort that they loved to go on massacres. Hence, after it all reached the point where inaction could no longer be justified, a war began against these few species which also happened to be some of the strongest at the time. Long story short, a great battle occurred, and it was also during this battle that the Emperor made a name for himself. What many didn't know is that during the battle, the Emperor also found a way to pass on the powerful Bloodlines of those Godbeasts, which held the essence of their powers, onto humans. A few individuals were lucky enough to meet certain requirements and be given the Bloodline, and their descendants could all also get the power of the Godbeast, if they were capable of going through a process called a Baptism which is an awakening of the sleeping power in their blood through a test that judges whether they are worthy. If they were capable of surviving it, then they would become one of the most powerful individuals in the continent. At that time, these individuals became the private corps of the emperor. This brings us to your story. The Emperor knew that the Apocalypse is coming, so he prepared a plan to conserve these incredible powers so that they could be utilized later on for the continent if there was a need. He hid them inside the bodies of certain humans, and they were implanted in such a way that they could be Awakened if certain conditions were met. These conditions differed from Godbeast to Godbeast. Even though what happens during a Baptism is the awakening of the full power of the Bloodline, in your case, an Awakening is different. Baptisms only occur when one is breaking through to become a Champion, and you will still have to go through it when that comes. An Awakening, though, is you meeting certain conditions to become the true Bloodline Possessor by changing the status of your Bloodline from 'Hidden' to, well, not Hidden. In the former, one gains all the powers and abilities of the Bloodline, whereas, in the latter, it is only a few. If you haven't already guessed, you are one of those in whom the Hidden bloodline has been passed down, and after identifying this, I built this test so that your Awakening could occur. I know this is all a lot to take in, so take a few moments and just think about it all. If you do so… I'm confident that you will see the truth in my words."

Daneel took the effort to explain all of this very clearly, and it was also a great opportunity to remind himself of the true history behind Bloodlines.

The rest that he had said came directly from the memories of the Emperor, and it had been quite interesting to find out that the war in which the Emperor had made the plan regarding the Bloodlines was also the one which gave him the most fame, allowing him to take on a lot of people under him who were instrumental in the establishment of the Empire.

As for the part regarding the Awakening, Daneel had already gotten a doubt regarding this even before this entire operation, and he had asked the system for clarification.

After all, Awakenings were different from Baptisms, but both seemed to serve the same purpose. If so, the main question had been whether the Baptism was still necessary after an Awakening.

During Faxul's baptism, Daneel had found out that each and every one was accompanied by a message from the original Godbeast whose Bloodline had been passed down. This was clearly not present in the Awakening, as he had seen in Cassandra's case, which had given him a clue that there might still be something down the road.

Also, another clue had been that the Champion realm was the actual one where the powers of the Godbeast could be used fully, mainly because of the fact that the human body needed to reach that level in order to channel the great powers of these magnificent beings.

The answer that Daneel had gotten from the system had been exactly what he had told Lan: an Awakening was actually a partial Baptism, and its purpose was to bring forth the Hidden Bloodline. In the process, access would be given to a few of the powers, but until one reached the stage where they would have to cross the chasm between the Warrior and the Champion realm, they would not come into their full potential. At that point, the Baptism would occur.

When he had found this out, he had also recognized the brilliant plan of the Emperor, as he saw the main reason behind him choosing to hide the Bloodlines.

Right when he had found out about the Bloodlines initially, Daneel had also found that during the age of the Empire, those who were lucky enough to be born with a Bloodline would still die during Baptisms as they either weren't strong enough, or weren't the type of person who could endure the Baptism of that certain Godbeast.

Different God beasts used different methods of Baptism, and where the Ancient Black Raven's method had been to use the weaknesses of the individual against them, because it was one of the famous fighting styles of that species, others would have different methods where they would test whether their powers resonated with the individual. The basic test was the same, but the means would change, so there wasn't even any method to prepare beforehand.

The Awakening had similar conditions: anyone would be able to fulfill the conditions only if they had enough of a resonance with the powers, and this would definitely carry over to the Baptism, too, allowing them to pass it without too much trouble.

That was just brilliant! By doing this, it basically assured that each and every one who underwent the Awakening would also finish the Baptism and become a powerful Champion.

This was definitely much simpler and more effective than randomly letting people try and see whether they could survive, and now, Daneel could also see the reason behind a group being present to make each possessor of a Hidden Bloodline go through the kind of life that would be required for their Awakening to occur.

However… Would he choose to have all these individuals go through such traumatic situations just to have a few more people to defend the continent?

Both Cassandra and Lan had had to go through so much, and it had actually affected Daneel quite a lot when he had found out the truth behind the former's past. Their lives would forever be affected by that childhood of theirs, and no one could change that.

To obtain a Champion with a bloodline, would he be heartless enough to subject children to such a thing?

The answer was clear.

Over this journey, Daneel had changed, but even though he was not as softhearted as that newly ascended King who hadn't known when to be ruthless and when to show mercy, there was no way that he could ever be able to live with himself if he did something like this.

True, he had forcefully put people through difficult situations to help them gain power, such as in the case of his Sovereigns. Yet, he knew them well, so he was sure that they would want to go through anything that was needed so that they could grow stronger to serve, and if they weren't okay with it, he would definitely have gone ahead to wipe out those memories and erase any damage they might have caused.

That was different with innocent children, for whom the choice would be made without that knowledge.

Even in times of war… Daneel couldn't condone something like this, and with this thought, he once again reaffirmed his decision to go along with Cassandra and find that organization, or group, or whoever it was that was doing these things to these children.

Putting that aside, he laid his gaze on Lan to see that the man seemed to have finally come to grips with the situation, even though he still looked like he was seriously doubting his sanity.

The words he said, though, made Daneel chuckle.

"All of that is well and fine… But what was that part about taking my blood? And…what now?"

Daneel had already prepared the answer for this.

"What now? It's simple. I did all that because I need to take your Bloodline. Oh, by the way, you should know this. If you had chosen to take the money and flee, I would have forcefully taken your blood and then killed you, because I abhor such people. You found your true self, and I found that I quite like your character. You have the option to become my follower, in which case, I guarantee that you will come to no harm during the process of me taking your blood. After that, you will be given all the resources you wish, both to train and to spend in the Alliance for the welfare of the people, however you like. Either way, I have to take your blood, and I understand that I'm being quite a forceful. However, I have no choice. One consolation for you, though, is that you do not need to swear any oath to me, and even if you wish to leave my service, I'll only require an oath that you will never let anyone know about these powers, as it will bring harm to me. What do you say?"

Lan had always been capable of recognizing the best option in tough situations, and here, it was quite clear that it was either death, or agreeing to be under the King.

He didn't know exactly how the latter would be, but at least he would be alive, so there would be a chance to find out.

Hence, he made the choice.

…

An hour later, Daneel checked on the medical solution and the formation he had placed around Lan's emaciated body which looked like it had been completely drained by some sort of bloodsucking beast.

That was almost the truth, and in his quarters which he had converted into a laboratory of sorts, there was a large bowl which was half the size of a man that held all the blood that he had taken from Lan.

The process after this was simple: the system had already created all the steps, so all he needed to do was to wait for the Bloodline to be extracted, before it was injected into his own body.

That last part hurt, though, as according to the system, he would have to ensure that a chain reaction would occur to change every particle in his body, so that he would become a descendant of Lan. If the Awakening was a nightclub on Earth that Daneel wanted to get into, but couldn't because he didn't have the pass, then this was him disguising himself as someone who did have the pass. He was basically fooling the Bloodline into Awakening in his body by using the process he had seen before after making it believe that it was naturally present within him, and although he got the momentary doubt regarding why others hadn't tried it during the Empire, the obvious answer had been that as the personal corps of the Emperor, all of those who could be exploited must be kept safely under his watch. Besides, he had the system which could replicate everything and control each and every part of his body perfectly to change it into someone who had the Bloodline, which was definitely something that even a Hero would be hard-pressed to do.

All of this went just as smoothly as expected, and finally, Daneel closed his eyes and said, "Begin the baptism."

For him, it would be a full baptism, as he was basically making his breakthrough from being a Warrior to a Champion.

As soon as he said this, he felt something pulling him away, but just as he was about to let himself drift away into the arms of unconsciousness, a voice thundered in his ears.

"You think it is so easy to obtain my Bloodline without being allowed to do so? Changing destiny is not something that is so simple, kiddo."

Chapter 704: Obtaining the Bloodline, Breakthrough 3

The voice that came out of nowhere did not allow Daneel any time to respond. He fainted right away, and even though he tried his hardest to give an order to the system to stop the Baptism as something was wrong, he failed.

When he woke up, what he saw made his heart go still, before it began to beat furiously in his heart.

His mind also went blank, and he had to take a few moments to understand that he wasn't seeing things.

The reason behind such an intense reaction wasn't that he was greeted by something that could cause his death.

No, it was actually a pretty normal sight, and if anyone saw it, they wouldn't be too surprised as it would be familiar.

However, that applied only to…earthlings.

Indeed, Daneel was in a place from Earth, and this…horrified him more than anything, as it meant that whoever had spoken before had found this in his memories, and was using it for some purpose.

It was an interrogation room, with a single door and a two-way mirror.

There was a regular table in front of him with a glass of water, and in one corner, there was also a camera.

Yes, this was exactly an interrogation room from Earth, and it was the sort that Daneel had seen in TV shows.

Why the f*ck was he here? Who the f*ck had that voice belonged to?

Even as these questions swirled in his head, Daneel turned to the mirror…and got the biggest shock of his life.

Before, he had only glossed over the room to get the details, but now, as he paid attention, he saw that the face staring back at him…was the one he used to have on Earth.

This made the panic return with even greater force, and Daneel felt like getting up and running away as far as possible from here.

After all these years, seeing that face that he had almost forgotten so abruptly had an effect the likes of which couldn't even be put in words.

If Daneel was that same person who had walked into the experiment due to their promise of giving him food, he might have fainted, or peed himself.

However, the years spent on Angaria had not been wasted.

He was now Daneel Anivron, King, Alliance Leader, and Saviour.

And that man…was not someone who would give in to fear.

That was the primary emotion that Daneel was feeling, as he couldn't even imagine the consequences behind his true past being exposed.

Even as his mind began to dwell on those possibilities, he forcibly stopped it, and focused on calming himself down.

First and foremost, he decided to check on his most important asset.

"System, are you there?"

[Affirmative.]

This allowed Daneel to let out the biggest heave of relief possible, as all hope might truly have been lost if this trump card had been taken away from him.

"What happened? And are there any notifications that I've missed?"

[According to the analysis that was carried out, the Baptism triggered some kind of safeguard that was designed to be tripped if it is attempted by anyone who does not naturally possess the Bloodline. It is uncertain how this was identified, and the source of the voice is also unclear. The tripping of this safeguard resulted in host's consciousness being hijacked, and it was also forcibly scanned. Further analysis is being done, but no new information has been found.

Missed notifications:

Hostile External force detected.

Attempting defensive measures.

Defensive measures have failed. Complexity of hostile force exceeds complexity of system.

Host's consciousness has been hijacked.

Host's consciousness being scanned.

Reattempting defensive measures to hide information.

Defensive measures have failed. Complexity of hostile force exceeds complexity of system.

System being scanned. Triggering safeguard. Camouflaging system as consciousness.

Camouflage successful.]

'WHAT THE F*CK?!'

Hearing those notifications, Daneel felt like screaming out loud, but he realized that although he could feel his body and move his head, the rest of it wasn't under his control.

It wasn't even that there were any restraints. He was sitting normally, but he just couldn't control his hands and legs!

This was something that might have horrified Daneel if he wasn't already as shocked as he could be.

Someone had scanned the system.

The system!

Sweat appeared on Daneel's brow as the thought of it being exposed occurred to him, and he felt so, so glad that he had taken that time before, after the upgrade, to sit down and put in place all kinds of safeguards in case the worst happened.

If he hadn't done that…he didn't even want to imagine what could have happened.

On the occasion where it might be discovered, Daneel had ordered the system to make itself look like a consciousness that was present in his head, just like Drakos.

He hadn't even known what the system was and whether it could be detected or scanned by anyone on this continent or in this world, but he hadn't been prepared to take that chance.

Even though the system had said that he wasn't authorized to know those answers, the safeguard had been put in place, and today, it had worked.

Daneel didn't have the luxury of reveling in this, though, as the revelation of this scan had revealed that he was dealing with someone whose power he couldn't even comprehend.

What the hell had he gotten into?

As soon as he got this question, a slight suspicion appeared in his mind as to who the culprit behind this might be, but instead of thinking on that, he focused on the room to see what else he could find.

In the mirror, Daneel could also see that he was wearing the same attire in which he spent most of his college days.

A faded shirt, and torn jeans that had once been blue, but had turned white after repeatedly washing over and over again.

His hair was slicked back, and his bland face that would never stand out in a crowd looked like it had just been washed.

Wait…wasn't this exactly how he had looked on the morning of the last day before everything went wrong in his life?

The moment this realization occurred to Daneel, the door abruptly banged open, making him snap his head in that direction to see who had come in.

The man who entered looked like a typical policeman, wearing a black uniform and carrying a gun in his holster that looked like it hadn't been opened in quite a long time.

With a neutral expression, he closed the door and sat in front of Daneel.

The man looked oddly familiar, and as Daneel thought about it, he finally recognized him.

His nose which had been broken but had never healed fully gave it away.

He was the same policeman that Daneel had gone to when the harassment by that influential kid had begun. Instead of helping him, this man had thrashed him mercilessly, and had made it clear that if he tried going to the authorities again, he would directly be killed after a false charge came on his name that he was distributing drugs in the college. Evidence would be found in his room, and he would be shot on the suspicion that he might be carrying weapons.

Daneel had been so scared by this that he had obeyed, and never tried again. If the kind old lady who had raised him heard that news, he knew that she would definitely be heartbroken, and he had never wanted to bring sadness to the one who had given him everything in his life.

For a moment, he almost went back to that scared, desperate, hopeless person he had been, but remembering everything he had done in Angaria, he forcefully stopped such a thing from happening.

As soon as this happened…he got the feeling that if he hadn't accomplished that, then something horrible would definitely have happened.

At this moment, the policeman finally spoke up.

"Not bad. You really have changed a lot…so much so, that you're completely a different person from who you used to be. I don't think there is any way that you can be manipulated into turning back into who you were, so I'll drop the act."

As soon as this voice appeared in the room, the body of the policeman…shimmered, as if it was made of mist, and in its place, an old man wearing a gold-colored robe appeared in front of Daneel.

Originally, the strong and bold features of his face were framed by a drooping mustache, a goatee, and shoulder-length dark hair. However, after putting on an expression as if he was picking something, he did something that confirmed a suspicion that Daneel had gotten after hearing his words.

His face shimmered again, and after a moment, it reappeared sporting a Classic Pompadour Haircut with brown hair that almost looked black. A neat beard the likes of which could be seen on models in fashion shows framed his features, and his attire also changed into a three-piece suit that fit him perfectly.

Standing up, he looked at himself in the mirror and exclaimed, "Incredible! If only I had this style when I was courting Hafora!"

Laughing heartily, he sat back down and gazed into Daneel's eyes before saying, "As you've probably already guessed, I'm just using what I found in your memories."

Indeed, Daneel had already realized this, and of course, the clearest sign had been the message from the system where it had said that the other safeguards he put to prevent anyone from finding out that he was from Earth had failed.

As if reading his thoughts, the man said, "I applaud the attempt to stop me from seeing all this, though. You must really have been afraid to have gone so far as to ask whatever consciousness is inside you to help out in this matter, which meant that you trusted it with this information in the first place. What is it, by the way? I've been trying to find more, but all I can tell is that it is an Empire Spirit that seems exactly the same as the other one in your mind."

Daneel kept mum, which led the man to slap his forehead and say, "Oh, how rude of me! I'm Xandar, the shapeshifter whose Bloodline you tried to get. You can be free, because this is just a tiniest wisp of consciousness that woke up because of your attempt. Did you think that we Godbeasts would be ok with just about anyone obtaining our powers? We knew that down the line, there would be attempts to use the blood of the descendants of those whom we gave our Bloodlines to to obtain them. It is all right if one who is lucky enough to be born with it obtains our power by surviving the Baptism, but others…no. We came together and secretly put in this safeguard just to deal with people like you. Don't worry, this will dissipate after…ehem, if, you leave, and no matter what, no one will find out any of your secrets, which you seem to have quite a lot of. Now then, where shall we start? Oh, yes, the test. You see, normally, I would have directly looked for ways to crush your consciousness and turn your body into a blabbering mess that will never recover. However, after going through your memories…you have promise. The whole reason I and the others agreed to pass on our Bloodlines was that we liked what we saw in Fenoras. I see a bit of the same in you…but its not enough. So, I've decided that we shall have a little test. The goal is simple: I have one question for you, and if you answer it correctly in 10 attempts, you can have my power. Oh, and by the way, I LOVE your approach in overcoming the weaknesses, and it might even work. And as for the rest of your plan…oh, I just wish I could be there to see it! It'll be…'lit' is the term, right? IT'LL BE LIT! But before all that, you have to survive. So…are you ready?"

Chapter 705: Obtaining the Bloodline, Breakthrough 4

Daneel could only watch bemusedly as the man went on and on, and even though he was really expressive and looked like he would do great on stage on Earth if he hosted some hit show, the King of Lanthanor was too concerned with the information that was being revealed to him to dwell on idle thoughts like these.

Xandar, the Shapeshifter.

First and foremost, Daneel checked the memories of the Emperor through the system to see if this man really was who he said he was.

Back when the Emperor had begun his plan of implanting Bloodlines in humans, he had used both the methods of convincing Godbeasts and forcing them to pass on their power.

That act of passing it on apparently weakened them a lot and even made them risk death, so the Emperor had had no option but to use the latter a lot more than he wished. Although he tried to offset it with bribes, it apparently hadn't worked, as almost all Godbeasts valued their long lifespans and wouldn't be prepared to give them up unless there was no other choice.

The Shapeshifter, just like he had said, was one who had acquiesced willingly to follow the plan of the Emperor. Yet…the man couldn't have imagined that such a safeguard would be placed.

As Daneel thought about it, it did make sense. These were proud beings who had made the choice to pass down their power, and it would be an act of betraying them if someone else tried to steal that power from a descendant who was worthy in their eyes because he had been lucky enough to be born as their blood.

As for the news that no one else would find out…Daneel really hoped that it was true.

This was the second time in a few weeks that he had felt naked due to all of his secrets being exposed, and Daneel didn't like it one bit. This was even worse than before, as each and every action he had taken since coming to this world were laid bare, and one of his closest secrets-that regarding his origin, had been exposed.

That last part was something he had never thought would happen.

The man seemed to be waiting for Daneel to respond, and when he saw him look up again after comprehending his words, he reached forward and punched Daneel's shoulder before laughing and saying, "Come on, be free! If you have any questions, you can ask them. But if you're expecting me to give over my memories in the same way that wisp of consciousness of Fenoras did…dream on. I've got a loooot of stuff I don't want ANYONE to see, and the skeletons in my closet can probably fill up the space of your entire Kingdom. So…ask away. Do you mind if I eat, by the way? I must say that in almost all the arts, your world is much more advanced than ours. But living mundane, mortal lives with no power, no magic and no chance of something greater to pursue in life…count me out. No wonder so many people find escape in reading books about people being hit by a truck and being magically transported to other worlds!"

By this point, it was quite clear that Xandar, the Shapeshifter was a…blabbermouth.

It reminded Daneel of Drakos, as both of them seemed to have a habit of going off on tangents.

He seemed to have asked the question rhetorically, though, as the next moment, he materialized a plate on which a perfectly cut and cooked piece of steak was glistening, along with stewed vegetables and a sauce that smelled heavenly.

Daneel almost salivated unconsciously as he saw this, because just like the man had said, the art of cooking still had a long way to go on Angaria when compared to that on Earth. Besides, the poor life that Daneel had led on Earth had never allowed him to enjoy these kinds of luxuries, and he had only been able to dream about them.

That was only for a moment, though, as the issue regarding Daneel's current situation was still quite pressing.

"I can be free if you let me be free," he said, as he still had no control of the rest of his body.

With a nod, Daneel regained the ability to move, and he first stretched lightly as it had been pretty torturous to only be able to move his neck.

After that, he asked the question that came to him first.

"So you knew about different worlds? Do you have any idea how I came to be on Angaria, in the first place?"

Hearing this question, Xandar, who had just begun to chew a mouthful of the food, raised his hands and said, "Whoa, there! I was just as shocked as you were when you first came to Angaria. For a second, I even wondered whether all of that could be a crazy dream in your head. I even double-checked! Only, I had time to act surprised alone, so I seem calm now. I had no idea that there were different worlds out there, and I have no clue how you came to my land. I know you don't know, either, so I didn't bother asking."

Oh.

Because the man looked like he had easily taken the facts regarding Daneel's origin in stride, he had wondered whether it was possible that the Godbeasts knew of worlds like Earth.

Clearly, that was not the case.

Feeling just a tad bit disappointed, Daneel moved onto the next question.

He had set his mind into a clinically precise mode where his only goal was to survive, so it was working hard to give him the questions he could ask whose answers might help him in the test he would be facing soon.

It was already a foregone conclusion that he couldn't get out of this place by himself, as Daneel had already asked the system and gotten the answer that it was helpless.

"What exactly is it you find inadequate inside me, that is making you put this test?"

The man stopped the fork that was about to put a piece of the juicy steak in his mouth and answered, "Stop trying to make me give up information. You'll understand everything in good time. You have one last question."

The change in mood of the Shapeshifter made Daneel understand that even though he seemed like a jovial guy, he was pretty dead serious about this test.

So…as it was his last question, Daneel decided to play big, instead of playing it safe.

"What do I need to do to make you give me at least a part of your memories that I might be able to use when I pass your test?"

The fork paused again, but this time, both it and the plate vanished, and the Shapeshifter burst out laughing.

Clapping twice, he said, "Now that's more like it! About time the King inside you came out. The answer is no, there is nothing specifically you can do, but I might be tempted to do you a favor depending on how the test goes. Now…shall we begin."

Straightening his back, Daneel nodded.

He had already tried to guess what the question would be…but all of his guesses were thrown out of the window when Xandar spoke.

"When do you want to die?"

Huh?

Xandar almost sounded like a typical villain who was threatening to kill Daneel, but after looking at the expression of surprise on his face, the Shapeshifter chuckled and said, "All right, fine, I'll phrase it correctly. You see, this is a question I ask a lot in all the Baptisms, so I invented a way to make it sound…better. At the risk of making it sound ambiguous, of course, but I think it's worth that risk. Anyway…What do you wish to achieve? I have always believed that a man's goals define who he is, and if you didn't know, I'm all about that 'who are you' thing. Don't you think I would be able to settle down comfortably as an introspective guru in your world? Anyway, getting back to it, I want you to tell me what exactly it is you want to do in life. Fenoras had an answer at the ready, and he succeeded on the first try. To be fair, though, I'm giving you ten chances. If you were a century older, I would have given you just one chance, too. Oh, hell, I'll be more considerate. I'll also throw in an advantage. So…go ahead and answer. 10 tries, and then, BOOM! It's all over. I'll implode, and take you with me."

When Xandar said the 'BOOM' part in a loud voice along with displaying the action of something blowing up with his hands, Daneel had had no option but to flinch, as it was something that was just a bit too scary.

The rest, though, put him in a contemplative state.

It sounded like a simple question, and even though there were ten tries, Daneel didn't want to take any chances.

However, he did have a question to ask.

"What is the advantage?"

"Simple. The advantage is that you can relive your life once to find the answer. But if you choose to do so…you will only have one more chance to answer. I've always found that this gives one the perspective that is needed for the final push to find the answer. But if even that fails, I think whoever that fool is is unworthy. Some whined that this was unfair, but they're all dead. By the way, this is obviously different from you thinking back to all the moments of your life. If you choose it, you will be a spectator in your mind and you will have the chance to once again experience each and every exact emotion and thought that came to you, which is impossible in another way."

Reliving his life?

Yes, it made sense why this would give one a new perspective.

However, he chose to test the waters first.

After thinking, he had decided that the best option was to eliminate the obvious, first, so that he could get a clearer idea of what Xandar was looking for.

"I wish to save Angaria from the Church, and create an Empire that will flourish and allow the people to live safely and happily."

That was the most obvious answer, and the first that had come to Daneel's mind.

"Wrong. That's a short-term goal. I want to know what you want to do after that. Do you want Fenoras's answer, by the way?"

Daneel nodded, even though he could have asked the system for the answer.

"He wanted to reach the highest peak of power possible, and see how the world looked from there. That was always his goal, but as his passion was also to make sure that as few people as possible would have to go through a life like his, he chose to create the Empire. Sadly, circumstances did not allow him to find what he had yearned to see all his life."

For the first time, Daneel saw the Shapeshifter get a forlorn expression on his face, and this made it clear just how much he had liked the man.

So…long term goals.

What did he want to achieve in life?

That was basically the question, and it tied into the first form that the Shapeshifter had asked, too. It referred to what all he wanted to have accomplished before he died, so, in truth, it was the best indication regarding what he wanted to know.

As Daneel began to think about this, though, he realized…that he didn't have the answer.

It looked like he had time, so he chose to use it.

Yet, no matter how much he thought about it, Daneel couldn't find an answer he was happy with.

All his life, he had been making his goals based on what was presented to him.

He had hated the condition of his family and the Kingdom, so he had chosen to become King.

He had needed the system to accomplish his goals of saving Lanthanor, and a lot of other things, so he had followed the path of World Domination.

He had loved the feeling he got from saving people and seeing them happy, so he had assiduously applied himself to that path.

And of course, the Church was coming, so he had been doing everything to prepare for that.

All in all, Daneel had been allowing himself to be…pushed, along his path, with no final, exact goal in mind.

This realization came like a blow, and when it hit Daneel, it surprised him quite a bit.

What did he really want to do?

When there was nothing else to do that was pressing, what would he choose to pursue?

None of the typical answers appealed to him strongly, which was when Daneel realized something.

This guy had already gone through his memories! If so, he knew all of this!

That meant…that Daneel didn't have the answer, after all, and he would have to find it.

Disgustingly deceptive.

These two words were best to describe the Shapeshifter, as the 10 tries were all a scam. Anyone would try to find the answer in their memories, but it wasn't easy to directly find it when they hadn't known it by then.

So…the best way was probably to relive, and this was where Daneel got an idea.

However, it was almost like Xandar could read his mind, as he shot down Daneel instantly.

"I know that other consciousness in your head can do crazy things, so no cheating. If it allows you to relive your life by yourself, I'll know, and I'll count it."

Indeed, Daneel had been about to use the system after finding out the real route to the answer.

So…it looked like there was no other way.

Lesser men would have tried to still use the remaining chances, but Daneel had 100% confidence in his assessment. No matter how much he pondered, he knew that he wouldn't get the correct answer.

Hence, without any more hesitation, he decided to go forth and get it, and frankly, he was quite excited too, as he, himself, hadn't been able to identify that he lacked this vital answer.

Maybe he would actually have to thank Xandar, but first, he decided to finish this test.

The confidence that he had built up over all these years once again showed itself, as he grinned and prepared to roll the dice, knowing that whatever the answer was, he would definitely find it.

That grin seemed to be within Xandar's expectations, as he said, "There we go. The smart ones always figure it out quickly. Farewell, for now, and I look forward to your answer."

Chapter 706: Obtaining the Bloodline, Breakthrough End

Daneel's earliest memories were those of him growing up in the orphanage.

He had been a scrawny kid, and in the friendly fights that they got into, he would always lose.

He had never been charismatic like others to gather many people around him, nor did he have any qualities that made him popular, such as being funny, or having some other skill.

Mediocre. Or normal, if one wanted to mince words.

That was the impression that Daneel got from himself as he watched his childhood play out. Never standing out, and never being distinctive were his traits. Except for his studiousness that allowed him to score well, there was nothing else.

Yet…Daneel was focusing on each and every one of the thoughts that came to his mind, throughout each and every moment of his life.

This was tiring, but he endeavored, as he knew that this was how he would find his answer.

He had already been sure that the typical ones didn't suit him.

World Domination? Sure, it really appealed to him, but it wasn't what he was living for. He wanted to, and would achieve it, but what then? Would he incessantly go out and want to conquer the entire known universe just because he could? Would he want all others to bow before him because of his power?

If there was a need, Daneel would go down that route, but now, even though that was one of the answers that stood out a lot, he just wasn't convinced that it was the only thing he wanted to do before he died.

It felt…shallow, and he knew that there was more to him than that.

The other answer, of course, was immortality, just like the protagonists of the books that Daneel had used to read.

Yes, that was also a very important goal, but again…after gaining immortality, then what?

If one only went forward with this in mind, they might just find that they would have an eternity to spend, but nothing to do during it, which might just drive them mad.

Time was an interesting thing, and he had seen how it changed those from the Big Four already. It made many feel detached from the world, and Daneel did not want this for himself, ever.

True, this wasn't a reason for him not to pursue it, and although it was included in one of his goals as it was the basic thing that anyone with power would want to achieve, again…it wasn't the entire answer.

These two might have been perfect answers for those perfect characters in books who had grown up with confidence and the clear goal to crush everyone beneath them when the time came, but Daneel wasn't that person.

He had just been a normal guy who had drawn a really short stick in life, but after death, or whatever the f*ck had happened during that accident, he had gotten a second chance, and something to help him on his way.

Circumstances had kept pushing him to rise, and change. He had been given the opportunity to leave behind the guy who had needed to beg on the streets for food, and he had managed to do so, mainly because he had had no intention of having a repeat of what he had experienced on Earth. Coming from a position in life where one had been that desperate, hopeless, depressed and suicidal…had changed him in ways that he, himself couldn't describe, and it was possibly the thing that had pushed him so much to excel in Angaria, and get everything he wished.

Was it possibly…also fear of having to go to that condition again that had pushed him so?

This question came to Daneel as he watched himself in those darkest moments of his life.

He had been kicked out from college, and his last funds had already dried up. He had found refuge on the streets, and he had begun to scavenge what little he could find in garbage bins to feed himself.

That was before he had stopped himself from begging as he wanted to retain the last shreds of his dignity, but of course, when that source dried up, too, he had had to resort to it, with varied success.

These really had been the worst moments of Daneel's life, and as he lived through them again, he realized that he had quite possibly blocked them off for quite a long while.

He was shocked now to see just how deplorable he had been.

Each and every pitying gaze that fell on him when he begged had been a blow to his heart, as he kept remembering the old woman, and the way she had raised him with so much love and hope.

What would she say now if she saw him like this?

Many on the streets asked him why he wasn't working for food, as he was still young and must have energy.

The truth had been that those goons of that influential person had still been keeping an eye on him, and he had been refused even the simplest jobs.

Hence, Daneel had had no other option, and it had all been designed by that guy to make him feel like death was the best route to take.

And indeed, he had been suicidal. Daneel was shocked as he saw just how many times that thought had occurred in his mind, but each time, he would stop himself from simply walking forward into traffic and ending it all by remembering the face of the old lady before he left the orphanage, and the last words she had said to him.

"Go out and achieve everything you want, but if you ever feel lonely or sad, then just come right back here, as we will all be waiting for you."

She had said this with that genial smile that she always seemed to have on her face no matter what happened, and she had kissed his forehead afterward and bade him farewell.

Of course, he had gone back many times to the orphanage after that, but this moment had been special, and it had been instrumental in him continuing to live.

But wait…why had that been so?

Getting a small suspicion, Daneel thought back to it, and because he had just lived through it, he could check each and every thought that had gone through his mind, and each and every emotion that he had felt.

And this…was where Daneel got his first clue.

He had already seen them all before, but looking back on it with the perspective of one who was leading almost the worst life possible gave him a realization that made him understand just why Xandar had said that it was very valuable to be able to once again live through life.

Truth be told, he had been a bit skeptical regarding the difference between this and just him thinking back to his past. After all, as a Warrior, the complexity of his mind would allow him, and anyone else to recall each and every moment almost perfectly, unlike with normal humans whose memories were not as accessible.

Yet…the main difference was in perspective, and as Daneel got the first clue to his answer, he actually had to pause and see whether he was right, as it was weird.

However…it felt right, and even if it was different from all those other answers, it seemed to fit him perfectly.

Hence, Daneel latched onto it, and continued the experience.

As the moment where he had found that pamphlet for the experiment began to come up, he tried to look for any information that might help him in figuring out just what it was. Had he really died? Or could it be something else?

Sadly, he found nothing, and soon, the moment of his transmigration came.

Of course, to him, it had been as simple as closing his eyes, feeling a bit of pain and then waking up in a different world.

Daneel watched his early years in Angaria with interest.

One of the overriding emotions at that time had been happiness, as he had parents in this world.

He had never known what it must be like, and back on Earth, he had dreamed of it.

The reality had exceeded all of those dreams, though, and he had relished every moment he could spend with them.

And of course, one of his main motivations had been to change the status of his family and do right the wrong that had been done to his father, and Daneel watched as he plowed on, relentlessly.

Another thing to note had been his reaction when he had first heard the message from the system, which had stated that the ultimate goal was to dominate and conquer the world.

This was another strong indication that he wasn't like those typical people, as they might have felt joy and jumped up to celebrate when they heard this.

Instead, he had just wanted to deal with what was in front of him, and that…gave Daneel another clue for the answer he was looking for.

This clue served to also tell Daneel that he was on the right track, and he took that in stride.

As he watched the highlights in his life, and the mistakes he had made, he actually felt…proud.

If one knew just where he had come from, each and every thing he had achieved would shock them to their core. The system had been instrumental in helping him achieve what he wanted, but Daneel also spotted that just having the system would have meant nothing if he wasn't the person who he had been.

The unconscious fear of going back to the state he had been in his former life had been pretty important in letting him walk forward with his head held high, and even though Daneel hadn't known this at the time, it became clear now, and it made him understand just how important one's past was in relation to what they would do in the future.

If he had led a privileged and normal life on Earth, he might never have pushed himself that much, and he might even have been contented with gaining some wealth and growing old on Angaria, not caring about anything else except his happiness and that of his family.

And this…gave him the final clue.

Now sure of his answer, Daneel joyfully went through the rest of his life.

One thing that did stand out quite strongly was just how pathetic he had been in almost all casual interactions with the opposite sex.

Well, on that front, Daneel had already changed, but he still vowed to never be as indecisive and unsure as that person who had seemed like a 10-year old, rather than the King that he was supposed to be.

As the memories finally reached the present, he found that he had returned to his body, and involuntarily, a smile lit up his face.

This smile…was filled with self-confidence and relief, as he now knew who he was.

The moment the kind old lady had said those words to him, Daneel had felt as if the whole world was open to him, and he had walked out of the orphanage with the zeal to achieve anything and everything that he put his mind to.

And that...was the root of his answer.

"So?", asked the Shapeshifter, and Daneel assembled his thoughts for a bit, before proudly giving the answer.

"My answer, is that I…don't know."

These words seemed to echo in the room, and for a moment, it looked as if he had failed, and that his fate would be to have his consciousness blown up by the Hero-level consciousness of this Godbeast.

Well, he had allowed himself to be vulnerable by entering that Baptism on his own, so if that happened, he would have no one to blame but himself.

Yet…the smile on Daneel's face didn't falter as he knew that it was the right answer, and after a second, Xandar cracked a smile.

"There are too many who hesitate to give that answer, as they think that it can't possibly be the right one. I need you to elaborate, though."

With a nod, Daneel continued.

"I don't know, because I want it all. Yes, it was circumstances that pushed me to set my goals, but I see nothing wrong with that. They shaped me into who I am, and I think that experiencing how it feels to be in the lowest position possible made me decide that if I had a chance, I shouldn't and wouldn't waste it. I want it ALL. World Domination, immortality, invincibility…of course, I want these, but I also want to go back to Earth and do a lot of things there. I want to find the peak like the Emperor, and I also want to satiate my curiosity regarding everything in the world, no matter what it may be. In short, my goals will forever keep changing according to what I experience, and although a few might remain constant…they will never define me. No, what does define me, is that I will never set any limits for myself. I want it all, and no matter what I set my mind to, I. Will. Succeed. That is my answer, Shapeshifter."

As Daneel said this out loud, he felt something around him...change.

Suddenly, it felt as if he could do anything and everything he wished, and even getting out of here seemed like child's play. All it would take was a flick of his finger, and Daneel was confident that he would wake up in his original body, back in Angaria.

With just a thought, he changed his appearance into the familiar one from Angaria, and just as he was about to test whether he really could leave, he was interrupted by the clapping sound from the Shapeshifter.

"Well done. Hell, even I am surprised by that answer. However, it is who you are. I doubt I've met anyone with as lofty goals as you! But I have a strong suspicion that you will reach them, no matter what they are. You have passed the test, and as promised, I have relinquished my power over you. You can leave if you wish, but…didn't I say that I would do you a favor if I liked your answer? So…would you be interested in finding a place where you can obtain the last of the real blood of us Godbeasts?"

Chapter 707: Erased Memories

'The last of the real blood of us Godbeasts'?!

This statement made Daneel instantly widen his eyes, and seeing this, the Shapeshifter chuckled.

"Haha, I knew that would catch your interest! Did you think that Fenoras was the only one who cared that our Bloodlines should be passed down? Any race is concerned with self-preservation, first and foremost, and we are no different. Unknown to even him, we came together to create a last bastion where we hid a few weapons, and more importantly, our blood. This blood is the same which is passed on when we grant someone our Bloodline, so it can be used for this purpose. Everyone thought that we died during the Apocalypse, but instead, our plan was to perish there, before the Madness took us. At least, that is the decision we made, and I doubt that there was any change. After all, this is just a wisp that only knows what happened before it was implanted as a Hidden Bloodline."

Daneel honestly couldn't believe his ears. After obtaining all of the memories of the Emperor, he had begun to think that there couldn't be anything from the past that could surprise him.

However, in this matter, he had already been proven wrong not once, but twice.

The first time had been the discovery of that village, and the second was now.

As Daneel remembered that village in this manner, though, he suddenly got a suspicion.

"Did you…perchance also establish an organization that would survive and place those who were born with Hidden Bloodlines in situations where an Awakening would happen in their future? When they are children, itself, I mean."

Daneel was about to explain further, but he suddenly once again remembered that he was an open book.

As his memories had already been read by the Shapeshifter, he must already know what he was talking about, and when the stylish man raised his eyebrows and looked at Daneel, the King of Lanthanor almost began to feel proud that he had made that connection.

Yet…the answer of the Shapeshifter wiped away that thought.

Scoffing, he said, "Pfft, why would you get that impression? Haven't you already realized that we Godbeasts believe in destiny? Doing something like that would directly go against that belief, don't you think? If our Bloodline is going to Awaken, we wish for it to happen in natural ways. The Emperor wanted this, too, even though he and your race never believed in destiny because you could neither see, or detect it. We called you foolish behind your backs for this reason, but I seem to be straying from my point. Yes, I noticed this in your memory, too, but I cannot imagine, for the life of me, who might be responsible for such a crazy idea. I will not state my opinion about this, but I can tell you one thing: even in the erased memories of the Emperor, you will not find a clue regarding this, as Fenoras believed, just like us, that the Hidden Bloodlines would naturally be able to Awaken when the continent's Will felt a need for that to happen. They would naturally gravitate towards situations that would cause it, with no intervention needed, whatsoever."

At first, the answer had made Daneel nod, as it was logical. Even before, the Shapeshifter had spoken about destiny, but Daneel had thought that it might just be a normal term he had used, instead of a belief in something that almost sounded like a religion from Earth. When he found out that it was the latter, it was quite surprising, yet…it was nowhere near the other thing that stood out to Daneel in the man's long statement.

"Wait…erased memories? What the hell are those?"

He couldn't help but curse, as it had hit him out of the blue. Xandar had even mentioned it casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

This resulted in the man smiling and saying, "Did you really think that you knew each and every thing that Fenoras did just because you accessed the memories in that remnant of his?"

Daneel answered automatically.

"Of course! There are no days or even moments of time that are missing…"

Raising a hand and laying it on Daneel's shoulder, Xandar interrupted him and shook his head while looking into his eyes, as if he was speaking to some naïve kid who had really dumb assumptions about the world.

Daneel almost felt like snapping at him, but he controlled himself.

After having his moment of fun, he opened his mouth and finally said, "Consider this. What if an advanced force whose means we cannot even imagine arrives and takes control of an Empire Spirit? If you were that force, wouldn't you break through the seals and forcefully go through the memories left behind in the remnant to find all the details of all the secret plans that might be there to stop you from invading and thoroughly wiping out the continent?"

As soon as he heard this, Daneel, who had been sitting with his back straight ever since he had given his answer, collapsed against the back of the chair as he imagined the scenario that the Shapeshifter had just placed in front of him.

Indeed…wasn't that a vulnerability that might just spell their doom?

It really would be the prime priority of any invading force, and just thinking about all the information that was present in the Emperor's memories regarding the Big Four and the Bloodlines falling into the hands of their enemies made Daneel shudder.

Xandar spoke again after seeing that Daneel had clearly understood the implications of what he had said.

"For that exact purpose, Fenoras was going to erase some of his memories in all of the fragments he would be leaving behind. He, himself, wouldn't remember that they had happened, and even if this worst case scenario occurs, all might not be doomed. I can guarantee that they might only be one or two things, but mark my words: when the time comes, they will make a difference. Of course, in the same way, our bastion's goal was also to accomplish the same thing. So, do you want it or not?"

Daneel nodded right away while trying not to let hope bubble up inside him on hearing this.

Since as long as he could remember, fighting against the Church, even with the Grand Inheritance, had been an almost hopeless venture.

After all, it was a valid thought that they might have as many Heroes as Angaria had Champions, which would mean that if, no, when they came in full force instead of only diverting a few resources to this endeavor like they had been doing so far, it was very possible that the war might just involve them being completely dominated and destroyed.

Still, Daneel had marched on with confidence in himself, and even now, it wasn't wavering. He was confident that he would figure out a way, yet…the thought that there might be some help where he had always expected there to be none, did give him quite a considerable bit of encouragement.

It was not that he had needed it, but having it felt…good.

Yet, after thinking for a bit, Daneel made a decision.

Although he knew this now, he would proceed as if nothing had been revealed to him. Whatever was hidden would be revealed when the time came, but he would not depend on it. No, the more ready they were to meet the Church, the better it would be, and the more people they would be able to save, so the King of Lanthanor decided on this and looked up to meet Xandar's gaze again.

"All right, then, my time will also be up, soon. This wisp was never supposed to be able to function for long, and defeating your defenses took quite a bit of effort. I have no advice to give to you, but I do wish to tell you one thing. Thank you. Thank you for choosing to fight for this land that I, and all other Godbeasts call our mother and deity. On behalf of all the Godbeasts of Angaria, I wish you luck, and I hope you succeed. Now, coming to our bastion. We aptly named it the 'Treasury of the Gods', and even though I wish I could change the rules for you, you will only be granted access. We put something special in place there to only award those who are worthy with the precious resources that we died to produce and save, so you will have to do certain things to obtain them. Just go to this place in the continent and say "I may take many shapes, but the shape of my heart shall forever stay true: I come in the name of Xandar, Seventh in the Line of The Noble Seven, and I beseech you to grant me entry." It's a password, of sorts, but take special note of the intonations I just used, because even if one of them is wrong, you will die. Understood?"

Daneel nodded seriously and asked Xandar to repeat once, and after that, he closed his eyes and memorized it.

After all, he couldn't expose that he had the system, which meant that he didn't need to do this.

When this was done, Xandar clapped Daneel's shoulders one last time and said, "I hate sappy goodbyes. So get the f*ck out of here, and go take the world into your hands. Farewell, King."

With these words, Daneel watched as the sight in front of him…broke, into tiny pieces, following which he fainted.

When he woke up, he was once again in his quarters, and as he asked the system how much time had passed, the answer surprised him.

An entire day had gone by.

After this, though, Daneel did something completely natural.

He took a step forward.

Only….that step made him fly forward, and with a loud sound, the King of Lanthanor hit the wall of his quarters and slid to the ground.

However, the strange thing was that he wasn't hurt at all, and just as he was about to ask the system what the f*ck had happened, he realized something he had forgotten due to all that had happened during his baptism that had been supposed to go 'smoothly'.

He…was finally a goddamn Champion!

Granted, he was a Champion only as a Fighter, and he had one of the trashiest Bloodlines possible.

However…a Champion was a Champion, and they just couldn't be compared with a puny Warrior who had been stuck in that realm for so long.

Standing up gingerly, Daneel tested the newfound strength that he felt throughout his body.

This must be one of the most undramatic breakthroughs in the history of the continent, but that was just the power of Bloodlines.

Any Bloodline Possessor, even if they had pretty low talent, would be able to cross the chasm that stopped so, so many if they were able to endure the Baptism.

Daneel was overjoyed, as he had missed the feeling of seeing his strength grow. It felt like it had been forever since the last time it had happened, and right now, he felt a burning urge…to fight.

Recently, he had been doing just a little too much of scheming, and he longed for the raw feeling of getting into a fight with no holds barred.

Win or lose, that adrenaline rush and the experience of feeling one's red-hot blood pump through their body could not be replaced by anything else.

Pausing, he considered his options.

The first was Faxul, but Daneel didn't want to choose this one, as he was pretty sure that he might lose. It wasn't that he would feel ashamed. No, he had already seen his friend getting a bit arrogant, and if this happened, it might shoot through the roof.

The objective was to only battle as a Fighter, so he needed a better target.

Getting an idea, Daneel instantly touched the communication trinket at his waist and said, "Rayen, meet me in the underground dueling ring in 10 minutes. I have something I need to…er, discuss with you."

Chapter 708: Fighting Raul 1

By the time Raul arrived in the large arena that had formerly been just a series of empty rooms in the vast underground of the Palace of Lanthanor, the King was hard at work laying down multiple formations that he couldn't even recognize.

In fact, this dueling ring had only been commissioned and built recently after Daneel gave the idea that it might be popular if they hosted some kind of tournament on the Network for which people from all over the world could attend.

Maybe there could even be a judging panel comprised of popular Fighters and Mages, and they could choose contestants based on both skill and power.

Right now, though, this place was going to be used for something very different, and remembering the power that Warriors, themselves, could wield, Daneel didn't want this place destroyed when a battle between Champions took place.

He had a very happy expression on his face, and he was humming merrily to himself while he went about his work. The reason behind this was that his entire body had been woken up, where it had been sleeping before.

Each and every movement felt effortless, and the speed at which his body responded amazed and awed him. He felt as if a simple punch would be enough for him to cause a deep crack to appear in the ground, and he actually had to refrain himself from trying.

While waiting for Raul, Daneel had been thinking about power levels, over all, as he could now clearly estimate just how powerful a Champion was when compared to a Warrior.

Starting from the beginning, when talking about Fighters, the Human realm was one where an individual was able to display superhuman strength. Even though Peak Humans could use techniques that made them seem practically unreachable by normal people, the truth was that their feats of strength and speed were only a bit farther than those that could be reached if a human being trained to the utmost, and if they were blessed with talent. Daneel had already tracked this, and when compared to the world records in various areas set on Earth by athletes, what those at the Peak of the Human realm could accomplish was one step beyond. For example, on Earth, the fastest running speed recorded was 44 kph(27.4 mph), but a Peak Human could easily maintain a top speed of 60-70 kph(37.28-43.49 mph) for a brief period of time.

A similar comparison could be made in strength, too, but the thing to be noted was that these numbers would be taken further if specific techniques were used, and that techniques could also allow people on Angaria to do things that earthlings could only dream of. Case in point was Daneel's first technique, itself: the Hidden Kill Fist.

Next up were Warriors, and this was where Daneel felt that individuals became beings who had already crossed the shackles placed on them at birth.

Right after breaking through, a Warrior could handle 4-5 Peak Humans easily, and after estimations, Daneel had also calculated the top speed of a typical Warrior, using no techniques.

It was a whopping 200 kph(124.27 mph).

Just the idea of someone being able to run calmly beside a car that was almost going full speed would be inconceivable to anyone from Earth, but here, it was possible.

Of course, this was simplest for those who focused on speed, but there were metrics for those who believed that the strength of their muscles was absolute, too.

According to the system, a Human and a Warrior who focused on strength mainly as their weapon in battle would be able to lift 700 kg(1543.2 pounds) and 2000 kg(4409 pounds) respectively. When compared to the record on Earth, which was 500 Kg(1102 pounds), this was astounding.

Of course, all these numbers weren't the best way to estimate power, as anyone listening to them wouldn't be able to visualize the difference clearly if they just used this.

So, if the strongest human could lift an adult horse, then a Peak Human would be able to do the same to a cow, and a Warrior would even be able to lift a large car.

When it came to Mages, though, such clear distinctions couldn't be made, although Daneel knew that he could make an effort to classify Mage power levels using comparisons with things from Earth, too.

However, he left that for another time, as the focus right now was on Fighters.

Coming to himself, he had already measured the amount of power he held in his fists.

He was a Champion level Fighter who had just broken through, and without any techniques that utilized Energy in special ways or the powers given by the Bloodline, his bare body could lift…an incredible 10,000 Kg(22,046 pounds).

It was amazing!

If Daneel was on Earth right now, he could practically lift a huge truck and throw it anywhere he wished.

Such power was approaching that which could be seen in superheroes back on Earth, and the best superhero to compare Fighters to was, of course, the big green man.

All those fancy actions scenes that Daneel had seen in movies, with that guy flinging around cars and trucks and even smashing buildings into smithereens, were all feats that could be done by him now.

The breakthrough from being a Warrior to a Champion was truly a transformative one, and it brought about a much greater leap in power when compared to when an individual became a Warrior.

It was to be expected, though, as this was something that very few could achieve. Their body would change from the very core, and each and every cell would be able to hold more Energy to burst forth with power.

Of course, if they used the abilities that the Path they had used gave them, their power would rise to a different level which wouldn't even be able to be clearly classified.

Hearing Raul arrive behind him, Daneel finished the last formation and turned around before saying, "Welcome! How is the training going? And I trust your stay here has been well?"

Daneel had practically left this man on his own after giving him the duty of training the Domination Corps.

He had bee checking up on them a few times, and he was happy with the progress.

Nodding, Raul said, "It has been well. Those lads have the kind of determination that impressed even me, and their power is growing steadily. Soon, the first batch of Warriors should be ready. Actually, there was one thing which I wanted to bring to your attention…"

Raising one eyebrow, Daneel asked, "Oh? What is it?"

"It is regarding those Warriors who are still under lock and key. They really wish to be free, but most are still against swearing an oath. They want to know if any agreement can be reached where both sides will be happy, such as that the oath can limit the amount of time they will need to serve under you before they can achieve freedom."

Daneel frowned as he heard this.

The ultimatum he had given to those Warriors was that they should swear an oath to obey each and every thing he said, and it looked like their main concern was that they would be enslaved by him forever. Obviously, death would seem preferable to this. Of course, this offer was only given to a few of the Warriors who did not have violent pasts where they had massacred people just for the heck of it. Those who did have such pasts had already been segregated by Daneel, and this group that he had been dipping into whenever there was a need, such as recently, when he had had to use a Warrior to display the efficacy of a spell.

Warriors were valuable, and now that he thought about it, Daneel wasn't against giving them a set time that they should serve. He was pretty sure that they would want to follow him forever anyway after that much time after seeing exactly what he was capable of, but by then, he would have reached a level when he wouldn't need them. When that came to be, it really would be interesting to see them regret not taking this offer before.

Chuckling to himself, Daneel was about to agree, but he suddenly got an idea.

"How about this? I called you here because I wanted to have a friendly battle. I just managed to breakthrough as a Fighter, and I wanted to test my power. But wouldn't it be interesting if there were stakes? If you win, I'll agree directly to their requests. But if I do, you will need to convince them to obey mine. Maybe I'll ask for 20 instead of 10? I don't know yet, but I mean that you should convince them in whatever I come up with. All right?"

Raul was quite surprised as he heard this.

The King…had broken through as a Fighter?

This was pretty astonishing given his age, and it was possible that he would even give almost all the major seeds in the Big Four a run for their money.

However, he was more concerned about this fight, and the stakes.

The main reason he was advocating for them was a single person among them whom he cared for, and she had been the one to suggest this. He had already tried convincing her, but she just didn't want to swear her life away.

Letting out a breath, Raul made a decision.

He would give it his all.

With a nod, he said, "All right. I'll go all out."

Hearing this, Daneel smiled, and simply raised his fists.

Although the Bloodline of a Shapeshifter was trashy, it was still the Bloodline of a Godbeast.

And that…meant that there were already specific things which set him apart from normal Champion-level Fighters.

Raul was a different man from the one that Daneel had fought before, and it was clear that he had refined his fighting style.

Raising his hands, the Champion level Mage of Balance conjured a physical apparition of himself.

And, of course, the World responded to conjure another one, as his resonance made it so that no matter what he did, it would be replicated naturally without him having to put in any extra Energy.

"I haven't been idle all these days. I have developed my technique of battle, and I must warn you that it might be dangerous."

In response, Daneel just laughed and ran forward.

He was a Fighter, so flying was a no-no. Although there were Champion-level Fighter techniques that would allow one to use their body to manipulate elementary particles in the same manner as a Mage who used his Mageroot, like he had seen other Champions do, they would be a drain on his over all power.

Unless he needed to, Daneel had no plan to use anything but his fists and legs.

The two apparitions shot forward, too, and they reached him quickly.

As they launched two fists at his face, Daneel ducked and tried to move forward to reach the enemy, but he had to stop as two legs were already whirling toward him from different directions in a bid to stop him in his tracks.

Each kick and each punch caused minor shockwaves to occur, and they even caused sounds almost like mini-explosions. That was just the explosive power imbued in them, as it looked like they each had the power of a Champion.

That was pretty…awesome!

In front of him, as he looked at Raul who was watching intently with his palms raised, he figured out his plan.

Raul was probably using half his power on these things, while the rest was conjuring a spell to bombard him and cause his defeat.

The apparitions would stall him, and Raul must be burning through Energy quickly to be able to imbue them with so much power.

So…this was basically a battle of who would reach who first.

If Daneel got past these two and reached Raul, he would win.

If he was stalled for long enough, Raul's attack would reach him, and he would lose.

A smile appearing at the corner of his lips, Daneel felt the blood pumping in his veins as he rose to the challenge.

"Let's play," he said, before pulling back his own fists and beginning the fight.

…

Meanwhile, Rayen, who was idly passing time in his abode by reading a novel about a sultry maid, didn't know that his son had gotten into a fight that was pushing both him and the King of Lanthanor to their limits.

Suddenly, hearing a 'beep', he walked to a communication trinket and picked it up to see who was messaging him.

It was a Hero named Gregor, and the two of them didn't get along.

Wondering why this guy was contacting him, he touched it, and his jaw dropped as he heard the message.

"Rayen. Didn't you want to kill that upstart King of Lanthanor who turned your son to ash? Well, it seems there's a plot going on for just that to happen, and we've found out about it. What do you say we lend a hand?"

Chapter 709: Fighting Raul End

For a few seconds, Rayen couldn't believe his ears.

A plan to kill the King?

The first emotion he got was actually panic, because he knew that his son's life was linked to that man.

However, he was a Hero who had been through many high-pressure situations, after all, so he forcibly controlled himself in the matter of a second and responded, "Hmm? Living a long and comfortable life is also my priority, so I would rather not go against that clear directive of the Head. However, if there is something foolproof, then I'm definitely interested. What do you have in mind?"

The voice responded in a neutral tone.

"Of course, it's completely discreet! And I said that we would just lend a hand, not actually go by ourselves and get caught red-handed. Even I have no interest in risking the Head's wrath, and recently, the actions of the High Council have kept him pretty much on edge. This is a sensitive topic, though, so you'll understand if I ask that you come to my place first. I don't trust these means of communication. Besides, there are a few others in on this too, so it will be a perfect opportunity to meet together and discuss. And isn't it high time we bury the hatchet over the matter that happened so many decades ago? I've changed since then! Come over, and I'll even open a very limited collection wine that I found, just because I know that you are a connoisseur, just like the Head. What do you say?"

Rayen couldn't help but raise his eyebrows as he heard this, as the last time they had met, the two of them had actually gotten into a fight that had devastated quite a large area. In the end, the Head, himself, had had to step in, and he hadn't been very happy. They had both been condemned to two decades in solitary introspection, and it was an unpleasant experience that Rayen still couldn't come to terms with to this day.

Yet, this guy wanted to 'bury the hatchet'?

No, something was definitely off about this, and if Rayen didn't detect that, then he would hardly be able to call himself a Hero who was said to be one of the smartest in the entire continent.

That title, though, which had used to give him happiness, now made him frown because it reminded him each time of the way he had been completely dominated in the interaction with the King of Lanthanor, but he was slowly coming to terms with it. Besides, after meeting his son, Rayen was much happier about the entire thing.

Even if this wasn't the case, he would have done the same thing that he was going to do now.

"Alright, I'll be there. Just send me the time and the place, in case you've shifted from that sh*thole that you used to call your home."

With a chuckle, the voice responded, "Great! I'll do that soon."

As soon as this was done, Rayen picked up the communication trinket, and contacted the Jing.

…

Meanwhile, Daneel was busy enjoying himself fighting the two apparitions that were on the same level as him.

He received the message, but because he had told the system to block each and every incoming message except if it was something which required his attention no matter what, he was unable to check it right away.

His concentration was completely involved in dodging each and every punch and kick that were thrown at him, and on the other side, his opponent was wondering why this guy wasn't displaying the Path that he had chosen to break through to become a Champion as a Fighter.

He was also interested to find out just what it was, but no matter how much time passed, nothing in the fight changed.

Till now, the King had only been using his base body, and that was a very unusual method of fighting, especially for a Champion. True, they were still pretty damn powerful, but a Fighter's true strength came from their Path, and the spells that they learned after breaking through which would involve them using their body to manipulate Elementary Particles. The advantage in this was that they could be cast abruptly, and it was the main reason why the gap between a Fighter and a Mage was supposed to be diminished by quite a lot after this qualitative breakthrough.

The truth was that each of those apparitions also only had the base strength of newly-broken through Champions, and he had expected them to be vanquished in quite a short time. In fact, prepared for this, Raul had even begun to partially cast the spell to renew the apparitions, but after waiting for a few seconds and seeing that there was still a stalemate, he had stopped it and focused on his primary one that he would use to end this battle.

While doing this, Raul also wondered from exactly where the King had picked up so many Fighting techniques, when he was supposed to have spent most of his time training as a mage in order to reach that incredible power level which he had used to defeat him earlier.

Almost with each and every second that passed, the king was taking out technique after technique, and the amazing thing was that his reflexes seemed to be on a different level. He could always spot the attacks of the two apparitions even before they became visible to the naked eye, and this indicated that he had the terrifying power of foresight, which was apparently supposed to only be present in experienced Fighters who had spent decades repeatedly dueling and mastering the art of reading minute signs to predict from where their opponent's blows would be landing.

Already, the king had lived up to his name of being one who would smash through any and all expectations that were placed on him, and make everyone who were foolish enough to compare themselves to him and dream of surpassing his talent, despair.

Raul even began to wonder whether the Path of the king was something related to foresight, but the Champion had a feeling that this was definitely not the case.

Indeed, Daneel was just using the Basilisk's Breath to make this possible.

Right from the beginning of the fight itself, he had activated this inheritance, and to his delight, he had seen that he had obtained this new ability which hadn't been present before.

On asking the system, he had been pleasantly surprised to know that the breakthrough as a Fighter had essentially upgraded his body, granting him greater vision and greater reflexes that were able to pick up all these minute details which he had used to miss before. Of course, he had had this ability using the system before, but now, Daneel could display it without its help.

For some reason, this appealed to him a lot, and he was actually currently enjoying the feeling of knowing from where the blows would come, and moving to dodge them beforehand and then launching his own.

It was pretty damn incredible that at the base level, itself, he was capable of standing up to two Champions who had the same power as him, and repeatedly pulling out various Fighter techniques from the memories that he had in order to test them felt great.

Now that he had had his fun, though, Daneel decided to move to the actual stage of testing his power.

For this, he suddenly got an idea, and asked the system, "Is there any memory or record of any Shapeshifter fighting, or explaining how to fight?"

He didn't know why he hadn't gotten this thought before, but the answer made him feel overjoyed.

[Scanning. Affirmative. One entry found of the Emperor looking in on a personal class that was taken by Xandar, the Shapeshifter for those who had newly taken his Bloodline.]

Daneel wished that he had gone through this before, but it wasn't too late. Looking at his opponent, he used his elementary vision and saw that the man was working very hard to cast an advanced spell: Limitless Thunderfire Prison, which would trap him and leave him no option but to surrender.

Because this was such a complicated spell, casting it with just half of his power while the other half was maintaining the apparitions was quite difficult. However, Raul would still require around 10 seconds for it to complete, so Daneel activated the Basilisk's Breath to the fullest and asked the system to play the memory, keeping half his attention on his opponents while also having the system take over his body momentarily.

Instantly, Daneel was taken to a lush field where a towering oak that looked like it had been alive for hundreds of years stood, and under the shade of its leaves, five people were standing.

One of those five was actually familiar, and it was Xandar, the Shapeshifter.

It looked like he was a man of fashion even during that age, as he was wearing clothes that were different from any on the spot. His robes had artistic cuts here and there, and there were also varying colors, which gave him an eye-popping image that would draw anyone's attention.

The other four seemed young, and even though they had differing body types, they were all standing alertly, and this reminded Daneel of a file of soldiers from Earth who had been trained and had the utmost of discipline.

This was no sixth person, and Daneel realized that he was looking at it all from the Emperor's viewpoint, who must have been observing the scene while being elsewhere.

"All of you have obtained the Bloodline of my noble race. Congrats! Like the others of the graduating class who succeeded, you should be celebrating right now. However, I noticed that all of you had sad expressions, and that you were even being teased a bit by those arrogant guys who had gotten the Bloodlines of Dragons, Tigers, and Serpents. So… I decided that I would give you a small class so that you'll understand that you guys actually lucked out. Yes, Shapeshifters are supposed to be among the weakest of Godbeasts, but did you know that we are also known for living the longest? This is only when not taking into the equation the Divine Cockroach, of course, but still: the fact stands that everyone underestimates our powers, because they don't even know clearly what they are. They think that because we can only mimic the shape of a different Godbeast, we are weak. But what they don't know… is that if used correctly, a Shapeshifter can defeat anyone. I won't sugarcoat it for you, though. It will require you to put in much, much more hard work than your peers, and it will require you to have patience. You will face pain. Tons of it. But if you persevere…the world will be yours.

As Xandar paused, the eyes of the four gleamed, as if they were seeing hope for the first time.

Smiling, the Shapeshifter continued.

"You see, as Shapeshifters, we directly have the ability to take the form of a Godbeast we choose. Do you think that a form is weak, even if you can't channel the power? If so, you are wrong. Think of this like this. If the form of a Godbeast is its weapon, then its power…is its ammo. If the form is its bow, the power is its arrow. If that is so, can't you simply…use your own arrow, after borrowing the bow? A Dragon's fire comes from its ever-burning heart, and true, we cannot mimic that exactly, as it is the aspect of its power. But we can mimic the pathway that the fire from the heart takes, and this pathway serves the purpose of amplifying the fire, shaping it, and giving it destructive strength. Watch."

After saying the last word, Xandar phased, just like Daneel had seen him do before, and in his place came a gigantic emerald Dragon that was 30 feet tall and 80 feet long. It towered over them all, and its four legs padded on the ground, raking up the earth and causing deep furrows to form. Without any more hesitation, it bent back its long neck, and shot it forward in the direction of the oak tree.

Lo and behold, at the end of its trajectory, a barrage of flames flew forth, impacting the mighty oak which looked as if it would never fall and making it break apart with sheer force before burning it to ash.

Turning back and drinking in the awe displayed on the faces of the four, Xandar declared, "To become able to do that, I needed to train for 43 years. The difficulty lies in channeling our own fire body of the Dragon as if it were real, and each and every small mistake will cause injuries that will leave you stranded in bed for days. This is because we are attempting something unnatural, so there is a backlash each time we get it wrong. But if we get it right…you see the result."

The vision cut off here, and as Daneel regained control of his body, he paused.

THWUMP!

THWACK!

Two kicks hit his back, and he staggered forward.

Raul was startled. What had gotten into the King?

What happened next, though, made him drop his jaw and almost run back in horror.

The King seemed to become…transparent, and in his place, a magnificent creature 20 feet tall and 50 feet long appeared.

It crushed the two apparitions under its feet easily before turning to Raul, and as it did so, it bent back its neck.

Raul didn't know what to expect, so he abandoned his spell and immediately began to conjure layers and layers of barriers. He felt an intrinsic fear that made him feel flustered, and this shocked him as he was known for his calm heart and mind.

Still, how could he be blamed?

It was a f*cking Dragon, for Heavens' sake!

He had seen this creature in a few illustrations back when he was in the Big Four, and he had never thought that he would have to face it in real life.

Right when he was done making 10 layers, the Dragon shot its neck forward, and Raul fully expected to be destroyed in the next second.

He had even forgotten that this was a 'friendly' battle, and he began to tell his last prayers.

Like a whip, the Dragon's neck stretched, and at the end of the trajectory, it stopped and opened its mouth.

The magnificent teeth which could eat him whole were displayed to him clearly, and in the depths of its maw, he could see the telltale glow of the legendary Dragonfire that would soon engulf him.

BOOM!

Raul braced himself and closed his eyes, and as this loud sound echoed in his ears, a painful roar accompanied it.

Huh? Was there another target behind him or something?

Unable to understand why he wasn't a smoldering pile of ash yet, Raul opened his eyes, and to his shock, he found a gory sight in front of him.

The explosion…had actually occurred in the middle of the Dragon's neck.

The front part of its head had been blasted apart from the rest of its body, and the smell of burning flesh permeated in the vast underground room.

Seeing its twitching body, Raul even had to wonder whether he had died, and had begun to dream.

After all, what kind of a Dragon would blow itself up in the act of doing the one thing it was known for? Was it a new kind of power he hadn't heard of? Suicide-Fire? No, that couldn't be possible.

It looked like there was no one to answer these questions, though, as there was only silence in the arena, while the Dragon continued to twitch.

Chapter 710: Hidden Ability of a Shapeshifter

The twitching continued unabated for a few seconds, before it finally stopped.

This made Raul feel relief, as this entire thing had been thoroughly creeping him out. The whole rollercoaster of emotions from where he had thought that he would die, to this stage where he was still kind of in shock, had resulted in him forgetting one very important thing.

The king had been the one who had changed into that thing!

Wait… Did that mean that the king had died?

Before Raul's thoughts could proceed farther down that lane, the Dragon actually… Vanished, and in its place, a man who was actually laughing to himself became visible.

It did so in the same way that Raul had seen before – it seemed to shimmer, and then it faded out of existence before being replaced.

As for that man, it was obviously the King of Lanthanor, and Raul couldn't help but feel shock when he saw that unlike the Dragon whose head had been cut off, it was the leg of the king which was currently detached and was bleeding profusely.

His face was filled with amusement, and he did not look at all like someone who had just blown himself up.

Little did he know that Daneel truly was amused, because he had expected this, but had still gone ahead, because it had been too tempting.

That memory that he had seen made Daneel understand the hidden capabilities of this Bloodline which could only be achieved by one continuously working hard for decades on end, and right away, he had wanted to try to for himself and see exactly why it was so difficult.

After all, theoretically, it seemed simple enough. He was just going to send his own fire instead of the fire from the Dragon Heart through its throat, and it should act exactly like a weapon with a different ammo. What could go wrong?

Besides, that image had been so damn breathtaking and cool that Daneel had wanted to replicate it right away, and his impatience had almost gotten the better of him.

In some things, Daneel understood that acting right away was best, and for once, he decided to go ahead instead of being the always safe and cautious man whose identity he had taken on for a long time. Regarding this, he felt the same way as he had felt about his scheming identity, because even though he had been perpetrating it for quite a long while in quite a serious manner, it didn't define him, and he loved to do other things just as much.

But first, Daneel had confirmed with the system the worst-case scenario, and this, coincidently, had included the scenario where his head might be detached – or, in other words, a situation where damage might occur that would lead to death.

The way he understood it, the power of Shapeshifters worked by using the resonance that was afforded to them by their Bloodline with the World to change the very make-up of their body into the form of the being they wished to mimic. The limitation with human Bloodline possessors was that unlike in the case of original Shapeshifters who didn't have many restraints on things such as time for which they could hold transformation and size to which they could transform relative to their own size, these limitations did exist, but although this limited their power, the power that they did get was still much greater than almost any that a Fighter Champion could obtain using traditional means.

During this transformation, certain body parts would be 'assigned' certain parts of the creature that one would be transforming into, and Daneel had been quite happy to find out that this exact allocation could be done manually at the time of transformation if one acquired the skill.

Typically, it would have required training, but Daneel had been able to use the system to quickly get what he needed and then simply tell the system which part he wanted to associate with which.

The head was obviously the most important part, and he had decided to allocate this to his leg, which meant that if any damage happened to it, then his leg would actually be the one that would sustain this damage.

This was apparently also a very understated advantage of Shapeshifters, as they would be able to hide their vital organs during transformations making it so that enemies would be hard pressed to find spots that they could use to target the weaknesses of their foes.

What typically happened was that all vital organs of the creature that one would be transforming into would be allocated to non-vital organs of the original body, and hence, the entire head area had been allocated to a leg, and the heart and a few other things around it were allocated to his hand.

The truth was that even though the damage looked as if it had mainly occurred in the neck of the Dragon, it had actually begun at the heart, and had caused a chain reaction which finally ended up blowing up that part. This was on display on his body, as his hand looked like it had been ravaged by various wounds which seemed as if they had been caused by explosions occurring under his skin, and even though it was not as bad as his detached leg, it still looked pretty grim and gory.

The system was already hard at work repairing all the damage, and even the wound in his leg had become ready to have the limb reattached. Daneel didn't even have to move, as the system to care of everything – it cast the spell to move the limb slowly forward, and soon, a cast had been conjured under which the healing continued to take place at a fast pace.

The breakthrough had also upgraded his body's healing properties, and so the spells were pushed on even faster. By the system's estimates, Daneel should be up and walking in a few hours, and this was pretty astonishing given the fact that just a few seconds ago, he had lost a majority of the blood in his body, along with having a major body part severed.

At first, Daneel had been skeptical about the feats that had written down in the records and about which he had heard from the system regarding Heroes being able to directly regrow even their head, in certain special cases, if it was lobbed off by an enemy and then destroyed. Most possibly, Daneel guessed that something like this was probably at work behind the scenes, with the vital organs being shifted around inside one's body so as to prevent death in extreme situations. If a Champion was capable of what he was seeing, then a Hero should definitely be capable of so much more.

It wasn't that he wasn't feeling pain, because the laughter soon faded, and it left him gritting his teeth due to the sting of so many injuries which couldn't be ignored. He had the option of asking the system to make him immune to it, but he didn't, as this was what he had been prepared for before he took his decision. It had been impulsive, but he had done it anyway, just like many of those on Earth who persisted in wasting their time and not doing anything productive with it even if they knew that it shouldn't be what they should be doing.

This pain would make this memory stand out to him whenever he even thought of anything like this, so all Daneel did was lighter it just little bit so that he could function normally instead of having to scream continuously like any normal person would be doing right now if they were in his shoes.

It was then that he finally laid his eyes and his opponent, and said, "Alright, fine, I lose, but you should know that you got lucky. I'll talk to you later regarding what we discussed. Oh, wait a second. It seems there is a message from your father. Maybe it's something concerning you."

As Raul heard this, he felt like pulling out his hair.

This guy had just shown him one of the most implausible things imaginable to anyone on Angaria, and he was shrugging it off and not giving any explanation. Was he doing it on purpose because he had lost, to take revenge by making him feel frustrated?

Raul felt like asking and insisting that he get at least some insight into just exactly what the f*ck had happened, and why, but he hesitated to take that liberty.

After all, he was someone who had newly come under the king, and he hadn't spent as much time with him as those others that the man treated very closely.

At first, Raul had been confident in his value as a Champion, but slowly, he was becoming aware of the fact that he might probably not be very special to this inestimable man who kept refusing to be bound by any sort of expectations and predictions.

Raul's ultimate goal in life was to kill a Hero, and for this, he knew that he should be close to the king, as the man also seemed to be a treasure chest of techniques that could defy all logic, which was visible in what he had just displayed.

However, he was never someone who would suck up to anyone, yet, at this moment, he felt himself being tempted to try and spend more time with the king so that he could also enter that close clique which seemed to have formed around him.

All of these thoughts were interrupted, though, when a grave expression came on the King's face, before he said, "Who are these idiots who have signed their own death warrant?"

There was anger visible in his eyes, and at this moment, the King of Lanthanor truly seemed like a Dragon become flesh, whose rage would not stop until its enemies' ashes had been scattered in the wind, never to be found, and forever to be talked of in hushed and scared tones.

Even Rayen, who had just gotten the reply through the communication trinket, felt a chill as he heard the king's voice, and he just couldn't explain why that was as he was supposed to be a Hero who shouldn't be so affected by someone who was still just a Warrior.

Shaking this thought away as he did not want to think about what it implied, Rayen said, "You know that I cannot expose any information about the identities of Heroes of the continent. This plan isn't covered by that oath, though, so I can tell you about it. And the other thing I can do, is go to the meeting and report all of the details. It should be soon, because Heroes are typically lazy beings who spend a lot of time training and passing time languidly, unless they find interesting, in which case they turn into the most energetic and spry of folk. Oh, what timing! One second."

Picking up the other trinket, Rayen checked it and said, "It's going to happen in a few hours. I'll keep an open line of communication, but there might be formations blocking it."

Hearing just a curt response, Rayen could tell that the King was pissed.

It was probably only him on this continent who would be pissed rather than scared in this situation, and once again, Rayen was reminded of his analysis of the king.

Unfathomable, and destined to leave them all behind.

The few hours afterward were spent with him getting back to the magazine which used to be printed 154 years ago but had stopped because it got too popular and was targeted by a government which wanted a share of the profits, resulting in the illustrator fleeing as he never wanted his work monitored.

After this, Raul headed to a location near the Kingdom of Arafell.

Soon, he was standing in an underground barrow with rotting corpses all around, and he couldn't help but cast a spell to stop the smell from making him nauseous before stepping forward to sit in a chair in front of a table that had already been laid out.

None of the others had arrived, but he heard a voice in his head.

"Welcome, old friend. The others will be arriving soon. You said you weren't interested, but you came first! The pain of losing a son is definitely something I can understand, because my son was killed by yours. Oh, I said we would bury the hatchet, right? It's buried. Anyway, I want to kill that upstart King, too, because I hate his smug face, so this is a golden opportunity to make it happen. I'm excited!"

Chapter 711: The Heroes' Plan

The good mood that Daneel had gotten after breaking through and also discovering just how great it felt to be a Dragon was completely ruined by the news that had been sent by Rayen.

Indeed, although he hadn't remarked to himself regarding it too much, that feeling was something that had made him understand why Dragons were so revered. These were creatures to whom the whole world itself seemed to bow, almost as if that grandeur was also granted by the Will of the world because they deserved to awe each and every one who came upon them.

Of course, it would have been so much better if they didn't have the fatal weakness of losing themselves in their anger, but nothing in the world could be perfect, after all.

Things could only be made to be perfect, and that was what Daneel wanted to do.

He had enough on his plate, so to discover that a few damn Heroes might also bunch up on him when he was weak was very disconcerting news, and exactly what he didn't need right now.

Yet, after talking to Rayen and finding out that they would not be having a direct hand in what was going to happen, Daneel had felt a sense of relief, but he still wanted to find out exactly what they were planning to do.

At this moment, he really valued the relation he had with Rayen, because he was actually the perfect man to find out each and every plot that might be present against him. On the outside, they were supposed to be irreconcilable enemies, and if the Head wasn't present, everyone was sure that Rayen would certainly be in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, tearing Daneel apart from limb to limb.

So, all of the plots would definitely want to get his help, as he was, after all, one of the few Heroes of the continent of Angaria. Daneel didn't know yet exactly how many there were, but based on everything he knew, he had guessed that there should be at least 15 to 20, because this was the number that came up after taking into account that entire information he had uncovered regarding Willstones and the power they could call upon to make one a Hero.

After getting the news, Daneel had dismissed Raul after promising him that he would definitely sit down with them soon, and negotiate something that would work out for everyone. Then, seeing that he was close to making the man jump up and down in frustration, he had told him about the additional plot that wanted to claim his life.

This led to having to explain about the entire thing with the Mad Doctor, and the entire thing made Daneel recognize something.

There was really a dearth of communication between those who were his Sovereigns, and those who weren't.

Daneel had others under him who he felt could also be trusted, to quite a degree, even if they were not at the level of the Sovereigns for whom he had even crafted those trinkets from the Ker Root that would ensure that they would never be Mind Controlled in order for an enemy to find out all of his secrets.

He recognised that this might bring about the feeling of favouritism, resulting in those coming under him feeling as if they had no chance whatsoever of climbing up and entering the 'inner circle', as it definitely looked like, which would definitely result in them feeling demotivated and even be tempted by enemies if the scenario came to be that someone wanted to infiltrate his followers.

Of course, he had multiple spells from both the system and himself in place to make sure that nothing like this would happen, but it was never a bad idea to consider the worst-case scenario. If he did manage to attract an enemy who could bypass everything, then it would be too late to despair later.

Even back on Earth, he had heard of many stories where prominent leaders would often give the image as if they were unreachable to those from the lower levels of the government, and this was one of the main reasons behind a lot of the backstabs and machinations that happened in many places.

Hence, Daneel realized that he should definitely set in place some or the other directive which would counter this, and he decided that he would start with Raul.

The goal was to place something which would give people hope that they could come into his inner circle if they proved themselves using their actions, and for this, the best method was probably to ask Eloise to drop a few tips here and there, and then make sure to announce it himself later on, while giving opportunities for people to work hard and excel.

During the few hours of waiting which had to pass in order to find out just what the plan of the Heroes was, Daneel put his mind on this, but he kept getting distracted no matter what he did. In that state, he had no intention of planning the last two steps of the process that he had made, as he did not want to do it with this kind of mindset.

Finally, as the appointed time approached, Daneel eagerly touched the communication trinket and waited, but after a few seconds during which there was no input, it cut away.

Rayen had warned him that this would happen, but still, frustration appeared on his face, making him grit his teeth and feel like cursing.

This… Pushed Daneel even more towards his goal that he should definitely accumulate enough power to not have to care about these Heroes who all seemed to have their own motives, none of which were concerned about the fate of Angaria.

He knew that he should not classify all the Heroes under this kind of umbrella, but that was the feeling she was getting. This could even be said about the Champions, but in them, Daneel had at least met quite a few good ones – Marcus, who had saved him, was one of those in this list, and although Daneel had tried to get information regarding just where he was recuperating in the Fortress of Unyielding Might, he hadn't been able to, although he had been able to confirm that his recovery was going well, and that he would wake up soon.

Closing his eyes and deciding to wait patiently, Daneel sat back, and just hoped that it would end soon so that Rayen could send him all the details that he wanted.

Meanwhile, three others had arrived just a few minutes after Rayen had reached the place.

In those few minutes, he constantly looked around trying to find out just why this place filled with graves appealed so much to this weird guy.

He was known for being one of the most eccentric Heroes, and even his path was shrouded in secrecy. All of the official records had been erased from the Sect of Hedon, from where he had risen, and it was said that this was because no one wanted another Hero like him to rise.

If that were so, why had he been allowed to become one in the first place? There was no way to find the answer to this question, and Rayen didn't want to give him the satisfaction of asking about it, and showing that he was interested in him.

The problem was that the guy was an egomaniac, and he loved to think that the entire world revolved around him. He would take others' comments, even if they weren't related to him directly, to mean that they were praising him, and it was said that he had once even gotten into a fight because someone couldn't bear his antics, and had chosen to stand up against them.

The result was that they had been pummelled into the ground, even though they were a Hero, and that was one of the clearest indications that whatever his path was, it was pretty damn formidable.

There were theories it was related to this peculiar character of his, but no one could figure out the answer.

The other three who came were much more… Normal, if this word could even be used to describe Heroes, who were all creatures that had been living for centuries.

Time always had the strangest of effects on people, and on these three, it had acted differently in each case.

After becoming a Hero, one could actually change their appearance to be however they wished, and although the swirling darkness around Rayen was because of his path, he liked it, as it was kind of his identity.

As for these three, one of them looked extremely young, with a robust body that made it seem as if he was a Fighter. The other looked extremely old, with a long beard that almost touched the ground and eyes which spoke of the wisdom that he had gathered over all the time he had presided over the continent. The last was a woman, and although she was wearing a cloak which hid almost all of her features, there was one which stood out: she was over 6 feet tall, and this was an incongruity given that the average height of woman was lower than that of men on the continent.

Rayen knew of the general story regarding all of them. The one who was young had apparently always dreamed of eternal life, and he had pursued the closest thing. Luck had allowed him to have great talent, and after becoming a Hero, he apparently loved to make it seem as if he was still his 20-year-old self, instead of the 220-year old that he was.

As for the old man, he had always valued age, so he took on this form which made others feel as if he was very knowledgeable. There were whispers that the truth was actually that he was insecure about his intellect which was on a lower level when compared to others, but Rayen didn't know the truth regarding this.

As for the woman, all Rayen had heard was that she had a thing about height, and he had no idea what this 'thing' was, except that it caused her to hate short people. This was really strange, but of course, it was par for the course when talking about Heroes.

All three of them did not need to have any specific appearance because their path did not manifest in that way, so they were free to choose how they wanted to look. This was what they had chosen, and it reflected their personalities and thoughts clearly.

After they all sat down, they were joined by the man who had called for this entire thing.

Even if one counted Rayen, he was definitely the strangest of them all. Where his head should be… Was a shining skull, with no skin or flesh. A dim glow was visible in the eye sockets, and when he spoke, the teeth rattled against each other.

It might have been comical if his entire body was like that, but the fact that it was normal, and that only the head was like this, actually resulted in a contrast that was quite creepy. Again, no one knew why he chose to be like this, and he wasn't very forthcoming behind his reason, either.

"I'll keep this short, so that no one suspects that we are up to something because we are all missing at the same time. I went to check upon the Mad Doctor on a whim, and I found that someone has injected him with something that will cause him to wake up, mad, in a few weeks. I don't know just who it was that that did this, but they clearly have it out against that kid, who will definitely be targeted the moment the man wakes up. I propose…that we simply make it fair! It won't be fair for the Head to intervene, right? Let's occupy him, and make it seem like a coincidence! And just in case this fails and the guy goes too mad or something, why not let loose a few of the top seeds of the Big Four who are disgruntled because he was chosen as the Legacy Disciple? It can seem like a casual fight, but bad thing can happen during fights…very bad things. What do you all say?"

Chapter 712: Treasury of the Gods 1

Daneel was sitting along with his Sovereigns while waiting for the news regarding the meeting.

He had called them all beforehand so that he could directly discuss with them regarding the matter when it became known, and when he heard everything, he couldn't help but heave another sigh of relief as their actions were actually under his expectations.

He had already expected that the Head would be held up in some manner, and he hadn't been able to figure out exactly how the Church would accomplish that. Well, now he knew.

Indeed, now, he suspected whether that Hero who had suggested all this was actually acting on the direction of the Church, which was still possible without giving any oath because there was always a grey area in any oath that was made.

For example, the Artifact left behind by the Emperor made it so that every Hero who reached that level would swear an unbreakable oath, even by them, that they would always remain loyal to Angaria, but listening to the Church and doing a few things for them would not mean actually betraying the continent. It could be said that he was just listening to an unidentified third party, and because he could say to himself that this wouldn't cause any devastating harm for the continent, he could go ahead and do what they said for a few benefits.

Of course, this was all Daneel's speculation, and as he spelled it out to the Sovereigns, they couldn't help but be taken aback.

If that was the case, then who could they even trust?

The only consolation in this was that the Heroes wouldn't be able to do direct things and effect matters in ways that were too harmful, but the problem was that they could still be hoodwinked into taking part in plans which might not have worked without them. This was the perfect example for that, because if this whole thing was being done by the machinations of the Church, then this guy was actually enabling them to carry out the test of theirs by agreeing to block the Head while the Mad Doctor went after Daneel.

As for the seeds, Daneel wasn't concerned about them at all. By the time he was done, they would be small fry whom he wouldn't need to care about for even a second, and he might even decide to have his fun with them. After all, he missed the feeling of being able to smash people who were so stupid as to go against him with hammers.

He had already known that he had drawn a lot of attention to himself by becoming the Legacy Disciple of the Fortress of Unyielding Might, but he had imagined that maybe, the top individuals in the Big Four would not be like the typical antagonists in stories who would care about 'face' and want to target him just because he had come from the Central Continent and was now rising in the Big Four.

Apparently, he was wrong, but it remained to be seen whether this was the case with all of them, or a select few whom this Hero wanted to exploit.

Still, a decision needed to be made regarding what steps he should take, and so, they began a discussion.

The opinion of most of the Sovereigns was that they shouldn't meddle too much, because the truth regarding Daneel's and Rayen's relationship should not be exposed. Running a risk in this matter would not be worth the attempt to take revenge against the Heroes who were plotting against him, and even though this sounded logical, Daneel didn't really feel like agreeing with them.

The reason behind this… Was that he had already changed his mindset, and now, he had no intentions of continuously hiding just because their power level was too far beyond his.

His mind had always been his strongest weapon, and now, he had slowly accumulated enough resources to be able to make an impact even against those in that realm.

Of course, Rayen was one of the primary resources, but if he made a perfect plan, he was confident that he would be able to use the Head, too.

Faxul and Elanev were both strongly supporting him and this, and even though the rest, including Robert, wanted him to exercise caution, Daneel chose this path, and asked them to trust him.

After all, he could understand where they were coming from, but what they didn't understand was that this retribution against the Heroes of Angaria had been coming ever since he had found out that they had long since changed to not have any loyalty for their continent, and that they were only still not openly betraying the land that had given them birth and going over to the Church to fulfill their greed for power and an even longer lifespan because of the oath that they had sworn to the Head.

He had always wanted to change this, somehow, because it definitely wasn't an option to go about killing a few to scare the rest. Loyalty that was brought about by force was always something that was fickle, and it could even change in the heat of battle to result in disastrous consequences.

Hence, the goal was to bring about this change through other means, so Daneel decided to use this as an opportunity to experiment.

His main objective was to find out just how these people's minds worked, because he couldn't estimate the effect that living for such a long time would have on them. Even though he had the memories of the Emperor, that man had been different, because Daneel had noticed that he had never changed no matter how many centuries he lived. This was because of his iron-like determination to keep striding forward to reach his goal, and this was another thing that Daneel admired him for.

Although he stated this and put it up for discussion, there weren't many ideas that were productive, and even Daneel knew that this would take some time. Even he had thought about it and hadn't come up with anything right away, but as the objective was clear, he was confident that there would be something or the other that would definitely pop up before the time was up.

Right now, though, there was still a lot he had to do before the Mad Doctor awakened, so he dismissed the Sovereigns after telling them to keep thinking on it.

Of course, he also took the opportunity to tell Eloise about the system that should be put in place for people like Raul and the previous Grand Court Mage to climb up the ranks and reach their level, and this had made Robert smile and say, "It is good that you recognize this. It is always deplorable if a soldier feels that he can never reach the level of his commander in the Army, as there will never be anything to push him forward and make him give his all."

After the meeting was done, Daneel headed back directly to his quarters, where he sat there and was just about to resume his study on Dragons.

He had gotten many, many insights after shifting into a Dragon's shape before, and even though it had ended in disaster, Daneel had gotten a clue regarding just where the true essence of a Dragon might lay.

It still remained to be seen whether finding out the essence of what it meant to be a Godbeast would allow him to channel its powers and change into its true form using the Shapeshifter's ability, but first, he had to get that essence, and he was eager to resume that task.

However… The words of Xandar echoed in his mind, and he right away teleported out of the palace, as he couldn't believe that he had almost forgotten about this crucial thing that he had obtained during his break through.

Of course, he had remembered about the Treasury of the Gods, and he felt like it would be stupid not to check whether there was something there that might help him in what he was doing.

The fact that Xandar, himself, had said that his approach might work was a really good thing, but again, the word 'might' had to be highlighted. There was still a chance that he might fail, but he couldn't, because in this situation, failing might just mean the deaths of hundreds of thousands and possibly millions of Lanthanorians.

That was not something that he would allow, no matter what, so he had to succeed.

True, even though no one had even gotten close in so many millennia since the age of the Empire, this did not deter him much, as he had always done things which people said were impossible.

Still, a little help would go a long way, and he hoped to find that in the Treasury. One thing that had stood out was that Xandar had also mentioned 'weapons', and although he had done so in a casual manner, Daneel was pretty confident that any weapon that was worthy of being stored in the Treasury would definitely be something that just might change the tide of battle in any important fight.

He would soon be entering the realm of Champions, and this was where weapons would really begin to shine and show the impact that they could have. In the lesser realms, even though weapons could boost the attack power and defense of Fighters and Majors, it wasn't very drastic, because there was a level limitation. For example, someone at the Peak Warrior level would only be able to use a Peak Warrior weapon, and this would only be able to boost their attack or defense for a maximum of 10%, at most, and that too only if they practiced with it diligently in order to be able to use it in battle. In many cases, the actual attack techniques of Fighters depended on weapons, and if so, a very high level of proficiency was required to show the advantage.

Still, the whole thing about weapons was very different from what Daneel had expected after reading many stories and watching the movies from Earth, where just possessing a strong one would decide the winner of a battle. He was, of course, referring to the legendary hammer that had become very popular, and others in famous stories which could be likened to treasures that had their own spirituality and consciousness.

Even on Angaria, weapons were said to have consciousness, but Daneel had checked this out beforehand, and had seen that it was simply a gimmick used by trinket manufacturers to put a formation on the weapon to make it seem as if it was responding to a wielder's thoughts, where in reality, all that was happening was that it was following a clear set of directions which would allow it to detect the situation and act accordingly. At most, this would mean that it would be able to adapt to situations where if a swing was being made, then it would actually move along the direction that it was traveling, and if a clash was happening, then it would be able to change the property of the weapon a little bit to make it harder. Minute things like these made a difference, but again, they didn't impress Daneel too much, because he could do so much better with spells.

It was different during the age of the Empire, though. The images that Daneel had seen in the memories of the Emperor made him feel excited, but the problem was that most had been destroyed on the Apocalypse, while the ones that survived had all been gobbled up by the Big Four.

These thoughts all accompanied Daneel on his way, and when he finally reached his destination, he couldn't help but wonder whether he had reached the right place.

There was a grid mapping system used by the Emperor during the age of the Empire, and was using these grids that Xandar had given him the location.

The problem was that he was above the Endless Sea, and no matter where he looked, there were only the waves of the sea to greet him, with no sign whatsoever of a godly Treasury being hidden here that had the potential to change the fate of the entire continent, itself.

Chapter 713: Treasury of the Gods 2

Daneel double- and triple-checked the coordinates, but this was the place.

He was off the coast of the North of Angaria, right after crossing the Black Raven Kingdom and going farther and farther onward until one reached the shore.

The shore was usually not a very populous place, because of the tendency of the Endless Sea to occasionally swell forward and inundate everything nearby, resulting in any house that was built being swept away by the waves that held the wrath of the sea within them.

There were quite a few villages a bit inland, though, mainly because there were a lot of people whose wish was to see the Endless Sea for themselves. Even though before the advent of the Network, there hadn't been much information being shared across regions, the tale regarding the Endless Sea was always present, and many wanted to see the sight of lapping waves stretching into the horizon before they died. There were no major water bodies on the continent, so this was the only place where they would be able to see such a thing. It was almost like a pilgrimage, and these villages served to act as tourist locations where one could lodge before going forward and gazing at the sight that made almost all drop their jaws.

Daneel was puzzled as to what he should do. He first went to the villages nearby to check out whether there were any strange incidents that happened in this area, and mainly because these villages were cut off from the rest of the world as they were so far away from the forces in the Central Continent, there was a possibility that there might be things that hadn't been reported to him present which might give him some indication regarding just where the Treasury was.

Sadly, there was nothing to be gleaned, and although he did find signs of those who came from the Big 4 to fish for that meat which had tasted so good in the Sect of Hedon when he had tasted it, there was nothing else.

Even those who took part in this activity of fishing apparently only came every six months, and each time, the number of those who left would be lesser than that of those who came.

This was quite peculiar, and because he hadn't investigated too much into this activity of obtaining the meat which acted as the Energy resource for those in the realm of Champions and Heroes, he didn't know why this would happen. The Endless Sea was known to be treacherous, but if one was careful, they were supposed to be able to keep their lives, especially if they had trained to become Warriors in the big four.

Deciding to shelve that question for later, Daneel returned to the spot that was indicated by the coordinates and decided to give something a try.

He was around a few hundred metres from the shoreline, but even then, just to be safe, he cast a spell to make sure that the sound from this area would not travel anywhere.

After that, hoping that something would happen, he shouted, "I may take many shapes, but the shape of my heart shall forever stay true: I come in the name of Xandar, Seventh in the Line of The Noble Seven, and I beseech you to grant me entry."

That was the password given to Daneel by the Shapeshifter, and even for a few seconds after he said it out loud, nothing changed.

Just as he was about to think that he had been taken for a ride by that guy who really did look like he would pull pranks for amusement, the system sent an urgent message.

[Incoming Hero-level attempt to teleport host. Would host like an attempt to be made to block it]

"No! Allow it!"

No sooner had he given the answer, he blinked out of existence, as if he had never stood there in the first place.

If anyone was watching the spot, they would have seen a very peculiar sight.

For a split second after the King of Lanthanor said those words, it was as if a gigantic eye the size of a large ship had opened in the depths of the Endless Sea, and the only reason that it became visible was because the very waves of the sea had stilled for the briefest of moments. It was as if it had some sort of aura which caused even time to stop near it, but after that, it disappeared, leaving no signs behind.

Of course, Daneel didn't know about this, as he had been teleported to some place where there was no light whatsoever.

After waiting for a few seconds for his eyes to adjust, he finally saw that he was in a cave, of sorts.

He didn't really understand the fascination of this continent with caves, because it was as if this was the umpteenth time that he had found himself somewhere underground where something was hidden.

Putting this thought aside, he started walking inward in the pitch black darkness, his hands feeling the walls which were smooth, almost as if they had been cut by a very sharp object.

The passage was only able to fit one person, and even the ceiling was only a few inches above his head. He kept walking and walking, and it was as if time had no meaning in this place. Thankfully, Daneel had the system, so after finding out that he had been walking for 5 minutes, he decided to pick it up a notch.

He began running, and except for the eerie silence around this place that slowly began to creep him out, there was nothing untoward here.

One thing which did make him think that he had arrived at the Treasury was that the system was unable to scan past these walls, which meant that there was at least a Hero level formation blocking him. To be able to be maintained for so long… Daneel wondered how it could be possible, and he hoped that he would find the answer soon.

Finally, after 5 more minutes during which he kept wondering whether he should pick up the pace even more and zoom along, he started to see light somewhere far away, and this made him increase his pace, even though he had been hesitating till now wondering whether it would be disrespectful to do that.

According to the system's estimate, he had already walked and then run for over 10 km, and it was in the direction of the Endless Sea, rather than of the continent. It had to be said that the idea to put something so precious like this outside the continent was brilliant, as it was practically the last place that anyone would even want to search, as it would exactly be like looking for a needle in an endless haystack.

The spot from where the light was coming seemed to get closer and closer, and finally, when Daneel reached it, he got the shock of his life.

In front of him was a hole that seemed to go on and on until eternity. A normal human would have gone right ahead and fallen into it, but his reflexes had allowed him to stop himself. He couldn't see the end of it, so he focused his gaze on the source of the light, which was a globe of peculiar grey-colored fire that was burning right in front of him.

It gave off a grey light, too, and it seemed to be of the same hue of the walls.

To the left and right, Daneel saw the same smooth walls branch out and then end, and in front of a was also a wall. It was like he had traveled down a corridor and then come upon an elevator shaft, yet there was no elevator, and the shaft seemed to go on endlessly.

Except for the globe of fire which cast shadows on the smooth walls which were so polished that they almost looked like mirrors, there was nothing else, but a second after he reached it, it suddenly changed.

It transformed into a mouth, which opened to speak.

"What do you want?", It asked almost lazily, as if its nap had been disturbed.

The King of Lanthanor was pretty damn surprised, and he didn't even know what to think.

From all the buildup that the Shapeshifter had given, he had been expecting some grand place where he would be welcomed and then made to feel awe, as it would be something that was proudly built by the Godbeasts to take forward their heritage. He had been expecting a grand display of all of the weapons and all of the real blood of the Godbeasts that he could obtain, with the objective being that they wanted to push him to get them, while also impressing him to no end. Wouldn't any place that was named as loftily as the 'Treasury of the Gods' want to do that?

Clearly, that was not the case here, because after Daneel stared for a few seconds, the voice snapped, "Quickly! I would like to go back to sleep today and not after an eternity, thank you."

The sass dripping from these words made Daneel understand that his expectations would not be fulfilled today, so he decided to just go ahead and ask for what he had come.

"I was told that I can obtain the blood of Godbeasts and weapons here. How can I do that?"

Xandar had said that he could only give him entry, and not break the rules. Whatever the rules that had been laid down, Daneel wanted to find them first, so he asked this question.

"Oh, I just checked and saw that you are a newcomer. Well, here are the rules. There are only two ways to obtain the treasures hidden within here, and only when you become eligible to take the treasure will you even be able to check just what are available. No matter whose permission you got to enter here, the rules are the same for everyone, and you have to earn these treasures if you want them. The reason behind this is that many millennia have passed, and many more will. If there are further threats, then the Treasury needs to have treasures to help in those conflicts, too, so only those who are worthy can obtain what is inside. Even then, there is a limit to the number of items that can be taken away by a single person, in a single age. Anyway, the first method is that you should carry this trinket with you, and if there are any missions, they will be intimated to you through it. If you pass the mission, you will be able to pick an item. The second is to use your power to show your capability. There are different tiers of treasures, and depending on the level of your power, you can take away an item from that tier. This can only be done once, so choose when you want to do it. Oh, and because this is your first time, I also need to show you at least one treasure so that you'll be motivated."

All of the information given in a boring tone in that slightly high-pitched voice would have made Daneel fall asleep, if it weren't for the fact that it was all so important. He didn't understand just how this thing could give missions, and he expected to find out, but now, he was most excited about what treasure would be shown. A trinket shaped like a golden treasure chest had also appeared in front of him, and he had grabbed it and carefully put it inside his pocket.

Regarding why this Treasury was like this, Daneel understood the reason, because it was true that such rules needed to be set down if the Godbeasts wanted it to be relevant and useful even many millennia after the age that Daneel had transmigrated into. Even after this threat was vanquished, there might be another one in the future, and another one after that, and the goal was to clearly keep a few treasures even for that time so that they could try and change the tide in desperate situations.

Right after this thought appeared in his head, that mouth made of fire vanished, and in its place, a shining object appeared.

It was so long that it was taller than Daneel, and at first, Daneel couldn't even recognize what it was, as there was a blinding light surrounding it that made him squint if he wanted to pick up any details.

After a second, this light started to dim, and Daneel finally got his first glimpse of the object.

All he could tell was that it was a weapon, but it was unlike any weapon Daneel had ever seen.

Its main body consisted of a long, silvery…bone, which was slightly bent in the middle. It had a leather grip at the bottom and the middle where it could be held, and at its top was a fang of some creature that was affixed so well that it looked as if the bone naturally ended with that fang.

The main body of the weapon, though…was a huge horn, and it reminded Daneel of the horn of a rhinoceros from Earth.

Only, this one was half the size of Daneel, and unlike traditional horns, the top side and bottom almost looked like they had been honed into gleaming edges which looked like they could cut through anything.

As for the tip…just looking at it made Daneel feel that nothing in the World could stop it from piercing through, and it even made him feel a slight trepidation.

A voice echoed in the area where Daneel was standing while he kept staring with the awe that he had expected to feel when he arrived here.

"The best of weapons do not use mere metal. They use the strongest of the body parts of Godbeasts, and they will never break. Each one is completely unique. This one is made from the leg bone of a Divine Frog, a Godbeast known for its sturdy legs that allows it to jump higher than any known species, and the horn of a Heaven-Piercing Rhino. Each one is named after the unique ability they grant to their wielder, and this one…is called 'Rampage'."

Chapter 714: Treasury of the Gods End

Not even a moment after the words were heard near his ears, Daneel found himself right where he had disappeared from after shouting out the password.

That weapon still lingered in his eyes, and it was as if he was transfixed, while getting drenched in the rain that had begun above the Endless Sea.

It was only after a few seconds that he finally came to his senses, and as soon as he did so, he shook his head and said, "Play the memory of when the weapon was last used, and tell me its history."

[Affirmative. Playing memory.]

The next second, Daneel found his mind pulled away to a location that actually looked familiar.

It was the same one in which Xandar had talked to those who had the Bloodline of the Shapeshifter, and this was because this was apparently a famous area in the Secret Academy that used to exist during the age of the Empire for Bloodline Possessors as those who chose to train here would always find themselves having a calm mind.

At this moment, two men stood facing each other, and one of them was the Emperor.

Daneel wanted to witness the scene from a third person view, so he had asked the system to play the memory this way, instead of from the perspective of the Emperor.

The other person was middle-aged, and he was tall and had the strong body of a Fighter. In his hands was the very weapon that Daneel had seen, and while the man hefted it, measured its weight, and got familiar with how it felt in his hands, the system spoke in Daneel's mind.

['Rampage' was made on the orders of the Emperor, using resources that he had hidden away after the great war between humans and Godbeasts. He took them out after the Empire was established and when he had enough resources and personnel to begin the crafting, and until that time, weapons made from Godbeasts had been very limited and precious commodities that were treasured by all who held them. In fact, they were such an important resource that many were even hidden away, never to appear unless absolutely necessary. The Emperor wanted to change this, and give his Empire something that would draw experts to him, and hence, he began this grand project of creating these items which he turned as Godly weapons, because they were made from Godbeasts. Both of the Godbeasts whose main parts had been used for this weapon had been slain by the Emperor, and they were both at the peak of their power. The main difficulty behind the formation of such weapons is that the consciousness of a Godbeast lingers in its body even after death, and this allows some parts, in which this manifests the most to have certain properties, which, if not used and handled properly, will drive one to madness. It is similar to the concept of ghosts haunting objects from host's home planet. These properties must be harnessed, and if parts from multiple Godbeasts are being used, all of the differing ones must be carefully manipulated to work together as a cohesive whole. This requires continuous study by talented formation masters, who would slowly begin to create the specific formation that would be related to the weapon. This is the main reason each weapon is unique, as no two parts of a Godbeast would absolutely be the same. That is where the actual forging occurs, and 'Rampage' is part of the first batch made after the establishment of the Empire. This particular one took 40 years to be made, and resulted in the deaths of three formation masters, making it one of the costliest projects ever embarked upon by the Emperor.]

The long history was extremely impressive, and it gave Daneel certain insights into just how precious such weapons were.

It was true that Angaria did not have metals or materials which could be trusted to have the massive amounts of strength and durability that was required if they were to be used by Heroes, so the best materials were definitely those which were obtained from Godbeasts.

As for the formation masters dying, Daneel didn't understand why that would have happened, and before he asked the system, the man in the memory spoke up.

"You're here to try and save me, right? Don't fret it too much if you fail."

The statement puzzled Daneel, but the Emperor answered with a grave expression on his face.

"Yes, and no, I will never forgive myself if you die. You don't need to do this, there are others."

This resulted in a chuckle sounding from the other man, before he said, "Are you serious? How could I miss this! This is the first Godly weapon crafted in thousands of years! I want to be the first to test it, and the first to bind it if you have succeeded. I have lived for so long, and I'll be dying in a few decades anyway, so before that, I would like to do something like this which would allow my name to be written in the history books."

These words made a frown appear on the Emperor's forehead, and he said, "You already know that your name will be present everywhere anyway, because I would never have been able to accomplish all this without you and the others."

In response, the other man shrugged and said, "No, Fenoras. History only remembers the Emperor of an Empire, and not those who helped him build it, or died to form to its foundation. I guarantee that a few thousand years from now, you'll be the only one who is remembered, and all of us will definitely be forgotten. This is different, though. This weapon will stand for many, many years, and after I bind it, my name will stand along with it. That is, of course, if you will be keeping your word that you will engrave all of the first owners of these weapons on their body, in order to commemorate their entry into the world."

Nodding, the Emperor replied, "I see no reason why I shouldn't continue with that. Initially, it was just a gimmick to invite people to test the weapons even if it means that they would be risking their lives, but now, old friend, I wish I hadn't done that in the first place. If I didn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. Let's get this over with."

After letting out another laugh on hearing the Emperor's words and seeing him sigh, a serious expression appeared on the man's face, and he grasped the weapon with both of his hands before placing it above his head, and swinging down.

While he was in the act of swinging, the Emperor braced himself and also activated numerous formations that had already been laid down all over this place.

Daneel felt shock and wondered just why so many precautions were being taken, but what happened next give him his answer.

BOOOOOOMMMM!!!!

With a sound that was akin to one that would appear if the heavens, themselves, were breaking, the tip of the horn on the weapon impacted the earth in front of the man, and cracked it open easily, as if it was a knife cutting through butter.

A deep ravine appeared from that point of impact, snaking forward as if the force behind it refused to be stopped, and finally, when it did stop, a large crack in the earth that was at least 40 feet long and 10 feet wide had appeared.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!"

A bestial roar was heard right after this, and as Daneel turned his gaze to the man again, he saw that his eyes had gone completely red, and that the veins in his entire body were pulsing madly as if they were pumping red-hot fire, not blood.

It was as if the earth below him had given him unpardonable affront somehow, because he raised the weapon and swung it again, causing another ravine to appear beside the one that was already present, which eventually combined with the first one and formed a large hole in the ground.

Again and again, he kept doing this, and by the 10th time, the Earth was already so devastated that they could no longer even clearly see the bottom of the hole.

The man kept turning around and swinging crazy, and by this point, the only spot that was undisturbed was the one below him. All around him, it was as if someone had rained down attacks that had caused deep craters to appear, making it seem as if this place had suffered the wrath of the gods. All this time, Fenoras kept watching carefully, as if he was looking for something, and finally, just as the eleventh swing was about to hit that last part of Earth under him, he teleported forward and caught the weapon.

What was astonishing was that his power was insufficient to stop it, and he had to cast multiple spells before he finally used both of his hands to succeed in making it come to a halt.

The man was breathing heavily, and the moment the ax stopped, he fainted.

If that was all, it would have been fine, but right after fainting, he actually… Deflated.

All of his muscles shrunk as if they were just balloons, and his skin started to hang onto his bones. Daneel almost thought he had died, but his chest was still rising and falling weakly.

He also started coughing out blood while being unconscious, and it looked like he had aged a century in the matter of these few seconds.

Examining carefully, the Emperor remarked to himself, "As expected. The ability is incredible – any target that is decided upon by the one who wields it will be destroyed, as they will enter a 'rampage mode' where each and every ounce of power in the body will be pulled out and amplified tremendously. However… It puts too much of a strain on the body. Still, it will allow one to skip at least two minor realms if they are a Hero, and three if they are Champion. Maybe a Peak champion will even be able to beat an Amateur hero if they use it. It lives up to the name of a Godly weapon, but…"

As his voice drifted away, Daneel returned to his own body, and he knew that the Emperor had been thinking about how to counter the negative aspects of the weapon.

After all, weapons which would land anyone who wielded them in a healer's bed each time they were used were not ones that would be preferred, but still, he had to agree with the man that they were pretty damn incredible.

And of course, what stood out… Was that a Champion might be able to beat a Hero with it, and knowing the difference in power that had been present between a Peak warrior and a Champion itself, Daneel could tell that the same difference when talking about Champion and Heroes would be even more exaggerated.

They were Godly weapons, indeed, and right away, Daneel knew that they could be instrumental in the fight against the Church.

But how was he supposed to obtain them?

He obviously didn't have a hand in the first method, but the second appealed to them.

Even though he wasn't a very strong Champion right now, soon… That was going to change, and when it did, Daneel decided that he would be coming back here, and would definitely be leaving with that weapon, or something better.

Just as he was about to leave, though, he took a moment to gather his thoughts so that he would be clear about everything else he needed to do.

And that, was when something…clicked.

Sometimes, life worked in funny ways. The final piece of the answer that he had been looking for had been delivered to him due to this experience, and although he might have arrived at it naturally anyway, getting it in this manner had saved him a lot of time.

Determination shining in his eyes, the King of Lanthanor made his way back to his quarters, and resumed his study into the essence of being a Dragon with renewed passion.

The hours started to pass, and occasionally, Daneel would even transform into a Dragon, but he didn't try to replicate the attack like the Shapeshifter again.

The memory of the excruciating pain of having his leg severed was still clear in his mind, and he had no intention to go through it again.

He kept at this, and he even started to ask Drakos to let him to relive memories that didn't involve that episode of anger. He experienced how it felt to fly, to breathe fire, to grow and to learn.

It was only two days later that Daneel finally opened his eyes, and when he did, there seem to be something inside them which made them shine even though the room was shrouded in darkness.

As a smile appeared on his face, he disappeared from the room, as it was finally time for him to finish the third step in the plan he had prepared.

Chapter 715: Dragon

A moment later, Daneel reappeared in his quarters.

In his hands was the last of the Ker Root he had obtained from the Mad Doctor, and because he had used it multiple times since getting it, it was only the size of half of his finger.

Still, he knew that it was one of the most precious things that he had, and that even the Heroes of Angaria treasured this resource and hunted for it diligently. In the past few hundred years, no new Ker Roots had been found, and each and every one that was present was treasured. He knew this from the records that he had seen long back in the Goddess's Sanctum, and that was also why it was such a crazy thing that the Mad Doctor had been able to obtain one, and even hide it from the eyes of the Heroes.

He wished he could find out exactly how the man had done it, but putting that aside for now, Daneel first sent a few messages.

A few seconds later, a knock was heard on the door, and Daneel made it open to reveal two of his subjects: Faxul and Elanev.

They walked in and waited after nodding at him in greeting, wondering why the King had summoned them.

After thinking for a bit and then looking as if he had decided on something, Daneel opened his mouth and said, "Remember that I told you not to worry about me cutting off my path by choosing the Shapeshifter Bloodline? Well, it's time to show you what I meant. But… I need your help. If something untoward happens, you need to be able to disable me. Do not hesitate to use force. Understand?"

The seriousness in the King's voice made both Elanev and Faxul frown, but they nodded.

They appreciated that Daneel was trusting them with something so important, and they were proud of their power which was definitely the reason why they had been chosen, instead of the others.

Daneel didn't want to take any chances. The idea that he had gotten before was a radical one, and although it would complete the puzzle piece of the whole plan he had created to overcome the weakness of the Shapeshifter bloodline, it was dangerous.

Innovation always came with risks, and he had already seen just how dangerous trying something new could be in the memory before, where that weapon had been tested.

It was the perfect moment to see whether all of his suppositions were right, so he decided to summarise his thoughts on them after first trying it out, and seeing whether it would work.

Initially, he had actually thought that he would have to go to the rest of the sects in the Big Four to look for clues in their libraries, but he had gotten his clue from the Treasury and that memory anyway. The only problem with this was that if he had found something in those archives, there might have been records of those things being tried before, but now, he was doing it completely without any idea regarding what would happen.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel began.

"Drakos, you mind giving me the tiniest bit of your consciousness? I wouldn't ask if it wasn't essential."

Drakos was pretty surprised when he heard this. He had been watching everything silently, and he had actually been excited to see just how the King would do something that those from the age of the Empire had only dreamt of, but never achieved. He had once spoken to the Bloodline holders of the Shapeshifter personally, and this had always been their ideal.

He had thought that by giving access to his memories, he had done everything that he could, but clearly, he was wrong.

Still, Drakos had no qualms against this, as all it would cause was a little pain. True, the consciousnesses of Mages were brittle and not as flexible as those of Fighters, which would even regenerate over time. Still, separating a tiny part was not much of an issue, and he did so directly before saying, "It's ready, Young King. What would you like me to do with it?"

At this moment, Daneel really felt glad that he had gotten the trust of the Ancient Dragon, as he personally knew how excruciating the process was. This was something that didn't change no matter how much one trained, and the fact that the Dragon had done it right away without asking any questions made his heart feel warm.

Closing his eyes, Daneel said to the system, "Minimise the formation that was used by the King to make the objects in which the Empire Spirits were stored, using this Ker Root as the base."

[Affirmative. Studying formation. Minimizing. Casting formation.]

Daneel's eyes were closed, and if any mage could see the scene with their elementary vision, they would directly have fainted as the complexity was so far beyond even the realm of Champions that they wouldn't be able to understand even one little thing.

This formation was one of the most advanced in the Empire, and Daneel could only castrate using the system without understanding anything, just like a student back on Earth mugging up an answer and reproducing it during an exam to score marks.

Drakos felt surprise when he saw what the king was doing, and although he didn't understand why he was doing it, he held his silence as he knew that he would soon find out.

After Daneel was done, sweat appeared on his brow, as it had been quite tiring.

"Drakos, transfer the piece of consciousness into this."

Drakos directly did so, and after he was done, a faint glow appeared in the Ker Root, and it looked exactly like the one that Daneel had seen in the stone podium of the Black Raven Empire Spirit before he had drained it of energy.

At this point, Daneel had an option. This was the first time that this was being attempted, and he wanted it to be momentous.

Hence, he teleported over the crown that he had taken from the previous King using the system's control over the entire Palace.

Looking at it and thinking for a bit, Daneel pointed his finger and slowly began changing its shape.

It was a simple circlet of gold that had two peaks in the front and back, with the former being larger than the latter.

Legend had it that had once been imbued with life-saving spells that would be the last line of defense if the King was attacked, but that crown had been lost. This one was made in its shape, but it didn't have that ability.

Daneel made an indentation that was shaped like a hexagon which had been stretched slightly in the middle appear on the front, and when he was done, he reshaped the Ker Root in his hand to match that shape.

This was as simple as molding clay, as the central part remained the same, and he was only changing the surface.

After this, as both Elanev and Faxul watched on with raised eyebrows as they didn't understand just what was going on, Daneel affixed that Ker Root to the crown, and then held it in front of him with both of his hands before closing his eyes.

As he was in contact with this mini-podium which held the tiniest part of Drakos's consciousness inside it, he could feel it, even though it wasn't large enough to think on its own. All it had was the base instincts of a Dragon, and this… Was actually exactly what he wanted.

Slowly, he began to recall everything that he had understood about Dragons during all of the time that he had spent studying them, and experiencing just how it felt to BE them.

His thoughts kept revolving in haphazard patterns, and it was almost like he was self hypnotizing himself into believing that he was a Dragon.

He kept thinking about the essence that he had identified, as this was the core.

Dragons had always been the tyrants of the continent, taking what they wished from whoever they wished. Sometimes, Dragons would even enter fights that they were supposed to lose, but they would come out victorious if their opponent made the grave mistake of allowing them to continuously increase their own power by destroying more and more things.

Their essence… Was all about 'demand'.

Unlike others who asked and wished, they liked to take whatever it was they wanted, and this was the same with the power they were given by the Will of the World.

The World would always respond to the will of the creatures, and instead of asking for power, Dragons who demand it by bringing about destruction. This was why it was often that they couldn't even control the power they got, as it would cross the limit that was present, which would drive them completely crazy and hell-bent on destroying everything around them. This would often lead to their death, though, as it could reach a level where their bodies couldn't even support that much power. The Path of getting stronger, for them, was to prevent this, and to try and harness their anger to do what they wished.

Their arrogance knew no bounds, and they would never bow before any creature, even if it meant that doing so would save their life. That was the reason why they had chosen to be wiped out rather than try to reach a truce even when they understood that they were losing, and if it weren't for the fact that the Emperor had managed to find a newborn who hadn't been pulled into their ways, Dragons would have become completely extinct after the war, resulting in a scenario where their Bloodline would never have been passed on to humans.

This was an arrogance that was present even in Drakos, even though he wasn't traditionally someone who follow the ways of his species, and although he didn't display it too much openly, it occasionally appeared in the form of his remarks in certain situations where Daneel had identified it, but hadn't thought much of it at the time.

With each second that passed, more and more realizations and thoughts regarding the true meaning of what a Dragon represented kept appearing in Daneel's mind, and although he was just standing there unmoving, Faxul and Elanev slowly started to feel a…pressure begin to weigh down on them.

This was most apparent in Faxul, whose eyebrows went as far up as they could go when he started to feel an instinctive cautiousness that almost bordered on fear from the Bloodline in his body which he had been getting in touch with over these past few months.

What…kind of a creature could cause such a feeling to appear in the majestic Sky-Devouring Black Raven? He had always assumed that it was at the top of its pack, and that it didn't need to fear anyone, or anything!

This was directly overturned, though, in the next second.

The King of Lanthanor suddenly opened his eyes, and at the same moment, Faxul took a step back with sweat appearing all over his body, as he felt a threat that he felt might be able to kill him if it wished with a single strike.

Daneel was oblivious to this, though, as his gaze was turned inward, to the essence that had crystallized in his mind.

It represented the sum total of all his insights and thoughts into this magnificent species, and it had accumulated so much that it was almost like a different consciousness, itself.

This was exactly what he wanted.

A smile tugging at the corners of his lips, he said to the system, "Begin development of 'Consciousness Mimic' module based on the parameters I have given. Deploy when ready."

[Affirmative. Seeking pre-requisites. Pre-requisites found to be in order. Beginning development. Using consciousness of species 'Dragon' and connection of host with the consciousness made by connecting with its essence as the base. Objective: Create a consciousness that will look like it is the true consciousness of a Dragon, to trick the World. Module developed. Deploying.]

The clue that Daneel had gotten was that consciousness clinging to the parts of a Godbeast was the reason behind those parts being able to exhibit certain properties and abilities that used to belong to the Godbeast when it was love. From this, Daneel had understood that consciousness was tied to power, so if he could simply trick the Will of the World into thinking that the shape he would be Shapeshifting into also contained the consciousness of that shape…then there would be nothing stopping him from channeling its true power, which was given by the World in the first place.

He was basically using the tiny piece given by Drakos to make it seem as if it was whole, by using the connection he formed with it through his comprehension to mask his own. It was exactly like he was using an 'ID' he had obtained to enter somewhere after disguising his face. The one checking would see the ID, and the face which matched the ID(which was akin to him using the comprehension to connect), before allowing them in regardless of whether they were truly who they claimed to be, or not.

As soon as his thoughts regarding the process came to an end, a tiny Dragon appeared in the transport Ker Root that had been affixed on the crown.

Elanev and Faxul both stared at it with incredulous expressions on their faces, as it was so life-like that it seemed as if it really was a Dragon that had been trapped inside.

This was something that Daneel had asked the system to do, just because he liked the idea.

Raising the crown, he calmly placed it on his head, and it perfectly fit, as if it belonged there.

Only, a second later…

BOOOOMMMM!!!!!

With a loud sound, dust inundated the whole room, and Elanev and Faxul didn't know what happened. The last thing they saw was the King phasing into the air, almost as if he had become transparent.

When the dust slowly started to settle, though, the first thing that came into their sight was the leg of a beast with shining emerald scales and claws that had terrifying piercing power.

With horror, both of them slowly raised their eyes to see that the ceiling had a hole now, to accommodate for the gigantic being that had appeared.

It was the same Dragon which they had seen in the Ker Root on the Crown, and it stood 30 feet tall. Its wings were folded at the moment, and as it outstretched them, they were at least double its size. They cut through the surrounding walls like butter to make space for themselves, and at the same moment, the head of the Dragon bent to fix its eyes on them.

Both of them were frozen, and if they were weaker men, their undergarments would have been soaking wet by now. The vertical slits of the creature caused such an instinctive and visceral fear in them, that they felt like just giving up and entering its mouth to become its prey if it so wished, as it would be futile to even think about going against what it wished.

Thankfully, it broke that gaze a second later, but the creature drew in a deep breath.

Almost as if they could feel what would happen next, Elanev and Faxul leaped to the side, and the long neck of the creature bent back and whipped forward.

At the end of its trajectory, it's jaw opened wide, and this time, the fire…flew true.

Chapter 716: The Next Step

[Achievement Unlocked: 'I dare to go where no one has gone before'

'I dare to go where no one has gone before': The very mark of a World Dominator is their unstoppable nature that allows them to boldly keep going forward even into uncharted territory. By accomplishing something for the first time in known history, you have earned the right to be remembered forever for the creation of such a momentous technique. The first step is always the most important, and by taking that step, you have advanced your race to a new level. Congratulations!

10,000 EXP awarded.

Analysis of 'Consciousness Mimic':

Advantages:

-Allows host to harness the true power of a mimicked Godbeast

-No backlash

Disadvantages:

-Requires the formation of a means to be used to initiate the module. This requires host to find the consciousness of the Godbeast, and understand its essence to connect with it and mask host's presence.

-Heavy drain on host's Energy. Limits transformation time.

-The object which holds the piece of consciousness that host is connecting to must be in contact with host's body.

Options to overcome disadvantages:

-If extensive data regarding a Godbeast is found, system can now analyze this data to create the essence. This is possible by following the same route used by host.

-With more usage, system can identify methods in which overall Energy consumption can be reduced

-Host can create an object within host's body which can achieve the same purpose.]

A minute later, Daneel was hearing to this prompt from the system while feeling fully amused by the expressions he had seen on these two guys who had raised their own estimation of themselves to peaks that they had been forced to descend from after this experience.

Ever since his fight with Daneel, Elanev had been content that he was his equal, and even though he hadn't slacked off as the old man hadn't allowed it, he had been carrying around a small smugness that was almost undetectable.

That was crushed into nothingness now, just like he felt that he was going to be a minute ago.

As for Faxul…he had been thinking that his own Bloodline placed him among the top in the continent. True, he knew that his best friend would find some way to cross that, but he had been feeling assured that he would never be too far away.

However…the instinctive fear that that being had made Faxul feel had resulted in these thoughts becoming obliterated.

He even knew that this was just one of the forms that Daneel would be adopting in the future. Even with just this one, Faxul knew that he would lose if they fought, and there was still that 'surprise' coming up.

As their power increased into higher and higher realms, he had thought that there was no way that the difference between him and Daneel would remain at the level where it would feel almost insurmountable.

Yet…the truth was that it had even crossed that point, and it made him understand that there was still a chance that he might be left behind.

However, instead of making him feel demotivated, this pushed him, as he had no intention of ever being too far behind, ever again.

Daneel saw this change in his friend's eyes, and in fact, an objective of his behind calling him had also been that there would be this effect if everything went well.

That arrogance was gone, and now, Faxul could keep getting stronger without anything hindering him.

Of course, Daneel still itched to have a fight with him, but he postponed that for later.

The fact that it had worked in the case of Elanev, too, was a bonus.

One of the main reasons behind such abrupt changes was also the very strange sight right beside them.

The fire that Daneel had shot out…had actually smashed its way through 4 floors of the Palace, and then made a deep hole in the ground that had even destroyed an underground room, taking with it the setpieces of a romantic drama that Eloise had been planning.

Through the formation of the Palace, though, Daneel had safely pulled everyone out of the way. There had been no way that he would not try and achieve the thing that had severed his foot the last time, and pointing at the sky wasn't an option, as there would be too much of a risk that someone would be able to spot something. Inside the Palace, though, he could prevent others spying, and that was also why he had gone ahead and transformed fully here, after laying down some untraceable Hero-level formations.

And after hearing the analysis, Daneel felt…ecstatic.

He had succeeded!

Even the system was heaping on the praises, more so than many of the Achievements he had gotten before, and this made it clear just how difficult it was to do something new when those before you have already had many, many years to think and get the same idea as yours.

A lot of hard work, a large amount of creativity, and a little bit of luck was required, all of which Daneel had thankfully possessed, which had led to this situation now.

True, there were limitations, but he would have time to slowly overcome them. Hell, Daneel even saw a few daydreams of him swapping between Godbeasts, and even creating something unique by combining a few so that he could take the best advantage of all of their powers.

As for their pieces of consciousness that he required…he wasn't worried about this, at all, because the Treasury was present from which he could obtain them.

And besides, even if this wasn't a viable option, the whole experience with Awakening the Hidden Bloodline in Lan had given Daneel another idea.

Wasn't every normal descendant of a Godbeast…also a possessor of its Bloodline?

This was a radical idea, and Daneel didn't know whether it was true, but it was logical.

After all, both Bloodline Holders and the beasts which were descended from Godbeasts were descendants, so Daneel hoped that he was right.

Also…there was the yet-untapped resource of the treasuries of the sects in the Big Four, and with so many options, the King of Lanthanor was confident that he would get what he wanted in at least one of them.

This had been the hardest part of his plan, and the most uncertain. Now that he had accomplished it, he swelled with confidence, and it felt as if the rest was practically a piece of cake.

Although that wasn't true, Daneel let himself enjoy it for a few more moments, before finally getting back to reality.

"So…do you two still think I've cut off my Path?"

As he interrupted the thoughts that were running through Elanev's and Faxul's heads in this way, both of them widened their eyes, and shook their heads in sync.

Laughing out loud, Daneel said, "Good. Now, then. Elanev, ask the Senior whether he knows of a place I can find any remains of the Divine Cockroach."

This was next on his list, and the sooner he finished with it, the sooner he could move on to the part he was looking forward to.

Elanev's answer, though, made it so that it was Daneel's turn to feel shock.

"Err…he says he doesn't know where you can find the remains, but he asked whether a living one is OK."

"…"

What the f*ck?!

Quickly, in order to convince himself that he hadn't been an absolute idiot by not asking the system whether there was any record of a live Godbeast surviving from the time of the Apocalypse, Daneel went ahead and posed the question now.

[Scanning records. Result: Inconclusive. Historians, and Emperor Fenoras believed that it was possible that a few Godbeasts, especially ones like the Divine Cockroach which hadn't reached the Champion level, might be able to survive the Apocalypse. However, because of the decrease in Energy level, it is possible that even these survivors might mostly have died. In the records of the Big Four, there are no mentions of any live Godbeasts being found. A few remains were found right after the Apocalypse, and these are stored in hidden locations.]

Although Daneel felt glad that his supposition regarding remains of Godbeasts being present in the treasuries of the Big Four was true, he was still too puzzled regarding Senior Fists of Justice's statement. After all, this supposition had been based on the obvious conclusion that the dead bodies of Godbeasts would be present after the Apocalypse, and they definitely would not be ignored by any of the Survivors, because those people must definitely have known of their value.

Not wasting any more time, Daneel exclaimed, "A living Divine Cockroach?! Is he sure?"

To respond, the old man, himself, appeared in the room.

"Yes, I'm sure, but what do you want to do with it? I have no idea how you managed to do this incredible thing, but I expect it is with Drakos's help. Sadly, you cannot enter into a bond with that thing, because it cannot even wake up! It's in a deep, deep state of hibernation, ever since the Energy levels dipped too low for its existence. It must have survived because, well, it's a Cockroach, and those f*ckers don't die no matter what you do with them. When the Energy levels pick up again, it'll wake up. I only managed to find it by fluke, in one of my reincarnations. Hehe, the Big Four found it, too, but because they hadn't seen one before and had only heard of them in the records, they just thought it was a weird rock, and didn't even pay too much attention to it. The fools!"

As Daneel heard the old man's words, excitement slowly began to shine on his face, until it reached a point where he felt like going forward and hugging the old man.

THAT WAS PERFECT!

He thanked the Heavens that something was finally going right for him, as each step so far had been excruciatingly difficult. Hence, he really, really appreciated the fact that at least one thing had fallen into his lap, instead of requiring him going out to hunt for it.

A few seconds later, Daneel was standing on the outskirts of a village along with Elanev.

He had put away the Crown, and he had told Eloise to assess the damage, and draw up plans to repair it.

She had innocently asked 'What damage?', and in response, Daneel had only been able to chuckle sheepishly.

The most ironic thing was that the village he was standing outside…was actually in Lanthanor, itself.

And its name…was 'Village of the Blessing Rock'.

All the information regarding Lanthanor was at Daneel's fingertips, but there was nothing recorded regarding this village.

It was Elanev who spoke up, repeating the old man's words who was speaking in his head.

"I found the name interesting, so I stayed here for a few years because I found a very feisty…er, never mind. The reason behind the name is because the legend goes that a particular chief of the village had become the father of a very weak boy, who was close to death soon after being born. Hopeless, he held the baby and prayed to the heavens throughout the night while sitting on a peculiar rock that had always been present in their village. In his dreams, he saw the rock glowing, and the next morning…the child was healthy again, and he was declared to be normal. It was a miracle, and it attracted the Big Four, who found nothing and chalked the whole thing up to an incorrect assessment of the Healer who must surely have been mistaken. The Chief believed that it was the blessing of the Rock, and he insisted that that be the name of their village. The name stuck, and to this day, the villagers worship that rock, even though no miracles have happened since then. In the years that I lived here, all I found that was out of the norm was that there were a few more born with the potential to become quite decent Fighters than in all the other villages around."

While they were talking, Daneel had cast an invisibility spell, and they walked inside the village.

Soon, they came upon a black-colored, rounded shiny rock whose peak was 3 feet above the ground. The rest was buried underground.

Daneel had scanned it from a distance, and he had found nothing.

Yet, the moment they neared, he suddenly got a strange feeling as if the rock wanted to…run away.

Puzzled, he cast a few formations to prevent spying eyes, before walking forward.

The rock remained unmoving, but just as he was about to lay his hand on it, it…burrowed into the ground, and disappeared.

The jaws of both Elanev and Daneel fell, and at the same time, an urgent message was heard in Daneel's head.

[Target has begun moving at a speed that rivals any seen in creatures that host has encountered so far. Target will be out of range of system's surveillance radius in 3, 2…1. Target has left system's surveillance range. Speed matches that of a Divine Cockroach, as recorded in the memory of the Emperor.]

Chapter 717: Skrr, the Divine Cockroach

Daneel and Elanev could only watch with gobsmacked expressions on their faces for a few moments, before the King finally reacted and said, "I'll go after it!"

Jumping into the same hole that had been left behind by the creature, Daneel tried to fly as quickly as possible, but not even a few more moments later, he had no option but to come to a halt as the path branched into four different directions.

Asking the system, he found that this was to throw off anyone who might be following, and it was only because the system had actively been monitoring its location that he could guess just where it had gone. It was pretty terrifying that the Divine Cockroach was so talented at doing this, as each and every path looked completely legitimate, and there was nothing that anyone could use to guess which was the right one.

Without delaying at all, Daneel zoomed through the one that the cockroach had taken, and soon, he reached another fork, where he was once again able to use the system.

Yet, a few seconds later, he reached another one, and this time… The system was clueless.

The cockroach had left the area of surveillance, and it had apparently moved fast enough that Daneel wasn't able to catch up to it before it left the radius that the system could scan.

Daneel could only stand there, without knowing what to think.

He had just been feeling happy that something had easily fallen into his lap without requiring him to work too hard for it, and he had been ready to get a piece of its consciousness and finish all of his preparations for the arrival of the Mad Doctor.

Yet… Things had taken a twist in this manner.

First, he considered whether he should keep searching in every direction he could, but he knew that this would be futile as he had no idea just were the cockroach had gone. It could be on the other side of the continent, itself, and he would have no way to detect it.

Its speed was, indeed, greater than any he had ever seen in any creature on this continent.

It almost even rivaled teleportation, as it had burst forth with a speed that was easily at 150 km/h. He didn't know if this thing could maintain that sort of pace for a long time, but at least, so far, it had managed to do just that, which was why it had been able to escape even though the system had tried to keep an eye on it. In fact, his first thought had been to teleport to the spot where the thing had left the radius, but he hadn't done so, as if it were staying right near that point, Daneel would have been startled it, and it would have started running away again. Instead, his plan had been to first find where it had halted, and then make a trap so that he could approach it without running the risk of it scurrying away again.

Everything was in vain, though, because according to the system's estimate, even if he had teleported, there would have been no way for him to keep up with it. It was just that fast, and because he hadn't been able to update the system recently, the radius that it could scan was still not too large.

After finding this out, Daniel had no option but to go back to where they had started, only to find Elanev looking down that hole warily, as if he expected it to pop back up.

Seeing Daneel teleport near him, he asked "Did you catch up to it? The old man says that the aura of the Dragon around you might have scared it. They are especially sensitive to such things, and even he had forgotten that this was possible."

Well, that explained it, and Daneel had also guessed the reason. After all, he had just transformed into a real Dragon, so it made sense that its essence would still be lingering around him. When confronted by that species, this would be the first reaction for a lot of creatures.

Daneel didn't blame the old man, either, because he hadn't given anyone any time to think. He had been too eager to come here and finish the last step, and so he had himself to blame, partly, for what had happened.

All of that wasn't important right now, because he had to first decide on what to do.

Thinking for a bit, Daneel started to consider his options.

The most obvious one was that he should start scanning the entire continent, but this would definitely be quite suspicious, and he didn't want to draw the attention of the Big Four. Even the act of taking the part of consciousness needed to be completely discreet, so it would definitely not be a wise idea to come under anyone's eyes more than he already was.

Another option was to have Rayen look in his place, but the problem here was that he was the only one who had something as magical as the system, which would scan an area around him and allow him to even teleport into places which he couldn't detect. Traditionally, teleportation worked by using space elementary particles to take them to a place which was under their purview, and spells which expanded one's vision would not work under the ground. From the sheer skill that he had seen in the cockroach which had allowed it to burrow through the ground at such astonishing speeds, he knew for a fact that it would definitely choose a hiding place in this terrain that it was most comfortable in, and if so, he was the only one who could do the searching.

Although he could take great pains and try to search everywhere slowly, another problem was time.

The time for the Mad Doctor to awaken was quickly approaching, and he wasn't confident whether he would be able to cover the entire continent if he searched slowly while also being careful before that time was upon him.

Hence… Daneel was out of ideas.

Without having much hope, he turned to Elanev and said, "Ask the senior if there is any specific manner to look for this Godbeast. I need it. In fact, the survival of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of Angarians might just depend on whether I find it in time or not."

He said this with a very grave expression on his face, but Elanev could only frown and shake his head.

"He says that they are the most elusive of species, because they value their life above all else. They are supposed to have a very strong ability which enables them to detect if they are being watched, even by those above their level, and this makes it so that they can escape and keep escaping for as long as necessary even if one has very powerful means of searching. They also make the best of robbers for this very reason, and in the age of the Empire, thieves who managed to bribe or convince Divine Cockroaches to help them would almost always have very successful careers. That was, of course, until the Emperor took charge."

Daneel knew about that last part, and if he wasn't in such a bad mood, he would have been amused by it.

However, the frustration of losing such a golden opportunity still hung over him like a cloud, so he could only shake his head, too, and rummage his mind for ideas.

They weren't very forthcoming, though, so Daneel was just about to give up and get back to the quarters so that he could maybe call another meeting and see if they could brainstorm to find some method.

Just before he did so, he saw a couple approaching the place where they stood.

There was no chance that they could see them, so it meant that they must be coming to the Blessing Rock that their village was named after.

In the arms of the woman was a young child, and it looked as if he had just been recently born.

Elanev followed his gaze, and the old man appeared beside him and said, "Just like it is stated in the legend, the people of the town always come here to offer their prayers to the Rock and hope that it would bless their child to grow up strong and healthy. It is something that has existed for many centuries, and it would have for many more, but we scared away that cockroach. Well, the least you can do is make a fake one, so that they don't begin to panic. But it is possible that the special effect of more people being born with the ability to become talented Fighters will cease, but at least in this way, we can conclude that it was because of the presence of the Godbeast. This was something that was not seen even in the age of the Empire, so it will be quite a momentous discovery, but is it worth taking away the entity that has looked over this village for centuries?"

He seemed to be musing to himself, but Daneel was actually ignoring his words, as he had just gotten a very…unorthodox idea.

It was so unorthodox, in fact, that it scared him a bit, but he was desperate, and it was possible that it just might work.

Right away, he asked the system and got the confirmation, but when that happened, he actually felt quite a fair amount of… Disappointment, along with hope, almost as if he had been half-hoping that the system would say that it was impossible.

Hell, if he hadn't changed recently in the aspect that was related to this thing and had matured quite a bit due to all of his recent experiences, he might not even have gotten the idea, as his mind might automatically have shied away from such topics.

So, quashing all of these stray thoughts that kept coming in his mind, Daneel said, "Listen to me. I have a plan that will bring it back, but it's going to be quite difficult…"

…

Skrr was quite unhappy.

For quite a long time, she had enjoyed the place where she had been staying.

She was almost always in a state of hibernation, of course, but it always felt nice when people walked up to her and asked politely for her blessing.

She didn't know exactly what it was they were asking for, but she had always tried to do something for them, because her mother had always said that even though they were cockroaches, they shouldn't let the stigma around that species affect them.

She had taught her to be polite, and to value politeness. She had taught her to pay back anyone who helped her, and to find pleasure in the small things in life.

And before she had become mad during that dark time…she had given her one task. 'You're weak, my dear daughter, so you are spared of this fate. But you must live on. No matter what happens, live on, and wait. Wait for the right time to come, and when it does, make sure that our species survives. Make…sure. Got it? And please find a better name, too…'

She had said those words, and after that…she had attacked poor Skrr.

Skrr had been small then, so she had been able to escape into a small hole nearby. She had looked fearfully while her mother searched for her, but she had been instructed not to come out no matter what happened. She had cried, but she had obeyed.

In their species, they named themselves, and she had given herself her name which was a sound that she liked very much. Her favorite activity had been to dance under the moonlight, her mandibles swaying merrily in the air, and this was the sound that used to come when her many legs rubbed against each other.

Skrr was just about to continue the monologue that she told herself to pass time if she was bored when she was awake, but she suddenly stopped, as she felt something.

When she confirmed what it was, though, her many eyes widened.

Wasn't this…the mating call of a male Divine Cockroach?

Chapter 718: The Mating Call

As she was wont to do whenever she was agitated, Skrr made a small space for herself in the same spot where she was and started to pace around, her mandibles waving fiercely in the air while her many legs rubbed against each other and made the sound that her name was named after.

Meanwhile, the mating call was getting clearer and clearer, almost as if the one who was giving it had just woken up and was slowly starting to call out louder and louder, with the hope that someone would respond.

She knew that the goal given to her by her mother was to make sure that their race would survive, and for that, she knew that the best method was to obviously make more little Divine Cockroaches that she could mentor and watch happily as they grew, just like her mother had done when she had been born.

Typically, she would definitely have gone to respond to the call, but right now, the situation was different.

Her mother had always used to say that she was a bit simpleminded, and that she should always pause and think three to four times before she did anything, even if it felt like the simplest thing that should be obvious.

Hence, she decided to do that, and right away, she understood what was wrong.

This was right after she had been approached and then chased by that guy with that scary aura, so it could be a trap.

She didn't know what he wanted to do with her, but what she knew for sure was that if there was an aura like that, she should stay far, far away, as the most important thing was to conserve her life.

Yet… Responding to the mating call was the second most important thing.

She had already been of the age where all of the matters of her race had been explained to her, so she knew that all it would take was a second, and after that, she could leave and safely give birth many times. Also, if she did so…maybe even her loneliness would be solved in this way, because she would no longer have only herself to talk to.

The only real problem was that she wasn't very powerful. Typically, if she was living in the age of the Empire, she would have already become a Peak Hero level Godbeast, and she would have been practically unkillable in the entire continent. Even if she couldn't kill most people, she would have been able to survive and get away, and she would have definitely gone forward when she felt something like this.

Yet, the dwindling Energy level of the continent made it so that her level was still stuck at the Peak Champion realm, and she hadn't even broken through to become a Hero in order to unlock the true powers of her Bloodline.

Her natural abilities were still there – she still had a very sturdy body, and she had the sense of danger that had always saved those of their species from many, many disasters.

Yet, it was nowhere near as strong and acute as it could be, and even her speed would take a major leap forward if she managed to break through.

Yet, she had been absorbing Energy for a long, long time, and because the Heavens were always fair, their species had also been cursed with slower training speed, when compared to other species.

They needed more time to grow in power level, but usually, this wouldn't be a problem, as their strong bodies would protect them for how much ever long was needed.

But here, she was weak, and those outside were strong. She had always heard that humans would always find ways to solve problems no matter what came in front of them, and it was apparent that they had solved the problem of low Energy, too, or that they might have had resources from the age of the Empire which they must have used to become Heroes.

Whatever the case was, she had no intention to tangle with any Heroes, or anyone with that aura around them.

The memories of them having to run and then keep running for years on end from those of that terrifying race were still fresh in her mind, and there was no way that she would provoke it.

But… The mating call!

And her loneliness!

And the mission given by her mother!

Her pacing around got more and more agitated, but suddenly, she stopped, as something has occurred to her.

That guy was definitely looking for those of her species… If so, what if he had found another one, and that that member was the one giving out this mating call in the hope that someone would come to save it?

What if it was weaker than herself, and hadn't been lucky enough to be able to stay in a stable place in hibernation for a long time, which had allowed her to grow from being just the Human level, using the categorization made by humans, to become the Peak Champion that she was?

Their main method of training always had been to hibernate, and during the time after the Apocalypse, she was sure that no training must have gone on at all, because for many years after that time, all Godbeasts which survived would definitely have had to stay deep underground, in a hidden place, with no signs of Energy, unless they wanted to be hunted by the mad creatures which were able to sense Energy and come to destroy wherever they felt it from. And, of course, giving off no signs of Energy… Also meant not having Energy to absorb, too, to grow in power.

It was also important that the fact of their survival should be kept secret, so it was granted that they would be moving quite a lot anyway. All in all, if this was another member of the species… There was a possibility that they were not as talented, or had not been as lucky, and hence had to give off this call to try and look for help.

Rising into the air, determination flooded into Skrr's mind.

She had always been like this – when she made a decision, she would follow through, just like in the case of her decision before to stay in that village and do whatever she could to help it, even though she had never understood exactly what she was doing. She had been happy that they had been flourishing, and that was all that she had needed. Year after year, she had felt happy each time someone came to ask something of her, and she had treated them as her friends and family, even though she couldn't speak to them.

She had to go confirm whether it is a trap or not. And if it wasn't a trap, and if another member of her species was under danger, then she had to find a way to save them, hopefully using a method that wouldn't require her to risk her life.

If it was required, though… Skrr decided to take care of that when the time came, so first, she honed in on the signal, and prepared to shoot forward in the direction.

She took a deep breath, and she allowed herself to enter the 'zone' as she called it, in which she was always filled with the belief that nothing could stop her, and that she would keep going faster and faster until the very light which people used to see her would be left behind in her path.

This was the kind of self hypnotization that was taught to all Divine Cockroaches, and which allowed them to reach such high levels of speed.

BOOM!

Shooting forward, Skrr directly reached within a few hundred meters of the place in barely a few seconds.

It was quite far away from the original location from where she had escaped, and it looked like on the surface, there was only empty land.

Raising her mandibles, she carefully sniffed the air, as she had been taught to detect if there were formations lying around.

There were none.

Cautiously, she moved forward, until she managed to locate exactly where the signal is coming from.

It was right ahead, and in that moment, she froze, as some sort of detection method passed over her.

She fought the urge to scurry back in the same direction she had come from, but as she cautiously moved forward again, she no longer felt it.

However, above the ground, she felt that same area that had scared her before passed through the air, as if searching for something.

Thinking, Skrr understood.

That guy was probably searching because he knew the general location, but not the exact one!

What a meanie! Why was he targeting her poor species! They were just minding their business, right, without disturbing anyone?

Cursing him for a bit using her limited collection of curses, Skrr started to move forward again, all the while looking for formations again and again.

Finally, satisfied that there were still none, she reached within a few meters of the spot, and that was when she saw that she had come near a cave that was made in the same fashion that she had been taught.

Yes! This was definitely a Divine Cockroach!

Bracing herself, she broke through the thin layer of the cave which was built so that it could be easily penetrated when one had to leave.

She did so only with one mandible, so that she could scan the place, and she felt a shivering being in the center of the cave.

He looked so scared!

She could bet that he had detected that scary guy who was scanning above, and must have begun the mating call in fear.

What should she do now?

Her instincts told her that something was slightly off about the situation, but no matter how much she thought about it, she didn't know how that could be the case. All other Godbeasts had already died, and although that aura before was of a Godbeast, she had a feeling that it might be from a consciousness, rather than from an actual being. That didn't mean that it was any less dangerous, and that was why she had started running so frantically.

But still, she just couldn't shake the feeling, so she decided.

She would zoom in, snatch him, begin the mating process and end it as fast as possible, before putting him in a safe place and zooming away again.

Any method that they could be using to track them could work better if both of them together, so this was the best thing to do.

Not wanting to dally, Skrr lay her gaze on the direction in which the Divine Cockroach lay, and with another loud sound, she set off with a cloud of dust that masked her presence.

It all happened in a blur, and she could see the shock in the many eyes of the male Cockroach that was in the cave when it saw her approaching him.

That feeling that something was wrong grew stronger, but Skrr trusted her plan, and she snatched the Cockroach before shooting through another wall of the cave.

Just as she was about to begin the mating process, though… Something strange happened.

With extreme shock being visible in the Cockroach's eyes, it suddenly… disappeared into a gas-like substance for a moment, and in its place, that same guy from before with that aura around him that had scared her appeared.

He looked like he had seen, or had been about to see the most horrific thing in his entire life, and because Skrr was also equally surprised and shocked, she couldn't react in time.

He managed to grab hold of an array of trinkets present around his neck, and instantly, layers and layers of transparent walls formed around her.

They were barriers, clearly built to keep her inside, and at this moment, the zeal to never be trapped that was iconic in Divine Cockroaches sprang up inside her.

Her blood pumping through her veins, she sped up even more, and started to smash through barrier after barrier.

Yet, each barrier seemed to make some sort of ringing sound as it broke, and this kept affecting her mind more and more, even though she tried to block her ears.

Only, she was too focused on speeding, so she didn't have time to stop and do this. She did leave behind that guy in her arms, though, in order to increase her speed, and soon, she was quite far away from him.

Yet, it was at this point that she finally had to squeal in pain and stop, as a very strong barrier had just come in front of her.

She didn't want to stop, though. She tried going in different directions, but alas, this one was much stronger than any that had sprung up before.

At the same time, the same surveillance method from before that she had detected engulfed her, and she instantly turned around with the intention to either fight, or die.

Her mother had told her to live her life with honor, and she would do so. She would never allow herself to be trapped, even if it was the last thing that she had to do.

Yet, the words shouted in her direction by that same meanie who strode forward gingerly toward her made her wonder whether she was hearing right.

"Please don't do anything drastic! I just want to ask a little something from you, and in exchange, I'm even prepared to give you something that will be of great help to you. This does not need to devolve into violence for any reason, and all I ask is that you listen to me, and decide for yourself whether you want to do it, or not. Please understand that I have no other choice. If it were up to me, I would leave you alone, but the survival of my species depends on this, and I know that you understand that, because you are doing everything for the survival of your own species. I respect that, and again, all I ask is that you listen, and decide for yourself. Now, will you please stop scratching the formation behind you? It's very hard to maintain this thing because it has to be so strong to keep you inside, you know."

Chapter 719: The Last Piece

For an entire second… Daneel had been pretty sure that he was a goner.

The plan had been unorthodox, but simple, and it looked like there wasn't much that could go wrong.

He had discussed it clearly with all the Sovereigns. They had been given their roles, and they had been expecting it to go quite well.

Daneel would be disguising himself as a male Divine Cockroach, and he would be the one acting as bait to invite the one that had run away over. That moment when it had burrowed into the ground had allowed the system to get a look at it, and it had been able to tell just which gender it belonged to.

Bringing about an increase in the number of their species was one of the most important responsibilities of any creature, and that was definitely more so the case with this creature, which was possibly the last to exist on this continent.

That was where the idea had come from, and the system had confirmed that it would be one of the highest priorities for the Cockroach. After all, Daneel had to confirm, because there were different types of cockroaches, and thankfully, this was not the type which could reproduce without needing to mate.

The problem here was that there should be no formation whatsoever, because he had also found out about the ability of Divine Cockroaches to be able to detect slight elementary particle variations in the air which would allow them to know that they were walking into a trap.

Hence, Daneel had sat down and created a few trinkets, so that they could be used to instantly activate multiple levels of barriers to at least hinder the Divine Cockroach, until his Sovereigns came into place and laid down the actual Hero level formation that would be the one doing the trapping. Of course, none of them had the ability to do so, so he had gone ahead and created multiple trinkets which could be placed in a specific pattern to activate the formation when Energy was infused into it.

It was costly, and it ate into his reserves of Ker gems, but it was necessary.

After that, the objective was to convince the female Divine cockroach that there was no risk. For this, the answer had been simple.

After finding out that it was the aura that had driven away the Cockroach before, it had been simple enough to eradicate it from Daneel's body, before making objects that held that same aura by transforming into a true Dragon again.

All he would need to do for this was infuse his power into them, and he had chosen a simple metal block and bathed it in the mild flames of a Dragon which were typically used for cooking its meals.

If someone carried this in the air, then it would seem as if it was the same person who had scared away the Divine Cockroach, and that was all that was needed. This person would be flying around in the air, as if searching for something, and this would indicate to the Divine Cockroach that they knew the real location of another one of its species, and that they were targeting it, which resulted in it sending out a mating all desperately to search for help.

All of this had worked out beautifully, and the only reason that Daneel had been switching on and off the surveillance was to check whether the Cockroach was approaching, in order to know and signal his sovereigns to be prepared and ready to deploy the formation that will trap it.

After that, though… Even though he had seen it, he had underestimated the speed with which it could burst forth.

It looked like it hadn't been very prepared before, and what he had seen wasn't its top speed, because this time, it braced itself and reached such a mesmerizing level of acceleration that it became a blur, and before Daneel could even try and activate the Basilisk's Breath, he was in its hands, about to… Mate.

Thankfully, he had told the system to directly cancel the transformation if there was any untoward circumstance, and by the Heavens' grace, the system had classified this as just the sort of circumstance in which it should intervene.

This had resulted in that Cockroach becoming shocked, allowing him to deploy the barriers, and then trap it.

As he shouted the statement that he had already prepared which would appeal to the most important thing related to the Divine Cockroach, it paused, and finally stopped its attempts at trying to pierce through the formation behind it.

He had to admit that even though it had fallen for this trap, it was quite capable, because it had been covering its attempt with its body, while achieving quite a bit of headway into succeeding as its legs were quite sharp, and it seemed to have a natural talent at detecting the weaknesses of formations and targeting them.

All of this seemed like instinct – the same instinct that had allowed these Godbeasts to roam almost unchallenged for the longest time, until humans became powerful enough.

After it did stop, the Cockroach which was at least double the size of a regular human being frantically looked around before getting on the ground and turning into a ball, almost as if it was afraid of him.

And wait, why did its expression almost seem… Cute?

This extremely incongruous feeling was so out of the norm that Daneel could only investigate and see if it was somehow induced in him by an outside force, but there was no invasion into his mind, so he could only think that it was some stray thought that had appeared because of the stress of the entire situation.

However, he had to put this supposition aside, because Eloise appeared behind him and said, "Aw, it looks so pitiful! It's like we're bullying it!"

It did look like that, and actually, it wasn't a very ugly creature.

Unlike the Cockroaches from Earth, many of its body parts had beautiful patterns that shone in the light that was falling on it from the globe that Daneel had conjured in the air.

Of course, Aran who appeared beside Daneel said, "Seriously? Disgusting. Okay, I admit, not as disgusting as I expected, but still disgusting."

Even this guy was swayed a bit?

Daneel was quite surprised, but he knew that it was time to put out the carrot.

He had always known that the method of the carrot and the stick was very useful, and the stick was already in place- it was this formation which he had created painstakingly, in which he could hold this Champion level Divine Cockroach for quite a long time.

He knew that Cockroaches hated to be trapped, and this made him wonder just how agitated they must feel back on Earth where they were regularly placed in small boxes by little kids for their amusement.

Opening his mouth, he said, "I know that you probably want to break through, more than anything. I have a place where the Energy level is the same as that during the Empire. If you give me a small thing that I require from you, I'll allow you to train in that place for a period of time. How does it sound? And also, after you break through, you'll be pretty powerful, so I need your word that you will not go against the human race. Isn't that fair?"

As Skrr heard this, she was quite shocked.

A place which had the Energy level of the time before the Apocalypse?

Could such a magical place exist?

She was quite worried that she was in a place where she couldn't leave from, and she was also pretty angry, mostly with herself, that she had been tricked.

Now that she thought about it, it was too much of a coincidence, but she just hadn't been able to resist.

Yet, this temptation to break through, which would take away a lot of limitations that shackled her right now, really appealed to her, and she spoke for the first time in thousands of years.

"What do you want?"

"Krrr ksskrt skkurr?"

It was a sound made by the clicking of its legs accompanied by a few sounds from its mouth, and it was the tongue of their species.

As it echoed in the cave they were in, she realized that this might be a problem, because as she was still a Champion, she was not able to speak like them, which was possible for Cockroaches that had entered the Hero level.

Yet, surprisingly, the meanie seemed to understand.

"All I need is a tiny piece of your consciousness – the smallest part. The explanation of why would take too long, but from what I know of your species, I can tell that this won't be too much of a loss to you, and you will even be able to regenerate it in merely a thousand years. Give me this, and you can train in that place for as long as you need until you break through."

A piece of her consciousness?

At first, Skrr's answer was to shake her head, because she knew that it was pretty excruciating.

True, their consciousness was supposed to be like that of Fighters, which was quite flexible and could regenerate.

Yet, it wouldn't be pleasant at all, but if it was true that she could break through…

No, Skrr! You got cheated once! You can't give it away and be tricked again!

As if reading this thought of hers, the meanie said, "I'm willing to show you that place first, and then you can decide to give me the piece of your consciousness. However, it is a place with only one exit and one entry, so I will point you in its general direction and open the formations. That way, even if I am being disingenuous again, you will at least have a way to escape. Only one will remain – and it will be to protect what makes up that thing. You'll understand why when you get there. Is that okay?"

It sounded so good!

Why was the meanie trying to do so many things to ensure that she would accept?

Was it really the case that he wanted to protect those of his species, just like her mother had wanted to, and just like she did?

Skrr knew that breaking through was most important, because doing so and training further would even help her overcome this limitation of needing another of her species to reproduce.

And as for loneliness… Even that would be solved, and now, as she heard him, she found more and more reasons to agree and do what he asked.

She still managed to control herself, though, and nodded, which led to the meanie simply pointing in one direction, before dispersing the formation that was stopping here until now.

Skrr's first instinct was to run away, but she controlled that, as again, Divine cockroaches should act with honor, so she would only run if there were signs that he was not acting with honor.

Of course, due to her intense longing to not be so lonely, she had forgotten the dishonour that he had already shown…

Yet, a few seconds later, she came upon a place where she really did feel an Energy level that rivaled some very good training places in the age before the Apocalypse.

Excitement flooding her mind, she raced forward, and entered a round, shiny place which was a glittering with knotted Ker Roots all over on the inside.

Ker Roots were the favorite snacks of Divine Cockroaches, so she couldn't help but try to nibble one.

Wait! I can't do that!

She couldn't stop herself, though, but thankfully, she saw that there was a formation protecting all these things.

Ah, so that was what he meant.

At the same moment, another shout was heard from the outside.

"That's the place. I hope you're happy with it? If so, please infuse your consciousness into this little Ker Root. Please don't eat it, though, no matter how tasty it must be, because it is the last one I have."

With these words, a small, gem-shaped object fell into the place she was in, and it looked like there was a spell which was ready to yank it back in case there were signs that she was about to eat it.

However, at the moment, Skrr had already forgotten about all of the negative things that had happened so far.

What she saw in her eyes was her breaking through, and getting little babies that she could raise, so she happily did a little dance even though there was no moonlight before touching the trinket and closing her eyes.

It was going to hurt, but she braced herself, and managed to do it without crying out loud. She was a strong adult now, and she knew that she shouldn't cry or act immature.

As soon as she was done, she kicked the thing outside, and she promptly turned into the same state that she had been in when the meanie had come before.

That was the best state in which that she could absorb Energy, and as it started to slowly enter her body, it felt so, so good, that she made a small sound of delight.

The door closed, and she couldn't bother less about it. She didn't even mind being trapped here, because eventually, after breaking through, she was confident that she could leave no matter what tried to stop her.

Meanwhile, outside, Daneel had caught the Ker Root, before heaving a sigh of relief.

That… Had been too close for comfort.

Seeing Eloise actually laugh on noticing the expression of horror that had once again appeared on his face, Daneel couldn't help but blush, and then say, "Alright, all the pieces have been assembled. It's time for the finale. You know what you need to do. Good luck, and may the Heavens be with us. Well, even if they're not, we'll force them to be. Sovereigns, disperse."

As he said so, Eloise let out another peal of laughter, before finally teleporting away, and even Elanev was smirking.

Daneel had to struggle to put these things out of his mind, but when he did, a small smile appeared on his face, because it was finally showtime.

Taking one last look at the door of the chamber that he had obtained during the entire episode in the Kingdom of the Elves, the king teleported away, and in his wake, there was only silence, and the small sounds that kept being emitted from Skrr's mouth, because it was having the best day of its life in millennia.

Chapter 720: The Stage Is Se

A few days later, in the Sect of Hedon, a man was calmly sitting in a large room while the waters of a fountain lapped peacefully in front of him. There were two maids beside him dressed in frilly frocks who were serving him chilled drinks, and he was gazing out of the window at a large training area where men and women could be seen hurting themselves to grow stronger.

The man seemed to be reminiscing about the times when he had had to go through the same process, but he was actually doing so fondly.

The maids looked like they had happy and cheerful expressions, as if this was the best job they could be doing in the entire world, but these expressions slipped occasionally, especially when their faces were turned away from the man.

The truth was that they had been abducted from the village that was outside the Sect of Hedon and connected to it, and even though they had said with their mouths that they were going willingly, the truth was that they had been forced. The man had simply entered their rooms, and the next second, they didn't know what happened, but their minds were completely in his grasp.

He could make them feel anything he wished, and even though he wasn't a cruel master, even the slightest hint of disobedience led them to having nights that were spent sweating, as it would feel as if tiny bugs were crawling up their skin. No matter how much they scratched, this feeling wouldn't leave, and by the next morning, their body would be filled with wounds which were caused by themselves.

The man would heal them, and say that they should not repeat what they had done with a smile, and a cheerful tone that did not fit his actions at all.

He seemed to be anticipating something, because there was a calendar in the room in which he ticked off the days. The sooner the date he was looking for approached, the more he got jittery, but he did not put that on display much.

A few days before the date that was circled, though, he came into the room laughing very happily, and on that day, these women had been awarded a lavish meal.

Except for the fact that it was uncertain whether they would leave with their lives, he wasn't what they had imagined – they weren't harmed in any way, so they slowly got into a schedule of just doing what he wished without messing up too much.

This was finally the day that had been circled, and the reason that they were so afraid was that they feared that he would kill them after he was done, as no matter how much they thought about it, it did not seem like this journey of theirs would end peacefully.

In that fear, one of the two maids slipped, and as she fell, the wine bottle she was carrying fell along with her, smashing into the ground and making the red liquid splash everywhere.

A transparent wall suddenly sprang up around this area, collecting all of the wine, and then disposing of it cleanly in the dustbin.

With trembling shoulders, the maid turned around, and curtsied before apologizing.

They had been taught this the first day, itself- that this was how a proper apology should be given to those above them in status, and although she had no idea from just where this guy had come to have grown up with such strange customs, they had learned.

As he saw it now, the man laughed and said, "If this was any other day, there might have been punishment, but as it is the last one, and because you two will not be seeing tomorrow's down anyway…I'll let it go. Oh, don't look so horrified. That will happen regardless of what you do, unless… You betray the continent. Go to your rooms, and think about whether you wish to continue to be loyal to this place which hasn't done much for you, except giving you birth and then leaving you to fend for yourselves. It was the same for your parents, and it will be the same for your children. If you make the right decision, you will not have to settle for the same fate, and no one shall be able to harm you, no matter where you may be. Leave. I've placed a book which details the doctrine of our glorious institution in your rooms. Read it, and you'll understand."

The two girls didn't really understand what he was saying, but they knew that they were excused.

And, of course, they understood that they had been right – the time of their death would soon be upon them.

The only consolation was that there seemed to be a way in which they could avoid it, and, of course, as was any being's base instinct, they wanted to grasp it and live on.

As for the part about betraying the continent… Even though it sounded really bad, the words said by the man had been right – it hadn't really done anything for them.

And besides, if there was no other choice, then it might be one that they wouldn't need to think too much to make.

Still, the two girls picked up the books with gleaming golden covers and bold words in a strange tongue written on top, and at first, they couldn't comprehend anything.

A second after that, though, the letters seemed to rearrange themselves, and they could read them in the common language of Angaria.

"The life and teachings of St. Rectitude."

By now, they had guessed that this man belonged to that organization that had become famous before for offering salvation to the poor and the downtrodden.

That was all they knew about the organization, though, as its motive had not been propagated throughout the general population.

They opened the book, and from the first line itself, they were hooked.

The words in the book captivated their entire attention, and each line seemed to contain so much meaning that they felt as if their horizons were being broadened, even while their understanding of the world, itself, was being pushed forward at a speed that was unrivaled and unseen throughout their lives.

Of course, because they were too absorbed in it, they hadn't noticed that their fingers had been pricked by a tiny needle the moment they had opened the books, and after that, an invisible cloud made of different types of swirling elementary particles had been formed by the book which had settled around their minds, and started to influence them in ways that most on the continent wouldn't even be able to comprehend.

Even though the truth was that this thing's purpose was only to put one in a receptive mood, if they knew that it was the instrument with which the Church had obtained a lot of the power it had on the Mainland, they would definitely have been more impressed.

The man in the main room of the building, though, who had taken it up after subduing the original owner and making it seem as if the guy had become injured in training and was now resting inside, idly watched the scene in the maids' bedroom that he had seen countless times.

Preaching and pulling people into the Church was one of the main duties of all the members, no matter how high up or how down low they were in the ranks of their glorious organization. And this… Was one of the most simple methods. All that was needed was to put in one the fear that they would have to become a part of the Church if they wanted to live, and this would open the mind and make it more… Suggestible.

Many times in life, that was all that was needed to push a certain agenda or thought, and hence, the Church had managed to flourish.

Putting aside these thoughts, the man activated a display trinket, which showed the image from the front of the medical bay in which the Mad Doctor was housed.

Soon, there would be something going wrong here, and he had already made sure that it would all happen smoothly.

A split second was all it would take, and it was for this second that he had toiled so hard for, for so long.

However, seeing that it all would finally be coming to fruition felt both good, and bad.

It felt good because he would be able to send a very detailed report to the mainland, and be awarded with quite a few things that would help him along, or make his life easier in this backward continent which they needed to conquer for purposes he didn't even understand.

It would be bad because his period of only having low stakes missions to finish would be over, as after this, he could tell that he would soon be getting assignments which would need him to probably risk his life. When compared to that, this was definitely preferable, and even though he had faced difficulties, when he looked back on it, it hadn't been too bad.

In a few hours, the opportune time would arrive, and as the continent descended into temporary chaos, all he would have to do was simply sit here and gaze out to see what would happen. It also felt quite good to be getting back at the Head in this way, and it actually felt great that he could act as the puppeteer behind the scenes who had manipulated it all, and was then sitting calmly while everything played out in front of him.

Reaching for his glass, he saw that there was no wine, which led him to make a bottle float over. Taking a sip and once again cursing this backward place which didn't even have proper winemaking techniques, the man closed his eyes to take a nap, with nary a care in the world.

…

Meanwhile, Rayen was in the second meeting that had been called after the first in which they had discussed exactly what they were going to do regarding the situation that would soon unfold in Angaria.

He had already given the notification to the king, and the man had sounded strangely confident and easy-going, as if he wasn't the one who was being targeted by a Champion who embodied his moniker.

If it was him, he would probably be extremely anxious, but that was when he understood that confidence in the face of conflict was also something that one must be trained in if they wanted to be King.

He was sitting idly and thinking all these things mainly because the main person who had called this meeting hadn't arrived yet. The other two were here, and they looked equally irritated, and because Rayen was supposed to have the outward personality of a brute, he stood up and banged on the table before shouting, "The audacity! You dare think that our time is so free that you can call us and make us wait? I know you're listening, so if you aren't here in 5 seconds with an apology, I'll be leaving!"

Almost as if he had been waiting for this outburst, the man with his iconic skull instead of a normal head appeared in the chair which had been empty till now.

Raising his hands, he said, "Apologies! I was just finishing up, and it took just a bit longer than expected. Anyway, the plot to distract the Head is finally in place, and each of you have small roles to do. I promise that no matter what happens, suspicion will not fall on you, because I have chosen to take up the main risky part of this plan. Well, I was the one who proposed this in the first place, so this is how it should be. Hell, if I could, I would have done it all by myself and taken all the credit and the joy. If I didn't need your help, you wouldn't be here. Anyway, these are the things you need to do…"

…

A few minutes later, as Daneel received all the details of what was going to happen to the Head, he actually… Burst out laughing.

There had been a slight grey area in his entire plan, and with this information, it had become filled in.

This was going to be another complex one which would have a lot of aspects, but in the end… He looked forward to the result, as it would be so stupendous that he would have outdone himself in all manners when compared to almost everything he had done since his arrival on this continent.

It had slowly been forming to become what it was, and he had only been able to come up with it by considering each and every factor so far, including ones that he hadn't thought about for quite a long time.

Picking up a communication trinket, he contacted his Sovereigns one by one, and on getting the messages that they were all ready, he got up, and prepared to leave.

By the time he was back in his quarters again, everything would have changed.

So… Saying farewell to the beating Dragon heart, the King of Lanthanor teleported away.

Chapter 721: The Cogitation Formation

For the past few days, the Head had been having a very uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

It was almost as if there were something right on the corner of his eyes, in those dark areas which eluded even those most gifted in their vision, that almost no one could see unless even if they frantically tried turned around. It irritated him to no end, but no matter how much he tried to find out what it was, he just couldn't identify it.

Hence, he was in an overall irritable mood, so when he was called upon by four of the Heroes who were some of the biggest troublemakers in the High Council, he couldn't help but put on a grim expression and ask, "What brings you here?"

This was the place where one of his clones would always be present, as it would be maintaining the formations present all over the continent. Right now, it was even his main body. When people came to visit him here, he would have no option but to talk to them, and because they were Heroes, he couldn't exactly turn them away rudely. He had to listen to what they had to say, even though he wasn't very thrilled about it.

"How have you been, Head? I only ask because none of us can even comprehend the kind of duties you have on your shoulders…"

These words were accompanied by the sound of jaw bones clacking against each other, and of course, it was from the guy who was practically the blight of the continent who shouldn't have become a Hero in the first place.

Only, their numbers had been low at that time, and he had been the best candidate. To this day, the Head regretted choosing him, because it was as if destruction and death followed him wherever he went, and all the things he had done really did not justify him holding the position of one who should be present to protect the continent in case of a threat.

Seeing his stoic answer which was just to press his lips together, it almost seemed as if the guy raised his eyebrows, but because his face was only a skull with no skin, no one could detect if this was the case.

In a tone that was laced with humble respect, he continued to say, "The only reason I come here is that I have been thinking long and hard about how I can contribute to the continent. The rest have all done one thing or the other to prove that they're worthy of becoming Heroes, but the other day, I realized that I had done nothing of the sort. I decided that this was the right time, and I'm happy to announce that I succeeded. In fact, I'm so proud of what I've done that I daresay that it eclipses the achievements of most other Heroes."

The Head frowned as he heard this. It was true that among the Heroes who had all come to their realm only by him using the Willstone to grant them their power, there was a sort of initiation ceremony where they would endeavor to do something for the good of the continent. This was both to set their mind on something as soon as they broke through, and to maintain a healthy competitive spirit among them.

Typically, this would involve looking through ancient formations, and trying to adapt them to the modern day Energy level of the continent. The main trouble with most of those formations was either that they were too complex to be replicated, or that they needed too much Energy, and the task to change both of these parameters wasn't very easy.

Yet, what Heroes had was an abundance of free time, and many would set themselves on the task and even spend decades in seclusion before finally succeeding.

Each of there achievements would be recorded grandly in the secret place where the High Council gathered on the occasions where there were official meetings, and they were a matter of pride for those who had managed to do something that was better than their contemporaries, or their friends.

Actually looking forward to finding out just what this macabre guy could have done, the Head asked, "So… Say it. What have you managed to do?"

After a pause, which almost seemed as if it was being given for dramatic purposes, the skull opened its jaw and said, "A formation which will result in many more Warriors breaking through to become champions! In fact, I'm pretty confident that it will even aid in the training of us Heroes, so that we can get even better insights into our own path. Yes, you guessed right. It is… The Cogitation formation."

The Head had already gotten up as soon as he heard that description, as there was only one legendary formation which could fit the criteria.

A Cogitation formation.

The name was not very grand, but it was highly apt.

For all Champions and Heroes, the most important thing was always to look within themselves and find insights that they could use to form strong resonances, and create stronger attacks utilizing the resonance that they had already used to break through.

In attempts such as these, the main failures would always be because of stray thoughts that were prone to appear even in the minds of Heroes while they were absorbed in something very important.

This would result in the focus and line of thought being lost, and the end result turning out to be something that could have been so much greater.

To combat this, the Cogitation formation had been created by the Emperor, himself.

It was said that he had actually been inspired by a formation that was present in the legends of that time, but whatever the case was, his formation was an instant hit, and it attracted people from all over the continent to join his force, so they could utilize the formation grow stronger.

This was one of the many schemes that the man had used to make his own force strong enough so that he could establish an Empire, and it was actually one of the most successful.

The thing was that this formation was even recorded in the information they had from the age of the Empire, but it was so complex and required so much energy that even though many, many Heroes had tried to adapt it for the present age, none of them had succeeded, and some of them had even died.

Formations were dangerous things, and just a little change could change one that was supposed to give birth into one that would bring swift death.

At this time… the Head had to admit that there was no better formation that could aid them.

Swiftly walking forward, he caught the guy's shoulders and asked, "Is it true? Have you really succeeded?" While looking into those eye sockets that seemed to have endless depths.

As if having expected this, the skull chuckled softly and said, "I think so, Head. However, I require someone to test it. I would have done it myself, but I fear for my weak life, and the life of my work, which only I can understand and fix in case I fail. That is the reason behind me coming here – I wish to request your help in assessing whether the formation is successful. We all know that you are the safest option, because it is you who boast the strongest body, regardless of whether one is speaking about Mages or Fighters."

Leaving his shoulders, the Head sunk into deep thought.

Indeed, what he said was right. The Artefact left behind by the Emperor which enabled him to take oaths from Heroes also allowed one to have the ability to weather through almost anything and survive. It had almost been as if the Emperor had been thinking about what difficulties they might face when he had created it, and the Head had long wished that he could talk to the man, and find out the reasons behind many of the things that he had done.

However, that wasn't important now. The issue of the Cogitation formation was something that just couldn't be put to the side, and he knew that just as the guy was saying, he was the best option.

So… He said, "Alright. I'll do it. In my place, the Chief will be the one looking over the continent. I'll also carry my communication trinket with me, so that you can contact me if there are any emergencies."

Taking out a communication trinket from his pocket, the man said, "I already thought of that, Head. As you know, the Cogitation formation is designed to block all communication from the outside, so I made this special one which will pass still work and allow you to speak and receive messages. Please do test whether it's working, first."

Nodding, the Head took the trinket without putting too much thought into it. That was how Cogitation formations worked, and after testing it and seeing everything was all right, he said, "Let's go."

Soon, he was standing in that large graveyard with hundreds of graves that he knew were all filled with real dead bodies that were rotting as they spoke.

In this place, a small building had popped up, and as they walked towards it, the Head could feel the strong fluctuations of elementary particles in the area.

Indeed, this guy had always had a talent in formations, but he couldn't have thought that he would have been able to actually pull off something like this.

The closer they reached, the more he studied the formations which stymied him, which was unsurprising as his forte had always been in direct combat.

The door was built like as if the building was a vault– it was a round, metallic one, and as it opened, the Head saw that it was quite heavy.

After it opened, the guy said, "This is it, Head. Please go inside and check the trinket once again, too. Please understand that for proper testing of the formation, I need you to stay inside for a day. If anything goes wrong, please directly exit, but if it doesn't, I ask that you remain and continue to train. This will allow me to assess the working of the formation accurately, and it will also help me to perfect it so that I can gift it to my sect which was harmed quite a bit during that recent attack of that dastardly Church."

He seemed to shake with anger as he said that last part, and on hearing it, Rayen, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but want to shake his head on seeing the act.

Nodding, the Head directly entered, and after testing the trinket inside and seeing that it was working, he said, "If you succeed, it will be momentous. I pray for the sake of the continent that you do. The more Champions we can train before the Church arrives, the more of the continent we will be able to preserve. I can guarantee right away that if this formation leads to that, you will be remembered for many, many generations for having been the one to save the lives of possibly millions of Angarians. Proceed."

Saying so and seeing as the guy swelled up with pride and nodded, he promptly sat down and began to meditate, and after the door completely closed, he once again checked the trinket to contact the Chief who assured him that he would definitely keep a steady eye on the continent. This wasn't the first time he was taking over for him temporarily, as he would have to rest occasionally, too.

At the same moment, the formation activated, and the Head suddenly found himself with a calm and clear mind.

Excitement coursing through him, he began to meditate on his path, while outside, the man with the skull as his head said, "It's done. That trinket won't work anymore, but he doesn't know that. I need to stay here, and the three of you know what you need to do. Just make sure that those Heroes who will most probably act to stop the Mad Doctor stay with you, while unaware of everything happening outside. As for the Chief… I'm using the Church to take care of him. This isn't a betrayal, of course. I just happened to leak the news that the Head isn't in his post right now, and that guy from the Church will definitely come to take his revenge. The stage is set, gentlemen! Now to relish in our revenge, by watching that puny king get minced into pieces."

…

It came like a storm, in the sense that there was only absolute silence before it.

Except for the Hero who had been notified that the Mad Doctor might be waking up soon, there was no one else in the Sect of Hedon who was privy to the information that the man could be waking up soon.

Seeing the unmoving body, that was almost completely reformed, twitch, the Hero walked forward, but he couldn't have expected what would happen next.

The dull sound of an explosion was heard from somewhere in the headquarters of the sect, and in that moment, the Mad Doctor's eyes sprung open, red with fury, and he disappeared as if he somehow knew that that was what he should do.

That explosion had been synced perfectly with his disappearance, because it happened so fast that the Hero couldn't respond.

In the next second, a loud ringing sound was heard all over the sect, and the entire area…went into lockdown.

This was a precaution that had been placed so that any invaders would have no option but to stay back if they dared to infiltrate the sect, and so, because the formations had been built to trap Heroes, too, the Hero who had been watching over everything was stuck inside.

As was the protocol, he sent a message to the Head, and started a thorough search of the sect.

Meanwhile, the Mad Doctor, who had just woken up, was shocked to find that his power had increased. From a Peak Eminent Champion, he had broken through and become an Exalted Champion, and he felt stronger than he ever had in his life.

The moment he had woken up, he had gotten a message saying that this is a favor being done for him, as everyone wanted his target dead.

The King of Lanthanor.

The disciple of the bastard who had killed his sons.

Well, that was all well and good. He didn't care what that kid had done to bring this upon him, but today, he was going to die a very painful death. He had also been told that no one would stop him, and that made him smile.

This was a smile filled with madness: it stretched to the corner of his mouth, and even extended past that point, making cuts appear in his skin, as he just felt that it should be wider.

The blood dripped onto the formation around the Sect of Hedon which was below him, and letting out a laugh, he breathed in deeply to allow himself to relish the incredible feeling that came whenever he was about to set off to take sweet, sweet revenge.

With that, he started flying rapidly through the air, and his target location was clear in his mind, even though all around that was only madness.

The Kingdom of Lanthanor, where his prey awaited, served up to him on a silver platter.

Chapter 722: The Fight 1

In the skies far above Angaria, there was a small place which would look very peculiar to anyone who managed to find their way there.

It wasn't that anyone could fly in that direction and be able to view this very special place, but that only those who were invited could find it, and when they did, they would have no choice but to pause in the air and stare.

It was…a simple bar, made of wood. It was relatively small- from the outside, it looked like it could contain at most 10 or 15 people, and it had a commonplace design that was popular in almost all the forces in the Central Continent.

Of course, the most incongruous thing…was that it was floating in the air, with clouds passing through it occasionally.

One other thing that would strike anyone perceptive was…that it was surrounded by the most terrifying of formations, which rivaled the best that were deployed around the sects in the Big Four.

Like all bars, this one had a sign that swung lazily in the gentle breeze that one could only enjoy if they were this high up.

"Order of the Chevaliers".

It was an odd name, using an archaic word that was seldom used in conversation.

If one managed to somehow gain permission and enter, they would be greeted by the most common of interiors, although one wouldn't have expected too much anyway, if they judged this place using the exterior.

One thing which did stand out…was that there were innumerable names scribbled onto the wooden walls of the bar.

"Kuhever, of the Fortress of Unyielding Might. Path: Unparalleled Might ."

"Janice, of the Sect of Hedon. Path: Fearful Night ."

Phrases like these were all over the place, and currently, one of the three men inside the bar was idly reading them all while nursing a glass filled with some sort of a golden liquid between his hands.

He had broad shoulders, and his features were those of someone from the army who had lived through numerous battles. They were rugged, with many scars, and a nose that looked like it had been broken one too many times that it stayed crooked.

He was wearing the common clothes of traders seen in the Central Continent, almost as if he didn't care about his appearance, and hence, his companion stood out due to the contrast.

He was wearing all-gold robes which glittered even though there was no light, and he had delicate features that were currently flushed due to the wine he had just gulped it.

He hiccupped, and seeing this, the third man, a bartender wearing a formal vest that was remarkably similar to one seen on Earth, put on an expression of disdain and said, "Galagor, I really wish you would not make such sounds in this sacred establishment. You disgrace all the thoughts left behind by those who wrote their name and their Path on the walls. The Order has always been about class, and those gentlemen and ladies embodied it beautifully. Alas, in this age…we have you."

Smiling sheepishly, the golden-robed man cast a spell and cured himself of his condition.

Looking at his companion who was so avidly reading all the names, he asked, "Every time you come here, you're so absorbed in those writings. I've been meaning to ask…why is that so? Surely, as a Hero, you can memorize them all directly, right?"

The bartender buried his face in his hands as he heard this question, and the words actually caused a heavy atmosphere to engulf the room.

Feeling it, the golden-robed man straightened his slouched back and gulped, wondering whether he had gone too far.

Thankfully, that atmosphere faded in a moment, and the man answered with a gravelly voice.

"I may be able to remember the name, but each letter was written when each Hero was resonating with their Path. The objective behind the rule that all those who are invited to the Order must do this, is that it will stay behind as a resource for future generations. If one is following, or trying to follow a Path similar or the same as any of them, they will be able to gaze at these letters and glean insights into those Paths."

The golden-robed man got a surprised expression on his face as he heard this.

Raising his eyebrows, he exclaimed, "But I saw them, and noticed nothing…"

"That is because you look. You do not see. To see, one is required to open their mind, and their heart. You are only opening your eyes."

The golden-robed man looked like he wanted to ask further, but he gulped again and stopped himself on remembering what had just happened.

Coming to the point, he said, "So, why aren't we stopping the Mad Doctor? We have nothing against the King of Lanthanor, right?"

This question made the man give up his observation. Turning around on the barstool and nodding at the bartender who was calmly polishing a glass even though it looked as if it was squeaky clean, he waited for him to refill his glass to full before taking a sip and answering.

"Yes, we have nothing against him, and I actually like him. I see what the Head sees in him. However, he is not worth us blowing our cover. We are only acting as if we are displeased with him so that we can infiltrate the ranks of those Heroes who are most likely to defect. Most Heroes among those are weaklings, but some…are extremely dangerous, with powers that they have hidden so well that I doubt that even the Head knows of them. But if it does look like only death is his fate…I wouldn't mind stepping in to alert the Head. And besides…pressure pushes people in ways one cannot predict or imagine. He has been stuck in the Champion realm for a long time. I am interested to see if he will be able to break through…"

As the last sentence of the man drifted off into nothingness, the golden-robed man took another sip of the irresistible wine and said, "If he has a really incredible Path, will we take him into the Order even before he becomes a Hero?"

Sighing, the man replied, "That is not for us to decide. Besides, have you forgotten about the true seeds of the Big Four? Their Bloodlines and Champion Paths are kept so secret that not more than 5 people even know of their existence, throughout the continent. It is only if he surpasses them will he be a candidate, and if he does that, we will have to first apprehend and question him regarding the source he has gotten his powers from. At this crucial time, we cannot afford to take risks. Depending on how he breaks through, I will decide whether he deserves my attention. And if he does…I will make sure to imprison him, if needed, so that he can grow strong enough to make a difference in the struggle that is coming. It will be for his own good. Keep a close eye, Galagor. You are a talent, but I have a feeling that he might outshine you."

The golden-robed man frowned as he heard this, but he cheered up with another sip.

Suddenly clapping his hands, he made a large display trinket appear, on which the Mad Doctor could be seen approaching the formation that surrounded the newly formed Alliance.

As all three men in the room focused their attention on it, the same was done all over the continent by the Heroes who had all agreed to not step into this conflict, for one reason or another.

Meanwhile, on the border of the Alliance where the newly built wall stood tall and proud under the sun, Kellor and Eloise were standing together while awaiting the arrival of the man who had just awakened in the Sect of Hedon.

This was the direction that one would come in if they traveled, or teleported in a straight line from the Sect of Hedon, so because the Mad Doctor would not be afraid of anyone or anything in his path, this was definitely the one he would choose.

Besides, the King had already detected him breaking through, and he had given them the message that his arrival was imminent.

"The others are ready. I, for one, am excited to see what the King has planned."

"Me, too. I hoped that he would kill this bastard…but that's too farfetched, right? Even with breakthroughs, the distance between an Amateur Champion and Exalted Champion is too high, right?"

Eloise looked like she was half hopeful that Kellor would say no, but he just shrugged and smiled.

"If there is one thing I have learned in all these years serving our King, it is that he should never be underestimated. Here he comes."

In the horizon, there suddenly appeared…a comet-like object, which was barreling toward them with an unthinkable speed.

No sooner had they spotted it, Kellor got an expression of panic on his face and shouted, "Incoming threat! Alert the King!"

Right on cue, Eloise frantically exclaimed, "Oh, no, he's not in the Palace! He should retreat to it right now! I'll contact the commanders who are with him! Even if we lose our lives, we will protect him!"

The Mad Doctor had been happily laughing to himself on the way, and as he heard these statements, his laughter went up a notch.

Amusing. Either they were acting, or they really were panicking this much.

Either way, he didn't care. He knew that the amount of time he had was more than enough for what he wanted to do, so he decided to just follow the flow, first. After all, what kind of trap could they spring on him, an Exalted Champion? Arrogance dominted his mind, and he looked forward to crushing any and all countermeasures there might be present just so that he could see the look of despair on the kid's face.

He broke through the flimsy barrier that was erected hastily in a moment, and he casually shot two fists at the two who had just shouted. These fists looked life-like even though he had conjured them in barely a second, and there itself, he saw the difference between his former level and the level he had reached now. There was at least a 30% increase in power, and although he knew that there was also some drug pumping through his body which was making him stronger, it was a momentous leap.

The wall collapsed as if it was made of paper, and in the rubble, the bodies of the two could be seen. They only looked like they had suffered minor injuries due to the defensive trinket that must have activated, but just as he was about to launch another two fists to finish the job, a shout interrupted him.

"You! How dare you-"

BAM!

Another fist flew at this newcomer, whom he recognized as a commander of the kid.

He flew backward as the trinket which sprung up to protect him shattered right away, and the Mad Doctor followed.

"No, Aran! Retreat! I'll-"

In the distance, another commander had appeared, and seeing that it was the kid's father, the Mad Doctor changed targets and flew after him.

Seeing this and getting an expression of horror on his face, the commander started fleeing, and while the Mad Doctor followed, he finally saw his main target.

All this had happened quickly, but he had been led a few kilometers inside the border of the Alliance by this point.

There was only arid land here, as they had already passed the locations where populated settlements had been present.

The King of Lanthanor stood calmly on the ground, and he said, "You came here for me. I had no hand in the deaths of your sons, but I know that you won't listen to logic. Come. If I am destined to die today, then I shall do so in the embrace of the land that has given birth to me. Come, Mad Doctor. Let the Heavens bear witness, and know that I, Daneel Anivron, chose to stay and stand even though fate itself seems to have conspired against me. Regardless of whether I fall or live, my name will not be forgotten for generations. Can you say the same, oh so-called Champion?"

The jibe made the Mad Doctor frown, as the anger that was iconic to him finally sprung up and took the place of the joy that he had been feeling for finally waking up.

"Enough with the nonsense. Die ."

With this simple reply, he shot forward to attack.

Chapter 723: The Fight End

Seeing the Mad Doctor flying toward him with the intent to kill, Daneel activated the Basilisk's Breath right away.

His objective here was simple: he needed to put up a fight, and then survive.

Normally, others would have wanted to get this phase over with as quickly as possible. They would have just put up a token of a fight, and then ended the whole matter, as a Peak Warrior was not supposed to be able to put up any sort of a fight against an Exalted Champion, anyway. After all, why would one want to put themselves through more pain than was needed?

Of course, Daneel saw it differently. He knew the value of pain, in that it allowed one to go farther than they could even imagine. He knew the value of such an opportunity, where he could give it his all without thinking too much. He had an out which would definitely work, so he could choose to go with it if it got too dangerous.

But before that, he would not allow the Mad Doctor to get the satisfaction of crushing him.

It was clear that that was what the man wanted, and there was no way that Daneel would give it to him.

The speed of a Champion was definitely not something a Warrior would be able to contend with, even if that Champion was a Mage, and not a Fighter. He was able to push the elementary particles to propel him with much greater acceleration than anything a Warrior could achieve, so Daneel knew right away that he couldn't contest against the man in this way.

The only thing that was left…was the simplest, yet oftentimes the most effective of ways in which a Mage could fight.

Defend, deflect, and attack.

Instantly, right as the Mad Doctor was about to reach him, layers and layers of barriers came into existence which he started smashing through.

At the same time, multiple constructs came into being, and these would be recognized by almost all Angarians.

They were the same ones that the King had conjured when he had defeated that evil Champion, and burned him to ash.

Daneel was supposed to have been stuck at that level, so he couldn't display attacks much stronger than that one. Yet…that didn't mean that he couldn't add a twist to make it stronger.

Before, his power had been that of a Warrior-level Paragon, who was undefeatable even by Champions. But that phrase…was meant to relate to Amateur, and to a certain extent, Eminent Champions.

Exalted Champions, though, were supposed to be beyond his league, but there was no reason why he shouldn't be able to put up a fight.

"Starry Skies" was the name of the spell, and it was meant to signify the Paragon constructs, each of which could copy an opponent's attack, whatever it was, and throw it back at them, with the objective being that even though the quality might be low, the quantity of the attacks would overwhelm anyone who was dumb enough to enter the area of effect.

This was the reason why Drakos's disciple, the one who had made this spell, was feared, and never challenged unless he was outside of his element.

The Paragon constructs were like stars, and as they shone, each of them conjured small fists that looked lifelike, as that was the attack made by the Mad Doctor.

Indeed, he had launched one at Daneel after seeing that it wasn't advisable to keep crashing through the barriers.

The normal sight in such a case would be that the smaller fists would be able to stop and throw back the larger one.

However…they were simply smashed apart, and the attack continued to hurl in Daneel's direction.

Already, he could feel that he was out of his depth, and he hated that feeling.

Weakness.

It was this weakness that he wanted to never feel again, and with renewed vigor, Daneel used another volley to stop the fist, finally.

Meanwhile, the Mad Doctor was simply standing on the ground a few hundred meters away from Daneel, and laughing.

The reason was obvious. To block just one attack, Daneel had had to work so hard.

Seeing this, the King of Lanthanor really, really wished that he could transform into a true Dragon and burn the man in Dragonfire.

Yet, he knew that even that might not be effective, because it would not be enough to close the gap completely.

Frustration appearing on his face, Daneel decided to take the offensive.

The multiple Paragon Constructs that were all shining around him quickly started to fly in order to congregate right behind Daneel, who could be seen protected by at least a hundred layers of barriers. These barriers were those conjured both using trinkets and spells, and even a Champion would be hard-pressed to break through them. After all, it made sense that because he had given trinkets which could block Champion-level attacks to his subordinates, then he should have many of them, too.

He didn't know for how long they could stand if the Mad Doctor began a full onslaught, but at the moment, because the man was goading him into attacking, Daneel had decided to use the opportunity.

Last time, all the Paragon Constructs had been arranged in the shape of the hand of a giant which had been cupping him protectively, but this time, these balls of light, each of which was half the size of a man, came together and started to take on the shape of a real giant.

Daneel had come up with this fighting technique after viewing the main weakness of it, and looking for ways to counter it.

Starry Skies was a quagmire-type Paragon technique, where one who entered its area of effect would be affected. Those beyond could simply leave, and if someone was powerful enough to enter and reach the one controlling the formation, then victory might be theirs.

Instead…what if the formation was agile, and able to move? The main problem with Starry Skies was that as the individual Paragon Constructs were far apart, they would allow in people who could target the mage. If they were congregated together, there would be no chance of this.

Even if the original creator had gotten this idea, he wouldn't have been able to implement it as each Paragon Construct was a delicate mix of different types of elemental particles that needed to be carefully controlled. If they were apart, it would be relatively easy to control them. If they were nearer, though…the difficulty would increase exponentially, as the particles could mix, and bring about chaos.

It was almost like a typical school scenario, where there were a bunch of naughty kids. If they were separated, one would be able to keep an eye on them, and it would be easier to control them. If they were not…in a group, their interactions between each other would definitely bring about a lot of trouble.

A mage would find it difficult to handle the latter case, but Daneel had the system, and all it had to do was simply keep perfect track of the elemental particles so that it wouldn't happen. Because it was used to resource-intensive tasks, it could do so easily, even though a typical mage would get a headache.

The end result…was that a 20 feet tall, 7 feet wide version of Daneel, himself, appeared, and his real body, which was still protected by the barriers, was in the middle of the chest of this gigantic construct.

Each Paragon Construct was simply casting illusion spells to show this form, while the truth was that it was just a human-shaped one that was comprised of balls of light.

His preparations done, Daneel took a single step forward and…punched.

BOOOOMMM!!!!

The punch was actually accompanied by spells of destruction which brought the full force of a Peak Amateur Champion along with them, and it was incredible that a mere Warrior-level Mage was able to do something like this.

It was only possible because of Daneel's ability to use this spell to take this form, but alas…the Mad Doctor simply raised a fist, and Daneel's was stopped in its place.

It was being held by a simple telekinesis spell, and even though the destruction spells which were designed to smash through anything in their path flew forth, they harmlessly passed by the Mad Doctor and made a large crater appear all around him.

Such…was the difference between an Amateur, and an Exalted Champion.

The crater was 15 feet deep and 30 feet wide, and if there was a village in its place, it would have been completely wiped out.

"Had your fun? It's my turn, now."

Saying these words in a calm tone that was not characteristic of him, the Mad Doctor…closed his eyes.

Daneel knew what was coming, but he couldn't have defended himself against it.

He had seen this before, in the fight between the Mad Doctor and Ashahell that he had engineered, and he had never thought that he would have to face it so soon.

It was…the Madness Domain.

Bolts of lightning, spears of flame, rips in space and shards of ice started to blink in and out of existence all around the Mad Doctor.

Just to remind himself, Daneel asked the system to repeat the description of the Champion Path of the Mad Doctor.

['Mad' Champion Path: Those who choose this path come into touch with their inner madness, projecting it outwards through their Mageroot/body to make the world transform into a deathtrap where random elemental attacks with high frequency and power attack trespassers.]

Last time, the attacks had been at the Warrior-level.

But now…each and every attack was one that could strike down an Amateur Champion.

"YEEEAAARGHHH!"

Daneel couldn't help but scream as he felt as if his whole body was being lacerated by all the relentless attacks.

He had connected his mentality to the giant so that he could control it better, and because it was getting bombarded continuously by all of the elemental attacks, it was as if he was the one taking all the damage.

From above, Robert and the rest of the Sovereigns watched from a safe distance at this image which made anger appear in their eyes.

They wished that they could go forward and assist their King. However…they were too weak.

Even Faxul and Elanev, the strongest among them, could tell that they would not have been very effective in this fight. Even though they knew it to be a sham, it frustrated them to no end that their King had to be subjected to something like this.

It had all looked great at the beginning: the giant-sized Daneel looked like it might even achieve victory, but after launching just one attack, it was now stuck in place, while its entire body kept being ripped apart and then reformed by the terrifying elemental attacks which made the very air around them vibrate with their power.

It was all over in the span of a few seconds.

The Paragon Construct made from the smaller constructs of the 'stars' in the Starry Skies technique was ripped to shreds, as it no longer had enough globes to maintain its integrity.

All that was left was Daneel, with a few last lines of defense.

The Mad Doctor got an expression of eagerness on his face, as he knew that it was finally time to make that man feel the pain that he had felt.

Layer after layer of the barriers was peeled away by the attacks, and with each second, it seemed that the King would have no option but to die.

He even collapsed to the ground, on both of his knees, and this made the Mad Doctor laugh crazily.

His head was in his hands, as if he couldn't believe that this was the end.

There were only 20 layers of barriers left, and as he saw each one get destroyed, he started shaking his head from side to side in denial.

His face was flushed, and his breathing was hastened. The brave King who had said those words before was gone, replaced by a desperate man who was not resigned to his fate.

After the last layer was gone, the Mad Doctor raised his hand, and made the King float into the air, his arms and legs stretched out almost painfully.

The entire continent, or at least, those who were aware of what was happening, watched on as the King of Lanthanor, a man braver and more talented than most who had graced this continent in recent times, was reduced to a common wretch in his last throes before death.

The Mad Doctor gleefully made large rips appear on his clothes, accompanied by wounds which oozed with blood.

Pain was apparent on the King's face, while tears also started to drop to the ground.

Eloise felt like flying forward because she couldn't bear to see this scene, and the rest of the Sovereigns also had similar intentions.

As for the Heroes who had simply hated the King because of their disdain for the Central Continent, they enjoyed watching him in pain, laughing among themselves while comfortably seated in their abodes.

The Mad Doctor continued the torture gleefully, giving everyone the show they had been waiting for. By the time he was done, the King was almost unrecognizable, as his entire body was covered with wounds. Mangled flesh could be seen everywhere, and in some parts, entire chunks had been ripped out.

He seemed to be on his last breath, as his face didn't even have any expression. His screams of pain which had sounded like sweet music had already ended, and the only thing that could be heard from him was raspy breathing.

Having had his fun, the Mad Doctor allowed himself a smile of exultation before saying, "Now, die, in the name of my sons. I applaud the intelligence of your master which made me target Ashahell, but now I know that it was your master who really had done it. He will repent on seeing you reduced to a pile of blood and bones, as that is your fate. Enjoy the feeling of the rest of your flesh and blood being ripped out, piece by piece."

With these words, he raised his hands again, and the spell he cast made the King burst out with the last ounce of strength he had.

His face carried such an intense emotion of rage that it made the hearts of those who wished him well break, and finally, something…changed.

With a bright flash of light that made the Mad Doctor squint, a transformation started to occur on the King's body.

A dark, shiny exoskeleton began to cover the entirety of what was left, and even before the Mad Doctor could reach, all that was in front of him was a cocoon made of that material.

"…"

Shocked and unable to understand, the Mad Doctor restarted the Madness Domain he had deactivated, but the attacks were actually…ineffective.

That egg-shaped cocoon just lay there, and he even tried picking it up and smashing it on the ground.

Yet, no matter what he did, he couldn't get through, and it made him get madder and madder until his eyes were red once again.

Just as he was about to take drastic steps, though, a message reached his ears, and with an expression that almost looked like…joy, he disappeared, as if the King didn't matter anymore.

Meanwhile, inside that cocoon, Daneel, who had transformed into a Divine Cockroach, felt his body rapidly heal due to the incredible regenerative properties of this species which allowed them to survive even if their head was cut off.

It still hurt like hell, though, and after coughing out some blood, he spat out a statement filled with the righteous anger of a King who had been wronged.

"All right, time for round two. No more scheming. It's time to die, you m*#*@&f*cker."

Chapter 724: Outcome of the Tes

A few seconds before the beginning of the fight between the King of Lanthanor and the Mad Doctor.

Just like the Head, the Chief had had an uneasy feeling, but his was stronger, as he had weathered many, many more situations than his disciple.

He could tell that something was going to happen, but alas, he hadn't been able to figure out exactly what it was.

Hence, he had been on alert, and even without the Head telling him that he should keep an eye on the continent, he had been doing so the entire time.

After the Head did contact him, though, the Chief had frowned, and he had been about to say that this might not be the best time to test something as dangerous and complex as the Cogitation Formation.

However, he knew his disciple well. The man had always been an idealist, and he was always passionate whenever it came to anything that could improve their chances against the Church.

So, he had let him go on, knowing that he would be able to take care of anything that might happen. If he had to, he would even use the many ancient means still available to them, and no matter the cost, he would let nothing happen to his beloved continent when he was on watch.

Everything had been going well. The continent had looked normal, and occasionally, the Head even looked for the Legacy Disciple to whom he had sworn his fealty.

Of course, the kid didn't know it, but he was a man who kept his word, and he had given his word that he would obey the Sect Founder the moment he had been accepted to this place which had become his everything.

Just when he was about to switch on the Network and catch up on the latest episode of the comedy show about a bunch of friends, he felt a detection formation going off in the corner of the continent, south-east of the Kingdom of Axelor.

These detection formations were spread out all over Angaria, and their purpose was to detect if there was any disruption in the natural order of life.

For instance, if there was any major destruction being caused, or if there was a disaster occurring that wasn't supposed to occur…they would find out, and they would be able to respond.

As it was a very, very large area, they could only depend on roundabout ways like these to track the happenings in the continent.

Right now, the alert was that an earthquake had just devastated the shore in that direction.

An earthquake in a place which had been stable for thousands of years?

Impossible.

Right away, the Chief contacted the Head, but to his shock…there was no response.

The message was going through, but there was no one answering on the other end.

As a man who had been through many, many wars and battles, he directly began assessing the situation to decide on what he should do.

However, it looked like he had no time, as another detection formation went off just a bit more inland than the first.

This one indicated that there was a small village there, and that they had been killed.

The worst case here was that the Head…had died.

Right away, the Chief realized that he should act if this was the case.

He was the one who was in charge, so he charged out of the Fortress.

He didn't call out for more Heroes, as protocol stated that any threat should first be assessed by the one in charge. Heroes were supposed to stay in key strategic locations to ensure that they wouldn't be run over, so responding to a threat with force could result in a disaster.

Hence, he had to take care of it himself.

As soon as he reached the area, he saw the culprit, and that actually…made him heave a sigh of relief.

It was the white-robed man from the Church, whom he had defeated recently.

Although he hadn't been able to do as much damage as the Head had done to this man's superior, it had been considerable, and this was indicated in the way the man was still holding his shoulder gingerly.

He was the one causing the earthquakes, and as soon as the Chief arrived, he folded his hands and asked, "Bored? Do you want me to bring the entire force of the continent down on you?"

This wasn't something very new. The Church had always adopted an attitude where they would occasionally prod the Heroes of Angaria, as if to always keep them on edge. Any organization that was repeatedly kept in a high state of tension would have high chances of collapsing on the inside, and it was apparent that that was what they were going for.

The Chief hoped that that was the case, but the Head not being reachable put him on edge. The best case was that the formation was malfunctioning, and he had tried to contact its maker, but there had been no response. All in all, he knew that he had to tread carefully, yet…

BOOM!

A meteor flew in his direction, almost as if its purpose was to not allow him to think further.

As a Hero-level Fighter known for his speed, he easily dodged the attack, but that was when he realized the true purpose behind it.

A Hero-level barrier and anti-teleportation formation instantly activated in the area he was in, and he was completely cut off from communicating to the outside.

This was a formation that the Church hadn't even used once on Angaria, and the Chief had no idea why the hell they were using it now, as he could simply memorize it, and they would be able to make ways which they could use to counter all such types of formations if they were used again. Strategically, it didn't make sense at all, as it didn't look like they were attacking anywhere else, either.

However…that was when he detected an alarm in the Sect of Hedon, and as he shifted his gaze to there using his control over the formations that he had taken due to the Head's absence, he saw the Mad Doctor laugh and then head in Lanthanor's direction.

Right away, he understood his target: the King of Lanthanor.

Although he couldn't figure out, for the life of him, why the Church was targeting that kid, he knew one thing for sure.

He had to get out of here.

He could already guess that no one would be going to his aid, as that seemed to be the objective of this whole thing.

He had given his word that he would follow the Sect Founder's every order…and one of the most important duties of the Chief of the Fortress, was to protect the Legacy Disciple until he came of the age where he could take up his responsibility.

And to fulfill that responsibility, the Chief didn't even care if he had to die.

Knowing that every second was precious, he instantly activated his peak mode. His body turned back into the state it had been in many centuries ago, and he laid his gaze on the man from the Church.

This gaze was so scorching that even the white-robed man couldn't help but flinch, and then catch his shoulder, where that wound he had sustained in the fight before still ached.

Yet, laughing out loud, he said, "It's useless."

A pearly-white barrier came into existence around him, and he calmly conjured a chair and took out a wine bottle from his coat.

It was clear that he had been prepared to do this from the start.

Panic beginning to creep into his mind, the Chief prepared to take out all of his trump cards, even though a strange feeling told him that they wouldn't work.

The reason behind this was given by the white-robed man in an idle tone, while he sat down in the air and poured a glass for himself before sipping it and frowning, as if it was too bitter for his taste.

"It's useless. As you must already have guessed, I am using the same Energy Source that saved our lives before. It is one that can only be made by those who are above the realm of Heroes, and you peasants don't even know what that realm is called! Haha, that's rich! Anyway, for 10 minutes, you should just stay put and watch the show. You, alone, can do nothing, so I advise that you relax."

He was right.

The High Council had already had a meeting regarding this, as they had all sensed the rich Energy used by those from the Church in that fight. If it hadn't been for it, they might really have died, but the High Council had only been able to deduce its level, and hope that it was limited.

With a deep frown, the Chief focused his sight on the scene in Lanthanor, while the white-robed man did the same.

With an appalled expression, the Chief could only watch as the kid was tortured incessantly.

The brave words he had uttered made it clear that if someone was recording this, then all those who were showed the video would right away wish to swear fealty to this King, who was ready to die rather than allow his people to be harmed.

This was the kind of emotion that would spring up in most, and it was a precious tool that had been utilized very well to make many Kingdoms fall and rise in the history of the continent.

Yet…all that didn't matter to the Chief, as his only priority was to save the Legacy Disciple of the Fortress.

With increasing anger, he watched the horrendous actions of the Mad Doctor, until finally…he made his decision.

If no one intervened, even at the last moment, then he would do it.

There was one attack that would cost his life, and he had been saving it for the final fight against the Church so that he could die brilliantly. If used well, it would be able to take out multiple Heroes, but the Chief did not hesitate at all to use it now.

It was worth it. At least, he would die knowing that he had done his duty for those that had given him everything, when he had nothing.

Up until the last moment, the Chief observed that the white-robed man was watching happily, as if what was going on was what he had hoped for.

Yet, when that cocoon suddenly came into existence…both of their eyes widened, and the white-robed man even stood up with shock.

Only, right after that, he realized what it was and said, "Tch, the Bloodline of a Divine Cockroach? So that's all he has? With that Bloodline, even his Mage Paths are restricted! What a letdown. And to think we thought of him as a threat! Ha, what a joke!"

The white-robed man's deriding words made the Chief understand everything that was going on.

After that, as they saw the Mad Doctor vanish, they wondered where he had gone, but it didn't matter.

Little did they know that that man had only gone…downward.

Indeed, in a deep, deep cave under the spot where he had been standing, the Mad Doctor burst through, and laid his eyes on the man whose life he wanted more than that of the King.

Ashahell.

He had gotten the message that Ashahell had broken free in a weakened state and was here, and without hesitation, the Mad Doctor had left.

He didn't care about the motives. This was the man who was the reason behind him being injured in that manner, and now that he was more powerful than before…he longed to crush this previous sect master of his under his foot and take his revenge.

Besides, he had already understood that he couldn't break through that shell even if he tried for a long time, so he had chosen this target, which was very, very appealing to him.

However, the moment he appeared in the cave…a Hero-level formation came into existence, and the man inside who looked like Ashahell simply faded into the air, as he had just been a clone.

Meanwhile, inside the shell, the King of Lanthanor received a message that made him smile at the corner of his mouth.

[Dummy message mimicking previous mode of communication used after target 'Mad Doctor's awakening has been successfully sent. Target has appeared in the pre-prepared underground cage. Hero-level restriction formation with one-way teleportation access activated. Erasing all traces of the location of the target. Ready to teleport host into the formation.]

His eyes burning with the kind of wrath that would not stop until it saw blood, the King gave an order to the system.

"Good. Prepare to deploy Mage Champion Path Consolidation Module using preset parameters. Standby to induce breakthrough on my mark."

Chapter 725: Breakthrough

The Mad Doctor was completely flummoxed.

Who the hell could have this kind of power, to be able to deploy such a formation so discreetly that he hadn't been able to detect it before he had entered, like a lion being trapped by a hunter using a goat as bait?

He doubted that it was the Heroes of the continent, because if they wanted to step in, they would have done so earlier, before he had tortured the King of Lanthanor so much that it was doubtful whether he would even survive.

Was it possible that whoever they had been holding back from interfering in this whole thing had broken free?

Even then, they would have come forward directly, instead of plotting something like this. Clearly, this had all been set up beforehand, and no matter how much the Mad Doctor thought about it, he didn't even consider the possibility that the one behind it could be the man whom he had been torturing all this while.

For an entire minute, he tried all of his strongest attacks, but it was almost like this formation was being powered by an unlimited power source. True, it was at the Hero level, but even such formations would usually break when they were faced by fully powered attacks by Exalted Champions repeatedly, for a long period of time.

This also spoke volumes about the means of the person who was behind this – they seemed to have an unlimited supply of Ker Gems, and this eliminated everyone in the Central Continent.

Right as he was about to go completely berserk with anger, the barrier changed.

It constricted to contain him, leaving behind an empty space in front of him which he couldn't go into.

Being trapped in a cage like an animal was so infuriating that the Mad Doctor swelled with anger, his entire body turning red, while multiple veins started pulsing on his forehead.

Yet...all of this anger could only be put on hold when he saw a man appear in front of him.

It was the King of Lanthanor.

If it was just this, the Mad Doctor would have been assured that it was a clone, and even though it would be shocking, it would not bring about as much surprise as his image did now.

The main reason behind him even stepping back with disbelief… Was that the King's wounds had already healed by a large margin.

As one of the most prominent healers on Angaria, there was almost no one else on this continent who knew just how difficult it would be to regenerate such grave injuries in such a short period of time.

In fact… It could definitely not be done by humans.

Wait! Humans!

As it finally clicked, he raised a finger to point at the King and shouted, "You! You have a Bloodline! That's how you escaped before! The pressure must have made it burst forth! But what kind of a Bloodline has both defensive measures and regenerative abilities… The Divine Cockroach!"

The man in front of him almost looked amused as he saw the Mad Doctor put two and two together.

He was completely different from the one he had been aboveground, who had been resigned to his death.

There, the King had put on a very brave front, even though it had been apparent that he was quite unsatisfied, angry and frustrated about everything that was happening in reality.

Here, though… Why the hell did he look like he was the mastermind who had everything in his control?!

The Mad Doctor recognised that his madness was taking over, which was never a good sign. It had always been his weakness, but he couldn't do anything about it as it was part of his Champion Path.

Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed himself down and spoke in a more moderate tone.

Yet, before the words appeared from his mouth, the King, who had changed his robes and almost looked as if he was back to normal even though the paleness of his face suggested otherwise, spoke.

He had folded his hands behind his back, and the gaze that was fixed on the Mad Doctor's face was that of… Longing?

What the f*ck?

This extremely out of place emotion puzzled the Mad Doctor, but the words of the King which echoed in the cave made his mind go blank.

"Before you ask stupid questions, let me give you a small rundown of the situation. Yes, it is I who set up this formation, and it is I who has been fooling the entire High Council and the Big Four that I'm just a weakling in the Central Continent with just a few tricks up my sleeve. The truth is that I have bonded with the Empire Spirit of Lanthanor, Drakos, the Ancient Dragon, and have unlocked the third seal placed by the Emperor, thus gaining access to more Hero level formations and techniques than you can ever imagine. I would typically not do this with anyone, but this is a special occasion, so I've decided that I'll speak out my reasoning, while consolidating everything in my mind. Try to keep up, and if you don't understand something, just use that peanut of a brain in that tomato of a head to try and figure out stuff. Now, shut up. You'll have a chance to scream and fight all you want in one minute, but until then, just shut up and listen."

Saying so, the King began pacing to and forth in the room, and it was almost as if he had forgotten the existence of the Mad Doctor.

After getting over the blankness in his mind and erasing the gobsmacked expression on his face, the Mad Doctor screamed with anger, but the scream was only heard inside the part of the formation that he was in. Clearly, he had been muted, so stopping the scream, the Mad Doctor's shoulders heaved up and down as his completely bloodshot eyes stared at the King and waited for him to speak.

He had said that he would have his chance after a minute, right? Surely, he was being overconfident, because there was no way that he could match up to his strength. When that time came, it would be this damn arrogant kid's scream that would be echoing in this cave, and deciding to wait until then, the Mad Doctor tightened his fists and took a few steps forward, with the plan to be ready to leap forward with a killing blow as soon as the formation was removed.

After pacing for a few seconds, the King of Lanthanor finally spoke while gazing into the air, as if reminiscing about something.

"The first clue regarding what Champion Path I should take was first revealed to me very, very long ago, but I didn't recognize it then. I took it at face value, simply as something that had been passed down, and although I used it, and commented on how amazing it was, I failed to see just how remarkably different it was from all other techniques on the continent.

"Taking the most obvious route, I began looking in the Champion Paths that were passed on to me in both the memories of the Emperor and everything hidden behind the third seal, and that was when I found the Hopeless Champion Path. It really appealed to me, because of its potential to be unstoppable, but it looked like there was simply no way to overcome its negatives. After all, how could anyone hope to be able to understand the Path of their opponent perfectly, so that they would be able to counter it and make them feel hopeless? Each Champion Path changes subtly with each insight that a Champion gains while training after their breakthrough. I don't even know what those who designed this were thinking, and in my naïveté, I thought that I could rely on what I had to go against the very nature of the world, itself."

Talking until here, the King stopped, and he actually laughed.

It looked like he was laughing at himself, though, because after a few seconds, he buried his face in his right hand and shook his head before saying, "I was such a fool! I had unconsciously restricted myself, and it took such a long time for me to realize just what mistake I was doing. I can't even blame anyone but myself, because this was a restriction that came about because of me, and because of my stupidity that made me automatically think that I could not exceed those that came before me. That thought came without me even recognizing it, and it stuck inside my head for the longest time. Can I really even blame myself, though? Just think about it. The Emperor was so powerful, and the Energy level was so different then that Heroes were almost as common as Champions today. For centuries, the continent flourished, and an unprecedented rate of development and research graced Angaria. Tens of thousands of talented minds came together to both develop and theorize about all kinds of Paths, and I thought that I could not compare to them. I was wrong. So, so wrong."

The calm confidence in the King's words slowly made the Mad Doctor get an uneasy feeling, because he had heard of such men before.

It was said that they were those that had been born different, and that they were destined and prophesized to achieve things that others could only dream of.

He had scoffed at these words, but that uneasy feeling kept creeping in, until the Mad Doctor had to shake his head in an attempt to get rid of it.

He could tell that the King of Lanthanor was building to something, and he kept telling himself that no matter what the kid tried to do, there was no way that he could kill him. His death was written to be by his hand, and no one would be able to stop that. Even though everything he was saying was so fantastical that it threatened to make the ultimate enemy of self-doubt appear in the Mad Doctor's mind, he kept it at bay, and just waited to get his hands around the throat of the one in front of him.

After those words, the smile stayed on the King's face, and he resumed pacing before speaking.

"It was only recently that I understood that this was wrong, and that came about because of desperation. I had to do something that hadn't been done before, and if I explained it to anyone from the age of the Empire, most would have called me mad, and the rest would have called me stupid. But… Against all odds, I succeeded. It was out of desperation, but it taught me the valuable lesson – that I was wrong. I was wrong to create invisible shackles around me, and I was wrong to think that my Champion Path should be one that stands in the same league as those that were the most powerful during the age of the Empire. Thankfully, all that time I spent studying those Champion Paths was not for naught, because I gained something else from them, almost without realizing that I was gaining it. After all, someone trying to read books in a different language would not realize that they were learning the language, too, while they proceeded to succeed in their endeavour."

Taking a single step, the King swiveled around, and stopped the spacing again, and this time, he was right in the centre of the cave, right in front of the Mad Doctor.

That uneasy feeling started to grow stronger and stronger, and although the Mad Doctor was still successful in quashing it, his face had already changed from one of expectation to kill the King, to one that belied the inner turmoil in his mind because he didn't understand just what was going on here.

He was a damn Exalted Champion! He should not be getting this feeling from a Warrior! Even an Amateur Champion should be like an ant to him!

Even as these questions raged in his mind, the King opened his mouth again, and this time, the Mad Doctor found himself wishing that the man wouldn't speak.

It was instinct which gave him this wish, and even though he didn't know just why it was, his spine stiffened, and he felt as if something… momentous was going to happen, which was definitely not going to be good for him.

This time, as the King started to speak again, there was a tone of finality in his voice, and he even rose into the air, with both his hands have raised, with their palms facing up.

"Even now, Mad Doctor, if you hadn't tortured me so, I might not have arrived at the final conclusion that no matter what Path I choose, I should be able to crush those like you under my feet, like the disgusting bugs you are. In fact, at this point, I'm pretty sure that I might even have been led to this by the Emperor, himself, even though I have no proof to support that supposition. It is such a natural step forward that I should have realised it long ago, and even though I am late, I'm glad that I reached this point without being waylaid on the journey, like so many others must have been before me. It's funny that I don't even need to struggle like other Champions to break through! All I need to do is give a single command, and it will be done. Rejoice, because you are one of the few who will ever see this breakthrough that is more important than any that has happened on this continent so far."

As he paused to take a deep breath, his voice rose in power, and it was infused with something indecipherable that the hairs on the Mad Doctor's arms rose up straight.

"You see, at the end of the day, it all boils down to one question. Every day, I take innumerable risks and put in incomparable effort to try and save the continent, and its people. But when I'm doing so much… What is the continent doing for me? How is Angaria helping me? Watch closely. This… Is the answer."

Those last three words echoed in the cave, and Mad Doctor couldn't help but take a few steps back.

Reaching the wall, he grasped it, an unknown to him, a few messages were heard in the King of Lanthanor's mind.

[All prerequisites have been fulfilled. Consolation module activated.

Consolidation in progress.

Drawing forth insights gained into resonance from Champion Paths studied by host.

Modifying insights and engineering reverse resonance process.

Extracting Idealogy of Hopeless Champion Path.

Integrating engineered base with extracted idealogy.

Modifying Ruler's Inheritance.

Creating activation trigger based on Ruler's Inheritance after removing drawbacks using the base.

Attempt successful.

Champion Path created. Standing by for name to be assigned.]

With a smile that chilled the blood in the veins of the Mad Doctor, Daneel gave his answer.

"World Domination Path. Well, it might not be perfect apt yet, but that is the route it shall take. Don't you think it is apt, system?"

[Affirmative. Champion Path has been named. Deploying.]

The king laughed out loud as he heard this answer, but the Mad Doctor didn't know the reason behind it.

He didn't even get the thought to think about it, though… Because he was too captivated by the changes happening in the world around the kid who had seemed inconsequential till now.

Captivated? Horrified was a better word, because the Mad Doctor had never seen anything like this, and suddenly, he wanted to convince himself that this was all a dream being induced while he was in his coma.

In fact, he found himself wishing that he was back in that coma, because what he was seeing… Brought forth more fear than anything he had felt in his life.

Typically, when Champions found their resonance, the World would respond to them, and it would be in the form of elementary particles congregating around them to allow them to cast their Mageroot-less spell. These elementary particles would be the type which were related to the resonance of the Champion, but here… all of them were responding.

This was so shocking that the Mad Doctor kept blinking with the hope that what he was seeing would change, but no matter how much he tried, the image only got clearer.

The world, itself… Was prostrating before this kid?

He got that impression, because that was exactly how it looked.

Floating in the air, the King looked like a god who had descended to the Earth, and the world was relishing his presence and welcoming him with humility. It had begun slowly, only visible in a small area around him, but it was now quickly spreading. His eyes were shining brilliantly, and his hair was waving slowly in the air with the soft wind that had begun to blow in the room. The elementary particles all around him which would generally be freely moving as they wished were now surrounding him diligently, and with each breath that he took, they vibrated softly, as if it was a boon that they were receiving.

The only consolation was that this command over the elementary particles did not seem to be too strong, and the Mad Doctor could tell that if he tried really hard, he could wrest back control and cast any spells that he wished. Yet… The most harrowing thing was that all of this was being done without even an ounce of effort by the King, as it was all being given by the World.

The barrier suddenly vanished, and the Mad Doctor decided to take his chance, even though every fibre of his being told him to run.

Expending more effort than he would usually have to, he forcefully wrenched away the elementary particles and began his Madness Domain. Even if the King had broken through, multiple attacks that with the power of an Amateur Champion should decimate him, and as the first wind blade started to appear right beside the king which would impale him as soon as it formed fully, a smile started to pull up the corners of the Mad Doctor's lips.

Hehe, so what if you put on such a brilliant display? You're still going to die because you were too overconfident!

As soon as this thought came in his mind, though… That smile froze, because the Mad Doctor had seen something which shocked them even more than everything that he had had to witness so far, and this was something that he hadn't thought was possible.

His Madness Domain… had been nullified.

It wasn't even that the elementary particles which had prostrated to the King before had been taken back… no, the Mad Doctor had seen what had happened, and it made him feel like turning around and banging on the walls to try and escape.

The moment his domain had appeared… It's perfect counter had been deployed, which, in this case, was a Calmness Domain.

All Champion Paths had their counters and weaknesses, but typically, even if two Champions with opposing Champion Paths started fighting, the result would come down to who had more insights into their Path.

The problem here, though… was that the Calmness Domain had been just perfect to nullify his, and this presented a terrifying interpretation.

His Champion Path had been assessed, and instantly countered.

Impossible.

Impossible!

Unwilling to believe it, the Mad Doctor deployed a different kind of domain that he had been working on, which used a different kind of Madness. It used the spectrum of extreme negatives and extreme positives, to create attacks that could either be extremely dangerous, or extremely weak.

There was a 50% possibility that the first attack would be weak, but luck seemed to be on his side.

However… It looked like everything else was not, as it was once again nullified before it could even from completely.

By now, the Mad Doctor had understood.

If this was a dream, it was a nightmare.

And he wanted out of it.

He tried to move back, but he was already at the wall, so he raised his hands and spoke in a quivering tone, with all of his bravado gone.

"N-no! St-stay back! STAY BACK! DON'T COME FORWARD!"

His shouts were in vain, because the king continually floated toward him, like an impending storm that could not be stopped by the will of mortal men.

By the time the King appeared within a few inches of him, the Mad Doctor had already shouted himself hoarse, and his face was filled with unwillingness and fear.

This was his true self – one that was always buried beneath the madness and the ego that was brought about by his power, and it was the reason why he had killed so many people without feeling anything. He had always been afraid, but each time he killed, he would feel brave, as it would feel like the world was under his control.

Yet… The sight he was seeing told him clearly that reality was anything but, and as the King opened his mouth one last time, the Mad Doctor could tell that these would be the last words he would be hearing in his life.

"Champions resonate with the World. But in my case… The World resonates with me. No matter what technique you use, as long as I'm within the range of those who support me, the World, itself, will give me the answer regarding how I should nullify it. A true Ruler does not have to march forth himself to deal with pesky foes like you. In my stead, the World is the one which does my bidding, and hence, in the Champion realm… I am unrivalled. I am the righteous possessor of this ultimate power which is based upon the concept of the Grand Inheritance, itself, and I shall use it to save this world, no matter who comes against me. I am Daneel Anivron, World Dominator, King, and Saviour, and I… sentence you to death."

As soon as these last four words appeared from the King's mouth, it was as if the sentence had been passed by the World, and not him.

The elementary particles which comprised of the Mad Doctor's body, which were typically under the sole control of the body's mind and Mageroot, were forcefully taken command of, before being dispersed as if they had never existed in the first place.

Each and every part of the Mad Doctor's body disintegrated, and he turned into nothingness, with all traces of him wiped out so completely that no one would ever be able to prove that he had ever been born in this continent. Angaria, itself, had rejected him while obeying a higher command, and that command's will had been done.

[Breakthrough successful.

Assessing Champion Path.

Dual-ability Champion Path detected. Such Champion Paths were theorized to be possible, but no one on Angaria was able to even think of a way to try and aim for them. Only one of the abilities has been used by host.

Achievement…]

Even as Daneel dropped to the ground with a wide smile and listened to the messages flooding into his mind, unknown to him, a phenomenon occurred on Angaria at that very same moment.

Out of a cloudless sky, a golden bolt of lightning struck down from the Heavens at the exact spot on the surface below which he stood.

And at the same time...deep, deep under Angaria, a man was startled awake.

He looked shocked for a moment, but after that, he started laughing.

"HAHAHA! He's here! The Saviour is here! Whoever it is that has dared to challenge my land, prepare to be annihilated!"

Chapter 726: The Second Half 1

After happily laughing himself hoarse, the man began coughing, and this cough lasted for a long, long while until it finally died down, bringing silence to the small stone room in which he was in.

It was a room with no entrances and exits, and the only thing present inside was an undecorated stone throne, on which he was sitting.

As he was wont to do, he mused out loud.

"Fenoras was so close, but alas, he was plagued by misfortune that has made many fall over the ages. Maybe this time… It will be different. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye, and come out when I need to. Only I and the current Head are supposed to be able to detect the recognition of the World… But where's the Head?"

With a gesture from his hand which looked like it was casual, the man cast an eye over the entire continent.

The most peculiar thing was that his means were extraordinary – the elementary particles, themselves, allowed him to view everywhere, and even the most hidden of places were bare to him.

After finally finding the Head inside that room, he chuckled and said, "Ah, so they distracted him in this way. Well, it might be for the better. The Saviour is still young, and he has a long way to go, even though it does not look like there isn't too much time, judging from the stage of the plan that those bastards from the Mainland are in. They never change, no matter how many years pass. Well, this time… Something has changed on our side. The cycle shall be broken. They're finally going to get what is coming to them, and maybe… No, I must not let my thoughts stray in that manner. King… Daneel, is it? I hope you fulfill everything you to represent, Saviour. And what's it called… The Church? You don't know the misfortune you called upon yourselves, yet! Ha ha! Now then, back to another nap…"

His ravings almost seemed crazy, but there was still a sanity about him which spoke of the man he must have once been.

Each word of his was enunciated clearly, as if he was used to speaking crisply in order to be understood by all. His was the tone of one who commands, and after saying the last words, he leaned back into the chair, going back to the position he had been in for the past few thousands of years.

Indeed, the lightning bolt had not been seen by anyone, including Daneel. It was in a different spectrum, and even though so many Heroes were viewing the same spot, they saw nothing except. Yet, they did experience a very slight foreboding feeling in their spines for the briefest of moments, which they could only shrug away as they had no means to identify just where it could have come from.

Meanwhile, Daneel was still on the ground in front of where the Mad Doctor had been until the past few seconds, and his eyes were opened wide, while he blinked as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

Just to assure himself that he wasn't dreaming, he asked the system to repeat the prompt regarding the achievement.

[Achievement: 'Path of the World Dominator' has been obtained.

'Path of the World Dominator': You have finally embraced your true mission, and you have created a Path which embodies your grit to walk forward and let free the World Dominator inside you. It is said that many steps are needed to scale a mountain, and you have taken the most important of them all: to see the peak amidst the billowing fog, and identify that it is the one you wish to reach. The World can either tremble with fear or kneel with respect in your presence, and it is your choice regarding which direction you wish to go. Whatever you choose, it is noteworthy that you recognized your purpose, and are willing to follow it even though Heaven and Hell might unite to oppose you.

100,000 EXP received.

All parameters for upgrade of the system have been reached. After obtaining the requisite EXP, host can upgrade the system.]

Yes!

Ever since Daneel had set his eyes on the next level of the system, where its complexity would reach the Hero level, he had been pretty stymied by the fact that he didn't even know exactly what he had to achieve in order to be able to upgrade. The system had said that it was hidden, and although he had hoped that it would just be that he had to collect enough data, there was no way that he could have been sure. He had continued to uncover more and more things, but it had looked as if he was no closer to being eligible for the upgrade.

Even now, he didn't know whether it was his breakthrough, or the fact that he had chosen this Path to take. Either way, he was only a couple of hundred thousand EXP away from the upgrade, and when that time came… The tables would turn on even the most powerful individuals on Angaria.

Just as he got this thought, though… He remembered something.

The tables had already turned, it was now time to take the second part of his revenge.

His plan was only half done, and so far, it had gone brilliantly, with not many hiccups. Yet… The latter part was a bit risky, but he still trusted himself, and even if a few things went wrong, he was determined to achieve a mostly positive outcome.

All plans could only last perfectly until the moment that they were implemented, because after that, no one could perfectly assess everything that could happen. Although Daneel had been mostly successful in his attempts to control all the factors that might affect whatever he was doing, there had always been a probability that something would go wrong, but the objective was that even if it did, like in the case where he wanted Ashahell and the Mad Doctor to both kill themselves before, the overall outcome would be in his favor, just like it had happened there with Ashahell imprisoned and the Mad Doctor disabled.

Speaking of Ashahell, though… Daneel was not done using him, and at the same moment that he got this thought, the previous sect leader of the Sect of Hedon who was still imprisoned inside the Sect Headquarters was startled awake, while the strict meditation he had been undergoing over all this time was disturbed for the first time since he had been locked up.

Of course, Daneel didn't know this, because he was calmly about to proceed onwards.

The Dual-ability Champion Path… Had not come about by fluke. He had planned and set the parameters to make sure that this would happen, and it was only natural that his understanding regarding the Ruler's Inheritance and everything that had led up to the creation of his Champion Path allowed him to have these two abilities.

There were also limitations, but he decided to check these out after he was done using the second ability to finish everything he had set in place.

His destination… Was the hidden barrow in which Rayen was awaiting his arrival.

…

Rayen, along with the other two Heroes, was currently watching the scene in the Kingdom of Lanthanor from where the Mad Doctor had just disappeared with a frustrated expression on his face.

The shell which had formed around the king was still there, and for all intents and purposes, everyone thought that the king was still present inside it.

They had all been staring at it for the past minute, hoping that the Mad Doctor would return to finish what he had set out on, but alas… Nothing of the sort happened.

Finally, getting the message that he had been waiting for,Rayen stood up and banged on the table, reducing it to dust in the process and shouting, "Useless idiot! What the hell could have made him leave?! I have half a mind to go there and finish the job myself!"

The other two Heroes nodded, but inside, both of them knew that he was just shouting to vent, with empty words.

There was no way that they would involve themselves personally in this matter, and they had already done a lot. These were their clones, as their original bodies were actively distracting the Heroes who might come forward to interfere. If they did anymore, they wouldn't be able to avoid punishment, and the motive behind them wanting to see the King die was not strong enough to push them to risk it.

They had been wondering why the other guy was taking so much risk, but he had always been someone that none of them could assess, so they could only chalk it up to his craziness.

After fuming for a few seconds, Rayen shouted, "Enough of this farce. I'm out of here. I'm going to have a word with Bartholomew when he's done. If he's not locked up by the High Council, of course."

Saying so, he disappeared from the room, and the two Heroes thought that he had dispersed his clone. Deciding that he was right that it was a waste to stay here, they left, too, but what they didn't know was that Rayen was still in the Barrow, just a few feet away from them, and he had just received a very important guest.

As he saw the King teleport in using the hole in the formation that he had made with great difficulty using a trinket over a long period of time ever since he had arrived here, he could tell that something was different.

He couldn't pinpoint what it was, though, exactly, but one thing did stand out to him: before, the King's power had seemed inconsequential in front of his. Yet, now… Rayen had a feeling that if he wanted to kill the king, he might not have such an easy time.

This didn't make sense at all, because even a Peak Champion would have no option but to be crushed into the ground if they were facing a Hero.

Putting all that aside for now, he asked, "You seriously want to go against that guy? No one even knows what power he has, and I'm not confident enough to defeat him. At most, we might reach a stalemate, or I might be able to injure him, but killing a Hero… Is no easy thing."

Chuckling, Daneel replied, "You assume that you will going into battle alone. Don't worry, you have me. Just let the fight start, and you'll understand."

The last sentence was said because Rayen's eyes shone with disbelief, but Daneel continued without minding.

"I have always been the biggest fan of plans where two birds could be hit with one stone. Many of my plans were designed to do that, but in this one… I've outdone myself because a single stone of mine, is hitting not two, not three, but five damn birds. Let's see here. The first bird was the test of the Church, which I failed with flying colors, and that is the best outcome possible. The second bird is my revenge over the Mad Doctor, and the man is no more. Now, it is time to hit the third: to take my revenge against these Heroes who dared to plot against me, and in doing so, dared to go against the very land that gave them birth. Something must be done regarding such individuals, and I've decided that now is the best time for that. Granted, I cannot do so against the other two, so my main target is the one who has engineered all this, and is almost certainly in the pocket of the Church, even if he doesn't know it. We will be doing it under the guise of someone else, and that will lead to the fourth and fifth birds, but you don't need to know about that right now. What you do need to know… Is that we are going to either kill or seriously disable that Hero, and even though you will be the one doing most of the work, I'll be assisting you to make sure that you are enabled to do so. Let's just go, and you'll understand."

Birds? Stones?

Rayen didn't know just what the heck the king was talking about, and he also got the feeling that the king might not even be talking to him directly. It was possible that he was recapping his plan to himself, but whatever the case, what he needed to do was clear.

He still didn't believe, at all, that this kid would be of any use in the fight, but he had no problem with going and trying, because at most, they could just escape.

Besides, all Heroes were arrogant, and he was kind of sick of feeling as if he was weaker than this kid. By exposing his true power in a fight, Rayen looked forward to awing him, so he enthusiastically teleported his main body over after shifting the clone to where it was.

Right as he was about to exit the room, though, the King spoke up, and that...was when Rayen was made to remember his first interaction with him.

He had been rendered helpless, and he had only been able to fall to his knees and bow to him, as he had seemed like an omniscient entity who had everything in his grasp.

Now...he got the same feeling.

As Daneel saw the astonished look on Rayen's face, he couldn't help but smile while listening to the prompts from the system in his mind, which were in response to the command he had given after seeing that Rayen's real body had arrived.

[Champion Path second ability activating.

Reverse-infusion in progress.

Checking for parallelly aligned will.

Aligned will found. Proceeding.

Target has been empowered with advanced amplification and ease of use of the World.

Factor low due to unavailability of more followers to utilize.

Standing by for name of ability.]

He had already thought of the name for this ability which embodied his intention to empower both himself and his allies, so he directly gave the answer.

"Fight in my name, and the World shall be yours."

Chapter 727: The Second Half 2

Meanwhile, in the room that was attached to the vault that the Head had entered and was still sitting inside, thinking that everything was normal on the continent, Bartholomew was staring grimly at the display trinket which was showing the scene in the Kingdom of Lanthanor where that shell still lay there, sitting undisturbed ever since the Mad Doctor had left the area.

In fact, one couldn't actually tell whether his face was grim or not, because a skull couldn't really show that many deep emotions. All he had been told was to distract the Head, and to somehow use a few of the Heroes he could muster to distract other Heroes that might step in to support the Head and the one that he believed in, and he had fulfilled his job. What happened after that… Did not really matter to him, as he had proven his worth, and he would, from now on, be trusted among the Church.

Of course, he wasn't looking forward to the backlash he would soon face, but it was necessary. Ever since he had been born, he had known that if someone wanted something, there had to be pain, and he was ready to bear as much as was needed.

He knew that he was probably one of the strangest Heroes on the entire continent, and he also knew that behind his back, the other Heroes kept talking between themselves that there should be no one else like him who was given their powers using the Willstone. The only reason he was a Hero, right now, was because he had carefully manipulated everything so that he would be the only candidate at the time when the total number of Heroes on the continent was dangerously low. Just because power could be granted using the Willstone, it didnn't mean that it could be done to anyone, and there was a certain probability of the process failing if the candidate wasn't strong enough. In those cases, the Willstone would be deactivated for quite a long time. This was definitely not a scenario that anyone would want to play out, so the best of any generation were always chosen.

Most people only knew about his story from the time he had entered the Sect of Hedon, but what they didn't know was that he was born in one of the most unique locations that anyone could be born in on Angaria.

He was born in a graveyard.

Specifically, in the Kingdom of Axelor, there was a custom where greybeards would be maintained by certain people for whom the occupation was passed on in the family. Not many thought about these people, because they were just there to bury the dead, and there were a lot of those. Both the campaigns of the King and the constant massacres that he used to carry out had resulted in the graveyards always being full of traffic, and among all that macabre goriness, he had been born.

His mother had died after giving him birth, and his father had always blamed him for it. His father's friends had kept telling him that he shouldn't have a child in such an atmosphere, but the man hadn't listened, because he was selfish and he just wanted someone who could help him, and then take over the job as quickly as possible so that he could go and indulge fully in his habits of drinking and gambling.

And thus, the innocence of his childhood was accompanied by the wailing of family members who were seeing their departed being burnt to ashes or buried, according to their choice, and such sounds became as normal to him as those of the wind or lapping water.

On the outside, he looked normal, and the friends of his father were pretty astonished that growing up in such a place hadn't affected the child very adversely.

Little did they know that inside, a fascination for death and dead bodies had been born, because of viewing such sights on a daily basis.

Everything related to this topic interested him, and at the same time, a decision slowly started to form in his mind, which was that he wanted to take command of death, rather than letting it use its power over him, as he had seen it take its eternal hold on thousands of people. He never, ever wanted to be reduced to their state.

He had always been someone who was sure of himself, because he was used to being alone, and because he was his own best companion. His father's friends had used to say that that had been a trait of his mother, and even though he did not know whether it was true, he had taken it to heart.

One day, his father had come home heavily drunk, and he had slumped on the chair while dangerously close to the fireplace.

Choosing it as the right time as the man had been so drunk that he couldn't even remember his own name, he had left the Kingdom of Axelor and traveled for a long, long while, until he reached the border.

It was at the border that he had a stroke of luck – the first to grace him in his entire life until then. Axelor was a completely closed off Kingdom, and the guards had been ready to turn him back. Yet, fortune had it that someone from the Sect of Hedon had arrived to speak to the King, and he had spotted Bartholomew who had a collection of bones strung around his neck, because it had been his hobby to collect leftover bones after people were burnt to death.

Intrigued, the man had come to check Bartholomew's body, because he had just turned 15. Surprised that he had enough talent to be considered for training, he had asked whether he wanted to enter the sect, to which the only answer had been a smile.

To this day, Bartholomew was amused when he remembered the reaction that that smile had gotten from that emissary from the Sect of Hedon. His face had always been a mousy one – with a nose that was sunked, like a corpse's, and lips that were far too large. His father would sometimes beat him up on seeing him, saying that he was a blight upon the earth, and the beating would always stop when his face was covered.

That man had shook as if he was seeing a ghost, but he then grew embarrassed as he didn't want to admit that he had almost gotten scared of a simple human.

Whatever the case, Bartholomew was admitted to the Sect of Hedon, where he was not accepted into any faction, no matter whether it was that which comprised of those who came from the Central Continent, like him, or those who were born to the ones that were already in the sect.

He didn't really care, though. He had never needed companions, and because there was a joyous feeling that he reveled in which was a result of him slowly reaching for his goal, step-by-step, he plodded on. The atmosphere of the sect did wonders for him – it only enabled and encouraged those who had power, and even though he was not very powerful in the beginning, he used his mind to scheme his way into obtaining enough resources to push forward into the Warrior realm.

To the shock of the entire sect at that time, his breakthroughh to the Champion realm had been smooth, because it was as if his path had been decided ever since he was a child. All he needed to do was look inside himself for what he had understood in the place of his birth, and he had been able to step through. The sect elder who had examined him had said that this was possible in extreme circumstances where one's mind might be completely captivated with something, so much so that it would consume everything else, and that was exactly how it was for him.

As for the choice to let go of his face… He had made it at that moment, too, when he had broken through, both because it embodied his path, and because it was symbolic of him leaving behind the shackles placed by the world upon him.

From then, it had almost been smooth sailing, mainly because people wouldn't usually tangle with someone who had a skull for a head. Besides, his path also happened to be at the tier that was just below the top, and although he was despised, he was also valued, and given many resources to advance along so that he could stand for the continent.

Just when his thoughts reached here, he heard a knock on the door, and after seeing that it was Rayen, he frowned and open the door.

"Bartholomew, I need to talk to you about something. I think I found a way to kill the king without showing ourselves at all. I don't want to talk about it here, though. Being so close to the Head, even if he's locked inside, is not safe. Why don't you leave a clone here and follow me?"

Rayen had required quite a bit of time to recover from the shock that he had felt when the King's… Whatever it was, had affected him.

He had wondered whether it was his Champion Path, but that didn't make sense, because it wouldn't explain his feeling before that he wouldn't be able to easily defeat the king.

Understanding that finding out more might actually be detrimental for his mental state which had already disintegrated quite a lot due to the revelation that the king's means were as inexplicable and awe-inspiring as ever, he had just scolded himself that he should never underestimate the man again, and had resigned himself to many more moments like these, which he definitely expected would happen.

What he had done… Was just magical, and Rayen found himself itching to try it in battle, and see for himself its true power.

He saw Bartholomew pause for a moment, but he just waited, knowing that the man would follow. It was clear that his goal was to kill the king, so an opportunity for that would definitely not be ignored.

After glancing back at the display trinket which was showing the Head and seeing that there were no problems whatsoever, he said, "Alright. I've already made the adjustments to the formation based on seeing the Head till now. I guess I don't really need to stay here."

Walking outside, he followed Rayen as he led him down the rows of graves, and as they did so, Bartholomew would fondly touch each gravestone as if each of them meant something special to him.

Rayen saw this and was creeped out, but he controlled his emotions, and just continued walking. If Bartholomew had a normal head, he got the feeling that it would have been filled with ecstasy at the moment. Focusing on not letting more thoughts like these appear, he waited for the right moment to strike.

Finally, after reaching a point, he saw that Bartholomew had finally sensed something, which made him turn around and instantly activate the formations that he had already laid in place.

Barriers that were thick as stone walls rose up on both sides of them, going from the ground to the ceiling of the underground barrow that they were in. At the same moment, he saw the glow in the eyes of the skull that was Bartholomew's head intensify to another level, which caused a slightly heavy atmosphere to envelop the place where he was standing.

He wasn't really afraid, though… And the reason, was that the King of Lanthanor was present right below them, safely enclosed in a barrier, himself, and he had already activated the same thing that he had used before to make Rayen's jaw drop.

The swirling darkness that always engulfed his body instantly grew, forming into a globe, and it kept growing. Bartholomew saw it coming, but he knew that turning around to attempt to escape would only cause his back to be exposed, so he waited, believing in his own power.

The moment that globe expanded enough to include him, too, he instantly understood why Rayen was known as the King of Darkness among the Heroes of Angaria.

There was only pitch-black darkness around him, and he couldn't even see his hands. He tried conjuring a globe of light, but the instant it came into existence, it was gobbled away, almost as if there was a monster waiting to eat any light sources that might be activated in the area.

"Why are you doing this, Rayen? I thought everything was fine? True, the King might not be dead, but those injuries were so severe, and he was also tortured! We can make another plan later! Why attack me?"

The answer came in the form of multiple voices with seemed as if they were coming from all around him.

"I don't need to explain myself to a man who is about to die. If you want to blame someone, blame that ugly skull of yours. It's such an eyesore that I've always wanted to crush it under my boots."

Chapter 728: The Second Half 3

Seeing the deadpan look on the skull's face, Daneel sighed, thinking that it really took away a lot from the joy that one would obtain when they were getting revenge if they couldn't see the expression on their opponent's face.

After all, he had gone to great lengths to turn around the situation and make it so that this guy's actions would be the same ones which were the reason behind his demise, and he couldn't even see that realization on his face!

By restricting the Head, he had made sure that the man wouldn't arrive to save Daneel. Of course, this also meant that… He couldn't arrive to save him either.

It was such a simple, yet satisfying twist the Daneel really loved it, and as he saw the domain of Rayen take effect, he couldn't help but think that this man whom he had taken on as a subordinate was quite capable.

He could tell that if he was inside, he would have found no way whatsoever to see, because the entire purpose of the domain was to make sure that anyone who entered it would be robbed of their sight. Like Bartholomew, as he had been called, if anyone was dumb enough to also block themselves in a place so that they couldn't leave the area of the domain, then they would find themselves pretty much cornered and set up for defeat.

Yet, it had to be acknowledged that Bartholomew was not to be underestimated, as he calmly stopped all attempts to gain vision, which had already been proven futile, and he was using other means to track everything around him.

A mage, especially one who was at least at the Hero level, would never be completely helpless if they had control of their Mageroot. In this case, the man had slowly begun to use all kinds of elementary particles to map the area around him, so that if anything moved, they would move too, giving him an indication that something was coming from that direction.

It was pretty smart, but it made Daneel sigh again, as such a skilled person would have been really useful if he had been on Angaria's side. Alas, he had chosen the wrong one either out of greed or some other reason which didn't really matter, and now, he had to die.

Even though he had figured this out, it still wasn't easy to track Rayen, who was actually… Right above Bartholomew, slowly lowering himself while making it seem as if his movements were actually that of the wind. This kind of camouflage was done by putting himself on the back side of air current, making it so that even if the elementary particles detected that something was moving, it would look like a long 'sheet', while the movement of Rayen was hidden within it. It was slow, but it was effective, mainly because there was a system in this barrow which sent gusts of wind at regular intervals, perhaps to drive away the rotting stink of corpses that were all buried underground.

Although it looked like Bartholomew's defeat was inevitable, Daneel knew that there would be some problem soon, because if this was all that was needed to defeat him, then Rayen wouldn't have declared before that they would definitely not be able to kill him. So far, everything he had been doing was without what Daneel had given him, and it was obvious that the man was first trying to use his own strength, before depending on someone else's.

It was an admirable thought, and even Daneel wished to see just what a true-blue Hero was capable of.

They were supposed to be so much more powerful than Champions, with this difference being much larger than that between Champions and the previous realm, too.

With the domain, Rayen had already demonstrated how this was the case, because no such absolute domain was possible in the Champion level. This was if one didn't count Daneel, of course, who could be called the ultimate exception. Almost any Champion level domain could be overcome using brute force attacks or if an expended enough Energy, but in this case, there was such a strong command over the resonance with darkness and the power that was being drawn forth from the World that in that aspect, anyone facing Rayen would be helpless, unless their insights into darkness were even higher than his.

In his hands was a blade that was also wreathed in shadows, and it seemed to be a very powerful one. It was infused with his power, and Daneel could tell that it was no normal weapon. It was certainly stronger than most trinkets or weapons he had seen so far, as any of those would have long burst into pieces if they had that much power infused into them.

It was definitely something special that had been made especially for this purpose, and it almost seemed like the sickle of the grim reaper as its point descended toward the top of Bartholomew's bare skull.

Just before the moment when Rayen was about to thrust it home, Daneel braced himself, but surprisingly, before Rayen could even put forth the force with which he was going to pierce his head, the man swiftly raised his hands and caught Rayen's in a vice-like grip.

That grip, itself, seemed so strong that just seeing it made Daneel feel that any part in his body would have snapped if he was the one who was being targeted by it, and both Rayen and Daneel were also thoroughly surprised that Bartholomew had even been able to sense the attack.

There was no time to think, though. As one who had experience in battle, Rayen reacted quickly, kicking forth with his legs to drive himself away from his target.

All of these moves exceeded were so strong that they exceeded the Champion realm, mainly because they were attacks infused with the magical powers of a Hero-level Mage. At the Hero level, one could use spells instantly to boost their power and also strengthen their body to terrifying levels, making the playing field quite even with Fighters even in close range.

Bartholomew seemed to have expected Rayen's move, as he leaped up to escape his opponent's scissor kick before landing before him after painfully wrenching his hands so that Rayen had no option but to land on the ground. His hands were almost tied behind him, and by now, it was obvious what Bartholomew's strategy was.

He couldn't see, so he wanted to have his opponent in his hands so that he wouldn't be able to get up to any thing even if the domain was active.

Simple, and effective.

However, it looked like Rayen had had enough.

Waves of elementary particles started to congregate behind him, right behind Bartholomew's neck, and Daneel started to feel a faint sense of danger even though he was quite far away.

Rayen was casting a spell, and the way he manipulated the particles so easily even though the spell in question seemed to be a particularly advanced Hero-level one made it clear that this must be his signature move, which he had practiced a lot so that he could be familiar with it.

Daneel was blinded by the layered patterns of the attack, so he decided to ask the system just what it was.

In fact, it was the system's help that he was even able to see anything in the first place. There was only pitch-black darkness, but the system was using the input from the World to create an image for him.

Soon, Daneel got the answer.

[Spell resembles 'Kiss of Darkness'-Hero level Path-specific Signature spell in records.

Record is as follows:

Kiss of Darkness: Darkness is not just the absence of light. It is that which brings forth all the darkest fears in a living being's mind. Each being is reminded of the time when it was completely helpless, and the stronger the Hero's insights into darkness, the more such feelings can be brought forth willingly. 'Kiss of Darkness' embodies the Will of one who wields Darkness to take one back to their origin, when they were but defenseless specks who could be squashed out of existence with a single thought. It is a Mind-Body dual attack, and if successful, a target loses all control over their body and mageroot for a brief period of time, and grievous injuries are also caused by the buffeting waves of particles which strip away the skin after passing any defenses that might exist.]

Holy crap!

Understanding what it was made respect appear in Daneel's eyes, but Bartholomew…seemed to have sensed the attack, too.

And his response…was peculiar, to say the least.

First, he started head-butting Rayen, and each attack made shockwaves vibrate through the earth and almost reach Daneel, who was over a kilometer away.

Each strike apparently held almost the same force that one would feel if they were being hit by a truck, and even though barriers popped up to protect Rayen, the force passed through, disturbing his concentration and slightly disrupting his spell-casting.

At the same time, as Daneel watched on with both his eyebrows raised, bony hands burst through from the earth right below Rayen and grasped his legs, while more and more hands started to appear all around him.

Daneel was quite taken aback, as he had scanned this area, and it was actually one with empty graves. Where the f*ck had these corpses come from? And how were they being animated?

Even before he could ask the question to the system, he found out why Drakos had said long ago that a single second was enough to decide a fight between Heroes.

The bony hands seemed to have the special property of corroding through barriers, and Rayen understood that he would lose his legs if he carelessly stayed.

So…he launched his attack even though it hadn't completely formed.

It was in the form of a long curved blade, almost like lips which were moving to give that 'Kiss', and as it passed through Bartholomew, it seemed as if it had done no damage.

However…for the briefest of seconds, Bartholomew let go of the grip he had been holding on to for dear life until now, and Rayen broke free of both his hands and those of the ghastly bodies that had risen from what was supposed to be an eternal embrace.

Rising in the air, Rayen breathed heavily, and said, "Screw it."

Knowing what he meant, Daneel activated his ability, and the next second…it was Bartholomew's turn to step back with shock.

"You! This spell…how?! It is supposed to be lost!"

The reason behind this hoarse scream was that Rayen had been given a spell by Daneel's ability that perfectly countered the army that had risen from the ground.

It was a shining sun which sent down rays of golden light, and this light seemed to be burning the bones of the army which hastily stepped around to escape those rays which were cutting through the darkness domain while aiming for their heads.

Only…Daneel shook his head, because as expected, it wasn't as ultimately powerful as he had expected. It wasn't like his whole Path didn't have limitations, and the limitation of this ability was that even though it allowed for spells to be given that countered an opponent's attacks, they had to cast by those who were being given the power, and they might not have enough of the 'insights' which were required to perfectly cast each spell.

If it was Daneel, the World would do it for him. But for his subordinates, the World would only help by giving an indication, and the rest had to be done by them alone.

It, alone, might not have ensured their victory, but in this case…there was also the amplification.

With a smile on his face due to the fact that he was wielding more power than he had ever done in his life, Rayen started recasting the spell, and where before the curved blade made of shadows had been 10 feet long, it was three times that now, and it looked like it would definitely wipe out Bartholomew.

The man with the skull for his head seemed to have recognized it, too, as he took another step back with horror.

However…what he did next made both Rayen and Daneel freeze, instantly.

Raising his hands, he shouted, "Wait! Don't kill me! I'm actually with the Head! He went in on his own accord! You really think he's so dumb as to believe something like what I said right away? It was all a façade! It was so that I could join the Church and pass information to Angaria!"

Chapter 729: The Second Part End

Rayen couldn't believe his ears.

There lay the guy that he had hated for so long, right in front of an attack that would definitely disable for him for enough time that he would be able to make sure that each and every part of his body would be ground to dust in order to ensure that he would definitely be dead, but what he said presented a possibility that was significant enough that he had no option but to pause.

What if each and every action of his so far had been to alienate himself from the Heroes of Angaria, to make him a viable candidate to be approached by the Church?

A Hero's mind could function much faster than that of all others in all the lower realms on the continent, and even though there was only a split second during which Rayen gave Bartholomew the benefit of the doubt, he had enough time to comprehend the meaning of his words, and think about all the possibilities behind them.

The problem here was that if he took any longer, it was possible that Bartholomew could capitalize on the chance and launch a counter-attack which might be as inexplicable as all the attacks he had shown so far.

In that case, there would be no one else to blame but him for falling for the oldest trick in the book.

He knew that he couldn't depend on the king, either, who was definitely not quick enough to be able to react. Even if he was a Champion, there was no way that his mind would be able to work fast enough to allow him to make a decision.

However… Once again surprising him and making him feel like he should smack his forehead for once more doing the same thing he promised that he wouldn't do ever again, the King gave him a clear message.

"Keep the attack close, close enough that there won't be any chance of him trying anything. But give him a chance to speak. Ask him what I ask."

If he had known that Daneel was in command of a technique which would be able to practically slow down time for him, then Rayen might have started to consider giving up his career and just retiring so that he wouldn't have to handle all the emotions that flooded his mind.

Indeed, Daneel had used the Basilisk's Breath, and he had had enough time to think it out.

After getting past the shock, the most pressing thing was to decide whether there was a chance of what Bartholomew was saying being true, and if there was, to decide what he should do about it.

In fact, the former was more important than the latter, and after assessing all the information that Daneel knew about him, and what he had seen about him so far, he reached the same conclusion as Rayen.

The biggest factor that was inclining him to think in that way was that he had met the Head, and the man had not struck him as someone who would fall so easily for such a plan, just like Bartholomew had said.

Yet, Daneel had thought that hope must have blinded his eyes, yet now, hearing of this possibility, he couldn't help but consider it.

Only… There was another unanswered question.

This was supposed to be just a fight where Rayen was taking out his grudge on Bartholomew. In that case, how had he known that he should say this if he wanted to save his life?

Funnily enough, the answer to this was the simplest, as it regarded something that Daneel didn't know yet about the Hero who was under his service.

Bartholomew didn't even have to answer this, as Rayen sent it as soon as Daneel posed the question.

"I expect that he is using the fact that I'm pretty well-known for my disdain against the Church. Back when we fought them and made them leave the continent, I was the one who took risks the most to ensure victory, mainly because I just don't like those scum wanting to invade our home. Anyone who has seen everything that has happened so far would be able to put two and two together and see that Bartholomew's with the church, and anyone who is as vehement as me in their position against the Church would definitely target him."

Well, at least that cleared something up.

It was a good thing that Daneel's subordinate who had been chosen almost out of chance had such a character. Daneel hadn't investigated too much about him before, as it hadn't concerned him at the time.

Putting that aside for now, they got to the specifics of the situation, which was to find out whether there was any proof behind what Bartholomewasre saying.

If there was… It would change everything.

The main thing that indicated that it was not true was what had happened just before this. Daneel really had been about to die. At that stage, even if he had survived by some Hero coming to save him, he would have had to go into a coma just like the Mad Doctor for a long, long time, with it being uncertain whether he would ever awaken.

This didn't fit at all with the intention of the Head to make him enter the Big Four and allow him to train so that he could become another cornerstone for Angaria.

Only one of these could be true – either the Head had been faking it all along, and Bartholomew was his subordinate, or Bartholomew was lying, and the Head really didn't care about him.

Daneel couldn't think of a third one… But as Rayen asked the question to Bartholomew, he received it.

"I took a few liberties, alright?! The Head entered that formation, and it would have seen fake if he was really not blocked from everything outside. So, that part was true, with the only thing not being true was that I managed to trick him all alone. Our agreement was that I would arrange for someone to step in to save that kid before it got too bad, but I made an executive decision. I decided that if that happened, I might not be able to gain the exact amount of trust that I wanted, so for the good of the continent, I decided that one sacrifice was fine. The kid would die, and I would be welcomed with open arms into the Church. After that… By knowing all of their internal movements, our victory would be much more certain. It was all for Angaria! Rayen, I know you hate the Church as much as anyone else, but in me, for reasons that only the Head knows, that hate runs much deeper. Everything so far was leading up to this, in many ways. In fact, you wouldn't believe me if I said that I was actually recruited back when I entered the Big Four, itself! No one else knows this! The Head wanted it to be that secret, but now, I have no choice. I was even chosen to become a Hero with the help of the Head, who made it so that there would be no other candidates. Just think about it. Hasn't it been just a bit too smooth sailing for me? It was all fake! And this is the final step! Don't ruin it! Whatever reason you have for wanting to kill me, I ask that you put it aside! I don't know how you gained this much power, but I am ready to swear a repetitive oath that I will hold my silence regarding it! Just spare my life so that I can finish my life's goal!"

By the end of his passionate statement, Bartholomew had fallen to his knees, and he was holding his skull in his hands.

There was something both sympathetic and chilling about the sight of someone holding their own bony skull in their hands, and as Daneel watched it, he couldn't help but feel creeped out, and it wasn't even the first time since he had been introduced to someone as unique as this person.

Obviously, he had no idea that Daneel was behind all this, so he was thinking about everything from someone who only knew that he was being targeted by Rayen for some or the other reason. For them, Daneel would seem like an inconsequential piece, who could be killed if it meant that they would be able to infiltrate the Church better.

As he heard it all, Daneel had to admit… That it was logical.

It was entirely possible that Bartholomew might have made a decision on his own without the Head knowing, and that everything he was saying might be true.

But… What was Daneel supposed to do?

The most obvious way to confirm everything was to ask the Head, but that was impossible, as he would be able to instantly tell that something was off. A repetitive oath was one where a Hero would keep swearing the oath at regular intervals so that it could be made sure that they wouldn't be able to overcome it, and it was the most fool-proof way beside the Artifact left behind by the Emperor to ensure something from a Hero.

If it was just Bartholomew, because he was in this weak position, he was ready to do something like that. But if the Head was brought into this, he would want to find out each and everything to make sure that whatever the reason behind Rayen's power, was not a threat to Angaria, and Daneel really didn't want his power exposed to that man, even though every indication so far was that he was someone to be trusted.

It wasn't because he was paranoid – it was just that it was too damn risky, and he couldn't justify taking that risk at the moment.

What to do? He knew that he certainly not powerful enough, yet, to be able to overpower the Head with Rayen's help like he was doing with Bartholomew, so he had to make a decision right now based on only all the things he knew at the moment.

Daneel gave himself a brief moment and went through the other steps of his plan. They were very important, too, and he didn't want them to be disturbed in any way.

And that… Was when something occurred to him.

As he sent a message to Rayen, the Hero asked a question.

"If the two of you thought of so much, then it must also have been obvious that you'll be thrown into prison after this. How does that gel into your plan? How can you infiltrate the Church if you're locked up?"

To this, the skull answered with an eerie smile.

"That… is because the both of us know something about the Church that is not common knowledge. In the Church, power is all about sacrifice. Those who are ready to sacrifice the most for the Church, will be granted the most power, and it has been so ever since the organisation was set up. In fact, it is one of the most core commandments, but it is a hidden one, because followers are supposed to be able to arrive at it on their own. After all, forced sacrifice has no value. I cannot tell you how I know this, but our plan is that because my imprisonment will be a sacrifice, when I'm outside, I will receive a much higher position among the Church, because I will have fully earned it."

As Daneel heard this, he couldn't help but actually… Burst out laughing.

It was, in fact, perfect.

Without any more thoughts, he sent the final message to Rayen, who smiled and declared, "Alright, then. I don't know if what you're saying is real, and I don't care. But either way, you'll have to be imprisoned, so why not just spend that time in a coma, instead? Sweet dreams!"

The last two words were said in an amused tone, and at the same moment, realising what was going to happen, the eye sockets in the skull lit up brightly with shock.

It was too late, though. That massive blade of darkness went through Bartholomew, making him fall to the ground, motionless, which was followed by Rayen moving forward and making a very precise strike from his shoulders to his waist, almost cutting him in half.

This was followed by another strike- this one to the head, and the skull was cracked apart in three different places.

With each injury, though, formations which were very similar to what the Mad Doctor had engraved onto his body to ensure his survival sprang up, which made Daneel understand that this was actually common among Heroes.

To anyone who watched the scene, it would seem as if Bartholomew was dead, but after watching for little while, they would realise that his chest was still slowly moving up and down.

With their job done, Rayen appeared in the small underground cave that Daneel had made for himself.

He had a very satisfied smile on his face, and seeing it, Daneel couldn't help but mirror it.

After that, though, he spoke with seriousness.

"Great work. But it's time to finish this whole thing, now."

As Rayen heard this, he nodded, and both of them disappeared.

…

The next day, Ashahell was calmly meditating in his prison as always.

However, suddenly, two Heroes barged into his room and cast a spell that made him feel as if his entire body were being crushed from all sides.

"You are to face the High Council for the crime of secretly escaping your imprisonment and almost killing the Hero named as Bartholomew on behalf of the Church which had contracted him."

As shock raced through Ashahell's mind, at the same moment, five Heroes had gathered in front of a certain villa in the Sect of Hedon.

"Inside is the infiltrator from the Church who broke out Ashahell and put him back in. That Rayen should really be commended for interrupting the fight where the objective was to clearly kill Bartholomew so that the Church's secrets might be conserved. Hehe, that should warn all the others who might want to go to the Church. Help them, and they'll kill you to cover their tracks! Either way, prepare well to take this guy down. I can't believe he managed to sneak in under our noses! If it hadn't been for Bartholomew spitting out his identity out of spite to Rayen before he went into a coma, we would never have known! Let's take him alive!"

Chapter 730: Capturing the Infiltrator

As Daneel calmly watched the Heroes invisibly congregate around the house in which the infiltrator was resting as if everything was under his control, he couldn't help but smile proudly, because even though there had been some hiccups, everything had worked out quite well.

Because he was idly waiting for the action to begin, he listed all of the 'birds' that he had hit with his plan that could be said to be a single stone.

First, he had failed the test of the Church, removing their focus on him, and allowing himself more time to grow in power so that he could become someone they had to reckon with.

Second, the Mad Doctor was dead, and the revenge that had long been coming was finally fulfilled.

Third, he had taken his revenge against Bartholomew who had plotted against him, and even if he had been doing it on the orders of the Head, he had to be blamed for Daneel having to go through so much. He was severely injured, and although the healers who had been contacted by Rayen had said that there was a slim chance that he could die, he wasn't a Champion like the Mad Doctor who had received a similar extent of injuries. A full recovery was expected to be most probable, and after that, he would be tried in front of the High Council for treason.

Fourth… Was related to what one of the Heroes had just talked about. He wouldn't have been able to hear them if they hadn't talked aloud on purpose, in order to warn all those in the sect, and spread the information regarding what had happened. They had already isolated the Villa, so even though they did this, there was no chance that the one inside it could have any indication that he would soon face the wrath of Angaria.

True enough, as soon as his words echoed in the area, loud gossip began to be heard from all the people who had gathered around the Villa because of a secret announcement that had been made that if anyone wanted to see something interesting, they should come here.

People who were idle had chosen to come, and they didn't know that they were in for a treat.

All of this was planned in quick succession by the Head, whose reaction Daneel hadn't been able to see after he had been released from the formation. He knew that it must have been pretty fiery, because he had gathered from Rayeb that quite a few people had had to limp out of the vault because they had become the unfortunate targets of his anger.

This was either fake or real, but either way, his intelligence had once again been displayed by the steps that he had taken. Daneel had only laid everything in place, and his intention with the fourth 'bird' had mainly been that anyone who even thought of allying with the Church would hesitate and think twice, after remembering that those who did so might be targeted and killed just like Bartholomew had almost been.

To join any organisation, trust was most important, and his idea had been to target this so that all efforts of recruitment by the Church would be met with much more difficulty from now on. From Heroes to even Humans, he wanted everyone to shake in their boots, and decide that it was better to stay with their home continent and hope for the best, instead of going over to meet certain death.

Even though this might eventually be overcome, for the moment, it would definitely stop a lot of active attempts which were definitely underway in the shadows, and it had all been beautifully achieved by Daneel's instructions to Rayen to give that fake account of what had happened during the fight.

They had even gone to great lengths to simulate a battle between an empowered Peak Champion like Ashahell and the Hero who had been weakened by some manner, which could be attributed to the mysterious methods of the church, and of course, this had only been possible because Daneel had witnessed that fight before between Ashahell and the Mad Doctor.

It seemed as if he had slowly collected all the parts to be able to implement this plan, and to anyone who was looking at it from the outside, it would seem pretty damn fool proof.

And of course, the fifth 'bird'… Was to target this damn infiltrator who had done everything and was calmly resting as if he was the master puppeteer.

Just this thought itself made Daneel want to laugh, but he controlled that and waited for the battle that would soon take place.

He could just imagine it. It was like a spider which had spun a small web around it to trap its prey, but what it didn't know was that it was already trapped within an even larger one that it couldn't even see. In its limited vision, it would seem as if it was the apex predator, whereas in reality, it was the prey.

Just as Daneel thought, inside the Villa, the man was calmly talking to the two maids who already had expressions of extreme devotion on their faces.

Ever since he had given them the books, they had been reading them non-stop mainly due to the almost addictive sensation that this gave, and this was another idea that had been implemented by the new bishop who was also the one behind that incredible substance that he and the other individual from the Church had almost fought over after he arrived here.

It was a recent modification, but it was doing wonders, and it had been displayed once again because the two maids were now thoroughly convinced that the continent of Angaria was too far gone, and that a purge was the only thing that could save it and put it back on track.

As for his thoughts on the mission, although it was slightly unsatisfactory that the King hadn't died, his story was pretty much closed.

The Divine Cockroach was a Godbeast that was also present on the Mainland, and because Bloodlines were so much more common there, all those with this trash bloodline were labelled as garbage who couldn't even train too far as Mages because this bloodline sapped their potential away.

It was a curious interaction, and it was almost as if it was to counter the extreme durability of the Divine Cockroach. After all, one who could not be harmed and killed by even those a few levels above them, and one who was also capable of beating down those people would be a bit too overpowered, so balance was achieved in this way.

However, what use was it to just defend, and never even strive to strike back? On the Mainland, those with the Divine Cockroach Bloodline were not even considered as threats, and the method to deal with them was simply to lock them up using specialized cages, almost as if they were just animals, and deprive them of all Energy and food so that they would just starve to death. Even the occupations that they could pursue only included those of simple guards and punching bags for training, and except for a select few who broke the rules that controlled them, all others were almost considered to be worthless, especially to a powerful organization like the Church.

After the invasion, the King would also simply be subjected to this, and the man looked forward to that sight. In fact, he had already decided that he would definitely take a bunch of the King's strongest supporters, along with his subordinates, and make them watch forcefully as the man they believed in so much screamed with hunger and died a slow, agonizing death, so that he could break them completely and either kill them or turn them to the Church. It was said that in these cages, when hunger was driven to the extreme, it was possible that those trapped would even begin eating parts of their own bodies, and there was definitely no better way to completely erase all respect for anyone than to show them that image.

The main reason behind him infiltrating the Sect of Hedon had been to enable this test, and now that it was done, he prepared to exit as it wasn't too safe, and because it wasn't really necessary for him to tax himself so by having a considerable part of his consciousness separated so that he could control this body discreetly. Also, things might be pretty heated for a while, so it was best to just evacuate.

He would soon leave after erasing all of the traces of his stay here, and just out of habit, he checked on all the important places in the sect, and the exterior of his villa.

Everything looked normal. Well, at least as normal as it could be, after the revelation that one of the Heroes had somehow bypassed the oath and allied with the Church to allow the Mad Doctor to attack the King of Lanthanor.

There were a few Heroes in the headquarters, scurrying around as if looking for proof, and as for outside the villa, there were a few people normally passing.

Yet, suddenly feeling a prick in his mind which was always a sign that something was wrong, the man looked closer.

He had actually placed multiple formations to ensure his own safety, but he hadn't activated them all as they would stand out if a Hero was looking.

It was fine if they were used occasionally and briefly, so he proceeded to do that. Activating the formation that would measure the minute gravity variations in the area to count how many people were standing on the ground, he switched it off instantly, while his eyes had widened with shock.

What he was seeing was fake! There were actually at least 100 people outside!

And if that was fake, then….

BOOM!

At the same moment as this realisation struck him, a loud sound accompanied by various shouts of anger reached his ears, as he saw the entire villa crumble around him along with all the barriers he had placed.

He hadn't been able to use barriers that were too strong, because they would stand out like a sore thumb and attract the attention of the Heroes, and his main method to stay discrete was to keep his identity a secret. He had gone to great pains to make sure that each and everyone who knew of him had been accounted for, but clearly… He hadn't been thorough enough.

Not even a fraction of a second later, a yellow coloured dome formed around him, and the two maids were separated and flown away to a different location.

There were four Heroes in front of him, and they were the ones who had done this. They had clearly been setting this up for a long time and had taken great pains to make sure that he wouldn't see anything, as they seemed to have expended a lot of resources both to ensure that they would be able to break the barriers instantly, and that he would have no option but to stay where he was, defenceless.

It wasn't even like he could put up that much of a defence, because he was simply in the body of a Warrior level mage. Even if he could cast a Hero level spell by forcefully pushing the Mageroot of the one he was inhabiting, there was no way that that would have made any difference, and even though the Heroes seemed to know this, they looked like they had just wanted to be safe.

How… The hell had this even happened?

Hadn't everything been under his control? Hadn't he just been laughing to himself the other day that he was a master manipulator who had taken care of everything, and would simply just sit back and watch as the mayhem unfolded? Where had he gone wrong?

The only slightly loose end was Percy, but he had checked on him, too. After all, he was back in the sect, and he had been able to continuously monitor him and make sure that he wouldn't speak about his identity to anyone.

Well, whatever the reason was, he could find it out slowly, as the priority right now was to forcefully detonate his consciousness to make sure that it wouldn't land in the hands of these savages who might torture it endlessly to gain some information.

Right as he was about to do so, though, one of the four Heroes stepped forward, and he instantly felt himself losing control of his own consciousness as it was being lulled to sleep.

"The… The bloodline of the Resplendent Nightingale! But how?! Almost all of your Bloodlines are supposed to be lost!"

As soon as he asked this question, the Head, himself, appeared in front of him out of nowhere.

His face was livid, and his usually refined demeanour was gone.

With a smile that was almost like a snarl of anger, he spit out, "There is much you think you know about us which is false. Sleep well. The next time we meet, it will be in the torture chamber. You really thought you could fool us all if you made Ashahell escape and then calmly put him back as if nothing had ever happened? You were wrong. Your man didn't do his job perfectly, and that's why you are in our grasp."

Seeing the expression of the man from the Church who looked like a thunderbolt had hit him suddenly, everyone thought that it was because of the revelation that this was how he had been captured.

Yet… If they knew of the question that was repeatedly running through his mind, they would definitely have been very surprised.

Indeed, completely unable to understand what in the blazes was going on, the man from the Church was frantically asking the same question over and over again, even though there seemed to be no answer in sight.

"'Making Ashahell escape'? 'Job'? 'Putting him back'? What the f*ck are you all even talking about?"

Alas, before he could satiate his burning curiosity, he was forcefully put to sleep by the silent song that was playing which could only be heard by him, but even after he fell asleep, the expression of agitated confusion remained, as if it had become permanently fixed on his face.

Chapter 731: Limitations

After the Heroes entered one of the most complex barriers that Daneel had ever seen, he couldn't see what was happening inside anymore, but from the way the Head had a smile on his face after he became visible a few seconds later, Daneel could tell that everything had gone well.

He had been hoping that he could catch a glimpse of the fight as everything so far had had the intention of causing awe in the spectators, but it was clear that the Head had made the decision that that might be too much of a risk. If something untoward happened inside and if it was viewed by those watching, it might cause the opposite effect instead, and that would be disastrous, just like it had almost been the case during the Legacy Battle of the Fortress of Unyielding Might.

After the statement by the Hero, they had all entered inside, and that formation had been activated so that nothing inside was visible. Daneel knew that a very advanced illusion formation had been placed early on both around the Villa and around the sect headquarters to give a fake image regarding what was going on so that the infiltrator would not be spooked, and he had to admire the carefulness of the Head who had planned everything out quite meticulously. Rayen had said that he was known for being pedantic, and that was showing here.

As everyone saw the ruins of the Villa, they couldn't help but take a few steps back in alarm, but on seeing the Head who was calmly floating in the air, they stopped and waited to see what he would say.

Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth and spoke in a confident voice that resonated throughout the area.

"Today, as many of you will find out, a traitor of the continent has been exposed. He was charged by the Church to allow for the Mad Doctor to attack the King of Lanthanor even though strict rules have been set down that rulers in the Central Continent must not be targeted by any of the Big Four. This traitor, along with a few others who followed him only because they were under the impression that he was simply acting to take out a grudge on the King, made it so that me, and all the other Heroes who could have intervened, were distracted and unaware. Imagine if the same thing had happened to the entire sect. What if this sect, itself, was attacked, and all the Heroes who could have come to help were stopped? All of you would have been wiped out, and it would have been too late to lament afterward. To cover their tracks, this infiltrator broke out Ashahell, who is a known associate of the Church, and charged him to go kill that Hero with the help of a few special objects that only the Church possesses. If this is not a clear indication that allying with the Church is a bad idea, then I don't know what is. Just think. They might promise safety, power and a long life, but all you will really be getting is a swift death. Bartholomew, the Hero who engineered all this, is currently in a very serious state where him recovering is uncertain. It is only because he had a special constitution and because his path is one which focuses on the power of his body that he was able to withstand the attacks of Ashahell, and was able to tell us the whereabouts of this infiltrator as revenge. If it was any of you, or even any of the many other Heroes of the continent, they would have died. After this, Ashahell was simply put back in his cell, and we were all led to believe that he had never left in the first place. Thankfully, this time, fortune was on our side, and Rayen, better known as the King of Darkness, was able to thwart all their plans by passing on this information. He would have been commended if he hadn't had a part in this entire thing out of his grudge that was born out of losing his son, but either way, his loyalty for the continent came forth at the right time, and he should be an example for you all. No matter what your inner thoughts are, when it is time to defend your home, they should all be put aside and duty should be the only thing on your mind. Now, disperse, and spread the word. From now on, we will be implementing even stricter formations in each and every sect so that instances like these will not be repeated, and if even a little bit of proof is found that one still wishes to ally with the Church, they will directly be thrown into a torture cell and subsequently be killed in full view of the inhabitants of all of the Big Four."

This long speech of the Head which ended with the chilling statement made fear creep into most of those who were watching, mainly because those last words had been infused with a little bit of his Path. Warriors couldn't even detect it, and all Champions were able to find out was that there was something…convincing about what he said.

The truth was that these words were designed so that they would stay in the minds of all those who listened to them for a long, long time, and they would definitely be spread endlessly.

Daneel, who was also watching, felt like clapping, because he couldn't have done it better.

With this move, everyone would be afraid.

After the Head disappeared, he shook his head as there was one thing which he had made more difficult for himself, though.

He knew that the means the infiltrator had used to enter the sect must be very similar to what he was using every time he came inside, so if formations were laid down to target those, then he would also find it difficult to enter and leave the Sects of the Big Four as he pleased, like he was doing right now.

Well, he couldn't get everything. And besides, he still had a chance to go to the remaining two sects, even if his value might have dropped a few notches after the 'revelation' that he had the Bloodline of the Divine Cockroach.

Of course, both in the eyes of the Head and everyone else who was watching, he was still slowly healing himself inside that shell which was now placed in his quarters, and because the injuries had been so severe, it made sense that he needed so long.

After all, it was a Bloodline, and the power that could be used by a Bloodline possessor was nowhere near that which was present in a true Godbeast. Daneel had, of course, channeled the powers of the latter, and that was how he had been able to recover enough to go kill the Mad Doctor.

With this, this episode had mostly come to an end, and even though there were a few loose ends to tie up, such as talking to the Head and trying to find out just what his true inclination was, Daneel at least had a little bit of breathing time.

Right now, everyone was on high alert, so it would be dumb to do anything high profile, so he decided to take a rest, as this entire thing had been quite tiring.

Before he left Lanthanor, though, he made a quick trip to Percy's quarters, where he left behind a display trinket with a recording that would be erased after it was watched once.

It had a parchment with the words "A gift from your master" on it, and there were also instructions regarding how he could come outside and contact Daneel after he watched it.

For safety, Daneel also added a communication eye to this trinket to make sure that Percy would be the one who would watch it, and he had inlaid a formation which would result in the video being erased if that wasn't the case. Even if it was, it would record everything, and even though Daneel wouldn't be present when Percy saw the most hated man in his life killed, he would later be able to see the reaction of his disciple.

With this done, Daneel traveled back to his quarters, where that empty shell lay on his bed.

Outside, Eloise and Kellor were pacing to and fro with extremely worried expression on their faces.

However, if anyone could hear the messages they were sending to each other using communication trinkets, they would definitely have been pretty damn confused.

"My face hurts from grimacing so much."

"Really? The stoic Grand Court Mage is saying that? I'm usually smiling! My face hurts more!"

"Hmm, well, my master always used to say that a stoic face commands more respect. Anyway, what did you have for breakfast? One of the things I still don't understand about the King is how he is capable of eating meats like fish raw even though they are wrapped up in other things. I don't know where he got the idea, but it tastes disgusting! He tried to make me like it, but because he's the King, I had to force it down and commit soon after he left. Since then, I've been avoiding His Majesty during mealtimes…"

"Bleurgh! Kellor, you'll make me puke! We're supposed to be worried! People don't puke from worry! Anyway, I guess I'll start doing that, too…"

Yes, it was all an act, but it had to be set up, as it was possible that the Head could be watching. As for Daneel, he had already made himself perfectly invisible using Hero level methods, so there was no chance that anyone could know that he was present, and not injured at all.

Unaware of the criticism that was ongoing outside the door, the King of Lanthanor took a deep breath and asked the system to finally list the limitations of his Mage Champion Path.

[Listing limitations of Dual-Ability World Domination Champion Path.

First ability-Dominate the World: The World resonates with the possessor of this Path in the presence of those with aligned wills to directly find the counter-abilities of an opponent. World also directly casts the counter-ability. In absence of aligned wills, the latter does not happen. Only information regarding counter-ability is given to host, with indications that can be used by system to create counter spell.

Limitations:

1. Resonance cannot be maintained for a long time, as it is extremely stressing on the host. At present, the safe time limit is 30 seconds. This limit will increase with increase in Mage level of host.

2. Requires considerable presence of allies for full effects to be shown.

3. If opponent is already aware of counter-abilities and has countermeasures to oppose them, it will be up to the host to adapt to the situation and best use the World.

Second ability-"Fight in my name, and the World shall be yours": Allows host to empower those with aligned wills through the World. Targets directly have their abilities amplified, and information regarding counter-abilities is sent to them. Counter-abilities must be deployed by the targets, themselves. Factor of amplification depends on availability of followers. Host can also receive data from empowered allies such as vision, etc.

Limitations:

1. If counter-ability is too complex, target ally might be unable to make use of it.

2. If too few followers are present, amplification is low.

3. Both abilities cannot be used at the same time, so there is a chance of host being vulnerable when this ability is deployed.

4. There is a limit to the number of allies that can be empowered. Present limit: 10. Limit will increase with increase in host's mage level.

Common Limitation: Since ability is based on aligned wills, system has detected that there is a possibility that different levels and types of such wills might be able to be leveraged for different purposes. Host is advised to constantly use the technique and experiment to collect data that can be used for analysis. At present, only presence of aligned will is being used.]

As Daneel went through the list while remarking that the limitation in the second ability was why he hadn't been able to look inside that formation before in the Sect and see exactly what had happened, a smile automatically came on his face, as the Path had actually exceeded his expectations, and he was very happy with it.

True, it wasn't all-powerful, but it was still…pretty damn badass.

As a newly-broken through Champion, he had been able to kill an Exalted one.

Could anyone else on this continent ever boast of such a feat?

Just as Daneel was about to ask the system to repeat that last part, though, because it had sounded interesting.

Yet, suddenly, both he and the two pacing outside were interrupted by the sound of someone…knocking.

Indeed, it somehow reverberated so strongly that it could even be heard inside, and as Daneel looked to the gates, he found the source.

3 young men and 2 young ladies stood there, wearing exquisite clothes, and after the knock, the one at their lead who wore the skin of a tiger on his back declared, "We have come to meet the King."

Chapter 732: The Case of the Murdered Seed 1

A few seconds later, Daneel was curiously observing the room in which the five who had broken into the Alliance were seated.

The entire interaction between Kellor, who had gone to the gates, and these five who looked like they were used to having the world under their feet was surprisingly much different than Daneel had expected.

Right away, he had been able to understand that these five were probably from the Big Four, both from their apparent power, which was at least at the Peak Warrior level, and their clothes each of which were enchanted with very high-level formations that would defend them if needed.

He had to think for a bit to understand who they might be, but after he managed to recall something which indicated their identity, he immediately began to get ready for a confrontation.

Yet, after Kellor told them that the King was still recovering, they simply asked, with neither humility nor arrogance, to be seated inside the Palace so that they could wait until he woke up.

Both Daneel and Keller had been taken aback at this, and Daneel had commanded Kellor to do as they asked.

Right now, they were seated in a small meeting room, and the five of them had just been served glasses of wine which they had tasted right before grimacing at the taste as one.

After that, they simply began to close their eyes and start to meditate, almost as if they didn't care that they had just broken through all of the defensive formations of both the Alliance and Lanthanor to arrive at the gates just like people who were coming with the intention to finish the job the Mad Doctor had started.

Knowing what he did about them, Daneel had expected that might be the case, but he was no longer sure now after seeing their actions. After all, no one would politely ask to wait if they found that the one they wanted to kill was sleeping.

Only the leader- the one with the tiger skin on his back had not started meditating, and he was currently looking around as if he was fascinated by the entire place.

On Daneel's orders, it was to him that Kellor posed the question.

"May I ask who all of you are, and why you are here? As soon as the King wakes up, I'll be able to tell him this so that he can receive you right away."

Hearing the question, the man actually took a few moments to answer, because it looked like he was thinking about something.

Finally, though, he shrugged and said, "I guess it's fine if I tell you. The five of us are some of the seeds of the Big Four, and we have been raised with the best of resources and techniques to take over as the Heroes of Angaria when the time comes. Of course, this will not happen before the invasion by the Church, so right now, our duty is to grow as powerful as possible so that we can make a difference in the eventual battle. As for why we are here, originally, we were tasked by the Hero Bartholomew to come take out our grudges on the King. You see, all of us were united in the fact that we despise the Central Continent, and we were all vehemently against him directly inheriting a sect just because he won a stupid Legacy Battle. In fact, I am from the Fortress of Unyielding Might, and if I had been allowed to take part, I would have won, too, but I was banned from doing so. Anyway, that is the official story, and although it is false, that is the only one I can tell you until the King wakes up. You can rest assured that all of us are not a threat to him anymore, because the Head has perfectly ensured that no one else will ever dare to target anyone in the Central Continent. Some who dared to speak up are still wincing from the wounds on their bodies as we speak. Right now, we are here for a different purpose, but again, I can only speak of it to the King."

This extremely weird explanation threw both Daneel and Kellor off, and even Kellor could only continue to stare at the man who finally also started to meditate after he had studied the room enough.

Kellor asked Daneel what he should do, but the King of Lanthanor himself was pretty clueless.

Just like he had thought, these were the seeds that Bartholomew had apparently mentioned who would be given the task to act as backups in case anything went wrong with the Mad Doctor.

Daneel had thought that there must be a problem with that plan, though, because if it had been implemented well, they would have arrived on the scene right after the Mad Doctor left to target the shell that he was supposed to be in.

Yet, they hadn't done so, so Daneel had assumed that they had either changed their mind or might have had some other reason to not do what they were going to, but seeing them here now, he was extremely puzzled.

As for the part about them hating him, it was obvious, and from the beginning, he had expected that the seeds would be like the arrogant Young Masters in many of the books he had read back on Earth.

It had to be expected, though, because these were individuals who had grown up with silver spoons in their mouth, being told that they were the pride of the continent and that no one else in the younger generation would ever be able to even dream of reaching them.

Yet, there he was, repeatedly doing feats that were both earning him the praise of millions of people around the continent and even the attention of the Head, himself, which must definitely be something very valuable and sought after in the Big Four.

Moreover, he had won the Legacy Battle, and if anyone heard that the entire sect was commanded to bow to him, they would definitely feel pretty damn jealous, and out of anger and the arrogance that was always born from pride, they would definitely want to attack him.

All of this made them the perfect group for Bartholomew to exploit, and he had done so, but something had happened that had stopped them.

Daneel was really curious to find out just what it was, but there was no way that he could randomly break out of his shell just because he wanted to satiate his curiosity.

Besides… The moment these five had appeared, he had felt a very powerful detection mechanism lay its eye on Lanthanor, which made it clear that the Head was aware that these people were here.

The man had been constantly checking on Daneel, and that was partly the reason behind those acts by Kellor and Eloise, but again, what was even more puzzling was why he had not come to interfere with these five.

The only reasonable explanation was that he knew why they were here, and he condoned their actions.

Whatever the case, to find the answers, Daneel had to first wake up, and he considered speeding up his recovery, but he decided against doing so because he didn't want to spoil the careful idea he had built up about himself that he was only a Bloodline possessor of the Bloodline of the Divine Cockroach.

If it sped up, new questions would begin to be raised, and it simply wasn't worth it.

Kellor was placed on guest duty, and for two days, he constantly went to the room with the intent to find something out about them.

Yet, all he was met with was five figures who looked as if they had turned to stone, and even when he went to ask whether they needed any refreshments, all he received was silence.

This was a bit rude, but Daneel finally told the Grand Court Mage of Lanthanor to simply leave them alone.

Their patience, though, had to be commended, because they didn't even ask once regarding how long it would take for the king to wake up.

Finally, on the third day, deciding that the time was ripe and that it fit with the records in the Big Four pertaining to the power of regeneration that a Bloodline possessor should hold, Daneel broke out of the shell.

He had teleported inside it, and with a cracking sound that attracted the attention of Eloise who was right outside, the king appeared in the world for the first time since the battle, officially, and as soon as he took in a few deep breaths and looked down at his body with shock as he was supposed to be equally surprised as everyone else that he had the Bloodline, he was engulfed in a hug by Eloise, who began to cry onto his shoulders.

Initially, he thought that she was playing out her role of being extremely worried for the king, but soon, he realized that it was real.

Feeling warm inside and realizing that these were probably the leftover emotions from seeing him tortured in that way and almost killed, Daneel hugged her back, and patted her for a few minutes until she finally calmed down and blushed a bit before turning to the side.

She was saved by Keller coughing nearby, who congratulated Daneel on his recovery, and told him about the guests who were waiting.

Everything was being watched, and although Daneel had the option to activate the hidden Hero level formations and make a false image be shown, just like the Head had done with the infiltrator in order to not spook him, he decided against doing so, just in case advanced methods that even he didn't know about were being used.

His clothes were still the rags that were left after the Mad Doctor had tortured him gleefully, so he nodded in response, and went to take a bath a long, long time. It was as if he was using this time to come to terms with what had happened, and finally, after that, he seemed to be more or less back to his usual self as he wore some royal robes and went to the room where the five were waiting.

As soon as he entered, all five broke out of the meditation, and Daneel couldn't help but feel a slight chill in his back as five predatory gazes fell on him.

He looked like he felt slight panic even though the truth was that he didn't care about these five, no matter how powerful they were, and as he sat down, once again, the man with the tiger skin on his back spoke up before he could ask any questions.

"Congratulations on your recovery and your break through, King of Lanthanor. As seeds, we know of Bloodlines well, and although the Divine Cockroach bloodline has its limitations, it is quite a powerful one, and when trained well, it will place you on the top of the continent, especially if you persevere and keep improving in your mage path even if the going is tough. You must surely have heard of the official account that I've given. Let me be frank, and precise. Most of that… Is fake. The part about us being asked to come attack you was real, but the truth is that I, as a disciple of the Chief of the Fortress, have already pledged my allegiance to you, the Legacy Disciple. I was only acting when I showed my vehemence. My plan was to stop all of the others who were given the task even if it killed me, but it did not need to come to that, because in those few minutes during which the Head was not present to look over the continent, one of us died. Yes, there were six before, and now, only five sit before you. The death of a seed is a very serious thing, but the fact is that there are very few clues regarding what has happened, and only someone with expertise in this area can assess them to find the culprit. Foremost in this is Luther, your commander, and because we know that he is still your subordinate, we have come to ask your permission to take him with us. I insisted on doing this, because it is different now that he has broken through to become a Warrior. As a human, he was already taken before, and his memories were forcefully wiped. Of course, this was before you became King, but I thought that you should know about it. I give you my word that he will come to no harm, and as your junior disciple, I ask you to trust me with this matter."

Chapter 733: The Case of the Murdered Seed 2

Daneel had thought of at least 10 different reasons regarding why these five must be here, and why they had been waiting so patiently for him to wake up.

Yet… The one that had been stated did not resemble any of those 10, and he had to admit that he was pretty flabbergasted.

It was the same with Kellor beside him, whose eyebrows were raised as he looked at the man with the tiger skin while wondering if he was joking, but the dead serious expression on his rugged face made it clear that this was definitely not the case.

This entire thing was so unexpected and out of the blue that he had to take a few moments to recover from the surprise, but after that, just to confirm, Daneel contacted Luther.

"Luther, do you have experience dealing with cases where murders have happened, and where the culprit is not clear?"

The answer came in a nonchalant tone, although it seemed that his ex-commander did not understand why Daneel was asking that question right now, and that too right after he had seemingly 'awakened' from his recovery.

"Yes, Your Majesty. In fact, I am a leading authority in this in the Central Continent, and people used to come from all over Angaria to consult me in some cases. Of course, I was the Commander, too, so I would only give them inferences based on my experience, and usually, the matters would resolve themselves. On a few occasions, I have set out if my presence was needed, and I can proudly say that I've had more successes than failures. Many more, in fact. After all, the skills for being a spymaster and those needed for bringing an experienced eye which can spot things that others would miss actually overlap quite a bit. May I ask why you ask, My King?"

Daneel left Luther hanging, because it was now clear that these five weren't pulling his leg.

As for him being abducted before and then having his memories erased, it was definitely plausible, because a Human was pretty damn vulnerable to things like these. Even though the consciousness was sacred and would need permission to be impeded upon, someone skilled in Mind Control would be able to forcefully erase any memories they wished no matter what resistance was put up.

As for the entire thing about them going to attack Daneel, he believed that part, too, because it sat well with everything he knew.

The unbelievable thing was that this guy, who was built like a tank, had been about to stop them all at the risk of his own life because he had 'sworn allegiance to him'.

Just this concept of someone from the Big Four swearing allegiance to him without being forced to astonished Daneel endlessly, and he simply could not bring himself to believe it.

At the same moment, though, interrupting the silence that had appeared in the room after the extraordinary statement of the man, the Head appeared, and as he turned to Daneel, there seemed to be a slightly… guilty expression on his face.

It was only present for the briefest of moments, though, and after that, it was replaced by a smile.

Looking him over, the Head finally opened his mouth and said, "A full recovery. I must admit that even I'm pretty surprised to see that the regenerative power of the Divine Cockroach is so strong. Even a Champion would have needed weeks or even months to recover from those wounds, but you look like you're ready to go back into battle! King, I won't beat around the bush. I blame myself for what has happened, and if it weren't for my hope which had been ignited by Bartholomew's words… Nevermind. Whatever the facts are, I can only assure you now that something similar will never repeat, and that even the High Council itself regrets what has happened. They also value you a bit more, now, because all Bloodline possessors in this age are precious. Hell, no one even knows that we know of Bloodlines, as it is a very well kept secre. My offer still stands regarding your entering the Big Four, although I encourage you to take some time on your Mage Path, because it is all the more important now. It is with their Mage Path that those with this Bloodline can shine, and you should focus on breaking through with the best one possible. After you enter, you will still be groomed with the best of resources, and you can choose to enter right after you breakthrough as a Mage. There might be a few who voice concerns regarding your future potential because of your bloodline, but I know just how talented you are in magic. Even if some of that talent is sapped by the Bloodline, I still think there will be plenty left to surprise us all. You can still visit the other sects- I have informed them, and they await your arrival."

After speaking until here, the Head, who was floating in the air, gestured at the five youngsters and continued.

"Anyway, about these five. Matthew, here, is actually someone who is related to someone you know. Do you remember Marcus, the one who saved you when you were attacked by Heroes? Matthew is his elder son, and his younger brother was the one who was severely injured in those events that occurred during the Olympics that you set up. He is still recovering as he was weak at that time, and I had to forcefully stop Matthew here from going to the shore looking for the Church to take revenge for his brother. And after the episode with his father, he wanted to go kill those Heroes, too, even though he would have directly died if he had tried. The fact of the matter is that him swearing allegiance to you is real, and the Chief has also asked me to tell you that he is trustworthy. As for the entire matter regarding the murder… It is also real, and the investigative team from the Big Four has met a dead-end. That is to be expected, though, because none of them really have that much talent in investigation, and often, we bring in outside help. The circumstances are different now with the first person we would always approach, so I sent these 5 to ask. The decision is yours. If you choose not to have your man associated with this, we'll go with the second-best option, but I can only say that he won't find his time wasted. We are willing to pay with Ker gems for his services."

The Head was a man who often gave long monologues, and this one was longer than most.

Yet, most of it was filled with ardent emotions, especially in the first part, when he was apologizing to Daneel.

And if Daneel hadn't heard from Bartholomew, he might even have been inclined to believe him, and feel happy that he cared for him.

Now, though… He knew that that guilt might well be one that was born because in a way, the plan had become reality because of him, and if Daneel hadn't broken through, he would have died, and the blame would have been on the Head who would have been the one who allowed it to happen.

The conclusion regarding this could not be made at this time, though, so Daneel focused on the matter at hand.

And that… was when he got an idea.

"I have spoken to Luther. I'm prepared to give permission. But in return… we don't want Ker gems. My ex-commander is a Warrior, now, and I wish for him to be able to choose a weapon in the Treasury of any of the Big Four. This is the only way. Take it or leave it. And also, to ensure his safety, I will be accompanying him."

As soon as he said these words, the temperature in the room started to rise, as three of the five began to glare at him while looking as if they wanted to cut Daneel to pieces right where he stood.

That was when Daneel was reminded that these were people who were originally going to kill him, so this was to be expected.

The last of the four other than the leader, though, laughed out loud, and then simply continued to watch.

He was the one sitting beside the one with the tiger skin, and from the beginning, it had looked as if he was very amused by something.

"Humph."

A single sound by the Head was enough to make all three of those who had gotten hostile sit back with slight expressions of pain on their faces, almost as if they had been spanked like naughty children.

Because Daneel had been quick enough to activate the Basilisk's Breath to see what had happened, he knew that they had all actually been… slapped.

It had been done because of the infusion of the Head's path into the World, and as their cheeks started to turn red, he spoke in an angry voice.

"Don't think that all of you are exempt from punishment just because you eventually did not go out to attack. You will be receiving it, but after this thing has been resolved."

He continued after turning to Daneel.

"I accept. In fact, I will give access to all of our Treasuries, and you can choose whatever weapon you wish, if this entire thing reaches a satisfactory conclusion with the help of your commander. Is that all right?"

Daneel inwardly smiled as he heard the Head's words, because he had been hoping that the man would say this. He was obviously feeling guilty, and Daneel didn't feel bad at all for using that guilt. It was because of it that he had promised more than what Daneel had asked, and the King of Lanthanor was ready to take it happily.

As for his goal behind this… It was simple – he wanted to see just what weapons were present in these Treasuries from which he could potentially extract consciousnesses that he could use to shapeshift into more Godbeasts.

For him, consciousnesses were almost like weapons now, and the more he had, the more powerful he would become.

He was eager to collect as many as possible, and aside from the Treasury from which he could only obtain one weapon, these Treasuries of the Big Four were his main source.

And as for the entire thing about him giving permission… The truth was that he was actually pretty damn interested in this, and he had always been a huge fan of detective novels back on Earth.

He had been looking for something to do to calm down from the entire ordeal of his breakthrough, and this seemed perfect. Besides, it would also reward him with something very important, so he was eager to get right down to it.

"That's good. We can set off right away, if you wish."

With a nod, the Head once again turned to the five and said, "Matthew, you are in charge. I'll be keeping an eye on the proceedings, so be warned. I expect full cooperation, and if any of you is found hiding information or being evasive, they will directly be labeled guilty. Understood?"

After all of the five gradually nodded, the Head turned around and nodded to Daneel before leaving.

Daneel, meanwhile, had been sending information the Luther, who had actually needed a little bit of time to come to terms with the fact that he had been abducted, and then had his memories changed to seem as if nothing of the sort had happened.

After hearing that part, there had been silence, but after that… Luther actually chuckled.

"I was weak, so I have no one else to blame but me, My King. I'll be in Lanthanor in a few seconds."

Daneel couldn't help but admire his sovereign even more when he heard this, as others would have gotten baselessly angry. Instead, Luther had recognized right away that it wouldn't have happened if he were stronger, and he seemed to have reinforced his own ideal to grow strong enough that he would never be taken advantage of like that, ever again.

A minute later, Daneel reached an obscure location in the north-east of the Black Raven Kingdom, where there was an unassuming mountain that looked like it had once been a volcano.

Luther would arrive in a few seconds, but already, Daneel had spotted a few circled footsteps on the ground, seeing which he was directly reminded of crime scenes back on Earth.

For a moment, he felt a strange impetus to conjure a long coat and a top hat along with a smoking pipe, but smiling and resisting it, he walked forward, eager to plunge himself into whatever awated him.

Chapter 734: The Case of the Murdered Seed 3

By the time Luther arrived at the scene and was ushered into an illusion formation that was in place to make it look as if there was no one else but him at the location, the King of Lanthanor had his nose to the ground, while his eyes were filled with intense focus as he examined a few obscure signs that looked as if they had been made by passing animal.

Even the member of the Big Four who had been waiting for him to arrive was puzzled as he saw this, and when Luther walked up to the King and cleared his throat, Daneel sheepishly got up and said, "I thought that it might be some clue that we could use."

"Those are the marks of a beaver, My King. I don't think it has any relation to the case. And… Can I ask why you weren't simply using the zoom spell?"

Coughing lightly, the King replied, "I just thought it might be better to look at it myself. Anyway, let's go to the actual crime scene."

Daneel had to fight hard to not allow the blush to creep into his face, as he had been caught red-handed while acting like one of his most favorite characters.

He had been feeling a little light-hearted as one of the biggest worries on his mind had been solved, so he had decided to try and employ the methods that he had read about back on Earth here in order to see whether they would give any results.

He had felt that it might be…authentic to bend by himself and see rather than simply use a spell to alter his vision, and that was what had led to the embarrassing situation just now.

As he looked at Luther, he saw that the man had changed his usual attire of chain mail over leather armor. He was now wearing simple clothes, almost as if he was just a farmer from a nearby village who had wandered onto the scene.

Seeing the King noticing the way he was dressed, Luther said, "I always find that it is best to be underestimated in order to find information. A lot of people just let things slip because they get the thought that even if they speak freely, the one listening is not capable of doing anything as they looked so simple. Simple clothes and a humble tone works wonders, especially on arrogant folk, and I expect that that will be the type of people we meet most on this case. Am I right, Your Majesty?"

Daneel couldn't help but chuckle and nod, as they walked to approach the hidden entrance in the mountain.

Although he had a very keen interest in this, he decided to let the expert take the lead, and just see where he could help.

Luther seemed calm and composed, almost as if this was an everyday thing for him, but it was clear that there was still some resentment inside him regarding the fact that he had been abducted in that way.

In fact, it had been pretty surprising to hear about it for Daneel, too, because he had been reminded of his own encounter with Ashahell which had almost killed him.

At that time, he was led to believe that the consciousness was something sacred which definitely could not be manipulated without consent, but now, as he thought about it, he realized that many of the things that he had learned about the Big Four might not apply to these hidden reserves that were slowly being exposed to him.

He had never really thought that there was only as much to the Big Four as was visible on the surface, so he was actually quite interested to see just how deep these reserves went. He was already quite impressed by the five who had come to his Kingdom, because according to the system, they all either were training in high-level Paths, or had powerful Bloodlines which could not be assessed yet. Even Drakos had commented that the five had looked quite capable, almost like the top students in the academies that used to exist back in the age of the Empire.

This also made him understand that whatever Luther had been abducted for before might have been pretty damn important, because otherwise, the act of erasing one's memories without their consent would be pretty taxing, and not worth doing for trifling matters.

So, now, he was also curious to find out just what case had needed Luther's expertise before, and he decided to find that out before the entire affair was done.

Daneel had already gotten a small run-down of the facts while he was waiting, but he wanted to go over them again along with Luther.

There was a meandering path that passed through a lush green forest that surrounded the mountain, and soon, they approached the base of the dormant volcano.

Here, two more individuals could be seen, and they actually sneered at Daneel and Luther who were being led by another person who had a neutral expression on his face.

It was obvious that they were part of the investigative team, and that they didn't appreciate having others brought in because they had proven to be ineffective.

Whatever the case, the advantage here was that the Head was closely watching everything because of his guilt, so Daneel could at least relax as he would not be facing any danger on this casual excursion.

His objective was to bring everything to a satisfying conclusion so that he could hopefully obtain a weapon with some powerful consciousnesses inside, and if he did so, he would have a few more Godbeasts that he could transform into when needed.

A few seconds later, the unassuming spot where the ground began to slope up that indicated that they were stepping onto the volcano approached, and as they neared it, it actually...parted, as a hidden formation was triggered by someone on the inside.

They were greeted by a cavelike entrance which looked like a rip on the Earth, and inside, carefully hewn steps of stone could be seen.

Luther maintained his stoic attitude, and the two of them proceeded to climb the steps for around 10 minutes, after which they finally came upon a beautiful place.

It was almost like paradise on earth. It began with the cave ending in a large stone arch which had been carved with various figures of people fighting with fantastical weapons, and right beyond the arch, a marble pathway could be seen which was framed on both sides by the most exquisite garden the Daneel had seen on Angaria yet.

Each and every plant looked like it had been handpicked carefully so that their colors would mesh together to form a beautiful kaleidoscope which anyone would be hardpressed to ignore, and true enough, even Luther had to stop for a moment and admire the incredible landscape that was presented to them.

After that, the beautiful sound of falling water reached their ears, and after they walked onto the pathway and looked up, they saw a waterfall that seemingly originated in the air falling into some spot which they couldn't see yet from where they were standing.

Without saying anything, they proceeded on the path to arrive at a large central area, on one side of which the small lake where the waterfall ended could be seen.

This was an open area, and all around them, the garden spread out like the roots of a humongous tree. The entire place was at least half the size of a football stadium, and up above, sunlight could be seen through a small circular hole which was clearly the top of the volcano.

Indeed, this was a hollow mountain, and it seemed to have been modified to become a sort of resting place for those who were lucky enough to have access to it.

There were benches here and there in this open area, and also praying mats complete with Ker gem formations that individuals could train in.

If Daneel hadn't been sure before, he was now – this was definitely an exclusive location meant for seeds, as no other place would have Ker gem formations laid out so casually.

Here, the five who had been to his kingdom awaited them while talking between themselves.

They seemed to be having some kind of an argument, because the two ladies had especially angry expressions on their faces.

"We know what happened! Why should we care if they don't find any clues to support us?!"

This was the last thing that Daneel and Luther heard from them before they noticed that they had arrived, and stopped the conversation right away.

Just like before, three hostile gazes became fixed on them, and seeing this, Luther couldn't help but say, "I heard that not cooperating will directly brand one as guilty? Oh my, then I hope that I find a lot of resistance, so that I can call it a day and go home early. We're having a feast back in the sect, you know, because training has been going on exceptionally."

These words made the expressions on those three freeze, and they immediately hid away that hostility and put on more normal attitudes.

On seeing this, Matthew laughed and walk forward.

He was a bear of a man, and it was a bearlike laugh, harsh and vigorous.

As soon as he reached them, he took Luther's hand in his and shook it before saying, "I've heard of you. You might not remember, but you were instrumental in a case a few decades back. I'm not allowed to talk about it, though, but I can say that I'm really looking forward to what you will do here."

He then nodded at Daneel, and walked back to his companions.

The others did not look like they were going to come forward to repeat the same polite gesture, but the two of them didn't really care.

All he wanted was to simply get down to business, so Luther directly asked, "Madam, can you give me an account of what happened?"

He said so while looking at one of the two ladies who had been agitated before, and she got a slightly irritated expression on her face before asking, "Why me?"

In response, as Luther simply opened his hands wide and said "Why not?", she glared at him for a moment and then began to recount the facts of the case that they were here to solve.

"At the same time that the Head went into the cogitation formation, six of us had gathered to set out and kill the King if needed, in case the Mad Doctor botched up the job. This is a place that only the seeds of the Big Four can access, and at that time, only we were present. Right while we were watching what was going on in Lanthanor, a man wearing black robes and a black mask suddenly leaped through the top of the volcano and broke through all of the formations that were present to land between us and strike out with a knife that seemed to have been infused with some sort of formation, or poison. Letitia was unlucky enough to be the one in the path of that knife, and because she was only a mage, she could not respond quickly enough. The knife pierced through all of the barriers that protected her, and the moment it struck her skin, she turned to ash, and it did so, too. Right after this, before we could manage to respond in any way, the culprit directly went out in the same way that he came in, and none of us were fast enough to stop him. Only the ashes that you see are left, and the reason you're here is that no one believes us. No one believes that there was even an assassin in the first place. We are being suspected of killing our own friend. It's preposterous. Preposterous! Why would we want to kill Letitia? She was always so kind and brave! She was perfect! She was my best friend! She-"

By the time the woman's statement came to an end, the anger that had been present on her face initially was gone, replaced by extreme sorrow, and when she burst into tears, it was clear that she was covering up all of these emotions with the façade of being angry.

At this moment, both Daneel and Kellor's gazes were attracted to a spot on the ground where a pile of ash could be seen, and right beside it was a plaque which had a few words on it.

"Remains of Letitia, seed from the Eternal Blossom sect. Suspects: Matthew, Dave, Memphis, Scarlet, Jessica."

Chapter 735: The Case of the Murdered Seed 4

By this point, it was clear that these five were being suspected of killing that seed, but the question still remained as to justify why that was so.

The answer to this was given by the guy who had been amused the entire time that Daneel had seen him until now.

"These dumbf*cks from the investigative department automatically branded us as the suspects because there was no one else at the scene, and because even though there are plenty of clues here, inside, to show that we had a small altercation, there are none to prove that there was an assassin in the first place. They clearly don't have the brains to understand that someone can arrive and leave without leaving any trace of themselves…"

His harsh words were obviously directed at both the one who had led Daneel and Kellor here and the two who were standing a little way off while examining something on the ground.

They all ignored him, though, because it looked as if this wasn't the first time that he was saying something like this.

He had short hair that was cut stylishly and combed back, and he was wearing a vest and a purple shirt whose color was so vivid that it popped in anyone's eyes who saw it. As for the rest – the other man who had been hostile before along with the ladies was wearing a grey cloak which covered most of his body, and he had a hook nose and a weak chin which was unsuccessfully covered up by a short beard.

As for the ladies, the one sobbing on the ground had delicate features, with a small nose and full cheeks. She was wearing a white dress, almost as if mourning, and the other lady who had bent down to comfort her was also wearing the same. Unlike the first one, though, this woman looked more mature, and her eyes also had a craftiness to them that would not go unnoticed by anyone who looked at her.

Both of them were pretty, but where the first was like an innocent flower which had still not fully bloomed, the second was more like an orchid which would both strike anyone with its beauty, and also stay behind on their mind due to its uniqueness among the sea of common roses and lotuses that one might usually come across.

Not knowing how to respond to someone crying, Matthew made short introductions, simply pointing at each and calling out their names. The amused man was the one called Memphis, so the other was naturally Dave. The lady who was crying was called Jessica, and the one who was holding her shoulders and comforting her was named Scarlett.

With the main facts of the case established, Daneel looked forward to see what Luther would do. Would he want to get started on interrogations right away to get more information? Would he perhaps try to use this valuable time where Jessica was crying so that he could wring something more out of her than what she had already said?

Contrary to all these expectations, though, Luther simply said, "Let's break for lunch!"

This departed so much from the serious man the Daneel knew that he, too, just like all the others in the area, couldn't help but stare at him as if he was crazy.

Such a serious tale had just been uttered, but he wanted to break for lunch?

As if unaware of all the stares that were directed at him, Luther simply turned around and began to walk back along the path that they had just come in.

Meanwhile, he sent a message to Daneel discreetly.

"Please don't feel puzzled due to my actions, My King. Again, this is the personality that seems to invite confidence the most, as I've seen many times that if you push for answers, the only thing that you receive is resistance. Instead, if you act nonchalantly, almost as if it doesn't matter to you whether the case is solved or not, then I've found that it is much easier for people to let their tongues wag. This is a special case, too, because the objective of these five is obviously to clear their name. Hence, they will mostly be eager to give their versions, anyway, so if I have this attitude, they might put in effort from their side to fill in more details even before I ask. Unsolicited answers are much better than those which are solicited. As for lunch… It is simply the afternoon, so I thought that it is a good excuse. By the way, have you noticed-"

BANG!

Right as Daneel felt something in the atmosphere that made him turn around with alarm, a loud sound was heard from behind, exactly in the direction where Luther had begun walking in.

Because he hadn't understood the reason behind his sovereign'ss actions, Daneel had stayed where he was, so he was not near enough to be of any help.

By the time he turned, all he saw was Luther being flung back, bloody, while the tell-tale grey-colored smoke of an explosive formation could be seen from where he had just stepped foot on.

Immediately, Daneel flew to catch him gently and lay him on the ground before commanding the system to deploy Peak Warrior level healing spells.

At the same time, he cursed the limitation due to which he could not put his real power on display, but soon, when he got the report that the injuries weren't so life-threatening that he would need to expose any of his secrets, he heaved a sigh of relief before whirling around with anger.

He had detected just what had set off that explosion, so he spoke while looking in the direction of the five, who all had similarly shocked expressions on their faces.

"It was an explosive formation which was set to detonate when someone who is either a Human level Mage or Warrior steps on it! This was clearly done so that if anyone from the Central Continent arrives, they will be rendered incapable of continuing the investigation! You said that the assassin left right after attacking, right? Then how the hell was he able to set up something like this!"

As Daneel said all this, expressions of realization appeared on the faces of the five, but after a moment, the girl who had been crying was the first to respond.

"We were in shock due to Letitia's death! How the hell were we supposed to see exactly what he was doing! Besides, his power level was much greater than ours! We're being framed, I tell you! Even this was set up perfectly so that suspicion will definitely fall on us!"

That seemed like one of the dumbest defenses that Daneel had ever heard.

Yet, it was at shouted out with extreme seriousness, and even though he felt like scoffing and saying that right now, the five of them were really the prime suspects of the case, he controlled himself and thought of the ramifications of this event first.

The explosive formation was quite weak, at least compared to his current power level, but if Luther hadn't broken through recently… He would definitely have died.

The most worrying thing was that there had been a Hero level formation overlaid on it, which had prevented it from being detected by most means.

Even the system had just said that it would be unable to detect another one. This was only possible because the explosive formation being concealed was so simple, but what it meant was that it was too risky for Luther to stay.

What if there were more? If they got triggered, Daneel or anyone else in the area could simply weather the damage without even getting hurt, but Luther might die.

There was no way that he would allow that to happen.

Hence, he made a decision.

"I will act in my commander's stead here. A display trinket will be connected to him and he will be able to see everything, but he will not stay on the scene. It is not safe, and I don't think that all of you will be able to detect it if there are more such things laid down. Whoever is behind all this, it is clear that they expected that someone from the Central Continent would be arriving, and they made preparations to make sure that the one who came would either die or be rendered unconscious for a long time. I will not risk my commander's life for this issue."

Without even asking if there were any objections, Daneel directly made Luther float in the air beside him and left the place.

This had all seemed very casual at first, but now that one of his sovereigns had been hurt… It was personal.

Meanwhile, Luther sent a message through the communication trinket.

"It is fine, my King. Mine is a sturdy body, and I'll be able to handle it even if there are more of those. You are right, it seems to be made to target those from the Central Continent. All the other experts are also atmost at the Peak Human level."

Daneel wouldn't have any of it.

"No way. I've carefully analyzed what was used just now, and it is possible that various types of deadly formations that can kill you might already have been hidden. In fact, if you hadn't broken through, you would already have died. With this being the case, it is foolish for you to be on the scene. I will be your eyes and ears, and I admit that I'm quite interested in the method that investigators employ. How about this? You require a little bit of time to rest, anyway, and during that time, I'll carry out basic investigations by myself, and if you need me to do anything additional, just let me now. After that, we can assemble all the facts, and think for a solution. Is that all right?"

Daneel had gotten this idea after once again taking in the extent of the injuries on Luther's body.

He had read enough to know just how to carry out preliminary investigations, and he was actually quite eager to finish this as soon as possible without wasting any time. If it was just all the initial stuff, it was pretty standard, and he knew that Luther would have taken those steps, too, if everything had been normal.

Besides… He had the system, which could record each and every detail more precisely than anyone else in the continent. The main risk with this method was that Daneel might miss something, but even if he did, the system wouldn't, so there was no chance that anything could escape his senses.

Hearing this, Luther sighed and said, "Alright, My King. I wish… That there was a way to grow stronger, faster. I must admit that for the first part of my life, I focused more on acquiring skills, instead of growing in power. After my breakthrough, I find myself yearning for more, but all I can do is slowly train. Anyway, first,I would ask that you to go to all the places of interest in this case, and also to take the personal accounts and stories of all of those who are related to this incident. After collecting this information, we can plan regarding what to do next. But based on what I've seen so far… I daresay that I can venture a guess as to the truth behind what has happened here."

Oh? Luther already had a guess?

This was quite surprising, as he had only heard the most simple version of the story, without even finding out too many details. With just that, he was ready?

His interest piqued, Daneel said, "Tell me. Do you think that they are responsible, and that they're even more guilty now because of this formation that just attacked you? There's no way that they could have missed an assassin setting it down, right?"

Chuckling and then taking a sharp breath as he felt the pain worsen, Luther replied, and his words made Daneel realize that he had already fallen for two of the traps that lay in wait for one who was looking into an issue of this sort – making assumptions with too little data, and missing things that could be crucial.

"Yes, that is my guess, too, My King, but my reason is slightly different. There is a small tool kit that I always carry with me when I handle cases like these, and one of those is a trinket which allows me to look behind me even when I'm walking forward. As you know, it is a simple one, but it has proven to be exceptionally helpful, and it is the same even now. Right before I stepped on that tile on which the formation was there… There were slight expressions of regret on all five of them. It's possibly because they knew that it was there, but they also knew that it wouldn't kill me. After all, very few know that I've broken through. I don't know about who else may be involved in this, but they certainly know more than they are letting on."

Chapter 736: The Case of the Murdered Seed 5

If it were up to Daneel, he would have been half-tempted to just call those five the crooks, especially after hearing what Luther had said. They could have collected the prize, and instantly left this sordid issue behind.

Yet…he knew that that wasn't possible, because it needed to be proven beyond a doubt that they were responsible, and he might even have to find out their motive so that the Head could say that it had reached a 'satisfactory' conclusion.

Right after Daneel reached outside the mountain through the path that they had taken before, he found a small camp waiting to the side, outside which the Head was pacing to and fro.

On seeing him arrive, he nodded, and taking the message, Daneel walked in that direction along with Luther, who looked like he was close to falling unconscious, because healing would take a toll on even those with the strongest of constitutions.

After reaching that camp, Daneel peered inside to see that a man wearing a blue cloak was waiting with a genial smile on his face, standing beside a table that looked like it was meant for someone to be laid down on.

"Meet Gerard, one of the foremost Champion-level Healers on the Continent. His Path is also one that is related to Healing, and he is always on standby for the seeds so that they can be attended to right away in case there is an injury. I hope you see my sincerity in deploying him. All of us have high hopes for when he becomes a Hero, because we expect that he will be indispensable on the battlefield. As such, he is a top-order target for the Church. He will be taking care of your commander."

Daneel looked the man over after the glowing introduction, and it did look like he was quite capable.

Nodding, he lay Luther on the table, following which healing spells that were at least three times better than what Daneel had deployed sprang into existence.

Daneel couldn't help but pause as he saw this, and he hastily asked the system to record everything.

Each and every one of these spells displayed a remarkable level of knowledge into each of the body parts of a human, and there were minute differences in each that were working on different body parts which allowed them to be much more effective than those that would be deployed by a normal Champion.

Oh, he definitely was capable.

Walking outside, he looked at the Head and said, "Yes, he seems to be in good hands. What are your thoughts? I gather that you must have seen the expressions on their faces before the explosion. They all knew it was present, but they didn't warn him. If my man didn't bring it to my attention, I might have missed it, too!"

Daneel had been a little tempted to take the credit, but he knew that there was no need to.

Luther's sagacity in these matters was known, and it would have been strange if he had been the one to spot something like this.

Besides…he was already learning at top speed, and before this matter was done, he expected to have some or the other discovery to his name.

By the slight widening of the Head's eyes, he could tell that he hadn't noticed it, just as expected, and this drove the point home that experts really were better.

Without answering, the Head entered a brooding mood, but Daneel gave him his time.

After a minute, he finally answered.

"Something dark is behind this matter, King. Believe me, I wouldn't have involved you or your man in this if I had any other option. But…ever since I saw those ashes, I knew that something was off. And as for this matter…it makes me fear that these five precious seeds might have gotten into a matter way above their heads. My objective is to save them from it, so I wish to find out the truth behind everything that has happened. You are right, your commander being guarded here is probably for the best. I'll even keep a Hero on guard, just in case this matter is much more serious than how it appears on the surface. They are young, and naive. Even the oldest, Matthew, is just 22 years old, and Jessica is just 19. They have so much potential, though, so I hope this does not cast a black mark upon their minds…"

As the Head's words drifted off, Daneel noticed the sincere emotion that he was displaying. He really did care for them.

Nodding appreciatively and saying that both of them would do their best, Daneel walked back onto the path, but even after he left, the Head's gaze lingered on the spot where the path began for a long, long time.

…

Right after getting back to that open area where the five were now sitting separately on some of the many benches that were present, Daneel clapped his hands and said, "All right, this is how it will go."

Flicking his fingers, he made a small building that could sit two appear beside him. Pointing at it, he continued, saying, "Each of you will be called in here to give your testimony which will be recorded. I might ask questions about your life, and you should know that answering each and every question to the best of your ability is in the best interest for you. I might ask about your love life, your food interests, and even your sleeping schedule. Just shut alllll of that sass up somewhere, and let your tongues do the talking."

The statement had the expected response: Dave, Jessica, and Scarlet, who had all already displayed their short tempers looked livid, and resisting the urge to chuckle, Daneel calmly walked inside before calling out to Matthew.

This man had had a mostly neutral expression, but as he heard this summons, he gulped slightly.

Already learning from his mistake, Daneel had ordered the system to keep a close watch on each and every detail, including the micro-expressions of all those present. Hence, as soon as he was notified on this, he doubled down on making sure that he would wring each and every detail possible out of this leader who had purportedly sworn allegiance to him.

He had also asked the system to go through his memories and pick up any and all sorts of investigative techniques he might have witnessed or heard of back on Earth. It was incredible what a human brain could pick up from its surroundings without the owner even realizing it, and after a few moments, the system had already listed 3 different types of approaches.

The classic one, of course, was 'good cop-bad cop', but Daneel was acting alone, and he didn't really believe that he could intimidate any of these five, at least with the power he was supposed to have.

So, settling on the approach which used sudden questions to make a target answer instinctively, thus increasing the probability that they would spill something that shouldn't, he waited for Matthew to arrive.

Two hours later, Daneel was back in the camp with Luther, and both of them were pouring through sheets of parchment with information on each of the five suspects which had been created by the system.

Luther shot odd glances at Daneel occasionally, and after seeing this happen a few times, Daneel finally couldn't control himself and asked, "What is it?"

"Err…it just puzzled me that you are looking at the information as if you are seeing it for the first time, too, My King."

"…"

Daneel had to fumble for an answer.

"I just…want to make sure I don't miss anything. That's all."

Seeing Luther nod and return back to the activity, the King of Lanthanor heaved a sigh of relief and scolded himself that he should really think of these small things.

True, it might not matter much with normal people, but what if the one who was observing him was as astute as his commander, here? He might just spill stuff which he shouldn't, and that…would definitely be regrettable.

Although Daneel had been the one asking questions before, the long answers of each of the five had almost blurred in his mind, as he was prone to get bored when people talked for too long. This was especially the case with Memphis, who talked so much that a simple question regarding the time he went to sleep had traveled to the state of affairs in the Big Four, to the continent-wide shortage of high-quality foal which was apparently depriving him of a good meal.

Hence, he had asked the system to create the summaries, and that was the reason behind this incident.

All in all, after a few moments, they were ready to begin discussing.

"The backstories share a lot of similarities, as I expected, My Lord. Four of them were born in the Big Four, and the last was adopted when she was but a child. That last one is Scarlet. The Big Four used special methods to find out their potential beforehand, and they used secret methods to make sure that they would slowly increase in power even if they weren't training, mainly by using special materials. They began earnestly training from the tender age of eight, and a team of Heroes kept careful watch of each of their actions to pick their Paths for them. This is different for Matthew and Jessica, both of whom have Bloodlines. They were pushed towards undergoing an Awakening successfully. Anyway, all of them had limited interaction except in this small group of five, and Letitia was actually a recent addition. The policy is to make these groups so that seeds can compete, and also find solace, if needed, in those who are like themselves. Now, here…is where the interesting stuff begins."

As Daneel nodded, Luther continued.

"Letitia was instantly liked by all, including the usually stoic Dave. In fact, Jessica became her best friend, and there was even talk of a relationship forming, even though such things are forbidden until one reaches the Hero realm. Scarlet also really liked Letitia, and Memphis states that she was so jealous that he even heard her saying that she would be ready to do anything to make herself the apple of Letitia's eyes! Anyway, they all became fast friends, and Dave states that they even swore oaths to stay friends until, and I quote, 'death did them part'. I am even more interested in this Letitia, now. What did she have that allowed her to infiltrate this gang of childhood friends so efficiently?"

Daneel could only shrug.

He had been similarly surprised by the revelation regarding Letitia's influence, and even though it didn't help the case much, it was definitely interesting.

A few moments later, Luther shrugged, too, not reaching an answer, and just as he was about to remark on the most interesting aspect that had been discovered, the loud sound of a bell ringing interrupted them.

It was the alarm bell.

Whirling around, Daneel began running inside the mountain, and even as he neared that open area, he could hear loud screams.

"NO! GET AWAY! YOU KILLED MY FRIEND, I WON'T LET YOU KILL ME, TOO! HEAD, APPREHEND HIM, HE'S THE ONE! WHY AREN'T YOU MOVING?!"

This was the same voice that belonged to the tender maiden who had broken down in tears, and as Daneel reached the area, he saw the Head standing with a gobsmacked expression on his face.

In front of him, Jessica was taking step after step back with a terrified expression on her face, as if she was facing death itself.

In front of her were the other four, who all had extremely serious expressions on their faces, too, as if they were prepared to defend Jessica even if it cost them their lives.

All of their gazes were fixed on one spot in front of them, and as Daneel followed their line of vision, he understood the reason behind the Head's expression.

There…was no one there.

Chapter 737: The Case of the Murdered Seed 6

This strange scene carried on for a few more minutes, until finally…all five fainted, as one, on top of one another while Daneel, the Head and the four members of the investigative team who were present watched on with bewildered expressions on their faces.

The Head hastily hurried forward at this point and checked on them before saying, "They're fine. They've just been knocked out."

There were no sighs of relief in the area when this was heard, but the Head did slightly relax, as it looked like he had been fearing the worst case- that the five precious seeds might be hurt in some way.

Instantly conjuring a small tent where he stood and placing the five on stretchers, the Head lay down a few Hero-level formations using trinkets that he already had and then proceeded to walk in Daneel's direction.

Right after reaching beside him and deploying some more formations to make sure that they wouldn't be heard, he said in a low voice, "What do you make of this?"

How the hell am I supposed to know?!

Daneel felt like saying this, as even the system had come up blank, just like it hadn't detected anything special in the ashes of the dead seed.

Well, it would have been too easy if the system had been able to do everything, and it seemed as if Daneel would have to bring forward the entirety of the Sherlock Holmes inside him.

Or at least, the entirety of Watson, because he was currently in that role now, and he was reminded of this when Luther spoke to him through a communication trinket.

"My King, they were either drugged, or they are being Mind Controlled. Those are the most obvious conclusions, and in the absence of other factors, the obvious ones almost always prove themselves to be right."

That almost seemed like a dialogue straight out of the English gentleman's work, but Daneel focused on the content of his words, which stated the same conclusions he had arrived at.

They had definitely not been faking it, so something, or someone foreign was making them see what they had seen.

Without responding, Daneel walked into that tent and pricked the fingertips of each of the five so that the system could scan their blood.

This revealed nothing, and although Daneel was tempted to check for the other possibility right away, too, he controlled himself and turned to the Head who had arrived at his heels.

"They might have been Mind Controlled. Is there any way to check if their minds have been tampered with?"

"I've already thought about that. I will personally check their consciousnesses after they awake. Do you have anything else you wish to ask of me?"

After thinking for a bit, Daneel asked, "They told me that the five of them had formed a group from their childhood, and that Letitia came recently. Is there any reason behind that?"

Shrugging, the Head said, "Not really. New members are often introduced into these groups to give the seeds people whom they can compete against. We have an administrative wing which checks the power levels and powers of each group before a candidate is chosen to join said group, and Letitia was chosen through this method."

Daneel held his chin and nodded as he heard the answer, striking a pose of someone pondering upon something very important.

After a few moments, looking as if he had come to a conclusion, he declared, "I wish to speak to others who know Letitia."

Raising one eyebrow, the Head asked, "Hmm? May I ask why?"

"I'm curious to know your reasoning behind this, too, My King. True, even I wish to find this out, so I was surprised to hear you state it."

This was from Luther, whom Daneel had not consulted before stating the request.

With a smile, he replied to both of them.

"She is the anomaly. Think about it. A group which has been normal for all their lives suddenly have so many strange things happening to them? In such cases, it is best to see what has changed, and here, she came into the equation a month before all of these incidents. Well, now, she's dead, too, but that doesn't mean that we should honor her memory and not investigate about her. Who knows? What if there is a culprit who was targeting her, who might be revealed if we find out more about her? So, I wish to find out as much as possible."

It was a simple reasoning, but it still felt good to say it.

Baby steps.

Saying this to himself, he watched as the Head closed his eyes, as if he was speaking to someone.

Meanwhile, Luther spoke in an impressed tone.

"You seem to have a mind for this, My Lord. We will still have to wait and see before we can declare that, though. Yes, your last statement was actually the most accurate, in my eyes, at least. As for the first part, although it is interesting, I don't know if we can make that conclusion yet."

Daneel knew this, too, but before he could respond, he was handed a dossier by the Head.

It was basically a sheaf of parchments, and on the top, the words 'Letitia Hogorden' were written, below which a symbol of a strange flower blooming could be seen.

Clearly, it was the logo of the sect which Daneel disliked mainly because of his bad experiences there, although he was also quite interested in just what methods they had at their disposal.

Even now, just remembering that Empire Spirit made him feel slightly irritated.

Putting that aside, he acted as if he was going through the dossier while the system scanned it and displayed the important information in front of him.

[Letitia Hogorden

-Adopted when she was found to be the sole survivor of a village which had been targeted by a horde of beasts from a nearby forest.

-Aloof personality, but was pursued by men and women alike for her charm.

-Was designated as a seed and trained secretly after she showed her prowess in the core teachings of the sect.

-No close companions during her stay in the sect. Was sent to the seed program partly so that this could be rectified, as it was recognized that it was because she found no one who had anywhere near as much talent as her.

-Hardworking. Seems to have a goal, but doesn't speak much to anyone. No confidants to speak to to gain additional information.]

Well…that was a dead end.

"This was just sent over, and it's authenticity does not need to be doubted. Oh, they are awakening. Please wait outside while I scan their minds."

Daneel suspected that this might be because the Head didn't want to expose the Mind Control spell, which was actually very precious, and although Daneel promptly walked out, he had been tempted to display his own which was a refined version that had been modified by the Emperor, himself.

He also had an extensive list of all types of Mind Control spells, and if the Head found this out, he would definitely feel pretty dumb for asking Daneel to leave.

After reaching the same spot he had been in before he had entered the tent, Daneel went through the parchments again, as he couldn't believe that there was so little information about this person.

Could someone really not have anyone close to talk to even though they had spent more than a decade in the sect?

Right as Daneel got this question, though, he heard a commotion from the tent, and the next moment, a loud sound reverberated throughout the open area.

It was the sound of something being punched with full force, and as the tell-tale sound akin to glass breaking that was always accompanied by barriers being broken reached Daneel's ears, he heard a triumphant shout from the Head.

"It's him! I've got him!"

With his eyebrows furrowed, the Head walked out with one hand raised.

It was pointing at a floating person in the air who looked as if he was in the motion of punching something, and that person was…Dave.

The easily angered man whom Daneel had interviewed before now had an extreme expression of fury on his face, and there was even a vein pulsing on his forehead.

In his hand was a dagger, whose tip was coated with a golden liquid.

His eyes were fixed on the Head, and he looked as if he was still trying in vain to plunge that knife into his throat.

After reaching Daneel while being stared at by all those present, the Head said, "He started acting evasively right when I said that I would be scanning his consciousness. I acted to constrain him, but he tried to attack me. Pshaw, he needs to train a few centuries more if he hopes to even lay on hand on me. That is the murder weapon. The substance coated on it matches what was found in the ash. It looks like your services can end prematurely, King."

Daneel simply stood where he was, and after a second, he said, "Let's hear it. Why did he do it? And how?"

For the answer, he had to wait 10 minutes during which the Head dunked Dave in the cold water of the waterfall ten times so that he could cool down.

After he finally did, the tale came out.

"She had no right to come into our group and take away the attention of Jessica. I decided right when I was 15 that I would marry her after we became Heroes. How can I sit still when a competitor acts so brazenly?! The two were even about to enter a relationship! I couldn't take it anymore. I made the plan when we were about to swear the oath. At that time, I drugged all five of the others so that they could have lower faculties of thinking. After that, I snuck in some stuff along with the oath that would trigger at certain circumstances so that I could cover my tracks. For example, if the others see the dagger, because they swore it and because they also swore that they would forget those memories, they would see it being wielded by a black-robed assassin. If someone from the Central Continent comes and gets injured, it will seem as the assassin was back. It was all to confuse the investigation, and send it nowhere. I am ready for whatever punishment you wish to gave."

With a sigh and a shake of his head, the Head said, "Ah, a classic revenge story. It seems that we should probably make changes in this seed program. Anyway, you can leave if you wish, Ki-"

"Not so fast."

As Daneel said this, the Head looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face.

The culprit had been found along with the used weapon. What else was there?

Daneel simply continued with a single sentence.

"Confirm the story first by going through his memories anyway. Now that he has told it, he should have nothing to hide, right? Do it."

Setting a cold gaze on Dave, Daneel said this, and although the Head had already entered the state where he was about to wrap up the whole thing, he calmed himself and proceeded to heed Daneel's words.

Yet…this was when something very bizarre happened, and for a long time after it, the Head would scold himself for being too eager to reach a conclusion that he had taken the first one and become happy with it.

Right as the Head began to approach, Dave, who had been placed in a small room, shouted, "Jessica will never love me now, anyway. Why should I live? Goodbye, my love!"

Saying so, in an action that was so swift that almost no one would have been able to stop him, Dave pricked the tip of the dangerous knife with his finger, and as both he and the dagger started to turn to ash, the Head and Daneel could only watch on.

Chapter 738: The Case of the Murdered Seed 7

To the onlookers, it looked as if the Head and the King of Lanthanor were appalled because something horrendous had happened.

Yet…for the life of them, they couldn't understand why that was the case.

And as for Luther, who was looking at everything through a display trinket that was set up so that he could see everything as if he was seeing through Daneel's eyes…he was ecstatic.

"Well done, My King! Forget what I said before! You do have a knack for this!"

As the King heard this and cracked a smile in amusement, the spell that seemed to have been cast over the atmosphere finally broke, because Dave, who was actually still in one piece, had woken up and was groggily looking around.

"Wh-what? I-I felt the most terrible pain! I was burning into ashes…right?"

"Wrong."

As Daneel triumphantly said this, the Head pointed a finger, and Dave fell unconscious.

After this, he turned to Daneel and said, "I must admit that even though I knew that something was fishy, I couldn't have pulled that off."

"Oh, don't shortchange yourself. It was your idea to use the property of the human brain to see what it believes. You made him believe that he had the knife even though anyone with even a peanut of a brain would have taken it away, and his brain believed that it could use it. So…we managed to confirm our hypothesis. Dave…is being manipulated using Mind Control, and he was clearly ordered not to have his mind scanned, and if it was imminent, he was told to kill himself to stop it in any way possible."

As Daneel said this, those of the investigative department widened their eyes and looked at him as if they were seeing him in a new light.

He…had planned whatever had happened, and he had also managed to confirm something that they hadn't even begun to suspect?

Either they were dumb, or he was smart.

And if Daneel knew that they were asking themselves that question, he would have said that both were right.

It had all started when the Head had asked Daneel to leave with the intent to check if the five had been Mind Controlled.

At that time, Daneel, who had a lot of experience in Mind Control, had realized that whoever was behind this must have thought of this possibility.

If one's mind was skimmed, it was possible that their identity could be found out. Hence…anyone would want to take precautions, and here, that precaution had a probability of being that those who were going to be scanned would kill themselves.

If this happened, it could be proven beyond doubt that it was Mind Control, and hence, Daneel had told the Head to simply…act dumb.

The idea was that if the Head left some sort of avenue for the person in question to kill themselves, if a command did exist, it would be triggered.

He had explained this, and it had been the Head's idea to use a form of Mind Control that was very subtle, and didn't require forcefully breaking into one's mind. In fact, it could almost be called a simple illusion spell, and hearing of it had made Daneel recall the so-called magicians back on Earth who also used misdirection to fool people.

Daneel's job was to push whoever was chosen by the Head into a corner, and he had done that by acting like that before. It was possible that he could have let something slip, so, he had taken the ultimate precaution of asking the system to erase his own memory of putting this in place.

He had trusted the Head to take his own precautions, and that was what had resulted in them looking so genuinely appalled.

In fact, because they had been fooled, too, by the Head's spell, they had even thought for a moment that Dave was really burning up.

Only, it was momentary, and after that, Dave could be seen shaking while his empty hand which still believed it held the dagger was poised over his body, as in his vision, he had succeeded in pricking himself with it.

All in all, by now, it was clear that the culprit had placed all kinds of precautions, and because this was the case…Daneel got a suspicion.

As the Head walked to him, he said, "Wait, wake him up for a moment. I just thought of something that could be possible."

"Hmm? We agreed that its best to keep him unconscious as more precautions could be present, right?"

"Rather than that, it makes sense to place something more…permanent. Just wake him up and ask him what he remembers regarding the past month."

Not totally convinced, but still listening to Daneel, the Head did so, and the look of confusion on Dave's face gave the clear answer.

All of his memories in the last two months had been wiped.

Unable to believe it, the Head went ahead to skim his mind anyway, as there was no longer a need to stay vigilant.

And a few seconds later, he got a frustrated expression on his face when he sent Daneel the message that they were completely gone. He could find no trace of them, and even the most skilled in this domain would be hard-pressed to recover anything at all.

Hence, Daneel called the Head over and gave him his conclusions regarding the case so far.

"This makes it all both murkier, and clearer. What we have established is that someone Mind Controlled all five of them, and placed precautions to make sure that their identity wouldn't be revealed even if the minds of the five were checked. There are multiple layers of precautions, with some that were made so as to hide the fact that there is even anyone who has Mind Controlled them in the first place. After all, if you really had been dumb enough to let him die, even though it would have been suspicious, we wouldn't have been able to prove, beyond a doubt, that there was the hand of Mind Control behind this. If all else failed, the go-to strategy was to erase all traces, like someone who has first tried to push their murder on someone else, before changing that attempt to making sure that the investigators won't find any clues. Now that we have proven it, the only task that remains is to find who might be behind it. Who would want to kill Letitia and make it look like an assassin had done it? What motive could there be? While I get on to figuring this out, I think what you need to do is clear."

After saying that last line, Daneel nodded in the direction of the Head's hand, which held the real dagger that Dave had wanted to use.

Nodding, the Head replied, "Yes, I'll get started on finding the origin of this thing, and the means with which it was concealed. It was a close shave. The dagger was hidden so well that I could only detect it after it was unsheathed. If it weren't for a recent breakthrough, I would have failed in stopping it. I daresay that any one else on this continent would definitely have failed, and a pile of ash would have been all that would have been left by Dave. What about his story, though? Could he have really loved Letitia, and become jealous?"

Thinking for a bit, Daneel answered, "I'll have to talk to the others regarding this. Like I said, I gather that you woke only him up, so that the others won't know that they are about to have their minds scanned?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then separate them all, and tell them that it is for their own safety. It seems that asking questions is fine, so maybe I'll try that route. Even if I don't…just keep them separate, and make sure that no information passes on to them."

Almost as if he was his subordinate, the Head dutifully nodded and teleported away, and Daneel had to admit that he quite liked that.

Luther interrupted his thoughts.

"What do you plan to do next, My King? I think it is best for me to take a backseat in this matter, because I couldn't have known Mind Control well enough to think of that possibility before. I guess I'll keep watching, and jump in if I have some suggestions."

All right, Dr. Watson.

Saying this in his mind and smiling again, Daneel replied, "It's all very fishy, but there is one thing that I keep suspecting. I didn't know how how the Head would react if I said it to him, so I kept it with myself."

"Do you mean the possibility that the one who was killed might be the one behind all this?"

Daneel couldn't help but chuckle as he heard this.

"Exactly. Why do you think so?"

"It was just in my list of possibilities, because the victim turning out to be the culprit is something that happens far too much in many cases I've seen. You, My Lord?"

The chuckle turned into a laugh on hearing Luther's answer.

Indeed, it was a cliche even in the books back on Earth, but that wasn't a reason for Daneel to ignore it.

It was possible that it could still be the case, and if it was, because of the unique method of using Mind Control, the whole thing might still prove itself to be a pretty unique incident.

"Oh, I just hate that sect, and suspect all who are associated with it of treachery. Well, hate is a strong word. Let's just say that I never want to find myself in a position where I have no choice but to trust them. Anyway, although the suspicion is fine, we first have to go see if that's even possible. And that…means going to a place I really did not want to go back to anytime soon."

…

A minute later, Daneel was back in the place which had given him such a bad memory that just seeing it again made him feel on edge.

He had been allowed in right away, and a second after he had been escorted into the same cave as last time, he saw the Sect leader arrive and shout, "I MISSED YOU!"

Like a lovesick girl who was seeing her boyfriend again, she ran toward him with open arms, and as Drakos appeared between Daneel and Erin as it looked like the latter would go ahead and just hug Daneel if he didn't show up, she caught him in a vice-like grip and kissed him as if they were alone in the room.

If Daneel hadn't averted his gaze while shaking his head, he would have seen Drakos blush before pulling himself away.

Even after that, she stayed in his arms and turned to Daneel before saying, "Hey, Cockroach."

If there was a weapon that could instantly decimate Empire Spirits, Daneel wouldn't have thought twice before using it.

Yet, consoling himself by the fact that she had been fooled just like everyone else who was watching, he got straight to the point.

"Is there any technique in your sect where one can grow stronger by dying?"

After Daneel asked the question, there was silence for a few moments, after which Erin actually burst out laughing.

The answer she gave after controlling her laughter made Daneel widen his eyes, while once again wishing for the weapon he had just dreamed about.

"Do you forget that we are all about Life and Death, honey? Of course there are such techniques, but I can't tell you about them, unless you are accepted into the sect. I can't even tell the Head, for that matter. But if this is about Letitia, I can promise you one thing: if she's behind this, and I say 'if' because I can't be sure, either, then there will be more deaths soon. However…you'll never be able to catch her, Cockroach King."

Chapter 739: The Case of the Murdered Seed 8

A few minutes later, there was an awkward silence between Daneel and Drakos as they found themselves outside the sect which they ventured into with the hope of finding answers.

Instead, there had only been mockery.

Finally, seeing the King just stand in the middle of nowhere without moving, Drakos spoke up as it looked like he was unable to handle it anymore.

"My King, Erin-"

"Is Erin. I expected nothing less from her. You don't need to apologize for her actions. And even though she was being a…er, never mind. Even though she was acting like herself, she still gave the answer she knew. It is possible that Letitia might be the one behind all this."

Although Daneel spoke only until here out loud, inside his mind, he had added a sentence.

Just like last time, it is futile to bark back at barking dogs. Just you wait, Erin.

Setting his jaw firmly, Daneel returned to the mountain to converse with Luther.

Outside the tent in which Luther was recovering, though, he found the Head, who was pacing to and fro almost as if he was waiting for Daneel instead of contacting him.

Seeing him arrive, he exclaimed, "Ah! You're here! Come inside!"

The tent in which Luther was present had already been outfitted with the most advanced formations that the Head could muster. Hence, as soon as they entered it, he began speaking without worrying that they might be overheard.

"The dagger and that substance were both stolen from one of the treasuries of the Big Four and then changed to make it seem as if they are something else. They were also enhanced in some method. That liquid is made from the blood of a high-level Mage or Fighter, and when it enters the body of someone who is weaker than that power level, it consumes everything it can find, due to the instinct to live again that belongs to that high-level person which still lingers in their blood long after they pass. It wouldn't have worked against me, or any Hero. The dagger is just one that removes all traces of itself after it stabs a target. Typically, this poison, which is extremely precious as it requires copious amounts of blood to make and is simply not worth it in usual conditions, will turn a target into a puddle of blood. Yet, it was tweaked to make ash appear, perhaps to hide its identity. In other words…"

"It points even more to the fact that it might be someone from the Big Four who is the culprit. Someone like…Letitia."

"What?!"

The Head was completely taken aback when he heard this, and it was obvious why that was the case.

Daneel had thrown out the statement like a curveball to test if the Head had considered it, even though his guess had been that he hadn't.

That guess was mainly based on the Head's actions he had seen back when they had gone to that sect with that infernal Empire Spirit. He had been vigilant, without asking any questions, and it was obvious that he might not have made too many inquiries into the exact powers of members of that sect. Hell, Daneel was sure that if he didn't have that 'bond' with Erica, even he might never have found that it was even possible, as there was just too much secrecy surrounding the techniques of those from the Eternal Blossom sect.

And generally, when people extremely disliked something or were uncomfortable even thinking about it, then it was possible that they wouldn't want to think about it too much.

Yet, when faced with the possibility, then they would overcome that and let their thoughts forcefully go down that route, like a child from Earth who might dislike a subject and never spend too much time on it given a choice, but would sit down and study it when it was time for a test as there was no other choice.

Sure enough, now that it had been hinted to him, the Head took a moment to think and then exclaimed, "Yes, Letitia! Could that damn sect's methods be at play, here? I remember that there was once a sect master who discreetly killed two Heroes to grow in power through some obscure technique, while making it look as if they had done it to themselves! She injured herself, too, to allay suspicion, but it came out before her death that it had all been a farce, and that her 'injuries' had somehow actually helped her to grow stronger! Could there be something similar, but more sinister going on in this case?"

Oh, yes, this was definitely Erin.

Daneel knew that for many, many years, Erin had been the sect master, so she was the one who must have pulled something like that off. But why expose it before letting the host she had forcefully taken control of die, then? Had it been to gloat?

Yes, knowing her, that was probably the reason. After she exposed it, she must have been laughing on the inside while seeing the expressions of shock on the other Heroes of Angaria.

While these thoughts ran through his mind, Daneel remained silent, choosing not to answer the Head's questions, which almost seemed like they were rhetorical.

Just like he thought, the man reached a conclusion all by himself without needing to receive any inputs from Daneel.

"I'll go ask the Sect Leader right away about this. I've already spoken to her before, but if I insist, she might try to reveal some things even if it is forbidden. They have been separated as you asked, King. I'll contact you if I get any answers."

Seeing the Head disappear, Daneel couldn't help but pity him, as he knew that he would be met with disappointment, just like he had been.

After that, he went inside the tent and spoke to Luther, but their conversation didn't bear any fruit, as although there was the possibility, they couldn't do anything to confirm it without more information.

As things stood, Letitia was the main suspect, as the discovery of the origin of the dagger's poison made the case stronger against her.

At this point, the priority was to either confirm or reject this, as it wouldn't be wise to just go ahead and pursue other avenues while waiting for some help to arrive which might heed them in this task.

They had to be proactive. Hence, Daneel sat down and began to go over everything he had seen so far in the hopes that he could find some clue.

And that…was when something stood out to him, making him snap his eyes open with delight.

Even the smartest of culprits would always leave behind some or the other clue, and in this matter, Daneel, and even Luther had overlooked a certain place where they might some or the other trace that could help them.

And this…had only occurred to Daneel as he had been thinking in the route where he had assumed that Letitia was the culprit, and that his objective was to find out her motive and catch her.

If that was so, and if she had planned everything so far, then…couldn't her planning have gone back even further? Say, to before she had even come into this group?

What if…she had targeted this group on purpose?

The more Daneel thought about it, the more he felt as if it fit.

Initially, before everything had happened, the group had been about to attack Daneel, and Marcus had been ready to stop them.

This represented a fractured group, more or less, even if they had grown up together from birth. Marcus was known for his good attitude toward the Central Continent, and anyone assessing the group would know, right away, that there was a probability that his son might share the same beliefs, even if they weren't displayed on the surface.

Just this was too vague, but there were other clues, too, which Daneel had ignored as they hadn't seemed important individually.

Together, though, they were like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle he had assembled.

During Memphis's long talk, he had commented about their interactions with other groups. Apparently, they lost a lot when fighting together because they were weak in the aspect of uniting together, and Memphis had whimsically said that they were each like lions in a pride, all of which wanted to lead but couldn't as there could only be one leader. In fact, he had also mentioned that Marcus's son had been able to take command, more or less, only recently after a lucky breakthrough.

Also, Jessica was supposed to be the prettiest among all of the seeds, and Dave had always pursued her unsuccessfully, while apparently being mocked by other seeds whenever they met. This was a ripe opportunity to be exploited if one wished.

All in all, what it pointed to was that these five had been the perfect target for one who wanted to enter and gain their confidence in a short period of time.

If so, then they would have to make sure that they would be assigned to this group, and not another.

And if so, they would target…the administrative department.

Right away, Daneel contacted the Head, but he didn't give a reason.

Getting their location and finding out, to his surprise, that they were actually located in an abode in the sky which was apparently also the one where the Head resided if he wasn't outside on some task, Daneel directly headed there after getting permission to do whatever was necessary.

In fact, he was even assigned a Hero to help, and coincidentally, this was the same Hero who had been guarding the Mad Doctor.

His face and body covered in a cloak, he didn't speak much, as if he was disgruntled due to something.

Daneel knew that it was probably because of his 'failure' of not stopping the Mad Doctor from leaving, and allowing such a big mess to happen right under his nose. He had heard that the Hero also blamed himself for not checking on Ashahell, who was the culprit in the eyes of everyone.

After reaching the place, Daneel was quite surprised to see a floating Palace, but he ignored the details of the Palace as he wanted to get to his destination as soon as possible.

Right after they reached, he asked for a thorough inspection of the process through which Letitia had been assigned to that group of five.

All the records were pulled up, and all those involved in the process were confined and questioned using Mind Control.

When Daneel saw none of them object, itself, he felt frustration creeping into him, as it seemed as if all of his deduction might come to naught.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, all of the personnel were declared to be clean. The process had been done just by comparing power levels, and it was only by chance that Letitia had been assigned to that group.

At this point, Daneel could hardly hold back that emotion which had begun to fill his mind.

Everywhere he went, there seemed to be dead ends, and for some reason, Erin's gloating face floated into his vision, making him burst out with slight anger for the first time in a long time.

He had been standing in front of a desk with a large book that he had taken to check for himself whether the process had been fair, and beside it were placed multiple documents which he hadn't checked as they had simply been there since he had arrived.

Out of exasperation, he used his hands to clear the desk as it had looked as if Erin's mocking face was drawn on each of them, but at that moment, as the system suddenly spoke in his mind, he froze and blinked with shock.

[New data found. Analyzing.

Anomalies discovered.

At the time when target 'Letitia' was assigned, she was the only one with that power level.

List of personnel denoted as 'Investigative Team' also scanned. Possible connection found.

A member of investigative team who was assigned to this case is from the Eternal Blossom Sect.]

Chapter 740: The Case of the Murdered Seed 9

The investigative team.

Even after hearing this message, Daneel could only stand there and stare into empty space for a few moments as it felt as if his mind was filled with waves that were crashing against each other and rendering him senseless.

Ever since he and Luther had arrived to tackle this case, the investigative team had been present everywhere, forgotten and ignored as they were like the backdrops of the situation who weren't effective, but still present because of their duty.

Hence… The identity of a member of the investigative department was a perfect fit for someone who wanted to hide in plain sight. After all, what more could a culprit want than to keep a close eye on those who were investigating them?

It wasn't just this. The investigative department would be the first to be called in such a case, and they would have the chance, if they were discreet enough, to change things and even hide stuff if they wished.

And also… The investigative team had access to the documents in the administration department which would let them know about the perfect time during which someone of Letitia's power level could come so that they would be assigned exactly to the group that they wished.

This…was the missing link which Daneel had been looking for, but the way that he had found it was definitely out of the norm.

In fact, the files he had been knocked onto the floor were numerous, numbering in the hundreds, and normally, he might not have scanned through them as he hadn't been thinking in that aspect.

It was almost as if he had to thank Erin for this act, but of course, he would never allow himself to do something like that as her gloating face was something that could drive many men to suicide.

Even though he had come here with a different objective, it was true that he might have gone to these records eventually out of desperation, but still, he couldn't help but appreciate this stroke of luck. Well, he had at least arrived here by his own deductions.

Finally, it was like a pathway had opened up in a maze which had been filled with dead ends so far. Even someone as smart as Letitia who had planned everything else would not be able to imagine that anyone would have the time to go through so many records and find these connections which actually might not mean anything unless one was already suspecting her, and even if she had thought of it, she wouldn't have been able to do anything as it was almost impossible to carry out a few plans without leaving some or the other trace.

All in all… Daneel knew his next target. But how was he supposed to go about it?

He had to catch that person from the investigative department who had helped Letitia, and he had to somehow ensure that if there was a precaution inside him, too, that his memory would be wiped, that he had to stop it from going off in some manner.

Again, all of these things that Daneel was suspecting had happened could only be proven if substantial proof was found regarding them. Otherwise, they would all be just coincidences pieced together based on an incorrect assumption.

Yet, Daneel's gut told him that he was on the right track, and so, he engaged his entire mind onto this task of extracting information without triggering the failsafe.

Also… Regarding this entire thing, Daneel's plan had never been to depend just on the answer that he had gotten from Erin, which was pretty damn vague in the first place. He had been carrying out his own investigations into all the information that he had both from the memories of the Emperor and all the libraries that he had collected so far, and they all indicated a certain thing which almost seemed pretty obvious when one thought about techniques like what Letitia might have used if she really was the culprit here.

Yet, until now, there had been no proof to show that what they pointed out was right, but finally, it looked like Daneel would be able to confirm whether it was the case are not. In fact, his hope behind going to Erin had been to find further clues regarding it, and even though he had failed, he looked forward to succeeding without needing her help.

And besides… Wouldn't it be amazing to see her uptight face look like it was slapped, for once?

Putting these thoughts aside, Daneel first concentrated on making a plan, but as he wasn't able to figure one out right away, he decided to enlist Luther, too, who had ample experience in this area but whom Daneel had not used very much because of his own zeal to develop his skills in the best way possible- which was to dive right into problems like these and attempt to solve them.

Not even a few seconds after Daneel told Luther everything, the man gave an idea, and it was so simple yet perfect that Daneel wondered why he hadn't gotten it himself in the first place.

He called the Head right away, and as he told him about each of the things that he had learned, the Head actually seemed to be getting angrier and angrier.

The reason behind this was explained by him in a voice that was filled with chagrin.

"The Eternal Blossom sect has always been a very...strange sect in the Big Four. They do not play by the rules, and their power makes it so that we cannot really discipline them as easily as we would be able to with the other sects. And besides, they never accept any outsiders, so they are also completely closed off without being influenced by anything outside their purview.

"The sect leader actually laughed me out of the sect when I asked her just now, and even though I don't know why she was so amused, she pretty much confirmed that even she cannot be sure if your supposition is true."

Of course, Daneel knew the reason behind this- she must have been remembering the conversation she had with him.

The next words of the Head were spoken with extreme seriousness, with his gaze fixed on Daneel.

"If what we going to do really resolves the case, then I will readily admit that you helped much more than expected. The Eternal Blossom sect and its methods are things which I shy away from for personal reasons, and without you, it is possible that nothing might have been uncovered, and it would have become a case just like the one that I mentioned before. Such things always remain as matters of disgrace for the Heads of those times, and I even read a memoir from the Head of that era that to his death, he regretted not finding out about such a great conspiracy that had happened right under his nose. If you're successful, I will be spared of that fate, and as a token of gratitude, I will even be ready to upgrade your rewards to encompass higher tiers of weapons that even you will be able to use, as it is obvious that you also put in a lot of effort along with your commander. I will go and prepare everything that you have asked. I will also pray to the heavens that this matter comes to an end with this, as it makes me more and more worried as more and more fallacies in our present departments become exposed. After we are done with this, I have my work cut out for me- I guess a major reform should be on the cards in all departments, especially because this is such a crucial time."

Daneel knew that the Head was alluding to things which were not directly connected to this matter, and in this, once again, his passion to save the continent could be seen.

For a moment, just a moment, Daneel considered whether he should really trust the man and just expose his power so that he could possibly get the entire continent behind him right away.

That would really make things a lot, lot easier, and it was very tempting because each and everything that he had obtained till now had required him to give his everything.

Yet… He knew very well that the easy way out was almost always the one filled with the most risk, and in such a thing which would decide the survival of millions, he decided that he should probably be patient.

Well, first, it was time to bring this matter to an end.

"Let's do it three hours from now, when they leave, then. I'll take care of the other preparations."

Saying so, the King of Lanthanor nodded and left, but if he had lingered for a moment more, he would have seen the appreciative glint and the impressed smile on the Head's face.

After the Head left, too, the area surrounding the mountain devolved into silence, until three hours later, when a group of five trudged out of the path that led inside while talking between themselves.

All of them had slightly frustrated expressions on their faces, and even their tones were filled with disappointment.

They were the squad that had been assigned to this case, and so far, they had been extremely useless.

Although there weren't many cases, in the first place, the investigative development was supposed to be formed out of the smartest minds in the Big Four and it was also one of the highest paying departments. However, rewards were based on results, and so far, they had obtained none.

Just yesterday, though, their day had been filled with them ridiculing those from the Central Continent who had arrived, but today, that was not the case due to the incident they had seen where the intelligence of the King of Lanthanor had been shown.

The five were going back to their own sects to relax for a day and recharge their mind so that they could throw themselves into this the next morning in the hopes of finding something that would justify them asking for resources later on, but just as they were about to exit the protected perimeter of the mountain and teleport away, they were confronted by one of the major suspects of the case.

It was Memphis, and he looked drunk.

Wait… Wasn't in this guy supposed to be confined separately, just like the others?

Could he have been released?

But… They hadn't been notified!

Right as the leader of the squad was about to use his communication trinket to send a message to the Head regarding this, Memphis blabbered something unintelligible and staggered forward in a certain direction.

It was just a drunken walk whose objective seemed to be merely to get past them and return to the mountain, and none of the members of the squad thought much of it.

Yet… Right as Memphis was about to pass a certain member of the department, he whirled around and sent a fist flying, which promptly knocked out that member.

As the other four stared at Memphis with shock, the seed transformed into the Head, who nodded at them all and ordered them not to repeat what had happened here to anyone else before snatching up the body of that member and departing.

Even for a minute after this happened, the four left couldn't budge, as they were extremely puzzled as to just what the heck had happened.

Why had the Head disguised himself as one of the seeds and knocked out one of their own? What was even going on here?

Sadly, it did not look like they would be getting their answers, and just a few meters away from them, the Head had appeared next to Daneel before dropping the body of that member onto the ground casually.

"Like you said, simple, but effective. The failsafe will only trigger if it was a threat, so the answer was to surprise him. Now… We can check his consciousness through a certain spell which will allow me to intrude in his dreams. We can simply check them for proof. Want to come along? It's a simple enough matter, and I think you deserve it."

Daneel felt like laughing as he heard this, as this was exactly the spell he had used before to converse with Percy in the Eternal Blossom sect. It was an exclusive spell of the Emperor, so it made sense that there were records regarding it that were simply left behind to be accessed by the Big Four.

As he nodded, the Head reached forward and touched his forehead, before using his other hand to grab the head of the member of the investigative department on the ground.

The next moment, Daneel found himself in the same familiar empty space.

Unlike back when he had cast the spell himself, it looked like the Head wasn't really that skilled in using it, as the entire space felt as if it was wobbling instead of being stable.

Almost as if he was scared that he would be kicked out, the Head, along with Daneel in tow reached forward and touched one of the bubbles of light nearby so that they could be sucked into it to view it.

Because it was done so quickly, Daneel didn't have a chance to see any details regarding it, but when both of them found themselves in a wooden hut where a single person with long hair was sitting in front of them, they were both extremely shocked.

Yet… When that person turned around and screamed with fear as she saw them, the shock they felt didn't even hold a candle to what was being expressed on her face.

The woman looked familiar, and as Daneel recognized who she was, he blinked with pleasant surprise.

It was Letitia.

Chapter 741: Finale 1

All three individuals in the room needed a few moments to control their surging emotions, and after that, it was Letitia who spoke up first.

She was a pretty woman – with long, dark hair, dimples, and high cheekbones. She had naturally downturned lips, though, so even if her expression was neutral, she would have looked as if she wasn't very happy with something. Typically, this would be countered with the people possessing such lips always keeping them in a smile, but in this case, there was really nothing to smile about.

She seemed to have regained her composure, because she spoke an icy tone.

"If it was just the Head, I would have started to think that it might be an anomaly being caused in my dreams. But you… Although I saw you in a display trinket, what I'm seeing of you now is different from how I remember you. So, clearly, you too have managed to intrude upon my dream to talk to me without triggering everything that I put in place to make sure that all traces would be erased if someone managed to find me. I would also have been put to sleep, and even though I would have had to stay asleep for quite a long time, it would have been worth it. I could have started anew. True, I didn't want to do that because there are certain risks involved, but if I had known that there was the spell like this which could intrude on consciousnesses without triggering Mind Control failsafes...I would have directly chosen that path."

Daneel could guess that because the spell was so important, its existence must be a very well-kept secret. Hence, as he heard Letitia clinically analyse the situation and say those words, he couldn't help but think that this was exactly what he would have expected from someone who had pulled off such an elaborate plan.

This was exactly what Daneel had guessed might be revealed when they set off on this endeavor, but still, it had been pretty surprising to see it by himself.

Even though he had some doubts, most of the facts of the case were now clear to him, but he wanted to hear it all from her.

He didn't need to speak out to make that happen, though, because the Head opened his mouth and said in a stern tone, "Explain yourself. Give me a full account of what exactly happened, and I will consider not sentencing you to a life in the darkest cell that I can find. The only reason that I give you this option is that no one else but you seems to have been permanently harmed in this, but it is a fact that your actions have affected the group whom you call friends in ways which will definitely impact their futures. Also, you created a situation where we had to waste a lot of resources to track you down. Why? Just give all the answers, and I will consider advocating for you in front of the High Council."

Letitia sneered when she heard the part where the Head said that she had affected her group of friends.

After that, she shrugged and said, "I guess I have nothing to hide. Even if I choose not to answer, you'll simply forcefully skim through my consciousness, and that could actually be harmful to me. I don't want you to do that, so I will lay out all the facts of the case. Excuse me if am vague in a few parts because I cannot expose some things without violating oaths, but I think that you will be able to gather enough information from what I will say."

The remarkably little amount of time that was required for Letitia to adopt this kind of attitude startled Daneel, and it made him wonder whether she had been dreading something like this happening before itself.

When she began speaking, though, Daneel placed his full attention on her so that he could finally hear the tale unravel.

"I was taken into the Eternal Blossoms sect when I was found as the sole survivor of my village, and I can guarantee that no one else had seen more death than me at my age in that place. I cannot really elaborate, but it is especially broken people like me that are taken into the sect based on a special test that is carried out on each and every one who enters. After this test, certain techniques are also granted, and these are implanted in our minds to reveal themselves when necessary, and when we are strong enough. I guess you, the Head, must already be familiar with this."

As the Head nodded, Letitia continued.

"It is forbidden to speak of these techniques to anyone else. A few details can be given, but the core workings must always be hidden. Mine was special, and I had a habit of being cautious in everything I did. So, I lied regarding each and every aspect of mine, but almost everyone else in the sect does so, too, because no one wants their power to be exposed. Anyway, I pretended to be innocent, all while looking for ways to use my technique to grow stronger. I initially wanted to do it normally, but there were certain rules in the sect which banned certain kinds of techniques for reasons which were not made clear to us. It looked to me like it was more because the senior leadership of the sect were jealous of people who got these techniques as they hadn't been judged to be capable enough to obtain them, so I decided to take a different route which would allow me to reach the peak and then look down upon those who might dare to stop me. You see, all I wanted to do was get powerful enough so that I would never have to face what I saw so many times in my childhood. It is a common goal in the sect, but probably no one else was more equipped than me to fulfill it. What I needed to do was to find a group with similar power levels but great potential into which I could enter and gain confidence. The body I am currently inhabiting belongs to one who foolishly chased me in the sect, and unknown to anyone, I used special techniques to charm him and bind him to myself. The fool thinks that we are in a relationship, while the truth is that he's only seeing what he wants to see. I made him enter the investigative department, and find out information that I could use to identify the perfect time to sign myself up to enter groups and compete against them to grow in power. I had already chosen the perfect group using the information that he brought me. Other groups at least had small subgroups which would remain united and opposed to new members, but this one was unique as almost everyone was pretty much individual, and I would have no difficulty worming myself into their minds and making sure that I would become an integral part of their so-called 'family'. The technique gives me two different routes. One needs me to make it so that I can convince others to willingly kill themselves for me, so that I can strengthen myself using their Will which has been sacrificed. The other is almost the opposite. It needs me to inspire enough confidence in others before killing myself so that I can use their mourning to increase my own power so that I can eventually reach a state where my consciousness will be able to live on forever even if I never reach the Hero level, and even if I don't obtain wondrous materials like Ker Roots which can be used to prolong the existence of consciousnesses, much like how the Ancient Emperor was supposed to have done. The mourning creates a bond, and through that bond, I would have been able to leach off of their talent and power so that I would be able to grow stronger, while they almost stayed the same. To others, it would simply have looked as if they had been too affected by my death, and had lost their way. I would have completely targeted only two or three of the five, so there could have been no chance of me being discovered."

Using mourning to increase one's power?

Even though Daneel had accounted for many things, this was something that he could never even have thought about.

It was so out of the norm that he was initially inclined to believe that she might be lying, but on seeing the expression of realization on the Head's face, he realized that this might not be the case.

Yet, the Head didn't volunteer any information, so Daneel just continued listening to Letitia.

"The first path of the technique requires long, long periods of time to implement. I chose the second, because even though I would have to give up my body, I had never been too attached to it. Besides, it was safer, as the first had a chance of failing. I managed to gain the confidence of the group, and when we all swore an oath to be friends that wouldn't betray each other, I managed to use some earlier preparations to sneak in a few things and take control over all of them. They were naïve and sheltered up until then, so what can you really expect from such fools? My plan was to make it seem as if an assassin had killed me, so that no one would pay too much attention. I had already checked the records, and there were many cases like those which went unsolved, so my hope was that the same would happen here. Using the oath and the Mind Control, and after laying down many, many precautions which all have apparently been rendered useless, I faked my death and my consciousness entered this body, which I had already prepared. There is a small backlash in such things, though, so after the transfer, my consciousness is a bit fragile. That is why if you forcefully skim through it, it might just shatter, resulting in me entering a permanent sleep. If everything had gone well, I would have recovered in this body and then entered poor, innocent Jessica's mind later to keep leaching off of the others until eventually, my consciousness would have become strong enough that it could permanently exist. If I took it far enough and managed to repeat the entire thing with even more people, I might even have been able to allow my consciousness to break through, which would have allowed me to target Hero level individuals to enter. Congrats on thwarting my plans. It was always all or nothing, and I have no regrets. I tried my best. Do what you wish with me. But know this: I will be valuable in the fight against the Church, and the avenue was also present for me to go to the Church to accomplish the same thing. I didn't use it, because I detest them as much as you. I hope you remember this."

Daneel almost felt like clapping as he heard all this.

All of her preparations had been so thorough that he had had to undergo so many hardships to reach till here, and now that it was all revealed, a sensation of relief flooding through him.

The reason he had expected to find Letitia here was that he had gotten a simple question while thinking about this whole thing: if Letitia was the one who was the culprit, then what did she have to gain?

The only answer to this was that it might be something related to her consciousness, which was the only thing that could possibly be left behind of her in this world, as it had been confirmed beyond doubt that those ashes had belonged to her body.

In that case… What better location than a confidant to store herself?

From the beginning, the objective had simply been to confuse those investigating. After all, this wasn't a very preferred method to grow in power, and it would definitely be stopped. What she was doing could potentially result in the failure is of five other important seeds.

Beside him, the Head cracked a smile, but suddenly, as Daneel went over all the facts of the case one last time, something stood out to him.

Something...felt wrong.

As his thoughts continued down that route, he looked like a man who had been struck by lightning out of a clear sky.

Chapter 742: Finale 2

Tap tap tap tap tap…..

Sitting in a room with mirrors surrounding him, Matthew was tapping his leg on the floor repeatedly, as he was wont to do whenever he was displeased with something.

For the past day, he and the others had been confined in such rooms, separately, with all communication methods taken away from them. In front of him was a table, and on it were a few tomes regarding the attitude that one should adopt if they wished to reach the peak. It was idle reading meant for seeds who wanted to pass time, and it had been placed there with the message that he should read it if he was bored.

Food was teleported into the room onto the table at exactly the time when he usually had his meals, and even though the food, itself, was still cooked by the gourmet chefs who were specially employed by the Big Four for the seeds, it tasted bland, because of the situation that he found himself in.

From the beginning, it had been pretty deplorable that they were the ones being suspected for Letitia's murder. She had been a wonderful girl, and she had always seemed to know exactly what to say to become close to them. It had felt as if it was destined for her to become an integral part of their small family, and they had readily accepted her and even sworn oaths together that they would never betray each other.

This had been suggested by Letitia, because she had heard about many other groups not being able to trust each other because there were no such things in place. According to her, she had secretly inquired about such things after finding out that their group of seeds was one that was ranked the lowest whenever there were competitions between the groups.

She had claimed that the reason that the groups were united was that oaths like these existed, and because they had found no fault in her reasoning and as they really did feel strongly that they should be comrades for life, they had right away sworn the oaths, and Matthew had even begun to look forward to finally ending their losing streak.

Yet, this tragedy had happened, and once again, he found himself missing that long-haired girl who had once baked him some of his most favorite cookies.

In fact, she had even helped him speak to one of the other seeds whom he had always had a crush on, and for that and many of the other interactions in which she had proven to be the best friend possible, he had treasured her a lot.

As he sat there, he began to reminisce about everything they had done together, and it felt like a lifetime had passed since she had arrived even though it had only been a few months.

Just like Jessica, when it had been revealed that they were the prime suspects, he had been equally angry, but as the leader of the group, he had controlled himself and not allowed it to show.

After all, he had always trusted himself with the highest of responsibilities, just like in the case where he had taken it upon himself to stop the others when they had wanted to go out and kill the King.

They were his comrades, and they had drawbacks, and it was his job to make sure that those drawbacks wouldn't end up hurting their futures prominently. The decision to even go and target the king on the suggestion of that Hero had only been taken because of the deep-seated hatred that Scarlet and Dave seemed to have against the Central Continent for some reason, and the others had agreed as they also didn't have much love for that place. Surprisingly, that had been the case even with Letitia, even though she was said to have originated from there. Her past was known to all, and they had all pitied her for the gruesome things that she had gone through during her childhood.

Whatever their reasons were, Matthew had been determined to act as a good friend, and as the disciple of the Chief of the Fortress. Even if it would take his life, he had been prepared to give it up for this cause which he deemed to be worthy, but that had exactly been when disaster struck.

Even now, Matthew found himself cursing that assassin who had dared to attack not once, but twice. All he remembered from the second attack was that the man had appeared in the same manner as last time, and even though he hadn't been very afraid as the Head had been nearby, he had been puzzled because the Head had just kept watching without moving. After that, he remembered fainting, and he had been given no explanation except that Dave was the only one injured, and that he was stable, but unconscious. He was pretty confident that the assassin must have been caught, though, because there was no way that he could be more powerful than the most powerful man on the continent.

Normally, he was a firm advocate against the usage of the High Council's famous torture cells, which were apparently created from formations left behind from the age of the Empire by someone who was famous for their expertise in this aspect. But in this matter, he would have agreed to have that assassin placed there, so that the truth would come out regarding just why he had targeted their dear, innocent friend.

He had had this thought multiple times since being confined here, but this time, just as he reached the end of it, a door came into being in front of him.

The room had originally seemed as if it had no doors, and he had actually kept his eyes closed till now as it was quite jarring to see multiple reflections of himself in all directions.

When he opened his eyes on sensing the influx of wind to see that the Head was standing in front of that door, he immediately stood up and asked, "Have there been any developments? Did we find out why he did it?"

"Not he. She."

Hearing this cryptic answer from the Head, Matthew didn't understand, but his jaw dropped when he saw a person behind the Head.

It was Letitia, and her hands were confined in cuffs which looked like as if they were made from solid gold.

What the hell?!

Still unable to really believe it, Matthew staggered outside, almost ignoring the Head. Letitia was standing a few feet away, and it looked like the room he was confined in and the three others like it were placed in a semicircle in the large open area inside the mountain.

Four clones of the Head had appeared in front of the four individuals in all four rooms, and just like him, the other three also stumbled outside. Jessica had even begun to rub her eyes innocently, but no matter how much she did so, the image in front of her didn't change.

It really was their friend. She stood in the same way, and she had the same downturned lips which almost always had a smile that used to light up their day whenever they saw it in the morning. Right now, she seemed extremely disgruntled, because she kept looking down without raising her head to face them.

At the same time, though, as Matthew observed more, he felt that something was wrong. Even though he was a Fighter, he had trained as a Mage so that he can unlock his elementary vision which would aid him in fights, and as he switched it on at almost the same time as the others, he noticed that the person in front of them was actually using a camouflage spell to appear like Letitia.

Then maybe...it wasn't really her?

Why wasn't anything making sense?

Thankfully, at this point, the Head, who had disappeared and reappeared behind Letitia, spoke up.

"Yes, you are looking at the culprit. And although she's not in her original body, which she destroyed, it is really her. Her consciousness has taken full control of this body who formerly used to be her friend, just like all of you. Her plan was to use an obscure technique which would have allowed her to leech off of your power using the bond she created within you in her short stay here. This was her plan…"

As the Head revealed her plan which had apparently started with her identifying them as a group of scapegoats who could be easily infiltrated, Matthew could only stare with wide-open eyes.

Again and again, he kept glancing between the Head and Letitia, almost hoping that they would burst out laughing and declare that it was a prank.

Alas, nothing of the sort happened, and as the entire thing got unveiled, he thought on it, and realized that it all made sense.

Even during the time when they had sworn those oaths, he had gotten a slightly bad feeling, but he hadn't been able to understand it all.

And the way she had been able to get so close to them in such a short time… It had been nothing short of suspicious, but Matthew had never gotten the doubt as he had always trusted the High Council and those of the Big 4 to never have any nefarious schemes against them.

In all his 22 years of life, he had only spent his time training and preparing to fight against the Church. The Chief had often said that he was naïve, but he had never believed that. He had been content in his staunch belief that Angarians would naturally not fight against each other, but now… He realized how right his master had been.

It was Jessica who was the first who reacted. She collapsed onto the ground, and Scarlet immediately rushed to her side. Matthew walked in that direction, too, all while keeping an eye on Letitia- the poisonous snake who had almost ended their future.

She actually had a scoffing expression on her face, and as Matthew saw this, his anger began to rise, but he controlled it and joined with Scarlet to console Jessica, who had just gotten up. Memphis also came and stood beside them, and he actually burst out into laughter and then started to clap.

"Well done. Well done, really."

His words were filled with sarcasm, and even though he seemed to be taking this casually, his slightly red eyes made clear the fact that he was quite enraged.

"Let this be a lesson to you that as seeds, you will be the targets of many, even from Angaria. You will have to be careful with regards to where you place your trust, and when in doubt, it is always best to trust yourself. This does not mean that you should not have companions, but even if you do, you should always take everything with a pinch of salt. Anyway, you can say your goodbyes to Letitia, because she will soon be placed in front of the High Council for judgement. I will be interrogating her more in my abode to see if she has any accomplices, and after her consciousness recovers, I will also be checking her mind. As it stands, it is possible that she is facing a long, long time of imprisonment, along with many, many oaths that she will have to take if she wishes to live. We have the King of Lanthanor and his commander to thank for identifying the culprit, who might have escaped if there hadn't been as skilled a duo on their tail. Seeds, grow stronger from this, not weaker. There are a lot of expectations on you, and I hope that you reach all of them. Farewell, for now."

Saying so, the Head vanished along with Letitia, and Matthew and the rest were left staring at the spot where they had disappeared.

They couldn't believe that this entire matter had come to an end in this method. Indeed, the King of Lanthanor needed to be thanked, but first, Matthew decided to be there for his friends.

For a day, they stayed together, and because Dave still seemed to be recovering, the four of them spent their time talking between themselves about everything that had happened while also remarking on just how they had been made fools.

There were also many bottles of wine which had been sent over as a courtesy from the Head, and because they were from his personal collection, they tasted excellent. As one, the four drowned their sorrows in alcohol, and even innocent Jessica drank a little and promptly fell asleep.

With this, the rest of them chose to retire. They had chosen to lodge in the mountain for the time being, in a small building in the garden which had a beautiful view. Matthew walked to his room to turn in, hoping to have a fresh from the next day.

The night passed peacefully, and it looked as if everything was alright.

Yet… At around 3 AM, Matthew was suddenly awoken by a scream that sounded as if it was coming from the room right in front of his, in which Jessica was sleeping.

Alarmed, he immediately ran outside to find Jessica backing away in the corridor.

In front of her… Was the same assassin who had already attacked them twice.

For a moment, Matthew was speechless.

Hadn't everything been resolved? Hadn't there been no assassin at all in the first place?

He wondered whether this was also Mind Control, but seeing the extreme fear in Jessica's face, he decided that he couldn't take a chance.

If it was Mind Control, there was no way to prove it, and it was best to play safe.

He immediately sent a message and then ran to stand in front of Jessica to protect her.

She was the little darling of their group, and there was no way that he would allow anything to happen to her.

The corridor was in such a way that Jessica's room was at the far end, with Matthew's right in front of her's.

Four more rooms were present with two arranged opposite to the other two, and as Jessica continued to back away, Memphis and Scarlet also appeared from their rooms and came to the same conclusion as Matthew.

Just like the second time when they had all grouped together to protect the most innocent and weakest of them all, the three of them stood in front of her, and the assassin continued to walk forward cautiously.

He looked like he hadn't been expecting this again, because he spoke in a gravelly voice.

"If you value your lives, move. I'm only here to kill her. If you try to stop me, all of you will have to pay with your lives."

He was here to kill Jessica?!

Instantly, anger appeared in all three of their faces.

This incident had made it so that they treasured each other even more, and as childhood friends, this trust was something which could not be shaken.

Jessica had come as a little girl when they had all already grown to be a few years old. She was their little sister, and they had always protected her from everything that they could possibly shield her from.

She had such a strong place in their hearts that they wouldn't even hesitate to give up their lives for her, so now, even though the assassin said this, there was no doubt that came into the minds.

If needed, to save her… They were ready to die.

Even the usually aloof Memphis had this emotion, and he was actually the one who even dared to walk forward so that he could place himself in the first row of defense, along with Matthew.

"Very well. Die."

Saying so, the assassin threw three daggers, and all three of them were covered with the same golden poison that they had thought had taken the life of their friend.

Ironically, now, they were going to be killed by it.

Each of them mustered their power, but the daggers looked as if nothing could stop them.

They had been given no time to completely put their powers on display, and as the daggers broke through barrier after barrier, it looked as if there was nothing else to do but accept death.

Well, at least, they would be delaying the assassin, so Matthew prepared to face his end with the hope that the time they would be buying with their lives would be enough for the Head to appear and save Jessica.

In his eyes, the tip of the dagger came nearer and nearer, and it was aimed at his forehead.

In the last moment, he even closed his eyes, but even a second after that… He felt nothing.

Was the dagger so wondrous that it didn't even cause pain? Had he already died?

But he could still feel his entire body!

Unable to understand, Matthew opened his eyes and took a step back when he saw with shock that the dagger had frozen in place in the air.

Turning around, he saw that the same was true for the other two daggers, too, but when he turned behind him to look for Jessica to ensure that she was safe, he started to feel panic as there was no one there.

Had she been abducted?

Fear appearing in his eyes, he immediately whirled around, but that was when he received the shock of his life.

In his haste to ensure the safety of his companions, he hadn't paid much attention to the assassin, because it was logical to assume that if someone had stopped the daggers, then they would also have restricted the one who was responsible for throwing them.

Just as he thought, the assassin really was restricted, but the reason behind his shock was that the hood of the assassin, which had been covering his face, had been thrown back.

The woman that he had been looking for behind him was the one whose face he saw in front of him, and as be blinked to make sure that he hadn't gone completely crazy, he saw the King of Lanthanor appear beside her.

With a smile that he would remember for the rest of his life, the King spoke in an amused tone.

"Poor, innocent Jessica. You fooled your friends. You fooled Letitia. You fooled me, too. Well, almost. Head, is it possible to throw her in the same cell as Letitia? I've only heard of catfights, but I've never seen them. This would be the perfect opportunity to strike that off of my bucket list!"

Chapter 743: Finale End

A few minutes later, everyone, including Dave, was sitting in front of Daneel while waiting for him to shed light on exactly how he had managed to identify the threat to their lives in order to save them at the perfect moment.

After he had given that statement, the Head had only smiled in response and then flicked his fingers to make Jessica faint.

After that, he had walked to a particular location in the corridor and stamped his foot down, resulting in a formation that had been laid down around the building breaking into pieces.

It had been concealed in the most ingenious of ways, and it was only after it had been exposed that they were able to see that it was one which blocked them perfectly from any and all surveillance, while also putting out a fake image that would have fooled most surveillance methods.

Even messages going out would be blocked, so unless someone was aware that something was going to go wrong, no help would have arrived, and those three daggers would have found their marks.

This revelation had shocked them all to the core, and made them look upon Daneel in a new light. Most of what had happened still didn't make sense, but what was clear was that this had all been preplanned to make sure that no help would arrive. After all, the case was supposed to have been solved, and there would be no reason for there to be extra surveillance on them.

Even if there had been extra surveillance, it was a Hero level formation which Jessica seemed to have obtained somehow, and most normal Heroes would have been hard-pressed to identify it and break it to come save them.

Only the Head was strong enough, but he was supposed to be engaged in further interrogating Letitia so that he could find out if there was anyone else involved in this matter.

In other words, their deaths had been predetermined.

But… Why? Why had Jessica been in the garb of the assassin? Why would she want to kill them? What could she hope to obtain? And how could the King even have known that something like this would happen?

Looking forward to the answers to these questions, everyone present waited, but it looked as if the king wanted to savor the moment for a little while longer.

Finally, after noticing that those in front of him were reaching a breaking point where they might just decide to attack him in case he didn't give his reasoning, the King of Lanthanor opened his mouth and began to speak.

"I'll be frank with you. For the longest time, just like I mentioned before, I was also fooled. I thought I was on the right track, and because I had obtained that track after a lot of hard work, I was inclined to believe that it was correct. Step-by-step, I reached Letitia, and after she gave the explanation regarding what had happened, at first glance, it all seemed to fit in perfectly. At that point, I think it was an inner wish to resolve this matter as quickly as possible which pushed me towards accepting that she was the culprit so that I could end all of my investigations. However, as I had a habit of doing so, I took a step back and looked over the entire thing, again, and that was when I understood that I had actually been…lead to Letitia, instead of reaching her on my own, as I thought I had done."

All those present leaned forward as Daneel continued, and seeing this, his tone actually took on an additional aspect of slight pride.

"It is said that the best trackers require but a single clue to find the location of even the craftiest beasts. In this issue, when looking back, I found one major incongruency, and that was actually what led me down a pathway of revelations which involved things that I hadn't even paid mind to before. What I am referring to… is the incident where it became clear that Mind Control was the reason behind all of you seeing that assassin."

As expressions of confusion appeared on most of the faces in front of him, Daneel smiled and continued.

"You see, after talking to Letitia, I got a clear gauge of her intellect and skill in making plans. It took years of meticulous planning to pull off the act of entering your group. So, when thinking about the whole thing with that information, it just didn't…fit. Think about it. The entire reason why we were even placed on the track of Mind Control was that we were clearly exposed to that image where all five of the seeds were being targeted by someone invisible. The reasoning given was that it was a plan implemented by Letitia where in its aftermath, Dave would expose himself as the culprit and then kill himself to close the entire matter. True, it was my actions which prevented that, and it had looked as if I had thwarted the plans of the one behind it all. But if someone with Letitia's brains was really the one behind it, wouldn't they have chosen a much safer option? There was no reason, at all, to expose to us that it was Mind Control. After a little bit of time, while Letitia lay low, she could simply have ordered Dave to write a suicide note saying that he was the culprit before killing himself out of guilt. That, too, would have closed the matter, and there would have been no way whatsoever for anyone to interfere. However… Using that kind of shoddy method allowed me to create a plan where it was easily confirmed that someone else was the culprit. In fact, even that concealed attacking formation that was meant to target someone from the Central Continent was not something that Letitia would have chosen to use, as again, it would throw doubt on the story of the five seeds. Again, she wouldn't have done that. From there, step-by-step, I was able to reach Letitia, and normally, everything would have ended there. However…this incongruency that was revealed to me led me to rethink the entire matter."

Drinking a bit of conjured water and keeping the smile on his face as he saw the enraptured expressions of those in front of him, Daneel spoke again.

"I read someone once say that 'when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth'. The truth that was shown to me was that there might be someone else behind this, and it set me on the track to ask some very important questions.

"Is there a different explanation that can explain the facts, even if it has some grey areas?

"Could Letitia, herself, have been manipulated to implement her plan in that way, so that she could be framed as the culprit?

"Could there be someone else who could benefit in some way from this matter?

"It was in the process of finding these answers that I began to connect the dots. When that illusion of an assassin was attacking the five seeds, four of them had bunched together to protect Jessica. From that, itself, it was clear that she was the treasure of the group. Going back to the testimonies of the others, this was displayed, too, because they all expressed emotions of extreme attachment to her. Before Letitia arrived, she was actually the center of attention of the group, with Scarlet being deeply interested in her, Dave pursuing her, and Memphis and Matthew treating her like their little sister. Basically… She fulfilled the conditions for the first part of Letitia's technique perfectly. She had a perfect group of people who might be ready to sacrifice themselves for her. Also, those who are guilty often find themselves almost unconsciously trying to show themselves as innocent. Even in the most experienced of criminals, this behavior is seen. Since the beginning, Jessica was the most vehement in stating that she and the others shouldn't be the suspects, and this didn't even fit that well with her 'innocent' description."

Expressions of awe slowly started to appear as the dots which had all seemed inconsequential came together, like a jigsaw puzzle whose pieces had all been painted the same color.

"The grey area was clear: I don't know how she could have obtained the technique, or overpowered Letitia. But I had a working theory, and there was an easy way to see if I was right. If Jessica was behind this, she would fear Letitia's mind being skimmed, which might reveal something about her. She seemed to have already used Mind Control to erase all memories of herself being responsible in Letitia's mind, but traces can still be found. Before that happened, it would be best to carry out the sacrifice and obtain power. After that, she would have time to make more plans to blame others, which she seems to be an expert in doing, or use some other methods to make herself look like the victim. I confess that I am not perfect: I knew that she would do this tonight, before the Head would skim through Letitia's mind, as she must know that by tomorrow, Letitia's mind would be stable enough. The Head had identified this after an examination. If so, after this sacrifice, she must have planned something to make sure that she will remain hidden. This is another grey area, and I think it is time I ask the Head to speak, so that he can give us the answers."

With a nod, the Head spoke up.

"I have checked Jessica's mind forcefully, and even though she placed safeguards against it, I broke through them, even if it meant injuring her in the process. Jessica was always the one with the weakest talent in the group, and her goal had always been to use something forbidden to increase her power. That is why she was secretly building contacts with those from all other sects, who all were attracted to her due to her 'cute innocence'. By the way, that is also how she obtained the formation she just used. Anyway, she was able to hear about Letitia, and the whispers in the Eternal Blossom Sect that said that she could have a very valuable technique. On the day that Letitia arrived, Jessica used a one-time Hero-level trinket that she had obtained as a gift from a pursuer to overpower Letitia and take her under her control. She found out her plan, and when she looked for ways to obtain the technique, herself, she saw that there was a process where the test could be placed by someone who had passed, as the objective of the one whose Inheritance is the reason behind the Eternal Blossom Sect's existence was always to propagate his techniques to those whom he deemed worthy. Jessica took the test, and surprisingly passed. She saw the opportunity where she could use the first pathway which grants the most power, and she edited Letitia's plan to make everything happen in this way. Her last step was to grow in power with this sacrifice and then visit Letitia to kill her using a sudden burst of power as 'revenge' for killing her friends(she would have framed Letitia for this, too.) She would attribute this 'burst of power' and increase in talent which she would have obtained from the sacrifices to the rare chance where a Mage can break out of their proverbial shell in times of crises. She would have gotten more resources, and happily entered another group to repeat the process. King, you…have really averted a disaster. How can I ever hope to repay you?"

The answer from the King was simple, and so prompt that it made the Head go speechless.

"Oh, it's nothing. A treasury or two will do. All right, fine, I jest. But how about five weapons, instead of just one?"

Chapter 744: Choosing the Prize

In the air above the Kingdom of Lanthanor, Daneel was pacing around on a platform that he had created while he waited for the return of the Head.

The man had laughed after his request before, but after that, in seriousness, he had said that he really would try to obtain more benefits for him from the High Council.

The relationship between the High Council and the Head had always been something that Daneel had thought he knew clearly, but recently, he had started to get doubts regarding that.

He had always thought that the Head had even gotten his moniker because he was, well, the Head of the High Council, but on asking, he had found out that that was not the case.

That was strange, because even in the records that he had gone through in the Goddess's Sanctum, it had been stated that even though there might be multiple personages who might have the same overall power level in the continent, the Head was the one who was declared to be the strongest in a contest that was held every time the present Head stepped down.

It was a position of privilege, and it allowed one to have near limitless resources. Of course, there were a lot of duties, too, which would occupy most of their day, but many treated this as something to be treasured, and not complained about.

In those writings, Daneel had gotten the feeling that patriotism had still been on the rise at that time, unlike now, where the situation was almost completely different.

Although Daneel had no idea how it had changed in a mere thousand years, he did not venture any guesses, but what he had found out from the Head was that unlike what many people thought, he wasn't actually the strongest person in the continent.

There were apparently others who could rival him in power, and when they stood together in the High Council, even he would have to only meekly ask and argue a bit for things instead of using his position to bully them into getting what he wanted.

The good thing was that these personages were usually not involved in petty conflicts such as that where a few Heroes had been calling for action on Daneel before. Still, their opinion was very much valued, and during that incident, apparently, they had been split, which had allowed the Head to use his display of power to cow the rest and make the entire thing preferable for them.

The very fact that there were people more powerful than the Head, itself, had shocked Daneel quite a bit, because after seeing the display of power before when the man had fought against the one from the Church, Daneel had been pretty convinced that that might be the ceiling of power of the Heroes ofAngaria.

However, after thinking about the fact that the one from the Church was simply another emissary who had been sent to stay here probably because he wasn't even very important, Daneel realized that maybe, this should have been obvious all along. At least, even if he couldn't have imagined that there were those more powerful, he should've guessed that there were people as strong as the Head who must have helped him when they had beaten back those from the Church before. For a time, he considered whether he should ask Rayen about this, but then realizing that there was probably nothing he could do even if he did find out about them, he abandoned the idea and decided to focus more on what was in front of him, which was the weapon, or weapons that he was going to obtain.

His dream was to obtain those with multiple consciousnesses of Godbeasts of possible because right now, he only had two, but just these two might be enough for him to unrivaled in the Champion realm. What he was looking for was more abilities which he could use to his advantage in multiple situations, unlike those of the Dragon and the Cockroach which showed their might in mostly battle, and not in daily life.

The battle was just one part of the struggle against the Church. Before that battle, a lot of preparations still had to be done, and for those, he hoped to find a few consciousnesses that would grant him some abilities that might just tip the scale even further in the favor of the Central Continent.

He had already had a few ideas regarding what he would ideally want, but he had hidden them deep in his heart, because he did not want to go to the treasuries and then see that there was no chance of obtaining those.

As he finally saw the Head reappear, he looked up with an expression of expectation on his face and even felt a smile creeping onto his lips when he saw that the man had a satisfied expression.

"By repeating again and again that if you hadn't been involved, Jessica would have killed all five seeds and then gone on to probably kill more, I was able to secure quite a bit for you. It is to be expected, though, because the services you have rendered really do deserve the best that we can give. Here is an official order from the High Council which grants you access to all four Treasuries in the Big Four, and even a fifth one which is hidden in a very secure location. That is the one which contains the best of our weapons, and in fact, only one person has access to it. You will have to follow the rules of that place, and I must say that I envy you, because even I have only visited that place once."

Daneel continued to look at the Head with that same expression of expectation even though the man stopped speaking at this point, which made him chuckle and then continue.

"Two weapons. Oh, don't look so glum, hear the rest first. Two weapons of any tier can be selected by you, but if they are of a tier higher than your power level, then you would be lent them. If the High Council asks, you will have to return them, but until then, they will be in your position to study and even use, if you can, at your own risk. The objective behind this is that even though you do have the Divine Cockroach bloodline, you still have the potential to become one of the strongest on the continent. Hence, the High Council wishes to help you by giving you these weapons which you can study to gain hints into possible Paths that you can obtain, or possible insights that might help you in your journey. A Bloodline which has the potential to be awakened is precious, and the Divine Cockroach, unlike general perception, is one whose possessors were dreaded if they chose the correct path and trained in the correct way. Along with these, I was also asked to give you a few specific tomes which were left behind from the age of the Empire by those who had this Bloodline, who became the leaders of the generation and then even went on to become Heroes who led long and prestigious lives. I speak of the time before the apocalypse, of course. Anyway, if you're ready, then we can set off right away to the Treasuries. I assume that you will be selecting for your commander, too?"

As Daneel nodded, the Head smiled.

Indeed, he had gotten an expression just like a child who had been promised a massive set of toys, but had only been given a small car to play around with when he had heard the words 'two weapons'.

However, that expression had faded away when he heard the subsequent words: 'weapons of any tier'.

Since the beginning, he had been worried about the fact that the weapons with consciousnesses which he wished to obtain might be of tiers which he couldn't' access..

After all, from the description that he had heard in the Treasury of the Gods, they seemed like fantastic weapons which would definitely not be given away casually to someone who had just broken through as a Champion like him.

Hence, this was probably the perfect outcome that he could have hoped for. He didn't really care if he would just be lent the weapons, because all he needed was a tiny bit of the consciousness that lingered around all parts of Godbeasts.

A moment after his reply. the Head teleported them to a familiar place.

Indeed, coincidently, the location they arrived at was the Fortress of Unyielding Might, where Daneel had been baited before by the scroll which contained the methodology behind obtaining an Ultimate technique which had been dangled in front of him by the Chief before the Legacy Battle.

This methodology, itself, had been something that he had been thinking about, as he wanted to find a way to implement it for his own path. However, so far, he hadn't gotten any headway into it, and he had decided to take it slow as it would be another trump card that might just save his life in the future.

As the Head directly opened the same thick metal door which Daneel had passed through before, he saw that this time, all of the podiums around him which had been covered with various barriers and formations were now visible, and he could see the objects placed on each of them.

In fact, this arrangement seemed to be common among all the Treasuries of the Big Four, as he had also seen it in the one that he had been to inside the Sect of Hedon, which felt like so long ago.

Whatever the case, the podiums being visible to him was so fascinating that he had already asked the system to perfectly record everything that he was seeing, and right away, he was drawn to a certain one just a few feet away from him.

On it was was an object affixed with four large tasks of an unknown beast. They were affixed on to a metal glove, of sorts, which looked like a weapon that was used by Fighters who loved punching things. These four tusks were each 2 feet long, making it so that if one wore the gloves, they would be quite difficult to carry around.

However, just seeing the tip of each tusk made Daneel feel a slight chill in his back, and as he took a step back because of that, the Head walked forward and said, "It seems that you have an eye for weapons, because you directly went to one of the most precious that is present in this sect. It was made from the tusks of a Godbeast which was known for its piercing power, but it is not a perfect weapon because it makes almost all wielders go slightly mad. In fact, if it is used for a long time, there was even a case where the one who used it permanently lost his sanity. Hence, it is saved for extreme situations, and I would advise you not to choose it."

Daneel raised an eyebrow as he heard this, before instantly going to a different podium.

He had already made an internal list regarding the Godbeasts whose consciousnesses he wanted, and as he went from podium to podium, he kept looking for weapons which fit that list while cataloging everything that was present.

He had to say that he was quite impressed with the collection of the Big Four, and even though they did not contain the top weapons from the age of the Empire which were surely stored in the Treasury of the Gods, the ones that they did have were all powerful objects that could raise the power level of wielders by at least one or two levels. Of course, there was also a problem with most of them, and these problems were actually caused by the consciousnesses that were left behind.

Even with 'Rampage', the weapon he had seen, Daneel had found out that those used it were prone to having their consciousness altered to become people with short tempers, and even the Emperor had lamented that things like these could not be avoided when one messed with the remains of Godbeasts.

After being done with all four Treasuries, Daneel waited to go to the fifth one, but to his surprise, the Head actually just stayed at the Eternal Blossoms sect, whose treasury they had just examined.

This had been one of the barest of all four Treasuries, and the Head had even mentioned that this was actually only one that had been set up by the High Council. Apparently, there was a separate, secret Treasury for this sect which housed the weapons that were related to their techniques, and no one had access to it except for the sect master.

The Head closed his eyes as if speaking to someone while Daneel waited for a few moments, and after that, he finally opened his mouth and said, "Alright, let's go. I had to ask permission, first. The Protector awaits."

That word was spoken with the utmost respect, and even as Daneel wondered just who this individual might be, he found himself teleported to a place underground where there was only a large metal door that could fit a giant in front of him. The door was unmarked, but strangely, there were a lot of dents on it, as if someone had unsuccessfully tried to break it into pieces.

The system immediately notified him that he was in a place where nothing could be scanned outside, and in the next moment, a man wearing grey armour appeared in front of him.

It was a full suit of armour which covered even his face, and on top of it, he was wearing a grey cloak that was tattered, as if it had been used in the roughest of conditions for a long, long time.

In his hands was a sword, and surprisingly, as he rested its tip on the ground so that he could take support on it, it caused a loud sound to reverberate around the area, almost as if it weighed much more than it looked.

The sword also looked ancient – it had a serrated blade which ran straight, and it seemed to be made like a traditional long sword. Just the blade was at least 4 feet tall, and the crossguard, which was much longer than usual, had a strange figure engraved on it. The hilt was wrapped in leather, and even though the man in the armour began to speak, Daneel's eyes didn't waver from this weapon in his hands.

"Welcome to the secret Treasury of Angaria. Unlike the other Treasuries where you would be allowed to see what you wished, here, you must give a few specifications, and I can only show you three weapons in total."

"I want that weapon in your hands!"

As the King unhesitatingly spoke these words, the two men in the room could only stare at him, who almost looked like a kid who was pointing at something in a display and was throwing a tantrum that he wanted it no matter what.

What they didn't know… Was that this was the weapon on top of the list that Daneel had made for himself, and if he could obtain it, he was prepared to bet that he might just become the most powerful Champion level Fighter in the entire continent of Angaria.

Chapter 745: A Friendly Battle

The next day, Faxul was interrupted in his training by a message from the king.

He knew that his best friend was occupied by some matter regarding the Big Four, and although he, himself, was very interested in mysteries, he had resisted the urge to ask whether he could join in as he had already set a goal for himself that he was ardently working towards.

Just a few days ago, before the incident where Daneel had broken through, Faxul had been pretty content in his power. Although he had been training with the technique that had been given to him which would bring out his Bloodline powers perfectly, he hadn't been too inclined to use every possible moment to train, and he had been spending quite a bit of time interacting with those from his Kingdom and finding out more about their problems.

He had assumed that his power would allow him to stay content in the fact that his friend had quite a lot of catching up to do, and hence, he had diverted his attention to things like these which he really liked doing.

As a result of that, he had gotten a better name in the Kingdom, as he had been seen going around and inquiring about the problems in even small villages and solving them right away with the resources that were being sent regularly from the Alliance headquarters. After all, they were now a part of the Alliance, so it was only to be expected that they would receive a portion of resources to spend on making the kingdom better.

Faxul knew that even though this amount of money was only a fraction of the large reserve that Daneel had obtained from multiple sources, it was all he could send without raising suspicion in those who might be regularly keeping a watch in the hopes that he might mess up and reveal something.

Of course, no one even probably expected that the King was hiding anything, but it was always best to be safe than sorry. The both of them had discussed regarding this, and they had decided that a method should be figured out where much more resources could be pulled out to further fasten the development of the Alliance so that it could eventually at least hope to stand and defend millions when the time for the battle came.

After being interrupted by the message, the sounds of many things around him clattering to the ground were heard, because they had all been floating in the air due to the minute changes in gravity that always occurred whenever he trained in the path of the Devouring Monarch of the Sky.

10 tiny black holes had been revolving around his body, and they all disappeared, too, as he picked up the display trinket to check the message.

"Fancy a battle? I want to test out some Fighter skills that I obtained."

The first sentence made Faxul flinch, as he still remembered vividly the method in which his friend had ripped apart that Mad Doctor, who was supposed to be an Exalted Champion, almost as if he was nothing more than a helpless fly in front of him. No trace had been left of him, and that sight had been imprinted into all of their minds.

That was the reason why he had thrown himself into training, but still, he had had the assurance that if they were speaking about fighting as Fighters, then his Bloodline may give him an advantage. After all, his was a slightly different path from Daneel's, who would definitely be directly using the power of a Godbeast. Instead of that, he would be utilizing magic to bring out those same powers in an even better way, and that was why Daneel had even said that in the age of the Empire, the personal corps of the Emperor who managed to use the custom techniques designed for their specific bloodlines were, in many cases, more powerful than the original Godbeasts, themselves. Of course, this was only when they reached higher levels, but still, it was something to look forward to.

Faxul couldn't help but have this small amount of competitiveness, because it was what spurred him ahead. It had always been something that was present between them – ever since they had met in the training hall. One wanted to surpass the other, and even though that one had constantly been surpassed on occasion after occasion, he still didn't lose hope and wished to see the day where he could achieve that for at least a little bit of time, in at least some or the other aspect.

He had thought that he had achieved it before, after his own breakthrough, but that hadn't lasted for very long.

Shaking his head to get rid of these thoughts, a sly smile actually came on Faxul's face, because he had just achieved a breakthrough in his own training.

The path of the Devouring Monarch of the Skies was something which completely revolved around that single word- "devouring".

He had actually gotten inspiration from seeing the way that Daneel had killed the Mad Doctor, and that had led him to understand something that he had been trying to for a long time.

Even he had been itching to try it out in battle, but there really had been no one to fight. Daneel was the best option, but he had been busy, and now that he was asking for it himself, Faxul readily agreed and teleported away from the Palace of the Black Raven Kingdom.

He soon appeared in the underground fighting arena in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, which was perfectly designed to not allow anyone to peer in and see what was really happening inside.

According to Daneel, there had been many formations laid out which would also dampen the shock waves that might erupt when two powerful individuals fought, making it so that it was perfect to conceal their true powers from whoever might be watching.

As soon as Faxul appeared, he saw his friend with a smug grin on his face, which made him ask, "Oh? You seem quite satisfied with something. Can I ask what that is?"

After chuckling, the King of Lanthanor said, "You'll find out soon. Let's begin right away. These are the rules: I will not be using even a smidgen of my mage power. You can use everything at your disposal, and all I will do is use my Bloodline. What do you say?"

This was the entire reason why Faxul had even come. If his friend was going to use his Mage powers, he was pretty sure that he wouldn't stand even the slightest chance of landing even a single attack.

Nodding, he said, "Fine by me. Should I control my power? Or will you be fast enough to activate your Mage powers in case you need to?"

Faxul said this in a jesting tone, but he was actually only half-kidding. In battle, many things could go wrong, and if he went all out, he knew that there was a very real risk that his friend might get injured. True, he might be crushed afterward if he chose to use this Mage path, but the damage would be done, and he didn't want something like that to happen in this crucial time where they were still under the surveillance of many in the continent. It seemed that they had gotten quite a lot of attention due to the breakthrough of the King, and a lot of people were apparently watching to see what he would do next.

In response, Daneel simply raised an eyebrow and nodded, following which he made a gesture with his hands as if inviting Faxul to attack.

Faxul shrugged, and a slight expression of anticipation came in his eyes.

He knew that his friend was not someone who usually underestimated others, but in this case, he hoped to give him quite a big surprise.

Taking a deep breath, Faxul raised both of his hands, and at the same moment, three black holes, each the size of a fist, appeared right above Daneel.

The expression on the King of Lanthanor's face changed to reveal slight surprise as he saw these three black holes swirl around each other and then slowly begin to enlarge. The reason behind his surprise…was that he also found himself to be stuck to the spot, mainly because the space elementary particles in the area had been completely taken into the control of his friend.

As these three black holes continued to revolve and grow larger and larger, Faxul folded his hands behind his back and began to speak.

"As you must already know, a Black Raven's power exists in its desire to devour the entire world. At first, I used to think that this simply meant that a Black Raven wishes to keep devouring until it can grow as strong as possible. However… When I saw you deal with the Mad Doctor the other day, I realized that I might have missed the essence. I had always known that there must be something wrong in my understanding, but seeing that image allowed me to understand that devouring… Also means destroying. In the accompanying technique that you gave me, there was a spell which I had used even before, but it hadn't been very powerful because I wasn't able to completely bring forth its essence. After my revelation, I was able to understand what it means to 'devour' much better, and now… I daresay that this spell can probably defeat most Champions even a level above me, and that it might also stand a chance in killing that Mad Doctor if I manage to catch him off guard. It is very taxing to use, but you must admit that it is quite effective. There was no specific name in the tome, so I decided to give it one myself. It is called…'Devouring Prison of Darkness'."

As soon as that name was heard in the stadium, the black holes reached a point where they complete covered Daneel from all directions.

Before, the attractive force from each had at least been manageable, but now, with it being present from all directions, it even started to tear away at the barriers that Daneel had conjured.

Daneel couldn't help but admit that he was impressed. The black holes around him were designed to swallow up even the attacks that one might use to try and escape, and because the space was locked very firmly, one couldn't teleport, either.

All of his barriers began to break, and finally, Daneel even had to activate the Divine Cockroach Bloodline to defend.

The negative was clear, though. If the one casting this spell didn't manage to kill their opponent in a short time, they would be completely devoid of energy to do anything else, as it was too taxing on the caster.

After around a minute, this came to be. Faxul had to stop the spell, and after he was revealed to Daneel, the King of Lanthanor saw that his friend had a slight expression of frustration on his face.

However, after seeing that Daneel had had to transform into the Cockroach to defend, that changed into a small smile, and it was clear that he had been sad before because he had probably thought that Daneel had defended against the attack without even needing to use this ultimate defense.

Smiling back, Daneel said just one thing.

"Not bad, I'm impressed. Now, it's my turn. I simply call this…'Smash 'em into bits'."

What happened next was an incident that would result in Faxul waking up for many nights thereafter sweating, as he would keep getting nightmares about it.

In a simple motion, the King of Lanthanor first took out the crown that he had made before and put it on his head.

After that, he leaped into the air with his hands outstretched, almost as if he was coming to hug Faxul with enthusiasm.

However…after a moment, the King's body blurred, and what took its place cast a shadow on Faxul that was so big that the Black Raven King could not even hope to run out of it even if he began fleeing with top speed.

The King had transformed into a gigantic beast with blue skin that was at least 30 meters(100 feet) long and 12 meters(40 feet) wide. It somehow even seemed to have the effect of locking space elementary particles in place, and as it reached closer and closer, Faxul could guess that it must weigh at least 200,000 kilos(2200 tons). It seemed to be an aquatic animal, as it also had a tail that was as wide as its main body.

All in all…it was so terrifyingly huge that it defied all common sense, and in front of it, he felt as if he was nothing.

As he understood the reason behind his friend giving that name to this attack, Faxul began to really, really wished that he had just stayed in his Kingdom, because in that case, he would simply have been looking forward to drinking tea instead of being in this situation, where his future only consisted of finding out how it would feel if he was smashed into the tiniest of bits.

Chapter 746: Demon Leviathan

A few seconds later, Daneel had conjured a bit of water to sprinkle on his friend's face so that he could wake up.

The terrifying fear that was inherent whenever one was going to be crushed by a being that was so many times larger than them had directly made Faxul faint, and in fact, this was actually supposed to be one of the additional abilities of the Godbeast that he had transformed into.

After Faxul did wake up, he hastily scrambled back before finally coming to his senses and looking at Daneel.

The first thing he said made Daneel laugh, before the King began to wonder whether he really was being a bit too harsh on his sovereigns.

"No more friendly battles!"

Raising his hands in order to make peace as Faxul really was the best target for him to test his abilities on, Daneel said, "Alright, fine, I'm sorry. From next time, I'll be sure to give you a head's up regarding what to expect. It wouldn't have helped, because this beast's abilities, themselves, center around overwhelming opponents."

It was only after a few more moments that Faxul finally became completely normal, and after that, he finally asked, "What was that beast, anyway? I've never heard or seen anything that large!"

Daneel answered with a proud tone.

"It is called the Demon Leviathan, and for the longest time, it was what protected our continent by preying on any threat that might wish to target us. At that time, it was, in fact the most powerful Godbeast in existence, and the only reason that it didn't reign over Angaria was that it could only live in the sea, and it needed a large amount of water each and every day to sustain itself. The name 'demon' comes from the fact that it indiscriminately gorges on each and every thing that it comes across, and it also takes extreme delight in destroying stuff. Unlike with the Dragon which gains power on doing so, the Demon Leviathan simply grows amused. I even read records which stated that Angaria was initially surrounded by a few smaller islands, but when this Godbeast came into being, those that belonged to its species started to spend their free time by utilizing their massive bodies and extremely powerful abilities to break apart and sink those poor, innocent landmasses. The only reason that Angaria was saved from this fate was that it was too large. It was the tyrant of the sea, and no matter what being entered its domain, it would find itself eaten whole. In all of history, it was killed only once, and that, too, was when a Hero was able to find one which was giving birth. The irony is that even though he managed to kill the mother, the child that was born ended up killing him. Well, thanks to his sacrifice, the Emperor managed to obtain a very important part of its body which he was able to convert into a unique weapon which, sadly, turned out to be defective. The problem was that unlike other parts of Godbeasts which could be studied over a long time so that formations could be made to bring out their power, this one was too complex, and no matter how much the top mages of the Empire tried, they really could not create formations that could utilize all aspects of that incredible beast. Finally, the end result was that only a blade was made which captured just two aspects: the sharpness of its serrated horns which it used to spear its opponents through so that it could drink their blood, and the aspect of weight that it was blessed in by the World which allowed it to consciously change how much it weighed according to the occasion. This was also what allowed it to grow that large without collapsing. The result was a heavy and sharp blade, which had the side effect of causing people to want to break things if they used it."

Speaking until here with fervent admiration on his face, Daneel took out the sword that he had obtained from the secret treasury of Angaria.

He had thanked his lucky stars when he found out that the only reason that the Protector, who seemed to be a very mysterious figure whose power level was something that couldn't even be scanned by the system, had only taken out that weapon and was used to carrying it around as he liked the way it looked and felt in his arms. He had never intended to use it in battle, and hence, when Daneel asked, he was able to obtain it.

Seeing the weapon, Faxul didn't really get the same feeling of fear that he had gotten when he heard the story behind the Godbeast.

Taking it into his hands when he was offered it by Daneel, he was quite shocked to find that it was at least 500 kg in weight.

Well, that explained the 'weight' thing.

It was clear that the material, itself, wasn't that dense, but for some reason, it was so damn heavy.

At this point, though, Faxul found that he was curious regarding just how this beast even looked. Before, he had only seen its underside, which had been blue with skin that looked as if it was tougher than any armor in existence.

For a moment, though, he paused and wondered whether he even wanted to ask his friend to show it, as it might become the wraith that would haunt his nightmares.

Yet, bracing himself, he said, "Can you show me the Godbeast again? I just want to see how it looks properly."

Right after saying this and seeing Daneel nod, Faxul immediately began to back away, as he knew that after the transformation, his friend would occupy the same space as a few buildings.

The King of Lanthanor smiled as he saw this, and waited for his friend to reach a distance where he would not be crushed again.

The last time, if he hadn't stopped the transformation at the last moment, then Faxul really would have been smashed to bits.

As Daneel's body blurred once again which was a sign that the transformation was beginning, Faxul kept his eyes trained on his friend, and after a few seconds, he was once again greeted by the extremely strange sight of something immense appearing out of thin air.

Even though it wasn't doing any jumping, just the action of it settling onto the ground made such a large sound appear which was akin to a large building being smashed apart by a powerful Fighter.

After the transformation, Faxul could only widen his eyes and stare at this creature before understanding why it had been given the 'demon' moniker.

It's large eyes, which could probably fit at least two or three people inside it, were completely pitch black, and they even seemed to glow with an evilness that was the sort which would make one wish that they were anywhere else but where those eyes were looking.

It had a wide mouth which gave Faxul the impression that if it wished, it could swallow things much larger than even itself, and as it slightly opened, he saw that there were rows of pointed teeth.

The eyes were, of course, to the sides, and right beside each one, in the front of the middle of its head rose two tasks which were equidistant from each other. They were serrated on the inside, almost as if they were meant to tear apart the internal organs of any prey that this being made its target. The tips seem to shine in the light that was present in this underground arena, and Faxul could actually see from which part that sword must have been made.

Each tusk was at least 10 meters(33 feet) long, and near the top, they straightened out. That top was definitely cut off in order to make the blade of the weapon that had been forged by the Emperor.

The Godbeast also had flippers which were covered with the same type of skin he had seen before- it was of an overall blue hue, along with a scraggly surface that almost looked like rock. The flippers had sharp edges, too, as if they were supplementary weapons that could be used when necessary.

Finally, the tail was in a V-shape, and it looked so powerful that a single slap might be enough to level even the Palace of Lanthanor.

The next moment, Daneel transformed back, and Faxul saw that his friend was actually out of breath.

He took in a few deep breaths, and his face looked a bit flushed.

After taking a few moments, he finally said, "This thing requires so, so much energy to transform into. Even when I'm in its form, I feel all of my energy reserves being sapped just to maintain its body. Explains why it was known to keep eating for 20 hours in a day."

Faxul nodded in response, and after that, the King gestured his friend over before conjuring two chairs and a table.

A bottle of wine appeared on the table, and by the time Faxul reached, his glass had been filled.

Gulping it down and smacking his lips, he waited for his glass to be refilled, while Daneel began speaking again.

"This is part of the spoils that I obtained from the expedition to the Big Four. You are on the right track, Faxul. If you keep training in that technique and unlocking all of the insights of the Devouring Monarch, I think that you might just become someone who could stand almost undefeated on this continent. I had a plan regarding what consciousnesses I wanted to get when going into that entire thing, and this one was on top of my list. This was the rarest, as like I said, there was only one such weapon in existence, and it was known to have been lost during the final battle. I was really hoping that I would find it, because if I did, I was sure that after I also managed to obtain the rest on that list, I would definitely stand as the strongest Fighter in the continent in my level, even if one counted all the hidden seeds who are being nurtured by the Big Four. Tell me, Faxul. What are the major aspects that one needs to cover if they want to become powerful?"

Hearing the abrupt question while nursing the empty glass in his hands as he had just gulped down his fifth refill, Faxul took a moment to answer.

With each gulp, he had been reaffirming his decision to keep working hard, because there was no other way in which he could keep up with his friend.

Finally, after taking one more gulp as Daneel was automatically refilling the glasses using magic, he answered.

"Strength, speed and adaptability."

Faxul had actually cheated on this answer, and Daneel found out instantly.

With a chuckle, he said, "I see you've read the famous work which is present in all the libraries all over the Central Continent, too. But do you know that this phrase was actually coined by a follower of the Emperor, who was actually his mentor for a time?"

Faxul raised his eyebrows and shook his head, following which Daneel said, "Some things are passed down and never forgotten, no matter how much time passes. His answer to his disciple, the Emperor, when he asked the same question, was later made by the Emperor into a book which was mandatory reading for all those who joined under him. Of course, if you knew that part, then you must already know the long form of the answer. 'Strength to overpower. Speed to blind. And adaptability to overcome any and all things that might be thrown at one on the path to glory. Master all of these and the wisdom to know when to use which, and no one will ever be able to defeat you.' My list was based on this, too, and the reason behind me going after this Gotbeast is to fulfil that first aspect. There is no beast which can output more strength than a Demon Leviathan, which can bring forth even a multiple of its weight to smash anything into smithereens. If I can master the way to use it, I will have fully satisfied the first aspect. As for the rest… Let's handle them all in time. Anyway, get back to your training. I will be calling for a meeting of the sovereigns, tomorrow to show off the second consciousness that I obtained, and we can talk again then. We will also be going over our next steps."

With a nod, Faxul teleported away, but Daneel actually stayed in that place and continue to drink all alone, absorbed in his thoughts.

He had finally found a breather, and it actually felt good to just sit without having any pressing matters on his plate.

True, there were still a lot of things, but they could wait till tomorrow.

Hence, for the first time in a long time, the King of Lanthanor continue to drink and drink, and when he finally began to feel tipsy, he teleported to his bed which looked like it hadn't been slept in in a very long time.

He crashed into it, and with the sound of Drakos's heart beating in the background acting like a lullaby, he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 747: Lis

The next morning, Daneel woke up afresh.

He had been cutting down on his sleep recently, because Champions didn't really require as much rest as normal humans. He had been making do with barely 4 hours of sleep, so it felt great to sleep for…

Wait, had it actually been an entire day?

As Daneel looked out of the window to see that it was night time, again, he realized this and got a surprised expression on his face.

He hadn't set an alarm, as even back on Earth, he had always believed that that was the true mark of freedom, and he had just allowed himself to rest as much as needed.

It seemed that he really had been piling on a lot of stress on to himself, because right now, he felt as if his mind had been broken out of the shackles that had been weighing it down without him even realizing it for the longest time.

Rather than shackles, it was more accurate to think of it as fatigue which had engulfed it like a sea and had been about to drown it in its murky depths.

After all, each and every thing that he had had to do and handle for his breakthrough had been very crucial, and throughout all that time, he had been in a very highly alert state.

After that, the case of the murdered seed had instantly sprung on him, and through it all, too, he had needed to be at his best.

It was only now that he finally had an opportunity to just take it easy, and it made a world of difference.

Laughing softly to himself, Daneel freshened himself up and then called for a meeting of the Sovereigns in the sky.

As he looked up at the heavenly bodies which always seemed so unreachable to those on the ground, he allowed his mind to wander, and it invariably went to the things that he should concern himself with the most at the moment.

Chief among them was, of course… The system.

Taking a breath, he said, "System, give me the count of the amount of EXP that I have right now."

[Replying to host. Total EXP: 827,000. EXP to upgrade:1,000,000.]

Almost as if it had read his mind, the system also gave the number that he wanted to reach.

Indeed, right now, as his breakthrough was already done, the system was his chief priority, and the biggest leap of strength that might just propel him to even the leagues of Heroes.

Even though the system only had Champion level complexity right now, it had proven invaluable in all of his pursuits. So, just imagining how things would be if it upgraded made it so that Daneel had to control the drool that almost came on the corner of his lips, and thankfully, there were no Sovereigns present to see this break of the kingly attitude that he was supposed to carry himself with.

He had asked them to come after 15 minutes, thankfully, exactly so that he could settle all of his thoughts in order, and that turned out to be a boon at the moment.

The number that had just been given to him really was something that he had to rejoice about, because it felt as if he was so close. It almost felt like just yesterday when that number of a million had seemed so unreachable, but now, all he needed was just 173,000 more EXP.

'Just'.

The problem was that even now, he couldn't really understand the exact criteria with which the system awarded achievements.

Long ago, itself, it had told him that it had stopped giving him EXP for little things, as that had only been present before when he was weaker so that he could grow in strength and not find himself squashed by someone stronger than him.

There was the option of getting EXP from the Kingdom Management Module, but the satisfaction level that was listed there was too high, and he didn't know how he could target that in a short period of time.

Hence, achievements were the main source of EXP at the moment, and just a day ago, he had been proven wrong regarding them.

He had been hoping that he would obtain at least a little bit of EXP for solving that case, but he had gotten nothing.

As he thought about it now, though, Daneel realized that that was actually wishful thinking, as the system had actually been quite clear on the achievements that it did give.

It counted things which helped him on the path to World Domination, so how could he have imagined that becoming Sherlock Holmes would allow him to make progress on that path?

Shaking his head slowly while mocking himself a bit, Daneel started to think whether there was any way in which he could target EXP.

After spending a little bit of time on this, though, he didn't get any ideas, so he moved on to list the other main things on his plate.

His power was definitely the second most important thing that he wanted to pursue. Ideally, he would have used the incredible training chamber that he had obtained in the Kingdom of Eldinor, but he had an agreement with the Divine Cockroach. She still hadn't broken through, and even though she kept happily dancing around occasionally, it was clear that that was only because of how incredible it must feel to be in an area that had such a high concentration of Energy.

In fact, seeing that happy dance even made Daneel feel a slight bit of envy.

He had no intention of double-crossing the Divine Cockroach, though, because he had also made plans for the future which concerned her. So, for the moment, he would have to use Ker gems, but that was definitely not a long-term solution.

Oh, how he missed the taste of that fish that he had eaten in the Sect of Hedon.

Yes, the best way would be to get more of that fish, so Daneel added this to the list of things that he should do.

Also attached to the second item on his list was his wish to obtain more and more consciousnesses of Godbeasts.

True, he had gotten two very important ones, but there were still others that he wished to obtain. For them, right now, although the Treasuries of the Big Four were closed to him, there was a different Treasury that he could go to.

The Treasury of the Gods.

Yes, that was definitely what he would do soon, and the only reason the Daneel wasn't rushing there right now was that he still felt Lanthanor being scanned repeatedly.

It was a Hero level scan, so he couldn't identify who was the one behind it. It could either be friend or foe, but either way, it was best to lay low and take it slow.

He felt almost like a criminal who was hiding so that his 'heat' could go down, and although it was irritating, Daneel just used that emotion as motivation for himself to march forward on his path and become someone that wouldn't need to fear anyone on Angaria.

The third item was the secret village that Cassandra was searching for, and he planned to soon join her in her search as it really didn't feel good to go about his actions while there was a hidden force operating in the shadows.

It was like an itch on his hands that he couldn't even scratch, and he wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.

Sadly, he couldn't embark on that, either, for the same reason.

After that came the final two items on his list, which were actually related to each other.

They involved his long-term plans for the Church, as he had no intention whatsoever to sit while twiddling his thumbs and just grow his own power.

That was one item, and the other was finishing his task of obtaining all the data in all the libraries of the Big Four. He had still yet to visit two, and even though his original objective due to which he had set out on that task had already been fulfilled, he had no intention of giving up such a large source of data which would definitely help him in ways that he couldn't even imagine now.

The reason that he was linking these two together was that his hope was that he could use the data that he obtained in those libraries to bring changes in the Central Continent, because if did that, even if anyone asked, he could simply state that he had gotten the ideas from the libraries that he had perused.

With this list made, once again, Daneel felt his mind clear, and it was a wonderful feeling to know which direction to go in, even if he had no idea how exactly he would go about ticking off each item.

Finding himself in a good mood, Daneel began to hum some of his favorite songs from Earth to himself, but suddenly, an idea started forming in his mind.

It would never have begun doing so if he hadn't listed things in this way, and even though it was in its nascent stages, it excited Daneel, and added a glint to his eyes.

Soon, the Sovereigns began to pop into the area one by one, but Eloise saw that the gears in Daneel's mind were turning, which led her to cast a spell of silence over the area where they were so that they wouldn't disturb the King.

After all seven of them arrived, they began talking between themselves while waiting for the meeting to begin, and when it finally did, the first thing that the King said made them all stare at him with taken aback expressions on their faces.

"It's time to turn our Alliance into an Empire."

After a few seconds where his Sovereigns stared at him, Daneel chuckled and decided to elaborate.

"Well, I meant that more figuratively than literally. Until now, even though the Alliance was set up, I couldn't focus too much on it because there were other things I had to do. Besides, my original intention was to get enough satisfaction level so that I could break the last seal, and that had been fulfilled. We implemented many things, and although they all seem to be going well, I feel that it is time to speed them up, and look for ways to turn this large tract of the continent we have to ourselves into a prosperous, united nation."

If I do that, it is highly possible that I will be awarded with an achievement, and I will also get closer to the required satisfaction level for the next reward from the system. Besides, can't I find a way to target the other two forces secretly, too, if I wish, to jack up the satisfaction level further?

As a mischievous smile appeared on the King's face, a slight chill ran up the backs of those present.

They could tell that whatever the King was planning would definitely bring tumultuous changes in the continent, and as one, they felt like thanking their lucky stars that they were with him, and not against him.

Clapping his hands and getting all of their attention again, Daneel said, "All right. Any ideas?"

It was Faxul who replied first.

"Money. You have tons and tons of money, but you can't take any of it out, because you wouldn't be able to explain where you got it from. With money, we can get a lot of things done."

Faxul had hit the nail right on its head, and he even got appreciative nods from Luther and the rest.

Indeed, this was the most direct way, and it was almost as if he had in his vault a large store of 'black' money, which he couldn't take out.

Was there a way where he could legitimately turn it 'white'?

As Daneel continued to think, he recalled one of the biggest scams from Earth that might just be perfect for this situation, and when it came into his mind, his face lit up like that of a child's on Christmas Eve.

Chapter 748: Inspection

Standing in the air above a large area where construction on a large-scale was going on, Daneel had his hands folded, while Eloise and Luther stood behind him, looking down at the massive school city that was being built.

Indeed, this was what they had signed off on the day when the now famous Alliance Headquarters had flown into the air, and although construction had been going on briskly, the phrase 'Rome wasn't built in a day' also applied in Angaria.

The objective was to create a place of learning and knowledge which would also house many, many research facilities that would hopefully give rise to inventions that might just move the Central Continent forward, so it had been planned very carefully by Eloise over a long period of time.

The city was basically divided into two parts, and a large road ran down the middle to separate them. This was called the Central road, and it could fit 20 people abreast. On one side of it was the school part of the city, where children from all over the Alliance would be coming to learn and grow. In it was also included all of the lodging places where both the students and the teachers would live, and from above, a few round spots that looked like helicopter landing pads from Earth could be seen where people were teleporting into the place.

Indeed, even though the city was not entirely ready, all of the teachers from the National School in the Kingdom of Lanthanor had already been moved over, along with the students. Classes were already going on in full swing, and every day, hundreds of students were coming from various parts of the Alliance. In many cases, they were children from the slums who had nothing to their name, and even though they came with empty hands and not even a day's change of clothes, their eyes shined with fire to utilize everything that was being given to them to change their destinies.

Seeing people like these appear one by one made his heart feel warm, and Daneel was automatically reminded of his own time in the slums. If that original Daneel hadn't gotten into that mishap which had killed him and caused the transmigration to happen, what route would his life have taken? Would he have succeeded in his wish to change his family's condition? Or would he and the Anivron family have faded into obscurity, which was the fate that was common among those who found themselves in such situations?

Snapping out of his reverie, Daneel looked over the rest of the place, and he was happy to see that the research part of the city was also coming along nicely.

This was meant for both magic and non-magic research, and although the former occupied more space, it was to be expected as mages from all over the Alliance would be arriving soon. Prominent among them would be the mages from Eldinor, who had all been convinced to come by giving them near limitless resources to carry out whatever research they wished.

For this, after discussion with the Sovereigns, Daneel had already put in place a system where researchers could draw resources based on what subject they were researching. If it was related to the welfare of the continent or war, they would be able to draw the most resources, because these were the pressing things for Angaria right now. If it were something more casual, they would get less money, but it was still research, so they would be encouraged to finish it and then move on to more important things if they wished.

Incentivisation was always key, and this was something that Daneel had learned from Earth. As soon as the city was done, he looked forward to what marvels it would produce, as he had high hopes for the environment he was creating which was unique in the continent.

Even back during the age of the Empire, the Emperor's vision had allowed him to create exactly such an environment that had promoted discussion among researchers. Now, the situation was similar to back then, where most research was going on in a decentralized way, with people withholding what they discovered as there was no way to make sure that the credit for their discoveries would belong to them.

If this was in place, people would feel so much more free to just explore, and an open mind was always best for innovation.

After confirming that everything was fine here, Daneel traveled next to the branches of the Healer's Academy where healers in training would be sent so that they could serve to obtain their certification.

These were just smaller clinics, and because healing was something which did not require too many resources except the healers, themselves, they were already ready and waiting for the healers to arrive.

Already, whenever he stood over such clinics, he saw the people around them looking at those buildings with joy in their eyes, as they would definitely never have expected that they would see such a sight in their lives.

Healing had always been something only the rich could afford, but now, their King had made it so that it was no longer the case.

Also, whenever people passed these clinics, they would remark about that announcement before where a certain portion of money would be used to allow them to have a credit line in case they ever got injured, and although it hadn't been implemented yet as the unique IDs for all the people in the Alliance were still being made, it was clear that there was a certain anticipation that that system would help everyone a lot.

Daneel was always of the opinion that it was important to check upon the schemes that he was implementing instead of just announcing them and then forgetting about them, so seeing this made him happy.

Next up was the train station, and the best thing to be seen here was that the premium trains were still seeing high occupancy. In fact, apparently, these premium trains were even booked out for the next three months. Daneel considered for a few moments whether he should introduce more numbers of these trains, but he eventually decided against it as there was always merit in keeping something exclusive.

As for goods and passenger trains, they were also being used daily, and because the train network was still spreading steadily, it had not completely proliferated to the extent that there was more demand than supply.

When that point came, Daneel already had plans to increase the number of trains, because it made sense to do so in this case rather than the other one.

Finally, Daneel's stroll over his Kingdom ended on top of the large podium in the air on which a few buildings had been constructed.

Inside these buildings were the administrative staff who had been hired by Eloise to cater to the people who had been coming steadily below to shout out and receive help.

Back when it had been announced, apparently, the words 'Ask, and you shall receive; had worked very well. They were catchy, and they had been repeated multiple times even among the common folk, and right after, there had been quite a large rush of people who came to address their grievances to the Alliance.

Then, itself, Daneel had given a command that no matter how much it cost, all those who arrived should be treated well, and made to feel as if their every word mattered. This had been taken care of masterfully by Eloise, Robert, and surprisingly, his mother, too, who had thrown herself into this as she liked the initiative, and the result was that the general opinion for the Alliance was at an all-time high.

Detractors were being silenced day by day, and especially because of the amazing image that his mother had among the people, there were many who had been hesitating before who took the plunge and arrived to seek the help of the Alliance.

It was often that these kinds of people were those that would gossip the most, and if things hadn't gone well, they would have been the ones to make it extremely clear to as many people as possible that it was all just a gimmick. Instead, because of Daneel's orders and the carefulness of the three who were in charge, the opposite happened, and these people became the best spokespersons who told everyone they could find that they should be very, very happy that they were a part of the Alliance.

At this location, Daneel also met Helena and Dalia, and Dalia was already growing to be a beautiful young woman who apparently already had many, many pursuers from all the major trade families on the continent.

However, she had apparently become a workaholic, and although she was still attending school, most of her free time was spent taking care of the business and growing it as much as possible. Even now, she had taken a temporary leave from the school to arrive here on the King's behest.

They had a short chat, during which Dalia was actually the one who answered most of his questions. Even though it hadn't been very long, it felt as if she had changed so much from that little girl who had been speechless the first time she saw him, and seeing this growth made Daneel get a smile on his face.

The premium line of fabrics that the H&D enterprise had launched was doing well, especially because of the advertising that was being done aggressively across both the Networks. Along with this, it had been Dalia's idea to get certain role models who were already famous in communities to sponsor their products, and Daneel was amused to find out that she had figured out this method which was actually quite overused back on Earth.

All that was needed now was time, and Dalia had announced with confidence that she was sure that H&D would soon grow to become the biggest company in the continent with products present in almost each and every household, regardless of which force they were in.

The only problem was that other enterprises had also copied their model, and because they had long-standing customers, they were also doing well. Still, she was confident in defeating them, and that was nice to see.

This had always been his goal for this company, and although the expected competition was present, Daneel was still happy with the track that it was taking.

Hence, with this, he finished his inspection of everything that he had set in motion during his time as the king.

All in all, so far, there weren't many hiccups, and that really was a cause for celebration. True, each plan had been implemented with extremely detailed planning, and of course, he had to thank his sovereigns for their relentless effort in making sure that his vision would become true on multiple fronts.

Well, now… It was time to take things to the next level, just like he had announced during the meeting with his sovereigns before.

Until now, even though Daneel hadn't given many details after his brief explanation before, Eloise and Luther had stayed silent as they knew that Daneel always liked to reveal things in an impressive manner instead of just saying it out loud.

Thankfully, this habit wasn't yet at a point where it was irritating.

Turning around, Daneel was about to announce his plan to the Sovereigns, but he suddenly remembered something.

He had been too caught up in this, and he had forgotten his promise to Faxul that he would show the second Godbeast that he had obtained.

Well… Why not finish that first?

"Before we start on this, let's make one last detour."

A few seconds later, Eloise and Luther found themselves in an underground room where a few hundred men and women could be seen with stern expression is on their faces.

Behind them, the other sovereigns also arrived, and they had actually been discussing among themselves regarding what the King might have meant.

"I thought you forgot. I was going to remind you, but I could see that you were too busy with your thoughts."

As Faxul said this on arriving, Daneel simply replied, "Hey, you can't blame me. You'll find out soon enough why I was so excited, though. But, for now… Watch."

Saying so, Daneel first erected an opaque barrier around them that also kept the watching Raul out.

Seeing this, the Champion and the Domination corps who were watching felt puzzled, but they kept their silence.

Something seemed to be going on on the inside of that barrier, but even the sound had been blocked off.

Raul suddenly felt something odd, but just as he was about to walk forward to check on the barrier, a strange sight greeted him.

As one, Luther and Robert came out with amused expressions on their faces, and in their hands was Aran, who was actually frothing at his mouth with a terrified expression on his face, almost as if he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world which had managed to directly knock him out.

Chapter 749: Nightmare Spider

10 black eyes, in five rows of two.

Eight bristly legs with thorns that could pierce even the toughest of metals.

And golden hair and skin that shone even if there wasn't too much light.

This was the image that had made Aran faint, and even though Eloise had also gotten quite startled when she saw the Godbeast that appeared in front of them, Aran's reaction made her burst out laughing, while the others joined in.

By the time Luther and Robert returned, that spider was gone, and in its place was a large egg-shaped object made of a coiled, golden material that looked like silk.

It stood upright, with an opening in the top, and it was so large that it could fit at least two or three people inside.

Even the spider had been disgustingly huge – it had been at least 15 feet tall with each leg being double that length. It was also 18 feet long, and just by looking at it, anyone could guess that it was a top tier predator.

"Nightmare Spider. Before you ask, that is the name of this Godbeast, and I'm afraid that I might have traumatized our dear commander."

Another round of laughter burst out, but after that, Elanev spoke up.

"It's not like a normal spider, is it? Its head is much larger than normal, so I can guess that its abilities are related to the mind, too, judging from its name."

Nodding, Daneel replied, "Smart observation. Indeed, it is known for its ability to weave two kinds of webs- one physical, and one ethereal. If a prey gets caught in either, it will find that it will have no choice but to enter the Nightmare Spider's belly and become nutrients for its children to grow. Now… When there were other options like Spear-horned Rhinoceroses and Divine Eagles, you might ask why I chose this one. This is the weapon from which I got the consciousness, by the way – it was made by using its thorns. Each arrow can pierce any and all barriers in its way, and if used properly, at the right time, it can even kill a Hero. I'm not joking – a famous Fighter back in the age of the Empire actually used exactly this weapon to kill four Heroes in his lifetime."

Killing a Hero?!

Hearing of such a fantastical feat, the sovereigns present who hadn't fainted could only stare at the magnificent bow and the quiver of golden arrows that the king had taken out.

It was a longbow, and it was as long as a man. It looked like it would require no ordinary strength to just draw back the gleaming string, and the theme of gold passed on from the arrows, which did resemble the thorns that they had seen on the spider earlier. The entire bow was gilded, and there were also many precious gems embedded in itscentere. It looked more like a weapon meant for vanity, but from what the king had just said, that was apparently not the case at all.

"Yes, a spear or a pair of talons does sound better. So why did you choose this? I should tell you that the old man keeps badgering me to jump into that thing beside you, and I can't help but assume that it might also be a fetish of his."

This time, it was Daneel's turn to laugh as he heard this.

In response, he simply spread open his arms and said, "Follow his words, and you'll understand."

Expressions of disgust once again came on the sovereigns' faces as they heard this, because they had all seen from where the silk that had made the egg-shaped thing had come from. In fact, it was still a bit sticky, and all in all, it was enough to make anyone want to puke.

Still, after hesitating for a bit, Elanev shrugged and did so.

With a leap, he directly entered the egg from the opening in the top, and right after he did so, the spider silk seemed to come alive.

It almost looked as if a monster had woken up, causing Eloise to instantly run forward with worry in her eyes, but Daneel just raised his hand to stop her and said, "Wait."

The silk had started to writhe, and the opening had already closed completely. By now, it seemed as if this was a trap, so everyone present could only wonder why the king had asked Elanev to enter it.

What happened next drove this point home even further, because the layers and layers of spider silk started to constrict, until what was finally left behind was a human-shaped object which still shone brightly.

As soon as this happened, it looked as if Elanev's time on this continent had come to an end, because no one could understand how anyone could even breathe as they could judge from the size of the webs that whoever was inside was definitely being squeezed very tightly.

At this point, the king made a strange gesture: from a pouch at his waist that he had collected right before coming here, he took out a few shining Ker gems and chucked them at the human-shaped figure.

Incredibly, as soon as the Ker gems came into contact with the spider silk, it came alive again and swallowed them, after which the entire thing started to pulse brightly.

Slowly, the pulsing grew faster and faster, until each pulse of golden light was merely a second part.

As everyone watched on with their tongues completely tied, suddenly, the pulses stopped, and the web broke apart to reveal Elanev who had an ecstatic expression on his face.

He instantly leapt up and ran to grab Daneel's shoulders before saying, "Do it again! Wrap me in that thing again!"

As he exclaimed this while shaking Daneel with an enthusiasm that was hard to not notice, the sovereigns couldn't handle it anymore.

"Why the hell would you want to go back in it?", Eloise asked finally, to which Elanev answered, "Because it's awesome! You should try it!"

With a laugh, Daneel slapped his own hand on his elder brother's shoulder and said, "He's right. If you try it, you'll find out the reason."

Right away, all those present except Kellor and Robert took a step back.

Chuckling, Daneel continued.

"Alright, fine, I'm joking. The Nightmare Spider is famous for its ability to create special webs which absorb Energy and then make it easier for someone to consume. When using Ker gems to train, haven't you all felt that even after you break through to become a Warrior, it takes a slight effort to handle the pressure of the Energy which wishes to just flow freely?"

Eloise and the rest nodded, and in fact, Eloise was the one who knew about this the most, because she was still just a Human. As for the rest, as Warriors, they had always thought that this was something that all those at their level should endure and handle while training, and it was almost second nature now for them when absorbing Energy.

Was it possible that that might not be the case?

With a nod, Daneel confirmed their suspicions.

"When one is inside the spider webs, Energy is… Well, it can't be explained properly in words, but let's say its 'softer'. Unless you experience it yourself, you won't understand. I guess one analogy that can be used is that it's akin to cooking vegetables and eating them as opposed to just chomping on them raw. Unlike in that analogy, though, absorbing Energy in this method gives slightly better results for the same amount of resources, and I don't think I need to explain just how valuable that is."

Raised eyebrows greeted Daneel from all around him, and this had actually been his reaction, too, when he had gone through the list given to him in the secret treasury to find this specific weapon that had given him this specific Godbeast's consciousness.

He hadn't even been able to believe that it was really possible, but it was. The Nightmare Spider was one that could even kill a fully grown Dragon, and it was actually one of the Gotbeasts that accompanied the Dragons in their war against humans. It was a ferocious creature and if it was left to itself, it would occupy large spaces of land and keep multiplying. The spider webs allowed it to help its offspring to grow even faster, and there was even a legend from back in the age of the Empire where a single Nightmare Spider had been imprisoned foolishly by a Kingdom. It had been left unattended, and in the span of two nights, it had managed to create an army which destroyed the entire kingdom.

Daneel's main reason behind choosing it was, of course, because of its feature to speed up training. He had many, many subordinates who could all do with a boost in power, and if he could really somehow transform this ability of the Nightmare Spider into a formation or an object, then it might immensely help the entire continent itself in the upcoming war.

When he had spoken to Faxul, he hadn't elaborated on this topic- even though personal power was necessary, the power of an army was one which could potentially trump any personal power, and he wanted to build an army that Angaria had yet to see.

It was another far-fetched aim, but Daneel was quite emboldened by his recent success in trying to do things which hadn't been possible during the age of the Empire.

It was now apparent just how great an effect those successes had had on him, because he might never have chosen this weapon and given up a valuable spot if he didn't have the confidence that he had gotten from them.

He now knew that he could aim for things that had only been dreamt of in the Empire, so once more, he hoped to create history.

Putting these lofty thoughts aside, Daneel dismissed the sovereigns once again. Only Eloise and Luther stayed, because they would be the ones helping him out mostly on this latest endeavor.

They teleported back to the podium in the sky, and on the horizon, the sun had just started to rise.

While those first rays bathed his body in light, Daneel finally expressed his plan.

"In the libraries of the Big Four, I read a book about a fictitious place called Earth. In it, the author made many fantastical remarks and wrote many tales, and he seemed to be a brilliant individual, because everything felt so vivid. Anyway, in it, he wrote about a particular scam by a family which managed to engulf the entire world and change an entire generation's habits to make it more profitable for itself. This family had a monopoly on a certain resource that was valuable, but the problem was that even though the high-class individuals in that world indulged in that resource, those sales weren't enough. So… They got an incredible idea for a marketing scheme. In that age, the institution of marriage was something precious, so they chose it and connected it with their product. They aggressively marketed to everyone that if their resource wasn't given as a gift in conjunction with a proposal, then it was simply deplorable, and that the woman wouldn't even be blamed if she chose to reject the man. You wouldn't believe the way it caught on, because by using multiple clever methods, they drove this point firmly into the minds of each and every one of that generation. The result… Was that the family became one of the richest in the world, and until the present date, the tradition still continues. Even though many think that it is ancient, if they found out that it was actually only started by this family, they would definitely be pretty damn shocked. My dear sovereigns, in Angaria, we are going to make our black money white by doing something similar. Oh, this…is going to be fun."

Chapter 750: The Plan

After Daneel's proclamation atop the Heavenly City of the Alliance, Eloise and Luther could only stare at his back and try to comprehend his words, while the king internally remarked about his own statement.

The truth was that what he was going to do was actually inspired by three separate things from Earth, but he hadn't told his sovereigns about the other two as it might not fit with the fake story he had spun regarding a book written about Earth.

And in fact, the second one wasn't even a scam- it was simply the way things were on Earth.

It could be explained with one word: oil.

Any earthling would know perfectly just how much their lives were tied to this resource which was becoming more and more scarce in the century that Daneel had transmigrated from. There were so many things made from oil that one would be surprised to find that it was present in their life so much, and of course, even the electricity that humans valued so much was made, in the most part by burning this resource.

Also, it didn't even need to be mentioned just how prevalent it was in the sphere of transport.

It could be said that one of the biggest revolutions of mankind was the change from having to use aanimal-drawn carriages or other means of transport which took long, long periods of time. With the invention of steam engines and other machines, humans could travel great distances in small amounts of time, and it could be said that this was one of the reasons behind the incredibly massive boom of development in the 21st century.

It was a unique viewpoint, but it would hold up to many arguments.

The point was that oil was also a commodity that was almost monopolized by a few organisations, and they were the richest in the world. Oil could even transform a desert into a paradise, so its power really could not be underestimated.

Finally, the third thing was related to the Industrial Revolution on Earth which changed a lot of things in the 20th century.

Up until that point, the major spendings of most households were mostly on utilitarian items rather than those that were more for luxury.

Although there did exist items which would allow them to save time and let them do things with less effort, they hadn't been very affordable, as they had all been newly invented and needed to be carefully assembled which resulted in them being so highly priced that only the rich could buy them freely.

The Industrial Revolution changed all that. With the advent of machines which would help in creating machines, prices kept going lower and lower, and with aggressive marketing that encouraged all households to spend, spend and spend, there was a massive boom in the amount of money spent in every house for things which became so common that if a house was found without them, then it would seem very strange.

These items were those that would be found, in the present day, in almost all middle-class and even lower-middle-class families: they were the washing machines, microwaves and, to a certain extent, even the cars that many took for granted.

Daneel had read many books which stated that that period of time was essential in changing the way that people even thought about life. Spending was forcibly made into a habit, and it was fascinating to study about the process that had resulted in that happening.

Many said that this had many adverse effects which slowly kept popping up throughout the subsequent years, and actually, these were the only reasons that Daneel had hesitated a bit before finally deciding on this anyway.

He had decided that even though he was choosing this, he would make sure from the beginning, itself, that the same negative things which were there on Earth would not be present here, too.

It was only by combining all three things and the memories of the Emperor that Daneel had gotten the idea, and he finally turned around to his sovereigns so that he could explain it and not keep them in the dark anymore.

Raising his palm, he made a trinket appear, and as the two of them saw it, they wondered why the hell the king had teleported over this commonplace item.

"What is this?", He asked, and Eloise answered right away.

"A steam trinket, found in most upper-class households. One can simply place clothes on it, and the steam will dry them all."

It was in the shape of a rectangular box that could fit in two hands, and there was a small spot on the bottom.

With a nod, Daneel turned around and pointed at that spot before asking, "And what is this part?"

Still unable to understand why the king was asking so many obvious questions but still wanting to get to the reveal, Eloise answered once again.

"The spot where Ether blocks should be placed to activate the trinket."

With another nod, Daneel made the trinket disappear, and an identical one appeared in his hands.

This time, he handed it over to Eloise and asked her to examine it, following which she turned it in her hands with a quizzical expression on her face. While she was doing so, Luther also walked towards her and joined in, and the both of them even opened the trinket and checked the formations.

Finally, after a few seconds, it was Luther who spoke up.

"It seems to be an identical copy of the trinket that you showed us, but for some reason, the part where the Ether block should be placed has been replaced with something else. It does not seem to have any other purpose except to power the trinket just like the before, and I cannot think what one would want to place there. Even though the replacement part vaguely has the shape for a Ker gem, I doubt that such a trinket will need Ker gems to activate."

It was to be expected that Luther would give such a detailed and succinct explanation, and Daneel smiled before asking the final question after which he could finally explain his idea.

"One last question. Why do you think this trinket hasn't proliferated into the lower class and normal households? Even though the trinket market is quite large and dominates the continent, most of the customers are either upper-middle-class individuals or those from the upper-class."

After thinking for a bit, and as if she had just gotten a slight clue which was evident by the expectation in her eyes, Eloise answered once again.

"The reason is that it is too costly to make Ether blocks smaller, and because Ether blocks are too expensive for common people to afford, they cannot use them to power these trinkets. On the other hand, the trinkets, themselves, are also expensive, and as for other kinds of trinkets in which Energy sources are placed beforehand, they also cost a lot to make. All in all, it just isn't economic, and anyone who would enter the business would find themselves going bankrupt. As far as I know, there have been eight specific attempts in selling trinkets like these to the lower classes, but all of them failed for multiple reasons. Some thought that they could force people to buy Ether blocks after first selling them the trinkets for cheap, but people resorted to just throwing out the trinkets and not endeavoring to buy Ether blocks to power them again. Others made both of them cheap before attempting to use volume to cover any initial losses, but their calculations made it so that they couldn't exactly lower the cost too much to attract the number of people that they needed to break even."

Daneel was quite pleased that Eloise had given such a long explanation which was clearly based on her studies where she had been taught to become someone who could manage the Empire. Although economics was not a regulated subject on Angaria, there were certain tutors who could cut to the essence of the topic and teach well.

Storing the random thought that he should make this course mandatory in the school, too, Daneel finally replied and answered the questions present the in gazes of both of his sovereigns.

"Imagine this. What if… There was a method to create a new Energy resource which is made from Ether blocks, but which can be sold in small quantities to power trinkets exactly like these? That resource will be economical to make, and it will be complex enough that others cannot copy the method that it is being made in. Also, it will not attract mosquitoes, so there will be no reason to spend money on anti-mosquito methods. If a certain force can monopolize the creation of this resource, what do you think will happen on the continent?"

These words made both Luther and Eloise freeze and imagine the scenario that the king had placed in front of them, and actually, even Daneel entered into deep thought as another idea along with this had occurred to him which fit in perfectly. While he listed its pros and cons, the thoughts of the sovereigns continued to swirl.

For the longest time, Energy was something that wasn't even related too much to common people exactly for the reason that Eloise had stated before: Ether blocks were too expensive, and although there was a method to cut down the blocks and make smaller ones, this method was costly to use, and there was also a lot of wastage in the process.

The king was essentially saying that this could be circumvented.

If so… Wouldn't the one who was able to do that become almost the hidden ruler of the entire continent?

Eloise had repeatedly been taught that if one controlled the flow of commerce, then they could control anything. Her teacher had always been adamant that money could also stand in the place of real power, because with it, one could do many things that even Fighters and Mages could not. For example, with money, one could recruit many more Fighters and Mages to wage their battles if they were smart enough.

Related to these lessons were also those which stated the importance of controlling resources. In Angaria, some kingdoms primarily even existed in the first place because their entire income revolved around mining the oh so important Ether that was present under the ground. Just being able to control a small tract of land under which a mine was present could allow one to gain enough riches to build a Kingdom, and in fact, many of the kingdoms that existed to this day had been created in that method.

But with that resource, it could be found in multiple places. What the king was speaking about was a monopoly, and a true one… Could really be terrifying.

Eloise didn't even want to think about everything that it meant, because doing so made her dizzy. It was easier to see such things rather than to think of them, and if the king had stated it, then she knew that they would soon probably be witnessing everything that would stem from this idea.

If an analogy had to be made, then a very simple one could be used. Mages and Fighters both required Energy resources to train, and if there was only one source for them to obtain them from, then the one who took control of that source would practically control the power of the entire continent.

Even though they weren't speaking of something so drastic, Eloise could tell that something similar might be possible if what the king was saying could be implemented in the right way.

After being done with his thoughts, Daneel was very pleased to see that Eloise, who had adopted quite a scheming attitude due to his influence, was already enthralled by the idea. She even seemed to be thinking of ways to perfectly bring it to reality, and Daneel was already looking forward to the discussions they would soon have.

As for Luther, although he was similarly impressed, he wasn't as struck dumb by its ramifications.

So, Daneel broke the silence so that they could begin right away. And for that, he assigned them the roles that he had picked them for.

"Let us begin planning and implementation right away. There is no time to waste. Eloise, you will be in charge of taking care of marketing and all the miscellaneous duties that are involved. Luther, you will be in charge of surveilling the continent and assessing feedback. In our recent assignment, I was able to see just how skilled you were in assessment, and I want you to bring forth all of those skills. No matter what we do, you are in charge of giving feedback on how it will affect common people, and it is also your duty to keep an eye on our enemies to find out just what they're thinking and how they will be reacting. Alright, folks, your duties have been assigned, and I am sure that we are going to have a very busy, but wild few weeks. Now… Let's go make Angaria great again."

Chapter 751: Lancershire Village

Tamra was having the best time of her life.

After that scare during the meeting which had seen the Heavenly City of the Alliance rise into the air, she had actually not been deterred in her enthusiasm to keep doing what she wished.

She did adopt the habit of being safe, though, and her parents were very thankful because of it as before, she had been completely uncaring about whether she was close to someone she knew or not.

Although things were different now that they were in a different place, as parents of an overly active child, they couldn't help but be worried.

Tamra had just assured them that she would be alright, and just as she had been doing for the past few weeks, she strolled out of the house to go to the Chief.

That incident where he had lost her and then found her again had somehow made the both of them closer, and Tamra just loved sitting for hours on end listening to the many interesting stories that the Chief had picked up from multiple places.

Many times, she even started to wonder whether the old man that had always led the village was some secret warrior in hiding who had lain down his weapons for some noble cause, but after seeing the way that he would groan every time he had to get up from the chair after sitting for a long time, she was inclined to think that she was most probably wrong.

While walking on the street of the newly reconstructed village, though, she did have a slight frown on her face, because the same discussion that she had been going through for the past few days had happened again in the morning.

It was regarding the School of the Alliance, which she was supposed to go to.

For a time, she had been tempted to find others of her age whom she could interact with, along with learning a lot about this world whose every facet was so interesting.

Yet, slowly, she had begun to get the feeling that she would only be held behind if she was to be with those who were of the same age as her.

As she passed the baker's house, the chief example of this was presented, and it was in the form of the baker's son who was working very hard to carry two sacks of flour into the shop.

He was doing it very weirdly, though – he moved one sack, and then he would come back to move the other, and he kept repeating this.

Unable to handle it, Tamra went over and showed him how to drag the bags together, following which he praised her intelligence.

Replying that even though she was only 10, she had been voted to be the smartest in all those under 14 in the village, she continued along her way.

True, the baker's son was a very good example, but she also suspected that he was more dimwitted than most. This was the reason why she was still listening to her parents' arguments, and right now, she was still pretty indecisive.

After reaching the Chief's house, she was happily about to bound inside and land on the couch which had actually been arranged for her after she found himself spending more and more time with him, but she stopped when she heard voices coming from the inside.

The Chiefs door was always open, and his policy was that he should always be reachable for the people of his village.

She had been commanded sternly not to enter if he was having a meeting even with those in the village, so she sat on the wooden chair that was present outside his house and began to think about the many changes that had happened in the village recently.

After attending that meeting, the Chief had made the decision to enter the Alliance, and she had been shocked by the efficiency of those who had come to transport them over.

The process had been simple: they had all been asked to pack everything without thinking about whether they could carry the bags are not, and if they didn't have bags, they were simply to wrap all of their belongings in clothes.

After that, they were asked to be ready at a specific time, and a squad of mages had arrived who went to each family to make them disappear.

Tamra was very proud when she saw the other kids getting scared at this notion of disappearing into thin air.

She had already experienced it on her trip, and she bravely went to each of them and told them that it would just be like taking a cold shower.

Along with their luggage, the entire village which consisted of 942 and a half people, with that half being the very little baby that was yet to be born from Aunt Matilda'sbulging belly, was teleported over to a patch of land which almost looked isolated.

When they arrived, they were greeted by another squad, and these were the builders who were in charge of constructing their village. They asked for information regarding how they would like their houses to be constructed, and the Chief had told them beforehand that they shouldn't be very picky. Still, they were allowed to make small changes, such as the baker's family asking for extra bedrooms with attached toilets because their son was used to gorging on stuff that he shouldn't and then having indigestion for a long time.

At that point, the construction began, and Tamra had only been able to watch with her mouth agape as premade bricks began to be combined into the houses that they would live in. The mages looked like they were used to doing this, as they swiftly began to lay down the foundations and get to work. In barely 2 days time, the entire village was finished, and during that time, they slept under the sky and even had a campfire in which the entire village danced with happiness.

Food was even sent to them, and for the first time in forever, Tamra tasted meat broth where she could have as much meat as she wanted.

She remembered her eyes watering at that time, and although she had covered it up and said that it was because of the smoke from the fire, the fact that she was actually a few feet away from the campfire gave away the truth.

Her mother and father had laughed, and she had buried herself in her mother's lap before falling asleep eventually.

After that, the entire village had been absorbed in beginning their occupation again. Before they did so, they were given certain instructions regarding what to plant, and they were even given the freedom that they could plan something else if they wished. The suggestions were there just to be used if they wanted to maximise profits, as they were based on the demand that was present in other areas.

As for currency, as a new one would be arriving soon, they were encouraged to use the barter system for the present, and also hold any coins they had so that they could be exchanged later for the new currency of the alliance.

Life was perfect. At least, compared to how they had used to live with the constant fear of being run over by bandits, the safety of being inside this large force felt so, so good.

True, the trade-off was that they had to give a small portion of whatever they earned to the Alliance, but that felt like nothing compared to everything that they were getting.

A few seconds later, she heard the Chief's familiar voice call her over, and as soon as she entered, she couldn't help but freeze while her eyes went wide.

Stacks and stacks of boxes filled the Chief's entire house, and there was actually not much place to walk. True, the Chief had not asked for a big house in the first place, but there were at least hundreds of boxes here, and as she looked out the window, she saw that his backyard, where he indulged in his habit of wood carving, was also completely filled.

Without any further ado, she instantly ran to one of them and opened them even while the Chief asked her not to run as she might fall and hurt herself.

The good thing was that he didn't prevent her from satiating her curiosity, so even though she got a doubt whether she shouldn't be doing what she was doing a second before she opened the flaps of the cardboard, she abolished it from her mind and took out what was inside.

It was heavy, so she had to struggle, and the Chief came over to give her a hand.

What they lifted out together, was a transparent glass box.

Only one side was made of a silvery metal, and there were beautiful patterns etched on it. There was also a handle on one side which looked like it could open, and as Tamra curiously pulled it, a click was heard following which it really did open.

It was empty on the inside, and for the life of her, Tamra couldn't understand what this was.

Well, why not find a clue in the other boxes?

This time, she ran to a bigger one. It was rectangular in shape, and as she opened it, she saw that it was also made of glass on five sides with a metal bottom.

After opening the other boxes, she saw that there were only more of those that she had already seen before she finally reached one which was actually made of steel, unlike the others which had been made of cardboard.

At this point, the Chief finally walked over and said, "Wait, little Tamra. Only I can open this one, and you shouldn't take anything from it without my permission. Understood?"

Tamra nodded dutifully, following which the Chief actually pricked his finger with a pin that he was carrying with him. After that, he made a drop of blood drop on the steel box, and the door swung open.

Out tumbled a round object, and before the Chief could say anything, Tamra snatched it up in her hands and looked at it curiously.

It was silver in colour, and there was a white, round pearl in the middle which looked so pretty. That pearl reflected the light, and as Tamra looked closer and closer, she could almost swear that she saw some sort of swirling mist inside it.

A second later, though, she realised that she was probably seeing things, as the pearl was so small that it was smaller than the nail of her little finger, which was already tiny in the first place.

The gem was only fixed on one side of the coin. Seeing the rest of it, Tamra was transfixed for quite a bit by the beautiful engraving of a Dragon which looked as if it wanted to swallow the pearl. Its jaws looked like they were ready to clamp down on the pearl, the rest of its body was coiled around the rest of the surface.

As she turned it around, she actually saw a familiar face.

Although the engraving wasn't extremely clear, it was the face of the king whom she had thanked multiple times in her heart along with her parents for the life that he had enabled them with.

Just as she was about to ask what it was, the Chief spoke to someone at the doorway.

"Martha! You came at the perfect time! Is that the pie you cooked in the morning?"

As Tamra turned around, she saw a woman wearing a cooking cloth with a bowl in her hands.

With an apologetic expression on her face, she said, "Yes, Chief. I forgot to get it to you right away again. I'm afraid you'll have to eat it cold once more. I'm sorry, I'll be sure to-"

Interrupting her, the Chief spoke.

"Oh, don't worry. We won't have that problem anymore. Give that pie over, and little Tamra, please give me that coin. It is a Dan, by the way."

As Tamra nodded and gave the coin to see what the Chief would do, the man took the pie in his other hand and walked to the glass box that they had first opened.

He placed it on a table so that the metal part was on the top, and in the middle of it, there was a spot which looked like it would fit the coin perfectly.

As soon as the Chief placed that coin in that spot, three glowing orbs of light which also had tiny letters under them appeared beside the door that Tamra had opened before.

The Chief opened the door again and place the pie inside, before closing it and making sure that that same click from before was heard. After that, he pressed one of the glowing orbs, and what happened next made both Martha and Tamra stare with disbelief in their eyes.

The bowl that had been placed inside actually... started to rotate, and soon, the smell of the pie that had gone cold began to appear in the room again, and as steam also started to rise from it, it was as if it had just been freshly baked.

Chapter 752: The New Currency

Standing above the newly built village of Lancershire, Daneel, Eloise, and Luther were watching as the trinkets that had been sent over were being spread throughout the households.

The past week had been spent rigorously prototyping and developing these one-of-a-kind trinkets and objects that they hoped would soon take over the entire continent.

Eloise had been instrumental in the design of the coin, as she seemed to have excellent taste, while Luther gave many tips about the practicality of things. For example, for it to look amazing, Daneel had initially proposed that they should find ways to make it entirely out of glass, but that had been struck down because it simply did not justify the cost. Instead, one side was made to be metal, and in fact, the final result was better than what Daneel had imagined in his mind.

His plan had been to begin with these two objects, which were ubiquitous in almost all households back on Earth. Trinkets which mimicked their properties were present, too, but again, they were of the sort which were expensive, and needed complete Ether blocks to run.

Combining the resource along with the currency was a genius idea, and Daneel couldn't help but pat his back that he had managed to think of it. Initially, he had been prepared to make it some sort of expendable resource, but with a little tweaking, it had changed into something much better.

Besides, this entire thing had only been possible because similar mechanisms had already been present in the age of the Empire, albeit for different purposes. He had simply taken all of those designs and used the system to simplify them for this age, and this was something even the Big Four would never have cared to do as they only cared about themselves.

In the age of the Empire, Ether blocks had been directly bought by commoners as they had been so much more common, so things like these hadn't needed to be innovated. Instead, this mechanism of cutting Ether blocks into smaller pieces was used for creating miniature trinkets which could be concealed, and the recharging formations were originally created for usage in trinkets which were used 24/7. The idea was that if there was a network of trinkets which gave off light, then the Ether blocks powering all of the individual trinkets would need to be changed periodically, which would be a monumental task. Instead, rechargeable Energy sources had been made so that they wouldn't need to be replaced. Just a formation meant to recharge them could be implemented, and all the resources needed for recharging could be changed at once, at a single location.

This could be likened to a case on Earth with batteries. To power all the lights in a house, wasn't it practical to simply use an electricity line which could be powered by a single resource and easily refilled, instead of using individual batteries which would need to be constantly switched out?

Combining these two almost common innovations had allowed Daneel to create this currency of his.

Editing the formations hadn't been an easy task, at all, and if he didn't have the system, Daneel was sure that he would definitely have had to spend months and maybe even years on it.

At the same time, he had also thought of a plan to subvert any inquiries that might begin into the origin of the formations that he would be using.

If someone asked regarding it, he could simply say that he had found scattered clues in all the libraries which led him to create them. Rayen had already been told to go to the libraries to legitimize this claim, and this was actually quite easy to do as most of the formations in the libraries were meant to protect the things that were kept inside, instead of not allowing new things to be added.

All in all, even though this was just the first prototype, it looked excellent.

The key, of course, was the coin. Each was made using a very unique process which definitely could not be replicated anywhere, and even the process to recharge the coin was proprietary. Hence, now, coins had two different values, with the coins that had Energy being more valuable. If the value had to be increased, they definitely had to be sent back to the Kingdom. And of course… For each refill, a certain fee would be charged, and this was just another way to earn even more money.

As for the entire objective in the first place of taking out all of the resources that Daneel had stowed away, it was simply done by showing the profits of people using these coins, and buying the trinkets. In the same move which he had used in the pyramid scheme, he would be changing the records to show that he was obtaining so much more profit than he was actually getting, which would allow him to supplement the resources he had to develop the Alliance.

In summary, the plan was simple: create the unique resource in the form of the coin which was capable of being bought by normal people, spread trinkets which could use these coins and greatly improve the living conditions of said people, and then modify the records to show that huge amounts of money were being made by this business, all of which would be used to transform the Alliance.

Secondarily, if a dependence could be created using these things...it didn't even need to be said just how much that would strenghten Daneel's position, while also giving him more options regarding what he could do in the Central Continent.

Hence, even though it was in the testing phase, it looked really promising.

Eloise had instantly loved the plan, and she had thrown herself into it, and as for Luther, he had stated the negatives.

During testing, it was almost impossible to block information from going out. If they did so, it would seem suspicious, and Daneel had simply said that they should just allow it to spread.

It wasn't like this would be concealed for very long, either, and he was confident that no one would be able to copy the processes that he was using.

The only one who would be able to do so was the Big Four, but they had no interest in the Central Continent. Even the Sect of Hedon had cut off all relations with the Kingdom of Axelor, as it was now focusing on its personal strength and increasing the levels of the formations around it.

Hence, in the Central Continent, Daneel expected to not face any difficulties, but still, he didn't say so, because it would just be jinxing something that should go well.

The next few days were definitely going to be interesting, so Daneel looked forward to see what would happen.

He was still undecided regarding a few things, such as how they would ensure that continent wide adoption would happen, so the three of them left to take care of this matters.

Unknown to them, a spy had already gained information about what was going on in the village, and he was currently in the process of transferring the information to a certain source.

The spy network had already been abuzz about a certain something happening in this town, and he had arrived right away with a mage. He had entered the village in the guise of a traveler who just wanted a place to rest, and because the people of Lancershire, who had actually named the village in the honor of the kingdom whose king had given them so much to be thankful for, hadn't thought twice before giving him lodging and even hot, piping food.

From there, it had been easy to go to a house and see the two shiny gadgets that were already being used a lot.

One was a large rectangular object in which food items had been placed, and finding out that it was meant to preserve them so that they could be used in the next day, even the spy had been pretty shocked. He hadn't been able to control his jaw from dropping when he was explained with enthusiasm that cooked food could now last for more days than one, and after that, when he had asked whether that food should be eaten cold, he had been shown the other gadget and even been given a demonstration where two-day-old meat had been heated up and served for his pleasure.

He kept eyeing the coin which had powered both of these gadgets, but sadly, he was unable to obtain it to study it further. However, he was able to use the display trinket he had with him to get clear images, and with his job done, he was now heading to a certain location that was east of the Alliance.

After dropping him off in the middle of nowhere, the mage that had been sent to him teleported away, and the spy had to wait for 10 minutes before he, too, disappeared.

He found himself under the ground, in a small cave in the presence of the man who had given him this contract in the first place.

"How are you, good sir. I'm happy to say that I've perfectly finished the assignment. Here are the results."

Saying so, the spy held out a sheaf of parchments on which he had elaborately written about everything he had seen, along with the display trinket which had recorded all of the images from the village.

The man didn't move, following which the spy simply placed the objects on the ground. A voice spoke beside his ear, with said, "Well done. Your payment is in your pocket. You will be called for again if needed."

At the same time, the spy felt a weight at his waist, following which he checked and was delighted to find that it was now full of gold coins.

Bowing politely, he was once again teleported away, following which the man who was clad in a black cloak which was meant to cover both his body shape and his features finally got up from the stone chair that he had made for himself and picked up the objects that were on the ground.

After this, he took out a different display trinket, and as he activated it, a woman whom Daneel would have recognized appeared on it.

She was wearing white clothes, and she was in a meditative pose.

As she opened her eyes, a smoldering flame of anger shone in them.

It was Jessica, who was carrying out her mandatory sentence for conspiring against her fellow seeds.

She listened with a neutral expression on her face to everything that was she told by this man who had once pledged himself to her permanently, and she was also shown the images of the objects that had been introduced into that village.

After he was done, she simply said that he would contact him again, following which there was only silence in the room that she was imprisoned in.

In all four directions, there was only stone which glowed with the light of formations which were actively keeping her here. In front of her were a few Ker gems and the display trinket that she had just used. Well, she was a seed, after all, which meant that even her terms of imprisonment were different than those of others.

Recalling the images she had seen, she couldn't help but grit her teeth as they were replaced by the ones when everything had seemed within her grasp.

At the last moment, though…all of that had changed, and she now found herself without the trust of her mentor, and with a future that was filled with just training and then being forced to fight in a battle that she didn't even believe in.

Her emotions at that moment couldn't even be put into words. Anger, grief, desperation, hopelessness- all of these and more had buffeted her mind until she couldn't even form coherent thoughts, and after that, she had been knocked out before being sentenced to two decades in prison.

Daneel Anivron. Daneel Anivron. Daneel Anivron.

She chanted this name, and each time she repeated it, her conviction to obtain revenge grew.

She couldn't affect him physically, as it would directly be connected to her.

If not…was there something else she could do?

As the gears in her mind started to turn, the fire in her eyes grew in intensity.

Chapter 753: A Meeting

In an obscure location that had been picked so that it could be as far away from the original place which gave them nightmares as possible, a group of 20 people had gathered who all had angry expressions on their faces.

If anyone had skills in deduction, they would have been able to see that these people looked a lot like those who had been rich recently, but had, for some reason, lost their fortunes.

In the case of the women, tan lines could be seen on their fingers and wrists where gold and precious ornaments must have once been present.

On the men, it was more apparent in the clothes, which were not perfect and had a few creases here and there. Normally, this would not have attracted much attention, but these people kept glancing at the creases and frowning as if they had done some personal injustice to them.

Hence… One would be able to understand that they were not used to tardiness like this, which meant that they might have had to let go of a few servants recently.

This wasn't the case with everyone present, though. Of the 20, at least four looked the same as before, but what was ironic was that their faces were the angriest in the place.

Finally, unable to control himself anymore, a potbellied man rose up and struck the table in front of him.

"I'll kill him! I swear, if I get my hands on him, I'll kill him!"

He was referring, of course, to the man who had appeared in all of their dreams to turn them into nightmares on almost every night for the last month, consecutively.

These… were the leaders of the trade families who had lost absurd amounts of money to the pyramid scheme.

In response to the potbellied man, it was a graceful woman who was part of the group who hadn't changed much who spoke up.

"We should at least be thankful that we were able to spot that something strange was going on in time. If not, he would definitely have managed to wring us completely dry of all of our wealth that has been passed down since generations. How would we have met our ancestors then?"

The family of this woman was known to be one who believed in the old ways, where there was a legend that those who died would go to the Heavens to meet all those who had come before them. If they had done well in life, then they could raise their heads and live eternally in prosperity in heaven, and if not, it was said that those same relatives would kick that person down to hell, where they would have to endure endless torture unto eternity.

Although no one really believed that latter part, they strived for the former, even if there was no proof for either.

Some called this dumb, but no one would dare to say so in front of Lady Farriga.

She was actually middle-aged, but her face did not have even a single wrinkle, and it was said that one of the major expenses of the household of her family was the products which kept up the beauty of her skin. She was known to be extremely vain, so much so that she had once sentenced a visitor to death because they had said that the rumors of her beauty, which she had started in the first place, were fake.

After she spoke these words, appreciative nods could be seen all around the room, and the potbellied man sat down.

Still, he couldn't help but grumble under his breath, saying, "He was one of us! And the plan looked so good! I even bought so many trinkets because weIthought I was making so much money! But now, all of the products are just sitting in my warehouse, without anyone to sell them to, and he has all of my money! How the hell did he even manage to scam us all?!"

This time, it was an old man beside the lady who answered, and he was another one of the leaders of a giant trading family that was present in the continent of Angaria.

"Greed. It is ironic that the singular passion which drove our ancestors to work hard and earn all our wealth will probably the same thing which will result in us losing it in this generation. We cannot have that happen. Have you all received the reports of the latest happenings in the village of Lancershire? That place has already become a hotbed for spies looking to make a quick buck, so I assume that you're all up to date."

As the rest nodded after expressions of frustration appeared on their faces due to the man's acute observation, he continued.

"This is a golden opportunity for us. If we can just obtain a copy of those trinkets and that coin and manage to somehow replicate them, then we can regain our statuses, and probably grow even richer. The beauty of this is that because we took so many network trinkets which are lying uselessly in the warehouses of all of our families and those of our subordinates who are definitely cursing us right at this moment, the materials of those trinkets can be reused to create copies of the ones which are being tested in that village. I've spoken to one of the topmost research mages from Eldinor, and he has no love for the king as he has quite a strong belief that his race should be paramount in the continent. He despises the ruler of Eldinor for joining with the king even if he did help their Kingdom, and although I think that he's pretty despicable, he will be instrumental in copying the trinkets. Gentlemen and ladies, we have suffered grave losses, and there are still a few families who haven't recognized what is going on and are still pumping money into the failure of a business that was marketed towards us a pyramid scheme. I'll be the first to admit that now, even the word 'pyramid' gives me shivers, and as for the man who was responsible for all this… All of us know his past – that he came from the streets and has no family whatsoever. Hence, we cannot really target him except if we manage to find him, and I don't see that happening in the short-term. He's smart, but we need to be smarter, and this is our opportunity. All we need to do is-"

BANG!

A loud sound interrupted the man, making him stare with shock at the door where a very tall figure shrouded in a dark cloak had appeared.

Panicking, the man and even the rest of the leaders of the trade families instantly started to move back, as none of them were powerful Fighters or Mages. Instead, they had almost all chosen to live lives of luxury to spend their wealth, while trusting that their guards would be enough to handle any situation like this.

There were one or two who had dabbled in the path to power, but the scene behind this cloaked man made any notions of resistance die in their infancy.

All of the guards of these 20 leaders, who numbered in at least a few hundred, as they had all been paranoid and gotten everyone they could find, were lying unconscious behind him.

If he was capable of such a feat… Then he could probably simply flick his fingers and end their lives.

Still, the dignity of those who were used to commanding hundreds under them came forth after they all backed up to create some distance between them and the man.

It was Lady Farriga who spoke up again, as she was known to be brave whether the situation demanded it or not.

She took a step forward with a flushed face and red eyes before exclaiming, "I do not know who you are, but I do not think that you have come to kill us. If that was the case, I suspect that we would all have been dead by now."

These words caused a chill to pass through those behind her, but they all held their silence, following which the cloaked man laughed and spoke in a rasping voice.

"Indeed. So you cretins really do have some brains, after all. I guess they are needed to herd the cattle in the Central Continent."

Although these words were spoken in an extremely derogatory tone, they still caused sighs of relief to sound from the 20 who were present.

However, what the man said next made their hearts collectively skip a beat.

"Don't think you're out of danger, though. I will propose something, and if you choose to disagree, you will die. It is a simple matter, and you should count your lucky stars that at the moment, our objectives align. We want you to go against the King of Lanthanor in the latest scheme that he has started. I assume that you were discussing the same thing before I arrived?"

The lady and the others nodded, following which the cloaked man continued.

"Good. What we want is that his hard work should be completely wasted, and he should rage with despair that all of his plans were ruined. It is clear that he wishes to dominate the entire continent using these things which will definitely be very appealing to all the brainless cattle, because they are used to living like dogs with no sophistication whatsoever. You people need to stop him, and take over the business. We will provide you with resources, and even the trinkets that you will need to use. All you will have to do is follow orders and do what you do best: sell. Now, sell your souls to me. Walk up one by one and swear the oath that I give you, or die."

These words caused silence to appear in the room, following which Lady Farriga opened her mouth to say something.

However… Before she could, a loud scream was heard from her as a long cut that ran from her forehead to her chin had appeared on her face.

Clutching her face as the blood streamed through her fingers, the woman started to wail with pain, following which the cloaked man laughed once again and said, "No backtalk. When you throw a dog some scraps, you expect it to eat it without complaining, even if the scraps are poisoned. If it instead barks at you, this is what happens. Walk up one by one."

There was nothing else to do. It was the potbellied man who walked with trembling legs to the cloaked man first, as he was the one who valued his life most among the lot.

It was a good thing that the oath did not make them complete slaves of this man. It only said that they would follow his every orders on this matter, and that they would not speak of it to anyone else unless he gave permission.

Seeing that it was in this way, there were no more protests, even though none would have been present after hearing the lady's screams which were still echoing in the room. One by one, the leaders of the trading families who were used to being on top all walked forward, now exposed to the truth that they were but specks of dust when compared to those with true power in the continent.

They were all smart people, and they could guess that this man was from the Big Four, because he had managed to defeat multiple Warriors whom they had all employed at great expense to protect their lives.

The last one to walk up was a certain young lady, and although her face was veiled, her eyes shone with defiance.

Still, she did swear the oath, and after that, they were all dispersed.

This young lady hastily went to a table in her room as soon as she reached her estate, before grabbing a hidden communication trinket to send a message to a certain someone.

It read, "Family is forcing me. We must break up."

As soon as she sent the message, Jordan, who had received it, looked up from the ledgers he was going through to estimate exactly how much money he had scammed out of the trade families.

Slight panic appeared on his usually neutral face, and immediately, he set off from his abode.

Chapter 754: Spymaster Jordan 1

[Dormant surveillance on target: Jordan has activated. Target moving suspiciously. Before these movements, target received a message from a known source.]

Hearing this extremely strange message from the system, Daneel looked up from the parchments over which he had been brooding for the last few hours.

They were plans for more types of trinkets which would be implemented to work with the coins, and included in them were also recharging stations that could be kept secret even if one walked in and saw the formations.

The idea was to guard them, and also to implement a self-destruct formation that would activate when the fake formations that would be layered on to the real ones to confuse those who were studying them were bypassed.

Putting all these thoughts out of his head, Daneel rechecked the message from the system, and this time, there was more information for him to see.

[Target has arrived in Lanthanor.]

Huh?!

This didn't make sense. Jordan was just someone whom Daneel had Mind Controlled without him knowing that he was even being subjected to something of the sort, and to the man, it would have felt as if all of his ideas had originated from his own mind.

Moreover, he had recently checked on him and found out that although the pyramid scheme had been exposed, there were still a few suckers, but the profits they had made so far meant that whole thing could be called a grand success.

The only reason that Daneel was still monitoring him and keeping him under his control was for the extensive network of servants that he controlled, who could pick up all sorts of information that could never be found in other methods. After all, gossip was a very prominent source of information which was often overlooked.

Daneel was puzzled as to what Jordan would want to do here, and he was just about to ask the system whether it is possible to deploy a more thorough Mind Control spell which would allow him to check his thoughts.

After all, all that stuff about the consciousness being sacred only applied to powerful people, and with a brute force, consciousnesses of regular humans could be broken into and altered however one wished. If one wasn't delicate, though, they would cause permanent damage because it was, after all, a dangerous endeavor. Yet, Daneel had full confidence that he would not cause any damage whatsoever because the system could execute the spell with clinical accuracy.

The problem was that it was extremely resource-consuming, and hence, it was typically not used, especially because there weren't even many use cases where it would be required. And where it would be useful, it was impossible to deploy it, as most prime targets would have broken through to become Warriors, which would give them enough protection that their consciousnesses would not be intruded upon unless it was someone very powerful like the Head.

Before he could even do anything more, though, to his surprise, he saw that Jordan had arrived in front of the palace gates, and was requesting an audience with him.

He gave a fake name and said that he was simply someone from a trading family who was interested in selling the trinkets that were being tested in Lancershire village, and as Daneel gave the order that he should be let inside, he walked in with a complicated expression on his face.

He was led to a small meeting room, where Daneel observed him for a little bit of time.

It had been surprising enough that he was coming to Lanthanor, where he hadn't stepped foot in decades, but it was even more puzzling that he had sought out Daneel.

No matter how much he thought about it, Daneel couldn't think of a possible reason.

While he waited, various emotions of worry, despair and even slight hopelessness appeared on his face, and this was very strange, because the last time Daneel had seen him, he had given a strong impression that he was someone who wasn't very expressive.

Why the sudden change?

Intending to find out, he directly teleported into the room, and as Jordan looked up to see that the king had arrived, he immediately bowed low and asked a question that made Daneel widen his eyes and raise his eyebrows with shock.

"King ofLanthanorr, can I please ask whether you have been tampering with my mind?"

What?!

He had identified that he was being Mind Controlled?

But how?!

It was supposed to be a completely foolproof spell which would make it seem as if all of the ideas being placed into his mind were coming from himself, and even the system had been carefully monitoring him to make sure that nothing was amiss.

It hadn't been checking his thoughts, but it had been looking into what he was doing everyday. That was why he had gotten that alert, and it couldn't even be said that he had figured it out due to the message he had received. When he had read the message, the system had been able to intercept it using the spells that had been placed in his mind, and it said simply that someone was breaking up with him.

At this moment, Daneel hesitated, because he didn't know what to do.

After that, though, he shrugged and just nodded before sitting down.

This was just a normal human, and he hadn't even placed any safeguards or done anything that might threaten Daneel in any way. Hence, why not just find out how he had identified it and also why he had come here to ask directly?

As soon as Jordan heard the answer, the emotion that came on his face startled Daneel again, and it was all he could do to maintain his kingly expression and not put on one of surprise.

Relief had actually appeared in Jordan's face, and he stood up from his bow and sat back down before speaking.

"I knew it. My mind is my biggest asset, and for the longest time, I just thought that it had begun to churn out all sorts of amazing ideas. However… I started to feel that something was wrong. I just couldn't explain it, as everything looked fine, including all the money I had earned from the pyramid scheme. I'm assuming now that the vault in which the money was placed is empty, and I was made to believe that all of it is still there?"

Still surprised, Daneel nodded again.

He had already taken away all the Ether blocks for safekeeping, and the place where they were all stashed by Jordan was actually empty. The Mind Control had made him see otherwise, and for safety, Daneel had also Mind Controlled the servants around the house to see the same thing.

Even more relief appeared in Jordan's face, and he said, "You don't know how good it feels to find out that I was right. I thought that I was going senile, but it turns out that I was simply trapped using the legendary spell that is the dream of any spymaster. Only those from the Big Four are supposed to be able to use it, right? I see that you have many secrets, Oh King, while mine are all bare to you. I have been on this continent for a long time, and I have amassed all sorts of wealth. I have thousands of people under me who all depend on me for their livelihoods, and I believe that I have fulfilled all of the goals that I set for myself. In all this time, I've never seen a king as capable as you. You have both strength and intelligence, and both are necessary if one has lofty ambitions. Sadly, I only have the latter."

Hearing Jordan's impassioned speech, Daneel actually felt a little sorry for him.

The man had accomplished so much by putting in a lot of hard work, but he had swooped in and directly used a simple spell to take it all for himself. True, he wasn't a very 'good' man, especially in the sense of the 'good' that was prevalent on Eart. He wasn't someone who indiscriminately killed, but he was also not very known for his good heart. In fact, when Daneel had found out about him, he had been surprised to see that he had caused the bankruptcy and suicides of many people, because after all, one of his major sources of income was blackmail using sensitive information.

First, though, Daneel wanted to find the answer to the question that was still burning inside him.

"How did you identify that it was Mind Control?"

It looked like Jordan had entered some kind of a reverie, because he snapped out of it when the King asked this question and answered, "It was pretty simple. I checked back on all the times that I had gotten thoughts out of nowhere, and then I associated them with the movements of the kingdoms in the Central Continent. So, it was easy to identify that the information that I was collecting using my network was being used by you, especially in the case where you found out about the movements of the Kingdom of Arafell when she was recruiting allies."

"…"

The extremely simple answer impressed Daneel, because it once again showed the intellect of this man, whom he had been using all this while. Indeed, at that time, he had used Jordan's extensive network to keep a close eye on the movements of the people sent out by the Queen of Arafell for recruiting settlements into her kingdom.

From this, a connection really could be made, and the man had made it, so here he was.

But why was he here?

As if he had read Daneel's mind, Jordan spoke up.

"I've just received word that someone is targeting your new business of trinkets and coins. I must applaud you on the fact that you created something which has tremendous potential, but I wish that you had begun testing in a more discrete manner. I can deduce that you are mostly doing this because you're confident that no one else can copy what you have done, but what if… It is someone from the Big Four that is targeting you?"

BANG!

Stamping his foot on the ground, Daneel immediately stood up while staring at Jordan.

Was the man jesting? But that didn't make sense, as he seemed to value his life. These were the kinds of jokes that could get people killed, but his expression was one of seriousness.

Someone from the Big Four was targeting his plan?

That was exactly what Daneel had been sure wouldn't happen, and the reason why he had gone ahead so brazenly!

The Big Four were supposed to be completely absorbed with themselves! There should be no one who was idle enough to target his business, instead of just directly targeting him!

Calming these thoughts, Daneel first decided to find out just how the hell this man had made this claim.

Again, before he could ask, Jordan spoke.

"I have always had an insider in the trade families to check how the pyramid scheme and other things were being adopted. You must already know this. Today, she attended a meeting where the agenda was to target your business to get back the money that they had lost. However, after that, she sent me a private message before cutting off all communications. We already have an understanding between us, and I can tell that she would only do so if someone managed to overpower her. If she was overpowered, then it means that the same happened to the rest, too. They all have Warriors, and there is only one force on the Central Continent apart from you who can defeat so many of them – the Big Four. She could not speak of the result of their meeting, which means that an oath must've been extracted from her regarding it. This leads me to conclude that whoever has targeted all of these trade families has taken them under their control and has set their eyes on your business. I wish to ask directly to enter your retinue, and do things of my own volition, instead of 'getting ideas out of nowhere'. I will serve you to the fullest of my abilities, in much better ways than what I would have done if I continued to be Mind Controlled. In return, I just ask one thing: lifespan. Please promise me that if you become powerful enough and obtain a method to extend my mortal lifespan, you will give it to me, and until then, I need no payment. If you are in agreement, I'm ready to swear whatever oath is necessary. In my life, I have always succeeded in everything that I set my mind to, and I promise that if you believe in me, I will show you the meaning of the word 'Spymaster'. I humbly request that you consider this deal, Oh King"

Chapter 755: Spymaster Jordan End

Daneel had to admit that he was even more impressed now, when he saw the way that Jordan had assessed the situation and reached the conclusion which was most logical.

He would make a pretty damn good subordinate, and it wasn't like Daneel had no intention of using him at all. Why not do that actively, instead of repeatedly using Mind Control to place thoughts in his mind?

Besides, this present plan of his relied heavily on finding out how people were adopting the product, and although he had already assigned Luther to the case of collecting feedback, it wasn't like another source would be bad.

Also… If what he was saying was true, then it might be even more necessary to have someone like Jordan who had such an extensive network working for him actively to identify just what his hidden opponents might be up to.

However, Daneel still had a few misgivings, and so, he decided to ask a question.

The reason behind these misgivings was that in his retinue, he only liked to have people that he knew he understood. He did not really believe in oaths, because even if the one whom they were placed on could not break through them, others could intervene and give rise to a situation where placing his trust might turn out to be quite disastrous.

This was why even the now court mage of Lanthanor was still slowly working his way to earn Daneel's trust. He valued quality over quantity, and he would rather that his inner circle be filled with those who did not need oaths to keep them in line.

"What led you to reach this point in life? Why is life span so important to you now? What made you work so hard, and what made you take the risk to come here? I could very well have killed you to keep my secret safe, you know."

Daneel said that last part even though it was false. After all, if Jordan had been about to go to the Big Four to tell them something about him, the system would directly have identified it and he would have been stopped in his tracks.

However, he didn't know that he was being so well observed in that manner, but he had still chosen this for some reason.

Jordan took a few moments to think, and when he finally spoke, it was in a voice that was filled with the emotion one who had seen the vicissitudes of life.

"The answer is actually simple, My Lord. If you knew where I was born and where I grew up, you would not even really ask it."

As Daneel bent forward, Jordan's eyes seemed to glaze over, as if he was reliving what he was talking about.

"I will keep it short. I was apparently thrown away by my parents, for reasons I haven't been able to uncover no matter how much I tried. I was adopted by a small family who served a certain individual, but that family died because they made a mistake while serving their master. I was three years old when this happened, and the only reason I know this is that I was mocked that I was bad luck personified when I grew up. I was then adopted by the sister of those who had originally taken me in, but she used me for begging. I would be carried around looking pitiful, and those in the streets would donate token amounts. I was extremely hungry all the time, and at one point, I fainted out of hunger and thought that that was it. I was five years old at that time, and I only remember glimpses. When I was six, I ran away from her and entered into the employee of a bar, where I cleaned the tables and the floor for some food. I had to fight for each and everything, and I knew that if I relaxed even for a little bit in my battle against life, I would be run over like the many I had seen during my journey. When I was ten, that barman threw me out in favor of a woman who attracted customers, and I entered into a trading family as a cleaner, again. And there… Was where I finally found an opportunity. A spy working for an opposing family approached me and asked me to eavesdrop for some information, and I did so happily for the money. I had no idea that it was even possible to earn money in this way, and it gave me an idea that kept burning inside me. I had always had the determination to do something with my life- to win against it, because it seemed to want to beat me down as much as possible. I started slowly, using just the servants of that house, and because I understood them well, I was able to communicate properly and get them to work for me. Each and every thing that I wanted, I took. Life took everything away from me, so I saw no wrong in doing this. I blackmailed, I stole, I sold state secrets, and finally, I built an empire that spans across the entire Central Continent, and I'm now probably one of the richest men alive. Basically, I… won. And I did it out of my determination to decide on something, and then do everything that was necessary to obtain it. Now, with age catching up to me, this is the final foe that I wish to face and defeat, just like everything else. This is the truth, my lord, and you can even check my mind to see whether I lied or not. I believe that the best relationships are those that are born out of mutual benefit, and I believe that I will make my worth known to you if you trust me. That is all I have to say."

It read like a story, and even for a few moments after Jordan stop speaking, Daneel kept envisioning the life that the man must've gone through.

Most of it wasn't even that special. Many were dealt with such cards in life, and he had been dealt those that were worse than most. Yet… All that mattered was what one decided to do with them. They could either hold them and cry with despair, or they could try and transform them into something else. Jordan had done the letter, and it was obvious that he had the one thing that was missing from most who wanted success: the willingness to do whatever was necessary to obtain it.

With this, Daneel was satisfied. It wasn't always required that one's motives should match. His sovereigns and the others under him wanted to serve him and do what was needed to be done for his vision to come true, and as for Jordan, he wanted something else, but to get that, he had identified the best route.

What he asked wasn't impossible, as Daneel was already researching it as he wanted to use it for his mother, who had no talent at all in the Path to power, just like Jordan. Both of them were also too old to have their potentials upgraded slowly, and there was no way that he would allow her to simply pass away after her mortal life span came to an end. All he would have to do in exchange for Jordan's services was to use the same method that he found for her on him, too.

Daneel had never been one to dally too much on decisions, so he directly spoke out loud after fixing his gaze on Jordan.

"Very well. I accept you, but I will still have to see whether you truly deserve to become someone I can depend on. Your task right now is to keep an eye on everything that is happening in relation to my plans, while also making discreet inquiries as to just who might be targeting them. Use this communication trinket to contact me if you find anything important. And use these trinkets to protect yourself and escape if you come under attack. All those who work for me often find that danger stalks them as if they are but prey in the wild."

Saying so, Daneel threw four trinkets in Jordan's direction and then teleported away.

He reappeared in the air above Lanthanor, and this was when he sank into deep thought.

Who the hell in the Big Four could be so idle to target him, and that too when his plans were in such an early stage? Any way he thought of it, there seemed to be no reason for them to go after the wealth they could accumulate if they interfered. They could obtain precious Ker Gems simply by being a part of the Big Four, so it just didn't make sense.

Unless, what if… They had a personal vendetta?

As soon as this thought occurred to Daneel, it felt right. He knew the attitudes of those in the Big Four, and there were only two things which motivated them the most: power, and ego.

The first people he thought about who might be targeting him were the Heroes, who actually had quite a bit of idle time on their hands. However, they were hard to target and identify, so Daneel decided to first go to the location of the meeting to see if he could find any clues.

In order to not leave any traces, the wooden building had been completely demolished, and even the wood used had been burnt to ash. There were no trails left, at all, that any meeting had gone on here, but thankfully, Daneel had the system which could actually read the elementary particles in the air to check whether there were any traces of spells left behind.

He had already surveyed the area carefully before appearing here, and because it hadn't been very long since the meeting ended, there was a chance that he would succeed.

Sure enough, after a few moments, the system sent him a message.

[Traces of spell "Rapture of the Goddess" found. Spell was used to knock out multiple Warrior level individuals at once. It is an exclusive spell of the Goddess's Sanctum sect.]

The Goddess's Sanctum?!

But he didn't even have any enemies there! Who the f*ck could it be?!

A pretty face had come into his mind as soon as Daneel had even heard the sect's name, and he realized that it had been a long time since he had spoken to Xuan. In fact, he hadn't spoken to her since their 'counseling session' before, and when he had asked Eloise the other day, he had found out that she had entered some kind of special training which placed her in complete isolation.

Pausing for a moment, Daneel considered everything that he knew about the sect. Various possibilities ran through his mind, and one of them was even whether this could be someone who had been pursuing Xuan, and was now targeting him because of the kiss they had shared.

But news of that was supposed to be secret, right? Surely, there was no way that that something that scandalous could be leaked?

At one point, Daneel even thought of Molan, and wondered whether she might be jealous enough to do something like this.

Yet, he could find no conclusion, so, as a last-ditch attempt, he sent a message to Xuan.

However, just like he had expected, there was no reply, which made Daneel get a slightly frustrated expression on his face.

Soon, it became clear that there was nothing exactly he could do. He couldn't randomly enter the sect again as he had already used his opportunity to go through their libraries, and he had no one on the inside whom he could trust.

So… The only thing he could do was continue what he was doing, while acting as if he had no idea that someone was targeting him.

However, just before teleporting away, he gritted his teeth.

Till now, he had been an innocent rabbit who was frolicking in the grass, unaware that there was a wolf in the shadows staring at him secretly. Now, though… He could take the role of an eagle from above who could watch everything on the ground and pounce down when needed, while still acting as the rabbit who was being targeted without its knowledge.

This was a very, very important plan, and no matter who it was, they were going to face Daneel's wrath if they imagined that they would have an easy time disrupting it in any manner.

Deciding that the time for mercy for those in the Big Four was past, Daneel teleported away, and in her cell, Jessica actually felt a slight shiver in her spine, almost as if she had been locked onto by an apex predator.

No matter how much she tried, though, she couldn't find the reason behind such a feeling, so she just let it go, and continued on her task of bringing ruin to the King of Lanthanor, for which she was ready to do anything and everything that was required.

Chapter 756: The Launch

Things were peaceful for the next week, with people from all over the area surrounding Lancershire coming over to the village to experience the incredible gadgets that had been given to them for free.

Everything was being carefully monitored, and although the general emotion that was seen in those who observed the trinkets and the coins that powered them was awe and even jealousy, there were also many who said that that there was no way that they would be able to afford them when they were launched to the public.

These were usually older people, who had seen their fair share of the world, and they were pretty pessimistic regarding most things. They had heard about similar tests being carried out in isolated places, which had resulted in the hopes of the common people rising, before they were all dashed during the launch when a very high price was announced.

True, the difference here was that it was a kingdom carrying them out, unlike those other cases where they were merchants who simply wanted to squeeze the common populace dry.

Still… The extremely practical uses of the trinkets which could actually bring down the overall expenses of a household were so tempting that some even decided to splurge their savings, and even started to hope that it would be within the margin that they could afford.

As for the coin, it was taken up and felt by all, and they even discovered the clever trick where if one looked at the coin in the sun, the reflection would make it seem as if the King was smiling at them, as opposed to the stoic expression that one would see on first glance.

It was sort of an Easter egg the Daneel had implemented, and it brought a certain personality to the currency, making it even more unique. Each and every one who held the coin did not want to part with it, and when they found out the name, most said that it was apt.

With this, the population of the village of Lancershire had also started to grow, and it looked like the beta testing of the trinkets was going to be much more of success than Daneel had originally imagined.

Yet, unlike before when he had made his pleasure obvious, now, the King of Lanthanor had a pretty neutral expression on his face even when he heard all of the positive reports from Eloise and Luther.

He had been so ever since that meeting with the man who had come to the kingdom, and he had told the reason to both of them. Hence, they weren't that surprised, as they knew that the king must be thinking about how he could identify the enemies, or how he could counter their moves even if he didn't know just what they were up to.

Indeed, Denny had been thinking about it every day, but he had been unable to come up with anything, and this was continuously frustrating him to no end.

"Daneel! Daneel!"

Eloise's voice snapped him out of the thoughts he had been absorbed in, and he realized that she had asked a question.

Seeing that she had his attention, Eloise repeated it.

"Mass production of the trinkets is going well, and even the coins are being minted at the pace that you set. If all is well, in a week, we'll be able to launch it in the Alliance with a limited number of trinkets and coins. Are we still going forward with the plan we had initially?"

Today was the last day to decide on this, as depending on the decision, a lot of preparations would have to be made.

Before this, Daneel had been hoping that he would find some indication of the enemy.

However…all was silent, and it was almost as if those foes had vanished into thin air.

Shaking his head, Daneel realized that there was nothing else to be done.

"Go ahead.", he said, before teleporting away, and leaving an empty throne which looked morose, just like the man who had been sitting on it up until that moment.

"Keep a close eye, Eloise. It is obvious how much this means to our King, so we really cannot have anything go wrong."

As Luther said this beside her, Eloise turned to him and spoke with a concerned tone.

"I will. But don't you think the King is a bit too affected?"

With a sigh, Luther answered, "That is so because he puts more pressure on himself than any of us can ever imagine. This is probably also the first time that the King is finding himself knowing that there is a for, but unable to identify them in order to make sure that their attempts would only be futile. You also forget one other thing. After the setting up of the Alliance, this is the first major undertaking of the King. The rest were all announced then, but this is different. If there is a failure here…the naysayers might rise again, and although they can be handled, it is not ideal. Let's just do our best. Jordan has already proven himself to be invaluable: he suspects that the opponents are gearing up to launch something at the same time as our launch, too. I admit that I wouldn't have found this out- he did so by interpreting just a few whispers."

Eloise could tell that Luther must also be worried, because he usually didn't speak this much. Still, she found solace in his words, and the both of them left to take care of their duties.

For another week, they were fully busy in the preparations, and although Daneel joined in, too, he was still a shadow of his previous self.

Finally, the launch day loomed, and the night before, Daneel didn't even sleep at all.

The entire night, he stood above the Heavenly City of the Alliance, looking out over the vast lands he had taken command of.

As the sun broke through the horizon, the first batches of trinkets started to be teleported.

They were using the same teleportation routes that had been set up at great expense back during the major meeting which had seen people arrive from all over the continent, but this time, they were only utilizing the ones which connected this place to the locations inside the Alliance.

The shipments were in the form of large barrier-protected boxes, each with a squad of Mages and Fighters to protect them in case they were waylaid for any reason.

These were all just the trinkets, as the coins would be given in a special method.

Beside him, after a few minutes, a squad of elves arrived who all greeted him.

Queen Katerina and her advisor, Eldra, were also present in this squad, dressed like normal mages of Eldinor, and seeing them, Daneel couldn't help but crack a smile and go over.

Each of these Mages were carrying pouches that jingled as they moved, and the sound was so pleasant that it served to slightly uplift Daneel's mood.

"I asked for the best you had, but I didn't think that that would include you two, too."

As he said this, the two elves heartily laughed before Katerina replied.

"We wouldn't miss this for the world! All the elves who pride themselves on their skill in trinket creation are awestruck by you, by the way. Us elves typically do not hesitate to recognize those superior to us in skill, especially when it is so apparent just how much the difference in skill is. Many have even taken you as role models, and I am also happy to tell you that even more have signed up to go to the research city you are building."

With a nod, Eldra also spoke up.

"You should have seen their faces when they were first given the coins and the trinkets. They tried so much to understand and replicate them, but they all failed. How did you-"

The former queen was interrupted when Katerina casually lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't ask, he's a little bag of secrets. Look at that smile- oh, I envy the woman who will finally succeed in opening those lips so that all those secrets can flow out, unhindered. Shell we get started?"

Daneel's smile couldn't help but broaden when he heard her, and he just nodded when she asked the last question.

By now, the distribution had begun, and it was planned so that it would be like a bolt out the blue for all the citizens who might be expecting some kind of grand announcement, and then sale.

Instead, Daneel had decided that he would first give everyone the trinkets for free, before increasing the tax for those who chose to keep them.

This was another idea he had shamelessly lifted from Earth: it was the freemium model where one would first be enticed with a product when it was for free, before being tempted to pay when the time came for it to be taken away.

As for the coins…now that would be a sight to see.

A few seconds after all the elves teleported away, Eloise and Luther appeared beside Daneel, and the former had an array of display trinkets in front of her.

She also had a communication eye, which was tapped into the Network that was displaying a blank screen at the moment.

Seeing Eloise nod, Daneel took a deep breath and put on his usual dignified expression.

It was time.

The communication eye was trained on him, and with the backdrop of the sun rising behind him, Daneel looked like a god who had come along with it to bring light to all the watching Angarians' homes.

With a smile, he began to speak.

"Citizens of the Alliance. It is time to take the next step into a life that you must have only dreamed of. I asked you to ask the Heavens if there was anything you wished for, and you have already seen that I am a man of my word. This is a gift to you, for believing in me and continuing to strive to make our Alliance a cohesive whole. We usually pray to the Heavens to give us good fortune, but this time, they have decided to answer directly. Just look to them, and you will understand. Long live the Alliance!"

At almost the same moment as he ended his speech, the families which had been picked to receive the Network trinkets before, where many people had gathered, all heard the sound of something tinkling on the roof of their house.

They had already received the trinkets, and they had been puzzled regarding how they should make them work.

Now, astonished, they ran out and could only stare with shock at the beautiful sight that presented itself to them.

A rain of shining silver coins with exquisite pearls inlaid on one side of them began to cascade from the skies, and as one, everyone who was present ran to gather as many as they could.

There was really nothing as incredible as a literal rain of wealth from the skies.

As Daneel took a moment to rejoice on seeing that everything going well, an envelope appeared out of thin air in front of the gates of the Palace of Lanthanor.

The guards had already been placed on high alert, so as soon as they saw this, they immediately notified Kellor, who notified Daneel.

Immediately, all the emotions of joy were replaced by those of dread, as Daneel teleported to the Palace before checking the envelope, and then picking it up.

It was unmarked, but heavy. And as he opened it…he was greeted by a sight which brought him even more shock than that of the people all over the Alliance to whom he had given the gift.

Out fell twenty coins identical to the Dans that had just gone public, and on the inside…were a few words which made Daneel's heart go cold.

They read:

"With love, from Jessica."

Chapter 757: The Culpri

In the cell whose location was so secret that the number of people who knew where it was could be counted on two hands, Jessica was looking at a display trinket that was onlooking the gates of the Palace of Lanthanor.

All over the continent, families were running out to hastily collect the coins that were being rained down on to their houses, and a display trinket beside this central one was showing varying images of those scenes.

Yet, she didn't feel angry because of the success of the King's plan.

Instead…she simply sent a message, saying, "Do it."

Unable to control her excitement, Jessica walked forward until her face was almost right in front of the display trinket.

A few seconds after she sent the message, an envelope appeared out of thin air and dropped onto the ground, in full view of the guards who were standing at the gates while vigilantly looking around.

No sooner had they seen this strange occurrence happen, an alarm was raised, and after a few moments, the man who had destroyed all of her hopes and dreams for her future appeared.

The worry could be seen clearly on his face, even though it looked like he was concealing it well. A smile broke onto Jessica's face, and it was actually the first full one she had gotten since being locked up here.

Her entire body started to shake with joy in anticipation of what was going to happen, and as she saw him wearily pick up the envelope, she couldn't help but remark to herself regarding just how good it felt to see his face without the confident smirk that she had seen on it before.

Well…what she was going to see next was something she would delight in for a long time to come.

The display trinket was already recording, and when the coins finally started to fall onto the ground in front of the King, the expression of shock on his face made Jessica exclaim, "YES!"

She balled up her fist in joy, and her eyes which had been blazing with anger now glinted with the happiness that came from success.

Her smile was as wide as it could go, and her hair, which she hadn't bothered to wash as there was no one who would see her here, anyway, was fanned around her face, giving her the image of a banshee which had just eyed its next sumptuous meal.

The King immediately disappeared afterward with all of those coins, and right away, she received an incoming attempt from the man she was using as her liaison to the outside world.

She accepted the request, and another display trinket popped up to show the image of a large bronze sun affixed onto a wall, in the middle of which an almost holy woman's face was framed.

It was the official symbol of the Goddess's Sanctum, and in front of it, the cloaked man spoke.

"Congratulations on the first success of your plan, my lady. Was it really wise to allow him to know that it was you, though? Wouldn't we have been better off if he was still searching for us while we were hidden in the dark?"

It looked like the man had been wanting to ask this question for a long time, and seeing a moment where she was finally in a good mood, he was making an attempt to satiate his curiosity.

Indeed, Jessica was in a wildly ecstatic mood, so she answered right away.

Banging her fist on the stone floor for emphasis, she said through gritted teeth, "Because he needs to know that it is I, who is the reason for the ruin of all of his carefully laid plans. He did the same thing to me, and I want him to find out exactly how it feels to experience witnessing one's future crushed to dust in front of them. If he doesn't know it is me, I can hardly find enjoyment in his plight when he realizes that there is no way whatsoever to touch me, right? Now, he will curse my name with frustration and anger, as I have done his for what he feels like an eternity. I will be the demon in his dreams and the wraith who haunts him when he is awake. I will make sure that everything he has accomplished will be destroyed, no matter how many resources I need to spend for this task. Speaking of resources…how goes the production of the coins which will supplant his?"

It wasn't clear what the man thought of the answer, as he was famous for losing control of his facial muscles due to a strange spell he had experimented with. Any changes to his face had to be done using spells, so he seldom did so unless he needed to unsettle someone, like he had had to do in the case when he had handled the leaders of the trading families.

His answer was prompt, and delivered in a slightly proud tone.

"It goes well. No matter what he does, we will be able to entice people into using our coins instead of his, which will be cheaper to do. As the goal is to make sure that his plan to monopolize the power sources fails, we will not be targeting the trinkets, which were never meant to be his major source of income anyway. We are burning three times the resources to create the coins, and even though they can only be used once, people will choose us as we will almost be giving them away for free. No matter how deep his reserves are, they cannot compare to what you have stored away during your long time as a seed."

While Jessica nodded in response, far away from her, the King of Lanthanor had made the same discovery.

He was in his quarters, where he was standing in front of a table that seemed to have been attacked by a battering ram while the coins, that had just been analyzed by the system, were lying strewn around the room.

The message from the system was the reason why he had just banged his hands on the table where he had placed the coin after teleporting to his room, causing the present scene to appear.

[Coin has been made by wasting resources in a brute-force method which was not judged to be sustainable by anyone in the Central Continent. At least 3.4 times the resources used by host are being used to create coins with equal amounts of Energy. Coin also does not have any mechanism to be recharged, which suggests that there is an extremely high probability of the coins being only for one-time use. One of the coins also has a hidden message etched using tiny letters which says 'It is time to pay for your sins']

Sins?

For a moment, Daneel really felt like kicking himself for not anticipating that someone as smart as Jessica would want to get revenge on him, right away, for spoiling her almost perfect plan to obtain power by sacrificing 5 other seeds.

Wasn't she supposed to be in prison? So, was the prison for seeds like the one for corrupt politicians back on Earth, where they could have all kinds of facilities while only being imprisoned in name?

Right away, he contacted Rayen to find out about this, and the Hero could hear the fury in Daneel's voice.

Unable to understand the reason behind it as he was currently in closed-door training, he answered, "Yes, seeds are special, so they're only thrown into a cell from which they cannot leave. They can still talk to people outside and eat and train like normal, because if they have committed grave crimes, each of them are investments which amount to a number you cannot even imagine. Almost since their birth, a lot of resources are burnt to make sure that they become the best. They even have a certain quota to use every month for luxury, as the idea is also that they should have no impediments while training."

Without even asking, Rayen had given the answers to two of Daneel's questions.

How Jessica was managing things on the outside, and how she had so many resources.

It wasn't a farfetched assumption to make that she must have stashed away this quota for a long time because she was the kind of cunning b*tch to target those who caller her their sister so that she could grow in power.

Without hesitation, Daneel asked the question that sprang into his mind next.

"Can I go to the prison? If I wanted to."

Rayen was quite taken aback as he heard this, but he answered in a puzzled tone.

"Err…definitely not. Seeds are also supposed to be safe, so they would probably be placed in the Maximum Security prison that only a handful know of."

Daneel had already expected this the moment he had seen Jessica brazenly announce that she was the one behind all this.

If she wasn't confident that she couldn't ensure her safety, she wouldn't have pulled that stunt anyway.

Directly cutting off the connection without further ado, Daneel reassessed his situation, which was when he saw that her plan was clear.

She wanted to supplement the people by making her coins cheaper, thereby taking away his monopoly, which was the most important source of income which he had been about to use to pull out his own stash.

True, she would be burning through resources, but with time…it was possible that she even had the plan to modify the formations of old in the way that he had done.

With the system, he had done it in a week. Without it, she might need years, but for that much time, she could probably afford to keep on burning, as Ker Gems, which were definitely the form of her resources, were simply incomparable to Ether blocks in value.

"Argh!"

Daneel couldn't help but exclaim with anger before beginning to pace around the room.

It was a brute-force method to undercut him and take away his business, but it was highly effective.

At the moment, Daneel felt as helpless as all the poor souls on Earth who found their work being profited off of without them being able to have any say in the matter.

All they would want to do was work hard, but the value of their hard work would be severely impacted by the pirates who only wished to exploit and make a quick buck.

And here, the pirate wasn't even after money. They wanted revenge, and they also had an almost bottomless pocket.

Of course, he couldn't blame the people, either, because they were just choosing the cheaper alternative.

At the moment, Daneel wished that he could just show his power and flatten her and everyone who was helping her out here in the world, but sadly, that wasn't an option.

What the hell was he supposed to do?!

Right as he was about to rage with the anger that kept flooding into his mind, he received a message from Jordan.

"My Lord, I've managed to trace a place from where coins just like yours are being shipped to all the same places which you chose for your launch. Should I deploy someone to stop the coins from being circulated?"

Wh-what?!

Like someone offering water to a parched man in a desert, Jordan seemed to have chosen the perfect time to make his worth clear.

Seeing the light in the darkness, Daneel snapped out of his emotions and began to think about what he should do.

After a moment, though, his course was clear.

"No, let them be. I know who the enemy is, and even if we stop them now, they will simply shift base and be even more careful the next time. They have near-endless resources, after all. Well done, Jordan. Let me take it from here."

Saying so, the King teleported away.

.....

Note from the Author: It was a coincidence that this matter came in the book, as I have had the intention to say this for quite some time. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the readers who have judged my humble work to be worthy enough for spending your hard-earned money on. You keep the lights burning, and you have given me the confidence that there is something that I can proudly say I am good at. I will forever strive to make my work better, and again, my gratitude is endless. Three cheers to you, and may fortune ever smile on the path you walk.

Chapter 758: Value of a Monopoly

At a location near the coast of Angaria that was north of the Alliance, Daneel was standing in the air while looking with an extremely confused expression at a building that had clearly been erected quite recently.

There were almost no formations, and especially those that could have come from Big Four which he expected would be protecting this place were not present. If he had simply scanned the entire continent, which he might have resorted to if he hadn't seen any other option, he was have spotted this place anyway.

That was one of the reasons why he was so puzzled. From this building, he could feel the signs of powerful formations being deployed which were needed if one wished to cut Ether blocks.

Also, from the back, where there seemed to be some kind of warehouse, men were carrying out boxes that jingled almost exactly like the pouches that Daneel had just seen on his own mages to a spot where they were repeatedly being teleported away.

Obviously, these were the people who were setting out to distribute these counterfeit coins to the various places around the continent.

But… Why was it all so damn open?

Why wasn't it completely concealed? Why were there no advanced formations deployed, which should have made it impossible for anyone to find out just what was going on here?

It wasn't even that that hard to do it. If a simple Hero level formation that shouldn't be out of reach of a seed was used, Daneel would have had no option but to pull out his hair regarding just where the coins were coming from. True, he would have eventually found out with a lot of difficulties, or Jordan would have accomplished it anyway, but still, that would have felt alright.

This just didn't.

For the past one minute, he had constantly been standing there with the urge to just go and flatten everything he could see.

From the volume of the coins that were being carried out, it was obvious that this was the main base of operations on the Central Continent. The building was quite large and also had four floors, which looked like it could easily contain hundreds of people if it had been built for residential purposes. Instead, Daneel knew for a fact that most of the inside was probably empty, and the only reason he wasn't actively breaking through the weak formation to fulfill his desire was that he felt that he should be cautious.

However… This was when the dormant anger which had been present just before started to rise again.

Why… couldn't he just, for once, use his power to dominate these fools and that women who had taken on this endeavor of going against him?

In almost everything so far, and especially in the matters related to the Big Four and the continent, Daneel had had to struggle and scheme. However… What he was in possession of was the World Domination System, not the World Scheming System.

Yet, he had been doing more of the latter than the former, and even though this could be attributed to the circumstances which had needed him to be cautious, he now realized that he was really longing for the day when he could change that and live up to what the system wanted him to become.

From day one, it had been clear regarding that, but Daneel had had to do everything discreetly.

Well… The day that that would change wasn't far off, and right now, he started to seriously consider whether he should just do it in some small form here, too.

After all, this was happening so openly, so couldn't he just masquerade as a normal bandit group and decimate this place?

True, the resources that Jessica had at her disposal would allow her to make one more whenever she wished, but he could do the same there, too, until he had wrung her dry.

He didn't know how long that could take, but the problem was for all that time, her coins would keep proliferating in the market while not allowing him to maintain the monopoly that he wished for.

True, one way of thinking of it was that that was all right, as the people would at least become completely used to using these appliances every day. After that, if he could slowly somehow ensure his monopoly in the end, then he might be the final winner.

Yet… This where he realized that he was truly underestimating Jessica.

Her entire agenda seemed to be to bring him to ruin, and if that was the case, there was no way that she would allow him to do as he wished without planning something to trump his efforts.

There was definitely no way that she would allow him to do that, and besides, if she did figure out the formations, then Daneel might even have to kiss the dream of his monopoly goodbye.

Besides, she seemed to have seen the core of his business. His objective wasn't short-term profits, where his gadgets would be used anyway, and where he wouldn't mind whether his coins were being used or not.

No, his goal was to change the way that an entire generation thought, and in doing so, to create an industry that could last many lifetimes and create endless profits.

For this, of course, the example was both diamond scheme that Daneel had taken inspiration from initially, and also a very famous company with a bitten off fruit as its logo.

True, neither of those hadn't been able to achieve a monopoly, but here, Daneel had the opportunity to do so, and he knew that if he succeeded, he would be in possession of something which he could both do good with, and also develop in the right direction, as his motive wasn't to profit himself exclusively in the first place.

If he could control the only source of the Energy needed for the appliances, then he could control the price, and by doing so, he could probably control the entire continent. Even though this sounded very lofty, he would at least be in a position to try and achieve that. But if that wasn't the case… It wouldn't be a plan that needed his entire focus, like what he was putting in now.

Case in point was another very popular company on Earth, which dominated an entire segment that people used every day. It had started out with being a simple place for people to search for things, and had even been given permission by governments to act as an impartial platform, that had allowed it to reach its near-monopoly status. And with that status… It was unimaginable just the things that it could do. Because it was something that people used so much that it had become a word almost always used whenever anyone had any question that they needed an answer for, it could simply change what people saw in order to change the very way they thought. True, this didn't apply to Daneel's case, but it implied just how much power a monopoly could exert on a group of people. In fact, Daneel had been quite surprised when he was back on Earth to see that even when this topic had been revealed, many major news outlets which were supposed to report on it had stayed silent.

This was, again, because of the monopoly and power that this company had achieved which allowed it to stifle them and make it so that it would not be profitable at all for them to even do the job the people trusted them to do.

That damn bi*ch had somehow identified what he was going for, or she had simply gotten lucky, but whatever the case, she needed to be stopped, and hopefully even stomped.

Without any further ado, Daneel decided what his first step was, and he prepared to directly go forward and attack.

His plan was to simply deploy a multitude of spells that were typically used by bandits whenever they were running a high-stakes operation, and he had quite a lot of experience in this because of the time when he had needed to act as a bandit boss.

Just before he did this, Daneel took one last look at the place, and that was when he noticed something that he hadn't seen before because he hadn't actually been looking for it.

There was one common feature in almost all the workers that could be seen from the outside, and it was a trinket shaped like a silver coin that was strung around their necks.

Curious, Daneel asked the system to scan it, but to his surprise, he got the answer that it wasn't possible remotely because it was quite a complex trinket.

Huh? Weren't there supposed to be no countermeasures, at all?

Surprised and also alarmed, Daneel decided on a way to obtain one of the trinkets.

However, after thinking for a bit, he scrapped that plan, as it was probably not smart to target it without knowing what it was. All he needed was to touch it, so Daneel made a simple plan for that.

He followed one of the men who were carrying the box of coins to the teleportation bay while hiding himself, and after that, using the system, he found out where that man was headed to.

It looked like they were storing the coins somewhere to launch them soon instead of doing it right away, and as Daneel reached the warehouse where the box was transported to which was in a small village outside the Alliance, he saw that he had gotten a stroke of luck.

Even in this place, the warehouse was out in the open, with no formations protecting it. It was under the name of a famous trading family, though, so there were regular guards. Daneel could see everything, and after the man deposited the box, he mumbled something about a break and started walking to a small bar nearby.

Taking the chance, Daneel simply disguised himself as a passerby and bumped into the man who was on his way to grab a beer.

He apologized and went on his way, but of course, he had touched the trinket without the man noticing it.

However… After walking for a few steps, he couldn't help but stop because he was quite surprised due to the message he was being sent by the system.

[Trinket has been identified to be one that will send a message to a discreet location if the owner is injured, or if the trinket is separated from the owner. It has no defensive properties. It can also identify and send the message if Mind Control is used on the one it is bound to.]

"…"

At this point, it became clear that Jessica was practically goading him to attack so that she could do something, and once again, Daneel found himself very, very irritated that his time was being wasted by this woman who should be training to defend the continent.

Wait…wasn't she supposed to be doing exactly that?

As soon as this thought appeared to him, Daneel contacted the Head after flying into the air, and the man appeared in front of him not even a few seconds later.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but without giving him a chance to do so, Daneel spoke first.

"Jessica is wasting the resources given by the Big Four to meddle in matters in the Central Continent. Shouldn't she be using them to train, and shouldn't she be spending her time to become stronger, even if she is imprisoned?"

The Head got a surprised look on his face as he heard this.

Without answering, he closed his eyes, which made it clear that he was contacting someone.

After a second, though, he got quite a frustrated expression on his face, and the answer he gave to Daneel was in a tone of vexation.

"She has been given leave to do what she wishes for a year. It is due to her mentor, who, for some reason, still vouches for her, and he is someone who has quite the sway in the High Council. He has said that she has contacted him saying that she has mental demons which she will be destroying in this year, and for that, she has been given leave to use whatever resources are needed. She was only commanded not to meddle directly in the Central Continent using force. The Big Four cannot help you in this matter, King, and if any of us do, we will have to answer to the High Council. They see it as a petty matter. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you regarding something, but for the first time in hundreds of years, I found myself hesitating. Well, I'll just say it. Bartholomew was acting on my orders to enter the Church to become a spy for Angaria. He was not supposed to allow you to come to that much harm. So, in a way…I am responsible for what has happened. If you had died…I would have never been able to forgive myself. You trusted me, and I trusted him, but that happened. I find that I cannot even train without thinking of this, so I decided to just come out to you. I am not a man who uses puny excuses to cover my faults. I made a mistake and almost had you killed. I…apologise, and I am at your bidding to carry out anything that you might wish for. Resources, techniques, training partners, whatever you need, I am ready to provide out of my own pocket. So, choose wisely, King, for opportunities like these are rare, and must not be wasted."

Chapter 759: A Man of Honor

For a few moments, Daneel had no idea regarding what he should say.

Although this matter regarding Bartholomew had been in the back of his mind, he had been entirely absorbed in everything that he was mired in because of Jessica. Hence, this apology kind of came out of nowhere, and for a few seconds, he had to just keep looking into the Head's eyes while seeing the changes that were happening in them right after he had come out with the truth.

Where before there had been hesitation and self-doubt, there was clarity now, and this was the clarity that one could only achieve if they faced their inner demons and defeated them successfully, instead of sweeping them under the rug and resorting to things like excuses or justifications.

Daneel could imagine just how hard it must be for someone like the Head to speak in this way and apologize to someone who was supposed just supposed to be someone with a little talent from the Central Continent. True, he had never seemed like someone who had the same prejudice against those not from the Big Four like the others, but that didn't mean that he didn't have his own honor which belonged to one who had reached his amazing level of power, both as the Head and as a Hero who had recently awed everyone with that tremendous display when fighting against the Church.

Along with this clarity came the determination to do whatever was necessary to make amends for what he had done, and this made Daneel finally find out about the true conduct and character of this man whom he had once suspected to be just as bad as those he had heard of in the Big Four.

He might have his faults, but at the end of the day, he was someone noble, and he just might even be someone whom Daneel was inclined to admire.

After all, people with this kind of character were rare, and when found, they should never be left alone, especially if one wished to find the best of subordinates for themselves.

However, sadly, Daneel still wasn't in a position to think in that manner, but still, it felt good that the continent was in the hands of someone like this. If it wasn't, things might have been much worse, and he really did not want to think about how much more of a struggle he might have had to go through if that was the case.

Putting all that aside, he remembered the last words of the Head, and agreed that such an opportunity was really rare to come by.

Right away, he considered whether he should take the Head's help in going against Jessica, but after considering the rest of what he had said, it became clear that that might not be wise, and should only probably be chosen if there was no other option.

In the matter of Jessica, he would only depend on himself, and even though he didn't like that too much, it was a good thing that he at least now had clarity regarding just what she could and couldn't do.

It was clear that she wanted to go against him and beat him at his own game so that she could make him feel despair and hopelessness, so his professional pride which arose from being someone who had schemed...er, struggled his way to becoming the Head of the First Alliance of Angaria pushed him to want to defeat her fair and square, without taking outside help.

So… This offer of the Head should be used in a different way, but no matter how much Daneel thought about it, he couldn't figure out something at the moment.

As for his feelings regarding this man being involved in the entire thing with Bartholomew… It was clear now that he really had no way to expect that things would develop in the way that they had, and besides, Daneel had never been the sort to become vengeful for baseless reasons. He had already taken his revenge against that guy who was now in a painful coma at the moment, so he was satisfied with the way everything had turned out. In fact, now that he thought about it, the whole thing might actually have been to his profit, because he now had this offer that was definitely invaluable for anyone on the continent.

Finally, Daneel decided on what he should do, and said, "I understand that you had no way to change how things might have gone. Who knows, if it wasn't for the pressure, I might not even have uncovered the Bloodline with myself. I do not blame you, but I will happily take your offer, because like you said, all of it might not have happened at all if it weren't for you. But I will contact you later regarding just what I want from you. For now, I want it to be on hold, while I also go to the other two sects to go through their libraries, because I have still yet to break through as a mage."

The emotions that appeared on the Head's face while Daneel said his part were like a rollercoaster- at first, they were those of relief, but then, they showed a bit of consternation that was definitely because he was recalling what Bartholomew had done. After that, though, when the Bloodline was mentioned, there was agreement that was visible on his face, and finally, after Daneel stopped talking, he said, "Yes, I know. After that, you are expected to enter the Big Four. I hope you haven't forgotten that."

With a chuckle, Daneel shook his Head, following which the Head continued.

"Good, then. I must admit that my heart feels much lighter. Of course, I don't think I need to mention that you should never speak to anyone about this, right? What he did was wrong, but now, he really is in the perfect position to enter the Church and become a valuable spy. All of that will be ruined if even the slightest whisper is passed along to the Church that something like this might be possible. It is a plan long in the making, and I would really be loath to see it fail. The other two sects await your arrival, and you can go anytime to peruse their libraries. Be wary of ridicule, though, especially from the seeds who do not think too highly of your Bloodline, although the truth is that if you reach the peak, they will not stand a chance of landing even a scratch on you. This is a special trinket that I've made for you, which will be concealed to all, while in truth, it is a Hero-level barrier that will activate when you face any danger. Please, accept it as a last token of my apology."

Saying so, the Head handed over a small square-shaped gold object which pricked Daneel's finger as soon as he accepted it. Right away, the system scanned it and told him that it had multiple Hero-level formations embedded which were both to hide it from others eyes and make it look as if he was defenseless, while also standing ready to activate and protect him from almost anything that might wish to kill him on this continent.

As soon as it was bound to him using the blood, the trinket even disappeared into his skin, leaving no traces behind.

Feeling quite pleased with it, Daneel smiled, following which the Head nodded one last time and teleported away.

Even after the man left, for a few moments, Daneel couldn't help but keep smiling, because it really was something that should be celebrated that the Head was this kind of a man.

After that, though, the smile soured, because he had remembered Jessica.

It really was tempting to use the offer to go against her, but Daneel was now set on the path to use his own intellect instead. She was smart, and as he now thought about it, he realized that the reason behind the operation being so open must also be to tease him so that he would feel frustrated.

A clear mind was what had given him this insight, and it made Daneel realise that he should control his emotions, and at least not allow them to take over. Just because he was getting powerful, it didn't mean that he should forget that kid who had managed to control his extreme anger even though he had been made to forcefully bow on his feet by the previous King of Lanthanor.

Taking a deep breath, he was about to decide on what he was going to do next, but it was then that he received a message from the Head, who looked like he had forgotten to say something when he was here.

It went:

"One last thing. Like I said, in the matter of Jessica, you have to depend on yourself, and I wanted to inform you that a few individuals on the High Council who idly like to keep an eye on the Central Continent are watching. They have already seen the formations and trinkets you have used and deployed, and they are quite impressed with your talent in formations that allowed you to identify and adapt the things you found in the libraries of the Big Four for this purpose. It has been quite a long time since you've been to the Goddess's Sanctum, and it does make sense that it took you this long to achieve this. I warn you that Jessica might not take as much time, though, because she has some of the foremost formation masters under her bidding due to her master. Anyway, the way that you handle this matter might just cause you to get a favourable impression with a few very important members of the High Council, whom even I have address with respect. They admire wit, and if you get them behind you… It might just be invaluable, especially if you decide to do something which will result in you coming in front of the High Council to be judged. Heavens forbid that something like that doesn't happen, but if it does, it is always good to plan ahead, and I know how much you like plans. I will be watching too, King. Show us all what your mind is capable of."

Daneel got a surprised expression on his face when he heard this long speech.

He already knew that there were hidden people in the High Council who were probably either more powerful or were at least as powerful as the Head, but he couldn't have thought that those people would be watching him at the moment.

Well, they were Heroes, so it made sense that the system couldn't identify them.

As for their interest in this matter, and the idea of getting them behind him… The moment Daneel thought of this, a plan started to form in his mind.

And of course, the part where they had assumed that he had been working on this since he had gone to the Goddess's Sanctum sect so long back was laughable, but also great news for him.

At the same time, he also felt really glad that he hadn't chosen to take the Head's help in the matter, and that he had taken the decision to handle it on his own anyway.

Well, if someone was watching… Daneel would just have to do it using a flashier method, and he was practically the master of such things in Angaria. Even if the plan was simple, it definitely had to be breathtaking.

Jessica… Just you wait.

Getting a broad smile on his face, Daneel immediately called for a meeting of his sovereigns and teleported away.

It looked like they were already assembled in anticipation of the meeting that he would call because this was a very grave matter, and as soon as he sent the message, they assembled in barely a few seconds.

It was Elanev who spoke up first among them.

Shaking his fist in anger, he exclaimed, "It's those damn trading families! I spoke to Jordan, too. I don't know how the hell they managed to replicate what you have done, but they should be shown just what happens if they go against us! I think we are powerful enough to handle the few Warriors they employed without exposing our true power, right?"

Raising a hand calmly, Daneel asked Elanev to sit down and then proceeded to explain everything he had just found out.

After he was done, Luther shook his head and said, "I really should have warned you about something like this before, My Lord. I have undertaken many cases over the years, and on eight different occasions, I was attacked by either the same person whom I identified to be guilty, or someone who was associated with them. Here, the one we convicted is a seed, and it should have been obvious that she would just not sit back and despair over the matter…"

As Luther's words trailed off into silence, the others got difficult expressions on their faces, because they now knew that they were up against a very formidable foe, who had already displayed that she was also quite smart.

Noticing this, Daneel decided to speak, and when they heard his words, smiles couldn't help but appear on their faces.

"My dear sovereigns, I can proudly declare that I am already forming a plan which will see Jessica stormed into the ground in the end. But before that, we have to defeat her in the platform that is the Central Continent. For that… let us engage our collective intelligence and might, and show just what the Council of the Nine Sovereigns is capable of."

Chapter 760: Planning

"That is something we can consider doing if it weren't for the fact that we cannot simply take all of the coins in the market and just change them into ours. Our coins are different because special formations need to be laid down as they are meant to be recharged, and also, you cannot forget that she will eventually figure out just how to make exactly the same ones that we are making. No, we need something more permanent, and also more effective. Remember, the goal was always to ensure the monopoly, and not to focus on short-term benefits. We cannot act with the assumption that we will someday deplete her resources, because to us, they very well might be endless. After all, here, even Ether blocks are expensive, whereas for them, they're almost treated like regular rocks. This disparity is deplorable, but at the moment, we can only work around it."

As Eloise heard this, and realized that her idea of letting Jessica enter the market and then converting her resources into theirs wouldn't work, she sat down, and continued thinking.

For the past half hour, they had been brainstorming unsuccessfully. Most of the plans that had been proposed were for the short-term, and they involved letting the monopoly go right now and then looking to get it back later. However, Daneel knew that their opponent was smart enough that if she was given an inch, she would take a mile and make sure that there would be no avenue for them to make a comeback later.

Besides, Daneel also wanted whatever they did to be conclusive, so that they would effectively push her out, for good, out of the entire market. That would be a warning even to others who might look to try something like this is in the future, and this would be very effective for the long-term.

And of course… For those who were watching, he had to put on a show.

All of the ideas that had been given so far hadn't gone to waste, though, because they had allowed him to think in different ways, and to expand his mind regarding everything that he could do. This was always important in the process of thought, as it was never wise to just sit and do it alone without the help of others to share the load.

As he was wont to do when he was looking for ideas, Daneel began to think of this from the perspective of Earth.

He was like someone who had invented something as revolutionary as the mobile phone, but it was essential for him to make sure that he was the only supplier of this gadget in the market. There was an opponent who was also making them, albeit at a higher production cost , but their money burn was justified because it would allow them to capture a segment of the market which they would be ready to cater to when the time came where they would have figured out how to do it without the extra cost.

Any other options, such as telling off this other maker to their investors saying that they were wasting resources, or letting them keep burning in the hopes that they would eventually stop were all short-term solutions which just didn't cut it.

And besides, he was being eyed by some high-value investors, himself, who wanted to throw their lot behind him if he was able to prove that he was someone capable enough of figuring out ways to get past difficult situations like these.

What would he do if he was the CEO of a company there?

What would he do if he had scores of loyal customers who should all be retained at any cost, even if there was a cheaper alternative in the market?

Wait… The customers!

As Daneel's eyes suddenly took on an extra glint, the entire area fell silent, because they could tell that something had occurred to the King.

They had experienced this before – whenever something like this happened, the entire atmosphere around him would change, and he would even start affecting the environment unconsciously. Elemental particles would begin moving in erratic patterns as if to display the rapid movements of the thoughts in his mind, and if anyone was watching, they would definitely get dizzy.

In matters like these which were rather new to the continent of Angaria, Daneel had always known that he would have the upper hand because of the myriad things that he had read about back on Earth. At least in the aspect of business, a lot more had happened on Earth than on here, so it had always been his intention to use that knowledge to his benefit.

Right now, some almost unrelated incidents had given rise to an idea and in his mind, and it was quickly developing into something that might just work perfectly in order to handle the present situation.

He hashed it out perfectly in his mind, listing out the pros and cons, before finally saying it out loud to the waiting sovereigns, who had already guessed by the smile on his face that whatever idea he had gotten was pretty damn impressive.

After he was done explaining it, they had varied expression on their faces, ranging from shock to even disbelief.

Chief among the former was the one that was on his father's face, and Robert actually sent a message to Daneel to say, "I had heard of your scheming mind, but seeing it in action is really something else. Should I say I'm proud, or should I go back and see what went wrong during our upbringing which allowed you to develop this much of a talent in this area?"

This was said in a jesting manner, but Daneel it still blushed a bit, before deciding to just smile at his father not answer.

After that, they completely launched into a discussion regarding the idea, and soon, with many valuable inputs from everyone who was present, it was perfectly decided.

After that was done, Daneel stood up and opened his arms while declaring, "As I thought, she is nothing in front of this council. My dear sovereigns, let's show what happens to those who dare go against us. I can't wait to see her face after its all done! All right, let's get started."

…

In the underground cell in which Jessica was being held, a display trinket had just popped up because she had accepted a call from her confidant above the ground.

"The coins have all been shipped successfully to the warehouses that we chose all around the Alliance. There have been no attempts to disrupt them, so I'm afraid to say that our plan to incriminate the king has failed."

A slight expression of frustration came on Jessica's face, but it turned into a smile before she said, "Well, if it was that easy, it would not have been fun. Begin to distribute them to the merchants at low prices. If we try to carry them in directly, we may be stopped, so it is best to use these people whom he can't target because they're just doing their job. How is the development of the recharging formation going?"

The answer came after a moment.

"The timeframe given by the formation masters will be adhered to. They have gotten all the hints from the libraries, and they are actually quite surprised that the king was able to adapt the formations in such a short time."

Shaking her head, Jessica said, "I found out that he has been at this for a long time, from the day since he visited the Goddess's Sanctum. So it's actually not that short a time, at all. Just keep pushing them on, and if needed, increase the benefits. I don't care if they get burned out. If they do, just get new ones. We need to be able to duplicate them perfectly as soon as possible, and after that, there will be nothing he can do. Right now, prepare to deploy any of the countermeasures depending on what he does."

The cloaked man nodded, following which the connection was cut.

After this, Jessica couldn't help but think how great it would have been if the king had taken the bait. She had had secret surveillance eyes ready, which would definitely have been able to identify that he was the culprit behind the attacks. After that, her plan had been to publicize the feed among the people with the narrative that his intention was to stop cheaper products from being made, and although she could still go forward with this by faking his face, it was a bit risky, because he might be able to prove that it was wrong. If he managed to do that, the entire thing might actually hurt her instead.

Well, there were so many other plans already laid out, and no matter what he did, he would definitely step into one of her traps.

All she wished for right now was that she would find some way to see the King's expression when that happened, and with this thought, she began to replay the short video of his reaction in front of the gates.

The same crazy smile came back on her face, and even though the video was on a loop, no matter how many times she saw it, she just didn't get tired of seeing the shock on his face.

As a low laugh began to sound in the room, in a different place, the cloaked man was carrying out her instructions.

He had just sent the message to the trading families to begin the distribution, after making sure that the prices they had set were so low that there was no chance that the king would decide on anything that was lower than it. Right now, it was obvious that he had made the coins free so that people could get used to using them, but they were limited. As soon as they were over, their coins would be the best ones on the market, and they would be chosen for sure.

This distribution began slowly, because the objective was to have the final launch when it was time for the coins already given by the King to expire. Hence, the sales were only made to the merchants, who were told to keep them with themselves and only start selling later.

For a week, both Jessica and the cloaked man were extremely alert, waiting for the king to do something to stop them. Yet, to their extreme puzzlement, he did nothing except announce the recharging stations and their low introductory prices, and people all over the alliance became more and more pleased with these new gadgets that were so practical that they were already starting to not be able to imagine life without them.

It had gotten so bad that each and every trinket was so overused, that time slots needed to be made for people around the houses who had received them to use them, and in the process, those who had been lucky enough to be selected randomly by the king started to earn quite a good amount by charging all of their neighbors.

Yet… Continuous usage kept depleting the coins that had been given, and it soon became clear that there was soon going to be the case where they would no longer be available.

It was at this point that everyone understood that the king would soon be launching the actual method through which new coins could be obtained by everyone, and they waited with bated breath with the hope that it would be affordable for everyone. The price for recharging was already very favorable, and everyone prepared to head to them to renew their supply of Energy.

Yet, to their surprise… On the day before their store of coins was about to be over, they found merchants at their doors, selling similar coins for dirt cheap prices which were much cheaper than the announced recharging cost.

These coins had different names of the major trading families of the continent engraved on them, and although a few hesitated, many just bought them, because it was such a lucrative offer.

Seeing that everything was going well, Jessica continued to have a small smile on her face, although the question remained in the back of her mind regarding just why she was having such an easy time.

No matter how much she tried to remove it, it didn't go, and she kept remembering the face of the man when he had apprehended her the moment before all of her plans have been about to come to fruition.

He was up to something, definitely.

But what could he even hope to do?

This finally became clear a few more days later, which was in the form of a surprise announcement that appeared on the Networks.

Hearing it, though, Jessica actually felt relieved, because the king, as expected, had taken a step into one of the traps that she had laid.

Foolish King, you think you're clever, but I'm one step ahead of you...

Musing to herself in this manner, Jessica watched the Network Trinket on which news was scrolling at the bottom which read:

"Second form of currency launched with much higher capacity! For a limited time, get them at the cheapest price in the market! Even recharges are free for a limited time! Don't miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to obtain the cutting edge Energy source for the trinkets that have taken the Alliance by storm! Available in all major towns and cities! Go get your Nivrons now!"

Chapter 761: Counter-attack 1

The release of the new type of currency threw the entire discussion regarding which option to choose into disarray, because the choice before had, at least, been clear.

Even though it was convenient that the official coins of the king could be recharged at a price that wasn't too high now, there had been no doubt that it was cheaper to just buy the one-time use coins being supplied by the merchants which were branded with the names of the famous trading families of the continent.

However, now… With the larger capacity coins, the slight inconvenience that one felt when they saw a coin be completely depleted might be addressed, as a larger capacity would mean that they would not have to replace them for larger amounts of time. At the moment, they were even supposed to be cheaper, so everyone started to lean towards abandoning the lower capacity coins and opting the higher ones.

However… Jessica had long anticipated this, and she was already ready with the counter-attack.

Instead of her other operation which had been quite open, this one had been carried out with the utmost secrecy, after deploying many Hero level formations which the king would definitely have no way of getting past.

She knew that she was cheating by using resources that only she could deploy, but her master had told her that short of using force, any of her actions would be condoned and that she had free reign to do as she wished for the year of time that she had been given.

The next day after the announcement, people began to set out to go get the coins which must have been stocked in the official stores that had been newly set up by the Alliance in all major towns and cities.

Yet… It was on their way that they were waylaid by the same merchants who had appeared at their houses before, and their eyes were like those of vultures which were circling the carcasses which they longed to feast on.

In her cell, Jessica watched as the multiple scenes of the display trinkets showed the people pausing with shock that was followed by pleasant surprise when they saw the merchants holding fatter coins, with larger shining pearls which had already begun to be admired for their beauty.

"Off to get the new coins that the Alliance advertised? Look no further! These coins also have more capacity, and again, they are cheaper! Of course, no pesky recharges either! As soon as you're done with them, just throw them out and get a new batch!"

No one could have expected that the trading families would be so prepared to battle the king, and all around the continent, this war began to be publicized.

Trading families had always been known, since a long time ago, as forces which were almost as powerful as the kingdoms in the continent of Angaria.

However, their might was more in their trade, and it was not of the apparent sort like that of the other forces which could directly deploy powerful Mages and Fighters to do their bidding.

Yet, it was the smart ones who knew that both kinds of might were valuable, and had different uses in different scenarios.

It was these people who explained to everyone they could find that this war would set the tone for the future, because by now, it was clear that these gadgets were here to stay.

Already, there were multiple inquiries all over the continent being thrown at the merchants regarding when they could get their own trinkets with which they could heat and store food, instead of seeing it go to waste. The merchants were helpless as they knew that the sole source of the trinkets was still the Alliance, and although there were rumors that the trading families would also launch them soon, there was nothing clear at the moment. What they did do was give samples of the coins from the trading families which they had on hand, and these began to be hoarded by even those outside of the Alliance.

This was, of course, excellent to see, and Jessica was really ecstatic that she had managed to tap the market which the King must have decided to target later at his own pace, after he had completely dominated the one in his Alliance.

Once again, she wished that she could see him, but even though she couldn't, she imagined him to be fidgeting in his boots and feeling quite helpless because she had spun the perfect trap around him.

This was the natural thing that she had expected that he would try, because the best way to pull people away from a certain product was to market them a better one. Knowing that, she had begun preparations beforehand, and now, she was once again in a winning position.

Yet… The feeling still remained that there might still be something that she wasn't seeing, so she and the cloaked man were completely alert, looking for signs of plans that they might not have spotted yet.

Yet, again… There seemed to be nothing.

In fact, by this point… It was almost like the king was putting up a half-hearted resistance, as if he had already accepted defeat.

Only, this did not fit, at all, with the impression that she had of the king, and she kept asking the cloaked man to keep looking more and more, and keep deploying as many resources as needed so that they could see just what was going on both in the Palace and in all of the places where the production of the King's coins was in progress.

However, no matter how much they searched, all they found was that all the production seemed to have ramped up, and there was nothing else out of the norm going on. Coins of both sorts were being made, and recharging stations were also being set up slowly all over the Alliance. So far, they had only been used by a few people who were curious to see how the entire process of recharging would be, and although they were pleasantly surprised that it was all very smooth with them needing to just drop in the De-energised coins and take ones which were Energised, they still opted for the other kinds of coins because the overall rate was cheaper.

Jessica had already deployed a few formation masters in secret to go and study these recharging stations, but in this matter, she faced failure as the king seem to have deployed a lot of countermeasures to make sure that his method would not be copied. This was to be expected, though, because this was something that anyone would have done even if she hadn't entered the fray, so it must definitely have been something that the king must have spent a lot of time on to make sure that it would work.

Oh, well. She would have her own recharging method soon enough, and even if she had to burn through all of the thousands of Ker Gems that she had stashed away, she would make sure that she would be the final victor of this entire thing in the end.

As day after day passed, it started to become more and more apparent that the king might be clueless regarding how he should even begin to oppose her.

Since the start of the matter, she had been banking on this. The king was just someone from the Central Continent, and there was no way that he could have the amount of reserves that she had at hand. She was like a rich aristocrat who had targeted the business of a poor merchant, and even if the latter had the upper hand in the beginning, he simply couldn't compete as the former would outclass them in almost every aspect.

Numbers kept pouring in, day by day, and they kept getting better and better. Around 100,000 families had been initially targeted by the king to have money rain down upon them, and of them, 50% had already started to exclusively use the coins that had the imprint of the trading families. 40 were using both, mainly because of their loyalty to the king, and the last 10 were fanatics of the man, as they were using only Dans and Nivrons. Yet, the merchants were hard at work slowly swaying them, and with time, there were signs that they would all also be brought over.

Since the launch of the testing, only a month had passed, so Jessica was more than happy with these numbers.

She waited for the next move of the king, and a week later, it was announced.

"Price cut! Price cut! Recharging of Dans and Nivrons now cost half of what they used to! This means that it is natural to opt for those who gave you access to this beautiful world of trinket- amplified happiness in the first place! Rush now to your nearest stores!"

For 10 minutes after Jessica heard this announcement, she kept laughing heartily, because once more, it had been proven that whatever intelligence the king had displayed before was merely a stroke of luck, as right now, he was getting so severely beaten that he had even resorted to burning his own resources in order to ensure that he would not be booted out of the market that he had created in the first place.

This was another natural step that she knew he would take, and his hope behind it was apparent. Even though it was admirable, it was now obvious that he was underestimating just how deep her reserves went, or that he was simply getting desperate.

She was prepared to ruin herself in order to destroy him, and so, she only had to send one word to the cloaked man who already knew what he should do.

"Proceed."

This time, the people didn't even know what to think, because not even an hour after the announcement, those same merchants could be seen shouting in the streets everywhere once again.

"Price cut! Price cut! Collect your silver and gold coins now, at half the price! There will never be another opportunity like this in your life! Once again, the trading families wish to show you just how much they value you as customers! We want to remain the most affordable in the continent, and for this, we are even willing to take losses on ourselves! It is your duty to benefit off of our weakness! Come one, come all!"

By now, it was so ridiculous that people could only laugh and then rush to these merchants to take as many coins as they could.

At first, it had at least been slightly reasonable.

The typical income of a middle-class household was around 40 Gold Lans, or 4000 Silver Lans yearly. According to the economic comparison that Daneel had made, this amounted to around 40,000 dollars if one used the global currency(1 Silver Lan=10 dollars). With this much income, a family of four would be able to live contentedly while also accumulating a small amount of savings.

The initial price that had been announced by the Alliance had been 10 Silver Lans for a fully Energized Dan. With normausagege, a fully Energized Dan would be able to power one of the gadgets for a month.

Dans had two values: Energised, and De-Energized. There was nothing in-between officially.

The cost of a De-energized Dan was only half the value of an Energized one. As for the recharging cost, the difference had to be paid.

So, after an initial investment of just 20 Silver Lans(for two Dans for two gadgets), a family could keep recharging for the rest of the year, making their overall consumption be 130 Silver Lans, which was only 3.25% of their yearly income. Daneel had calculated it to be around the same amount as back on Earth.

As for Jessica, she had priced her coins, which had around the same Energy Value, to be worth 5 Silver Lans each, which brought the yearly consumption to 120 Silver Lans, making it apparent that this was better.

After that, Nivrons had been introduced, each of which had four times the Energy Value. They could run gadgets for four months, and the price of the Alliance had been just 20 Silver Lans, which was clearly introductory. This brought the yearly consumption to 80 Silver Lans, which did make it the best alternative.

Then, the trading families had introduced their versions of Nivrons, which again had the same Energy Value, but were only worth 10 Silver Lans each. This brought down the yearly consumption further to 60 Silver Lans.

Next was the price cut for recharging, which brought the least yearly consumption to 60 Silver Lans, matching that of the trading families.

And finally, with this latest price cut by the trading families, the minimum yearly consumption reached an astonishing 30 Silver Lans.

It was unimaginable just how low it had come to when compared to the initial price, and people even began rejoicing that the real victors of this war was them.

Seeing these reactions, unlike what Jessica was thinking, Daneel was actually chuckling to himself, as these people had found out the already established truth on Earth that competition in the market almost always benefited consumers the most.

Yet…it was finally time to disrupt everything.

Getting up from the throne, Daneel flourished his hand and spoke to the waiting sovereigns.

"She's had her fun. It's our turn. Begin!"

Chapter 762: Counter-attack 2

Nolan had the same iconic neutral look on his face as he spoke to the leaders of the ruling families whom he had spoken to to begin this operation which was actually going much better than what he had expected, at least after listening to Jessica speak about what the King of Lanthanor was supposed to be capable of.

Born in the Goddess's Sanctum sect, he had been judged at birth to be unfit to be a seed, much to the disappointment of his parents, who had both been seeds and were now two of the secret individuals in the Goddess's Sanctum who were poised to break through and become powerful Heroes of Angaria.

He never even spent that much time with his parents, unlike his brother who did manage to qualify.

He was the forgotten child, and at one point, he even distinctly remembered both his parents frowning when he entered the room when they were playing with his brother.

In this way, Nolan grew up alone, with no one to love and no one to love him. He became convinced that him growing powerful would set everything right, and he pushed himself so, so hard to train night and day.

Yet, the Heavens had already decided that he would be but mediocre when compared to the top talent of the Big Four, and who was he to try and change that? He never succeeded in doing anything to attract his parents' attention, until that fateful moment when he tried out a technique he had found in some corner of the secret library that his family had collected over the years.

The technique was one that promised those who were mediocre that they could burn off this mediocrity and shine like the sun that symbolized their sect. It promised many things, and even its use seemed simple.

Yet, there had been a word stamped on the top of the tome which said 'Faulty'.

Hey, faulty is just a moderate term, right?

Convincing himself in his desperation in this way, Nolan used the technique, and the strange thing was that…it worked.

His talent as a Mage increased because his Mageroot was forcefully excavated, but in return…he forever lost the ability to move his face, and to feel anything above his neck.

Even his eyelids had to be opened with magic, and his eyes had to be moved painfully each time he wanted to turn and see something.

That was why he always looked straight ahead, and when he smiled, that was why it looked so artificial and eerie.

He was literally holding up the corners of the lips to make the smile appear, so it was to be expected that this would be the effect.

After the success, he went happily to his parents to declare that he could compete with his brother, but…sadly, it hadn't been quite enough to cross the difference, and all three of his family got disgusted expressions on their faces when they saw his drooping lips and cheeks that were side effects of the spell.

The spell had apparently melted the area around his Mageroot and the Mageroot itself to excavate it and also forcefully enlarge it to increase magic talent in a way that was much more riskier than what Daneel had done, and this resulted in irrevocable damage to certain parts of his brain due to the heat that was transmitted in the other areas around the center of the forehead, where lay the Mageroot.

It had been an excruciating process, and he had expected to be welcomed with open arms.

So…the disgust made him snap.

He lunged at his brother and bit like a mongrel that had been kicked and kicked until its wrath had become something that would not abate until it tasted the blood from the throat of its abuser, and many in the Goddess's Sanctum still whispered to this day about the comments made by the healer when his brother had been carried into the healing bay.

He had apparently looked like he had been mauled by a wild animal, and the healer had even found that there was very little undamaged flesh left due to the extreme force with which Nolan had attacked.

This extremely macabre occurrence made it clear just what blunders they had done in the upbringing of their child, and the parents, instead of making amends, decided to abolish Nolan into the general sect.

From that day, Nolan saw nothing of the exclusive world of seeds that was perfectly hidden from the general Big Four.

He spent days crying in front of the gate he knew led to his old home, but he was always thrown outside, and sometimes even beaten.

He was just eleven at the time.

For a few months, Nolan kept wailing at this place, no matter how much he was ignored or scorned.

All that changed…on one fateful day.

A seed who had visited the sect had gotten lost in the main sect area because she had wanted to run some errand there.

She finally found the way to the secret part of the sect, which was where she also found Nolan.

His face which he had still not learned to control intrigued her, and when Nolan found someone who spoke to him with an emotion that was not negative…he was captivated.

She looked like an angel who had stepped down from the Heavens, for hers was the first face that he saw when he looked up that was not filled with emotions like disgust and aversion.

She pulled him back from his decision to die and end it all, by just saying one thing.

"Oh, you poor thing. So this world has beaten you down, just like me? Why let it have the last say, then? Live, and show it what you can do. If you choose to follow me, I swear that you will someday get revenge."

That was enough.

In his darkest time, she gave him hope, and the strength to live.

Regardless of whether she kept her word, Nolan swore to serve her forever.

He was asked to train in the sect and become strong.

Unlike among the seeds, in the general sect, his talent was quite adequate to make him feel highly valued.

He figured out ways to make his face normal, and he kept training until he became a Champion.

Even his Path was a secret one obtained by Jessica, and no matter how much others tried to change their impression in his eyes on seeing that he was now someone of value, he remained loyal to her.

Hence…when he found that she was imprisoned, it was all he could do to control the anger that rose for the first time since that time he had attacked his brother.

On her command, he did not go out to directly attack the puny King in the Central Continent whom he thought nothing of. It was only when she told him everything that had happened did he understand that that man was one with a formidable mind, but when Jessica had laid out her plan, he had marveled at how she had covered everything he might do.

He had always known that she was one of the best in making plans that had a high chance of success, and he carried out all of his duties well, until they were now in this stage were victory seemed within his grasp.

While he went through all these things in his mind, the leaders of the trading families who had answered the call remained silent, as this wasn't the first time they had been contacted and then made to wait.

This man whose unnatural face had even begun to appear in their dreams was one who liked to go into random reveries, and the first time this had happened, the one who had been foolish enough to speak up and interrupt him had been punished by having a spell cast on them that made it feel as if their skin was being peeled off.

From then, the leaders had learned what they should do, and as the mists of memory in Nolan's eyes faded, he finally looked up and addressed them.

"Everything is going well, but be on the lookout. It is possible that he will do something soon. Do you have any updates?"

With a gulp, the pot-bellied man spoke up.

"Yes, I have good news. It seems that we do not have to carry out our plans to target the Network and make them cover our coins. The Network is supposed to be independent, and till now, we all know that they were focusing on the coins of the King while only speaking of ours in passing. That has changed today, because a program has been announced which is apparently due to our latest price cut. A reported will be going around to the houses where the trinkets are present to interview the people and let them speak regarding which option is best. He will be interviewing those on all sides of the aisle, so there is a high chance that this will actually sway more people to our side."

Nolan showed no reaction when he heard this, but internally, he frowned, even while smiles lit up on the faces of a few of the leaders in front of him.

Immediately, he contacted Jessica, who stayed silent for a few moments before replying, "Just keep an eye on it. It is possible that he values the Network business more, and it really does need to remain impartial if it wants to maintain its hold on the market. Maybe, by doing this, he wants to be smart by now allowing us a way to enter that market. Also make sure that the interviews go well. Pay people to expound our coins, if needed."

He could hear the slight uneasiness in her voice, but the suggestions made at the end smoothed out that feeling, bringing back the confidence that he had always seen in her.

She had always been like this. The more she faced adversity, the more she would spring back and fight against this. It wasn't very possible that the King could be doing anything by this, but the timing still felt a bit strange, so she had added these plans which would further strengthen their position.

Admiring her for the umpteenth time in his mind, Nolan gave the instructions, and saw the same admiration for the quick-witted thinking that they thought he was displaying.

This was only a few hours after they had announced their price cut, and the coins were being sold like hotcakes.

The Network moved fast. The price cut had been in the early morning, and by the evening, the program had already begun.

The interviewer was a lady who had apparently been newly employed, and she was pretty, with an endearing attitude that made her perfect for her job.

She interviewed those who were using both, first, and this was to be expected as the King might still want to give a chance to himself.

However, already expecting this, the trading families had paid off these people to just clearly give the numbers, which were evidence enough that they were the best on the market.

As this happened, the watching people all over the continent began to be convinced that they were probably seeing the end of Dans and Nivrons.

After those families, the interviewer went next to a family who only used Dans and Nivrons, and although they spoke strongly, saying that everyone should remain loyal, not many were swayed, especially when the difference was so large.

After this, finally, because it had to be covered, the interviewer went to the capital of the Black Raven Kingdom to interview a family who had shifted to using only the coins of the trading families.

They were situated in a street which had the uncommon occurrence of having two families which had been randomly selected by the King, and the other one was one which used both coins.

The interview went splendidly. The merchants had been ordered to pay a lot, and the people in the family even began to ridicule and humiliate others who were dumb enough to not choose the trading families.

By the end of it, it started to become clear that it would have a lot of impact on the entire landscape.

Nolan began to feel happy as a result, as he knew that Jessica must be pleased. Right as he was about to contact her, though, a strange feeling passed over him, as if he had gotten a premonition regarding what was going to happen.

It was a sixth sense which he had obtained as a part of his Champion Path, and Nolan immediately began to check whether there was any reason for it to go off at the moment.

He began to check all the communication trinkets that connected him to all those he was commanding in the Central Continent, and the other display trinkets which were showing the images around Angaria.

However…a loud sound interrupted him, and as he searched to identify where it came from, he realized that it was from the one he had been watching initially.

Expressions of shock could be seen on both the interviewer and those she had been interviewing, and as a second loud sound was heard, they snapped into action.

Everyone ran outside to see with horror that a house down the lane had burst into flames.

"Follow me."

Putting on a brave expression, the interviewer ran in the direction of the house, and as she raised her hand, a strong jet of water appeared from thin air and began to battle the flames that were raging in the house.

At the same moment, the woman also conjured a barrier around her and bravely ran into the house, before carrying out 3 people who were all horribly burned.

The surveillance eye showed all of her heroics, and after ensuring that there was no one else in the house, she sprinkled some water on the face of one of those whom she had saved.

After this man groggily regained his consciousness, she spoke with urgency.

"Healers are on the way, but I need to know what happened! Tell me, is there a risk to the other houses, too? Was there an assailant who attacked you?"

The man took a few moments to understand where he was, before he finally woke up fully and opened his mouth to answer.

However, right before he could say anything, another loud explosion rocked the area, and as the surveillance eye turned around, it was revealed that it was the same house from which the interviewer had ran out which was now being consumed by flames, just like the one from which the man had been rescued.

After a brief silence during which everyone could only stare with wide-open eyes and numb minds, the man finally screamed his answer, and his scream caused those watching around the entire continent to stand up and drop their jaws in disbelief.

This was the same even in the case of both Nolan and Jessica, who felt as if they had been struck by a bolt of lightning out of a clear sky.

For a moment, some people even wondered whether they had heard wrong, but as the man repeated his words, it became clear that that was not the case, and it broke Nolan and Jessica out of their shock.

The words that he said were:

"It was the new coin from the trading families! The trinket stopped working, and before I could check to see what was wrong, I saw the coin catch fire and then blow up! Everyone, throw the coins out if you value your lives! Now! Do it before you burn to death, you fools! Oh, why didn't I just trust our King who cares for us, instead of the trading families who only ever cared for profit? Why?!"

As soon as this repetition ended, for the briefest of moments, people who were glued to the Network trinkets all over the continent felt the image blur, but they thought nothing of it, as it was normal for small distortions to occur in the trinkets which actually hadn't been fully launched yet.

Only…it was a different case with Jessica and Nolan, both of whom were able to spot something during that moment which could only be seen if one had reached the level of a Champion and had the reflexes that came with this realm.

In that moment, the image on the Network trinket had changed to display the King of Lanthanor, who actually…winked.

"YEAAARGHHHH!"

As Jessica shrieked with rage on seeing that same infernal smugness which she had witnessed when she had been apprehended before, drastic things started to happen all over Angaria.

Chapter 763: Counter-attack 3

"You heard him. At the moment, I'm receiving reports from all over the Alliance that explosions have occurred in many of the houses which were using the new coins given by trading families. The King of Lanthanor is appalled that his people have been subjected to such a horror, and he has personally requested everyone to stay as far away from these ticking time bombs as possible. For safety, many are advising to halt the usage of all coins given by the trading families. Mages will be dispatched to you even if you are all right, and you should exit your houses and await the arrival of those who can ensure the safety of your homes. The good news is that so far, there have been no casualties, although many are in near-death states. A medical bay has been set up especially for the citizens affected by this appalling incident, and mages have already set out to teleport them all safely into the care of the best healers that the Alliance has at hand. This is Nayera with the Network of Angaria, and I will be back with any updates that need to be given regarding the situation."

Even before the words were completely heard by the watching people, everyone had already begun to run out of their homes.

All over the Alliance and even in places around the continent where people had begun to hoard the coins, these explosions took place, and that day would become known in the history of Angaria as a dark one that would later be given the name 'Day of Revelation', mainly due to the events that would occur afterward.

The place which was the darkest and gloomiest was the grounds of the Palace of Lanthanor, where a large tent had been laid out from inside which wails of pain could be heard, along with desperate calls for parents, or just someone to comfort them and help them through the pain.

Outside this tent, reporters stood and spoke to qualified people who all lambasted the trading families who were at fault.

However, everyone knew that these were just people who were here to appear on the Network, so they waited for the real experts to come and explain exactly what had happened.

Even the merchants were struck dumb, and they had actually begun to be attacked on the streets, as they were blamed for what had happened. No one had any idea who started this call, but it caught on quickly and finally resulted in a situation where all these merchants were driven out of the Alliance.

Some were also apprehended as they had been denoted as abetters in what had happened, but the helpless expressions on their faces which made it clear that they had no hand in this did not make anyone feel sympathy for them.

An hour after the incident, a wizened elf appeared in front of the tent which still rang with the screams of those who were being treated for the gruesome wounds that they had suffered.

The elf's eyes shone with wisdom, and he was actually a known personage who appeared on a special show that gave tips in magic only known to experts, which had become very popular even among those who didn't have Mageroots as it was very interesting to see him manipulate elementary particles and cast spells effortlessly.

He had a solemn expression on his face, and he raised one of the new coins of the trading families and spoke.

It was but an object which looked like it had once been a coin, as there was only a vaguely round shape of gold left, with no signs of the beautiful pearl-like object which was supposed to hold the Energy and give the coin value in the first place.

"The King and I have found that there is a flaw in these coins which make it so that they will explosively release the Energy stored in them after the Energy level depletes to a certain level due to the cost-cutting way in which they were produced. This wasn't apparent before, and it is only clear now after this tragedy has occurred. It is now clear that the trading families compromised on the methods they used knowingly, because as a mage, I can attest to the fact that it would have been clear during the process of production that this outcome was possible. It is simply…abominable that these well-known families resorted to this way so that they could get an upper hand over the King, who is using the safest of techniques and has also tested everything carefully before deployment. That is the reason why his coins were costlier- the price all of you saved on the coins from the trading families have now cost you your homes. By now, I don't think I need to say just how right that first poor victim who is suffering inside was. I have implored the King to take the swiftest of action, and he has assured me that the culprits will not go unpunished. Citizens of the Alliance, rest assured that justice will be done."

The elf, who was usually known for his calm demeanor, drove his point home very effectively because he couldn't control his own emotions as he said these words.

His tightened fist vibrated to show the anger he was feeling, and his every word was spoken with so much distaste and regret that this could all have been avoided if the trading families hadn't been so greedy.

This was the final nail in the coffin for the trading families who had already begun to frantically try and explain that they had no idea regarding just what had happened.

They received no communications from those who had commanded them so far, so they were left to fend for themselves.

They tried their best, but the statement of the elf was so damning that it practically cemented their fates.

All over the continent, even the businesses which didn't have a relation with that of the coins were attacked and destroyed because they belonged to those 'greedy bastards who wanted to save money by killing us'.

These events only paused because the King of Lanthanor appeared to speak, and he, too, chose the front of the closed tent which now represented the suffering caused by the greedy trading families.

With a grave expression on his face, he said, "I'm just here to check on these people and join the efforts of healing. At this moment, I can only say that the Alliance will never let anything similar to ever happen again, and my subordinates have already begun drafting laws to ensure this. Like the honorable mage said, our coins are made with costly processes while ensuring safety, above all else. Why else would I be willing to allow them to go into the people who have trusted me so much? I live to serve, and even though I was uneasy when I saw the absurd prices of the trading families, I understood that it might be my failing that I was not able to discover the same methods that they must have. I was prepared to let the business go as at the end of the day, it is the welfare of the people that I desire. But now, the truth is out. Rest assured that there is no risk whatsoever in using what had originally been given to you by the Alliance. As for those who are responsible…they will answer to me, and the millions whom they have placed at risk out of avarice."

Each emotion and intention of the King seemed to strike deep into the watching people's hearts.

When he spoke about joining the efforts of healing, his yearning to be of service in every small way possible was shown.

When he announced the drafting of the laws that was taking place, he showed his care for the people, and the ability to quickly move and make decisions.

When he spoke about the business, he showed his honest wish to just benefit the people, and this even made those who had forsaken the coins of the King to save some money feel shame.

Finally, when he spoke of revenge, his burning fury was displayed, and many couldn't help but remark that justice would definitely be served.

After giving this speech, the King ducked into the tent, and as there was a barrier inside for safety, the watching people could not see anything of the inside.

They expected there to be blood flowing in rivulets on the ground, while the screams still being heard erupted from the bloody bodies of the poor souls who had had to endure the explosions.

However, if they could really go inside the tent, like the King had just done, they would definitely have received a shock that might even make them fall unconscious.

In reality, there was actually…a feast going on inside the tent.

Indeed, as soon as Daneel entered, he heard the clinking of glasses full of wine, and the sounds of people feasting on the delicacies that had been prepared by the kitchens of the palace.

The only screams were those of joy, whenever new dishes were teleported into the tent which were steaming as they had just been freshly cooked.

Seeing the King appear, a cheer passed in the crowd, and it was the reporter who had last been seen escorting those she had bravely saved in that fire who approached the King.

With a smile, she transformed into Eloise, who held the glass of wine in her hand aloft and shouted, "To the best performance in the history of Angaria!"

Returning her smile, Daneel flicked his fingers, and the trinkets that were hidden on the bodies of all those present deactivated.

One by one, their appearances began to change from those of the innocent families who had randomly been selected before to accept and test the trinkets.

These people were actually recognizable to many in the continent, as they were, in fact, the actors who played many roles in the many shows that came on the Network of Angaria.

They were all drunk now, though, because they had carried out their jobs perfectly.

After the cheer, Daneel nodded at them to continue, and while they did so, Eloise spoke in a voice that was only audible to him.

"Everything was carried out well. Like you asked, only the skills that could easily have been identified by anyone watching were used to fake the explosions and injuries shown on the Network. Of course, the mages we employ use those special effects every day when shooting the popular shows on the Network, so it was quite easy for them, as expected. After the houses were empty, they were carefully lit on fire, and as for the real inhabitants, they are all sleeping soundly in the underground of the Palace. It was a chore to switch them, but because our opponents were mostly paying attention to us and not the customers, we were successful."

With a nod, Daneel replied, "Excellent. I think I can safely say that it was a grand success. If it weren't for those Heroes watching, I would use Mind Control on everyone right away. Sadly, I can't, so I'll have to get someone to do me a favor, but we can handle that in due time. Anyway, well done, Eloise, and tell the others that they were all perfect, too. I'm off to do my own impersonation, before our dear foe manages to pull off something else. Oh, she has a lot to look forward to."

With a low laugh, Daneel teleported away, and he soon reappeared at the place which he had already identified beforehand as the base of the confidant of Jessica in the Central Continent.

Standing idly in the air while hiding himself, he sent a message to the Head which made the man spit out the wine he had been drinking while watching the events in the Central Continent.

"So, Head. Is killing a Champion of a sect of the Big Four enough to have someone thrown in the same cell as Jessica, or at least one near it? Oh, I'm just asking casually…"

Chapter 764: Potential Seed

In the room the Head was situated in, a large display trinket was in front of him which was showing different areas from around the Central Continent.

Many of these were actually the places which had received the trinkets from the Alliance, and the rest were a few spots here and there which now looked as if they were in some sort of panic.

In regards to the former, most of these tiny display windows had flames apparent in them, and some also showed a few people being chased around by angry mobs.

As soon as the Head reacted in the way he had when he heard Daneel's abrupt question, a voice floated to him from a place near him even though there was no one else visible in the room.

"Hmm? Didn't you say that this was the wine that you've been holding for over 20 years because you wanted to have it when watching something exciting? Were you lying, then, and preserving your real cache? I gather that you wouldn't spit out wine that you attach so much value to, right…"

"Yes, I did detect a very faint hint of lilac in my glass, which is indicative of the fact that it may be more recent."

"Oh, yes. You can't escape us now. Maybe it's finally time you hand over the responsibility of guarding your precious wine cache to all of his, so that we can share it and ensure that it's finished of-ehem, I mean, that it is protected well!"

The Head had begun to blush very slightly ever since these voices began to be heard from near him, but the last statement made him panic before saying, "You mistake me, gentlemen. There was merely a sudden message which startled me. By your leave, I wish to go handle something interesting that has popped up. From the way it looks, I think I'll have to consult you about it anyway."

"All right."

"Sure, get someone to send some wild duck while you're at it. My wife just said that she has an excellent recipe for them."

"Ah! Duck! Excellent!"

The Head was almost forgotten as the conversation turned to this topic, so he ruefully shook his Head and teleported away.

When he reappeared at his destination, though, he saw that the king was eyeing a spot below him, and following his line of sight, he saw that it was Nolan from the Goddess's Sanctum sect who was shaking while he sat as if he had heard the most appalling news ever.

Well, the reason behind that was quite clear, and it was also clear that there was almost no way for them to launch a counter-attack.

Meanwhile, after asking the question, Daneel had entered a slight flashback of exactly what had led him to this idea that had worked out brilliantly.

He still remembered the feeling of frustration when he had understood that he was being targeted by someone so smart that they had thought out each and every move that he might make normally, and it had been an excellent learning opportunity for him to find out just how it felt to be surrounded from all sides by enemies that were invisible.

He had had to think really, really out of the box, and that was when he had been reminded of an incident where a very famous company that had squandered a lead in the market that they had been gaining due to a certain product that turned out to be, well, a bit too 'next-gen' for customers.

It was in the mobile phone market, and this company happened to create a very famous line of products which turned out to be exploding hazards that were eventually even banned on most major transportation methods. Many nicknames even began to be attached to the company, and some studies even said that if that fiasco hadn't happened, then they might have found themselves in a much better state than they were at the moment, even though they weren't very bad off as the company with revenue that was only second to the leader.

However, it was a very intriguing case study regarding the thing that could turn people away from a company very effectively: self-preservation.

No one would want something in their homes which would explode randomly and hurt themselves and their families, and this was where Daneel had hit on the idea.

That was also the reason why his father had said that comment, and he once again chuckled to himself as he remembered it.

From there, implementing it had actually been quite simple. All he needed to do was make sure that they switched out those who would be affected with actors that could carry across the point very clearly that it was the most foolish thing one could do to still use the coins of the trading families after it was found out that something like this was possible.

The coins, themselves, didn't even need to be modified, though he could have gone in that route. All he needed to do was have mages in secretly in position to cause fake explosions which would be seen by all those on the Network and in the areas surrounding the houses, and after that, the very people who came to rescue them could activate the real explosions and make sure that there was no proof whatsoever that it was all fake.

The real families would be safely stored away somewhere, where they would wait to be Mind Controlled. After that, they could return to their lives none the wiser, albeit with a few memories that would make them hate the trading families a lot.

They would be given a hefty compensation from the Alliance that would be obtained from the trading families in exchange for the Army of Lanthanor not marching on them, and although they would have a few bad memories that might affect them for a little bit of time, they would find themselves well compensated in some other methods, too, such as being given the right to obtain free recharges for ten years.

As for the actors, the best thing would be if they could be Mind Controlled, too, but as he had said to Eloise, he couldn't really do it himself as that would expose his power to those that were watching. Instead, his plan was to enlist someone from either the Fortress or with the help of the Head who could carry out his bidding, and make it so that the entire plan would be carried out 'legally', using only his intellect and nothing else that he wasn't supposed to have.

Eloise had done really, really well as the reporter, and he had always known that she had a certain charm to her which would allow her to enrapture anyone around her. That had been present even before she had gone through the miraculous rebirth through the resource that had been used on her from the Goddess's Sanctum which was apparently more valuable than the Kingdom of Lanthanor, itself, and it had only become much more prominent thereafter.

In the feast, Daneel had even had a slight urge to sweep her into a hug, but he had to restrain himself because of the fact that she was in front of all the people that she needed to command every day. Later, though…

Just as he started to make a few plans that brought a smile to his lips, the Head appeared in front of him with a livid expression on his face, snapping Daneel out of his reverie and making him smile graciously and even laugh when he heard the Head's remark.

"Casually? Casually! King, if it weren't for the fact that I could use a spell to scoop up the precious wine which is worth more than a thousand of the coins that you are creating, I would have had half a mind to charge you for it. And now, coming to your question. No, it doesn't work like that! It only works if you are a seed, or at least someone who could become a seed, because those cells have special security features just in case someone might want to attack when these precious people are imprisoned. And killing a Champion would get you punished – in Jessica's matter, there was at least only the intention, and she was stopped, even though what she was going to do was very vile. If she had succeeded, there would have been no method for her to escape punishment, but if you do end up killing someone who is precious to the Big Four, like Nolan, then no one will be able to help you. Only a crime which was intended but then stopped can be argued for that it was out of misaligned intentions, and that it only requires imprisonment, and not the harshest of punishments."

The Head said the entire second part in one breath, almost as if he was afraid that Daneel would go ahead and do something out of a flawed idea and then find himself in a lot more trouble than he had bargained for.

Once again, Daneel found himself admiring the care that the Head was showing for him, because it was clear that he did not want him to make any missteps that he might regret.

The news that he had just received was kind of a letdown, though, because he had been hoping that his simple plan of getting himself thrown in prison along with Jessica and then using the World to kill her, or do something to her would work.

He had expected there to be difficulties, and he was ready to overcome them, but he definitely had not bargained for the fact that it might not be possible at all.

Yet, when he went over the Head's words again, he suddenly hit on something.

"A potential seed? Hmm, what is required for one to be given this identity?"

The Head had considerably calmed down after seeing Daneel going into deep thought instead of getting bloodlust on his face, which he had half expected to see as he knew just how much trouble Jessica and Nolan were giving the King of Lanthanor.

When he heard this, he answered in a calmer tone.

"As was already explained to you, seeds are typically chosen at birth, but there is a different process which also comes into play now and then. It is when someone unexpectedly happens to master a Champion Path or technique which is classified as top tier, and ultimately becomes one of the valued assets of the Big Four. They are able to enter this world where even the scale of resources available to them are incomparable to what general disciples of the Big Four can obtain, but theirs is more of a probationary position, and if they do not reach the expectations that are placed on them, then they may be forcefully made to leave that world. You are very close to achieving that identity, too, and all that remains to be seen is just how good your Mage path is. If it is good enough, you might just enter directly. I didn't want to tell that you this before because I didn't want to place additional pressure on your shoulders, but I feel that you should know it. As for Jessica…"

The Head's voice trailed off, because he could tell that at the moment, that woman was probably planning something else to trouble Daneel with.

With that being the truth, how could the Head say that he could only endure and not fight back?

The Head wished that he could help, but his hands were really tied. Even with the support of those whose company he had just left, it was nigh impossible to reach her, leave alone killing her, but still, the Head decided to speak.

"Whatever you are planning, I advise you to not think of killing Jessica. The death of a seed is a very, very grave matter, and that is why your commander was called on before, even though it is something quite, well, what's the word, uncouth, in the eyes of many, to take the help of someone from the Central Continent. Anyone who was found guilty, regardless of if they were a seed, would have had to face the harshest of tortures for a long time, and I can promise you that they are capable of making anyone wish that they were dead."

Surprisingly, the king only waved his hand at this, almost as if he already knew all of it, or as if he killing Jessica wasn't what he was planning at all, in the first place.

He didn't say anything after that, though, and it looked as though he was working out something in his mind.

The Head waited, and after a few moments, when the king finally opened his mouth and told this plan, there was only one reaction that the Head got: he really felt glad that he didn't have more wine in his mouth, as otherwise, he would definitely have spit it out, too.

"So, here is what I want to do…"

Chapter 765: The Pious Son

Elsewhere, in the Sect of Hedon, Percy was idly munching on a few curried pieces of chicken while he replayed a certain scene in his mind.

In the past few weeks, he had totally been taking it easy. He wasn't even bothered much by anyone, as they all expected him to be grieving because of the death of his father.

After all, that had been the impression that he had given to everyone when the Mad Doctor had been in the coma, and it stuck now. He was supposed to be an extremely pious son who was so busy grieving that he hadn't even exited his room after finding out that his father had died at the hands of the treacherous Ashahell, and by the copious amounts of food that he kept ordering for from the kitchens, everyone expected him to be stress eating in order to overcome the sadness.

As for the strange thing that had happened when he had poked out his own eyes, even that had been attributed to him not being able to deal with the fact that he hadn't been powerful enough to protect his father when he had been attacked.

Such perfect, steaming piles of bullsh*t were things that had to be admired, and Percy did admire them occasionally, when he was not doing the exact opposite to what everyone thought he was doing- feeling insanely happy that the man whom he had sworn to kill had been destroyed until there was absolutely nothing left of him.

He still remembered that day vividly. At that point, the news hadn't even been confirmed that his father had been killed, and all he knew was that the man had escaped and had almost beaten the King of Lanthanor to a pulp. That had really tugged at the strings of his heart, because he felt that it was his duty to try and help his senior disciple brother if he could. Yet, he could tell that his master must have some other plan in place, because he had already done everything in his own power to notify them about what was going to happen.

He could still clearly recall just how happy he had felt when he saw the breakthrough of his senior disciple brother, and had even admired the way the sun had shined on the scales of the cockroach shell that had appeared to protect him.

Still, things hadn't looked very good, and he had only managed to heave a sigh of relief when he saw the Mad Doctor go away to some other place.

He had no idea regarding what was going on behind the scenes, but he still decided that he needed a drink. To get one for himself, he had just made a trip to the kitchens, and by the time he came back, there was something waiting for him on the bed.

Little had he known that it would be the object which would give him more happiness than anything else in the entire world.

There was a letter on top of it which was from his master, and as he read what was written on it, his hands began trembling, because he couldn't believe what he was holding.

He had a slight hint as to what it was, but he didn't want to believe it.

Yet… When he finally did activate the display trinket and saw the scene where his father had a scared expression on his face while trapped in front of a wall made of earth with nowhere else to go, he had almost dropped the trinket while moving back and collapsing onto the bed with shock.

Somehow, he held onto it, and with his eyes wider than they had ever been, he had watched as the emotions that he had always wished to see on his father's face appeared one by one, in succession.

Hopelessness, desperation, panic, and finally… The fear that he had always loved to see in others.

The video was taken from an angle where he could see his father but not the man who was floating in front of him, and at that moment, Percy didn't really care who he was. It was most probably his master, because that was who had given him this gift whose value couldn't be put into words, but his eyes remained transfixed on the eyes of the man he hated more than anyone else in the world.

The crowning moment was when he saw the look which meant that his father understood that his time on this continent was over.

At that moment, he saw exactly what he had always expected to see when such a time came.

There was no regret, because the man had never actually done anything that he might feel this emotion for. At least, this was the case in regards to the instances where he had killed countless people just for the joy that it gave him, and although some of it was present as he would have no chance to reach the Hero realm which he had always hoped for, it was nothing in front of the overriding emotion of disbelief that was apparent on his features.

That disbelief appeared in Percy, too, as he saw his father being torn apart into the tiniest of particles, and for a few seconds after that, even though the display trinket closed on its own and destroyed itself, he could only stand there as if he had been paralyzed by some attack.

He was even holding his breath, and if anyone saw him at the moment, they would have thought that he had died where he stood.

Yet… Right after that, if they saw the way he jumped up into the air and almost crashed through the ceiling to enter into someone else's room, they would understand that his reaction was one of extreme happiness.

Indeed, after landing on the ground, a luster was added to Percy's eyes which shone with ecstasy, and he started to look for the trinket which he didn't even remember had disintegrated right in front of him. After he recalled that fact, he reproached himself that he hadn't made a copy, but he understood that there was probably a reason behind it happening. Most probably, his master must want to conceal his power, and that made perfect sense, because this kind of a power was definitely unprecedented in Angaria.

Putting those things aside, though, Percy had gone on to do the one thing that he had longed to do when he achieved his ultimate goal of killing his father.

It is at this moment that he realized that his goal had just been to see his father die, and that it didn't really matter whether he did it by his own hands or not. True, it might have been slightly better, but in all possibility, his father might just have broken through to become a Hero as the man had a certain knack for doing things which he wasn't expected to. If that happened, it was difficult to say whether Percy would have succeeded in his lifetime.

He calmed the surging emotions in his mind which were mostly those of relief and joy, and he sat back down on his bed before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

With that breath, he started to once again repeat the list of names that he always carried with him, in the forefront of his mind.

They each belonged to those that had been killed by the Mad Doctor because they had associated themselves with him, and after he read each one out loud, he added something beside them.

"My Mother, Kelsey. Your death has been avenged. My best friend, Bonnie. Your death has been avenged.M y half-brother, Bruce. Your death has been avenged. My half-sister, Overa. Your death has been avenged. My…"

The list went on and on, and when he reached the end of it, Percy opened his eyes which shone with a certain brilliance and clarity that hadn't been present in them before.

It was as if a cloud that had hung over his head for so long had somehow cleared, and he found himself eyeing the world itself any new light.

He felt liberated, as if he had been shackled all this while, and every breath felt wonderful.

He even started humming a tune to himself, and began to plan a trip to the village to celebrate.

Yet… He had to put that plan aside for the moment, because it would really be uncharacteristic for a pious son to grieve in the village behind the sect where people usually went to for completely different reasons.

With nothing else to do, he had really wished that he had the Network trinket which was so popular that fakes had even begun to be proliferated in the sects of the Big Four, and he had obtained one from someone in the kitchens after putting on a grieving face which brought forth pity.

So, all he had been doing was binge shows while watching the drama of the coins which he didn't really care too much for, except to see how his senior disciple brother would handle it.

When the final plan was revealed, Percy had clapped as if it was a TV show which had reached its ending, and after that, he was right where he was now: craving for some dessert, and wondering which of the twenty types of pity-inducing expressions he should use to get more free food.

Only, suddenly, he saw someone appear in the room before he was instantly teleported away.

What the…f*ck?!

Extremely alarmed by what had suddenly happened, Percy prepared to fight, but he realized that whoever had managed to teleport him so easily without giving him even a chance to put up any resistance would definitely not flinch much at his Peak Warrior level strength.

When his eyes finally adjusted, though, he saw that it was actually the Head, and standing beside him was the man whom he had just seen give a very heart-wrenching speech a few minutes ago.

He almost said the words 'senior disciple brother', but thankfully, he gulped them down at the last moment after remembering that their master's existence was supposed to be a secret.

Before he could ask just why he had been brought here, the Head spoke up.

"I hear that you two have met before in rivalry. You should put all that aside, because right now, the two of you will be working together for something. Its something that will actually benefit you a lot, by the way, as because of it, you will be getting access to a technique you might not have seen in your lifetime unless you displayed exceptional talent. You should commend the King of Lanthanor and his knowledge of techniques for identifying that this one will be very suitable for you. In return for this, you need to carry out a task, but don't worry, you won't have to experience any discomfort."

Percy's expression cleared as he heard this, and the Head thought that it was because of what he had said.

What he didn't know was that the real reason was that he had just gotten a message from his master.

"I hope you liked your gift, kiddo. Now then, do this favor for your senior disciple brother, and he might just have even more gifts for you. Don't make it easy, though. Act like you normally would, and if you manage to get a weapon from your treasury...I might be tempted to throw in something, too, in exchange."

That last sentence riled up Percy, and putting on a disinterested face after putting beside the overwhelming urge to thank his master for the incredible favor that had been done to him, he looked at his nails and said, "Not enough. Throw something else in. Look, it's clear that you need me to do this, and I never leave a bargain after I see it. How about...a weapon from the treasury of the Sect of Hedon?"

The Head almost sputtered with anger as he heard this, but he controlled himself when he saw the King, who had turned to look at him with a neutral expression on his face.

Yet, that expresssion, for some reason, made him remember what the King had had to go through because of him.

Oh, yes, I have a debt to repay. Even though I gave that offer, he almost died! Oh, well, it's not like I'm giving away a weapon to someone outside the sect...

With this thought, the Head gulped down his retort and nodded, and Percy was actually surprised that it had been that easy.

If he had known that Daneel had already banked on the emotions of the Head to make this happen, he would have understood why that was the case.

Not knowing that he had been thoroughly manipulated, the Head spoke up again to continue the plan he had been given by the King.

"Percy, this is the technique that you need to learn. And after that, all you have to do is...go to prison. Simple, right? Don't look at me, blame him..."

Chapter 766: 'Kooky Percy'

The next day, Jessica could be seen pacing around frantically in her cell.

She had been at this ever since the plan of the King had been revealed. Multiple ideas kept appearing to her, but she could only keep discarding them all, as none of them felt as if they were good enough.

Not even for a moment did she pause to accept that she had been beaten, as that had never been her character. She knew it in the back of her mind, and it filled her with so much anger that she was only driven forward to win, once more, no matter what she had to do.

The best plan that had come to her, so far, was to try and have someone attest that it was all false. She had already confirmed easily that it was all an act as the King hadn't even used spells that truly worked against those who were powerful, but again, in this method, she would still be passive, and it might not even work in the end.

The King had hit her directly where it hurts- as she was controlling the trading families who had never had much love among the commoners, his plan was all the more effective, as it corroborated with what one could expect from these families which only cared about themselves. There were some families which didn't fit this mold, but even they had been grouped together with the others now, and reports kept pouring in that all their businesses all over the continent were repeatedly being attacked.

Jessica even knew that some of these attacks were being carried out by the King, as he must be looking to gain their resources as they were in a vulnerable state that could be exploited.

From this, it was clear that he had planned out every step from here, and that must include all counter-measures she could take, too.

What he had effectively done was place her in the same position as the one in which he had been before this entire thing had happened, and Jessica almost caught herself wishing that she hadn't set herself against such a difficult foe.

She quashed that, though, and just refocused on her zeal for revenge.

It was probably best to forsake the trading families and the coin business, as it was evident that the masterstroke of the King had ensured that the people would not be trusting other sources any time soon. She had also considered having the same happen to his coins, but that would seem too obviously fake.

Just as Jessica started to identify what other businesses she could aim to bring down the King, she saw a call coming in from Nolan.

The man whom she had helped on a whim had turned out to be quite the steadfast supporter, and as she answered the call, she prepared to tell him that they would just be shifting their focus.

Yet, to her surprise…she saw that he wasn't alone.

His back was facing the display trinket, and it also looked like he had sent the call secretly. In front of him was someone whom Jessica didn't recognize, but he was wearing maroon colored robes which were iconic in the Sect of Hedon.

Hmm? Nolan wasn't supposed to have any connections in the Sect of Hedon, right?

Puzzled, she watched on, but as their conversation floated into her ears, shock appeared on her face.

"Nolan, Nolan, Nolan. You are one of the know transgressors who attacked his own brother out of scorn. I decided to start my righteous campaign with you. From here on, I will target all those who do wrong by their family instead of appreciating the gift given to them by Mother Angaria. Perhaps, in this way…I might get closer to being accepted by my father, bless his name, wherever he is at the moment. Mad Doctor was his name, and with his inspiration, I have chosen mine to be 'Kooky Percy'. It has a certain ring to it, don't you think? Now, prepare to die."

Knowing Nolan's past, Jessica could expect that it might sound like the biggest joke that he had done wrong by his family. Nothing could be farther from the truth, and from Nolan's reaction where he replied in a tone that was tinged with anger, it was clear that he was quite adversely affected by having the tragedy of his life parodied in this manner.

"You're still a puny Peak Warrior. And you speak of killing me? I'll throw you back in your sect, but not before taking a few limbs as recourse for what you have said. You-"

Just as Nolan was about to raise a hand, though, an object appeared between the hands of the one who had just called himself 'Kooky Percy'.

Jessica's eyes widened in alarm as she recognized what it was, and the first thing she did was send a message to her mentor.

Alas, she wasn't quick enough. The object was in the shape of a tiny, golden bow, and the moment it appeared in the world, an arrow was shot out that moved faster than any speed that a Champion could reach.

It was an incredibly precious one-time use Hero-level attack trinket, and the only thing that Nolan could do was frantically try to teleport away.

It seemed that knowing that placing any anti-teleportation trinket would tip Nolan off, Percy hadn't bothered, and had only depended on the speed of the attack trinket which was guaranteed to kill most Champions.

If Nolan's Champion Path, which was kept secret for a long time, didn't deal with reaction time, he would definitely have met his end.

Still, he wasn't fast enough, and even as his body began to disappear into the space door he had created to teleport away, the arrow arrived.

He had taken care to enter with his vital organs first, so he had turned to the side and already placed his head inside, making it so that his body was now a strange amalgamation of human body parts with the rest having disappeared through the space door.

Delight still appeared on 'Kooky Percy's face, though, because as soon as the arrow impacted Nolan's shoulder, his teleportation was forcefully interrupted, and he was blown back with an amount of force that made it seem as if he had been hit by a thousand battering rams at once.

His body, from his shoulder, was mangled horribly, and the damage was only not worse because of the many, many barriers that had sprung up and been destroyed.

At least half of his body was affected, and as he lay on the ground gasping for breath, he looked like someone who had been half-crushed by an unstoppable force.

Even the clothes had mixed into his skin and flesh until the two were almost indistinguishable, and with a grin, Percy approached him while saying, "Ah, guess I'll just have to finish the job…"

"Stay your hand!"

It was at this moment that a golden light cascaded down from above onto the spot where they were standing.

After being blown out of the room, Nolan had landed in a field nearby where Percy had quickly arrived to finish the job.

With frustration on his face, Percy looked up to see that a woman had arrived, and she was actually someone that Daneel would have recognized.

It was the Matron of the Goddess's Sanctum sect.

Simmering anger was clear on her features, and after checking on Nolan, she immediately enshrouded him in some sort of a formation. He rose into the air and began to be healed, and even as despair appeared on Percy's face as he saw this, he was addressed by the Matron.

"For attempting to kill a Champion of the Big Four, you have been summoned by the High Council for judgment."

Forcefully teleported away, Percy found himself in a dark place where whispers could be heard around him.

He could feel that his hands and legs were shackled to a chair, but it was as if his vision of sight had been taken away. Even his Mageroot was somehow unavailable to him, and this was something that would cause desperation to appear in any Mage of Angaria.

Yet, living up to the nickname he had given himself, Percy grinned and shouted, "All transgressors will die! He is only the first!"

"Quiet! You have been brought here to be judged for the crime of the attempt to kill a Champion of the Big Four, who I understand is now stable, but will be out of commission for quite some time. What say you in your defense?"

The voice seemed to be coming from right in front of him, and it was a strong one, with a hint of the quality of one who was accustomed to giving judgments.

In response, Percy gave a curious answer which gave rise to even more rumors.

"Hehe, I won't say anything, but give me back control of my Mageroot, and I'll show you something…special. All of you are Heroes, right? So a Warrior like me should be able to do nothing to you…"

The request was definitely a strange one, and it was something that was heard seldom in the hallowed halls of the High Council, which one could only hear of, and not see.

The one in front of him seemed to be discussing something with those that were near him, and finally, Percy found himself able to feel his Mageroot again.

He heaved a sigh of relief, as the feeling was as sweet as that of nectar sliding down one's throat.

Regaining his crazy smile, though, he did something which, for the first time since he had arrived, caused absolute silence to appear in the place he had arrived.

It was just a spell, and to the layman, it would seem like a children's trick.

A globe of water appeared, which transformed into a globe of fire, and then earth, and then continued to change into many different types of elemental particles.

After the hush, the man right in front of Percy spoke in an almost petrified voice.

"T-The Elemental Transformation Path! How?!"

As an uproar began after he said these words, Percy smiled, as everything was going to plan.

…

An hour later, Jessica was waiting for news from her other subordinate above ground, who was just a Warrior.

"He is stable, ma'am. The best healers are being deployed, and because he was one of the most powerful in the sect, the Goddess's Sanctum is sparing no expense. He is expected to make a full recovery, and the perpetrator has been hauled in front of the High Council."

Extreme relief appeared on Jessica's face as she heard this.

She did care about those who were willing to follow her faithfully, and Nolan had always been one of her best subordinates.

She had only been able to watch as he was attacked, and it was her message which had swiftly deployed the Matron to save his life.

Hoping that the perpetrator would be punished very severely, Jessica lay down on the bed nearby and prepared to get some sleep so that she could tackle this problem of hitting back at the King afresh the next day.

Right before she drifted off to sleep, though, she heard the sound of people walking outside.

Her cell had no doors or windows, but she could hear things from outside.

To her surprise, someone was marched past her cell and placed in the one beside hers.

Hmm? Had some seed gotten into a fight, or something?

Well, what does it matter to me. King, just you wait. My counter-attack will crush you!

Telling herself this, she fell asleep, and as was normal in these past few days, the man she was thinking about day and night appeared in her dreams.

Typically, it was the scene of her dreams being crushed that she relived, and although it could be said to be a nightmare, she instead found inspiration in it which spurred her on more and more to fulfill her goal.

As always, she was in that corridor where she was prepared to kill the other seeds in front of her, and as she found herself frozen due to a spell, the Head appeared along with the King.

She waited for the dream to take its natural course, yet…something was wrong.

Contrary to what had happened, the King actually began walking towards her, and try as she might, she found to her horror that she couldn't move, even though she had been able to before because it was her dream.

Thud Thud Thud

The sounds of his footsteps seemed to reverberate in her ears, and as he reached closer and closer, for some reason, Jessica started to feel more and more panic.

After he finally appeared in front of her, he did something which made it clear that this was definitely not the nightmare she had been having every day.

He took a step back, and taking a deep breath, he…punched.

It was aimed straight at her stomach, and Jessica had the wind knocked out of her.

Unable to understand what the f*ck was going on, she looked on even though her eyes began to water, but as the King opened his mouth and said something which seemed to echo in the corridor, a chill unlike any she had felt in her life crept up her spine.

"Aah, that felt good. Now, then. Let's have some fun, shall we?"

Chapter 767: Nine Layers of Hell

"Elemental Transformations. One of the most singular techniques that one can only wish to train in, but not actually prepare for, like it is the case with most top-tier Champion Paths. One who can even begin on this Path is said to have the potential to become someone who can contend with those at the very top, and in the age of the Empire, only one in 100,000 Warriors could even try to understand what this Path means. Yet, this guy…how is it possible, Head?"

The Head was back in the room where he had been viewing the events of the continent, but this time, in front of him was a strange man.

He only reached his waist, and even though the Head had never been someone very tall when compared to the other Heroes who employed spells to change their appearances for vanity's sake, he still stood naturally at 6 feet tall.

So, that meant that the one in front of him would only be 3 feet tall, and it was a mystery among all the Heroes of the High Council regarding just why this individual, whose power could make him stand among the top ten of even those who were hidden on the continent, hadn't simply changed his height after ascending to his level.

He had a small face, and he was wearing a red-colored robe that fit him perfectly. If he didn't have a beard and if his wrinkles were removed, he might look like a child whose parents had decided to dress him up for some event.

His brow was wide, and it gave one a hint of the incredible amount of knowledge he was supposed to possess. At the moment, though, that brow was furrowed as he couldn't figure out the answer to this question.

The Head sighed and decided that he should give the answer, instead of having this man set out to find it on his own, which was something he definitely did not want to happen.

It was one thing for someone normal to be curious enough to set out on a quest to discover something, but when that person was someone who could kill most people on the Central Continent with a casual wave of their hand, it was best if they were not exposed to situations where they might want to use that power.

Even the most disciplined of people, if they were this powerful, would not be able to stand for anyone insulting them. And because the identities of these Heroes were hidden to all save a select few, there was a pretty high probability that someone may make the grave mistake of doing something they shouldn't in front of this person, which might invariably lead to an incident that could be avoided if he just opened his mouth now.

At times, the Head almost felt like a helpless parent who had to take care of so many unruly children who all had their own singular habits and wants.

And to this list…that King had also been added, who was proving to be worthy of being placed on the top of the list of 'unruly children' even though he wasn't even a Peak Champion yet.

Not looking forward, at all, to what the man might get up to when he was stronger, the Head answered, "The truth is that this Percy has been leading a double life for a long time. With careful examination of the sect's records, I was able to find this out. His father was someone who delighted in depriving him of things which made him happy, but if he ever showed displeasure, both in front of him or others, he was severely punished. So, from a young age, this kid had to grow up as someone with varied personalities which he had to switch to according to the situation. This made him ripe for this technique, which allows one to effortlessly change their attacks to use different elements without needing to expend Energy. It might sound like something not too powerful, but when one takes into account that one of the major expenditures of Energy for a Mage is that which is needed to convert Elementary Particles into the element they wish, it becomes pretty clear just how overpowered this technique can be. In essence, those who train in this are supposed to have the most endurance among all mages at their power level or even those one or two levels above them, and this allows them to inundate their enemy with quantity if they cannot do the same with quality, while also giving them superior flexibility in battle where defense can turn into offense, and vice versa, in the blink of an eye. Err…don't look at me like that. I did quite a lot of research into this back when I was in the Warrior realm, but alas, even though I tried, I could not embark on the Path. He has already succeeded, and after a little more training, he can be classified as a seed."

The short man had begun to look with interest at the way the Head had expounded the benefits of this Path while staring into the air with an excited expression on his face.

That had resulted in the Head giving that answer, and after that, with the mystery cleared, the man said, "Yes, I hope he does pass. I wonder why he is spending so much time leaning on that wall, though. Maybe it is comfortable? And it seems that Jessica is looking to get more ideas in her dreams? Hmm, but it looks like she is having nightmares, instead! Well, I would have them, too, if I had been beaten so badly. Anyway, I'll be off, Head. I'm going fishing tomorrow. Do you want to tag along? I promise that this time, I will come save you if you fall in. Hey, don't look like that! That was a training experience, last time! You won't ever underestimate the power of the sea again, right, because of that experience? Maybe that will save your life in the future!"

The Head had begun to grit his teeth since he heard the word 'fishing', and after the man finished speaking, he replied in a tight tone, as if he was barely controlling himself.

"With all due respect, I would have been fine if you hadn't cast a Gravity-Enhancing spell over the area. I'll pass."

With a sheepish expression on his face, the short man laughed and said, "As you wish. You said that you were curious about how things might have been in the age before the Apocalypse, so I simply gave you a demonstration. Take care, Head," before teleporting away.

Even for a few seconds after the man left, the Head had a sour expression on his face because of what he had been reminded of, but after that, he, too, cast his glance on the cells which were visible to all those on the High Council.

Jessica was, indeed, frowning heavily and even sweating in her sleep, while in the cell adjacent to hers, Percy was leaning against the wall that was nearest to her cell.

The King had simply said that he wanted to reach a truce with Jessica. But if so…why weren't they talking?

To facilitate this, the Head had even given Percy a secret trinket that would allow him to bypass the protective measures of the cells, enabling him to get across a message.

Yet, it looked like he hadn't used it, yet, but the Head didn't think much of it, as he assumed that Percy might be waiting until Jessica got desperate, or something.

He had only agreed to this entire plan because the situation would resolve itself if they reached a truce, and he hoped that it would happen. Something did feel wrong, though, but the Head just put that down to the fact that he was doing something that he shouldn't be for the King's sake.

Right as he diverted himself away from the cells, though, Jessica suddenly sat up in her bed.

She was drenched in sweat, and for the life of her, she couldn't understand just what had happened.

For a moment after waking up, she held the strong thought in her mind that something was wrong.

Yet, in the same manner that all those who dreamed forgot most of the details a few moments after waking, that thought disappeared into nothingness, but she did retain a few images that were horrific.

The King, chasing her through a forest with the sound of wolves coming from all over the place.

She had always been a bit averse to wolves, as in her childhood, there had been an incident where she was almost killed by one.

Hence, it was natural that the entire thing had been terrifying, but on top of that, the King had been muttering something over and over again.

She couldn't recall what it was, so she shifted her thoughts to another memory.

She had been shut in a dark room, and all around her, she could feel the walls…closing in.

Again, the King had appeared in front of her, and he kept muttering something.

She remembered denying him whatever he was asking for, and after that…she recalled a sickening sound of bones crunching, after which there was darkness.

Jessica shuddered in her bed as she relived this memory, and she instantly decided to stop thinking about her nightmares.

I'm too tired-I've been working myself to the bone over this. Yes, I'm just thinking about him too much. I bet it won't be the same next time.

She told herself this and launched into a day of planning which was mostly futile, but at the end of it, she realized…that she was wrong.

She was normally a Champion who would not need to sleep often, but for some reason, she felt exhausted.

Chalking it up to the night before which had been far from relaxing, Jessica had gone to sleep once again.

And the nightmares…repeated themselves.

Each morning, she would wake up more drenched than the last, and each time, the words of the King became clearer and clearer.

Each night, she would feel exhausted again, and even if she didn't want to, she would feel herself falling asleep, while hoping against hope that they wouldn't repeat.

They didn't stop, though.

Even new scenarios got added, which preyed on the common fears of mankind.

In one, she would find herself starved, and the only way that she could eat was if she agreed to whatever the King was asking.

In another, she would find herself suffocating underwater, and once again, if she agreed, she would be able to breathe.

At this point, even her curiosity was aroused regarding just what the f*ck he was asking, and why she was so insistent on denying him each and every time.

In this manner, the 9th day approached, and on it, something…felt different.

Jessica only noticed this before she fell asleep, though, and what she felt was that one way or another, something would end tonight.

What she didn't know…was that in the other cell, Percy was having a conversation with someone in his mind.

They sounded excited, and over all these days, Percy had understood one thing.

No matter what he did in life, there was no way that he would ever go against this man.

He had once thought that he was superior to his senior disciple brother, and that he was a senior only in name, because he had managed to come under the eye of their master sooner.

Yet, now…he was convinced that that was not the case, and he had decided that he would only ever address him respectfully, because if he didn't…he might meet the fate of Jessica, which was something he would not wish upon his worst enemies.

As if reading his thoughts, the King of Lanthanor, whose consciousness was in his mind, said, "You know, I don't like this either, but I don't have a choice. I can't kill her, but I need her off her back. So, the only solution…is to break her so thoroughly that even the very mention of going against me will make her faint with fear. In the age of the Empire, this was actually a regulated torture technique created by the famous torture master and later mistress of the Emperor. It was based on the essence of a Nightmare Spider, and it needed the consciousness of one who had that Bloodline. It was called…'Nightmare Journey through Nine Layers of Hell'."

Chapter 768: Final Layer of Hell

For what felt like the millionth time, they were back in that same corridor where their tale had begun.

Jessica was about to sacrifice her friends and finish her plan of obtaining power, and Daneel was about to stop her in her tracks.

The scene was frozen, at the moment, because the Nightmare Spider's ability gave Daneel full control of her dreams.

To her, it would seem as if everything was normal, but Daneel could secretly manipulate everything behind the scenes.

At the moment, the scene was frozen right before he made the big reveal and saved the four seeds who had been about to be killed.

Each day, it had begun here, and they had had many, many 'adventures' together.

The Nightmare Spider had always been a very strange creature. In the age of the Empire, many historians had been completely baffled regarding its powers, because in most Godbeasts, the case was that their powers were those which helped them to hunt and live.

Seldom were there powers which didn't satisfy either of these needs, but in the case of the Nightmare Spider, that was exactly how it was.

These Godbeasts had a notorious habit of trapping their prey and then toying with them for days on end before finally eating them.

No matter who it was, unless they were a lot more powerful than it, a Nightmare Spider could burrow into their dreams if it could find them without any protection while they were sleeping. After that, it would keep digging inside their brain and unearth all the things that they were terrified of.

This didn't require one to break into one's consciousness, because fear was such an instinctual feeling that the things which triggered it could be identified if one was just able to view a consciousness and see the dreams of that individual.

On finding what it was looking for, it would keep the prey trapped in scenarios where their worst fears would appear in front of them, and because sleep was supposed to be the time when one was supposed to rest, these kinds of unnatural dreams would cause individuals to not feel rested, at all. This would, in turn, lead them to want to sleep again soon, and the cycle would repeat.

There seemed to be no clear reason for the Nightmare Spider to do this, because since the moment its prey entered its web and fell under its effects, it was doomed.

It was only found much later, and with great difficulty, that the reason behind its actions were that it thoroughly enjoyed torturing its prey inside their dreams, and also because fear made prey feel tastier for the Nightmare Spider, for some reason.

This entire thing was what inspired the torture master to formulate what became famous as a method which was almost ubiquitous with the Empire, because for a time, it was even used on those of enemy forces without being none the wiser.

There was a famous case where a very powerful Hero with ten powerful Champions under him had threatened to wreak havoc in the Empire when the Emperor and all those who could stop them were off to fight again someone else, and it had simply been a ploy by those who still hadn't been annexed by the Empire to make sure that all the top honchos would be wary that something like that would happen, which might lead them to either being overly cautious, or distracted during battle.

One day, suddenly, that man and all ten of his subordinates entered the Empire and surrendered after shouting that they wanted to have no more enmity with the Emperor. They swore oaths of life-long fealty, and for some reason, they also begged for mercy, and all those in the court had been extremely shocked after seeing just how much fear was apparent on their faces.

The secret regarding the reason behind this strange event was kept for a long, long time, until it was finally revealed that it had been done by the torture master using that technique.

Daneel had gone looking for ways to use the Nighmare Spider's ability on someone, and he had found this and been quite surprised.

Of course, he had even seen the torture master up close, and he could never have expected that someone who looked like that would be capable of doing things like these which were quite abhorrent.

Their effectiveness could not be denied, though, and even then, the Emperor had been divided regarding the whole thing, because even though he detested the way that it happened, he had to admit that there had been no bloodshed, which was quite momentous.

The same choice made by the Emperor then had been made by Daneel now, because he had needed something which could affect Jessica to make sure that she would stop targeting him while not arousing any suspicion.

Of course, this fit perfectly, and it had even been enabled by the Head's trinket, as all that was needed was for him to find a way inside the cell to communicate with Jessica.

He knew that he needed to deploy the consciousness, and so, he had separated himself from his body and entered the same trinket which held all the consciousnesses of the Godbeasts he was using for his transformations.

This trinket was not something that could be detected by any normal means, and hence, it had been hidden on Percy's body. There was no problem with him inhabiting it, either, because the consciousness of those Godbeasts were all dormant.

After reaching the adjacent cell, all he needed to do was use the same transformation technique to transform his consciousness, and deploy the power of the Nightmare Spider through the trinket given by the Head to affect Jessica's mind while making it look as if everything was normal.

Everything had gone well, and it was now the final step.

Yet… Not for the first time since beginning this entire thing, Daneel had a few doubts.

It was said that one's dreams could be used to find out what kind of a person they were, and the same could be said even of nightmares. By seeing everything that terrified Jessica, he had been able to understand just what kind of a person she was.

Her tenacity to get what she wanted had already been displayed both in her plan against the seeds and in her relentless efforts to bring him to ruin.

All she had ever wanted was power, and just like she had said, she didn't like the Church because she still felt that she belonged to Angaria, and that outsiders shouldn't take control of it. She wanted to reach the top on this continent, and for that, she was determined to do anything.

Although Daneel had no idea what exactly had made her think like this, after seeing many of her nightmares and the way she had screamed, he had found that she had also been abused when young.

He didn't know how this figured into the whole equation, but he had a feeling that it must have been pretty important in leading her to become who she was.

True, she wasn't good, per se, because anyone who was prepared to kill their friends that they had grown up with could not be described with this word.

However… She had only been doing what she thought was best to climb ahead and fulfill her goals.

Just like he had seen with Jordan, such people were rare, but in this case… She was capable of things much more powerful than Jordan could ever have done, mainly because of the talent that had allowed her to take her role as a seed.

On this final day, he had to decide just what instructions he would give her. The way the technique of the torture master worked was that on the final day, the question that was asked repeatedly on all the days before would be answered, and after that, there would be a short period of extreme suggestiveness where one could state what they wished the person to do.

It would almost be like planting the idea in their head, and it had reminded Daneel of a very famous movie from back on Earth which was known for its infuriating ending.

It would seem to them as if the idea had come from themselves, and there would be no indication, at all, of something like Mind Control causing this to happen.

Hence, even if anyone tried to scan her mind, no matter how much they checked, all they would see was that she had been having trouble sleeping over the past week.

Yet...herein lay a major risk.

Earlier, in the Age of the Empire, no one had known that such a technique existed, so the symptom of not sleeping well for a few days and then doing something that was uncharacteristic of them had gone unexplained.

However, after the technique became public knowledge due to a leak caused by an incident, it became easy to spot, and hence, from then, the torture master ceased using it on those from forces outside the Empire, and only deployed it on prisoners.

Daneel was not ready to take the chance that no one might have read of this famous technique. So...whatever decision he made, it should be something that might only seem strange, but not completely unbelievable.

For example, if he made her swear allegiance to him publicly, it would set off all the alarm bells in the minds of the Heroes who were watching, as in reality, no one could have that much of a change of heart.

Hence, her getting off his back had to have some other valid reason, and although Daneel had already gotten an idea regarding this, the decision now lay in whether he wanted to put in place something that could allow him to take her on as a subordinate.

It was clear that she had been a victim of life, and instead of giving up, she had decided to do everything possible to fight back, even if it meant taking gigantic risks.

Did he really want someone like that under him?

If it was a few years ago, or even a few weeks ago, the answer might have been a straight 'no' as Daneel would have been averse to such people.

Yet, now, after his breakthrough...Daneel had started to realize that his mindset had started to mature, and that had been displayed when he took on Jordan, even though he had placed some hoops for the man to jump through.

Why not do the same thing here?

If he wanted to defend Angaria, he would have to work with the vilest of people, because no matter what they might have done, he would need their strength to fend off the Church.

Hence...it was most probably that Daneel would have to start getting accustomed to finding a middle-ground.

He might hate them for their actions, but there was no reason that he shouldn't dominate them with his power, and then set them to make right their wrongs by fighting for their Motherland.

Why, that sounds...good!

With the smile that always came on his face when something had become clear to him, Daneel gave a command to the system.

"Deploy Final Layer of Hell."

[Deploying.]

At once, the place they were in shattered, and it was replaced by an amalgamation of everything Jessica had suffered over all these days.

Drowning in murky water, being chased by wolves, being crushed from all directions, being suffocated by an unknown assailant, being crushed by a random tree, being stabbed a thousand times- all of them seemed to happen at once, and Jessica's scream was louder than any she had let out yet, because she was simultaneously remembering everything she had gone through while also reliving it all.

It was one of the cruelest things Daneel had ever done, but he took no happiness in it, just like he had said to Percy. On the contrary, he even slightly pitied Jessica while he once again asked the question that he had already asked hundreds of times.

The question wasn't really important- it just needed to be something the person would never do, and the one deploying the technique could choose what they wanted to ask.

Hence, Daneel had chosen one that he liked.

"Will you bend the knee? Will you bend the knee? Will you bend the knee? Will you-..."

The torture master had made a clear indication of the number of times one could resist at this stage, and what that said regarding their strength of will.

If they agreed the first time, it meant they were weak.

If they broke after being asked 6 times, it meant they had moderate strength.

And if it was anything after 30 times, then it meant that their will was one which would definitely take them to at least the Exalted Hero level.

Jessica...answered after 28 times.

"I...WILL!"

Saying so, she collapsed onto her knees, and Daneel knew he should not dally.

So, without further ado, he told her her future.

"You will tell your mentor and anyone who asks that you feel as if you are close to a breakthrough in understanding your Champion Path due to the frustration you felt, and that you wish to use the method of becoming powerful to deal with the King of Lanthanor later, after he enters the Big Four, as he will not be unreachable to you then. At that time, you will fight him, and after the fight, you will understand that you were in the wrong, and that for power, you should follow him. In the meantime, you will also collect information on those who might be defecting to the Church, and you will expose them discreetly, as this will be your secondary goal. Henceforth, you shall only focus on these two things, and nothing else. You are compelled, and you shall obey."

[Final phrase to end the suggestiveness window has closed. The Journey has been successful. Ending ability. Sending message to Head.]

The Head had told Daneel that Percy could send him a message if he had finished his job.

Right after it was sent, Percy was teleported out of the cell, and before the Head could ask him anything, a flood of messages inundated Daneel's consciousness which had all been sent through the oath-links, and as he heard them, he was quite bewildered.

"My Lord! The riots are risking the lives of thousands!"

"Daneel, I've decided to deploy mages to save them. They're innocent, we can't have their blood on our hands!"

"Daneel, come back fast! Things are not good out here! Your plan was a little too good!"

Alarmed, Daneel went back through all the messages, and as he understood the matter, he couldn't help but blink with shock.

Chapter 769: Problems from Solutions

Five minutes later.

In the Kingdom of Lanthanor, the king was sitting along with the rest of his sovereigns while they watched a scene that was currently being showcased throughout the continent through the Network of Angaria.

He had ordered Percy to give some random excuse because he had no time to talk to the Head, and as the young Warrior was innovative as always, he had directly swooned and said that prison had not been well for him.

Although the Head had been slightly puzzled, he had said that he would talk later, and Daneel had reunited with his body right away, following which he had called the meeting after sending Percy back.

It was showing a large warehouse situated near a small village that had been peaceful for decades, but right now, the mud road that led through its center had been thoroughly stamped through as a horde of people had just marched through it with a singular direction in mind.

They were all headed to the warehouse nearby which had the name of one of the most prestigious trading families engraved in bold letters in front of it. Once, this name would have made many feel respect and even fear, but at present, a famous, or rather, infamous incident had changed all that.

Right as this horde reached the warehouse, they began to throw rocks that they had already collected on the way. A barrier sprang up to protect it, but it could hardly hold up against the hundreds of objects that were being pelted every second.

Indeed, this horde had already swelled to become at least around 500 people strong, and all of them were shouting slogans such as "Down with the trading families!" and "No more will you profit from our deaths! Down you shall go, down we shall take you!".

Even the guards of the warehouse were helpless in front of such large crowd, and one other thing that they knew was that all of these people were from the Alliance, which currently had the moral high ground. They had strict orders not to retaliate and only to ensure that the evacuation would proceed smoothly, because if they even thought of doing something like that, they knew that their already disastrous public image would plummet even further.

In the back of the warehouse, the evacuation had already begun two hours ago, when a clue had been received that the attack would commence here.

It was nothing new for the trading families, who were now in complete damage control mode. They were shifting their wealth and resources to secure places which could not be found easily by the people who wanted to take out their anger on everything that was related to them, but the problem was that each family was so large that they had hundreds of warehouses throughout the continent. It would be foolish to shift them all in panic, so they decided to take a wait-and-see approach, which often resulted in this situation where they could only depend on the barriers until the mages were done porting away all of the precious things stored in the warehouse.

Nine days ago, they had lost everything.

All the respect and power that had been earned over generations of hard work had all been destroyed in a single moment, and since then, the losses they had incurred were already more than what they had had to endure over the past 300 years.

In almost each and every part of the entire continent, because the Network had proliferated so much that there was almost no one who hadn't heard of it, the trading families were being cursed because of their greed.

Every time the leaders heard this, they felt like sitting on the ground and bawling helplessly, because for once, they were actually innocent. Yet, like monkeys caught a forest fire that had been started to target a pit of snakes that needed to be killed, they were those that were being burned the most while the one who had made them do everything in the first place was nowhere to be seen.

In fact, the first thing they had done was stop using the coins themselves, as they, too, had been terrified that the same might happen to them.

So far, there had been no communication, so they just continued to operate under the assumption that this plan was now scrapped, and they had to look towards the future.

Daneel was updated regarding all these things as soon as he arrived, and the internal reports regarding the trading families had been received from Jordan.

As he went through them all again, the situation in the display trinket escalated, because the barriers had just been broken down. The people had been learning – they had learnt that using jagged rocks was perfect against barriers because they had more penetrative force that would deplete the energy reserves faster, and in this case, they had already specially picked out such rocks.

The families had no way to account for this, and the evacuation was still not done.

A massacre looked like it was about to commence as recompense for what might have happened if the business of the trading families had continued, but Daneel turned to his side and nodded.

Eloise, who was sitting beside him with a rather grim expression, nodded in return as she saw him and sent some sort of signal, following which a team of mages who were wearing clothes that didn't allow anyone to see their features or affiliation appeared to teleport away the remaining people in the warehouse.

Frustration was visible on the faces of those in the horde as they saw this, as in the last few days, this had happened again and again. It was obvious that the trading families had employed these mages to protect their people, and this meant that they could only take out their anger on the objects left behind in the warehouse, which were mostly just useless scraps of wood or other trivial materials.

After watching for a little longer and seeing that the horde was about to go back to where they had come from on understanding that there was nothing else for them to do there, Daneel sighed and closed the display trinket.

Until now, this was probably the first time that he had seen that there could be so many more repercussions of what he did than he could ever expect.

He had expected there to be outrage, and he had even wanted to use it to his advantage.

Yet… It looked like he had made a cardinal mistake that was many famous people back on Earth had also committed – underestimating the power of mob mentality.

All it required was one person of a village saying that they could not let the trading families do as they wished, and often, the entire village would take up arms and march out due to the strong belief that no one would want to oppose such a large group of them, especially when they were in the right.

This often turned out to be true, because the trading families didn't even think of putting up any opposition knowing that it might incite the king of Lanthanor into deploying his renowned army.

Yet, the side effect of this was felt by the innocent employees of these trading families, who found themselves lynched and sometimes even beaten almost to death.

If Eloise and the others hadn't been keeping a close eye in Daneel's absence on everything on the continent, a lot of deaths would have occurred, but so far, thankfully, by keeping the team of mages on hold to teleport away such people, they had been able to ensure that there were only injuries.

If anyone died, the blood would be on their hands, just like Eloise had said, and he wasn't cold-blooded enough to not care about this, especially when these people had done nothing except look for employment so that they could feed their families.

The plan had seemed excellent before because he had only focused on the aspect of beating Jessica, but he hadn't really thought about this part. He had imagined that it would be easy to control them, and that it might just die down if the trading families were meek enough.

Yet, the main problem was that resentment against these families ran deep in many people's blood, as it was true that on multiple occasions, these trading families had been quite overbearing, sometimes even killing people indiscriminately if it meant that they could get their hands on some or the other business or resource.

Hence, now that Denny had ignited the spark, it turned into a brilliant fire that looked like it had no intentions of stopping anytime soon.

Without even intending to, he had practically thrown the entire continent into chaos.

If no one intervened, he was pretty sure that it would get so bad that thousands might end up dying, while resources which were worth tens of thousands of Ether blocks might also end up getting destroyed in the process.

This was something he was definitely not willing to see, and hence, the matter at hand was to decide how they were going to put an end to this.

Yet… It was easier said than done, because he was one who had promised justice so vehemently in the first place.

He almost felt like kicking himself as he remembered that, because even though the effect that he had desired had happened, it had spiraled into something that he would never want, just like an innocent snowball that turned into a deleterious avalanche.

It was a very strong lesson regarding how he should definitely not go ahead with plans, especially relating to large amounts of people, without carefully thinking of the worst-case consequences and planning out ways to handle them.

In many ways, the mistake he had made was similar to what had resulted in the ancient British Empire needing to leave all of the places they had colonized, because all of their plans had not accounted for the power of large groups of people who would fight as if they had nothing to lose if they were trodden down on enough.

With a grave expression on his face, Daneel spread his arms wide open and said, "Well, I f*cked up, but now its time to set it right. Any suggestions?"

Robert actually got an appreciative expression as he heard this.

Patting his son's shoulder, he said, "I was afraid that you might have gotten too…'kingly' to admit your mistake. Admission is often the first, and also the most important step."

Daneel couldn't help but smile as he heard this, and it was Eloise who spoke up after that.

"You appointed us as your sovereigns, and we took it to mean that we aren't just supposed to be subordinates who do your bidding. Just like how we took the collective decision to send out our mages to save these people, we have also devised a plan which might potentially help in this situation."

Daneel had been meaning to applaud his sovereigns for this decision, because he really would have been devastated if he had come out to find that he had the blood of thousands of innocent people on his hands.

Hell, that count could even have gone up to tens of thousands, as one really could not underestimate the power of a stampede that consisted of millions of people.

Thankfully, things hadn't gotten to that level, but it felt as if a single spark might cause it to happen. It was also why the other two forces had not swooped in, yet, because they must have understood that they might burn their own hands in the process if they tried to take control of this fire that had been lit by Daneel unwittingly.

As Daneel nodded, Eloise looked at the rest, and the seven sovereigns spoke out their plan, with each saying a part.

When they were done, Daneel actually…burst out laughing.

"Simple, but brilliant! I must say I have not chosen wrongly. My dear sovereigns, if ever I grow too complacent of my skill in planning, I ask that you remind me of this, and I will be infinitely grateful, as I will have remembered how I made such a steaming mess which had to be cleaned up by all of you, who rose to the occasion. Go ahead. For once, I will enjoy sitting in the backseat…"

Chapter 770: Announcemen

In the wee hours of the morning on the next day, Jack was tossing and turning in his bed.

Ever since he had seen his neighbor's house burst into flames, a growing terror had been present inside him.

He was a merchant in the Kingdom of Eldinor, and he had always prided himself on making smart investments.

This was what had allowed him to rise from the ranks of a common trader to his present state, where he had a large estate with 30 servants and a large family that was still growing.

As was normal in his family, he had not hoarded all the success to himself.

He had brought all of his family members, who had always supported him, into the business, and with his direction, all of them had flourished.

On seeing the rapidly fluctuating prices of the different types of coins, Jack had identified right away that a war was going on between the two forces, which meant that it was a ripe opportunity for the people to benefit from it.

He had already made a lot of profits in a situation that had once been similar to this- then, it had been in the case of a singular type of barrier trinkets which could protect entire moving carts, and two different elves had developed it. They had engaged in a war much like this one because of their pride which dictated that it was fine even if they took a loss if they could have their product proliferate into the market, and Jack had bought as many as he could from both of them. After the war ended, the prices went back to normal, and he had sold everything for a hefty profit.

His plan had been to do the same thing in this case, and hence, he had hoarded as many coins from the trading families as he could find.

In fact, at one point, those in the Kingdom who had the trinkets had to buy them from him, because he had already bought out the merchants.

Hence, when he saw the flames rising into the horizon and heard the words of that man, he had rushed back into his house in a blind panic.

His nephew, who was just 2 years old, had greeted him, and to his horror, he saw that the kids in the house were playing with the coins.

He had allowed it as they liked the shiny objects, but seeing what had happened, he frantically snatched them all and threw them out.

In this way, he had lost half of the resources he had accumulated over decades, but more than that, he had been thoroughly traumatized about what could happen.

Damn those trading families!

He had feuded with them multiple times, but because of their deep reserves, they had always come out on top.

But this time…they had gone too far.

Yes. Enough was enough.

For the past ten days, he had been controlling himself, but he could do so no more.

They had to pay!

Rising from his bed, he threw all caution to the wind and marched into a street nearby where there were a mix of elves and humans.

"Proud citizens of the Alliance! Imagine your homes razed to the ground! Imagine your families, dead! Imagine your future, destroyed! I have seen this in my dreams, every day, and I can stand it no more! I need to take out my anger on those wretched assholes who dared to do business with our lives! Who's with me?!"

Calls like these which were much less effective had already succeeded in rousing hundreds to their cause.

But now, because of the glib tongue of someone who had made their way in the world, thousands soon rose, and they all began to follow him while he led the way to a large bunch of warehouses in the outskirts of the Alliance which were so heavily guarded that no one had targeted them yet.

Yet…where those hordes had been comprised of only normal people who could only use rocks as their weapons, this one had many Mages and Fighters who all had furious expressions on their faces.

On their way, they kept collecting people, and by the afternoon, right as they were near their destination, their group had already swelled to hold over 10,000 people.

Their steps made the ground shake, and their shouts seemed to reverberate in the very air, lingering even after they passed due to their singular passion.

The gates of the Alliance had no hope of stopping them, and they were thrown aloft while the guards also cheered. They weren't supposed to, but why wouldn't they want to join? They were the ones who would have died!

For too long had those trading families stepped on everyone they wished. Today, they would pay.

Jack wasn't even the leader of the group anymore. He was in the front, though, and his voice rang the loudest when he shouted the slogans that were repeated by the group.

Presently, they began to approach the warehouses where hundreds of guards could be seen milling around with wary expressions on their faces.

Yet, when they saw the size of the crowd they were supposed to hold off, hopelessness and desperation shone in their eyes.

"Guards! Think no more! Turn on your masters, the day of reckoning is nigh! Today, we will hurt them like they have hurt us for generations!"

As Jack shouted this, it was also taken up by the group, and as tens of thousands of voices urged them, complicated expressions appeared on the guard's faces.

It looked like they would heed these words at any moment, as never before had been such an organized group. Mages were at the back, and Fighters were at the front, ready to run forward and pummel the barriers into dust.

The guards knew that if they didn't choose now, it would be too late to regret later.

In this way, the situation looked like it was going to escalate to become something not seen yet on the continent of Angaria.

The guards would begin a fight on their own on the inside and might even probably deactivate the barriers, letting the horde of people arrive inside and take out their revenge on the hundreds of employees who were just there to ensure the evacuation.

No matter how many mages were deployed, it would have been difficult to prevent disaster, but right before everything reached a tipping point, a single person appeared in the air between the warehouses and the large group of people.

If it were someone they didn't recognize, the mob might even have attacked thinking that it was someone from the trading families who had arrived to attack them.

Yet, she was familiar to everyone present, as they had all witnessed her bravery in the Network trinket.

She was the reporter who had heroically saved the family, and as soon as they recognized, the chants ceased, as she commanded enough respect that she deserved to be heard.

As if she had expected this, the reported nodded with a smile and threw out two objects which began to float in the air.

They enlarged into two large display trinkets, one in the direction of the people and the other in that of the warehouse.

Taking a breath, she spoke in that same melodious voice that had captured the heart of many innocent people all around Angaria, and after ensuring that they had heeded her words, she teleported away.

"Your anger is justified, but on the orders of the King of Lanthanor, I ask that you witness what is going to happen."

Curious, everyone looked at the display trinkets which were blank, but a second later, an image flashed into place.

It showed the incredible landscape of Angaria, as it was showing a scene from several hundred feet up in the air.

The communication eye kept moving upwards, until finally, an iconic object appeared in its vision.

It was the Heavenly City of the Alliance, which had rose into the air with much fanfare.

The eye kept moving up until it reached an edge of the city, and as it swiveled to show the image on top of it, eyes began to redden in the crowd as they could see those who were responsible for all of their sleepless nights.

However…that emotion of anger turned into one of bewilderment when they noticed that all the heads of the trading families were actually kneeling on the ground, with their head held low.

In front of them stood the Grand Court Mage of Angaria and Eloise, the lady with no title, but who wielded unparalleled power in the Alliance.

Along with them were also present the Black Raven King, two commanders of the Alliance- Aran and Robert and one other man whom many recognized as the one who was known as the brother of the King.

Also present were two women who had risen to fame, and who were now the icons of the life that one might wish to lead. They were Helena and Dalia, owners of the conglomerate which seemed to have a hand in many, many businesses all over Angaria.

All of them had proud expressions on their faces, and although no one could guess the reason behind this, it soon became clear as all the heads of the trading families rose to their feet.

One among them- a middle-aged lady who commanded quite a lot of respect and was known for her ruthlessness walked forward and made an announcement in a solemn tone.

"We, the trading families, are extremely apologetic for what has occurred. We entered into the business seeing profit, but we made certain missteps which we are not proud of. No words can justify what we have done, so with the help of the King and his subordinates who have all been…ehem, kind enough to come to our aid, we have reached a decision to show how prepared we are to pay recompense through our actions. For a ten-year period, we are ready to give a major part of our assets over to the Alliance and to H&D, while we act only on your bidding. To be clear, what is of the Alliance…is also yours. That means that any of the warehouses you might wish to destroy will cause losses to you, as they would have been potential areas for you to get employed. I understand that many jobs are going to be created with this consolidation of trade, and I daresay that it will bring a lot of good to Angaria. In ten years…I daresay that it might even be a new continent. We will be lending all of our expertise to the cause, and we will work tirelessly to make right our wrongs. Long live the Alliance!"

"…"

After a brief moment of silence following this shocking announcement, someone in the crowd took up the shout.

"Long live the Alliance!"

"Long live the Alliance!"

"Long live the Alliance!"

As Daneel saw it snowball into a chant that seemed like it was ready to rend the heavens, he smiled.

All of his sovereigns had threatened and forced these heads into this, and each of them had worked very hard to make it happen.

Seeing it be successful felt great. Their thinking had been simple: to stop the rioting, make the objects which the people were showing hatred on belong to them, and they would definitely stop. For this, such an agreement was necessary, and after calculating all of the losses that might continue and hurt them severely, the heads had been 'persuaded' to sign the agreement, especially because it was only for ten years.

Daneel had always wanted to take control of their assets without seeming like a greedy dictator, and he couldn't have expected that such a brilliant opportunity would come. Now, he had many more ways to launder his own money for the development of Angaria, and although it remained to be seen just how effective everything would be, he had high hopes for the future.

Yet, suddenly…the system sent a message in his mind, and hearing it, a ghastly expression appeared on the King of Lanthanor's face.

[Urgent message incoming through oath-link from individual named 'Cassandra'.

Message: "HELP! THEY'RE-".

Message cut off.

Oath-link severed.

From the tone of the message and the subsequent severance of oath-link, there is a high probability that the individual has been killed.

Last known location: A mountain top located in the south of Angaria.]

Chapter 771: The Mountain to the South of Angaria 1

The message was so shocking and sudden that Daneel had to ask the system to take control of his face right away.

They were being broadcasted live to the entire continent, and there was no way that he could show his panic to all those who were watching.

A leader was supposed to be one who inspired confidence in his followers, not panic, and in this pursuit, the first objective was always to make sure that expressions like the one he had just gotten should not be visible to them, at least until all of the facts had not been verified yet.

Thankfully, he had the Basilisk's Breath technique, which he had activated right away to tell the system.

Because of his ample practice in the technique, he was able to make sure that his lapse in control was so short that almost no one would have been able to spot it.

However…that didn't include a certain few people.

"What's the matter, King? You look like you've seen a ghost…"

It was the Head who sent this message, and for a moment, Daneel was clueless regarding just what he should send as a reply.

He still hadn't even completely processed the information, but he was presented with this situation.

Thankfully, years of tackling high-pressure situations had given him quite a quick wit, so he said, "It's nothing, an accident has occurred in the training of my personal corps…I will contact you if I need your help in anything."

The Head soon sent a reply which allowed Daneel to let out a sigh of relief.

After all, it was to be expected that any Champions or Heroes who might be watching would be able to spot him, and it was best if he cleared it up right now.

"All right, I guess it is something major, but the fact that you're still there means that it must be under control. You are very secretive about your personal corps…I hope everything is all right. Yes, if you require my help, let me know."

The Head seemed like he had been about to say something, but at the moment, due to the pressing matter in Daneel's mind, he didn't recognize anything and was only happy that he had not aroused any suspicion.

The good thing was that their objective had been achieved, and the only thing that remained was a formal signing of the agreement so that it could stay behind in the minds of all those who were watching, in case they got thoughts of marching out to rebel again.

Switching with his clone and making sure that it was another thing that no one normal would be able to detect, Daneel reached a place nearby and went through everything the system had said again.

Cassandra had sent no updates recently, but that had been so since a long time, as she had kept saying that she could feel that she was getting closer, but that she wouldn't know if she was succeeding until she succeeded. Hence, she had said that she would contact him after she was successful without going inside the village that she was looking for, but clearly, something had gone wrong.

Hearing the message again, it was easy to determine that the system was right. The two words were said in a tone of such frantic panic that they would fit if they were coming out of the mouth of someone who knew that they might be approaching their death, and an oath-link was bond so complex that even if one deployed the strongest formations against it, they would only be able to deny the one at the other end who held an oathstone from finding out the oath-giver's location.

The first thing Daneel did was decide to tackle everything with a cold mindset.

He could not let emotion come into this, because if it did…he did not know what would happen, and he didn't even want to find out.

He had never been someone who was bane to their emotions, but when the matter came to those he treasured…it wouldn't even be too much to say that neither heaven nor hell would be able to stand in his way if he decided to go against them.

So, after taking a few deep breaths and adjusting his mind, Daneel listed everything he knew, and everything he should do, in order of priority.

Cassandra was searching for a village that might be responsible for spreading those with Hidden Bloodlines over the continent in places where there would be situations that would Awaken their Bloodlines.

Her memories regarding her childhood had been wiped clean, and all that remained was a very vague remembrance, and a feeling that she could find the place if she looked.

She had set off on this venture and had been at it for months, and Daneel had planned to join her soon as this village was like a force that was standing in the shadows, unseen, while all of them frolicked in the light without a single care in the world.

The Oath-link had been severed, and it seemed as if she had been in a perilous situation.

These were the facts, and after thinking for a bit, Daneel right away embarked on a few inquiries.

"System, is there a way to make it seem as if an Oath-link is severed?"

[Unclear. Very high-level formations might be able to accomplish this, but even in the age of the Empire, only a handful of people were researching this topic, as it was classified as something only to be delved into in one's free time. It had limited use-cases and one estimate said that it would require resources the likes of which would be burnt by a high-level barrier while it defended one against the assault of ten Heroes, which meant that the cost-payoff ratio was too low. Some say that there was a success, and others say there was not. The Emperor, himself, did not know anything further regarding this, but a formation that accomplished this was definitely not famous in the public sphere.]

Huh? Unclear?

This was the first time Daneel had heard such a thing after asking about a topic relating to the Age of the Empire, and he had to admit that it couldn't have come at a worse timing.

After all, he had both the information stored behind the third seal and the memories of the Emperor, himself.

Putting aside these thoughts, though, Daneel focused on what he had.

It was possible, but it couldn't be determined with certainty.

Well…looking on the bright side, it was definitely better than a firm 'no', which would have made the matter much more dire.

Without wasting any time, Daneel moved to the next item on the list.

"In the case of death, can the Phoenix Bloodline cause a rebirth?"

While breaking through to become a Warrior, Cassandra had awakened her Hidden Bloodline, and it was one that had to do with rebirth.

Hence, right away, Daneel had gotten the question regarding whether this was possible.

Sadly…the answer wasn't good.

[Resurrection is a restriction-heavy ability only available to possessors of the Divine Phoenix Bloodline if they have reached the realm of a Champion. In the Warrior realm, they only obtain regenerative powers.]

Daneel had been hoping otherwise, but it was something he should have known, as such overpowering abilities usually had a ceiling that one was supposed to cross beforehand.

Still, he took it in stride, and asked the last question before setting off.

"Check the countermeasures placed in her. Were there any Hero-level individuals nearby when this happened?"

[Checking countermeasures. Negative. Champion-level individuals detected. Hero-level formations detected. No further information was received before complete severance of communication.]

Hmm…the plot thickened.

If anyone thought that Daneel would send one of his precious sovereigns without any means to track her and be at her side when needed, then they would be delusional.

Before her departure, Daneel had deployed each and every countermeasure he could think of, and it had clearly paid off.

Champion level individuals and Hero-level formations…this definitely stank of the Big Four.

If Daneel could decide that it was them, it would have been fine. However, the probability of the Big Four having something that even the Emperor didn't know about…was slim, at best.

Hence…the probability was very high that it was probably the elusive force they were looking for.

As soon as this occurred to Daneel, he opened his eyes which had been closed till now and let out his breath.

"Deploy countermeasures. Target: Myself. First countermeasure: Automatic breach of detected formations to send a message to the Head in case of danger. Second countermeasure: Deployment of Champion Path in a covert manner if it is judged that an attack can be deflected in this manner. Third countermeasure:…"

[Countermeasures recorded and deployed.]

Daneel had always been good at this, so he put everything he could think of in place.

Going to the Head right now was an option, but that could very well expose a lot of things that really should be hidden at the moment.

Thankfully, he knew the level of formations that had been used to stop Cassandra, and he could plan beforehand.

After ensuring that going alone would not cause his death, Daneel set off after making a quick stop to gather some materials.

The mountain top where her transmission had come from was at the south of Angaria, in a very scenic location that was actually famous for being a place where young couples could find love.

Many places in Angaria had unique beliefs like these that stemmed from ancient legends, and this was to be expected from a continent with magic that had such a rich history.

Here, the legend went that a powerful mage had proposed to the woman he had loved all his life, but choosing that moment as one where he would be vulnerable, an enemy who had sworn to kill him swooped in to attack.

The woman was a mortal, and the mage had fallen in love with her when he had happened to be injured in a village, where he had rested while hiding from his enemies.

She had cared for him thinking he was someone normal, and in this place, he had decided to tell her the truth.

Alas, following the norm where such tales never ended well, the enemy attacked, and he hadn't cared much for her as they were both Hero-level Mages for whom mortals were but ants.

Yet, she, who had given the man her heart, too, stood in front of him when seeing the attack, and that split second allowed the man to retaliate and send the enemy fleeing.

However, the woman had sustained too much damage, and she died in his arms.

It was said that his heart broke on seeing the smile on her face which was due to the happiness that she had saved her beloved, and with a heaven-rending scream that reverberated throughout the continent, the Mage joined her in death.

If couples came here, it was said that they could hope to catch an ephemeral wisp of that never-ending love that had even surpassed death.

Such a beautiful story did not fit with what had happened here, and as Daneel approached the mountain-top with caution, he felt a faint prick in his spine which indicated that things…might not be as they seemed.

Indeed, as soon as he landed, a powerful teleportation spell was cast upon him.

"Allow it."

With his command, the system did not put up a resistance, and in the next second, Daneel found himself in a large domed area that looked like it was within the mountain.

Before he could notice any other details, though, his sight was immediately drawn to one corner of the place where he stood, which almost seemed like an arena of sorts.

There stood a man casually looking at his nails, and beneath his left foot…was Cassandra's severed head, with her face set into an expression of extreme unwillingness.

Before Daneel could say anything, the man spoke in a gritty voice.

"Fool. I bet a thousand Ker Gems that as the King, you wouldn't act like an idiot and walk straight into our trap. Well, I lost my gems, and now, you'll lose your head. Come."

Chapter 772: The Mountain to the South of Angaria 2

"Well, now…we shall see once and for all, Cain, whether your eye is really as good as everyone says it is. Last time, you said that he would outshine me, and I didn't say anything because I trusted your seniority. Even after he clearly got revealed to be a damn Cockroach, though, you said that something might be wrong. Will you finally accept that there's nothing special about him after he gets beaten in just two seconds by my junior brother?"

This dialogue was said by the man wearing all-gold robes, who had been incredibly tipsy during the encounter between the Mad Doctor and the King of Lanthanor before.

He was back in the same place, as if nothing had changed, and in front of him was still the wide-shouldered man with scars on his face who was wearing the clothes of a commoner.

They were standing at a bar counter, and behind it, the bartender had actually stopped his pastime of continuously cleaning the already spotless glasses that adorned the many shelves behind him.

Above him, the words 'Order of the Chevaliers' was written in a flourishing script that was said to incite different reactions in different kinds of people, and through a window behind him, one could see black clouds, which meant that it was raining in the part of Angaria above which this archaic bar made of wood was situated.

Pin-drop silence appeared in the room after the statement, and the bartender actually began to secretly hope that for once, Galagor had gone too far.

Everyone knew Cain's story. His eye had spotted so many talents over the years that practically almost every seed had been chosen by him in one way or another, and there was also the tragic story behind why he allowed his nose to stay crooked even though he could set it right in a moment if he wished.

Doubting that…took balls, and although Galagor was famous for having more of those than many, he still gulped as he, too, understood that he might finally be in trouble.

The terse atmosphere in the bar which had seen many fights and bets that had killed Heroes and even resulted in the deaths of thousands of Warriors looked like it would once more commence in a situation that would require someone above to step in, but after a few moments…Cain actually cracked a small smile.

It was so tiny that it was barely visible to normal people, but as Heroes, the two people in the bar spotted it easily and relaxed.

Yes, he must have seen the error in his ways. Even he has to make mistakes, right?

This was the thought that came in Galagor's head, and even the bartender was about to sigh and think something similar.

However…after taking a sip, the words that Cain spoke made both of them freeze and look at him as if they didn't know him, and Galagor even started to choke on the gulp of wine he had just taken.

"Would you like to bet, then? Our friend down there seems to have an interest in Godbeast Weapons, for some reason, as is evident from how he has been taking as many as he could find left and right. I wager that your junior brother will need at least ten seconds to defeat him. If I win, you will give him your Cataclysmic Mountain Giant Dagger that you like to whip out every time you're going after the ladies. If I lose, I will give you a dip in Heavenly Ambrosia. You're looking to get past a bottleneck, right? I daresay it'll let you vault right over…"

Ignoring the reactions of the others in the room, the man calmly continued to sip, and it was actually the bartender who reacted first.

"Cain, that's…I have no words! Ten seconds for an Exalted Champion-level seed to defeat a mere Amateur Champion who hasn't even broken through as a Mage? Even if he did, it's impossible! A seed can kill 3 Mad Doctors if he wished! But that King was thrashed by just one! I-"

"Shushh!! You mean it, right?! 'The words of Cain are gold'! I heard that, so it must be true! All right, I accept the bet! Haha, today is my lucky day!"

Almost as if he was afraid that the bartender's words would change this stroke of luck that had been presented to him, Galagor shushed the man and said this while looking at the legendary Cain as if he was a golden goose who had just lain an invaluable egg without even being asked.

Cain's only response was a nod, following which he said, "Not for the first time, I wish the rules were different."

Rejoicing even more on seeing this confirmation, Galagor gulped down two full glasses and started to get tipsy again.

It was the bartender who sighed and responded to Cain after getting another glass to clean, which he actually broke before picking another.

This showed his agitated state of heart while he spoke in a slightly disapproving tone.

"Yes, I wish the same, too. But they are what they are. They were placed to allow those who wished to keep their power secret to still test themselves and show their worth, and you know how big we are on tradition. No one sees in, no word leaves the arena regarding what has happened except the winner and loser being declared. You indulge him, Cain. Heavenly Ambrosia can even help a Champion skip levels. It's wasted for a breakthrough."

Cain's only response was another sip from his glass, and as one, all three men looked down, in a specific direction as they had been given the signal that the arena battle would begin in a few seconds.

The bartender looked like he knew the result, and didn't like it.

Galagor was already imagining that dip, and how he would go court Kendall again after his breakthrough, as he would finally be able to defeat her.

Cain…just looked on calmly, like someone who had seen so much that nothing could surprise him anymore.

In the place they were looking at, Daneel had just felt a storm go through his mind while throwing everything in disarray.

He almost didn't register the words of the man, as his eyes were fixed on Cassandra's disembodied head.

He had already asked the system and found out that it could sense nothing false in what he was seeing.

That…was his sovereign- one of those whom he had sworn to protect and nurture.

Each sovereign had trusted him with their lives, and in turn, he had trusted himself to make their every wish come true.

Yet, now…one of them lay dead in front of him, and the killer was even demeaning her by stamping down on her hair.

It was all Daneel could do to control himself from flying into a rage, and the words and actions of the man didn't help.

After seeing that his first dialogue had been ignored, he got an annoyed expression on his face and actually…kicked Cassandra's head.

This even shocked the rage in Daneel's head into comparative calmness while he watched, transfixed, as Cassandra's head rolled into a corner and disappeared from sight.

He even felt a slight urge to follow it, but the words of the man finally caught his attention.

"Oi, piss-weak King! Your subordinates only deserve to die because they have such a talentless turd as you whom they adore as their King! Come here, you overconfident baboon! Ha, I finally have your attention!"

Like a matador, the man diverted the raging beast in his presence to focus on himself, and although he could see the mad anger in Daneel's eyes, it was obvious that he didn't care about it at all.

Daneel had caught the part about his subordinates, and while he stared at the man, he walked forward until there were only a few steps of difference between them.

They were in an arena, and it was a large one. It was at least half the size of a football field, and in the corners, there were only shadowy depths visible.

Daneel had been teleported right in the middle of it, and earlier, the man had been at the edge.

He had walked that much distance with just a few steps casually, and as if that hadn't been enough to showcase his power, he stated it out loud.

"Now that I have it, let me tell you something that everyone who is lucky enough to enter this place should know. First, this is a fight to determine your worth. My power level is that of an Exalted Champion of this Age, and I shall be the one fighting you in this sacred tradition that has been honored since long before the Empire that everyone talks about was even born. Second, no matter what happens in here, no one on the outside will ever know. Third, when you die, make sure you don't let your blood spatter on my clothes. I hate that. Are we clear? Shall we begin?"

Daneel felt as if he were standing in the eye of the storm that had begun anew in his mind.

It contained all of the emotions that he had been tightly controlling, and as he heard the man's words, he asked the system whether what he was speaking was true.

The system replied right away that it was, and that great care had been taken that no one would look inside.

Even though Daneel didn't give a response, his opponent shrugged and said, "I'll take that as a yes. The battle begins in three seconds. And, oh, if you need something to push you over the edge, listen up. Remember I told you not to let your blood spatter on me? That b*tch didn't listen, and I made sure to torture her while she watched, stuck in her head that I had detached but kept alive using a very special technique. That kind of pain…can't even be put into words. Suffice it to say that at the end, she broke, and she begged to have it stop. I did so right before you came. Haha, there we go! We begin in 3, 2, …"

The last statement of the man was said because Daneel had let out a snarl of anger as he heard the last moments of his sovereign.

What must she have been thinking?

She must surely have been cursing him, right, for not coming to help her?

She must have begun to repent ever trusting him in the first place, right, when there was no one else who believed in him?

She must have felt betrayed, let down and cheated.

And all of it…was because of this man.

He would die. Oh, he would die.

He would scream and whimper and beg for death, but Daneel would not give it to him.

Just as a malicious smile was about to appear on his face, a small voice spoke up in his mind.

But…what if someone can look in? What if the system just can't tell that there is still a way? Why expose the power that was so difficult to obtain? It might be safer to just try using the power that was already displayed to everyone…

This voice seemed to embody all of the feelings of caution and control that Daneel had followed for a long, long time.

It had aided him well, but now…he cursed it.

This was the thing that he had already thought about recently, and decided on- that he should not scheme, as he had done all this while, and act as the system had always wanted him to if it was needed.

He cursed it with all his heart, and as he did so, something seemed to change inside him.

F*ck you, f*ck him, and f*ck whoever might be watching! What worth is all this power if I cannot use it to avenge those who have trusted me? F*ck this world, and f*ck anyone who tries to stop me! I…am Daneel Anivron! I am a World Dominator, and I swear to dominate and end each and every one who had a hand in my sovereign's death! If I do not succeed, I shall shed my life, for I will have proven that I am not worthy of all the blessings bestowed upon me! Such is my word, and I shall heed it until my last breath!

[Secret Module 'Word of the World Dominator' unlocked. Conditions met. Mission has been set down. Fulfill the mission to earn EXP based on final result.]

Daneel didn't even hear the system's words, as there was just too much going on in his mind.

The man had just finished the countdown, and after that, he made a mountain appear out of nowhere right above Daneel's head.

It was such a fantastic piece of magic that Daneel had never experienced before, and the man even muttered under his breath, "Hehe, I'll be done in one second. Two was clearly a long shot, senior brother. I hope you finally get back at that Cain."

However…that mutter was instantly silenced, as he became witness to a sight that he thought he would never see in his life.

The mountain which was going to crush his opponent under it suddenly dissolved, and in its place appeared a swirling array of elementary particles moving randomly.

Since his childhood, he had always had the habit of stuttering when he was subject to extreme emotions. He had worked hard to get rid of it, but right now, it came to him abruptly.

"T-t-the Ch-ch-chaos Ch-ch-champion Path! H-h-how?! I-It's supposed t-t-to be l-l-lost! A-a-nd why is t-t-the W-w-world…"

The Champion Path which perfectly countered his had just been deployed, but the most shocking thing…was that it looked as if the World was casting it, and not his opponent.

"NO! SOMEONE FROM THE OUTSIDE IS HELPING YOU! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"

Anger took away that stutter, but the man hastily began to move back in fear. All of his bluster from before was gone, and all that remained was a seed who was too used to winning.

It already felt good to see his opponent like this, and with his eyes still completely red with the anger and despair he was feeling, Daneel snarled out an answer.

"Yes, they are- a joint family of one hundred people from Lanthanor who just so happen to be camping outside on the personal invitation of the Alliance. You said you tortured her, right? Let me show you what real torture is…"

Saying so, Daneel continued to raise his hand and draw up his opponent into the air, with his hands and legs stretched out wide.

Even though his Champion Path had been nullified, the man still tried to frantically use his Exalted Champion level strength to affect the fight.

He cast all sorts of spells that would have wiped an Amateur Champion off the face of Angaria even though they didn't incorporate his Path, but no matter what he did, each and every spell was countered by the damn World, again and again. Even getting control of the elementary particles was tough, but after seeing the rest, this didn't even surprise him much.

He knew that something was horribly wrong, but he wasn't ready to accept it.

Yet, when his arm began to be forcefully torn from his body…he finally understood the truth.

All of this occurred in barely the span of a second, and just as the two-second mark began to approach, slight tension began to appear in Galagor's face.

The mark came and went, and although Galagor's face turned sour, he muttered something about the other party losing, too.

Cain continued to watch, and it was clear that he was more intrigued than before.

As for Daneel's poor opponent, two of his limbs had already been severed, and Daneel was actually savoring the cries which he offered as tribute to Cassandra, the fiery but sweet commander of Angaria.

Second after second passed, but he let them stretch instead of hurrying.

He was done with the hands, so he continued with the legs, all while the screams of the man continued to rise in intensity.

For thirty seconds, which was the time limit for him to keep up the technique, he was invincible, but the attacks of his opponent had already begun to get feeble, so much so that the World wasn't even moving much to counter his attacks.

Right after the last limb was torn with just blunt force, the man screamed himself hoarse.

The ten second mark was quickly approaching, and Daneel wondered how he should continue.

He could delve into the files of the torture master of the Empire, but before that, he decided to finish the job.

There was still one limb left, after all, that he had almost forgotten.

All thoughts of decency and mercy had already fled from Daneel's head after he saw the way this man had dared to kick Cassandra's head.

Mess with my people, and all bets are off.

Musing in this way, he began to use the same method on that last limb, and because he had already screamed himself hoarse, the man's eyes widened and his face showed more fear and pain than anything so far.

All right, this…was too much. He had been ordered not to do this, but when it came to this point…there were no orders that could stop him from not wanting to feel this singular pain.

Opening his mouth, he screamed something in a squeky voice, almost like a little kid who had been bullied too much and had thus begun to cry.

"Hey, bro, it was a damn test, all right?! Stop it, man! We're on the same side! Oh f*ck, stop, stop, stop, stop!!!!!! She's fine! She just lost, that's all! I surrender! Aaaaahhhhh!!!!"

While Daneel hastily scrambled to stop the spell while trying to control the pleasant surprise he had felt on hearing what he had hoped for, but forgotten about, since coming here, in the bar above, Cain and Galagor had turned around and taken two gulps from their glasses.

A gong had sounded in their minds, indicating that the battle was over, and it had been exactly ten seconds.

"Dammit, Cain. You're always right. I don't see why my junior brother needed ten damn seconds to take care of an Amateur Champion! I'll discipline him when I go back! But that Heavenly Ambrosia, though…"

"Er…gentlemen."

Galagor's words were interrupted by the bartender, who had a bewildered expression on his face, as if he didn't know how to express something he wanted to say.

Seeing the two men stare at him, the bartender shook his head before focusing on Cain.

"You…should check the result, too."

As he said this, both men got puzzled expressions on their faces, but right after that…their jaws almost dropped to the floor, as shock flashed across their features.

"The victor is the King of Lanthanor, not your junior brother, Galagor. And Cain…till the end of my days, I will proudly say that I was present when the legendary Reaper dropped his jaw for the first time in known history. Haha, if he was capable of this, I am excited to see what else he will do! Like his people say, all hail the King of Lanthanor, breaker of norms and dropper of jaws! Ha, I should get that engraved to hang above the bar for a few days!"

Chapter 773: The Order 1

In a room with four walls, four windows and no doors, Cassandra was pacing around with a vexed expression on her face.

She had already gotten sick of the sceneries that were being shown in each window, and even though there were some changes in them which were promising, she had already gotten tired of trying to interpret them when all of her cries were going unanswered.

Indeed, even though she knew that the windows were just high-tech display trinkets which were capable of showing three-dimensional images instead of two-dimensional ones, she had still tried screaming in the hope that those outside would hear her.

She had never been one to take up foolish pursuits, but she was just that desperate.

Her anger kept boiling over, making her upend the same table that was present in the room multiple times, even though it had ceased to give her any satisfaction after she had done it for 10 times.

At the moment, she really, really missed Aran.

Throughout her journey in the army, and even after she had become a Commander, he had always been with her, teasing and joking around without a care in the world. He brought her anger, laughter, embarrassment and even confusion, some times, when she had seen the way he always liked to defuse conflicts, instead of inciting them, as she was wont to do.

In this way, they had always been a perfect team. With her temper, Cassandra would often get into fights, and with his glib tongue, Aran would intervene and save her from having to use her official post to get out of situations.

She loved gambling, but she had awful luck, and Aran so loved to tease her about it. Once, to prove his point, he had even bet against her even though it had been on such an obvious thing that she had been sure that there was no way she could lose.

It was in the matter of a fight which they had just been watching, and right after her bet, the winner who was supposed to be an entire level above his opponent actually tripped on an unassuming stone and gave away the victory, following which everyone who had been hoping to make a small amount by making the small bet stared at Jessica until she had had to leave with blushing cheeks.

He had never let her hear the end of it, but with the money he won, he did let her drink herself silly.

Humph. Why am I even thinking about him so much?

With this thought, Cassandra suppressed the pang of longing that she almost felt for her friend who she knew, in the back of her mind, was so much more, and refocused on the group of people whom she had screamed at.

They were camping quite far away, at the base of the mountain, and it looked as if they were having the time of their lives as this place truly was blessed with uncommon beauty.

She remembered thinking the same after her abstruse feeling that she was getting closer to where she had really been born led her to the top of this mountain.

Suddenly, that feeling, which was almost like the one that one would feel when they had forgotten something, but were so close to remembering it that it felt as if it were on the tip of their tongue had grown to the next level.

She had always known that when she succeeded, it would be sudden, and hence, she had already decided to just press a button on a simple trinket she had created that would send the King the message that she had found it, along with her location.

Alas, eight cloaked men had appeared around her in the blink of an eye before she could do anything, and their auras had been so strong that she knew that she might be done for.

With the intention of helping out the King who would definitely come looking for her, she had decided to send the first message which came to her mind: she wanted to use the word 'help' to indicate that the force she had found looking like they were hostile, and after that, she had been about to say that they were all Champions, as she had been able to detect it.

Before the message went through, though, she found herself in an arena where a man had nonchalantly explained some rules and said that she would have to fight if she wanted to leave.

His statement that no one could look at their match had allowed her to throw all caution to the wind, and she had always been impulsive to begin with. In the case of an abduction, like she had said when she had awakened after she had thought that she was kidnapped by someone while it was the King who had done so to help her break through, her policy was to always aim for the royal jewels.

Staying true to this age-old adage(that she had made famous in the army), she had deployed her Phoenix Flames which had made quite a lot of surprise appear on her opponent's face.

The flames were shot towards the area her opponent would scramble to protect, and seeing how the strength of her flames had made her opponent flinch, she had understood that he might be cautious of them.

So, after distracting him, all she had to do was follow up with a devastating attack.

The plan seemed simple but perfect for the situation. Yet, before she could do anything, she saw one of the strangest feats of magic in her life.

A gigantic boulder appeared out of thin air, almost as if it had been teleported here, and her flames could actually do nothing against it. It seemed to have a lot of special properties as she could feel a faint sense of danger from it, but before she could even think of making another attack, a similar boulder appeared above her and began dropping onto her head.

She tried to move, but the gravity in the place she stood had suddenly increased by such a large factor that it was all she could do to even stand on her feet. She tried to teleport, but the space had also gotten locked.

So, helpless, she could only watch as the boulder inexorably reached the top of her body, following which it would definitely crush her into a thick, red paste.

At that moment, the only regret she felt was that she was dying without finding out the answers she had been seeking, but right as she felt a heavy feeling on her head…a voice resounded in her ears.

"You have lost. You will be released after a time."

After that, she had found herself here, and since then, all she had been able to do was stare at the four windows which she already wished she could break apart and crush under her feet.

It was in this manner that Daneel found her.

Right after his opponent's admission, all he had wanted was to verify his statement. So, he had said, "I need proof, otherwise…"

Another faint tug on that body part made the man scream again, following which he said, "You can leave me bound and go in that direction! Enter the corridor, and open the second door on the right!"

After shooting a suspicious glance in his direction, Daneel proceeded to do so after ensuring that he was still in complete control.

Right after the man had shouted those words, some kind of formation seemed to have lifted. Doors came into view all around him, but in the direction the man had indicated using a jerk of his head, there was only one.

It was made of wrought-iron, and it was knurled all over, giving it an ancient look. It made no sound as Daneel swung it open, and after glancing back one last time, he entered the depths of the corridor presented to him.

On opening the second door, he found a small room, of sorts, in the back of which was a transparent barrier. Behind that barrier stood a woman wearing leather clothes while glaring fiercely, and her vivid red hair almost looked as if it was on fire.

On his right was a button, and knowing what it was for, Daneel pressed it and was amused as he saw the absolute shock on Cassandra's face when she saw the wall she had been glaring at dissolve to reveal the King.

Seeing his expression, though…her mind worked in ways he couldn't have imagined.

At first, she did feel happy that the King was standing in front of her without coming to harm, but after that, a sudden suspicion caused her to tighten her lips and say, "My King, was this another one of your fake abductions to…"

Knowing where she was going with her dialogue, Daneel couldn't help but burst out laughing.

His laughter which was filled with so much relief and joy startled Cassandra, and as a smile inadvertently came on her lips, she saw the King run forward and hug her tight.

This was…definitely out of the norm.

"Err, My King, Eloise might not be as powerful as me, but she can be quite creative if she is displeased…"

Daneel only laughed again as he understood what she implied, but he didn't answer, as the happiness of finding someone whom he had thought he had lost forever was really something else.

He felt giddy with relief, and as he finally let her go, he looked into her red eyes and said, "I thought you were dead, and I was ready to burn heaven and hell to avenge you. Now…all is well."

No sooner had he said this, he felt another teleportation attempt on both of them.

Daneel was almost tempted to stop it, as he had had quite enough of things happening without him controlling them.

However, he only let go of the constraints on his opponent as his time limit was already fast approaching, but after that, a strange message appeared in his mind, and he also started to feel suddenly dizzy.

[Host's consciousness is being tampered with. Analyzing attack. Attack is targeting host's recent memories. How would host like to proceed?]

Huh? Someone wanted to erase his memories?

After thinking for a bit, Daneel suddenly understood something.

The man had said that no one would ever find out about the fight he had been through. Was this…how that was supposed to be accomplished?

Without further ado, Daneel gave an answer.

"Allow it to do as it wishes, but stop it if there is an attempt to harm me. Store the memories being erased, and restore them after one minute."

[Affirmative. Letting down defenses. Tracking attack. All memories relating to the fight have been erased without being scanned. Attack has dissipated. Standing by to restore memories.]

Right after Daneel heard this, he went through a very strange experience.

He appeared in a peculiar hall which had no ceiling: there was the sky above it, but the weird thing was…that it was the night sky, while it had been day when Daneel had arrived at the mountain top.

At the same moment, a strong headache assaulted him, following which he could recall nothing except landing on the mountaintop, and then coming here.

Cassandra also had the same confused expression on her face, and both of them reacted at the same time.

"My King! You're here! I thought my message wouldn't go through! There were these men-…"

"Cassandra! You're alive!"

As both of them looked at each other with bewildered expressions on their faces after they comprehended what they had just heard, a deep voice interrupted them, making them turn to a man with a scarred face who had appeared in front of them.

"Welcome to the Hall of Beginning. I am Cain, and in the circle of Heroes, I go by my moniker: 'The Reaper'. I have been chosen to introduce you to this organization that has existed since the beginning of the continent. Many distinguished personalities have graced us with their support, including the Emperor whom you seem to hold in high esteem. We had high hopes for him, but alas…he went where he should not have. Anyway, let me give you a short explanation. The Order simply exists to protect Angaria, and in it, if one proves their worth, they can obtain rewards unimaginable to even the Big Four. Breaking through to the Peak of the Champion level in one day? Definitely possible. Obtaining all of the Godbeast weapons you can dream of? If you are worthy, we will even raid the treasuries of the Big Four for you. And getting information on your Master who has promised to contact you, but has not done so yet? Yes, this can be done, too. Ah, as I expected, I see that this piques your interest. Well, in the Order, caterpillars have evolved into Dragons, and the meekest Warriors have broken through their molds to become Heroes to reckon with. We empowered the past, we guide the present, and we shall foster the future. Come, King, and show us whether you are the second coming of Fenoras, the luckless, or Fenoras, the Monarch."

Chapter 774: The Order 2

The words spoken by the man seemed to echo in the room long after he closed his mouth. He stood there, his hands behind his back, scarred face set stoically in the light that came from everywhere, framed in the backdrop of an incredible sight that Daneel had noticed in the corner of his eye when the man had been speaking.

There was a gigantic chair there, and it was the largest that Daneel had ever seen both in this world and his former. It was simple, with a flat angled back and two armrests that had no embellishments whatsoever, and it stood at least a hundred feet(30.48 meters) tall.

Its size gave it a certain grandeur this could only be hoped to be attained by normal seats of honor, and it was clear that this chair commanded the highest of honour in this place because it was present at the end of this magnificent hall which had perfectly round stone pillars all around, which strangely ended at the open-ended ceiling, almost as if there had been a roof there that had later been removed to allow for the tapestry of the stars to shine down on all those standing inside.

'The Hall of Beginning', the man had called it, and although Daneel did not know just what had begun here, he could feel a special something in the air, almost as if where he stood was sacred.

Putting that aside, though, Daneel came to the rest of what the man had said, and he decided to ask the system just how he had arrived here even after all of his countermeasures, and why it felt as if there was something wrong with his mind.

Right after that, though, he heard a message, and he was instantly aware of just what had happened.

Thankfully, long ago, Daneel had told the system to take control of his face whenever it was revealing information when he was in the presence of others. It did so now, and hence, even though Daneel might have been fast enough to control the expression of surprise that came on his face when he went through the fight that he had just been through, it was great that the man had no chance whatsoever to observe anything that might give him any insights into what might be going on in his mind.

Now emboldened with the truth of what had happened, there was nothing else to be puzzled about except what the man had just mentioned.

He… Had actually said that he might have information about his master – the man that Daneel had trusted, but who had rebelled against his king publicly and later been charged as a traitor who had to be killed.

Of course, later on, everything had been cleared up, and his master had said that he would send any updates that he could regarding just what he would find out in the Church. Without him, Daneel wouldn't even have found out about this impending threat, which had motivated him a lot throughout every step of his journey so far. His Master was doing his duty for the continent he loved even though he had put on the outer façade that he hated everyone on it because of the injustices that had been done to him, and Daneel had been really glad that there was someone like this on the other side he could trust.

Even though there had been no updates for so long, Daneel had guessed that it might have been difficult to get information out, and that as the war approached, his Master would definitely find ways to contact him.

On that note, Daneel had also not forgotten about his Master's words where he had said that he could go to a special place in the continent if he believed that he was strong enough. Daneel was pretty confident in his power at the moment, but he had still decided to consolidate it a little bit more and also ensure that there was no one watching him before heading off to that place.

Now, though, it looked like there was an alternate way to achieve the same thing.

How could it be possible, though? Could these people actually have contacts in the Mainland that Daneel had only heard about very vaguely until now?

That seemed like a far-fetched notion, and this could also be said regarding the rest of the statements said by the man.

Breaking through to become a Peak Champion in one day? Surely, he must have been exaggerating, right? He had asked the system long ago whether something like that was possible, and it had been very clear that although the Ambrosia that had allowed him to break through to become a Peak Warrior instantly did exist, there was no such thing for the Champion realm, as it was so much more complex and needed so many more resources that couldn't even be compared to the realm before it.

As for invading the treasuries of the Big Four to obtain Godbeast Weapons, it did sound good, but all of these things circled back to five words that seemed to hold the crux of the matter: "if one proves their worth."

He had already defeated an Exalted Champion who had even had a Champion Path that could stand on par with those that were said to be top tier in the Big Four, so what more could he even do to prove his worth?

And besides, what the hell was this Order? According to the man, it had been present for a long time, but if so, what could it have been doing during the Apocalypse? And if the Emperor was a part of it, why was there nothing regarding this organization in his memories? If he erased everything about it, then why had he been compelled to do so?

There were so many questions, and Daneel began to hope that this was a situation where they would be answered right away, instead of like before when he had needed to take so long to unravel and reveal the answer to each question slowly, step-by-step, until at a point, there had been so many that he had felt as if his mind was being drowned by all of their collective mysteriousness.

Beside him, Cassandra was still completely bewildered, and even her vision was drawn to that chair.

Unlike him, she must still be under the impression that her mind had been meddled with, which was a very uncomfortable feeling that would make one's skin crawl.

Of course, Daneel was maintaining the same expression through the system, and seeing them like that, the man in front of them decided to speak up again.

"Regarding your minds and why it must feel as though they have been tampered with: let me apologize for the rules that have always existed within the Order. Not everyone can get to this stage, and to make sure that those who can even find out about the Order are those who have a chance of fulfilling the expectations that will be placed on them, a preliminary test is carried out whenever one finds the place where the Order is located in that Age. In the past one hundred years, 58,874 people have reached the mountain-top, like you, while searching for something. Of them, 25, 467 were normal people who simply got a feeling and wanted to fulfill it, and of them, 43 got to this stage because of their buried potential which could only have been unearthed by us. Of the rest, only 21 got to this stage, so it must be commended that you succeeded. Oh, you failed, Miss Cassandra, but you are already a part of the Order. Let me remind you."

The last sentence startled Daneel, and before he could do anything, the man pointed his finger at Cassandra.

For a moment, nothing happened, but after that…Cassandra let out an ear-wrenching scream and collapsed onto the floor.

What the f*ck?!

With a worried expression on his face, Daneel was about to bend to check on her, but he found himself obstructed by a barrier.

Seeing her writhing underneath the barrier, Daneel asked the system to scan her in desperation.

Before it could give an answer, though, Cain spoke again.

"You must not disturb her, for a time. It is not an easy thing to hide memories so masterfully that they cannot be detected even by the best methods that can be employed by the Church, or other enemies. On the down side, if they are revealed…the process is painful, but after that, she will be alright. Your paths must diverge at this point, anyway, so leave her be, and come with me. I promise you that you will reunite with her soon."

Cain's words seemed to have an aspect of solidity in them which would make anyone feel like believing whatever he said, but there was no way that Daneel would trust someone he had just met.

Thankfully, the system gave a reply at that point.

[Hidden memories have been unlocked in the target's mind. Because of the degree of the spell that was used to hide them, there appears to be a side-effect when they are revealed, much like rubber lashing out after it has been constricted for a long time. Complexity of spell exceeds any system has detected so far. Analysis in progress. No similar spell found in all records of the system.]

Well…at least one thing had been verified by this.

Whatever this place was, its means seemed to exceed even those of the Empire, and that…was pretty damn shocking.

For a second, Daneel's mind felt as if it was buzzing, as this was all just a little too much to take in.

The Empire had always seemed like a force that was stronger than anything else to have ever graced this continent, and Daneel had always aspired to build something like it.

Now…it was being revealed that there was something even stronger?

Seriously, what the f*ck?

How could something have been concealed so perfectly that it hadn't shown up anywhere?

And if it was the place that Cassandra had been looking for, then why was it placing those with Hidden Bloodlines in places and situations where they might go through an Awakening?

"All will be explained in due time, King. The Overseer awaits. We keep no secrets from those who join us, so everything will be revealed to you after you make your choice. We must not keep him waiting. Come."

Cain's deep voice broke into Daneel's thoughts, making him glance up and see that the Cain was waiting for him.

What choice was he talking about?

And…Overseer? Who was that?

Damn all these questions!

Unable to take it anymore, Daneel just marched forward, intending to demand that everything should be made clear right away.

However…no sooner had he taken two steps in Cain's direction, he was teleported away.

For the first time in a long, long time, the system had no power to stop it.

He saw Cain also disappear along with him, and after a moment, they reappeared in a dark room.

All around him, there was only a jet-black nothingness which seemed to stretch indefinitely.

The place where they stood was illuminated, and as Daneel looked up…he saw the source of the light, and it made him gulp with shock.

It was a round object that looked like the sun, but it wasn't shining so brightly that it would blind those who lay their eyes on it.

If it was just this, it wouldn't have been very remarkable.

The reason that Daneel's eyes were transfixed on it was that there were a thousand faces visible all over its surface, blinking in an out of existence.

Each face's eyes were closed, and they changed every second.

As if this weren't eerie enough, Daneel suddenly spotted something that made his heart begin beating out of his chest.

One of the thousand faces…was actually that of Cassandra, and before he could think even form any coherent thoughts, a voice was heard that felt as if it was coming from everywhere.

"Welcome, Daneel Anivron, King of Lanthanor and Leader of the Alliance. I am the Overseer, and I exist to maintain the Order, and ensure that it fulfills its objectives. You are here, now, because you have passed the test to enter. As is my duty, I shall give you the choice. Listen carefully, because this might be the most important choice that you make in your lifetime."

Chapter 775: The Order 3

Even though Cassandra's face disappeared in a second just like the others, to Daneel, it felt as if it was transfixed there.

Just like the rest, it had looked more like it belonged to someone dead instead of someone whom he had just seen a few seconds go.

To comprehend the words he had just heard, Daneel actually needed a moment, but after that, the question he was supposed to ask first was clear.

"What choice?"

The voice had seemed very strange: it was almost lifeless, as if it had been reading off of a script, instead of being said by someone who might be looking at him through this strange object.

What the hell was it, anyway? And why the hell had Cassandra's face come on it?

The system was no help, as it had just told Daneel that his senses were completely constricted to his body. Clearly, there were some very, very strong formations at work here, and even the records from the Empire were helpless in deciphering just what it could be.

Seeing the trusty records which he had depended on in many situations so far was frustrating, and it had already happened twice.

Before he could think further about that, though, the voice spoke again.

"The choice that all must make if they pass the test. The choice whether to enter the Order, or leave this place with the false memory that you found nothing. The choice to either become a part of something that is greater than you, or to forego such an opportunity and continue to live in obscurity while the grand scheme of things will forever be veiled from your eyes."

These were ominous words, for sure, and anyone would have been pressured by them.

Yet…Daneel was in a unique situation where he could disregard them.

No matter what choice he made, if another attempt was made to meddle with his mind again, the system would once again simply counter it and make sure that the information he would obtain would stay with him, instead of being hidden as it had been so long.

This was something that only he could do, but he didn't let complacence show on his face, as it would be a dead give-away.

Instead, Daneel made sure that he raised his brows and stepped back, and although this was fake, what happened after that was real.

Cassandra's face appeared again on the mosaic of faces, and this time, he couldn't control his curiosity.

"Why is my commander's face on you…"

He had no idea how to finish that sentence. Was it a face? A body? Or just a trinket, like a speaker, through which someone was communicating?

Thankfully, an answer soon came, giving him respite from the effort of finishing his sentence.

"All those who make the choice to enter the Order will appear on my being. They take up the mantle passed down since the birth of this continent, and the Order is within them, from the moment that they make their choice to that of their death, and in some cases, to even beyond. As the Overseer, I represent the collective Will of the Eternal Battle against those who target us with greed in their eyes. Your commander was born in the Order, and hence, she is naturally a path of it."

So…this eerie sun filled with faces was the body of the thing that was talking?

This brought up more questions than it answered, but Daneel focused on the rest of what it had said.

First, it had just been confirmed that the village that Cassandra was searching for was in this place. This had had a major chance of being the case, but seeing it proven beyond doubt was always preferable.

Second, instead of vague timelines, he now knew when this Order had been established- it was at the birth of the continent.

But, if so…who had established it?

Daneel wanted to find out everything, but it looked like the voice had different plans for him.

"I see the passion in your eyes to uncover everything about the Order. It is not new, and it is something that all those who come here aspire to do. The Path to Power is also the Path to find answers to any questions that anyone might have, and by this point, anyone would be filled with queries that might feel as if they were going to make their head burst. To find out more about the Order, though…you need to first make your choice, and then show that you are worthy of getting the answers that you seek. We shall begin in a moment, after I review your test."

Daneel had been keeping a close eye on his surroundings, and as the voice said this, he saw Cain get a rueful smile on his face.

Hmm? Why did he look like he was someone who had lost a bet?

If he knew that Cain had been given the rudest shock in his life in the past few centuries, he would definitely have been sympathetic to this man who had guided hundreds before him.

Both Cain and Galagor had needed quite a few moments to come to terms with the fact that an Amateur Champion had somehow won against an Exalted one, and that, too, one who was said to stand within the top twenty seeds among the entire continent- counting those both in the Big Four and the Order.

Even after that, they had gazed at each other disbelievingly before finally shaking their heads, as they might never know just how it had happened.

However, that had been followed by different expressions coming on each of their faces.

In the case of Cain, he had looked down one last time with deep interest, indicating that he was quite looking forward to just what other surprises they would be getting from the King.

As for Galagor…the fire of competition had been evident in his eyes, and he was notorious for wanting to compete with people and beat them even if it wasn't fair.

As the voice spoke again, Cain noticed that the King was watching him, so he allowed the corners of his mouth to pull up for a moment in an attempt to let him know that everything was all right, before both of them focused on what the Overseer was saying.

"Test result: 99th percentile.

Purge shall begin after the choice.

The choice before you is the same that has been presented to all those who have come to this stage. All you need to decide…is whether you will enter the Order, or not.

It might sound simple, but please take note of the fact that there are very strict rules.

First and foremost, the Order exists for the well-being of the continent. As such, any individual who holds malicious thoughts against it, or who develops them over the course of time will be directly killed due to the Oath that you will have to swear after your choice.

Yes, there is an oath, and I am actually stating everything that you will swear to, so listen carefully.

Secondly, one of the Order's greatest strengths is both the secrecy of its existence, and that of its members.

Let me go into a little bit of detail regarding this.

If you choose not to join, all memories of the Order will be erased from your mind.

If you choose to join, you will give the Order the right to erase your memories, if need be. Please note that this only applies to certain situations which are clearly stipulated in the official rulebook, which you will have access to before you make your choice.

Also note that this is nothing to panic about, as each and every instance of this happening can be reviewed with me. Let me give you an example. You just passed your test in the 99th percentile, which has not been seen in the last 7654 years. This means that you are a once-in-a-millienium talent. If your victory had been in lesser time, your percentile might even have been higher. In such a case, it is natural that news of your incredible power level will attract everyone from far and wide to find out just how you managed it. You will be hounded by Heroes day and night, who will want to find your secrets so that they can pass them down to their offspring and followers. Yes, no one viewed your battle, but just the result will be enough to bring all of this down upon you. Don't you agree?"

Daneel couldn't help but shudder as he heard the words of the Overseer.

Right! That was definitely what would happen if it got out that he beat a top-tier seed who was an Exalted Champion while he was only an Amateur one!

This was an unprecedented feat, and what was even a bit amusing…was that the real time he had needed was just one second.

The rest had been spent by him torturing his opponent, and if he had wished, he was sure that he might even have been able to end his opponent in a single second.

But wait, why was he even thinking about that? It was already bad enough as it was!

This wasn't even something he was facing for the first time in his life. Back in the Olympics, he had displayed power beyond his level, and he had needed Marcus's protection to not have all the Warriors of Angaria come down on him. After that protection had ended, a very dangerous group had arrived, and this was all even in a case where his power hadn't even been that appealing to the Big Four.

But now…even thinking about it made his hair rise on end.

It had been an impulsive decision to go all out, and although he stood by it because of the changes that had occurred inside him and also because it had felt just…right, he realized that he might have landed himself in hot soup.

The Big Four would definitely send their best to apprehend him and study him like a lab rat, and against their combined force…he didn't stand a chance.

It seemed that his expression of panic was enough for the Overseer, because the voice spoke again.

"I see that you do. Fret not, because after you have made your choice, a purge shall begin. All those in the Order who know of your result have sworn the Oath, and the only reason that they were even exposed to this process was to ensure that it would be safe, and that they would be able to stand as witnesses in case something happened. This is explained more in detail in the rulebook. After each test, the information about the power levels of the contender and the result is purged from all the minds of those who know about it. All physical records are also destroyed, and it is so perfect that not a soul on this continent, except you, will know about it. This applies even to me. It is one of our strictest rules, and it is also the main reason why even those who would normally be reclusive choose us, because they know that they can keep their power a secret perfectly if they wish, while only exposing it at select times to select people to get what they wanted. All that anyone will know is that you fought someone picked at random from a pool of contenders, and that your performance was good enough to pass. Yes, if you had lost, too, you might have passed if you had fought well. Otherwise, it makes no sense to make you fight against someone so much more powerful than you. The norms that we use to score test-takers are secret, but they are precise.

Understand that to ensure this, it is necessary to have the second condition of the oath."

"…"

Daneel couldn't believe his ears when he heard this.

It was…so f*cking perfect!

What more could he want?!

Although it remained to be seen whether the words of this strange and eerie thing could be trusted, it was a fact that it did make sense that this policy of secrecy must have been very appealing to those who might have wanted to train in seclusion.

Had he finally gotten a stroke of luck after being unlucky for so long?

Thinking in this way and controlling his enthusiasm, Daneel continued to listen to the voice.

"The third and final stipulation is that if it is absolutely necessary, you must swear to give back all that was given to you by the Order. This is for times of war, when vital weapons might be needed to empower those going against the enemies of the continent. That is all."

The final one…was strange.

Why was there no oath to forcefully conscript all those who were in the Order to fight, if there was a war?

Was it too much of a dealbreaker to ask people to fight for their continent, even after they had sworn that they would have no ill thoughts against it?

Hmm…perhaps it was.

Right as Daneel was about to deeply analyze the oath, a large tome appeared in front of him.

"That is the rulebook. You can check it, and then make your choice. Take all the time you need."

Curious, Daneel walked up to it and started to act as if he was going through it carefully.

However, on the inside, he had asked the system to scan it and check whether there was anything that stood out.

He had simply been looking for hidden rules, like the TnC on Earth which made people practically sign over their souls using the 'art of the fine-print', but what he found…made him almost gawk like a peasant who had just been told that the world was much larger than he had thought it was, following which he had to try hard to hide his emotions.

In fact, it was so disturbing that Daneel even froze while staring at a page, making Cain even curiously glance over to check just what was so interesting on that page.

If he could have somehow heard the system's message, too…he would have understood why the King's blood was suddenly rushing to his face which had started to flush with anger.

[Rulebook scanned. Multiple points of interest found. Sorting according to internal priority list.

List sorted. Outputting first item on the list.

Rulebook is in the form of rules and information, followed by commentary by many people throughout the millennia.

There is one piece of information that has attracted the most commentary in recent times, and it is the one that has been chosen to top the list.

It is titled: "The Topic of Amorality of the Order."

Most prominent commentary:

"All of us know of the amorality of the Order and its Overseer, which makes it choose the greater good when taking into view the welfare of the continent. There are both major and minor instances of this. Minor instances are where it is considered perfectly logical by the Overseer to make children go through things like the murder of their parents or even rape if it means that they will Awaken their hidden power, which might end up saving many in the event of a war. In front of the possible outcome, the other act, no matter how wrong it feels to many like me, is perfectly fine! As for major instances, there is one which will come to mind to all those who read this- the Apocalypse. After Emperor Fenoras used the Grand Inheritance to drive back the enemies, the Overseer judged that the best course of action was to excommunicate all those at or above the rank of Champion. It could have led the Warriors to sneakily kill these individuals by exposing their weaknesses, but it chose not to as it was too risky to allow the Warriors, who would grow into the next hope of the continent, to undertake such a task. It forcibly imprisoned all those who had talent, and it even closed its doors to outsiders who could have used its perfectly protected areas to save themselves. It deemed it too risky, and hence…many millions more died than was necessary. Even at the time of rebuilding, it remained hidden, as it had judged that there was still a chance of the enemy returning, in which case it was better if it was concealed. It was only after it was perfectly established that there was no chance of this happening did it finally stop its imprisonment, and even after that, it took no proactive role and only settled back into the organization which would be there to protect Angaria, instead of standing up as something which could have led Angaria into a new age. Some day…I fear that all of us might also be killed, if it means that that will serve the greater good. Many call me a fearmonger and curse at me saying that all I speak is nonsense, but before making your choice, think of this, and beware.]

Chapter 776: The Order End

So… That was what the Order had been doing when millions were being massacred throughout the continent, hopelessly fleeing from the monstrosities that Daneel, himself, had seen when he had taken part in the Legacy battle.

He, too, had felt a slight twinge of fear on seeing the ferocious eyes of those who just wanted to kill, kill and kill, without caring for the fact that those that they might have their hands around were possibly the people that they had loved the most throughout their lives.

Daneel was no stranger to records from the Apocalypse, and hence, he had read many sad tales about how loved ones were the first to die right after it all started. Of course, in such a time of danger, it was obvious that they would be the ones who were present beside those that went mad, and hence, they were the first sacrifice to the Grand Inheritance which had repelled back the enemy, but brought destruction upon the world that it was supposed to protect.

He had never blamed the Emperor, even though the man had been racked by guilt. He had done a mistake, and instead of fleeing like many would have done, he stayed back and did all that he could to ensure that the continent would not be lost. He had succeeded, but in the case of the Order… So much could have been done, and so much could have been prevented.

He didn't agree completely with the person who had written the commentary, because Daneel, after all, had the habit of only listening and then taking whatever he believed instead of just following whatever anyone was saying. On some accounts, it was the right decision by the Order to conserve its power, because if the enemy was really going to return, then it could have acted to direct even the monstrosities to result in a decisive victory, instead of just exposing itself and allowing it to be backstabbed in case someone was watching.

Yet… In that case, Daneel would have advocated for moderation, where a portion of the force could have been hidden for that purpose while the other went out to help those and do the things that the man had proposed.

It wasn't just these. Many more things could have been none, but it was clear that the Overseer was intent on always following the path with the least risk, and in many ways, it reminded Daneel of some forms of Artificial Intelligence from back on Earth.

Only the end result was important, and hence, all other aspects could be ignored, like a mindless robot which might judge that the best thing for the Earth might be for humanity to become extinct, as was the case in a very famous movie franchise which ended up going down the drain.

It was only because Daneel was so agitated that his mind was going everywhere in this manner, but he reigned it back in and first focused on the rest of the items on the list, because he wanted to find out more about this Order.

However, before he did that, he got a slight suspicion and asked the system, "Where is this rule and commentary in the book?"

This seemed like a very important aspect, and anyone would have expected for it to be at the forefront, or at least in the first few pages. However, while he was pretending, he had already rifled through them, and with his Champion level mind, it had been easy to scan the pages quickly.

It hadn't been present, and instead of that, all he had read about was all glorious stuff about how it was the honor of one's life to be accepted into the Order, and how so many amazing people had been a part of it. It almost seemed like a brainwashing section, and if anyone read it first, they would definitely start to be tempted to make the choice right away, and not waste this opportunity that had been presented to them.

Of course, the cautious would read forward, but it was still a fact that that section would still have that kind of an effect.

Just like he expected… The answer that came from the system was pretty startling.

[This topic has been sandwiched between the creases of the page in tiny and almost illegible letters where it is easy to be dismissed as something else, as there is even a bigger title above it which in the wrong place, but makes one gloss over it as it is unimportant. Also, parts of the commentary have been dispersed, and the system had to run a few scans to compile them all together and put them in the front of the list.]

Daneel almost felt like clapping his hands as he heard this, but not with amusement.

It was obvious by now that the Overseer probably judged that anyone who read that part might be turned away from wanting to join the Order, which would definitely not align with its objective of getting more people and having them protect the continent and its interests.

It was almost like a political party which had its own agenda, and did not want members to read the negative aspects of it, instead focusing on only the positive and hoping that those would be enough to trap hapless people.

That wasn't to say that this was Daneel's final judgment about the Order, so he continued to ask the system to tell him the other items on the list that it had made.

[2nd item on the list: There are multiple references to rewards in the Order which can only be obtained if members swear further oaths. These oaths all seem to be normal, but they allow the Order to forcefully recruit and deploy these individuals in times of war as it sees fit. If one does not agree to swear these oaths, they will not be able to obtain a few items on a specific list, and there is a lot of commentary from many people who say that that list is placed on top of others to entice people, and that it contains all of the best rewards possible.

There is also positive commentary on this aspect, however, because in the many years that have passed since the apocalypse, no such event has occurred, meaning that those who held their suspicion against the Order ended up regretting it when they saw their peers swear the oath and use the resources to go much farther than they could ever have done. Seeing this has led more and more people to start swearing the oath over the years, believing that its conditions will not be invoked in their lifetime.

This has, of course, changed in the present age, where the war is imminent, but even then, over time, the negative halo around the Order which was created at the time of the Apocalypse after seeing its actions that could have prevented the deaths of millions has been whittled away methodically, until it is almost absent among the general population of the current Order, many of whom seem to have already sworn these further oaths as they believe that it is their duty to fight(some other brainwashing might also be at play).

This has been gathered from the commentary that has been analyzed over all of these years, which has shown this trend, and although it is not clear just how it has been achieved, it is obvious that it was an intended result, mainly because there is a historical logbook of changes to the rule book which shows that this act of hiding such information in such a manner as has been done with the first item on the list has been done over a long time, with multiple changes that all seem to not result in the present state individually, but somehow made it happen through a confluence of side effects.]

After this extremely long explanation of the system, it was almost like it had been talking to him, and hence, Daneel couldn't help but ask, "Are you paraphrasing all of these things? Or has some module been opened which allows you to phrase information in this manner? Wait… I also seem to have gotten a message before, during the fight, right? What was it? Repeat that notification."

[System informs host that information was mostly paraphrased, but arranged in such a way that it will be easy to understand. The commentary's objective is to make the reader aware of everything he or she is getting into. Hence, most information is given in the form of conclusions drawn by individuals, in the hopes that they can carry their point across by showing their reasonings.

Repeating notification.

'Secret Module 'Word of the World Dominator' unlocked. Conditions met. Mission has been set down. Fulfill the mission to earn EXP based on final result'

Rechecking parameters. Mission has been dissolved as it has been determined that its premise was false. Module shall remain unlocked. Conditions for a statement to qualify as a 'Word' remain hidden. If the conditions are met, a mission will once again be given.]

'Word of the World Dominator?'

Checking his memories of that time, Daneel saw that it was when had completely let himself go so that he could just act as he pleased, without caring for any consequences. It was the time when his emotions had run rampant, and he had allowed them to, which had probably unearthed some of his true feelings in the process.

Another time that did come close to this measure of emotion felt was when he had stupidly shown pity that had resulted in the deaths of hundreds, but then, rather than righteous anger, it had been shame.

This module was definitely handy to earn EXP, and as he was so close to the upgrade, it might even prove vital in allowing him to cross the final hurdle and reach the goal.

Although Daneel was pleased and wanted to see whether he could use it right away, he knew that this was not the time, and as if to remind him of that, Cain spoke up from beside him.

"Do you wish for a chair? There are typically two types of people who come to this stage- those that already know the rules, or don't care for them, and hence just make their choice as they have already decided it before. Others, like you, study the rulebook carefully, and because it is so large, it takes time. Thankfully, all we have is time. Take that chair, and I'll also go crack open one of the Order's special bottles of Merrywine."

The man's tone wasn't really warm, per se, but what he said and how he said it did make Daneel feel more welcome than anything else he had seen and heard so far.

The rulebook was many thousands of pages long, and it was a fourth of the size of a full-grown man. Sitting down comfortably in the plush chair that had appeared, Daneel continued to act as if he was reading the book while Cain disappeared.

Of course, inside, he was quickly understanding about the real Order, and the more he found out, the more disconcerting it was.

He had already expected that there might be something to pull people in further later, and that had been confirmed. So, it remained to be seen what else the system had picked out.

[Third Item: System has found a lot of similarities between the workings of the Order and that of a specific methodology of business from host's memories. The methodology in question is one that gives 'trial runs' which cost nothing, where its policy is to pull people in with a trial first, before addicting them and making them pay ever-increasing prices to fuel their addiction. There is commentary regarding how the rewards of the Order are plenty at first even though the oath is lax, but as one starts getting more, they start dwindling, until the person is convinced that they must do everything in their power to get more. Some people say that this is justified to spur people on so that they will become stronger but still be bound to fight for the continent, but others insist that it is just a rat race where the Order just wants strong scapegoats who will swear to fight and die for the continent.

Last item: Through the commentary, it has been determined that the Order contains information and items both for high realms and low. The former is more sought after, so the latter can be obtained easily. The method of 'proving one's worth' is simply the act of carrying out certain missions that the Overseer deems necessary for the Order, or passing certain tests of power which will also be kept secret. Some of these items are: large-scale army formation for Warriors, co-sharing of power by a Champion to increase the training speed of multiple Warriors, formations to increase focus forcefully for a large number of lower realm Fighters in battle, an object filled with the insights of a renowned commander which can be studied to learn tactics, formation to simulate exercises to develop teamwork and gain the ability to handle battle situations, etc. They have been mentioned by many people who complained that such 'useless' things are given to them, while they yearn for ways to make themselves grow stronger.]

Daneel almost got up with shock as he heard the system.

Until now, most of what he had found had been making him feel as if it might be best if he didn't swear the Oath and put himself, potentially, at the mercy of this Order which was rubbing him in all the wrong ways.

The third item wasn't even that surprising, as it had been indicated by the second item. Addiction was an excellent aspect of individuals to exploit to make them stay, after all.

The fourth item, though...finally made Daneel feel more interest in the Order.

True, he had already been pretty damn interested both due to the information about his Master that had been promised, which showed him that the means of the Order might be beyond what he could think of, and the formations that he had seen so far which had not been present even in the Empire.

This last item, though, was attractive in even more ways than these other two.

His army had been something that he had been trying to develop since a long time in the hope that they would make a difference in the upcoming war.

Clearly, the Order must contain ways to make that happen, and if they were somehow supercharged by the system...Daneel felt himself getting excited even thinking about it.

However, first, he calmed himself down, as he had to make a decision first.

If he agreed, he would get access to a lot of things, but he would have to swear an Oath.

If he didn't, he could still retain his memories about it and act with the knowledge of its existence, but he would be saying goodbye to many things that he might never find anywhere else.

What should he do?

He found himself being swayed toward both sides of the choice, but the more he thought about it, the more Daneel felt as if he was missing something.

Perplexed by this feeling, he decided to do another run-through of everything that had happened so far, and that...was when he realized why he had been getting it.

Almost inadvertently, Daneel had thrown the matter of the Overseer causing those deaths and making Cassandra go through such a horrendous childhood aside.

Normally, this wouldn't have bothered him much, but when it combined with the fact that he didn't like both the choices, but had still been considering choosing one among them...it brought his attention to something new that was now present within him.

And that 'something new'...had been born because of this momentous day.

For the first time, in that fight before, he had completely unleashed himself, and it had felt...good.

More than 'good', like he had remarked before, it felt right, almost as if it was something he had been heading towards all his life without even knowing about it.

At that moment in time...he had been a World Dominator. In other words, he had been the person who had been born after all his years of struggle, and right away, Daneel realized something.

Henceforth...that should be the person making the decisions.

He had had enough of leaving alone those he should be crushing just because they might be too powerful at the moment, and he had had enough of making do with choices where he would have to give up something.

As soon as this became clear, an almost mischievous smile appeared on Daneel's lips, as he understood that he had been going about it the wrong way.

When given a choice, a World Dominator was not one who would meekly analyze them both and choose the one that was better than the other, even though he did not really like either.

No, a World Dominator would smash his fist through the face of the one giving the choice and make them add an option which he wanted, or experience the feeling of having their nose and mouth on opposite sides of their head.

Feeling a kind of clarity in his mind which made the World, itself, seem different, Daneel got a sudden thought, and he went with it. His high spirits also made him want to add a twist, and his smile broadened as he saw the final result.

"This is my World to conquer, my World to rule. Like all the others, I shall bring the Order under my feet. Harken, Overseer: your days are numbered. Such is my Word, and my Word shall be kept."

[Conditions met. Module 'Word of the World Dominator' has been invoked. Mission deployed. EXP will be awarded based on final result.]

A grand laugh would have really gone a long way in cementing this moment in history, but although it came till his lips, Daneel only let it erupt in his mind.

Standing up, he asked the system one last thing before making his choice.

"I guess the oath is also present in the rulebook, right? Is there any risk of me putting myself in danger by swearing that preliminary oath, except for that where my mind might be erased?"

[Negative. System has found that the same method used on host after host exited the Arena will be the one deployed when the Order wishes for any other memories to be erased. Hence, it can be circumvented in the same way.]

Almost letting the laughter in his mind touch his lips, Daneel gave a reply to the system.

"All right, then. Let's go enter this Order, and then find a way to crush it, like an assassin entering a Kingdom to destroy it from within. Overseer...you will pay for everything you have done, both to Cassandra, and to all those who could have been saved if it weren't for you. Order, welcome me, the one you will forever regret accepting into your ranks. Oh...we are going to have a blast!"Was going to make this rhyme, but I couldn't decide whether it would make it better. What do y'all think? Should I come up with a rhyming version?

Chapter 777: The Sovereigns' Decision

"After that, making the choice was pretty simple. All I needed to do was give a statement that I would uphold the rules of the Order, never do anything to help or join any forces that might be targeting Angaria and that I would allow my memories to be deleted by the Overseer if it was deemed as necessary according to all the rules that I had already read. It looked like Cain had been delayed by something, because he appeared with a bottle of some kind of weird liquid in his hands which almost looked alive right after I was done, and he only looked from me to the Overseer and then said that I could taste the Merrywine later. I thought that there might be some sort of elaborate session for newcomers into the Order, but the Overseer said that I should leave and come back to the Order when I was ready to spend an extended period of time there, which was apparently necessary whenever one was newly joining. I don't know what to expect in that period, though, and even in the rulebook, the only mentions that are present are that it is a time when every newcomer is introduced to the rich history of the Order and they are also spurred on by being shown all of the resources that they can obtain if they work hard an persevere. Cassandra was still in that catatonic state, and they said that it would take a little bit of time for her to become normal. She would apparently also require some time to adjust to her newly revealed memories after the entire thing was done, which was something that one should go through alone so that they could come out of it sane. I had already read about this elsewhere, in a theoretical study carried out by someone during the Empire that was recorded in one of the libraries that I went through, and in such cases, it is normal that people need an additional amount of time. It is almost like you have been exposed to a different life that you never knew you had, and it can be very disorienting. Still, I insisted that I needed some sort of method with which I could check up on my Commander, and I was given a display trinket which is showing her status actively. With that, I left, and called for this meeting, and here we are, sleeping, because I cannot bypass the oath while awake. My dear sovereigns, I went looking for our firebrand commander, but I could never have expected what I would find. I guess that we are looking at another extended period of time when all of you will have to take care of the affairs of our alliance. I'm not very worried, though, after seeing the way that you handled everything in my absence before. Take a few moments, and ask me if you have any queries."

After a long explanation of the extraordinary events that Daneel had been through, he sat back in his chair comfortably and waited as all the other sovereigns kept shooting glances at him while going through everything that he had just said.

The place he was in looked like the normal spot where they had their meetings, but the truth was that Daneel and all the sovereigns were currently sleeping in a single room, while Daneel was in contact with them all and was using the system to simulate this place where they were conversing without being bound by any oaths.

It was the same spell that he had used to converse with Percy, and he had gotten the bright idea to use it to bypass the Order's oath now.

They had maintained their silence when he spoke, but their surprise and astonishment at each thing that had been revealed easily shone in their eyes, and it had been quite interesting to see each of the reactions. In the beginning, Eloise and Robert had initially been hopeful that the Order might be a place where they would find help to resist the Church, and this had been evident in the positive expectations that had been visible in their eyes. After that, though, when all of the despicable methods of the Order and their actions had been exposed, they were the ones who felt the most repulsion, and as for Elanev, he had been suspicious from the start, so he only looked as if he was happy with himself that he had spotted a rotten apple right away. After that, though, he seemed to be engaged in a discussion with the old man, and Daneel expected to find out the contents of that soon. As for Faxul, he had been mostly stoic, but that was usually the way he listened – he had a knack of not letting his emotions show, and this was something he had picked up in the time before he had started to change. This was also the same with Luther, Kellor, and Robert, who mostly managed to keep their emotions to themselves, and finally, Aran only showed relief when Daneel assured them all that Cassandra was fine, and after that, he seemed to be simmering with anger, and this was possibly because he was infuriated with the organization that had resulted in his close friend's horrendous childhood.

Daneel's account had been accurate except for the parts regarding the system, and he had elaborated about his inner turmoil, too. As for the part about reading about what Cassandra was going through elsewhere, it was false, as it had been told by the system that she was still in the process of allowing those memories to flood into her mind, and that going by the pace with which it was happening, it would take quite a little bit of time. Even Cain had explained that such things varied according to individuals, and although he had said that Daneel would reunite with his commander soon before, it looked like that was not going to happen unless Daneel was fine with waiting for a few days, leaving, and then coming back later.

Daneel didn't have that kind of leisure, so he decided to first ensure that there was a way he could keep an eye on Cassandra and make sure that she was all right while he went back to the Alliance to put everything in place before coming to the Order for what might be a relatively long trip. His ambitions were grand, and he wanted to go about them meticulously and not rush things. Embracing a different side of himself did not mean that he would completely leave behind the other side that had allowed him to achieve a lot of things that he had now, and all he needed to do was find the right balance which would still allow him to continue to act according to his true calling while still utilizing the skills that he had developed so far, but with moderation, or a twist if needed.

Daneel had slipped into a reverie while his sovereigns thought about everything that had happened, so when he looked up to find that they had all fixed their gazes on him with determination shining in their eyes, he was quite surprised.

It looked like they had already made some kind of decision among themselves, and Daneel was actually amused to see that it looked as if they had done so so that they could stand together and place it in front of him in a manner which he might not be able to refuse. It was almost like a bunch of children who had banded together to ask for something from their teacher, and Daneel had to stop himself from laughing out loud as he made this comparison.

That laughter died in his throat, though, when Eloise spoke up and made him widen his eyes with surprise.

"We want to take the test and come with you. Is that possible?"

Daneel was quite taken aback. He had to admit that he had only been thinking about going alone and worming his way through the ranks until he could eventually find a method to bring the Order under him, and he hadn't had the time to sit down and think deeply about it.

Hence, he hadn't considered this option yet- that he might be able to bring his invaluable sovereigns inside along with him.

The surprise was only because he hadn't expected this to be their first answer, but as he thought about it, he realized that he had forgotten that slowly, his team of sovereigns who were initially just mediocre Central Continent dwellers before, had almost all grown up to become individuals who could probably rival many of the seeds in the Big Four.

As such, there was no reason for them not to eye the Order and want to take the test themselves, so that they could enter and help him in his goal which almost seemed laughable when one considered that this was something that hadn't been achieved in a long, long time, from even before the Empire had even existed.

That was such an unfathomable period of time, and this seemed to be such an unfathomably powerful organization that only someone as differently wired in their head as the King could even possibly think of setting such a goal for himself, and because they had gotten used to him doing so and then somehow achieving them in the end, they hadn't even needed a lot of time to get over their surprise.

After a few moments of thinking to himself, Daneel could only burst out laughing and almost feel like he was a parent who was seeing his children all grown up and wanting to go out into the real world. That was true in terms of power, at least, and he was actually very happy that he had chosen the right kind of people who would even be ready to march into the gates of death with him, even if he didn't ask them for it.

"I don't see why not. There is a provision where anyone who is in the Order can bring anyone they want to the mountaintop, where they will also undergo the test. If they pass and make the choice, they will keep their memories, and if not, they will be transported back to the same place as if nothing has happened. It will be up to your own strength, because I have no idea just what kind of criteria will be used to judge your performances. Also… I will have to erase all memories of this conversation from your minds, because it will be quite bad for us if we let it slip that I somehow managed to retain my memories of the fight, and that I bypassed their oath in this manner. That is the ultimate taboo, and I'm sure that no rules of secrecy will save me if it is exposed that I was capable of such a feat. I was only able to retain memories because of something that was handed down to me by the Emperor, and even they don't know about it, and it has to be kept a secret. I will, however, leave behind a thought within your minds that you must win, and after that, I will personally restore your memories and explain everything. However, we should first make a decision regarding who is going to stay, and who will be coming with me. I don't think I need to tell you that I cannot take all of you."

Daneel had no option but to lie once again to conceal the system which had allowed him to retain his memories. After he spoke, relief could be seen on the faces of everyone that was present as, but when he said the last statement, it was obvious to whom he was referring to.

They were Robert, Kellor, and Luther, who could be said to be the weakest in the sovereigns.

As Daneel had expected, though, these three actually got smiles on their faces, and Kellor spoke up.

"If all of you leave, there should be someone to hold the fort, right? The three of us will be more than happy to stay behind and act in your stead. At the same time, we will work on our power to make sure that we don't fall behind all you youngsters. All that remains to be established is-"

BANG!

Interrupting Kellor, Daneel suddenly stood up from his throne, and because he hadn't been able to control his power, his feet made a loud sound on the invisible podium that they were all sitting on in their dreams.

All of the sovereigns looked at him with consternation on their faces, because on his, they could see a slight amount of shock.

"Stay here, I'll be back soon. Something's come up."

Saying so and not waiting for any response, Daneel directly teleported away, and in barely a few moments time, he was right outside the secret spot where he had stored the Natural Energised Training Chamber that he had obtained from Eldinor.

The reason behind his reaction had been that he had received a message from the system that said that there was something abnormal going on inside the chamber which had triggered a few of the detection formations he had placed, and as he arrived, he could see what was wrong, too.

Natural Energised Training Chambers didn't block sound from the inside as a precaution in case something untoward happened during training, but the reverse was true as silence was essential to calmly meditate and absorb Energy.

At the moment, the most horrible of screeches could be heard from inside the chamber, and as Daneel watched, he could even see the chamber slightly vibrating and moving abruptly in different directions, as if someone was hitting it with enough force from the inside to cause such movements.

In the background, though, weirdly, Daneel could hear a long stream of clicks and sounds, which sounded familiar.

Recognizing that it was the Divine Cockroach's language, he asked the system to translate it, and when he heard the answer, the King of Lanthanor could not feel a chill up his back.

[Translated text: "Mommy!! Mommy!!! It's happening! I'm finally growing up! But where will I find a mate? Oh, if only that person was one of our species! But he changed the other day, right? Maybe I can ask him to again, so that we can mate! Oh, I hope that works!"]

Chapter 778: Skrr's Breakthrough 1

After getting rid of the abrupt fear that had appeared in him after listening to the Divine Cockroach's unique wish, Daneel decided to speak to the Ancient Dragon whom he had once again placed in his mind before coming here in the hopes that he might be able to help because it was a matter relating to Godbeasts.

Indeed, on his way to finding Cassandra, Daneel had also dropped off Drakos in his podium as a precaution while he had gone to the Kingdom of Lanthanor to pick up a few trinkets that he thought he might need. He had known that he would be walking into a trap, and one placed by those whose means might well be beyond what he could imagine. Once, already, he had felt how it was to have all of his secrets exposed, and he didn't want to go through it again in case there was someone who was capable of finding out about Drakos like the sect master of the Everlasting Blossoms sect had done.

True, she had also used underhanded methods, but the fact was that he just did not want that to repeat, and hence, Daneel had judged that he would have to go it alone. He didn't know yet whether he had made the right choice, but after the entire ordeal, he had actually been glad that he had made the decision, as the means of the Order might even be greater than what he had expected from someone who had concealed themselves for so long.

If Drakos was exposed, it would lead to a very ugly revelation regarding the truth of many matters that had happened till now, and that was definitely not something that Daneel wanted to go through at the moment.

His relationship with the Ancient Dragon was a bit complex at the moment, because he not lie to this Godbeast like he had done with the sovereigns regarding the feats that he had been able to perform with the help of the system. If he used the same reasons that he had told there, he would be outed in an instant, and the system was something that he was determined to protect and conceal until he was confident that there was no one in the entire world who could even stand toe to toe with him. With time, he could think of some or the other excuse that he could use to tell Drakos regarding it, but until then, he would have to use this web of lies, even though he absolutely hated doing so with someone who had believed in him and stood by him for the longest time.

Putting this aside for the moment, though, he decided to take his advice instead of asking the system and getting himself completely creeped out by the absolutely accurate answer that it would definitely give.

"Err… Drakos? What's going on?"

While he was asking the question, the thrashing continued, but Daneel was relieved because of the message from the system which had told him that the integrity of the Natural Energised Training Chamber was holding up. It had been built with the intention to endure even greater force because training could often be destructive, and hence, all he needed to worry about was how long this would go on for. Even the barriers inside might break if the force increased anymore, and this was possible because he had just noticed that even in the short span of time since he had arrived, the sound had gotten louder and even the musings of the Divine Cockroach had gotten more intense, until she was now not even using any decipherable words and was only making sounds to express the pain that she was going through.

Drakos took a few moments to answer, because he was actually still quite a bit bewildered from the sudden appearance of the king who had taken away his consciousness saying that he needed him.

Drakos had understood the reasons of the king before, when he had said that he wanted to put Drakos in the podium because he didn't want to risk his secrets being exposed again. He had been tempted to tell him that it had been a one-off thing and that it was mainly because of Erin's insatiable appetite for seeing people tongue-tied in front of her, but he hadn't done so, knowing that that incident must have had a huge effect on the king's psyche.

He, himself, had been having quite a large re-evaluation of everything he had thought about the current age after seeing the real path that the king had used to break through.

He had always had a certain arrogance about him, and how could he not? He had had the fortune to be born in the most illustrious of times, and he had always been convinced that there was no way for anything of this age to match up to what had been there before.

On top of that, he was the last living Dragon, and even though he had never succumbed to the ways of his blood, arrogance was something that came naturally to Dragons. His character had still dampened that quite a lot, and although he knew that he might have let it slip a few times while talking to the king, he was confident that he had never come off as some of his other species who sometimes spent days catching prey and then extolling about the rich history of the race of dragons, following which it was said that many actually chose to kill themselves instead of hearing the continuous droning which could get quite repetitive.

Now, though… After seeing the king's power, he had been completely tongue-tied, and he had also only been able to congratulate the king and then stay silent while his mind felt as if it was getting blown into smithereens.

He was a learned individual of the age of the Empire, and he knew exactly the bounds that had always been placed on the Paths that could be taken. In other words, these were the limits of power that anyone at a certain realm could possess, even if they used techniques from the highest of tiers.

The King of Lanthanor had completely smashed apart these bounds, and the amazing thing was that he had done it by actually taking something which had been thought as hopeless in that age.

Where they had failed, he had succeeded, and by putting his twist on it, he had created something that was unprecedented in the entire world.

At that moment, Drakos had actually felt ashamed that he had once thought that there was no way that the king could surpass his father.

That hadn't even been because of his filial feelings- he had simply been sure that there was no way that anyone in this age could hope to do so with the decreased Energy levels.

The re-evaluation had changed a lot of things in Drakos's mind, and he had actually noticed that even after all these years, he had matured again, and that was actually not really surprising as Dragons had always been known to have extensive lifespans during which they became mature a different ages. There was even a Dragon who was famous for acting childlike until he was thousands of years old, at which point he finally grew up and directly turned into a wizened sage.

Since then, Drakos had been fired up, and he had wanted to put his all to help the king to accomplish everything that he wished while putting aside all of the notions that had bound him until now.

Yet, that was when he had been placed in the podium, and after that, he was in this situation.

Coming back to the present, though, he had to admit that it was something that could be written down in the legends as one of the most peculiar to have ever happened to anyone.

He was controlling his laughter, mainly because he did not want the king to wish that he hadn't asked him.

The Divine Cockroach had set its eyes on the King because of the breakthrough he had exhibited to the world, but sadly, it was destined to be disappointed, because a limitation of the transformations of a Shapeshifter was that although they could imitate everything else, they could not act as forebears of a species. Hence, even though the mating could occur, the Divine Cockroach would not get what she wanted.

He hastened to tell this, as he did not want anyone to act on wrong information and then find themselves with memories that might not be pleasant, at all. Divine Cockroaches were well known for their terrifyingly fast mating speeds, and because the one in front of them was breaking through, after she became a Hero, it was possible that she might be able to finish it even before the king could react, which would end up being a right proper disaster.

So, he said, "Young King, she wishes to mate with you. However, she thinks that you're a Bloodline possessor, which is not the case. Even with Bloodline possessors, the chance to pass on the Bloodline is incredibly low, and it might require probably thousands of making sessions. Er… I should have given you the other answer first."

Drakos said this because the words 'thousands of mating sessions' had made the king shudder.

"You are able to use the powers of Godbeasts because of the Shapeshifter Bloodline, and it is a limitation of that Bloodline that it is not possible to pass on one's seed using mating, as there is none present in a transformation. Please be sure to convince the Divine Cockroach of this as quickly as possible after she breaks through, before she does something that both of you might regret. For all Godbeasts, it is actually a painful process. We also get the ability to turn into any form we wish, and that is why you find many Hero level Godbeasts actually adopting a human form to roam the world. As she was present from that age, she must have been taught how to do so, as they are part of the teachings that are passed down by former generations. If you want to keep your secret, I propose that you tell her something different, such as that the original possessor of your Bloodline was a mutant in the sense that he could not mate. Yes, that would be perfect. Oh, by the way, there will be one last outburst of power, and I propose that you teleport away the Training Chamber first, as it might be damaged in the process."

As soon as Daneel heard this, he decided to take no chances.

While he was speaking, the thrashing had actually started to die down, and the sounds had also begun to slowly change back into musings.

He first teleported away the Chamber, as Drakos had said, which revealed a really strange sight.

Skrr's body which had been shining with fluorescent scales that had almost seemed beautiful before was actually bloody, and she was already at least 3 times the size of what she had been before.

Even as he watched, she kept growing, but still, he decided that this was the best time to make it clear.

After all, being mated with by something that was ten times his size…was definitely not the way he wanted to go.

"My bloodline is from a mutant that can't mate!"

"Aw!"

"Aw!"

Right as he did so, he felt as if his heart was in his throat, as he heard two distinct replies, both in the tongue of the Divine Cockroach.

One was from the Divine Cockroach in front of him.

The other…was from behind him.

His face flushing with shock, Daneel whirled around to find that two figures had just appeared at a spot just a few feet away from him.

One of them was a stunning lady with incredibly thick thighs which were exposed even though she was wearing a purple dress, and strangely, she had two antennae on her forehead that almost looked like those of a cockroach's.

She had an almost predatory look in her green eyes which would make anyone take a step back with fear as she looked at Daneel, but his eyes were rooted on the person beside him.

It was Cain, and with a start, the man who had called himself the 'Reaper' smiled slightly and said, "Oh, we meet again, King of Lanthanor. I guess you detected the call of the Divine Cockroach because of your Bloodline. For your sake, I hope that you spoke the truth. Melissa, here…has inadvertently caused the deaths of many in pursuit of her goal to prolong her species."

As soon as he said these words, the woman actually punched Cain's shoulder and said something that raised the hairs on Daneel's hand as he stared at her with abject horror.

"Oh, please, Cain. They died happily, you should have seen their faces! Anyway, this one's cute. I'm tempted to try even if he might not be lying. Trust me, honey. By the time I'm done, you'll wish you were…"

Chapter 779: Skrr's Breakthrough 2

For a moment, the tension in the room was so palpable that it could be cut by a knife.

Thankfully, after a few seconds, Cain opened his mouth and said, "Enough, Melissa. You know you were told to stay away from the newbies, especially those who can't resist your… Let's say charms. Be careful, Daneel. Melissa, here, is one of the official members of the Order who assigns missions and also collects custom oaths specific to people so that they can go about their goals while still not being bound too much. Of course, even though many of us have completely given ourselves over to the Order, we still understand that some people may have reservations, and we try to work around them. You'll find out all this during the newcomer's session, anyway. Right, let's get to the matter at hand, because I think that the one behind you is quite confused."

Daneel breathed a sigh of relief as he heard this, and after that, he couldn't help but ask the system how these two had managed to sneak up behind him without him even being able to sense that they were coming.

[Targets used means that were beyond the capabilities of the complexity of the system. Please upgrade system to prevent further such incidents. Additionally, all the formations laid were removed when the Chamber was teleported away. System also reports that teleportation of the chamber occurred before the arrival of the targets.]

Due to the shock of the situation, it was only now that Daneel realized just how much of a close shave he had had.

He couldn't even imagine just what might have happened if he had been found red-handed with the chamber, and he almost felt like shuddering again as he imagined himself having to hand over this treasure which was definitely the most valuable thing he had after saying that he, too, had only arrived here out of chance.

There was no way that he could have overpowered two Heroes, and if that really happened, he would definitely have wanted to kick itself until eternity.

Thankfully, it was a stroke of luck that had prevented this, and it was actually the second one that he had been graced by in such a short period of time.

Vowing to take care for the bad luck that might soon make its appearance on account of these two instances, Daneel put aside his resident frustration that had been born the very first time the system had asked him to upgrade it, long ago, when he had been but a nameless kid on the streets of Lanthanor.

After that, though, just as he was about to think that there would be no more surprises, he received another one when he turned around to see what Cain meant by the Divine Cockroach being confused.

Gone was the gigantic being which had been bleeding, and which had also burst through the ceiling as this was actually a small place that Daneel had chosen in the hopes that it would remain hidden. In its place… Was a little girl, and for the briefest of moments, Daneel got a glimpse of her body and realized that she might not be so 'little' after all, because of what he saw before he whirled around again hastily.

It was only a vague image, and right away, without even thinking, Daneel made a pile of clothes appear above her that rained down and covered her completely.

The reason that he had thought of her as a little girl was that she was small – she was possibly only about 5 feet tall, and compared to most people that he was with who were at least 6 feet tall except for Eloise, she did warrant that word to be used when describing her.

Daneel did remember her face, though, and it had had the same antennae on her forehead, although they were shorter. Apart from that, what had really struck him were her extremely innocent features, with a broad forehead, a cute little nose and thin lips which had been pursed while her eyes had been closed with an expression of slight pain visible clearly.

Before he could think any further, though, the woman's voice was heard in the area, and its deep timbre was one that would stay with anyone even long after they had met her.

"Ah, boys are all the more cute when they show that they have pure, or at least decent minds. Alas, Cain is right. I really don't want to get into another altercation. You humans are so uptight about these things. Why don't you be like us Godbeasts more? We just mate, and that's it! No useless thoughts! That is unless you count the weirdos who do develop feelings and stay together for hundreds of years, though. It's rare, but it happens. Now, boy. Step aside. She needs a proper Divine Cockroach to guide her through her breakthrough."

She said this while walking forward with a very vexatious expression on her face, and for all her beauty, Daneel felt his skin crawling as he heard her.

And that… Was also when he realized that she had just said that she was also a Divine Cockroach, which made him stare at her with shock.

There was actually another one alive?!

Seeing his expression of confusion, Cain explained, "I know that you have been through the records in the sects of the Big Four, so you must know of Godbeasts. As a Bloodline possessor, you must also know about the extreme survivability of Divine Cockroaches. They are purportedly the only species which have survived the Apocalypse. It is always said that if anything ever happened to the world, they would be the last remains of Angaria, and that might have turned out to be true if the Apocalypse was even more devastating. Anyway, many of them went into hibernation, and they've been popping out of it in multiple areas all around the continent. The Order takes complete control of all matters regarding to Godbeasts, and we have special formations that can even sense awakenings like these. We have three Divine Cockroaches back in the Order, but only Melissa is the Hero level one. The other two are only at the Warrior level, and they have difficulties breaking through because of something that happened during their hibernation. Oh, that's new."

As Cain said that last part, Daneel put aside his astonishment at finding out that there were actually three other specimens of Godbeasts still alive, and turned around to find a blur flash across his eyes.

A sweet scent reached his nostrils, and even before he could completely turn, he saw someone huddling behind him while Melissa looked in his direction with bewilderment on her face.

Daneel half glanced behind him cautiously, but after seeing that Skrr had dragged on a pair of trousers upside down on her head, resulting in her antenna holding up the two ends while her face was completely hidden, he realized that he had mistakenly teleported over all the clothes that he could find without picking out only those that would fit a woman. She had also chosen a shirt to cover the lower part of her body, and she seemed to have a knack for using things in the opposite way that they were intended to be used, because her legs where poking out of the hands of the shirt and one of her hands was holding the bottom of the shirt at her waist to stop it from falling down.

Dressed in this hilarious fashion, she was hiding behind Daneel's back, and after he turned to look at her, she spoke in a surprisingly adorable voice which actually reminded him of the same being which he had seen dancing after she had entered the Natural Energised Training Chamber.

"Even if you're a useless male that can't mate, Skrr met you before, and Skrr trusts you, because you said that you wouldn't cheat me, and he didn't. Mom always said that you should trust someone until they give you a reason not to, at least if they're a member of your species. Skrr doesn't like the feeling coming from her, even though she is more like Skrr than you are. Stranger, bad! And you, can you please, please find Skrr someone to mate with so that she can make mom happy? Please, Skrr will even give you the secret rock collection that was made out of boredom when Skrr had to wake up from hibernation!"

She had retained her way of speech, and after she said her part, she actually huddled closer to Daneel on seeing that Melissa had begun to walk towards them.

Seeing this made Melissa stop and put her hands on her waist helplessly, but after that, instead of anger appearing on her face, she actually… Laughed out loud.

It wasn't pleasant laughter, by any means, and if anything, it only made Daneel not want to stay in any room that she was in.

After she was done, she actually licked her lips, and this seemed to be some sort of unique thing that she liked to do, as she had already done it thrice since coming here – once when she had said that part about him not wanting to live after she was done, once when she had been walking forward and once now.

She finally spoke after fixing her gaze on Daneel.

"Divine Cockroaches can imprint on those who show them kindness, and it seems that you gave her a hiding place. Is that right?"

Right after Skrr had spoken about him helping her, Daneel had slightly panicked, but it looked like those in front of him were dumb enough to make up their own reasons for things that had happened, which was perfect, and also made him wish that more people did that instead of making him tax his brain.

"Yes, she was hiding in a village in my Kingdom when she left for some reason. I just found it odd, and when I found her, I understood what she was, but I didn't know what to do with the information. I just thought I would place her somewhere that I could track, and then see what I could do later."

She had to leave their village because of me.

Of course, Daneel didn't say this part out, but both Cain and Melissa got understanding expressions on their faces when they heard this.

"What a strange series of events that are all tied to you. And look how she also trusts you, and not one of her own species! Well, I don't blame her, though. My mother back in the age of the Empire was a tyrant, and a monster in bed. It was said that males would run away when they saw her coming, and I seem to have inherited some of those characteristics. After sensing her breakthrough, I was really hoping that she was a male, but if that is not the case, I guess the only thing I can do is feel happy that there is another one of my species still alive. For a time period, you should be with her, and make sure that there are no problems with her. Divine Cockroaches are weak after breaking through, and it takes time for them to come into their full power. They're also sensitive in this period of time, and it is best for her to be in a conducive environment. That seems to be the one around you. You can use other people in this process, if you want, but their memories will be wiped later. Also, be warned, boy. Do something to make her cry, and…"

CRACK!

In a motion that was so fast that Daneel would have had difficulty seeing it even if he used the Basilisk's Breath, a cockroach's leg shining with sharp, ridged bladed instead of hair appeared out of nowhere and made a deep hole appear in front of Daneel.

If it was aimed at him…it would have easily been able to cut him in half.

Such a measure of strength and speed…was simply terrifying.

Daneel could only gulp in response, and as if she was satisfied with it, the woman nodded and teleported away.

Cain followed, and it looked like even he didn't have anything to say in the situation. He only nodded at Daneel, as if to indicate that they would meet soon.

In this way, the strange situation came to an end, leaving Daneel with the Cockroach.

Right after they were alone, he heard the sound of clothes dropping to the floor.

He closed his eyes tightly right away, but what she said made him hastily call for Eloise, as he was definitely not equipped to deal with the situation, and he really didn't want to be the one to give the answers to her questions which were as unique as her.

"Mother said that I should wear garments in front of humans. But they're so stuffy! And what are these on my body, anyway? Mom only told me how to transform, but she didn't tell me that! And these? And these? Hey, you're human, too, right? Explain to me the point of these two, in particular! Are you sick? Why are you so red? And why are your eyes closed? Skrr is confused!"

Chapter 780: Skrr's Breakthrough End

Daneel's intention was clear- he wanted to leave after having Eloise take over, but it looked like he would have no such option.

He tried it, and it had almost resulted in disaster. Eloise had quickly hastened over after hearing him, and after she arrived, she actually saw the situation for what it was and did not get her eyes clouded due to baseless emotions. She was even a bit amused, knowing that Daneel was only doing it because of his sense of decency, but before she could walk forward and take up the duty given to her by the king to anoint the Divine Cockroach in the ways of the human world, both of them disappeared, and then instantly reappeared with Daneel having added alarm to his face, along with the medley of emotions that were already present.

The reason behind that was that Daneel had teleported away to his quarters, and in an instant, Skrr had followed. She had done it almost instinctively, and it looked like she had gotten a few abilities due to her breakthrough that she hadn't had before. With no other option, Daneel had teleported back, and he also thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't gone to some other public place where any misunderstandings would definitely have occurred which would have run rampant throughout the kingdom who were all thinking of him as a role model to aspire to.

He might be following the ways of the World Dominator, but that did not mean that he would have to leave behind the basic honor that should be afforded to a woman, and especially one who could easily be taken advantage of.

Hence, Daneel could only shake his head and sit on a chair with his eyes closed, while Eloise came over and sweetly talked to the little girl.

Her face still made him call her that, and Eloise actually also used the same two words. Her natural charm worked here again, and Skrr quickly began to listen to everything that was being told to her with a very serious expression on her face.

She looked to be the curious and inquisitive type, as she kept asking questions. Most of them were obvious, and of the sort which she had expressed before, and whenever she got an answer, she would bob her head up and down in a dainty manner. Daneel had been looking on because by that time, her clothes situation had been sorted by Eloise going forward and doing it herself so that she could show how it was supposed to be done.

Wearing a grey dress, Skrr was the very picture of innocence, but her constant questions to Daneel were anything but that.

"Have you thought about it?"

"The stones are so shiny, I promise!"

"Oh, Skrr will never be able to face her mom if she doesn't fulfill her mission. You would want to fulfill something given by your mom, too, right? Then get going, then!"

"What if you are mistaken about the mutant part…"

Daneel had had enough after that last question, and he finally snapped, saying, "At the moment, there are no male Divine Cockroachs alive! I will search for you, but I don't know if I'll be successful! That other person of your species must have been searching for a long time, and she didn't find any! Even if it does happen, it will take time! And it's definitely not a misunderstanding!"

This moment… Was something that Daneel soon came to regret, because, for the first time, he saw Eloise go against him.

And the reason behind that… Was that tears had begun to slide down Skrr's cheeks while her startlingly blue, wide-open eyes stared at Daneel.

Even Daneel felt like scolding himself as he saw this, and what she said afterward only made it worse.

"No one ever scolded Skrr throughout her life. Skrr was always a good girl. Skrr listens to everything, and Skrr was even the apple of mom's life!"

Daneel didn't even know what he was supposed to say to apologize. Whatever had made him snap in that manner had been melted away by the tears, and he had also remarked to himself that he should have a tighter hold on himself in the future in such situations, especially if he was going to continue on the path he had chosen. Saying that he was sorry would not cut it, and he also could not promise that he would find a mate for her, because he really had no idea how he would go about searching for a male Divine cockroach. It had been a pretty daunting task even before, when he had found out that he needed the consciousness of one of that species, and he had only been fortunate that the old man in Elanev's head had already known the location where he could find one.

Eloise actually caught Skrr's shoulders and looked at him in a reproaching manner, and that was when he understood that he had really done something pretty damn wrong.

So, he took a moment to think, and after that, he put his hand on Skrr's head, feeling her soft and glossy brown hair which peculiarly cascaded down until her knees.

Skrr actually paused her crying and looked up with those eyes which had more of a devastating effect than anything that the puppy eyes from Earth could achieve, and Daneel actually had to fight off the urge to just say that he would definitely succeed.

Instead, he went with what he had decided.

"Look, Skrr. I don't know you very well, but because I didn't cheat you, it seems that you trust me. I appreciate that, and I will never break your trust. Like that lady said, I know you're very weak now, and I will protect you, and stay around you until you come into your powers. I also know that it is of paramount importance to you that you mate and take forward your species, and I promise that I will put my utmost efforts towards ensuring that that happens. It might take time, though, because we don't know who else might have been lucky enough to hibernate and properly live until now like you. If you need anything, you can ask me. Alright?"

As he said this, Daneel also teleported over a large lollipop and handed it to the little girl, who sniffed it with curiosity and then took it in her hands.

After all, wasn't it said that the stomach was the way to a girl's heart?

Although he didn't want her heart, he did feel that she was a unique individual who was to be admired. For so many years, she had been alone, but no matter how long had passed, she still wanted to just fulfill the mission given to her by her mother. She seemed innocent, but there was actually a lot going on in her mind, and her mother had also taught her well regarding the world. Moreover… She was incredibly adorable, and Daneel knew for sure that if she had been on Earth, she would definitely have taken the entire world by storm.

She was also a Godbeast, which meant that her power would skyrocket as soon as she fully matured.

Daneel had been thinking of this ever since things had quieted down, but he actually didn't feel like making any grand plans around her. Seeing her, no one would even want to do that, so his promise had actually been an honest one, and it had had no ulterior motives behind it. His attitude really was to just be himself and help her, and as he saw Skrr open her arms in a gesture that almost looked like she was asking for a hug, he wondered it might mean something else for Divine Cockroaches.

Her words made it clear, though.

"Alright. Mom did use to say that Skrr badgers people too much. Thank you for the promise. You made Skrr cry, but you gave Skrr that tasty thing, so we should hug and make things right. Mom said hugs are best for that."

While he had been thinking, Skrr had swallowed the lollipop whole, including the wooden stick that was used to hold it, following which a pretty smile had come on her face before she said this.

With a broad smile lighting up his own face, Daneel bent and smelled that sweet scent again, following which Eloise also came and joined in, as she couldn't resist.

They were almost like a little family, with the atmosphere only tainted slightly by the crunching sound that was being made by Skrr's teeth as she bit the candy and the wood, swallowing them together almost as if the two were meant to be eaten together.

"Can I have more? A thousand more, please. Oh, mom said Skrr can pay humans with rocks. Do you want those rocks in return? Skrr shouldn't take things for free."

This made them break up the hug while they chuckled, but after that, Daneel actually got a slight suspicion.

Rocks. She kept calling them rocks. But what if they were something else?

Curious, Daneel nodded, following which Skrr beamed, dazzling them with her pure joy.

A moment after that, though, she disappeared for a second, and Daneel expected her to return to her original form. He actually felt a bit eager to see what a Hero-level Divine Cockroach would look like, as all Hero-level Godbeasts were said to be magnificent beings.

However, a moment later, Skrr reappeared at the same spot and actually almost collapsed to the ground.

The blood had drained from her face, and she looked so weak that it was possible that she could pass out at any time.

Daneel and Eloise ran forward together, but Daneel reached first. As soon as he caught her, she said, "Skrr…feeling weak. Transformation…feels hard."

Almost smacking his forehead and realizing what was wrong, Daneel said, "It's because you're weak right now. You can pay us later. You should rest for now."

As if she was mustering her last ounce of strength, Skrr obstinately shook her head and said, "No! Mom said 'don't take things for free'! I'll show you where it is! Go in that direction!"

It looked like there was no talking the girl out of it, so Daneel obliged.

The three of them started traveling in the direction she indicated, and Skrr was actually slung onto Daneel's shoulders, while she looked forward happily, with her antennae swinging around.

She seemed to be thinking of the candy, which was giving her this enthusiasm even though her body was still weak.

They had to go many kilometers underground, and they also had to take a lot of turns. There was no way that wherever they were going could be found by anyone, because it was hidden so deep under Angaria that one would need hundreds of lifetimes to scan it all carefully.

Soon, though, Skrr said, "It's right ahead. Stop and punch hard. Hard!"

Daneel obliged, and the next moment, both Eloise and the King of Lanthanor felt their jaws drop as they saw one of the most incredible sights of their life.

In front of them…was a cave, but it was the most dazzling one that they had ever seen.

It was filled with red objects that interweaved with the earth all around, and although it was a small place, its value…might probably be more than a few Kingdoms combined together.

It…was a Ker Gem mine.

And like the icing on a cake, there were a few additional clumps of Ker Roots in the middle of the cave, which must be the 'shiny rocks' that Skrr had collected.

Her voice interrupted their shock, as she asked with a hopeful tone, "Can I have a thousand, please? This is all I have…if you want more, maybe I can search, but I don't think I'll find anything…"

In response, Daneel and Eloise could only look at each other and burst out laughing.

Setting Skrr down, Daneel exclaimed in a voice that echoed throughout the cave.

"No…but you can have ten thousand! Or make it a million! Or how about I set up a lollipop factory just for you?"

It was amazing to see the crestfallen expression on hearing the 'no' transform into an ecstatic one, and as Skrr smiled again, the two of them internally made the same decision: no matter what happened, they wouldn't let anything happen to this innocent little one.

Skrr said she felt sleepy after that, and by the time Daneel was done carefully concealing the cave, she was fast asleep.

The next day, six of them set out for the mountain top.

They were Daneel, Eloise, Aran, Elanev, Faxul, and Skrr, who was still sleeping soundly.

Right before they vanished, the sun broke through the clouds and shone on their faces that were filled with hope and determination.

The next second, they were all gone, and as the sun continued to herald a new day, the Order…just didn't know that on this day, it would take in a couple of people who seemed normal, but were actually...anything but so.

Chapter 781: The First Step

In the bar above the clouds, the same three people who had been present during Daneel's test were back, in the same positions, and they were none the wiser regarding the extraordinary experience that they had all been through together.

There was a marked silence because of this, as they were all powerful individuals who could feel that something had happened here, that they could not recall because it must have been purged by the Overseer after the choice had been made by the one who had passed the test.

Often, in these cases, echoes would be present to give indications regarding what they had forgotten, but they were very hard to decipher, and at the moment, none of them were having any luck in finding out just why they had the strange feeling that whatever had happened was different than all the other instances that they had been through when they had been acting in their capacity as those who were the last layer of protection for the Arena.

Biting his lip with frustration, it was Galagor who spoke first.

"No matter how much time passes, I can never get over just how infuriating this damn feeling is! And this time, I can tell that it was something even beyond what we are used to going through, and that makes my skin crawl more than ever! Sometimes, I wish I hadn't taken this duty…"

In response, Cain only glanced at him, but the bartender chuckled and did not mince any words.

"Leave it, then. I know many who will be more than willing to come and take up your place. They won't mind about things that they have forgotten, and I guarantee that by the end of the day, your post will have been filled, and I might have found someone with a bit more tact when it comes to drinking these heavenly liquids that we have been blessed with over the years."

He said so pointing at a bottle that was on the bar counter, and it was actually the same one that Cain had brought along with him so that he could share it with Daneel.

The bottle, itself, was unremarkable, but the liquid inside was anything but so. It kept jumping around as if it was alive, which caused a very interesting fight that would make once eyes glue to it and wonder just what was making it frolic in this manner.

It was a dark red in color, almost amber, and was also as thick as pudding.

Famous for its effects of calming down people and also allowing them to enter a state of high concentration if taken in moderation and extreme relaxation if taken in excess, it was a highly regulated custom product of the Order, and that was the reason why Cain had had to take that much time to withdraw one from the stores for someone who hadn't even taken the choice yet.

Unlike those people, he had known just how special Daneel was, and that was the reason why he had wanted to strike a good impression. Alas, he had been a bit too late, and now, he didn't even know about the result that had impressed him so much, and had made him drop his jaw.

As if to say "bite me", Galagor actually gulped down another glass of the Merrywine and glared at the bartender before saying, "Yes, it sounds great on paper. We oversee the tests after finding the power levels and identities of those who are competing, and after they are over, even though we don't see the actual battle, our memories are wiped regarding who fought against whom. You remember that they passed, and true, although no one else in the Order will also about know about the reality behind what has happened, they don't have these irritating echoes in their minds which don't go away for weeks. If this was also in the job description, I bet that people will think twice."

Shaking his head knowing that it was fruitless to argue with this man, the bartender was just about to pour him another glass with a rueful expression on his face, but he paused when he received a message.

"The King has arrived with five other people who will be taking the test. We are on call, so we will be the ones overseeing them again. Oh, never mind, it is four people who will be taking the test. The fifth is a Divine Cockroach who is already in the Order. Still, let's see what happens."

This made Galagor throw his hands up in the air with exasperation and say, "Mindless rabble! That king must only have passed because he burrowed in his cockroach shell using his Bloodline, and the Overseer must have chosen him because of it, too. How can he expect others from the Central Continent to replicate such a feat? He's an anomaly, but I highly doubt that the others are, too. It's just a waste of time."

This was the point where Cain finally spoke up, and he did so in a desultory manner while once again glancing down in the direction of the mountain in which the arena had stood for many, many years.

"A waste of time for which you will be heavily compensated. Enough complaints. Let's do our duty."

His words carried a certain weight which those of the bartender would never match, although at first glance, their power levels were only a small realm apart.

Without saying anything else but still grumbling under his breath, Galagor turned in that direction, too, as the bartender also placed away the glass he had been cleaning.

Right away, all three of them were affected by a feeling of déjà vu, and for the briefest of moments, they recalled that the last incident had actually ended in… Shock.

At once, they all looked at each other, with confusion evident in their eyes.

How could that be possible? What could be surprising about a fight where a Cockroach must have defended itself until it was beaten bloody?

Alas, they would probably never find the answer, so they could only store this away in their minds and start to do their job.

They kept an eye on the arena, and even if they couldn't peek inside, they were supposed to be ready to interfere in case they received the signal. That was why their gazes were always kept on that spot, so that they would be ready to teleport if necessary.

Unknown to them, the large arena had been divided into four parts for the four battles, and all four had actually begun.

Daneel was once again in the Hall of Beginning, where he was pacing around with a slightly apprehensive expression on his face.

Once again, he could not help but liken his situation to a parent whose children were writing an exam. The parent would obviously be anxious for the results, and although all they would hope for was that their children would do their best, it was human nature to wish for the best result.

He had already carried out an analysis of what could happen, and it was obvious that both Faxul and Elanev would have no problems in qualifying. At their level, they were better than many in the Big Four, and even if they might not be able to win if someone came with as much a gap as the one that Daneel had faced, they would definitely be able to put up enough of a fight to satisfy the conditions that they would be judged with.

He wasn't worried about Aran, either. As a Mindhunter, if he went all out, there were not many who would be able to stand toe to toe at his level. Again, even if the difference was large, he would definitely be able to get in a few attacks, and that should be enough.

That left… Eloise, and she was the one that Daneel was worried about.

The sect treasure of the Goddess's Sanctum sect had given her topmost potential both as a Fighter and a Mage, but she had been focusing on absorbing Energy and increasing her level rather than developing her fighting skills.

Daneel had considered giving her a top tier fighting technique that could do wonders against those in the Human Realm, but he knew that it would be useless if there was only a day's time to learn it. Also, Eloise had said with a confident smile that he should leave it to her, and he had decided to do so in order to see whether she had learned something which could surprise him.

As he thought about her, he also couldn't help but think back to the moment they had shared along with Skrr, who was actually munching on five lollipops at once.

She was right behind Daneel, and the crunching sound had been present ever since she had woken up. Daneel had already gotten used to it, and he had even given her a sling bag that she wore behind her back from which she continuously picked out more and more lollipops to place in her mouth.

Her appetite seemed to be endless, and Daneel didn't really think that he would have to give her nutrition advice. Cockroaches had always had a knack of getting what they wanted from what they ate even if it was not digestible for humans, so he had decided to just allow her to indulge herself as much as she wished.

She was like a little golden goose who had laid the biggest golden egg, and his already positive impression towards her had reached new heights on calculating that the Ker Gem deposit that she had found had probably more Gems than even those present to the Natural Energised Training Chamber that he had obtained. This meant that his already extensive resources had swelled now to possibly rival even the individual sects of the Big Four, and he had no reason to worry about money for the time being.

As if she could sense him thinking about her, she nuzzled her antennae against Daneel's back, which had already become a sort of sign between them which meant that she was asking what he was thinking about. Her curious nature extended to everything, and she had a penchant for finding innovative ways to ask questions in case he tried to dodge her.

He turned around and patted her, but just as he was about to open his mouth to tell her that he was just waiting for the results… For people appeared behind him.

Wait… What?!

With visible shock appearing on his features, Daneel instantly whirled around to find all four of his sovereigns with beaming expression is on their faces.

But… How?! It had barely been ten seconds!

What the hell had they done?!

What Daneel didn't know… Was that up above, the reaction of the three people was even more intense than his own.

At the moment, the bartender who had been the very symbol of old school elegance was currently drenched with the wine that had been spit out from Galagor's mouth when the result was announced in their minds.

Cain similarly had a shocked expression on his face, but he at least gulped his wine instead of spitting it out.

The bartender looked livid, but even this emotion of his was mixed with extreme surprise.

Four nobodies from the Central Continent… Had just beaten those from the Order in the span of ten seconds.

By coincidence, each of those who had challenged them had been in the exact same level as them.

All three of them had guessed that it might take around 30 seconds for the result to be announced, because even normal people who persevered could run around and try to delay someone at same realm as them. Those that had been sent to weren't individuals who trained in top-tier techniques, and they also had the habit of playing around with their opponents if they were winning.

However… ten seconds. Ten seconds with all it had taken, and the meaning behind this was clear.

All four of these individuals… Were training in techniques that allowed them to surpass most in their realm, even when one counted the Big Four!

How the hell was this possible?

As the bar devolved into confusion for the second time in the span of a few days, Daneel had just asked the system to give him a summary of their memories which were supposed to be wiped off.

Indeed, as a precaution, he had placed a system-created untraceable spell which would store the deleted memories and be retrieved later.

As he went through the data given by the system…he couldn't help but blink and wonder whether it was these four who had done all that he was hearing about.

Faxul and Elanev had been straightforward- they used their Fighter strengths to bombard their opponents in attacks, and because they were well-versed in fighting strong opponents, they had no trouble in beating their opponents with their incredible methods.

Aran had taken a bit of a round-about route. He had only used his normal mage and fighter powers initially, and just as his opponent was about to walk over when he thought he had defeated him, he used that lapse of concentration to launch a Mindhunter attack that made the man believe that he was underwater while being choked by tentacled monsters.

It seemed to be his nightmare, and he had surrendered right away.

Eloise…was the most unique of all.

A teen in the Human realm had appeared to challenge her, and she had actually…just talked.

Using her charm and a sweet smile, she had enraptured the teen and walked towards him with an adorable expression that no one would be able to be hostile against.

Right as she reached him, though…a swift kick had destroyed his jewels, leading to an immediate surrender.

Looking at Eloise who was smiling at him gracefully, Daneel couldn't believe that she was the same person who had done those things.

It seemed…that she had really grown up from the little girl who had naively believed that sleeping with the King would perhaps allow her to save her mother from being killed.

On understanding that her actions had been exposed, she blushed demurely, and that was Cain reappeared.

His clothes had wine stains for some reason, and as soon as he came, he exclaimed, "King, you're really something! I would love to find out how you made this possible, but I'll have to forget it anyway. Anyway, all of you, welcome to the Order! Your King can give you the introduction. Come, the Overseer awaits."

Smiling between themselves, they followed, but in their minds, they were all thinking the same thing.

"First step: Success."

Chapter 782: Raising a Storm in the Newcomer Trials 1

Unlike what Daneel had initially assumed on seeing the humongous size of the arena, it was not the only thing present in the mountain which was clustered with the most advanced formations to have ever existed on Angaria.

The arena did take up a lot of space, but there was one other room which was so hidden that only a handful even knew that it existed.

It had a common name: 'Room of Affairs', which was titled on the plain door that only those who had gained the permission to find it could see.

These three words, though, served to make every Hero who appeared in front of the door puff up with pride, as them being there meant that they had finally advanced into the big leagues.

Indeed, this was the room where most of the discussion regarding the Order would happen, and it was also where the Overseer was ever-present. When needed, he would make avatars of himself appear in other places, but like the Head who had to be stationed in a specific place to handle all the formations that protected the continent, the Overseer needed to be present here to handle the formations that protected the continent's hopes and dreams.

Right now, there was a heated argument going on inside.

The room was actually where Daneel and Cain had been teleported to before: there was that eerie sun with all the faces blinking in and out of existence, and all around it, only darkness could be seen unless the Overseer decided to shed light.

At present, multiple spots of light could be seen all around the Overseer, and they all represented the strongest Heroes who had bound the most stringent of oaths to the Order, and had thus gained the trust and permission to attend and take a part in the decisions of this illustrious organization whose name was now more dazzlingly pure than any time in the past.

Cain stood in one of those spots, and although he could vaguely make out the others, the only one he could see clearly was the Overseer.

This was how it was designed to be in case secrecy was required even here, but oftentimes, Cain found this redundant, as there was no one who still bothered to make their voices indistinguishable so that they would be able to hide and not expose their identity.

For instance, he could tell that the one barking like a dog right now was the Hero with the moniker 'Stormwreaker'.

He was known for both his thunderous anger and his absolute superiority in the aspect of thunder, and he was also known for being outspoken when it came to things he became affixed on.

And right now…it looked like he really didn't like the motion that Cain had put forward.

"Yes, there are a lot of newcomers, but see their origins! Five of them are from the Central Continent! FIVE! That's a quarter of all the newcomers! Not that I have anything against the Central Continent- everyone knows that my wife is from there! But I am convinced that all five of them just lucked out and were able to defeat those in the Order who were taken in because of their relation to the members, instead of their talent! In that case, it is an absolute waste of resources to follow Cain's suggestion. It would do well for the Reaper to remember that he shouldn't think that we will pass every thing he puts forward just because of his contributions to the Order!"

Those last words were meant to sting him, but Cain shrugged them off.

He was a man who stood by his gut, and his gut had told him that the group of five he had just spoken to were…special.

He couldn't explain it, but this was actually his department. It was this same feeling which had allowed him to pick out seed after successful seed, and the only reason he wasn't saying that now was that it felt both vaguer, and stronger at the same time, which confused even him.

This was actually the best indication that he was on the right track, and hence, he had rushed here right afterward and suggested the thing which had led to all of this discussion.

It didn't look like it would end any time soon, though, so Cain decided to draw one of his trump cards.

Living for such a long time in the Order gave him certain…benefits, and he had never shirked in using them for someone he believed.

"Stormwreaker, I'm calling in the favor regarding your son. Madam Bottomless, recall the time when your daughter was going to kill herself. Brother Fellhorn, your son would still be in that rut if it weren't for me. Everyone, I feel that this is what we should do, and I am ready to put my money where my mouth is. And instead of money, what I have here are all the favors that I've given freely all this while. Overseer, take a vote."

The Overseer's robotic voice spoke out right after, saying, "Adjudicator Cain has called for the vote. His authority allows him to do so. As is custom, I ask the room for those who wish to step forward and stop the motion from going through. If you do not wish for this to happen, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Cain's strong words had seemingly woven a spell of silence in the darkroom filled with the most powerful individuals in Angaria, and even after the Overseer repeated his words three times, there was no one who dared to go against the Reaper, especially when he was prepared to go all out.

As a result, when the Overseer spoke again, Cain had a smile on his face.

"Motion has been passed. Newcomer trials have been changed. New assignments will be given in one hour. Please stand by."

"Don't say I didn't do anything for you, King. Use this opportunity well, and learn enough to push you to the top as quickly as possible."

Saying this under his breath, Cain teleported away, and Daneel coughed, interrupting Eloise who had been talking.

They were all once again in the Hall of Beginning, and the four had already sworn their oaths. They had pretended to take a look at the rulebooks, but they hadn't wasted much time as they trusted that Daneel must definitely have gone through it thoroughly anyway.

After asking them to wait, Cain had left, and it had been 15 minutes since his departure. Eloise had begun to talk about everything she had noticed so far, but interrupting her again, Cain reappeared behind them.

He had the smallest of smiles on the corner of his mouth, and after looking at them all, he said, "Sorry about that, I had to run a small errand. Anyway, follow me. It's time to begin your newcomer trials."

With that, he started leading them in the direction of the humongous chair that was present in the room.

Newcomer trials? What the heck were those?

As if sensing their question, Cain spoke up while walking.

"All newcomers are first made into groups, as most of the missions given by the Order to show one's worth and gain rewards are team-based. Teams can change at any time, but only a maximum of four people can be in a team. You can decide between yourselves how you want to split up. Your friend, Cassandra, will also be joining one of the teams you split into, so keep that in mind, and as for the last person, they can be picked at random, or you can choose to have a team of three. Of course, I say 'last person', because you are 7 people- the Divine Cockroach is also with you. For a year, she will be staying with you, King, so she has to be in your team.

"Anyway, it is the custom that even before you are introduced to the ways of the Order, you will first undergo a mission designed to show you what the Order represents, and why teamwork is important. Even in the Big Four, this aspect is thoroughly underestimated because of all the headstrong idiots who believe that they can only go the furthest if they stand alone. After this mission, you will be introduced to your quarters in the Order, the Order's Mission Area and a gathering place where you can talk to others of the Order.

"One last thing. All of you will have to pick monikers for yourselves, as your true names and identities will be hidden in the Order from here on. Again, this is to correspond with the rules of secrecy, and only those in upper management will know who you are. The rest of the Order's members will be completely oblivious, and hence, you can go about showing as much power as you wish without worrying about anyone targeting you as a result. As you know, even the upper management is bound by the strictest of rules, so they can only see your results and not know how you got them. Right, we're here."

Cain's method of shooting out these bits of information was kind of disorienting, but Daneel and the rest were able to keep up.

It was simple: they had to split into groups, and their identities would be concealed.

Daneel had already known of the group part before they set off, so the decision had been taken regarding how they would split up.

They had drawn a lot of plans in relation to this, but at the moment, they just pretended like they were discussing, before Daneel nodded and declared their decision.

"I, Skrr and Eloise will be in one team, and the rest will be in the other."

Daneel hadn't wanted to waste any time after arriving, so he actually felt glad that they were being thrown right into the action.

With an enigmatic smile appearing on his face, Cain nodded and said, "All right. Because this is the first mission, someone will be assigned to you to guide you regarding how missions usually go in the Order. Ah, here he is."

They had arrived right in front of the chair, and because it was so large, them standing in front of it made it seem as if they were just standing in front of a regular wall.

Right as Cain said those words, a man clad in brown robes appeared out of nowhere.

He first gracefully bowed to Cain before moving to Daneel's side, who had already split apart.

Seeing this and nodding, Cain said, "Everything is in order. If it feels like we are rushing, we are. As the war is near, most of the custom rituals of the Order have been abolished. If these were normal times, all of you would be in the process of being treated to a long history lesson and explanation regarding the Order at this moment. Instead of that, we're getting into the fight. In the mission, you will be cooperating with another team, so make sure to keep a close watch and learn. You will directly be teleported to your mission areas in a few moments. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Order. Now, standby."

Like a whirlwind which came and left abruptly, Cain teleported away after leaving behind a few masks that were like transparent gels that attached to their face, and Daneel could only stare at the spot where he had stood with bewilderment on his face.

Why did something seem wrong?

The newcomer spoke up at this moment, clearing the air a bit in the process.

"Don't worry, all of you. We will be going to an easy mission, where a low-level team will show you the ropes. Put on your masks, first. I'm already wearing mine, and this is not my real face."

Obliging, all seven of them did so, and it was only Skrr who needed a little coaxing. Still, she was quiet at the moment mostly because she was an unfamiliar place, but it was a given that her real side would soon come out.

Seeing this and nodding, the newcomer continued, saying, "Don't worry, Master Cain blocked your faces from my vision when I came, so I have no idea how you look. Regarding the mission, there might be a bit of fighting, but it won't be-"

BOOOOMMM!!!!!

The man's words were abruptly cut off, as they had just been teleported to a place which startled them all so much that they were tongue-tied for quite a few moments.

Even Skrr, who had relatively been carefree until now, suddenly moved closer to Daneel, and Eloise did the same.

If they had looked up, they would have seen that the other team hadn't appeared, but they were too transfixed on the sight in front of them.

A massive…shark, of sorts, was wildly thrashing about in the water below them.

Indeed, they had abruptly been teleported out into the sea, and no matter in which direction they looked, there were only the crashing waves which had made that sound before.

The shark was 80 feet(25 m) long, and at least 30 feet(9) wide at its middle. It was night time, but the moonlight still illuminated its razor-sharp teeth, each of which were at least half a foot long.

It was the newcomer's words which snapped them out of their shock, but what he said did nothing to help their rapidly beating hearts.

"Hey…is this a joke? Missions in the Endless Sea are supposed to be all 4-star ones! This one even looks like a damn Champion-level 5-star mission! What the f*ck are we doing here?"

Right as he was done speaking, four people appeared beside them, and everything happening so far was such a medley of chaos that Daneel didn't even know what to think anymore.

He had come in expecting a calm welcome, a period of them settling in, and then some time where he could investigate as he wished.

However…he was now in the middle of nowhere, with a shark that looked like it really wanted to make them its snack.

At this point, nothing much could surprise him, but the words of those who had appeared did.

"Hmph, watch, newbies. This is how you do a mission. I don't know what they were thinking to send you lot on this one. Just don't interfere, or we might end up killing you, too. Aegis team, move out."

This statement…finally made Daneel understand just what the f*ck was going on.

For some reason, they had been thrust into a situation where they couldn't possibly be of enough help.

Instead, the objective seemed that it was to motivate them, and this was evident in Cain's words so far.

With the crashing waves and the peals of thunder that could be heard from above, Daneel decided that this was a ripe opportunity to continue his journey on his new path.

The old Daneel would have carefully observed this team and looked for ways to scheme and either bring them into his fold, or gain their confidence in some manner. He would have started to make long-term plans from the get-go, and he would have advocated that they should keep their heads low, as they were in a new place.

Yet, this new Daneel simply said 'F*ck all that.'

They wanted to motivate him by throwing him into a difficult mission, and making him watch as others showed their abilities.

Now…how would it be if he turned that on its head and sent a big 'f*ck you' to those who had pulled off this stunt?

With a mischievous smile tugging at his lips, Daneel spoke in a tone that made the newcomer look at him as if he were a madman.

"Let's begin raising a storm from here, itself. Skrr, do you like shark meat?"

Chapter 783: Raising a Storm in the Newcomer Trials 2 2-in-1

"Hey…please don't get carried away! That's a Champion level Great Shark that can even contend against the best of the best in the Champion realm! There are dedicated training classes regarding how one should handle these things, and if it weren't for their highly nutritious meat which is excellent as training resources for Champions, we wouldn't risk our lives to bother it!"

"Shark meat? Skrr used to love meat, but when Skrr was sleeping, Skrr could only eat plants! Yucky, yucky plants! Yes, yes, Skrr would love some meat! Mommy said meat makes us strong, and Skrr has to be strong enough to give birth to hundreds and hundreds of babies!"

"And you?"

"I used to love it when…never mind! Yes, I would love some!"

The newcomer could only stare, flabbergasted, as the trio discussed among themselves, almost ignoring him.

The two ladies who had average features had even begun to smack their lips, and that was too much for the newcomer.

"This is no joke! We could die if we don't move away right now! You newbies-"

The newcomer had always prided himself on his steel nerves.

He had the knack of being able to face any situation with calmness, but when the man in the three whom he had been assigned to suddenly fixed his gaze on him…he felt as if he were one step away from death.

His breathing hastened, and his heart started to beat frantically. His pupils dilated, and his body almost activated his life-saver techniques.

Yet…in barely a second, that was all gone, and a smile came once again on the man's face.

What…the f*ck had just happened?

As a splash of water that had been thrown up by the crashing waves fell on his face, his mind finally returned from where it had fled to in that moment, and all the sounds around him assaulted him at once.

Had he imagined it? But…the sweat on his brow was real!

And even his heart was still not calm!

But how could a newbie possibly…

The three had started to once again idly discuss regarding shark meat, and as the newcomer observed, he saw that the man had the easy air of confidence about him that he had only seen on a few people.

When he had entered the Order, his old man, who was also a member, had given him just one advice.

"The Order is the one place on the continent where all expectations go to die. A frail-looking kid could be a top-tier Champion, and someone with a sallow complexion could actually be a master of Life and Death. Son, no matter what you do, do not judge people by their appearances, and always be on your guard."

Yes. It was time to listen to his old man, for once.

Something was definitely wrong here, and it was best if he moved carefully.

With a gulp, he spoke again, and this time, he did so calmly.

"I am only here to explain the rules to you. Beyond that, I can help you if you make a plan, but only if I decide that it is within my capabilities."

Daneel smiled inwardly as he heard this, while discussing the different ways in which shark meat could be cooked with Eloise and Skrr.

The little Divine Cockroach's eyes were wide open, as, of course, she hadn't tasted any cooked food yet.

As for Eloise, she was enthusiastically joining in the discussion, knowing that it must be because Daneel was confident in handling the situation.

While all of this was going on, the other team had been observing them instead of 'moving out', and after they heard the newcomer say this, they finally walked forward.

One of them, who had been the one who said that dialogue before, was grumbling under her breath, and it was easy for Daneel to eavesdrop using the system to find out what she was saying.

"Every time. Every time! I say 'move out', and no one moves. Argh!"

It looked like he wasn't the only one who overheard her, though, as a member of the team, who was a tall man with a broad chest and a cleanshaven face turned around while they walked towards them and said, "That's because it is dumb to 'move out' before assuring, with certainty, that we won't face interference. True, we might end up killing them, but that will also result in us facing a difficult situation because we will have lost precious time."

As soon as the team reached them, the newcomer gave a start and bowed, and he looked like he had still not recovered from the scare Daneel had given him.

Daneel had done so that he could judge the man, as he believed that the way one reacted in such a situation told a lot about someone. His reaction told him that he was actually someone sensible who wasn't likely to throw around airs, and that was a great thing.

It was that same tall man who spoke again after he arrived.

"Listen. I'll save this guy here the trouble, and I'll explain what is going to happen. The Order has traps set up all over the Endless Sea. Great Sharks like these often get trapped, but because of their strength, it is impossible to also deploy killing formations on a large scale, as that would take too many resources. So, the onus falls to us to kill the Sharks before they deplete the trapping formations and escape. This is one of the missions with the most rewards, but also the most risk. Injury is assured, and there are often deaths, too. But if you are stupid enough to overestimate yourself and enter the fray, then maybe you deserve to die, as it is better that you die here than on the battlefield, where you might cause the deaths of others who depended on you, too."

It was quite clear to whom these words were directed at, and Daneel just sneered in response.

He had already decided. His identity was completely concealed, and to everyone, he simply looked like a young man with combed-back hair, a rich mustache and a strong jaw. Coincidentally, this face fit perfectly with the identity of an arrogant World Dominator that he was going to assume.

Seeing the sneer, the man actually didn't react, but his companions did.

They comprised of another man and two women, and all four looked like they wanted to walk forward and smack him on his face.

They controlled themselves, though, as the man's voice rang again, just loudly enough to be heard over the sounds of the crashing waves and the thrashing shark.

"There are two phases. The first is the kill. The second is the harvest. Both are crucial. In the first one, two of us will distract the shark, and the other two will use a special formation that will dull the shark's senses to begin opening a cavity in the side of its skin from where they will enter. The shark will feel nothing, and after carefully maneuvering to the heart, they will pierce it and end the shark's life. The heart is the weakness of Great Sharks. The second phase will be when all of you will have to use the trinkets we give to harvest the meat. We can't teleport because it is too dangerous in the Endless Sea where elementary particles are constantly in a state of chaos. While you harvest, the four of us will hold off all the other creatures that will come after sensing the scent of this one. If you value your lives, just stay here in the first phase, as the Great Shark will easily gobble you up or smash you to bits if you dare to draw near. For precaution's sake, I am placing a barrier around you. If you try to move out of it, I will attack. Aegis team, move out."

Before anyone else could say anything, a barrier had been put in place, and the four had zoomed away, leaving Daneel and the rest standing there with the background of thunderous clouds that kept constantly moving, almost as if they wanted to swoop down and swallow all of existence.

Eloise tightened her lips, and Skrr pointed her finger in their direction and said, "Bad man! Skrr didn't like the feeling he gave!"

The newcomer, though…actually heaved a sigh of relief.

He had been dreading the moment when the crazy guy he was assigned to might go and do something dumb, but this way, there was no chance of that happening.

They didn't even need to test the barrier to tell that it was the Hero-level, which meant that even a few Champions went all out, they would need a little bit of time to break through.

Eloise looked to Daneel to see what he would say.

She had been quite apprehensive, too, when they had arrived, seeing that shark that had made her gape with shock.

Yet, she trusted Daneel absolutely, and as he had said that they would turn the tables, she had started to look forward to see how he would do that.

Would he have to change his plan, now?

With this question in her eyes, she looked to Daneel, and as a smile came on his face again, she understood right away that that was not the case.

Daneel didn't say anything, but he was irked by the attitude of these people.

From the words of the newcomer, he had understood that it was probably the norm that newbies would be directed by experienced teams, instead of being restricted to a place.

So…he decided to teach them a lesson.

Down below, the four had just reached their destination.

The two that had taken the duty of distracting the shark were the tall man who had spoken before and a slender woman who stood beside him.

Seeing them appear in front of it, the gigantic shark that had been struggling until now suddenly started to move much more vigorously.

It was trapped by invisible chains that were keeping it just below the surface of the sea, and that was why it was visible.

It kept snapping at the two, daring them to come closer.

The two first checked whether the other two were in position. On seeing that they were standing by, the tall man and the woman actually…joined their hands.

As they did so, Daneel witnessed something that made even him step forward with interest.

The man and woman had begun to cast a spell, and the way in which they did so was the most beautiful that Daneel had ever soon.

They shared the burden, each one playing off the other. Where one pulled, the other pushed. Where one needed a certain type of elementary particle, the other would place it there beforehand.

The result…was that a spell which would have needed four or five Champions to cast came into being with the efforts of just two.

As it burst into existence, the reason behind the name of the team became clear.

It was a massive bronze shield 30 feet(10 m) in height in the shape of the sun, which looked like it would defend against both the angels of heaven and the demons of hell. It looked indestructible and invulnerable, and it was also decorated with beautiful patterns made of motes of red light which revolved around its edge that was serrated.

As the two moved a bit forward so that they were barely in reach of the Shark, it showed that this really was the case, as no matter how much it butted its head against the shield or tried to use its jaws to break it into pieces, it was all for naught.

The shark didn't give up, though. It kept attacking more and more violently, and it became clear to those who were watching that the two were getting tired.

Yet, their efforts were effective, as the other two had already succeeded in making a bloody hole right below the shark's sawtoothed fin.

Everything looked like it was going great, and it seemed that they would smoothly succeed in doing what they had set out to do.

However…that was only if Daneel didn't have his say.

His smile stretching to the corners of his mouth, he sent a message to the system.

Down below, the man was constantly keeping an eye on these pesky newbies.

By his estimate, they would be done in a few seconds, and he could dust his hands off the matter.

Just as he was about to ask his companion regarding whether they could go grab lunch together after this mission was done, a bad feeling crept up his spine, making him snap his head up and wonder what the heck could have caused it.

It all looked normal, but just as he was about to look away…all hell broke loose, with no warning whatsoever.

SMASH!

With a loud sound, the constraints that had been keeping the shark at bay actually…broke.

For a moment, the man was so bewildered on seeing the Great Shark's joy that he almost let go of his companion's hand.

It had had no option but to snap at them from a distance without putting forth its full strength, as they had been taking care to stay just out of reach. It could still attack them with an effort, but most of its strength would be wasted each time on stretching its constraints to reach them.

However, now…it lunged forward with full force to finally take revenge.

Thankfully, right before disaster was about to strike, years of training kicked in, making the man narrow his eyebrows and say, "Aegis, ultimate mode!"

He managed to rouse his companion who had also been frozen with surprise, and as one, they put forward all of their strength to make the bronze shield shine with a golden light.

SNAP!

With an ear-wrenching sound, the massive jaw of the Great Shark actually caused the shield to cave in, and a few teeth even managed to penetrate it.

The two stared at it with horror, and they even started to get messages of panic from the two inside who had been thrown around due to the sudden movement.

Even the man was convinced that they were doomed, and his hand inched toward a trinket that had been given by his master to be used if he was afraid that his life would be lost.

However, in the next moment…the shark suddenly stopped and looked into the air.

Following its sight, the man was about to curse, as this day that had already suddenly devolved into such a mess was about to get worse.

The Shark had found easier targets, so leaving behind the shield which was like a tough nut that it couldn't crack, it took a small dip and then jumped into the air.

Great Sharks were known to be powerful enough to be able to leap over 80 feet(25 m) into the air, and it was easy for it to reach the four people who were helplessly standing above it.

The man didn't even have time to react. He had been hit by the backlash of his shield being broken into, and all he could do was stare and wonder whether he would get into trouble for not doing his duty of protecting the newbies.

Well, there would be a fine, but he could pay it off.

The moment the shark had eyed them, he knew that their fate was set. Hence, his thoughts had already started to go in this direction.

He did keep watching, though, as the open jaws of the Shark reached closer and closer to the orb in the air which was the formation he had placed. It would swallow it whole, and even the Hero-level formation would quickly break apart when it came into contact with the powerful acids present in the shark's stomach. The four couldn't even teleport out, so even if they did put up some feeble resistance, they were destined to meet their death.

It went in the way he thought. In barely the span of a second, the barrier disappeared into the depths of its mouth, and right before it splashed back into the Endless Sea, the two that were inside barely managed to make their way out of the small hole they had made.

As one, all four of them looked on as the Shark continued to dive deep, intending to get away before it was bound again.

The four regrouped, and for a moment, they didn't find any words to say.

After that, though, it was the tall man who spoke up.

"A moment of silence for our fallen comrades."

The moment didn't last very long, and none of the four got very sad expressions either.

With a shrug, the man continued.

"Well, we are going to be fined, but let's share it. We- look out, it's back!"

His shout filled with panic was because of the fact that he saw a large figure appearing out of the depths of the Sea, and hearing it, all four of them got into formation.

Yet, that…was when they were treated to a sight they would remember for the rest of their lives.

It was, indeed, the shark, but the thing was…that it was its underside that was floating up to the surface.

Seeing this, the four got flabbergasted expressions on their faces, but they remained in place, wondering whether there might be an even greater threat.

Soon, with the sound of splashing water, the shark's body broke the surface of the sea and started to bob on the waves.

The man was extremely confused. The Shark didn't even look injured, but it was clear that it was dead.

"What should we do?", his companion asked, and he could tell that all three of them were quite shaken due this turn of events.

Even he felt a chill in his back that refused to go away. They were all just 18 years old, and they still had not gotten the maturity to face such situations completely unperturbed.

With a gulp, he put on a show of confidence and said, "Let's check it out."

Nodding, the other three followed as their captain wearily approached the shark while still holding onto the hand of his companion so that they could conjure the Aegis if necessary.

Everything seemed to be in order, though, as nothing untoward happened until they reached the shark.

But just as they were about to touch it to see what was wrong, they received the shock of their lives.

BAM!

In an explosive shower of blood and flesh, a gash appeared on the shark's skin, and all four of the team started to scream.

Was it a deep-sea monster that had been hiding to target them? Was it an enemy who had lain a trap for them? Were they going to be killed, too?

"AAAAAHHHHHH- wait, what?"

The scream of the man suddenly stopped, though, when he finally saw the people who emerged from the gash.

They were…the four whom they had just 'mourned'.

The man who had spoken those arrogant words before looked at him and smiled, and that smile made his skin crawl.

In a jolly voice, he said, "Hiya! How are you all on this fine day?"

This extremely out of place greeting only served to make the four blink and wonder whether they had gotten delusional, but it was the man who recovered first and asked in a frantic tone, "What the hell happened?"

The answer…was delivering in a nonchalant tone that made him want to punch the one in front of him.

"Oh, I killed it, that's all. And because it was taking so long to break out, we had a snack. How's the meat, guys?"

Until now, the man had focused on the one who had appeared out of the gash first, so he hadn't paid much attention to the others.

So, when he did divert his focus to them to see what they were doing…he felt like pulling out his hair.

The two women…actually had fat pieces of shark meat that had been cooked perfectly in their hands, and they were ecstatically taking bites while wiping the drool that kept flowing from their mouths.

As the man even heard the sound of lips smacking behind him, he turned around and glared at the other woman in his team who had a penchant for acting however she wished, regardless of the situation.

The other two were stuck in amazement like him, and the man spoke to break them out of it.

He folded his arms and said, "Nick, go check if this newbie is taking credit for your work. Maybe one of your leftover weapons managed to find its heart."

He had noticed that the two had appeared without their weapons, which they must have left behind in panic.

The chance of this happening was small, but the chance of a newbie killing a Great Shark was even smaller.

Hence, the man had convinced himself that it was all a fluke, and that this guy was just posturing by using the opportunity.

They continued staring into each other's eyes, with the newbie still having that easy smile that irritated him so much.

A moment later, though, he received an urgent message from the one he had sent inside.

"Captain, you should see this! Come quickly!"

What the f*ck could the matter be that he couldn't find out about it through the trinket?

With a humph, the man went inside the Shark, and with curiosity, the other two followed.

The four newbies, with the newcomer who seemed to be paralyzed with disbelief stayed outside, and as the three reached the cavity where the Shark's heart was present, they found their team member staring with an astonished expression on his face at the human-sized blob of meat that was still at the moment.

Soon, they understood the reason behind his amazement.

The heart…was spotless.

There was no damage on it whatsoever, and it even looked like it would start beating again at any moment.

The same question appeared in all of their minds at the same time.

If this was the case…how the f*ck had the Shark died?

It was the one who had been sent first who spoke.

"Guys…did you see the eyes of the Great Shark before?"

They shook their heads, to which he said, "I did. I found a strange emotion in them, but I couldn't place it. Now, I get it. Hey, don't say I'm crazy, here, but this Shark…was scared. It was so f*cking scared that it even emptied its bladder, which I found peculiar on the way here. And it seems that it was also so scared…that it died."

These words echoed in the bloody cavity, and even the one who had said them looked like he didn't believe them.

After a pause, it was the man who spoke.

"Preposterous. Perhaps he did something else? Maybe it was poisoned? Yes, people can die of fear, but I've never heard it happen to a damn Great Shark! These things are supposed to be fearless even when they face foes much stronger than them!"

In a low voice, the woman whose hand he had been holding before to cast the shield spoke.

"There's a way to make sure. If a being dies of fear, its heart may be kickstarted again with force. Captain, punch it."

The man first looked at her as if she was crazy, but after that, he realized that she was right.

Letting out a breath and telling himself that this was the way to prove that that guy had been acting, he readied himself and threw a punch at the heart that was strong enough to make it bulge inwards, but not get injured.

What happened next…would forever be engraved into their minds.

BANG!

As the four took a step back while looking like they had been struck by a lightning bolt at the Hero level, the heart began to frantically beat, and they also heard the sounds of the Shark moving suddenly in the water.

It was a frantic movement, though, filled with desperation, and in the background…they heard a low sound that they had to prick their ears to pick up.

When they did, they found that it was a whine filled with so much fear that they, too, felt their hearts beating faster in response as it managed to influence them and make them understand just how much fear was necessary in order to make one die of it.

In a few seconds, the heart stopped again, as the temporary revival was not effective enough to bring it back to life. That fear had still been present, and it looked like it had done its job again.

The proof was in front of their eyes, and the four could only stare at each other, incredulity and disbelief apparent in their eyes.

Up above, Daneel had chuckled when he felt the Shark move.

In anticipation, he had already made them float, so they weren't harmed as the Shark relived its final moments before its death.

There's a reason why only one Leviathan was able to be killed throughout history.

Musing to himself in this manner, he decided to have just a bit more fun, as he had really not liked the way they had been 'mourned'.

"System, use the Shapeshifter Bloodline to mimic this Great Shark, and make it send out a mating call."

Let's see if your Aegis can deal with this…

Saying so in his mind, he patted Skrr's head and said, "Eat all you want. Don't worry, there's more coming."

Chapter 784: Raising a Storm in the Newcomer Trials End

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Cain was idly sitting in a large auditorium where two Heroes were facing off against each other. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

There was nothing interesting to see in this match, so although he was supposed to be watching and giving advice, his mind was elsewhere.

Specifically, it was on the mission which he had engineered, and he wondered how the team from the Central Continent was doing.

Even now, he didn't really understand why he had done it.

Maybe it was the fact that they were the first from the Central Continent to enter the Order in a long, long time, and that, too, as a group from a single place.

Or maybe it was something he had seen in the king who had made waves all over Angaria, and even in the Order.

Whatever the case, it had led him to believe that he should pay special attention to that group, and he really hoped that they were soaking in all the experience so that they could have a great start in the Order.

It was a very rare opportunity to see a top team @@

Chapter 785: Order Headquarters 1

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Daneel had really been taking it easy, as he knew that even if the Aegis team failed horribly in keeping them safe, he could just use the aura of the Godbeast to scare away the Great Sharks.

True, the last time he had used this idea, it had almost ended in a disaster with Skrr, but this time, the situation was under control.

These Great Sharks were just oversized beasts which had used the abundant Energy present in the Endless Sea to grow to a size where very few things could even hope to harm them. They might be the descendants of a Godbeast, but that didn't mean that they had the same power, or prestige.

Hence, when faced by one which used to terrorize even their ancestor, they would have no option but to flee, or die. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Using the system, Daneel could dial the 'intensity' of the aura, making it vary between the effect that would be caused if the Leviathan just glared at something, or if the Godbeast had decided to kill the one it was looking by any means, mea @@

Chapter 786: Order Headquarters 2

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"Ehem– welcome to the Headquarters of the Order. I was assigned both to give you an introduction about this place, and to help you in the battle, but… I guess the latter was unnecessary."

After Daneel sent his message, he heard this statement coming from the newcomer whom he had mostly ignored until now.

The man had been terrified silly when he had seen Daneel simply look at the heart and make it stop beating, and it looked like he had started to believe that there was some unfathomable power which belonged to him that could not be estimated in any manner. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Well, it was to be expected, because the man had been thoroughly panicked when they had found themselves inside the body of the Shark. He had even begun to pray to the Heavens in desperation, so seeing the entire matter resolved in barely a moment using a method which seemed to be completely inconceivable must definitely have had quite a lot of effect on him, which had made him stay silent until now and finally s @@

Chapter 787: Buzzing Bees

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For a few seconds after he heard the reply, Daneel remained standing there in the air.

He…just couldn't believe it. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"Skrr wants to see, too!"

Skrr's cute voice woke him up from his reverie, causing him to get a broad smile on his face and move aside.

He…just couldn't believe what he had just heard.

Even for a few moments after Skrr started to fiddle with the interface with Eloise's help, Daneel could only stand and keep smiling to himself, following which he finally came back to his senses when he heard the little Divine Cockroach's enthusiastic cry.

"Yes! It says Skrr can search the whole continent for male Divine Cockroaches! But Skrr should finish missions…where are these missions?"

Putting aside his thoughts for the moment, Daneel focused on what Skrr's display screen was showing.

In the panel which had the title 'Missions', there were none, and there was only a message which read 'Anomalous Case. Await further instructions for cla @@

Chapter 788: A Battle

Just like his underlings, the pierced man also burst into a loud round of laughter, and he seemed to be the type to completely let himself go whenever he was expressing his emotions. He actually clapped his hands on Aran's shoulder repeatedly, and it was obvious that his commander was really in a mood to retort and make him visit his worst nightmare, but he controlled himself and simply moved to the side, knowing that this man's just desserts would soon arrive.

After a few seconds, though, it all started to die down, as Daneel just remained standing there with a smile, making it clear that he was not joking. As this started to become clear, more and more people stopped laughing, and their faces changed to show anger.

The last to realize it was actually the one who had spoken first, and when his transformed, it was into such a state that his face almost swelled up like a tomato, making Daneel wonder whether the piercings would fly out and impale everyone nearby if the size of his face increased any further.

He fumed for a few moments, after which he looked like he was thoroughly controlling himself and reminding himself that he was in a place where no fights were supposed to happen. This was written in the rule book, too, and it was apparently a very strict rule where detractors could be punished very harshly.

He even started to tremble, and he continued to close and open his fists continuously. After that, though, finally, he looked up at Daneel and said, "The Heavens offered you a boon, but you spit on it and asked to be destroyed. Newbie, get ready to be stomped. Follow me."

Saying so, he started to briskly walk one direction, and each of his underlings looked at Daneel as if he was a dead man and even started to make gestures such as using their finger to draw a line across their throats.

Daneel still remained graciously smiling throughout it all, and after the group of 10 people passed, he finally went up to his commanders and said, "I guess you had an eventful mission."

It was Elanev who answered.

"Yup, I guess you can say that. It was fun, though, definitely, but how could we have known that we would draw the attention of this bunch? That guy with holes all over his body was in the team who came to instruct us and ended up drawing with us in the mission, and after that, he refused to leave our side. He was tagging along throughout the introduction about this place given by someone who was assigned for that duty, and after that was done, he put forward the request, and Cassandra was of the opinion that we should just burn him to ash and get it over with. Even though he's powerful, he's no match for all four of us combined. Faxul intervened, and said that we should let you handle the matter. I guess it is pretty surprising to see that he is actually the most calm-headed among all of us."

Daneel smiled at his best friend he heard this, and he knew that this had always been an aspect of his character. Except on issues which troubled him greatly, he could keep a cool head and make the best decisions. With his power growing in leaps and bounds, and with that experience where his arrogance had all been destroyed in its entirety, it looked like Faxul had quickly grown up.

Next, though, Daneel's eyes wandered to Cassandra, but he decided to speak to her later. This was the first time he was seeing her since the entire ordeal that they had been through together, and he knew for a fact that she must have uncovered a lot of memories, and found out the reality of what had happened during her childhood. He was curious to know everything about that, but it had to wait.

"Oi! If you think that you can get away with it after acting so arrogant, you're dreaming!"

Hearing the loud shout from the pierced man who was at the head of the delegation and who had turned around to see that those whom he was supposed to be leading were actually not following, Daneel smiled and gestured forward, indicating that they should all oblige.

It was only after they reached the back of the group that they all started moving again, and Daneel remained silent, deciding to converse with his sovereigns later on.

There were two reasons he had agreed to this fight, which he would usually have tried to resolve in a different manner if he was his self from before. One was that it would begin his journey in the Order with a bang, and he wanted nothing else. The other… Was related to the first item that he had placed on the list of things he wanted to achieve here.

This item… Was the one related to him finding out about his master.

The menu given by the obelisk was customized for each and every person, and although there were a few things which were common such as those relating to power, there were others which were exclusive to those who were viewing it. For Daneel, these exclusive items had been both those relating to the things he could obtain which were useful in the Central Continent, and the one which related to his master.

Regardless of everything, the Church was the most prominent threat. His master had managed to infiltrate it, and finding out about him might give him some more information about just when the war might come, and that was invaluable for his plans. If he had a timeline, he could know deadlines he should stick to, and which things he could aim to realistically achieve. The time span given by his master before had been speculative, and he had no way to know whether anything might have changed.

To obtain this item… The menu had given information that he should be ready for a mission after accumulating at least 15 people who were ready to participate along with him, and whom he could command for the duration of the mission. Subsequent details needed this to be accomplished first.

It was tagged as a four stat mission, and it was obvious that he had been given a very difficult one for some reason. After all, for a newbie, accumulating 15 people from the highly talented individuals in the Order was no small feat.

Daneel had been meaning to go about it slowly, but with this strange group placing themselves on the platter to be sacrificed, he would be dumb to not use the opportunity and fulfill the conditions right away so that he could find out just what the mission was.

As he heard a voice float from the group in front of him, he stopped his musings and decided to listen for a bit to what those people were talking about.

"You should have listened to the boss! He was so impressed! It seems that this team is filled with all top tier talents! The only good thing is that they're still weak, so we can target them and take them under us, and when they're powerful, they can earn all sorts of things for us! The boss is a real genius, I tell you!"

"Right! Even if this guy is supposed to have taken them under his fold, how powerful can he be? He is also a newbie! Maybe he has a good Path, but with his power level, he can do nothing! The boss is a Peak Eminent Champion, after all!"

"I don't know. He looked like he was joking, but he might have something up his sleeve. Did you listen to the boss talking about those four's crazy abilities? That woman spit flames which could burn even barriers directly! And that guy's punches were apparently so powerful that they even gave trouble to the boss!"

"The other two were even more powerful! One of them made his opponent sit down and start crying, and the other used some kind of strange spell that apparently swallowed up or distorted the attacks of his opponent and made them helpless! If they weren't all really weak, there might have been a major change in the outcome, too! As it was, they still managed to perform as well as the team which was actually sent to advice them, and that happens so damn rarely! Even when it does, it is usually only when top tier seeds of the Big Four enter!"

"Well, it's obvious by now that they are hidden seeds, but I just wonder from which sects they're from…"

As Daneel heard all of this discussion, he understood that his sovereigns had obeyed his request and gone all out. He wasn't really worried about this, and even exposing Bloodlines was alright as he already knew by now that the hidden seeds of the Big Four had bloodlines within them anyway. Even if there were incongruities, the rules of secrecy would be enough, and none of his sovereigns could cross the two-realm limit, so it was fine to tell them to just have fun.

Elanev actually puffed up his chest as he heard this entire thing, and even though Cassandra and Aaron looked like they were unaffected, they still had proud smiles on their faces. As for Faxul, he did smirk for the briefest of moments, but after that, he remained stoic and focused on what they were doing next.

"We're here! I booked an auditorium for us! Say your prayers and goodbyes, and come in! All of you, go through there!"

They had arrived at another pair of large stone doors which were disjointed and just stood there in the open field, with no building around them, just like those that Daneel had entered before to get to his lodgings.

Hearing these bellowed words, the group of 10, along with the four sovereigns, entered a side door, and Daneel and the pierced man entered a larger one beside it.

Daneel just nodded at his sovereigns before they left, and as the two of them started to go through the corridor that greeted them, the pierced man spoke.

"I am called Spikeking. You'll find out why, soon. I did not wish for you to die without knowing the one that killed you."

Hearing this, Daneel only raised an eyebrow and gave no answer.

The pierced man humphed, and it looked like he had decided that he would show no mercy. He cracked his knuckles, and the sound echoed throughout the corridor.

Soon, they appeared at a door, and when they stepped through it, they reached a circular arena.

There were stands all around which could seat 200 people, so it was actually not that large, but there was ample space to fight.

Fourteen people were present in the stands, and as soon as the door closed, Daneel felt himself shoved from behind.

He gracefully flew forward, denying the shove from its intention of making him stumble, and at the same moment, he heard the words of the pierced man.

"I'm not a fan of words in the arena. Let's get this over with."

As Daneel turned around, he saw the man go through a bizarre transformation.

Holes appeared all over his body, and from each one, sharp spikes that seemed to be made of a bone-like material emerged.

As Daneel sensed them and felt their power, he smiled at the corner of his mouth, understanding right away that his opponent was a formidable foe in the Eminent Champion realm.

Well…it was too bad for him, because that was still comfortably under the 'two-realm' limit.

Seeing the Spikeking leap forward, all Daneel did…was raise his hand.

It was often said that power that was unfathomable was much scarier than that which could be explained.

Hence, Daneel had decided that until he needed to, he would make moves that were beyond anything that his foes could ever imagine.

As that was his objective, it was best if his move was quick, like a crack of thunder which would cause destruction in a heartbeat.

So, along with raising his hand, he said just a single word.

"Kneel."

BOOOOOOMMMM!!!!

For all those in the auditorium except the sovereign, it was as if the sky, itself, was falling on them.

A sound that would usually be accompanied by a world-ending explosion assaulted their ears, and at the same time, the gravity in the place where they stood grew to tenfold of what it had been before.

As if this wasn't enough, invisible hammers used the moment of surprise which was the result of that loud sound to smash into the heads of all those present, and for the Spikeking, all of these effects were doubled.

SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! SLA-…

All over the auditorium, the sounds of knees slamming to the ground was heard.

The last one was the loudest, and it was from the Spikeking, whose face was so clouded with shock that it looked as if he was convinced that he had entered some kind of nightmare.

Triumphantly folding his hands behind him, Daneel spoke in a booming voice that would be remembered forever by all those who knelt in front of him.

"Harken, members of the Order, for I, your Overlord, am here, and my word shall be your law. Either bow low and swear fealty, or return to Angaria, our mother, in the form of blood mixed with mashed bone and mangled sinew. The choice…is yours."

Chapter 789: His First Mission 1

For a few seconds after Daneel said those words, they reverberated throughout the area, burrowing again and again into the ears of those who were present.

Witnessing this grand sight, all for sovereigns got proud smiles on their faces as they controlled themselves from laughing out loud and announcing proudly that this was the man whom they had chosen to follow.

Of course, seeing such power, Faxul and Elanev also felt more motivated than ever, waiting for the day when they, themselves, could display such awesomeness.

With each second, Daneel had ordered the system to increase the pressure felt by each individual, and so, as the silence stretched done, all eleven of those who were under its effect kept getting pressed further and further into the ground. The entire arena looked like it was made of a material which would not break easily, but still, cracks started to appear on the stands, and as for the ground on which their boss was standing, it was sinking in, as if intending to swallow the Spikeking whole.

The expression of the pierced man who had been so confident before varied from shock to disbelief to anger and then finally to worry, as he glanced up to see his subordinates who were all suffering.

Looking at him, though, Daneel also spotted a very, very slight hint of pride, because even though they were under so much pain, none of them had spoken out without his permission.

This made Daneel raise both his eyebrows, as he had not expected such a sort of loyalty from this ragtag bunch who had targeted his commanders.

It made him want to succeed in this quest even more, but he knew that he had done all that he should. Speaking more might actually make it detrimental, so he just waited.

Soon, it turned out that he was right, because the Spikeking spoke out in a voice that was remarkably different from the one he had used before when speaking to Daneel.

"Alright, fine! Just stop! Any more, and their legs might break! You know we can't swear oaths, but we will agree to follow you!"

The second he said this, the pressure disappeared, and expressions of relief appeared on all eleven people as they stood up and stared at Daneel as if he was a monster.

Seeing them, Daneel clapped and said, "Great choice! You made the right one! Like I said before, you can call me Overlord, and as you must already have understood, I wasn't joking at all before when I asked whether you would be prepared to come under me if you lost."

The spikes all disappeared back into the body of the man, and he started to dust off the dirt that had accumulated on his clothes due to him almost prostrating on the ground due to all that pressure.

He also nursed the injuries on his knees for a bit, just like his subordinates, and it looked like he was trying really hard to change his attitude.

It was obvious by now that he was used to being in command and not being commanded, so Daneel gave him a little bit of time without being too harsh.

Finally, the man spoke up after gesturing to the stands to make all those who were standing there come over.

He waited until they arrived, and it didn't take long as there were no barriers separating the arena and the stands. That was the reason why Daneel's spell before had been able to affect them, too, and soon, the group had assembled.

All of the laughter and arrogance from before was gone, and they all only looked at Daneel resentfully, as if cursing the moment when they had decided to pick a fight with him.

Some of them also shot worried looks at their boss, as if concerned about how all of this was affecting him.

When they finally heard him speak, they relaxed a bit, especially because of the words he said.

"Aye, you did say so, and the Spikeking has never been one to not keep his word. I have no one else to blame, after all. The Order is a place filled with skulking vipers and disguised tigers. And I should have known better before feeling greedy. It should have been obvious that someone who could bring those four with their crazy powers under his control must be a man of many means, but I was still confident that my power would be enough. I see now how wrong I was. My subordinates might not be as powerful as me, but they are all Amateur champions, and even though I, too, would have been able to defeat them all single-handedly, I wouldn't have been able to do so so easily. Well, my power can't be compared to those were the most powerful in my realm, anyway. Just like I promised, we will swear to follow you, in accordance to the team rules of the Order."

Until the last statement, Daneel was listening calmly, but when he heard the words 'team rules of the Order', he got a puzzled expression on his face as he had no idea what they were.

Noticing this, the Spikeking looked like he was going to explain, but he suddenly winced as he felt his knees throb with pain again.

Getting a thought, he said, "Follow me. Let's get to a damn bar first."

Saying so, he first started to march away, but then, as if remembering what had just happened, he turned around and looked at Daneel.

Laughing, Daneel nodded, and the Spikeking heaved a sigh of relief and lead the way out of the auditorium.

They made a strange group, with eleven limping individuals and five who all had broad smiles on their faces. Soon, they reached a large building with the words "Jones's Bar and Clinic."

Huh? Bar and clinic?

Quite amused by this strange combination, Daneel followed all eleven individuals inside, and his sovereigns came in with him.

Just as the name suggested, they were greeted with a very strange place.

It was divided into two areas, and there was a bar counter which ran along the length of the long building.

Even this bar counter was also divided, and on one side of it, the cupboards were stacked with healing materials.

On the other, of course, there were all kinds of bottles filled with all sorts of wine, and there were people sitting morosely while nursing the drinks in front of them.

The smell of herbs mixed with that of hard alcohol, lending this place a unique atmosphere the likes of which Daneel had never seen before.

As for the other side, there were a few beds laid out, and at the moment, all of them were empty. A motherly lady was sitting near the beds, and as soon as she saw the eleven walk in, she shouted, "Jones! We have people coming to use both our services! Get the healing wine ready!"

As soon as she said this, a man rose from the counter on the other side. He was wearing a vest exposing his ripped body, and he had a mustache which he twirled as he chuckled heartily to himself and pulled out four bottles which were filled with a green liquid.

The woman ushered all eleven of the group to the beds that were present, and as soon as the man came, she cast a spell and made a few glasses fill up with the liquid in the bottles he had brought, before they were thrust into the hands of those on the beds

"You know the drill. Drink and sleep."

The Spikeking nodded to subordinates who looked to him, and after that, all ten gulped down the liquids and promptly fell asleep.

Quite amazed by this weird turn of events, Daneel looked to the pierced man, who handed back the glass to the lady and said, "Get me normal wine, first. I have a bit of business, and after that, I'll be joining my maties."

The woman gave him an odd look, but she nodded and made a different glass float over.

A few seconds later, all six of them were seated in the bar area, and the pierced man began speaking after taking a sip and smiling as he felt the liquid go down his throat, burning it in the process and giving him enough energy to speak while ignoring the pain.

"Team rules- these are not listed in the rulebook that you are given when you make the choice, but they are known to all the participating teams. I'll give you the gist. Basically, it is unfair if someone loses and then finds themselves in eternal servitude. Teams are important in the Order, so these rules were made to keep things fair. If a match with stakes occurs, like the one we just had, and if the one losing has agreed that they would go under the one whom they were going to fight, then that person would have to enter the team of his opponent. The period in which they have to stay in that team is three months, and after that, he has the right to ask for a rematch. If he either draws that match or wins, he can leave. Also, there are other rules which state that team members who are obtained in this method must not be directly targeted such as being placed in positions of high danger. If anything bad happens, there is a court which gives judgments on these things, so generally, people who obtain team members in this way treat them fairly. Generally, newbies don't need to know about this, as there aren't many newbies like you who go around beating people and bringing them under them right after they enter. Anyway, my team is called the 'Brothers Drunk'. Hey, don't look at me like that! One day, we got together in a bar and made it when we were all drunk, so it got stuck!"

Daneel nodded as he heard the explanation, following which he said, "All right, I won't judge. What do we do now, though? Is there anything official that needs to be done for the obelisk to know that all of you are under me?"

The Spikeking took another gulp and looked at Daneel with a strange expression before sleeping.

"I guess that means you have a team mission already. Well, aren't you a man of secrets? Anyway, it's already done. I informed the Overseer using a trinket which is normally present to ask for help."

Oh? Well, that was efficient.

"I'll go to the Obelisk, then. Yes, I have a mission, and we will set off as soon as you recover. Shall I find you here, again, in a few hours?"

With a nod and a tone which showed that he still hadn't fully come to terms with this abrupt change in position, the Spikeking said, "Yes, give it six hours, tops."

With a smile, Daneel told his sovereigns to stay for a bit and walked out of the building to fly into the air.

It looked like the headquarters were shrouded in perpetual darkness with the light of the stars shining down, and as soon as he reached the obelisk, he saw that the mission tab was different.

Reading it, he had to admit that he would never have expected that this…would be the first official mission he would be taking up.

"Mission: Simulated War

Mission level: 4-star

Mission Reward: Information about an individual formerly known on the continent as 'Master Jonah'.

Mission Description: Assemble your team of 15 and arrive at an obelisk to begin the mission. You shall be teleported to a simulation where you and your team members will be commanding different troops on a battlefield with a certain objective.

Your opponent's track record in simulated wars: 23-2

Break the opponent's winning streak for additional rewards.

Objective of Mission: To prepare talented members of the Order for situations which might arise when Angaria is in danger."

Chapter 790: Cassandra's Memories

A simulated war??

Daneel had given a little bit of thought to what the mission might be, and his assumptions had mostly been based on the fact that something as dangerous as going after a Giant Shark had been classified as a five-star mission, whereas the one he had been given was a four-star one.

He had been expecting another kind of battle situation, or something that might need 15 people to accomplish, such as hunting a large group of fishes.

After all, he couldn't be blamed for thinking in that direction, as missions were apparently supposed to be things that benefited either the Order or the continent. High-quality resources would definitely be on the top of the list for any organization, so he had started to assume that most missions might be of that type. The weird thing about the obelisk was that information about missions could only be obtained after one indicated that they were going to finish it or at least try to do so in order to obtain some or the other reward that they were looking for, which was why he had been in his situation before. He saw the positive aspect of this, though, as it meant that there would be no chance of information about missions leaking which might result in interferences or some other things which were not preferred.

A war… Was the farthest thing from what he had expected to take part in in the Order, and he had to say that he was pleasantly surprised and pleased.

It is obvious that in the upcoming war, there would be many skills required if Angaria really wanted to take on the Church, so it was a great thing to see that the Order was actively trying to train the members in these skills by giving out valuable rewards. As it was a four-star mission, the rewards would definitely be plenty, especially if the people opting for them were not like Daneel, who was looking for just information.

Daneel actually felt his blood boiling after a moment, as he couldn't help but admit that he was excited. He had been in a few war situations so far, but none of them had been perfect, and in the first one, he had actually made a mistake which had resulted in the deaths of quite a few people.

He wasn't exactly looking for redemption, because this would definitely be an entirely different kind of war, but he was certainly looking forward to seeing just how wars that involved high-level individuals would be.

Well, he would find out in six hours.

Going back to the bar, he first told his sovereigns what they were going to do, and after seeing that they were all equally excited like him, especially because the fact that two of them were actually commanders who had been trained in those skills and had ample experience, he led them all outside and to the place where they had been before. As they had a little bit of time, he knew that it was best for them to rest, as they, too, might have had to exert themselves quite a bit to make such a strong impression on the man who was now Daneel's subordinate.

They went inside the door that appeared and soon found themselves in the room with Eloise and Skrr, who was still sleeping. Eloise was happily humming to herself as they arrived, and when she saw them, she sprang up and ran to them before telling them to tell her about everything they had been through, all while waiting to tell them about her experience, too, knowing that it would definitely result in them dropping their jaws.

The place where they had taken their rooms was quite interesting – it was apparently built in such a way that a formation existed which could move around rooms and attach them if needed, in case there were multiple people taking up residence. First, when Daneel had arrived, there had been three bedrooms, and now, with the addition of the four new sovereigns, four bedrooms had also been added.

Such a kind of modular implementation was definitely impressive, and just as Eloise and the rest were about to begin chatting, Daneel said to Cassandra, "Come with me. I need to talk to you for a bit."

A hush came over the room as he said this, as the others knew why he was doing this. Aran, Elanev, and Faxul simultaneously sent messages that she was the same as before, but he just told them that he needed to make sure and walked to one of the rooms that had newly been added.

After looking at his back for a few moments, Cassandra followed, and soon, Daneel closed the door and turned around to see that his commander really did look exactly like the woman she had been before.

However, he knew that something inside her had changed.

Just as he was about to ask, Cassandra spoke up, herself.

"You don't need to be worried about me, My King. Yes, I uncovered the memories about my childhood, and although I do not know exactly what I was expecting… What I found actually made me feel happy that I was placed in Lanthanor."

Daneel did not need the system to tell him that there were quite a few micro-expressions which were making it clear that Cassandra was hiding something. Her expression was somber, and her tone was definitely that of someone who was trying very hard not to expose her emotions.

What Daneel did next slightly startled Cassandra.

He first cast a spell that completely isolated them from the outside, making it so that it was impossible for anyone to listen in. After that, he conjured a normal but well-cushioned chair and sat down, before creating one for Cassandra, too. Next, he made soothing music appear in the room, and it was a famous tune that was used all over Lanthanor as a lullaby by parents.

As Cassandra watched on with bewilderment, he stretched his hands casually behind him and said, "I'm quite tired! Aren't you? Take a seat, and we can rest for a bit."

She had never been one to not listen to this man to whom she had given her loyalty on the very first day he had been crowned, so she sat down.

The king smiled as he saw this, but he said nothing. The two of them just continue to sit, looking at each other, as an uncomfortable silence appeared between them. Cassandra didn't know what to say, and it didn't look like the king was in any hurry either. Time passed like this, and soon, five minutes had elapsed.

This was when Daneel finally opened his mouth and said, "Look, Cassandra. I know that there was probably something that has affected you greatly in what you found. I will not force you to share it with me. But I have found that it is always better to share your difficulties, your happiness, and your grief with those who care for you. I understand that it might be difficult to do so, but I want you to know that I'm just here to listen. I think that the others must already have asked about it, right? My guess is that you have been avoiding it, because you don't know what to tell them, and you don't want to lie. I'm doing this so that we can pretend as if we had a long talk, and after that, I'll tell them all that they shouldn't ask you about it, and that it's all fine. When you're ready, you can speak to someone, or if you never want to, that's also fine. Just know one thing. We will always be there for you, and we will always be ready to listen and do all that we can, in our power, to make you better. Five more minutes should be enough. Are you hungry, by the way?"

Each word of Daneel's was spoken with extreme calmness, and they even seemed to have some sort of soothing effect on Cassandra, as they lingered in her mind even as she felt herself relaxing.

What she didn't know was that Daneel was actually employing a spell that was used by the Emperor often whenever he spoke to someone who was very agitated, or in the grips of some or the other emotion.

All it did was add a certain aspect to one's voice that would calm down the other person, and it was perfect for this setting that Daneel had recreated from his memories of rooms in which people spoke to trained individuals to make themselves better back on Earth.

He didn't know whether it would work or not, but he had been worried about his commander, and he hoped it would at least have some effect and make her know that she could talk whenever she wished. He was happy to wait.

Yet, it looked like a small push had been all that was necessary, because the temperature in the room suddenly started to rise.

Daneel remained calm as he saw this, and even when a fire started to appear on Cassandra's body, he said nothing. It looked almost like it was happening unconsciously, as she returned to the same state she had been in when she had Awakened her Bloodline.

Her long, amber hair floated upwards, burning brightly with a brilliant fire that looked magnificent due to the shade it mixed with.

Even her skin was on fire, and the only reason that her clothes hadn't burned up was that they were made specially so that they would be able to resist high temperatures.

If she truly used the Phoenix Fire, they would have stood no chance, but because this was all being done without her control, they managed to stay intact.

If there were anyone else in the room, they would have asked her to control herself by now, as otherwise, they would have been afraid that they would be burnt to ash if she continued. Yet, of course, Daneel had the World, itself, to protect him, and the elementary particles around his skin stayed cool without him even having to expend too much effort for them to be so.

A few seconds later, she seemed to finally return to her sense, because she hastily stopped herself and looked sheepishly at the bed and the table which had been burnt down completely, and the stone walls which were also scorched.

Her anger was still present, though, so after that, she looked at Daneel with flushed cheeks and spoke in a tone which made it apparent that she was finally expressing something that she had hidden within herself for the longest time.

"We were grown like cattle."

This extremely horrific sentence made Daneel widen his eyes and finally lose his calmness, and with each word she said, her emotions seemed to be mirrored in him.

"We were apparently born from unconscious people who were chosen and made to procreate so that the Hidden Bloodline would be passed down, and we were placed in batches in rooms where all we did was eat and sleep. It was all while we waited to be placed in situations where our Bloodline would Awaken in the Central Continent or in the Big Four, and before we were sent out, we were made to swear an oath, when we didn't even understand what one was, that we would forever be loyal to the Order, and Angaria. Our memories were wiped, but a trigger was placed so that we would get a hint about our real place of origin after our Bloodlines Awakened, so that we could find our way back and have these memories returned to us. That village I saw was the place where we were all penned up in prison-like buildings. We were told again and again that it was all for the good of Angaria, and that we should be happy that we have this chance to do so much for our motherland. The Overseer was the only one we spoke to, and he kept saying this again and again, as if ramming it into us. I…am not happy, My King. In fact, I want to burn that place down, and stop this…thing from happening to anyone else. But I am scared to even say this out loud, as it seems impossible to go against this place which has stood for far longer than any of us can imagine."

Tears started to flow down Cassandra's eyes as she said that last part, but she continued to look at Daneel.

In those eyes…Daneel saw hope- the kind of hope which one would be afraid even to think about, as everything in the world told them that it was foolish.

Yet…Daneel knew what she was asking of him.

She was asking him to defy the World again, just like all those times he had done so so far, whenever it had threatened to make him stop.

Daneel stood up and walked forward to stand in front of his commander.

She stood up, too, out of respect, but as Daneel tenderly placed his finger near her left eye and let a teardrop fall on it, she looked into his eyes, and what she saw there…made her smile.

Those eyes…were burning with anger, too, and she knew right away that she had done the right thing.

He continued to look at that teardrop for a few seconds, and after that, when he finally spoke, it was in a tone filled with finality.

"As your King, have I ever let you down? Wait for that day, Cassandra, and let this be the last tear you shed over this matter. It shall surely come, and when it does…be ready to smile, as it will definitely be a sight to behold."

Chapter 791: His First Mission 2

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-------------------------

Six hours later, Daneel and his four sovereigns arrived at the bar and clinic.

The four sovereigns were talking between themselves while shooting glances at the king, and what was different from before was that Cassandra seemed to be in a much better mood.

After coming out of the room, the king had announced that everything was fine with Cassandra, and that they should all not ask about what she had uncovered about her past. Cassandra had added that the two of them had reached an understanding, and that she would tell everyone about it when a certain something happened.

This had caused a small smile to appear on the king's face, but still, it had been apparent that something had definitely affected him.

He had remained silent, and it was only when they reached the bar that his mood finally changed and went back to what it had been when they had left before.

Indeed, Daneel had been quite incensed by what was going on in this place.

He had had a slight hint before, too, but he had been hoping that it would not be as he had imagined. Yet… Once again, the Overseer had proven that all it cared about was results, and that the methods to obtain those results really didn't matter.

It was obvious that to it, this act of raising children in this way must not seem wrong, and it was probable that it even saw it as a low-cost endeavor that could result in a lot of powerhouses with Awakened powers who would be ready to protect Angaria.

As if this wasn't bad enough, the fact that children who couldn't even understand what an oath was were made to swear one that would affect them for the rest of their lives was so despicable that it made Daneel wish that he could plant his fist in that sun filled with faces which he had seen before.

What was worse was that he now knew that as he was a member of the Order, too, so his face must also be one that repeatedly appeared on that sun, and even though it had been said in the rulebook that only faces known to the one who was speaking to the Overseer would appear on it, it still made Daneel get a bad taste in his mouth.

If his motivation before to take control of the Order had been lacking in any manner, that was definitely not the case now, as he was more fired up than ever to find a way to fulfill this goal of his and stop this abhorrent practice. He didn't know when it had begun, but in this age, it would end.

"Alright, he's here! We have a mission, folks, and you can all drink after that!"

Daneel had already sent a message saying that they would be embarking on the mission right away, and although the Spikeking had been quite surprised that a newbie had gotten such a mission which was usually only given to those who had already spent quite a lot of time in the Order, he had said nothing, and just assured Daneel that they would be ready.

He had stayed true to his word, as all eleven people stood upright, with their wounds completely healed.

It wasn't just that. They also seemed to be completely alert, and it was as if they had had a full night's sleep.

Deciding to definitely find out more about that 'healing wine' that all of these people had had before, Daneel said, "Pick out the top nine people among your subordinates, and follow me. The mission requires 15 people."

Daneel had decided to leave behind Eloise and Skrr. She was more experienced in matters of handling an Empire rather than fighting wars, and she also needed a lot of time to continue training, so he had left her to that. Someone needed to keep an eye on the Divine Cockroach, too, and Daneel needed someone he trusted to take that duty.

Eloise hadn't said anything, but it had been obvious that just like the other Sovereigns, she was more motivated than ever to grow powerful enough that she could stand toe to toe with all the others and not find herself left behind like this ever again.

Even though there had been a slight consideration by Daneel regarding whether he should leave behind Aran and Cassandra, too, who were definitely weaker than the Amateur Champions who were present in the Spikeking's group, he had decided against it, as their skills as commanders might prove invaluable. Also, even though there was a large gap in their realms, he knew for a fact that their Bloodlines and Champion Paths would definitely make up for a lot of the difference.

With a nod, the Spikeking shouted, "Delaine and Matthew, step out! Hold the fort until we come back, and keep the beers ready!"

Turning to Daneel, he said, "These two broke through recently, and they haven't gotten a perfect grasp of their powers, yet. The rest of us are ready."

"Alright. Let's go."

With that, all 15 individuals flew up to an obelisk that was empty.

As soon as they all reached and gathered around, Daneel stepped forward, and the menu popped up. He went to the mission tab and directly chose the mission on top of the list, and the next moment, all of them disappeared from where they stood.

Daneel had already given the system the order that it should not even try to stop teleportation attempts, as it was probably safest to not even allow for that second to be there where the system would always ask him whether he should let the attempt go through or not.

Before he regained his sight after the teleportation, the loud sound of drums booming somewhere nearby reached his years, and along with that, he also heard the telltale din of many, many people marching with discipline on an open field.

Opening his eyes quickly, he blinked, and then widened them as he realized that there was a 10,000 strong army right in front of them.

They were in a large open space where there were forests to one side and mountains to the other, and in front of them was open, dry land on which the army stood still. Bannermen held a strange banner which looked vaguely familiar, and the soldiers were all arranged in an orderly manner, with pikemen in the front and archers behind.

There were also mage squadrons here and there, and a lot of weapons could also be seen interspersed among the ranks, floating in the air, ready to be moved to wherever they needed to fire from.

It was only after noticing all these that Daneel finally looked down to see that there was another army marching forward below him, and it was them that had been making the sound that had reached his ears.

He was standing on a golden cloud 20 feet in the air, and there also seemed to be some sort of formation which was stopping the dust storm that was raised by so many people going forth at once from clouding their vision. All 15 of them were present, and Daneel stood at the front, while the rest stood behind him.

Right as he was about to ask the system just where they were, a display popped up in front of him that was a lot like the one that appeared whenever one stepped in front of an obelisk.

"Welcome to the War Simulation! If this is your first time, please select the button on the left to be given a short introduction regarding the rules, and the conditions of victory. If it is not, select the button on the right to directly begin the preparation phase. Above all, remember that you are fighting for the survival of your homeland. Be astute, and give it your all. Good luck!"

This exceptionally cheery message threw Daneel off because it definitely did not match with the grim expressions on the faces of those in both armies, but he pressed the button on the left.

Right away, a different message appeared, and Daneel and his sovereigns studied it together.

"War Simulation: introduction. The objective of this simulation is to make one adept in the art of war. The qualities of a skilled commander can be utilized in many places, and hence, the Order gives out this mission so that members can train their minds in these situations and also gain important skills that might be essential for the continent, when one acts on behalf of the Order.

There are many types of simulations, but the objective is mostly the same: using the troops given to a team, one must fulfill the mission given to them in that specific simulation.

Teams are required because one person cannot command an entire army. The one who has taken on the mission is the commander-in-chief, and his team members are the captains under him. Each team member will be assigned a section of troops, and they can impart certain things to these troops, such as buffing effects from their Champion Paths or Bloodlines, or abilities and tactics that they might have knowledge about which can be taught. Each captain will also need to actively train their troops for a period of time and build support so that they can effectively command them. The duty of the commander-in-chief is to take care of the overall situation, and deploy troops as necessary. He or she cannot directly into battle. This is so because in typical war situations, high-level individuals can only deploy their clones which are capable of just giving orders, as they will be busy intercepting the high-level individuals from the other side.

There are two phases of the simulation. The first is a preparation phase, where the troops are assigned to captains. In this phase, captains impart what they wish, and build support. In this time period, the commander-in-chief can go around and help whomever they wish.

Next is the battle phase, where troops are deployed and begin battle. The battle phase ends when one of the teams achieves their objective.

In this specific simulation, the type "War Between Equals" has been chosen. This is the simplest type of war simulation, and it means that both teams are assigned the same kinds and numbers of troops, and they meet in an open field. The objective is to defeat the other army. If any army sustains more than 50% losses, they automatically lose. The surrounding terrain can also be utilized.

In this battle, the troops provided are:

8000 Warrior-level Fighters(with mixed levels in the Warrior realm)

2000 Warrior-level Mages(with mixed levels in the Warrior realm)

100 standard Warrior-level Magic Cannons

200 standard Warrior-level Magic Crossbows

All Fighters are equipped with standard Warrior-level gear(1 set of armor, 1 bow, 100 arrows, 1 sword, 1 pike, 1 shield, 1 spear, 1 protection barrier)

All Mages are equipped with standard Warrior-level gear(1 set of armor, 5 protection barriers, 100 Ker Gems, 1 Focus trinket)

No additional items provided.

Opponent details:

Name: God of Tactics

War Simulation Record: 23-2

Present Winning Streak: 10

Reward on breaking winning streak: Additional Reward for each team member, 2 additional rewards for the commander-in-chief.

Additional queries can now be asked.

Time until beginning of Preparation Phase: 5 minutes."

"God of Tactics? It's that guy?! But…why has he been paired up against a newbie?"

Hearing the exclamation from the Spikeking behind him, Daneel turned around and asked, "Is he good? His names tells me that he is arrogant, at least."

With a gulp, the man replied, "Ehem…not as arrogant as you, but yes, he's pretty confident in his skills. He is also supposed to be highly vengeful, and it is known that he hounded the two people he lost against with challenges until they caved in and fought, which resulted in their losses. In War Simulations, he is the one people hope they aren't paired against."

Hearing this, the interest in Daneel only grew.

"Haha, a challenge always makes it more fun. Hmm, I hope the reward pool is good…"

When the Spikeking heard this reply, he once again cursed the Heavens for the bad luck which had made him target this guy, which had led to him finding himself in this position, where he was sure that he would be beaten soon.

After all, brute strength was one thing, and tactical skill was another.

Still, he had had his expectations overthrown once, so…was it possible for the same to happen again?

Hoping for the best, he nodded, and that was when a notification suddenly popped up on the display in front of the guy who had given himself such a pompous title.

Pointing at it, he said, "It's a message from the opposing commander-in-chief! These things are allowed, and they're used as a chance to unsettle one's opponent!"

The notification began playing right away, as there was no option to block them.

"Hmph. I can't believe they paired me against a newbie. Well, it has been a while since I've wiped the floor with someone. It will be a nice change…hey, newbie, by the end of today, if you pay attention, you will have understood the meaning of the word 'tactics'. Thank your lucky stars, and be prepared to go crying back to whatever hole you crawled out of."

As a domineering voice echoed in the area where they were, the smile on the face of the one who had beaten him actually…broadened.

He sent a reply right away, and it was something that made the Spikeking gape.

"Bold words, but if I wipe the floor with you, instead, will you follow me? If you don't dare to boldly say yes, then piss off with your baseless attitude, God of Sh*t. I hate barking dogs which whimper away if someone barks back more loudly at them. "

Flashbacks seemed to assault the Spikeking, and right away, he understood one thing.

If this entire thing played out in the same way that he was now hoping even more strongly that it would…he would have someone to share in his grief, and he really, really wanted to see that.

So, with a smile, he shouted, "Maties, if you want others to share our plight, let's give it our all! Come on, let's go crush this puny God!"

Chapter 792: His First Mission 3

Although the Spikeking's subordinate all shouted with enthusiasm when they heard their boss's words, they all became silent when they heard the reply from the other side which was quite unexpected.

"Humph. You think you're smart, but you're actually quite dumb. What authority do you think you have to challenge me to a match with stakes? I only do so with those whom I think are capable. If I agree, what will I be getting? Nothing, except another useless subordinate who will only clunk up my team space. So, no thanks, and again, stop trying to act as if you have any sort of skills while being just a newbie. Like I said before, you will be beaten down until this simulation will be a traumatic memory for you which will keep you away from war simulations for quite a long while, and for all that time, you will keep cursing my name and wishing that you had never challenged me in return. Before, I was treating this casually, but with your words…you've successfully infuriated me. And people who manage to do that…never fare well."

It was delivered in an even tone, unlike the last one which had been loaded with attitude. And hence… Because of this, it became clear that whatever had been there before was merely an act, and that revelation actually made the Spikeking narrow his eyes and exclaim that they had almost been taken for a ride, and that it, too, must have been a tactic.

Daneel had to say that he, too, was quite surprised as he heard this measured answer.

His thinking had been simple – his objective in the Order was to take control of it, and for that purpose, he wanted to bring as many people as possible under him. That was the most direct and logical method, but it looked like not everyone was as dumb as the Spikeking whom he had obtained.

Yes, just like the others, he realized that the attitude before had been fake, and even in these words, it was obvious that there was another attempt to make him feel tensed. And of course, the objective behind that was simple – his opponent wanted to throw him off his game, which was kind of what Daneel had been going for, too.

Of course, there had been three objectives behind Daneel's own statement – the third had been to estimate what kind of person he might be facing, and by replying, the man had given that information on a silver platter.

This God of Tactics was definitely a cunning individual, who had risen to his position with a lot of planning and hard work. He was probably someone who took no risks, and from all the fake emotions he had shown, it was also clear that he was a cold man who only cared about victory.

From the information given by the Spikeking, it was very probable that he was also someone who had a lot of grudges, and that meant that his ego was very big.

What a perfect individual to be under the Overseer…

Commenting in this way, Daneel smiled, and turned around to his subordinates. At the same time, the army that was marching under them came to a halt, and Daneel saw that they had started to set up camp, just like the army on the opposite side. There was a very large distance between them – almost one in which a large city could fit in, and with this great a distance, even the attacks from the strongest crossbows would lose quite a lot of power when they reached their targets. Hence, it was almost like a ceasefire was present, and Daneel soon realized that it must be so that both teams would begin their preparation phases.

He only had five minutes before his own preparation phase began, so Daneel quickly asked the system to give an exhaustive list of questions to the module in front of him so that he could amass all the information that he could even though his time was limited.

For that, it wasn't necessary to speak those questions out loud, and he simply had to raise his hand and keep it on the display module so that the system could ask the questions in a lower voice than what normal people could hear. It had already given him the analysis that the module was almost like a very basic AI implementation, which would simply detect questions and give answers based on a very exhaustive list that had been inputted into the formation that was controlling it. It was a very, very basic and brute force implementation, but still, it was something that would have required a lot of time.

The others were a bit dazed when they saw the display repeatedly showing new information and then changing to show something else, but their focus shifted to the king when he spoke out.

"Spikeking, first sit down and tell me each and everything you know about this God of Tactics. After that, I want you to recount each and every one of the War Simulations that you have been through, and what others did during those situations. Finally, I want all of your sub-ordinates to do the same. For this purpose, I'll give you a minute, and in that minute I want you to collect all of this information and recall all you can from the deepest corners of your mind. I've always believed that information is power, and I want to be perfectly in control of all that information that I can get before facing off against someone who's clearly a pro."

The methodical and calm reaction actually made the Spikeking calm his own emotions, and in fact, because the one on the other side had escaped from being in a situation where he might meet the same fate as himself, he was even more determined to beat him down in return, even if that seemed impossible no matter how much he thought about it.

With a nod, he said to his subordinates, "All of you! Close your eyes and use Kangor's Focus Technique! We obtained it as a reward last time, remember? If you've been lazy and haven't mastered it yet, take the help of someone else, but definitely use it!"

[Kangor's Focus Techniques: Allows even those with minimal intellect to take full control of their mind for a limited period of time during which they can have full memory recall and also be capable of focusing on a topic to reason out a solution if needed. Effectiveness of the technique depends on the one using it. Minimum level required: Champion. This is a technique which was mentioned in the archives of the Empire, but which was thought to be lost.]

Even without him asking, the system gave him this explanation regarding the technique that the Spikeking had just mentioned, and Daneel actually got a pleasant smile on his face as he listened to the last part.

The Order was definitely hiding so many things that had been thought to be impossible or lost by the Empire, and he was going to dig out each and every one of them and take them for his own.

It was a stroke of luck that this technique was in the possession of these people that he had taken under him, and the slight worry he had had before where he had thought that it might be possible that these people might not be able to give him too much info vanished right away.

As one, all ten, including the Spikeking, sat down cross-legged and closed their eyes before starting to chant something unintelligible.

Daneel ignored them, and called his sovereigns over. Elanev and Faxul were both studying the Army below, but it looked like Aran and Cassandra already had something to say.

"My King, we studied all of the things that we have at hand to fight the war, and we have already listed the basic tactics that we can use. Usually, in wars, one of the things that is most worrisome is when we don't know what the other side might or might not have. Thankfully, in this situation, that is not the case, at least to a large extent. We know the basic troops and equipment that they can deploy, and although we cannot find information regarding the buffs and other things that might be taught, I believe that we can make a reasonable list where we take different gauges of the opponents' abilities."

This was said by Aran, and Cassandra continued, saying, "Yes, I believe that this contest is meant to be one between the minds of the commander-in-chiefs, and although our opponent might have a lot of experience being the commander in these stimulations, we are people who have been through real situations on the outside. I think our experience should definitely count for something."

Daneel did not comment on either of their statements, but he did reply, saying, "Alright. What lists have you come up with?"

They started to discuss, without the preparation phase even starting as the idea was to utilize even these five minutes. It was definitely a fact that they were new to this, and they wanted to take every advantage that they had.

A couple of minutes later, though, Daneel was shaking his head.

His commanders had come up with quite a few good tactics, such as using the terrain to flank the opponent after distracting them from the front, or exposing a weakness and then drawing them in before surrounding them and whittling away at their armies.

There were all rather basic but effective tactics that Daneel had also come up with, but they all seemed… Inadequate.

It wasn't even just them. Back when he had broken through the third seal, Daneel had gotten so much information regarding wars and battles that the system had been able to create a module that was specifically designed to advise him during such situations. Since then, he hadn't experienced anything which needed him to deploy it, but now, he did so, and it had given him a very exhaustive list of all the things he could do, right from a full-on assault to even extremely unorthodox methods such as stripping the armour from a few and fitting these on certain troops who would be trained in the art of defence so that they could take the brunt of the opponent's forces while the others used their speed to take down as many as possible.

Daneel didn't know exactly what he did not like about them, so first, he decided to listen to everything about his opponent first.

Soon, in the last minute before the presentation phase was about to begin, the 10 stood up saying that they were ready. Daneel went to each of them and told them to tell him everything in the fastest way that they could, saying that he had a knack of listening and understanding even if it seemed like gibberish to normal people.

The 10 obliged, and each of them spoke so fast that the sovereigns became fazed. Only Faxul, with his increased reaction speed due to being in the realm of Champions understood bits and pieces, but even he didn't know how Daneel was listening to everything and not getting a headache.

"Preparation Phase has begun. Length: 6 hours. Length of Battle Phase: 5 days. If both teams fail to fulfill their objective in that time, the simulation is declared to be a draw. All captains must collect modules that are now in front of you before going to teach your troops, because it is these modules that will assess what you're teaching and decide whether your efforts are enough to pass on what you wish to your troops."

In the middle of this activity, the screen changed to show this, and a wicker basket appeared with 14 round badges.

With this, it became clear that whatever they were going to do, Daneel had to make a decision on it right now so that they could go forward with a certain direction in mind.

Daneel had just finished listening to everything about his opponent, and he had been hard at work thinking about what he should do.

He sat down, himself, and activated the Basilisk's Breath to analyze each and every thing he had learned so far.

On the other side, loud shouts filled with morale soon began to be heard, and it was obvious that the training there was going on well.

The sovereigns were relatively calm, but it was the Spikeking whose tension kept growing with each second. He definitely did not want to lose, and he wanted to see this guy pull off another miracle.

Yet, when the one whom he still refused to call by his title stood up and gave a statement confidently, the Spikeking lost all hope, as it seemed that they were destined to lose.

"All right, everyone. I've decided our strategy, and its called..."Sit still, then crush 'em". Lenghty name, I know, but...that's about it. We sit still, and then we crush them under our boots. Understood? Then let's go teach our troops to sit still!"

Chapter 793: His First Mission 4

"Sit still and crush 'em"?

These words would have seemed more appropriate if they had come from a 10-year-old who had just started playing with toys, but hearing it from the man whom he had trusted to break his own losing streak, an expression of disappointment came directly on the Spikeking's face.

Noticing this, Daneel asked amusedly, "What's wrong? No confidence in my plan?"

Just these words were enough to remind him of the pressure that had made him kneel before, so even though the Spikeking spoke, it was in a much more polite tone than the one he would have normally used if he was in this mood.

"Erm… Don't take me in the wrong way, but I really don't know how you chose this even after listening to everything I told you. That guy is known for his elaborate tactics, and many, many people have despaired after choosing plans that were many times more complex than the one you have. It isn't even unique! I expected that you would come up with something never seen before, and that was why I tried as much as possible to impress upon you that this guy is not someone to be taken lightly."

It was obvious that the Spikeking wanted to go on and say that he was disappointed, or something along that vein, but he stopped himself, and seeing that made Daneel's smile broaden.

"I never said that that was all of my plan, but that does not mean that I need to tell you everything right now. The main thing is to begin the preparation phase right away, and we really do need to get started on what I just said – start to train the troops regarding how to sit still, or more importantly, start to explain the various things that are involved whenever one is defending a position. Here, use this information. It is not that hard to master in a short amount of time, and if you have any questions, ask me or my… Subordinates. After that, I want you to make sure that you drill it perfectly into the minds of each and every soldier who is assigned to you. When the time comes… You'll understand why I chose this. For now, have confidence in the one who made you all kneel. Go."

Saying so, Daneel raised his hands and made a bunch of booklets appear above and fall down on the 10 people who were all looking at him with different expressions on their faces.

Some were bewildered, others were angry, but overall, everyone looked like they thought that he was just posturing.

If Daneel wished, he could have given them all his thought process and the reason behind him choosing this plan, but time was limited, and he needed them to follow his orders first. Besides, his plan wasn't even completely formed, and he needed a little bit of time alone to assess a few things and then finalize what he wished to do.

So, even though it might make sense to take a little bit of time and inspire a bit more confidence in those who were following him, he decided on this route, and once again made the same pressure that had made kneel before appear in this area.

Right away, remembering the experience that was still fresh in their minds, the expressions of the ten present changed, and they immediately caught the booklets and teleported away.

It really was a simple task, so Daneel simply asked the system to keep an eye on them before turning to his sovereigns.

"All of you, get started on that, too. You all trust me more than they do, so I don't think I need to tell you that our plan is a bit more complex than what I've let on, but I need a little bit of time to finalize it. In the meanwhile, make sure that you train these skills as perfectly as possible, and if you come up with any additional things that need to be taught, communicate them to me, and I will add them to the booklets that are present with the others. Go."

Just as he expected, his four sovereigns who were used to him keeping things a bit secret for the purpose of awing people later simply smiled and took the booklets that appeared in front of them, before teleporting away.

Daneel chuckled as he saw this, because that really was not the reason behind what he was doing right now.

Still, he would have time to explain later, so he first began to set out on a tour of all of the troops under him, so that he could get finished as quickly as possible.

It would all come down to whether he was a good reader of people, and Daneel was quite confident in that aspect of his.

So, puffing up his chest with confidence, he, too, left the golden cloud.

…

On the other side, unlike the one that Daneel had just left, the golden cloud was full with 15 people.

However, if one noticed more closely, they would see that all 15 of these people were flickering, which made it clear that they were all low-power clones who were just there to discuss something.

Unlike Daneel's group which was comprised of a ragtag bunch of individuals all wearing different clothes, this one was orderly. Except for a small man at the head of these 15, the rest were all wearing some kind of uniforms.

The uniforms were made of grey colored robes, and if Daneel saw them, he would have thought that they looked a lot like those worn by waiters in expensive restaurants back on Earth. There was a jacket with a vest below, and the costume was finished off by a pair of tight trousers.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

The man at the head, though, was the most unique of them all, and he wore pristine white-colored robes that were the same style as the others, but had 23 medals affixed in different places all over his upper body.

He was only around 5'4" tall, and his appearance had been something that had always motivated him to break through to become a Hero so that he could change it as he wished. He seemed old – much older than what people would expect that those in the Order would be, and he even had wrinkled skin and a hunched back which made him look like an old grandpa who had come out of retirement to play war.

His voice, weirdly, was that of a strong young man, and he used it to say, "How goes the training?"

One feature among all of his subordinates was that none of them were taller than him. The one who spoke was actually even shorter, and he said, "My Lord, we have done this enough times to know it by heart. All of the basic skills that we usually impart to the troops are being taken care of as we speak, and soon, they will be equipped to deal with any of the situations that we might face. Right now, the way the rankings stand is that I am leaving the rest in the dust, and I have to say that if the others don't step up, the additional reward will be mine."

The team of the God of Tactics had a unique set up where the rewards that would be obtained on winning would enter a pool, from where those who performed better would be able to pick in an excessive quantity than the others. This made it so that there were always three people who got nothing, and it was meant to be a method to motivate them and make them work harder to earn their rewards.

The results of this team were testament to the fact that this method worked, at least to a degree, and the words of this man-made all the others bristle with anger and stand even more alert, as if they had decided to push themselves and make sure that what he said would not come to be.

The God of Tactics laughed and rubbed his hands together as he saw this, as it was exactly what he had intended for his team.

After that, though, he became completely serious and said, "Have the spies been sent? He's a newbie, so I expect that he will come up with some far-fetched plan that he will not be able to execute properly. All of these newbies always think that war is supposed to be flashy, and that they can be won by whoever is most cunning. If they pause for a moment and understand that it is often execution and teamwork which is lacking and causes armies to lose even though they might appear more powerful on paper, they would understand that it is always better to go with what you know, instead of what you think might work. Well, I guess we were lucky to draw him, because it means that we can get closer to the winning streak where rewards will be doubled once again."

Greed shone in the eyes of almost all those present as the God of Tactics said this, but he clapped his hands and continued.

"Remember, everyone. He dared to challenge is in return, so we really should wipe the floor with him. Make sure that each and every thing that we teach is perfectly instilled into all of the soldiers. Follow our regular method-send all of the spies at once, and then call back a few each hour until the preparation phase ends. By the end of it, I want to know what he is going to do, and even if that is not possible, I want to be able to estimate in what direction he will move. Everyone, disperse."

For the next six hours, the God of Tactics' mood only started to get better and better, because it soon started to become obvious what kind of a man his opponent.

He had handled all kinds of people in his life, and it was often those who thought themselves smart that he liked to crush the most. It was priceless to see their expressions when they realized that they were not as intelligent as they thought they were, and he looked forward to obtaining another sweet, sweet experience like that soon.

At the end of the six hours, his team gathered again, and they, too, had smiles on their faces.

"It is clear, my Lord. They have chosen the classic tactic of just being where they are, and hoping to defeat us when we start to assault them. They've dismantled all of their cannons, and used the Key gems of the mages to build defensive formations. Basically, they've made a fort which will be hard to breach. But… what they don't know is that people often use this. Yes, we do pride ourselves on our ability to react to what others are doing instead of being active ourselves, so that must have led the commander-in-chief on the other side to assume that he would make us clueless if he made a situation where we would have no option but to act. All of them are the same. They keep doing that, but soon, they realize that the resources they have are nowhere enough to sustain their 'fort' for five days. Shall I roll out our usual reply, Lord?"

Nothing more needed to be said. The God of Tactics nodded and said, "Yes. We used it before, but it will allow us to get a better gauge of our opponent's mind if he managed to find some way to counteract it."

Soon after this, the sounds of troops marching could be heard from the side of the God of Tactics.

It was only 3000 troops who moved out, though, and 2000 of them were archers, while the rest were meant as a vanguard to protect them.

Soon, they approached the point where 10,000 soldiers could be seen huddled together in a circle, while a large barrier protected them from anything that might try to break through their defenses.

Stopping at a comfortable margin, the 2000 archers idly began to shoot their arrows, and as each of them impacted the barrier and started to bleed the resources that were being used to power them, it became obvious that the opponents had thought of a way to handle this.

10 Magic Crossbows rolled out of the fort, and before the three thousand could react, the crossbows shot their arrows.

Weirdly, though…the arrows flew slowly, and it soon became clear that the reason behind this was that they had some sort of large bowls attached to them.

Soon, it became clear that mages were handling the bowls with difficulty to make sure that they would only move forward with the help of the huge bolts without tipping over.

The God of Tactics suddenly got a bad feeling and sent the message to activate defensive methods, following which barriers popped up around the three thousand.

Indeed, the crossbows soon overtook the group, but the moment the bowls were over the three thousand soldiers…the bowls made of earth tipped, and a yellowish fluid started to fall.

At the same moment, a thousand mages flew out, and all of the fluid transformed into multiple, sharp ice pricks which accelerated and rammed into the barriers.

They started to break one by one, and soon, the God of Tactics realized that the Magic Crossbows were reloading. Right away, he ordered a retreat, and the three thousand ran quickly to get out of range.

By the time they returned, he was fuming. His plan had been thwarted, and he didn't know-how. Both armies had been given the same things. But how had the other side obtained so much liquid? Had they depleted the water given to sustain soldiers for five days? But that didn't make sense!

Soon, as the God of Tactics reached the soldiers who returned, he understood the answer to his question.

A stench floated to his nose, making him understand…that it was urine.

For a moment, he was shocked, but after that, he burst out laughing.

He laughed and laughed for an entire minute, and just as it looked like he wouldn't stop, it abruptly cut off and was replaced by an expression filled with deadly anger.

Gritting his teeth, he spoke to himself in a tone filled with malice.

"I see you have a few tricks up your sleeve, you mongrel. Well, then you'll be all the more fun to crush. Oh, just you wait. By the end of this, you'll wish you never heard my name…"

Chapter 794: His First Mission End

On the other side, the Spikeking was almost rolling on the ground with laughter along with his subordinates.

He had spent the last six hours dutifully teaching the troops assigned to him about tactics that could be used when one was defending a position. They were taught to respond correctly when formations were breached, to stand and fight in groups with shields in front of them, to move forward in retreat according to the ebb and flow of the battle, and to quickly reach a position if it needed to be reinforced.

There were many such skills, each of which needed to be demonstrated multiple times using clones, and after everything was done, they had to check the module given to them. If it glowed, it meant that they had been successful, and if they weren't, they had to repeat themselves more clearly.

Apparently, the war simulation was meant to teach many things, and one of them was to impress on people just how difficult it was to pass on information. Hence, if one learned in situations like these where they had to make themselves as clear as possible, they would be able to replicate the same in tense situations where they might have to do the same thing with the stakes being much larger.

After laughing himself hoarse, though, he looked at the one who had thrown out all expectations once again and saw that he wasn't sharing in his happiness.

As Daneel saw that the man had finished showing his emotions, he spoke up.

"This is just a small trick that I got the idea for. We already know the kind of reply that they always give to people who dig in, so I wanted to let him know that we are not that easy. From here, he will start doing new things, so we should be all the more alert. No matter how much time passes, we have to stick to our plan. By the way… Do you like it?"

15 of them were once again present in the golden cloud, and Daneel had explained his entire plan a few minutes before. After he was done, everyone had looked at him strangely for a few moments, but after that, they had had to break it up as the opposing force has arrived.

They had dispersed and then assembled back here after repelling those 3000 soldiers, and so, they were continuing the conversation.

The Spikeking looked at his subordinates, who all shrugged, and he, too, gave the same reaction.

When he did speak, though, it was in a tone that was much better than the one he had used before to express his thoughts about the plan that Daneel had told then.

"I'm always the first to admit if I'm wrong, and I have to say that I might have judged you too hastily. Yes, your plan does seem much better, but I still don't know if it'll work. Just like the one where we just showered them with pee, it so unorthodox and out-of-the-box that I'm sure that no one has heard of it. You do know that if you use it once, you won't be able to again, right? Are you sure you want to deploy it now? Or do you want to wait for other war simulations where the rewards might be greater?"

Daneel was actually a bit surprised when he heard this, but he gave his reply right away.

Tapping the side of his forehead with one finger, he said confidently, "This is my greatest weapon. It is this that I used to obtain the power that was able to subdue you all, and if I were allowed to use it here, I would not have hesitated before crushing the other side. But this scenario… Is one that does not allow me to do so, sadly. However, unlike others, my mind is my strongest asset, and I know that it is capable of churning out an endless amount of ideas just like these if needed. So, no, I don't need to hesitate at all before deploying this one here, and if it works, it will only build up my reputation, and it'll give me something that I need desperately right now. Are all of you clear on all the aspects?"

Nods could be seen all around, which made Daneel smile at the corner of his mouth and say, "Good. If this works, our opponent is going to be the laughing stock of his peers, and that will really be a sight to see. Keep that in mind, and work hard. One little mistake, and it might all be for naught, so keep your eyes peeled. Let's go."

…

"He thinks he's smart. And maybe he actually has some brains which he can be proud of. But he's nothing- nothing in front of me. Enough caution. Deploy our trump cards."

The God of Tactics's subordinates knew that he was clearly incensed, and it was usually in situations like these that he lost. The last two times when they had faced losses, too, the same thing had happened, but none of them had the courage to point this out to their boss who was trembling with rage.

By now, it was clear that their opponent was not the simple newbie that they had thought he was. Yet… Their arrogance still held sway, so they nodded and teleported away, preparing to smite their opponent into the ground, no matter what plans he might have cooked up.

It took a day, and during the entire time, the spies kept reporting that the fort was continuously being strengthened. Mages always required time to put down the formations, and it looked like the opponent had deployed his troops so that the simplest ones had been finished first, and with time, more and more complex ones were being created from the materials that were being destroyed and resued. He clearly had people who were skilled in formations, or he was a skilled formation master himself, because the rate of barriers and traps being deployed was quite fast.

This didn't decrease the morale of the people on the side of the God of Tactics, though, because they had their own forte. They began a second preparation phase, and in this one, each and every one of the captains tirelessly taught different things to all of the troops assigned to them.

After a day, they all set out, and when they did, they seemed to have changed completely.

There were no pikes and spears among all the soldiers, and all of the thousands of these weapons seemed to have disappeared completely from the army.

There was no indication to show where they might have gone to, but the spies deployed by the newbie's side had their hands full with sending information about how all the troops were moving out methodically.

They moved erratically so that they could not be targeted even if a raiding party came out of their opponent's base. There were 10 squadrons with a thousand soldiers in each, and some of the squadrons had two people to command them. The God of Tactics was repeatedly flitting around between each of them, and he kept ensuring that all of them remained in formation.

They also started to shout loudly, and these shouts would have an effect on anyone who listened to them, as they were filled with the morale of those who were marching out to obtain victory. What many didn't know was that this was actually a buff provided by one of the captains of the God of Tactics, and it had proven quite effective on a lot of battlefields.

The area where the opposing team had burrowed into was right in the middle of the open area which was meant to be where the battle would take place, and there was only flat ground all around them. Quite far away, there was a forest on one side and mountains on the other, and one of the first things that the God of Tactics had done was that he had created and installed teleportation detection formations on both sides to make sure that no one would teleport there and stand waiting to flank and target him.

These were one of the small things that pros would do after going through war simulations multiple times, and he had always prided himself on being able to assess each and every move of his opponent.

That was partly the reason why he had been so infuriated when he hadn't been able to see that move which involved bodily fluids coming, and that had been the reason why he was still silently fuming and waiting to see the expression of defeat on his opponent's face.

Soon, the 10 squadrons were assembled all around the fort, and they could see that their opponents had gone all out.

All kinds of traps were visible, from swivelling magic crossbows which had been bolted to the ground, ready to continuously fire at all those who might try to siege them, and affixed magic cannons which had the additional ability of going into the ground and hiding themselves before suddenly bombarding enemies who would have no method to target them from the outside.

It was a proper fort, but of course, the main defensive ability came from the barriers which had been set up.

There were two concentric dome-shaped barriers, with the outer one being transparent, and the inner one being opaque.

It looked like intimidation was also on the charts for what their opponent wanted to achieve, because they could have hidden all of the cannons and traps which were in the land visible behind the transparent part, but they hadn't done so.

Observing this, the God of Tactics said, "Cocky. Well, let's show him what's up our sleeves. Give the command."

Right as he said these words, all of the 10,000 soldiers suddenly took out a trinket which enlarged into a strange object.

It was obvious that had been made from the pikes and the spears which had been given, as the main body of the object was in the form of a long steel pipe.

There was a grip at one extreme end, and the other end had a hollow opening.

As soon as these objects were revealed, the soldiers inserted Ker gems into the hollow and made sure that they reached the other end.

Following that, in a smooth motion that had clearly been practiced, they aimed them all at different angles.

Indeed, even though they were all generally in the direction of the barrier that they were supposed to take down, they were angled, and soon, it became clear why that was so.

Among the 1000 individuals in a squadron, only one had his trinket pointing straight towards the barrier, and it was he who shouted, "Fire!"

BANG!

With a loud sound, a sharp spike flew out of the hollow end, and right away, smoke started to appear from the trinket which had also blasted into smithereens.

It was obvious that the soldiers were prepared for this, as protective barriers sprang up around each of them to save them from the explosive combustion of the energy present inside a Ker Gem which had propelled the spike forward at a speed which made it invisible.

As for the angles… It soon became clear that the point behind them was that all of these pikes would hit in the same general area. Each spike impacted a circular area that had previously been indicated by the captain of the squadron, and even before this impact, the soldiers all began to run forward.

BOOOMMM!!!

On 10 sides which were evenly spaced out in all four directions, the barriers shattered, and even though they quickly began to regenerate, the soldiers marched in with the cover of smoke that was created using pre-prepared trinkets that were lobbed right after the firing.

They directly ignored all of the crossbows and cannons, because they were too close and would miss even if they fired at this moment. The entire plan revolved around taking their opponent by surprise, and it looked to have worked, because they were able to bypass the outer perimeter easily. The cannons and crossbows were all affixed so that they would face outward, and even though this made sense as the fort was meant to stop others from coming in, it had clearly worked against their opponent.

Soon, they were at the inner, opaque barrier, and this was when they took out their second trump card. It was a short dagger which had seemingly been made out of the pointy ends of the pikes and spears that had been destroyed and remodeled, and the moment they struck the barriers, they seemed to make them melt.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Here was where most of their time had been spent on, and it was a new formation that the team of the God of Tactics had only recently obtained.

From inside the opaque barrier, all sorts of attacks began to be launched, but the protective barriers of the soldiers were enough to keep them in one piece until they succeeded in whittling down the resources being used to power it enough that it broke.

"This is our moment! Charge for victory!"

The God of Tactics gave this loud shout which reverberated throughout the battlefield, and thousands of soldiers stormed into the barrier to find many soldiers with panicked expressions on their faces.

It was clear that they hadn't been expecting that their enemy would easily penetrate all of the protective measures that they had placed with so much difficulty, and a massacre began.

Yet… Suddenly, the hairs all over the God of Tactics' body stood on end, as he realized that something was horribly wrong.

There were barely 1000 soldiers inside the barrier.

"Where are the rest? Where are the rest! Where are the rest?!"

Even as he screamed with desperation, there was no one to answer him, but in the next moment, he received his answer in a way that made him shake with shock.

Out of the ground they rose, like wraiths in the night brought to life by the fell deeds of their enemies. They ran forward at once, screaming with energy, while the magic cannons and crossbows also suddenly swiveled around with a hidden mechanism that had been so discreet that no one had been able to spot it.

It didn't even need to be said how simple and advantageous it was to assault a force which had already expended a lot of its energy and resources to get somewhere, before finding themselves being attacked from behind. There wasn't even enough time to properly muster a retreat, nor was there a method to do so, and thousands soon began to fall to the ground, dead.

At the same time, a clone flew out of the fort and went to the place where the God of Tactics was staring, perplexed, with a horrified expression on his face.

The clone smirked, first, but the words that it said after that would be branded forever into his brain.

"Complex plans made to look simple are often the best way to deal with egoistic bastards like you. So… what do you think? Am I worthy enough for a match with stakes now? Or are you too chicken to take me on again? Ha ha, it looks like my comment about you being a barking dog was right, after all. Well, leave it, then. I don't want useless people to clunk up my team space, either."

Chapter 795: Rewards

The God of Tactics looked so apoplectic that Daneel wondered whether he would throw a fit, but surprisingly, he held together his composure to say one thing.

"Yes, but you did not wipe the floor with me, as I promised I would. Watch."

BOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!

A moment after he said the last word, a loud explosion rocked the entire area, creating such a large mushroom cloud of dust that Daneel wondered whether someone had detonated a nuclear bomb from Earth.

Commander-in-chiefs had the option of knowing the percentage of their troops that were alive, and repeated messages came in his ear which went:

"10% troops killed.

10% troops killed.

10% troops ki-…"

Daneel wondered whether he had actually lost, but suddenly, those messages stopped, and a loud gong was heard in the area.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

It caused the entire area to freeze, almost like time had stopped, and a voice reverberated in the ears of all those who were present.

"Objective reached by team with commander-in-chief 'Cverlord'. Final result: 53% troops remaining vs 5%. War simulation has ended. Please visit the nearby Obelisk to claim your rewards. Have a nice day!"

The cheery voice which said this was so out of place that it almost made Daneel laugh, but he didn't, as he felt himself locked on to by a pair of eyes that were filled with so much spite that it was almost as if they were spitting fire.

"This isn't over."

As they all began to be teleported away, the God of Tactics' words floated into Daneel's ears, and the last thing he saw was the many craters which were visible in the central area where the massacre had been going on.

It looked like that madman…had outfitted his soldiers like suicide bombers and had detonated them all at that moment.

The next moment, they all woke up in a room from comfortable beds.

Daneel had known since the beginning that it was all a simulation being carried out while they were asleep, but he hadn't said anything because he wasn't supposed to know it. The system had notified him, and he had endeavored to not even think about it until now.

He acted shocked like his other sovereigns, and of course, they were the only ones surprised at this as the rest had already been through simulations before.

Of course, the others were shocked, too, but it was for a different reason.

Only their team was present in the room that they were in, and the Spikeking suddenly leaped out of his bed and ran to Daneel before grabbing his hand and shaking it enthusiastically.

"Brilliant! Just brilliant, I say! That bastard almost took us out, but it was a last-ditch attempt! That was so satisfying! I'm gonna tell everyone about it! I bet that nutjob is crying as we speak! Come on, drinks are on me!"

His words broke the spell that was cast on the room, and everyone began to smile and celebrate.

Right…that last move had been unexpected, but they had won!

Taking a deep breath, Daneel laughed happily with the others, but he stopped when he saw that the Spikeking was waiting for an answer.

He had initially intended to go and get the information about his master right away, but seeing the man's expression, he decided that it could wait for a little bit of time. After all, these were his teammates, and they had faithfully carried out all of his orders. He might need to employ them once again soon if there were any more simulation missions, and he wanted them to be in good spirits, and not think that he was just a snobby guy who wanted to order them around.

Morale was always important in any team, and even the sovereigns all had brilliant smiles on their faces. So, as Daneel nodded, the Spikeking and all of his subordinates jumped to their feet and immediately ran out of the door nearby.

That was when Daneel realized that they had appeared in another corner of the place where the marketplace was present, and of course, above were the obelisks that were floating around freely.

The familiar sky of stars greeted him, and soon, he was back in the bar and clinic, with a cup in his hands.

Everyone had been served, and the Spikeking raised his glass in the air and shouted out a toast.

"To the Overlord, the one who will soon take the entire Order by storm! Mark my words, he will be known to everyone, but I'll make sure to boast to all of them that I knew him first! Ha ha, drink up, drink up, me maties!"

With that, he took a large gulp and practically chugged down the glass which was almost the size of a pitcher.

Seeing him in laughing raucously, his subordinates did the same, and Daneel, too, drank the beer which burned his throat as it slid down into his stomach.

As soon as it settled there, though, it made him feel as if he had just trained and was at the peak of his energy, and with pleasant surprise, he took a few more sips.

His sovereigns had also realized these amazing effects of the beer which was golden in color, almost like champagne back on Earth, and they looked at him with raised eyebrows before asking the bartender for a refill.

The man behind the bar counter twirled his magnificent mustache happily and kept refilling, knowing that he was serving those who had clearly won, and would definitely not skimp on the price. Food was also brought out, and it soon looked like it was going to be turned into a full-on party.

The Spikeking was so happy that he even announced that he was treating the whole bar, and even though there were only five people there, these five quickly called their friends, and the bar was filled in a matter of just a few minutes.

Most people didn't know each other, but just like in bars back on Earth where introductions were unnecessary to just drink freely, everyone enjoyed, and the atmosphere turned into a joyous one.

After 20 minutes, the Spikeking finally looked like he was reaching his limit, as he set down his huge glass with a clink and said, "Alright, you have to tell us now how you came up with it, and how you knew the perfect method to pull it off so that the other side weren't able to guess what you were doing. At first glance, I thought that it would be too simple, but it turned out to be very effective. Are you that much of a genius, or are that guy's abilities too overhyped?"

Alcohol always had a way of loosening people's tongues, and it was the same with the Spikeking, who directly asked this question without caring about the fact that he was practically insulting Daneel by mentioning the latter part.

However, Daneel was in a great mood, and he knew that it was not one asked out of hidden intentions. The man was genuinely curious, and anyone would get that doubt after listening to the impressive feats of the God of Tactics and then seeing his performance on the battlefield.

Looking around, he saw that his sovereigns, although they had remained silent and just kept drinking, were also interested, as they bent forward to listen to what he might say.

With that, Daneel decided to give his reasoning.

Taking one more sip and controlling a burp that almost came to his lips, he began.

"It was actually a little bit of both. If you recall, he told me about his track record, and it was obvious that most of his winning streak was because of the fact that he met people who weren't very experienced. That was obvious in the way you mentioned how those battles went, and how they were all finished in a short time. That was enough for me to understand that this was the case, and as for the two that he lost, they went on for much longer. I started my guesswork from there. I believe that there are only two types of commanders: ones who are good at 'acting', or taking action, and ones who are good at 'reacting'. True, those who are at the peak of the peak will be excellent in both, but even then, they will prefer either one, and they will excel at it. I wanted to find out which kind of a commander this so-called God was, and it soon became obvious from your descriptions that he was the latter. In such cases, it is always best to take people out of their comfort zone, even if it means that they might have been preparing for such a thing."

Taking a pause, he took another gulp, and all the others did the same.

"From there, I took into account his ego, too. It would definitely be helpful if it could be targeted in such a way that he would lose his temper, and that was how I hit upon the plan to use a derogatory method to repel the force that he would send. Information was always key throughout it all – if I didn't know what he was going to do, I could not have planned for it, and if I didn't know so much about him, I wouldn't have been able to make assessments regarding how he might react. The goal was always to use the simple method of hiding the soldiers and then attacking from behind, but I had to infuriate him enough to make him decide that he would crush the fort and enter at any cost. His arrogance was also important here, as it would prevent him from thinking that I was capable of putting forward plans more complex. True, he seemed intelligent in the way he declined my offer for a match with stakes, but by doing so, he exposed and confirmed a lot of things, too. He is arrogant, but he is also a cowardly man, and that is why he never enters a match with stakes even if he knows that there is a great chance of him winning. All of these pointed me to this plan, and what I needed to check was whether the materials were enough to ensure that all those who would be hiding would be able to go into a sleep that was almost like a coma, while being fed water and food."

As this last part, which was actually the main reason and the main twist that had allowed their plan to succeed was mentioned, laughter was heard all over the area, and by this point, others had also started to get interested. They stopped drinking to listen in, but Daneel still continued, knowing that it would all spread soon anyway, so it was better if he pumped up his reputation by telling everyone about it himself.

"Then, it was simple. I made sure that all of our efforts would make it look as if we were fortifying our position as much as possible, and even though it went slowly, I ensured that the trinkets that we were making would be kept secret. The initial plan went successfully, and seeing the way he completely went into preparation mode, it became obvious that he would storm me directly. True, he was still smart at the end to detonate those bombs, but it was not enough. So, even though we won, it was actually close. The only problem was hiding all of our soldiers while being watched by his spies, but that was easy because we always targeted the time whenever the spies were focused on something else. The spies would have used other methods to check the area, and it would have been disastrous if they tried to enter from underground. So, I kept the barriers transparent while we were preparing, thus drawing their attention and making them keep watching as they wouldn't want to miss anything. We would start construction somewhere, and they would all be diverted to there, and on the other side, soldiers would start trickling out and hiding themselves under the ground, where they would fall asleep and wait for the command. The barrier was also transparent to make the so-called God think that he knew everything about the outside area, and that was instrumental, too. Hence… They were all able to rise at the same time and attack, and the rest is history. I guess that finally, it was also key to make sure that all of our cannons and crossbows would be ready to turn around, and they were actually the ones which killed the most people. No one would think that anyone would be crazy enough to make sure that their weapons would be able to turn around and target themselves, too, as this would practically leave them open to being captured by enemies and then being used on them. It was hidden well for that purpose. And that's it! Everyone, drink up. It is a grand day for me! This is my first day in the Order, but I won a War Simulation! I'll be going to pick my rewards. Cheers!"

His last declaration made the entire bar fall silent with shock, and this made Daneel chuckle as he left along with his sovereigns, all while everyone stared at him as if he was crazy.

A newbie winning a War Simulation, and that too against the God of Tactics?!

They had assumed that this was someone with experience whom they had just not heard about before, so this revelation struck them all so profoundly that they began to scoff that it must be false. Of course, the Spikeking started to assured everyone that it was the truth, and soon, it began to spread like wildfire that someone called the Overlord had arrived who had done something so momentous that it overshadowed all of the newbies that had entered the Order so far, in recent times.

Of course, Daneel had expected all this, but at the moment, he was at the obelisk. He knew that he would need his sovereigns' quotas of rewards, too, to fulfill all of his goals, but he decided that for this first one, he would allow them to take whatever they wished. Hence, they were at different obelisks.

As for himself, he had two rewards to choose, and one of them was obviously regarding his master.

He selected it in the module, and a message came saying that it was being prepared, and that he would be able to view it in a few moments.

As he had the time, he scrolled through others that had unlocked due to him being able to pick them, and soon, he came upon one that made his eyes sparkle.

"Information session regarding anything on the continent which will be purged from the memory of the one who answers the questions. Intended for those who have certain queries, but wish to keep them secret. Members are assured that even the Overseer will not listen in. Absolute secrecy is guaranteed, and this is the reason why this is classified as a reward for a Four-star mission. Individuals that can be asked are those who have researched the continent extensively, and are at the Hero level."

Without hesitation, he picked this one, and right away, he was teleported into a room where an old man sat.

Before Daneel realized that he had triggered this reward for some reason before the other one, the old man looked at him and said, "Your five minutes start now. Ask."

Chapter 796: Talking to Master Jonah

The statement from the old man made Daneel remember that this was a reward that was among the pool in which many impressive Godbeast weapons that he had always dreamt about were also present. The only reason he had chosen it was that he needed a few questions to be answered at the moment, and the rest were still things that he could target later on. If those questions were answered now, it would give him some clarity regarding how he could go ahead in the Order, and he had deemed that to be more important at the moment.

So, putting aside all the bewilderment he felt at suddenly finding himself here, he put forward the first question.

"How is the Big Four related to the Order? If people are taken from the Big 4 to enter the Order, wouldn't everyone start asking questions, if the Order has to be kept secret? How is that circumvented?"

The question made the old man raise both his eyebrows and use his right hand to smoothen his beard as he looked at Daneel pensively.

Daneel had no idea who this guy was, but it was clear that he was very powerful. It was a different kind of power from Cain- mainly because of the fact that it was visible, and was making him feel a slight bit of pressure which he found easy to ignore.

His gaze seemed to increase the pressure, though, but just as Daneel was about to feel a bit of pain, it stopped.

"Forgive me. Puzzles that I cannot solve always make me like this. We have limited time, so I should focus on answering your questions, first. It's not like I'll remember all this later, anyway. Coming to your question. The Order almost always picks people from seeds, and seeds are special individuals whose existence is only known to a very few people, anyway. These individuals are all honorary members of the Order, and some of them only swear to keep the secrecy regarding the Order and do nothing else. Hence, when seeds are taken, no questions are raised, and when the matter comes to other individuals from the Big Four whose talent might not have been spotted, it is the same people who intervene. They are the actual leaders of the Big Four, and they have influence and command over the entire high Council. They might not be able to sway everyone, but they can definitely get a majority if absolutely needed. They use multiple reasons such as that they are taking those people under their own wing, or that they are selecting them as seeds, but the secrecy is maintained."

After hearing the answer, Daneel slipped into deep thought for a few seconds.

It did make sense, because when he had been to the mountain where that whole incident surrounding the seeds had happened, he had been told that very, very few people even knew about the existence of the seed program. What they had done was that they had created a subset of individuals who did not need to know about the Order, and these people could be lied to by giving multiple reasons. There were a different set of people who had all been inducted into the Order, and it was them that made sure that secrecy was maintained while the top talent kept entering this organization and being bound to protect Angaria no matter what may come.

On the surface, it looked perfect, but of course, it didn't take anything away from the fact that the Overseer was completely rotten.

Ignoring his emotions regarding that being for the moment, though, Daneel asked his next question, and this was the main one. It was why he had chosen this reward, and he hoped to get a good answer.

"If I get something that can be implemented in the Central Continent here, and then proceed to do so, is there any way that I am not targeted by the Big Four on suspicion that I might have obtained them from the Church? Of course, I mean to protect the secrecy about my identity, too."

This question made the old man sit back and once again look at Daneel deeply.

After a few moments, he answered, "This seems like a different kind of question, and I can only offer my opinion. This reward includes my professional opinion, too, so you can avail it if you wish. But remember that I'm not giving you facts, and that it is not guaranteed that what I say will work."Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Daneel nodded, following which the man said, "What you can do is try to obtain a different Five-star mission reward known as the 'Order's Favour'. If you have looked around, you will have noticed that there is no system of credit in the Order. The truth is that something like this exists, but it is only open to Heroes. In the Hero realm, there are a lot of things that are very enticing which can be obtained from the Order, but the price to get them is very steep, as most of these things are in limited quantity which have been preserved since the age before the apocalypse. If something is needed urgently, Heroes can avail Favour from the Order, which is to be repaid whenever the Order wishes. Now, coming to this reward – if you obtain it, it will allow you to ask of something from an individual who has taken Favour from the Order. What you ask is bound by a few rules, but in this case, all you will have to ask is that they will cover for you in the Big Four. Of course, it is in the matter of your identity that things get tricky. Off the top of my head, I can only think of one way. You will have to expose in the outside world that you are someone who has entered the Order, but you can still keep your identity inside the Order secret. Most of the things that can be implemented in the Central Continent are rewards which can be obtained from quite low-level missions, so your power- the one you used to obtain this Four-star reward, will remain hidden. Whoever finds out that you are a member of the Order will think that you are simply in the lower tiers, and have obtained the rewards by working very hard, and they might not pay too much attention to you. Of course, they will still be very interested regarding just how someone from the Central Continent even entered the Order, but it is not entirely unprecedented. There have been people before who have done so, and they revealed that in the later stages of their lives. With the Favour, you can also ask that the individual you choose will protect you or at least inform you in case someone is targeting you, and they will also take active measures to ensure that you do not attract too much attention. It can be done in another way, too – where that person covers up the entire thing for you, but this is a bit more risky as if you are found out, it will become obvious that you obtained the Favour of that person, meaning that you are powerful enough to get a Five-star award. I know, it's all complex, but it is my job to look at the situation empirically and give you all of the options available, no matter how tricky they are. It is for you to choose."

Daneel had felt like his head was whirling from all of the information he had just gotten, but he had just realized that there could be a way to go about this.

The Order's Favour- he hadn't heard anything about this, and he expected that it might be something secret which would only be exposed if one finished a Five-star Mission, which was no easy thing to do.

So… This reward had already shown its worth, but he still went ahead and asked a few more questions as he had five minutes left.

After his time period was up, the old man just waved his hand, shattering Daneel's expectations that he might give some or the other wise advice like Cain before he lost his memories about Daneel.

He found himself back in the obelisk, and what greeted him was a message saying that his other reward was ready.

Shaking his head and widening his eyes, he immediately pressed the button which indicated that he was prepared to receive it, while remembering the drunken face of the man whom he had once called master.

He was one of the first people that Daneel had built a rapport with, and he could still remember just how angry he had been when it had seemed as if his master had gone against his authority. Looking back on it now, it almost seemed a bit childish, and he also felt that he probably should have known that there was some valid reason behind his master's actions. Still, he had just been a naïve, newly crowned king, then, so it was slightly justified.

Daneel was teleported away for the third time in one day, and this time, he found himself in a familiar place.

It was the dark room with the face-filled sun that was the Overseer looking down on him, and just as he appeared, he saw his own face with closed eyes on its body.

Daneel almost gritted his teeth with anger, but he controlled himself with great difficulty.

It was best if his emotions were kept secret, so he just waited for the Overseer to speak.

"You are a man of talent. You have finished a Four-star Mission so quickly, and it is something rare even among those who are considered to be the hope of this continent. You have earned your reward, and it is in the form of some information, and a conversation that you can have with your Master."

Daneel mind went blank as he heard this.

A-a conversation? With his master? But how?!

Before he could ask, the Overseer answered.

"Your Master- the one known was Jonah was inducted into the Order secretly before his decision to enter the Church as a spy. He was approached after we found out what he was going to do, and he accepted gladly and took a relic from an age long gone which allows us to contact him for brief moments even though he is in the Mainland, which is far, far away. What he has revealed is still kept secret until you swear further oaths, but because of your relationship with him, his request before he left was that if you ever enter the Order, you will be allowed to converse with him. The Order is keeping that promise, now."

Daneel had no time to think about what he had been just told before he found himself knocked out once again.

He entered a dream world, and in it, he found a room where a display trinket was present.

"Go to the trinket. You can converse with your Master through it."

Hearing the Overseer's voice, Daneel did so, and as soon as he sat down, the trinket lit up.

It showed such a shocking sight that Daneel stood up with a horrified expression on his face, while blinking and hoping that there had been some mistake.

A man hung from upside-down from his ankles, and he was so emaciated that his skin clung to his bones. Bleeding lashes were visible all over his body, but as Daneel's eyes wandered to his face, what he found was a smiling man who said, "Daneel! You made it! Finally! Oh, don't worry about me, this is just a normal day in the Church. You-"

SHHHRRRRPPPTTT

Suddenly, the image flickered, and it was as if there was some kind of interference.

"Something is stopping the signal. Please wait while I sort it out."

Daneel heard the Overseer's voice, but he ignored it, as a different one had just reached his ears.

It was from his Master, and it was spoken so quickly that Daneel had to use the Basilisks's Breath to listen to it.

When he did understand it, though...he felt as if someone had squeezed his heart, and he had to try extremely hard to not look as if he had just been electrocuted to death.

"Daneel, I'm sending this secretly so that the Overseer doesn't listen. Listen carefully. The Overseer died during the Apocalypse. Yes, it died! There are records I found in the Church from the enemy who attacked us then which state that they found the Overseer, and killed it discreetly to make sure it wouldn't interfere! Whoever I talked to before I left, it was someone else. Be careful. Be very careful, Daneel, as it is possible that you really are the last hope of Angaria."

Chapter 797: Revelation

"Overseer, we can speak later. The interference might mean that there is someone experimenting with a spell that blocks communication from the Church to the outside. I don't want to take any risks. Remember that he is my disciple, and I saw more in him than I have in most whom I have met even here, on the Mainland. I know you cannot break the rules for him, but be lenient. And don't count this as our deal being done. I take your silence as assent. Goodbye, for now. And take care, Daneel. We will talk soon."

As soon as the strange sound which interrupted the connection stopped, Master Jonah said these words and then immediately cut off the connection.

Meanwhile, Daneel had reached a quick decision.

"System, make me forget what I just heard secretly from my Master, and remind me of it after I am in a secure place."

[Acknowledged. Hiding memory.]

Right away, Daneel's memory was replaced by him only experiencing the interruption normally, and then looking on puzzled as his Master said those words. He only blinked as something felt vaguely wrong, but deciding to think of it later, he looked to the Overseer who was standing as if it was struck speechless.

Right away, he understood why that was the case.

His master had not given any gap for the Overseer to say anything, and he had directly said that last part.

So you are still as shameless as always, my dear drunken master…

Thinking this fondly, Daneel looked to the Overseer and said, "Is he really alright? What are all those wounds, and why is he in prison?"

In response, the Overseer spoke in that same flat tone, and it looked like it had gathered its bearings again.

"That is classified information regarding your Master's journey in the Church, and you cannot obtain it unless he tells you himself. This is all a very unorthodox situation, as all of this data is supposed to be completely under wraps. Because of the obligation that the Order has to him, you were allowed to have this meeting, and you were only going to find out what he chose to tell you about. For the rest, only members who reach higher levels in the Order can obtain the right to find out. The deal with him is still not finished, and after a period of time, you will be called for another meeting, after we deem that it is safe."

Saying so and as if taking a page from his master's book, the Overseer directly teleported Daneel away, and he found himself in front of the obelisk again.

He still had a very strange feeling, almost as if he was missing something, but Daneel first decided to get back to the lodgings.

He did not want to go back to the bar and clinic, as he knew that he would be hounded by questions from all sides if he did so. He had made a ruckus and certainly raised a storm, just as intended, and the best thing to do right now was to take it easy for a little bit and let it roar, boundlessly, for as long as it could.

Sending a message to his subordinates and telling them that they should also head back to the lodgings after they were done picking the rewards, Daneel went to their room first, and sat on his bed after checking that Skrr was still sleeping peacefully. Eloise had also fallen asleep beside the Divine Cockroach, and he decided that it was probably not best to disturb her. Updates regarding how it had gone could wait.

As soon as Daneel was about to relax, though… The system sent a message, and the memories flooded back to him.

[Safe atmosphere detected. Restoring memory.]

"… the last hope of Angaria."

Daneel shot to his feet as soon as he heard the message from his Master once again.

He froze completely, his eyes going as wide as they could, and his face flushed so much that it looked as if all the blood in his body had reached it. At the same time, his heart started beating faster and faster, and it looked like it had no intention of slowing down.

His mind was continuously being pounded by waves, and they seemed to be sweeping him away and drowning him within their swells while only giving him moments to breathe.

The shock was so deep that Daneel finally had to catch a table beside him and consciously tell himself that he should relax, or otherwise, he might get a heart attack from just stress.

Taking a deep, deep breath, he just didn't think about it for a few seconds, during which he managed to at least bring himself back to a semblance of normalcy.

He really couldn't help it. After all, the information that had just been revealed to him changed… Everything.

The Overseer was practically the most powerful individual on the continent, if he was an individual, in the first place. It held the Oaths of all the strongest Heroes, and if it turned out that it was on the wrong side…

Just thinking about the ramifications made Daneel's head hurt, and right away, he knew that he should approach this calmly and logically, instead of letting panic set in.

This was practically the first time he felt so much of that emotion, and the reason behind it was that in the worst case, it could mean that Angaria was already doomed, and he could do almost nothing to change that.

Taking a few more seconds, he finally managed to start thinking about it without letting his emotions affect him.

First of all, what was the worst case?

If the Overseer had died during the apocalypse, who could have taken his place?

If they didn't have the interest of the continent in heart, like it was pretending to, then why hadn't Angaria already been completely crushed the first time the Church had attacked?

If the one who took the place of the Overseer really was after dominating the entire continent, then why hadn't he or she acted when it had been at its weakest, right after the apocalypse?

If…

As the questions kept appearing, Daneel decided that this track wouldn't do any good. There were just too many, and he had just too little data at the moment.

So, he decided to choose something simple and figure that out, before moving to bigger things.

Who were the likely culprits?

Right away, he got an answer, but it wasn't a good one.

Empire spirits, or someone like those existences.

These were the only beings which could exist from that time till now, so it made sense that whoever had taken on the Overseer's role had only survived as their consciousness.

Right, this gave a perfect starting point: the Overseer had been replaced by someone's consciousness, and that meant… That that consciousness's actions might be different from those of whose place it had taken!

Yes!

Daneel felt as if he was in a storm, but had found something he could hold onto as soon as he got this thought.

If what he was thinking was right, then there would be a very easy way to check whether what his master had said was right.

Yes, he wanted to verify it, too, because even though he trusted his master completely, it was possible that that man's own information could be false. It was possible that the enemy at that time might have thought that they killed the Overseer, but had actually failed.

If this was the case, it would be all for the better, but something told Daneel that if his master had deemed it important enough to notify him in that manner, that he must have verified the authenticity as well as he could.

Still, starting with this and going in this method would both allow him to find some clues regarding who might have taken the Oversee's his place, so Daneel decided that that was what he was going to do.

With that, he got up, as having a direction was always best to have whenever one found themselves in such a situation which had so many variables, and so many dangers.

One thing was for sure. If his master was right, and if there was someone malicious in the place of the Overseer… Angaria might truly be doomed, and he really might be its last hope.

Daneel really wished that that wasn't the case, but if it was… He had to end this person and stop their plans as soon as possible, so it was paramount that he go about investigating the truth and taking more steps as soon as possible.

Action would allow him to keep the thoughts regarding Angaria's doom at bay, so Daneel right away made the strong decision that he would do everything required to get to the bottom of this, even if it meant that he might have to push his boundaries a bit, or take risks.

Everything had been going quite well so far, with most of the threats he had faced being ones that he could handle, and with the Church and threats of that size being at bay so that he could calmly grow in power.

Yet, now… It looked like all that was going to stop, and that meant that he had to be ready to take up the pressure and still give his best to achieve everything he wanted.

Well, if that is the case… Bring it on.

With this, Daneel teleported away, after giving a moment of thought regarding whether he should share this with anyone.

Right away, he understood that this was something he might have to do alone, because it was so big that he couldn't trust the trinkets made out of Ker Roots that he had given his sovereigns either. If even the slightest hint got out, he was sure that the heavens themselves would pounce down upon them all, and sadly, they weren't strong enough yet to handle that.

However, if his plans regarding their power-ups using the rewards from the Order were fulfilled, they might be ready, but until then, he had to go it alone.

With that, Daneel arrived at an Obelisk, but just as he was about to touch it to begin his plan of investigation, the system sent him a message.

[Further data uncovered in message delivered to host. This data was given in such a fast tone that only those with the reflexes of Peak Champions would be able to understand it. System was able to intercept and analyze the data over a long time to uncover it. The last part of the message is:

"Daneel, if you are able to listen to this, too, then it means that you might be ready for the test I placed for you on Angaria. On that continent, the one who is present in the place I told you about before leaving is the only other person I trust. In case you already tried and failed, try again, and succeed. If you do so, you will find out a lot more, and we will be able to talk freely. Good luck, my disciple. I…miss you, and my home."] Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Daneel froze as he heard this, and right away, he left a message to his sovereigns and teleported out of the Order.

One could leave and enter the Order whenever they wished, and they would always find themselves at the top of the Mountaintop.

From there, he went to Lanthanor, and after waiting and making sure that he wasn't followed, he went underground and began teleporting discreetly.

The utmost of secrecy was required, so he kept pausing at intervals.

Finally, he reached a place near the western coast of Angaria, and here was a very peculiar mountain.

It was in the shape of a crow perched on the ground, just about to take off, and it was so large that it dwarfed Daneel. It stood at least 150 meters(492 feet) tall, and although the shape was vague, it was most visible when one looked from above.

"Go to the place in Angaria where the Roc pierces the Basilisk's eye, and call for the white-robed augur when you think you are strong enough…"

His Master's words seemed to echo in his ears, and Daneel walked to a very specific place at the base of the mountain which looked very much like a large, one-slitted eye.

He had found this place long back, but it was only now that he had finally found his way here.

Taking a deep breath, he first cast all the protective formations and barriers that he could, before preparing to shout out, as it had been indicated.

Yet, right before he did so, he spotted something that one would only be able to see if they stood at that place.

There seemed to be something…hidden, beneath that eye, and as Daneel used his hand to wipe that spot, a unique image was presented to him.

It was a drawing etched deep into that spot on the mountain, and after revealing it all, Daneel stood back and examined it.

It was the image of a bolt of lightning striking down, and that lightning was vaguely…golden.

Right as Daneel made this observation, an unseen power emerged from nowhere, and in the next moment, the King of Lanthanor disappeared from the surface of Angaria.

Chapter 798: A Message

In the Order, Elanev was excited while looking through the list that was presented to him.

There were so many items that he had always dreamt of, which had been constantly dangled in front of his eyes by the old man who kept promising him that he would find a way to give them to him if he just managed to reach the goals that he had set.

They were partly the reason why he had always been able to push himself so much, with the other part, of course, being that he never wanted to fall behind his younger brother too much.

"They have the body invigorating massage machine from the Empire, t0o! How did one even survive the Apocalypse?! I can't believe it!"

Normally, the old man would have responded in his mind, but once again remembering that he was alone up there, Elanev felt like hitting himself on his forehead to make sure that he would drive this firmly into his head.

He had gotten used to having that weird guy to talk to, and many times, that guy had even interrupted his own thoughts, leading to situations where Elanev would even forget that he wasn't talking to himself, and that someone else was present in his mind.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

The old man was a prankster, so to accomplish this, he would imitate Elanev's voice and make him think as if he had reached a decision by talking to himself while he was plucking the strings in the background.

Well, there was no such thing happening now, as Daneel had told Elanev that he should put back the old man, just like he had done with Drakos as it was too risky to bring them inside the Order.

The Order was all about secrecy, so it made sense that they might have methods to detect other entities entering into their midst in the minds of those who had obtained the right to be their members, and that it would not be wise to bring the Empire Spirits and expose them.

It was always best to hold some cards back, and in this case, until they found a way to make sure that the Empire Spirits could stay concealed, Elanev had agreed that this was the best course of action.

Still, his enthusiasm didn't wane, and he continued to look through with the rest of his team, who had just come out of the bar after being continuously assaulted by questions regarding their companion's newbie status.

They were all at the same place, and all of them were pretty amazed as they saw the exhaustive list of items that was presented to them, which all seemed to be specifically picked to be useful to them, and their power.

However, just as they were about to make their individual decisions, they got a message in their minds which made them almost drop out of the air with shock.

As Elanev was a fighter, he was still not capable of flying for a long time by himself, so Faxul was the one keeping him in the air.

The message even affected this Black Raven King so much that he almost forgot to continue casting the spell, and Elanev found himself plunging down in the air and almost screaming before suddenly stopping in the air and rising up again.

Even that shock was not enough to drive away the one that he had just received due to that message, and all four members looked at each other with extreme panic in their eyes.

At this moment, it was Cassandra who surprisingly took charge.

"Be quiet. Let's assemble first."

She was also taking deep breaths, and she looked like she, too, was at the edge of her calmness, but her words did have a positive effect which allowed the others to teleport away and reach the door of the place where all members who wished to stay in the Order were given rooms.

Right as they reached the one that had been assigned to them, Eloise shot to her feet, but this time, unlike the last, it was not in happiness on seeing them.

"Please tell me it was false! It must be a prank, right! What the hell is going on?!"

She ran up to Elanev, as he was the one she had always been closer to than the others, and she caught his collar and shook it until it almost tore.

This was only the second time that Elanev was seeing Eloise so agitated, and right away, he caught her shoulders and said, "I don't know, but we will get to the bottom of this. Let the Divine Cockroach sleep. Come into this room, the spells that he cast the last time are still there, so we can just activate them using Ker Gems."

Eloise managed to achieve a semblance of normalcy as she heard him say this in a relatively calm voice, but even in it, she detected a tremble which meant that he, too, had a lot of the emotion that she was engulfed in.

Still, she managed to find it in herself to go back to the person who was known as the one with the most power in the Alliance beside the King, and she walked into the room in which Daneel had talked to Cassandra before.

The walls were still scorched, and the ashes, which were the remains of the furniture that had once been here, were scattered on the floor.

As soon as Aran, who was relatively a bit calmer than the rest because of his experience in dealing with situations where there was a lot of pressure on his shoulders, closed the door, Faxul took out a bunch of Ker gems from his pocket and arranged them carefully all around.

At once, multiple formations sprang into being, and the complexity of each of them was so high that none of them could really understand how they worked.

Their king had always had a knack of being able to do things that he shouldn't, and these formations that he had left behind echoed that, too.

Yet… He was the very reason why they were all so frazzled, and right after all of the formations activated, Faxul walked forward and said, "Let's do this right. Did all of you get the same message? At the same time?"

All of them nodded, following which Faxul sighed and shook his head before saying, "I was hoping that that was not the case. Anyway, I will replay it."

With that, he cast a spell, and a voice which felt like it was from the darkest depths of hell was heard in the room.

It just had something about it which made it feel as if it belonged to someone whose power could not be estimated, and Eloise even shuddered as she heard it for the second time. Even the others felt their skin crawling, and it was all they could do to not shut their ears and wish that it would stop.

If it was just these aspects of it, they might not have been so affected, but it was what it said that made them all feel as if they were about to collectively lose their minds.

"The King is dead. Long live the King. Hahaha, soon, I will be able to say this to the entire continent who foolishly believe in him so much! If you runts want to even have a chance of saving him, come to the place in Angaria where the Roc pierces the Basilisk's eye. Only those who receive this message can come, and if there is even one who hasn't, I will disappear with your precious King and no one will ever be able to find me. I am doing this because I also want to kill those whom he has associated with the longest, so that I will have the satisfaction of being thorough. Tell anyone else, and the Kingdom of Lanthanor will go down in flames, as I will expose the truth about his powers and make the entire Big Four come down upon the kingdom he loves with the hope that they can find some clues about him, even if they have to torture everyone that they find. Remember, the more you delay, the faster he will die."

These horrifying words were followed by a very strange sound, almost like a strand of silk being cut by a scissor, which they knew to be the one that an oath-taker heard when an oath was severed.

Indeed, this message had reached each of them through the oathlink, and after it was replayed, silence appeared in the room, as none of them could think past what they had just been told.

First of all, the very fact that someone had been able to send a message through the king's oathlink was something inconceivable to them, because it meant that his consciousness must have completely been invaded so that one could gain access to this link.

"It might be another test, right? He sent it through the Oath, so he may be pretending to be someone else! It should be a test!"

Eloise said this, putting forward the possibility that had appeared in the other's minds, too.

After all, their king had the tenacity of keeping things secret for their own benefit, but this time… All of them knew that something was different.

It was Cassandra who spoke out, and gave the reason why this might not be the case.

"The oath link got severed. After he found me, he told me that he felt the same happening with mine, which was why he assumed that I was dead. He also made it clear that he knew of no spell which could do so, and that means that he cannot do it, either. So, there is a very large possibility that it is not a test, Eloise. And besides… What reason does he have to put such a sudden one? We all know his objectives, and why he entered the Order. His plan in the Order was to carefully fulfill all of those, so there really is no possible reason for him to do this. So…we have to consider the worst-case scenario."

As soon as she said this, tears appeared in Eloise's eyes, even though she tried hard to control them. They started to spill on her cheeks even while she kept wiping at them, and in a voice that could barely be heard, she said, "Say it."

No one responded, so she repeated, but this time, her words echoed in the room.

"Say it!"

"He really is at risk of dying."

It was Elanev who finally said it, and right after he did so, he got an expression of determination on his face.

"It's very possible that this is true, but even if it isn't, is this what he would expect from us? To lose our minds and get mired in a sense of helplessness? No, we need to act! And act, we shall. Eloise, get back to the kingdom and see who else got the message. Faxul, scout that place, and check whether he went there. The rest of you, assemble all those who have known him the longest."

It was as if they had found a lantern in the darkness that threatened to swallow them whole, so right away, all of them started to stand a bit straighter. The commanders in the room had been the calmest even before, but now, they had clarity in their eyes.

"You're right. We don't know the truth, but whatever it is, we are going to the place where he was last seen. Even if it is a trap, we will walk in. And after we do… May the heavens themselves smite me where I stand if I do not give it my all to save him. He did everything for all of us, so we will not stop to even think before giving up our lives, if needed, to save him."

Cassandra said this in an iron-like tone, and the rest nodded firmly.

They seem to echo in everyone's hearts, giving them strength and hope.

Faxul was the one who walked forward first and raised his hand.

"Sovereigns, no matter what the truth is, it is all up to us. No matter what we do, let's make him proud."

"Let's make him proud."

"Let's make him proud."

Repeating that statement, each of the five stepped forward and laid their hands, palm down, on his.

After all of them assembled, Elanev gave the order.

"Good. Now we look more like we are supposed to be. Sovereigns, disperse."

With that, all five people disappeared from the room, and as for Daneel… He had actually been watching the entire thing.

Pride shone in his eyes, but the fact was that he was bound with shiny silver cuffs which had taken away the control of his Mageroot did not allow him to smile.

"Not bad. Your life is in their hands now, King."

A voice spoke in his years, but instead of inciting fear in him, it only made him smile.

When he spoke, his words seemed to carry the emotion of one who had the utmost trust, and it was the kind which would drive away any amount of fear and doubt.

"If that is the case, then I have nothing to worry about. They are my sovereigns, and they… will succeed."

"Let's see."

With that, the voice faded away, and the place which Daneel had been teleported to fell silent, as he, too, was made to fall unconscious.

Yet, at the last moment before he did, the system sent him a message, which made him rejoice even though his situation was quite dire.

[Mageroot-less spell to break out ready to be created and deployed. Awaiting host's orders.]

Chapter 799: Onwards

The Kingdom of Lanthanor seemed peaceful on the outside, but in the Palace, if one knew that those who were at the highest echelon were actually running around with fear in their eyes… They would definitely have been shocked.

Indeed, Kellor, Luther, and Robert, all of whom had casually been discussing about a certain matter regarding implementations of one of the King's many plans, had been badly shocked when they heard that message which was followed by the singular sound of an oathlink being severed.

For a few moments, they had been able to only look at each other, with their faces painted with disbelief.

After that, they took varying times to regain their calmness, but it was Luther who was first.

After all, unlike the sovereigns, these three were older individuals who had been through much more, and they could hold themselves together until they were able to either confirm or deny what they had just heard.

Instead of speaking, Luther entered a period of deep reflection where he considered all of the possibilities available that might have led to this message being sent, so it was Kellor who spoke.

"Who else could this message have gone to? If it was to all those whose oaths are in the oathstone, then the news will get out! That might even result in a continent-wide war!"

This hadn't been the first thing that Luther had thought of, which made him understand right away that they should work together and tackle this from all sides.

Robert sprang into action, saying, "I'll go around investigating if that is the case. I'll send the message to the others, too, but I doubt that they will receive it. Kellor, get to the bottom of this."

With that, he strode out and teleported away with the help of a mage was always on standby to take him to whenever he wished, and Kellor nodded with a grim expression on his face before disappearing, too.

Only Luther stayed where was, as he had just understood something.

Sure enough, not even a minute later, Eloise and the rest of the sovereigns appeared in the room that he was in, which was usually the one that they used to carry out their own discussions.

He had expected that they would come, so he said, "I gather that all of you have received the message, too. We have no time to waste. Kellor and Robert are already finding out about who else got the messages. Assemble underground. We will meet you there. And above all… Stay calm. He will be fine."

Although all the sovereigns were much better after talking between themselves, they still nodded with a bit of hope showing in their eyes as they saw this wizened man say these words with such confidence. Just like them, he, too, had witnessed all the feats of the man who had made their lives revolve around his, so there was no reason for them to lose hope.

"All of us will go help. Let's assemble in two minutes."

With that, the room became empty, and Luther, too, traveled to the Hidden Kill Sect, because there were individuals there who had given oaths to Daneel.

After exactly two minutes, they were all sitting together in an underground room.

"It's strange, but it gives us hope that there might be something else at play here. This message, and the subsequent sound of the oath link being severed was only sent to very select few, and for the rest, it is as if the oath is still present. This either means that the one who has obtained control of the king does not wish this to be broadcasted to everyone on the continent, or that he's laying a trap just for us. One thing is for sure. It might be wise to follow his advice, because it really will result in a continent-wide catastrophe if the news that someone has taken control of the king of the First Alliance of Angaria gets out. The time now is for action, and not for dallying like exactly what we are doing. I propose that we move, right now. Just like he said, every second is precious, and I don't think we have any more."

This was said in a grave tone by Kellor, and each and every one in the room nodded after getting an expression filled with resolution on their faces.

They had all confirmed the same, and they realized that their opponent, whoever it was, had done a very smart thing by putting this pressure over their heads that they might be too late, which was stopping them from considering any plan other than following what had been indicated to them.

Yet… That did not mean that they would go into a trap willingly without taking every precaution that they could.

It was Robert who stood up and spoke, and although his voice was grim, his eyes blazed with a thirst for action.

"Kellor is right. Gather everyone to whom the message was sent, and prepare each and every backup plan that we can deploy. My son has always been a cautious one, so I'm sure that the situation is definitely not as dire as it seems to be. But the onus is on us to make sure that we do the best that we can. If there is a trap, we should be able to spring it and crush the one who dares to target the sovereigns of Angaria. Let's go."

With these brave words, determination shone clearly in the eyes of all the Sovereigns who had assembled, and without a word more, they dispersed for one last time.

Barely a minute later, they were at the specific spot in the continent which Daneel had discussed long back with them. He had apparently found it shortly after upgrading his powers, and although they did not know exactly when that was, they knew for a fact that he had decided to not come here until he was powerful enough.

Something had changed his decision, and Elanev really wished that they had time to investigate why that was, but it will simply not the case.

The old man was back in his head, and he seemed to be roaring with excitement.

"I've been cooped up in that damn stone for too long! Whoever this is, I'm sure we can crush 'em together! Come on, boy! We have some fly swatting to do!"

He echoed Elanev's thoughts, and also of all those who were standing near him.

There were more than 200 of them, and they were, of course, those who had been with Daneel since a very, very long time ago.

They were the Domination corps, and they almost looked like caged birds which had finally been allowed to fly free.

Yet… These birds had found out that the one who was responsible for giving them the ability to fly was in danger, and they were dead set on saving that person no matter what may come.

Indeed, these were some of the first people that Daneel had come into contact with, and they had always been by his side, even though they hadn't been very active in these past few years because of the fact that they had been trying to break through the shackles placed on them by the World.

Gone were the youths who had once entered the Academy with many hopes and dreams, most of which had been baseless as their talent had never measured up to their expectations.

Hence, when they found an opportunity to change that, they had grasped it by both hands, and they had no regrets.

The past year, especially, had been a transformative one for them, since they had come under the tutelage of the one whom they called the Devil of Balance.

Many thoughts ran through their minds, but there was only one that was chief among them all: the one who had changed their lives was at risk of dying, and they had to do everything they could to show that he had not been wrong in choosing them to follow him so many years ago.

Faxul noticed all this and was pleased. He had been there during that iconic speech when Daneel had been cheered for one of the first times, and he had seen just how much of an effect it had had on that man who had risen to become the icon of the continent.

The pleasant emotion was instantly replaced by rage, though, because he wished to transform into a Black Raven and swallow the one who had targeted his friend and ground him to dust in the Black Holes that the originator of his Bloodline was famous for.

Similar thoughts were present in all the sovereigns, and even Eloise, who was the weakest amongst them all in terms of battle potential, was present.

She had been fine with being left behind when they had gone on a mission, but with the man whom she cared about the most in this world in danger… There was no way that she could stay behind.

There had been a slight problem with the Divine Cockroach, who had had to be convinced that she would have to go without them for a brief while. The little girl had surprised her by saying that even she wanted to come with them, as she wanted to help the person who had promised her that he would find her a mate.

"Nothing better happen to him, or Skrr will throw a fit! And mommy always said that Skrr's fits are very, very bad!"

Still, the instruction had been clear: only those whom their faceless opponent had indicated could come, and they did not want to take any risks.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

With everyone assembled, Luther stepped forward and shouted, "Are you all ready? Have you made your preparations? If you do not walk out of here, will the world know what has happened?"

This… Was the only part which made a little bit of fear show on a few faces.

Still, the bravery of those that stood nearby managed to wipe away this very dangerous emotion, and as one, they shouted, "Yes!"

Kellor proudly smiled as he saw this, because it showed just how much of an effect the king had had on all of them to make them ready to march into almost certain death if it meant that they had a chance of saving him. They had made it clear to everyone that it was very possible that they would not return, and that they should put in place a few plans so that their families would be notified in case something untoward happened to them. They had also been told that they could stay behind if they wished, but not one, not one had hesitated.

This had all happened so quickly, and it even felt unreal. In fact, it almost felt like they were in some sort of a dream, but at this point, that didn't really matter.

They knew what they were supposed to do, and they would do it.

They would do it so well that whoever was behind this would definitely be surprised, and they were all counting on exactly that to make a difference in what seemed to be a plan long in the making.

It had only been a few minutes before that they had been discussing trivial issues, but now, there were about to walk forward into an unknown location, where they would face an unknown danger.

Yet… Only one face was visible in their minds, and it was of the man who meant the most of them in this world.

They had trusted him, and he had delivered each and every time, without fail.

Now that it was their turn… How could they step back?

The sovereigns all looked at each other and nodded between themselves, and this time, they all stepped forward and shouted together.

"Domination Corps, march forth! To victory, to life, to hope! No matter what crosses our path, we shall not hesitate, and we shall not step back! Onwards! In his name shall we fight, and in his name shall we triumph! For King Daneel Anivron, onwards!"

Chapter 800: The Targe

Right as everyone present marched onto the mountain which was in the shape indicated to them, they all disappeared.

The first thing that all of the sovereigns felt after finding their footing was that a very loud sound was coming from somewhere near them.

They had to take a few moments to allow their vision to adjust, and after that, they all saw that all 208 of them had been teleported into a large cave, resulting in them having to crowd together and lose the formation that they had carefully assembled before entering.

Although the cave was large, it could not accommodate all of them standing side by side, but still, the instincts of the Domination Corps which had been instilled in them again and again due to the training from the instructors of the Fists of Justice Training Hall kicked in, making them all form squads of 20 each, resulting in a long line of soldiers who were completely equipped with the dark armour and dark clothes that they had become famous for during the Olympics of Angaria.

It had been decided beforehand that the former commanders of Lanthanor would be the ones who would lead this army, while the rest would be in charge of other duties, such as reconnaissance and using everything that they could detect to form options regarding what they could do. Decisions would be taken together, unless they were in a war situation which required those with experience to step forward and take charge.

At the moment, everything seemed calm, except for the loud sound which kept growing in intensity by the second. It was almost like someone was… banging on something, again and again, but as they kept listening, they realized that it wasn't a single 'someone', but a large group who were all doing something together and with a certain rhythm.

Looking back, the group saw that they could only go forward as there was only a wall behind them.

"Prepare to move out!"

Luther gave this command, and all of the soldiers stood at attention and checked their gear. Some had tumbled to the ground due to being teleported into such a tight place, so they had to make sure that all of their weapons were in order, ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.

After all these preparations were done, the three commanders, along with Elanev and Faxul flew to the head, and the rest stayed at the back because they were both the intellectual force, and the slightly weaker one which had to be protected at the rear. Kellor and Robert had both been given the duty of protecting Eloise, even though she didn't really like it.

With that, the force from Lanthanor started to move to find out just what situation they had found themselves in. They used the trinkets that they had to illuminate the area around them as the cave was dark, and the more they moved, the more it started to expand until they could reform their formation so that they were standing in four rows of 50 individuals each.

On the way, the mages kept checking the area, and they soon realized that the entire place was under a very strong formation which both prevented them from communicating anything to the outside and teleporting freely. The complexity was way beyond anything they had ever seen, and comparing it with a few Hero level formations they had seen before, the mages were perplexed to see that it might be even a small step above them.

If the means of the one who was behind this hadn't been clear before, they were now, as everyone increased their estimation of their opponent's abilities to one step higher than what they had initially thought.

They continued marching for an entire minute, all while the sounds kept getting louder and louder. It almost seemed to be coming from inside them, now, and it also started to have a strange effect on them. It was like a worm which tried to eat away at their calmness and expose the fear in their heart which was present even though they had been emboldened by their commanders before, but for the Domination Corps who had been through grueling training day and night under the hands of the Devil, this was almost nothing. Each time they came close to succumbing, they remembered how they had spent their days- beating each other up, healing themselves, training, and then repeating the pattern over and over and over until they even stopped falling asleep naturally. If they got tired, they would just drop where they were, and they would be carried to their beds, where they would sleep and then wake up to continue the cycle again.

Nothing was forced on them, but they had risen to the challenge and kept doing it, even though it felt almost like their own sanity was being affected. They just kept their goal in their mind – to gain power, and bring glory and a happy life to their families, and the man who had believed in them and given them this chance that others would die for.

Compared to all that, this felt almost trivial, and even the commanders were quite pleased as they saw this. If it was a normal army, some of them would definitely have become adversely affected by now, so the Domination Corps truly was showing itself to be an elite force which could not be underestimated in any manner.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, an exit could be seen just as the path they were on began to slope upward. Because of this, they could not see what lay beyond it, but they did not grow excited and increase their place. Instead, they paused to check everything again.

The three commanders all gulped together, and after ensuring that the Army was ready, they flew to this exit, and as one, they gasped as they saw the sight that was presented to them.

Luther immediately raised his arm to command the army to wait, and he also sent a message to Eloise and the rest to come forward.

No sooner had they flown over, they also froze and felt their hearts go cold just like the commanders.

In front of them… the source of the sound they had been listening to until now was finally revealed.

A two thousand member strong army stood in front of them, and all two thousand of these individuals were carrying large, round shields made of some material that looked like whitish stone, but was not. They also carried various weapons in their arms, and it was these weapons that they were actively using to bang on these shields in a perfectly coordinated manner that made that sound echo in the entire area.

The strangest thing was that all of the members of this army were wearing masks which were a bright white in color, and only had slits for their eyes. Each mask glowed brightly, and one would have to squint if they wanted to look at the soldiers' faces.

They also wore white, spotless ropes with white armor on top, and it looked as if the entire army consisted of only Fighters.

Yet… If one looked closer, an even more horrifying thing would be revealed, and it was something that would strike fear into any foes who dared to go against force.

In a mage's elementary vision… It would become clear that each and every soldier was casting a spell to keep their masks glowing, and this made one reach the terrifying conclusion that this entire army was one made up of those who were traditionally called Vanguards- talented individuals who could train as both a Mage and a Fighter, and bring forth the best of both paths so that they would be flexible and undefeatable on the battlefield.

All of these things would have been enough to give pause to any normal people, but these were eight of the Nine Sovereigns of Angaria, who had heard of much more fantastical things from their king.

So… The reason behind their surprise wasn't this army.

It…was what lay right behind it.

"Welcome to your grave! I see you didn't dally, like I asked. Well, I'll be done here soon, and after that, I'll come crush you all with impunity. Until then, have fun with these toys of mine."

These words were shouted out in a way that they echoed throughout the humongous cave that they found themselves in, and as soon as the last word was heard…the banging stopped.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"RAAAAWWRRR!"

In a sight that would strike fear into the boldest of warriors, the two thousand-strong army started to run forward, in the direction of the cave entrance at which the sovereigns all stood.

There was something…inhuman about them, whether it was the way in which each of their movements seemed exactly the same, or the inhuman roaring which was almost like something that one would expect from a rabid beast.

"Domination Corps, defensive formations! Deploy the Thorny Turtle Shell to barricade this entrance!"

Luther quickly gave this command, taking charge as the senior-most commander present.

The Domination Corps were all alert, so they immediately ran forward on hearing the order.

They didn't even pause to check what was in front of them, as they had been trained perfectly to first follow orders, and then do things which were not urgent.

One by one, the two hundred individuals all assembled themselves in a peculiar way.

There were fifty who stood on the ground, with equal distance between each of them, and after checking their positions, they dropped to their knees.

Fifty more jumped up onto their shoulders, making a lattice of individuals, and as soon as these fifty stabilized themselves, they had already almost reached the roof of the cave opening.

Fifty more still jumped onto these people's shoulders, and as one, they all grasped formations that they activated together.

SKKKRRNNGGG!

With a sound akin to a sword being unsheathed, a five-feet(1.5 m) thick barrier with interlocking hexagons each formed from each trinket that had been activated sprang into being, and the last fifty soldiers all flew into the air to position themselves at the spots from where their vision wasn't impeded by the rest.

They joined their hands together, and fireballs began to form that kept growing in size.

It was only then that all those present looked forward, and saw the image that had shocked their commanders so.

If not for their training, they would have lost control of what they were doing, but at the last moment, all of them managed to control themselves.

At the corner of the humongous cave…was a man floating in the air, spread-eagled, with silver cuffs around his arms and legs.

He was unconscious, but his face still seemed to retain the sense of royalty that he had awed many with.

He was the one they had come to save, and in front of him was someone who looked as if they were the very embodiment of evil, itself.

This…thing was 10 feet(3 m) tall, and except for the fact that it stood on two legs, there was nothing else human about it.

Its entire body was filled with arms that sprouted out from almost every inch of its skin, and within that massive ball of limbs which looked especially grotesque because of the way they were twitching, almost with excitement, no face could be seen.

Even the legs were barely visible, so the monstrosity almost looked like a clump of arms which had been affixed together.

The King was surrounded by layers of barriers, and it was clear that they were the ones created by the trinkets that he always carried. Even if he was unconscious, they would protect him, and that was exactly what they were doing.

After those words were heard, the figure which was straight of the nightmare of someone with an overly active imagination turned around and began striking at the barriers.

It's objective was obvious: it wanted to use brute force to break through, and then kill the King who had somehow been taken hostage.

Taking a deep breath, Luther said what was on everyone's minds.

"We have our target in front of us. Sovereigns, if we can't even defeat this thing which looks like it is just at the Peak Champion level, then we really don't deserve this title that we were christened with. The Domination Corps will handle this army. As for us…let's go make that thing beg with all its arms if it wants us to not break them off and use them to smack it into oblivion. Move out."

Chapter 801: Contac

Even though it looked to the outside world as if the King of Lanthanor was unconscious, the truth was that he was in a half-waking state in which the system was constantly showing him what was happening in the place that he had been bound.

It had notified him the moment he had been shifted to someplace else, following which it had given him information about a strange and almost puppet-like army that had been teleported from some location.

After this, peculiarly, he had been told that the one who had abducted him had taken on a very strange shape for some reason and looked like they were waiting for someone to show up.

Of course, Daneel knew who that was, and even though he was a bit worried, there really was none of the panic or slight fear that he had felt in all the times that his life had been threatened so far.

Perhaps it was because of the fact that it was in the hands of his sovereigns now, whom he had seen grow in front of his eyes.

Or perhaps it was because everything that was going on right now did not really make sense, and so far, in all situations where this was the case, it had turned out that things might not be as they seemed.

Still, Daneel did not get complacent in any manner, even though his gut told him that there was something just off about all this that even the system had not been able to detect, for once.

This was the place indicated by his master, and that man had always been very thorough in everything he had done. Be it the way he had saved Daneel from having his motives exposed to the then King by covering his induction of the Domination Corps in a barrier, or how he had crafted a very careful plan to notify him about the truth that he was not supposed to know about, Master Jonah had always exhibited a tremendous intellect that had been buried for the many years when he had pretended to be a hopeless drunk who was just mooning about those he had lost day in and day out.

Still… The only reason that Daneel was not convinced of this was that there was a remote possibility that his plans might have been hijacked, and a trap might have been lain for him at this place. This possibility could not be ignored, but even if it was true, and even if his real powers had somehow been exposed as had been claimed by the one who had abducted him, there was one thing that no one knew about or could account for.

The system.

Even with that, though, in the worst case, things would be pretty dangerous, so Daneel was on complete high alert all while faking that he was just a helpless prisoner who could only stay asleep, unaware of his subordinates fighting for him and the bizarre figure of the individual who was about to break through the layers of barriers he had on him so that he could end his life.

The only thing he wished was that he could somehow notify this to his sovereigns, but it was too risky.

He could see Luther clearly – the man who had mostly been silently managing the Hidden Kill Sect all these years had more emotions on his face than any time that Daneel had seen him yet, and this showed just how much he meant to him.

It wasn't just Luther. After he announced those words, hope appeared in all the other Sovereigns who were beside him, and they all leaned forward, ready to move whenever they got a chance.

In all these years, Luther had built a very astute sense of intuition which told him that there was something he was missing about this entire scenario, but currently, there was no time to dwell on the matter, because the hellish army which was still screaming as if they were all tortured animals instead of the distinguished soldiers they looked like were holding their weapons aloft and were almost upon them.

"Steady!"

Back before Aran and Cassandra had even entered the Army, he had been the chief commander who had loyally carried out all of the war campaigns of the King of Lanthanor, no matter how baseless or useless they were. He had only stepped down after the two young soldiers in whom he had seen potential had risen out of the ranks, and he had trained them in everything that he knew.

Yet, in this situation, he still took the reins, as it was just too sensitive.

It all came back to him right away, and Luther had no trouble at all in acting like the veteran commander who had once terrorized the armies of those who dared to go up against him on the battlefield.

His voice was filled with iron resolve which echoed with all those who had formed the thorny turtle shell, and with each second, the fireballs that were being conjured by the mages kept growing bigger and bigger, all while they were controlled carefully between their hands.

As for the Fighters, they had already enlarged trinkets which turned into bows, and a quiver of arrows was ready at their waists to be drawn and shot forward into the enemies bodies as soon as they entered a range where the arrows would be lethal.

When Luther and the rest had appeared at the lip of the cave, there had been half a kilometer of distance between them and the Army. The cave was just that humongous, and that had partially been the reason behind him choosing to make their stand here, instead of entering the cave and getting themselves surrounded on all sides.

Strategically, this was the best move, and there were also different reasons for it, which soon became clear.

The distance started to decrease bit by bit, and exactly as the front ranks of the 2000 strong army reached within 300 m of them, he shouted, "Deploy the Cheerful Welcome!"

In an instant which occurred so suddenly that their opponents had no chance to spot it and prepare, the formation winked out of existence, and as one, all 200 members of the Domination Corps took out hidden trinkets from a pocket in the small of the back and launched them accurately right into the midst of their opponents.

"Detonate!"

With a roar that was quickly silenced by another one that radiated throughout the entire cave and made the entire place tremble as if it was being struck by an earthquake, multiple explosions appeared within the ranks of the Army.

The shockwaves started to radiate outward, but the turtle shell which had immediately come back into existence even as those trinkets had been in the air protected the Domination Corps. Hence, they only wrought havoc on those nearby in the army who hadn't been in the vicinity of the blasts.

Add to this the fact that those trinkets had also been covered in shrapnel which shot out at incredible speeds after the explosions, it was not a pretty sight to see at all.

Luther had no qualms at all, though, and all he needed was the dust storm to settle so that he could see how much of an effect they had had.

This was war. Any force would do anything for victory, and this wasn't even one of the most nefarious methods he had seen armies deploy.

The hellish Army looked like it had stopped due to this attack, and for the moment, the dust cloud covered most of them. Even the ones who were visible had their backs turned to them, but a barrier had come into place protecting them, as otherwise, they would have been completely exposed when they were unprepared.

It would be dumb for the Domination Corps to attack now as their opponents had already deployed all sorts of safety methods. Any subsequent attacks would be blocked for this reason, preventing them from using the moment of surprise they had created. Hence, Luther didn't give any additional orders.

"I think at least 300 of them should be dead. I saw that many in the area of impact!"

Eloise said this in a hopeful tone, and Luther nodded. The mages had the extra responsibility of allowing the trinkets to accelerate and make sure that they reached their target before any additional defensive measures popped up, so their effectiveness was supposed to be quite high.

Yet… As the dust settled, they were presented with a horrifying sight.

Eloise was right – 300 of them had been affected, as they had not been quick enough to deploy additional barriers. Their normal defensive barriers had apparently been destroyed right away due to the explosion, and many grave injuries could be seen. More than 200 had their faces mauled even though most of them were covered by masks, and all 300 had various bleeding injuries on their bodies, with a few dozen even having lost some of their limbs.

Only… Instead of panicking, each affected individual was carefully bandaging their wounds as if they felt no pain, after which they carefully picked up their limbs and put them back where they belonged with a simple spell that was only designed to stick them to the body, instead of applying any healing methods.

"RRRAAAWWRRRR!!!"

But after this activity was over, it was as if a switch had been thrown again, as all 2000 once again began running in their direction.

The Sovereigns and the Domination Corps were struck completely speechless.

What… The hell were they facing here?

Were these things even human?

Thankfully, Elanev's mocking words brought them back to their senses.

"Hmph. A bunch of undead, probably. Don't panic, people. They're just a type of Army that were used during the Empire. They're made up of dead people, and all you have to do is mince them into bits until they can't tell whose bits are whose. Simple, isn't it? Let's just do that."

He said it in such a nonchalant manner that it almost took them out of this bizarre situation that they found themselves in, and it allowed the soldiers to once again focus on what was in front of them.

Luther smiled appreciatively at Elanev, after which he shouted, "He's right. After we're done with them, they'll just be a puddle of flesh and bones! Draw!"

All of them knew that they were only saying these things to not succumb to the fear that would spring up in anyone whenever they saw inhuman monstrosities like these out for their blood, but they still ignored all of their instincts and just followed orders.

This was their king. Even if they had to handle even more grotesque things, they would do so with a smile.

The sound of bows being drawn back was heard, and 150 arrows were ready to be launched in the matter of a few seconds.

At the 200 m mark, Luther shouted, "Fire!"

BANG!

If anyone had been thinking that these were normal bows and arrows, the sound that was given off by each one as their arrows were sent shooting forward made it clear that the Domination Corps were decked out in the best equipment possible.

Each bow was like a cannon, and it put such a stress on the one using it that all of them had to be tucked away. Yet… the effects were tremendous.

The arrows actually had the ability to revolve in a corkscrew motion, thus satisfying the main principles that were required to break through a barrier which were revolutionary motion and piercing power.

Although the Army was prepared, again, the arrows caught them off guard, and before new barriers could come into being, all of the arrows find the remarks.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Yet… Once again, the soldiers fell down, and then continued their inexorable march forward as if they had no sense of pain.

At the hundred meters mark, Luther shook his head and shouted, "Prepare for close-quarters combat!"

Pikes were drawn by those at the bottom, and those at the top carefully uncovered various materials that they had brought with them in the form of trinkets that were stored in many places around the body. They were caskets of burning oil, more explosive trinkets, shrapnel spreading projectiles and all sorts of nasty stuff that no one would want to see coming down upon them from above.

There was another surprise waiting for them, though, because at the hundred meters mark, all of the 2000 members unitedly cast a spell.

It was a simple ice prick, and they were hurled at their defensive barrier.

If it were a few hundred, it might not have been so bad.

But 2000 revolving ice pricks shot together… Made the barrier almost break.

"Replace! Replace!"

Luther screamed this frantically, and due to the fact that this had been rehearsed many, many times, even though they had barely a second, the Domination Corps managed to replace the trinkets with fresh ones that had much more Energy stored within them. This was quicker than shifting out the Energy resources powering the trinkets, so thankfully, by the time the 2000 screaming and bloody soldiers reached them, they were all once again completely in defense mode.

"Thorny Turtle Bites Back!"

With this shout, the pikes started to fiercely assault all those who had started to use all of their weapons to bang on the formation with the intent of breaking through with sheer brute force, and at the same time, all of the attacks started to rain down from above.

Complete mayhem had broken out, with the Domination Corps desperately trying to hold back so many more than themselves, and the Sovereigns quickly realized that this was definitely not going the way they had intended.

They could now estimate the power of the army because they had begun to fight, and what they had seen…was that each of the 200 individuals all had strength at the Eminent Warrior Realm.

As for the Domination Corps…they were mostly comprised of just Amateur Warriors.

The rest of the sovereigns saw this and had started to think about what the f*ck they could do, but as was her duty, Eloise noticed something else.

"See that guy? He keeps turning around and doing something with a trinket that is causing a very minute elementary particle disturbance in this group. I'm almost sure that… He's controlling them in some manner! If you kill him, perhaps something will happen to these things, too?"

Luther whirled around as he heard this, and even Elanev looked at Eloise with surprise.

Cassandra confirmed it, and Aran also muttered that they should have seen this before.

Seeing the way the skirmish was unfolding, Luther made a crack decision.

"Alright, then. Eloise, Robert, Kellor and I will stay here and reinforce this regiment while making sure that they don't breakthrough. The rest of you… Go show them what we're made of. No time to talk. I know our place, and you should know that yours is in front of that thing. If we could compete in terms of our power with you, we would have come, too, but we would just hold you back. Go!"

Faxul and the rest got slightly difficult expressions as the heard this, but his last statement wiped those away and made them activate all sorts of defensive trinkets before flying forward.

Strangely… The Army didn't care for them one bit. Even though they appeared out of the formations from the top, they made no note them, and realizing that this was also probably the doing of the one who was behind all this, Cassandra, Aran, Faxul and Elanev all got angry expressions on their faces and shot forward.

The moment they were about to reach their destination, though… The monstrosity said something which made their anger rise to the next level.

"It's about time. I have no rush in killing this guy, and I'm pretty sure that he's still seeing everything from the inside. I want him to despair while I massacre his subordinates and also humiliate them by defiling their bodies even after they're dead! Come. Our enmity is deep, and this is only one of the ways in which I will be taking my revenge. Come and meet your death, you fools who have chosen the wrong side!"

Chapter 802: The Sovereigns Strike

It started almost silently, like a tsunami at sea which would stay undetected until it roared onto the shore, ready to devastate and destroy everything in its path.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

The words of the grotesque being which echoed throughout the cave even brought expressions of disgust and anger on the faces of the Domination Corps who were extremely busy contending against the horde of seemingly undead soldiers who kept getting up, no matter how much they were stabbed, so it didn't even need to be said just how much rage they gave birth to in the sovereigns to whom the king was practically the most important person in their lives.

Before, they had initially been a little cautious with the intention of probing out their opponent and then launching attacks based on what they found, but they simultaneously scrapped that plan with a mutual understanding which only came to be because of the long periods of time that they had spent together.

They had already reached within a few hundred meters of the being by the time his words had reached them, so they stopped in place, following which two majestic cries echoed throughout the cave.

Both would strike fear into anyone normal, and they also had a certain grandeur about them which hadn't been seen on this continent in a long, long while.

The first was the cry of a Phoenix, breaking free from its shell to soar unrivaled among the heavens leaving a blazing trail which was the symbol of its inexorable might.

The second was much more muted in volume, at least, but in terms of the effect that it had on the battlefield… It would suffice to say that the cry of the Phoenix would hardly be worthy of being spoken in the same breath, at least at the moment.

It sounded vaguely like the squawk of a Black Raven, but it was so much more deeper and complex, with layered effects that brought changes upon the entire cave that they were in.

First of all, it made even the Army fighting the Domination Corps turn around, as they felt a threat which made them look back and check whether it was one that they needed to worry about.

This gave much-needed respite to the Domination Corps who were slowly being thoroughly overwhelmed, and as they gazed at the sight of the four who had gone ahead, shock shone in their eyes, as they understood why these people had been hand-picked by the king to be at his side throughout his journey.

Secondly, it caused the gravity in the entire cave to shift wildly, growing stronger in some places and lighter in others, while extremely strong attractive forces kept appearing and disappearing all over, almost as if there was an invisible storm influencing the entire area which was both unseen and unheard of.

Finally… It made a dark aura surround the four sovereigns, giving them an extra shield that had the power of pulling away and weakening any attacks that were sent towards it.

It almost looked like each sovereign had been given wings made of a metallic material that looked like it was comprised of gleaming black feathers which had an ethereal quality about them, and this made it clear that they had been conjured specifically by the one who had called upon them.

And of course, the one who had done so… was the inheritor of the legendary Devouring Monarch of the Skies, or, as it had once been called before it had wrought havoc upon humanity and earned this name- the Divine Black Raven.

If someone from the age of the Empire were here, they would definitely recognize the singular aura and these unique effects that were only accompanied by a real Black Raven appearing in front of them.

When they found out that it was actually all being displayed by just a Bloodline inheritor… They would definitely be stunned, and remark just how much talent this person seemed to have in that particular Bloodline.

Knowing this, Faxul got a smile on his face, but of course, no one could tell that that was the case, as he had transformed completely into a majestic twelve-foot tall shining Black Raven with a wingspan that was double its height.

He floated there in the air, behind the three other sovereigns, whom he had all enshrouded in this new ability that he had unlocked in his training.

In the case of Aran and Elanev, it looked like they had put on an extra cloak which also made them look as if they had wings, but on Cassandra… It had an amazing effect that fought for superiority with Faxul in the eyes of those who were watching the scene.

And that… Was because a brilliantly burning Phoenix had appeared all around her, with her being in the center, almost hidden from sight, yet still visible as the Phoenix slowly flapped its wings.

It had a crest on its head that shone more brilliantly than everything else, and the rest of its body was also made up of bright yellow- almost bordering on white-colored flames which made the air shimmer due to their extremely high temperature.

Faxul's ability made it so that these flames were enshrouded in a black colored substance which made them seem all the more brighter due to the contrast, and if anyone even looked at its figure long enough, they would feel their eyes burning.

Elanev smirked as he saw this.

"How can I let you juniors steal the show?"

Saying this, he underwent a transformation, too.

He had still not broken through to become a Champion, but he was so close that he had already begun to be able to channel the powers that he would obtain in the Champion realm even though he was still a Peak warrior.

The essence of his path was to burn up everything to give out explosive bursts of power, and one of its abilities… Allowed him to gain both limitless power and stunning speed.

He used it now, making him instantly enlarge into three times what he had been. Rippling muscle could be seen all over his body, but unlike the monstrosities of old which had ravaged Angaria, his body was balanced, giving both the aura of power that had once belonged to those things and a halo of indestructibility due to the uniformity that he had which would make anyone think twice before going up against him.

His clothes tore in the process, but he didn't care. He had prepared two trinkets in his arms, and as he pressed down on them, they enlarged into two gigantic gloves that seemed to be made of some sort of solid material that had the flexibility of cloth.

He put them on, and four spikes each instantly jutted out from the spot above his knuckles, giving him an extremely menacing atmosphere as he cracked his fingers.

The loud popping sounds echoed in the cave, and all three looked at Aran, who was just standing there normally.

"Err…f*ck you all, I don't have anything to transform into."

Aran had been grumbling since the moment he had seen these impressive displays, as he had nothing to show in a manner that would awe people when they looked at him.

Still, he followed his words with those spoken with pride.

"I may not be flashy, but I'm actually the most important of you all. Move forward to strike in three, two, one… Hey, you! Your dreams are my b*tch!."

His last words were said as he turned around and pointed at the monstrosity which had been watching all this while as it waited to let these individuals strut around for as long as they wished before displaying its power and bringing them under its feet, but at that moment, everything changed.

The writhing hands that had already creeped everyone out suddenly went limp, and the grotesque figure started to sway from side to side.

Aran didn't need to say anything more. The rest saw that his ability had taken effect, and it was their chance.

Of course, they had been prepared. Faxul was the fastest- using the Black Raven's speed, he slipped behind the being and instantly activated two large black holes, each the size of two fists held together, and slammed them into the sides of its body, ripping into the tens of hands that they came into contact with.

Cassandra reached next. She stood bravely in front of it, and without flinching even a bit, she held both hands together like the mages in the Domination Corps.

Unlike them, though… The fireball she started to make was the mother of all fireballs, and it had such concentrated heat that the atmosphere in the humongous cave even started to be affected.

"EYYYEAHH!"

With a loud warcry that she had been known for by her regiment which indicated that they needed to go join her no matter where she was, Cassandra thrust that pulsing ball of fire forward, making many, many hands instantly burn up into crisps and fall to the ground.

Elanev was last, but no one who was watching would be disillusioned into thinking that this meant that he was the least effective.

As soon as he reached their opponent, his fists had enlarged even further, and by the time they struck the parts on the large body of the being which weren't being affected by the attacks of the others, each fist was half the size of a full-grown man.

"BOOOOMMM!!!"

The impact made a shock wave vibrate outward, accompanied by the sick sound of blood and bones being crushed into mincemeat.

This attack was impressive enough, but the more shocking thing… Was that it was only the first of many.

He kept moving around and punching wherever he could find, and his next fist was actually aimed at the feet of the being so that it would fall to the ground and leave itself completely exposed from the front.

All sorts of barriers kept popping into being and then being destroyed instantly by the combined attacks of the four sovereigns who let their wrath loose, and it was a glorious sight.

Each attack of theirs was made with their full energy, and because of their Bloodlines and Champion Paths which were exceptional, it was almost like Faxul, Elanev and Cassandra were respectively putting forward the power of a Peak Eminent Champion, an Amateur Champion and a Peak Warrior on the verge of breaking through who were all destroying the Peak Champion who had dared to abduct their King.

In such a situation, any Peak Champion would find themselves very close to death soon, and in this case, this came to be in a very short amount of time.

The Devouring Monarch of the Skies' devastating black holes, the Divine Phoenix's supernova, and the Limitless Berserker's frenzied fists mowed through the mesh of arms with almost no effort, and it looked like victory was within their grasp.

Yet, they did not slack. They did not need to look back to know that Aran's eyes had begun to bleed, while his face was so flashed that it looked like it would blow up soon. This was the effect of forcefully using his Bloodline on someone much stronger than him, and at any second, he would give out.

Thankfully, their opponent's end seemed to be close, because no matter how many barriers came up, they kept smashing through the incredibly large body of their opponent until they finally began to get a glimpse of what his real body underneath might be.

It was at this moment, though, where smiles filled with triumph were beginning to appear on both the Domination Corps and the Sovereigns… that everything changed.

SKKKRRNNGGG!!

With a strange sound, a golden barrier burst forth with such suddenness and intensity that none of them were prepared to react.

"AAAHHH!!!!"

At the same time, Aran reached his limit and collapsed to the ground with a loud scream, while the three sovereigns were blown backward by a power that far exceeded the Champion Realm.

Each of them became injured in the process, with Faxul even losing both of his talons which had been engulfed in the barrier and then torn apart from him when he was flung back.

Cassandra's entire body was bloodied, and Elanev was missing two large chunks from both his shoulders, making his hands barely hang on to his body.

The three sovereigns somehow managed to right themselves in the air, and that… Was when hopelessness finally appeared on their faces.

If the opponent had remained injured, this might not have happened, but the image they were presented with made it clear that they had been wrong all along.

Instantly, all of the hands had begun to grow at a speed that was unthinkable for a Champion, and each even began to become coated in a golden substance that was in the same shade as the barrier that had injured them.

It was all done in barely four seconds. They had been attacking for only five, so it was astonishing that it had taken less time for the being to heal itself that had taken for them to get that far.

The most horrific thing, probably…was that the being did not even look tired.

Instead of looking like someone who had just escaped death, it bent back its entire body, and… laughed loudly, before saying a statement that made all the blood drain away from the faces of those who were watching.

"I did not think that I would have to reveal my Hero-level powers! Ha, I guess I can at least say that the followers of this prick are capable. Well, it gives me all the more pressure to crush into oblivion those who would definitely have grown to become beacons of hope for this blasted continent. Now… Time to have some fun."

Chapter 803: Last Stand

The words of the being seemed to strike a blow deep into the hearts of the sovereigns who had been thirsting for victory until now.

Together, they had been sure that they would be able to beat a Peak Champion, even though they were only a bunch of three Warriors and an Amateur Champion. This was a feat that would have been lauded even in the age of the Empire, but here… It looked like it was still not enough.

Even the extreme amounts of pain from each of their injuries did not stop them from pulling themselves together, and starting to think of another plan.

"Come back, first! You can heal and then try again! It doesn't look like he's in a hurry!"

"Yes! Exercise caution!"

Those who were behind the barrier that was ready to be overrun by the undead force sent these messages, but they did not have any impact on these four who had just failed in the one thing that they had hoped to achieve more than anything else in their lives so far.

When it finally did register, they realized that it was a good choice. There was nothing wrong in retreating and coming back, and from the level of the Energy of the barriers that they had seen on the king, it was obvious that he would be able to last for quite a bit longer.

Yet… It looked like their opponent had meant it when he said that it was time for him to have fun.

That same golden barrier which had caused all their injuries instantly sprang into being, locking them in, and preventing them from even thinking of leaving.

With this, it became clear that they were being played around with.

Since the beginning, it looked like this thing, whatever it was, had wanted them to feel hope that they could win before obliterating it and seeing them despair. Anyone who despised their enemies would want this to happen to them, and even though they did not know the reason behind this being's hatred towards them, it became obvious that it had decided to really fulfill what it had said that it would in the best way possible.

"Don't let him win. Don't lose hope."

Elanev was the one who muttered these words. First, he did so slowly, under his breath, but after that, he shouted them out defiantly after taking a deep breath.

The truth was that even with all their training, the Domination Corps had started to lose hope, as it did not look like their opponents would be letting up anytime soon. Their plan of cutting the ones whom they were facing into tiny pieces so that they could not put themselves back together was not working very well, mainly because of the fact that they were outnumbered 10 to 1. No matter how many injuries kept piling onto those bodies, all they did was provide minor inconveniences which were shrugged off by the soldiers that continued to attack their barrier while depleting their Energy resources in the process.

The moment it broke, they knew that they were doomed, and they had run out of ideas.

The reign of Domination that they had been looking forward to all their lives did not look like it would come to be, so desperation had already started to gnaw its way into the minds of the many who were fighting as hard as they could.

It was Elanev's words, though, which pushed it back, but what Faxul shouted next made their fighting spirits ignite.

"Don't let him win. Even if I die, it will be with pride! When I meet Daneel in the heavens, I want to be able to tell him that I gave my best! Otherwise… I would rather roast in hell for eternity!"

"Even if I die, it will be with pride!"

"Yes! F*ck you, you disgusting things! Even if I die, I will die proud! And mark my words, the last thing I will do is make sure that we are burned up so that you will have no way to make your claim come true! We, the Sovereigns of Angaria, will never be defiled either in name or body! What do you say?!"

Cassandra screamed this rallying cry, and her words began to echo in the cave, making even those in the Domination Corps scream out in response.

"Yes! If this is my last day, I want to go out covered in the blood of these f*ckers!"

"When the barrier breaks, I'll kill 10!"

"Ha ha, 10! I'll get 20, even if I have to bite them till they can't move!"

"Let's do that together! And we can go for 40!"

The camaraderie of those who had gone through many situations close to death together came into play, making laugher and mad cheers appear among the ranks of the Domination Corps.

Seeing this, small smiles appeared on the eight sovereigns who were still conscious, too.

Finally, this seemed to affect the mood of the one who had been gloating while imagining their deaths so far.

"Humph! Let's see if you'll still be laughing in a minute!"

As soon as the last word appeared from its body, the being raised one arm, and all three sovereigns found themselves being crushed from all sides, as if they had been placed in a spot between mountains that were hell-bent on grinding them into paste between them.

This made the emotion from before instantly disappear, and silence also appeared in the Domination Corps which was repeatedly punctured by the oddly coordinated shouts from the undead army.

The smiles returned in a second, though, and from where she stood, Eloise spoke out.

"It looks like we never had a chance, after all. Like they said, all we can ensure is that we go down fighting, without giving that thing any satisfaction."

Saying so, she took out two trinkets which she had been specially made for her long, long ago.

They enlarged into twin crescent-shaped blades which glinted in the light present in the cave, and she looked at them with a morose expression on her face.

"I wanted to surprise him by showing my skill with these blades."

She said so with tears starting to stream down her cheeks, but her expression remained defiant.

Behind her, the three elderly sovereigns looked at each other with sorrow-filled expressions on their faces.

"We have seen life, and we don't fear death. But why them? They still have so much to do, so much to see! And my son…"

Robert said this in a low tone, and Kellor and Luther both grasped his shoulders.

He looked into their eyes, and saw the same emotions that were going through his mind reflected in them.

Regret, unwillingness, desperation.

Yet…they said nothing, as there really was nothing they could say at this moment.

Luther gestured his head in Eloise's direction, and the other two nodded before walking toward her.

They wanted to console her, but it looked like she was stronger than they had expected.

Seeing the three elderly men approaching her, she looked up and actually…smiled.

Wiping away the tears weren't stopping, she said, "It's all right. My life was…good. For the most part, anyway. He gave me everything, and I just wanted to stay by his side forever, no matter if we became closer or not. I just wanted to keep giving, but our time is up. And so far, I'm happy with what I've done. I-"

Her voice completely broke down here, as if the strength she had mustered was gone.

She collapsed into the hands of the sovereigns, who all snapped their gazes in the direction of the monstrosity.

She only needed a moment to recover, though, and when she did, she righted herself and repeated the words, "Even if I die, it will be with pride. Yes! This will be my first and last battle, and I better make it count!"

Even though they were putting on a brave front, the sovereigns who were being crushed had also had their eyes on the lip of the cave where their comrades stood.

As they saw Eloise, the treasure of the Sovereigns say this, their facades crumpled, and abject rage resurfaced in all of them.

Elanev was the first one to let his tongue loose, and when he did so, it surprised those who were listening, and made Eloise enter a stunned silence.

"If I'm going to die, let me at least do so after I lay my heart bare! Eloise, I've always loved you! I saw you the first time I was brought to court by my father, and I was completely smitten! But when I found out that you were a princess and that I could never reach a status worthy of marrying you, I tried to forget you! I kept throwing myself at other women, and they were all those who reminded me of you! I saw hope when Daneel took the throne…but then, I saw the way you started to look at him! That…is actually the main reason I left abruptly on that trip where I almost died multiple times! I wanted to be strong enough to at least contend with the man you had your eyes on, so that I might at least stand a chance! Otherwise, life was just not worth living! Alas…I got close, but I never succeeded! Still, that hope refused to die, even though you always had eyes only for him! Eloise…if there is another life, I hope I will be able to do better! I hope I will have the guts to tell you outright long ago that you have someone who wants to grow old with you! The guts to die if it meant that that could become possible! I'm done, so kill me first, you freak! You're uglier than a cow's spotted arse, and I feel like dying every second I'm in your presence!"

"…"

This singular confession that came out of nowhere managed to stun many into silence, but it looked like there were more coming.

"Aran, you f*cktard! If you liked me, why didn't you just ask long ago, you f*cking moron! If there's another f*cking life, I'll tie you to a stump and burn your arse until you admit that you love me! And then, I would marry you and burn all those other women who keep flirting with you! Kill me first, you disgrace to all that is living! You look like a rotten apple infested with the ugliest of worms!"

As Cassandra shouted these words, although there wasn't as much shock as that which appeared due to the revelation caused by Elanev's, there were still many gasps that the firebrand commander had fallen for the man she always liked to scold.

Inadvertently, everyone turned to Faxul, as if expecting him to make a confession, too.

What he did…was so out of place, that it succeeded in breaking the negative feelings of those present and making them reiterate the promise of dying with pride that they had made before.

"I love Daneel! I always have!"

His statement caused the most shock, but he immediately roared with laughter after he said it.

It was the first time that anyone had ever heard of the Black Raven King, who was always a stoic man, laughing so uproariously.

Indeed, it turned out that it was the first time in his life, too, as he said, "I'm kidding! I've just never made a dumb joke all my life, and I thought I might as well strike that off my bucket list, along with the one where I've never laughed fully! I don't have someone to confess to, but I do have a fervent wish to die with a smile! Hey, I don't have a creative insult, but if you dare kill me last, it'll mean that you're afraid of me! Come fight me if you aren't a scaredy-cat!"

With this, the atmosphere returned to one where over two hundred individuals knew that their deaths were coming, but were determined to meet them with honor that was worthy of those who had been chosen by the most illustrious man they had ever known.

Unknown to them…that man was thoroughly impressed, and seeing that the thing looked like it was going to launch a spell to kill them all at once, he asked a question.

"Has it been confirmed that the chances of this being a simulation are minute?"

[Affirmative. 897 tests carried out. Chance of the present scenario being a simulation, even when taking into account means that are beyond the system is 0.087%.]

"All right. Launch the Endgame Protocol."

[This protocol might result in host perishing. Would host still like to confirm the order?]

"Confirm."

[Affirmative. Launching Endgame Protocol.]

BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!

Daneel had been watching everything, and he had been engulfed in a feeling of gratification.

These were his people. They were ready to die for him, and even though this had been said many times rhetorically, seeing it happen was really something else.

It was only in moments like these that one's true nature would be exposed, and those who might have pledged service until death might show the darkness of their nature and turn their backs on their benefactors.

This was something that everyone always feared, but Daneel was extremely thankful to see that he had not chosen wrong.

All those in the cave were close to death, but their faces only had smiles because of the fact that they had no regrets.

If so…how could Daneel hesitate from taking a step he had reserved for when where there was no other way out?

As the sound of the silver cuffs breaking into bits echoed throughout the area, Daneel felt his consciousness breaking apart into a thousand pieces.

Each piece was inserted into a clone, and each clone moved to a different spot.

In barely an instant, the King of Lanthanor split apart into one thousand copies of himself, while his original body stood on the ground.

His face lacked emotion because of the fact that the action of the split had caused him to lose his sanity. The system was controlling everything, and it had a clear mission.

Destroy.

The system's wondrous aspect had always been its ability to function like a supercomputer, having the ability to analyze and carry out things with the speed of a thousand people.

Hence…Daneel had made this protocol based on that, and his Mage Champion Path.

Each clone called upon the Will of the World, and the Will responded, because each piece of Daneel's consciousness had the command that he had established upon the World when he had broken through.

Fire, wind, lightning, water, ice, earth- all the elements started to dance a dance of destruction in front of each clone, and each attack shot forward at once, causing a maelstrom of power to strike down on the spot the monstrosity stood.

"GHHHRRAAWWW!!!!"

A painful scream was heard from the monstrosity which was struck a thousand times, with each attack's level bordering on the line between an Eminent and Exalted Champion. The reason they were not at the Exalted Champion level was that even the system's resources were being stretched to their limits as it had to control the consciousnesses of a thousand beings, but this…was more than enough.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Even a Hero would succumb easily when faced by a thousand Champions. So…the being stood no chance.

Everyone watched as the tables were turned: the man they had come to save had burst forth to save them, and they didn't even have time to think as they watched all the arms being stripped away along with their golden covering which tried and failed to protect them.

The man underneath finally started to emerge. Unlike what everyone had thought, he actually had a kind face, with almost…confused eyes, and a short beard.

Kellor's eyes widened as this image became clear, and he frantically stepped forward and let out a scream that caused the attacks to instantly stop.

"My King, please stop! There must be a misunderstanding! That's my Master!"

The one thousand Daneel's all turned to look at Kellor, and their lifeless eyes made the Grand Court Mage flinch and step back.

Yet…what happened next made all the sovereigns rush forward.

The thousand clones all flew back and disappeared into Daneel's original body, and right as the last one entered, thick, dark blood burst out from all the cavities on his face.

He collapsed to the ground, and at the same time, the undead army also stopped moving, almost as if the injuries on the being's body were too much for it to continue controlling them.

As one, the Domination Corps and the Sovereigns ran toward their King frantically, and Elanev even shouted something that echoed with what all of them were feeling.

"Daneel, you %$*#(%! Do you want all the credit?! We were going to die for you with honor, not the other way around! I'll kill you if you think you're going anywhere! Be all right, dammit!"

Chapter 804: Waking Up

Daneel didn't know where he was, but he really wished he could leave.

It was as if he had just woken up from a slumber, but he couldn't control his body, and neither could he even form too many coherent thoughts.

The last thing he remembered was his mind feeling as if it was being ripped apart from multiple directions at the same time, and after that, he had been sure that his time in this world was over.

It had all happened in maybe the span of a second, but it had felt like an eternity. At that moment, he had felt his consciousness perfectly – it was a vast, incredible thing, which was the core of each and every being's existence. It was what gave meaning to one's life, and if it was tampered with… It was one of the most deplorable things to see.

Consciousness was sacred, and that was why there were always so many rules regarding it. Even though oaths always functioned by coiling themselves around it, they never dared to intrude on the inside. True, when an oath was broken, the coil would squeeze and make a consciousness collapse, but until then, it would almost be as if it wasn't present.

Hence… Ripping one into a thousand pieces was no simple thing.

The whole reason why the system had always told him that this protocol might cause his death was that there had been many cases back in the Empire where people had tried exactly something like this. After all, power had always been one of the most powerful motivating agents behind research, and the possibility of one person putting forth the power of hundreds of the same or at least one or two realms below their level was something which would send anyone into a tizzy.

In the Empire, there were a few researchers who performed even illegal research on this topic, using helpless prisoners and ordering them to split their own consciousness into multiple pieces by threatening them that their family would be killed if they do not oblige. Just like back on Earth where the most horrific research had been carried out on helpless people with the pretense that it would benefit the general population, nothing good had come out of this, and the Emperor had cracked down on all of these individuals as soon as he found them right after he reached his post.

Still, he had at least not wanted those people's deaths to go in vain, so those records had been added to the archives of the Empire, from where Daneel had perused them while making his protocol.

The records were very thorough, highlighting both the efficiency and cruelty of those who had carried the experiments out. The man had wanted to be very meticulous, so he had rounded up 10 people and started to split their consciousness from the most basic two parts to 10 parts.

They had all been Champions, and because he had been a Hero who was quite celebrated, they had followed him thinking that they would really gain power and breakthrough, too, like he had promised them. Of course, after that, he had forcibly overpowered them and carried out these experiments, and the only good thing about this entire story was that it ended with some people at least being saved from him and reviving themselves many years later.

Sadly, these were only a minority – more specifically, these were the people whose consciousness had been split into single digits, and even then, the one who had been unlucky to be at the bottom of this group had needed 50 years for his ten pieces of consciousness to all assemble together and form his original one again.

The fact was that it wasn't even about assembling – it was like a brick wall that had been broken into ten pieces. Even if it was placed together and formed into a semblance of what it had once been, the cracks would remain, and just the slightest push would make it topple over. Hence, the issue was more about integrating the pieces of consciousness rather than just putting them in one place and hoping that they would heal themselves, but the other researchers in the Empire had never been able to discover any outside means for this to happen. Typically, what would happen when one split their consciousness was that they would retain their thinking faculties in at least one of them while giving orders to the other, and this one would facilitate this reintegration smoothly, even if it caused pain, so that one would be whole again.

But with his consciousness in a thousand pieces, was there even one which was strong enough to do this?

The answer was definitely no, and that was why each and every clone had looked so lifeless and even robotic. Each one had been controlled by the system, and if it weren't for this incredible entity's existence, Daneel would have just collapsed if he had attempted to do the split by himself.

At that moment of extreme pain which had hurt more than anything he had felt all his life, Daneel had understood one thing: this was dumb, and if he had a choice, he would never do it again.

Alas, he really had no choice. Each and every expression and word of his sovereigns and subordinates had deeply affected him, so much so that he had not been ready to have their blood on his hands. If he hadn't acted at that point, he knew what was coming, so he had decided on this drastic step after ensuring that it was all not some sort of test that was being placed by his master.

He kept thinking of all these things and going over what had happened over and over again, but soon, he realized that he was doing all that in order to distract himself from the fact that he had realized that there was no way out of where he was.

"System? System?"

He finally built up the courage to ask this, because he had to least ensure that he wasn't being disillusioned.

No answer came back to him, and even his voice seemed to echo everywhere.

His mouth was the only thing he could control, and the rest of his senses were completely blocked. The feeling of not being able to access one's vision, hearing, sme, l and touch was just so disorienting and scary that even Daneel, who had been through so much, started to panic a bit and wondered if this was some sort of hell that he had entered after dying.

He didn't want to go into a long soliloquy about his life without at least confirming that this was the case, so he pondered on what he could do.

At the moment, he first felt grateful that he had never depended too much on the system, even though it had been vital in most of his plans. If that had been the case, he would definitely have been completely helpless at this moment, without even a direction to go in in order to find a solution. Instead of acting like some random person who found the system and just used it to get everything they wanted, he had had the grit to put in the hard work, and that had definitely paid off.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

It was almost as if this thought had triggered something, as Daneel suddenly realised that this place, whatever it was, had begun to constrict.

Each of his senses returned to him one by one, and he suddenly saw that he was in a dark, circular room where the walls were closing in on him.

He first screamed, hoping that maybe he had miraculously recovered and then been captured by the enemy who might have lived, but there was no answer.

He stopped after a while, understanding that it was futile, and began to study everything.

The most horrific thing was that his Mageroot route could not be felt, just like when he had been in the power of those handcuffs. It was almost as if he had been born with no potential at all, meaning that his Mageroot had never been uncovered, but it was all an illusion brought forward by trinkets like those.

In barely a second the walls were at his feet, and Daneel wondered, not for the first time since coming on this mission, whether that was it.

Yet, strangely… The walls actually move through his feet, almost as if they were transparent, and the King of Lanthanor could only stare incredulously at what was happening.

It all felt normal, until suddenly, the same didn't happen when the part of the wall above him came into contact with his head.

He could feel it – it had a slight rubbery feel, and strangely, it kept slowly pushing in but not passing through like the rest.

This extremely bizarre occurrence made Daneel get a puzzled expression on his face, but he understood what was going on when the bottom part of the walls came and suddenly became solid around his head, too.

The end result was that only his head was completely covered in this black wall-like material which kept pressing in, as if it wanted to squash it like a watermelon, and Daneel kept resisting with his jaw set with resolve.

It kept moving closer and closer until it actually felt as if it had entered his skin, and even his consciousness.

It kept pressing down like a mountain, making Daneel give his all to not allow it to just crush him with impunity and end his story.

Wait… a mountain? Hadn't he felt this before?

Finally, getting a brainwave, Daneel quickly thought back, and he realised that this wasn't the first time he was going through something like this.

The last time… Was when he had been assaulted by that spirit which had taken residence in Faxul's body, and at that time, too, he had felt as if there was the strong pressure akin to a mountain bearing down on him that had threatened to crush his consciousness.

What had happened then?

He had resisted… And been presented with the boon of increased potential.

Since then, he had always known that pressure was able to increase one's mage potential, but he had never tried it as it had always felt too dangerous. What if there was even a small mishap? What if the pressure ended up actually doing its job, instead of acting like a millstone?

It seemed dumb, but now, finding himself in a position where he had no other choice, he kept pushing back more and more.

With each second, an eternity seem to pass, and the pressure kept getting stronger. Yet, Daneel didn't even let his mind get a single thought that he would fail, and he kept telling himself it that he had too much to achieve on the outside. He had too much to see, too much to uncover, there was no way that he would die because of this stupid incident.

Also… He kept assuring himself that he would definitely set his Master's pants on fire whenever he saw him the next time, as the whole reason behind him coming here was that that man had told him to.

A long time seemed to have passed, until finally, Daneel was sure that if this went on anymore, he was done with.

He had been completely focused on this aspect of defending himself that he had not realised that small changes had started to come upon his consciousness, until finally…

CRACK!

With a loud sound that was very similar to what appeared when one broke through a window, the reality that Daneel could see around himself, which was that of a black wall pressing down upon him… Cracked, into multiple places, with each really looking like shards of glass.

All of these fell away, and he was presented by a very strange sight.

An old man with a kind expression on his face was looking down on him, and the strange part was that behind him, Daneel could see his sovereigns, each of which had an attack trained on this old man's head, as if they wanted to be sure that they could kill him at a moment's notice they wished.

At the same time, Daneel felt a headache more severe than any he had experienced in his life so far, and as he clutched his head and began to scream with pain, the system sent him a message.

[Host has recovered from near-death consciousness split. Mage potential has increased. Spell: Consciousness Integration recorded. This spell fits one of host's requirements :to be able to find a method to increase the mage potential of a large number of people. Achievement: Dashing Past Limits unlocked.

Dashing Past Limits: Even breaking into a thousand pieces did not kill you. A World Dominator must be indestructible. If not, how can he continue down his Path with confidence? You broke your limit by holding on, and you even gained power in the process. Congratulations!

5000 EXP Awarded.]

Chapter 805: A Conversation 1

Although Daneel heard the message, he was too absorbed in screaming due to the pain from the headache to think about anything else, and these screams only subsided after an entire minute during which his head had felt as if it would blow up once again.

After that, though, in the silence that followed, someone spoke.

"See? He's probably telling the truth! And my master is the only one who can possibly bring back someone who has split the consciousness into a thousand pieces! You can dissipate the attacks, guys. My King, I hope you're well?"

It was Kellor whose voice interrupted Daneel just as he was about to check the achievement because he had managed to obtain a semblance of normalcy, making him blink and finally realize that he was lying on the ground right in front of where the monstrosity had stood before. There was a deep crater in that place, but there was no body.

The memories of what had happened after the split returned to him via the system, and he understood why his sovereigns were acting like this. He was still not in a position to think about it, so he focused on making the pain stop.

Looking around, he first had to adjust to his surroundings, and the first thing he saw was the spot where he had been strung by all four of his limbs by the silver cuffs. The cuffs were on the ground, still smoldering from the Mageroot-less spell cast by him which had enabled him to escape, and as he looked around, he saw that the Domination Corps were also here, looking at him with worried expressions on their faces. Behind them, at quite a distance away, he could see the 2000 strong army which had been about to run them over on the ground, lifeless, as if a switch had been thrown to shut them off.

Finally, as his gaze settled back onto his sovereigns, he saw them all with extremely concerned expressions on their faces, and with Eloise especially having very puffy eyes, s which meant that she had been crying continuously. Tears did not mean that one was weak, and Eloise had always been someone who had strong emotions for those that she cared for.

As for the rest, they all looked at him with care, while also glancing with animosity at the old man who had shuffled backward after seeing that Daneel had awoken.

Without answering Kellor, Daneel turned his gaze to this old man and saw that he was actually shuffling his feet and twiddling his fingers, with a nervous expression that took a lot away from the wise and all-knowing impression that one would get if they saw him.

[Core faculties have all been revived. Scan successful. No subsequent damage found.]

This was the message he had been waiting for. If there was still something wrong, he would rather that he kept lying down in order to address it without disturbing the injury by moving around, but now that there was nothing to worry about, he stood up and braced himself for the nausea that will follow.

It felt as if he was waking up from a slumber that had gone on for years, and as he righted himself without the help of his sovereigns, he once again put on the Royal air that he had come to be associated with.

His sovereigns were standing in front of the Domination Corps, and he spoke to them all in a voice that echoed throughout the cave.

"Today… Is a day of victory, which must be attributed to you all. Thank you for not caring about your lives to come and save me. That is all I can say, and that I will never let down the expectations that you have placed on me."

He felt that this needed to be said, especially for the 200 soldiers, and after that, he addressed his sovereigns.

"And as for you all…"Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Chuckling to ensure that he was back to his old self, he continued, "You aren't getting rid of me that easy. No, I'll be here for a long, long time, and there's no way that I'm going anywhere. And Elanev… Yes, you will never get the credit."

There was a second of silence that appeared as he said this, but after that, the sovereigns and the Domination Corps all started to laugh.

The one they had come to save was all right, and they were still alive. These…were things to be grateful for.

Daneel smiled as he saw this. His emotions were quite complicated at the moment, but he wanted to address them later. First, he wanted to ease the atmosphere and also let these people rest. While he had been looking at them, he had noticed that most of them were swaying on their feet, because they were extremely tired from holding up those trinkets for a long, long time while thousands had been banging down upon them, ready to tear them to shreds if they found even a moment's chance. Hence, he had wanted to first say something to address their concern, so that he could ask them to disperse.

After giving them a few seconds during which they each patted themselves on their backs, Daneel spoke again.

"What you have achieved today is momentous, and I'm so, so happy seeing all the progress that you have made. You can rest assured that I will be ramping up the methods with which you can improve yourselves, and believe me when I say that you still have a long, long way to go. You will never, ever regret the decision you made to follow me. For now, Domination Corps, disperse. I can see that you are all tired, and you need some well-deserved rest. You can also take the next 10 days off to spend with your families, and of course, keep this entire matter a secret. But be sure to enjoy yourselves to the fullest, because after that… The Devil of Balance that you have christened will be given a lot more work."

All of the soldiers had been about to celebrate when they heard the news about having the ten days off, but the king's last statement made them all gulp and shudder as they remembered that man who was still in his pursuit of the balance which he had already obtained when he broke through to become a Champion.

Still, with smiles on their faces, they all bowed and banded together with the Mages of the team before disappeared. Daneel had already detected that the anti-teleportation barrier in this place had been temporarily lifted, and that was why he had given the order.

With this task done, he finally turned to the old man and asked, "And may we find out who you are?"

All of the sovereigns also turned to him, and they still had the anger that they had almost died at his hands just a few minutes ago.

The answer he gave… Surprised them all, and Faxul even almost let loose the attack that he had trained on the man out of frustration.

"Err… I dunno."

He said this while scratching his head, with a confused expression on his face. He was the very picture of an old man who was getting on in his years and had wandered into someplace and could not now remember just how he had done so, but none of them were buying it for even a moment.

Only Kellor was an exception, but he did not speak.

This person had displayed quite clear motives before, along with awe-inspiring power that had only been able to be defeated because of a suicide attack by the king. The Mages had been able to clearly see what had happened, and they had been convinced that there was no way that he could come back.

The only reason why they were still not attacking him… Was that he was the one who had cast the spell that had allowed the king to awaken, and he had volunteered to do so, saying that if he didn't, the King would be lost forever.

This thought also weighed heavily on Daneel who had seen this scene in the memories that the system had shown him, so he placed his next question carefully.

"What memories do you have?", He asked, because that seemed the most pertinent question.

"He only remembers the spells that have been passed in his mind, Daneel. Leave him be. His is a sad fate, but we can come to that later."

Daneel's eyes widened as he heard this voice from behind him, and he immediately turned around to find the man that was the reason behind everything that had happened just now.

It was Master Jonah, and unlike his image from before, he was dressed in extravagant, grey Church robes along with multiple chains of jewelry around his neck.

He had a smile filled with pity on his face as he had been looking at the old man, but after that, when he turned to Daneel, it turned into one of pride.

"You succeeded! Ha ha, I knew that you would! Anyone who is capable of hearing that message would have been capable to defeat this guy and activate the spell that was kept here, so I had no qualms in telling you to go. I was worried, though, because it is not that simple, but there shouldn't have been too much difficulty. You always had a knack of surpassing everyone's expectations!I'm sorry that I did not warn you, but the whole point was that it should be extremely sudden."

Daneel nodded sheepishly as he heard this, as he had just gotten a thought.

He had just realized… That it might be a fact that he was the one who had brought all this upon themselves.

It was obvious by now – the system had the complexity of a Peak Champion, and it was only someone at that level who could intercept the message sent by his master. He had the system which was basically a cheat, and it had enabled him to do so, so the obvious conclusion that was that he, too, was at the Peak Champion level. Although that had almost been true because of his miraculous Champion Path, he hadn't been firmly there, and that was the reason why they had had to undergo something so difficult.

Still, Daneel put aside these thoughts because he was in the presence of his master whom he could actually speak to without the Overseer listening in.

The moment he opened his mouth, a flood of questions that he had held deep in his heart for the longest time flooded out.

"What is all this, master? And how are you alright? How have you been? When is the Church attacking? What's the Mainland like? What comes above Hero level? What happened to that guy you took with you? What-"

Master Jonah raised a hand and actually chuckled as he heard this before saying, "We can come to all that, but first, can I speak to those behind you who are also the main reason why you've passed this test? Elanev, Faxul, Kellor, dear Robert, you too!, Sweet Eloise, Cassandra and Mr. Troublemaker Aran. All of you… Have exceeded the expectations placed on those who are deemed as the followers of the one who is worthy to gain entry to this sacred place. Let me tell you this: you are the reason that Daneel has passed this test, just as much as the insane power that my disciple- and I proudly say that- has managed to accumulate in such a short amount of time. Beat your chests with pride, because it is now time to aim for even more power. You showed your willingness to sacrifice yourselves, and that…is worthy of being commended. But first- give me a moment with your King. My time here is limited, but I still wanted to tell you this: be proud of how far you've come from where you were when I left the continent, and keep your eyes trained on the peak."

These words spoken by this illustrious man whom they had all always respected because he was the reason that they even knew of the Church's plan to exterminate Angaria made all the sovereigns smile with happiness. They looked at each other and even patted each other's backs, following which they nodded and disappeared.

Finding themselves alone, Daneel also posed the last, but very pertinent question that he hadn't stated before.

"So…who the F*ck is in the place of the Overseer?"

With a chuckle, Master Jonah replied, "I see you've learned to curse! Now is the time for you to get at least a few of the answers you seek. But first, let me ask you a question. Have you ever heard of, or seen, golden lightning strike down from a clear sky?"

Daneel shook his head before glancing at the only other person in the room- the old man who still looked extremely confused.

Seeing the suspicious look on his disciple's face, Jonah spoke, and what he said caused such shock to appear in Daneel's mind that he wondered whether his consciousness which had just been put together might break apart once again.

"I guess it is time you finally know the truth. If you know who he is, maybe you wouldn't be so quick to judge! My dear disciple, meet the one and only…Emperor Fenoras."

Chapter 806: A Conversation 2

Emperor Fenoras?!

For a few moments, Daneel only stared with extremely bewildered eyes at the old man who tried to first ignore him, and then stared back with an almost uncomfortable smile.

He looked exactly like some normal old man who had wandered into this situation that he could not make sense of, and was simply trying to do his best to blend in.

The more Daneel looked at him, the more he wondered whether his master was pulling a prank on the occasion of them talking after so long.

He knew exactly how Fenoras looked, both from the third seal, the memory he had with man, and even all the memories that he had obtained of his entire life.

Emperor Fenoras was a giant-sized man with features that were as sharp as a blade. They only ever softened during the times when he got rare smiles, but these situations weren't many, especially after he brought about the disaster that resulted in the Apocalypse.

In no way did he match this person, who had almost killed them all, and was now acting innocent.

At least, that was what Daneel thought of him, and seeing his disciple work through everything and then decide that it was definitely not possible, Master Jonah spoke.

"I was just as shocked as you, Daneel. But part of ascending in realms and finding out things is to be ready to handle the truth when it is presented in front of you. I expect that you have broken through the third seal, and experienced the memory where the Emperor spoke to you?"

Daneel nodded. Even though he had told himself before that he should probably be at least a little bit cautious and not expose his true power, his view was that it had already been completely shown, but it might have somehow escaped the notice of his master. If he had known, he would not have spoken in that way before, and he would also have detected that there was something other than natural power at play here. The sovereigns and the Domination Corps might not get that suspicion, but as someone who had been to the Mainland and must have obtained access to much more knowledge than could be imaginable on Angaria, Daneel expected that the man must be much more informed, and hence much more likely to understand that there was something else behind what he had shown.

The first thing that anyone would do on finding this out was ask about it, but his master had not done so. This presented two possibilities, either that he only knew the result and not the process of what had just happened, or that it was actually not that special when compared to what he had seen in the Mainland.

All of this analysis ran through Daneel's mind in the fraction of a second, and the conclusion was that he should be truthful, and only not speak explicitly about how he had just done that feat, even if he was asked. The same applied to his Champion Path, and until given a reason why he should not trust his master, he would do so in all other things. He had also asked the system multiple things, such as to match all the mannerisms he had seen in his master before the man had left, and according to it, there was a 98% chance that this really was that man.

Such quick thinking in such a little time made Daneel understand that the breakthrough that he had gone through which had been indicated by the system must be much more far-reaching than he had imagined. It was almost like the Basilisk's Breath was activated continuously even though he wasn't doing it consciously, but first, he put that aside as his master continued.

The shock still lingered in him regarding how this old man could be the Emperor who was supposed to have perished, and he was really interested in finding out the answer.

"Look at this."

Peculiarly, instead of giving a direct answer, his Master raised his palm, and a second ethereal figure appeared that was also a projection, just like his Master.

In this one… Was a man that Daneel was intimately familiar with.

It was the figure of the Emperor which he had seen multiple times- the first time had been when Drakos had shown him that vision where those who would become Empire Spirits had all assembled together, and since then, this man had been both inspiration and a driving force for Daneel.

"Yes, that's who I saw."

With a smile, Master Jonah simply pointed his finger… And a change began to appear in that figure.

First, the lavish robes were replaced by normal, grey ones akin to those worn by the old man who stood beside them. This man had started to stare at the figure, too, almost as if he recognized who it was but could not put his finger on it, but currently, he was ignored by Daneel who had his full attention on the transformations occurring in the image of the Emperor.

Next, the size was shrunk until he became more normal-sized, and after that, a short beard was added.

Following this, the glossy dark hair of the Emperor was turned white, and finally, a few very small modifications were made to his face.

His nose was made to droop, his eyes lost the natural luster which was actually a very striking quality about him, his mouth was elongated just a bit, and his entire face lost the ruddiness that was present in those who had managed to walk down the Path and achieved a long, long life.

Finally… What was presented to Daneel was the exact copy of the old man, and the real one who was present even looked at it and said, "Hey, that's me!"

Daneel didn't know what to think. Indeed, all of these changes had occurred in front of him, but it had resulted in someone who looked so entirely different that he still found it hard to believe that it was true.

But then… The system suddenly sent a message which made him freeze where he stood.

[Ingested memories of target known as Emperor Fenoras are being modified. In all the memories, face of Emperor his changed the match the other target in front of host. Looking for explanation for this phenomenon.]

Seeing the visible shock in his disciple's eyes, Master Jonah's eyes twinkled as he said, "Oh, I see you must have obtained the memories of this poor man at some point! Well, that makes it all the more easier for me to convince you. You see… You got it wrong. I did not change the real Emperor's face to this one – no, he changed his real face, which is what you see, to the one that is shown in your memories. You see, even if the owner is dead, memories of theirs that linger on have a peculiar quality of changing back if they see the true form of what has been changed inside them. Memories are supposed to be sacred, and anyone who messes with them runs this risk of them reverting back to what they originally were if the one who obtains them ever manages to find clues regarding the reality. Yes, you got it right, Daneel. The Emperor changed his face to make sure that even if his memories fell in the wrong hands, his real face, a few things that he wanted to hide, and his real fate would be hidden. This was basically the mother of all backup plans, and it looks like it has worked quite well till now. Now, do you believe me?"

Daneel nodded in a daze, as the system had also sent him a message.

[Explanation corroborates with what was found in records from the Empire. Tampering in memories results in them being vulnerable to this sort of 'rubber band' effect, where the memories will go back to their original state if affected in this manner.]

With a laugh that Daneel hadn't heard in a long, long time, Master Jonah continued, and finally started to reveal the layers of secrets.

"I won't keep you in the dark any longer, Daneel. Yes, this is Emperor Fenoras, but he is simply a shell of what he used to be. You see, most of what you know about the past is true. The only small change… Was that right before his death, the Emperor was approached by a very mysterious man who simply told him that there was a special role, almost like a prophecy, which stated that the continent would always be saved by someone who was indicated by golden lightning that struck out of the clear sky. Even this man did not know the origins, but all he knew was that he had once been someone who had deeply cared for the continent, too. He had not been as successful as Fenoras, and he had been about to die, but he had been approached by someone else who told him these same things. An individual was always supposed to be picked who would be alive in every age who would wait for the arrival of this person and lead them to a secret place deep underground. There are always two involved in this process – one whose role is actually passed down in this manner, and the other who guards that power zealously until the one marked by the golden lightning reaches him. He cannot leave that place. Each one cannot interfere with the other's duty, and that man also told the emperor that all of these things are all facilitated by the World, itself. Anyway, the fact is that the Emperor was asked to make modifications to his face so that who he really was would not be known by the things he left behind, and after that, someone would come to save him at the last moment for his death."

Listening to this fantastical tale which almost didn't make any sense, Daneel still felt shock coursing through him, but he slowly started to understand.

He had seen the image of the golden lightning outside before he entered this place, too, and he had wondered what it was.

There had been no indications about it even in the archives of the Empire, so it made sense that it was something that was beyond his source.

Yet… why with everything still so damn vague?

As if detecting his disciple's thoughts, Jonah said, "Yes, you're right. It sucks that I can't tell you more about this unless you are that person, but let me give you a short summary of everything else. First, one last thing regarding the Golden Lightning: it is supposed to strike down thrice, and it is only the third time when it will be visible. Now then, coming to how you are here, and how I know all this. Even though Fenoras does not remember his past, he has a few duties he carries out. One of those is that he selects those who might deserve what this place offers even though they might not have induced the Golden Lightning. They are people who are fiercely loyal to Angaria or who have sacrificed a lot for it. Those people, in turn, can invite others who they feel are worthy, too. There are two types of tests: one for power, one for the loyalty of one's followers, and one for the loyalty of oneself for Angaria. I failed the first two, and passed the third. I nominated you for all three tests, and you passed. That means…that you can get more from this place than I could ever have. And to give you a clue regarding what I mean by that…how about I call someone you might know?"

With that, Master Jonah pointed in the direction of the old man, and a miraculous change came upon him.

His back straightened, his eyes regained clarity, and a pleasant smile came on his face.

"Welcome back, Fenoras. Can you demonstrate to our friend here how deep your connections go?"

With a nod, the old man said, "Ah, it is you, Jonah. I see we finally have someone who passed all three tests! Very well! Get over here!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

The last line was shouted so that it echoed in the cave, and the next moment, a man appeared whose back was turned to Daneel and Jonah.

He seemed familiar, but Daneel couldn't place who he was.

"Turn around, and bow to your senior disciple brother."

"Very well, Master."

With that, the man turned around, and Daneel was greeted to another shock.

He almost reeled as he was experiencing too many in the span of just a single day, but he controlled himself and stared at the one who was actually scared.

He was familiar with this man, and he knew him, too.

As the Head of the High Council of Angaria stared at the one whom he was supposed to bow to, a single thought passed through his mind, and it was echoed in the mind of the one in front of him.

"What the f*ck is going on?!"

Chapter 807: A Conversation End

A few minutes later, even after Daneel returned to his room in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, he still had a smile on his face as he kept shaking his head and laughing to himself.

The sovereigns were all present, waiting for him to explain just what was going on, but even though the seconds kept ticking by, the king only continued doing this as if he was so stunned that he needed some time to get back to normal.

However… All of their curiosities were piqued, too, so Elanev was the first one who lost his patience.

"Enough, already! We were going to die for you, you know!"

Direct as always, his words made Daneel step back to reality, but even after that, he let out a bout of hearty laughter and said, "Okay, I'm really sorry, but it was just too much! Fine, I'll give you a summary. My master is one who likes to put things in a complex manner, but I found that I can strip away most of it and just give you the barebones details. Let me give you the most shocking thing, though, first – remember that Head who I spoke about extensively, and who I thought I should be wary about? He's my junior disciple brother now!"

Daneel felt like laughing again when he saw the expressions on his sovereign's spaces, but he controlled himself.

They all looked like they had been struck by lightning, and that was exactly how he had felt after that man had appeared out of the blue in the cave.

It had been clear that he respected the one who had called upon him extremely, and that he was ready to do anything that was asked of him. Hence, even after being completely puzzled regarding what was going on, he had obliged, although he looked like he had a torrent of questions to ask.

What had happened after that was that he had been asked to leave and that he would be contacted later, and the Head had simply nodded with respect, without even asking a single question among the ones that looked like they were close to bursting out of his mouth.

Thankfully, Daneel did not have to control his curiosity like that, because his master had told him right away after that that the second duty of the one who was in this role was that they would tour the continent and pick out those that they felt had potential before training them and giving them a chance to change their fate.

The deciding factor would always be regarding their character, and what they felt about the land that had given birth to them.

The help given by Fenoras during this activity was in no means small. Anyone who had benefited from him would definitely want to follow him for life, and because of the skills of character analysis that were apparently given with this role along with the repertoire of spells in which the one that had saved him was present, there had been almost no case in history where this didn't happen. No matter what forces these people joined later on, their most sacred bond would always be to that man who had helped them when they had nothing, and they would be ready to do anything, even if it meant giving up their lives, if he asked.

That was exactly what the Head had done, and Daneel slowly started to understand.

At that point, he had had to take a few moments first, because he had needed to consolidate everything that he had found out.

When he had done so, Daneel realized that Angaria was really like an onion whose layers kept popping up even though he kept peeling as many as he could find.

First, he had thought that the Central Continent was all that there was, and after that, he had been exposed to the Big Four.

Next, he had found out about the Church and the forces from outside the continent, and he had thought that that might be it.

After that, he had been exposed to the seed program which was hidden even in the Big Four, and even though he hadn't really thought about it, he had assumed that it might be the last major secret he would uncover.

Yet… He had found the Order which was so well hidden that he had been quite shocked when he was exposed to it, and now, there was this place, which was even more secretive than the Order.

Why? Why were there so many? Why wasn't stuff consolidated so that it would be able to output the best results possible? Why did there need to be so much secrecy?

Daneel got these questions as they were what anyone would ask whenever they got fed up of finding secret organization after secret organization no matter where they searched.

Yet… He got the answer himself, too, as it was pretty obvious.

Humans were complicated, and no one could really expect what anyone would do. Take the Order, for example. He had thought that it might be a perfect existence that was meant to protect Angaria, but the truth was that the one leading it had somehow hoodwinked everybody since the age of the Apocalypse.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

And besides… The Order had so many people that there was a chance of even its safety rules being broken. A secret was always much more likely to be kept if the fewest people knew about it, and in this case, there were clearly much fewer people than those in the Order.

But… What still concerned him was the origins of these forces. The Order was also supposed to have always existed in the continent, and many even said that it had been established by the Will of the World when the continent had been formed. If so… What about this golden lightning thing? When he had first come here, Daneel hadn't been expecting to find an organization. He had just thought that he would find some kind of safe house where someone familiar with his master might be present to give him some answers, but it now made sense that if someone like that existed who had concealed themselves even from the Order for so long, then it must mean that they should have some sort of backing behind them.

Everything was getting really complicated, but Daneel got the thought that in fact… All of it wasn't important.

All he cared about was saving this continent from the Church, and for that, he was ready to use anyone he had to.

And as for this force, whatever it was… It was clearly prepared to give him much more than the Order, at least, because it had already placed the Head under his command.

He had still been quite surprised about that, but it was only after he made all this analysis that he finally prepared to listen to his master regarding the rest of what was going on, and the answers for all his questions.

After telling the sovereigns about what had happened till here, Daneel took a deep breath and then continued, saying, "Their name is simple: they are simply called "The Watchers Who Wait", and the reason behind them having such a vague name is partially to conceal their existence. It is of the utmost importance to them that whoever invokes the golden lightning is protected and taken to that place underground about which even they don't know about, and that is the purpose that they devote themselves to. All of this is actually unimportant to us. No one knows how the golden lightning is induced, nor how it decides who to strike. So, we can stop thinking about it, and just think of them as another force that we can use in our mission to save Angaria. They have three tests, and the things that one can obtain from that place depends on which of the tests are passed. One of those involves having loyal subordinates with potential who are ready to die for whom they follow, and it is only because you all proved that, that I was able to get the Head as my junior disciple brother. Ha, I still can't believe that! Anyway, the purpose behind all this is that they have some sort of secondary objective where even if someone doesn't appear in an age who can induce the golden lightning, they should have a method to help the continent, and these tests are meant to find someone for that. Even if the one who passes these is not taken to that place underground, they will still be able to obtain a lot, and among others, these things include: a safe place which cannot be intruded upon by anyone, and can ever be found, a spot for one person to train with top-grade Energy which will not dry up no matter how much time passes, and a large network of people who have all been helped by the Emperor, who can apparently regain his mental faculties for short periods of time. It is during these periods that he roamed the continent, and it was during one of those that he became your master and then departed, Kellor. But the pity is that whoever saved him during the apocalypse was a bit too late, and his mind was too fractured because of the craziness that came upon all those in the continent. This led to that person who saved him having to use a secret spell which wipes one's mind while only leaving behind a few glimpses of whom they had once been, and this led to Fenoras living on with no memories. Due to this, more information that he should know about this Golden Lightning thing was also lost, and only that which is deemed most important was retained. Even when he is awakened, he only knows his name, and his purpose. He has to live with the feeling that there is a lot that he can't remember, and even if it is told to him, it will slip past his consciousness which is simply like a broken ball into which countless holes have been poked. I wanted to help him, but… It is apparently impossible."

Daneel had been extremely sad, too, when he had found out the truth about the Emperor. Someone who had endeavored to do so much for the continent should definitely not have to suffer this kind of fate, but sometimes, life was just unlucky.

After a moment during which they all stayed silent, Daneel continued.

"Now, I'll finally get to the answers that my master gave. The Church is quickly reaching a point where they will start assembling the Army that will invade Angaria. According to him, at first, it would have taken a few more years, but recently, there was someone who was newly appointed to this matter regarding Angaria who had made certain decisions which pushed everything forward. This person is also the one who sent that other guy from the Church to Angaria. The sad part is that he cannot tell me what is above the level of Hero, as that comes under information which cannot be disclosed to people freely, but he did tell me that even in the mainland, Peak Heroes are very well respected, even though there are two levels above which are common knowledge in elite forces over there. And as for the Mainland, itself… He gave me some general information, but the one thing that impressed me the most is that it is a land of much volatility. Struggles keep happening, and it is a place where strength governs everything. He remarked about how he actually misses Angaria, because it is much more peaceful here, but he did not tell me more as he did not wish for me to be distracted from our homeland which needs to be saved first. And now… Finally, this is something that I did not tell you because I was scared, but I can tell you now. The present Overseer is a fake. The original one was killed, and this one took his place discreetly. Master Jonah has given me a clear direction that I can take to discover the truth behind what has happened, and it starts with-"

"Hey, Sh*tlord! If you don't want this cute thing that we found in your rooms to be harmed, then I suggest that you haul your arse over here! She's a pretty sweet thing, so I really wouldn't want anything to happen to her, you know!"

A message suddenly reached him, and it was through the trinket given to everyone who entered the Order.

With a grim face, Daneel changed what he was about to say.

Understanding that something was up, the sovereigns all rose, and he said, "It starts with us beating up someone who was dumb enough to target Skrr. Let's go. Our next steps are all in the Order, anyway."

Chapter 808: Returning to the Order & Direction

As Daneel waited to return to the Order atop the mountain along with all of his sovereigns, he recalled the last sentence that his master had told him before he had departed.

All of this had indeed been quite overwhelming, and his master had detected that, and said this in an attempt to let him have a clear direction and focus regarding what he should do.

This was what he had been about to tell to his sovereigns, too, before they had been rudely interrupted, so he repeated it in his mind, as it had contained a lot of the wisdom that he had always loved to see in this man whom he had first thought to be just a useless drunk.

"Daneel, at the end of the day, I don't think that this changes too much for you. I wish that things would have been clearer, but it is really sad that that is not the case. Who could have expected that the emperor would have to go through such a thing? All the rest of the answers lie with that man underground, but until the one who is worthy of inducing the golden lighting appears… We can find nothing, so we can remove it from our minds. Hence, all you need to understand is that this is just an additional arrow in your quiver that I have added. Now, it is up to you regarding in which direction you will point your bow, and how much power you will use to draw the arrow and send it flying. I don't know exactly what your power level is, and I do not want to find out, either, because I'm not supposed to know these things. I am in the Church, after all, which means that the less I know, the better. All I do know is that you were powerful enough to pass these tests, and that means that you are on the right track to reaching the kind of power that is needed to unite this continent. Let me tell you one last thing that I have surmised during my time in the Mainland: this golden lightning thing and the Order are somehow connected, because there have been mentions in the records from the previous force that attacked Angaria that they were continuously looking for another force which was apparently supposed to be related to the Order. They searched for traces of it in the Overseer's mind, but they found nothing, so they assumed that it might have been a hoax. Look, I don't know everything behind all that is happening, and I know how you must feel. In such moments, having a direction to go in is the most important, so I wanted to give that to you. Depending on what I've seen so far: you must investigate the truth regarding this damn fake Overseer, because if his motives are bad… We're pretty much screwed.

"For this, what you have to do is finish at least five 5-star missions, and wait for a certain reward to pop up. It will give you access to secret archives the detail the true history of the Order, and there, I'm pretty sure that you'll find something. Be very wary, though – at the first sign of anyone catching on to what you're doing, I suggest that you hide, and stop everything. It is imperative that we act like agents in the dark, for the light is too blinding for us to face at the moment. Apart from that, I would advise that you reflect on what you had just seen in this test. It has always been the view of this organization and even the Order that followers are extremely important, so you should continue to obtain things to strengthen both your elite Army and the normal armies in the continent. For that purpose, use the relationship that you now have with the Head, and all the stuff that has been collected in the Order but has been rusting away, unused by anyone, for all this time. In my opinion, this should be your plan of action, so forget about all of this golden lightning thing and just remember that you now have a safe place you can return to, and a place where you can train without worrying about using up resources. Even the connections should only be used sparingly, as otherwise, it might draw attention, so suffice with the Head for now. I have always had your best interests at heart, so I hope you trust me and be very careful. Lastly… You have made me so, so relieved, my dear disciple. I have been wracked by doubt all these years, wondering whether I made the right decisions, and whether you would live up to my expectations. You've smashed through them, and now… I finally see true hope for our continent. Thank you. Finally, I can get a good night sleep."

The raw emotions in his master's voice towards the end had been so strong that Daneel had only managed to look on at the face of the man who had lost everything yet still not betrayed the continent, and after that, once the projection had disappeared, even the old man went into a slumber, which was apparently always induced whenever he went through a period of being in a non-vacant state that was forced. His master had forced it so that he would get this connection, and until the next time when the old man could reawaken by himself… He would sleep.

With that, the whole thing regarding the golden lightning came to an end, and just as Jonah had suggested, Daneel put it in the back of his mind.

Indeed, the most pressing thing was still this damn Overseer, and he had to get to the bottom of whatever had happened so many years ago.

Whenever there were too many things to think about, it was always best to eliminate those that didn't really matter at the moment, so doing this give a kind of clarity that made Daneel let out a deep breath.

He had been unsure about what he would do ever since he had experienced that revelation, and although he had made a temporary plan, it had all been based on assumptions. Now, having a specific path to follow, it felt so much better, and he couldn't wait to get back to it.

Looking to the sides, he saw his sovereigns, and again, he felt fortunate that he had found such people to be by his side even through the toughest of times.

In the next moment, they were finally teleported away. The delay was due to the fact that the Order's formations always checked to see whether everything was all right for whoever appeared on the mountain to be teleported discreetly to the headquarters of the Order, and it was always expected to have a few seconds of waiting time unless it was urgent.

The sight they were presented with right after they appeared in the Order, though… Was one that made them all suck in a sharp breath so quickly that a hissing sound emanated from each of them.

25 individuals were wincing on the ground, and a stunning lady with two antennae on her forehead was patting a little girl who was innocently eating a bowl of meat while nodding as she listened to the woman speak.

They were at the spot where all those who were entering the Order would teleport to, and it was right beside the area where one would enter to get to their lodging quarters.

Right as they appeared, the lady turned around, and she had such an expression of fury on her face that the Warriors among them felt as if someone had grabbed them by their necks and was threatening to squeeze their life out of them if they did not apologize, even though they did not know exactly what they should be sorry for.

Daneel understood right away, though. He had been asked not to leave the Divine Cockroach behind, but circumstances made it so that it had had to happen, and it seemed that some poor souls had been unlucky enough to target her in order to get to him in his absence.

The lady had warned him that she would not hold back if he did not care for the little Divine Cockroach, and Daneel braced himself, because he really was in the wrong right now.

Thankfully, little Skrr came to his rescue.

"No, Skrr was sleeping for a long time! Skrr is thankful for the yummy food, but Skrr does not want her friends to be harmed! Skrr can take care of herself!"

These words were said in such a firm tone that even the lady could not ignore them, and the sovereigns actually let out breaths of relief as they heard this. Even Faxul and Elanev had been affected by the aura of absolute power that had been around this lady, and they had also noticed that those on the ground all seemed to be quite powerful Champions who had still been beaten senseless almost as if they were but children in front of her.

With a sigh, obviously melting to Skrr's cuteness, the lady turned around and patted her head one last time before nodding and teleporting away.

However, she did send a message discreetly to Daneel which made cold sweat appear on his forehead.

"That was the first and last injunction. Leave her alone or in harm's way one more time, and I swear I'll even prepare myself to be locked up for 100 years if it means that I can rip your limbs off your body and swallow your head whole."

Gulping, Daneel nodded even though she had disappeared, following which he went up to Skrr and was about to ask just what had happened.

Before he did that, though, he witnessed something strange and immediately pulled the Divine Cockroach away from the spot that she had been standing in.

The reason behind this was that the flat stone ground in front of both of them had begun to weirdly change its shape, almost as if it was being melted by something. Yet, soon, it became clear that that was not the case, as a man appeared at that spot who was massaging his forehead which had an angry red lump on it.

He was lying prone on the ground, and it looked like he had perfectly concealed himself at that place. Daneel was quite surprised, as even the system had found no traces of him, and when he spoke, it became clear why that was the case.

"Even Amateur Heroes weren't supposed to find me! But that bi- ahem, I mean, that lady managed to do it! This is all your fault! If you think that I'm going to let you off the hook, you're being delusional!"

Daneel didn't even know what to say. This was the first time he was seeing this man, so he didn't know who he was.

As the other twenty-five began to get up, the man spoke again.

"Oh, I forgot! Let me introduce myself! I…am Overlord! Yes, I already took that name, but you had the audacity to take it and then get famous! Everyone started teasing me because a newbie had become more popular who had the same name! So…I challenge you to a match! If I win, you change your name! Let's get going!"

Oh, so that was the case.

Daneel had been looking forward to an interesting mission so that they could get back to the thick of things. Even though so much had happened, they didn't have the luxury to relax as he needed to get that reward as soon as possible.

So, he simply yawned and said, "Screw off. I'm busy."Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

He knew that people couldn't fight in the headquarters, so he decided to ignore this guy who had already been taught a lesson by that adult Divine Cockroach.

However, just as he was about to leave, one of that guy's subordinates who had just gotten up whispered in his ear, ignoring the fact that he was fuming while looking for an apt answer.

"Yes, boss, let him go for now! We should finish that 5-star mission, first! It's only there for a limited time, and it'll disappear if we fight him now!"

Daneel immediately stopped and turned around with gleaming eyes as he heard this.

Acting as if he hadn't spoken before, he declared something that made all those in front of him gawk and look at him as if he was crazy.

"All right, I'll take your challenge, but if I win, all of you should take me as your leader and drop this guy whose power is obviously only that he can peek up girls' skirts! Any objections?"

Chapter 809: A Figh

Jake felt as if his head was going to burst with all the anger that was building up due to what he had just heard.

Yet, at the same time… He flushed just a bit, but he immediately tried to hide that as he wanted no one to see.

His ability had always been pretty unique… But he would be lying if he said that he had never done what had just been indicated by this guy.

It had never been intentional, and he had never told anyone about it because it would label him as a pervert, and might even result in him being banished from his family which had always had the highest of prestige.

He could imagine it now. If the rumors regarding what this guy had just said spread, his grandfather would definitely spank him so hard that he would have to go to the healer's cabin, and there, he would have no way to explain properly just why he had a handprint firmly imprinted on his butt.

Just thinking of this made his anger turn into rage, and he shouted, "The audacity! I'll show you! Come on!"

His subordinates all gave him worried glances as he said this, as they were all eager to go on the five-star mission that they had obtained with great difficulty. In the Order, 5-star missions were not so easy to get, as they required a lot of resources to be spent by the Order, too, if they had to be set up. Hence, anyone who obtained one would be stupid if they let go of the chance to avail it in time. That was a given, but that was exactly what their leader was doing right now.

Yet… The humiliation of having his name used by someone else was just too much. He might have ignored it and handled it later if this guy hadn't become famous enough that his information had started to spread and had reached the circle in which he associated himself with, but now that it had escalated this far… He wanted it to be over and done with.

Still, he understood his team's thinking, so he said, "We'll just have a private match, it doesn't matter if anyone sees me kicking his ass in a minute or not. Private arenas will definitely be free."

The others let out breaths of relief as they heard this. The whole reason they had been trying to convince their boss not to go for it now was that it was night time, which meant that all of the arenas meant for matches where people could look in would be occupied. Every night, all sorts of grudges would be resolved, and there would also be many bets going around where people could either lose or gain a fortune in the matter of a few minutes. If they went now… They would definitely have had to wait in a queue, which would mean that they would have lost the chance to get onto the mission.

Daneel didn't know all these things, and his only motive was to get this five-star mission of theirs. He also knew about the scarcity of these things, and he wanted to tick one off the list of the five that he needed to finish as soon as possible.

"Follow me."

Saying so, Jake led the way in the direction of the place where all of the arenas were present, and right before entering the door after indicating that they wanted to go to a private arena, he turned around and boldly told his subordinates, "Get your preparations done. This should be a simple thing that won't even take a couple of minutes."

Nonchalance was always the best way to tick off and hurt the ego of enemies, but it didn't work here. Instead, his words made the man he was going to face smirk, and even though he didn't know why that was the case, he felt a very slight chill up his spine which he ignored.

He had always been cautious even though others with his talent and power often did not bother with being careful, and he had already investigated the previous feats of this guy. That was when he found out that he had managed to beat the Spikeking, which was definitely enough to gauge his power. After all, the war simulation tested one's mind more, so he did not need to think about that.

The Spikeking was definitely weaker than him, and he was sure that he would be able to defeat that man in 10 seconds. He was an Exalted Champion who was near the peak, after all, and his Champion Path had always been said to be one that was able to allow him to contend with even multiple Champions above his level if he wished.

Yet, the moment they entered the arena after the guy patted the head of the little Divine Cockroach that had caused them all to be beaten black and blue… That bad feeling grew in intensity, right up until the second that the gong sounded which meant that the match could start.

His path was one that allowed him to basically meld into the elementary particles around him and conceal himself so well that even Heroes would find it difficult to spot him, but right as he was about to deploy it… Something miraculous happened.

A brilliant light struck down from above on the spot where he stood, and his Champion Path… Was stopped in its tracks.

"What the f*ck?!"

Even before he could exclaim in this manner, he found ten hammers falling on him from above, all while he was in a vulnerable state due to his path being obstructed. This was only for a fraction of a second, but that was enough for a fatal blow to fall.

How… The hell had this guy figured out the one way to stop him?

His grandfather had always told him to be wary of those who might find this one path among the thousands that would counter to him, but he had investigated and been rest assured ever since he had found out that it was one that had been lost after the Empire.

But… even if this guy knew it, how could he deploy it so quickly?

At that moment, Jake saw a clear choice in front of him. He could be defeated and then hang his head low in front of his subordinates, or… He could choose the other option.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

He had always been flexible, and his mentor had always applauded him for this quality which was apparently absent in many who were at his level.

That came into play now, as he immediately shouted, "I'm sorry! I was kidding! I wouldn't have harmed that Divine Cockroach anyway, I just wanted you to come! I'll change my name! And even follow you! If you're after the five-star mission, you shouldn't harm me, because I was the one who got it! If I'm not in the team, then no one can take it up!"

Daneel was quite surprised as he heard this. Although he had heard about the scarcity, he had not found out about this particular fact regarding them, and he was even more so caught off guard by the fact that someone who was clearly a spoiled brat who had been raised in the Big Four or in the Order was ready to apologize the moment he saw that his opponent was stronger than him.

Usually, this would represent a slimy character that belonged to those who were only brave in front of those that they could overpower, but in this guy… It was different.

In that moment before he had made his decision, he had carefully analyzed everything, and Daneel had managed to spot that, again because of the increased reaction speed that he had obtained due to his breakthrough.

He had wanted to carefully study all these changes, and even though he had not found the time until now, he had just experienced its affects in two ways.

The first was this, and the second had been when he had managed to deploy the counter Path given by the World in a way that was much faster than what he had been capable of before.

The World had done its part – the moment he had activated his Champion Path, because there was no one near him who were his followers, he had been able to find out just which Path countered the one in front of him perfectly. Usually, after that, he would have had to use the system to develop a module to deploy that Path following which it would do so, and that would have required at least a second or two. After all, it was a very high tier one, and even the system would face a little bit of difficulty to emulate it right away.

Yet… Daneel had felt a strange connection with elementary particles that had allowed him to half figure out just what he was supposed to do the moment he had been given the indication regarding the Path that he should display. That had directly helped the system, and it had managed to deploy it in half the time.

That was… Quite shocking.

It was obvious by now that his gains from the entire episode regarding the golden lightning were much more than he had expected initially, but he realized that he needed to slowly find out what else he had gotten. Even if it was just what he had seen so far… It was pretty damn impressive, and it had taken his power level even higher than what it had been before.

After all, before, he had been like a normal man with a cannon which would kill anyone, but he would need the system's help to place the cannonball inside it so that it would be fired. Now… He was gaining the ability to help in that part, too, and that meant that it might even be possible to eliminate that step altogether in the future.

Now that… would truly be incredible, as it would allow him to basically stand unrivaled even if someone was powerful enough to use that second of time to launch a different attack, or change their own.

Again, all of this ran through Daneel's mind quickly, and he realized that he should probably stop overanalyzing things like this, that would result in too many thoughts that would clutter his mind. Fast reaction speed was good, but it had to be used when necessary.

Letting out a sigh of relief, the man in front of him said, "Thank you for seeing reason. But… Can I make a small request? Will you please follow what I say? I promise that it will not be detrimental to you, and it might even strengthen your position in the Order! Oh, believe me, I know everything about fame in this damn place! Anyway, come on. If you want to get to that five-star mission, we should leave in five minutes."

Five minutes?

That was much shorter than the timespan that Daneel had imagined, so he immediately nodded, intending to crush this guy again if he tried to play any tricks.

Right after they exited, he put on a brave face and said, "Gentlemen, from here on, my title shall be… Underlord! During the fight, I had an epiphany regarding my future path, and I believe that this will be more apt. Err… Because of that, I lost, but I gained much more than I have in my past year of training. For that, I am thankful to this person even though he has my name, and it is actually that which has allowed me to make this breakthrough. His power is still pretty amazing, and I bet that we would have gone toe to toe easily if that hadn't happened. He shall be joining us on this mission. Any questions? No? Then disperse and come back to the Obelisk right above in one minute."

Well… That was one way of putting it.

Daneel understood that prestige was important, and even though he was on the Domination path, it didn't require him to completely humiliate those that had already surrendered. Besides, the mission was most important, so he decided to let this go at the moment.

Because there was so little time, Daneel simply told his sovereigns to wait, before sending a message to the Underlord who had disappeared after not giving any gap for questions to be asked that they would be coming, too.

The 25 individuals were all quite stunned, but they nodded and returned a few moments later.

The Underlord returned and ordered that two of them should sit out the mission, and that they would be eligible for double rewards on the next one. These two were quickly picked out using a game of drawing straws despite general opposition, while Daneel told his sovereigns about the mission's requirement which he had been told about by this guy. Only thirty people could participate, and it would be a mission apparently requiring both 'power and intellect'. That was why he had decided to take Eloise, too, who had displayed her calmness under pressure before, so that left the matter of Skrr.

Thankfully, when asked, Skrr said that that lady had told her that she could stay with her if they were going on missions, which told Daneel that the adult Divine Cockroach might not be as strict as she looked. Still, she had been pretty damn scary, so Daneel only relaxed after Skrr contacted her and was teleported away while she waved at them and told them to bring back loads of food for her, thinking that they were going on another shark-hunting mission.

With that, all thirty of them flew up.

Right after they reached the obelisk above them, the guy whose shamelessness actually reminded Daneel of Percy raised his hand, and all of them disappeared.

As soon as he blinked his eyes and adjusted them, a familiar information panel popped into his vision.

It was just like the one they had seen when he had first been teleported to the War Simulation, and it read:

"Five Star Mission: Infiltration has begun. Preparation phase underway."

Chapter 810: 5-Star Mission: Infiltration 1

As soon as Daneel and the others were done reading the title of the display panel that had just appeared in front of him, they turned to the image that was presented in front of him, and as one, they all… promptly dropped their jaws.

This wasn't limited to just Daneel and his sovereigns, either. Even those from the team of the Underlord, as he was now newly named, were all also in extreme shock, even though they had been grumbling about the fact that two of them had had to be left behind just a few seconds ago.

This went on for a few seconds, until finally, Daneel was the one who broke the silence.

"Where…the f*ck are we?"

He said this under his breath, and in the process, he exposed what each and every one of them was thinking.

As the spell was broken, the others started to speak, and eavesdropping on them made Daneel understand that he was still very new to the Order, and that there was still a lot that he needed to collect information about.

"I only heard about it… But this is the first I'm seeing it!"

"Shouldn't it only be reserved for the peak of the peak of 5-star missions? Why did we have to draw this?! I thought it would be a simple shark hunting session! We were prepared for that! Dammit!"

"Hey, don't complain! It's better than that Hell Dungeon!"

The sovereigns all also started to listen, and were infinitely curious now about just what they were seeing. They did not want to ask this group who still obviously held animosity towards them, and thankfully, the display panel soon refreshed to give them more information.

At the same time, they all also assessed what they were seeing once more with less shock and more attention, and in the process, they realized that it was more unique than they had imagined when they had first lain their eyes on it.

It was… an island, and a very colorful one, at that.

They were up above in the clouds, and from where they stood, they could see everything clearly. From an initial assessment, the population of this continent seemed to be around 10 million people, and countless buildings could be seen all over the place in various sizes.

It was colorful, with many shades of paint adorning the houses and even streets, and the people also wore colourful robes. Of course, they were too far up to see anything except this clearly unless they used zoom spells, so they first observed the other general details before focusing on the display panel.

The one thing that would strike anyone when they saw this island…was the tall wall that surrounded the entire area.

The entire thing was barely the size of a force in the Central Continent, but its walls were taller than even those that had been famous in Lanthanor. It was almost as if one of the forces had been picked up and then dropped in the sea, after adding an infinite amount of ferocious sharks and fishes in the area around it.

Indeed, this was the second thing that anyone's gaze would be attracted to, and even as they watched, they would see the natural cycle of life where a fish was eaten by a bigger one, and a shark then proceeded to devour that fish even while the latter wasn't even done digesting the one that it had just consumed.

The shores of this island were almost bare, and the walls only seem to be a couple of kilometers away from this extremely dangerous see. The entire island couldn't be more than 10,000 km²(3860 sq.miles) in area, which was comparable to the size of the famous New York metropolitan area back on Earth.

In terms of population, though, it was clearly only half of that famous place, and on first glance itself, one could find out the reason behind this- there were large tracts of farming land on which dots that represented people could be seen moving around, and it looked like spring was in full session, as all of these farms shone brightly in the sun with beautiful produce that was ready to be harvested.

Daneel observed all this, and finally got to the display panel to find out just where he had come, and just what this mission was.

Soon… He understood that he had really underestimated the Order until now.

"Welcome to the Infiltration Mission! What you see before you is the Island of Creylia.

Population: Approximately 10,578,000.

Land mass: 11,000 km2.

History: Once an independent island that was split up into multiple forces which all vied for power, the Island of Creylia was invaded by the Church as soon as its location became known when its protective barrier that had been hiding it from the eyes of the forces in the Mainland dissipated due to the after-effects of a disastrous civil war. Using such a perfect opportunity, the Church of St. Rectitude invaded the island and managed to take control before any other forces from the Mainland intervened. They proceeded to thoroughly implement defensive measures which would have made it difficult for any force to target afterward, which led to the others admitting defeat and looking for other places to take over.

As is common knowledge among those in the Order, the objective of the Church is to align the Will of the World towards it so that it can benefit from the incredible amount of power that one can harness if they control a majority of the Will. Hence, a purge was carried out which was 100% effective. Unlike in general areas that the Church occupies, no survivors were allowed to remain.

Afterward, in a span of 24,000 years, three different types of government were implemented by the Church on this island. The first was a one government plan which established the Church is the highest office. Children were taught in schools to always only follow St. Rectitude, but due to free-thinking becoming prominent, this government suffered a lot of unrest which resulted in another purge as the Will was not able to be properly harnessed. In the second government, the Church used an approach where its own name wasn't used directly – instead, a different force that was said to be for the people was implemented which everyone had to follow. The reasoning here was that having to follow a set of rules and an entity that they did not connect with might have been too ambitious, but even this government failed as rebels started to rise again. The third government is currently in reign, and it is widely known in the Mainland as one of the most successful forms of government to have existed. It is the research into this kind of government that was carried out which was sold to multiple forces for high prices that allowed the Church to gain much of its power on the Mainland.

Details of the third government are part of what participants in this quest are supposed to find out by themselves. All this information was intercepted by the Order from the mainland, and this entire quest has been set up using an ancient spell which requires copious amount of resources to be used. As such, the purpose is that it will motivate those who are taking part, and those who are watching to fight as hard as they can so that our own content will not have to suffer the same fate.

Hence, this is a mission where there will be a select audience, and also active Heroes who will monitor and manage everything that is going on. This is necessary, as although everyone you will interact with and see on this mission will seem lifelike, they are but projections of individuals that are somehow created using this ancient spell which even the Order does not understand, but possesses in its archives.

Your mission is as follows: infiltrate the Island of Creylia and massacre the true ruling force of the continent to take it into your grasp.

Time Limit: 3 months.

Hidden criteria will be used to judge your progress.

Minimum reward that can be obtained: 1 five-star reward for all those participating.

Maximum reward that can be obtained: 3 five-star rewards for prominent performers, and two five-star awards for all others.

The preparation phase will end in 10 minutes. Each member of the team who are participating shall be given different identities to choose from with which they can infiltrate the island. Identity must be picked by the end of the preparation phase. If not, identity will be randomized.

Good luck."

Daneel finished reading the panel along with his subordinates, and when they were done, they couldn't help but stare among themselves with dubious looks on their faces.

Could this… Possibly be true?!

If so, it changed everything they had assumed about the Order, because the feat of simulating such a large place with millions of unique people… Was something that they couldn't even think about.

Daneel was so flabbergasted that he needed to take a few seconds to even ask the system just what kind of spell would be needed to do such a thing, to which the answer was actually quite surprising.

[Combination of Peak Hero level spells can possibly result in such a simulation if actively managed by multiple Heroes.]

So the Hero realm was so magical that even this kind of complexity could be handled?

Daneel was quite shocked by this, and he could detect right away that there might be some sort of catch that even the system was missing, as it was still only at the Peak Champion realm.

And also...two purges? Really? Were the Church so evil that they didn't flinch from killing millions multiple times?

Still… That was not what he should be thinking about right now, as they had only 10 minutes.

He glanced at the others whom they had come in with, and after seeing that they actually all had clarity on their faces, he wondered what was up.

This was when the Underlord turned in their direction and said, "Alright, although this is the first time that we are taking this mission, it doesn't mean that we're helpless. From the records that my fam- Err, I mean, a little bird told me about all the times that others have taken part in similar missions, so I know a very effective method that can be used. I'll explain after we are inside the Island. For now, look at the list provided and choose an identity which fits you the most. This is important, as there is a chance that you will be outed as someone from the outside if you choose an identity that does not go with your own character. This is one of the pitfalls that many fall into at this stage, so because we have the wealth of knowledge, we should endeavor to not do so."

Daneel raised his eyebrows as he heard this, as he couldn't have expected that this slimy guy would be in possession of such top tier acknowledge. He could tell already that this was definitely a very important type of mission, and that information regarding it was definitely tightly controlled.

The fact that he knew it, and that he had mentioned a family made it clear that he was very well connected, so that brought his unique character all the more into the question.

For the moment, though, Daneel decided that he was probably right, as it made logical sense. During infiltration, it was always best to choose identities that one could enter easily, and that was why spies back on Earth were said to take extensive acting classes so that they could mimic anyone that they were concealed as effortlessly.

Unfortunately, he and his sovereigns could not go through such a kind of training in such a short amount of time, so they had to make do with what the Underlord had suggested.

Daneel nodded at the rest, indicating them to choose, while he also started to flick through all of the options that were available.

There were around 150 options to choose from, which was definitely more than what Daneel had thought there would be, but because they had 10 minutes, it was enough time to go into the detail of each and every one and pick one that was suitable for that person. For each identity, their background occupation, hobbies, and family details were given, and this was more than enough information.

While going through the list, none of them especially stood out, but a second later… He spotted the perfect one, and he even got the feeling that he would probably not need to go through the rest, either.

Indeed, even after reaching the bottom, there was nothing else which fit Daneel better, so he announced it right away, with a satisfied expression flashing across his face.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"Retired Army General, used to being in command, held in high esteem by his society, loves to help others in his pastime and perform vigilante justice, known as being domineering in nature. Oh…that's definitely me. Everyone, I'm picking Rayleigh."

Chapter 811: 5-Star Mission: Infiltration 2

"Hey, I was about to-"

As soon as Daneel announced his decision, the Underlord spoke out, making Daneel turn around and fix him with a gaze which made him remember what had just happened before they had embarked on this mission.

This resulted in the man gulping, and cursing the world because of the fact that for some reason, all of his decisions seemed to mirror this guy's. It would have been fine if he had been stronger, but because that was sadly not the case… He had no option but to adjust. He almost felt like an older brother who wanted the same things as the younger one, but was never given what he asked, because the parents were extremely biased towards the other.

The only good thing was that he had said so in a low voice that was not heard by his subordinates who were all absorbed in picking who they wanted, so he got back to the list.

Daneel felt like laughing as he saw this, and he did pity the guy a bit.

Well, he had only himself to blame.

Each of the choices had to be unique, as each identity belonged to a specific individual of whom two could not exist.

With his free time, Daneel decided to further study everything, and that was when he realized that it was probably a fact that their identities were only secondary in importance.

The reason behind him making this conclusion was that all 150 identities… Did not have the power levels written.

This meant that they would be allowed to do their own thing after infiltrating with these identities, and that they had to only take care to align with them so that they could blend in, at least until they launched whatever plan that they picked to succeed in the mission.

Daneel also noticed that the mission was called a quest in some places, which was interesting. He didn't know why this sort of dual naming was present, but it was one of those things that had to be shelved away as no reason could be found behind it.

At this moment, he felt really glad that he had brought his sovereigns along, because he could expect right away that there would definitely be a need for different kinds of skills. There was no group more varied in skills than the Nine Sovereigns of Angaria, so he looked forward to seeing what they would have to tackle.

Of course, part of the reason behind that was the peak reward that they could get, and because of what he knew about the items that were present in the 5-start tier rewards… He could almost feel himself salivating as he thought about the incredible Godbeast weapons and formations that he would be able to obtain if he was able to pick what he wished.

The only way he could indulge and get what he wanted rather than what he should take was if he managed to get more rewards, so Daneel's eyes were set on getting the best outcome.

The only worrying thing was that they would be watched, but Daneel realized that he shouldn't care about this, because he had already decided just what kind of persona he would display in the Order. The powers he had picked to expose would become obvious later, anyway, so there was no reason to consider now even though people might be watching.

Soon, the ten minutes were up, and everyone was done picking. Because of the deduction he had made, Daneel hadn't really supervised what his sovereigns were picking, but still, as each of them announced their options when they were asked by the display panels that appeared in front of them, he wasn't really surprised.

Cassandra had picked the identity of a barkeep who was known for her sharp tongue, and was a loner who was pursued by many in her town. Aran had curiously picked one of the regular admirers of the same barkeep, and Daneel was quite certain that the confession which he must've heard during the episode with the Golding Lightning was definitely at play here.

Regarding that, he had yet to speak with them because he hadn't gotten any time, but Daneel didn't know what to say, either.

Aran's other qualities were that he was a veteran, and that he was a miser who saved almost every penny of his pension.

Eloise was the daughter of a rich merchant, and she had been educated from birth in the manners of etiquette and various other things that a lady should know. This was pretty close to her real upbringing, and when Daneel had seen the identity before itself, he had known that she would definitely pick it.

Elanev was an upcoming soldier in the Army of Creylia, and he was from a long line of soldiers who all had illustrious careers.

Finally, Faxul was a farmer with good talent who was training his powers but also loved his occupation so much that he was doing both the same time.

These were all common identities that would be present in any city, and as for the others, they had picked various things such as merchants and workers in different occupations.

The Underlord's final pick was that of a different retired general who was prone to bad luck, and Daneel wondered whether his present situation had played a role in him making that pick.

As soon as all of them had announced these things, they felt their vision blurring, and the next thing they knew, they had been split apart and were in different locations.

Daneel found himself waking up in a hard bed, and as he looked around, he saw that he was in a room that barely had any furniture. There was a dining table with a bowl on it onto which rainwater was dripping from the roof, and through the windows, he could see that the weather was quite bad. There was not a single light in the room, and as for storage, there was only a single cupboard whose door was slightly ajar, allowing him to see the few passive clothes that were present.

His identity was, after all, that of someone who believed that luxury would only weaken people, so it made sense that this was the kind of house that he would find himself in.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Right as he was about to discover more, another panel popped up in front of him, and it said, "The mission has begun. Each individual has been transported to their respective identities, and they are all in different places around the island. Each individual has also been presented with a trinket that they can use to communicate with each other. Apart from this, nothing else is given. Please be aware that this is also mission filled with danger, and if you find that you are about to perish, you must crush the trinket which will allow you to be teleported outside. There have been cases of people dying because they entered situations that were completely out of their control which did not allow them to do this, so you are warned that your life is in your own hands. Spectatorship has also begun. All outside sources of information have been blocked. This is the last instance in which you will obtain any information in this manner."

With that, the panel disappeared, and in its place, a trinket in a very strange shape fell out of where it had been onto Daneel's lap.

He picked it up and saw that it was actually a circular sun with tiny replicas of his own face plastered all around it, and it was pretty damn creepy.

Of course, it was a replica of the body of the Overseer.

This was almost like a subtle reminder of the fact that that thing was also watching, and Daneel had to try hard not to grit his teeth with anger due to that thought.

Suppressing his emotions and telling himself that there was a time and place for everything, Daneel touched the trinket and instantly felt the 29 other people of the team.

He could even feel their locations weakly, and he knew right away that if he followed the directions which were being indicated to him through the trinket, he would be able to reach them. A messy kind of conversation followed, with each and every one speaking at the same time, that led to no one understanding what anyone was saying.

Daneel decided to shout to stop this, but the Underlord beat him to the chase.

"Everyone, shut up! We talked about this! The trinket is working, so drop it for now, and get out of where you are and gather information! Even though we have three months, it's actually supposed to be quite a short period of time to accomplish the task that we have been given, so we should not waste even a second! Let us all speak together in three hours to decide a plan of action!"

Daneel considered for a moment whether he should also say something, but the man had already covered everything. That was the best thing that they could do, so as each of them gave their assent, Daneel did so, too, albeit in a strong tone.

Seeing this, the sovereigns responded too, and it was obvious by now to the others that they would only listen to him.

Still, they put aside their concerns regarding the team's unity for the moment and started their mission.

Daneel did so with quite some energy, because even though he had been quite appalled after finding out about the purged that had been carried out, he was really curious to see just which kind of government had been deemed to be so successful that it had even become a commodity that was worthy enough to be sold in the Mainland.

He walked out of his house and cast the spell to stop the rain from touching him, and he felt glad that he had picked someone who was known to be a Mage.

The simplest thing to do now was to find a way to Mind Control someone, but that would also be the dumbest thing to do while others were watching. It was true that Mind Control might be something that the elites in the Order could use, but as for a newbie like him… It would draw too much attention, so it was not advisable to go down that path at the moment.

Still, there were other, classic methods of collecting information, chief of which was obviously to go to a place that people gathered.

And of course, in any form of society, this place… Was a bar.

There were many things different in this place from Angaria, such as the style of architecture, the quirks of the people and to a certain extent, even the people themselves. Yet, Daneel decided that these were things that he could notice and think about more later, so he just observed everything on his way.

Soon, he arrived at the only place which was bustling even though the weather was harsh, and as soon as he entered, a small hush fell over the area.

For a moment, he wondered why that was the case, but he soon got the answer when he remembered what his identity was.

"Master Rayleigh, a good day to you, Sir! Your table awaits you! Please follow me!"

He was someone known for his power and his righteous ways that allowed him to command respect of the kind that many could only dream of, and it was only after he sat down at the specific table that had been reserved for him that everyone continued what they were doing. That silence that had fallen was the symbol of that respect, and Daneel had to admit that he quite liked it.

With this, he settled in, and after telling the man who had welcomed him to bring him the best wine and food, he asked the system to record everything while he also began to eavesdrop on conversations left and right.

The food and wine soon came, and although the taste was quite different, they were all exquisite.

Yet… Daneel could hardly pay attention to them, because of a very startling thing that was continuously becoming clear to him.

The more he listened, the more he became bewildered, until it reached a point where he started to fear whether his mind might have been secretly scanned in some way.

And the reason behind that…was that the government in this place reminded him quite a lot of a different place that was very familiar to him.

Chapter 812: 5-Star Mission: Infiltration 3

"So there are two sides, and both of them opposed to each other? They have different agendas, and the one who rules the island for a period of 10 years is chosen every time by popular opinion? Seriously? How can this be the government that is so successful?"

Currently, there were 30 individuals sitting around on normal chairs in the sky, with clouds swirling beneath them while most of them had puzzled expression on their faces.

They had all checked in three hours later to find that there was a special function in the trinket given to them which enabled them to enter a dreamlike state where they could talk to each other face to face, and that was what they were using for this meeting.

One of those who had gone to collect information had just given his summary, and these words were spoken by the Underlord, echoing the thoughts that most had in their minds.

Yet… Daneel still had a perplexed expression on his face, but he tried to hide it and act as if everything was normal.

Inside, though… His mind was pretty damn conflicted, and he was half-convinced that his initial theory was right: his memories had been scanned, and all of that stuff about the information about the island being intercepted from the Mainland was probably bullsh*t.

If not… Then how could it be such a coincidence that the general government structure from back on Earth was so, so similar to what was present here?

"Alright, so what are the agendas, anyway?"

The Underlord finally asked this, and the same man replied Daneel knew the answer, and it only corroborated even more with his suspicion.

"Err… It can be summarised with power for some verses power for all. So… The way it works is that Ker Gem mines are very carefully regulated on this island, which means that all the resources are in the command of the central government which mines them. These resources are then distributed to the people according to certain regulations, and the main differences in agenda is regarding just what these regulations are. One of the groups advocates that Energy resources should be spread around evenly so that even those who are not born with the talent are able to grow in power and reap the benefits, with the chance of breaking through and extending their life if they manage to do so. Even if someone is more talented, they will have to suffice with only using the same resources and proceeding forward quicker, before either joining the army or doing some other meritorious service that will enable them to avail more. The other group is of the opinion that this will mean that most of the resources are wasted, and that those with potential should be given as much as they need even if it means that others might be deprived of them. According to them, this will only benefit that nation, as it will mean that there would be more powerful individuals who could obtain more food and allow them all to prosper. Every 10 years, there is a major upheaval if the group that is chosen changes. For the last 20, it is the former that has managed to obtain the majority, but it is expected that the latter will win this time due to various reasons. It is like a cycle that repeats every time."

The others began to talk about this unique way of a government being set up, but in Daneel's mind, there was only one thing that was repeatedly being thought of.

If you replaced power with money… weren't these both basic forms of capitalism, but with a hint of socialism thrown in in the former?

Daneel had never expected to find topics like these in his journey on Angaria. It was even more so shocking that this was actually in the Order, and again, all facts pointed to the possibility that this, too, had been taken from his mind.

But… Why would anyone want to do that? If they really found out that he was from a different world, wouldn't he instead be captured as a potential enemy who had infiltrated them?

This was the one thing which stopped him from directly deciding on the worst case, even though the probability seemed so little that this was not the truth.

He hadn't really had time to think about it as he had used all three hours to confirm whether what he was thinking was right, and to find more information, so he decided to use this moment to let his thoughts flow freely.

And that… Was when he found more reasons which told him that he was wrong, and these made him slowly let out a sigh of relief.

According to the system, the simulation required extensive preparation, and it would also be something that had already been carried out before, at least in a similar form. That meant that there was a high probability that it was really just chance, and that he could stop being so paranoid.

This was the main point, and after he got it, he started to think about more reasons why he might be wrong regarding the chance of what he was seeing here and what he had seen back on Earth being similar.

This led him to a very peculiar question, which he asked the system.

"Is it possible that this form of government was finally ideated and then set in place after many, many experiments?"

[Affirmative. In the matter of governments, there is a natural progression down a list of ideas which can all be tried to reach this specific one. Hence, the probability of host's mind being scanned is 1.3%.]

This finally allowed him to get back to the discussion, as it all made sense now.

He couldn't really blame himself for going on that track before, because it had just been eerie to find something that was so similar.

It had sent a chill unlike any other down his spine, and it had resulted in him spiraling into his state before.

Now that he was back in his senses, he realized that the discussion had gone on to a different topic.

At the same time… Daneel recalled the other things he had heard about the government from back on Earth, and he immediately got the answer for some of the questions that had been placed.

Yet, he decided to confirm it first before stating it out loud and making suspicion fall on him, especially from those who might be watching, so he decided to give an offhand answer to a different question that had just been put forward.

"It can be theorized that the size of a continent directly affects the amount of Energy and Energy resources that are found on it. Hence, it makes sense that there are only Peak Champions in this place."

The query had been regarding whether it was possible that all the talk they had heard about Peak Champions being the topmost level that anyone could reach on this island was true, or was a farce propagated by the ones in command.

Daneel replied in this way, making the others nod as it was a valid reasoning, and following that, he stood up.

Everyone looked in his direction with various expressions on their faces, but he ignored them all and said what was on his mind.

"I believe that the question raised by the Underlord is the one that we should answer before we decide on any plan. Our mission is to assassinate the ones in command here, so we have to find a way to get more information behind everything that is going on. For that, I propose that we all gather tomorrow at a specific place where one of the elites of the opposing group that is vying for power in the next ten-year cycle will be speaking. Do we have anyone skilled in interrogation methods that will not be remembered by a person after they are carried out?"

Three different people nodded, following which Daneel said, "That's excellent. Then we can follow this plan."

Silence followed his statement, during which all those who weren't under him turn to the Underlord who had a blank expression on his face.

Everyone knew that one of the things he liked most was having things under his control, so they wondered how he would react as someone else was clearly taking away his authority.

Yet… His reaction made it clear that whatever had happened inside that arena was definitely not what had been told to them.

"Yes, the plan is good! Let's follow it! Any questions? No? Then let's disperse and collect more information while traveling to the location where our friend is at! Overload, I must say that you are quite good at planning, too!"

These words were forced out of his mouth, and it was quite funny to see him using the same tactic as before. He disappeared before there were any questions, and the rest could only shake their heads and follow suit.

Daneel didn't bother too much about all this, but he did ensure that everything was all right with his sovereigns before returning to his body. He had a strong suspicion that was based on a few things that he had read about while back on Earth, and everything, currently, was pointing to the fact that the same might be in effect.

The gathering would be taking place the next day in the village that Daneel was in, so he intended to spend the time until it began to map out the entire area so that nothing would be able to surprise him in case things went south. They were in a completely foreign place and in situations where real danger could creep up on them, so it was wise to do this.

While engaged in this activity, Daneel also continued to think about the system that was in place here. It all stemmed from the fact that even though farming was a major source of food, it was the sharks and fish that were present in the sea outside which was the most sought-after sustenance for the Island of Creylia.

Unlike back in Angaria where they were a delicacy which could only be enjoyed by the elite, here, they were regularly sold in the markets and their benefits of increasing one's power were applauded by all. This was why the methodology of the second group was also quite prominent, as it would mean that there would be more powerful individuals who could go and obtain more of these creatures which were so incredibly sumptuous.

It was like the ideology in capitalism where enterprises which earned a lot could be present as they continuously enabled even normal people to do things that they only dreamt of before, and even though this created a lot of divided between the population, it might still be fine if the divide didn't stretch to abnormal proportions.

As for the first group, it would be like the ideology of many forces with different kinds of histories that said that the prosperity of one should be the prosperity of all. Everyone would benefit equally, and even though this meant that it might be better for the common man, there were certain pitfalls in this which were the reasons behind which this ideology had never prospered on Earth, and had even caused disasters of unspeakable proportions.

The next day dawned quickly, and surprisingly enough, their target was easy to abduct.

The main reason behind this was that all individuals on this island were a level, or even two below those in the Order and the Big Four, which meant that they were more compatible with the Central Continent. So, in the same way that those from these two organizations would be able to have free reign in the Central Continent for the most part, there wasn't too much to worry about as it was just a normal gathering even though this was a high-level individual of a group.

They found him in the room in which he was preparing himself, and the three who were skilled in spells that were like Mind Control but not as effective managed to make him croak.

What they found out gave them the answer to the main question… And it also confirmed what Daneel had been thinking ever since he had found out about this place.

The true rulers were actually a family from the Church who never showed themselves, and the only reason behind two groups existing was that conflicts and support would be confined to the spectrum between these two only, leading to everyone indirectly aligning their Will with the Church. That meant that everyone at the top was on the same side, and their show of vying for power was all a sham to keep the sheep asleep while they mindlessly supported one side or the other.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

On Earth, it was a famous and intriguing conspiracy theory, but here… It was the truth, and it made Daneel question many things from his homeland, and wonder whether it might not be such a conspiracy after all.

Chapter 813: A Different Direction

A few moments later, they were all back in the same place in the clouds, and all of them had grimaces present on their faces.

The reason behind this… Was that after that interview which had been quite enlightening, they had gone around to the place where the head government of the island decided.

It had been a very strange building that was actually in the shape of a single man who was supposed to be the one who had done some major historical feat which all of them knew was obviously faked by the Church, and the moment they reached it… They had found out that there were so many layers of Champion level formations present that it would be a pipedream to want to march in and do what they wished, especially with the limited numbers they had.

On paper, the strongest among them was only an Exalted Champion, and from the auras of those that were detected from inside, there were multiple people at this level who would definitely be able to defeat them with numbers even if their Champion Paths weren't as high tier as theirs.

This meant that any plan to directly storm the headquarters would definitely be futile, so they had to find something else.

The good thing was that because of their general level, concealing themselves and traveling around the island was easy. They would only have to be careful at certain locations where there were checkpoints, but even these could be crossed if they were cautious.

After a few seconds, the Underlord shook his head and shrugged before saying, "I guess this explains why so many of the past five-star infiltration missions have followed the same plan. Well, let's do it, too!"

This made everyone who was present look in his direction, and he basked in the attention that he had been drained of ever since he had found himself under the shadow of this infernal guy.

He knew that he would be pummelled again if he didn't continue, though, so he spoke again.

"I know of 25 different infiltration five-star missions, and of them, 18 followed this method and succeeded. Three failed, and two tried something wacky, and they failed, too. Anyway, this method is… Classic assassination."

Daneel blinked as he heard this, and waited for the man to continue.

Yet, he had already gotten an inkling of what he might mean, as it was something that had crossed his mind, too.

"Simple. We use these three months that we have to slowly infiltrate that main government building, before we finally get a chance to kill those who are really in command. For this, we'll have to be creative, but it won't be too difficult. The only problem will be in whether we will be able to do it, and how much of a degree of completion we will be able to get. Of course, if we succeed, we will all be getting one reward each. Let me explain: in 18 of these missions, 12 ended with some people having to sacrifice themselves, or leave, in other terms, in order for the rest to succeed. This resulted in those people not being rewarded and the entire team getting the bottom-most tier of completion, so we should aim to not have to resort to this. The other teams all got the bottom-most completion, too, but that might be because of different reasons. If you all agree, I suggest that we get started, because it will require quite a lot of hard work. Hey, its called an infiltration mission, after all! We will be carefully surveilling all those whom we select as persons of interest, and we will find ways to enter that headquarters before making our way to that family of scum from the Church. There must be many layers inside, too, so we'll have to slowly work our way, with extreme caution. This is safe, and I guarantee that if we do well, it will work. Le-I mean, what do you all say?"

It was obvious that he had been about to say that they should all do it, but had stopped when he remembered that he wasn't the one in charge, any more.

Daneel squinted and furrowed his brow as he heard all this. Indeed, it was a reasonable plan, and although it might not be that it was perfect, it had quite a high chance of being successful.

Yet… What that guy had implied but not said clearly was that all those who exceeded mostly only obtained a minimum reward, which indicated something very strongly.

This was not the best way to finish this mission.

Daneel could guess that even those people must have known that, but had still chosen that path as it would at least ensure that they would get something.

Only… Daneel had a very strong feeling that there was a different way, and he wanted to choose it.

He didn't even know what it was perfectly, but what he was definitely sure of was that if he wanted to get the top reward, then he should take this risk.

So, taking a deep breath, he made his decision.

"We will do this. I and the rest of those who came with me will go on a different track, as I want to try something. The rest of you can proceed with the infiltration plan, and I wish you all the best."

"What?! You pushed yourself onto this mission, so you should at least have some responsibility!"

"Try something else? You probably only don't want to do the hard work!"

"Boss, even if you lost to him, you shouldn't let him do this! We need everyone that we can get, and even then, we might not succeed!"

"Yes, Boss! Even if he managed to defeat you once, we bet that you will be able to beat him in the future! But he should cooperate now!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Voices of dissent all rose up together, and it was clear that the team of the Underlord was under the impression that Daneel only wanted to relax and enjoy himself while having them do all the work.

He chuckled as he understood this, realizing that it was probably because of the fact that they couldn't even think of a different plan that could be implemented here.

This was almost like the classic conflict between those who did their own thing versus those who did not veer off the beaten path, and Daneel wasn't in a mood to handle it.

So, he simply matched his gaze with the Underlord, who sighed and raised both his hands to stop everyone from speaking.

"Let them be. I fought him, and I trust him. If he's going to do something else, we should let him, and we'll see just how good his plan in."

Daneel nodded as he heard this and turned around with the intention of giving a few instructions to his sovereigns and then leaving, as this was what he had expected from this guy.

Yet… It did not seem like he was done, as he continued in a tone that was really attempting to be innocent, but was actually quite mischievous.

"I might even fancy a wager, but who would gamble with five-star tier rewards, right? Well, gentlemen, let's get back to our plan…"

There it was. The cockiness that Daneel had expected from this guy ever since he had met him finally showed itself again, and it looked like it had been quite suppressed all this while.

The area that they were in was in such a style that after he had turned around, he was only visible to his sovereigns, and as he cracked a smile, all of them started to smirk, understanding that their king had found another scapegoat.

Turning around, Daneel declared, "Why not? If you win, we will only get the minimum rewards, anyway. I'll wager all of our rewards. Do you dare to do the same?"

A stunned silence followed Daneel's words, and the entire team of the Underlord starred at him as if he was crazy.

Six five-star tier rewards!

Their eyes shone with greed, and they all turned to their boss, only to see that the same thing was reflected in his eyes, too.

That was the whole reason why they had been following him in the first place, but after a moment, the caution that the Underlord had displayed back during the fight came back to him, telling him that he might be doing something wrong.

Yet… The dice had been thrown, and he was already close to losing all of the respect he had built up over all this time with his subordinates. He slightly wished that he could take back those words which he had said almost jokingly, but it was too late. He simply hadn't been able to help himself, and he had also convinced himself at that point that there was no way that anyone would be confident enough to succeed where so many had failed in the past few centuries. He had been proven wrong… And he now had to pay the price.

Like a drunkard who would have to go through with the promise that he had made even though he had been completely inebriated when he made it, he could only tell himself that he would make sure that he would succeed. It would all come down to that- he still believed that this guy couldn't possibly do what so many more powerful people had been unable to, and the only way that he could lose was if he messed up and caused the entire thing to fail.

So, he set his jaw with determination, and got an idea before saying, "Very well! It's all in good sport, of course, but it 24 rewards of ours for six of yours – it's not fair, right? So I'm ready to wager 6 from our side. Any questions? N-"

"No."

Daneel had been prepared, so he interrupted him and held his hand forward.

Of course, this threw off the Underlord, but he still walked forward and shook his hand.

Following that, all six of them disappeared, and all that was left in the Underlord's mind was a fleeting thought that this might come back to haunt him.

Stifling it, he got back to the preparations, while Daneel got back to his body and woke up before chuckling to himself and saying, "They never change."

They were still all assembled together because they had yet to decide on what to do, so the other sovereigns also heard these words as they woke up.

"Yeah, it's like they're a music trinket that keeps playing the same thing over and over again. You might change the make and model, but if the formation is the same… The same things will happen. Anyway, what's our plan?"

The sovereigns had all been assured that their king must have already built a smashing one that he would explain as soon as they asked him.

So… When they saw him sink into thought instead, they realized that for once, he did not have an answer.

They let him be for a few minutes, and after going through everything that he had seen so far in had in his mind… Daneel finally got an idea, which was based on the same gut instinct that had told him that there was a better way.

"Infiltration. This mission is called infiltration, and its purpose seems to be to show how one can take back control of an area controlled by the Church. Now, the typical plan would result in people having to sacrifice themselves because their power level would simply not be enough for a direct infiltration and attack, so the fact that this is not marked with a good score means that… It is not the right way. However, no matter how one goes about it, there will always be quite a strong risk of that happening. So… What if the correct method is not to be so direct, but to attack from a different direction?"

"Which direction, Daneel?", Asked Eloise, as they all followed the King's thinking pattern.

"Grand debate, Grand Debate! Tickets are running out! The entire island is going to see, but you can be the lucky few who can do so from the front seats! Don't miss it! They'll run out soon!"

They had camped in an open field in one of the farmlands, and they were suddenly interrupted by this announcement from a seller who went from town to town.

As soon as he heard it… It was as if a bulb had been switched on in Daneel mind.

"That direction!", He said, before pointing at that seller, and running after him as if his life depended on it.

Chapter 814: The Day of the Debate

Two and a half months later.

Jake had a small smile on his face as he listened to the reports from his subordinates while he sipped some bitter beer that he hadn't been able to get used to yet in the bar that he had bought recently.

He had taken his identity of one who had perpetual bad luck and turned it into one where all of the bad luck had meant that he had good fortune waiting down the line, by suddenly finding an Ether block mine under his land.

The truth is that all of these Ether blocks had been stolen from the private reserves of a few hard-working individuals on this continent by his subordinates who were skilled in mind control, and he had placed them all in this manner to be found so that he could use these funds as he wished.

"Having money is really a very easy method to worm ourselves into the top echelons, boss. It was a genius idea! I bet those guys must be floundering around, not knowing what to do, while we're well on the way to succeeding and getting their rewards."

"Yes, boss! If you hadn't made the bet, they would have gotten those rewards without doing anything, and that would have really left a bad taste in my mouths! Now, we will get even more rewards, and we will also be able to show them what the power of the Over-, I mean, the Underlords is!"

Jake winced as he heard that last part, because he still hadn't really gotten over the fact that his name, which had also become the name of their team, had had to change.

Well, he would be having at least a little of his revenge soon, so he nodded with a broader smile and asked them to continue.

"The best time to launch action is on the day of the debate, boss. I've been asking around, and it seems that on that day, there is a party planned inside the main building. Because of both the debate, which is supposed to be very interesting, and the wine which keeps getting opened prematurely even though it is only supposed to be drunk during the celebration, security is weakest, so infiltrating using our contacts and getting to the central area should be easy. We have managed to find some information about those people from the Church whom we're supposed to kill, but they were all extremely well concealed and protected whenever they were on the outside. Large groups of Champions were always shadowing them, and they were also quite alert, as if they were used to having assassination attempts targeting them."

"Yes, boss. Whenever they go out, it is only for a very few personal reasons, and each time, they're always glancing around with those squirrelly eyes of theirs, convinced that someone might be watching them. You remember that one of us was even caught almost, right?"

Jake nodded, recalling the incident where they had almost failed. The first plan had been to maybe kill some one in the inner circle and take their place, but even attempting to lay a trap had resulted in them being caught, which showed just how cautious they were.

Hence, they had gone back to the original plan, and it was Jake's idea which had allowed them to reach their present stage.

"Boss, I think you should contact those fools and at least confirm that they won't eat their own words and target those scum from the Church on the same day. We don't want to have to run into extra problems, because it will be very hard anyway."

One of those in front of him, who had always been quite an intelligent guy in his team said this, which led to Jake nodding.

The other team had constantly been on his mind, and whenever any of his teammates had been free, he had asked them to go shadow them and find out just what they were doing.

Each and every report he had received was quite weird. At one point, the entire team had started to slowly infiltrate a specific place, but it was one that was completely unrelated to the government. At another, that team had targeted those from the Church when they were outside, too, but none of them had seen them get any success, either.

This showed more than anything that the bet had been made in bravado, and that they were hastily trying to figure something out. In that case, the best option would be to make a last-ditch attempt to target the headquarters of the government on the day of the grand debate, so it was best to initiate a line of communication and make it clear that they should stop.

Of course, he would have said this outright if he wasn't scared of the power of the guy who had directly countered his Champion Path, but he still decided to send a message saying almost the same thing, albeit in a much better tone.

Daneel was busy finalizing the last steps of their plan when he received the message from the Underlord.

Curious, he checked to find something that made him laugh heartily, which resulted in his sovereigns asking what was so amusing.

In response, he held up the trinket given to them, and the message was heard by everyone.

"Overlord. I hope your plan is going well, but I'm sending this message so that we won't interfere with each other and cause unnecessary problems. On the day of the grand debate, I hope that you will not be targeting the headquarters of the government?"

Hearing it, the five others in the room also burst out laughing, and it was only after they controlled themselves that Daneel finally sent a reply.

"I can confirm that we will not touch the headquarters, at least in the same way that you are going to. You can rest assured that we won't be in your way."

Even this reply caused peals of laughter to erupt from Elanev, and even usually stoic Faxul cracked a smile. It looked like his action of letting out that last laugh has been confined to those moments, as he had returned to his normal self afterward.

As for Aran and Cassandra, there were slight changes, but Daneel hadn't been monitoring them when they had not been required to carry out certain things. He knew for a fact that both of them were in the same village as they had already returned thrice together as they needed to maintain their original identities, but beyond that, all he saw was them being closer than before.

This made him recall Elanev's confession again, but this island was definitely not the right place to discuss it. And besides, talking about these things would result in them exposing their original identities to those who were spectating everything, and that was the dumbest thing they could do.

The next moment, they all got back to work even though they had just had a moment of brevity, because they were working on the most crucial part which might decide the outcome of their entire work these past two and a half months.

The next week passed swiftly, and the entire Island of Creylia was gearing up for the largest celebration that came every 10 years – the debate, followed by the election which many hoped would see a change in the leadership of the government which would take up their problems and solve them.

It had always been the tradition on the island that these two events would be marked with pomp and vigor, to herald in a new age for them all. Each and every village, town, and city would have fairs of different sizes according to the population, and everyone would join in the festivities even if they usually kept to themselves in the ten years following up to it. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Families would get together in case they were settled in different places, marriages would happen in case they had been put off and even historically, the nights that followed would result in the population growing much more than it had in all the years before.

All in all, it was a momentous event, and even the government always pulled out all stops to ensure that the people would be happy.

It even subsidized the cost for setting up the fairs and even the feasts that were always thrown, and hence, there was no better time for enjoying oneself.

Of course, the center stage of the entire thing was the grand debate, which in many cases had proven to be the most important event because it would directly influence the voting that would happen on the day after it. Historically, there had apparently been four times where the winner who was expected until then had messed up in the debate, and had given away leadership to the other group. Debates were also really fun and informative to see, because they would detail all of the steps taken by the government that wanted to retain leadership, and all the mistakes that they had made would be pointed out by the group that wanted to win.

There would be heated discussions, and whenever there were breaks, there would even be performances by some of the major artists on the island, all paid for by the government. There was an independent entity which handed all these things, and although it didn't have much power, it was respected for its impartiality that had allowed its leaders to remain the same for the longest time.

The entire thing was a four-day long affair, with the first two days consisting of the final steps of campaigning which would be undertaken by both groups together. They would have mini debates, which would build up a lot of hype for the final one, and both of these days went well, with many even remarking that the celebrations this them seemed to be even more extravagant than the last.

There was always a main leader chosen by each group who represented them, and these were usually the most well-spoken ones who knew the arts of keeping an audience hanging on their words. Anyone would love to keep listening to them, and they repeatedly showed their skills by articulately putting forward what the wanted to say.

In this happy atmosphere, the day of the final debate loomed, and Jake and the rest of his team began their way into the government headquarters from where they would slowly make their way up into the central room where the family from the Church resided.

This was a long process which would see them spending a lot of time bypassing many formations and hoodwinking the guards, and there would even be times where they would have to stop and rest in secret places so that they could allow a certain someone whom they couldn't take out without raising an alarm passed.

Both to pass time and also to keep an eye on the situation, Jake had brought along a display trinket which showed the situation in a large gathering area close by.

The island was divided into three major cities, and the one where the headquarters was situated was the largest one. Hence, it also had the largest gathering area where over 300,000 people were all standing currently in front of a humongous display trinket which was showing two podiums on which the leaders of the two groups would soon be speaking.

Everything looked to be normal as the crowd swelled, following which the entertainment programs began.

Everything was going well – their infiltration, as expected, had been smoother because of the lax attitude of many of the guides due to the grand occasion, and if things remained the same, they would reach their targets soon.

Yet, suddenly…in the span of a single moment, everything changed.

BOOOOOMMMM!!!!

A loud explosion rocked the entire headquarters, and for a moment, Jake wondered whether they had been found.

Yet, he saw a guard near them get some sort of communication which he yelled out loud, and listening to him made Jake focus on the display trinket.

"That was from the broadcasting wing! Someone set off an explosion there! Send backup, send backup!"

At the same moment…the displays on all the display trinkets changed, and the image they showed made Jake widen his eyes and almost exclaim with shock.

Two people were sitting around a table on which wine bottles could be seen, and one of them was a port-bellied man whom they had all seen before as being a member of those from the Church.

The one in front of him…was a sweet girl dressed in noble clothes, and she was actually familiar.

She was the lady whom that infernal guy had brought along, and as Jake was about to ask just what the heck was going on, the port-bellied man cackled with laughter and said something that made all those watching all over the island take in a sharp breath and stare with incredulity taking seed in their eyes.

"Bwahahaha, that entire debate is a sham! Those damn sheep all think that at least one group supports them, but we control them all! We take their hard work and exploit them! They're a bunch of stupid cows being raised like livestock, I tell you!"

Chapter 815: The Doors Were Open

"We divide them to make sure that they never unite against us, and we keep leeching everything from them! Do you remember all those incidents such as those violently even killing people in protest of some or the other group's policies? One was there three years ago, another five ago, and one more was exactly seven years ago, on this day! We fake those things, so that people support either side! We manipulate them into thinking that they can change their fate by using their vote, but the truth is that no matter who comes into power, it is us they listen to! Those in our family are at the head of each and every organization, and we directly promote them, but no one can ask! If anyone does find out anything, we directly kill them, and again, there are no questions asked because we control the law enforcement, too! It's all a sham, and it's the greatest one to exist! Marry me, and rise above all of those sheep to be a princess! A princess, I tell you! You'll get everything you ever wanted, and even if you want to kill a few people for revenge, you can do so! You remember that beloved leader 15 years ago who was so popular because he promised that he would change the very base of the government? He got killed in a freak accident, but the truth was that one of the pets of my sister had a grudge against him, and she had him killed to appease him! Oh, don't be so afraid of that word! I'm different from them! They're all bored of having so much unopposed power that they have started to take on random people as pets whom they have fun with for a few years and then discard, but I've been looking for a wife all this time, and you fit the bill perfectly! That's why I'm meeting you like this even though it is risky and forbidden!"

The man went on and on, and the entire island was at a standstill as they listened to the incredible things that were being revealed to them.

Unknown to them, though, an impressive battle was currently taking place at the location from where the explosion had just been heard.

"He's using the Fire path modified to create fire demons- use ice cages."

"That guy has the earthquake path. Solidify the Earth."

"He has the Water Path. Use an interweaving web of fire, then increase the general temperature.."

Daneel was currently standing behind four of his sovereigns, who were each fighting against multiple Champions.

This, in itself, was such an incredible thing that many in the Order must surely be riveted to the display, but it was his performance which was actually the most impressive.

No matter who came, he would look at them for a second and then immediately shout out their Champion Path and the way to counter them, and each and every thing he had said so far had been extremely effective, allowing his subordinates to effectively stop an army even though they were so few.

Of course, they had also planned very meticulously to make sure that they would not be overrun. There were multiple levels of barriers which would easily stop anyone from entering the broadcasting station and stopping the truth that was being shown to the island.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

More and more people kept coming, but they were too late. This was a plan that had been in the making for almost 3 months, and there was no way that Daneel and his team had overlooked anything.

Multiple things kept popping up. Some Champions were called upon by their families who insisted that they should not go to war because of what they had just discovered, and others found themselves being threatened that their families would die if they followed their orders.

Hence, even though 40 champions had been dispatched to this place, only eight had arrived, and they were all being carefully handled by Daneel's sovereigns without him needing to even raise a hand.

They even had a minute until everything escalated, so, as he was bored, Daneel decided that he would have a chat with his sovereign who was having the easiest time – Faxul.

Faxul was a Champion, himself, so knowing the counter allowed him to add what Daneel suggested to his attacks which almost assured instant victory. Of course, this wouldn't have been possible if he didn't have such an incredible Bloodline in the first place.

Even though they were just Warriors, Aran and Cassandra were handling multiple Champions because of certain formations that amplified their power, which had been set up beforehand. They were almost like gun turrets which shot forward attacks after multiplying their power multiple times, and even though they were costly, there were perfect for the situation.

Faxul had just gotten back after beating three Champions into the ground, so it was the perfect time.

"Doesn't this bring back pleasant memories, Faxul? Remember our first grand scheme, against the Kingdom of the Elves, and that Queen who died in such a proud manner? Even there, we exposed the truth, and although our plan here is similar to that one, I have to say that it represents how far we've come. This one is much more sophisticated in the manner that it is being carried out, and it will also be all the more effective because of the special situation of this island that we have found."

Hearing this, Faxul remarked, "That's true."

"In these cases where something is going on in a shadowy manner, the truth is all that matters. When citizens are exposed to the truth that they can achieve nothing if they remain calm… That is where a revolution begins. Oh, look- it's the time for the main part of the conversation. After this, the fun begins!"

The entire upper echelons of the island were in a frenzy, because they had been caught completely off-guard, and even their Champions whom they always kept on hand had somehow been targeted so that there was a delay in deploying them.

They were trying everything, from trying to send out intercepting signals that would stop the broadcast, to sending out people to directly disconnect the display trinkets.

All of their attempts kept being stopped, though, because it was almost like their opponent had read their minds and had already planned for everything that they might do.

At the same time as they did all these things, there was one thing in the back of their minds which they really, really hoped would not happen.

As they watched on, though… That was exactly what came to be.

The woman in the broadcast had been silent until here, but taking a sip elegantly from the glass that was in front of her, she spoke for the first time, and her voice had a certain effect to it which almost put those listening into a trance.

"What you say is so incredible, My Lord, and I cannot help but agree that if one connects the dots, then this does seem to be the truth. But what if people eventually find out all this? What if someone tells everyone? Wouldn't all of our lives be at stake? Oh, that worries me so!"

If everyone listening knew that the voice of the woman was a major part of the reason behind this conversation even taking place, they would definitely be shocked.

This question actually brought forth the most laughter from the man, who continued to laugh and laugh until he had to hold his sides as they must've started to hurt.

Finally, though… He gave the answer that acted as the tipping point.

"That's the beauty of it all! What can they even do? The authorities that they have trusted for all their lives are the exact same people who will do everything to keep them in the same way that they are, so no matter who they go to, all they will get is frustration! I don't mean to be crass, but my brothers have a certain game where they get these so-called revolutionaries and then bet on who will break them first. They expose them to the actual truth, and they even give them free rein to try and bring any sort of change. These visionaries end up trying everything- they go to the law enforcement, to the two groups, and even to normal people, but everywhere, they will either find ridicule or disbelief. The game ends with them killing themselves because they see no way to bring any change! That's exactly how the truth is. Those sheep will continue to trust us, and we will keep exploiting them. The only, only thing that can make something change is if all of them rise up together, but just think about it. There is, like, zero chance of that happening! This same type of thing is used in multiple places, honey, and in each and every one, not once has it happened. Even if it does, we have certain safeguards which will divide them again, and keep them distracted from the main issue! We have agents spread as normal people all over the island who will speak out and confuse people, and if absolutely necessary, they will be the ones who will cause more false violent incidents that will also not sidetrack everyone! So you have nothing to worry about, darling. By the way, we can even marry in the clouds and go flying if you wish…"

Daneel could almost hear the rest of those fro the Church collectively smacking their heads as they heard their family member give the idea that was most essential to this plan.

Ever since he had started on this mission after deciding that he would make this happen, he had found more and more things to help him. It was almost like this was how it was always intended to be, as he had also found this perfect person from the family who had a very specific set of requirements that he was looking for in a woman, whom he wanted to marry. He was an eccentric, and it was him that they had all targeted. They had collected information carefully by listening to gossip in the places that the man frequented, and Eloise was also given a Warrior-level spell that gave her voice a certain charm that attracted him to her even more, and because she was just a Human, she wasn't considered a threat.

All of that planning had resulted in this one moment, and its aftermath… went in the exact way that he had expected.

All over the island, the shock of the people who had not wanted to believe it slowly started to turn into rage, because there was more than enough proof to make it simply impossible to be ignored. They knew all of the events that happened that had been referred to, and many had even connected the dots before themselves but had come up to the conclusion that it was too far-fetched. By now, though… It was obvious that it was the truth. It did not help at all that the potbellied man in question was a famous socialite who was known for traveling in the island and having his way, so him saying it gave it all the more credibility.

Those who moved first, of course, were the 300,000 who were near the headquarters.

Daneel had already replaced people among them who would beat them up into a frenzy if the video didn't work, but it turned out that he didn't need to do that. There were already other revolutionaries among them who had stayed hidden all this while, and they saw the chance and took it.

This resulted in most of the 300,000 marching to the headquarters, disregarding all of the barriers that were in place. More started to come from all over the island, using teleportation and other means to quickly make their way over.

A full on revolution was in swing, and the Army had to be completely reassigned to handle these people. They could not use lethal means as they had a certain death toll which they had to stick to as anything above that would affect the amount of power being extracted from the continent through the Will, and hence, they were stuck with using multiple Champions simply to build more barriers or use nonlethal means that kept getting overcome.

In all this chaos, it was the simplest thing for Daneel and the others to calmly walk into the headquarters, and on the way, they came upon a very peculiar sight.

A bunch of Champions were all surrounding a group, and among them was the Underlord, who had suddenly found himself targeted by a large batch of Champions while he had been listening with shock to everything that was going on outside.

They had come so suddenly, as if they knew where they were waiting, and they were at a stalemate at the moment.

As soon as Daneel and his sovereigns reached the place where this was happening while disguised as the Champions whom they had disabled when they had been sent to target the broadcasting station, he shouted something that made the Underlord understand what the hell had happened.

"Yes, get them, comrades! We got their location from those we defeated in the broadcasting station! We will be going ahead to protect the Family! No matter what you do, don't let them move!"

As all 26 Champions looked at Daneel and his group with wide-open eyes and hanging jaws, the five calmly strolled inside.

Yet, Daneel couldn't resist from sending one last message, and it was the one that made the Underlord almost froth at his mouth with frustration.

"See? I told you I wouldn't touch the headquarters, but the doors were open, so I couldn't help myself! Have a nice day, and do prepare to hand over the rewards!"

Chapter 816: Aftermath

400 champions. That was the incredible force which protected the family who were the true rulers, and they were the reason why each and every team in the past which had tried directly infiltrating the headquarters had had such a hard time.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Even if there were 30 Peak Champions in the team that was participating, they would be very hard-pressed to go up against such a large army who were also skilled in tactics that used their powers together.

Yet… With Daneel's meddling in the chaos that was present all over the continent, this large force had been reduced to barely 10 Champions.

There should have been 40, but 30 had gone out due to Daneel's 'tip' to tackle the large force which was apparently targeting the family.

Add to this the fact that Daneel and the others had a perfect camouflage which they had ensured would work by sending fake messages back from the broadcasting station… It was child's play for them to use the moment where relief could be seen on those present that backup had arrived to attack and knock them out using another display of Aran's Mindhunter technique.

What came next was the killing of over 50 people, who all kept threatening Daneel and the rest that their background was something which could not be estimated, and that they would definitely regret if they went ahead with this. Of course, this turned to begging soon, and it showed just how comfortable they had all gotten in their lives.

They all turned a blind eye, both because they knew that these were all just simulations and because they had also found out about the sick things that all of these people were supposed to have done.

It was then that another loud gong sounded, which was akin to the one that always indicated the start of fights in the arena.

Just like in the war simulation, the scene froze, and all of them felt themselves being pulled back to somewhere.

They all woke up in a room, and the first thing that greeted Daneel and the sovereigns was a mob of angry Champions who were all shouting various things.

"You cheater!"

"You did everything on purpose! We could have won together!"

"You made us look like fools!"

"Damn you! If I don't fight you today, I'll change my name!"

This Champions had all just gotten up, and they had directly started to shout these things before proceeding to surround Daneel and his group.

Yet, before they could respond, everyone present found themselves teleported to a different location, and as they saw the scene around them, they could only freeze where they stood.

Hundreds of people were sitting around them in a place that looked like an arena, and the only difference was that there were multiple display trinkets which were currently showing the frozen scene of the island of Creylia.

Applause started to be heard, and although not everyone was clapping, those who were had ecstatic smiles on their faces as they even cheered and shouted things like "Bravo!" And "well done!".

Seeing all this, the Champions had been about to attack the team members who had given them this victory had no idea what they were supposed to do. Should they continue and show their displeasure, which would display their pettiness? Or should they just let it go and show that they were magnanimous?

Their thoughts were also influenced by the fact that most of the auras that they could feel from those in the stands were at the Hero level, which meant that this was a very elite group of individuals. Would there even be another moment in their lives where they would be able to get this kind of applause, and this kind of a chance to strike a positive impression?

This realization finally made all the Champions stop what they were doing and turned around before putting on smiles that were attempting to be genuine, but a voice was suddenly heard which echoed throughout the area, stopping them in their tracks and making them get expressions filled with disbelief on their faces.

"Well done. For the first time in the past millennium, you have achieved the highest level of completion in this type of 5-star mission. For this, your names will be written down on the Board of Achievers, and you deserve to be congratulated for also taking part in creating an excellent demonstration of intellect that will be used to motivate others. You deserve your rewards. Remember that the Order always encourages those with talent, and the more you show, the more we will help you. As a token to demonstrate this, the highest performers in this mission will also be granted the right to choose another Five-star mission. This is usually a reward meant for even higher tier missions, but in this case, it is well warranted. May you continue to grow stronger so that you can serve Angaria to your fullest."

The-the highest completion!?

As soon as this was heard, the minds of the Champions and especially the Underlord went blank, and of course, the first emotion they got was one of happiness, as it meant that they would actually be able to obtain two rewards.

Yet… That soon turned into despair, as they remembered the bet.

In the last moment, that guy had thrown in the phrase that it would be for all the rewards obtained by six people, and at the time, they hadn't paid much attention to it because of the fact that no one had been able to achieve the same in centuries.

Yet, now… They reached the horrible conclusion that this guy had known exactly what would happen, which had made him do so.

They all turned to see him smiling graciously, and even after they were teleported back to the room, he continued to do so.

Daneel turned around to these gazes, to which he simply smiled and said, "I'll be waiting for the transfer of the rewards. It was excellent working with you. I really wouldn't have been able to do it without you! If you hadn't been there to distract those 30 Champions, everything would have been much harder… Anyway, this was fun, but we're needed elsewhere. Until next time! Farewell!"

With these words, Daneel and the rest disappeared, and even after that, the Underlord and his teammates could only stand there and continue to stare.

What they had experienced… Would definitely be something that they would remember till the time of their death, and each and every time, they would ask themselves why they hadn't chosen this moment to shift teams after seeing the capabilities of the one who really did deserve the name 'Overlord' more than their leader.

As for Jake, himself, he got a wry smile on his face, as he realized that his original instincts and caution had been right. He had known then, itself what kind of a man he had been dealing with, but being foolish, he had still gone ahead and acted with the ego which he now recognized to be present in him even though he had always thought that he was much better off in this aspect when compared to others like him.

It started to spread like wildfire. No one knew who began to talk about it, but the news that a newbie had actually taken on a 4-star mission, and then a 5-star one and had succeeded in both of them became the most talked about topic in the entire Order. The Underlord and his team found themselves being assaulted by questions from all sides, and having learned their lesson, they gave proper answers instead of trying to twist the story in any way.

All of this started to happen right after the mission ended, barely within five minutes of Daneel and the rest waking up in that room. So, many people expected to find these now-famous newbies near the obelisks above them where they must be busy picking all of their rewards, but strangely, they were absent.

The reason behind this… Was that Daneel and the rest had immediately left the Order. The only reason that they had even gone on that mission so suddenly was that they had had to return due to the threat to Skrr, and because there had been that short of a time to decide whether they should do it or not.

The rewards would always be present for them to pick later, so there was no hurry. They could be patient, and it would also allow them to avoid those who might want to pry into this matter and contact them for whatever reason they might have.

After everyone reached the Palace again, Daneel told them to have some rest while he went on to take care of some matters.

Right before leaving, he also said that they should think back to what had happened during their incident in that cave and decide whether anything about what had happened then should be talked about, which led to all of those present except Faxul blushing, as they knew that he was talking about them.

With that, Daneel reached a place far, far away from Lanthanor before stopping and thinking of the man who had already sent a few messages which he had received right after coming back to his body from the mission.

Three months had not passed in the real world, as the simulation also had the property of making it feel as if a lot of time had passed, while a much smaller period passed in reality. It had been 10 days, and in all that time, Daneel had received four separate messages from the man.

The first had been quite polite, asking whether Daneel was free for a meeting.

The second was slightly tenser, with the same information, but given in a more curt manner.

The third said that the Head had come to Lanthanor, but had found that Daneel was away.

The fourth… said that he was considering whether he should use the Big Dour's resources to look for Daneel, as he might be in danger.

Daneel had chuckled as he received all these, and in the next second, that same man appeared.

He had been expecting that this would happen when he flew out without using any spell to cover his presence, and on seeing him, the Head exclaimed, "Finally! Where have you been?!"

Daneel chuckled, following which the Head quickly raised his hand and shook it before saying, "Never mind, don't answer that. Do ignore the messages that I sent. I think this must be the first time in a century that I showed that much impatience. What I wanted to talk to you about was-"

"The fact that you are now my junior disciple brother?"

Daneel said this teasingly, which made the Head sigh and say, "Yes. Oh, I forgot to bow to show my respect. I apologize if-"

Hearing this, Daneel instantly raised his hand to make the man stop speaking.

He had expected that something like this might happen, and had already prepared what he would say.

"Stop. I'm not the kind to take advantage of a position with someone who has only acted with honor in all the time I have known him. I feel lucky that we have somehow become disciple brothers, and even though that man said that you are the junior, I will always consider you my senior. So please – do not even think of saying or doing things like those."

There was a short silence after Daneel said these words, following which a broad smile appeared on the Head's face.

He straightened his back which had almost drooped because he had really been about to bow to Daneel, and in a proud tone, he said, "I see that for once, my eyes did not see wrong. There are many who, if they were in your position, would have abused this relationship as much as they could. I heard someone say that if you wish to see a man's true character, then you should give him power. From the way they behave, it becomes clear whether they deserve it or not. In your case… Let's just say that Lanthanor is a lucky Kingdom. And you're wrong…although we do need to speak about that, I was contacting you for a different reason."

Raising his eyebrows and smiling in response, Daneel asked, "Oh? What is it, then?".

The answer made him do a double-take, and wonder whether he had heard correctly.

"Ashahell has asked for an audience with you, and he said that he will finally crack and talk about the Church if he is granted one. Come with me."

Chapter 817: Another Conversation 1

A few minutes later, for once, Daneel found himself being quite astonished by the means of the Big Four.

He had known of these entities for a long, long time, and over time, he had started to be able to predict what they would do. After that, with the revelation of the Order being the actual hidden force in the continent, he had even started to think of the Big Four as not being too special.

Yet… When he arrived at where Ashahell was currently being held, he couldn't help but credit that there were still those in the Big Four who had quite a lot of creativity in their bones.

The typical place that Daneel had expected he would be taken to after agreeing that he would see the man was somewhere underground which would be difficult to find unless one was prepared to go throughout the underside of Angaria a with a fine-tooth comb. Even Heroes would have to spend years doing that, and even then, they would risk not paying attention for just a moment which would allow them to miss a spot where they might have found their target.

This was the main reason why underground was one of the most chosen locations were secret gatherings, but it looked like in this case, the Big Four had been convinced that if they used typical means, then they would definitely be found out.

So… They had actually chosen the most obvious location, instead.

They were actually… In the Kingdom of Arafell, and just a few kilometers from where they stood was where Daneel would have found the woman whom he hadn't talked to in a while, but who had left him with a question that had tortured him for a long, long time. It was only recently that he had managed to get rid of his curiosity regarding just why his action of hurting her extremely had made her smile instead of scorn him for the rest of her life, but it looked like he was not destined to get rid of it completely, as he now found himself being inadvertently reminded of all that again because of where he stood.

The Kingdom of Arafell, like the other kingdoms in the Central Continent, adopted a system where small-time crime would be addressed by local law enforcement officials who jailed these people in buildings retrofitted to contain people. These buildings would only be chosen on demand – for instance, there was always more crime around time periods where there were festivals, and in those times, there would be more jails.

Currently, they were in one which had been opened recently because of a spate of robberies which had apparently culminated in a breakthrough clue that had resulted in the capture of a large gang of 200 criminals who had been operating for three years in various kingdoms.

Daneel had gathered all this while waiting to be shown inside, after getting past his bewilderment that Ashahell was being held here, in plain sight.

Was it really in plain sight, though?

Even he, himself, could not imagine considering that such a common location in the Central Continent could be a place where one of the most notorious individuals who had carried out multiple crimes against Angaria(at least, in the eyes of those in the Big Four) was kept. After the Head had brought him here, Daneel had even had to ask whether they were in the right location, which was when the Head had chortled softly and said that he was glad that they had this occasion where he had fulfilled his curiosity of how Daneel looked when he was completely clueless about something, which was something the man had apparently always wanted to see ever since finding out just how much of a perfect planner he was.

Daneel had been tempted then to pull rank, but remembering his speech which had been taken so well, he resisted and waited while the Head went inside saying that a few preparations needed to be made before the meeting could take place.

He had told the system to listen to everything, and that was how he had found out this information. It made him wonder whether this, too, had been orchestrated by the Big Four to set up a normal reason for a jail to be there, or whether they had simply used the opportunity that had presented itself.

Whatever the case, it was ingenious, and Daneel almost wished that he could get the person who had gotten this idea under him.

Interrupting this thought, the Head dipped his head out of the door nearby and nodded, indicating Daneel to come.

They were in a corridor lined with multiple cells, and Daneel had been told to wait at the beginning of it, where there had been no guards. At least, that was how it looked on the surface, whereas in reality, he knew that there were multiple Champions and even a couple of Heroes actively keeping an eye on this place hidden away from plain sight, using quite advanced formations which made it so that even Daneel could not tell the exact number of just how many people were guarding this location.

Daneel's steps echoed in the corridor as he walked, and a faint smell of fungus reached his nose. Ignoring them, he entered the room where he had seen the Head to find that there was another inside it, which was so heavily fortified that he doubted that anyone he had met so far would be able to escape.

If anyone knew that these many resources were being burned to secure a simple Champion, they would definitely have been shocked, but for this Champion, it was definitely necessary.

The Ashahell Daneel saw when he entered was not the man that had almost killed him before, but this was only in appearance. His long brown hair that had once reached his shoulders had grown even beyond that level, now almost reaching the small of his back, and his clean-shaven face was no longer so. His thin lips seemed even thinner, and his pallor was that of someone who had been starved for days.

The Head spoke up, giving him the answer regarding what that was so.

"Ever since he killed the Mad Doctor, he has abstained from food. Of course, he is not in a resort, so we only gave it to him without forcing him to eat, and besides, Champions can survive without food for a long time, anyway. Only… He stopped using the Energy resources to maintain his power, too, and now, it looks like he is close to slipping a level back from the Peak Champion that he was. No one knows why his behavior suddenly changed, and all of us were even more shocked when he put forward this strange request a week ago."

Daneel nodded with furrowed eyebrows as he heard this. He wondered what the reason could be – could it be that the fact that he had been successfully framed for the murder of the Mad Doctor which he had not done had affected him in some manner? Or could there have been something else, and that this was simply the tipping point?Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Whatever the case, Daneel expected that he would soon find out. The way Ashahell was living was that he was in a glass room from which they could see him, but he could not, so the man was still lying on his bed, abjectly staring at the ceiling with an expression which could not be read.

"No reason to wait any longer. Go on. You need not worry about your safety in any manner – there are multiple Heroes on standby, so he can do nothing. Of course, I don't need to remind you that all of these Heroes will also be listening in, and he knows that too, because he didn't even bother to ask that you two should speak alone. He simply wanted you to come."

Daneel nodded and walked forward, as he was really curious to find out what this old foe had in store for him. He still thought of this man as one of the smartest opponents he had gone up against yet, and if it weren't for the fact that he had done a lot of planning and a lot of schemes layered on top of each other, there was no way that he might have succeeded. In the end, though, the main thing that had brought the man down was his own decision of joining the Church to achieve his aims, because that had exposed him to a situation that Daneel had been able to exploit for his own good.

The moment Daneel reached the glass prison, a door opened, and Ashahell instantly sat up.

A small smile came upon his face, showing that he still retained the almost aristocratic manner that had always belonged to him. Only the arrogance was presently absent, and that smile slipped as soon as a chair appeared out of nowhere right in front of the bed, which was followed by a voice echoing in the room.

"You have five minutes. After that, as per our bargain, you will tell us everything you can about the Church without breaking the Oath and killing yourself. It is only if this information is relevant and something that we can use that we will consider what you have asked for."

This was said in a strict tone, and it was not one that Daneel had heard before, leading him to believe that it must be one of the Heroes of the Big Four who were supposedly hidden, but still more powerful than the Head, himself.

Ashahell looked like he wanted to say something, but he nodded and fixed his gaze on Daneel before saying, "We don't have too much time. Sit, and answer a question of mine."

Daneel did so, and after that, Ashahell asked a question that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Do you believe in fate?"

Daneel had had no idea how he was supposed to address this whole thing since the start. It had been sprung on him so suddenly, and he had wondered whether it was a threat, too. Yet, even if that was the case, he didn't really fear Ashahell's power now, as his breakthrough had allowed him to be at such a power level that he would definitely be able to save himself even though this man's Champion Path was just downright scary.

When asked this question, though, which related to something that was really prominent back on his home planet but not at all discussed or talked about on Angaria, Daneel found himself more curious than ever.

"No. I believe in hard work, and justice."

He gave this answer, which made Ashahell smile.

"That was what I expected. And that was what I have always believed, too. If you're thinking that I've had a change in mind regarding my purpose, you are wrong- I still believe that all of you are a scourge on this continent, and I would rather that you will be wiped out by the Church than continue to keep digging and digging and deplete our mother until she can sustain us no more. Believe me, that is coming, and when it does, I remember my name. But that is not the reason that I called you here. Yes, I do not believe in fate, too, but then you came along. I don't need to elaborate on our past, and on all the things that relate to both of us. But in all these things, I saw one common similarity- you won, even though you had everything against you. I don't know if it was fate, or something else which none of us can ever imagine. But whatever it is… I have no option but to trust it now, and hope that it does its job once again. From the Big Four, take my diary, and go through it to see if anything catches your eye. That's it. Because of the oath, I cannot say anymore, but I think I can give you a small anecdote that I heard when I was growing up – a lion will lie in wait to catch its prey, even if it is powerful enough to achieve victory outright. Heroes- make him leave, and I'll talk. Or is it okay if I start speaking about your-"

In the next moment, Daneel blinked, and he found himself in a location far, far away.

He had instantly been teleported out, and a second later, he received the message from the Head which said, "I'll talk to you later."

Huh? What the hell had just happened? Why had the Heroes been so adamant that he should leave?

Daneel had gotten a very strong chill in his back when Ashahell said the words 'something that none of us can ever imagine'. Of course, that was the system, and the man had referred to it even though he had no idea what it was.

A second after that, to Daneel's surprise, a book fell out of nowhere in front of him, and touching it, he received a message from the system.

[Personal diary being analyzed. Looking for matching incidents that might lead to host. Looking for patterns. Analyzing. Three entries found. Entries being listed from most recent.

Entry number one: It is in regards to the target Ashahell's actions in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Entry number two-: Details Ashahell's analysis regarding the continent, and its forces.

Entry number three: Details the investigation into an incident which host witnessed firsthand- the destruction of the Dwarve's Rum. Target suspects that there might have been ulterior, hidden motive, but the investigation was stopped after no clues came forth.]

The Dwarve's Rum?

Reminded of something that happened so long ago, Daneel was dazed for a moment, before he began to think about just what it might mean.

However, when he recalled the statement that Ashahell had given him- a small clue came to his mind.

Ashahell had given up something definitely precious to give him this information, and there was only one thing that that man cared about- the welfare of the continent. Still, he had been ready to ally with the Church, so that meant that… Whatever this was alluding to, it might be something that he really detested, but must have thought about tackling after his plan to rise in the Church had succeeded.

However, his plans had failed. If Daneel were in his shoes, what would he have done?

As Daneel's mind raced at the speed of lightning, he got the answer, and it made him instantly teleport away.

Chapter 818: Another Conversation 2

Daneel reappeared in the cave where so many emotional things had recently happened, and the first thing he saw was that the old man, whom he still found it hard to believe was Emperor Fenoras, was enveloped in a shining white cocoon in which he appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

Ignoring him, though, Daneel crushed a trinket that was in the shape of golden lightning. Even though his master didn't really know what it was, he seemed to be a big fan of putting up appearances, because that was the one he had given in case he needed to contact him urgently.

He had reiterated that it should only be used in urgent situations, as there would only be so many times that his master would be able to drag himself away from his duties in the Church, whatever they were, to contact him after finding a safe place and a safe time which was not being monitored actively by the Church which was apparently quite paranoid about communication from the Mainland to anywhere beyond.

Daneel started pacing around after doing so, because he had also been told that it might take some time to establish a connection. During his pacing, he kept thinking of his line of thought, after also marveling just how quickly it had proceeded in his mind.

Even though he went back and checked each and every step, it all seemed logical, so all that remained was to see what his master would say.

Soon, in the same spot where his master had appeared before, a figure slowly appeared, and weirdly enough… That figure was dressed in shining white armor while carrying a long sword on which was etched the image of a saint preaching to the masses who had gathered in front of him.

Daneel's eyes were riveted to the sword on which that image was engraved so masterfully that each and every detail could be seen even though it was just a projection that he was viewing, and seeing this, his master cleared his throat, which led Daneel to blurt out the question that he had contacted the man to ask.

"Does the Church have the habit of putting backup plans in place whenever it is about to take control of a continent?"

Master Jonah squinted his eyes as he heard the question, and following that, he raised a finger without saying anything. It almost looked like he was somewhere where he couldn't talk, and as Daneel started to observe more things about the man, he noticed that there was blood spattered on his armor.

Was his master… Taking part in a war, or something?

That was really weird, but he knew that he couldn't ask. His master thought for a few moments, and after that, he mouthed the words 'five minutes'.

Following that, the image cut off, and Daneel had to impatiently pace around once more.

Thankfully, the man was on time. After exactly 5 minutes had passed, he reappeared and said, "You should have seen the look on my commander's face when I told him that I had a really bad case of indigestion. I guess excuses like these are classic no matter where you are. Well… Now that you mention it, yes, I did see that the Church does have this pattern of putting in place backup plans in the continent that it has decided to conquer. Well, usually, these plans are not very sophisticated, but I saw some records of discussions somewhere which had advocated that this should not continue to be the case. Sadly, I cannot see whether anything changed in relation to the specific campaign of our continent, as those files are sealed from me. All I can access is stuff regarding the past, and I can only answer you with information relating to those. And when I think about them, and everything that has happened in our continent, I have to say that even though they had some plans which they concealed, such as the one where they tried to incite rebellions in various places by saying that they which would give 'salvation', there was nothing else to hide."

Daneel had zoned out during the second part of his master's answer, because all he had needed was the first.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

He had been hoping that it might not be the case, and that he might not have to embark on another mission, this time relating to the continent, right after he had finished one. He wished that he had time to rest and just take it easy for a few days, but what could he do? It really did feel as if the invasion was coming, which was the reason why so many things were getting piled up on him one by one.

Thankfully, this was not the first it was happening, and he had the capability of segregating them and then listing them in terms of priority so that he could tackle each. Of course, right now, the top of the priority list was still to find out just who was in the Overseer's place, but if what he was expecting was true… What he had just been told by Ashahell would definitely take a close second.

Master Jonah saw that his disciple was phasing out, but he didn't say anything, knowing that this must be something very important if he had chosen to break the trinket and call him.

At the same time, he, too, started to go through everything, and this wasn't the first time he was doing it. Ever since he had gone to the Mainland, he had been using each and every moment of time that he had to himself to go over everything he had done to try to see whether he had missed something.

As for Daneel, he had currently given a task to the system.

The Dwarve's Rum. There was one thing about this certain incident that placed it apart from all the others, and it was… That he had been on the scene when it happened, instead of arriving afterward like the others.

Soon, the system gave him an answer, following which he hastily told his master, "I believe that the Church might have placed some or the other backup plan in the continent during the time when they destroyed the Dwarve's Rum. Do you remember that incident? In hindsight, I think that it was a pretty over-the-top thing to do, even though the objective was to declare to the world that there was an organization which kept its promises of salvation and revenge. There were other options- much safer ones to do the same thing, but they had still chosen this one, and really, the most telling thing is that at that time, the individuals who were responsible for what happened later did something in the time leading up to it. I never thought back to it, but now that I do, I saw that they were unaccounted for for quite a long time."

Daneel was reliving those memories, and he clearly remembered that after those men from the Church had released him, they had gone missing. Initially, he had thought that they might have gone to free the others, but now, when he thought about it and recalled the powers that he had seen them hold, he realised that that activity would not have taken such a long time. Instead, they had done something else in that period, and this was exactly what had been hinted to him by Ashahell. As for all that talk about fate… That man had clearly only been hoping that Daneel would find some way to shed some light on that investigation which was not present in the public records, because it was obvious that there was something about it which only he knew that he had found out after joining the Church but which he could not talk about because of the oath.

What happened in that time? What was it that Ashahell had deemed important enough to warn him about now, and not any time before?

He thought about these questions, and about everything his master had told him so far, too. He was so deep in thought that he even ignored the question from his master which asked just how he knew what he had just said, and after a second, he directly decided on the direction they should take.

"Master, go check the records of the Church. You said that he can check the past, so this should qualify as the past, right? I suspect that they kept sending over stuff in batches, so look for the time period of the batch closest to the one when this incident happened. Along with that, in that general time frame, look for any dealings that the Church might have had. Look for anything that might have been used to set up a back up plan here. Even a lion like the Church would to wait and hide to pounce on easy prey like us. Please get back to me as soon as possible."

Daneel said all this before he stopped himself, as he realised that he had done so in a commanding tone that he was used to taking with his subordinates.

Yet, his master only chuckled and said, "Aye, aye, My King. It'll take a little bit of time, though. Until then, focus on your power. I see that you haven't increased even a bit since the last time I saw you. Train, boy! No matter how much power you get, don't be complacent, because there are things and people here who will change your very image of the world. Anyway, I'll go before my commander comes by himself to check on me. I'll contact you as soon as I find something, and we can talk here again."

Daneel nodded, and the figure of his master disappeared.

He let out a sigh of relief, because he knew that he had done everything he could regarding this matter. It would all depend on his master's investigation, and until then, he could only put it in the back of his mind and hope that it was something that he had time to tackle after finding out just what it was.

With that, Daneel traveled back to his chambers.

Settling in his chair, he began to reminisce about the past, starting from the events that he had just relived in that bar/slave fighting ring that had gone up in flames.

As he went through everything he had done so far, Daneel started to see a pattern that hadn't been visible before.

Why…was that every threat that had caught him off guard arrived from places that he though hid nothing, but had actually been concealing a lot?

Of course, this was a common aspect relating to threats in general, but why should it be so in his case, who had the system at hand to achieve anything he wished?

This thought gave rise to a bold plan, but Daneel was stumped as to just how he could accomplish it.

However, at the same moment that he got this question in his mind, he recalled a certain something that he had worked very, very hard on, but then abandoned when he found pursuits that had seemed to be more worth his time.

Almost in a daze, Daneel traveled to a certain cupboard in his chambers before casting a secret spell that was only known to the King.

The cupboard opened to reveal a passage, and walking down it, Daneel arrived at a place which held a lot of memories.

In the centre was a formation which would allow anyone to absorb several Ether blocks together to train if they wished, and in one corner were a few objects.

One of them was a vial of dark blood, and the other was a glass bowl that Daneel picked up and carried back to his chambers.

He placed it on a table, and as he looked at the creature that lay within which looked back at him almost reproachingly, like a lover who had been forgotten, he smiled before removing the lid.

A low buzzing was heard in the room, following which Daneel said, "Hello, old friend."

His smile broadening, he began to shoot off a list of instructions to the system, all while the buzzing, which almost sounded happy, started to rise in volume bit by bit, as if to signify the awakening of something that had been sleeping for a long, long time.

Chapter 819: Please comment on whether all chapters are visible.

When the sovereigns all arrived at the King's chambers a few minutes later, they found the man who was revered throughout the continent for his regal manner bending over something with an almost evil smile on his face which was visible even though they were looking at him from behind. They didn't know whether it was their imagination or not, but they could almost swear they had also heard a low laugh that was interspersed with a different sound, but there was no way to make sure as the king immediately whirled around and saw that they had arrived, before hiding what he had been looking at with so much focus and concentration.

A mischievous smile came on his face as he saw their questioning expressions, and he said, "Oh, it's nothing that you need to know about right now. Just a small hobby that I'm getting back to. Anyway, what are you here for?"

Daneel had embarked on the whim that he had gotten, and he had come up with so many ideas that he had wondered just how he had ignored that topic for so long. However, in the middle of it, he had received a message from his sovereigns saying that they had been contacted by a few people in the Order, which had led to him telling them to come over while still being completely engrossed in what he had been doing.

That had led to this situation, and he had made the sudden decision that he would only reveal his 'hobby' when the time came. His excitement was mainly due to the potential of the ideas that had come to him, but his smile melted away when he remembered the entire thing regarding the matter of his meeting with Ashahell.

Still, there was really nothing he could do until his master made the necessary inquiries, so he tried to put that aside one more time before asking, "So, who has been contacting you?"

Looking at each other before nodding, Faxul, Eloise, Aran, Cassandra and Elanev said, "Listen for yourself."

With that, they each took out the trinkets from the Order that they had been given, and as they activated them, a cacophony of voices engulfed the King's chambers, even completely blanketing the beating of the Dragon heart in the room.

"Your talents are wasted with him!"

"You have a place in our group! If you want, you can join this 4-star mission we have!"

"So, what are his powers anyway? If you're ever interested in defecting, contact me, and I can give you a hefty price…"

"He has attracted too much attention! If you stay with him, you'll just find yourselves burnt!"

"It is always the trees that stand tall that are blown over when a storm comes, and one is apparently brewing in the top echelons among those who are not really happy that he's getting so much attention. It is wise for you to jump ship now!"

Daneel raised a hand as he heard all these, following which each of the sovereigns deactivated the trinkets and looked at him, as they all wondered how he would react.

Would he be angry that they were being contacted by so many people? Would he find their honor besmirched, which meant that they should go and take up a fight with them all? Or would he want to ignore it, and just continue on their mission of finishing as many 5-star missions as possible in as short a time frame as they could?

The reaction that the king did give… startled them all, making them understand that he would never be a man that they could really predict.

The King of Lanthanor started laughing out loud, and tears even appeared in his eyes.

While laughing, itself, he took out his own trinket.

As a different set of voices were heard in the room, the sovereigns understood exactly why he had acted in that way.

"Those are weaklings! You're much better off with us!"

"We have four 4-star missions that you can take part in! They'll just slow you down!"

"You're so much more powerful than all of them! They will be leeching on your fame and accomplishments! Dump them when you can!"

"Hey, if you need help, we can make it seem as if we forced you! Please join us, and you'll never regret it!"

Bristling expressions appeared on all of the sovereigns as they heard so many people talking about them in this manner, and this anger was even were exacerbated by the fact that there was a lot of truth in what they were saying. Their power levels were still too far away when compared to the King's, and although there were exceptions such as Faxul and Elanev, the rest of them still had a long way to go.

Daneel noticed this, and right away, he understood that there needed to be certain changes to their plans.

During the war that had happened in the matter with the golden lightning, he had already seen just how effective each of their Champion Paths and Bloodlines were. If he had to be frank, he would say that they had even surpassed his expectations, and that if they were even a little bit stronger, they might not even have needed him to undergo that excruciating experience.

It was always so with high tier Paths and Bloodlines- even a little bit of progress down the Path of Power would enable one to grow leaps and bounds in regards to just what kinds of powers and abilities that they could use, and that was why individuals such as seeds were always locked up and made to train as much as possible instead of wasting time on other things. The younger one was, the faster they could train, so it was always wise to use every moment of time to their advantage.

With further thought, Daneel decided that this was the way to go. Looking up, he said, "Let's do things differently from now on. It is true that our priority should still be to finish the 5-star missions so that we can gain access to information that we can use to find out the real identity of the Overseer, but for that, it is probable that all of us are not needed. I, Faxul and Elanev will mainly be the ones pursuing this, and the rest of you should focus on doing missions that will give rewards that will allow you to directly break through to become Peak Warriors. After that… You can leave the matter regarding your subsequent breakthroughs to me. But until then, you'll have to work hard. Eloise, as for you – take a little bit of time, and focus on getting to the Peak Human level first. When you get there, we will help you break through, and then you can join Aran and Cassandra to obtain the necessary rewards. If we had random Ker Roots lying around, I would have made the concoction that one can use to speed through the ranks of the Warrior Realm myself, but sadly, that's not the case. It's pretty weird that even the Order does not directly give Ker Roots, and it actually shows just how rare these materials are. If it's taking too long, we can then consider whether we should break down the Natural Energised Training Chamber, but that is a resource that we should use for a different purpose, unless there is no choice whatsoever. The rewards that you have already obtained should already place you quite close to achieving your goal, so try and make sure to reach the finish line as quickly as possible."

As Daneel spoke, he saw that he was actually stating many of the points that his sovereigns had already thought of. In Eloise's case, she nodded with determination, and Aran and Cassandra also did the same thing when he was done.

The way rewards worked was that there were different sets of them to choose from whose access depended on just what realm an individual was present in. Usually, this would make sense, because the 5-star mission that only needed Warrior realm individuals would not be the same as a 5-star mission for Champions, and so, there was a need for segregation of rewards according to realms. In their case, though, they had already transcended levels, but sadly, there was no way to change this rule of how they were given.

Hence, even though they had a bunch of 5-star rewards, they would only be able to choose from certain items that related to their power level. And in that list, there was no way to obtain Ambrosia directly.

This was the magical substance that Daneel had had to go through so many difficulties to obtain, so it made sense that it was heavily regulated here. So, if they wanted to accumulate enough rewards to get it, they still had quite a lot of work cut out for them.

"Eloise, start training in the Chamber of Golden Lightning. The best option would actually be that you directly train in the Natural Energised Training Chamber, but you are not able to handle that level of Energy. In the former, you can regulate the intensity of Energy that you wish to absorb, so you can choose a level that you can withstand before training and giving it all. Remember – do not over exert yourself too much, as that will place you at risk of losing yourself. Go."

Daneel had been observing them all, and when he said that part about 'losing herself', Elanev's eyes had flashed with worry.

Of course, he had been expecting this due to the confession he had heard before, but after that, the man quickly hid it, which meant that he did not want Daneel to see.

Daneel hadn't made the decision yet whether he should confront them, but for the moment, Eloise teleported away after ensuring them all that she would be careful. Even though these were her words, they could see the excitement in her eyes which was definitely due to the fact that she was looking forward to finally being in the same level as the others in regards to power, and in the moment before she left, there had even been a smile on her face.

"You two- do solo missions for now, and ignore all attempts from people who might want to pull you into their team. If someone is troubling you too much, call for me, and I will be there. Get going."

Aran and Cassandra nodded, and as both of them disappeared, too, Daneel found himself alone with his friend and his elder brother.

"Shall we go and select the next 5-star mission waiting for us directly, Daneel?", asked Faxul, referring to the special reward that had been given to them by the Overseer.

The King of Lanthanor did not respond, and as he slipped into a reverie, the other two looked at each other and shrugged before waiting.

Daneel had also been thinking about what their next step should be during the time when he had idly relaxed and reminisced before, and at that moment, something had become clear to him.

As he thought about it again, now, it gave him an idea, which led him to say "No, leave that for later. First, we should endeavor to get into as many as possible using our own efforts, and we can keep that one for a dire situation if we find ourselves without anything to do for a bit of time."

It sounded logical, so Elanev asked, "Okay, but 5-star missions are hard to find. What do you propose we do?"

As soon as his elder brother said this, Daneel got an almost diabolical smile on his face that made both men in the room take a step back.

Daneel tried to hastily hide it, but after that, he let it be, because that was exactly what his present plan was like.

When he opened his mouth and explained it, the expressions on both Elanev and Faxul's faces were priceless, and Daneel even wished that he had a camera so that he could take a picture and memorialize this occasion.

"Have you two noticed something? Ever since we entered the Order, it's been dumb people who have been serving themselves up to us on a silver platter that have allowed us to have so much success. First, it was those guys who targeted you, and then, it was the ones who targeted poor Skrr. This leads me to believe that the best way to go about things in the Order is to be targeted, so that is exactly what we are going to do. Get ready, gentlemen. We… Are going to become the enemies of the entire Order, and after that, we will have more 5-star missions on our laps than we can dream of. I call this…Mission Airdrop. Haha, you'll understand why soon."Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Chapter 820: Updating Now. 4 chapters tomorrow.

The next morning dawned quietly in the Order, which had no concept of day and night because of the ever-present stars in the sky.

Jake had a pretty dejected expression on his face as he made his way down a street in the headquarters, and even though it looked like he was heading somewhere, he had no specific destination in mind.

He had spent all last night in the presence of the top leaders of his family, who had all both congratulated him and berated him at the same time. The congratulations were because of the fact that he was a part of the team that had made history, and of course, all of the berating was because he was not the top performer.

On the Board of Achievements, teams were always written in the order of top performers. This was important as its purpose was to show who had been instrumental in leading the team to victory, and hence, if there were people who had given equal contributions, they would even be written side-by-side instead of one above the other.

In his case… The fact that the scion of such a legendary family was actually seventh on the list had apparently been so embarrassing that all those who had been waiting for a moment just like this had used it to rain down a lot of ridicule on his family members.

The brunt of all that was what Jake was facing, and he had been given the ultimatum that if he wanted to make it right, then he needed to take part in another 5-star mission and become the top performer.

If that didn't happen, then he could kiss Willstone that was waiting for him as soon as he became a Peak Champion goodbye.

If anyone found out about this hidden ancestral reward that was in place for all those who were lucky enough to be among the scions of long-standing families, they would definitely have been pretty astonished, as it was common knowledge that it was impossible to aim to become a Hero, and that one should only keep trying as hard as possible until they found an opportunity which could grant them with a Willstone.

This was the reason why Willstones were also not listed in the rewards for even 5-star missions, and no knew clearly just how one was supposed to obtain them, unless they reach the Peak Champion level and were chosen to break through. Of course, this did not apply to the true elites who could break through naturally, but even in that case, a Willstone would always help to give direction that would save a lot of time that might have been spent meditating and shortening one's lifespan instead of breaking through as quickly as possible and enjoying the fruits of youth until everything went to hell.

Not everyone had this kind of an attitude, but it was something he shared with the group that he had also just gotten kicked out of.

It was comprised of those who were comparable to his power and background, and they had also laughed at him. He had had no option but to walk out of the room, and that was why he found himself here, at the exact moment where the sun was rising on the outside world.

The stores in the headquarters were open 24/7, as Champions didn't really need to sleep. If they had to go rest, they would put someone else in their place, as business was often precious and not meant to be missed just because one was tired.

Jake's thoughts kept going to that guy who had said those infernal words again and again, and even though he kept trying to abolish them from his mind, they lingered, like a warrior who was almost dead but would not die because he still needed to do something in this world.

"The doors were open."

They kept echoing in his mind, and in frustration, he kicked a stone that was lying nearby.

The stone went and hit someone else who was passing on the road, and seeing them turn around, Jake prepared to have a random fight, for once, so that he could take out his frustration on someone.

However… What happened the moment after that made him rub his eyes and wonder whether the frustration had gotten to him, and had made him go mad.

Yet… the thick stench the floated to his nose told him that that was probably not the case.

The stench came from a large pile of liquid material that had fallen from above, and the singular odor made it clear that it was the object of mankind that all sought to bury and forget, especially in this moment in the outside world where people would wake up to nature calling them softly.

Before Jake could give it its proper name, he got a horrible premonition that allowed him to take a step back and see as the same pile which had been about to fall on him miss him by barely an inch and fall instead on the barrier that automatically appeared to protect him.

Of course, a barrier was also the one which had taken the impact in the case of the one in front of him. However… Using his Elementary Vision, Jake saw that there was a very ingenious spell which allowed the odor of that pile to enter the barrier and cling to the target.

What… The hell was going on?!

It seemed that the one in front of him had also realized what had happened, which led to him instantly scream out loud with disgust.

Similar screams could be heard from all over the headquarters, and that was when Jake finally looked up to see just who the culprit was.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

There were three very familiar individuals who had gleeful smiles on their faces as they transported their payload to and fro in the headquarters, dodging the obelisks which came in their way and sometimes even targeting those who had their eyes fixed on the display panels.

This was the Order, where only those with high talent dwelled, and hence, there was not even one case where a barrier didn't pop up to protect someone. However, it was obvious by now that this had all been thought of, which was why the spell which made the odor pass through was so effective.

There were always a few hundred people in the Order, and because the bombardment had started so suddenly, more than 100 individuals were affected before the payload of the three individuals in the air finally shrunk to nothing.

"You bastards!"

"I don't care even if I break the rules, but you're going to die today!"

"Just wait till I tank your head in the same thing!"

All sorts of angry shouts were heard, and the hundred people who had been affected had already begun to fly into the air.

Yet… These three individuals looked completely unperturbed, and they actually smile as all the curses were thrown at them.

Just as their opponents were about to reach them, though, the one in the center opened his mouth and made a loud announcement that rang throughout the headquarters.

"This is what we think of you folk in the Order! All of you are sh*t! You're useless, worthless pieces of sh*t who couldn't even finish a 5-star mission fully! We had to do it and get our names on the Board of Achievements, so be prepared, because this will keep happening! If all of you are really the backbone of the continent of Angaria, then we are really doomed! Why don't you just go throw yourselves in a well, losers!"

The one who spoke had the most arrogant expression on his face, and in fact… Everyone already knew who he was.

Those beside him folded their hands and looked at everyone as if they were gazing at those who were made of the same material that they had just rained down on everyone, and for a moment, it was as if the Order had frozen.

BANG!

A loud sound which was heard from one of the buildings that was directly below where the three stood broke the spell of silence, and from the ruins of a building that had stood there, a humongous man flew out and directly shot in the direction of these three.

Raging Bull was his name, and he was known for his anger issues. Yet… This time, no one said that his anger was unfounded, as similar actions could be seen from many, many individuals who were present in the streets of the headquarters of the Order in this momentous occasion.

Just before a hundred Champions and Warriors were about to pummel the arrogant a**holes that they had fixed their eyes on, though… Something unprecedented happened.

"All fighting is banned in the general area of the Headquarters! Cease your actions, or be punished!"

A voice that was familiar to all those who were present in the area was heard, and at the same moment, the Overseer appeared.

His body was, this time, covered with the fake faces of all those who were present, and as always, his tone was neutral, even though it boomed outwards and was heard all over the place.

The Overseer was the one who had always implemented the rules. However, usually, there were only one or two rule-breakers who would just be escorted to the Overseer by some Hero or the other before they were sentenced to any punishments that they deserved.

This time, though… The Overseer had had to descend by himself, and it was the first time that this entity was seen in this place in a long, long time.

It looked like this was the one thing that would have worked, as the Champions and Warriors knew that they were no match against the Heroes who would be dispatched if they did not obey. Already, by showing the intent to kill, they were in trouble, but if they still moved forward and attacked… They would have no one but themselves to blame for what followed.

Hence, shooting looks of murder at the three who were still beaming as if they were having the best time of their lives, everyone was about to depart after declaring within themselves that they would definitely have their revenge.

However… It looked like the three were still not done, as the one in the middle once again shouted something.

"If you want to wipe out the title of sh*tlord that we have given to all of you, then come challenge us! Of course, we aren't so free as to take challenges from anyone… Only come if you have a 5-star mission! At least that will show us that you are worthy of fighting. We won't even ask for anything in return, we just want to be proven wrong! Of course, just to make it more real, we might want a place in the 5-star mission, but that's it! So long, sh*tlords! Choose not to fight, and you're proving that you deserve the name forever!"

With that, the three looked like they were about to teleport, but they stayed where they were.

This time, it was the Overseer who was apparently not done talking.

"The three of you are sentenced to 3 days in the Well of Penitence for disturbing public order and inciting battles. The punishment begins now."

With that, the three disappeared, but still, this punishment did not do anything to satiate the anger present in all those who were on the scene. The reason behind that… Was that even before disappearing, they had made sure to have mocking expressions as they looked at all those below them, and those who had met their gaze really did feel like they were being looked at as if they were the exact same substance that had rained down from the heavens before.

It was standard human nature to not like it when one was insulted. These were the peak of the peak – the elite of the elite – the strongest of the strong. In the Order… Ego was almost a necessary trait for one to go far.

Jake saw all of this, and was suddenly reminded of something – the expression on that guy's face when it had been revealed that it had all been his plan.

This was definitely another plan, and he had accounted for everything.

Why does he want so many 5-star missions, though?

Usually, people would rest after going through one, because they were always so taxing. However… It looked like this guy was in some sort of urgency, but Jake shrugged and let it go, because there was something more pressing.

He had seen an opportunity to redeem himself, and there was no way that he was going to let it go.

Hence, with a smile, he turned around and headed back, while at the same time, the storm regarding the newbie whose ostentatious name had already become famous started to roar again, even though it had been ready to die down before.

At the same time… Daneel's laughter echoed in the empty room that he found himself in, as the first step of his plan had been a grand success.

Chapter 821: Nightmare Dungeon 1

The Well of Penitence was just a grand name for a cell, with the only difference being that there were all sorts of training materials available for free which could be used.

Of course, there was a limit, and apparently, they were also only offered the first time that one found themselves here. The idea here was that the first time might be an accident, but if one kept coming back, then it was intended, and the Order did not have any intention of making this a free training ground which could be gotten into if one simply broke the rules.

As Daneel was idle, he picked a Ker Gem nearby and finally began to train after what felt like a long, long time.

The last time he had trained was back when he had still been in the early ranks of the Warrior realm. Right now, as he trained, he realized that he had gotten quite addicted to the feeling of jumping through the ranks in the manner he had done.

That was the main reason why he had not been focusing too much on training even after breaking through to become a Champion, as his goal was to find another way to reach the peak of the Champion realm in one go rather than spending a lot of time to train and train and train.

True, even his potential was higher now, but still, its effect on training speed was not enough for him to abandon this route and focus completely on secluding himself and absorbing Energy.

After all, seclusion also had other drawbacks, such as the fact that he would not be available in case something drastic happened. He liked the way things were now – he could be effective while doing multiple things on the outside, while reaching towards his goal of gaining more power. It felt as if he was making the best use of his time, so he was decided on continuing down that path.

Still, the miraculous advantages of the breakthrough did make him sit and just stare with astonishment after he had absorbed energy for a moment.

Of course, this was only in relation to his Mageroot, but even then, he had only been expecting a slight increase.

His shock was because of the fact that there had been close to a 25% increase, which was pretty unseen even in the previous realms.

This much of a jump in training speed was godly. It basically meant that if he and a different Champion who was a level below him in potential trained with the same resources, then he would become a Peak Champion in just three fourth the time required for the other one!

This meant that he would be able to save years of time, which would be very useful when one was figuring out the second resonance to find their Hero Path and break through. The more time one had to do this, the more the chances of success, and hence, it was crucial.

And besides, the other benefits were also pretty momentous, and he was already extremely fond of the feeling of thoughts running through his mind at the speed of lightning.

At the same time, he had begun to wonder why this level of potential was not possible to be attained by birth. Was it to do with the Energy level of the continent, too?

If that were the case, then the Energy level basically decided the future of the continent, unless if illustrious people like Daneel appeared who would break through all the shackles placed on them to reach new heights.

It could even be likened to the budget of countries back on Earth, which would decide just how much growth they would possibly be able to achieve.

These kinds of random thoughts accompanied Daneel in his three days of training. The Well was supposed to be experienced alone, so he only had himself talk to. So, he actually took it as an opportunity to relax, and he spent all three days going over everything that had been happening recently, while planning for the future.

Hence, at the end of it, he exited with a smile, which startled the Champion who was in charge of the Well. He looked at him strangely, but then shook his head and smiled before allowing them outside.

This was odd, but Daneel understood the reason right after he walked out of the door.

"You're finally here! I have five 4-star missions! That should be enough, right?!"

"Hey, just fight me if you're not scared! To hell with all those conditions!"

"I was going to give you the same treatment, but you made the Overseer put that item on the list of banned items in the headquarters! Damn you!"

Daneel and his sovereigns were greeted by a storm of voices, which were all from a large crowd who had gathered, knowing that this was the time that they would emerge.

They had already talked about this, and broad smiles appeared on all of their faces which made rage spring up in those in front of him.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

The shouting increased, but like disgraced politicians who would ignore screaming crowds because they would be content in the fact that they had already swindled millions which were safely tucked away, Daneel and his sovereigns simply sauntered past them all. Five-star missions could not be gotten by just anyone, and those who were capable of getting them would not assemble here like this.

Hence, this crowd did not deserve even a word from Daneel.

If he didn't have the urgency, he would not have chosen this route, because it did place him against a lot of people. However, he knew that he was pretty close to the five 5-star mission requirement, as his master didn't know that he had already finished one which was part of his initiation.

With another one done, there were only three remaining, so the sooner he got to them, the better.

Besides, in the list of rewards, there were also some items which needed multiple 5-star awards to be used in order to be obtained. For these, it was best to accumulate as many as possible before going on a shopping spree that would definitely shock the Overseer. Besides, even if this didn't happen, he might need them when the actual reward to enter the place where the information regarding the Order was stored, so it was best to get as many as possible.

The more time went without Daneel getting any messages, the more he wondered whether his plan had been too simple. He had been hoping that at least two or three would be angry enough to challenge him, but it looked like those at the top were smart enough to recognize a challenge that they should not take. Besides, if anyone was watching, the pattern would be clear, and no one in their right mind would want to meet the same fate.

Thankfully… At the exact moment that Daneel reached his room, he received a message.

A smile pulling up one corner of his lips, he turned around to Faxul and Eleanor before raising the trinket and letting it play aloud.

"I have a 5-star mission… and I have a few friends who had to burn their clothes because of that nasty spell you used. They say they can still smell it, even though so many days have passed. Where do you wish to fight?"

The message was surprisingly much more measured than Daneel had expected from someone who was challenging him out of anger, which made him feel as if something was off.

Yet, it was what he had done this entire thing for, so he ignored that feeling and then replied that whoever it was should come to the arena right away.

There was no further communication, but right as Daneel and his two sidekicks, which was what they looked like as they flanked him on both sides, reached the spot, there was a man surrounded by a gaggle of men and women who looked in his direction as they arrived.

The entire group had been laughing and joking around, but right as the three of them came, they all ceased what they were doing and turned around to glare.

Leaving them, the man whom Daneel had spotted first walked forward before saying, "I'm Perfect. Let's go."

This introduction would have weird in any other place, but in the Order where people were referred to by their titles, it made sense, but it was still odd.

After all, what kind of a narcissistic personality was required for one to name themselves as 'Perfect'?

The man's appearance gave one clue as to why he had chosen that title, though. He had perfectly slicked back blond hair, and his sharp features were those that anyone would want to swoon over. These were all fake and could be manipulated by everyone who entered the Order, though, so the main thing was actually in his eyes-they had an unspeakable allure to them which could not be mimicked, and Daneel guessed that this was the main reason why he had chosen that name.

The man didn't say anything as they went down the corridor to reach the Arena, and even after they reached their battle location, he simply put his hands in his pockets and yawned.

Daneel had already spotted that things were not going as he had expected them to, and the man's words confirmed that.

"Look, I just challenged you to please my girlfriend. I'm not even as good as Ov-, I mean, Underlord, so this fight is useless. Outside, I'll just act like it was a tough fight."

This statement made the King of Lanthanor look at the man with a frown on his face, before he asked, "So you were faking the mission?"

Yawning once more and even going so far as to sit down, 'Perfect' replied, "Oh, no, I don't lie. I have one, but after you find out what it is, you'll beg not to come."

It looked like his intention was to doze off after giving the answer, which made Daneel feel like crushing him anyway.

Still, controlling himself, he said, "Try me. What is it?"

The answer was given in an amused tone.

"5-star Mission: Nightmare Dungeon. The mission with 100% failure rate, and a 30% death rate. Now, can you please let me have my beauty sleep?"

N-nightmare Dungeon?!

Daneel had not expected to come face to face with this mission so soon.

He had heard about it, and its famous 100% failure rate. All records in the Order were always reset every 1000 years, so this meant that no one had passed it in the past millenium.

Besides, the 30% death rate meant that it strongly deterred those who might want to try their luck, too.

The revelation that this was the mission changed things. Should he go for it, and become announced as someone who broke the record twice in a row? Or was that too much attention?

He was confident in himself to succeed, even if it was hard, but it might be a problem if it was another monitored mission.

However…a single thought made Daneel abandon this line of thinking, and give his answer.

'The Path of Domination is the Path where doing what others cannot.'

"I'll do it. When should we leave?"

The answer made 'Perfect' sit up with shock, before turning around and saying, "A-are you serious? I thought I would just go flunk it while keeping myself alive…but wait, no one in their right mind would willingly come to this nightmare!"

In response, Daneel just walked forward and patted Perfect's shoulder before saying something that would stay in his mind for a long time.

"Achievements are not for those who run around and take it easy. Get ready to get your name engraved on the Board of Achievements, Perfect. Let's go."

Chapter 822: Nightmare Dungeon 2

Far away, in a luxurious house that had once seen better days.

A man was pacing to and fro in front of a large, wooden bed, and his features were filled with frustration and worry.

The one on the bed looked like he had seen better days- his forehead was matted with sweat, and his expression was akin to one who was having a nightmare.

The other man kept glancing at the bed while his pacing went on incessantly, and it was only when he saw a light shining in one corner that he ceased what he was doing and run over there, like someone lost finding a direction to head in.

The light was from a strange apparatus with a shining human skull surrounded by gems of various colors, and as the man lay his hand on it, the light disappeared, before reappearing in his eyes.

In the dark room which he had not deigned to light up, those eyes shone eerily- like willowy wisps in the night, they flickered but wouldn't go out, and finally, when the man finally let go of the apparatus, he looked as if he had been thoroughly taxed by whatever had happened.

He looked once more to the man in the bed, before shaking his head and walking to a different corner.

From it, he removed a vial which held silver-colored dust. It looked like it had been used recently, as the level was not what it had been, and as he shook the vial over the man on the bed, the dust flew haphazardly at first, but then gathered on his head, as if there was something there that was calling to it.

The dust then seemed to come alive, and each mote transformed into a tiny insect that burrowed into the man's skin. If Daneel were here, he would have remarked that it was a scene straight out of a horror flick from Earth, and even the man would have agreed, as his face was filled with disgust.

Droplets of blood oozed out of these tiny wounds, and all the insects seemed to gather at the man's forehead.

"GYAAAHHH!!"

With a loud scream, he finally sprang awake, and as he touched his forehead, he winced, as if it hurt just as much as it looked like it would.

"We don't have much time. The Bishop asked me to tell you that we should begin to cripple them. The time for the invasion is coming, so the sooner we get them on their knees, the smoother everything will go. No one is really happy with our performance so far, but the Bishop did hint that we might have opportunities to redeem ourselves…"

The first smile in months finally came on this man's face, and seeing it, the other spat out some blood and said, "Don't get so excited. If we fail in that opportunity, too, then it is only death that awaits us. Give me that box, over there."

A slight shudder appeared in the other man as he heard this, but he stopped it by telling himself that he would definitely succeed when the time came

Looking in the direction indicated, he saw that it was the pile of things that had been brought over by this second agent of the Church.

This pile had been eyed by the man many times during his pacing, and he had always wished that he had been allowed to remain like before, where all he would have to do was sit and keep an eye on the continent while passing time.

With the arrival of this second agent, everything had changed, and although he had hoped that it would be for the better, it was exactly the opposite.

They had faced defeat after defeat, and in their latest stint, one of them had even had a major part of their consciousness captured by their foes.

That was how they had gotten to their present state-he would pace, and the other would endure the torture and pressure placed on him.

If he let that part go, there was a chance that he would die, so all he could do was hold on and hope.

Putting his thoughts aside, he walked to the pile and picked up the box shown before bringing it to the man on the bed.

His forehead was still writhing on the inside, giving him an absolutely revolting look that would make anyone want to upend their stomachs. Sadly, that was the only way to give temporary power to one's consciousness, so both of them had to adjust.

From the box, the man on the bed took out an object that was quite common.

It was an hourglass, and in it, the sand that was made up of different colors was trickling down slowly.

The weirdest thing was that elementary particles swirled around the sand, indicating that it was being influenced by some spell, and the only other thing to notice was that the top side looked like it was almost about to be empty.

Looking at it, a horrible grin came on the face of the man on the bed, and his words made the other one wonder whether all the torture had made him go crazy.

"All of you are in for it now! Haha! You dare to put me in other bodies and torture me again and again until each body dies an excruciating death? I'll make sure each of you suffer tenfold! Angaria, your end is near! Even if it is the last thing I do, I will see you perish! And as for you Heroes…your hands are going to be too full to deal with me, soon!"

….

Meanwhile, Daneel, Elanev, Faxul, and Perfect had all gathered in front of an obelisk.

Daneel and the others had already intimated to the rest that they were going on a dangerous mission. They assured them that they would give up if it was too hard, but still, they were told again and again that other missions could be found.

Even though Daneel agreed with them slightly…he had to admit that his curiosity was supremely piqued by just what this Nightmare Dungeon was.

"Are you three sure? See, I advertised it publicly, but no one else showed up! That's how risky these things are. I plan to turn back on the first difficulty, anyway! So…why not reconsider?"

It looked like Daneel's impassioned statement hadn't been enough to turn around a man who was clearly used to taking safe decisions, but the King of Lanthanor didn't really mind.

Slapping his shoulder, he said, "Oh, we're sure. You can leave after we're inside, if you want, but we're in it for the long ride, unless things get too spicy. Let's go- no reason to dally any longer."

Perfect got a resigned expression on his face as he heard this, but he sighed and nodded before stepping forward.

Raising his hand, he picked a few options, and in the next instant, all four of them disappeared.

For once, Daneel opened his eyes to a fairly normal scene.

They were in a stone room with bare walls and a high ceiling, and there was one wooden door which looked like it had been rotting for a long time.

All of them picked themselves up, and right away, Daneel could tell that they had been teleported.

The system was not a simple tool to be hoodwinked every time- it had been tracking and carefully analyzing everything Daneel was going through, and hence, it had been able to develop a module which could spot whether he was in a simulation, or whether he had been teleported, like in the case of when they had gone to hunt the Great Shark.

This was the latter, and as he dusted off his clothes, a voice was heard from above.

"Welcome to the Nightmare Dungeon. Choose your paths, and always make sure to read instructions carefully. If you still die, you have no one else to blame but yourself. Good luck."

It was refreshing to not have a display trinket showing a long list of rules this time, but Daneel couldn't decide whether he would have preferred more details.

Perfect sprang to his feet and ran to the door before peering outside carefully, and after that, he looked back and mouthed, "The coast is clear!"

"Why wouldn't it be? Isn't this a dungeon?", asked Daneel out loud, and in the next moment, he got the answer to his question.

The sound of hundreds of people suddenly running reached their ears, and with their eyes widening, all four present in the room quickly ran to the door.

What greeted them was a large corridor, and at one end was an army of the strangest of dogs Daneel had ever seen.

Each dog was only made of bone, and except for the eyes, they looked as if they had all been reanimated from some pet cemetery.

The eyes had green balls of flame inside them, and as the dogs ran in their direction, these flames bobbed and weaved and seemed to grow in intensity.

They had entered a large corridor in which ten men could walk abreast, and they had no time to observe anything else before they found themselves dashing off in one direction due to the urging of Perfect.

"Why are we running?", asked Daneel, genuinely puzzled, as he couldn't detect any hints of a threat from the foes that were chasing them.

"They are the Nightmare Dogs! They will overwhelm anyone who doesn't run away, and they'll only stop when those taking part in the mission have reached where they're supposed to reach! The destination changes every time!"

Nightmare Dogs?

Glancing back, Daneel could only shrug, as they looked more like cute puppies.

Still, he was here to win, so he decided to play by the rules for a bit to see what would happen.

Seeing him make that decision, the other two wordlessly chose to do the same, and the four members of the Order spent ten minutes continuously running down the corridor which did not look like it had an end.

Teleportation was blocked, so they could only continue putting one foot in front of the other while wondering just where the heck they were going.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Finally, the sounds of the many steps from the dogs stopped, and the four looked around to see that they had reached a spot with more creatures in front of them.

There was a door beside them, and it was into this one that they ducked.

"Well, we are at our first test. I hope…dammit!"

His sentence was cut off by the fact that he had seen the room they had entered, and looking at him, Daneel asked, "What is this thing?"

They were in a similar stone room, but in the middle of it was a floating nimbus shining with light. It seemed formless, yet it looked like it held all the mysteries of the universe folded into its shiny depths.

"Well, this is where I leave. I thought I might finish some easy tests, but the first one itself is deadly. That is the Test of Self. You are placed in a difficult situation in your past, and you can only pass if you handle it differently and have it reach a different conclusion. Everything is carried out within one's own consciousness, so no one needs to check, as one cannot lie to oneself. If you fail, though…there's no way out. 20% of the 30% death toll in this 5-star mission died here."

Test of Self?

Daneel was truly curious as he heard this. Asking the system, he found out that the guy was right- there was a spell like this which put one into a simulation that was based around themselves. No one from the outside could peek in, so only the result could be known to the outside world.

Just as Daneel was about to ponder on whether he should give something so dangerous a try, he felt something on his back.

It was a bony paw, and surprisingly, the moment it pushed, Daneel found himself shot like a cannonball into the nimbus in the room.

The last thing he saw before he vanished again was the smirk in the eyes of the bony dog which had somehow appeared in the room, and he instantly swore that he would have his revenge.

Before he could think anything else, though…his vision cleared, and Daneel found himself in a place that made him drop his jaw with shock and almost drool onto the floor.

He was in a room filled with posters, and the one in front of him depicted a famous scientist who had died too soon.

The melody of birds making the sweet sounds of morning could be heard from the open window, and at the same time, a knock was heard on the door.

"Daneel, breakfast is ready! Come quickly!"

A kind, elderly voice said these words, and Daneel felt tears welling up in his eyes the moment he heard it.

It was the one woman he owed his life to, and that meant that he…was home.

Chapter 823: The Test of Self 1

For a long time, Daneel couldn't believe his ears and eyes.

He just sat there, on the bed that was so familiar yet so foreign to him right now, and as the familiar sounds and smells washed over him, he took them all in while reveling in the way that they made him feel.

It was as if he had gone on a long, long journey, but had found his way home in such an abrupt fashion that he couldn't believe it. The tears lingered in his eyes until they started to drip down his cheeks, but he didn't stop them – he let them flow, and again and again, he tried to tell himself that this was but a simulation, but it just didn't work.

It was all too… real, and close to him, and hence, any such thoughts which entered his mind were quashed and thrown aside almost unconsciously.

For once, he didn't even want to check on the system to see if it was there.

He could hear the sounds from the kitchen downstairs, with the many voices of children who had been assigned kitchen duty. Unlike in typical scenarios, in his orphanage, kitchen duty was an absolute pleasure, and many of the orphans would even play rock paper scissors so that they could decide who would be able to take the lucky spot where they would be continuously fed little snacks by the old lady while she cooked a delicious meal.

All they needed to do was cut a few vegetables carefully, or stir something, and they would also be continuously regaled by the endless tales that the old lady never ran out of.

Daneel could hear her telling one of her favorites right now, and it was one of the few that she liked to repeat. It was about a man who lost everything, but hadn't realized that everything that he had lost meant nothing. The story ended with him finding out what really meant something to him in his life, and it was filled with fun tales of revenge where he outsmarted the people who targeted him all while making sure that he obtained what he had recognized as the sources of true happiness.

He listened to this tale, once again getting the thought that she had always been beyond her time. Somehow, she had always been able to pick the right things to teach the children in the orphanage, and if he had to be frank, Daneel would admit that her teachings had gone a long way in allowing him to change in the way that he had in the continent of Angaria.

If it weren't for his upbringing in her kind hands… He did not know exactly how different things would have happened, but he was pretty damn confident that they would definitely not have played out as well as they had so far.

A half-hour later, the old lady seemed to finally see that the oldest inhabitant in the orphanage, beside herself, had yet to make his way down.

They had always been strapped for cash, so the thin walls of the orphanage meant that anyone could hear what was happening in the other rooms at any time. Hence, Daneel could clearly hear the soft muttering of the old lady who told herself that he must be tired from all the studying in the university, which was why he must be sleeping in.

She reached his room, and as soon as she opened the door, she found herself being hugged tightly by Daneel who had gone back to the little kid he had once been.

She saw the tears in his eyes, and wondered what was wrong, but she had always had the tact to read situations and know perfectly what she was supposed to do.

In this situation, she saw that the best thing she could do was just comfort him and not as questions, and that was what she did.

"Come here, you big baby," she said affectionately, before walking to the bed and sitting Daneel down, just like she had many times before in the past.

That hug had made so many emotions erupt in Daneel that his eyes had started to get wet again, so he tried to control his feelings. He was no longer the same person who had lived through this life, but still, being here… Made him inadvertently revert to the Daneel who had had only one goal in his life: to live well and give all that he could to the orphanage that was everything to him.

She sat on the bed, and what she did next was something that he had expected, but had still been looking forward to.

"Hey, kids! Get the food here! Show your big brother how much you all missed him!"

These words were followed by a torrent of small and big children who ran into the room and dutifully sat down one by one with cheerful smiles on their faces.

Lunchtime was always a delight, and as Daneel looked at each of them and saw their expressions of pure happiness which he had almost forgotten, he couldn't help but smile, too, as the tears disappeared.

No words were needed. This was a precious period of time where the old lady would let herself go and talk and talk and talk, and all of them would listen attentively while savoring the food that they were really thankful for.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Daneel was more silent than usual, but no one really found anything odd about it. Each of them were given small plates, and the huge bowl of food which was carried inside by four children together were spread among everyone equally.

Daneel always had a habit of giving his food to 2 little kids who were always ravenous and never happy with how much they got, and as always, he did so, which made his smile broaden even further after seeing their ecstatic faces.

Life had been… So simple. There was a beauty about this simplicity, and as he experienced it again, he realized how much he had missed it.

Having no responsibilities was truly a boon, and that was mainly the reason why adults would always look back on their childhood and wish that they had enjoyed it more. They would wish that they could relive it, too, because there was really no such time which would give most a lifetime of happy memories that they would contentedly be able to look back on no matter what went wrong in their life afterward.

For a few hours, Daneel just forgot about everything that had happened to him. He enjoyed himself fully: first, during the meal, the old lady continued her tale while feeding the smallest kids, and after that was an hour of discussion time during which everyone would talk about the random things that they were thinking about. The orphanage was small, but it had a large tree in front of it that had stood there for many decades. They would all gather around it and talk until they were thirsty, which was when the old lady would bring out water sweetened with a little bit of the pulp that was extracted from the fruits of the tree that they sat beneath.

It was only after this that Daneel found himself alone in his room again, and as he stood there looking out the window, he had such a contented smile on his face that he almost wished that he could continue like this.

Yet… That thought only lingered for a moment, before a change came over him.

He was back in his thin body with drooping shoulders and shifting eyes that never really looked up and always focused on the ground, almost as if they believed that that was where they should naturally be. However, as he took a deep breath, those shoulders were thrown back, his back became ramrod straight, and his head that was now defiantly pointed forward had an expression of self-confidence that was definitely not characteristic of him, at least in this age, and in this place.

He once again looked like the king who was revered by millions of Angarians, and the regal air which didn't really care about one's appearance could be seen on him again.

If anyone saw him now, they would think that he was a completely different person, and recognizing this, Daneel tried to act, before starting to think about everything he had noticed so far, but had not focused on.

First of all, he knew just when this was. It was after the incident where he had spilled water on that son of the powerful politician, and although that guy had looked at him with a scathing expression on his face, his wrath had not settled upon Daneel yet.

He could remember clearly that it would begin from the moment he ended this short trip in the weekend, and as for what would follow… He knew it all too well, and it was something that he was in no way ready to relive.

A test of the self. He hadn't thought about it before, but he saw now that this was the perfect test that anyone would put for him if they wanted to see whether he had really changed from the time when he had lived through these moments.

As the sun began to set on the horizon, its last rays fell on Daneel's face, and they framed his smile which was filled with the confidence of one who was ready to change his fate.

Gone was the weak Daneel who had made no impact on the world, and had probably died on that chair in the experiment that he had volunteered for foolishly. What replaced him… Was a man who would make the world bow to him even if it didn't want to.

He had already recognized that this was a simulation using the details he knew, but that didn't mean that he could slack off. If he failed, he would die, but Daneel felt no fear at all, because in fact… this scenario was something he had thought of a lot of times in Angaria, and he already knew what he was going to do.

"System, are you there?"

For once, there was no answer, and Daneel had expected that. This was a test placed on oneself, and because his self knew that the system was something that he had obtained later on, it looked like his consciousness was somehow blocking it. It was almost like a self-imposed hypnotization, and because one could not lie to themselves, it was perfect.

He had none of the power that he had used to crush his opponents back in Angaria, and he didn't even have the system which had always allowed him to have an edge on his enemies.

But was he worried?

No, because what he had gained over all his time spent in Angaria was something more valuable than both of these combined.

It was time to show exactly what that was, and Daneel had to say that he was actually excited. After all, who wouldn't want to go back in their lives and do things differently?

He was going to use this opportunity to the fullest, and it was definitely going to be… pretty damn fun.

At the same time that a smile came on the corner of his lips as he got this thought, a figure appeared in the Chamber of the Golden Lightning with a very panicked expression on his face.

He looked around and found no one waiting for him, which made him exclaim, "Dammit, Daneel! Where the f*ck are you! Argh!"

His words echoed in the empty Chamber, and even though he waited and sent multiple messages, he received no reply.

With frustration, Jonah started pacing around, and after a few seconds, he realized that this was too big to ignore. It was not the time to be safe, so taking a little risk was needed.

With that, he sent messages to the others, and weirdly enough, only a few replied.

As the rest of the sovereigns all appeared in the Chamber with puzzled expressions on their faces as they didn't understand why they had been summoned so urgently, they saw the King of Lanthanor's master looking at them all with an extremely agitated expression on his face.

Waiting for a second more and then seeing that no one else was coming, he blurted out what he had found, and his words… made all those present wonder whether the man had finally lost it.

"Daneel was right, they did put a backup plan, and it is going to blow up all the Energy resources on Angaria! If we don't act soon, the war will be lost before it even begins! Now, where the f*ck is that disciple of mine? Go find him at once, or we're done for!"

Chapter 824: The Test of Self 2

Jonah's words echoed in the cave for a few seconds, and the silence that followed them was filled with him cursing to himself. He used curses he had learned in the Mainland, and so, none of them really understood what he was saying, except for the fact that he seemed to have a big problem with someone's underside.

It was Kellor who first spoke in an attempt to find out more.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"What are you talking about, Jonah? Blowing up our Energy resources? How would they even manage that with just two individuals? In them, one is even in our control! How can they possibly-"

"That's what Daneel found out! I need to know how he did it, and what plans he made in case his suspicion did come true! I know my disciple, and I bet that he made something! So first, tell me where the f*ck he is!"

On seeing the question asked for the second time, Eloise finally gave the answer.

"He's in a 5-star mission in the Order, so his communication methods must be blocked."

At that moment, it became obvious that Jonah was cursing himself for placing the goal of finishing 5 5-star missions.

Still, after a moment, he asked, "Which one is it?"

"Nightmare Dungeon."

As Aran gave this answer, Jonah's eyes widened, and his voice reached an octave higher than anything he had used so far.

"A F*CKING NIGHTMARE DUNGEON?! WHAT THE F*CK WAS HE THINKING?? HE KNEW THIS WAS SENSITIVE, BUT HE STILL-"

"Jonah, calm down, first. Nothing can be gotten by screaming. Daneel is not with us, so we must do what we can in his absence. Tell us exactly what is going on."

Robert looked like he had had enough of Jonah's emotional outbursts, so he stepped forward and said this.

Seeing the stern expression on the man whom Jonah had once treated as his mentor, he nodded and closed his eyes for a moment before letting out a deep breath.

Following that, he opened his mouth and spoke in a tone that was still tense, but was intent on getting the information out as quickly as possible.

He detailed Daneel's query, and seeing that no one knew how he might have gotten it, Jonah sighed and said, "After I was done, I went to the records section of the Church. It wasn't easy- there was an attempt to hide all information regarding ongoing conquests as someone had apparently suggested that people from the continents being targeted might arrive in the Mainland and try to waylay these campaigns. Thankfully, the record-keeper is someone I became thick friends with, so he let me take a sneak peek at the list of purchases. In that list, during that timeframe, one item stood out- a purchase from the Bug King."

Bug King?

This underwhelming name did not have any effect on those present in the Chamber, but Jonah shivered and looked in the distance before saying, "The stories I heard about that man are so horrific that his name is even spoken in whispers. Apparently, he had always had a fascination with bugs, so he chose his Champion and Hero Path with respect to these creatures. In the Mainland, the information about one's Path is some of the most restricted information- no one knows what his Path exactly is, but it somehow gives him the ability to make new species of bugs which he uses for various purposes. His crowning achievement was a bug the size of a mote of dust which can enter someone harmlessly through their ear, or nose. It travels up, and as it reaches the brain… it takes root, and obtains complete control."

Complete control?!

These words made wonder finally appear in the eyes of most who were present, and in the others, it was horror.

The idea of enslaving people simply using bugs seemed a bit too overpowered, but it looked like Jonah wasn't done.

"Among his notable inventions is another species: it is one whose members can enter Energy Materials, and…blow them up from within."

Appalled expressions could be seen all around, but as if oblivious to them, Jonah continued.

"They can burrow into the ground and move slowly, until they find the root of a certain Energy deposit. It might take years, but they will persevere. Even barriers would not be able to stop them unless they are specially designed, and hence, they can even make their way into the hidden reserves of the Big Four and the Order, wherever they are. After all, the bugs enter the resources, and the resources are the ones that are stored. If even one bug-infested Energy resource enters a room filled with them, the bug can reproduce by itself and spread its brethren through the area. In one word: it is a scourge that should never have been invented, and the Bug King was even reportedly said to have stopped putting it up for sale. The only thing he can control is when it detonates: he can't even deactivate them, so if one uses them, it is a death sentence for a certain place. So far, no remedy has been found. And it is exactly this species…that the Church has mostly deployed in Angaria, and might be ready to detonate."

The idea that such a species could exist, itself, was so absurd that most of those present needed a few moments to come to terms with it, but more than that, the possibility that their own continent had been infected by it was pretty damn horrifying to think of.

After staring at him wide-eyed for a couple of seconds, Kellor sputtered, "B-but why would the Church even do that? Wouldn't it hurt them, too? Wouldn't they want the Energy resources to be present for when they recolonize the continent?"

With another deep sigh, Jonah said, "That's what I thought, too. But when you think about it, the answer is obvious. We all know that continents have cycles of low and high Energy. We are at the deep end of a low cycle, and this…will actually hasten the shift to one of high Energy. Besides, the amount of Energy resources they lose by detonating is nothing compared to what they will obtain if they smoothly take control of Angaria. They weaken us significantly, and they get what they want. It's a perfect win-win, and just thinking of that is so disgusting that it makes me want to retch."

As the entire thing was revealed, Robert spoke quickly.

"What are we waiting for, then?! We should make it public, so that the Energy resources can at least be isolated!"

Surprisingly, Jonah nodded.

"I agree. If Daneel was here, I would have wanted to hear of his plan, first. But now, we have no other choice. All of you-leave, first. I will contact you with updates when I have them. In the meanwhile, make sure that major Energy resource caches are kept far away from areas of mass population. And if Daneel comes out of the mission, tell him to get here right away."

The others looked like they wanted to say something more, but seeing the expression of resignation on Jonah's face, they relented. They had already understood that they were powerless in this case, so they left to do what had been told to them.

A second later, the Head once again appeared in the Chamber, and he looked around before spotting his Master sleeping peacefully.

He got an odd expression on his face, but it cleared when a voice spoke up.

"I used his trinket to call you. Angaria is in danger. We must-"

"Is this something regarding the Energy Resources?"

This time, it was Jonah's turn to be surprised.

"We intercepted the information that there is a plot surrounding this by relentlessly torturing that person from the Church. But we do not know what the threat is."

"Then listen up. It-"

A minute later, the same shock that had been present in the sovereign's eyes was apparent on the Head's face, too, but he needed the least time to recover.

He was a man of action, so he said, "I will assemble a team comprised of experts right away. I gather that you have already notified the Order?"

With a nod, Jonah said, "Yes, I've sent the message. The War…is much closer than we think. In merely a couple of years, everything will change. So, I guess we should not be too surprised that something like this is already afoot. Every moment from here on to that point when first contact is made will be precious. Head, we must be alert to thwart all the plans of the Church. No matter how many there are, we must identify each and systematically make sure that they only taste failure. Only then…will we have a chance of victory."

With a grim nod, the Head disappeared, and on the entire continent, an urgent atmosphere took hold.

Energy resources began to be moved, and experts who had been hidden for centuries finally showed themselves.

Research began, plans were made, and curses were thrown.

Yet, oblivious to all these things, the King of Lanthanor was pleasantly humming to himself as he walked down the road to his university.

He had departed the orphanage with a bright smile and a promise that he would be back soon, and after taking a train and a couple of buses, he had reached the city where his university was.

In his memory, today was the day that the nightmare began.

His plan was to have the same thing happen. Yet…only the target would change.

It had been 2 days since the time when Daneel had woken up in his bed, and he hadn't wasted a single second.

His time was spent either putting in place multiple plans, or enjoying himself fully in the company of those he loved, and those he had missed sorely all these years, even though he had never really allowed those feelings to creep up on him.

He knew they were all but figments created by the memories in his mind, but his joy felt real, and that was all that mattered.

Interrupting his thoughts, his phone suddenly rang, and Daneel saw that it was one of the plans he had set afoot.

Reading the message he received, he veered off of the path he was going on and used a dark alley to change his clothes.

By the time he walked out, he was completely unrecognizable: even his features looked slightly different, and his face was mostly hidden by the jacket he had worn. Because of his back being straight, even his height looked like it had changed, so there was possibly no way that any one would associate him with the harmless and meek Daneel who was supposed to be on his way to university.

He first went to a coffee shop where he received a parcel filled with information, and his next stop was a news station nearby.

His third stop was to an unmarked postbox, and his last one was in front of the back entrance of a bar.

It was evening by the time Daneel was done with his tasks, and instead of making his way to his dorm, he used the money he had saved for a long time to rent a room discreetly in a motel nearby.

After a full night's sleep, he woke up…to absolute chaos.

The papers were full of it: a prominent social activist had received a tip about a prostitute who was unfairly handled at the hands of a powerful politician's son, and the man had started a protest right outside the politician's gates.

This was the truth shown in the papers. Whereas in reality...things were completely different.

Daneel had paid off the prostitute, telling her that the activist was setting it up to secretly target the politician.

Daneel had tipped off the activist acting on behalf of the 'victim', saying that she wanted justice but was afraid.

And finally, Daneel had even set up the protest by spreading a rumor that the politician would pay big to hush it up.

His work done, he beamed due to the way things were going before checking on whether they had had the effect he desired.

A few minutes later, he got another message which confirmed this. The son of the politician had hurriedly been called to his home, and hence, he had put aside the plans to target Daneel.

The King of Lanthanor couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard this. Compared to Angaria, manipulating things to make them play out as he wished seemed so much more easier here, and he almost wished that he had obtained the same quest to dominate the world, but one that targeted Earth.

Putting that aside for now, though, he began to work on the final two steps. They would be simple, but the conclusion…would be infinitely satisfying.

Looking forward to it, the King of Lanthanor set off.

Chapter 825: The Test of Self 3

In the annals of the history of Angaria, there was only one place which had never been breached, no matter how much one looked through the past to find instances where it might even have gotten close to being intruded upon by the fell enemies of this great continent.

It was a hall situated deep, deep underground, and it was guarded 24/7 by a special team of Heroes. It was once even supposed to have had a special spell that would shift its location on the continent, and even though that was not active now, the specific coordinates where it was situated was such a well-kept secret that since the apocalypse, not once had this information reached anyone that it was not supposed to.

Currently, this hall was packed to the brim, with over 100 people visible, and even more looking in from their abodes even though they had not moved because they were supposed to stay where they were and handle the major formations that protected Angaria from any and all threats that might wish to target it suddenly.

The structure of the hall would have reminded Daneel of the coliseum from back on Earth. There were rows of stands with increasing elevation, and there was an open, circular space in the middle where those who spoke could stand and make their case. It was in the middle of this space that prisoners would also be bound in case they needed to be judged, and many had always remarked that due to the singular structure, anyone would be unnerved because they would never be able to encompass everyone in their sight. They would always feel gazes stabbing into their backs, and this was something that would unnerve anyone, especially because the gazes would belong to powerful Heroes.

The walls of this coliseum were decorated with various paintings, depicting multiple instances from the history of the continent since the Apocalypse. There was even one from before that time, which was supposed to be the only painting that had survived from the Empire, and it was placed in a prominent location right at the top where the yellowish wall met the ceiling.

In the rest of the places, the triumph of Angarians over the apocalyptic beasts and everything that followed was well represented, and usually, the Heroes who had assembled would idly be gazing at these paintings while reminiscing about how conditions must have been during those times.

Yet, at the moment, all of them had worried expressions on their faces, and they were whispering between themselves hurriedly.

As a man finally appeared in the middle of the hall, all of this discussion ceased, and the gazes of over 100 Heroes all fell on the Head who almost felt like he was being pushed down by someone from above due to the pressure.

"Has it been verified? Is it true?", asked the hero who had always been known for never controlling his tongue, and in response, the Head nodded grimly and said, "Yes. The team has investigated the Energy resources that we took from one of the reserves of the Big Four, and they found a certain something inside which they couldn't influence in any manner without inducing an explosive reaction in the resource. As you all know, all Energy resources can undergo a change where they release all of the Energy present inside them at once, causing an explosion. The problem with using this method to find out just what it was that was inside was that the explosion always killed that being, not leaving behind any clue as to its biological make-up which might have helped us to look for a remedy. Even I only noticed it by a stroke of luck – if it weren't for that, and if it weren't for me seeing something odd in the conversation between Ashahell and someone from the Central Continent, we wouldn't even have been able to spot that there was such a devastating scheme underfoot. Even if one absorbs the Energy resource, that thing inside has the ability to die by itself and leave behind no traces, so it is futile to even think that we can figure something out even if we employ the best minds."Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

His words which were filled with bad news echoed in the hall, and the whispers resumed. This time, though, there was much more panic that was visible, and the Head allowed these discussions to carry on for a few moments before finally saying, "Now is not the time for talking between ourselves. If anyone has any idea whatsoever, or any experience in dealing with something like this, they should speak out. I know that many of you have found secret inheritances left behind from the Empire or even from ages before that, and none of us have ever asked you to use what you found to benefit others. This time, though… It is for the benefit of our motherland, and I think I don't need to tell you just how disastrous it will be if we cannot find a way out of the situation."

In his tense mood, the Head had not cared to regulate his tone. It was harsh, and it clearly showed that he was referring to the selfish individuals among the Heroes who always only cared about extending their own life span and increasing their power.

Besides that, it was also the fact that he had to lie. There were almost definitely individuals inside this room who might be looking for ways to ally with the Church even though there were many, many precautions against that, and hence, the Order had to be kept secret, just in case. It was the final defense of Angaria against its force, and hence, if even it was infiltrated… They might truly be doomed. That was why he had lied that he had found it out, as the information that someone from the Mainland was an informant had to be kept extremely secret.

"Preposterous! Head, who do you think you are to imply things about our character? It's every man and woman for themselves! In fact, we wouldn't even be in this situation if that damn Emperor had not poked around with the Grand Inheritance and caused the protection of our continent to become null and void! Yes, he tried to set things right, but what did he accomplish? Nothing! Now, in this age, we have to pay the price again! For all his accomplishments, he was a failure and a loser in the end! I curse him, and his family, and if he were alive in this age, I would try to kill even if it meant that I would die in the process!"

These words were spoken by a man whose face was filled with scars, and most prominently, there was one which went from his chin to his chest which was visible because he was wearing clothes only on the lower part of his body while exposing his muscular accomplishments. He was a known Fighter who had always had this attitude regarding the Emperor, and he was the reason why there were always many debates regarding the Emperor in this hall even though the topic didn't really matter in terms of the current status of Angaria. The most deplorable thing was that he wasn't the only one who held such an opinion, and there were those who supported him and blamed for that man.

The Head felt his mind filling with anger as he heard it all, and for once, he didn't control himself. He had always been known for his cool-headedness that had allowed him to diplomatically diffuse many situations in the past, but this time… He just didn't want to do that.

"One more word about the Emperor from you, Maloras, and my foot will be deep in your arse!"

Such crass words which were heard from the Head for the first time startled everyone who was present, and a stunned silence took hold over the hall.

The man who had just been shouted on could only sputter, because this was the first time that anyone had opposed him so strongly. He was known for picking fights end never letting grudges go, and hence, people would usually just ignore what he said, but it looked like things would be different this time.

"Y-You-"

"Ues, me! I am the Head of the High Council, and even though I'm not the strongest Hero, I commend all of you normal Heroes who have reached your power level by the grace of the Willstones left behind by our ancestors! And you, Maloeas! We all know that you sabotaged and killed three of your disciple brothers who would have gotten the Willstone! Your selfishness is known to all- many say that you would even backstab your father if it meant that you could live longer! If even one more word about that man comes out from between your lips, I swear on my position and all the respect I have gained over all these years that I will fight you to the death! He was nobler than anyone who lives today, and if it weren't for him, none of us would even be alive! We all know the protection was fading anyway, and if it had faded at a time when there was no one like him present, what would happen to us? We would have been enslaved, and our freedom would be but a dream that is dreamed by millions around this world who have not been lucky enough to have someone like the great Emperor Fenoras who chose to stand and give up his life even though he could simply have gone to the Mainland and achieved so much more! Screw you, Maloras, but first, sit down! We have more pressing matters to discuss right now, and we can settle our grudge after this is done!"

An appalled expression came on the Fighter's face as he heard all this, and he looked like he was going to positively fly into a rage and attack the Head then and there.

Yet, suddenly… He felt a strong pressure settle on his shoulders.

Anger appeared in his features, but no matter how much he looked around, he could not find the source. That… Was when he realized that it was probably one of the honorable Heroes who always stood hidden who seemed to be taking action, and they were not people that he could contend with.

Swallowing his words and cursing fervently in his mind, he sat down, following which the Head declared, "If no one else has useless comments that they wish to make, then let us move on to the decision regarding what we will do. The honorable Heroes whom I have consulted have given me two options. One is that there is a very expensive method which will result in over half of the Energy resources that we have being destroyed, but we will be able to save the other half. The other option… Is an all-out attack on the Church's headquarters here, which might allow us to stop the detonation if we manage to take command of those who are stationed there. Let us begin the discussion regarding which option to choose."

With that, for once, order was maintained in the Hall as people began to put forward valid points regarding why one option was better than the other.

Meanwhile, in the simulation in his mind, a day had passed, and it had been an eventful one.

A press conference had been held by the politician in which he had denounced all the claims, and he had made his son also appear in front of the media and say that it was all an absurd attack that was targeting his father of which he was a victim.

As Daneel watched all this, he had a pleasant smile on his face, as the second phase of his plan was underway, and everything was going smoothly.

As the end of the day approached, he realized that the end of his time in this simulation is also approaching. On the next day, everything would be settled, and he would be leaving here for good.

For the slightest moment, he got a temptation that he should just stay. Things were great here, and because of the way he had changed, he knew that he would be able to build a great life- one he would have been proud of if he had stayed on Earth.

Yet… The thought only lingered for the briefest of moments, following which the faces of all those he cared for on Angaria flashed in front of his mind.

It might have been different if this was real, but it was but a fake world created within his mind. Knowing that… There was no way that Daneel could shrug off all the responsibility and trust that had been placed on his shoulders.

Besides, he also had a vague feeling that being cut off from the outside world wasn't really a good thing, as something might happen which could need him. So, he made the decision that he would finish everything tomorrow, and he would leave with happy memories.

With that, he went to sleep, and both in his simulation and in Angaria, the storm that he had set off continued to take its course.

Chapter 826: The Test of Self 4

Hidden in an alleyway that was devoid of light due to the closely packed buildings, Daneel watched as a 20-year-old wearing stylish clothes was walking down a street with a very agitated expression on his face.

Each and every thing on his body screamed of the wealth that he possessed, from the Rolex on his breast to the Gucci shoes that he wore. Yet, for all that money, it did not look like it had given him any happiness, because the more time that passed, the more the agitation increased, until he looked like he would definitely burst if he did not let out his frustration on someone.

It was at this moment that Daneel popped out of the alleyway, right in front of this person who had to skip to a halt as otherwise, he would have collided into the one who had appeared out of nowhere in front of him and careened onto the floor.

"Watch where the f*ck you are going!", He screamed, before he was about to be on his way, but he suddenly stopped as he recognized the one whom he had almost collided into.

"You! You're the one who dropped water on my pants and almost ruined my chances with that doll! Oh, it's your lucky day!"

Saying this, he stepped forward and caught Daneel's collar, before pulling it up painfully and making him stand on his toes. Daneel's thin body had no way of resisting, and the other person was built strongly.

His features started to fill with shock and then fear, and his face was that of one who was seeing their worst nightmare.

"You-you were on the news!", He sputtered out, almost unconsciously, but after that, he bit his tongue, as if having realized that that was something he should not have said.

BAM!

There were people passing on the street, but no one came to the rescue as the man launched a punch into Daneel's stomach, making him fall and bend over on the ground.

He shook his fist as if it hurt after that, but there was a smile on his face as he said, "Yes, that's me. And you're going to be my personal punching bag. Come on."

Daneel was coughing on the ground as pain wracked his body, making tears appear in his eyes. It really wasn't fun to be punched squarely in the stomach by someone who was double his weight, and as he found himself being hauled up by his collar again, he tried to put up a resistance, but failed miserably.

After that, though, he managed to get something out which made the person who had been about to drag him into the university stop.

"But I just saw the one who accused you go into a building over there!"

Jeff, as was his name, instantly stopped, before turning around and fixing an angry gaze on Daneel.

"What? Stop sh*tting me! She's been in hiding ever since she made that bullsh*t up! There's no way you saw her on the street!"

Daneel paused at first, but he answered after a few moments.

"I'm not lying! That's how I recognized you right away! I swear, she went into that building over there! But it has been a few minutes, so I don't know if she's still there !"

His final statement made panic appear on Jeff's face, and he let go of Daneel's collar and said, "Show me. If you're right, I might consider not killing you."

Those last words seemed to horrify Daneel so much that he froze, but as he was shoved and fell onto the ground again, the pain seemed to bring him back to his senses.

He was the perfect picture of a random college student who had found himself in an extremely dangerous situation, but he tried to adapt quickly. He got up and nodded before walking off in a certain direction, and Jeff followed while opening his phone.

"Damn thing! Bugs out when I need it the most!", He screamed, following which he slammed the expensive mobile phone which was the salary of a highly paid lecturer onto the ground.

It broke into pieces, following which he bellowed, "Hey, is your phone working?"

With shaking hands, Daneel took out his, and raised it up behind him to show that there was no signal.

"Argh! Let's just get there fast!"

With a nod, Daneel sped up his pace after putting his phone back in his pocket. The city he was in was practically built around the university, so the way it was laid out was that there was a large central street on which they had been walking before that ran through the middle portion. On both sides, there were certain residential areas, and the alleys were the ones which connected the central path to them. Right now, Daneel was leading both of them to one such residential area, and soon, they came upon a dilapidated building which had shuttered up windows and doors.

With a quivering finger, he pointed at it and said, "That's where she walked into! I only spotted her because it was so weird that anyone would want to go in there!"

Jeff looked between Daneel and the building for a few moments, as he couldn't decide whether he was being taken for a ride. Yet, looking at the scrawny figure and the terrified expression on Daneel's face, he understood right away that this was not someone whose character would be one that would even dream of going up against him. He had broken many people like that before, so he knew them perfectly- they would cry sometimes even with a single punch, and they would often be so fearful that they would even sell out their mother and father if it meant that they could save their lives.

"If you're lying, I'll throw you off the rooftop. Come with me.", He said, before pulling out a gun out of his back pocket.

Daneel almost squealed with fear as he saw it, but Jeff turned around and placed one finger on his lips before whispering, "Not a word, or you'll be the first to die."

In this corrupt city, it wasn't really surprising that someone with so many connections had managed to obtain a firearm, but Jeff assumed that the fear was because the kid must be seeing it for the first time in reality.

He checked the bullets like an expert, before going up to a door and trying it silently. While he was doing so, he heard a whisper from behind him.

"She entered through the back door."

He cursed and wondered whether he should deliver another punch because the kid hadn't said it before, but he decided against it and headed to the back door, while making sure that the kid was following. If this was all bogus, then he would need someone to take out his frustration on.

Surprisingly enough, the door did look like it had been used recently, and as soon as both of them entered, they heard a voice coming from the floor above them.

It belonged to a woman, and she seemed to be talking on the phone. Due to the extremely bad condition of the building, her voice was clearly audible, and she was saying, "I want triple the amount, or I won't drop it! They know we have his balls! Did you look at his face? The media will eat it up!"

It was obvious who she was speaking about, and Jeff felt all of the anger that he had been controlling all this while erupt inside him.

Still, he managed to maintain a semblance of sanity and kept silent while climbing up the stairs, and because the woman was absorbed in her conversation, it did not look like she heard them.

They were soon upon the door of the room in which she was talking, and after taking a deep breath, Jeff directly walked inside with the gun pointed up.

"AAHHH! He-"

As if he had prepared for it, Jeff walked forward and directly managed to knock the phone out of the woman's hand and crush it beneath his feet, before he used that same hand to turn her around and bend it behind her painfully.

"B*tch! You dare to target me! Unfair, huh! Let's see how unfair it is after I really do have my way with you! Oh, you're going to die anyway, so there's no reason not to have some fun!"

His face was already filled with ecstasy, as he saw that he had directly found a way to get out of this entire mess. If she disappeared, it would seem as if she had run away because she had made a false claim and then found no way to back it up, and he would be free. Hell, his father might even appreciate him for once, instead of beating him black and blue like he had done the night before.

With lust and satisfaction feeling his features, he still held her hand behind her and began to rip off her clothes, while she started screaming for help. Sadly, it did not look like her voice reached outside. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Jeff had forgotten completely about Daneel, because people with characters like him would never step up to save others as they would be too afraid to do so.

Yet, right as he was about to finish his task… He felt a prick in his back, followed by a surge of electricity that raced through his body and made him feel pain the likes of which he had never imagined he would have to endure in his life.

The last thing he remembered before blacking out… was the triumphant expression on the scrawny kid's face, and even through the pain, he felt amazed that such a thing could even come on the face of someone like him.

…

Meanwhile, in the hall of the High Council, the discussions that had been raging on seemed to have finally come to a stop.

Many points had been raised, and reasons had been given from both sides regarding which option should be chosen.

There were pros and cons for each, and there was no clear majority.

Yet, it looked like the ones who held the most power were finally ready to make a decision, as they simultaneously sent messages to the Head.

Following this, the Head raised his hand and said, "The honorable Heroes have given me their votes. Now, it is time for us to vote, too. How many wish to storm the Church's headquarters?"

A few people raised their hands, but seeing them, the Head shook his head. Since the beginning, he had known that this was not really a viable plan, as there was very little chance of success. As the headquarters, it would definitely be equipped with many, many defensive methods, and it was possible that they might have to expose many of their trump cards if they wanted to win.

The matter of whether it was worth it or not had been the main thing being discussed, and it looked like the consensus was… That it wasn't.

"Well, that settles it. Even I agree that it is too risky, and we must hold back our cards for the War. Yes, with the second option, our Energy resources will be halved, but with the timeline that we expect the Church to attack in… It doesn't matter. The best case is that we win, and we will be able to supplement our own resources with theirs. One last thing: keep in mind that if any of you think of a better alternative, you can state it at any time before we proceed with carrying out this plan. We still need some time to devise the formations, but we should be able to do so quite quickly. The High Council is dispersed. Gentlemen, let this not be a loss, but a rallying cry that we should start to prepare for the War, as they have clearly begun to. I'll be drafting policies for the combined training and deployment of troops in the Big Four soon. For now, farewell, and may the Heavens shine kindly upon us."

Chapter 827: The Test of Self End

Jeff woke up to the sound of someone cutting something with a knife.

His head felt as if it was on fire, and his body seemed to be strangely paralyzed. He had to wait for the control of his body parts to be restored to him, and as he did so, the sound continued.

Along with that, the sound of someone happily biting into food was also heard, which made him clearly understand just what he was hearing.

He was extremely puzzled, but that was when the images that he had seen right before he passed out came to him.

That kid!

His anger made him forcefully open his eyes, but he had to close them again due to the light that almost blinded him. Squinting, he waited until they adjusted before finally laying his eyes on the kid who almost looked like a different person as he dug into a plate that was in front of him.

When he finally saw that what he had realized was right, he shouted, "What the f*-AAARGGHHHH!!!!!"

Another surge of electricity suddenly passed through his body, making him get flashbacks of what had knocked him out. It made him scream with pain and then shut up, before he understood that he was tied to a chair with two wires attached to two sensitive parts on his body. Those parts hurt like hell, now, but just as he was about to curse out loud, he swallowed the words, because he realized what shouting had just made him go through.

Daneel had just taken another bite of the heavenly meat covered with perfectly seasoned jus, and he allowed himself a smile of satisfaction. These tastes were not those that he could find on Angaria, so he had decided to indulge in them before he left.

Swallowing, he said, "Ah, you're a quick learner. Yes, shouting and speaking when you're not supposed to will give you some very pleasant experiences, so unless you're a masochist, I suggest that you stay quiet and listen. First, though, give me a few moments to finish."

A tide of emotions appeared in Jeff's mind, and most prominent of them was disbelief.

He had never been wrong in his life so far when he judged someone, so what the hell had happened here?!

Still, though, listening and deciding not to speak, he looked around the room and saw a few items on a table which made him gape.

There was a phone, beside which a familiar box with a switch could be seen. It also had an antenna, and the reason behind the shock was that he had recognized it to be…a portable signal jammer.

"Y-You-"

unable to control himself, he said this, but thankfully, the electricity did not assault him again. Taking another bite and seeing that his eyes were fixed on the jammer, Daneel said, "Yes, I blocked the signal so that you wouldn't be able to contact anyone. No one knows that you are here, either."

It-it had been a trap!

This thought came to Jeff, and as if to prove it, he spotted something else in the room: cameras.

Cameras were fixed in many hidden corners throughout the room, but if one looked closely, they would be able to spot them. In his rage before, Jeff hadn't spotted them, but slowly, the reality of his situation started to dawn on him.

Looking around, he saw that the woman had disappeared, but the fragments of her clothes which he had ripped were still present.

And that… Was when he finally understood.

As he thought back to just what he had been about to do to that woman, and just what had been caught on tape… Jeff realized that he had probably made what was fiction before, real.

As this revelation appeared in his eyes, Daneel spotted it and even clapped before saying, "Congratulations! It seems you do have a brain in there, after all. Yes, you've just created the proof that will damn you and your father permanently. Condemning those like you lot is all the rage in the world, now, so there is no way that you'll be able to escape. If you had done nothing, there really would have been no proof, but you just had to show your base nature. I'm afraid your story is done, dear Jeffrey."

As if having said something casual, Daneel went back to his meal, but all kinds of thought started to appear in Jeff's mind.

He imagined what would happen if the photos became public. He could see his father's downfall, and him being blamed for it all. He could see himself being beaten every day, and then probably being killed in a rage, just like his mother had been. He could see his rich lifestyle, which was the only thing which had allowed him to stay sane, leaving him, and he could see his entire life amounting to nothing.

At that moment, a spike of strength unlike any went through his body, and he tried to break the zip ties that were keeping him in place.

Alas, he failed, and a dejected expression appeared on his face.

Finally done with his meal, Daneel neatly threw the plastic plate in a bag and put it to the side before fixing his gaze on his prey.

As Jeff met his eyes…he received the biggest confirmation yet that he was not dealing with someone simple.

"Did one of my dad's enemies send you to conceal yourself?", he asked in desperation, making Daneel widen his eyes and then heartily laugh out loud.

After that, though, an extremely serious expression came on his face as he said, "No, I'm just someone who is soon going to taste death at your hands. Let's put that aside for now, though. Tell me. And I want an honest answer, mind you. Why would you want to hound some random student endlessly and even cause him to be thrown on the street just because he spilled some water on you?"

This was something that had always stuck in Daneel's mind. It had been a minor thing, and although the original Daneel of Angaria had weirdly died of a similar reason, it was at least expected in his case because the then royalty of Angaria had been used to killing as they wished. Here, though, even if there was anger, Daneel had been tortured and deprived of everything, which felt like an overreaction.

Remembering the plans that he had laid out for this kid before all this had happened, Jeff's brow furrowed with worry, but concealing his emotions, he said, "I wou-AAAARGHHHH!"

Daneel unhesitatingly flipped the switch beside him, making electricity race through Jeff's body again. It wasn't as strong as the taser he had used before, but he could see that it still hurt like hell.

He let it continue for longer, this time, and only stopped when it looked like Jeff was trying to say something.

As the flow finally ceased, Jeff shouted, "Fine, I'll tell the truth, just stop it!"

Taking a deep breath, he continued.

"You threw water on my crotch area, and that made my friends see that I have a small…argh! They teased me, so I wanted to take it out on you! I'm so-WHHHYYYY!!!"

Daneel flipped the switch again, as he had no intention to hear a fake apology.

The answer he had heard summed it up quite nicely. He knew that even this information was something his subconscious must have overhead when he was on Earth, and he was only finding it out now because he had never asked the system to scan his memories from then and give him this answer.

It was petty, and childish, but this was what happened when power was given to those who did not deserve it.

With a sigh, Daneel prepared to end it.

Everything he had done so far was what any normal person would have done, if they had enough confidence to pull it off well. He had placed his foe in a difficult situation to distract him, before trapping him using his own emotions to obtain evidence that would surely destroy him. All he had needed was a few simple things and a little bit of money.

At this point, there was a simple way to end it: he could simply kill this guy who would definitely go on to kill many more, and it would be done.

Yet…Daneel had chosen something different, which he felt was more fitting.

Standing up, he stretched, and looked like he was about to say something.

A phone call interrupted him, making him frown and pick up the phone before walking into the corridor.

In the process…he knocked over a scissor on the table by mistake.

Jeff had been dejectedly sitting in the chair, but as he saw the scissor slide into his vision, excitement appeared in his eyes.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

He controlled himself, and it was only when he saw that the kid was talking outside that he used his legs to carefully pick it up.

A few moments later, he was free, and he could hardly believe it.

The first thing he did was tiptoe to the table and pick up his gun, before confirming that the infernal taser that had immobilized him was also there.

His opponent was unarmed, and waiting to be slaughtered.

Yet…the room was such that there were two doors. One would lead him to the spot from where that kid had walked out and was talking to someone on his phone, and the other lead directly to a staircase that seemed to go to the entrance of the house.

That meant…that he could get away.

He checked for his phone, first, but stopped when he realized that he had broken it.

Cursing himself, he tried to decide what to do.

He could leave with the photos and the memory cards of the cameras which were all piled on the table, and there would be no proof against him. This matter would be done, and he would be free to do what he wished.

The other option, though…was that he could pump the overconfident kid's body full of bullets.

As Jeff remembered the way he had been humiliated, anger coursed through his veins, and he chose the second one.

His main reason was revenge, but he told himself other reasons, too, such as that he couldn't ensure that there wasn't another copy of the photos somewhere.

His elated smile made it clear that he was lying, and he let it spread across his face as he tiptoed to the door.

Looking forward and craving to see the fear that would once again appear on the kid's face, he made a sharp motion just as he got to the door and turned to aim his gun.

Only, with shock, he saw that the corridor was empty save for a speaker from which the voice of the kid talking was coming.

He didn't know what the heck was going on, but before he could think, he tripped on a block of wood that had been hidden from sight.

He lost control of his body, and promptly fell sideways…into the scaffolding which gave way and sent him flying through the air.

It was only the first floor, but what lay below him was a pile of construction materials.

Four beams impaled his body, and even as the life faded from his eyes, he couldn't understand what had happened.

Meanwhile, from above, Daneel shook his head and watched.

"I gave you a chance, but your destiny was already decided by your character."

He said this while the simulation began to fade away, and he prepared to calmly return to his body with the peace of mind that he had acted justly, even though he had had every justification to just kill his enemy.

However, when he did regain control, his mind flooded with a host of messages which made Daneel stare into the air with abject shock.

After going through them all, he could only shake his head and say, "I'm gone for a little bit of time, and all of you are ready to burn down the continent. Sigh, what will you even do without me?"

Chapter 828: Returning

"Communication has been restored to you because your master stated that you might have experience which could help the continent in this situation. If you wish, this mission can be put on hold temporarily so that you can leave. You will be able to resume it whenever you wish."

The robotic voice of the Overseer was heard soon after, and Daneel finally understood just how he was able to get so many messages even though all communication was supposed to be cut off for him.

The system had only told him about everything that he had started to receive abruptly since a few hours back, and even it had not known the reason behind why that had happened.

Perfect, Faxul and Elanev were all looking at Daneel with strange expressions on their faces. They had been waiting for quite a long time, and they had passed that time by exploring the other regions of the dungeon so that they could create a map which they could use to go wherever they wished after Daneel woke up. None of them were willing to take the Test of Self by themselves, because it would be too risky, so they had decided on this plan of action even though it had been quite risky to escape the damn dogs which had somehow made their way inside before and pushed Daneel, resulting in the test starting in the first place.

Perfect had said that this was not their usual behavior, and it only happened rarely. They had apparently obtained the short end of the stick, which meant that the dogs would be more aggressive than ever. Apparently, this was something that really was related to luck which changed randomly with each time the Nightmare Dungeon was chosen, and even though they had thought about it, Elanev and Faxul had not figured out the reason behind why this must be so.

They had been about to settle in for an even longer wait, as Perfect had said that on average, the Test of Self would need two weeks to finish. However, just after three days, their King had woken up and had ignored them before shaking his head while looking into the distance with a smirk on his face.

If they didn't know him, they might even have thought that he had gone crazy.

Unable to control himself, Elanev asked, "So how was it? Perfect, here, was telling us about how people either find places that are very comfortable for them, or those that are hell. Either way, he said that they're filled with such nostalgia that many choose to stay back if they feel that they cannot pass, and that results in them entering a dream-like state from which very few can recover! Those who pass, though, are supposed to get a lot of benefits which cannot really be explained, either. What did you get?"

This was something they had been discussing quite a lot, so they wanted to find out.

Yet, the words that the king said startled them.

"That can come later, as first, we have a small decision to make: do you three mind if we put this mission on hold? There are pressing matters to attend to outside…"

After a moment, Perfect raised his eyebrows with derision and said, "Putting the mission on hold? That's absurd!"

Of course, Faxul and Elanev had no doubt in their king, so they simply nodded.

Daneel neglected to explain, because he knew that time was precious. He just sent a message in his mind to the Overseer, and the next second, they found themselves once again teleported away by a force which could not be resisted.

Perfect had been about to scoff more, but the words stopped in his throat when he looked around and saw that they were back in the headquarters.

"H-how…", He began, but Daneel cut him off and said, "Explanations can come later. We will come to find you again when we are ready to resume the mission. Farewell, for now."

With that, Daneel directly teleported away once more. He had already been filled in with all the details that had become public in the Big Four and the Order in their highest echelons, and he had stated that he wanted to check on something in his kingdom to the Overseer who had allowed him to leave immediately.

His sovereigns followed, and soon, Daneel was in his chambers.

"I guess I picked the wrong time to enter a test which completely cut me off…Hey, I'm not even responsible! It was those damn dogs which kicked me into it. When I go back, I'm definitely going to cut 'em to pieces and make some delicious bone soup before leaving. Anyway, is there anything else that my master said?"

The sovereigns had all had relieved expressions on their faces as they saw the man who had been the one to set everything that was happening right now in motion return, but as they saw his almost nonchalant attitude, there were quite puzzled.

Robert directly decided to ask, as he had no reason to worry about what his own son might think.

"Daneel, aren't you worried? This is half the resources of the continent! They're talking as if it won't matter, but it is us who will be hit the hardest! A lot of people will go bankrupt, and the economic situation of the entire Central Continent will devolve into chaos! It might be followed by a recession the likes of which has not been seen in the past few centuries, and it might even result in a lot of death and destruction. That is really not what we want at this time!"

The others nodded as they heard him speak, and Daneel did so, too.

"It's not just that, father. Yes, they might act as if it might not affect them too much, but the truth is that I know that it is all bravado. They do not want to admit that just this plan of the Church will put them completely on their knees, so they're acting as if they can make do with what is left after half of the resources are destroyed. Just think about it. Just the daily expenditure of all the formations and barriers that are in place throughout the continent is a staggering sum that will definitely make us faint if we find out just how much it amounts to! Besides, in times of war, there are many, many weapons all of which will require a large number of resources to function properly. Add to this the maintenance resources which are needed for the troops, both young and old, to maintain their power levels and increase their power… I think it is a safe thing to say that it will be such a devastating blow that it will eveaffectct the chances of us winning or losing the war- and that's exactly what the Church wants. It's obvious that they only chose that route because there was no other choice, but the reason that I am not panicking like the rest of you is… That I already have a plan."

Grim and grave expressions appeared on the ones who were present when Daneel added all those things to what Robert had said, and some of them had even started to despair that the war that had already seemed unwinnable was looking more and more like so.

Yet… The last line of the king made hope suddenly appear in their eyes, and they all remembered just in whose presence they were standing.

This was Daneel Anivron, and although he was currently on the path of domination, his mind which had always been his greatest asset had not slackened, at all.

"What is it?", asked Kellor. He had been practically pulling his hair out as he had been thinking of ways in which all of this could be avoided, even though he knew that all the top Heroes of the continent were also on that task. Still, he hadn't been able to stop himself from putting his entirety forward, but all of it had come to nothing.

With a chuckle, Daneel said, "Well, it's-"

Suddenly, the Head appeared in the airspace above Lanthanor, and Daneel had no option but to stop and say, "Just a moment. The Head is here."Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

He had not planned on keeping his plan a secret from his sovereigns, and actually, they had even seen its signs before.

However, the Head had a pretty urgent expression on his face, so Daneel had decided that he would talk to this man first.

As soon as he appeared in front of him, he said, "You're finally here! You were right! So, by the Heavens, please tell me that you guessed this, and thought of a way to counter it, too!"

Daneel couldn't help but laugh as he heard this, but he also appreciated the trust that was already apparent in the eyes and the words of the Head who had seemed unreachable just a few months ago.

Daneel folded his hands behind his back and said, "Well, this is actually a stroke of luck. I started something right after I found out about all this, and it is a coincidence that it matches perfectly with what we are dealing right now. All I have to do is a little more research, and after that, I'm confident that I will be able to do something to affect the situation. Leave me to that first. What is the schedule that you're following, though? When do you plan on blowing up all those resources?"

Relief instantly appeared in the Head's eyes as he heard this, and even the thought didn't pass his mind that whatever the king had planned might fail. That was the amount of confidence he had in this man he had had to re-evaluate more times than he had ever thought that he might need to, and this was even his elder disciple brother whom he really did respect.

However, that last question made him check the time in his mind and exclaim, "Six hours! Yes, there was a decision to do it as quickly as possible before the news spreads to the Church, which might result in a premature detonation from their side. You only have that long, but I can try to extend it if…"

Raising a hand to interrupt him, Daneel said, "That's not needed – that time should be perfect. If I need it to be extended, I'll contact you, but act as if I have not arrived. The way that we handle this should be very delicate, and I haven't decided yet just how I want to go about it. I'll decide quickly, and contact you- at that point, I'll only need you to do a few things. For now, you can leave."

With a nod, the Head left right away, and it was obvious that the man had a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders which he had not hesitated to put aside to come meet him.

Once again remarking on just how incredible an ally he had obtained in such a unique fashion, Daneel returned to his chambers and said, "I did not plan on concealing this from you, but it seems that I am on a deadline. I need to finish quickly, or they really will go ahead and strike a blow against Angaria which will be very difficult to recover from, so time is of the essence. Don't worry – you'll see my answer soon."

Saying that, Daneel teleported once again, and he found himself in the underground room in which he had used to train.

There was a large glass box in one corner of this room, and it was this that he walked to before beginning to rattle off a few commands to the system that he had already thought of after he had found out that it was a bug which had infested the Energy resources of Angaria.

This would take a few hours, and in that time, he also began to marvel at how his guess had been right.

Indeed, he had guessed it, but it had been very vague. He had almost dismissed it was just something which was weird, but it looked like he had been right, after all.

In that memory, after that Firwind Dragon had disappeared, Daneel had been on the spot, so he had noticed that there were a few strange bugs which had burrowed into the ground. They had looked almost normal, and anyone would think that they were just the leftover creatures which were fleeing from the destruction of the pub. Yet… They had felt strange, and it looked like his suspicion had been right.

As for this current plan, he had begun it for a different reason, and it really was a coincidence that it was going to be effective in handling those things, too. It would put a strain on his resources, but it necessary.

Wait… Resources?

As an idea suddenly appear to Daneel, a new plan sprang to his mind, and even though it was a bit… Selfish, he decided that he would use it.

With an almost diabolical light in his eyes, the King of Lanthanor continued his work, while at the same time, the continent began to brace for the event which would definitely go down in history as the first sign of the coming War, much like the relative calmness that would always be present before the onset of a devastating storm.

Chapter 829: A Negotiation

In a large cavern that had newly been created right at the spot below the center of the continent of Angaria, mountains and mountains of gleaming red gems could be seen which were carefully being curated by a team of people that were zipping around with data trinkets in their hands.

They were verifying whether these were all of the resources that had been collected from all over the continent and had been placed here in quite a short period of time, and what they were checking and double-checking was whether anyone had been daring enough to take away any of these Ker Gems when they were being transported.

It was actually something that happened quite often, and right now, it was especially crucial that no one had been dumb enough to do so. The information regarding what they were going to do had only been proliferated in the High Council, and many plans had been implemented so that it would remain within the circle of those who could reasonably be trusted. They did not want to risk leaking the information to the Church, but still, they had been quite quick in accomplishing what they had been set out to.

All of the major reserves in the Big Four had been collected, and the even larger reserves of the Order were being taken care of in a different location. All in all, they were in the final stages of preparing to eliminate the bugs that had almost resulted in their defeat, and everything looked like it was going well.

Still, pained expressions could be seen on the faces of two figures who had appeared in the air about these mountains.

Their bodies were formless, but their voices were quite distinct and unique, just like their faces. One of them was a woman with striking features, and the other was a man with a broad jaw and electric blue eyes. Both the voices held a certain amount of confidence that could only be obtained by those who knew that they would be unrivaled no matter where they went, but at the moment, their tones were filled with sorrow.

"Half the resources! Half! Things are going to get so damn difficult!", said the man, to which the woman replied, "We have no choice. It's half, or all of them. Both of us know that it is futile to attack the Church- the moment they see us coming, they'll flip the switch. They would have detonated by now, too, but the only thing they're waiting for is the bugs to reach their maximum potential, which will apparently take another day. It is really fortunate that that kid managed to find out about this at such a perfect time."

"Pfft, you really believe that? I think it's that hidden organization at work. Of course, I don't have any memories about it, but my Path is all about knowing things that I should not. If I didn't have such a bad feeling about it… I might have joined. I still don't know what I must have felt, then, but I just couldn't trust it."

An alarmed expression came on the woman's face as she heard the man say this, and she even looked around to check whether there was anyone near them.

After that, she spoke in a berating tone.

"I told you not to talk about it! You only confided in me about it, but even then, the risk is very high that whoever they are will find out and try to purge those memories again. If they are really as powerful as you say, then they will have no trouble in subduing you and doing what they wish! Please be more tactful, Arthur. And please, please, don't tell anyone else. Yes, I got that thought, too, but I wasn't dumb enough to state it out loud here. Anyway, didn't you check those bugs out? Is there really no way? I thought you have been dabbling in biological stuff for quite some time…"

The man who had been called Arthur chuckled as he heard her, and answered, "Alright, alright, I'll keep that in mind. Yes, I have been dabbling in it, and I've discovered a few things, but that's it. From what I was able to gather, whoever made those things was actually not really refined in his skills, but he managed to find something which was so destructive. It is obvious from the way he cannot control it that he forcefully stopped himself from experimenting further, even though there was scope for improvement. Just like in most matters of evolution and creation where unknown things might occur if you dabble with the fabric of life, this guy stumbled upon this, and he was scared of messing things up even further if he proceeded. That means that its remedy is out there, and it might even be simple, but it will require another stroke of luck to obtain it. That is generally the way it goes with these things – even the Golden Mosquitoes that were banned were created by fluke. This is really a pickle that we've found ourselves in…"

With a sad nod, the woman was about to say something, but she stopped when she saw a large batch of Heroes teleport to the room.

"I guess its starting. Let's go."

With that, both of them disappeared, and the Heroes who had arrived looked around before landing at a spot that had been cleared for them.

It was smack dab in the middle of all the mountains, and after checking that they really were equidistant from the farthest points of the room, they started laying down a highly complex formation.

A similar scene could be seen in the other location on the continent, too, where there were many more Ker Gems and Ether blocks, but fewer Heroes. It seemed that these Heroes were more skilled, as they continued to lay the same formation at a much quicker pace.

Observing this, the Head sighed and remarked to himself regarding the incredible power difference between the true Heroes from the Order, and those from the Big Four who had had to use Willstones.

He constantly kept checking the time, and as he saw the minutes tick towards the time which had been decided on, he kept getting more and more tense.

He fought against the temptation to call the King and enquire about what the status was, as the man had assured him that he would be done. Soon, it would be too late to extend the time, too, so the Head really hoped that his blind trust would not be proven false.

The formation was laid down, and the Heroes started to check everything. No one knew exactly what method they were going to use as it had been concealed thoroughly, so even the Head had only been told that half the resources would remain after they were done. It had not been in his place to question them, so all he could do was go along.

As the last ten minutes approached, the Head even started fidgeting where he stood within the cavern where the Big Four's reserves had been assembled, and he finally relented to the voice inside him which had kept insisting that he should contact the King.

Just as he was about to touch the communication trinket to do so, though…he received a message from the man, himself.

"When the Overseer calls you, accept."

Huh?

The Head didn't understand, but in the next moment, he received a message from the Overseer.

"You are needed. Do you accept to have your memories wiped of what you are going to see?"

The Head hesitated for the briefest of moments. This had been one of the main reasons why he had never even considered rising higher in the Order after being inducted into it: just the feeling of having his memories manipulated sickened him, as there was always a possibility that he might be made to forget something crucial.

Still, remembering his disciple brother's words, he decided to let his apprehensions go, for once.

As he sent the confirmation, he felt himself being teleported away.

The moment the Head's vision cleared, he obtained a glimpse of gems and Ether blocks piled so high that they seemed to reach the heavens.

Yet, just a second after that, that image blurred, and all he could make out was a vague space beyond the position where he was standing.

"Welcome, Head. You have been called to give your inputs to a negotiation that has begun between the Order and the individual known by the title 'Overlord'. Speak when you are asked to."

N-negotiation?

What the heck?!

Weren't they in a situation where it was do-or-die? Then how the hell had negotiation come into it?

With an extremely confused expression on his face, the Head looked around to see a man with a smirk on his face.

His features were different, but that smirk…oh, he could recognize it anywhere.

Even if he didn't spot it, though, it was obvious that this was the King.

He even winked at the Head who didn't respond, because in the next moment, the Overseer had resumed speaking.

"The negotiation at present is in regards to a deal where 'Overlord' will obtain two 5-star mission tier rewards in exchange for delivering an actionable solution to the crisis at hand. He will also obtain the record of having passed two 5-star missions. Are the terms of this deal acceptable to the proposer?"

"Perfect. Hey, if I knew that this was going to be so easy, I would have asked for three!"

Ignoring his jibe, the Overseer continued in that same tone.

"Head of the High Council, you will be in charge as the liaison between this member of the Order and the outside world. At no instance must his identity be put at risk. The Order understands that there are two individuals in the outside world who are supposed to have the skills to accomplish what the proposer is going to do. The Overseer understands that one of those identities is fake. It will be the duty of the Head to ensure that all suspicion regarding the identity of the proposer be pushed onto the fake identity. Does the Head accept? In return, the Head can negotiate for a price from the proposer."

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Listening to this entire dialogue, the Head felt as if he was in a dream.

There was a way for the King to save the continent, but he was bargaining for it?

The first thing that came to the Head was disapproval, as anyone would say that in such times, one should put aside their personal agenda.

Yet…as he thought about it more, he didn't really find any reason for anyone not to use such an opportunity.

The Order awarded the rewards that were in its safekeeping for the betterment of the continent using arbitrary scoring on arbitrary missions that it decided, by itself. If so, why shouldn't one wish to obtain more rewards because they would be doing something to help the Order's original purpose, anyway?

In fact, after a moment, it even looked like one would be dumb not to use this opportunity!

The news of his and the King's relation had to be kept a secret, so the Head spoke in a stoic manner.

"For this, we can negotiate the price later. Time is of the essence."

As the Overlord smiled and nodded, the Overseer said, "The agreement has been approved. Now, you are requested to reveal your method."

In response, weirdly, the Overlord looked down, but what followed that made the Head directly drop his jaw.

At a speed that was hardly visible to the naked eye of a common man, many, many twinkling lights flew out of the many pockets of the man.

He slowly raised his head along with his hands that were held aloft, and behind him….a thousand, no, a hundred thousand golden stars were visible.

As he spoke, his voice echoed in the area, and his words would forever be remembered by the Head.

"Oh, its simple. My friends, here, will first initiate contact with those infernal things. Amidst the swirling mists of Energy, they will dance, sing, and fall in love with each other. It'll be very romantic, I promise you. They will even decide to take the final step, but during that act of Heaven…is when they will suck the life out of those damn things! Isn't it just a perfect marriage?"

Chapter 830: Intervention

In both of the caverns, the Heroes who were in charge of deploying the formation and saving the resources of the continent of Angaria prepared to take the final step.

These were the respected personages who had spent decades and decades immersed in the mysteries of formations, learning all of the intricacies that went into understanding just how the complexities of interweaving patterns of Elementary particles worked. If Daneel were likening this to his life on Earth, then these were like the foremost academics who had the most qualifications, and the most abbreviations beside their names.

They even had arrogant expressions on their faces which had become so natural that they didn't even put them on consciously, and the others understood right away that they were not to be messed with. Those who had gathered to witness this event which would most probably kick off a very desperate phase for the continent all maintained the distance, and only looked on while communicating through trinkets as they were afraid that speaking out loud might disturb these eminent individuals.

"Look. I think this is the perfect time to notice the differences in quality and attitude between the Heroes of the Big Four and the Order. Don't you think so, Celine?"

The two who had been hovering in the air before had returned, and this time, they were more corporeal, almost as if they were here officially.

They stood apart from the others, and they were actually one of the few groups who also seemed to command considerable respect from the others. There was a certain area near them into which no one dared to walk into, and only a few nodded at them as they recognized this famous couple.

Indeed, these two were one of the only Hero-level couples on Angaria, and their story was something that was told again and again in the halls of the seeds and even the members of the Order. This was so because they were part of both the High Council and the higher echelons of the Order, and they had never been too shy regarding just how they had fallen in love.

The man seemed to have no mood to reminisce about these things, though, because he continued, saying, "It still doesn't feel right. Why couldn't we have waited until the last moment? Even if there is a small chance that we can save more resources, I think that we should have taken it. In this way, we're basically shooting ourselves in one foot just so that we don't have both feet cut off. It sucks!"

The woman only had a small smile on her face, and she had not deigned to reply even before, because she knew her husband's impulsive questions which often did not require answers. Now, though, seeing his mood, she gently caught his hand and moved closer to him before saying, "Calm down. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together. Isn't that what we've been doing so far?"

This did make a smile crack into life on the man's face, but it melted away in the next moment as he said, "Nice try, Celine, but you're just saying that to make sure that I don't act impulsively. Don't worry, I have nothing like that planned."

This made the woman look at her husband with one eyebrow cocked up, and she spoke in a jesting tone.

"Oh, really? Remember that marriage between the fifth strongest Hero level fighter and that woman who had such a high potential, but had been infatuated by that man and then trapped by him? We all knew that something might be up, but no one was interested in interfering and making his wrath fall upon them. You told me you would be nice, but then what happened?"

A slight blush appeared in the man's face, but he shot back, saying, "Hey, that's different! I just hated that smug look on his face when he thought about how he would be binding that woman to him for a long, long time. But I was in the right! He had been using an infatuation spell, and I broke it!"

With a laugh, the woman lovingly patted the man's shoulders and said, "Yes, my dear husband, but that does not mean that each and every impulsive action that you take results in happy endings. I only chose that one because it was recent. Still, when you did go and attack, you told me clearly that we might have to go into hiding for a time. That doesn't seem like someone who was confident in knowing that it would all work out."

She had struck on the thing for which he had no answer, so the man folded his arms and humphed, but he stopped as they saw that the Heroes were waiting for the final go-ahead.

Both of them took deep breaths, and their actions almost seemed mirrored as they let them out.

They had been together for centuries, so it made sense that many of the things they did looked exactly similar, and this was one of the things that their friends teased them about often.

No more words needed to be said, but the last moment before the Heroes launched the formation… A voice was heard in the area.

"Ladies and gentlemen! What do we have here? Are all of the prestigious Heroes of Angaria so incompetent that they cannot even find a different solution from blowing up half of everything that we will need if even want to stand a chance against the Church? It's deplorable… Just deplorable, I tell you!"

For a moment, there was a stunned silence, but that was followed by angry shouts from most of the Heroes who had gathered.

As Arthur and Celine had their bodies in both of the caverns, they saw that the same voice had appeared at the same time in both of them.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

The difference in reaction was that in the cavern in which the Heroes of the Big Four were present, there was so much more arrogance shown right away.

"Who the f*ck you? Whoever you are, get ready to eat my foot!"

"You dare be arrogant here? Which newly ascended Hero has become so bold?"

"I'll eat my hat if anyone can suggest something better! I've tried everything, and I can say with confidence that there is no other way!"

"Yes, surely, our Heroes have conducted all the research that they could! Make yourself visible, and they will show you, with force, just how thorough they were!"

"Yeah, screw you for making light of other people's hard work! Can you do anything else except spew bullsh*t?!"

Their anger started to grow with each second as no one appeared in response to all of these challenges, and even Arthur and Celine had started to look around, wondering just who had been dumb enough to make such a large group of Heroes angry. Even the air had started to hum with destructive energy, and anyone would be terrified if they witnessed such a thing.

As for the cavern where the Order's resources were located, a few Heroes had acted in the same way, but most simply raised their eyebrows and stood silently.

Mainly… This was because these Heroes were at a power level which they had gotten to after surpassing their arrogance. They had been in the grip of this emotion before, but that was when they didn't even know the Order existed. They also had more information about the Mainland, apparently, and hence… They knew very well that they actually had nothing to be arrogant about.

Of course, this was completely unlike the Heroes of the Big Four, who thought of themselves as the leaders of the continent.

The silence stretched on, and it even started to look like a prank by someone. Yet, this didn't make sense at all, because it was such a crucial time.

Even the Heroes who were supposed to launch the formations had stopped, because they were the most infuriated of the lot. Only they knew just how much they had worked to try and look for alternatives, and they had even had thoughts on their own mind about how they had probably failed the continent by not giving any better options.

After a few more seconds, it looked like there really was nothing to follow it up, but just as the Heroes were about to resume what they were doing with the intention that they would get it done first and then handle the troublemaker later… The voice was heard again.

"Are you all done? I was waiting, because I really didn't want to interrupt children arguing that they are gourmet chefs when all they've done is make a pile of wet dirt and put a cherry on top. Oh, I'm not saying that you all are just incompetent, no, I guess I have to add disillusioned, stupid and even naïve to the portfolio. And as for the rest of your questions… Ha ha, my friends want to give you an answer!"

At the same moment in both the caverns, the figure of a man appeared out of nowhere in the air.

This, in itself, was quite puzzling, because the airspace was supposed to be so perfectly regulated that only those who had been given permission should be able to appear.

Yet, this doubt did not appear in anyone's mind, because of the scene he was accompanied by as he made his appearance.

Behind him… were hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights which were all moving in place oh so slightly, which almost gave the impression as if they really were the shining stars in the sky that had descended to the Earth to heed this man's call.

Both of the caverns were mostly shrouded in darkness, so this sight was all the more incredible to see. There he was, his figure slightly illuminated by the halo that fell on him from all those twinkling stars, and his hands were raised aloft, as if he really was a God who had brought down the sky to prove his heavenly identity.

Unable to control themselves, the Heroes cast spells which threw light on him, and what they were greeted with… Was a face with such a cocky smirk that those who couldn't control themselves almost flew up into the air to bury their fists deep within it.

Seeing them, he actually… Laughed out loud, and his laughter echoed in the caverns, reverberating again and again until it felt as if it was coming from everywhere.

With just this one action of his, he had completely diverted all of the attention to himself, and as he slowly started to descend, that arrogant smirk only became clearer.

The Heroes were split into three groups: those who were too angry to do anything else but stare, those who were inquisitive, and those who were in-between.

None of them were ready to speak, though, because they were all completely infatuated by those twinkling lights which had revealed themselves to be Golden-Red Mosquitoes that were more inquisitive and intelligent than anything they had ever seen.

Laughing again, the man said, "All those who insist that no other way is possible…watch!"

With his declaration, the hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes all started to attack the mountains and mountains of Ker Gems that were present, in both of the caverns.

Each Hero could only watch, dumbfounded, as the mosquitoes naturally drilled a tiny hole in the Ker Gems and squeezed themselves through.

After doing so, these mosquitoes traveled around and around the swirling mists before finding something almost invisible.

This…thing, which looked like a mix between a beetle and a spider, was first cautious, but after a weird dance by the mosquitoes which shook their legs and their undersides invitingly, the creatures ventured out from their hiding places which were innovatively in the lining of the Gems, which made them impossible to spot.

What followed was a love story to be sung by the bards and poets of Angaria. The mosquitoes and the creatures waltzed and had lovely meals of the Energy around them together, and naturally, the moment came for the final bond to be made.

As it began, varied expressions of disgust and interest could be seen among the Heroes, but all of these instantly changed to shock a moment later, when they saw the mosquitoes use that ultimate moment of vulnerability to pierce that creature full of holes and then proceed to suck it of all of its insides.

Many men caught their crotches as they saw this, as some of the mosquitoes had even decided to start with tearing off that part during their 'assassination'. As for the women, many started to retch.

The man seemed to take great delight in all this, for he took it all in and smiled to himself.

After waiting for a few moments, he made a statement, and it, too, echoed in the room while his 'friends' continued on towards other Gems.

"So…how's my answer? This way, there's nothing destructive required! Well, true, in this process, my friends absorb a portion of the Energy in each Gem, but that's still much better than blowing up half, right? As for all that Energy…Oh, how amazing would it be if it was possible to absorb or use it even after it was ingested? Alas, sadly, no one can do that, or they would really have benefited from all this!"

Chapter 831: Aftermath

"I-impossible!"

"How can anyone make such creatures? Hasn't that skill been lost?!"

"Who the hell are you?!"

As emotions ranging from befuddlement to anger began to be directed to the man whose face had already gotten permanently etched into the minds of all those who were present, his figure was suddenly enclosed in a layer of bright light.

In the cavern of the Big Four, a few well-known Heroes appeared, and in the other, it was the Overseer.

"His identity is under protection, as part of the deal for him to use his skills to get out of this situation. Angaria is grateful to him, and he will be given the best of resources to groom himself and grow stronger to be able to be of service to our homeland even more in the coming years. For now, all of you can disperse."

As if scripted, this dialogue was heard in both caverns, and Arthur and Celine were both surprised when they saw it being mirrored.

In the cavern belonging to the Order, there wasn't much of a hubbub. Instead, the Heroes shot inquisitive and interested glances at both the mosquitoes who were busy doing their tasks and the man whose face they could no longer see, before teleporting away.

As for the other Cavern, a few opposing statements started to be heard, mainly from those who had done a lot of hard work trying to help do something to help in this situation.

They wanted to find out the details regarding just how anyone had been capable of such a feat, and it was clear that the arrogance that had been present before had gone. Yet…the slightest hints of greed had replaced it, and this was, in some ways, even more worrying.

As Daneel saw this, though, he could only shake his head and smile, as he had expected it.

The truth was that he wasn't in either cavern- no, it was his clones which were being powered with a little help from the Order, and his real body was in a room where large display trinkets were showing him the scene.

Behind him stood his sovereigns who had different expressions on their faces, and in his mind, the system was giving him the updates.

[Useage of conduit provided has proven effective. Combined Progress: 12%. Standing by to extract and replace mosquitoes which cannot absorb further.]

Seeing that everything was going well, Daneel turned around with a flourish.

Only those he had brought into the Order along with him were here, whereas the others were being relayed information on what was happening by those who were present.

Among those in the room, Aran and Elanev had fascinated, yet creeped out expressions on their faces as they saw the mosquitoes going about their tasks.

"Ow!"

Noticing this, Cassandra pinched Aran, making him stop his observation and blush as he realized what kind of an impression he must have given.

She, along with Eloise had been completely grossed out, and it had looked as if they were ready to begin retching like many in the caverns.

Only Faxul had been mostly unaffected, but he had shot Daneel a nod before, indicating that things had branched out in the way he had expected.

Faxul had guessed that because it was about bugs, Daneel would deploy the one he had the most knowledge in, and his suspicions had been confirmed.

Seeing him turn around, they controlled themselves and asked what was on their minds.

"Why did you act so cocky? I mean, I know it's your M.O, My King, but they all just tried their best, right? Was there a need to belittle their efforts?"

This question was put forward by Cassandra, who personally did not like it when people were not given recognition for what they had done. She was famous for always making it a point to recognize and award those under her for all of their achievements, and that was one of the reasons why she had been so loved in the army.

With a smile, Daneel gave the answer he had already prepared.

"I considered it, too, you know. I thought-why not say that they did well, and then say that I managed to find something else? However…think about this. You saw the way they reacted now. Based on that, can you estimate how they would have reacted if I had taken that path?"

Thoughtful expressions came on the sovereigns' faces, and Eloise was the one who answered.

"If I put myself in their shoes…I would tell myself that you got lucky. After all, I have a huge ego, right? Well, there might be a few who are humbled, but I think they are in a minority…look at them, they're still seething!"

Saying so, Eloise redirected the attention of those present to the caverns, and indeed, in the one where the Heroes of the Big Four were present, angry curses and challenges were still being thrown, and some were continuing to demand to know who had accomplished this feat. Through all this, though, it was obvious that the 'humbling' that Eloise had talked about was not very apparent, at all.

With a nod, Daneel said, "Exactly, Eloise. Those were my thoughts. First, though, let me admit that I made a mistake- I expected the Heroes of the Big Four and the Order to be similar, but just on different levels. I was wrong- you saw that those in the Order are not typical Heroes who think the world is in their grasp. In their case, maybe I could have held off on the arrogance, but hey- at least now, I have a thorough estimate of their attitude. Anyway, my intention is to shock them out of their arrogance. They think they're the most influential figures on the continent who should be revered! And that is also a reason behind why they might be tempted to join the Church- the Church can simply say that they owe nothing! I want to abolish this. This won't be the only time- my plan is to keep beating down their ego until they have no chance but to admit that they owe everything to Angaria, and that they have nothing to be arrogant about. Even when they were blowing up half the resources, they had the gall to feel as if the others should be lucky that they managed to save at least the other half! No, they should have been sad and disappointed in themselves, but what I saw was a bunch of fools who justified themselves."

Daneel's words filled with passion and even anger made the others raise their eyebrows and look at each other.

They had not expected that their King would have such strong feelings regarding these Heroes, so they were surprised.

Calming himself, Daneel observed them and said, "Yes, I've felt this way for a long time. These damn Heroes are all too selfish and self-centered because they managed to reach that level. Both their lifespan and their power makes them think they can do anything. There needs to be someone to put them all in line and make them ready to give up their lives, if needed, in the War that is coming. I'll do it. I'll do it because I can and I want to, and not because there is no one else who is capable of accomplishing this. Anyway, there are other reasons, too, such as that I really did want to gauge just what kind of people they were, and it is all of them combined that made me take this decision. Some are far-fetched, so if they work out, you'll find out about them later. And also…when angry, people tend to not be so perfect in their planning. As these are mosquitoes, the first target will be my identity. Although there will be a lot of attempts to make everything point to someone else, some may still want to come after the King of Lanthanor. In that case, I would rather that they make mistakes, than make perfect plans with calm dispositions. Look-the first batch is arriving."

Getting a notification from the system, Daneel stopped his monologue. There was one last reason that he hadn't mentioned…and that was that it had felt damn good.

True, there may be those who didn't deserve it, but from what Daneel had seen of them, most had aligned with his idea of Heroes being pricks who only cared about living as long as possible.

So, an opportunity to kick them down a notch and see them get into a tizzy…was basically priceless.

With that, as a large box was teleported into the room, Daneel opened it to view their final spoils.

The bodies of swollen red-gold mosquitoes could be seen, and where they might seem like just disgusting creatures to be stamped down on for most…they were actually an incredibly valuable treasure for Daneel.

He did not speak about them, though, because he suddenly felt his mind hurt due to the strain of controlling so many mosquitoes.

Even though he was using items and formations taken from the Order on loan to increase his controlling abilities temporarily, it still heavily taxed him, so he said, "Guys, depart to Lanthanor. I'll meet you there after I'm done here."

With a nod, the sovereigns left, and Daneel sat down as if to meditate while the system continued its task.

There were hundreds of thousands of Ker Gems, and the mosquitoes also had to be repeatedly bred to replace those that died from overconsumption. Still, the system handled it all, and the Heroes who hadn't left could only watch with gritted teeth.

Finally, after he was done, Daneel fainted, and slept for what felt like a long time.

He woke up refreshed and shook his head before teleporting to Lanthanor knowing that his sovereigns were waiting, and along with him, he took the many, many boxes of dead mosquitoes.

As soon as he arrived in his quarters where everyone was gathered, he safely placed the boxes to the side as if they held the most precious thing in the world and said, "Look, my dear sovereigns. Here lies a portion of all the wealth of Angaria- free to be used by us. Before any of you ask- no, I do not think that it is wrong to steal from them in this way. They abandoned the citizens of the Central Continent to die by the millions…but now, if we can't change that fate even with this much Energy, then we should truly just find a well to drown ourselves in."

Determination appeared in the eyes of all of the Sovereigns, and they nodded. In fact, Eloise even began to think of plans to use the Energy.

"All that remains is to get the ability to freely use 'em, and we should be able to achieve that, soon. Before that, though, we have one last task- to uncover just who the fake Overseer is. For this, my Sovereigns, there is only one mission remaining, and I shall go finish it now. Await my return."

With that, Daneel teleported away, eager to get back to the mission.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

In the span of a few hours, he had saved Angaria from a threat that might have spelled its doom, he had obtained two 5-star rewards and he had also scammed away a portion of the Energy of the entire continent, which amounted to a staggering value that he could never even have dreamed of. And he had done all this…while staying true to his Domination Path.

With a contented smile, Daneel called over Perfect, and they all stood in front of the Obelisk once more to resume the mission.

This time…they would only appear after it was done, and Daneel couldn't wait to get to the bottom of this matter whose resolution might decide the fate of the continent, itself.

Chapter 832: The Next Tes

As soon as Daneel returned to the room where he had undertaken the Test of Self, he saw that there were a few changes which he had not noticed the last time, as things had been very hectic right after his return.

The almost bare room which had had only the entrance that they had rushed in through now had another door, and the object that had looked like a galaxy before into which Daneel had been kicked was absent.

"It popped up after you returned, so the condition to make it appear must be for you to pass. Each Nightmare Dungeon is reordered after every time it is activated, so there is really no information whatsoever regarding what one might expect from it. Also…will I ever find out how you were able to make a mission pause?"

Perfect asked the question in a morose tone, but Daneel chuckled and said, "I'm sorry, but no. Well…maybe some day soon, if things go well. Anyway, let's go."

Faxul and Elanev looked at each other and smiled as they heard this, knowing what their King was referring to.

If the day did come when he could reveal his identity…then it would mean that he had reached his ultimate goal, and that would really be something to behold.

Daneel boldly walked to the door and turned the ancient-looking door handle, and the door creaked open.

Beyond, he could only see darkness, but as he stepped in, it was as if someone had turned the lights on.

This was another bare room with those same yellowish walls, but what was weird was that there was a single piece of furniture on one of them: a board, of sorts, on which a piece of parchment could be seen.

Walking up to it, Daneel read the contents while the others also made their way over.

"Welcome to the Nightmare Dungeon. By passing the first test, you have gained access to the Path which might lead you to glory, or ruin. Pass all three tests, and gain rewards beyond your dreams. Fail in any one, and no man or woman or demon or god can save you. Tread lightly, for if you step back, only death shall lay its claim on you."

While Daneel, Elanev, and Faxul went over the words, Perfect glanced at them once and said, "The message! So it was true…I talked to someone who almost passed, but failed at the last moment and lived only because of a stroke of luck. He said that the message is actually the most important part of the dungeon: and that the true difficulties only start after it is delivered. From here, if I'm not wrong, we enter the true dungeon where we will have to find the other two tests and pass them. Err…it's not too late to turn back, you know. But the farther we go from here, the more difficult it will be to leave. So…wanna call it a day?"

As the three fiends whom he had found himself with all turned around and gave Perfect a look, he sighed and turned to the side before muttering, "All right, fine. My girlfriend said she wanted to see me finish something for once, anyway."

Shaking his head and remarking that this was the first lazy yet talented individual he had interacted with on Angaria, Daneel walked to the other door and opened it, and just as Perfect had said, there was a passageway which forked into three different directions that was indicative of a maze.

The four walked forward, and no matter how much they searched, they found no clue to help them pick one path over the other.

Daneel asked the system, too, but it had no clue as again, it's Champion-level complexity was not enough to overcome the Hero-level formations present here.

With a shrug, Daneel said, "I plan to defeat this thing in as straight-forward a manner as possible, so let's just go right ahead!"

Declaring his intention in this manner, he marched forward while flanked by Faxul and Elanev, who had satisfied expressions on their face.

Indeed, they were really loving this change in their King.

Resisting the urge to smack his forehead his frustration, Perfect reluctantly followed while dreaming of the beautiful fountain with charming ladies that he had had to leave to come here.

Grumbling something under his breath, he walked forward while looking down, and hence, he could only collide into the back of those in front of him as they had had to come to a stop right after walking a few steps forward.

The way the fork had been arranged was that the paths beyond had been entirely shrouded in darkness. It looked like one needed to walk into them to make the light turn on, and the central path had just gotten illuminated.

And what was in front of them…was a small group of bony dogs, exactly like the ones which had chased them before.

"Damn them! Let's leave quickly, before a group shows up!"

Saying so, Perfect was about to turn to one of the paths on the left and right, which were also available if they got past the dogs.

Yet, to his astonishment…the Overlord whose name was ringing throughout the Order seemed to have different plans.

From his pockets, he took out a few objects with a flourish, and Perfect understood it as an intention to fight as revenge for them having pushed him into that test before.

"We should only fight when-huh?!"

Perfect's remark was stopped midway, when he actually saw what had been whipped out.

There were 3 objects, and they were…a large bowl, a cup of mixed spices and a bucket of water.

What the f*ck?!

"Bone soup is on the menu, boys! Get 'em! After all, what better way to get revenge than to make them wish they never saw us?"

With a gleeful shout, Daneel sprinted forward, and after exchanging dubious looks, Elanev and Faxul did so, too, while Perfect watched on with a hanging jaw and a completely dumbfounded expression.

The dogs barked in their eerie manner and sprang forth to attack, not knowing the fate that awaited them.

In a group, each of these dogs which were half the height of a fully grown man would be a nightmare to take on.

Yet, in a small group of three…they held no chance.

Each of them had power at the level of an Amateur Champion, but in merely a minute…all that was left of them was a pile of bones, with the sinew that had been allowing their skeletons to remain in place mostly squashed due to the hammers that had been used by all three people to bash the poor dogs.

Indeed, the lead had been from the Overlord, who conjured super-imposed hammers, and as if competing against him, another had conjured larger hammers with a strange attractive force to them.

As for the third man, who was clearly a Fighter…he had taken out an actual hammer trinket and enlarged it, resulting in him making the biggest sound.

After this task was done, the Overlord started to hum a merry tune while heating the water, adding the bones(which still looked like they were moving, which added a macabre atmosphere to these entire proceedings) and then using the spices to balance the flavors.

He was done in a few minutes, and as he tasted the soup, his eyebrows flitted up as he exclaimed, "Excellent! I daresay that I'm pretty damn skilled in cooking! If this whole magic thing doesn't work out, I can always find a job in a restaurant!"

This dialogue put the icing on the cake, and made Perfect feel convinced that he was dealing with madmen.

While the three continued relishing the soup, he started to ignore them while dreaming of being back in his bed after refusing an offer to try it.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Meanwhile, Daneel had his eyes on this man surreptitiously while looking as if he was thoroughly enjoying his handiwork.

His purpose…was actually to circumvent this intruder upon their mission, and make him feel as if these were just the odd antics of someone who wanted revenge.

In reality, though…he was waiting for a message from the system, which soon arrived in his mind.

[Make-up of Reanimated Dogs analyzed due to ingestion of specimens. Further analysis underway. Specimens seem to have been reanimated by adding the split consciousnesses of living dogs to these bodies which underwent a certain process. Phenomena Analysis Module is analyzing the spell and the process in order to replicate, as per host's instructions.]

A smirk came on his face as he heard this. Indeed, Daneel's offhand remark about bone soup had coincidentally ended up becoming reality, as he had been told that he should find a way to stay in contact with the dogs for a long time in order for the system to analyze them. He had been very interested in this display of necromancy which was the first since he had come to Angaria, and hence, he had hatched this plan to distract their companion.

After all, if it became known that he was able to study and then replicate Hero-level stuff…it would not be good for him, so this method might allow him to keep this ability, which was one of those that only the system could use, hidden.

As for Elanev and Faxul, they had been told to play along, and they would be explained later.

A few minutes later, they were done, and Daneel smacked his lips and got up before stretching his body, as if he had had a hearty meal and would now like a place to rest.

Yet, he said, "On with it, then," and started walking on the path to left, which led to Perfect breaking out of his daydream of being fed grapes by his girlfriend and following along as he did not want to be caught alone.

The Path kept going and going, and more forks started to appear. They were assaulted a few times by the dogs, but these creatures now seemed vaguely apprehensive, almost as if they had no intention to become a meal, yet were still being forced to attack by an unseen force.

It was easy to deal with them because they weren't too many, but most teams with weaker members might already have gotten overwhelmed by this point.

Soon, though, they finally reached another room similar to the one where the Test of Self had been carried out.

That same swirling galaxy of misty lights was present, and it looked identical to the one before.

Thankfully, this time, there were no dogs to force them forward, so they could wait and analyze it.

Alas, it was too complex, so after a few moments, all of the mages could only shrug and give up.

Following this, Daneel had a small discussion with Elanev and Faxul, who tried to argue that they would be the ones who would handle this one, as the other had been passed by Daneel.

Yet, Daneel told them in direct terms that their priority was to end this and get out of here ASAP to get on to their other tasks. So, understanding the underlying connotation that they were not strong enough yet, both of them decided that they would train harder than ever after getting back before relenting and allowing their King to walk forth.

Of course, there was no need to ask Perfect, who was even leaning against a wall and whistling to himself, as if bored out of his mind.

Ignoring him, Daneel braced himself and walked into that array of lights, but to his surprise…it didn't make him enter a simulation right away.

Instead, it actually…spread outward, like a leviathan outstretching its tentacles, and in the process, it enveloped the other three who were present.

Elanev and Faxul were merely surprised, but Perfect shouted, "Wait! I didn't sign up for this!"

Sadly, the lights didn't listen, and in the next moment, all of their bodies slumped to the ground almost lifelessly.

As for the team who had entered the Nightmare Dungeon…they found themselves waking up groggily, while a voice reverberated in their minds.

"Welcome to the Test of Bonding. For any team, a bond is crucial, whether it be in life, or battle. In this test, that bond will be tested. Step forth, or welcome death."

Chapter 833: Test of Bonding 1

"No! I'm doomed! Why does this always happen to me?!"

Exclaiming in this way, Perfect fell to the ground and put his hands over his head, as if denying everything that was going on.

He kept shaking it, too, as if he wanted that motion to change what he was seeing, but no matter how much he did so, and no matter how much he whined that he did not want to be here, nothing changed.

Daneel, Faxul and Elanev could only look between each other and then stare at this guy who looked so desperate for some reason, and they waited for him to get back to his senses so that he could explain just what was going on here.

It was clear that it was this information which had caused him to react like so, and they wanted to find out what he knew before discovering for themselves just what lay in this test.

They had already seen that they were in some sort of a house made out of primitive materials such as mud and straw, and they had been sleeping on hard hemp beds which had caused their backs to itch. Also… The disconcerting thing was that their powers had been taken away, and they were only normal humans now.

For all three of them, it was a very unique experience where they returned to feeling how it had been when they had started out on their Path to power. They had gotten so used to either having their Fighter or Mage strength that it felt so odd, but in some ways, it also felt liberating.

Marveling in this feeling, the three waited, and it was only two minutes later that Perfect finally stood up and started to pace around.

Unable to control himself anymore, Daneel made as if to go forward and catch the guy by his shoulder, but right as he was about to do so, Perfect slapped that hand aside and said, "This is all your fault! Ever since we entered, things haven't been going according to how they should be, and I bet that it is all because of your attitude to defeat this thing! Okay, that doesn't make sense, but I don't know what else would explain it! What's going on here does not corroborate with what all of the teams from before went through! This test is not supposed to come on this path! Who the hell is playing games with us?!"

This angry outburst surprised both Daneel and his sovereigns, and they wondered just how much this guy had been hiding. He had been letting out tidbits of information according to the situation, but they could never have imagined that he had such comprehensive info about the dungeon.

Well, it did make sense in some ways, as he must have researched it a lot by himself to see whether he could pass it. A 5-star mission and a place on the Board of Achievements could be very, very enticing, and it was clear that even this guy must have once had the goal of finishing it, but then abandoned it for some reason.

Daneel put on a stern expression and said, "Our powers might be blocked, but don't think the three of us would hesitate to whoop your arse if you act like a spoiled princess anymore. Tell us what information you know about this test, and about the dungeon, too. It's clear by now that you've done a lot of digging, and that you still decided that you would let it go. Why is that?"

The threat finally seemed to bring Perfect back to his senses, and the man sat down on a chair that was nearby and still lamented for a few more seconds.

They had all retained their features, so his were still those perfect ones which anyone would drool over.

Seeing them in this panicked state, though, they weren't as attractive at all, but still, his charm was apparent.

The only reason that Daneel was thinking of this… Was that he had seen three girls in the window near him, who were all staring at him and whispering while giggling between themselves.

Indeed, they were in some sort of a simulation, and it seemed that their companion was very famous.

Daneel moved to first close all the shutters and then check whether the door was locked, before focusing on Perfect again.

The man seemed to have regained a semblance of calmness, as he let out a deep, deep sigh and said, "The Test of Bonding. It doesn't have a very high death toll, but the truth is… That everyone who went through it, changed. Well, the change happens in two ways- either the team that went in and undertook this test become lifelong enemies, or they become lifelong companions who share everything thereafter. If its the latter, there is nothing much to be feared, but I really don't see myself becoming a true friend of you lot, as I really don't have anything in common with you. All of you are crazy! Anyway, it is the former which worries me, because it inevitably ends in this team targeting each other. In 8 out of the 10 that I've talked to who did not come out as companions… Half of the team was wiped out. The most worrying thing is that whatever happens here builds such a long-lasting grudge that these teams fought and killed even when decades or centuries had passed since they had taken this test, and that truly terrifies me. I'm not even a match in power, so if you lot turn out to be my enemies, where the hell should I go? I don't want this, I really, really don't want this! Dammit, why didn't I just listen to myself and stay back?!"

Towards the end, despair crept into the man's tone and he rifled his hair wildly while berating himself repeatedly for putting himself in this situation.

Meanwhile, Daneel stared at him with an odd expression. A team could either become companions for life, or build a grudge that would result in them killing each other?

Well… that was interesting.

Turning to his subordinates, he said, "Let's go check out where we are. We can come back here when he is calmer."

Hearing this, even Perfect who was on the chair nodded, as if he had understood that he needed some time to come to terms with where he was.

Seeing this and shaking his own head, Daneel lead the way outside, and the moment he opened the door, he was greeted by the sharp rays of the sun which was high in the sky.

As soon as his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that they were actually… In a pleasant village.

It was unlike any village that Daneel had seen yet in his journey on Angaria, but it was clear that this was a small settlement of some age.

The reason he thought this was that the architecture of each and every house was different from what existed in the present day – all of these buildings were strangely either semicircular, or in some cases, cone-shaped with the end pointing to the sky.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Even the building they had just come out of was the latter, and it caused the place to have a very different atmosphere which made the three look around and stare continuously.

The people also had different styles of clothes – they wore mostly clothes which were in a single piece, and most of them were busily going about their tasks.

Thankfully, these tasks were the normal ones that anyone would expect to find in any village, and this brought a sense of normalcy which allowed the three to get past their shock and walk forward to find out what lay in store for them.

While they walked, they were greeted enthusiastically by almost everyone who was near them, but they didn't respond, as they had spotted another oddity.

There seemed to be an opaque barrier all around them, which prevented anyone from looking outside.

Only the top side of this barrier was transparent, which allowed them to see the sky and the sun, but apart from that, they had no idea just what lay around them.

Interested, Daneel walked up to the very end. It wasn't a very big settlement – there were barely a hundred people in it, so they could walk from one end to the other of the village in a few minutes.

At this part, on the barrier, there was a piece of parchment which was affixed that could be seen all over, which meant that anyone who arrived at the barrier would be able to read what was on it.

As Daneel and the other two did so, their eyebrows couldn't help but raise as they found out more about this extremely weird situation that they had found themselves in.

"Village of Blight: Our bonding keeps the blight way. Remember, if any problem occurs, it will affect this barrier which was set up by the honorable mage Jarafus. Our bonds power it, and allow us to live on. Long live the resistance!"

…

Meanwhile, at a certain spot above the sky which was as far away as possible from the place where the bar that belonged to the Order existed, a clandestine meeting had just begun.

It was attended by eight individuals who were all masked, and even their figures were blurry, not allowing anyone to find out just who they were.

Yet, weirdly, it looked like they knew each other, because when they spoke, they used names that were clearly personal.

"He made sure to take away each and every mosquito so that we wouldn't be able to dissect them for more information! I can only understand so much from looking, you know…"

A female voice said this, and a gruff male one gave a reply.

"Yes, the Overseer was pretty damn thorough in making sure that we would have no clues whatsoever to link whoever did this to their real identity. But… These are mosquitoes, and there should be only a few people who are even capable of handling them. The biggest problem here is that we can eliminate anyone from the Order and the Big Four- all of these individuals were called forth as soon as the situation came to light, and I can guarantee that they put forth their best. So… We can be sure that this person came from the outside, and that leaves-"

"You can't possibly be serious, Lavar! Someone from the Central Continent? Oh, what a joke!"

With a humph, that voice replied, "Unlike you lot who only care about training, I keep an eye on the Central Continent, so I know that there was actually someone in recent times who has publicly created a new strain, or rather, even two new strains of mosquitoes which he used for different purposes. And the mosquitoes which I saw in that cavern the other day were glaringly similar to what he used.

"But… The problem here is that he is an eminent figure in the Central Continent, so that means that we cannot target him. There is a silver lining, though. He's a young kid, so the chances that he was capable of creating them are very, very low. So… It is possible that the real culprit is supposed to be a reclusive exile from the Big Four, who is this kid's master. He might have found some or the other inheritance which allowed him to enter the Order, and he must have struck a deal with the Overseer. We find him, we get the inheritance! Ladies and gentlemen, let the manhunt begin. We all know we want to outlast Angaria, and for that…we need bargaining chips. So…what better bargaining chip than the one who thwarted such an expensive plan of the Church's? Let's get going!"

Chapter 834: Test of Bonding 2

By the time Daneel and the rest returned to the room, they had very grave expressions on their faces, and as Perfect saw this, he said, "I guess you found out. Yes, this is the strange village that everyone who takes this test is placed in. You either build a bond with your teammates and stand in solidarity, or that blight, whatever it is, will destroy everything. Basically, your consciousness will not find a way back to your body. I only know this much… Those whom I talked to were not willing to tell me more. And if you're wondering why I did so much research and was still prepared to let the Nightmare Dungeon go… It was because I have no intention to play with my life, which I treasure very, very much."

Hearing this, Daneel nodded, as he had expected as much.

Whoever had thought of this was either crazy or brilliant, because it was both vague and specific at the same time. What was a bond, anyway?

Either they had left it up to those who were participating to figure out and find the answer, or they had purposefully made it so that no clear explanation was given so that the difficulty would rise.

Either way, they would have to handle this, but what Daneel really did not like… Was that it was not really in his hands.

He hated this feeling of not being in control. In all the other tests, and most of the situations that he had found himself in, he could depend on either himself or his power to get him out. In this case, though… He needed to depend on this guy in front of him, and the man had already declared that there was no way that he would form a bond with them.

That could change, but to what extent? He didn't even know how much of a bond was necessary!

The only consolation was that he did not need to worry, at all, about the bond between him, Faxul and Elanev. They had known each other for the longest time, and their bond was that of brothers – they would be prepared to give up their lives to save the other, and there was no doubt that there would be any problem.

With a sigh, Daneel decided that he would get into it right away.

"Look. No matter how you see it, you have no chance but to build a bond with us. You are the only weak link here, because the three of us know each other in the real world, and our bond is thicker than even that of blood. So, it is up to you, now."

A small glint lit up in Perfect's eyes as he heard this, and he remarked, "I expected as much. But still… It remains to be seen whether we can get out of this properly, without becoming enemies. I see that you are a smart guy, Overload. Can you guess why teams become either foes or companions for life after they're done with this mission?"

Daneel didn't even need to think much to answer.

"Trust. Clearly, to build a bond, they have to speak about themselves, and this results in them giving a lot of clues which could be used to find their real identities. We all know that this is dangerous, so after exiting, those who have been forced to share these details will become paranoid, thinking that they could be used against them. So… they become enemies, and end up killing each other."

Perfect nodded, and it really did look like he was back to normal. He was still unwilling, but it seemed that he had understood that he had no choice now.

He was about to continue, but he paused when the Overload spoke again, and this time, the man's words astonished him so much that he could only drop his jaw and stare.

"Look, I'll make it clear. I am ready to tell you everything about myself. Well, almost everything, at least. I'm ready to trust you, because I trust my own power. If you didn't understand, I'm basically saying that if there is even a hint that you might betray me, you will die before that thought even completely forms in your mind. I'm confident that I'm capable of doing that, no matter in which corner of Angaria you try to hide in. I'll be frank with you. Ever since I met you, you have been a refreshing change from all those tryhard seeds or members of the Order who just want to get stronger and stronger. I don't know yet, clearly, whether you can be trusted, but my gut feeling tells me that there shouldn't be a problem. So… Listen up. I'm from the Central Continent, and I had to claw my way here. That is my past. As for my future… I want to rule this entire continent. No matter who comes in my way, I will hammer them to death, and that applies to the Church, too. So… What about you?"

From the Central Continent?!

Perfect could only continue to stare for a few more seconds, and understanding that it was better if his shock came all at once instead of coming in waves and wasting time, Faxul and Elanev stepped forward and told their introductions, too.

"I'm also from the Central Continent. I have a Bloodline which allows me to stand at the top, and I will reach the peak and look down on all those who think they're special because they were born special. I grew up with no parents, and I want to make sure that in this continent, those who have to undergo the same fate will be reduced to a minority. And for that, my goal is to help him rule."

"If you haven't gotten the clue yet, all of us are from that place you people keep calling a sh*thole. I lazed around for most of my life, but then, I found a direction because the girl I liked ended up liking this guy. I thought that if I became more powerful, I might be able to get her back, but that was just dumb. Still, I like the way it felt to keep achieving, and I kept him as my goal. As for my future… I don't know! But at least, I know that I don't know it!"

Even Daneel looked at Elanev with a raised eyebrow as he said this, as his answer had been truly unique.

In response, Elanev only shrugged, and together, the three of them looked at Perfect, waiting for the man speak.

His shock lingered for a few more seconds, but after that, he finally controlled himself and said, "The Central Continent? Really?! I could never have believed that! But you do know that your real identities can be easily found out by me now, right?"

The response… Was given with a smirk by the Overload, who look more sure of himself than ever.

"Like I said, I will end you before you even succeed in doing anything like that. And besides, if my plans go well, I won't need to cover my identity for long. You can either get an ally for life, or an enemy who will certainly kill you. It's your choice."

Daneel had thought that Perfect's character might be one which would bow to power.

Yet… From the man's response, he was proven wrong.

With a frown, he replied, "I don't like being pushed into things. I have a bottom line, and if that is not crossed, I will focus on keeping myself alive. But if it is… Even if I die, I will make sure that those who go against me find out the true wrath of my family's bloodline. Anyway, it is clear that you do trust me. Let's put aside that stuff about killing me, because I honestly don't think you can succeed- if I hide in my family's headquarters, not even the Church can do a single thing."

That last statement was said with a hint of pride, and it made Daneel take a step back and wonder just what the background of this guy was.

Was it possibly more terrifying than all those he had met so far in the Order?

As this question drifted in his mind, Perfect spoke again.

"Yes, you're right. We are in this situation, and we have to be open about each other. I was born in a prestigious family, with the topmost talent, and I was raised with a very strict schedule. I was deprived of most things as a child, all in the name of using the best time of youth to train and take my power as far as possible. That is my past. As for my future…I-I guess I don't know, either."

Perfect's confidence faltered when he said that last part, and Daneel understood that he had been about to say something else.

Yet, before he could say anything, a change came over the atmosphere.

The ground started to shake, and screams began to be heard from the outside.

"The Blight! It's here! Whose bond has been shaken?!"

"Quick! Spot it, or we'll die!"

With panic appearing in their eyes, Daneel and the rest rushed out to be greeted by a horrifying sight.

The sun was completely blocked out by a dark mist that had come out of nowhere, and absolute darkness had taken hold of the village.

Lamps began to be turned on, and they only made it worse.

The light that was shined onto the sky showed hints of writhing tentacles within, and this was so terrifying that the children in the village all started shouting for their parents with fright.

"What's going on? Why is it-"

"It's the first Blight! Everyone, hide!"

An elderly man burst out of a house nearby and shouted this, following which all of the villagers ran back into their houses.

Daneel and the others did so, too, and that was when they understood the reason behind the strange shapes of the buildings in this village.

With a loud sound, all of the houses…sunk into the ground, leaving no trace behind, and making the land look as if it was barren.

Daneel had the system which did not need to use magic for surveillance, at least in short ranges, so he could see what was going on outside.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

The barrier had broken barely a minute after the houses had disappeared, and that large mass of black mist had assaulted the ground before howling, as if in frustration.

Within, a creature that had countless tentacles could be seen. Its most grotesque feature was actually its face, which also had many tentacles sprouting outward, almost like warts, while the eyes, mouth and nose could barely be seen if one focused.

"The legend goes that there was once a talented man in a village who was so absolutely good that he treated his entire village as his family. Yet, due to a fault in his training technique, he was supposed to have undergone a transformation which made him into a deformed, twisted creature. All those whom he had loved with all his heart turned on him, and although he thought that it was because they were shallow and had only acted as his family because of his potential, the truth was that it was his technique which had taken the thing he loved most and destroyed it because of his failure. He began to detest all sorts of bonds, and he is attracted to places where there are those whose bond is not so strong. If no defences are present, he massacres all and moves on. This was the first attack of the Blight that he has become. He will rest after this, and we have two more chances. If our bond is not strong enough by then, too…we will be doomed. Heavens help us."

Chapter 835: Test of Bonding 3

Daneel had been rooted to the spot due to the sight of the creature outside that he had had to see, and it was Perfect's words which broke him out of that state.

Inside the conical house that they had awoken in, all was dark, save for a few lamps which had automatically come to life after detected that they were needed.

In the dim glow of those lamps, he could see the expressions of his companions in the room.

Elanev was slightly jittery, but the realization that his strength was gone seemed to have hit hard.

Faxul was extremely alert-his eyes were darting around, looking for ways to get out of this situation, and this was a testament to his character which had never really depend on power. That was something both Daneel and his best friend had in common-they knew very well how it felt to have very low potential and an almost predetermined mediocre future, and breaking off of that had given that a lot of strength that always came to the fore in moments like these.

Perfect was the most resigned of them all. His words 'Heavens help us' had been said with genuine beseechment to the limitless skies above which most thought of as containing some formless power that might or might not help them, and his face was once again filled with the lament of their current situation. He almost looked like he was close to devolving into a state like before where he would be non-responsive, so Daneel decided to do something.

Stepping forward, he gave a tight slap to Perfect's face, and this made the man look at him with shock before an emotion that he had never shown before erupted.

Anger.

He made as if to leap forward and hit back, but Daneel spoke in a calm tone.

"I apologize for that, but if I hadn't done that, you would be whining like before. It's clear that we don't have time- if the same schedule is followed, the second blight will come soon. You can fight me and take all the revenge you want outside, but here, we must work together. I value my life, too, Perfect. In fact, I value it much more than you do yours, as I believe that the fate of millions of lives hinges on mine. Call it an illusion of grandeur, or the arrogant ravings of a loon. Either way, I have this thing to believe in, which gives me strength and confidence, no matter who or what comes in my way. Now, shall we get back to bonding? This is the first time in my life that I am apologizing to anyone for hitting them. I am not saying this arrogantly- I genuinely feel a need to apologize, but it was needed."

As the King of Lanthanor said this, even Elanev and Faxul looked at him weirdly.

Indeed, this really was the first time that this man who had always been sure of himself had apologized to someone.

True, there had been things that he needed to apologize for before, but then, there had been no one to approach and deliver an apology in this way.

His sincere feelings seemed to touch a chord in Perfect's heart, as the man calmed down and massaged his cheek for a few moments.

After that, he actually smiled and said, "I understand. You remind me of my Grandfather. He is also someone who is ready to apologize if he sees that he was at fault, but if he isn't, he would rather die than admit guilt. Once, I remember him decapitating a foe who later escaped, and his biggest despair was that it was unwarranted. Alas, no matter how much he searched, he could not find that person, and he still speaks about him when he drinks to this day. Anyway, yes, let us get back to the task at hand."

Appreciative smiles appeared on the faces of all three from the Central Continent as they heard this, as this was exactly what they had been looking for.

It looked like Daneel's decision had worked out, even though he, himself, had known where it would lead to.

Remarking to himself on the remarkable outcomes of things when one followed one's heart, Daneel was about to speak, but he had to pause as the house moved again.

All of them returned to their previous position, and as Daneel took a hesitant peek out of the window, he saw that the barrier was back up, and the mist had receded to where it had been before.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he was about to turn around, but he stopped when he saw all the villagers coming out and saying something together.

"The Great Bond."

"Yes, we need to rekindle the Great Bond!"

"Everyone, gather around the cypress!"

"It's the only way!"

Curious, he turned to Perfect and was about to ask, but the man answered before that, itself.

"The Great Bond. I heard about it, but no one explained what it was. This entire thing was just weird, you know. It was as if all the things they didn't speak about had caused them traumatic experiences which they did not want to recall no matter how much I badgered them. One woman even almost set me on fire! Anyway, the only thing I do know is that it can help. Why not go try it?"

Daneel thought for a bit as he heard this, and then nodded.

The biggest problem here was that they did not know exactly what a 'bond' was.

If this 'Great Bond' gave them that information, then they would be much better equipped to tackle this situation, so it seemed to be the best avenue to pursue at the moment.

Fear of the unknown was always a factor that had to be taken into account. Even before, much of the anxiousness he had seen in his companions had been because of their enemy that had been wreathed in darkness, making it so that they didn't even know what it was.

As they all walked in the direction where all of the villagers were heading, they soon saw the cypress that had been mentioned.

It was a magnificent tree, and Daneel had spotted it before, too, as it was hard to miss in such a small place.

The most interesting thing…was that even though the rest of the land had completely turned barren due to that attack before, this tree was the only thing that still stood strong and hale.

It's green leaves almost shone in the sunlight that had been restored, and just entering its shade seemed to calm the trepidations in the hearts of Daneel and his companions.

Not know what to do, they looked around and saw that the villagers were simply sitting down in the shade and entering a meditating pose.

Nodding between themselves, the four adopted the same pose, and for a little time, they felt nothing.

Only the sounds of more and more people walking to their location and sitting down could be heard, followed by those of many people breathing deeply.

Just as Daneel was about to question this entire approach, though…he suddenly spotted something that he had not felt before.

Between those deep breaths and those sounds of rustling leaves, a low…hum could be felt, which was deeper than any that Daneel had ever heard in his life.

It was almost as if there was a gigantic being that lay asleep in front of them, and they were listening to its humongous lungs breathe as they sat in its shade.

The first thing that Daneel felt after this revelation…was humility.

He felt humbled in this being's presence, for some reason, and although he asked within himself, he could find no answer for this strange experience.

Was it that he had started to think too highly of himself? Or was it that he was close to a breaking point due to all the pressure on his shoulders?

Wait…where did these questions even come from?

No sooner had he asked this, that hum changed, and this time, it was one of power.

With each second, this aspect of power of that voice, or feeling, or whatever it was that had engulfed Daneel grew stronger, and he couldn't ignore it even if he wanted to.

His blood started to pump wildly throughout his body, and his heart started to speed up, as if he was in a situation where he needed to fight, or flee.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Like an unstoppable army that marched ever onwards, this hum felt like it was coming to vanquish Daneel.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

In that moment, he entered a strange state where he was convinced that he had no option but to die.

And in that state…all of his regrets started to come to life.

Have I done right by all those I met? Have I done everything I can?

These questions weren't new, and neither was this the first near-death experience that Daneel was going through.

Yet, that state that he was in allowed him to think of the answers much more clearly, as if the feeling that his death was inevitable had resulted in a liberation that allowed him to see things as they were, instead of trying to look for ways to circumvent what was going to happen.

He found the answers, but just as he was about to give in…that hum stopped, and he found himself back in reality.

Opening his eyes and widening them with shock, Daneel looked around, and saw that Elanev, Faxul and Perfect were doing the same thing.

Apart from them, some of the villagers who had started to meditate at the same time as them had also awakened, but unlike them, these villagers all stood up with determination in their eyes.

With interest, Daneel followed them, and what he saw made the revelation that he was supposed to find here reflect in his eyes.

Each villager…went to those that seemed to be familiar with them, and spoke to them about certain things that seemed as if they had been repressed.

In one case, it was a man who had acted out of jealousy by stealing something from another.

In another, it was a woman who had gossiped about someone else behind their back.

Not intending to waste a second more, Daneel stood up and made sure that the others had seen him before hurrying back to their house.

As soon as everyone had entered, he shut the door and turned around with an expression that was brimming with excitement.

As soon as he shouted out the revelation, he saw the others nod, and that was when he knew that they had found the right track.

"Bonding is about sharing your weaknesses, too- it's not just your goals and strengths that are important! Only a bond formed between those who know both positive and negative aspects of another can be called a true one!"

…

While Daneel was participating in that almost esoteric spiritual journey, as he would call it later, he wasn't aware that in his Kingdom, his sovereigns had just begun a hasty meeting.

Kellor, Robert, Eloise, Luther, Aran, and Cassandra all had worried expressions on their faces, as they viewed a display trinket in front of them.

In it, a woman could be seen ducking in and out of the central crowd in the largest marketplace in Lanthanor.

She seemed unremarkable, as she was wearing the clothes of a commoner while even carrying a bag filled with the fresh produce of the morning.

Yet, in the display trinket…her figure was highlighted in red, and the words 'Hero Level' flashed incessantly in bright red letters.

With a frustrated expression, Eloise stood up and shouted, "What should we do?!"

With a sigh, it was Robert who answered, and although all those present knew that he was saying the truth, it was obvious that they didn't like it, at all.

"What can we do? We watch, and wait. Oh, and we can hope that our King finds something in the Order to handle a proper Hero-level individual. Otherwise…things might get pretty dicey."

Chapter 836: Test of Bonding 4

Right after Daneel made the proclamation regarding the conclusion that they had all come to, all of them sank into deep thought as they began to reflect on what they had just seen during their vision.

It was clear by now that each of them had seen different things, and they were all corresponding to what they had experienced in their lives. Daneel didn't yet know just how that tree, which was definitely the one responsible for what had happened, had managed to do it, but it almost seemed like another hypnotization which placed one in a situation where they would be able to be exposed to their drawbacks, or whatever thoughts they had hidden within themselves which needed to come to light.

In that sense, the Great Bond was essentially a repair mechanism, by which the villagers were mending the bonds between themselves to ensure that the blight would not attack again.

Of course, this was all a simulation, so what they were doing didn't matter – the Great Bond was there to give them more information about what sort of bond they were supposed to create to pass this level, so with a clear direction in mind now, all four of them began to decide about what they would do.

Among them, Perfect had the most thoughtful expression, and seeing this, Daneel got the suspicion that he must have been shown much more than what they had. As for he, himself, he had only been exposed once again to his drawbacks that he had already known, so the crucial thing was that he had at least managed to find out more about their situation.

Having already formed the statement that he would make, Daneel was about to say that they should hurry up, which was when he suddenly paused as the system sent a message in his mind.

[Primary countermeasure set up for off-world communication has been triggered.]

As soon as it came, he froze, but because the others were still absorbed in what they had seen, they didn't spot this change that came over the King of Lanthanor.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

After a few moments, he quickly recovered, but in his eyes, there was a newly born sense of urgency.

The reason behind this… Was that his worst fear had been confirmed.

In just his last foray into this mission, Daneel had been in a situation where he was needed, but had not been able to be contacted because he had not left behind any means that could bypass the restrictions placed by the Order. At that time, he had not thought that it would be necessary, but after that incident, he realized that there should definitely be at least a binary switch.

Thankfully, the system had come through. It had told him that there was one method possible, and even that would only tell him regarding whether it was activated or not, but it was sufficient. More information could be obtained after he exited wherever he went to, and hence, before entering the Nightmare Dungeon again, Daneel had set it up and given it to those staying back in the kingdom.

Now that it had been triggered… It meant that there was another threat in the outside world that he needed to attend to.

Even though he had jested after his return the last time regarding how him leaving for a few hours had resulted in those outside almost burning down the continent, the truth was that he trusted them, and those words had only been spoken casually because of the belief that he had been right to get the suspicion and have his master investigate, which had led to the reveal of the entire plot.

Still, Daneel decided that he would not leave things to chance. They had to finish this test, and then finish the third one, too, before leaving to see just what threat had chosen this time to attack.

He had told Elanev and Faxul about it, so as he looked up, he gave them a sign that they had predetermined which would mean that there was another danger in the outside world.

Seeing it, both of the sovereigns broke out of their lines of thought. Faxul frowned, whereas Elanev even started to curse. Even though Daneel couldn't hear it, he could tell that he was probably complaining about how danger kept appearing just when they were in these goddamn missions which definitely had to be completed.

With that, all three of them looked at Perfect, who was still thinking.

Daneel was about to tell him to speed it up, but alas… Once again, the tell-tale rumbling of the ground returned, and the screams of the villagers were heard along with it.

"The second blight!"

"What? How?! The Great Bond didn't work? Are we fated to perish here?"

"No! Everyone, we can do it again! Please fix your bonds!"

Perfect was also startled out of his reverie, and together, they braced themselves as the house returned to the earth once more.

This time, the attack above seemed to be much more destructive, because the rumbling of the ground around them continued for a long time with an even greater intensity. That howling filled with frustration was also heard again and again, and it even seemed to be burrowing into the ears of those who were listening, causing them to feel panic and fear.

By the time it finally ended, it felt as if a lifetime had passed, and as one, all four of them let out a breath of relief.

Daneel hadn't spoken until now as he had felt a sense of danger which had told him that it might be better to stay silent. Even the villagers in the other houses had clapped their hands around their mouths, as if the second blight had the added ability of hearing them if they spoke, and hence, he had kept his silence.

It was only after that thing returned and the barrier went back up that he finally spoke.

"Okay, we're out of chances now! That Great Bond was clearly the only clue that we get – I really doubt that there is anything else to find in this village. It showed us our weaknesses, so that means that we should expose them to each other to form a close enough bond. I'll start. I sometimes think too highly of myself, and depend on my power too much. It is not to an egregious level, yet, but if I do not control it, I might turn out to be exactly like one of those arrogant seeds who only know how to bully others. Also, I have the habit of putting too much on my shoulders without entrusting others to bear the burden along with me. At least in this, I have begun to change, but still, that pressure is still present, and it might break me if I am not careful. Those are my flaws. Oh, and I suck in all matters related to romance, but I'm determined to change that. It has already changed, but I simply haven't had the time to pursue that track. I am rest assured that the time will come soon when I'll be able to fully focus on it, but until then, I acknowledge this shortcoming of mine."

He told it all in one breath and then looked to the side, as if he didn't want to meet the gazes of the other three who must definitely be judging him.

Of course, Elanev and Faxul already knew about these weaknesses, and as they heard that last one, he had seen them almost firmly nod as if it was the most obvious truth regarding him that everyone who knew him knew.

As for Perfect, he was quite surprised to find this out. He had not expected that someone who was so dominating could have such a flaw, which did not really fit with the character. Still, it was nothing that couldn't be fixed, and from his words, it was obvious that he was on the path to doing so.

Elanev spoke next.

"I'm sometimes unsure of myself, and tend to lose confidence. Well, something recent did happen which allowed me to build up a lot of self-confidence, but still, I could be affected by this once more if I'm not careful. Also, I have the bad habit of giving up on things before I need to. I have realized that I shouldn't do it, though, and I don't intend to repeat it throughout my life. And… I had the problem of not being able to keep my thing in my pants, but lately, my self-control hasn't been that bad."

He was followed by Faxul, who spoke up quickly as he, too, knew that this was the final chance.

"I have that same last flaw as the Overlord. Also, I can get cocky in regards to my power."

His was the shortest answer, but it was succinct.

As they were all done, they stared at Perfect once again, who looked between them and then finally sighed and spoke.

"Alright, fine. My drawback is that I'm extremely unmotivated. All I want is the safest normal life, with some luxuries, of course. Apart from that, I really don't see a need for me to train all that much and become powerful enough to fight and possibly die. Many might call me a coward because of this, but it's the truth. I've… Never told anyone about it. And I hope you keep it a secret. I mean, it's not even that difficult to guess it if anyone sees my attitude, but if it becomes public knowledge… I'll be kicked out of my family, or even killed. Yeah, it happens."

Daneel only looked into Perfect's eyes for a second, before nodding.

Indeed, he had guessed that it might be possible, and although it was a little surprising, it didn't give him all that much shock.

The other two, too, accepted it after a few moments.

Just as he had said, it was something that could be guessed, and the only thing that could surprise someone was that someone with such an illustrious background could be in this way.

After thinking for a bit, Daneel actually found it to be normal to meet at least a few like him, as on Earth, there were many instances where children of successful people were often completely aimless in life, and simply lived for the sake of spending time in luxury.

He had been thinking that the weakness should be pretty serious if one was to form a bond, and this…definitely fit in that category.

Perfect had his head lowered, and his shoulders were even bowed.

Walking forward, Daneel raised his hand to the man's shoulders, and this time, his hand wasn't slapped away.

His very action seemed to give strength, making Perfect look up to eyes that were more understanding than anything else.

"I won't bullsh*t around, because we don't have time. Life is a series of decisions. At the end of it, all that matters is whether we have taken most of them in a way that will not cause us regret. If you are clear regarding the fact that that is what you want, then there's no need to feel doubt. Yes, many may say that because you are blessed with talent, it is your duty to help in protecting our Homeland. But…On the battlefield, I would rather choose an untalented, yet determined ally over one that is powerful, yet unwilling to be where he is any day. If you feel guilty because of these insinuations, find a different way to shut those people up. Or don't care about them, and do what you want. This World is all about Will. Doing something that is against your Will…is simply a recipe for disaster. At least- that's what I've learned. If that is your main flaw, then I believe that our bond is strong. I do not judge you, and I have told you all I can. Beyond that, your life is yours to live, but I am interested to see what direction it will take. This should be enough, right?"

Daneel's words which were simple, yet filled with wisdom caused Perfect's eyes to twinkle with enlightenment.

Yet…as soon as he had asked that last question, that twinkle had been replaced by a shadow of doubt.

Seeing it, Daneel was about to ask what was wrong, but then…for the third time, the rumbling began.

This time, it was so intense that the foundations of the building they were in, themselves, started to take damage, and bits and pieces started to fall from the ceiling.

Cries of anguish and sorrow could be heard from the outside, as the villagers were convinced that the end was nigh.

Ignoring them all, Daneel looked straight into Perfect's eyes, which still held that shadow.

He was muttering in shock, and it seemed to be something about how the time between Blights would always decrease.

Gritting his teeth, Daneel used both of his hands to grasp Perfect by the sides of his arms and said, "Perfect, you're still not doing something you know you are supposed to! Act now, or we are done for! Do it!"

His words seemed to awaken the frightened man, and in that moment…a look unlike any flashed across his face.

It was one of horror, desperation, misery, and finally…defeat.

This defeat was the one akin to what would come on a warrior's face when he was about to die to a horde of his rage-filled enemies, and it held all the reluctance that was supposed to be present in someone who loved their life dearly.

As the shrieking of the creature began to be heard again, Perfect finally relented, and screamed something that made everything freeze.

"FINE! A bond can never be made if one holds a secret he deems to be too big to hide, yet has to if he wants to live! My secret…is that me, and my family, are agents of that damn Church, and I DON'T WANT TO BE ONE! Please, just kill me, and we can be done with it! DO IT!"

Chapter 837: The Final Tes

Even after the entire simulation broke apart and the four found themselves back in the room where they had started to undergo the test, Daneel and his sovereigns could only continue to stare at Perfect who was breathing heavily, as if he had run a marathon.

His face still contained all of the emotions from before, but apart from that, one other had been added – peace.

It was almost as if this was something that had been eating him up on the inside, and speaking it out loud had given him a sense of serenity that could not be equated to anything else.

Yet, it lingered only for a moment before he realized what the repercussions of his actions might be.

He rounded on the three, but by that time, Daneel had managed to recover.

Frowning, he said, "We can talk about it later. Let's get to the final test, first."

Perfect looked into Daneel's eyes for a few moments, and although he didn't know exactly what he saw there, he gulped and finally nodded.

Following this, Elanev and Faxul also shared looks between each other and then decided to follow Daneel's words, which led to them walking to the door that had newly appeared in the room, just like in the test before.

It was the exact same one, and as Daneel turned the knob, he saw that they had apparently reached the same room that they had before after finishing the Test of Self.

Walking forward to the board on which the piece of parchment was placed, the four of them read it, and didn't know what to think.

"Congratulations on passing the Test of Bonding. The objective of the test is to expose just what it means to create a bond between each other. There are various factors at play, and it is only up to the participants to find out just what they are. If you passed, it means that you have seen into the eternal mysteries that surround interpersonal relations, and it is these relations that can make or break the World, itself. When creating a bond, it is not important to give exact details, but instead, it is those which matter, and which are required for one to be made that need to be shared. These even change from team to team. A word of caution. You might have done so out of compulsion to stay alive, and if so, you might be feeling a lot of suspicion right now. However, the Nightmare Dungeon suggests that you leave behind this feeling, as bonds created in this Test are often long-lasting. It is only mistrust between the members which causes rifts to appear, and if all of you can see past your differences, you will form something fulfilling that will last for a lifetime. The decision is yours. Step forth to begin your last test. Or, again, step back, and welcome death."

That last statement seemed to be some sort of a mantra of the Nightmare Dungeon, because it was using it quite a lot.

What was written here seemed to be advice that had been posted later on after spotting the same pattern that Perfect had seen in those who had undergone this test. So, the most interesting thing, was actually that the Nightmare Dungeon had called itself an entity when giving this advice.

If so… What was it?

Was this not just a normal test which they were undertaking, that had predetermined and preset rules and conditions that needed to be fulfilled in order to pass it?

Ever since they had entered, there had been clues pointing to the fact that there might be something else behind it all, but this was the clearest one yet.

Daneel would have reflected more of these things if he hadn't received the trigger from the outside. At the moment, though, he was only focused on finishing his work here and then finding out just who had dared to threaten his interests again.

So, putting all these thoughts aside, he walked firmly to the other door in the room, opening which he was puzzled, as it looked like they were once again in the maze that they had just passed to reach the second test.

Turning around, Daneel looked at Perfect with questioning eyes, following which the man said in a weak voice, "I guess we have to find the test again. Let's go."

A change had come over the countenance of Perfect, but Daneel didn't know for how long it would last, and just what kind of effect it would have on his psyche.

Deciding to think about the ramifications of what he had said later on so that they could focus on what was at hand now, Daneel nodded and lead the way into the maze.

Yet… In the next moment itself, he saw what was different.

Last time, they had come upon a small group of dogs which they had transformed into a tasty meal. This time, though… There were over 200 waiting for them just a few metres away.

Even though these dogs were made up of just bones and sinew, they were still capable of making all the sounds that hellhounds would have made if they existed. The low growling sound they made, which was what any predator would make before it pounced on its prey echoed throughout the narrow corridors of the maze, and for a moment, Daneel and his team and these dogs all maintained eye contact.

Then… All hell broke loose, as all of them jumped forward with speed at the level of the Champion realm, which led to Daneel and the rest understanding the horrifying conclusion that this presented.

They… Were going up against 200 Champion level dogs.

Even if they had a Hero in their midst, it would have been very difficult to defeat a force this powerful, so the only option left was to run.

There was only one way, so without hesitation, they took it. A passage was thankfully present before the spot in the maze where these dogs had been awaiting them, so they turned into it and started to run for their lives.

This abrupt change in the pace of the Nightmare Dungeon threw them off, but they could only care about going as fast as they could as they zoomed through the corridors and kept taking the turns as they came.

Still, Daneel made sure that he stayed in the front so that the others could follow his lead, and he also sent a quick message saying that Perfect should be second so that he could talk and have Daneel change directions in case he saw something that might give him a clue based on the knowledge he had gathered.

Admiring the quick decisions of the king even in such a panicked state, the four became completely engrossed in the cat and mouse chase that was like no other.

The dogs were tireless – the sound of their infernal barking echoed again and again in the corridors, and by one point, it even felt as if the sound was coming from within their skulls. Every time any of them glanced back, they saw these dogs even climbing over themselves in the eagerness to get to their prey and tear them apart as if in revenge for what had been done to their brethren, and this spurred them to run even faster and pull out each and every ounce of Energy in their bodies.

These were their original bodies, and this was no simulation – if they were caught, they were truly afraid that they would die.

While running, Daneel tried to analyse just what the point of this could be. Was it just to bump up the tension and then begin the third test? Or could it be something else?

Unlike the others who had to fully focus on running away, he had simply asked the system to give his body maximum efficiency while he ran, as he used his mind to think about what could be the reason behind this chase.

He could tell already that one of the reasons was that whoever was being chased in this manner would not be capable of making any rational decisions, because the fear of being chewed to a paste would keep them on their toes.

These were 200 damn Champion level dogs! Whoever had thought of it was definitely a sadist, and Daneel wondered whether he would ever find out who that was.

Putting aside such errant thoughts, he began to go through everything that they had encountered so far in this dungeon, all while keeping a close eye on the forks and the passages that they came upon to see if there were any clues that could lead them to the room like before where a test would be waiting.

Alas… No matter how much they ran, no such thing started to appear.

With each second, the situation started to get more and more dire. In terms of normal power level, Elanev was the weakest, as he only had his Fighter strength to depend on. Even though it was vast, it could not compare with the combined Fighter and Mage strength of the others who had broken through to become Champions, so soon, he started to fall behind.

"There's no time for beating around the bush. Faxul, help him. If you start slowing down too, take Perfect's help. If he starts slowing down, I'll help all of you."

Surprisingly, Perfect spoke up in a measured tone.

"Are you sure? You only seem to be at the Amateur Champion level, while I am an Exalted one. I have more reserves, so I should be last."

That was true, so Daneel nodded and they decided on that order.

Elanev knew that this was no time to complain, so he eventually relented to Faxul and got on the barrier made by him.

Like this, the group kept running and running, and the maze that had not seemed so large before now felt like it stretched on to eternity.

By now, they had mindlessly started to turn no matter how many forks were presented to them, but it always seemed as if the dogs were around each and every corner.

It even felt as if they were gaining, which led to even more panic appearing in the group. At one point, when they looked back, they saw that another hundred dogs had been somehow added, and the speed had overall increased.

That… meant that eventually, they would have no option but to stop and fight.

Was this why the death toll was so high in this dungeon? Was this why not many had come until this stage, as only death awaited them?

But it made no sense! Why would there be such profound tests until now, only to end in such a way?

Daneel kept pondering on this, and there seemed to be something eluding him continuously.

His biggest advantage was that he didn't need to control his body, and he used it to the fullest. He kept thinking and thinking, trying to catch that clue which was almost on the tip of his tongue, but couldn't be grasped as it kept escaping like a mischievous fairy in a forest.

Repeatedly, he went through everything, but even he started to feel the panic as he saw each of his team members get tired.

They were going at their peak speed, and even Champions would be tired out if they had to maintain such a pace for a long time. It was already his turn to help out Faxul, and mimicking him, he conjured a barrier.

Because of this, he had to slow down a bit, and Perfect moved to the front. This man was much less sure of where they were going when compared to Daneel, so he kept agitatedly glancing back.

Yet, all he could do was take one step after the other and keep running.

Wait…one step after the other?

As this thought came in his mind, Daneel was struck by an epiphany.

At once, everything made sense.

Hence, with no more hesitation…he stopped.

As he was helping Faxul and Elanev, they, too stopped with him, and they stared at their King with shock, wondering if he had gotten tired.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Perfect ground to a halt, too, and turned back to shout, "What's wrong? I'll help!"

Yet, shaking his head, Daneel said, "No. Stop. If you trust the bond that we have made, believe in me, and stop."

Taken aback, Perfect looked between the route forward and Daneel, whose face was set with determination.

His mind seemed to be in turmoil, but a second later…he made a sound filled with vexation and strode back to stand beside Daneel.

"I guess there was no end to this, anyway. If we die, we die. Gentlemen, it's been an honor."

He said this with resignation, but Daneel only got a small smile.

The dogs were already catching up, and in barely a few seconds, they would be upon them.

Daneel leisurely turned around to face them, and his team members started to ready attacks.

Yet, he surprised them again by sauing, "No, stop. Completely deactivate your powers, and just wait. Like I said, trust me."

They looked at him abjectly, but after that, they shrugged.

They knew that they weren't a match for a few hundred Champions anyway, even if they were dogs, so their actions had been pretty much futile.

Elanev and Faxul found confidence in their King, and although Perfect was close to despair, he, too raised his head in defiance one last time.

It seemed that revealing the truth really had changed him, as this was something he would definitely not have done before.

As one, the team stood together, staring into the maws of the dogs which gleefully accelerated on seeing that their prey was not even putting up a fight.

Daneel was calm, but the others braced themselves. The closer they came, the more the urge grew to run, but he said, "Steady. Just stay still."

They followed him blindly, because at this point, there was nothing else to do. Even if they began running, it would be too late.

ROW! RAAARGH!!!!

After reaching close enough, the dogs all jumped, resulting in a the passageway being filled to the ceiling with them.

The other three closed their eyes, waiting to die. What would go first? Their heads? Or would their hands be bitten off?

As macabre questions like these came in their minds, they did not look forward to finding out, but even as a few more seconds passed…nothing happened.

Slowly, they opened their eyes…and their jaws dropped, as they found themselves back in the spot where they had started the Nightmare Dungeon.

As a voice echoed in their minds, they all turned to the King with extremely dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"The Nightmare Dungeon has been cleared. Congratulations."

Chapter 838: Talking to Perfect 1

Daneel looked at his companions for a few moments, before bursting out with hearty laughter.

As they were all watching him quite closely, they understood that his laughter was also one that encompassed his own relief due to the fact that whatever he had worked out had been right, allowing them to retain their lives and return here.

Before they could wait for him to stop, though, they found themselves teleported out again, and this time, it was back to the obelisk where they had chosen the mission.

Looking all around, the Headquarters seemed the same, but for some reason, something felt off.

After thinking for a bit, they realized that the reason behind this was not outward, but inward – due to everything they had gone through in the Nightmare Dungeon, they had all changed, and this was most applicable in the case of Perfect.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Daneel stopped laughing, and at that moment, the entire Headquarters fell silent as a voice was heard over the area.

"A team headed by the Overload has succeeded in passing the Nightmare Dungeon with the highest level of completion. Their names shall be recorded on the Board of Achievements. The Order congratulates them, and hopes that they can reach many new heights."

For a few moments after the announcement was given, the silence stretched on, but after that, someone who was right below Daneel shouted, "There he is!"

With that, a thick buzz of conversation broke out, and it looked like a scene similar to what had occurred after his 'Airdrop' mission might break out.

Not intending to see this happen, Daneel teleported away after sending a message to his teammates, following which they disappeared, too.

They soon reappeared in front of the quarters before walking in.

Daneel led the way, and because the rest were in Lanthanor, their quarters were empty.

Even after reaching them, he did not allow the others to speak by placing a finger on his lips to indicate that they should stay silent.

It was only after they sequestered themselves in the room with scorched walls did a word finally exit Daneel's mouth, and it was, "Well…"

"Well, what? How the hell did you know that that was what we were supposed to do? None of those I talked to even gave me a hint about it!"

Perfect exclaimed in this way, causing the other three to give him an odd look.

He understood right away that the reason must be that he was the one who was supposed to be giving answers now related to what he had revealed, so he tightened his lips and replied, "We can talk about it after you explain!"

After frowning for a bit, Daneel nodded.

The way he saw it, the implications of what Perfect had revealed were much more important than the line of reasoning that had led him to the solution for the final test of the Nightmare Dungeon, but he decided to oblige the man. After all, it was no small thing, so it might be possible that he needed to build up the courage to get back to it.

Once again, Daneel checked all of the formations he had laid down. The system did so, too, and the objective was to make sure that even the Overseer couldn't listen in.

It was only after he satisfied himself that he conjured a few sofas, before settling into one and gesturing the others to do so, too.

Even Elanev and Faxul had puzzled looks on their faces, but of the two, Faxul seemed to be working out something in his mind.

With a smile, Daneel flew over a wine bottle and said, "It seems that my friend has begun to figure it out. Think about the outcome, and everything that we went through in the Nightmare Dungeon, and you'll see it too."

He paused after this, allowing the others to put their minds to work while he poured out four glasses of the strongest wine that was in the room.

Of course, it was nothing for Champions, but it still gave them a kick that lingered on the tip of their tongue.

All of them gulped down their glasses, and Daneel decided to put them out of the suspense.

"I'll explain, because it might take time for you all, and we have more important matters to get to."

Perfect flushed a bit as he heard this, but he still eagerly trained his eyes on Daneel, waiting for the answer.

Looking at them all, the King of Lanthanor said, "All of it hinges on one thing: 'Step back, and welcome death.'"

As this quote which they had seen and heard multiple times in the Nightmare Dungeon was repeated, something seemed to click in the mind of Faxul.

"Right! We were not supposed to step back!"

With a clap, Daneel pointed his finger at his best friend and said, "Bingo!"

For the sake of the others, though, who looked like they were close to rioting, he decided to elaborate.

"Well, it was a combination of things, but it all leads up to this. Since the beginning, this statement was repeated, and I never saw its significance. Anyway, let me tell you my line of reasoning. First of all- I started to think on the basis that the objective of the Nightmare Dungeon was not to kill people indiscriminately. In that final chase, that seemed to be the only outcome, so it just didn't make sense. Until then, the tests had involved self-discovery and the act of forming bonds, and this indicated the conclusion that the Nightmare Dungeon might be a place where teams were molded and forged to become the best that they could be. If so…the final test should also be something of this manner, and from here, I took a close look at everything we had been given, until then. That was when I spotted that quote, which stood out- we kept taking steps back from our foes, and what had we gained? Nothing. In fact, even the number of dogs had started to increase, which meant that we would have faced our doom soon. This seemed farfetched, but when I spotted one other thing…it all fell in place. Do you remember the second half of the message we were given after we passed the second test?"

Except for Elanev, the other three were Champions, so their memory was much better than someone normal. Right away, Perfect repeated it.

"'A word of caution. You might have done so out of compulsion to stay alive, and if so, you might be feeling a lot of suspicion right now. However, the Nightmare Dungeon suggests that you leave behind this feeling, as bonds created in this Test are often long-lasting. It is only mistrust between the members which causes rifts to appear, and if all of you can see past your differences, you will form something fulfilling that will last for a lifetime. The decision is yours. Step forth to begin your last test. Or, again, step back, and welcome death.' Wait…step forth to begin your last test?!"

Just as Daneel expected, Perfect was able to spot it right away.

With a smile, he said, "Exactly. This almost seemed like normal phrasing, meaning that we would walk forward and find the third test, but the fact was…that exiting that door, itself, meant that the test had started. Almost no one would be able to spot something trivial like this, unless they analyzed everything based on what they were going through. From here, it was easy. If there is one last thing that can be done to set in stone the bonds that are formed in the Dungeon, then it is to create a situation where the team members entrust their lives to the one who has found this out, or believe in themselves and what they have spotted to pass the test. Either way, it results in a moment of courage that goes a long way in forming an incredible team, and that was obviously the objective. Oh, yes, a clue can be gotten from the fact that the pace of the dogs only increased gradually, allowing the chase to go on, which indicated that there must be a significance behind it. Basically, the Nightmare Dungeon gave a lot of chances-it is only up to the participants to think with a clear mind and spot them. If even one of the team members didn't trust this and continued to run, or if they abandoned their team, I guess that it would have resulted in failure. We stood together and did not step back, and we won! Now, then, let's get to the Church, shall we?"

Daneel's way of explaining it had lulled Perfect into an admiring mood, as he saw it all uncovered in a simple way which made him feel dumb for not spotting it. No one could be blamed, though, as just the idea of having 200 Champion-level fiends on one's heels would be quite distracting.

However, with that last sentence, all of it was gone, and was replaced by that same unwillingness.

Seeing it, Daneel said, "Look, Perfect. Others may discard whatever happened in there, but I am not of that sort. In my eyes, a bond is only for life. I am prepared to be your comrade in reality, and help you. I admit, I want to help myself, too, in the sense that there is a chance that I might find something which aids me in my goal to save Angaria. For that, I need to hear it all. First, let me make a guess. The very fact that you were able to say it means that you are not bound by an oath to keep it secret. Any way I see it, it means that you probably found out without your family knowing that you have. Is that true?"

Perfect seemed to be quite dazed after he heard Daneel's words. If Daneel knew that this was because it was the first time anyone had spoken in this way, honestly, to him in the longest time, he would have pitied the man, whose fate would have reminded him of that of Percy's.

As Daneel waited, Perfect continued to think for a bit while looking straight into Daneel's eyes and then finally nodded.

This made a glow appear in Daneel's eyes, as he had spotted…that in front of him might be a chance that if used properly, would benefit him in ways that he couldn't even imagine.

Controlling his excitement, though, he was about to say something, but Perfect spoke up after giving a look to the other two in the room, too, who also showed no animosity towards him.

With a disbelieving laugh, he said, "From the get-go, it was clear that you lot are the loyalist type. So…I expected you to look at me as if I am an enemy, or try to bind me so that I wouldn't run away. The fact that you did none of those things mean a lot to me, and I feel all the more that I did the right thing. It was such a f*cking burden that I feel as if I can finally raise my head after decades, and for that, I am truly thankful. Well, I see no reason why you shouldn't know the rest."

Perfect's words made smiles appear on Daneel and his sovereign's faces.

It was at that moment that they realized that a connection really had been formed between them, as they hadn't even thought of doing those things. They had started to treat him as an ally almost unconsciously, and the credit for this definitely had to go to the Nightmare Dungeon.

With a deep breath, he began.

"Our family has a custom of gathering every decade. It was during one of these gatherings, that I made the discovery that changed my life…"

Chapter 839: Talking to Perfect End

After Perfect's tale was done, Daneel and the other two sovereigns could only stare at him with pity in their eyes, even though they tried not to let that emotion show. After all, no one would like to be shown pity, but in this case, it was just too hard.

It actually hadn't been that complicated, but often, life was so. All that he had done was listen in, for a moment, on a conversation when he was just 5 years old. At the time, he had apparently had the habit of playing hide and seek with his brothers. They had been engaged in this game on a specific occasion during one of the centennial meetups of their family, and Perfect and his brother had snuck into the walls of a certain room which had been hollow. The children had been the only ones to know of this, and they had been terrified when they suddenly heard all of the elders of their family assembling in that same room. A spell had been cast, but as it worked on just checking that only those who were of a certain Bloodline were present in the room, it had overlooked the children.

In it, they had overheard the proposal, and the decision that was taken. The family would swear allegiance to the Church in return for obtaining resources that would allow certain chosen members of the family to break past the Hero level, and when it was all done, they would also be given a chance to obtain a foothold on the elusive Mainland.

It would remain within the upper echelons, and each and every member who reached the Hero level would be willingly or forcefully made to take a different kind of oath that would bind them to the Church and make them an agent against Angaria, too.

At that time, Perfect's brother had been a couple of years older than him, and he had explained to little Perfect that he should never, ever repeat what they had heard to anyone.

Perfect had been a smart kid, and he had listened.

As he grew, this information that he had held within himself began to change him in ways no one could expect. Besides that, he began to see many things which looked ordinary to the outside, but which were actually the result of his family's true allegiance.

Like poison, it started to destroy him from within, leading him to lose all motivation. A certain incident had kickstarted this, and it was…the death of his brother.

That man had apparently been much more talented, and he had vowed to himself that he would change their family after he became a Hero.

Alas, one fine day, Perfect had received a message which had the words 'Never tell anyone' written in blood, and it had been followed by the news of his brother's death.

Convinced that it was because someone had found out, he lost all hope, and since then, he had just been treasuring every second and trying to live for as much as possible until his death arrived.

Hearing it all, Daneel and the rest could only wonder how it must have felt.

Having no one to trust, and knowing something that was so important, but could not be told.

It was definitely something that had the potential to devastate one's psyche, and that had clearly happened.

After telling it all, Percy caught his head in his hands and closed his eyes.

Tears started to drip to the floor, and their pitter-patter echoed in the silent room.

Daneel had no idea that he would stumble onto something like this. Such a major family that had sworn allegiance to the Church secretly? Such a thing was horrifying to even think of, and the fact that they might have calmly backstabbed Angaria in a crucial time…made him shudder with panic.

How many more hidden enemies could be there like this, waiting to reveal themselves and change the course of events in a way that would benefit the Church?Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

By now, it had become clear that this must be another 'backup plan' of the Church, as the timeline meant that it was at a time when they hadn't even stepped foot on Angaria.

He had always known that there would be rotten apples within the hundreds of Heroes of Angaria, but he hadn't expected to come face to face with one of them so soon.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Perfect…meeting you is probably one of the luckiest things that has happened to me in my life."

These words which were definitely out of place made Perfect glance up with puzzlement, and seeing this, Daneel continued.

"First, let me ask you this. What sort of relationship do you have with your family? Answer honestly, without fearing that we will judge you."

The eyes of both Elanev and Faxul sharpened as they heard this.

If Perfect still loved his family, and if Daneel decided to kill them all for their crime…what would happen?

They didn't have to think for the answer long, though, because Perfect answered without even pausing to think.

"I hate them. Most of them, at least. There are very few whom I believe are good at heart, but the top echelons who have sold their souls for longer lives…they deserve to die. But they're the strongest Heroes on the continent! So how can that even happen? Anyway, I'm an orphan- my parents died of old age soon after I was born. I didn't have a relationship with them- in our family, because talented scions are valued, couples give birth as much as possible and the children are raised like livestock. Only those with talent are given a better childhood, but if someone is unlucky…they're resigned to be a servant. Yes, it might sound unbelievable, but apparently, even on the Mainland, the strongest families function like this- they are highly efficient and ruthless, as they need to be to stay on top. Well, that's what they tell themselves, anyway, but I despise it."

His words were filled with loathing, and the things he had just said caused Daneel and his sovereigns to feel taken aback.

Yet…wasn't this exactly how it was in the Order, too?

Here, it was talent. There, it was Bloodlines.

Just remembering Cassandra's words made Daneel tighten his fist, but he controlled himself and moved onto what he had been about to say.

"That's good, then, because when I'm done with them…I guess I will show that with my actions, rather than my words. Oh, it's nothing as droll as death- no, I think death is an easy way out. Perfect, its time for the most important question. What…is their name?"

Daneel had expected to find this out long back, so he had been a bit surprised to see that Perfect hadn't mentioned it yet.

Only…when the man replied, it became clear why that was the case.

Raising his hands in resignation, he said, "I can't tell you! That's actually the most infuriating thing about all this!"

With a sigh, he continued.

"All of us who enter the Order are made to swear special oaths that we will not reveal our true identity to anyone without the permission of the elders. I have no idea why that is, but sadly, it is the case. The oaths are special because they will send a message if there is an attempt to bypass them by making one speak in their dreams, too."

Daneel felt like smacking his forehead as he heard this.

It was almost as if the most delectable dessert had been about to enter his mouth to allow him to savor its succulent flavor, but it had suddenly been snatched away, leaving him with naught but the memory of its tantalizing smell.

He should have expected that he would face difficulties, but seeing them appear still sucked.

With this, all the other questions he was going to ask became useless. Also…there was the pressing matter about the intruders into his Kingdom.

Indeed, right after returning to the obelisk, Daneel had received multiple messages regarding why that trigger had been activated.

He had felt relieved that whoever had entered the Kingdom was still acting cautiously, which meant that he had time, so he had decided to handle this first and then leave.

Now, though, although he had received all this information, it looked like he would not be able to pinpoint these long-percieved, yet unidentified threats to the continent right away.

Hence, it was time to shift his priorities.

Getting up, he declared, "Perfect, all I ask right now is that you keep a close eye on their actions, and notify me the moment you feel that they might be up to something in tandem with the Church. Also, if you are in danger, you can contact me with this. You will be surprised just what amount of force someone from the Central Continent can bring forth. We are now comrades, and I trust you. All right?"

Perfect was a bit surprised by the abrupt end to their interview as he caught the trinket that was thrown to him, but he nodded.

Indeed, that was all he knew that he could do.

Still, Daneel decided to speak a bit more to appease the man.

"I have something pressing on the outside to take care of. Meanwhile, I'll think of a way to overcome your oath. Remember, make sure that there is no change in your attitude. Oh…and one last thing."

…

Outside the quarters, a small crowd had gathered, who were all talking about the blazing superstar in the Order who had already gotten his name on the Board of Achievements twice, even though he still had the tag of 'newbie' based on the amount of time that had passed since he entered.

Even the topmost seeds and scions of famous families on the continent couldn't boast of such a feat, and many had even begun to deride these so-called sons and daughters of Heaven.

Some in the crowd were the lackeys of these talented individuals, and others were just curious.

Yet, they all seemed to be waiting for something.

BANG!

With a loud sound that caused no surprise among most, a man flew out of a door that came into being on the large stone wall that was the quarters of the Order.

He coughed blood as soon as he thudded to the ground, and that made it clear that he had had to endure an attack that had still managed to injure him even though his barriers had seemingly managed to do their job

The now-famous Overlord flew out soon after and looked like he was readying a blow, but a thunderous voice boomed in the area.

"HALT!"

This voice was accompanied by overwhelming pressure, as a Hero suddenly descended to protect the one on the ground.

Seeing him spit out more blood, the Hero looked livid, but seeing him appear seemed to have made the Overlord understand that his game was up.

Shooting a murderous glance at both of them, he disappeared.

As the news started to spread like wildfire that the Nightmare Dungeon had caused more life-long enmity to be born, Daneel returned to his quarters in Lanthanor.

He shook his head, as sadly, there was no other way. Many knew about the 'bond' part, and it was too risky for them to remain normal and show that they had become companions for life, which might put Perfect's family on edge.

Putting him out of his mind for the moment, though, Daneel focused on the display trinket that was showing the Hero who had snuck into Lanthanor.

The rest of his sovereigns were already gathered, and before they spoke up, he answered the question on their minds.

"Yes, we can get the reward indicated by the Master to find the information regarding who might be in the Overseer's place, but if we choose it right away, it might tip off the very individual we are targeting. The chances are low, but I want to take no chances. I'll choose it in a little bit of time, but before that…let's handle these guests of ours."

It did not look like the intruder's Hero level power bothered the King, and seeing this, the sovereigns smiled.

Clapping his hands, he declared, "Let's begin,", and unknown to those who had been daft enough to target the Kingdom of Lanthanor, their fate began to be decided.

Chapter 840: Moving Ou

Magda looked with disdain at the vegetables on display in the marketplace of the capital of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

In her mind, she tried to convince herself that these were the same exotic meats that she was used to having in her castle, but no matter how much she tried to do so, the rank smells of sweat which felt so magnified to her and the buzz of conversation that was ever-present in this bustling destination of the continent kept distracting her, until she had no option but to agree that these were what she had to eat.

Being a foodie all her life, she had made it so that even her Champion and Hero Path were all about food, but for this assignment, she had had to forsake that love of her life, which was so all-encompassing that no other love had managed to captivate her enough to take part in her life.

All of this lasted only for a second, though, after which a bright smile came on her face and she began to bargain for the prices just like the housewives and husbands beside her.

A few minutes later, she returned to her cottage, which had been newly purchased under the name of Hildegard, a widow from the Kingdom of Arafell who had arrived here for a fresh start, after seeing her husband and son die in the event of a burglary.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

She had liquefied all of her assets, and she was currently one of the most sought after ladies in her street, mainly because of the vast wealth that she was supposed to possess, and the fact that there was no one to spend it. She spent her days either knitting in the courtyard in front of her house, or roaming the streets of the Kingdom of Lanthanor and making herself familiar with this new place that she found herself in.

Of course, this was all a sham, and what she was actually doing was collecting information that she kept passing back to the makeshift headquarters that the Heroes who had banded together in this mission had made.

They had actually drawn straws to select who would go on surveillance, as it didn't really matter which Hero did so. In a normal Kingdom of the Central Continent, the Hero level was legendary, and even their means would seem completely Godlike to those who resided in this backward place. Hence, anyone who knew basic spell casting could get away with anything, and at most, they would have to care about making their presence known by showing arrogance which did not befit anyone in this area.

The others had laughed when she was the one who drew the short straw, as it was her whose arrogance was usually the one which caused problems. She was famous for upending a bowl of soup on a very powerful Hero who came to her house for lunch on finding out that she was one of the most excellent chefs on the continent, and that had resulted in her having to call in many favors to dissuade the man from insisting that he beat her black and blue for revenge.

Still, she knew what the stakes were. They had always known that if they wanted to pursue their dreams, they needed to have something worthwhile to present to the Church that would put them on a pedestal and allow them to get whatever they wanted in the shortest time possible.

So, with great difficulty, she was trying to make new recipes with these common ingredients and normal methods while doing her duty of keeping a close eye on the Palace.

As she thought about what she would make today, Daneel was looking at her from right across the street.

If he were someone normal, she would have spotted him by now, but his spells were actually a level above what she was using. This was mainly because she seemed to not care too much about acting with professionalism, as she had only slapped together the most basic Hero level spells.

From this, itself, it was clear that whoever was attacking them seemed to still think of the Central Continent as a rural place with the weakest of people. He didn't really blame them- even the power that he has shown so far was limited, with his realm on the outside still being that of a Warrior level Mage and a Champion level fighter, but with the 'useless' Bloodline of the Divine cockroach.

Hence, there was really no reason for people who had had a certain impression of this place for a long time to change it, and this was actually a boon.

The first thing Daneel felt was relief after he found this out, as it meant that he was not going up against another extremely intelligent foe who might lead him to have to use some of his trump cards. He had really been hoping that that would not be the case, as dealing with Heroes would already be something very difficult – it would actually be his first attempt at doing so, and he wanted something easy.

Well, it looked like this was the easiest target he would get, as an overconfident enemy was often the easiest one to handle.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel teleported back to the Palace to find all of his sovereigns waiting for him.

It almost felt like they were back in the old times when there was no Order or Golden Lightning to think about – they had their Kingdom, they had their enemies, and all that mattered was whether they would be able to outsmart or overpower them to gain victory.

With a smile on the corner of his mouth, Daneel said, "All of you were right. She does seem quite haughty, and I could tell that even though she was trying to hide it, she has quite a lot of prejudice against our dear Central Continent. Well, we can look at that two ways- we can look forward to a time soon when that will no longer be the case, or we can feel angry due to it. I choose the former, and I'm really looking forward to it, but before that – what to do with these Heroes?"

As a commander, Luther cut straight to the chase as he asked the most important question.

"What is their purpose?"

With a shrug, Daneel said, "The mosquitoes, of course. It was the most obvious link that could be made – the individual who used mosquitoes to defuse the ticking time bomb that was going to blow up our chance of winning the War used mosquitoes in an innovative way, and the art of tampering with the biological make-up of living beings in order to create new species is an almost godlike one that anyone would want to have. In fact, I, myself, have been foolishly neglecting the potential that can have, but I can say that if I expose it, it will bring down wrath like no other upon me. Well, I had no other option but to do so in this case. In the Central Continent, I am famous for my various types of mosquitoes that I deployed both during the fight against those fools in that forest, and the events that happened during the Olympics. From these, an argument can be made that there is at least some sort of a connection between the individual who acted in those caverns and me, so they must be here to find out just what this is. Because of their attitude regarding the Central Continent, I guess that they, assuming its a group and not an individual because of the fact that she is sending some information repeatedly, think that it is my master, which is what I've always wanted them to assume, anyway. Because of this, we don't really need the Head's help in convincing them that the King of Lanthanor is not hiding extremely explosive strength and skills, but we might need the man here with us for a different purpose. I'll get to that soon. Before that, the most important question now is to find out why these people want to do this – is it simply to increase their own power, or is it to obtain a sort of bargaining chip with which they can negotiate with the Church? Or…are they directly agents of the Church carrying out an assignment? That is what we need to find out, and for that, our plan is simple- catch that Hero, and make them spill the beans."

A brief silence hung over the room as Daneel made that last statement, and after that, all of his sovereigns stared at him as if he were a madman.

It was Eloise who was able to put her thoughts into words first.

"But Daneel, that's a Hero! The last time you tried to take on one by yourself, you almost died! It's not worth it!"

It looked like that was exactly what the others had thought, too, and Daneel actually didn't blame them. He was chuckling on the outside, but on the inside, he was wincing due to the memory of the pain that he had had to undergo when his consciousness had split into a thousand pieces.

Raising his hand and making a cutting motion in the air, he said, "Oh, there's no damn way that I'll do that for these pesky fools! Yes, with my current power level, handling a Hero directly will be difficult, but we haven't actually been idling away all the time until now, right? Head, get in here!"

In the next second, the man who was treated with the utmost respect throughout the continent appeared respectfully in the room.

He nodded to all those present and said, "I've had a look, but I can't recognize her. Even though they are not trying too hard to conceal the fact that they are here, they have taken great pains to make sure that I cannot spot the exact identity of the one who was present. As for their power level… I have a general estimate, and I should be able to subdue them if they entered an area from which they cannot leave."

The simplicity with which one of their major problems had been solved almost dazed the sovereigns, but then, they remembered that their king was not the stupidly arrogant type who would insist that he achieve everything with his own power. Domination did not need one to always flex their muscles- they could do the same with their mind, and still awe all with their actions.

In this case, it was a simple idea to use their ally, but the sovereigns had not considered it as they had still not gotten used to this newfound status of theirs, where they had such a powerful Hero on their beck and call.

Only Luther and Robert seemed to have at least thought about it for a little bit, because they shared a smile between each other when they heard the king, and they were the first to recover.

With a nod, Daneel spoke in a firm tone.

"I expected as much. Head, and my sovereigns, let me tell you something. This might feel like a trivial matter on the surface, where someone is simply probing to obtain information that will help them, but I am taking this very, very seriously. We are approaching closer and closer to the war, so our objective right now should be to remove as many uncertain factors as possible. Right now, I classify this Hero and their group as one – and I intend to deal with them with full force due to this reason. There is no more kidding around. From here, each and every action that we take must be one that has been decided on while keeping the upcoming War in mind, and hence, in this mission, we shall take no chances. I will act as the bait, and all of you are the hunters. Head, accept your nomination and appointment as the 10th, and currently strongest sovereign. Who were once nine have become ten, but I expect that number will soon increase, which will allow us to once again reach one that is in line with the sacred numerals of this continent. For now, sovereigns, let's move out!"

Chapter 841: Bai

Magda was bending over a pot from which an odor that had captivated the entire street was emanating.

Ever since she had arrived, most of the houses on the street had faced many difficulties in stomaching their own food, because they would always find the discrepancies in what they cooked whenever the incredible smells of her cooking wafted into their homes. Unable to handle it, many had even resorted to completely closing down their houses when they ate, but still, the moment they stepped outside… They would be struck by the full force of those odors, and that would make them salivate and wish that they were in the house from which they were coming.

With each day, it was becoming more and more serious. Even now, some unscrupulous characters had decided that the woman who had newly moved in might make a fine wife for them, both because of her wealth and her obvious skills. If they knew that she could pinch them to death, they would definitely have been terrified, but all they feared was the law which was very fair – if they were caught harassing, they would be thrown into jail, so all they could do was stand outside and wait while wearing sleeveless jackets to show off their muscles and hopefully entice the woman who was definitely not grieving because of the way she seemed to be cooking multiple times throughout the day.

Magda had also spotted this, but she had refused to give up this singular pleasure of her life even if it meant that she would draw a lot of attention. She had been asked not to do so, but she saw no problem with it – she was doing her job perfectly, so there was no reason to deprive herself of her passion. It had always been the case that anyone who brought up the fact that Heroes did not need to eat would often find themselves with a couple, or even a hundred cooking pans stuffed into their behind, so no one had really voiced that much of an objection. In fact, some had even suggested that it might add realism to her disguise, which had resulted in a lot of smirks.

She had a very distasteful expression on her face, though, because she sorely missed the advanced formations and ingredients that she had access to in her abode. Still, she was making do, but just as the dish was about to be done… One of the discrete formations she had placed around the kingdom was activated.

For a moment, she looked up with surprise, and after that, the vilest of curses started to appear from her mouth.

"You had to choose this moment to appear?! Damn you! After we get you, I'm definitely going to feed you my specialty course of torture food!"

Grumbling this, she stopped what she was doing and immediately walked out of the house.

This made the smells waft out with much more strength, blasting those waiting outside, and while they entered a heavenly place of delectable cuisine, she walked past them and made her way to the Palace.

She chose a tea stall which had a direct view of the imposing building in which the King resided, and while she sipped the tea, she kept a watch for the man who had teleported into the kingdom.

Indeed, what she had placed was a teleportation detection formation which would tell her if anyone at the level of a Champion level Fighter appeared, and because there was only one in this kingdom, it was a fool-proof way to find out when the king returned from wherever he had gone.

As for the reason behind his departure, he was often outside on work regarding the Alliance that he had made, but still, they had decided to set up shop here, as it was a place that he would always return to, even though he had seemingly created a new capital that floated in the sky.

Seeing that their suspicion had been right, a small smile did come on Magda's face, but it was mostly because of the fact that she might be able to finish this assignment soon and leave.

After a few moments, her Hero level senses managed to spot someone teleporting to the airspace above the Palace before descending. A primitive formation was present to prevent people from peeping inside, but it did nothing to stop her.

Right away, she was about to send a message, but suddenly… Her target walked out of the palace gates right in front of her.

He had a pleasant smile on his face, and for some reason, it got on Magda's nerves.

Still, she managed to maintain a neutral expression while a crowd started to gather on seeing the most iconic man in the entire continent appear, and he greeted them all graciously and even agreed to sign a lot of the autograph books that were presented to him.

Fame. This was the one thing that Heroes could not achieve no matter how much they trained, and although many didn't care about it, she did.

She had always done so- she had always wanted many, many people to taste the delicacies that she had created after decades and even centuries of research, but the sad thing was that the general public would never know of the existence of Heroes. As for those in the Big Four and the Order, there were no patrons of arts present- all they cared about was training, training, and more training, but for Magda, there was nothing more droll in life.

She decided to wait a bit to send a comprehensive report, so she got up and began to follow the man as he seemed to be on a regular tour throughout the kingdom.

She did not consider kidnapping him for even a moment, because even if she could do it with just the slightest of exertions, it would be foolish, as they would be openly betraying their intentions and drawing the ire of the Head who was very insistent on the rule that the famous figures throughout the Central Continent should not be disturbed.

Weirdly enough, soon, she saw that rather than taking a tour, he seemed to have a destination in mind.

With each step that they took, though, she got a strange feeling that something might be off, but she just couldn't place it.

It was only when they finally stepped foot on her street did she finally understand that that feeling had been because she had been retracing the steps that she had taken to get there.

For the life of her, she did not understand just what purpose the king might have in this random street in the Kingdom.

She had already checked on everyone in the street before choosing it for residence, and there was nothing special about it.

So, with a puzzled expression, she watched on, and as she did so… What happened next only made her feel even more shock, and it even resulted in her standing rooted to where she was, completely dumbfounded, which led to some people jostling her in their pursuit of going up to the king and making his acquaintance.

Being pushed by a common man finally allowed her to get back to her senses, and for the slightest of moments, she considered flattening this entire area. She was not like the other Heroes did not care about human life, but there were just some things which should not be done.

Yet, calming down and telling herself that these people did not know of her eminent identity, Magda began to think of at least one possible reason for the King coming to her own house.

Indeed, that had been the reason behind her extreme shock, and at the moment, he was standing in her courtyard while beaming and looking around with great interest.

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She asked this in her mind, but she got no answer – instead, she only got more puzzled as she saw the King sniff repeatedly.

She did so too, and all she perceived was a hint of the aroma of the food she had been cooking.

Her curiosity had been roused to the fullest, and if it was not satiated, she felt as if she would burst.

Thankfully, in the next moment, the king went up to the door and knocked, and behind him, the area was swamped by the people of the Kingdom and his retinue.

There was no answer because she, of course, was on the outside, and she wondered what to do.

The decision was taken out of her hands, though, because one of the citizens pointed in her direction and said, "She's the owner of the house, my King!"

With a gulp, Magda nodded, because she had no other choice.

If she denied it, it would cause suspicion to fall on her, so she just put on that same puzzlement she was feeling on her face and walked forward, asking, "My King, yes, that is my humble abode. How can I help you, good sir? I have not been long in this kingdom, but I've heard a lot about your virtues and achievements. It is my honor to have you on my doorstep. Would you care to come in for refreshments?"

Each word had to be pushed out of Magda's mouth, and by the end of it, she felt as if she had eaten the most horrid thing in the world.

She had actually had to complement this nobody from the Central Continent!

She couldn't believe it! If the others found out, this would definitely make her the laughing stock for a generation, so she decided to keep it hidden forever.

She somehow managed to control her emotions, though, by repeatedly recalling the course of torture food that she was so proud of.

However, the king's reply made her snap out of her thoughts, and it made her wonder whether her ears were working properly.

"That is not needed, dear citizen of Lanthanor, but what I would like to do is call upon you to come to my doorstep! Indeed, you heard correctly! Recently, my subordinate has been making inquiries for someone to act as a judge for a cooking show that is being planned. You are the one who has received the most compliments! I heard that many families even moved out from the street because they could not bear taking in the aroma of the work of your heavenly hands every day without having the chance to taste it!"

"Y-yes, I'm kind of shy, so I did not-"

Everyone stared at Magda, so she stammered out a response, but the king interrupted her and said, "Well, I cannot allow such an injustice to befall my citizens any longer! I decided to come personally, because I saw this as an important matter. After all, as their king, why must I not concern myself with each and every aspect of their life? This show will be a revolution, and it will take the Network to new heights! Miss… Hildegard, was it? Will you please honor my request?"

And so, it was this strange turn of events which finally saw Magda in an underground room in the Kingdom of Lanthanor, where she was told that she would soon be interviewed by the person who was in charge of the shows of the Network of Angaria.

The king was present in the room with her, and there was nobody else.

Magda was still completely bewildered regarding everything that happened, and if she was honest, she would have admitted that she was actually… Proud, that her skills had resulted in this. Never before had she had her work and art appreciated in this way, and it had frankly felt so, so good.

Yet, at this moment, she realized that it was a perfect opportunity. She could take control of the King, and no one would be the wiser- she could simply say that he had left abruptly to do something, and after they interrogated him, they could place him back.

Just as she was about to act, though, another man appeared in the room, and seeing him, panic appeared on her face.

"Well, hello there," he said, before waving his hand and making everything go dark.

Chapter 842: The Meeting

By the time Magda woke up, she could hear voices echoing in the chamber that she was placed in.

"Well, that was the best approach to use, because her cooking really does have the fame of being godly. It hasn't even been too much time since she came, but she still managed to gather that much of renown."

This voice wasn't too familiar to her, but the one that replied brought back all the memories of what had happened before she blacked out.

"I should have guessed from that, but because I don't usually partake of food myself, I could not see that her cooking was so excellent. I did see that the smells were extraordinary, but I didn't think much of it. Well, we don't even need to ask her to find her identity. Meet Magda, the famous Gourmet Hero of Angaria."

These words finally made Magda groggily open her eyes, and that was when a splitting headache assaulted her.

She could feel an angry swelling on the back of her head where she had been struck to knock her unconscious, and it had managed to penetrate all of the barriers on her body without even alerting her of its existence.

This wasn't really surprising, though… As she was just an Amateur hero, while the Head's level was known to all as one that was really, really hard to reach.

She had already decided her plan of action- she would act dumb.

"Head? What are you doing here? And who is this? What's going on here? Why did you attack me so suddenly? I'll have the High Council hear of this! You can't flaunt your power around like that, you know!"

She started to get more and more agitated, but what the Head did even made Daneel feel pleasant surprise.

He made a trinket appear, and on it was the scene that had occurred right before Magda had blacked out.

The image was paused, and it zoomed in on the expression that was on her face. There was no mistaking it-she was looking at the King of Lanthanor as if he was her prey, and anyone would be able to guess that she was going to do something violent.

Making the display trinket disappear, the Head said, "Drop the act, Magda. I've always known that you are among the bunch who are not really keen on protecting the continent. Answer truthfully, and I might allow you to leave as this is just a minor infraction. You might not leave in the same condition that you came in, though."

For a moment, Magda had no idea what to think, but after that, she launched into an outburst.

"What the hell do you mean? I have every right to go after someone who I think can give me power! If he's hiding something, then he is hiding it from the continent, too! Whatever he has found can better be used in defense of Angaria, so I would actually be doing our homeland a favor! Besides, there was no indication that I would kill him! The rule is not to kill the rulers of the Central Continent, right? I just wanted to abduct him briefly! Rough him up a bit, at most! True, you can give me a warning for that, but you have no authority to attack me and bind me like this! Release me right at this moment, Head, or you will never hear the end of this!"

Until now, Magda had ignored the other person.

She had thought that he might just be some or the other assistant of the Head, but when he stepped forward, she suddenly felt something wrong.

Before she could say anything, he gave her a tight slap, and this shocked Magda so much that she could only keep staring.

"Like he said- drop the act. I won't be so light-handed as the Head, here. We all know that 'rough up' means that you would have resorted to a lot of mental torture that would have had plenty of long-term effects on the King. So, let's not assume, even for a moment, that you are on the moral high ground. As for doing a favor to your homeland- can there be a funnier thing? If you really want to do favors, then why don't you expose the fact that you have found an Inheritance that put you on the path of Gourmet Heroes, yourself?"

Magda didn't think that she would feel any more shock, but when she heard that last statement of this man… It reached another level.

Her mind went blank, and with a smile, the man continued, "Don't even try to deny it. It is a lost inheritance of one of the famous foes of the Emperor, and he was supposed to have hidden it very carefully while making sure that no one who sympathizes with the Emperor will ever obtain it. It was even set up so that it would self-destructive if someone like that really did get their hands on it! I suppose you passed the test, and got his powers. Anyone who knew of the way he fights can spot the hints in the technique that you used to cook."

At this point, Magda understood that her shock had already confirmed what the man had just said- it would be an insult to her intelligence if she still tried to act foolish, so she said "So what? The High Council prevents anyone from forcing others to hand over what they have obtained. And this is a minor infraction, at most- many have targeted rulers or other famous members of the Central Continent, and all they got was just a slap on their wrists. Let me go now, and I will not insist on having you awarded with time to spend in prison."

As these words echoed in the chamber, the man and the Head looked between each other.

After that… They simply smiled and disappeared, leaving Magda alone.

…

They reappeared in the quarters of the king, and the Head said, "Like I told you, she is obstinate. What do you plan to do?"

Daneel still had that smile on his face. He had been told by the Head that they should not resort to extreme measures that they did not want expose to the High Council if they were not sure that they would work and that they were worth it, and he had decided to listen to this advice.

Hence, it was important to first figure out exactly what they were dealing with, before deciding on what they would do. After all, even Daneel did not want to go into full revenge mode without really understanding what the objective of these people was.

An option was to forcefully Mind Control the Hero, but that would be a very, very tough task. Consciousnesses, themselves, were usually like forts which could not be intruded into unless one used extreme brute force surpassing their target by multiple levels, and that was even more true in the case of Heroes.

Even the other options were too drastic, so after thinking for a bit, Daneel decided on the simplest one.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"I guess it's time for impersonation,", he said, and the next moment, he was an exact replica of the thickly-set woman who was supposed to be preparing to be the judge of a cooking contest in the Network of Angaria at the moment.

The Head walked around Daneel, looking at him from all angles, and then he admitted, "I don't know your means, but you are somehow a perfect copy. Listen, I know that you said that I do not need to call you my senior disciple brother, but that doesn't mean that I will take liberties with you- it is obvious that you have secrets, and I will not ask anything about them until you choose to reveal them to me by yourself. All I ask is that you do not lie, as I despise them."

Daneel looked at the Head with a frown before nodding.

He considered whether he should just expose everything right away, but he stopped himself.

The main reason behind this… Was that the Head had just come under him, and it was just as the man had said – there was no need to tell him everything right now.

So, deciding to take a call on it later, he disappeared.

With that, the days of masquerading as a woman began. Daneel had already tapped into the communication means used by the woman, and he kept sending messages in the same way. Because of her callousness, he had managed to use the system to find out everything about her, including her micro-expressions.

Right now, it would not be a lie if he said that there was no one in the entire continent who could call him a fake.

It was a week later that what he had been waiting for finally came – a summon for a meeting.

Daneel and his sovereigns had talked about this extensively before – they had considered whether they should wait for this eventual call to appear, before tailing the woman and finding the meeting place for themselves.

Yet, it had become obvious right away that this was a safer option, as it was always possible that the meeting place could have many more defensive measures. Instead of that, if they directly infiltrated it, they could find the information they needed without much hassle.

Besides, it would be dangerous to go into a situation without even knowing exactly what they were dealing with, and hence, choosing this relatively safe option was for the best.

The only problem now was that he did not know the location – but for this, there was another simple solution.

Daneel sent a report saying that the target had arrived, which led to the instant response that two people would be arriving.

He had expected this to be so – if a completely covert kidnapping was supposed to happen, then it would require multiple Heroes, assuming that the King would not be foolish enough to act as bait. Mainly, they would be needed to disable the formations, activate barriers to cover what they were doing from the outside world and overpower a Champion instantly. Even if a talented Hero could do all of these things by themselves, Daneel had already guessed that this woman was not capable enough because of her level.

Two seemed like overkill, but it didn't matter. As soon as they came, he gave the report that their target left right away, which made them all grit their teeth. She joined the men in their cursing, and after that, she simply followed them.

The meeting place was beneath a random mountain, and there was no problem with masquerading as the Gourmet Hero. Even her own mother would not be able to spot the difference.

This was all because of these Heroes, none seemed too strong- they looked like they had all broken through recently, and there might not even be a single Eminent Hero.

This was definitely unique, and Daneel looked forward to finding out what their motive would be.

The very moment that the meeting began, he found his answer.

"This is taking too long, and the value of the one who stopped the Church's plan as a bargaining chip is fading quickly. It may be time for more drastic measures."

With a sigh, Daneel saw that his suspicion had been right- there were people looking to betray the continent, albeit in a way that would see themselves valued.

He had heard of these people long, long back- back when he had found out about the Big Four, itself. Heroes who had achieved their level, but wanted more and did not care for Angaria.

Unlike the family of Perfect whom he could not find, these Heroes were right in front of him, and he memorized everything about them.

As a bold plan began to form in his mind, the meeting continued, and by the time it was done, Daneel had made his decision.

He hadn't been kidding when he had said that everything they did from now on was crucial. So…he had decided to go all out.

With his jaw set in determination, the King returned to the house, and then disappeared.

Chapter 843: A Mission

The next day, Daneel was surprisingly in the Order.

The day before had been spent with a lot of discussions and back-and-forth between his sovereigns, his master, the Head and even himself.

Yet, at the end, the obstinacy of the King had paid off, and the final plan had been decided – it almost completely resembled the idea that Daneel had gotten during the meeting, and the main reason why there had been so much discussion was that there had been a certain question regarding whether it would even work.

Thankfully, his master had come through on that, and given him quite encouraging information. He had understood that it was an emergency, and even though he had looked as if he was in the middle of something, he had responded.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Master Jonah had also looked as if he wanted to have a word with Daneel regarding the outcome of what he had uncovered regarding the backup plan of the Church, but he said that he would do so after this affair was done.

With that, it had been decided that there was a specific treasure that they needed in the Order, and right now, that was why they were here.

They stood in front of the obelisk while ignoring the stares from below, and Daneel was acting as if he was flipping through the missions that were available.

The system had already picked out what he was going to do, and he was only doing this for the sake of those who were watching. He was also eavesdropping on the people below, and so far, what he had heard was quite disconcerting.

It looked like his fame had reached such a level that almost all of the top members of the Order were quite infuriated with him, and apparently, the main reason behind this was that those who did not have as much potential or power had used the opportunity to ridicule these individuals who were usually capable of maintaining their cool.

This had resulted in them declaring publicly that they would change this status of his in the headquarters in some way, and although Daneel did not know just what they had planned, he wasn't really keen on finding out.

Also, he had found quite a few informers, who had directly exited the headquarters after seeing him, as if they were going to tell someone about his presence.

He ignored them all, though, as he wasn't even going on a very difficult mission – well, his meaning of the word 'difficulty' was skewed, though, because for him, a 5-star mission was nothing too special.

What he had chosen now was a 4-star one, as the treasure he needed was in that tier.

His main priority had been that the mission should be one in which he could readily embark on, and one which he could finish quickly without having to devote days or weeks to it.

The one which fit in that criteria was the mission which was really similar to the first he had undertaken in the Order – a Hunting mission.

The only reason it was not a 5-star one was that what they would be hunting was not something as powerful as a Great Shark.

Even if it was a Great Shark, Daneel didn't care, so he directly chose it, and in the next moment, he and both of his sovereigns disappeared.

Indeed, he had brought Faxul and Elanev long even though he was confident in finishing a mission by himself, and it was mainly so that he could save on time if possible.

Surprisingly, where they were teleported to was not the Endless Sea as he had been expecting – it was a forest, and as Daneel asked the system, he widened his eyes when he found out that the location they were in had been completely masked using Hero level formations.

For the briefest of moments, he wondered whether he had been teleported to a trap, but thankfully, the same transparent display trinket that always appeared to explain missions came into existence in front of him.

"Welcome to a 4-star Hunting mission! Your target is a weakened Swordfin Whale that has ventured into a deposit of water under the continent. Typically, Swordfin Whales are on the same level as Great Sharks, and the only thing stopping them from being more powerful is their extreme mass which does not allow them to move very quickly. It is said that during the ancient ages, Swordfin Whales had the ability to also manipulate the gravity around them, but this ability has been lost. Currently, Swordfin Whale hunting would be classified as a 5-star mission, but this one was cut off from the endless amount of Energy that the creatures in the sea can ingest. Hence, it is not as much of a danger, but it can still erupt forth with fury. Participants are advised to take care. Preparation phase begins now. The mission shall begin in five minutes. Total number of participants: 5"

Swordfin Whale?

Asking the system, Daneel found out that what the panel had said really was true – these creatures were descendants of a certain Godbeast that really had been a terror in the sea along with the Great Shark, and it was a fact that it had actually used to prey on the latter, too. However, unlike with that creature, it looked like the ages had not treated the species well, which led to an overall degrading in power level.

Whatever the case was, all he wanted to do was be done with this and move on. During his absence, his sovereigns had picked out rewards for their own 4-star missions, or otherwise, he would have directly used one of theirs. So, he had had no option but to embark on this slight detour, and he hoped that it would end soon.

He had read that there would be five participants, but as he looked around, he found no one.

They appeared a few minutes later, and all they said was, "Oh, it's the famous Overlord! It'll be an easy mission, then. Do you want to take the lead? We're only here for the reward."

Daneel raised his eyebrows with pleasant surprise as he heard this, as that was exactly what he had been hoping for. There were two types of members in the Order, usually – those who wanted to obtain rewards and use them to gain power, and those who wanted to hone themselves using the missions. He had been hoping that the former type would come on this mission, and seeing that that had happened, he smiled and nodded.

Those who had come were a man and a woman who were quite young, and smiles burst on their faces as they saw him agree.

"He's not as arrogant as we heard, right? Maybe those reports were exaggerated?"

Hearing the woman say this to the man, Daneel shook his head, and in the next moment, they were teleported away.

What they found themselves in was a massive cavern that was strangely filled to the brim with water.

Instantly, they all cast spells to teleport the air from the outside to allow them to breathe, and Faxul was the one who cast it for Elanev.

Daneel had heard of these underground water pockets before – they were apparently formed whenever small holes appeared in the lower part of Angaria, leading to water seeping in over a long, long time, until it hollowed out a place for itself. Finding these holes was harder than finding a toothpick in a haystack the size of a football stadium, and often, due to bad luck, the offspring of creatures in the Endless Sea would find themselves venturing into one and making it so that they would not be able to find their way back. This would be because the hole would be angled downwards, leading to the creatures not having enough strength to wade through the water while fighting gravity for kilometers on end.

Seeing the Swordfin Whale, it looked like this was the case – it had apparently grown up in this area which definitely did not have as much Energy as the endless sea, and it actually looked quite pitiful. Its body was such that it reminded Daneel of the whales from back on Earth, but it was much leaner, and as its name suggested, its fins were so sharp and long that if swept to the side, they would easily reach half its length. Its length was nothing to joke about, either – it was at least 20 m(65.6 feet) long, and 7 m(22 feet) wide.

Unlike the shark fins of the Great Shark which were a supplementary weapon, for this creature, its fins were what it used to mainly kill its prey. Hence, each fin's pointy end made those present feel a slight sense of danger, because they could detect the elementary particles gathering there as the whale was unconsciously commanding them using its ability and understanding into the aspect of sharpness that was passed down in its blood.

Daneel wondered whether he would see a cartoonish scene of the whale raising itself and fighting with two swords like a man, but soon, he cites method of attack.

Seeing them appear at the spot above it in the gigantic cavern, the whale pointed both of it fins forward, leading to the elementary particles around its two sword fins congregating into a single point that allowed it to transform into a humongous spear.

Then, it shot forward, using the attack that was programmed into its blood.

It reached a tremendous speed because of the fact that the attack was complex enough to not allow any resistance to befall the creature that was executing it, and in nearly the blink of an eye, it was upon them.

"Move," Daneel said, without caring to be polite, and in the next moment, it was as if the entire area around him had transformed into jelly.

Just like with the Paths of Heroes and Champions, the World was able to tell him the weakness of any attack that was used. Sharpness could be easily countered with a swamp which was difficult to move through and which also ate away at the elementary particles that were used, and hence, the more the whale moved, the more it began to tire, as it had to exert more and more Energy to make sure that its attack still remained activated.

Alas, it had grown up in this solitary place where it had no experience in fighting, and hence, it did not know that in this situation, its brethren would have abandoned and retreated in order to charge and try again.

It kept trying and trying until its weakened constitution made it finally fall unconscious, and even Faxul and Elanev could not believe that it had been so easy.

With that, Daneel was about to go forward to cut the whale into pieces, which was the condition for them to fulfill if they wanted the mission to end.

Yet, the other two intruded at this moment, saying, "We'll do that! We shamelessly benefited from your actions, so we should at least pay you back in this manner. Is that alright?"

Thinking for a bit, Daneel nodded and said, "Fine. Just make it quick."

With a nod, the man and woman went to the whale, and began to expertly cut it up into slabs of meat.

Daneel slacked off for a bit, thinking of the plan that he was soon going to begin, and of how lofty it was.

Yet, a few moments later, just when the two were about to be done…he felt a premonition that made him snatch Faxul and Elanev, who were beside him, by their collars and teleport away.

A terrifying explosion erupted in the spot they had just been in, and in the next second, they were all teleported away.

All five of them reappeared at the obelisk, and seeing them unhurt, the two did not even seem disappointed.

In fact, they even smiled and winked before saying, "We look forward to the next mission we take with you!"

As they flew away, the King and his sovereigns could only stand there with bewildered expressions on their faces.

Chapter 844: Rise

The hearts of Daneel, Elanev, and Faxul were still beating furiously as they saw the two who had almost succeeded in killing them, or at least leaving them with grievous injuries disappear among the crowds in the Headquarters.

They had to take a few moments to calm them down, and even then, they kept staring at the silhouettes of the two who didn't seem to have a care in the world.

It was almost as if they had done the most casual thing, and seeing the way that they were even laughing and chatting between themselves while browsing the stores on the streets of the headquarters, Daneel got a surreal feeling.

Had it really happened, or had it actually been his imagination?

He received the answer to this right away, when the system gave him the reply for the question he had just asked.

[The attack that host barely escaped from would have resulted in severe grievous injuries even if all countermeasures were activated. The power level of the two who attacked is easily at the peak Champion level, and there is a probability that they have also gotten some headway into the Hero realm, allowing them to tap into that realm's powers."

Now… It all made sense.

So this was what the revenge of the top members of the Order would be like? They would be targeting Daneel and his team members in each and every mission they tried to take?

When he thought about it, it was actually ingenious – as members of the Order, they would inevitably have to do missions which involved teams, and no one could ensure that they would partake in missions where they always had control of all those who were participating.

In such a situation where someone was being targeted by unknown people whose power was clearly unfathomable, normal people would have felt panic, or even fear.

Yet, all Daneel felt… Was the thrill of a challenge.

Talented members, huh? Well, show me what you've got!

If they really thought that they were going to have a cakewalk in this attempt of bringing him down, then they were very, very mistaken.

They would have to wait, though… As Daneel had something else on his mind at the moment.

Giving one last look at these two, Daneel sent a silent message to his sovereigns and interacted with the obelisk for a bit before the three of them teleported away.

The moment they return to his quarters, Elanev burst out, saying, "Did you look at their smug faces? Damn, it was so infuriating! Daneel, promise me that we're going to get back at them!"

Faxul didn't say anything, but the tightening of his lips made it clear that he was also quite pissed.

In response, Daneel said, "Of course-have we ever taken a blow lying down? We will get revenge, and then some, but first, let us take care of the talented lady in a dungeon."

After fuming for a bit more, Elanev finally assented, and together, the three of them went to the room in which all of the sovereigns were waiting.

Seeing them look quite shaken, Eloise asked what the matter was, but Daneel simply shrugged and said, "Oh, it was nothing. Just a small hiccup, which we will sort out soon. I got what I went for, though."

Saying so, he held up the round object that he had just taken from the obelisk as the reward for the 4-star mission that he had finished.

It was a strange looking trinket – it almost looked like a ball, but there was a place where a button could be pressed.

Daneel pressed it now, and in an instant, half of the silver colored ball disappeared, showing a cavity.

In a weird motion, he put this on the one beside him, who happened to be Aran.

Caught by surprise, Aran struggle for a bit, as anyone would feel weird if they had their head surrounded by what was almost like a fishbowl.

Yet, Daneel said, "We talked about this. You're the best one to test it out."

Calming down, Aran sighed and nodded.

With that, Daneel pressed the button on the trinket, and it immediately began to glow.

After a few moments, this glow stopped, and after removing the trinket and placing it on the table in front of him, Aran nodded.

This made relieved smiles appear on all those present, and Daneel declared, "Perfect, then. I've never seen a plan come together so quickly, but I guess we should give the credit for that to everything that we have done these past few weeks. It's time for the final step, now. Sovereigns…I feel proud to be doing this with you. Let's go."

…

In the enormous chamber beneath the weirdly shaped rock that had come to be worshipped by many over the years, a man was comfortably sleeping in a cocoon made of a shining material.

He frowned often, especially when certain scenes came into his mind.

A creature larger than a continent looming over the home he loved dearly.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

His subordinates, friends, and family turning into monstrosities that started to massacre everyone around them.

His mind being fractured by a temptation to let himself go, and him entering a slumber that lasted thousands of years during which he slowly recovered.

Every time he saw these scenes, he would be struck by the darkest of emotions.

Yet, the cocoon, like a mother's womb which comforted the child within, would sweep these memories away and allow him to regain a pleasant expression.

Only…even when his mind was blank, he would keep feeling as if something was wrong.

This way, in every waking, and even, sleeping moment, this man would be haunted by something or the other, and this meant that he never had an instant of peace.

The only joy he obtained was when he instructed passionate individuals and saw them flourish under his guidance, but even this would often be marred by an inner voice that would keep saying that he only ruined everything he touched.

At the moment, the cocoon had just managed to sweep away another one of those bad memories, but suddenly…it disappeared, leading him to wake up and look around groggily.

The chamber that had become his home had quite a few people present, and although they looked familiar…he could remember none of them.

Over time, he had come to learn that he knew them, but didn't remember because of the state of his mind. This happened even when he was in his teaching duties, too, but it would often be passed off as eccentricity.

So, getting a gracious smile, he used the tactic he had learned.

"My old mind fails me. Can I ask who all of you are? If you are my disciples, please ask me anything about the Path, and I will try my best to help!"

His words brought a strange reaction upon those in front of him.

There was one man who stood out- his face held the most emotion, and it was so heartbreaking to see that the old man couldn't help but go forward and console him.

Even now, flashes of memory reappeared in his mind, and often, it was these that he used to help him out in sticky situations. This time, he remembered one of the men, who always appeared as a projection. He knew that he was someone special whose instructions he should follow, as he had passed something before and taken some oath. Yet, now, he ignored him as his eyes were firmly fixed on the man with the sad face.

After reaching him, he said, "Worry not, young man. Despair is a part of life. Did you lose someone dear to you?"

He asked this while looking at the man kindly, but for some reason, his words caused the sorrow to only grow. Tears even began to swim in the man's eyes, but he wiped them away and said, "No. Well, yes, actually. There is a man whom I admire very, very much. In many ways, he is responsible for all of us even being alive, at the moment. But…his present state is very sad to look at, and he doesn't deserve it. He helped me a lot, and I wish to repay him."

Puzzled, the old man asked, "Then rejoice! Why are you sad?"

After a few seconds during which the man seemed to think of something, he said, "I'm sad because even if I help him, it will only improve his condition by a bit. I cannot fully cure him yet. Also…it might seem selfish, as I need something from him, too. I know that he will be willing to help, but others might think that I only repaid him because of that need."

The old man didn't even need a second to respond.

This was him- whenever he saw anything he could help with, his face would fill up with so much happiness that the entire room would light up. In that instant, he would forget everything plaguing him, and he would just enjoy the moment.

"Young man, how does it matter? In the heart of your heart, you know the reason behind why you are doing what you are doing. If you believe in it, that is all that matters."

His simple, yet timely advice made a smile finally crack to life on the young man's face, and seeing this, he beamed.

Yet…what happened next made him feel extremely shocked.

The man took out a strange, silvery bowl out of nowhere and placed it on his head, and everything went blank.

The old man was about to object, but suddenly…a memory entered his mind, and his vision.

It was something that most would never remember in their lives, but for some reason, it felt so…personal.

It was that of him comfortably sleeping in a dark, but joyful place, and he could feel himself enveloped by love and care.

Only, these memories flashed by very quickly, and the moment he exited that place…they changed to show a cruel world.

The old man connected profoundly with each memory. They felt oh, so familiar, and he became so engrossed in them that he started to place himself in the position of the one who had experienced them,

That man had been born in a slave mine to a miner, and he was raised in the harshest of conditions, with barely enough food to live. He became a slave, too, but as he grew…he discovered the potential that was sleeping within him.

Unwilling to keep playing the hand that the World had dealt him, he trained while taking multiple risks that sometimes almost got him killed.

He kept hiding his power…until he let it erupt at once to kill the owner, and the strongest person in the mine.

That was his first taste of leading people to victory and freedom, and he was instantly addicted.

He led an illustrious life- he slew dragons, enemies, and sometimes even friends who betrayed him for greed.

His childhood caused him to have a psyche where happiness wasn't something he could really enjoy, but he still managed to find bits and pieces of that elusive, yet extremely treasured emotion.

Everything was going well…until his curiosity resulted in the disaster.

He tried to stop it, but alas…he failed.

The memories ended with him making a backup plan to store them for the future.

With that, the strange trinket was removed, and suddenly…a mirror was placed in front of him.

Wait…why was the image in the mirror so familiar?

After thinking for a bit, he got the answer, and it was an extremely surprising one.

Wasn't that the man whose memories he had been seeing all this while?

So…was that why he had felt so much connection to everything? Had that been his life?

The old man was completely stymied- he thought back to the memories that flashed into his mind when he slept which he vaguely remembered, and what he had just seen.

With that, slowly, a change started to come over him.

Was that how they had come to be? Was that what had happened?

He went through it all carefully, and the more he did so, the more they embedded themselves into his mind.

Even if they weren't very firm, they stayed, and slowly…he began to transform.

His elderly face lost the doubt that always accompanied him. His brow became devoid of a frown.

His wide, strong shoulders were thrown back, and the mist that had been present in his eyes since a long, long time finally began to clear.

All those who watched him started to feel a natural urge to bow, or at least show respect.

None of the elementary particles were moving- no, this was all because of his image.

As one, they all bowed, and the Emperor looked at them all with a stoic gaze.

Before he said anything, the young man made a sword appear in his hands, and with his head lowered, he respectfully offered it.

"Welcome to the World of the Present, Emperor Fenoras. By giving you back your memories, I have managed to restore you, for a little bit of time, to the man you once were. Your mind was fractured due to the aftermath of the usage of the Grand Inheritance, and it resulted in it turning into a shadow of what it once was- it could only hold in place fleeting memories, or draw upon a certain store of knowledge to impart. I did this to thank you for everything you have done…but I also need you. This is the trinket you created which makes Heroes swear an Oath that even they cannot break. Over time, it has fallen into the hands of others, and they have bound it to them using indirect means. Yet…a trinket never forgets its true master. I beseech you to free it of its chains, and allow me to wield it in your name. I need you…to rise. Rise for the respect you are owed. Rise for the grandeur you have always commanded. And rise…for the Empire I shall build that will immortalize you. Draw your sword, Emperor, and make the World bend knee to you again!"

Chapter 845: Link

The last words were said with Daneel's head raised, and hence, he could see the last of the mists clearing in the Emperor's eyes.

He truly felt proud, at that moment, for this idea which might or might not have worked.

This was the man who had sacrificed himself for them to be free, and he definitely did not deserve the fate he had been subjected to.

The Emperor looked around a bit, as Daneel's words echoed in the chamber.

Finally…he put forward his hand, and as soon as it grasped the hilt, the sound of glass breaking could be heard.

One by one, the formations that had been placed on this Artifact over generations were broken, because, for these objects, legends stated that they possessed a consciousness, at least a primitive one, which would always be able to recognize its master.

The sword, itself, was a marvel to look at. The Emperor's fondness for Dragons had always been known, despite the fact that he had the record of slaying the most.

A brilliantly detailed Dragon seemed to be dancing along the scabbard of the sword, and on the crossguard was the stylized head of one which was two-dimensional, running from right above the hilt to the spot where the blade began, parallel to its length.

The hilt was wrapped in reddish leather, and according to the system, it was actually the skin of a Dragon that had always been a highly treasured commodity.

Finally, there was a brilliant red gem which shone as if there was a fire burning within it at the bottom-most part of the sword.

When the Emperor drew it, though…it's true splendor was revealed.

The blade was long- as long as almost half the height of a fully grown man, and the moment it was exposed to the air in the hands of the one who had forged it, it even seemed to make a happy sound that was akin to two metals being struck together.

Seeing its tip would make anyone feel threatened, and along the blade were, coincidentally, the very words that Daneel had spoken.

"For Angaria!"

Seeing these words, the rest of those in the cavern could not hold themselves back.

"For Angaria!"

"FOR ANGARIA!"

They cheered, and the man who had finally been restored to normalcy seemed to bask in that sound.

Yet, after a few more seconds…all of that crumpled, and the Emperor almost fell to the ground.

[More deterioration than has previously been analyzed detected in target's mind. Relapse imminent.]

While the message was heard in his mind, Daneel hurried forward to help the man.

He supported him by his shoulder before placing him on a chair that he conjured, and as he sipped back, he couldn't help but smile and shake his head when he realized that he had automatically conjured one of the thrones he always sat on, out of habit.

Of course, it almost seemed to fit this man more than it did Daneel, and the King of Lanthanor did not begrudge him for that fact.

The Emperor's eyes were closed firmly, and his brow was extremely furrowed, as if he was fighting a demon inside his head.

What he was actually doing…was trying to hold on to this state that he had achieved.

Alas, knowing that that would not be possible, Daneel quickly said, "I apologize, but it seems that you will have to return to your former self soon. I swear that I will find a way to cure you permanently, but right now, I need this for you. When you die-I mean, when you disappeared, you left no master for this Artifact. Hence, many methods had to be used to make it work. I need you to make me it's master, because Angaria is once again in peril, and I need a way to help it."

At this moment, the quick mind of the Emperor came on display.

The man thought for a moment, and said, "Thank you for what you have done. But when the fate of the continent is at stake…I cannot take chances. Give me access to your consciousness, and I will find for myself whether I can trust you. I would not ask for this normally, but as time is short, we have no other way."Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Daneel nodded right away, as he had expected that this would happen.

After all, he was the one graced with the memories of this man, and hence, he knew that the Emperor would definitely choose caution in this situation.

So, he had decided to use the same trick that he had when his mind had been checked by Ashahell: the system changed all of his memories, and he subsequently let down his defenses.

The Emperor did a quick scan. The truth was that he held no power at the moment- just like the Empire Spirits, his consciousness was the one which had been saved, and the body he was in was normal, even though it was in the same, or at least, minimized form that he had possessed in the Age of the Empire.

In a moment, he was done, and with a nod, he quickly said, "I feel myself slipping away. Please bend a bit, if you don't mind. Your achievements do not need you to kneel to me, but this Artifact…is a stubborn one. She has entered the misconception that I am the most perfect individual who can wield her, as her creator, and that means she will only be willing to accept someone else if they accept that they are not superior to me, by kneeling. If you do not wish to-"

Daneel answered with his actions. He once again bent, for this was the few men for whom he would never hesitate to give this kind of respect. They had earned it, and more.

With that, the Emperor smiled, and it was one filled with the vicissitudes of life. Here was the man who had gone through more than they could ever imagine, and no one could really put an estimate on what he must be feeling right now.

Yet, when he saw someone show him respect and act in line with the qualities he had always believed in, a smile still came to his face.

Shakily standing up, the Emperor raised the longsword.

Its tip was slowly taken to a spot right in front of Daneel's forehead, and although the absolute sharpness of it almost made him break out in a cold sweat, he controlled himself.

He trusted this man whose countermeasures were one of the main reasons behind everything he had accomplished so far, and in the next moment, Daneel…felt something reaching out to him.

He had heard about this, but he had never expected that he would feel it this soon.

For some reason, Daneel got the bizarre image of a baby cautiously extending its hand to a stranger.

He caught it gently, and then, that image disappeared.

[Artifact Link created. Consolidating Link. Collecting information.]

In the next second, the Emperor did a movement with all his strength.

He flipped up the sword, and said, "Catch."

Daneel instantly stood up, and it was as if there was something telling him what to do.

The sword did one flip in the air, and as Daneel raised his hand, its hilt fell squarely within his fingers.

He caught it at the perfect moment, and his eyes widened with shock as he felt a sliver of emotion enter his mind.

Joy.

The joy of finding companionship after millennia of being alone overwhelmed Daneel, making him smile, too, which, in turn, made the Emperor laugh and say, "She likes you. Please, never use the word 'it' when referring to her. I did so once, and she deactivated herself for a week. Also…please, take good care of her. Artifacts live and breathe, like all of us."

After saying the last word, the Emperor collapsed, and all those present rushed forward to see if he was all right.

Daneel was about to say that the relapse had occurred, but before he could do so, he received a message from the man which no one else heard.

"Daneel Anivron. I could tell that your memories were doctored, somehow. But I could also tell that most of them were true. Enough to let me trust you. I find nothing wrong in it. You have your secrets, as do we all. The fact that you truly care for Angaria gladdens my heart. We are blessed to have someone like you among us. Alas, this form of mine cannot help you further, for I only know what you have restored for me- I can tell that there are parts that I cut away when placing pieces of my consciousness within the Empire Spirits, but I cannot recall what they are. I truly hope that you do succeed in helping me, for I truly wish to be of more service to you, and to this continent. Farewell, for now, King. May you become worthy of the title 'Emperor' soon."

Those last words made Daneel get a wide smile, but still, it was wiped away when he saw that same blubbering old man as before reappear.

"Wh-who are you all?", he stammered, and Master Jonah spoke from behind them.

He had made himself available for this special occasion, and his eyes seemed to be brimming with tears.

"Put him there. I'll activate the cocoon."

They did so, and that same cocoon which they had seen before reappeared before enveloping the old man.

Wiping his eyes, Master Jonah spoke in a placid tone.

"The Terror of the West, they used to call him. Oh, and you should see the curses they threw at him in the history of the organization that was beaten back. Daneel, I really hope you succeed."

The King of Lanthanor nodded with resolution, as he, too, had just told himself that. He would do so by any means, and he looked forward to the day when he could converse with the man at length, and ask many of the things that he had always wanted to find out.

A feeling of assent also appeared within his mind, and again, it was from the secondary consciousness that had entered it.

It wasn't really a consciousness, though, as it could not form words- no, they were merely feelings, but they held a lot of import.

Curious, though, Daneel asked, "Do you like to bind bad people who should be set right?"

Instantly, excitement erupted from the sword, and Daneel couldn't help but laugh out loud.

…

In a location that had been picked due to its limited footfall, a group of Heroes had once again gathered to get updates on their mission to somehow get in the good graces of the Church, when the time came for them to flip sides.

The one they had sent for surveillance had just arrived, and soon, the meeting would start.

After everyone gathered, it did so, and soon, the time had come for Magda to give her report.

Yet…when she got up at spoke, everyone present looked at her with confusion, as they wondered whether something was wrong with her head.

"My report is just that the time has come for someone to bend you all over and spank your behinds. Let's get started, shall we? Because I have a lot of spanking to do…"

Chapter 846: The Plan

The words uttered from Magda's mouth echoed in the room, as if they had a life of their own, and the Heroes continued to stare into her eyes, almost as if they were mesmerized.

In the beginning, it was normal- they were puzzled that their team member had said something like that, but as time continued to tick, it was as if her eyes had somehow taken a hold over theirs, not allowing them to look away, or even blink.

With each second, each and every Hero began to feel their entire body screaming that something was not alright. Alas…it was too late.

By the time they realized that those eyes were different, and that this was not the woman who was a part of their plan…they all slumped onto the table in front of them, as if unconscious, and with a smile, the woman transformed into a man who stood proud and tall.

Folding his hands behind his back, he looked imperially at all the Heroes present before saying, "Well, that wasn't bad…"

"Not bad at all."

As a different voice answered, Daneel looked to one corner of the room and nodded at the Head who had been standing there for a long time.

Walking forward, the man continued, saying, "It was quite an ingenious idea to use the same concept utilized by the Order to put people forcefully in simulations during the missions assigned to them. I don't think there is anyone capable of experiencing, and then recreating what they went through exactly, even with some added perks, in the entire Order! At least in the Champion realm, I mean. Isn't it too easy, though? Are there no limitations? If not, I don't see why this is not used on every battlefield…"

With a chuckle, Daneel decided to explain.

He had already been told the answer by the system when he had begun this plan, so he did not need to ask it to repeat.

"Well, of course there are limitations! Otherwise, it would be exactly like you said. The consciousness has always been the ultimate mystery of the World, but with research carried out over decades and even centuries during the Empire, certain things were found which proved instrumental in me understanding the methodology of the simulations used in the Order. Without the memories of the Emperor for me to draw on, it would have been impossible for me to replicate this feat."

Deciding to take a seat and continue explaining, Daneel flicked his finger.

Suddenly, all 16 of the Heroes who were in the room flew into the air and were thrown into a heap in the corner of the room.

They gave no response: it looked as if they really had entered a permanent coma, and although they were breathing, no other movement could be seen in their body, at all.

Even when a few unlucky Heroes found themselves in the bottom of the heap, they just continued to dream, and this made it clear that even if the World ended, they would not be able to wake up.

Seeing them and shaking his head, the Head took one of the vacated seats around the large wooden table that had been carved expressly for this meeting, and Daneel did so, too, opposite his tenth sovereign.

"Simulations that are at a complexity which exceeds the level of those who are entering them can directly take hold of the consciousness of an individual if certain conditions are fulfilled. First: they have to give some form of assent to be in the position where they are. This simply means that they have to be caught off guard- if they are completely on guard, it becomes slightly more difficult to sweep them away. Second: there has to be a way for them to leave the simulation. For example, it has to be that if certain conditions are fulfilled, the status of which is decided by the consciousness, itself, they can leave. Finally, if their real body is under threat of being destroyed, they can return. So…it can't be used on the battlefields, after all, Head, but for our purposes, it is perfect. All it is, is a self hypnotization that is forced on, and that the consciousness agrees to undergo as there is a way out. Survival is always the key metric on which decisions are taken at an intrinsic level: in this situation, there are two options presented. One, resist and risk being destroyed. Two, accept and at least get a chance to escape by yourself. It naturally chooses the latter, and that's how we are in this stage!"

Finishing and feeling thirsty, Daneel was about to conjure a bottle of wine, but spotting his intention, the Head raised a hand and made a bottle appear.

As soon as the pearly liquid that was poured from it entered Daneel's mouth, he could feel the rich taste of the earth, which was pretty weird.

On one hand, it tasted amazing, and on the other, it felt as if he was a child who was eating mud.

Seeing the puzzled expression on his face, the Head laughed and said, "This is a unique wine created by a passionate gentleman who used the help of his son. His son, like most children, loved to eat mud, and kept trying to persist in that action no matter how much he was stopped. In an attempt to put an end to it, he used the taste and essence of the earth to create this flavor. Half of those who drink it call it the gift of the Heavens, and the other half spit it out and curse. It seems that you are indecisive, King."

Daneel smirked and nodded. Indeed, that was the case.

Deciding to use this brief moment to relax, Daneel reminisced on what had happened since seeing the Emperor in all his glory.

From the beginning, the entire plan had hinged on obtaining some way to bind Heroes to him. After all, it was just not possible to kill them, somehow, and think that their deaths would go unnoticed, and it was also not feasible to think that he could give a speech, like in many movies, and make them instantly change their minds and characters.

So, the need of the hour was some way to force them into making an oath which they would have to follow, or perish.

Regular oaths were ruled out right away: even in the case of Champions, they could be overcome in a matter of months, and if it were Heroes, they could possibly break them apart and do as they wished in weeks.

So…that left only one option.

The Artifact left behind by the Emperor.

But how?

That Artifact was possibly the most treasured thing in the Big Four- it was the base of their entire model of allowing people to break through using Willstones. Without it, anyone could just betray the continent and go over to the Church, resulting in disasters of epic proportions.

A large part of the problem was solved by having the Head under his command: as the one who enacted these rules of the Big Four, he had the Artifact on his body, so there was no need to perform a heist to get their hands on it.

Hence, the only remaining problem was that of the formations placed by generations of Heads and members of the High Council to ensure that whoever possessed it would only use it after being given permission by a majority of those who held authority within the Big Four.

This was an intricate countermeasure laid down long ago by the survivors of the Apocalypse who still retained a large part of the power from the age before, and it was so complex that it couldn't even be analyzed properly by most in this age. This was also how the Artifact was even put to use by those who were not accepted by it, or those who were not powerful enough to wield it.

That was when the system had told him that the true owner could induce the Artifact Spirit to break apart all that is binding it, and that was when Daneel got the idea to restore the memories of the Emperor.

After all, what was life, but a series of decisions?

If all those decisions, and all the events that had led up to the moment of the fracture of his mind were showed to him, wasn't it possible that he might be revived, at least temporarily?

The system hadn't known whether it would work, as there was little to no research in that area. That was where his Master had helped- he had combed through the resources of the Church and declared that it was possible.

With that, the only thing left was to find a way to impart memories, and for this, the perfect treasure was one used by those who trained in Paths related to the mind, like Aran's.

They used the treasure to undergo difficult situations to hone and sharpen themselves, and it had worked perfectly.

Taking another sip from the glass and still being indecisive regarding whether he loved it or hated it, Daneel shot a glance to the corner of the room where the Heroes lay.

16 young Heroes, with such promising futures. 17, actually, if one counted Magda, who was undergoing the same thing in Lanthanor.

Yet…they had all chosen to go in the wrong direction, and hence, they had become Daneel's targets.

After obtaining the right to use the Artifact, the plan was simple: break the Heroes, and make them submit and swear the oath.

Physical assault was not preferable, as it might cause too much of a ruckus. So, all that was left was a mental one.

The moment Daneel had thought of this, he had been reminded of what he had gone through in the Order, and after asking the system, he had pleasantly found that his experiences were enough for even the Champion level system to assess and copy the spell that was used there.

The only problem was the extreme expenditure of the mind that would be needed to cast the spell, as it was exceedingly complex, especially when it was supposed to target 16 Heroes.

If it was one, Daneel could do it. But for 16…he would have fainted.

So, the Head was brought in again, and he was currently maintaining the spell without breaking a sweat.

Everything was laid out perfectly. Now, all that was left was to form the first Hero corp under Daneel.

He had already decided that it would comprise of all those who were ready to betray their Motherland. In a cold twist of fate, they would be forced to defend it with their lives, and it was just…perfect.

As he thought about what they were undergoing in the simulation, he actually felt quite proud.

For a long time, he had had idle thoughts regarding what hell must be.

This…was one version of it that he knew would be pretty effective in making people repent.

So, getting the odd idea that it would befit this situation, Daneel transformed his chair into a throne that was fit for the King of Hell- complete with wailing souls, affixed skulls and ghastly ghosts.

Meanwhile, in the room below the Palace of Lanthanor, Magda was still bound to the chair.

However…her eyes were closed, and a deep, deep frown was set on her face.

If someone could peek into her mind, they would see that she was a toddler who was being shown the first mistake she had felt guilty for in her life: there was a boy whom she teased and teased using her background until he committed suicide, and she had felt regret when she saw his body devoid of life.

Yet, rather than sorrow, there was only frustration on her face, and she screamed something that no one heard.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"IT'S ALREADY THE 45,689TH TIME! Please stop! PLEASE! I KNOW EVERYTHING I DID WRONG! I don't want to see it again! I can't make it to a million times to escape! I'LL DO ANYTHING, I'LL DO ANYTHING! I'LL SWEAR THAT OATH! Please, just make it stop!"

Chapter 847: Good Cop, Bad Cop

As Magda finally woke up after what felt like a long, long time, she started to feel scared seeing the tiniest of things.

The room she had been kept in was dark, and even this darkness seemed to be hiding monsters and demons that could not be described using words.

She cowered and tried to sink into her chair, and even when light appeared, she furtively looked around with panic, as if she were but a terrified, harmless creature who had ventured into the vision of an apex predator.

She tried very, very hard not to think about what she had been through, but the images kept flashing in front of her mind.

Every time they did so, she would shake her head vigorously in an attempt to get rid of them.

Gone was the confident and arrogant Gourmet Chef with a bright future, and in her place, all that was left was someone who was ready to bend and do anything that was needed in order to not go through what she had just experienced.

Observing this from his quarters, Daneel sighed.

This was torture of the highest degree, and not for the first time, he asked himself if it was too much.

What he was doing here was basically breaking one's psyche and making them perceptible to outside influence, which had always been the Holy Grail of torture for intelligence agencies back on Earth.

Because the sense of time of an individual was skewed when they were dreaming, or in this case, when they were in a simulation, Daneel could actually make the Heroes go through hundreds of thousands of repetitions of their lifetimes in a matter of mere days.

Magda had 'broken' after around 48,000 repetitions, which was much sooner than he had anticipated.

Yet, as he thought about it, it made sense.

All 17 of these Heroes had broken through using Willstones, after diligently training in seclusion in the Big Four. Hence, their real-world experience was very little.

That was also probably why their methods had been so naïve. In fact, this was partly the reason why Daneel had been able to entrap them so easily, and for that, they only had themselves to blame.

Hence, it was to be expected that if their lives were as well-endowed and carefree as that, then they would be quite lacking in the willpower department.

Normally, this would not have mattered if they were deployed on the battlefield. They had gone through many mock battles, so they had no problems when giving their all against their foes.

Yet…in matters like these which required a certain kind of mettle that could only be forged when one underwent various difficulties, they were bound to fail.

Coming back to the matter of whether it was too much…Daneel firmly shook his head.

Pity. This was a rare thing that he should keep in limited quantity, at least until the War was over.

If these people had planned their sedition in other times, there might have been cause to consider whether one should show at least a little leniency.

Yet, in this time, they had planned to go over even while knowing that doing so would definitely irrevocably damage the chances of their homeland.

Each and every Hero who flipped sides were a major loss for Angaria, where individuals who had reached this realm were limited. Although a few hundred might not seem like a low number, when one considered the fact that the Mainland was a full level above Angaria in terms of the general realms of the people and the Energy content, then it didn't seem like much, at all.

So, taking a deep breath, Daneel abolished all doubt from his mind and strode forward.

As he appeared in the room, Magda screamed, "No! PLEASE! Don't put me back in there!"

Never before had he seen this much fear in anyone's eyes.

It was so visceral that one would automatically feel like consoling the one in front of them, but Danee hardened his heart and smiled in a diabolical manner.

That smile was enough. Magda burst out crying and closed her eyes, before repeating something again and again.

"Shouldn't have been greedy…shouldn't have been greedy…shouldn't have been greedy…why did I want the damn Church? ARGH!"

With that, it was settled.

Feeling something strange, Magda opened her eyes and screamed once again as a sword sharper than anything she had ever seen was placed squarely between her eyes.

She tried to move back, but she was frozen in place. Her entire body began to be drenched in sweat, and she looked like she would go into a hysterical fit soon.

Yet, at that moment, looking into those eyes, Daneel was suddenly struck by an idea.

Transforming his smile in a kind one, he spoke in a voice that, to Magda, felt as if it was coming from within her mind.

"You have sinned, but the Heavens have given you a chance to redeem yourself. Swear yourself unto me, and wash your sullied soul clean. By my name, I promise that when your debt has been paid, you shall be set free. But until then...your life and death will no longer be in your own hands. Choose."

Each word seemed to build back the confidence that Magda had lost.

It was as if she had been thrust into the darkest of mists, and she had been stumbling around, terrified of what lay around her.

Yet, now...she finally saw a door outlined in the kindest of light, shining with the hope for salvation.

Seeing a chance to finally escape her life that had turned into a living nightmare, she took it without any hesitation.

"I swear," she said, and her world instantly seemed to change.

For the second time in her life, Magda felt a bond that was thicker than steel and heavier than rock settle around her consciousness.

It was many times stronger than what came to be one swore an Oath, and strangely…it was even stronger than the bond that was already there.

That was the one she had sworn when she became a Hero, but somehow…this one easily broke it apart, and took its place.

With widened eyes, Magda felt the restraints loosen, and she looked at herself with astonishment.

Where before that bond had felt like a constricting one which she had looked forward to break by taking the help of the Church, now, it was more like one that represented, and kept in control her foul self.

With it, she could change, and gain redemption for everything she had seen.

With it…she could live.

Indeed, seeing those moments of guilt had made her wish that she was dead. Now, though…she had something to live for.

Looking up, she saw that the sword had disappeared, but the man was still present.

Right away, she knelt.

"King Daneel. It is obvious that our eyes were blinded by our arrogance. You are the one who was in that cavern, and you are the one with more power and potential than any seed I have ever seen in the Big Four. Whatever it takes, I shall repay my debt."Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

As he heard these words, Daneel couldn't help but grin.

Yes! He had done it!

For some reason, taking control of this Hero felt much more special than directly gaining the allegiance of the Head.

It was different from the verbal promise he had obtained from the Champion of Balance's father, too.

As he thought about it, he realized that this was because in this instance, he had gained a true followed he could explicitly trust, and control.

The Hero corp…had finally been created.

"Return to your station, and act as if nothing is wrong. Await further instructions. But first, take some time to recover."

Magda's hands had still been shaking when she knelt on the ground. The aftereffects of having her psyche broken were still present, and it was obvious that she had only managed to utter those words using the confidence that Daneel had imparted her using his promise.

With a nod filled with relief, she disappeared, and for once, Daneel was able to directly put her out of his mind.

And that…was mainly because he had just felt the power of the Artifact.

No matter what a Hero did, there was no damn way that they could escape, and just as expected, the power of an Artifact with a recognized master was truly something else.

Breaking the bond placed before was a piece of cake, and when doing so, the sword had even given off a feeling of distaste, almost as if she was ashamed of the shoddy work she had had to do before.

Now, though, she was ecstatic, as if she really had enjoyed setting someone right.

While Daneel held it in his hands, the Head appeared in the room from his hiding place and clapped.

This was a clone as the main body was controlling the simulations of the other 16 Heroes, but it was enough to communicate.

"I gather that you got the idea at the last moment? If I remember, you said that you would act like the King of Hell to control them with fear, right?"

Indeed, that had been his original plan. Yet, obviously, he had missed a simple logic.

"Is a subordinate who is forced into carrying out tasks better, or is one who happily does everything assigned to him as it is in his own best interest better? It is obviously the latter, and the reason this idea did not come to before was that I overestimated the characters of these Heroes. I thought that they might need fear, as it is only this that can put a truly dark soul into the right path. Yet, these Heroes are more like naughty children. For them, it is enough if I act both as the King of Hell and the Ruler of Heaven. A classic good cop, bad cop strategy, basically."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Just something I heard somewhere."

Engrossed with his decision, Daneel had used that common phrase from Earth, but thankfully, the Head did not spot anything odd.

However, it looked like he did have something to say.

"This method, and everything you said so far seems great, but there is an exception you forgot about. Three of the Heroes in those 16 are joyfully cruising through the repetitions."

Daneel raised an eyebrow as he heard this, but he replied without missing a beat.

"Oh, so we've finally found the ringleaders? Yes, Head, there was one limitation I didn't mention- it is that if one does not feel guilty, the simulation is ineffective. Now, these people…I can truly have fun with. I need to weaken them first, though, before I begin the next round of torture. So, continue to keep running the simulation- who knows, it might prove effective eventually. Even if it doesn't, boredom is another weapon that is often underutilized by many. Until they are more gullible to my next method, I have a small something to do. Keep sending me updates, Head."

With that, Daneel nodded towards the man and disappeared, and soon he was back at an Obelisk in the Order.

Once again, the informers did their job, but to the disappointment of those who were watching, he chose no mission.

Instead…he chose a very special reward that was very ingeniously hidden in the middle of the list, and that, too, with a misspelled name.

"Origin Libra"

It was supposed to read 'Library of Origin', but this was another blatant attempt to hide things which someone in the Order did not want exposed.

If there had been a doubt before regarding the Overseer's false identity, there was no more now.

Daneel lazily browsed around for quite a bit, and finally, he chose this reward while muttering, "Libra, huh? Isn't that the name of a famous Godbeast? And this reward only appeared after I finished five 5-star missions! It must be precious!"

It would seem like perfectly normal reasoning even if anyone was listening in, and as Daneel was teleported to a dusty room filled with tomes, he got a bewildered expression on his face.

Yet, within his mind…there was only happiness and excitement, as he had finally, finally, managed to reach this place, where he hoped to find the answers that he had been looking for for what felt like an eternity.

Chapter 848: Revelation

The room that he had been teleported into was so musty that it looked as if it had not been intruded upon for centuries and centuries, and from how it had been so perfectly concealed, Daneel knew that that was probably the case.

He maintained the look of confusion upon his face, as he looked around and tried to take an estimate of exactly how large it was.

Behind him was a wall, and on both sides, bookcases could be seen stretching into the darkness in front of him.

Dusty tomes were present in the bookcases, and their names were so caked over that they could not be seen.

The entire reason behind him acting in that manner before, in front of the obelisk, and even here was that he did not want to ignore the fact that the Overseer might be watching him right now.

It had been clear from the beginning – someone had always wanted to hide some things, and that had been evident both in the rule book which had required the system to scan it and then analyze to find the hidden commentaries and rules, and in the list of rewards that he had just browsed through.

This meant that there could be an alert which the Overseer might be looking for in case someone availed this reward, and for all intents and purposes, this had to look like an absolutely normal and random intrusion upon this place.

To make it seem even more real, Daneel scratched his head and muttered, "Where's the weapon?"

As if intending to look for it, he began to pass through the corridor made by bookshelves. In the process, he ran his hands randomly over all of the tomes that were present, almost as if he was trying to see whether this was a simulation or reality.

Of course, while he was doing so, the system kept scanning all of them, and already, it had sent a message with said:

[Scanning tomes related to Origin of the Order.]

Was he truly about to find just how this thing had even come into being?

Hiding his excitement, Daneel continued, and as he did so, he marveled at just how large this place was.

He had also conjured a globe of light, and in front of him, the corridor stretched on and on. He kept walking cautiously, almost as if he was also convinced that this was a trap, and of course, he made sure to not miss even one tome. It did look a little strange, but he had no option as he was not confident in coming back and making it seem normal, so he had to ensure that he touched them all on this first run.

The consolation was that each book was huge, which meant that there were only two rows on the bookshelves even if they were taller than a fully grown man. Hence, it wasn't too difficult, and soon, Daneel came upon a junction, of sorts, where he could go forward, left or right.

Again, in all four directions, there were only the bookshelves, and Daneel decided to go to the left.

The result was that he came upon another spot exactly like where he had been teleported to – a dead-end.

Retracing his steps, he went to the right, and once again, he reached another dead-end.

Finally starting to understand just what the structure of this area was, he went on the path that was straight ahead from the one he had initially been on, and as expected, he reached another wall.

Clearly, this room was laid out in the shape of a '+' symbol, and he had covered it all.

Of course, the King of Lanthanor maintained the look of confusion on his face, as he returned to the central portion from where all four directions stretched out.

He had made sure to pause at certain places, and ponder on something, and he had also pulled out random books and then gotten confused because their headings had all been quite strange. Also, they were written in almost illegible words, and he had continuously repeated to himself that he wanted a weapon, and not all this.

Of course, not to make himself seem too dumb, he had also shown interest in certain tomes which detailed certain incidents that had happened in the past of the Order, such as one where there had apparently been a revolution. The result was that all of those who had turned against the Order were killed, and although this had been intriguing, he had once against said to himself that it didn't really matter to him, as it had happened in an age long, long past.

Finally, as Daneel continued to scratch his chin and ponder in the central area, he found himself suddenly teleported outside.

With shock, he checked in the obelisk to find that one of his 5-star tier rewards had been deducted, which made him break out into a litany of curses that were heard by all those below.

No matter how much he tried flicking through rewards, and complaining that he had been cheated, there was no response from anyone, and he could only give up and go back to his quarters while glaring at everyone he came across.

Once he reached them, he even slammed the door shut and got onto the bed while severely cursing even his own curiosity, but of course, deep, deep within his eyes, an excitement that he almost couldn't hide was continuously pulsing.

The reason behind that… Was that he was pretty confident that he had pulled off the act quite perfectly, without arousing suspicion from anyone who might be watching.

Keeping appearances up, Daneel continued to grumble for some more time before finally leaving the Order.

It was only when he reached his quarters, checked all the Hero level formations and even asked the system thrice that no one was surveilling him that he finally asked it to give him the lowdown on everything that it had gathered.

The answer that he got… Made him stare into the air in a daze.

[Sorting relevant and irrelevant data according to parameters. Listing relevant topics:

1.Origin of the order

2.Duties and identity of the Overseer(including emergency Wartime duties)Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

3.Conditions to be fulfilled for one to take the position of an overseer

Listing irrelevant topics:

1.Past wars and battles

2.Ideologies of various illustrious individuals who were once a part of the Order

3. Long dissertations on topics such as honor and duty]

Taking a deep breath, Daneel settled into a comfortable throne and asked the system to begin the first topic, after bracing himself for the flood of information that he would soon be inundated with.

[Origin of the Order: The Order began due to the single thought of a man whose name is not mentioned. Host must understand that in the library, timelines have been scrubbed. So, although there are vague indications to an age far, far before the Empire even existed, there is no clear measure of time given. The only thing that is quoted is that in the beginning, there was nothing, and then, life sprang into being. There is no information relating to how the continent evolved to its present state, and how the various creatures which are currently inhabiting the continent came to be. However, one thing that has been repeated continuously is that the Will of the World has always existed. It has always helped those who have the well-being of their home in mind. The individual who established the Order was one who deeply loved his homeland, and at the time of his death, his biggest regret was that he could not leave behind a way to ensure that there would be something, anything, to protect it in case forces from the outside threatened the existence of free will on the continent. This thought was so profound and intense that it aligned perfectly with the Will, allowing that person to obtain unimaginable power which he used to set down the rules that exist to this day. These rules have already been told to host by the Overseer.]

Hearing this extraordinary story, Daneel sat up straight from his relaxed position and exclaimed, "What the f*ck?!"

He couldn't help it! Until now, he had been expecting that this library that he had worked so hard to reach would through clear light upon just how this Order came to be, and in that process, also allow him to understand the origins of the continent, itself. The past was always an interesting topic that anyone who lived would want to unveil for themselves, and just like the scientists on earth who kept asking the question regarding how they had come to be, Daneel had continuously wondered about just what could have resulted in the formation of the continent of Angaria. Even in the topic of the name- who had given it? Why was it accepted by all that that should be what it's called? Why was there no other name, at all?

No matter where one searched for answers to questions like these, they would only be looked at askance, as most didn't understand why anyone would want to concern themselves with something like this which would not help them in any manner in the present. There were always much more pressing things to take care of, and hence, such pursuits would almost seem meaningless, except to those esoteric and reclusive individuals who would not come out to declare what they were doing anyway.

Well, today, although he had gotten the few hints regarding the origin, it did not look like he would obtain a clear answer.

Still… The origin of the Order was definitely interesting. Again and again, he had heard about the Will of the world being the most powerful force that anyone could wield. Of course, it was this that the Emperor had termed as the Grand Inheritance and left behind, and it was probably some indication to this that Daneel would find when he collected all of the keys which were still scattered throughout the continent.

It almost felt nostalgic to think about these things which he had almost forgotten recently, but of course, they were always in the back of his mind. If he was powerful enough, he would assemble them right away, but alas, he had no option but to bide his time at the moment.

Of course, the other reason why he was not so hell-bent on obtaining them was that he knew that right now, there was no way that he could control it properly enough to not result in another apocalypse.

Putting these thoughts aside, though, Daneel decided to focus on just what he had gone to so much trouble to find out: the identity of the Overseer.

So, he asked the system to continue before once again sitting back on the throne, while the beating of the Dragon Heart in the room faded into the background.

And from the first line that the system told him, itself, he was completely shocked.

[The Overseer, as the name suggests, is only an administrative role. The Overseer only takes command when the one who is chosen to lead the Order is absent. The Overseer also takes command when the role, is not filled due to no one being found worthy enough to obtain it. In order to entice people who truly have the continent's well-being in mind, the one who set up the Order ensured that those who were in both of these leading positions would obtain undue benefits. First of all, they would be able to gain access to an object which would allow them to continuously nourish their consciousness and allow them to exist for as long as needed. However, if even an indication is found that there is a chance of them changing their inclination, they are expelled. The duty of the Overseer is to look for the leader of the Order, or as he is called by his official title, the 'Saviour'. This leader has complete command of the Order, and can wilfully order around the Overseer. During times of war, the leader, or the Overseer(in case the leader is absent) can also forcefully enlist the members of the Order to dispatch them as needed. The-]

Although the system continued, Daneel's mind had already gone blank due to all the revelations that he had been subjected to.

Yet, it was actually the last one that shocked him the most, as it looked like he…had finally found the reason why the one who was in the place of the Overseer hadn't acted yet.

It was only in times of war that the Overseer could forcefully command the members of the Order. And from the Apocalypse…no such time had occurred in the continent.

If so…could it be possible that the one in that position had been waiting, patiently, for exactly this moment?

Chapter 849: An Audience

It was only after standing in a daze for a few moments that Daneel finally got back to his senses.

From the beginning, the biggest proponent that the Overseer was not someone with ulterior motives was that he had done nothing so far to indicate that he did not really have the best interests of the continent at heart.

True, he had acted quite cold in many situations, and had taken many decisions that would make him seem outright evil, but all of these could be explained away by the logic that they made sense when one viewed them with the big picture in mind.

Yet, with this… Everything changed.

It now made sense for whoever had taken the role of the Overseer to wait and bide their time, as no matter what their objective might be, it would only be in a time of war when they would be able to act with the most freedom.

Getting back to what the system had continued on to say, Daneel found out that during times of war, even the rules surrounding the Overseer became lax, as it would not make sense to have to check with the rules each and every time whenever a crucial decision had to be made. Hence, for anyone wanting to accomplish anything with that role, they would have to wait for an invasion to occur.

By the grace of the Heavens, no such danger had befallen the continent for a long time. Yet, now… An invasion was imminent, and as soon as it struck, he could almost visualize the Overseer completely turning on everybody and commanding the strongest Heroes to do his bidding.

But what could his bidding be? Could he be someone from the Church? No, that was impossible, because his master had told him that the Church was a relatively new entity that had not been present at the time when the continent had been attacked.

Could he be acting on his own agenda? In that case, would he want to surrender the continent, itself, to the Church, thereby allowing him to gain the best bargaining chip possible?

There were many, many possibilities and eventualities, and Daneel couldn't even wrap his head around all of them.

Yet, there was still a small chance that he could be overthinking things. Only… When he thought about how hard he had had to work in order to get to the stage where he had this information in hand, this possibility seemed more and more moot.

This was the absolute worst case, and it was a good thing to think about it and put something in place to counter it. Before he got to that stage, though, Daneel decided to listen to the last topic the system had listed as important.

[Conditions to be chosen as an Overseer:

1. The role of the Overseer should be empty

2. There must only be one individual participating in the test

3. The individual must pass the test and show their loyalty to the continent

4. The individual must swear the oath to follow the rules, and never overstep their boundaries

5. The individual has to obtain the approval of the Saviour(if the Saviour is present).]

That was it. Although Daneel turned it over in his mind, he did not really see its importance at the moment, and that was merely because he had no idea regarding the conditions surrounding the Order at the time of the attack before the Apocalypse, as there was no data recorded even in the Library of Origin. Even his master only knew that the Order had been targeted, and that its leadership had been killed successfully before the attack even commenced.

So… This meant that it was in that period of time, between when the attack commenced and before the Emperor used the Grand Inheritance to force the enemies back after dealing them a devastating blow was when the individual who was currently acting as the Overseer had taken his position.

Who could it be?

There was also something weird about this. Initially, he had had the impression that the Overseer might be some sort of an artificial consciousness that was acting completely on cold, hard logic. Yet, now, he had discovered that it was a person, which did not make sense at all.

True, there was still a case to be made that living for such a long time might make one become almost robotic, but if so, what was the reason behind the decision right after the Apocalypse to not open the doors of the Order and save those who could have been saved?

The supposition fell apart when this was taken into account. This tidbit about the past was why Daneel had even begun to think that the Overseer might just be some form of consciousness.

For all intents and purposes, the Order was just a normal organization that had been established for the good of the continent. Its specialty was that it had a very unique set of rules, and it also had a system which would check that those who were enforcing them were definitely loyal to the continent. Only, somehow, it had changed over the years to become an organization that was headed by a coldly logical entity whom no one could understand, and whom everyone took for granted as a perpetual being who would enforce the rules and always keep the good of the continent in its mind.

All of it was a sham. All of it.

The public perception about the Order, itself, had been methodically changed over the years to become like how it was now.

It was almost like a leader transforming themselves and their followers into a cult where they were the God, and where they would be treated as being greater than human!

But why?

Why?!

So many questions made Daneel's head swirl, and he could only sit back and hold it between his hands in order to make it stop.

However… a message suddenly interrupted him, making him snap his head up and look into the distance with an extremely bewildered expression on his face.

"The Overseer requests your presence for a meeting. Please head to a nearby Obelisk at once."

That was the message, and hearing it made his heart suddenly start beating out his chest.

He felt cornered, like a rabbit who had been found stealing from a garden by the gardener, and only a hatchet awaited him.

He first had to take a few moments to calm down, and then think.

Was it a coincidence?

No, that couldn't possibly be the case, right?

He tried to put himself in the place of someone who had somehow taken on the role of the Overseer and was waiting for the chance to betray the continent.

If someone intruded upon the place where there was information which could throw light on his objective, what would he do?

Of course, the most direct thing was to kill off this individual, just to be safe.

After all, in matters like these, one would not even hesitate before being as ruthless as needed. Only, in this case, the Overseer was bound by the rules of the Order, and that meant that he couldn't possibly go on a killing spree if he wished.

What did it leave, then?

Daneel had been very careful to make it seem as if it had been casual, but anyone who was being cautious would want to make sure that there was no chance that their true objective might be being investigated. In that case, the logical conclusion was to find something that would allow them to find this out for sure.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

How, though?

No matter how much he thought about it, he did not find the answer.

He did understand one thing, though. If he hesitated now, that would only throw even more doubt upon himself, so he decided to go to the meeting.

Still… He could not stop himself from feeling just a tiny bit of fear.

If he took a gander at everything and everyone he had had to go up against in this continent, then it would become clear that it was always the intelligent forces that had given him the most difficulty. So far, he had managed to outsmart them, but in front of someone like this who had fooled generations and generations of Heroes… It was possible that he might have met his match.

It was a worthy match, though, for sure, and it even felt like this was the final foe that Daneel would have to defeat before facing the Church in the inevitable War that would soon begin.

This was the one thought that made him puff up his chest with confidence.

Yes! If he could rid this powerful organization of this individual who was quite probably someone with a different agenda in mind, that he could calmly go about his preparations for defeating the Church without worrying about anyone backstabbing him while he was absorbed in that matter. Hell, he could even try to become the Overseer, himself, if he made the role become empty!

That was also the Word that he had given as the World Dominator and also to Cassandra, and to fulfill it… he was willing to do anything that was necessary.

As for the role of the Saviour, the requirements were too vague, and it was also strange that it was the same term used in reference to the matter with the Golden Lightning.

He had no time to think of that now, though, as the Overseer awaited him.

Nodding to himself with an expression of resolution, Daneel teleported away after leaving behind a message detailing everything he had found out which could only be read by his sovereigns. If anyone else even touched it, it would turn into ash.

As soon as he got to the Headquarters of the Order, itself, everything felt different.

This place which had once seemed like a safe haven where he could calmly show his power and reap the rewards that he would use both for the outside world and for himself, now felt like a pit of vipers.

There was only one snake, but just this one was so powerful that it could gobble him up without his knowledge.

Taking another deep breath, the King of Lanthanor made his way to an obelisk, as he had been instructed.

In the next moment, he found himself transported to the same room where he had first met the Overseer.

There was that same creepy globe filled with the faces of those who had seen so far, and those he had yet to see, and in the surroundings, there was naught but the nebulous darkness which symbolized his own position after finding out everything that he had.

As always, the Overseer's voice echoed from all over the place.

"The Order has been keeping a close eye on your achievements. Your power has exceeded all expectations, and it is a pleasant surprise to see that someone of such talent has existed on the continent for so long without being spotted. As such, the Order would like to extend a special offer to you. If you agree, you will be mentored by the top Heroes of Angaria, who typically only focus on their own power and seldom see the light of day. Yet, to honor the favors that they have been granted by the Order, they will be called upon to give you the best instruction possible. With their help, and with the resources that you will be provided, it is possible that you might be able to break through to the Hero realm before the war even commences. This is the goal of the Order, as it has become clear that you will be an excellent addition to our forces if you're able to go further on your Path. Do not fear, because the tenets of secrecy the Order has always stood on will still be maintained. None shall know of your true identity, and the Order shall also put forth more effort to make sure that this shall remain the case. As I have asked once before, I must do so once again. What do you choose?"

Those last three words echoed continuously in the room, and Daneel had to gulp before stating the most obvious question.

"I gather…that this comes at a cost? I need to swear further oaths, right?"

In an almost offhand tone, the Overseer replied, "Of course, but that shall be no different from what generations of individuals with even more talent than you have sworn, and it is something that they have never come to regret. In fact, they are even thankful of the opportunity."

No more needed to be said. There was no way that Daneel would swear something like this. Still, he acted as if he was thinking for a bit, before finally saying, "I respectfully decline, at the moment. I would like to go as far as possible on my own before choosing to take help. That has always been the way I do things."

Daneel's words were followed by a pregnant pause which made cold sweat spring to life on his back.

The timing of this was so circumspect that Daneel was half convinced that he would be attacked next.

Yet, thankfully…nothing of the sort happened.

"Very well. Choose the newly added mission in the obelisk if you wish to reconsider."

With that, he was teleported out, and as he reappeared in front of the Obelisk, Daneel realized that for the whole time, he had been so tensed that his fists had been closed so tightly that his nails had dug deep into his skin.

Letting out a breath, he teleported away, but no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't get the feeling out of his mind that something…was wrong.

Chapter 850: A Discussion

The next day, the news that the king had called for a meeting where all the top officials of the kingdom would attend startled the sovereigns, who had all been expecting one where they would meet and discuss about what he had found out in the library that he had worked so hard to enter.

They had read his message, and all of them had been pretty disturbed for quite a long time. The same ramifications that had gone through his mind had also occurred to all of them, and they had even come together to discuss between themselves, as they had found that the king was absent.

He hadn't responded to their communication, and they had just thought that he must be on some sudden errand. Initially, when they had gotten the news that he was going to meet the Overseer, they had panicked a bit, but after a little bit of time, the king had sent another message that the meeting had gone normally, and that he wasn't in any trouble.

That was why they assumed that he must have gotten busy with something, and that was also why it was so surprising to receive this news out of the blue.

The king still refrained from answering the questions they put forth, and he only gave terse replies when they tried to contact him through the oathlink.

It was only on the next day, when everyone had gathered, that they finally saw him again.

After a long time, many of the individuals who had been recruited by the king and who had been working diligently all this while had gathered in one place.

There was the trader who had become quite instrumental in carrying out Eloise's orders, and there was even the spymaster who had decided to come along and who was currently hiding his identity by acting like a servant who was stationed in the room.

The rulers of the other three forces in the Alliance had also arrived, along with their topmost ministers. Elanev's father was included in the latter group.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Many of the eyes of these individuals were riveted on the stunning elves who were also present. When they saw the two of them hold hands and act like a couple, though, astonishment could be seen in many, and in some, there was even disappointment.

This was the weirdness of human nature: even though they knew that they would never be able to get into a relationship with these two individuals who had both power and authority, they still felt sad when they saw that they were 'taken'.

Of course, Luther was there to represent the Hidden Kill Sect, and from the Black Raven Kingdom, a few old people had arrived, who were apparently members of the Chief Council who took care of the kingdom in Faxul's absence.

Faxul was sitting with them while catching up on the matters of his kingdom.

A few invisible people were also present. One of these was the former Grand Court Mage of Lanthanor, who had been steadily working to redeem his image. He had already been given quite a few responsibilities such as looking for talent in the vast population of the Alliance, and Kellor was satisfied with everything that he was doing.

Finally, the Champion of Balance had also taken a break from his 'loving' instruction of the Domination Corps to preside over this meeting.

As always, Daneel suddenly appeared in front of the throne and directly sat down.

He dispensed with the formalities, and immediately launched into the reason behind him calling for the meeting in the first place.

"The purpose of this meeting is to assess the present state of the Alliance, and also to discuss what is needed to transform us into a superpower that can possibly make an impact in the war against the Church. All of you have already received information regarding the power level of the force that we might have to face. It might seem like an impossible task at the moment, but I want you all to keep an open mind and just tell me what is required. You might be surprised to find that many things can be solved. But to find effective solutions, we need to have a perfect estimate of what we want to achieve, and the route we will use to get there. Let us begin."

These words first made a hush fall over the entire area, as the King's proclamation could not be any loftier.

Transform into a superpower that could contend against the Church, whose squadrons were supposed to contain those at least at the level of Champions?

Such words could easily be spoken, but making them come true… Was a different matter altogether.

Only the sovereigns were not surprised as they heard this, as they had long known that this was the ultimate objective of the King.

However, seeing the way that he brought it up so urgently, they could feel that something was wrong.

Half of them were convinced that they should ask right away, but Robert and Luther spoke to dissuade them of this notion.

"Let the meeting and. We can talk to him after that," they said together, and the rest of the sovereigns agreed.

The discussion began with the present state of the Alliance, and through it all, the King of Lanthanor just sat on his throne with a stoic expression on his face.

For half the time, it almost looked like his mind was on something else, but he would always find the perfect thing to ask or say no matter in which direction the discussion went.

For example, there was a proposal that the fundamental instruction mechanism in the School City should be changed, but the king had directly dismissed that suggestion as it would not have any impact in the short term. The war was imminent in barely a few years, and they had to plan with that in mind.

The elves, together, gave a lot of inputs, such as regarding the state of their recovering army and all of the trinkets that they had on hold which could be retrofitted using higher-tier resources.

As for the state of the army of Lanthanor, it wasn't very good, mainly because of the elite mages who were still, to the public, out of commission.

Sadly, it was not possible to change that at the moment, so the end result of the discussion was that a lot needed to be done if they even wanted to go back to the power level that they had been at before.

The crux of it all… was potential.

Any way one looked at it, the biggest drawback of the armies of the Central Continent was that the general potential of both the Mages and Fighters was terribly low.

If this could somehow be changed, then the vision of the king to transform the Central Continent into a superpower might not seem so far-fetched, after all.

Even when talking about those who were already in the Army and who had acceptable potential, the fact was that they trained too slowly, and in a couple of years, they would at most improve by a small realm, if nothing changed.

However, as soon as this was stated, the king gave a strange reply.

"Leave that alone. Assume that the general potential and the general power level of all those who are in the armies will go up by the measure of a major realm before the war commences. In that case, what can we do to make them even more effective?"

These words caused an even longer pause to appear in the room, and it was only when the king clapped his hands to bring everyone back to their senses that they finally blinked and began to think about the requirement that had been put forth.

However, it took some time, because many still couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that tens of thousands of individuals could somehow cross a major realm in the matter of a few years.

After they finally did so, though, the discussion centered around the legendary battalion formations of Lanthanor.

Of course, these were the tanks and other innovative forms that soldiers could take during battle in order to increase their efficiency and power output to a completely different level.

This was where the eyes of the king began to shine, and they could perceive his excitement. He began to talk about how the need was to change the formations that were already at hand to work with much more powerful individuals, and it was surprising to find out that this could be done quite easily.

The reason behind this was that these formations were derived from ancient ones, which had been utilized at the time when the general Energy level of the continent was different. Hence, all that needed to be done was to go back to those original ones and make any small changes that might be necessary.

Thus, the first resolution of the congregation was made: existing battalion formations and new ones would be researched and deployed keeping in mind the combined army of all the forces of the Alliance.

This meant that a lot of research had to be done into how the unique Black Raven Corps of the Black Raven Kingdom could be used, and how the assassins of the Hidden Kill Sect could be combined with the present forces to make them even stronger.

After this, the topic of discussion was regarding the general populace, and what changes needed to be made in that aspect.

With this, the second resolution came to be: plans would be set up using which large numbers of people could combine their strength to launch at least one attack in case the worst came to be.

These would only need to be used if all of the countermeasures placed were destroyed, and if the Church marched on the innocent folk whom they were coming to slaughter.

The idea was that at such a time, these people should at least have the means to defend themselves, or hold out in case help was near.

Slowly, the tone of the entire conversation, itself, seemed to change to one that would usually be seen in situation rooms during wartime.

This started to worry the sovereigns, who had been of the impression that they still had a lot of time. Having that view suddenly changed, erratic thoughts began to appear in their minds.

Still, they weren't sovereigns for nothing. The managed to take back control and begin thinking so that they could contribute to the discussion, which was still going on in full swing.

By this time, the meeting had gone on for the better part of a day, and the time came to end it with one final resolution.

This one was regarding the infrastructure of the Alliance, and it was decided that a report would be created regarding the exact amounts of resources that were present with them which could be used to begin preparing both defensive and offensive items that would be used during the war.

The meeting was adjourned at that point, with the king declaring that they would meet again when everything that they had decided here was fulfilled.

Yet… Just before everyone left, he stood up and gave an ominous statement that shocked most of those who had gathered.

"In case you haven't noticed, let me make it clear you. None of these plans explicitly require my involvement. The idea behind this is that even if anything happens to me, they can continue, which means that we will be prepared for the War. I'm not saying this to incite panic, but I just wish to state a possibility which we cannot ignore as the very fate of the continent is at stake. May the Heavens help us in all of our pursuits."

The king teleported away after saying this, and instantly, the sovereigns all disappeared and reappeared in his quarters, where they found him looking out of a window with a brooding expression on his face.

None of them were able to control themselves anymore. It was Eloise who asked the question that was in all of their minds, and she didn't mince her words.

"What's wrong, Daneel? Why the hell are you acting in this way?"

His answer… Made them all stare him while looking as if they had been struck by a hundred thousand lightning bolts.

"My dear sovereigns… It is all because I sense something which I cannot place my finger on. Although my instinct is only being triggered by the slightest bit, I cannot afford to ignore it. It tells me… That something may befall me soon, and before that happens, I intend to put everything in place so that the world can go on in the correct path even if I am absent. Yes, you heard me right. Even if the King of Lanthanor is no more…Angaria needs to win, and survive. And it is all of you who must ensure that. I need you all to swear, right here and right now, that you will not risk your lives to avenge, or look for me, in case it is not death that comes in my way. Our homeland needs you more. Heed the words of your King, and swear it."

Chapter 851: Talking to the Sovereigns

As Daneel saw all of his sovereigns look at him as if he was mad, he sighed and turned around.

His window was such that he could look out over the entirety of Lanthanor, and in its charming landscape, he lost himself.

"Daneel, we can't possibly do that! At least explain just what is making you ask that?"

As he heard Kellor ask this, he took in a breath, but he did not respond for a few moments.

That was because he was going over it all in his mind, again, but he came to the same conclusion: there was definitely something that was going to happen to him, and before that, he had to make sure that he had put everything in place so that things could proceed in the correct manner even in his absence.

It had all started ever since he had come out of the meeting with the Overseer. Since then, that slight tingling in his spine had not left him, even for a second.

Day and night, it had continued to hound him, until he had had no choice but to sit down and analyze everything before coming to the only possible conclusion: he had put things in motion that he could not see, but which he could feel because of his instincts which had been honed throughout all these years.

He didn't yet know what form they would take, but whatever it was, he was not confident in handling it outright.

He was still a Goddamn Amateur Champion, for Heaven's sake! And there was no way that he would be able to go up against those Heroes who had broken through naturally, whose means he couldn't even imagine in his present state.

What use was there in standing in front of a boulder that was barrelling down towards him at a speed which made it impossible for him to evade? Even if he knew what he was supposed to do, he would not be able to do it with enough time to spare, and only a very grisly fate would await him.

That was exactly how Daneel felt. Even with his godly power that allowed him to figure out the counter for the Path of those he was going up against, he was powerless in front of those people who could simply kill him outright before he did a single thing.

That was not to say that he was convinced that he would die – no, he was still pretty damn confident in saving his own life, but he could not ensure that he would not have to cut off all communication and hide.

It had taken a lot of effort to come to terms with this, and that was the reason behind him calling that meeting.

It had all been fun and games before, when the only thing at stake had been his own life. Now, though, if his suspicion was right, the force that he was up against would not hesitate to kill each and everyone associated with him. In fact, they would not even stop at that, and might go ahead to decimate the kingdom that he loved, in the hope that they would be able to force him out.

Daneel had never been one to ignore the worst-case act scenario the hope that it would not come to be. Only naïve individuals who were too scared to face the truth would choose to do something like that, and Daneel even despised such people.

Hence, he had been spending each and every second establishing more countermeasures and backup plans that he had done so far, in all these years combined.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

In a way, he was inspired by the Emperor, who had also started to place all of his plans even though there had been a slim possibility that he may be able to win the war without resorting to the Grand Inheritance.

His caution was the reason behind the continent even having a chance of going up against the Church in this age, and there was a lot to learn from that man.

For a moment, Daneel had even tried to stop and think about how he had come into this situation. Yet, he did not regret any of the decisions he had taken so far.

In fact, the other alternative was scarier: if he didn't go after the Overseer now, he was pretty confident that they would have found out about him when it was too late, and then, only regret would have been left.

In this continent, he was the only one who could go on this path. And hence…there was nothing more to consider.

Taking another deep breath, Daneel turned around to give an answer to his waiting sovereigns.

"Have you ever experienced the feeling where you're walking a very narrow path on the side of a mountain, with the very real possibility that a boulder will crush you from above? You know that there is the chance that it will happen, and in such cases, you can do one of two things. First, you can trust in the Heavens and keep praying as you walk along. Second, you can trust in yourself, and try to do everything you can to ensure that even if it happens, you live. What would you choose to do, my dear sovereigns?"

"The second, of course!"

Elanev spat out the answer instantly, which led to Daneel spreading out his arms on saying, "Exactly! And that is what I'm doing. You've seen my message, so you know that I am now on a path against someone whose power is unfathomable, and who has control of reserves which we cannot even begin to imagine. I simply cannot ignore the worst-case scenario. If it was only my life at stake, I would not worry so. But in this case… the fate of Angaria hangs in the balance. Swear it. Please."

That last word did it. When the king, himself, said 'please', then there was really no room to argue.

Elanev walked forward first. For some reason, he had an angry expression on his face.

Strangely, he spoke using an obscure Fighter technique which made it so that only Daneel heard his words.

"If that happens, I need you to swear to me that you will take me along. Don't argue, Daneel. Both of us know that I and Faxul are the strongest people under you, whom you can trust explicitly. I've talked to him too. Even if it means that we will die, we want you to take us along. Promise that, and we will swear what you ask. If not, it is off the table. The others are currently too weak. If they grow strong enough before what you're saying will happen comes to be, then they can be included, too. But for now, it's just us. Hasn't that always been so, younger brother? Do it."

It was often said that it was only in times of peril that the value of true bonds would show.

For the first time since this feeling of danger had engulfed Daneel, he smiled.

He simply nodded, and Elanev proceeded to say, "I swear it."

No oaths need to be given. It was only these words that were necessary, and Faxul walked forward to say them, too.

After they walked to the side, Eloise looked like she wanted to say something, but she still walked forward and repeated those three words.

However, she did add something.

"If you die without even taking me out on a proper date, I swear I'll kill you. Please, Daneel. We all need you."

She broke into tears as she said the last word, and Daneel couldn't help but sweep her into a hug.

She hugged him back tightly, and in her embrace, the King of Lanthanor felt so peaceful that the worry that had been on his face cleared.

Stepping back after a minute which felt too short, he looked straight into her eyes and said, "I promise. I'll do my best."

With a nod, she walked to his side, too.

His three commanders were next. As those who had been through countless wars, they knew that such things were common in battle, and that too, in one of such epic proportions. Still, from their expressions, it was clear that they still had the confidence that their king would succeed, just like he had done in everything so far.

His father was next. Walking up to him, he said, "I'm not surprised, son. Your mother spotted a change in you yesterday, itself, and she told me. Well, it is to be expected, because you spend time with her every day. No matter what happens, we will always be proud of you."

Daneel smiled as he heard this, as he knew that his mother had always been very perceptive.

Next up was Kellor, who did not need to say anything. His eyes expressed all of his emotions, and in them, Daneel saw the same staunch faith that he had once seen when the man had identified him as the one who had come to save Lanthanor, all those years ago.

With all of his sovereigns beside him, Daneel felt stronger than ever.

Turning to them, he smiled and said, "Oh, don't be so glum. I knew what I was getting into since my Master told me about the Overseer's death. Well…I had an inkling, at least. Anyway, wanna do something fun?"

…

In an underground room in a place far away from the Kingdom of Lanthanor, three Heroes were chained to chairs while looking as if they had fallen asleep.

Daneel and the rest of his sovereigns teleported into that room. Looking around, the rest were puzzled, but they all stared in a particular direction when they saw a man walk out from there.

"Oh? Have you decided to step it up?", he asked, to which Daneel replied with a nod.

It was the Head, and seeing him, they understood what was going on.

Conjuring comfortable chairs for all of them, Daneel said, "Meet Wilfred, Douglas, and Henry. Three of the most guiltless, self-righteous, twisted folk that I have seen in a long, long time."

As Daneel said this, the three seemed to respond in some small fashion when their name was called. Yet, they went back to normal after that.

Noticing this, the Head said, "I couldn't believe it, but they have been learning and adapting. In a few days, they might even be able to break up! I guess its not for nothing that they were named the most talented Champions in their sects..."

Hearing him, the others were surprised.

"Yes, it is talent mixed with such a character that is a truly deadly combination. These three have been friends for a long time, by the way. Our dear friend Percy has been digging through the rumors surrounding them. Between them, they are said to have caused the deaths of 23 regular members of the Big Four, 800 citizens from the Central Continent and one seed. Yes, indeed. A pretty terrific record. And no matter how many times they are shown their crimes, they simply marvel at their own actions, rather than questioning them. How would you propose we go about breaking them, to make them swear the oath? The rest are ready, and I'll go collect their oaths now. Think before I return."

Daneel left after that, and returned in ten minutes.

Yet, the faces of all of his sovereigns were just as stymied as when they had been when he had left them.

He didn't blame them. Mental torture relied on finding things people might feel bad for, or might make them uncomfortable. These three were seasoned to not care about anything but their own lifespans, so it was pretty impossible to affect them.

Chuckling, Daneel expressed the idea he had gotten, and from his tone, itself, it became clear that he was quite proud of it.

"I don't know if it'll work, but I do have an idea. These three, like many on Angaria, have become drunk on power. Now…what if they have to live their lives in a world with no magic, and no power to call their own? To find out, I've invented a place called…let's say, 'Earth'. There, they will be placed in the most monotonous life, where they will fail in each and every attempt they make to help themselves. It will seem like bad luck, but it will be us pulling the strings. They will have to live out several thousand lifetimes there, with each one more boring than the one before. Let's see what happens, shall we?"

Chapter 852: An Intrusion

Wilfred, Douglas, and Henry had shocked expressions on their faces, which were still forming, when they found themselves within a warm, comforting place.

They had not felt anything like this in a long, long time, and even though they had known that they must have been through this once, they had already forgotten the feeling.

They were in their mother's womb, together, and soon, they entered a new world.

It was a strange one. Their father worked in a grocery store, barely earning enough to sustain their family, and they had to work hard to get even the most basic things in their life.

Yet…all of this would have been fine, if they didn't know that they were actually powerful Heroes from a far-away place called Angaria.

Their power and prestige awaited them- if they just managed to get through this attempt by their enemy to force them into enslaving themselves for the rest of their lives.

The three had their first strategic meeting at the age of two, when they finally managed to utter words coherent enough for the others to understand.

Their parents thought that the brothers were playing, but the three had engaged in a deep discussion regarding what they would do in this simulation.

Their consciousness was intact- they could access all of it, so they could perfectly recall each and every moment of their life.

They knew that they would have to endure a thousand more lifetimes, and in fact, it even seemed that this was easier than the one before, where they had been shown their wrongdoings again and again.

So, deciding that they would just have fun and talk again at the age of five after discovering more about the world, they separated.

That night, disaster struck. Their house was robbed, and the children were separated because the robbers used them as hostages to escape.

Still, the three had already decided that they would come to that house every year if they were separated, so they weren't too worried.

Until the age of fifteen, although it was very disconcerting to grow up in a world with no magic and no Path to reach the Heavens, they persevered.

That was when they managed to meet each other again, and discovered that they had had tough lives.

At the same time, they also wondered how their opponent had managed to create such a vivid world out of nothing. It was almost as if…he had lived in it, to know so much about it, but that was impossible.

The thought soon left them, though, when their difficulties began anew from that point.

They were jailed for a crime they didn't commit, and from then on, they had to live the life of a convicted criminal.

The first lifetime passed in this way. It was intriguing, but nothing too difficult for those with the willpower of Heroes to endure.

It was even fine in the first hundred lifetimes. True, their conditions kept getting worse, but they lived on.

It was from there that things started getting difficult.

Their life had always revolved around power, in some form. When they were weak, it was the power that came from their background which allowed them to do as they wished. When they were strong, it was the power they used to crush those who dared to oppose them.

In that world, though…there was no way to obtain anything that was even remotely connected to that word.

It wasn't even that they didn't try. It was just that…their life seemed to be inflicted by the worst of luck, so every attempt they made at rising in society was stopped and squashed due to some or the other reason.

If they tried to start a business, their competitors would target them and make sure that they failed.

If they tried to go into crime, the cops would be there to apprehend them even before they finished their first act.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Even if they tried to work honestly to live a life of comfort, something or the other would happen, leaving them with no other option but to struggle.

It was at the 665th lifetime that Douglas showed the first signs of something going wrong.

One day, randomly, he started raving about how he was supposed to be a powerful Hero whose power would be enough to crush the entire city he was in into dust.

The result…was that he was thrown into an institution where they used all kinds of drugs to convince him that he was just normal.

Seeing his fate, the others were terrified. Was that how those who went against the society were treated?

They decided wholeheartedly that they would never expose their true origin, as the world they were in would only see them as madmen who needed to be locked up if they did.

Soon, though, they understood just why their brother had had to go on that rave.

It was because…Heroes like them could only take so much of being stepped upon before bursting forth with the anger that they were so used to showing in their original form.

The result was the same. The brainwashing was even quite effective, and even if they wanted to kill themselves(which was something they hadn't tried until then, as it was a form of giving up), they couldn't, as they were closely monitored.

In the real world, Daneel and his sovereigns were watching all of this with various expressions on their faces.

Daneel had a thoughtful one, while Eloise shot furtive glances at him, as she couldn't understand how he had come up with this.

The four commanders, including Daneel's father, had all just shuddered as they simply couldn't imagine themselves going through the same thing.

They could tell that the King was actively pulling the strings to ensure that the three brothers would keep failing, no matter what they tried to do.

He was like a vengeful god who had set his eyes on them, and there was nothing that they could do to oppose him.

For how long could anyone hold on in such a condition?

The burden of knowledge would definitely weigh down heavily on anyone who was going through it. If it were someone normal in that world, they might have turned to faith or something else.

But these three…must have guessed by now that the objective was to break them in this manner.

It still remained to be seen whether it would succeed, but it definitely looked like it was heading in that direction.

Kellor seemed fascinated by the world while feeling a little bit of pity for those suffering within it, and Elanev and Faxul were actually…bored.

Indeed, they had maintained interest for some time, but after that, their thoughts had settled on the feeling of impending doom that even they had begun to feel.

Looking at them, Daneel recognized that that was the case.

He could feel it growing stronger, too. He didn't yet know the shape it would take, but he had his feelers out- the minute there was a clue, he would find out.

Meanwhile, he focused on the three, and almost felt like laughing, as his mood had improved a lot after talking to his sovereigns.

His dear home, Earth, was a curious place. If one aligned themselves to the tenets of society that were laid down, they would find that they would have a pretty good time.

But if they began to go against those…there was nothing harder that one would have to endure.

Add to that the general perception of the public toward those who were crazy, and the result was a place that could drive anyone to give up.

Of course, that was only if there was a God-like Daneel looking down from below, ensuring that everything would keep going wrong.

For some, life would be in this way even if it was not a simulation being played out, and they would often feel tempted to end it, too.

Daneel understood them as he carried out this plan, and he also understood how infuriating the most common attitude must be which was shown to these people: 'Just get over it.'

There was possibly nothing worse that could be said, and just as Daneel was about to let his thoughts wander to a different place…the system sent him a message that made him stand up straight.

"All of you-"

BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!

No sooner had he said those words, a deafening sound made all those in the room spring to their feet and look around with panic, before realizing, with shock, that what they had heard was the sound of the mountain they were in being broken in half.

[Intrusion detected. Unsafe formations scrubbed. Traces erased.]

That was the message that Daneel had received, and as he looked up, in the direction of the ceiling that no longer existed, he spotted just what this 'intrusion' was.

Just four individuals were present in the air below the open sky, hovering in place just a few hundred meters away from them, but each of them gave off such a foreboding feeling that Daneel and the rest could only stand there, rooted to the spot.

Half of the 1000 meter tall mountain in which they were in was no more- instead, a pile of rubble was strewn to the side, and it was hard to believe that it was what had once made up one of the iconic peaks of Angaria.

From this, alone…the power of those who had arrived could be seen.

There were three Champions and one Hero, and it was the latter who stepped forward.

"What is the meaning of this? We-"

The Head stepped in to mediate, but what happened next…made Daneel understand that what he had been waiting for, had come to be.

All the woman did was flick her finger, and somehow, the Head's mouth…disappeared.

"Mmm! Mmm mm mmmmm!"

All that was left in the place where his mouth had once been was bare skin, and it moved in a grotesque manner as it was obvious that the Head was trying to free his tongue to talk.

Yet, no matter how much he did so, only these sounds could be heard.

It was a scene straight out of a horror film, but the most terrifying thing was…that none of them had been able to spot how she had done it.

By the time they had turned to the Head, it was as if he had always been so.

"System, did you catch that?", asked Daneel in an incredulous tone, and the answer he got made him feel a chill that cut to the bone.

[Negative. Data insufficient. Spellcasting ended before Phenomena Analysis Module could gather enough data. It is recommended to upgrade the system to enable better sensing mechanisms to record data.]

Daneel had no time to respond to the system, as he had just felt a pair of eyes lock onto him.

Indeed, it was a feeling that settled onto him even though he wasn't looking in the direction where those eyes lay, and as he turned, he realized that it was the eerie, snow-covered pupils of the woman that were staring at him with great interest.

She had stunning features, with a slightly upturned nose, high cheekbones, and a sharp chin. Yet…because of those unique eyes, all of these features would always fail to be noticed.

A silence that was akin to one that would appear before the onset of a world-ending storm appeared in the area, and finally…it was broken by the woman, who gave a statement in a glacial tone.

Hearing it, a look of horror unlike no other appeared on the faces of all those present in the ceiling-less room.

"Daneel Anivron. You have been charged with High Treason for aiding and abetting the Church of Rectitude. You shall be taken in for questioning, where if your guilt is established, your freedom will be forfeit for the rest of your miserable life. Come quietly, boy."

Chapter 853: The Head's Decision

"Why are you all staring at me like frightened chickens? Boy, I only come out of seclusion for a day in a year, and I would rather not spend most of it here. Get your butt over here, or you won't like it when I come down there…"

In the silence that followed the woman's statement, not even the sound of anyone breathing was heard from the room in which the King and his sovereigns were present.

Even the Head seemed to have been muted, because even though he looked like he was struggling, the sounds that had been coming from him before could no longer be heard.

As the woman continued to say this, the sovereigns finally broke out of their shock and looked like they were about to vehemently protest what was obviously a false accusation.

Yet…they all promptly shut their mouths when an urgent voice was heard in their minds.

"KEEP QUIET! There is supposed to be an ancient statute in the Order where someone who is out on an official errand can claim that they were opposed if someone talks back to them. That means that if you speak, she could turn you to ash and still not be punished. It's a trap. Just keep your mouths shut, and let me do the talking! That includes you, King! You should not even think of saying a word!"

The message was delivered quickly, in a frantic tone, but it managed to reach them before they fell in the trap.

Daneel hadn't been planning to say anything, anyway, because it was obvious that these people must have come with full preparation. Still, he really appreciated the Head's warning, because he hadn't known that his subordinates were in such immediate danger, too.

"Bleurgh! Do not try that again, Mrs. Quenry! I have invoked my right as the Head of the High Council to plead on behalf of an accused individual before he is taken into custody! I am a recognized member of the Order, so I have the added right to oppose someone on official Order business, too! I know that you shut me up because you knew that! If you do it again, you will have been in direct violation of the rules!"

It looked like the Head's efforts had finally paid off, because he managed to cough and regain his voice.

Even in the middle of his statement, there was a faint attempt to cut him off again, but the man managed to persevere.

By the end of it, it became clear that the objective of the woman was exactly as he had stated it, as she got an irritated expression on her face and spat out a sentence in an annoyed tone.

"Well, it looks like you've grown since the last time I've seen you. Fine. I just wanted to get it over with quickly. It's not like I didn't come without proof."

While the woman was speaking, the sovereigns were all completely focused on her.

Yet…Daneel's mind was elsewhere, and that was mainly because the system had finally managed to figure out just how the woman had managed to do such a thing to such a powerful Hero.

[Phenomena Analysis Module has determined that the spell just used was a form of Mass Hysteria, where all those present, including the target, were made to firmly believe that the target had changed into the form in which he was shown. System has determined that it is an attacking form of Mind Control, and that it resembles a Champion Path named 'Psychomaniac' which was declared as the strongest in a generation, but the individual who practiced it perished during their breakthrough, thus resulting in the Path being labeled as being too dangerous.]

I-it had all been fake?

Daneel could scarcely believe it. Just the thought that the reality they saw could be manipulated so easily without the system even detecting it was scary, to say the least, and it made him understand just how precarious of a position he was in.

Only…it wasn't like he hadn't anticipated that something exactly like this would happen.

Of course, the way it had come to be was definitely interesting. To think that the one who was most motivated to save the continent was being accused of doing the exact opposite was…rich, to use mild words, and it even made him almost laugh out loud.

He controlled himself, though, and ensured that his 'escape route' was ready before focusing on the woman who had begun to speak.

"Here. Evidence has come to light that this individual was masquerading as a staunch supported of Angaria while acting against its interests all the time. Oh, if they give him to me…ai, forget it, it'll never happen. They still talk in whispers about what happened the last time I was put in charge of interrogation. Count your lucky stars, boy, because otherwise, you would have met the fate of someone whose fate was worse than death. Go on, Head. Read, and try to make your case. This place is sealed, though, which is something I can do directly without consulting anyone. You can't talk to anyone outside, and no one on the outside can come in, either. That bunch beside our dear convict will be hauled in for questioning, too, as they are close associates."

It was as if each word said by the woman was delivered in the most infuriating tone possible.

Her distaste for someone who was only being accused was obvious, but more than this, it was the…'thrill' that had blazed in her eyes when she mentioned the stuff about interrogation that truly disturbed all those who were listening.

A dossier dropped into the Head's hands, and he immediately delved into it.

Thankfully, before they could ask, the Head made copies appear in front of the others too.

This was followed by a minute of reading, but with each second…the expressions of those who were going through the accusations changed dramatically.

First there was disbelief, then anger, and finally, an all-consuming rage could be seen on those who weren't adept at controlling their emotions.

In fact, even Luther, who was known for his permanent stolidity was balling up his fists angrily while looking like he could really use something to tear into pieces.

Logic managed to prevail in the sovereigns, who didn't speak no matter how much they wanted to, and the Head was the one who broke the silence with a voice filled with frustration.

"Th-this is preposterous! In all of these instances, the King of Lanthanor acted for the continent, not against it! You're just using circumstantial evidence!"

"Oh, what was that? Ah, a typical response, I see. Well, let's see what's so circumstantial about it."

It looked like the woman had gotten bored, as she was found reading a book she had conjured out of nowhere when the Head interrupted her.

Putting it away, she, too, got a copy of the report, and started to read out the summaries of all the insinuations that were written with.

"'First contact: During his time in an Academy located in the Kingdom known as Lanthanor in the Central Continent, the person who shall herewith be known as the 'convict' came into contact with a known associate of the Church. It is suspected that a deal was made here.' Oh, it's written in this boring form. Anyway, I'll just gloss over it. Well, communication was intercepted between the Central Continent and various locations on the coast, which were all places where the headquarters of the Church could have been at at that time. Every time, this communication was present before and after an attack or an altercation planned by the Church. Displayed capabilities far beyond normal which corroborate with techniques that could have been passed down from the Church. Associated closely with Ashahell, who is another known associate. Displayed tendencies of overambition when targeting other Kingdoms in the Central Continent covertly. And finally, the most damning evidence of it all that led to all of these long-standing 'suspicions' transform into something…more. Let's watch it!"

The video had been described in the report, and none of them had been able to believe that it was possible.

However, as if to prove them wrong, a large display trinket was deployed which showed a dark room.

A ring of light fell upon a chair that was in the middle of it, and on it, a familiar woman could be seen.

It was Sister Xuan, and her face was filled with such loathing that no one would be able to be convinced that the sweet girl who had spent time in Lanthanor was even possible of putting on an expression like what they were seeing.

"That guy made me follow him around, and when I finally wanted to be together with him, he said it would be possible if I joined the Church, too! I refused, but he managed to place a restriction on me that I managed to break out of only now! He should be slaughtered into bits! Mother, promise me it will happen! HE NEEDS TO DIE!"

She spat these words out in the harshest tone possible, and if someone who wasn't aware of her past was watching this, they would totally be convinced that she really was someone who had been wronged.

As if the video hadn't had a harrowing effect on all those who were present in the room, the woman continued in a casual tone.

"There is also testimony regarding the same from the companion of this individual, who is now in protection as it is her who brought all of this to our notice in the first place. After investigation, proof was found of a restriction that is of a style that is not present in this continent. All in all…it's more than enough to call for an arrest. Don't you agree, Head? If he's innocent, he will be fine afterward. But he needs to surrender first. Shall we get on with it, then?"

While the woman's words hung in the air, the sovereigns could only look between themselves.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Even the Head was completely stymied. If there was such damning proof, even if it was placed on purpose, the arrest had to happen first.

However…he knew that after it happened, no one could guarantee the King's life.

It was obvious by now that someone high, high up was making all this happen. The Head didn't know why they were doing it, but his decision regarding what he would do was taken instantaneously.

"King, run. I'll hold them off, even if I have to die in the process."

As soon as Daneel was sent this message, he turned around with a startled expression on his face and looked at the man who really did have an expression akin to one who had just found out that it was their last day.

However, there was no fear. There was only a determination to do what he had decided on, so Daneel quickly sent him a message.

"That is not necessary, Head. I've already set up an escape mechanism for myself. No one needs to die."

This time, it was the Head's turn to be surprised.

Yet…remembering the terrifying capabilities of his 'elder disciple brother', the Head took it in stride.

Still, it looked like there was something he had to say.

"Good. But do you know of her ability to track anyone she has seen even once in her life, even if they run to the ends of Angaria?"

Daneel's silence was enough to give him an answer.

"I knew you couldn't have taken that into account. I'll handle it. Choose the right time, and run. You must live on first, King."

Before Daneel could give him an answer, the Head boldly stepped out of the room and said something that made a pressure that was heavier than any they had ever felt settle onto all those who were present.

"What a farce. As long as I'm alive, I won't let someone innocent be taken into custody. Come at me, Mrs. Quenry. They say you killed your husband to break through and become a Hero. Let me find out if it was worth it."

Chapter 854: Run!

The pressure that engulfed the area was so strong that those who hadn't broken through to become Champions felt as if they would be crushed into the ground if they didn't put up a resistance against it.

Faxul even lent his power to the weaker of the sovereigns, and it was only after a few moments that all of them managed to stabilize themselves enough to be able to look up.

The woman had had an unpleasant expression ever since she had arrived, but it was on another level now. Her eyes became bloodshot, and her lips curled in an unsavory fashion as she looked at the Head as if he was but an ant she was preparing to pinch to death.

Daneel was paying attention to the Champions who had come with her, too, and weirdly, he saw that after the Head's statement, they had all begun to back away for some reason.

They were doing it as surreptitiously as possible, but the fear and slight panic in their eyes was evident.

Something was going to happen…and they really didn't want to be close to the source of it when it did.

Daneel wondered whether he would have to wait long to see just what form of attack this unique Hero Path would take, but what happened next proved him wrong right away.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

With a scream like that of a banshee's, the woman sprung forth suddenly, with a speed that almost turned her into a blur.

There was nothing civilized about her anymore. Her previously perfectly arranged hair was in disarray, and her beautiful countenance was twisted into something that was anything but so.

In fact, with every second that they watched her…it was almost as if she was transforming into something inhuman.

[Mass Hysteria in effect. Reality is being warped.]

This message from the system made Daneel understand that she had already begun to use her Hero Path.

But why was it in this manner? Why didn't she do something simple, yet effective like making those present believe that they had gone blind?

Soon, it became clear why that was the case.

The moment the woman was about to reach the Head, she seemed to undergo the final step of her 'transformation'.

Her entire body enlarged to become five times of what it was, and her face underwent the most drastic change.

Where before it had been human…it was now completely demonic, complete with a forked tongue, fangs, slitted eyes, scaly skin and a single horn that protruded outwards.

As for the reason behind all of this…it became clear when the sovereigns saw the Head's reaction.

"AH!", he screamed, before fleeing back.

This change in his demeanor startled the sovereigns, and they could only stare as the woman stopped in the air and let out a hearty laugh.

Fear. That was her objective.

In all living beings, there was always an instinctive fear that could be invoked in the right conditions.

If a Hero Path revolved around using a form of Mind Control to affect an opponent's mind…then there could be nothing more effective than calling upon this visceral emotion that could render even the most powerful, powerless.

However…it looked like she was not destined to have such an easy victory, as the Head forcefully stopped and turned around before he had crossed half the distance between where he had reached, and where he had set out from.

He spoke in a calm voice, but it was clear that he was putting in an effort to let it be so.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"The famous 'Demon's Screech', known for sending 8 Heroes running when they tried to fight you for your inheritance. I have heard of it, Ma'am, and I was prepared. You won't be winning that easily."

The 'Demon's Screech'?

Daneel had to admit that it was a fitting name.

As the woman heard the Head's statement, she discarded the transformation, and once again, it became clear that she had only changed in their mind.

The most terrifying thing about this was that even if one recognized that it was happening, it was impossible to defend against it as it happened too quickly.

Daneel's fists balled up as he realized this.

Too weak. You're too weak!

As he screamed this at himself for the umpteenth time, the situation in the air above had begun to heat up.

"Very well. The protection afforded to you as the Head has already been nullified due to your actions. It'll be fine if I just don't kill you. We might be at the same level, but let me show you the difference between one who broke through on their own, and one who was so pathetic that they had to use a Willstone. Come."

"Weakness. Disease. Mortality. Insecurity. Nostalgia. Fear."

The Head's response was strange, but when the mages who were present used their elementary vision, they witnessed one of the most incredible sights in their lives.

Each word formed waves and waves of elementary particles that buffeted his opponent, and it was obvious that if they were in its way…they would directly be inflicted by everything that the man had just mentioned.

His way was of his Word, and each one he spoke would become reality.

Before, when the Head had displayed his power, Daneel had been too preoccupied with his own fight against Elanev. Even in all the instances after that, he had never had the opportunity to truly study the power of this steadfast man who had taken up the mantle to fight for something he believed in.

Each Word he spoke using his Path became the personification of his Will, and although it wasn't at a stage, yet, where what he spoke directly became reality, it was enough to cause an effect where anyone would be foolish to ignore his attacks.

That had always been his style of attacking: he would use his voice to send attacks that could not be ignored, while using powerful mage spells to fatally injure his opponent.

Even now, Daneel could remember that crowning moment where those two words had bombarded those from the Church and made them flee like whimpering dogs whose tails had been stepped on.

Here, though…it did not look like it would be that easy.

"Humph."

With a single sound and a flick of her hand, the woman deflected the incoming waves of elementary particles directly, making them go in a different direction.

Ironically, this direction was where her Champions were quietly hiding, and they cursed before scrambling to move and escape.

Smirking on seeing this, the woman raised her hand once more, and seeing this, Daneel got a heavy feeling in his stomach as he could tell that something bad was going to happen.

Instantly, he activated his own Champion Path and sent a quick message to the Head.

"Your legs! Injure them, or you'll lose both!"

The Head had definitely not been expecting the King to interfere in this manner.

Yet, his belief allowed him to make the quick decision to follow the words of the King.

He made small gashes appear on his legs, and as blood stained his robes…a strange thing happened.

While everyone watched, both of his legs started to flicker, almost as if they were being pushed into non-existence by some invisible force.

Only, the force was facing some kind of opposition, as it soon failed.

The one with the most surprised expression on her face was the woman, but she quickly said, "So you knew that I go after the legs first? Well, let's see how you'll attack each part of your body in time to defend against me. Haha, the last one who tried this ended up killing himself!"

From her words, the devastating nature of her attack became clear.

It seemed that she could somehow make someone believe that they didn't have a certain part of their body, even during battle!

Could there be something more disorienting than this, especially in the middle of a heated fight?

Daneel's counter had been simple: because it was an attack on the mind, if sudden pain was induced from the body parts which were being targeted, it was possible that the attack would fail.

However…from what she had said, it became obvious that this was only a temporary stopgap.

"System, I need another counter!", he asked frantically, but the answer was not good.

[Searching. It has been detected that the target's Hero Path went through specific modification to ensure that only minimal counters are present. Looking for indications from World for more counters. Please upgrade the system for faster results.]

"King, I see that you can anticipate which body part she will target. This first time, she took it as luck. But if I repeat it, it will start to be suspicious. However, I need your help one more time: I will go all out and remove the trace she placed on you. Then, escape."

Before Daneel could respond, the Head stepped forward once again, and it became obvious that he was gearing up to use the same attack that had awed thousands before.

He took a deep breath, and just before he let out his power, he sent a message to Daneel.

"NOW!"

"Torso!"

As soon as Daneel sent the reply, a long, vertical gash came into being on the torso of the Head, following which the woman snarled and said, "Impossible!"

Her voice was completely drowned out, though, because a shout that rang through the Heavens was shot out from the Head's mouth.

"FOR JUSTICE!"

The words he used were different, but the effect…was actually magnified.

A tsunami of elementary particles which could simply not be deflected rushed in the direction of the woman, and she could only watch as all of her defensive measures were swept away, just like what had happened with those from the Church.

A bolt of lightning instantly struck down from the sky at the same moment, and the woman looked like she was done for.

Yet…it was at this moment that she showed the difference she had mentioned before.

The moment before the tip of the lightning bolt struck her body…the entire scene changed.

It was so weird that the sovereigns could only blink and wonder whether they had gone crazy.

The reason behind this…was that the very place where they stood had changed in that moment, and instead of the open sky, there was the ceiling of a cavern above.

A loud 'BOOM!' was heard in the next second, and as they cast their senses outside, they realized that the lightning bolt had struck the ground above them.

It was Daneel who finally realized just what the heck was going on.

This woman…had actually deployed her Path since the very first moment she had appeared!

She had made them all believe that they were in the mountain, while she and the Head were fighting beneath the open sky.

Yet…the truth was that she had sunk the mountain below the ground, which was not too hard a feat for a Hero, before beginning the fight in an environment that she completely controlled.

It was a lost cause from the start!

Daneel wondered whether the efforts of the Head were all for naught.

Already, he was completely captivated by these dazzling and almost incomprehensible means of these Heroes who seemed to have no limit.

Yet…seeing the man's face, a ray of hope suddenly came into being in Daneel's mind.

"NOW! RUN!", he shouted, and an attack that he had somehow hidden suddenly burst into existence.

It was akin to a solar flare that would blind all existence, and it was aimed directly at the triumphant eyes of the woman.

"NOOOOO!", she screamed, but it was too late.

[Trace detected on host's body. Trace has just been destroyed.]

As soon as this message appeared in his mind, Daneel transformed into a tiny Divine Cockroach that burrowed into the ground.

In ancient times, Divine Cockroaches had always had the ability to escape from any means of restriction that was placed on them using a technique which injured them terribly.

This was supposed to be lost in the present age, and in the Order, Daneel had discovered that even Skrr and the older Divine Cockroach were only aware of it, but did not know how to use it, as it was supposed to be demonstrated by an elder specimen of the race.

Daneel, though…had the memories of the Emperor, and in them, the man had once witnessed a Hero-level Divine Cockroach escape his own restrictive barrier using this method, which had led to one of the few failures of his life.

If he wanted to escape without arousing new suspicion regarding powers he might possess, this was the perfect way.

At the same moment, he also made a spell pull along his companions, whom he had sworn to take with him.

All it took was a moment, and because the woman was still preoccupied with the Head's attack, she could do nothing.

A crack appeared in the barrier she had placed, and Daneel, in his Divine Cockroach form, escaped along with his two sovereigns.

At the same time, just before he hurried away from the location, he shot one last look at the sovereigns who still remained on the scene.

Everything had happened so quickly that they had no time to react, and their faces were still frozen in shock.

Seeing them, he spoke to himself in a low voice.

"I am sorry, my friends, for doing this, but I promise that when I return…I will be strong enough to ensure that something like this will never need to happen, ever again. Farewell, for now."

As he spoke the last word, a change started to come in the trinkets that they always kept on their bodies.

These were the trinkets that Daneel had given which ensured that they would be able to defend themselves against Mind Control, and they were made of the precious Ker Root he had obtained from the Mad Doctor.

Now, though…on his command, each of them broke into tiny fragments which blew away without leaving any trace, and along with them vanished a large portion of the memories they had of the King of Lanthanor.

With tears streaming down his face, the King continued running, while his sovereigns all got puzzled expressions on their faces, as if they had forgotten something that was very, very important to them.

Chapter 855: I want...to Dominate.

The next day.

A woman stood in the highest balcony of the Kingdom of Lanthanor while overlooking the home she had grown up in.

She remembered it all. Being born to the cruel King, being separated from her mother, watching her brothers commit untold crimes in the name of 'excitement'.

She had remembered the relief she had felt when she saw that vile man die by the hands of a youngster, and it still made her chuckle when she recalled how she had felt guilty due to that, as it felt wrong to celebrate the death of her father.

It was after that…that her memories started to feel strange.

She remembered the King. She remembered starting to undress in front of him in the hope that she could solicit his help through that act to save those who needed to be saved, and she remembered the way that had shocked him, making him look like a naïve boy instead of someone who had just ascended the throne.

But after that…something kept telling her that what she remembered was not all that there was.

It wasn't that there were holes in her memory. No, each and every second was accounted for, and all it showed was that she had a good relationship with the King, while being interested in him romantically.

Yet, she had no memory of ever getting closer to him.

All of their time spent together was strictly professional, and save for the bursts of joy that had led to him hugging her, she remembered no other moments where they had talked intimately.

She also knew nothing more about his personal life than what the others who were close to him were aware of. She had asked the Grand Court Mage and even his commanders, but they only corroborated these memories.

She hadn't built up the courage to speak to them about this strangeness that she felt, but slowly, it was becoming harder and harder to hold it inside her.

At present, the King had gone on an expedition with the King of the Black Raven Kingdom and the son of the Righteous Hawk.

She felt something wrong about this, but again, it was only a fleeting thought that she couldn't even grasp to question why it existed.

Above it all…there was also an overwhelming sadness which kept engulfing her and making her cry without knowing the reason behind why she was doing so, but strangely, it was during these moments that things would feel normal.

It was almost as if…she was supposed to feel worried and sad about something, and although she didn't know why, it was only right that she experience those emotions.

Unknown to her, in the sky above, two individuals were watching her every expression.

They were dressed in dark robes which almost looked like the uniform of some force, and they were so perfectly hidden that even Heroes would find it difficult to spot them.

That was to be expected, though, because they were equipped with Hero-level trinkets sourced directly from the Order.

Although their faces were completely shrouded in the shadow of the hoods of their cloaks, it was obvious that one man was taller than the other, and it was he who broke the silence.

"Anything?"

Shaking his head and shrugging, the other man replied.

"Nothing, at all. The spell was too thorough. There is no way to extract the memories that were erased- no matter what happens, no one can retrieve them. If Mrs. Quenry, herself, who is the most skilled individual in Mind Control in the entire continent says it's a lost cause, then who are we to question it?"

"Say that to the boss."

With a gulp, the shorter man shot a look at the other and continued.

"Fine, I was jesting. Yes, the boss put us up to this because he doubted her, but there's really nothing to spot. They do act weird because they can tell that something is missing, but that's about it. The Kingdom was even scanned by multiple Heroes- there is nothing, at all, out of the norm. Well, it is possible that that kid managed to hide everything…"

Hearing this, the other man interrupted.

"Of course he did! He is in league with the Church! And that's also how he has been evading the detection of the Heroes! It's obvious that he took refuge in their headquarters!"

The taller man seemed completely convinced of this, and the shorter one did not look like he wanted to argue.

Still, he did speak, as if there was something that was weighing down on his mind.

"It just doesn't make sense, though. Everything he did was for Angaria. But he was a traitor, all along? Something just feels…wrong, about all this."

The reply was given in a low voice.

"Doubting the given narrative is dangerous, and you know it. I, for one, will just follow orders and keep my head down. Anyway, what are we supposed to do next?"

The warning made the shorter man nod and say, "You're right, it's what we should do. Well, the idea is to not make panic come to life in this place. He is so extremely loved that even if someone tries to smear his name, they will only find themselves mobbed to death! That really threw a curveball in the initial plans to 'expose' him as a traitor. Now, the plan is to keep up this story about his absence while looking for him. After he is found, a replica will be made of his consciousness so that he can be supplanted. Using that fake King, the plan is to lead the Central Continent to fight and act as scapegoats to die while the true elite conserve their forces."

Suddenly, right as the man said that last word, a feeling of danger settled onto him, almost as if he had come between the eyes of a lurking predator that was ready to pounce out of cover.

"What's wrong?"

His companion didn't seem to feel anything, as he asked this question after seeing him suddenly crouch and activate defensive measures.

The man didn't have an answer. It had only been present for the briefest of moments, and it had disappeared even before he could tell from which direction it had been coming from.

Still…he wasn't prepared to let it go.

"I felt someone target me."

"What? Through the Hero-level trinkets? That's impossible!"

"I know. But it happened. I'm ordering a full sweep. Let's get out of here."

In a place far away, Daneel grimaced and stopped surveilling the area where the two individuals had been standing.

He hadn't been able to help it. After hearing that the plan was to use his name to sacrifice millions of innocent people…he just hadn't been able to hold it in.

Lanthanor was his home. Over the years, he had installed so many Hero-level formations there that he, himself had lost count.

It had started after his discovery that hidden Hero-level formations would not be able to be detected by anything in the same realm- hence, he had gone crazy, and he was reaping the benefits now.

The entire airspace of the Kingdom was under active surveillance by a formation that simply scanned the flow of air. It would have been too much data for someone normal to assess- in fact, in the age of the Empire, this formation had needed multiple Champions to check and see whether there were anomalies.

Yet, Daneel had the system which was equivalent to a thousand brains put together. It had detected the displacement of air caused when the two had teleported there, and it had managed to listen in using the faintest vibrations that exited the anti-surveillance formation that they had created using trinkets.

The result was that no one could hide within his Kingdom, and his perseverance to keep watching had paid off- he had finally discovered what might happen next.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Only…what could he do to stop it?

"ARGH!"

With an angry snarl, Daneel broke the table in front of him as he got up.

In the process, he startled the two people in the Chamber of Golden Lightning who were awake- Elanev and Faxul.

All around, various objects were strewn haphazardly. In one corner of the gigantic chamber, vials of blood could be seen, and in another was a large, circular object that was made of what looked like interlocking roots of a reddish material.

As Daneel answered his companions who crossed all these things and came to him to ask what had happened, they felt similar emotions, but they didn't explode as they had already vented in the first hour after they had fled the scene.

Daneel was the only one who had kept his calm, as he had been anticipating that something like this would happen. Even though he could never have known that he would be accused of the one thing that was the exact antithesis of everything he stood for, he had expected that it would be devastating, and that was exactly how it had been.

Even now, he remembered the expressions of unexplainable loss that had plagued his sovereigns when they were made to forget the relationship they had with him.

He had had no option but to change it all in their mind, as otherwise, he knew that they would get into trouble. In their memories, now, he was just a capable ruler who was pretty cold and distant.

This would ensure that they would mostly not be targeted by those who might wish to target him, but that had left his parents.

Anticipating that they would be used against him, he had already extracted them from the Central Continent surreptitiously and placed them here, and at the moment, they were asleep as they had been awake for a long time due to the worry they felt when they saw their son smuggle them away in this manner.

Robert's clone had been present in that room before, and it had disappeared after the incident.

Daneel had considered using a clone, too, but he hadn't been confident in fooling the eyes of Heroes. His father being a clone was not a problem, but if it was detected that his real body was not present, they would not have attacked and all. The objective had been to get it over with in a place he could relatively control, and in a way, it could be said that it had worked out.

The only casualty was the Head, who was currently in a coma after being injured by the furious counterattack of the woman who had failed in her task. Of course, Daneel was still injured from his act of breaking through the barrier, but those wounds would heal.

Those that wouldn't…were the ones that had inflicted his heart after having to flee from his own Kingdom.

"What do we do now, Daneel?"

Faxul finally asked this question, and it was obvious that he had not done so till now as he had seen that his friend was busy keeping an eye on the outside world and ensuring that his escape had been successful.

Now that everything had started to settle down, Daneel took a deep breath and gave an answer that startled both of his sovereigns.

"I don't know," he said with a shrug, before getting up and walking in a certain direction.

Elanev looked like he was about to burst into a barrage of follow-up questions beginning with 'What the f*ck?', but Faxul raised a hand to stop him.

At first, he didn't understand, but the reason became clear when the King without a Kingdom continued, with his voice echoing in the chamber.

His back was turned to them, and with each word he said, they could see it straightening bit by bit, until it was straight as it could be by the end.

"I don't know exactly, but I do know one thing. When it is time for us to return…I want it to be that we stand above all, and below none. I want it to be that we can do whatever the f*ck we want in this continent, without there being even a single person who will dare to question us. I want it to be that this World bows to me, and even the very air should ask permission before it makes it course through the land. I want…to dominate, and nothing shall stand in my way. Such is my word…and my word shall be done."

[Module: Word of the World Dominator activated. The Word has been given. Rewards shall be given based on completion.]

As the message echoed in his mind, Daneel turned around with a smile and declared, "It's time to power up, boys."

Chapter 856: A Trip

In the silence that followed his proclamation, Daneel activated the Basilisk's Breath in order to not activate any time, at all.

"System, list the ways that can be used to quickly increase our power levels."

[Assessing all available data. Listing possibilities…]

As he began to go through the list in his mind, the eyes of the King of Lanthanor began to glow, and seeing it, the sovereigns immediately fell silent as a feeling of anticipation that they could hardly control came into being within their hearts.

…

Half a day later.

At a location 800 m from the coast of Angaria.

The Endless Sea was a vast expanse which no ordinary individual dared to tread upon.

Even though many villages which weren't under the rule of any force in the Central Continent existed on the fringe areas of Angaria where their sustenance was completely dependent on what they could get from this ferocious and unrelenting part of their world, those who resided within them knew that it was only so much they could do without consciously courting death.

For example, even though a few fishermen ventured into the Sea when the waves were relatively calm, usually at the earliest hours of the morning, they would only go as far as a hundred meters inward.

Even this was considered to be extremely dangerous, and the mortality rate was such that it would scare anyone who wished to pursue such an endeavor. Yet, the mysterious men who always arrived to purchase all of the fish that they caught for exorbitant prices which would allow them to sustain themselves for quite a long time still made many people brace themselves and decide to try their luck, and hence, it was almost every day that the Endless Sea found itself a new victim.

A small family who had run out of options to pursue due to a recent spate of bad events had just rowed their boat onto this lonely expanse.

There was a man and a woman, and the latter was holding a picture close to her heart.

"Must we really do this? Can't we just go back and beg them? Why should we leave him alone?", she pleaded, but the man could only look at her and get a sad expression on his face before answering, "You know we can't. If it's just him, there is a chance that he will be left alone. But if it's us, too… We will be slaughtered the moment we are seen. They are not people who wait patiently after the time period to return the money ends. It is said that their men come to cut a finger for each day that elapses after the time that is agreed upon, and I really don't want our son to see that, and be traumatized for life. I would rather he think that we left on a journey in an attempt to make amends, which we failed in. Let's at least try to do that."

Such was the sad fate of many who chose to come here. They had failed in their life, and all that was left was the final reckoning where they would test their luck and see if they could catch a few of the fish which were so precious. If they succeeded, they would go back and pray to the Heavens for the rest of their lives. If they didn't… Well, it wasn't like the fish underneath did not appreciate a change in diet.

Typically, because the objective was to catch a fish and quickly come back instead of floundering around, these people would go out beyond the hundred meters mark, even though there was a much higher risk of them dying.

This particular family had already reached the 200 m one, and both of them were looking around with frightened eyes while hoping that the fishing rod in their hands would move, which would indicate that they had succeeded.

It was more likely that a sudden wave would erupt that would swallow them whole, and it was already such a chore to maintain the boat stably in the tumultuous water that was already threatening to capsize it.

Suddenly, spotting something in the distance, the man stood up with fright.

He had done his research – he had been told that if anyone saw distant figures on the horizon, then it might be too late for them to escape. Still, it was possible that they could live for another day if they tried to get away, as this usually meant that the formidable creatures that lived in deeper waters had decided to visit their place of birth for some reason. They had been told that these creatures would look like people who were traveling on the sea, but because such a thing was an impossibility, it was surely the fins of the sharks which could be mistaken in case they were very far away.

At the moment, the man had spotted exactly this- three blips could be seen on the horizon, approaching rapidly.

Judging by the spot from where they were coming from, it was obvious that it was more than a kilometer inwards, and that meant that it was definitely not someone else trying their luck like them.

"Quick! Let's get to a shallower area! Maybe we can save ourselves!"

Saying so, the man turned the boat around and quickly started to row, while the woman held on for dear life.

He kept shooting glances behind them when not focusing on keeping the boat steady, and each time he did so, he tried to pull out a little more energy from his body to make themselves move faster.

This was because each time, it looked as if those blips were becoming clearer and clearer, and because he was only taking furtive glances, he could not yet determine what they were, exactly.

Still, he had learned enough in life not to question an opportunity that had been given where he could save himself, so using his wife's assistance as a navigator while she controlled the rudder, he rowed as quickly as he could.

It did not help that a current had started to pick up which was against them, and the sails were already flapping in the other direction. Even the waves were starting to move erratically, and this was usually the sign of impending doom.

Was this it? Was this his last day on this beautiful continent?

Understanding that there was nothing more he could do and deciding that he would die bravely instead of being frightened by seeing the creatures that were about to swallow him, the man left the oars and took out a picture that he had, too.

Seeing him, the woman mimicked his actions. She had been bracing herself for the last few hours, but it was still very hard.

As the boat began to become less and less stable, tears started to flow down both of their faces. They tried to keep the image of their son firmly within their minds as they waited to be either gobbled up or drowned, but strangely, even after a minute passed… No such thing happened.

If it was just this, they might have continued to wait thinking that fate was playing a cruel game with them by delaying the inevitable, but suddenly… They opened their eyes with shock when a polite voice entered their ears.

"Hello… Are you lost? Would you like me to drop you back on the shore?"

It almost felt like a voice that they had heard before, and if they weren't in such a shellshocked state where they could only stare at the man with windswept hair but pristine clothes who was looking down at them from the air with kind eyes, the might have recognized it.

He wasn't alone – there were two other people beside him, and of them, another looked like him – prim and proper, as if he had stepped out of a tea party instead of being in the most inhospitable area that was known to man.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

As for the last one, he looked like he had been wronged in some way, as he was continuously grumbled under his breath. His clothes were wet, and they were even torn in some places. He was the only one who looked like he was where he was supposed to be, and he was the one who enabled them to regain a sense of normalcy and believe that they had not died and gone to a strange place where they were being witness to impossible things.

The man had been a trader who was used to dealing with difficult situations, so he managed to quickly gather his wits and realize who these people might be.

Standing up and understanding that this might be a chance in a lifetime, he held both of his hands together and spoke in an earnest tone.

"Esteemed sirs! I have heard that you might belong to the prestigious organizations which are hidden in our continent. To answer your question, Sir, we are not lost- we are here to throw our fate to the Heavens and attempt to catch a few of the fish with silvery scales which are valued so highly. If we sell them, we will be able to repay our debt and rejoin our son whom we had no choice but to leave behind with those whom we could trust. If we fail, he will at least be able to live his life with his head raised high, knowing that his parents did everything they could instead of giving up and defaulting on a promise they had made, like many would do. Such are the troubles of the mortal world would surely not even touch the hem of your shoulder, noble Sir. If I may be presumptuous… May I ask whether you know of a better spot where we might succeed?"

The man had made the quick decision that there could be nothing stupider than directly begging for the help of someone who was possibly at the top of the continent. In this way, he could state his case clearly and evoke some sympathy, if such a thing was possible in the one whom he had come upon, and if not, he could still get off easily without risking being killed by these people who could do so with impunity.

He had heard of many cases where someone who expected to be helped would be very rudely surprised, so he had no intention of taking a route which he knew to be unsafe.

Hearing his story, a thoughtful expression came on the man's face. Even his features seemed familiar- as the man thought about it, he realized that it wasn't the features, but rather the way he carried himself. The same could be seen in the other man whose clothes were also unruffled, and it was almost like there was something natural that belonged to them which would distinguish them no matter where they were.

Interrupting his thoughts, though, the one in the air who had spoken before replied in a neutral tone.

"Interesting. Well, it is your luck that has brought you upon my path. Rather than luck… what did you call it? 'Throwing your fate to the Heavens'? Well, it sounds fitting. I'll give you a choice. We have this bunch of fish that we caught even though we weren't looking to do so, and I can give them to you directly. Or… I may have a few tasks which you will need to attend to. If you agree to it, I guarantee that you will be safe. I cannot tell you any more until you agree. What is your choice?"

While speaking, the one in the air took out a bag from behind him and showed the contents within, which included more than 20 fish which would fetch such a princely price that the man and his family would be able to live for generations with no want in the world.

Yet… He had always been a risktaker, and that was the reason behind both his rise, and fall.

Something told him that this was the most important decision that he would take in his life. He looked to his wife, who was clearly completely captivated by the fish, and the instant wealth that it represented.

But… Trusting that voice within his head, he chose to follow his instincts and said, "I agree to trust you and carrying out your tasks, noble Sir. What may they be?"

His wife looked at him as if he were mad, but when she heard the reply given by the one in the air…her jaw dropped, and from the same eyes that had been flooded before with tears of distress, those of joy sprung forth which flowed down her cheeks.

"Good choice! If you had chosen the immediate benefits, you might have enjoyed riches for a while, but something would eventually have happened. Now…I can guarantee that your family's name will be known far and wide for centuries, and even you two will live for far longer than your natural lifespan. Come. There is much that needs to be done, and there is not much time that we can waste."

Chapter 857: Return of the Infamous Dummy 1 - Please read below

Looking at the two individuals who had been given a couple of fish to ensure that they would first pay back their loan and take care of all of their matters before becoming available to handle of the tasks that they had promised to do, Elanev asked, "Do we really need them? Wouldn't we be placing them in a lot of danger?"

Shaking his head, Daneel, who had disguised himself so that no one on the continent would be able to recognize him said, "Not at all. At most, I'll be using them to go to places where there might be surveillance. In that case, it's better to go as a wisp of consciousness rather than to risk using a clone and alerting the Order that we might be close by. Absolute caution is required, and I was meaning to find someone for this purpose anyway. Rather than just abducting people, I thought that it was better to give someone a choice. Don't you think so?"

Faxul directly nodded, and seeing the two kings agree with each other, Elanev resumed his grumbling, which was what he had been doing for the entire day.

"Damn mages. Spells for every damn thing. Just wait till I breakthrough! I'll make sure I use all kinds of spells, too. Fighters should be able to use even more spells. All of you are going to be jealous! And why can't I have a damn Bloodline! It's not easy to wade through all that water without transforming into a Black Raven or a f*cking shark, you know!"

He had been saying these words under his breath for the whole day, and seeing him finally say it out loud, Daneel and Faxulk looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

Their moods seemed to be much more relaxed than what they had been a day ago, when they had seen the plan of the Order, but still, it was obvious that everything was not back to normal as the laugher cut off in a few more moments, as if they had remembered the situation that they were in.

Still, the brief moment of elation managed to relax them quite a lot, and they nodded in response to Elanev's words.

It really was not easy to go through the terrifying whirlwinds and treacherous waters of the Endless Sea without having a Bloodline to call upon, or Champion level strength to depend upon. The two of them had been having it easy, which was why even their clothes hadn't been touched, but Elanev had been finding it quite difficult.

Still, they had been told secretly by the old man in his head that they should not give him any help whatsoever, as it would motivate him further to break through to become a Champion sooner. They had agreed that it made sense, so they had just said that he should breakthrough if he wanted to have spells cast on him.

Out of pride, he had not asked again, and thus, they had entered the situation that they were in, at the moment.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Still deciding to defer to the old man's words, Daneel changed the subject, and although Elanev grumbled some more, he started to listen with interest because the king had finally decided to shed some light on the task that they had been engrossed in ever since he had made the declaration that it was time to power up.

From the way he had said it, they had almost expected that the King might have some sort of pool lying around nearby which they could dunk their Head in and come out as Heroes or Champions.

Of course, it was Elanev who had assumed this more than Faxul, who was usually more sensible, but still, seeing that that was not the case had made them both wonder just what his plan was.

Instead of telling about it, though, he had said that he wanted to make a few trips out and clearly see something by himself, before telling them what was up. Apparently, this was so that he would know whether it was a worthwhile expedition or not, and because they had to be very, very careful to not be caught by the various methods being used by the Order and the Big Four to detect and corner the now most wanted criminals of the continent, they had had no time to talk.

Daneel saw that his parents were still asleep. It had only been half a day since the discovery of the plan of the Order, and it had not been spent in vain. Right away, he had recognized that his objective should be to break through the plateau of power that he had found himself in after the incident where he had killed the Mad Doctor.

He had started to believe, before, that the power he wielded was enough for his present situation, and that it would give him enough time to look for and safely obtain the means to break through again, but he had been proven egregiously wrong.

Still, all was not for naught. The whole reason behind him making the declaration was that he had found something in the original library that he had scanned using the system, and the expedition's purpose had been to check whether it was true.

The result was not conclusive yet, but still, Daneel decided that he should at least tell those under him regarding just what they would be looking for the next few days.

However, just as he was about to start… He detected another change in the kingdom, which led him to activate a display trinket that once again showed the scene of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

The last time this had happened, they had heard personally the words of those two Champions which had made them so angry that it been very hard to control themselves, and thus, slight panic appeared in both Elanev's and Faxul's faces as they hoped that nothing untoward was happening in their home again.

This sucks.

This thought passed through all three of their minds.

Having to watch like thieves while the actual enemies roamed freely in the continent had been so frustrating that the three had had to drastically change their own characters to be able to even act normally without devolving into a permanent fit of anger, but now, as another conversation reached their ears, they realized that they might have to go through all that again.

"He has always hidden his power, right? Even now, he told no one where he was going. Maybe it's possible that he… Chose other means to break past his own limits?"

These words were spoken in a tone which made the hairs on the back of their hands stand up, and in the next second, the sound of a tight slap being delivered echoed in the Chamber of Golden Lightning.

Following this, Eloise's sweet, sweet voice reached them, but it was now tinged with fury.

"Watch what you say! Another word like that, and I'll make sure you're thrown out! Leave! If you weren't the maid I've known since my childhood, you would already be locked in prison! Go!"

"Apologies, Your Ladyship. I'll make sure of that. I'm sorry for overstepping my boundaries, I'll make sure to watch what I say from now on. I'll take my leave."

These words which were delivered in a meek tone were followed by the sound of someone walking away, and after that, a low sound reached them.

It was that of someone sobbing softly, and as they recognized that it was Eloise who was probably once again letting out the feelings that she didn't even know why she had, Daneel let out a sigh of sadness and cut off the connection.

"Just a maid overstepping her boundaries, right?", asked Elanev, but when Daneel give him the answer, it looked obvious that he was really tempted to fly out right now and let it all go to hell.

"If it was just that, I would not have noticed it. No, this conversation tripped the sensor which indicated that Hero-level spells were being used. That means… That that voice was definitely using some or the other spell which probably works to convince the one it is targeted on into believing something they would never have considered before. It's possible that they've taken the next natural step to turn all of my former comrades against me, in the hopes that it will make me angry enough to come out of hiding. Or maybe… They just want to see the very people whom I've always trusted and depended on deciding to turn against me and call for my arrest, or replacement. Now that… Seems like something that is worthy of the mind of the Overseer."

Daneel spoke in a sardonic tone, and it was obvious that he was trying hard to control his emotions, too.

Elanev had to pinch himself to ensure that he wouldn't burst out, and it was only after a few moments that the three managed to get back to a mood that at least resembled normalcy.

Following this, Daneel spoke the answer that he had been about to give before.

"Listen. I was not joking around when I said what I said yesterday. I truly want to dominate, and for that, we need power. Originally, the plan was to use the rewards that we so painstakingly obtained to get the mysterious substance that even the Empire did not know about which would have enabled me and Faxul, and you, after you broke through to become a Champion, to reach the peak of the Champion realm and directly aim for the realm of Heroes. Knowing the absolute potential of both mine and Faxul's Paths and Bloodlines, we were confident that we would be able to stand against most in that realm even if we were newly broken through. After that, we could simply have bided our time and kept gaining power using the resources of the Order, but of course, all of that is now thrown out of the window. All of the rewards are wasted, and we can no longer delve into the deep reserves of the Order which I was targeting before. That leaves us with very, very few options. It is most obvious that it is not an option, at all, to calmly train using the training chamber we have here, or the Natural Energized Training Chamber I retrieved before our…exile. It will take simply too long, and by the time we gain enough power, the war would already have ended with the Church, or someone else emerging as the victor. Honestly, at this point, I don't know, and I don't care, because we need to get this done with first. If the magical solution that allows people to reach the peak of the Hero realm could be made using Ker roots, I wouldn't have hesitated to break down the Training Chamber, but alas, it apparently requires something which is not documented anywhere. Very few supposedly know how it is made, and it is a closely guarded secret that only those who are bound watertight by multiple Oaths of the Order have probably been allowed access to it. But in the Library of Origin… I found a different place where we might obtain information about it. At first, I was only focusing on finding out the identity of the false Overseer, but I still collected all of the information, just to be safe. This has paid off, because there are a lot of indications about a mysterious place in the Endless Sea where one can go to if all hope is lost, and if there is nothing or no one else that they can turn to for help. It is written that if it is not one's last hope, then they will directly perish, and even if it is, there is a very big chance that they will still find themselves living out their last days wishing that they hadn't ever embarked on the journey. Well… I thought that this really fits in with our situation. Even if half of what I've read about this place is true, I would never have wanted to get within 100 km of it if I were not at the peak of the Hero realm– that is how dangerous it feels. But now, boys… we no longer have a choice. Just like that couple, we have to throw our fate to the heavens."

As the king said the last sentence while shaking his head, Faxul asked, "What is it, anyway?"

The answer… Made both of them widen their eyes and wondered if it was even possible that what the king was saying was true.

"An offshore stronghold of the continent which was built during the Empire- and abandoned after the Apocalypse. It was meant as the ultimate doomsday shelter, but it transformed into the deepest pit of hell as the monstrosities there took complete control. Now…we march into its maw. Whether we snatch fortune from between its jaws, or perish within its fiery depths is unknown. But whatever the case…you can be damn sure that I won't go down without a fight."

Chapter 858: Return of the Infamous Dummy 2 - Please read below

Deep in the endless sea, a sight that would shock any Angarian was slowly unfolding.

A team of three were haphazardly floating all over the place while engaged in a strange activity.

Of them, one man's eyes were closed, and he seemed to be concentrating acutely on something. His companions glanced at him occasionally, and each time they saw that his expression was unchanged, one of frustration would come on their own faces.

Still, this would only stay for the briefest moment before they would be engaged once again in the task that they had been given- to fend off the creatures which really, really wanted to taste humans after a long, long time.

They were already beyond the point of no return, and they would soon approach the point from where even Heroes were said to not come back once they crossed it while filled with confidence in their power. Even now, they were being assaulted left and right by multiple Warrior level enemies which, when combined together, would easily put up a fight against any Champion from the continent.

The only saving grace was that they were but a speck in the vast expanse that was the Endless Sea. At the place they were in, there were many major predators which roamed around, looking for their next meal, or the next fight to make their blood pump, meaning that not many weaker creatures would dare to go around freely. Hence, they would occasionally get periods of reprieve, but each time this happened, they would be followed by the most intense bouts of fighting and escaping.

So far, in the three hours since they had set out, they had already come close to dying thrice. The first time, they had been targeted by a school of fish which were individually just at the Warrior level, but when combined together, they had the strange ability of amplifying each of their powers and shooting forth an attack from their mouths which accelerated to such a speed that it looked like a laser beam streaking through the water. They had come upon an especially large school of these otherwise weak creatures, and being targeted by an attack that would even severely injured a Hero realm individual had made them hastily run back to safer waters before waiting for the school to pass so that they could go back to the place where they were supposed to search.

They didn't even know exactly why they were searching in this place, because their companion had only told them that even he didn't know the exact location. He said that he would get more clues after they went to a certain place, which was where they were, and the reason behind this was that there were varied reports regarding how one was supposed to get to this place which would normally be avoided by anyone who was sane.

The second had been an encounter with a Peak Champion level Great Shark, and even though they had thought that they would be able to fend it off and wait for it to give up on them and look for easier prey, it never happened, and the attacks of the Shark only kept getting stronger. It was then that their companion told them that this was a Shark which was soon approaching the Hero level, and that had led to them beating another hasty retreat.

The third was the most harrowing of them all – it had looked like a normal encounter with an Amateur Champion level Great Shark, and they had even been having fun while beating it back and seeing it mash its teeth with frustration. They saw it leave after a bit, and they had even laughed between themselves thinking that they had scared away the thing quite easily.

Yet, what happened next was something that they would never forget.

After a few moments, that same shark had been seen coming towards them, and they had thought that it was simply back for another round. Hence, they had paid no attention to it, but to their shock, they saw their companion quickly stand up and say that they should run.

Soon, the reason behind it became clear- the Shark that had run away before was now being followed by the largest one they had seen yet, and it looked like it had been quite enraged for some reason.

On looking closer, they found out why that was the case- quite a large portion of this shark's fin was missing, and a part of it was jutting out of the mouth of the one that had run away before.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

They had barely managed to swallow their shock and flee, before finding out that the one that they had almost been targeted by was a specimen with a rare mutation where it had power beyond its level. It was almost like a human being born with extremely great potential that would allow them to wield more power than those that were at the same realm, and if they had stayed, they would definitely have lost any fight that ensued.

It was then that they realized that these Sharks were intelligent enough to decide to take revenge in case they found a situation where they were on the losing end. Instead of giving up and moving on like one would expect from animals in the wild, these things actually held grudges.

In this case, it is obvious that that Shark had attracted the larger one in the hopes that they would become the prey of its brethren, all while it looked on with glee.

Thankfully, they had already planned and trained in top-notch escaping methods before coming here, and that had saved their skin once more.

From then on, they changed their methods to fleeing for short distances in case they found creatures like these attacking them, and in other cases, they would try to stay within the area of where they were supposed to be while still aiming to go beyond the senses of those that were chasing them.

Although Daneel was watching all this, his main attention was on the search that both he and the system were undertaking at the same time.

Typically, he would have asked the system to do the searching while he helped his companions, but he had found a way to supplement the efforts of the system rather than leave everything to it.

And that… Was through the World which he now commanded.

Because he had his companions with him, he was empowered to use the other form of his Champion Path where he could ask the World to do certain things for him, such as make slight changes in the elementary particles in an area in order to check for anomalies that would indicate that he might be close to what he was searching for.

He carried this out in one direction, while the system checked the other. It was also scanning using its anti-surveillance module, and according to it, its resources were stretched to the maximum.

Of course, that had been followed by another scathing message about how he should upgrade the system if he wanted more from it, and Daneel had had no option but to ruefully shake his head and wail to the Heavens silently that he would do so, in a breath, if he could.

Alas, there were no options available to him right now to gain experience points, except to wait for the 'Words' that he had given to come to be.

Well, that was really something to look forward to.

They had already been at it for three hours, so Daneel decided that it was time they took a break.

With a nod to his companions who put on expressions of relief as they saw it, Daneel sent a message to the system.

"Activate Safe Haven."

[Acknowledged. Activating Ancient Safe Haven Protocol.]

As soon as the reply was heard in his mind, the system cast a series of spells with blinding speed.

First, they were raised from the surface of the Sea, and as they watched its murky depths move farther and farther away from them, they soon reached the sky which was filled with lightning that could kill a Champion outright.

Yet, a unique spell was deployed which conjured something almost like a lightning rod that attracted all of the chaotic bolts around them to a place a bit away from them, while they went through the clouds safely.

The problem with this method was that it would only work for a little while, and if this were not the case, Heroes would have had no problem going farther and farther beyond into the Endless Sea instead of returning with the fear that they might die if they did not do so.

The small period of time for which it was effective was enough for them, though, because the spot they were aiming was not far away.

They soon reached it, and as soon as they entered, it was as if the entire world around them had changed.

First, the sounds of roaring winds and crashing water that they had gotten used to after spending so much time on the Sea had disappeared, and they couldn't help but admire the charm of the silence that replaced it.

They were in a place where the sky was calm, but around them, they could still see the roiling thunderbolts which almost looked frustrated as they could not smite them into dust.

It was almost as if a transparent barrier was keeping all of them away, but the truth was that there was no such thing – it was actually a formation that was making all of the dark clouds flow around the place that they were in.

"This was made by the Emperor after using a large chunk of resources that we cannot even imagine in this age. The principle here is that this place is tethered to an object made of Ker Roots which is placed above us, and using it, a formation was made which repels the clouds and the lightning bolts by using the concept of opposing forces. It is one of the most expensive things that have ever been created in the Empire, because Ker Roots were rare even then, and its main purpose was to act as a place where those who were building the stronghold that we are searching for could rest."

As Daneel said the last sentence, the eyes of Faxul glowed as he asked, "So you already found it?"

Sighing and shaking his head, Daneel answered, "If that were true, we would definitely be inside it by now. No, I don't know exactly where it is, which is why are we are searching, but I have confirmed, especially by finding this place, that we have chosen the correct route. I guess the others were just attempts to waylay those who might try to come here, placed in the records either as a prank or with more nefarious intent. Well, that doesn't matter- the entrance to the place we want to go to was made so that it would only appear and disappear at completely random places for completely random periods of time. The stronghold cannot be reached by any other means – it is completely closed off, and it is only this entrance that must be used. Only those who are within can tell where the entrance is at any point of time, and this was a method to make sure that invasion would be almost impossible- if those within could not communicate its location, that no one could enter. So… What we're trying to do is find it. The only good thing is that because of the overall decrease in the Energy level, the efficiency of the formation must have gone down, which means that the entrance will stay for longer periods of time. I hope that I would be able to find it by randomly searching around, but I've realized that it's just too large of a place to search, even though there is only a single swathe of area where the entrance can appear."

Saying this, Daneel sank into deep thought, and the others tried to think of ways, too.

The king didn't need to mention what the difficulty was- each person only scan a limited area around them, and it was only if this entrance came within that area that he could probably detect it.

Because the Endless Sea was so vast, it would be an impossible task to cover it all, especially when the location of the entrance would keep changing. If it were stationary, they could do a blanket search, but sadly, that was impossible.

Finally, giving one last firm shake of his head, the King spoke, and for some reason that they couldn't fathom, his words send a chill down his sovereigns' spines.

"I didn't want to do this, but again, I have no choice. Well, it is a good idea. Boys…its time to spice things up. So, answer me this…which of you would like eating fish more?"

Chapter 859: Return of the Infamous Dummy 3 - Please read below

"That really confirms it, Overseer. I had my doubts at first, but after seeing the way he is evading each and every method we use to search for him… There is no other way. Unless there is another organization with the same kind of means that we are capable of on this continent, which is absurd, the only logical conclusion is that this kid is being protected by the Church. In fact, I'm even prepared to bet my Godbeast weapon that if we storm the Headquarters of the church right now, we might find him hiding like a rat inside…"

As these words echoed in the room which was usually filled with darkness, nods could be seen from all around.

The Overseer's globe-shaped body with periodically changing faces was in the center, and surrounding it, there were multiple spots visible due to the halos of light shining upon them which all contained the topmost Heroes of the Order who had been called for a meeting regarding updates on the search for the traitor, "Overlord".

As if he had had enough, one of the men who had not nodded before said, "Logical conclusion, my arse. Something about this just doesn't add u[."

He was an old man who looked like he had was standing above a pile of bullsh*t, and his face had many scars which indicated that he was used to being on the front end of a punch, instead of hiding beneath a barrier like Mages. If these weren't enough to indicate that he was a Hero level fighter, then the way a low sonic boom appeared when he casually punched the air with his fist in frustration would make it clear that he was a man whose body could cause devastation the likes of which would be hard to imagine.

In response, a woman wearing a shining golden dress who was right beside this man let out a derisive laugh and said, "Oh, shut up, you old loon. We all know about your paranoia. This time, there is too much proof against you! So even if you like going against the public opinion, in this case, you have to relent. Look at his life story! Each and every event where it looked like he had the interests of the continent at heart can be explained away by showing his ulterior motives – to burrow himself into the hearts of all the Angarians and then maybe cause a massive turn of events, where they would all have pledged their allegiance to the Church and given as a shock that we would not have been able to recover from! We don't know the means of the Church, but if they managed to invoke something like a pseudo-Grand Inheritance using that much support… It would be disastrous! I, for one, am thankful to the Overseer for spotting this snake who was in our midst before he grew into a Basilisk that would devour us all."

The last sentence was delivered along with a bow to the body of the Overseer in the middle, and seeing this, a man who was on the other side of the room spoke up.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"I would like to echo the sentiment, but without the sucking up part. I'm not a newly accepted member into this place, after all. Just because she is new, doesn't mean we don't need to agree with her. That's why I'm speaking up. What she says make sense. We should redouble our efforts, and act as if this possibility of him hiding in the Headquarters is not present. After all, our surveillance has been watertight on it, and we would have spotted if someone entered. The chances are slim that he managed to do so. So just keep searching, and if you get tired, search some more."

These words were also greeted by a few nods, but still, some of the Heroes could still be seen grumbling under their breath.

In the silence that followed the statement, it looked like there was nothing more to add, but suddenly, the cold and almost alien voice of the Overseer was heard in the area.

Everyone suddenly snapped to attention as this happened, and their eyes turned alert. A few had begun to converse among themselves, but they completely stopped what they were doing and placed their full focus on the body in the center, and there was not one in the room who was not acting respectfully.

"The search shall continue, with renewed efforts and more resources. The Order shall also be deploying those from other realms, mainly to check in areas which Heroes need not waste their time with. No stone shall be left unturned to find this threat which is bigger than any that the Order has seen in recent times."

"Aye."

"Aye!"

Amidst the voices of assent, the Overseer continued.

"At the same time, efforts must be made to take control of the Central Continent which might already have been led astray by the traitor. In this vein, liaisons will need to be appointed who will handle the matters and ensure that the Central Continent is primed to play its duty in the upcoming War. Proposals for the same are now welcomed. Another meeting shall occur to decide on which proposal to choose. For now, the Conclave of the Order is adjourned."

With this, although faint surprise could be seen on the faces of a few, many only shrugged and acted as if they didn't care about this minor piece of news before teleporting away on finding out that the meeting was over.

There were only some here and there who got expressions of interest on their faces as they heard this, but they, too, soon disappeared.

In a place far, far away, a man reappeared with a bored expression on his face.

He had to stifle a yawn, but as he looked out the window at a garden that was maintained carefully, he saw a young man sitting in a meditative pose while absorbing Energy from the Ker gems that had been placed around him.

Instantly, a smile came on his face.

Walking out, he kept looking at this image, as if he couldn't get enough of it.

Finally, as if feeling his gaze, the young man broke out of his training and started before saying, "Father! You've returned! How did the Conclave go?"

As he was in such a good mood, the man answered without thinking much.

"The same old, my dear Grandson. The search is still ongoing, so he will be found. In the meanwhile, it seems they are targeting his kingdom, too. Well, all of that doesn't concern us. It's so good to see you training, finally! And having your name on the Board of Achievements is really great! You're even at the top position now, as that guy's name has been scrubbed! Oh, how my ancestors would rejoice if they found out that we have regained our glory! Did I tell you the story about…"

Seeing his Grandfather starting another session of storytelling, the young man sighed and was almost about to leave, like he usually did, but he controlled himself on remembering the one who had listened to him and given him hope, in a time when he had needed it most.

He stayed for the entire story and then excused himself, before going back to the Order on the excuse that he wanted to take up a few missions, or at least check them out and see if there was anything else that he could achieve.

After reaching his quarters, as Perfect looked into the mirror at his own reflection, he balled up his fists tightly, and anger appeared on his face.

"He is not a traitor! There's no way!"

He said this in his mind, and with that, some of the frustration that he had been feeling left him.

It couldn't be helped. He had finally, finally found someone who had given him hope, but for some reason, that person was now being targeted under a false pretense.

Even the idea to challenge this hadn't come easily – those in the Order, and especially those who had grown up in the families that were an integral part of this age-old institution were raised while being indoctrinated that the Overseer was always right. In the order of priority, the head of the family came first, and after that was the Overseer. Still, if either of them gave an order, then it had to be followed, and if either of them said something, then as far as they were concerned, it was definitely the truth.

It was this kind of brainwashing that his brother had always denounced, and after his death, some had even ridiculed him saying that he must have died because he did not give respect to whom was due.

As thoughts of his brother began to fill his mind, he tried to make them stop, but just like always, he couldn't.

Yet, after some time, just like it had been happening for the past few days, all of these thoughts ended with the image of the man who had listened to his story, and taken off such a burden from his shoulders that he couldn't even explain in mere words.

Indeed, if he were asked why that man had made such an impression on him… then it was probably because he reminded him of his brother. Calm, confident, and always with a plan- these words used to be the ones that were used to describe him, and the same could be applied to King Daneel Anivron of Lanthanor.

He still remembered the moment when the news had come out- he had just ended a mission that he had gone on after being begged and begged by his girlfriend, and as soon as it had reached him, he had just stood there, in shock, until he had had to be shaken awake.

Even then, he had been convinced that there was a mistake- he looked through all of the proofs that were available, but still, he hadn't been able to believe it.

From there, the doubts started to emerge. First, the companions of the Overlord had never been seen from that day, and after searching in the Central Continent, it wasn't hard to identify who they might be, especially because he knew the identity of the man, himself.

He tried sending a message, but he had been stopped by a strange reason- it was that these members had lost all memory of being in the Order, which meant that their membership was revoked until they took the test again.

So… It had become clear that the King had anticipated this, and gone into hiding after deleting the memories of his followers.

But why? What was going on?

Perfect was determined to get to the bottom of it, but he didn't know where to start.

In his unmotivated life whose only purpose had been to just take it easy, this was practically the first time that he had found something that he wanted to apply himself to wholeheartedly, and the feeling…pretty damn good.

Walking out of his quarters, he was about to go to an Obelisk to do what he had said he had come to do, but suddenly, he was stopped by someone he didn't recognize.

"Hey, are you the one who obnoxiously calls himself 'Perfect'?"

This was the question he was greeted with, and if he were like his other brothers, he might directly have erupted with anger.

However, Perfect had always had an even temper, so he humphed and said, "Yes, but what seems obnoxious for someone might just be the truth that they cannot come to terms with. Why are you looking for me?"

The response…was something that made Perfect stare with shock, as for some reason, there was something really familiar with the encounter he was having now, and the one that had happened recently which had changed his life.

"Heh, truth is what one claims to see when they cannot even admit that they are blind. I'm looking for five-star missions to finish, and I found out that you had one before. I'm pissed that that other guy finished it before me, so I'm going to take out my anger on you. Come on. Oh, and for reference, my name is the 'Emperor'. That's better than 'Overlord', isn't it?"

Chapter 860: D 1

"Don't you just love this place? Anyone can be any way they want to be! No consequences, nothing! Well, even if you don't have the power to back it up, you might find yourself on the ground, but that's that! And who cares about a few defeats here and there, anyway, if you can grandstand your way through everything?"

Hearing these words uttered by the strange guy as soon as they entered an arena, Perfect was even more perplexed.

He had just decided to have a fight and get it over with, but from the moment he had met him, something had seemed off. Mainly, he didn't like the idea that this guy knew him, while he had no clue regarding who he was, and why he might seek him out.

These were very dangerous times, and he had no intention to take any chances.

So, raising his fist, he directly activated his Peak Champion level aura and said, "Look here, you…"

"Oh, pish posh. Stop trying to intimidate me with something as simple as an aura! Even if you put on a Hero realm one, I won't be scared! By the way, does it feel good to be the only one on the Board of Achievements, when you actually did nothing to finish the mission?"

The last sentence was said in such a scathing tone that even Perfect flushed with anger, and he pulled back his fist, ready to send his opponent flying.

Yet…reason prevailed, and he decided to get to the bottom of why this meeting felt odd.

"Either you have the power to back it up, or you're grandstanding, just like you said. If it's the latter, I'll make sure I break every bone in your body. So talk! What is the real reason behind you seeking me out? I know that that stuff about being pissed is absolute crap!"

He was fed up with this guy, now. Initially, he had been interested because of the feeling he had given. But now, he no longer wanted to entertain someone who was clearly stretching the meeting out without giving any concrete reason for it even to happen in the first place.

Seeing the man look like he was trying to decide on something, Perfect decided to end it, but suddenly… he instantly stopped in his tracks and looked as if he had been punched squarely in the gut as the 'Emperor' spoke.

"If you're grateful to the one you have a debt with, meet me outside at these coordinates. I admit defeat!"

Leaving a slip of paper and putting on a small smile on his face, the man marched out, and Perfect could only keep staring.

Gratefulness. There was only one person that he would feel this emotion for, and he was in the forefront of his mind.

Hence, how could he not directly associate him with what the guy had said?

This was definitely not a shot in the dark. This was someone who knew the king, and frankly, he had been hoping that he would find someone like this, so that he could make heads or tails of the situation, and maybe find out just why the king was in that position.

So that was why this meeting had felt so odd!

Somehow, the one whom he had been looking for had come to find him on his own accord, and Perfect was really curious to find out why.

Picking up the slip, he memorized the location and burnt it before directly teleporting away.

A few hours later, Perfect took the permission of his grandfather to go fishing in order to test out his training.

He wandered around for a little time, before finally choosing a spot in the middle of nowhere on the surface of the Sea, seemingly out of random.

Then, he proceeded to activate a slew of trinkets which all tested whether the place he was in was being surveilled, and because he was using those that he had borrowed from his family through his new-found status of being favored by his grandfather, he was confident that if they said that no one was watching, then even the Overseer was definitely not surveilling this place.

Moreover, this was the Endless Sea, where any and all formations that tried to work would always be affected. It was mainly because of the wildly fluctuating elementary particles, and hence, any formations being used would need to have an additional stabilizing layer that could easily be detected. Hence, hiding stuff was impossible, and Perfect was assured that no one could listen in.

Checking the time, he saw that the one he was supposed to meet was late, and as the minutes passed, he slowly started to feel annoyed.

Was he being taken for a ride? Was it all some kind of a test? If so, who was testing him, and what could their purpose be?

The only reason this idea came to mind was that his family was known for randomly carrying out tests of loyalty. But… it just didn't add up, as there was no way that anyone would know of his gratefulness. He had given the strong public impression that he hated the person who had originally been on the Board of Achievements due to finishing the Nightmare Dungeon, and that fight had cemented this idea in the minds of all. To be even more sure that there would be no suspicion on him, he had even gone out and publicly given a party after the Overlord was found to be a traitor.

Just as his thoughts were about to go even more into the paranoid route, he heard someone cursing loudly.

"Damn Sea! One day, when I grow powerful enough, I'll make sure that you become a place where anyone can come and go! Yes, that will be fitting revenge! I'll make you a tourist destination! Ha ha, I'll make it happen! But dammit, it hurts!"

Looking around, Perfect spotted the same guy whom he had met today.

Yet… There was a stark difference between how he was now and how he had been before.

His clothes were singed in multiple places where it seemed the lightning bolts had gotten through, and there were also a few tears which are indicative of being attacked by the sea creatures which frequented this place that wasn't too far from the shore.

On his neck were a multitude of trinkets that were the sources of the barriers that kept springing to life and then breaking apart, and on his back, the body of a large fish was visible.

He looked like a barbarian who had wandered out of his cave to collect food, and for some reason, this was a civilized barbarian whose clothes were of the latest style in the continent.

As Perfect continued to stare, he was suddenly interrupted by the angry voice of the person who looked at him and shouted, "A little help would be appreciated, thank you!"

Out of startlement, Percy immediately cast a spell to shield him from the renowned wrath of the Sea which was easy to handle for him because of his power, but it was then that he recognized the way those words had been stated.

Still, he controlled his emotions and let the spell be, and this allowed the person whom he was meeting to rapidly accelerate and reach him.

As if he had been prepared for this to happen, he immediately changed clothes in the flash of an eye. Even Heroes might have found it difficult to see his sudden movements as he did this, and it made Perfect wonder whether he was used to doing the act a lot.

Seeing the question in his eyes, the man answered, "Yes, I do it a lot, mainly because I like being spick-and-span, but the Path to Power does not allow me to be so. Well, that's in my realm, at least. I attended your party, by the way. You looked quite happy, too! I should say that you carried it off quite well… But occasionally, you did stare into the distance with an expression of sorrow and doubt on your face, almost as if you had lost a lover. Did my senior disciple brother mean that much to you?"

Perfect had been about to curse at the guy when he said his piece, but he suddenly stopped when he heard the last part.

S-senior disciple brother?

What the heck?!

Seeing the shock in his face, the man only laughed and said, "Mr. Perfect, I am Percy, secret senior disciple brother of the King of Lanthanor, who is quite well-known as the 'Overlord', which is a perfect name for him. He's got a bunch of Heroes after him who scare me even when I just look at them, but he's still roaming around freely! I must say I'm quite proud! But of course, it is all due to our master…"

Perfect couldn't handle it anymore. Indeed, now, he recognized that even though the smugness was a bit similar to the Overlord, which he now recognised as the reason behind him finding everything odd before, it was at a level which he could not stomach.

Rushing forward and catching the collar of the man, he shook it and asked, "What happened? Why is he being blamed like this? I need answers, dammit!"

With a smile, Percy replied, "And you'll have them. But can you let go of my collar first, please? If you remember, I just changed…"

Taking a deep breath, Perfect did so, following which Percy continued.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"I have some of them, at least. A few days ago, my senior disciple brother sent me the message that if something happened to him, then I should go to a specific place, and then look for someone who has the name 'Perfect'. He said that you have a debt with him, and it was easy to find out just what it was. His only request was this: if things became truly dire, he wants us to help out. And I fully intend to do so. His primary concern is the Kingdom of Lanthanor, and I think it is my duty- no, our duty, to protect it. And… I get the feeling that when he comes back, something really fun is going to happen. Well, we can talk about that later, but first, why the hell is your face drained of blood?"

As Percy asked this question, Perfect gave the answer, and it was his turn to be shocked.

"If that is our duty… Then we might be too late. The Order has a plan to replace him, and it has already begun. I just found it out before coming here. I fear… That we may already have failed him."

…

Meanwhile, just put a few kilometers away from where this discussion was going on, a sight that was definitely unique in the whole continent could be seen.

"AAAAHHHHH!! DAMN YOU, DANEEL!"

These words were shouted by Elanev was running as fast as he could, and behind him was a horde of creatures so terrifying that even a bunch of Heroes would feel their blood run cold.

Hearing him, the King of Lanthanor could only shrug and give a casual reply.

"Hey, it's not my fault they found your meat the tastiest after we all ate the same fish! Now come on, shake that bum and make them go faster! You can do it!"

Chapter 861: D 2

Although Daneel had an amused look on his face, it was actually not all fun and games.

In his mind, he was completely serious, and he was monitoring the horde of beasts that they had gathered using the scent of Elanev's flesh.

The art of using scent to attract beasts was something that was extensively researched during the Empire, mainly because of its effectiveness in luring sea beasts into shallower waters where they could be killed for their meat.

Even on Earth, this was a very complicated type of hunting which very few indulged in.

If it weren't for the system, Daneel wouldn't even have known where to start.

On giving the command, it had directly made a module which used a few drops of Elanev's blood to create an almost aphrodisiac-like substance which aroused hungers of both types in most of the beasts which came upon it.

The negative side effect was that it also sent them into a frenzy, and this was on full display as the entire area of water in front of them was thrashing with all the various creatures that were jumping over each other to get to the prey which was driving their minds crazy.

As for the part about eating fish, it was because of a well-known fact that those who had consumed the beings from the sea were more enticing to eat for the beasts, either because of the feeling of obtaining revenge(which didn't really make sense, as cannibalism in the sea was common) or because of the highly nutritious meat which might take the flavor of humans to another level.

At first, Elanev had been asked to just lead them around in a circle, but that was no longer possible because the trail of the horde was much too large to create a circular path where he would be safe. Hence, he was currently employing a zigzag pattern, but soon, even this would cease to be effective.

That was all right, though, because the horde would soon be big enough to satisfy the task that Daneel had created it for.

Originally, the old man had urged Daneel not to help even in this situation, but that would definitely have resulted in his elder brother's death. Hence, both Daneel and Faxul were actively using multiple spells to speed him along his way, and the latter was even using a little of his progress in gravity and black holes to slow down the horde just a bit. This was quite effective, and it was half the reason why Elanev had not been swallowed up yet.

Finally, a few minutes later, Daneel sent a message to his elder brother.

"Now!"

With that, getting a look of relief which was quickly followed by one of slight apprehension on his face, Elanev took a deep breath and then…dived down.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Anyone who was looking on would think that he had done the dumbest thing possible. Until now, he had been on the surface, so there had at least been a little distance between him and his diehard fan following which constantly needed to jump up if they wanted to have a chance of achieving what they wished.

Now, though, Elanev was foolishly entering their domain, and that meant that his death might soon follow.

However… As soon as he completely submerged himself, a bright flash of light emerged from around him.

It was the result of a 100 Ker Gem powered one-time trinket, and it did its job.

For a moment, it was as if the entire world it up. Daneel and Faxul were prepared, so they closed their eyes and also used barriers to protect themselves, but the creatures which all had theirs wide open while awaiting the feast of their lives instantly became blinded.

With soundless screams they fell back, and Elanev managed to shoot straight into the depths of the Sea without any resistance.

Parallel to him, Daneel and Faxul followed because they had to be in range to cast the spells that were helping him.

So far… The plan was working.

All of the creatures in the horde, which now numbered over 300 Champion-level beasts and at least a few hundred Warrior-level ones became even more furious as they regained their vision.

They all had terrifying regenerative abilities, and these all came to the fore at this moment. The Champion-level beasts recovered first, and they instantly plunged down, too, as they could still follow the scent which was rafting oh so scrumptiously from below them.

"I'm never doing anything like this in my life! NEVER!"

As Elanev sent this message, Daneel felt like chuckling, but he kept his full focus on the horde.

He actively directed his elder brother- because of his head start, he managed to keep some distance between him and the creatures which were even faster now because this was their home.

Thankfully, Daneel had no dearth of techniques which greatly enhanced Elanev's own speed, and it looked like there was a stalemate at the moment.

Yet… Things soon started to get dicey.

As they had already displayed, the Great Sharks had tremendous intelligence which they could use if they managed to control their usually out-of-control emotions.

After realizing that just following him like this might not give them success, a few Great Sharks which were more perceptive than the rest broke off from the horde and began to circle around with the intention of cutting off Elanev from the front.

Seeing this, Daneel had no option but to send Faxul on an interception course to stop them. Elanev needed to have free reign, or all of their efforts would have been for naught.

Thankfully, Faxul was now a Champion who could be relied upon, so he did the job even though he was tying down seven creatures at the same level as himself. This was mainly because the Black Raven was known for its defensive abilities, and Daneel even hoped that there would be more creatures that got the same idea.

Although he had asked the system to stop the module that attracted these beasts, it was a pity that he could not completely switch it on and off as he wanted. According to the system, slight hints were still left, and that led to more and more creatures joining the horde.

By this point, Elanev had given up on looking behind him. If he did so, he was pretty sure that he might falter and find himself in one, or even some of the other creatures' stomachs, so he just concentrated on the path ahead while repeatedly cursing his power which was just not enough to crush all these things behind him.

At the same time, a change that he didn't even notice was coming over him, but right now, there was just no way that he could stop and see what was happening.

The old man in his mind understood, though, but Daneel blocked out his celebratory cheer and just focused on the task that he had set for himself.

However… No matter how much this underwater cat and mouse chase get happening, it did not look like his plan would come to fruition.

The creatures which were now starting to gain as even Daneel was running out of stamina made it clear that there would be no mercy in case he did not make the decision to break it all off when he still had a grasp of the situation, so the King of Lanthanor prepared to call it a day and rest before trying something else.

Yet… He could not stop the sinking feeling within him, as this had been the best and fastest one that he could come up with. All of the others required time that he didn't have, and he had been hoping that this would work.

"Alright, enough, Elanev. Let's begin our escape."

Daneel expected his elder brother to rejoice and curse some more, but the answer he got surprised him.

"No. Just a little more!"

Hearing this, he focused and saw that his elder brother's entire body had turned red hot, as if he was a weapon that had been placed in a forge.

Steam was appearing from all over him, and it almost looked as if he was being cooked on the inside.

Before he could ask, the old man in Elanev's mind sent him the answer.

"Do not panic, King. This… Is the true Overdrive inheritance. You asked me once whether it was worth it to put him through so much suffering to gain this power which did not seem so powerful to you. Now… You will understand why I chose it."

Daneel couldn't help but notice the pride in his voice. Still, he shot a worried glance at the horde while crushing a few fishes which showed interest in him and asked, "If it grows any larger, we will have trouble leaving. It has already started, right? Can't he continue the breakthrough in a calm atmosphere?"

In a firm voice, the old man replied, "No! The very essence of this path is to be pushed to the limits for an extended period of time! If the stimulus is removed, there might even be a backlash! Please, you must make sure that nothing happens to him!"

In the last sentence from the old man, Daneel understood just how much he had gotten attached to him.

Even though he normally tried to act aloof, Daneel was sure that he must definitely not have cared this much for anyone else.

Those words had a certain, almost fatherly worry attached to them, and Daneel couldn't help but wonder whether this must be how it felt to have a proper master who guided someone.

Shaking off this thought, he decided that a reverse slaughter might be necessary if they wanted to keep it up.

Going to the back of the horde, Daneel changed into a Great Shark, himself.

This wasn't the first time that he was transforming in this way, but just like each and every time he did so, he couldn't help but marvel at the power of this creature, especially in the sea.

It hadn't been hard to get a piece of its consciousness, and he had done so as he didn't want to scare creatures to death left and right by using the Leviathan.

He began to attack the creatures that he could kill easily, and in this way, he managed to maintain the size.

Yet…soon, he began to be targeted by the actual rulers of the Sea which he could not contend against, especially because they seemed ready to gang up on him due to the fear that he might succeed and deprive them of what they had come for.

Soon, Daneel found himself being attacked by 15 Champion-level beasts, and he had no option but to break off his slaughter by using another blinding trinket.

Reaching a little distance away and seeing with horror that there were now almost a thousand beasts after them, he said, "We can't hold on anymore! We must-"

[Anomaly detected. To investigate, redirect horde east, in that direction.]

Daneel's words abruptly cut off as he got this message, which was followed by the Heads Up Display activating him and showing him a certain point which they had passed through.

Could it be? Could his idea have worked out?

With excitement, he shouted, "Go that way! I'll handle them if they get too close! Faxul, come back!"

Saying so, Daneel shot forward, preparing to truly use his Champion Path if needed.

So far, he hadn't done so as he knew that the Order might have deployed large scale formations over the Sea that would detect it if a certain level of power was displayed.

He hadn't wanted to take a chance, but if it meant that they would succeed, then he was ready to do so.

Only…it soon began clear that it might not be necessary, as an incredible thing started to happen.

Slowly, the Champion-level beasts at the front of the horde began to slow down their speed, as if they were growing more and more unsure regarding whether they should continue or not.

The struggle was clear- their eyes would latch on to Elanev and even show emotions of desire, but they would instantly change to one of doubt.

Elanev didn't slow down, but even he started to notice that instead of what had happened till now, the gap had actually started to increase.

With pleasant surprise, he looked back and saw the horde growing more and more reluctant.

"You did it! Great! Wait, why am I on fire?"

His last words were said after he finally noticed the change in himself, and that led to the old man sending an urgent message to Daneel.

"It was perfect timing- the breakthrough is imminent! But he needs to be taken someplace safe! If he is interrupted now, he might die!"

With a frown, Daneel wondered for a second whether they should just use this spot.

Yet…understanding the risks that were involved in doing so, which were too high, he looked in Faxul's direction and nodded.

Both of them soon reached Elanev's side, and by this point, all of the beasts had stopped and were looking at them with fearful eyes.

Indeed…fear had sprung up in all the beasts that had gathered, but of course, they were not the ones scaring them.

"Now, system!"

[Using ancient key. Adjusting signal to accommodate for weaker key receptor. Receptor found. Unlocking portal.]

WHOOOSSHHH!

An instant after the system sent the message, a whirlpool came into being that made the beasts move back as the danger they felt amplified.

The weaker ones began to flee, and it was only the Champion-level ones that were still present.

But as the whirlpool grew in size…even these grew too scared.

They instantly began to flee, and as for the three humans who watched all this with bemusement, they couldn't help but wonder how wise it was to willingly walk into a place that could scare away hundreds of beings which were much more powerful than them in this way.

Alas…they had a responsibility to fulfill, and for it, they would have to walk forward, even if it felt as if they walking to their deaths.

Without speaking, all three moved into the whirlpool, and in the next second, they disappeared.

Chapter 862: D 3

The hearts of the three were still beating furiously when their eyes adjusted to allow them to see that they had been teleported to a dark room.

A musty smell, akin to one that would appear when a place hadn't been visited for eons and eons was present, and Faxul had even begun coughing as it entered his nostrils.

Daneel first cast a spell to get rid of the putrid air around him, before conjuring a globe of light that revealed to them an extraordinary image.

They were in a small room, with a single door in front of them that was artfully carved with various Godbeasts that were so life-like that they looked like they would come to life at any second.

Tasteful furniture could be seen all around, and it looked like this was some sort of reception area that those who were entering a place would be housed.

Thick layers of dust had caked over everything, though, and even the walls only had a few signs of the tapestry that had once proudly adorned with this place.

Almost as one, all of their eyes became fixed on a particular corner of the room, where there was a table that almost looked like one that would be present in front of a receptionist back on earth.

And the reason behind their astonishment… Was the woman who stood behind it, smiling.

"Welcome to Elysium! I see that yours is an unscheduled arrival. Please stand by while I intimate the welcoming party. Your re…"

Suddenly, she froze, and in the next moment, something that startled the life out of all three of them happened.

BOOOMMM!

With a loud sound, the woman burst into nothingness, but instead of covering them with the remains of her mutilated body, there was only a curtain of dust that fell over them all.

Yet, her image was still fixed in their minds.

She had been wearing a light pink colored dress, but it, too, just like everything else in the room, had been in a state of severe neglect.

Her face had been the most striking of it all: it had looked exactly like one that belonged to someone who had somehow been dead for a long, long time before suddenly waking up and not even bothering that their body had rotted over time.

"What the hell, Daneel?", asked Faxul, finally, to which Daneel answered, "I heard about them, but it's my first time seeing them, too. If I'm not wrong, it is a human construct which was made to welcome people. In the age of the Empire, such things were used for mundane tasks like these where manpower could be substituted without compromising on performance. There must have been an activation sequence where someone who enters would be greeted, and the abrupt activation after so long must've caused a problem in the formation. Well, whatever the case… Wasn't that a fitting welcome?"

Faxul couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle as he heard this, but just before Daneel was about to do the same, he heard a thud from beside him.

Elanev had fallen to the ground, and with worry clouding their faces, both Daneel and Faxul bent over him to see what was wrong.

It was strange even before that they had not heard any reaction from him, but they had been too busy adjusting themselves to where they had arrived.

Daneel took in a sharp hiss of breath as he touched Elanev and saw that the man's skin was so hot that it had almost burned him – if any normal human had reached such a temperature, they would already have died by now.

On his skin, though, there weren't even any blisters, and the only sign of the heat was the slight reddish color that it had taken on.

It was most prominent on his face, which was fixed in an expression of pain.

This entire thing has started during the chase, and it looked like it had reached the next level.

"Like I said, it's the final step! But it's going to take time! He needs to stay undisturbed for now! That was so f*cking close!"

Daneel could hear the relief in the old man's voice, and after finding out that this was normal, he, too, let out a breath.

He repeated the same to Faxul, who nodded and then actually smiled.

It looked like he was looking forward to having a sparring partner who wouldn't crush him with one move, and Daneel actually couldn't blame the man, as there weren't many to whom he could reveal his Champion level power.

Just as he was about to relax and look around more, though, he got an urgent message from the system.

[Countermeasure formations placed by host have been activated. A party of Heroes have entered the Endless Sea, and are heading in the direction that host was last present in.]

For a moment, he stayed silent, and after that, he couldn't help but swear out loud.

"What the f*ck?!"

Seeing the abrupt change in his mood, Faxul wondered what the hell was going on, but he held his tongue.

Daneel started to pace around, wondering what might have caused such a reaction.

He had checked using the system whether there were any surveillance formations placed by the Order in the location that he had been carrying out his mission, and he had been glad to find out that that was not the case. It was what he had expected, too, because it was hardly possible, even for the Order to cover such a large swathe of area.

Deciding to look at the whole thing objectively and see if he had made any mistake, Daneel went back to the beginning, and recalled just how he had come up with this plan that had miraculously worked.

By doing this, he hoped to find some mistake due to which he might have tipped off the Order.

His entire idea had sprung from one very known fact in the entire continent of Angaria: where there was power, there would be reverence.

The place he was looking for was supposed to contain some of the most powerful beings, and even if a long time had passed… It did not mean that the grandeur that was afforded to them due to their power would completely dissipate.

And such a thing… would definitely be very effective in keeping a few fish away.

After getting this idea, Daneel had asked the system, and he had found something which was very reassuring: back during the age of the Empire, when this place had been frequented by normal people, it had been noted that each time it was opened, the sea creatures would automatically clear out as they could feel the power of those within.

Of course, this only applied to those at the Champion level, which were plenty at that time. Initially, it was found out that this was a side effect of the formation that was supposed to conceal the entrance not working properly, but then, it was decided that it would stay, as it would remove the hassle where those coming to the place would have to fight through multiple beasts each and every damn time.

Daneel had been hoping against hope that this particular feature was not messed with at the time before the sealing of this last bastion of Angaria. If his suspicion was right, then the best way to find the door would be to direct the beasts which had much finer senses than him to that place, and look for any reactions in them.

All he needed was a hint that he was close, and the system could transmit the key and open the door.

It had always been that the wild species of Angaria, and in fact, of any developed world, would have many senses honed to the extreme. And in some cases, this would even be to a level that would seem almost unattainable to others.

That applied to these sea beasts, which had to have perfect senses if they wanted to continue their lives without being gobbled up continuously by those that were more powerful than them.

Even if the aura of those within would dissipate and become very, very faint with time, it was Daneel's hope that he would be able to see at least some kind of reaction that he could use if he unleashed a horde in the area where the entrance was likely to be.

And of course, the reason behind him even wanting a horde was so that the chance of at least one beast in all those that gathered would be high.

The result was obvious: after having to go through a large patch of the Endless Sea, he had managed to find the exact place, which had allowed the system to get them inside.

And that… Was how he was now in his present situation.

Yet, even after going through all of it, he could find no reason behind him having a bunch of Heroes behind him now.

As if on cue, the system sent him another message right at this moment.

[Countermeasure of the second level has been triggered. 9

Heroes and 15 Champions are heading in the direction of the Door.]

The second level!

That meant that they were coming quite fast, without really looking around, as if they knew exactly where they were supposed to go!

Daneel's heart which had calmed down started to beat faster again as he understood this. He had placed detection formations at certain intervals, and the higher the number of the level, the closer it was from where he had disappeared.

An argument could be made that even if the Heroes arrived, they would not be able to find the entrance.

Also, even if they found it, they might not be able to enter, because the system only knew the passcode because of the memories of the Emperor.

Indeed, Daneel had known about this place for a long time, but he had not focused on it as the information regarding what had happened to it after the Apocalypse had not been present in all the data that had gathered. Hence, the logical conclusion had been that it must have been destroyed.

Even to the system, it had not appeared very important according to the parameters that Daneel had given, and it had only told him about it after he had asked whether there was a place where he could get stronger, even if it meant that he might die.

Coming back to the matter at hand, Daneel decided that it was too great a risk. The Overseer could have means that he could not possibly estimate, and that meant that he could not rule out the possibility that they might find the entrance and even enter it. Hell, what if it was him entering Elysium that had called upon these Heroes, in the first place?

If he just decided to rely on hope, and if the Heroes found their way in…The three of them would definitely be doomed, and along with them, the last hope of Angaria would also perish.

That could not happen!

Quickly, Daneel decided to look for things that he could do.

Suddenly getting an idea, he asked, "System, we are already inside, right? Can you estimate when the entrance will shift again?"

[Analysing. Looking for formation that handles the geolocation of the Door. Formation found. Time to next shift: 15 minutes.]

Daneel had been about to rejoice when he heard that it was found, but after hearing the time… a deep frown instantly appeared on his face.

15 minutes! That was just too long!

Judging by their speed, the Heroes would be here in barely 5!

Would he have to abandon his plan of delaying until the location changed, because it was surely not possible for them to find it again? He, himself, had had to go through so many pains to do so, and there was also a chance that they must have identified him using all the disturbance that he had created, probably with the help of formations that he must not have been able to detect.

If the entrance changed, everything would mostly be solved! But how could he ensure that they would not find it until then?

Suddenly, a radical idea came to Daneel, but it was so dangerous that a slight chill crept up his spine the moment he thought about it.

Yet, looking at Elanev who needed to stay undisturbed, and their own condition which was pretty abysmal, he realized that he didn't have much of a choice.

Shaking his head, he spoke in a tone that was trying to appear casual while hiding the worry that was present, but on seeing Faxul's expression, he knew that he had failed.

"Well, it'll be great, or I'll die. Either way, it'll definitely be something for the bards to sing about! Wait for me and take care of Elanev, Faxul."Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Chapter 863: D 4

"I've only been a Hero for 20 years, so I really can't judge…but is this normal? Moving out on this scale to handle a Champion? Even if he's talented? This is the first time I'm even seeing so many Heroes in one place on the outside…"

The question that was on the minds of most in the contingent from the Order was spoken by a woman who wore a long, red dress, and as they heard it, some looked at her with chagrin, while others just shook their heads.

Finally, it was the Hero who was leading the group who answered.

"What the Overseer says, we do. When you took a favor from the Order, didn't you understand what you were getting into?"

Hearing the sternness in his tone, the woman couldn't help but gulp and nod.

Looking around, she saw various expressions on those around her.

The Champions looked bored, but they were trying to hide this emotion from the Heroes who might chastise them if it was visible.

Some Heroes had glazed over eyes, as if they were remembering something in the past.

Others…had regret, but they quickly hid it when they detected her gaze.

All in all, it was a silent party which swiftly made its way across the Sea, while being chased by the ever-present lightning above.

Yet, Nosra had never been skilled in keeping her mouth shut.

In fact, if anyone listened to her master, all they would hear was how she would become someone great if she didn't have this one really, really bad habit.

"Also…have you all read the report given by the Overseer? It was very interesting…"

This time, she elicited a glare from the leader who had been concentrating on maintaining the formation that had been protecting them from the lightning.

In the Endless Sea, those with power had the tendency to attract the wrath of the Heavens, and a party consisting of more than five Heroes would always find that they had the same effect as a lightning rod.

To combat this, an active formation had to be deployed, and it wasn't very easy to maintain.

Yet, the leader was someone talented enough to keep it active while speaking in a serious tone.

"Hosra-"

"It's Nosra! Others get confused, too…"

The Heroes beside the leader couldn't help but look at her with perplexed expressions on their faces as they saw her go up against a man who was known to have the shortest temper in the entire Order.

Only, weirdly, he spoke without flying off into a rage, and this shocked all those present who knew him.

"All right, Nosra. You're new, so I'll be patient with you. I talked to your master, too, and she had high praise. If you want everything to remain how it is, I suggest that you keep your mouth shut and follow orders. We are soldiers in a War, and the Overseer is our leader. In any War, trust is paramount, as discord within the ranks can lead to the fall of even the mightiest forces. We are not in a situation where drastic measures need to be taken, yet, but even now, all of us who have benefited from favors of the Order must show our loyalty. Tell me. Hasn't the Order been good to you all these years?"

"Yes, but…"

"Then that's it! We are going to investigate a disturbance that was detected using a formation that is top-secret. It is triggered when someone attracts a lot of attention from the inhabitants of the Sea- the aggressiveness of these beasts is what is monitored in a large area to identify a spot where it might be concentrated. No one can detect it, because no one can guess that something like this might exist, and even if they did, they would have to be at the Peak Hero level to even have a chance of sensing it. Right now, a spot has been identified where the aggression level is comparable to a situation where a Hero level individual is going around wantonly killing a LOT of fish. The capabilities of someone who defrauded Angaria for so long cannot be underestimated. Either it's him, or it might be someone from the Church who is helping him. Be prepared for anything, everyone. We will soon be making our final approach."

The last two sentences were said in a louder tone, and in it, his authority could be heard.

Almost all those listening straightened their backs and nodded, before checking on the equipment given by the Order.

Seeing them all, Nosra sighed and did the same.

Just like always, it looked like her questions would not be answered.

Well, instead of being promptly told to zip her mouth, this leader had at least phrased it in a manner which didn't humiliate her.

Still, even though the topic was past, she couldn't help but closely study all those that were traveling with her, albeit in a more covert manner than before.

This was her usual go-to pastime whenever she was shut down: her curiosity would not leave, so she would try to find the answer herself by observation.

Among the Heroes, it was obvious that a small portion were close to the leader. They stuck close to him, and there was a discernible distance between them and the others.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

It was almost as if they had formed a clique into which others could not enter, and from the resentful glances that two Heroes kept sending in that direction, it became clear that she was right.

Next, she paid attention to two other Heroes who had actually yawned when the others had started to check their gear.

She recalled everything they had been doing since the beginning of the expedition, and she noticed that they had been the most laidback and bored- at one point, it had even been as if they were kids who were being reluctantly taken on a trip!

From this, it could be derived that they were only here to repay the favor because they were called upon, rather than because of the sense of duty that was apparent in the leader and his small group.

Finally, there were three Heroes who had gotten frowns a couple of times, and especially when the leader had been speaking.

In fact, now that she thought about it, she realized that after his speech, the leader had even sent them a covert glance, almost as if he was…warning them.

Could they be part of the group in the Order which was against the actions of the Overseer?

She had heard about them- they had varied reputations, with one being that they were a nosy bunch who had developed their attitudes toward the Overseer because of certain things they read in the rulebook.

Another said that they were simply selfish individuals who wanted to benefit from the Order, and not pay back.

As they were a small group, and because they did not have the power to be as vocal as they wanted, they did not really speak out to stop talk of this kind from spreading, and hence, it had stuck.

Yet…Nosra had heard of one other reputation, and it was one that had impressed her.

They…were supposed to be the fiercest advocates for the survival of Angaria, and in that pursuit, they would rather act alone.

"Ready shields and weapons!"

Like the crack of a whip on a silent night, the sudden voice of the leader startled Nosra out of her thoughts, making her take out and activate the trinkets given by the Order.

And in doing so, she thought of one last thing she had overlooked: she was the only Hero with no group.

With that, she couldn't help but shake her head and marvel at how fractured even this small group were.

If people found out that the Order, which was supposed to be the strongest, united force that would protect the continent was divided, how would they feel?

She had been a part of it for a long time, but this was the first time she was noticing all this.

Could it be…that this whole matter regarding the King of Lanthanor was making it apparent?

But how? And if so…could she be right? Could it be that there was something here that she was not seeing?

Right as Nosra made this circular connection with the first question she had posed, she quickly had to come to a halt.

Looking up, she noticed that they had come to an ordinary patch of water in the Endless Sea.

Was he underwater? Why had they stopped?

Puzzled, she looked to the leader, who was frantically trying to operate a trinket in his hands.

Straining her ears, she tried to make out what he was grumbling under his breath in a rare loss of composure, and as the words he was saying floated into her ears, she couldn't help but gasp with shock.

"What the f*ck? Wasn't the disturbance right here? How the hell is it so calm now? Where are all the fish?"

Looking down and sending out her senses, she saw that he was right: the water below them was completely devoid of all life, almost as if it had been wiped off the face of the World.

But…such a feat would definitely be impossible even for a Hero, as there might be more than ten Champion-level sea beasts in the area of water they were over. Killing all of them in such a short amount of time…should not be possible!

Right as Nosra was about to think more, she started to sense something strange emanating from deep, deep below the Sea.

Her Hero Path was one which allowed her to have such fine-tuned senses that she would be able to detect things even Peak Heroes might not, but just as she was able to see what it was…a shout from the leader reverberated in her ears.

"There he is! Cocky arsehole, it's his original body! Let's go! Today, we kill for the Order!"

Looking in the direction the leader was pointing in, Nosra noticed that a man was standing a few tens of kilometers away from them.

He had a broad smile on his face, and he was wearing the regal robes of a ruler which shone brightly whenever lightning struck from above.

His expression was filled with unwavering confidence, and Nosra marveled that he was unfazed even though he was faced by so many Heroes and Champions.

Could it all be true? Could the reason behind his confidence be that he had the Church to fall back on?

She had no time to think, though, as they had all begun swiftly flying in his direction.

As this was the Endless Sea, teleporting would result in them dying an untimely death. So, all they could do was fly, but weirdly…the King stood where he was.

"It could be a trap!", she shouted, and again, she was stating the same thing on the minds of the others.

"No trap he sets can do anything to us! Keep going!"

With this reply from the leader, they sped up, and in the matter of a few seconds, it looked like they would have their hands on the 'ultimate traitor' of Angaria.

Only…right as they all passed over a certain section of the Sea, Nosra sensed that something was very, very wrong.

It was as if they had passed through some sort of an invisible mist that had clung to them, and just as she was about to analyze it to find the purpose behind it…a sight that she would remember for the rest of her life came to be.

SPLLLLAAASHHHHH!

With a sound akin to one that would be heard if the Heavens were being rent into two, the entire portion of the Sea below them erupted, as if it were a furious volcano that had been waiting to inflict its wrath upon the world.

With horror, the Heroes and Champions in the group barely managed to notice the insane combination of lust and hunger in the eyes of the beasts before they were upon them.

The defensive barriers broke almost instantly: after all, there were at least over three hundred Champion-level beasts in the horde, and they had gleefully taken the lead.

Those of the Order only barely managed to activate their own personal barriers before making the logical decision to fly up and go beyond the reach of these beasts, and even though some had been hurt in that gap when they had bene unprotected, it looked like they would make a clean escape.

Right as overwhelming relief was about to appear in their minds, though, the voice of the King reverberated in the area, making most of them grit their teeth and curse.

"I trust that all of you liked my welcome! Let this be a lesson to you. All is not as it seems, and when I return…all will be made clear. Until then, never trust anything blindly. I must leave you now, but my friends will give you ample company. Goodbye!"

Chapter 864: D 5

A minute later, Daneel had returned to the musty room in Elysium where Elanev was still lying down with a painful expression on his face.

Faxul was watching over him with care, and he looked up only for a moment to see Daneel nod before getting back to monitoring the vitals of the man whom they both considered as an elder brother.

"Welcome to Elysium! It-"

Strangely enough, the voice of the female receptionist was once again heard, and as they both glanced in that direction, they saw that she had reappeared, with just as dusty a frame as before.

This time, though, she burst into nothingness much sooner, and because they were prepared, they both cast spells to divert the curtain elsewhere.

"Seems the formation is failing even further," remarked Daneel, after noticing that even less of the welcoming dialogue had been spoken.

With a nod, Faxul asked, "Did they like the welcome?"

Chuckling, Daneel answered, "Splendidly. There's only a minute more, but I think we are in the clear. Let's watch."

Saying so, he made a display trinket appear which showed the scene above the Endless Sea, where he had laid his trap.

A small group of Heroes with a stoic man in the middle slowly made their way down, but the moment they reached a certain point in the air, the Sea began to squirm, making it clear that it would erupt again if they got any closer.

With frustration, the group went back, knowing what would happen.

This was already the 5th time that they were doing this since the trap, and the only reason was to check whether whatever it was that had made them so enticing to the Sea Beasts had faded.

After getting back to their group, the man in the middle could be seen shouting at a lady in a red dress with an inquisitive expression on her face, and she sulked as she listened to him while analyzing the substance that had latched on to them.

Daneel felt slight pity for her, but he said, "I wonder when they will figure out that the substance can only be canceled out quickly if something of the opposite polarity is used. Until then, they have no choice to stay in the air, unless they want to be subject to the, let's say 'attention' of hundreds of Champion-level beasts. Still, let's keep watching."

As Faxul nodded, Daneel felt glad that his simple plan had worked.

The reason it had been so dangerous was that he had had to go out with his original body.

It was needed if he wanted to make those from the Order go after him, and this time, he had been lucky.

If it had been someone powerful enough, like a Peak Hero, they would have been able to disregard all the sea beasts and attack him directly, placing him in a situation where he would have to use a trump card, or die.

Both options were not preferable. The former would just give more fuel to the Order's declaration that he was a part of the Church as it would be something that he should never possess as an ordinary King from the Central Continent, and the latter was, well, plainly not very pleasant.

The seconds ticked by, and with each one, Daneel's heart beat loudly.

He had noticed that the woman had sensed something at the spot they had arrived at, but his appearance had thankfully distracted her. Would she feel like going back to see what it was?

If it weren't for the leader, she might have. The man kept badgering her about the substance which they couldn't get rid of even though they had tried scrubbing their skin clean, so she looked like she didn't have the time to do anything else.

As the last second passed, Daneel let out a huge sigh of relief.

The entrance shifted location, and so…the possibility that it would be sensed disappeared.

Turning to Faxul with a smile, he was about to say something, but he stopped when he saw the worry on his face.

Immediately knowing the reason behind it, he focused his gaze on Elanev, and what he saw made him take in a sharp breath.

Elanev's skin had started to ooze blood.

All over his body, thousands and thousands of pores all let out the dark substance which congealed into a pool beneath him.

Yet, rather than the dark red of pure blood, it was even darker, giving it an almost unhealthy tint.

"Shedding of the Body. The last step before the final metamorphosis."

These words echoed in his mind, and the old man continued as Daneel did not give any sign of him understanding what was going on.

"The source of all Fighters' power is their body. Hence, the Path to Power is one of purifying the body, and making it as perfect as it can be. In this process, at this juncture, the old needs to be destroyed, and the new must take root. Think of it like the decalcification of the Mageroot that a Mage goes through when he begins his Path, and when he progresses on it. It might seem more violent, but in fact, it is extremely beneficial."

Even as the old man talked, Daneel could see the skin on Elanev's face peeling away, as if he had been inflicted by the mother of all diseases.

However, in a sight that, for once, corroborated with some of the scenes he had heard of and seen in the comics and stories back on Earth, new, stronger skin and flesh began to form rapidly underneath the shell that was being discarded by his elder brother.

As it was such a common theme, he had always wondered whether there was some truth to it, and seeing what was in front of him, he got his answer.

The miraculous transformation made even Faxul's eyes shine with envy: in front of them, it was as if a stronger life-form was being born, and it was different from any breakthrough they had seen.

Curious, Daneel asked the old man whether it was a quirk of his specific Path, to which the answer he got was a proud chuckle and the words, "It wasn't for nothing that he went through so much."

Even more excited to see in which direction this would go, Daneel remembering the sad past of the old man where his own son had called him a failure for inventing this Path and then not being able to prove that it was real. So, he understood that this was a landmark moment for him, too.

The Overdrive Inheritance. It had had such a domineering effect in the Warrior realm, itself. What would its power be when one became a Champion?

Even though time continued to pass, neither of them diverted their gaze to the room they were in, where there were still a lot of things that needed to be examined. They wanted to be ready in case they were needed, so they just continued to monitor Elanev together with unwavering gazes and expectant expressions.

Finally, ten minutes later…it looked like it was coming to an end.

The blood that had been flowing incessantly started to slow down, and as it stopped, the final layers of skin that was being shed also fell to the ground.

His clothes that had already taken a beating during the chase were barely covering his body, so they could see the almost gleaming skin underneath that gave off a feeling of strength.

"Uuhhh…f*cking beasts…you wanna screw me? I'll screw you…I'll screw all of you…get away…"

It seemed that he was returning to the state he was in before he fainted, as these words which made Daneel and Faxul slightly blush appeared from Elanev's lips.

Right now, the man looked to be at the peak of his life. There was a feeling of hidden strength emanating from him that grew with each second, and although Daneel didn't know yet why that was the case, it was apparent that the breakthrough was over.

Faxul understood this, too, and he bent to prod Elanev's shoulder to wake him up.

Putting up an unconscious defense, Elanev groggily lashed out with his hand.

However…the effect this had made Daneel take a step back with shock.

BOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!

His hand had moved so fast that Daneel had had to use the Basilisk's Breath to see it, and even then, he had been too slow to warn Faxul, who was in its path.

It collided with his shoulder, and although a barrier sprang up instantly, he was too unprepared.

With a loud sound, he was blasted off before colliding with the wall on the left of Elanev, which resulted in a storm of dust engulfing the room.

This was what had settled on that wall over centuries and centuries of neglect, and through it all, Daneel could not make out either of his sovereigns.

Quickly, he cast a spell to make it settle down, and he was greeted by a sight which made him gape.

Faxul was slowly sliding to the ground in the form of a Black Raven, but his wing was bent haphazardly. It had apparently broken due to the impact, and a line of blood could be seen from the corner of his beak.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Turning around, Daneel saw that Elanev had sprung to his feet.

Gone was the grogginess from before, and in its place was absolute astonishment as he stared at his hands that he held aloft.

"Finally…FINALLY!"

His voice of exultation turned into one of fierce joy, and he whooped in the air before shouting to the Heavens with tears streaming down his face.

"ALL THAT PAIN! ALL THAT BLOOD! ALL OF IT WAS F*CKING WORTH IT! HAHA, I'M UNDEFEATABLE NOW! OLD MAN, YOU WERE RIGHT! THIS IS F*CKING AWESOME! YES! DANEEL, COME AT ME! I'll-"

"Hmm?"

Filled with joy, too, Daneel simply made a sound as if to say that he was right there, and that brought Elanev down from the clouds he had ascended to.

Gulping, he turned around and finally met Daneel's gaze before smiling sheepishly. Until now, it had looked as if he was staring at the ceiling, but the truth was that his eyes had been unfocused due to all the happiness coursing through him.

It was still present, though, as that smile broadened before he went to Faxul and helped him to get up.

"Well, maybe I can't beat him, yet, but you…oh, there's a lot of payback coming for you, my dear friend."

Punching Faxul, who had transformed back into himself with a slightly annoyed expression on his face, playfully on his shoulder, Elanev said this with glee, and it made Faxul grimace and think back to the force that had almost made him one with the wall.

Daneel remembered it, too, and he could tell that it had already broken all the rules that he had thought existed which bound the power of someone in the Champion realm.

Taking a deep breath, he asked the system for the analysis of the Champion Path, and the answer he got made him let out that breath with a hiss.

[Champion Path analyzed.

Name: Limitless Juggernaut(as given in the official proposition from the records of the Empire)

Tier: Absolute Peak.

Description: Allows an individual to store Energy that can be used to temporarily upgrade one's power level to one that is three minor realms above. No side effects except depletion of Energy. Attributed Energy Storage is also available i.e Energy can be stored with a certain end-result in mind, in which case the boost is to four minor realms. For example, Energy can manifest as fire-type to combat water-oriented Champions, in which case power will be higher, but the relevant weaknesses will exist. System has judged that this is a near-perfect Path which was almost unseen during the age of the Empire. It can be placed at a level beneath host's Mage Champion Path in terms of absolute power. Integration with host's present Fighter Path is recommended. Please upgrade system to facilitate integration.]

Chapter 865: D 6

Seeing the expression of shock on Daneel's face, Elanev smirked before saying, "The old man said you would figure it out without me needing to say anything. Yes, this was always the end result in mind…and isn't it glorious?"

He spread out his arms as he said this, and when he did, his whole body seemed to radiate with power.

Faxul watched on with awe, as he could tell that the power being displayed by Elanev was rapidly rising with each second.

One, two, and finally…three.

An increase of three minor realms!

Daneel could tell that Elanev had 'switched on' his Champion Path for them to see.

Before, when he had woken up, it was unconscious, but now, seeing it in full effect was really something else.

However…was it really safe to use it so soon after breaking through?

"Heok! Cough- Dammit, it hurts!"

Right as Daneel got this thought, Elanev actually…coughed out blood and collapsed to the ground.

"That's what you get for showing off! I told you to do it later! You're too weak now, boy! Besides, this is just the beginning! We are going to take this to the Hero level and make sure that my name- er, I mean, your name echoes throughout the Heavens forever! It's just the start! Hahahaha!"

The old man who had only made his presence known using his voice till now appeared above Elanev as this happened, and it made the two of them understand that it must be backlash from pushing himself when in a weakened state.

They knew their elder brother's penchant for theatrics, so it was noting to be too surprised about.

Elanev's cheeks blushed as he heard this, and he started to curse under his breath before beginning to argue with his master about how he should have helped in his display, rather than coming out to admonish him in this way.

Seeing the two quarreling as if everything was back to normal, Daneel smiled, and at the moment, the thing he felt most was relief: relief that his elder brother was all right, and that he had obtained a level of power that he was happy with.

And with this thought…came the images of all those on the outside whose memories he had had to wipe before running like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Tightening his fist with anger, Daneel let a little bit of that anger engulf him before locking it back up.

The result…was renewed determination to definitely accomplish what he wished here.

"Take a rest. You're useless like this, anyway. Spend a few hours to train and get back to the peak, while Faxul and I look around. Don't worry, we won't get into any danger."

Hearing Daneel's stoic tone, the other two were also reminded of the dire situation they were in.

Steeling his face, Elanev let go of his goofy attitude and promptly sat down before taking out a few Key Gems and beginning to replenish all the Energy he had lost during the chase and the subsequent breakthrough.

Meanwhile, Faxul came to Daneel's side, and together, they made their way to the door that they had ignored until now.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

In the entire room, there was nothing else of import- Daneel had already scanned it using the system, and he had been notified that the door was open.

It could not scan anything beyond the walls, though, but that was to be expected: this was the costliest project that the Empire had undertaken, and they had not skimped anywhere.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door, and suddenly…a stench unlike no other drifter into their nostrils.

Together, Daneel and Faxul began coughing incessantly before using a spell to drive away the putrid essence that was invading them.

Thankfully, they had only taken in the slightest bit of the smell before activating their barriers, but even then, their eyes began to water and they had to take a minute to get back to normal.

Finally, when they did adjust…the image that greeted them made them stand rooted to the spot.

In front of them was a large hall, whose ceiling they could not even see because of the general gloom that was prevalent everywhere.

Even without any source of light except that which fell out of the room they were in, they could tell that it was a gigantic place that could easily hold hundreds within it.

Although they couldn't really see the whole place clearly, this fact stood out to them, and the reason behind this was also apparent: extravagance.

A place that had as pompous a name as 'Elysium' would definitely have to live up to the expectations that one would feel about how the inside would be. And this room…definitely did not disappoint.

Even in the limited area they could see, multiple sets of armor and weapons of the highest quality that were there just for decoration could be seen.

The room was circular, and there were other doors just like theirs to the sides. These were mostly the other reception areas, and so, the one that they had entered must be some kind of 'common area' where those entering Elysium could congregate.

The walls and floor were made of rock smoothed as if by the hands of giants, and even after all these years, the level of perfection that had gone into creating them could be seen.

Glancing at Faxul and nodding, Daneel flicked his fingers, and a large globe of light appeared in the air to illuminate the entire room.

As the entire thing was revealed to them, the two could only stand there and marvel.

Daneel had been right: the point was to give an extravagant welcome to whoever was coming to this place.

Golden streamers hung down from the ceiling, and the smooth walls were covered with lavish paintings, too, apart from all the weapons and sets of armor that shone faintly even with the dust that covered them.

There were many other details to notice, too, but at once, the gazes of the two were diverted to a spot right in the center, which had been hidden in the darkness until now.

As they observed what lay there, it was as if their eyes had been caught in a spell, as what they saw defied all the expectations that they had had regarding this place.

Nine chairs stood in a straight line. Of them, the one in the middle was a throne which was grander even than the one that Daneel was accustomed to sit on.

It was studded with Ker Gems, from the tall back to the four legs which were artfully carved with the likenesses of different Godbeasts.

The other chairs, 4 on each side of this one were also thrones, albeit not as extravagant.

Yet, it was actually the inhabitants of all of these thrones which drew all the attention of the two Kings of the Central Continent.

Indeed…they were not empty, and the ones sitting on them were not dead bodies, either.

"Welcome to Elysium! This is the last bastion of Angaria: built to withstand an Apocalypse, itself, and to act as the seed that will bloom into a new age if doom ever befalls our beautiful continent. State your purpose, and you shall be directed to where you need to go."

The voice that boomed in the enormous chamber was familiar, and so was the man who said it.

It was Emperor Fenoras in his prime, and he was truly a sight to behold.

In the giant form that had awed Daneel once, he gazed at them serenely, and as for those that sat on both sides of him, they looked on, too, as if waiting for an answer.

Observing them, Daneel saw that he could tell who they were: these were the Emperor's most trusted and feared commanders and followers, and each of them had a story that would need a book to be written if justice was to be done to their accomplishments.

"I wish to use the training resources stored here to save the continent from a foe who threatens to destroy it."

Daneel only gave this answer because it was what was on his mind. By now, it was clear that this was another formation induced welcome, and it was certainly one of higher quality, due to the fact that it was still functioning after all these years.

For a few seconds after he said the statement, nothing happened, but just as he was about to ignore the nine individuals, the same voice was heard again.

"The resources you seek are stored in a vault within the deepest reaches of this grand undertaking of my Empire. If you have the permission to access them, you will face no resistance. Go through that door after verifying your identity. Glory be to Angaria!"

With that, all nine individuals disappeared.

Letting out a sigh, Daneel said, "Well, at least we know that some formations still work. We should-"

Midsentence, Daneel stopped as he turned in the direction that had been pointed at by the Emperor before disappearing.

There, the first thing that one would see was a pair of tall doors which were closed, but on the floor in front of them was the thing that had made him stop talking.

A skeleton lay there, with its back to the doors, and it was almost as if it had been keeping them closed with its presence.

Due to the sheer size of the room, Daneel had noticed it until now. At least a few hundred people could easily inhabit it with no want for space, so it was to be expected that some things would stay unnoticed until one carefully went through every inch of the large area.

Daneel had only ascertained that there were no threats, as he had decided that he would investigate everything by himself, instead of asking the system to give him a summary.

Hurrying forward, he saw a letter placed neatly in front of the skeleton which was a few sizes bigger than an ordinary human, and picking it up, he read it out loud for Faxul's benefit.

"Here I stood watch in life, and here I shall take eternal rest. We chose this fate, and we are proud to have been of service. Glory be to Angaria!"

As the words echoed in the chamber, Faxul and Daneel looked at the skeleton with perplexed expressions on their faces.

What was going on?

After a second, Daneel saw a book tucked in the robes worn by the man, whoever he was.

Unlike their master, they were not close to falling apart after decomposing, and bending forward, Daneel picked it up before noticing that it was a diary.

As he began reading it, the tale began to unfold, and together…the two of them became completely engrossed.

"The 543rd Year of the Empire, Morning.

Today shall be my last day. I can feel it. Although I have clung to life much more firmly than all of my companions, hoping against hope that someone, anyone, would come to save us, all that has resulted in is me being alone. When we swore to seal Elysium and stay within to stand guard, we knew what we were getting into. None of us have regretted our actions, but was it all worth it? If someone is reading this, I beg you to answer. Did our sacrifice work? Was Angaria saved? Have we returned to the glory we had? Haha, I don't know why I care, but I do. Whatever the case, I leave this world with doubt and regret. Oh, Felicia, if only I could see you one more time…"

Chapter 866: D 7

"And that is the report. I take full responsibility for everything that has happened. Even though we made multiple subsequent attempts, there was simply no chance of bypassing the creatures which were in a frenzy. Attempts to get rid of the odor that was attracting them also failed. It only ceased to be effective after 10 minutes, at which point there was no clue to be found. Even after searching extensively in the area that we had gone to, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The target has escaped, and I am willing to take any punishment that you feel is necessary."

Hearing the words of the leader of the contingent that had set out with so much confidence before, Nosra was quite startled.

This was the first time that she was seeing a Hero be so humble, and she had never expected that someone with so much arrogance would bow down and be willing to accept punishment for something that he wasn't even directly responsible for.

They had simply been too unprepared – if they had known that their opponent could get up to such tricks, then they might have taken along experts who would combat these methods. Instead of that, all they had was her, who, although had some expertise in analyzing obscure spells like what had been used upon them, was nowhere near experienced enough to counter their opponent's move and pursue him.

She had been witness to the frustration of their leader when they had realized that the one they were chasing had escaped without a trace. That had been followed by a very extensive search of the entire area, but they had found nothing whatsoever.

This looked like it had angered him even more, but the man hadn't shown anything, except for in brief moments which Nosra caught as she had her eyes trained on him. Now, it was obvious that it had all converted into a feeling of failure, which he seemed to be trying to overcome by submitting himself to the judgment of the Overseer.

The rest of the people in the contingent did not speak – in fact, the Heroes who had looked at him and his small group with reproach before now looked almost happy, as if they were glad that the record of this illustrious man would at least have this one failure upon it.

They were in the chamber where the body of the Overseer was the only thing giving off light, and as they waited, it did not look like they would be graced with an answer.

Yet, after a few seconds, the voice of the Overseer seemed to come from all over the place, and as always, it did not contain any emotion.

"After reviewing the actions undertaken by the leader and members of the contingent, it has been decided that there was nothing else that could be done. Hence, no punishment is necessary, and the reward that was promised for this mission will also be given out, because the protocol was followed perfectly. All the trinkets used must be returned, and all the members of the contingent must also be available for questioning where an attempt will be made to extract information that might not have been noticed by you. You can disperse."

Hearing this, most let out sighs of relief, but Nosra, who still had her eyes on the leader saw something else.

He… Looked angry.

Could someone really be this devoted to the Overseer, that he was disappointed that he was not being punished for a failure?

She was frankly shocked by this, but she had no intention whatsoever of asking more questions and landing herself in more trouble than she already was in.

As for all the relief, it was because the group had started to think that they might not be given the rewards that were promised because they had failed.

Even after getting back to her room, Nosra was still continuously thinking of the expression of the leader.

She didn't really like him that much – he had screamed at her incessantly for failing to negate the effects of the odor, and she had almost been close to tears. At that moment, no one would have believed that she was also a Hero who could dictate almost anything on the continent, and it was the first time that she had felt helpless after breaking through.

Yet… She had never really been someone to have an ego and hold a grudge. Hence, she could put it all aside and try to see whether there was anything else to be gleaned.

After a few moments, she found himself going back again and again to the words of the king that felt as if they were still echoing in her ears.

"All is not what it seems."

For some reason, that statement was stuck with her, but she couldn't really explain why.

Was it because that was what she had been feeling during the beginning of the mission?

Or was it that there had been a certain emotion behind those words?

Either way, information was what she needed. She wanted to unveil what was hidden, and she needed to find more information about the Overseer, because he was the one who was the reason behind everything happening.

It wasn't that she was a part of the group who were against him. No, that was too radical – she was just curious, and one of her biggest failings had also been that she could never control her curiosity.

Hence, she decided that she would carefully find out everything she could before leaving her room with a determined expression on her face.

…

In the large chamber that had been silent for many, many eons, the sound of footsteps could be continuously heard as two people walked all around and constantly made trips from all corners of the room to the one where they had found the man who was protecting the door behind him even though he was dead.

After a few minutes, they were finally done.

Putting his hands on his waist, Daneel checked one last time and then focused his gaze, once again, on the large door that was supposed to lead to the vault that he had come here to access.

Where before there had been one large skeleton, there were now many – in total, they had found 63 decomposed bodies, and all of them were giant-sized.

They wore different clothes, with the level of extravagance varying widely. The most extravagant ones were definitely on the one that they had found first, while the others looked like they were more normal individuals who were of the same size, but did not contain either the same power or authority as the man whose diary they had found.

After reading that statement, Daneel had understood that there was a story here that he needed to find out.

Information was always paramount. All he knew about Elysium was what he had found in the memories of the Emperor, which wasn't too much as the man had only given the resources and then occupied himself with other things, such as throwing back the enemy that he had attracted to Angaria.

The rest he knew was from a few mentions in the Library of Origin in the Order, which said that after the Apocalypse, this place had turned into a deathtrap which had a lot of resources, but was suicidal to enter.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

After going through all of the mentions in the library, Daneel had seen that multiple powerful people who had not been satisfied with the resources that they were given and who needed power in order to live or accomplish something that they really wanted would travel to this place after being enticed by the records of all the objects that were supposed to be inside.

After all, the whole point of a last bastion was that there would be enough inside to rebuild, or hide in case Angaria was run over, or destroyed.

Yet… There were no records, at all, of any of them returning, and it wasn't even sure whether they had succeeded in finding the place, or had simply perished to all the sea creatures while frantically searching randomly for the entrance.

Daneel would find the answer to this soon, but before that, he focused on those in front of him.

All of these bodies had been present in various corners, almost as if they had crawled there in order to have a last moment of silence to themselves while they passed away. They had been found in various positions – kneeling, sitting, sleeping, and in one case, praying.

He had carried them all using his hands, and he had commanded Faxul to do the same, as it just did not feel right to handle the remains of these individuals using spells. It almost felt like it would… disrespect the sacrifice that they had clearly made in order to keep Angaria safe.

Now, with all of them gathered, he touched all of their diaries that he had collected one by one.

Faxul was already deeply engrossed in the first diary, and Daneel didn't blame him. Even he had begun to become completely absorbed in the tale of the man that they had found, but he had resisted the urge to sit and read everything and had decided that he wanted to find all of the information first before delving into it.

Now, it was finally time to see what exactly had happened.

As the system began to narrate the entire tale, all of the details began to fall into place.

What before had only been vague speculation and random facts now turned into a tale for the Legends, and Daneel's emotions surged like the rising sun outside as he heard it.

Glancing at Faxul and knowing that he should probably tell the entire thing instead of having the man go through all of the books one by one and waste time, he began to speak.

"Listen, Faxul. That diary only contains part of the story. I've gone through all the information from all of the bodies, so I know exactly what happened."

Seeing him snap his head up, Daneel continued.

Gesturing at all of the skeletons in front of him, he said, "These are all the brave souls who voluntarily chose to stay inside and do their duty while many fled for their lives and abandoned the posts that they had taken after promising that they would never give in to fear. I must say that I am thoroughly impressed by them, and if I could give them back the life that they threw away by choosing to stay here, I would. Alas…That is not possible, so all I can do is narrate their tale."

Sensing the sadness in Daneel's tone, Faxul nodded. Reading the diary, he had gotten the same feeling, but he looked forward to hearing about the rest.

"We both know that during the war, the outcome was not at all definite. If the war could be won without using the Grand Inheritance, the Emperor would have done so. Before marching out, there was no way to ascertain in which direction it would go, so different plants regarding each and every aspect of the continent could not be made. Although the Emperor had made many plans to counter the possibility that the Apocalypse would ensue, in the matter of Elysium, he could not be perfect. This was because if he emptied the place of Champions and Heroes, then it would become vulnerable to attack by the enemy, which would end up with them empowering their foes. Hence, a portion of the Champions and Heroes still had to be kept here, but the countermeasure set in place was that in case the Apocalypse came to be, then they would be locked inside. If it could be done remotely, it would have been great, but this place was built to be self-sufficient, and not controlled from anywhere outside. Hence, people needed to stay to maintain the formations and make sure that all of the monstrosities inside Elysium would also not be unleashed upon Angaria, which might have ended any prospects of a future age, and these are the ones who volunteered. They did their job. They sealed the place. But after that… There was nothing else to do. For over three centuries, they stayed alone, with all communication cut off. Some went crazy. Some lost all hopes. Some took their own lives. And some even let themselves be torn to pieces by the monstrosities which were trapped inside, howling incessantly for blood and flesh. To ensure the possibility of a new age coming into existence, these people paid the price. They… Are warriors, factual. True warriors. But look how they have languished all these years. I believe… That they should be buried with full respect. What do you feel?"

Faxul didn't even need a second to answer.

"Yes, a burial fit for a King would also not be too much. It's the least we can do."

Just as Daneel was about to smile and tell his plan for the same, he stopped, as a sound suddenly echoed in the room where there was no one else but them.

It…was the sound of clapping, and as Daneel realized with horror that it was coming from in front of him, he took a step back.

After a moment, a deep, rasping voice also appeared from the same place, and hearing it, the two Kings of Angaria could not help but look at each other with absolute shock.

"Incredible. So it was all worth it, I see, as there are those like you who have been born on the continent that I died to save. Oh…you don't know how good it feels to find this out. But it's all for naught, isn't it? Because it's all happening again, and this time, there is no Fenoras to save our asses!"

Chapter 867: D 8

"System, what the hell is going on??"

As soon as Daneel regained his clarity after a few moments, this was the question that he posed to the system.

After making that astonishing statement, the voice hadn't gone silent. Loud laughter had followed it, and it still echoed in the room, making the hairs on both of their arms raise while their hearts thundered in their chests due to the bizarre experience that they were having.

Of course, the reason behind the bizarreness was clear: there was no one else but them in the goddamn room!

Even the system had to take a few moments to answer.

[Analysis underway. Phenomena Analysis Module does not detect a corporeal or incorporeal life form. Searching for suitable explanation.]

If even the system was trumped, then that only meant one thing: this was something of the Hero level which it could not yet tussle with, and that meant that it was definitely a threat that he could not take lightly.

Right away, Daneel activated all of his defensive mechanisms. Most of them were hidden, but even Faxul began to feel the terrifying undulations of Energy that were given off by hundreds of complex trinkets coming to life to protect their master.

Even the voice seemed to sense it, as it said, "Oh, you made the right call! I remember the last guy… He was so cocky that he tried to attack, and he was quite fun to play with. Of course, he went in, and never came out. I wonder how he's doing…"

Narrowing his eyebrows, Daneel decided to speak.

"Who are you?! And how is it possible for you to be alive even after all these years? Or is it that you're someone who has come later, and is trying to masquerade as some being which is all-powerful, yet not even visible?"

The last sentence elicited a chuckle from the voice, which answered, "There is a very common term to describe me, and it must already have passed through your mind. What is it? In fact, your colleague even mouthed it before…"

"Ghost!"

It was Faxul who said this, but the Daneel instantly spoke again.

"Of course, that's the most common possibility, but it doesn't fit. Even ghosts must interact with the elementary particles around them to exist, but I see nothing of the sort in front of me. There is only nothingness, and it is as if the source of your voice is something that I cannot even sense. So cut the crap and just answer me properly."

Faxul couldn't help but glance at Daneel as he said this, because he didn't even know that ghosts were real. He had only spouted the word because of the stories that all children listened to when they were young, and this was the only instance in his life where he had started to think that they might be real.

Of course, Daneel knew this information because of everything he had obtained from the Empire and the Emperor, and at that time, there had even been a few Champion and Hero Paths which focused on attaining this kind of state, where one could be incorporeal and still exert power. It was simply a matter of branching out one's consciousness in a safe manner, but even though the explanation was easy to give, the execution was very risky. It was powerful, but with a success rate of below 50%, it was only madmen who chose it.

Hearing Daneel's words, the voice actually started to… cackle.

Before, there had at least been a semblance of sanity in what they had heard, but now, it became completely clear that what they were dealing with was something that had lost its mind.

The cackling went on and on, echoing in all the corners of the chamber, until it seemed to be emanating from within their skulls, itself.

Daneel even started to wonder whether some sort of spell was being cast which might be aiming to affect them in some way, but after checking, he saw that it was simply a psychological phenomenon due to the continuing sound.

Deciding to end it, he opened his mouth, but he stopped when it instantly cut off and was replaced by that voice, again.

"You, boy… Are an anomaly. You are from this age, and are from the civilian population. But you know about things from the age of the Empire, which means that you either obtained that information from a different source, or entered the Big Four and became really influential – so influential that you could access these kinds of records, which are all supposed to be sealed. Either way, you're…special. Just like me! Welcome to Elysium, by the way. Be polite and shake the hand that is offered to you."

"Wh-"

The last line from the voice made Daneel ask what the hell it was talking about, but a moment after that, the question died in his throat.

The skeleton with shining bones that had been defending the door before abruptly moved, in a motion so fast that he almost missed it even though he was using the Basilisk's Breath which he had activated right away.

It was standing right in front of him, towering over his head due to its height that was at least 3 feet taller than him, and its bony hand was held out.

Bewildered, Daneel shook it, and in the next instant, it went back to its place before- slumped on the door.

"There. Let me introduce myself, then. You are speaking to Edgar B. Ionof, prominent researcher and Pathfinder of the Empire of Angaria. I-"

"That's impossible! Stop lying!"

Hearing the name, Daneel had been instantly given information about everything that came up in regards to it by the system.

That was why he exclaimed in this way, because according to the records… Edgar B. Ionof had had a different fate that was quite famous.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"You led the charge against the landing party of the opponent during the war, and you held them off for quite a long time until the Emperor chose to use the Grand Inheritance and turn them back, once and for all! You were supposed to have perished in that conflict! Don't think you can fool me using-"

"Oh, so that's how my father died? Thank you for the information! I must confess that all those who came before you had no interest in history, and this had no answer to my questions. He was always someone who wished for a glorious death, so it is good to hear that he obtained it. You are speaking to his son, good sir. Because you know so much about him, you must also know that he was one of the most talented in his generation- he holds the record for the 15th fastest person to break through to become a Hero, and even his Path was a top tier one, leading him to be appointed the commander of one of the strongest squadrons under the Emperor. Me, though… I had no talent, so I had no choice but to turn to research. I guess it was a blessing in disguise, though, because I was only at the Warrior level when the Apocalypse happened. Otherwise… I would be behind that wall, probably turned into dust! And there would have been no one here to properly welcome you! Oh, what a travesty that would have been! Haha!"

This extraordinary statement was followed by another long bout of laughter, and at this point, Daneel and Faxul looked at each other and understood that this person was definitely not right in his head.

Yet… His words had presented another conundrum. If he was truly at the Warrior level, as he said, then how was he doing this? How was he capable of something that the system could not detect?

It wasn't that he could be lying, either. Only Warriors would have survived the Apocalypse and lived on to be in this room and seal this place, so how was he doing it?

As if he had noticed the confusion in his face, the rasping voice spoke again.

"Don't feel so stumped by what you're seeing. I can tell that you are someone who is used to understanding everything around him- I know, because that was exactly how I was. Sometimes in life, though… when you see something that you cannot explain, you have to come to terms with the fact that you are either not powerful enough, or not destined to find out what it is. In this case, however, you have me, who is willing to give you an answer! This… Is the Path that I found myself. I managed to find a way to bind my consciousness to my bones, so as long as they exist, I shall do so, too. Also, because I pumped my bones full of Energy right before I died, there is enough for me to sustain myself and do simple things now and then. You can feel that Energy, but you must have written it off as something that naturally emanates from those from the age of the Empire. You must also have seen that it is the same case in all the others here – well, they tried, but they failed. I was the only one who succeeded! I will live forever… But in this macabre form. Oh, well. Whoever would have imagined that the great researcher Edgar B. Ionof, who wrote an unparalleled paper on the restorative effect of the bones of Heroes and Champions when used in formations would permanently turn into the same form that he studied so much? If only my colleagues could see me now…they would rejoice that its the perfect fate for an arrogant sh*t like me! Hahaha-"

"Ahem."

This time, the voice was from behind them, but thankfully, they didn't need to think to know who it was.

It was Elanev, who seemed to have recovered quite a bit of Energy, although he still looked pale.

Interrupting the voice's laughter, he came forward and said, "That's all very interesting…but let's cut to the chase, because we really have something we need to do in the outside world. We came here to find power, so that we can take back everything that we've lost. It is obvious that you are someone who is on our side, so to speak, and somehow, you also clearly know about the situation outside. Yes, there is no Emperor Fenoras, but there is us- the Sovereigns of Angaria. Well, we christened ourselves as so, but it will become famous later- you can trust me on that. Anyway, I see that it might be in your best interest to aid us, and in return, we would definitely be willing to help you out in any way that you choose. So…what do you say?"

Daneel nodded inwardly as he heard Elanev stake their case, and he also felt the tone of urgency in the man's voice.

He knew clearly that this was because just like him, Elanev was worried about Eloise and all the rest who were waiting for them in the outside world, without even knowing that they were doing so.

With this breakthrough, it seemed that his confidence had reached new heights.

Yet… When the voice answered after a few moments, what it said made all three of them open their eyes wide and gape at the family of skeletons in front of them.

"Oh, I would love to. But there is just one tiny, teeny problem. I can't believe that you didn't notice it until now… But don't you think that it is just the bit circumspect that it seems as if all of us have died at the same time? Don't worry, I won't put you in suspense. The reason behind that.. Is that even with all those precautions, Elysium was invaded, and we were all killed instantly. Then, our diaries were changed, and it was made to look as if we had died after waiting for hundreds of years. As for the one who did all of that… He went inside, unaware that I had succeeded in training in this path. I don't know who the hell he is, but I do know one thing: he… is probably still alive, and if you go in there: You. Will. Die."

Chapter 868: D 9

On a mountaintop to the west of Kingdom of Lanthanor, in the sovereign land of the First Alliance.

A man wearing the clothes of a commoner had just climbed to the summit, and although he looked as if he was out of breath, his keen eyes and clear skin with nary a drop of sweat gave away the fact that he wasn't even in the least bit fatigued.

Carefully looking around to ensure that no one was keeping a watch on him, the man let go of the act and took in a deep breath of the fresh air of the morning.

It had just dawned on the beautiful Kingdom of Lanthanor, but the farmers who dotted the landscape were already hard at work. The time for the harvest is coming, and a lot of preparations needed to be made.

He observed them all, seeing their singular focus as they used trinkets to kill encroaching weeds or water the lush crops which thirstily absorbed everything that was given to them. The smell of wet mud in the morning was just intoxicating, and the man couldn't help but take in a few more deep breaths before finally stopping and setting his gaze on the shining capital in front of him.

Casting a simple spell, he focused on the place that had almost become a pilgrimage in the Alliance: the Palace of Lanthanor, where the King apparently spent most of his time. Even though the Heavenly City that floated in the air was continuously addressing the concerns of all those who looked to the heavens and asked for help, this was the place where the man who had changed so many lives was supposed to be for most of the time.

Instantly, though, the man averted his eyes, as he had detected that there was even a formation which defended against prying gazes that were using magic to examine the Palace.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

As expected, it was a heavily fortified place.

Deciding that he still had time, he set up a small table for himself, on which he placed the breakfast that he had gotten from a barn that he had passed on his way here. After eating, he splashed his face with water that he conjured, and it was only after this that he finally looked at himself in the reflection of a mirror also made of water.

Striking eyes, a sharp chin, and a quality of big headedness that had dominated his features for quite a long time.

Now, though… It seemed to be changing into something else, and even though what exactly that was was not clear, it was obvious that his personality had been metamorphosed due to someone who had recently entered his life.

"Do you change every goddamn person who happens to come in your path, or was it just me? Well, at least this time, it's my turn to help you."

Musing in this manner, Percy put away the mirror and got a serious expression on his face as he started to think about what he should do next.

Indeed, this was the senior disciple brother of the King of Lanthanor, and he had just arrived from the Order. The general populace still presumed that the King was in the Palace, busily thinking up more plans to benefit the people that he loved, yet only a few knew the truth, and it was something that was becoming harder and harder to bear all alone.

But if everything went well today… That would no longer be the case.

Looking forward to that moment, Percy once again took out the trinket which he had checked continuously on his entire trip to this place.

It hadn't been a very eventful one, even though the security measures that were present all around the Alliance had been upgraded. All he needed to do was hide all evidence of his power using trinkets that he obtained from the Order, and act like a traveler who simply wanted to enter the kingdom and gaze upon all of the sites that had become famous throughout the continent. Of course, he also had to put on an ardent expression when speaking about the king, but that hadn't really been an act- he truly was in awe of this younger disciple brother of his who had accomplished so much, and perhaps it was that sincerity which allowed him to enter the Alliance without any questions being asked.

Of course, he had prepared even for the worst case, but thankfully, he hadn't had to use those contingency plans. But… If the situation had occurred, he would not have hesitated, as the mission he was here on was way too important.

He… was here to stop the plan of the Order which would see the entirety of the Central Continent going up in flames and perishing to almost the last man and woman if it had its way.

He went through his entire plan again, and it was only when he was sure of what he was going to do that he finally ventured forth from the mountaintop where he had just had his breakfast. While doing so, he had also verified that the route for his infiltration was clear, with no obstacles to give him trouble, and this was the main reason why he had allowed himself that meal even though every second was precious.

As for why he needed to infiltrate it even though he could stroll in without being visible to anyone using the trinkets he got in the Order: it was because the capital of Lanthanor now had a new guest, who was actively monitoring each and every person who was entering and exiting the birthplace of the leader of the Alliance.

Even now, Percy could hear the words of Perfect echoing in his years as listed all the information that he had collected, which was the reason behind him embarking on this expedition.

"Benjamin Leoinia."

After saying that name, it looked as if Perfect had been expecting some kind of a reaction, but when Percy gave none, he seemed to remember something.

Shaking his head, he had said, "Ah, I forgot that you are new to the Order, because otherwise, you would have recognized that last name. He's part of the famous Leoinia family, which is filled with prodigies left and right. After finding out the name, I was concerned, but thankfully, the truth is that this specific individual was one born without too much talent. Or maybe… It was just bad luck. He came into this world along with a brother who was born just two seconds after him, but the two could not be any more unalike. One of them is one of the most promising individuals in the Order, while the other, who was apparently also supposed to have talent but had it sucked away by his younger brother while in the womb, is just a normal member who is struggling to reach the top. Anyway, their story is irrelevant. What is relevant is that he is the one who is in charge of carrying out the plans of the Order in the Central Continent. As you already know, the number of individuals in the Order are limited, and for a task like this, the decision was made that he would be enough. I suppose the Big Four could have been used, but maybe the Order believes that they are not needed. You shouldn't underestimate him, though – he is an Eminent Champion, and he trains in quite a formidable path which puts him in the forefront of Champion level Fighters. Yes, as you must have guessed by now, he has low talent only in relation to his brother. Otherwise…he is quite the difficult foe."

By this point, Percy had been quite annoyed. It was obvious that Perfect was blabbering because of his yearning to help out the person whom he was indebted to, but he knew that time was short, and they needed to get to the point. And besides, he hadn't even gotten to the part regarding the explanation behind the ominous words he had said before.

Getting the message, Perfect had said, "Fine, this is the plan: you need to disable him before contacting the subordinates of King Daneel, following which all of you together can thwart the plan that has already been made to replace his position. I'm still trying to find out the exact details of this plan, and I will contact you as soon as I do, but before that, you need to make them know the truth, and get them to join with you quickly. We cannot accomplish anything in Central Continent without them, because they know about that place best – after all, both of us are from the hidden worlds of Angaria, and we are useless in matters concerning the general population. For the purpose of disabling him, here are a couple of Hero level trinkets which should do the job easily. Don't worry, no one will miss them as they are from the stash which I've had since a long time. Now, get going. I know the plan is already afoot, and nearing its final stages – that was why I was so afraid that we had already failed him, and why I said those words. With the grace of the Heavens, the worst will not come to be. Good luck to you, and I'll stay in contact with this trinket which cannot be traced. Just make sure to only use it at this time period, at which I will make sure that there is no one keeping an eye on the communications. Farewell."

Hearing this, Percy had been half convinced that he should choke this guy, because from the words he had said before, it had seemed as if everything was already done, and that there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Still, he had controlled himself and nodded before leaving, and that was how he found himself in his present situation.

Picking up the parchment that he had been checking, Percy confirmed that he was going in the right direction and started walking towards a certain village that stood between him and the capital of Lanthanor.

The one he was aiming for was supposed to have camped in this village, and although it looked completely normal from the outside, Percy could imagine a terrifying beast lying within which threatened to swallow him whole if he was not careful.

He made another check on all of the Hero level trinkets that he had been given, and after assuring himself that they were all ready to be activated, he strode forward and entered the village before heading to the small bar that was near the road which ran through it.

He was in the guise of a traveler, so he needed to act like one.

In a small village like this, word would always travel quickly. Hence, it was a piece of cake to find out the location of the newcomer.

The man had apparently built a luxurious house for himself overnight, and it was located to the east, around three hundred steps from the bar.

Paying the bartender and adding a heavy tip, Percy strolled to this house before stopping when he felt one of the trinkets on his body vibrate.

It indicated that he had entered the range of the surveillance formation placed around the house, and it was also the confirmation that he was going to the right place.

Acting casually, he walked past the house after glancing at it once, and as soon as he was out of its range, he activated a Hero level trinket which instantly made him become invisible.

Marveling at how incredible this trinket given by Perfect was and determining that he would also soon reach the level where he could make one himself, Percy calmly walked to the house and entered it stealthily using a window that was open.

It was that easy, but of course, he knew that trinkets like these were incredibly valuable.

Right as he entered the living area of the house, he found the target sitting at a table for two. The man was drinking from a pitcher while grimacing after each sip, and without hesitation, Percy threw a finger-sized dart at his head that was shaped like an albino snake.

He had seen the reflection of the man in the mirror nearby, and he had acted in the perfect moment.

The dart soundlessly entered the skin on the back of the man's neck, breaking through all the multitudes of formations that came into being with ease.

With a smile, Percy was about to rejoice that the plan had been a grand success, but suddenly, something happened which made him almost faint with shock.

The door in front of the table opened, and out walked another person who looked exactly like the one he had knocked out.

He took in the scene in a heartbeat, and without showing any surprise whatsoever, he calmly looked in the direction where Percy stood, invisible, and said, "I've wanted to do that since a long time, but what brings you here, fellow member of the Order?"

Chapter 869: D 10

His heart thundering within his chest, Percy gazed between the two people in the small house: one was lying unconscious with his head in the pitcher of beer on the table, and the other was calmly wiping his hands of the moisture that remained on them, showing the reason behind him stepping out of the room.

First… How the hell had he not detected him?

Percy got the answer a moment later: when he tried to use his senses to scan the man in front of him in order to understand his power level, he witnessed the most astonishing thing: it was as if he was talking to someone who wasn't even standing there.

No matter how much Percy checked, it didn't change: there was no shadow, no scent and even no signs of a heartbeat.

What the hell was going on? Was this just an apparition, then?

But if so, that would be even worse!

If it was someone real, Percy was prepared to use another Hero level trinket, of which he had plenty, to disable him… But if it was just someone looking in remotely, then what could he do?

Was it all to end in failure?

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"RAAAARGH!"

There was no way that he was prepared to accept this, so to find out the truth and hopefully salvage the situation, Percy lunged forward with a trinket shaped like an eagle in his hand.

This one would be a bit more destructive, but he was already clinching another trinket in his other hand – as soon as he made his attack, he would activate that one, and it would block the location that he was in from prying eyes so that he would be able to clean up all of the damage done before anyone could notice that something was wrong.

However… What he saw in front of him made him stop and almost drop to the floor with hopelessness and despair.

A thick layer of barriers instantly sprung to life in front of the man who was a perfect copy of the one on the table, and from the glow of the trinkets on his neck which had been activated to make this happen, it was clear that this was the Fighter that he had come to target.

Raising his finger and wagging it calmly, he said, "Ah ah ah, not so fast. With the element of surprise and priceless trinkets like those, you would have succeeded if that was me on the table, but it's too late now. Yes, you were successful in knocking out my Peak Champion level little brother, but there is no way that you can do the same to me. So just take a seat… And tell me what you're here for. Right now, you are this close to making me send out the warning and have reinforcements appear in less than three seconds. Give me a good reason why I shouldn't do so. So far, it's only your weakness, and my interest in how you obtained such powerful trinkets that are keeping me from taking that step."

Saying so, the man walked forward and carelessly used his hand to swat at his brother, who was just starting to drown in the pitcher.

The trinket that Percy had used was no ordinary one- it completely tied up the consciousness of one so firmly that they would not move except if they were being killed, and that was displayed quite clearly when the unconscious man smashed into the wall to the side but still did not seem like he would wake up anytime soon.

He just slid to the ground and started to snore, as his face was now free.

He presented a pathetic sight: the beer that he had been submerged in was slowly sliding down his nostrils, and his tongue was also outside for some reason, at the corner of his mouth, making him look like an oversized baby who was sleeping peacefully.

Seeing this, the other man… Laughed.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't control myself anymore! I wanted to enjoy the sight by myself after you had left, but it's simply too much! Oh, look how priceless this is! You should see the way he talks to everyone: all dignified and elder-like. Oh, all that maturity really shines now, doesn't it! Let me take a picture, because I will miss this! Even if I don't show it to anyone in my life, I'll look at it every day and laugh myself to sleep! Maybe this way, I'll not fly into a rage each time he mocks me, or each time my family makes it completely clear that they wish that he took the rest of my talent, too!"

Saying so, the man took out a trinket that was commonly meant to be used as a communication eye and clicked a picture, before tucking it away carefully in his bosom.

After that, he picked up the pitcher of beer which his brother had had his head in until now and emptied it in the direction of the snoring man on the ground.

Making a bottle in the corner of the room float over, he refilled the pitcher, and after filling two glasses, he pushed one in the direction of the chair that had been vacated.

With shaking hands, Percy sat down. He did not yet know what all of this meant, but one thing was quickly becoming clear: it looked like he had failed, and this was the one thing that he had decided that he should not mess up, no matter what.

However… The more he thought about it, the more it became clear that there was nothing that could be done. Even if he used all of the many Hero level trinkets that he had on him at once, the barriers that were still active in front of the man would save him for enough time during which he would be able to send out the warning.

But wait… Hadn't he asked Percy to give him a reason why he shouldn't do so?

This singular fact made him understand that there might be a way to salvage the situation, but if he wanted to use it, he first had to get back to normal.

Thankfully, doing so was a piece of cake, mainly because he was quite used to hiding all of his emotions whenever his father used to beat him to within an inch of his life right before he was supposed to go to some or the other public gathering. Of course, the instances where he remembered his mother's death at the hands of his father and still had to remain calm in front of the man had trained him even further in controlling himself when he needed to, and so, in barely a couple of seconds, Percy was back to how he usually was.

Now, a decision needed to be made. Obviously, the one in front of him was expecting reasons behind his actions. Should he try lying, before looking for an opportunity that he could use to finish his mission?

No… that would take too long, and the plan against Daneel in the central continent was already quickly being carried out. He needed to be in a position to be able to handle whatever was thrown in his way, and for that, he needed to get in contact with the sovereigns of Angaria without alerting the Order.

Could he try bribing him, using the extensive resources that Perfect seemed to have?

Or could he conjure up some other reason?

As if seeing the battle taking place in Percy's mind, the man said, "Let me make something clear, and by doing so, I hope I'll be able to make you understand that it is best for you to just come clean. I am Benjamin Leoinia, and the one that you knocked out was my brother, Jefferson Leoinia. He came to see me in order to have me hand over my duty as we are entering the crucial part of the plan, and after this, I'll be given a large trove of resources which I can retire with until the war. He is a mage, so he was knocked out so easily, but I am a Fighter who has trained in the elusive path which was inspired by the Demonic Panther, a Godbeast which terrorized the land when it was alive back before the establishment of the Empire. Essentially, I can enter a form which allows me to be undetected by most surveillance methods as I can even still my heart and make it stop beating for a period of time, and this was the way that the Demonic Panther used to hide itself while stalking its prey. Another ability that it had allowed it to get a perfect read on anyone that it was following, which meant that it could take note of the heartbeat, pupil dilation and all other factors present in someone to predict what they would do next. Of course, I cannot really do the same thing, but I can tell whether you're lying- and it shouldn't be too hard, especially because you're just a Warrior. It was my Path which allowed me to find you even though you were invisible, too, by the way. True, you might have taken half a foot into the Champion realm, but it's not enough. You have five seconds. Like I said, give me a good reason, or I'll send the warning. Oh, and deactivate that invisibility, it's useless."

Percy's eyes widened as he heard this, as he had gotten the answer regarding why everything had gone wrong.

Still, he managed to remain calm, and decided that in the limited time that he had, he was better off telling the truth. Lying might directly result in him being apprehended by the Heroes of the order, so instead of that, it was better to take a chance. Hence, making his decision, he deactivated the trinket which was draining quite a lot of his Energy and spoke.

"I came to knock you out and contact the ones whom you are supposed to keep an eye on in the Kingdom of Lanthanor. Specifically, I came to speak to the subordinates of the Overlord and work with them to stop the plan of the Order. As for why I'm doing it, it's because I owe him a favor from before he entered the Order. No one knows of this, but he asked me to help him in any way possible when he was being chased around. He also told me that he was being erroneously charged, and that the Overseer was not who he seems to be. That last part might sound absurd, but-"

"Absurd? It's preposterous! So you're part of the group who believe in that stuff… Well, this has been fun, but I'm afraid I have no choice but to have you apprehended. I do feel a little bit of gratefulness because you allowed me to witness my brother in this sorry state, but I'm afraid that that is not enough for me to risk punishment by not following the rules. Hope you have fun in prison!"

"WAIT!"

Benjamin looked like he was about to get up to send the warning, but he suddenly paused.

Rather than the shout that came from Percy's mouth, it was the peculiar glow in his eyes that seemed to have made him curious, and sitting down, he gestured at Percy to speak.

Indeed, Percy's mind had worked very quickly in that moment of crisis where all had seemed lost.

It was the quality of a developed mind to do its best in a situation of life and death, and thankfully, his quick wit hadn't failed him in this moment.

He had connected all the dots, both from Perfect's story, and from what he had heard of these two brothers since coming here.

And this…had given him a bold idea.

"It's obvious that you hate your brother, who must be a perfectionist. I know the feeling! I have…er, had, brothers myself who were always perfect in the eyes of my father. No matter what I did, I was always ignored. So…I often found myself dreaming and hoping that one day, my brothers would mess up so badly that my parents, and all those who adored them and mocked me would have no option but to admit that they had messed up, and that for once, they were not better than me. This is your chance to see that happen! This is a crucial mission, and the odds are that I'll fail to stop it, anyway. But if I do succeed…the failure will be on your brother's shoulders! You know that the Overseer is good enough to make another plan if this one fails, so you lose nothing! They'll just deploy more resources, and I'll be able to die happy that I at least tried! So why not find a much better reason to laugh yourself to sleep? Why not use this opportunity, which definitely won't come again in your lifetime? "

For a moment, it seemed uncertain whether it had worked.

Yet…when Percy saw the expression on Benjamin's face change from one of thought to anticipation, he knew that he had struck the right chord, and this let him let out the biggest sigh of relief in his life.

Chapter 870: Answers

In the large chamber where a collection of skeletons had been gathered together in front of a thick, stone door.

'You. Will. Die.'

These words seemed to echo in the air, taking a life unto themselves as they flitted around the corners of the gigantic welcome area of Elysium before entering the ears of those who were present again and again.

Yet… It was not these echoes which made the three remain rooted to their spots with completely bewildered expressions on their faces.

No, it was the revelation that of all places, this one, which had employed an almost perfect method to conceal itself and make that no one would even come close to entering it…had been breached.

Daneel knew exactly how the seal worked. It had been developed with the welfare of the continent in mind- there had been three ways in which it could be activated, with each one addressing different outcomes of the war.

If it looked like Angaria was going to win without resorting to the Grand Inheritance, the seal would have been temporary, mainly to ensure that the victory was absolute.

If it looked like Angaria was going to lose, with or without using the Grand Inheritance, the seal would have lasted for the longest time possible, in order to ensure that all those within would be able to live and develop a resistance that could hopefully, at some later point, take back the continent. In this specific case, a provision had also been made for a special group containing those with great talent to enter Elysium in order to train inside and pass down the fire of resistance.

The outcome of the war had been the third one, and hence, it had been the third seal which had been activated.

This one… Would only come into effect if Angaria won by using the Grand Inheritance, which meant that the continent needed time to recover. In that case, the seal would rather be for keeping what was inside from getting out, rather than preventing those from the outside from coming in. Still, in the initial stages, the seal would be absolute, not allowing people from going out or coming in. After a period of time, it would be open for those from the outside to come in in case they wanted to access the resources within, with the hope being that by that time, the monstrosities would either be dead, or weak enough to be defeated. Still, because the possibility existed then Elysium might need to be used in case Angaria was once again targeted later, it continued to remain as this kind of bastion which would hold the resources and just stay there as a place of risk, only existing to reward those who were worthy and talented enough to pass its tests and obtain what was within.

But somehow… Someone had bypassed everything and massacred all those on the inside, before going deeper? And he was still supposed to be alive?

With the f*ck?!

Daneel was at a loss for words, and it looked like it was the same for Faxul and Elanev, too.

This trip had already been fraught with ups and downs, but nothing could have prepared them for this kind of truth being thrown at them.

However… For some reason, Daneel felt as if this would not be the last unbelievable thing that he would have to come to terms with on this mission of his.

Taking a moment to calm his nerves, he finally managed to say, "Elaborate. Who was this person, and how exactly did he enter Elysium? How do you know that he is still alive inside, and that he will kill us if we enter? And finally, you still haven't answered how you know about the condition on the continent. We need these answers. Now."

His words woke up Faxul and Elanev, too, and they nodded with extremely serious expressions on their faces as they heard the questions that had been stated.

The voice took a little bit of time to reply, but when it did, it spoke in a strange tone, akin to one that would be used by a man who had been lost in a desert for far too long.

"What is that? I-is it…genuine care and concern? Oh, how long it has been! I even forgot that these emotions exist! I- AAHH!"

With a shrill scream, it fell silent, and the three in the room could not help but frown, wondering whether what was wrong.

However, when it returned, the insanity that had been audible until then was no longer present, and this brought small smiles to their faces.

"So that is how mad I have become…your words have allowed me to regain a semblance of clarity by throwing off the wraith of madness that has been clinging onto me for centuries. These episodes of perspicuity used to occur occasionally, even after I slipped into the embrace of lunacy, but I don't even remember the last one…thank you for this. Let me answer your questions, before it leaves me. After that, even if I descend to the same person I was before, it shouldn't really matter much…"

Daneel was pleasantly surprised as he heard this, because he had thought that the man might be too far gone. He had heard that all those who were mad would have moments like these, which would be triggered by all kinds of things. For this person, it seemed to be honest emotions, and after listening to him, he was also reminded of the way that he had introduced himself before: it had been when Daneel had stated his sincere opinion that all of the people in front of him should be buried honourably for the sacrifice that they had done, and it had seemed as if the one to whom the voice belonged really did appreciate the gesture.

As the voice began to speak, all three of them listened with full attention.

"He came like the first winds of winter: sharp and ruthless, with a chill that cut to the bone. You must understand that this room only had Peak Warriors, at most: he mowed through us as if we were nothing, and he was done in barely a few seconds. It was only because my consciousness lingered within my bones that I was able to catch the briefest glimpse of his face. Only… Even this will not help you, because it was clear that he had cast some sort of a camouflage spell. If a clue can be found, then it is only in his methods, which were nothing like I had ever seen before. If you remember, I am a researcher who has been exposed to all kinds of Paths, but I can tell you with surety that his was not something that I had even heard of or seen before. Hence, it is most likely that he was some sort of a hermit who lived alone, and over the years, I have come to the conclusion that he must have emerged from his hiding place and used the moment of vulnerability between when the seal was activated, and when it came into full effect to enter and hole himself inside. I could not ascertain his power level clearly, either, but it is completely possible that he was also a peak Warrior, albeit one so much more talented and powerful than any of us. His plan might have been to use the resources inside to live for as long as possible. But… I can tell that you have already detected the problem in this theory."

Daneel nodded as he heard this, as he hadn't been able to stop the confusion from flashing across his features when he had been listening. The reason behind it... Was that there was no way for a Peak Warrior to defend himself from all the monstrosities inside.

"Yes, the monsters. Why did he go inside, if he knew that only certain death awaited him? My theory falls apart when you think about this, and the only explanation I can give you is a fleeting one. You must have known that after the activation of the Grand Inheritance, there was a small window of time during which the monsters were still finding their bearings and coming to terms with their increased size and power. In this period of time, it is possible for them to be slower than what their full potential would allow, and hence, if used correctly, one can get past them all. So… The plan of this person would be to use distracting methods to run past the monsters and then hide himself in the main vault, or at least the secondary one. No matter which one he finds, he would have enough resources to help him get to the Hero stage, and even beyond, if that was possible on this continent. If it's not possible, then there are also enough resources to create Artefacts that can hold consciousnesses inside, if one knows of the method to create them. They are similar to the ones made by the Emperor when he implemented the plan to have Empire Spirits remain that would guide the future generations, and in fact, it was only after he was done making them that the leftover resources that he did't use were compiled and transported here. Until now, I've only been able to give you theories, but thankfully, for your other questions, I have facts to give. But they're useless!HAHAHAHA! HA-ah, apologies."

It was obvious that the madness had been about to take him again, because the laugher that they had already gotten accustomed to had burst out again.

Insanity that was brought on by being alone for so long was truly a terrifying thing, and as Daneel mulled over whether something like this could be cured, he saw the one from whom the voice was coming make a conscious effort to control himself.

Luckily for them, it worked, but there was still an urgent tone in the rest of the answer.

"There is a mechanism here which allows me to have an overall look on the continent, without alerting anyone that I'm doing so. It is only because of it that I managed to keep at least this semblance of sanity with which I'm speaking to you, as otherwise, I would definitely be a blabbering mess by now. All of your actions in the Central Continent were quite fun to watch, by the way. As for my deductions, they were obviously based on this, and I did not take into account the fact that you could have created a bond with an Empire Spirit- I guess it eluded me in that state. Now, coming to the question regarding how I know that he is alive… Well, it's simple: he writes to me. I guess it is because he is bored, too…"

The last words were said in an almost casual tone, but they made the three stare askance at the large skeleton in front of the door.

Letters? What the f*ck?

As if he had sensed their doubt, the voice said, "I'm not lying. The letters burn up as soon as I read them, but they don't contain any important information: they're just random stuff about how I'm not alone, and how he's waiting. He keeps saying that. That he's waiting, waiting and waiting. I have no idea what for, but it seems that it is the one thing which is allowing him to remain sane. He also specifically sends letters in which he says that he takes great joy in toying with and then killing those who enter, and that's how I know about their fate, and yours if you do the same thing. If I'm not wrong, he must be using the traps inside which he must have taken control of. With all this…do you still wish to go?"

Daneel's answer was instantaneous.

"Yes," he said, putting aside the bewilderment that had been caused due to seeing the strange actions of the one inside, and hearing it, the voice sighed and replied, "I gathered as much. But I like you. All of you. For the first time, I wish that you would remain alive. How about this…take one of my bones with you, and I'll help with my knowledge of any traps we might come across. And also, let me open the door for you."

Saying so, the skeleton plopped forward, and with a low grinding sound, the large stone doors began to open.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

A musty smell suddenly struck the three of them, but this time, their barriers protected them from a coughing fit.

After it opened, all they could see beyond it was darkness that seemed to beckon to them, and slowly, the three exchanged glances between each other.

This conversation had been a good way to pass a little time and break the tension, and the information they had gotten might be useful.

Yet, time was short, so they could not dally anymore. Letting out a breath, Daneel raised his hand, palm-down, and Elanev and Faxul placed theirs on his, too.

No words needed to be said. The reasons behind them walking forward to risk their lives shone clearly in their eyes, and that was enough.

After a second, they nodded together, and raising his hand, Daneel made the collarbone of the skeleton float to him.

Analysing what he had been told could come later: Elysium was supposed to be a gargantuan place, so there would be time.

Hence, without further ado, they walked forward and were swallowed by that swirling gloom, and as the stone doors closed, it was as if the maw of a terrifying beast had just been slammed shut, trapping them within it forever, and ever.

Chapter 871: Percy's Wi

"I like your idea… No, scratch that, I LOVE it, but there are some steps that need to be taken so that I can be sure that I will not be implicated when there is an official inquiry."

Getting a small smile on his face, Percy nodded and sat back down.

It was that gleam in the eyes of the one in front of him, and these words that allowed him to finally relax completely and understand that he had been right: his idea really had saved him.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

In fact, half the credit went to Perfect, who had luckily told him enough of the back story of these brothers for him to understand that this was one way in which he could get out of the situation. Although it could be said that he could have gotten a hint from the conversation he had, too, it was only both pieces of information placed together that had allowed him to get that idea that he had acted on.

Feeling his heart calming down, he said, "Do state them. I don't think they should be too severe, because it is obvious that you wish the same thing as me: for me to go inside and hopefully do something that will completely disrupt your brother's track record and his reputation in the Order."

With a nod and a bright smile that was clearly due to him imagining the fate of the man who had scorned him his entire life, Benjamin sat down and said, "You're both right and wrong, actually. Yes, it's true that I want the same thing as you, but I also want to be completely safe. Sometimes, the Order… Likes to make an example. And I definitely don't want to be in that position. So, the precautions need to be watertight. First, I've already made the plan that this entire thing is happening one hour after this conversation. The way things played out is that I had left after handing over my responsibility, and you came and knocked out my brother. After that, you carried out your plan normally, with him incapacitated for quite a long time, because he is a Mage, after all, who has neglected training as a Fighter."

Smiling at the corner of his mouth, Percy had to admit that it was the simplest, and most effective plan.

Seeing his reaction but not commenting on it, Benjamin continued.

"The tricky part is my brother's memory: he will remember that I was here. Hmm…well, I'll just leave a note in the bathroom. He was chastising me about something, and when he does that, I do have a tendency to just leave abruptly. It'll be a bit suspicious, but that can't be avoided. Finally, there's one last thing: I'll change your memory to show events in the way that I just narrated. Then, there will be no way for anyone to find out my part in this even if you are caught and have your mind checked by those from the Order. Yes, my friend, there is no other way- you'll have to trust that I won't mess around with the rest of the memories. You either allow this, or the deal's off. I'll call on the Order, and be applauded for thwarting you. So sit back down and make your decision."

Percy had stood up abruptly as he heard the part about him having his memories altered, because it would mean that he would be baring his mind completely to this person whom he had met only a few minutes ago. Even with everything else, this seemed a tad bit too risky: while scanning his memory, this person could definitely do something else, and the worst thing would be that he wouldn't even know what had happened. Hell, it might even be that all of this was a ruse, and that Benjamin wanted to incapacitate him in this manner. After all, if he were to directly attack, he would have to contend with all of the Hero level trinkets that Percy was ready to use, so this would be the perfect method for him.

After a moment, he did sit down, but his mind was working in overdrive while analyzing all the possibilities.

At the same time, he also started to think of ways in which he could reduce the risk.

He definitely could not let this deal go, but allowing someone like Benjamin who couldn't be trusted to rifle through his mind was not an option, either. There were things that definitely had to be hidden, such as all the information he had been told by his senior disciple brother, and his dealings with their master.

So…what should he do?

Benjamin looked like he had all the time in the world, but Percy knew that that was not so. The trinket he had used would only keep Jefferson unconscious for a limited period, and he had to use that time to the fullest.

Was there really no other way except to leave it all to blind faith?

Suddenly, his eyes widening, Percy hit on the perfect plan.

"An oath! Damn, how did I not think of that? Swear an oath that you will not see any other memories, and that you will only change the most recent one, and do nothing else. You can wriggle out of it later, but for the moment, you will have to follow it! If you have no other intentions, you should have no problem with this, right? I'm not even asking you to promise anything else! Just swear these things, and we have a perfect deal!"

Seeing Benjamin's eyes instantly narrow as he heard the proposition, elation burst in Percy's heart, knowing that he had once again hit the ball out of the park.

Just like the one that Benjamin had made, the plan was simple, yet highly effective.

Even though Champions could unravel normal oaths later on, they would still be in effect for a brief period of time after they were made. In that period, the oath given would have to be conformed to, as otherwise, the oath giver would die, or at least be gravely injured.

Another great reason why this was perfect was that the man in front of him was a Fighter. Mages had methods to take greater control of their consciousnesses and try to ensure that the backlash of not following an oath could be controlled and made almost assuredly nonlethal, but Fighters could do no such thing. They had complete control of their physical body, but their consciousness could only be sensed and trained properly in the later realms.

Thinking about everything and confirming once again that his plan minimized risk for him to the greatest extent while still being acceptable to anyone who didn't have ulterior motives, Percy waited for Benjamin's response.

If he took too long to respond, it would become clear that he must have had something on his mind.

Yet, it was only a second later that the bulky man shrugged and said, "All right! I have to admit that that was smart…I'll swear the oath right now, and we can finish quickly."

As Percy nodded, Benjamin gave the Oath.

"I swear that I shall not intrude into memories that exist within your mind that record incidents prior to you entering this house, and that I shall do nothing else except change the memories after that moment to reflect you not meeting me at all."

Percy cast the common spell to form an Oath that was known to even Human-level mages, and immediately, he saw Benjamin wince as he must have felt the strings tightening around his consciousness.

He confirmed that he could feel it within his mind, too, which was what one would have to settle for in case they didn't have an Oathstone. Only after using multiple spells and trinkets to check that he was not hoodwinked in any manner, Percy sighed and braced himself before gesturing at Benjamin to get on with it and opening his mind.

He closed his eyes, too, and a couple of seconds later, he could immediately feel the tentacles of the memory editing spell that was being cast by Benjamin.

Because the man was a Fighter, he was using a trinket for this purpose, and hence, it was rougher than it would have been if an experienced mage was doing the same thing. Percy frowned due to the unpleasantness that washed over him as those tendrils reached into his mind and found no resistance, and as they approached his consciousness, he felt an instinctive feeling of danger.

Before he could react, though, darkness engulfed him, and the last thought he got was that he didn't care what happened to him after he finished this mission. He owed his master his life, and to repay that debt, he was ready to die a thousand times over. Hence, his only wish was that he would prove to be useful, and while thinking in this way, he completely lost consciousness.

When he woke up, he blinked and looked around groggily before finding a man unconscious on the table in front of him.

The memories flooded back into him in a moment: he remembered knocking out the only person present before realizing that he was a mage. After that, he had fainted because of some countermeasure that activated, but after checking himself and seeing that he was fine, he shrugged it off.

With that, standing up and knowing that time was short, Percy hurried out of the house.

The Hero level trinket he had used to knock out the mage was of the sort that would make one think as if they had naturally fallen asleep, so he had nothing to worry about except to finish what he had come to do before the man woke up.

After getting to the Palace, all he needed to do was activate another camouflage trinket which once again made him invisible. It hadn't failed to bypass the formations laid down by someone from the Order, so there was no chance of it failing to hide him from the security measures in the Palace. It might have been different if his senior disciple brother was present, but now, barely a minute later, Percy was standing in the center of a large corridor that led to the King's chambers.

He knew who he needed to find, but he didn't know in which direction to go. Thankfully, eavesdropping for a bit resolved the problem, as a few maids nearby started gossiping about how the Grand Court Mage was staring out of the west corridor again, and that he looked exactly like someone who was mooning over love that had been lost. They even started to go into the details about what kind of a woman would be perfect for such a stately man, but Percy ignored these and quickly walked west until he reached the large balcony which looked out over the entire Kingdom.

The man he had come to find was right in front of him, with drooping shoulders that indicated some burden which was weighing heavily on his mind, and a back which had definitely been straighter before. Even his hair looked like it had gotten whiter recently, as if something had caused him to suddenly grow older.

Sighing with relief, Percy was about to walk forward to finally finish his mission, but he froze as a transmission started to reach him.

It was from Perfect, and by the time it ended, Percy's face was so filled with rage that he looked as if he wanted to go destroy the Order right at that moment, with his bare hands, if such a thing were at all possible.

"I've found out their plan! Those diabolical-ARGH! It makes my blood boil! Taking a page out of what happened in the Central Continent's past, the Overseer wishes to cause a massive massacre in the Alliance, which will look as if it has been carried out by the Church, to unite the people against them and ensure that everyone will be conscripted voluntarily when the time comes! In that massacre, the plan is also to gravely injure a fake King in order to galvanize all those who love him even further! Quoting his injury, he will then be replaced! IT NEEDS TO STOP! Percy, I don't know how all of you do it, but it must! That man gave me a purpose in life, and I cannot stand something he loves so much being used like this! DAMN THEM!"

Chapter 872: Kellor

Kellor was… Blank.

He knew everything that all those in the Palace spoke about him – whenever he came into this balcony to look out over the kingdom that he loved so much and think, he knew that they all thought that he was thinking about someone he must've lost earlier in his life.

Yet… What they didn't know was that the entire reason behind him always wanting to come here the hope that it might help him fill up the blankness in his mind.

He even knew when all of it has started – it was when the king had left, apparently just on another normal trip, but Kellor knew for sure that this one was definitely more different than anything that the man had gone on until now.

He had no idea exactly why he had this feeling, but it had been accompanied by this blankness which kept telling him that there was something that was supposed to be there, but had perhaps been removed for reasons unknown.

This did not deter him from wanting to fill it in, though. He was a mage, and his consciousness was the sanctimonious existence that he revered and trained with the aim to one day allow it to achieve heights that had not been seen on this continent before.

Ever since his master had found him when he had been a simple woodcutter, he had always been told that one's self was the most important thing that one could take control of in their lifetime. Since then, he had always made sure that he would have meditation sessions every day where he would just sit still and allow himself to feel that incredible existence that allowed his body to be something more than just flesh and bones.

Hence… He was sure that something had happened to it, but he just couldn't figure out what.

Also, over these past few days, he had recognized that the same feeling might also be present in a few others in the Palace, especially among the ones who were at the top of the chain.

Yet… It was only he who could felt it so strongly, and he took it upon himself to find out what it was and hopefully give an explanation to the others.

Only Eloise felt it almost as strongly as him- but in her, it materialized as emotions which continued to keep flowing out of her eyes even though she didn't understand why that was happening, whereas, for him, it was a kind of frustration that he could not shake off.

He had even asked himself many times why it was this place that he wanted to come to whenever he wanted to think about this: was it that this balcony, and this spot which overlooked the kingdom with the best possible view was trying to tell him something, perhaps by stirring something up in the deepest recesses of his mind?

He had asked himself this question many times, but he had found no answer. Still, this did not stop him from coming again and again and hoping that something, anything would change.

For some reason, it was more difficult today than it had been until now.

Difficult to come to terms with the fact that he might never find out just why he felt all of these things, and that he might even have to forget it all and move on if he wished for his life to get back to normalcy.

As the Grand Court Mage, he had responsibilities which kept pulling him away, and if he wished, he could completely indulge himself in them and actively forget all of these things.

Only… Even the thought of doing so felt so averse, almost as if he would be signing over a piece of himself that he did not wish to lose, no matter what.

However, with each day, it was getting harder and harder. Each day, the temptation to leave it would grow, and each day, he would have to fight it off.

There was definitely something, and he would find it, even if it meant that he would have to search until the ends of time.

And the reason behind this… Was that he knew that it was so extremely precious to him, that maybe even life would not be worth living if he did not find it.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

With a sigh, Kellor was about to end this specific period of musing, which had, once again, been fruitless. Hopelessness washed over him, but he tried to keep it at bay as he put on a series expression and prepared to tackle the duties of the day.

A kingdom needed to be taken care of, and with the absence of the king, it was on their shoulders to do it properly, so that he would have no cause to complain when he returned.

But will he return?

This thought echoed in his mind, strangely, but Kellor shrugged it off. In all these years that he had known the king, although he had never been too close to the man, the one thing that they all knew was that he was a reliable person who definitely always kept the well-being of the continent in mind, and did whatever was necessary to keep it safe. Even now, he must have gone to increase his power to the next level in order to be prepared for the war that was coming, and they were all looking forward to what new heights he must've reached in this training session. True, he was shrouded in secrecy, and although some were a bit bitter over the fact that he never shared the causes of his sudden jumps in his power and was always a bit aloof, his dedication to the Kingdom could not be doubted.

Shaking his head and making the thought leave, Kellor turned around, but suddenly felt danger pulse in his mind.

He… Was not alone!

It was incredible! In the absence of the king, he was in command of the formations placed all over the Palace, but even as he used them, he detected no one in front of him.

But then who the hell was the person standing right there, with an urgent glow in his eyes?

Right away, he decided to raise the alarm, but he suddenly stopped when the man spoke.

"Grand Court Mage Kellor. I have a message. In your entire life, you've only cried three times. Do not question me, for I'm here to give you the answers that you are searching for. Remember the third instance. I don't need you to tell me what it was. It was when you entered the room of one young student of the National Academy, and had the conversation that would change your life. In it, he showed you his talent, and you were moved to tears, because you had finally found someone who could give you the salvation that you had always been searching for. Now… Thing back to it. Think about every single, little detail of that incident. Think about the expression of the young man in front of you, and his decision to trust you, even though it meant that he might die if your allegiance had lain elsewhere. Keep it in your mind. And now… Listen to this."

Kellor had gone almost into a trance as he heard these words, mainly because he knew, with certainty, that there was no one else in this world except him who were aware of what had just been said.

It was such a personal thing that he had never shared it with anyone, and hence, there should be no possible way in which the man in front of him should know about it.

The perplexity that he felt due to this made him pause, but when he was reminded of that memory, he couldn't help but think back and follow the instructions that he was being given.

Indeed, that really had been an instance which changed his life, but now that he called it… Why did it almost seem hazy?

Why was it that in that memory… The face of the Young King was blurry, as if it was hiding something?

And finally, why… Was this memory giving him the same damn feeling that was the reason behind him coming to this balcony every day and trying to unravel the mysteries of the peculiarities that he had found within his consciousness?

Grasping the fact that this might exactly be what he was waiting for, Kellor did not let go of that memory in his mind.

It was the moment right before that brilliant display of elements by the Young King that had told him that someone with enough talent had finally arrived in Lanthanor whom he could trust to change the fate of the then miserable Kingdom, but no matter how much he tried to remember the exact expression of the king, he kept failing.

Still, he kept that image in his mind, and suddenly, a voice was heard in the balcony where a formation had already come into being to block it from being heard anywhere else.

"Kellor."

It was a single word, spoken in the familiar voice of the king, but it contained many things which Kellor was sure that he had never heard before.

Trust, respect, concern, and finally…love.

It was the love that one would have for someone whom they regarded as having an equal position as their father, and it was so sweet that Kellor could only close his eyes, that had begun to tear up for only the fourth time in his life, and let it engulf him.

What… Was this? Wasn't the king supposed to be an almost arrogant person who had never really talked that closely with them? Didn't they know nothing about his personal life, and only that he had the ability to get inexplicable power-ups which he always kept using to defend the continent, and make it better?

No! That was definitely not the truth! There was something else!

As Kellor realized that he had been right all along, he suddenly started to laugh, just like a little child who had found the present that had been hidden by his parents successfully. They had denied that they had even bought one, but he had known, and he had stuck to his faith.

His happiness really was that sincere and pure, and the man in front of him also smiled, as if he was glad that he had been able to give this to him.

No new memories came to Kellor, but now, he was certain that they were there: they were gone, for some reason, and he had a feeling that he would find out why, soon.

It was only that one image that he had remembered which had changed: that hazy face in his memory changed to one that was filled with determination and trust, and he was now certain that someone who had looked at him like that would definitely not act in the way that he remembered right now for all these years.

After a few moments, the man in front of him finally spoke up.

"I was asked to use this message to convince you, and I was told that you would find a way to tell the others, if the need arose. Anyway, the memories you remember are false, and right now, the king needs you. Or rather… The kingdom does. Assemble everyone, and use whatever means needed to convince them of the same thing that has been revealed to you. Time is short, and we need to move quickly. Go, and come back here with all of them."

With a nod, Kellor immediately left, and seeing his back disappear in the corridor that led to the balcony, Percy allowed himself a small smile and nodded.

His senior disciple brother has been right: the maturity of the Grand Court Mage had allowed him to have a firm grasp of his consciousness, which had resulted in him being able to understand the crux of the situation in a short amount of time, as the truth would need too much explanation. He would also be most effective in convincing the others, and now, all that remained was to tackle the situation in front of them.

But… How were they going to do that?

As he looked out over the kingdom, too, just like Kellor had been doing until now, Percy could not help but wrinkle his nose and frown, seriously, because this was definitely going to be very, very difficult.

Chapter 873: Eloise

A few minutes later, Percy was standing in front of a group of people with various expressions on their faces.

The one which stood out the most was that of Eloise, who was beaming with a radiant expression on her face. Percy even started to feel bad that the smile would soon have to go, but he could sense that the genuine happiness she felt would not be leaving for a long time.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

She looked exactly like someone who had believed in something all their lives without even finding a shred of proof to support that faith, but had just discovered that they had been right all along.

As for the others, although this wasn't as strong, it was still prevalent.

Apart from her and Kellor, there were the three who were together, as if they had known each other for a long time. From the way they stood, itself, it was obvious that they had a background in the Army, mainly because they had unconsciously positioned themselves in the best spot to have an eye over the entire area and also block or access the only entrance and exit if needed. If he was in the Big Four, Percy would have decided right away that these three were part of the law enforcement corps who underwent strict training, but because this was the central continent, he could guess that the Army was the place where they must have picked up these kinds of instincts.

He could see that they were still coming to terms with what Kellor must have told them, but Percy could not give them any time.

Right away, he plunged into the heart of the matter.

"I don't know what Kellor told all of you, but by now, you must have understood that something happened which caused the king to change your memories and make it seem as if all of you are not as close to him as you really are. The truth is that you are part of a group called the Nine Sovereigns of Angaria, who have sworn to protect it for as long as your hearts still beat true. The reason behind him having to flee is not important at the moment, and we can discuss it later. Right now, the Alliance is under threat. The same force which is responsible for the king fleeing, and which is supposed to be one that has the best interests of the continent at heart, has started a plan through which they will massacre a large portion of the population to unite the rest against the Church."

His words made silence fall over the place, and from the gasps of shock of those in front of him, it became clear that they had no information about this whatsoever. This was to be expected, but he had still had a small hope that maybe, just maybe, something or the other might have been intercepted which would have resulted in at least a few backup plans being made already.

Sadly, there was no such thing, so Percy plowed on.

"We basically have no time. I know for a fact that this plan is in its last stages, and it actually even has another purpose: when the massacre reaches its last stage, a fake king will appear who will be gravely injured. As you can guess, this will unite the people even more and make them feel determined that they should definitely do everything they can to oppose the Church, and when the time comes, that organization will put out an order to recruit any and all able-bodied men and women in the continent so that they can fulfill that wish which will be firmly entrenched in their minds. The horrific thing is that even this is not true: they will simply be called upon to distract the Church and act as sacrifices which have been deemed necessary for the best condition of victory, and while the entire central continent burns, that organization probably wishes to snatch victory. Anyway, our priority is to stop this plan from happening. I have to leave soon because all of you are being surveilled by the organization, too: however, to come here, I knocked out the person who is in charge, but he will be waking up in a little bit of time. In this piece of parchment, there is information about the king, and everything you need to know about the situation. Read it when I'm gone- it will burn up after it is read. The order has already confirmed that all of you hold no relevant information about the king in your minds, and they have no reason to check again. Still, even if they do, there is nothing here which will severely impact the king. I only made it so that all of you can have peace of mind. So, preferably, go through after we are past this situation. Our goal is this: we must create a plan to thwart the one of that organization, and it must seem as if this has happened either due to bad luck, or someone goofing up. We have no option but to think for the long term, too: if I am exposed, then all of you will have no way to find out about this organization by yourselves. So my goal is to stay hidden while you do everything that is needed, and for that purpose-CRAP, he's waking up! Damn the timing! I need to go! I'll stay in touch with these trinkets, which you should only use when you get the signal that it is safe! You'll know the signal the first time- don't use them without me saying anything! Goodbye for now, but I think I'll be seeing all of you soon!"

The Sovereigns of Angaria who had just been told once again of their status watched with bemusement as the one in front of them spoke for such a long time without even pausing and taking a breath. At the end, he threw out two things to each of them: one was a piece of parchment, and the other was a trinket shaped like an eagle which, when it entered their hands, extracted a drop of blood from each of them and vanished into their bodies.

They were already shellshocked due to everything they had found out, so when this happened, they weren't even that surprised. By the time they looked up from the items they had received, the man was gone.

Kellor was the first one to respond after this, and his words made them all snap to attention.

"Disperse! We'll talk about this only using trinkets- act as if nothing has happened! Be sure of this! Remember, they're always watching!"

Saying so, he immediately walked out, and one by one, they did the same.

Only Eloise remained, her gaze lingering over the sight of Lanthanor, and after furrowing her eyebrows for a bit due to the worry she felt because everything she had just discovered, she left, too.

Her mind was a mess right now, and she needed a little bit of time, first, to gather all that had been told to her.

She still remembered exactly what Kellor had said before which had led her to have that broad smile on her face: he had told her that she was right, and that she should never listen to that maid, ever again.

Of course, he had been referring to the woman who had tried to tempt her to change her image of the king, and the funny thing was that ever since that incident where she had thrown her out, the woman had not shown up anywhere, even in the kingdom.

She had thought that this might be irrelevant, but now, it became clear: it was definitely possible that that woman might have been sent by the ones who were orchestrating all this to sway her, for some ulterior reason.

It all made sense now, and if Eloise was asked which was the emotion she felt most right now, then she would answer that it was actually… Relief.

At one point, she had even become convinced that she was going mad. She didn't even know how to explain it to anyone: it had just been one of those things which one would feel so strongly that they could not cast it off no matter how much they tried to, but if they attempted to put it into words, they would fail at the first instant, itself.

All she had felt was that a void was now in her life, which was like an open wound, bleeding, everyday, making her abruptly start crying at random times, as if would feel as if it had been stepped on mercilessly by some invisible force. Sometimes, it would even feel as if there were not one, but two such voids, but most of the time, they would unite together and threaten to break her into pieces.

Now… She knew that it was all true, and that everything would go back to normal soon. She didn't know where she got this confidence from, but it just felt so… Right.

Yes! She did know what she had forgotten, but she decided to trust these feelings. They told her that she should just solve this problem in front of her while trusting in her ability to judge someone which had led her to develop so much affection that she had been reduced to this state with their absence, and listening to them, she almost felt like smiling again.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Eloise felt like herself. Right away, she completely threw herself into the present situation and began to think about what could be done.

Immediately, she felt as if she was trying to think like the king, and even in the memories that she had now, she knew that he had always been a mischievous man whose plans almost always succeeded.

What would he do in this situation?

This question felt so important that she paused right where she was, in the middle of the corridor, and as all of the maids and ministers continued to pass around her without saying anything after seeing who she was, her mind started to work as quickly as it could.

When all those who walked past turned to look back, they could see her eyelids closed and her eyes pulsing beneath them, as if she was thinking about something so strongly that it might materialize right in front of her.

Continuously, Eloise tried to imagine which path would be the safest. She did not know if there was even more that they had not been told by that man, so it was probably best to follow a plan that would place them at the least risk.

Many were considered and then discarded, as they would place them out in the open to be targeted and questioned again. Even the thought of this happening made her shudder with fear, as there was no way that she would ever go back to how she had been before, with that demon-like uncertainty that had almost devoured her heart and mind.

This fear pushed her the most, and finally, a few minutes later, her eyes snapped open with clarity shining within them, like the first rays of dawn that peeked through the foliage to brighten the land with their radiance.

Immediately, she sent a message to Kellor, and she could sense his enthusiasm when he heard the confidence in her tone.

"I have a plan, and I think its what King-no, Daneel, would have done."

Chapter 874: The Order's Plan 1

Jefferson had the oddest feeling in his mind.

"Sir? We're ready if you are, Sir."

The words of the 20-something-year-old in front of him brought him back to reality, and with a sneer, he said "Speak when you are spoken to. Let's set out."

Today was the day when the plan of the Order would all come together: it was a fairly simple one, as plans went. A few hundred thousand would die, and millions would become prepared to march out and avenge their deaths when the opportunity was presented right in front of their eyes.

Just like all those made by the Overseer, it was extremely practical, and of course, extremely necessary for the continent.

This was a war against a force which would be able to crush them if they were in the same place where it was located, but because they were so far away, it had needed so much time to even mount the attack that would soon come which would decide everything.

Until now, almost each and every conflict they had had with the Church had been quite disastrous for them, showing clearly just how insignificant they were if their opponent ever decided that it had had enough of this buzzing bee that had been irritating it for far too long.

Many wondered why that was not already happening, but as the eminent son of the famous Leoinia family, he had access to certain information that was not commonly known.

He knew that the Church had a lot of trouble in the Mainland, and that that was the main reason why it had not been able to put its full force forward until now. However, things were changing, and if they did not achieve a conclusive victory… Well, it would be enough to say that everything he had treasured until now would no longer exist.

He, along with the elders of his family had seriously considered whether they should do what many others had apparently already done secretly: throw their lot behind the Church, and maintain the only rule that was present for all those who were powerful- that they should retain that power, no matter what needed to be done to make that happen.

Yet, it was the words of their most senior elder that had stopped them. He had said that he had seen something in the Overseer which told him that that decision would probably not be the best one, and because the man's talent for precognition made his words carry a lot of weight in the family, the Leoinia family had decided that it would do everything in its power to help the Overseer, and they had stated the same and even allowed themselves to be bound by the strictest of oaths.

This was why they knew that the charges against the one known as the Overlord were false, and that they had been fabricated due to reasons that the Overseer had not told them. Still, seeing how much importance was being attached to this issue, it became clear that either that young man had something which might change the tide of the war, itself, or that he was such a huge threat who had been hiding all this while right under their noses.

Either way, it was their job only to follow the orders that were given while keeping the future in mind, which was filled with a world where almost all the resources that were present would be theirs to access and devour, until each of them reached the next realm, even if they had to squeeze Angaria dry to achieve this.

However… why did he keep getting this feeling that he had missed something?

The more he thought about it, the more he found himself reflecting upon the strange incident two days ago. He had come to take over the responsibilities of his brother, who shouldn't even be alive.

Thinking of that man, Jefferson grimaced, just like he always did each and every time that he remembered the truth that only he knew- that their mother had tried to use a technique which would allow one, in a pair of twins, to absorb all the potential of the other so that they would rise far above any realm that they would have been bound to normally, and that this plan had failed.

Well, it wasn't a complete failure, but every time Jefferson thought about how much more talent he could have had, he would find himself resenting that block-headed Fighter who shared his blood, and looking forward to the day when he would die.

Discarding this image which he was used to dreaming about occasionally, he continued recalling that memory.

He had taken over the control of all of the formations which were keeping an eye on the Kingdom of Lanthanor and the individuals who used to move closely with the Overlord, and even the one which created apparitions that were supposed to be sent at a few intervals in order to see whether any of these individuals could be swayed against that man, and be used as bargaining chips in the future.

After that, his brother, who had always had a thing for cleanliness had gone to the bathroom, while he had started to scold the man due to the shoddy work he had done until that day.

Pissed off at how the man had the gall to ignore him, Jefferson had sat there, fuming, and after that… there was only a blank spot.

He had woken up quite a while later, and out of panic, he had almost sent an alarm to the Order.

However, thankfully, he had stopped at the last moment, knowing that an alarm that was raised without there being enough of a cause would only irritate the Heroes that would be sent out. And annoying Heroes… Was simply not something that anyone sane would want to do.

Calming himself down, he had checked his body and found nothing amiss. He only found his mind clearer than before, and this right away made him wonder whether he had fallen asleep.

The only problem with this… was that he was a damn Peak Champion who was supposed to have a firm grasp over his consciousness! Was it possible that he would allow himself to do something like that, right when he was supposed to be handling something so important?

No!

But still, all evidence pointed in this direction.

He had even contacted his brother to find out what had happened, and after hearing that the man had left abruptly due to not wanting to listen to the rest of his tirade, which was something he typically did, Jefferson had only been even more puzzled.

He had even checked upon everything in the kingdom, and again, there had been nothing. All the individuals who had been marked as important were still oblivious to the truth, and they were still acting in the same way that they had been for the past few days.

With that, Jefferson had tried to let it go, but it kept coming back to him. True, he had been quite tired because he had been training a lot to attempt to break through quickly, and it was also possible that it might even have been a prank by his brother to make it seem as if he was being lax in his duties. He didn't put it past the man, at all, because there had been previous attempts to make him fail, perhaps out of jealousy or even avarice.

Now, as he reached the spot where they were going, Jefferson wondered whether he should really report the matter to his father, at least.

True, as this was just a mission in the central continent, the Overseer had only allocated the most minimum of resources to it. Even these individuals who had come now were only warriors experienced with the skills that were needed for this mission, and he was the most powerful individual on their side.

It wasn't a far cry to say that he was also the most powerful individual in this area, so there should be no problem, but he just couldn't let go of this itch on his back.

However, noticing the others looking at him strangely, he humphed and said, "Well? Get on with that! We don't have all day!"

With hurried nods, knowing of his temper, all four of the individuals who had been flying with him shot off in different directions.

They had arrived this morning to set up the final step, and now, they were just going to check whether everything was perfect.

With his hands behind his back, Jefferson surveyed the city below him.

It had a population of over two hundred thousand citizens, and it was mostly an unremarkable place that had almost been unaffected by all the things that had happened in the central continent in the past few years.

Only...it had been chosen for exactly this reason.

A few minutes later, the Warriors that had left returned, and the one who had been leading them said, "The explosives are ready to be detonated, sir. When the perfect time comes, we can just do it remotely."

With a nod, Jefferson replied, "Good. Get out of here. I'll go back on my own. And remember: don't be late, or there may be a little...infighting."

Seeing the Warrior who had spoken gulp with fear, Jefferson smiled to himself and saw the four in front of him bow respectfully and leave.

They would soon be drenched in the blood of hundreds of thousands of people, and at that time, wouldn't it be disastrous if one of those who were acting as the 'demons from the Church' got too excited and started killing those on their own side?

It might even add an additional layer of fear that could be useful later!

Deciding to propose this to the Overseer, Jefferson gave one last look at the city, and the surrounding villages.

Come nightfall, the entire place would be going up in flames, and with that image in his mind, he teleported away with the corners of his lips turned up as far as they would go.

A few hours later, he was looking at himself in the mirror.

He was wearing white robes with a golden hem that shone even if light didn't fall on it, and his face was covered by a mask.

The robes were bulging as if he was hiding a lot of things on his body, and with a flourish, he opened the robes with both his hands to reveal a chilling sight.

Torture instruments of all kinds were present on the inside of the robes, from twisted pokers to dig into one's skin and special clipper-like instruments that could peel the top layer off of one's body if they were filled with Energy.

Today…Lanthanor would see and understand what the word 'hell' truly meant.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Nodding to himself on seeing that he was the perfect copy of a cruel Executioner from the Church whom the Order had dealt with secretly but with great losses before, Jefferson said, "Detonate."

As if waiting for the perfect note of a symphony that was playing, he closed his eyes as the man who had been waiting behind him activated a trinket that he had been holding all this while.

BOOOOOMMMMM!!!!

It was as if night had turned into day. An explosion of a size that had not even been heard of on Angaria rocked the spot he had visited before, and even though he was more than a hundred kilometers away, he could feel the tremors in the ground that were spreading rapidly everywhere.

Jefferson's features had lit up with brilliant joy at the moment of the explosion, and seeing them in the mirror, the young Warriors who were waiting in the same room were all thoroughly spooked out.

Fear. Oh, how sweet did it taste.

Smirking, Jefferson gave the signal to head out.

A few moments later, they were above the spot where a large fire was blazing, right in the spot where the city had used to be.

Like a predator taking in the irresistible smell of the prey that it had already bloodied, Jefferson closed his eyes and breathed in deep.

In reality, he was engaging all his senses. He wanted to smell the burning flesh of all those who were in the city, hear the screams of all those who were being immolated to death and feel the cruelty that was being wrought upon the continent on his command.

Only…something was wrong.

Opening his eyes abruptly, he saw the Warriors in front of him looking puzzled, too.

Why…was it that they could hear nothing from the city and the surrounding villages?

They had placed the explosives perfectly so that a large portion would be killed, whereas the rest would be injured and waiting to be tortured and slaughtered.

By all rights, by now, they should be able to identify these unlucky individuals who had been subjected to low-power explosives.

However…nothing of the sort could be heard.

Striding forward in the air with anger, Jefferson caught the collar of the 20-year-old Warrior who had been in charge of setting up the explosives.

"YOU MESSED UP! HOW THE F*CK DID YOU FAIL IN SOMETHING SO-"

Probably blown into the air due to the explosion, a flyer that was half burnt suddenly floated into Jefferson's line of sight.

He had spotted something on it that had made him pause, and raising his hand in its direction, he made it enter his palm in a second.

It said: "Breaking news! All citizens are hereby notified of a miraculous 'Rock of Destiny' that has come into being at a spot three kilometers east of Fairydust Village! Head over there if you would like to change your fate! Even the Grand Court Mage of the Alliance has decreed that there is something strange about it, so don't miss this chance! Take your children to have their potential increased, and take your elders to have their lifespan extended! Above all, move now, as it will be closed an hour after dusk by the authorities! DON'T MISS THIS ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY!"

With each word he read on it, his anger grew to new peaks, and by the time he was done, the four Warriors became convinced that they would be the ones being tortured soon, in the place of all those who had miraculously been saved by a weird twist of fate.

Chapter 875: The Order's Plan 2

A few minutes earlier, at a location that was known only to a handful in the continent of Angaria.

A man with a sharp goatee and long, brown hair that fell to his shoulders was sitting in front of a table, on which a display trinket could be seen.

A cup filled with steaming liquid was in front of him, and he occasionally took sips from it before dabbing his mouth with the kerchief he held in his other hand, each and every time.

He was the very image of an elite personage whose habits and mannerisms were above and beyond those of the normal people who couldn't even comprehend his prestige, but when an unseen, but detectable being suddenly appeared in the room he was in, he stood up and gave a deep bow.

With his eyes on the ground, he said, "The Family Head of the Leoinia family greets you, Overseer."

"Welcome, Family Head. Take your seat."

It was only after an unemotional voice said these words that the man let out the breath he was holding and sat on the seat that he had gotten up from.

He was one of the strongest Heroes of the continent, part of the hidden force of elders who had never shown their power even once, but still, in front of this being, he would only show the utmost respect.

Was it because the being held his life, and those of his family within its palms? Or was it the unfathomable feeling that he always got whenever he used his senses to probe it, even though he was never supposed to do so?

Perhaps it was both, in equal parts, but as the Overseer began to speak again, all these thoughts flew out of the Family Head's mind.

"Your son is in position?"

"Yes. I have replaced the one who handled things until now with someone who is much more reliable. He has never failed our family or the Order, and he will not do so now. I expect there to be a very fruitful massacre. He has also come up with many ideas to make it much more effective than it would have been normally, and I trust that you will appreciate his zeal and enthusiasm."

As always, there was no response, so the Family Head continued.

It was actually worse because usually, there would at least be that body filled with faces which he could look at while speaking. Right now, though, there was nothing but the voice, so the Family Head could only look straight ahead, even though there was nothing but the wall there.

"As you have commanded, we took time to survey the Kingdom and locate a place where the majority of individuals leave their homes to take care of work either outside their place of residence, or in neighboring villages and towns. As you said, the goal was to find a general area where the explosions would result in the majority of casualties being children and elderly individuals, who are both useless to our cause at the present, because the past and the future of the Central Continent is irrelevant in front of the War which will devastate it anyway, and necessary in case we want to bring out the most emotions in those who will be absent when the event occurs. We have timed it so that the explosions will take place at around darkness begins to fall over the continent, which is the typically the time when all those have headed out to work start to head back home. The objective is also to make sure that they return to a scene where their families have died, whereas those who have been 'lucky' enough to survive will be hunted, tortured and killed by the 'agents of the Church', who have been imitated quite accurately. Any time now, my son will arrive at the scene and activate the communication eye so that we can see all of this happen."

"Good."

'A single word. Dammit, would it kill you to appreciate us just a little bit? We're killing hundreds of thousands for YOU! Without telling anyone else! If there was such a thing as karma, our family will be tainted for generations! But all we get is a 'good'?!'

These thoughts appeared in the Family Head's mind, but he spoke none of them out loud. In fact, he even put on a fake smile as if he was pleased, but looking at himself in the mirror in the room and seeing how unpleasant it looked, he removed it and took another sip of the liquid that was still steaming in the cup in front of him.

They waited in silence, for the Overseer had never been a chatty person. He could still feel him nearby- like an invisible vulture bending over his shoulder, waiting for the time to come so that it could feast on the death and destruction that was going to be caused.

After a minute, the Family Head frowned because his son should have activated the communication eye by now.

A strange feeling creeping up his spine, he contacted the kid and was greeted by a message that made him stand up abruptly.

"Father, it failed! Something made all the citizens who were supposed to be in their homes vacate them and go somewhere else! What should we do now? I can just start killing with magic! Give me the word, I know where they are! I'll go over there and begin!"

The Family Head got a dazed expression on his face, unable to believe what he was hearing.

What the f*ck? Could anyone really be that lucky?

No! That was impossible!

After further thought, he directly picked up the fear in his son's voice, which told him what the kid had been trying to hide.

He…had failed.

"What is it?", came the question, and with a sigh, the Family Head spoke.

"Apologies, Overseer. My son has failed. I shall punish him severely when he returns. A lot of blood…shall be rent. The explosions were ineffective. The places of impact were empty. He awaits your orders. Should he commence the attack on the people who have been gathered elsewhere?"

The silence that fell over the room after the Family Head said these words was stifling, to say the least.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

He, a man who had lived for over a century and had killed hundreds to reach where he stood, felt sweat dripping down his back as he waited there, with his head lowered, burdened by the first major failure that had been caused by his family in a long time.

It didn't matter that they might not have had any method to stop it. It didn't matter that it might turn out that it might not be their fault.

And it didn't even matter that they had given so much until now.

They had failed, and the Overseer…didn't like failure.

As if he had placed in the nook of a guillotine, the Family Head waited for the scythe to fall.

However, to his amazement…it didn't.

"Abort the mission. The directives were that no surveillance should occur in the place where this was going to happen before the mission was carried out, so that the Big Four would not find any evidence that might point to someone else carrying out the attack. Hence, it is plausible that there was no way to find out that the place of attack had been emptied. Your son might not be responsible for the failure. If he continues now, he will have to fight with the Big Four, and that must not happen. Tell him to find out if anyone is responsible for this- perhaps he has failed elsewhere. Even if he has, he must not be punished- each and every individual like him is needed for the war. You may leave. Give me the report as soon as possible."

With that, the overbearing pressure that was a sign of the Overseer's presence faded into nothingness, and the Family Head suddenly gasped and started breathing in deeply, as if someone had been suffocating him until now.

Had he really heard correctly? But the foremost daughter of the Orwehan family, which was another one that had sworn themselves to the Overseer, had had herself tortured for days because she had failed due to something she could not have foreseen! And that had only been a few months ago!

Well, there was no reason to question a boon that had been granted abruptly. Perhaps the War was about to erupt soon, or perhaps his son was more valuable than he had thought.

Either way, the Family Head decided that he would get to the bottom of all this right away. Deciding that he would do it himself, he headed out.

Barely a half-hour later, he had returned to the Order, and right away, he requested an audience with the Overseer.

This time, he went to the dark area where the body of the Overseer was visible, in all its glory.

The faces of his sons, daughters, and wives were flashing in and out of existence on that dark ball that seemed to swallow all the light in the world, but ignoring the effect it had on everyone that gazed at it, the Family Head once again bowed and gave his report.

"It was just a hoax generated by someone who wanted to make a profit from the tension-filled atmosphere of the continent, sir. However, he used magic in an innovative way, and that was why he was lent the credibility that kickstarted everything. I tried to interrogate him, but he was lynched to death when it was found that it was all false, so I could not do so. His claims led to a wild rush of people who wanted to benefit from the limited-time magical phenomenon that was very similar to an object regarding which many bards tell fictional stories. I have checked these stories, too: they actually have some truth to them. They originated from a village where a rock used to grant wishes, but in reality, it was the Divine Cockroach which is now in the Order. All in all, a series of coincidences resulted in the citizens being saved. However, I have already made another plan for the same. Shall I-"

"Your report is false, Family Head."

Being suddenly cut off in this way, the Family Head stuttered for a bit.

Just as he was about to state that he didn't understand, the Overseer spoke again, and right away, an understanding gleam appeared in his eyes.

"Your report is false. This is the official report that you shall file in the records. In the Kingdom of Lanthanor-"

…

The Sovereigns of Angaria who were still present on the continent all had ecstatic smiles on their faces as they celebrated in the same balcony where they had been 'awakened'.

Their thoughts were completely different from what they were saying, but their happiness was real.

The one beaming the most was Eloise, who had gotten the seed of this idea when she had tried to imagine what the King would do.

What they needed was an excuse to empty a place randomly, and she had hit upon this right away: something that would lead people to leave in a rush and be unaffected by the plan of the Order.

After getting all the details of the Order's plan from Percy, the plan had been perfected to target the young and the old, who were mostly the ones who would have died if they had stayed.

It would seem like a coincidence, and there would be no way to prove that they had been the ones to carry it out.

Right now, the open reason for their celebration was that they were feeling relief that so many had been 'luckily' saved from an attack by the Church.

The Big Four had also come, and Kellor had spoken to them and assisted them in their investigation. They had seemed clueless about the entire thing, so it had even been amusing to see them trying to figure out just what the heck had happened.

At the end of the day, they were successful, and they had all already pledged that they would keep trying to save everyone until the King returned.

Standing up, Eloise raised the glass in her hand and said, "A toast. In the absence of our King, we have done well. I definitely think that he will be proud of us. Let us drink to his return, and his success in whatever he is pursuing."

Knowing smiles appeared on the faces of all the Sovereigns present, and they raised the cups in their hands to sip and wish their King well.

However, right before the moment when this was going to happen, the entire scene…froze.

Kellor, Eloise, Luther, Aran, and Cassandra all felt themselves losing control of their bodies. They couldn't even blink their eyes, and it was as if they had become trapped within their own mind.

A flood of terror began to inundate even the seasoned commanders who had seen so much, but it was interrupted by the voice which suddenly echoed over the area.

"By the decree of the Overseer, the individuals known as Eloise, Kellor, Luther, Aran, and Cassandra are hereby being taken into detention due to the crime of causing a crucial plan of the Order to fail. According to the ancient rules, they will be bound forcefully by oaths and made to repay the Order for the harm they have caused. Over this tenure, they will not be killed, but apart from this, they will have to follow all the orders given to them. Thus ends the decree."

As the last word echoed in their ears, a deluge of darkness poured into their vision, and all of their bodies crumpled to the floor, before being whisked away by an invisible hand that seemed to blot out the sky, itself.

...........

Note for former privilege members:

First of all, thank you for loving my book enough to want to read ahead, and a heartfelt apology for what you have had to endure this past month. Mainly due to the sickness which was prolonged even after I was discharged, there were many more delays than I imagined. Normally, my plan was to keep privilege as-is, and replace those dummies before the end of the month so that you could read them. Sadly, due to a few fainting spells, I could not stick to that.

WN is either processing or has processed the refunds, and once more, I am very, very apologetic for what has happened. I promise to never let anything similar happen ever again, especially for all of you distinguished individuals who have graced my humble work with your precious attention and adoration.(If there are any problems with refunds, contact me on discord using the link in the synopsis)

All in all, this is a month for WDS to get back on its feet properly, and the arc coming up is AMAZING for that. I really, really hope you stay tuned, and I will always appreciate the support you have shown me in this very, very deep low in my life.

This is your author, signing off. Thank you!

Chapter 876: Adjudication

Eloise felt a dull, throbbing sensation in her forehead as she slowly woke up from what felt like a slumber that had gone on forever.

The more she left the land of dreams, the more this throbbing became apparent. By the time she was ready to open her eyes and look around, it had turned into pain that was so intense that it made her feel like screaming, but before she did, the words that she had heard before she had been made to faint replayed in her head.

"-they will have to follow all the orders given to them. Thus ends the decree."

Before, she had lost consciousness before she could truly comprehend what they meant, but now, as their meaning was revealed to her, she opened her eyes with a start.

A strong light source that seemed to be directly shining into her face welcomed her return to the waking world, by making her squint and try to cover her eyes with her hands.

However…this was when the rest of the sensations from her body flooded into her mind, allowing her to find out that she was bound tightly to a chair.

Eloise looked down, but because the bright light had blinded her, she could only catch flashes of her body.

She hadn't been hurt: she seemed to be exactly how she had been in the Kingdom, and it looked as if she was in some kind of small room where she was alone.

She could only glean these details from the corner of her vision, as the majority was still strongly obstructed by the damn light which was starting to make her eyes water.

"Hello! Can you turn this damn thing off?", she shouted finally, after finding out just how unpleasant it was to sit like this.

It had become clear that a globe of light had been conjured, on purpose, right in front of her face, and whether she closed her eyes or opened them, it was as if that light was boring into her skull, not allowing her even a moment of clear thought.

One would say that it was just a source of light that had been placed in front of her, but if that person was forcibly tied in front of the sun which they could see through their eyelids even if they tried to close their eyes, then they would understand that this was basically…torture.

She hadn't known what she was expecting, but a voice replied right away.

"I'm afraid we can't do that. That's called the 'Light of Justice', an ancient trinket meant to butter up convicts and criminals to make them speak the truth when they are interrogated. It's not to say that it always works, but it's a simple tool that allows us to bypass a lot of effort. Now that you're up, it'll do its job. We shall speak again in a half-hour."

The 'Light of Justice'?

Eloise was perplexed. True, it was unpleasant and even bordering on painful, but how would it make one want to speak and spill the secrets they might be holding deep within their heart, if that was what it was meant to do?

A few seconds after that voice faded away, she got her answer.

The light slowly began to grow in intensity, making her face start to sweat.

She had already closed her eyes, but it was all in vain. It seemed to face no obstruction, whatsoever, and no matter where she looked, there was only its burning brilliance which seemed to want to immolate her to death.

At the same time that she had gotten back control of her body, she had also found that her Mageroot had been so firmly locked up by a spell that she almost couldn't feel it. Hence, magic was not an answer, and quickly, it started to become apparent just why people might be more…'open' to answering after spending half an hour with this trinket.

Ten minutes after the voice had faded, her face…had started to feel as if it was being burned off.

At first, Eloise had started to become convinced that it was really happening. Oddly, she had been fine with it: somewhere, something deep inside her had been changed after the truth regarding the King had been revealed to her, and that change had resulted in a strong woman who was ready to face any punishment for choosing to do the right thing- saving all those elderly individuals and children using her plan, even though they had known that it was risky.

Only, after a little bit of time, she had understood that it was all an illusion. Her eyes had been blinded, thoroughly, and her mind had begun to play tricks on her.

However…the pain was certainly real, but no matter how much it tried to make Eloise scream and beg for someone to stop it, she did not give in.

In front of what she had endured all these days…this was nothing.

With every minute, the pain grew, and towards the end of the half-hour, Eloise's teeth were so firmly held together that her gums had even begun to bleed.

Right when the 30-minute mark passed, though, the light instantly winked out of existence, and there was only darkness.

The sound of clapping was heard, but it felt as if it was coming from far, far away.

Suddenly, Eloise felt as if her head had been dunked in cold, freezing water. She sputtered awake in an instant, only to find that it was true: a cube of water had materialized around her face, and as it disappeared in a few moments, she saw that a man was sitting in front of her.

There was no table between them, and he had a complicated expression on his face as he surveyed her with folded hands.

He had a mustache and a fairly common face with drooping, bored eyelids and thick lips, and as he spoke again, she saw that he was the one who had spoken earlier.

"Good job. Most break at the 20-minute mark. I must say that I am impressed. Well, let's get down to business. This is your sentencing meeting, and I am the person allotted to you to listen to your case and decide whether you might have been falsely detained. The charges against you are that you-"

"That we stopped a crucial operation of the Order. We did no such thing!"

Seeing her interrupt him, the man raised his eyebrows.

A second later, a display trinket popped into existence, showing a couple of people sitting around and celebrating.

Eloise and the rest of them had already prepared explanations for everything. Unless their minds were forcefully broken into and searched again, which was apparently a very difficult thing to do due to the sanctity of their consciousnesses even though they were relatively weak, they would make it seem as if they had no hand in the matter.

Only, as she waited for the man in front of her to continue…he suddenly froze where he sat, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

It was eerie to look at: he seemed as if he was possessed by something, and the way he just sat there, stiffly, made Eloise wish that she wasn't tied up so that she could move as far away from him as possible.

She didn't speak, as she didn't know what to say. Was this another tactic to scare her? Or could something coincidentally wrong with him?

Before she could form any more opinions, the situation changed.

The man suddenly moved and straightened his back, before his body assumed a sitting position that was much more disciplined.

However, his eyes…stayed the way that the were, showing only their whites.

And when he spoke…Eloise felt her skin crawl.

"I am the Overseer. I have invoked the 43rd bylaw that is applicable when an impending war is on the horizon to fast-track the detention of those who have opposed the Order. These are the proofs against you."

The voice had no tone, and it was as if someone dead and long gone was speaking to her. This also felt vaguely familiar, as if she had heard someone speak exactly like this before, but she could swear that it was her first time listening to something so unique.

The display trinket changed along with the words of that voice, and it showed various scenes as it continued to echo in the room.

"You plotted against the plan of the Order to unify the Central Continent under a false leader, which would have resulted in the formation of an effective vanguard that is indispensable in the coming war. These are the proofs that have been collected of you finding the information about the explosions from an undiscovered source, before contracting an individual to create the hoax that called away the targets at the crucial moment. You have caused many resources of the Order to be wasted, along with causing a situation that was not conducive to the peace of the continent. For this crime, you will be detained and become part of the 'Oathsworn' battalion of the Order, which consists of individuals with talent who are more useful trained, bound and forced to fight, instead of being killed for their crimes. This is your sentencing, and the Overseer is your adjudicator. You-"

"LIAR! Those are all made-up! None of that is real!"

Eloise had been staring, agape, at the images that had been shown to her on the display trinket.

Sure enough, there had been them, finding out about the explosions and then contacting a person who carried out their orders and prevented so many people from dying.

The only problem…was that they were all false.

The images showed them receiving intelligence from a person whose face was hidden, whereas in reality, they had gotten it from Percy via trinket.

After that, it showed them paying money to some random person who began the hoax, but again, the truth was that they had simply given an order to a corrupt minister to carry this out if he wanted to have a chance at living.

Hence…the outcome was right, but all these proofs were wrong.

After she shouted those words, they seemed to echo in the room for a long time, but after that, it became clear that their fate was only to vanish into the abyss.

"These proofs have been investigated and found to be authentic. The sentencing is complete. If you do not swear the Oath to enter the battalion, you will be killed. Hence, the choice is yours."

After receiving this reply, it finally clicked in Eloise's mind. She…finally understood just what the f*ck was going on.

In a voice filled with the shocked disbelief of one who had squarely fallen into a well-laid trap, she said, "You-you planned all this! To act on us! There must have been something stopping you before, but our actions gave you…permission! You…want to use us as bargaining chips! DAMN YOU!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

As the last scream erupted from her lips even though she tried to control it, the Overseer just continued to stare at her using those eyes which were only a white expanse.

And that stare…was all the answer she needed.

She was right. They had fallen headlong into the trap, and now…they were at the Overseer's mercy.

"You shall be collected soon. Rest assured that you will not be commanded to die. However, you will have to follow all other orders. Farewell."

For the briefest of moments, Eloise wondered whether she had heard…gloating, in the usually deadpan voice of the Overseer.

In the next second, the man that had been 'inhabited' until now collapsed onto the floor, and she found herself alone.

In her mind, only one image was firmly being recalled: that of strong, broad shoulders, a confident smile and almost playful eyes.

That image…made her feel brave, even in this moment when all seemed lost.

He would come. He would come for them, and now, the most important thing they could do…was stay alive to wait.

She would do so. No matter what it took, she would wait, and when the moment finally came for his return…it would be glorious.

As a smile spread across her lips, a message was heard in the room that she would be knocked out again for transport, and this time, she actually welcomed the darkness.

Chapter 877: The True Elysium

As Daneel and the rest were walking through the dark corridor they had entered while accompanied by the sentient bone that was currently being held by Faxul, the King of Lanthanor suddenly felt a pang in his heart that made him turn around, almost as if he felt someone calling to him from behind him.

Of course, there was no one there, but to his side, Daneel saw that Elanev had had the same reaction.

Their eyes met, and together, they understood what must be going on.

Eloise.

On the continent of Angaria, there had always been miraculous stories about the power of affection, which sometimes seemed to transcend all bounds of logic.

Multiple stories about how a lover in a pair would know that the other was hurt even though they should have no idea that it had happened, or how a son or daughter would know that there was something wrong with their parents at home even though they had no means of keeping an eye on them could be heard if one cared to go through the many, many villages and towns of the continent and ask about such occurrences, which would always be talked about with pride, as they were taken as a sign that their village, or town or city had been blessed by those whose bond was true.

Daneel had heard about this, but as he came from Earth, he knew the power of rumors. Hence, after some perfunctory investigation, he had dismissed it as farfetched stories that had evolved into something else with retelling after retelling.

However, at that moment…he began to wonder whether he had been wrong, all along.

Only, this wasn't the time to think about it. Nodding in Elanev's direction, who seemed to have reached the same conclusion, Daneel looked forward again to see that the corridor was coming to an end.

It had all happened in an instant, so even though Faxul and the one in the bone had seen the two glance back, they didn't know what had transpired.

As they continued to walk forward, Daneel noticed that the ceiling that had been about 15 feet(4.572 m) away from the top of his head had started to go further upward, resulting in a weird structure that had been clearly been built in this way to accommodate the massive doors in front of them.

They were humongous- made of a dark, shining material that had gotten a lot of grime on top of it, but still not having lost the grandeur that they possessed, mainly due to their hulking size.

Each door was at least 50 feet(15.24 m) tall, and they were each at least 20 feet(6.09 m) wide. At least give giants could walk through them while standing one on top of another, and as the four of them approached, it felt as if they were ants who had found themselves at the doorstep of humans who could crush them under their feet if they wished.

"Why are they so…big?", asked Faxul, and the bone answered.

"'Cos those who built this place just LOVED to show off! This is the place where people might have had to live for thousands of years, you know! Their goal was to build a place that would last, and not cease to amaze who lived within, and I'm sure they succeeded!"

As soon as the last words came from the bone, the large doors slowly began to grind open.

Startled, Daneel, Faxul, and Elanev all entered battle positions, as if the enemy was right behind those doors.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

However, seeing them, the bone spoke up again.

"Oh, relax. I know for a fact that there are no traps here. Like I said, the guy inside will be using the formations placed for safety all over the place to try and kill you, 'cos there's only him inside. After all, how can you expect anyone with flesh and blood to survive for thousands of years, even if they have all the resources in the world?"

Daneel nodded, but he still maintained his pose.

He had been caught off guard enough on this journey, and he had no intention whatsoever of letting that happen again.

Only, even after the doors completely opened, he felt no danger from the other side.

The weird thing was that there seemed to be some kind of barrier obstructing their view of what lay beyond them, and as he asked the system about it, the answer he got was:

[Simple opaque barrier to prevent anyone from looking at what is present on the other side. System has scanned the area and found no threats.]

He had detected that, too, and he had been wondering whether there was anything else, but seeing that that was not the case, Daneel cautiously started to walk forward.

"Humph. Well, then I won't tell you what you're gonna see."

As if throwing a tantrum like a little child whose words had not been listened to, these words emanated from the bone, and ignoring them, the three sovereigns of Angaria approached the barrier.

Looking at each other and nodding to indicate that they were ready, they all stepped forward, and an instant later, they were all dumbstruck as they witnessed a sight that they would remember for the rest of their lives.

A city spread out in front of them, built into a large, perfect round crater in the ground.

All around, they could see many, many doors, balconies and even entertainment areas that could house thousands, and perhaps even hundreds of thousands.

Right at the center, at the lowest spot in the gigantic concave bowl that the Heavens, themselves, seemed to have placed here, there was a statue of a familiar man, who looked stood ramrod straight with a calm expression on his face.

Of course, it was Emperor Fenoras, and as the three took in the rest of the details, the bone spoke.

"That barrier was placed to strike awe in anyone who stepped through! It's a paltry trick, but it used to work! Every time! THIS…is the real Elysium! The city built to house the last remnants of Angaria, if disaster every struck on that scale! Of course, it hasn't been used until now…but it was built with the goal that even if it has to be used a thousand years from now, it will still be ready!"

With a dazed nod, Daneel started to count the number of doors, but he soon failed as he began to get dizzy.

It was so humongous that it defied all the engineering marvels he had seen so far, both on Earth and Angaria, and he now truly understood what it meant to 'go all out'.

This was a place of ultimate luxury, and at first glance, itself, one would be able to find out all the plans that had been made to ensure that no one would get bored even if they had to spend an eternity in here.

There were areas where plays could be watched, areas where competitions could occur, with stands where people could sit to cheer on the gladiators, areas where merry feasts could be thrown, and even large grounds for recreation which contained all the top products for relaxation that had been popular during the Age of the Empire.

The reason they could see all these things…was the ingenious construction method which had used glass in some places where areas like these had been constructed. Hence, although at first sight, the concave bowl of the city would seem perfect, with no blemishes, looking closer would reveal that all of the facilities had been 'hidden' in this way to give a cohesive look to the entire place.

Daneel really felt like applauding those who had come up with such a design, but after the initial shock wore off, the feeling that greeted them…was one of desolation.

The city in front of them was so large that it would barely fit in the largest portion of the Grand Canyon back on Earth, but it was also so…empty.

Dust and dirt could be seen in the places where the cleaning formations had failed, and regardless of where they looked, it was all…empty.

But more than this, a singular incongruity struck them after they realized just where they were.

Why…was it all so pristine?!

Shouldn't it be completely ravaged by the monstrosities that must have been destroying everything in their sight? And where were the dead bodies of these monstrosities, which must surely not have decomposed into dust?

"That's weird. Where are those monsters? True, the city can heal itself over time, but where did those things go? I expected to greet the bones of a lot of people I used to know…"

Hearing the macabre remark of the bone, Daneel realized that the one who had been acting as if he knew everything was clueless, too.

Frowning, he said, "Stay alert. Lead us to the vault."

Faxul and Elanev nodded as they heard him, and after a few moments, the bone replied, "It's that way. But the traps…wait, they're inactive? That's strange…"

Daneel was liking this place less and less. He always strived to be in control of all factors, no matter where he was, and this was one place where nothing seemed to be in his grasp.

Still, he shook his head and began to walk in the direction that had been indicated by the bone. The only way left was forward, so that was where they would go.

The humongous size of the city meant that they had to walk quite a bit even to reach the spot where the ground dropped off due to the beginning of its concave part.

However, instead of going there, the path that had been shown to them led them to a place where a set of steps could be seen, descending into the ground.

"The vaults housed weapons, too, so there were methods to access them easily in the event of a war on the inside. Yes, they thought of everything. From here, the traps should be present…but there are none. Well, this is only the secondary vault, so it's possible that our friend is using only the traps near the primary vault to save Energy. Still, it shouldn't hurt to check here- maybe there's stuff that he felt was useless for him, which might be useful to you. Let's go get the scraps left behind!"

Clearly, the lunacy was back, but Daneel ignored him as they began to descend the staircase.

It was quite wide, but they were in a three-pronged formation, with each covering a direction.

Daneel was very uneasy, mainly because the system had once again told him that it could scan nothing. He knew that he should probably get used to this, but it felt like an itch in his back that he couldn't scratch, and wouldn't go away.

Soon, the ceiling of the passageway they had entered started to increase in height just like the one before.

A minute and hundreds of steps later, Daneel and the rest reached a door that was similar in dimensions to the grand one they had walked through to get to the true Elysium.

"Open it," said Daneel, after taking a deep breath and ensuring that all of his protective trinkets were active.

It was the same with Faxul and Elanev, and as all three of them saw the humongous doors begin to grind open, they realized that something…was horribly wrong.

"NO! Close it, close it!"

"I CAN'T! It's not stopping!"

The reason behind these shouts…was the image that greeted them from in between those doors.

Heads that were too small for their mammoth bodies.

Crazy smiles that stretched to the corners of their mouths, with blood oozing from their teeth.

And eyes…that spelled madness.

"YAAAARRGHHHHH!!!!!"

As crazy screams reached their ears, a voice came from within.

"Ooh, more meatsuits for me! Thank you so much for the gifts, boys!"

"RUN!"

With a scream, Daneel and the rest bolted, with their hearts thundering in their chests.

Chapter 878: The Chase

"How the f*ck are they still alive?"

"Why the f*ck were they in the vault?"

"AND WHY THE F*CK WON'T OUR FEET MOVE FASTER?!"

Questions such as these, and more revolved in Daneel's head as he brought up the rear in the group that was running helter-skelter through the city that they had just been admiring.

The doors opening to reveal the monsters that had been lying in wait for them had caused two other things: a strong anti-teleportation formation had come into being which would take quite a bit of time to break, and the gravity in the entire place had gone up by a couple of times, causing all movement to be difficult.

"RAAARGGHHH!!! YAAARGHRR!!!!!"

With inhuman sounds that were actually very effective in conveying their intentions, the pack of monsters behind them seemed to be gaining, even though the system, which had been tasked to keep him informed on their progress, had just told him that the gap between them had slightly widened.

There were over a hundred of them: ravenous, from the looks of it, but this was to be expected if one had been trapped for millions of years.

Crazy joy, anticipation, and desire could be seen in the bloodshot eyes of each and every monster, but their grotesque bodies with muscles almost jumbled all over the place made it clear that they had had no want for sustenance all this while.

No matter how much Daneel thought about it, he just couldn't figure out a way in which this could be possible. It was a time span of millions of years! Following the trend of how lifespan grew(by tripling with each breakthrough), even if there were a couple of realms above the Hero level that he wasn't aware, it shouldn't be possible that these creatures were alive!

Even the bone seemed completely befuddled. The voice coming from it had repeatedly mused to itself, confused, regarding how this was impossible, but after seeing that the person who had survived all this while had no answers, Daneel had started to ignore him.

The only consolation about the entire thing…was that the monsters seemed to weak.

[Peculiarity found in the makeup of beings behind host. Their power is at the Hero level, but they are only able to exhibit prowess at almost the Peak Champion level. Their power seems to have been locked by some unknown means. Phenomena Analysis Module is continuing analysis.]

Hearing the way the system put it, Daneel almost felt like screaming that he was being chased, not harmlessly followed.

Yet, he realized that he had to calm down, and he managed to do so in a short amount of time.

Knowing that this was definitely because of the maturity he had attained after going through so much on the continent of Angaria, Daneel sent a message to his sovereigns.

"Is this your top speed? How long can you two maintain it for?"

The reason he asked this was that the system had given another update in the span of time that he had used to control his surging emotions, and it wasn't good.

[Distance has decreased. With time, the power lock on the beings is being lifted, allowing them to harness more of the strength present in their bodies.]

It was simple: if they maintained their pace, they would be swallowed up soon, so doing nothing was definitely not an option.

"I can speed up some more, but I'll only be able to maintain that for 5 hours."

"Using magic, I can achieve around the same."

Hearing their answers, Daneel cursed the two formations that had sprung on them out of nowhere.

If they weren't present, this chase would have been a piece of cake. At least, they would have been able to teleport to safety, but that was not an option anymore as the system had already said that the complexity of the formations was far beyond anything it could even analyze.

For a place this grand, that was to be expected, and after thinking for a bit, Daneel made a decision.

"Brace yourselves."

Hearing this, the two initially panicked, wondering whether they had misjudged, and that the monsters were about to reach them.

However…in the next second, this panic was replaced by a feeling of wonder.

Instantly, all three of them sped up, and if someone was watching them, they would definitely have been so surprised that they would stop whatever they were doing and state.

As for the reason behind this…it was, of course, the deployment of Daneel's Champion Path that he had kept hidden for so, so long.

'Fight in my name, and the World shall be yours.'

This was the name he had given to the second form of his Champion Path, and as it reared its majestic head again, its brilliance seemed to blind even the one who had spoken before.

With shock clearly evident in its tone, the voice returned.

"This Path…you! How is this possible?! You shouldn't have it! YOU SHOULDN'T! I WANT IT! FINALLY, I CAN BE FREE! MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED!"

Daneel hadn't really thought about the implications of revealing his Champion Path in this situation.

It had been simple: if he didn't use it, the monsters would catch up sooner or later, and they would be doomed.

Hence, he had hoped that they would be able to create enough of a distance to be able to think of a counter plan, and that had led him to deploy it and having his sovereigns accelerate by at least 2 times.

Considering how much power they had already been outputting, this kind of an amplification was outstanding. When it was considered that there were also only two allies to power this ability, then it was pretty downright incredible.

Only…it had resulted in this outburst by that voice, and before Daneel could even think about what it might be talking about, he received a harrowing message from the system.

[Power limit is being aggressively tampered with. Rate of power lock release has been increased significantly. Time to total release: 8 minutes.]

'HOLY SH*T'

Daneel exclaimed like so in his head, imagining the scene that he would be greeted with in 8 minutes.

A hundred Champions, all evolving into Hero-level monsters that would zoom forward and tear them into pieces.

Or…if a clue was taken from what he had heard, then they might be knocked out and then wake up to find themselves as captives in their own bodies.

Honestly, Daneel couldn't decide which was worse.

Already, he had told his sovereigns to support him, and he was currently being carried between their shoulders. Activating the second form of his ability made him unable to use the first, so although he could use his Fighter strength to run, it might not be sufficient. True, he could expose more of his power, but his experiences had shown him that that would be a very, very bad idea.

With frustration covering his features, Daneel glanced back and saw the distance that they had gained using their speed earlier begin to lessen.

Clearly…his plan had failed, and it was time for emergency measures.

8 minutes. What could they achieve in just 8 minutes?

From the vault, the three of them had made their way onto the top of the concave bowl which was wide enough to let hundreds pass through, abreast. After that, they had begun to head back in the way they had come, and Daneel had taken this decision and told the others to head that way on instinct, as his hope was to go back to that main chamber and close the doors behind him.

However, when they began to near that corridor, the one in the bone spoke up hastily.

"Don't go in there! If he has this much control, he will be able to prevent the door from being opened, too! If we go there and find that to be so, we will be stuck in front of a dead-end!"

And that was another avenue, closed.

Taking another glance back, Daneel felt as if he was right in front of the maws of those oversized things which looked more beast than human.

Their heads which looked tiny as they had remained normal when compared to their oversized bodies gave them a unique, eerie aura that would chill anyone to the bone, and just the thought that they would be at their mercy was one that made them want to run even faster.

"MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MI-"

The voice resumed out of the blue, as if it had been spurred on by the distance that had begun to decrease, again. Only a few hundred meters separated the two groups, and no matter how one looked at it, it seemed as if their story would soon come to an end.

What could they even do? There were no doors that could be locked in their huge city as they were all controlled by the same being which had set these monsters on their trail, and there seemed to be no way out of this damn place.

Three of the eight minutes passed, and the glances that Elanev and Faxul shot Daneel with the expectation that he would suddenly state a plan that would get them out of this sticky situation started to increase. They could hear the monsters again: screaming loudly and lusting after their blood, but by now, there was no more Energy to put forth.

Being helped by the World was a wonderful feeling which they had both relished, but the novelty had faded and was replaced by the hopelessness that even it was not enough.

Faxul retained hope, having seen Daneel pull miracle after miracle out of his magic hat.

Elanev seemed to have gained confidence after seeing this hope in Faxul, and together, the two waited for their King.

Daneel had even closed his eyes to think hard. He had thought about and eliminated all sorts of possibilities, and even the system had said that there was nothing it could suggest. In situations like these, the inability of the system to think creatively was always exposed, and its existence that was definitely not human would be naked for Daneel to see.

At the five minute mark, Faxul and Elanev began to wheeze.

At the six-minute mark, doubt finally started to appear in their faces.

As seven minutes passed, this doubt changed into the resolution that they would not go down without a fight, and that there was no one they would rather go down beside.

After thirty more seconds passed, Daneel finally spoke, but Elanev and Faxul were certain that it must be to give out a final speech before their deaths.

They prepared to say that he had tried his best…but these words died in their throats as they heard the frantic tone of the King.

"Close your eyes in thirty seconds!"

Huh? Was it so that they wouldn't see themselves dying?

But wait…was that joy in their King's voice?

The thirty seconds seemed to pass in a flash, and because Elanev and Faxul were already extremely tired, they had decided that they would just trust their King and see what would happen instead of asking and wasting Energy.

Right as eight minutes passed, it was as if the very ground they were on had begun to rumble.

The screams of the monsters raised in volume by a few octaves, and even their bodies, which were each at least 12 feet tall and as wide as a fully grown man, grew even more.

The limit…had been lifted.

One hundred Heroes.

This was a force that had not been seen on the continent in eons, and it was now after a bunch of three puny Champions.

Yet…it looked as if these 'puny' Champions still had one last trick up their sleeves.

"Catch!"

With a shout, Daneel threw a bag in the direction of the crowd of monsters that had already halved the distance between them in a single second.

BOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!

An explosion on the scale of one that would be able to devastate any major city in the Central Continent erupted from the point where the bag fell, and at the same moment, the sound of something…breaking, was also heard.

"NOW!"

Daneel's message was to the system, and in the next moment, all three of them…disappeared.

Relief instantly appeared on the faces of the two sovereigns, but this was followed by surprise as they saw the place they had reached.

They…were back at the vault where the chase had started.

To their surprise, Daneel shouted, "GET IN!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Without further ado, they did so, and surprisingly, the doors of the vault began to close behind them.

"That which has been broken, almost never mends itself properly. Our dear friend broke the formation to get in, so it's the weakest in this entire place. Our dear friend in the bone had already shown me how they worked when he opened the one that we went through to come here, so I managed to take control. As to why…if a place can keep things IN, then it can keep them OUT, too, right?"

As the voice of the King reached them in the darkness, they let out sighs of relief, but that feeling evaporated instantly as he continued.

"It'll work, but only for a time. Boys, we have some breathing room, but if we don't figure out a solution right now…we're done for. So, let's get to some brainstorming, shall we? After all, we have a spirit to kill…"

Chapter 879: The Last Stand

During the silence that followed Daneel's statement, the King of Lanthanor conjured a globe of light, allowing them to see the place that they had holed themselves in.

Before he got to any more of the details except that it was completely empty, though, a loud sound interrupted him.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP THUMP!

As one, all three of them turned in the direction where it was coming from, and of course, there stood the door that they had just come through.

3 seconds. That was all it had taken for the damn monsters to get here, and as the sovereigns calculated the increase in strength that would be necessary for them to cover such a large distance in such a short while, cold sweat sprung up on their backs as they realized that they would have been caught in a fraction of that time if their King hadn't figured out a solution.

Remember what had happened, though, Elanev exclaimed angrily, "Do you always have to put things off until the last moment?! It's getting tiring, you know! Please tell me that it wasn't for dramatic effect!"

Daneel couldn't help but stare innocently at his elder brother as he heard this.

Now that he thought about it, he saw that the man was right: recently, almost all of their situations had turned out in this way- that he would find a solution in the last second, resulting in those with him in those situations going through a lot of emotional turmoil due to the fact that that might be it for them.

Yet, even when this thought came to Daneel, he could only shrug and say, "Sometimes, I put off things for dramatic effect, but all the times it happened recently was not me scratching that itch! But, fine, I guess I could give you updates…I had gotten the idea to use an explosion to forcibly break the anti-teleportation barrier. I first tried to teleport us out of here, but the one preventing teleportation to the outside was much stronger- I found out that I could only affect the one stopping teleportation inside the city. After that, I had to spend time to tune the exact strength of the blasts needed, as it wasn't an option to just spend all the Ker Gems we have. After all, we would have to replenish ourselves later, if there was going to be a fight. I was busy with that, and it ended up happening in that way…I'll make sure I give you two a heads up from next time.

"Or…let's try to not have a 'next time'. For how long will these doors hold?"

Faxul spoke up to say this, and from his face, it was clear that he was annoyed that the King and his elder brother were having this relatively irrelevant conversation in such a terse moment.

"No idea…technically, they should hold for forever. But if our dear friend who is so interested in our bodies manages to take back control…they'll open right away. Oh, speak of the Devil. He started his counterattack."

Seeing the vexation that suddenly came on Daneel's face, Elanev and Faxul tensed up after turning in the direction of the door where the 'thumps' felt as if they had gotten louder, but they relaxed a bit when nothing else changed.

However, when they turned back, they saw their King almost collapsed on the ground, with his face covered in sweat.

With worry, they ran forward and helped him back to his feet as he began to speak.

"Damn bastard is skilled! I don't know how long I can retain control…it's taking all of my mental faculty, and then some to hold him off. Start thinking quickly. The goal is simple: we need to find a way to get to the object in which his consciousness is, so that we can attack him there. He will be vulnerable in that form. Think!"

With firm nods, Elanev and Faxul began to ignore the banging on the door, and as they started to turn over all the possibilities in their minds, the bone chose this moment to speak up.

"That Path…"

The person within seemed to have lost his bearings after seeing Daneel, and he hadn't offered anything constructive all this while.

Seeing him speak now, Daneel replied with a slightly annoyed expression on his face, as he could feel the system using all of his Mageroot to hold off the consciousness that seemed to somehow hold considerable power.

"That's irrelevant! I don't know for how long I can hold them off…and the moment a hundred Heroes burst through those doors, we're done!"

Daneel expected the one in the bone to laugh madly, but the reply came in a surprisingly sane tone.

"You're right, there are bigger things to deal with. But you haven't been analyzing the situation properly. Let me tell you some things that I've noticed, which might help you reach a solution. I'm afraid I can do nothing else: I have no authority to control anything else in this part of Elysium, so I can only be a silent spectator."

The old researcher attracted the attention of the other two, too, and together, they stared at the shoulder bone that was gleaming despite the years of dust that it was supposed to have been submerged in.

"First, the monsters will only capture you. I had a suspicion before regarding what the intruder must be doing with all those who went inside, but after hearing him, it has been confirmed. You see…us Spirits crave to inhabit a body and feel what it means to LIVE again. We shed our bodies to turn into consciousnesses so that we could exist for a long, long time…but this sacrifice is grating on one's psyche. In particular, the aspect of having to exist without having hands to stretch, legs to run with and a…well, that part doesn't need to be mentioned- but not having all these things, especially for so long is difficult, to say the least. Hence, it's obvious that he has been using the bodies of those who enter as 'meatsuits' to experience until they perish. He must have some method to forcibly take over, and even though this is supposed to be very, very difficult, I wouldn't put it past someone who did the impossible by coming in here."

Daneel and the rest frowned as they heard this.

Indeed, they had understood this, too, but they hadn't known that it meant this much to Spirits. Of course, they had been calling them so after deriving the name from Empire Spirits, but because the same had not been communicated by any of those beings which had also existed for so long, Daneel hadn't thought about it.

As if having seen the connection they had made, the old researcher continued to say:

"It is the same with Empire Spirits, too, and that is why they crave for hosts who fulfill the conditions placed by the Emperor so that they can create a bond with them. Anyway, getting back to the topic at hand: you three will not be killed, but you will definitely be knocked out, and probably damaged quite a lot if you choose to resist. I just wanted you to keep this in mind while you planned. Oh, and there is one other thing: isn't it strange how those monsters are all chasing you, almost as if…they're being controlled?"

Daneel's eyes instantly widened as he heard this.

Right! How had he not thought about that?!

In his defense, he had been running for his life, but now that it had been pointed out to him, he realized that it presented more of a problem than all the rest, combined.

Even if the monsters had survived…how the f*ck had they all been controlled to chase them, instead of starting to kill each other? That would be much more plausible behavior for those beings which had lost their minds, but instead, they had not been tempted to do so!

After asking the system, Daneel confirmed it: this kind of a feat, of controlling a hundred Heroes, was unprecedented.

Right as he got the thought, the one in the bone spoke the same thing, too.

"If anything, it tells me that this guy is much more dangerous than I imagined. I felt that it was important to note. Carry on. I shall help you in this attempt, too, even though nothing comes to mind at the moment. Maybe, after he's done with you, he'll inhabit my bones, too! Wouldn't that be funny? HAHAHA!"

Seeing the lunacy return for the third time, Elanev and Faxul turned away with frustrated expressions on their faces, but the King…continued to stare at the bone that was in his hands.

For a few seconds after that, he was silent.

As Elanev and Faxul continued to storm their minds, they were suddenly interrupted by a confident voice that they knew, and which they realized that they had missed quite a lot.

"I've gotten it, boys. Listen up…"

…

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With a sound akin to a dam that had burst due to the godly power of the water that it couldn't hold for even a second more, the Hero level monstrosities flooded into the empty vault that had been wiped clear a long, long time ago.

"ERRRGGHH! WORGH!"

With angry roars that kept emanating from the vocal cords that kept being torn, and then regenerated to fuel the incessant screaming of these once-glorious Heroes, the monsters looked around and instantly zeroes in on the three who were at one corner of the room.

In an instant they were upon them, banging on the Hero-level protective barriers that had been erected as what was obviously a final attempt.

At the same time, many attacking formations also sprung to life around these barriers, but they only had laughable effects on these Heroes who were practically invincible in this form, even if they were placed back in the Empire.

CHINK! CHINK! CHINK!

One by one, the barriers broke, and on the other side, hopelessness already seemed to have engulfed the three who had made that daring escape before.

Savage gaiety emerging in their eyes, the monsters started punching harder, until all of the barriers were gone.

After that, they looked as if they were poised to leave nothing but the faintest of blood smears of the three puny humans who had dared to intrude on their Kingdom, but suddenly.

The first blows started to fall, and although the three put up a valiant effort, they were defeated in barely a second.

Their defenses were ripped apart easily. The Fighter among the group even had his arm torn off, and a Mage who had turned into a Black Raven had his wings ripped off and then chewed to nothing.

As for the one who had been commanding them before, he managed to retain a noble image for a while, but when his power that was at the Peak of the Champion level failed, the first blow that got through his dizzying attack, itself, managed to strike him unconscious.

At this point, though, time suddenly seemed to freeze.

The monsters immediately stopped what they were doing, and a second later…the sound of footsteps was heard in the vault.

A ghostly figure walked through the large doors. It was vaguely human in shape, but the rest of the details were obscured due to the billowing fog it seemed to be made of.

Low laughter began to echo in the vault as it took its time to savor the moment, and it seemed as if there was no reason for it not to do so. All three of its opponents were on the floor, bleeding and unmoving, on the cusp of death from all the blows that had rained down on them from their opponents whom they would not have been able to beat even if they had come one by one.

After reaching the spot right in the center of the three bodies, the figure seemed to take in a ghostly breath to exult at the sight.

It was at that moment that it happened. A bone that had been harmlessly lying on the ground suddenly shot up, and identifying it for what it was, the figure lazily moved to slap it aside.

It knew that it was the bone of the person it had killed long ago, and although it was slightly curious regarding what it was doing here, it had detected the explosive formation that was engraved on it and had found out that it must be one last attack of these three whose bodies it would put to great use.

However…the moment the fog that it was made up of touched that shining bone, a ghastly scream replaced that low laughter.

At the same time, within the bone, Daneel received a message.

[Contact made. Deactivating modules used to control bodies of host and the individuals known as 'Faxul' and 'Elanev' until now. Initiating attack with combined strength of four consciousnesses. Expected chance of suddenly overwhelming enemy: 88%]

Chapter 880: The Figh

In the secondary vault of the legendary city of Elysium, not a single sound could be heard, but a fierce battle was happening in the most unsuspecting of places.

It was in a small item that was on the ground, and although it looked as if it was not even moving, there was a lot going on inside.

[Evading countermeasures deployed by target. Identifying target location. Retargeting. Deploying offensive measures. New countermeasures found. Developing evasive maneuvers.]

Only 10 seconds had passed since the moment when the bone had come into contact with the billowy figure of the one who had walked through the doors, but even in those 10 seconds, it was as if a war that could be sung about for ages and ages had been fought.

The only change that had happened in the vault was that all of that fog had disappeared, to reveal a shining, oval-shaped diamond in the middle which had fallen to the ground, on top of which the bone had settled.

Ever since then, the fight had all been hidden, and if Daneel was asked just what was going on, he would definitely not be able to answer.

He didn't know exactly what he had expected. Well, if he was being honest, he would admit that he had been hoping that they would be able to directly overpower and take control of the object that the being that they were up against was using to sustain its consciousness.

This was not a new phenomena- it was what he had seen happen in multiple cases when a single object held multiple consciousnesses: stronger ones would subdue the weaker ones and be able to stow them away or even destroy them, and that was why it was always taboo to allow someone inside a place where one's spirit resided.

However, right after the attack had been initiated, they had found out that their opponent was quite a wily one.

The way it worked was that even though it might not look like a large space, each and every object that was designed to hold consciousnesses had a lot of 'virtual' space within it where the consciousness could roam around. This was mainly because of the gap in perception that was present between one's physical and mental world, and these Artefacts were also designed in this way so that it would not feel as if the consciousness was trapped in a cage.

Hence, right after they entered its home, the being had been able to flee away from them. If it hadn't done that, they might have crushed it right away, but they hadn't let up- although none of them were really well-versed in the methods in which consciousnesses fought, the system was as a boon here. It was able to manipulate all of their consciousnesses as a single force that it used like a blade, and the one that was formed did not look like it would stop no matter what came in its way.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

A cat and mouse chase began, and it was so dizzying that Daneel couldn't even detect half of it. Essentially, he was just not experienced in being in this form, and hence, much of the information that he was getting could not be processed correctly in his mind. If the system was free, it would have interpreted everything from him, but it was too busy carrying out the fight.

Thinking about it, Daneel had realized that this was definitely just like the case where a few people who were capable of astral projection back on Earth were fighting it out. If someone wasn't practiced in those arts, then all they would see was a blur or just some random lights flashing, whereas in reality, the spiritual bodies of multiple beings would be colliding and fighting for dominance again and again, in the exact way that was supposed to have happened in the epics of many major religions.

Daneel only knew about them vaguely, so after this thought passed his mind, he just thought back to how this plan had come to be.

After all, he needed something to occupy his mind with, or otherwise, he would concern himself with the fight and that might make him faint.

The idea had come from the statement of the man in the bone, where he had said that he could do nothing as he was in that form.

That was when Daneel had recalled the explanation that he had been given: after killing this man, the being that they were up against inside Elysium had had the gates closed behind it, making it so that it would have no idea regarding what had happened outside ever since then.

Even though he apparently sent letters and often communicated with the man in the bone, the latter had never mentioned that he had revealed his exact method of existence to that being.

No one in their right mind would do so- it was his trump card, so it did not make sense for him to reveal it.

However, he was actually not in his right mind, so Daneel had needed confirmation whether he had ever shared that information.

After finding out that it had not happened, the plan had been set in stone.

Over time, the system had become more and more capable in controlling his body and making it look as if he was really present, when he might be elsewhere in some other form.

So, the plan was that it would control the three of them and make it look as if they were putting up a desperate fight, while they would actually be lying in wait to assault the place where the spirit of the being who wanted to possess them so badly was residing.

It hadn't been that easy, though: even though the system had gotten better, it needed perfect instructions regarding what to do, and Daneel had actually acted out everything that he wanted to be shown on their bodies so that it would all seem authentic.

It had worked well- anyone would have been fooled, and that had led to the situation where their opponent had walked up to within a few inches of their bodies.

Only one who wasn't afraid of being hurt through any physical means would do so, so the entire crux of the plan was that this being didn't know of the existence of a method in which consciousnesses could be stored in human bones.

Even the old researcher had admitted that he had never shared his research into this Path with anyone else, both due to greed and due to the desire to make a lot of money out of it if he managed to succeed, and this had also worked in their favor.

If that being had known that he might face any kind of risk, he would definitely have avoided acting so casually. Thankfully, the moment before victory was always one where an individual was most vulnerable, and they had been able to use it perfectly to start this war.

[Target weakening. A final push is required. A certain strain will befall the consciousnesses of host and the other three individuals. Should this push be deployed?]

"Yes!"

As soon as Daneel give the command, he suddenly felt as if someone had struck a red-hot poker in the middle of his head.

Of course, it was all an illusion as he had no physical body, but if he did, that was the sort of thing that would cause the pain that he was now going through.

He knew that the others must be screaming, too, but he trusted them- they would be able to hold on, and if the system said that the push would be useful, then it would definitely be so.

It finally stopped after a few more seconds- as the pain started to recede, Daneel wondered whether it had resulted in a victory or a loss, and thankfully, it spoke again at right that moment.

[Target has formed a protective cocoon on which breaching attempts are being made. Target took this defensive method after realizing that it would only be crushed if it continued the chase. Host can now converse with the target. Multiple restrictive means have been placed around the target to ensure that it will not be able to retaliate and catch host off guard.]

Well… It was neither of those, but still, Daneel was really pleased.

And the reason behind this… Was that he could tell that his body had not be crushed.

One of the biggest negative aspects of this plan was that they would be done for if the assault failed and if the being decided that they were too much trouble. If it commanded the monsters to crush them into pieces, then all would be for naught even if they won this battle, but thankfully, for some reason, it had not taken that step.

[Post battle analysis in progress. Target is in a thoroughly weakened state. Initially, the analysis was that this was because of existing for a long time. However, it has been detected that this must have been due to a pre-existing condition, because the parameters do not match. It is because of this weakness that the outcome that was achieved was able to be brought about. It has been detected that multiple small parts of the target are missing. It is possible that the location of the small parts can be traced using the connection that has been detected between this Artefact and another of the same type. Further analysis underway.]

[Post battle analysis in progress. Target is in a thoroughly weakened state. Initially, the analysis was that this was because of existing for a long time. However, it has been detected that this must have been due to a pre-existing condition, because the parameters do not match. It is because of this weakness that the outcome that was achieved was able to be brought about. It has been detected that multiple small parts of the target are missing. It is possible that the location of the small parts can be traced using the connection that has been detected between this Artefact and another of the same type. Further analysis underway.]

Daneel let out a sigh of relief as he heard this.

Indeed, he had been really hoping that they would find a weakened opponent after they managed to get to the place where he was hiding in, as that had already been so damn difficult.

It had been filled with so many risks- their opponent might have gone too far, killing them in the process, or they might have found that they had been wrong all along, and that their consciousnesses were no match for someone who had been able to do so many impossible things all those years ago.

Thankfully, it had worked out. Daneel had always known that taking risks was one thing that was required if one wished to achieve victories that they would never otherwise have even gotten a hint of, but this risk was just a bit too much.

And now… there was one other thing to do.

"Deploy secondary plan."

[Deploying. Target shifted.]

"Congratulations! That actually worked! Wait, wh-AH!"

The voice of the old researcher who had been so instrumental in their victory, if it could be called that yet, suddenly changed to one of shocked madness as he felt himself being shackled by multiple layers of seals.

Consciousnesses were wonderful objects that could do all sorts of things if they were powered in the right way. Drakos had done so much even though he had just been in the form of his consciousness, and from him and from all the records obtained from the Empire, the system had obtained many methods that could be used even if there was no physical body and no Mageroot. Mainly, this required breaking off a part of oneself and using it as a seal that would constrict and limit another consciousness's actions, and even though it was painful and very difficult, there was no problem as Daneel could disregard the rate of failure mainly because it was caused by people losing control in crucial moments due to the pain that would always be accompanied by one's very soul being ripped into pieces.

In his case, though, all he needed to do was handle the pain, and the system would do the rest. It had worked perfectly, and the seals were not in place.

As for why he had done it… He just couldn't trust the man.

True, he had acted all this while as if he believed each and every word that he had said, but anyone would find that all of the events were dubious. The letters, the madness, the part where he allowed people inside after talking to them- taken together, they presented too many loopholes that Daneel just couldn't ignore.

With this task done, even though he had a heavy feeling in his heart, Daneel turned to the main culprit.

"Let's take care of you, now," he said to himself, while he made his way over to the one who had almost succeeded in ending his journey.

Chapter 881: Answers 1

"Forget it. I'm not talking, and you can't do 'nothin to me. I've seen yer' methods- I have no idea how yer' carrying 'em out, but they just ain't good enough. You're delusional if you think you'll be able to get even a single word out of me!"

Right as Daneel turned his attention to the being that was now safely secured in one of the corners of the space that was present within the diamond-like Artefact which now had two prisoners, he got this message that was spoken with a strange accent that the had never heard before.

He took one last glance at the old researcher who was still screaming madly- it was clear that his other persona had taken over again, and although Daneel felt a little pity as the man really had been helpful all this while, and instrumental in their victory, the stakes were just a bit too high for him to trust anyone freely.

This was especially someone who had been out of contact with anyone living for so damn long, and any way he looked at it, there was no way that he could be trusted. When his success or failure in this mission would decide the lives of millions, it was better to be safe, rather than sorry. All of his experiences so far had taught him this, and there was no way that he would let go of all those lessons that had been instrumental in his growth.

With a sigh, Daneel went over to the being. He still had no idea what to call it: he didn't even know whether it was a him or a her, or whether it could belong to some other race which was androgynous.

As for the 'going over' part, it was basically that his consciousness was controlled to move to get nearer to the place where it had holed up. Even this movement was difficult, and if Daneel had tried it, it would have been as if he was swimming through mud. This was the reason why Elanev and Faxul's consciousnesses were presently roaming around aimlessly, like they were children who were just now learning to walk, and if it weren't for the system, Daneel would have been doing the same thing.

Ordinarily, he would have placed back their consciousnesses in their bodies, but he had not done so as they would be needed if another attack had to be mounted. Until he was perfectly sure that such a thing was not possible, he would need them close by, but as he reached that being and saw the image that was sent to him by the system which was formed from the interpretation of what his consciousness was supposed to be seeing, he realized that he might not need to take so many precautions.

The reason behind this… was that he could now actually see just how frail their opponent was.

This whole 'seeing' thing was all so complicated- it could be summarised that there should be no real way to look inside this kind of a space, but that the system was allowing him to do so by creating an image of how it would be if it was able to be conveyed on a 3D plane.

Hence, thankfully, comparison was easy. In the image that he was given, Daneel could look at his own consciousness- it was in the form of a brilliant, pulsing halo of pure white light that looked as if it could burn anything in the world to ash, whereas the consciousness of the being in front of him was incredibly frail, with its glow looking like it was almost about to dissipate.

Daneel was now able to truly understand what the system had meant when it had said that the opponent was 'weak', and now, he was definitely impressed that even in this form, this guy had been able to put up a fight for so long even though he had been caught offguard.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Yes, the surprise element had also been crucial in the outcome of their battle, and as he heard the muttering of the person in front of him, he realized that this was true.

"How the heck was I supposed to know that bones could hold consciousnesses? Dammit dammit dammit! I'll have to stay trapped for a long time now! Ack! Oh well, it's just a few thousand years, no biggie…"

That last part would have resulted in Daneel raising his eyebrows, if he had them, but instead of doing that, he said, "It's in your best interests to speak. Yes, I might not be able to break through your defenses now, but that doesn't mean that I won't keep trying. Even now, it must be hard to keep resisting. Give up, and we might even be able to work out something. If you cooperate with me completely, I might find no reason to end you."

Daneel had expected to have a sane conversation with the being, but right away, he found out that that was not going to happen.

"Cooperate? HAAA HAHAHAHA! Piss off!"

[Breaching methods have been ineffective. Continuing to search for methods that might succeed.]

As Daneel received this message, he found out the reason behind the man's confidence.

If someone was assured that they could stay out of the grasp of someone who had invaded their home by locking themselves up in some kind of a vault, then what reason would they have to spill any secrets that they might be holding?

Realizing that it might be futile, Daneel asked the system, "Is it necessary for us to remain in here to keep him subdued? Or is it possible to do that with just one consciousness?"

[Replying to host: At least two consciousnesses are required by system in case there is a counter-attack.]

Two consciousnesses.

Looking at the idly floating consciousnesses of his two sovereigns, Daneel decided that they would have to fend for themselves for some more time.

He sent messages to both of them saying that they would need to stay in here, and surprisingly, all he got was enthusiastic replies where the two even seemed to be happy to do so.

On asking why, Daneel found out that they were both finding it fascinating to be in this form that where could explore their consciousness and basically find out all of the things that they would have to if they wanted to proceed further on their Path anyway. So, feeling glad that his sovereigns had managed to find the silver lining through which they could use their time, he told the system, "Alright. Keep a wisp of my consciousness here through which you can control our dear friends here, and send the main part back to my body. Can a module be present here which can act if needed and send an alert if anything has to be done, so that I can take the main part of the system back with me?"

[Affirmative.]

Daneel had only asked to make sure, even though the system had already displayed the same thing by controlling all of their bodies. To do that, he had basically done the same thing- small parts of his consciousness had been ripped off and then placed in their bodies, and the system had been able to use that to carry out his commands.

It had hurt a lot, as this was the first time that his consciousness was being split into so many pieces, but it had all been worth it.

A few seconds later, Daneel was back in his body, examining the oversized monstrosities which were still frozen.

It looked as if they were not even breathing, but on studying them further, he saw that they were taking low, small breaths in small intervals.

His priority right now was to follow the connection that seemed to exist between the Artefact in which the spirit of their opponent was present, and the one that it was connected to, but before that, he was completely enthralled by these beings which had almost massacred them.

Moving closer, he hesitantly touched the finger of the one that had been bent over him, ready to pounce and tear him into the tiniest pieces. Just its finger was half the size of its entire hand, and as he touched it, he told the system to carry out an analysis.

They still didn't know exactly how these things were alive, and that seemed like a mystery that was worth solving.

Right away, he got the answer, and it was something that shocked him and made him stand there, agape.

[Targets have been modified to use the Energy of the Endless Sea that seeps into the city in order to maintain its formations. It is the same method through which the beasts of the sea have such long lifespans. Research was carried out on this topic in the age of the Empire, but it was concluded that no organic being that was capable of holding a consciousness that could operate at a certain level of intellect could be capable of such a feat. Even in the case of other beasts, many attempts were made to adapt them to use this method to live longer, but they all failed.]

The same method as the beasts in the sea?

After thinking about it, it did start to make sense- hell, it even looked as if it was the only plausible solution, and with one mystery solved, Daneel felt so much better.

However, this presented more problems: how had this person been able to do such a thing in which all the collective intelligence of the Empire had failed?

Deciding that he should dally no longer, Daneel directly followed the path that was given by the system.

Soon, he was at another vault whose doors were even larger.

It looked like the size of doorways decided the importance of a place, because the system had just told him that he had reached the primary vault.

It was the place he had come to find, and now that it was near, Daneel felt exultation flood through him.

Taking a deep breath, he walked forth, and he was greeted by a large chamber that had many dazzling objects placed all around.

The thing that attracted him most was a corner of the chamber where multiple items in different colors were placed in glass jars, but for the moment, Daneel ignored them and walked to the center of the room, where a familiar object was present.

It…was a stone podium, much like the one where the Empire Spirits resided, and right as he neared it, he received a message from the system.

[Original place of residence of target found. Majority of target's consciousness has been detected inside the podium, but it is in an inactive form.]

Oh?

As Daneel stared at the podium, all the things that he knew, and had experienced about consciousnesses flashed through his mind.

Suddenly, he got an idea that completely captivated him, and finding no reason to not use it, he started to shoot out a bunch of instructions.

A few minutes later, an awful sound suddenly echoed from the secondary vault, and it was so loud that it even reached the place where Daneel was standing.

"AIGHT, I'LL TALK! STOP THAT! YER' GONNA PUT ME TO PERMANENT SLEEP, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"

Not even a few seconds later, Daneel was back in the secondary vault, ready to find the answers to the rest of the questions that had been plaguing him ever since he had entered this place.

This was finally it!

With excitement clearly visible in his features, he waited for the being to talk, but what he didn't know…was that its words would be so astonishing that they would make the King of Lanthanor, himself, almost collapse on the ground while holding his heart that felt as if it might give out due to the shock.

"Here's the kicker: you know that force which right f*cked up 'yer continent, and made that f*cker use that Inheritance thingy that made everyone go flippin' mad? I'm part of that force! And I'm not the only survivor, either. Even if it's the last thing I do, I'll rat out that bastard. He went to 'yer continent, and he got himself a place as some 'Overseer', or some shit! Oh, if only I could get my hands on that piece of shit…"

Chapter 882: The Story 1

A dark sky, flashing with lightning.

Gigantic tentacles, reaching down to swallow an entire continent whole.

A maw that was opened wide, surrounded by rows and rows of teeth, unseen within the clouds, but still affecting the very reality around it.

And finally…an all-encompassing will to consume all of creation.

Daneel had to shake himself to get back to normal, as it has felt as if he was back in that memory shown by the Emperor.

That had been the first, and only exposure to the force that had been attracted to Angaria by the mishap of the Emperor.

Seeing the expression of terror that had passed across Daneel's face, the one who had just spoken started to laugh.

"Oh…'seems you've had some exposure to us. That really makes things easier! S'there any chance that 'yer scared 'nuf to let me go?"

Hearing this, Daneel narrowed his eyes, and in the next instant, a squealing sound was heard in the room.

"Aight, aight, fine! I get it! Stop!"

With a nod, Daneel sent the message, and the frantic begging of the one who had been speaking so boldly just a few minutes ago ceased.

Still, he could hear him panting, and he could tell that it must definitely be hard to feel the object in which the main part of one's consciousness was located to lose the Energy that was enabling it to do its job slowly, which would mean that they would have no option but to slip into a permanent slumber if what was happening to it didn't stop.

Shaking his head, Daneel first moved to rejoin the consciousness of his sovereigns with their bodies.

He knew that it might be dangerous for one to stay so far apart from their physical body for so long, especially if they were not well versed with the arts of controlling one's consciousness, and now that he had a different bargaining chip that he could use, he didn't really need to have anyone or anything on standby in case the one in front of him decided to mount a counter-attack.

If he did so, it was the simplest thing to begin the process that had scared him so much again.

As for what it was… It was taken from a very pleasant memory where a certain Black Raven had been defeated, forever.

As soon as Elanev and Faxul returned to their bodies, Daneel said, "You must have gotten a lot of insights into what consciousnesses are, and how they can be controlled. The best thing to do right now is reflect on them, because they will be lost if you ignore them at the moment. Our friend here has a very interesting story to tell, though, so I suggest that you enter a meditative state and still keep listening. Even if you don't, I'll recount it later-but I reckon that his story would be too interesting to ignore."

Surprise flashed across the features of both Elanev and Faxul, but after a few moments, they nodded.

They still seemed to be in some kind of a daze, and that was to be expected when one went through such an experience for the first time.

Even Daneel had gotten a few insights, but he knew that he could enter that state at any time he wanted. He had the system to maintain his consciousness and make sure that no mishaps would occur, but the same was not the case with his two sovereigns, who had to cherish this opportunity.

Right away, they entered into the poses that they were most comfortable in: Faxul sat down with his legs crossed, whereas Elanev lied down flat, almost as if he was sleeping.

Every individual would have a different physical pose in which their mind would be the most relaxed, and as Daneel saw this, he realized that this pose really matched with his elder brother's personality.

Putting the thought aside, though, he turned back to the oval diamond, which was basically another Artefact of the same type as the one that had been used by the Emperor to store the Empire Spirits. Under the façade of the extremely reflective glass that gave it the impression of being a diamond, the knotted Ker Roots were still present.

Conjuring a chair, Daneel sat down and said, "Tell the entire story. And let me tell you that it is actually in your best interest to do so: it is because of the Overseer chasing me with the intent to kill that I came here, and I wanted to use everything that I could find to go back and defeat him. Whether you decide to help me or not, his downfall shall come, and you have my word for it."

For a few moments after Daneel said this, there was a startled silence, but after that, a jubilant cry broke the tranquillity of the vault.

"Are you serious?! Did that really happen? Oh, my Lord, that's f*ckin' awesome! I thought that it was all bad luck, but there's a silver lining, too! Well, that certainly loosens up me tongue, although it wasn't that I wouldn't have told you everythin' you wanted, anyway. After living for so long, there is no way that I want my life to end by being put to sleep…"

Daneel simply nodded to reply, and braced himself for the story that only one other person who still existed knew.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

However, even before it started, it looked like there was another revelation that was coming his way.

"If what you say is true, though… Wasn't this place hidden? That son of a Sea Shite knew that I came in here, but he was too weak at that point to do anything. Although I have an inkling regarding what he must've done after that, he should still have placed at least a few countermeasures to make sure that no one would find this place… ain't that the case?"

With a start, Daneel realized that he had just found something else.

All of those precautions to hide the Library of Origin… were they truly only to hide the truth regarding the Overseer's role? Or was it also an attempt to hide the existence of this place?

In order to confirm it, he said in his mind, "System, in what way was the information regarding Elysium present in the Library of Origin? Was it obscured, just like the other piece of information that we uncovered, or was it open, just lying there for people to see?"

The reply confirmed his suspicions.

[The same level of obscurity was present for both pieces of information.]

Yes!

After hearing the one in front of him speak before, although Daneel had been thoroughly shocked, he had wondered whether he should believe the words of an enemy at face value.

He had decided that he would look for reasons which would justify that decision, if he made it, and it looked like he had already found one-why else would anyone want to hide Elysium?

And also… Right after the Order had been alerted that there had been a disturbance in that location where Daneel had formed the horde, such a large party had set out to hunt whoever had caused it. At that moment, Daneel had gotten the slight suspicion whether there might be some other reason behind it, and now, it was evident that everything related to Elysium must have a very high priority in the Overseer's mind. Hence, it was possible that he might have masked the reason behind him sending such a powerful party by saying that he wanted to make sure that there was no way that Daneel would be able to escape.

It was as if a jigsaw puzzle was in Daneel's hand, and he was slowly finding the pieces to complete it.

After figuring these things out, a smile came on Daneel's face, and the same sweet feeling that he had gotten before, when he had figured out just how the monsters had continued to live, flooded through his mind.

Looking forward to hopefully enjoying it again soon, he said, "Yes, there were quite a few precautions, and it wasn't an easy journey to get here. Begin, or I might let my finger… Slip."

Daneel said this by pointing his finger in the direction where the primary vault was. There, he had set up the same solution which would deplete the energy of Ker roots and put any consciousness that was residing within an Artefact made of these things to go into a permanent slumber, and as the being in front of him saw this, he spoke up in a panicked tone.

"Got it! Let's see, where do I start… How about this: I'll give you the rundown on the most important points first, and the rest is just trivial information that you can find out from me at any time. Hell, I don't care about it, so I'll even make an information tile for you that you can check at any time if you want. I'm only doing this 'cos you said you're that sh*tsmear's enemy- if not, I wouldn't put in so much effort."

Daneel had to applaud the way in which the one in front of him had repeatedly cursed the Overseer in different ways every time that he was mentioned, but he was at the end of his patience.

Seeing his expression start to change, the being seemed to sense it, too, as it began to speak in a hurried tone.

"First things first: you gotta understand something. No one wanted a war. Think about it. War is such an ugly thing… You have to get down in the mud and fight, putting your life on the line, or at least a part of you, anyway. Why not just be happy with the power you already got, and live a peaceful life? We could have done just that, but NOOOO… We HAD to go up against a different faction on the Mainland which had started to take…let's say, 'bold' actions. We were part of a force that had existed for a long time, and they had begun to target our operations. All of us had languished in our wealth for a lotta time, so none of us were really that quick to respond-we thought they were just a bunch o' buzzing bees who would leave after stinging for a bit, but to our surprise, it looked like they had come to uproot us. It all happened in a single night: our strongest members were killed, and most of our resources were seized. It was only later that we found out that they had actually given an offer to our dear Leader before, oh-he's the one you now know as the 'Overseer', by the way-who had refused because he wanted everything."

"They didn't like that…oh, they hated it, and that made it turn into a rout, cos even our leader had become a lazy f*ck. It turned out that he wasn't ready to let go, though, even though we could've settled down quietly somewhere- he wanted revenge, so we needed a place rich with resources, whose Energy we could tap. All we had was a bunch o' weak folks and a World-eater who wasn't even mature, but we set out into the water. We roamed for months before findin' you lot luckily, when your hiding mechanisms failed. Rest can be summarized easily: we came, we fought, and we got F*CKED. Our dear leader and I were brought close to death, but we-huh?"

The reason behind the being stopping his story…was that Daneel had suddenly gotten up from his throne with a unique expression on his face.

It was one of…pure relief, as if some spell had been lifted from him, and in the next second, the King jumped in the air and shouted something that surprised all those present.

"YES! HE CAN BE HURT! THE BASTARD ISN'T INVINCIBLE! HA HA!"

Chapter 883: The Story End

As the rest of those who were present wondered what the reason could be behind the King's sudden outburst, a flurry of thoughts were going through Daneel's mind.

The Overseer had always presented himself as a perfect being: with no weaknesses, fears or faults that could be used by anyone if they wished to go up against him.

He had the resources of the entire continent behind him, and there was so much power at his beck and call that it couldn't even be imagined. Over the years, he must definitely have accumulated countless weapons and objects of war, and innumerable Heroes whom he must have bound perfectly to himself, to follow his every order, by promising all sorts of things and tempting them using the name of the Order.

Hence, even without him realizing it, Daneel had started to think of the Overseer as some insurmountable being against whom any kind of battle would be very, very difficult.

So… Hearing that he was actually just a beaten, wretched being who had had no option but to run from the Emperor and hide himself in whatever corner he could find felt so, so good.

He couldn't even put what it meant into words: it gave him so much relief that it allowed him to see the mistake that he had made, which was accompanied by the realization that he should never succumb to anything like that again.

It wasn't that he had grown afraid of the man- no, rather than that, it was just a heavy pressure that would constrict anyone's creativity and make them feel as if they were boxed in, and cornered.

That kind of situation was fine if it was for a little bit of time, and it might even lead one to break past their limits, but if one found themselves in that box for prolonged durations, then it would only have negative effects.

"Don't be so happy- if he found the right resources, it's possible that he might've healed his spotted arse in all these thousands of years."

This didn't deter Daneel's happiness at all, though.

"You won't understand. Continue."

It didn't matter that he might be healed now- all that mattered was that Daneel's perception of him had changed, and that would definitely have many positive effects that couldn't be described now.

If the being in front of him had a body, Daneel was sure that he would have shrugged, but because there wasn't one, it simply continued its tale.

"If you say so…'nyway, that's the gist of it. I guess you could call us unlucky, but I don't think many'll see it that way: we had a lotta things that we didn't really value when we were back on the Mainland, and later, it was too late. We thought that we might have gotten ourselves a lotta breathing room by winning this war even tho' we didn't really wanna fight, but we ended up gettin' destroyed. Yeah…that's pretty pathetic. So… Let me get to the stuff that you might be interested in. I was one of his foremost commanders, you see, so I know a LOT of things about him, and a lot of things about all of the methods that he could've used. We even trained in the same damn place. He was a level above me, but we had access to the same resources."

It was almost as if the one in front of him was trying to say that he wasn't really that weak when compared to that leader of theirs, but Daneel ignored that attempt and simply looked forward to see what else there was to hear.

"That goddamn attack from the Grand Inheritance thingy was definitely felt the most by him- although the rest of us were smacked hard, too, it was mainly by the after-shocks of the attack that spread out. I gotta admit that that Emperor of yours used his shot perfectly- he only had one, and if it had been wasted, we would've won. Okay, no use thinkin of that now- anyway, the body of our leader, which he had invested a lot in, was directly destroyed, and because he was of the selfish type who hoard all the resources for themselves, the gap of power between him and us was very wide. This was why those f*ckin' after-shocks were powerful enough to kill us all, or at least put us close to death. Anyone who managed to live were maimed and eaten by these things which they couldn't control like I did, as they didn't have a way to calmly go about the task like I was able to. The attack was also a two-pronged one- to ensure maximum f*ckin' up, I guess. One was aimed at his consciousness, and one at his physical body. What our dear pissin' Leader did in that situation was pretty smart, actually: he had the option of surviving in a very, very weakened state, and I know this because I know his power perfectly. His body would've remained in one piece, but it would've lost all its power, and he would barely have been able to operate at the level o' power of those that you call Champions. His consciousness would've been terribly wounded, so much so that he might even have turned into a blabbering idiot. Knowing this, and only having an instant, he made the decision that he would let one be destroyed, and try to survive with the other. He somehow offloaded a part of the attack on his consciousness onto his body, and that resulted in it being completely turned into the tiniest particles possible, while his consciousness was able to survive in a very injured state. No one else knew where he fled to after that, but I know, because in that state, no one can really control the thoughts in their noggin' from comin' out. He kept saying 'Overseer', and after that, a life-saving trinket-the most precious one that he had, zoomed off in a particular direction with his ass in two. I would've loved to have one, too, but I didn't, so I could only find my own way. I knew no place to go to on the continent like he did, so I chose the next best thing: this one, which I was able to enter quite easily. I was injured, two, but because of an ability usin' which I could burst out with a lot more than what I was capable of for a short period of time before entering a hibernated state, I was able to use that period o' time to the fullest effect. I ran in here, killed everyone outside, and hid in a vault. My body crumbled due to the exertion, but by the Lord's grace, there was that primitive, but useful thing which could hold consciousnesses. Before hibernatin', I also took control of these pets and made sure that they would live on even tho' it took even more of a toll on me, because I knew that I would need 'em if I was found. After doing everything, I slipped into a long, long sleep, and it was only a few thousand years ago that I woke up. Don't look like that- there's a reason I'm tellin' you my story. I'm pretty sure that my dear Leader must have had to do the same thing: he was injured, so he could only place down a set of instructions before hibernatin' for a long time. So-"

"Do you have an ability where you can make a different individual out of your consciousness, and have him have different ideas, while hiding your true self after giving a certain set of instructions to this individual?"

The rest of the pieces had been given to him, so Daneel had known that this was the question he should be asking.

"How the f*ck did you know that? Yeah, it's possible, and that shitlord was even quite proficient in it!"

"Well…it all makes sense now."

Getting up again, Daneel let out a sigh.

Finally. Finally, the mystery regarding the Overseer had been cleared, and it felt pretty damn good.

It was obvious that that leader had known that the position of the Overseer would be the best one to occupy if he wanted to position himself to succeed at at least some point later in time, even though he had failed then.

However, very strict rules were required for one to qualify for this role: they had to have the good of Angaria in mind, and of course, that leader had only had the opposite.

Hence, the solution was to create a facade of himself that would satisfy all the conditions required, while working towards a certain set of conditions that would not seem diabolical, at first, but would actually play into the downfall of the continent quite directly.

All that he was waiting for, now…was a war situation to develop.

Daneel could almost imagine it: he would wake up from his long nap, refreshed, ready to take over the continent that had been prepared for him on a silver plate. He must have also figured out a way to bypass the limitations after gaining full executive control of the Order that would be granted to him when war was imminent because he had had so much idle time, and he would definitely be laughing uproariously while he succeeded in his goal, even though he had been thwarted once by the sacrifice of a great man.

But that…was only if Daneel had nothing to say about it.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel looked around.

There stood the monstrosities, still frozen.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

And in the distance, even though he couldn't see them now, there lay the resources that he had come for.

Elysium was supposed to be the future for Angaria, and hence, the resources that were stored in the primary vault were of an amount that would definitely not be depleted even if this guy had had so much time to expend them.

In all this time that he had spent on the continent, Daneel had always been held back in some or the other way. Some times, it was resources, and in others, it was someone that he had to be wary of.

All bets were off now, though, and he had even managed to obtain so many things, even though all had seemed lost.

With all this…could he really justify even taking in another breath of air if he didn't use it to the fullest?

He had said that he would set out to Dominate.

And now…it was high time that he kept his word.

With a glint unlike any that had appeared in his eyes in all these years, he turned around with a flourish, and in his mind, he said:

"System, I guess it's finally time for me to earn the name that you used to call me with until now…"

Chapter 884: Awakening

One month later.

In the Order, in a hidden training ground.

A woman sat in a small cubicle that had no doors and no windows. It was small, with only enough space for a single person to sit, and aside from a chair and a display trinket that was floating in front of it, there was nothing else.

The woman was yawning, as if she hadn't slept in a long time, and in front of her, the display trinket showed an interesting sight.

It was an overview of a vast forest where a few indicators were pointing at certain spots, and these spots were moving rapidly in a certain direction.

The foliage was so thick that no other details could be made out, but one thing that was obvious was that the speed of these indicators was increasing with each second.

Stifling another yawn, the woman stretched out her hand and made a cup appear out of nowhere.

However, seeing that there were only dregs of the red liquid that had filled the cup to the brim just a few minutes ago, she shouted, "Adam! Refill me!"

It looked as if she was speaking to no one in particular, but a second later, a man appeared behind the chair.

He was slim and lanky, and if it weren't for this, he might have had no space to stand. Even now, though, he stood on his tiptoes, and his face put on an uncomfortable expression as he bent forward and used the mug in his hand to pour a steaming, red liquid that almost looked like blood that had been boiled.

Taking a sip as if she didn't care about the heat, the woman smacked her lips and exclaimed in a satisfied tone:

"Ah! Nothing like freshly squeezed Lava beans! Bless that Hero whose dabbling made them come into being!"

Curling his lips, the man replied in a low tone.

"Miss, this is your last cup for the day. You have reached the limit. Besides, wasn't your shift supposed to be done?"

His words had instantly turned down the corners of her lips, but taking another sip made them raise right up.

Smacking her lips again, she answered, "Ah, who cares. I'll enjoy this one. If that Hero had also figured out how to modify those beans so that they wouldn't act as poison when taken too much of, I would have been ready to bow down in front of him! But if that were the case, maybe the extract would not have as refreshing an effect…and yes, my shift is done, but that bunch is up to it again."

The words she spoke last seemed to surprise the man, as he raised one eyebrow and said, "Again? Don't they tire?!"

With a sigh, the woman replied. She hadn't taken her eyes off the screen even though the man had arrived, and even now, she didn't even blink as she continued to stare as if she was waiting for something.

"Apparently not. Or they're masochists. It seems the instructors even tried telling them that it takes time to adjust to newly gained power. They gave a strange reply- that they needed to be ready for when 'he' came. I wonder who this 'he' is? Wait, it's starting!"

Standing up, the woman raised her arm above a button that had appeared, while her eyes were fixed on the screen.

On it…a miraculous change had occurred, and if anyone were told that the display trinket had been showing a peaceful forest just a second ago, they would definitely not be able to believe it.

And the reason behind it…was the large, magnificent bird that looked like it was made up of roaring, golden flames which had set the forest ablaze right in the central spot where the display trinket was focused.

Where before had been a thick layer of bushes and branches that prevented even a single image from being gleaned from the forest floor, a circular spot had occurred in which this bird stood. The golden flames were spreading outwards in a circle with each second, though, and it looked as if it would only be a matter of time before the whole forest was ablaze.

Only…three seconds later, the flames stopped, as if they were perfectly being controlled by someone.

Looking closer, the tall man found the reason behind them stopping- it was a group of people in dark robes who had just been exposed, and they looked like they had been frantically running away while depending on the forest to hide their location.

Seeing the golden flames in front of them which seemed to have passed by without even bothering to attack, the group turned around. They were only specks on the screen, but even though their expressions couldn't be seen due to this, it was obvious that they were frustrated.

There were four of them, and right away, a change came over each.

One transformed into a giant stone golem that was at least twenty feet(6 m) tall, one dissolved into space before a raging tornado appeared in the spot where he had been standing, one turned into a gigantic fireball, and the last one transformed into rippling water that froze and then joined with the tornado to turn it into a terrifying blizzard.

Immediately identifying them for who they were, the man widened his eyes and said, "The Elementals! They're going up against them? Impossible!"

"Why do you think I'm so tensed? If I'm even a second late in activating the safety measures, they'll die, and I'll probably have to meet that same fate, too, as they are apparently treasured by the Overseer! Now shut up and let me concentrate!"

Promptly closing his mouth and gulping, the man continued to watch, along with the woman who was now even bending over the display trinket, in order to obtain the best view possible.

A moment later, this group began to move towards the place where the golden bird made of flames was situated. The fireball among them actually brought up the rear, almost as if the one who had transformed into it was scared, while the blizzard moved in the front. The stone golem veered off on a path of its known, intending to flank their opponents, and at any moment, it looked as if victory would be theirs.

However…a change suddenly occurred over the battlefield that made both the individuals in the cubicle gasp.

Rather than one change, it was three, and before those who were watching could even say anything, the battle was done.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

First, a shadow came into being out of nowhere on top of the stone golem. It was obvious that no one had been able to spot its movement even though there was nothing but open ground all around them, and as it materialized into a middle-aged man with a rugged face who was wearing a dark cloak, a dagger plunged right into the forehead of the golem.

With a loud, harrowing scream, the golem instantly started to break into pieces, and as it did so, an astonishing thing was revealed.

The dagger had turned into a 10 foot(3 m) long blade, and it had plunged right into the stomach of the individual who had apparently been hiding in the golem at a spot near its center.

At the same time, a gigantic woodcutter's ax had come into being in front of the blizzard, as if to challenge it.

This was actually laughable, at first sight. How could a simple ax, that looked as if it had been conjured by a Peak Human who was just starting to learn complex spells, do anything against this force of nature that would surely devastate all within its path?

This question had appeared in the tall man's mind, but after he saw the ax move, it had been answered, making him actually feel ashamed that he had been fooled by its 'simple' appearance.

True, on the surface, it just looked like an ax taken from a simple woodcutter and enlarged so that it would fit easily into a 50 feet(15 m) tall giant's hand, but when it moved…it cleaved the World, itself.

What were spells? They were but the varying, complex patterns into which elemental particles were pushed to result in certain phenomena that would affect the World, and bring about a desired affect. Even the transformation of the two individuals to form the blizzard was a spell: a complex one, for sure, but at the end of the day…it was just a combination of patterns at a higher order.

As for the ax …the most terrifying thing was that it seemed to have the ability to cut through these patterns, and set the elementary particles free.

It cleaved through reality, and in its wake, it brought freedom, just like an honest woodcutter who was only doing his job to give life, warmth, and joy to those who were depending on him, so that they could live freely without having to fear the cold of the night.

The blizzard seemed to screech as it met the ax, and even though it tried to move forward, parts of it kept being cut through. True, the ax was not powerful enough to cut through all patterns freely, as it seemed as if it did not have enough power, yet, but suddenly, the golden bird that seemed to have been idly lazing around suddenly swooped forward onto the blade of the ax.

The edge of the blade lit up with the ferocity of a fire that had burned for time immemorial, and in just two seconds, the blizzard turned back into two individuals who looked severely injured, and unconscious.

Finally, the fireball was left alone. In one direction, the stone golem lay motionless. In another, the blizzard had dissipated to reveal its teammates who were at the mercy of their opponents.

In this situation…what the hell could it hope to do?

It looked as if it was about to dissipate and admit defeat, but suddenly, it screeched and started to writhe erratically.

A simple man walked forth from the group who had been hidden by the brilliant flames of the golden bird. He was looking seriously in the direction of the fireball which had just turned back into a man who was clutching his head in agony, and shaking his head, he said, "Man, you have some sick, sick fears."

"AAAHHHHH!"

With a final scream, the man collapsed onto the ground. His features were fixed in the expression of one who looked as if he had seen the most fearful thing in history, and his nose had started to leak blood.

With that, the two in the cubicle finally relaxed. Seeing the group below begin to celebrate, the woman said, "I can't believe that simply allowing them all to break through and become Peak Warriors made them so damn powerful. They're gunning for the top spot in Warriors, now, and some of them are apparently even looking to break through, soon. I can't imagine how much more power they'll wield, then…"

Hearing this, the man sighed and disappeared, and the woman did, too, as the battle was over, and no one needed to stay and watch to deploy safety measures in case someone was in danger of being killed.

Meanwhile, below, the celebration had lasted for a few seconds, but after that, all four individuals calmed down, and with complex expressions on their faces, they all seemed to be thinking of someone.

"Do you think he will be proud of us?", said the woman with fiery red hair who had been in the form of the golden bird until now, and in response, the wizened man who had controlled the woodcutter's ax from before spoke.

"I am certain he will be. The more power we gain, the better we will be able to serve him when he arrives. Our power has stabilized at the Peak Warrior level, so let's begin attempting to break through. Luther, you should have no problem, just like me. Us old folk have the advantage of having explored our Paths enough to know how we will break through. Aran and Cassandra, it might be a bit more difficult for you, but persevere. As for Eloise…she may surpass us all, soon. Stay vigilant, and stay brave. He is coming- I feel it, just like you all, so we must be ready for that moment. Let's go."

With firm nods, they disappeared, and as if hearing their thoughts, in a place far, far away, a man opened his eyes and looked around, before getting up from the slumber he had been in for the past month.

He had been submerged in a dull, silver liquid that slid off his toned body as he stood up and marveled at his image in the mirror, and an instant later, low laughter started to escape his lips.

It cut off in the next moment, though, and was replaced by four words which seemed to reverberate in the vault endlessly, as if they had taken a life of their own.

"Overseer…here I come."

Chapter 885: 'I Believe'

"We've had this discussion a million times already! Do we really need to talk about it again?"

In one of the private sets of rooms that were attached to the bar in Angaria which had the best view in the entire continent, a man and a woman were sitting in front of a table on which many, many wine bottles were placed.

Most were empty, and the man was currently in the process of checking which ones still had some wine in them before chucking the rest out of the window to the side.

Through it was the view that many came here to enjoy, in case they had earned the right to do so- it was that which one would see if they were a God who was looking down on the continent they had made, and in its lush fields and pristine forests, one could find solace from the harshest of life's tests.

The two in the room did not seem concerned, at all, about the view at the moment, though, because it seemed doubtful whether they could even see a few feet in front of them.

Both were slowly swaying from side to side- showcasing the classic effects of indulging too much into the nectar of joy.

The man seemed tipsier than the woman, because he would often miss his target and result in the bottles smashing onto the wall beside the window.

When that happened, he would get a displeased look on his face, before scrunching up his eyebrows.

This would result in the glass pieces floating into the air and exiting the room by themselves.

However…he would miss in this attempt, too, sometimes, and when he did, the glass pieces would erratically fly around the room before eventually approaching the woman.

Oddly, though…the moment they struck her skin, they would disappear, as if her skin was swallowing them whole.

After seeing this happen for the 10th time, and ignoring the exclamation that had just been made by the woman, the man hiccupped and said, "This must be the strangest room in all of Angaria! A Hero with only regrets, and a Champion with unlimited prospects. Is there a duo more unlikely than this? If so, I would like to toast this glass to them! Hic!"

Raising a glass, he gulped down the pearly liquid that had been poured into it, and mimicking him, the woman did the same before setting down hers and saying, "No, seriously, why do you keep bringing it up? Honestly, if it weren't for my father, I would never have met you…but look at me now, hopelessly enamored with a Hero who once stood at the top, but is now just a regretful wreck who can't get enough drink…"

"Lalalala…"

"Stop! You know I hate that!"

The man had begun to sing a random tune, as if he was fed up with hearing the same thing from the woman, over and over again.

When she snapped in this way, he hiccupped again and went silent, before resuming his task of clearing out the empty bottles.

The woman sighed as she saw this. Would anyone believe her if she said that this was the prestigious man once known as the Head of the Big Four?

All over the continent, there was but a single place where anyone would dare to not give him respect, and even there, he was never looked down upon.

Now, though…he was no different from the thousands of vagrants who went to the bars all over the continent everyday, seeking to drown their sorrows and forget themselves.

As was her habit, she looked at his side, where something strange could be observed.

The dirty robes that he was wearing hung loosely there, almost as if the one they were being worn by was an apparition rather than a living human, but weirdly, they were normal from the spot above the level of his chest.

Looking at him and seeing that he hadn't come around to answering her yet, she cast a spell to make a gust of wind blow in its direction.

The robes…caved in, as if there was nothing to stop them, and after reaching around the spot where one's belly button would be, they went back to normal.

"It's still healing slowly. I wish she just cut me in half…oh, wait, I was the one who did the cutting! Oh, how forgetful of me!"

With a start, the woman saw that she had been spotted, and blushing slightly, she took another sip from her glass.

The man had done the same, and just for an instant, when the light coming through the window fell on his face in the right way, she imagined him as the man he had once been.

Head held high, opposing the strongest individual sent by the Church, yet, and giving the continent a spectacle that dispelled the fear that had come into many youths' hearts regarding this entity that was out to destroy them.

Voice resounding in a large chamber, beating down those who sought to oppose him and bringing the entire High Council to one knee.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

There were many, many more moments when she had seen him discreetly, hiding her emotions within her heart, but she so, so wished that she had been there during the one where everything had changed.

If that had been the case…things would have turned out differently.

"No. The same would have happened."

Looking up, the woman blushed even further when she saw that the Head's eyes were locked onto her.

However, noticing that his words sounded normal, she narrowed her eyes and said, "You can always tell what I'm thinking. Anyway, I'll repeat myself. Why do you want to talk about it again?"

With a sigh, the Head waved his hand.

All the bottles promptly made their way out through the window, but from that single gesture, she could see the damage he had gone through.

It was such a simple spell that even a Human would have cast it effortlessly, but in his case…he had had to struggle, which had been evident in the perspiration that had appeared on his forehead.

Wiping it with the back of his hand, he proceeded to sigh and shake his head before saying, "Because the feeling is getting stronger, and you need to be careful. And no, I can't always tell, but you get the same look on your face whenever you're thinking of that incident. Forget it, Laura. Her power is unfathomable- she is one of the true hidden powerhouses of Angaria, capable of fighting multiple Heroes at the same level as her without even breaking a sweat. Even when she made that trip outside, the expenses to keep that fight a secret were tremendous- that is how much she is valued."

CRACK!

With a loud sound, the glass mug in the woman's hand broke, as her fist had begun to close with anger when the Head had been speaking.

Rage burnt in her eyes, but with visible effort, she put it away.

And as for the mug…all of its shards had been swallowed by her skin, but no one said anything about this, as if it was a common occurrence around her.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke.

"I know. The ability to convince someone that something is real, even though it is just a figment of her imagination. Mind Control taken to its absolute limit. I've heard it all. But…there will come a day. And on that day…I will propose to you in front of my father and marry you in accordance with the traditions of our family."

"I was always intrigued by that. Why is it that the women need to propose to men in your family, again?"

"Because the lifelong regret of the founding Matron of our family was that she lost the love of her life as she never made her emotions known. She always assumed that he would propose to her, as is commonly accepted in society, but on his deathbed, he admitted that he had been shy. A silly story, but witnessing that death allowed her to reach the absolute level of power that she wielded when she was alive. So…there are two conditions, with one being that the woman should propose, and the other that the women should be stronger than the men who marry into the family. The second one is fulfilled, anyway, so I shall fulfill the first at that moment. Just you wait."

The Head chuckled as he heard this. It looked like it wasn't the first time that he was hearing it, and it was apparent that he had only asked her to recount the tale to listen to just how unique and unpredictable the world was.

And whenever he pondered on this…he would be reminded of a man, nay, a King, who had dedicated to his life to his people, but was now hunted throughout the continent that he loved.

Seeing him slip into his memories, the woman spoke up to say, "Don't make me repeat myself a third time. Oh, and what was the result of that inquiry into that girl? What was her name…oh, yes, Sister Xuan! It was her testimony that resulted in you having to defend that kid, right?"

Pursing his lips as if he was remembering a bad memory, the Head replied, "A dead end. There is evidence of foul play, but it was shelved when the edict was passed that his existence as a threat had been proven by the means he had displayed by evading the Order. She was shoved into training and ordered to be monitored."

Hearing his melancholy tone, the woman reached forward with her hand and caught his, which was lying on the table.

For a moment, she paused, as she didn't know what to say.

Should she say that he had fought well, and that he should be content that he had managed to live, even though he had cut off half of the left of his midsection, believing it to be corrupted and poisonous due to the Hero Path of that dreadful woman?

Or should she say that he had free time now, as he had been temporarily stripped of his role and replaced because the aftereffects of the fight had resulted in his Mageroot being severely damaged?

Taking another deep breath, she was about to suggest that they order another round of drinks, but suddenly, she paused as she felt something outside the door.

Seeing her surprise, the Head followed her gaze. The room they were in had multiple formations to ensure privacy, but if she was able to detect something even though that was the case…it must be something big.

Not for the first time, he cursed his weakness, but just as he was about to ask what the matter was, the door burst open to reveal the bartender, who, for once, did not look as calm as he always was.

His shout brought them both to their feet, as it was so staggering that it made their minds go blank.

"The invasion is on the way! We are all being conscripted! Quick, go gather all of your weapons!"

For a second, silence held its sway in the room, as if the bartender, himself, was shocked due to what he was saying.

After that, though, he broke out of it and screamed, "I need to go tell the others!"

Just as he was about to bolt away, though, the Head walked forward and grasped his hand.

"What other details do you know?", he asked, and it was a normal question that anyone would get in this situation.

However, when he got the answer…all of the worry and panic vanished in his mind, and it was replaced by pure exhilaration and joy.

"It's being headed by that Daneel who ran away! So much for him being innocent! Go, quickly!"

The head had to work very, very hard to not let his emotions show, and it was only after the bartender left that he allowed himself a smile.

"It's time," he said to himself, before teleporting away and leaving the woman alone, who continued to stare at the spot where the Head had been standing.

As for the reason behind her shock…it was that the exact thing that they had been about to discuss had come to be.

Now, her annoyance regarding the fact that the Head had wanted to talk about it again seemed stupid.

Again and again, he had said that something was coming. Something big in the continent would happen, he would claim, and when asked why he thought so, he would say that it was because he 'believed'.

"Well, let's see whether that person is worthy of your belief."

Saying so, she teleported away, too, and all over Angaria, war drums began to be heard.

Chapter 886: The Ceremony

BANG!

In a room filled with Heroes, one had just gotten up from the table where he had been seated at before banging his fist down on it had and speaking in the tone of one who was completely and outrageously baffled.

"How can it even be so sudden? And so ahead of schedule? This is a war, dammit! It's not a small skirmish that they can plan at any time to deploy at will! How the hell did this escape all of our intelligence sources?"

He was directly followed by another one for a different table, but the same outrage was present in this one's tone, too.

"Yes! Fine, we have only a single informer in the Mainland, but even if he wasn't reliable, haven't we spent centuries building up defense after defense all over the damn Endless Sea? Aren't they the reason we've had to be so economic in how we spend resources? How the f*ck did they all fail?!"

Hearing these two, more and more started to get up, and they all had the same questions.

"Overseer, you must answer! How can-"

"It's preposterous, and frankly quite demotivating! What do we tell-"

"QUIET!"

As this single word was shouted by a grizzled man who stood up with his hands folded behind his back, silence finally fell over the room.

The tables were arranged in a square pattern, and there were multiple concentric squares present with the ones further behind being elevated so that those seated on them could still look towards the center to see what was going on.

And of course, right in the center was the body of the Overseer, which seemed to be quite agitated, because the faces on it were flashing at a much higher frequency than they usually did.

After letting the silence stretch on for a few seconds, this man spoke again.

"With the enemy at the gates, these are not the questions we must be asking. Rather, we should look for ways to estimate the strength of the force that has arrived, and decide whether it might be time to take drastic measures. You all know what I'm talking about."

Nods could be seen around the room as he said this, but where some were accompanied by gladdened expressions, others had uneasiness and displeasure clearly showing upon them.

It was then that the Overseer finally spoke out. Ever since the meeting had been called, this entity had been silent, so when its voice started to reverberate in the area, everyone started to listen carefully.

"The War Room has been opened for the first time since the calamity that the continent had to go through. This, in itself, should tell you how serious the situation is. As per the ancient rules, an investigative party has already set out. We shall await the report. For security reasons, they were ordered not to send back any information which could be tapped to find our location."

In most critical situations, one would always calm down if they found out that something was already being done to handle the pickle that they were in.

It was the same here – as soon as the Overseer told them that the best possible measures had already been taken, most calmed down, and even though some still looked very doubtful, they refrained from expressing whatever they had been about to say.

In a certain location in the large room where at least 300 individuals were present, there was a gaggle of people who had all reacted in this way, together.

Finding themselves free for the moment, one of them struck up a conversation.

"None of us could have expected that this would come so soon… But I guess it might be a good thing, because there is no way that the ancient traditions can be bypassed."

All of the Heroes in the room were wearing masks to hide their identities even though this wasn't really necessary in this day and age, but because it was the tradition that had been implemented back when there had been many factions who wanted to keep their faces hidden, it was still followed.

Hence, the features that were visible to the outside were all fake, but this didn't matter if one was looking at another's face to judge what they were thinking.

As for the man who had spoken, he looked almost pleased, but another beside him replied right away in a tense tone.

"What's to say that he hasn't already implemented something to bypass it? If I were him, I would definitely not have wasted all these years. All of you already know that the reason I joined this group is because I believe the Overseer might just be some opportunistic Hero from then who took the chance to enjoy a long life and unlimited resources. If I'm right, we'll be screwed once he's not bound by the rules anymore!"

At this moment, another among this gaggle of six individuals spoke up, and his tone was the most measured of them all.

"We have already discussed this. Nothing can be done which is not for the good of the continent, and this is a very strong binding that cannot be overcome in any manner. Unless we're talking about extreme measures that even we cannot imagine… We don't know if our fears are even justified."

This made a fourth Hero talk, and his face was, for some reason, filled with anger.

"Oh, please! We are the few who have been commanded by our ancestors to never forget what happened after the Apocalypse! The Overseer closed the doors of the Order, resulting in the deaths of so many who could have been saved! Someone so heartless… Cannot be at the helm of the continent! Who knows what could happen? If another situation like that occurs, can anyone guarantee that we will not be the ones who are locked outside? Just looking at him makes me feel incensed…"

The one with a measured tone replied to this, too.

"You see it in that way. But others see differently. In the matter of survival, hard choices need to be made, and for that, one who is capable of sacrificing the few to save the many is necessary. True, thousands could have been saved at that moment, but at the same time, there was a probability that it could have attracted the monstrosities which would have killed everyone who was already inside. Because we do not know the exact conditions at that time, the probability cannot exactly be calculated, but if the decision was taken, then it must mean that it must have been substantial. In that case, maybe even I would want to definitely save a few rather than regret later if the attempt to save many more backfired, and resulted in the Order having no future. Do you understand how disastrous that would have been?"

These words made everyone present ponder seriously, but after a few seconds, one of the Heroes in the group who hadn't spoken yet said, "That's all well and true… But where does one draw the line? Who decides the point at which it becomes too much of a risk? My opinion could vary from you and all the others, so what if the Overseer's opinion varies the most? To him, it might even feel justified! The fact of the matter is… That we all feel uneasy. Uneasy that placing the continent in the hands of one who is ready to condemn millions to save thousands, which just doesn't make sense to me even if those thousands have been lucky enough to be born with potential. Basically, luck has become the thing that shall decide whether one should be given life, or not! This shouldn't be the case! The Will of the world decreed that those individuals have the right to live, just as much as us, but someone will be superseding that Will!"

His words made all the others frown as they could resonate with at least some part of what he said, and finally, the one who had spoken first said, "All of that may or may not be true, but either way… There is nothing to be done now. We can only trust in the ancient rules which must definitely have been made to ensure that executive powers would be given only when it was absolutely necessary. The rules are pretty watertight – they…"

Suddenly, this man was interrupted when a loud sound was heard in the room.

It sounded like the wrath of the sky which was all being focused on a single spot, and in the next instant, 10 individuals appeared in the room, thoroughly battered and bleeding with some even missing a few body parts.

Two were in a critical condition – it looked as if they had survived with just their head and a portion of their upper body, with the rest torn off indiscriminately. In one of these two, their intestines were even trailing on the ground helplessly, and soon after they appeared, they directly collapsed onto the floor.

As the hundreds of Heroes watched on with shock, those who had been trained to save lives on the frontlines directly rushed forward. They were a team of 20 Heroes- half went the one who seemed to be the most critical, while the other half gathered around the one on the floor.

Right away, a blue barrier came into being, and it was a spell so complex that even an amateur Hero would feel dizzy if they were looking at the patterns of elementary particles that were being created to make it come into effect. This, and the fact that it needed so many Heroes to cast was enough to make it clear that it was definitely at a level that most couldn't even imagine, and its effect was also instantaneous- not even two seconds after the barriers came into being, the two individuals whose breathing had been ragged and looking as if it was about to stop evened out, and at the corners of their bodies where their worst injuries were situated, the flesh even started to regenerate.

It was then that those watching finally turned their gaze to the rest of the Heroes who had appeared, and they had to take in another sharp breath as they examined these people. All of them had fear and vexation apparent on their faces, and one had even begun to hyperventilate, taking in such deep breaths that he made audible sounds echo in the room.

They were bleeding at someplace or the other on their bodies, and even though a couple were missing large chunks of fish and bone, it was obvious that they could overcome the injuries with time, without any outside help.

Finally, it was a woman who stepped forward to speak, and if the Head was here, he would have recognized her as the same person who had controlled his mind and made him cut off almost half of himself in that battle.

The cockiness and confidence that had been present in her at that time were absent, though, replaced by considerable panic that she had to visibly control before speaking.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"We- we saw it all… It was a mistake to try to take that brat in! He should have been killed on sight! He saw me… And laughed before setting more than 50 Heroes on us! We didn't really have time to scan their forces, but from sight alone, it looked as if there were hundreds behind him, all dressed in the same way! They were all much bigger than normal humans, and at first sight, they even looked like the monstrosities from ages ago! But this is definitely not the case because their heads were also enlarged! I'm sure of this, even though they were all dressed in thick robes! It's definitely an invasion, and it's definitely the Church!!"

Her words made all the Heroes stare with disbelief, and it was the grizzled man who had quietened the room before who spoke.

"War is upon us. According to the ancient rules, I call forth the Obelisk of Authority. Five of you- come forth. Even though many know of it, I shall announce the rules once more. To ensure that only real war situations would result in executive powers being given to the Overseer where the rules will no longer need to be followed except for the one where the Overseer will act in the interest of the survival of the continent, the rule states that five Heroes who are unaffiliated strongly to any force testify that an invading force that is capable of ending the continent has arrived. They will swear temporary oaths to only say the truth before giving the testimony. Let us begin."

The rest of the Heroes could only watch on as five Heroes from the group came forward and swore Oaths to speak the truth before giving their testimony, and following that, the stone obelisk which was exactly like the one which gave missions and rewards in the Order that had appeared in the room beside the grizzled man glowed.

Touching it, he said, "Overseer, executive powers are ready to be taken. Swear the oath to act only with Angaria's survival in mind, and proceed."

That unemotional voice returned, and with slight palpitations, it resounded in the room.

"I swear. No matter what course of action is needed, I will ensure that this continent survives. Long live Angaria!"

Chapter 887: Revival

After the declaration that came from the Overseer after the ceremony was done, an ominous silence filled the room, and it was almost as if everyone was waiting for something to happen.

The silence stretched on uncomfortably, while everyone stared at the huge globe, as if expecting it to change somehow.

It didn't, though, but the voice returned.

"We shall be deploying very soon. Right now, our enemies are being held back by the protective barriers that have been congealed at their location after the departure of the investigative team. They have not attacked those barriers yet, but the situation might change at any moment, so it is best to be proactive. Because of the suddenness, there is no scope to outfit the Central Continent and use the other measures that have already been planned. Instead, because the size of the force is not as overwhelming as was expected, and because it is possible that this is only a landing force whose purpose might be to establish a foothold on the continent from where they can operate, it is best if we move out in full force and wipe them out. For this purpose, I deem that it is necessary to use some of our secret measures. I shall make the decision regarding which shall be used. They shall be sent to the respective teams who will be in charge of utilizing them to the fullest effect. Have no delusions – the war has begun, and it will be a costly one. Hence, it is time to call on the Big Four, too. All those who are the leaders of the Big Four will be tasked to give an official explanation regarding the War, and to say that the force that they shall be seeing is just a secret one. No mention should be made of the Order. Furthermore, there is one last decision that I will be taking on this occasion – for many years, many generations of trinket makers have been developing a set of armor and weapon trinkets for Warriors, Champions and Heroes. Not many know about this, but in anticipation of the war, production was stepped up, and I can safely say that enough have been produced to outfit all of the troops. The only problem is that there won't be many to be used as replacements in case the sets are damaged in battle, but production is still going on as we speak. Those who are going to the Big Four must also carry the sets and outfit the Exalted Warriors, Champions and Heroes, who will form the brunt of the backup force. They will be arranged into squadrons who will utilize and power formations that will output attacks that can go up against the Heroes who comprise of opposing force after bypassing the gap in power. Victory shall be ours-I shall make sure of it. Disperse."

This was probably the first time that everyone was hearing the Overseer speak for so long, and they watched on, almost as if enraptured.

Many noticed the changes – where before the tone had been always flat, there was now passion in it, almost as if the act of giving executive powers had changed the Overseer and given him life. Also, where before the Overseer had used to refer to himself as an entity who was the same as the Order(which was the reason behind the pronoun 'it' also being used occasionally as many would forget that he was not just some sort of being who had been made artificially for the good of the continent), he was now using 'I' for what must be the first time in anyone's living memory.

The uneasiness that had been present before in most only grew on seeing this, but it decreased to a certain extent after seeing the many quick decisions that were taken in the perfect manner by their leader.

Indeed… He was their leader now, equipped with the power to act with that singular goal, instead of being just the Overseer who would only follow the rules that had been laid down in ancient times before taking each and every decision.

One by one, they began to leave, some looking forward to the battle, and some dreading it. Either way, they knew that they could not escape it, so all they could do was go forth and face it. It had also been quite good to hear that they would be receiving new trinkets that they would be able to depend on, because knowing the standard that the Order placed upon itself, they could tell that they would all be pretty impressive.

The war room was soon devoid of people – those that had disappeared last included the gaggle who had been talking before, and they had rested their eyes on the Overseer for quite a long time before finally leaving.

With the surroundings empty, the Overseer was alone.

The globe that had continued to revolve and show the faces of everyone present suddenly stopped as soon as there was no one to see it, and all of the faces disappeared, one by one.

Suddenly… With a sound that echoed continuously, a crack came on the globe, almost as if it was made of glass that had been turned opaque for all this while.

In all of history, not once had the Overseer been scanned by anyone. Even though many had tried, they would always find their senses being swallowed, and they had always attached this to the mysteriousness that had always surrounded this being who watched over the continent impartially.

Hence… No one really knew what that globe-shaped structure was, and no one really dared to ask, either.

Now, though… If they were present, they would definitely have gasped with uncontrollable shock when a pearl-like object that was half the size of a human fell out of the crack to fall on the floor beneath.

This object was covered in some sort of a slimy substance that was transparent, but strangely, when this substance touched the floor that was made of formation-reinforced marble, a sizzling sound was heard, following which a few holes started to appear.

Even this was pretty unbelievable, because it would take a Hero at least a couple of punches to even damage that marble.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

As soon as the pearl fell to the ground, a change came over the cracked body of the Overseer. A single face with distorted features popped up right at the spot where the crack began, and in barely a second, it covered the entire surface.

Slowly, the distortion in the face started to clear. A nose that was so flat that the nostrils were almost like slits was the first feature that became clear among that distortedness, and it was followed by lips that were entirely too long for any normal face.

These lips stretched into a smile that would creep out any living being as soon as they formed, and they covered half the face, giving the impression that the entire face would split into two pieces if the mouth opened completely.

Next was a chin that was abnormally shop, and after that came the forehead.

Here… The astonishing thing was that the forehead seemed to stretch from the nose to the head, which had also formed and was completely bald. Its shape was also weird, with the back of the head stretching back almost like the hump of a camel that was pointing back at an angle, but if someone was watching, their attention would be focused on the forehead, and they would surely be wondering whether the being who had this face, whoever it may be, was blind.

Right in the next moment, though… their question would be answered, as a massive eyeball that was larger than any that any human could be born with came into being, right above the nose.

It was easily the size of a tightened fist, and as it opened, it seemed to be empty, showing only a white expanse.

However, a second later, a pupil that was the color of the blackest of blacks appeared, which split into two and settled on the corners of the eyeball, leaving an empty white space in the middle.

With the face finally visible, now, a deep, rasping breath that went on and on for around five minutes was heard in the room, and following that, the pearl broke open to reveal that exact face.

As if the strangeness had only begun, the pearl fell apart to reveal that the face was connected to a body that appeared to be that of a child's. The face and body were also a very, very pale(almost albino) white in color, and the arms and legs of the body looked very weak and even sickly.

After the breath ended, though, the body shuddered, and like a balloon, it started to swell.

The lamps that were extravagantly powered by Ker Gems in the room suddenly blinked out as they had all the Energy sucked out of them, and following that, the only light present in the room came from a dull glow from within the crack that had come on the being who had commanded so many in the name of the Overseer for so long.

Within this crack, an inner surface that was lined with Ker Roots and Ker Gems that had been interspersed to form a complex lattice could be seen. Anyone would be astonished by just how many resources had gone into this, but what was even more awe-inducing was that all of the Energy in these resources, which would be enough for tens of Heroes to train with for days, was being sucked out at a pace that should not be possible.

A minute. A minute was all it took, and the childlike body of the being on the floor had transformed into that of a giant who was a size bigger than those who had lived during the age of the Empire.

He was 11 feet(3.35 m) tall and his shoulders were as wide as a fully grown man, but his naked body was completely smooth, with only the shape being human, but no other features matching what one would expect on a normal human body.

Deep rasping breaths were still being taken, and slowly, as if waking up from a slumber that had gone on for eons, the being who had been in a fetal position until now stood up.

He staggered, initially, but he soon found his footing. That smile was still present, and the grotesque eyeball with two pupils looked around interestedly. It did not seem as if it was looking at the room around it, but rather the continent that it found itself in, and the second later, a mirror had appeared in which the being started to admire its own form.

This admiration went on for some time, but suddenly, it clutched the side of its chest, as if someone had plunged a sword through that spot.

Even though there was nothing there, an expression of intense pain flashed across its face, which it had to control forcefully.

It looked like it was fine a few seconds later, and taking a deep breath, it smiled, before speaking out to the empty room in an extremely low-pitched voice.

"Fenoras…you failed! You killed yourself and your continent, but it was all for nothing! I am returned, and there is no one to stop me this time! Oh, I wish you were here to witness my final victory. Angaria…is finally mine!"

Chapter 888: Facing Off

In a manor deep underground where the first thing that anyone would see were many floor-to-ceiling windows which displayed beautiful scenes from all over the continent, a man who was wreathed in darkness could be seen meditating on the floor in one of the rooms.

In front of him lay a communication trinket, and as it flashed, he instantly caught it up in his hands to hear the message that was being sent.

"Report has been confirmed. A powerful landing party from the Church has been spotted on the western shore of the continent. The report says that it is being headed by the King of Lanthanor, who has been exposed to be a traitor on the side of the Church. As was already communicated to the Heroes of the Big Four, all of his rights and positions have been terminated. This report is also meant to silence all those who were demanding further investigation. An emergency conscription is being made- all Exalted Warriors, Champions and Heroes must head to their nearest Wartime Armoury and collect the sets of armor and weapons that have been made in secret for use in this situation. It is compulsory to use these items. The list of the Armories is given below. The troops shall gather and deploy in one hour. All those who do not attend will be charged with treason against the continent, and burned until death. This is the official edict of the Big Four, passed by the High Council, and presided upon by the temporary Head."Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

As soon as the message ended, the darkness around the man started to surge uncontrollably, reflecting his emotions which were quite frazzled.

However… Rather than panic, it with excitement that was coursing through him.

A few moments later, just as he was about to set out, he received the message that a guest had entered his premises.

Going to his meditation room, he found a weak old man who looked like he was ready to collapse at any moment, but his eyes were so clear that they seemed to pierce through the very fabric of reality.

"Chief! I take it that you wish to work together?"

The Chief of the Fortress of Unyielding Might nodded as he heard this, before saying, "Indeed. I trust that kid, but we have to be on alert. I'm quite surprised by this news regarding the armor and weapons – I wonder who made them, and where all these new Heroes whom we have never heard about are coming out from. Oh, fine, I'm kidding – everyone who is knowledgeable has always known about the hidden force on our continent, and although we knew no details before, we always expected it to be quite powerful."

The last sentence was said in reply to the scoffing sound made by Rayen, and with a nod, he said, "All right, then. The Head is not taking part – he's still too weak. So, I guess we're the only allies he has. If worst comes to worst… What do we do?"

The answer was given in an instant, without even thinking for a moment.

"What do we do? Of course, if we can make a difference… We fight."

"Good. What use is a life of hundreds of hundreds of years if you don't even use it once to do something you believe in? Let's go."

Saying so, Rayen disappeared, and a second later, the Chief had gotten a smile on his face after hearing those words also teleported away.

A few seconds later, they were at the closest place where a Wartime Armoury had been set up- The Sect of Hedon.

As Heroes, they had a separate place where they were supposed to collect their armor, but on the way, they witnessed all of the Exalted Warrior and Champions who were gathered in the ground being outfitted.

On the faces of many of the Exalted Warriors, fear could be seen, and although it wasn't that visible in the case of the Champions, they, too, could not really hide their fidgeting, which was a symbol of how tense they were.

This was war, and none of them knew whether they would return.

Rayen and the Chief both wished that they could say with certainty that it was definitely all a sham, but they couldn't really be sure, as there might be factors that they could not think about.

At the same time, watching the Champions, Rayen thought back to his own son, who was hidden quite thoroughly by the king who had wanted him to be a hidden trump card who could emerge if there was no other option. His son had been tight-lipped regarding whether he had been contacted by the king recently, but seeing his eyes, Rayen had known that something might be up, but that he must have been prevented from finding out due to the absolute discretion with which everything was being done.

As he sighed, he looked up to see that they had finally approached the place set for Heroes, and it was just a normal room with a table on which two piles of trinkets could be seen.

The first pile was comprised of trinkets that looked like round shields which were half the size of a closed fist, and the other was filled with trinkets of various shapes- swords, spears, halberds, and all kinds of weapons that could be imaginable.

As soon as the two of them appeared, a Hero whom they had never seen before despite being in the Big Four for so long spoke.

"Same trinkets for all Heroes- I don't care if you just broke through, or have been languishing at some level for the past hundred years. Pick your armor trinket here, and then pick your weapon of choice from this pile. These weapons do not change form – so pick the ones that you are most comfortable with. If minor changes need to be made to turn them into the exact form that you are used to fighting with, then bring them to me. Proceed."

The Chief frowned as he heard his tone, but without saying anything, the two of them walked forward and picked up the trinkets.

The Chief picked a staff, and Rayen picked a dagger after they had picked an armor trinket each.

After binding them all with their blood, they first activated the armor trinkets, and a second later, both of them were covered by dazzling, golden armor that appeared for a few moments and then disappeared into their skin.

Surprise appeared on both of their faces, because they could feel its strength – it was more powerful than any defensive trinket that they had ever seen, and they marveled at just how safe they felt. With it, they would not be defeated even if they were at the mercy of a typical Hero for an entire minute, and as for the barrier that was inbuilt, it could hold out against at least 100 full powered Exalted Hero-level attacks, which was something unimaginable on the continent.

At least… That was what they had thought.

"Don't gawk so much. Move."

For the first time… The Chief and Rayen found out how it must feel when they, or at least, those from the Big Four looked down on those from the Central Continent.

They could tell that they were being seen as bugs, just like many were used to doing in the case of the general population of Angaria, but before they could say anything to retort, a heavy pressure formed above them.

From it, one thing became clear, and it made them move to the side without saying a single word.

The one in front of them was a Peak Hero, and he was not someone they could contend with, even if they fought together.

This was what their instincts that had been honed through multiple battles told them, and it was only after a few seconds that they finally regained their senses.

"Powerful, indeed," said Rayen, referring to what the Chief had said before, and the man nodded in reply.

The activated the weapons, too, and after finding out that they were also more powerful than almost any that could be found in the Big Four, they realized just why all the demands and requests by the Heroes to use their ownarmorr and weapons had been turned down. Anything they had would not even compare to these items, and it would be foolish to not go to war with the best equipment possible.

The next half-hour was supposed to be used by them to get used to their new weapons. Of course, this was mostly for the Fighters, as the Mages had only received a common trinket that would amplify their spells.

The Chief was done in 10 minutes, and Rayen was done soon after him.

As the one-hour mark approached, they were given coordinates, and as both of them teleported to that place, a marvelous sight was presented to them.

They were in the air above a flat plain that led to the Endless Sea, and on it, thousands of individuals all wearing the same kind of armor that had appeared on their bodies before were present.

The design was all the same – there was a broad chest piece with extensions up to one's forearms that were made of interlocking scales which had no gaps in between each, and the legs were covered in the same way, all the way up to one's foot. They presented a gallant look, and it seemed that only the colors differentiated those with different power levels – the Exalted Warriors wore bronze, the Champions were in silver, and the Heroes were in gold.

"The assembly is complete. Move out, and prepare for victory!"

These words were uttered by the temporary Head, who was curiously the same person who had been shot down by the real Head previously in one of the more recent meetings of the High Council.

It seemed that nothing else was needed, and although it looked like an underwhelming start to what would definitely be a showdown that would decide the fates of millions, it soon became clear why that was so.

As they started to march forward, they saw that a different force was already present in front of them.

It only had 300 individuals, but the feeling it gave… Surpassed anything that everyone present had ever felt.

Each and every one of these individuals was wearing the same kind of armor as them, but theirs stood out the most, as it was a dazzling red that seemed to swallow up the gazes of all those who were looking at it.

It was obvious that this was the powerful vanguard, and that they were only a supporting force would be called upon if necessary.

Rayen and the Chief had already expected this, so they said nothing, but soon, they became completely tongue-tied as they lay their eyes on their enemy for the first time.

After crossing the plains, they came upon the shore, where the first thing that stood out was a gigantic barrier that looked as if it reached the heavens.

And behind it… Stood a single man whom everyone recognized.

His hands folded, he had an easy smile on his face, as if everything was under his control.

He was wearing black robes with twin crimson dragons embroidered on his shoulders whose bodies coiled around him, and it was almost as if they were real, waiting to leap off and pounce on all of them.

Behind him… stood 500 hulking giants.

There was no other way to describe them- each giant was at least 20 feet(6 m) tall, and their entire bodies were covered with white robes that had the image of a saintly man in the midst of preaching to some unseen group embroidered on the front.

This image was known to all – it was that of St. Rectitude, the founder of the Church of Rectitude, and it was the symbol of the dreaded force whose shadow had been upon them for all these years.

Because of their position, it looked like there was no way for any surprise attack to be made, and hence, it would be a direct assault.

As soon as the group of 300 reached within 10 km of the barrier, which was quite a short distance for Heroes, they paused, as if readying themselves for a charge.

However… Startling everyone present, a regal voice reverberated throughout the expanse where the army of Angaria was present.

"One moment," it said, and following these words, the most unbelievable transformation came upon the force that was already making many Warriors shake in their boots.

THUMP!

Together, all of the giants fell to their knees and obediently bent their heads, as if presenting themselves to be killed.

As the entire continent watched on in shock, the King went onto his knees, too.

In a voice that could clearly be heard by all who were present, he spoke again, and this time, his proclamation was even more shocking than his actions.

"The invasion…is all a sham. There is no such thing, but I did manage to find a couple of hundred Heroes whom I'm ready to pledge to Angaria, and also offer myself up to be captured. It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not- you can capture me first, and then find the truth later. I only have one condition, though. Have the Overseer return the executive powers that have been given to him. Do it in front of me, and the moment it is done, I shall make myself and all these Heroes lose consciousness. If it doesn't happen, you can simply reverse it, so you lose nothing. Make your decision- a fight where I might lose, but still take a large chunk of you with me, or a force who will swear and fight on your side when the real invasion arrives. Choose."

Overseer? Executive powers?

What was he talking about?

These were the questions that came in the minds of most of those who were present, but in the group of three hundred, many eyes were turning to the center of where they stood.

In that place, there was a figure who was covered completely in dark robes, and as all the gazes of the Heroes of the Order settled upon him, it was obvious what they were asking.

Would he do it?

They had evaluated the proposal, and although it made no sense, they found no harm in trying it out. In fact, the small faction who had always doubted the Overseer was even overjoyed, and they looked forward to seeing it happen.

Under the dark robes, though, the being who had emerged from the body of the Overseer had an extremely enraged expression on its face.

For a few moments, it looked like it was struggling to make a decision.

Giving back the powers would mean going back into a slumber, and after waking up, there was no way that it wanted to slip back into that state where it could do nothing, and only watch while its dumbed-down form followed the rules and acted as a 'good' inhabitant of the continent it wanted to control.

After a few more moments, though, it looked like it had come to a decision, and in its mind, it said:

"You think you're smart, you little rascal? You think you can force me to reveal myself, and then turn all those who don't support me against me? Hahahaha…Fenoras thought himself to be very smart, too. But look where that got him. You underestimate me too much. It has been 17, 862 years since I went to sleep. I have waited and counted every damn second for this day to come, and no one- NO ONE shall come in my way. I shall start my bloodshed…with you.

Chapter 889: Facing Off 2

.....

A soft wind started to blow across the field, where the tension was so palpable that it felt as if it could be cut with a knife.

The King was still on his knees, waiting for the answer to his extraordinary request, and although the backup force that was formed from the individuals of the Big Four were puzzled regarding what he was referring to, it was obvious that it must be something related to those in front of them who seemed to belong to some force that had somehow existed beneath their noses for all this time without exposing itself even once.

If the situation weren't so unique, they might have started asking questions, but all of them were well-versed in the rules of war. They would stay in their formations and not speak or move unless it was absolutely necessary, and at the moment, because no one was dumb enough to directly believe someone who had miraculously 'obtained a couple of hundred Heroes' on face value, they were all waiting for orders while holding their weapons and shields at the ready.

As for the group from the Order, doubts were springing up in the Heroes who were waiting for an answer.

No matter how much they thought about it, they saw no reason to not try to resolve this entire thing in this way. Some had already begun to make up explanations- perhaps the kid had somehow gotten incredibly lucky in the Endless Sea which they knew to contain amazing things just waiting for someone to find them, and wanted to use the opportunity to buy a chance to get his charges off of him. He was known to love his people, and perhaps he had been prosecuted for a different reason- which he wanted to make right.

Or maybe he was just crazy, and was paranoid about the Overseer.

Either way, it was true that they did not need to worry about the truth until after they took him in, so many were just waiting to pounce if a chance really appeared.

But why was the Overseer taking so long? What problem could he have? Could those who had always advocated that the Overseer should not be trusted were true? Could it be that he did not want to give up the chance to do as he wished, without being too constrained?

These doubts were already starting to turn into confirmations in those who had always been certain of this, and after 10 seconds of silence, even those who had been the staunchest opponents of this idea began to be swayed.

Even the grizzled man who had spoken before in the War Room and was known as the right hand of the Overseer was puzzled.

"Cain, what could be the problem?"

"Quickly, Cain, convince the Overseer to do it, before he changes his mind! If it's madness, we need to move before a moment of clarity arrives!"

"Cain, why-"

As all the Heroes who usually used him as a liaison with the Overseer, as he always seemed to understand it the best, started to send him messages, he understood that he could stay silent no longer.

Unknown to him, even the King of Lanthanor was looking closely at his actions, waiting to see how the man who had introduced him to the Order, and who had given him a very good impression as someone who would adhere to duty no matter what, would act.

"Overseer-"

Opening his mouth, he began to speak, but suddenly, his vocal cords automatically choked up when a command echoed out from the hooded figure.

"Silence."

It was an order, and he, like many others, had sworn that they would follow all the orders of the Overseer.

This included those who had been given Favors, and as one, all of these people found that they couldn't speak even if they wished.

Horror flashed across all of their faces, as they had never really realized that this was what it meant. Each of them had chosen it for different reasons, but at the moment, almost all of them regretted it. They were Heroes, but right now…they felt like dogs who were being commanded, and the feeling just did not feel right.

But its all for the good of the continent, right?

This thought came right after, but suddenly…the figure in the middle threw its hood back.

That elongated skull, those lips that covered the entire face, that nose which was like that of a snake's, and finally…that haunting eyeball with two pupils.

"AHH!"

"Overseer…"

"WHO ARE Y-"

"What the-"

All kinds of exclamations were heard from those who hadn't sworn away all of their rights to the Order, and even in the group from the Big Four, shock was everywhere, as this was a being which was not even described in history.

It looked like the antithesis of everything that represented life, but even as the reaction to its appearance started to grow louder and louder, it calmly rose into the air, separating itself from the group of 300 and furthering the pace at which its image spread across those who were present. Until that point, only those who had been paying close attention had seen the reveal, but now, with the being clearly visible in the air, the entire army of Angaria began to wonder just what the f*ck it was.

Only a large part of the group it had flown out of was silent, but even their expressions were filled with unwatched bafflement.

As if reveling in all the emotions that it was causing, the being proceeded to throw off its robes, too. It's body that had spotless, pale skin all over completed its appearance that was of someone who was definitely not of Angaria, and just as the astonishment began to turn into a different emotion, the voice of the King of Lanthanor sounded once again.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you…the sole individual who caused the Apocalypse. He is the leader of the force who invaded Angaria, and when Emperor Fenoras destroyed his body by giving up his life, he ran like a wretched dog and hid in the guise of the Overseer. The real Overseer had been assassinated by his force, so he was able to use that opportunity to create a fake version of himself who would abide by the rules that were set down. He has been waiting for the chance to rid himself of the rules so that he can awake to his real self…so I had to create this fake invasion to pull him out. I propose that we welcome this ancient enemy…with death. What say you?"

"What say you?"

"What say you…"

These last three words lingered in the air, resounding, again and again, stating that they wouldn't leave until they got an answer.

His steady and confident voice brought back those who had been lost in the grips of bewilderment and stupefaction, and it seemed certain that in the next second, all of these emotions would turn into wrath that would decimate this foreign being where it stood.

Before that could happen, though…the being on whom so many eyes were fixed smiled, and then clapped.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Already, it had had a profound effect on all those present, but when those long lips that spread to the ends of its face split open and was accompanied by an undulation in those horrific pupils which started to move from side to side, everyone was struck dumb, and could only hear the claps that seemed to be boring into their ears.

One, two, three, four…nine.

At the ninth clap, the being stopped, and when it spoke, its extremely low-pitched voice made sweat appear on the backs of thousands.

"Nine…yes, that's the number for this continent. You-imp, you had a good plan. I gather that you hoped to overwhelm me and these poor wretches who have signed their souls over with this army that I gathered? It was a good attempt, but…you forgot one thing."

Saying so, the being raised its right hand in the air.

Its smooth skin glistened in the sunlight, and as it opened its palm to make it face the one who was watching it, a frown finally cracked the relaxed countenance on the King's face, as if he had detected something that he had not anticipated.

Alas, it was too late.

WHUMP!

With the smile spreading impossibly wider on its face, the being closed that fist, and all around it…Angaria fell.

Indeed, the army which represented the last chance of Angaria against this ancient foe all started to faint.

As for the culprit…it was the trinkets which had been distributed that day, for the war.

It had been said that they would help them win the war, but the reality…was that they were made to end it before it even began.

One by one, Warrior after Warrior, Champion after Champion, Hero after Hero started to fall unconscious as they detected the blood they had used to pair with the trinkets be used to activate a hidden formation that directly knocked them out.

By giving their blood, they had given permission, and thus…they were done.

Even the King's eyes went as wide as they could go as he saw all of his would-be allies collapse, but that shock rose to the next level as he found the being that he had come to defeat…directly teleport to the spot right in front of him.

The barrier was gone, and with it, the being had brought its 200 Heroes who all had extremely unwilling and bitter expressions on their faces.

All of their glory was gone, replaced by the realization that they had been right- they had been reduced to chained beasts that could only do their masters' bidding, and they had actually given over their right to be free willingly, and happily.

Seeing the shock in its opponent's face, the being seemed very, very pleased. It even started to laugh, making its face split into two pieces while only being connected by a small fleshy segment, which made for a gruesome sight.

As for its eyes, joy gave them an even more bizarre expression, as they started to roll around wildly, frolicking in that large eyeball.

It didn't laugh for long, though, because it's low-pitched rumble of a voice appeared once again to say, "It's over. For you, and this continent that I should have ruled all this while. Oh, well. That cheat who cheated me out of my victory is dead, and although I do not know where you got these Heroes, it doesn't matter- they're not enough. My victory was only postponed, so it is time to regain what is mine. I just need to take out some anger, though…so I'll start with you, before going forward to feast on the flesh and blood of a million of those citizens you love so much. Mmmm…it'll be a lovely wake-up snack! Time to get started…"

Right after appearing, the being had cast a spell to dispel all illusions. Hence, the forces around the King which had seemed to contain hundreds of Heroes dissipated to leave behind only a hundred, but currently, they stood too far away to make any difference before the killing blow fell.

He was still on his knees, having forgotten to get up due to everything that had occurred, and his head was bent, as if in despair, and as if he was waiting to be beheaded as there was only defeat on the horizon.

Only…right as the being said its last word, a sound that was completely out of place started to emanate from him.

For a moment, even the being seemed confused, but by the time it realized that it was actually laughter, it, too, seemed to detect that something would happen, but that that something could not be stopped.

As the King's head boldly rose up to look at the being, his hands stretched out wide, and at the same moment, a formation that had been hidden perfectly below the ground sprung into being.

In a triumphant voice that seemed like it was heard even by the thousands who lay unconscious, he said, "Do you really think Angaria is done for? Well…think again."

"AHHHHHH!"

"ROAAAARRRR!!!"

"MUSSSST KILLLL!"

"BLLLOOODDD!!!! KILLLL!!!"

His voice was followed by many, many incoherent roars that seemed to be coming from all over the place, but when the being turned around, it faced its first shock since that moment when it had seen the Emperor make the ultimate sacrifice.

All of the roars…were coming from behind it, where its 200 Heroes had all started to turn simultaneously into the very monstrosities that it had witnessed before going into a slumber all those years ago.

"Brothers and sisters…there's your man. Why not make him kneel, first?"

The King seemed to cast a spell with his words, and as if all the Heroes were highly suggestive, they brought all of their combined pressure down on the being on whom all of their wrath was targeted.

The result…was that as the King slowly raised himself to his feet, the being's shoulders became bowed, and even before he could respond, he was on the ground, his knees half-buried in the ground, his fists doing all they could to keep him from being crushed.

Looking at him in this position, inestimable satisfaction flooded through Daneel, and taking in a breath, he prepared to deal the blow that would finally rid Angaria of this menace.

However, an instant before the quick windblade he had made turned the former Overseer into mincemeat...everything changed.

Chapter 890: The Entity

It was said that the sum total of one's choices and experiences made up who they were.

But in the case of the one who had been known as the Overseer for over seventeen thousand years…this was definitely not the case.

It had been born on the Mainland, long, long ago, and it had already lived for thousands of years before the time came when it was chased out.

By then…it had already turned into how it was now: driven by a singular emotion which did not let up, no matter what, and this was the reason behind it succeeding in existing for so long, even though many would either go mad or give up if they had to do the same thing.

It had no gender. No bias. No weakness. And most importantly…it was in no hurry, which was what allowed it to plan with timespans of thousands of years.

It had actually made the preparation long ago, even before it had thought that it would have to shed its physical body as it did not have enough talent to reach the next level: hence, when the time came, it had been ready, even though it was abrupt.

By shedding all of these things and living to fulfill a singular goal, it had achieved what many wished for, but almost never succeeded in: to become an immortal being who would never have any reason to die.

Its motive would keep pushing it forward, and if it lost its way, there was even a safety mechanism with which it could open the lockbox in which all of its memories were stored away. Like someone taking a vacation to relax, it could spend time in that place, before returning to its existence and continuing towards its goals.

As for the reason why anyone would want to live like this…it was the unwillingness to let go.

Life was a gift. The ability to live, think and function on a high enough order of intelligence was a boon that only some could enjoy, and once their time was done, one could never be sure whether they would get the chance again. For many, the longer they lived, the more there was a chance that this ultimate fear would become rooted in their minds, and if that was the case, then they would attempt in every way they could to cling on, in at least some form, to this gift that they did not want to lose.

In such cases, these entities would usually be known by the motive they had chosen, which connected most with their character, and how they had lived their lives.

As for the entity that had come to Angaria, it had been known…as 'Greed'.

As it felt its knees buckle under it unwillingly due to the pressure of the two hundred Heroes who had somehow been turned into monstrosities and were thus apparently no longer under its control, the entity dipped into the vault where its memory lay, as it had ordered itself to do whenever faced with a situation that was completely unanticipated.

In life, it had been a woman known as…Olivia.

Oliva had been born in a simple family in the Mainland, and her parents had been staunch supporters of the force which controlled the place they lived in.

The Mainland was a place that was always in conflict, and once, Olivia's parents had been conscripted to fight.

Although they were farmers, they had been strong Warriors who could wield a spear as well as the magical hoe they used to till the earth.

It hadn't been the first time it had happened, so she hadn't paid much import to it. They had gone to fight, and then they had returned, and all seemed normal.

However…day by day, Olivia started to notice changes in her parents.

Their habits, their words, their actions-all seemed to change bit by bit until they were no longer identical to those who had left, and eventually, Olivia discovered that just like she was doubting them, they had begun to doubt her, as they found her to be completely unalike to them.

For any child, the love of their parents was always paramount, especially if they had content with it until a certain age. At that point, they would not want to lose it, no matter what, and they would be prepared to do whatever was necessary to keep it with them.

Olivia did the same. Her parents, who had been humble people, had somehow turned into moneygrubbers who suddenly wanted all the money and power in the world, and to keep their love, she changed herself in this way, too.

For years, she kept doing this, while her parents succeeded time after time. From simple farmers, they rose to become the stewards of the land who bowed to few and lorded over most, and by that time, she had completely turned into someone who had even more blind desire than her parents, as this was what had been necessary to make them proud.

A child's drive to make their parents proud was a dangerous thing, and she had given herself up completely to this new character who was she felt was necessary.

One day…it all changed.

A man appeared at their doorstep, and after carefully examining her parents, he had flicked his fingers…and made their heads burst, like ripe lemons.

She saw it happen, and with a glow in his eyes, the man had bent to examine her before saying, "Fascinating. I only infected your parents with my Mind Control Virus of 'Greed' to see how far they would go, as normal people. That was foreign influence, but they ended up infecting you indirectly! You made this different person, but now that the truth is revealed, what will you do? Will you kill that person, who is no longer needed? Or will they take over? Oh, I wish to see what happens! Farewell, little girl. We shall meet again."

15 years later, that man found the answer.

While he was gurgling the blood that came from his throat, where Olivia had stabbed him without mercy.

In his eyes, she saw the answer, too.

She had killed herself, and allowed the one with 'Greed' to take over.

She had done it because it was the only way not to forget the memories of her parents, and this…allowed her to forge forward with singular determination.

She wanted to make them proud, even in death. She would obtain all she could, whether it be money, power or status, and she would hoard it until it was humanly possible to do so.

Thus began her saga. She went through many difficulties, but her determination had always allowed her to see it through. She obtained bloodlines, treasures and unmeasurable wealth, and her tale had even been immortalized in the tales on the Mainland.

But had she gone through all of that…to die here, at the hands of this little rascal?

"NO!"

In the outside world, only a moment had passed, and the wind blade that would end its life was whistling through the air.

However…with a single scream, it changed everything.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

[Temporary hold lost. Oaths are back in effect.]

As Daneel got this message in his mind, he could only watch on as the one in front of him rose.

The wind blade was too close, so it still managed to cut through half of its body diagonally while pulverizing everything in its path, but it…was not enough.

All of a sudden, the pressure caused by the two hundred Hero-turned-monsters vanished, and they began to look around with confusion.

After taking the blow, the being moved back and bent before enclosing itself in the same pearl-like object from which it had emerged, and seeing this, Daneel got an expression of extreme frustration on his face.

He wished he could go forward and continue his attacks, but he knew what was coming next.

If he stuck to that course of actions…it would only mean suicide.

Immediately, hleapedpt back, and just a moment later, the ground on the spot where he had been standing caved in, as if it had been stamped down by an unstoppable force.

If he had stuck around, his fate would have been the same as the one whom he had made to kneel, and unlike that being which had somehow escaped, he would have been at the mercy of the two hundred Heroes.

After all, so many Heroes were no joke, and hence, the King retreated to his own force.

The situation hadn't turned out very ideally…but he wasn't the Daneel of old to not plan for everything.

Right away, he activated the second form of his Champion Path, and as the power of each Hero behind him started to rise, he heard a shocked gasp from the pearl.

"You! That Path! Y-"

The rest of the sentence was cut off by the roars of the Heroes behind Daneel, who had all set out to strike first.

Each of them had at least doubled their power, and seeing this, Daneel was satisfied.

If it had been before his trip, his power level would not have been enough to power up so many. After all, the number of people he could have an effect on was directly proportional to the power he wielded, so empowering even 10 Heroes would have been a stretch.

Now, though…one hundred Heroes whistled through the air with ferocious might, and Daneel wasn't even breaking a sweat.

With pride for the strides he had made over all this while, he waited for his group to collide with that of his opponent.

BOOM!

With the sound of an explosion, the two forces met in the air in a spot in between where Daneel stood, and where the pearl in which the entity was recovering.

Even with the very first blow, it became clear that even though each Hero on his side was outnumbered 2-1, it was no problem.

Each of Daneel's Heroes moved fast enough and struck hard enough to contend with two of their counterparts with ease, and soon, it became apparent that a stalemate would be reached, with a slight advantage even being on Daneel's side as the amplification he gave was, in reality, just a bit above 2x.

It was only after he had commanded his force to travel higher and higher to leave him a blank space that he could use did Daneel step forward, and seeing him do so, that same rumble of a voice appeared from the pearl.

"Even I have to admit that its impressive. If my Heroes had been normal, they would actually have had an easy time dealing with yours, as monsters who just use brute strength and instincts can be handled quite efficiently using magic and intelligence. Now, though…you evened out the playing field by 'dumbing down' my Heroes, and giving power to yours. That leaves the two of us. You must be thinking that it would be easy, but did you think I had no backup plans?"

With that, five individuals appeared in the space in between Daneel and the entity.

They were all familiar, and at the same time, unfamiliar.

A pang of loss struck Daneel as he saw these six who looked like they had changed so much even though only a few months had passed since he had left, and knowing what was coming, he readied his heart.

"The most classic trick in the book. You die, or they do. I've removed the backup unconsciousness switches you placed in their minds…so you have no option but to fight. Have fun!"

That hacking laughter was heard again, and raising his fists, Daneel shook his head.

However, there was also a hint…of anticipation in his eyes.

The five in front of him all had unwilling expressions on their faces, as if they had known what would come but had hoped that there might be some way in which it wouldn't happen.

Seeing this, Daneel smiled and spoke, and hearing his words…the five smiled, too.

"No long faces, sovereigns. Raise those fists, and show me what you've been up to. I hope…that you don't disappoint me. Come!"

Chapter 891: Daneel vs The Sovereigns

Eloise stood right in the center of the group of five who had been suddenly teleported to the battlefield without any preamble.

They had known that the war was going on, and that even though all of the Exalted Warriors had been conscripted, they had been told that they were exempt so that they could act as a sudden trump card when needed.

They had been tense the whole while – ever since they had found out that an invasion from the Church was happening with their king at the lead, they had known that this was what they had been waiting for all this while, but they had had no way to expect in which way things would play out.

They had discussed between themselves, and the one thing that always came to the fore was that it was enough to trust him. They trusted him to save them and break their shackles, and when he did, their only goal was that they would be ready to fight by his side and make a difference with their strength instead of just being those that he could only protect and not rely on, which had been how it was until now, at least in the memories that they retained.

They had been born as normal people in the Central Continent, but their fates had been irrevocably changed by coming into contact with this man. Even now, they knew that most of their life was hidden to them, but emotions were funny things – it seemed as if they could surpass the need to have logic, and if they had been evoked once by someone, then they would do so again even if one had forgotten the reasons and circumstances due to which it had happened in the first place.

In fact, they had even been talking about their strides in these past few months when they had suddenly disappeared from their room in the Order.

As soon as Eloise came onto the battlefield, she directly zone out all of the noise – the fighting Heroes were above her, which was the group that anyone would pay the most attention to first because it was making such a large din that would probably be heard over a quarter of the continent if a formation hadn't been set up to isolate this place, but in her case, and even in the case of all the five, their eyes lurched onto the man in front of them.

As soon as they had done so, they saw the emotion in his eyes, and suddenly, it was as if the world felt… Right.

In them, they had seen the longing that one would have for companions that they had known all their lives, but had had to abandon for reasons that they couldn't control, and the emotion was so earnest that they could tell that it must even have manifested as a physical pang, just like how it felt when they lay their eyes on the man they had been waiting for all this while.

Eloise had only been told about her history with the king, but right now, for some reason, her eyes flitted between him, and another whom she searched for, even though she didn't know why she was doing so.

Even if she didn't find him with her eyes, for some reason, she could feel that he was close by, and this finally allowed her heart to completely calm down, for it had been continuously agitated for days and weeks and months on end, pushing her to accomplish more than anyone else in the Order, and astonish all those who had thought that they had her figured out.

After that, each of them heard the words of the one they had been calling the Overseer, and they weren't really surprised, because they had expected that if they were called here, then it would be to fight the man whom the Overseer seemed to hate so much.

In fact, they had known it even when they were given all the resources – and there had been a choice to not use them and give an easy fight to the king.

However… This plan had been scrapped right away, again, because he…was King Daneel Anivron, and not some random person who might have to do things in the way that others wanted them to act.

Rather than not trusting him and wasting the opportunity that they had gotten, they decided to use it to its fullest extent, and when the time came for him to break them free, they would be ready to take their revenge in full force.

Still… It hurt.

It hurt that the one man they had been thinking about would be the one they had to face in battle right now, but as they heard his words… They looked up with pride in their eyes, as a single word that he had said continued to reverberate in their ears.

"Sovereigns."

Yes!

They were the Sovereigns of Angaria, and when the king gave them a command… They would obey.

Instantly, the five of them got into the battle formation that they had become famous for this past month. Eloise was in the back, with Aran and Cassandra right in front of her, acting as vanguards, as if she was the most precious cargo that had to be protected at all costs.

Eloise took one last look at the king, before closing her eyes and clasping her hands together.

As for the last two, Luther disappeared from the battlefield, blending into the shadows that were falling from above, and Kellor strode out to stand right in front of the king.

Cracking his knuckles, he even managed to smile and say, "Watch out, my King. I must say that if you don't keep your guard up, you will be quite surprised…"

True, they had been compelled to fight by the oath that they had given, but that didn't mean that they couldn't do it in their own way.

As for the part about them dying if they didn't beat the man in front of them… They knew that it would be resolved in due time, so they just prepared to give it their all.

The first thing that Daneel did as he saw this was return the smile, because it truly felt good to see these people that he loved so much after so long.

He had been able to see all of their growth, which was the reason behind them feeling unfamiliar, but he was proud of it, and he could also see that one thing hadn't changed – they believed in him, even though they did not know clearly just why they did so, so much.

He looked forward to giving them back the memories. He looked forward to having another meeting of the Sovereigns among the clouds. He looked forward to laughing with them, dining with them, and spending time with these people who were a part of his life. He looked forward to it all… But first, he would have to fight.

Looking up, Daneel estimated the battle between the Heroes, and saw that it was still even, with his side gaining. Alas, the negative of this was that he needed to continuously empower the 100 Heroes, as otherwise, they would instantly fall behind and be defeated.

True, the playing field had been leveled out by making even the Mages monstrosities that could only use their physical strength, but the strength of numbers was still something that would only be overcome with his miraculous Champion Path.

And when that form was active… He couldn't use the other one which would have allowed him to end this battle in a couple of seconds.

And that meant… That he would have to depend on something else.

Broadening his smile, Daneel said to the system, "Activate Fighter Domination Protocol B."

[Activating. Checking for consciousnesses. Consciousnesses found on host's body. Activating Shapeshifter Bloodline, Ultimate Form. Activating protocol.]

In the primary vault of Elysium, resources that had allowed him to make subsequent breakthroughs and become powerful enough to empower a hundred Heroes were not the only things that Daneel had found.

In the age of the Empire, the body parts of especially strong Godbeasts were used to make powerful weapons, and hence, they were regarded as treasures.

And of course, a vault as unique as the one he had found would definitely have only the most…'special' objects placed within.

As soon as the system replied, Daneel felt his blood boiling, as if it had been agitated at once, and he vanished into a transparent mist, which was a precursor to Shapeshifting.

However…the form he took after that was unlike any that had graced this continent in a long, long time.

The moment it came into being, a bright flash of light blinded everyone who had been gazing at the spot where Daneel had been standing until now, and as the sovereigns quickly made their eyes adjust, they dropped their jaws and stared, agape, at the majestic being that was now in front of them.

It was in the shape of a bird, with its wings folded to its sides, and it was massive- its head was at least 23 feet(7 m) in the air, and it looked down at them, like an eagle trying to pick which of the mice on the ground it would swoop down to swallow.

However, the main thing that stood out…was that the entire body of the bird was made out of lightning.

'ZZZZZZ!!!'

A constant sound could be heard from it, and if one focused, they would find out that it was what one would hear before they were zapped by the gods above.

It was even inconceivable to think about, but reality stood in front of them- it was as if a massive lightning bolt had taken shape to form this bird, and it still had all the sharp edges and dangerous might that would cut anyone in half if they dared to go near.

"Fight, you fools!", came the command from the pearl, in which the entity seemed to have been similarly surprised until now, and with the command, Kellor grimaced and raised his hand.

The gigantic woodcutter's ax that had graced the sky in his last fight appeared again, but this time, it was even bigger.

Just its haft was 30 feet (9.1 m) long, and the blade was a quarter as wide. The edge of the blade looked ready to chop through reality, and without any delay, it swung down onto the bird.

The bird looked pretty unperturbed as it watched the weapon come near, as if it didn't have a care in the world.

Soon, the reason behind this became clear.

As the moment came for the ax to chop through its enemy…the bird simply split in two, resulting in two parts of its body that were still shining brilliantly due to the dazzling lightning bolts they were made of.

After the ax passed, the bird simply rejoined its two parts and even yawned, as if to say, "Is that it?"

In response, Kellor chuckled, and it felt so, so good.

He realized that he didn't even remember the last time he laughed, but putting that aside, he simply turned around and said, "Eloise, if you please."

This time…it was Daneel's turn to be surprised.

He had always wondered what Path Eloise would choose. Graced by the sect-preserving treasure that had cleansed her body and made her someone who was perfectly capable of training in either domain, her training had been effortless, and his intention had been to guide her when the time came for her breakthrough to become a Warrior.

After all, the best Paths needed groundwork to be laid down in this realm, itself, but alas, things had turned out in such a way that he had no way to be present at that crucial moment.

However, knowing that her instincts were sharper than many he had met, he had still been hoping that she would choose something extraordinary.

But when he saw her finally expose her Path…he never expected that he would be so bowled away.

Eloise had been concentrating all this while with her eyes closed, and even when Daneel had transformed, she had not opened her eyes.

Now, she finally did so, and as she unclasped her hands…a sudden change came over the battlefield.

Kellor's ax had flown through and then swung again for another attempt.

Initially, Daneel had been about to react in the same way to teach his Grand Court Mage not to do the same thing again and expect a different result, but suddenly…a feeling of danger struck his mind.

Instantly, he zapped away.

The speed of the Godbeast that had been known as the King of Lightning, which he had dubbed Zeus, was its forte, along with its body that could be split into the smallest of parts and then reassembled with no effort.

A moment later, when he looked back at the spot where he had just been…he couldn't help but take in a sharp breath.

The ax had formed a deep crater in the ground, and Daneel knew that if he had stayed there, even the parts of his body would have been pulverized, causing him serious damage.

"System, what the f*ck is going on?", he asked, after making his own analysis and coming to an unbelievable conclusion.

Kellor's attack…had had its power multiplied by five times!

[Analyzing. Path found in database of theorized Paths during the age of the Empire. Paraphrased explanation:

'Path of the Saintess: A Saint or Saintess are typically supposed to be individuals who can give over their lives wholeheartedly for a cause. This ability to 'give', without thought, and with holding nothing back, is something unique that can only be found in a few. If these few can be guided to turn this quality into their Path, then the results they can achieve will be tremendous. According to estimations, depending on how strong their ability to 'give' is, an amplification effect limited to a number of attacks can be achieved. The amplification level, however, will be stronger than in any other similarly-oriented Paths, with the range being from 3-10x. Just in the Warrior realm, if trained properly, an amplification of 4x can be achieved. It does not need to be said how this might allow one to end the battle with a single blow, if used wisely. The main negative is that finding someone with such a pure heart is very, very difficult, and along with this, they must also possess extraordinary talent. Alas, it is an exceedingly rare combination, but I shall keep trying to prove this theory of mine.']

Well…whoever that researcher was, his theory had been proved.

The ability to 'give'…was something that Daneel knew that Eloise possessed to a great extent.

She had spent all her life 'giving', without desiring anything for herself. Hell, she had even been ready to 'give' herself to the new King if it meant that she could save her mother, so what more proof was needed to show that she was someone perfect for this Path?

It went even deeper, though, as one might be willing to make harsh choices when faced with irreconcilable circumstances. In the case of Eloise, she had continued to keep giving, to Daneel, to the Kingdom, to all those who depended on her, until her entire life revolved around finding joy and contentment in knowing that she was doing her job well.

Daneel felt like applauding whoever had chosen this Path for her, as even he would not have been able to do better.

However…all these amusing thoughts raced out of his mind when he received a message from the system.

[Power level of opponent has broken through the Champion Realm. Host is advised to stop this power build up.]

When the entity had exposed itself, its body had been weak, and it had been mainly depending on the 200 hundred Heroes on its beck and call.

But after somehow creating a spell on the spot to make the shackles of the Oath return to bind the monstrosities, which had been hidden by Daneel, the being had retreated into that shell in which it had been rapidly absorbing Energy.

Daneel had no intention of letting it zoom past into the Hero realm, so although he wished that he could give his sovereigns a prolonged fight, he decided to speed it up.

"My dear sovereigns, I am thoroughly amazed by your progress. All of you have become Peak Warriors, and made great strides in your Paths and Bloodlines. Eloise, especially…you've achieved something amazing. But pardon me, for I must play dirty now, as our foe awaits. When everything is back to normal, we can have a great fight. Now!"

As soon as Daneel said the last word, two individuals appeared in the midst of the five.

The first one to act was Elanev, whose arms had swollen, bulging with muscles, to be 4 times what they normally were.

With vexation on his face, he launched a punch, and with a loud sound, it broke through the sound barrier on its way…to Eloise.

Indeed, she was the core of this force, and if she wasn't taken out, then Daneel would have to use a lot of Energy and time to deal with his sovereigns.

'Overdrive' allowed one to wield strength beyond their level, and hence, when a Peak Champion used it…it was truly something to behold.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Like a meteor hurtling through space, the front of his fist even turned red from the air resistance, and when it struck the defensive barrier that popped up in front of her, it broke through with barely any effort.

ZAP!

With the singular sound of lightning, Daneel appeared above Eloise at this point.

For an instant, he switched back, and taking out a majestic sword, he tapped Eloise's shoulder with its tip.

At that moment, when he saw her face, though, he was quite surprised to notice that she was actually…smiling, as her eyes met Elanev's and found something there that seemed to give her pure joy, exactly like what she had found when she had seen him after so long.

It was only for a moment, though, and with Artefact taking effect, she fainted.

[Form of Oath detected on target deemed too strong to be broken directly. Artefact has been used to weaken and temporarily deactivate Oath. Backlash will result in minimal mental damage.]

Mental damage would need time to heal, but Daneel had no alternative.

After Eloise crumpled to the ground, though, he suddenly felt his mind attacked.

The reality that he saw shifted into one where zombies were marching in his direction, slowly, step by step, and in their eyes, he could see why the Mindhunter Path would act on him in this way.

Each of them were the people who had died due to his failures, and they were the specters who had come to haunt his conscience, and tell him that he wasn't as perfect as everyone saw him to be.

If Aran had time, he might have even succeeded in trapping Daneel in that landscape filled with zombies, but thankfully…a majestic cry of a Black Raven sounded on the battlefield, heralding the arrival of the other sovereign that Daneel had taken with him.

A gigantic black bird with glistening feathers, each of which were like tiny black holes that were sucking in all of reality near them appeared behind Aran, and with a simple motion, it closed its wings…and swallowed him whole.

After breaking through to become a Peak Champion, Faxul had unlocked more of his abilities, and even his power was on another level. His form of the Black Raven, itself, had enlarged to become more similar to the proportions of the Ravens of old, so he was now a gigantic being whose wingspan was at least 50 feet(15.24 m).

As for the ability…it allowed him to forcefully teleport anyone to anywhere by swallowing them within his black hole, and any barriers that tried to stop this would be reduced to nothingness.

Hence, as Aran reappeared above Daneel, he was ready for the sword, which touched his shoulder, too, as Daneel had been able to move after breaking away from that landscape which had actually been quite dangerous.

He crumpled next to Eloise, but by this time, Kellor had turned around, and Cassandra had changed form.

A blazing Phoenix came into being, and the woodcutter's ax also chopped down at the same moment.

However, assessing the battlefield, Daneel sent a message to his sovereigns, and together, all three of them launched attacks onto a spot on the ground, where it looked as if nothing was present.

It was abrupt- Faxul made a black hole appeared which made tremendous attractive force settle on the location, and it was followed by another punch from Elanev, whose legs had expanded, too, to give him dizzying speed that he used to reach the spot.

Finally, Daneel had changed back into the King of Lightning before turning into a massive lightning bolt that moved faster than anything that had ever struck down from the Heavens, and together…they revealed the man who had been hiding in the shadows at that point.

Luther wasn't ready to be defeated, though- he took out two daggers which he stabbed in Elanev's direction, but suddenly, protective barriers appeared which stopped his attack, and that moment was enough for Daneel, as Luther's defenses had already been broken down by their attacks.

As he crumpled, too, Daneel said, "All right, it's two on two now. Have fun, boys, but try to finish quickly."

The element of surprise could only take them so far, but it was enough- there were only two Peak Warriors to take care of, now. Typically, with a full realm of difference in power, the fight should be easy, but the two Warriors were outfitted with incredibly strong defensive trinkets, and because they also shouldn't be harmed, it wasn't a battle that would resolve in an instant.

Still, Daneel was free, now, and as the two Godbeasts began to fight while accompanied by the Fighter and Mage who also began their battle, Daneel finally flew to the pearl.

Transforming back into himself, he said, "It's time to end this," before sending a message to the system.

"Activate Fighter Domination Protocol A. Let's show him what we really achieved in that hellhole."

Chapter 892: A Battle For The Ages

In the age before the Empire, Godbeasts were often the most terrifying beings that any settlement would fear, and hope to never cross the path of.

Although these beings had high intelligence, they liked to treat humans as either prey or playthings. Even though it was true that humans were some of the worst possible food they could find- full of bones and with a pitiful amount of flesh that wouldn't even count as a snack, they were still targeted by a few terrifying races of Godbeasts for multiple reasons.

Some said that it was because they did not like seeing them grow powerful, and wished to squash them before they reached enough of a level of power to challenge them.

Others stated that they liked to see the expressions of fear, as humans had some of the most expressive faces.

And still others…simply said that it was to have fun.

Either way, when the war came, it was welcomed and supported by almost all of humanity.

During this war…there were a small list of races who were targeted the most, both because of their absolute power, and their insistence to not let any human who crossed their sight live.

Even though they were few in number, each of them held extraordinary power, and it wasn't a rare occurrence for a few thousand humans to fall to bring down just one of these beasts.

As Daneel felt his body blur again before taking on the form he had practiced with extensively in Elysium, he remembered this history which he had been told by the system.

And this…was because after more than 25,000 years, those Godbeasts would be gracing the land of this great continent again.

Together.

From his feet, as his body began to be revealed to the world, he felt the two sovereigns behind him, who were still fighting, suddenly suck in sharp breaths as they witnessed the thing that had actually inspired the name 'Fighter Domination Protocol'.

Scaled, muscular, black colored legs that were bent, looking like they were bursting with power.

Gigantic, grey colored, bladed wings on a back and an upper body that was also scaled, but which shone brilliantly, as if swallowing all of the light in existence.

Hands that were giant-sized, with strange orifices near the spot where the forearm met the hand.

And finally…the neck and head of a crimson dragon with a single, majestic horn pointing straight forward.

As soon as the being came into existence, everyone present felt a faint trepidation in their hearts, as if their instincts were telling them that it would be in their best interests to flee the spot.

Even though they had seen it multiple times, even Elanev and Faxul felt this, but they braced themselves as the transformation was not done.

Indeed…after stretching its neck forward, opening its wings wide and spreading its hands, this breathtaking being that the King had transformed into roared, and due to this, everyone could see that its tongue…was actually made of lightning.

The roar of a dragon resounded on the battlefield, returned to its glory as the Monarch of Godbeasts, and as a dark glow began at the bottom of its long neck, it turned its gaze to the pearl, which now looked puny when compared to it.

That was because with its neck elongated, it stood 36 feet(11 m) tall, and its wings were even taller than it, stretching out to 60 feet(18.2 m), while looking as if they could blanket the whole world if they wished.

The varying colors of each part of its body actually added to its splendor instead of taking away from it, letting one know from which Godbeast each part had been taken.

The legs of a Nightwolf, known for its ability to leap across large distances.

The back, wings and upper body of a Griffin, the Godbeast that was known for its speed and maneuverability in the air, along with its unbreachable defense.

The hands of a Neolith, a Godbeast that was the most humanoid in appearance, but which hated humans the most for reasons that were never found out.

And finally…the head of a Dragon, the most destructive Godbeast in all of existence, with the tongue of the King of Lightning, the purpose behind which was exposed as Daneel opened his maw and prepared to attack.

The glow that had begun at the bottom of his neck reached his mouth, and this was where it met the lightning.

The end result…was an apocalyptic beam of hellfire interspersed with lightning bolts, that looked like it was the very personification of what it meant to 'destroy'.

Daneel was going all out from the beginning, with no intention of testing out his opponent and then revealing his power, as many characters were wont to do in many of the stories he had read back on Earth.

This was his most powerful attack, and its strength…had been rated at the Peak Amateur Hero level by the system.

And of course…this was only when he was using just his Fighter Path.

BOOOOMMMM!!!!

On impact, after a brief second of silence, the place where the pearl lay was smote with the unstoppable wrath of a Dragon that was incensed.

And when mixed with the element of lightning which had the capability of upping the explosiveness of any attack…it was a sight to behold.

A crater more than 80 feet wide appeared on the ground, and it was even half as deep as its width.

However…Daneel raised his hand just in time, as the entity that he had come for had managed to escape and appear on his side.

As this was a place that he had been able to access beforehand, he had also placed down an anti-teleportation formation that couldn't be broken easily. Only…it looked like his opponent seemed to have speed that rivaled teleportation.

Well, no one ever said that this was going to be easy.

It had been a blow by a blade that was like a large version of a butcher's knife, but Daneel had blocked it without even thinking with his bare hand.

As for the one wielding it…it was the same entity whose face had scared so many before, but it was enlarged by multiple times, which now allowed it to stand 25 feet tall, with armor covering its smooth body from neck to toe.

This armor was strange- it looked like a black sludge that was constantly swirling around the entity's body, but when Daneel made a surprise attack, it became clear what it was.

The Neolith had had a famous method of sending out bursts of Energy meant to threaten the enemies that it couldn't engage at a close range with the unmatched brute strength in its body. And this…was through the orifice at the base of its hand, which could point in any direction and let forth the fury of its race.

If it knew that its power was being used to defend those that it had hated with vehemence, it would definitely be pretty damn pissed off.

BANG!

With a sound like a gunshot, a projectile that looked like it was made of pure light began its journey to hopefully strike the large eyeball of the entity, in which the two pupils looked like they were dancing around each other.

Alas, at that moment…that black sludge sprung up as if it had a life of its own, and it managed to stop the attack easily.

[Power assessment completed. Power level of opponent: Eminent Hero. If no new power is introduced, the probability of host's victory is 67%.]

Daneel actually felt relief as he heard this.

So far, although he had made many plans, things hadn't exactly gone the way he wished.

When dealing with an enemy of such means, though, he should have expected it, but it definitely hadn't been very pleasant to go through.

Using his powerful legs for a burst of strength and lunging forward with his powerful neck to hopefully bite the opponent's head off, as per the system's suggestions, Daneel hoped that there would be no more surprises.

True, he really had hoped to turn the continent against this being, which was why he had made that plan of creating a situation where the entity had to give back its executive powers, and become the Overseer again.

Anyone who had been slumbering for so long would definitely not want to go back to the dark hole they had been hiding in all this while. It was said that a prisoner's worst fear would be to go back to prison after they were given a taste of freedom, and Daneel had been depending on this to throw the entity's plan into disarray.

He had had the assumption, or at least the hope that it must not have found a way to do anything all these years due to the strict rules, and that its plan might be to use the time it had now to bring the rest of the continent under its control.

Alas, he had been mistaken, and even now, he didn't know how the entity had accomplished it.

After seeing all of his would-be allies fall unconscious, Daneel had fallen back on his second plan.

As he saw the entity launch another attack with its fist while forming a dazzling array of lights above them, which was definitely the precursor to a magic attack that might kill him if he wasn't careful, Daneel swung his wings forward, which had blades at the spots where they folded.

These blades sang as they whistled through the air, exposing the aspect of 'slicing' that they had inherited, and sensing this, the entity sprung back.

Seeing him do so, Daneel cursed that moment when victory had seemed within his grasp- when he had made the entity kneel, and had been about to cut him to bits.

Again, it had found a way to bring back the oaths into effect, even though the way it was supposed to be was that monstrosities should be free of the bindings placed on them when they had been humans. This was the reason why Daneel had subjected them to that transformation, but even that had failed.

Still, he had been able to salvage the situation, and reach this juncture.

"ROOOAAARRRR!!!!"

As the entity fell back, Daneel let out another resounding roar and used his most powerful attack again.

As the beam of thunder fire raced in its direction, the entity actually…didn't move to dodge.

Puzzled and dreading another surprise, Daneel watched as the sludge somehow…swallowed up his attack.

What the f*ck?

The entity was spotless, while Daneel had depleted a sizeable part of the reserves of his Energy.

[Attack has been displaced. WARNING: Attack approaching from the east!]

Hearing the message, Daneel had just enough time to use his legs to jump back, and allow his own beam of thunder fire to race past him.

He actually began to sweat as he saw it impact the ground and cause another massive crater, knowing that it would have injured him quite severely if he hadn't been fast enough.

The low rumble of the Overseer echoed in the air, making him look up.

"A trick from the Mainland. Your power is commendable. Normally, I would have loved to dissect you to find out all of your secrets. But now…I just want to destroy you, your legacy, your family, and all those who revere you. By the time I am done, no one will remember the name 'King Daneel'. You can only fight as a Fighter, and that is not enough. Come. Let's end this."

Narrowing his eyes, Daneel let out another roar of defiance.

The battle between the Heroes was still raging on above them, and as he leaped forward, the thought in his mind was that the entity was right.

They had to end this quickly.

However…not even a moment later, he had to quickly retreat, as the magic spell that the entity had begun to cast was finished.

It had resulted in the creation of a dark, pulsing orb, and as soon as Daneel had entered within its area of effect…he had felt the Energy being sucked out of him.

He looked at it with shock, as this was something that he hadn't seen, or even heard of in all these years that he had spent on this continent.

Folding its hands behind its back, the entity began to speak.

"Let me introduce myself. I…am 'Greed'. My desire is to live forever and consume everything that I can find, and right now…I desire the Energy within you."

Widening his eyes, Daneel realized that he was in a predicament.

Long-range attacks would be displaced back towards him, and short-range attacks would need him to go nearer.

What the f*ck was he supposed to do?

Already, Daneel could feel himself losing grip on the battle, and that wasn't a good sign.

The being in front of him had already displayed that it was capable of things that he couldn't even imagine, and if there were no other factors at play, if he could utilize everything he had gained in Elysium, Daneel was confident that he could win.

But handicapped in this way…was it even possible?

Removing the amplification on the Hero-level monstrosities above him for even a fraction of a second would result in a change in the flow that would definitely end with him facing up against two hundred Heroes, along with this thing that had inexplicable abilities.

That was definitely something that he was sure he could not get past, so he had to kill the entity with what he had.

But how?

At the moment, the entity was still gloating due to the perfect trap it had made, knowing that each second that passed would only act in its favor. It knew that it had the means to absorb unlimited amounts of Energy, whereas Daneel's reserves were limited, and quickly being diminished.

Using it, he took a deep breath and thought back to everything that had happened until now.

All of his plans, all of his preparations, all of the pain…had led to this moment.

He had carefully manipulated everything to ensure that he would have this chance, and although it might not be as ideal as he wished, he had obtained it at the cost of much blood and tears.

Only he knew the excruciating pain he had had to go through to achieve subsequent breakthroughs as a Fighter and a Mage. Only he knew how close he had been to that thin veil, and how much the other side had called to him, tempting him to end it, to give up, to accept that he had lost.

"NO!", he had screamed, and pulled himself back each and every time.

For an entire month, he had kept the image of his sovereigns and all of the people who had trusted him in the front of his mind, while he felt his skin and flesh stripped away, right to the bone, again and again, to be formed anew, to become stronger and rid the continent of this being who had almost succeeded in destroying their precious home.

All of it…had been for this moment.

As all of these thoughts flooded into Daneel's mind, they acted as a stimulus, allowing him to achieve clarity unlike any that he had felt in a long time.

His mind worked at an incredible speed, going through each and every moment of interaction he had both with this being and the form of the Overseer that it had donned for so long, before proceeding to all of the information he had obtained about it from its commander who had been more than willing to give it all up.

He also evaluated all of the trump cards that he was yet to use, but including the Domination Corps, they were all ineffective at the moment, both because of their power level which was still not enough, and because of the anti-teleportation formation.

Something should be there that he could use. Something to turn the tide. Something to make all the sacrifices so far worth it, to allow him to use this golden opportunity he had created, where he had stripped all of the defenses that this entity had created for itself over all these years to make it stand in front of him, alone, waiting to be defeated for one, final time.

A second passed, and another, but Daneel's will to find a way to win instead of just going forth and giving his all with a hope for victory did not wane.

After another second, in a moment that he would remember forever as the culmination of his will to never give up…he finally got it.

Hastily, Daneel used the system to hide the excitement that had surged in his eyes at that moment.

If his enemy even had an inkling about what he was going to do, this would not work.

Following that, he put on an extremely vexed expression on his face, as if he had found no method but to walk forth, before using his powerful legs and the might of his wings to fly forward in a blur.

The moment he reached his opponent, he went all out.

He attacked first with the cannons in his hands to test out a hypothesis. Just as he had expected, as the two balls of light impacted the entity whose head had once again split in two as it seemed to be laughing, the black sludge rose to stop the attack, but it didn't displace it to attack him again.

Right! Short-range combat was viable, even though the pulsing orb above them had already begun to suck in the Energy stored in every cell of Daneel's body.

At this point, it became obvious that the entity was using all of its mage prowess on that orb, and this was actually justified. Its absorption meant that Daneel's endurance, which would originally have allowed him to fight for 10 minutes at maximum capacity, had been halved, meaning that he had to finish whatever he had come to do in the next 5 minutes, or he was doomed.

As if finding this out and being extremely frustrated by it, he reared his neck and used it like a whip, intending to use the singular horn that was angled forward on his head to impale his enemy.

This finally elicited a reaction. The head of the entity rejoined, and it used both of its hands to catch the horn on Daneel's head, in a move that surprisingly worked.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

It seemed to have some way to ablate force, but Daneel still opened his mouth and shot out another beam of thunderfire.

In this way, he finally managed to damage his opponent for the first time: the sludge rose to block, but it was blasted away, and the smooth shoulders of the entity were exposed. A blemish finally came on them in the form of a spot that began to smoke, and the smell of charred flesh began to waft in the area.

"YOU!"

As if having its dignity, and not its body injured, the entity raised both its hands above its head, causing the butcher's knife to enlarge even further and strike down.

The Griffin's wings showed their power now, allowing Daneel to make an impossible maneuver that allowed him to dodge the attack even though he was so large, before letting him launch another beam of thunder fire at the waist of his opponent.

Alas, he had learned his lesson, so he dodged out of the way just in time, resulting in another crater forming on the ground.

The fight continued in this way, going back and forth, with Daneel landing most of his attacks as his focus on speed allowed him to outstrip his opponent's attacks.

Only…that black orb began to grow more powerful, and his endurance began to decrease even further. Also, the Energy it was absorbing also seemed to be benefiting his enemy, as the entity did not look like it would tire any time soon.

It had gotten used to being damaged, now, both because the damage was not life-threatening at all, and because it could see the near future, where Daneel would collapse to the ground with no more Energy left, following which he would be mobbed and torn to pieces by the monstrosities above

True, he might attempt to escape, too, but if he did so, the entity would simply destroy Lanthanor with a single attack and laugh while the kid outed himself anyway to prevent even more lives from being lost.

Anyway it looked at it, there was only victory in its path, and Daneel could detect this, too, in that nightmare-inducing eyeball whose pupils were now frolicking in a carefree manner.

With each minute, his desperation seemed to grow, and he really was outputting as much power as possible, with the hope that something really would change.

He landed many attacks, and even though that butcher's knife of the entity struck him once or twice, he was able to remain mostly unscathed by using his back, which also had the legendary defensive ability of the Griffin.

Starting from the three-minute mark, though, it became even more obvious how the battle would end.

The speed that Daneel had been able to use until then began to diminish, resulting in him getting caught in more and more attacks. He also started to take severe injuries, with the first being his horn being chopped off, as a result of a failed attack.

The entity had laughed gleefully and separated his face again, then, before striking again and again, causing Daneel to retreat.

He still returned, though, as there was nothing else he could do. He was greeted by a slash across his side which began to heal, but he fought on, landing more attacks, but having even more of his Energy absorbed, as it seemed that the black orb was more effective when the one it was acting on was weaker.

By the time they were halfway to the four-minute mark, Daneel's body was covered in injuries, and it started to become clear that he would soon collapse.

His attacks were simply shrugged off, and he had even stopped using thunder fire as it expended too much Energy. His wounds had stopped healing, and he dripped blood of various colors on the ground.

Finally, when another of his attacks failed, his wing was chopped off, causing him to fall on the ground, out of breath, and looking like the reaper was already bending over his shoulder, tapping it to give him the message that it had finally come to take him away.

Over their battle, they had reached the spot on the shore where the Sea was only a few feet away.

On the sandy beach, Daneel lay, panting, helpless, and defeated.

The entity walked forward, exultation clearly visible in its gait, and as it reached Daneel, it raised up the butcher's knife.

"A commendable battle. But you were always doomed to fail. Finally, after seventeen, thousand years…I shall have my victory."

The entity was filled with joy, looking forward to all of the moments it would spend erasing each and every figment that represented this brat, before taking command of this continent which should have rightfully belonged to it all those years ago.

Seeing the blade fall, it even bent forward, with the intent of relishing the sight of the end of Angaria from an even closer distance.

However…it was then that it happened.

Time seemed to freeze, because in front of its eyes…an object had come into being.

It was vaguely in the shape of a skull, but if seen from above, one would know that this was the shape of Angaria.

It was in the hands of the brat who had mustered enough strength to strike away its weapon for one last time, but even as that gigantic knife thudded to the ground beside them, the entity paid no attention to it.

And this…was because it knew what that skull represented.

In a rasping voice, the King said, "If I can't win…then I shall follow in the footsteps of the one who saved us before."

With a scream, the entity clutched its side.

It remembered the blow that had struck it there, and this memory…was more painful than anything it had had to go through in all of its life.

But…how? It should be impossible!

"YOU'RE BLUFFING!", it screamed, but in the next moment, it saw the impossible come to life in front of it.

To control the Grand Inheritance meant that the Will of the World would be in one's grasp, and in front of its eyes, it saw the Will prostrate to the man whom it had been about to slay.

It did not notice that the battle above had turned in its favor as the amplification of the hundred opposing Heroes had stopped, or that the intensity of what it was seeing here was in no way comparable to what it had witnessed then.

No…all it saw was that it was the same concept, and this…made it return to that moment.

Even then, victory had been in its grasp, but everything had changed in a single moment.

Was it going to happen again?

The memory of how close it had been to dying engulfed its mind, and everything that it had been thinking was replaced by a single thought.

"NO! I MUST FLEE! I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME!"

It turned around and began to run, letting go of everything else, as it was convinced that if it didn't, the same blow would strike it again, and this time, it might not survive.

But at the same moment, the King transformed back into himself…and smiled.

It had even stopped commanding the Heroes above, so raising his hand, he gave the command.

In the same way that they had rehearsed, the strength of all one hundred Heroes focused on a single point, and after taking command of it, Daneel struck down.

SWWIIISHHHH!!!

With a horrified scream, it was ground into the tiniest of pieces before even those pieces were scattered across the sea, and finally…Angaria, itself, let out a sigh of relief.

Feeling this, Daneel stood tall and declared, "Greed...you were defeated on that day, itself, at the hands of Emperor Fenoras. It is done. The War is over. "

However, just as he was about to relax, a voice echoed from the west, and accompanying it, an explosion which made the very earth shudder struck Angaria.

"Oh...but, I beg to differ."

Chapter 893: The Enemy

Daneel would always think back to this day, and every time he did, he would wonder whether he could have done things differently.

Each time he did, he would go through the events, one by one, starting with his 'eureka' moment which allowed him to win the battle.

The idea had mainly stemmed from the words of the entity, its past, and everything he had found out about it from its commander.

The trail to reach that solution had been laid out to him almost like bread crumbs in the forest, but still, if not for the moment of clarity which he had been graced with, he doubted that he could have spotted it.

To understand an individual's weakness, it was most important to get a grip on just what their character was, and this was where Daneel had started.

He had found out about the entity's, or at least, Olivia's past from the commander, who had spoken about it almost in a hushed tone.

Daneel had been quite fascinated by it, although he had wondered whether that information would help him.

Immortality was always a very important topic for all those who walked the Path to power. Hence, it had been quite interesting to find out about this spin on it.

Daneel had made a list of the people he knew who had survived for all these 17,000 years, and he had found out that more than half had gone crazy, in some form or another. Even those who didn't had only been able to accomplish that by taking very careful precautions that had been implemented by either them or someone else who cared for them, as otherwise, even they would have been swept away by the tides of time.

When the commander had spoken about how the entity was well-versed in creating another version of itself, Daneel had been puzzled, but even this had been explained by the story. Locking away one's memories and turning into a force that was driven by a single emotion was basically changing oneself and making a version that would be immune to insanity, and with the added bonus of being able to go back to their memories whenever they wished, it seemed like quite an effective prospect.

However…this was where Daneel's deduction had started from.

One who did such a thing was bound to have weaknesses, and he had uncovered the one he would use due to this information.

The consciousness was an incredible thing, and part of what it made possible was to have a complex life where one could juggle multiple emotions and motives to live according to one's character.

And for this, many theories stated that if the consciousness was thought of as the body that made it possible, then memories were the flesh and blood that allowed it to exist.

If so…wouldn't taking away the memories also take away the capabilities of the consciousness?

From this supposition, he had reached the conclusion that it would be a valid idea that the entity was more vulnerable to things that would wound one's psyche, than normal people who might be able to get over them after a period of time.

This brought him to the entity's life before they had had to flee from the Mainland and drift at sea, before getting lucky and finding Angaria.

According to the commander, they had been able to live while obtaining almost anything they wanted on the Mainland for thousands of years. For all those years, they had simply enjoyed themselves immensely, with each of them indulging in all of their desires. Of course, their leader had displayed 'greed' to the fullest, recklessly expanding and gobbling up all sorts of resources and even followers, until it seemed as if there would be no end.

Apparently, the entity had only stopped when it became clear that they might endanger themselves by angering the truly powerful ones on the Mainland, and this had led them to change their strategy into one where they bided their time and built power, while still enjoying everything they had.

Only, this entire life had been destroyed in a single night.

The commander had said it clearly: the entity had been devastated, and it had taken many days at sea for its rage to die down. Even after that, it would snap and kill others mercilessly every time this bad memory was mentioned, and everyone had learned to forget what had happened.

This fact only served to reinforce the other deduction that Daneel had already made from what he had concluded about Olivia's past and the speech given by the entity as soon as it was exposed: that trauma might be a very real thing that it had not gotten past, and that if he found a way, he would be able to use this to achieve something.

That was how the plan had started to form in its nascent stages. Even the first thing that the entity had said after revealing its identity was that it had been cheated out of its victory, and that it still had anger that it needed to take out on someone, and during the latter part, Daneel had seen the emotions in its weird eyes, which had been very, very agitated.

Hence, the plan became clear: he would use the trauma caused by one thinking that they would finally be able to climb back on their feet, having victory within their grasp, but then having it taken away at the last instant, to find a moment of weakness that he could hopefully use to achieve victory.

From there, finding more stuff to support the fact that the plan would work had been simple: the shudder that had gone through the entity's body when it mentioned Fenoras, the terrified expression described by the commander at the moment when its body had been destroyed, the scream of extreme unwillingness that had sounded across the continent which no one could forget- all of them supported him, and hence, the decision was made.

But how? How would Daneel accomplish it?Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Thankfully, things had already been set up in a way that he could exploit.

When he had broken through, itself, the system had said that his Champion Path was a dual-form one, which was exceedingly rare and only theorized about on Angaria. He had also been extremely careful to never expose this fact, whether it be during his actions in the Order or on the continent, so it was a reasonable thing to assume that except in the small group of people he knew, no one else was aware of this fact.

During this battle, though, it had been exposed, but of course, only the form that allowed those who supported him to have their power amplified was put on display. Anyone would conclude that this was his Path, and that he only had his Fighter prowess left, which was what the entity must also have believed. Of course, this was confirmed by its words, when it had said 'You can only fight as a Fighter, and that is not enough.'

Finally, this brought Daneel to the thing that tied it all together: his Champion Path, and its similarities with the Grand Inheritance.

The Grand Inheritance granted one the ability to wield the Will of the World as they wished, but if they weren't supported by the majority of the individual Wills, it would result in the backlash that had caused the apocalypse.

As for his Champion Path…wasn't it essentially the same thing?

The Will of the World had bowed down to him and granted his every wish, so wasn't this the same thing as the ability to wield the Will?

Hell, it could even be said that his Path was an even purer form of the Grand Inheritance, as it had come to be because of the resonance he had with the world, instead of having to use some object to forcefully obtain the ability!

The moment that he had realized this, was when excitement had surged through his body.

If he suddenly shifted his Champion Path and changed the conditions back to exactly what they were when the entity had almost been destroyed, wouldn't it certainly result in a moment of weakness?

With that, it had been decided. As for the conditions…they were simple to emulate.

The entity had to be in a position where victory was just a moment away, and it had to feel the change in the Will, which would take away any notion that it was false.

Daneel had also decided to throw in a fake Grand Inheritance, whose form he knew even though he hadn't obtained all the parts yet.

At that crucial moment…it had all come together, and the bluff had worked perfectly.

Hence, in truth, his victory really was dedicated to the Emperor, and he had felt more relief than anything he had felt in what felt like a long while as he said it out loud.

However…that was when that voice had spoken.

It had sounded strangely…familiar, but all thoughts like these raced out of Daneel's head as he felt the explosion make the earth that he stood on shudder.

Hurriedly, he had begun to run, before hastily deactivating the anti-teleportation formation and teleporting west, from where the voice, and the sound of the explosion had echoed.

It took a few teleportations, but finally, Daneel found himself behind a mountain, on the opposite side of which the explosion had happened.

He had stopped here to take a few precautionary measures, and after ensuring that he had hidden himself in the best way possible, Daneel took a deep breath and flew to the top of the mountain.

The view that presented itself as he reached the top…was something he would remember for his entire life.

Previously, he had been on the eastern shore of Angaria, so flying west meant that he had reached the Kingdom…of Axelor.

But at the spot where the capital that he, himself had visited was supposed to be…there was a white, shining citadel unlike any that had ever existed on Angaria.

In the air above the topmost spire of this citadel, there stood two individuals, and looking at them, Daneel finally understood why that voice had sounded familiar.

"Missed me? You might have forgotten about me, but you've always been in my thoughts, King…"

Arnold, the Empire Spirit said these words while relishing each one, and beside him, the man who was wearing white robes spoke, making Daneel realize that even he was someone that he knew.

"Did you really think that we would waste an opportunity like this, where all the forces of the continent are lying senseless? Like my dear comrade just said, the War…has just begun, King."

He was the individual from the Church who had been scorched and beaten back by the Head in full view of the continent all those months ago, and as Daneel heard a message from the system at the same time, he finally realized what had happened, with horror and dread filling his mind.

[Variation of Blood Sacrifice Spell detected. Large-scale blood sacrifice has been carried out to facilitate large-scale ultra-long-range teleportation.]

Axelor…was no more.

And the Church…was here.

Chapter 894: War

The words of the Empire Spirit of Angaria and the man from the Church echoed in the void between them, and although it felt as if the world had come to a standstill for Daneel, a lot of things were going on around him, about which the system continued to give him updates.

[Blood Sacrifice Spell used being analyzed. System has detected that the final result was sub-optimal, resulting in certain side-affects. Further analysis underway to identify side-affects.]

[Core defenses of continent have been concentrated on a different area. It is advised that the first course action should be to redirect defensive measures.]

[Task given by host to establish method of accessing authorities held by the entity formerly known as 'Olivia' is underway. Progress Update: The best solution that exists is still that a new Overseer must step into place. Former mentioned rules shall apply. Minimum Power level: Hero. Hence, host cannot use this solution.]

[If defensive measures are not immediately activated, a second Blood Sacrifice Spell can come into being, which will be able to utilise the lessons that were most probably learned in this first attempt.]

That last message jolted Daneel into action, and he shouted, "Arnold! You were a trusted confidant of the Emperor! I know what happened! He spared your life and even gave you such honor, but you repay the continent he loved in this way?"

Daneel knew, in his heart of hearts, that his response was deplorably generic.

However, keeping the situation in mind, and ignoring all of the startling aspects which he could figure out later, at leisure, after first stopping this real war that was supposed to come much later, Daneel had recognized that he needed to buy time, and on such short notice, this was what he came up with.

However, Arnold's response made him understand that using ideas that were also prevalent in the entertainment industry from back on Earth…was never a good idea.

With a chuckle, he simply said, "Are you really that foolish? Well, then just die," before gesturing at the man from the Church, who sent out a Hero-level attack that was in the form of a cone-shaped metallic projectile which whizzed through the air.

As all kinds of warnings went off in Daneel's head, he teleported away in the last moment…and stared with horror at the mountain he had been standing in front of it.

As soon as the metallic projectile's tip met it, the top quarter of it disintegrated, and the end result was that the mountain looked as if some inestimably large giant had taken a bite from it, as if it were made from Swiss cheese instead of cold, hard earth.

His spine becoming drenched with sweat, Daneel used the Basilisk's Breath and began to assess the situation.

It looked as if going through that whole episode with the entity before had given him the ability to calm down at a moment's notice and think with unprecedented clarity, as he was able to enter that 'zone' again.

Right away, he saw the glaring things which had been revealed by the actions of these two, so far:

They hadn't deployed an army, yet, which was the first thing that anyone would do in this situation.

They hadn't flown out to attack him and had instead opted for a ranged attack even though he was their primary target…which meant that they must be protecting something.

This second conclusion was actually confirmed in the next second, when Daneel saw Arnold see him dodge with vexation, before glancing back, as if he blamed the thing behind him for not being able to come forth and hunt him down.

With this confirmed, Daneel decided to leave, without wasting any time on cheeky dialogue.

During that moment of clarity, he had gone through his options and already found the solution: there was only one, in truth, and he was very, very grateful for the things that had resulted in it being possible.

As he underwent hasty teleportations to get to the place where he knew the man he sought must be, he asked the system, "How do I initiate the process to make someone the Overseer?"

[The Order always has an individual completely bound to it, who is given a copy of the Stone Obelisk which is the official item to be utilized for appointments and transferal of powers.]

The image of a single man came into his mind, and breathing a sigh of relief due to the fact that he had at least found out the best thing he could do to handle this situation, Daneel increased his speed.

He tried not to think about the fact that the War he felt he had been preparing for for all his life was here in such an abrupt fashion, or that he had so, so many more plans that he had wanted to implement before they arrived.

He tried not to think about the hundreds of thousands of people who had been killed, whom he had seen personally when he had traveled to the Kingdom.

And finally, he tried not to think of the harrowing fact that they would almost certainly face defeat if the War really started now, as he now had a clear assessment of the Order's strength, and it was not enough, especially as the whole idea had always been to fight a defensive battle where they would use their home advantage to the fullest.

Abruptly appearing in this manner…was a masterstroke, as it essentially threw all of their plans into disarray, and if one looked at the situation objectively, then they would conclude that the Church had already won.

But that…was only if Daneel didn't have a say in the manner.

Reaching his destination, Daneel saw, with pleasure, that the man he had come for was already waiting for him.

"Well…f*ck."

Hearing the Head curse for the first time since he had met him, Daneel was quite surprised, but he realized right away that this was a situation that would want to make anyone use the foulest of language.

"Come on. You're the new Overseer."

Saying so, he reached forward and caught the Head's hand before teleporting them away.

There was no time for explanation: he still had no idea why Arnold and the one from the Church weren't moving from where they had been standing, or for how long they would be bound by the reason behind their actions.

Each and every second was precious, and even though he was still injured and bleeding from all the damage he had sustained during the fight, he held on and pushed through, ignoring all of the sensations, but still allowing himself to feel them as they kept him firmly in a completely alert state.

Not even a couple of seconds later, Daneel was on the ground where the one hundred Heroes from the Order had collapsed, after the entity had activated its plan.

The best thing to do was obviously reverse the mechanism it had used to accomplish this, but the system had not figured out a way to do so, yet.

He went directly to Cain, knowing that he must be the one who had bound himself to the Order.

Sure enough, lying beside him was a miniature stone obelisk, and it looked like it had rolled out of his hand, in which he had grasped it very tightly.

Daneel could guess why this was the case: after realizing the treachery, Cain's first instinct must have been to use the obelisk in some manner to take back what had been given, but alas, he had been too late.

Daneel directly picked up the obelisk, which made it activate, and in the same way that he had been intimated about the rules in the missions he had undertaken in the Order, there was a prompt that appeared in the air in front of it.

"Extreme danger to the continent has been detected. Multiple threats have bypassed the core defensive mechanisms. Emergency defensive measures have been deployed. Active direction needed. Role of Leader- Empty. Role of Overseer- Empty. Roles are ready for appointment."

Below the prompt were two buttons: one said 'Leader', another said 'Overseer'.

Curious, Daneel was about to touch the one that said 'Leader', but before he could, the Head's hand was already on 'Overseer'.

Instantly, the man was raised into the air, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

And not even a second later, he was back on the ground.

Daneel was about to ask whether it had failed, as it had taken such a short time, but he received the answer in a different way.

"NO!"

A scream echoed out from the same spot where he had been present a few seconds ago, and at the same time, a barrier exactly like the one that had blocked him when he had landed on the shore with his posse of a hundred Heroes.

It looked like it stretched to the Heavens, and it was the strongest defensive means that Daneel had ever seen in all of his life.

Blessing the injury that had made the Head stay back as his Mageroot was as good as disabled, Daneel turned to the man, but saw him stagger and take the support of the obelisk.

As Daneel hastily walked forward to support him, he raised a hand and said, "I'm fine. It just took a toll on me. King, the situation is not good. They killed almost a million people to get here, and although I can't figure out how it happened, the fact is that more than half of the defensive means we have were all meant to keep them out. Now that they're already bypassed them, it's as if half the battle is over! I can't figure out a way-"

Knowing that this situation had rattled even this man, the Head, who had been through countless hair-raising battles, Daneel raised his hand to stop him from babbling and said, "What defensive measures were used to stop them? And what others are available?"

As if the steadiness of his voice gave him strength, the Head gulped and was about to respond, but he abruptly stopped whatever he had been about to say.

Frowning, he thought for a moment and then said, "I can't tell you because you're not a part of the Order. You-"

"Oh, screw it!"

Daneel didn't need any further explanation.

Without even thinking about it, he placed his hand on the obelisk, and right away, a voice appeared in his head, asking whether he was ready to swear himself over the Order.

His first reaction was hesitation, but he squashed.

This was not the time to question things, and even if this killed him, he would be fine with it if it meant that he could save the rest of the continent.

He rushed through the oaths, not even caring to go through them properly, and just like the Head, he was done in a second.

After that, he was given a complete list of everything that had been deployed, and everything that was still present, waiting to be used in the correct way.

After seeing them all, he spotted the solution right away.

It was radical, and maybe even slightly crazy, but right now…that was exactly what they needed.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Taking in a deep breath, he spoke, and at the end of his statement, the Head looked at him as if he were seeing a madman.

"Well…I had expected that someone might use this opportunity to their advantage, but I could never have expected that it would be the damn Church, itself. Now…I'm even more glad that I didn't cheap out when I placed my backup plans. Head, get ready to give the Church a surprise of the same level that they gave us. We…will be splitting Angaria in two, and today, the Church will learn a lesson they shall never forget: 'When something seems too good to be true…maybe, it is.'"

Chapter 895: Destroy

As Daneel watched the Head go about the preparations for the crazy plan which he still didn't really seem to believe, his mind wandered, and as a result, he got the perfect analogy for his present situation.

He felt like a fisherman who had laid a trap for a school of harmless fish, but instead, a damn shark had wandered into it, leading him to be in a very difficult spot where he would either be devoured by it, or be rewarded with much more than he had set out to get if he somehow managed to salvage everything.

Yes… That was definitely apt.

So far, only a minute had passed between when he had appeared in front of Arnold and the one from the Church and been attacked, and now, when the Head was busily bustling around, familiarizing himself with the powers of the Overseer and doing what Daneel had asked.

Still, Angaria was eerily silent, almost as if even the birds and animals knew that something momentous was going to happen, and hence had hidden in their homes, hoping that they would not be the ones affected.

The Order was the most comprehensive organization to ever have existed on Angaria, and hence, it had many, many means all over the continent which it had built over the innumerable years during which it had reigned supreme.

One of these means was a hidden formation right at the highest point that could be reached by Heroes, which enabled one to look down, as if they were a God from the Heavens, upon all of their subjects below.

In fact, the bar was the focal point of this formation, and it was from there that one could control it and use it to see things that would definitely not be visible from the ground.

Because Daneel had sworn himself over and taken the position of Cain, he now had certain privileges, even though he had no official office in the Order.

Also, because the Overseer was now the Head, he had also granted everything he could to Daneel, giving him almost near unlimited access, which was something that he knew that Cain had never had. That man had sadly only believed what he had been told, and hence, he didn't know that one could even gain information and access to almost all of the formations that were present, and that the only thing they couldn't do was control them, which was something that only the Overseer and the Leader had the authority to do.

And hence, he also had the logbook of all of the things that the previous Overseer had done, right until the moment when he had died, so that was how he knew that Cain and everyone had believed that the Overseer was the only being who could access them. For years and years, they had continued to build defensive measure after defensive measure, all while depending on the Overseer who could control them, not knowing that they could take that role, too, and bring much more transparency in the entire process.

This was one of the many things that Daneel had found out, but he had placed all of them to the side at the moment. The only reason he was thinking about them now was that he had already done everything he could, and he was waiting for the go-ahead from the Head.

Still, he did remark on one last thing: it was the image of the Kingdom of Axelor from above, and the first time he had seen it, he had sucked in a sharp breath, as it had been even worse than he had expected in his wildest dreams.

Axelor was located to the southwest of Angaria, quite a bit away from the shore, but still not exactly in the center. The Goddess's of Sanctum was the closest establishment to it, but it could be said that the two were divided by a huge chasm, mainly because of the ancient formation which protected the sect.

Also, the Goddess's Sanctum that was marked on the map was the place where all of the inhabitants of the sect resided, with the important areas all being elsewhere, at the place that Daneel had visited when he had gone to check the library of the sect. At the moment, he also knew that it was completely empty, as all of the members of the sect had either joined the war, or gone to this other place, which had better defenses.

Hence, it was almost as if this kingdom was an isolated part of the continent.

The place that Daneel had been to before was the capital of Axelor, which was weirdly situated near the border of the Kingdom. At that point, he had seen that the citadel that had appeared had risen on the exact place where the Palace had stood for the longest time, and the area all around it, where hundreds of thousands of people had once lived, had all been flattened out, almost as if it was a barren wasteland and not the flourishing city that it had once been.

He had been hoping that the rest of Axelor was completely unaffected… But he was wrong.

Blood Sacrifice. These were two words that he detested, but somehow, the continent he loved had been subjected to it, without his knowledge.

This was definitely the part that he hated the most – it had all happened under his nose, and after everything was done, he would definitely find out how and make sure that anything similar would never, ever repeat.

At the moment, though… The reason behind him being so shocked due to that sight was that from above, a gigantic formation could be seen on the ground, which had been hidden all this while.

The most horrific thing about it was that it was carved into the ground, like an array of small canals that delivered water to the fields, but in this case, all of them were filled with red, shining blood.

Judging from what he had seen before when he had traveled to the Kingdom, he could tell that this formation encompassed the entire capital. The citadel had arisen right on the center, destroying the Palace that Daneel had blown up before in the process, and it was now obvious that the rest had been destroyed to make this happen.

As for the even more worrying thing… It was that each and every major city and village also had all of these formations set up, which thankfully hadn't been activated yet.

If they were… Daneel could almost imagine it.

Just one citadel had been enough to give him a feeling of danger, as it had been clear that it definitely held many, many Heroes who were all just waiting to be deployed so that they could force their way through all of the ranks of the Order and Angaria and defeat this continent that had been in their sights for such a long time.

If all of the cities and towns were also sacrificed… On the bones of millions, many more citadels would rise, and it would be as if their graves had spoken the death sentence for their continent, which would be defeated in one breath.

The greatest solace was that it had not happened yet, and because it had already happened once, the system was able to scan this formation and find out that after it was activated, the first thing that would come into being was a killing formation that would deliver all of the blood into the canals laid on the ground. This process wasn't that easy and would actually take a little bit of time, so the fact that it wasn't activated meant that there was something wrong, and that it was the perfect moment for something to be done.

And Daneel… Had worked out the perfect plan.

"It's done. Are you sure about this, Daneel?"

Hearing the voice from beside him, Daneel smiled for the first time since he had found out the truth about what had been going on.

Many, many emotions had been assaulting him continuously, but right now, all he felt was anticipation.

Anticipation… To see the same damn shock that he had felt in those who looked like they had been assured that everything was within their grasp.

Taking a deep breath and knowing that this decision would change everything, but acknowledging that there was definitely no other way, he said, "Yes. Begin. It needs a little bit of time to warm up, so until then, I can tell you how I figured this out."

Turning to the side, Daneel saw the Head nod, following which his eyes rolled into the back of his Head.

The man was in no way the same as his regal self who had impressed Daneel with his impeccable attire and the way he always used to carry himself, but even though he had a scraggly beard and his hair was overgrown, just now, when he had seen Daneel, his eyes had returned to the same clarity and sense of purpose that they had had before the incident, which was something that felt great to see.

A moment later, there was no visible change over the continent, but the Head let out a sigh and said, "I am ready, on my end."

With a nod, Daneel folded his hands and began to speak.

"Head, you might not know this, but I have been researching our continent for the longest time. Well, I guess it was more of a search for knowledge, in general, but on that path, I've found out many, many things regarding Angaria. I thought I had found out everything that there was to find… But after taking this oath, I realized that that was not the case. There are certain things which can only be found out by those who are in our positions, and because no one else had access to them over all these years due to that damn guy making sure that he kept everything to himself, even I couldn't find out about it, as it is something that has been scrubbed from all sources. Have you ever wondered… What exactly the defense of our continent was, which allowed us to remain unseen for so many millennia after the apocalypse?"

Turning, the Head shook his Head and said, "No. All the records say is that it was like a veil that had been pierced by the curiosity of the Emperor, and that had attracted the scourge of that force which caused the Apocalypse. By using the Grand Inheritance, he fixed it and killed our enemies, and that's all anyone who is in the Big Four finds out."

"Exactly. But we… can access the truth. You can see it, too, but because you've been busy with my requests, you must not have gotten a chance to peruse them. You see, unlike what anyone might think, the location of Angaria…is not fixed. Angaria, and many continents like it, are adrift on the Endless Sea, and hence, they are always moving. Because of the vastness and mysteriousness of this sea, it is impossible to locate all the continents at all times. Hence…the first objective of any force is to set up a sort of homing beacon with which they can transmit the location. This beacon must be quite powerful, so that small place the Church has been hiding in was not enough. They needed something on the scale of that citadel so that they can send more troops…but we CANNOT allow that. So, the only logical conclusion…is to set them adrift, so that they are no longer a part of us, and hence, cannot know where we are. What do you say?"

Before the Head could nod after getting over his shock, a faint sound could be heard from the west.

Turning around and rubbing his hands, Daneel couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"It's starting," he said, and at the same time, at the spot where he had met his two enemies, a conversation was going on.

"Damn this! You said that we could deploy everyone right after coming!"

As Arnold exclaimed in this way, the one from the Church replied, "No one could have expected the abrupt attack from deeply hidden defensive measures that disrupted the teleportation. Don't worry- it's almost fixed, now, and we've been left alone, anyway. Poor sods. Their army is lying senseless, so what can they do?"

Before Arnold could respond, he spotted something in the corner of his eye.

"Look! Over there! Aren't they Peak Warriors?"

In the distance, at the border of Axelor, a group of individuals were moving around swiftly.

They wore dark robes, and as Arnold was someone who had been to the Olympics, he knew who they were.

"They're the personal Corps of that King! But what…are they doing?"

With a puzzled voice, he wondered, and casting a spell, the one from the Church answered him.

"They seem to be placing…teleportation formations, of some sort, at equal intervals. But who do they expect to teleport? There's no one left!"

The one from the Church said this with glee, but in the next moment, he continued with a puzzled voice.

"Hmm…strange. Aren't those…mosquitoes? But why are each of them half the size of a human? And why…are their bodies glowing? It's almost as if…"

BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!

His voice was drowned out by the sound of an explosion, which was accompanied by the ground below them shaking violently, but the weird thing was…that they couldn't see its effect anywhere around them.

Suddenly getting an idea, the one from the Church cast his sight through the earth, and in a voice filled with horror, he screamed:Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"THAT F*CKING BRAT! HE OBTAINED ACCESS TO THE CRUST! HE'S BLOWING APART THIS PART USING THOSE DAMN MOSQUITOES! QUICK, WE HAVE TO ACT! QUICK, QUICK, QUICK, OR ALL OF THIS WILL HAVE BEEN WASTED! DEPLOY EVERYONE- I DON'T CARE HOW INJURED THEY ARE! QUICKLY, BEFORE HE SETS US ADRIFT!"

At the same time, from above, thousands of small pouches began to fall.

They struck the defensive barrier around the citadel and fell to the ground a few hundred meters away, but a second later, mosquito after mosquito started to climb out of them.

In barely the span of five seconds, hundreds of thousands of pouches had fallen, and millions of mosquitoes were standing at the ready.

Seeing this, in the distance, the King of Lanthanor chuckled, before saying, "Welcome to hell. Mosquitoes…destroy."

Chapter 896: Annihilation Corps

Two weeks ago, at the same spot where Daneel was standing right now.

The King of Lanthanor clearly remembered being in a lot of pain. He had just stepped out of a pool that almost looked like molten lava, and although he had felt his body surging with power, there had also been pain accompanying it, which hadn't faded for a long, long time.

This was to be expected, though, and was nothing surprising – breaking through from the Amateur Champion level to become a Peak Champion was a completely different thing when compared to his previous experience of simply reaching the peak of the Warrior level. He had known this, but it was only after going through it did he really understand what it meant to be 'reborn'.

The system had also given him some stats before he had gone into the pool, and it was only after he got out that he understood their significance – it had told him that the number of resources that had been used to create what he was stepping into was 100 times what any normal Champion would use on average to breakthrough from the Amateur to the peak Champion level while trying to train as quickly as possible, and at that time, he had wondered whether a lot of the resources were being wasted to ensure an instant power-up.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

However, after his experience, he realized that it was because so many more resources were needed when Energy had to be bombarded into one's body, as compared to when it was calmly being observed over a period of time.

Whatever the case, Daneel had stepped out as a true-blue Peak Champion Fighter and Mage, and it had to be commended as the stats were apparently that in those who use the same process, only about 30% had the chance to succeed. In fact, it was even the case that many would succeed in breaking through in one Path and fail in the other, but thankfully, Daneel's grit had carried him through.

Only he knew how enticing death had felt, or how tempted he had been to close his pores and take some or the other defensive action against the solution that continuously went in and out of his body. Even though he hadn't been certain, his instincts had told him that it was a bad idea, and later, he had figured out that that must be why this method had such a high rate of failure, even though so many resources were being used- many would opt for the easy way out instead of being roasted alive for weeks on end, and nothing worth anything had ever been recorded to have been achieved without putting in effort or going through pain.

After this, he had traveled to Angaria secretly, and because of his increased power which allowed him to bypass many of the specific traps that had been laid of for an Amateur Champion, he had managed to penetrate easily into the Central Continent, which he knew would be targeted if everything went according to plan.

His plan had always revolved around giving the Overseer everything to expose him, and then taking everything away by ending his existence. In that process, he knew that Angaria would definitely enter a vulnerable state.

He hadn't expected that it would be this vulnerable, but even then, with the almost endless resources he had found in the primary vault behind his back, he had decided to set a trap for anyone who might come out of the shadows, seeing that the time was ripe.

Then, he had considered whether he should hold back and save a majority of the resources, but seeing the citizens who would be the first ones to die if someone did choose to attack, he had made the decision that had, at present, allowed him the chance to escape certain doom.

His trap had had 5 layers, built to accommodate different types of enemies who might attack.

Each layer corresponded to a different over all power level, with the last being the ultimate trap that would be able to annihilate even one of the Big Four, in case they decided that they might want to revolt.

Now, as Daneel saw the millions of mosquitoes crowd around the citadel, almost blacking it out in the process, he felt pride welling up inside him. True, they weren't as large as the ones that had started to appear at the borders of Axelor due to the actions of the Domination Corps, but what they lacked in size, they more than made up for in numbers.

And as he gave the command…a sight that he would remember forever appeared in front of him.

It reminded him of the fourth of July from back on Earth, but instead of fireworks…a million individual explosions lit up the sky.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BO-...

Initially, one might have been able to hear each of them, like loud grenades which imploded on the defensive barrier, which looked like it could withstand a thousand such attacks without even being disturbed.

But what if it were a million, and that, too, all at the same time?

The answer…was displayed to the Head and Daneel, who were standing side by side.

With the loudest cracking sound that they had ever heard, the defensive barrier broke, and seeing this happen, Daneel told the system, "Change maneuver from 'Blow 'em up from the outside' to 'Blow 'em up from the inside'."

[Acknowledged. Sending mass communication. Mosquitoes will attack to sources of Energy and explode.]

True, it was a childish name, but Daneel had felt that it fit. Of course, if any bard asked him in the future when they were writing down the tale, he would never admit it, but right now, it gave the most perfect explanation.

As soon as the smoke from the explosions cleared, swarms of more mosquitoes which were still being generated started to travel inwards, to the citadel which was no longer shining pristinely where it stood upon the graves of hundreds of thousands of Angarians.

As for the one from the Church and Arnold…they both had livid expressions on their faces, but this was not because of the sight they were seeing in front of them.

No, they were staring at a display trinket which was showing a different scene, and seeing this, Daneel knew that they had figured it out.

This…wasn't the real fight.

Raising a hand, he brought up a display trinket, too, and what it showed him made him smile, and made him understand the reason behind the exceedingly panicked expressions on the faces of the two who still stood exactly at the same spot from where they had attacked Daneel.

The image it showed was that of a cave that seemed to have been newly extracted, and if anyone was told that this was the most securely protected place in all of Angaria…they would definitely not understand.

In fact, the protection had existed ever since the formation of the continent, itself, when there had probably been nothing atop it but a vast landscape with little to no life. Even these forms of life would have only been those that would take many, many years to even take on a semblance of what they were now, but still, this spot was guarded by the Will automatically using various methods, which was something that was not seen anywhere else.

As for the reason behind this…was that if the continent was considered to be a normal human body, then this was the location where the most vital and critical part necessary for life, the brain and the nervous system, would be. If one succeeded in destroying it…then the continent, itself, would be no more.

It was the crust of Angaria, which was at the bottom-most part of the continent, and it was what Daneel was actively blowing up at the moment with the special breed of mosquitoes which were each half the size of a regular human.

"FINALLY! Annihilation Corps, your targets are those teleportation formations! They're sending those f*cking monsters to blow up the part of the crust that supports this part of the continent to set us adrift. If that happens, we will be mobbed and destroyed by all those beasts in the Sea! Our foothold in Angaria to teleport more troops over will be lost! The Bishop will send us all to the Absolution Camp! We have no time! Cloak your Energy signal and ignore those mosquitoes! GO!"

Daneel's thoughts were interrupted by the one from the Church, whose statement had actually accurately summarised the rest of what was going on.

Indeed, after gaining access to this place using the Head's role as the Overseer, Daneel had begun this process of sending Bomber Mosquitoes to accomplish this crazy goal.

That's what he called them, and this time, it was a name he was proud of. These mosquitoes had the special ability to absorb a large amount of Energy in a small amount of time before blowing up in a manner that actually amplified all of what they contained, and they were perfect for this task.

Their only problem was that they had a short time period in which they could live, and hence, Daneel had had to place the teleportation formations on the border. In this way, they could teleport straight down to the spot where they were supposed to explode and do their job, before flying away to mosquito heaven.

He had considered directly creating the mosquitoes in the place where they had to blow up, but in that case, the apparatus that was creating them would be destroyed each time. Hence, this was the best solution.

But of course…its obvious fault was that it could be targeted by their enemies.

After the statement from the man who had delivered in a tone that was filled with fright, which had been great to hear, there was no change, and Daneel started to wonder whether the effects of arriving via Blood Sacrifice had caused more damage than he had expected.

However…a second later, he understood why the one from the Church had called them the 'Annihinlation Corps'.

100 figures in green robes flew out from the citadel, and in fact, they were even familiar to Daneel.

Each of them had a globe of green-colored fire in their hands, in which one could see a dancing human skull, and as Daneel saw it, he frowned and said, "Head, now."

Instantly, the same barrier that had blocked Daneel before, and which had been around the citadel until now, changed location to appear around the border, to protect the many, many teleportation formations spaced equally, which were all sending mosquitoes straight down.

It was a magnificent sight: an entire section of Angaria, spanning over 200,00 square kilometers in area was now surrounded by a glowing barrier that rose to the heavens. In fact, it even looked as if it had been 'chosen' by someone from above, and in reality, it had been 'chosen', but to be split apart and sent away, like a rotting limb that had to be cut off, lest it risks the survival of the entire body.

"Release!"

This change did not seem to perturb the Annihilation Corps, though, because after reaching a certain spot, they all threw forward the globes of fire in their hands.

As they shot forward in the air, each globe enlarged to grow as big as a hot air balloon from Earth, and as each one struck the barrier…the skull which had also grown in size opened its mouth wide, as if to swallow whatever it could find.

BANG!

At first sight, it looked as if the barrier of the Order would break down.

The green flames, after all, had the infamous ability of being able to burn through everything. In various places, they could be seen growing more and more, beginning to blanket the entirety of the barrier.

The glow of the barrier began to diminish, but thankfully, at the end…it held.

"King! We're safe, for now, but those flames might burn through soon. We need something else!"

Daneel, who had realized this, too, frowned, before turning back to look in the distance, at the vast field, where Champions, Warriors, and Heroes were lying unconscious on the ground.

His own Heroes and the ones they had been fighting had also collapsed, and even though it was more out of exhaustion, in their case, the truth was that they couldn't fight.

Hence, there was only one, last option.

With a frown, the King spoke in his mind, and his tone was filled with unwillingness.

"Well…I wasn't going to do this, but I guess we have no choice. System, repeat 'Apocalypse Protocol', but this time… get 'em all. There's nothing like forcing someone awake by turning them into a monster…

Chapter 897: Giving in

Rayen was pissed off.

He couldn't even remember the last time he was this angry, and helpless. Even when his son had been about to die, it had been pure, mindless rage, and thankfully, it had been followed by the episode with the king where he had been made to kneel. Even though his anger has surged, then, it was nothing compared to what he felt now.

None of them had had any inkling about the fact that anything could be wrong with the trinkets that were given by the order of the Big Four, and the High Council. After all, part of being Angaria was trusting these individuals who had always had the good of the continent in their hearts, and even though he had known that the entire situation was wacky, he had thought that there was no possible way for anyone to be harmed if they equipped themselves with those powerful defenses. He had even scanned them, and had found nothing wrong, and besides, such a thing was even supposed to be impossible, according to all of the conventional magic rules that were known to all the mages and even Fighters.

At that moment when that… disgusting thing had made its move, he had realized it, and it was too late.

All he could do was berate himself, and even though it was a fact that many, many more powerful and even smarter Heroes had fallen for the same trick, he just couldn't stop from scolding himself again and again.

'When everything felt off, why did you care about whether you have a better Hero level trinket, or not?'

'Why can't you just have used what you had?'

'Why couldn't you have faked it?'

Even in his own consciousness, he kept asking questions like these, but no matter how much he did, there were no answers. He had also extensively analysed the situation, and found out that the one who had planned this all had also kept in mind the lingering fear that was in every Hero – that they would perish and lay waste to all of the lifespans that they had gained with so much effort on the battlefield, which meant that they would definitely not forego any chance to decrease the probability of this happening.

Also, even if he had tried resisting, there was nothing to say that he would not have been labeled as a traitor who had ulterior motives, maybe to backstab those around him, but still, Rayen was of the opinion that he should definitely not have been defeated this easily.

He had felt it the second it had started – it had used the bond that was formed usually between trinkets and living beings using the blood of the latter, and although it had looked simple on the surface, that command from the thing had changed a few of the formation lines' position, and had resulted in an entirely different formation appearing out of nowhere. It had put them all in a half-waking, half-unconscious state, and even though they could not detect anything that was happening outside, they could think in this manner in the void within their minds.

Perhaps… This was even worse than being knocked out, because they could all imagine the fate that Angaria must be subjected to in all of their absence. They knew that if someone was this capable, that they must definitely also have planned something for the rest of the Heroes who had also appeared from that secret force, so it definitely did not seem as if things were good for the continent.

Of course, Rayen's only, only hope was the king, but still, he couldn't help but wonder what an Amateur Champion could even do in the situation. Even a thousand Champions might not be able to accomplish much, but could the king perform a miracle?

Well, he was known for them, so the only thing that Rayen could do was pray.

Until… He heard a voice reaching out to him.

It was strange. There was no concept of time in the void that he was in, and he had settled in for a long, long wait. His mind went in circles, going over the same topics again and again, torturing him in the process, and he had thought that he would find no respite anytime soon. In fact, he had even been convinced that he might never wake up and be massacred in his sleep, and hence, he had started to list out all the regrets in his life, chief of which was that he hadn't been able to spend more time with his son.

However… That voice changed everything.

"Do you wish for revenge?"

"Do you wish to break your shackles and be unleashed upon the world?"

"Are you willing to stop being so useless, even if it means that you will have to give up your sanity?"

"Answer, and change your fate!"

"Answer, to rise and fight for your home!"

"Answer… Or die in this void, and forfeit your final chance to live…"

"Answer now!"

"I'll do it!"

Rayen didn't even need time to give the answer. And the moment he did… Strangely, it was as if a red film came over his vision.

And the next second… he rose, and his body started to swell with strength and power.

He watched it all happen… And he was laughing as he did so, feeling his sanity fading away.

It was the same with all of the Heroes who had collapsed near him. Like an army of zombies who had all been called upon by a powerful necromancer, they rose as one and started to transform into the scourge that had arisen to torment Angaria all those years ago.

They were back… But this time, there were here to save it.

Watching them all, Daneel shot another glance at the barrier behind him, which was barely holding on. By this time, the green fire had spread everywhere, and it was quickly burning through the energy reserves.

This had always been the bane of stationary protective barriers- they could be targeted and quickly depleted of their resources, and it was probable that there was nothing more effective than this green fire to accomplish that.

However, looking back at the field of Champions and Heroes, Daneel nodded to himself, while the Head watched on, completely flabbergasted.

Seeing him, Daneel decided to explain a bit, because they had a few seconds of time.

"It is no easy process to turn someone into a monster. First, this 'turning into a monster' thing is all a misnomer- what is basically happening is that one is turning back into their primordial form, where they enter the state in which they can use the most power, but in the process, they lose everything that made them human, or part of any other high-level race in the first place. They lose control over magic, too, because their Mageroot is also actively boosting their physical form, calling upon the power of the World to allow them to destroy as much as possible to survive. You saw me do the same thing with those Heroes before, and the ones here, and it was only possible… Because of their vulnerable positions. The spell I cast was based on the memories of the commander of that entity which I could scan through, and get a clear understanding of just how the transformation happened then – this was not possible for me before, as I never had access to someone who had lived through the Apocalypse and seen it with their own eyes. The spell gives one the choice of giving up their rationality in order to change their fate. You must already have observed that this is common in both of these groups – in their case, those Heroes were all pretty damn enraged because they were being forced to follow oaths like pitiful mongrels instead of the glorious individuals they once were, and given the choice, not one of them looked back. They all gave in and transformed, and it is the same here- I have no idea how I'm supposed to break the effect of the bond with the trinkets that was used by that entity, but I do know how to bypass restrictive measures. Also… I'm not proud of it, but I also know how to manipulate those who are in helpless situations. I just phrased their situation correctly, and…"

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WRRAARRR! ROUW! ROUW!

RRRRRRAAAAAAAA!

The rest of Daneel's sentence was drowned out by the numerous roars that sounded on the battlefield that had been silent till now, and in fact, that was the perfect end to his explanation.

Turning his gaze, the Head could only watch with an expression of disbelief as thousands of monsters of various sizes stood up and started to look around the world which they had thought they might never see again.

The sizes seemed to correspond to the power level of each individual, and this change had only come upon the Champions and Heroes, just like it had happened back during the Apocalypse.

Now this… Seemed like an unbeatable force, but just as the Head was about to praise Daneel, he saw something which stopped him.

One of the Champions that was nearest to them was done relishing the feeling of being free, which they could still experience even though the rest of their mind had been swept away, and with nothing else to do… He had started attacking the one near him.

This started a chain effect, but before the Head could react and say that they might all kill themselves before they even attacked the enemy, he felt the king casting a spell.

It was a strange one, as he had never even heard about something like it before – it seemed to form some kind of… odor, and along with a carefully crafted breeze, it started to waft into the land of Axelor.

It had to be noted that there were many, many villages and towns still unscathed in the Kingdom, and although Blood Sacrifice formations had been formed around them, none of them had been activated.

Still, it looked like the people were used to strange things happening around them, as all of them were holed up in their homes, huddling behind any defensive trinket that they could find.

Everyone was ignoring them, as it was like they were the ants on the ground when a fight between humans was going on. True, they might be stepped down and killed, but neither party would really care.

However, Daneel did, and he made sure that the breeze that he had created passed over all of these places before heading to the Citadel, and also to all of the individuals who were standing in a circle around it, throwing globes after globes of green fire across vast distances at the barriers which were on their last legs.

By the time they felt that something was wrong… It was too late.

"Now!"

With Daneel's shout, the Overseer nodded, and the barrier went down. It had been about to break down in the next few seconds, anyway, and for a split second, the teleportation formations which were still creating human-sized mosquito after mosquito were exposed, with only a single last line of defense present that had been set up by the Domination Corps.

Only… It was only for a second, because in the next one, a shadow fell over them, as a swarm of beings flew above them, in the sky.

They were all headed to the same target, and as those in the Annihilation Corps realized what was going on with shock, they began to hastily set up more defensive measures as they definitely had not been expecting to be instantly mobbed by thousands of monsters whose power levels were all jacked up to a level that they had not reached in their life.

Seeing them all being swarmed in this way, Daneel allowed himself a small smile and said, "I didn't think that the pheromone extraction spell that helped me to find Elysium would be utilized in this way, too… But I guess a monster is a monster, whether it be in the form of a shark, or a human who has given up everything."

With that, he turned to the Head, and with a determined tone, he spoke.

"That'll keep them for some time. Head, I think you realize that doing this will jeopardize the lives of around two million more Axelorians, who are all hiding now, scared, unaware that their kingdom is soon going to be destroyed. Should they have to die for the bad luck of being born there? No! They all have to be saved, and we have to do it before the final explosion that will set Axelor adrift, which is one minute from now. Every second is precious, and my plan is to save each and every one of those people, before equipping them with everything that I can to avenge their home that will soon be destroyed. Come on. We have a kingdom to save."

Confidence growing in the Head's eyes, he nodded, and Daneel began to lay out his plan.

Chapter 898: Finale

A few seconds before the release of the horde.

Standing at a spot right above the Citadel, which should actually be called the Cathedral but had been changed in order to accommodate the very strict rules that had to be followed if one wished to teleport over such a large distance using Blood Sacrifice, the one from the Church could not stop himself from looking down again and again, where he could see the crust slowly but gradually breaking apart due to the repeated explosions that were happening all around him.

He had once had a name, but once one entered the Church, names didn't really have too much use. They would usually be called by the position they had obtained, and even though he had had a higher one before, due to everything that had happened recently, he had been bumped down to be just a Priest.

He had been quite livid at this, because the general power level of Priests was the Champion level, while he was a talented Hero who had proven himself multiple times on the battlefield.

However… The Bishop's word was law, and she had been quite angry because of his stunt where he should have brought the entire continent to its knees with fear, but had ended up encouraging them to fight back with everything they could by showing them his defeat, and subsequent scurrying away that had been quite pathetic.

Even now, he could feel the shame that had burned more than all of his skin that had been scorched off due to the Head's attack, but as he watched everything that was going on around him, he tried to drown out these memories and feelings.

"Priest, we need 30 more seconds to wake up the rest of the forces! Even if we send them out now, they cannot use the elementary particles that are present here! Like I said, the polarity…"

"Shut up! I don't care! Shorten the time period, or we are all going to die!"

It wasn't the first time he was saying this, so all he heard on the other end was a gulp.

Below him, the place which should have been the entire reason for their swift and relatively inexpensive victory was in chaos, with hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes that had been born after their brethren had exploded and brought down the barrier were buzzing around, landing on any source of Energy they could find and happily blowing it to kingdom come.

Defensively, those inside had already begun to use certain methods to fool the mosquitoes into thinking that the white marble that the Citadel was made of also contained Energy, and this was thankfully keeping most of them from targeting the crucial areas, which had to be protected at all costs.

And this… Was mainly because of all the Heroes who were behind those doors, in a weakened state, ready to die if even a single mosquito landed on them.

This was the secret that they wanted to hide at all costs, and it was why he was standing there without moving. If worst came to worst, he might have to sacrifice himself to protect all of these Heroes who were much more valuable than him, and there was no option of disobeying orders, either, because of all the stringent vows that every member of the Church had to take when they joined.

Thankfully, it wasn't all bad news – the Annihilation Corps had been able to recover, mainly because of their sentient flames which had always known how to burn no matter where they were.

Of course, the entire reason behind all of this was that they had intruded forcefully upon a foreign place whose Will was rejecting them actively, and it was to be expected, as their goal was to eradicate each and every living being that it had given birth to before taking it for their own.

If the continent was like a mother, then they were the enemy who had entered its womb to kill the children it had lovingly given birth to, so of course, everything that could be done would be done to make them get the hell out.

If it was one or two individuals, it was different, as they might be able to sneak by. But with such a large force…this problem was something they had to deal with.

Thankfully, this wasn't their first rodeo, and they had means to get over this rejection, but what they didn't have… was time.

The Priest could still remember the horror he had felt when he had seen this decision that had been taken by that brat – he had read many, many records of many continents being taken over but this… Was definitely a rather unique situation that not many had faced in the history of the Mainland.

After all, what kind of incredible decision-making skills were required in order to reach this solution, which was ruthless but also highly effective?

No one in their sane state of mind would choose to cut off their hand even if they knew that it might lead to their death, because this was a decision that would only be able to be taken by those who were exceptionally strong-willed. It was even more exacerbated by the fact that this 'dying' part was not sure, and many would try everything else before choosing to do so.

Of course, in the case of the continent of Angaria, with all of its forces lying either tired or senseless, there was no other option, but still, the Priest hadn't been able to stop himself from feeling a little bit of grudging admiration at this ruthlessness which would definitely fit right in with the Church, and its tenets.

Hence, he could also not stop himself from cursing those who had tried to take this man into their fold and had failed, as if they had succeeded, this situation would not have come to be.

Turning around, the Priest was about to bark out another order, but he paused when he suddenly saw the barrier is going down.

And at the same moment… He realized why Arnold, at his side, had been nudging him continuously.

Their roars inundated his ears, and their eyes filled with rage were enough to make anyone shudder in their boots.

Each varied from being 7 to 12 feet tall, but as they were all bunched together, it seemed like one big monster had entered and was looking for its prey.

The first thing that the Priest thought that there was no way these things could be controlled…but in the next moment, he gaped as he saw them make a beeline for the Annihilation Corps.

Startled, these individuals tried to put up barriers, but each of them were mobbed in barely a few seconds.

True, there had been the distance of a hundred kilometres between the border, from where they had entered, and the location where the Annihilation Corps were safely standing, but the same man who had unleashed them had also cast numerous spells to make teleportation formations appear which effectively distributed the monsters to all parts of Axelor.

The result…was a clusterf*ck of pure rage given physical form, which managed to break through the defensive means of the Annihilation Corps in the span of 2 seconds.

"Retreat!"

With no other option, the Priest managed to come back to his senses and give this order, which made the Annihilation Corps heave sighs and relief and teleport back.

They were only 200 strong, but as each was a Hero who had chosen to give themselves over to the Church and undergo various mutations instead of dying, they were extremely powerful.

However, they could only act if they were ordered to, and if the Priest had been a few seconds late, they would have had no option but to stand there and be pummelled into nothingness.

"10 seconds, sir! 10 seconds! I managed to make the transformation matrix more efficient!"

Usually, this news would have brought joy to the Priest's face, but seeing the heaving masses of bodies which were all congregating around the barrier…he knew that they might not make it.

Just as he was about to reluctantly chose a plan where he would mostly have to have a very close shave with death, Arnold, the rogue Empire Spirit, finally spoke up.

"Target the citizens. If you want to make him fall back, do it."

The Empire Spirit had acted in a masterful way, concealing himself for so long from all of the forces on the continent, including the one who was hellbent on bringing about their ruin at the moment. That tale was definitely one which would impress anyone if it was told, but until now, since his declaration at that juncture where the King had been about to relax which had clearly been quite satisfying for him to deliver, he had mostly been silent.

But now, he finally gave some advice, and finding it excellent, the Priest immediately ordered, "Attack all of the settlements you see nearby."

The hooded green-robed men and women simply nodded, but if one caught a glimpse of their eyes, they would have found glee shining within them.

The green flames in which the skulls were happily dancing were still present in their hands, and as one, they all chose a settlement in the distance and launched the globes, just like they had done before.

Due to the sentience of the flames, it was their specialty to launch long-distance course-correcting attacks, and once again, the advantage of this ability showed itself.

"F*CK!"

On the other side, right outside Axelor, Daneel saw this and exclaimed, before saying to the system, "Are the formations ready for the ones which are being attacked?"

[188/200 formations of targeted settlements ready.]

"Then activate them!"

The Priest and Arnold were both prepared to see tens of thousands of people scream as they burned to death, but unlike what they had been thinking…they were not done being shocked by the King.

Right before impact, a bright flash of light appeared around almost all of the settlements.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Towns, cities, villages- many, many areas all disappeared from the vision of those watching for a split second, and after that…the globes of flame reached them.

However, even though all of these globes imploded and started to burn merrily, the individual skulls within the flames all seemed…disappointed.

This was the case for most of the settlements, and after a second, the Priest read the signs, and understood what the f*ck had happened.

"More…bugs! Our information…was all wrong! He's a master of genetic modification! That is his main power! He created a special race of bugs that can arrange themselves in certain shapes and create formations! They sneaked in, because all typical formations ignore tiny bugs! This is…revolutionary! If the Church obtains the method…THE MAINLAND WILL BE OURS!"

Daneel was honestly startled by the utterance of the Priest, but he was busy assessing the rest of the battlefield.

The system had already told him that an extremely massive force in the citadel was close to rousing itself. If it rose…even his horde, which was attacking the secondary defensive barrier of the citadel that had been newly set up due to their approach, would not be enough.

The truth was that an army was much more effective when it was in full control of its mental faculties, as multiple methods which perfectly used the strengths of those on the offensive and the weaknesses of those who were being attacked could be utilized for maximum effect.

Given a choice, anyone would take a bunch of normal, willing soldiers over a bunch of monsters, any day.

Here, Daneel hadn't had a choice as the option was to either let them take a nice nap, or make them fight in this manner.

Hence, even if they might have been able to put up a defense if they normal, now, the horde had a large probability of losing if they went up against the actual force of the Church.

Daneel could not let that happen.

He could see what would happen after that- his mosquito production spots would be destroyed, the crust would no longer be under attack, and the force from the Church would sweep over the defenseless continent, obtaining victory in one fell swoop.

NO!

They had to be stopped.

He needed to speed up the explosions underground…but how?

Daneel racked his brain in urgency, wondering whether it would fail him in this crucial juncture.

Only…there was no way that that would happen.

With a smile that acknowledged its ability that had allowed him to crown himself the King of Scamme-err, the King of Tactics, Daneel said in his mind, "Carry out calculations to choose a stress point which can cause a chain reaction if an explosion of enough size takes place there. Then activate the Divine Cockroach Bloodline, teleport me there, and…blow me up."

[Host will undergo severe damage. Chances of Survival: 60%, based on size of explosion needed. Please confirm if host wishes for system to carry out the order.]

Well, those were odds he was fine with.

"Confirm."

The Head had been looking around with worry, wondering how this whole thing would end, but suddenly, he got a message from Daneel, who used a communication trinket even though he was standing right beside him.

"Head, I'll be out of commission for a little while now. Take care of Angaria for me, will you? And make sure my sovereigns regain their memories. This is the spell you should cast to make it happen- do it right after these f*ckers drown. In the end, I was not able to save everyone, as hundreds of thousands more will die, even though many have been teleported away. The alternative was allowing Angaria to perish…but I'm sick of making sacrifices. I came to dominate…but I wonder if I failed. When I come back, let me know whether you think the same."

By the time the Head turned around, Daneel was gone.

And in the next moment…citizens all over the continent felt the earth shake under them.

Together, they tried to find things they could hold on to, and in front of him, the Head saw a miraculous thing.

He was flying in the air, and he had a clear view of the shore of Angaria.

Hence…as jagged cracks started to appear from a spot to the east, near the border of Axelor, he was the first to see it.

Of course, second was the priest, who finally let go of his excitement to scream, "NO NO NO NO! NOOOOO!!! BISHOP, IT WAS ALL HIM!"

As he turned around, he saw the monsters being teleported away in the midst of their attacks, but below him, the Heroes from the Church were still disabled.

The resources, the manpower, the planning…as the Priest remembered it all, madness took ahold of his mind, but he could only scream unintelligibly.

He knew that they were done. Even if they recovered, they couldn't teleport over as the natural protection of the continent had been changed to encompass its new borders, and they couldn't even carry out an attack, as their foes…were now the countless beasts in the Endless Sea.

He couldn't accept it. He just couldn't. They had been so prepared…but it had all been for naught.

It was done in three seconds. The cracks in the earth had begun at multiple places at once, and by the end of this span of time, the large chunk of land had already been separated.

Looking around, the Priest tried to find the one who was the reason behind it all, but he was absent.

He had seen him disappear, and he had felt an explosion larger than all of those until now from below. Had…he been the one who had blown himself up?

Realization flashing in his eyes, he searched below, but he saw nothing.

This led to new screams of frustration, all while they started to drift away due to the fury of the Endless Sea, and while the sky changed to become one covered with lightning, a shadow fell over his face.

His eyes changed, and he suddenly stopped what he was doing. He went rigid, and his eyes changed color to shine a jade green, which was followed by his lips compressing into a thin line.

He spoke, but the voice that came out was that of a woman's. It sounded as if it was coming from far, far away, but the vehemence in its tone…was clear.

"King Daneel? The days of you being underestimated are over. We shall return much sooner than you think, and when we do…you are mine. Empire Spirit, the promise we made to you shall be kept. Engineer, chart a way back using the awakened Heroes. And Priest…bring back all of the citizens. I have something special waiting for them. Move, quickly! The battle has been lost, but the War has just begin. Move!"

Chapter 899: Aftermath

'Why is it that I keep updating my definition of hell?'

This was the question that floated through Daneel's mind as he lay asleep, surrounded by teams of Heroes who were all actively trying to one-up each other to heal him.

'Hey, I'm not a laboratory experiment! Just give me an unlimited source of Energy and leave me alone!'

He wished that he could scream this out loud…but the only problem was, that he had no mouth.

In fact, if anyone looked at him, they would wonder whether he was even human.

That was exactly the state that Daneel was in, and just as he was about to ask the system whether it really was possible to use his Mageroot just once, he saw a wizened woman enter the room and make everyone else shut up.

She had an aura that Daneel had never seen before, and her face had the authority that was capable of making a room of Heroes quiet.

"We are all Heroes, but he is the real hero. Without him, we would all be slaves, right now, moving against our will to do the bidding of the Church. Move. If ever I was going to break my oath, it should be now. Otherwise…my dear Ragnarov will never forgive me."

Her voice had the unique quality of one who was perfect to give care- it could calm down anyone, and make them feel as if they were in the best hands possible.

Daneel instantly felt a soothing sensation as he heard her.

In the room filled with silence, she walked forward, and the moment her gaze fell on him, she couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.

Indeed, that was the reaction that even Daneel had had when he had seen himself.

After his crack decision that had been taken with full knowledge that there was a 40% chance that he would die, the last thing he remembered was remarking how…beautiful, the crust of the continent was.

He had managed to catch a glimpse of it before the explosion, and what he had seen had awed him. Like stars in the night sky, the cave he was in had many twinkling spots far above, with various colors that all winked playfully as they welcomed their first guest in countless years.

The entire place was even made up of a dazzling material, as if the stone, itself, was inlaid with diamonds of all colors that shone brilliantly no matter where he looked.

In fact, it was so pretty that Daneel had felt pity that he had come here to destroy it, but in the next moment, the system had activated the process.

Even on Earth, everyone knew that an explosion was probably the best route when one wanted to destroy something. A punch, or any other attack would not carry enough power, and many objects had to be struck as hard as possible a single time if the intention was to break them apart.

An argument could be made that advanced magic spells could be used to simulate explosions, but the problem here was time. At present, the fastest method available was to spontaneously combust absorbed Energy to result in an explosive amplified release, and that was why Daneel had settled on the mosquito plan.

However…could the Energy absorbed by mosquitoes in a short span even compare with what was present in the body of a Peak Champion level Fighter?

The difference was momentous, and that was the only reason why he had decided on this plan: if the objective was to completely break apart the weakened crust using a chain reaction, then a large enough blast was needed.

Of course, to those who were looking on, it might seem as if it might be better to send a Hero, probably an evil one, to blow themselves up so that they could unleash even more Energy, and also not place Daneel at risk. After all, he was essential for the survival of the continent as there was only one of him and one of the system, but Heroes were numerous.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

The problem with this was twofold: one, there was no time. There had literally been only seconds until the actual force of the Church would be unleashed, so there was definitely not enough time to find a Hero, set up everything necessary to blow them up, and send them down to do so.

Two, for this spontaneous combustion to happen, the set up was not simple. It was almost like an engine that took fuel and used it to run a car. This could be expected of something that was engineered to do so, but it was just absurd to take a pile of iron or other metals, which was exactly what the engine was made of, and expect it to do the same thing.

The mosquitoes had been created by the system to blow up. And because each and every inch of Daneel could be accessed by the system in the most minute of manners…it could carry out the same changes to make him blow up.

In conclusion, only he had to go, so he hadn't hesitated.

It had happened without any countdown, and perhaps that was for the best. If there was one, he might even have gone crazy with panic.

Daneel had been debating until then whether he should tell the system to block off his sense of pain just this time. This was a feature he hadn't used much in all these years, as he had always believed that going through pain was something that really built up one's character, and there were even studies back during the Empire that it might have a beneficial effect on one's consciousness.

This time, though…it was different.

He knew what was going to happen- all of the Energy that he had absorbed with so, so much effort back in that pool would be made to enter an 'excited' state, where it was unstable, before it would wreck his body and be exposed to the air to result in a fantastic exhibit of power that would save Angaria.

His debate had carried on right until the moment when it happened, and right away, Daneel felt himself almost lose his sanity, which made him scream, "BLOCK IT OFF! BLOCK IT!"

[Acknowledged. Disconnecting host's consciousness from physical body. Blocking off pain reception.]

That one instant, itself…would definitely haunt him for a long, long time.

He had felt it all- in almost each and every centimeter of his flesh and blood, the Energy that had been absorbed over all these years was made to lose its stable state.

Like a nuclear reaction, their instability was manipulated to exit the body before resulting in the explosion, but of course, Daneel would be affected by quite a lot of it.

At that instant…he had found the limit of pain that one could feel, and he never, ever wanted to go even close that limit, ever again.

When he was done, the system had sent him the images outside.

It had taken only a few seconds for Axelor to be cut off, and that part of the crust had strangely lost that glow which had dazzled Daneel before.

Did it represent something? Daneel didn't know, and neither did the system.

The Head had safely teleported him away to a secure and hidden location after that, which was where he was right now, but the system was still able to tell him what was going on at that spot due to a communication eye he had deployed before his travel to hell.

Presently, there was a few kilometers of distance between Angaria and the separated Axelor, and right after this separation, the terrifying things that one would have to battle if they were on a piece of land too small to form a Will of the World were exposed.

First, the untouchable, unfeelable yet always present veil which allowed Angaria to enjoy pleasant weather(among other things) instead of the thunder-filled skies over the Endless Sea could be seen parting to let out this part.

As soon as that had happened, the sky over that area had changed, and thunder had begun to strike down with the vehemence of one who could finally show their power on someone, or something.

Daneel was able to see it strike the settlements he hadn't been able to teleport away, and each death that he saw due to it struck his heart.

Their fearful, hopeless and lost expressions were etched into his mind, and he had to work very, very hard to look away from them, and stop thinking about how he had failed them.

He had seen that change over the Priest and the words spoken, and they had sent a chill down his spine, or at least, what was left of it.

Indeed, this was only a battle, as the war was yet to come. And just like she(whoever she was) had declared, it was here much sooner than any of them had expected.

After this, a large group of Heroes had appeared around the Priest.

Seeing them, Daneel had felt instant relief due to the fact that he had made this sacrifice.

They were a thousand strong, and all of them…were Peak Heroes.

Such a force…would have no trouble whatsoever, if they had access to Angaria.

Thankfully, that was exactly what he had denied them. The defenses of the Order were in full effect: teleportation of such a large force was impossible, and they couldn't exactly fly over, either, which was what they would have done if Axelor were still on Angaria's map, as they would now have to contend with the beasts of the sea which had all already started to gather around, smelling extremely tasty prey.

Even the bigwigs of the Sea, the Hero-level creatures were present, so combined with the offense that the Order could now deploy as there were many formations that were set up against just such an assault and the attacks of the beasts, an attack would be disastrous. Success was almost out of the equation, and a majority of them would die even in the first minute.

It was clear that the one who had spoken was smart enough to realize this- she gave the order to use the power of these one thousand Heroes to take them back, but it was obvious that there were also other things which would be used in this process. Daneel had gotten a sickening doubt regarding whether another blood sacrifice would be carried out, but the declaration made it clear that they would be taken back.

And thus, the monsters, along with his sovereigns(who were awake) and the Heroes whom Daneel had 'demonsterified' over all this time watched as the threat which had come so close- too close, even, to wiping out their home drifted away, beyond their sight, before erecting opaque barriers to stop them from observing what they were doing.

The last sight that Daneel would remember of them was the faces of the Axelorians, who had all been extremely frightened, not knowing how their lives had completely changed in such a short period of time. It was unbelievable that only a few minutes had passed, in total, since the death of the entity, so Daneel's backup plans really had to be praised for this victory, as they had been able to be deployed so effectively in such a short span of time.

Elders, women, children- all of them had been seen scurrying around scared, and Daneel had even imagined them looking at him, blaming him for declaring that he was the savior of Angaria, but failing so spectacularly when it came to so many Angarians.

It was a crushing feeling. There was no other way to describe it- he felt as if the weight of the world was actively crushing him, and it was a chore to even think past it.

That finally brought him to the present- the wizened woman controlled her reaction, and after that, weirdly, she activated a communication eye and took a picture.

A display popped up to show the result, and if it was shown to anyone normal, they would scream with fear.

All that was left of the King…was the vestiges of a skeleton, a few pounds of the brain, and a few frazzled, almost wire-like things which was the nervous system.

"After I pull this off, I'll be a legend. Boy…you saved us, so we won't waste this chance to save you. Even if we have to make Angaria go dry, you will live. So just go to sleep, if you're still awake in there, as this is going to take some time. Sweet dreams."

The soothing voice returned, and it was extremely suggestive.

Feeling himself being lulled into a state of sleep, the King gave in, and the woman got to work.

Long into the night, she worked, and come morning, she exited the tent, exhausted.

"I've done all I can. Let's see what happens."

Saying so, she started to leave, but it was not before turning back one last time.

In the silence, she spoke, and it was as if she echoed the voice of all the Angarians who had the King in their thoughts.

"Boy…No, King…You must live. You must live and see that your sacrifice was worth it. You must live to see that it has not been wasted. And above all…you must live to feel our gratitude. Please…live.

Chapter 900: Hero Congress 1

In the ancient hall beneath Angaria where he had achieved many victories but also many more defeats, the Head was beaming happily as he saw the way in which it had changed.

Since time immemorial, the Hall had always been the same.

It was rectangular in shape, with one of the short edges holding the seat of honor, which he used to sit in, and the other having the map of Angaria, as if to remind everyone what their primary objective should be, no matter what they were discussing.

The other two edges had rows of seats with the ones farther behind being elevated, and many who were also part of the Order would immediately find out that this was very reminiscent of the place where the Heroes with the most authority met in the headquarters.

Like many places that were relics of the past, this hall also had gigantic proportions. The map covered the entire wall, which was a 60 feet(80.2 m) square, and the distance between it and the podium on which the seat of honor usually sat was a whopping 120 feet(160 m). Even the seats also looked as if they were made for giants, each being 5 feet off the ground.

Right now, though, both of these almost sacred places had changed, and it was partly this change which was making the Head express so much emotion. He was currently in the air right in front of the map, seeing the seats fill up with the members of the High Council, and those who saw him remarked on this change, and wondered whether it was because he had made the right bet.

These people were in the minority, though, as the rest were too dazed by the changes in the Hall.

First…the gigantic map had a crack in the middle, as if it had been attacked, and for a place which touted itself as being one which had never been successfully assaulted in all of history, this was quite shocked. The cracks were concentrated on the southern part of the continent, but they still traveled to the rest of Angaria and the sea that surrounded it, too, making one wonder what they depicted.

The second change…was that on the podium where the seat for the Head of the High Council was supposed to be, there were now 9 thrones.

They were arranged in a peculiar fashion: there was one, gigantic throne with Dragons curling around its back and armrests which was raised even higher than the others, and its size would make one wonder whether a giant from the ages past had been born again.

In front of it were the eight other thrones, and each of them was fitted with the most extravagant of gems, and lined with the most costly and comfortable of fabrics of cushions which could rival Ether blocks in price.

This was where the Head was looking at continuously, and seeing that the High Council had been assembled, he sent a message.

"Heroes of the Order, we await your arrival."

A heavy pressure developed over the area as soon as he said this.

One by one, the Heroes who had already gathered started to grumble or get expressions of irritation on their faces, but they hid them well.

They knew that this was the prestige that was afforded to one when they broke through naturally instead of using the grace of Heroes past, and obtained the kind of power that they could only dream about, so instead of being envious, they were aware that they should strive to explore their own Paths more and see if they could increase their own power.

A moment later, five hundred Heroes appeared in the air right in the middle of the Hall, together, before slowly descending to the ground.

The tradition was that this space in the middle was supposed to remain empty, but these individuals were not people who would follow the traditions of an organization that was frankly, beneath them.

Each of them conjured thrones of their own, and initially, they were all bigger than the ones on the podium.

After all, these Heroes were used to being above all in terms of honor, but when a wizened lady conjured a throne which was smaller, they all looked at her with surprise.

She simply humphed…and one by one, these Heroes started to decrease the sizes of theirs, too.

The Heroes who were watching on took special note of this lady, and how she had put everyone else in check, and wondered whether she was more powerful than all the others.

However, as if understanding their questioning gazes, she settled into her throne and chuckled before saying, "Oh, I simply know to show gratitude where its due…"

Expressions of shame appeared on quite a few of the 500 Heroes as she said this, but some also got relieved expressions, as if they had escaped a nightmare before it had swallowed them whole.

A few did show those of deep thought, too, but these few hastened to hide this instantly, making sure that no one noticed them.

Her soothing voice made the Heroes sitting in the stands start to whisper among themselves, but the Head stepped forward at this point.

"The High Council and the Conclave of the Order have both been assembled. As the reinstated Head and the Overseer of the Order, I shall be presiding over this meeting. The agenda is to decide the direction in which Angaria will go forward after these incidents that have been dubbed the 'Axelorian Event'. Now, please join me in welcoming…the Sovereigns of Angaria."

In the entire hall, silence prevailed for a split second, and before everyone could make a decision regarding whether they were going to stand or not, the pressure that had disappeared before after the settling down of the topmost members of the Order returned, but this time, it was more…raw.

In the next second, one hundred massive bodies were teleported into the spot right in front of the podium on which the eight empty thrones were located, and their bodies bursting with muscles but attached to normal-sized heads which were all a dark-red in color with throbbing veins visible to all made the entire Hall shake as their weight settled onto the floor.

Unlike before during their battle, when they had been dressed in a ragtag manner mostly composed of torn clothes but wearing defensive trinkets, they were now all adorned with perfectly fitting blood-colored clothes on which armor that was emblazoned with a Dragon about to take flight was placed.

Everyone could hear the sound of the air aggressively being pushed in and out of their bodies, as if even the simple act of breathing was something that was supposed to be done with anger. Their eyes in which no pupils were visible were so bloodshot that they looked like just masses of blood, and all in all, they were capable of striking anyone with enough fear that they would eliminate waste from all orifices in their body before running away with their heart in their throat.

An effect of this degree was visible on the Heroes in the stands. These Heroes of the Big Four, who had only just been exposed to the clear truth regarding how underpowered they were when compared to the true elites, were now reminded of the fact that the one for whom the seat of honor was waiting was in command of a force that could easily crush any individual in this room.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Even the Heroes from the Order got this thought in their minds, and many couldn't help but grimace. True, together, they could defeat these hundred monstrosities, but who in this room would be ready to trust each other now, especially after the recent events that had just occurred? Who would be willing to fight while exposing their backs?

The answer was known to all.

Slowly, they all stood up, repeating the name that had been announced.

Sovereigns.

The Sovereigns of Angaria.

None of them could ever have expected that they would be rising to give respect to any sovereign, but it was now the truth.

After they had all risen, eight individuals appeared in front of the eight thrones.

All of them were dressed tastefully, and they all had different expressions on their faces as they took their seats.

Eloise maintained a neutral expression, showing gravitas that was befitting of a monarch.

Aran and Cassandra looked at each other and beamed, having never dreamed that they would rise so quickly to a position where they were respected by so many Heroes.

Kellor had a relaxed smile, as if he had always known that his trust in the man who had 'saved' him all those years ago would carry them through whatever they had to face. Luther, who looked to his left, also had a similar expression, and it looked like the same thoughts were passing through these two old men's minds.

Faxul had a small smile at the corner of his mouth, remembering everything they had gone through together to get here, and beside him, Elanev was smirking. He marked all the beautiful Heroes in the room(who had the ability to change their appearance naturally after reaching their level) but then saw Eloise glancing at him, which made him blush and look down.

Finally, Robert was proud. His chest was as puffed out as it could be, and it looked as if he was trying very, very hard not to shout out to the world that it was his son who had saved Angaria from a dreadful fate.

They all took in the sight in front of them for a moment, but even after that, they didn't sit down.

Many of the Heroes, for whom arrogance was also an 'ability' that they had gained with their breakthrough, started to get pissed off, thinking that they were being made to stand so that these eight, whose power levels were no match for theirs, could relish in the moment and demean them as much as possible.

True, the one who was responsible for them being alive and free gave much import to this bunch, but some started to wonder whether it was even worth it to live like this, constantly being belittled due to the fact that they had had to be saved.

However…a clear female voice resounded in the Hall, and its contents made all of the Heroes get startled expressions on their faces.

"We are not continuing to stand because of any selfish reasons. No…it is simply that there is one, other, who is arriving, and for him, we should actually be kneeling."

Even the Head's face lit up with surprise as he heard this, but in the next moment, it was replaced by joy.

The eight sovereigns kneeled, but not before they turned around to face the majestic throne that was raised above theirs.

If anyone had had any doubts, they were all cleared now.

The Head was the first to kneel after the sovereigns, and after him was the wizened lady in the group of the Heroes from the Order.

Seeing her and remembering what they had been through, the other 500 also knelt.

Some did so right away. Some did so after thinking for a bit. Some even did so grudgingly.

But in the end, all of them knelt, and those in the High Council followed.

Their eyes were all on that throne…and after a second, the man they had thought would still need months to recover appeared.

His voice echoed in the room while an apparition of his body began to form, and as it was heard by all those present, they realized that Angaria had truly been ushered into a new age- the age...of the Sovereigns.

"The Hero Congress shall hereby begin. Rise, Heroes of Angaria, for we have much to do. The War has only begun, and I, Daneel Anivron...shall see it won. This is my Word, and my Word shall be done. Rise!"

Chapter 901: News

Daneel's voice echoed again and again in the large Hall, and as he saw all the expressions of the hundreds of Heroes in front of him, he did not know what to think.

He had not expected that he would be at this stage so soon. His initial plan regarding this whole thing had been completely different – he had always thought, or at least hoped that the timeline given by his master would be adhered to, which would mean that he would still have a couple of years to calmly breakthrough to the Hero realm while continuing to unite the continent under him.

After all, he had always known that the endgame would be related to the Grand Inheritance, and the Emperor's idea had always been that someday, one individual would come forth who would be capable of bringing all of Angaria under him.

Hence, the plan that Daneel had kept in the deepest recesses of his heart without telling anyone but his sovereigns as it might sound too absurd was that he would build an Empire, too, secretly, under the noses of the Big Four and the Order, while also covertly infiltrating and influencing these two forces until he had the majority of the power of Angaria at his beck and call.

Of course, even when he looked back at it now, it seemed too idealistic. Although it was true that most of his plans until now had been graced by success due to his relentless pursuit of perfection in regards to each and every aspect that he always ensured were as flawless as they could be, he had always known that there would be some moment where something that he could never have anticipated would come forth and throw all of his careful planning into chaos.

That was exactly what had happened here – no one had known that the Church was on its way, and that it had been plotting for all these years, completely in secret, with the help of Arnold to arrive in Angaria when it was at its weakest to sweep over it to achieve the victory that they had sought after for so long.

True, Daneel's actions were vital to this result of them successfully throwing back the Church, but more than that, a lot of credit had to be given to their home, which had defended itself instinctually by preventing the forces of the Church from coming into their full power right away.

In this past week, Daneel had done a lot of thinking on the issue, until he had started to become fed up with it. Of course, the faces of all those Axelorians still haunted him, and even though he had not faced them yet and had stowed them away to be dealt with and thought of at a later date, regarding the rest, he had come to a conclusion.

All of the plans he had made were no longer valid – he had to come up with new ones, taking the best aspects of those that he would now be discarding, before finally deciding on something that would give them the best chance of survival, even though they were one kingdom short.

The other thing that he was most interested in finding out was also how this thing had been carried out beneath his nose, but he knew that he had to wait until his body recovered. Indeed, he was still mostly in that mangled form where his brain and nervous system were the only things that had survived in one piece, and although the flesh was regenerating at quite a fast pace, he would not be running any marathons for the coming months.

However, the Mageroot was a wonderful thing. As it was present within the brain, it had been retained to a maximum degree due to the efforts of the system to save his vital parts. It had been thoroughly damaged, though, and normally, it would have taken at least a month for it to be able to be used even rudimentary.

However, that woman had truly worked magic – she had pulled out expertise and medical spells that Daneel had not even imagined could exist on this continent, and the result was that in barely a week, he could output power at the level of an Amateur Warrior.

With the help of his sovereigns, he could easily use this to appear in this hall in the form of an apparition, and as he saw all of the Heroes finally 'rise', as he had implored them to, he wondered, once again, whether he had made the right decision to talk in this way.

Ever since he had known that he would be attending this meeting, he had evaluated his options, and there were many of them.

He could be cocky, asserting his dominance over them all and saying that they now had a debt to him that they had better repay, but anyone with a brain would be able to figure out that this was the most disastrous method.

He could be humble, saying that he had only done his duty, and that they owed him nothing. Again, this would also be quite bad, as what he had done was definitely not nothing, and he did want to obtain something from this group that he was going to address at this juncture by using whatever they felt for him.

Finally, Daneel had decided on the middle ground. He would not belittle them further than they had already experienced by coming so close to being bound to the Church forever, but he would also not let them forget that he had done so much for the continent.

More than anything, his objective was to make them know that there was still a lot to be done, and hence, Daneel had decided on this simple speech.

Hell, it couldn't even be called a speech, when compared to all of those that he had given in similar situations so far.

However, with his objective being that they should all be able to move forward and keep the coming battle in mind, he felt like this would be for the best, and it wasn't like there wouldn't be opportunities later if he did not achieve the desired effect with these words.

By saying that he would see the war won, he had made it clear that he would be leading them.

By saying that he was giving his word, his intention was to communicate that just like he had already done, he was ready to give it his all.

And in the end, of course, his order to rise was not just to make them rise to their feet, but rise to the occasion.

On the faces and eyes of those who were now standing, Daneel could see that he had not failed.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

The mention of the war was enough to make them relive the nightmare, and in fact, for many of them, it had only ended three days ago.

After the part of Angaria that no longer had the protection of the Will had floated away, all of the Heroes and Champions who had been made to fall unconscious by the entity had remained in that state. Thankfully, Daneel's final order that had allowed the 300 Heroes to turn back into normal had resulted in there at least being this force to maintain order, and because they were also filled with gratitude, they had acted with his sacrifice in mind.

The Head had also been essential in this – he had never let them forget, and in fact, he had also found the best healer for him. Only the other day, the Head had told him about how the woman that had come to him had sworn over 500 years ago that she would never, ever heal anyone due to an incident that happened in her life. She had stuck to this even when her own son might have been saved if she had raised her hand, but for him, he had managed to convince her that she should set her vow aside.

That was the reason why he could be here now, and Daneel really appreciated it. He could see her standing in the crowd, looking at him with a twinkle in her eyes and a hint of pride in the set of her shoulders, and in the silence that followed his declaration during which all of the Heroes were coming to terms with reality, he nodded at her, and she nodded back with respect.

During those three days after the departure of the Church, the Heroes had done everything they could to wake up all of those who had fallen unconscious again after turning back to normal. Some of the copies of the armor and weapon trinkets that hadn't been distributed were also found and studied, but the result was quite astonishing- no one could figure out how the entity had managed to do it, and how to reverse it, and even though those who were known for their research abilities stated that they might be able to accomplish something if they had time, it became clear that even this was uncertain.

Thankfully, the team of researchers finally had a breakthrough after a day, if it could be called that – after deep analysis, they had found out that because the trinket was the one actively keeping its owner in this state, then it was doing so using the Energy that had been stored inside it. It couldn't be exposed without harming the owner as it was hiding inside, but the truth was that it was continuously expending Energy over time. When it ran out, it would stop, and all of the owners would wake up.

Typically, the Energy stored inside such high-level trinkets would be quite high, intending to save the owners from all kinds of attacks. Thankfully, Daneel's action of turning them all into monsters had actually depleted these trinkets, as they had all helped in the fight against the Church by protecting the monsters that their owners had turned into from the attacks of the Church.

Hearing this, Daneel had been quite amused, as if the entity found out that the trinkets it had made had been used to save Angaria, then it would definitely roll in its grave.

Hence, finally, after two more days, one by one, the Champions and Heroes had started to wake up, and the first thing that many had done was cry, as they had been uncertain for so long whether they would ever see the world again.

The Head took it upon himself to explain to them what had happened, and according to him, all of them had been quite shocked.

A King from the Central Continent who they had all thought was merely talented as a Fighter(due to his fight in the Fortress) had saved the continent single-handedly?

Apparently, many had even not believed him, until they were shown a recording of what had happened, and heard even the Heroes who were awake corroborating the story.

Finally, disbelief had turned into acceptance, and that was how they were here, at this moment.

Have dwelled in the past enough(and maybe a bit too much), Daneel cleared his throat.

It was time to look to the future, now, so he was about to speak, but suddenly, the Head sent him a message.

Frowning, Daneel changed what he had been about to say.

To buy time, he said, "First, take a few moments to go through the past one last time. Every time you feel doubt, or feel that it might be better to just give up, relive what has happened, and remember the fate that would have befallen you. After that…I want you all to think of what must be done first at this moment. The Church will return soon, and you Heroes are the ones with the best minds on the continent. Go on."

After this, he let the apparition be and appeared in another spot, where a clone of the Head was also standing.

They were in a small room, and there was one other object present with them: it was a display trinket, and after a few moments during which Daneel and the Head waited with grim expressions on their faces, an image flickered to life.

It was of a man who looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks, and after he confirmed that he could be heard, he spoke in an urgent tone.

"Daneel! The Head told me everything- great job killing that Overseer! This operation was so top-secret that I only found out after it was carried out…I simply don't know how that Bishop was able to do so. Anyway, I have news- the full attack is coming. What you saw was just one squadron of the Church- a thousand Peak Heroes, all extremely experienced in battle. The force that has been earmarked for the invasion…is three squadrons, and the Bishop actually got permission for using so many by showing…you. According to her, you are an anomaly who will thwart the Church's plans if you are not overwhelmed, and that is exactly what they are going to do. Oh…you really managed to piss her off. But we're practically screwed- how the hell are we supposed to defend against 3000 Peak Heroes when all we have are a paltry 500? I can't figure that out, for the life of me, so it's all up to you…"

Chapter 902: Hero Congress End

Three.

Thousand.

Peak Heroes.

Daneel and the Head could only turn and look at each other with horror as they heard this news from their man in the Church.

Receiving no answer and knowing that they must be in shock, his master said, "I need to go now, but I'll contact you again if I have more news. Meanwhile…try not to panic- oh, who am I kidding, even I panicked a lot when I heard this. I double- and triple-checked it, and its true- I even talked to a few Heroes from the squadrons. Apparently, they will even be going through training based on information gathered on this mission so that the same things don't repeat! Hell, the mission is even being called a success by many- both because you were exposed, and because there were apparently many important information gathering devices in the Cathedral which did their job, and due to which the Church now has a much clearer idea about Angaria. Ok, I'll stop increasing your panic…farewell, for now."

Daneel's Master had apparently originally always been a carefree playboy before settling down. After that, of course, the events of his family's death had turned him into a hard man, but occasionally, the veneer would peel back, and the one who was known for being the most jovial student in the Academy would be exposed.

It seemed that this happened in situations filled with high tension, too, seeing how the man had spoken in this way about something so important.

In fact, the second piece of news he had delivered was even worse than the first- if the Church had collected enough information to be able to counteract the opposition from the Will of the World, then they would not face the same weakness that they had had to overcome this time.

That meant…that they could directly arrive and attack, giving Angaria no chance, like it had just had, to mount a defense.

The display became blank, and Daneel and the Head could only stand there, in silence, their faces filled with various emotions that they couldn't even put into words.

The Head recovered first, as this wasn't the first time he had had his entire world upended- taking a glance at the Hall, he said, "King, we can have a discussion about this later. First, finish addressing the Hero Congress- they're waiting for you. You can disperse them quickly, if you wish, and we can organize another gathering after figuring out what should be done."

The Head's calmly spoken words allowed Daneel to snap out of his shock.

True, he had gained the ability to take anything in stride(which he had displayed during the 'Axelorian Event'), but that was only in a state of high adrenaline. Here, this news had come out of nowhere, so he had been quite flabbergasted.

Frowning, he thought for a bit and responded, saying, "Yes, that would be for the best. Let's go."

A moment later, Daneel's consciousness was back in the apparition that had stayed still until now.

The Heroes had mostly been engaged in the task that he had given them, like school children given an assignment by their teacher, but of course, there were a few unruly ones who clearly had their minds on something else.

Chief among these were actually those that Daneel had been keeping an eye ever since he had awoken- they were Perfect's family, who had sworn themselves over to the Church, and they were partly the reason why Daneel had had that meeting with his master in private.

Even now, every word he said would be sent to the Church, so he had to be careful.

If Daneel wanted, he could simply have ordered the Head and the rest of the Heroes to apprehend these individuals, but he had a different plan for them- true, it might be an overused one, but it had worked since antiquity, so his hope was that it would be effective here, too.

Putting that aside for now, though, he spoke again.

"I see that you have been hard at work…I appreciate that. Please send all of your thoughts to the Head- he will store them, and we can pick out the best ones at a later date. Alas, my state does not allow me to engage in activities like these for an extended time. For now, I want to leave you with a few words. I know the doubts that many of you must have- you must be thinking: 'Why should we follow the words of someone like this, even if he saved the continent? True, he stepped up to the occasion, but what makes him the best option for a leader? Should we just follow him out of gratitude?'"

Hearing the questions that had come to them being spelled out so accurately, many in the Hall looked up with panic, wondering whether they had fallen prey to some other ploy, through which their minds could be read.

Seeing this, Daneel said, "Don't worry, I can't read your minds. But I can understand your thoughts. Well, my answer is this- I have been working to save Angaria long before any of you knew that I existed. I am the one most capable of leading us forward to victory. I know that all of you are paranoid, right now- you saw your trust being used in that manner, leading you all to become so vulnerable, and you must have already vowed to yourself that you will never let anything similar happen, ever again. I understand that. Trust is at an all-time low. But the silver lining in this cloud…is that you have been shown the future that awaits you if you choose anything other than your home. Think about this. Even if the Church promises to heap rewards on you, they cannot be trusted, because their goal was always to eradicate all Angarians, and destroy what Angaria is- Angaria is us. All of us, together, make this continent what it is, and it is only by annihilating each and every individual who knows that name and can say proudly that that is their home can they even hope to achieve their goal- of using the Will of this World to empower themselves. This is the simple truth that many seem to forget, and I wanted to make it clear- they will not stop until we are all dead. So we shall not stop until so many of them are dead, that they run back screeching, just like they were made to do, now. Hero Congress, disperse. The next time we meet, it will be with a clear plan of action. Until then…think about what I said."

With a nod, Daneel and all of his sovereigns disappeared, along with the hundred monstrosities whose pressure had actually been present this whole time.

Unlike the 500 Heroes with sane minds who could control it, these 100 couldn't, so it would always be present, no matter where they went.

A few seconds later, Daneel was sitting on a throne, again, but this time, there were only clouds all around him.

And of course…around him were his sovereigns, who were all smiling happily because they were back at this familiar spot.

Elanev was the one with the goofiest smile, and he was followed by Aran, who even looked like he would break out singing at any moment.

"Oh…it feels good to be back. But my dear friends…I have no option but to give you news that will definitely wipe away those smiles."

Daneel was smiling, too, but he couldn't help but say this.

However, after hearing him, Eloise looked at him and spoke, and instantly, she put his heart at ease.

"Daneel…if there's one thing that this entire ordeal has taught me, then it is that when we are together, we can handle anything. Whether it be the Church or even the entire Mainland, they are no match for the Sovereigns of Angaria. Even when separated until now, we did so much- so just imagining what we are capable of now, with all of Angaria at our command, gives me goosebumps. Tell us. Whatever it is…I have no doubt that it won't be a problem."

Her words made the others straighten their backs and look at Daneel confidently, too, and he couldn't help but broaden his smile and nod.

Oh…he had missed this.

He took it all in, and after a long time, it felt as if the world was once again…right.

Letting out his breath, though, he began.

Just like he had expected, the news of the Church's force made serious expressions come on the faces of all those present- Elanev even looked like he wanted to start cursing, but was controlling himself as well as he could.

In the silence that followed, Daneel spoke again, but this time, it was to put forward the thoughts he had already gotten.

"Let's get all the bad stuff out of the air, first. Eloise, sadly, it isn't as perfect as you said- do you really think that those Heroes will really follow me, after what they went through? True, they sat there now, humbly, but when the time comes, I reckon that more than half will hesitate. And like I said, the problem…is trust. They were all betrayed, and even though I spoke in that manner, I know that this is a traumatic experience that will have a lot of effects in the future. That is our core problem- we need to make sure that all the Heroes, even the cocky ones, trust us enough to follow us willingly. Right now, they are only acting as if they do because of the Heroes with values who really do feel that they are indebted to us- the problem is that they aren't many, so before this 'grace period' ends, we need to be able to make them kneel with our power. This will be hard enough without more problems popping up, so I will accept nothing else except full, unwavering loyalty. Now, let us get to the second item..."

Saying so, Daneel raised his hands, and a map of Angaria appeared in the air between them.

It showed the continent in its mangled form, looking like something had taken a large bite out of it, and the sovereigns could not stop themselves from letting out their breaths with slight anger as they saw this.

In the first battle, itself, they had had to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of Angarians. What would they have to do during the rest?

"We failed Axelor. It's the truth- we failed all those citizens. I don't know how that bastard Arnold pulled it off...but I will find out, and I will avenge them all by killing him. But first, we need to make sure that their sacrifice isn't in vain. To the west, south, and north, all of the forces are ours. With our 100 Heroes, we do not need to fear the Big Four, either. Only Arafell stands in our way...but I will speak to the Queen soon. And after that...it will finally be time to set up the second Empire of Angaria. I did not think that I would get an opportunity to do this so soon, but I won't waste it- we will face problems, but we will tackle them all. Those three thousand Heroes are our enemies- to defeat them, we must put forth our everything. And the first step, of course...is uniting the continent. Let us begin right away."

With that, the discussion began in earnest, and Daneel had to admit that even though there was an executioner's axe hanging over all of their necks...he was excited.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

This had been his dream since so long- to dominate the entire continent, and now that he had a chance to do so, there was no way that he would let it go.

And by doing this, of course...his ultimate goal was the system.

If he could finally upgrade the system...then he had an inkling that even those three squadrons would be no match.

Even as the discussions continued, Daneel remembered something he had neglected, so he spoke in his mind.

"System, replay all the notifications I've missed."

The response came right away, and it made him widen his eyes and smile, as the system...had quite a few pleasant surprises waiting for him

Chapter 903: Notifications & Guil

[Achievement: Against All Odds Unlocked

Against All Odds: By going up against an ancient enemy, you called upon yourself the wrath of the entire continent. Everything was stacked up against you, but with the true grit that only a World Dominator can have, you rose to the occasion and saved the day. Because of this, even the most powerful individuals on this continent have begun to respect you, and thus, you have taken a stride farther than any, yet, on the path to World Domination. The destination is not far away. A large proportion of the world already stands with you- you must just beat down the rest. Congratulations!

80,000 EXP Awarded.

Total EXP: 767,000

Due to the unprecedented amount of support that host now possesses from various strata of the world, Kingdom Management Module has been upgraded to World Management Module. Kingdom Management Points have also been changed to World Management Points, to spend on functions than can be unlocked within the module. Currently, a significant number of modules are locked, but they will be unlocked with the upgrade.

Achievement: Even Death Shall Not Stand In My Way

Even Death Shall Not Stand In My Way: By choosing to take the chance where you could have died 4 times out of 10 without even thinking about it, you have proven your unmatched dedication to the World. With this kind of fortitude, all any World can do is pray to be dominated by you. Congratulations!

10,000 EXP Awarded

Total EXP: 777,000]

As Daneel heard these three notifications, he couldn't help but pay less and less attention to the discussion, where currently, the sovereigns were arguing about what they should do in case Arafell turned out to be a tough customer.

The upgrade!

For the longest time, Daneel had been saving each and every point of EXP that he could so that he could upgrade the system to give it Hero level capabilities as quickly as possible.

If that happened…he was confident that he could be unrivaled even if he was still in the Champion realm.

It wasn't just that- there were many, many useful modules in the system which he had only glanced at and dreamed of as he had decided that the best thing to do was take the upgrades as far as possible before spending on these things.

It was almost like he was a middle-class individual who had given up on all of life's luxuries in order to build a house and get some steady income from it, and thinking of this comparison, Daneel almost chuckled.

Still, he had bought modules which he thought would lead him to gain more EXP, like the one where he had achieved milestones to be awarded by the system.

The others, though, might have made his life easier, but he had decided to do things the hard way and instead invest in the ultimate capabilities of the system. He knew that if someone else had been given the system, they might have chosen to act differently, but this was him: he always kept the long-term in mind, and when compared to what the system would be able to do if it upgraded directly to have the capabilities of the Peak of the next realm(which was how it had always happened), he had felt as if all those modules weren't that important.

Now, he was finally so close, but still, it felt so far away.

He had even been afraid that his recent actions might not garner any achievements, but thankfully, he had been proven wrong.

223,000 EXP. Just 223,000 EXP…

Why not take a loan and finish the upgrade?

Captivated by the idea, Daneel gave the order to the system right away.

True, the interest rates were atrocious, and he would have to pay back double the amount, but with the Hero-level system, he was pretty sure that he would be able to clear his debt relatively quickly.

Alas…it looked like things wouldn't be that easy.

[Negative. Loan module is offline. System informs host that 'EXP Loan' module was only present to help host when he was in a weak state, when EXP might have been required urgently. After the second upgrade, the module was disabled permanently.]

Dammit!

Ever since his horrid experience of taking the loan from way back when he had transmigrated here, Daneel had completely ignored this module. He had always managed to get by, but he had decided to use it now, at this crucial juncture, as it would definitely make a large difference in their defense against the Church.

Only…just like a few other modules which seemed to have been present as 'training wheels', this one was also not available to him, now, so Daneel could only sigh and look to the future to gain EXP.

Thankfully, there was one thing that he was sure would give him enough: Unifying the continent.

Yes! When that happened…it was pretty probable that he might directly gain enough.

This thought made a smile come on his face, but it was replaced by a slight grimace when he went over the notification once more without the excitement that had filled him before.

Just 10,000 EXP for almost dying? Aw, come on…

Just like before, when the system had awarded only 5000 EXP for splitting his consciousness during the test in the Chamber of Golden Lightning, it had cheaped out again.

True, the basis using which EXP was awarded had always been a mystery, but Daneel would be lying if he said he hadn't been hoping for more.

'Well, no matter how stingy you are, I'm gonna get that update soon…'

Making this silent challenge to the system, Daneel shifted his focus to the non-achievement related notification.

World Management System.

Damn…that definitely sounded great.

Curious, Daneel went into it…but to his chagrin, all he found was blacked out modules.

Only the one from the Kingdom Management Module was present, which allowed him to check the loyalty within a range around him, and the others were all cloistered beneath the darkness which meant that he had to unlock them if he wanted to access them.

And of course, here, they needed both EXP and Kingdom Management Points, or, as they were now called World Management Points.

Looking at the rates and acting like a dejected toddler who couldn't buy the toy he had just seen in a store window, Daneel sighed and left, and when he came back to the discussion, he saw that it had shifted to another topic, and that the sovereigns were waiting for him to answer something.

Of course, the system came to his rescue and repeated the question, and a moment later, he said, "Sorry about that, I was thinking about something else, but I did follow the discussion- yes, if Arafell turns out to be difficult, we can just deploy the 100 Heroes. But…I think I know a way to get her on our side. Anyway, coming to your question, Kellor- where are all the people present, now?"

The question had been in regards to the Axelorians whom Daneel had been able to save. Although he had failed to save them all, he had managed to teleport out a significant portion of the population, and apparently, the total count was 783, 456 people.

The number might ordinarily have made someone feel proud, but when one remembered the actual population of Axelor before all this had happened…they would definitely stop themselves from enjoying that emotion.

The original population was around 1.3 million, with a majority in the capital, which had been wiped out first.

According to estimates, at least 200,000 people had been taken away by the Church, and their fates would definitely not be pleasant.

Shaking his head as he remembered all of these things that he had already thought about a lot, Daneel said, "I feel that right now…it may be best to help them forget what happened to their Kingdom by making them assimilate into the Alliance. Well, at least, it's the easy thing to do. With time, they may forget the pain from losing their loved ones. If we make a new Axelor, it would just be us disrespecting the original one. I am honestly unsure regarding this…what are your thoughts?"

The sovereigns all began to think as he said this.

They had gotten the same thoughts, too, but as they honestly couldn't understand what all those people might be feeling right now, they didn't know how to proceed.

In the silence…Daneel finally decided to face the demons in his mind.

He had been postponing this, again and again. He knew that he had always had the quality, or flaw, where he would blame himself a lot for things that were not in his control.

He was liable to treat it as his failure when there was possibly nothing he could have done to stop it, but because he was the one who had shouldered the responsibility of the continent ever since he had become the King, he felt that he had always been responsible for them, too.

If seen in this way, then it had actually been a crushing defeat. As if a weight had settled onto his shoulders, they bowed, and his back slouched.

Gone was the confidence with which he had done so much, and even the sovereigns noticed this.

They knew him well, so Kellor was able to speak up right away.

"My King, there was nothing you could have done. Even all the people who are alive, now, should thank you wholeheartedly, as they are alive. We know that they were going to be Blood Sacrifices, too, if you hadn't exposed your trump card to save them. I-"

Interrupting him, Daneel stood up.

He had just gotten a thought through all of the dejected emotions he was feeling, and like a drowning man clutching at the weeds on the shore, he had caught it firmly in his hands.

"That's not for you to say, Kellor. And the decision regarding the Axelorians…is also something that we should not take. You are dispersed. We shall meet again soon."

Before they could say anything, he disappeared, and for a moment, Daneel felt bad.

But this…was definitely something he had to do alone.

As his body was still recovering, he needed someone to take him where he wanted to go.

He enlisted the Head, and soon, he was at a certain spot near the place where the 'Axelorian Event' had taken place.

At first, he had asked that they be invisible.

Thousands of temporary houses had been set up with the Mages of the Alliance, and hundreds of thousands of people were present.

However, most…were gazing in one particular direction.

And of course…it was the one where their Kingdom had once been.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel decided to plunge right into the topic.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

He made himself appear in the air above them, and declared, "Axelorians! I managed to save you all, but I failed to save the rest, and your Kingdom. I could blame the Church and say that you should be lucky to be alive, but that is false- I have always treated every Angarian as my family. Of course, the Church is still to be blamed, but so am I. For this reason, I am prepared to give you anything you wish. So, tell me…what do you want, Axelorians?"

His words echoed over the large ground, and in a daze, all of the citizens looked up.

Daneel didn't know what to expect. He knew that it might even be a bit silly, but he had found that this might be the only way to absolve the guilt in his heart. He wanted to see what they would say, and their answer…made his heart pound.

It started slowly, on the lips of a child, but soon, it was taken up by a hundred, then a thousand, and then a hundred thousand.

Soon…the entire plain was resounding with one word.

"Revenge…revenge…revenge…REVENGE…REVENGE!"

So, with a grin, Daneel responded, saying:

"Well…then that's what you shall get."

Chapter 904: Talking to the Axelorians

"Isn't it magnificent, Young King? But I am curious to find out what their thoughts are, just like you. And it does feel great to be back."Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Hearing this voice in his head, the smile on Daneel's face only grew broader.

Of course, the one who was speaking was Drakos, the Ancient Dragon, whom he had picked up before coming here.

It wasn't exactly that he had been able to take back the Dragon's consciousness into his mind, as he was currently in a covert location which very few knew about, but that he had sort of set up a walkie-talkie situation where he could communicate with the Empire Spirit even though he was standing here.

And the reason behind this… Was that he wanted to have an Empire Spirit with him, to see if there might be any clues left behind by the other one who had betrayed them all.

And also… He was feeling guilty about leaving someone so close to him for so long, alone.

The reason that he had left the Ancient Dragon in the kingdom was that he would be a final line of defense in case the worst happened, and this had actually turned out to be the right decision – after all of his sovereigns had been 'kidnapped' by the order, it was the Ancient Dragon who had run everything behind the scenes, even though it had looked as if it was people like the Spymaster whom he had recruited who were the ones running the show.

Whatever happened, Drakos had ensured that the direction of the Alliance would not be changed, and he was the reason why the adoption of the new currency, the construction of the combined school, and all the other projects the Daneel had started long back were still going on smoothly, with no hitches whatsoever.

Below them, the crowd was still roaring, and it did not look like they would stop anytime soon – such was the intensity of their emotions, and of course, they were very justified.

Although Drakos had said that he wanted to find out why their thoughts, Daneel had a general idea regarding why it was revenge that they were asking for: he had been told that in his absence, his sovereigns had had a brief talk with the citizens in order to explain to them exactly what had happened. They had been told that their King had been under the control of a different, ancient being over all these years, and that that was the reason why they had undergone so much suffering for so many centuries. Well, it was at least partly the reason, and they were also told that he had escaped destruction at the hands of the King of Lanthanor somehow before covertly creating this elaborate plot, that had almost resulted in the destruction of the continent as they knew it.

The decision to do so was taken by Eloise, who knew how it must feel to live in doubt, without knowing for certain why something so important and precious to them had been taken away.

So, of course, it would definitely be revenge that they would ask for, as they knew who was to be blamed.

"How did it feel to have a nice break from all the mayhem?", asked Daneel, whose mind was now so much lighter after seeing the response from the Axelorians.

"Quite good, but if I were being frank, I would tell you that I would have preferred the mayhem, any day. Still, I had a nice nap, which allowed me to refresh myself quite a bit. These are needed, even for me, so I could tell that they must have been needed even more so for someone like Arnold, who might not have found pawns to do his bidding all the while."

The response made him nod, before saying, "Quite so. I had heard about these naps that you need, but I didn't think about it much, as in my experience, almost all the Empire Spirits I met are all up and ready to kill me right as I find out about them."

Daneel could hear the smile in Drakos's tone.

"You were born in a time where Empire Spirits would be in a 'waking' phase, Young King. It has been around 17,000 years, and for the first 10,000, we were all sleeping, for the most part, as those who survived the Apocalypse and then grew stronger were still powerful enough to sense us if we awoke, and target us as the Apocalypse would still be fresh, within their minds. You already know that the Emperor meant us to be a secret from these organizations, and although they had an inkling, they never really knew what we were, or what was stored within us. This allowed us to get by, before the phase came when the Energy levels had gone low enough to make it so that there were fewer Heroes. It was then that we started communicating with the rulers. Well…that was in my case, at least. As far as I know, it must also be then that Arnold and Arafell began to look for people whom they could possess. Still, in the 7000 years that followed that point, there were long periods where all of us had to sleep for extended lengths in order to have at least a semblance of hope in preserving our sanity. I needed the least. It is only in the past ~1000 years that another 'awakening' phase began. Hence…like I said, you are lucky, Young King."

Chuckling in his mind, Daneel said, "Yeah, very lucky, indeed. Anyway, let's go find out more about these people."

Daneel had cleared out his agenda for this reason, too: even though he had already gotten his answer in that way, he wanted to find out more about these people.

And for that, he had to go among them.

It had to be noted that these people had lived in the most closed-off place on the continent, with the information that they could access being very, very limited.

Such people's mindsets might also be different, and of course, he also wanted to see whether there were any signs of Arnold's plans that he could pick up.

As Daneel began to descend, the roaring finally began to die down.

Only the children continued it. Waving imaginary flags, they kept chanting this word while running around the camp, and Daneel watched them with pity as their faces which should be filled with innocent joy were now covered in a shade of anger and bitter hatred.

As he landed, though, he was distracted by a man who walked up to him.

"King Daneel! Please follow me. There is an elder among us who helped us to understand everything, and let us know where our anger should be directed. He also explained clearly about how you managed to save us from right under the Church's noses. On behalf of my family, thank you! We lived while fearing the next purge…but we didn't know that there was such an evil in our Kingdom. Please come! He is the best person to speak to!"

Daneel nodded and motioned for the man to lead the way.

His skin was sunburned, and his hands were that of a farmer: coarse and rugged. His shirt was hanging loose, though, and it was torn, showing the ribs underneath.

Clearly, he had been a poor man.

Walking through the streets of the large camp, Daneel saw that there were many such people. Axelor looked like it had been in a severe state of poverty, which made him wonder where all the profit had gone to. It had always been a relatively wealthy nation, with ample resources within its borders that it had been able to sell without any problems to get everything it needed, so where had all that money gone?

The last time that Daneel was in the Kingdom, he had been too busy with his plans to oppose Arnold, so he hadn't really been able to think deeply about the economy of this Kingdom.

However, now, he wondered whether it really resembled that unique nation from Earth run by a man famously known as 'the little rocket man' in more ways than he had imagined.

On the way, he was met with many gazes. Most were filled with gratitude, but some were bitter, while others only showed sadness.

Of course, it was to be expected that some might still hold him to blame and wish that he saved everyone, just like those on Earth who would argue with firefighters that they should have saved the house, too, even though it had been a miracle to pull them out of the fire, in the first place.

Daneel wasn't childish enough now to be affected by them, and the only problem would be if they were present in the majority.

However, there were barely a couple in the hundreds that he passed, and soon, it looked like he was near his destination.

The reason behind this was that he was approaching a large tree, and many, many people were seated around it in a circle.

There was an old man sitting in front of it, and he looked like he might fall down and never wake up again at any moment. He was exceedingly weak, with bony hands and legs and a sunken, pale face.

His hair reached his knees, and it looked like it hadn't been cut in a long, long time.

Yet, when Daneel approached, he spoke in a surprisingly strong voice.

"All hail the King of Lanthanor!"

"HAIL!"

There were more than a thousand people seated around him, and surprisingly, there were communication eyes that seemed to be transmitting his image to other places, too.

This became clear when the answering cry came from the entire plain, making Daneel look around with surprise.

Folding his hands behind his back, he walked forward, definitely not expecting something like this.

"Please sit. I am afraid I do not have anything better..."

The old man said this as an Axelorian nearby pulled up a normal chair, but Daneel raised his hand to silence him and simply sat.

Following that, he looked out over the people, all of whom were glancing between him and the old man.

His curiosity at its peak, he said, "May I ask who you are?"

With a chuckle that shook his entire body, the old man answered.

"Oh, names are such unimportant things. I lost mine when I was taken to the dungeons for 40 years. Now, I just go by 'old man'. There's no one older than me in all of Axelor, so it's perfect! Don't you think so?"

Raising an eyebrow, Daneel regarded the man, and in the next moment, he was given an answer by the system.

[Target was born with high comprehension level, but it was of a rare form which has a chance of going unnoticed when normal methods are used for testing. His body is being kept alive by sheer will. His Mageroot, although untrained, has managed to create its own form of a healing spell which it is actively deploying 24/7. Such individuals who created spells without training were called Virtuosos. If this was the Age of the Empire, target would be called a Healing Virtuoso, as he is a natural expert in the field who was able to do what others can only do with training by simply fumbling around alone.]

Daneel didn't know what he had been expecting when he asked the system to scan this man...but it had definitely not been this.

He was a damn treasure!

Just as he was about to rejoice, though...a cry was heard from the crowd.

"King Daneel! Finally!"

The crowd parted, and a man who Daneel actually knew stumbled out.

He looked extremely malnourished, and from the scars still present on his face and hands, it seemed as if he had been tied up very securely.

He...was the Minister of Axelor, who had subsequently introduced democracy before being voted as the Ruler.

"That thing imprisoned me and took my place! I was just able to break free! Please! There is a ploy to bring the Church here, we must stop them! We- GUAGH!!"

Everyone present had been looking on with abject shock as this famous man had appeared out of nowhere, but suddenly, as he clutched his throat and fell to the ground before being bound by shackle after shackle that kept appearing, all of them turned to Daneel, only to see him have an extremely frigid expression on his face.

Before they could say anything, he walked forward while speaking in a cold voice, and his words...made them all drop their jaws and stare.

"All these days...I was going over my every step in Axelor which lead me to think that I had put the legendarily cold-blooded Empire Spirit, Arnold, to sleep. All signs pointed to him being in the King's head, as he kept possessing him, so after blowing up the man, I thought I succeeded in putting him to sleep. But...when I listed the other possibilities, there was one which stood out, mainly for absurdity. During every possession...the minister was always present beside the King. So...couldn't Arnold have been present in the minister, before going into hiding and creating this perfect plan to bring over the Church? I was ready to discard it, but lo and behold, it has been confirmed! You're such a cocky son of a b*tch, aren't you, Arnold? You just couldn't resist taking it too far! Well...you're done for, now."

At first, there was silence, as no one could comprehend what the King was saying.

But after that...an even colder voice, completely different from the one that had come from the minister before burst out from the completely bound man, and it was filled with such malice that all those nearby stepped back with fear.

"HAHAHA! That's right! Oh, I knew that there was a risk...but I just couldn't stop myself from seeing your face! But you're wrong on one count...this is just a figment of me that I can afford to lose! Now, then, getting to the point...how did it feel to be screwed right in the arse? Forgive my crude language, but that's exactly what you did to me! And look what you've caused! Angaria is f*cked! Oh, it is soooooo f*cked! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Chapter 905: Making History

"Should I bring in more Heroes, King?"

As Daneel heard this question in his mind which was from the Head who had moved to imprison Arnold in this way using the contingent of Heroes that he had come with while being hidden perfectly from everyone was present, he shook his head and said, "No, this is enough. The body he is inhabiting is too weak to be able to do anything. Like he said, he's only here to gloat. And I suspect that we cannot even do anything to him – this seems to be a spell where he can end himself if there is even a sign that we are going to do something to affect his consciousness."

Daneel's response was based on the message from the system, which had just scanned Arnold.

It wasn't sure, though, because the spell that it was seeing resembled one that had been theorized and implemented to some extent in the age of the Empire, but which was being cast in a different way, making it apparent that it must have come from the Church.

In the silence that followed Arnold's statement, everyone stared at the Minister who had seemed so kind, and had done so much to change Axelor for the better over all these years.

At least, that was what they had thought, whereas in reality… They were being manipulated all along.

His face had changed from the kind one of the Minister to one that was filled with extreme pleasure, and everyone had already recognized it to be the one that belonged to the man who had been in the air before, at the time when their Kingdom had been destroyed.

Just like Daneel had told Arnold, he had been thinking about it quite a lot during the week when he had been out of action. As someone who always liked to implement perfect plans, such a failure that had led to such dire consequences was not something he could live with.

After identifying the Minister, Daneel had asked the system, and had found out that it was possible for an Empire Spirit to remotely possess someone if they were close by. At that time, all signs had pointed to Arnold being present in the King's Head, and now, it was obvious that it had all been a ruse.

Hell, it was even a multilayered ruse – he had given off many signs to show that the podium which was all-important to all Empire Spirits was located in the Throne, and this had also been what had led to Daneel blowing up the Palace, and he had even thought that he had definitely resolved the issue of this Empire Spirit in these two ways.

He had been fooled. Or maybe… The right term was 'screwed right in the arse', just like Arnold had mentioned.

However… Wasn't it true that his plan had been thwarted, too?

Looking around, Daneel saw that the expressions with which people were watching Arnold were changing from shock to fear and then even extreme sadness, as they were remembering those that they had lost.

Even though those abducted by the Church were only a small proportion of the Axelorians when compared to those who were here, it was a known fact throughout the continent that Axelor had always been a Kingdom with very few family lines, which meant that people living very far apart would be related in a lot more ways than would be expected if they were living normally in the Central Continent.

The sentiment of a large group was a powerful thing. And so… Daneel was not prepared to let Arnold have another victory.

But what could be done?

He looked around a bit more, and suddenly, he got a brilliant idea.

First, after reaching Arnold, Daneel reached down and caught his hair before raising his face to face him.

From his investigations, he knew that the one who was being possessed was actually a very decent and honest man, and that he really had the good of his Kingdom in his heart. He had apparently been the voice of reason and logic in all of the angry outbursts of the king, before, and hence, when he had taken up the mantle of leadership after the king's demise, everything had seemed perfect.

The introduction of democracy had also been a uniquely interesting thing that Daneel had been quite amused by, but he had simply thought that the people deserved this after suffering for so long. Of course, now, it was clear that Arnold had always possessed the one with the most probability of winning, so in the end, he had been able to become the leader, again.

And perhaps… the love that everyone had for the minister had also come in handy when implementing such a plan so secretly.

Well, all of these things could be uncovered with time, but first, this Empire spirit had to be handled.

Daneel's purpose behind catching the minister's body using his apparition was twofold – first, it was to show his dominance over the one whose laughter still seemed to be echoing all over, and sure enough, being mistreated in this way after being in command for so long infuriated Arnold and made him look up.

The other purpose… Was to let the system scan him, and in a second, it sent him a message.

[Analysis has been confirmed. Target is using a variation of the theoretical spell from the Empire which allows a single, small piece of a consciousness to enjoy a heightened state of awareness where it can act as an individual unit of the one that it belongs to before imploding. This method was researched as it would be the perfect way to send messages. The implosion can also be triggered consciously, in case there is an attempt by anyone to take control of this piece of consciousness in order to obtain information from it. Also, in this case, a special spell has been cast where even if means which are beyond the reaction time of the target are used to imprison his consciousness, the implosion will still be triggered.]

Of course. For someone this smart, something like this was to be expected. It would be naïve to hope that they would be able to gain from this action of Arnold's so easily, but Daneel's idea would ensure that they would still do so, even though it would not be in a way that would have been expected by anyone.

Looking straight into Arnold's eyes, Daneel spoke.

"No. Angaria is safe. It is one Kingdom short, but what we have lost in that Kingdom which would have been glorious if not for you, we will gain in the unity that will be born from this event that was caused because of you. So, you need to know that you actually ended up helping Angaria, in the end, and repaying the Emperor for choosing to save you and give you this opportunity, which you only used to betray him and his trust. Oh, I know you feel no shame, and for the life of me, I don't know what he saw in you, but I do promise you one thing: I'm coming for you. No matter how much you hide, no matter in what corner of the Mainland you cower, I will find you, and I will make you wish that an eternity was not so eternal, as you will be howling in pain forever. This is what you deserve for betraying your motherland, and it is the same fate that I shall reward to anyone who even thinks about allying with the Church. Betrayal of this sort is the worst that can exist, so it must similarly be punished in the worst manner possible. And now… You're still cocky thinking we can't do anything to you, right? Well… You're wrong."

The King's speech was heard by all, and by his request, it was also being transmitted throughout the continent using the Network of Angaria. Eloise had already been contacted to set up this broadcast, and according to her, the entire continent was watching in rapture, as they had also heard a lot of things but had not gotten any confirmation regarding what had been going on in the continent.

Well, this was a perfect opportunity, then.

During Daneel's speech, Arnold had begun to laugh again, but he had been shut up using a spell from the Head. Still, he had stared with eyes full of cold happiness, and everyone had been able to see just how much hatred he had for Angaria, and the person who was speaking to him.

It was only during Daneel's threat that the faintest hint of apprehension appeared in them, but even that disappeared in barely a moment, making those who were watching wonder if it had even been there in the first place.

And when the King said the last words, mirth appeared in them, much more than there was before, and it looked like if his throat wasn't clamped shut, he would be laughing heartily right now.

Ignoring him at this point, Daneel turned around to face the communication eye which was transmitting his image to the continent.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "My dear fellow Angarians. You must have heard a lot of rumors about what has happened in the week before. Let me tell you the truth. Many have advised that I sugar coat it to not bring panic to you all, but this is what I told them: the blood of Angaria flows through us, and the sons and daughters of this land have never been known to be weak. Our continent… Is under threat of being destroyed by the Church of St. Rectitude, which you must already have heard of. Last week, they managed to kill hundreds of thousands of Axelorians and use their blood to arrive here, with an army that would have definitely succeeded in defeating all of us. Their goal is simple: they wish to kill each and every last thing here, and then populate the continent with people who will grow up while being indoctrinated by them to always follow the Church, without wavering no matter what happens. As for the reason behind this… It is to tap into the ubiquitous Will of our World, which can allow one access to an unlimited level of power. The mages who are listening can find out more later, but the rest of you just need to understand that it is the very essence of our continent, solidified, which they wish to steal away by killing each and every last one who even knows the name 'Angaria'. I know it is scary. I know it is difficult to come to terms with. But it is the truth. If we stay divided even at this crucial juncture, we will fall. But if we are united…"

Daneel paused, and in his mind, he said, "Begin."

[Deploying anti-control spell. Using external means to facilitate casting.]

Arnold had been watching Daneel give his speech with a sneer until now, but suddenly, shock appeared on his face, as he realized that he was being raised into the air.

If it was just this, it would be fine, but the problem…was that the one he possessed was still on the ground.

"H-how? What are you still hiding?! How did you make this spell!!!!!"

If he had a mouth, he would have screamed this, but all he could do was rage and lament that he had no way to contact the Church, where the main part of his consciousness was.

He could only scream silently as he rose higher and higher, and finally, he was in full view of all the people of Axelor.

"Axelorians! Today, I give you a chance to obtain the revenge you asked for! This is the one who is responsible for everything! Give your anger a weapon…and vanquish him! His fate should deter each and every Angaria who wants to sell their mother out! Let us show him what we are made of!"

For the first few seconds, the declaration of the King was too ground-breaking for anyone to understand.

But after that…even the King got a surprised expression on his face when a small pebble flew into the air, followed by a brave, yet squeaky voice which said, "That's for my father, you buzztard!"

Alas…the hand that threw it did not seem to have enough strength, even though it seemed to have courage aplenty, and it looked like the pebble would fall short.

Yet…on Daneel's command, an incredible thing happened.

The pebble instantly transformed into an arrow with a tip that was on fire, and as millions of Angarians watched on…it flew true

It went right into the thigh of the man in the air, who had been enlarged to thrice the size he had been on the ground, and the silence was broken by a sound that no one would ever forget.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! ALL OF YOU F*CKERS SHOULD HAVE DIED TOO!!!!"

It was a resounding scream of pain that seemed to jolt everyone awake, and it served the perfect purpose: to remind everyone of what the man above them had done, and what he would have accomplished if he had been allowed to.

In such an emotion-filled moment, would anyone care that the scream was fake, synthesized by the system using Arnold's voice to galvanize everyone into action?

Definitely not.

As stone after stone started to fly into the air, each of them were transformed into arrows, and the screams of the traitor were heard again and again, rising in intensity, giving solace to the raging fires of anger that were present in all those below.

It was a magnificent sight. Daneel watched on, extremely pleased, thanking Arnold for appearing in this manner, and giving him the chance to orchestrate this moment.

He knew that in the history books, this moment would be known as the one that changed everything. For once, a ruler had bared it all, and so, he had broken the age-old rule of separating the Central Continent from the Big Four, so that the former could be lied to and used however those more powerful wished.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

For once, a ruler who could rule both of these sides of the coin that was Angaria had appeared, and this moment…would serve to cement his image in the hearts of even those who had been taught to hate him for years and years.

"For Axelor! For Angaria! For King Daneel!"

Hearing the slogans from the hundreds of thousands of Axelorians, the King of Lanthanor smiled, before getting a thought in his mind.

"Divided, we may fall. But together…we will dominate."

Chapter 906: Aftermath

"Widespread panic was only reported in a few places. Still, because we have troops standing by, and because we also had a team of Heroes who seemed like undefeatable, inscrutable experts, we were able to break them all up. Even non-mages wanted more details, so we contacted the administrators of all settlements and give them copies of the official press release regarding this attack. A curfew has been implemented for the safety of the citizens, and I expect these measures to be enough for the entire continent. It is only Arafell in which we do not have any news, but from the information that we got from the Watcher who can see the people even though he cannot peer into the Palace, those who had the trinket and saw what happened were apparently not very surprised, which is quite surprising, in itself. As per your instructions, rallies supporting you and advertisements which call for people to join the war and do their piece were allowed, while being carefully monitored. Overall, the continent is stable, and we are poised to begin the next phase."

"Next phase? What's that?"

Eloise was reading out the report in a room with the sovereigns, where the Head was also present.

As she paused, the Head asked this question, and leaning forward, Daneel got a smile on the corner of his lips before answering, "Oh, just a little thing called unification. You needn't worry about it."

Aaron and Elanev both chuckled as they heard this, but the Head had a flabbergasted expression on his face for a moment.

After that, though, it was replaced by a hearty laugh.

"Of course. When you think about it… It makes a lot of sense. There will be problems, though, but I guess that you must have already made plans to deal with them?"

Daneel simply nodded in response, before motioning at Eloise to continue.

"Our surveys have established that that video of Arnold being pelted with stones-turned-arrows and screaming with pain has a lot of psychological effect, showing the power of Angaria over those who wish to destroy it. Hence, it has been stylized as a clip that will be repeatedly played during Network broadcasts, and also, we have started creating shows which glorify a career in the Army. Finally, the Network trinkets are finally ready for mass sales. We have enough units to equip one in every 10 Angarians, and all that is left to be decided is the price."

Saying so, Eloise sat down, and Daneel sunk into deep thought for a moment before responding.

"I have some thoughts on this, but we can talk about that later. First… let us speak with our guest."

With that, taking the cue, the Head flicked his fingers, and a bed was teleported into the room.

On it was a man who looked to be in severe pain, but the moment he found himself in the room, he made a conscious effort to make his expression neutral, which was actually quite commendable, as Daneel knew what he must be going through.

If one could imagine having a bomb set off in their head, then they would be able to find out just how much pain the minister must be in. In fact, Daneel had been even sure that there would be no way to save him, but surprisingly, the system had told him that the man had hung on with a sliver of his life.

Daneel's entire plan had revolved around shock and awe, so what he had needed was that Arnold wouldn't be able to erase his consciousness. Hence, he had identified a loophole in the spell cast by the Church which allowed him to 'freeze' the consciousness. If an attempt was made to manipulate it in any way, the implosion would have been triggered, but because all that happened was that Arnold's form, which was a fake one created by the system before putting his consciousness in it, was attacked incessantly, there was no effect on the psyche.

It had been an incredibly complex spell, and also a unique one, so normally, it would have taken anyone years to run tests before being able to cast it without any problems.

Of course, as Daneel had the system, it was able to create the spell and run simulations in a short span of time, which led to Arnold realizing that Daneel was in possession of some other fantastic power which had allowed him to do so.

Thankfully, the man had no way to contact the rest of his consciousness which was far, far away, and hence, he had only been able to scream in his mind and glare before finally imploding, after the limit of what his system-created body could take.

Half of what the people saw was fake, and half was real. Daneel had orchestrated it like a drama to achieve the best effect. Arnold would never give anyone the satisfaction of seeing him in pain, so he hadn't made a sound, no matter how much pain he was in. Hence, his screams and expression of agony were fake, synthesized by the system, and at the end, his body exploding into pieces while accompanied by fireworks that were visible from the other end of Angaria was also fake.

However, it had made for the perfect end to this event, and millions had cheered on seeing this sight.

Alas, even though Arnold's consciousness had seemed to be temporarily separated, it still imploded in the minister's mind. The man had been healed by the most talented healers in the Order, but even they had said that the trauma that was caused at that moment, of having a consciousness blow up in one's mind, was not something that they could really actively head, no matter how proficient they were in the medical arts. In the end, they had said that it would all depend on the tenacity of the individual who had gone through it- if his will to live was strong, he would suffer through the pain and survive until it healed enough, and if not, he would give up and let his own consciousness fall apart.

Obviously, in the case of the one in front of them, it was the former.

The Minister made a motion as if to stand up, but Daneel raised his hand and said, "Please rest. If it were not for the urgency of the situation, I would have decided to wait until you were better. But right now, we need to find out everything we can about Arnold – we know that you were with him, all this while, and must have seen everything he was doing. Even though we do not expect you to know anything personal about him, the hope is that we can gain something from this dumb move of his where he exposed himself in such a cocksure manner."

A moment after Daneel said this, the minister did not reply, but after that, he still continued in his attempt to get up.

Daneel was about to speak again, but he was stopped by his father, who sent him an urgent message in his mind.

"Daneel… Doesn't it remind you of someone? I'll spare you the effort… He reminds me of me, when I lost everything. This is a man who had to watch himself being used for so long. He has had nothing until now. But finally, he has his freedom, so all he wants to do is stand on his own feet, on his own terms, even if it hurts. That is what I tried to do after my expulsion from the Army, too, when our family had nothing. You must respect his pride, my son. Wait, and I guarantee that he will succeed."

Hearing this, Daneel looked into his father's eyes and saw the nostalgia there before stopping himself, and sure enough, in a few seconds, the minister had stumbled onto the floor. He wavered, looking like he was about to fall, but a second later, he righted himself and was able to look Daneel straight in the eye.

Daneel had to resist the temptation to gasp as he looked into this man's eyes, as it was definitely the first time that he was seeing so much regret in one place. It looked like this man was just one step away from taking his own life, but from the rigidity of his stance and the determination represented by the firm expression on his face, it became clear that this was something that would never happen.

"My King, it is my duty to help you in every way that I can. Thank you for what you did for my people. If not for you…yes, Axelor, and even Angaria would be no more. This is what happened…"

In an unwavering tone, the minister recounted everything.

Even he didn't know when Arnold had entered his mind, or how, which was really perplexing to Daneel, as that was not supposed to be how Empire Spirits operated. They needed permission, so how had Arnold succeeded?

The active possession apparently began after the death of the King. It happened without any preamble, apparently: according to the minister, one second, he was shocked, and the next, he had lost control of his body.

Each and every individual in the room tensed and reacted in different ways as they heard this, as it was such a horrid thing that it might even affect their nightmares.

After that, most of the story was what Daneel had guessed it to be: he had won the election and started secretly creating the Blood Sacrifice formations around all of the major settlements in Axelor, and as for the reason behind him even choosing to side with the Church…it was powerlessness.

Arnold had apparently hated Daneel with a vengeance, and felt powerless to defeat him. Hence, he had chosen the one force that would succeed, and they had used the opportunity perfectly.

There were a few other little points of interest, but after reciting everything, the minister instantly fainted, which led the Head to cast a spell and place him back on the bed before teleporting it away.

Letting out a sigh, Daneel said, "The man seems hellbent on doing something- that's why he's clinging on to life. Keep a close eye on him. Notify me when he is awake. And sovereigns, disperse, for now. I have a few small matters to take care of. After that, we can begin, even though its going to take 2 more months for me to be healed."

With nods filled with anticipation, the sovereigns vanished one by one, and finally, the Head left, too, leaving Daneel's apparition alone in the room, which was situated in Lanthanor.

Taking a deep breath, Daneel first asked the system about something that had been bothering him.

"System, what happened to the Word I gave regarding my return?"

Of course, he was talking about the module he had activated and used after his departure from Angaria, when he had said:

'I don't know exactly, but I do know one thing. When it is time for us to return…I want it to be that we stand above all, and below none. I want it to be that we can do whatever the f*ck we want in this continent, without there being even a single person who will dare to question us. I want it to be that this World bows to me, and even the very air should ask permission before it makes it course through the land. I want…to dominate, and nothing shall stand in my way. Such is my word…and my word shall be done.'

Going through what he had said, itself, he got the answer, but Daneel needed to be sure.

[Conditions set by module not fulfilled.]Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Indeed. Daneel's position was much different than before, but still, had he dominated the entire continent?

Definitely not.

Still…that was exactly what he was going to do next, so he looked forward to keeping his Word, and earning enough EXP to have the system upgrade.

Next, Daneel took another deep breath and sent a message to the Head, who did his bidding.

A woman was teleported into the room.

Her once-gorgeous hair was now a mess, looking like it had even been pulled out in multiple places, and although a lot of it covered her face, what one could see of the skin beneath made it clear that she was very, very pale.

As soon as she appeared in the room, though, an eye which was severely swollen as it had been shedding many, many tears opened, and it stared in shock at the man in front of it.

In the next moment, the sound of running was heard, and Daneel was engulfed in a tight, tight hug, before Xuan started sobbing, uncontrollably, on his shoulder.

Chapter 907: Xuan

Xuan's sobs echoed in the meeting room of Lanthanor, which had been sealed so perfectly that there wasn't a single soul alive who could look in, and see what was going on.

Daneel was caught a bit off-guard, but he wasn't the naive boy who had given away his first kiss so easily in the library of the Goddess's Sanctum.

No, this entire ordeal, and everything that had happened since then had hardened and matured him, and hence, he knew what he was supposed to do the moment he saw the emotions in Xuan's eye.

He hugged her back, feeling her frail body in his arms, and as she let it all out, he became the firm rock which she could finally lean on, as she had been lost amidst tumultuous storms until now.

He knew the short version of what had happened to her, but seeing her in this state, he realized, right away, that there must be something, or even a lot, more.

And besides…this was one other woman who he truly cared for, from the bottom of his heart. True, her's was not a character that many would like: she was an entitled person whose actions might even be considered irritating to many, and the incident where she had almost killed Eloise especially came to mind when Daneel thought about all the interactions he had had with her.

However, even then, she had not wavered in her decision to right her wrong, thereby giving Eloise a new life which she hadn't wasted, at great cost to her and her sect.

After that, her tempestuous feelings for Daneel had let to that private moment which was still fresh in Daneel's mind, and although the most prominent thing after that was that time when both women had 'advised' him about what he should do if he wanted either of them, she had always stayed in Daneel's heart.

He didn't know what he saw in her. In fact…he was pretty sure that it was something that hadn't even shown itself yet, but was present, deep within, whose hint, like the hint of spring that could lift one's spirits even though all they saw around them was the desolation of winter, was truly something to behold.

Of course, there had been a long period of them not meeting after that, during which she had apparently been training in seclusion, and what followed this…was that moment when Daneel had seen the video proof that had led to him becoming a wanted man on Angaria.

He had known that the hammer would fall, but he would be lying if he said that he hadn't been extremely shocked to see it fall in that way.

He had known, right away, that it must be a plot, and this had even lingered in the back of his mind all throughout his absence from the continent. He had been worried about her, and although this worry had combined with what he felt for the continent, it still stood out, carrying a different tinge to it that set it apart from the rest, and was similar, but not completely the same as what he had felt for Eloise.

Right after fixing everything and waking up, Daneel had inquired about her through the Head. The Head had told him that the ordeal she had gone through had resulted in her entering a coma-like state, and he had taken the step to have her looked after by the best healers in the Order.

It was only today that she had woken up, and after handling the things at hand, Daneel had had her teleported to him.

While he thought about all these things, Xuan began to clutch at him madly, as if she was afraid that he would leave, all while still crying so loudly that it was a miracle that she hadn't gone hoarse.

Daneel was quite puzzled about her state, in general, but this brought the worry to a whole other level: what had she gone through, to make her behave like this? What had happened to this strong woman who had been poised to become the next Goddess of Angaria?

The system, which had already been tasked to thoroughly scan her, gave him the answer.

[Analysis complete. Multiple issues found in target. Listing in order of importance.

Acute Damage to Consciousness: Consciousness of target has been damaged severely, and is in a state close to falling apart. Urgent action is recommended if host wishes to save the target from permanently becoming deranged. 2 methods have been identified for this purpose.

Acute Damage to Physical Body: Target's left eye, heart and genitals have been damaged extensively over a prolonged time. Damage was done in such a way that attempts to heal will take a long time, and will be excruciating for target. It has been detected that an unknown individual has taken the right step of isolating damage and timing the healing process so that it will only work when target is asleep, in order to cause less pain. Ordinarily, target should be kept in an unconscious state, but due to the state of consciousness of target, this would be very risky, as further tinkering could result in direct collapse.

Acute Lack of Energy & Nutrition over a Prolonged Time: Target has been starved from both Energy and food. This has led to target falling in power level to the Peak Warrior level. Physical body is also in an extremely malnourished state. Most ideal steps to remedy this have already been taken, but time will be required for a full recovery.

Further analysis has deduced that the damage to consciousness was done to alter target's memory. There are signs that this damage was done recently, in the span of 1-2 weeks. It is recommended that host enlists the help of those well-versed in the study of consciousness for further analysis, who might be able to give a more accurate timeframe.]

Daneel looked as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt as he was given the analysis by the system.

And in the next second…this shock was replaced by rage.

He shook as this emotion filled his body, and this made Xuan recoil, before she hesitatingly pulled back a bit to look at Daneel.

Her face was still covered by her hair, which was now accompanied by tears and snot, too. However, it looked like they had paused due to the change that had come over him, and she was looking at him almost fearfully, as if she was afraid of something he might do.

Daneel still didn't know the full story. But what he saw in her eye…melted his heart.

She looked exactly like a little kid who had been kidnapped and abused, and had hence been damaged so profoundly that it would take a lifetime of healing to get back to even a semblance of normalcy. If such a child were reunited with those she loved, she would cry her heart out, but she would also be fearful, as the world had shown its real, cruel side, and she would not be ready to trust anyone, or anything for a long, long time.

In Daneel's mind, it was as if a war had begun between the rage, which was still present, and sadness, which had been given birth by the pain and fear with which Xuan was seeing him.

Still looking into her eye, he slowly raised a shaking hand to her face, and although she moved back a bit, she stopped and let it approach.

With his finger, he moved aside the hair that covered her other eye…and let out a gasp of horror.

Where her eye was supposed to be, there was only a deep, gouged out hole, which was currently covered by a careful formation that was clearly laid down by the healer who had attended to her.

It almost looked like the flesh inside had been scooped out by something as rough as a small shovel, again and again, until even the tissue of her brain could be seen in the depths of that hole.

She covered it swiftly after that, as if scared that he might react in some or the other way, and as she continued to look at him, Daneel understood that he first had to control his anger.

He shoved it down, but the more he tried to put it aside, the more it grew.

Who had done this? And why?

These burning questions refused to leave, and Daneel knew that if he found the answer now, he wouldn't hesitate from setting out with his Heroes and mincing them into tiny bits.

This…was his Xuan! And they had broken her so thoroughly that she was even scared of him!

Whoever had done it would definitely pay, but first…if what the system said was true, then he had to act.

With a superhuman exertion of will, he managed to shove aside that emotion, which lead Xuan to look relieved before hugging him again.

She didn't start to bawl again, but she stayed there, clutching him tightly and sniffling.

"System, what is the best method to help her consciousness?"

Daneel asked this after seeing her relax, a bit, and the answer he got was actually one he had expected.

[Because of host's bond with target, host has a chance of healing target's consciousness if the nuclei of damage within can be located and resolved. This would be impossible for anyone else, as the consciousness would clamp shut.]

When one was damaged, they would revert to their instincts, and Daneel had always had a very special place in Xuan's heart. Hence, what the system was basically saying was that he would be allowed inside, whereas others would be rejected right away.

Without hesitating at all, he said, "All right. Start it."

A familiar feeling hit Daneel, and the last thing he saw was Xuan slumping in his arms, unconscious.

Soon, he was back in a familiar place: the vast, empty space that was accessible when one was asleep or not conscious, which Daneel had used before to contact Percy when he had been in such a state.

However…in Percy's case, it had been a void, but here, cracks were present all over, as if someone had struck the entire place with a hammer in an attempt to break it apart.

These cracks crisscrossed, and there were some places where multiple ones intersected. In these intersections, red, pulsing globes that were similar to what he had entered before, in Percy's case, to talk to him could be seen, and Daneel was able to figure out that these must be the 'nuclei' that the system had mentioned.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

He chose the largest one which was nearby, and from his point, he could see that it was showing a dark room.

Willing himself forward, Daneel entered the globe, and in the next moment, he was hit by a rank odor.

It made him instinctually use his hand to cover his nose, and in the process, he looked up to witness a sight which made him freeze.

A chair was in the middle of the room, on which light was shining from the ceiling.

A woman was tied to it, dressed in coarse robes which were stained with blood, and from the way the hands of the wooden chair were whittled away at the spot where the cords that tied her to it were present, it was obvious that she had been in the same position that he was seeing her in for months.

She was taking short breaths of air, as if it hurt to breathe normally, and as the door near Daneel suddenly opened, she shuddered and looked up.

That same face covered by hair became visible, but that eye was filled with something different.

It was…determination.

The one who entered was hazy, for some reason, but the moment they entered, their voice was heard clearly.

"For how much longer will you persist in this foolish endeavor? It has been three months…90 f*cking days! Each day, I tortured you, broke you, starved you, made you live in your own sh*t and pee. Each day, I took you close to that boundary before sanity and insanity. Each day, I used every method passed down by the legendary Empress of Torture of the Empire which she guaranteed would make anyone sell out their own parents. But you…still haven't given up! All you need to do is give one, small statement!! Do that, and you can be the Goddess again! That guy doesn't give a f*ck about you! You saw how he was gallivanting with that shrew instead of even trying to find out where you were! Is he worth going through all this? Just give in, and it'll all be over!"

That last sentence echoed in the room, and for a little bit of time, there was silence as Daneel stood there, rooted to the spot, his mind blank.

Her answer, which she gave in a rasping, yet unrelenting voice jolted him awake.

"I, Xuan, was born and raised as a haughty brat. I was told again and again that I was special, and that I need not keep anyone in my sights. This led me to become a typical member of the Big Four- arrogant, selfish and power-hungry. But King Daneel Anivron…changed my life. It began when I went to his Kingdom. When I learned his life's story, he taught me what real determination was. When I saw his unwavering will to better his people, he taught me the beauty that lies in caring for those other than oneself. And when I saw his pure character first-hand, he taught me what one should aspire to be if they hope to live a life they can be proud of. Even without me realizing it, he stole my heart, and although I will never tell him this, I am prepared to wait for him, even if it is until death, for I am his, whether he claims me or not. I owe him a debt I can never repay, as he turned me from the bratty Xuan who would have lived a wasted life to the Goddess who only wants to do her best to live in a way that truly represents that title. Even if you kill me, I will not agree to say a word against him. So do your f*cking best, you old hag."

"Very well, then."

The reply was followed by a harrowing scream, and Daneel could only watch as Xuan's skin began to be stripped from her body.

Clearly, the torture had begun again, but before he could do anything to stop it…he suddenly found himself awake, in the real world.

[Stability of target's consciousness was found to be precarious. Hence, host was removed from target's consciousness. It has been detected that there are phases of instability and stability. Before being removed, target's consciousness was in a stable state. It is recommended that host should attempt again when the stable state returns.]

Daneel only heard the first part of the system's message, as his eyes were fixed on Xuan, who was also waking up.

She looked around with panic, at first, before calming down as she seemed to have realized that she was not in the room that he had just seen.

A storm of emotions assaulted his mind and heart as he continued to look at her.

Her every word seemed to reverberate in his mind, and suddenly, on a whim that seemed to come from nowhere, he bent forward…and kissed her lips.

She was startled, at first, and although Daneel was shocked due to his own actions, he prepared to pull back in case she resisted.

However, after a second, her lips hungrily reacted, as if they had found something they had been looking for without even realizing it until now.

Her body melted into his, engulfing him completely, and for once, the King shut down his mind, and let his body take over.

Chapter 908: Revelation

Daneel's and Xuan's lips parted after what felt like a long, long time.

In reality, though, it had only been a minute, and for that entire minute, the two hugged each other so tightly that it looked as if they had become one.

It was obvious that both were moving on pure instinct: their lips continued to hungrily devour the others', and the titillations that came from exploring something so incredible for the first time made it so that their minds continued to remain blank.

Even after the minute, they only parted because Xuan ran out of breath.

As Daneel was an apparition, he didn't need to breathe, but Xuan was in an extremely weakened state.

Even then, a Peak Warrior was supposed to be able to hold their breath for quite a long time, and that was why the two had managed to forget everything and have this precious experience.

Daneel was the one who moved back after detecting that she was about to collapse, but they still stuck to each other, inseparably, while the King looked into the Goddess's eyes with worry.

In her fragile state, would she feel rejected, even though he had done it for her good?

Thankfully, this didn't happen, but Xuan did react.

Slowly…a small, pure smile spread across her face, and finally, Daneel was once again able to see the Xuan of old who he had thought had died.

He had already begun to smile in response, but this turned into a broad, cheek-to-cheek grin as he was sent a message by the system.

[Major improvement detected in target's state of mind. Previously unknown method which was not considered for healing target found to be successful. Looking for references. Entry found.

'A Kiss to Bring you Back From The Dead': A treatise written by an experienced researcher who stated that genuine feelings of affection can affect the World to heal an individual if used properly. Testing was done in order to prove the hypothesis. Results were inconclusive. Hence, even though the method held promise, it was not deemed important enough to be communicated to host.

Looking for further related items of interest. 2 items found.

1. Such a kind of healing is a one-time thing. In all entries, even if it was possible, it was clearly stated that such a thing can only happen once, when the World is moved without those involved even intending for it to do so.

2. It is recommended for host to stay close to target, as moving away can result in the healing being reversed.]

Who would have thought that a kiss would help Xuan, and make her better?

Daneel was back in control of his mind and body, and oddly, he did not feel shy, or any of the feelings he had expected would come after finally kissing someone for the first time, voluntarily.

Introspecting, he realized that it was because it was a decision he had taken consciously, when he had still been in control of all his faculties.

It wasn't out of pity, or remorse, or the urge to give back, as she had suffered so much because of him.

No…it was just the simple, yet intrinsically beautiful evolution of the feelings that had always been present, hidden, which might have remained so if he hadn't been exposed to who Xuan really was.

It was the unique emotion that was born out of the realization that he truly, deeply admired the person in front of him, and wanted to show what he felt in the way that had come to him naturally.

At that moment, everything else hadn't mattered, and Daneel had made that decision knowing that he would never regret it, and that it was what he wanted.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Daneel was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts at this point as he felt Xuan go limp in his hands.

At first, he panicked slightly, but then, he realized that it was just because she was exhausted.

Conjuring a bed, he laid her down on it gently.

However, when he was just about to stand, he saw her face fill with the same fear he had seen before, and knowing why it was happening, he hastily gave her his hand, which she clutched at and hugged before falling into a deep sleep.

Of course, this put Daneel in an awkward position, but he didn't mind. He just looked at her and smiled, and a minute later, her body relaxed, allowing him to take a step back.

First, getting an idea, he told the system. "Create a second apparition here that will stay by her side. Transfer me to this one if she wakes up, or if any disturbance is seen."

[Affirmative. Waiting on requisite formation to be set up.]

Daneel could only control things which were already set up, as he was still too weak. So, he asked the Head to come over, as he had to set up the formation which the system would use to do his bidding.

As soon as the man arrived, he looked at Xuan with shock.

"She-she looks so calm! The healers told me that she hadn't been able to sleep, at all, since being discovered tied up in a secret room in the Order. What did you do?"

A slight blush came in Daneel's cheeks, now, as he remembered their fiery act of passion, but he was able to make it disappear in a moment before saying, "I healed her, but obviously, it wasn't enough. First, create another apparition formation here for me. And then, I need to know why you didn't tell me that she was in such a serious state."

The coldness in the latter part of Daneel's statement made the Head look at him oddly, but first, the man did what had been asked of him.

After that, he replied, saying, "Because I did not know, myself. I only found someone seriously injured, and after putting the best healers I could find on her case after finding out that she was someone close to you, I told you what I knew about the situation. Even the healers only told me that she had sustained severe damage. They seemed hesitant to say more, and now I understand why. I looked for records, but there was nothing- the only thing found was that she was ordered to be placed on lockdown by the Overseer as she 'needed protection from a fugitive'."

Of course, that was him.

Letting out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding, Daneel realized that he was targeting the anger which he had apparently unsuccessfully shoved aside which had born after seeing what Xuan had gone through onto the Head, who was clearly not to be blamed.

Never one to hide behind his mistakes, he frankly said, "I apologize. I just found out that she was tortured by someone for three months to speak against me. I can say with certainty that she didn't give in. But the facts say otherwise- her testimony was taken, somehow."

Extreme surprise had appeared on the Head's face as he heard the King, and he replied while sputtering.

"Thr-three months?! But that doesn't make sense! That was before you even ticked off that thing by going into the Library!"

Daneel had already told the Head the story of how it had all come to be, so the most glaring question in his mind came to him, too.

Nodding, he said, "That is exactly what I also want to find out. I am confident I will succeed, so we will have our answers with time. But first- have you done what I asked of you?"

Before Daneel had even had Xuan sent over, he had analyzed the situation and found out that there was one person who needed to be interrogated if they wanted to get started on the path of finding answers- Molan.

The two had always been inseparable, so it was possible that she might know something.

Hence, he had asked the Head to locate her. He had thought that she might just be found among the Warriors who had also marched out and fainted due to the entity's actions, but the Head's response as he asked this now made him frown.

"I found her, but she was not where you expected her to be. Weirdly enough…she was on the run. I just succeeded a minute or so ago using the help of the formations of the Order, and a couple of Heroes. She hasn't been approached, yet, though- she still thinks she has safely changed her identity into a random housewife in a village. The Heroes are on standby- do you want me to command them to move in, and detain her?"

Daneel thought for a bit and then shook his head.

"Everything about this feels…off. Like there's something bigger we're not seeing. Like there's something…I missed. Tell them to teleport her here suddenly, without any warning."

He had just gotten this sudden idea, and knowing why the King wanted this to happen, the Head nodded with a small smile and sent the command.

A second later, a woman wearing drab clothes who was in the process of cracking an egg to make breakfast appeared in the room.

She froze before looking around, her features filling with shock, but that emotion instantly changed into fright as she focused on the three people who were present in the room.

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!"

With a loud scream, she got up and hysterically ran towards the door.

Of course, it was shut, so she could only bang her fists on it and continue to scream, having obviously lost her mind momentarily due to the sudden way in which it had happened.

"NOOOO! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! I'M INNOCENT! LET ME OUT!"

"But I haven't even asked whether you did anything."

Daneel's calm, yet cold voice made her snap out of it, and clamping a hand on her mouth, she turned around and looked at him with fear.

Then, her eyes turned to Xuan, whose gouged out eye was visible due to the angle in which she was sleeping.

Her face completely went blank, and in a movement that surprised both the King and the Head, she ran forward again with tears streaming down from her eyes.

Daneel told the Head to only move if she looked like she was going to do harm, and so, they both watched on as she collapsed at the edge of Xuan's bed and wiped her tears in order to see more clearly before speaking in an extremely distressed tone.

"Xuan, oh, Xuan! Heavens above, what did they do to you?! THEY ONLY TOLD ME THAT THEY'LL MAKE YOU HATE HIM! Oh, I was so naive! Oh, Xuan…"

She broke down into tears, and watching her wail, Daneel was sickened, even though he saw the genuine care and regret that were shining her eyes.

He was about to ask the Head to draw her up in the air so that they could interrogate her, but suddenly, the system spoke in his mind.

And hearing what it said…all other thoughts flew away, leading the King to stare into the void.

[Host's act of healing has managed to uncover a memory that was hidden in target's consciousness. Target is unconsciously trying to push it forward in order for it to be visible. Due to target's bond with host, system has been able to find hints of what this memory is. It is that of a vision that was induced due to target's special status as a 'Seer', and it shows the arrival of the force that is known as the Church of St. Rectitude using the Blood Sacrifice Formation set in place by the target known as 'Arnold'.]

Chapter 909: Decision

After a few moments, Daneel's eyes were finally able to focus again.

Well, now…he had the answer to the most glaring question, and it cleared a lot of things up and presented a way in which the timeline might make sense, even though quite a few things still had to be found out.

Seers had always been strategic resources, especially in the time of the Empire when they had apparently even been fought over by different forces.

Their only problem was that they weren't very reliable, but even then, having one meant that a warning which might otherwise never have reached in sufficient time would be obtained.

It was a fact that visions of seers always came true, but they could frequently be misleading, often coming to reality in completely unexpected ways.

Here, though, Daneel could imagine a scenario where Xuan was free, and able to warn them of what was coming for them.

So many would have been saved. Angaria would still be whole. And the Church…might even have been lead into a trap, resulting in an incredible victory that could have changed the outcome of the entire war.

Alas, that had not come to be, and the most ironic thing was actually that it might be because of the jealousy of the woman in front of them.

At once, the gaze with which Daneel was seeing Molan turned into one filled with anger, and if it was up to him, he would have her quartered right now, right here, after extracting her consciousness and getting all the information he needed from it.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Her statement had already made everything clear: she had been jealous of the affection that Xuan had shown him, and she had fallen prey to the sweet promise that must have been delivered at just the right time in order to blur her boundaries of right and wrong and lead her to do something that had resulted in such death and destruction.

It was often said that wars could begin due to the littlest of things which might seem so unimportant but would transform into the sparks that set off the Heaven-reaching flames of destruction, and this was a prime example of the same.

"Speak! What did you do?! Give us all the details!"

In a sharp voice, Daneel barked out this order, before asking the Head to bind Molan.

Invisible ropes securely tied up the woman who had just snapped her head up due to Daneel's question, and as if she knew that it was futile, she didn't even resist.

A chair was conjured, and as she sat on rigidly, she continued to stare at Xuan while still mouthing apology after apology.

"Answer the King."

The Head's deep and dignified voice echoed in the room, and once again, Daneel was exposed to the unique and supremely open-ended power of the Head's Path. Instead of targeting one's mind, the man directly influenced the World, and in this case, Daneel saw subtle changes taking place in Molan which allowed her mind to sharpen so that it could temporarily recover from the damage of the feelings that were attacking it.

It was almost like giving a drug to someone to make them speak, and sure enough, Molan finally answered.

"I was approached by a Hero who kept their identity secret. They…told me that they had found out about my attempts, and as someone who had experienced something similar, they wanted to help. At that time, I was in the process of discrediting you using fake news that I would pass to Xuan while she was in isolation training. She never believed me, and continued to say that my sources were false. Each failure pushed me to try harder, and by then, I was desperate. I…agreed, because I told myself that it was for her own good. I swear I didn't know that she would be harmed! I was only told that she would be taken to a special place where she would be persuaded, and I was told to mask her absence from anyone who asked. I never questioned them as they seemed genuine. When they talked to me, I felt the same emotions- that person had gone through something similar. My heart said it was the right thing to do, and I did it. She was supposed to be mine! We grew up together, we did everything together! We were supposed to be together, forever! I was supposed to be the most importa-"

"Continue your answer."

With a wave from Daneel's hand, the Head's Voice returned, and with a shudder and a pause, Molan spoke in a halting tone.

"One day, she said she saw something horrible, and that she should tell everyone right away. In isolation, she was cut off from everyone, including the Matriarch. That was when I suddenly got the message that I should bring her to a certain place. I was suspicious of the timing, but they said that it was then or never, and tempted me with everything I had always dreamed. I relented- I took her there, telling her that that was where the Matriarch was, and that's…the last thing I heard from either of them. I continued to hope, and cover up her absence, but the next thing I knew was her testifying against you. Then, I was told that she had taken protection in the Order from you. It was so perfect! I was going to have my Xuan back! But then…that war happened. And I knew that it had all gone wrong, and that their intentions were never right in the first place- so, it was possible that I had done something to be punished for. I ran away, as I needed to stay alive for Xuan. For us to be back together. But now…"

The regretful gaze was back, and with the tears falling to the floor, Molan continued to stare at Xuan and mumble incoherently.

With everything out in the open, the first decision that Daneel took was to move away from the room.

He didn't trust himself to stop from giving the order to have her killed in the most painful way possible. In fact, he had even been close to telling himself that he should do it, but in the end, he had managed to shut it down.

This was because he knew that in this case, it was Xuan's decision. She was the one who had had to go through all that because of her closest friend. She was the one who had been betrayed. And so, she would be the one to decide Molan's fate.

But still, right before leaving, Daneel did get one colorful idea that was the main reason behind him being able to control himself.

He knew that the regret that she was feeling and showing was genuine, and not an act, so he had given a simple order to the system.

"Set up a display trinket to show all the images of the torture that Xuan went through, in vivid detail. Keep replaying these in front of her- and make sure that she has no option but to keep watching. Also…make sure that she has no way to kill herself."

The system had done it with the help of the head, and hence, the last thing that Daneel heard before leaving was a very long, very loud and very satisfying scream of pain.

In a spot above the clouds, the Head and Daneel reconvened, and Daneel recounted what he had been told by the system before, about the vision.

For a second, the Head could only stare with bemusement, but after that, he clapped his hands and said, "It makes perfect sense, now! The same person the Overseer used was also in the employ of the Church!"

Daneel nodded, as the Head had hit on the same conclusion as him.

"Any force would target the Seers of a place they were going to invade, if possible, so the Church must already have had their eyes on Xuan. They found Molan- a perfect target to exploit, and they must have been waiting for the right time to take action. Somehow, they found out that Xuan had had a vision, or it was them being safe- if its the latter, they really won the lottery. After abducting Xuan, they started torturing her, and the initial torture must just have been to break into her consciousness and remove the signs of the vision. But they underestimated her- she resisted, and then, the Overseer came along, who needed someone to testify against me. Xuan was the perfect target. At this stage, it was either a coincidence that the same person who was employed by the Church was also given the task by the Overseer, or…"

"That the Overseer and the Church were working together, all along, in some form."

This startling possibility was uttered by the Head, who looked like someone who had just said something that they couldn't believe, but which appeared to be true.

Daneel had the same expression of disbelief on his face, as he, too, had reached the same thing.

But how could it be possible?

Setting this aside, though, the more they thought about it, the more it made sense.

"Even if the Overseer- or, the entity, as you're the Overseer, now- had succeeded in his plan to take over the continent, what next? The Church would still be a foe. And despite his identity as someone from the Mainland, it's not possible that he would have been able to whip up magical defensive or offensive methods to win the War. In that case, what would anyone do?"

"Ally with the enemy. Even the timing was all circumspect- at first, it looked as if the Church had been waiting, biding their time, for the perfect opportunity. They struck when all the glorious Heroes of our land were incapacitated. But what if…knowing it would happen, they had planned it to arrive at that time, from the beginning?"

Together, the two of them gave the perfect analysis, but right away, Daneel realized something.

"How does it matter, now?"

The Head looked at Daneel in surprise, saying, "It has a lot of implications, King! This-"

The Head stopped what he was saying, mid-sentence, as he saw the King's eyes turn completely red.

Daneel was currently just an apparition, but even then, the Will of someone who had made the World bow to them was truly a spectacle to behold when enraged.

Waves of anger radiated out from him, causing the Head to move back, and seeing this, with effort, Daneel put it all back in.

"All that matters…is revenge. The one who did this should pay. Both for allying with the Church, and for what they did to her. And as for who it is…"

"Mrs. Quenry."

Seeing the Head finish his sentence, Daneel was honestly surprised.

He had shortlisted her by checking those who had access to the teachings of the Empress of Torture, and then matching that list with those proficient in the consciousness. She had stood out, but even then, he had expected that he might have to put in the effort to verify it.

Seeing his curious gaze, the Head sighed and said, "A heart usually sees true- when that girl talked about speaking with someone who had gone through something similar, I was reminded of Mrs. Quenry, whose story is somewhat similar. She was also a close confidant of the entity, and was entrusted with the most sensitive tasks. Also…she was one of those vocal about going over to the Church. That last part seemed like bravado, as everyone knew that she was already tightly bound by oathshackles, but apparently…it was her having fun. King, think about your approach. She is someone who has a lot of support in the Heroes- maybe it is for the best if we follow normal procedures, and give her a chance to surrender. This way, it will seem fair, so it seems like the safest path ahead."

The answer was given by the King in an icy tone.

"Head, sometimes, you listen to your head, and sometimes, you listen to your heart. This time, it's the latter. F*ck the safe path. Today, Angarians will wake up to the sounds of a Hero begging for mercy, and not finding any. Let us depart- our prey awaits."

Chapter 910: Revenge 1

In a discrete location north-east of the Kingdom of Lanthanor, a spot which seemed completely empty except for the vegetation and animals that were idly spending the day suddenly had its sanctity invaded when two individuals teleported to a spot above it.

"She's right below here."

This was said by an elderly man who seemed dignified, and the other responded by saying:

"All right. Just stick to what I said, and leave the rest to me."

This man's body seemed to be shaking, either with excitement or wrath, and either way, it seemed as if he was waiting for the thing which would allow him to finally lay his emotions to rest.

A moment later, intense vibrations could be felt from the entire area as formations came into being.

Anti-teleportation, anti-communication, anti-breach- all sorts of restrictive means instantly came into effect, making their presence known right away as they were too complex and powerful to be able to hide themselves, especially when they were all placed and activated in a very, very short period of time.

BOOOM!

With a loud sound, the ground broke apart to reveal a group of people who flew out with bewildered and enraged expressions on their faces.

In fact, that was what it might seem like at first glance, but if one looked closely, they would find that a single individual among this group had another emotion that she was trying to hide, but had failed to do so due to the abruptness of what had just happened.

It was…dread.

As soon as this group's gazes became transfixed on the two individuals above them, a sonorous voice was heard over the entire area.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"Mrs. Quenry. Evidence has been found which shows that you have acted against the interests of the continent by allying with the Church of St. Rectitude. As of this moment, all rights attained by you as a member of the top echelon of the Order are hereby stripped. You are branded as a traitor, subject to imprisonment and interrogation. It is recommended that you come quietly."

The announcement that came out of nowhere actually did not cause shock to appear in the group.

Instead, looks were shared between them, as if they had been expecting something like this to happen.

13 individuals were present, and from the looks of it, all of them were Peak Heroes, and belonged to the group who had been commanded by the Entity before forcefully as they had signed themselves over completely to the Order.

From these 13, a man wearing luxurious grey robes stepped out and spoke.

"Quenry already told us this might happen. Overseer- bleurgh! It feels dirty to even say that name, again…Head, we all know who your source is- that kid beside you. Quenry said that he might try to target her, as he has a grudge with her- she tortured the woman he was close to to make her admit something that might or might not have been true. She was only acting on the orders of that despicable thing, so she isn't to be blamed. All of us are here to ensure that everything happens in a fair manner. Yes, that kid needs to be thanked for his sacrifice, but that doesn't mean that all of us will be ready to bow down to everything he says- that kind of life would be the same as being commanded by that thing. Quenry is one of us, and she has already shown her dedication to the continent many times, despite what she says. So-"

BOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!

The calm words of the man were suddenly interrupted by a loud sound that erupted from right behind him.

At some point of time, a 70-foot tall figure had come into being, without even alerting any of these Peak Heroes who were supposed to be able to detect even a fly a hundred kilometers away.

With startled expressions, all of the Heroes turned back to see that the fist of this figure, which was humanoid in shape but was covered by a mass of dense fog except for a pair of eyes on its head which glowed crimson, had collided and broken through the defensive barrier of the one who had been standing farthest to the back- Mrs. Quenry.

They had agreed beforehand that she would stand behind them all, to show that whoever came would have to go through them all to get to her, but now, it seemed that that had backfired- their enemy had decided to strike from the back, anyway, and it looked like the battle was already over.

Mrs. Quenry was caught securely in that gigantic fist which curled around her, and her face, which had had such a cocky expression back when she had come to apprehend Daneel was now filled with rage and disbelief.

It was the face of a commander who had arranged an army to protect himself, but had found that the enemy had simply dug underground to send an assassin to kill him right in his tent.

Daneel had just had enough of the pretentious sh*t going on in front of him. It was most obvious that it was the backup plan she had put in place in case her role was discovered, and for once, he wanted to just smash through everything and get on with it.

If the Head hadn't made that deduction, he might have moved a bit more slowly, but now, it was just too many things pointing in the right direction. And besides, that dread of being caught that one couldn't hide even if they tried their hardest had confirmed it even further.

"Preposterous! Head-"

The man who had been speaking before started to scream with anger while starting to cast a powerful spell that would help Mrs. Quenry, but he was cut off midsentence for the second time when he, along with all the other Heroes were sent a message.

"Mrs. Quenry actively stopped the seer's premonition of the Church's arrival from being notified to the High Council, and subsequently the Order. If she hadn't done so, Axelor would have been investigated and the blood formations could have been found. Here is video proof, recovered from the victim. If you still choose to stand with her after seeing this, you will be branded as traitors, too."

Along with the message came the same memory that Daneel had seen in Xuan's mind, but instead of the hooded figure being concealed, it was obvious that it was Mrs. Quenry. There was also one other modification, which was where Xuan was shown saying that she should get the news of the premonition out.

Daneel had made this possible by finding a simple loophole in the laws of the Order- the Overseer could act on proof that he deemed trustworthy. Hence, he had created this and made sure that it seemed as real as possible, and in doing so, he had also gotten the suspicion whether this was how Mrs. Quenry had 'succeeded', too, when the torture hadn't worked.

It had only been possible because the system had once again used its capability of doing things that might take a lot of time in an instant(by editing each and every individual elementary particle in the record that was made of the memory which were a few hundred thousand in number), and Daneel was sure that the end result was so authentic that no one would be able to identify that it was fake.

One by one, the Heroes went through the video and realized that it was completely damning. If they stood with Mrs. Quenry, they really would be doomed, too.

One by one, they started to teleport away, and it was the man who had been speaking before who left last.

He took one long look at the woman whose face had started to get an uglier and uglier look as her allies started to vanish, and the moment before leaving, he said, "I knew it in my heart of hearts, but I refused to believe it. Sister, farewell. If you find my brother-in-law in the afterlife, apologize."

Daneel was now mildly interested in the story of this woman, but that could come later. First…it was finally time for sweet, sweet revenge.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The 70-foot misty figure moved like the wind, smashing its fist into the ground repeatedly until it felt as if its blows were causing an earthquake.

Dust rose up, covering the base of the forest, and cracks even started to appear on the ground. Still, the figure did not relent.

Finally, after 20 consecutive 'BANG!'s which would have woken up the entire Kingdom of Lanthanor if they weren't being stopped from being heard by a formation, the figure paused to reveal a thoroughly bloodied woman.

Gone was her mature, but still pretty face. It was now mostly covered in blood, with multiple cuts all over where tiny stones had gotten lodged, and even her teeth were knocked out, while her eyes looked around dizzily as her head must surely be ringing from being slammed into the ground for so long.

A hundred Heroes against one: if such a battle also turned out to be one with twists and turns, then the measurement of the power level of Heroes would seriously need to be changed. Rather than a battle, it was more apt for it to be called a beatdown, and to Daneel, it felt infinitely relaxing.

Calmly, his emotions more in control, he strode forward.

The hundred Heroes he had obtained in Elysium had even been arranged in a formation which he had had beforehand, but not deployed as it wasn't great when used against a force which contained multiple Mages. Against a single foe, though, it was perfect, as it managed to unify the power of all of them in a singular entity.

And also…it was ironic how they were the perfect counter against Mrs. Quenry's Path.

After approaching her, Daneel saw that she was repeatedly staring at the gigantic figure of mist, as if trying to influence it with her mind.

With a chuckle, he spoke, drawing his attention to her.

"Try all you want- nothing will change. They're all mindless, so they're being controlled by me, like a tool. So even if you change what a tool sees, it will still strike true, because the one controlling it only sees the truth! And as its master, I am so far away that you cannot influence me in any manner. It's futile, Mrs. Quenry. Settle in, because you're going to experience everything you did to Xuan a thousandfold, for all of eternity."

Mrs. Quenry stared into Daneel's eyes for a few seconds, as if trying again, but nothing changed- his consciousness was not present here, as he had taken precautions beforehand to control this apparition from far away. It was like a remote control robot that was doing his bidding, and hence, there was no consciousness to manipulate.

Her Path was supremely powerful when there were consciousnesses to influence, but this was its biggest weakness, and Daneel was using it perfectly.

He had already prepared the perfect punishment for her, so he decided that he would let her know what was in store.

"First, your physical body will be placed in the sky for all to see, and understand what awaits them if they choose the Church. A little more motivation never hurts. And as for your consciousness…I've prepared a special place for it. As a student of the Empress of Torture, you might find it familiar as she theorized about it quite a lot- she called it the 'House of Horrors'. Yes, that's right- it's a house filled with rooms, all of which will put you through a different kind of torture when opened. And to push you into choosing a room, there will be an ever-present entity that will always keep chasing you in the hallways. You will always be running in fear, as that entity will have the most painful torture of all if it catches up. So, you either spend an eternity running in fear, or one continuously choosing types of torture to go through, by yourself, while regretting your actions which killed hundreds of thousands of Angarians. I can say with certainty that you deserve it more than anyone who the Empress experimented on when she was designing it."

Daneel's speech was filled with such loathing that even the Head began to sweat slightly.

However, Mrs. Quenry's response surprised them both.

"Is that the punishment you would give to anyone who allied with the Church?"

Taken aback, Daneel replied after a moment.

"Of course. Why, do you have any comrades you wish to rat out?"

Daneel asked this in a jesting manner, but what he didn't know…was that he had shot an arrow at the right target, even though he had done so in the dark.

Only…what he had struck was something he had never, ever expected he would find, and as the two heard her speak, they could only look between each other, completely baffled.

"I knew it was always a gamble. But those bastards f*cked me over, and left me here, to rot. They could have saved me, but that b*tch of a Bishop must have decided that I'm not worth it. So I guess I will f*ck them over, too, and who knows- if I'm lucky, this will do the same to you. I asked that question…because I know someone who has also worked for the Church, and even signed himself over to it, but the poor sod did so without knowing it. By the time he realized it, it was too late. I wonder how the Order will react when it finds out that Cain, the one who is idolized by most, has been a pawn of the Church and that prick from the Mainland for years? What will you do about him, King? Will you be fair and grant him the same fate, thereby alienating those who adored him, and who will stop supporting you if you do so? Or will you show weakness and give the Heroes who don't see much in you more reasons to oppose you? Choose wisely, kid, but either way, you lose! Haha!"

Chapter 911: Revenge End

Cain.

The image of the middle-aged man grandly standing in the Hall of Beginning with the backdrop of the gigantic 100 foot(30.78 m) tall chair while speaking about being interested to see the path that Daneel's journey forward would take appeared in the forefront of his mind, and the one thing that stood out to him was the calm and sincere expression he had seen in those eyes which were framed in a severely scarred face.

He had introduced himself with just that name and his ominous moniker- 'The Reaper', and he was the first person that Daneel had met of the Order.

In fact, he had always also seemed like one of the most decent men, and when Daneel had seen the way that he was trusted to speak by many of the Heroes of the Order in that critical moment when the entity had been revealed, he had even felt pity for him, as the shock he would have to endure and the revelation that he had been following the wrong person for all these years would definitely be something that would hit him pretty hard.

After everything had settled down, Daneel had inquired about Cain and found out that the man had cloistered himself in the Order, quoting that he needed to train alone.

Everyone knew that he had reached a certain peak in his power which he hadn't been able to breakthrough from for decades, so apparently, everyone had been able to guess that it must be to handle with and get over the betrayal for which he must blame himself, too, as he had always considered himself a pretty good judge of character. In fact, that was also what he had built his most famous skill around- that which allowed him to act as the Chief Instructor of all Seeds in the Order and the Big Four. His unmatched eye for talent and the limits that one should aim to reach was known to almost all in the Order, and he was revered by many for allowing them to reach heights they never thought possible, and also for the fact that he was one of the kindest of Heroes, often taking time out to direct the weaker members of the Order without having to be enticed in order to do so by favors or other rewards.

Such a man…was also a pawn of the Church?!

It was so unbelievable that Daneel almost felt like stamping down her insinuation, but seeing the poison in her eyes and the pleasure that it gave her when she thought about how she had given him such an incredibly difficult choice, he knew that she must be speaking the truth.

Time seemed to freeze for him as he activated the Basilisk's Breath. Due to Mrs. Quenry already being defeated by the misty giant made of monstrous Heroes, she had been placed under a spell where her Mageroot was locked up. It was only after this that she had stopped her efforts to try and use her power to escape, and had started to depend on these words of her to deliver a devastating blow to the one who she definitely hated the most on this continent.

Hence, Daneel's apparition once more had his consciousness instead of just being an automaton being controlled from afar using a formation, and because of this, he could use his inheritances, which he was also very interested in researching and finding more about as soon as he was healed.

For now, though…her face filled his entire vision, and with even the surroundings being frozen, he could fully focus on it.

Until now, just like he had told the Head, his decisions had been based on his heart, rather than his head.

But at this moment, looking into those brown eyes filled with all sorts of vicious emotions, Daneel asked himself whether he was truly doing that.

Was he truly listening to his heart, which had melted in that unforgettable way when it had been exposed to everything that Xuan had gone through, for him?

NO!

'BANG!'

The answer that resounded within his mind was accompanied by a punch which flew straight at Mrs. Quenry's face, and because she was bound by the formation that had come into effect while being constricted in the giant's hands, she could only look with shock as the fist came closer and closer in her field of vision.

Like a gunshot, the sound echoed in the area, and even the Head looked down with surprise, having just been startled out of the state he had entered unwillingly after finding out the truth about Cain.

What he saw was a man whose features were filled with anger, but which were just now showing just a little bit of the satisfaction of taking that anger out on the thing that was causing it, and a woman who seemed as if she couldn't believe that she had just been punched squarely on the face.

"Y-you punched m-me? You punched ME?! YOU BRAT! I'LL-"

'BANG! BANG! BANG! BA-'

The sputtering reply filled with stupefaction was interrupted by another punch, and then another, and then another.

Each punch had the power of a Peak Warrior behind it, but because its target was the face of a Peak Champion Level Fighter, it needed to depend on volume rather than strength to do damage.

For Mrs. Quenry, rather than the pain, it seemed as if it was the realization that she was being punched directly in her face, which she had always treasured so much, by someone that she had been chasing while thinking of him as if he were but a pesky cockroach that she only had to get under her feet to crush that seemed to be putting her in a state that was filled with rage, disbelief, and humiliation.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

It was as if these relatively feeble punches, at least, when compared to the smashes into the ground before by the giant, were doing more damage than everything that the misty giant, which was looking on with interest, had done until now.

It felt the same to Daneel.

Before, when he had seen the giant doing his bidding, he had felt good, but it was nothing, NOTHING, compared to what he was experiencing now.

Each punch seemed to take some of his anger, however small a part of the whole it was, and launch it forward into the face of this detestable woman who still couldn't come to terms with the fact that someone who hadn't even lived for as long as her eyebrows was having his way with her in the most degrading way possible.

Now, Daneel realized that he had been constraining himself before, while telling himself that his carefully thought out torture plan was the best way for him to take revenge.

He had been so, so wrong, and the one had to thank for this realization…was actually Mrs. Quenry.

If she hadn't been so hellbent on showing her true character so clearly, she would never have pushed him over the top to find the truth that revenge taken with one's own hands was more precious, more rehabilitating, and more satisfying than anything else that he could do.

At the moment, Cain didn't matter. The Head didn't matter. Even Angaria didn't matter.

All that mattered…was his fist, and all the places it still had to visit.

"System, cast the formation with the help of the Head to make her lose control of her body- but make sure that she feels everything. Oh, and let her keep control of her face."

[Affirmative. Casting formation.]

The Head had to be prodded into action by repeated messages with instructions from the system(which, of course, made it seem as if they were coming from Daneel), and finally, he flew down.

Daneel finally paused, then, to see that punching for a minute had only caused a nosebleed. If she was a Hero level Fighter, it would have been so much more difficult to make even a scratch appear on her body, but this level of defense was actually perfect.

During the pause, on Daneel's command, the giant suddenly squeezed tight, making Mrs. Quenry let out a scream which was cut off in barely a second as the formation took affect.

Formations of the sort Daneel had asked for needed one's consciousness to be in a state of surprise, and the squeeze accomplished this.

After that, the giant let go and disappeared, but Mrs. Quenry's body floated in the air, while her face was contorted into a horrible expression that didn't seem to be able to decide whether it should show rage or dread.

"I'll leave you to it. But remember, King…helping the one who was affected should take more precedence than taking revenge. Meet me when you are done. Meanwhile, I will keep an eye on Cain."

As Daneel nodded, the Head disappeared, and finding himself all alone with just his target in front of him, Daneel got a cold smile on his face as he cracked his knuckles.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

For three days and three nights, the sound of flesh coming into contact with flesh could be heard in the clearing which was dead silent apart from these sounds.

Daneel first took his time with her face- punching it and kicking it until it no longer looked like what it had once been. At first, she held out, as if daring him to do his worst, but as the hours went on and on, the fact that the King did not relent, at all, made it clearer and clearer that she had underestimated the hate and wrath that someone who was supposed to be 'good' could feel.

Half a day went to her face, itself, and it was only after Daneel was satisfied with the damage that he had done that he moved on to the rest of the woman's body.

He let it all out- instead of keeping it within himself, Daneel let himself go and experienced what it meant to be 'human' again, instead of conforming the chains he had placed on himself, without realizing it, in order to conform to the idea of being 'good'.

Mrs. Quenry was supposed to be a master of pain, but after being done with her face, Daneel had gotten the bright idea to amp up her sensations, allowing her to feel a hundred times more pain than what was being caused by Daneel's actions.

And since then, the real revenge had begun.

She screamed and screamed, forgetting all of the pride she had carried herself with. Often, those screams would devolve into squeals, but they would rise in volume again when Daneel increased the amplified of pain even more.

The skin all over her body was stripped, inch by inch, and her flesh and bones were all pounded on, again and again, until they turned into nothing but mush.

There was no part on her body that was not exposed to the cruelty- the mercy that she should have shown to Xuan was not shown here, either, and the more she screamed, the more anger began to dissolve and evaporate from Daneel's mind.

He kept going near the point where he might lose himself, but each time, the memory of that kiss, and the woman whom he needed to comfort and be with brought him back, telling him that he was doing this to be with her as the man she had always loved, instead of a rabid animal who was only pretending to be normal while holding so much within.

At the end of the day, that was his aim- to be able to at least get on the path of becoming normal, so that he could be there in his perfect capacity for Xuan, instead of ignoring her and only focusing on revenge, which was something that many protagonists from the movies back on Earth were nonsensically wont to do.

By the end of the three days, the screams had stopped, and it looked like they might never come again, as one could not even see a human's body in the place where Mrs. Quenry had been before.

All that was left was a vaguely humanoid mess of intermingled flesh, bones and blood, and all that was keeping it alive was the underlying tenacity of a Champion, and a little help from the system.

The carnage was visible all over- the skin that had been stripped then healed, the teeth and nails that had been knocked off then grown back and removed again, the hair that was matted with blood, and among them all, a man heaved, looking like the incarnation of a demon, come from hell to take his due from those who deserved it.

"Cleanse."

A single word, though, changed all that- the apparition crumbled and another one came into being in the sky, and on its face, a tranquility that had been missing ever since the viewing of that memory had returned.

Taking one last look, and letting out a deep breath which seemed to hold the rest of the emotions that had been released over these three days, the King spoke, and then teleported away.

"Quenry, despite all your posturing, you were just a common criminal who chose the wrong path out of greed. You tried to make yourself seem like you were more, but you weren't- all that was needed to expose your regret was to strip away all your defenses. I commend you for not begging out loud, but I saw it all in your eyes- you're just a pathetic coward holding onto that semblance of pride. I will break that, too, but with time. For now- I am done with you. Farewell- and thank you for showing me that sometimes, it is best to give in to one's base emotions, even if it feels wrong to do so. As for Cain…you are naïve if you think that I am not someone who can create an ideal choice if one doesn't exist. Enjoy this healing period, by the way, because what follows it will be even worse than this little vacation of ours- and that's a promise."

Chapter 912: Public Hearing 1

Xuan remembered being in a dark, dark place for a long, long time.

Her mind that had been broken, remade and then broken again and again, while still holding onto a singular will that she would not betray the man who meant the most to her in the world had been in pieces for the longest time, but it was only now that it was starting to get back to a semblance of what it had been before everything that happened.

Hence, one of the first things that returned to her was the ability to think, by herself, and listen to her own thoughts as they frolicked around like little children who had just been given birth in the cavernous contents of an otherwise extremely damaged consciousness.

She was not yet ready to consciously take control of her body, but she could at least sleep, calmly, albeit for a limited period of time, unlike before when even every moment of rest had been filled with dread and fear for what would come on the following day.

She vaguely remembered going through something unbelievably beautiful and amazing, and even though she often saw glimpses of it, she could not remember it at all.

Yet, she knew that when she was all better, she would be able to recall it in all of its glory, and she waited for that day, forcing herself to take full advantage of all of the spells that were being cast on her so that they could do their best and fix her.

Only… All still wasn't perfect, as there were still manifestations of what she had gone through that repeatedly assaulted her mind, in a final push to break it all apart and cast her consciousness into a state from which it would not be able to recover.

Feeling that storm coming again, all of the little thoughts that had finally been reborn in her mind hid, and of course, along with them, Xuan hid, too.

The storm came, and seeing it, panic and extreme fear took ahold of Xuan, making her reach out and yearn for the same person that she had prayed for throughout her time of being imprisoned.

He hadn't answered, then, but no matter how many times that happened, she had never cursed him – somewhere, inside, she had known that it was nonsensical for her to hope that he would come, but that hadn't stopped her from wishing for it day in and day out, and it was as if this wish, itself, held power, as it represented the one for whom she was doing everything.

Now, though… Suddenly, Xuan felt herself being enveloped by a soft, warm feeling, and even though she couldn't really feel everything going on in her body, she could tell that she was being held, which made her cuddle up as comfortably as she could before letting out a sweet, deep sigh.

Now was not then. Her wishes had been answered, and her consciousness would no longer be shattered every day, to reform and be broken again whenever the pain started anew at the beginning of each morning in that hell hole.

Now, she was not alone, and she would never be, too.

Now, he was here.

Yes, he was here, and all…was well.

…

In the Hall of Beginning, the Head stood in front of the gigantic chair, looking up at the constellations in the sky.

The last time he had come here, he was only a regular member of the Order, and hence, even though he had been extremely curious about why these constellations were so much different from what every Angarian would see during the night, he hadn't had the authority to ask.

Now, though, as the Overseer, he had all kinds of information at the tip of his fingers, and hence, he knew the answer – these constellations were apparently the same ones that had been present in the night sky back when this hall had been established, and they had been frozen there, in that form, never to change and never to fall, to represent the sanctity of the moment when this Hall had come into being.

Many had studied the constellations in order to find out some sort of timeline into which they could tie the creation of the Hall, and in turn, the creation of the Order in the distant past of the continent, but they had failed, as the data they had was not enough.

Seeing the king appear on the other end, the Head snapped out of his musings, and saw that the man had a pleasant smile on his face, despite what they were about to do.

Had revenge really been that fulfilling?

Worried, the Head was about to open his mouth and ask, as he had seen many take too much joy in inflicting pain that they would get used to it, and keep looking for that high which could not be found elsewhere.

Yet, thankfully, his question was answered before he even asked by the king who seemed to have read his mind.

"I'm was just comforting Xuan, who seemed to be having some sort of a nightmare. If you could have seen the way she smiled when she felt herself being held- it is one of the prettiest things I've ever seen, and I have a strong suspicion that this entire thing has changed a lot in her, but for the better. I can't wait for her to get up so that I can… oh, leave that. Where is our guest?"

Hearing the king's words that were filled with genuine happiness and excitement, the Head smiled, but then, that smile turned into a grimace as he heard the question, which was delivered in an almost deadpan tone, as both of them were not looking forward to what was going to happen.

Still, it was their duty to see it through, so the Head shook his head and said, "As you asked, I did nothing except keep an eye on him and prepare the formations in secret which can abduct him. But it is strange – he has been lying motionless on a bed for this entire time, looking as if he is asleep. It's almost as if… He is waiting for us, as he even did not bother to activate the restriction formations around the room that he is in."

With a frown, Daneel shrugged and said, "Well, let's get on with it. No reason to dally."

With a nod and a sigh, the Head raised his hand, and an iron chair on which shackles for the neck, hands, and legs were present came into being in the center of the hall.

Both of them first reach the chair to check whether it was really as effective as they had read in the annals of the order – apparently, it was the object with the strongest restrictive ability in the entire continent, capable of keeping even a Peak Hero in control if they managed to put that person into the shackles. Of course, this was no mean feat, but with the help of all of the other formations that could knock one out or disorient them for a while, it wasn't that difficult, as these were physical shackles which would latch on without any warning and come into effect instantly, by which point it would be too late to do anything to oppose them.

"Really impressive, indeed. The workmanship and formations are even more complex than the best that I know of from the age of the Empire – this was made much before then, by people much more skilled. I wonder what happened to them."

"I had the same question, King, so I checked- they had a war with the Godbeasts, and unlike during the age before the Empire, they weren't lucky enough to win. They lost and became slaves for the longest time, but that was also mainly because there was too much friction between themselves, with too many people thinking too highly of themselves in order to be able to ally properly. In some ways, an overall lower level of power might be more preferable to one where too many individuals with too much power exist, who are completely independent and wish for places to rule for themselves while there is only so much of the continent that they can divide and conquer. I will cast the spell now."

With a nod and a thoughtful glance as he heard the deep words of the Head, Daneel braced himself, because he wasn't sure how this would play out- if there was resistance, he would have to put forward some effort even though he was still an apparition. The only consolation was that he was stronger as his healing was going well, so he prepared himself to do his best in case the worst case came to be.

Yet, a second later, it turned out that his caution had been unwarranted, as the man known as the Reaper appeared in the chair and calmly opened his eyes and looked at them as the shackles took effect, locking him in perfectly and securely.

His deep voice which had instructed so many seeds in the Order, and which would be able to rally hundreds of Heroes and Champions if it rose up echoed in the Hall as he said, "That was a bit longer than I thought it would take – I gather that Mrs. Quenry is dead?"

After the initial surprise from seeing someone who seemed like he really had been waiting for them faded away, stiff expressions came on both Daneel's and the Head's faces, as they realized that there was no more chance of what Mrs. Quenry said being false- she had been right: Cain, of all people, was an agent of the Church.

"She's not dead, but close to that state- but tI plan to punish her for a few hundred thousand years, at least. I did take my time with taking revenge for what she did to someone who is very close to me now, though- but I think you must already know about what happened to her, right? A little Seer calls Xuan?"

For just a moment, when Daneel said her name, the calm veneer peeled off, showing a vulnerable man who wanted nothing else but for his existence to end.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Both the Head and Daneel took a step back as they saw this, as such an immense amount of emotion would definitely incite a reaction from anyone who saw it.

However, with an effort, Cain calmed himself, and spoke.

"I'll explain everything. But I have just one request. I might seem presumptuous, but it is for the good of the Order, and the continent. However…it will also require you to have trust in your ability to give judgments, King. If used properly, this opportunity will help you a lot. I ask…for a public hearing."

Cain looked straight into Daneel's eyes as he asked this, and in those eyes…Daneel saw the same look that one might expect from a righteous criminal who was about to be executed.

In it was the singular wish to be of help for one last time, and Daneel trusted his gut, which told him that it was sincere.

Thoroughly curious, and fully confident of his own scam-er, or, political skills, Daneel nodded, which the Head took as the cue to give the order.

The summons began to be sent out to all members of the Order, and after exactly 1342 years, the proceedings for another public hearing, with the last being especially memorable as they had indirectly led to the deaths of 8 Heroes, began.

Chapter 913: Public Hearing End

For the first time in the known history of the Order, the Hall of Beginning was filled with thousands of people instead of just being the place where people who were newly entering and had just passed the test would be given the introduction to the organization that had always protected Angaria from the shadows for as long as anyone could remember.

Apparently, it was the custom even for those who had been born to individuals in the Order and hence had known about it without having to go through the arduous entry process would be brought here, as it was compulsory that their journey should begin in this Hall.

Hence, it was a place filled with nostalgia for many, and all of those who had been gathered for the public hearing looked around, remembering what they had gone through and everything that had happened since.

As Daneel saw them all, he saw many gazes filled with doubt and even regret. He couldn't blame them, as he knew the reason – the recent happenings had really shaken the trust that they had had in the Order until now, and even though things seemed like they were back to normal, now, such an experience would definitely not be forgotten in such a short amount of time.

Daneel could tell that this would be a cautionary tale for generations, and that there would be fewer people entering the Order for quite a long time-even many of those who were present now would not have chosen to stay if they were given the option to forgo their oath, but because there was no such thing, they had no option but to hope that nothing similar would ever happen again, while being on the lookout and acting extremely cautiously to ensure that they would never be placed in such a compromising situation for the rest of their lives.

The entity had really struck a masterstroke by choosing his plan to hit Angaria where it mattered, and the Church would really have had the easiest time possible if it had been allowed to stay on the continent. Even now, they were in quite a fragile state, and hence, Daneel knew that it would be an uphill battle to get them back to the state they had been before, when they had marched out to face the fake Church(created by him) on the shores of the Endless Sea.

A few moments after everyone gathered, the chair reappeared in the air, and gasps could be heard in the crowd as everyone saw their mentor and easily the most respected man in the entire Order being bound by shackles which seemed to have been forced onto him.

"Preposterous!"

"First Mrs. Quenry, and now Cain?! How is this possible? Maybe the rumors were true! Maybe it is a personal agenda!"

"Get him down this second, or I swear I'll fight whatever comes in my way! That man is like a father to me!"

"This is too much! This is what we get for putting the Order in the hands of a child! Even if the child saved us, he can still destroy us with his decisions now! Look at the discord he is sowing!"

That last shout was especially loud, and looking at the one from whom it had come, Daneel felt anger almost take control of him again, as he recognized him to be Perfect's father.

Yet, for that family, he had a special plan, so he could only control himself and wait.

He didn't have to wait long, thankfully, because Cain spoke up right away.

"Everyone, calm down. I chose to enter this position by myself- I was not beaten or bullied in any manner. This is a public hearing that has come to be because of my admission that I have been acting as an agent of the Church, and I thank the Overseer and the one who has taken my place as the confidant of the Overseer, King Daneel Anivron, to whom we all owe our lives, for this opportunity to tell my tale in a public manner, so that I can use this chance to hopefully give one last lesson to all of the children and friends whom I have helped to the best of my abilities to become what they are now. Please stay silent, and listen – I have not been coerced in any manner, and I speak while being in full control of all of my senses. I swear this now, in front of you."

The words of the man who had a scary moniker, yet the kindest smile in the Order brought even more shock than what had appeared on the faces of those present on seeing him in the chair, shackled, and it took a few moments for everyone to come back to their senses and understand that what they had heard was true.

Such an integral person, who had done so much for the welfare of the continent and had motivated them all to go out and reach the stars and become the best versions of themselves possible was actually an agent of the force that wanted to enslave them all?! Could it be that he had only been doing all this so the Order could create fatter sheep that could be harvested?

No, that didn't make any sense! Everyone now knew that the goal of the Church was to kill everyone so that there would be no Angaria, and hence no right for anyone else but them to control the Will of the World, so could it be that it had all been an act to make them believe him and trust him so that they would put on the armor and weapons given by the Order at that crucial time without questioning anything? Indeed, that had happened, but not many had made this connection yet.

Stopping all of these thoughts, Cain spoke up with his iconic deep voice, and everyone began to listen with rapt attention, as the very first sentence he spoke made many snap up their heads and seem as if they had been zapped by a lightning bolt.

"Many of you are not aware of the fact that I come from neither the Big Four nor the Order- I was born to a man who wanted to commit genocide for his personal good, and since birth, I was branded a scourge that had to be eradicated. My father… Was an outcast, thrown out when he was caught taking forceful control of many of the mentees who came under him when he was acting as the Chief Instructor in the Order and using them to funnel the resources of the Order to himself. He left to live in the Central Continent, where he took a wife, and had me. His desire was still to reach the highest level possible, though, so he kept reappearing in the Order, once trying even to sign me over, in exchange, if he could just get some Ker Gems. He was rejected, but that was not before I was branded as a target that had to be killed, if possible, lest I turn into another lecher like my father, albeit a much stronger one as he boasted of the fact that I was born with exceptional comprehension level."

The story was delivered in mostly a neutral tone, but still, the emotions it elicited were obvious: many could connect to what it must have meant for him- to be isolated and alone, with no support, and this also seemed to be because he was supposed to have helped many who had been in this very state.

"When I was growing up, the thing that struck me most…was how much people cursed my father for tainting the sanctity of that role. For doing something so despicable that they even felt like spitting on him every time they went on a mission. They said that he had sullied the pure bond that should be present between a mentor and a mentee, and in my young age, I so, so wanted to find out what they were talking about. Alas, all I had were unreachable goals and unlimited motivation in the form of punishment, so all I could do was train, with my goal in life being that I would repay the 'investment' being made in me by giving all the resources I used back, tenfold, to my father whose death was quickly approaching.

"In the end, he died filled with regrets, and when I saw his last breath leave…all I wished was that I would not die like him- alone, in the middle of nowhere, with only his son who was there due to him being chained. I buried him…and traveled to the Order with but one goal. To discover what it meant to be a mentee, and a mentor. And to die…a better death. I entered the Order, and with a changed identity…I did my best. I was even fortunate to meet a woman who saw me for what I was and accepted me, before blessing the World with a wonderful baby boy- Hunter."

Finally, when saying that name, Cain's voice broke.

His eyes filled with sadness, and it looked like they would burst out into tears.

But pulling them all back in once more, the man continued.

"Hunter was the pride of our lives. And he was also my most sincere mentee. In him…I saw a chance to fix everything that was still broken within me. But disaster struck- not content with her power, his mother went on a hunting trip deep into the Endless Sea and never returned. Still, we survived. Everything seemed great. For years, we were perfect. Until one day…Hunter took his life."

This unexpected twist, followed by a pause, made most feel like reaching forward to comfort the man who seemed to be breaking down in front of them.

But once more, as if knowing that his ordeal was at an end, he controlled himself, and continued.

"It turned out that he was targeted by someone who found out by real past using a tic I had when I was little. He was someone abused by my father- he wanted revenge. He filled my boy's head with lies, saying that I hated him, saying that his mother was also killed by me, and finally…in a fake fight where that monster impersonated himself as me, he beat my boy and laughed, and unable to take it, still young and fragile from the wounds of his mother's death, he chose to let it all go, as he thought he had nothing to live for. I found out everything, and in my moment of rage…the Overseer was there for me. It gave me permission using a set of rules that might otherwise not have been discovered quickly enough, and I was able to hunt and kill the one responsible. And then, in a completely shattered state, I, of course, gravitated to the one who had helped me. I swore all the oaths available, without even analysing their contents, as I just wanted to lean on someone. And that…is how I swore the oath to follow the Church, too- a little something slipped in there by Mrs. Quenry without the knowledge of the then Overseer."

Hearing it all, Daneel asked himself whether he would have been able to come back after living such a devastating life.

The answer was that it was possible, but even if he did…he would definitely be in a very vulnerable state.

And such a state…would be just perfect to be taken advantage of.

As if reading his mind, Cain spoke again.

"That is what the Church does- they take advantage of people at their lowest. I blame nothing but myself- by the time I was back in my senses, it was too late. I had a choice- stay with them, and try to make sure that nothing disastrous would befall the continent, or die. I chose the latter, and the thing that helped me live was my other goal- to understand the meaning of the bond my father sullied. I was made the Chief Instructor…and I hope I did a good job."

The answer was visible all over- hundreds of people nodded, together, and Daneel noticed that almost all of them were the top seeds or the upcoming Champions in the Order, poised to take their places among the ranks of the Peak Heroes.

So that was his story. A truly sad one, indeed, but what now?

This question came in Daneel's mind, and he couldn't help but sink into deep though.

Was it truly like how Quenry had put it? If he chose to let Cain go, it would give the wrong message, and even show him as a soft leader, who could easily give up his promise of 'never pardoning traitors' in a heartbeat. If he chose to kill Cain, or subject him to a lifetime of torture, he would definitely be earning the ire of most he saw in front of him, who had a deep bond with the man and truly sympathesized with them.

Either choice was bad. But were they the only ones available to him?

Instantly, Daneel understood what he should do.

Who was he? He was the King from the Central Continent, a place where only 'useless maggots'(paraphrased from the favourite sayings of most Big Four and Order dwellers) lived, and hence, he was a breaker of all conventions and rules that everyone thought existed on the continent.

If so…shouldn't he show that again, and use the opportunity to quell the restlessness in the Order?

"This is my last lesson to all of you: do not trust the Church. They only crave your death. Instead, trust in yourself, and trust in life. In the hands of the Head and the King whom I hold in the highest of regard, Angaria will survive. But as for me…my story is done. I ask for the death sentence, because we Traitorous Heroes of the Order will always be a danger- the way we were able to betray the Order despite the extremely powerful Oathshackles that all take on which say that they will never act against Angaria is by the use of other, even more powerful Oathshackles that can be made to take precedence and overshadow the others, without detrimental effects, using a special kind of trinket. It is a costly process, but it was worth it- using it, the Church was able to stop a prediction of them arriving from being notified to the continent."

Anger and frustration appeared in many as this was revealed, but Cain plowed on.

"They are not present now, so my Oaths to the Order are active, but when they return, they can take control of me again. I would rather die than let that happen. Hell, I would have died to stop those actions of the Overseer and the invasion- but they kept me in the dark, probably because of this very reason. Well, it doesn't matter, now- King, as our saviour, I want you to do the honours. Please…end this ignoble life of mine. Quiet!"

That last work was blasted onto those who had started a ruckus after Cain's plea to Daneel, and when he said it, Daneel saw the strictness of a perfect mentor.

In turn, he also saw the fearful esteem he had instilled in his staunchest supporters, as they shut up immediately.

"If you have even a shred of respect for me, then stand down, and let this happen. If you wish to take revenge, then aim your anger at the Church, and vanquish them. Goodbye."

For the members of the Order, it felt as if they were in a dream. They had been called out of nowhere, bombarded with a hard-hitting, but quickly narrated story, before being told that they would have to see their idol killed.

Few were in a state to react, but no one could have predicted what would happen next.

With a firm nod, the King of Lanthanor disappeared and reappeared beside Cain.

Manifesting a sword of flames, he swung, and before anyone could respond…he had cleaved the Reaper in two.

With horror, the members of the Order watched as Cain burned up into ashes, his eyes holding the pleasure of a final release.

"NO!"

"STOP HIM! CAIN MUST LIVE!"

"HE HAD NO CHOICE! PARDON HIM!"

"KING, HOW DARE YOU?!"

All kinds of angry shouts erupted from the crowd, and it looked like active war would break out at any moment.

However…everyone froze when an eerily familiar person appeared beside the King.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

The sword wreathed in flames transformed into a globe of light, and this globe was made to enter the mind of this man through the directions of the King.

As everything watched on with awe, the voice of the King appeared in the Hall.

First, he turned to the iron chair where there were only ashes and said, "Cain, the ignoble. You are deemed guilty, and your punishment is death. Let it be noted that it was administered immediately, without any delay."

Then, he turned to the man who had newly appeared, clad in shining, silver robes, and said, "Cain, the noble. If anyone deserves another chance…it is you. I await to see how you use it, and this time, try not to swear random oaths, will ya'?"

With that out-of-place, yet somehow perfectly apt casual statement, the King disappeared, and at the same time, this man, who seemed to be in his early 30s, but with the same features as Cain, took in a long, long breath, and as one…all the members of the Order burst into an uproar.

Chapter 914: Priorities

"Wh-…How is it possible? Did anyone see what he did?!"

"No! There was a veil stopping me from seeing the elementary particles…and it happened so quickly! It's impossible!"

"I saw him die! I could see his body turn to ash! That part is real!"

"THEN WHO'S THAT?!"

"Is this a trick? Is this to make us believe that you are capable of something that only-"

"That only the Emperor should be able to do, using his prowess in the art of Oaths and the Artifact that he made with his blood, sweat, and tears. Ridgwald, I always told you to think out of the box- I'm glad to see that you're doing it."

The last statement silenced the ruckus that had been kicked up by the extraordinary actions of the King.

It was from the man who had been made to appear and had been called 'Cain, the Noble', and with a single sentence, he quieted down all of the doubts that had appeared in the members of the Order.

"O-only Cain would know that-"

"That you were a narrow-minded brat who believed that Angaria was the only continent in existence? Yes, only I know this."

This second statement confirmed it, causing everyone present to break out into whispers.

One question predominantly featured in their inquiries, and of course, it was regarding what the hell had happened.

After admonishing the man who had started to insinuate that the King had been tricking them, though, Cain took to examining his new body with the curiosity of a newborn child.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

He examined his hands, legs, torso and even his own face using a mirror helpfully conjured by the Head, and after he was done, he said, "Incredible…King, thank you. Thank you!"

Saying so, he knelt where he stood, and tears started to flow down his cheeks as he began to mutter to himself.

"Finally…no more shackles. No more restrictions! No more Church! I'm free! I'm…free!!!"

Such a display of emotion was extremely uncharacteristic of the man who was known to have an immovable face except when he was impressed by a seed, and seeing him, his closest friends finally understood the weight he must have been carrying around.

"Explanations can come in due time. The short version is this: the King is extremely well-versed in the studies of the Emperor, as he has been taken on as a disciple of that man by the decision of an Empire Spirit that was left behind. The King was also in possession of the Artifact used to create strong Oathshackles in the Big Four. However, for the longest time, it was in an 'inactive' state due to not being in the hands of a true heir- as you all know, Artifacts have their own consciousnesses which need to be connected to in case someone wants to bring out the full power stored within them. The King, as an heir, activated the Artifact, but even then, it was impossible to break the oaths placed by the Church, as a method unknown to us was used to ensure that they would not be tampered with. However, with the use of the Artifact, the King was able to attack them and at least weaken them enough to help Cain's consciousness escape- as they were in the form of a prison which kept him in check. In order to do so, though, an extreme shock was needed to create a vulnerability that could be exploited- hence, Cain's body had to be burned into nothingness, so that he could arise from the ashes like a Phoenix. It wasn't perfect, but it worked- Cain's consciousness was injured in the process, too, so it can only inhabit the body of a normal person before slowly beginning to rise in power, again. After all, it is not an easy feat to get past the constrictions set by a force from the Mainland, especially when it used the best it had at its disposal as he was a very important pawn. As the King said, the punishment was carried out, and you are now a free man- what you choose to do with your freedom is up to you. Make your decision regarding this, and come to me, as you need to at least take the Oath to keep the Order secret."

Beaming with pride, the Head narrated what had happened, making many drop their jaws in the crowd.

They couldn't even begin to think about how much expertise must have been required for someone to be able to do this, and indeed, destroying his body and injuring his consciousness seemed like a small price to pay when compared to the alternative, where there would be no hope left for him.

The Head had, of course, left out the fact that the 'activation' of the Artifact had been done by the Emperor, himself, and not Daneel as the heir.

Even the subsequent task of implanting a consciousness in a different body was no simple thing, but the King had accomplished it in mere seconds. Usually, strong consciousnesses could take control of weaker bodies, but doing so in the case where one was injured…was not simple, at all. It would need one to know the delicate nuances of how a consciousness was supposed to be implanted, and how it took root in a physical body. These were things that would need decades of research and study, but the King…seemed to have enough talent to have become an expert in the short while that he must have studied it.

Many stared at the place where he had stood, thinking about all of his achievements, comparing themselves to him, and finding themselves short.

Others were fixed on Cain, unable to believe the way in which everything had been resolved- they couldn't believe that everything had worked out so well.

As for those who had had doubts about the decision-making abilities of the King, they humphed and left, as he had shown them that they were wrong.

Daneel watched all this, hidden, and smiled to himself. He had done well, and he knew it.

He had gotten the idea when listening to Cain, itself- what if he could be given a different body, free of everything that bound him, so that he could have a second chance?

The system had been instrumental in forming a way, and even then, it had been difficult- the Church had definitely attached a lot of value to him, as they had gone all out.

As for the body given to him, it was that of a prisoner in the Alliance who actually had a pretty good comprehension level, but who had been convicted to be hanged for his crime of killing over 40 people. While Cain was speaking, Daneel had contacted the Head, and the two of them had gone to wipe the consciousness of this man and prepare his body so that Cain could enter it. Daneel had thought that they might need the help of a master in consciousnesses, but surprisingly, this serial killer had already had a very fractured psyche that had fallen apart with just a push. Musing that his actions might have been a manifestation of this chaos in his mind whose cause was unknown, his features were changed, resulting in that scene that would forever be implanted in the minds of the members of the Order.

Daneel let out a breath, as with this, it felt like the war against the entity was finally over.

So, now, it was time to look to the actual war.

For a period of time, the Order would be occupied by what he had done, so this was the perfect time to take a breather and think about what he would do and what he would prioritize on his way forward.

So, checking up on Xuan and seeing that she was still sleeping peacefully, Daneel got on to it.

First, he started with the continent.

His master was already hard at work trying to get an accurate updated timeline in regards to the return of the Church, and he had already intimated that a lot of things had been sped up, with the Bishop apparently putting her full focus on returning, and finished what had started.

The first priority was definitely to talk to Arafell and unite the continent. The Big Four were not a concern, and even if there was opposition in the Order, he could deal with it.

This tied into his top priority of updating the system, too. He was pretty sure that taking full control of the continent would give him enough EXP, and then some to carry out the upgrade that had been dangling in front of him for so long, so this was definitely what he would focus on as soon as he recovered.

Next came his personal power: he was a Peak Champion, and even though it only felt like yesterday that he had broken through to the Champion realm, he now needed to think about how he would finally reach the highest realm on Angaria.

Heroes had to find a deeper connection to break through, so he would have to set time apart to focus on this and identify the deeper meanings of both of his Mage Paths.

Thankfully, it was much simpler in the case of his Fighter Path. His Bloodline was that of a species whose members could reach the Hero realm without any difficulty, so all it would require was absorption of a lot of Energy and a little bit of time to understand the essence of being a Shapeshifter.

If both of these things were accomplished, Daneel was completely confident that he would have to fear nothing on Angaria. He would be able to keep his Word, and that would mean even more EXP which he planned to use to unlock many useful modules which he had been painfully ignoring until now to accumulate as much as he could for the upgrade.

Next came the power of his sovereigns- they had done well, but now, it was time for them all to become Champions. Their breakthroughs would need his help, and Daneel had already mapped out what he would do to ensure that they would gain the strength necessary to proudly call themselves by the name they had been given.

Along with these, there were also a few miscellaneous things which he needed to keep in mind so that he could handle them whenever the time was right- the Grand Inheritance needed to be reassembled and studied, and the place created by the Godbeasts to help future generations also had to be visited so that he could hopefully get the consciousnesses of a few more powerful Godbeasts to further perfect his 'Ultimate Fighter' form.

And of course, the quicker he finished these things, the sooner he could get on to creating a unified front that would beat back the Church.

Daneel began looking over the list, to check whether he had forgotten anything, but suddenly, he was interrupted by a message.

It was from Eloise, and it made him freeze and blink before going through what she had said a second time.

"Daneel…the scene of you giving Cain a new life was incredible. And I think it is just what we need to unify the continent. What if we show it in some form to the people, and have them start idolizing you like a God? The Heavens are supposed to give second chances, right? Isn't that what you did? Maybe it could even be exaggerated the more it is told, so that you become a living legend…think about it, and get back to me. If we are going to do it, now is the perfect time."

Chapter 915: Talking to Eloise

Eloise had been in the Hall of Beginning when the events that were still being talked about extensively all over the order had taken place.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

All of the sovereigns had already taken the oath to become members of the Order again, soon after the Head became the Overseer. Hence, they had also been called for the public hearing.

However, because they were newcomers, and because they did not have enough power to be able to stand in the frontlines, they had been someone in the back, but even then, their eyes which were shining with pride could be seen from across the Hall.

The one whose eyes had shone the brightest was Eloise, and she had branded each and every image that she had seen into her mind. That was the Daneel who had captivated her heart all those years ago – a man who did not have a limit for his imagination, and who had the special ability of somehow spotting the best thing he could do in a situation, even if it looked like there was no way that it could be salvaged.

Before those events had happened, Eloise had also taken a look at everyone present, and had realized the conundrum that the king was in – she had started to think about how she could help him to find a solution, and she had even gotten a few ideas, but they were nothing compared to what the had eventually done.

It was that image – of him with his hands behind his back, with a gracious expression on his face, looking at the new Cain with eyes filled with kindness that had given her the idea. If this wasn't what a god would be like if they existed, then what else could they be?

Even though the idea had filled her mind and made her feel excited, she had the habit of first calming down and looking at something from all directions before deciding whether it was worthy enough to be brought to the attention of the king.

'Not the king- Daneel, you dummy.'

As she always did whenever she thought of him, she called him 'king' in her mind, which made her admonish herself that she should not do so, and that she should use his name, as he had asked her to do, in a gesture that was still one of the most personal that they had shared over all the time that they had known each other.

She managed to call him by his name when they were speaking, but in her mind, she always defaulted to his honorific, almost as if there was still a barrier stopping her from completely accepting that she was close enough to him to do so wholeheartedly.

After thinking for a bit, she had realized that it really was the best way to go forward for many reasons, with the first that came to mind being something that had been taught to her by the teacher who had been employed to educate her about the world.

The biggest threat to any individual who was in a leading position was that they would be targeted by those who wanted to take their place, and hence, he had said that the first responsibility of any ruler was to establish a force that would work day and night to protect them and make sure that no foe would be able to even come near. Of course, it was best if they were powerful, too, so that they would not be easily assassinated, but even if they were, they would not be able to be on guard 24/7. Hence, her teacher always expounded that most of the resources after taking control of any place should go to setting up this force as quickly as possible.

Even the Emperor was supposed to have had almost daily assassination threats after he had taken control, when he was still in the process of squashing all the forces that were vying for his position or everything that he had accumulated.

But if the one in question was shown to be so invulnerable that it would be a hopeless idea to even target them, then wouldn't this threat be non-existent?

It was a far-fetched idea, for sure, but she believed that it was worth a try- she knew that Daneel was going to push to become the leader of the entire continent, next, and when that happened, he would be targeted both by jealous individuals, or those with other motives on the continent, and even possibly those from the Mainland, as she knew that there were many more threats in that place even though the Church was the only one that they were facing right now.

Of course, this defense would not work against the latter, but against the former, wouldn't it decrease the number of things that they would have to deal with a lot if they managed to instill into the minds of the people that it was the dumbest thing that anyone could do to target him, as he was the closest thing to a God that could exist on Angaria?

She knew that one of the things which no one, including those in the Big Four, knew about was the realm beyond that of Heroes. If the Big Four, itself, was in such a state, then it could be said with certainty that in the Central Continent, there was no chance of anyone even having any idea about what could lay beyond.

The argument could still be made that the king was powerful enough to not have to worry about any threat from the Central Continent, but after what they had just been through, Eloise had decided that they should never, ever take anything for granted for as long as they were alive.

This was the first reason, and of course, it had come to her first because of her role in the Alliance.

Next, though, she thought about the other advantages, and they were aplenty.

First, the number of people who would sign up to go to war would grow to an unprecedented level as the people would no longer be fighting for someone like themselves, but rather, someone greater, and by doing so, they might even hope to gain things that they couldn't even think about right now.

Rumors could easily be spread regarding this, and ideas had a very strong power of taking ahold of large demographics of people and be rooted in place so firmly that it would take decades to dislodge them.

Case in point was Arafell, where the idea that the Queen was almost like a goddess had already taken root a long time ago, leading to many people following her so zealously that they would be ready to give up their lives if she would just ask.

She knew that this was the main reason that the kingdom of Arafell had never faced any threat to their leadership. Of course, the Queen was an immortal consciousness whose strength was not something that those in the Central Continent could contend with, but even if that was not the case, Eloise knew for a fact that there would have been no trouble at all due to this doctrine that had been implanted in the minds of the citizens for generations.

It would be much harder in their case, though, as they had a much shorter time, but she felt that if they all worked hard, it wouldn't be impossible. It was only after getting all of these thoughts that Eloise contacted Daneel, and to her surprise, Daneel appeared right in front of her, in her room in the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

She had expected that he might call for a meeting of the sovereigns, where they would discuss it, but she definitely had not thought that he would react in this way.

Still stuck in thinking about even more points that she could use to make her case in case she needed to convince him, she stammered, "K-I mean, D-Daneel, you-"

With that easy chuckle which she had been reminded of so many times in his absence, the King folded his arms in front of him and said, "Sorry for dropping in so quickly, but your idea was so radical that I wanted to discuss it more, together, before continuing the discussion with the rest of the sovereigns. Tell me what made you think of it. Oh, and I've called them, too, so we can finish here and then go to them."

The chuckle was the thing which eased her heart and mind – and it also reminded her about how much she had missed it.

And with that… It was as if a dam had burst in her mind.

Without thinking, Eloise rushed forward and hugged Daneel tightly, before starting to cry on his shoulder.

This sudden change shocked the king, and he had to take a few moments before hugging her back, but he still seemed puzzled about why this was happening.

Of course, if she had been in her right senses, she would have noticed that he also had a look of déjà vu, as if the same thing had happened before, but Eloise was too busy being wrung out by the emotions that had built up in her for all these months, and which had still not had the time or the opportunity to be let go even with the return of the King, as both of them had been too busy with dealing with things that they had to handle.

Now, finally, finding herself alone with him, all the bottled up emotions had burst out abruptly, leading to this situation where Eloise couldn't stop herself.

The feeling of missing something that was such an integral part of oneself without even knowing what it was was such a traumatic thing that it had almost broken her. Day in and day out, she would think about it and go crazy, and if Percy hadn't come at that time to tell her that she was right, she was sure that she would have gone mad.

Only she knew how much pain she had felt. How much anguish, agony and torment she had gone through every second, and how much relief she had felt when her memories had returned.

After the Head had cast the spell to make that happen, she had cloistered herself in her room for hours and cried while laughing, going through each and every one of them again and again, reliving all of the moments she had spent with him, and rediscovering everything that she had always felt for this man to whom she had given her everything long ago, itself.

But after that, Eloise had bottled it all up, as she had had to get back to her duties. She had a lot of things to do in the Alliance in the aftermath of everything that had happened, and she had thrown herself into them after building a wall around all of these feelings.

Now, finally, that wall was broken, and Eloise was able to let them go.

She cried for a long time, and even then, she wasn't ready to let go.

After what felt like a lifetime, the King spoke in a tender voice.

"I'm sorry I was such a fool to not come to you until now. I…missed you, Eloise. More than I can put into any words that I know. The sovereigns can wait. Can we talk? I want to know everything you went through when I wasn't there."

The genuine care she heard made Eloise get a bright smile, but her heart that had thoroughly been battered was still not prepared to let go.

Still, she made her hands leave his neck while she stepped back, but thankfully, he caught them with his and continued to hold them as they both sat side-by-side, facing each other on the couch that he had just conjured.

In his eyes, she saw a sincere wish to know the answer to what he had asked, so she began to tell him everything.

She spoke about the days filled with battles with her mind, which kept trying to convince her that she was wrong, and that there was nothing she had forgotten.

She spoke about bursting out crying randomly, as the pain would become too much, and how she forcefully controlled it to do her duties.

She spoke about stepping so close to breaking apart and losing her sanity, and about how Percy had come at the perfect time.

With each word she said, she saw something continuously change in the eyes of the King, and even though she didn't know what it was, it felt good, for some reason, as she saw it.

Finally, after telling him about how she had had to bottle it all up to wait for this moment, she asked a question.

"Tell me what happened with Xuan. I know that you held something back then- I saw the hesitation, and the way you looked at me. Tell me."

It was said that women had much stronger powers of observation than men, and Eloise had always been blessed with a special talent in this area.

Hence, she had been able to spot this in their meeting even though the other sovereigns had seen nothing, and as she saw the surprise in the King's eyes, she smiled as she knew that she was right.

However, the King's reaction caught her off guard.

He let out a heavy sigh filled with sadness, and said, "It seems that I bring pain to all those I consider close to my heart. Xuan was tortured physically, while you were tortured emotionally, which is just as painful. Both of you…went through so much because of me. After Xuan told me everything, I…kissed her, because, just like now, just like you just did, she firmly made her way inside my heart, which has been closed for so long. But…"

Eloise first felt surprised, but then, a stronger feeling took over her mind.

It was that of desire, and it made her say, "And she gets a kiss, and I don't?"

In a blur, she moved forward, and her lips firmly planted themselves on the King's lips.

The king was shocked, at first, and realizing what she was doing, Eloise was about to move back.

However…in a motion that made her heart start to beat faster, the king swept her into his arms and kissed back with an intensity that made her body melt into his.

She lost herself completely in that kiss, wishing, praying that it would not stop, ever, but the sudden sound of something being ripped reacher her ears, making her stop and stare.

In her passion…she had ripped apart Daneel's robe, and at the same time, her own dress had started to tear at her bosom.

This made her return to her senses, but instead of shyness, she felt elation.

The shyness came too, though, as it was the bane of anyone as new to such things as them, making her say, "The sovereigns are waiting," and teleport away.

Only, at the last moment before she left, Eloise realized something, and it made her so happy that she felt like jumping in the air with joy.

For the first time…in her mind, she had called him 'Daneel'.

Chapter 916: Meeting 1

In the sky above the central point of Angaria which had been relocated to allow for the absence of the Kingdom of Axelor, the sovereigns had gathered, but something was… off.

The king and Eloise both had flushed cheeks, and they were decidedly avoiding eye contact for some reason.

Even though she was sitting right beside him, Eloise was looking elsewhere, as if extremely interested in the birds that were flying a few meters away from the spot where they had gathered.

As for the king, he was looking into the sky, as if it held the key to the secrets of the universe, which had captivated him so strongly that he could not look away.

After everyone had gathered, this was the scene that continued to prevail, and it was finally Kellor who broke the silence during which everyone had started to speculate in their own way regarding the reason behind why it was like this.

Aaron, of course, had the raunchiest of imaginations, whereas Elanev had a small frown, which was actually not filled with animosity.

In fact, he was the one whom Daneel was most concerned about, and he was the one the system was analyzing in order to check whether there were any negative emotions being displayed.

Strangely enough, Elanev was the first person that Daneel had thought of after that experience, as there had been clues to make him think that there was some sort of a bond forming between Eloise and his elder brother.

Of course, there had been nothing to indicate that it was something greater than that between two people who were close because of growing up together, but still, Daneel knew the tale of the famous King Arthur, and he had no intention whatsoever of having it repeated with him as the protagonist.

And with this thought, he realized that he was really overthinking things, so he calmed himself down, but that calm was suddenly shattered by the memory of what had just happened which was still firmly in the forefront of his mind.

His cheeks flushed again, making him seriously contemplate whether to tell the system to control his facial expressions, but instead, he forced himself to analyze what had happened, which actually made him see something right away.

In the case of Xuan, the physical pain and torment she had gone through had melted him, making him take her into his arms, by himself, with the wish to take away her suffering, or at least warm her heart with his presence.

In the case of Eloise, there was the same torment of the same intensity, with the only difference being that it was emotional, as he had mentioned. It had melted him, too, and even though the kiss had been initiated by her, he was the one who had kissed back with all of himself, leaving nothing back, and exposing himself completely in the same way that he had done before.

What did it all mean?

Daneel had no idea, and thankfully, Kellor's words distracted him.

Unlike the others, it looked like he had been contemplating the topic due to which they had been called together, so when he spoke, the others also stopped gossiping and paid attention.

"Positioning oneself as a god… It is definitely a great idea, and this is definitely the perfect time, as we can reap the most benefits from it. But… I can't help but say that it is not a unique idea. So why haven't people tried to do the same over all these years? I know why the Emperor must not have done so, because of his personality which made him want to remain as a normal person with whom anyone could interact even though he was the ruler, but what about the rest, in the subsequent years? Yes, Queen Arafell has done it, but her case is different as her status was passed down in families, from father to son, from mother to daughter, and hence, it has taken hold even if she doesn't push for it actively. Why don't more people copy her, and introduce all kinds of things to give themselves a permanent spot in the hearts of the people, thereby solidifying their position for generations to come?"

Using the opportunity, Daneel put aside his chaotic thoughts and answered.

"The reason is the Big Four, or actually, it's the Order. You seem to have forgotten about the small experiment I did before… where I introduced a religion, of sorts, which made all of the corrupt individuals in the Kingdom of the elves expose themselves. It actually brought down the sky on me, and I was lucky to escape without any negative effects… After Eloise gave the suggestion, I used my newfound position to find out why this was the case. This is what I found."

Daneel's voice had taken a very weird high-pitch when he said the word 'Eloise', but it was practically unnoticeable because he covered it up instantly.

However, it looked like Eloise did notice, as a small smile flashed across her face for the briefest of moments which she hid away before looking like she had her full attention on the king.

"In the earlier annals of the order, there is a clear warning stating that any religion which popped out of nowhere has the chance of being the doing of a foreign presence which wishes to take root in this land. Any such threats are supposed to be disposed of immediately, with the Big Four handling the case if it pops up the Central Continent, and the Order stepping in if it pops up in the Big Four, itself. The idea is basically that one does not need to know the location of a place in order to influence the minds of those living far away – this kind of power is something we cannot even imagine, but it is written that there are beings which exist purely to take control of people's minds through a religion and thereby gain power and a foothold which they can use to do what they please. There isn't really anything stopping a home-grown religion from popping up, though, and that is probably why Arafell was not stopped – besides, she was never that brazen about it, at least as much as we are going to be in case we do go through with this."

Elanev was still looking between the king and Eloise as the entire conversation was happening, but finally, after Daneel said this, he shrugged and spoke up.

This shrug really meant a lot to Daneel, as it meant that what he had seen might possibly not have been true – it was a classic case of seeing a lot even if there was nothing there, and it made him feel like some sort of a lovesick teenager in a movie who was getting jealous was no reason even though what he saw was completely normal.

Wait… Lovesick?

This put a whole new spin on everything, and it made those chaotic thoughts arise again, but Daneel forcefully pushed them down and listened to what his elder brother had to say.

"Speaking of Arafell… any way I see this, if we want to go ahead, we need to have the full continent under our fold, officially. With Axelor, only Arafell is left, so isn't it high time we go to her Queenliness to see what's up?"

BANG!

With a loud sound, the king abruptly got up, shocking the sovereigns who were present.

"Great idea! Let's go right now! In fact, it might be best if I go alone! This is just an apparition, so don't worry about me – stay, and think about the ramifications of what we are going to do, and if we do decide to go forward, the method in which we will implement it. As Eloise said, the first thing would be to create a TV show, but it has to have a lot of authenticity to it, and such a lofty goal will need a lot of planning – possibly more than everything we've done so far to create the Alliance, combined. Brainstorm, and I'll speak to Arafell and be back soon. Farewell, my sovereigns!"

No sooner had the last word exited the king's mouth, he disappeared, appearing as if he had something very urgent to attend to.

And in the silence that followed, the atmosphere only got weirder when Eloise broke out into a hearty laugh, while her eyes twinkled with amusement.

What the others did know… Was that she had just made eye contact with Daneel before shooting him a smile, and that had made him stand and react in that way.

She was actually quite proud of herself, even though she didn't know what she had done-but whatever it was, she found herself happier than she had been in the longest time.

She stood up, too, at this point, to say, "You guys continue the brainstorming. I need to go visit Xuan-we were very, very close before everything happened, so it's possible that my presence will help her, too."

With that, Eloise also disappeared, leaving the rest of the sovereigns staring between themselves, completely perplexed, wondering what had gotten into these two.

…

Daneel reappeared in the sky above Arafell before taking a deep breath and noticing that he had begun to pant.

'You're not a high school kid! Come on!'

Scolding himself in this way, but still getting a lopsided smile which lingered as he knew that he had entered a dream which any high schooler would wish to be in, he shook his head to focus and looked down, intending to actually do the job he had said he would set out to do.

Introspection could come later- first, he had a Queen to visit.

Daneel directly flew to the Palace, which he had visited before.

All the formations that were publicly on display were no match to him as his apparition was at the Champion level, and those hidden had not been activated. Even if they were, he would lose a few resources, and that was all as he had taken the precaution to have the tiniest bit of consciousness possible in this form.

Arafell had always had the second most unique Palace in the Central Continent, after the one of Axelor, which had unfortunately been destroyed.

It was in the form of a giant statue which was over 120 feet(37 m) tall that towered over the entire capital, of a woman with a wreath in her hair, made of marble yet looking life-like because of the skill of the artisan who had made it eons ago.

The woman's hands were kindly clasped in front of her, and her eyes seemed to be looking out over the Kingdom which had taken her name.

At the top of this statue was supposed to be the private room of the Queen, and in front of the statue was a large building half its size which acted as the actual Palace.

All around the statue were various other buildings which housed the army, and other personnel.

Daneel had only ever been to the Palace, and it was obvious that it was rude to directly intrude into a woman's bedroom.

True, it was what he had just done, but it wasn't the case that all woman would welcome him with a kiss.

As he landed in front of the large doors, they opened, almost as if they had been waiting for him, leading him to walk inside cautiously, as he knew of the Queen's penchant to act like a Venus flytrap which looked beautiful, but would kill and suck dry anyone that was foolish enough to approach.

That was how she had 'innovatively' built up funds to go up against him before, and he had no intention of sharing the fate of those poor errant members of the Big Four.

The doors led to a large Central Hall, and the throne was actually empty.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

After a moment, though, the Queen appeared, but her expression was innocent, which made it clear that it was the original owner of the body who was present.

In a flash, though, it changed, and her voice rang out loudly, echoing in the room.

"So you finally showed up…great job blowing up almost a quarter of Angaria. But, hey, sometimes it is better to cut off rotting limbs before they fester. If you thought I had forgotten how you abused me before by using the visage of the one man I admire, you are mistaken. I know what you came for, and I know you're just an apparition. But still…I'm itching for a fight. Defeat me, and I'll talk to you. Otherwise, I'll trap your consciousness and show you what I learned under the Empress of Torture. Let us begin!"

Chapter 917: Meeting 2

The Queen's statement was accompanied by the activation of multiple formations- those that stopped teleportation, and even the dispersal of the apparition that he was using to be present in front of her.

It looked like she had been prepared, and Daneel wasn't that surprised by this fact- the Queen had always had the habit of watching from her little abode and knowing everything that was going on in the continent, so it made sense that she must have seen him get injured, and gathered that he must be going around in this form now.

As for her itching for a fight…what else could one expect from someone who had had to be defeated by the Emperor before becoming willing to follow him?

Folding his hands, Daneel nodded and said, "Very well. How shall we do it? I assume that you must have already prepared some rules to make it fair…"

Standing up from the throne, the Queen spoke again, but this time, her words were accompanied by her dress changing from an elegant one to that of a warrior- complete with armor that covered her from head to toe, giving her the look of an Elite Mage Commander who had walked straight out of the Age of the Empire.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"One on one challenge fight- the way they do it in tournaments. We start a few hundred meters apart, and the first to deal a devastating blow wins. I've managed to grow this little girl's power level to the Eminent Champion level, but I'll cap it to the Amateur realm, to match it with yours. Fair, isn't it? So when you lose, you have no excuses to give!"

Raising his hands and shrugging, Daneel said, "I don't mean to be cocky, but it doesn't matter whether you cap your power or not. Shall we begin?"

The reply he got was a nod, and it was followed by a barrier springing up in the large palace hall.

Daneel had thought that they might go to the grounds, but it looked like they were going to fight right here.

Well, it was fine by him.

The throne and the podium it was on disappeared so that there was only an even floor between Daneel and the Queen, and she also moved back so that there was a distance of 500 meters between them. It wasn't much, at all, for Champions, but it was enough for a match, as even the way in which a Champion chose to cross that distance might decide the outcome.

In the realms of Champions and Heroes, every second mattered, and letting out a deep breath, Daneel considered what he should do.

It actually felt…awesome to have multiple options, instead of being backed into a corner and having to pull something incredible out in order to win. The latter was what he had had to do in most of his fights in Angaria, so the ones like these were a real pleasure to experience.

He could use his Mage Path and completely decimate the Queen, but he wasn't really willing to expose it once more. In the fight against the entity, he had won because it was a secret, and even now, because the only ones present to witness it had been his sovereigns, and the monstrosities who remembered nothing, no one knew that he had a dual Mage Path which was so rare that there was no one else on the continent who had one besides him.

No one knew the exact way in which he had defeated the entity- they were only told that he had cleverly bluffed that he was ready to begin another apocalypse, which made the entity flee in fear and be killed. The formations stopping people from the outside were the most powerful on Angaria, too, so there was no chance at all that someone he didn't know might have seen it.

They had only dissipated after the destruction of the entity, which was when Arnold had spoken to give him the biggest shock of his life, yet, so according to rest of Angaria, his Path was one which empowered others, and it was actually the most fitting for him, as he had always been someone who cared extensively for his people.

Another option was to use a Fighter transformation which could be mimicked- true, it was his original body which had the Bloodline, but because Bloodlines went much deeper than just being physical, he could use this piece of consciousness to bring out a weaker form of the Shapeshifter.

This wasn't a bad option, but it wouldn't be that awe-inspiring, which was what Daneel decided that he would go for.

The Basilisk's Breath had been activated, so only a second had passed, and the fight still hadn't started.

It was at this time that Daneel got the perfect idea which made him raise his eyebrows, and with an excited smile, he cracked his knuckles and waited for the counter that had appeared in the air to wind down to 0.

The way Mage fights worked was that spells would be cast only after the end of the counter, so until then, he could only go through what he was going to do in his mind.

On the other side, the Queen was looking at this counter, too, and her hands seemed to be itching, almost as if she was looking forward to clasping them around his neck.

Well…she was going to be disappointed.

The instant that a large '0' appeared in the air, Daneel disappeared from sight, making the Queen, who had shot forward leaving a trail like a comet behind her, perplexed.

His voice appeared from multiple directions at once, and as she heard what he said, she gritted her teeth.

"The Bloodline of the Divine Chamelion. A perfect tool in fights like these, I should say."

The Divine Chamelion was a Godbeast from the age before the Empire which was the most harmless of them all, as it was not a hunter, but rather a lazy being which just liked to eat what it could find and even hibernate if it was feeling lazy.

It was only good at hiding itself perfectly using light refractions to make itself invisible, and if its full ability was being used, the Queen would never be able to find him unless she decimated the place, or started setting up specific formations that she must know of which could ferret out anyone using this concept.

However, it looked like she had a different idea.

Raising her fist, the Queen made a globe that looked like it was filled with the stars of the sky appear, and as she tightly clenched her fist, the globe exploded to shower the entire area with those shiny objects.

Right away, Daneel's body stood out, and he cursed, as he couldn't use the full extent of the Chamelion's powers.

If he could, he would have been able to deploy its special ability to dissipate into elementary particles for brief moments of time to escape detection methods like these, but because this was an apparition, all he could do was turn invisible, which would still have been a game-changer as teleportation was blocked, if the Queen hadn't acted in such a quick-witted manner.

With a smile, the Queen simply pointed in the direction where Daneel had been exposed, and from her finger, an almost laser-like beam of light was shot out, ready to put so many holes in him that he might be able to deploy that other ability of the Chamelion in a different way.

However…she was already too late.

With a flick of Daneel's fingers, multiple objects came into being around the Queen, making her look at them with a frown while he dodged at the last second.

They were in the form of podiums made of multiple types of elementary particles, all bunched together in a ratio that made for an exceptionally solid base, and they were attached to some sort of a metal panel which was as tall as a normal man.

This metallic panel shone brightly, exposing the fact that it wasn't just made of normal metal. There were 20 of these objects, all arranged in a seemingly random fashion, and as soon as Daneel managed to dodge the Queen's attack, he launched his own.

'BANG!'

With a sound like a loud gunshot, a different construct which had been hidden by these panels launched a conical projectile with a soft tip which was the size of a fist.

"Party tricks."

Saying this, the Queen conjured a barrier while forming a more concentrated attack of her own, as she had identified that Daneel had used a different Bloodline to increase his speed. This meant that she had to hit him in a way in which he would only be able to stand and stare, so she going to do just that.

She didn't know the purpose of the panels, but she assumed that they were just to cover his movements, and help with his camouflage. As for the projectile, it seemed like a regular one which had been sped up by an explosion behind it, but from the reports of the King, she already knew that this was a Paragon Construct used previously by him.

She simply waited for the projectile to be stopped by her barrier…but an astonishing sight presented itself to her.

The projectile that was originally flying in her direction slightly veered off its path, missing her barrier by an inch, before a loud 'CLANG!' was heard from behind her.

It was the panel on which the projectile had impacted, and from the corner of her eyes, the Queen saw that the panel also moved suddenly at the moment of the impact.

The result…was that the projectile was shot away at an even faster speed.

With her eyes wide open, the Queen watched as the projectile struck against panel after panel, each of which moved at the perfect time, in the perfect way to make sure that it would only speed up.

Her attack would soon be ready, but by that time, the projectile had already sped up 30 times. It had turned into a blur which she couldn't spot clearly even if she focused, and she knew that she would get dizzy if she tried to anticipate from where it might come.

How could anyone calculate the perfect angles required, and do such minute adjustments to ensure that it would only keep getting accelerated? Even the complexity of a Champion's mind should not be enough for this task!

No sooner had this thought come in her mind, she saw a red-hot object flying towards her.

The projectile was smaller now, having had its mass shaved away with each acceleration, but it was so much faster, looking like a meteor prepared to destroy the first planet it came across.

'BOOOMMM!!!!'

When it struck her barrier, it was as if the impact made the whole Palace shake, and the Queen could only watch on with horror as it shattered barrier after reinforced barrier before arriving right in front of her.

She had used all of her time to put up as many defenses as possible, but it had not been enough.

Paragon constructs…were truly terrifying things.

She closed her eyes, preparing to endure the injury, but even after a moment passed, she felt nothing.

Hearing something behind her, the Queen turned around to see that the projectile had smoothly passed through the barrier she had made to mark out their fighting area before going through the Palace wall, almost like a knife through butter.

Knowing that it would have had no trouble at all in blowing up her head, she let out a breath, which was when she heard the King speak.

"I win. It's time to talk. But…I think there's someone else you might want to talk to."

As soon as he said so, a man appeared in front of her, and seeing him, she blinked before freezing on the spot.

It was the same face, the same kindness within his eyes, and the same commanding power within his brows that had made millions heed him without even a second thought.

However…they were all slightly dull, as if eroded away by the tides of time, but the Queen knew right away that what she saw was not false.

Many, many questions popped into her head, but right now, none of them mattered.

Stepping forward, she hugged him, and finally, after thousands of years…the coldness in her heart thawed to give way to warmth.

Chapter 918: Meeting End

Daneel watched on carefully after teleporting the Emperor over, as he wanted to reverse his actions if there was even a hint that this meeting might cause any damage to his psyche.

He knew that the probability of that happening was minute as he had managed to survive for so long, but still, it was best to be careful.

As for the reason he was even doing this…it was the hope that the Queen might be able to heal him in the same way that he had healed Xuan.

He had a debt to the man which he couldn't even put into words, and he also deeply admired him because of everything he had done. Hence, he was ready to do anything to help him.

True, it was a fact that the one who had actually captivated his heart and shared the best night possible before they had both marched to their deaths was the Empress of Torture, but from his own state, right now, Daneel knew that it was possible that this man might have felt something for the coldhearted and arrogant Arafell, too, even though she had not taken that step forward like the Empress.

He only had the memories of the Emperor, which did not give him a clear insight into his feelings. So, the only thing that Daneel could do was speculate, and hope.

For the first few moments, the Emperor looked mostly puzzled, as he had been disturbed from the nice nap he had been having. His short beard and shoulder-length gray hair were ruffled, and as always, he was wearing the simple grey robes of a teacher.

Yet, a few seconds later…everything changed.

The first hint that came was in the air, as it was as if nature was greeting the return of someone whom even it was indebted to.

The stillness in the room was broken by a strong gust of wind which blew back the Emperor's hair, exposing his rugged face, and a natural pressure formed in the area, which had not been created by a Mageroot, but rather by the control that a consciousness had, which would not be lost even if one's corporeal body was destroyed.

Those cloudy eyes cleared, that confused brow straightened, and his hands which had been at his side rose.

"Arafell…you haven't changed a bit."

His sonorous voice echoed in the room, making the Queen, who had been frozen in shock until now, look up and see the same man who had stolen her heart and never given it back all those eons ago.

"Fenoras…you-"

THUMP!

Interrupting her, the Emperor suddenly crumpled onto the floor, making both Daneel and the Queen gasp before they bent over him to see what had happened.

He was unconscious, but his breathing was steady. Just as Daneel was able to tell the system to scan him, though, the Queen who was beside him shouted, "NO, COME BACK RIGHT THIS SECOND! Fenoras, I only agreed to this for you! If you leave after giving me hope, again…I can't take it! I won't! COME BACK, YOU BASTARD!!"

Catching his collar, she shook him, and as Daneel reached over to try and calm her down, she swatted his hand aside and snapped, "FIX HIM! I don't care from what hole you dug him out, just fix him!"

"You just did."

"FIX HIM, AND I'LL GIVE YOU THIS KINGDOM! I'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING! JUST- huh, what?"

It was clear that the Queen had given in to the fear of losing the man who was still in her heart, as she hadn't even heard what Daneel had said after hearing the answer from the system.

He had just gotten it, and it said:

[Scanning target's consciousness. Sudden instance of healing has caused a temporary overload. Target is expected to wake up with a stronger control of his consciousness, which will enable him to be lucid for a longer time. Memories which were lost also have a chance of returning. Healing effect was not as pronounced as was present in the case of host and the target known as 'Xuan', but because of a long time spent in the special Artifact which was passively healing the psyche, the overall effect was greater. It is unclear at this point whether prolonged healing effects will be present if exposure to the same stimuli is continued. However, the healing state is expected to prevail and have as much of an effect as possible if the stimuli is not removed.]

Seeing the Queen almost comically get a blank face as she realized what he had said, he chuckled and explained.

"A gesture of since emotion from a loved one is the best medicine to heal a fractured psyche. It was a theory during your time, but I recently saw it work, so I decided that I would try it. I cannot tell you where he has been, and what happened, but as I am in charge of him, I can continue to let him be in your presence. That is, if you want him…"

"Of course I do! He's not going anywhere!"

Looking at the Queen suddenly clutch at the Emperor's head and cradle him in her lap in a tender gesture akin to one that might be seen in the case of a mother who was afraid that she might be separated from her son, Daneel smiled and nodded, before continuing.

"Good. The method which allowed him to live- oh, and it wasn't in his hands, by the way- damaged him in such a way that he lost his memories, or at least, most of them. He constantly goes into an unstable state, and even when he is lucid, he can only remember facts about magic and such, but not personal things. Be patient with him. Spend time with him. Talk about things you went through together. But don't force anything. Also…this will only be possible if I can keep a constant eye on him, so keep that in mind in case you feel like trying anything…er, radical."

Daneel felt slightly awkward as he said that last part, but it was necessary- he was in charge of the Emperor as a member of the Chamber of Golden Lightning, so if anything happened, it was his responsibility to place him back in that Artifact which would stop any permanent damage from being caused. Hence, he needed to constantly be watching.

The Queen frowned as she heard this, but thinking it through, she nodded. Her eyes were still fixed on the Emperor, and it did not look like they would leave any time soon.

Seeing this, Daneel got a happy smile, as it was an amazing thing to be loved.

Getting up, he was about to leave, but right before he did, the Queen spoke.

"I know what you came for. Arafell is yours. I am talking about both the Kingdom, and me, as I am indebted to you for this. I don't like it…but I have never skimped on my debts. Call for me if you need anything. Oh, and bra- I mean, King, you have brought the continent under you so quickly. You rose from nothing to such heights that would normally take centuries to reach, but be careful- you can even fall just as quickly. Farewell, and send me instructions if you need something to happen before we become allies."

Daneel stopped and raised his eyebrows as he heard this, but after that, they relaxed, and his face filled with the purest of satisfaction.

Indeed, that was what he had come for, and if he was being frank…that was the second reason behind him bringing the Emperor over.

Anyone would feel indebted if they were given water after walked parched in the desert for days. In the case of the queen, it had been thousands of years, so he knew that she would definitely feel that she was indebted if he did this. He had also structured his dialogue to make sure that he made it clear that he was doing it almost as a favor, and it had worked.

Thinking about this now, he saw that his scheming side had returned, so he welcomed it, but followed that greeting by a promise that soon, it might not have to emerge anymore, at least, in regards to matters in Angaria.

As for the Queen's warning…he simply nodded in response to it, as his mind was filled with the realization that he had finally done it.

Finally…the continent was his!

It felt incredible, and the sense of achievement was branded into his mind and heart. He enjoyed it immensely, allowing himself a broad, broad smile that stretched from ear to ear, which made the Queen say, "Don't look so smug- I was going to make you work for it, but I now have other things to do. Go. And watch all you want- but if you get shy, close your eyes like the little boy you still are."

With that cryptic sentence, the Queen disappeared along with the Emperor, and for a moment, it looked as if she had kidnapped him.

However, a moment later, a trinket dropped to the floor in front of Daneel, and as he picked it up, he saw that it was a direct line to the man, allowing him to see him, but only him.

Well…this arrangement was fine by him.

With this task which he had expected might take a long while finished, Daneel prepared to go back to the sovereigns.

First, he returned to the air above Arafell, and that broad smile returned as he saw the Kingdom that was soon to be his.

It was not the greedy, money-grubbing smile of a dictator who had obtained command over the entire area he had always had an eye on. No, it was the honest, genuine smile of joy that came from achieving something that he had been working for for a long, long time.

But, of course…the system was silent, indicating that he needed to make it official, almost like a loved one who insisted on the same before letting a relationship proceed to the next stage.

Chuckling as the image of the system as a woman with an icy face appeared in his mind, Daneel jumped in the air, alone among the clouds, whooping and laughing to himself as he was in such an exceptionally good mood.

It was important to revel in victories, and this was one- but now, it was time to get back to work.

With that thought, though, the shyness due to what had happened with Eloise returned, but almost in an instant, it vanished.

And as for the reason behind this…it was what he had just seen.

In many ways, the Emperor was just like him. He was cold and narrow-minded a lot, doing everything that was necessary to reach his goal, and the only moments of warmth that he experienced were when he saw all the good he was doing, and was reminded of the reason he had even set out on his path.

But living in that way, he had missed so much. Daneel had seen the regret in his eyes in that instant when the Empress had lain with him, and also the affection that had been visible just now, when he had been hugged by the Queen and had returned to his original self for a moment.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Perhaps, if he hadn't chosen to always be so unemotional…perhaps, so many things might have been different, in ways that would have allowed him to not feel any regret on that night.

Daneel did not want to have a similar moment in his life, at any cost. His heart of stone that he had sculpted in order to help him reach his goal needed to be chipped away, bit by bit, and the first strike had already been delivered.

No, it was two strikes, and frankly…they had been amazing.

Returning to the sovereigns with that same triumphant smile, he delivered a statement, which made everyone turn and stare, before similar expressions appeared on all of their faces, too.

"Arafell is ours. Sovereigns…we have succeeded! Now, it's time to build that Empire, and make me a God. Let's go all out!"

Chapter 919: The Village of Eastcliff

Dalia wiped the sweat on her brow as she checked the parchment in her hand while standing in the middle of the village of Eastcliff.

As one of the most scenic villages in all of the Black Raven Kingdom, it looked out over a vast plain which was mostly untouched by human hands.

Of course, it was part of the Alliance, now, but for the people of such a place which had been closed off for so long…it made no difference.

Odd looks were directed towards her as she stood there, going over the checklist she had been given, as she was different in almost every way from those around her.

She was wearing a casual dress made of a gleaming material that seemed to be shining brilliantly no matter from which direction it was looked at, and the unique shade it was dyed in was something that had never been seen by anyone around her.

It was a mix between purple and crimson, giving people the impression of both the playfulness of the former and the royalty of the latter.

After going through all of the items, she looked up, and throwing back her braid of brown hair, she said, "Come here, little girl!"

It should have been funny to hear her say this, as she was a 'little girl' herself, by all accounts, but somehow, the way in which she carried herself made it so that it wasn't so.

She was looking in the direction of a hut nearby behind which a girl dressed in bleached clothes was hiding when she said these words, as she had just seen that girl run over there when she had looked up from the parchment.

Fearfully, the little girl peeked out, eyes filled with caution, but seeing Dalia's kind expression, her face softened, as she could tell that this was someone who was close to her in age.

"Don't be afraid! You were looking at my dress, weren't you? Can you tell me which color it is? Give me the right answer, and I'll give you one exactly like mine! What do you say?"

The little girl's eyes widened as she heard this, as she had indeed been enthralled by the fairy-like appearance of this person who had appeared out of nowhere.

In her mind, it was obvious that desire was battling with the caution that must have been instilled by her parents which was telling her not to talk to strangers, but finally, the sincerity in Dalia's eyes won her over.

Hesitantly, she approached, after first checking whether there was anyone nearby who could drag her away to her house by her ears.

After confirming that the place was mostly empty except for a few people who were minding their own business, she crept forward, almost like a cat, before speaking in a hushed voice.

"It's…red. Or purple. I see both, so…"Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Before she could continue, Dalia clapped her hands with a delighted expression on her face and said, "Correct answer, young miss! It's both! A custom shade created by H&D, limited in stock and waiting for only the worthy to obtain it! I think you're worthy! Now, just let me get some measurements…"

The charismatic advertisement which was already famous throughout the continent captivated the little girl, along with the joy that she might actually be able to change the clothes which she had been wearing practically since she had been born.

When she outgrew them, her mother would just stitch them again with a few scraps they had laying around to fit her again, and because the rest of the kids also wore the same thing, she had never asked, even though she had always wished that she could be dressed like those mages and beautiful maidens whom the bards sang about in the village center.

When Dalia reached forward with a measuring tape made of layers of parchment compressed together, she flinched, at first, but calmed herself when she saw that what was happening was similar to what her mother did whenever it was time for the annual restitching.

She expected to be told that it would take a few hours, but her jaw dropped when a large swathe of the same cloth was taken out of a hidden pocket, followed by a pair of scissors and needles that flew in the air.

"M-magic!", she stuttered, even though this wasn't the first time she was seeing it.

Dalia was concentrating, so she only smiled in response, and not even a few seconds later, a pretty dress just like hers was in her hands.

She made it float over into the little girl's hands, who touched it with awe while her mouth was in the shape of an 'O', almost as if what she held was not a simple dress, but a treasure of incredible value.

She even clasped it tenderly as if this really was the case, which made Dalia smile with happiness and walk over before saying, "Put it on. Let me see if my stitching skills have gotten better."

A few seconds later, the little girl's eyes were shining with tears as she looked at herself in the mirror conjured by Dalia.

She kept turning round and round, making sure that she could check all the angles, and the more she saw, the broader the smile on her face grew.

However…that smile was instantly wiped away when a loud voice interrupted the scene.

"Oliva! What are you doing? And what's that you're wea-"

It looked like the one who had spoken had only seen what was happening from far away, as after they approached, they stopped in their tracks and stared, transfixed, at the transformed little girl who looked as pretty as a princess.

The smile had changed into an expression of panic on her face, as she stammered, "I'm s-sorry, I'll take it off, it was just so pretty…"

This made the one who had arrived sigh, before saying, "Leave it. Girl, you're persistent. Follow me."

These words made Dalia raise her eyebrows grin, but remembering what her mother had said, she changed the grin into a stately smile.

Following the old man, and the little girl who still didn't know, for sure, whether she had done something to be punished for, Dalia soon reached a house at the edge of the village, from the roof of which a tall tree rose.

On the way, the people who saw the trio started to gossip, but a single look from the old man would silence them.

The house was incredibly scenic, with the backdrop of the plain, and the tree whose shade was perfect to sit in and admire the beauty of nature. She instantly began to think about how profitable it would be if this place could be converted into a tourist destination, but controlling the business side of her, she entered the house to see that it was simple.

The little girl ran to her mother, who was equally shocked, before hearing the old man say, "Take her inside…and don't scold her. Kids should not be punished for wanting a bit of color in their lives."

The woman sighed as she heard this, but then smiled when she saw the ecstatic expression on her daughter's face.

Dalia felt happy, too, as she had seen that this was a village where the children were raised very strictly.

Soon, they were sitting below the hole in the floor through which the tree had traveled from its roots that were under the central area of the house, and after gazing at the calm leaves for a few seconds, the old man said, "Tell me why you're here. The only reason I'm making an exception is that you are famous- at least, to those who listen to the Network. Yes, I have a trinket, too."

Dalia had gotten a surprised expression as she heard the man, but after seeing him admit that he wasn't as isolated as he had seemed to be, she nodded and began to talk about her purpose behind coming here.

"I have been sent by King Daneel to speak to the villages which are generally not under the rule of any force. Over 10% of Angaria's total population is present in settlements like these, so my task is to speak to the leaders of these places and ask a few questions. That's all. I'll ask, and I'll be gone- I promise."

The old man frowned as he heard this, but hearing her promise, he nodded and said, "Very well. Go on."

Dalia promptly continued, as what she had read in the parchment was still fresh on her mind.

"As you are on the Network, you must know that Angaria is at war. And you must also know that it is a war that will result in all Angarians dying if we lose. We are seeing people sign up actively all over the continent…but in these locations, there is almost no one. Why? I know that all the leaders of settlements like these are in touch with each other…and that you are one of the most respected among them all. If you speak, they listen. So please tell me why this is the case."

She made sure that she was being polite, but the answer was given in an extremely harsh tone.

Getting up, the old man shouted, "BECAUSE WE ARE SICK OF WARS! All they do is devastate our land, kill our sons and daughters and bring us to ruin! Why do you think we even chose to be as far away as possible from most forces, even if it means that we have to live in poverty? Even if it means that our children grow up with nothing? It's because we believe that it is more important that they at least do grow up with their parents, without fearing that their lives might be lost at any second! Get out! Leave! And never come back! GO!"

The old man looked like he would jump forward with anger to clasp his hands around Dalia's neck at any moment, which made her forget that she was actually wearing enough barrier trinkets to stop even a Hero from killing her instantly.

In a state of panic, she teleported away, and seeing this, Daneel, who had been looking on from the clouds above the village, sighed.

Kellor, who was beside him, said, "Our reports are accurate, my King. Most of these people grew up in a time when all the Kingdoms were constantly fighting against each other. They used to live in places where skirmishes repeatedly happened, with their young ones repeatedly being conscripted for some battle or the other. They were common villagers, so they seldom returned. So, for us…it is perfect."

Daneel's response was given in an anticipation-filled tone, as he gazed at the village which would soon see many, many changes.

"Perfect, indeed. After all, what better a place to test the effects of what we are trying to accomplish all over the continent than one which is disconnected, and has also lost hope in the command of rulers? Let us begin the first steps. This…should definitely be interesting."

Chapter 920: The Beggar

Sitting in front of his sovereigns, Daneel was staring into the air with vacant eyes, with his brow furrowed and his fingers tapping the armrest of his throne, while everyone waited for him to give the final go-ahead.

A day had passed since Dalia's visit to Eastcliff village, and Eloise had had to spend some time calming down the little girl, as she had been disturbed by what she had experienced.

Daneel had also apologized, even though both Helena and Dalia had both said that it wasn't needed, as he hadn't thought that this kind of animosity would show itself.

A King's apology was always a precious thing, and it was what made Dalia recover completely. It was obvious that this was also because of the profound respect she had always felt for him, and spotting this, Eloise had smiled, as she remembered when she had felt the same, back when the man had shown his golden heart by actually caring for the people instead of using the power he had obtained for his own selfish needs.

After recovering, Dalia had asked how the people could continue to think in that way, when it was a fact that they would be wiped out if they did nothing.

Hearing this, Daneel had given the answer.

"The issue is not that they do not understand what is at stake. These people…are sick of being scapegoats. During the regular battles that occurred between kingdoms, they would often be given very little training and placed on the front lines to pad out the numbers, and distract the enemies while the real soldiers did the killing. Even a goat would rather risk death at the hands of a hunter after living a short life rather than go out and act as bait to catch a lion. They have learned that they will only be used in that manner, so they made that choice. Go home, Dalia. I have high hopes for your future, and that is why I sent you on this small task- I've seen that you have a natural inclination towards leadership, so it is good if you are exposed to as many different kinds of people as possible in the course of you growing up."

After puffing up her chest with pride on hearing the King's words, Dalia had nodded before bowing and departing with her mother, who had also seemed extremely happy on hearing the high praise bestowed by him on her daughter.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

After this, Daneel had had the sovereigns carry out a few tasks so that they would be ready to proceed with whatever plan they chose, and now, everyone was waiting to hear his decision regarding just what that would be.

They had already extensively discussed all of the possible ways in which they could do it, but there had been no conclusion, as different sovereigns advocated for different things.

The elders, namely, Kellor, Luther, and Robert were of the opinion that it should be done in a patient manner, with support slowly building up, first, that would transform into worship when everyone realized that the King only had their wellbeing in his heart. According to them, if something had to last, then it had to be given time to take root, so the three of them had formed this group.

The more fiery ones, namely, Aran, Cassandra, and Elanev insisted that just like Daneel had been doing for all these years, shock and awe should be used to full effect, as that would also create a long-lasting impression that would not fade even if doubts appeared in one's mind. According to them, he should perform some sort of godly miracle like smiting down evildoers, thereby instilling himself in everyone's mind as a deity.

Finally, Eloise and Faxul were both as indecisive as Daneel, as they saw positives and negatives in both of these approaches. They were the ones who actually had the most experience in taking decisions like these, and all three of them had agreed on the fact that neither of these ways felt…right.

They had also come up with some unique ideas, with Eloise mentioning about how they could bring out a few tricks they had used before, such as the one where they acted as both the enemy and the savior, and Faxul talking about implementing a form of what was already present in the Black Raven Kingdom(i.e worship of the Black Raven) in this village, by adding memories discreetly, if possible, and then showing Daneel obtaining the acceptance of the entity they used in the place of the Black Raven.

At the end of the discussion, Daneel had gotten the thought that he had really not chosen wrongly when it came to his sovereigns, as here was a group who could break down a problem perfectly and look at it from all sides to get to the best solution.

Now, it was his job to take everything he had heard and use it to properly, so he was taking his time.

He wanted to do it right. He knew that what he chose here would become history, and also pave the way for his future endeavors.

True, Daneel could treat it as a test and half-ass it, but he knew that time was also of the essence- the Church wouldn't be foolish to sit around and let him do as he wished, so it would be best if he could get it right the first time.

What did it mean to be a god?

This was the question he kept thinking of, while recalling all of his memories from Earth, and the thoughts he had had regarding this controversial topic when he had been on his home planet.

The choice he made would also represent himself, as it would be the personification of his heart and mind.

Looking within, Daneel continued to explore his thoughts which flowed in many directions, allowing them the freedom to go where they wished, so that he could discover what he wanted to do.

He considered the suggestions he had been given, one by one, picking out what he liked from them, but also identifying what he disliked.

As he was using the Basilisk's Breath, he was able to take as long as he wished without making his sovereigns wait too much, and finally, after feeling as if he was hunting in vain for the answer that was so elusive that he might not find it, light suddenly shone through the darkness, as his mind cleared, showing him clearly what he wanted to do.

With a glimmering twinkle in his eyes, he grinned and said, "Listen up. This is what we are going to do…"

…

In the village of Eastcliff, Oliva was causing a ruckus in her house.

Her dress…was gone.

She ran all around, searching everywhere, not even leaving the tree in the center onto whose branches she climbed before looking around carefully from up above to see if she had missed anything.

It had only been a day, and she had worn it only inside her home, not wanting to make the others feel sad or jealous. That was not why she had felt so happy on receiving it- no, she did not obtain happiness from being smug and mocking others, but rather from the very act of seeing herself dressed in such a beautiful color, which was something she had done extensively before going to sleep the night before after carefully folding it and putting it in her cupboard.

Now, though, it was nowhere to be found, and with tears swimming her eyes, she prepared to set out her mother and father, both of whom had gone out to take care of some work.

As soon as she walked out of the door, though, she paused as she saw someone unfamiliar standing at the edge of the cliff, looking out over the lush plains that dominated the landscape.

The man was in an extremely derelict state, wearing clothes filled with holes and looking so thin that it seemed as if he would be swept away by the wind if it picked up strength.

As if feeling her gaze, he looked around, giving her a full view of the face with sunken eyes, the long beard and the tufts of white hair on his balding head which had quite a few shining patches.

He grinned, exposing the multiple holes between his teeth, before saying, "Little girl, have you any food for a beggar like me?"

A beggar?

There were no beggars in her village, but seeing how his clothes hung from his body, she felt pity.

Nodding and running aside, she got the food that was leftover from last night and walked hesitantly to the man who continued to grin as if he didn't have a care in the world.

When she reached him and held out the food, he grabbed it in a quick motion which startled her before devouring the three loaves of bread in a flash.

Smacking his lips, he sat down and said, "Yum! Thank you! You've helped me, so now, I have to help you. Let's see…what if I tell you a story?"

Oliva had always loved stories. However, the dress was still weighing on her mind, but when the beggar spoke again, she made her decision.

"My stories are valuable, little girl, for I have traveled the entire continent. From the glimmering shores of the east to the broken cliff of the west where the vile Church was driven back, I have seen it all. Sit down, and I'll tell you the story of a little girl just like you- a real story, mind you, because, in this wonderful land, we have no need for fiction when reality, itself, is so exquisite."

The way he spoke captivated her, and as someone who had grown up while being told almost nothing about the outside world, she had a very strong curiosity that was shared with most in the village.

Deciding that her dress could wait, she nodded and sat.

With a hearty laugh, the beggar spoke with a sonorous tone.

"Good! Her name was is not important, but she lived in a village just like yours. Each day, she would sigh, seeing the poverty of her parents, the sad state of her village, and the narrow-mindedness of her fellow villagers, who had no desire to make their lives. She…wanted more for them. So, so much more, for she loved them all deeply, even though they shunned her as she was different. Each day, she would pray to the Heavens, saying that she was willing to be hated or even have her life taken away if it meant that the rest could live well. Each day, it got worse, with no end in sight. She was an obstinate girl, though, so she continued. But even stones can be ground down to nothingness if they go against the tide of the river for too long, so she lost hope, and stopped. One day, a great tragedy befell her village, in the form of bandits who plundered everything they could find. When she was about to fall to their blade, she made one, final prayer, but this time, she did not look to the Heavens. Instead, she looked to the earth, to Mother Angaria, beseeching the land which had given them everything they needed to live, for she realized that she had been directing her prayers in the wrong direction for all her life. You are born to this Mother, and you return to this Mother when you die, so what can the Heavens do, except stare down from their lofty heights? She cursed her folly, seeing the blade about to enter her body, believing that she was too late, but a Mother…never ignores the plea of her children. Instead of coming to her aid herself, though, she sent one of her sons, and he was called…the Godking."

Chapter 921: The Second Phase

Looking at the fascinated expression on Oliva's face, Lan knew that he had done his job well.

Standing up and dusting off his clothes, he put on that toothy grin again before bowing low and saying, "That's all for now! See you later, little girl!"

She was still spellbound by the tale he had spun, so she couldn't respond right away. A single step turned him into a blur as he sprinted away using his Peak Warrior level Fighter prowess, and by the time she did look up, he was gone.

Standing up, she wailed, "Beggar, beggar, where are you? Finish the story!"

He controlled his laughter as he saw her look around, searching for him, but he had already concealed himself by Shapeshifting into a Divine Chamelion.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

The Divine Chameleon was one of those special Godbeasts whose form, itself, contained the power to hide itself perfectly by blending into its surroundings, so he was able to utilize this to full effect.

With a frown, she continued to search, until finally giving up after realizing that he might have scammed her and left without even finishing the story.

Well…that was the whole point.

What would anyone do when they heard a story whose ending they didn't know?

Of course…they would finish it on their own, and as Lan saw the little girl walk into the village with a thoughtful expression on her face, he knew that she was doing just that.

Smiling, he sent the message saying that the first phase of the plan was complete, before walking out from where he had been hiding.

He could have easily gotten a camouflage trinket from the King, but he had declined, as Lan always liked pushing himself.

After the events where he had found himself, thereby activating his Bloodline that was subsequently taken by the King, he had been given all kinds of resources and the freedom to do what he wished. True, he had had to spend a lot of time recovering as the extraction had done a lot of damage, but he really didn't mind as he hadn't even felt a lot of pain in the process.

He had recovered only recently to find a very strange situation on the continent, and he had bided his time, waiting and keeping watch on the Kingdom of Lanthanor.

During his long period of being unconscious, he had thought about everything, and had realised that he was indebted to the man whom he now admired a lot, both for helping him to find his true self and activate his Bloodline which gave him the wonderful power to transform into a lot of amazing forms even though he could not use their powers, and for the resources he had been given which had allowed him to first go back to his birthplace in the slums of the Black Raven Kingdom and change all of the fates of the individuals present there for the better, before creating a plan to do the same for the rest of the Alliance, too.

That was how he had occupied himself for quite some time: he had officially held the position of the Minister(which had been waiting for him when he woke up) in charge of the welfare of the downtrodden, and he had performed his duties perfectly until the point of time when the Church had invaded.

Then, he had considered going out and fighting even though he was weak, but he had controlled himself and watched.

Hence, he had been there, close by, at that final moment when the King had sacrificed himself to make the Kingdom of Axelor break apart from the continent, and he had rushed to the sovereigns at that time to ensure that the man was all right.

They had just recovered their memories, but still, they gave him the answer, which made him thank the Heavens, while the admiration he felt for the King transformed into something even more powerful.

So, when he was called on for a small task where he would have to put his skills of impersonation to use, he had not hesitated to accept.

He had been quite shocked to hear the King's plan, but after a while, he had felt that it was perfect for such a person.

The first phase was to implant the idea of a Godking in an innocent and pure mind, which preferably also belonged to one who was pure at heart.

He had been advised by the Lady Eloise to choose this little girl for this task, and he had agreed, but now, for the second phase, he would have to make the choice himself.

The second phase was, in a way, the opposite of the first- he had to choose someone who had great ambition, and enable them to carry out their wishes, before stepping back and letting the story unfold by itself.

He had been told that it was vital that the person he chose must be someone who would act on their ambition no matter who approached and enabled them, making it so that they were simply setting in motion events that might have occurred even if they hadn't chosen to step in at this juncture.

The second phase was the most important, as the rest would depend on it- after he was done with this part, he would only be able to tweak the situation in minor ways, so it was his duty to ensure that he made the right choice.

Walking around, Lan began to study the various people in the village.

This had been his bread and butter, once- it was only by examining people that he had picked up the expert-level skill of perfectly impersonating anyone just by watching them for a little while, and he knew that this was also probably why he had been chosen for this task. He had the knack of sniffing out the inner thoughts of one simply by their gestures and actions, so he took his time to view each and every individual in the village which had a total population of 300 individuals.

It took a day, as he only had to examine people for a little bit of time to make a judgment on their character. He had found out that this was easy after his Awakening, as it was almost as if something was telling him what he wanted to find out.

This was difficult if one was on the Path of a Fighter or a Mage, but here, almost all the villagers were just normal people. There were only a handful who trained, and even then, they were very weak.

Surprisingly enough, Lan actually found multiple options. It seemed that being closed off did nothing to curb the greedy ambition that was the cause of the ruin of many prestigious Kingdoms in the past of Angaria, and this was definitely good for him, as he had feared that he might not find the right candidate.

After finishing his surveillance of the rest, he focused on these candidates and used trinkets to listen to them all simultaneously.

Finally…it was a conversation between two people which made him take the decision, and right after he did so, he took a step forward and began the second phase.

…

In one of the simple huts in the Village of Eastcliff, two individuals were nursing the bottles in their hands while constantly looking through the windows with expressions of extreme alertness, as if they were afraid that they might be punished if they were caught.

Indeed, that was what they feared, and after the bottles were emptied, they carefully hid them in a concealed hatch on the ground that was covered up by hay.

Letting out a breath only after this was done, one of the men exclaimed, "Damn these rules! Damn that chief! I bet he has an even bigger stash that he drinks from freely every day!"

Both of the men were wearing the same common clothes as almost all the villagers. With no specific color to them, they were coarse, chafing the skin of those who wore them, but in this village, this was one of the things that people got accustomed to quite quickly.

With a sigh, the other man replied, "No. I know him- he would sooner die. That's why he's the chief, and we're the common folk."

The one who had spoken had tanned skin and long hair, and it was obvious from his blister-filled rough hands that he was a farmer who spent most of his day toiling in the fields.

The other was the same, albeit less tanned, which meant that even though he also spent his days doing manual labor, he didn't do so in the sun.

With a snarl, he said, "Yes, and that pisses me off! He gets to dictate the rules because he has no trouble following them! The other day, I smuggled away a little of the food I was cooking, and-"

"You were caught and had your ass 'caressed' with three fresh strikes of the metal rod. Everyone knows."

For a moment, there was silence, and then the other man exploded, shouting, "DAMMIT! I'LL KILL THEM! I'LL-"

"Don't say that word unless you mean it. Sit."

The coldness in the voice of the other man acted like ice that suddenly froze his anger, making him gulp and sit, before saying, "Err…sorry about that."

An awkward silence appeared between them, which was finally broken by that same cold voice, but this time, it had a melancholy tone to it.

"Everyone thinks I killed those people by mistake. That I only happened to be on the spot, and was convicted as there was no one else. But you know the truth, and you've been good. I came to this village a year ago to escape, and convinced everyone, thinking it would be easy to become the leader and do what I wanted. I was wrong. But I'm telling you- my chance will come. And when it does…you'll be my right-hand man as we use these people and conquer village after village. Let's go. It's time for our shift."

Standing up, this man was about to reach for the door, when suddenly, a figure appeared in between them.

He was accompanied by a gust of wind that shut all of the windows and shrouded the room in darkness as the only candle also went out, and before the two startled men could react, a voice which seemed to be coming from all directions at once bombarded them.

"The trinket in your hand will bind those whom you can sway to your side perfectly, allowing you to order them to carry out your wishes. Use it wisely, and take command of this village. Succeed, and you will be given even more rewards, and even more responsibilites. You do not need to know who I am- just show me your worth, and the world will be yours. But be careful- fail, and the trinket will devour you whole. Good luck."

The candle was suddenly lit again, and the windows opened to let in the moonlight which fell on the shocked faces of the two.

The one who had gotten up found a bracelet on his hand, and as he looked at it with awe, he felt it respond to his thoughts.

With awe, he pointed it at the other person in the room, who blinked, and then bowed.

He sent a thought, and the man walked to the door before banging his head on it hard and then falling to the ground, unconscious.

'It-it works!'

As this thought came in his mind, laughter emerged from his mouth, echoing in the room.

After a long time, it stopped, and was followed by a statement that was spoken with glee.

"Yes, I don't care who you are, and I will not fail! Eastcliff is mine! Mine, mine, mine, and mine alone!"

Chapter 922: Oliva 1

One week later.

Oliva was walking around the village with her father, the chieftain, while looking around interestedly at everything that was happening.

Even though she had grown up seeing all of it anyway, there was an endless fascination with life within her which made her look on and try to spot things she might not have seen before, even if she was looking at Jarain gut the fish he had just taken out of the basket for the umpteenth time.

She had found the dress on that day itself- it had simply been taken by her mother to show her friends who had also marveled at such a unique shade, but after that, thankfully, she had gotten it back.

She was the chieftain's daughter, so no one would dare to bully her, and her father had also shown a rare moment of kindness when he had relented to her keeping it, even though he had made the woman who had given it leave in that fashion.

She wasn't wearing it, but was content with the knowledge that it was sitting safely in her room.

Looking up, she saw her father's face framed by the sunlight, which allowed her to spot that his brow was furrowed with worry.

Tugging the hand that was holding hers, she asked, "What's wrong, dad?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, the chieftain first looked around as if he had even forgotten where he was, but after that, he sighed and said, "Nothing, little liv liv. It's just that…well, why don't I ask you? You've always been an observant girl. Have you noticed anything untoward in the village this past week? Think properly, now."

A chance to impress her father!

These were also rare, so deciding to use it fully, she scrunched her eyebrows in a cute manner and began to think, while still looking around at all the village folk.

She had spent the week as she always did: running from place to place, playing with her friends, doing chores and listening to the stories of the village storyteller even though she knew all that he could tell by heart.

Of course, she had also been repeatedly dwelling on that story told by that strange beggar. She hadn't told her parents about that encounter as she had already been scolded for approaching strangers once, so she had only continued to scold him in her heart, and wish that he had stayed for just a bit longer and finished his fascinating story.

It had been more interesting than anything she had heard so far, and the fact that it was true made it all the more enthralling.

Of course, she didn't pause to wonder whether he might be lying, as her innocent mind made her take anyone's and everyone's words as gospel until they were proven false.

Now, as for what she had observed in the village…

She began to think of the little things, as that was often where the most interesting stuff was.

At first, she didn't spot anything amiss, but slowly, she began to notice something.

"Whispers," she said, making her father whirl in her direction and bend to catch her shoulders before asking, "What was that? Speak up!"

Startled, Oliva repeated the word, which made her father frown even more and say, "Between whom?"

The answer came right away, as she could remember exactly what she had seen.

"The newcomer, Bourdain and Kigil. Kigil and Urthad. Kigil and Jasmine. Bourdain and Jasmine. Jasmine and Uncle Jahain. And…"

Just as she was about to continue, she couldn't help but feel startled again as her father clamped his hand on her mouth.

He let go after a moment and got up, and before she could say anything, she was being yanked in the direction of her house.

It hurt a little, but she didn't say anything. Seeing that he was hurting his daughter in his hurry, the chieftain paused and picked her up before quickening his pace.

Soon enough, they were back under the maple tree, with her father saying, "Continue, little liv liv. Tell me all of the people you saw whispering. And they gossip regularly, anyway, right? So what made them stand out?"

Oliva didn't have to think much to answer.

"When they gossip, they talk between themselves, sometimes in whispers, but in the last week…they always stopped when they saw me. They never did that before."

She had noticed this before, too, but she had just thought that it was adult stuff that she wasn't supposed to hear. However, it was her father's question which had made her realize that it was happening much more than usual, and as he nodded at her after getting a grave look on his face, she continued the list.

She had always had an exceptional memory, so she could rattle off all the names. She was done in a few seconds, and by that time, her father was breathing heavily.

She didn't understand why that was so, but he stood up and thought for a bit before looking like he had come to a decision.

"It was a risk to let him in, but everyone said that he seemed so trustworthy…I pray that I didn't make the wrong choice. Little liv liv, stay in the house, with the door locked. Only open the door if I or your mother knock, ok? And if there's someone else…you're an expert at your favorite game, right? I want you to play that game with them, and hide somewhere until papa can find you. All right?"

Still perplexed, she blinked and then nodded, following which she was taken into her room.

Seeing her father's insistent gaze as he walked out, she locked it behind him, and it was only after he heard the sound of the bolt that she heard his footsteps begin before fading in the distance.

Now thoroughly scared, Oliva had no idea what she was supposed to do.

She clutched her wooden doll, at first, but it gave her no comfort. It had been made by her father, so it only reminded her of him, and made her worry further.

Then, she tried to practice knitting, but that made her recall her mother, who was also outside.

The first shouts began an hour after her father's departure. For the first time, she wished that their house was not so far away from the main village, as she wasn't able to understand any of them from where she was.

She contemplated whether she should peek out of the window, but her father had made it clear that she should stay put. Looking out the window would only expose her, but she did peek out of it constantly, as it was her way out to hide in case she did have to play the game.

Her fervent wish was that she wouldn't have to, but alas…another hour later, she heard the door of their house opening.

Hurried footsteps were heard, followed by the sound of someone rummaging through their cupboards.

"Ah! The frugal assh*le!"

Hearing this nasty growl, she gasped, before falling back on her cupboard.

"Huh? Who's there?"

Tears now appearing in her eyes, she started to panic, and soon, she heard the sound of her door being pushed by the man outside.

In the state she was in, she could hardly take a step forward, but suddenly, her eyes fell on the dress that had fallen out due to her clumsiness just now.

It made her remember that pretty woman, and the delight she had felt when she had obtained it.

She clutched at it, and in the process, she remembered her father's words, as the image of him looking at her tenderly when she had worn it appeared in her mind.

'Hide!'

In a flash, she was out of the window and running in the direction of the glade nearby.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"Catch her! It's the chieftain's daughter!"

She heard shouts from behind her, but she didn't look back. The dress in her hands and the image of her father gave her strength, letting her focus on just putting one footstep after another while gaining distance on her pursuers.

No one knew this glade better than those of her age, as they would often spend entire days playing the game she was the unrivaled champion in right here.

She ducked and weaved her way through the branches expertly, knowing the location of every stone and every spot with moss where one would slip, and behind her, she heard curses as the men continuously ran into obstacles.

Soon, she reached a hiding spot she had found just the other day: it was in the bark of a tree whose entrance could be hidden as the opening's covering had just fallen off a few days ago, and entering it, she placed that patch of bark back and tried to calm her heart that was thunderously beating within her chest.

A minute later, she heard footsteps outside, but she clamped her hands tightly around her mouth and stayed still.

"Little b*tch must have gone through! Let's search the next glade!"

The shout was unnecessarily loud, and from her experience, she knew right away that it was a ruse. She had only fallen for it once, when she had experienced it for the first time, so there was no way that she would fall for it now.

She stayed put, and sure enough, another minute later, she heard footsteps again, followed by curses.

"She's definitely not here. Let's move."

Even an hour after she heard this, Oliva continued to hide, and it was only when she was completely convinced that there was no one outside did she dare to peek, and see that night had fallen.

Darkness was her friend, and she knew this. Leaving the dress in the tree trunk with a heavy heart as common sense dictated that it would be too flashy, she carefully closed up her hiding place and began to walk in the direction of the village.

Not even a few seconds later, she could hear raucous laughter, and the sound of bottles banging against each other, which was something she remembered from when she had entered the only bar in their village by mistake when she had been just 6 years old.

Now sure that something was definitely wrong, she crept forward even more cautiously, but a minute later, she became rooted to her spot, as an image that would haunt her for the rest of her life appeared in front of her.

Right at the edge of the glave, at a spot a hundred meters away from her, there were five trees whose branches had been cut off, save for a few at the very top.

And on these branches were five people, tied securely and gagged.

She recognized them by their clothes, as she had grown up seeing them- they were her father, mother and her father's three brothers.

Below the trees were around 50 people, all with their hands tied, and in front of them was a large bonfire.

Bourdain was sitting on the chieftain's chair while sipping from a glass bottle, and occasionally, he would laugh heartily at a joke told by the others who were bunched around him.

Oliva could only continue to stare, and it was only after Bourdain stood up and spoke loudly that she snapped out of her trance.

"EASTCLIFF IS MINE! All of you, prepare to be slaves, while we enjoy the fruits of your labor! It's your fault- you should have listened when I asked! But now…it's too late! HAHAHAHA! HA-…"

As his wild laughter echoed in the forest and the village, Oliva took a step back with fear.

She had already counted the people. She was the only free.

But as a little girl, what could she do?

She had no answers, but suddenly…she was reminded of a toothy grin, and the incomplete gift received in exchange for three loaves of bread.

Chapter 923: News

"It's definitely a novel idea, Daneel, but take care – in a way, you're fostering violence in order to achieve a greater goal, and this is typically how dictators are made. With lofty goals in mind, they feel that the journey doesn't matter, and often, they find that it is these people who they stop paying attention to who rise to topple them and take their place. I'm not saying that you are going down that path, but already, from what you've told me, you have encouraged it – if you hadn't stepped in, the village might still have been a peaceful place. Perhaps, historians of the future will argue that you are not as just and rightful as everyone thinks of you to be because of these actions of yours. I know the truth, but I'm just warning you, in case you hadn't seen it in this way – often, it is the habit of those in power to look down from above and only focus on the parts that they wish to see, while ignoring those things which might seem insignificant and inconsequential when thought of in terms of the big picture."

In the Chamber of Golden Lightning, two men were standing in front of each other, with one wearing the regal robes of a king, and the other donning the austere ones of a priest. The shade of the latter was constantly shifting, for some reason, and his face was also half shrouded in the hood that came with the robes. As for the former, likenesses of multiple Godbeasts, including dragons, leviathans, and even, in a particular corner, chameleons, had been embroidered, giving him a unique look that would definitely not be seen anywhere else on the continent, at least in this age.

Daneel continued to listen to his master, even though the man was practically repeating the same thing over and over again, in different ways. Others might have seen this repetition and gotten irritated, but he knew that the man was only speaking so much because of the care that he felt for him – his master had almost never lectured him even when he was on the continent, so if he was taking this opportunity to talk about it so extensively, then it must definitely be something that was weighing strongly on his mind.

It was only after he was done that Daneel smiled and gave the reply, in an even tone.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

"I know, master, and thank you for the warning. You already know that I came from the slums, myself, so those people who might seem inconsequential to others are actually those that I care about the most. The others might be able to fend for themselves, but if I do not help these people, then who will? Anyway, coming back to the topic at hand, you say that I have enabled that person with ambition and caused the events that are befalling the village right now. I see it in this way – I merely unearthed a threat that would definitely have arisen at a later date in a much, much bloodier fashion. You and I know that those with ambition will find the tools to help them along their path even if they are not given to them. In this case, I made sure that I gave the one which does as less harm as possible while still allowing the man to show his true colors, so in a different way, it can also be said that I'm helping the village. I'm not denying that he is causing suffering, but from his actions, the others will learn a lesson that will help them survive the rest of their lives. I also see it in this way – I am the teacher who is allowing a weak student to commit a mistake, even though I can stop him in the process, so that both he and the rest can learn from the experience and never repeat the same. Also, through these events, they will be empowered to lead a better life, and for that gift, a bit of suffering is necessary, and it is even nothing compared to what they have been going through all these years, by living in extreme poverty just so that they can stay off the grid. Even now, I can see the plans of the one who has led the coup easily – currently, he only intends to stop working, and have the others work as slaves, so what it actually means is that he will still feed them, and will only have them work a few extra shifts, which is something they have all done before anyway when nature was against them. I have thought this out perfectly, master, but again, thank you for your advice."

Master Jonah smiles in response as he heard this, as he had always known that his disciple was one of the most meticulous people he had ever met in his life.

However, it looked like he did have something else to say.

"People like these often relax after gaining power, but slowly, they tend to start using it in ways that are more and more in line with their true self. I understand that the little girl's actions are key, but before she moves, what if he starts raping the woman? Or killing those who oppose them? Or punishing those who aren't working as hard, to set an example? What will you do, then?"

This actually made Daneel chuckle and respond, saying, "Oh, you don't need to worry about that – I already have a plan to stop actions like that easily. Suffice it to say that things will not go in that direction for as long as I want, and there is no one who has a say in that except me. Now, then, coming back to the Church- what news did you find out?"

Daneel's smirk made his master laugh out loud, but it was a hard laugh, in which he saw the harsh life that the man was living.

He had already learned that the Mainland had a cutthroat environment that was much, much harsher than anything that existed on the continent of Angaria, and that his master had to continuously push himself and reach greater heights if he wanted to be in a position in which he could find out intel that he could send back home which could make a difference.

It was obvious that he hadn't achieved this yet, though, because he had not been able to find out about the agreement between the Church and Arnold, but that was clearly not for lack of trying.

After a few seconds, with a sigh, his master spoke.

"A year. And that is the upper limit- it can be shortened, too. The Bishop has commissioned the seventh division of the Judgement Corps for this mission. You already saw a portion of them when they invaded Angaria – they are a squadron completely comprised of Peak Heroes, and they are formidable even on the Mainland, possessing ways of combining their power and using attacks that can decimate tens or even hundreds of kilometers of land in one fell swoop. Originally, they were only going to be deployed after the continent was taken into the control of the Church in order to carry out the purge as they are the most efficient ones to do this job, but now, I don't know what strings the Bishop pulled, but she was able to pull them back from a mission they were already on so that they could set their sights on our home. Right now, the data regarding the continent that was collected on their disastrous visit is being analyzed carefully so that the same thing which happened when they arrived will not repeat – the Will of the World will not be able to oppose their power when they return, so you need to keep that in mind. Apart from that, the only reason for the delay is that a large number of resources and personnel had had to be used for that mass teleportation, and many were lost during the subsequent fight and assault from the beasts of the sea before they could leave. Now, the Bishop is actively pulling resources that have already been assigned to other tasks for this mission, and according to my sources, she is making quite a lot of progress. The timeline that I give you is based on these factors, and a few more. Originally, it would have been double this, but you've really pissed her off… Hell, she even killed a thousand prisoners before she could satiate her anger, and they're gossiping that those people's screams could be heard throughout the vast dungeons of the Church. Those were Axelorians, Daneel, and I wished I could move to save them, but I could do nothing."

Daneel took in a sharp breath as he heard this.

Those were the people he had failed, and sadly, he was powerless to help them.

The lives of their fellow countrymen were in his hands, though, so he could only comfort himself by saying that he would not fail when it came to them.

A year. He had been hoping for a little more than that, but it would have to do.

Letting out that breath, he went through the list that he had made before, again, and realized that anyone else would have been panicking by this time if they found out that they had to do so much in just the span of a year.

A year might feel like a long time to live through, but it was nothing for Heroes and Champions, or even Warriors who might seclude themselves for such a period in order to gain a little bit of strength, or master some or the other technique. In such a short period, how could Daneel change the current power level of the continent to go up against hundreds of Peak Heroes, all of whom were even trained to work together flawlessly?

For others, it might have been hopeless, but he… Was a World Dominator, and equipped with the system, this would not be the last miracle he would be pulling in this world.

With a nod, Daneel was about to continue the conversation, but he paused as he got a message.

Seeing him do so, his master chuckled and said, "Developments in your plan? Go ahead-we can talk later. I need to leave, too, anyway. Someone recently brought up an inquiry regarding why I'm not being used to the fullest for the assault, even though I came from the very continent which has made the Church suffer such a crushing defeat. It's almost like the bastards went forward and forgot about the days and days of interrogation that I went through where I told them everything that I could about my homeland, and acted as a perfect traitor through and through before gaining permission to rise through the ranks as a normal cadet. I'm thinking that it's high time that I abandon the idea of being safe, and just accelerate my rise by being ruthless – I've been tempted to do that for a long time. Don't worry, I'll be safe – it's you on whom everything is riding. Good luck, and, oh… I really love the term Godking."

Flashing a wide grin, Daneel's master disappeared, leaving him alone in the empty Chamber in which even the Emperor was not present as the man was currently lying in the arms of the Queen among a bed of flowers while being told lovingly about all of the bloody conquests that they had been through together.

Sighing again and wishing his master luck, he returned to the sky above Eastcliff village, where Eloise greeted him with a warm smile.

Smiling back, he looked down, while she spoke beside him.

"She's moving, finally. I called you because it seems that we are in the final stage. All the communication eyes are ready. This…will definitely be a grand spectacle that will go down in history as the turning point of Angaria."

Nodding in response, the King said:

"Indeed. Today…Angaria enters a new age. Sovereigns, it is my pleasure to be with you all on this occasion. Now…raid the Head's stash, 'cos we're going to need all of that wine after we're done!"

Chapter 924: Oliva End 2-in-1

Oliva was at her wit's end.

It had been one week since that fateful day when she had seen her family being strung up on trees, and since then, it had only been the words of her father that prevented her from running out and trying something stupid such as freeing them even though they were actively being watched by a few people who had been appointed specifically by Bourdain.

Food was not a problem in the two glades which were quite large on the side of the village of Eastcliff – one of the things that the children learned when they were small was how to forage for forest berries that were nutritious and even tasty if they could be found when they were ripe, and even though they were never very abundant, she could find enough to satiate herself.

That was how she had been spending each day – she would search for food, sleep in that tree while cuddling up with her dress which represented the warmth of her parents and the hope for things getting better, and then going back to the spot where they were still in the air, unconscious, for the most part, until they were prodded awake and fed as they were being kept alive for some reason by the new chieftain.

She knew that he was the new chieftain as she could often hear conversations from inside her hiding place whenever people occasionally searched for her, and from them, she had found out that she was the only one missing – the rest of the children had all been accounted for, and this had made her remark that they had never been as good as her in this game, and then wish that it wasn't so, as she might not be alone if that was the case.

Initially, she had been determined to dig in and continue to hide until her father could find her, just like he said, but from the third day, she had started to lose hope that he would be able to escape. It was obvious that the reason behind them being placed in the air like that was so that they would have no chance whatsoever of attempting anything, and they weren't even fed that much, causing them to already look weak and thin.

Her mother would wail at times, and her voice would be heard all over the first glade, prompting Oliva to come out of her hiding place, because it was nice to hear the familiar voice even though it was in anguish. She would pray for a miracle, mostly, but once, she had even cursed at the new chieftain, and that had been followed by an awful noise which Oliva tried not to think about. She had seen the smallest trickle of blood on the bark of the tree on which her mother was tied a bit later, and at first, she had been scared and had been about to assume the worst, but thankfully, she had heard her father admonishing her mother and telling her that she would not just be pelted with a stone the next time if she tried a stunt like that again.

As for his brothers, they seemed to be resigned to their fates, as they mostly spent their time looking around with hopeless eyes. She always made sure that she was hidden perfectly, so they could never see her, but she could see them, and so, so many times, she had to resist the temptation of going forward and telling them that she was alright.

She resisted it, though, as she knew that it was important for her to be free.

She also heard other conversations, as she had actively started to collect information just so that she would have something to do, instead of brooding all alone on her uncertain future.

The new chieftain had a very close adviser, with whom he often spoke privately. The first time that Oliva had heard them speak, this adviser had reminded her, for some reason, of that dastardly beggar, but she had struck aside this thought as it seemed to have come due to the fact that she was constantly thinking of the story he had told her, ever since she had seen that horrifying image that still kept her up for a long, long time every night.

The chieftain would speak about a lot of bad things, and even though she didn't know the meaning of many of them, she could gather that they were evil, mainly from the glee with which he looked forward to them. The adviser would constantly stop him from doing those things, though, using his trustworthy voice to give valid reasons, such as that he had not cemented his position perfectly yet, or that he still needed to set the plan for the future and show himself as a just leader before embarking on these activities which would bring friction(whatever that meant) in the group.

Sometimes, she would even wonder whether the adviser was a good man, but that suspicion would always stop in its tracks when he would also talk about those things expectantly, which would lead to long discussions accompanied by a lot of drinking.

As for the rest of those who had been kneeling near the trees on that day, they were the ones doing the chores in the village. They were working themselves to the bone, and it was almost as bad as it had been when their crops had failed during one fateful winter. As for those who had been drinking on that day, they seemed to be spending their time sleeping or just playing the game of dice which many people enjoyed in the village, and it was obvious that they were very, very happy that they could live in such a carefree manner.

Oliva had really wished that things would continue in that way, so that she could slowly continue to investigate and find a way in which she could help her family.

But yesterday… Everything had changed.

Yesterday night, the chieftain and his adviser had had another long talk, and this time, for once, the latter had failed.

The chieftain was adamant that it was not enough. He kept repeating that he wanted more, and at one point, it even felt as if he was snarling like a beast, rather like a man.

He said that he needed complete subservience, and that they should bend at his feet and beg for his grace to even live. He said that he wanted that feeling of being in command which he had apparently had as a bandit leader before a certain female bandit had appeared and taken it away, and he also stated that it was the best method for them to amass riches.

He laid out his plan to transform the village into a bandit group, and he kept talking about some object which he believed he could use to rule the entire continent, itself, if he was smart and patient.

But first… according to him, everything had to start with the former chieftain. He was a symbol of the past, and he had to die.

The adviser said that this would result in an uprising as he was someone who was still respected, but the chieftain said that he was prepared to deal with any circumstance, and that it would also be good as it would expose those who had the intention of opposing his rule.

He said that he would first set fire to the five trees, and if anyone dared to stop him, they would be tied to the trees, too, to join the family of the chieftain on the journey to the afterlife.

Oliva had been so horrified that she had even forgotten to breathe, resulting in lightheadedness which almost made her fall and attract the attention of the two.

Thankfully, she had learnt the lesson last time when she had almost been caught in her house, so she had managed to catch herself at the last moment, and take in heaving breaths while her mind was in turmoil.

This was almost too much for someone as young as her to bear, and in fact, over the past few days, there had been many, many times when she had gotten so close to just giving up and crying endlessly until the evil people could find her because in that way, she would at least be reunited with her family.

However… She kept reminding herself of that woman who had been just like her, and the way in which she had cared for everyone even though they didn't care for her.

Here, everyone loved her, too, so she had no reason whatsoever to give up. She kept telling herself that if someone else could do it, she could, too, and because that person must only have succeeded because they didn't give up, she would also try her best.

Of course, she hadn't been told about that part, but as that was how she needed the story to end, she had convinced herself that it must be the truth.

And as for the part about the praying… She had tried it, in the same manner that everyone prayed whenever they wished for good fortune, but nothing had happened, and she had come to the conclusion that it had only worked for that woman when she was in that grave situation, whereas she was safe in the forest right now.

Still, she had continued to pray everyday, because even though nothing happened in the world outside, she felt as if that prayer was giving her strength, and that strength was allowing her to take step after step each day with the certainty that she would see her family again, and return to the happy life that she had had before everything had happened.

She even tried praying in many different ways – she would start with addressing the mother Angaria with as much love and affection that she had for her real mother, because after thinking about it, she had realised that this mother had also given them everything that they had ever asked for, in the form of the berries that she ate, the fresh air that she was breathing, and the strong legs which carried her firmly to wherever she needed to go.

She would pray for this Mother to send her son to help her, as she was in a very dreadful state, and because she didn't know exactly how to do it, she even started promising things in return, such as that she would be a good girl and do all of the chores that she was given right away, or that she would never, ever talk back to the rude son of the butcher even if he secretly used bad words behind everyone's back. She also started to promise that she would give all of her dolls, and even though there was never any response, she did not lose hope, because, again, the one in the story always kept coming back into her mind.

None of that mattered now, though, because if she didn't do something…she would never see her parents again.

She had spent the whole night in a panicked state, and finally, she had a plan.

It was simple, but she hoped that it would work, because if it didn't…she was done for.

Her little heart felt like it would beat out of her chest, but Oliva forcefully controlled it, telling herself that she had to be brave for the village.

From what she had heard, the burning would be at noon. From the position of the sun, she could tell that it was around ten minutes away, so she set out to carry out her plan.

She was cutting it close, as she had no choice. She knew that if she moved when everyone was present, she would be caught, so this was her only chance.

Sure enough, the main village was mostly empty, as the location of the trees was near her house.

Going to Aunty Clain's house, she found the woman's prized possession: a small object that could create a spark.

Taking it and arriving at the large stack of hay in the center of the village, Oliva quickly picked out a few bunches and laid them in a line away from it.

"Mother Angaria, I pray this works."

With a quick prayer, she lit the hay near her and ran like the wind.

By the time she had entered the first glade, shouts could be heard from in front of her, as people were pointing at the main village, from where smoke could be seen.

"Quiet! Which fool left a fire burning? Everyone who's free, let's go! We can't have the damn village burn down!"

Yes! That's what she wanted!

After the sound of many footsteps faded, Oliva ran up to the place near the five trees.

Just like before, all of the people who had apparently chosen to not follow the new chieftain were tied here.

She ran into a snag, though, here- there were two people on guard, and even though they were nothing compared to the 200 who were tied, they had bows and arrows, while the legs and hands of the 200 were tied.

"Mother Angaria, what do I do!"

She expected nothing in response, but to her shock…a branch in front of her suddenly swayed, allowing a ray of light to shine onto a stocky man.

There was no wind. Then how had this happened?

Confidence and hope building within her, Oliva ran forward after making sure that the two were looking in a different direction.

The ray of light had fallen on her distant uncle, who was known for his fists that could defeat anyone.

At first, she was afraid that her appearance might cause a reaction in the group which would attract the attention of the guards, but thankfully, an elder of the village saw her first and warned everyone.

Surprise flashed on many faces, but heeding the words of the old man, they stayed still.

Thanking him in her heart, she ran to the stocky man and untied the bonds around his hands and legs.

Just as she was done, one of the guards turned around…but had his face greeted by a rock.

He toppled, unconscious, and before the other could turn around, her uncle had jumped forward with a snarl.

He had already been prepared with the rock, and with his size, he had no issue with overpowering the other guard.

Meanwhile, Oliva began to untie as many people as she could find.

"Good girl! Well done!"

"Like father, like daughter! We knew we weren't doomed!"

"Great job, Oliva! Do me next!"

With encouraging words coming from all around her, Oliva's heart which had been in a ragged state felt warm again. Quickening her actions, she continued to quickly get everyone free, and with her uncle's help, the 200 villagers were all untied in the matter of a few minutes.

From the direction of the village, shouts could be heard, but the smoke wasn't as much as it had been before.

The hay was separated from the huts, but there was still a chance that embers might set fire to the village. So, anyone would focus on putting the fire out as quickly as possible.

Her parents were brought down next, and when Oliva was hugged tightly by her father, the tears that she had been holding in for the entire week arrived in a flood.

However, there was no time.

Even though he was weak, the former chieftain said, "I'm proud of you, little liv liv. But we have to go. Go to your mother, and stay with her. Everyone, into the glade! We have to try to catch them when they're unaware!"

With his leadership, it looked like everyone was poised to take back control of the village.

Oliva continued to cry in the hands of her mother, wishing that she would never have to go through anything like this again.

Relief flooded through her, and she even thanked Mother Angaria again and again, and that beggar, as without his story, she wouldn't have made it.

Burying her face in her mother's clothes, Oliva let it all out, and all of the villagers looked in her direction with pity, but also gratefulness.

Soon, they were at the edge of the second glade, and seeing no one nearby, her father gave the other for them to move silently in the direction of the village.

Only the children stayed behind, as even the women were formidable when there was a need.

The rest of the children crowded around her, asking her what she had been doing, and she proudly began to tell them everything.

She believed that her father, now freed, would definitely succeed, so she felt carefree.

Just as she was about to end her story, though…a voice crushed all of these feelings in her mind.

"So, there you are. Get her! She's the one I want to make an example of!"

It was Bourdain!

With horror, Oliva was about to turn around, but she felt a heavy blow on her head, knocking her unconscious.

The next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake roughly by someone.

Waking up and looking around groggily, Oliva saw that she was back in the dreaded place which had come in her nightmares so many times.

At first, she wondered, and then wished that she was dreaming.

This was because the villagers she had freed were kneeling in front of her, tied, again, and in front of her…was Bourdain, who was grinning with delight.

"Haha, it was perfect! You really thought I didn't know it was a diversion? Foolish little girl! Now, time to die! HAHAHA-"

As he broke out into maniacal laughter, Oliva looked behind her, and what she saw shocked her awake.

Her parents were back on the trees, and the one with her father also had the uncle she had freed first.

Her hands were tied behind her, and putting her down, Bourdain shouted, "Now, finally, we can do what we should have done a week back! A proper example has to be set! Everyone, watch! Watch as she is whipped to death! Oppose me, and your children will meet the same fate!"

Saying so, Bourdain picked up a whip made from a special kind of tree from the ground.

Oliva knelt on the ground, completely crushed.

Her plan had failed. Now, there was no one who could help them. No one who could change anything. No one who could save them.

Anyway she looked at it, all that was left was to go to the place where her granddad was supposed to be.

She had tried her best, but alas, it was all over.

Or…was it?

The sound of the whip hitting the ground beside her seemed to give her new life, and the image of a girl just like her, with a sword at her neck, came in her mind.

Bourdain was rambling something, but she didn't care.

All she could think about was the beggar, the story, and that branch that had moved.

Like never before, with all her heart, she prayed.

She prayed for help.

She prayed for hope.

She prayed for salvation.

And she prayed for liberation.

The prayer drove away the fear, and opening her eyes wide, she shouted, "Mother! Father! Everyone! If you believe in me, pray! Pray to Mother Angaria! And she will help us! Please! Do it for me! Do it for us! Do it!"

The entire village, and even Bourdain looked at her with startled expressions on their faces on hearing her fervent scream.

There was silence for a moment, but then, Bourdain exploded into laughter.

But ignoring him again, Oliva closed her eyes and prayed under her breath, which made it obvious to everyone who was looking that she was doing exactly what she had just said.

"How foolish! You'll be squealing, soon! Watch, all of you!"

CRACK!

With a sound like a gunshot, the whip headed in Oliva's direction!

"NO!"

"OLIVA!"

"YOU MONSTER!"

Shouts of fury rang out in the area, but after a second…pin-drop silence appeared among them all.

The reason behind this was the image presented in front of them.

Everyone had expected the whip to strike Oliva and make her scream. Everyone expected that her prayers would stop, and as the blood flowed from her wounds, she would cry, and beg, but there would be no one to come to her aid.

But her prayer…did not stop.

The whip flew true, but at the last moment…something invisible had swatted it aside.

Everyone saw it clearly. Bourdain was an expert with the weapon- he hadn't missed. But just before it could hit its target, it had swerved.

What…was going on?

As this question appeared in everyone's mind, a group which had stayed silent until now suddenly spoke up.

"She said her prayers worked! She said anyone can pray, too! Mother, father, please pray!"

"That's how she didn't get scared! Uncles, please, pray!"

"Pray to Mother Angaria! Please! Everyone, let's do it!"

It was the children Oliva had spoken to, and after beseeching all of their parents, they all adopted the same pose as her, and began to whisper under their breaths.

By this point, Bourdain had convinced himself that he must have missed.

With a snarl, he turned on the little cretins who had dared to speak up.

In his heart, he knew that something was wrong. But unwilling to listen to that feeling, he shouted, "Who gave you the permission to talk? Stop what you're doing, and watch your friend die!"

CRACK!

With another loud sound, the whip flew again.

This time, even if the same thing happened, it would still hit one of the children, as there were over 50 of them bunched together.

But again…the unthinkable happened.

As if hitting an invisible barrier, the whip rebounded in Bourdain's direction, and everyone was unharmed.

"Wh-what…?"

With alarm filling his face, Bourdain looked around, as if trying to spot someone who might be playing tricks on him.

And seeing this, the rest of the villagers started to speak.

"I don't know what's happening…but they're right! Let's pray!"

"Yes! Everyone, pray!"

"Pray to the Mother! Pray! Pray!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

One by one, even the most obstinate of the villagers, who might never have done something like this for their entire lives if they hadn't entered this kind of a situation took the same position as Oliva, and began to pray.

They said various things. But the one thing they made sure to do…was address everything they were saying to Mother Angaria.

"Archers! Shoot! It must be a mage who's having fun! His barriers will break with force, and he will be exposed! SHOOT, OR YOU'LL DIE AT MY HANDS!"

Pushed into movement by those last words, the 100 on Bourdain's side all raised their bows.

They were unwilling to let go of the arrows, as these were still the ones whom they regarded as their family. But ever since they had been swayed by Bourdain, their actions hadn't been in their control, and again, his words made them do it.

Their eyes and minds were filled with unwillingness, but their bodies moved anyway.

They watched the arrows take flight, cursing themselves and their momentary greed, and wishing that they hadn't succumbed before.

But once again…the prayers worked.

The arrows froze in the air, and along with them, each of the 100 villagers found themselves losing control of their bodies.

"It's fine! Shoot again! SHOOT! WHY ARE YOU STILL? SHOOT, DAMMIT!"

Fully convinced that it was magic, which had a limit, Bourdain used the trinket he had been given, but for the first time…there was no response.

'No no no no no no! This shouldn't be happening! Not again!'

Fear finally appearing in his mind, he took out a dagger from his waist and jumped forward.

"You! It's all your fault! I'll kill you, and it'll stop!"

Saying so, he raised the dagger high, and feeling his presence, Oliva opened her eyes.

She had been praying without a care until now, but suddenly, she had heard the gentlest of voices in her ears.

"You've done well, little child. The Mother that you pray for…is within you. Stand up, and face evil head-on, even if it seems hopeless. Stand up, little child, for I…have arrived."

No more needed to be said. Full of conviction, Oliva rose and shouted, "He is here! I'm not afraid of you, anymore! Everyone, it worked, thank you!"

All of the villagers looked up to witness a scene they would remember, and preach for the rest of their lives.

With her chest puffed out, an innocent, but incredibly brave 10 year old stood against a tall and wicked man whose dagger was on its way to snuff out the flame of her life.

She raised her hand, as if she was not a child, but a Mage who could command the world, and in her eyes, the belief that what she wanted would come to life shone brilliantly.

For a moment, it looked like it was just the foolish fancy of a child. It looked like the dagger would strike true, and that they had all been fooled into believing something that didn't exist.

But right as the tip of that dagger was about to pierce her hand…everything changed.

There was a bright flash of light which blinded all of the villagers, and by the time they adjusted their vision, they were greeted by an image which made them all suck in deep gasps of breath.

Behind Olivia, with his hand stretched out exactly like her, stood a being who seemed as if he was made of pure light.

His form was human in shape, but it had bright, almost blinding rays of light shooting out in all directions, all over his body, and just looking at his radiant form made all kinds of feelings appear in the minds of those watching.

Strenght. Courage. Faith. Trust. And finally…reverence.

Bourdain had frozen where he stood, and bending down, this being patted Oliva's head, who stared at him with wide-open eyes.

His voice seemed to echo throughout the area, and he said, "Little child, you called for me, and I have come. What do you need?"

Oliva needed a moment to answer, and when she did, it was in an ecstatic tone.

The others hadn't noticed it, but his eyes were actually the most brilliant part of him. The rays of light which emanated from there were a faint reddish in color, which, for some reason, made them feel pure, and looking into them, she spoke.

"Thank you! Please save my village from these evil men! I even know they're not really evil, so can you make them the nice uncles and aunties who helped me grow up, again? Please do this! Please! I'll give you anything! My dolls! My precious hiding spots! I'll even give you…my pretty dress! I love it so, so much, but I'll give it! Please!"

Her sincere wish brought gratitude and affection in the eyes of the villagers present, and they wondered how the being would respond.

First, putting his hand on his chin, the being seemed to think for a bit, before flicking his fingers and making Oliva gasp with surprise, as the dress she had just mentioned was now in his hands.

"Yes, it's that one! Please take it! Please help everyone! I love it, but…I love them all more! Please!"

The little girl's sacrifice melted the hearts of those looking on.

It was obvious that this was her most prized possession, but for them, she was ready to let it go.

For a moment, it looked like the being would do just that.

But with another flick of his finger…the dress replaced the one Oliva was wearing, and his voice appeared again.

"A heartfelt prayer is more precious than the wealth of the entire world, little child. You prayed for Mother Angaria, and she sent me, her son, to aid you. For now and forevermore, take my name, and if your prayer is true, your wish shall come true."

Oliva felt the tears flow down her cheeks as she heard him. But unlike before, these were tears of happiness.

With a nod at the being who patted her head with love, again, she knelt and shouted, "Godking! I wish for my village to be saved!"

His voice returned, and in that moment…Angaria was changed, forever.

"Very well. I, am here, so Angaria…shall never fear. Glory be to the Mother!"

Chapter 925: Aftermath

"I haven't the faintest idea about how she got that name…but it's quite catchy, isn't it? Hey, you can check as much as you want- she said it, not me! I just went with the flow!"

The Hall of Beginning was once again filled with people, and in front of them stood two individuals, one of whom had a smirk on his face.

Of course, this was the King of Lanthanor, and when he said these words, the Head buried his head in his hands, while the Heroes burst into an uproar.

"The audacity!"

"You clearly planned it! We aren't fools!"

"Yes, we didn't find anything…but you must have hidden it! This goes against all of the rules of the Order!"

"It must stop! You even televised it, so it's already spreading throughout the continent! We must stop it!"

Daneel didn't stop smirking even though the Heroes looked like they wouldn't stop protesting any time soon.

A bunch of kids. That's what they looked like to him.

A bunch of kids…and a viper who had somehow snuck into the group.

Of course, the viper he was talking about was Perfect's father, who must already have sent news regarding what was going on to the Church.

Right now, this viper was vehemently talking about how such a thing had not been attempted by even the Emperor of old, and all Daneel wished was that he could use his one hundred Heroes to crush this guy, and then scatter every particle of his existence all over the continent as a warning for those who might be following the Church, but were still going about freely with the belief that they were doing so discreetly.

Controlling this thought and also putting away the cold look that had appeared in his eyes for the briefest of moments, Daneel said, "As the confidant of the Overseer, I've used my rights to go over all of the rules of the Order, starting from those in the Library of Origin, which was previously hidden by the previous Overseer so that his origin would not be known to us. Together, we have taken the decision that it shall now be opened to all Heroes. Please do peruse the Library, and then maybe re-read the rulebook, before coming here and protesting that it goes against the rules. If you're lazy, let me help you: ONLY foreign religions are banned, and should be stamped out with the full wrath of Angaria on this continent. Everything else is allowed. And because it seems that the lot of you are not very well versed in the history of Angaria, let me tell you this: even before the establishment of the Empire, there were minor religions created by certain Hero-level figures who wanted to solidify their rule in the best way possible. It's certainly not a new idea. Besides, when have you cared about the Central Continent, which you were prepared to sacrifice? Just go back to whatever holes you were hiding in until now because you had no reason to use to oppose me, and keep hiding there. If rumors begin to spread that you lot have just been looking for a reason so that you can undermine the support I have because of what I did…things may become dire. Who knows…maybe those who support me a lot will even attack you! In that case, dear Overseer, what do the rules say?"

As if on cue, the new Overseer looked up and said, "The Order shall not interfere in fights between Heroes, even if they seem unfair in terms of numbers, if the reason behind the fight is personal. The Order was always meant to be a place where people of all beliefs can gather, so it goes against the bedrock of this prestigious institution to malign anyone based on their beliefs."

The perfect recital stunned the Heroes, and following these words, Daneel spoke again.

"And that's that! Be careful not to get mobbed by a hundred Heroes, ok? See ya!"

With a wink, Daneel disappeared, leaving the Head alone.

Seeing this, the Head sighed, but it wasn't like they hadn't discussed this beforehand.

Raising his hands to quell the outrage that had appeared in the group, he continued to clarify that the King was only talking about a hypothetical scenario, and that his actions were actually allowed according to the rules, just like he had said.

Indeed, the two of them had choreographed this between themselves after seeing the request for an audience from a bunch of Heroes who wanted to protest his actions in the Central Continent.

After looking on for a few more minutes and seeing that the threat had worked pretty well by silencing a lot of those who had come, Daneel smiled to himself and returned to the Palace of Lanthanor.

He hummed a merry tune to himself on the way, as things were pretty great, at the moment.

After the iconic words he had spoken which he had come up with after a lot of thought, he had simply flicked his fingers and treated the village, and also all those over the entire continent who were watching, to a scene where all of those who had been following Bourdain had a coat of darkness expelled from their shoulders, leading them to blink their eyes and come to their senses before turning on the man who had started to froth at his mouth by then.

Oliva, her family and the rest of the village had been moved to tears, unable to believe that everything had been resolved so easily, and all of them had bowed to him, before promising that their prayers would never stop. They were indebted to him, and to them, he was the deity they would forever keep in their hearts, and even pass down to their children.

In return, Daneel had promised that the words he had spoken were true: if one's prayer(which he called 'wish' so that he could act as if everything had not been planned by him) was true, then it would be granted, so all they had to do was believe.

As for what 'true' meant, he had also made sure to elaborate that any wish when made after every effort had been made to obtain the same, and when the need for that wish was sincere and genuine, would qualify. Every person would know it when this was the case, and if they didn't, all they had to do was ask Olivia.

Oliva had beamed at this, and Daneel had seen that his plan of making her the chief 'priestess' of what he was creating here was going well.

She was still his most ardent supporter, and it was clear that that would continue to be the case.

All in all, the operation had been a grand success, but of course, he wouldn't have been able to do it without his sovereigns, and one other person.

Appearing in the 'situation room', as he had dubbed it, as it was where they always gathered whenever there was something important they had to manage, Daneel spotted this person, and walked up to him before saying, "Great job. Shapeshifter to Shapeshifter, let me tell you…you did justice to our Bloodline."

Lan blinked as he heard this, at first, but after seeing the playful smile on the King's face, he burst out laughing.

Of course, it was his Bloodline that had been taken to make the man in front of him a Shapeshifter, so it was obvious that it had been a jest.

Daneel also laughed as he saw the man get the joke, and patting his shoulder, he turned to Eloise.

"Update, oh Queen of the Palace."

This was the unofficial nickname that had been given to her after everyone had seen that she was the one who managed almost all of the daily activities in the Palace, but before, neither of them had acknowledged it, as it indicated something that they were both too shy to think of.

Now, though…things were different.

Blushing a bit but then recovering almost instantly, Eloise said, "Our plan of creating a televised program using our own set to show the plight of the village, and then shifting to the actual location for the final showdown was a complete success. Because we could control the former completely, we were able to use actors effectively to communicate the hopelessness of the people of Eastcliff, along with all of the emotions that they were feeling which elicited quite a lot of empathy from many of the citizens of the continent. Most were able to connect with the plight of the villagers, as, at some time or the other, they were in the same state. Also, because we made sure to take time to show each and every thing in an 'episode' style, more and more people became hooked, and waited to see how it would end. Before the final broadcast, it was announced that what they were going to see was real, and that you will soon be implementing something like what they will see all over the continent. During the main program, we didn't even use any music or narration, but the crescendo of emotions caused thousands of people to break out into the same cheer. Daneel, the word 'Godking' is now on the lips of almost everyone on the continent…now, we just need something to tie it to you being an actual diety to convert your support all over Angaria into worship."Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Daneel smiled in response, and said, "Yes, in Eastcliff, we were able to use a topdown approach to directly create worship. But in the rest of the continent…this conversion needs to happen. This is your next job, my sovereigns: think of a way to quickly make this happen. It won't be easy…but with all of us, combined, I'm confident that we will find a way. Oh, and take the help of the Elf Queens, too: it will be different for their people, so they should be included in the conversation."

All of the sovereigns were also present in the room, so hearing him, they all nodded.

"What will you do? It sounds like you won't be joining us…"

This question was asked by Kellor, and the answer made them all raise their eyebrows.

"Me? Oh, just a few little tasks…a few debts to collect, and a few places to go to. I think I've been acting low-key for too long…so I'm going to dial things up."

With that, he disappeared, and a few seconds later, Daneel reappeared over a familiar place.

It was a Fortress which overlooked the sea, and taking in a deep breath, the King bellowed, "Oi! The Legacy Disciple is here! So listen to your ancestor…and KNEEEEEL!"

Chapter 926: The Legacy Disciple has Arrived 1

As Daneel's words started to echo throughout all of the halls of the Fortress of Solitude, a voice spoke up in his head.

"Was that really necessary, Young king?"

Happily laughing to himself, Daneel said, "Yes! That felt so damn good! And what's going to follow should be equally fun…"

He still remembered, to this day, how almost everyone had protested when the voice of the ancestor had spoken out to deem him as the legacy disciple to whom everyone should kneel to as he had won the legacy battle, which had not seen a victor in a very long time. Apparently, the reason that everyone had forgotten that this was the main objective behind even holding it, so being shocked into finding out that they should follow the commands of a mere Warrior, no one had been able to sit still.

Now, though… They would kneel, or be made to kneel.

Hearing him, Drakos replied, "Then I'm excited too, Young king. I still remember going out on conquests with my father – one of the things that he liked most was to free a place that was under the clutches of a despot, by flattening them in front of the people who were being oppressed for so long, thereby giving them the strength to lead a new life. He mostly only obtained enjoyment from the latter, but it was obvious that the former was also quite fun to do – maybe that was why he never let us interfere. In fact, even if the power level difference was high, he would give the other person a fair chance by saying that he would level it out so that the fight would only be on terms of skill, which would give them confidence that would be crushed to great effect."

Hearing this, a thoughtful look came a Daneel's face, while he also felt happy that he had decided to bring the Ancient Dragon out.

He had really missed having this wise voice in his head, and hence, he had made a short trip to the place where he had left him – it was with his lover, who had complained that he was taking him away just at the moment when things were going to get spicy.

It had been a jest, and if Daneel had still been the same person as before, he might have been quite embarrassed.

Now, though, he simply gave the retort that he was sorry as it must be hard for someone so old to get it on, which had led to quite a funny reaction, as the Empire Spirit had gone numb.

Loving the look on her face as she was surprised about how such a large change could have come over anyone in such short time, he had chuckled and then left to arrive here, and bellowed the statement which he had also made sure would reverberate as much as possible so that it would be heard by all of the residents of the Fortress.

Before he could give his response to the Dragon, though, the tranquillity of the Fortress which had returned after his declaration was broken once again as droves after droves of people started to fly out to look for whoever had had the gall to say something so demeaning to a place so prestigious.

"Who is it? Who has come asking to be crushed so early in the morning?"

"I just ate my breakfast, so I'm itching to give a morning beatdown! Who dares to look down on the Fortress?"

"Whoever you are, this is the last day that you will walk on two legs for a long, long time! And that's IF there's even a body left atop those legs after I'm done with you!"

Shouts like these could be heard from the group who had just come out, and Daneel looked on with an amused expression as each of them laid their eyes on him, remembered who he was and what he represented, and became quiet.

These people had also been present during the war, and even if a few had somehow not participated in that event, they had definitely been told about what had happened. True, they still did not know the identity of the organization that had come out from the darkness to help and guide Angaria in its time of need, but they did know that Daneel was the one who had stolen the show with his actions.

From his investigations, he knew that the consensus regarding him in the Big Four was a bit different from what it was in the Order: in the Order, because of the kind of organization it was, there were mostly only people who based their decisions on skills and worth, instead of useless things like place of origin. It was nothing surprising to see someone from the Central Continent achieving great things by entering the Order, and so, he had never been looked down upon due to that reason- besides, with hidden identities, there was no question of it happening, anyway, but even if he had ascended to the higher levels where this was not the case, it would not have happened.

In the Big Four, though, the very notion to do so had been imprinted into most people ever since their birth, both because of their upbringing, and the general environment which dictated that they were superior in all ways to anyone who came from such a destitute place(in terms of power).

Hence, he had found out that even though a lot of people had grudgingly agreed that his selfless actions had to be commended, there was little direct support like what he had seen in the Order.

It had actually made him value what he had found in the Order more, and rethink his views on all of the people like the old healer who had gone out on a limb to show their gratitude.

While his thoughts flowed in this fashion, more and more people kept coming out of the Fortress, and soon, it looked as if the entire place must be empty. The pride of being a part of the Big Four was so strong that even those of the Human level appeared to defend it, and although it was commendable, today… They would all be having their attitudes adjusted.

Daneel didn't really blame them for not remembering right away about what had happened during the Legacy Battle based on his words, but he would definitely have conjured a few hammers if people still didn't remember after seeing his face. Luckily for them, there was no one who acted as if they didn't recall, as everyone fell silent but still continued to glare at him, as if waiting for someone to step out and not care about what he had done, and what the ancestor had said.

Daneel actually wished that there was someone like that, as he could use that person as an example. Sadly, though, before it could happen, the Chief appeared.

The old man was in his shrivelled up state, and at first, it looked as if even he had been quite livid due to the fact that someone had spoken in that manner to his home.

However, the moment he saw Daneel, all of the anger left his face, and it even brightened up like a Christmas tree.

Daneel had considered whether to tell this man beforehand, but he had decided that he would see what the reaction would be, even though he had already displayed his intentions quite clearly before.

Thankfully, it looked like he hadn't judged the old man wrong, because he, in turn, came to Daneel's side and turned around to shout, "You heard him! The legacy disciple is here! He outranks each and every one of you lot, so you better listen to him! Kneel!"

Saying so, he did something which made many, many jaws drop in the group which had numerous faces filled with unwillingness and indecisiveness.

The old man turned a bit…and knelt, making sure that he was half facing Daneel while still being visible completely to those of the Fortress who had followed him until now.

Daneel could have let this go on, but he didn't. He knew when to prolong a moment like this, and when that wasn't the right thing to do, so not even a second after the Chief's actions, he stepped forward and raised him by the shoulders before saying, "I knew I would have your support. But… It appears that we do not have a consensus about what the rest of the Fortress should be doing…"

As his words trailed off, one of those in the group finally built up enough courage to speak.

"And why should we kneel? Yes, you won the Legacy battle, and yes, we heard the ancestor. We also know about what you did to save the continent, but at the end of the day, you're still only a Peak Champion! And you're not even a fourth of the age of most of us! What makes you think that you can walk all over us? The Fortress has always represented pride, and this pride says that I would sooner die! I will never kneel to someone I do not respect! And I think I speak for everyone when I say this!"

Many nods could be seen in the group, and although the sentiment did not seem to be universal, it appeared that his words even began to sway a few who had been on the fence. Of course, there were some who did not look like they shared this sentiment at all, but it was clear that they would not be speaking out, lest they be mobbed by the others, who were higher in number.

Daneel stepped forward in the air at this juncture, and with the Chief behind him, he spoke.

"Arrogance is a disease that has held sway over the Big Four for far too long. Right now, I have taken it upon myself to cure all of you of it – and I decided that I would start with the Fortress, where I have a legitimate claim which was not honored all those years ago. I've come back to collect that debt, and whether it be in peace or by war, I will do so. Now then… Yes, I'm only a Peak Champion, but when all of you were unconscious, I was the Peak Champion who went up against an Eminent Hero and held my ground. As for age- I agree that those who have lived for longer might have more wisdom than me, and I would be the first to give them the respect they deserve, but right now, all I see are those who are stuck in ways which no longer need to exist, and in egos which need to be crushed, if this continent that the Fortress has sworn to protect is to be saved. I don't speak about everyone… But it appears that many of you have many different reasons not to kneel. Well, today, I offer you the chance of your life: let us fight. Just like before, here is my challenge: All of you… against little old me. Now, we have two options here: I can either use what I have…"

With a pause, Daneel flicked his fingers, and as a 100 individuals appeared in the air, a pressure that was heavier than anything that most in the group below had felt appeared in the atmosphere.

It was so strong that the Humans and the Warriors in the group even started to fly to the ground as if they had been flies that had been swatted. They only managed to right themselves when they were just a few feet above the ground, and even the Champions had to work very, very had to stand in place.

Dread appeared in their eyes, and there was even fear in many, which they tried to hide, but were unsuccessful in doing so.

With another flick of his finger, though, they were gone, and Daneel continued.

"…or we can have a different kind of fight where we only fight with techniques and skill, and not power. Just like in the Legacy Battle, I have a way in which each and every one of us can only put forth the power of a Human, so we can fight in that manner. I think this should is the best, as even the Warriors and Humans can easily join in, and we can all have a merry time. Choose."

"The second one!"

"Of course the second one, I don't wanna die!"

"The second one!"

The Chief spoke from behind Daneel to say, "I guess the choice has been made," and in response, Daneel flicked his fingers again, as if he had been prepared.

At first, a few flinched, frightened that the Heroes might return to stomp them to the ground, but it was the Head who came.

Greeting the Chief, he raised his hand, and on the open land beside the Fortress, a large arena was laid out.

"Enter, and your power will be restricted. Accept the restriction voluntarily, or you will be disqualified. Break the restriction, and you will be teleported out."

Daneel simply flew to the center of the Arena and beckoned at the large group, and as if settling in for a good show, the Chief and the Head created chairs in the air on which they sat.

However, 10 minutes later, what they saw in front of them was so over-the-top that they were both standing and staring, with their jaws hanging loose.

The King…sat on a throne made of a thousand bodies.

Broken and battered, the mound atop which he sat lay unmoving, and repeatedly, he bellowed the same thing.

"COME ON! I'M RIGHT HERE! COME GET ME! COME ON!"

His words once again rang in all of the halls of the Fortress, but this time…there was no one who gave an answer.

Instead, those who were watching started to bend and kneel.

Seeing them do so with the utmost of reverence and respect, with tears in his eyes, the Chief spoke to himself.

"He has come. The Legacy disciple…is finally here. Forefathers, I have fulfilled my duty! Finally, I can rest…"

Chapter 927: Rico's Decision

Awesome.

That was the one word which was lodged deeply into Rico's mind, and even though it was simple, he vowed that he would never, ever use it for anything else.

And that was because… The scene that he was seeing in front of him had claimed it, and he was sure that he would never see anything else in his life which would deserve the word more.

All that was missing was some blood and gore, and this would be the exact scene of a conqueror who had marched into a place, single-handedly, and decimated each and every one who even dared to go up against him to finally take the throne of which only he was worthy.

Even without those things, though, the King of Lanthanor, at that moment, looked exactly like a dominating tyrant for whom the words "he came, he saw, he conquered" would fit in perfectly.

He sat on his throne made of bodies, and it was an homage to the exact scene that the Fortress had been treated to before, during the legacy battle when the king had made his name known everywhere.

In fact, if Rico blinked, he could see that image from back then. There was that same confidence, that same grace, and that same arrogance, but it seemed to have matured even more now, taking on a quality that was much greater then what any King could have, and reaching the realm which did not have any name in Rico's mind.

As soon as he got this thought, though, the word 'Godking' appeared to him, which was quite startling as there had just been a discussion that it was very presumptuous for this man to have taken on this name.

Coming back to the present, though, the images that he had just seen were still stuck in front of his mind.

At the beginning, it had looked as if it would be a one-sided fight, as no one had dared to take their opponent lightly. They had already seen what had happened before, when they had done the same thing, so no one was willing to make the same mistake – everyone attacked together, but that had resulted in the finest display of defensive tactics that Rico had ever seen. In fact, seeing this, even his instructor who taught defense, who hadn't gone forward to join the fight, had tears in his eyes, as it seemed that even he had never seen a demonstration of that level in his long life.

The king had the same power level as everyone, and everyone who was present could see that this was true, because they knew exactly how much strength he was exerting to do what he was doing.

So, it was the hallmark of his ability that he made each of them doubt this very fact, because they couldn't figure out for the life of them how anyone could be so effective.

Rico had also made the count at the beginning: the Fortress was one of the organizations in the Big Four which had the highest population, as there were always many more Fighters then there were Mages. Even with the high standards of the Fortress, there were many who could at least join and become a part, and even if they did not proceed too much, they would still be able to remain and render certain services.

Hence, the final count had been a 1000 to 1.

It was breathtaking to even talk of, and even if a couple of hundred could be removed because they were just the retainers and followers of those whose arrogance knew no bounds, the rest were true blue elite Fighters who had been trained in the arts of the Fortress for many years.

When the crowd had fallen on him like a deluge at first, Rico had thought that he was done for, but like a lone island in the middle of the rocking sea which would not move no matter how much the sea tried to swallow it, the king stayed afloat, literally stepping on the heads of many of those who had been too eager and had thus misjudged his speed, and crashed onto the ground where he was standing instead of catching him in his tracks.

That was how the fight began – and after that, each and every second was branded in his mind, and also on his communication eye which he had made sure to switch on, as it was his hobby to create videos and share them among his friends and others among the Big Four for a little bit of money.

Just that snapshot of his legs using the heads and shoulders of hundreds of Heroes as a path to walk on was filled with so much grandeur that Rico had felt the urge to bow right then and there, but he had been too tongue-tied by what followed.

Seeing the King's tactics, everyone had decided that they would focus upwards, because with Human level power, he would not be able to fly much to get out of their clutches anyway.

Hence, communicating through trinkets, they had quickly made squads which covered him from all sides, each of which comprised of a hundred and fifty fighters.

This was when the fight started to reach the next level – and when the King started to show that he had not given the challenge to keep running away and hopefully tire out his opponents.

Even now, Rico remembered that moment exactly – initially, he had expected that the king might transform into his Godbeast form by using his Bloodline, but it looked like he did not even need that to defeat this bunch. All he had done… Was take in a deep breath and shoot out a punch, and that punch still sent shivers down Rico's spine, as it had felt as if it hit him even if he was standing a few hundred feet away.

Like a giant that had descended from the Heavens to walk among those who were but puny insects to it, the punch blew away 50 people in front of him.

50 damn people!

It was a glorious sight, replete with shocked expressions on those 50, along with fear on the rest around them, while being accompanied by the relief in those in the other groups as they could hear the sickening sound of flesh being pounded until it would not heal for a long time, and bones becoming so broken that they would need at least a month to recover even if the most talented of Healers worked on them.

Rico knew for sure that all of those in the group must have been too busy to see how he did it, but he had been tracking the elementary particles, and hence, he knew: somehow, the king had used his footing to bring up power from the earth which went through his body from his feet to his chest and then to his hands, before sending it out like a tsunami which would not be stopped by anything known to man.

How… The f*ck was this even possible?

Rico had heard of many Fighter techniques which were so esoteric that they might even seem like they were meant for Mages, such as those that directly converted internal Energy into elements, or those that drew on an atmosphere to make oneself stronger so that they could show their prowess in a certain concept. Rico even knew of Champions being able to use concepts to elicit reactions in the World which would help them, and even though this power would be largely unavailable to them because of the restrictions placed on their bodies, they would still be able to stir the World and show everyone that even when Human, the Champion within them would shine through.

Seeing his actions, this was exactly what the Champions started to do.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Even now, Rico's heart started to thunder again as he remembered those sounds which had shaken the entire Fortress, which were the result of each punch that blew away more and more people.

Maybe, what was even more shocking was that the more the king used that technique by drawing the energy of the Earth, the more his power seemed to grow, until finally, each punch was sending over 100 people flying.

He stood his ground, and whenever anyone dared to approach from any direction he would simply bend as if he had no bones and shoot forward his power that simply had no opposition in this group.

He had clicked multiple photos of that, and already, he could see it becoming a classic wallpaper that would be painted by artists and hung all over the continent for many, many generations to come.

The king, in the middle of a sea of Fighters, showing his worth, and putting them in their place.

At this stage was when the Champions moved: congregating into squadrons instead of continuing to be mixed up among the others, they actually started to use the hidden training of the Fortress which allowed them to combine their Fighter powers to get to long-range targets who were usually Mages standing behind enemy lines.

Rico had only heard rumors about this, but it turned out that it was true: even in the Champion realm, one of the limitations of Fighters was range, and this was the secret plan of the Fortress to stop that from being the case.

Also, at that point, one of the Champions seemed to understand what was going on, leading him to shout that the king was using the earth below, and that they should target everywhere around him so that he would move, in which case he would have no power in the air.

Even though there were around 200 Warriors and Human still milling around him, the Champions prepared their attack, which was in the form of a beam of light, and shot it forward without caring for collateral damage.

And of course…that was when the actual beatdown began.

The beam of light impacted the earth with a loud sound, crushing the Warriors and Humans into the ground and flattening them in the process, thereby decreasing the number of opponents of the king.

If it would have resulted in his defeat, too, it would have been fine, but at the last moment, much to the dismay of the Champions…he escaped.

He had only managed to get out of the radius of the blast, and after that, in a move Rico swore he would use at least once before he died, the King kicked up 7 Fighters into the air, with each kick delivering a different amount of force.

A heavenly staircase which was, again, made of bodies was created for him, and taking quick steps, the King was among the Champions.

From the first second that he reached them, it was obvious that their hope that he would be powerless in the air…was false.

His first attack was like that of an eagle descending to catch its prey, and in a swift move, he used both of his legs to kick down 2 of the 180 Champions in the air.

Livid, the rest shot forth another attack, but they were treated to a rude shock: his positioning was so perfect that he was able to dodge, and in the process…the light beam took out 50 more Fighters on the ground, who had started to kick their unconscious comrades in an attempt to replicate the move of the King.

Rico, then, had thought that it was by fluke…but soon, it happened 3 more times, taking out 50-100 Fighters in each instance, and that was when it dawned on everyone that the King was able to keep track of everything even in the mayhem to make this happen.

It was on purpose!

As for what he did among the group of Champions…it was a sight to behold.

After the Fighter technique used by the Eagle, he went forward to show one based on the Phoenix, the swallow, the crane, the sparrow, and with each attack, he would send a Champion hurtling to the ground, unconscious.

Their force dwindled bit by bit, but everyone was clueless regarding whether they should be worried about this, or the fact that the King had somehow mastered so many Fighter techniques perfectly.

In a display worthy of going straight into the history books, he used 169 Fighter techniques in the air to send 169 Champions to their rightful place on his throne, but as he faced the final 11, it became obvious that things were different.

These 11 were the strongest in the group, and for the first time, he started to enter into short bursts of spars, instead of directly swatting them away.

The fight reached an impasse, at this stage, because for 10 seconds, he was hounded from all sides, and not allowed a single opening.

These 11 had the best Champion level Fighter techniques, and they put it to good use: victory seemed to be theirs…until the King pulled out one final trump card.

He had been watching them closely for all that while, and in a twist that made the Head and Chief stand up, agape…he imitated the techniques of each.

They were as stunned as the rest. The imitation was perfect, and using both the surprise factor and the weaknesses that could only be exploited in this way, they were sent to the throne, too, with their faces still fixed in shock.

And that…was how the King finally used a few kicks to create the mound, before sitting on top and continuing to bellow those words.

There was no one to answer, but one thing was for certain: he had found a follower for life, and Rico…would make sure that news of this fight would reach the very ends of this continent.

…

10 minutes later.

In the same hall that Daneel had first met the Chief, the two of them were standing together.

Clapping his hands, the Chief said, "Wonderful. Just…wonderful. We can talk about what happened later…but first, are you serious about what you declared? Are you going to do the same thing with the rest of the Big Four?"

The answer was given with an extremely satisfied smile, and his words made anticipation appear on the Chief's face.

"Yeap. The Sect of Hedon is next. Let's go- there's no reason to dally!"

Chapter 928: In the Sect of Hedon 1

Standing in the sky above the Sect of Hedon, Daneel turned to the Chief beside him and said, "What do you think are the chances of my replicating the same thing from the Fortress over here?"

The Chief didn't have to think much to respond, and he didn't even have to use any words.

Raising his hand, he joined his index finger and thumb to make a single number, and seeing it, Daneel raised his eyebrows and said, "You underestimate me, and forget that I was a mage, first and foremost, before reaching my current level of Fighter prowess… But I don't blame you. You won't be the first whose mind I'll be changing… But that's not important. Unlike how it may appear, I'm not doing this for satisfaction alone… Just like I announced, my aim is to make the Big Four better and prepare them for what is to come. In the Fortress, my approach was correct because the main thing on which those blockheaded Fighters operate is pride, and by crushing it, I know that I have created the zeal to improve and show themselves to be more than what they proved to be. If I did the same thing here, though… I'm pretty sure it would backfire. Those in the Sect of Hedon are known for their hedonistic lifestyles, just like their name, so if I do make a challenge, first, all of them might not even participate, because most of them are used to searching for the perfect opportunity and then deciding on the place of confrontation to ensure victory. Second, even after beating a lot of people, the thing that will be instilled in their minds is that they should use underhanded methods to defeat me, and not to improve and maybe unite. And of course, that's exactly the opposite of what I want."

With a nod, the Chief who had been smiling said, "That's why I said the chances were zero, King, if you used the same approach. Each of the Big Four was created so that talented individuals of the continent would have a place to go to which matches both their powers and their temperaments, thereby giving each of them the best place that they can use to hone themselves. Of course, when I say created, I don't say that they were made specifically for that purpose, but that they were able to last for this long and rise above all of the rest as they could slot the inhabitants of Angaria between themselves. In the days after the apocalypse, in the records, it was written that with each generation, new demographics of individuals would emerge, and new institutions would be set up to hopefully use these individuals and rise in status and power. With the current state of the Energy level of the continent, though, and with the present Big Four being too strong, the chances of that happening are not very high. And of course, that is also the reason why the epidemic that you are speaking about has spread its wings everywhere. It is actually the perfect time for it to be eradicated – because otherwise, we will be the ones who meet the same fate. I really commend what you're doing, King, and I'll follow you on this journey to help you succeed, with the hope that the wisdom that I have attained from living for so long might help you in some way or the other."

Hearing the Chief's words, the king looked like he had gotten an idea, as he had sunk into deep thought towards the end of his speech, but after he was done, he snapped his head up and flashed a brilliant grin before saying, "You might have done that already. But first… I have a plan. You don't know about my escapades in this sect before, right? Well, I'll be doing something that blows all of that out of the water, anyway, so keep watching… I think I will need your help in the other two, but here, I've got it covered. So sit back, old man, and enjoy the show… Heavens know you've been all wound up about finding a Legacy Disciple for way too long."

Relief shone in the old man's eyes again as Daneel said this, and seeing this, he raised his hand to pat his shoulder twice, before descending to the headquarters of the sect.

The fight had been definitely exhilarating, but afterward, Daneel had used the system to find out about all of the reactions of everyone around him.

In the process, he had been informed about a very interesting individual called Rico whose hobby aligned perfectly with one of the largest corporations on earth which wouldn't be a bad thing to bring to Angaria, and the emotions that had been present in the Chief's size, which he had been able to decipher easily based on all of the conversations that he had had with the man before.

His plight reminded Daneel of the plight of many fathers with large businesses on earth, who would look with expectant eyes for an heir who could satisfy their standards and assure them that they would take forward their life's work in the right manner. In far too many cases, this wouldn't happen, and the family's legacy might end up going into the ground, so it was truly a lucky thing for the old man to have succeeded in his goal, which was much more important than anything that Daneel was comparing it to, before the time came for his already prolonged life to end.

Reaching the headquarters, Daneel first let out a breath and looked around, as he had many fond memories of this place.

It was here that he had undertaken one of the first major operations of his life in the Big Four, and it was also here that he had made a foe whose life he had ended after a lot of difficulties. Of course, there was also a different foe who was currently rotting in the special prison of the Order, but that was someone he would get to at a later date.

For now, though, he directly entered the headquarters and reached the room where a man was already standing and waiting for his arrival.

Daneel was actually familiar with this man – back when the Mad Doctor had been injured and was being protected by Heroes so that he would not be targeted by the Church who would want to whittle down the important Champions of the continent, this was the one who had been in the room.

Hence, he was also the one who had been hoodwinked by Daneel's actions which had made it so that the Mad Doctor would rise at a time that was convenient to him so that he could meet his end, and at that time, he had seemed like quite a formidable foe whose power was apparently related to the concept of darkness and light, but in a different way when compared to Rayen.

Apparently, he was a Hero who had come from the Sect of Hedon, and with no one else being interested to take up the mantle that was left empty, he had stepped in.

Now, nodding at Daneel, he said, "Welcome. Is this your first time in the sect?"

Daneel wondered whether this was an arrow in the dark, as he was pretty sure that all of his actions in the sect had been carried out in a perfectly discreet manner. All of the identities he had used were not his, and no one should know of the connection between the King of Lanthanor and this organization of the Big Four.

Shrugging on getting the thought that he was now at least powerful enough to not care about some random Hero, he said, "Yes, but I do have an acquaintance here through someone else… That someone is very precious to me, and if you're looking for someone to take up your post as you seem to be too busy to handle it, I would suggest his name."

The Hero was startled to hear this. Wearing a weird cloak which would make him occasionally blend into the surroundings and completely turn invisible, he took a small step back and said, "Oh! I did not know that you had someone in mind for my position… but we can talk about that later. May I ask what your purpose is behind coming here? I already know of your position in the Order, as I was there on that day. I must say, what you did with Cain… Was a real treat to watch. I'm one of the few who graduated from the Big Four as a Hero and then went to the Order because of the uniqueness of my Hero path that was formidable enough even though I broke through using the grace of my ancestors, so I know of your actual standing. If you wish, you can bring down your force and flatten all of the Big Four in a single move. So… I really do not know your purpose behind coming to each of us. I was hoping that you would end your journey with the Fortress, as you do have a claim there, but you came here. So… May I ask why?"

The cloak covered the face of the Hero, too, but even though they could not see his expression, both Daneel and the chief understood one thing: this was someone who was clearly saying that he knew exactly what the one in front of him was capable of, but was still not willing to bend head over heels to comply with his every wish. It looked like he had something to fall back on in case the worst came to worst, and after hearing him, Daneel was quite interested to find out what that was.

If Angaria could be likened to a river, then it was his job right now, before he healed, to go all over it and find out all of the obstacles so that he could remove them and make sure that the river could flow unimpeded and unhindered to crash against the Church that was like a large boulder waiting to stop its way forward.

These obstructions could be in the form of the Big Four, or even in the groups of Heroes who had lost all trust in the Order due to what had happened, but either way, using the best method to tackle each and every one of them, Daneel would make sure that they would all be dealt with before he began his final plan that would create a stand against the Church.

But first, he had come to handle the Sect of Hedon, and he would finish his mission here before sorting out the one in front of him.

Getting a smile on the corner of his lips, he responded by saying, "You may not have heard my words in the Fortress, even though you clearly know what happened there. I said that I'm going around stamping out the egos of those in the Big Four who think they're hotshots on the continent, and my next target is this Sect, which famously declares its penchant for scheming and underhanded methods. I would like… to propose a contest. It will fall in perfectly with everything that the Sect of Hedon represents, and in the same way that I accomplished my goal in the Fortress, I will shatter all of the misconceptions of those who are a part of your home. I don't think this is an unreasonable request… Do you? After all, it will help you, too, in the long run."

Daneel's words were followed by silence, so it was obvious that the Hero was quite taken aback, because he must definitely not have expected something like this.

But after thinking it through, it seemed like he found no reason to not agree, especially given what the one in front of him could call on if things didn't go well.

Seeing him nod, with an obnoxious smirk, the King of Lanthanor said, "Great! Let's do the announcement right now, then! Follow me!"

As if he was very familiar to the place, he went directly to the square in the center of the sect when everyone usually congregated if there was something going on, and as he took in a deep breath and started to shout, the Chief began to get flashbacks to what had just happened in his home.

"Listen up, ya' little maggots! Your superior in every way is here! Today, I've come to flatten this sect! If I win, all of you will forever have to live with the fact that one person outsmarted an entire Sect! If I lose…well, how about this: if I lose, I will use my personal forces to make the Sect of Hedon the best sect in the Big Four. If you're dumb, it basically means that all of you will be showered with resources! As for the contest, it's called…'Make a Scam'!"

Chapter 929: In the Sect of Hedon 2

"Make a scam? Huh?"

"What crazy stunt has a sect member gotten upto now?"

"Whatever it is, he'll have it with the new Sect Master! He announced it throughout the whole sect!"

"Make a scam? Don't we do that every day? What's new about that?"

"More resources! I'm interested!"

After Daneel's announcement, there were many questions, but also many statements like the last one, especially from those whose main goal was to get more resources and grow stronger.

These were people who would stop at nothing to achieve this, and that was exactly the kind of mentality that was most prevalent in the Sect of Hedon.

And hence…Daneel had decided on his plan.

Soon enough, more than 3000 people had gathered in the large square with puzzled looks on their faces.

The Fortress had the highest population among the Big Four, and even though only a thousand had come to fight Daneel, they were the most talented in each realm. There were 8 times that number in the sect, and these people had watched on, and were still talking about what had happened right in front of their home.

Due to the scarcity of talented mages, there were only 4000 official members of the Sect of Hedon, and soon, all of them had arrived.

Many had hungry expressions on their faces, only focusing on the resources part of his announcement, and when they arrived to see that there was nothing of the sort, they felt disappointed.

However…a second later, all of the 4000 individuals felt their eyes go as wide as saucers, as a treasure the likes of which they had never seen in their lives appeared right in the center of the square.

100,000 Ker Gems, 500,000 Ether Blocks and, finally…a Natural Energized Training Chamber.

This was but a fraction of the wealth still left in Elysium even after Daneel's and his sovereign's powerups, but it was enough to send the Sect into a tizzy.

"A Natural Chamber! Heavens, I've only heard of them! I want it!"

"All those Ker Gems! With that much, I can break through as many realms as I want!"

"All those Ether Blocks! Oh, I've always loved piling them up and absorbing Energy from them all at once! Mine! Mine! Mine!"

The greed of many could not be controlled, and although most managed to wipe the drool that had appeared at the corner of their mouths, some even made to lunge forward, but felt a barrier stopping their way.

Finally, looking up, they focused on Daneel, again, and seeing that he had gotten their attention, he spoke.

"In case you thought I was bluffing, this is a part of my offering. Yes, you heard that right: it's just a part! And as for the Chamber…it'll directly go to the winner of my contest! So…what do you say? Interested now?"

"You betcha'!"

The enthusiastic response was from one of the youngest sect members, and although some laughed at this break in composure, many simply nodded.

Clapping his hands, Daneel first arranged all of the Ether blocks into a neat formation. He had teleported them over haphazardly, as a mound, so cleaning them up made them seem all the more enticing.

He stacked the Ker Gems next, and on top of that the boulder-like Natural Chamber.

Finally, sitting idly sat on top of that boulder and feeling as if he was channeling a famous duck from a TV show back on Earth, Daneel gestured at his wealth and said, "In short, it's simple: play my game, by my rules, against me, and if any of you win, the Sect of Hedon will receive a massive influx in direct resources, and even support from the strongest individual force in Angaria. The winner will also get the Chamber, and if I'm not wrong, the Sect Master will even bestow upon them many gifts."

The Hero who had also come nodded as he heard this, thereby breaking his cover which had allowed him to be in plain sight, but seem invisible, and seeing him, the sect members finally understood that all of this was real.

They leaned forward eagerly, excited to find out what the contest was, and observing this, Daneel did not wait any longer.

"The Sect of Hedon has always represented the quick-witted side of those on the Path to Power. Today, we will basically be putting that to the test, because my goal here is simple: I wish to crush you all in such a way that none of you will have any excuses later. Keep in mind that if the sect loses today…then it means that everything that all of are so proud of no longer has any value. You will have been defeated, through and through, and after that, even if you want to have a contest of strength, I'm game! Now that that's clear, let us proceed!"

Daneel had purposefully dangled the prize in front of everyone so that he could get their attention before announcing this part, and it had had the intended effect.

It had been greeted by surprise, that was followed by many smirks which indicated that most believed that there was no way that all of them could lose, especially in a contest like this.

The last word he said was still ringing in the air when a change came over the place right beneath Daneel.

He was in the large open space that was typically meant for the entire sect to gather in case an announcement had to be made, so it was big enough to contain over 5000 people. And now, suddenly…walls sprung up out of nowhere, encasing the area and blocking what was inside from view.

The sect disciples who were standing in places that obstructed the setting up of this wall were forcefully teleported away with the help of the Hero who was currently complying with all of Daneel's requests, and after a few seconds, noticing that there was only one entrance to the area which also had a large banner with the name of the game atop it, all of the members of the sect who were scattered all around began to mill in front of it.

As they all read the rules of the game which were written in large letters on the metallic gate that was below the banner, Daneel disappeared and reappeared in front of 30 Heroes who had just helped him set all of this up.

Even if he was healed, doing such a feat would have been impossible for him. There were just too many metal walls to teleport over, and even with the help of the system, he would have been completely drained, and sent back into a coma.

Hence, he had enlisted the help of a couple of Heroes who were the most open in showing support for him, and they had responded right away.

Of course, at their head was the kind old lady who actually reminded him of one of the most important people in his life: the lady in the orphanage, who had taken the place of both his mother and father to give him a childhood that no one could complain about, even if he was an orphan.

Feeling a pang of sorrow on thinking of her, and all of his little brothers and sisters who had depended on him, Daneel wondered what they must be doing right now, and whether they might be searching for him, in case the organization he went to that had led to him coming here was shadier than he had thought.

Shaking his head to get rid of these thoughts, though, he put on a sincere smile and shook the old lady's hand before saying, "Thanks a lot. It wouldn't have been nearly as impressive if I would have had had to ask everyone to wait so that I can set everything up…"

Tucking a wisp of white hair that had fallen in front of her mature, but wrinkle-free visage behind her ear, the old lady smiled and said, "It was no trouble. Heroes are mostly free- at least, I'm talking about those like us, who have progressed as far as we can with forceful training. At a stage, you just have to let go of the desire to keep pushing forward, and wait for a natural evolution to occur in one's Path. Ah, I speak for only a minority, though. Oh, yes, the rest wanted me to say that they are really interested to see what you have in mind. All of us have been following your actions in the Central Continent out of boredom, and I'll be the first to admit that you managed to surprise me on multiple occasions with the way your mind works. Is it all right if we all stay? And bring a few friends over."

Daneel instantly nodded, feeling that it was truly rare to see a Hero like this, who was asking permission from him.

"It would be my pleasure! Please, everyone is welcome!"

"Great! Everyone, let's set up!"

Hearing his reply, the old lady turned around and shouted in this way, leading to a scene that made Daneel almost drop his jaw.

A large, flat area that could hold over 200 people instantly teleported into the air, with transparent walls all over from which anyone could have a vision of everything below them, and not even a few seconds later, all of the chairs in this area were filled with people who seemed to have already started drinking.

The 30 Heroes joined the crowd, and surprisingly…the kind, old lady was the most raucous of them all.

Snatching up two pitchers of wine in two hands, she downed them both simultaneously by enlarging her mouth using her Hero powers, and after throwing the pitchers down, she shouted, "That's the good stuff! Keep it coming! And call that Head over, he always has the best wine!"

Shaking his head and thinking that Heroes really knew how to party, Daneel descended to the gate, where everyone was done reading the rules.

They went in this way:

Each individual can choose to be a participant or scammer, or both. Each participant will be given a certain amount of resources that must be spent within the designated area. Each scammer will also be given a certain amount of resources, and a stall in the area where they can set up their scam. The goal of both is the same: one must walk out of the area with more resources than they walked in. Additional resources cannot be taken into the area, but other items are allowed. Resources can only be exchanged if the participant has been scammed- no cheating is allowed(cheaters will be dealt with severely). Note: Honest methods can also be used. Eg. One can put up a stall to teach the insights they have discovered into their Path, for a certain sum. They can either do so and earn resources, or fake the teaching and still scam the participant. The one at the end who walks out with the biggest difference between how many resources they had before walking in, and how much they are walking out with, is the winner. Good luck! The event shall begin in 3 hours.

Seeing everyone with thoughtful, and even excited expressions on their faces, Daneel smirked.

Today, in Angaria, one of the most infamous evils(when exploited) of a very large entertainment industry on Earth was going to rear its head, and its name would never be forgotten by any one of the Big Four for as long as they lived.

"Drakos, maybe this is a bit too much on the scamming side for you to watch…wanna go back to your lover?"

"No, Young King! I'll be fine!"

Hearing the Ancient Dragon's adamant reply, Daneel shrugged and replied, "All right then. I really hope I don't give ideas to scammers down the line with bad intentions through my actions here…"

Chapter 930: In the Sect of Hedon 3

The first phase of the contest needed those of the Sect of Hedon to decide who would be the participants, and who would act as the scammers who were supposed to set up stalls.

Not everyone was raring to go against Daneel. Ambition was not always a very common thing, and that was also on display here, as quite a few placed their primary goal to be that of scamming the scammers, and walking out after earning as many resources as they could.

Still, many decided to take up the mantle of scammers, and hence, they dispersed first, to privately think and decide what they were going to do before coming right before the event started so that they could set up their stalls.

There were other miscellaneous rules below, such as the one with said that stalls and the methods that they were going to use which needed to be submitted could not be changed after the event began, and that they would remain secret until the time when the participants first entered. Changes could only be made before that time, and after that, whatever was present would be final.

Inside, crisscrossing pathways had already been erected, and many, many stalls that were all covered using opaque barriers could be seen. If one was confident in their plan and wanted to set up beforehand, they could go in and do so, but so far, there were no takers.

After all, what was on stake here was a treasure which many had thought that they would not even see in their entire lives, and even though it was unattainable to most of them, the number of resources which were at least 100 times greater than what they usually had was enough to push them and make them decide that they would go all out.

This was actually nothing new to the sect members, as many would run scams every day to get as many resources as possible from their fellow sect members, and even from the sect. In the entire area surrounding the center, a general buzz of conversation began, as those who had decided to be the participants started to discuss how they would not be cheated no matter what.

In this area, at least, some unity could be seen, as everyone seemed to have realized that pooling their minds and finding ways to not let this happen would be most preferable for all of them. Each and every one also had their own pride, so in their minds, it was also as if they were up against those who had chosen to set up stalls, along with the King, who was their main opponent.

Hence, quite a few interesting tips started to be passed around, such as that no one should fall for anything which looked too good to be true, and that they should make sure to use their own resources sparingly, with only a little amount to be staked first to test things out, instead of being tempted and spending everything in one go before walking out with a despondent expression on their face after realizing that they had been successfully taken advantage of.

Observing all this, Daneel was almost reminded of the atmosphere back in his college, whenever there was an activity which needed all of the students to bunch together and find out ways in which they could tackle a certain problem. Of course, these were people who might even be ready to kill on a moment's notice if it meant that it would benefit them, but as for the spirit of competition, it was the same, and hence, it was a sight to behold.

Smiling happily, he felt the Head teleport to the spot beside him, which made him say, "You're back. How's your stash doing?"

This question made the Head wince, after which he replied, "Almost all gone. Decades of hard work, centuries of tracking down information and digging out buried bottles of wine before aging them precisely… All of it, gone. Some of it was taken by you, and the rest by that group above who don't take no for an answer even though I'm the Overseer. Sometimes, it feels as if things haven't changed that much…"

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Letting out a breath on hearing Daneel's honest question, the Head actually smiled and said, "Yes, actually. It's fine, stashes are meant to be depleted- although I do wish that it had not been sacrificed to the Queen of endless drinking whose tastebuds are so ineffective that she wouldn't even be able to tell the difference between 100 year aged wine and water that has been mixed with crushed berries. Seeing her gulp down bottle after bottle makes my heart ache… But, oh well, she has shown herself to actually be the most reliable Hero in the entire continent, when the time called for it. Anyway, I didn't come here to discuss wine… What's your plan?"

With a chuckle, Daneel responded by shaking his head and saying, "Ah ah ah, not so fast: you'll have to wait just like the others. Join them. And invite over those who might be on the fence regarding whether to support me or not- true, I'm only showing my scamming skills here, but a skill is a skill, no matter in which area it exists."

The Head looked like he had actually expected the answer, but before he left, he glanced at the current head of the Sect of Hedon who was also overseeing the entire area from a spot a few hundred feet away from them.

Frowning as he looked at him, the Head seemed as if he was considering whether he should say something, but as if making the decision that it could wait, he simply nodded and disappeared.

Of course, Daneel noticed this, and that made him glance towards this Hero, too.

Before his trip here was due, he had an inkling that something that had been hiding in plain sight might be uncovered, and when that time came… He would be ready.

But first… It was finally time to let his plan unfold.

…

Three hours later.

The doors of the main area opened to much fanfare, accompanied by fireworks and even dancing dragons that were composed of brilliant golden lights.

Looking at the large crowd that began to enter as if they would lose their place if they dallied, Clyde turned to Jared beside him and said, "Let's wait. It's not like we're in a hurry – this thing will go on for two days, so a few minutes should make no difference. As far as I know… these guys are only so eager as they seem to be starved for resources right now. They're probably hoping that the methods of the scammers aren't that refined yet, so that they can take advantage of it and make some quick gains before leaving and training. What do you think the fatty came up with?"

The Shameless Sect that Daneel had been a part of in the identity of Travis Eclair when he had been in the Sect of Hedon had currently fractured into two parts, with Jared and Clyde choosing to be participants, and Henry and the fatty deciding that they would set up a stall together as they had gotten a secretive idea that they had not elected to share.

The two of them had not been very interested, either, knowing how most of the fatty's ideas turned out to be, and once again, they found themselves missing Travis, the one who had actually made their sect shine.

Sadly, he had left the sect to go somewhere, saying that he had gotten the opportunity of his lifetime, and although they had tried to convince him with all of their might, they had failed.

He still visited, and he seemed happier than ever with power that kept growing in leaps and bounds, and although they were jealous, they knew that their place was in the sect, where their shamelessness could be put to full effect.

Life hadn't been too bad since that time when they had hit the jackpot with Travis's help: they had used the resources perfectly to breakthrough barrier after barrier in their Paths, and in fact, Clyde had even reached the Exalted Warrior level.

But of course, with great power, came the demand for more and more resources, and hence, today, like many others, they had decided that they would definitely supplement their stores in the best way possible.

A few minutes later, the two of them entered the area, and seeing the atmosphere inside, Clyde said, "I feel as if I'm back in my village… This is exactly how our Village Fest used to be."

He was right- there was a unique raucousness in the air as people could be seen all over the place, talking to those in the stalls, bargaining with them, arguing with them, and in some places, even fighting with them, resulting in an actually merry atmosphere which would lift anyone's spirits.

Each fight would be resolved very quickly, though, as violence had also been forbidden in the area during the activity unless it was part of a stall's scam. Overall, though, there was a certain excitement, as everyone currently had money on their hands, and their goal was to make themselves even richer.

When they entered, each of them had been given 500 Ker Gems each, with the assurance that the amount that they obtained over this number would be multiplied by 10 times, no matter if they won or lost in the end.

That had put everyone in a good mood, but also an even more competitive one, and hence, each and every sect member was very vigilant in their actions.

As for the scammers, each of them was given 5000 Ker Gems, and the same thing applied for them, too.

The two of them first decided to go to the fatty's stall – on the way, they saw many, many interesting ones, such as those that offered training techniques, tips to help one breakthrough, tips to help one absorb Energy easier, and even tips to do better in bed.

The last one did have a lot of takers as the one who had set it up was famous for his prowess, but of course, the two of them ignored it, as they knew what was important.

On the way, a very common stall turned out to be one which had lotteries.

It was one of the ideas that anyone would come up with right away, as they all knew just how gambling dens made their money by making people bet on bad odds with the hope that they would win. Of course, each and every one who chose this had been hoping that they would be the only ones to do so, and although there were a few twists here and there, such as in one where there was an actual gambling table, most of these had few takers, as almost no one in the sect was dumb enough to spend their resources by trusting luck which could be quite frivolous.

Finally, there was the fatty's stall, and what they found… Made them break out in laughter.

It was an eating contest, and of course… It was empty.

The fatty was looking around at the other stalls around him dejectedly, and seeing them, he spoke out in a regretful tone.

"I thought that I would win, for sure! But no one seems to be interested in getting into an eating contest! I even wagered a lot! If they can defeat me, they can take away my whole earnings! And if they lose, they only need to give me a part! It was so brilliant!"

Laughing at his expense, Jared said, "Congrats, fatty, you've brought about a new low for the Shameless Sect… Oh, how I miss Travis. Anyway, don't worry, your idea is definitely unique, so you will have some takers sometime or the other. But first, why don't we go around and explore the rest, and see what the magnanimous creator of this event has done? I'm definitely very interested! Let's go!"

Each stall had a display trinket on which they would explain their scheme in a few words, and if anyone was interested, they could press a button that would trigger a communication trinket and tell the one who had set up the stall that they had a customer. Hence, stalls could be left alone if people were acting as both scammers and participants, so hearing Jared, the fatty nodded and looked at the large roast boar he had prepared which was the item that had to be eaten, before covering it with a bowl and following the two along with Henry, who had trusted his idea, and was now also in an extremely bad mood.

They couldn't really be blamed, though, because their shamelessness and scheming sides had not been needed to be used for quite a long time due to their jackpot, and knowing this, they even wished that this event had happened at a different time so that they could be on top of their game, in which case they would definitely have come up with something that would have blown almost everyone else out of the water.

They quickly cheered up due to the atmosphere, though. Talking between themselves animatedly, they started to go to the central area of the event, which was the one that the King had taken.

However,a few minutes later, as soon as they started to get nearer and nearer to their destination, they noticed something strange, as they started to come across more and more people who were also rushing in that direction, while talking excitedly about something.

Eager to find out what was up, they sped up their pace, but soon, they had to stop as they came upon a crowd that was gathered around a magnificent stall.

Other stalls had also used creativity to dress up themselves so that they would look appealing, but they all paled in front of the stall of the King: the stall, itself, had had its body changed to become that of a crimson dragon whose maw was open, and this was apparently the door through which one had to enter.

There was a long, long queue which the Shameless Sect joined, but they were still puzzled regarding just what the scam was. Unlike the others, this one did not have its conditions and rules spelled out in front of it, but just as they were about to ask the ones in front of them whether they knew anything, a loud shout interrupted them.

"YES! YES! I'M RICH! I ONLY HAD TO ROLL 5 TIMES, BUT I'M RICH! 2000 KER GEMS IN ONE GO! Oh, Heavens, thank you! Ma, Pa, I know you made it happen! Thank you!"

The shout was from someone who had just come out of the side of the dragon, and in his hands…was a large pile of Ker Gems.

In the silence that followed this shocking statement, Daneel looked down on the area from above, and with a smile at the corner of his lips, he said to himself, "Lootboxes…the scourge of the Earth, in many ways, but in Angaria…they will result in the betterment of the continent. Well…in one way or another, at least. Now, just gotta make sure, somehow, that I don't inspire a whole generation of scammers…"

Chapter 931: In the Sect of Hedon 4

Obtaining 2000 Ker Gems in one go?!

All four members of the Shameless Sect were completely tongue-tied, and just like them, all of the rest in the queue could only continue to stare at this lucky guy, who was even just a Human-level Mage, by the looks of it, while he thanked the Heavens which had apparently favored him with luck.

The silence that had followed the loud exclamation was suddenly broken when everyone started to talk all at once, and in fact, the majority of the voices were shouts at those at the front of the group to move faster, so they could enter.

But as for the Shameless Sect, they were still clueless: what the hell was going on?

What were these 'rolls'? How could anyone earn that much? And as these many people were milling around trying to get in, then a lot of people must be succeeding, and if so, how did the King even have so many resources to give away, unless he was cheating?

That last part was definitely out of the question, though, because they knew that the leader of the sect had vowed that he would make sure that everything would be carried out in a fair manner, as this was something which was related to the pride of the sect, but as for the rest of the questions, they needed answers, ASAP.

Once again, they turned to those in front of them, who were eagerly looking at the front of the line which had finally started to move, but once again, before they could ask, there were interrupted.

This time, though, it was because they had gotten their answer: stepping forward had made it so that a formation whose range they had been out of before activated, showing them a large display comprised of elementary particles flashing above the Dragon-shaped stall.

And above it, a few words were written with a flourish, which seemed to flash and captivate the minds of everyone who was looking at them.

"Come one, come all! Test your skill, test your luck! And if both are in line… Then hit the jackpot, and go laughing to the bank! Enter the Lucky Dragon, and change your fate! Come one, come all!"

The word 'jackpot' was specially made to stand out, and even after the four of them glanced away from it to see what was underneath, it still remained in their minds.

The display below these words was split into two parts, with the first saying, "First phase: Pay a small entry fee, and test your skill. According to your current power level, a problem/question regarding either the Path you have chosen, or even the general Path of Magic/Fighting will be asked. Simply give the right answer, and move onto the next phase!"

The second part occupied a large space, but most of it was taken up by multiple blocks each of which had different things in them.

But above all of these, there was an explanation, and it was this that the four in the Shameless Sect first focused on.

"Second phase: Roll for your rewards! What you earn is purely based on luck. If the Heavens are smiling upon you, roll high, and earn the ultimate prize of 5000 Ker Gems! Even if the Heavens decide that you do not need to grow richer than your wildest dreams… roll well, and earn thousands of Ker Gems! And even if you're unlucky… don't worry, as there are techniques that you can take away and possess forever!

Note: In the interest of transparency, the mechanism which selects the rolls can be inspected by anyone who asks. If they find anything untoward in it, they can show this to the leader of the sect, and be rewarded.

Below are all of the rewards!"

Finally laying their eyes on all of the boxes, the Shameless Sect blinked, as even the lowest award was dazzling.

"Midtier Warrior-level Fighter Technique".

A damn midtier technique!

They couldn't believe their eyes!

And as for the entry fee… It was only 100 Ker Gems!

Anyway they looked at it, it was a bargain, as these techniques would go for much higher prices outside. And of course, this was with the conversion made that walking out with the amount would ensure that one would be able to exchange it for 10 times the same.

Slowly… The Shameless Sect started to understand why there was so much excitement.

The more they studied the contents of the boxes, the more they salivated, because each and every one was so captivating.

The side rewards, themselves, went up to High-tier Champion level techniques, and seeing this, they could not believe their eyes, as these were restricted all over the continent unless an individual had sworn to always follow the sect that they were a part of.

But here, simply by rolling high, they could get one!

True, it might not be one that would definitely align with them, but still, they could exchange it whenever they wished, so its value in the real world was easily many, many times that of what they would be spending here to get it!

And as for the number of Ker Gems on offer as a reward, it started at 50 and went up to 5000, with the highest roll even being that one would gain this amount, and also two High tier Champion paths!

Now… Even the one that they had seen before did not seem too lucky, as his reward was just a tad bit above the middle level.

Although there were thousands of people in the entire area, not many had decided to come to this central stall first, but as word started to spread, more and more started arriving, and this made the Shameless Sect feel happy that they had decided to come here right away.

They didn't even talk much: their eyes were fixed on the rewards, and after hearing the chatter from in front of them, they started to brush up on the concepts of Magic that they had learned long ago.

Of course, they also started to pray, but it was the fatty who did this the most, as he had always been the one who had the most belief.

There were 160 people between them and the entrance, but the line moved quickly: apparently, the problem would be simple, and it wouldn't take long to answer. Even the roll would begin right away, with no delay whatsoever.

Over the course of their waiting, there were more and more people who would come out ecstatic, having earned a few hundred Ker Gems and precious techniques, but there were also many more who walked out a bit dejected, but also convinced to try their luck again.

Even these people had definitely obtained techniques, so they had no reason to be too sad, but weirdly, the four did not see many return to the line after having gone into the stall once.

Right as the Shameless Sect were about to enter the door, they found out why this was the case, because a man ran up to the front of the queue right alongside them and began to shout,"Listen! It's not as perfect as it seems to be! After you pass the test, if you roll low, there is an option where you can pay more Ker Gems to roll again! I did that, and rolled 7 times with all of my Ker Gems! I gained some techniques, but I lost more Ker Gems than I gained! It's still a scam!"

Whispers began among those in the queue as they heard this, but the fatty suddenly interrupted these by shouting, "Oh, really? Is that the case…or is it that the number of people who can enter are limited, so you want to ensure a spot for yourself while you go get some more Ker Gems? Say, if you're really unhappy, why don't you give us those techniques you earned? They must be worthless to you, right?"

An expression of panic instantly came on the man's face, and instinctively, he grabbed the satchel at his waist.

Laughing uproariously, the fatty declared, "That's what I thought! Now get out of here!"

As he royally walked into the stall after saying this while flanked by the rest of the sect, Daneel couldn't help but burst out laughing from where he stood.

His sovereigns had arrived, so he was sitting with them, and he had just been explaining the ideology behind his scam to Kellor, who had asked.

Controlling his laughter, he decided to finish the answer, first.

"Ah, where was I? Oh, yes, the idea of basing the scam on greed: you see, the Sect is filled with greedy folk who, at the end of the day, only care about themselves. So…even if they find out, later, that this entire thing benefits me, in the end, they'll still keep coming, because I have an almost unlimited amount of techniques which the Emperor wanted to make public knowledge, anyway. Like you said, if I had set up a stall just to sell techniques, these bastards would have banded together and made me reduce the prices until it had no meaning! I would have lost, then! But with this medley of luck, skill, and greed…nothing can go wrong! Now, give me a second, I have an old friend to meet…"

Five minutes later.

BOOOOOMMMM!!!!!

A loud sound right from the centre of the event attracted everyone who had still not headed over, and as they all looked in that direction, a breathtaking series of fireworks greeted them.

There were all kinds of Godbeasts frolicking in the sky, and among them was an announcement that gave the answer regarding why it was all happening.

"Congratulations to the Shameless Fatty(given name) for winning 5000 Ker Gems and two High-tier Champion level Mage Paths!"

Thousands looked on with disbelief as they saw this, but soon, the fireworks were replaced by a gigantic display trinket that could be seen from any direction.

On it was the fatty, and with a wide, obnoxious grin, he said, "HAHAHA, the Heavens are with me! Look at all you unlucky idiots! Cry, cos I'M RICH, F*CKERS! Don't bother coming to the stall anymore as its closed for today, but I bet no one will be as lucky as me even tomorrow! HAHAHAHA!"

As his laughter echoed in the area, many, many people could be seen gritting their teeth, and in the air, the sovereigns were all listening as Daneel said, "Final step: artificial creation of shortage to induce 'Fear of Missing Out'. I'm telling you, it's potent. And seeing all that anger…I think that tomorrow will be quite interesting. Let's turn in, sovereigns!"

With that, the sovereigns left to do their duties so that they could return the next day, and the entire sect was ablaze with jealousy and anger, along with vows that they would one-up the fatty the next day.

Many tried to dissuade them and call them to their own scams, some of which were doing quite well, but most…still had the irritating image of the fatty's face stuck in their minds.

The next day saw a queue being formed from right the second the gates opened, and throughout the day, it looked like there was no slowing down.

Many won, many lost, but everyone knew that in the end…the King would be the winner, as even if he rewarded a few with a lot, he was taking a little from many, which would always be higher in amount, while also being nothing comparable(in total) to the former.

It was in the evening of the second and final day that Daneel finally received the message that he had been waiting for from the leader of the sect.

"King, I'm passing along a message. Some would like to challenge you to a fight, as they believe that this contest is rigged to support you. I don't support that, but basically, they've been defeated in their hedonistic side, and they want to use their power. Shall I stop them?"

Bending his neck from side to side and cracking his knuckles like a wrestler going out to fight, Daneel sent the answer in a tone that sent a shiver up the leader's spine.

"Nope. Gather them all together- I'll take 'em all on at once. Oh, this is going to be a great show!"

Chapter 932: In the Sect of Hedon 5

In a scene that was very reminiscent of what had happened in the time when the name Travis Eclair had been heard throughout the Sect of Hedon, the Shameless Sect was gathered around a mountain of Ker gems with wide-open eyes that were staring at it almost as if they were afraid that it would sprout legs and run away if they blinked even once.

It wasn't just what they were seeing that had transfixed them so, though – they were also remembering what they had just gone through in the stall, and even now, they couldn't believe that it was actually the King of Lanthanor who was now renowned throughout the continent who had acted as their friend and lead them to the jackpot of riches which had almost been ready to be depleted, but had just been refilled almost miraculously with his return to the sect.

He had appeared in front of them and transformed into their friend before saying that the Shameless Sect was reunited again, and after a brief period of shock, they had all had no trouble believing it, because even they had noticed a few differences between how their friend had been when he had accompanied them through everything they had done in the sect, and when they had met him later.

True, there were all subtle, but as friends who had known each other for more than a decade, they had stood out, but the four had attributed them to the change that would come over anyone who had gone through a drastic alteration in their lifestyle.

Following that, they still remembered his words:

"I'm doing this scam for the good of the Sect of Hedon, which needs to unite and strive for greater power if we want to have at least a chance of saving this continent when the time comes. I was looking for someone to help me secure my victory, but you four came along, and I think you're perfect – yes, the formation which chooses the randomness of the rolls is visible to all, but I purposefully made it so complex that not even a hero can tell even if I tweak the outcome just a bit. When you four go in… That is just what I'll do, and you need to decide between yourselves regarding who will be the ultimate winner. Whoever that is, they will be responsible for antagonizing the rest of the sect and making them move so that even they will want to achieve the same thing, but even the other three will have the responsibility of spreading as many rumors as possible that will pull the most people to the stall. And of course, I need you to squash all of the negative information going around about the stall, even if it's true, if it might hurt the number of people who come to get their money stolen. What do you say, Shameless Sect? Shall we repeat our success from the last time I was here? Or have you all turned over a new leaf?"

Of course, they had all turned to each other and paused before bursting out in laughter on hearing the words 'turning over a new leaf', and that had been followed by the four of them picking straws to see who would take the role of the antagonizer.

This had led to the fatty winning, so in a way, his proclamation about the Heavens favoring him was true.

Still, they would now be sharing the rewards between all of them, and after taking their fill of the view of the Ker gem mountain and assuring themselves that it wasn't going anywhere, they left to take care of their duties.

Over all this time, each of them had joined different groups in accordance to their different skills, and even though at their core, they were still part of the same sect that they had formed when they were just Human-level mages, they now had other people whom they could use first to spread the word regarding the King's stall.

Surprisingly… That stunt of making the fatty strut in front of everyone had actually been quite successful, resulting in many wanting to rush to the stall and test their luck at least once.

This had led to a large push from the best performing stalls of those from the sect, and they had immediately started telling everyone about how they would be benefiting him in the end, and how they had to help each other as they were all part of the same sect.

This went on for the better part of half a day on the final day of the event, but of course, the Shameless Sect make sure that it was not very effective.

First, they paid a few Humans who had already lost all of their Ker gems elsewhere to run around the entire event area and sing praises for the King's stall with a large trumpet that they secured from somewhere. True, they could have used a simple trinket, but a large brass trumpet was a much better sight which would stick in people's minds, and it worked – their announcements about how they were actually benefiting from the King by taking all of his techniques which he must've collected with a lot of difficulty, and which they would not be able to obtain if they did not use this golden opportunity even if it meant losing a few Ker gems which could be earned back resulted in even those who had not considered going in order to try their luck elsewhere to feel foolish, and immediately walk to the centre which continued to be the busiest area.

This group had to constantly keep running, though, as they would sometimes be attacked by the stalls from whom business would be taken away, but with foresight, the Shameless Sect had only chosen the fastest Humans who had the most expertise in running the hell away whenever things got sour.

While this was going on, the Shameless Sect also paid a few more Humans to spread disinformation on those spreading disinformation regarding the King, and for this, they didn't even have to search much to dig up dirt. In the King's case, he was actually giving value even though he was supposed to be scamming everyone, but that was definitely not so for the others who were quite successful – one of them was actually giving out tickets which could be redeemed later for an hour of instruction from a Champion, and he was shown to be a fraud who actually hadn't asked for the permission of the Champions to do so, and had only planned to cheat everyone after the event was over.

Another successful stall was one with a dice game, which was quite popular in the sect, but the one who had set it up had found a novel way to cheat, by using an individual who was skilled with mind control to make people think that they were seeing the wrong number showing on the dice, even though the actual ones would make them win.

This one was outed by the Shameless Sect planning for 50 people to go at once, who could all not be controlled at the same time, and like that, one by one, each of the stalls that were doing well began to be targeted and attacked until they had no choice but to admit that there would be no way for them to win.

Seeing all of this, Daneel really had to admit that these four were pretty damn talented in scheming, and that they should probably be putting these skills to better use by helping the continent.

Deciding that he should definitely set up a secondary circle of people who would be below the sovereigns and setting a task for himself that he should first think up a name for them, Daneel began his preparations for what was surely going to come next.

Already, he was seeing the anger on the faces of many talented mages as they looked towards his stall and gritted their teeth, and he knew the decision that all of them would take.

His preparations didn't need much time, and this turned out to be a good thing, because by the evening of the second day, with a few hours left until it the entire thing would end, the leader of the sect came to him.

"King, the number of people lining up to challenge you is growing steadily – by now, at least half have signed up, and initially, I was prepared to let the challenge happen because I knew that you would not be harmed. However, now… With the number of Champions and Warriors, I am genuinely concerned about your health, which I am aware is still recovering. You can only control an apparition, but if your form is forced to disperse by the attacks of thousands of mages, it will damage your consciousness, and I do not wish for this entire thing to culminate in a situation where you might lose your anger and unleash your 100 Heroes on all these poor kids who will not be able to do anything to oppose them. How about we cancel this competition? In spirit, you've already shown that you won… I'm just afraid that if it goes on, bad things will happen which are not good for the continent, itself. What do you say?"

Looking at the leader, Daneel felt like summoning the Heros right now and stringing him up so that he could get the answer regarding just what he was relying on to speak like this in front of him.

However, he controlled himself, as he knew that that was not the right way to do things – and at the same time, he also realized that this situation of having the status where he did not need to worry about any individual force on the continent was a dangerous one which might be misused in a heartbeat if he gave in to his emotions. Daneel knew that it was this kind of thing that had brought ruin to many rulers who might even have had good intentions back on Earth, and with the vow that he would never let himself do the same, he said, "I appreciate your solution, but trust me – I can take them on. If you really have that much of a doubt, then how about this – I, Daneel Anivron, hereby swear that I shall not deploy the 100 Heroes under my command in the Sect of Hedon no matter what happens. The oath has been made. Happy now? In the next 24 hours, I can definitely not escape it, so you should have no problems, right?"

Daneel's sudden move startled the leader, as he had definitely not expected something so drastic. It was clear that he had been hoping that things would go in a different path, but now that the oath had already been made, he could only fumble and say, "O-of course! I'll set up the arena…"

With that, he left, but Daneel continued to stare at the spot where he been standing for a few more seconds.

It was only when Eloise appeared beside him that he snapped out of his musings, as she said, "Daneel, are you sure about this? That was at least a battle between Fighters in the Fortress which could be dominated using your methods… But these are mages! If they all band together, even a bunch of Heroes would find it difficult to go up against them! Can you really defeat them all?"

With a smile, Daneel was going to give her the answer, but thinking about what was going to happen, excitement filled his mind, putting him in an exceptionally good mood.

With a playful look in his eyes, he suddenly swept Eloise into his arms and laughed as he felt her freeze.

From the way he held her, though, she soon understood why he had done so, so responding accordingly, she put her hand on his shoulder, and Daneel gave the answer after taking her into a perfect dip, and then a twirl during which she couldn't help but laugh with happiness.

"Yes, my dear sovereign, and it's going to look spectacular! So prepare a crew, as this will be another opportunity to push our agenda of making me into a God! Ha, what perfect timing! Everything is ready! I'll be taking my leave, then…"

Chapter 933: In the Sect of Hedon End

Three hours before the event was scheduled to end, those who had still not gotten a chance to enter the stall of the King were looking forward to testing their luck and walking away satisfied that they had at least gotten something out of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that had graced their otherwise boring week.

Strangely, though, they began to notice that as each minute went by, the area around them began to empty more and more, until it seemed as if they were the only ones present.

Stalls began to be shut down, streets began to become empty, and an ominous silence started to settle on the area of the event, which was only punctured by the whisperings of those in this queue, in which only a few knew what was up.

A few minutes later, though, it became clear to everyone, because suddenly, in the air right above this area, a gigantic structure came into existence.

All of the mages present were shocked as they saw it, as they could see elementary particles all binding together firmly to create a flat surface that seemed unbreakable even if a Hero launched an attack.

Flabbergasted, they could only stare as tiles started to fall into place around this surface's edges, allowing it to expand more and more until it covered the entire sky above the area of the event, which was capable of holding at least 10,000 people.

As if on cue, sect member after sect member appeared in the air all around the surface, and initially, those on the ground could not see what was happening above this structure.

However, another minute later, it seemed that the expansion was finished, and as if a switch had been flipped, the entire thing suddenly turned transparent to reveal that all of those who were missing from the area around them… Were present in the air right above this newly formed arena.

And right in the center of it, exactly above the Dragon-shaped stall stood the King, with his hands folded behind his back, as if he wasn't concerned whatsoever about the 2000 mages who were all staring at him angrily.

He only had a small smirk on the corner of his lips, which was actually more infuriating than anything else that could have been present on his face, and looking at it, it was as if the fire of anger that was already burning within many in the air was showered with fuel, allowing it to roar and step into the world in the form of angry shouts.

"We won't allow this! We won't accept that you won!"

"Yes! You cheated! I don't know how…but I bet it'll be revealed after we beat you up!"

"YES! The sect is united! We will take you down and reveal the truth to everyone!"

"Dear fellow sect members! Let us all show this man that hedonism isn't our only strength! Prepare to use your deadliest attacks!"

"You think you can say you defeated our sect through this contest? Humph! Beat us now, and then we'll talk! Everyone, let's do this!"

2000 to 1? What the f*ck?

This question appeared in the minds of many who had just found out what was going on, but soon, as if they had been waiting, a group appeared in the area of the event and began to walk around holding a trinket in which an announcement had been recorded.

"All sect members, unite to drive away this arrogant King who believes he can defeat us! It is a question of our honor, and resources! Drive him away, and everything he promised will still be ours, as we will still be defeating him! Fly up! We attack together! And if you think it's unfair…he was the one who cockily asked to take everyone on at once! Why are you still thinking about it? Come join us!"

The twisted logic in the first part of the announcement startled many, but the revelation that such a kind of fight had been asked for by the King, himself, caused the anger present in those above to spread to many of those who had decided not to take part.

The feeling of being looked down upon was something they were used to dishing out instead of experiencing on their own, and even though they didn't recognize it for what it was right away, they couldn't take it.

Whoever dared to look down on them so… Had to be smashed into the ground.

More and more people started to join the large group in the air, and soon, it swelled in size until it held more than 3000 people.

In the air above the sect, seeing all this, Elanev said, "In the Fortress, there were only a thousand, even though Fighters are supposed to be much more common than mages. But here, there are 3000 mages going up against my dear brother! Can he really do it?"

The one to answer was Eloise, who still had a slight blush on her cheeks as she remembered what they had just shared.

Smiling at her childhood friend, she said, "Yes, Fighters are more common, but the Fortress has always had the policy of only accepting the best. In that case, relatively speaking, the thousand Fighters were all elite individuals who could be said to be the best of the best. But as mages are more scarce, even those with good, but not great comprehension levels are accepted into the sects. In fact, the Sect of Hedon actually has some of the laxest requirements, and that's why you're seeing this scene in front of you right now. Most of those 3000 are just Humans and Warriors who are practically cannon fodder, and just as we saw in the Fortress, the real threats hiding among them so that they can attack at the perfect moment. As for what he's going to do… He did tell me to have a communication eye crew ready, as this is also supposed to help our mission to ascend his status to Godhood. Let's wait and watch."

"We won't have to wait long, though! It's already starting!"

This was said by Kellor, and right away, everyone focused on the arena to find that there were no more people joining the group.

The entire number of individuals that had joined the event was around 5000, and the final count of those going up against the King… Was 3800 to 1.

In the center of the arena, Daneel's smirk was still firmly present on his face as he said to the system, "Are we ready to deploy? And here I was thinking that I would be able to go down in history for defeating 5000 at once… Well, this will have to do. Besides, when has history ever been always accurate, anyway?"

Daneel did not expect the system to respond to his jest, but funnily enough, it did in its own unique way.

[Protocol ready to deploy. Parameters have been adjusted according to data collected from host's surroundings. Would host like to create 1200 additional individuals that can be added discreetly to the attacking force to create the record?]

He chuckled in response, and weirdly… This chuckle was the ember that set the Sect of Hedon ablaze.

"GET HIM!"

No one knew who shouted this, but suddenly, all hell broke loose.

Working together was always something that needed a lot of training and practise in the path of magic if one wanted to output more power than would usually be possible if people were acting separately, but when the number of mages swelled to the thousands…this was something that didn't matter.

Multicolored beams, shiny weapons, elemental attacks, and in some places, even attack-oriented apparitions started to form, all targeted at one lonely man who almost seemed puny and weak in front of such a large force.

In just two seconds, the air was filled with destructive forces in all directions, and in a moment, it looked like the King, and maybe even a large part of the sect that was below him would be blown to smithereens, with nothing remaining to show that one man had stood against thousands on that spot.

Even the leader took in a sharp breath and waited for the scene to turn out in the way he hoped, but suddenly, the King…raised his hands.

"Deploy…Legion."

He said these words both out loud and to the system, and for a moment, it seemed as if it was just the bluster of someone who was close to being decimated.

But a moment later…everyone found out how wrong they were.

Perhaps, the best way to describe it would be the words that Kellor would come up with much later.

"First, he stood alone, but then…he was everywhere. On that day, in the Sect of Hedon…the Supreme Godking descended, and with his descent…the World, itself, stood still."

In more direct terms, though, the shouts of the Mages were the best things which summed it up, and these shouts were because of the fact that in front of the eyes and each and every one of them…a replica of the King manifested into existence.

The fact that this happened with no preamble was itself a shocking thing, but what really caused storms to be kicked up in the minds of the mages…was the fact that each replica had in its hands the exact copy of the attack that they were going to unleash.

And a second before they could attack, using their state of being in shock, the replicas struck, and from the sky over the Sect of Hedon…blood began to rain.

3800 clones, each equipped with the exact attack of the Mages who had been about to strike at the form of the one they had taken, managed to use the minute flaws that were present in all those who had yet to reach perfection to both nullify their spells, and take the upper hand by directing the force unleashed by the nullification in their direction.

It was like two expert swordsmen attacking each other using the same move, but if one among them knew a minute flaw in the form of the other, they could target it to break apart their opponent's attack and even turn their own sword on them.

In magic, this was known as 'Master's Gambit', as there was a great chance that if the one using this method didn't know the attack of their opponent well enough, the reverse would happen, and they would find themselves injured, or worse.

But, of course, with Daneel's relationship with the World, was there a chance that his attacks could be imperfect?

Not at all.

His Path allowed him to read all of the elementary particles perfectly, and the system smoothly sent the commands to each and every clone regarding what it had to do.

If Heroes were going up against him, this move might have been countered right away in multiple ways, but against Humans and Warriors? There was no chance.

The Humans fell first. One by one, bodies began to fall to the ground as each of them were knocked out, and if Daneel wished, he could have ended their lives then and there.

Of course, this was not what he had come to do, but he made sure that each of them saw before fainting that it was simple for his clones to kill them.

Bodies with frightened and panicked expressions began to thud onto the ground as the arena opened up in places to allow them through, one by one, and soon, the area of the event which had been bustling earlier began to be filled with bodies again, but this time, they were all unmoving.

The Warriors came next. They put up a fight, but they were done in 4, or at most 5 attacks.

There was even more shock on the faces of these Mages, as they couldn't understand how it was possible for anyone to replicate their own Paths or Inheritances so perfectly.

Monster.

This word echoed in almost all of their minds, and many of them would look with reverential fear in the direction of the King's real body, which still had its hands up, as if it was directing a macabre symphony of dominating violence.

Finally, only the Champions were left, but there were only a few hundred of them.

Of course, with the departure of the rest of the sect, the clones were left free, and as they saw the thousands of Kings divvy them up as if they were but dead meat on a chopping board, fear struck their hearts.

The members of the Sect of Hedon always knew when to fight, and when to flee, and once again, they showed this quality.

"We surrender!"

"You win! We were wrong!"

"Yes, I didn't even ask to be here! I was dragged here by that guy!"

"Me? No! HE DRAGGED ME HERE!"

As fights began to break out among them, the leader of the sect buried his head in his hands, but his face still had the astonishment from before, when he had seen the situation change in that awe-inspiring way.

Chuckling, Daneel looked like he was going to let the Champions go, which led to these individuals letting out sighs of relief.

Not all of them had gotten up to these antics, with the real elites still being on guard in case they were attacked, and in the next second, it turned out that they were right to be cautious.

"If you had all been united from the beginning, I might not have gotten this chance, but each of you only cared for yourselves. Now…pay for that foolishness, and go take a nap with your fellow sect members. Get 'em!"

With his shout, the thousands of clones attacked, and it didn't even take 30 seconds for all of the Champions to be swatted to the ground, too.

While they fell, though, they saw the reason behind their loss: a formation more complex than anything they had ever seen was present beneath the King's feet, and below it was a large, concealed mountain of Ker Gems which was being depleted by the second.

Seeing the quantity that had already been depleted, the last thought they got was the realization that it had taken the amount of Energy that would have been required for their entire sect to operate for a year to result in this scene, but when they asked themselves whether it was worth it…the answer was clear in the last image they saw.

It was that of one man standing over thousands who had sought to vanquish him, but in a feat that would go down in history, he had turned the tables and overpowered them all, resulting in a silent field filled with defeated foes who all paid homage to his strength by lying unmoving under his feet.

Such images…would make the blood of those who even read about them generations later to boil, and as for the effect it would have on those who were present to see it in the flesh…it couldn't even be put into words.

The rest of the sect that was staring with jaws hanging wide open were suddenly startled out of their stupefied state when the King spoke, and his voice was something they would not forget for a long, long time.

"Today, the Sect of Hedon has fallen. Today, I have squashed it under my feet, and if anyone disputes this claim, come forth, and I will show you the truth in it. Today, I beat you all in all the areas you thought yourselves to be experts, so before you even think about looking down on others ever again, remember this scene. The Sect of Hedon is mine, now and forevermore, and if anyone dares to think otherwise, speak now, or forever hold your tongue!"

Before Daneel said the last sentence, he turned to the leader with the fierce eyes of a conqueror, and in the silence that followed…the Hero did not raise his head.

With a humph, the corner of his lip rose, as he said, "Yeah…I didn't think so. Lick your wounds, everyone, because I'll be back, and when I arrive…a lot of things are going to change, whether you like it, or not. Remember, if you want to wipe away this humiliation, all you have to do is show me that you are not what you were today. That's only if you still call yourself a proud member of the Sect, of course. Farewell!"

Saying so, the King shot one last look at the field of bodies under him, before disappearing from where he stood, and bringing an end to the saga that would forever be known as 'A Scam that ended in a Conquest'.

Chapter 934: The Next Destination

In the skies above Angaria, the sovereigns were all flying in silence to their next destination.

It was as if the image they had just seen in the sect had been burned into their minds, and even though something similar had happened just before in the Fortress, this one was even more magnificent, and no matter how much they tried to snap out of it, they continued to be tongue-tied as they kept thinking back to it.

It was finally Aran who broke the silence, by speaking in an almost fan girly high-pitched voice.

"That…was f*cking awesome! Hell, if I hadn't seen you get till here, I would be convinced you really were a God!"

This summed up the feelings of almost all of the sovereigns quite perfectly, and they all couldn't help but nod.

Robert spoke up next, but his eyes were out of focus, as if he was still back in the air above the Sect of Hedon.

"To think my wife gave birth to a God… What will she be, then? Okay, I'm overthinking it…but I'm going to send the recording to her, now!"

Daneel broke out into laughter as he heard this, and finally, he allowed the pride smile that he had been holding back to come onto his face.

Seeing it, Elanev slapped his shoulder and said, "There it is! I knew you were proud! If I just did that, I would be bragging about it to everyone I could find!"

This made Daneel laugh even more, before he said, "I considered making those things have no face, but then, I thought- wouldn't a God be able to manifest himself in that way, to send despair into the hearts of those who might believe that numbers could give them victory? I must say that it was a pretty good decision…"

Luther replied to this by saying, "Very true, my king. In war, victory can also be achieved by overwhelming the hearts and minds of an opposing army with fear, and I believe that you have just done that to anyone outside of the Order in the continent who might wish to foolishly go up against you. I must say that it was a pretty excellent display of psychological warfare, and its benefits should be manifold."

The other commanders also nodded to this, which led to Daneel once again recalling the thought process that had led to his decision to create that module and deploy such an attack.

His forte had always been his Champion path, which allowed him to practically be the darling of the World, which would tell him exactly what Path was being deployed by anyone whom he was going up against, and one of the best ways in which he could use this was by defeating a large group of people by using their own Paths against them in a perfect manner by exploiting the weaknesses that would all be pointed out to him.

Indeed, there was no better way to bring despair, and that had exactly been his objective, as the Sect of Hedon had reveled in its limitless self-confidence for far too long.

This could be said for the rest of the Big Four, too, but it was most applicable to the sect, and he was confident that he had accomplished his objective.

He had seen the faces of those who were still conscious after being kicked onto the ground, and they had been filled with unwillingness and the urge to do anything that was needed to get rid of the feeling that had been born in their hearts- that they were useless, and that they had all been defeated by a single person who was even from the Central Continent, which they had always looked down on in disdain.

Everything wasn't perfect, though, as Daneel remembered the dangers of his plan, which led to him saying, "I believe that I was successful in crushing the egos, but now, we should be really careful to ensure that they don't go over to the Church because of this. Resentment, when created, should be directed correctly, lest it leads its possessor astray. I'll be sending a message to the Head to deploy Heroes who have proven their loyalty to the continent so that they can help these sect members pick themselves up and see a way in which they can put all of the emotions that have been born due to this experience to good use. Eloise, did the crew capture everything perfectly?"

With a nod, Eloise said, "Yes, but as you asked, I didn't broadcast it live. After we're done here, I'll doctor the recording so that we hide the location and the identities of those defeated. After all, the Big Four is still secret. And as for the method of dispersal, I have an idea…"

All of the sovereigns turned to Eloise as she said this, which led her to sort her thoughts out before continuing.

"I think it should be 'leaked' by a fanatic of yours, and initially, maybe we can even try to suppress it. That's because I've seen the power of gossip- the more people try to keep something secret, the more it spreads. Maybe we can say that we wanted to keep it secret so that the secret organizations on the continent are not undermined. Or we can find some other reason. But basically…instead of directly airing it for the continent to watch, I believe that this method will be more effective."

Daneel's eyebrows rose as he heard this, and he almost blurted out the words 'Streisand Effect'.

It was the phenomenon where something that might seem as if it was being suppressed would end up spreading even more among the general population, mainly because of the psychological pushback that would be caused when one found out that something was being kept from them.

Controlling himself at the last second and praising his sovereign in his mind, Daneel beamed and said, "Sounds excellent! Carry on with it. Soon, what you said about the Big Four being secret might not be the truth…but until then, it should be suppressed. Keep giving me updates regarding how it goes."

All of the 8 present glanced at Daneel with surprise as he said this, as he hadn't told them that he had such a lofty goal.

Perhaps, earlier, they would have said that it would be difficult with his main body still recovering, but after what they had just seen…there was no doubt whatsoever that in Angaria, if he put his mind to something, it would be done.

"So…how did you do it, My King? I saw the formation, but I couldn't make sense of it…if you were capable of something like that, why not deploy it directly against anyone who dares to attack? Why not rout the Church as soon as they arrive? It just seems so overpowered!"

Cassandra spoke up to ask the question that had come in the minds of all of the mages present, and seeing that they were close to their destination, Daneel decided to give a short answer.

"It's simple: I only won because I chose the place to fight, and I had the element of surprise. Also…I was only up against Champions, which is a realm I do not need to fear, at all, with my current power. If I wanted to do the same against Heroes…suffice it to say that I might need to empty Angaria, itself, of Energy resources, as I would need to create sufficiently strong clones, and also…Heroes should have no trouble switching it up and using one of their many skills to overwhelm my clones, in return. Also, they can directly target the formation and my main body as they would have the means to ignore the clones for a second, so even if I try such a stunt, it would be suicide. The World is always balanced, Cassandra. The only reason it seems overpowered…is that I am capable of understanding so many Paths at once, and working against them. However, if a sufficiently advanced Hero stood in my place, they would be able to do the same thing. In fact, such a Hero wouldn't even opt to use my method, as they would be able to defeat that force by themselves! That way, they wouldn't even need to expend so many resources! Basically, I only did it for the 'awe' factor, and in the process, I even had to use up a large chunk of the Ker Gems I found in Elysium…still, it was worth it!"

"Indeed. I saw the Ker Gems you used up. Perhaps the best way to put it is that the amount of Energy resources you used up to defeat each of those 3800 individuals is perhaps what they would have absorbed to train for more than a year! Given a choice, would you rather increase the power of your forces, or expend so many resources for the shock factor? In this case, it was justified, but anyone would choose more sustainable ways, especially when they are available to them. I reckon that even now, our King could have won in a prolonged fight. Right?"

Kellor had once again hit the nail on the head, and as Daneel nodded in response, he saw that they had arrived at their destination.

And of course…it was the Goddess's Sanctum.

As Daneel and the rest descended into the large fissure in the ground to arrive in front of the gigantic statue of the Goddess that he had seen so long ago, when he had come here with Xuan, sweet memories rose up from the deepest corners of his heart, which made him order the system to shift him to the apparition that was at her side.

She was still sleeping peacefully in his chambers, and seeing that she seemed becoming better and better with each day, Daneel couldn't help but smile and lovingly tuck a tuft of hair that had fallen in front of her face back behind her ear.

As he shifted back to the apparition that was with the sovereigns, a tender look could be seen in his eyes, and noticing it, Eloise asked, "Is she doing well?"

Seeing that she had read his heart, Daneel nodded and said, "Yes, her injuries are responding well, and it seems that you accompanying her helped, too. But I wonder how she'll feel when she finds out that we stomped her home into the ground while she was sleeping…"

Right as Daneel said these words, they reached the grassy plain that was present at the feet of the 200 m tall(626 feet) statue, and there, it seemed that a welcoming party was already waiting for them.

The Matron was standing with a delegation of women all dressed in shiny armor, and all of them had somber expressions on their faces, as if they were ready to go to war.

As soon as he landed, she said, "We have gotten word that you're going around relieving the Big Four of an epidemic you claim it is suffering from, while also conquering each of the forces that have stood supreme for centuries. True, that might be the case for the others, but here, there is no ego, no disdain, and no discord. We are the most united among the Big Four, and I see no reason for you to challenge us. You can step in for a nice spot of tea, but if you want this holy sect…today, you will have to leave with disappointment."

Daneel's reply was given in a cheerful tone.

"Oh, great! So I won't have to explain myself! My dear Matron, I'm afraid that you're quite wrong. Yes, I did set out to cure that disease, and as for the conquests, they just…happened to happen. As for the Sanctum, I have many reports that state otherwise. So…"

"So you have chosen to go against us, the Goddesses. Well, in that case…"

Interrupting Daneel, the Matron spoke, and as the last word came out of her mouth…the entire landscape suddenly changed.

The field that had been empty became instantly filled with exquisite women in all directions, and of course, each of them deserved to be called a 'Goddess' in their own right.

At the same time, an unseen force came into being that was targeted at Daneel, and as soon as it struck him, his eyes lost focus. Accompanied by a completely captivated expression, drool appeared at the corner of his lips, and it looked like he would only continue to stare even if he was being slaughtered.

However, as soon as this happened, the system spoke in his mind, and in that instant, another event that would be recorded in history began, but this one…was definitely not the sort that would be proudly sung of for generations, as instead, it would invoke a different sensation.

[Large-scale Captivation Spell detected. Automatic counter-protocol initiated. Protocol name: Reverse Harem Jutsu. Deploying.]

Chapter 935: Fighting the Sanctum 1

Every Matron was always told a story by the one before them on the day that they took the position as the leader of the Goddess's Sanctum.

Many, many centuries ago, when the sect had first been created by the first Goddess, there had been a time when they were still quite weak, and needed to be left alone so that they could gather the strength to grow and reach the lofty heights that they were aiming for.

In such a time, one day, a man came to the doorstep of the then humble abode of the sect.

He was sent by the cautious leader of a different sect that was part of the then Big Four, and his purpose had been to eradicate them when they were still weak so that there would be no chance whatsoever that they would ever grow strong enough to threaten the position of the sect.

The Goddess had known, right away, that she stood no chance against him. He was one of the most renowned Mages in all of Angaria, and having defeated almost all of his peers in single combat, it was a very easy task for him.

After arriving, he even announced his purpose and sat on a chair to relax for a bit while everyone stared at him with fear, and it was obvious that he was doing so as he knew that they could do nothing to him.

Then, the first Goddess had already laid down all of the rules that she wanted the sect to follow. Her purpose had always been to set up a place that could be called home by unique women, like her, who would not fit in anywhere else, and who would always feel as if something was missing from their lives unless they were given the purpose and confidence that they were Goddesses who could achieve whatever they wished if they just put their mind to it.

Her story had been a tragic one, with her being wronged by many, many people throughout her long life, and it was only because she was fed up of such a world that she had decided to create a safe Sanctum for all those in that age and in the future, who might suffer like her if they did not have support from others who were like them.

But everything that she had created was going to be brought to ruin by the man in front of her, if she did not find a way to send him on his way.

Until that moment in her life, she had always believed that the charms of a woman were meant only to accompany her on her path. If they were too strong, they would actually be the curse that would bring down trouble upon that woman, so in fact, she had even not had a very favorable impression of them, as many of the difficulties that she had faced had been caused by them, too.

However, at that juncture, she had had a revelation.

The way the World worked had always been that it would give everything that was required to those that it had given birth to so that they could fend off any difficulty that would come in their lives, and if so, what if… Those charms had also been given so that they could be used by those who were capable of doing so to get an upper hand in situations that might seem inescapable?

As she was an extremely talented individual who had extensively studied all of the teachings left behind from the age of the Empire, along with this thought, the teachings of a certain woman who had been known both for her talent to bring pain and incite passion had occurred to her.

Her mind had worked miraculously fast, almost as if the World was helping her, and a few seconds later, she had created a spell that she labeled 'The Goddess's Temptation'.

Its specialty was that it only needed one individual to direct it, but the more Goddesses there were, the more it would be effective.

At that time, she had already gathered a large number of followers, so she had quickly called upon all 600 women that she had recruited.

The mage had stood up by then, interested to see what kind of an offense the ones in front of him who seemed so puny and weak when compared to himself might put up, but a second later, the spell was cast, and he… Was lost, forever.

Or maybe… It could be said that he had found his purpose in an otherwise aimless life, as he fell heart and soul for the sect which he vowed to protect until the end of his life, no matter what came in his way.

The story went that he was the main reason that the Sanctum even existed this day, as he had kept his vow, and fought for decades and decades, preventing anyone from squashing this force before it reached its full potential.

The first Goddess, having realized just how effective, but also dangerous her creation was, had decreed that it would only be taught to Matrons, and since then, the custom had been followed. It only had to be used in the direst of circumstances, and over the long history of the sect, there were multiple times when those who had come to attack would find themselves captivated and bound to the sect for life.

It couldn't truly be called a shackle, though, because the key behind it was always that there had to be at least some genuine sentiment behind the captivation. At that time, the genuineness had come from the first Goddess, herself, and hence, one of the biggest secrets of the sect was that if one broke apart the gigantic statue that was built after her life came to an end, they would find a smaller statue of that mage, as he had become the most important part of her, just like she and the rest of the Goddesses had become the most important thing for him.

This entire story flashed through the Matron's mind as she began to cast the spell after teleporting over all of the Goddesses in the sect, but what happened next… Would be something that would make her feel faint no matter when she remembered it throughout the rest of her life.

After all of the members of the sect appeared around her, she had prepared to take complete control of the King. Initially, this control would be temporary, but then, she would change it to become permanent after she found a goddess whose heart could genuinely crave for this man. This was what she had intended when she had let Xuan kiss him, too, and even though she wasn't present, she expected no trouble in replacing her, as the King was already quite famous in all of the sect members.

However, just as she was about to smile on account of achieving victory and another source of support that would allow the Sanctum to survive for many more generations… The landscape in front of all of them also changed, and what it turned into was scandalously shocking, to say the least.

Men. Glorious, handsome, dashing, heart-wrenching, mind-bending men.

The entire sect stood still as hundreds of men with chiseled bodies wearing all sorts of clothes appeared, before rushing in the direction of the women, many of whom are actually quite inexperienced in the area of seduction.

They had only arrived to give strength to the spell, but when they saw the men who were all so perfect and godly that it seemed as if they had walked out of their dreams, many couldn't believe their eyes, and some even blinked and pinched themselves to make sure that they still weren't sleeping.

Even the Matron was frozen, as the man who had captivated her heart long ago was smiling in front of her, with sincere love and affection present on his face as he looked into her eyes and took her hand to kiss it and lay it on his shoulder.

The same scene repeated all over the place. There was a man for each and every one of them, and somehow, each of them was perfect for the one that they reached. They acted in different ways- some mimicked Marcus, the Champion from the fortress who had protected Daniel and allowed him to grow all those years ago as a favor, whereas others acted more boldly, either taking the women by their waists, or directly hugging them to make them snap out of the concentrated state they had entered in order to help cast the spell.

And of course, that was the intention behind it all, and a second later, when Daneel returned to his senses with cold sweat appearing on his back, the scene he was greeted by was so unique that even he couldn't understand what was going on for a few moments.

As for the sovereigns beside him, they had been dead sure that there was no way that he could shock them more than he had done in these past few days, but again, they were proven very, very wrong.

Among the men, even Kellor, Luther and his father had fallen prey to the spell of the sect which had spilled over to them as they were standing near him, and they, too, had just woken to find this sight which they couldn't make heads or tails out of.

But as for the women… They knew what was up, but they were tongue-tied, as they had fallen prey to Daneel's spell, and they were all staring at the perfect faces and bodies of all of those who had clearly stolen the hearts of all of the Goddesses of the Sanctum.

"Ah-ahem…"

Finally, it was Daneel who cleared his throat and asked the system to deactivate the spell, which led to all of them are disappearing.

But what this did… Was something he could never have expected.

At first, grief filled the faces of most of the women, but as the Matron understood what had happened, she shouted something that turned this grief into fury.

"YOU! YOU DARE HUMILIATE OUR SANCTITY WITH THAT…WITH THAT…ILLUSION! CHEAT! SCOUNDREL! GIVE HIM BAC-err, I mean…PREPARE TO PAY! GODDESSES! IT'S ALL HIS FAULT! ASSEMBLE IN THE SANCTORIUM! TODAY, WE KILL!"

Huh?

For once, even Daneel was perplexed. He had prepared for this trip by using the clues hidden all over the history books that the Goddess's Sanctum had such a spell, and he had found no other way that would definitely work to counter it, as he didn't even know exactly how it worked.

But what was this Sanctorium?

Before Daneel could ask the system whether it detected any threats in the area, though, the Matron and all of the Goddesses shot another look at him filled with rage, before disappearing.

And at the same time…the system sent him an urgent message.

[Hidden Isolation Formation detected! Unable to communicate with the outside world! Heroes under host's command are unable to be contacted!]

Even as Daneel furrowed his eyebrows and was about to respond, another change came over the field, and this one…was something that made all 9 sovereigns take a step back with faces that were filled with astonishment.

The 200 m tall statue of the Goddess that was kindly smiling upon the sect…moved.

The ground they were standing on shook as the statue's expression changed to show the same emotion as the Matron who had stood in front of him, and as Daneel finally realized what was going on, he looked at the others and said, "Well, sovereigns, I've really done it now…prepare to fight! It's just us! No Heroes can bail us out! That thing's at the Hero-level, but together, we can take it down! Let's show what all the sovereigns are capable of, together! Let's go!"

Chapter 936: Fighting the Sanctum End

A grey, graceful dress.

A lithe, perfect body.

And the face filled with fury.

If the three of these things were present on a normal woman, it might not have been such a threat, but the fact that they all belonged to a 200 m tall being which was towering over them menacingly… Made all eight sovereigns take a gulp and a step back even though Daneel had spoken those bold words.

Even though the final thing he had said was 'let's go', Daneel, himself, joined them as the most obvious thing to do was to first create some distance between them and this unique foe who had not moved to attack yet.

But a second later, this was no longer the case.

[Analysing host's opponent. Multiple core formations that are present within opponent's body are still being activated. Hence, it is possible that the maximum strength that the opponent can output will not be available for a small bit of time. However, no method has been found to penetrate the exterior layer of the opponent, which has been hardened to a level that will require 10 Hero level individuals to launch a constant barrage of attacks for 10 seconds if it needs to be broken through. A self-healing formation is also in effect, which will nullify and heal any damage taken. From all of these observations, a conclusion has been reached that the primary objective of this Amalgam is to defend, rather than to attack. Although the attacking formations detected are also numerous, more focus has been laid on defense, leading to the present invulnerable state.]

"Dammit, give me some good news!"

Daneel's frantic shout was due to the change that had come over the statue, which had raised its right hand, while its eyes which were so big that any of them could stand in them, upright, were still fixed on the spot where they stood with the intent to kill.

'Hey, I just showed you some actors from Earth! Maybe I spoiled your expectations in men for a few years…but that's it! Who knows, maybe you'll still find your Brad Pitts and Dicaprios here!'

The King of Lanthanor felt like screaming this as he detected the elementary particles that had been kicked up into a storm due to the movement of the Amalgam, which was what the system had called it.

Knowing that it might only succeed in making things worse, though, he controlled himself, and said, "Sovereigns, prepare to use your powers at a moment's notice! We aren't going down without a fight!"

Hearing him, the sovereigns who had still not completely snapped out of what had just happened finally managed to do so, and follow his instructions.

Of course, Aran was the last one to do this, but he successfully managed to return to his senses, too, when Cassandra saw his fists opening and closing in front of his eyes while looking as if he was seeing the most beautiful objects in the universe, which led to her setting his hair on fire for a brief moment.

He had been about to curse after she did so, but when he saw her glare and understood what had happened, he, too, began to activate his Path.

One by one, while Daneel waited for the system to respond to his wish, the sovereigns took up the formation which they had discussed idly after Daneel's return, in case they ever got into a fight together.

They hadn't expected that they would need to use it anytime soon, though, due to the existence of Daneel's terrifying backup force, but with those Heroes cut off, they had no other choice.

Elanev strode to the front, and with each step he took, his entire body started to swell until his muscles on his upper body tore through the robes he was wearing to expose their terrifying might. The Overdrive Inheritance which would allow him to strike with stored Energy that would also greatly amplify each and every one of his attacks had always been one of the most dominating Paths among Fighters, and he showcased why this was so in a perfect manner when steam began to rise from all over his body as he reached his destination, which was where he stood as the vanguard of the sovereigns.

Next was Faxul, who transformed into a gigantic Black Raven whose wingspan was at least 80 meters, and as swirling black holes came into existence at the ends of his talons, they looked ready to swallow all of existence.

His wings protectively covered the spot where they were all standing, and by the time he began to hover over them, Eloise and Robert had reached their positions in the middle of the group.

Robert was the weakest among the sovereigns as he had had to be taken along with Daneel and put in a slumber when he had been on the run, and even though Daneel had a plan for his Path which would definitely put him on par with the others, for now, he was designated to be the final line of defense for Eloise, while also acting as the commander who would call out opportunities or dangers if there were any.

And of course, Eloise was probably the most important individual among them who had to be protected at all costs, as her Path which she activated right away boosted all of their powers and made them feel as if they were full of Energy.

The commanders and the Grant Court Mage moved last: Aran and Kellor made a perimeter in front of Robert and behind Elanev as they prepared to confound(using Aran's Mindhunter Path) and then cut down(using Kellor's woodcutter's axe) anyone who might come against them, and Luther and Cassandra turned into a shadow and a Phoenix, respectively, as they went to either side of the formation and got ready to branch out and strike from the side, when the order came.

Daneel rose in the air and took his place above those on the ground, and below Faxul. His job was to direct the battle and also deploy his numerous offensive methods in the way he saw fit using the system, and for that, he was ready.

Almost at the same second that they finished arranging themselves…the Sanctorium struck.

Until that point, a globe of bright light had been forming around the upraised hand of the Amalgam, and in a flash, the hand moved, hurling this globe at lightning speed at the opponents it was looking at as if they had betrayed it in the worst way possible.

"Brace!"

Daneel knew, from the announcement of the system which had told him about the defensive properties of the Amalgam, that it would be futile for them to attack even though they had figured out a few ways to combine their power.

Even though those would be pretty spectacular as Daneel had gone through a lot of thought to create them, they wouldn't be enough, so it was better not to expose those trump cards unless they would work.

As the globe came nearer and nearer, the ground suddenly started to shake, and looking in front of them, everyone realised with horror that after throwing the attack, 200 meters of ferocity given life was hurtling towards them with the clear intent of superimposing a physical attack on top of the magical one that it had just launched.

They didn't know yet whether both would reach at the same time, but even if they didn't, enduring one after the other would definitely be pretty devastating.

Recognizing this, Daneel shouted, "Prepare to evade after defending! Aran, try to slow that thing down- aim for the Matron, who's inside the spot where the Mageroot would be! Faxul, fly over to a different side and use the attractive power of your black holes to pull that thing over to you! Cassandra, go with Faxul and lay a trap with your flames! Everyone else, DEFEND!"

His last word coincided with the moment of impact of the globe of light, and as soon as it struck the layers and layers of barriers that popped up…it felt as if the World was going to end.

This was the perfect combination of the power of hundreds of Champions, which was something that was supposed to be impossible, and even a couple of Heroes would have been blown away and gravely injured if they weren't giving their all, and then some, to protect themselves.

Thankfully, Daneel had a wide variety of defensive methods to choose from, and this time, the system's choice of using an 'armadillo method' turned out to be the perfect one.

All of the layers of barriers turned into a semi-circular ball, and as soon as the attack arrived, they started rotating at an incredibly high speed.

Hence, even though all of those left inside after Daneel's orders felt as if they would be crushed at any moment as their eyes were filled with the fiery intensity of the globe that was made of pure Energy concentrated and wound together in order to eradicate everything in its path, the truth was that its power began to be whittled away, bit by bit, by the rotation of the layers of barriers, which held on for dear life with the perfect management of the system.

"NOW!"

Daneel's shout came a few seconds after the impact, and hearing it, all of the rest of the sovereigns jumped to the side.

They felt a ferocious wave of wind buffet their bodies right as they did so, and as they turned to look at the spot where they were standing, a heavy feeling came upon their hearts.

A large foot of stone was present there, and from the remnants of the barriers which they had to leave behind so that the remainder of the globe wouldn't destroy them, they could tell that they would have been ground to dust right away if they had stared.

Even that escape had only been possible because Daneel's commands had caused the Amalgam to slow down a tiny bit, thus thwarting its original plan to arrive at the same time as the magical attack.

The good news was that they had escaped, but right after they found their footing…Aran collapsed, with blood coming out of his nostrils and eyes.

"He did well delaying them! Sadly, that thing is shielded against mental attacks, too! Throw him into the inner circle!"

With anger now apparent on his face, Daneel said this as the Amalgam started to raise its leg.

That attack had expended a lot of Energy, so it would need a brief moment to recover.

Looking at his sovereigns who were all already tired due to what they had just endured, he let out a breath.

They had also worked to create those barriers which had been managed by the system, and if it weren't for their presence, Daneel might have been injured by losing the part of consciousness that was present in his apparition as he would definitely have not had a way to stop that attack.

But what to do? Why was he even in this situation?

And how was he going to get out of it without being defeated, or worse?

As soon as both of these questions came to him at the same time…a sudden idea came in Daneel's mind, and ordinarily, he might not have chosen to act on it.

Now, though…these women whom he had not intended to antagonise in the first place were just being too unreasonable, and hence…he had no choice.

"*Sigh*…I didn't want to do this. Everyone! I'm sending you a multi-person formation blueprint. When the time comes, hand over your consciousnesses to me. I will direct them all to cast it. But keep watch, as in the future, I want to be able to do the same with you guys casting it on your own. This is just the first of many attacks that I've chosen to temporarily call 'Sovereign Strike(SS)', so this would be SS1, if we choose to stick with the name."

The reluctance in the first sentence was met by surprise from the sovereigns who had definitely not expected that they would hear something like that at this juncture. But as soon as a blueprint began to be communicated to them…they all almost dropped their jaws collectively, but this was interrupted by the Amalgam, whose loud steps were heard again as it seemed that it was done recovering.

"Guys, you can marvel at it later, but now, consciousnesses please…we're kinda' on a tight schedule."

His idle words did two things: first, it allowed them to snap out of their state of shock, and second, it made them all relax, as once again…their king had a plan.

That was all they needed to know. With the backdrop of the thundering steps of the Amalgam which had seemingly decided to crush them with its physical might instead of replying on magical attacks, all of the sovereigns gave up their consciousnesses to the person they trusted the most in the world, and at that moment…a wonderful thing started to happen.

If the ladies in the Amalgam weren't so blinded with rage, they might have seen it and felt danger, but alas…fate had decreed that this would be a day they would remember with shame for not one, but two resounding reasons.

It was ready not even two seconds later, and that also happened to be the time at which the Amalgam reached them and struck out with its hand.

By this time, Faxul and Cassandra were back in their assigned places, and standing in the air among the sovereigns, Daneel sighed again and spoke in a casual tone.

"Ladies, you're the ones pushing me, and later, when you think back to this, remember that. Normally, I would never have done this, but now…"

As soon as that word left Daneel's mouth, it was the moment at which the Amalgam's hand had retracted to launch towards them with the full might of hundreds of Champions.

However, suddenly, in front of the formation of sovereigns, an object began to form.

The World, itself, seemed to fear its creation, as the elementary particles in the area all fluctuated violently, which was something that would normally happen on the advent of a natural catastrophe.

Fire danced in the air. Sprouts of water came into being and disappeared randomly. Cracks came in the ground, and lightning briefly flashed everywhere.

Among them all…a spear began to take form.

It was long, double the length of a normal spear, and first, its shaft came into existence.

Gilded with gold and decorated with the images of the Dragon, the Black Raven, and the Phoenix, it made voids appear all around it as it seemed to be yawning as if it had been awoken from a long, deep slumber.

With each inch of the spear that formed, the fluctuations grew wilder, and finally, when the time came for the spear-tip to appear, Daneel spoke again.

"Take form, Sovereign Spear of Annihilation. And system…deploy Reverse Harem Jutsu: Stage two."

The second sentence was obviously spoken within his mind, but in that instant, the elementary particle fluctuations all vanished, and they were replaced…by hundreds of people.

At first, the women in the Amalgam were confused, but again, it was the Matron who understood what was happening.

However…she was a beat too late.

"Stop, everyone! CLOSE YOUR EYES! CLOSE THEM! CLOS-"

That last word froze in her thought, though…when two people kissing passionately appeared in front of the Amalgam's face.

It was the Matron and Marcus, and the image had a strange allure to it, which made the Matron automatically imagine herself in its spot.

'Oh, how nice would it be if this was real…'

Similar images appeared all over the place, and in no time, each of the ladies in the Amalgam found their replicas engaging in bolder and bolder acts of passion, and seeing this, they were all hopelessly captivated.

In that moment where there was absolute silence except for the sound of lips smacking against each other…Daneel's voice rung out grandly.

"Strike."

SHHHHRUMMMM!

Accompanied by a shrill sound, the Spear flew at unimaginable speeds, and in no time at all, it was at the spot in front of the Matron, with just a few centimeters of stone between them.

As it did so, Kellor couldn't help but speak.

"Wings of the Phoenix.

Voidspeed of the Black Raven.

Power of the Berserker.

Evasiveness of the Shadow.

And finally…domination of the Dragon."

As soon as the last word came out of his mouth, the spear effortlessly pierced through the formations protecting the Amalgam, which had all been weakened by the lack of attention of the Goddesses.

A noiseless scream erupted from the Matron as she saw this, but just as she was going to accept her death, the tip stopped right in front of her forehead.

As her eyes tried to focus on this Godly weapon of destruction, the King's voice rang out again, and this time…he didn't mince his words, at all.

"B*tch, I've had enough of your tantrums. Kneel, or die."

Chapter 937: Aftermath

As Daneel's words echoed in the area, the Matron raised her head to look straight into his eyes, and it was clear that if she could, she would have smacked him to the ground and crushed him into pieces without a second thought.

However, the spear insistently began to move forward as she continued to do so, and even Daneel's sharp eyes, which refused to back down, made her begin to sweat.

She knew the power that he now held on the continent. What if he decided to end her, right here? What would happen?

True, he might face some retribution, but was it an answer worth finding out at the cost of her life?

Definitely not.

As she gave a command in her mind, Daneel let out an invisible sigh of relief.

He had put on a brave act in front of everyone, but in reality, he had been quite worried.

There was still the possibility that the Matron's anger might be so extreme that she would choose to sacrifice herself and then assign someone else as the leader of the Amalgam who could launch an immediate strike, and in that case, things would turn out very, very badly for the sovereigns who were standing proudly right now.

Even they knew that their Energy reserves were close to 0 after this move which had forced them to give it their all, so if the Amalgam attacked now…they might not even be able to escape.

But as they saw the incredibly large stone statue slowly start to 'power down', with its formations all going back into a non-active state, they realized that the battle had been won, and began to celebrate in their hearts.

Of course, Daneel merely humphed to maintain the cockiness and said, "I'm not in the mood for tricks. Swear an oath that you will not act against me or my followers. We both know that you can weasel out of it later, but for now, it should be enough. And, of course…aren't we forgetting something?"

He had always been someone who meant what he said, and he really was thoroughly incensed by the actions of this woman, in particular.

He could tell, by now, that the rest were only following orders even though they were also angry, but it was the Matron putting them in a murderous mood which might have lead to their destruction today, if Daneel didn't value each and every iota of strength on the continent.

Either the Matron was someone who couldn't control her emotions even though she was supposed to be the wisest and strongest among the Goddesses, or…there might be something else.

Right now, though, this felt like a suspicion that had no basis, but as Daneel had already decided after the episode with Axelor that he would never let something like that fester without his knowledge on his home, he was keeping his eye out everywhere.

He wondered now whether it was paranoia as he had had the same feeling before, in the Sect of Hedon, too, but even if it was…it was justified.

The Goddesses all fearfully looked at their Matron as Daneel's words still lingered in the air, and they all knew just headstrong she was.

She was someone who had once said that she would rather die than have her dignity sullied, but as everyone saw her grit her teeth, grimace and then finally get to their knees, they hurriedly mimicked her with sighs of relief, as they, too, could feel the awesome power of the spear, and knew that in their powerless state(in lieu of giving themselves up to power the Amalgam), it could kill them all without breaking a sweat.

This was the major drawback of a defensive Amalgam: if the controllers were exposed, it would almost certainly result in their deaths, and the King had managed to use it perfectly to obtain victory.

A small smile came on Daneel's lips as the hundreds of Champions all knelt where they stood, in their respective places in the Amalgam, and in the silence that followed, the Matron forced out the oath.

"I swear not to act against the King of Lanthanor, and his followers."

"Good. Now, couldn't this have gone in a much easier way if we hadn't gotten up to deceitful tricks, in the first place? Ladies, think back: I only acted in defense, so you have no one but yourselves to blame. Now, put the Amalgam back, and sit down for a proper discussion. Oh, and of course: dissipate that wall blocking us from the outside world, will you?"

That was the last straw. The Matron knew that as soon as that happened, the King would be able to call on his unrivaled force, but with another glance at the spear which seemed as if it was looking forward to moving just an inch and turning her brain to mush, she sighed and did so.

That was when Daneel finally let the spear turn back into elementary particles and dissipate, before giving back his sovereigns their minds, and bodies.

"Go recover. Quickly. I'm just an apparition: I'll be fine. Besides, our friends are here…"

The reason he said this was that they were all close to collapsing, and with grateful nods, all 8 of the sovereigns disappeared…while 100 massive bodies appeared in the air.

Seeing them, the Matron knew that the game was up, and after getting up, she and all of the other Goddesses teleported to a spot in front of Daneel.

Various expressions could be seen on their faces: anger, disappointment, resentment, and even hate.

But above all, due to the pressure that was forcing them to go back on their knees even now…there was fear.

Sometimes, Daneel knew that this was the route that had to be taken, and he had no regrets.

As the Amalgam began to march back to its position even as the wound on its forehead began to heal, Daneel said, "Now, then. The Goddess's Sanctum is mine. Make no mistake about it. I have defeated you all in fair combat, and you have knelt, so if you have even a shred of dignity in your bones, stand by what you have done. Like I said, if things hadn't happened like this, I would have been willing to engage in discussions. But now…all you'll get is orders. This is my first order: reopen the investigation into Xuan's case. I feel like there might be more people who are responsible for what happened. Even if there aren't, it's best to be thorough. I shall take my leave, now, but I will be back soon. At that time, if there is even a shred of disobedience…you will feel my wrath, and believe me, it won't be pleasant. Farewell."

After the last word came out of Daneel's mouth, instead of leaving right away, he looked up at a spot in the sky which seemed normal.

His gaze, though, made a woman appear there, whose lips were pressed into a thin line.

Daneel humphed again as he saw her, daring her to act, but seeing her stay put, he shook his head, and left.

The Heroes left a beat later, after also actively establishing their dominance, and it was only then that the terse expression on this woman's face loosened.

She was, of course, the Hero who was really in charge of the Goddess's Sanctum, and she knew that his every word had actually been directed at her, who had been choreographing things from behind the scenes.

She still remembered that time when she had allowed that kiss, and then, if she had been asked whether she would believe that she would have no choice but to shut her mouth and hide in front of him just a few short years later…she would have scoffed at the notion.

Somehow, that had become reality, and musing inwardly about the fickleness of fate, she said, "Take heed, Goddesses. The first Goddess always said that it is more important to know when to step back, than to know when to advance. Today, we learned a lesson: sometimes, we must bend to fate. If you do not wish to do so, all you need is strength. Take heed, and work harder. Disperse."

…

Meanwhile, Daneel was flying in the air towards the west of Angaria.

"So, Drakos…I trust that your self-control wasn't lost on seeing my actions?"

Daneel had been dreading this ever since he had left, but thankfully, the Ancient Dragon decided to act like a gentleman.

"Oh, definitely not, Young King. It was definitely…unique. It even reminded me of a certain unique Hero who could turn into either gender, and seduce the opponent, thereby weakening them and gaining victory. The only problem came…when that Hero went up against a couple, so there was no option to seduce either."

Daneel wondered whether the Dragon was trying to advise him in some way using this story, but seeing that they were close to their destination, he discarded this line of thought and said, "We can talk about that later. Now, then…are you ready for another reunion?"

With three of the Big Four under his grasp, there was only one left, and if he was being honest…he hadn't been looking forward to this, at all.

The Eternal Blossom Sect's methods were still unknown to him, as they belonged to the opponent of the Emperor whose only wish was that even they would not help his lifelong rival's cause, so now, for the first time, he would have to go up against a foe who might pull out a completely unexpected trump card.

Of course, that had happened in the Goddess's Sanctum, too, but he had at least had the option to guess, and prepare beforehand.

Here, though, he had no idea!

Stopping and thinking for a bit, Daneel spoke to the system.

"Make another apparition with the bare minimum of consciousness needed for it to function."

[Affirmative. Splitting consciousness.]

A few seconds later, a second Daneel was standing in the air, and as he took control of it, the first one, which was now being controlled by the system, took out a bunch of trinkets and handed them over.

They were the basic ones which would allow him to fly and defend himself, but the whole goal behind this was that he wouldn't be too injured even if he lost this part of himself.

That had not been the case before, as he had needed a major chunk to pull off all the things he had done in the Sanctum.

He asked Drakos to do the same, as he didn't want to risk the Ancient Dragon being injured and slipping into a long slumber.

With all his preparations(or at least, the ones that he could do) done, Daneel braced himself, and took the plunge.

The strange area where the Eternal Blossom Sect was located was surrounded by a barrier, but as he was coming with Drakos, he expected to have a clear way through.

Sure enough, he could soon see the flowers and plants that were repeatedly coming to life, wilting, dying, and then being reborn, and after landing on the ground, Daneel made his way to the large structure where he had met the Empire Spirit before.

He saw no one else, but he didn't find this strange: this sect had been barren even the last time he was here, but as he reached the lavish stone structure that was the residence of the Empire Spirit, he finally realized that something was wrong.

Taking off at a run, he reached the door and opened it to enter the domed area where she usually lived, but alas…it was completely empty.

As shock appeared in his mind, the system and Drakos both spoke.

[Scanning complete. All formations were put on an auto-control mode which was deactivated with host's arrival. There are no humans in a large area around host.]

"Young King, they're all gone! They've vanished! What is going on?!"

Chapter 938: Drakos's Pligh

"It can't be true, young king. It simply can't! It's impossible! She would never do so! It simply can't be happening! It can't be true! It-"

If Daneel didn't have such a strong bond with the Ancient Dragon, he would definitely have asked it to keep quiet, as this was already at least the 100th time that Drakos was repeating what he was saying right now.

After the message from the system that had been accompanied by Drakos's exclamation, Daneel had needed a few seconds to process what was happening, but it was clear that the Dragon needed so much more in order to understand that his erstwhile partner, whom he had apparently just seen here and had a good time with a few days ago, was no longer present, and could even have allied with the enemies.

That last supposition was unspoken, but it was still present – if it was the truth, it was obvious that the Emperor Spirit would rather flee than risk exposure, in the event of which she would find the entire Order and the force of the entire continent descend on her in order to take out their wrath and fury at the loss of a part of the continent and frustration due to what had happened to them due to the Church on her, and her subordinates.

Of course, this was the worst case, but even though Daneel was not jumping to it right away, it was definitely a possibility, and it would have to be talked about sooner or later.

The way things looked right now, though, it seemed that it would mostly be the latter, as Drakos did not seem like he would be recovering anytime soon.

After the Dragon's rant ended, Daneel made a decision and spoke.

"Drakos, how about this. I'll put you back in Lanthanor until the investigation regarding what happened here is complete. When we have any more details, I'll let you know. This is clearly very personal to you, and I don't want you getting agitated – remember what the Emperor would say. Wasn't it his policy that people should act with logic whenever possible, while still directing their actions with the core tenets of the emotions that are present in them which have been inculcated due to their upbringing? From your upbringing, I know that loyalty is something that is very important to you, and the notion of someone as close as her betraying you after spending so much time intimately is very hard to consider. But we have to be realistic, here- the timing is just very circumspect, but still, I'm not ruling out any possibilities. Until we know for sure what happened, though, I really need you to calm down. So, what do you say?"

Daneel expected the Ancient Dragon to think about his suggestion and then realize that he really was going off the rails, so to speak.

But surprisingly, the Dragon responded with passion.

"No! No way! I need to stay here! Respectfully, young king, I would like to stay. How about this- please create a temporary holding trinket for my consciousness, and just like you said, I will take a bit of time to calm down. It's just that… The one that I knew from back during the age of the Empire had changed so much, and she had essentially become someone that I would have married without any hesitation if we were still living back then, with no responsibilities, and no war to fight. I did not tell anyone, but… Just before I left, we had decided that after I came back, we would take that step, at least in spirit, because, after all, that is what we are, and that is all that matters- if a decision is made, it is final, and we… We made the decision.We…did. We did, didn't we? Yes, we did. Then why did she…"

Until now, all Daneel had felt was confusion and anxiousness due to the fact that another foe who had been hiding might have been uncovered, and had fled before he could handle them, but now… He felt angry.

From the way that the Ancient Dragon had devolved into this blubbering mess from the dignified entity who had guided him on his way, he knew that the empire spirit had succeeded this time, where she had failed during the Age when they were alive. Either it was because she really had changed into the way that Drakos had always wanted his other half to be, or it was because with time, and the realization that there was probably no one else, the two had reached the stage where they had decided to take the plunge together. Either way, what they had now was precious and special, but then… This had happened.

Daneel did not yet know the facts of the matter, but if his friend had really been betrayed… His fury would know no limit.

He would hunt her to the ends of the world, and he would bring her back and make her stand in front of this mentor of his whom he owed many, many things to. No matter what came his way, he would do this, and after vowing this in his mind, Daneel put on a grim face and asked the system to make the temporary trinket that could hold the Ancient Dragon's consciousness.

It was done in merely a few seconds with the help of the Head, who had arrived with an investigative team from the Order who were all busily combing over the entire place. Even when Drakos's consciousness separated from his and was placed in the small object that was shaped like a dragon's heart identical to the one in his bedroom, the Ancient Dragon had not recovered, and was still repeating the same things over and over again to himself, as if he could not come to terms with the truth of what they were seeing, and everything that truth represented.

He also kept saying that everything was wrong, and that this was definitely impossible… But reality spoke for itself.

Soon after Daneel did this, the Head appeared and spoke after letting out a sigh.

"The preliminary report I gave you before has just been confirmed. The entire sect began preparing for their departure at around the same time frame when your actions in the Fortress became public. It is now apparent that they had always had mechanisms in place to be able to do this quickly, and this is quite strange as usually, it should be no small feat to be able to dismantle all of the deeply embedded defensive and offensive formations that guard the Headquarters of one of the Big Four. It is something that would take months, as these formations are things which are improved upon for decades and decades, but here… It was done in a matter of days. Each and every item of value, and also each and every scrap of information that we could have used to track their whereabouts, or even what kind of Paths they were practicing have all been either scrubbed or taken away. There was no attempt to hide this – they knew that someone would come and find out the truth sooner or later, so they had no intention of trying to fool the one who came so that they could get an even bigger head start. As for the final departure… It happened at around the time you entered the Goddess's Sanctum. Yes, you heard me right – we missed them by just around an hour."

Daneel had taken a step toward the Head with surprise when he heard that last part, as he couldn't believe that there was such a short timeframe between his arrival, and the emptying of the sect that had been full with those enigmatic men and women who all practiced bizarre and dangerous Paths, and the empire spirit who had taken control of the sect for generations by using her wit.

Even now, he remembered how impressed he had been by that feat of hers, and how he would even have applauded her for the same if she had not tried to piss him off with each and everything she said.

And hence, a reasonable deduction could be made that if she had decided to take this step… Then she must definitely have had the means to pull it off in a way in which she would not be followed.

Sure enough, the head confirmed this with his next statement, which was spoken in an agitated tone.

"That was the bad news, and here comes the even worse one: even with everything we have at our disposal, it is impossible for us to track them. It's like they vanished off the face of the continent! I've used all of the formations that keep watch over the entire continent, but I saw nothing! I'm definitely sure that they did not leave, but I'm also certain that they're not on the continent! It's easily the single most frustrating thing I've had to deal with since taking the position of the Overseer… To think that even the Order has failed! This, more than anything, makes me believe that there might be someone else's hand in all of this…"

At this, Daneel instantly raised his hand to stop the man and said, "We cannot jump to conclusions. Historically, this member of the Big Four has always been a mystery-I've gone through the Library of Origin, and even it does not contain a very detailed description of the Paths that are taught here. It is only written that there is a high chance of failure, and such a high chance of death that it is illogical for any institution to take up this Path if they intend to have considerable power. Apparently, even though attempts were made to find out more, they were always stopped because forcibly trying to obtain information left behind by that legendary foe of the Emperor would have resulted in the destruction of it all, and the loss of a formidable force on Angaria. Hence, they settled with what was given to them, which was the rudimentary explanation regarding what they did which we know, and a few basic Paths which are simply suicidal to train in. True, we have two strong reasons to suspect the involvement of off-continent forces, but until we can establish anything for sure, I suggest you classify them as deserters."

With a shrug and a nod, the Head said, "Alright, fine. It's not like that classification is that much better than traitors-even deserters are supposed to be imprisoned when found, and will be executed if no method is found to forcibly put them to work fulfilling the very responsibility they tried to flee. What are you going to do next, King? I've been seeing all of your actions in the Big Four, but I haven't figured out your goal, yet. Whatever it is, I know your goal in the Central Continent, so this is what I feel- it looks like you are doing too many things at once, and not concentrating on something and seeing it to its completion. I like that Godking thing-true, there was a lot of pushback from the members of the Order, but there should be nothing wrong with an ideological god-like being in the Central Continent who will push people to give more of themselves for the cause. If they become a problem, we could have dealt with them together. I thought you would take action to solidify that further, but you set yourself on this track! Why?"

In one statement, the head had summarised the problem with Daneel's recent actions.

But the truth was… That this problem only existed to those who did not know his endgame.

Looking straight into the eyes of the Head, Daneel gave his reply, and as soon as he did so, the Head's eyes glinted with excitement.

"Let me put it this way…with this revelation, the Big Four would have had to change their name to the Big Three, but due to what I'm going to do…there won't be a need for this. Oh, and as for that derogatory name that signifies the ants who the Big Four always thought they could crush-that won't be necessary, too. You've been watching with patience, Head, so I suggest you do the same some more- and I reckon that the answer to your question will soon be given. Farewell, then- my preparations are complete, and even though I didn't expect things to turn out in this way…it's time to start the second phase."

Chapter 939: Announcemen

To the east.

In the past few months, many things had started to change in the Kingdom of Arafell.

It had all started on one fine day, when the Queen had sent out a message saying that she was expecting a visit from someone, and that things might get messy.

In this Kingdom, it had always been a custom that the Queen's word was absolute, and no one had the gall to question her, or even ask anything more than what was necessary unless it was absolutely needed.

Hence, even in this case, no one had ventured out to enquire just who the Queen was expecting, but still, tensions began to run high, as the Queen has started to become more and more irritable.

It started to become that this might be because the visit that she was expecting was getting more and more delayed, and at one point, it started to get so bad that she would snap at people all the time, even if there was no reason to do so.

With that, everyone began to pray that the visit would happen soon.

Of course, they all knew that they might not even find out whether it had happened or not, because many of the things that the Queen did were kept secret and private, but in this case… It did not turn out to be so.

On that day, many had seen that very special individual walking into the throne room of the Queen, and they hadn't been able to believe their eyes.

What was the King of Lanthanor doing in their Kingdom?

This question was on everybody's mind, and the first thing they were reminded of was the conflict that the two Kingdoms had been embroiled in during the time when the loyalty of the fringe settlements of Angaria had been up for grabs.

They knew that it had ended with the loss of the Queen, and they also knew that for many days after that, the Queen had not accepted any audiences, and had kept to herself, as if it were something that had hurt her so deeply that she needed time to recover.

So…what would happen now?

It was not a small number of people who expected that it would result in a battle that might erupt into a full-scale war, but surprisingly… On just the next day, the Queen called for a Kingdom-wide festival, and when asked why, she simply said that a celebration needed to be made.

When they did not dare to question important things, why would they be so foolish as to ask for the reason behind something good?

Shelving their surprise, and seeing the pure smile on the Queen's face which had been absent for quite a long time, the entire palace, and then the entire Kingdom had entered a joyous mood, which had somehow continued to prevail for quite a long time.

The Queen spent a lot of time alone, and even though there was no one who could tell what she was doing, they began to pray that whatever was happening would continue.

That was because with each week, she would introduce more and more plans and laws that benefited people in all phases of life. The Queen had always been a benevolent ruler, but she had also ruled with an iron fist. But this ceased to be so – she was slowly turning into a much more kinder version of herself, and even though the ministers could hardly believe it, it almost seemed as if the care that she was now showing for the people was genuine, and not meant to prolong the collection of wealth, and the stability of her power.

That was not to say that these two things were what the Queen's actions had been directed at for all these years, but they had been quite important, and now, they began to take a back seat, and it seemed like it was too good to be true.

After that, though… That event where the Kingdom of Axelor had had to separate from Angaria had happened, and that had resulted in a very panicky atmosphere.

The news of the war had become public with the announcement of the King mainly due to the display trinkets which had proliferated to almost each and every nook and cranny of the Kingdom, and the people had started to fear for their future.

This had thankfully been swiftly followed by a reassuring recording from the Queen that reached each and every village, city and town of the Kingdom, and her message was simple, but also shocking: 'Heed the words of the King, but do not fear: the Queen of Arafell believes in him, so you should, too.'

This was a move that had shocked even the dignitaries in the palace, and if they were braver, or stupider, they would have started to voice their suspicions about what had happened in that meeting.

Had the King taken on a mistress? Or had the Queen been defeated and forced into servitude?

If so, why was she so happy now, then?

What the hell was going on?

None of these questions had any answers, but a few days ago, the Kingdom's mages who were in charge of checking the general atmosphere around the Kingdom for warnings that could be gleaned from the movements of elementary particles had found out that there was a great disturbance from the East.

This was reported to the Queen, who had said, "Oh, so he's finally making his move? Hmm, the Fortress is first? Well, it stands no chance. Everyone, keep your ears tuned: something is coming, and when it does, Arafell has to be ready. Tell the people. A great change is coming- and Arafell shall ride the crest of that wave."

These dire words had struck fear in the hearts of the bravest of commanders, but the belief and adoration they felt for their Queen, which was something that had been inculcated in them since their very birth, managed to keep them standing.

Her words were spread throughout the Kingdom, and it was the same in most places. The Queen had such a unique place in the hearts of all the people, especially with her good deeds in the recent times, that everyone seemed to be ready to fight in her name for the continent, when it came to that. Of course, there was still fear, but one thing was for sure: there would not be many deserters.

A few days after that, the Queen had interrupted a discussion in the throne room with some very startling words.

"Ha ha, what a great show! The Sect of Hedon is down! Now there's just two more to go!"

As if laughing at an inside joke, she had continued to chortle throughout the discussion, and only a few hours after that, she had stood up with shock and stopped the meeting again before saying, "The Goddesses fell so soon?! How? Oh, I wish I managed to put a spy in there, too!"

It almost seemed as if she had forgotten that they were there at that point, and as she began to pace around, they decided to file out silently so that they wouldn't disturb her.

But just as they were doing so, she turned to them and said, "He's almost done. I don't know about the last one, but that change I talked about should be coming soon- make sure that there is some form of communication or the other connecting all of the people in our Kingdom, whether it be those Network Trinkets, or something else."

The dignitaries had been perplexed, but they had listened, and her orders were carried out.

And finally… It was on the next day that it finally came, and it was accompanied by a silence that seemed to stretch throughout the entire continent.

…

To the west.

A merchant was making a trip between the Kingdom for Eldinor and the Black Raven Kingdom.

Until a few years ago, he had just been a common trader who was hunting for an opportunity to make profit by transporting goods between Kingdoms.

He was someone who had always had an acute eye for business, but had never really been lucky. Many things which should have worked out would always end up failing due to multiple factors, but even then, he hadn't lost faith in himself.

Hence, when he had sat down one day a few years ago to look over the general situation in the continent, he had noticed a pattern.

He had noticed that the King of Lanthanor seemed to have connections with more and more forces in Angaria with each passing year, and even though there was sufficient evidence at that time to prove that this might not amount to anything, he had made the bet that at some point in time, even though it seemed crazy and completely impossible, there would be an Empire of some sort forming.

He had dumped his life savings on this bet: with the assumption that it would all be one force, he had started to create all sorts of resources that would be necessary for anyone who wanted to tie these forces together strongly through trade.

He had mapped out perfect trade routes which assumed that there would be no bandits as it would all be governed land, he had drawn up plans for building infrastructure between the forces, and he had even started preparations to make teleportation formations that would connect various cities across the landscape.

All of this would seem completely mad, as at that time, the Kingdoms were all separate, and it did not look like they would band together in a way that would give value to what he was doing. After all, everyone also knew of the policy in the Central Continent where large forces would not be allowed to exist, but even then, this man had trusted his guts.

And year after year, he saw, with wonder, that he was right.

Slowly but surely, everything started to come under the King, and when the Alliance came to be… There was only one emotion on everyone's lips.

"Fraklin, you're a genius!"

"Oh, I should never have doubted you, Franklin! Can I join you now? I'll give you all that money you asked before, and more!"

"I knew you would do it! I was just kidding when I ridiculed you! So… How about a partnership?"

Franklin was directly taken under the wing of the Alliance and given the responsibility to handle many things between the forces of the Alliance, mainly due to his experience of setting everything up over these past few years.

In one stroke, he rose to be one of the most influential people in the entire Alliance, but the success… Did not get to his head.

And that was because another gut feeling had come to him, and this one was directly related to the war that was coming.

On this day, Franklin had gotten wind that something was afoot. The King would soon be announcing something that would change the whole continent as they knew it, and once again, he was ready.

He was ready to do whatever was necessary to rise in this world, but as the announcement came… Even he, who prided himself on being able to expect things before they happened, had no option but to stop where he was, and listen with his mouth agape.

…

In the center.

With the departure of the Kingdom of Axelor, Lanthanor had geographically, and even economically become the central force in the continent.

They were the ones who heeded the words of the King the most, and they were also the ones who signed up the most for the war, after the King's announcement following that event.

But after doing that, they had all been going about their lives, which had improved a lot in recent times due to all of the schemes of the King.

However…everything changed with the announcement.

It was heard here first before resounding in the east and west, and as each word spoken in the royal voice of the King resonated throughout the continent, Angaria, itself, came to a standstill.

"PEOPLE OF ANGARIA! WAR IS HERE! IT IS TIME! I CALL ON EVERY ABLE-BODIED MAN AND WOMAN TO HEED MY CALL, AND GATHER! IF YOU CARE FOR YOUR CHILDREN, IF YOU WISH FOR THEM TO HAVE A WORLD TO LIVE IN, DO NOT DALLY! GET READY TO CHARGE TO VICTORY! FOR ANGARIA!!!!!"

Chapter 940: Handling the Order

In a room whose location he had guarded zealously for most of his life, the Head was assessing the damage done due to the recent raid that had taken place before the events in the Fortress of Solitude.

Ever since her husband had died, that woman had always been known as someone who could down an entire river of wine if she was given access to it, and he saw the proof of this in all of the crates that were missing.

The temperature in the chamber varied according to the era from which the wine he had obtained was stored. As a connoisseur in this art, he knew exactly how to allow a fine wine to mature to its fullest potential, but now, many which had been so close to reaching that point had been nipped in the bud by these people who probably didn't appreciate their rarity, or taste.

If it were a year ago, before he met that kid, the Head might have become furious and gone out to seek recompense, but now… All he did was smile wistfully and look forward to rebuilding his collection.

His life had changed so much due to him, and the same could be said about his personality. Or perhaps… Dealing with those who did not share his passion for the continent had made him put on a version of himself that was fake, and with the arrival of the king, that had been eroded away to reveal the true person underneath.

Still…the truth was that there were very few bottles left, and they had to be cherished.

After their meeting, he knew that the King would be going about his plan, and he was excited to find out what it was. Since then, though, it had been a day, and as there were no new developments, the Head had deemed that he had a little bit of free time, which he had decided to spend here.

There were multiple chambers in this secret(at least, he had thought that it was so) stash, and he was almost done going through half of them. They were all ransacked, but just as he was about to leave this one, a ray of sunlight which was coming from a teleportation window which showed a beautiful scene from the other side of the continent of rolling fields fell on certain spot underneath a large crate whose top side had been broken into so that it could be emptied, and from there, the sunlight bounced off with a red hue, indicating that a treasure that he had not seen before had been revealed.

"Come."

Speaking a word of power, he made the World respond and bring him the object that was hiding there, and as the large bottle that was peculiarly shaped like a woman appeared, tears almost came to his eyes.

This was a very special kind of wine, made by a long lost people who had regarded women as deities.

Sighing, he carried it to the window and sat down on the table in front of which he had worried before, for far too many times, regarding whether the continent would survive the ultimate foe from that faraway land that was gunning for them with no intention of stopping before they were vanquished.

As he did so now, he marveled at how much more confidence he had when compared to before. This made him get a genuine smile, and once again, he felt that everything had been worth it.

Making a glass float over, he poured the pearly liquid and swirled it before taking a sip, but just as he did so…

"PEOPLE OF ANGARIA! WAR IS HERE! IT IS…"

The announcement of the King blasted into his ears, and with shock, he got up.

It looked like there would be a repeat performance of the same thing that had happened twice already, but with superhuman effort, the Head controlled himself.

The wine that he had come close to spitting out just managed to stay in his mouth, but right as he was about to swallow it and then contact the King…

"Head! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING O-"

A man wreathed in darkness appeared in front of him, and it was obvious that he was agitated, as he brought a gust of wind with him.

That gust just so happened to be in the direction of the bottle that he had placed on the table, and as he saw it slip and then start to fall to the ground… The Head once again had to spit the wine out and scream "STOP!"

His Path kicked into action, and as the World stopped the bottle from falling, he breathed a sigh of relief, but as for the wine that he had just been about to swallow… It lay on the ground and on Rayen's cloak, wasted.

Raising his Head, he glared at the Hero who began to scratch his Head knowing about his love for rare wines, but what we didn't know was that the anger was more due you the fact that in some way or the other, the king had succeeded for a third time in making the Head spit out a mouthful of mine that he had just been about to enjoy.

But the matter that had just been raised was too important, so putting the anger aside, the Head said, "I have no idea. Let's go find out."

Just as they were about to teleport away, though, the Head paused, as he had suddenly started to receive a litany of messages.

"Head, is there something we don't know?"

"What the hell does he mean, war?! I just checked all of our scanners, and there are no foes!"

"Head, he really needs to be reeled in! He's clearly fear-mongering with some personal goal! There's nothing to fight! Or is there something that has been kept from us?"

"I demand an answer! We are the top Heroes in Angaria, dammit, not some peasants who need news to be delivered to them!"

Getting a headache instantly, the Head sat down and could not help but massage his eyebrows.

Sometimes, he slightly regretted that moment when he had taken on this mantle, but every time he did so, he would remember what the previous person who had held it had done.

It was his responsibility to make sure that nothing like that would ever happen for as long as he was alive, so shelving all of these feelings, he said, "I shall enquire with my confidant and inform all of you Heroes as soon as possible. Please be patient. I assure you that there is no threat-I have checked the scanners myself, too, as it is a part of my duties as the Overseer, and if there was anything, you would have been the first to know. As for his actions… I believe that there must be a good reason for them. Now, excuse me, as I close communications for a bit until I have some answers."

Since that event, even the name 'Overseer' had become a taboo word that not many used, but on this occasion, he had no option but to allude to it to remind them of the power he held.

True, he couldn't defeat them in hand-to-hand combat, but they had all still sworn themselves to the Order, and those were oaths that could certainly not be broken, perhaps even with the help of otherworldly forces.

Just as expected, he managed to shut up most of them, and even though he knew that some must be grumbling, he ignored them.

As he nodded at Rayen, both of them departed together, and soon, they were above the kingdom which had given birth to the single most influential and powerful individual in the entire continent.

Whether anyone wanted to admit to it or not, that was how things stood even though he had not achieved the same with his own power, but the Head had a suspicion that even that would happen soon.

Shuddering at the thought of what kind of surprises this man would bring when that came to be, the two of them descended, and soon, they were in the large balcony adjoining the chambers of the King which looked over the entire kingdom.

The moment he walked through the doors of the balcony, both of them started to speak together.

"What were you talking about? What's going on?!"

"Have you detected something that the Order failed to see? What is it? Where's the war?"

Seeing that they were talking over each other, they controlled themselves, but just as they were about to repeat their questions, the king raised his hands.

Staying silent, they saw that he had a pleasant smile on his face, and somehow, seeing it, itself, managed to calm them down by a large extent.

After all, if he was not panicking, then it must be nothing that serious, right?

That was how much they trusted him, but as he began to speak… They could not help but stare at him, as if they didn't know him at all.

"What war, you ask? In a way, it is a war that has been going on since the beginning of modern civilization – here, by 'modern', I am referring to what has formed after the Apocalypse. Both of you already know that my goal is to build something even greater than what was present before it, and to elevate myself to a position of that of a God. But recently, through some circumstances… I realized that I had been going about it the wrong way. First, there is something much more important to fix, and if I succeed, I think that I will have gone a long way in accomplishing my other goals, too. After all, in many cases, a God is simply someone who might have been so extremely influential that they started to become revered, and then began to be prayed to as they had taken a permanent spot in the hearts of many. Ah, let's set this aside for now, though- you came to me to ask about the war, and my answer to you is this: prepare, for there is going to be one. The foe is already here, and it will be unveiled at the correct time. But meanwhile… We have a gang of unruly children to attend to. Call for a meeting in the Order of all the prominent Heroes who. Let's go."

A minute later, the Hall of Beginning was once again filled with Heroes.

There was a lot of grumbling and pointing at the air where Daneel and the Head stood, and even though the latter stepped forward to speak, it didn't stop.

"King Daneel Anivron is here to address you. King, please take the stage."

Daneel stepped forward confidently, and as he spoke…with each word, the faces of the Heroes got uglier and uglier, until finally, the Hall really did look like a classroom of teenagers who had been told that summer break had been canceled.

"My dear, dear Heroes. I've heard of all of your complaints, and here's my answer: F*ck you. Most of you have never given two sh*ts about the Central Continent even though you were a part of it once, and now, I bet you're only interested 'cos I'm involved. So shut the f*ck up, and just watch. The Order has always remained secret, and it will continue to be so: my every action is allowed according to all of the ancient rules, so don't even try to stonewall me in that manner. The sooner you understand that you're stuck with me for good, the better it'll be for all of us. Now, I have an offer: I've seen that all of you have been languishing at your current power level for a bit too long, so here's what I've decided- a portion of my Heroes will be present here in a sparring ring, where you can go all out and test the limits of any attack you dream of. Don't worry about them- even if you hack 'em to bits, they'll put themselves back together. I've also spoken to the Head to make a scenario where the Paths which are meant to counter yours will be used, in a way, by my Heroes during the sparring, so use the opportunity well. That's…only if you stop behaving like busybodies, and stop asking the Head questions about things that don't relate to you. Now, then, everyone, I have a show to conduct, so I'm off…happy sparring! Oh, and if my Heroes beat you up, I apologize in advance, because they seem to have developed a severe aversion to crybabies which just isn't going away…"

Chapter 941: A Trip

After leaving the Order in pin-drop silence, Daneel first checked with Eloise and the rest of his sovereigns, who were already hard at work to bring his dream to reality.

This was something that he couldn't believe that he hadn't addressed for so long, but it was better late than never.

In a way, it could be said to be a lurking enemy which could rear its head in the ugliest of ways if it was not dealt with at some point or the other, and if he hadn't done anything about it, it would definitely have destroyed Angaria in the future, or at least brought it to ruin.

Since the beginning, he had always had the long term welfare of the continent at heart, and if he succeeded in what he was going to do… He knew that his actions would definitely benefit many, many generations of Angarians to come.

The way in which it had revealed itself to him was also strange. He had started to do something almost unrelated, but as if it was a jigsaw puzzle which he had started to solve without even knowing about it, the last piece had fallen into place due to his recent actions, and its identity had been revealed.

In fact, when it had happened, he hadn't even known what it was clearly, and hence, as things had been moving quickly, he had not taken the time to ruminate over the topic.

But after spotting what it was and instantly seeing its true form, he had decided that no matter what, he would address this first.

Even then, his original intention was to use a long-term plan, and it was only a few days ago that he decided he would bring it forward, mainly because of what he had seen in the sects of the Big Four that he had gone to.

He had allowed it to stay in the back of his mind even then, but now… He was finally acting on it.

The sovereigns, too, had been shocked when they had found out, during a brief meeting that they had had after his trip to the Eternal Blossom Sect.

He had only told them what they were going to do, and not his reasoning behind it, but even then, they were smart enough to see an inkling of what he was going up against. He had decided that he would leave the main explanation to a later date, when he could hear their thoughts, too, but now… It was time for action.

After confirming that everything was going well, Daneel still decided to fly over the Central Continent, in which a lot of changes had taken place in the past day.

First and foremost, many of the empty swathes of land which had been present between the cities and towns were now covered with conjured tents which hid what was happening beneath them from view, but as the system was the one which was maintaining their form through a continent-wide network of trinkets, he knew exactly what was going on.

Many of the settlements in the Central Continent were also empty, with only the elderly people staying behind to take care of the children, who had been told that their parents were going to shoulder a very large responsibility, and that they were doing it for their future.

Of course, the children didn't understand much, but they did gather that they had to be good, and although there were quite a few naughty ones, they all managed to be reined in by the elderly folk who had volunteered to take care of large numbers of children.

Also, it wasn't everyone who had left, and there were still a few families here and there, which made up a portion of each settlement. But slowly, as time passed by, they would see all of the empty houses and marketplaces, and they, too, would be swayed from their decision to stand by while others went to risk their lives.

Even after this, there were a considerable portion who remained, but these were individuals who simply could not take that step forward due to multiple reasons. Either it was a scar from something in their life before which had damaged them too much, or it was fear that was born after seeing someone close go to war.

As he flew over these individuals, Daneel actually did not begrudge them, as it was foolish to think that no matter how much sway he held over the continent, and how important what was going to happen would be, that he would be able to call each and every individual to action.

Perhaps, in a fictional place, or in a story being spun from nothing, reality might have been warped to make it seem as if he could influence all of the people of the continent, but sadly, that was not the truth. The truth was that there was no possible way for anyone to be that successful in anything due to the way in which sentient minds worked, and perhaps, it could be summed up by saying that even if 1000 people were told that a flood would soon inundate their homes, 10 or even 50 would stay behind, either not believing that claim, or believing that their house would be strong enough to withstand anything.

Such was the way of life, and Daneel had no problem with it- and in fact, he was actually very happy, as the numbers who had turned up to heed his call had exceeded any and all reasonable expectations that they had placed.

Many violent surges of elementary particles could be seen all over the place, but they were being carefully monitored by mages who had been placed at regular intervals, whose duty it was to make sure that these surges would not end up damaging any of the structures nearby.

The last place that Daneel flew over was the Kingdom of Arafell, and surprisingly, this was the place that had the highest turnout. The Queen had more than kept her word – she had made it clear that she trusted him, and hence, at just a moment's notice, more than 90% of the inhabitants of the cities and towns of Arafell had marched out while chanting her name.

In a way, it could be said that the entire continent had ground to a halt, and even though this would have caused many problems economically, they were all being taken care of by the armies of the Alliance, which used magic to perform essential tasks, such as managing the vast farms of Angaria, or the mining of Energy resources, which would soon become crucial resources in the battle that was to come.

They hadn't plunged into this without preparation – each and every thing had been carefully thought of, and after today, the people would be called in shifts, so that even if a portion of the population was absent, the rest would be able to manage, while they waited for those people to come back and take their place.

Right before leaving Arafell, though, Daneel found himself wishing that he could have officially finished the Alliance and the creation of the Empire, as that would almost definitely have resulted in the upgrade of the system. With that, he knew that he would pretty much be invincible on the continent, but alas, things had not transpired in a way that would make it suitable for him to take that step right now.

He just couldn't wait to be freed up so that he could use whichever module of the system he wished, without having to worry about holding experience points so that he could perform the upgrade as soon as possible. Many more modules would definitely also be unlocked, but even now, there were many useful things such as those related to Kingdom management which he really could have used. However, currently, the upgrade was too important.

Thankfully… It was not a long way off, so taking a deep breath and letting it out in anticipation, Daneel finished his trip and began traveling to his next destination, where he would kick off the next step in this phase.

This took him to a very remote location in one of the forbidden areas of Angaria, which was located smack dab in between the Endless Sea, and the now-empty Eternal Blossoms sect.

It was a place that was just outside the borders of the sect, and apparently, it had once been inhabited by a large family which had been run by the firm hand of a tyrant who suffered from a very serious case of paranoia.

If it weren't for his power which was known far and wide, he would just have been an old grandpa who was afraid of everything, but because that wasn't the case, all of those who had the misfortune of being born to him were forced to live with him, because he was afraid that they would be used by his enemies to take their revenge on him by putting him in a weak position.

His paranoia made it so that he poured all of his wealth into fortifying his place of residence, and with each year, he kept adding more and more defensive and offensive formations that at one point, it was such that only he knew the way in and the way out, making it a situation that was very similar to how it had been in the case of the sect which had been situated in the Valley of Mist, which Daneel had destroyed all those years ago.

It was a forbidden area as no one really knew the way in, and it was too dangerous and too time taking to dismantle all of the formations. Besides, there wasn't even anything of value inside, so it was simply classified as a place that should not be entered unless one wanted to die.

The one he was looking for was, for some reason, in the very heart of this place, so Daneel summoned his Heroes, and the sight of them smashing through formation after formation was a pleasure to see.

He made no attempt to hide his movements, so he knew that all of the Heroes from the Order were definitely watching him and gnashing their teeth with anger, and that actually made his smile even broader.

These formations were of the sort that would recover after he was gone, so all he needed to do was smash his way through.

A jungle had grown in this place, so, soon, when he came near the center of it, he was surprised to see that there was actually a large waterfall which reminded him of a very famous tourist attraction back on earth.

It fell from a peak which rose more than a kilometer into the air, and as the mist which rose due to the impact buffeted his face, he took in an exultant breath while admiring the scenery.

When he was done, he directly shot into the waterfall, which parted to reveal a cave in which a man was sitting.

It was a strange scene which he came upon- two identical men were fighting in front of him, but where one had a neutral face, the other seemed desperate, as if he was fighting for his life.

They were using the same Mage Path which seemed to be related to the earth as chunks of stones were constantly being ripped from the ground around them to be used as weapons, but it was obvious that the one who was desperate was winning.

The other was clearly an apparition that was clumsily trying to imitate the Path of its opponent, but with every second, it was getting better and better.

Daneel stood and watched while hiding his existence, and as the apparition finally triumphed after perfectly imitating a move of its opponent, he strode forward, clapping.

The man instantly got up and dispersed the apparition as he saw the intruder, but after recognizing who it was, a broad smile came on his face.

As for the opponent who had been waiting for a killing blow after being defeated, he raised his hands to beg the newcomer for help, but with a simple gesture, the man made him disappear.

Finding themselves alone, Daneel directly walked in front of him and hugged him tightly, before stepping back and saying, "Thank you."

The words were spoken with heartfelt gratitude, and hearing them, Percy beamed and replied, "It was my pleasure, senior disciple brother. I would never have been able to face master if I had failed you in your time of need."

Hearing this, Daneel thought for a moment, and taking another step back…he transformed into the 'master' that they shared.

He expected Percy to step back with shock, but surprisingly…he chuckled, and then bent on one knee.

"If I still hadn't figured it out, my father's words about how I was a 'useless good-for-nothing' would have turned out to be true. I owe my life to you. I do not know if I am worthy of it, but until the day I die, you will always be my master…and my King."

Chapter 942: Talking to Percy

Percy's actions and words left Daneel tongue-tied for a moment, but as soon as he recovered, he stepped forward and raised the man by his shoulders.

There were a few moments in his journey in Angaria so far that he cherished so much that he would be reminded of them in times of peace or strife, and instantly, this one was added to them.

Someone who had seemed like he was just an annoying brat had proven himself to be one of the most reliable individuals that Daneel could trust, and today, he had taken that one step further.

Truth always had a way of either binding or breaking relationships, and in this case, it had clearly taken the effect of the former.

After looking into Percy's sincere eyes for a few seconds, Daneel grinned and replied, saying, "Only if you're still that kid at heart who hit himself to make it seem as if we had fought."

His reply made Percy beam, and with a nod, he said, "It's a deal."

He looked as if he was going to bow again to formally accept him as his master, as the last one could be called a sham, but stopping him by not letting go of his shoulders, Daneel said, "Don't bother with the formalities. You're now one of those in my inner circle. And…I'm still thinking about it, but perhaps you will head a different group like the 'Sovereigns'. When I think up a name, it will be formed, and although there are other candidates, you are the first to be formally inducted into it. Don't take it lightly, though: it means that you will have a lot of work to do, and for the good of the continent…we will even be endangering our lives."

With a shrug, Percy said, "If it weren't for you, I would have either killed myself or been killed by my father by now. I now have 3 reasons to live for: myself, you, and this world which suffered so much because of me. Yes, I am speaking about all those people my father killed out of sport in order to keep me in line. I have many things to do, but right now, of course…the priority is to beat that Church back like the dogs they are."

Barking out a laugh, Daneel clapped Percy's shoulder again and said, "Exactly. Now, let's get straight to work. Who is this, by the way?"

Daneel's question was in regard to the individual against whom Percy's apparition had been battling with before.

His objective had been clear: he had been training his Path which enabled him to mimic that of others in order to find weak points in them, but why was he doing it here? And who was this individual he had found?

Although Percy had made him leave the premises due to Daneel's arrival, he was still being held in a place closeby, and with his curiosity piqued, he had decided to ask.

"Oh, him? You must know the history of this place, right? I heard long ago that the paranoid guy who built this did leave behind a treasure, so because I had a little bit of free time, I decided to investigate. Turns out that it was all a scam…the old man survived like an Empire Spirit, and his family, or at least, the remainder of it, was cursed to keep bringing innocent people to him so that he could forcefully possess them and cling on to sanity. He lost it a long time back, though, so what he usually does with these innocent people is go on rampages in small towns or villages once every century or so which are hushed up. I HATE old men who impose themselves on their children, so I put myself on this case…and the result was quite satisfying. Over time, they had all weakened a lot, so all it took was a ruse. I acted as if I was the long-lost wife of that old guy who went missing and had survived as a consciousness, too, and after gaining access to the object in which he was living… I destroyed it right away."

Daneel couldn't help but blink and recall the shamelessness that was inherent in almost all members of the Sect of Hedon as he heard this tale.

Percy, in particular, had a specific way of thinking which he quite liked. When he had spoken about that part about a ruse, he had transformed into a mature woman with a seductive smile who was wearing a very, very tight-fitting dress, and seeing how perfectly he had pulled it off, Daneel had wondered whether this wasn't the first time he was using a plan like this.

Either way, different perspectives were always welcome, so shaking his head and patting Percy's shoulder, Daneel said, "Well done. I'll make sure this tale is immortalized in the Empire we're building. 'Percy, the Seductress,' it shall be called, and it shall be sung of in bars and taverns across Angaria."

This instantly made Percy blush and get a sheepish expression on his face, and seeing it, Daneel burst out laughing before controlling himself and motioning at the man to continue, because the tale was clearly not finished.

Scratching his head and hoping that Daneel was joking, Percy said, "Most of the family had been forced into oaths, so they had no choice but to bring innocent lambs to slaughter. But this guy…loved it. He was the eldest son, and it seems that he has inherited all of the things which gave his ancestor such a terrible reputation. The rest were relieved when I destroyed that object, but this guy attacked me! So…I decided to 'recruit' him as my training partner. This way, he'll at least be of some use to the world before dying…"

With a nod, Daneel decided that they had dallied here enough.

First, he flicked his fingers, and at first, it looked as if nothing had happened.

A moment after that, though…a terrible scream rose up in the air, and it felt as if it were coming from a place far, far away.

Percy looked surprised, at first, but just as he started looking around…he grabbed his head and fell to the ground, before opening his mouth and joining that scream.

His was filled with pain, while the other was filled with unwillingness, and while Daneel watched on with a stoic expression, it seemed as if a battle had begun between the two, with the victor being the one that would last longer.

"AAARGH!"

Finally, through sheer will, Percy managed to get up, and at that moment, both screams ceased.

His face was completely white, devoid of blood, and as he looked at Daneel while sweat poured down his cheeks, the King gave the answer to the question in his mind.

"Consciousnesses can be tricky things. I had two reasons for asking for the tale: one was because I felt something on you, and the other was curiosity. You managed to give me the answer for both. That old man managed to worm his way into your consciousness, and if he had been left unattended, he would have succeeded in taking control of you. It might not have happened any time soon, but he would have started to change you bit by bit without your knowledge, and maybe a century later, he would have been reborn. I have quite a bit of experience in the topic…so I took care of it for you. Percy, I know you've gotten used to doing things alone, but now, you have people you can rely on. I could have explained this beforehand to allow you to brace yourself, but that would have sent him into hiding…well, this way, you'll remember, too. In the future, work together, either with me, or my sovereigns. They are all also very fond of you for what you've done, and I can confidently say that if you are open to it…we can be the family you never had."

Daneel would normally not have said something as cliched as that last sentence if he were talking to anyone else. In Percy's case, though…he didn't find a way in which he could express his intention better, so he went with it, and when he saw the slightest hint of tears in the man's eyes, he knew that he had struck the right cord.

It was hard for someone who was used to being a loner to accept that he didn't have to continue to be so. Like a famous actor said on earth, loneliness could be a disease, and it would cling on to someone in order to try and not and let go of them.

Turning around and pretending as if he hadn't seen anything, he flicked his fingers again, and this time, they were teleported away.

The place they arrived at, though, was all too familiar to Percy, and after a few seconds, he recovered and asked, "Why are we here?"

They were over the Sect of Hedon, which seemed to be in a state of high alert. People were hurrying in all directions, tensions were high, and it seemed as if everyone was bracing themselves for something.

Looking at this, Daneel chuckled and said, "We're at war, my boy. A war that might actually be just as important as the one we will have to face when the Church returns. That war is for the present, whereas this one…is for the future. Anyway, here's what I want you to do…"

…

"We're ready."

At the same time, in an underwater cavern hidden deep in the Endless Sea, 30 individuals had gathered, and were sitting around an archaic table on which tea had been served.

Only vague humanoid shapes could be seen, and no matter how much anyone tried, no other details could be gleaned about the inhabitants.

As soon as this message was heard, all of them raised their teacups and drank.

Setting the cups down, they looked at each other, and it seemed as if they were hesitant regarding who would speak first.

Finally, it was a man who did so.

"First, let me reiterate: all communication shall only be done through consciousness linking. The tea we drank has initiated the link. Even the Church can't eavesdrop on us now. Second, let us get right down to it: I don't know what that kid is doing, but my Path…tells me that it is not good for us. We have gathered because we all share the same thought: whether we side with Angaria or the Church, we just want to continue to live. With that kid's appearance, it started to seem as though Angaria might have a chance. But if my premonition is right…what is going to happen is going to change Angaria in ways we cannot imagine. All I know right now is that it won't be good for us. So, we have gathered to create a backup plan- and that brings me to my guest. Everyone, please welcome Sir Kovac, Master Assassin of the TriCobra Society."

Chapter 943: Uproar

In the Sect of Hedon, the Shameless Sect had been prepared to go back into another long period of hibernation, after which their goal was to emerge as those who would be powerful enough to at least conserve their lives in the inevitable war that would soon engulf the continent.

They had even made all of their preparations. They had stocked up on snacks, made ample visits to the village to clear out all of their desires, and they had even found a perfect place right outside the sect where they wouldn't be disturbed while they consumed the bountiful harvest of Ker Gems.

It was just close enough that they would be able to run back in case there was an attack, and just far enough that it wouldn't be found easily by anyone who might have gotten a grudge against them due to their actions.

Alas…all of their preparations were in vain, as right on the day when their isolation began, the King's words were heard all over the continent.

Convinced that the Church had arrived, they had hightailed it back to the Sect, with the fattie even being so scared that he didn't pause to dress himself after his bath, which resulted in quite a few memories which would later be wiped away with the help of mages well-versed in the consciousness, as they were just too traumatizing to hold in one's mind without being affected by them.

Rather than his image, it was his act of showering everyone with his special concoction made from the liquid excreta of various animals which he claimed gave him glowing skin that would be remembered with a special hatred. He had been bathing in it, and the revolting liquid had fallen on the many who had gathered in the main square when he passed over them while hurrying to the dorm, where they had planned to hide and try not to be enlisted.

Hence, their plan of not calling attention to themselves seemed as if it had failed, but thankfully, the situation was so tense that no one had the time to deal with them.

From the dorm, all of them watched Champions were put in charge to create squads so that they could be called upon at a moment's notice in case something did go down.

The uncertainty was the most unsettling thing. All of those in the Shameless Sect wished that they had obtained some or the other means to contact the King after they had interacted with him so that they could understand the present situation better, but sadly, they had been too blinded by happiness at that point on the discovery that they would soon be rich.

Finally, with no other option, they even tried to contact Travis, but with all communication to the outside cut off, it looked as if they would have no option but to stay just as uninformed as everyone else.

Only…that changed a few hours later.

It started with a knock on the door, and fearing that someone had arrived to enlist them, all four of the Sect backed up against a wall and prepared to fight.

They had already made a plan: they would rather be arrested for insubordination and thrown in prison for the duration of the war, than fight when they knew they were weak and eventually die an unwilling death.

Their hope was that they were weak enough that no one would take the effort to force them onto the battlefield regardless, so as a small storm of elementary particles were kicked into action in front of them, it seemed as if they would have to go for this plan, after all.

The door was allowed to open…and what happened next would be remembered by them for the rest of their lives.

A man wearing a jacket with a hood appeared, and at once, they all shot the attacks that they had prepared.

It was a second after doing so that they realized that he couldn't be a Champion, which made horrified expressions appear on all of their faces.

All of the main squad leaders were Champions, so the idea was that someone at that level would at most be a bit injured due to their actions, as they were just a bunch of Warriors.

However, if they ended up killing a Peak Warrior who might have been sent…they would be in for a much worse fate.

The fattie even began to wish that he could jump forward and endure the attacks by himself so that that wouldn't happen, but it was at that point that the man in the jacket moved.

He raised his hand, and first, the special arrow that had been shot by Henry, who was a Warrior, was deflected.

At the same time, the rest of the attacks looked like they would land, but all he did…was wave those hands.

Clyde's globe of concentrated lightning fire was met by a smaller one revolving in the opposite direction, which deflected it and made it harmlessly fly to the side.

Jared's 1000-layer ice bolt, which was only supposed to decrease in size and shed some layers in case it was attacked, was made to fall to the ground as the links between the layers were destroyed.

And finally, the fattie's ball of slime, which was his special trick that could dissolve stone in an instant, was met in the air with the exact same substance, causing the two to cancel each other out.

With jaws hanging loose, the four watched as the man let out a sigh of relief and removed his hood.

This reveal only served to heighten their shock, though, as they recognized who he was.

"Brother Percy! But you were supposed to be usele-…I mean, how did you know th-that you had to use my attack in reverse like that?!"

"How did you know where the links were! I took a year to learn the trick to hide them!"

"HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT MY SLIME? IT'S NOT EVEN IN THE LIBRARY!!"

The three who spoke were Clyde, Jared, and the Fattie, and the last even shouted in an indignant manner.

It was a matter of great pride to him that he hadn't trained in the techniques that were available to all in the library of the Sect of Hedon, but today, it had been crushed.

They expected an explanation, but what they got…was a beating.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! OW!"

Percy instantly sped up and began to rap his knuckles on each of their heads until they could do nothing except cover them and shout out with pain.

A few seconds later, he was standing at the door, satisfied, in front of 4 people who all had multiple lumps growing on their heads.

Dusting off his hands, he said, "Don't ask. The King gave you gems, right? This is what he gave me. Anyway, I'm here on his words: we've got work to do."

They couldn't believe their ears at first, but the very thought of helping out the King again and gaining even more made them all get up eagerly.

Nodding, Percy let out an internal sigh of relief.

That had been very, very close. He had only barely managed to learn the trick of understanding and replicating attacks in an instant using the training he had undergone in the home of that tyrant, and it had been put to the test already.

If the four in front of him were even a bit stronger, he would have been the one on the ground, but thankfully, he had been able to act quickly enough.

It was odd, as it felt as if it had been working a lot faster ever since that harrowing experience of having an old dude pulled out of his head, but having no way to know whether it was true, he got right down to business.

"I have a job for you. It'll be risky, but if you do it well, you can ask for anything for the King. He won't let you avoid the war- so don't even think about it. But…he might just have a few techniques which will make sure you survive."

Percy's words had instantly made all of their eyes shine, but that had been followed by disappointment on finding out that they couldn't completely guarantee their survival.

When he said the last part, though, they realized that their plan was foolish. If they went through with it, they knew that they would get on the bad side of the King who was fiercely loyal to the continent, and that was something that only the dumbest of people would do.

It was clear that he was their idol who might lead them to the path towards a long, powerful life filled with riches and pleasure, so it was best to take some risks, and use this opportunity perfectly.

All of this passed between them wordlessly, and the decision was made.

"We're ready. Lead the way."

Hearing Henry say this, Percy shook his head, marveling at the King's ability to judge people.

He had said that these four were cowards, but that they would choose to fight when given the right incentive. And for their task…they were the perfect scapegoats.

With another nod, he began to speak.

"Good. Here's what I need you to do…"

…

In the Sect of Hedon, it had been decreed that there would be a combined meeting every evening where the progress of the day would be assessed.

They had fully entered the preparation stage, with rigorous training being carried out every day where mages were being taught to work together, so that they could take down individuals stronger than them, if such a situation arose on the battlefield.

However…the most maddening thing was that they still didn't know just when the war was.

Whispers could be heard everywhere, and multiple speculations were being passed around, with each being more silly than the last.

In this atmosphere, the Champion in charge rose into the air to begin the assessment, but suddenly…four Warriors also rose alongside him.

He was about to humph and smash them to the ground as he was already in a bad mood, but before he could do so…

"THE WAR IS AGAINST THE KING OF LANTHANOR, AGAIN! AND THIS TIME, ALL OF THE SECTS ARE GOING TO FIGHT HIM TOGETHER! IF WE STILL LOSE, HE'S GOING TO DISBAND ALL THREE SECTS AND CREATE ONE INTO WHICH WE WILL BE ASSIMILATED! AFTER ALL, AT THAT POINT, THE BIG FOUR WOULD JUST BE A JOKE, RIGHT? SO, EVERYONE, PREPARE TO LICK THE BOOTS OF THE MIGHTY GODKING, DANEEL ANIVRON!!!"

As all hell broke loose in the Sect, Percy chuckled from his vantage point.

This was being broadcasted in the other two parts of the Big Four, too, and the reactions were the same everywhere: anger, indignation, and shame.

The fresh wound of their loss was ripped open, and it would be a long time until peace would be restored in the Big Four.

With his duty done, Percy sent a message to his King.

"They're gunning for you now, my King. The fire has been lit, and I'll continue to stoke it each and every day. Seeing their fury, though, I'm definitely glad that I'm not in your shoes…"

Chapter 944: Jake

Unaware of the uproar that had just been caused by Daneel's plan, Jake was one of the many who were standing in a tent, together, while they concentrated on a ball of fire that was rotating slowly in the air in front of them.

They were just a few tens of kilometers away from the Sect of Hedon, and hence, the emotions of hundreds of mages who had all been enraged could be felt even where they stood.

It had happened suddenly: one moment, it had been a normal training day, albeit a very tough one as they were just getting into the complicated aspects of magic, and in the next, it was as if a sleeping monster had been awoken nearby whose only wish was to disrupt their concentration so that they could fail.

"Steady!"

The commander in front of them had a very tense expression on his face as he watched the globe that was barely remaining whole, and as he said that word with slight panic on his face on seeing the disruption that had been caused, it looked as if all would be for naught.

However… Somehow, they held on, and soon, an entire minute had passed.

"Release!"

As the commander shouted this with relief, the globe of fire disappeared, and sweat burst out on the faces of all of the thousand who were present in the group.

"Good work! Go get some rest, and some food. Remember: it's imperative that you stuff yourselves. Do not skimp out on anything- eat as much as you can, because I sure am going to make you burn it all when you're back. Go."

The entire group looked like they would collapse at any moment if they were allowed to do so, but mustering up the last of the energy present in their bones, they trudged to the side of the tent where multiple dishes were wafting their scents into the air, tantalizingly calling to all of those working hard in the vast area.

Jake lingered, and he was one of the few who saw the expression of pride on the commander's face.

Seeing this made his own chest well up with the same emotion, and with a smile, he followed the others to grab some food.

On the way, he saw the other groups which were still engaged in the activity, and also a few which had failed, and thus had dejected expressions on their faces.

Until a few days ago, he had just been a potter who earned a middling wage in the business left behind by his father.

Reaching his destination, he picked up a plate and could not help but mutter to himself, "Father, you were right…"

As he did so, he stopped where he stood and let out a deep breath, and that led to the queue behind him pausing.

It was only for a second, though, so there were no shouts from those who were hungrily waiting for the best part of the day. Knowing that he had goofed up by remembering the wrong thing in the wrong place, Jake scratched his head sheepishly and was about to go forward to take some food when he heard a kind voice from behind him.

"If you don't mind me asking… What was your father right about?"

Turning around, he saw that it was a woman dressed in very simple clothes.

Her face was covered with dust, but her eyes were bright, like diamonds that were mixed in the sand.

Her hair was matted with mud, and from that, he knew right away that she was part of the Fighter Regiment.

Seeing his hesitation, she chuckled and said, "Alright, fine, keep your secrets."

Jake had always been someone who kept to himself, so he took this chance to back out of the conversation. With a nod and smile, he turned around and heaped his plate with food before leaving the queue and looking for a place to sit down.

Long rows of tables and chairs had been arranged to another side of the tent where people were munching down morsel after morsel with all kinds of expressions on their faces, and after finding an empty one, he started to do the same.

Only, the moment he took the first bite of the fish that many swore had even begun to come in their dreams, the same woman appeared in front of him and took a seat.

At first, he wondered whether he should say anything, but it looked like she had just arrived because his was the only empty table nearby.

Shrugging, he continued to eat, but a few seconds later, he heard her voice again.

"Okay, fine, you win. Can be exchange stories? The king did say that it would bring us together. I'm one of the best Fighters in my Regiment, so maybe, when it's time for the Mage Fighter training, we can do it together! You're in the Elite Mage Regiment, right?"

Jake did not know what to make of her. He did nod, though, as his mother had taught him manners, but after that, he could only stare foolishly.

Usually, this was the point where those who were talking to him would decide that he was a dunce and leave, but this woman did not do so. She continued to stare back, and soon, he was the one who had to lower his eyes.

"Ah, so you're that kind of guy. Well, I know that now, so I'll bug you throughout the training if you don't talk! I can be VERY adamant when I want to be, and you, sir, have piqued my curiosity."

Jake looked up with shock and even panic as he heard this, only to see the woman happily begin to eat.

She seemed to not care, at all, about what people thought, as she voraciously gulped down piece after piece of the fish while smacking her lips and munching loudly.

She attracted the attention of almost everyone sitting all around them, and while Jake began to get squeamish in his seat, she paused and spoke with her mouth full.

"If you fwant me to stopf, answer!"

He needed a moment to understand her, and after he did, the words burst out of his mouth.

"My father was a Mage in the military of the Black Raven Kingdom. He always spoke about how he would have been able to give us a better life if he had just managed to be allotted a few more resources. But all over the continent, the norms were always very strict: those with limited comprehension level would only be given a very limited amount of resources, with the rest going to those with more talent. And of course, a large part is swallowed up by the Big Four, whose vaults are all supposed to be bursting with Ether Blocks. All his life, he just kept wishing for one thing: that even we, who were not fortunate to be born with talent, would be able to obtain a portion of resources to at least try and break through the barriers in front of us with hard work. It wasn't possible for him. Now, it is possible for me…and I did it. He was right. I…wish he was here to see me now."

Jake's eyes swam with tears as he said the last part, and as he hastily used his hands to wipe them away before they fell, he noticed that something was wrong.

The place where he was sitting had previously been filled with many sounds. After all, thousands of people eating and talking between themselves would definitely cause a buzz to be present which many would tune out naturally, but now, it had stopped, and that made the silence sound deafening.

He first looked up to see the smiling face of the woman, before panning his head and seeing that all those in the tables around him were staring in his direction.

Still in denial, he first checked behind him to make sure that there wasn't someone else, and after seeing the same scene there, too, he came face to face with the truth.

Everyone was looking at him.

He froze, instantly, before looking up again and spotting a spell that had been hidden until now.

It was…a sound magnification spell.

"Y-you…"

He began to stammer out a question, but in front of his eyes, the dusty woman instantly transformed into an angelic person who was well-known to all.

Lady Eloise.

Smiling warmly, she said, "I apologize for doing this, but it was for your own good. Rise, son of Maddock. Your father was a brave man who wasn't afraid to say the right thing, even if he knew that it would cause harm to himself, and his family. While going through the records, the Black Raven King found out about his case: it was written that he was thrown out because of insubordination, right? That was false. In truth, he simply dared to speak out against the Big Four, who had confiscated a Ker Gem mine that should have belonged to the people of the Black Raven Kingdom. He would have been killed if he stayed, so the best option was to remove him from his post. Still, his bravery shall not go unrecognized. Today, I present to you the 'Star of the Alliance'. It denotes you as an important individual who is essential to the growth of the Alliance, and gives you many other perks which will be made public soon. Take it. You deserve it."

The tears that he had stopped started to flow, unabated, as Jake heard the deeds of his father, who had indeed been an individual who was ready to die if it meant that he could make a difference.

He had been powerless, and his greatest regret had always been that he hadn't done enough.

Standing up, Jake beamed with pride as a star made of gold was attached to his chest.

He was about to bow, but catching his shoulders, she said, "You don't need to. This is something that should have happened a long time ago. Walk in his footsteps, and make him proud now. Wherever he is, he's watching you."

With a nod, Jake completely broke down and began to sob, as all the pent up feelings began to flow out.

Watching the scene, Daneel smiled as he tucked a strand of Xuan's hair behind her ear.

Her eyes were still closed, but she was snuggled up like a cat in Daneel's arms.

She had seemed disturbed, but on Daneel's arrival, she had directly entered this position and almost purred contentedly.

Knowing that it must have been because she had missed him, Daneel had smiled to himself and then begun to pat her shoulder, and with his heart at peace, they had watched everything play out.

Seeing the emotions invoked in many around Jake, Daneel nodded, as things were progressing well for the final step.

A few hours later, it looked like Xuan was back to normal, so kissing her on her forehead, he began to get up.

Her eyes still closed, she cutely puckered her lips, which led to him pecking them, too, and then blushing, as he remembered how he would never have done anything like this just a few months back.

Once again musing about how dumb it had been to almost not have the chance to experience this due to his decision to not concern himself with the matters of the heart until the continent was safe, he dissolved his apparition, only to appear in a different place, where Eloise ran up to him and said, "It worked."

She squeezed his hand and gave him a warm smile before turning away, but suddenly, she stopped and turned around.

She sniffed, and then, she did something which startled him.

Engulfing him in a hug, she squeezed him tightly and whispered, "It's not fair for Xuan to have all the fun," before plucking a kiss from his still-moist lips.

With a playful smile, she teleported away, leaving Daneel blankly staring into the air, while a thought entered his mind.

He would never, ever have been able to forgive himself if his decision had led to him losing out on what he had now.

A moment later, he found out the reason behind her actions.

Before, Xuan's natural scent had been on his body, as the system was so perfect that it had even reproduced that aspect of his other apparition.

Now, that scent had mixed with that of Eloise, too, resulting in something which Daneel couldn't stop inhaling through his nostrils, and then smiling foolishly, as if he was a teenage boy who had just had his first kiss.

"Er…My King?"

Kellor broke his trance, which led to him coughing fiercely and turning away.

"Ehem…everything's going well. Right. I have a fever- that's why my face is so red. Yes. My injury is acting up."

"But…you're an apparition."

Kellor's question led to another bout of coughing, following which he replied, "I aim for perfection in everything I do. Anyway, I see that we're on schedule: prepare for the showdown in one week. Farewell, then."

As he teleported away while blushing even more on seeing Kellor's amused, but happy face, Daneel decided to give an order to the system.

"System, create new protocol: every time something in a list I'm going to give happens, control my expression. Make me look stoic, and relaxed. Yes- definitely not dumb and foolish. Oh, and also make sure my heart doesn't pump blood in the wrong direction…"

Chapter 945: The War Begins

"You do realize that the entire thing seems crazy, right?"

Sitting in the bar in the sky, the Chief idly sipped a bubbling, golden beverage before saying this to the Head, who was sniffing disapprovingly at a pitcher of beer that had just been given to him.

"Eight years, six months, and three days. Also made using a defunct method which gave subpar results. Not recommended for Heroes, or even Champions. Give the entire stock to the Warriors."

The answer was given to the bartender, who nodded and said, "That's what I thought, too, but I needed an expert opinion. I didn't think that I got lucky when I found that abandoned warehouse, but I thought that it might at least get me a favor from a couple of Champions. Well, not all of us can be as consistently lucky as you…"

With a wince, the Head replied, "Don't remind me. Everything that came out of that luck is almost gone."

With that, he ended his conversation with the bartender and then turned to the Chief, who was patiently waiting for an answer.

Before giving it, though, the Head ordered himself the same golden drink, and after downing an entire glass, he said, "Tell me about it…"

Barking out a laugh, the Head took another sip before replying.

"Seeing you gulp down wine, itself, is enough of a sign that you are definitely agitated. Well, these walls have heard the sorrows of many, many individuals which ranged from those at home, to those out in the Sea, and some even going so far as to concern the Mainland. I believe that they, and I are well-equipped to hear you out, too. So, speak, my dear disciple."

With a sigh, the Head refilled his glass and was tempted to swallow it down again.

However, controlling himself and trying to get back to normal, he swirled it and then took the smallest sip to wet his lips before beginning to speak.

"When he told me that he was up to something, I knew that it was going to be trouble, but I didn't expect this much. Just look at the sequence of events. He stomped on the Big Four, he said there is a war, and now… Nothing. He reassured me that the threat was not from the outside, so that's a consolation, but what the hell did he mean by that stunt where he pretty much announced that he wants to disband the Big Four? Well, it did have a positive outcome – everyone is training harder than they ever have in their lives, probably with the image of licking the King's boots. Excuse my language, but that really is their fear – I've even heard complaints from some of the Champions who say that those under them are repeatedly getting dreams of doing that exact thing, and then crying with shame as the king laughed in front of them. From the number of reports, I even suspected whether he was doing it on purpose, but I doubt that that's the case… Either way, frustration is at an all-time high, and I'm not even frequenting any of the Big Four, or I should say, the Big Three. If I do, I would be bombarded by questions from Champions and Heroes. Even the Order is unsafe, because many of those Heroes keep asking about the war, too. This bar is the safest, for now, but when the Order finds out I'm here… I expect that I'll have to make a run for it. It's just… Strange. It's almost like it came out of nowhere, but seeing the importance being attached to it, it feels as if it is going to change a lot. And frankly… I'm a bit scared regarding exactly what he's talking about. I don't even have an inkling, and perhaps, that is the reason behind my fear."

The Chief listened with a kind smile on his face, and after the Head was done, he said, "We always fear the things we don't understand. I'll be frank. I've been seeing everything he was doing, but even I can't make heads or tails out of the whole thing. I've seen him talk about it, though, and seeing his passion… I just don't get how we have not identified what he has clearly noticed, and is tackling at the moment. Just the fact that he has deemed it to be so important that it takes precedence over the war against the Church shows that it must definitely be worthy of that much attention, and so, I've chosen to trust him. After all, he's never given me a reason not to."

With another nod, the Head took a large sip and said, "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I know I have to do, too, but I can't help it – I feel as if I'm in charge of the entire continent as the Overseer, and right now, the situation is so bad that everything can go up in flames at a moment's notice. Oh, I also know that the match will be struck, but I just don't know when, and where."

"Why don't you ask?"

The simple question, made the Head freeze, as he realized that he had forgotten to do this one thing and had instead gone directly to the next step, which was bitching about it in front of his master.

After going blank for a second, he sent the query, and a moment later, he felt like smacking his forehead.

"He just told me that it will be in three days, at sunset, in the exact middle of the continent, which means it'll be right below us. He also apologized, saying that he had been busy, and had forgotten to inform us – but he did say that we should now give the orders for everyone to gather then. And… He also said that it would be wise if I told them to prepare for the worst."

"The worst?"

"The absolute worst."

A grave expression came on the Chief's face as he heard this, but then, he shrugged and said, "Well, how bad can it be? At most, he will do what he announced, and that will be a sight to see. The Legacy Disciple of the Fortress can never go wrong…"

This elicited an answer from the Head, who first rolled his eyes and then said, "No way, master. The way things are right now – it seems that many would rather die than accept to come under him. I reckon that he knows it, too – if his objective was to bring the entire Big Four under him as one big force, then he would definitely have chosen a softer road. But instead, he chose this one, and you know as well as I do that ego can lead to death, more often than not, especially when there is this much hatred present. We're missing something – I'm sure of it. Otherwise, nothing makes sense."

To this, the Chief nodded, and spoke to end the conversation.

"You're right. But I've accepted it, and I'm just waiting like a spectator. I've even prepared food for the day – barbecue Endless Sea fish, and roast Tiger. Would you like me to bring some for you? No? Well, suit yourself. When it begins, I'll be ready, and you'll regret it then, with no other option but to spit out your wine, again. Here's my advice: don't bring wine there, at all."

…

3 days passed by quickly, with the entire continent preparing for an unknown foe, whom they had to defeat at all costs.

The people assumed that it was the Church, and that they were going to fight for their future generations. They put in their all, and although it got very difficult at times, they were meeting all of the expectations placed on them.

The members of the Big Four assumed that they were going to have a chance for redemption, and so, with reddened eyes, many kept replaying what had happened during the King's stomping journey, and using it to spur themselves forward in ways they hadn't even thought were possible before.

In many ancient epics written on Earth, it was said that anger was the best motivation which could bring about focus in even the most tense of situations. In fact, Daneel had read that there were even a specific group of people who pissed themselves off before studying, just so that they could be more productive.

On Angaria, something similar was happening. On one side, there was the zeal to fight for hope, and on the other, there was hatred that had to be quenched.

As the time for the showdown neared, a congregation of Heroes gathered above the spot, after receiving the message from the Head that this where it would all go down.

Some were expectant. A few were excited. But most…were disapproving of the King's actions.

It was clear that they were longing for something that they could use to bring him down a notch, and today, they had arrived to find just that.

The Heroes would not be taking part in this battle, and this was something that had been made clear at the beginning, itself. Heroes always had belonged to the force which would never be bunched with others, and hence, all they did was instruct, if they wanted to.

As the appointed time approached, it was the people who turned up first.

They came from all directions. From the east, west, north, and south, thousands upon thousands marched in an orderly fashion, kicking up such a large cloud of dust that it had to be constantly dispelled by a small group of mages so that it wouldn't completely hamper visibility.

Soon, the number reached a hundred thousand, and then half a million, until finally, over 5 million individuals had gathered in a single place in the vast, empty landscape that was present between Lanthanor, the Black Raven Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Arafell.

At first, it looked as if they were haphazardly arriving, but soon, it became clear that there were formations that were being followed.

Just this scene was so impressive that it took the breath away from many of the spectators, as it was their first time witnessing something like it. In modern history, this was definitely the largest gathering in Angaria, and hence, the Heroes could not help but at least grudgingly accept that the King's sway over the common people was truly something to behold.

But…what did that matter?

This thought came in the mind of many, and they didn't even choose to conceal that feeling. Even if sheep gathered in groups, what could they do except bleat while they were all slaughtered together? In fact, it would even make it easier for the attacker, as just one large-scale spell might be enough!

Amidst these thoughts, the members of the Big Four arrived in the spot opposite the millions of Angarians.

They came in three separate groups, all dressed in dazzling armor of different colors. The Sect of Hedon wore green, the Fortress wore crimson, and the Sanctum wore white.

After appearing, there was a brief moment where the sight of millions made them gasp with awe, but that was replaced by disdain as these were just Central Continent dwellers who would never amount to anything except insects that could be crushed at leisure.

In fact, they didn't even know why they were here, but most were sure of one thing: no matter whom the battle was against, they would act as the scapegoats who would keep the enemies occupied.

That was how it had been for centuries, and that was how it would be now.

The sun began to set over the horizon a few minutes after this, and bathed in its reddish hue like a Dragon soaring into the Heavens, Daneel appeared in the air between the Heroes and the forces gathered on the ground.

Instantly, shouts began to be heard from the place where the Big Four were standing.

"Bring it on! We're ready for you!"

"Yeah, there's no way that we lose now! Come get us yourself, you coward!"

"Are you going to hide behind those Heroes, now? Do it, and show your true colors!"

"Whether it's you or anyone else, we're ready to fight!"

At the same time, mutters began among the Heroes.

"Where's the foe? I thought he might produce someone out of thin air…"

"That's preposterous! I thought he was just doing it like a drill…or maybe, he intercepted information that there would be an attack now?"

"Impossible! There's no way that that's true. In fact…"

As the discussions started to continue, King Daneel suddenly raised his hand and made a swift cutting motion, which resulted in a thunderclap that shut up everyone above and below him.

Everyone understood that he was going to speak, so they eagerly waited for the mystery to finally be revealed.

However, with his words…he successfully became the first person in millennia to drop over a million jaws, at once.

"PEOPLE OF ANGARIA! The war is here, and as for your opponents…they're right in front of you! Yes, you heard me right! For too long has the Big Four hoarded most of the resources of the continent, leaving nothing for the common man who wasn't born lucky! For too long have people died before when they were supposed to as they were deemed 'useless' by those who would simply end up placing Energy resources that could be used for extending the lives of millions in a vault! Who are they to decide whether you live, or die? Who are they to call you useless? Who are they to deprive you of something the Mother is giving to us all? They are nothing! And today, we shall prove this! I know that this is the life you have become accustomed to, but today, it shall change!

"If you wish to give your children a much, much better life filled with all of the many opportunities that you were deprived of, then LET US BREAK DOWN THIS INVISIBLE WALL THAT DIVIDES US!

"If you want a future where you can change your fate with your deeds, instead of resigning yourself to the fate of a dog due to bad luck, FIGHT IN MY NAME!

"FIGHT IN MY NAME, AND EARN YOUR FREEDOM!

"FIGHT IN MY NAME, AND FEAR NOT DEFEAT!

"FOR JUSTICE!

"FOR GLORY!

"AND…FOR ANGAAARRRIIIAAAAAA!!!!"

Chapter 946: Impasse

Daneel's words were followed by a bout of silence during which the two major social and economic classes of the continent of Angaria stared at each other, aghast, as the differences between them were brought forth in the clearest way yet.

On one side were the people, who were, at first, extremely shocked, as they could never have expected that it would be the continent's Big Four who they would go up against.

Perhaps, it could be said that the Big Four, as opponents, elicited more fear and uncertainty than anything that the Church could have, especially as they were now- unknown.

Just as it could be said that one always feared the unknown, it could also be said that a known demon who had a past of indiscriminately killing scores of them would strike more fear than an unknown one whom they had yet to see and understand.

In the latter case, they could at least gloss over the details and blindly trust in the King to make a difference, even at the cost of their lives, but in the case of the former…it was different.

Daneel watched as the expressions changed on the millions who were standing below him.

There were two kinds of change: one was the sort where the halo that had always existed around the entity known as the Big Four was recalled, causing panic and fear to kick in the hearts of those who had already been afraid, and the other was the sort where the people seemed excited, and even thankful, as something that they had never thought would happen was coming to life right in front of them.

The second sort were in the minority, and of course, both of these changes were preceded by expressions of shock, which needed quite some time to get over.

While this was the case among the common people, over on the Big Four's side, two kinds of changes in expressions could also be seen.

One was the expected sort: the fury that had been caused by Daneel's actions rose to a new level, as now, their very identity was being threatened.

This was the first thing that became clear to all, and ordinarily, it would have resulted in this kind of change in the majority.

What Daneel was proposing was a complete overhaul of the system that had stood for eons in Angaria, and clearly, that would break apart the pedestal that the Big Four were on.

No longer would they have the right to look down on everyone else.

No longer would they have unlimited resources waiting to be obtained.

And no longer would they be able to wake up and feel fortunate to be a part of the upper class of Angaria, where their long and happy life was pretty much guaranteed.

All of these thoughts had definitely appeared in the minds of most from the Big Four, and this could be seen in the way their eyes flashed to show fear, and the unwillingness to let go of something they had taken for granted.

However…it was easy for one to forget that quite a considerable portion of the members of the Big Four were from the central continent.

Right after the realization of his proposal became clear to them, the memories of how much they had been looked down upon came to light, and hence, conflicted expressions could be seen on those who had still not forgotten where they came from.

The pain of being in a place where one was never welcomed, and always disdained, as if they were but a stain on the earth where they stood, was something that could cut deep into one's soul.

Seeing this pain in the members of the Big Four, Daneel was reminded of the system on Earth where many had to emigrate to foreign places with the dream of obtaining a better life.

True, they would find what they wished for, and true, in many cases, there wasn't the disdain that was present here.

But where it did rear its head…it could be said that the people would feel as if they were living in a burning forest which hurt, but which was the only place they could be, as the alternative was the sea, in which they would drown.

In this sea was also the home they had left, but going back was not an option for many for many reasons, and hence, they could only shelve their emotions and look forward to the day when they could return to a place they could say they truly belonged to.

It was different for those who had gone to a place where they were welcomed which they truly made their own, but at least in Angaria, that was definitely not the case.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on, here!"

Daneel snapped out of the reverie he had gone into when a voice sounded over the battlefield, followed by the appearance of the Head, who had an alarmed expression on his face.

As all thoughts of Earth left his mind, Daneel raised an eyebrow, and waited for the man to speak.

Before he could, though, over a hundred individuals appeared all around him, and a bevy of angry shouts were thrown in Daneel's direction.

"You can't be serious! What kind of a stunt is this? Everyone should disperse, right now!"

Among them all, this one was the loudest, and unsurprisingly, it was from someone he had met only a few days back- the sitting leader of the Sect of Hedon.

The rest of the statements were also similar- they demanded an explanation, and also said that if this was a joke, then it was one in poor taste. Some also said that he was crazy, but these individuals were in the minority, and they were mostly Fighters who had completely lost their temper and had swelled up so much with anger that it looked like they would burst like a ripe tomato at any second.

Daneel waited for the shouts to subside patiently, and it was as if his silence was more effective than anything he could have said. Every second the Heroes looked into his eyes, it was as if they were being scorched by an unknown force, and finally, silence once again tightened its hold over the vast area.

And in this silence, Daneel spoke.

"I was going to go into this later. But since we are at an impasse, let me give a short version, before the battle commences. First, let me bring up some very interesting data…"

That last line almost felt like one Daneel would have said if his life had gone its natural course, leading him to some cushy corporate job, but the moment the data popped up in the air in large letters, gasps could be heard from those standing on the ground.

"Average Lifespan of Residents of the Central Continent: 85 years.

Average Lifespan of Residents of the Big Four: 287 years."

A difference of three times.

It was something that everyone had always known, but with it being shown in this way…the divide that it represented seemed as if it had been dragged beneath the sun from the dark.

"If it's just this, it could be said that it is because of talent. But, let me introduce you to a few people…"

With a flick of his finger, over 30,000 people appeared in the air below Daneel.

Almost all of these people had white hair and looked as if they approaching the evening of their lives, and for some reason, their faces were filled with regret.

Waving his hand in their direction, he said, "These people are a small fraction of those who represent the biggest problem in Angaria. And do you know what it is? I'll let them tell you…"

As soon as he said this, all thirty thousand took a deep breath before shouting at the same time, and their words thundered over the battlefield.

"IF YOU BASTARDS HADN'T HOARDED ALL THE ENERGY RESOURCES, WE COULD HAVE BROKEN THROUGH TO BECOME WARRIORS!"

It was powerful. 30,000 wizened man, who could have been in the prime of their lives, right now, if they had broken through, as only a third of their lives would have elapsed by now.

Alas, instead, they were bent over, bald, and approaching the end.

"These, and many more, all had inferior talent, but if given the opportunity, they would have been able to more than make up for it with hard work. Instead, it was decided that it was useless, and that it was better to utilize those resources on someone with better talent who might or might not become a Champion. Tell me…who do you think you are to decide this? Who do you think you are to take away hundreds of years from all these people, who were born to the same Mother, and who have an equal right to all that she has given? Answer me!"

Daneel's words were spoken in a tone filled with rage that was being concealed.

He…was genuinely pissed off.

In an instant, he flew down into the force he had gathered.

"This is Jake. He is a hard worker, but also has inferior talent. He's only a potter, but if given the means, he can become a Warrior. But instead…he will die at the age of 90."

"This is Jessica. She is just one grade away from the cut off which accepts people into sects. She can struggle for Energy resources, and if she is lucky, she might obtain some. Even then, it will be very, very difficult for her to become a Warrior. She will die at the age of 93, wishing she had had help when she was young, so that she could have broken through."

"This is Roger…"

"This is Hannibal…"

"This is Lizzie…"

Person after person. Story after story. Each one made blood begin to pump in the bodies of the common people, as their fate, which they had accepted, was shown to them.

After many, many people, Daneel finally stopped at the back of the force, from where he picked up someone who startled all those who were watching.

It was a little girl who probably wasn't even 12 years old, and as she was flown into the air, panic appeared on her face.

However, Daneel reassuringly caught her hand to give her courage, and asked, "Little Freia. Tell me…why are you here?"

She was afraid, at first, but it was as if Daneel's eyes had some sort of power which made her put aside that fear, and speak.

"I…I want to fight. My mom and dad are fighting, and I want to fight too. I want to fight…because they said that this is for our future. I…want my little brother to have a happy life. So, I want to fight. Please…can I? I even sneaked into training, so I know what to do!"

Her voice was slightly high-pitched, but her courage could be heard by all.

However, Daneel surprised everyone by asking, "I know there's a different reason, little one. Tell me what it is."

This made the little girl blush and almost want to hide, but again, the King's eyes worked their magic.

It took her a few moments, but after that, she said, "Th-they tested me when I was 10, and said that I can never be a good Mage, or Fighter. I said I want to become a warrior. They said it will never happen, and that I would never be able to get Energy. Even if I worked hard, they said that I would, at most, become an Eminent Human. I-I begged that it would be enough. B-but they laughed at me and threw me out, saying that…I'm a worthless insect who would only waste the resources. I felt that this might be the only chance for me to fight, so, I snuck in…"

Freia's words…made millions of tears appear, at once, among all the people who had gathered.

It was her words that finally seemed to strike home.

She was a child whose fate had been decided, and whose dreams had been crushed…all due to a decision that was out of their hands.

"Now, if you're fine with living in such a world, then you can all go back. But if you wish for change…then your opponent is in front of you. Little Freia…what do you want to do?"

With bated breath, it was as if the entire army was waiting for the decision of the little girl.

She felt crushing pressure on her shoulders, but all of it disappeared as she looked into the King's reassuring eyes.

From a concealed place, she took out a bent sword that didn't even have an edge.

Holding it aloft, she shouted, "CHARGE!"

For a moment, there was silence, and then…all hell broke loose.

Chapter 947: Angaria's Fury

A few seconds before the little girl's decision which acted as the spark that started a wildfire.

The hundred Heroes who had arrived had slowly begun to be joined by more and more, until their total number reached 250, and in the group, even though many were controlling their expressions, there were some who made it clear just what kind of emotions were surging through the minds of all of these individuals who had ruled like Kings for all these years.

Rage. Pure, unadulterated rage.

And of course…alarm.

"Everyone, calm the f*ck down! First, call anyone who's left! If we're going to do anything, it needs to be together!"

Calming themselves down, more and more Heroes began to hastily contact those who had decided that the show wasn't for them.

These were individuals who had completely steeped themselves in the strict training regimen that was required if one wanted to move forward in the realm of Heroes, but the moment they heard what was going on, their consciousnesses which allowed them to think and analyze things at a much faster rate than anyone else on the continent allowed them to see the graveness of the situation.

One by one, they started to arrive in the area, and it looked like there was no stopping the gathering of all those who did not wish for the war to happen.

This was happening unbeknownst to those below as camouflage formations had been set up to ensure that no one else would be able to see what was happening in their location, but Daneel had easily pierced through their veil.

With a sneer, he watched as panic began to beset even the most stoic of individuals.

What he was seeing was a sight that would probably never come to be on Earth: it was the moment before the downfall of the established order, and with it, the downfall of the system where one stratum of society hoarded most of the resources and left the rest to struggle for what was left.

Indeed, here, it was Energy resources, and on Earth…it was wealth.

It was an extremely complex issue of distribution of wealth that would even bring in discussions regarding the very essence of capitalism, but the way Daneel saw it, this was the bottom line:

If luck was the thing that determined whether one was born into a family where they would die of hunger with almost no opportunity to make their life better, or into one where the toughest decision they would make would be regarding the number of supercars they wanted to buy, then something was definitely wrong.

That was not to say that Daneel abhorred the idea of talent, or even the advantage one had by being born in the right family, but when 26 people held more wealth than half the rest of the planet…it was definitely a system that might need to change.

On Earth, he was pretty certain that he would have died without changing anything, whatsoever, but here…he had a chance, and there was no way in hell that he was going to waste it.

"King Daneel! Stop this farce! We now know what you want to do! You want to take the wealth of the Big Four and the Order for yourself! You might claim it's for the people, but we know the truth! The one who controls the Energy resources of the continent controls its fate! Until now, it was in our hands! Now, you want to take it away for your selfish reasons! Stop this now, or you will have to face the wrath of all of us!"

"Yes! What we have in place has withstood the test of time! It is effective! If we redistribute Energy, there definitely isn't enough to give to all those maggo-I mean, people, below! It will only be wasted!"

"Isn't it obvious? By giving resources to those who can utilize them the best, we ensure that the power level of the continent is the highest it can be! Instead, if there aren't enough for those born with talent, we will only go downhill!"

"You've gone too far, King! Take everything back! You don't know what you're doing! We are willing to forgive you, and even help in changing the memories of all those who have been affected by this! Take the opportunity to make amends, now!"

Daneel felt like chuckling as he heard the loose arguments of the Heroes who had finally begun to speak.

There were now 400 of them, and in fact, even some of those who had staunchly supported him due to his actions that had saved the continent were in this camp.

Hearing them, voices began to be heard from the camp of the Big Four, too.

"It would just be like watering weeds! Even if they grow up, what can they do?"

"Oh prestigious Heroes, please stop this madman! His love for the common folk has really gotten to his head! If we let him continue, he will only bring Angaria to ruin!"

"Energy is for those who are blessed by Mother Angaria with the talent to use it properly! The rest can only lament, and trust us to protect them! It is our duty, and their fate!"

That last statement made Daneel raise his eyebrows, and with a gesture of his hand, he made the one who had said it rise from the ground.

He was currently in two forms: one was going among the people and bringing their stories to light, and just now, that one had reached the little girl.

The other was in front of all of these individuals who did not want their way of life to change, no matter what.

The one who rose into the air was a tall, good looking individual who had long hair, and slight panic on his face as he came face to face with all of the most powerful forces on the continent.

However, after glancing at a certain spot among the Heroes, he found courage, and stood his ground.

"You can't scare me into submission! That is my view, and I know that I'm right!"

"Silence."

A single word from Daneel was like a blow that landed across his back, and if the man hadn't already taken precautions by activating barriers, it would have been enough to make him bow.

At the same time, a seething expression appeared on the face of one of the Heroes in the group, and he had to be actively held back as it looked like he would burst forth with all of his power at any moment.

"So your argument is that you deserve the Energy as you were lucky to be born with talent, and so that you can keep the over all power level of Angaria high, as Energy would just be wasted on all these people?"

'So you deserve more wealth than you can ever spend as you were born into it, and because the rest would only end up wasting it?'

"Yes! You can't refute it!"

"Yes! Stop this!"

Shouts after shouts rang out from everywhere, and seeing them all, Daneel…grinned.

It was a grin filled with malice, and seeing it, everyone could not help but be silenced.

And in that silence…the King gave his decree.

"Very well. If what you say is true, they will lose. If they do, I will apologize, and even hand over all of my Heroes, as I am clearly not capable of controlling them well."

Instantly, desire and greed sprang up in the eyes of many of the Heroes who were watching.

The one thing they were still apprehensive about was this force, as even though they had gathered like this, those 100 Heroes had something that they might never have: the willingness to fight with everything on the line.

In such fights, even if the opponent was outnumbered, there would be casualties, and no one among the Heroes who all had long lives to look forward to wanted to be the sacrifice to obtain victory.

Hence, for a moment, there were discussions, but before they could speak, the one who was still in the air spoke.

"Bring it on! They can do nothing against us!"

He was followed by more shouts from the crowd of the Big Four below, and they were all in the same vein.

"They're nothing! Watch as we show them their place!"

"Yeah, they're all trash! We are superior, and they seem to have forgotten it!"

"Esteemed Heroes, allow us to show our worth! We will make you proud!"

Temptation was always something that had brought the downfall of even the mightiest of civilizations. And as Daneel heard the Heroes' response, he smirked, as it had struck again.

After conferring once again with the rest, the leader of the Sect of Hedon declared, "Very well. We will watch the battle so that there is no foul play."

It was clear that they wanted to resolve things without risking anything, and as soon as Daneel heard them, he nodded and said, "Good," before disappearing.

At the same time, the three sects of the Big Four all began to activate their trinkets, and Paths.

Elementary particles could be seen arranging themselves in dazzling patterns all over the place, and just as this was happening…the little girl's shout rang out over the battlefield.

"Chaaaarrggeeeee!"

It brought derision on the faces of almost all those from the sects, and without hesitation, they began to ready their killing blows.

All of those from the sects were ready for a beat down. They knew the limitations of human formations which used the power of many, and hence, they knew that there was no way for their opponents to be able to face them in battle.

In fact, the man who had been in the air until now had returned to the ground, and now, it became clear that he was a part of the Sect of Hedon.

With a flourish, he flew to the front of the group, and turning his back to the people of Angaria, he declared, "Today, we show them once and for all that they are only fit to be beneath us! Please allow me to take pleasure in leading our offense!"

Saying so, he prepared a spell that would silence anyone who tried to oppose this, but weirdly…no one spoke up.

He had always been a pompous arse whose father allowed him to do what he wished, and today, he had been told that he should make his name.

He was prepared to step over anyone who tried to stop his parade, but why weren't the rest of those like him rising into the air to fight him for this honor?

Focusing, he saw that their expressions were changing, one by one, as they were looking at something behind him, and this made him say, "The Heroes will keep the King in check! Prepare to charge!"

Once again, he was ignored, and so, he realized that his assumption that they were looking at the King, who was definitely a force to be reckoned with, might be wrong.

With a frown, he turned around, and finally…he found out the reason behind the change.

A gigantic meteor had started to come into existence above the people. It was so large that it looked as if it could encompass an entire Kingdom on top of it, and even though only its outline had formed, all kinds of destructive elementary forces could be felt all over its surface.

His mind went blank, and he could only stare as more and more of the meteor started to form.

"What are you doing? Lead the charge, son! It's only an outline! It looks scary, but it can be stopped!"

His father's words appeared in his ears, and hearing them, the man broke into action.

He mustered all of the Energy he had and cast a spell to speed him up, but as he shot forth…it was in the direction of the forces of the Big Four.

"I'll hang back here. Good luck!"

Shouting these hurried words, he dug a hole in the ground and disappeared from sight, and while his father watched on with shock…the voice of the King rang out over the continent.

"When the oppressed rise, all shall cower. Angaria's Fury, strike!"

Chapter 948: The Big Four Attack

"This doesn't make sense…this doesn't make sense. THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"

Seeing the outline of the meteor, there were all kinds of reactions in the crowd where the members of the Big Four had gathered.

Chief among them, though, was bewilderment, as it was obvious that the meteor was easily strong enough to strike and wipe them off the face of the continent.

But...how?

This was the main question that the more intellectual sect members were asking themselves, and in fact, even the leader of the Sect of Hedon had the same thing going through his mind.

Saying those words, he narrowed his eyebrows and focused, but again, he saw nothing.

The vast part of the landscape that was taken up by the people of Angaria had been veiled by some sort of unique camouflage formation. If a normal one had been used, its Energy usage had been catastrophic, but here, a very simple phenomenon had been caused where the elementary particles had been scrambled, leading to multiple false flags that made it difficult to ascertain exactly what was going on among all of the large squads that had been formed.

He grudgingly had to admit that this was pretty damn effective, but he felt no admiration: instead, all he felt was mounting pressure, as it was already looking like this would be another gambit he would fail in.

He, along with many of the Heroes who were still standing in the same place, were wondering the same thing: how could anyone transform the population of Angaria, who had been deemed useless all these years, into such a formidable force that was directly putting up a fight against the combined might of the Big Four?

True, the fight hadn't started yet, and even the meteor was only in its beginning stages.

However…it had become clear that if it was allowed to fully form, then it would definitely accomplish its purpose, and in fact, with the anti-teleportation formation that had come into effect along with its creation, it was clear that the Big Four had nowhere to run either.

Still, the main thing which was baffling even the sect members below was this: if something like this was possible, and that, too, in merely a few weeks, then how had no one else done anything similar over all these many, many years?

It just didn't add up!

"I strongly suspect that he is taking the help of something off-world. See, all the indications are clear! Maybe he is an agent of the Church!"

As these words were uttered by one of the Heroes in the crowd who had always been so paranoid that he didn't even trust his own shadow, many turned around, but this was something that was even more implausible than what they were seeing.

So…the leader of the Big Four kept looking, as he didn't want to give any order without first understanding the situation. Information was king, and without any at his disposal, he would just be walking into another trap.

Looking down, he saw that there was at least some consolation in the fact that not everyone had acted in the same manner as the son of the Hero who was now so thoroughly embarrassed that he had conjured opaque barriers around his head to ensure that he wouldn't need to see anyone else, or have anyone else see his embarrassment.

Squad leaders who had been assigned beforehand had stepped up, and they had restored order among those assigned to them. Right now, there were still quite a few who were very apprehensive of the attack which was making them feel as if they were taking a cold shower on a freezing day, and even though they shivered with slight fear, they looked down to see the people and found courage in the fact that there was no way that they would be able to really pull off something like what they were seeing.

'Maybe…it's all an act, to scare us?'

The leader of the Big Four could see this thought in the eyes of many, but alas…things weren't so simple.

"Your impetuousness has not left you yet, Narhok. Look beneath."

An ancient voice sounded in his ears, and it seemed that the same had been heard by the Heroes around him, too, as all of those who had been puzzled looked as though they had seen light in the darkness.

As one, they cast their gazes underground, and as their eyes widened, Daneel chuckled from where he stood.

"The gig is up. Engage defensive measures!"

Before the Heroes could say anything, dazzling barriers sprung up in front of all of the people who had gathered, and right away, this allowed them to confirm that they were right.

It was the leader who responded first, and he made sure that each and every one of the sect members heard him.

"Fools! They're making use of formations underground to focus their power! He chose the battlefield, so he made preparations to make the people win! Make them move away, and it will all fall apart! Attack!!!!"

"…"

For a moment, there was silence, and then, burning shame could be seen on many faces of those on the ground, as they couldn't believe that they had been taken for a ride.

"'Fools'? He's talking as if he wasn't fooled, too…"

Still chuckling, Daneel said this to the sovereigns who were standing beside him.

"People do like to project their opinions on themselves onto others…anyway, is it just me, or does this entire thing feel off?"

As Elanev said this, the other commanders among the sovereigns nodded.

"Yes. If we were fighting against the Church, we would probably be decimated by now due to all of these delays."

As Cassandra said this, Daneel shrugged and gave the answer.

"That's because nothing about this situation is normal! First, we are all supposed to be on the same side. Second, everyone is cautious as they are wary of my planning. And third, this is actually the first battle where the Big Four have to unite. Well, all of that is past us, now: look- its finally starting."

On hearing him, the sovereigns all looked down, and indeed, the Big Four had finally recovered.

It seemed that shame had turned into anger due to the fact that they had been fooled by those they considered to be nothing, as most of the sect members had red faces and furious grimaces while they took their place, and summoned their power.

"Oh…so they're not useless, after all."

While Daneel said this in a low voice, the sovereigns all watched as Fighters from the Fortress first stepped forward and gathered in the shape of an arrowhead.

3 men stood at the front, forming the point, and behind them, more and more Fighters lined up to create the formation.

Behind them, the Goddesses of Sanctum took their place. They shot a look filled with malevolence in Daneel's direction before assembling into a circle where those with more power took up the spots in the center, and finally, the Sect of Hedon gathered behind them in two ways: first, the mages formed a square right behind the circle, and then, the Fighters formed another one behind them.

All in all, it was a strangely-shaped arrow that was formed, and at first, no one except Daneel could understand why they had decided to do so.

But soon…it became clear.

BOOOOMMMM!!!

With remarkable coordination, all of the Fighters from the Fortress raised their right legs and brought them down on the ground with all of the force that they could muster, and this caused a loud sound akin to that one would expect when an earthquake was wreaking havoc on the land to resound all over the place.

Even the group of people right in front of the Fighters were disturbed, even though Daneel had ensured that they would be able to concentrate on their task by blocking the sight of the sect members. They felt the ground rumble, and some even lost their balance, but with the urging of the leaders who had been told before that there would be all kinds of disturbances, everyone remained calm.

Yet…that wasn't the case with the sovereigns, who were all quite surprised by what they were seeing.

A moment after the loud sound, the entire arrow had lit up with a red light, which congealed into a solid object that radiated a feeling of danger outward.

"Strenght turned solid- they've been training well. This is why Fighters can take down mages easily if they know how to work together."

Elanev said this, and it was obvious that he was paraphrasing whatever the old man in his head was telling him.

Next up was the Goddesses, and they seemed determined to show everyone that they were not to be messed with.

All of the Goddesses began to cast a spell, and at first, it looked as if all it did was make a white light form above where they were standing.

Only…after a second, just like what had happened with the Fighters, all of these white lights congealed into a singular object, and in their case, it was circular, and so dazzling that everyone had to avert their eyes after it was formed.

Finally, the Sect of Hedon did the same thing, too, and soon, two purple-colored square objects could be seen on the ground.

"What…is going on? It almost looks like a child's playground, down there!"

Eloise was right. The objects that had been formed by magic all looked like they were the blocks that kids would use to learn basic things about shapes, and at first glance, it would all seem so exceedingly simple that one would think that there was no way that they would turn into an attack.

Only…Daneel knew exactly what they were doing, and honestly, he was impressed.

He didn't say anything, though, as all of the sect members moved anyway, and in the next moment, the answer was made clear.

The Fighters at the back moved first, causing their edge of what they had formed to strike that of the mages in front of them.

They had to physically do so, and in a feat of extraordinary coordination, the mages of the Sect of Hedon moved in sync with the Fighters.

All of them thrust their hands forward at the exact moment that contact was made, and this resulted in the two purple blocks merging and becoming one gigantic block that was moving forward.

Everything was on such a massive scale that it would be hard for it to be imagined by those not watching it with their own eyes. The millions of people who had gathered were all like a sea that surrounded the sect members in the middle, and in a way, it was as if the sect members formed a continent of their own, like Angaria, which was being attacked from all sides by the Endless Sea.

The Sea of people was many times larger than the area in the middle, but now, the block which was the size of at least two football fields stood out brightly.

This block then struck the globe made by the Goddesses, and again, in a fluid motion, the globe was absorbed.

The corners of the block became rounded, and its color had actually turned deeper.

Finally, as the sovereigns held their breath, this massive object which had doubled in size struck the arrow, and once more, the power of Mages and Fighters combined to create something…extraordinary.

The point of the arrow held its shape, giving the vaguely globe-shaped object a sharp edge, and the entire thing had turned crimson.

It was so radiant that it seemed to overshadow the sun, itself, and the moment it struck the barrier in front of it…it became clear that there was no contest.

"Yes!"

Many of the Heroes rejoiced as they saw this, and even the sect members got elated expressions on their faces as they waited for victory to take form in front of them.

The barrier was so strong that it was supposed to withstand even the might of 100 Heroes attacking at once, and this, more than anything, showcased just how powerful the combined might of the Big Four was.

It broke not even a moment after the impact, exposing the million people behind it, and to everyone, it seemed as if the triumph of the Big Four was near.

The object had been created primarily to break apart barriers, and precautions had been taken to ensure that it wouldn't massacre the people. Even the Heroes did not want such a thing to happen, but the people would all at least be injured, and in some cases, there might even be lost limbs.

The sect members waited for this to happen so that they could gloat and declare their supremacy, but as soon as their attack reached its target…something that they would never forget happened.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?"

Daneel's words were heard once again, and as he raised his hand, the ground below the people…collapsed.

The attack passed over the area harmlessly, and as the hidden formation that he had activated did its job by transforming a layer of earth underneath into an express tram, the million individuals all found themselves a few hundred meters away.

With raised eyebrows and hanging jaws, the sect members could only keep watching as their attack continued in its path, which was now devoid of enemies.

A feeling that they couldn't identify struck them all, and as the King's voice once again echoed over the battlefield, they realized what it was.

"And that…is how it feels to be bullied. Not very pleasant when you're on the receiving end, is it?"

Chapter 949: Finale

"Gawked enough? Then act! Deploy advanced magic redirection techniques!"

The first one who recovered among the sect members was one of those who had been assigned as a squad leader.

He was a Champion from the Fortress, and ordinarily, there would have been nothing strange with him being the first to speak out exactly what he was supposed to say to salvage the situation.

However, Daneel had been watching carefully, so he knew something that probably no one else did: the Champion had only acted after receiving a message from a Hero, who had been trying to act discreetly.

Looking over at the camp which had been created to oppose him, he saw that the confidence from before had almost all been crushed by everything that had happened on the battlefield so far.

This was to be expected…but what he cared about was which emotion that confidence would turn into.

Ordinarily, in the case of arrogant individuals like these, it would typically turn into anger that would bring out the full extent of arrogance that one held within themselves, which had been accumulated by years and years spent lording over everyone.

This was the kind of anger that could cause strife of the sort that Daneel definitely did not want, so without hesitation, he disappeared from where he stood, and appeared right in the middle of the gang of enemies he had made.

He had chosen a spot right beside the one who had sent the message which would soon change the situation of the battle, and after arriving, he patted the Hero's shoulder casually and said, "Good job! That was a fluke, but I'm sure our sects will turn it around…"

"Yes! Definitely! There's no way that those common scum can…YOU!!!"

The individual in question was clearly someone who had chosen one of the more common Paths to become a Hero. Belonging to the Elementary Family, his seemed to be one centered around water.

In the primary realms, this might be one that would be ridiculed by those who would find almost all other Paths flashier, but only those with experience would know that it was definitely a smart decision made by someone wise who had judged the potential of the person in question perfectly, and had selected the Path in which there was the most probability of reaching the Hero level naturally.

In other words, this was a sheltered seed who had mastered a simple-sounding Path perfectly, thereby transforming it into something terrifying, which was all the more amplified by the fact that he had reached the level of an Exalted Hero.

And hence…it was no wonder that he had been caught up in the moment and had not identified that he was speaking to the one whom everyone was hating with all of their guts right now.

With a hearty chuckle, Daneel disappeared once again and reappeared, this time, in front of the entire band, who all looked up at him with livid expressions on their faces.

He had chosen a place above them specifically so that they would have to look up, but recognizing that instantly, all of the Heroes almost moved in sync to come to eye-level with him.

This, in itself, showcased the pretty significant fact that they all saw themselves as superior to him, and of course, this was something that Daneel really, really looked forward to breaking with his own two hands as soon as possible.

For now, though…he would have to make do with breaking something else.

Sputtering with indignation due to having been made to look like a fool, it was this Hero who spoke first.

"There's nothing wrong with what I did! In fact…you're clearly helping the people! You spoke to them all! If so, we should be able to help, too! Heroes, let's go fight!"

Looking as if he had spotted something which no one else had noticed, he looked around expecting to find glances filled with praise and excitement, but alas, all he found was ridicule, and of course, more anger.

It was his father, who had been the one who had chosen his Path, who sent him a silent message.

"I always told you to think before you talk, especially in serious situations! We were all paying attention- he only spoke, the magic was cast by a team of hidden mages! And besides…you just put him on the same level as us by speaking like that! Shut up and move to the back!"

His confidence completely shattered, the Hero blushed fiercely, but controlled his face right away.

Seeing him teleport to the back, Daneel remarked to himself that the first victim had already shown himself and had even struck the blow on himself, so smiling wide, he said, "Look at you lot. Half of you are old monsters who've gotten too used to ordering Angaria, itself, around. The other half have been groomed carefully by you, with their entire life dictated by an iron hand. You dictate what they train, you dictate what they learn, you dictate when they take a sh*t. So…in the end, you created a useless bunch of automatons who have almost no free will. This has been happening for centuries, though, so typically, these dumbos would have taken your place when it was time for you to stop clinging onto your conceited lives. But in this generation, a new player entered the game: the Church! Now, you're stuck at an impasse: the Heroes you trained are not ready to take charge, and you lot are all too concerned about yourselves to even think about leading the charge. Meanwhile, the system that is present keeps depriving people of Energy, and deciding their fate with no say given to them. The sects are all haughty, the sect members are all obsessed with getting to you. Overall, this is a proper, steaming pile, isn't it?"

Hearing the condition of Angaria stated so…acutely, many of the Heroes could only blink as they realized that the King had actually struck at the core of the situation.

Sometimes, truth had the power of affecting people in profound ways which would leave them rooted to where they stood, having no option but to endure the flood of thoughts that would be born due to hearing it.

Such a thing had not begun to happen, yet, but Daneel was prepared to go all the way.

With a sigh, he continued.

"If this is a pile, then I guess I am the weed growing out of it, but I'll be damned if I'll let anyone destroy my home. Listen up, and listen well. This is how things will go. You're all angry about my actions which are changing the framework of the continent. But understand this: only united, do we stand a chance against the Church. And if the divide between the Central Continent and the Sects continues to exist, how can even a semblance of unity even form? Respect is what is required. And today…it will be earned. Watch."

As he was speaking, the sect members had barely managed to redirect their attack so that it would target the people on the other side of those who had been transported away.

Right as he said the last word, the attack had pierced through the barrier of the million-strong squad on the right, but again…they all moved.

"ARGH!"

Visible frustration appeared on the faces of thousands of sect members, and it was even mirrored on some of the Heroes.

"Your original plan was to use the people as scapegoats. Imagine them, as they are now, going up against the Church. Just imagine it."

Strolling forward, Daneel said this.

Each of the Heroes was watching the battlefield clearly, and as Daneel's words entered their ears, it was as if they had a mesmerizing quality to them.

"Berserker King. You came from the Fortress. You were rearing to go against the Church, confident that you would crush Hero after Hero under your feet. Now, see how the force you were going to depend on is helpless in front of those they thought to be worthless."

"Griffin Princess. You were sure the Goddesses would rend the forces of the Church in two. Watch as they blunder and bluster aimlessly."

"Skeleton Emperor…"

Appearing beside Hero after Hero, Daneel rooted out their deep beliefs and crushed them, one by one.

Many of these individuals had arrived to go against him because of their confidence in the sects, too. After all, not all Heroes were from the Order, and even if they were, those from the Order would often bond with some sect or the other when they went for periods of training to those places.

Each Hero's face would burn with shame and look like it had been slapped as they saw the sect members fruitlessly try to stop the meteor that was well on its way to completely forming. If they moved individually, they stood no chance against the barriers, but combined together, attacks that focused on speed would not be strong enough.

What they were unaware of…was that Daneel had identified this weakness, and in fact, it only existed because the Heroes were supposed to be the force that would bridge it and create a unified force.

With them out of the picture, this was the sorry fate of the sect members who all began to get more and more desperate with each second, and just as it seemed that the meteor would strike and end it all…Daneel appeared in front of it.

He had already spoken to most of the Heroes. He had broken all of their beliefs, and now, it was time for the final stroke.

Addressing the sect members, but also the Heroes, he opened his mouth for one more time.

"Members of the Big Four. This war was to show you one thing, and one thing alone. It was not to demean you using your defeat. It was not to crush you into submission, either. It was only to let you know this: the Central Continent…exists. And it is a vital part of the continent which will play a key role in the war. If you wish to survive and have a place to call home, uniting and working together after putting aside all notions of superiority is the only way forward."

Daneel's words were like the last of the heat which would make a kettle boil over.

Right away, protesting noises began to be heard from both the Sect members, and the Heroes.

"SCREW YOU! We have one final method, but we didn't want to end up killing our scapegoats! Everyone, let us detonate the attack! It'll wipe them all out and show them who's boss! We will be injured, but it's on him!"

"Let's do it! He's goading us! He could have said this in many ways, but he did it by stamping us under his feet!"

"We didn't even hurt one man until now, but with this, we can get them all! That'll show everyone!"

As the sect members all prepared to take this step, the Heroes' response was on a different vein.

"We know they're right. Your tricks have all been exposed! This was all a sham from the start! There's a formation which will teleport away anyone who is at risk of dying!"

"All along, it was just a mock battle! Things went well for you, but even if they didn't, I bet you would have pulled something out of your ass to make them win! You just want to put down the sects!"

"You will only end up fracturing the continent even more! King, you've gotten too ambitious! THIS WAS ALL USELESS!"

"EXACTLY! You're wasting everyone's time! If you could have come to us with this normally, we might have changed the plan, too!"

Hearing all of these statements, Daneel couldn't help but let out a sigh.

He knew that it had been a long shot to aim to change something that had existed for generations with one plan.

It had looked like it was working, but this was how it had ended up.

However…he had one final arrow up his sleeve, and he hoped that it would be as effective as he imagined.

Raising his hands to quell the crowd, he announced, "So you have chosen…death. Well…remember why this is happening."

With another flick of his fingers, the meteor, that had now completely formed, started to move slowly, and all over the area, millions of people began to fall to the ground, exhausted.

It had taken their all to make this happen, and with pride, they watched as their handiwork moved to strike those who had trodden on them for all these years.

They were oblivious to everything that had been happening until now. All they knew was that it was time for a change, and for them, the meteor would bring it about.

Meanwhile, the sect members gritted their teeth, and acted to make their attack return to them.

They were truly desperate now. No one had thought that it would come to this stage, but now that it had, it looked like they would rather let it go in this way, than be defeated and forever live under the shadow of this defeat.

This would result in almost everyone suffering from all kinds of injuries, but in the eyes of most of the sect members who were being controlled by their emotions, it was worth it.

The meteor began to pick up speed, and at the same time, the globe of light looked like it would implode at any moment.

Destructive energies began to be felt all over the battlefield which looked like it would soon erupt into chaos, and even the Heroes braced themselves for the aftershocks, which they would act to block from destroying vast swathes of land.

Inch by inch, the attacks moved closer together, and the sovereigns who were unaware of the King's plan even held their breath, convinced that this was taking a route that had not been planned for.

Finally, after a few seconds which felt as if they stretched on forever, the meteor and the globe of light met.

BOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!

With a sound that would reverberate over the Endless Sea for days, the Energies collided, but somehow…there was no destruction.

All that came from it was a bright flash of light which served to make all of the people, the Heroes and the Sect members close their eyes reflexively, and at that moment…a voice spoke out.

"Angarians. I was not going to take this step before…but you leave me no choice. Years ago, when I took the throne, I was shown something which changed my life. Every action of mine from then on was made to ensure that what I saw would not come to be, Now…I grant you the same, in the hope that the same change occurs in all of you. At the end of the day, sect member or Central Continent commander, Human or Hero, King or commoner- this is what we are fighting against. Watch."

Along with his last word, the vision that was shown to him by his Master began playing, and just like him all those years ago…Angaria was thrust into an abyss of terror.

Chapter 950: FTR

As the memory fragment that had been recorded perfectly by the system began to play, Daneel let out the breath he had been holding ever since the moment when everyone had risen up against him, and had almost foiled his plans.

Thankfully, as always, he had planned for all kinds of exigencies, and hence, he had immediately been able to deploy the one that resulted in this scene, where almost the entire continent was just now waking up and discovering themselves on the endless battlefield where there was only death and destruction, all around.

As he thought about it, he could not help but recall his own experience, which really had been the unseen shadow hanging over his shoulders whose weight he always felt, no matter what decision he was making.

Soon, all of the Angarians would reach the spot where the original individual from whom the fragment had been extracted had seen his parents, and because everyone else didn't have something as wondrous as the system with them which had identified that it was an overlay back then, they would think that it really was their loved ones who were in front of them.

The despair would start then, and it would continue as the Angarians continued their journey, and saw their home and continent being destroyed.

With each step, the sorrow and dread would grow, and if they hadn't puked their guts out by then, they would definitely do so at this point, as they would be exposed to sights which were each more gruesome than the one before while they trudged along the desolated land that they had once called their own.

The original vision had ended with the experiencer being decapitated, but Daneel had removed that part as he was not sure that the general population could endure that kind of trauma, and move on with the right emotions and motivation instead of devolving into a depressed state from which there might be no escape.

The sect members and Heroes would not have that luxury, though, so, soon, they would see their own headless body while they were collected by the Church.

That wasn't to say that it was so easy to take control of the minds of so many: by expending egregious amounts of resources, Daneel had been able to set up a formation that would work on 99% of those below the level of Warrior. As for Warriors and Champions, the formation had an 80% chance of taking effect if the person in question was distracted, and hence, the moment during the impact had been perfect for it to be delayed.

Finally, as for Heroes, there was no way that he could push so many of them into the fragment even if he decided to use up all of the resources he had. So, for them, the fragment would play out like a movie which they could stop at any time, but so far, due to the contents, and a very specific reason due to which Daneel had chosen this route, none of them had decided to do so.

As for the reason, it was this: memory fragments could not be faked. The process to create one that could absorb others into it and make it so that the people and locations they saw would be the ones that were present in their own lives and memories was so complicated that it was impossible to carry out in this age.

Yet, knowledge regarding memory fragments was known to Heroes and Champions, and hence, they had a reason to stay and watch, knowing that what they were seeing was real.

And of course, as for Warriors and Humans, there was no way that they could leave of their own volition, and even if they did question the authenticity of what they had seen later, they would be told by the others that even one tiny change in a memory fragment would cause the entire thing to lose its coherence and collapse(as it was, essentially, a special type of consciousness- or at least, a piece of it which would be copied to the mind of the one who was experiencing it). So, even they would have no option but to believe that what they had seen…was real.

Snapping out of his memories, Daneel took a glance at the faces of all those who were near him and saw that they were approaching the final phase.

While rising higher into the air to prepare for the moment when they would step back into the real world, Daneel spoke in his mind.

"System, is it done? Are we ready?"

[Affirmative. Protocol 'FTR' has been deployed. Standing by for data.]

A cunning smile came on his face, but right away, he changed it into one that was somber, as he saw that the people had begun to exit the memory one by one.

This was because they were experiencing a shorter fragment, and a second later, Daneel saw that he had made the right decision by cutting out that moment.

"BLEUURGGHHH!!!"

Loud retching sounds began to emanate from all over the area where the people had gathered, as many couldn't hold in the hearty breakfast they had eaten for strength before setting out to take part in the war.

Slapping his forehead, Daneel first cast a smell to make the smell waft away, as it was already beginning to grow strong enough to make a Warrior faint.

He had somehow been strong enough to only puke in the vision, but generally, not everyone was that accustomed to gore. Men and women all over the place felt their stomachs reacting violently, and soon…rivers of puke began to form, which was an ironic sight to look at when one considered that in their place, rivers of blood had been flowing across the land of Angaria.

"Well…sometimes, you can't plan for everything."

Hearing this message from the Head and feeling his face burning, Daneel grimaced and took emergency measures.

"We can't let puke derail such an important moment, dammit! Mages, cast the spell I'm sending to you! Quickly!"

Using the system, Daneel identified the spell he needed in a moment before broadcasting it to all of the mages who had been expertly moving around the people so that no one would get hurt.

It was a simple one, so it didn't take that much effort to cast: all it did was give tunnel vision to all those it would take effect on so that they would only see things in one direction, and in this case, that direction was up, so that Daneel would be the only thing they would be paying attention to.

It also made one ignore the other senses, so it was perfect for the situation.

With the problem of the people sorted, Daneel turned to the sect members and the Heroes who were just now exiting the memory fragment with various expressions on their faces.

Very grave expressions could be seen on the Champions and Heroes who knew that what they were seeing had been real. Knowing something and seeing it for oneself had always had a profound difference which was underestimated by many, and once again, this fact proved itself to be true.

The Warriors, who were the largest in number, were doubtful, but many could tell from the faces of their peers that their instincts were right: Angaria's fate had been shown to them in vivid detail, and now, they knew exactly what they were fighting.

Acting to strike when the metal was hot, Daneel spoke, and his words thundered across all of Angaria.

"First, let me clear any confusion that might be present: each and every thing that you saw was real. That is Angaria's fate, and right now…we are heading towards it, and even pushing ourselves to reach it by still being weakened by these petty feelings which divide us, at a time when unity is the one thing that should be present across the land. I am not saying that I expect you all to become one big, happy family due to this one incident. No, all I ask is this: sect members, you have seen that the Central Continent…is more than worthy of everything that has been denied to them so far. Look within, and ask yourself whether you wish to choose the union that is required now, or the fate that you just saw. People of Angaria, you have proven that you have every right to walk this land with your head held high, without feeling inferior to anyone, or anything. But think about what has led to this: you answered my call, and chose to work together for your children, and their future. Keep these motivations in mind, while we continue to stride toward our goal. And finally…those who are watching from the sidelines. Even you have been shown what awaits you if you choose to sit to the side. Now, what you do…is up to you. It has been a long and tough day. The war is not over- it has just begun. Go home, rest, and think. We shall all meet again very soon, and then…we can take the next step together. For now…farewell."

As his words echoed in the hearts and minds of all the Angarians who had gathered, the King of Lanthanor disappeared, and a hush fell over the battlefield.

Almost all of those present had been tremendously affected by the fate of the last survivor they had just lived through. Their emotions were in turmoil, but the words they could still hear began to transform into a rope they could cling to to survive the storm that was surely coming.

Meanwhile, Daneel had appeared in front of the sovereigns, who had similarly been affected by the fragment.

Shaking his head, Kellor said, "I cannot believe that you witnessed this when you were so young, itself, my King. It would have crushed many, and turned even more to madness. Yet…you found courage, and for that, you have Angaria's thanks."

As he put his hand on his chest and bowed with sincere respect, Eloise spoke next.

"Yes! I can't believe the kind of burden you carried for all these years! And I think it all went quite well- our analysts say that even the Heroes showed signs of being swayed. The real effect will, of course, become visible with time. But still…well done, Daneel!"

The rest of the sovereigns nodded as she said this. They were all still blinking hard to flee the image of seeing their own decapitated body, and after recovering, Elanev looked like he had a query.

"So…if you could do this, why didn't you show everyone before, itself? I daresay that it would definitely have helped in quite a few situations where people were being obstinate."

His question got the others to think, too, and they realized that he was right.

Why hadn't the King used this valuable resource before?

The response was given by Daneel with a smile, but it was one which turned into a toothy, sly grin with each word, until at the end, even his eyes shone with malevolence.

"That, my dear brother, brings us to the next part of my plan. The reason I didn't use it before…was that its origin presents a problem: I have it on good faith that it was shown only to a single person on this continent, and that person is now in the Church, working to bring it down from within. So…all the traitors who have just seen it will know right away that the person who has been taken from Angaria is a mole. Such juicy information will definitely fetch a high price, so they'll scramble to pass it onto the Church. But what they would never expect…is that that is exactly what I want them to do. My dear sovereigns, welcome to Operation FTR: Flush the Rats. Now…let us watch as the rats scurry into the trap I've made for them."

Chapter 951: Jonah

In a land far, far away, there stood a structure that looked like it had been made of glistening, pristine silver which rose so far into the sky that only a part of it was visible to those who stood on the ground.

More than half of it was situated above the clouds, and it was so large that it's base, alone, took up more space than the entire Kingdom of Lanthanor.

Its shape was, perhaps, the most unique feature which set it apart.

If one could view it in its entirety, then they would see that it was in the shape of a kind man with flowing locks of hair, whose eyes were filled with generosity and kindness.

They would almost look alive to anyone who was gazing into them, and because of the fact that one hand of his was raised as if it was blessing someone, many said that they would feel as if they were being bestowed by the grace of the Heavenly Saint whenever they paused before entering the headquarters of the Church to gaze upon his visage.

The entrance on the ground was also very noteworthy: it was present between his gigantic feet which formed the base of the edifice, and it was so large that it would allow a thousand people standing side by side to enter it without any difficulty.

Jonah was currently at a very famous spot in front of the headquarters. It was at a specific point within the clouds from where one could see both the image of his feet which were welcoming the thousands of individuals who could be seen piously entering the holy land of the Church, and the image of the rest of his body which was apparently an exact likeness of the man.

As always, the entrance was bustling with people who all had their heads bowed and their hands joined in prayer. Many also had their eyes closed, but strangely, they seemed as if they were being guided by some power which made it so that they did not collide with anyone in front of them.

Jonah altered his gaze between this sight, and that of the forehead of the Saint which was the second entrance of the Headquarters of the Church. It was exclusively meant for Heroes and Champions, and as he saw each of them enter the Church or leave it to go about their duties, he once again marveled at just how many there were.

He still remembered his thoughts when he first came here. He had been struck dumb by just the architectural feat which had resulted in the existence of this building, and after that, seeing all of the Heroes which were apparently just a fraction of those who were a part of the Church, he had been convinced that it might be futile to hope for the continent of Angaria to withstand the onslaught of such a powerful foe.

He had still somehow hung on to his faith that had allowed him to take the step of deciding to become a part of the Church so that he could help his home, and thankfully, he was rewarded for doing so when he found out about the incredible number of threats that such a large force needed to keep in check in the Mainland if they wanted to continue to exist.

As he stood there and recalled the days he had spent when he had first come here, he couldn't help but caress the locket he held in his hand.

Just like he had done a million times in this foreign land, he opened the locket and used his fingers to trace the picture within.

He didn't need to see it to envision it in his mind, as it was something that was branded into him for all of eternity. It showed a woman with enchanting features who had a wide smile on her face, with the reason behind her happiness being the bundle of joy that she held in her arms.

It was a baby who had remarkably similar features to Jonah, and just like each time he did this, the soft coo of a woman, followed by the merry laughter of a child resounded in his ears.

Even after all these years, this was something that brought a melancholy look to his eyes.

It took a few seconds to get out of all the emotions evoked by this object which was the only thing he had been allowed to bring from Angaria, and after that, Jonah continued his trip down memory lane.

The major part of his time here had been filled with the struggle to rise to a position in the Church where he would be eligible to find out privileged information which might come in help to Angaria.

The Church was an unforgiving place, especially to those it called its own.

To show his willingness to embrace the ideals of St. Rectitude, he had had to do many things which still brought anger to his face when he thought of them.

He had killed thousands in the many battles he had been deployed in.

He had turned hundreds and made them follow the Church.

He had tortured so many who were innocent that he would sometimes wake up drenched in sweat, as he would dream of his family asking him why he had sent so many to the Heavens, where they were torturing them, in turn.

Each and every time he was given a task that he would rather have died than carry out on Angaria, he would remind himself about why he was here, and somehow, he would always find the determination to keep on going.

He didn't know if it was right for him to do so, but many times, he would justify himself in this manner: if he refused, there were thousands who would take his place, so except for dooming Angaria to a bloody death, he would be accomplishing nothing.

The only consolation was that they had broken first. Convinced of his loyalty, they had stopped giving him such tasks, and now, he spent most of his days researching methods to break down continents exactly like his own using minimal resources so that the Church could continue to walk towards its lofty goal of becoming the leader of the Mainland.

"Jonah, where are you?"

A deep voice interrupted his reverie, but strangely…his first reaction when he heard it was to tightly clench his fist and control himself from retorting in anger.

And the reason behind this…was that this was the voice which had told him of the plan that had almost destroyed Angaria.

He still remembered that moment perfectly. He had been diligently going about his work while trying to also do the opposite so that he could find loopholes in the methods he was researching which might help his home, and suddenly, the one who had just spoken had burst into the room with a wide smile on his face.

He had joyously described the plan and how he had been told that it was to be kept secret from Jonah even though he was supposed to be consulted on all plans relating to Angaria, and after saying so, Jonah had noticed that the man had been watching with a keen eye to wait and see how he would react.

Of course…with no other choice, Jonah had been forced to use a trick he had had to create so that he wouldn't blow his cover as that of someone who wanted Angaria to be destroyed at all costs, because of its people who had cost him his family.

With a superhuman effort of will, he arched his spine minutely, but in an extremely destructive manner which made his face go lax.

This would make one think that it was shock, and a moment later, using a Fighter technique he had created by himself, Jonah regained control of his face and put on an expression of equal joy.

With dread, they had listened to the updates together, and at one point, Jonah had even started to ponder what he would do if the worst played out- should he take out his anger, or continue to stay hidden so that he could find a way to destroy the Church from within?

Thankfully, his disciple had once again shown that the best decision Jonah had ever made was to choose him for the ultimate responsibility of becoming the continent's guardian angel.

Even then, just the fact that a plan had come so close to making all of his efforts be in vain had been something that struck a deep blow within his heart.

It was only in his room that he could finally let out his anguish. He had done so in the guise of training, where he punched and punched a target until all of the skin on his fists were gone.

The excruciating pain had helped to mask that which he felt inside, but even then, one thought had continued to dominate his mind.

It was that he had saved himself…by being useless.

He had not progressed enough to know about the plan, and if he had, he would definitely have informed his disciple.

Even if that had resulted in him dying, he would have let his life end happily, but alas…he had failed all those who were dear him.

His disciple had said after that that it was probably better this way, and that Jonah should concentrate on continuing to rise.

Now, just the other day…his disciple had contacted him with a plan to flush out all the rats on the continent.

He had loved it, and had assured him that he would be safe as he had a method to intercept communications regarding him…even though he had no such thing.

Maybe, at least in this way…he would be able to justify his existence.

However, the moment he waved his hand to greet the one who had called him, he heard something that made his heart drop.

"The Bishop has summoned you."

The Bishop.

She was the single most ruthless individual that almost everyone feared in the Church, and she had more than earned her title, "The Saintess of Blood" through her actions which would make anyone's blood curdle if they heard them.

If it was just might that she possessed, then she might not be such a threat, but word was that she also had a razor-sharp mind to go with it.

Jonah had shuddered with fear when he had found out that she had been placed in charge of the mission against Angaria. Now, he knew that she must be fuming about her loss, but why was she calling him?

Either way, there was no running away, so letting out a breath, he nodded and walked to a spot in the room where there stood a teleportation array.

Soon, he was striding along a gigantic room whose roof seemed to reach the Heavens.

It was an optical illusion brought about by magic, and even though it was breathtaking…Jonah's eyes were fixed on the woman who stood with her back to him, while praying piously to a statue of the Saint.

After reaching the spot beside her, he made a quick prayer, too, but when he was doing so, she spoke, and her austere voice…made all of Jonah's blood freeze in his veins.

"Priest Jonah. It is time to launch our final campaign against your home, and you…will be my main commander. Everyone has agreed: Angaria has been a pest for far too long. This time, there is no holding back, and hence…the promise made to you by the Church will finally be kept. Against a thousand elite Heroes, such a puny continent can only bow down and beg to be massacred with mercy. So…aren't you excited? I know I am! Serve me well, and maybe, I'll even let you land the final blow on that disciple of yours! Now, won't that be a sight to see?"

Chapter 952: Rats

Located at almost the end of Angaria was a place that had many stories surrounding it.

As it was in the sparsely populated western part of the continent, the number of people who lived here was limited, and even life would almost seem as if it had been slowed down, instead of inexorably marching forward like everywhere else on the continent.

A major part of the disconnected settlements which the King of Lanthanor had wanted to contact and 'experiment' with were located in this area, and if he hadn't found that perfect village and that perfect little girl who was now actively preaching far and wide about the generosity of the Godking, he would have chosen one of the villages here.

This kind of a desultory life also resulted in something else: gossip always spread quickly, and the same could be said about stories and rumors, of which there was no shortage due to a very peculiar place that was present almost near the shore.

These stories would always be told in hushed tones, in dark rooms filled with dancing shadows that lent an additional sense of malaise to the tales.

They spoke of a spot which, if crossed, would mean that the one who had been foolish enough to not listen to the caution advised by all of the stories would never return. They spoke of stakes driven into the ground, impaling those whose curiosity had gotten the better of them. They spoke of flesh-eating savages who were always waiting for their next meal to walk into their hands, and of their powerful king who was so invincible in his domain that no one else in the continent dared to come to challenge him where he was.

'But why don't they come out and attack us, then?'

Such an innocent question would be quashed by a single statement, which was always repeated when logic reared its head among those who were listening to the tales.

'Those of the glade, keep to the glade.'

Sitting in a tavern while sipping the bitter, but invigorating local beverage in a village whose name he had already forgotten, Perfect looked up and gazed at the old lady who had just said this statement in a corner of the room.

Around her sat people of all ages, as for some reason, no matter how many times it was narrated, the stories about his family were always captivating.

The weirdest thing…was that they were all true.

The Order was a place filled with generations of research by countless individuals, some of whom were bound to be crazy.

Hence, it was not too surprising that one of the Paths that could be earned…was that of cannibalism.

To be specific, it was cannibalism of human flesh, as the concept was that one would be ingesting the Energy of Angaria in this manner, which would give all kinds of benefits to both the Mageroot, and the body at once, allowing one to progress as both a Mage and Fighter at the same time.

It was the root of this Path which had resulted in the creation of the formation which kept the Chief of the Fortress alive, but where the latter only needed blood taken harmlessly, the former required the death and dismemberment of the targets.

Of course, as was common with all Paths which endangered the lives of those in the Central Continent, this was a banned one that was only present to be studied for inspiration, in case someone was progressing on something similar which did not involve all the gore.

Only…for those who were privileged, lazy and possessed a certain vile streak, this was the perfect Path to get the most progress with the least effort.

The good thing was that only those who truly hated the people of the Central Continent for one reason or another chose this Path, as in general, eating flesh was not a very pleasant, or preferable thing to do.

Perfect still remembered when his father had found out about those perusing it secretly.

They had been abducting families who they thought would not be missed, but because they got too greedy, word reached the nearby Kingdom, which in turn alerted the Big Four, who in turn turned to the Order as they knew of the old, powerful family which lived in this region.

His father had simply told them to be discreet, and to wean off the Path slowly as it wasn't really effective in the long run, unless one could establish a constant supply of Warrior level bodies.

That was just one of the many times when Perfect had been just…shocked due to the way his family saw all life that was not of their own blood.

Hell, even if it was of their own blood, there were many instances where the good of the family was placed above the good of the individuals who were unlucky, or simply unwilling to watch as untold acts of cruelty were performed in front of them.

Of course, one of the individuals who had fallen due to just this reason…was his brother.

Remembering him, and knowing that his silhouette was something he would never see again, Perfect pursed his lips and took another long sip of the bitter beer.

He knew. Even though he hadn't said so in front of the King, he knew.

After the two of them had witnessed the truth that their family was aligned with the Church, his brother must have acted to save his life. After all, the members of the family had been alerted to the fact that someone had overheard them, and fearing that Perfect's entire life might be destroyed by being thrust into the dark inner ring too early if he was exposed, his brother must have taken the blame.

Even during the last time he had seen him, his brother had put on a brave face, and hence, Perfect hadn't really suspected anything.

He had been young and naive, and when asked for a hug, he had given it willingly.

He vaguely remembered feeling as if something had fallen on him from above during that hug, but he had dusted off his hair then, thinking that it was just something falling from the ceiling.

It was only now, when he looked back, that he realized…that it must have been a tear from the man who knew that it would be the last time he would be seeing the most important person in his life.

Taking a deep breath, Perfect wished that that moment had lasted longer.

Theirs had probably been the last, pure bond that existed in this twisted travesty of a family, and sadly…it had been snipped too soon.

From then on, nothing had mattered. Nothing had meant anything to him, and he had entered a vicious cycle of feeling sad, drinking to forget to his pain, and then drowning his sorrows in a sea of woman who were all too willing to help him.

But then…it had all changed.

He still remembered that moment when his heart had moved after what felt like forever. He still remembered that feeling of fearful hope, when he had been afraid that it might only be crushed again.

He remembered that face which he knew was fake, but those eyes…those eyes were something else.

When he had heard the announcement that declared the King a fugitive, it was those eyes that had told him that it could never be true. That man could do no wrong.

He had been right…and after awakening from the slumber induced by the late Overlord, he had rejoiced silently inside.

He had hoped that the time for the King's promise to be fulfilled would come soon, and now…it was finally here.

An hour later, the message that Perfect had been waiting for finally arrived.

"It's done. Go, and keep a careful eye on everything. I'm depending on you."

No response was needed. Finishing the 8th cup of beer in front of him, he cast a spell that flushed the alcohol from his body and walked out before disappearing at the edge of the village.

A few minutes later, he was walking through an arch on which were written the words which best represented the cesspool he had been born in.

"Take, take, take, even if the world burns around you."

Shaking his head just like he did every time he saw it, Perfect sped up and reached a domed building that looked empty, at first glance.

Instead of entering, he passed it and entered a villa nearby, before checking whether all of the formations he had placed were intact.

2 minutes later, he was standing within the walls of the dome.

Using a special spell which made his body bend and compress as if it was made of jelly, he waited, until finally, he heard the sound of footsteps.

A few more minutes later, a familiar voice was heard.

"Elder, give us your report."

"I've checked the formations around the continent. There have definitely not been any changes. So…I think that our earlier supposition was right. The King simply had no choice. He knew that it would tip off the agents of the Church that there is a mole on his side, but if he didn't do what he did, the war would have ended in a lot of bloodshed that would definitely have weakened the continent. I was watching the kid. He showed unwillingness, which means that he was hoping that everyone would follow his plan, and merrily choose to come together after realizing that they were matched in power. How naive!"

Sounds of agreement could be heard, which were followed by the first voice, again.

"Very well. Now is the time to make the decision. He may be a kid, but we have seen his craftiness. Something tells me that he must have prepared for this eventuality, too."

"It's impossible! He has no way to intercept the communications between the continent and the Mainland. They were placed at great expense by the Church to ensure that there would be no problem. Even the Order is helpless! Are you really saying that it's possible for him to be more capable than the Order?"

The crazy statement elicited many scoffing sounds, but when that deep voice spoke up, all of them were silenced.

"We can never be too safe. This is the final step. Caution will dictate whether we come out as the rulers of the continent who will be revered by millions, or as traitors who will go down in history as the vilest family in modern Angaria. Let us vote. I say that we lay low. Even though there is no indication that the King can intercept communications and identify us, it is too risky. There are others who will send the message anyway."

Now, a second, even deeper voice spoke up, and as he heard it, Perfect could swear that it made the people in the room stop breathing.

"I vote to send the message. There is another risk you do not speak of- if we don't send the message, we might be suspected of allying with the King. I would rather have that whippersnapper as an opponent, than the entire Church."

"I vote to-"

The voting took a minute. And hearing the result…Perfect could hardly hold in his joy.

"The majority have voted to send the message. Very well. I shall do so right now."

Perfect felt strange surges in elementary particles right after this statement was said by the man he knew to be his father.

His father had always been an extremely fearful man. Even now, he had come close to saving the family, but alas…greed was just too strong an opponent.

"Message to the Church. King Daneel has-"

As his father described the vision and gave all the details which would definitely be enough for the Church to identify just who the mole was, Perfect held his breath, as even he didn't know what would happen now.

Would the message fail? Would the entire Order come down on his family now? Would they all be locked up?

In a turn of events that chilled his heart, a 'click' sound resounded in the dome, and a moment later, he could hear his father let out a sigh of relief.

"I guess I was wrong. The message has been successfully received. We even tracked it to a point far outside the Endless Sea- there is no doubt now that the King had no means to stop us. We will definitely be rewarded profusely!"

As everyone else in the room also started to rejoice, Perfect wished that he could contact the King right now so that he could find out just what the heck was going on.

While he started to curse the man's apparent love for theatrics, Daneel, who was sitting comfortably in a place far, far away coughed, knowing exactly what Perfect must be thinking of him right now.

In front of him was a glowing crystal globe, and around him…was a large area which could house thousands of people.

Sitting in the middle of Elysium, Daneel grinned, and sent the reply.

"Message received. The Bishop will contact you shortly. Standby, and keep the line open."

As he saw the globe pulse and notify him that the message had been successfully sent, he couldn't help but sit back and grin.

Chuckling, he spoke to the sovereigns who were sitting with him.

"It's lucky that the fact that Elysium can move was not mentioned even in the annals of the Order. Why risk tipping off the rats by adding methods of detection in the continent, when you can sit outside, in the Endless Sea, and simply intercept the message at a spot where they can't detect anything? The first rat has arrived. Now, for the rest…"

Chapter 953: Waiting

As his voice echoed in the halls that had been built to house thousands upon thousands of talented seeds who would have lived on and rebuilt the continent if this place had ever been used for the reason for which it had been built, the sovereigns couldn't help but smile before returning to whatever they had been doing before Daneel had interrupted them by suddenly speaking out loud.

Cassandra and Aran were both fussing over a miniature house that they were building in the air with elementary particles. It would change shape with each second – at one moment, it would be in the shape of a phoenix which would definitely send any architects running, and in another, it would change into the likeness of Aran's head, complete with a smug expression.

Indeed, their relationship was progressing very well, and this actually wasn't something to be surprised about when one considered that they had been together, in a sense, for years until they had finally reached the point where they could express their feelings, albeit in their own unique ways.

Aran had, of course, always been the silent type who would have been ready to give his life to protect Cassandra no matter what happened, whereas she was the fiery type who would have chased away anyone who might even have thought of committing to a relationship with the man by using a burning stick, or even by setting their hair on fire.

In fact, the latter was actually something that Cassandra had inflicted on quite a few people throughout the years, and even though she always made sure to put it out before it did any real harm, it would always be that the victims would walk around with a singed smell around them for weeks on end.

Daneel was in a relaxed mood as there was nothing else to do right now except for wait, and this was something that didn't happen often. Hence, he let his thoughts run adrift in this manner, and that was why he also remembered that it was these incidents which had been a major factor in her gaining the fame that she was not someone to be messed with.

In fact, now that he thought about it, he realized that even those victims were women who had gotten quite close to Aran, and with that, the king couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Hearing him, Eloise, who had been sitting beside him with her eyes closed while she responded to the hundreds of messages that were always waiting for her due to all of the responsibilities that she was taking care of at the same time, smiled and paused her work before taking her hand into his.

This made him smile and squeeze it, but when she spoke, he couldn't help but freeze momentarily.

"What has made our King laugh today? By the way, I thought that our reaction might elicit some or the other reaction from you… But it didn't. So, I take it that you guessed the reason behind it?"

With another chuckle, Daneel gave his response in a loud voice which was heard by everyone who was present.

"You have all grown immune to my plans! Well, I don't really blame you – by being the ones closest to me, you are always the ones who get the best explanations, and the best insights into how my mind works. In fact, compared to everything I've been doing lately, this isn't really that impressive, but I can't help it- each and every plan that goes well excites me so much that I cannot stop myself from declaring it as if it is something genius. But… Have you forgotten about the war? Didn't you all want a thorough explanation after it? So I gather that you aren't interested in that anymore?"

This finally made everyone drop everything they were doing, and sit up straight before setting their eyes on the King.

Their answer was evident, so Daneel did not leave them hanging.

"Listen well, because you need to understand this if you want to live up to the name we have taken. The great divide. It is something that exists in all communities and societies, as it is common for differences to exist between people, who come in many forms and with many different ambitions, and talents. A divide which is formed by one's own decisions is normal. Take a simple example: there might be two individuals, of whom one had quite a lot of talent and had been born in a good family, and the other had quite low talent, and was born poor. Here, the divide between them is clear, but what if the farmer turns out to be a lazy playboy who amounts to nothing in his life and dies after spending all of his father's money and then going bankrupt as he never bothered to pick up anything that he could help himself with, and the latter becomes a rich and affluent minister using his hard work and determination to even bleed if needed if it means that he can reach his goals? Decisions, my sovereigns. What I'm speaking about might sound simple, and it might even be something that you take for granted, but that is because it is normal: hard work should allow someone who is not born lucky to overcome what he cannot control. I already spoke about this when everyone was present, so I won't go into it at depth. You know what comes after it: the divide I was aiming to break was one which would stop both the people I just mentioned from ever being able to obtain enough resources, especially when they're available, waiting, for someone to claim them in the vaults of the Big Four. I only bring it all up now to tell you where I got the idea: Lanthanor. In Lanthanor, before I took that step to break down the walls between the inner and outer city, those who were born in the outer city would almost never have had any chance to reach the level of a minister in the inner city. I'm not speaking about those who did so by sheer luck, or through such extreme suffering that it is not something that the vast majority of humans can ever be expected to endure. This clear demarcation did nothing except allow those in the inner city to puff out their chests and turn up their noses to those they look down on, as they were below them. I broke down the walls, and what happened? Instantly, overnight, there was such a beautiful change that I remember that even my father was so amazed that he kept speaking about it for weeks. Perception is everything, my dear sovereigns. By breaking the wall, I broke the perception that there was something unachievable, and hence, the general level of motivation, itself, went right up. Of course, because I was the one who did it, I also obtained a healthy chunk of support, but we don't need to speak about that- what is essential is that the overall happiness of the people also increased, and along with that, as you can expect, the future of the kingdom, itself, had changed. Now consider what would have happened if the divide continued to exist: in the worst case, it would have gotten so bad at one point that those of the outer city might even have turned into slaves. Children would have been born into slavery, and it would all even have felt normal, as that was how it would have been for generations. At some time, it would have reached a point where the outer city would rebel, and after that, it would have taken many, many lives to overturn that separation in status. During that turmoil, the kingdom would be so weakened that it would invite all kinds of forces to take a shot at subjugating it, and making them all slaves. We're just talking about a single kingdom, here. Now… Think about it in terms of the continent."

While the sovereigns imagined the gruesome future that Daneel was painting, he thought of the main source from which he had actually gotten the idea: Earth.

What he had spoken about had really happened there, and if history had taught him anything, it was that perception had so much power that it could enslave generations of people just because one person had decided after looking at someone who was of a different color than they were different, and that hence, they were uncivilized and had to be 'educated' by going into servitude.

In Angaria, the problem had already reached the level where one avenue had completely been cut off for the general population. How long would it have taken for the same to happen to others? How long would it have taken for some or the other leader to come along, who might decide that it was best for the continent if the common people had no rights?

True, all of these were the worst-case scenarios, but the problem was that if any of them happened, Angaria would definitely be so weakened for such a long time that it would be ripe for the plucking by any foe like the Church who might come across it. Even in the current situation, then chances were close to nil, but such a future… Was something that should be changed, even if it meant that Daneel had to use up some of the precious time he had until the invasion.

He had seen it in this way: the divide was a very, very big problem that he could not even begin to address if this was a place as large as the Earth, but because of the isolated nature of the continent, and the relatively small amount of people, he had a golden opportunity to break it and give to Angaria the gift of a future filled with hope, and the potential to reach a level of power much, much greater than anything that would have been possible if he chose not to act.

In fact, without the existence of the threat of the church, Daneel did not know whether it would have been possible for him to take these steps. If Angaria was like a chunk of metal filled with impurities, then the Church would be the fire with which he would mold it into a sword that would cut through anything and everything in its path with the unrivaled strength that came from unity.

These were idealistic goals, but with the system, and the power he had, wouldn't it be a crime to not aim for the Heavens?

"The goal is simple: Angaria will become one nation, with equal opportunity for those who are willing to work hard. True, those who are born lucky will have an easier time, but those who aren't will also be able to achieve great things, if they are willing to put in the work. The Order will remain secret, and it will function as the truly elite organization that will protect the rest of Angaria from threats it cannot deal with. If this vision of mine comes to be…no one will be able to defeat us. All right, we've given the continent enough time: let's go see how everyone is handling the aftermath of the vision."

Chapter 954: Rebel

After confirming once again that it was only a few small fries who had signed their death warrants by giving in to their greed and contacting the Church, Daneel set off in the direction of the Sect of Hedon.

Beside him were Eloise and Kellor, both of whom had said that they wanted to come with him on this trip.

The others had various responsibilities that they all left to perform. Aran, Cassandra, Robert, and Luther all had to continue the training of the people as they were the commanders who were in charge of it all, while Elanev and Faxul both wanted to train, as it seemed that they had gotten quite a lot of motivation from the spectacular scene of the war where they had seen that they would have to be very powerful if they wanted to impact a battle where there were spells flying around at that scale.

Faxul had also said that he had gotten inspired, so Daneel looked forward to seeing what his friend would come up with, but at the moment, the most important thing was to ensure that at least the minimum criteria that he had placed for this plan were being met.

Glancing to the side, Daneel saw that Kellor had a faraway look in his eyes, as if there was something that he wanted to say, but for the moment, it was hiding deep within his heart as he felt that it was not yet time for it to come into the world. Having no intention to hurry the man, Dane turned to Eloise and saw that she was also deep in thought, but in her case, he knew that she must be thinking about what he had just said. She was someone who had grown up while being in close contact with the divide, and as she had had a foot in both sides for quite a long time, she knew, more than anyone, just how hopeless that feeling could be where one felt as if their life was severely controlled and constricted by factors they could not possibly affect in any way.

He left them to their own devices, and soon, they were at their destination.

It seemed like the Sect of Hedon was the go-to that Daneel always chose for most of his purposes relating to the Big Four, and he couldn't really be blamed for this as this was the sect that had the most diverse group of individuals. In the Fortress, due to the many reasons, many were like-minded, and the same could be said about the Goddesses.

Still, he would be going there, too, to find out just what affects his war had had on them, but first, he was sure that this sect would be the one with the most accurate results.

The first thing that struck him right as they entered the barrier which hid the sect from the view of the world was that tensions seemed to be very high all over the place.

It was starkly different from how it had been before the war: then, people had been bustling around everywhere, and there had been that sense of purpose that would make an entire place seem as if it was filled with energy and drive. Now, it was more like it was a field of grass doused with gasoline, which would go up in flames due to the smallest spark.

Currently, they were above the central area of the sect, where there was the large gathering ground which had been the location of many of Daneel's acts in this place. Usually, as it had to be crossed by most people on their way to wherever they were going, it would be filled with groups of individuals talking about various things while they went about their lives.

Now, the groups were still there, but all the discussions were hushed. Moreover, quite a few groups looked suspiciously at specific other groups, and it almost looked as if they were ready to fight or flee, in case there was any kind of provocation from those that they were watching.

It was the same with Champions, too. The only difference was that the Warriors' groups were bigger.

Watching it all, Eloise and Kellor both frowned with confusion, but Daneel had a slight inkling of what exactly was going on.

Without speaking, though, he first traveled to the headquarters, as he wanted to check on the Heroes, too.

Just as expected, none were present, and that meant that all of the Heroes were probably up to their own private discussions in places that he could not access, unless he wanted to kick down a lot of doors.

With a shrug, Daneel returned to the central area where he had left his two sovereigns, and it looked like they were finally ready to ask a few questions.

Before they did, though, Daneel raised his hand and said, "Let this be a test for you. Just keep watching. We have some time: the rats are still debating regarding whether they should take the risk of not. I knew that they would do so- my knack for making plans is quite well-known throughout the continent, after all. So, observe, and see whether you cannot answer your questions on your own."

All of the sovereigns were highly competitive people who had always excelled in their fields until Daneel had come along, so just the mention of a test made both Kellor and Eloise get expressions of determination on their faces before they turned around and narrowed their eyes so that they could concentrate and focus on the people of the sect below them.

A half-hour passed in this manner, with Daneel also engaging in this activity. He could directly have asked the system to break through the spells that those below were using so that their words wouldn't be heard by others, but he chose not to cheat.

"Watch their body language. Watch how their faces change when they see a few certain individuals. Watch the attire of these individuals, and guess from where they are. Watch everything, and then rise above it all so that you can-"

"GET HIM!"

By that time, he had already gotten all of his answers, so Daneel had chosen to give his sovereign some clues. Only… A shout interrupted him, and as all three of them instantly turned in the direction from where it had come, they saw that a very strange scene had begun to unfold.

An Amateur Warrior was clutching a few books to his chest while looking fearfully at the group that had surrounded him.

It was obvious that he was very young, as he was slightly chubby and there was still baby fat in his features which gave him quite the adorable look. Only, those features were now filled with terror, as all of those around him were at least at the Peak Warrior level.

He was wearing quite normal clothes, and for all intents and purposes, he did not look like he was anything more than just a normal sect member who had just come out of the library.

However… Anyone who was watching would know right away that this was mostly not the case, as all of the Warriors who had gathered were looking at him as if he had committed some hateful crime which made wrath and loathing that appear on their faces while they looked at him.

One of the Warriors from the group made his way forward, and from the way that the others quickly moved aside, it was obvious that he had a lot of authority among them.

Without speaking a word, he walked towards the Amateur Warrior, and the moment he reached the spot right in front of him, it looked as if he would be unloading with all of his strength on someone who would have to go to the infirmary if he received even one attack from him at full strength.

All three of the sovereigns in the air tensed up as they saw this and prepared themselves to stop him, but surprisingly, all that the Peak Warrior did… Was raise his hand, and pull the books that were being guarded at the youngster's chest.

"NO!"

He screamed with terror, but he was just too weak-there was no way that he could stop the Peak Warrior, and a second later, all of the books had tumbled to the ground.

At first, this looked just like a classic act of bullying, but the moment the books hit the floor… They all opened to let out a thousand pieces of parchment that flew into the air and folded themselves into aerodynamic shapes before trying to quickly get away.

Sadly… It looked like the rest of the Warriors were prepared, as they had already created a barrier that stopped all of them.

One by one, the began to be plucked out of the air, and as the Warriors read them, the three sovereigns in the air could see them, too.

"Break down the divide! Support the King!"

"For Angaria! We know where we came from! Now, it is time to give back!"

"Such an opportunity will never come again! Let us rise! Convince all those that you can find!"

"Down with the Big Four! We have much more support than you think-even the Goddesses and those of Fortress will support us! All sect members from the central continent, awake, and rise!"

"We saw our future! Now, act to change it!"

As each parchment was read, the anger present in the Warriors increased, until finally, one of them acted to burn up all of the fluttering pieces in the air before advancing in his direction.

"Bastard. The sect took you in and gave you a chance, and this is how you repay it? We should never have opened our doors to the Central Continent! Everyone, kill him! He's the one spreading it the most! Don't let him take advantage of that vision!"

Taking heed, the Warriors all began to run forward, and at this juncture, anyone in the position of the youngster would have begged for help.

Instead…he used all his strength to shove the Warrior in front of him away and run.

While doing so, he raised his head and began to scream, and his words…were heard all over the sect.

"You can kill me, but you can't stop the Big Four from ceasing to exist! You lazy f*cks who were born entitled don't get it! YOU ARE IN THE MINORITY! You're only angry because you're scared you won't continue to have everything without doing anything if it happens! THE REST OF US DON'T WANT TO DIE! We know that with our talent and hard work, we will still do well if the continent is united! YOU'LL REGRE-"

By this time, the Warriors had reached him, and it looked like he would be pummelled into a thick paste in the next moment.

To stop such a thing from happening, the three of them finally moved.

Until now, they had been concealed by a top-notch formation which hid them from the eyes of even Heroes, but to act, they had to break it.

Breaking the formation was the sign for them to move, so the moment it happened, Eloise and Kellor both shot forward.

They had expected the King to come with them, but seeing that he didn't, they assumed that he was leaving it to them.

However, if they looked back, they would have seen Daneel frozen in the air with an expression of shock on his face, and the reason behind it…was that a message had just begun to play near his ears.

"King Daneel Anivron. I knew I would be able to find you if I placed a spell that would activate and search when there was strife in the Big Four. I am from a force you are quite familiar with- in fact, we even housed you in our branch, once. Remember the Tri-Cobra Sect? Well, we have a small proposal…but I need to speak with you personally. Please come to this spot in the Endless Sea three hours from now. It is related to the survival of your continent, so please…don't be late."

Chapter 955: A Meeting Over the Endless Sea

Standing underneath the familiar tumultuous clouds filled with ferocious lightning, Daneel let out a long breath as he waited for the one who had contacted him to arrive.

He had a lot of questions, but it was a single thought which stood out in his mind at the moment: this was definitely something that he did not need right now.

That had been his first reaction, but on second thought… What if it was an opportunity?

Knowing that this meeting would give him the answer, he had decided to come early and wait.

While doing so, he watched as the kid was taken away by his sovereigns to a place where he was safe, and at the same time, those that had been about to attack him were left unconscious on the ground, with red cheeks which would make it seem as if they had been slapped to their current state by someone.

Just before leaving, Eloise had also started a rumor regarding how this group of elite assholes who were all descended from long-standing families of the Big Four were the ones who were most against their status quo being threatened by the actions of the King. Enraged, they had decided to take out their anger on anyone they could find, but in the process, they had been smacked into submission by a group much weaker than them.

Pride was the most important thing for people like these, so Daneel had applauded her idea which was probably more effective than anything else they could have done.

At the same time, in regards to the ongoing efforts to generalize the idea of a Godking existing in the continent, the two had begun to talk to the kid about this concept, and how he could bring his brand of encouragement to it among the sect members.

This was a long shot, but they had to start somewhere, and already, Eloise had come up with something which showed promise.

Time would tell whether it would be effective, and just as Daneel was about to think further about it, a man appeared in front of him.

In that moment, itself… The King of Lanthanor found out that he was not dealing with anyone ordinary.

It was common knowledge that those who were using apparitions to appear in the world would not feel a sense of danger, as their minds knew that the form they were in was expendable, and hence, they did not need to really worry about saving themselves in case there was a threat to their life.

The only thing that they would be losing was a part of their consciousness which could be recovered even though it was extremely painful, but this threat was nothing comparable to the way in which one's instincts would blare if they were in the presence of something that could end their existence.

Daneel knew this, but for the first time… He wondered whether it was really a fact.

The man in front of him was draped in a strange cloak which looked like it was made from the hide of a snake. His face had rugged features and a scraggly beard, and he wasn't buff like a Fighter. Instead, it looked like his body was optimized for speed and strength, as was the norm in assassins, but even then, everything that had been described so far didn't really present that much of a threat.

Where everything changed… Was when one looked into his eyes.

Somehow, they gave the feeling as if they commanded a strength that could reach down and attack the core of one's being, no matter where it was hiding, or how well it was guarded. They were the eyes of a snake which could captivate its prey and even make it feel comfortable and smile as fangs dug deep into its veins and released the sweet poison that would take its life, so it was not an overreaction, at all…when Daneel decided to summon his 100 Heroes.

He had been in no mood, whatsoever, to take any chances at all even though he should not have had to be so cautious as his real body was very, very well hidden. This was just too crucial a time for the continent, and hence, Daneel had thrown all stupid concepts of fairness out the window, and had kept both his force of Heroes and that of the Order on standby.

The latter had not been given a reason, but still, the Overseer had gathered them all using an excuse. If necessary, they could be here within a second, and even though Daneel had initially wondered whether it was overkill to use a force of hundreds of Heroes to take on one man…he now knew that he had taken the right decision.

This was even more reinforced by the fact that after seeing the towering Heroes who were all ready to tear him limb from limb, the man from the Tricobra Sect didn't even flinch.

This meant one of two things: one, they were no threat to him, or two, his body, too, was expendable.

Alas, there were many signs which pointed to the first being true, and before Daneel could go over them…the man chuckled and spoke, driving away all doubts from the King's mind.

"Please don't underestimate me, King. You are familiar with our sect, so you must know that we are comprised of assassins. An assassin is always in complete control of each and every engagement that he deems fit to take part in. I mean no harm to you. But if you try to attack me, I will have no choice but to burn all bridges between us, as it will be an insult to my sect."

As soon as the last word left the man's mouth, he narrowed his eyes, and for a moment…it felt as if the entire world had come to a standstill.

Daneel felt shock coursing through his veins as he looked up to see an arc of lighting that had been about to strike at a place a few hundred meters above their head pause and slow down, with each and every branch of its mesmerizing structure visible for him to see.

He was using the Basilisk's Breath ever since he had come here so that he wouldn't be caught off guard, so even though it was moving slowly, because of the exacerbated effect, it felt as if it had completely stopped.

Just as this thought came in his head, though, his eyes widened, as he had just realized something.

Why did this feel…eerily similar to the technique which he had just thought of?

He had obtained it a long while back, but even after all these years…its effectiveness had not waned one bit. True, it did not give him as much of an advantage as it used to due to the fact that Heroes had incredible power which allowed them to reach speeds he could not contend with even if he used the technique, but outside of battles, it was still incredibly useful as it allowed him to have more time to do anything.

Perhaps the most amazing thing was that it hardly cost anything, and now that he thought about it…he saw that it was probably the most unique technique he had come across in all his time on this continent.

First and foremost, even its name had been given to it by the system, which had said that it was apt. It had been derived in a hidden form from a rule set down in the Hidden Kill Sect, and at first, he had assumed that all the sect members could use it with the same effectiveness as him.

It was only later that he had found out that it was a precious inheritance meant to be obtained by those who were worthy, and even then, he had chalked up its specialty to the system, which had done the deriving part.

In numerous instances thereafter, he had been exposed to all the things which set it apart from all other Inheritances and techniques, but taking it as just something which had been created by fluke and could not be improved, he had continued to use it.

Now, though…he wondered whether he had been making a blunder all this while.

As if to tell him that he was right, the system spoke up in his mind.

[Technique resonance in effect. Advanced form of 'Basilisk's Breath' detected. Phenomena Analysis Module is attempting to analyze the technique. Analysis failed. Reason: Complexity too high. Please upgrade system for successful analysis.]

He was right!

What…in hell was going on?

How could someone from the Tricobra Sect have an advanced form of a technique that was supposed to have originated on Angaria?

How could it even advance to a form where it could ACTUALLY slow down time? Wasn't that just godly?

Was time even being slowed down? Or was it all an illusion being caused by one's mind? Was reality really being affected, or was it all in their heads?

At the moment, the last question seemed to be the most pertinent, so Daneel asked the system.

All of this would seem as if it was taking time, but that was not the case: only a fraction of a second had passed since the last word had left the mouth of the man from the Tricobra Sect, and right now, even his face was still set in the same position, as it had not had time to move, yet.

[Responding to host: elementary particles analyzed from area around host dictate that time is passing normally. However, host's and host's Heroes' bodies have been trapped in a field of elementary particles that have slowed down time for all those under the effect of the technique. It is similar to the technique used by the individual known as 'Ashahell', who changes the perception of time of an opponent by manipulating their mind. As intruding into one's mind is a complex and difficult process, the Path of that individual is meant to act on one opponent, and even then, it does not guarantee success if the opponent's mind is of a higher complexity than that of the individual. In the case of host's opponent, no intrusion into the mind is necessary: the field of elementary particles directly place those under attack into a different 'frame', in which they feel as if time has slowed down to a crawl. Hence, this technique is infinitely more complex than that of the individual known as 'Ashahell', and it can also be used on multiple foes. If executed well, it essentially gives one a period of invincibility, without fail, in which one can do as they please.]

Holy…crap.

Even Daneel had been reminded of his old foe, Ashahell, but he could never have thought that the two techniques could be this different.

It was essentially like comparing a handgun to a bazooka, and hence, it also explained why the system couldn't analyze it, at all.

Well, some of his questions had been answered…but how was it related to the Basilisk's Breath?

Right as he got this question, the system spoke again.

[Technique resonance has been analyzed to show that the same individual has created both techniques. Also, the techniques were created in such a way that this resonance would occur, which would be able to be detected by both casters of the techniques.]

"WHAT?!"

"WHAT?!"

This was the last straw for Daneel. Unable to take it anymore, he shouted out his question, and at the same time…it was heard from somewhere else, too.

Time went back to normal a moment later, but the two who had just exclaimed loudly were looking into each other's eyes, with myriad questions floating around their minds.

Finally, it was the man from the Tricobra Sect who opened his mouth first and spoke in a halting voice.

"You…are the inheritor of that person? When we took her into our sect, she told us that one more would follow…but to think that it would be you! This…changes everything."

Chapter 956: Alastair

The 966th year of the Emperor.

One year before the Apocalypse.

In one of the many large, lavishly decorated stone rooms which were assigned to the guests of the Emperor who came from far and wide to speak to the strongest man of the continent, the sound of a quill scratching over parchment could be heard from a table in the corner on which a woman sat, hunched over a piece of parchment.

"…hence, because of the type of power it shall come to represent, the Hidden Kill Sect shall remain hidden for the first ten thousand years after the apocalypse. Even if just one individual of the sect is alive, it will be his duty to protect the secret of its existence deep within his heart until he can pass it on to a worthy inheritor. In this way, may the Sect become something that stands for millennia as the last vestige of the great Basilisk Alastair, last of the line of the Great Serpent, Hidden Battle Queen of the Emperor, and rightful ruler of all the Godbeasts of Angaria."

A small smile floated across the woman's lips as she wrote the last part, but it vanished as soon as she got up and looked out the window.

War preparations were being carried out in full swing, and once again, they had reminded her of what was coming.

With a sigh that would make the world, itself, lament, she delicately folded up the parchment and placed it in a glass bottle before casting a series of spells, each more complex the last.

Finally, adding it to a trove of resources and other instructions which she had ensured would definitely result in the setting up of an extremely strong sect if there was a world which was not ruled by the Church after the war, she departed the room and arrived in another one which was filled with mirrors on all sides.

Here, she slowly lowered her shoulder and let the dress slip, and as it fell to the ground, a body that would make anyone stop in their tracks and blink while their heart and mind was stolen was exposed.

Just like she had always done since she had broken through and obtained the strength necessary to transform into this form, she smiled and felt herself, before sighing again and blinking.

After she opened her eyes, a majestic serpent stood where she had been standing, and of course…as it was her, she was looking deep into her own eyes through the mirrors.

It had the wide head of a cobra, but also the strong and thick body of an anaconda. There was some kind of radiance under its skin which looked like it was flowing constantly, and sometimes, it would even spill outwards through her eyes, resulting in pretty reflections and refractions of multicolored light forming in the room which any passerby would have been transfixed by, if this place wasn't completely closed off.

With another blink, she was back to her human form, and after dressing herself, Alastair continued to look deep into her own eyes, as if searching for an elusive answer within her mind which was escaping her grasp no matter how much she tried to find it.

There she stood for a week, for time was an ample resource for all Godbeasts. Many were even known to take naps spanning years, so it was no wonder that an important decision needed to be mulled over for this long by the one who really had managed to defeat all Godbeasts in combat, by both fair and unfair means.

Finally, a week later, Alastair shook her body, causing the dust that had gathered to fall to the ground.

Clarity shone like the sun in her eyes, and with one last look in the direction of the quarters of the Emperor…she vanished.

She soon reappeared over the Endless Sea, and as she turned around to take one last look at Angaria, tears came to her eyes.

This was her homeland, and although most of her life had been spent protecting herself from the dangers of the continent which had all been gunning for her due to the potential she held, she still loved it with all her heart.

Knowing that lingering any longer would cause her to change her decision, Alastair turned around.

BOOOMMMM!!!

With a loud sound that caused a bubble of air to form behind her, Alastair crossed the speed of sound in a single second and continued to speed up as time passed.

Sometimes, under the flashes of lightning, it would seem as if she transformed into a gigantic Basilisk the size of a mountain, in front of which all of the wrath of the sky would seem like just the tantrum of a child.

Mostly, though, she was a sad woman who had to leave her home as she valued her life, and the continuation of her race above all else.

Everyone knew that the distance between the Endless Sea in which Angaria was hidden and the open sea on which the Mainland lay, somewhere, was so large that it was a fool's errand to wish to cross it with just the strength of a Peak Hero.

If she were a normal Peak Hero, she would have fallen to the Sea to be devoured quite quickly, but as a Godbeast of both the land and sea, she had the unique advantage of being able to travel in both. Both had their own dangers: although she was a top-tier predator in the sea, she would often cross the territories of beings equally as powerful as her, in which case she would have to flee as it was just dumb to face off against the creatures which would surround her and devour her, bit by bit, if given a chance.

The lightning in the sky also had the habit of forming together to strike anything large that dared to be present between the Heavens and the Sea, so the journey was extremely difficult even for her sturdy body.

It soon got to a point where exhaustion began to set in despite the large quantity of Ker Roots she had brought with her. They were the lightest and most Energy containing resources around, but still, they were just not enough for such a task.

For 9 days and 9 nights she persevered, maintaining a speed that was normally the peak that one could achieve if they were an Amateur Hero.

On the 10th day, it seemed that her decision had been a stupid one, after all.

She had wanted to escape the Apocalypse that would surely befall the continent, one way or another, but instead, she would be dying out here with no one by her side.

Even the Emperor had once said that if anyone could make that journey across the Sea, then it would be her, but now, she wished that she could tell him that he was wrong.

The Sea was just too unforgiving…or they were just too weak.

On the 11th day she collapsed into the sea, where her speed finally began to decrease.

On the 12th, delirium began to set in, which made her disable her own senses and put herself on 'autopilot' as there were just too many tricks being played on her by her own mind which would definitely lead her astray.

On the 13th she shed her skin, and along with it, her prowess as a Peak Hero. Extreme strain was known to cause this, but she had never thought that it would happen to her.

On the 14th she was but an Amateur Hero.

And on the 15th, she finally stopped, ready to embrace death.

What happened afterward …was actually a mystery.

The information stored in the records of the TriCobra Sect stated that they had found her in a crazed state, killing everything she could find with a vengeance that could not be quenched.

The Endless Sea had turned into a sea of blood in her wake, and seeing this, even all the Peak Heroes who were manning the expeditionary ship that searched for undiscovered continents were shocked.

They had seen many strange things, but that level of death and destruction…was truly unprecedented.

Impressed, they had trapped her by luring her onto the ship using Energy resources, but just when they had gotten ready for a fight, the Basilisk had absorbed some Energy, and fainted.

For the longest time, she had had no memory of who she was. However, there was one vestige of her time in that state, and that was the reason that she was accepted into the Sect: it was a terrifying Path that had never been seen before, and although she, herself, did not know how she had obtained it, its power was truly something to be reckoned with.

What was just a small, upcoming sect then quickly rose to power with her at the helm, as one of the three snakes which made up the TriCobra Sect.

When asked what she wanted by the other two snakes at the time of the establishment of this name, she had stated just one thing: there was a disciple that would come, and when he did, he would take her place.

As the man from the TriCobra Sect recited this tale, Daneel had no idea how he was supposed to react.

On one hand, he knew that parts of it was right: the Basilisk known as Alastair had been branded as a deserter, as she had randomly disappeared one day, around a year before the Apocalypse.

On the other, it all seemed farfetched, as there was no way that he was suddenly the disciple of the leader of a force that was supposed to rival the Church in power.

Weren't they missing a few steps, in between? Wasn't this all a bit too convenient?

Seeing the expression of disbelief on Daneel's face, the man from the TriCrobra Sect laughed and said, "Yeah, tell me about it. I came here to say that we are willing to work with you, for a price, to bring about the downfall of the Church as we are enemies on the Mainland, but it ended up with me finding out that you outrank me…that is, if I'm right. Well…there's only one way to find out."

Saying so, the man suddenly did something which made Daneel wonder if he was going mad.

Raising his hands, he thrust both of his index fingers into his eyes, and even as Daneel winced, blood began to drip down his cheeks as his eyeballs had clearly been ground to mush.

The man didn't even scream, though, and after he removed his hands…two deep, swirling voids could be seen in the place where his eyes were.

As Daneel stared, they vanished and were replaced by a pair of slits, and as the man opened his mouth and spoke…the enchanting voice of a woman floated out, which made all the hairs on his body stand up straight.

"Why have you-what?! My inheritance? Are you certain? Oh…King Daneel! I had my suspicions, but I must say…I am surprised. I am Alastair. But…of course, you don't believe me. Well, bring over that old coot Fenoras, and we can clear everything up."

Chapter 957: Speaking to Alastair

"Where is the emissary?"

In a different part of the Endless Sea, an urgent meeting had been called in the same place where the man from the TriCobra Sect had made his acquaintance with those who had decided to choose neither the Church, nor Angaria in the upcoming conflict.

It was the head of the Sect of Hedon who said these words in urgency, and as he turned his head furtively to match the eyes of all those he had gathered, all he saw was doubt and panic.

The man they had invited at great risk to themselves…had suddenly gone missing.

BANG!

A loud sound was suddenly heard as he gripped his fists tightly, and it was hard to believe that it had simply been caused by the air frantically escaping from his iron-like grasp.

Because the faces of all those present were hidden, it wasn't visible that he was gritting his teeth, but from the way his entire body was shaking, it was obvious that he was very, very angry.

Finally, after a few seconds, putting his anger aside, he glared in a certain direction and began to advance toward the one who stood there.

"Calm yourself. We always knew he would be a slippery eel. It is not her fault that he escaped her surveillance. The means of someone from a major sect in the Mainland are, after all, far beyond anything we can conceive."

A gentle, but authoritative voice interrupted him, causing the head of the Sect of Hedon to pause where he stood and let out a deep breath.

After taking a few seconds, he nodded and turned around before saying, "Thank you for arriving quickly. Yes, she might not be at fault, but the situation is definitely something to be concerned about. The TriCobra Sect is known to be a treacherous ally, especially if no official contract has been made. It is what has allowed them to survive and thrive even though they are the newest force to enter the league of those who qualify to become Seafarers. We must find him at once."

Bowing while his words echoed in the circular chamber, he took his place, and for a while, there was silence.

"It's useless. Even I must admit that I have been thwarted, but unlike you, I am not worried. Remember this, everyone. Our only goal is to survive the war, and then kill that King, and everything he represents. Initially, we were all prepared to even side with him if it means that we can get back to our long lives of leisure afterward. But…the moment he exposed his wish to unify the continent and take away the special status that we, and all those who share our blood hold on Angaria, he became a threat to our future. We all know clearly that only by taking away from the poor, can we ensure that we will continue to be rich. Only by stepping down on others, can we rise above. Only by ensuring that the Central Continent stays as it is…can we be sure that our families will continue to exist for a long, long time, allowing us and our ancestors, in turn, to pursue life beyond…"

"Ahem."

The one who had begun to speak was the same man who had stopped the head of the Sect of Hedon from attacking the innocent Hero who had been in his path before. With every word he spoke, he had started to get excited, but suddenly…as a low sound emanated from one of the corners of the chamber, even this man, who had been the receiver of many reverential gazes from almost all the Heroes in the room, froze and stopped speaking before sitting down.

"I…digress. The decision has been made. Let us wait for his return, and ask him regarding his absence. The TriCobra Sect always weighs the odds, and chooses the winning side. Whatever it may be…we shall choose it, too, and act on our other goals after the war is done. Everyone, disperse."

…

Except for the rumbling thunderbolts above and the crashing waves beneath, silence hung over the Endless Sea, much like a veil that had been cast over something which was too terrifying to be revealed.

The basilisk, Alastair, was staring at the King of Lanthanor, waiting for an answer, with patient eyes that had clearly seen millennia after millennia of time pass by.

Meanwhile… The king was transfixed where he stood, mainly because of everything the system was saying within his mind.

[Advanced transmission formation detected. Unknown spell technique detected. Unknown form of magic detected which does not use elementary particles. Phenomena Analysis Module is attempting Analysis. Phenomena Analysis Module has failed to analyze the spell technique and form of magic. Complexity of phenomena being observed is far above what system is capable of. Upgrades required to reach the necessary complexity for analysis: 2.]

Even now, he was replaying exactly what had happened in front of him.

After the man from the TriCobra Sect had gouged out his eyes, Daneel had been expecting to see some kind of advanced formation come to life which must need a pair of empty eyes in order to transmit one's voice from a faraway place.

It was strange, but there were even stranger spells in existence.

Straining his eyes, Daneel had been ready to analyze the way the elementary particles moved so that he could see whether there were any clues he could find in the type of spell used.

Only…there had been nothing to see.

Absolutely nothing!

The most basic thing that all children were taught in Angaria was that magic was the art of arranging elementary particles in formations so that they can result in whatever is desired by the spellcaster…but here, a spell had been cast, but the elementary particles had not been disturbed at all!

Daneel's whole world was upended, and at first, he even thought he was seeing things.

However, the system had confirmed it: it had mentioned a new form of magic, and that was definitely what he had seen.

It was incredible!

The King of Lanthanor felt as if he was someone living on Earth a few tens of thousands of years ago, when the only way to make calculations involving large numbers was to use something like an abacus. If such a person was shown a calculator from the modern age which could do the same using integrated circuits, wouldn't they be amazed? Wouldn't they think they were dreaming?

It was such a radically new and unthinkable way of doing things that it might even make that person fearful, and that was exactly the King of Lanthanor began to feel.

As if sensing this, the Basilisk, Alastair, spoke again, but this time with a smile.

"Oh, I remember that look…my face had the exact same expression when I saw Dimensional Magic for the first time, too. Don't think too much about it, though, and don't try to figure it out- only death awaits you if you embark on something so foolish without crossing the realm of Heroes. You do realize that you're making one of the three leaders of the TriCobra Sect wait, right?"

The last sentence was delivered in a slightly impatient tone which made Daneel jolt to his senses, as for some reason, it almost felt as if he was disrespecting a god that had chosen to appear in front of him.

[Host is under the influence of a Peak Hero-level Illusion spell.]

Well…that explained that feeling.

Powerful beings always used methods like these to make those who were inferior to them feel all the more weaker, so that they could command them at will.

So, normally, this would be completely normal…but in this case, it exposed something vital.

An elementary particle-based spell was being used.

What this implied, though, was lost on Daneel, at the moment, as he was still too caught up on what had just been exposed to him.

First…for the first time, he had experienced something that was truly related to the realm beyond that of Heroes.

And, second: there was much more to magic than he had imagined.

After coming so close to the Hero realm, and knowing what was waiting for him when he got there due to the many interactions he had had with Hero-level individuals, Daneel had thought that he had a firm grasp on this quintessential power that was desired by so many.

However…he felt like a foolish child who had mastered the first-grade textbook, and had begun to think that he was ready to tackle the world.

His cheeks began to burn with shame, but after a second, Daneel's face lit up with excitement, as he could sense what all this meant.

This…was what was waiting for him in the Mainland.

Initially, he had thought that it might just be a place vaster than Angaria with nothing that groundbreaking to be discovered, but now, knowing that there were many mysteries to uncover, many things to learn, and certainly many more areas to conquer just like he had done here, the King of Lanthanor was ecstatic.

But first, though…Angaria had to be saved.

Taking a moment, he set aside all of these thoughts and then spoke.

"Emperor Fenoras's memory fragments are in my possession, but…"

"Stop with the pretense. I don't know how, but I know that his consciousness is still intact. It's muddled…but its there. Bring him to me, and I can fix him. It's the least I can do in return for saving my life. If you really consider yourself his disciple, then do not deprive him of the only chance he has of recovery."

The dread that Daneel had begun to feel ever since this being had manifested in front of him suddenly multiplied when he was interrupted in this way.

No one knew that the Emperor had been saved by the Chamber of Golden Lightning a moment before his death. It was supposed to be even more secretive than the Order, so how had this being detected him?

As if sensing his obvious question, Alastair spoke again.

"You're wasting time, boy. It's not easy to maintain a connection from this way away, even if I am using Dimensional Magic. Fenoras and I…have a bond. That is what allowed me to feel his presence which was exposed to the World for some time recently, in…that place that is called the Kingdom of Arafell. Oh, so that b*tch is still well? I should have known. No more games. Bring him to me."

Hearing the Basilisk, for once, Daneel had no idea what to do.

It had been quite a long time since he had felt weak in front of someone…and he had definitely not missed the feeling.

For quite some time now, he had reached a level where he didn't have to fear much, or even anything at all, on Angaria.

Hence, he had been making decisions based on that knowledge, but now…being weak changed a lot.

Before he could decide on his course of action, though, the Basilisk spoke again, and this time…her words made cold sweat appear all over the King of Lanthanor's body.

"I know you have a lot of questions. But you forget the position you are in. Let me make it clear with a single sentence. Bring Fenoras here, now…or I might just let it slip in the Mainland that one of their 'Conversion Memory Fragments' has made its way into the hands of the King of Lanthanor. Yes…I know you're blocking communication, and it's an admirable plan. After they put two and two together, though, with my help, do you want to bet on your master making it out alive? No? Then go, and obey!"

Chapter 958: Proof

A few years ago, on one fine morning, Daneel and Luther had been sitting in the largest balcony of the Palace of Lanthanor while looking over the army that had been carrying out war exercises.

It had been the time after Daneel had successfully taken control of the Kingdom of the Elves through his manipulation, and at that juncture, he had still been learning about what it meant to be a king.

This was one of the many instances during which his commanders had taken the initiative to help him in the journey. On that morning, Luther had told him a very interesting story.

It was about a conflict that had taken place a thousand years ago between the then Kingdom of Lanthanor, and the Black Raven Kingdom.

It had apparently been a very terse period during which conflicts had been present between each and every member of the Central Continent, but in particular, these two kingdoms which shared borders had been on the brink of war.

The reason behind this conflict being so important was that the strongest mage in Lanthanor, who had allowed the kingdom to feel safe for as long as he was alive, had died suddenly, and this placed the kingdom at a huge disadvantage, as it was right after his counterpart in the Black Raven Kingdom had attained a major breakthrough.

The two events were unrelated, but because they happened at the same time, it made it so that Lanthanor was ripe for an invasion. It was still a powerful kingdom, though, so the Black Raven Kingdom had two options: it could either go all out and risk being invaded, itself, by others, or it could use this advantage it had to force Lanthanor to sign a few treaties which would allow it to gain a lot of resources at a large profit for as long as Lanthanor was in that weak state.

In the background, efforts could also be made to make sure that no one would take the mantle of that mage, but overall, this aspect of resources would benefit the kingdom and the people of the Black Raven the most.

The King of Lanthanor at that time had been a good one, although it had been for the wrong reasons. He had apparently used to place a lot of importance on pride, so the way he saw it was that if his people were unhappy, then this was something that would hurt his image, so he always made sure that the kingdom was well.

Knowing that taking the wrong step would mean a lot of death and destruction, he had initially taken the decision to acquiesce and sign the proposed treaties which would set back Lanthanor for quite a long while, but when the time came for the meeting… Something spectacular happened.

The Black Raven King arrived with much pomp, and he was obviously very happy. The King of Lanthanor was satisfied with the fact that he would be remembered as someone who had taken the right decision, but just as he was about to sign the treaty… The Black Raven King let loose his tongue, and said, "A wise move, King. If you had not chosen to sign, Lanthanor would have easily been under my feet in nary a month. From now, don't even think of putting up any bluster no matter where you go, as if you do, I might just lose my goodwill and decide that Lanthanor is a bug that needs to be squashed, after all."

A hush fell over the room as soon as he said this, as wars had started due to words that were much less disrespectful.

The King of Lanthanor froze where he stood, his quill hovering over the parchment of the treaty, and after what felt like an eternity, he sighed, and did something that would be written about by many, many historians.

Using that quill like a sword, he cut the treaty into pieces and stood up straight before bellowing, "Black Raven King. My father taught me one thing: Kings must not bow to threats, even if it means that they die. The moment a King gives up his pride, he ceases to be one. Mage, I see that the smile has still not left your face because of your breakthrough. Well… Come, let me wipe it away, forever."

After the Head Mage of Lanthanor died, the king had been the strongest in the kingdom, but he had still been a long way off from reaching the level of the one in the Black Raven kingdom.

However, taking out a blood-red knife, the King of Lanthanor lunged in the direction of the mage.

The moment that trinket was exposed to the air, fear appeared on the mage's face, but he was too late- all of his barriers broke, and even when the dagger dove deep into his chest, he could not believe it.

"It-it's a sacrificial dagger…why would you…?"

"Because I…am the King."

Indeed, it was a dagger that used the life of the wielder to bring out power much stronger than anything that they might be capable of normally, and as it stood, anyone else's power would have been insufficient to use it and have any effect on the mage.

Those were his last words, and even as his eyes closed, a smile came upon his lips, as he knew that he would never be forgotten.

He had been right. Even a thousand years later, his tale was still being told, and listening to it, Daneel had been filled with admiration.

He recalled that story now as he heard the threat of the basilisk, and right away, alarm bells began to ring all over his mind.

If she hadn't taken this tune, he might have been prepared to think it over, but now… There was no chance.

It was not the foolish arrogance of someone who placed too much importance on pride. Rather, it was the Royal arrogance of a ruler who would choose to die, rather than let his dignity be besmirched by anyone, even if he knew that they were so much more powerful than him.

Even though this was Daneel's first reaction, he still took a moment to consider, as there were many, many lives at stake here.

That was when he realized that there were enough reasons for him to take up a very, very cautionary stand on this entire thing.

First and foremost… The thing that he was most doubtful about was the timing.

If this basilisk really was from Angaria, then why had she not contacted him before? Why had she not tried to initiate a line of communication with the Order? Why was he finding out about this only now, and not when he had spoken to the TriCobra sect before?

She had said that she knew that Fenoras was alive because she detected his presence on the continent… But even before Daneel had bequeathed the man to the one who loved him so that he could get better, he had been roaming the continent and obtaining disciples. If she had arrived before, she would definitely have found him, but instead, she had only found out now.

Also, from the way the man from the TriCobra sect had spoken before the resonance had occurred between their techniques, it had been obvious that he had been about to deliver some sort of a threat, or a proposal that would have meant that Daneel would have to follow the orders of the sect if he wished for the continent to win the war. This was a reasonable conclusion given the knowledge regarding how the sect usually operated, and in fact, he had even prepared a response for the same.

The entire tone of the conversation had changed after the resonance, so things were just a little too circumspect at the moment.

There might be a simple expedition which tied everything together and made it so that it all made sense, but until he obtained it, Daneel decided that he would act as if the one in front of him was just another enemy who was gunning for Angaria.

Secondly… What if it was all a bluff? What if the Emperor would be whisked away as soon as he was exposed?

Powers were at play here which he could not understand, so he definitely could not risk one of the greatest assets of the continent being stolen at such a crucial juncture.

True, the man might not be able to fight, but there was so much more that he represented which could not be taken away.

Yet…There was also no way that Daneel would sacrifice his master, even though the man knew the risks associated with this plan. He had been fine with putting his life on the line, but until there was no other way, Daneel did not want his master to be outed as a spy.

It was moments like these that truly tested the mettle of those in charge, and Daneel knew that the decision he made here would definitely have a large effect on the outcome of the entire battle, and this world that he called his home. The worst thing was that he didn't have time, but thankfully… He had always been a quick thinker.

The semblance of a radical plan that used a roundabout, but effective approach started to form in his mind, and after further thought, he realized that he actually liked it a lot.

It would be risky… But what in the world could be gained without some risk?

Putting on a serious expression, the King spoke.

"My master knew what he was getting into when we embarked on this plan. I simply cannot trust you… Until you prove that you are at least capable. If you are really as strong as you say you are, it should be easy for you to do so: the Emperor suffers from a damaged consciousness. There is another person with the same affliction. Fix her, and I will believe you. Fail, and it will all be exposed as a bluff. Do you agree?"

As Daneel looked into the Basilisk's eyes in front of him, it took all that he had to ensure that he wouldn't be affected by what he saw in them.

Rage had filled them the moment he had begun to speak, and this emotion had only grown by the time he was done.

It was the kind of rage that was capable of stirring up millions into a frenzy that would make them fight and die as they would be lost in its dominating grasp, and for a moment, it seemed as if she would follow through with her threat.

Daneel had a method to ensure that the worst wouldn't happen even if she did, but it was something he really didn't want to use.

Thankfully, after a few seconds, she controlled herself with visible effort and said, "Oh, how much the Mainland would gossip if it found out that the Basilisk had to control her anger in front of such a weakling…well, bring out the girl. If you hadn't been the one to take my Inheritance…we wouldn't even be speaking right now. After I prove myself, though, I will be expecting an apology, and all the respect that I am due."

With a relieved nod, Daneel disappeared.

A few moments later, he returned with a beautiful lady in his hands.

Her body had been healed completely, which allowed her to once again look like the Goddess she was, but as her mind was still fractured, she looked as if she were sleeping.

As the Basilisk flew over, Daneel prepared to act at the first sign of danger.

Seeing him put up his guard, the Basilisk stopped, and with a shrug, she simply pointed at Xuan's head.

There it was again!

No elementary particles moved, at all, but Daneel felt like something was happening.

Only, before he could blink, it was over.

Seeing Xuan's eyelids flutter while he protectively held her at his chest, his heart skipped a beat, and he was overcome with emotion.

He remembered all she had done for him, and her pure feelings which had melted the cold steel that his heart had been made of.

He remembered the kiss they had shared, and the promise that it represented.

He remembered her smile that was capable of toppling Kingdoms, and her laugh which was sweeter than the freshest nectar of heaven.

Finally…he would be seeing them again!

But first, though…the Basilisk needed to be dealt with.

To anyone who was looking at the scene, it would seem as if the King had gotten his proof, and was going to make good on his word.

Only, before anyone could say anything…the individual who had just been cured opened her mouth abruptly.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

With an ear-wrenching scream, Xuan rose into the air with her back arched into a perfect 'C'.

As the Basilisk and the King of Lanthanor watched on with utter shock, her eyes became filled with white light, and as she opened her mouth and spoke, a foreign voice floated out from her tongue, which felt as if it were emanating from everywhere at once.

"I see…a vast world. I see a snake with three heads. I see the heads being crushed, one by one, and I see that as the last one prepares to die, it decides to take its entire body with it, even though the body could have lived on…I see the flames of destruction and the smoke of an unquenchable fire, but from it…rises a Golden Dragon! The Golden Dragon comes to pay back a debt…and the snake is saved! But…after the victory, I am being taken back to the beginning. The snake is about to be crushed…but no one comes to save it! IN ITS EYES, I SEE REGRET! It killed the Golden Dragon, and now, there's nothing to save it! It sighs…and takes the plunge! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! DEA…"

As the seer's shrieking continued, the witnessers of the Prophecy could only look at each other, completely perplexed.

However…in his mind, the King of Lanthanor was chuckling to himself while listening to the system which spoke in its usual stoic voice.

[Emotion and expression modulation are active. Fake prophecy has been deployed successfully. Deleting all traces of manipulation. Traces deleted.]

Chapter 959: Importance of a Seer

Xuan fell back into Daneel's arms after speaking the prophecy, even though her words were continuously echoing all around the Endless Sea which only seemed to be getting more and more furious with every second they spent there, defying its mindless fury to destroy each and everything that ventured into its domain.

Her back had been arched to the point of breaking, and her entire body was filled with sweat, completely exhausted from the harrowing experience that each and every prophecy was accompanied by. Even after her eyes went back to normal, she kept glancing around, as if unable to understand where she was, but this was mostly because of the state she had been in until now.

Daneel's face still held the shock that was being kept in place using the system, but as soon as she glanced at it, she seemed to have found a beacon of hope and light within the darkness that had enveloped her for so long.

She reached up as if it was the most natural thing to do and clung on to him as if she was drowning, and seeing that this was enough of a stimulus, Daneel disabled the system and instantly hugged her tight.

Now, he did not need to fake any of his emotions, at all, as he was truly feeling relieved that the woman who had changed so much in him was finally awake.

She clutched at him almost desperately, and he also held her as tightly as he could, letting her know through his actions rather than words that she was safe, and that she was with him.

It was only many seconds later that she finally managed to begin to calm down, and seeing this, Daneel used his hand to caress her face gently while saying, "Welcome back to the living world, Goddess. I… missed you. And I'm truly grateful for… Everything. Well, we will have a lot of time to speak later, but right now, I have something important that I must attend to. I'll be sending you to Eloise – she'll take care of you. Await my return – it won't take too long."

While he spoke, Daneel could see that doubt had appeared in Xuan's eyes, and right away, he knew that it must be related to that moment they had shared. It was very likely that she was questioning whether it had been a dream or reality, and realizing this, he was truly tempted to give her a small peck on her lips.

Only, this would be one of the dumbest things he could do. In front of him was someone who might potentially turn into one of his strongest enemies, and it was never wise to expose such personal things to someone who might want to take advantage of them. Already, he must've given quite a lot away due to the way that he had responded to Xuan, but that had been unavoidable – if he had shown her the cold shoulder, that might have undone months and months of healing, and that was definitely something he did not wish to do.

Without any hesitation, though, he began to cast the spell to teleport her away while sending a message to Eloise. Xuan's mind was still very delicate, so for the time being, it was best that she be treated like a vase that might break easily if not handled with care.

Thankfully, she and Eloise shared something that was truly special, and knowing what she had suffered at the hands of someone she had thought she could trust with her life, a true friend who could show her that the world wasn't filled with individuals like those was exactly what she needed.

Eloise responded with enthusiasm right away, exclaiming with delight and then asking for details, but as the Basilisk seemed to have finally returned to her senses, too, Daneel said that he would explain later and cut off the connection.

His plan was to talk to the ancient being when they were alone again, but suddenly, she raised her hand, and the spell that he was casting fell apart.

A sense of danger once again came to Daneel, and it was stronger now, as he had someone he cared about in his hands. Until now, the only thing at stake had been an apparition that could be sacrificed, but because of Eloise's condition, he had had to bring her real body along.

Asking the system to be on standby to deploy everything that he head in order to gain a chance to teleport her away in case the worst happened, Daneel opened his mouth to ask why the Basilisk had acted in that way, but before he could do so, she gave the answer herself in a level tone.

"Sometimes, being overly cautious can be just as harmful as being completely careless. Be still, and do not worry, child. I must check something. Seers are so rare in the Mainland that each and every one of them are treated like princes and princesses who would be vied after by any and every force which cared about their future. If it weren't for the fact that seers can only give prophecies regarding the World that they are born to, this woman would have been taken away long ago. Prophecies are so powerful that they can cause a hitherto unknown force to grow to have enough strength to contend with the top organizations in the Mainland, as just a sign that they would be favored by destiny at some point in the future is enough to attract powerhouses who seek that which goes against the Heavens. However, because of their nature and how much importance they are given, many try to fake them. Long ago, itself, an extensive checklist was created in order to ensure that a prophecy is genuine. No one yet understands exactly how seers and prophecies work, but what one can confirm is that there is no external influence. Wait while I go through the checklist."

Daneel's heart skipped a beat as soon as he heard this, even though it was a positive sign that the Basilisk had put aside the prissiness that had dominated most of their interactions until now and had given a long explanation that exposed quite a few things about the Mainland.

He had taken all precautions that he could to ensure that the prophecy would seem as real as possible, but still, he couldn't help but be worried.

Just like before, the Basilisk did not even need to come close to do something that would normally require physical contact. She simply stood where she was and closed her eyes before raising your hands.

Even though he was seeing it for the third time, Daneel was still completely shocked: once again, no elementary particles moved at all, but something was happening.

Typically, the system had the knack of picking up on something if it saw it multiple times, but this time, it was truly stymied. He kept getting messages regarding how the Phenomena Analysis Module was failing, and at one point, he even wondered whether the system, itself, would crash, just like normal ones were wont to do back on earth.

Thankfully, the Basilisk was done in a few seconds.

When the man from the TriCobra sect had gouged out his eyes, his fingers had also strayed to his eyebrows, so the eyes of the Basilisk which were now present on his face had nothing above them. Even then, Daneel got the feeling that Alastair was definitely raising them on her real face while speaking out more to herself than to him.

"A truly fragile mind, indeed, and if I'm not wrong- it was damaged due to prolonged torture. This conforms to the norm that seers are born with strong consciousnesses. She has been in a slumber while being healed using primitive methods until now…no external influence detected. But…what's this? A tiny piece of consciousness? Belonging to…the king? Oh…"

As soon as he heard this, the King of Lanthanor felt as if he were a poor victim in a horror movie who had bumped into the killer while running away.

Indeed, it was that piece of consciousness through which the prophecy had been induced.

The Basilisk's pause made him feel sweat once again appear on his face, but the system was actively wiping it away.

He had taken precautions to ensure that this wouldn't arouse any suspicion, too, but what if it didn't work?

Could he defeat a being who was using magic he couldn't see, much less comprehend?

Before he could find an answer to this question, the Basilisk spoke again, and it was all he could do to stop himself from exclaiming in relief.

"No…it's too small to do anything. Well below the minimum size of consciousness needed for a being at the King's realm to act. Finally, common signs of a seer: oblong Mageroot, check, scarring around Mageroot caused by previous prophecies, check, minute damage to eyes resulting from visions, check. King…it was a real prophecy. This…changes everything. Keep this with you- it's a simple communication device. When it flashes, return here. Until then…take care. This man was sent to offer you a deal where you would work for us, and pledge a portion of the power of the continent after your victory to the TriCobra Sect as payment. After giving you time to think, he would have delivered the cryptic message that 'danger could come from all sides' before leaving. Well…we have an obligation to be mysterious. I'll skip all that, child: we have information that all those whom the Church has swayed over the years are going to mount one final attack upon you. I will be able to say more the next time we meet. Be careful, and remember: you are the Basilisk Rider. If we were in the Mainland, I would have surrounded you with elite assassins to keep you safe. For now, though…I will have to trust your tenacity which has allowed you to live until now. Farewell."

Without waiting for a reply, the Basilisk disappeared, taking with her the body she had been inhabiting until now to converse with him.

'Basilisk Rider'.

Oh, it had been a long time since he had heard that title.

Daneel had only ever thought that it was a means to obtain control of the Hidden Kill Sect, all those years ago.

Now, seeing that it had a much deeper meaning, he was amazed, to say the least.

The item he had gotten from the Basilisk looked like it was just a stone picked up from the beach. Neither he nor the system could find any traces of a formation on it, and the only thing that set it apart was a tiny droplet of blood on one side.

Resolving to study it later, Daneel also put aside what he had just learned, as right now, it was a time…of joy.

A smile inadvertently came to his lips, and with haste, he traveled to the Palace.

The moment he appeared in the throne room, he heard two gasps, and in the next second, he was enveloped by the softest and greatest feeling in the world.

Two pairs of arms hugged him tightly, and even without looking down, Daneel hugged them both back.

His heart became filled with warmth, and letting his mind go blank, the King of Lanthanor reveled in the moment.

Chapter 960: Updates

Daneel didn't know for how long they remained in that pose. All he remembered was that at one point, Xuan had started to cry, and soon after, Eloise joined in, leading to the king having to console both of them while holding back his own tears.

He knew the reasons behind both of theirs, but he was not so sure about his: perhaps it was just the shock of having all of the burdens which had been weighing down on him much more than he knew removed, or perhaps it was because he had somehow gained so much without even looking for it, and the fear that he had almost lost it was so strong that it brought him to tears when he thought about how things would have been if he had not done the things that had led to this moment, right now.

Whatever the case, the three of them continued to stand there, taking comfort in each other's embrace, and letting their hearts feel at ease due to the knowledge that the one they had been beating for was finally within arm's reach.

A knock finally interrupted them. Hearing it and coming back to her senses, Xuan blushed fiercely and ran to the side of the room where she knew a hidden door was present.

Just like he had thought, she was still fragile, and he knew that she was not ready to be in the presence of others, except for those whom she cared for and trusted.

There was a slight blush on Eloise's cheeks, too, but she wiped it away and smiled warmly at Daneel before stepping away from his embrace. He still took her hand in his and squeezed it, before glancing fondly in the direction of the door through which Xuan had disappeared.

He knew he owed her a lot, as she was the one who had finally changed him, and for that, he would be forever grateful.

His awkwardness was still present, but it was a fact that he was learning quickly. The special moment was gone, though, so he allowed the door to open while getting ready to admonish those who had come in case they had disturbed them without having a good enough reason.

If it was Elanev or Aran, Daneel would definitely have decided to do the same to them when they were in a similar position, but alas, it was Kellor, the most eligible bachelor in the entirety of the continent.

Seeing him holding Eloise's hand in that manner, he raised his eyebrows and then made to move back and leave, but Daneel said, "Come in, oh Grand Court Mage. You might be alone right now, but I bet that you have quite the slew of stories to tell regarding the romances of your past."

Seeing that the King was in a completely relaxed mood, Kellor chuckled and said, "Well, in essence, you're not wrong, your Majesty. When I first became the Court Mage, there was a long period of time when multiple people tried to get me to marry. As you know, the probability of birthing someone with high potential is increased whenever one of the parents is already blessed with talent. There were many, many women, and there were even a few whom I courted for a while. Alas… None of them could even come close to the love I had for my axe, and hence, none of the relationships progressed that far. Now, I apologize for ruining the mood, but I came to deliver the updates you requested. Even though the King's heart has finally been claimed, we are still at war…"

Daneel and Eloise both sighed when they heard the Grand Court Mage's words, mainly because they knew that he was right. True, they had finally gotten a moment away from all of the madness, but it was still there, and it still had to be handled with the most delicate care. They had set many plans in motion, and the time was quickly approaching when they would have to tie them all together and ready the continent for the biggest conflict that it had yet to face in modern times.

All of the things that he had just learned once again came to the forefront, but still, he maintained his smile, as he had already learned the knack of not having to completely separate everything that was going on in his mind. Eloise began to leave, but instead of letting go of her hand, Daneel pulled her close and gave her a small kiss on her forehead before saying, "I know that you already have all the updates, so go be with Xuan first. She's still in need of company. I want you to slowly explain to her everything that is going on. Even though she's still fragile, she was once trained to become the head of the Goddess's sanctum. I believe that she is strong enough to know about everything that has happened during her slumber."

Hearing the word 'Xuan', surprise appeared in the Grand Court Mage's eyes, but he waited until Eloise nodded and turned around to leave the room from the secret doorway that had once led to Daneel's training quarters.

Even now, the formations that he had used long ago to absorb Energy from the blood of mosquitoes were still present, but that room had been modeled into a bedroom in which Xuan would be staying.

Eloise had done this on his orders before he had come, so it was there that the two of them would be staying until Xuan was back to normal.

It was only after the door closed that the Grand Court Mage opened his mouth, but Daneel took the initiative to speak first.

"I've just had a very interesting experience…"

Starting like so, he recounted the entire tale, and all throughout his narration, one by one, the sovereigns began to pop into the room, as he had decided to transmit this to all of them, no matter where they were.

It was Faxul and Elanev who came last, and they were actually the most unkempt of all: their bodies were covered with wounds and it looked like they had been fighting, but Daneel did not comment on it or pause, as he knew that they were training together to develop something.

When he was done, all of them were staring at him with shock, and of course, the first questions that were asked were regarding the new kind of magic that he had seen.

They came like a flood from all the mages, but without even listening to them, Daneel raised both of his hands to stop the sovereigns who were asking and said, "I already told you all everything I know about it. It is incredible and fascinating and honestly, even a bit scary. However, I have reason to believe that we don't need to worry about it right now – it is something of the Mainland, so we shall deal with it when the time comes. Now, let's focus on the other pressing topic: the agents of the Church, and their impending attack. All of you, give me the updates regarding how our continent is doing."

The sovereigns needed a few moments to come to terms with what they had just learned, so Daneel waited while they handled the surging emotions in their mind.

Due to his experience and age, Kellor was the one who calmed down first, so he was the one who began with the updates.

"The training of the people is going well- but there are more and more questions regarding what the Big Four is doing. Through that war, we have exposed this hidden part of the continent to everyone, and in doing so, both good and bad things have happened- the good thing is that everyone is all the more motivated to fight for a world where there will be equality, but the bad part is that some resentment has also begun to surface against these forces which have been taking away so much for so long. It was to be expected, and I believe it can be handled as soon as we give the update that they are asking for. Also, the training of the Mage regiments is going well, and we are also prepared to once again enlist all those who were thought to have lost their mage powers in the conflict in the kingdom of the elves. Just like Your Majesty wanted, they have been living lives of luxury, and even though many of them were close to going into a depressed state due to losing their powers, they were given hints that there might be a way to gain them back. The belief that they have in you played a major part in this: by going through with our promise, we will be bringing it full circle, and because we are on the topic, I also report that support for your Highness is at an all-time high. It was always said that efforts made over time with sincerity always pay off, and that is exactly what is happening here: like a wave that gathers power until it reaches the shore, your following has become a tsunami that will not quiet down no matter what happens. More and more detractors are being convinced each day, and even though no force is being used, they are turning of their own accord as they have too many reasons to believe that they are wrong. A stubborn minority will always exist, but it grows smaller and smaller by the day. Finally, the efforts to increase your status to that of the GodKing are also going well, but just like we were ordered, we are taking the approach where small pockets of people are being influenced all over Angaria, instead of trying to convert everyone."

"Yes, there is a very specific reason behind that which is related to the war, itself, and I expect that I'll be able to make it clear to all of you soon. For now, though, this is the best approach, as getting too ambitious would also be very dangerous. All of you know everything that we had to do to get to this stage: it was not easy, and I believe that the belief of the people that we possess right now is something we deserve. There are many stories of people trying to achieve the same, but many times, their motive is often selfish. Here, we have been sincere, and that has paid off wonderfully. I give credit for this to all of you, my sovereigns, because it was your efforts which made it possible, and without you, I would still only be the King of Lanthanor. Continue. What of the Big Four? Percy, get over here!"

Daneel chose to give credit where credit was due, as he knew it to be right: each and every one of those in front of him had been instrumental in what they had achieved so far. It is only when Kellor put it in those words had he realized how huge the achievement was, and he was truly proud, but he also meant what he said: without all of the ardent effort that they had put in, it would have been impossible. Even now, it was like a fairytale, as this kind of support might have been impossible on Earth or any place which did not have the same conditions as Angaria, so Daneel truly was gladdened by where they stood right now.

He shouted the last four words, and instantly, a pompous looking man appeared in the room.

He looked like he had been prepared, though, as he said, "I knew I would be called sooner or later. The Big Four are changing, and-"

Suddenly, interrupting Percy, the loud sound of a door banging open was heard.

Everyone turned in that direction with surprise, only to find that an exquisite woman had arrived with red, swollen eyes that were shedding tears of pain.

Behind her, Eloise hurried out, and because even she looked surprised, it was obvious that she had no idea regarding just what was going on.

Before Daneel could ask, though, Xuan shouted in a tone filled with urgency and agony.

"Daneel, you need to know this right now! My master's master, one of the strongest Peak Heroes on the continent, and the one whom I called my grandmother…is the leader of all the Heroes who went over to the Church!"

Chapter 961: Xuan's Story

Xuan's words plunged the entire room into silence, as no one could really believe what they were hearing.

They all knew that the one she was referring to, as no analysis of the Order would be complete without speaking about this illustrious person who had such a considerable following that she was once even suspected to have planned a coup.

Robert was the only one who was slightly puzzled, as he was not privy to information regarding the Order, of which all of the others were a part. What he didn't know was that Daneel had had all of the others take a very extensive survey of all of the Heroes in the Order, and this was when they had found out that this woman was one of those who seldom spoke in any of the gatherings, but was a very respected individual who was so powerful that she could tackle multiple Heroes at the same level as her without even breaking a sweat, unless they were also as extremely talented as her.

Daneel was also completely perplexed, even though he had guessed that this might be the case ever since he had found out about the tale of how Xuan had been tricked into not exposing the prophecy that she had seen regarding the advent of the Church using the lost Kingdom of Axelor.

Acting with haste, he checked the list of the people who had fallen for his trap, and although there were a sizeable number of Heroes, no one as strong as this had been exposed.

Now that this information was out in the open, though… It changed a lot of things.

The first thing that Daneel did was teleport all of them away from where they were. He trusted the formations he had placed around the kingdom, but still, it was always better to be safe than sorry.

A few seconds later, they were in the depths of the Endless Sea at a location that was definitely hidden even from the likes of the Church and the TriCobra sect.

Looking around at the vast, empty city around them, Xuan was quite shocked, but she still turned in Daneel's direction as soon as he spoke.

"How do you know this, Xuan? I thought I knew everything regarding how you were tricked by your best friend, but it seems that some things have been hidden from me… Do elaborate. And do not feel scared of these people- I trust them with my life."

Daneel said that last part as he saw Xuan glancing at all of those present. She had known them before she had been thrust into that abyss of torture, but she hadn't really been familiar with them. Daneel's words put her at ease, though, but still, she decided to keep her gaze on him while she spoke.

Where Eloise was stall and slender, Xuan had more of a petite body while still being amply blessed through either the grace of what she'd inherited from her parents, or the transformation that one went through when they became a Champion. So, compared to the rest of them, she seemed like a small and weak being, and even though Daneel knew that she had a lioness's heart, right now, he felt worried as she had recovered from something that should have consumed her long ago.

Thankfully, it seemed that she had so much more strength than he had given her credit for, as Xuan was able to speak in a firm voice.

"Yes, even I thought that that was all there was to it, but I now remember that during my… Time spent imprisoned, I was once visited by a woman who was hiding her identity. She came when I was pretending to be asleep. Although she might have believed that she had hidden herself perfectly, I was able to guess who she was because of the lines on her palm- there were just too many days that I spent staring at them when I was just a child, after being rescued from that village of hell which almost killed me. It was both her and the current head of the Goddess's Sanctum who nursed me back to a state where I was ready to begin a new life, and during that time, I spent most of my days crying and still fearing all of the things that the villagers had threatened me with every time I gave a prophecy which came true. The head became my mother. And she…became my grandmother. Often, they would have to hold me for long periods of time, and they did so while showing such love and affection that I decided that I would pay them back for everything they had done to me no matter what. Yet, now, I believe that there might have been a different motive for everything, as I can remember clearly what she said:

'Make sure not to kill her- but be sure to break her down completely. It doesn't matter even if she becomes a blubbering mess- in the Mainland, I heard that arrogant seers are purposefully tortured to that state so that they will just become receptors of prophecies. It is supposed to be a delicate art, though, and one runs the risk of going too far, but I trust your skills- when we go there, you might even gain an opportunity to be paid heavily for this task. For now, keep me updated. All those years of pretending to care about her finally came to this…if I had known, I wouldn't have bothered with that farce of controlling those village idiots to chase her into our arms.'

"I remember it all word for word now, including the chuckle that echoed in the room while I bit my tongue and felt it bleed as it was all I could do to pretend that I was still asleep. Still, somehow, my captor found out that I had heard it all, and she actively tried to make me forget the entire encounter. If I had not been rescued, I'm sure that she would have succeeded, but with my mind healed… This memory has been revealed to me. I… Still can't believe it myself, but I have no choice: I thought I had found a new family, but all along, I was just being u-used…"

Xuan held on throughout the entire explanation, but toward the end, she couldn't stop the emotions from affecting her anymore.

Hearing her voice begin to break, both Daneel and Eloise rushed forward, but even before they could reach her, she ran in the direction of the closest room.

Closing the door behind her, she completely broke down, sobbing and clutching at herself due to the knowledge that her whole life had been a lie.

Outside, she could hear Daneel and the others talking, and a moment later, she felt a wave of elementary particles scan her while paying special attention to her mind.

Knowing what he was afraid of, Xuan managed to gather a semblance of normalcy to send a message.

"Give me some time, I'll be fine."

She knew that she could be at his bosom right now, being comforted in that place which had felt so perfect before that she had wished she could stay forever and ever. In fact, it was then that she felt the healing truly reach its final stage, and without that moment when all of them had honestly embraced their feelings and allowed her to know that what she had dreamed of was, indeed, true, she might have slipped back into another slumber now as this shock was unlike any other she had had to endure so far.

Perhaps…it was her own mind which had also hidden this information from her, as what it represented was just too horrifying to even think of.

She still remembered her childhood vividly, even though she had actively blocked it out as much as possible over all these years.

Now, when she went over it with the information she knew, it became blatantly obvious.

She had always thought that a prophecy about the only milk-giving cow of the village dying had been the straw that broke the camel's back. That incident had turned the entire village against her, and they had all actively begun to threaten to kill her unless she stopped.

In fact, that was the least of their threats…she remembered far nastier ones from groups of boys who seemed to be everywhere, and once, she even remembered a housewife who had been kind to her before suddenly change mid-sentence and turn an offer to house her for the night into a promise that she would not wake up the next morning if she even came close.

One by one, incidents like those had broken down her will until she had begun to pray that she would at least live until the next day. Being just 7 years old, all she had felt was a desire to live and be free to explore the world that fascinated her so, and she also remembered that her mother, who had died in that village when she had been just 3, had made her promise that she would never give up.

She had chalked it all up to the bad omens that she always gave, but now…it was painfully clear that it had started after a single point, which must be when the machinations of that old hag had begun.

All of it, all of it…had been just an act to make her pledge herself to the Goddess's, which she had done without hesitation.

Had her 'mother' been in on it, too? What would have happened if she hadn't gotten that prophecy that had to be stopped? What had they planned for her?

She needed answers, and more than anything…the desire for revenge began to form in her mind.

All of the pain started to turn into anger, and it was all directed at a single person.

As her face began to be filled with wrath, though, the one who had saved her suddenly appeared in the room.

Seeing him, ordinarily, all of the emotions that had become clear during the torture would have filled her mind, and just the fact that she could be in front of him would have been a cause for joy.

Now, though…her heart and mind were too full of rage.

The King seemed to understand this, as he simply asked, "What do you want to do?"

That was enough to know that she would have his support, and that made Xuan feel relieved.

Without any more hesitation, she embraced all of the anger, and as she gave the answer, even the King felt a chill up his spine.

"Until now, they've only seen the Xuan who was grateful for being saved. Now…they will see the Goddess of Wrath and Rightful Fury. I know how to kill that Hero. Trust me, Daneel, and I will show you that I am worthy to stand side by side with you until the end of time."

Table of Contents

0: Power Levels And Abbreviations
1: Daneel
2: First Mission
3: Recovering And Going Back Home
4: The System
5: Thieves In The Nigh
6: Reward And Town Library
7: The Levels of Power
8: The Levels of Power 1
9: Damn! Thats Cool!
10: Training Hall Master
11: Training Begins
12: The Basics of Body Refining
13: 3 Month Walk Through Hell
14: I Shall Not Give Up!
15: Trainee Competition
16: Daneel's PowerUp
17: Reward
18: The Plan to Gain EXP
19: Back to the Library
20: Major Windfall!
21: PAM Upgrade
22: Mageroot Development Technique
23: Training the Hidden Kill
24: The Dwarve's Rum
25: Priests of Rectitude
26: Jackpot!
27: Destruction of the Dwarve's Rum
28: Prime Citizen
29: Natural Energized Training Chamber
30: The Incredible Mageroo
31: National Magic Academy of Lanthanor
32: Comprehension Tes
33: Elementary Particles
34: Heaven-Defying Talen
35: Axelor
36: Top-Grade Batch, Classes Begin
37: Daneel's First Year At The Academy
38: First Year Assessmen
39: Paragon

40: The Arrogant King And The Path Of A Paragon

41: Fighting Laravel
42: System Store
43: Secret Society
44: The TriCobra Society
45: Plans For The Future
46: Trinket Enchantments
47: Incident Outside The Library
48: Library
49: Jonah Castle
50: Mysterious Drunken Step
51: Amateur Human Mage
52: Team Joshua
53: First Mission
54: Invitation From The Church Of Rectitude
55: Doctrine
56: Ripley
57: Mosquito Hunting With Elanev
58: Meeting The Righteous Hawk Again
59: The Storm That Swept Over Lanthanor
60: The Wondrous Solution
61: Honey Trap Store Opens
62: Farewell
63: Master Novrain
64: Meeting The King Again
65: Church Of Rectitude Attacks
66: The Previous King
67: Setting Plans Into Motion
68: A Stormy Nigh
69: Funeral
70: The Eldest Prince
71: Formation Mastery Time
72: Domination Corps
73: An Invitation
74: Information
75: The Army of Lanthanor
76: Fighting Master Jonah
77: The Church Attacks
78: Entering The Palace
79: The Royal Technique
80: Honor
81: Dragon Heart Formation
82: The Forces Gather
83: Magic Construc
84: Panic And Pride
85: Waiting
86: Fall
87: The King's Decision
88: A New King Ascends, A New Age Begins
89: Oathstone
90: A Humble King?!
91: Driving Axelor Back
92: New Enemies Arrive
93: Negotiation
94: Secret Library
95: Empire Spiri
96: Satisfaction Level
97: Interlude
98: Anomaly
99: Angaria
100: The Envoys Arrive
101: Coronation Ceremony
102: Eloise
103: The Royal Family
104: Ultra High-Grade Energy Source
105: Royal Cour
106: Fear
107: The Black Raven Kingdom
108: Formation Master
109: Justice
110: Faxul
111: Faxul 2
112: Fists of Justice, Again
113: Lesser Development Technique
114: The Training Hall's Decision
115: Motivation
116: Execution
117: Altercation
118: Aftermath
119: Decisions
120: Knowledge
121: Clone
122: Directives
123: Fighter Replication
124: Research Division 1
125: Research Division 2
126: Meeting The Black Raven Kingdom 1
127: Meeting The Black Raven Kingdom 2
128: Meeting The Black Raven Kingdom 3
129: Meeting the Black Raven Kingdom end
130: Duty
131: Dream
132: Receiving Word
133: Plans
134: Goals
135: The Truth 1
136: The Truth 2
137: The Truth 3
138: Priorities
139: Desperation
140: Advanced Clone Technique
141: Planning
142: NOA 1
143: NOA 2
144: NOA 3
145: Waiting
146: Thirs
147: Price
148: Arriving
149: Decision 1
150: Decision 2
151: Decision 3
152: Decision 4
153: "Spear of Kindness"
154: Happiness
155: Happiness 2
156: Targeting Eldinor
157: Progress
158: Pligh
159: IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMEN
160: A Successful Plan
161: Meeting
162: Meeting 2
163: Regre
164: Meeting Again
165: Leaving the Palace
166: Planning
167: Warehouses 1
168: Warehouses 2
169: The Grand Debate 1
170: The Grand Debate 2
171: The Grand Debate 3
172: The Grand Debate 4
173: The Grand Debate 5
174: The Grand Debate 6
175: The Grand Debate 7
176: The Grand Debate 8
177: Aftermath 1
178: Aftermath 2
179: Election Day
180: Resul
181: Dignity
182: Academy
183: Message
184: Grief
185: Surveillance Web
186: Mapping and Business
187: Reflection and Inspiration
188: Saloni Shoemakers
189: Response
190: Attack
191: Lull
192: Counter-Attack
193: Horror
194: Traps
195: Traps 2
196: Traps 3
197: The Knight 1
198: The Knight 2
199: The Knight 3
200: The Knight 4
201: The Knight 5
202: The Knight 6
203: Aftermath 1
204: Aftermath 2
205: War 1
206: War 2
207: War 3
208: War 4
209: War 5
210: War 6
211: War 7
212: War 8
213: War 9
214: War 10
215: War: Finale
216: Aftermath
217: Dalia
218: To the Valley
219: Blood Energy Extraction
220: Execution
221: Realization
222: Detection
223: Struggle
224: Faxul's Decision
225: The Black Raven Kingdom 1
226: Black Raven Kingdom 2
227: The Girl and The Woman
228: A Step Down
229: Banker
230: The Black Raven King Speaks
231: Foolish or Brave?
232: Cause and Effec
233: Entering the Black Raven Kingdom
234: The Fight 1
235: The Fight 2
236: The Fight 3
237: A Brief Reunion
238: Citizen In Need
239: Revelation
240: Spiderweb
241: True Line
242: Link
243: Bonding
244: Re-Investmen
245: Demonic Plan
246: Opportunity
247: Molan and Sister Xuan
248: Detection
249: Spor
250: Meeting
251: Re-entering the Black Raven Kingdom
252: Journey 1
253: Journey 2
254: Journey 3
255: Journey 4
256: Entering the Palace
257: Ancestral Grounds
258: Surveillance
259: Protector Raven
260: Barracks
261: Hostage Situation
262: Fleeing
263: Back to the Palace
264: Interlude
265: Harves
266: Discovery
267: Disaster
268: Rejuvenation
269: Revolution
270: Master Novrain Returns
271: The Tenebrous Flame
272: Constructs
273: Attack
274: Defense
275: Matron
276: Death
277: The Fight Begins
278: Anger and Blood
279: Strength
280: Accusation and Doub
281: Satisfaction and Belief
282: Decree
283: Designs
284: Ascension
285: Modified Link
286: The Hidden Kill Sec
287: Acciden
288: Sect Preserving Treasure
289: The Raven's Perch
290: Unification
291: Arafell
292: Goddess's Sanctum
293: H&D
294: The Helpless Spy
295: Naive
296: Indecisiveness
297: Indecisiveness 2
298: Sports
299: Advertising 1
300: Giants of Arafell
301: Truth 1
302: Truth 2
303: Advertising 2
304: Prison
305: Respec
306: Creativity
307: Cour
308: Chapter 308
309: One Step Further
310: Shock
311: Olympia
312: Queen Arafell
313: Offer
314: Wager
315: The Opening Ceremony 1
316: The Opening Ceremony 2
317: The Games
318: Fighter Archery Tournament 1
319: Intermission
320: Mage Archery Tournament 1
321: Mage Archery Tournament 2
322: Mage Archery Tournament 3
323: Mage Archery Tournament 4
324: Cheating
325: Insinuation
326: Day 2
327: Day 3
328: Black Robes
329: The Essence of Combat Magic 1
330: The Essence of Combat Magic 2
331: Day 4
332: Fighter Handball Tournament Phase 1 1
333: Fighter Handball Tournament Phase 1 2
334: Fighter Handball Tournament Phase 1 3

335: Fighter Handball Tournament Phase 1 4 End

336: Mage Handball Tournament Round 1 1
337: Mage Handball Tournament Round 1 2
338: Mage Handball Tournament Round 1 End
339: Mage Handball Tournament Round 2
340: The Final Day 1
341: The Final Day 2
342: The Final Day 3
343: Attack
344: Incapacitated
345: Collecting
346: Control
347: Mayhem
348: The Matron
349: Speech
350: Conversion
351: Unity
352: Retribution 1
353: Retribution 2
354: Retribution 3
355: 1 Second
356: Aftermath 1
357: Aftermath 2
358: Disqualified
359: Golden Ligh
360: Utopia
361: Inheritance
362: Ruler's Inheritance
363: Trend
364: Mad Doctor
365: A Step Back
366: Delegating
367: The Hidden Kill Sec
368: Occurrence
369: First Day in the Hidden Kill Sec
370: Basilisk's Breath
371: Basilisk's Breath 2
372: Core Inheritance
373: Percy
374: Archive Room
375: Two Answers
376: The Next Step
377: The Assassin Who Loves Flowers 1
378: The Assassin Who Loves Flowers 2
379: The Assassin Who Loves Flowers End
380: Prophecy
381: Getting A Vote
382: Luther's Tale
383: Drastic Measures
384: Auspicious Time
385: 'Tough Luck'
386: A Forsaken Hope
387: Legendary Puppeteer
388: Success
389: News
390: Meeting
391: Decision
392: Attack
393: Respec
394: Prioritizing
395: Assassination Tournamen
396: Tournament Begins
397: The Watcher
398: Ashahell
399: Betting
400: Leaving the Sec
401: Art of The Withering Leaf
402: Training Begins
403: 2 Months
404: Befriending Isolation
405: Condensation Poin
406: 'Need'
407: Trapped
408: Ambush
409: Who Will?
410: Aftermath
411: Decision
412: Information
413: Discovery During Training
414: Setting Off
415: The Sect of Hedon 1
416: The Sect of Hedon 2
417: Mea
418: Plan
419: Percy's Stinginess
420: First Act of Corruption: Scam 1
421: First Act of Corruption: Scam End
422: Interrogation
423: Meeting Ashahell
424: Second Scam
425: Eavesdropping
426: 'Panic'
427: Windfall
428: Entering the Central Tower
429: Ashahell Speaks
430: Revelation
431: Last Hope
432: True Intentions 1
433: Ashahell's Ultimatum 1
434: Ashahell's Ultimatum 2
435: Counter-Plan
436: Vision
437: Ashahell's Foiled Plan
438: Aftermath
439: News
440: Worming In
441: The Red Herring
442: Midnight, at the Hemeris Tree
443: Will you take it, Sir?
444: Scamming Alfonso 1
445: Scamming Alfonso 2
446: Scamming Alfonso 3
447: Entering the Hidden Vaul
448: Pile of Information
449: Percy, Again
450: Justice
451: Aftermath
452: Ker Roo
453: Archpriest Kolean
454: Planning
455: A Reckless Plan 1
456: A Reckless Plan 2
457: Unexpected Outcome
458: Change of Plans
459: Going to the Black Raven Kingdom
460: Fighting the Crazy Man 1
461: Fighting the Crazy Man End
462: Decision

463: Talking to the Empire Spirit of Lanthanor

464: Prioritizing
465: Risk
466: Possession 1
467: Possession 2
468: Possession 3
469: Possession End
470: Drakos
471: Soaring to the Peak
472: Faxul's Rebirth
473: The Path Forward
474: Meanwhile
475: Mystery
476: Mystery Revealed &
477: Deciding the Plan
478: Implementing the Plan
479: Champion Deathmatch 1
480: Champion Deathmatch 2
481: Champion Deathmatch End
482: The Fruits of Labor
483: Leaving the Sect of Hedon
484: Race
485: Nine
486: Misunderstanding
487: The Walkou
488: Decision
489: Back to Eldinor
490: Dinora
491: The Truth, Revealed
492: A Meeting In The Clouds
493: The Prerequisites of The Plan
494: Blood Purifying Formation
495: The Elf Carnival 1
496: The Elf Carnival 2
497: The Elf Carnival 3
498: The Elf Carnival End
499: Aftermath
500: Treasure
501: The Plan, Revealed
502: The Queen Speaks
503: Purge
504: Resurrection
505: A Visi
506: Uncovering Truths
507: Attack 1
508: Attack 2
509: Attack End
510: A Night Under the Stars
511: Interlude
512: Visiting Arafell
513: The Queen Speaks
514: Decision
515: Escape
516: The New Network
517: A Meeting
518: Lesson
519: Mercy for the Wicked 1
520: Mercy for the Wicked 2
521: First Match
522: Just Desserts
523: Unexpected Developmen
524: The Moment Angaria Stood Still
525: A Message
526: Mercy for the Wicked End
527: The Hero Who Choked
528: No Matter Who You Are, Kneel
529: Issues
530: Jackpo
531: Second Meeting of the Council
532: Breaking the Pattern
533: The King of Axelor's Decision
534: A Meeting
535: Road Through Hell
536: Decision
537: Kellor's Breakthrough
538: A Meeting in Eldinor
539: Rapid Developmen
540: Finding A Clue
541: Realization & Setting Off
542: Reveal & Planning
543: Desperate Straits
544: Bandit Gathering 1
545: Bandit Gathering 2
546: Bandit Gathering 3
547: Bandit Gathering 4
548: Bandit Gathering End
549: Praise the Light!
550: Lesson
551: Joselyn's Decision
552: Blood Sacrifice Spell
553: Decision
554: Nightmare
555: A Special Event 1
556: A Special Event End
557: Manipulation
558: Advice
559: Trail of Breadcrumbs
560: An Eventful Day
561: Exploits of the Old Man
562: The Gian
563: Tes
564: The Black Raven Bloodline 1
565: Godbeast Baptism
566: Godbeast Baptism 2
567: 'Hopeless' Champion Path
568: The Problem
569: Goddess of Sanctum, Xuan
570: The Secret Archives 1
571: The Secret Archives 2
572: The Secret Archives 3
573: Secret Archives End
574: Deja Vu
575: Guiding the Baptism
576: Past, Present, and Future
577: The Plan
578: Meeting the Empire Spirit of Axelor
579: The Pyramid Scheme Enters Angaria
580: Entering Axelor
581: The Objectives of the Empire Spiri
582: Blood Sacrifice

583: Realization, and the Beginning of the Plan

584: War
585: 'Just Make Sure to Act Shocked'
586: First Phase: Success
587: Elanev's Ruined Vacation
588: Wai
589: Anti-Satisfaction Level Module
590: Ending the Second Phase 1
591: Ending the Second Phase 2
592: The Third Phase Begins
593: A Desperate Escape?
594: Lazon, of Town Azmar
595: The Final Step 1
596: The Final Step 2
597: The Final Step End
598: The Third Seal 1
599: The Third Seal 2
600: The Third Seal 3
601: The Third Seal End
602: The Ultimate Jackpo
603: Trinity of The First Alliance
604: The First Blazing Question
605: Curveballs
606: Emperor Fenoras's Last Night 1
607: Emperor Fenoras's Last Night End
608: Be Who You Are
609: Setting Off
610: The Fortress Above The Sea
611: The Speech That Changed a Kingdom
612: Arm-Wrestling Bam
613: 'Welcome to the Fortress.'
614: Ultimate Path 1
615: Ultimate Path 2
616: The Oldest Hero In The Continen
617: Legacy Battle 1
618: The Group With No Names
619: Legacy Battle 2
620: Cassandra 1
621: Cassandra 2
622: Cassandra End
623: Getting to Cassandra

624: Bloodline of The Blazing Phoenix & Daneel, The Anomaly

625: A Secre
626: Meeting the Chief Again
627: A Favor
628: A Weird Turn Of Events
629: Luther Returns
630: The Final Step
631: Returning to the Sec
632: Announcemen
633: The Eve of the Battle
634: 'Overdrive' Inheritance
635: The Legacy Battle Begins
636: The Legacy Battle Has Ended?
637: The Plan Unfolds 1
638: The Plan Unfolds 2
639: The Final Stage
640: The Final Stage 2
641: The Final Stage 3
642: Flyswatter
643: Waiting
644: Clipping an Angel's Wings
645: Daneel v Elanev 1
646: Daneel v Elanev 2
647: Daneel v Elanev End
648: Legacy Disciple 1
649: Legacy Disciple 2
650: Legacy Disciple 3
651: Legacy Disciple End
652: Leaving the Fortress
653: Emergency Cour
654: A Meeting 1
655: A Meeting End
656: Rise of the Alliance 1
657: Rise of the Alliance 2
658: Rise of the Alliance 3
659: Aran 1
660: Aran 2
661: Aran 3
662: Aran 4
663: A Walk Among The Stars
664: Aran End
665: Limitations of A Mindhunter
666: Discovery
667: A Predator Out In The Open
668: Decisions
669: 'Eccentric'
670: The Queen's Address
671: Visiting the Healer's Academy

672: Visiting the National School of Lanthanor

673: Heavenly City of the Alliance
674: Breaking the Spell
675: Aftermath

676: The Gathering of the Alliance & The Queen's Feelings

677: 'Ask The Heavens, And They Shall Answer!'

678: The Eternal Blossom Sect 1
679: The Eternal Blossom Sect 2
680: The Eternal Blossom Sect 3
681: Erin's Tale
682: Consciousness Link
683: Damned if you do, Damned if you don'
684: A Barking Dog
685: Returning to the Sect of Hedon
686: Visiting the Mad Doctor
687: Meeting With The Sovereigns
688: The Plan
689: The First Step 1
690: The First Step 2
691: The First Step End
692: Madam Elle
693: Hidden Bloodline: Shapeshifter 1
694: Hidden Bloodline: Shapeshifter 2
695: Hidden Bloodline: Shapeshifter 23
696: Hidden Bloodline: Shapeshifter 4
697: Hidden Bloodline: Shapeshifter 5
698: Lan 1
699: Shapeshifter: Dragon
700: Lan End
701: Final Process
702: Obtaining the Bloodline, Breakthrough 1
703: Obtaining the Bloodline, Breakthrough 2
704: Obtaining the Bloodline, Breakthrough 3
705: Obtaining the Bloodline, Breakthrough 4

706: Obtaining the Bloodline, Breakthrough End

707: Erased Memories
708: Fighting Raul 1
709: Fighting Raul End
710: Hidden Ability of a Shapeshifter
711: The Heroes' Plan
712: Treasury of the Gods 1
713: Treasury of the Gods 2
714: Treasury of the Gods End
715: Dragon
716: The Next Step
717: Skrr, the Divine Cockroach
718: The Mating Call
719: The Last Piece
720: The Stage Is Se
721: The Cogitation Formation
722: The Fight 1
723: The Fight End
724: Outcome of the Tes
725: Breakthrough
726: The Second Half 1
727: The Second Half 2
728: The Second Half 3
729: The Second Part End
730: Capturing the Infiltrator
731: Limitations
732: The Case of the Murdered Seed 1
733: The Case of the Murdered Seed 2
734: The Case of the Murdered Seed 3
735: The Case of the Murdered Seed 4
736: The Case of the Murdered Seed 5
737: The Case of the Murdered Seed 6
738: The Case of the Murdered Seed 7
739: The Case of the Murdered Seed 8
740: The Case of the Murdered Seed 9
741: Finale 1
742: Finale 2
743: Finale End
744: Choosing the Prize
745: A Friendly Battle
746: Demon Leviathan
747: Lis
748: Inspection
749: Nightmare Spider
750: The Plan
751: Lancershire Village
752: The New Currency
753: A Meeting
754: Spymaster Jordan 1
755: Spymaster Jordan End
756: The Launch
757: The Culpri
758: Value of a Monopoly
759: A Man of Honor
760: Planning
761: Counter-attack 1
762: Counter-attack 2
763: Counter-attack 3
764: Potential Seed
765: The Pious Son
766: 'Kooky Percy'
767: Nine Layers of Hell
768: Final Layer of Hell
769: Problems from Solutions
770: Announcemen
771: The Mountain to the South of Angaria 1
772: The Mountain to the South of Angaria 2
773: The Order 1
774: The Order 2
775: The Order 3
776: The Order End
777: The Sovereigns' Decision
778: Skrr's Breakthrough 1
779: Skrr's Breakthrough 2
780: Skrr's Breakthrough End
781: The First Step
782: Raising a Storm in the Newcomer Trials 1

783: Raising a Storm in the Newcomer Trials 2 2-in-1

784: Raising a Storm in the Newcomer Trials End

785: Order Headquarters 1
786: Order Headquarters 2
787: Buzzing Bees
788: A Battle
789: His First Mission 1
790: Cassandra's Memories
791: His First Mission 2
792: His First Mission 3
793: His First Mission 4
794: His First Mission End
795: Rewards
796: Talking to Master Jonah
797: Revelation
798: A Message
799: Onwards
800: The Targe
801: Contac
802: The Sovereigns Strike
803: Last Stand
804: Waking Up
805: A Conversation 1
806: A Conversation 2
807: A Conversation End
808: Returning to the Order & Direction
809: A Figh
810: 5-Star Mission: Infiltration 1
811: 5-Star Mission: Infiltration 2
812: 5-Star Mission: Infiltration 3
813: A Different Direction
814: The Day of the Debate
815: The Doors Were Open
816: Aftermath
817: Another Conversation 1
818: Another Conversation 2

819: Please comment on whether all chapters are visible.

820: Updating Now. 4 chapters tomorrow.
821: Nightmare Dungeon 1
822: Nightmare Dungeon 2
823: The Test of Self 1
824: The Test of Self 2
825: The Test of Self 3
826: The Test of Self 4
827: The Test of Self End
828: Returning
829: A Negotiation
830: Intervention
831: Aftermath
832: The Next Tes
833: Test of Bonding 1
834: Test of Bonding 2
835: Test of Bonding 3
836: Test of Bonding 4
837: The Final Tes
838: Talking to Perfect 1
839: Talking to Perfect End
840: Moving Ou
841: Bai
842: The Meeting
843: A Mission
844: Rise
845: Link
846: The Plan
847: Good Cop, Bad Cop
848: Revelation
849: An Audience
850: A Discussion
851: Talking to the Sovereigns
852: An Intrusion
853: The Head's Decision
854: Run!
855: I want...to Dominate.
856: A Trip

857: Return of the Infamous Dummy 1 - Please read below

858: Return of the Infamous Dummy 2 - Please read below

859: Return of the Infamous Dummy 3 - Please read below

860: D 1
861: D 2
862: D 3
863: D 4
864: D 5
865: D 6
866: D 7
867: D 8
868: D 9
869: D 10
870: Answers
871: Percy's Wi
872: Kellor
873: Eloise
874: The Order's Plan 1
875: The Order's Plan 2
876: Adjudication
877: The True Elysium
878: The Chase
879: The Last Stand
880: The Figh
881: Answers 1
882: The Story 1
883: The Story End
884: Awakening
885: 'I Believe'
886: The Ceremony
887: Revival
888: Facing Off
889: Facing Off 2
890: The Entity
891: Daneel vs The Sovereigns
892: A Battle For The Ages
893: The Enemy
894: War
895: Destroy
896: Annihilation Corps
897: Giving in
898: Finale
899: Aftermath
900: Hero Congress 1
901: News
902: Hero Congress End
903: Notifications & Guil
904: Talking to the Axelorians
905: Making History
906: Aftermath
907: Xuan
908: Revelation
909: Decision
910: Revenge 1
911: Revenge End
912: Public Hearing 1
913: Public Hearing End
914: Priorities
915: Talking to Eloise
916: Meeting 1
917: Meeting 2
918: Meeting End
919: The Village of Eastcliff
920: The Beggar
921: The Second Phase
922: Oliva 1
923: News
924: Oliva End 2-in-1
925: Aftermath
926: The Legacy Disciple has Arrived 1
927: Rico's Decision
928: In the Sect of Hedon 1
929: In the Sect of Hedon 2
930: In the Sect of Hedon 3
931: In the Sect of Hedon 4
932: In the Sect of Hedon 5
933: In the Sect of Hedon End
934: The Next Destination
935: Fighting the Sanctum 1
936: Fighting the Sanctum End
937: Aftermath
938: Drakos's Pligh
939: Announcemen
940: Handling the Order
941: A Trip
942: Talking to Percy
943: Uproar
944: Jake
945: The War Begins
946: Impasse
947: Angaria's Fury
948: The Big Four Attack
949: Finale
950: FTR
951: Jonah
952: Rats
953: Waiting
954: Rebel
955: A Meeting Over the Endless Sea
956: Alastair
957: Speaking to Alastair
958: Proof
959: Importance of a Seer
960: Updates
961: Xuan's Story